1974 Part 1
“…so you see, it is for the Greater Good–”
“Tell me, Dumbledore,” Hadrian interrupted, claiming the attention of the entire Wizengamot, “what exactly do you mean when you say, ‘Greater Good’?”
Caught off guard, the man blinked in surprise, “Why, what is best for the Wizarding World, of course.”
“I see. In other words, you would put the many above the individual?”
“Well… you can view it that way perhaps, but we need to think of the Wizarding World as a whole if we want our culture to thrive.”
“If I am not mistaken, it is that mindset, as well as that motto, that the Dark Lord Grindelwald used to reign terror,” Hadrian paused, allowing the shocked whispering to spread. When Dumbledore opened his mouth to retort, he continued without letting the man speak, “Furthermore, with the way of thinking you admitted to, why should you be trusted with our children – the future of the Wizarding World – if you are more focused on the thousands of magicals outside of your purview rather than protecting the few hundred students within it, as the Headmaster of Hogwarts should?”
More shocked whispering spread, but Lord Longbottom spoke up before Dumbledore could respond, “Is there a purpose to your speculation, Lord Peverell?”
Hadrian only just refrained from smirking at the perfect opening the man provided him, “I bring to the Wizengamot evidence that Headmaster Dumbledore has consistently ignored abuse that has been revealed to him, going so far as to send those students – children – back to their abusive homes.”
Chaos ensued. Some of the light faction stood up in outrage at the accusation thrown toward their leader, while members of all factions cried out to witness this evidence. It took a full ten minutes for the minister to regain order with the banging of his gavel.
“This is a serious accusation, Lord Peverell,” DMLE Head, Barty Crouch, narrowed his eyes at Hadrian, “I assume you can provide the evidence you claim to have?”
The young man pulled out a memory vial, “These are memories given by Deputy Headmistress Minerva McGonagall, which clearly show the Headmaster claiming clear cases of abuse to be no more than ‘misunderstandings’, refusing to report or allow Professor McGonagall to report the cases to the proper authorities to be investigated and the children moved to safety. The Deputy Headmistress has also included situations in which the Headmaster has favored particular students, decreasing punishments or excusing behavior altogether, leading to bullying within Hogwarts itself, showing Dumbledore’s neglect has allowed similar danger as abuse to infest the school that should be a safe haven for learning. I have further memory vials and letters to prove the favoritism and encouragement of bullying by anonymous students. To protect the identity of the students, I motion that this session, from this point forward, be sealed.”
“Seconded,” Arcturus quickly agreed.
Magic flared at the motion to seal the Wizengamot meeting, secrecy wards becoming active; not a single word concerning students’ identities – as Hadrian had specifically requested – could now be said by those present to parties without the knowledge about what passed while the wards were active. Reassured by their presence, Hadrian gave the memory vial to the session’s record-taker so they could be projected for the Wizengamot to view. Once again, Hadrian watched the memories, no less horrified by the number of students denied safety than he was the first time. After they played through, shocked silence filled the Wizengamot.
A moment later, a lord from the light that Hadrian didn’t recognize broke the quiet, “I motion to view the other memories and letters Lord Peverell previously claimed to be further proof of Dumbledore’s transgressions.”
“Seconded,” called an unknown voice from the grey.
Hadrian obligingly handed the file of letters and the case of memories he had collected to the record-taker. The file was copied and passed around while the memories were set up to be viewed. As they filtered through various perspectives of favoritism and bullying, Hadrian looked to where Dumbledore was sitting. Though the Headmaster was trying to conceal it, the young man could see Dumbledore was becoming more and more displeased. It was only when the memories finished showing was Hadrian able to pull his gaze away from the older man.
“As head of the DMLE, I hereby charge Albus Dumbledore with misdemeanor, obstruction of justice, and accessory after the fact for failing to report child abuse. Furthermore, I open investigations into the home lives of the students provided by the memories of Minerva McGonagall,” Crouch harshly said. Aurors – who Hadrian suspected had been called by Crouch after McGonagall’s memories – emerged from the shadows of the room to arrest the Headmaster. The head of the DMLE turned to glare at Dumbledore, who was looking back impassively with cuffs around his wrists, “While I cannot officially charge you for the bullying and favoritism, I will state that your actions are inexcusable and you do not deserve the position of Headmaster of Hogwarts, despite past accomplishments.”
“As both a member of the Wizengamot and a school governor, I motion to remove Albus Dumbledore of the Hogwarts Headmastership and instate Minerva McGonagall as temporary Headmistress,” Longbottom spoke up, surprising Hadrian.
He knew the Longbottoms had always been one of the more reasonable light families – the current Lord reinforcing his respect for Neville’s family – but Hadrian hadn’t expected the man to be the one to suggest Dumbledore’s ousting. Especially not when the man’s son and future daughter-in-law – Neville’s parents – had joined the light leader’s Order of the Phoenix during Hadrian’s original timeline. Then again, if he was correct, this Longbottom was the husband of Neville’s grandmother, who would have not hesitated to do the same as Lord Longbottom had just done, as he had learned following Voldemort’s defeat in 1998.
“As both a member of the Wizengamot and a school governor, I second the motion,” Abraxas replied.
Like earlier, there was a flare of magic. This time, however, it surrounded Dumbledore before disappearing. When the now-former Headmaster winced, Hadrian realized the control of Hogwarts wards had just been removed from the man. At a motion from Crouch, the Aurors led Dumbledore out of the Wizengamot.
Minister Bagnold cleared his throat, obviously flustered by the events, “I believe this is as good of a time as any to break for the day. Any objections?”
Silence filled the chamber.
“Very well. This concludes the January 1974 Wizengamot Session.”*
It was the morning of the first day of classes when the news hit. As he usually did, Severus made his way to breakfast with the rest of house – meaning he was one of the first in the Great Hall as the other houses tended to sleep in longer – and ate while he refreshed his memory on the section of his Charms book that had been used for homework during Yule break. About fifteen minutes after the other houses joined them at their respective tables, the morning paper came. He absently wondered if his dad would make it into the paper again; the January Wizengamot session was the day before, only a day after Yule break ended and students returned to Hogwarts.
Dumbledore Ousted from Hogwarts, Charged with Failing to Report Abuse
Severus nearly choked on his coffee at the front-page headline. He blinked, wondering if this was in his imagination or was possibly a dream, but when he opened his eyes again, the headline remained. The boy carefully set his mug down, just as the whispering in the Great Hall picked up. He harshly shoved the rising excitement aside, afraid to get his hopes up, and quickly read through the paper.
He wasn’t surprised to see his dad’s name listed as the one who provided evidence. He was surprised to read Dumbledore had actually been arrested, and then removed from the Headmastership before being carted away.
The Ravenclaw looked up at the staff table and, for the first time since coming to breakfast, noticed Dumbledore’s absence. It was odd, as the old man was at nearly every meal and now, he wouldn’t be at any. Severus finally let the excitement take over. With Dumbledore gone, students in abusive homes would be protected and Potter and Black might finally be punished. He couldn’t help a small smile of satisfaction at the thought.
Glancing over, Severus noticed McGonagall was also absent. The professors who were present, didn’t seem shocked by the paper (perhaps they were informed beforehand?). The boy couldn’t help wondering about their thoughts on Dumbledore’s removal. Were they sad that he was gone? Angry at the man for ignoring abuse? Maybe unsurprised by any of it?
Severus internally shook the thoughts off and gathered up his supplies for his classes. Excitement aside, he still had Charms and then Transfiguration before lunch. After that, he would be writing to his dad for more information. The boy left the Great Hall, unable to keep his thoughts from wandering back to Dumbledore. Would he actually be held accountable for his actions? Or would his popularity save him? For that matter, how popular was the old man going to be, now that he’d been removed from the Hogwarts for ignoring abuse?
So wrapped up in his thoughts, the boy was caught by surprise when he was hit with an Incarcerous from behind, causing his bag to fall out of his grasp and to the floor, a few books falling out. Severus struggled in the ropes wrapped around him, trying to maneuver his arms enough to reach his wand. Before he could, a hand slipped into his pocket and removed it. The boy whipped his head around to see Potter holding his wand, smirk on his face. He looked to his left and saw Black walking into his field of vision with a matching smirk. Severus glared at the two. He should have known they’d attack him considering the news. Perhaps he had begun to celebrate Dumbledore’s ousting a bit too soon.
“Aw, has Snivellus lost his wand?” Black mock pouted before glaring viciously, “Good.”
Potter smirked wider, “He’s looking a little tied up without it, isn’t he Sirius? Perhaps we should lend a hand.”
Black laughed as Potter cast Baubillious**, harshly shocking Severus. The Ravenclaw clenched his jaw shut, refusing to make a sound at the quick shock. He grunted softly when the force of the spell made him fall backwards. The bullies moved so they were standing directly over him.
“You should have convinced daddy to back off, Snivellus. It’s your fault Dumbledore is gone and so you’re going to be punished for it.”
Severus only glared at Potter in response.
“What, nothing to say, Snivellus?” Black drew his attention.
“I’d rather not lower my IQ by conversing with you, thanks,” Severus drawled.
The two Gryffindors growled and Black pointed his wand at him. Before the boy could do more, another voice caused him to freeze, “Just what do you think you are doing?”
“Professor–”, Potter began.
McGonagall cut him off, “Release Mr. Peverell. Now.”
Potter complied. Severus stood up once the ropes were gone. He knelt next to his bag and shoved the items that had fallen out back in. As he was doing so, he heard the woman reprimanding the two. He glanced up, wanting to see the looks on the idiots’ faces.
“Fifty points from Gryffindor and a month of detention with Mr. Filch, each. Now get to class.”
“But Professor–”, Black immediately looked horrified as he objected. Next to him, Potter looked shocked, probably due to the punishment being harsher than it had in the past year. Severus had to hide a smirk as he stood up.
McGonagall raised an eyebrow, “Would you like to make it two months, Mr. Black?”
The boy snapped his jaw shut.
“I thought not. Now get to class, both of you.”
Potter grabbed his friend’s arm and dragged him away. Once they were around the corner, McGonagall turned to the Ravenclaw, “Are you alright, Mr. Peverell?”
“Yes, ma’am.”
The woman considered him for a moment before nodding, “Very well. Off with you then.”
Severus nodded and continued on his way to Charms – luckily, he had the class with Slytherins so he wouldn’t have to deal with those two. When he was sure McGonagall could no longer see him, he let a satisfied smirk emerge. It felt good knowing Dumbledore wasn’t around to lessen the menaces’ punishments. Even if the bullying didn’t stop like he didn’t think it would, now that Dumbledore wasn’t the one to discourage the behavior (not that the man had actually done so for very long), he could definitely get used to them finally getting punished.
The first month after Dumbledore was arrested went by quickly. After the Wizengamot session finished with the old man’s arrest, Hadrian, Abraxas, and Arcturus had gone to Malfoy Manor to have a few drinks in celebration. Unintentionally, they had overdone it a bit, leading to Arcturus needing a sobering potion before he was able to safely floo home to his wife, while Hadrian took up the Malfoys’ – Abraxas’s wife had joined them once she heard what they were celebrating – offer of a spare room for the night. The following week was spent waiting in anticipation for Dumbledore’s trial.
The trial took another week to get through, due to the amount of evidence they had to look over as well as Dumbledore’s long-winded excuses that his popularity allowed him. Hadrian was disappointed, but not very surprised, when the man was released with a warning, a fine, and a week’s suspension from the Wizengamot. After all, despite revealing Dumbledore had done nothing about abuse, the man was still seen as a savior of the Wizarding World because of his defeat of Grindelwald and his proactive actions against Voldemort before the Dark Lord had been mysteriously defeated. It was because of the recent revelation and the man’s longstanding reputation that there was a mixed reaction to Dumbledore’s punishment – some were angry he wasn’t being punished more severely for something as horrifying as abuse, while others (the more hardcore Dumbledore followers) were satisfied with the punishment for what they perceived to be as just a horrible mistake.
When Dumbledore finally returned to the Wizengamot, Hadrian was shocked when, before he himself had the chance to, Lord Longbottom, who had been the temporary leader of the light while Dumbledore was gone, called on magic to test the validity of Dumbledore’s position of Chief Warlock. Once again, Neville’s grandfather had proved exactly how respectable his family was. Magic swirled around the former-Headmaster for a second before Dumbledore was removed from the position and it was granted to the leader of the dark – Abraxas. Dumbledore retained his position of leader of the light when Lord Longbottom stepped down after that.
A week later, things were beginning to settle into a new normal when Hadrian received a letter from Hogwarts’ school board. The missive politely requested his presence at the next meeting a few days later. When asked, Abraxas refused to reveal why, telling him with a smirk that he’d have to show up to find out. Hadrian had narrowed his eyes at his friend, suspecting the man was the reason he’d received a letter.
It was because of his friend’s suspected intervention that he felt a mix of trepidation and curiosity as he made his way to the meeting. When he arrived at the chamber within the ministry where the school governors met, Hadrian knocked, only entering when called in. The chamber was much smaller than the one used for Wizengamot meetings. It consisted of long table with eight seats, six of which were filled. At the head of the table facing him sat Lord Longbottom; on the right side of the table, closest to Longbottom was Abraxas, followed by a dark-skinned woman who looked vaguely familiar, and a pale man he’d never met before; to the left of Longbottom was a woman who looked similar to Susan Bones, followed by a man he knew to be Lord Greengrass and then an empty seat; at the foot of the table was another empty seat.
“Lord Peverell. Thank you for coming,” Lord Longbottom greeted, gesturing to the empty chair at the end of the table.
Hadrian smiled and sat, “Thank you for the invitation. Though I will admit I am not sure why I am here.”
“We will explain in just a moment. Since you already know me, allow me to introduce everybody in case the introductions are needed,” Abraxas spoke up. Hadrian nodded in agreement, and his friend continued, “To my left is Lady Parkinson and Lord Brown. To my right is the head of the board, Lord Longbottom, and to his right is Madam Bones and Lord Greengrass.”***
“Pleasure to meet you.”
“I believe I speak for us all when I say the pleasure is all ours,” Lady Parkinson said with a smirk.
Hadrian’s lips twitch in a smile, amusedly understanding the woman was referring to his involvement in ousting Dumbledore. He couldn’t help but wonder how long people would look at him differently due to his actions. Either way, he’d much rather this attention than what he had gotten as the-boy-who-lived.
Lord Longbottom pulled his attention back to the meeting when he cleared his throat lightly, “Yes, well, that brings us to the reason we requested your presence. As you can see, we have an open position for a seventh school governor. We have long been considering who would be best to fill the spot but had thus far been unable to agree on a candidate. That is, until you revealed that the Hogwarts Headmaster not only was allowing students to stay in abusive homes, but also encouraging bullying. Due to your actions to protect the students, we have decided to offer you the position.”
The twenty-seven-year-old blinked in surprise. He had honestly not once given thought to joining the school board. Hadrian felt a little overwhelmed at the offer. He swallowed and refocused on the people waiting for a response, “May I take some time to consider the offer?”
“Of course. We can give you until the end of the school year to decide.”
“Thank you,” Hadrian replied. He saw Lady Parkinson smirking at him again, this time joined by Lord Brown, and wondered if he looked as taken off guard as he felt, “Is there anything else?”
“Yes, actually. As I said, we were impressed by your actions to protect the students. It is for that reason that we would like to ask your opinion on who to appoint as the next Headmaster.”
“Who did you have in mind?”
“Minerva McGonagall.”
Hadrian nodded, “She is a good choice. As I am sure you know, it was with Professor McGonagall’s help that I was able to expose Dumbledore’s lack of action. From what I know of her, she takes protecting the students very seriously.”
Madam Bones agreed, “That is what we were hoping you would say.”
The school governors all nodded. Lord Longbottom spoke up once more, “Very well, I believe that is all then. Let us know when you decide.”
Hadrian nodded and thanked them again as he moved to leave. Whether or not he chose to become a school governor, this meeting did remind him that he had once again achieved his goal, leaving him without a purpose. He still had full intentions to work for Creatures’ rights as he promised the Goblins he would, but that was a long-term goal in a way defeating Voldemort and ousting Dumbledore wasn’t; those goals had needed more immediate action, whereas working for Creatures’ rights was going to be a much longer process. He needed to find something that he loved to do, much like Hadrian knew Severus loved potions and would probably dedicate his life to them. Once again, the young man was left wondering what to do.
It was two months after the meeting with the board that Hadrian got a letter from Minerva. Now, at the end of April, the end of year exams were approaching, and yet the Transfiguration professor, Head of Gryffindor House, and acting-Headmistress was asking to meet with him once more. Hadrian couldn’t help but wonder where she found the time.
Curiosity got the better of him, though, and he agreed to a meeting for the next day. Not unlike he had when he told Dumbledore off during Severus’s first year, Hadrian flooed to Hogwarts from the cottage once access was granted to him. However, instead of arriving at the Headmaster’s office, he stepped into the Transfiguration Professor’s office. It was mostly the same as Hadrian remembered it to be from his original timeline, save for a few pictures and things that had not occurred yet. Like when he had seen Minerva for the first time since time travelling, a small part of him relaxed upon seeing the familiar and comfortable office. It seemed Minerva McGonagall was more a comfort to Hadrian than he ever realized.
The young man smiled at the woman in question as soon as his eyes met hers, “Good to see you again, Professor.”
“It’s technically Headmistress now, actually, though I do believe I gave you permission to use my name, Lord Peverell,” Minerva pointedly said his title as she raised an eyebrow at him with a small quirk on her lips. She gestured for him to sit and took her own seat behind her desk.
Hadrian smiled wider as he sat down, “Of course, Minerva. I take it the board asked you to officially become the Headmistress, then?”
“Indeed. They asked me and inducted me in yesterday. Though I am sure that doesn’t come as a shock to you, Hadrian.”
“I can honestly say I had no idea they were going to approach you yesterday,” he replied with a straight face. When the woman narrowed her eyes at him, he smirked slightly, “However, I had no doubts that they would offer you the position.”
“How very Slytherin of you,” Minerva commented, causing Hadrian grin at the irony of his former head of house remarking on his Slytherin qualities. The woman continued, “I can’t decide if I should be thanking you or cursing you for your recommendation. Not only do I have to clean up the mess by my predecessor neglecting a few of his duties, but now I am stuck with a Defense Against the Dark Arts position that not even Albus Dumbledore could fill.”
Hadrian laughed, “Well, if you choose the former, I can assure you, no thanks are necessary. I truly believe that you are the best for the position. Should you choose the latter, I politely request a five-minute head start to try and outrun your wand.”
“I’ll take it into consideration,” Minerva’s eyes glittered in amusement as her lips curled in a small smile. She ordered tea for them both, passing over a cup after it had arrived. Hadrian took a sip as the woman addressed the reason for calling him there, “Speaking of the Defense position, I’d like to offer it to you.”
The young man blinked in surprise. What was with people offering him positions suddenly? Out loud he asked, “Has this year’s professor already given you their resignation?”
The Headmistress grimaced, “Yes, but fortunately so, this time. Many fifth and seventh years opted to officially self-study this year, with many others doing so unofficially.”
“That bad?” Hadrian winced, “But may I ask why me?”
“When I realized I would need to find a new Head of Gryffindor House, I immediately thought of you. You’ve shown that you care for the students’ safety by collecting evidence of bullying and favoritism even before I approached you about the abuse issue. I also believe you will be vital in creating better house unity. So, I checked your qualifications, hoping you’d have a mastery in Transfiguration since I know that position is not cursed like the Defense one is and would therefore be more likely to take the Head of House position. Since you do not, I thought I’d settle for Defense and hope for the best.”
Hadrian tilted his head in confusion, “I thought only people who have attended Hogwarts could be a Head of House? I tested for my NEWTS and mastery through Gringotts.”
“There are a few perks to being Headmistress,” McGonagall said with a smile, “You have shown a great many qualities of all of the houses, but it took quite of bravery and daring to stand up against Albus Dumbledore. As such, I saw no issue with bending the rules a bit and making you Head of Gryffindor.”
The young man nodded absently and looked down, seriously considering the offer. After he had died to defeat Voldemort when he was seventeen, Hadrian had realized that he didn’t want to be an Auror. For his eighth year at Hogwarts, he had thought long and hard about what he wanted to do, teaching being one of the options. However, before he truly decided, Hadrian had realized how much of a mess the Wizarding World had become, and decided that he would try to fix it – he had the power and popularity to make change, so why not use it? Not much later, he had realized the chaos wasn’t going to be fixed and decided to time travel (partially to fix the future, but also partially because he was desperate to escape the death and destruction). Despite it being years since he thought about it, Hadrian did remember a part of him having his heart set on being a professor – if not then, then sometime in the future. When he was offered a position on the school board, Hadrian had thought that it might be the best he would get and now, here he was, in the past (his future), being offered not only the chance to teach, but also to be a Head of House. That same part of him yearned to say yes, but it was no longer just him to keep in mind. Hadrian looked back up to the Headmistress, who was watching him while she drank her tea.
“Before I decide anything, I’d like to speak with Severus. If I could, I’d like to speak with him tonight and give you an answer no later than the end of the week.”
Minerva nodded her understanding, “Of course. Classes have ended for the day so I can call your son here and you can have until curfew with him. You know where to find me when you decide.”
“Thank you,” Hadrian nodded, sipping his tea as he settled in to wait for Severus.
When Severus was given a note by a House Elf to go to McGonagall’s office, he hadn’t exactly known what to expect. Transfiguration was still one of his worst subjects (not that he let his grade reflect that) but he had turned in his homework and he hadn’t been caught breaking the rules (he snuck out past curfew a few times, but with Sayah’s help, had never been caught). Therefore, he could think of nothing that his professor – or the acting-Headmistress, for that matter – would want to see him about. He left Sayah in his room because of his uncertainty to why he was summoned. Seeing his dad waiting for him in the office – chatting with McGonagall like they were old friends, strangely enough – was definitely not one of the situations he had considered, let alone expected. Hadrian smiled at him, stood up from his chair, and engulfed him in a hug as if they were on the platform where Severus had expected to next see the man.
“Dad,” he immediately complained, embarrassed to have his professor – and the Head of Gryffindor, of all people – see his dad hugging him.
As he always did when Severus complained, Hadrian laughed before finally releasing him from the hug, “Tell me, Sev, do you have plans with your friends? Because I need to speak with you and Minerva agreed to let me take you to dinner in Hogsmeade, if you’re up for it.”
Severus blinked at his dad’s casual use of McGonagall’s first name but replied, “Not particularly, but I would like to let them know so they don’t worry.”
“Fair enough,” Hadrian agreed and turned back to the Transfiguration professor.
Before the man could say anything more, however, McGonagall offered, “I can let them know, Mr. Peverell.”
“Thank you, Professor,” the Ravenclaw nodded, relieved. While he loved his dad, he didn’t want to give Black and Potter any more ammunition by wandering through Hogwarts looking for his friends with him. However, he couldn’t exactly tell Hadrian that without admitting to the bullying so there had been no way to explain without unintentionally hurting his dad’s feelings. Luckily, the Transfiguration professor had solved that for him.
Hadrian seemed to somewhat pick up on his thoughts and smirked before putting on a mock hurt face, “What, don’t want to be embarrassed by your old man?”
Severus scoffed, “You’re hardly old, Dad. You’re only twenty-seven.”
“Flattery will get you everywhere, Sev,” Hadrian smirked before turning to McGonagall with a smile, “If that is all, Minerva, we will be on our way.”
McGonagall nodded with a small smile – Severus blinked in surprise at the sight, having only seen her either stern or concerned before – on her face, “Of course. Enjoy your dinner.”
Hadrian smiled back before turning and leading Severus away, “So, I was thinking dinner in the Three Broomsticks.”
The Ravenclaw nodded, following his dad as they turned and headed out of Hogwarts. Severus was silent as he they walked, keeping most of his focus on his surroundings (having learned his lesson about letting his guard down after Dumbledore was ousted in February), but wondered what his dad wanted to speak to him about. He subtly looked towards the man to observe him. Hadrian didn’t seem sad or overly serious in anyway, so it didn’t seem to be bad news. Even so, whatever it was warranted a trip to Hogwarts, so perhaps it was more serious than his dad made it seem. Severus swallowed his worry slightly, focusing more on his surroundings. The last thing he needed was a confrontation with Black and Potter while he was with his dad – it would be very difficult to explain without admitting to the bullying he had yet to tell the man about. It seemed luck was on his side when they safely made it out of the castle without an issue.
As they treaded down to Hogsmeade, Severus forcefully shoved his apprehension over his dad’s appearance aside, trying to remind himself that he hadn’t seen any evidence that Hadrian had anything bad to say. He hadn’t seen any of the signs of his dad hiding behind a mask – the man’s eyes were as expressive as always,not guarded like he was occluding, and his smiles seemed carefree – so there was no reason to worry over nothing. Trying to distract himself, Severus broke the silence.
“How long have you been friends with McGonagall?”
“She sent me a letter in November, but we didn’t meet in person until just a couple of weeks before Yule Break to discuss Dumbledore and my actions against him. Today was the first time I have seen her since the man was ousted, however.”
The fourteen-year-old narrowed his eyes at the slight fondness in which his dad spoke of the professor, “So, you became friends while working against Dumbledore?”
Hadrian shrugged, “Sort of. We don’t exchange frequent letters, but we are friendly enough. Why?”
“No reason,” Severus said casually, “I just hadn’t expected you two to know each other.”
It was Hadrian’s turn to narrow his eyes at him. Severus kept his eyes on the path while the man scrutinized him. The man saw right through his act, however, “Severus, Professor McGonagall and I are tentative friends at best–”
“It’s Professor McGonagall now, is it? What happened to Minerva?” He interrupted his dad. He knew he sounded a bit childish, but he couldn’t help it. He really didn’t want his dad to date his professor.
“Do you call your friends by their titles when you converse with them?” Hadrian quickly retaliated, “Professor McGonagall – Minerva – and I are just friends.”
Severus internally conceded the point but wasn’t convinced. Before he could say anything further, however, his dad shook his head at him in exasperation. The man then looked at him seriously and bluntly said, “Severus, she isn’t my type, which you know. I am not, nor do I ever have plans to date your professor, or any other female that I happen to become friendly with.”
The Ravenclaw blinked in shock. How had he forgotten that his dad was gay? He was against it or anything, he just didn't think about it all that much, “Oh.”
“You know, when I said I needed to talk to you, I never expected that it would lead to me reminding my son that I am gay,” Hadrian laughed lightly in response.****
Severus snorted at the ridiculousness of the situation. Somehow, he had gone from worrying about what his dad had to tell him, to worrying about his dad possibly dating his professor despite knowing that his dad was gay. Severus shook his head at himself, “Sorry, Dad. I don’t know why I focused on that.”
Hadrian smiled softly, “Perhaps you were worried about what I might have to tell you, so you overly worried about something else instead?”
Severus wrinkled his nose at how ridiculous that sounded, slightly upset with himself for acting so childish. Luckily, they had just reached Hogsmeade. The boy let go of a small breath of relief; he’d know what his dad had to say soon enough. They ignored the looks of curiosity they got from the Hogsmeade inhabitants and headed towards the Three Broomsticks. The pub was less busy than it was during Hogsmeade weekends*****, but still busier than Severus had expected, despite it being just about dinner time. It took them a moment to find an open booth but eventually found one in the back. The made their way over and slipped into the seats. Immediately, Hadrian ordered them both a Butter Beer and they ordered dinner. When the drinks were served to them, Hadrian smiled at him and nudged Severus’s Butter Beer closer to him. He obligingly took a sip of the drink as his dad did the same. After Hadrian put his drink down, Severus once again broke the comfortable silence they had fallen into.
“So, what was it that you wanted to tell me?”
“The reason I was at Hogwarts today was because Minerva was just appointed to be the Headmistress of Hogwarts. As such, it is now her job to hire new teachers for the open positions.”
“But you don’t have a mastery in Transfiguration. Only in,” The Ravenclaw frowned, before understanding dawned on him, “DADA. She wants to hire you for the DADA position.”
Hadrian nodded, “Your current professor has already given their resignation, though as I understand it, no one is going to miss them anyways.”
“They’re useless. Remus and I have been helping Lily and Regulus self-study for the class since we were ahead anyways,” Severus couldn’t help rolling his eyes. His dad laughed in response.
“Yes, well, as it is, the Headmistress offered me the job, as well as the position of Head of Gryffindor despite my lack of a Hogwarts education or sorting. But before I decided anything, I wanted to get your opinion.”
The boy frowned as he thought about it. Did he care if his dad became his professor? No doubt Black and Potter would have a few things to say about it, be he could honestly care less about that. He wasn’t ashamed of his dad and had no reason to be. And if the man became head of Gryffindor – which Severus found hilarious considering how much of a snake defeating Voldemort and ousting Dumbledore had proved him to be – perhaps a few of them would learn a thing or two about subtlety. It was a hope at least. As he thought about it, however, only one real concern came to mind.
“Is taking that position safe?”
His dad set the Butter Beer he had been drinking down, “If you mean due to the curse on the DADA position, then yes. I believe I can remove it, actually.”
“You mean the rumor is true? There is a curse? But who put it there?”
Hadrian smirked at him, “You remember that time you caught me in Hogwarts?”
“Yes, you said you were working on your mission, which I assume meant–” Severus gaped at his dad as he put the pieces together. Hadrian had been in the castle to destroy a Horcrux, but he would have had to gain access to Hogwarts to put it there in the first place, “You mean Voldemort cursed the position? Why? And why do you think you can remove it?”
“Dumbledore denied Voldemort the DADA position, so he cursed it in retaliation. As for removing it, only those of a special sssskill would be able to.”
Severus immediately understood when his dad hissed the world ‘skill’ in not-quite Parseltongue. He had heard rumors that the Dark Lord had been a Parselmouth but hadn’t quite believed it. Though he did vaguely remember his dad saying there was one other person who could speak it when Severus had first discovered that he was one himself when he was nine. He wondered how his dad had known that Voldemort was a Parseltongue that cursed the DADA position, just like he had wondered how Hadrian had known the location of the Horcruxes. If he asked, however, he didn’t think he’d get an answer. Just one more thing – like the possibility that his dad had been abused – that he’d have to get his dad to tell him about some day.
The boy returned the conversation back to the topic at hand, “You know, it’s about time we had a competent DADA professor.”
Hadrian laughed, “I take it you’re okay with it then?”
Severus nodded at his dad. He knew that outside of the missions that Hadrian had created for himself, the man had been chaffing a bit in boredom. He had overheard Abraxas and Lord Black discussing hobbies with his dad when they had come over for tea during the summer. At the very least, being a professor would keep his dad occupied until he figured out what he wanted to do now that Dumbledore was gone.
“I won’t even mind you being Head of Gryffindor, if you promise to try and teach the brash idiots a little subtlety.
“I’ll do my best,” his dad smiled at him.
When Minerva was offered to become the next Headmistress, she had wondered if Hadrian had anything to do with it. After all, she knew most Headmasters and Headmistresses were appointed after a recommendation from their predecessor (it was rare the board went against the endorsement). However, considering Albus was ousted, who else would the board ask for a recommendation than the person who ousted him? Albus probably also would have recommended her considering she had been his Deputy, but his opinion meant very little to her, and probably even less to the board, at the moment.
After officially becoming Headmistress, Minerva offered the Head of Gryffindor position to Hadrian on an impulse more than anything. She had been honest when she told the younger man that he had come to mind when she began trying to think of someone to fill the open Head of House position. However, she had also sent him a letter requesting a meeting, only intending to offer him the DADA position. After the Dumbledore fiasco, Minerva wanted Hadrian on staff not only because she felt confident he could be trusted with the students’ safety, but she honestly believed the ideals he gave her for wanting Albus gone would encourage house unity and work towards ending the biases placed against the houses. So, she had checked Hadrian’s qualifications (was only slightly disappointed that he didn’t have a Transfiguration Mastery) and decided to offer him the DADA position, even if that meant he would only be able to teach for a year (one year was better than none, in her mind, even if she desperately wished the curse on the DADA position would disappear). It was when she looked through the possible people for the Transfiguration position that she realized she was comparing the candidates (all former-Gryffindors, since the Head of House position needed to be filled) to Hadrian. She had immediately berated herself and looked through all the possibilities once more, doing her best to look at each of them objectively.
But then Hadrian walked into her office and she offered the Head of Gryffindor in the same breath as the DADA position before she realized what she was doing. She internally cursed herself but found herself unable to regret her action. Minerva strongly believed Hadrian was perfect for the job. That being said, as soon as Hadrian left with his son without giving her an answer (thankfully), Minerva quickly got a hold of the school charter in order to check that she did indeed have the capability to bypass the rules to being Head of House. She sighed in relief upon finding a clause that stated the Headmaster/Headmistress of Hogwarts could assign the position to the most qualified individual, despite their sorting or lack thereof, in “extenuating circumstances”. Minerva figured ousting a Headmaster due to his lack of protecting the students counted as extenuating.
Satisfied that her offer had actually been possible, Minerva returned to looking through candidates for the Transfiguration position, adding some non-Gryffindor options to the pile (just in case Hadrian accepted) and eagerly waited for the end of the week, when Hadrian would give her his answer.
Minerva was taken by surprise when, after classes were finished, she found Hadrian waiting for her in her office the very next day. She cleared her throat lightly, causing the young man to turn away from browsing the titles of the books on her shelves and smile at her in greeting. The Headmistress raised an eyebrow, “When you asked for a week to think about my offer, I didn’t expect to see you so soon.”
“Ah, but I said I would give you an answer no later than the end of the week. That implies that I could have an answer before then.”
She gave a wry smile at the answer, “It seems you are quite a bit more Slytherin than I originally gave you credit for.”
Hadrian laughed softly in response as she made her way over to her desk to sit down. The young lord followed her example and sat in the same chair he had the day before. She ordered tea for them both and took a hardy sip before looking at him expectantly.
“As I understand it, after speaking with the school governors,” Hadrian began without prompting. Minerva quirked an eyebrow at the mention of the board, not having expected him to be in contact with them. It was even more surprising considering it had only been a day. The younger man only smirked at her silent question – making her even more curious at why he had met with them – and continued, “due to the curse, Hogwarts has taken up an unofficial policy of only signing year-long contracts with the prospective DADA Professors in order to protect both Hogwarts and those Professors, correct?”
“Yes.”
“Then I’d like to propose a deal.” Minerva blinked in surprise and nodded at Hadrian to continue. The man obliged, “Allow me a look at the wards and the chance to get rid of the curse. In return, should I remove it, hire me for with a standard teaching contract and keep me on as the DADA professor for longer than the year – assuming I meet Hogwarts’ teaching standards, of course.”
“And if you don’t remove it?”
Hadrian shrugged, “Then I’ll sign the year-long contract, and we will both be hoping the curse will allow me to return.”
The Headmistress considered the dark-haired man in front of her. It had been quite a while since attempting to remove the curse. The various Curse-Breakers Albus had hired all had been unable to remove it and none could figure out why. After that, they had given up trying to remove it, hoping it would fade eventually. With the curse having been in existence for close to a decade, she wondered why Hadrian seemed to believe that he would be able to remove it when he had no curse-breaking skills. At most, he had the vague knowledge of curse-breaking that came with achieving a DADA mastery. However, she saw no harm in allowing him to try, even if she doubted Hadrian would be able to remove it – not because she doubted his skill or knowledge, but she had lost hope that anybody would be able to remove it.
“Very well,” Minerva agreed, causing the young man to positively beam at her. She blinked, finding herself unable to stop herself from feeling a little hope return at such obvious enthusiasm. The woman swallowed, pushing the feeling aside for now, “As for becoming Head of Gryffindor?”
“I would be honored to hold the position,” Hadrian smirked slightly, “But in somewhat keeping with tradition, and from a little curiosity on my part, I request to be sorted.”
The Headmistress quirked an eyebrow, “And if you’re not put in Gryffindor?”
“Then it’s a good thing this I am not a student, making this sorting rather unofficial.”
Minerva laughed. As much as she believed he could probably fit in all houses, she’d be shocked if the hat didn’t declare him a Slytherin, “Very well. If you will follow me, we can sort you before dinner.”
She left the office with Hadrian, heading towards the Headmaster’s – soon to be Headmistress’s – office. As they made their way through the castle, the dark-haired man’s acceptance to the positions sunk in. Excitement filled her; Minerva couldn’t wait to see what was in store for Hogwarts with Hadrian as the DADA professor.
As soon as he stepped through the floo and into Malfoy Manor, Abraxas was smirking at him. Hadrian raised an eyebrow at his friend as they made their way to the sitting room, not entirely sure why the blonde was looking at him like that.
“You know, I didn’t get to tell you when you met with the board to turn down the position of governor, but when I suggested you find a hobby, I never expected you to pick something that would require almost your full attention for nearly ten months out of the year.”
He rolled his eyes at his friend, and dryly said, “Then you’ll be even more shocked to hear I will also be the Head of Gryffindor.”
Abraxas stopped walking. Had he been drinking something, Hadrian was sure he would have either choked or spit it out by the look of surprise, “What? But… what?”
The young man smirked, thoroughly amused by the fact that he had rendered Abraxas speechless. After a moment, shock and confusion gave way to understanding. The Malfoy lord muttered something that sounded like ‘extenuating circumstances’ under his breath but continued walking with him to the sitting room. Once they were there and sat down, Abraxas focused on him again. The blonde then scowled upon seeing the obvious amusement on his face, making Hadrian laugh. Abraxas huffed.
“Well, congratulations for that position too, then. Though I highly doubt you would have been sorted in Gryffindor had you attended Hogwarts.”
Hadrian had to stop himself from laughing at the statement considering he had been sorted into Gryffindor when he attended in his own time. Casually he said, “You’d be surprised.”
Abraxas frowned in confusion at him before looking at him in horror, “You convinced Minerva to sort you? And you were placed in Gryffindor?”
“Not exactly,” he vaguely replied, just to irritate with his friend. As expected, the blonde looked at him with a mix of irritation, confusion, and curiosity. Hadrian laughed but took pity on the man, “Slytherdor.”
“What?”
Hadrian laughed again with a shrug, “While I, nor the hat, could speak for my eleven-year-old self, it told me that I could fit in all houses and, had I been a student, I would have been asked on where I want to go. So, since this was an unofficial sorting anyways, I told the hat to decide for me. Apparently, it couldn’t decide if Slytherin or Gryffindor fit me better. Minerva was quite shocked.”
Abraxas stared at him in disbelief for a minute before shaking his head as he laughed, “Only you, Hadrian. Only you.”
The young man smiled, quietly agreeing. He was just glad that he hadn’t been sorted like that when he was a student; it would have just been yet another reason for people to treat him differently. Hadrian broke out of his thoughts when there was a light knock on the door. He looked up to see Lucius standing in the open doorway.
“Ah, Lucius. Would you like to join us for tea?”
“No thank you, Father,” Lucius almost imperceptibly hesitated before looking over at Hadrian, “It is good to see you again, Lord Peverell.”
“And you as well, Heir Malfoy,” he automatically replied, slightly caught off guard. The young blonde had greeted him with genuine politeness rather than the disdain Hadrian had gotten used to. Then again, the last time he had close interaction with Lucius had been just after the Dark Lord was defeated a year and a half ago, and the Malfoy Heir had been too disappointed to actively look at him with disdain. Perhaps the blonde was finally growing up? Hoping he was right, Hadrian slightly warily continued, “I hear you achieved a mastery in Defense Against the Dark Arts. Congratulations.”
“Thank you. Congratulations on removing Dumbledore.”
Hadrian smiled, “Thank you.”
Lucius nodded politely and turned back to Abraxas, “I just came to inform you that I am leaving for the meeting with Cygnus Black******, Father. I should be back in time for dinner with you and Mother.”
“Yes, that’s right. Good luck, Lucius.”
The boy – man, now, Hadrian reminded himself – thanked his father and politely nodded a goodbye to him before leaving the room. The twenty-seven-year old watched Lucius go, curious about the meeting, but mostly just surprised by the change. When the Malfoy heir was out of sight, he turned back to Abraxas. He was surprised to see the lord smiling at him lightly.
“What?” Hadrian frowned.
Abraxas shook his head slightly, “It’s good to see the two of you get along.”
“Why is that? Last I knew, Lucius didn’t look at me very favorably.”
“Your campaign against Dumbledore changed his mind about you. He asked me about it when it made the papers, and since then he seemed to respect you more when you or your campaign came up in conversation. I think he finally grew up and realized how foolish his views on neutrals was.”
Hadrian nodded absently. Though unexpected, the change was welcome. He had hoped he and Lucius would be able to come to some sort of understanding when he and Abraxas became closer after the Malfoy Lord let him take the diary (not that Lucius knew that bit of information). While he didn’t have any hope that he and Lucius would become friends, he had hope for them to be cordial at the very least – for Abraxas, if nothing else. Now that it was occurring, Hadrian was a little confused about it – after all the history he had with Lucius Malfoy, he didn’t particularly know what to expect of him (especially since Voldemort was not going to be a huge presence in the man’s life in the future).
The young man shook himself out of his thoughts to see Abraxas smirking at him. He frowned at the blonde, but the man ignored it, “So now that Dumbledore is out of Hogwarts and not longer the Chief Warlock, what’s next on your agenda?”
Hadrian narrowed his eyes at his friend, but knew he wasn’t going to get an answer. He decided to allow the topic change and enjoy time with his friend.
***
After he had dinner with his dad in Hogsmeade, Severus had told his friends that Hadrian would be the following year’s DADA Professor. Remus and he watched amused when Regulus and Lily sighed in relief, both extremely happy that they’d have a competent Defense Professor next year – neither one of them was bad at DADA per se, but it definitely wasn’t their best subject, making self-studying that much harder. As requested by his dad, Severus didn’t reveal that Hadrian would be the Head of Gryffindor, who was looking forward to surprising the house on the day of the welcoming feast for Severus’s 4th year.
It wasn’t until they were on the train did Severus realize that, with his Dad as his professor, the boy would either have to tell Hadrian about the bullying of the past year and a half (and explain why he never said anything), or wait for his dad to inevitably notice Potter and Black’s treatment of him at Hogwarts. At the realization, he had instantly groaned, burying his face in his hands. His friends, of course, immediately noticed, as Severus had unintentionally interrupted their conversation.
“Sev? Are you alright?” Lily asked him from her spot sitting across from him.
“My dad’s going to kill me,” he spoke into his hands.
Regulus snorted in response, “Why? What did you do now?”
Severus peaked through his hands to glare at his best friend in betrayal, causing the younger boy to smirk in response. The Ravenclaw rolled his eyes and sat back up, pulling his face out of his hands, “I just realized that my dad still has no idea about Black and Potter.”
Lily looked at him in pity while Remus winced. The Gryffindor boy finally inputted, “Yeah, that’s going to be tough, telling him. At least you won’t be keeping any more secrets from him, right?”
He nodded morosely, folding his hands over his chest, “I guess so.”
Severus glanced over to the only Slytherin in their compartment when he realized Regulus was being suspiciously quiet. He frowned at the younger Black’s blank look. When Regulus realized Severus was frowning at him in question, the boy shrugged, “As much as you don’t want your dad to know, at least he’ll finally be able to help.”
Internally Severus agreed, but he narrowed his eyes at his friend. Regulus was acting strangely suspicious about the whole subject. Did he know something Severus didn’t?
Before the Ravenclaw could consider further, the train began to slow down, signaling their arrival to the platform. Severus gave the Slytherin one last considering look before joining his friend’s excitement over going home for the summer. As they always did, they promised to owl each other and try and plan days to visit one another (though it usually ended up at Severus’s house, not that he minded). The suspicion of Regulus as well as his dread to inform his dad left his mind as his thoughts were filled with the exciting summer ahead.
***
As they usually did, school shopping for the next year was done at the end of July, the same week the Hogwarts letters went out. Unlike the past few years, Severus and his friends were unable to all go with each other; Remus and his parents were out of the country for something that Remus’s dad was working on, and Regulus was told in no uncertain terms he’d be shopping with his family by Orion and Walburga. That left Lily and Severus (plus their parents) to go to Diagon Alley with each other. Neither minded overly much, but they both wished the two boys could join them.
On the bright side, however, since they were both now fourteen, they were able to convince their parents to let them go through the alley alone. After the usual visit to Gringotts so the Evanses could exchange currency, Hadrian took Lily’s parents to a few shops they’d never been to before since they didn’t contain anything Lily would need for school, while Severus and Lily went from shop to shop to get everything they needed for fourth year. With the plan to meet their parents for dinner set, they had rushed off, excited to shop for the incoming year.
So far, they had gotten sized for new robes (which they would pick up in a few hours), restocked on parchment, quills, and ink, bought a few mice from the pet store to soothe a grumpy Sayah, and obtained some harmless (but hilarious) pranks from Zonko’s to get back at Potter and Black. Now, they were in the process of buying far too many books at Flourish and Blotts before they went to the apothecary for potions ingredients (which Lily had declared would be one of their last stops since she knew she’d have to drag Severus out of the store – Severus had blushed but agreed). They were looking through the Arithmancy and Ancient Runes (the elective classes they both had picked the previous year) together when Lily broke the comfortable silence they had fallen into.
“Hey, Sev?”
Severus didn’t look up from the book on spell crafting he was looking through, “Hm?”
“Your dad has to go to Hogwarts early since he’s a professor, right?”
The Ravenclaw frowned but continued to read the section that had caught his attention, “Yeah, why?”
“Well, my parents and I agreed that you’d be welcome to stay with us, if you like, so that way you are not bored in the castle by yourself while your dad is in staff meetings or whatever else the professors do before the school year begins.”
Panic filled Severus as he finally looked up from the book. In the past three years he has known Lily, he had been able to dodge visiting his friend (usually because his dad was generally less busy since he didn’t have an official job like the Evanses, and his home was large enough to fit himself and his three friends when they wanted to hang out in the summer) without telling her he was avoiding Cokeworth. As far as the red-head knew, Severus exchanged letters with his parents (which he did not, in fear of getting his mother in trouble with Tobias), but didn’t visit upon their request. Severus had never told her the real reason he left Cokeworth. This was the first time he didn’t have an easy excuse to explain why he didn’t want to go to Lily’s home. Trying to keep the panic from showing on his face, he frantically began trying to think of an excuse not to take up his friend’s offer as he turned to her.
Severus swallowed and used the first thing that came to mind, “Thank you for the offer, Lils, but my dad convinced McGonagall to let him try and remove the curse, so I want to see how he plans to do it and if he’s successful.”
As he had hoped, Lily’s eyes widened in surprise and excitement, “Really? That’s so cool! You have to tell me how it goes, Sev.”
The Ravenclaw nodded with a small smile as relief rushed through him. He listened to Lily begin babbling about theories on how his dad was going to remove the curse, letting the sound calm him down. When the overwhelming feeling of relief finally subsided, he joined her in discussing theories as they finally headed to purchase the too many books they had picked out. In the back of his mind, Severus couldn’t help but wonder if this would be the only time that he would have to dodge an invitation to Cokeworth without the easy excuses he had previously. He shook the thoughts off, not wanting to think about the place where Tobias lived.
***
When Lily and Severus had asked him and Lily’s parents if they could shop in Diagon without them, Hadrian had only been slightly reluctant. He knew they were old enough to be able to take care of themselves, but the more paranoid part of him worried about the enemies he’d made of the Dumbledore supporters (after all, that’s how the more extreme Death Eaters reacted to him after Voldemort was defeated) as well as what the ministry would do if Severus and Lily were forced to use magic to protect themselves (logically he knew the trial before his fifth year had more to do with Fudge’s idiotic insistence that he was a lying about Voldemort’s return than his use of magic, but he couldn’t help being wary because of the experience). After Severus gave him the look he always did when he thought Hadrian was being too paranoid, he sighed and agreed. The Evanses had decided to follow his lead since they knew very little about the Wizarding World.
So, while Severus and Lily were getting their shopping done, Hadrian took the two to stores they wouldn’t otherwise visit – such as an odds and ends store and a jewelry store, before taking them to a teashop. It was there that the two asked him about becoming a professor.
“So, Lily tells us you are to be one of her professors this year?”
Hadrian swallowed his tea and nodded, “Yes. I’d always hoped to be a teacher one day, so when the Headmistress offered me a job, I couldn’t say no.”
Rose Evans smiled, “How wonderful. Congratulations.”
“Thank you,” he smiled back.
“What made you want to be a teacher?” David asked him curiously.
“When I was younger, I tutored a few students and enjoyed it immensely. Ever since then, I wanted to teach, but I had other obligations preventing me from doing so until now. Plus, it helps that I am now old enough that the students will be more likely to listen to me.”
David laughed, “I wish you all the luck in that endeavor. It’s hard enough trying to get our oldest to listen and she doesn’t have magic.”
Hadrian chuckled, “Thank you. I have to go to Hogwarts early to attend staff meetings and such, so I am hoping the other professors will share a bit of advice on that aspect.”
“Oh, speaking of that, Lily asked us if she could invite Severus to stay with us while you leave for the school early. We told her it was fine with us and that she could ask him, but we wanted to ask you if it was alright with you,” Rose said.
The young man internally frowned at the offer as he took a sip of his tea. He wasn’t against Severus staying with his friend while he had to go to Hogwarts early, but the Evanses lived in Cokeworth. Hadrian wasn’t entirely sure he was comfortable with his son returning to that place – partially because he was worried about what sort of confrontation could occur with Tobias if the man saw Severus, but mostly because he suspected his son was still afraid of his biological father. He was worried that if Severus saw Tobias in an encounter that was not on Severus’s terms, his son would not protect himself from the man as he should. He was afraid that Severus would return to being the scared, wary little boy he was at six, rather than being the confident – if a little insecure – man that he saw his son becoming. However, he knew that it was not his choice to make; his son was old enough to decide whether or not he wanted to see his biological father, and Hadrian would never stop the boy from seeing his mother. So, Hadrian swallowed his drink and told the Evanses, “If Severus would like to join you, he is more than welcome to. Thank you for the generous offer.”
“Of course! It is no issue, and we’d be happy to have him if he decides to come. He is welcome at our home anytime.”
Hadrian smiled at the two, once again grateful to have been able to meet his biological grandparents. He was proud that he was related to these two generous, kind people, even if they didn’t know it.
The three of them continued to talk about whatever came to mind, easily enjoying the company and the tea. When it got closer to dinnertime, they left for the restaurant they agreed to meet the kids at. It didn’t take long for Severus and Lily to join them. They confirmed that other than the robes they would need to pick up from Madam Malkin’s, they had purchased everything they needed for the school year (and blushingly admitted they bought more than enough books, when asked). After an enjoyable dinner, the group picked up Severus and Lily’s robes before finally parting for the night. When he and Severus got back to their cottage, Hadrian decided to find out whether his son would be going to Cokeworth.
“So, Lily’s parents asked me if I was alright with you possibly staying at their house when I go to Hogwarts early,” Hadrian casually said without looking up from the book he was reading. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Severus freeze from his own position reading a book on the couch next to him. When his son didn’t reply, he continued, “I told them it was fine with me should you choose to.”
He saw Severus look up from his book, so Hadrian did the same.
“Lily asked me when we were in Flourish and Blotts,” Severus paused and Hadrian pushed his own fears on what would happen if his son went to Cokeworth aside, waiting for the boy to continue, “I said no.”
“Alright,” Hadrian ignored the small amount of relief that flooded through him, “Can I ask why?”
Severus swallowed and looked away, hiding behind his hair. Hadrian frowned slightly at the look of shame his son had on his face but waited for the boy to say something. After a minute, Severus quietly told him, “I’m afraid.”
Equally as softly, Hadrian asked, “Of seeing Tobias?”
“Yes,” Severus said with his eyes closed.
Hadrian reached over and squeezed his son’s hand in comfort and waited for Severus to look at him. Slowly, the boy peaked at him through his hair.
“It’s alright to be afraid, Sev. He was horrible to you, and nobody is going to force you to see him,” Severus nodded slightly, so he gently continued, “I’m not going to force it as it is your choice, but I think you should tell Lily the truth to why you won’t go to Cokeworth. I think it would be good for you to tell someone besides me, and she has been a good friend to you that won’t look at you any differently. Telling her will also prevent her from jumping to conclusions when she eventually realizes that you are avoiding Cokeworth.”
The boy frowned at him, for a minute, eventually saying, “I’ll think about it.”
Hadrian smiled slightly, “That’s all I ask.”
The young man released his son’s hand and returned to his reading, giving his son a little bit of space to think about what he said. As much as he wished he could protect Severus from everything surrounding Cokeworth and Tobias, Hadrian knew the boy was growing up, and he had to let his son make his own choices.