Chapter 8
Chapter 8
A Good Day to Have Friends
January 31st crept up on Cedric, and before he knew it Hadrian was sitting down next to him at breakfast and practically vibrating with excitement. Cedric sighed.
"Well, I'm stumped." He admitted. Malcolm and Heidi glanced over with interest. "Whatcha got for me?"
"The egg isn't screaming." Hadrian said immediately. "It's a language." Cedric was confused.
"I used a translation spell." Cedric reminded him. Hadrian just grinned. "What language sounds like warbled screaming?" Hadrian laughed.
"Maybe it wouldn't sound so bad if you listened to it in a different place. Say, underwater?" Malcolm gasped at Hadrian's question.
"Of course!" He snapped his fingers. "Mermish sounds like screams when spoken into air, and can't be translated because it has automatic translation through water!" Hadrian beamed at Malcolm.
"Excellente déduction Malcolm!" Hadrian explained. Cedric was 93% sure he knew what that meant.
"Underwater? Seriously?" Cedric groaned. "Great. I'll head to the Prefect baths during my break and open it then."
"That's an hour before lunch right? I'll go too!" Hadrian chirped. Malcolm choked and Cedric's face went red.
"Sure Hadrian. I'll meet you in the Great Hall?" Cedric proposed, clearing his throat. Hadrian nodded easily as his school across the Hall finished and moved to stand.
"Absolutely. Bring the egg!" He bounced off after his schoolmates, linking arms with Fleur.
"You're hopeless." Heidi muttered, eyeing Cedric. She then glanced at Malcolm who was also staring red faced and groaned. "Both of you."
Hadrian sat patiently through his classes, though he was excited to see Cedric's face when he heard the clue. But he was also excited about his surprise for Theo. Hadrian had been wanting to show the boy for a while. He was smiling in Transfiguration when Draco nudged him.
"What're you smiling about?" He whispered. Theo glanced up casually at the question.
"I'm excited." Hadrian admitted, whispering back.
"Whatever for? A date with Theo?" Theo choked and glared at Draco, who smirked. "I'm just teasing."
"Yes and no; I am stealing Theo just after class, but I'm also meeting Cedric before lunch. He and I are headed up to the Prefect's baths when he gets out." He explained quickly. Theo and Draco both looked confused.
"Prefect's baths?" Draco asked, one eyebrow raised.
"Stealing me?" Theo questioned.
"Mister Nott, can you show me the progress you've made?" McGonagall asked sternly, walking over.
"Yes Professor." He turned back to his work, and the conversation ended.
When classes finished, Hadrian was packing up when Theo slid up next to him. "What do you need from the Prefect bathroom?" He asked, tilting his head. Hadrian leaned in to answer, Theo sucking in s sharp breath. Hadrian tucked a curl behind Theo's ear.
"The clue for the Tournament." He whispered, "Remember when I was researching mermaids?" He leaned back to see Theo's face red from proximity, but understanding in his expression.
"Of course. The lake!" He exclaimed quietly. Hadrian nodded smugly.
"That's what I said." He smirked. Theo laughed.
"It was, wasn't it?" Hadrian linked arms with Theo and pulled him out of the room.
"Now c'mon, I have a surprise for you!" Theo laughed brightly as he was pulled away, bag in one hand the other hanging onto his friend. "Cedric doesn't get out for an hour. We have time. Will you come with me?" Hadrian asked, "Your next class isn't until then anyway." Theo smiled easily.
"Lead the way." Hadrian beamed and was once again pulling his friend along. They bypassed the Great Hall and headed out onto the grounds. Theo smiled into the chilled air as they walked across the grass and towards the lake. They ducked behind two boulders, where Hadrian stopped. There was a small shallow area leading into the lake, and Hadrian turned to Theo excitedly.
"Here." Hadrian stopped by the edge of the water and pulled Theo to kneel with him. Theo mourned his pants as he crouched in the mud of the lake bank, and looked at Hadrian expectantly. "I found this spot and immediately thought of you. Lean over, and look down." He instructed.
Theo leaned over the water, and found himself staring at what looked like a Mermish nursery. The usually dark water was almost lit, blue shallows clear and perfect all the way down. Pods the size of his arm littered the shallow area, with a small cove further into the water for them to grow once the eggs opened and juvenile Mers emerged. A Mother Mer was swimming nearby, silver fins catching the sunlight as she patrolled the entrance to keep away anything that might threaten the Mer young.
"Woah." Theo breathed, examining everything he could. The Pods were more silver than merscales. They also weren't perfectly oval shaped, like book sketches suggested. They had small flaws that had Theo captivated. One had a notch in it, as if a small piece was nibbled at or chipped off. One was slightly larger and shuffled occasionally, likely due to an overactive young. One was clear as if the membrane was naturally thinner, and he could practically see the outline of Mer laying inside waiting to be ready.
"Do you like it?" Hadrian's breath tickled his brown curls as he crouched slightly behind Theo.
"It's beautiful." He whispered, watching the Pods with awe. "How did you find this place?"
"I went exploring, scoping out the lake. I was never allowed near this area while in the water, so I tried to find out why outside of the water." He smiled softly at Theo.
"You're crazy." Theo looked at him, wonder in his eyes. "I love it."
Hadrian had been excited to show Theo the place he affectionately called 'The Cove'. He'd been thoroughly directed away when he was explored in the water, pitchforks and threats making him leave. He'd actually been quite terrified one of the times he was chased away from the area. He'd immediately tracked it down aboveground, curious as to why they cared so much about the little cove. He knew Theo valued knowledge, and Mer Nurseries were extremely rare. They were always in the farthest corners of Mermish dwellings, usually inaccessible by land. This one was hidden behind large rocks, but definitely accessible.
"Oh I knew you would!" Hadrian whispered happily, beaming at his friend. Theo was looking at the water as if it hung the moon and touched the stars. "I know I missed your birthday. It was the day I arrived, right? November 1st." Theo glanced at him, eyes still filled with excitement and something warmer. "I hope this makes up for that. You can come here whenever you want."
"You're amazing." Theo whispered. The brown haired boy turned around, still kneeling, to face Hadrian. He put both hands on Hadrian's face and leaned in to press a kiss against his cheek. Hadrian didn't move, face slowly heating. "I have class, but this is the most wonderful thing anyone has ever shown me." He then stood, leaving a kneeling Hadrian behind as he rushed off.
Hadrian rocked back on his heels, and brushed his fingers against his cheek as if the kiss had left something permanent behind. He smiled softly, fondly, wondering how he could make Theo smile like that again. Hadrian really was lucky to have someone like Theo for a friend.
Cedric was waiting when he had collected himself and rushed into the Great Hall, Theo long gone. "Cedric!" He exclaimed as he came to a stop. "Sorry, I was down by the lake. You have the egg?" The other boy nodded and gestured to his much weighed down school bag.
"These things are heavy." He groaned. Hadrian laughed and grabbed his hand.
"Lead the way!" Cedric smiled at his excitement and pulled Hadrian up to the fifth floor. The entered the fourth door to the left of the statue of Boris the Bewildered, and Hadrian gaped at the huge ball and luxurious space. It screamed money. "Jesus, Hogwarts wasn't messing around with Prefect perks." Cedric laughed.
It was softly lit by a chandelier above his head, with a rectangular swimming pool that was made of white marble like everything else. There was a painting of a mermaid nearby, sleeping prettily with blonde hair. Taps in all shapes and sizes were set up near the pool sized bath, and Hadrian couldn't help but want to turn all of them on at once and create a most likely jumbled mess.
"Yeah, I was stoked when I came here the first time." Cedric was grinning, setting down his bag and releasing Hadrian's hand.
"I bet." Hadrian removed his blue silk jacket that wasn't really a helpful jacket at all to reveal the white button down blouse. All Beauxbaton students wore them under their uniforms, which most people probably knew by now since he kept walking around in just a soaked blouse. Hadrian then removed his shoes and socks, and then the blouse, but left his pants alone. Cedric turned to him, egg in hand, and froze.
"We're stripping?" He squeaked, face getting redder and redder. Hadrian smirked. He wasn't the thin and starved 11 year old anymore. He was lean, and had hard built muscle from horseback riding packed on. He put a hand on his hip extravagantly, abs flexing as he moved.
"Just this far. We are going in the water, aren't we?" He raised an eyebrow and reached for the top button on Cedric's robe. He fingered it open one handed, Cedric's robe popping open.
"R-right." Cedric stuttered. He then hastily turned away and started removing his cloak and shoes. Hadrian smothered a laugh.
Hadrian approached the baths and looked at the many different taps in excitement. Turning them on one by one he saw some gushing rose pink water, and blue bubbles the size of quaffles. One poured bubbles that looked like ice, and some smelled like candy. They all swirled together, but they didn't create a jumbled mess. Success! He grinned, and dove in as the various taps filled the pool quickly, and Hadrian cut through the water effortlessly, finding the bottom and tapping it with a palm before shooting back up. He surfaced as Cedric finished undressing, chest and feet bare.
"Come on then, bring the egg!" Hadrian prompted, turning off the taps from where he treaded water. He'd perfected his swimming with his Beauxbaton housemates, enjoying the lake on the perfect grounds of his school.
"Coming, coming." Cedric muttered, lugging the large egg and wading in waist deep. Hadrian swam closer until his feet touched and beckoned Cedric over.
"It's the perfect depth here. See? Shoulder height." He grinned as Cedric approached warily, face still tinged red. His eyes seemed to be on Hadrian's damp collarbone for some reason, and Cedric swallowed as he tore his eyes away.
"Now what?" Cedric prompted, flushed.
"Open it, and put your head under. You don't need to open your eyes, but you should if you can." He watched Cedric crack the egg open beneath the surface, and then stare down at it as the egg lit up gold. Cedric must've noticed it didn't do that above ground. "C'mon!" Hadrian took a deep breath and went under, eyes wide and open. Cedric followed, plugging his nose.
Cedric stared at the gold and blue light spilling from the egg, listening as a melodic voice swept over him.
"Come seek us where our voices sound,
We cannot sing above the ground,
And while you're searching ponder this;
We've taken what you'll sorely miss,
An hour long you'll have to look,
And to recover what we took,
But past an hour, the prospect's black,
Too late it's gone, it won't come back."
It was a song, a chorus of beautiful voices singing to him. It was mesmerizing. He could've stayed listening for hours if his lungs didn't burn for oxygen after two playthroughs.
When he popped up, Hadrian was beaming at him. "The lake." He gasped, Hadrian laughed and clapped his hands in excitement.
"Do you know what it means?" Hadrian's sparkling eyes bore into his.
"Uh no." He coughed, wiping his eyes with a wet palm as water collected on his eyelashes. "We have an hour to retrieve something we value." Hadrian laughed and nodded before disappearing under the water and scooping up the egg. He surfaced, egg still under, and shut it firmly before lifting it out.
"Think about it, what's in the lake?" Hadrian prompted. "What lives there?"
"Uh, the squid?" Cedric frowned. Hadrian grinned at the painting mermaid which had awoken and was giggling. Cedric turned around.
"The squid, yes..." Hadrian said dramatically, laughing with the mermaid.
"Uh, mermaids?" Cedric frowned.
"I knew you'd figure it out." Hadrian beamed, and moved to exit the water. "Mermaids in the lake will have something of ours. Something important." He swam to the edge where the water was knee deep and stepped out. Cedric tried not to stare as water cascaded down Hadrian's shoulder muscles and down his pretty waist. He failed miserably.
"Uh, so, that's the task? We have to swim in the lake?" Hadrian nodded easily, grabbing his wand from the edge of the pool.
Hadrian spelled the egg dry before placing it in Cedric's bag. He heard the other boy climbing out as well, and turned. He smiled at a dripping wet Cedric and spelled him and himself dry. Cedric blinked as the water disappeared and his brown hair was no longer plastered to his forehead.
"Thanks." He said, stunned. Hadrian snickered and moved to dress. He pulled on his blouse and buttoned his blue silk jacket before slipping on his socks and shoes.
"Oh we have lunch!" Hadrian exclaimed as Cedric was picking up his bag, grimacing at the weight of the egg. Hadrian frowned and cast a featherlight charm on it, Cedric gasping as his arm suddenly jerked upwards, bag completely weightless. "Better. Let's go!" He grabbed Cedric's hand and took off, the other boy stumbling along behind.
"Hey, wait!" Cedric gasped.
"Did you forget something?" Hadrian slowed to a stop on the stairs.
"Yeah, I forgot to thank you." Cedric smiled. "So, thanks. I never would've figured that out myself." Hadrian grinned.
"Champions help each other out. Now let's go!" He took off again, Cedric chuckling as he was tugged along behind.
Hadrian pulled him all the way to the Great Hall before letting go as they entered. Most people were seated, a few heading to their seats. He reached for a hair tie as he waved bye to Cedric.
"See ya later!" He headed to the Slytherins and plopped down between Nott and Malfoy. "Woo, made it. Hiya Theo. Draco." He sighed and brushed his fingers through his hair.
"So, took too long in the Prefect's bathroom with Cedric?" His cousin teased. Hadrian nodded easily as he pulled his long hair into a ponytail, leaving his bangs covering his forehead. He then twisted it into a mostly neat bun.
"I even spelled him dry, it would've taken longer if we'd had to dry off with towels." He finished with his hair and pulled a plate towards him. Hadrian looked up to see all the nearby Slytherins staring. He briefly hid panic at the thought they'd glimpsed his scar. "What?"
"You were in the Prefect's bathroom, with Diggory?" An upper year Slytherin raised an eyebrow. "Doing what, little Beauxbaton?" Hadrian exhaled in relief. His bangs were usually styled to cover the scar perfectly, and he never moved them. Reassured, he straightened and smirked lazily.
"What, jealous?" He drawled, examining his nails. "Sorry, I don't make time for cocky Slytherins." He then glanced at Draco innocently. "Except you, of course." He winked and Draco laughed. He leaned over to flick Hadrian's bun playfully. The upper year Slytherin didn't comment further, and Hadrian took it as a win.
"How was it?" Theo asked politely when Hadrian refocused on the meal.
"Good, productive. He understood almost immediately." Hadrian grinned then. "He was a little confused when I removed my shirt though, he was surprised for some reason." Theo huffed, a smile breaking his face.
"Was he not expecting to get in?" Theo snickered.
"Maybe." Hadrian leaned over to put his head on Theo's shoulder. "I hate that I have Herbology next. Hufflepuff is nice but boy do they get ruthless around plants." The Slytherins around him all burst out laughing, while Durmstrang and the rest of Slytherin that were out of earshot looked on, confused. Hadrian smiled and revelled in the acceptance.