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Chapter Text

The Hogwarts Express wasn’t the same this year. Harry didn’t have the energy to look into each compartment as he made his way to the very back. The same compartment that he’d sat in with his best friends on the journey to start his fifth year was empty once more. He shut himself inside and spelled the blinds closed, not wanting to be joined. He was so numb, he didn’t want to deal with the questions and concerned looks. Especially not the fake ones.

He’d exploded in Dumbledore’s office after hearing the prophecy, realizing that all of his efforts to stay safe had been worthless. Harry wasn’t a Ravenclaw by any means, but he was more intelligent than most gave him credit for. Hearing the full prophecy didn’t leave any doubt in his mind of what his future would hold. He could see it playing out every time he closed his eyes.

“Neither can live while the other survives.”

Maybe some would interpret that as one would have to kill the other, but Harry saw right through that. The only way for the prophecy to be fulfilled would be for both of them to die. The only way to defeat the darkest wizard in the world was to die trying. After everything he’d lost, he was still slated to die. He would never catch a break.

He would be going back to his relatives until his birthday, according to Dumbledore. The headmaster would send word the day before he was to be retrieved, and he would spend the last month of the summer with the Weasleys. He’d train with Dumbledore through the school year, learning what he needed to know to kill Voldemort. By the time he turned eighteen, he would be expected to face the dark lord. Harry would die before he ever truly got to live. As he knew that was the case, he couldn’t see what there was to live for. 

The only person who usually could have talked him out of thinking like that was now gone. Harry had gotten him killed, Dumbledore had made that very clear. Ron and Hermione had hammered that point home when he’d returned to the common room, not even giving him time to grieve before starting in on how they never should have left the school to begin with. His only reprieve had been when Neville had loudly started asking Hermione questions about their upcoming year’s classes, knowing she’d already started to study. While she’d answered–and as Ron had loudly complained about discussing school work when the year was over–Harry had escaped up the stairs and shut himself behind  his bed curtains for the night.

Harry wasn’t sure how he’d lucked out to avoid them before getting onto the train. He didn’t have the energy to put up with more lectures from either of them; he didn’t really have the energy for anything. He felt too broken.

Harry was so busy staring out of the window waiting for the train to start moving, that he didn’t notice his compartment door opening and closing quickly. He jerked around to stare at Parvati Patil as she cast a locking charm on the door. She gave him a sad smile as she settled into the seat across from him. She’d changed out of her Hogwarts robes into some stunning purple robes that he’d never seen her wear before. He just stared at her, waiting for her to explain herself. He couldn’t help but feel like something must be wrong if she’d come to find him on her own. She let out a soft, exasperated sigh.

“You don’t like me much, do you?” she asked, crossing her arms and settling back into her seat. 

“I don’t dislike you,” he replied, mimicking her posture. He wasn’t sure what she was playing at, and he wasn’t in the mood.

“Look, I’m only here because I can help you. You don’t have to trust me, but it would be nice if you’d at least hear me out,” she told him. She waited for him to nod his consent before going on. “I think we got off on the wrong foot from the beginning. We’ve never really known much about each other. Do you know why I’ve always been so interested in Divination?”

“No offense, but I’m not really sure what this has to do with anything,” he replied instead of answering. She huffed softly and rolled her eyes. 

“That’s because you didn’t let me get very far,” she pointed out. “It’s not an easy thing to explain. Look, you’re going to have to at least pretend to care what I have to say. Oh-”

Harry watched her in slight alarm as her brown eyes shifted to a golden color for a few seconds. They cleared after a moment, and she let out an even louder sigh. “I have seer blood,” she admitted. “On my mother’s side. Padma didn’t get the gift, but I did. I’ve been seeing things since our second year. I knew you didn’t open the chamber, just like I knew your godfather was… I’m sorry. That has to be a painful subject.”

“Seer blood?” Harry asked, pretending that his heart wasn’t pounding. It hurt to think about Sirius, much less talk about him. Parvati seemed content to drop that subject.

“Yes. I thought that Professor Trelawney was going to be able to teach me how to control the visions, but she ended up being a fraud,” she replied. Harry narrowed his eyes, trying to decide if she actually knew what she was talking about. He’d heard and seen proof that she wasn’t a fraud, even if she was eccentric. “Why are you looking at me like that?”

“I’ve heard a couple of her prophecies,” he informed her. “And I don’t think she’s been wrong when she has actual visions,” he replied. Parvati raised a single eyebrow. 

“I don’t know what she’s said to you, but she’s a very good actress. She tried it on me when I asked her about my abilities, but what she was trying to pass off as a prediction was something that I had actually seen, and she didn’t get any of it right,” she informed him.

“What was it?” he asked. It was more of a challenge than an actual inquiry. He didn’t believe her at all. Too many people had taken advantage of his trust in the past for him to easily give it out now.

 Her eyes once again took on a golden hue, and her hands clenched into fists. It lasted a bit longer this time. When her eyes cleared, she was scowling. “I can’t believe you’re going to make me… Fine. Fine!” she snapped. “I’ll give you something to prove it.”

“What are you talking about?” he asked, shifting forward slightly in annoyance. 

“You don’t want to believe that I can help you. You need proof,” she answered, still scowling. “Luna should have done this, I knew it, but she told me you’d take it better from me.”

“What does Luna have to do with anything?” he asked, frowning. 

“Luna has- nope. It’s not my place. Let’s just say that Luna and I had a lengthy discussion about what I’ve come to discuss with you, and she wanted me to be the one to break this news to you,” Parvati answered. Her scowl had not gone away. “I knew you didn’t like me, but I didn’t think you didn’t trust me. We’ve never been close, but we’re housemates.”

“Yeah, but you’ve seen how our ‘housemates’ have treated me this year. You weren’t among them, but it’s not like you did anything to stop them. It’s not that I don’t like you. I had fun at the Yule ball with you, actually. I just don’t understand why you’d want to help me, or what you possibly could have seen to help in the first place.”

“I’m not the only seer at the school. We found each other pretty early on. I’m certainly not the only one to get glimpses into your life, Harry Potter. The fate of the wizarding world has rested on your shoulders for quite a long time. But you’ve been lied to about a great many things, and we don’t want to see it continue. You don’t need to die,” she informed him primly. “Whether you believe me or not, you’re going to listen to what I have to say.”

He stared at her blankly for a few seconds, angry at how she was talking to him… but his anger drained away too quickly. He sighed, sitting back and making a ‘go ahead’ gesture with one hand. It was the best she was going to get from him. She rolled her eyes, but the tension seemed to drain out of her. She pulled down the armrest that Harry hadn’t known was incorporated into the seats and made herself comfortable. He watched her eyes turn gold again, but they’d cleared before he was really sure he’d seen it. She looked sad for a moment, then she cleared her throat and began.

“I know what was in the prophecy that Dumbledore showed you, but it wasn’t real. He has been lying to you since you met him. I can’t prove it myself, but I know where you need to go to get the proof I know you need,” she told him. “I know that your “friends” have been giving you a hard time about your decisions this year, but what you need to know is that they aren’t… they aren’t what they seem.”

He took in a sharp breath, narrowing his eyes again. “You don’t know anything,” he told her after a moment. The sad look returned. He didn’t realize how often her eyes looked like that until now.

“I don’t want to do this, Harry,” she said softly. “Don’t make me do this.”

“I think you should go,” he told her. He didn’t want to hear any more. He was tired of having people control his life, pull his strings like he’s a puppet. He got enough of it from the Dursleys, Snape…

Dumbledore…?

“Remember that I only have your best interests at heart,” she sighed. With a flick of her wand (which he had not noticed her drawing), he could suddenly hear a conversation that was taking place directly outside of the compartment they were sitting in. It made his blood run cold.

“It has to just be a bunch of Slytherins. He’s not in there. He’s not strong enough to ward a compartment against the tracking spell,” Hermione was saying. She sounded frustrated.

“If we don’t find Potter soon, we won’t be able to feed him the potion,” Ron replied. The anger in his voice knocked the breath out of Harry’s lungs. “Remind me why we have to keep doing this?”

“Dumbledore says it’s for the greater good,” Hermione informed him. “You know that. You know why we have to keep being his friend. It’ll be over in a couple more years, and we can live the way we dreamed.”

No. This is a mind trick again.

“Fine, whatever. Let’s just find the prat so we can get on with our lives. One month isn’t nearly enough peace,” Ron snapped.

“You’ll have to get your attitude in check before we find him!” Hermione pointed out, her tone snippish. Her voice was getting harder to hear. She must have been walking away…off to search for her target somewhere else on the train.

“Yeah, yeah,” Ron shot back. Their voices slowly faded out of hearing range, until just the regular drawl of the other compartments was heard.

Harry stared at the closed curtain of the compartment door for a long time, that same numb feeling from before filling him again. This…well, he would say it couldn’t be happening, but that’s not true. He just heard it with his own ears. How much proof was he going to demand? How many times was he going to ignore the signs? When he looked back at Parvati, she had tears in her eyes. He instantly felt bad, though he wasn’t really sure why. He knew that if their situations were reversed, she would have needed some kind of proof as well.

“I’m sorry,” she whispered, lifting a hand to wipe a stray tear away. “I didn’t want you to find out like that. Sometimes this gift is a curse. That’s why I want to use it to help you.”

“What else have you seen?” Harry asked. His voice sounded hoarse even to his own ears. He wasn’t going to cry.

She shook her head, tucking her wand away carefully. “It’s not for me to say. I’m not supposed to tell you everything, I’m just supposed to get you to where you need to be. I’m not a messenger, just a delivery girl,” she replied. She sounded very put out about it.

“You can’t tell me anything?” he asked, frowning. 

“I’ve told you what you need to know right now ,” she pointed out, a hint of exasperation creeping into her tone before she regained her control. “You’ve been lied to and manipulated your whole life, Harry. The prophecy that you’ve been given is a fraud. You are not the wizarding savior. At least… not in the way you’ve been told for so many years.”

“Sirius died for nothing,” he said quietly, turning to look out of the window. Everything around him seemed to grow fuzzy after he said the words out loud; what a horrifying truth. If the prophecy really was a fake, and he was starting to believe that she must be right, then he never needed to go to the Department of Mysteries. He never needed to endanger his so-called friends. He never needed to lure Sirius to his death. The numbness grew, and a ringing in his ears started to drown out everything around him before Parvati’s voice snapped him back.

“Don’t say that,” she snapped, her tone sharp and the tiniest bit bitter. Her sadness was now anger, hot and boiling over. He regretted being on the receiving end of it. “The decisions that you have made led you to this very moment, these important discoveries. You’ve already changed your future, just not enough. That’s what I’m here for. You can fix everything, Harry.”

“I can’t bring Sirius back,” he pointed out. Harry didn’t look over at her. He was staring at the rolling hills as they sped by, though he wasn’t really seeing them. He was watching a flash of green in his mind’s eye. It played on repeat, a never-ending vision of what he’d lost. 

“You can do a hell of a lot,” Parvati shot back. “If you just trust me.”

“Let’s say that I do,” he replied. He finally turned back to look at her, though he could barely focus on her. There was too much going on in his head at the moment. “Let’s say that I believe every word you’ve said since you sat down. What happens next? I kill Voldemort, usurp Dumbledore? Good plan.”

“You come with me,” she answered, ignoring his sass. Her lips twitched into a tiny smile. “You don’t go home to your abusive relatives. You don’t put yourself into unnecessary danger. You don’t let yourself be their pawn anymore. If you come with me when we leave this train, you will derail your entire fate. Or you can choose to continue on as though we’ve never spoken.”

“What kind of choice is that?” he asked, raising his eyebrows. “Sounds shite.”

“Yours,” she told him. The smile grew a little, turning a bit mischievous. “We might not know each other very well, but I know that you have the ability to make things very… interesting. I can’t wait to see how you’ll shake things up.”

“You’re assuming I’m going to go with you,” he pointed out, as though he hadn’t already made up his mind to do just that.

“I assume a lot of things,” she nodded. “And I’m nearly always right.”

They didn’t get off of the train with everyone else. Parvati had explained that once they left the train, the Trace would fall into place, and she wouldn’t be able to use magic. They shrank their trunks and shoved them into their pockets, and she goaded him into changing out of his muggle clothes. He let himself be coerced into putting on the plain black cloak that he wore on Hogsmeade trips, much to Parvati’s amusement. 

After most of the students had exited, she guided him out of the back of the train. The only two people they ran into were Luna and Neville. Luna gave him a bright smile and a hug, whispering something into his ear that left him staring after her. 

“Trust the Nargles. You’re on the right path, Hadrian, and I wish you only the very best. Don’t let the Twittlebugs guide you down. Your answer lies beneath the alley.”

What an odd girl.

He waited to ask any questions until they’d made it off the train, but then he couldn’t hold back any longer. Parvati seemed to be anticipating it. “What’s beneath the alley? Why did she call me Hadrian? And how are you planning to get us out of here without being seen?”

“Luna’s visions are… different. She knows just as much as I do, but she sees it in a different way. Technically, we’re going beneath an alley. I just wouldn’t have phrased it that way, personally. Her visions are flashes and single words… which I imagine is where Hadrian came from,” she replied. “As far as getting away without being seen… we’re not. We’re just not going to stop.”

“What?” he asked, alarmed. Parvati didn’t give him a chance to protest or ask more questions. She reached back and slid her hand into his, making her grip tight enough that he couldn’t pull away without hurting her wrist. As soon as she’d grabbed him, she pulled him with her at a brisk pace towards the barrier. 

“Don’t stop,” she told him in a firm voice. 

“Parvati-” he cut himself off when he saw Molly Weasley trying to gain his attention. He tugged lightly on his hand to try and pull away, but Parvati just tightened her grip to an almost painful amount. He’d told her that he was going to try to trust her, so he forced himself to follow her instructions. He didn’t try to stop again.

“Harry!” Hermione called, cupping her hands around her mouth to be heard. She was too far away to physically stop him, and the Trace prevented her from legally casting any spells. She wasn’t going to be able to catch up to them, which Harry was grateful for. He didn’t want to see any of his former friends, let alone talk to them. He didn’t think he’d be able to hold a conversation with them without the surrounding area turning into another ‘Dumbledore’s office’ situation.

They broke through the barrier at a faster pace than Harry had ever taken it before, and he nearly tripped over his own feet. He would have fallen if Parvati had bothered to slow down, but she did not. Her grip never loosened as she pulled him through the muggle station, which was a surprisingly relieving constant. To the muggles, they must have looked like they were in a great hurry to get to a train, or two lovers running to elope. Harry spotted Uncle Vernon amongst the crowd, but they managed a stroke of great luck; Vernon did not see them. Parvati didn’t stop until she’d tugged him onto a seemingly random train.

“What are we doing?” Harry demanded, finally getting his hand out of her lethal grip. He had to lean against the pole of the trolley train to catch his breath. How was she so fast ? She looked far too amused for his comfort. 

“Diagon Alley,” she finally told him, a breathless smile on her face. He wished she didn’t find all of this so funny. “We’re going to see the goblins.”

“Why?” he demanded. He hadn’t been to Gringotts since his very first year of Hogwarts. The Weasleys had taken care of getting his money every summer since then… he’d barely even set foot into any of the stores, come to think of it. He hadn’t really gotten the chance, what with being so focused on not dying every year. He definitely didn’t have his Gringotts key, a fact that he was quick to point out to Parvati. She let out a soft chuckle.

“You don’t need that, I promise. The goblins couldn’t care less about keys. That’s a wizard thing,” she told him. “You’ll be using your blood and your magical signature to prove who you are.”

He shivered, crossing his arms uncomfortably. Not more of his blood… “That’s not– I’ve always been told to never freely give my blood. The last time my blood was used, it resurrected a madman. Besides that, we can’t use magic outside of school.”

“I can’t,” she concurred. “But Diagon Alley is a magical place, Harry. Witches and wizards from all over are using their magic there. The Trace can track underage magic only when there are three or fewer fully grown witches and wizards in the vicinity.”

“How do you know all of these things?” he asked her incredulously. She let out another laugh.

“Family gatherings, mostly. Padma and I took advantage of family visiting to practice our magic. I know you didn’t grow up in our world, but if you had, you’d know all of this as well,” she answered. He knew she hadn’t meant to be cruel, but her words still stung. “I think you’re about to learn a lot of things in a very short amount of time. Just remember that you do have friends, should you want them.”

“And are you one of them?” he asked. It was a blunt question, but he was nearly smiling now. Her amusement was contagious. Around them, muggles were filing into the nearly empty car. He knew that the train would be moving soon, and he couldn’t believe that they’d nearly gotten away.

“Of course I am. I wouldn’t be here otherwise,” she agreed. “I think you know that. I hope that someday we’ll be much closer friends. Luna seems to believe that we will be, and though I loathe to admit it, I’ve never seen her be wrong.”

“Luna knows everything,” Harry agreed, amused. The numbness had finally fully retreated, for the time being. The train lurched forward, but they were both gripping the bars tightly enough to not fall. Parvati gave him an assessing look, as though she was choosing her words very carefully before speaking.

“I can’t tell you a lot of things,” she began softly, looking as though she truly regretted it. “But I can tell you that you will never have to see your relatives again. The wards that everyone is so fond of throwing in your face haven’t been there for a very long time.”

“My mother-” Harry started, feeling a little bit uncomfortable. She should have never known about the wards, or his relatives. She silenced him with a single look.

“Your mother’s love saved you in our first year, as it was always supposed to. Maybe if your aunt had loved you as her own, the wards would have remained. When you went home to no change that summer, the wards fizzled away. They aren’t there any longer. Dumbledore knows it. He knows everything that happens in that house, Harry. I need you to understand how deep this corruption goes before you discover the rest of it. Nothing you think you know is correct. Nothing.” 

“Okay,” he said simply. At this point, there was nothing else that he could say. His mind was reeling from the implications of what she’d said. The name Luna had called him was still at the front of his mind, too. For some reason, it felt… right.

“When we get to the alley, keep your head down and don’t stop. We’ve got one last obstacle before we get to the bank,” she told him. “This one will be the hardest. The temptation is going to be… extreme. I only need you to trust me for a little longer, please.”

“What temptation?” he asked, narrowing his eyes suspiciously. She sighed, but didn’t offer an immediate answer. “Parvati, what temptation ?”

“He doesn’t know, I can promise you that,” she told him carefully. “And he won’t until after. You can’t stop to talk to him. Promise me.”

“Talk to who? You aren’t making any sense,” he asked. She gave him a pointed look and he scowled. It did nothing to make her answer. “Fine. I promise. Now will you tell me?”

“No,” she said simply. 

They made it into the Leaky Cauldron without being stopped. Harry had asked several more questions, including how she planned to get away without getting into trouble with her parents for not going straight home, but she didn’t answer a single one of them. She seemed to be done talking to him. If he could have seen her expression as he continued to ask unanswered questions, he would have seen that she didn’t like staying silent. 

Finally, they pushed through the door to the pub. It wasn’t overly crowded, which was a relief, and Harry followed Parvati’s lead. She’d taken his hand again, but her grip was much looser this time. She put her head down as soon as she stepped inside, and he did the same. If he’d been looking up, he would have seen Remus Lupin’s reaction to seeing Harry unprotected, wandering into the wizarding world instead of going home where it was supposedly safe. The amount of emotions that crossed his face would have crippled Harry with guilt. 

“Harry?” Remus called, standing up quickly from his seat against the wall. Harry’s head snapped up and he stared at Remus in genuine surprise. He hadn’t seen or heard from the werewolf since they’d parted in the Ministry. Remus looked miserable, as though he hadn’t been taking care of himself at all. Harry could see the glass tumbler of Firewhiskey on the table in front of him, and his heart ached for the loss they were both feeling. He’d nearly forgotten that Sirius had been Remus’s best friend- the only family he’d really had left in the world.

He started to slow down, but Parvati’s grip on his hand tightened painfully as she pulled him along. “You promised,” she hissed at him angrily. “We need to move, now.” 

Though it pained him, Harry ducked his head and kept pace with Parvati across the pub. He could feel Remus following behind them, abandoning his drink on the table he left behind. He winced when Remus’s hand closed around his free wrist.

“What are you doing here?” Remus asked softly, trying to pull Harry to a stop. Harry didn’t even slow down, leaving Remus to nearly jog to keep up. “You’re not safe out here like this, Harry!”

“I’m not safe with the muggles, either,” he replied pointedly. “Sirius knew that. He wouldn’t have wanted me to go back there.”

It was a low blow, and he knew it. Remus dropped his wrist as though it had burned him, and it took every last bit of willpower that Harry had left to not turn back and apologize. Remus was the only family that Harry had left, really. He didn’t know if Remus thought the same way or not, but it didn’t matter. Hurting Remus brought Harry no joy. 

Parvati loosened her grip a little when she realized that he wasn’t going to try to get away, and they stepped through to the alley without Remus following. Harry glanced over his shoulder only once before the entrance closed behind them, just in time to see Remus’s stricken expression. He squared his shoulders and turned back towards their destination. He could see Gringotts rising up in front of them, and for the first time he started to really question what he was doing there.

“Are you sure-” he started, but Parvati cut him off.

“Are you going to question me every five minutes, or are you going to get this over with so you can move forward?” she demanded angrily. She dropped his hand and spun to face him. “Let me tell you, it’s not any fun for me, either. Do you think I like doing things like this? My parents are going to be furious, but I know it’ll be worth it in the end. I don’t take any joy in watching you lash out, nor do I enjoy having to keep so many secrets from you. We are so close to accomplishing our goal, and you’re still trying to get answers that I’m not able to give!”

Harry stared at her with wide eyes as she spoke, recoiling back a little when she started to get louder. They were attracting a bit of an audience, which Parvati seemed to notice when she stopped to take a breath. He gave her a second to compose herself before speaking. 

“I’m sorry,” he told her seriously. “I haven’t, er, really been thinking about what this must feel like for you. You don’t really like me either, do you?”

“I don’t know you,” she corrected him, her voice much softer now. “Honestly… you don’t know yourself, either.”

“You keep saying things like that,” he sighed. 

“I promise it’ll all make sense soon,” she assured him. “Honestly, part of the reason that I can’t tell you everything is that I don’t know it myself. I sometimes only get feelings that I have to follow. Sometimes it’s actual visions.”

“Are they painful?” he asked. It was something he’d been wondering since she’d first told him about her gift. She looked surprised that he’d even ask.

“Not really,” she said after a moment. “It’s nothing bad like that. Sometimes if it’s a very intense or long vision, I’ll end up with a headache… but those are few and far between.”

“Do you have visions often?” he asked. She eyed him warily for nearly a minute before offering her hand again. He took it without hesitation this time, which almost made her smile. 

“No,” she answered. “They come when I need them. I can trigger them sometimes if I meditate on a specific question, but it only works occasionally.”

“How many people know?” he asked. They were getting closer to the bank, and he’d slowed down considerably. For once, Parvati didn’t try to force him to speed up. Maybe she knew that this was something he’d never even considered doing before. Maybe she knew how nervous he really was. 

“The other seers in the school, Padma, and you,” she told him carefully. “It’s not something that I advertise. Not even my parents know for sure.”

They came to a stop in front of the bank, and Parvati turned to face him again. She studied his face for a few moments, then offered him a soft smile. “This is going to be hard for you. You won’t like what they have to tell you, but you need to hear it. When you’re all done, come find me. I really would like to be your friend.”

She turned on her heel and left him there, not looking back as she made her way through the growing crowd in the alley. He supposed she must know that he was going to go inside without having to watch to make sure of it. Her faith in him made him feel brave enough to push through the door and step inside of the massive bank. 

Though he didn’t know it, that was the moment that his fate changed irreversibly for the better. In another dimension, an ethereal being smiled in satisfaction. This was going to be fun.

Chapter Text

When he’d gone to Diagon Alley for the first time, Harry had purchased a few books that had caught his interest. One of them had been Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, by Newt Scamander. He hadn’t gotten to read it before getting onto the train, and Ron had done an excellent job of keeping him too distracted once they were at Hogwarts. With all of the things that had happened in his first two years, Harry hadn’t gotten to read that book until his third year. Now, he was glad that he had.

Outside of Gringotts, he’d never encountered a goblin before. He knew precious little about them, and he’d had no need to learn. He did remember the first goblin he’d ever met, and he could see the very same goblin sitting at a teller’s station off to the side. Remembering Parvati’s advice, he kept his eyes down as he approached. He tried his best to remember what the book had said about goblins as he walked.

‘Goblins have their own type of magic and do not need wands. They are represented by the Goblin Liaison Office of the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures in the British Ministry of Magic. Goblins are considered to be inferior by many wizards, as it is believed that Goblins themselves are comfortable with this belief and arrangement of wandless living. Goblins are very drawn to gold, and are therefore remarkably good at keeping it safe. They are less inclined to give it up. Little is known about the goblin nation, as they are very private and secretive creatures.’

That was all well and good, but did anyone actually ask the Goblins what they thought about the lack of wands? No wonder they had rebelled.

Griphook didn’t even look up as Harry came to a stop in front of his stand. Harry hesitated, but lifted his gaze to study the goblin for a moment. As much as he didn’t want to be rude, he also didn’t want to be ignored. He thought that maybe he’d earn the goblin’s respect if Harry treated him like an equal instead of a creature that might be spooked. He wasn’t wrong.

“Hello, Griphook,” he said quietly, hoping that his voice wouldn’t shake. He didn’t know what he was supposed to be saying. Parvati hadn’t given him any instructions at all. “Er, you might not remember me… but you helped me the very first time I came here. Thank you for that. I was hoping you might help me again.”

If goblins showed emotions other than boredom, contempt, or anger, Griphook’s face would have been full of astonishment. Wizards simply did not remember specific goblin names, much less recognize the difference between goblins to use their given names. This was a first for the centuries old being. He studied the young wizard in front of him for several long, silent moments, making Harry fidget uncomfortably.

“I remember you, Mr. Potter. You’ve finally deemed us worthy of a response?” he finally answered, sneering down at the wizard. 

“I’m sorry?” Harry replied, frowning in confusion. Griphook’s sneer grew more pronounced, and Harry felt compelled to continue. “I didn’t know that there was anything to respond to. I haven’t received any letters.”

“You mean to tell me that in the two years we have been trying to contact you, you have received no correspondence?” Griphook demanded. He was seething internally, but his face had smoothed back into an indifferent mask. He could see that he was making the young wizard uncomfortable.

“Er… no,” Harry confirmed. “Two years? Is there something wrong?”

Griphook would have let out a long-suffering sigh if that were something that goblins did. Instead, he steepled his fingers and stared down at Harry from above them. He didn’t take long to debate with himself on what to do. The protocols were clear. It wasn’t the young Mr. Potter’s fault that he didn’t know. It would all be corrected today.

“Follow me, Mr. Potter,” Griphook told him, rising from his place to lead Harry deep into the bank. He led Harry through two short passages to a cart that he recognized immediately. He eyed it for a moment before climbing on, wary of what he knew it could do. Harry had always doubted the stability of these carts.

“Call me Harry, please. Mr. Potter makes me feel like I’m back at school,” Harry told him as he climbed onto his seat. Griphook was glad that he was facing away from Harry, as he couldn’t hide his shock. No wizard had ever offered familiarity, as though they were equals. His respect for the young wizard began to blossom.

“If that is your desire,” he replied after a moment. “Remain inside the cart at all times.” He shifted it into gear as soon as he’d finished speaking, and they jolted forward at what Harry considered to be an alarming speed. He noted that they were going mostly downhill, which meant that Luna and Parvati had been completely serious about him learning the truth beneath the alley. He wasn’t sure how he felt about that. He wasn’t necessarily claustrophobic, but he’d always preferred flying to being underground.

When the cart came to a stop, Harry was quick to clamber out of it. Griphook simply watched him, though any goblin would be able to tell that he was amused. Most wizards didn’t mind the carts. He waited for Griphook to step off as well, then followed the goblin to an ornate golden door a few feet down the rocky path they’d stepped onto. Griphook said not a word as he lifted his hand and knocked twice.

“Enter,” a voice called from within. Griphook pushed the door open and moved aside to allow Harry to enter first, chuckling internally when he hesitated. At least he had a good sense of self preservation, it seemed. Or perhaps not, given what he’d heard of the boy’s adventures over the years.

Harry stepped into the large office and looked around in wonder. Everything was either gold or black ( Hematite, his brain supplied), and most of it shone even in the dim light that candles provided. He could feel the magic in the air. A row of shelves held everything from books to sharpened daggers, and a pure gold globe that had no obvious continents on it. A large, ornate desk took up the center of the room, filled with piles of gold and rubies at either side. A large stack of papers hid the face of the seated goblin, until said goblin lifted a hand and the stack shifted to the side by itself. Harry didn’t even notice that Griphook hadn’t followed him inside until the door closed firmly behind him.

“Ah, Mr. Potter. I wondered when I would be seeing you,” the goblin said softly. His eyes glittered in the soft candlelight. Harry had never seen this goblin in his life, but he wasn’t surprised to be recognized. 

“Call me Harry, please,” he repeated. He had a feeling he’d have to say that a lot in the future.

“You may change your mind later,” the goblin informed him. His lips were twisted into a sharp grin that looked more like a snarl. Harry wanted to take a step back, but he remained in place. It didn’t feel right to show his fear. “My name is Onyxclaw, and I am the account manager of the Potter family, as well as the Black family. I have been trying to get you to come here for a long while now.”

“Griphook told me the same thing, but I’m sorry to say that I didn’t receive any letters,” Harry answered softly. His anger had shifted to sadness over how naive he’d allowed himself to be. Blindly trusting the first adults to show him kindness hadn’t been the smartest thing he could have done, it seemed. “Is there a problem with my vault? I know it’s supposed to last me through school. Has too much been withdrawn?”

“No, young lord,” the goblin assured him. Harry’s eyes widened, showing how startled he was to hear the title from the goblin. “Your trust vault remains filled. Your parents saw to it that it would be replenished yearly.”

“Trust vault?” Harry repeated, sounding lost. “I’m sorry, I don’t understand. I’m not a lord, and I was told that was my parents’ only vault.”

Onyxclaw sneered down at him just as Griphook had, and Harry started to suspect that goblins used that look to show concern. He was beckoned forward, and he hesitantly moved to sit in the comfortable chair across the desk from the goblin. He didn’t want to seem rude, after all, and standing made him feel awkward. For a moment, he wished that Parvati could have come with him.

“There is much for us to discuss, but we will begin with your inheritance tests,” the goblin told him. He withdrew a sheet of nearly green parchment, which Harry could tell had been soaked in some sort of potion. Onyxclaw then offered him a quill that he very much recognized, that he certainly didn’t want to accept; it was a blood quill. “Simply sign your name at the top of the parchment and the enchantment will take care of the rest.”

“What is this for?” Harry asked. He hadn’t reached for the quill yet, much to the goblin’s irritation. 

“Your inheritance test,” Onyxclaw snapped. “I don’t like to be kept waiting; I’m quite busy with more than just your account, you know.”

“Sorry,” Harry said quickly. He accepted the quill, but couldn’t quite bring himself to write with it. His hand hovered over the parchment awkwardly. Onyxclaw cleared his throat in annoyance, and Harry flinched. “I just… haven’t had the best experience with blood quills.”

For a moment, it looked as though Onyxclaw might lash out at him. Instead, the goblin inhaled deeply and tried not to glare at the boy before him. “Very well,” he said quietly. “Return the quill to me. Three drops of blood to the top of the parchment will suffice. There is an athame on the desk to your right.”

Harry was quick to hand the quill back, trying to hide his relief at not having to use it. Onyxclaw noticed the scar on the back of the boy’s hand as he accepted the quill, and his hesitation suddenly made sense. Now who had done that to him…? He watched as Harry picked up the golden athame, admiring the rubies and emeralds set into the handle before digging the tip into the pointer finger of his left hand. A smart choice, since it was widely known that Harry was right handed. 

Harry winced as the knife cut through his finger, and quickly squeezed three drops to the top of the parchment. He sucked his finger into his mouth, something he’d seen Vernon do once with a bleeding papercut. He tried not to wrinkle his nose at the taste of his own blood, hastily pulling his finger back. It had done the trick, though; he was no longer bleeding. He carefully placed the athame back in its spot, then gasped when his gaze returned to the parchment. His blood had traveled down the page and was forming itself into words.

Lord Hadrian James Potter-Black

Father: Sirius Orion Black III

Father: James Charlus Potter (Blood Adoption)

Mother: Lily Marie Evans-Potter (Surrogate)

Father: Remus John Lupin (Legal Adoption)

Titles:

Lord Potter - Passed from James Charlus Potter upon his death. (Pending)

Lord Peverell - passed from James Charlus Potter upon his death. (Pending)

Lord Gryffindor - passed from James Charlus Potter upon his death. (Pending)

Lord Black - passed from Sirius Orion Black III upon his death. (Pending)

Lord Slytherin - obtained by right of conquest. (Pending)

Lord LeFay - obtained by right of conquest. (Pending)

Vaults:

Potter family vaults - 417-424, 519, 687, 764

Black family vaults - 231-255, 312, 974

Gryffindor family vaults - 1, 7, 12-39

Peverell family vaults - 40-49, 112-119

Slytherin family vaults - 2-4, 70-94, 100

LeFay family vaults - 6, 7, 50-69

Various Donations - 712, 942**, 1121-1127, 1249, 1382**, 1491-1494

**Pending Lordship Approval

Properties:

Potter family - Potter Manor (England), Hedgegrove Place (Wales), Sleekeazy Hair Emporium (Diagon Alley)

Black Family - Number 12 Grimmauld Place (London), Black Manor (France), Rosewood Manor (Italy), Roseway Cottage (Wales)

Gryffindor Family - Godric’s Hollow, Gryffindor Castle (Ireland), Hogwarts (25%-Scotland)

Peverell Family - Peverell Manor (England), Forbidden Forest (1200 acres)

Slytherin Family - Slytherin Castle (Germany), Hogwarts (25%)

LeFay Family - Chamalot Grove (France), Beauxbatons (50% - by conquest)

Various Donations - Gaunt Manor (England), Shell Cottage (Cornwall)

Harry read through it too quickly the first time and had to take his time to reread it slowly. Every word made his heart clench or beat too rapidly. He was well aware that he was freaking out, but he couldn’t stop it from happening. When Parvati had said that he didn’t know anything about himself, she had really meant it. He hadn’t even known his own name. 

Onyxclaw was watching him closely the whole time. He’d known exactly what the parchment was going to say, and he had all of the necessary paperwork and rings sitting on his desk. He sat back in his chair to watch the young lord process everything that he was reading, finding his patience for the first time that day. He was prepared for a whole host of questions, so he was rather surprised when Harry offered him the parchment and sat back silently.

“You have no questions?” Onyxclaw asked, raising one hairless eyebrow. Harry shook his head, but he didn’t look very sure of himself. The goblin chose to wait, and he was not disappointed.

“Who all could have known the things listed on that parchment?” Harry asked quietly, looking down at the desk. He couldn’t bear to look up at Onyxclaw just yet. He was processing the things he’d just learned. He couldn’t imagine there being any more that he hadn’t known. He was in for a great many surprises.

“To my knowledge, there is only a select number of people who could have known. Albus Dumbledore had to have known, when he declared himself your magical guardian illegally. I have my suspicions of a few additional witches and wizards, but you will have to find the proof for yourself,” he replied.

“How?” Harry asked, leaning forward and finally looking up. Onyxclaw was smiling this time, and it did not look so much like a snarl. 

“We have many things to go over, young lord. To begin, it is imperative that you claim your lordships. Since your emancipation two years previously, we have been trying to reach out to you. You only have until your seventeenth birthday before they are passed on to others,” the goblin informed him. “Once you have successfully claimed those, we will be able to discuss your accounts and all of the transactions that you most likely did not know of.”

Harry blinked, trying to take it all in. This was too much information all at once, and he could feel the start of a headache. He was hoping that the goblins might have a headache potion lying around that he could buy from them. He was under no illusion that they would give him anything freely. He had many questions about what the goblin had explained, but he decided to focus on one thing at a time.

“How do I claim the lordships? I can claim all of the ones listed?” he asked, frowning slightly. It seemed like a lot of titles for just one person.

“You will be tested by the lordship rings, but should you meet expectations of the magic, you will be granted each title. You may choose one or two that you would like to be addressed as, for there are a great deal more than any ordinary wizard would usually receive,” Onyxclaw explained. Harry nodded, but the goblin could tell that he was still confused. “Simply slide each ring onto your right ring finger, and the magic of the families will do the rest.”

With a snap of his fingers, Onyxclaw magically pushed six small boxes across his desk to land in front of Harry. Each box had a different crest on the top, though he only knew what a few of them were. The first box he touched carried the Potter crest, something he had only seen twice in his life. The ring inside was a white-gold band, inlaid with three shining emeralds surrounding the Potter crest. It looked far too large for his finger.

“What if they don’t fit?” he asked, glancing up at the goblin. Onyxclaw felt the inexplicable urge to roll his eyes, and he had to remind himself that the child had been raised in the muggle world. 

“The rings contain enough magic to resize themselves to fit, among other things. The protections you will receive from wearing even a single one of these rings is unparalleled. Very few wizards possess a lordship ring,” he explained. “There are so few left amongst the living that they are revered highly. I imagine you will gain quite the respect when this is made public knowledge.”

“I don’t want more attention,” Harry muttered. Before Onyxclaw could reply, Harry slid the Potter ring onto his finger. Instantly, the room grew colder. The candlelight dimmed, and a soft breeze blew through the office to ruffle Harry’s hair. He felt his magic react in kind, and suddenly it felt as though a strong pair of arms had wrapped him into a hug. The sensations were gone as quickly as they’d appeared. When he could catch his breath, he noticed that the ring had shrunk into a perfect fit. Onyxclaw looked pleased.

“The Potter magic has accepted you as Lord Potter,” the goblin told him softly. “You may continue on with the next ring, Lord Potter.”

Harry really wasn’t sure how to feel about being a Lord to begin with, much less Lord Potter. James Potter wasn’t even his birth father, according to the parchment. But instead of thinking about it at that moment, he opened the next box- the one with the Black family crest. The ring inside was made of a black material that Harry thought might be obsidian. The Black family crest was stamped into the ring, and it was surrounded by tiny diamonds. He removed the Potter ring and slid the new ring into place slowly.

This time, he could feel his throat closing up as though it was held in a vice-like grip. He gasped for air, but it was useless. He could feel something icy cold spreading through his body; a foreign magic that chilled him to the bone. Once again, just as suddenly as it had begun, it ended. He gasped sharply when the pressure disappeared from his throat, blinking the spots from his eyes. The Black ring had resized to fit his finger.

“Congratulations, Lord Black,” Onyxclaw told him, nodding in approval. “On to the next.”

There were only two other crests that Harry recognized, and they intimidated him more than he wanted to admit. He bypassed those and chose one that looked almost familiar. A triangle that was cut in half by a single line, containing a perfect circle. As he touched the lid, he just knew that it was the Peverell family ring. The band was pure gold and carved in a way that made it seem like a snake’s skin. The stone set into the band was a murky gray color, and he could see the same crest set inside of the stone itself. It was very faded, and he could tell that it was a very old ring. He hesitated, unsure whether or not he should really put the ring on. In the end, his curiosity won out.

He traded the Black ring for the Peverell ring, expecting something awful to happen. Instead of a change of temperature or a rush of pain, the room went completely black. He distantly heard Onyxclaw’s shout of surprise, but all of his focus was on the woman standing in front of him. It was unmistakable Lily Evans-Potter, and she was smiling at him with tears in her eyes.

“My baby, I’ve missed you. I’m so sorry for everything you’ve gone through,” she told him. Her voice echoed through his mind, and it was a very strange feeling. He was too shocked to respond. “There are many things I want to say, but we don’t have the time. Know that we are proud of you, and proud of everything that you have accomplished. You are growing to be the wizard that the world truly needs.”

“Mum,” he said softly, reaching out. He wanted to hug her so badly that it hurt. “I don’t know what I’m doing. I feel so… lost.”

“You are found,” she corrected him gently. “Everything is changing for the better. The things that you learn here will help you find the path that you were always meant to be on. When you see Remus, give him my love.”

“He won’t want to see me,” Harry told her. “I had to say a pretty horrible thing to get here. He won’t forgive me easily.”

“Of course he will. You are his son. He wished for you for so long, Hadrian. He loves you more than you could possibly know. He just needs a little help remembering,” she told him. He gave her a teary smile. 

“I’ll tell him,” he promised. He meant that he’d tell Remus everything, including giving her message, and her smile told him that she knew it.

“I love you, Hadrian. Give them all hell,” she told him. When he blinked, she was gone, and the room was once again bathed in the light of the candles. The ring had resized itself neatly, and the dark stone glistened up at him. He could still feel the powerful magic that radiated from it as it brushed over his skin. He removed it quickly, closing the lid on it and shoving it away. He didn’t want to touch it again, even though he was grateful to see his mother.

Without being prompted, he opened the Gryffindor box. The ring inside was rose gold, and it was set with rubies and diamonds. The Gryffindor crest was stamped on the inside of the band in four different places. He slid it onto his finger after only a moment’s pause. The room around them warmed considerably, and that same phantom breeze ran over Harry. When it faded, the ring had resized. It was almost anticlimactic compared to the Peverell ring.

The Slytherin ring was very similar. The band was bright silver, set with Emeralds and diamonds. This ring had the crest raised between two large emeralds. He traded the Gryffindor ring for the Slytherin ring, and waited for something to happen. Nothing did.

“Is something wrong?” Onyxclaw asked, watching him closely. Harry suspected that he knew something that Harry did not. It was only when he looked back down at the ring that he realized it had already fit him perfectly when he put it on. “You have already been acknowledged as Lord Slytherin by the great Salazar himself when you defeated his prized basilisk. You simply needed to don the ring to accept it.”

“I didn’t know that,” Harry admitted, playing with the ring on his finger. “That would have saved me a lot of trouble, I think.”

“We shall never know,” the goblin replied. “There is one remaining ring, and I believe you will find it to be the most challenging of all.”

“Why is that?” Harry asked warily. He didn’t like the sound of that. Onyxclaw simply gestured for him to put the ring on, and odd twist to his lips. Harry looked down at the ring with more than a little bit of apprehension. 

The crest on top of the box was a snake that was twisted into the shape of a pentacle. It was eating the end of its own tail. He wasn’t sure if he liked the image or if it just made him feel uneasy. There were too many emotions swirling inside of him for him to untangle a specific one. The ring inside had no crest on it at all. It had a single fire opal set onto the face of the black band, and it gave off a different color each time the light hit it. It was beautiful, but it was freezing cold to the touch. 

He slid it onto his finger with trepidation, unsure of what to expect. Much like with the Peverell ring, the room was immediately bathed in darkness. Unlike the Peverell ring, no ghostly being appeared. He could no longer hear Onyxclaw, which was more than a little bit alarming. Come to think of it, he couldn’t feel much of anything, either. Just as he was starting to panic, a loud voice rang through his mind.

“Who dares to wear my ring?”

Harry jolted in surprise, clenching his hands into nervous fists. The woman sounded powerful and angry, which was not a good combination in his experience. “I am Har- Hadrian Potter-Black,” he replied out loud. 

“You do not declare yourself my lord?”

“I only just found out that I had any lordships, and it’s my understanding that this particular one has not been decided,” he replied, hoping that he sounded respectful enough.

“It has not. I have never had a male heir before, young one. What makes you think you are worthy of being Lord Le Fay?”

“I don’t know,” he admitted. “I’m not sure what I’ve done to even be considered. I had never been told of any of these lordships until this very day. They’ve been hidden from me intentionally.”

“Who would dare to do such a thing to my heir?”

“I’m not certain who all is involved,” he said softly. “Albus Dumbledore, and a few of his supporters. I trusted them, and they lied to me.”

“Indeed, I can see that quite clearly, young Lord. Do you wish revenge?”

Harry thought about it long and hard. Did he want revenge? Very badly, yes. Albus Dumbledore had caused him an indescribable amount of pain since his very birth, if what he’d been told was even partially true. He wanted to return the favor to the old man who had hurt him so badly. He thought it might be a nice way to honor Sirius’s memory, getting revenge on the man who brought about his death with his fake prophecy.

On the other hand, he couldn’t imagine that his parents- any of them- would want him to focus on revenge. They would want him to move forward and try to find happiness. He knew that in his very soul. It would be hard, but he wanted to make them proud. With that realization, he knew that his choice was made. 

“I wouldn’t be upset if he got what he deserved, but I don’t think that I should seek revenge. I want to save the people that I love. I want to help bring peace to the magical world. If that means seeing Dumbledore get what he deserves, then so be it,” he replied carefully.

“I am impressed by your dedication to the ones you love. You would give up your chance at revenge to honor them, and that is a quality that I can respect. I have made my decision.”

Harry held his breath, curious as to what her decision might be. He wasn’t sure what would happen if she rejected his lordship. Would he be in pain? Would he be unworthy of all of the lordships if he lost this one?

“I am Nimue, goddess of magic and fate. I have been watching this world since the time of King Arthur, and I blessed Merlin himself with my gift. My daughter, Morgana, has had no true heir in many lifetimes, and as such, it has been my duty to find a suitable woman to carry her title. Though you are no woman, you are more than worthy of the title Lord Le Fay. It is with great pride that I offer it to you now, on the condition that you pass it to your firstborn daughter when she comes of age.”

He let out the breath he’d been holding, feeling as though he’d been punched in the gut. He’d never heard of the goddess of magic, but Nimue was a name he’d learned in muggle school. The Lady of the Lake, and the Holder of Excalibur. He had never known that she was real, even when he found out that Merlin truly was a powerful wizard of centuries ago.

“I am honored to accept both your offer and your condition,” he replied after a few seconds. He could feel her amusement radiating through him.

“I have two gifts for you, my child. I am declaring you my champion from this day forward. You will be the savior of magic kind, and all will someday look to you for guidance. In order for you to achieve your potential, you will find a gift waiting for you at the place you swore you would never return to. Retrieve it and live in happiness, as you deserve.”

There was a silent pause while she let him digest what she’d just said. He was overwhelmed with the feeling of new magic swirling into his core. He could feel something inside of himself changing, and it was such an odd feeling that he felt a bit faint. He could barely keep his eyes open by the time she spoke once more, her voice a bit softer.

“Make me proud, little one, and know that revenge is just as noble as sacrifice. I see no fault in seeking it.”

He had only a moment to see the candlelight return, and to glimpse the shock and worry on Onyxclaw’s face, before he faded into unconsciousness.

Chapter Text

The first thing that Harry was aware of was an odd thrumming in his body. It took him a moment to realize that it was the buzz of raw magic coursing through him. He’d never felt anything like it, though there had been moments when he’d come close; it was almost overwhelming. He imagined that this must be what people like Voldemort and Dumbledore felt every day…powerful people, people that had magic coursing through their every vein. 

(He thought it was funny, in a way, that those two were now so similar in his mind. He hoped with all his heart that he wasn’t right in that comparison, though if Parvati was to be trusted...)

The second thing that Harry noticed was a complete lack of pain. None of the bruises that he’d gotten from the DOM were hurting, nor was his head. His scar had been hurting him since Voldemort’s return, but he could no longer feel it at all. Hopefully somebody just happened to finish him off in the time Harry had blacked out.

The third and final thing that Harry noticed was how clearly he was suddenly thinking. There was no longer a feeling of static covering his brain, no longer some sort of residual fuzz. It wasn’t that he usually had trouble thinking; he’d always been smart. It was only now that he didn’t feel that fog anymore that he realized… something had been wrong . Before, even when he knew that Dumbledore and his former friends had been lying to him, he’d had a difficult time in trying to believe it, or feeling any real anger towards them. Now, though… Now he had no trouble believing what Parvati and the goblins had told him, and his anger burned through him like an inferno.

When Harry opened his eyes, he found that he was no longer in Onyxclaw’s office. He could tell that he was still under the bank, and from his surroundings he could guess that he was in some sort of goblin infirmary. He was no stranger to infirmaries; Madam Pomphrey had started greeting him like an old friend after his third year—he’d even carved his initials into one of the wooden bed frames there. He was more than a little surprised that the goblins had bothered to move him here. Harry felt completely fine for once. 

Four beds lined each wall, only one of which was occupied by a goblin. The center of the room held a huge stone table, the outer edges of which held many strange glass bottles with liquids and gels inside. He could see little dried drops of blood in the very center, and it made him cringe. In one corner stood a massive cauldron, where two goblins stood having a quiet argument in another language. He’d just started reading the titles of the books on the shelf beside his bed when one of the two approached him.

“How are you feeling, young lord?” the goblin asked. She was watching him with concern, and it took him by surprise. None of the others that he’d encountered had shown him any emotion other than contempt or surprise. Well… not intentionally. He’d gotten fairly good over the years at reading body language.

“Brilliant,” he admitted with a tone of surprise. His voice was only a little hoarse from disuse, so he assumed that he hadn’t been unconscious for very long. “What happened?”

The goblin took a moment to consider her answer, and Harry began to get more nervous by the second. “We are uncertain of the catalyst,” she finally told him. “It appeared that the LeFay ring would not accept you, when there was a sudden wave of magic that passed through Gringotts and beyond. You lost consciousness and were brought here once the ring had resized itself. My scans revealed some very troubling things.”

He could tell that there were things she didn’t want to say, but he needed to know. “What did your scans show?” He was sure he wouldn’t like the answer.

“First, you should know that I have already performed the necessary purges on your body. Onyxclaw made it clear that you are to be in perfect health before you leave here today,” she told him calmly. Harry nodded once, trying to remain calm as well. It wasn’t easy. “There appeared to have been several blocks on your magical core and your mind. The LeFay magic made quick work of those before you were even brought to me.”

“That’s not so bad,” Harry said quietly. The goblin’s expression was still too sympathetic for his liking, though. “There’s more, isn’t there?”

“In addition to the blocks, you had been given a number of potions over the years, including a very weak love potion,” she replied. “All of which have been purged from your system. The only thing I have not removed is a very strong glamour that has been placed over your entire body. I was unsure if it was of your own doing, and we are aware of how much magic wizards must use to maintain them.”

“Goblins don’t have to maintain them?” he asked with wide eyes. “Not that I was maintaining- I mean, the glamour isn’t mine. I didn’t even know they could be used over an entire body.”

The goblin studied him for a moment with a blank face, and it made Harry squirm. He really hated not knowing what the people around him were thinking. He’d been manipulated far too many times that way. “Lord Potter, you are very strange for your kind.”

“Just Harry, please,” he replied automatically. “Or… I guess it would be Hadrian? And I’ve known that for a long time. Normal people don’t kill basilisks or free hippogriffs in their free time.”

“You’ve done a great deal more than that,” she pointed out kindly. 

“Not without consequences,” he said softly. Then he shook his head to clear his mind. “I’m sorry, I should have asked for your name.”

“I am Healer Thornfire,” she told him. “In answer to your question, goblins do not need to maintain what we cast. The initial use of our magic is strong enough to sustain what we wished to accomplish until we take the time to undo it. If we are casting a glamour, it will not strain our magic beyond the initial casting. Not that goblins have need of such trivial things. That is why we have no need of foolish wands.”

“What sorts of spells do you find useful, then?” Harry asked. He was pretty sure this was information that no wizard had ever even tried to get out of a goblin before…he wondered if any wizard had ever actually cared to. She gave him an appraising look that made him think that he must seem rather like an idiot to her, but then she answered.

“Some of us have an affinity for healing, though that’s fairly rare. This comes in handy, as we are a known warrior race. Our fighters are quite skilled in combat magics and spells, the likes of which a wizard could never even dream of. The rest of our kind are curse breakers. They use magic for tracking rare artifacts, and work with wizards to dismantle any magics that might hide or protect them,” she told him calmly. “It is rare for a goblin to have more than one of the three affinities. However, we all have skill in basic magics. Anything from household rituals to blood magics.”

“So… because you use healing magics, you can’t also use combat spells?” Harry frowned. It was all confusing to him. He didn’t know there were so many types of magic like that. He was used to the usual: curses, jinxes, and charms, the only three he’dheard about in Hogwarts. She huffed at him impatiently.

“Are you good at every kind of magic?” she asked pointedly. He shook his head quickly, flushing in embarrassment. “Neither am I. That hardly means that I am not capable, just that those outside of my specialty are not my strength.”

“Right… sorry,” Harry replied quietly. He hadn’t meant to insult her. Thornfire narrowed her eyes and frowned thoughtfully. Harry tried his hardest not to squirm under the attention, but it was no secret that he hated being stared at. He was pretty sure that good attention was a myth, at least when it came to him. 

“Young lord,” she began, then rolled her eyes at Harry’s expression. “Hadrian, then. The things that I have shared with you have never been shared with anyone outside of the goblin race before this very day. Your kind could only guess at how our magics might work.”

“I’d never share your secrets!” Harry said quickly. Thornfire threw her head back and roared with laughter, startling Harry tremendously. He’d never known that goblins could laugh like that. “Er-”

“You misunderstand me, Hadrian,” she said once she’d calmed down enough to speak. “First, I will tell you that the wards on this chamber would erase your memories of this conversation before you could even think of sharing what I’ve told you about our nation. The reason I’ve told you as much as I have is that my mate and our king have made a very… unprecedented decision.”

“Am I going to be killed, then?” Harry sighed. At least he wouldn’t be done in by Voldemort. A goblin execution would leave him with his dignity and pride intact. That must have shown on his face, because Thornfire looked equal parts amused, proud, and exasperated. 

“We would never kill one of our own without a very good reason. There are less of us than you might think,” she told him gently. “They are preparing the ritual to induct you into our clan as we speak.”

“But I’m a wizard,” Harry pointed out, feeling very confused. “I can’t become a goblin.”

“You will remain a wizard,” Thornfire agreed. “You have the heart of a great warrior, Hadrian Potter, and you have survived more than some of our finest. When I tell you what I removed, you will see what I mean. You have also shown us kindness the likes of which we have not seen since your ancestor, Salazar Slytherin.”

“Slytherin was kind? ” Harry gaped at her. She rolled her eyes. 

“Take his journal from your vault before you leave. You will learn much,” she told him. 

“This… this is a lot,” Harry said softly.

“Would you prefer to wait to hear the rest?” She asked gently. He shook his head quickly, and she gave him a sharp-toothed grin. “Yes, you’ll fit right in here. Very well. Settle in, Lord Potter, we’ve a lot to cover.”

She offered him a familiar looking potion, and he drank it without question. He could tell that it was the right thing to do by the shock and approval in her eyes. He was getting better at reading the emotions in the goblins’ eyes the longer he was down there with them. That would come in handy if they were really planning to make him an honorary goblin.

“We’ll start with the potions,” she informed him. “There aren’t as many of those. You had a low-level love potion directed at Ginevra Molly Weasley. That was easy to counteract, as it hadn’t been taken in a few weeks. There were also loyalty potions for multiple people. You have not had the proper nutrition potions that all wizards should have as children, and something has been done to stunt your growth over the years.”

“I had… oh,” Harry said softly. Those would explain why he felt like he was thinking more clearly since he’d regained consciousness. It was too much to process all at once. If he stopped to think about it for too long, he wouldn’t be able to hear the rest. “Who all had to be included in the loyalty potions?” He had a pretty good idea, but he needed to hear it.

“Albus Dumbledore, Molly Weasley, Ronald Weasley, Ginny Weasley, Hermione Granger, and Gryffindor house as a whole,” she answered. He nodded, but he couldn’t find the words to reply. All of his time in the wizarding world had been a lie.

He had known since getting off of the train with Parvati that Dumbledore didn’t have his best interests at heart. He couldn’t really say that he was surprised by this turn of events- that he was being controlled by the very man he’d grown to trust implicitly. The others, though… 

Mrs. Weasley had been something like a pseudo mother to him since his second year of Hogwarts. He’d depended on her for so much, and she’d always been kind and loving to him. He might have had his differences with Ron and Hermione at times, but they, too, had always been there when he’d needed them. They always seemed to know just when that was. Ginny had never been anything more than a little sister to him. 

Dumbledore, on the other hand, had seemingly saved his life multiple times. The more Harry thought about it now, though, the more he realized that his life never would have been in danger in the first place without Dumbledore’s interference. Harry’s best guess was that he’d created all of those dangerous scenarios to train or test him over the years. He’d known the full prophecy all along, after all. With everything he’d managed to learn, it was entirely possible that Dumbledore had orchestrated the whole thing from the very beginning.

“You said we would start with the potions,” Harry said quietly. “What else is there?”

Thornfire did not give him any form of pity, and he greatly appreciated it. Instead, she lifted a hand and silently summoned a large, rolled up scroll of parchment, which she unfurled with a flick of her wrist. He tried not to hold his breath when he saw how long that parchment really was.

“In order from least to most harmful,” she began. “There was a full block placed on your metamorphmagus ability and your soulbond, performed by Albus Dumbledore and Molly Weasley. A full block was placed on your ability to perform wandless or wordless magic, placed there by Albus Dumbledore. A partial block was placed on your parseltongue ability, performed by Albus Dumbledore. A compulsion to hate anything to do with Slytherin or dark magic, and a block on your familiar bond, was placed by Albus Dumbledore and Molly Weasley. A partial block was placed on your magical core itself. And… a very ancient and dark curse that I have never seen attached to a living being.”

Harry was too shocked to say a word for a while, and Thornfire seemed content to let him process all of it in his own time. There was so much more than he’d expected… he wasn’t sure how he’d managed to function under all of those blocks and compulsions! He wanted to be more surprised, but he knew exactly what Albus Dumbledore was capable of, now. Molly Weasley, though… he didn’t want to believe it.

“Can all of these be removed?” he finally asked, forgetting that she’d said she’d already done so. He was having trouble concentrating, after everything he’d just learned. “I”ll pay… as much as you want. I just want to be free.”

He suspected that she was trying to hide her approval of his statement, but he’d been watching too closely to miss it. “They have already been removed, little one. The only one left behind is the curse, but it is being researched as we speak. We will find a safe way to remove it; you have my word.”

“Thank you,” he said quietly. He felt himself start to relax, even though he hadn’t realized that he’d tensed up in the first place. It was one less thing for him to have to worry about, for now. He’d give it more thought when he was alone. 

Thornfire perked up and turned towards the door, and moments later Onyxclaw stepped into the infirmary. He gave Thornfire a toothy smile before turning his attention to Harry. He seemed satisfied by what he saw.

“We are ready for the ritual, little lord. If you would follow me?” he asked, gesturing towards the door. Harry nodded silently, pushing himself off of the bed and onto his feet. 

Thornfire caught him by the arm as he passed her, and offered him a strange gesture that he’d never seen before. She placed her right fist over her heart and inclined her head in the slightest of bows, grasping his forearm with her left hand tightly. Almost like a handshake. Harry’s first instinct was to copy the gesture, which earned him what could only be called a fond smile from the female goblin. “May your gold and magic flow strong,” she told him softly. He had the strange urge to hug her, but he managed to refrain. 

“And the same to you,” he told her just as softly, grinning. Again, that seemed to be the right thing to do. 

“Should you have need of healing in the future, I shall be quite offended if you choose another,” she teased, and he let out a quiet laugh.

“I wouldn’t trust anyone else,” he assured her. “But how can I get to you from the school? I have to go back, even if it doesn’t seem to be safe for me.”

“Don’t you worry, little lord. We will take care of that before you leave today,” Onyxclaw promised with another toothy grin. He wasn’t remotely intimidating when he was around his mate, and Harry had to very carefully keep his amusement over it to himself.

The chamber that Onyxclaw led him to was very plain compared to the office or the infirmary. The walls were made of rough stone, misshapen and uneven in a way that seemed intentional for the decorating. In the center of the room stood a raised stone dais, on which sat a clay pot full of purple-ish ink and a beautifully jeweled dagger in the very center. 

He was quickly introduced to the only other goblin in the room: Nagnok, current king of the goblins. Nagnok wasted no time in explaining the ritual and what would be expected. “Onyxclaw will draw the proper runes on your skin. We will teach you the proper gobbledygook for this ritual, and once it is complete you may choose whether you would like to learn our full language or not. As one of our own, you will have that choice. However, to teach anyone who is not a goblin will result in dishonorable death.”

“Lord Potter will not betray us,” Onyxclaw said confidently as he dipped his fingers into the ink. The first touch of it to his skin had Harry shivering from the slight tingle of ancient magic. 

“If I believed that he would, we would not be here,” Nagnok replied, sounding amused. “Are you ready, Lord Potter?”

“Just Harry, please,” he said politely. It was mostly just an attempt to hide how nervous he was over this whole thing. “I’m ready.”

Onyxclaw kept drawing the purple runes along Harry’s arms and chest while Nagnok instructed him on the pronunciation of the words he would have to say. It was more than a little bit complicated, but he managed to repeat them back correctly just before Onyxclaw finished his runes. They positioned him carefully at one end of the dais, while Nagnok took the spot directly across from him.

“We will speak the words together, first,” Nagnok instructed. “Then you will use the knife to slice a clean line into your palm, and I shall do the same. If our magics agree, the ritual itself will heal both of our cuts when we grasp hands, and you will be a full member of the goblin nation, blessed by Galid himself.”

“Who is Galid?” Harry asked as he eyed the knife warily. He missed the look of amusement that passed between the two goblins. 

“Galid the Bold was the first of our kind, made of the very rock found in this chamber. He watches all that we do, and the luckiest among us are touched by his magic in our times of need,” Nagnok explained patiently. “He blesses each new member of our nation, though that has only ever been by birth before this day.”

“I’m honored,” Harry said after a moment. “But I don’t know how I’ve earned this.”

“It is not what you have done,” Onyxclaw replied carefully. “It is what you will do.”

“The prophecy,” Harry sighed. Of course that’s what this would be about. Everything in his world seemed to revolve around that blasted prophecy. If it wouldn’t have offended an entire race, he would have turned the whole thing down at that moment. He did see the knowing look that the goblins shared this time.

“We care little for the matters of wizards and their wars. We care for ourselves and our gold. Our own prophet seems certain that you will play a large role in aiding both of those things for the rest of your life, young lord. Because of your kindness and respect on top of that prediction, we offer you the most precious gift that we can give,” Nagnok informed him.

Thinking about it, he didn’t mind as much if it wasn’t his supposed ability to kill a dark lord that drew them to him, though he suspected that was included in ‘helping the nation and their gold’. They’d been so helpful since he’d stepped into the bank that he had to believe they meant well now. It was with that in mind that Harry gave them a short nod to indicate that he was ready. It was surprisingly easy to speak the gobbledgook with the king once he’d made up his mind that this was his right path.

“Med denne kniven og dette blodet slutter vi oss til våre sjeler blant de eldste rasene. Vår magi som en, vi går denne veien sammen. Takk Galid for denne gaven.”*

As soon as the last word was said, Harry picked up the jeweled knife. Even though he didn’t like the idea of slicing into his own palm, he knew that he couldn’t hesitate. Merlin know he’s been through worse than this…this was practically a paper cut. The knife held steady as he dragged it into a straight vertical line down the center of his palm. He offered the knife to Nagnok handle first, and watched as the goblin copied his movements.

The moment that their hands met, Harry felt an intense wave of magic wash over him. Wind (which shouldn’t have been possible in the underground stone chamber) whipped his hair around, and he saw Onyxclaw stumble from the force of it out of the corner of his eyes. Their clasped hands glowed brightly for a few seconds, and Harry could feel the moment that his cut healed.

“You will do great things, Kriger Herre.** You will make us proud,” a gruff voice whispered through his mind. He shivered, feeling the ancient power of a long-dead goblin wash over him one last time.

When it was all over, both goblins were staring at him in shock. It wouldn’t really surprise him to find out that something about the ritual hadn’t gone according to plan. 

Nothing involving Harry ever goes according to plan. 

He gently tugged his hand away from Nagnok, taking only a moment to study the flawless skin on his palm before looking back up at them. He couldn’t contain his curiosity.

“What does Kriger Herre mean?” he asked, struggling to hold still. The rush of foreign magic had left him with more energy than he knew what to do with. The goblins shared yet another look, but Harry bit his tongue to keep from commenting on it.

“Warrior Lord,” Nagnok said after a moment. “We are each given two names in our lifetimes. The first is the name by which everyone knows. The second is the name granted upon the approval of Galid. He chooses it himself, and it etches onto the cradle of each newborn when they are blessed. How did you come to find your name?”

“He told me,” Harry shrugged. “Is that not normal?”

“No, Kriger Herre, it is not normal,” Nagnok answered several long moments later. “Though I am beginning to learn that normal has an entirely different meaning when it comes to you.”

“That’s not a good thing,” Harry sighed.

“On the contrary, I believe it is quite a good thing indeed. It is something that will serve you well in the days to come. You seem to play by different rules in this magical world, and none have bothered to learn what that means,” Onyxclaw told him gently. “That is a great advantage to have over those who wish you harm.”

“The thing is, I don’t know what those rules are, either,” Harry pointed out. “It can’t be an advantage if I don’t know how to use it.”

“Onyxclaw, take him to his family vault and give him what he will need. I will prepare the tools myself,” Nagnok ordered. “We will meet again, Lord Potter. You and I have a great destiny to achieve.”

“We do?” Harry asked, blinking in surprise. He was extremely tired of all these unfulfilled destinies he had to achieve.

“Indeed,” Nagnok confirmed. He didn’t spare Harry another glance as he swept from the chamber, reminding Harry very much of Snape. If only the king had worn a black cloak… 

“Come along, Kriger Herre. We’ve much to do,” Onyxclaw informed him. He, too, turned and walked from the room. Harry followed, because there wasn’t much else for him to do. He didn’t want to stay in that chamber alone; he could still feel the echo of ancient magic, and he was fairly certain that he was still being watched.

Onyxclaw led him to another cart, this one smaller than the first he’d been taken on. Harry didn’t hesitate to climb on this time, knowing that the goblins would never let anything happen to him while he was in the bank. He was one of them, now. That would take some getting used to.

He used the long ride on the cart to think a few things through. He’d learned a lot of things very quickly, and he hadn’t had time to really think about what it meant for him. Aside from Dumbledore controlling every part of his life from the moment he was born, he’d learned some interesting things about his parents. Namely, that he had four of them. It gave him a warm feeling inside, knowing that, and then…he was sad.

From what he could tell, Lily had been a surrogate for Sirius and Remus. He had several guesses as to what happened after he was born, but the only person who could tell him the truth was Remus. He couldn’t figure out why Remus wouldn’t have said something to him long before now… or Sirius, for that matter. The only conclusion he could come up with was that they didn’t remember it at all. His mother had said something that made him think their memories had been tampered with.

“He just might need a little help remembering.”

The first thing he would do when he left the bank would be to find Remus and see about getting his memories back. If Remus would believe him… or even want to see him. Then he would see what gift Nimue had left for him. The only place he could think of vowing to never return to was the Department of Mysteries. He was pretty sure the Ministry wouldn’t allow him back in there anyway. Though… he had recently promised himself that he wouldn’t go back to Grimmauld Place unless he was forced to. There were too many things that he didn’t want to relive there. Too many memories that would just hurt. It sounded like he didn’t have much of a choice, unfortunately.

That decided, his mind shifted to his lordships. James Potter’s blood adoption made him the only heir to the Potter and Peverell lines, of that he was certain. Sirius being his biological father must have made him the heir to the Black line, but he hadn’t known that Sirius had a lordship. Perhaps that was another thing that Sirius had been forced to forget…

The LeFay lordship was too confusing for him to be able to process just yet. He’d heard of Morgana LeFay; everyone has heard of her. Second only to Merlin himself, though many believed her to be his true equal. What did it mean, that he was the LeFay champion? That Nimue herself had chosen him? He wasn’t sure he wanted to find out what that was going to mean for the future. Maybe that’s why the goblins were so eager for him to join their ranks.

The Slytherin lordship was the hardest for him to believe. He had to have earned it in the Chamber of Secrets. There was no other time that he’d successfully bested Voldemort, other than when he was possessing Quirrel, and that was more him beating Quirrel than Voldemort himself. He didn’t know what it meant to be Lord Slytherin, especially since he’d chosen to be a Gryffindor. But was that really his choice, or had he been spelled into believing that it was what he’d wanted? How far back did those compulsions truly go? The moment he’d met Molly Weasley? Or when he’d entered Hogwarts for the first time? Was their meeting at the Platform actually chance, or was it just a setup so he could be a puppet for the rest of his life?

Thinking of Hogwarts just made him remember that he owned half of the castle by inheritance. He wondered who owned the other half, but he knew that he would probably never find out. It probably didn’t mean anything beyond a number in his Gringotts portfolio. It wasn’t as though he could use that to make decisions about the castle… could he? He’d have to do some research to find out what exactly all of his properties and percentages meant for himself, and what he could use them for.

“You seem lost in thought, Kriger Herre. Is everything alright?” Onyxclaw asked. Harry blinked, focusing back on his surroundings. They’d come to a stop in front of an ornate golden vault door sometime during his musings, and Onyxclaw was standing in front of the cart with a concerned look in his eyes. “Should I be bringing you back to Thornfire?”

“No, no. I’m fine,” Harry assured him. The last thing he needed was another trip to a hospital wing…he’d be breaking his record. “You’ve all given me a lot to think about today. I don’t even know where to start.”

“That’s why we’re here,” Onyxclaw told him softly. “Your parents left you quite a bit of valuable things in this vault. Some of them are heirlooms that I recommend you take with you, and some of them are things to help you understand your inheritance. A few journals, some family tree scrolls, and a family grimoire are the things we recommend you study closely. I believe your education on our world is quite lacking, Lord Potter. It is time that we remedy that. Magic can do anything you could possibly imagine, and improvements are being made every day. Once you’ve learned your family magics, I suggest you invest in more books.”

“I think that’s something I just might have to do,” Harry agreed. “I’ll need more than what they teach in school to survive.”

“Indeed,” Onyxclaw agreed. He stepped forward and ran one pointed claw down the length of the vault door. Harry watched in awe as the door melted to the ground. The interior was much larger than the outside suggested. “Take your time, young lord. You have all the time in the world, now.”

“I wish that were true,” Harry grinned. Still, he didn’t hesitate to step inside of the vault, and his jaw dropped at what he saw. The outer walls of the vault held lines of bookshelves that were filled with so many books Harry couldn’t see the end. The center of the vault consisted of rows of shelves filled with other miscellaneous objects. One shelf held nothing but scrolls, while another held a truly remarkable amount of jewelry. The shelves closest to him held cloaks and bags, and he decided to start there.

He selected a dark green cloak that seemed black in some lighting, sliding it on over the buttoned shirt and black slacks that he hadn’t bothered to change out of. They shrunk to fit his frame easily, something that Harry was grateful for. He then selected a plain black bag that he could tell was bottomless, slinging it over his shoulder to carry his selections from the vault. Onyxclaw nodded approvingly from the doorway when Harry slid a few more of the robes into his bag: one plain black, one black with gold accents, one Gryffindor red, and one deep blue. He knew those would come in handy later, if he was going to take his rightful place in the wizarding world. He’d have to go shopping, too. He’d send Parvati an owl asking for help, later.

The scrolls took him a bit longer to look over. He grabbed one of each of his family trees, and one that listed a few spells created by his Peverell ancestors. Buried on that shelf was another pair of enchanted mirrors, like the one that Sirius had given him last year. Those, too, were slid into his bag after he’d wiped away a few tears. It would be a long time before he stopped connecting everything back to his… to his father.

He only went through the first two bookshelves. Several journals from his Potter ancestors joined the scrolls, along with two grimoires: Potter and LeFay. Of all of the magics he wanted to learn, those two families were the most interesting to him. The journal of Morgana LeFay herself was the last book that he grabbed, and he had a hard time putting it into the bag with the others. He wanted to start reading it immediately, but he forced himself to wait until he knew where he’d be staying for the night. As much as he appreciated the goblins, he didn’t want to sleep under the bank if he could help it.

His eyes caught on one of the necklaces on the jewelry shelf when he walked by, and he’d grabbed it before he’d really thought it through. It was a pendant without a chain, something he could keep in his pocket and take out when he needed something to calm himself down. The pendant was set with a large ruby in the very center, and he could see a flickering flame enchanted inside of the stone. The metal itself was a deep black, shaped into a dragon’s head with the ruby locked between its jaws. He slid it into his pocket rather than his bag. 

Onyxclaw was waiting by the door, holding a small envelope and rucksack. He handed both to Harry without explanation and gestured for him to enter the cart once more. The journey back to his office was short compared to all of the others. Neither of them spoke until the door was securely shut behind them and they were seated.

“The bag contains a dagger made by Nagnok himself, for your own use, as well as a broach that you should never remove. It is enchanted so that it may only be touched by your own hand, and it will summon any goblin you should require at any given time. As such, it will also summon you to us, should we have need of you,” Onyxclaw told him. “Though we do understand that you will be at school, and we will not disturb your education for anything but a tragedy.”

“... Thanks for that,” Harry said, pausing briefly. The sack went into the bag at his side, and he lifted the envelope. “And this?”

“That is for your eyes only. Even I do not know what it says. It was written to you by your parents before their deaths. You should read it tonight, once you’ve finished your other business,” the goblin replied. “We have one last matter to settle before I send you on your way.”

“And what would that be?” Harry asked warily. The goblins lips quirked up into a wry smile.

“Your name,” he said calmly. “We need to know how to address you, Kriger Herre. Only goblins may call you by that title. The wizarding world needs to know what to call their new champion.”

“Er,” Harry said after a moment. “I hadn’t given it much thought, honestly.”

“We’ll start with an easy question, then,” Onyxclaw replied. “Would you prefer to continue to be called Harry, or will you choose to be addressed by your birth name?”

“Hadrian,” Harry reminded him immediately. He hesitated as he considered it. He was used to being called Harry, and if he continued to go by that name, it may take Dumbledore longer to realize that he’d lost his favorite pawn. On the other hand, he’d very publicly left with Parvati and had ignored everyone that he was supposed to trust. They’d undoubtedly reported it already, leaving no doubt that the headmaster had lost his hold. Hadrian made him feel closer to his parents, and closer to the person he was always meant to be. “I want to be called Hadrian,” he decided.

“Very good, Hadrian,” Onyxclaw smiled. “There is the matter of your title, as well. You have five lordships, and we cannot address you as all of them. We would suggest that you choose one or two that you feel closest to, and sign your name accordingly.”

“That’s easier said than done,” Hadrian sighed. “Everyone expects me to be Lord Potter, or maybe even Lord Black. I don’t think anyone knew about the others, not even Dumbledore.”

“It hardly matters what others expect of you. This choice is yours and yours alone. Do not let the opinion of a few dictate how you choose to live your life,” the goblin told him. He’d never seen Onyxclaw so passionate about anything before. He gave a short nod and went back to considering his options.

He wanted to honor his parents, he knew that. He would be keeping the title Lord Potter, for sure. He’d never considered adding a second title until right this second, and the option was surprisingly appealing. He could take on Black, as it would honor his true father… but hearing that name would hurt every time, because it would only make him miss Sirius more. He considered Peverell for only a moment, but it was the family that he knew the least about. It might have been impressive, but it meant nothing to Hadrian. LeFay was appealing, especially if he was to be her champion, but…

“I will be Lord Potter-Slytherin,” he decided. Onyxclaw looked at him with a mixture of surprise and pride. After a moment, Hadrian elaborated on his choice. “I’m proud of my heritage. I’ve always been proud to be a Potter, even after finding out that he wasn’t my biological father. I’m sure he was meant to be my godfather, at the very least. As for Slytherin… can you imagine the reactions I’ll get for it? It’ll show everyone that I am not the pawn they all expected me to be. I am my own wizard, and I’m a bloody powerful one at that.”

“A wise choice, Lord Potter-Slytherin. You are living up to your name,” Onyxclaw told him. “If you would like, we can take care of putting the lordship acquisitions into the Daily Prophet, as is proper.”

“No, thank you,” Hadrian grinned. “I’ll take care of that myself sometime this week. I think it’s time I gave an interview again, one explaining a few things to the wizarding world as a whole. Declare my intentions, as it were.”

“You will take the world by storm,” the goblin nodded. Hadrian could see the approval in his gaze, and that made his decisions worthwhile. For the first time in a long time, he felt like he was doing the right thing- and that just happened to be what he wanted to do.

Chapter Text

Remus was not in the leaky cauldron when Hadrian finally returned there, but he wasn’t really worried about it. He spoke briefly with Tom, renting himself a room for an untold amount of time with payment upfront for his silence on the matter. The last thing Hadrian needed was for someone to find out where he was staying and spread it around. He didn’t want Dumbledore to show up at his door, or Rita Skeeter either. 

He didn’t bother with unpacking any of the things he’d gotten from the bank, or his school trunk. He’d be moving on after he managed to talk to Remus. His first order of business would be canceling the Fidelius charm on Grimmauld Place and making sure nobody but himself could get through the wards. If Nimue really had left him a gift there, he didn’t want anyone else getting their hands on it. That would be dangerous, he was sure of it.

As soon as he’d made sure his room was secure, he pulled the envelope out of his bag. He sat down on his bed, looking it over for any inscription. There was nothing written on the outside at all. He took a deep breath, then opened it. Inside he found three slips of old parchment, faded from years passed. The ink was still easy to read, thankfully. The letter on top was from his mother.

31/10/1981

My darling Hadrian,

It is with a heavy heart that I write this letter. We recently discovered that some things are not as they seem, and I fear for the worst. Should you be reading this, I know that I am not with you. I am so sorry, my darling boy, that I could not be with you as you grew up. I am so sorry that we failed you.

James and I were at Sirius and Remus’s bonding, you know. I was Remus’s ‘best man’, and James stood for Sirius. It was that night that they asked me to carry you. Remus didn’t want to pass on his genes, and Sirius needed an heir, so… you came to be. I was so proud to be your mother, and honored that they considered me a good enough friend to ask. They were so excited to have you! I was named godmother, and James was godfather. We’d all planned to announce your birth around Christmas, to give Siri and Remus time with you before the wolves descended- so to speak. But we did tell close friends, and that is where everything went very, very wrong.

I don’t remember the specifics of what happened, because even now I am still waking from this nightmare. One day, I was watching you while Siri and Remus had a date night, and the next I was rocking you to sleep beside James, both of us calling you our child. Suddenly, Sirius was the godfather. We could no longer trust Remus, though there was no reason for it. It was just… a very strong feeling. Everything felt so wrong, even James said so. We simply couldn’t figure out what it was.

That’s when we got word that Voldemort was looking for us. Albus told us of a prophecy that only he had heard fully, and warned us that we were being targeted. That Voldemort was coming to kill you for it. He wanted us to go into hiding, to keep you safe, and we believed him. He locked us away in Godric’s Hollow, but that was HIS mistake. James remembered while we were there that he had old family from Godric’s Hollow. I hope by now you’re aware of your heritage, and know at least a little of the Peverell line.

We visited the grave together, and I’m so glad that we did. It was there that we discovered something was very wrong with us. You see, the Peverell’s had ancient magic that few have ever managed to achieve since their death. James simply touched the grave, and he immediately knew we’d been enchanted. He managed to break through his own blocks rather quickly, and then he helped me with mine. We have a meeting with Sirius in the morning to break through his, but…

Dumbledore knows that we know. James thinks he planted a failsafe in our minds, to be told when we break it. Or rather, IF we break it. He always did underestimate what we can do. I hope with all of my heart that he underestimates you, as well. That will be his downfall, I know it. 

I want you to know, no matter what happens to me, that I have loved you as my own son from the moment you were conceived. Though you are not mine, you hold a place in my heart always. I love you, Hadrian, more than anything else in this world. I hope that I will be with you to remind you of that for the rest of my long life, but I know that it is unlikely. I am with you always.

Love,

Lily

Hadrian was crying by the time he’d finished reading her letter. It didn’t bode well for the other two, if he was already this upset, but… he couldn’t stop now. He had to know what the other two said. The second letter was from James.

31/10/1981

Hadrian,

I was never as good with words as your mother was. Lily was always wonderful at that, knowing exactly what to say to someone who needed comfort…it’s one of the things that made me fall in love with her, you know. Unfortunately, it’s now come to the point where I have so much to say to you, and no more time to say it.

I want to reassure you that no matter what enchantment Dumbledaft has put on Remus and Sirius, that will never take away the love they have for you. Merlin, Hadrian, they wanted you so badly, and they loved you from the moment Lily got the positive pregnancy test. You’re their whole world. If the world stopped spinning, I truly don’t think they would mind, as long as you were still their baby boy.

Lily and I don’t have much time anymore. As your mother undoubtedly told you, Dumbledore has figured out that we broke his enchantment over us. We are no longer under his control. We will die, soon, because Dumbledore purposefully put us in the line of fire. There’s history between Voldemort and Dumbledore, I know it, and I’m sure he somehow leaked our location to him but dammit…there’s nothing we can do now, Hadrian, and I’m sorry. Dumbledore took my Invisibility Cloak while we were enchanted, he convinced me to let him borrow it. Now I know why.

I don't want you to ever doubt our love for you. Not mine, not Lily’s, nor Remus or Sirius’. You are so loved, Hadrian, and that is what Dumbledore fails to see. He cannot stop a parent and a child from being together…it's not meant to be. We are so proud of you, son, and know that wherever we are now, as you’re reading this, we are proud of the person you have become.

You are worth more than they say you are, Hadrian. Don’t let them tear you down. Don’t forget for one second that you are the most loved person in the universe. We all would have moved the sun and stars for you, my boy.

Love,

James

P.S. Dumbledore, if you happen to have gotten your conniving, skeevy, gremlin hands on these, know that I died happily with the knowledge that YOU LOST CONTROL OVER US. 

He was laughing through his tears by the end of James’ letter. Everything he’d ever been told about the man seemed to be true, and it felt like a weight had lifted off of his chest. James Potter was every inch a Marauder, and Lily was just as kind and loving as the stories he’s been told…thank Merlin that hadn’t been a lie. Now he just had to figure out what was the truth, and what was created to keep him under control.

The last letter in the envelope had a small piece of parchment attached to the outside. The handwriting was unmistakably Lily’s, Hadrian had no doubt.

‘This letter was written on the day of your birth. With everything that we have learned, we thought it wise to place it somewhere safe. They would want you to have this.’

Hadrian knew what it was going to be before he unfolded it. He wasn’t sure what exactly it would say, but he knew who it had to be from. Sure enough, when he unfolded the parchment he found two distinct sets of handwriting that nearly broke his heart in two.

31/07/1980

To our pup,

(Yes, your father got to pick your nickname. He’ll be quite disappointed if your animagus isn’t a canine as well, but I have a feeling that you’ll grow to have wings. You are so very like Lily.)

Your Papa and I are so excited to meet you, Hadrian! We’ve wanted you since our third year at Hogwarts, when we were much too young to be parents. You’ve been the dream that got us through each day. If I have any say in it, you’ll be so spoiled that you’ll never know what it means to lose anything or anyone. You won’t live in darkness. You are a Black, and that means that you have one of the largest families in the wizarding world. Not all of us are shining examples of goodness, or beacons of light, but it’s enough to give you a rather large family. 

(You are also a Lupin, and while my family may be small, we love fiercely. Your grandparents can’t wait to meet you. We will spoil you with love more than with material things. Your father is just excited.)

As if you aren’t, Moony. Not the point.

(I’m just saying—)

Anyway. No matter how much we talk about family and wanting to spoil you, there is a point to this letter. There is no denying that we are in the middle of a very dangerous war. Friends are leaving us every day, and we ourselves have seen a fair bit of fighting. We’ve spoken to Dumbledore about our circumstances, and he’s giving us time to be with you, but danger will never truly be gone.

(Don’t frighten him. It’s not so dire, little one. There might be danger, but there is also happiness. We have things to celebrate. We have you.)

Ugh, your sappiness is going to give me hives, Moony. Knock it off.

(I will not! That’s the point of this letter, Padfoot.)

… Right. In that case, we have one last thing to say. I’m no good at words, especially when they’re to do with emotions, so what your papa says goes for me, too. I love you, Hadrian.

(The day that Lily told us she would carry you was the happiest day of our lives, to that point. It changed to the day we all found out she was pregnant, and then to each new scan at Mungo’s. Now it is today, the day of your birth. We want you to know that every day we spend with you will become the new happiest days of our lives, no matter what else happens. We love you so much. You are our entire world.)

Love, 

Dad and Papa

He had to reread it twice, because the tears in his eyes made it too hard to see properly. He’s had a loving family waiting for him, just out of his reach, for his entire life. Sure, none of them could remember, but… he could fix that now. Or rather, he knew who could fix it, if he could just convince Remus to trust him over Dumbledore. At least now he had proof to show.

He had to move fast and rearrange his plans on the fly. If Moony was under the same compulsions that Hadrian had been forced into, he couldn’t be trusted not to tell Dumbledore where Hadrian was hiding. That meant that he needed to get to neutral territory. He needed to get to Grimmauld Place, and he’d need Kreacher to help him change the wards. At fifteen, that was something that Hadrian had not yet learned, and there was no way he could teach himself. That was about to change.

Hedwig was watching him closely as he pulled a bit of parchment, ink, and a quill from his trunk. He jotted a quick note to Moony, being very careful about what he said.

Moony,

I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have lashed out at you. I’ve been so lost since Sirius… but if anyone might understand, it’s you. Will you come see me at Grimmauld? It’s the only place I know to go.

HP

Hadrian attached it to Hedwig’s leg, but didn’t send her off. He’d need to take care of Grimmauld, first. He couldn’t trust that nobody would be there waiting for him, ready to drag him back to his aunt and uncle. With that horrid thought in mind, he straightened his new robe and stood as tall as he could. He wanted to look like a young lord for this conversation. 

“Kreacher!” he called, knowing that the elf would have to come. Sure enough, Kreacher appeared with a loud crack. He visibly faltered when he saw Hadrian standing there. 

“Young master calls for Kreacher?” the elf sneered, giving Hadrian a short bow. It looked uncomfortable, how forced the movement seemed. “What can Kreacher be doing?”

“Kreacher, I have accepted the title of Lord Black today,” Hadrian informed him. He watched in strange satisfaction as the elf’s jaw dropped and his eyes bulged in shock. It almost looked like something from a cartoon. “I need you to change the wards of Grimmauld Place to only allow entrance to those with familial blood or guests that I personally invite from this moment forward. Then, I would like for you to remove anyone from the premises who does not fit that description. There are no invited guests at this moment. When you have finished, you are to return here and bring me to my ancestral home. Am I clear?”

“Kreacher may remove the blood traitors and filth from my mistress’s home?” the elf confirmed, unable to keep the glee from creeping into his tone. He looked to Hadrian as though he’d just discovered Christmas was to come early this year. Hadrian nearly laughed, but managed to keep a straight face.

“And be as nasty about it as you’d like,” he nodded. “They have no right to be there, and they should be made aware of that. The Noble and Most Ancient House of Black will no longer be supporting Dumbledore or his Order.”

“Yes, young master. Kreacher will take care of everything, don’t you worry,” the elf clapped his hands in delight. There was a frightful glint in his eyes that would have worried Hadrian only a few days ago. Now, though, he knew that any unwelcome visitor would be getting what they deserve.

“My family will still be allowed entrance, Kreacher. That is very important,” Hadrian said quickly. He wouldn’t be able to fix it if Kreacher chose not to listen to that order.

“Yes, yes. Master’s family and invited guests, Kreacher knows, sir,” the elf replied. He was gone with another loud pop.

Hadrian didn’t know how long that might take, so he pulled more parchment from his trunk and settled in to write more letters. He wanted to check on Parvati and thank her for her help, and he had the unshakeable urge to write to Luna. He just knew that she had more things to tell him, and he missed her otherworldly way of seeing things…even if it didn’t always make the most sense to him. One thing at a time, Hadrian reminded himself.

Parvati,

I don’t have much time to write just yet, but I wanted to make sure you’re doing alright. I hope our adventure didn’t get you into too much trouble with your parents. It really helped me. I learned things that I’d never imagined in my wildest dreams, and I took on a lot of responsibilities that I didn’t know were a possibility for me. I’ll tell you all about it the next time I see you, which I hope will be soon! Someone needs to help me find robes that don’t make me look like a child playing dress-up…

Thank you so much for opening my eyes. I owe you a debt that I don’t know how to repay.

HP

He kept things deliberately vague, knowing that Parvati would understand. He didn’t want to give all of his secrets away, just in case the letter was intercepted. He didn’t know how closely he was being watched, or if he’d already been found. Despite Mad-Eye Moody being an impostor for the entire year he knew him, “constant vigilance” was a lesson Hadrian carried close to him.  Better safe than sorry. He would be signing his letters with his initials until he’d given his interview later that week, too. He didn’t want to go back to being Harry, but he didn’t want anyone to know that he’d claimed his birth name, either. Not until he was ready.

He sealed the letter with a tap of the LeFay ring, which he still hadn’t removed. He’d learned before he’d left the bank that he could change Lordship rings with a single thought. Whichever one he wanted (or needed) could be with him in the blink of an eye. Onyxclaw said that they each had their own defensive magics, and he would simply know what to do with them when the time came. He’d been assured that family magic had always worked that way.

Just as he was getting ready to start writing his letter to Luna, a very disgruntled Kreacher popped back into the room. Hadrian dropped his quill in surprise. “Kreacher?”

“Young master not be believing what Kreacher has found. Kreacher not be believing it either!” the elf said in a rush. He held out his hand. “Coming quick to see!”

As much as he wanted to trust that Kreacher wouldn’t lead him into danger on purpose, he couldn’t be sure. The elf hadn’t ever liked him, and that was no secret. He had blood traitors, Mudbloods, and werewolves for “friends” after all. Instead of immediately taking Kreacher’s offered hand, he went over to open his window for Hedwig to let her finally deliver that first letter. 

“Take that straight to Remus, as quick as you can. Make sure he’s alone, though… it’s important that he reads it and isn’t followed,” Hadrian told the owl as she stretched out her wings. She nipped at his arm affectionately with a hoot, and then she was gone. Only then did he turn back to the impatient house elf.

“What did you find that has you so excited?” Hadrian asked after a moment, sighing exasperated. Kreacher’s hand was still outstretched, and it was shaking slightly. The longer he studied the elf, the less sure he was that it was genuine excitement that the elf was feeling. It was more like agitation, or even fear . Hadrian suspected that someone had left something behind that Kreacher didn’t want to deal with. Hopefully not another cursed object, or closet full of doxies.

“Master be coming with Kreacher now,” the elf stressed. His already shaking hand stretched further towards Hadrian desperately.

“Do not fear, little one. Your gift awaits.” 

He recognized the voice immediately as one that had spoken into his mind before. Nimue was reaching out to him once more, and he had no intention of disappointing her.

“Alright,” Hadrian said after a moment. He trusted Nimue much more than he trusted Kreacher. With any luck, Remus would read his letter and immediately leave for Grimmauld Place, giving Hadrian help if he needed it. He really hoped he wouldn’t need it.

Elf apparation was nothing like the portkeys Hadrian had unfortunately gotten used to. It felt like he was being pushed through tight shadows at the same rate a Gringotts cart traveled- maybe even faster. When it stopped, Hadrian found himself in a shockingly messy kitchen. He could tell that Kreacher had made Molly leave while she’d been cooking dinner for a large crowd of people.

“Kreacher had to go through each room to make sure no nasty blood traitors or Mudbloods were left behind. Kreacher found… not sure what to call…” Hadrian had never seen the elf hesitate before, but he was doing so now. It was horribly unnerving.

“Where is it?” he asked gently. Kreacher started to quiver in place, and his eyes darted all around the room. He shook his head, then was gone with a loud crack.

Hadrian rolled his eyes but didn’t bother to call him back. How irritating. He made sure to have his wand in his hand when he left the kitchen, but he was determined to find whatever had Kreacher so scared. It wouldn’t be the first time that someone had given him an extremely dangerous gift in an effort to “help” him. Hagrid was the first to his mind.

There was nothing in the entrance hall. Mrs. Black’s portrait was covered and sleeping, which could only be a good thing. He didn’t need to listen to a constant tirade of slurs while he was already on edge. The mounted heads of the house elves watched him as he checked the coat closet and the floo room, but they made no noise. Hadrian knew that Kreacher had most likely left whatever it was where he had found it, and that clearly wasn’t on the first floor.

The second floor held three guest bedrooms, two bathrooms, the library, and an unused office. The library was empty of anything suspicious, as was the office. Hadrian took his time in the bedrooms, rounding up anything that the Weasleys had left behind. He’d deliver it to Fred and George’s shop and officially be done with that family. He didn’t know who among them could be trusted. None of the bedrooms held anything out of the ordinary.

The third floor held the family rooms. Hadrian didn’t really want to disturb those, but he needed to find and deal with whatever this was. The sitting room was empty. The furniture was covered with dusty sheets, and they clearly hadn’t been disturbed in years. Hadrian didn’t walk more than two steps into the room before turning around and leaving it untouched. He might not care much for Sirius’s family, but he would respect the ancestral home and all of its memories.

Sirius’s room was completely cleaned out, and Hadrian felt a fresh wave of pain that he couldn’t shake. The room was still painted a bright, cheerful shade of red, but all other hints of personality had been stripped from it. He knew that’s exactly how Sirius had felt, in the end… as if all of his personality had been drained away in captivity, an empty shell of the man who once was. Hadrian didn’t know who had taken all of Sirius’s belongings, but not a single piece of parchment or clothing was left in the entire room. 

The room across the hall, labeled as belonging to one Regulus Arcturus Black, was firmly locked. When the door wouldn’t budge on the first try, Hadrian decided to leave it be. He thought maybe that was Kreacher’s way of nicely asking him to leave whatever was inside of this room alone. He could respect that.

The only other room on the floor was the master bedroom, where Buckbeak was still living. Hadrian figured the Hippogriff was probably just as lonely as he was, so he pushed the door open and stepped inside. He didn’t bother to close the door behind him. The house was clearly abandoned, given that he’d seen no signs of life and the only other room in the house was the attic. 

He didn’t really bother to look around the room when he stepped inside. He slid his wand into his back pocket, ignoring that small voice in the back of his mind (which sounded alarmingly like Mad-Eye Moody) telling him how dangerous that was, and sank into a bow for the hippogriff which was immediately returned. Buckbeak was nudging his hand for attention before Hadrian could lift it all the way to pet him, and it made him chuckle.

“I know, you’ve been alone for too long. The others never bothered to visit you, did they? Too busy stealing from me, or giving me potions, I guess. Has Kreacher been feeding you?” Hadrian asked softly. Buckbeak gave him a sad little trill in response, like he’d understood the question and wanted to answer. “I’ll feed you myself while I’m here. We won’t be alone this summer. We’ll have each other.”

It all happened very quickly for Hadrian. His back was to the door, as he’d decided there was no danger to be had. He heard it swing closed, heard the sharp inhale of the intruder behind him… but he knew that Buckbeak would defend him from any attack that might come his way. That was the best part of befriending a hippogriff, according to Hagrid; they were extremely loyal and defensive of what they respect. 

Hadrian pulled his wand out of his pocket as his mind rapidly went over what he could do. He briefly considered that it might be a straggler that Kreacher missed, but he really hadn’t seen any signs of life in the house. He’d just determined that it must be Remus when the person behind him spoke.

“Had- Harry?!”

Hadrian’s heart nearly pounded out of his chest as he spun to face the man behind him. It couldn’t be… It had to be a trick. He knew that voice. He knew that face. But it wasn’t possible. Even seeing him with his own two eyes, he couldn’t believe it.

“Sirius?”

Chapter Text

When Hedwig dropped the letter from Harry onto Remus’s head, it was the last thing he’d been expecting. He hadn’t expected Harry to reach out to him at all this summer… or maybe ever again. Especially not after what he’d said in the Leaky Cauldron. He would have deserved it, really. He knew that.

Remus had debated with himself for hours after seeing Harry there. It wasn’t safe for him to be by himself, roaming wizarding London as an underage wizard with a Dark Lord trying to find and murder him. His gut instinct had been to inform Albus about it, but he’d hesitated. Not for the first time, he noted that something felt… wrong about those thoughts. His wolf always got uneasy every time he thought of Albus Dumbledore, but he’d never understood why. It wasn’t as though he could communicate with that part of himself.

In the end, Remus decided that if he was surprised to see Harry there, nobody else was going to be looking for him in Diagon Alley. Harry was being unpredictable, and Remus was certain he’d be safe because of it. He wouldn’t be telling anyone, especially once he’d remembered what Sirius had told him about Harry’s aunt and uncle. No, he’d be better off with nobody knowing where he was, and nobody looking for him.

Of course, as soon as he’d come to that decision, Molly Weasley of all people had Flooed to his cottage to inform him that Harry hadn’t gone with his uncle at the station the way he was supposed to. Then, to make matters worse , she told him they were all being denied access to Grimmauld Place by “that horrid elf”. He’d done some rather quick thinking and come to a few surprising decisions in the span of seconds.

He didn’t know why, but he really didn’t appreciate the way Molly spoke of Harry. No matter how she might feel, or what she might think, Molly was not Harry’s mother, and never would be. She was not responsible for making decisions about him at all, especially not where he spends his summers. Of course, neither was Remus, currently. At least he stayed in his place. She didn’t need to be trying to find him, or alerting the world that he was missing.

He wasn’t even a bit surprised that Kreacher had finally snapped and banned them all from the house. Sirius hadn’t loved most of his family, but Grimmauld Place was still his home. The Order hadn’t exactly been treating it with proper respect for a long time now. If Kreacher hadn’t kicked them all out, Remus would have stepped up and done it soon. They were disrespectful to Sirius’s memory, and Remus wouldn’t stand for it.

He was also pretty certain that Harry ‘disappearing’ and Kreacher kicking everyone out was connected. With Sirius gone, Remus knew that Harry had inherited everything. He also knew that most of the Order didn’t know that at all. Remus figured Sirius must have managed to tell Harry before he’d… well… and Harry must have gone to Gringotts to claim the inheritance. He’d probably immediately called for Kreacher and had everyone removed from the house. There would be no safer place than Grimmauld for someone who was being targeted by Death Eaters. Harry would be protected there, he knew it. 

And so, Remus had done something he’d never even considered doing before that very moment. He lied to Molly Weasley, and the entire Order by extension.

“I found Harry at the Leaky Cauldron nearly an hour after the train was to arrive at the station. He was with one of his friends from his year, Ms. Parvati Patil. I sent Ms. Patil home on the Knight Bus, and I saw Harry safely to his aunt and uncle’s house,” he told Molly calmly. “He just needed a bit of guidance. Sirius was one of the last connections he had to his parents, and now he’s gone. I got him to calm down, thankfully, and I’ve promised to write to him over the summer as much as I’m able. He’s perfectly safe now.”

Molly had studied him skeptically for nearly a full minute before she accepted that answer as fact. “What about Grimmauld Place?”

“I’ll look into it,” he promised her. What a blatant lie. “It might be as simple as a need for Sirius’s will to be read to claim the property.”

“You think he’s left it to someone?” Molly asked with wide eyes. 

“That, or all of the properties reverted to the Black family heir. I’m not sure who it is anymore. It might be Narcissa’s son, Draco Malfoy. He’s the last Black son born to someone who hasn’t been disowned, I think,” he told her. He took a strange satisfaction in seeing the horror in her eyes. 

“I’ll… I’ll let Albus know,” she said quietly, disgust etched into her face. “Let us know what you find.”

The very last thing that Remus expected when Molly had finally left was for Harry’s owl to drop a letter on his head with a loud hoot. The invitation to Grimmauld Place was even less expected, even though he’d suspected that it was where Harry had ended up. He had never been able to say no to his cub, even though it was sometimes hard to be around his best friend’s son. His heart always ached just thinking about him…

He didn’t hesitate to floo over to Grimmauld Place. Kreacher was standing in the kitchen with his arms crossed, glaring at the wolf angrily. Remus resisted the urge to flash his wolf eyes at the elf; it was too close to the full moon for him to easily hold back the wolfy urges. Kreacher did not seem to be intimidated.

“Go away!” the little elf ordered. “Only family and invited guests is allowed in my mistress’s home.”

“I am an invited guest,” Remus informed him, albeit a bit smugly. He held up the letter that he’d just received, and it disappeared from his hand with a snap of Kreacher’s fingers. 

“New master be as bad as the mutt, inviting filth into my poor mistress’s home,” Kreacher muttered to himself.

“Kreacher, where is Harry?” Remus asked gently. He’d learned long ago not to take anything the elf said personally. Sirius had told him that his parents used to use their elves to practice dark curses. Supposedly, Orion Black had held Kreacher under the Cruciatus Curse for much too long when he was still very young. The poor elf had never been the same. 

The elf’s eyes flickered briefly up to the ceiling, and his entire body tensed. It immediately put Remus on alert for something being horribly wrong. Kreacher didn’t say a single word.

“ Where is Harry ?” Remus repeated a little bit louder. He pulled his wand, but was careful to not point it at Kreacher. He didn’t want to be seen as threatening. Kreacher just shook his head and pointed up at the ceiling. When Remus went for the stairs, the little elf started up his muttering again.

“Couldn’t have been Kreacher’s mistress, oh no. Had to be the mutt, bringing filth back with him. What will become of my mistress’s home now? What will become of poor Kreacher?”

That didn’t calm Remus down in the slightest. He wasn’t sure what filth Kreacher was referring to (other than Remus himself), but he knew that ‘Mutt’ was what the elf always used to call Sirius. Except that he couldn’t be talking about Sirius, because Sirius was…

Gone from him forever. 

The second floor was empty. He’d cast a quick detection charm to confirm it before moving on swiftly. The third floor showed three signs of life. Remus knew that one of them must be Buckbeak, and he assumed that the second one must be Harry… but there shouldn’t have been a third person, unless Harry was under attack. His eyes flashed amber for a few seconds as his inner wolf reacted to his panic. It was very faint, but Remus could feel Moony’s agitation. It had been getting stronger through the course of the day, but he couldn’t understand why. 

He stopped briefly at Sirius’s bedroom door, lifting his hand to trace the cracks in the wood. He’d worked fast to clear out Sirius’s belongings to keep them safe from Molly’s ‘cleaning’. He knew with terrible certainty that she’d been throwing away every personal belonging she’d come across as she went through the rooms in the house. He’d been planning to offer this room to Harry when he finally arrived for the summer. He was sure it was what Sirius would have wanted. 

The closer he got to the master bedroom, the more on edge Moony became. Remus could just barely hear two hushed voices talking, even with his enhanced hearing, most likely being quiet to keep the hippogriff calm. When he pushed the door open, he actually dropped his wand in shock.

“Really, Moony, was that smart? What if I had been a threat? You’d be dead in the time it would take you to bend over and pick your wand up,” Sirius teased.

Sirius!

“What… How…?” Remus looked back and forth between Sirius and Harry in utter confusion. If he couldn’t smell for himself that this was Sirius Black (thanks to Moony, of course), he would have been across the room and shoving Harry safely behind him in a heartbeat.

“It’s him, I swear!” Harry said quickly. His eyes were bright, like he’d been on the verge of crying, and his body was tense. He’d been prepared for a fight.

Remus left his wand on the ground and crossed the room in three long strides to pull his… to pull Sirius into a tight embrace. Sirius gave a slightly hysterical laugh as he returned the gesture, and Remus felt the man’s entire body relax against him. They were both openly crying, and neither of them cared. The hollow feeling of heartbreak that Remus had been feeling was replaced by overwhelming joy and relief. Even Moony was happy, in the back of Remus’s mind.

“How?” he asked again, his voice thick with emotion. He couldn’t bring himself to let go yet, and Sirius didn’t seem to mind being held. Remus couldn’t explain why he was reacting the way that he was. It was like every instinct he had, human and wolf, was telling him that this was where he belonged, with Sirius in his arms. It felt right. 

Harry shifted his weight from foot to foot anxiously, and Remus tightened his grip on Sirius. Something was very wrong.

“I don’t know how to start,” Harry admitted. “You’re not going to believe me until we go to Gringotts, either way. I just really need you to trust me long enough for that. Both of you.”

Remus was fully prepared to trust him, no matter what he might say. He was already nodding when Sirius gently pulled out of his embrace and turned to face Harry with an elated smile.

“So you’ve been purged, then?” Sirius asked, much to the shock of everyone in the room. Harry nodded slowly. “Good, that’s one less thing to deal with.”

“You… you know?” Harry asked. His voice sounded so soft and broken that Remus’s heart ached for him. Sirius had a similar look on his face.

“I don’t know how I could have forgotten, Hadrian,” Sirius told him softly. There was more than a hint of pain in his voice. “I woke up here with a clear mind for the first time in over a decade, and I’ve been planning how I was going to go about taking care of you now. Turns out,” he chuckled sadly, “You don’t need me at all.”

“Of course I need you,” Harry shot back, hugging himself. He looked so small, standing there like that. Remus sometimes forgot he was just a child, what with all the weight he carried on his shoulders. Harry’s posture screamed of discomfort and sadness. “You’re my dad.”

Remus couldn’t breathe for a few moments as shock crashed over him like a wave. That couldn’t have been true. Remus remembered Lily giving birth to Harry. He remembered James being so proud of his little pup- wait, no… it would have been prongslet, wouldn't it? His head was starting to ache.

“What all did the goblins tell you?” Sirius was asking. He’d crossed the room to hug Harry himself while Remus had been distracted with his warring thoughts. It was too much information to process. This must be some elaborate prank…

“Everything, I think. I claimed my Lordships and got rid of all of the potions and spells. They… well, they sort of made me an honorary goblin, actually. The healer seemed to want to adopt me by the time I left,” Harry grinned fondly at the thought. “I know what happened with— with James and Lily. They wrote me letters. Actually,  so did the two of you.”

Sirius and Harry shifted their attention to Remus, but he was still having a difficult time processing all of it. He didn’t see how Sirius could be Harry’s father. Lily would never do that to James, and Sirius would never… Moony was getting more agitated by the moment. It felt directed at Remus himself, but he couldn’t figure out why.

“Remus?” Sirius asked gently. Remus could only imagine how he must look if the usually rowdy Sirius was actually being gentle with him. “We’re going to tell you what we’re on about, but I need you to stay calm and keep an open mind. Can you do that?”

He didn’t know if staying calm was in the cards for him or not, but he was willing to try if it meant understanding what was going on. That’s exactly what he told them when he found his voice, much to Sirius’s obvious amusement.

“Hadrian might be able to fill in the gaps for me,” Sirius started, and Harry nodded. “I don’t know how much you were allowed to remember. Do you remember when I kissed you after our first full moon together, and James threw us a ‘Congrats on finally pulling your heads from your arses’ party in the dorm?”

Remus almost said no, but just as he opened his mouth to do so, an image of the horrid banner James had painted flashed across his mind. He suddenly remembered how elated he’d felt when Sirius had (quite tenderly) shoved him up against the wall of the Shrieking Shack and snogged the breath from his lungs, and how embarrassed (and pleased) he’d been when James had been honestly happy for them. Even Lily had stopped by their dorm to hug them and then scold them for the bottle of firewhiskey that Sirius had pulled from nowhere.

“I don’t know how I forgot,” he said quietly. “Oh, hell, how could I forget?”

“I don’t think we did, really,” Sirius told him after a moment of contemplation. “I certainly never stopped loving you. We’re still bonded, I checked. We just… haven’t been able to think about it for a long time now.”

His heart almost stopped when Sirius mentioned their bonding. He was hit by a wave of memories, which made his already pulsing head hurt even worse. 

He remembered picking out his bonding robes with Lily, who had come with money from James to pay for it all. He hadn’t known that James was planning to pay until he’d gone up to pay for himself. Lily had laughed in his face when he’d tried to give her his money, and she’d threatened to hex his balls off if he tried to sneak it into her bag- which had, in fact, been his next plan.

He remembered sitting next to Sirius on their couch in the flat they’d shared, trying to write their vows. They’d joked and laughed and teased each other until Sirius suggested that they just use the traditional vows in their ceremony since they told each other how much they loved each other on a daily basis. They’d gone to bed early that night, but had only managed a few hours of sleep. James had teased them mercilessly when they’d met for brunch the next morning.

He remembered standing across from Sirius at the traditional altar, trying not to laugh at the faces his soon-to-be husband would make at him whenever Minerva McGonagall, who they’d chosen to perform the ceremony, looked away. He’d heard Lily’s giggling behind him a few times, which had made it much harder to keep his own straight face. They had both cried when they’d felt the bond snap into place, and the kiss they’d shared had been the most breathtaking kiss of their lives. 

He remembered lying in bed with Sirius that night, basking in the feeling of holding his husband in his arms, when Sirius had first brought up the subject of having a child. Remus had just laughed at first… until he realized that Sirius really meant it. There had been a long discussion of whether or not they were ready, then who would father the child… who would carry it…

Lily had enthusiastically agreed. Even James had been excited…

“It’ll be the first Marauder of the next generation! Old Minnie will have a heart attack when she sees his name on the Hogwarts list!”

“We’re not giving our old professor a heart attack, Prongs. He’ll be well behaved.”

“With Sirius as a father?”

“...Well.”

Remus was shaking when he focused back on Sirius and Harry. It was still so hard to focus on, but if he concentrated, really concentrated, he could remember holding Harry- no, Hadrian, as an infant. His son. Hadrian was his son. 

“Moony? I’m going to need you to say something,” Sirius told him gently, reaching out for his shaking hands. Remus felt like his knees were going to buckle. It was too much… and his head was positively throbbing at this point.

“I don’t know what to say,” he choked out. He wasn’t sure when he’d started crying again, but he could suddenly feel the tears sliding down his cheeks. Hadrian reached out slowly, then seemed to think better of it. “I don’t… I don’t understand.”

“It was Dumbledore,” Hadrian told him grimly. “He did a lot of horrid things, actually. He tore our family apart and put all kinds of blocks and spells on our memories. The list of things I know he’s done is just… too long to go over right now.”

“But why ?” Remus asked. He just couldn’t comprehend it. He’d trusted Albus Dumbledore with his life. Dumbledore had been the first person to see Remus as a person and not just an animal, other than his parents. He’d given him a job, vouched for him to get him a flat. Now, knowing what the man had done… he didn’t know how to cope with it.

“I don’t know,” Sirius said after a moment. He pulled Remus back into an embrace, then tugged Hadrian in with his other arm. “I don’t understand it, either, but I know it’s true.”

Hadrian leaned into Sirius’ embrace after a moment of hesitation, almost as if he was fighting with himself about it and gave in, and Remus had a strong, confusing urge to reach out for him. There was no denying that Hadrian was his. He trusted Sirius implicitly, and he knew that this wasn’t something the two of them would lie about. His own distorted memories were proof enough that Dumbledore had obtruded in lives that weren’t his own. Moony’s fury was venomous and bestial, and all of it was directed towards the headmaster.

“I think,” Harry began, “It has to do with power and control. I’ve been thinking about it all day…I mean, if he’s done all this to us, just to control the bloody Chosen One, how many others has he hurt? How much do we really know about Voldemort? How much do we even know about Dumbledore?”

“Only what that old codger has told us himself,” Sirius grumbled, “Which isn’t much, but I have some ideas of where to find out more.”

“You do?” Hadrian asked. Remus was a bit taken aback, as well, but he thought he might know who Sirius meant.

“We can worry about that later,” Sirius chuckled at the look Hadrian gave him. It was positively identical to the look Sirius gave whenever he was affronted by something. “Hadrian, while we may have met you already, we don’t know you as our son. I might not have all of my memories, but I do know that I love you, and I want the chance to get to truly know you. If…if that’s something you would also like.”

Sirius tightened his arm around Remus for a moment, and Remus wasn’t certain who the comfort was for. He was watching for Hadrian’s reaction, not Sirius’, though he could easily sense his mate’s uncertainty. Hadrian teared up almost immediately, and he nodded after a moment. “I’d really like to get to know my parents. What…What do I call you? In your letters, Sirius was Dad and Remus was Papa, but…”

“Whatever you want,” Sirius assured him quickly. “You don’t have to call us that if you’re uncomfortable. You haven’t had parents your whole life, this is one hell of an adjustment…We can just be Sirius and Remus, if that's what you need us to be.”

“What about you, pup?” Remus chimed in softly, and he wondered why it ever felt natural to call Harry ‘prongslet’. “What would you like us to call you?”

“Hadrian,” was his firm response. “I’m not giving that monster any more control of my life. I don’t know why he chose Harry, and frankly, I don’t care. It’s all officially changed by Gringotts, anyway. I chose to be Lord Hadrian James Potter-Slytherin.”

Remus and Sirius shared an alarmed look over Hadrian’s head. “ Slytherin, pup?”

“Apparently, I won the title by conquest at some point in my life. I’m guessing it was the Chamber of Secrets.” Hadrian explained, rather too casually. Remus stared at his son in increasing alarm.

“The what?!” Sirius seethed, “When did you go there? What about the rumored monster?!”

Remus almost pointed out that people frequently called the two of them monsters, but not only was it the inopportune time to do so, he was also shaken by the way Hadrian mentioned it in such an easygoing manner. How could they not have heard about their son going into the Chamber?

“My second year,” he shrugged, “Ginny Weasley was taken, and Hermione figured out the reason I was hearing things nobody else could was because the monster was a basilisk. I went down there with Ron and Lockhart, who was completely useless, even before his head got knocked around by the cave-in–”

“Cave in?!” Sirius looked like he was having an aneurysm.

“ –and I ended up on my own. That’s where I found out that Voldemort was controlling it and using a diary to bring himself back to life. Only…he called himself Tom Riddle, and he looked like a teenager. He was surprisingly handsome.”

“What–” Remus started, but Hadrian spoke right over him. Merlin, when was the last time Hadrian had told anyone about this?

“Anyway, I ended up killing the basilisk with the Sword of Gryffindor–which makes more sense now that I know I’m his heir, otherwise that would’ve been really odd–and stabbing the diary with one of the fangs. And Fawkes healed me, so I don’t even have a scar from the bite!” 

“Bite…?” Sirius’ voice broke a little, and the pallor of his skin showed how truly horrified he was at the recounting of his son’s adventures.

“Well, yeah. I stabbed it as it was going to eat me. When it started to pull away from the sword, it left a fang stuck in my arm. It was the same one I used to stab the diary.” Harry admitted quietly, starting to notice how affected his parents were. “But Fawkes healed it before he flew us back up to the surface.”

The casual way Hadrian spoke of nearly dying was too much for Remus. How many more near-death experiences did Hadrian have? At school, nonetheless?! His headache combined with his wolf’s quiet, boiling rage had been making it harder by the minute for him to stay upright. This final shock pushed him over the edge. He was lucky Sirius hadn’t let go of him yet, because he didn’t end up on the floor. The last thing he was aware of was Hadrian calling out to him in alarm.

Chapter Text

Hadrian helped Sirius in getting Remus situated on a slightly dusty couch in the sitting room of the second floor. Sirius was adamant that Remus would be fine, and that it was just too many shocks in one day, but Hadrian had a terrible feeling that it had more to do with the blocks and potions that the werewolf must have in him. The thought had him turning to Sirius in confusion and alarm. He should be way more confused than he was acting, shouldn’t he?

“You’re awfully calm about all of this,” he began carefully. “And… you seem to remember a lot that nobody else does.”

“I remember everything ,” Sirius agreed with a fond smile. “I didn’t before I... you know. Everything was kind of muddled while I was in Azkaban. I think there was a while towards the end of my time there that I might have remembered everything, but… by the time I got to you, whatever they’d done to me was firmly back in place.”

“How?” Hadrian asked softly. It was more of a rhetorical question than one he expected an answer to, but Sirius was happy to explain what he knew.

“Well, actually, I’m pretty sure I met with Dumbledore shortly after escaping the prison. It’s fuzzy, but I think he got into contact with me and we met up. I couldn’t tell you what we discussed,” Sirius admitted. “But then I didn’t know anything about you being my pup anymore until I died. I do remember what happened… after.”

“You remember what it was like to be dead?” Hadrian asked after a moment. Sirius nodded. “So you got to be with… with Lily and James?”

“You can call them Mum and Dad,” Sirius told him, laying a hand on his shoulder in comfort. “Yes, I was with them. We did a lot of talking about you.”

“Are they upset?” Hadrian asked. Sirius shook his head, giving his shoulder a squeeze. “But they lost their lives for someone who isn’t even their son.”

“Hadrian, they thought of you as theirs even after they found out that you weren’t. Lily is your mum either way. I know that James was forced into blood adopting you, but the truth is that Remy and I were going to be asking him to do it within the year. It’s a thing old pureblood families do for their heirs; the godparents blood adopt the child and it adds a layer of security and magic.”

“That… might make more sense when I know more about pureblood culture in the magical world,” Hadrian sighed. “I have so much to learn. Being raised in the muggle world didn’t really help me to learn what I need to know for my titles, let alone my family.”

“Nobody has been helping you?” Sirius didn’t sound very hopeful, and he didn’t look surprised at all when Hadrian shook his head. “Well, you’re in luck. I was raised as the heir to the oldest Pureblood family left. Can’t say I’m sad that the title skipped me.”

“I’ve got journals from a few of the different families I’ve inherited from, too,” Hadrian told him casually. “Those should help with what I’ll need to know about their magic, and their seats.”

“Which families?” Sirius asked, eyebrows raised. “I knew about the Potter and Black titles, and… Slytherin. What else have you got?”

“Peverell, from the Potter side of things,” Hadrian started, but he hesitated. He knew that the other two were just as odd as Slytherin, even for him. “Gryffindor, from the Peverell line. And… LeFay, by conquest.”

“That’s… that’s a lot, Pup. How are you feeling about all of that?” Sirius asked after a long hesitation. Hadrian had been expecting a bit more of a reaction than that, if he was being honest. He was still a little freaked out by all of it, and he’d had more time to process it than anyone. He had also never really been asked how he felt about things before. It was strange, if he was being honest, but nice; someone cared about his feelings for once. 

“I’ve got time to figure it out,” he said after a moment. “It’s a lot, but it’ll help me with all of the people who seem to be after me for one thing or another. The heir and lord rings have already accepted me, and I had some… interesting conversations at the bank. I promise I’ll tell you all about it, but we should really get some help for Moony, first.”

He couldn’t call Remus ‘Papa’, but it felt wrong to call him ‘Remus’ out loud now that they all knew what they were to each other. Moony was the only thing he could call him without wanting to cringe. That was something he’d have to take time to think through later, when he wasn’t making preparations for battles that he wasn’t sure he could win. He didn’t seem to have the same problem with Sirius, though. Maybe it was because Remus had been his professor first?

“We can’t exactly take him to St. Mungo’s,” Sirius pointed out with a frown. “I’m sure he’s fine, Har- Hadrian.”

Hadrian didn’t miss the slip, but he didn’t comment on it either. His hand went to the broach that he’d pinned to his robe, hidden in the folds of the fabric for the moment. Nagnok had made it into a small snake, twisted as if in motion. Its eyes were tiny emeralds, and they blinked as though the snake was alive instead of made out of solid gold. Some days, he truly loved magic. It would be easy to run his finger along the snake’s scales to summon Thornfire for help, but he didn’t want to have to call her on his very first day out on his own. He also didn’t want to leave Moony without any help.

“I don’t know what all you had in your system when you died,” he started quietly, looking up to meet his father’s eyes. He kept his expression completely serious, not letting a hint of humor slip into his gaze. “But there was enough on me to kill a lesser wizard, according to the goblin healer that helped me. Everything from potions to compulsions and blocks.”

“Hadrian,” Sirius started, but he let himself be interrupted without protesting too hard.

“Moony is a werewolf, and he would need more than the average wizard to keep him under control… right?” he finished. Sirius frowned, considering that carefully. Hadrian was relieved when his father nodded and stopped trying to protest.

“Alright. What do you want to do, then?” Sirius asked. He placed a hand on Remus’s arm, his thumb rubbing gently at the exposed skin of his husband’s wrist. Hadrian was sure he didn’t even realize he was doing it. “I can’t lose him, pup. I know you can’t, either.”

“The goblins can help,” Hadrian told him firmly. When it looked like Sirius might start to argue, Hadrian gave in to the urge to use the broach. His thoughts were focused on Thornfire, and he hoped with everything in him that she would be the one to appear. It seemed he was in luck.

The goblin popped into existence with the same soft crack that elves made. She surveyed the situation quickly, and Hadrian was amused to see a dagger held tightly in her dominant hand. She’d been ready for a fight, even though she was a healer. She surveyed the area with narrowed eyes, then turned her focus to Hadrian.

“When I told you I’d be highly insulted should you choose another healer, I did not mean for you to need healing so soon. What have you gotten yourself into?” she asked, sheathing the knife. He gave her a sheepish grin.

“In my defense, this wasn’t my fault. And I’m not the one in need of healing. That’s all Remus,” he replied quickly. If goblins were prone to rolling their eyes, he was sure that Thornfire would have done so. Instead, she moved closer to Remus and ran a hand through the air over his chest. Several white lights formed over him, flashing rapidly in different colors. It was unlike any diagnostic spell that Hadrian had ever seen.

“It’s as I feared,” Thornfire said after a few moments of watching the lights. “There are many things that need to be removed from Mr. Lupin before he can be allowed to regain consciousness. I cannot perform the magic needed without being in the ritual room at Gringotts. Are you all prepared for travel?”

“How are we going to travel?” Hadrian asked, lighting up with interest. He hoped she wasn’t about to say apparition or portkey, because he didn’t enjoy either of those.

“You’re welcome to floo, if you’d like,” she told him. Her hand closed around Remus’s limp wrist, and she regarded the other two wizards with a flat look. “I’ll be traveling the way that I arrived. Grab hold if you’re joining me.”

Hadrian almost turned to make his way to the kitchen fireplace, but Sirius grabbed onto Remus’s other wrist and held out a hand to him. He looked so confident about it that Hadrian couldn’t find a good enough reason to say no. He held back a sigh and gripped Sirius’s hand tightly. His eyes screwed shut tightly as Thornfire activated the magic that would take them to Gringotts.

As soon as they landed at the bank, Thornfire was a whirlwind of motion. She barked something in rapid Gobbledegook to the three goblins that were waiting in the infirmary, and Remus was yanked away from Sirius’s grasp to be lowered onto the large stone dias in the center of the room. Two of the goblins moved forward to prepare the werewolf for the necessary purges, and Thornfire turned her attention to the two watching wizards.

“Hadrian, you are welcome to take your father to Onyxclaw’s office to wait for my word. It will be a few hours before we’ll be finished here,” she said gently- well, as gently as a goblin could be to a wizard.

“I’m not leaving my husband,” Sirius replied firmly. He gave Hadrian’s hand a little squeeze, turning his gaze to his son. “But you shouldn’t watch this. I know he wouldn’t want you to see it. Go do what you need to do. I know you’ve got a list.”

Sirius was probably trying for a joke, but he wasn’t wrong. Hadrian really did have a list of things he needed to start getting done. None of it could wait until he got back to Hogwarts. In fact, a lot of it would be too late by that time. He nodded once, catching Thornfire’s eye as he turned to leave. He hoped his look conveyed that she should send for him at the first hint of something going wrong… but he hadn’t known her long enough to know if she’d understand. She gave him a reassuring nod, and he left the infirmary without another word.

Onyxclaw was waiting for him in his office. It was likely that Thornfire had sent word when she’d felt the distress call, but Hadrian wasn’t sure how much the other goblin knew. He settled into the chair the goblin gestured to, feeling utterly exhausted.

“Have you set up your interview yet, Kriger Herre?” Onyxclaw asked calmly, as though nothing out of the ordinary had occurred. Hadrian appreciated the normality more than he could express, so he simply nodded.

“I sent an owl to my friend Luna a little while ago,” he confirmed. At the goblin’s slightly confused look, he elaborated. “Her father created the Quibbler. Have you heard of it?”

“Indeed,” Onyxclaw replied. His expression was unreadable to Hadrian, but his tone suggested that he didn’t approve of the publication. “I am aware of your preference for that magazine after last year’s… interview.”

“Hey, it got the job done,” Hadrian pointed out sharply. “I’m aware of the magazine’s reputation, but Luna is a brilliant person and a friend. I haven’t met her father, but if he’s anything like her, he’s to be trusted. They didn’t change a word of what I wrote last year, and I know she’ll make sure whatever we want to say this time around will be the same.”

“As you wish, young lord. I simply wished to express concern of the public’s reaction to such a publication. Might I submit a short statement to the Daily Prophet as well?” Onyxclaw asked, resting his hands on the desk between them. He watched Hadrian without blinking. It was a bit unsettling.

“No,” Hadrian replied after a moment’s hesitation. “I don’t trust them, and I don’t think that you should, either. Half of what they write is utter tripe.”

“Yes, but they are quite popular and most of the wizarding population believe whatever they read from that paper,” Onyxclaw pointed out. “I believe releasing such important information to a magazine that is known to exaggerate the truth might cause a bit of an uproar that you might want to avoid.”

“Are you worried because you think Dumbledore will lash out?” Hadrian asked, raising his eyebrows. “Because I’m prepared for whatever he might throw at me.”

“You’re not,” the goblin shot back, giving Hadrian a sharp grin. “You still have much to learn, young lord. Albus Dumbledore has been playing this game since long before you were born. If you release your statement to the Quibbler, he will do his best to discredit you in the Daily Prophet. When that happens, which publication do you think will be believed?”

“I’ll deal with that if it comes,” Hadrian said after a few moments. “Rita Skeeter owes me, and I’ll give her an interview later if I absolutely have to. I don’t think it will come to that.”

“It is your choice,” Onyxclaw informed him. Before they could have any more of an argument, a slip of parchment appeared in front of Hadrian with a bright light and a sharp bang. The handwriting was unfamiliar, but the words were a comfort.

Hadrian,

Remus Lupin is recovering wonderfully. All damage has been reversed. He won’t wake for several hours. Your father requests that you continue on and not worry about them. They will be here when you’ve finished.

Thornfire

Onyxclaw was watching him with some amusement when Hadrian slumped in relief. The goblin held out his hand for the note, but simply vanished it instead of reading it. “You should go to your next meeting,” he informed the wizard, keeping his tone neutral.

“Speaking of meetings,” Hadrian said, leaning forward with a mischievous look in his eyes. “I have a request.”

Even though Hadrian was early to their meeting, Luna was already waiting for him. She had a large dish of what looked like butterscotch ice cream in front of her, with two spoons instead of one. She gave him a bright smile when he sat down across from her. He was a bit surprised to watch her hold out a fresh roll of parchment and a peacock feather quill.

"Er... what is this for?" he asked as he accepted the two objects.

"So you can write your story, silly," she replied. Her usually breathy tone of voice had been replaced by something resembling normal. It didn't match the radish earrings or shiny robes that she was wearing. She was, as usual, a complete mystery to Hadrian.

"I thought that was what you were here for," Hadrian said after a moment. She laughed, reaching out for the spoon closest to her. "I"m not a writer, Lu."

"Lu... I like it. I've never had a nice nickname before, you know," she told him. Her voice was back to her usual dreamy quality. "You are a lot of things that you don't know yet, Hadrian. Every person has layers. It's time for you to discover yours."

"How do you know so much?" he asked, watching her with furrowed brows. "Parvati said you just get flashes and words... was she wrong?"

"Parvati watches her visions like muggle movies," Luna told him patiently. "I turn mine into movies of my own. Words, names, images... I arrange them until they paint the right picture. I'm always seeing something."

"So... the nargles?" Hadrian asked. He reached for the other spoon, but waited for her nod to take a bite.

"The uncertainty that clouds a mind," Luna told him gently. "You've had nargles your whole life, Hadrian, but they are finally going away. Chased off by a blibbering humdinger, perhaps."

"And that would be..." he pressed. He was finally starting to understand the brilliance that was the way Luna spoke. He felt bad for ever thinking she might be crazy.

"I don't always know," she confided, leaning in closer to lower her voice. "My mother gave them names, but she didn't always explain them to me. I just know the signs. I learn more every day."

"Your mother was a Seer?" Hadrian asked, leaning forward as well. He understood the need to keep some things secret, and being out in Diagon Alley with no silencing wards up probably wasn't the best place to discuss things like this. Still, he couldn't help his need to know more. Luna seemed to understand.

"She had the Sight," she confirmed. "She saw you coming, and she told me to keep watch. We have always wanted to help you."

"Why didn't she say anything?" he asked softly, looking down at the table. It was too hard to hide the hurt in his voice, and he thought that meeting Luna's eyes right now would be a bad idea. He didn't want to do something embarrassing, like cry or yell at her. It wasn't her fault.

"She did say something," Luna replied sadly. "She saw the full truth when I was ten years old. She sent an owl to the one responsible, and another to a trusted friend. She... she died the next day. A misfired spell."

He'd known from the Weasleys that Pandora Lovegood had died while trying to invent a new spell. He'd never even thought to question that piece of information, but now...

"I'm so sorry," he told Luna, truly meaning it. He knew it couldn't be easy for her to tell him about it, especially not like this.

"She died doing the right thing," Luna replied gently. "That's what's important. I couldn't interfere without placing you into unnecessary danger, but I tried my best to keep you safe. You're finally on the right path. We're excited to see where it leads you."

He didn't ask who she meant. He had a feeling that she wouldn't tell him even if he did ask. Instead, he let his gaze drop to the quill in front of him. "What am I supposed to write?"

"This is not the time for hiding," was the simple reply. Luna pulled the ice cream towards herself when Hadrian exchanged his spoon for the quill. She seemed perfectly content to sit quietly while he wrote, occasionally humming songs that he didn't recognize under her breath.

Nearly an hour later, he finally lowered his quill. He had to massage his wrist for a few seconds, because it was cramped from so much continuous writing. He'd crossed full sentences out and replaced them multiple times, but he was satisfied with the finished article. It was nothing like he'd ever written before. Luna read through the article slowly, occasionally nodding her head. When she lowered it, she gave him a sunny smile.

"You'll be a writer yet, Lord Potter-Slytherin," she told him softly. She seemed to delight in the blush that brought to his face. "An exclusive in your own words, much like the one from last year. We won't change a word. This will change everything ."

"When will it go out?" Hadrian asked nervously. It was one thing to tell the world about the return of Voldemort, but another thing entirely to share the betrayals that his family had endured. He wasn't looking forward to being called a liar again so soon. He looked up in surprise when Luna's hand landed on his arm.

"The new issue of the Quibbler will be released in three days," she told him softly. "I can't tell you what will happen, but I can tell you that the worst has already passed."

"You're sure?" he asked. He wanted to believe her, but he knew what his luck was like. Every time he thought something good might happen, the rug was ripped out from under him. He didn't need any more bad surprises, and he thought maybe Luna understood that.

"Have faith," she told him. The scroll and quill slid into her bright yellow bag and she stood up from the table. "You are not alone."

"Not anymore," he agreed with a small smile.

"You never were," she reminded him. She was gone before he could think of a response. He was fairly certain that Luna would always be a mystery to him.

Thornfire gave him a check-up when he returned to the bank, even though he assured her that he hadn't gone anywhere or done anything that would have put him in danger. Sirius was absolutely no help. He stayed by his husband's side, holding his hand tightly while he watched the interaction with amusement. It was a little worrying that Remus hadn't woken up yet, but Hadrian distracted himself from that worry by enjoying Sirius's frustration when he refused to share where he'd gone and what he'd done. It was the best form of revenge he could manage, under the circumstances, and well worthy of a Marauder, if Hadrian dared to say so himself. 

"I had to talk to a friend," he told them after several minutes of interrogation. (It was Thornfire's turn to watch in amusement; she knew what he'd been up to.)

"We don't know who can be trusted," Sirius pointed out with a frown. "We know that most of your friends have been working against you. What if someone else betrays you? You don't know what all Dumbledore is willing to do, and I can't exactly go out in public to save you!"

"I don't need saving, thanks," Hadrian snapped. Sirius opened his mouth to reply, but Hadrian cut him off. "I know who I can't trust, okay? But the people who got me here aren't likely to turn around and give me to Dumbledore or Voldemort, are they? I can't spend my whole life looking over my shoulder and doubting every single friend I've got. That's no way to live.”

"But it will keep you alive ," Sirius pointed out through gritted teeth. "Right now, nobody knows you've figured out their game, and nobody knows that I'm alive. We have the advantage as long as we're careful!"

"Actually, only the Order knows that you died," Hadrian told him calmly. "And I'm done playing their game, thanks. I'm changing the rules."

"You can't just-" Sirius started, but Remus's hand on his shoulder silenced him. Neither of them had noticed the wolf waking up. He was still very pale as Sirius helped him to sit up, but his voice was the steadiest that it had been since he first saw Sirius at Grimmauld place.

"Hadrian seems to have a good idea of what he's doing," the wolf said quietly. "We have to trust our son, Padfoot. If we can't trust each other, how can we expect to make it through this war?"

Sirius softened immediately. Hadrian could see most of the tension melting off of his shoulders now that his husband was awake and seemed to be in good health again. He wondered how much of their argument had been because Sirius was worried about Remus. It wasn't a good excuse, but... Hadrian could understand it. He remembered his magical explosion and shouting in Dumbledore's office just the previous week. (Had it really only been a week? It felt like much, much longer than that.) He'd been so angry over Sirius's death, and he'd taken it out on the only person around.

Of course, it turned out that person really deserved it...

"Thank you," Hadrian said quietly. "I know you're both worried, but I know what I'm doing. For the first time in my life, I have a plan that's all my own. I'm not going to be in danger as long as I stick to it."

"How do you know ?" Sirius asked. Hadrian gave them both what he hoped was a very reassuring smile.

"My friend is a Seer," he admitted. Remus's eyes narrowed in consideration, and Hadrian was fairly certain that he'd figure out exactly who it was before the end of the day. Sirius, on the other hand, looked ready to start arguing again. Thankfully, a familiar goblin arrived before anything else could be said.

"Kriger Herre, Onyxclaw has arranged the meeting that you requested. They are waiting in his office," Griphook informed the room. Hadrian watched Sirius mouth the strange name, but he didn't ask anything out loud. Hadrian hoped that Thornfire would explain in his absence.

"Tell my mate that he'd best be home at a reasonable time tonight, or he needn't bother coming home at all," she told Hadrian, smiling sharply when he nodded in agreement. "I've done what I can for these two. When you've finished your meeting, go home to them."

"Grimmauld?" Remus asked, glancing between Hadrian and Sirius.

"Well I'm not going back to my aunt and uncle," Hadrian replied drily, earning a surprised snort from Sirius. They all knew what would happen if he did.

"Grimmauld isn't home, but it'll do for now," Sirius agreed. "We'll meet you there, Hadrian."

Hadrian hesitated for a few seconds, but then crossed the distance between them to hug his parents. He could hardly process that this was a thing that he could do now. Feeling their arms around him, holding him, just keeping him close nearly brought him to tears, but he managed to hold it together. When he pulled out of their embrace, he left the infirmary without looking back.

“It isn't a weakness to feel overwhelmed after all you’ve been through,” Griphook said quietly as they made their way to his car. “Emotion is a closely guarded secret amongst goblins. A treasure, of sorts. To be shown an emotion here means that you are trusted. We know that wizards are not the same in that respect. You are now both.”

“... I didn’t know that about goblins,” Hadrian admitted. “But crying is a sign of weakness to humans, I think. My uncle always said-”

“I have heard talk of the kind of muggle your uncle is,” Griphook interrupted. “I wouldn’t think that you would listen to such a man’s opinions.”

That was something that Hadrian would have to think about now that he didn’t have spells and potions influencing his thoughts. How much of what he’d believed from his aunt and uncle had been him… and how much had been forced onto him? What was the difference between his beliefs and morals and theirs, now? He’d thought that he was usually pretty good at ignoring the things that Petunia and Vernon had said, but there were a few things they’d tried very hard to beat into him from a very young age. Those were things that he no longer questioned… but maybe he should. 

The cart ride was silent as Hadrian considered everything he’d been told over the years that he’d just blindly believed. Crying was weakness. There’s only one kind of normal relationship. Trust your friends without question. Slytherins are all evil. He had a sinking suspicion that most of those had originated from one person. He wouldn’t be surprised to find out that Albus Dumbledore had a hand in how he’d been “raised”. 

He’d come up with a few questions for Onyxclaw that he wasn’t sure he wanted the answers to by the time he stepped into the goblin’s office. All thoughts of the Dursleys fled his mind when he saw who was sitting in the extra chair across from the goblin. Suddenly, he was more than a little bit nervous.

“Mr. Potter, your request for a meeting came as quite a surprise,” Amelia Bones told him. She stood and offered her hand to him with a small smile. “And here, of all places. May I ask why we are meeting at the bank?”

“It’s nice to officially meet you, Madam Bones,” he told her, shaking her hand with his own small smile. “Or is it Lady Bones? I’m still learning.”

She didn’t point out that he’d ignored her question, which he appreciated. She regarded him silently for a few seconds before nodding to herself. “You may call me Amelia. Am I right to assume that you are now Lord Potter?”

“Call me Hadrian,” he replied. He didn’t miss the sharp look that earned him. “I took up my Lordships yesterday morning.”

“How?” she asked. “Minors are not permitted to hold titles, no matter who they may be.”

“May I?” Onyxclaw asked, catching Hadrian’s eye. Hadrian nodded his consent. “Lord Potter was emancipated at the age of fourteen in order to participate in a school tournament. As such, it is his right to take up all Lordships and properties that were passed to him.”

Amelia took her time to process that, but she did eventually nod her understanding. “Did you call me here to arrange your announcement?”

“No,” Hadrian assured her. “That will be coming out on Friday. I asked for this meeting to discuss Sirius Black.”

Amelia seemed to be too surprised to reply right away. Clearly that wasn’t what she’d expected to hear. Hadrian watched an array of emotions pass across her face in only a few seconds. Anger, sadness, determination, and then regret. She settled on a strained smile that didn’t reach her eyes. “We at the ministry are dedicated to capturing all escaped convicts. Sirius Black is high on our priority list, but I’m not permitted to share-”

“That’s just it,” Hadrian interrupted softly. He wondered just how well she’d known his father before his wrongful imprisonment. That wasn’t the reaction of a stranger. “Sirius Black was wrongly accused. He’s innocent, and he spent twelve years in Azkaban with no trial.”

“That… that isn’t possible,” Amelia stuttered. “He couldn’t have-”

“But he did. It was brushed under the rug, and nobody questioned it because there were supposedly no witnesses,” Hadrian said calmly.

“Supposedly?” Amelia asked, narrowing her eyes. Hadrian felt a little bad for her. He was definitely about to make her job very hard for a while.

“Peter Pettigrew is still alive,” Hadrian informed her patiently. “He’s the one who betrayed James and Lily Potter to Voldemort.”

If Amelia thought it was odd that Hadrian was calling them by name instead of ‘Mum and Dad’, she didn’t comment on it. She also hadn’t commented on his sudden name change… but Hadrian supposed that she must hear surprising things frequently in her position. “And do you have proof for this claim?”

“My memories,” he nodded. “I met Pettigrew and heard his confession in my third year. As an emancipated minor and Lord several times over, I can submit my memories to you for testimony.”

“Why come forward now?” she asked, sitting back in her chair. He could see the exhaustion in her eyes. “Why not last year, or the year before that?”

“I’ve learned a lot of things this week, and most of it is about to become public knowledge. I’m only fifteen. I need the support of my godfather, but I can’t have that if he can’t be seen with me without immediately being arrested,” he answered carefully. He was avoiding the question just as much as he was answering it. He didn’t want to go into detail too soon- he didn’t know if she could be trusted. “I can’t go back to the muggles, but I also can’t be alone. I can’t trust most of the people that I know. That’s why we’re here, and not at the ministry. This can’t get out until it’s too late to reverse it, Amelia. That’s very important.”

“I see,” she said softly. He was very certain that she didn’t, really. “Very well. I will quietly open my own investigation into Sirius Black. If your memories are as you say, I’ll have your godfather publicly declared free in tomorrow evening’s paper.”

“Friday morning,” Hadrian said quickly. “It can’t go public until Friday. And… please don’t try to tell him before then, either. A lot of things are depending on this.”

“What mess have you found yourself in this time, Mr. Potter?” she asked. He was glad to hear some amusement in her voice.

“One I’m trying to clean up,” he promised her.

Despite the fact that Sirius wouldn’t stop asking, Hadrian didn’t tell his parents anything about what he had done when they weren’t with him. He became an expert at changing the subject, and that’s how he learned what all had been done to Remus. The wolf was quiet as Sirius explained the spells and potions that Thornfire had found in Remus’s system. Hadrian had been correct in assuming that it took more to subdue a werewolf than a wizard. Sirius kept an arm around Remus the whole time he was speaking, offering silent comfort that Hadrian longed to be a part of. He just didn’t know how to ask for it.

“It was mostly compulsions and memory charms,” Sirius told them softly. “One of them was a potion I’ve never heard of. Obliviscere is what it’s called. Thornfire told me that it attacks the memories that you’re fondest of, giving the brewer the ability to alter them. It’s a seriously dark potion and it’s fairly poisonous to most wizards. Thankfully, Moony has some built-in protection against poisons.”

“Yes, one of the few perks of my furry little problem,” Remus replied drily. “It’s no easy feat to kill a monster.”

“You’re not a monster,” Hadrian said firmly.

“Actually, that’s something that we need to discuss,” Sirius chimed in. “You’ve been taking the wolfsbane potion for years, right?”

“Yes,” Remus replied, frowning. “Ever since Severus created it. Albus always makes sure that I have it just before the moon.”

“You’re not going to like this,” Sirius sighed. Hadrian had the sinking feeling that none of them would. “It turns out that potion doesn’t help you stay sane on the full moon. It makes your transformations more painful and dulls your senses. Remus, that potion is closing you off from your inner wolf. It’s slowly making you feral.”

“... What?” Remus asked, his voice coming out choked. “But wouldn’t I know if my transformations had gotten more painful with that potion?”

“The Obliviscere,” Hadrian whispered. “He’s doing it all on purpose.”

“My guess is that he’s planning on keeping you around to negotiate with the other ‘wolves until the potions make you go crazy, and then he’ll look like a hero for stopping you when your wolf snaps,” Sirius said quietly. “And you would never even know it was coming. Honestly, Remus, you’d ask him to kill you yourself if you felt yourself becoming more dangerous.”

It was such a horrifying thought that they ended the conversation there. None of them could bear to think about what would have happened if the potions hadn’t been discovered.

Late Thursday evening, Hadrian received a short letter from a tawny owl that he’d never seen before. It wasn’t signed, but he knew immediately who it was from.

You were right, but you already knew that. I’d ask you not to make my job so… interesting again, if I thought that you’d listen. You’ll receive your copy of the paper an hour before it goes to the public. I wish you the best of luck.

Sure enough, the same owl delivered a copy of the Daily Prophet at six in the morning the following day. Hadrian took one look at the headline and couldn’t stop grinning.

“SIRIUS BLACK INNOCENT: PETTIGREW STILL AT LARGE”

Notorious mass murderer Sirius Black escaped from Azkaban prison two years ago to prove his own innocence, and shocking new evidence has come to light. Black was said to have murdered eleven muggles in cold blood after witnessing the murdered of Lily and James Potter- murders that he allegedly made possible by pledging himself to He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named and giving up their location while they hid under the fidelious charm. He was also accused of murdering Peter Pettigrew when the man tried to stop him from escaping his crime.

A witness has come forward with unmistakable evidence that Peter Pettigrew himself caused the deaths of Lily and James Potter, as well as the eleven muggles who perished that night. Peter Andrew Pettigrew became an illegal animagus at the age of fifteen. When Black found Pettigrew after the deaths of the Potters, Pettigrew caused the explosion that killed the muggles so he could make his escape. He cut off his own finger as evidence of his death. His confession has been heard by the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, and he is wanted for charges of murder and evading arrest. He is at large and EXTREMELY dangerous.

Sirius Orion Black has been granted a full pardon, effective immediately, with an offer of compensation for wrongful imprisonment. The Ministry is unavailable for questioning at this time.

“This is what you were doing?” Remus asked, his voice impossibly soft. His hand landed on Hadrian’s shoulder and he gave it a gentle squeeze.

“One of the things,” Hadrian confirmed with a small smile. Amelia had done exactly what he’d hoped she would. The timing couldn’t be better. Sirius was still staring at the paper blankly. He hadn’t said a single word since he’d started reading. “Everyone will know in an hour.”

“And Dumbledore won’t be able to control what’s said about Sirius any longer,” Remus added. “Not that he’ll try to do much. He still believes that Sirius is dead.”

“Er… probably not for long,” Hadrian admitted sheepishly. “I had a lot to say.”

As if waiting for a cue, a second owl swooped through the open window and dropped a small stack of magazines in front of Hadrian. It was gone in the blink of an eye. Hadrian couldn’t help his chuckle at the cover of the magazine. His smiling face stared back at him, complete with his new hair and eyes. He was glad that he’d gotten Thornfire to remove the glamour; his hair was now inky black and wavy instead of an untameable mess, and his eyes were the exact same shade of blue-gray as Sirius’s. The other surprising change was his scar; it was no longer so noticeable. It blended into his skin nearly completely.

The headline on the magazine was just as perfect as the headline on the paper had been. Remus let out a huff of surprise over his shoulder as he took in the title. He didn’t say anything as he took the top magazine and settled into a chair to read. Hadrian didn’t need to read it; he trusted Luna when she said they wouldn’t change a thing.

Boy Who Lived: Lord at Last!

Exclusive tell-all inside!

Sirius still hadn’t said a word, and Hadrian was starting to get worried. Sirius was still staring blankly at the newspaper in his hands. Hadrian approached him slowly, laying a hand on his father’s shoulder when he was close enough. To his surprise, Sirius almost immediately dropped the paper and pulled Hadrian into a tight hug. His shoulders started to shake, but Hadrian wasn’t sure if he was laughing or crying.

“Hadrian, were you the one to write this? Your quote…” Remus called over, holding up the magazine. He seemed to be ignoring Sirius’s emotional breakdown, and Hadrian was happy to follow his lead. He kept his arms tightly around Sirius, but gave Remus his full attention.

“I wrote the whole thing, but Luna and I thought it would go over better if it looked like I hadn’t. Less danger that way, apparently,” he replied.

“This is an incredible amount of information to release,” Remus said hesitantly. “Are you sure-”

“I trust Luna with my life,” Hadrian interrupted firmly. “She said it was my best option, and I believe her. Please trust me.”

“Read it to me, Moony,” Sirius requested. His voice was thick with tears, but nobody commented on it. Remus cleared his throat, then began to read.

“Since he was a baby, the wizarding world has known the name Harry James Potter, the boy who lived. It has recently been discovered that nearly everything we have been told about Mr. Potter has been falsified information. There is, in fact, no Harry James Potter. There is instead a Hadrian James Potter-Black.

“Hadrian was raised in the muggle world by his aunt and uncle who don’t want anything to do with the magical world. He wasn’t informed of his heritage or magic until he received his Hogwarts letter at the age of eleven. Even then, he was not told the truth of who he was born to be.

“On a routine trip to Gringotts this past week, a heritage test revealed a few startling truths. As it turns out, upon entering the Triwizard Tournament, Hadrian became an emancipated minor. The goblins had been trying to get a letter to him since his fifteenth birthday, but his magical guardian never gave him the messages. It is unclear at this time who his magical guardian was.

“While at the bank, Hadrian was able to claim his Lordships and learn an alarming truth: James and Lily Potter were not his true parents. Lily Potter acted as a surrogate for Remus Lupin and Sirius Black. James and Lily Potter were named godparents for Hadrian Potter-Black. As such, Hadrian was able to claim a number of titles, including those of Lord Potter and Lord Black.

“When asked for a quote, Hadrian Potter-Black had this to say:

“I never even suspected that so much of what I’d been told was a lie. I don’t know who I can trust anymore. I’ve found my fathers, and we’re finally getting to know each other- really know each other, not just what we’ve been told of each other. We ask for privacy at this delicate time.

“As for taking up my titles, I was honored to do so. It makes me feel that much closer to my family, both past and present. I had to choose my title carefully, because I want to honor both my family and myself. Because of that, the name that I have chosen to go by is Lord Hadrian James Potter-Slytherin.”

There was silence for nearly a full minute after Remus finished reading. Hadrian waited nervously for a reaction, unsure of what they were going to say. It really was a lot of information to release to the public, but he was confident that it was the right thing to do.

Sirius broke the silence with quiet laughter. Hadrian blinked in surprise when Remus joined in on the laughter. It went on for a few minutes, and Hadrian just watched them with a small smile. Finally, Remus pulled himself together long enough to form words.

“You’re going to take the world by storm, aren’t you?” he asked, standing to walk over to Sirius and Hadrian. He wrapped his arms around both of them, holding them tightly for the first time since regaining his memories. Hadrian had to blink back tears.

“Someone has to,” Hadrian agreed after a moment, glad that his voice didn’t shake. “I just don’t know how everyone is going to react. I’ve been worrying about it.”

“You won’t have to wait much longer,” Sirius said quietly. He was looking out of the window with a grim smile. “Here come the letters.”

Hadrian turned his gaze to the window and held back a groan. Sure enough, owls were just visible on the horizon and getting closer by the moment. It was time to face the consequences of his choices. He could only hope that it wouldn’t be too bad this time.

Chapter Text

After the first Howler exploded on them and screamed obscenities for several minutes, they decided unanimously to not open any further letters. They’d barely made a dent in the feedback, since they had to first check and disarm for any spells or hexes on the incoming letters. The general consensus from the public seemed to be outrage. It was equally directed between Hadrian and whoever his magical guardian was. Remus kept a tally of positives and negatives, and the positives were winning… barely.

“Kreacher!” Hadrian called, throwing his hands up in annoyance when another howler landed on his head. Sirius banished it before it could start screeching at them. Kreacher popped in two feet away from Hadrian, wringing his hands nervously.

“What can Kreacher be doing for Master?” he asked, avoiding eye contact with everyone in the room. Hadrian rolled his eyes but didn’t comment on it. It was better than hearing him insult everyone under his breath.

“I need you to block the mail from coming here for a while. Let in owls from the people we know, but keep the others away,” Hadrian told him. The little elf nodded quickly and snapped his fingers. A blue burst of magic spread from his fingers to surround the house, and they all watched the approaching owls hit the ward and turn around. Only one owl flew through the barrier, and Hadrian wasn’t surprised to see that it was Hedwig. 

“Anything else Master be needing?” Kreacher asked, staring down at the floor with his eyes squinted slightly.

“No. Thank you, Kreacher,” Hadrian replied. Kreacher finally looked up at him for a full three seconds before popping back out of sight. When Hadrian looked over, Sirius was shaking his head in amusement.

“You are far kinder than that old bag of bones deserves,” Sirius told him. He untied the letter from Hedwig’s leg and stroked her feathers lovingly before letting her fly off somewhere into the house. He looked down at the crinkled envelope before offering it to Hadrian with a grin. “A secret admirer?”

Hadrian didn’t recognize the handwriting, but that wasn’t really surprising anymore. He’d made a few new friends in the last few days and he expected to hear from all of them in the coming weeks. He ignored Sirius’s pointed teasing as he ripped into the envelope without bothering to check it for enchantments.

Hadrian,

I spoke with Luna this morning, and she filled me in on a few things that have been happening behind the scenes. I had no clue! I’m so sorry that all of this is happening to you. I know you were raised in the muggle world, and that you don’t really know as much about the magical world as you’d like. I don’t know how many titles you had to take on, or which ones they might be… but I spoke with my gran and we’re both more than happy to help you catch up on what you’ve missed out on over the years. The Wizengamot isn’t for the faint of heart, or so I’ve been told. I’ll be taking the Longbottom lordship when I’m seventeen, so I’ve been studying all of the etiquette and the sacred 28 for most of my life.

I have some guesses about… things that you didn’t share in your article. I’m betting that there aren’t as many people that you can trust as you previously thought. It’s not a secret that Dumbledore was your magical guardian. I want you to know that I’m a friend. I’m here for you, if you ever need me. Just like in the ministry. I’ve got your back. And I’m sorry, again, about Sirius. Especially now with what you’ve learned. If you’ve got time this summer, maybe we can meet up in Diagon Alley and talk in person?

Neville

Hadrian read the letter through twice, too shocked to take it all in the first time. He’d been expecting a letter from Parvati, or maybe even Luna’s father. It hadn’t crossed his mind that one of his other year-mates would reach out. Neville’s letter brought a smile to his face that he didn’t bother to try to hide, knowing that would only make the questions worse. He wasn’t disappointed.

“So?” Sirius pressed, holding out a hand for the letter expectantly. He chuckled when Hadrian folded it up and tucked it into his pocket instead. “Who’s it from?”

“What’s the sacred twenty-eight?” Hadrian asked instead, crossing his arms. “And what do I need to learn about the Wizengamot that wouldn’t have been covered in school?”

“They don’t cover the Wizengamot in school,” Remus said gently. “Hogwarts and the ministry have never really seen eye to eye, even before Dumbledore. There used to be a single day of history class that addressed the regulations of the Wizengamot and how they work, but it was tossed out before your father and I started there.”

“You’re in luck, though,” Sirius told him with a slightly bitter smile. “As the heir to the Black dynasty, I had to learn all about it. Never got to take my seat, but mummy dearest drilled it all into my head at a young age. You don’t forget things more than once when curses are involved.”

“Siri…” Remus said, frowning sadly. Sirius waved away his concern, letting his smile turn into something more genuine.

“It’s fine. I’m happy to teach Hadrian everything that I know about the inner workings of the Wizengamot and the sacred twenty-eight,” he told them both. “Buckle up, kiddo. It’s a wild ride.”

“And by that he means it’s terribly boring,” Remus snorted.

“Wonderful,” Hadrian sighed. “We’d better get started, then.”

“I’ll make tea,” Remus told them, ruffling Hadrian’s hair as he passed by. It wasn’t long before the sounds of the kettle could be heard from across the room.

Sirius straddled his chair backwards and regarded Hadrian in silence for a full minute before he took a deep breath and began. “First thing first. The Wizengamot is led by the Chief Warlock. Currently, that’s Dumbledore… but I’d imagine that won’t last very long now. There are usually around fifty members at any given time. Anyone with an Order of Merlin has an automatic seat. The current minister gets a seat, and so does the head of magical law enforcement. Fudge usually follows whatever the majority is, while Amelia actually pays attention and has opinions of her own.”

“How does one become Chief Warlock?” Hadrian asked.

“It’s by vote. It’s always more of a popularity contest than an actual political preference. Dumbledore won over the light and neutral parties decades ago, and nobody has ever tried to rally against him. He’s got the Wizengamot in his pocket. Most of his bills pass automatically,” Remus chimed in helpfully. Sirius gave him an impressed look before turning back to Hadrian.

“Now’s where it gets interesting. The rest of the Wizengamot is made up entirely of Lords and Ladies. Mostly it’s the Sacred twenty-eight. They are the last true pureblood families in Britain. The Potters aren’t a part of it, only because their lineage goes so far back that nobody can be completely sure,” Sirius continued.

“Well, James was a pureblood by definition,” Remus said thoughtfully. “His parents were both also purebloods, and his grandparents before them. It’s likely they have always been purebloods, but Potter is a common name in the muggle world, so nobody could ever completely rule it out.”

“Right,” Sirius agreed. “Some of your school friends would be heirs, I’d bet all my money on it. The Abbots were killed in the first war, but their niece survived and she’d be your age. The Averys were also pretty much wiped out when they didn’t support Voldemort.”

“There’s an Avery in the year above mine,” Hadrian said quietly.

“Right,” Sirius said again. “Probably not a direct descendant, but he’ll get to take the seat and the lordship I’d wager. Then there’s you, as a Black. The current Lady Bulstrode has a daughter your age, but they’re definitely a dark family. Don’t expect them to side with you in anything. Then there’s the Burkes. They’re a big name in Knockturn Alley, and also a dark family.”

“What’s the real difference between light and dark?” Hadrian asked, interrupting the explanation. Sirius hesitated, glancing over to Remus for help. The werewolf shook his head, leaning back against the counter to listen for himself. Sirius sighed, then turned back to Hadrian.

“Light magic is less… fluid than dark magic. It’s more of a fixed thing. Light spells do exactly what’s advertised and can’t be changed or updated. There’s no emotion involved, nothing to make it volatile. Most of the spells you learn in charms and transfiguration are light spells that can’t be altered. Dark magic is more up for interpretation. The patronus charm, for example, is actually dark magic. Anything involving blood, runes, or wards is also considered dark.

“Light families are the ones that have turned their backs on as much dark magic as they can. They don’t like how it can be warped to do other things. Dark families use exclusively dark magic. It’s more emotional, and more powerful,” Sirius explained. He hesitated for one more second before continuing. “Thing is, over the centuries, those definitions have been altered. Light has become equivalent to good, and dark to bad. Light families have what they consider to be very strong morals and won’t compromise on the things they believe in. They’re closer to muggle culture than pureblood culture. Dark families are seen as evil because they aren’t as understood as they used to be. As things have been banned, it’s become harder to remember the way that magic is supposed to be. You need both light and dark to balance yourself out. The truly powerful families are the neutral families. They balance their magics.”

“Siri was on his way to changing the Black standing to neutral before he was locked away. He’d nearly convinced his brother before he disappeared without a trace,” Remus told Hadrian.

“Think he realized old Voldy wasn’t going to do the things he was promising and ran for it. Don’t know if he escaped or if he was killed,” Sirius said quietly. “But now that falls to you, Hadrian. You get to decide where your seats will fit in.”

“Obviously neutral is the way to go,” Hadrian shrugged.

“It’s not as simple as that,” Remus told him gently. Hadrian frowned, but Sirius continued on before he could say anything else.

“Let me get through the rest of the families and then we can discuss how to go about choosing a side, okay?” Hadrian nodded, and Sirius gave him a bright smile. “Great. The Carrows are known deatheaters, and they haven’t attended a session in decades. Their proxy is held by the Bulstrodes, I believe. And the Crouch line has officially ended, as far as I know. Old Barty was the last.”

“His son won’t be considered?” Hadrian asked. Sirius shook his head.

“He was disowned when he was sent to Azkaban. That’s usually the standard when things like that happen. I think my mother only didn’t disown me because she thought I’d finally made the decision she wanted. She always held out hope that Voldemort would take over and things would go back to the dark ages,” he explained.

“Lord Fawley is getting up there in age and has no current heir. He’ll probably blood-adopt before too long so his line will continue on. The Flints have a seat that their son will be filling after next year. They hold the Gaunt and Lestrange proxies. Then there’s Lord Greengrass. He’s got two daughters and he’s not very happy about it. That line is supposed to stay with the men, but he won’t have a choice other than to pass it to his oldest daughter. Lady Longbottom has held her seat since her son was…”

“I know,” Hadrian said quickly. “Neville… introduced me to his parents last year.”

“We knew Frank and Alice quite well,” Remus told him sadly. “There weren’t many better witches or wizards than the Longbottoms. And they were just as excited about Neville as we were about you. Alice and Lily shared a room at St Mungo’s after your births. You two were practically destined to be friends.”

“The next Lord Macmillan is in your year, I believe. You know the Malfoys. I’ve heard you complain about them enough times. Lord Nott is the strongest of the neutral party, and he’s quite popular in the Wizengamot. That doesn’t mean he’s a good man, though. I’ve heard… well. Ollivander holds a seat but never attends and hasn’t bothered with a proxy. Then there’s Lord Parkinson. He’s as pleasant as you’d expect,” Sirius continued.

“If he’s anything like his daughter, I can imagine,” Hadrian nodded. “I know a lot of these names already. Most of them are around my year at Hogwarts; maybe a year older.”

“Interestingly, the Sacred twenty-eight usually plan it that way,” Sirius said after a few moments. "Most of them are the same age, as well. They have to know each other in order to gain support for bills they want to pass. When the time comes, they all have children within a year or two of each other so that the heirs will have a chance to form allies and gain respect amongst their peers.”

“That seems…” Hadrian trailed off, unsure of how to finish his thought.

“Completely bonkers?” Remus offered with a grin. “We agree. We didn’t do it on purpose. It was just time to have you.”

“My champion had to be ready for anything,” a familiar voice whispered through Hadrian’s mind. “The ones you need are with you now. That is why you were born when you were, and not a moment later.”

“The Weasleys hold two seats. They’ve got both theirs and the Prewetts. Molly’s brothers were the Lords of the house, but they passed in the first war and the proxy fell to Arthur until the twins are old enough to take the seat themselves,” Sirius told him. “Rosier and Rowle are known deatheater families. I’m pretty sure the Malfoys hold their proxies. Selwyn was held by Umbridge, but that’ll be passed to the next in line now that she’s…”

“Completely bonkers,” Remus chimed in, shaking with silent laughter. Sirius shook his head, but he was also laughing quietly. Hadrian couldn’t help his grin as he watched his parents.

“Right,” Sirius agreed after he caught his breath. “Kingsley holds the Shacklebolt lordship. He just got it last year, I think. He’s definitely a light wizard, but his votes have leaned more towards neutral. It was driving Dumbledore mad, though he hasn’t voiced that yet. We could all tell. There’s Lady Shafiq, but she’s a mystery. Her votes aren’t consistent. She votes for whatever she feels like. Nobody has managed to figure her out, or get close enough to befriend her. Dumbledore holds the Slughorn proxy. And the last one is the Yaxleys, who are also big on the dark side.”

“That’s… a lot,” Hadrian said softly. His head was spinning with all the information. He wished he’d thought to take notes, but it was too late now. He’d have to get more information from Neville later, and he’d be sure to write it all down so he could read it over later. “So how does it work?”

“Anyone can propose a bill, but it’s mostly the heads of the factions that bother to. Dumbledore proposes quite a lot of them. Malfoy tries at least twice a year to pass through some pretty dark laws, but he’s yet to get any of them through. And once a bill or law has been presented, everyone votes on it. Each member gets one vote. If someone can’t make it or can’t be bothered, they can give their vote by proxy to someone that they trust. I know that Dumbledore holds proxy over all of the Hogwarts votes. Now that you’ve claimed your titles, you can take some of them back. You have to get a majority to pass whatever has been presented, and it’s… not easy to do that. Especially if you’re dark or neutral. The light side holds the majority, currently. Or they did,” Sirius told him.

“They did?” Hadrian asked, tilting his head.

“You’ve got a handful of titles that were out of commission or under Dumbledore’s control for all this time,” Remus pointed out. “And you’ve already said you’re leaning towards neutral. That takes control away from the light and gives it to the neutral.”

“Right,” Hadrian said slowly. “And how do I make sure I’m firmly neutral?”

“It’s all in how you vote,” Sirius shrugged. “It’s one thing to say you’re neutral, but if you vote in favor of the light every single time, you’re light. Same for dark. You have to be completely neutral in all things. No bias. Knowing you, you’ll pull it off.”

“Thanks,” Hadrian replied, a small smile forming. “I think I might need a proxy while I’m in school, don’t you?”

“Sure,” Sirius agreed easily. “But you’ve got to be careful when you choose who. You can never be completely sure of someone’s motivations.”

“Siri,” Remus chuckled, shaking his head. He met Harry’s eyes and they shared amused grins over Sirius’s head.

“You can’t think I’d choose anyone other than you,” Hadrian pointed out gently. “Come on. You two are the only people I trust completely.”

He didn’t miss the shine of tears in their eyes, but he kindly ignored it. He knew he wasn’t much better with keeping his own emotions under check. He was saved from having to say anything else by a second owl swooping through the open window and dropping a thick envelope in front of him. He recognized the handwriting this time as Luna’s calligraphy. He snatched it up and tore it open before Sirius could even reach for it.

Hadrian,

I’m terribly sorry that I told Neville about your situation, but Lady Nimue whispered in my mind that you’ll be needing his support. I’ve always believed that you need as many friends as you can get. True ones. The wrackspurts were hiding the ones you needed, but they’ve left now.

Tomorrow is a busy day for all, and Sunday is going to be a busy brunch for you. I hope that by Monday you’ll have time to write, but I won’t be hurt if it takes longer. You have so many things to adjust to. My mother used to tell me that blibbering plimpies hang in the air around change to bless us with luck, and I hope that you have many around you. You won’t see them, but you may feel their effects.

Not everyone is as they’ve seemed. Friends are enemies, but enemies can just as easily become friends. Don’t judge based on the past if you can help it. Snuffles will understand.

I’m here for you, Hadrian.

Luna

A second letter was tucked into the envelope, and it was much longer than the first. Hadrian passed Luna’s letter to Remus when he reached for it and unfolded the second letter. He checked the signature first: Parvati.

Hadrian,

You’re braver than you know. Look at you, already taking steps in the right direction. Listen, things are only getting harder from here. You can’t keep any of what you’ve learned secret. Don’t share what’s been stolen from you, but don’t hold back if someone asks you. The right people will ask the right questions, and it’ll send quite a lot of things into motion very quickly. If all goes well, you’ll be completely free by the end of sixth year. No more fighting, no more curses… nothing.

I wanted to explain a few things to you while you’ve got a few moments to read… before things get crazy. And I know you’re thinking that things are already crazy, but you just have no idea. Trust me.

The goblins removed a lot of things from you, I know. I Saw. Luna told me a bit more about what she’s Seen and our visions don’t always line up. You’ve got a lot of crossroads on the horizon. Let me make it a bit simpler for you. There are only a few people at Hogwarts that can be trusted completely, and none of them are who you think. Well, maybe one or two. Don’t even trust ME completely, Hadrian. That is very, very important. We’re all in danger of being controlled now that he’s lost control of you. Question everything.

What I wanted to explain is this: your future isn’t set in stone. You’ve already made decisions that made some of my visions completely invalid. I don’t mind, I just wanted you to know. As you continue to make choices, things will change. That is why Luna and I agreed that we can never share all of the details. The curse of being a Seer is that you are burdened with knowing too much and never being able to share it all. If we did, the future would never come to pass. Someone who knows too much will be too careful to make the right choices. Time is an ebb and flow, like a river. Sometimes it changes course at the slightest breeze. We can see the ways it might go, but we can never be sure which it will truly be until it happens.

Don’t hide things from your family. Don’t hold back your emotions like I know you’re prone to doing. Be yourself. Keep your eyes- and mind- open.

Be safe.

Parvati

By the time he’d finished Parvati’s letter, Remus had passed Luna’s over to Sirius. They sat in silence for several minutes, thinking about what they’d read. Hadrian was the first to speak.

“I told you I had a Seer friend,” he said, trying to lighten the mood. It didn’t work. “Look, I trust both of them. They both said to keep an open mind about enemies, right? What do you think it means?”

“There’s someone who’s been acting like your enemy but isn’t really,” Remus replied after a moment. “But I’ve no idea who it might be.”

“I have a theory,” Sirius said darkly. “None of us are going to like it if I’m right.”

“Care to share?” Remus asked pointedly. Sirius just shook his head. “Alright then. I say we shouldn’t worry about that just yet. The next Wizengamot session is two weeks from now. We need to make sure Hadrian is ready for it. That means etiquette and review of laws that have been passed or might be brought up. And we need to teach him how to name a proxy the right way.”

“We’ve been together for less than twenty-four hours, Remy. Can’t we spend the rest of the day just… being a family?” Sirius asked. He turned wide eyes to his husband, his lower lip sticking out in an exaggerated pout that made him look more than a little bit ridiculous. Hadrian hid his snicker behind his hand as Remus sighed.

“One day,” he agreed. “And then after the session in a couple of weeks, we can spend the rest of the summer just being together. Deal?”

“Deal!” Sirius exclaimed happily. He reached up and pulled Remus into a kiss that Hadrian looked away from politely. He knew it was done when Sirius pulled him up from his chair and into the second family hug of the morning. He relaxed into it happily, letting himself enjoy being held by his parents.

It was, unfortunately, cut short by a sharp knock on the front door that sent Walburga’s portrait into a screaming fit of rage. They exchanged confused looks, instantly wary of who might be at the door. They were still under a fidelius, and Hadrian had made quite sure that only family or people he’d invited could get near the house. As his entire family was standing in front of him and he hadn’t invited anyone, he was understandably confused.

“Were we expecting anyone?” Remus asked with a forced cheerful tone. Hadrian shook his head.

“Can’t say that I was,” Sirius confirmed. “You two stay here.”

Neither of them listened, of course. They followed Sirius into the hallway, and all three ignored the portrait as she shouted insults at them. Sirius stopped in front of the door for a few seconds, squaring his shoulders and steadying his breath before he yanked the door open.

Narcissa Malfoy stood on the other side with her hand raised as if she’d been about to knock again. Her other hand was holding a small slip of parchment with familiar loopy handwriting spelling out the location of the Order of the Phoenix. Behind her stood Draco, glaring at the ground. Though Narcissa appeared calm, Hadrian could see the way her hands shook slightly. Something had badly disturbed her.

“Cissa?” Sirius asked, openly gaping at his cousin.

“Hello, Sirius,” she replied calmly. “Congratulations on your freedom.”

“Thank you,” he answered automatically. His eyes moved between his cousins in curiosity, and he didn’t invite them inside. Hadrian moved forward just in case he was needed, but Remus placed a hand on his arm to keep him from doing anything further. It wouldn’t be a good idea to provoke the Malfoys if they were being peaceful.

“I’m sorry to just show up unannounced,” Narcissa continued in her strangely calm tone of voice. “I don’t think I have any other choices. I need your help.”

Chapter Text

“You need my help?” Sirius asked in disbelief, crossing his arms. He regarded his cousin with confusion, unsure if this was a trick or not. “Narcissa, the last time we spoke you told me that I’d never amount to more than a sniveling pauper if I stayed on my course, and I can tell you with certainty that I have not changed. Have you ?”

“Yes,” she said simply. She mimicked his posture, crossing her own arms tightly over her chest. “For my son, I will continue to make changes.”

“Your son,” Sirius echoed, eyes narrowing dangerously. “The one who made my son’s life as miserable as he could every time they interacted at Hogwarts? That son?”

“Draco has made…mistakes,” Narcissa said after a slight pause. “We all have, don’t you think?”

“No, I don’t,” Sirius retorted. “ I think that maybe you should leave.”

Hadrian was torn. It was hard to really think with Walburga Black screaming about how unfit he was to be a lord, but he managed to recall exactly what Luna and Parvati had said about enemies not being quite what they seemed. It was too much of a coincidence that the Malfoys had shown up right after those letters. They’d timed it too perfectly. With a heavy sigh, Hadrian pulled out of Remus’s grip and stepped forward to stand beside his father.

“If you swear that you won’t attack anyone currently in this house in any way, I’ll let you inside,” he told the two Malfoys. Draco finally looked up from where he was glaring at the ground, but his face was oddly void of emotion when he met Hadrian’s gaze. It helped Hadrian’s resolve to do the right thing…acting with logic rather than emotion was crucial in this situation. 

“I swear on my magic that neither of us will attempt to harm anyone currently residing in your home,” Narcissa confirmed with a small smile. She understood the gift she was being offered. “I am hoping that we can help each other, Mister… Lord Potter-Slytherin.”

“Please, call me Hadrian, Lady Malfoy,” he replied with a forced smile of his own. They hadn’t gone over etiquette yet, but he could tell that he’d said the right thing by the approval on Narcissa’s face. He stepped to the side, forcing Sirius to move with him or be run into. Narcissa and Draco hurried inside quickly, and the door shut firmly behind them.

“What are you doing?” Sirius demanded quietly enough that their guests wouldn’t hear. Hadrian spared him an apologetic glance as he answered.

“Following the advice of my friends,” he murmured. Sirius huffed beside him but didn’t try to force the Malfoys out of his home. Hadrian was going to call that a win.

While they’d been speaking, Narcissa had marched herself halfway down the hallway and stood directly in front of Walburga’s portrait. Draco was still trailing behind her with a blank look on his face. As soon as she spotted Narcissa, Walburga grew very quiet. They regarded each other in silence as the others watched with baited breath. Finally, Walburga let a terrible smile creep across her face.

“Narcissa, what a delight,” she said in a normal tone of voice. Hadrian rolled his eyes; of course the old hag liked Narcissa. It made perfect sense; according to Sirius, Lucius Malfoy held the ideals of the Black family and had been living by their standards all his life. It stood to reason that his family would, as well. He remembered hearing that Narcissa and Bellatrix were the favorites of Sirius’s mother.

“I’m quite pleased to see you again as well, Aunt Walburga,” Narcissa replied, offering a curtsy. “But what are you doing in this dingy hallway?”

“I must keep an eye on the filth that has infested my home, dear child,” Walburga replied. She shot a glare at Sirius and Hadrian, but did not start screaming again. It was a relief to get a break from it, no matter how unsettling this was. “I do miss the peace of my own bedroom, though.”

“What if I could promise to remove the filth from your beautiful home? I could have you moved to your bedroom and clean out the house to your standards by nightfall, if you’ll only allow it,” Narcissa offered. Sirius turned his glare to Hadrian and gestured towards them as if to say ‘I told you so’. Hadrian waved a hand at him impatiently, waiting to see how it would all play out. He hadn’t forgotten that Walburga’s portrait was impossible to remove.

“You would do such a thing for me?” Walburga asked, looking absolutely elated. “I’ve waited so long for a proper heir to return. This is your son, is it not?”

“Yes, this is Draco. He’s a fine young man. You’ll adore him just as I do,” Narcissa nodded. “We’ve raised him the right way. The pure way.”

“How lovely,” Walburga replied. She seemed to contemplate her options for a few minutes before finally nodding. “Yes, I believe I’ll allow you the honor of removing the filth for me. Move me to my bedroom so I won’t have to watch.”

“It will be my pleasure,” Narcissa told her. They all watched as Walburga waved her painted wand in her portrait. There was a strange clicking sound, and her portrait swung forward from the wall. It landed with a firm thud on the ground at Narcissa’s feet. Her smile shifted into a smirk as she looked down at her aunt. “Thank you, Aunt Walburga. You’ve made this quite easy for me.”

“Wha-” Walburga started, but Narcissa flicked her wand and banished the portrait once and for all.

The hallway was silent for several moments as the occupants of the house processed what had just happened. Narcissa turned back to her cousin and raised her eyebrows, offering a small smile of satisfaction. Sirius crossed the hallway in three steps and pulled Narcissa into a firm embrace. She laughed softly as she wrapped her arms around him in return.

“I’ve missed you,” she told him softly as they embraced. “I wished every day that there was some way I could help you, but I never found a shred of evidence that would have freed you. I couldn’t spend as much time looking as I would have liked, because Lucius didn’t approve.”

“I will never understand why you married that prick,” Sirius told her. He still hadn’t let her go, though nobody was willing to point it out just yet.

“Do you honestly think I had a choice?” she asked, voice growing hard. “Andromeda left, and Bella was already engaged! My father married me off to him in place of Andromeda because to do anything else would have started a blood feud that our family would never have recovered from. Abraxas was a lot of things, but forgiving was not one of them.”

“No,” Sirius sighed. “I know that. I can’t be mad about Andi leaving for love, but I am angry that you got stuck with the consequences.”

“I don’t regret it,” Narcissa whispered. “I can never regret anything that gave me my Draco. He is my pride and joy. The one thing I have left to live for.”

“Is he not just like his father?” Sirius asked, frowning. He finally pulled away from his cousin to study her face. “I understand loving your child unconditionally, but do you really think it was a good idea to bring him here?”

“We have nowhere else to go,” she said sadly. “Lucius has done something that I can never forgive. He has invited the Dark Lord into our home. He… he has offered my son a place among his Death Eaters.”

“ What?” Sirius asked sharply, looking over her shoulder at Draco. This time, Draco didn’t look away. He met Sirius’s gaze with a scowl of his own.

“I don’t want to be like him,” Draco said firmly. “I want no part of his insanity.”

“I got us out of the house early this morning. We were deciding where to hide when the Daily Prophet came out. We ran into the strangest girl, and she gave us this slip of paper, and I just… reacted,” Narcissa explained. “I knew that if anyone could help us, it would be you.”

“How do you know I won’t just turn you over to the ministry, or Dumbledore?” Sirius asked pointedly. “I shouldn’t trust a word that you say.”

“I can’t force you to trust me, but I hope you’ll give me the benefit of the doubt. We were never enemies, Sirius. We may have had our differences, but we were always friendly,” she replied carefully. “If you won’t help us, at least let us leave in peace.”

Draco had finally caught Hadrian’s gaze. He’d been expecting to see the usual haughtiness in the other boy, but all he saw was resignation. Draco had already accepted that they weren’t going to help them. He’d already accepted that he had no hope. Hadrian couldn’t stand to see it. Making his decision, he moved down the hallway and grabbed Draco’s arm to pull him along to the kitchen. The adults could talk in the hallway for as long as they wanted; Hadrian wasn’t going to allow the Malfoy’s to be thrown from his home today.

“What are you doing, Potter?” Draco asked carefully. “The door is the other way.”

“Yes,” Hadrian agreed amiably. “But the tea is in here. I know that Moony uses a charm to keep it hot until it’s gone. How do you take yours?”

“... With cream,” Draco said after a slight hesitation. “You’re not throwing me out?”

“Not today,” Hadrian confirmed. “We don’t have to like each other for me to help you. Nobody should have to join a war they don’t want to fight in, especially on the wrong side.”

“Just like that?” Draco asked, eyes narrowed in suspicion.

“Just like that,” Hadrian nodded. He placed the tea in front of Draco with a small smile and took the seat across from him. “It was Luna, right? With the parchment?”

“How did you know?” Draco asked. He stared down at the tea as if it would bite him, but eventually lifted it to take a drink. He’d apparently decided that if he was going to be poisoned, he might as well get it over with.

“She kind of warned me that you’d be coming today,” Hadrian shrugged. “In her own way, at least.”

“She did,” Draco said flatly. His lips were twitching towards a small smile. “I’ve known her for most of my life, you know. Pandora Lovegood was my nanny for several years. She used to bring Luna over to the manor with her when neither of my parents were home. She’d say the strangest things, but they always came to pass eventually. Nothing she said ever made sense until it was over, you know?”

“I only just found out that the way she talks is because of the things that she sees, but I know what you mean. I had no clue it was going to be you, just that someone I didn’t trust was going to show up and be the opposite of what I expected,” Hadrian told him. “And after everything I’ve learned this week, finding out that you’re not a complete git is not as much of a shock as it would have been before.”

“What do you mean, everything you’ve learned?” Draco asked. He took another sip from his cup, then frowned over at Hadrian. He supposed that if he was going to trust Draco, he might as well tell him what he’d learned. Parvati had said not to hold back if he was asked, after all.

“Well, for starters, my name isn’t Harry Potter, and James and Lily Potter aren’t my parents,” he shrugged. Draco stared at him for a few seconds, then let out an unamused huff of laughter.

“Nice, Potter. You had me going for a second there,” Draco replied with a sneer. “I suppose next you’ll tell me that Dumbledore is your real father, then?”

“No,” Hadrian smirked. “That would be Remus and Sirius. Dumbledore has orchestrated most of my life and hidden quite a few important things from me. I’m not a fan of his any longer.”

“You’ve got to be joking,” Draco demanded. He didn’t look as sure any longer. Hadrian shook his head.

“My name is Lord Hadrian Potter-Slytherin, born Hadrian James Potter-Black,” he told his cousin. He held out his hand, copying the gesture that he’d turned down all those years ago. “Nice to meet you.”

Draco looked down at the offered hand, then back up at Hadrian’s face. He held out for two more seconds before reaching for the offered hand and shaking it. Unnoticed by either boy, a soft golden light surrounded them while their hands were clasped. Finally, fate had corrected a great injustice.

Albus Dumbledore was not having a good morning. The Daily Prophet headline was bad enough; Sirius Black was supposed to remain guilty even in death! He didn’t know who had provided the evidence to clear his name, but he was going to be finding out as soon as possible. This could not stand.

Of course, it was less of a catastrophe since Sirius had died a few weeks earlier. At least he wouldn’t have to worry about the mutt trying to gain custody of Harry. It could have been much, much worse. Or so he thought, until the Quibbler was delivered to him some time later.

He stared down at the well-written article in complete shock for several minutes. How had the boy managed to get to Gringotts without supervision? He was meant to be with his muggle relatives! No, this wouldn’t do at all. He gathered his magenta robes and hurried across his office to leave the castle. He spun on his heel and appeared at the end of Privet Drive seconds later. 

Not caring that it was broad daylight and the muggles would certainly talk, he made his way down the street to number four. He didn’t bother to knock; a flick of his wand let him into the house. He found Vernon and Petunia in the sitting room, watching the telly. Dudley didn’t appear to be in the house, not that Albus cared.

“Petunia!” he thundered angrily. “What have you done?”

She gave a tiny shriek at the sudden loud voice, and turned sharply enough that she fell from the couch. She stared up at him in awe and fear. Vernon was very obviously also afraid, but he stood his ground against the old wizard.

“Now see here!” he spluttered. A wave of his wand silenced the large man easily.

“Where is the boy?” Albus demanded. Petunia was shaking silently on the floor, but she glanced at the door quickly. Albus knew immediately that she thought he was looking for her son. He sneered at her in disbelief. “Your one job is to keep your nephew in this house and break his spirit every summer. You cannot do that if he is not here. WHERE IS HE?”

“He…” she started, but had to stop. She opened and closed her mouth twice before finding the courage to try again. “He ran from us at the station with some… some girl. We didn’t manage to find him. We looked for… for hours! It was no use.”

“Some girl?” Albus demanded.

“I didn’t recognize her,” Petunia said quickly. “She had dark skin and pink… robes. She seemed to be his age.”

Albus was seething, but she’d given him much to think about. There were only a few girls in Harry’s year that it could have been. It wouldn’t be hard to figure out which one had led him away from his path and fix things. He could get everything back under control. He just wished that he didn’t have to.

“You would do well to remember your place, Petunia,” he told her quietly. “I am not to be trifled with.”

He didn’t wait for her response. He spun on his heel and appeared back in his office without a second thought. Apparation through the Hogwarts wards should have been impossible, but he’d changed them decades ago to give himself more power within the school than any others. Something as silly as apparation wards wouldn’t hold him back. He settled behind his desk and pulled the Hogwarts registry towards himself. It was time to figure out which students needed a lesson in who should not be messed with.

The adults had shut themselves into the sitting room after a tense discussion in the hallway, leaving Hadrian and Draco alone together to talk. Draco didn’t seem to know what to say to him now that the truth had been exposed. Hadrian was perfectly content to let him think things over in silence. There were still several things that he needed to do, none of which were particularly secret. They could be done in front of Draco, who wasn’t really paying him any attention anyway.

The first, most pressing thing on his agenda was writing letters. They had to be short and to the point, but still get everything across that he needed to say. He wasn’t very good at the political aspects of his new life just yet, but this would be good practice. Well… some of it. He also needed to write replies to his friends. Parchment spread across his half of the table, Hadrian began to write.

Madame Bones,

Thank you for your rapid response to the information I gave you. My family and I are overwhelmed with happiness and relief to know that we aren’t in danger from the Ministry as well as Voldemort. I do have quite a bit more information for you, but it’s not something that can be revealed too quickly. If the wrong people know that I know, it’ll ruin everything we’re working towards.

The goblins will be happy to set up a secure place for us to meet whenever you have the time and patience, and I’ll be sure to have headache relief potions on hand. Please let me know when would be convenient for you.

Thank you again,

Hadrian

That letter was much easier to write than Hadrian had been expecting. He gave a sharp whistle that startled Draco, and Hedwig swooped in through the window moments later as if she’d been waiting to be called. Hadrian wouldn’t have been surprised if she was, come to think of it. She’d always known what he needed before he could express it to her. He didn’t know what he’d do if anything ever happened to her. She’d been his first ever true friend.

As soon as she’d flown off, Hadrian started on the second slip of parchment. This letter was nearly as important as the last.

Onyxclaw,

I don’t know what the proper procedure is to contact you, so this will have to do for now. Please let me know your preferred method in your reply, if you’re able. I know just how busy you are, after all.

You mentioned a few things over our conversations that I still have questions about. I would like to go over my accounts in more depth at your earliest convenience, and I would appreciate it if Thornfire would be willing to speak with me as well. There are some things I don’t quite understand about the potion blocks. Which transactions would I not have approved? I’m only aware of the withdrawals for my school supplies. Nobody else should have access to my vaults. What did she mean by a soulbond block? And I don’t have a familiar to be blocked from. Also, I’ve been able to talk to snakes for my entire life. That’s never been blocked, but she mentioned it.

I’m sorry, I know this is probably too sensitive to discuss in a letter. I’ll be happy to make the trip to the bank whenever you both have time. I’m in no rush, as long as it’s before the school year.

Thank you,

Hadrian

That letter was slightly harder to write. He wasn’t sure how to send it off, either. He hesitated long enough once it was sealed that Draco took notice of it and frowned at him. They stared at each other before Draco gave an exaggerated sigh and finally acknowledged him.

“Do you need another owl, Potter?” he asked, crossing his arms. This was familiar territory, and Hadrian fought the urge to grin. Finally, something expected.

“Can you send an owl to the goblins? I can’t imagine they’d be comfortable,” he replied easily.

“The owl or the goblins?” Draco shot back, raising a pointed eyebrow. Hadrian could see the start of a smile forming on his face, and he let himself show the grin he’d been holding back. Draco answered it immediately.

“Does it matter?” Hadrian shrugged. Draco simply shook his head, but didn’t bother to offer up a solution. It was likely that he’d never sent a letter to the goblins before, either. After some deliberation, Hadrian made up his mind. “Kreacher!”

The house elf appeared with a small ‘pop’, startling Draco just as badly as Hadrian’s whistle had. Hadrian watched with amusement as his cousin nearly fell off of his chair as he stared at the elf.

“Master has called for Kreacher?” the old elf asked, sneering at them both. Hadrian resisted the urge to roll his eyes at the attitude, but only just.

“Yes. I need you to deliver a letter to Onyxclaw of Gringotts. Can you do that for me?” Hadrian asked in the most pleasant tone he could muster. Draco snorted softly beside him.

“You worried about an owl being scared, but you’re willing to send an elf off to face the goblins?” he asked, looking highly amused. Hadrian frowned slightly, and Draco continued on. “Elves and goblins haven’t gotten along for centuries. Elves don’t like how haughty goblins are, and goblins don’t like that elves are willing to bow to wizards. They avoid each other whenever they can… which is always. Nobody is stupid enough to send their elves to the goblins.”

“Then what do you suggest?” Hadrian shot back. He was having a hard time reigning in his frustration, but Draco didn’t seem concerned. “I can’t send an owl, and I can’t send Kreacher. How do I get this to him?”

“The goblins have their own magic for letters. I've seen it exactly one time. They just… toss their letters into the air and they appear in front of their recipients,” Draco told him. “But it only works for their magic, not wizards. And you’re no goblin.”

Hadrian knew his grin must look a little manic, but he didn’t care. “Yes, I am.” Without offering any further explanation, Hadrian picked up the carefully written letter and tossed it into the air. It disappeared in a curl of flames that reminded him of phoenix fire. Then he turned his attention back to Draco to find him staring in awe.

“How?” Draco demanded angrily.

“They did a ritual to make me a member of the goblin nation. I don’t exactly have goblin magic, but I had a feeling it would still work for me,” he replied. That technically was a secret, but he was willing to trust Draco with things that couldn’t really hurt either of them if it was exposed. The goblins hadn’t asked him to keep joining their ranks a secret, just his newest name.

“That’s not possible,” Draco said slowly, as if he was weighing the explanation in his mind. Not for the first time, Hadrian wondered why Draco hadn’t been a Ravenclaw. He was too curious for his own good, which… was familiar.

“It’s never been done before,” Hadrian replied gently. “That doesn’t mean it isn’t possible. Besides, the impossible tends to happen to me all the time. Sirius was dead five days ago, and look at him now.”

“That’s not funny,” Draco huffed. Hadrian raised his eyebrows, holding his gaze.

“I’m not joking,” he said calmly. He watched as Draco’s face went through a series of emotions: disbelief, grief, confusion, awe. He settled on troubled.

“There’s no magic strong enough to bring someone back from the dead. Maybe he only seemed dead?” He seemed desperate to find a solution that didn’t scare him. Hadrian almost felt bad for having to crush that hope.

“I watched the killing curse hit him. Bellatrix didn’t hold back,” he replied. His voice shook with anger and grief, but he forced himself to stay calm. He wouldn’t break over this again. Not when he had his family back now.

“It seems the young lord has extraordinary luck,” Narcissa chuckled from the doorway. Hadrian turned to see all three adults gathered to watch the end of the conversation. Narcissa looked amused, but both Remus and Sirius seemed upset. Hadrian figured it was probably because they’d been discussing Sirius’s death. “What are you boys up to?”

“I’m changing the way Draco sees the world,” Hadrian shrugged. He couldn’t hide his own amusement, and seeing him smile seemed to allow Remus and Sirius to relax. Draco shot him a sharp look at the use of his first name, but he didn’t protest it. Narcissa looked between them before she replied.

“It’s about time something happened to shake everything up. My cousin has been filling me in, and I must say… it’s a delight to really meet you, Lord Potter-Slytherin,” she finally told him. Draco’s gaze shot to his mother, but still he stayed silent. Sirius’s shoulders shook with silent laughter.

“Please, call me Hadrian. I hate being so formal, Lady Malfoy,” Hadrian replied quickly. It was unnerving to be addressed by his title, and he was hoping he could nip it in the bud. He didn’t want anyone to get into that habit unless he really didn’t know them, or they were against him, and he was worried that it wouldn't be possible. He'd already given Narcissa permission once, after all. He could see that his parents approved.

“Then you must call me Narcissa,” she told him smoothly. He nodded, his smile a bit more relieved than he would have liked. “Thank you for offering shelter. I know we’ve done little to deserve it.”

This was the moment everything would change. He could be flippant and wave her thanks away; he could accept the thanks formally and show his newly acquired political knowledge, limited though it was; or he could ignore the thanks completely and change the subject, like he would have done a week ago. He knew what the right answer was.

“Of course, Narcissa. As I’ve been finding lately, I know very little of everyone’s motivations. You risked your life to help your son escape a fate worse than death, and I can respect that. We may not have gotten along in the past, but I’d like to count you as my ally. Maybe someday we could even become friends,” he replied. He must have said exactly the right thing, because even Draco looked impressed.

“I would like nothing more,” Narcissa assured him. “For now, I suggest we all take some time to adjust to the changes life has dealt us. Do you require any help, Hadrian? Sirius?”

“No,” Sirius told her, grinning. “I’ve got a letter to write, and a floo call to make. Hadrian, you might want to reply to your friends before you get caught up in whatever comes to throw you off balance next.”

“I planned to,” Hadrian nodded. “I don’t think there’s anything that I need right now, Narcissa, but thank you for the offer. Are the two of you hungry? There’s more tea on the stove, as well.”

“No, thank you,” she assured him, though she did go to prepare herself a cup of tea. She wordlessly made one for Sirius without asking how he preferred it. She shot a questioning glance at Remus, but he shook his head. “I’m going to retire to my room for the day, I think. If you need me, don’t hesitate to come find me. Draco, darling, please be careful.”

“Yes, Mother,” Draco replied, keeping his gaze firmly on the table in front of him. It didn’t stop Narcissa from stepping close to him and pressing a kiss to his forehead. Then she crossed the table and pressed a kiss to Hadrian’s hair, avoiding the faded scar that still lived on his forehead. Hadrian could feel his face heating up, but nobody said a word. She was gone before he could decide how she felt about it.

“You can stay down here with me, if you want,” he told Draco quietly. “I’m going to finish writing some letters and start reading a journal.”

“Whose journal?” Draco asked with a slight frown. Hadrian couldn’t decide if it was because he was morally opposed to reading someone else’s journal, or if he was remembering the diary his father had slipped to Ginny in their second year.

“Morgana Le Fay,” he replied with a wicked grin. It only grew at Draco’s astonished look. “You’re going to have to get used to weird things happening to or around me if you’re sticking around. I don’t think that’s going away anytime soon.”

“I’ll keep that in mind. May I…” he trailed off, possibly realizing that he wasn’t in a position to ask anything of Hadrian at all.

“Read it with me? Sure,” Hadrian agreed easily, knowing exactly what his cousin had wanted to ask. He felt better about his easy response when Draco visibly brightened. Maybe this wouldn’t be so bad, after all.

England, 910 A.D.

There is much turmoil amongst my peers. Merlin has begged me to share my gift with all, but the visions that I see tell me it is a bad idea. If I share what I have learned, it will surely come to pass. The things that I have kept to myself remain on the horizon. I fear that Merlin will never understand this dark gift that my mother has passed to me. She meant well, I believe.

I see fire in our future, scorching everything that I have ever loved. It takes my husband, my children… Merlin. I don’t know how to save them. I can’t protect them from something I don’t understand. No amount of scrying has brought light to the situation. How can I tell my dearest friend that I’ve seen his death? How can I cause him that pain?

But truly, the most terrifying part is that I have seen the cause of it, and I cannot change it. The fire that sweeps across the globe, that steals my heart away…

It is me.

Chapter Text

Morning came far too early in Hadrian’s opinion. He’d stayed up late with Draco, reading through the journal of Morgana Le Fay. He hadn’t known that she’d been a seer, and he was really hoping that Nimue hadn’t given him that particular gift. He’d leave that to Luna and Parvati. He’d managed to send both of them letters before he’d gone to bed that night, asking them to meet up with him in Diagon Alley a week from that day to discuss everything he’d learned and everything that would need to be done. He’d also sent a letter to Neville to invite him along. Luna seemed to trust him, and Hadrian had never found a reason not to. He’d helped him escape Ron and Hermione more than once at the end of the year, after all.

He considered being lazy and staying in bed, but a familiar flash of fire appeared over his head moments before a heavy roll of parchment landed directly on his face. He groaned quietly, quickly picking it up. He resisted the urge to toss it away in frustration, because this could be one of the most important letters he’d ever receive in his life. The goblins wouldn’t have wasted their paper on simple ‘hello’s . With a sigh, he pushed himself upright and fumbled for his glasses. When his vision was no longer blurred, he broke the seal and opened the scroll.

Young Kriger Herre,

Your missive was quite amusing. It’s never a bother to hear from our kin. Simply send your letter whenever you have need to communicate, and we will happily receive it. I would not recommend writing to King Nagnok unless you absolutely must, but Thornfire and myself would be delighted to hear from you.

Your questions are rather troubling, young lord. There are many transactions on your account that were not made by yourself. Monthly payments are made to several whom you would not approve of. Thornfire would be happy to go over what she’s discovered when you come for your appointment this afternoon. I think it wise to bring along your parents. They may like to know the troubling things that have not yet come to light. We will provide a safe space for the proper reactions.

We will see you this afternoon, no later than four o’clock. Take care, young lord.

Onyxclaw

Well… that was troubling. He could already guess who might be getting unauthorized payments, but he genuinely couldn’t figure out how. He’d only had access to his trust vault before donning his lordships. Nobody should have had access to any of the other vaults, and there wasn’t enough in the small vault to sustain multiple payments to different people unless they were very small amounts… which he doubted. At least he would be getting answers.

He got dressed slowly, choosing the black robe with golden accents that he’d taken from the Potter vault. If it had just been his parents in the house, he wouldn’t have bothered, but he found himself wanting to make a good impression on the Malfoys. They were used to the nicer things in life, and he was… decidedly not. It would take effort on his part.

Nearly all of his family was already gathered in the kitchen. Narcissa was standing at the stove, in the process of brewing tea for everyone. She seemed completely at ease as she spoke softly with Remus about a charm she’d learned while Draco was at school that would help in cleaning the old house. Draco was half-asleep at the table, slumped over an open book that Hadrian didn’t recognize. Sirius was nowhere in sight, but Hadrian wasn’t really surprised. He remembered Sirius sleeping in while he was staying here over the summer. He took a seat at the table across from Draco, grinning tiredly when Remus reached over to ruffle his hair without breaking the conversation. Draco blinked up at him for a few seconds before offering a small smile.

“G’morning,” his cousin greeted quietly.

“Morning,” Hadrian replied easily, accepting the cup of tea that floated through the air towards him. He watched as Draco simply allowed his cup to slide onto the table in front of his book without even glancing at it. “Did you not sleep last night?”

“My Dragon is not overly fond of mornings,” Narcissa told him affectionately. “I woke him in the hopes that we could discuss the terms of our staying here until it’s safe.”

“Ah, I’m glad I walked in at the right time!” Sirius called cheerfully as he slid into the room. He was grinning widely, dressed in immaculate blue robes. His hair was pulled away from his face, and he looked much healthier than Hadrian had ever seen him. He was completely certain Remus and Narcissa had played a part in that.

“Good morning, Sirius,” Narcissa greeted him with an amused smile. “What right time, exactly?”

“I knew you’d want to discuss this today, so I invited someone over for brunch,” Sirius announced casually. “She should be here in less than an hour. She may bring her daughter; we didn’t discuss that.”

“Siri, what did you do?” Remus sighed. His expression was too fond to be mistaken for frustrated or annoyed. It really only encouraged Sirius to prance over and kiss his husband. He didn’t answer the question.

“You didn’t,” Narcissa sighed. Some of her good cheer had faded; enough that Draco had perked up warily. He stayed silent, watching the interaction with sharp eyes.

“I sure did,” Sirius replied easily. “She’s intrigued. I think she’s been missing you for years, Cissa. She couldn’t reach out because of Lucius, but she’s kept track of you and Draco. She asks me about the two of you sometimes, when it’s just us.”

“Sirius,” Narcissa said. She sounded pained, and she couldn’t quite hide the wounded look she gave him fast enough. “She made her decision, and I made mine. I had to clean up the mess she left behind. The mess she left me with. She knew what would happen.”

“She never could have predicted that you’d actually go through with it,” Sirius protested. “Hell, I never thought you’d go through with it. The way you were with Se-”

“ Sirius,” she snapped, cutting him off. She straightened her spine and glared at him, the perfect picture of calm anger. “You didn’t know me nearly as well as she did. She was my best friend, my only confidant. She knew that I cared more about what my family thought of me than anything else. I wanted our mother to be proud of me. I wanted Aunt Walburga to love me. She left me alone in this horrid world knowing that I’d do anything to make them happy. If that meant leaving the man I loved to marry her betrothed to prevent a blood feud, so be it. She knew, and she left me.”

“I hoped that you’d learn to stand on your own two feet,” a quiet voice said from the doorway. Hadrian turned to see a woman he’d never met standing there. She looked incredibly like Bellatrix Lestrange; enough that he drew his wand from his pocket and held it under the table. Remus’s hand on his shoulder didn’t calm him enough to make him put it away. “I didn’t think you’d leave him, Cissa. I never imagined you’d allow our family to ruin you.”

“ They are not the ones who ruined me,” Narcissa replied icily. Sirius glanced between the two women with a small smile. Clearly he hadn’t expected things to go like this, but he wasn’t deterred. Narcissa glanced at the two boys, her frown sharpening. “We shouldn’t even be having this discussion. Why are you here, Andromeda?”

Hadrian inhaled sharply, earning a hard squeeze from Remus. Draco glanced over at him, and Hadrian wasn’t surprised to see that he’d paled considerably. Both of them realized the gravity of the situation, though Sirius hadn’t grasped it just yet. He was still watching his two cousins with a small smile.

“I am here because you finally left him,” Andromeda replied quietly. “I don’t know what caused it, and I don’t care. You left, and you brought your son with you. I’ve been waiting for so long, Cissa. So long.”

“I didn’t leave for you,” Narcissa informed her, crossing her arms. It looked more like she was trying to hug herself than an expression of anger. Hadrian wisely kept that thought to himself. Andromeda stepped further into the room, placing the bag that she’d brought with her onto the table.

“I know,” she replied. “But you did leave.”

“Why does it matter?” Narcissa demanded. Her voice had lost some of its edge, and she sounded tired to Hadrian. It had to be exhausting to leave behind the life you’ve known for over a decade with no idea of where you could go or what you would do. He didn’t envy her. In a way, their situations were similar.

“Because now I can do this,” Andromeda told her. She crossed the room in large strides and pulled a very tense Narcissa into a tight hug. She held on until her sister returned the embrace. Hadrian looked away when he saw the tears streaming down Narcissa’s face. He correctly assumed that Andromeda was in the same state. He met Draco’s eyes across the table and gestured to the doorway with his head as subtly as he could. Draco gave a sharp nod in reply, and they both left the room as quietly as possible. It wasn’t fast enough to miss Andromeda’s softly whispered apologies as she held her sister in her arms.

“Have you met her before?” Hadrian asked quietly as they made their way to the Black library. Draco shook his head silently. “She seems… nice.”

“Mother doesn’t talk about her,” Draco said after a moment’s hesitation. “I don’t know much about her except for what Father has said in his dark moments. He compares them, and likes to say that he married the wrong sister when he wants to hurt Mother.”

“No offense, but I can’t stand your father,” Hadrian told him. Draco’s lips quirked upwards in the approximation of a smile, but it was bitter.

“Neither can I,” the other boy agreed shortly. “Shall we continue the journal?”

England, 924 A.D.

The black days are more frequent now. Merlin won’t meet my eyes any longer. I fear what I have done when I cannot control my actions. I do not presume to know who or what I become. I fear it. The darkness is like a plague that haunts my mind. It’s so easy to fall into, and so hard to pull myself back out. My husband doesn’t recognize me. He has taken the children with him, and gone far from here. I begged him not to return. It was an awful farewell, but necessary. Isolating myself might be the only hope for the people around me.

I spoke with Godric yesterday, and he offered me his aid. He says that Salazar has been working on a potion to restore one’s sanity, and that it might be able to bring me back from wherever I go when I cannot remember myself. I don’t see myself as being mad. I don’t hear voices, or take pleasure in causing this pain. His potions cannot help me, but how can I turn them away? They mean well, but they are so young. They have so much potential. I cannot take that away from them by causing them harm.

I plan to ask Merlin to step in the next time I fade. He is the only one who has ever been my equal. He is the only one who might be able to vanquish the evil rising inside of me, if he can bring himself to do it. Better to sacrifice myself than lose anything else.

It took the adults over an hour to realize that the boys weren’t in the kitchen anymore. Remus came looking for them when things had calmed down, and the boys were more than happy to return for brunch. Hadrian was amused by the fact that Luna had been right yet again. It was a busy brunch.

“I don’t believe we’ve had the pleasure of meeting yet,” Andromeda announced as she settled into the seat beside him. The dishes of food were floating down the table and putting servings onto plates without being touched. Hadrian let them do as they pleased; he was hungry, and he trusted his parents to keep him from being poisoned. He was much more interested in the woman next to him.

“My name is Hadrian Potter-Slytherin,” he told her with a small smile. “Please, just call me Hadrian.”

“Interesting,” she said softly, studying him for a few uncomfortable moments. Narcissa cleared her throat across from her sister, and Andromeda shook herself out of whatever thought she’d been having. “I am Andromeda Black, though you’re welcome to call me Andi. Merlin knows these two do.”

“You say that as though you wish we wouldn’t,” Narcissa shot back with a small smile. Whatever had been discussed in their absence had eased the tension between the sisters. “As if you didn’t choose the nickname yourself.”

“Will you be shortening your name, Hadrian?” Andi asked, pointedly ignoring her sister. Her cheeks were a little flushed in embarrassment, but she didn’t acknowledge it. Hadrian shook his head quickly. He had no interest in being called Harry ever again. “I assumed not, but I had to ask. Well, it is a pleasure to meet you.”

Hadrian offered her a smile and his hand. “The pleasure is all mine.”

“So polite,” Andi chuckled. “You must have learned it from Remus. Sirius wouldn’t know manners if they smacked him in the face.” Sirius looked so affronted that Draco had to cover his mouth to hide his laughter. The last platter settled onto the table, and everyone began to eat. Between bites, Andi continued. “I’m sure you’ll enjoy stories about your family from their youths, am I correct?”

“Yes,” Hadrian agreed enthusiastically. Sirius looked horrified, but Narcissa looked delighted. “I know you’ll have so many to tell. I want to know everything.”

“We’ll have plenty of time for that,” Remus promised with a grin. “I’ve got several stories to contribute, myself. If you can find a pensieve in one of your vaults, I’ll let you watch the memories for yourself.”

“Moony,” Sirius groaned, covering his face to hide his embarrassment. It didn’t work in the slightest. “Betrayed by my own husband!”

“I see you’re as dramatic as ever,” Andi told him primly. Her smile was bright and mischievous when she winked at Hadrian. “Ever the troublemaker.”

“Right now, we really need to discuss what we’re going to do,” Remus tried again. The adults sombered immediately. “We have the knowledge we need to make a plan, and between us, we should be able to figure out our next steps.”

“Right,” Sirius sighed. “Cissa, you and Draco are safe and welcome here for as long as you’d like to stay. Andi, you too. You can move your husband and daughter here if you want. Kreacher is keeping the house secure. Nobody but family and invited guests can enter, regardless of the fidelius. And now that we have that helpful slip of parchment, we can invite whoever we want.”

“Will copies work?” Draco asked, surprising everyone. “Only… that single slip of parchment will wear through fast if we pass it around. I’m assuming that Dumbledore is the secret keeper, and none of us want to be talking to him. There’s no breaking the charm, is there?”

“The goblins could do it,” Andi replied thoughtfully. “Though truthfully, I’m shocked that this is where you’ve ended up. Why not Potter Manor? Wouldn’t Hadrian have access? I can’t imagine that his parents wouldn’t have left it to him.”

“Potter Manor?” Hadrian asked blankly. Sirius and Remus seemed at a loss for words, and Andi was growing steadily more amused by the moment.

“Are you telling me that none of you have considered moving to a more secure house? One that Dumbledore doesn’t control? House elves can only do so much, you know. He’s a powerful wizard, and you only have Kreacher. He was here when I was a little girl, and I am older than you, Sirius,” Andi admonished. “How could the Potters not leave their godson and heir a home to go to?”

“Well,” Hadrian replied slowly, drawing out the word as his mind raced. “I don’t actually know what they left me. I’ve never heard their will.”

“What?” Narcissa asked, frowning. “What do you mean, you haven’t heard it? You should have been given the option when you turned eleven.”

“I’ve never heard it either,” Sirius confessed. “Remus?”

“No,” Remus admitted. “I don’t know that anyone has. It always seemed strange to me that I was never summoned. Not that I expected anything, but I would have liked at least a letter. I knew they were writing them.”

“Well, it’s settled then,” Andi nodded. “After brunch, we’re making a trip to Gringotts. You need to hear that will.”

“Actually, I’m meant to be going to Gringotts this afternoon, anyway,” Hadrian admitted. In the excitement, he’d forgotten all about it. “Onyxclaw and Thornfire have some things to share with us about… everything.”

“Great,” Sirius said, frowning. “More bad news?”

“Most likely,” Hadrian nodded. Neither of his parents looked pleased with that answer. “You don’t have to come with me if you don’t want to.”

“Don’t be ridiculous,” Sirius rolled his eyes fondly. “Of course we’re coming with you. And we’ll ask about the wills while we’re there. There must be a reason why they haven’t been read yet, and I can guess what it is.”

“I bet he’s named himself your magical guardian,” Remus said quietly. He had the thoughtful look on his face that usually meant he’d given what he was about to say a lot of thought. “If he’s done that, he could place you anywhere he wants. He would have control of your vaults and your Wizengamot votes. He’d be able to seal the wills indefinitely. And if you hadn’t taken your lordships by the time you turn twenty-one, he could have claimed them himself.”

“He could do what?” Hadrian asked in alarm. He glanced down at the Potter ring that was gleaming on his finger, relieved that he’d chosen to follow Parvati off of the train yet again.

“It’s an ancient law,” Sirius agreed, much to Hadrian’s horror. Draco looked just as stunned, but the adults just looked grim. “Sometimes the heirs who have lost their families aren’t responsible by the time they’re that age. They can’t be trusted to make decisions for the good of our world, and so their magical guardians can claim the lordships in their place. Ordinarily, a magical guardian is someone the parents have trusted enough to leave their children to in case something happens to them. If Siri and I had both been lost in the war, you were meant to go to James and Lily. And when they died, you should have gone to Andromeda.”

“You named me?” Andi asked, blinking in surprise. “We hadn’t spoken in years.”

“I’ve always trusted you, Andi. Always,” Sirius admitted. “I admired how you left for Ted, and I always liked him, too. I used to wish that I was strong enough to just choose love, and when I finally gave in and decided to be with Remus for good, it was because I knew everything would work out the way it did for you. If anyone else was going to raise my son, it had to be someone who would teach him never to be afraid of following his heart.”

Remus rested his hand on Sirius’s arm, smiling softly. Andromeda blinked tears away, and even Narcissa looked slightly misty-eyed. Hadrian watched the whole thing silently, unsure of how to feel. Vernon and Petunia should never have gotten their hands on him. It was yet another thing that Dumbledore had forced him into for reasons he had yet to determine. What, exactly, was the old man getting out of this? What did he gain by making Hadrian’s life miserable? What was he using the stolen money for? Why did he want Hadrian to hate the Slytherins so badly? He had too many questions and not enough answers.

“I’m honored,” Andi said softly. “I wish that things could have gone differently for all of us. Hadrian, you are stronger than I ever would have guessed. You should be proud of who you’ve become.”

“I am,” he confirmed with a smile. Nothing more was said for a long time. He caught Draco staring at him a few times, but he never said what he was thinking about. After a while of silence, Narcissa started another conversation with Remus about spellwork that Hadrian quickly tuned out. There were too many questions floating around his mind. It wasn’t until all the food was gone that Gringotts was brought up again.

“Go get ready, Hadrian,” Remus told him gently. “We’ll meet you in the parlor to floo to the bank.”

Sirius followed Hadrian to the stairs, and then all the way up to his room. He stayed in the doorway to watch as Hadrian pinned the goblin-made brooch to the inside of his cloak and strapped the dagger to his side. He’d read that it was an insult to the goblins to not carry a weapon, and as he was now one of them…

“You know, I’m proud of you,” Sirius told him conversationally. “I don’t think I’ve gotten the chance to say it yet, and I doubt you’d be tired of hearing it if I have. You have the amazing habit of being able to take horrible situations and make them come out to your advantage. You’re going to need that over the coming months.”

“We still don’t really know what’s going on,” Hadrian pointed out. “You coming back should have been impossible. Me having so many titles is unheard of. The goblins making me a part of their nation is a miracle. I haven’t done anything; things are just happening around me and I’m reacting.”

“Sure,” Sirius agreed. “But you’re reacting by rolling with the punches. You haven’t curled up into a ball and given up. You haven’t gotten angry and exploded anything with your magic. You haven’t acted rashly and ruined things before we could start them. You stayed calm, made calculated decisions, and listened to the people around you. You’re kind of amazing.”

“I’m not amazing at all,” Hadrian protested with a frown. Sirius crossed into the room and sat on the bed to be closer.

“Can I tell you a story?” he asked. Hadrian nodded after a moment. “In my second year of Hogwarts, James and I found out that your dad was a werewolf. You have to understand that back then, there was no good propaganda about werewolves. The lot of them had joined You-Know-Who, and they were terrorizing the nation. So when we found out about Remus, we were understandably shaken. We didn’t sleep in the dorm for three days straight, and we stopped talking to him. Peter was confused, and we didn’t explain it to him. We worried that he wouldn’t be able to keep the secret, and he might have been hurt if anyone else found out.”

“But you all became animagi to help him,” Hadrian said with a frown. Sirius nodded, but he looked troubled.

“We did. But first, we confronted Remus about it. We said some pretty hurtful things, to the point that he packed his trunk and was going to tell Dumbledore to send him home. That’s when James came to his senses. Remus was willing to take himself out of the equation to make us comfortable. That’s not the actions of a monster. I’m ashamed to say that it took me a bit longer to warm back up to him. My mother had drilled things into my head, see, and I wasn’t mature enough to realize that she was full of… well. When James told me he wanted to be an animagus, I very nearly reported him,” Sirius admitted.

“What happened to change your mind?” Hadrian asked. He was more than a little bit confused. He’d never seen anything but love and happiness between his parents, and he’d never heard anyone talk about them fighting. Not ever.

“He saved my life,” Sirius answered easily. “Sniv- Snape was a right git in school, I know you know that. I was angry at him, and I was upset about Remus, and I decided to combine my anger at the two of them and kill two crups with one curse. I told Snape that Remus was sneaking down the passage to the Shrieking Shack, and when he’d be doing it. The great idiot followed him and nearly got himself killed. James figured out what I’d done and saved the bat’s life, but the damage was done. He knew about Remus, Remus knew I’d given away his secret, and Snape realized pretty quickly that I’d been trying to at the very least maim him. He went for revenge when he thought I was alone.”

“Oh,” Hadrian whispered with wide eyes. He’d never heard this version of the story before. Only Snape’s.

“He cornered me in the dungeons after curfew. I’d gone out to clear my head, because none of the other Marauders would speak to me. By then, I’d realized what a git I was being and had apologized to Remus, but it was too late. Or so I thought,” he sighed. “Remus followed me that night to talk privately, hoping to finally make things right between us. He found me right as Snivelus sent a special cutting spell at my throat, and managed to block it for me. He stunned the bast- uh, git, and we got out of there. Neither of us reported him, because he hadn’t reported us.”

“And you talked?” Hadrian pressed when Sirius stopped talking. Sirius nodded again.

“We did, but that wasn’t really the point of the story. I wanted to show you that there’s the normal way to react, which is anger and the need for revenge,” he gave Hadrian a wry smile. “Or there’s your way, which is calm and rational. Calculated. Smart.”

“I was so angry and scared when I found out what was done to me,” Hadrian admitted. “I very nearly destroyed the goblin infirmary, but… so much was happening, and the goblins rushed me through everything fast enough that I didn’t have time to react the way I probably should have. They did the ritual to make me one of them right after I woke from getting the blocks cleared out, and it used up the extra magic that was buzzing under my skin. I think they did it on purpose.”

“They likely did,” Sirius agreed. He wrapped his arm around Hadrian’s shoulders with a soft smile. “But you had time when you woke up to destroy things, and your magic could have lashed out easily when you were told about all the blocks that were on you. You kept control.”

“Not on purpose,” Hadrian repeated, frowning.

“Hadrian,” Sirius sighed. “All I’m trying to tell you is that I’m proud of you, and it’s okay to lose a little bit of control after everything that’s been done to you. None of us are going to think badly of you if you lose control today. The things we’re going to hear are going to be just as bad as the things you’ve already discovered. Maybe worse.”

“I know,” Hadrian said softly. He was looking down at his lap, fingers twitching impatiently. “But we have to know.”

“Then let’s go get it over with,” Sirius told him, giving him a little squeeze before pulling away to stand up. He held out his hand, and Hadrian took it. “The sooner we go, the sooner we can move forward.”

“We’ll stay here and await your return,” Narcissa was telling everyone with a sad smile as they returned from upstairs. “I cannot imagine that you’ll want an audience for this.”

“Thank you,” Remus told her, offering a sad smile in return. “We shouldn’t be more than a few hours, although Hadrian has a tendency to get caught up in things. The goblins are fascinated by him, I think. He treats them as equals, and they don’t know what to do with him. That’s why they made him one of them, I believe.”

“An impressive feat at only sixteen. I’ve never heard of such a thing,” Andi chimed in. Hadrian wished that he hadn’t returned to the parlor in time to hear the compliment, as it flustered him.

“It’s just the right thing to do, treating them like equals. They run our world, you know. Control of our money means they could collapse our economy in moments. It would be smart for more people to remember that,” he told the room. “I didn’t ask to be included in their culture, but I’m glad that they liked me enough to offer.”

“You truly are odd, aren’t you?” Draco asked, crossing his arms. Instead of the usual haughtiness, he was regarding Hadrian with amusement. Hadrian grinned back, shaking his head.

“You have no idea,” he answered. Sirius chuckled as he wrapped an arm around Hadrian’s shoulders, tugging him towards the fireplace.

Floo travel was just as awful as Hadrian remembered it being. He didn’t think he’d ever get used to it, no matter how many times he had to do it over the course of his life. He’d always prefer flying. Since he’d traveled with Sirius, they had to move off to the side to wait for Remus. It was a relief to both of them when Remus appeared. None of it really felt real to Hadrian yet, and he got anxious every time one of them was out of his sight. It had taken him a long time to finally fall asleep the night before.

Everyone but Sirius was surprised when Andromeda followed just behind Remus, shaking the soot from her robes. She looked up to see them all staring at them and offered a smirk that Hadrian had seen from his father many times before. “Well, what are we waiting for? Let’s go meet some goblins, little lord.”

“It’s just Hadrian,” he grumbled, frowning. Sirius ruffled his hair as he chuckled, and even Remus gave him an amused look. Andromeda didn’t reply, so he threw up his hands and turned to lead the way into the bank’s lobby. He went straight for the only teller he recognized.

“Good afternoon, Griphook,” he greeted with a smile. The goblin looked up from his parchment in surprise. “I have an appointment with Onyxclaw, and I’ve brought my family with me as requested.”

“Very good,” Griphook replied, standing from his chair. He kept his face blank, but Hadrian could tell that he was surprised to be recognized and treated as an equal. “If you’ll follow me, I’ll take you to his office.”

It was a longer walk than Hadrian had remembered, but he’d been fairly distracted both other times that he’d gone this far into the bank. He didn’t try to remember the way, because he knew the halls all looked the same until the rails for the vaults. Griphook made them stop in front of the black doors, then knocked twice. It took only moments for Onyxclaw to call for their entrance. Griphook shoved the doors open and gave a bow to allow their passage. Hadrian gave a nod and a smile in return, then led the way inside.

“Ah, Kriger Herre, just in time. Thornfire was beginning to be impatient. Let me just summon her, and then we can begin,” Onyxclaw greeted. His smile was more familiar than Griphook’s, and Hadrian felt himself relax for the first time since entering the bank. He tensed again when Onyxclaw did, until he realized the reason for it. Andromeda had just followed Remus into the room.

“It’s okay,” Hadrian said quickly. He didn’t think the goblin would lash out, but he also didn’t want Andi to get hurt because of him. “She’s family. Sirius’s cousin.”

“If you say that she is welcome, I will allow her presence. If I sense any inclination towards violence, I will react accordingly,” the goblin said quietly. Hadrian nodded in agreement. He knew Andi wasn’t going to do anything to draw the wrath of the goblins. She was smarter than that. “Very well. Shall we begin with what you wish to know?”

“Yes, please,” Hadrian agreed. He settled himself into the chair directly across from Onyxclaw and didn’t pay much attention to where his family chose to sit around him. “Can we start with what’s been coming out of my vaults, and how they could have been taking money when I only had access to my trust vault?”

“If you wish,” Onyxclaw agreed. He waved a hand and a stack of parchment appeared in front of him. He picked up the first page and read it quickly, then cleared his throat. “Monthly payments of one thousand galleons are going to Albus Dumbledore and Molly Weasley. Monthly payments of five hundred galleons are going to Ginevra and Ronald Weasley, as well as a special funding vault for ‘The Order’, whatever that means. Yearly payments of two hundred galleons, converted to muggle currency, are going to the Dursley family and Arabella Figg.”

“He’s been paying all of them,” Hadrian whispered, looking down. He hadn’t had much hope that everything was a misunderstanding, but it still hurt to find out there was no chance of that. “How did he gain access to my vaults?”

“Albus Dumbledore arranged his access and the payments three days after the passing of James and Lily Potter. He also sealed their wills and properties until such a time that the lordships could be claimed, as he was not allowed access to those things without your blood,” Onyxclaw replied. “He did try several times to return with a vial of your blood, but as it was not freely given, it could not be used.”

“That’s a rule?” Remus asked, sounding more surprised than Hadrian would have expected. He had thought that Remus knew quite a bit about things like this.

“No,” Onyxclaw said with a smirk. “But as Albus Dumbledore has never been kind to our people, we allowed certain… exceptions to our policies. King Nagnok allowed us to place the stipulations on your accounts, only.”

“Thank you,” Hadrian told him with feeling. Onyxclaw nodded in reply, recognizing that the young lord needed a moment. He took a deep, shuddering breath, then let it out. “As I’ve claimed my titles, can I unseal everything?”

“You’ve had all blocks and compulsions removed, and therefore would be willingly providing your blood. We will happily unseal all of it for you this very day,” Onyxclaw agreed. “It will take several hours to reactivate the properties, but we can hear the reading of the wills at any time. It simply requires three drops of your blood.”

“I’m ready,” Hadrian nodded. Remus and Sirius reached at the same time, grabbing onto his arms for support. He wasn’t sure if it was support for him or themselves; probably both. He irrationally wished that Narcissa and Draco had joined them, after all. While he still wasn’t sure how to feel about the Malfoys, having more people around might diffuse the tension. He’d have to settle for Andi, and hopefully Thornfire.

As if being summoned by his thoughts, Thornfire appeared in the doorway of the office. She looked grim, as though she expected to have to fight. Hadrian was starting to recognize that it was her default expression. “Well met, Kriger Herre. I wish it were on better terms,” she said quietly.

“Someday I’ll come for a visit that doesn’t involve hearing about all of the tragedies of my life,” he promised. He gave her a bitter smile that she returned with amusement. “Is it alright if we listen to the wills before getting into the health issues?”

“Of course,” she agreed. She moved to stand behind her mate, regarding all of them with sharp eyes. “The things we say in this room do not leave this bank. Am I understood?”

“Yes,” Sirius said quickly. Remus and Andromeda nodded their agreement, though Andi didn’t look thrilled to be doing so. “We would never do anything to endanger Hadrian.”

“Good,” Thornfire said calmly. She turned her attention to her claws as two large gems appeared in the center of the desk. One was a sparkling sapphire, and the other was a shining emerald. Hadrian had seen just enough pictures to recognize that they were the exact shades of James and Lily’s eyes. His breath caught in his throat.

“James Potter recorded his first, and should therefore be heard first,” Onyxclaw informed them. “Simply use the athame to apply three drops of blood to the top of the sapphire, and it will begin.”

Hadrian lifted the athame just as he had on his first visit to this office. The three drops of blood fell easily to the top of the sapphire, and the tiny cut healed itself instantly. The gem glowed with an unnatural light for several seconds, and then the ghost of James Potter formed over top of it. He regarded all of them silently, tears glistening in his eyes. Finally, he cleared his throat and began.

“If you’re hearing this, then I didn’t make it. The bloody bastard got me before I could get him. I’m recording this three days before Halloween, which is when I was hoping to tell you all about what he’s done. If we’ve already spoken, I’m sorry. This’ll be repetitive,” he told them. He seemed to be looking directly into their eyes as he spoke, as though he could see them.

“Prongs,” Sirius whispered, squeezing Hadrian’s arm tightly. Hadrian could feel Remus crying silently beside him. James grinned at them, and Hadrian thought for a moment that he could really hear… but no.

“Padfoot, I know you. I know you’re all sad and trying to be strong for Moony, but don’t. Don’t hold back your emotions, okay? Hadrian needs to learn that it’s okay to cry. It’s okay to grieve. Hadrian, when I’m finished, give them both a big hug for me,” he continued. “First, I’d like to tell you all that Voldemort did not kill me. If I’m dead, it’s because Dumbledore figured out we’re onto him. We know what he’s done. The two of you need to get yourselves to a healer now. If you don’t already have Hadrian, go find him. I’ve left you both letters with more details. I also left a few vials of memories for when Hadrian is older. We might have had him longer than you, but all the memories are about the two of you with him.”

“Prongs,” Sirius whispered again, sounding even more pained. Hadrian pulled his arm out of Sirius’s grip so he could grab his hand instead, then did the same for Remus. He could be the strong one today.

“To Sirius Black, my brother in all but blood, I leave Potter Manor. It’s completely secure, warded by the goblins and our elves so that nobody can get in without your permission. Raise your son there safely and teach him everything he needs to know to survive. There’s a prophecy that I’m not convinced is real, and the great head-ass-ter is determined to carry it through. He’s tried to convince us that Hadrian has to die to save the world as we know it. It’s a load of bollocks. I also leave you enough money to secure your futures in case your cow of a mother finally cuts you off. You deserve to be happy, Pads,” James told them.

“To Remus Lupin, my best friend and packmate, I leave all of the Potter family journals, and our grimoire. I know you like that kind of stuff, just like Lils. You’ll learn from them better than anyone else, and you can teach Hadrian when he’s old enough,” James continued. “I left you as much money as Sirius, but yours is specifically for fun things. Let Sirius take care of the boring housekeeping and domestic shopping. You use your money for trips around the world, and things that make all of you smile. Take Hadrian to different cultures and let him learn about the different kinds of magic. I’ll never forget the summer trips my parents took all of us on. Just tell him Uncle Prongs is on the adventures with him in spirit, okay? And I’ll be right beside you, even if you can’t see me. Just like old times.”

Remus was crying even harder now, clutching Hadrian’s hand tightly. Hadrian had to close his eyes for a few seconds to calm himself down. He wasn’t sure if the urge to cry came from James’s words or Remus’s reaction to them. Probably both. He opened his eyes just in time for James to finish.

“I love you guys so much more than I can express. You’re my family, and you know how important that is to me. All of the rest of my worldly belongings and money I leave to my godson and heir, Hadrian James Potter-Black. I wish more than anything that we could have had time to get to know each other the way we should have. I would have been the best uncle. I was planning to show you how to be an animagus when you’re older, and to take you on adventures that would give your dad and Aunt Lily heart attacks. I hope you still get to do those things and more, Hadrian. I hope you get everything you dream of in life. And I hope more than anything else in this world that someone kills Albus Dumbledore before he can dig his claws further into your life. You’re the kid I’ll never have, kiddo. I love you,” James told him. “And with that, I’ll let Lily take her turn.”

James faded back into the gem, leaving the room completely silent in his wake. Andromeda stood from her chair and pulled Sirius into her arms, leaving Hadrian to hug Remus as hard as he could. He felt the tears against his neck, but he didn’t say a single word. He let his dad hold him for as long as he needed to get himself calmed back down. They weren’t done yet.

“Whenever you’re ready, place three drops of blood onto the emerald,” Onyxclaw said softly. His expression was more gentle than Hadrian had ever seen it, and it helped him to gain that last bit of composure that he needed. He glanced at Sirius and received a nod.

Three drops of blood fell onto the emerald and dissolved instantly. The cut was healed before he’d even sat back down. The emerald glowed for longer than the sapphire before Lily appeared. She looked flustered and kept glancing over her shoulder. “Okay, okay! I’m going. I know what to say, Jamie!”

She turned her attention to the others in the room and offered a bewildered smile. “We’re writing you letters as I speak. I was in the middle of Hadrian’s when James came to get me for this, so forgive my appearance. We were hoping this wouldn’t become a necessity, but Albus has given us no choice. He’s as bad as Grindelwald, you know. I’ve learned things… but I won’t speak them out loud. I leave my journal to Remus. It’s got everything detailed there. Don’t let Hadrian read it. Maybe not Sirius either.”

She took a deep breath, then gave a genuine smile to Sirius. He got her full attention as she spoke, making Hadrian really wonder how the magical wills worked. “Sirius Black, I offer you the only piece of advice that I’m able to give. Do not waste a single moment of your life, you fool. You took long enough to finally love Remus, and even longer to get over your fear and have Hadrian. Don’t let fear guide your heart any longer. I also leave you Shell Cottage. If for some reason this can’t be given to you, it goes to my favorite godson. Take care of him, Siri.”

Sirius squeezed Hadrian’s hand, but he wasn’t crying like he had for James. Hadrian realized quickly that the pain from losing Lily was different than the pain of losing James for him. He knew that the Potters had taken Sirius in when he could no longer stay with his mother, but he didn’t know how James and Lily factored into it. He’d be asking as soon as he could without hurting all of them.

“Remus, my dearest friend,” Lily said softly. She floated gently over to the werewolf, turning her full attention to him. Hadrian was sure that she was exactly like that when she was alive. If someone had her attention, they had her full attention. That was probably why she’d been flustered when pulled from her letters. “I know this is so hard for you. I don’t know if we’ve gotten to talk to you yet or not, but know that I wanted to tell you as soon as we found out. I started inviting you around as often as I could, and I made sure you knew the secret of our location so you’d always have access to your baby… even if you didn’t remember that he was yours. Hadrian has wanted for nothing since coming to our care, and I’ve started telling him all about his true parents the very same day I learned that it wasn’t me and James. I’m leaving memories in my personal vault that only you will have access to. Watch them, and then show them to Sirius and Hadrian. They’re better than the blasted letters we’re writing. I also leave you my entire library in Potter Manor. Those books are solely yours to do whatever you’d like. My potions and charms journals are there; I’ve created some rather useful things that I never managed to get published. Use them.”

Her attention shifted once more, this time to Onyxclaw behind the desk. The goblin blinked in surprise but did nothing to stop the apparition. “To the account manager at Gringotts, I have a single request. My darling boy is going to need to know what he’s up against. I know what Albus has done to all of you, and I want you to know that… that I’m completely certain that Hadrian will be the one to fix things. Look into the death of your last king. I think you’ll be surprised by what you find.” She paused, regarding the two goblins behind the desk for a few more seconds before giving them a gentle smile. “I’ve never understood why wizards think they’re better than any other race or creature. Muggles are the same, you know. There’s so much prejudice, and why? On behalf of my family, I offer my sincere apologies for your treatment under our misconceptions. I wish that I’d lived long enough to learn about your culture properly.”

With that, she focused on Hadrian. She drifted close to him, and he could immediately see the tears streaming down her cheeks. His heart clenched in his chest. “My darling child, I love you with all my being. I know that I’m not your mother, and yet… I am. I will watch over you for your entire life. I will always, always be with you. So many things that I want to tell you, and not nearly enough time… Your Uncle James will have left you all of his things and his titles. He took them as soon as we found out what had been done to us, so Albus couldn’t have them. I fear that’s why we’re going to die; if he can gain control of your life, he may be able to gain the titles after all. There has to be someone looking out for you. Any time something good happens to you, know that I am with you, cheering you on. When bad things happen, imagine my arms holding you tightly. I’d wipe away your tears if I could. If you whisper to me, I will always hear you. There is nothing in this world or the next that could keep me from being with you. The muggles call it a guardian angel, and I don’t think the wizards have a term for it. Maybe you’ll invent one. Maybe I will, who knows?”

She paused, taking another deep breath and reaching up to wipe her tears away. “To Hadrian, I leave my love and protection. As soon as these words reach his ears, nobody will be able to control his actions or thoughts. With the very last of my magic, on my dying breath, I gift him a shield that can never be penetrated. So mote it be.”

Magic flared around the office, settling securely around Hadrian. He watched with wide eyes as his skin glowed brightly, then faded down to nothing. There was a new warmth to his magic that he’d never felt before, and his mind felt… clear. Protected. He blinked back tears as he looked back up at Lily’s ghost.

“There, that should work even from beyond. Blood rituals are technically banned, but this wasn’t a dark one. Hopefully, you’ll all get to hear this will while Hadrian is still so young. It’ll grant him protection from Albus before the old coot can fully sink his claws into our baby boy. But even if it takes years for you to get here, nothing should prevent Magic from granting my gift,” she told the whole room. Then she offered a sad smile. “I love you. You are my dearest friends… my family. You all accepted me when so many didn’t, and you treated me like an equal even when I didn’t know as much as you about this world. It’s because of you that I felt welcomed and loved. I hope that I gave you the same in return. Someday, we’ll meet again. I’ll have my hugs ready. This isn’t goodbye… it’s see you later. Much, much later.”

There was silence as she faded back into the gem, but it was more thoughtful silence this time. Hadrian let himself be pulled back into Remus’s arms, and they held each other tightly. He could feel his father’s hand on his back, offering silent support. The warm feeling of his magic was still present, and it was just as comforting. It truly felt like Lily was still in the room with them.

It took them longer to pull themselves together, but the goblins kindly gave them the space they needed to process the sudden rush of grief. As soon as Hadrian was certain that none of them were about to burst into tears, he cleared his throat and sat up straight. Back to business.

“Onyxclaw, I would like to stop all payments that I have not personally authorized and seal my vaults from anyone who is not immediate family. Can we recall any keys that may exist?” he asked. The goblin nodded approvingly, wrote out a quick note, and tossed it up to send it. “Thank you. Is there anything that I need to do to make sure my parents will receive what was left for them?”

“No, little lord. As soon as the wills were heard, the proper documents appeared. Sirius Black is now the proud owner of Potter Manor, and Remus Lupin now possesses Shell Cottage. There is one more matter we must discuss before my mate answers your questions,” Onyxclaw replied. Hadrian nodded for him to continue, frowning. “There is a marriage contract drawn up for you. It was signed by both Albus Dumbledore and Molly Weasley upon the birth of Ginevra Weasley. As he was your magical guardian by wizarding standards, it is still valid. You must declare it voided for it to be so.”

“I want to void it immediately,” Hadrian said quickly. His hands clenched into fists as he realized what that would have meant for him. If, by some miracle, he’d managed to survive Voldemort, he would have been forced to marry Ginny and Dumbledore and Molly would have full access to everything he owned. It was his worst nightmare.

“It is done,” Onyxclaw told him. To demonstrate, he lifted the document into the air so that they could all watch it burn to ash. Hadrian’s relief was quick and strong. He slumped slightly into his chair, and Sirius reached over to squeeze his shoulder gently. Hadrian leaned into it automatically.

“Now then, you had questions for me,” Thornfire stepped forward briskly. “I can provide answers, but you may not like them.”

“Probably not, but I need to know,” Hadrian replied grimly. The goblin gave him an approving smile that made Andromeda shiver behind him. “Start with the parseltongue block, please.”

“You could speak the language, because it wasn’t a memory spell. The only way to force anyone into forgetting a language is removing the memories of said language. It’s nearly impossible for the snake language, as you are born knowing it,” Thornfire started. Hadrian frowned, but she continued before he could ask a question. “In this case, what was blocked was your ability to use the language to cast spells. There is a long history of parsel-spells being used to strengthen wards, or make rituals more powerful. By blocking it, he ensured that you wouldn’t have that extra boost in your spell casting. You never would have reached your full potential.”

“I wish I could say that I’m surprised,” Hadrian sighed. “And… the soulbond?”

“Ah, yes,” Thornfire said. She seemed more amused at this one, although it was potentially the one that would upset Hadrian the most. “The love potions never could have worked without that particular block. It is rare anymore for wizards to have soulmates, Kriger Herre. This is another way that you are nearly unique. Some powerful wizards have magic that is too strong for only them. When they are born, another is born to balance them. They are created equal in every way, though one is always more powerful than the other. Because they share a soul, they may also share magic. When one is overwhelmed, the other can take the excess and channel it into something useful. It is likely that you’ve already met your soulbond. It will be someone you are naturally drawn to, though the block may have dulled the pull. You’ll feel it in full force now. They may have felt it all along.”

“I’m sorry, are you saying that soulmates are real?” Hadrian asked in disbelief. “I really thought that I’d misheard you before, in all the chaos.”

“They are quite real,” Andromeda said quietly. “If I didn’t know any better, I’d say that James and Lily were soulmates. I think it was your power that I always felt, though. As your biological mother, Lily carried your potential within her.”

“It would explain why Prongs was always so drawn to her,” Sirius added thoughtfully. “He saw her and just knew that they were meant to be together. I wonder if that’s what it’ll be like for you. Any possible candidates coming to mind?”

“No,” Hadrian admitted. He’d never given it much thought, of course. He couldn’t recall feeling truly drawn to anyone though, even Ginny. He’d never been interested in romance when there was always so much going on around him. “But with my luck, I’ll meet them at the worst possible moment.”

“I’d say it’s the famous Potter luck, but you shouldn’t really have that,” Andromeda chimed in with amusement. “Then again, perhaps it was passed by proximity.”

“He blood-adopted me,” Hadrian replied carefully. “Technically, we are blood related.”

“Well, there you have it,” Andi grinned. Hadrian shook his head in amusement, then turned his gaze back to Thornfire.

“One more thing. The familiar bond,” he requested. “I don’t have a familiar. I’ve never felt a pull for that, either.”

“No, I suppose you wouldn’t have,” Thornfire agreed. “It was blocked shortly after your birth. It could be any animal or creature. It could be your owl, though I’d doubt it. You’ve been around her since the block was lifted. My best guess would be that your familiar is a snake.”

“Because of the parseltongue?” Hadrian asked, amused. “I don’t know about that. I like snakes, and I always have, but I don’t like them any more than any other animals.”

“Well, this may be yet another way that you surprise us all,” Remus told him gently. “We can take a look around Diagon Alley later in the summer and see if anything calls to you. How does that sound?”

“How are we going to do that without getting swarmed?” Sirius asked, frowning slightly. “I’ve been trying to figure that out since Hadrian said he wanted to meet up with his friends here next weekend. The moment he steps out of the bank, he’ll be surrounded.”

“I wasn’t planning on coming through the bank to get to the alley that day,” Hadrian admitted. “You’re not going to like my plan.”

“Oh, this I have to hear,” Remus said, grinning. “This you definitely get from Lily. She came up with the best schemes. Nobody ever expected them to work, but she pulled them off every single time. She was a genius at strategy.”

“Really?” Hadrian asked. Then he shook his head. He could ask more about his aunt and uncle later. “I’m going to enter the alley through Knockturn Alley, and I’ll be using some kind of glamour.”

“Glamours aren’t foolproof,” Remus pointed out calmly. Sirius gave his husband an incredulous look, as if he couldn’t believe that was the first protest he’d had. Remus sighed. “And Knockturn Alley is a dangerous place, Hadrian. Dark wizards spend their time there.”

“I know that. I’ve been there,” Hadrian told them calmly. “Goblin glamours can only be removed by the one who placed them. I can get the glamour done the night before, or do one myself at home.”

“You could just use your metamorphmagus ability,” Thornfire pointed out impatiently. “I’ve been waiting for you to ask me about it, but you haven’t.”

“My… what?” Hadrian asked blankly. Andromeda was gaping at him in disbelief.

“It’s a wizarding ability that has very nearly died out,” she told him. “My daughter has it. With it, you can change your appearance with a single thought. It doesn’t hurt, and it lasts until you change it back. It’s undetectable, and nobody can force you to shift your features until you are ready to. It’s very useful.”

“Oh,” Hadrian said, blinking. “I can just…” He frowned in thought, but his eyes widened when Sirius gasped.

“You’re a redhead,” he told his son, eyes bright. “You look just like Lily, pup! Look at you!”

He’d been thinking about what it would be like to look like the woman who’d brought him into the world, so he wasn’t surprised that he’d changed his features to match hers. In fact, that would most likely fool anyone looking around for ‘Harry Potter’. It would be perfect for a private meeting with his friends. He grinned triumphantly at his father.

“See? I’ll be just fine to meet with them. I’ll look like this, and nobody will look at me twice,” he said quickly. “If it makes you feel better, I’ll wear the cloak while I’m in Knockturn Alley. I plan to be there for less than ten minutes. It’s just an easy way to go undetected.”

“I don’t like it,” Sirius grumbled. Hadrian crossed his arms, trying to stay patient. He wasn’t used to having parents who cared about him, and he didn’t want to lash out, but… legally he was an adult, and he’d done much more dangerous things before.

“If it’s a mistake, it’s one you have to let me make for myself,” he said after a few moments of consideration. “I can’t stay locked away forever. I have to live my life. You heard Uncle Prongs.”

“He’s right,” Remus sighed. “We have to let him go. He knows he’s got us if he needs us, and that’s what’s important. But Hadrian, you have to make good decisions. Don’t put yourself into unnecessary danger.”

“I never do,” he shrugged. “Danger sort of just… finds me.”

“Thank you for the information that you’ve given us today,” Andromeda addressed the goblins. She had to speak over Sirius’s spluttering protest. “Would you happen to know when Potter Manor will be ready for inhabitation?”

“We will send a portkey along shortly,” Onyxclaw assured her. “Mr. Black will need to go first so that he might key everyone else into the wards. Our young lord should have no trouble entering, as they are blood wards.”

“Keyed to the Potters or Blacks?” Hadrian asked out of curiosity. As he was the son of both, it didn’t really matter. Still, Sirius looked impressed that he’d thought to ask.

“Both,” Onyxclaw replied. “The wards will never reject a Potter, but our team is adding wards keyed specifically to your father. They will keep any uninvited visitors from even locating the house, more effectively than a fidelius. There is no need for a secret keeper.”

“Wicked,” Hadrian grinned. “I can’t wait to see it. Is that where… my aunt and uncle lived, before?”

“You can call them mum and dad, Hadrian,” Remus told him gently. Hadrian simply shook his head. “Yes, they lived there for a year or two before being forced to Godric’s Hollow. I believe that village is owned by the Potters, actually.”

“It was,” Onyxclaw confirmed. “From their Gryffindor heritage. It’s passed to young Hadrian now. He can do with it whatever he wishes.”

“That’s where they’re buried, isn’t it?” he asked quietly. “I want to visit them. I want to… to see where it all happened.”

“It’s not a pretty sight,” Sirius told him hesitantly. “I was there right after it all went down, that night. My greatest regret in life is that I chased after Peter instead of going in for you. I thought… I thought I’d have time to do both. Catch Peter and take you home. I didn’t know that Peter planned for me to chase him. And now… now I wonder.”

“If Dumbledore was behind everything, was Peter even really involved?” Remus voiced, frowning. “Or was he just spelled, the way we all were? I wonder if he was ever one of Voldemort’s followers, truly.”

“It brings up a different question, too,” Hadrian said reluctantly. He’d been trying so hard not to think about it, but he couldn’t hold it back any longer. “If Dumbledore has been pulling strings for so long, is Voldemort acting under his own influence, or…”

“Oh,” Andromeda gasped. She had paled considerably. “You don’t think…”

“We don’t know what he wants,” Sirius said slowly. “Dumbledore, I mean. We don’t know what he’s gained by doing any of this. It does stand to reason that he’s done this for a greater purpose, and that’s a troubling thought.”

“If he is acting under another’s orders, we may be able to help,” Thornfire told them. “It would involve luring him to the bank. We would need to be in his presence to detect and remove any blocks or compulsions.”

“That’s something to think about,” Remus nodded. “But one problem at a time. Voldemort is a less pressing concern. He can’t get to you as long as you’re with us or at Hogwarts. Dumbledore, on the other hand, will have full access to you when you’re back at school. We need to find a way to keep you safe and get him away from children.”

“Oh, don’t worry about that,” Sirius chimed in with a smirk. “I have a plan.”

Chapter Text

Whether Sirius had a plan or not, he didn’t seem to be inclined to share it. Not even Remus could get him to share it. It was a very quiet trip home once they realized he wasn’t going to talk. Narcissa and Draco were waiting for them in the kitchen, both doing menial things to pretend that they weren’t waiting to hear everything that had happened. Both of them looked up as soon as they stomped inside, faking mild curiosity. Hadrian saw right through both of them.

“Right then,” Sirius said, clapping his hands together. “Everyone pack up the things you can’t live without, and let’s get out of this hellhole.”

Narcissa’s eyebrows rose slowly, but she said nothing. Draco couldn’t keep the same composure. “What do you mean, get out of here? We have nowhere to go!”

“Draco,” Narcissa reprimanded quietly. All it did was earn her a glare. She ignored her sullen son and turned her gaze back to her cousin. “He does have a point.”

“We’re moving to Potter Manor,” Sirius told them with a smug smile. “My brand new home. The goblins are fixing up the wards now. Hadrian and I are going to go ahead to add you all in, and then we’re going to live there. Nobody will be able to find us. It’s unplottable, and goblin wards are better than anything wizards can do.”

“He left it to Hadrian, then?” Narcissa asked, folding her hands together calmly. Though he barely knew her, Hadrian could see the faint glitter of satisfaction in her eyes. It was the same look that Draco got whenever he’d gotten away with something but didn’t want to draw attention to it.

“No,” Sirius replied, his grin growing. “He left it to me. Nobody will be able to take it away, that way. He was smarter than I ever gave him credit for. Didn’t occur to me right away, but anything left to Hadrian could have been claimed by Dumbledore while he was the magical guardian. Good thing he sealed the wills rather than listen to them.”

“He couldn’t have listened to them,” Remus pointed out calmly. “He would have needed Hadrian’s blood to activate them, and there’s no way Hadrian would have gone along with it without asking questions that the old windbag wouldn’t want to answer.”

“Right, of course,” Sirius nodded. Then he shook himself and clapped his hands once more. “Come on, we’re wasting time! We need to be out of here as soon as possible. Don’t want to risk him figuring out what’s going on before it’s too late for him to do anything about it. Like it or not, he's the secret keeper for this place until I can figure out how to dismantle the fidelius. Go pack up your things while Hadrian and I check out our new home.”

“Kreacher,” Hadrian called softly. The elf popped into existence in front of him, scowling down at the ground. “I need you to pack up the things I brought with me when I came and give them to Remus. When we’re gone, you can go back to doing… whatever it is you were doing before we all got here. If anyone- and I mean anyone- asks where we are or if we were here, you are not to answer. Make something up if you need to. Just don’t tell them that we were here or where we’ve gone. Understood?”

“Yes, young master,” Kreature grumbled.

“Thank you,” Hadrian told him kindly. He was definitely not going to be suggesting bringing Kreature with them. The goblins had said there were elves at Potter Manor, and it would be suspicious if Kreature suddenly went missing from Grimmauld Place. He watched as the elf disappeared, then looked back to Sirius. His father was watching with an unreadable look on his face, but he said nothing as he held out an arm to his son. Hadrian took it without hesitation.

“We can’t floo there,” Sirius explained. “I know you don’t like apparating, but it’s a necessary evil today. Once we’ve messed around with the wards, we can set it up so certain magical signatures will be able to use the floo to get in and out. Family only, for now. Portkeys will never be permitted on the grounds or in the house. Not even ones from Gringotts.”

“What about my broach? We have to let the goblins in, just in case,” Hadrian pointed out. Sirius offered him a smile that didn’t quite reach his eyes, but Hadrian couldn’t figure out why he’d possibly be upset right now.

“Goblin magic is different from ours. You know that,” he pointed out calmly. “Your goblin friends will be able to get in and out of wherever you are, no matter what wards we put into place. They follow their own rules.”

And suddenly, Hadrian understood. Sirius didn’t like that all of the goblins could get to him no matter who they were or what they wanted. It was always possible for goblins to be as corrupt as wizards were. Any of them could side with Dumbledore and try to force him back onto the path that had been forced on him. When he thought about it like that, Hadrian was nervous as well. He just needed to have faith that Onyxclaw and Thornfire would never let that happen to him.

“We just… have to be careful, I guess,” Hadrian sighed. He stepped a little closer to Sirius, trying to offer silent comfort to his father. “I’ve got my emergency defences, and I’ve got you. I’ll be perfectly safe in Potter Manor.”

“You will,” Sirius agreed. The press of his lips and fire in his eyes told Hadrian that he was completely serious in every way. Without another word, Sirius spun in place and dragged Hadrian into the press of apparation.

When his vision cleared, Hadrian was surprised to see a beautiful field of sunflowers in front of them. Sirius had relaxed in a way that Hadrian had never seen him do before, and he was smiling slightly. Their hair was ruffled in the gentle breeze, and Hadrian found that he was in no hurry to find the manor if this was what was around it.

“It’s just over that hill,” Sirius told him. He didn’t seem to be in a hurry, either. He tilted his face up towards the sun and took a deep breath of the fresh air. Hadrian looked away, feeling like he was intruding on a private moment. The more he looked around, the more excited he became. He could see a quidditch hoop in the distance, and hoped that it was a partial field to practice in for the summers.

When they’d both had their fill of the peaceful meadow, they began the trek up to the manor. As soon as they reached the top of the hill, Hadrian could see it there. It was much bigger than Grimmauld Place, and he took a brief moment to wonder if it was also bigger than Malfoy Manor. He’d have to ask Draco later- though he rather suspected that Draco would make it known as soon as he saw this place if that was the case.

Potter Manor was a cheerful shade of light blue, which was shocking enough by itself. There were two obvious wings of the house; the left side was more homely with white trim and shutters, while the right side was all sharp angles and balconies. The front door was painted white, but there were no windows near it. Hadrian stayed back at first to take in the sight. He must have looked confused, because Sirius turned to explain.

“Monty and Phee could never agree on decorating. Phee liked the softer side of things and wanted the manor to feel welcoming. It was a family home, and she wanted it to feel like one. Monty was raised in a household similar to the Malfoys, and he’d always been told that traditional was the only acceptable way to go. His side of the house looks more like how I expect Malfoy Manor appears. That’s not to say that the inside is uncomfortable! They both agreed on the welcoming aspect. Everything is soft and comfortable. Their elves will have kept everything pristine, I’m sure. I remember…”

Sirius trailed off with a lost look on his face, but before Hadrian could figure out what to say the door swung open. The elf that stood there seemed much younger than Hadrian would have expected. He wore a maroon pillowcase with the Potter crest over his heart. His eyes were wide and watery, and Hadrian knew from experience with Dobby that this wouldn’t go well if it wasn’t handled delicately.

“Master Siri?” the elf asked, wringing his little hands in the front of his uniform. Sirius looked startled, then grinned widely.

“Tuffy!” he exclaimed, crossing the yard in long strides to pull the shocked elf into a hug. The elf spluttered for a few seconds, but then slowly returned the embrace. “I was so hoping you were still here!”

“I is not leaving, Master Siri. Not since Master Jamesy told me you’d be back,” the elf replied.

“And here I am,” Sirius grinned. “I’ve brought my son, and my husband will be coming as soon as we’ve fixed the wards. Have the goblins been by to add theirs?”

Tuffy’s face screwed up in irritation, but it wasn’t directed at Sirius. He nodded, looking over his shoulder at something inside of the house that they couldn’t see yet. “They came. They is not very nice, Master Siri. They is calling us names and taunting us.”

“I’ll talk to them,” Hadrian offered softly. “They shouldn’t be doing that to anyone, even people they don’t like.”

“We is not people, little master,” Tuffy told him, but he was smiling again. “This is being Master Siri’s son?”

“I’m Hadrian,” he introduced himself. “It’s nice to meet you.”

“Tuffy, who else is still here? Is Gizzy?” Sirius asked, trying to redirect the conversation.

“Gizzy is being running the kitchen,” Tuffy agreed easily. “Magsy is tending the garden. I be in charge of the cleaning.”

“Wonderful,” Sirius replied, straightening up. “Hadrian and I are going to the ward stone. Please prepare as many bedrooms as you can. We’ll need… six, I believe. Maybe seven, depending on how the week goes.”

“So many guests…” Tuffy exclaimed with wide eyes. “Tuffy will do! Master Siri need not worry.”

“Thanks, Tuffy. I knew I could count on you,” Sirius grinned. He patted the elf on the shoulder as he passed by, and Hadrian hurried to catch up to him. “Tuffy was really young the last time I was here. You know I moved in with the Potters when I was sixteen?”

“Yeah,” Hadrian replied with a little frown. “I’ve heard that.”

“Well,” Sirius started, then he hesitated. “I’d imagine the room Tuffy is getting ready for you is James’s old room, but mine was right across the hall. Phee once told me that she’d prepared it for me back when we were eleven, because she just knew… she just knew I’d need it someday. She had one for each of us set aside, even… even Peter. Just in case. Monty never said a word about it, but we all knew he’d go to war for us if he needed to. He took me under his wing for a while, until he realized potions would never be my thing.”

“It sounds like they loved you,” Hadrian said softly. Sirius glanced over at him hesitantly, but must have liked what he saw.

“They were better parents to me than mine ever were,” he admitted. “Took care of me and showed me what love could really be like. I don’t know who I would have been without them.”

“You don’t have to wonder,” Hadrian pointed out. He’d meant because the past couldn’t be changed and he’d grown up happy, but Sirius’s face darkened in a memory as he nodded.

“Could’ve been like Reggy, I suppose,” he agreed quietly. “He never got out from under our mother’s thumb. Joined up with Voldemort and got himself killed.”

“How did he die?” Hadrian asked. He knew that he shouldn’t push this topic, but… he was curious. He’d heard Sirius speak about his brother a few times now.

“Who knows?” Sirius replied bitterly. “The git went missing one day and was never heard from again. He must’ve done something to make Voldemort mad.”

“What if he ran?” Hadrian asked. Sirius shook his head before he’d even finished the last word.

“I loved my brother, don’t get me wrong,” he said quietly. “But Regulus didn’t have a brave bone in his body. He was a Slytherin through and through. He didn’t run.”

“Wouldn’t running be considered cowardly?” Hadrian asked. They’d stopped in front of a random door in the middle of the house, and he could see Sirius getting more tense as the conversation continued. He knew he should change the subject, but… this was his uncle. He wanted to know.

“Running from Voldemort? No,” Sirius shrugged. “That would mean he saw the error of his ways and turned his back on the most dangerous man of the time. To run was a death sentence. He took great pleasure in tracking deserters down and killing them slowly. He made examples out of them. Reg wouldn’t have run, even if he had come to his senses. He’d stay and quietly continue whatever he was doing miserably.” 

“You’re so sure…” Hadrian shook his head, looking down.

“It’s wonderful that you want to believe the best of everyone, but Hadrian…” Sirius took a deep breath, considering his words. “Reg had his chance to run. I tried to get him to come with me when I ran away. He had a place here. He would have been safe from all of it. He was too scared of disappointing Mummy Dearest. Said that his pride wouldn’t let him leave, and besides, she didn’t hate him the way she hated me. I was the black sheep of the family. Reg was the good little boy that she wanted me to be like.”

“I’m sorry,” Hadrian sighed. He had his opinions, but he’d keep them to himself. He’d seen Walburga Black enough times to know how manipulative she would have been. Sirius had always been his own rebellious person… but Hadrian suspected that he had more in common with Regulus Black than Sirius. He wouldn’t point it out.

“It’s alright,” Sirius told him, reaching out to mess up his hair with a grin that again didn’t reach his eyes. Hadrian’s heart ached at the knowledge that it was his fault his father was unhappy now. “We better get to work before they try to come here and end up in Wales.”

“Why Wales?” Hadrian asked, raising his eyebrows. This time, Sirius’s smile did meet his eyes.

“Monty’s favorite Indian restaurant is there,” he replied with a wink. Then he spun on his heel and shoved the random door open.

The inside of the ward room was nothing like Hadrian expected. It appeared to be a library at first glance. Bookshelves lined the walls, and books of all shapes and sizes were crammed onto them. Piles of books that didn’t fit onto the shelves were stacked in the corners or on top of the shelves themselves. He briefly thought that Hermione would have loved this room… before he remembered that she’d betrayed him. It took him a moment to realize that there was a massive, unpolished chunk of amethyst floating in the center of the room. Runes were etched into the surface on all sides, and it was glowing faintly with pure magic.

“This is a ward stone,” Sirius explained. “I can’t imagine you’ve ever seen one of these before. Every magical manor has one, and most businesses keep a much smaller one in their back rooms. Hogwarts has a bigger one than this, and if I’m right, you’ll have access to it once you’re there. You’re wearing the lordship rings, right?”

Hadrian held up his hand to show the now visible rings. Sirius nodded, then beckoned him into the room behind him. As soon as they were both inside, the door swung shut on its own. “We’re the only two wizards alive who have access to the manor right now. Me because it was gifted to me, and you because you’re a Potter biologically. Your soulmate should have access as soon as you’ve bonded, and any children you have will automatically be able to enter any Potter or Black home. Changing the wards is pretty easy once you know what you’re looking for.”

“Do you think I’ll be able to change the wards at Hogwarts?” Hadrian asked quietly. His eyes hadn’t left the stone since he’d noticed it. Something about it was drawing him in.

“Yes,” Sirius answered without hesitation. “And I’m counting on it.”

“What?” Hadrian asked, finally looking over at him. Sirius was already watching him with a glint in his eyes. 

“If you can find and change the wards back to what they’re supposed to be, I think Dumbledore will remove himself,” Sirius told him calmly. Hadrian’s eyes widened. “It’s just a theory, of course… but the wards in the school are supposed to prevent people with intent to kill from entering. They’re also supposed to act as a safety net for the students. I remember hearing from my uncle about the time he and his friends ended up frozen in place for trying to hex a muggleborn Gryffindor in their seventh year. How many times have you and your… and the others been hexed?”

“Too many,” Hadrian muttered under his breath. Sirius heard him anyway.

“I don’t know what else they’re supposed to do, but I know they must have been changed once Dumbledore took over. It’d be even better if you can figure out who the other two heirs are, but I don’t know how you’d go about that,” Sirius told him. “Wards know what they want before you even touch them. Hogwarts has always been special, right? I think if you push some of your magic into the stone, the school will do the rest.”

“It could be that easy?” Hadrian asked, crossing his arms. He couldn’t believe that it could be so easy to get rid of the Headmaster who was intent on ruining his life.

“Finding the room that holds the stone isn’t going to be easy at all,” Sirius pointed out. “So no, I don’t think it’ll be easy. I didn’t want to say anything about it in front of the others just in case this doesn’t go like I think it will,” Sirius admitted. “If you can find the room, and the stone accepts you as a lord of the castle, I’m pretty sure all you’ll have to do is offer your magic and it’ll fix itself. A ward stone knows what it wants. It just needs magic to get there.”

“So what are we doing here?” Hadrian asked, glancing at the stone again. He didn’t let himself hope that Sirius was right, and that it really would be that easy to get the headmaster out of his life. “Giving it our magic?”

“Not exactly,” Sirius sighed. “Yes, we’re going to have to push some of our magic into it, but we’re changing these wards for the first time. At Hogwarts, you’ll just be restoring old wards. You won’t have to put any intent behind it, you just have to fuel it for it to do what it wants to do. For this, we’re going to have to focus on what we want while the wards change themselves.”

“So… focus on letting our family inside and keeping everyone else out?” Hadrian asked. Sirius offered him a quick grin.

“Basically, yeah. You’ll be picturing the people you want to allow inside of the wards. The magic will do the rest for you,” Sirius told him. “Magic is really all about intent, especially dark magic like this. With light magic, you still have to picture what you want, but the spell won’t take into account whatever extra you’re trying to add in. Dark magic like this is moldable. If you can see what you want in your mind, you can make anything happen as long as you’ve got the magic to back up your vision. You and I both know that you do.”

“If it’s really that simple, shouldn’t we be able to do anything that we want? Anything at all,” Hadrian asked. He really didn’t like the sound of that. Sirius shook his head quickly.

“No, no,” he answered. “There are always limits. Necromancy, for example, is only a theory. No amount of intent can bring back the dead.”

“How do you explain… you?” Hadrian pointed out. Sirius hesitated, then frowned when it became clear that there was no good answer. “Nimue said that she is magic, and she brought you back as a gift for me. If she can do that… why couldn’t we?”

“The amount of magic you would use might burn down the world,” Nimue whispered into his mind, just as Sirius opened his mouth to say much the same.

“That much magic would be… catastrophic, Pup,” he told him gently. Hadrian nodded, not mentioning that Nimue herself had spoken. He hadn’t told anyone yet that he could still hear her, and he didn’t think it would be a good idea to share that fact right now. He didn’t need anyone thinking that he was crazy, especially when he didn’t understand how he could hear her to begin with.

“As long as you wear my ring, we may speak,” she whispered in answer to his unspoken thought. He shivered, but shook his head when Sirius gave him a questioning look.

“I’m ready. Let’s just get this over with,” he said quietly. “Do we need to do anything special?”

“It’s going to take a bit of blood. We just knick our hands and place them on the stone. You’ll feel it reaching for your core, and you just… reach back. You’ll feel when it’s joined with your magic, and then you focus on what you want. Just picture their faces. Just family, for now,” Sirius explained. He made a move to grab for Hadrian’s hand before pausing with a grimace. “I keep forgetting you can legally use magic now.”

Hadrian stifled a laugh, because it really wasn’t funny. “Me too,” he admitted. “I don’t feel like an adult no matter what Gringotts has said. And I can’t imagine that the Ministry will be happy to know that I’m using magic outside of Hogwarts.”

“They can’t do a thing to stop you,” Sirius shrugged. “We would’ve killed for that when we were your age. ‘Course when we were here, it wasn’t an issue. Potter Manor has always basically been made of magic. Nobody could hope to differentiate between underage magic and regular magic. Same at Grimmauld, but mummy dearest never let us use magic unless we were hexing each other.”

“Your childhood sounds almost as fun as mine was,” Hadrian muttered. Sirius shot him a concerned glance, but apparently decided now was not the time to ask about that. Instead, he aimed his wand at his hand and opened a tiny cut on his palm. Hadrian hesitated for only a moment before doing the same.

“One,” Sirius said softly. “Two… three.”

They pressed their bleeding palms to the stone at the exact same moment, and Hadrian immediately felt the presence of foreign magic probing his own. His first instinct was to shove it away, but… it felt familiar to him. Comforting. Instead of shoving it away, Hadrian reached out with his own magic to embrace it. With a shiver, he felt what could only be described as a magical hug around his very soul. There was an echoing chuckle vibrating through his mind that he knew could only be James Potter, and his eyes filled with tears. If he’d been able to concentrate on anything but what he was feeling, he would have seen the same tears falling down his father’s cheeks.

“Focus on what you want, son,” James whispered through his mind. Or rather, the echo of James’s magic whispered through him. It served as a reminder of what Hadrian was supposed to be doing. “Welcome home, Lord Potter.” 

With a quick shake, Hadrian focused hard on the faces of the people he wanted to welcome into his new home. Remus’s face was first, followed by a warmth that Hadrian knew was an old echo of love from the Potters. Narcissa was next, then Draco. No warm feeling accompanied their images, but Hadrian could feel the acceptance of his request regardless. Andromeda was last, and the magic seemed to sense that he was a little unsure of her. The strange embrace tightened as if to reassure him, and he sank into the warmth of it.

“Lily got to speak with you,” James hummed in his mind. Hadrian couldn’t see him, but he could feel the paternal love pouring off of his magic. “She’s said everything I could want to say, you know. I love you, my son, even if you were never mine. I am so proud of the boy you’ve become. Tell Padfoot and Moony that I love them, and I’ll see them again someday. Hopefully not for a long, long time.”

With one last magical squeeze, the foreign Potter magic fled from him and back into the ward stone. He blinked as his mind cleared, and took a few deep breaths to steady himself. Sirius was standing with his hands over his face, shoulders shaking slightly. Hadrian wasn’t sure if he was laughing or crying, until he pulled his hands away to reveal that it was in fact both.

“I always forget what it feels like,” Sirius told him. His voice was a little hoarse, probably from the intense emotions he’d just been feeling. “Good ol’ Monty, wishing nothing but the best for us. He knew… he always knew.”

“Knew what?” Hadrian asked. Sirius shook his head, pulling his son into a tight hug before he found the words to reply.

“About me and Remy, and about you,” he finally said. “Told me that he’s proud we finally pulled our heads out of our arses, and that we’ve gotten to where we are today. He’s proud of you, too.”

“Da- er, Uncle James told me to tell you that he loves you, and he’ll see you again someday,” Hadrian whispered. Sirius’s arms tightened around him almost painfully for a few moments before he released him completely. He shook out his arms, straightened his shoulders, and let what Hadrian could only call the ‘Black Mask of Indifference’ take over his face.

“C’mon,” he said gently. “Let’s go let everyone inside.”

Friday came faster than any of them had counted on. They’d managed to come up with a plan for meeting Hadrian’s friends that made everyone as comfortable as possible, but none of them felt particularly ready to enact it. Only Hadrian felt confident that it would work without a hitch. He was dressed and ready to go an hour before he was meant to be meeting Luna, Parvati, and Neville.

“Are you completely sure about this?” Sirius asked for what had to be the hundredth time that morning. Narcissa let out a snort that wasn’t remotely ladylike, and Andromeda’s eyes were glittering with mirth. Even Remus looked amused as he hovered in the background.

“It’s like you don’t trust me,” Hadrian said sadly, unable to resist the urge to joke in the hopes of diffusing the tension. 

“Of course I bloody well trust you, you prat,” Sirius sighed. His lips twitched towards a grin, and Hadrian counted it as a win. “Show me what disguise you’re going with, then.”

Hadrian screwed up his face in concentration, knowing exactly what he’d look like when he was done. He felt himself growing a few inches (ignoring Draco’s bitter muttering behind him), and knew that his hair was lightening to the same shade of red as Lily’s. His eyes would be grey when he opened them, and his nose would be slightly sharper. Gone would be his scar. Nobody would even glance his way when he left Potter Manor.

Remus was beaming in approval over Sirius’s shoulder, and Sirius himself was nodding in satisfaction. “And you can hold that for as long as it takes to find them and get to Grimmauld?”

Hadrian nodded confidently. “I held it through almost all day yesterday, remember?”

“I wouldn’t know, would I?” Sirius asked pointedly. Hadrian had spent most of the previous day in the manor’s library, reading through as many books about wizarding law and the Wizengamot as he could. Sirius had staunchly refused to enter the library, claiming that he’d had enough of research to last a lifetime when he was a student. Remus had spent most of the day in the library with his son, content to answer questions and read books of his own.

“Whose fault is that?” Narcissa chuckled. She’d tried several times to get her cousin to join his family, to no avail. In fact, Sirius had disappeared from the manor for most of the afternoon, only reappearing at supper and refusing to give an explanation.

“Theirs,” was his prompt reply. The banter had calmed him considerably, which Hadrian was relieved to see. He’d come up with most of the plan himself, with input mostly from Andromeda and Draco, of all people. Sirius had approved it grudgingly when he’d been out-voted. 

Hadrian and Draco would be flooing to Borgin and Burke’s in Knockturn Alley, from which they’d make their way to Fortescue’s ice cream parlour. Hopefully, all three friends would already be waiting there. Hadrian was confident that Luna would recognize him, and even if she didn’t, they’d all know Draco. While it might take a bit to get them to trust the blonde, he knew they’d leave with them eventually. He’d acquired the slip of paper with Grimmauld’s secret written on it last night, and Remus had performed some impressive charms work on it to make it so that it would only part from Hadrian if he offered it of his own free will to someone. As soon as it was read, it would return to Hadrian’s pocket. He and Draco would bring the trio of friends to Gringotts, and they would floo from Onyxclaw’s office to Grimmauld Place without delay. While it wasn’t a safe place to live, it was safe enough to have a private conversation there.

“If anything goes wrong, or something unexpected happens, you use that goblin broach and get the hell out of there,” Sirius ordered with a frown. “Don’t hesitate. Don’t try to fight. Just go. ”

“Yes, dad,” Hadrian rolled his eyes. He was pleased to see that the title made Sirius melt a little. He was smiling slightly as he pulled Hadrian into a tight embrace. He met Draco’s eyes over Hadrian’s head.

“You keep him safe, you hear?” he demanded. “Don’t let him be an idiot.”

“You have my word,” Draco agreed cordially. Narcissa fidgeted behind Sirius for a few moments before stepping forward to hug her own son tightly.

“It’s not as though we’re going to fight in a war,” Draco grumbled. “The point of this is to stay out of the war.”

“Hush,” Narcissa told him. She held on for a few more seconds before stepping back and letting him go. “Come home safe to us.”

Flooing was just as uncomfortable as Hadrian remembered, and he spared a moment to bemoan the fact that all magical transportation left something to be desired- other than flying. Draco was waiting for him on the other side, and a quick flick of Hadrian’s wand had them both free of any lingering soot. The clerk at the counter watched them with narrowed eyes, but didn’t stop them as they exited the shop. Knockturn Alley was just as dark and unpleasant as Hadrian remembered from when he was twelve.

“Is it always like this?” he muttered to Draco. The blonde barely spared him a glance as he pulled his cousin along.

“Yes,” was the short reply. “Keep up.”

Hadrian wasn’t surprised that Draco didn’t like the alley either. He reckoned it probably reminded him too much of his father, and what was currently happening at Malfoy Manor. Hadrian grimaced in sympathy, but kept his mouth shut. They’d nearly made it out of the alley when Draco came to an abrupt stop.

“Blaise? Theo?” he asked, letting go of Hadrian’s arm to cross his own. “What are you doing here?”

“Shopping,” the darker skinned of the two replied with a wry smirk. He mirrored Draco’s stance with raised eyebrows. “And yourself?”

The second boy remained silent, observing the interaction with sharp eyes. Hadrian recognized them both from classes at Hogwarts- mainly potions- but he hadn’t known their names until today. He’d made it a point to ignore and avoid anything Slytherin up until now, which Draco had to have known.

“Don’t play coy with me, Blaise,” Draco scowled. His eyes shot between the two boys quickly, and Hadrian wondered what exactly he was thinking. His cousin stiffened when both of the other boys focused their attention on Hadrian.

“Who’s your friend?” Blaise asked. He gave Hadrian what could only be described as a flirty grin, but it didn’t meet his eyes. Blaise was confused about something. Theo was still completely silent, but Hadrian felt a strange jolt when their eyes met. He quickly looked away, and therefore missed the look of complete shock on Theo’s face. Theo grabbed Blaise’s arm hard , stopping whatever he’d been about to say.

“None of your business,” Draco snapped. He moved so that he was standing a little in front of Hadrian, but it was too late. Hadrian had already made what could only be considered a very stupid decision.

“Come with us,” he said quickly. He ignored Draco’s squawk of surprised protest. He was focused solely on Theo and Blaise. Something inside of him was screaming that they could be trusted, and his instincts had yet to fail him. “We’re meeting a few people in Diagon Alley. It’ll be… informative if you join us.”

“Why should we?” Blaise asked. His smile was sharp as he regarded Hadrian, but it faded quickly to shock when their eyes met for the first time. That same strange feeling jolted through Hadrian, and he barely managed to hide his surprise. “Huh.”

“Huh?” Draco asked, eyes narrowing further. “What exactly does ‘huh’ mean?”

“Relax,” Hadrian told him quietly enough that he wouldn’t be overheard by their audience. Draco looked over at him with a scowl, and Hadrian shook his head. “Trust me. Please?”

“Fine. But if your father rightly gets angry, I’m blaming you entirely. They all know how you are when you’ve made a brash decision. You’re a Gryffindor for a reason,” Draco grumbled. He turned his scowl to the other two and raised his voice loud enough to be heard. “Come on, then. We’re already late.”

“I don’t think-” Blaise started, but Theo squeezed impossibly harder and his mouth snapped closed.

“We’ll come,” Theo finally spoke. Blaise gave a hesitant nod of agreement. “Where exactly are we going?”

“Fortescue’s,” Draco informed them primly. He’d sunk into his cold Slytherin facade easily, and Hadrian didn’t like it. “Lead the way.”

It was smart to make the two unknown variables lead the way rather than having them follow, but they kept glancing over their shoulders to stare and it was making Hadrian uncomfortable. He couldn’t bring himself to regret his decision, but he didn’t understand what was drawing him to them, either. Draco seemed just as confused, but he didn’t offer any further protests. Hadrian wished he could pull his cousin aside to ask about Blaise and Theo, but it wasn’t the time or place.

Fortescue’s was incredibly busy, but Hadrian could see that Luna and Neville had already claimed a table at the farthest corner. He was pleased to see that a privacy ward was already in place; Luna undoubtedly knew that there was going to be something unexpected coming. He placed a hand on Draco’s arm, silently asking him to stay back with Blaise and Theo while he went ahead to talk. Draco gave a short nod, turning abruptly to speak with the other Slytherins. He could feel their gazes on their back as he made his way over to Luna and Neville.

“Evan,” Luna greeted with a blinding smile. Hadrian couldn’t help the grin that took over his face at the name she’d chosen for him. It was fitting with his current disguise. “We wondered if you’d really come.”

“Luna,” Neville sighed in exasperation. He gave Hadrian a sad smile and patted the seat beside him in invitation. Hadrian slid into the booth without hesitation.

“Where’s Parvati?” he asked quietly, glancing around the parlour in confusion. He would have guessed that she’d be the first to arrive, considering how his summer had started. Luna gave him a sad smile.

“She won’t be joining us,” was the only response offered. Hadrian knew better than to ask. “It’s for the best, really. You do keep such interesting company.”

Hadrian glanced over his shoulder at the Slytherin trio, noting Draco’s growing unease. He needed to move them along quickly or risk being noticed by the wrong people. “I can’t really explain why,” he sighed. “It’s just a feeling.”

“You’ve made good decisions so far,” Luna assured him. “You’ll be just fine.”

“What’s going on, then?” Neville asked, leaning forward to be able to lower his voice and still be heard. “Luna told me there’s more to everything than I could possibly guess, but she just keeps saying that it’s up to you to explain.”

“Not here,” Hadrian said immediately. He didn’t glance around again, knowing that it would seem too suspicious. He had to be extremely careful while in public like this. Word couldn’t get back to Dumbledore, and the headmaster had spies everywhere. “Do you trust me?”

“Of course,” Neville replied instantly. Luna nodded in agreement. Hadrian couldn’t contain his relieved smile.

“I need you to come with me,” he told them. “Draco and the other two will be joining us. I… I trust them.”

Neville and Luna shared a loaded glance, but both followed him when he got out of the booth and headed for the door. Draco grabbed his arm as he passed and fell into step beside him. Hadrian heard one of the two Slytherins grumble in annoyance, but he also felt that all four of their companions were following as they led the way to Gringotts.

The goblins didn’t look surprised to see the disguised Hadrian at all, nor were they fooled. It was likely that they could sense their kin as soon as he’d entered the bank. He got many nods of greeting and horrible smiles as he led the way back to Onyxclaw’s office, and he knew it was only raising more questions for his companions. Onyxclaw wasn’t in his office, but he’d left a pot of floo powder on his desk and his fire was roaring.

“Draco, lead the way?” Hadrian asked pointedly. He’d dug the slip of paper out of his pocket already. “I’ll make sure everyone gets there before I follow.”

“Or you could go first and I’ll make sure they get there. You know it’s safer that way,” Draco pointed out, crossing his arms. Hadrian had to bite back the smile that threatened to take over his face; Draco would have taken it the wrong way.

“The paper is charmed to me,” he replied calmly. “You go ahead and let Kreacher know that we’re having company so he doesn’t block any of them from getting through. I don’t want to call him here.”

Draco stared at him for a few seconds, likely determining whether or not he could win the argument, before nodding unhappily. “If you’re not there in five minutes, I’m sending your father after you.”

“You do that,” Hadrian rolled his eyes. He was smiling too fondly to be mistaken as being annoyed.

Draco reluctantly grabbed a handful of floo powder and tossed it into the fire. He stepped into it and called out the location with a scowl. In seconds, he’d disappeared. A quick glance at the four waiting companions had not been able to hear the location’s name.

“It’s a protected place,” Theo said softly. “Under fidelius, I’d guess.”

“Who are you?” Blaise demanded. He ignored Theo’s warning, taking a step forward aggressively. “Draco doesn’t trust just anyone, but you’re not familiar at all. I’ve never seen you before, and yet you’re trying to bring us somewhere that nobody else can get to and just expecting us to trust you? Just because you’re our so-”

“ Blaise,” Theo snapped. Blaise’s mouth closed with an audible sound that would have been amusing under any other circumstance. “He doesn’t know. We trust Draco, don’t we?”

“As far as we can throw him,” Blaise grumbled. “Fine. But you’re not taking our wands.”

“I wouldn’t try to,” Hadrian assured them. “I promise that it’ll all make sense soon. Here, you can go first if you want.”

He offered the slip of paper to them both, and was relieved when Theo took it from him. He read it quickly, then tipped it for Blaise to see. Understanding filled Blaise’s face and his gaze snapped back to Hadrian.

“Why-” he started, but stopped himself. “Fine. Fine, we’re going.”

The two boys disappeared into the green flames quickly, leaving Neville and Luna who were watching the whole thing with bemusement. Hadrian let himself relax a little, offering a small smile to his friends. Luna beamed back at him, while Neville’s smile was a little more hesitant.

“We really trust them?” he asked, just to make sure. Hadrian nodded again. “Alright then. Shall we?”

Hadrian handed the paper to him, and Neville held it so that Luna could read it with him. He gave Hadrian one last glance before grabbing his own handful and promptly disappearing. Luna stopped in front of Hadrian and pulled him into a tight hug, still smiling brightly.

“I’m proud of you,” she told him softly. “You should be just as proud of yourself. Lady Magic chose well.”

“Thanks, Lu,” he grinned, holding her tightly. “I’ll be right behind you, okay?” She nodded, and was gone in a flash of green.

Hadrian had just gathered his own handful when a throat cleared behind him. He turned to find Thornfire watching him with an approving glint in her eyes. He offered her a little smile, and she nodded to him. No words were spoken, but Hadrian could feel the satisfaction coming off of her in waves. Whatever he’d done, he’d gotten it right as far as she was concerned. He was pretty sure he knew what that meant. He was still grinning at her when he was swallowed by the flames.

“What are you grinning at, you prat?” Draco grumbled as he helped his cousin out of the fireplace. Hadrian rolled his eyes. He pulled his wand from his pocket and flicked it again to rid them all of soot from the travel. Blaise made a wounded sound as the soot disappeared, but Theo was watching him with curiosity again.

“Who are you?!” Blaise demanded for the third time. Theo opened his mouth to reprimand him, but Hadrian gave a quick shake of his head. It was a fair question; he’d been asking them to blindly trust him and that wasn’t in a Slytherin’s nature. He ignored Draco’s sharp warning as he screwed up his face again, willing his appearance back to normal. While he still didn’t look like the ‘Harry Potter’ that they’d known at Hogwarts, he knew he was still easily recognizable. Two sharp inhales confirmed that he’d gone back to normal, and they were all staring at him when he opened his eyes.

“Hi, nice to meet you. I’m Lord Hadrian James Potter-Slytherin,” he told them with a cheeky grin. “Sorry for the secrecy, but it’s not exactly safe for me to be wandering about right now, especially in Knockturn Alley.”

“You were in Knockturn?” Neville asked with concern. “Why?”

What followed was a very long explanation of everything that had happened, starting at the Ministry when Sirius had died and ending with landing in Grimmauld Place that day. During the conversation, they’d migrated to the kitchen table. Gizzy popped in twice; once to bring tea, and once to deliver sandwiches from Narcissa when they missed lunch. When Hadrian finally finished his explanation, he found himself the subject of five very sad and empathetic stares. He hadn’t even had the chance to share some of that with Draco yet, and he wasn’t surprised that his cousin was the first to pull him into a hug.

“I had no clue…” Luna said softly, shaking her head sadly. “I knew some of it, of course, but the nargles clouded much of my vision. I suspect there is more still that we do not know.”

“Of course there is,” Draco sighed. He let Hadrian go, but he didn’t take his eyes off of his cousin. “The famous Potter luck, right?”

“I’m not really a Potter,” Hadrian shrugged. “I think it’s more that I was born into something I still don’t understand, and it’s making it impossible to see the full picture.”

“When did you get to be so wise?” Draco shook his head, looking amused again. “Your father will be disappointed that you don’t take after him as much as he thought.”

“I’m more like Moony,” Hadrian grinned. “He just hasn’t figured it out yet.”

“I’m sorry, are we just supposed to accept that all of this has happened- is still happening- and just be fine with it?” Blaise asked, frowning. Theo placed a hand on his arm again, but he didn’t squeeze this time. “So much has happened to you, and you’re just… fine?”

“Of course I’m not fine,” Hadrian sighed. “There’s nothing that I can do about what’s happened in the past. If I try to focus on that, I’ll go mental. All I can do is look forward and hope that I make the right decisions from now on. Obviously I’m not going to keep going the way that I was. I know now that Slytherin is part of my heritage, and that I’m not the person that I thought I was. Nobody is who I thought they were. But thinking about that makes me want to scream, so…”

“Sorry,” Blaise muttered, looking down. “It’s a lot to process. You’re not who we thought you were, either.”

“I expect a great many things are about to change,” Luna chimed in. “We’d better be ready.”

“Where’s Parvati?” Hadrian asked her gently. She’d replied first, saying that she’d be happy to be there. Hadrian couldn’t think of a single good reason that she wasn’t. He couldn’t help but remember what she’d written only a few days previously. Don’t even trust me. 

“She couldn’t get away from her parents today,” Neville told him. “They’re not happy with her, from what I’ve gathered. I think they got a letter from Dumbledore, actually. They know that she basically kidnapped you, and they’re keeping her home for the summer.”

“She didn’t kidnap me,” Hadrian scowled. “In fact, I’m pretty sure she saved my life. I can’t imagine that the Dursleys would have been happy to have me back, and everyone thought Sirius was dead. I’d have been stuck there all summer, and let’s face it… they almost killed me last year before Dumbledore decided I’d had enough.”

“I’m sorry, what?” Theo asked. He had a dangerous glint in his eyes that Hadrian didn’t like. Even as Hadrian watched, he seemed to shake himself and slip back into his indifferent mask. He was starting to realize that most of the Slytherins he knew wore masks when they could be seen by others. He didn’t like that at all.

“The Dursleys weren’t exactly a loving family,” Hadrian sighed. He wasn’t over it- would likely never be over it- but he knew it was best to tell them everything if he had any hope of getting them to keep all of this to themselves. He was surprised that Theo had such a strong reaction to it; the other boy had been quiet nearly the entire time they’d been together. A quick glance at Draco showed him that he wasn’t surprised at all by Theo losing his composure.

“You never have to go back there,” Neville reminded him gently. “You’ve got your real family now, and you’ve got us.”

“Thanks, Nev,” Hadrian smiled, reaching out to squeeze Neville’s shoulder in gratitude. “I knew I could count on you. The thing is, it’s going to take a lot to make everything right again. We’ve gotta get through the rest of our schooling, sort out the Wizengamot, and finish a war that I don’t think any of us want to fight in. Simple, right?”

“Damn, Potter, you don’t do anything in halves, do you?” Blaise snorted. “Where exactly are we starting?”

“Hogwarts,” Draco said quickly. “We’re still students. We can’t do an overhaul of the Wizengamot until those of us who have seats can take them. Hadrian might legally be an adult, but the rest of us aren’t. And I’d like to avoid this war for as long as possible. I’m not at home for a reason.”

Theo’s eyes darkened, and he looked down at the table for a few seconds. Blaise reached out for his hand, and Hadrian had to look away at the strange emotion bubbling up inside of him. He met Luna’s gaze and wasn’t happy to see the knowing look she was giving him.

“My father has been spending a lot of time with yours, Draco,” Theo said quietly. “He’s wanted to bring me along, but I’ve managed to avoid it so far. I don’t know how much longer I can manage to convince him that I’m not old enough.”

“Theo,” Blaise said softly, looking over at him with concern. “You didn’t tell me. Why don’t you come home with me today? My mother will happily take you in. You know that.”

“He’d know exactly where to find me,” Theo pointed out. His lips were twitching towards a smile, though. Hadrian felt suddenly like he was intruding on a private moment, especially after Blaise’s reply. 

“Cuore mio, we would never allow harm to come to you,” Blaise told him. He lifted Theo’s hand and pressed a soft kiss to it. They both jumped when Hadrian pushed away from the table and turned to leave the room. 

Draco was the one to come after him, and he followed silently as Hadrian made his way up to what was his bedroom for a week. Hadrian didn’t bother to close the door, knowing that nobody else was going to go looking for them for the moment. He sat down on the bed, ignoring Draco for as long as he could. It didn’t take his cousin long to huff in annoyance.

“Are you going to tell me what this is about?” Draco finally asked. His arms were crossed and he was scowling when Hadrian looked up at him. It did nothing to make him feel better.

“I don’t know,” he admitted. He had a sinking suspicion, but he wasn’t about to voice it until he was completely sure. The last thing he wanted was to share this with Draco and then find out that he was wrong.

“I can take a guess,” Draco replied, raising his eyebrows. “You were fine until you got confirmation that Blaise and Theo are partners. Don’t tell me you’ve got something against that.”

“Of course not!” Hadrian gave him an offended look, only softening when he saw the amusement in his cousin’s expression. “I just… I don’t know. It was intense, wasn’t it? I’m not uncomfortable with them, but it’s a lot after everything I’ve learned this past week to see such obvious love.”

“Ah,” Draco said after a few moments. He didn’t sound like he fully believed Hadrian, but he was accepting it. “I can tell them to tone it down. Honestly, they probably already got that message when you stormed out.”

“I didn’t storm out,” Hadrian huffed. Draco openly laughed as he took the seat beside Hadrian on his bed. “I didn’t.”

“You did,” Draco nudged him. “You’ve never really met Blaise and Theo, have you?”

“No,” Hadrian sighed. He didn’t know many of the Slytherins at all, beyond Draco, Crabbe, and Goyle. He didn’t even know Crabbe’s or Goyle’s first names. He once again cursed Albus Dumbledore in the privacy of his own mind.

“Right,” Draco sighed. “Blaise Zabini is Italian, and he only visits England when he has to because he’s a stuck-up prat.” Draco’s fond grin told Hadrian that he wasn’t being serious. “He was one of my first real friends, unlike Crabbe and Goyle, who spent most of our childhood spying on me and reporting back to my father. The Zabinis are a very neutral family. His mother has been married seven times, I believe. Pureblood society calls her the Black Widow, a nickname that she seems to be very fond of. Blaise once told me that she has a bit of Veela blood in her, and that her first husband was her mate. When he died, she kept getting married to feel less alone… but when a Veela loses their mate, they can never love again. It’s suspected that she kills her husbands when they can’t make her feel. As far as I know, Blaise doesn’t have enough Veela blood to have a mate.”

“... Huh,” Hadrian said, mind reeling from all of the information. “Would he be okay with you telling me all of this?”

“It only seems fair, now that he knows about your entire life. A secret for a secret,” Draco shrugged. “He wouldn’t mind.”

“If you say so,” Hadrian said after a moment. It was Slytherin logic if he’d ever heard any, but he wasn’t about to protest when it was giving him what he wanted. “And Theo?”

“Theo’s mother died in childbirth, and his father never forgave him for it. Lord Nott is almost never home, but from what I’ve gathered… Theo had a very similar childhood to yours,” Draco grimaced. “I don’t know as much about him as I’d like, if I’m honest. He’s too quiet with everyone but Blaise. I do know that he’s set to inherit when he turns seventeen whether his father likes it or not. The previous Nott lord set it in stone that he wanted Theo to lead the family as soon as possible. I personally think it’s because he could see what Nott senior was like and didn’t want that to reflect poorly on their family name.”

“I didn’t know that could be done,” Hadrian admitted. Draco gave him a knowing glance that he didn’t like.

“The lord of a family has very few restrictions on what they can or can’t do, as long as it upholds the family values. Occasionally, Magic will step in and prevent a change, but for the most part, they can do as they like. If the current lord wants to pass over and heir, they’d just have to declare it so. As long as Magic approves, nobody can stop it,” Draco explained. “Aunt Walburga could have stood before the Wizengamot at any time to prevent Sirius from taking the title, but she chose not to.”

“That’s…” Hadrian tried to come up with a good enough word, but it escaped him. Draco nodded in understanding, though.

“As far as Blaise and Theo being together-” Draco started, but Hadrian raised a hand to stop him. It wasn’t his business. Draco completely ignored him. “They’ve been seeing each other for years. I think since first year, actually. Most pureblood families take their heirs to Gringotts for an inheritance test on their eleventh birthdays, just to make sure they are heirs, and… you can learn a lot from an inheritance test.”

“They’re soulmates,” Hadrian whispered, understanding sinking in. It had to be what he was sensing. And if they were soulmates with each other, they couldn’t be his. It was just like calling to like. That had to be it.

“I’ve always assumed so,” Draco agreed calmly. “Listen, I’d bet Luna is explaining it in her own way, but if we leave them down there alone with your Gryffindor and Luna, they might be gone before we rejoin them.”

“They’re braver than that,” Hadrian rolled his eyes, but he was smiling.

“Bravery is not a Slytherin trait,” Draco pointed out smugly. “We only do things that benefit us, and they’ve already gotten the explanation they needed. Do you honestly think they’d stick around?”

Yes, Hadrian thought, but he didn’t voice it. If things were as he suspected, those two wouldn’t be leaving until there was a plan firmly in place. It made him feel warm inside, but he shoved it down as far as he could. This wasn’t the time or the place. Instead, he gave a very dramatic sigh and pushed to his feet. “C’mon then,” he prompted. Draco rolled his eyes as he joined him in going back downstairs.

Just as Hadrian had suspected, Blaise and Theo hadn’t moved. They were still holding hands, but Hadrian wasn’t as upset by it as he’d been before. He really wasn’t sure what had come over him. It was hard to ignore Blaise’s wounded look and Theo’s understanding one, but he managed as he returned to his seat.

“Well then,” Neville started, clearly uncomfortable. “Should we talk about what we’re going to do at Hogwarts?”

Hadrian had already discussed with Sirius at length what he should and should not share, but he also remembered what Parvati had said. He couldn’t hide anything if he wanted to be successful. It was with that in mind that he laid out his plan.

“I don’t like this,” Sirius said for the seventh time in an hour. Remus shook his head, watching his husband pace from the sofa. Narcissa and Andromeda had left them alone after the third time, and Remus found himself wishing that he could get up and walk away as well. He was just as worried, but he knew better than to underestimate their son. If something were to happen, they’d know immediately.

“Come sit down,” he sighed, reaching out to snag Sirius’s hand as he passed by for what had to be the hundredth time. “There’s no use in worrying. You can’t do anything right now. Besides, we have so much to talk about.”

Sirius huffed a dramatic sigh, but he let himself be pulled down beside his husband. Without hesitation, he shifted around until he was lying with his head in Remus’s lap. Remus ran his fingers through his hair automatically, laughing softly at the pleased expression on his face. “I don’t like it.”

“I know, Siri. I don’t either,” Remus assured him. “I don’t like any of this. I don’t like that Hadrian was taken away from us. I don’t like that we can’t be with him every second of every day to keep him safe. I really don’t like that he’s about to go back to Hogwarts where the man who betrayed us will have easy access to him. I can’t even begin to tell you how much I don’t like it.”

He knew his eyes would be amber by the time he finished speaking. Moony fully agreed with his displeasure on the subject, but they both knew they couldn’t stop any of it from happening. Sirius sighed heavily and turned to bury his face in Remus’s stomach. His voice was muffled as he spoke.

“Why can’t we just keep him here, where it’s safe? Nobody would ever find us,” he offered. There was no real hope in his voice. He knew what Remus would say.

“We can’t keep him prisoner here. We’d be no better than the people we want to protect him from,” Remus said softly. Truly, he liked that idea more than he cared to admit. He’d do anything to keep his little family safe.

“We could offer it to him,” Sirius pointed out. “Maybe he’d want to stay. We could teach him everything we know. He’d be happy here, wouldn’t he?”

“No, Siri,” Remus shook his head. “He might be content for a while, but he’s sixteen. He needs to be around people his own age. He needs his friends, and he needs his soulmate… whoever they are. He’d resent us if we offered and he chose to stay. You know he would.”

“Fine,” Sirius said after a few moments. “But you’ll stay here, won’t you?”

“Hm?” Remus hummed, unsure of what exactly Sirius was asking him for. “If you mean will I stay and live here with you, of course. But if you want me to stay hidden here for the rest of my life, you clearly don’t remember as much about me as you claim. If you’re going out into danger, you can be sure that I’ll be at your side.”

“I don’t deserve you, Moony,” Sirius said softly. He pulled his face away from Remus’s stomach to look up at his husband with a fond smile. “You’re the best thing that’s ever happened to me.”

“I think Hadrian would take offense to that,” Remus replied. He leaned down to capture his husband’s lips in a kiss, elated that this was a thing he was allowed to do again. They lingered together, joining for the occasional kiss and just enjoying their time together. It had been too long since they’d last gotten a moment like this. They both deeply felt the loss of time.

“Marry me,” Sirius said suddenly, pulling back far enough to meet Remus’s confused gaze.

“Siri, we’re already married. Are you feeling alright?” Remus asked, lifting a hand to press against his forehead to check for a fever. Sirius shook his hand off with a grin.

“I know we’re already married, Remy. I want to renew our vows. This time I want the big white bonding. We’ll make it a society event. This way Dumbledore won’t be able to take our memories away again. We’ll make it everything we wished we could have the first time.”

“Do you really think that’s wise?” Remus asked, raising his eyebrows. In truth, he wanted very badly to just agree.

“Yes,” Sirius answered immediately. “We can plan it while Hadrian is at Hogwarts. It can be a Yule bonding. What do you say, Moony? Will you make me the happiest wizard in the world a second time?”

Remus couldn’t help the beaming smile that overtook his face as he nodded. “Yes! Yes, of course I will.”

Chapter Text

“Do we really all have to go?” Draco asked for the third time. Hadrian and Remus glanced at each other in exasperation, hiding twin smiles. They’d discussed it before and decided that asking the same thing over and over again must be a Black family trait. Thankfully, it seemed to have passed over Hadrian.

“It’s safer this way,” Narcissa told him once again. She was starting to get frustrated with him, but Draco hadn’t seemed to notice it. He was too busy pouting about the entourage they’d be taking to Diagon Alley to gather their school supplies. 

Draco and Hadrian had kept in touch with their friends and allies, and they were all going to make it a point to be in Diagon Alley today, whether they managed to meet up or not. They were also planning to share a compartment on the train, which had Hadrian worried for more than one reason- not the least of which was that he was completely certain that Granger and Weasley would be trying their best to get him back under control.

“But why do we-” Draco started, and Narcissa finally snapped.

“Hush, Draco,” she cut him off, raising her hand to silence him when he opened his mouth again. “None of us are fond of having to travel like this and watch our backs while in public. We cannot allow Dumbledore or your father to get anywhere near us, and that includes their spies and followers. We are going to help each other. It’s for your safety that we will be travelling together for the foreseeable future. Do you understand?”

“Yes, Mother,” Draco replied sullenly. Hadrian had to turn away to hide the laughter that threatened to escape him.

“Good,” Narcissa hummed. Then she turned away to gather her cloak and money pouch. “We’ll be going to the bank first, of course. Hadrian will want to say hello.”

“You already know him so well,” Sirius grinned. “After the bank, I’d like to swing by Eeylops to buy a new owl. We’ll need a good way to keep in touch to the public eye, and neither Remus nor myself have bothered to get one.”

“Right,” Narcissa agreed. “I could use a new one, myself. Once that’s done, we’ll stick to your lists. No extra stops, no slowing down. Hadrian, darling, are you in need of new school robes? I don’t believe that yours have the proper sizing charms on them.”

“Yes, mine don’t quite fit anymore,” Hadrian admitted.

“Wonderful. I do so love to help choose clothes,” Narcissa smiled. “You’ll be needing more than just robes, I’d imagine. I’ve seen what those muggles pass for clothing and I can’t say I approve. A lord of an Ancient and Noble house deserves much, much better.”

“I was going to ask Parvati for help, but she couldn’t meet up with us,” Hadrian admitted. “I’ve got Dudley’s old clothes, and they’ve never fit me. The Dursleys weren’t about to waste their money on things for me unless a teacher or neighbor mentioned it to them.”

Remus and Sirius shared a sad look that was becoming very familiar to Hadrian, and he suppressed a sigh. He was going to get tired very quickly if they shared that look every time he mentioned something from his childhood that they didn’t like, but he hadn’t found a good time to talk to them about it.

“Come along, dears,” Andromeda said loudly as she hurried into the rooms. “The goblins are expecting us, and it wouldn’t do to keep them waiting. Not even young Hadrian could get away with that. Goblins are not known for their patience.”

“Hadrian is the exception to every rule,” Draco grumbled fondly. He let out an indignant squawk as Hadrian pinched his arm. “What? You are!”

“Shut it, you,” Hadrian shot back, grinning. “That’s not usually a good thing.”

“It gets you out of trouble,” Draco pointed out, reaching over to pinch Hadrian in retaliation. Narcissa caught his wrist before he could and gave him a warning look that made him quietly apologize. As soon as she’d turned her attention away, he managed to pinch Hadrian.

“It gets me into trouble, first,” Hadrian laughed. He dodged out of the way when Draco went for a second pinch.

This felt so normal to him. It was what any other family would do; cousins were meant to joke and play around with each other. Aunts were meant to be fond and help with shopping. Parents were supposed to be proud and want to accompany their families on shopping trips. It all filled him with warmth and happiness unlike any he’d ever experienced. How could he wish for anything more than this?

“This is what you were always meant to have, young one. This is everything you have to lose.”

The words made him nod to himself, and he was lucky that nobody was watching him too closely. He knew that Nimue meant well, but her words brought him nothing but concern. He could feel her own concern like an echo through his mind.

“To Gringotts!” Sirius exclaimed, wrapping his arm excitedly around his husband. Remus gave him an amused smile and pressed a kiss to his cheek. “Maybe we can ask the goblins about traditional bonding things from the Black family vault.”

“Bonding things?” Andromeda asked, perking up. “Who will be bonding?”

Sirius and Remus had pulled Hadrian aside as soon as he’d returned home a few weeks ago to tell him the good news. He’d been thrilled for them, of course, but they’d asked him to keep it quiet for now. They didn’t want to announce it until after Hadrian was at school. (Remus was hoping the shock of the announcement would take Dumbledore’s attention off of Hadrian for long enough that he could enact his plan. Sirius thought it was wishful thinking, but was willing to humor his husband.)

“We’ll be renewing ours,” Sirius announced proudly. Andromeda and Narcissa let out twin shrieks of excitement that had the teenagers covering their ears in amusement. “We’re not announcing it just yet, but we’re planning for a Yule ceremony. That way Hadrian and Draco can both attend. They’re welcome to have dates, of course.” Sirius shot them both an exaggerated wink, pleased at the flushed cheeks he caused. He’d have to investigate that later.

“That’s wonderful! We’ll have to look at dress robes as well,” Narcissa exclaimed. “They won’t have enough time on their Yule break before the ceremony. Will Hadrian be standing in as your family?”

“He’ll be standing in for mine,” Remus confirmed. “My parents are gone now, and I… well. Hadrian is the only family of mine who will be in attendance.”

“I was hoping the two of you would stand in for the Black family,” Sirius admitted. “I was going to take you out to lunch and ask after the boys were back at school, but…”

“Of course we will,” Andromeda told him. The sisters shared a happy smile at the prospect of a wedding to look forward to. Remus and Sirius were just as distracted with each other. Draco rolled his eyes and clapped his hands as loudly as he could, startling the adults.

“Are we going shopping or not?” he demanded, crossing his arms as soon as he had all of their eyes on him. He looked every bit the spoiled prince that Hadrian had once believed him to be.

“Yes, yes,” Andromeda said quickly, reaching up to wipe her eyes. “Of course we are. Hadrian, darling, after you.”

“Do we have to floo there?” Hadrian complained, sounding very much like Draco had a few minutes previously.

“We can’t apparate on the property, and it’s too dangerous to leave the wards on foot. You know that,” Remus reminded him gently. None of them were willing to reprimand him the way they did Draco, and Hadrian hated it. He didn’t want to be treated like glass.

“It’s not like they’ll be looking for us in Wales,” Hadrian pointed out. “Nobody is going to notice if we step out of the wards for less than a minute to apparate.”

“The property is unplottable, but the land around it is not. If we floo from here, it can’t be traced, because we are inside of the property lines. If we were to apparate from just outside of the lines, however, they could trace our magical signatures. Though they wouldn’t be able to enter the property itself, they could watch and wait for one of us to leave,” Narcissa explained.

“We know how you feel about traveling by floo, Pup,” Sirius told him, ruffling his hair. “Eventually we won’t need to be so careful, I promise. But for now, we can’t have anyone finding us. It’s one round trip, and then we won’t have to do it again until we go to King’s Cross.”

“Fine,” Hadrian sighed. He made his way to the large fireplace in the foyer and grabbed a handful of floo powder. “Onyxclaw is expecting us in his office, remember.”

“Yes, we know,” Remus assured him with an amused grin. “You’re stalling.”

Hadrian was still grumbling to himself when he tossed the powder into the fire and stepped inside. “Onyxclaw’s office, Gringotts!”

The whirl of green flames would never get easier for him. He coughed as he stumbled out of the fireplace, ignoring the chuckling coming from the desk in front of him. He flicked his wand to remove the soot, then moved around to face Onyxclaw with a scowl.

“We really need to find a new form of transportation,” he informed the goblin. Onyxclaw hesitated with his reply long enough for Hadrian to be suspicious. “What do you know that I don’t?”

“You often forget that you are not merely a wizard anymore, Kriger Herre,” Onyxclaw told him. “Do you think that we goblins are restricted by wizarding travel?”

Hadrian’s eyes widened at the realization. “Sirius said that you guys can go anywhere you want, even a warded and unplottable manor.”

“We can,” Onyxclaw agreed with one of his terrible smiles. Hadrian resisted the urge to shudder.

“How?” he asked, leaning forward in anticipation. Onyxclaw laughed softly as he lifted a quill and wrote out a short note. He tossed it into the air and watched in satisfaction as it burned away to the recipient. Not even a full minute later, a pile of sickles landed on his desk with a loud clatter.

“Pleasure doing business with you,” the goblin told him. He tossed Hadrian one of the sickles with a pleased look. Hadrian caught it and shoved it into his pocket, knowing that to refuse would be a huge insult… but he really didn’t understand what was happening. “My mate and I had a little bet, you see, about when you’d ask for this.”

“Was it not cheating for you to prompt it?” Hadrian asked, raising his eyebrows. He briefly worried that he’d offended the goblin, but Onyxclaw nodded his approval at the question.

“We did not stipulate that we couldn’t bring it up ourselves. Thornfire incorrectly believed that even a wizard such as yourself would not want to learn goblin magic. I, of course, knew better,” he explained. “It is very simple to travel the way that we do. You do not have a goblin core, but you were accepted by our magic… and that means that you may use it as we do. It is very like your dark magic, I believe. You must picture what you want, exactly what you want, and then reach into your very core to make it happen. Have you successfully found your magical core, yet?”

“I’ve felt it before,” Hadrian told him. “I’ve never gone looking for it on purpose, but I can feel when it reacts to something. When we… when we claimed Potter Manor, I felt it the strongest. I connected with the ward stone so easily.”

“That is because your core is greater than most others,” Onyxclaw informed him. “You have more magic to reach for.”

“That can’t be true,” Hadrian protested, eyes wide. “Can it?”

“We felt it that day in the ritual,” Onyxclaw assured him. “Though you are young, your core is already mature. The Lordship rings only amplify what you can do, young lord. If you wish to travel as we do, you will have no trouble. There are very few places that could keep you out, though you would be wise not to try to enter unknown places. If you cannot picture your location, you could become lost.”

“Someone could find me, couldn’t they?” Hadrian asked, frowning. Onyxclaw shook his head.

“You misunderstand me,” the goblin replied. “I don’t mean that you could lose your way. I mean that you could disappear. You could wind up somewhere that you could never come back from. Every few decades, we lose a goblin to the unknown. They never return, and we cannot find them.”

“Maybe I shouldn’t…” Hadrian said quietly, looking down. He only looked up when the goblin cleared his throat pointedly.

“I did not tell you to scare you,” he informed Hadrian. “I told you so that you would be aware of what could happen if you try to go where you have not been. You’re smart, Kriger Herre. Smarter than most give you credit for. You would have no trouble traveling our way if it’s what you wish.”

Hadrian opened his mouth to ask another question, but the fireplace flared green and Sirius stepped through before he could. He didn’t want to worry his family with talk of goblin travel, so he gave a subtle shake of his head, and dropped the subject. He trusted Onyxclaw not to say anything.

It took less than five minutes for the rest of the family to step through one at a time, and Onyxclaw already had pouches of money ready for each of them. The one he offered to Hadrian was slightly different, but Hadrian didn’t question it. He could feel the subtle hints of goblin magic coming off of it, and the satisfied look on Onyxclaw’s face told Hadrian that the goblin could tell. It was proof enough of what he’d been saying.

“Are we ready, then?” Narcissa asked, placing her hand on Draco’s shoulder. “Eeylops, then school shopping, then dress robes, then home.”

“Right, let’s get going then,” Sirius nodded. “That’s a lot to accomplish in only a few hours. You boys got your gold? Lovely. After you, Remy.”

“Hadrian,” Onyxclaw called as he was about to follow his father out of the office. He turned back, very aware of Sirius behind his shoulder. He wasn’t going to be alone for a single moment on this trip, and he knew it. “Don’t forget who you are. If you have need of us, simply call for us.”

“Thank you,” Hadrian told him with a grateful smile. “The pouch is linked to one of my vaults, right?”

“Indeed,” the goblin confirmed with a scary grin. “Very smart, Kriger Herre. Very smart.”

Hadrian offered another nod and a smile before turning to leave with Sirius. His father gave him a strange look but didn’t ask as they rejoined the family to leave the bank. He knew it would be a discussion for later.

Diagon Alley was packed with people, as close to September as it now was. They’d be leaving for school in just three weeks, and the date felt like a looming threat to all of them. Hadrian recognized several of his classmates among the shoppers in the alley, but he hadn’t spotted anyone he really wanted to stop and talk to by the time they reached Eeylops. Andromeda offered to wait outside with the boys while the three who needed owls shopped, but something inside of Hadrian was screaming for him to go inside. Draco elected to stay with Andromeda while Hadrian followed Remus into the shop.

Inside, it was a cacophony of hoots, mewls, and squeaks from the many animals in cages. Owl cages lined the ceiling with more birds than Hadrian could count. There were several pens set up in the center of the shop that housed Kneazles, Crups, kittens, and Nifflers. Cages and terrariums lined the walls with all manner of creatures; rats, toads, newts, and…

“You. I have felt you for a long while now, but you have evaded me,” the snake hissed. Hadrian gasped in surprise as he felt something slide into place in his magical core. “All is as it should be now, my own.”

“Your own?” Hadrian hissed, stepping closer to the enclosure. He could now make out the full form of the serpent inside, and she took his breath away. The snake was as long as his arm, but very slender and graceful looking. She was purely white with bright blue eyes that seemed to pierce his very soul. A slightly pink hue ran along the scales of her back, shifting as she moved through the light.

“You are mine, are you not? My wizard,” she replied haughtily. “You have avoided our meeting for long enough. I demand you bring me with you now. Remove me from this dreadful place.”

“Have they abused you?” Hadrian asked with dawning horror. It was entirely possible that she was so slender because she was underfed. She rose slowly, her gaze never leaving his. 

“No,” she told him. “But they do not know how to care for me. They fear what they do not know, my own. I have been neglected since coming here. The witch who turned me over told me that I would meet my match here.”

“You came here with another Speaker?” Hadrian asked. He was so close to the enclosure now that it was easy to slip his arm inside and let her climb her way up. As soon as she was all the way on, he pulled her out of the enclosure and moved away from it. There was no way he was going to leave her there. “I’ve never met another true speaker, other than… a very bad man.”

“The dark lord,” she agreed with a displeased hiss. “You are special, my own, but you are not alone. You will meet others, I am sure of it.”

Hadrian made it up to the register before anyone noticed that he’d taken hold of the potentially dangerous serpent. Narcissa was the first to notice, and her startled noise frightened the owl she’d been petting so badly that it nipped her finger and drew blood. It drew the gaze of Sirius and Remus, but they were a little more prepared to see Hadrian with a snake- they knew he was a Parseltongue. The shopkeeper hurried forward with his wand drawn, fear all over his face.

“Lord Potter-Slytherin! Hold very still! I shall remove the snake at once,” he cried. Hadrian turned quickly to block the snake with his body, barely managing to dodge the hasty spell. Remus had the shopkeeper disarmed in seconds, and Sirius was stomping over to shout at him when Hadrian turned back around. The snake made what could only be called a hissy laugh as she observed everything.

“Tell the wolf that he has good aim,” she told him. “I have never seen such good reflexes on one who was not like me.”

“He’s the best of the best,” Hadrian confirmed proudly. “If you’re to be mine, I need to know your name, lovely.”

“You are mine, you mean,” she reminded him primly. She considered him for a few moments before nodding her head in agreement. “I am Amarantha. What are you, my own?”

“Er-” The phrasing caught him off guard, but it only took him a few moments to respond. “I’m Hadrian. It’s nice to meet you, Amarantha. I hope we can be good friends.”

“Are friends a good thing, my own?” she asked. Hadrian nodded, giving her a wide smile. She most likely didn’t know what a smile was, but she spread her mouth to imitate it anyway. Hadrian was mildly disturbed. “Then we shall be the very best of friends.”

“Hadrian, are we right to assume that the snake is coming home with us?” Remus asked gently from right beside him. Amarantha gave a displeased hiss and began to climb her way to Hadrian’s shoulders. He heard a hissy murmur about it being a better vantage point as he nodded to Remus. “Alright. We’ll have to grab her enclosure before we go.”

“NO,” Amarantha spat. “I will NOT return to that prison, my own!”

“Er- she doesn’t like it,” Hadrian said quickly. “It’ll be fine. She’ll probably sleep with me. We can keep each other safe that way.”

“I suppose…” Remus agreed after a moment. “The shopkeeper has kindly agreed to give her to you as a gift since he almost hexed you by accident. Siri scared him badly enough that he’s letting us pick our owls for free, as well.”

Hadrian detected the note of amusement in Remus’s voice, and he had to laugh. Amarantha complained half-heartedly about the movement it caused, but he ignored her. “Is he always this much of a handful?”

“You haven’t even seen him when he’s really shopping, yet,” Remus confided. “You’ll wish you never admitted to needing robes before we’re done. Between Narcissa and Siri… I don’t envy you.”

“Won’t you save me?” Hadrian asked, widening his eyes to seem more innocent. It only increased Remus’s amusement, unfortunately.

“I could,” he agreed with a grin. “But I won’t. Ah, it looks like they’re done. Come along, we’ll stop for ice cream before we move on. I believe you might see a friend or two there.”

They’d just settled into a magically-extended booth at Fortescue’s when Blaise and Theo entered. Both boys waved with matching grins, but they headed up to the counter instead of joining the large group. Hadrian couldn’t blame them, even as his heart sank. Amarantha’s head perked up at the feeling, and he could feel her tongue flick out against his ear.

“You are sad,” she observed. “They are yours?”

“No, they’re not,” Hadrian said quickly. “They’re each other’s.”

“They are yours,” Amarantha stated, then settled her head back onto his shoulder in finality. Hadrian rolled his eyes in fond amusement. When he focused back on his companions, he found them all staring at him.

“What?” he asked innocently, pretending that his cheeks weren’t flushing in embarrassment.

“Are you going to introduce us?” Narcissa asked kindly. Hadrian glanced down at Amarantha, but she kept her eyes closed and didn’t raise her head again. He sighed and shook his head.

“You first?” he offered. He was hoping that the owls would draw the serpent’s attention enough to get her to reveal herself again.

“Of course,” Narcissa agreed. She offered a small piece of her waffle cone to the tawny owl she’d chosen. “This is Hathor. She will be a good companion to Draco’s Thoth.”

“An Egyptian theme. How lovely,” Andromeda said with a bright smile. “Sirius? Remus?”

“Right, this is Cas,” Sirius told them. The black owl he’d chosen hooted once as if acknowledging his name. “He’ll be a fitting owl for the family, don’t you think?”

Remus shook his head fondly as he reached into the cage beside himself to pet the small golden owl that he’d chosen as his own. “This is Pollux.”

“Wonderful names,” Andromeda nodded again. Then all of the attention turned back towards Hadrian. He sighed again, reaching up to prod Amarantha’s scales gently. She hissed at him in warning and did not raise her head.

“This antisocial creature is Amarantha. She’s my familiar,” he admitted, smiling down at her. His affectionate tone caught her attention and she finally raised her head to nuzzle his cheek. “This is my family, pretty one. You have to get used to them.”

“If you love them, so shall I,” she replied without hesitation.

When their ice cream was finished, they made their way back out to the main street to continue their shopping trip. Amarantha remained around his shoulders, hidden beneath the navy robe he’d chosen for the journey. Very occasionally, she’d hiss out whatever she thought of a shop or a person who stood too near. Nothing of note happened until they entered Madam Malkin’s to get Hadrian’s new school robes.

“Hogwarts, deary?” the kind witch asked. There wasn’t a hint of recognition on her face, which filled Hadrian with unease. It wasn’t that he liked to be recognized; it was simply highly unusual for someone not to perk up when they saw him. Madam Malkin had met him once before, and she’d known him then.

“This is wrong, my own,” Amarantha hissed softly.

“Hush, little one,” the witch hissed in return. Hadrian took several quick steps backward, and his parents closed rank in front of him. Madam Malkin did not speak Parseltongue.

“Who are you?” Sirius demanded, wand aimed straight at the witch’s face. Over Remus’s shoulder, Hadrian could see her face twist into a cruel smirk that made him shiver. “Answer!”

“Wouldn’t you like to know, mongrel?” she shot back, pulling out her own wand slowly. Hadrian had a sudden intense feeling of dread, and he knew he needed to move now.

He grabbed Sirius’s arm and yanked him to the side just in time. The witch’s cutting curse hit the mannequin behind them instead of hitting Sirius. Hadrian could feel Amarantha leaving his shoulder, but he didn’t have time to worry for her. His hand slipped into his robe to grab the goblin broach and he held onto it tightly as he silently called for help. The witch was casting curse after curse, most of them rebounding off of mirrors and hitting fabric or displays. Just as two burly goblins appeared in the doorway, Amarantha struck. Her teeth sunk into the neck of the witch, who let out a loud shriek and crumpled to her knees.

“She will not die, my own. Not unless you will it so,” Amarantha hissed to him from her place on the counter. She coiled herself there calmly, waiting for the chaos to pass.

“She’s not actually dying,” Hadrian informed them quickly. “Amarantha just incapacitated her.”

“What kind of snake is that?” Andromeda asked as she caught her breath. She pushed herself to her feet, then reached down to help Narcissa up. Draco helped Hadrian up at the same time.

“I… don’t know,” Hadrian admitted. “And I don’t think that she knows, either, but I can ask.”

“I am what you need me to be, my own,” she told him before he could turn to ask her. It was unhelpful, but honestly what he’d been expecting. He relayed what she’d said, and was met with blank gazes and shaking heads.

“Lord Potter-Slytherin,” one of the goblins called, gaining the attention of everyone present. He looked distinctly uncomfortable by that. “She is under a strong glamour. We can remove it in the ritual room.”

“Great,” Hadrian sighed. “Do we need to be there for that? Can you have Onyxclaw let us know who it is?”

“Of course, young one,” the other goblin said quickly. “We will exact justice for you. Nobody may attack a member of the goblin nation and leave to tell the tale.”

“Thank you,” Hadrian told them. They both offered their terrible grins, then were gone in a blink of the eye. The witch disappeared with them. “Well… I think we should call it a day.”

“You haven’t gotten your robes!” Narcissa protested. Hadrian gave her a blank look, and she sighed. “I’ll get your measurements at the house and have my seamstress make them for you. With any luck, they’ll arrive before you leave for the express.”

“Thank you,” Hadrian said softly. His hands were starting to shake as the adrenaline wore off. He hurried over to pick Amarantha up, ready to leave as quickly as possible. “Back to the bank?”

“We could floo from here,” Narcissa offered. She gestured to the partially concealed fireplace and held up a small pouch of floo powder that Hadrian hadn’t known she’d brought with her. It made sense though; it was a good escape plan in case the worst happened.

“Yes,” Remus agreed. “There’s no need to push our luck. We’ll have a late lunch at home and just… rest.”

Hadrian hesitated, hanging towards the back this time instead of going first. When it was just him and Sirius left, he grabbed his father’s arm gently. “Do you trust me?”

“Of course I do,” Sirius replied without hesitation. Then his eyes narrowed. “What did you do?”

“Nothing yet,” Hadrian assured him. “I know of another way to get home, and I want to try it.”

“Goblins,” Sirius sighed. He was smiling as he regarded Hadrian, even though he sounded exasperated. “Go on, then. I’ll wait for you to disappear, then follow you home.”

“Thank you!” Hadrian grinned, hurrying forward to hug him before stepping to the middle of the room and closing his eyes. “Hold on tight, Amarantha.”

“What are you-”

Hadrian found his magical core impossibly quickly, since he knew what he was looking for. From there, it was easy to picture the foyer of Potter Manor, and just… wish that he was there. He felt everything shifting around him, but there was no pain or discomfort. When he opened his eyes, it was to see his family staring at him with wide eyes and dropped jaws.

“What- how-” Remus gasped, hurrying forward to check Hadrian over for injuries. Hadrian could barely hear him over the furious hissing of his familiar, however.

“That was not a proper warning, my own! You are lucky that you are mine,” she scolded him. “Had I been a common snake, you would have lost me.”

“What?” Hadrian gasped, staring down at her in horror. She flicked her tongue at him angrily and tucked her face back into his neck to ignore him. He sighed, shaking his head slightly. Then he turned his attention back to his parents. Sirius was right beside Remus, watching him with concern and a little hint of pride.

“Goblin magic?” Hadrian offered, knowing that it wouldn’t be good enough.

“Merlin’s bloody balls! ” Remus exclaimed, turning away with a scowl. He stomped from the room in a rage that would have impressed both Hadrian and Sirius if they weren’t so worried about him. Hadrian made to follow, but Sirius shook his head quickly.

“He’s fine. He gets like this sometimes when things happen that he can’t control. He’s worried about you, and he’s not fond of surprises. Give him a few hours to calm himself down, and he’ll be back to normal.” Sirius pulled Hadrian into a gentle embrace, finally giving him a proper smile. “Proud of you, kiddo. You keep surprising us, you hear?”

Hadrian let out a surprised laugh and nodded again. “I will.”

Onyxclaw didn’t write to Hadrian until the next day, and he didn’t have much information to give. The witch that had attacked them was from Bulgaria, and she’d had her memory wiped before she’d been hit by the imperius curse. She hadn’t known who had cursed her, or what she was doing. The shock of finally waking from the curse had killed her. 

Unfortunately, the result of being attacked in Diagon Alley was that Hadrian and Draco were confined to the manor for the last three weeks of summer. Remus and Narcissa took turns teaching them defensive magic, and Sirius trained them in dueling in creative ways (jumping out at them with hexes until Narcissa lost it and cursed his hair to turn different colors every time he lifted his wand towards one of them). Andromeda focused on the political and society aspects of Hadrian’s education, and he finished the summer feeling like he’d be ready for the events over Yule. He also knew exactly who to greet and how once he’d returned to school. It was a miracle he hadn’t managed to start any blood feuds yet; everyone knowing that he was raised by muggles was his only saving grace.

The other consequence of having his life endangered yet again was that he was no longer allowed to send or receive mail while in the manor. He and Draco couldn’t write to the others to explain, and Sirius had Tuffy put up a special ward that sent all owls back to their owners. It unfortunately meant that they were effectively cut off from the wizarding world for three weeks. Anything could have happened and they never would have known… if it wasn’t for the goblins.

Hadrian hadn’t told anyone that Onyxclaw had been writing to him in the evenings. He didn’t want to worry anyone, but the goblin had agreed that the young lord needed to know what was going on in the world if he was going to be safe once he got back to the school. He’d learned that Dumbledore was trying his hardest to discredit Hadrian’s articles to mixed results. He knew that the Wizengamot had met and passed a new law regarding wizarding emancipation, but it had been far too late to prevent Hadrian’s, and they hadn’t been successful in backdating it. And he learned that staffing changes had occurred against the advice of the Hogwarts Board of Governors for the sixth year in a row.

Horace Slughorn retired at the request of the Board decades ago, Onyxclaw had written. His potions classes contained the highest record of incidents and injuries in all of Hogwarts history. Salazar himself would have been ashamed of the man. What the headmaster thinks he might gain from this baffles me. Severus Snape, the former potions professor, will be teaching Defense. Dumbledore registered the changes with us just this morning- I believe he had a hard time in convincing Slughorn to return.

Hadrian was more prepared than Draco for their return to Hogwarts. He was awake and dressed in his robes before anyone else in the house had gotten up, and he’d pinned his Quidditch captain badge to his chest proudly. In the chaos of Diagon Alley, he’d forgotten to tell Draco about it. The blonde was less than pleased to learn about it in the kitchen of all places, on the very morning that they were set to return.

“Of bloody course you got the captaincy,” Draco snapped. He still wasn’t accustomed to mornings, even though Narcissa had been forcing him to get up at a reasonable time every day. “Saint Potter, out to make sure we all fail.”

“Oh please,” Hadrian rolled his eyes. He wasn’t half as annoyed as he would have been even a month ago. “I’m actually really shocked it didn’t go to Katie, but she sent a note along saying that she passed on it to focus on her Newts.”

“Smart girl,” Remus remarked from the stove. He’d just put the kettle on to boil before Gizzy shooed him away to finish making their breakfast. “You’ll want to focus on yours next year, as well. But enjoy this year. You’ve earned it.”

“You’ve seen him play,” Draco grumbled. He’d put his head down on the table in an attempt to get a few more minutes of rest, but it clearly wasn’t working for him. “If he’s captain, we might as well all give up now. I’ll bet ours went to Pucey, and he can’t lead for shite.”

“Draco,” Narcissa scolded. He lifted his head long enough to grimace apologetically at her, and she shook her head. “We’ll have to come watch a game once the season starts. I’ve been curious about both of you, I’ll admit.”

“Why didn’t you come before?” Hadrian asked. Amarantha let out a small hiss of reprimand, but he ignored her. She’d taken to the family quickly, and she was very protective of all of them. It had quickly become clear that she could sense more than just Hadrian’s emotions. He didn’t know what sort of snake she was, but she was definitely magical. She liked to act more as a mother to him than a companion, much to his exasperation and Sirius’s amusement.

“I wasn’t permitted to,” Narcissa admitted quietly. Then she turned away to busy herself with the scarf she’d chosen to wear over her fancy robes. Hadrian would never understand women’s fashion, much to Narcissa’s amusement. She’d been immensely satisfied with his robes when they’d arrived, exclaiming that they were much better than what Malkin’s could make, but they’d looked the same to him as what he’d always had.

With her sad admission, the kitchen grew quiet and somber. It was broken minutes later by Sirius bounding into the room as a dog and shaking his damp hair out towards Hadrian and Remus.

“Master Siri not be doing that!” Gizzy cried, snapping her fingers to dry the mutt off instantly. “Master Siri be ruining breakfast!”

“Sorry, Gizzy!” Sirius told her as he shifted back to his human form. He shook himself one more time, this time to steady himself, then grinned at Hadrian. “Well, Pup! Are you ready?”

“No,” Hadrian admitted. “I don’t think I know how to be ready for this.”

“You’ve got everything under control,” Remus reminded him as he placed a hand on his shoulder. “You know exactly what to do, and when. You know what you’re looking for. You know who to avoid. You can do this.”

“And you’re not alone,” Draco reminded him. He’d finally dragged himself upright, just in time to receive a cup of tea and a fresh scone from Gizzy. “It’s going to be fine, Hadrian.”

“We’re not going to pretend to be enemies, are we?” Hadrian asked warily. “I don’t think I can keep that up while also avoiding everyone I’ve been friends with for years.”

“I don’t have the patience for that,” Draco admitted. “And it would be obvious that we’re not enemies the very first time one of the idiots lashes out against you and I come to your defense.”

“You really don’t have to,” Hadrian reminded him. “I taught most of them last year. I’m not even slightly concerned.”

“It’s the ones you didn’t teach that we’re worried about,” Remus pointed out. “Dumbledore will know by now that you’re not under his thumb. He’ll realize what you know, and he’ll want to get you back under control. He’s an unknown factor.”

“He won’t be able to do anything once I’ve found the ward stone,” Hadrian said quickly. “I just have to find that, and then it’ll be fine. It’ll be safe.”

“I did warn you that it’ll be really hard to find, right?” Sirius asked. “Just making sure, because you don’t seem to understand how serious I was.” He gave a smirk at his pun, but didn’t turn it into a joke for once. “You have to watch your back until you find it. Maybe keep your eyes open for the Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff lords while you’re at it.”

“You really don’t know who they are?” Draco asked, raising his eyebrows.

“You do?” Hadrian asked, turning his full attention to his cousin. Draco smirked at him, clearly pleased to know something that they didn’t.

“Of course I do,” he replied. “Well… Ravenclaw, at least. It’s very obvious.”

“Draco, darling, it’s rude to make others wait. Just because he’s told you doesn’t mean you can hold it over anyone’s head,” Narcissa reminded him gently. She turned her gaze to Hadrian with a soft, knowing smile. “The Zabinis hold the Ravenclaw lordship. I do believe young Blaise was able to claim it when he turned eleven. It couldn’t go to his mother, you see.”

“It couldn’t?” Hadrian asked. He felt a little faint as he realized that he wouldn’t be able to avoid Blaise Zabini like he’d originally planned. If he was truly Lord Ravenclaw, he’d need his help more than nearly anyone else’s.

“No. She has too much Veela blood,” Narcissa explained. “Lines as old as the founders have very strict guidelines. As in our family, only a man may hold the title of Lord Black. For the founders, those with creature’s blood were found… lacking. Rowena herself was said to have turned her back on her daughter’s daughter when it was clear she’d taken after her father rather than her mother. She was part vampire, I believe. Young Lord Zabini does not have much Veela blood, if any at all. His father held the title for a time before he died, and it passed to Blaise when he took his inheritance test.”

“Oh,” Hadrian said softly. “I thought maybe… Luna…”

“Lovegood?” Draco asked, raising his eyebrows in disdain. “She’s in line for the Ollivander title. He’s her great-grandfather. She’ll take that title when she graduates, whether she’s seventeen or not.”

“How do you know these things?” Hadrian demanded. Draco let out a very improper snort that earned him a smack on the arm from Narcissa.

“People tell me things,” he admitted with a sigh. “Blaise was my first real friend, and he trusts me. Pandora Lovegood was my nanny, and she taught both Luna and myself about our titles and our families. I also know that Theo is set to inherit his title as soon as he’s seventeen, and Pansy already has the lordship for Parkinson but named her father as a proxy because he made her.”

“What?” Sirius asked sharply. Draco winced at the reaction. “That’s extremely illegal. He should have been ejected from the chamber before he could even sit down.”

“And he would have been, if the chief warlock hadn’t allowed it,” Narcissa agreed warily. “There are a great many things that happen in the Wizengamot that shouldn’t be allowed. Until we can  remove Dumbledore, there’s not a thing we can do about that.”

“We’re off track,” Remus sighed. “We’re meant to be encouraging them about returning to Hogwarts, not plotting to overthrow the government.”

“But Moony, why can’t we do both?” Sirius asked with a bright grin. Remus shook his head fondly, grinning. “What do you think, boys? Can we do both?”

“I think if you don’t get a move on, you’ll miss the train,” Andromeda informed them all from the doorway. “Much as I know you’d like to avoid this trip, we can’t afford to not send you boys off. Come along now.”

“Can’t I just-” Hadrian started, but Remus interrupted him.

“You are not using goblin travel to get to the platform. We’ve already discussed this. It’s a good thing to keep hidden. We don’t want people to know what all you can do, in case you need to use it in an emergency. You keep the broach inside your robes, the dagger hidden in its sheath, and you goblin magic dormant until you’ve got no other choice.”

“Yes, dad,” Hadrian sighed. Remus reached out to ruffle his hair, but he didn’t cave the way that Sirius would have. Hadrian hadn’t expected him to.

“Let’s just get this over with, alright?” Remus requested gently. He wrapped an arm around Hadrian’s shoulders, jostling Amarantha enough to earn an annoyed hiss that went completely ignored.

The station was mostly abandoned when they arrived, which is what they’d been hoping for. They didn’t pause on the platform; they climbed onto the train as a group and headed for the very back compartment. As soon as they were all inside, the adults drew their wands and began to cast their own wards on the door and windows. It took several minutes for all of them to finish. 

“Draco, darling, you are free to come and go as you wish. You alone can invite people into the compartment. They won’t notice that it exists until you say so,” Narcissa told her son. “Please remember who Hadrian might like to see as you travel. No more than five at any time.”

“Hadrian, stay in this compartment until you reach the school. They can’t find or harm you if you’re in here. Do you understand?” Sirius asked. Hadrian nodded quickly, knowing better than to protest. It was nice to have someone who cared enough to do this for him. For the first time in his life, he felt sad to be leaving someone behind. 

“It’ll be fine,” Remus promised him. “As soon as you’re at the school, you’ll be safer. I always thought that Hogwarts itself protected her students. Sometimes I could feel it.”

“Yes…” Hadrian agreed. “I know what you mean. I’ve felt it before, too.”

“Of course you have, Lord Slytherin-Gryffindor,” Draco rolled his eyes. “If you stay in here for much longer, you’ll be coming to Hogwarts with us, Mother.”

“Yes, yes,” Narcissa sighed. “Forgive me for worrying about my only child and my nephew.”

“I’m not sorry,” Sirius rolled his eyes. He tugged Hadrian and Remus into a tight embrace, and Hadrian wasn’t ashamed to bury his face in his father’s shoulder. He didn’t want to let them go. He didn’t want to do this without them. All too soon, they let him go and backed away.

“Be careful, darling,” Narcissa said softly as she pulled him into a hug of her own. He nodded against her, and she released him. “Keep him safe for me.”

“I will,” Hadrian promised. “You keep them safe for me.”

“I will,” she echoed with a smile. “Have a wonderful year.”

She had to practically drag Sirius from the compartment to get him to leave. With one last look back, they closed the door behind them and left the two boys alone for the first time since summer began.

“I’m bored,” Draco said not even ten minutes later. “If I know Blaise and Theo, they showed up early to find us. Do you mind…?”

“Go,” Hadrian sighed. “If you see Neville, Luna, or Parvati, send them my way.”

“I will,” Draco nodded. He disappeared out the door before he’d even finished speaking. Hadrian tried not to let himself be offended as the door slammed behind his cousin. He’d been feeling just as trapped, after all.

Instead of dwelling on his loneliness or stewing in anxiety, he pulled the book he’d been reading ( A Wizard’s Guide to the Soul and Aura ) out of his bag and set to reading. He was just learning about how every witch and wizard had different colored auras that only a select few could see when the compartment door opened again. “That was fast even for you, cousin,” he said without looking up from the book.

“Draco is a great many things, but he’s not fast,” was the quiet reply. Hadrian’s head snapped up to take in the sight of Blaise and Theo settling into seats across from him. Theo offered a small smile in greeting, but Blaise was just staring at him intensely.

“Er-” he said, running a hand through his hair. “I wasn’t expecting you.”

“We know,” Blaise muttered. He sat back in his seat and crossed his arms without taking his eyes off of Hadrian. “Why did you stop writing?”

“Blaise,” Theo sighed. He pinched the bridge of his nose for a few seconds before regaining his composure. “What he meant to say is that we’ve been worried about you. Are you alright?” Blaise very much looked like that was not what he meant, but he waited for Hadrian’s reply without interruption. 

“It wasn’t safe,” he admitted hesitantly. “We were attacked when we were in Diagon, and my parents put up precautions. We couldn’t write to anyone, or receive letters. We couldn’t even leave the manor.”

“What manor?” Blaise asked. Theo turned to glare at him and he lifted his hands in surrender. “Sorry, don’t answer that. Your safety is what’s important, not my curiosity. Forgive me, anima mia.”

“Ani- what?” Hadrian asked blankly. Theo was still giving Blaise a dirty look, and he simply shook his head. Hadrian decided to just move on. “Anyways… we weren’t trying to ignore you or worry you. We just didn’t have a choice.”

“It’s fine,” Theo assured him. “We’re glad you’re alright. Who attacked you?”

“A witch impersonating Madam Malkin,” Hadrian replied, glad that they’d moved into better territory. Amarantha poked her head up to pay more attention, and he ignored her as best he could. He didn’t need her to start talking about how they were his. “The goblins couldn’t figure out who she was. She was obliviated.”

“I’d heard that was a common practice in the last war,” Theo nodded. “He would wipe someone’s memories and send them off to do his dirty work. When someone broke the enchantments on them, they died from it.”

“She died in Gringotts,” Hadrian nodded. “We assumed it was Him and not… well.”

It wasn’t a safe place to discuss their suspicions of Dumbledore, and they seemed to realize that. “Alright, I get why you couldn’t write. But why don’t you seem happy to see us?” Blaise asked. Theo looked like he thought he should yell at Blaise again, but it was clearly an answer he also wanted. Hadrian sighed softly.

“I’m sorry,” he offered. Amarantha’s tongue brushed across his neck and he frowned. He knew what she wanted him to say. “Look, it’s been weird enough that Draco has completely changed. It’s hard for me to realize that everyone is… not who I thought they were. I was spelled to dislike all of Slytherin, and to not trust anyone. It’s not that I’m unhappy to see you. It’s just that I’m…”

“In denial,” Amarantha offered blithely.

“Confused,” Theo nodded in understanding, oblivious to what the serpent had said- or that she’d even spoken. “It makes sense. I know I’m still struggling with being open around you. We’re not enemies, Hadrian. We all have to remember that now.”

“We never were enemies,” Blaise chimed in. “Just because we didn’t know what side the other was on doesn’t mean we were always on different sides.”

“That’s oddly wise of you, dear,” Theo teased with a grin. His eyes turned to Hadrian, and he frowned slightly at what he saw there. Hadrian could only imagine how he looked. “We’re in this together. Gryffindor, Slytherin, Ravenclaw… Hufflepuff.”

“What?” Hadrian asked, frowning. He couldn’t mean…

“Draco said he told you about Blaise’s connection to Ravenclaw,” Theo said carefully. “So now I’m telling you about my connection to Hufflepuff.”

“No,” Hadrian said in disbelief. His reaction must not have been what Theo was hoping for, because his face closed off and he looked away. Hadrian scrambled to fix it. “No, no- I’m sorry. I just didn’t expect it. I was thinking it was going to be almost impossible to find the Hufflepuff heir once I got to school. I didn’t expect it to be so…”

Blaise was openly grinning at him now. “What a trio we make. All of the founding descendants in one compartment… in one year at Hogwarts. We’ll take it by storm.”

“Nobody can know,” Theo sighed. He still wasn’t looking at Hadrian, and it was making him uncomfortable. “We can’t reveal it until it’s time.”

“What are we waiting for?” Blaise asked, crossing his arms again. “It’s not like anyone can take the titles from us.”

“If the bumblebee finds out before you’re ready, he can block the magic,” Luna told them from the doorway. She had the dreamy smile on her face that Hadrian was beginning to identify as her ‘Seeing’ face. He gently pulled her into the compartment and shut the door to prevent anyone from looking inside. “He’s got his suspicions about Hadrian, you know.”

“We know,” Hadrian assured her. She took her seat beside him, the glazed look fading from her eyes. She offered a more genuine smile to the two Slytherins in greeting. 

“All will be as it should before you know it,” she promised. “Parvati sends her regards, but regrets that she can’t join us. She’s being watched, you see.”

“They know it was her, then,” Hadrian sighed. Luna nodded without speaking. “Do we need to save her?”

“No,” Luna promised him. “If she becomes entangled, I’ll pull her out. She’s important to me.”

Hadrian had to smile as he read between the lines. He glanced over at Theo and Blaise to see them watching with baffled expressions. Luna’s speech patterns weren’t for the average wizard. He wrapped an arm around her and held her close, curious to see both Blaise and Theo focusing on the point of contact with expressions of disdain.

“She’s lucky to have you, Lu,” Hadrian told her. She smiled up at him, pleased that he’d understood. “You know what to do, right? As soon as we get there.”

“The wrackspurts have reminded me repeatedly,” she assured him. “Stay close to them, and all will be well.”

“Who-” he started, but stopped himself. He knew. Of course he knew. Just as he was about to ask Theo and Blaise to stay with him until they reached the school, Draco barged into the compartment and slammed the door behind him. Hadrian was alarmed to see that he was an alarming shade of green and was holding a bottle of pumpkin juice that had clearly been tampered with.

“Those idiots,” his cousin seethed. “If I don’t kill Granger and the Weasel before the year ends, it’ll be a bloody miracle.”

“What have they done now?” Hadrian sighed. Draco settled onto the seat beside Blaise. He ignored Hadrian until he’d managed to tug the window open and chuck the bottle out of it. He slammed the window shut and leaned back in the seat. Hadrian pulled out his wand to cancel whatever spell had changed Draco’s skin, earning a small smile of gratitude that didn’t stay long. 

“They’re looking for you, of course,” Draco informed him. “Apparently they decided that I must have done something to you, and that’s why you’ve been avoiding them. Weasley hexed my skin, and Granger tried to spell me into making you drink that blasted pumpkin juice if I found you. Obviously it didn’t work.”

“How did you avoid the enchantment?” Blaise asked, eyeing his friend warily. Draco reached into his robe and pulled out the dragon amulet that Hadrian had gifted him from the Potter vault  just the week before. It had been hard to part with, but he’d known instinctively that it wasn’t his to keep. “Impressive.”

“Hadrian’s family is more paranoid than even my own,” Draco informed them with a smirk. “It’s from his pseudo parents. They made it for him, but he’s got enough protections on him to kill a dragon.”

“I wouldn’t go that far,” Hadrian protested. He didn’t miss the assessing look from Theo, or the slightly relieved one from Blaise. He really didn’t know what to make of them.

“They worry for you, my own. I like them,” Amarantha hissed softly. He was alarmed to feel her sliding down his arm to cross the compartment. “Tell them that I won’t bite. I wish to sit with the quiet one for a time.”

Hadrian relayed the message, then quickly introduced Theo, Blaise, and Luna to his familiar as she settled over Theo’s shoulders. He relaxed slightly when she seemed to be content there, but he could tell that Theo wasn’t sure how to feel. “She likes it when you stroke the scales on the back of her head. She’s a bit like a cat.”

“I am NOT like a cat, my own,” she opened her eyes to glare at him in annoyance, but they slid closed again when Theo reached up to pet her. “Yesss, like that, quiet one.”

It was dark when they reached the castle, just as it was every year. Luna had left them a while ago to rejoin her friends, but Theo and Blaise had settled in for the ride. Draco left only once after Luna was gone, to meet up with the other prefects. He came back looking far too satisfied, but Hadrian refused to ask. When the train came to a stop, they stayed still. It was better to let the crowd get off and then join them, as far as they were concerned. Less chance of being hexed from behind.

“Are we ready?” Draco asked, meeting Hadrian’s gaze from across the compartment. He wanted to say no. He wanted to stay on the train and go back home. Instead, he held Draco’s gaze as he nodded. They rose and left the compartment together.

Hogsmeade station was packed, of course. Hadrian could see Hagrid in the distance, but the half-giant didn’t glance his way. Much farther down the platform, he could see Granger and Weasley looking around for him, growing more frustrated the longer they couldn’t spot him. He was lucky that he was far enough away from them that they’d never spot him. Draco stayed by his side as they moved towards the carriages. Theo took his other side, and Blaise was right behind him. He felt incredibly safe, much to his own confusion.

Across the platform, he spotted Luna with Neville, Parvati, and Padma Patil. The twins were huddled close together in serious discussion. Hadrian wanted to wave, but he didn’t want to draw attention to himself. He caught Neville’s eye and offered a small nod. He got a nod and a smile in return.

“You’re so quiet,” Blaise observed. “It’s out of character for both of you. Shouldn’t you be arguing and causing a scene by now?”

“Shove off,” Draco snapped. He moved even closer to Hadrian, much to Blaise’s obvious amusement. “Forgive us for being concerned for our safety, you prat.”

“Oh please,” Blaise shot back, sounding amused. Hadrian wished he could turn to look, but he knew better. “Who would attack Slytherin’s prince? You’re not the one who should be concerned.”

“I’m not worried for me,” Draco agreed. “Which you already know. And clearly you’re just as worried, unless you’ve decided that bodyguard is the job for you.”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Blaise denied cheerfully. He didn’t back off even slightly. “Maybe I’m just getting to know my new friend, here.”

Hadrian had the distinct impression that Blaise would have reached out for him if he’d known how Hadrian would have reacted to it. He was glad that Blaise hesitated; he really didn’t know how he would have reacted. He couldn’t figure Blaise out. One moment he was upset or offended, and the next he acted like they were old friends. It was baffling.

“Blaise, you’re exhausting,” Theo sighed. Hadrian glanced over to see the fond grin that Theo was giving Blaise, and something twisted sharply in his stomach. He looked away quickly.

“You love me, cuore mio,” Blaise replied.

Hadrian sped up his pace without really thinking about it, ignoring the exasperated sound from Draco and the quiet surprise of Theo and Blaise. He just suddenly felt the urge to get away from them, and he couldn’t shake it.

“Why are you jealous, my own?” Amarantha asked, poking her head out of his robes. He glared over at her, and she shrank back down.

“I am NOT jealous, Amarantha. I’m just…” he trailed off, unsure of how to finish. A quick glance at Draco showed how amused his cousin was. It made him scowl. “I’m not anything at all about them. I’m nervous to get to the school. I think it might feel different now.”

“Why?” she asked. If it was possible for a snake to sound confused, she pulled it off. Hadrian hesitated as he considered his answer.

“My family helped to build this school a long, long time ago. I didn’t know that until this past summer. Now that I’ve accepted my place in the family, I think I might be able to feel their magic floating about,” he told her. It took her a while to reply.

“Maybe it was always there. You just didn’t know what to look for,” she offered. He glanced down at her in surprise and she preened under his gaze. “I can be smart, too, my own. I know what you know. I am what you need me to be.”

“Yeah, I’m getting that,” Hadrian admitted. She offered another of her smile imitations, and he returned it. Draco gave an annoyed huff beside him as they climbed into the last available carriage.

“Are you going to talk to her and ignore us all the way up to the castle?” he demanded in annoyance. Hadrian gave him a smirk as an idea came to him.

“No, but I WILL speak her language the rest of the way there,” he hissed at Draco. The blonde flushed in annoyance, but it was Theo’s shiver that caught his attention. The dark-haired boy beside him was also a little flushed, much to Hadrian’s confusion. He met Hadrian’s gaze and quickly looked away, flush darkening. Interesting…

“Don’t you even start that, or I’ll abandon you for Pansy,” Draco warned.

“You wouldn’t risk the wrath of your mother,” Hadrian pointed out smugly. Blaise stifled a laugh beside Draco. “I’ll behave if you will.”

“Fine,” Draco huffed.

“Fine,” Hadrian echoed with a smirk. He earned himself a sharp glare, but Draco didn’t say anything further. He turned to watch as the castle loomed closer.

Hadrian felt the exact moment they crossed the wards into the grounds of the school. The magic seemed to hum through his very veins, ruffling his hair in a phantom breeze and embracing his magic like a long-lost relative. His eyes were wide as he met first Theo’s then Blaise’s gaze. They’d felt it too.

It was Hogwarts, welcoming them home at long last.

Chapter Text

Hadrian made sure to keep his pace as slow as possible. Something inside of him knew that he had to be the last one inside. He, Theo, and Blaise had a job to do before they could enter the castle. The steady thrum of Hogwarts magic hadn’t faded; if anything, it had gotten even stronger the closer they came to the school itself. He couldn’t help the smile stretching across his face, and he didn’t have to look over to know that Blaise and Theo were both also grinning.

“You’re being weirder than usual,” Draco muttered, glancing over at Hadrian worriedly. Hadrian resisted the urge to roll his eyes, but his amusement must have shown on his face. “I’m serious!”

“No, you’re not. He’s at home,” Hadrian replied cheekily, earning a chuckle from Blaise and a glare from his cousin. “Sorry, I couldn’t resist. I think I’ve spent too much time with him.”

“He’d be so bloody proud,” Draco grumbled. “But really, what’s going on with you?”

“Hogwarts is happy to see us,” Hadrian explained. “Her joy is apparently contagious. I always wondered how every student was so excited to be here. Not everyone can be excited to start school, right?”

“Right…” Draco agreed, though he sounded reluctant to do so. “You think the castle is influencing the way we all feel?”

“Not exactly,” Hadrian hesitated. He’d never been very good at finding the words to explain himself. Fortunately, Theo didn’t have any such trouble, and he seemed happy to chime in.

“It’s the magic in the air. When it mixes with ours, it gives us a boost. Think of it as a calming draught mixed with a cheering charm,” he offered. Draco nodded slowly, and Hadrian was happy to see that he seemed to understand.

“You can feel it, then. Remus was right,” he said quietly. At Hadrian’s look, he explained. “He told me he thought you’d just… know what to do, since you technically own most of the school. Your family magics might direct you to where you need to go.”

“Like the secret passages,” Blaise chimed in, sounding far too delighted. “That’s bril. I’ve always wanted to find the places I’m not supposed to be.”

“The chamber,” Hadrian whispered to himself, frowning slightly. The slight hum of magic increased for a moment, as if agreeing with him. “In our second year, I just… knew where the Chamber of Secrets was. Like it was calling to me.”

Blaise suddenly burst into laughter, reaching up to clap his hands over his mouth. Hadrian turned to stare at him, which only served to make him laugh harder. Theo chuckled softly beside them, shaking his head. Even Draco’s eyes were gleaming with amusement. Hadrian fought the urge to pout at them, not understanding what was so funny.

“You were the heir of Slytherin,” Theo explained. “The whole school thought so, and you kept denying it… because you didn’t know. But you were!”

“No,” Hadrian said quickly, glad to be able to clear this up. “No, I wasn’t. I won the title of Lord Slytherin in conquest that year, after the chamber had already been opened. I nearly ended the line, too, when I was poisoned by the Basilisk.”

“You have been blessed by a Great One, my own?” Amarantha asked, perking her head up. This time, Hadrian didn’t try to make her hide. They were well away from the crowd of students, and nobody was watching them. “Why have you never said? That must be why you are mine.”

“I don’t think so, my beauty,” he assured her. “I was a speaker long before that moment. I think we were destined to find each other from the moment that I was born.”

“I am the only one of my kind, my own. I was made to be a gift for Magic’s champion. I was born from the venom of a Great One and the tears of a phoenix,” she told him haughtily. “Not just any wizard could be mine. Had I known you were the one, I would have found you much sooner.”

“I wouldn’t have been ready for you,” Hadrian shook his head. She hissed in annoyance but didn’t push the matter. When he focused back on the conversation around him, he found that they’d moved on from alarm over Hadrian almost dying, to discussing third year and how awful it was that the teachers had hidden so much from them. He was content to let them talk as they walked the rest of the way to the castle, pondering what he’d learned over the summer silently.

When they reached the castle’s entrance, Hadrian stopped walking. He could see the last of the students filing into the Great Hall, and it made him smile. The magic around them was thick with anticipation, and he could feel exactly what needed to happen. A quick glance at Blaise and Theo found them both standing beside him at the ready. Draco paused a few steps ahead of them and turned back with a frown.

“What are you doing?” he asked. “We need to be inside. The sorting is about to start.”

“Go on ahead,” Hadrian told him calmly. All it earned him was an incredulous look. “Really, go. We’ve got to do something first.”

“I’m not going to leave you behind so you can snog each other,” Draco shot back, crossing his arms. Hadrian felt his cheeks heating as he spluttered a denial that was echoed by the boys beside him. Draco’s smirk was a little mean as he regarded them. “Fine, I’ll go in. But I’m not covering for you.”

“We don’t need you to,” Theo snapped, glaring at his friend. Hadrian was satisfied to see that Draco seemed to wilt under the glare. “We’ve got this covered. Trust us.”

“Fine,” Draco repeated. He spun on his heel and hurried inside, making it into the Great Hall just before the oak doors swung shut.

Hadrian took a deep breath, feeling his magic rising up inside of him. It was different than the magic he usually called on; the Potter magic could be a bit wild, but the Gryffindor and Slytherin magic together felt… intense. It slithered under his skin like snake scales, and filled his chest with a sense of warmth that only came with courage and a sense of adventure. He felt an intense rush of affection from the castle itself. Just as the magic reached his hands, the doors to the castle slammed closed.

Theo held his hand up in front of himself, then glanced over to Blaise. Blaise nodded and held up his own hand, then glanced to Hadrian. Hadrian offered a bright smile, raising both of his own hands. “Together,” he said.

“Together,” they echoed.

“Hogwarts,” Hadrian began. “We stand before you, ready to take our place as your heirs. We offer our magic to restore what was lost, and give only the best of intentions.”

“We ask for nothing in return save the protection and wisdom you offer to the students who reside here,” Theo continued.

“We rise with you. We grow with you. We will not allow you to fall,” Blaise added. Hadrian took another deep breath as they all stepped forward with outstretched hands.

“As Godric and Salazar,” he said quietly.

“Rowena,” Blaise added.

“And Helga,” Theo chimed in.

“So mote it be,” they all finished. Then they pressed their hands to the door as one, and let their magic flow free within the school.

The bells in the belltower began to chime steadily, filling every corridor and courtyard with the ringing of long forgotten victory. The ghosts all paused in their activities to turn their faces to the sky, smiling in satisfaction. They could feel the presence of the founders for the first time in centuries. It filled them with an intense amount of hope for the future of the school.

Helena Ravenclaw turned her face to the ground, feeling her mother’s long forgotten magic washing through her. It felt like forgiveness and love, and for the first time since her death, she felt a sense of peace. She was gone before the final chiming of the bells.

The sorting hat had just finished his song when the bells began to chime, filling the hall with unnatural silence. Only a pale blonde student at the Slytherin table knew what must have happened. Everyone else looked around in shock and awe as the hall began to change. Gone were the floating candles and shadowy corners. Along the walls, great fireplaces seemed to melt out of the stone; one for each house.

The fireplace to the north was a cheerful buttery yellow. It was wide and tall, and the flames were an interesting mix of black and golden fire. All who were near it felt a sense of acceptance and peace.

The fireplace to the east was a bright red. It had ornate carvings of lions across the mantle, and golden trim around the opening. It was a bit more narrow than Hufflepuff’s, but much taller. The flames inside seemed to be normal fire, and it filled those nearby with exhilaration and joy.

The fireplace to the south was a dark, forest green. The trim was silver, and there were small stone snakes that never seemed to stay still. The flames were a brilliant green that climbed higher than the other fires and seemed to burn brighter. Those nearby felt an instant sense of pride and confidence.

The final fireplace was to the west, and it was a dark navy blue. The silver sparkles that shone throughout the blue gave the appearance of the midnight sky, and it took the students’ breath away when they focused upon it. The flames were a vibrant blue and burned low but steady. It was the shortest of the fireplaces, but by far the most beautiful. It filled any nearby with a sense of steady calm and powerful motivation.

The silence remained as the fireplaces fully formed. They could only watch as shadows formed above the mantles. They were in the shape of portraits, but no frames appeared. The anticipation was overwhelming as they waited with baited breath.

Deep within the castle, the floors began to quake. The staircases came to an abrupt stop at the correct floors and refused to move any longer. Several portraits that were thought to be dormant came back to life throughout the castle. The headmasters of old were finally free to roam the castle once more.

In the headmaster’s private rooms, a portrait that took up an entire wall finally began to move.

Dumbledore was seething. This was not supposed to happen. He’d been concerned when his charges hadn’t managed to find Harry on the train, but he’d learned a long time ago that things tended to work out in his favor even if they didn’t begin that way. Gellert was proof of that. Yet Harry didn’t appear in the Great Hall with everyone else. He looked around to see who else might be missing, but he’d never bothered to pay much attention to many of the other students- especially if they weren’t in Gryffindor. As that house was accounted for, he was at a loss.

The arrival of the Great Fireplaces was alarming for many reasons, not the least of which was that the Founders portrait in his sitting room was almost certainly active again. He barely managed to keep their individual portraits from appearing over the fires in the hall, and it drained a good portion of his magic. He would need to rest for a few days after such a feat. He wasn’t as young as he used to be. Even worse, there was no guarantee that he could keep the portraits away indefinitely. Whatever magic had brought them back certainly hadn’t faded away yet.

He had known from the beginning that the Potter line was derived from the Gryffindor line through their Peverell ancestors. He’d also known that the title would most certainly pass to young Harry when he turned seventeen. Imagine his alarm when he discovered that Harry had managed to claim his titles at the age of fifteen! The now sixteen-year-old was almost certainly the most politically powerful wizard in the UK- and quite possibly the world. More powerful than the headmaster, for sure. That simply wouldn’t do. His one hope was that Harry hadn’t managed to find help in learning about his heritage. As far as he was aware, he himself still held the proxy for Harry’s titles. Certainly the young lord wouldn’t know to take them away. He sent up a silent thanks to the universe that Sirius Black was no longer around to teach his son, no matter what that foolish article had claimed. He would know. 

He could feel the changes in the castle’s magic as it shifted around him, but his connection to it had grown very faint. He was disturbed to find that he could barely feel the wards at all. This had to be the work of more than just Harry Potter, but who…? And where was he?!

Albus Dumbledore didn’t know, and he did not like it.

“That was a rush,” Theo said quietly. Their magic had returned to them in a rush, and they could feel a great many changes from within the school that they still hadn’t entered. The door swung open in a cheerful invitation. Hadrian could still feel the affection from the castle lingering in the back of his mind. He could also feel the web-like wards that surrounded the school and moved throughout the many corridors. There were huge tears and holes that he knew they’d have to fix soon.

“Understatement of the century,” Blaise laughed. “I don’t feel like causing a scene, do you? I think we should just go get settled in.”

“What about the feast?” Hadrian asked. He hesitated on the threshold, letting the other two enter before him. The affectionate feeling grew impossibly stronger when he crossed into the castle.

“Are you hungry?” Theo asked them with a small smile. When they both nodded, his smile grew. “I know where the kitchens are. Follow me.”

Hadrian wasn’t surprised that Theo led them down to the dungeon. He’d known where the kitchens were since his third year, but he also knew that it was Hufflepuff’s domain. He was happy to let Theo lead. He was more than a little surprised when Theo turned down a corridor that was decidedly not in the right direction. “Er, Theo?”

“Trust me,” was the instant reply. Though Hadrian wasn’t sure it was a good idea, he kept silent and remained beside Blaise. Two turns later landed them in front of an empty portrait. “Nobody knows this secret, yet.”

“How do you?” Blaise asked, raising his eyebrows. Hadrian was glad that he’d asked.

“... I don’t know,” Theo admitted. “I just followed the feeling. Here, just…” He reached forward and knocked directly on the center of the empty portrait, and it swung open instantly. They were hit by the smell of freshly baked bread and roasted pork.

“Lord Huffypuff! We knews you’d be coming, sirs!” a house elf called from deep inside of the hidden kitchen. It was nothing like the kitchens Hadrian had visited before. This one was much smaller, and only held four elves. Each elf wore a different uniform- one for each house. The one who had called out was in a yellow and black imitation of a wizard’s robe, and he was beaming at them. “I be Hela. This be Salzy, Wena, and Dricy. We be waiting a long time for yous.”

“How long have you been here?” Hadrian asked in awe. He could guess that they weren’t ordinary Hogwarts elves.

“We be from a long line of elves serving the great lords. We be waiting for you to find us,” Salzy told him eagerly.

“We be ready for you,” Dricy agreed. “We make food, we keep things clean, and we protect. We be good elves, Lord Gryffydor.”

The boys shared surprised glances, but this was possibly the least shocking thing that had happened so far. Hadrian didn’t know what he was going to do with two elves, but he wasn’t about to insult them by turning them away. He sighed quietly, shaking his head with a smile.

“Okay. That’s excellent, Dricy,” he said after a moment. “Thank you. We do have some rules, though, alright?”

“Of course! Anything Lord Gryffydor wants,” Dricy agreed instantly. Salzy nodded at his side, big eyes gleaming with excitement.

“Nobody knows who we are yet,” Theo told them gently. “For now, we want to keep it that way. Hadrian has a little more leeway; he already announced that he’s Lord Slytherin. Salzy probably won’t have to keep himself a secret. Right, Hadrian?”

“Right,” Hadrian agreed. While he wasn’t looking forward to everyone seeing that he had a personal elf at the school, he wasn’t hiding who he was if he could help it. The more people who knew, the better. Dumbledore wouldn’t be able to call him a liar this way. “But Dricy, for now, I want you to stay hidden. You’re welcome to visit me when I’m alone, or with Theo, Blaise, and Draco. For now, those are the only three who can know. Alright?”

“Of course, Lord Gryffydor,” Dricy nodded. His ears had drooped slightly, but he seemed alright with the order.

“Wena, the same goes for you. Only come see me in an emergency, or when I’m with these two and Draco,” Blaise told the small elf. She nodded quickly, but remained silent. She seemed to be the shyest of the quartet, but there was something sharp in her eyes that made Hadrian think she was the Ravenclaw elf for a reason.

“Hela… unfortunately, it’s the same for you. I’m more prone to be alone, but if I’m surrounded by others I’d prefer you to stay away. It’s nothing against you! It’s just not safe right now for our hand to be revealed,” Theo chimed in.

“I be understanding, Lord Huffypuff,” the little elf agreed. “I be keeping your secret with my life.”

“Don’t put yourselves into danger!” Hadrian said quickly. “If someone is threatening you, you don’t have to keep quiet. The secret isn’t worth pain or death.”

“Yes, Lord Slytherins,” Salzy said quickly. “We bes careful.”

“Good,” Hadrian said with more than a little relief. He shared little smiles with Blaise and Theo before Hela gained their attention back.

“Are the young lords be hungry?” she asked, holding up a tray of roasted pork. Beside her, Wena offered a bowl of buttered potatoes that had Hadrian’s stomach growling. It didn’t take long for the elves to get them settled at a table they’d conjured from nothing, and the boys ate in peace for what might have been the last time that year.

“Do you have a plan to avoid your former friends?” Theo asked towards the end of the meal. “You know they’re not just going to leave you alone, and people are going to ask why you don’t speak to them anymore.”

“Honestly, I haven’t given it much thought,” Hadrian admitted. Planning had never been his strength; that was usually something that Ron and Hermione did for him. Another side effect of the blocks from Dumbledore, he was sure. “I know a few pretty strong wards now, so I can keep them out of my things. As long as I’m never alone with them, they can’t try to hex me. Sirius told me that it’s only a rule for us to have to sit with our houses at feasts and events, so… I was hoping I could join you guys for most meals. Draco might go mental if I don’t.”

“And you will have me,” Amarantha reminded him. She’d been quiet since they’d entered the castle, but it seemed it was too much to ask for her to have gone to sleep for the night. “I will not let them touch you, my one. Nobody will take you from me.”

“They won’t dare once they’ve seen you,” Hadrian agreed, just to placate her. She nodded her head in satisfaction and settled herself back down. When he glanced up, he found Theo pointedly looking away from him while Blaise watched with obvious interest. “Sorry. Does it make you uncomfortable when I speak to her? I can try to remember to keep it in English. She understands every language that I do.”

“So… English and Parseltongue?” Blaise asked with a grin. Hadrian rolled his eyes, but he was smiling as he nodded. “It doesn’t bother me. Honestly, I wish that I could learn how to speak it. It’d be nice to have a language that only we can understand, for if we wanted to share secrets in public.”

“I don’t think it’s something I can teach,” Hadrian replied. His mind was reeling, but he couldn’t think of a single way he might be able to pass on the gift. “It’s not something that I learned. I just look at a snake, and… speak.”

“What do you do when there’s no snake around?” Theo asked, turning his eyes back to Hadrian now that he wasn’t speaking it anymore.

“I just sort of picture one in my mind and pretend I’m talking to it,” Hadrian admitted. He didn’t like the twin smirks that it earned him. “I know, I know. Laugh it up. It’s not like I had someone to teach me about this, you know. I’ve been figuring it out on my own.”

“We’re not judging you, Hadrian,” Theo assured him. “Everyone starts somewhere, right? This is just your origin. Besides, when they tell your tale in a few decades, all of the little details like this will be left out. I wouldn’t worry about things as trivial as that.”

“That’s an interesting perspective,” Blaise chimed in. He sat back in his chair as he considered it. “But who’s to say that they’ll still be talking about it so far from now? Perhaps it’s a story that will be lost to time. Most of the great wizards are remembered by name alone. All of the stories are made up.”

“Really?” Hadrian asked, surprised. “So the stories of the founders… or Merlin and Morgana…?”

“You’re an heir of two founders and Morgana herself, and you don’t already know that?” Theo asked incredulously. “I don’t know how to find you the real stories, but I know that the things people say about them now aren’t accurate. I know that Salazar Slytherin was a good wizard, not just a great one. I know that he and Godric Gryffindor never fought. In fact, I had thought they were in love.”

“As far as Morgana goes…” Blaise chimed in. “People paint her as the villain of the story, right? They say she went mad from power. My mother told me that it wasn’t her who went mad, but someone very close to her. They used her to get what they wanted, and left her broken when it was done.”

“I’ve been reading her journal,” Hadrian admitted. “She was so scared of herself. There were chunks of her memory missing, and all of these terrible things that people told her she’d done. I thought it sounded like the imperius as I was reading, but I wasn’t sure.”

“It really does sound like a curse, but I don’t know about the imperius. I don’t think it usually leaves you with chunks of time missing,” Theo offered.

“Ginny was possessed by Voldemort in her first year,” Hadrian offered slowly. “The diary had a piece of him still attached, and it made her open the chamber and set off the basilisk. She couldn’t remember any of it. Maybe Morgana was possessed?”

Nimue was strangely quiet in his mind throughout the discussion. Hadrian had almost expected her to chime in with the truth, and he found himself disappointed when she chose not to. He’d have to continue reading the journal whenever he had time. If he could prove that she wasn’t what everyone thought, maybe he could bring the right kind of respect back to the family name.

“We should go. The feast has to be done by now, and Draco will be panicking if we’re not in the common room to tell him that you’re fine,” Blaise sighed. “We can meet up outside of the Great Hall in the morning, yeah?”

“I’ll be down at seven,” Hadrian nodded. “I don’t think I’ll be able to sleep very well tonight. I’ll be too worried about what Ron might do.”

“Dricy be keeping you safe,” the elf offered out of nowhere. Hadrian had honestly forgotten that the elves were still there. “Dricy be out of sight and protecting Lord Gryffydor.”

“You don’t have to do that,” Hadrian assured him. The elf stared at him in determination, and he sighed. “Fine. Yes, please, Dricy. What if you take turns so you can sleep? Salzy, will you work with Dricy so that you can both get some rest?”

“Oh yes, Lord Slytherin. Salzy be doing,” the second elf agreed. They both beamed at him, and he pretended that it didn’t make him as uncomfortable as it did.

“I’ll still be down by seven thirty. I don’t want to be in the dorm when Ron wakes up. He likes to sleep, so I imagine he won’t wake up until after eight. If I’m already at the Slytherin table, he’s unlikely to come close,” Hadrian told his companions. They both nodded.

“You know Draco will be with us. Just don’t expect him to be fully awake,” Blaise told him.

“I lived with him all summer. Trust me, I know what to expect,” Hadrian grinned. “He can join when he decides he’s ready as far as I’m concerned. That’s one dragon I won’t poke.”

“Funny,” Theo rolled his eyes. “Especially since we’ll be the ones ‘poking’ him.”

Hadrian didn’t like the sound of that, if he was honest. Rather than storm off again, he chose to change the subject. “Do you want me to walk you to your common room? We’re not far from it.”

“How would you know?” Blaise asked, raising his eyebrows. He debated briefly about lying, but decided he might as well let them in on the secret from so many years ago.

“Back in second year, we used polyjuice potion to get inside. We thought Draco was the one doing the attacks, but nobody would take us seriously without proof,” Hadrian told them. He accepted the shrunken package that Wena offered him, knowing that it would be snacks for later. “Obviously he wasn’t behind the attacks, but back then, he was a right prat and I had every reason to be suspicious with the shite he kept spewing.”

“That’s… valid,” Theo said after a moment. “But who did you change into? I think someone would have noticed if there were doubles in the common room.”

“Well…” This part was a bit harder to admit. “Ron and I got hair off of Crabbe and Goyle by putting sleeping draught into some cakes and stealing their robes. Hermione was supposed to be Bulstrode, but the hair that she managed to grab was a cat’s.”

“Oh, this will be good. How awful did she look?” Blaise asked. His face was alight with glee, and Hadrian felt himself starting to flush the longer he looked at him. He hurriedly turned his gaze to Theo.

“It wasn’t pretty. She was still humanoid, but covered in chocolate brown fur. She coughed up a hairball and everything. She had to spend two days in the hospital wing before Madam Pomphrey got her sorted,” he informed them. “She wouldn’t let me and Ron visit. Kept saying she was hideous and better off unseen.”

“I bet Weasley loved that. He’s always been a bloody git,” Blaise grinned. “Someday I want to see the memory of you finding her like that. Call it a birthday gift, since you missed mine over the summer.”

“Did I?” Hadrian asked, feeling his heart sink. Theo elbowed Blaise hard in the ribs, causing him to yelp.

“No,” Theo informed him. “Blaise’s birthday is in January, and mine is in November. We did miss yours, however. We’ll fix that soon.”

“No, don’t,” Hadrian said quickly. “My birthday has never been a big deal. I don’t know what I’d do with extra attention on it. Besides, my parents had it covered.”

Sirius and Remus had apparently been trying to make up for sixteen years worth of birthdays this year. The presents they’d bought for him were outlandish and brilliant, and they’d taken him on a day trip to an Irish beach. They’d rightly assumed that the Dursleys had never taken him anywhere at all, and Ireland was far enough away that nobody would think to look for him there. It was by far the best birthday that Hadrian had ever experienced.

“I find that hard to believe, Lord Wizarding Savior,” Blaise replied pointedly, but then he changed topics instead of arguing further. “Come on, we’ve really got to go. Don’t worry about us; you’ve got to get up to your tower without being seen.”

The magic around them swelled momentarily, and two doors popped into existence at opposite ends of the little kitchen. The first door was forest green with a silver snake carved into the length of it. The second was scarlet red with a golden lion covering the center of the wood. It was fairly obvious where they’d lead, though Hadrian was certain that it was impossible.

“Hoggywarts helps,” Salzy told them solemnly. “The doors will stay for the lords.”

“This is going to be an excellent year,” Blaise said softly, reaching for the door that would take him to the Slytherin common room. “New plan, Hadrian. Meet us down here in the morning and we’ll walk up to the Great Hall together. Less chances of ambush this way.”

“Think Draco will be able to get in?” Theo asked hesitantly. “This room was definitely made for us. I’d hope nobody else could just walk in.”

“I’d reckon he’ll be fine as long as he’s with one of us,” Hadrian replied after a moment. “I don’t think Hogwarts would give us something if we wouldn’t be able to do whatever we want with it.” The gentle prod against his magic told him that he was right.

“Right. Well…” Theo hesitated, fidgeting with his hands as he watched Hadrian. “We should get to bed. It’ll be an early morning. Goodnight, Hadrian.”

“Goodnight,” he replied, offering a small smile. He found himself wanting to reach out to both boys, but managed to restrain himself. They weren’t nearly close enough yet for anything he might have done. He didn’t even like to hug Ron and Hermione when he’d been spelled. What was he thinking?

“Sweet dreams, anima mia,” Blaise sighed. He gave Hadrian one last oddly wistful look before turning and walking through the Slytherin door. Hadrian could just barely make out a few green couches before the door swung shut behind them.

His own door led to a single flight of stairs and a second door- this one plain wood- that swung open to reveal his empty dorm. There was no noise coming from the common room, which meant that he’d beaten his house up from the feast. Good. It was easy to determine which bed was his, with his shiny new trunk already at the foot of it. Just as he tugged the curtains closed and pulled his wand from his pocket, the sound of voices began to drift up from the stairs across the room.

High in a tower, behind a Gargoyle protector, sat the hidden quarters of the headmaster of Hogwarts. His office was the first room that anyone might see, and he kept it flashy and mysterious so that nobody would think to look beyond it. A nondescript door sat behind Fawkes the phoenix’s stand, and it led to the rest of his living quarters. The layout was much like a modern British flat. The room just beyond was a simple sitting room. At one end was a massive fireplace that was constantly lit. The opposite wall was composed of a massive painting that he had not been able to get rid of no matter how hard he’d tried. The castle itself blocked his attempts.

The founders of Hogwarts had lived in that portrait since their passing. They’d provided wisdom to every single headmaster and headmistress who had come after them. Usually, their advice had been welcomed and cherished. Armando Dipett had been the first headmaster to completely ignore them since Phineas Nigellus Black. They’d had quite a bit of hope that the next headmaster would take their advice into consideration. The next headmaster was not meant to be Albus Dumbledore.

The very day that he was appointed, the founders tried to talk sense into him. Salazar had seen behavior like this before, and had warned the others that Dumbledore was going down a very dark path. Unfortunately, the man did not want to hear what they had to say. When Salazar had tried to speak with a professor in the Great Hall about what little he’d learned in his time watching the headmaster in his private quarters, Dumbledore had tapped into the castle’s magic and made the fireplaces and portraits mysteriously disappear. And when the professors began to discuss visiting the castle’s ward stone to see if they could restore the losses… all memories of the fireplaces and portraits disappeared from the castle overnight. As punishment for trying to share his secrets, Dumbledore locked the founders into their large painting in his sitting room and performed a complicated ritual to freeze them in place. They could no longer move or speak.

They could, however, still hear and see. They heard every conversation between the headmaster and his underlings. They saw every illegal artifact and ritual. They heard every muttered comment of things he had done. They knew far, far too much to be allowed freedom. Still, they held out hope that their heirs would return to the castle and set everything right.

Exactly six years ago, something changed. It was just a subtle shift; they still couldn’t speak or move, exactly… but suddenly they could feel the subtle brush of magic against their paint strokes. A year later, Godric found that he could slightly move his fingers. Rowena felt her hair moving in an invisible breeze. Three years ago, Helga managed to sigh for the first time in decades. Salazar finally shifted his weight to his other leg. Rowena found that she could summon her daughter, though she could not quite speak to her. Progress was slow, but each year they found that they could do a bit more.

This past summer, something huge had shifted within the castle. A wave of magic had crashed into the wards, strengthening them in a way they hadn’t seen since they themselves were alive. They could move quite a bit more, and though they could not speak above a whisper, they could communicate subtly with each other. They knew their heirs were coming.

On the first of September, the enchantment on their painting- and the very castle herself- was broken completely. The headmaster was at the welcoming feast, so they were free to speak amongst themselves. The excitement was too strong to contain.

“They’re here! Oh, at last!” Helga exclaimed, clapping her hands and hopping in place. Godric shook his head fondly at her. He hadn’t stopped grinning since that morning. Thankfully, it had gone unnoticed.

“Calm yourself, dear,” Rowena told her gently. “We don’t know who they are or if they’re any better than Albus. They could very well be under his thumb. Why else would it have taken so long for all of them to claim their heirships?”

“Speak for yourself,” Salazar snorted. “My heir claimed his lordship. I can feel it in my magic.”

“Mine as well,” Godric confirmed. “Though how a child has managed such a thing is beyond me.”

“Perhaps they are professors?” Helga offered. “Or members of the board who only get to visit the castle on occasion.”

“But wouldn’t we have felt them as heirs when they entered the school as children?” Godric replied. “We’ve always felt them before. These are just the first to have the rings.”

“It hardly matters. If we can move and speak, it’s only a matter of time before we can leave this room. We need to discuss what we’re going to do about Albus and his plans. We can’t let them unfold,” Rowena said quickly. “Sal, you yourself said he’s about to bring the Dark Ages around again.”

“If he continues down this path,” Salazar nodded grimly. “We must speak with our heirs. They should be able to alert the proper authorities. I don’t know about the three of you, but I have much to teach my newest family member. Many tricks and secrets that have been lost to time. I can’t wait to see what they’ll become.”

“If they’re all here… perhaps it’s time we gifted the school to our descendants for good,” Helga said softly. “They have a claim to it. If we give them the castle’s magic, nobody could possibly take it from them. They could set things right here.”

“They could get rid of his influence on the school,” Godric agreed.

“They are only children,” Rowena pointed out. “How can we ask that of them?”

“They might be children, but if they’ve already managed to break Albus’s spells… they’re incredibly powerful children,” Salazar said after a moment. “All we can do is give them the tools to succeed and the advice of a mentor.”

“As soon as we’re able to leave this room, we’ll speak to them. We’ll do what we must,” Godric said firmly. The others nodded in agreement. It was the start of a new era, and they were quite excited to see how it would all play out.

The dorm was still dark when Hadrian jolted awake. He laid there panting, struggling to remember that he wasn’t in the ministry. That Sirius wasn’t dead. He wasn’t alone. His harsh breathing must have disturbed Amarantha, because she let out a sleepy hiss and moved her coils closer to him on the pillow.

“Hush now, my own. You are in no danger,” she told him without opening her eyes. “What is in the past will never be repeated.”

“... I know. I know that. It was just a dream,” Hadrian sighed, finally starting to relax again. He grabbed his wand from his bedside table and cast a quick tempus charm. Five in the morning was far too early to be awake, but he knew he wouldn’t be getting back to sleep. He resisted the urge to pull out the mirror to call his parents, knowing that they were both peacefully sleeping and hearing the mirror would just make them panic. Instead, he pulled out Morgana’s journal and began to read. He skipped a little ahead, and was confused by the sudden jump in years. The last passage had been from 937, and three passages ahead was from 1210…

England, 937 A.D.

The darkness is closing in. I feel the end as it approaches, and I welcome it. If I am truly out of control, it is time for peace. I will go to Merlin tomorrow and ask my dearest friend to end my suffering. He possesses Arthur’s sword. I am told that I killed the king on one of my forgotten tirades. It would only be right for my end to come on his blade.

I received word from Nelle today. She told me that something worse than myself approaches, and that I should not give up on my own life yet. They may have need of me. But how can I remain alive if I know that I might cause this worse thing… or aid it? Oh how I wish that I could speak more plainly with my oldest friend, but he is far too busy for my troubles. It will be a miracle if he can spare a moment to help me when the time comes. Though perhaps what keeps him so busy is my treachery. I will know soon.

The end is coming, and I am ready.

Wales, 1210 A.D.

Imagine my surprise to find myself awake once more. I clearly recall the feeling of a blade through my chest, and the strange lack of pain that brought about my end. I closed my eyes knowing that my peace had finally come…

Yet here I am. My dress is new, my wand has not left my hand, and my journal was waiting for me here. It is as if I never died at all. How strange.

This world that I find myself suddenly a part of is just as strange. Things are not as I once knew. I have met one person, and she was very frightened of me. Not because I am dangerous, but because I asked such strange questions. She frightfully told me that Merlin is long gone, and that Morgana is a name that children whisper in the dark like a curse. I cannot be who I was all those years ago if I wish to remain safe.

When morning comes, I will go exploring. Something must have called me back. Something must be pulling the strings of fate. I must find it and stop it from continuing. I cannot allow myself to become dangerous again. Perhaps a binding will be necessary… though I must find a witch strong enough to cast it. Even Merlin could not fully bind my magic.

He got lost in reading, and it was only Amarantha’s sleepy hissing that pulled him out of the journal. He had a sinking suspicion that he knew what had happened to Morgana. Nimue was still completely silent in his mind. He found himself wondering if he could use the Peverell ring to speak to his ancestor as he got himself ready to meet with the Slytherins. If he could speak with his mother, could he speak with any long-dead ancestor? It would be worth a try, later, if he could remember.

At seven fifteen, Hadrian made his way down the hidden stairs to the secret kitchen. He was just about to enter when he heard hushed voices that were decidedly not house elves. He considered just going in anyway… until he heard his name.

“Hadrian isn’t oblivious, you know,” Draco was grumbling. “Eventually he’s going to notice, and then what will you do?”

“We can’t just tell him,” Theo replied stiffly. “We shouldn’t even be talking about this right now. He could walk in at any moment.”

“He’s a bloody Gryffindor. They’re loud and not exactly careful. We’ll hear him coming,” Draco shot back. Hadrian could imagine him rolling his eyes and waving Theo’s concern away with his hand. He sounded more awake than Hadrian had expected. “The two of you are going to be in deep shite when he figures it out.”

“He’s not going to want it,” Blaise said quietly. It was the most dejected Hadrian had ever heard him sound. “He’s had weeks to think it over, and he hasn’t said anything. He has to know. He has to be letting us-”

“You’re a bloody idiot,” Draco sighed. “And so is he. Oblivious gits, the lot of you.”

“Mister Draco should not be speaking to the lords like that,” one of the elves said suddenly. Hadrian was pretty sure that it was Hela. He had to clap a hand over his mouth to hide his snort of amusement. Leave it to Draco to make the gentle elf angry.

“Sorry,” his cousin muttered. “Where is Potter, anyway?”

“It’s not quite time yet,” Theo said softly. “I just hope he got away from his housemates easily enough.”

Hadrian had heard enough. He had plenty to think about later, but for now, he had plans to put into motion. He crept back up the stairs, then made a point to make plenty of noise on his way down. He barely heard Draco’s muttered “told you so” as he pushed through the red door at the base. He couldn’t restrain his eye roll, but it went unnoticed.

“Are we ready?” he asked, offering a small smile to the four gathered elves before turning his eyes to the Slytherins. “We’re about to shock the entire school.”

“Good morning to you, too,” Draco told him pointedly. “It’s not going to be any more shocking than the changes you made in the middle of the sorting. You haven’t even seen the fireplaces, yet. I think Dumbledore did something to them, though. They’re missing something. You’ll see.”

Hadrian wasn’t surprised to hear that they’d made changes to the castle physically as well as magically. He shared amused glances with Blaise and Theo, but didn’t voice his sudden excitement. Something inside of him knew that entering the Great Hall would void whatever magic Dumbledore had used to block their full claim on the castle. He spared only a moment as they left the kitchen to hope that Dumbledore wasn’t already in the Hall. It would definitely reveal too much to the old man.

Thankfully, they could see that the Hall was mostly deserted long before they entered. There were a handful of scattered students- mostly Ravenclaws and a few Hufflepuffs- and only Sprout and McGonagall were seated at the head table. Draco didn’t wait for them to tell him to go on ahead this time. He entered the hall and headed straight for the Slytherin table to claim their spot.

“Ready for another big day?” Hadrian asked softly. He took the time to meet both of their eyes, and saw the same anticipation reflected back to him.

“We were born ready,” Blaise grinned. Theo nodded along easily. Nothing more really needed to be said. In a move that shocked Hadrian, Blaise threw his arms around both Theo’s and his shoulders and pulled them in close. “Let’s go!”

Together, they stepped through the doorway. Instantly, the candles around the hall blew out. A hush fell over the already quiet room as the stones began to rumble. McGonagall shot to her feet, wand drawn… but there was nothing attacking them. A loud POP echoed through the Great Hall, and the ceiling shifted from the dim light of dawn to a brilliantly shining sun overhead. Soft clouds drifted in the air all around the hall, stopping only a few feet above the tallest student’s head.

“Whoa,” Theo whispered. It echoed in the Hall, but nobody looked at him. Their attention was focused on the portrait frames that had finally formed above the massive fireplaces. Slowly, as though they were waiting for their paintings to disappear, four figures entered their frames. “Oh my god.”

“Good evening,” the woman to the north called to the silent hall. “Pardon our sudden appearance. It seems like the curse has finally been lifted! What a delight it is to see your smiling faces at last!”

“Don’t scare them,” the man to the west called. He was grinning as he surveyed the gathered students. “They don’t look awake enough for this shock. What do you think, Ro?”

“My students thrive on the unknown,” the second woman sniffed. “A little shock never hurt a Ravenclaw.”

“Oh, come off it,” the final man snorted. “Your students were always the easiest to shock, and they took the longest to recover.”

“How dare you!” the woman exclaimed, but Hadrian could see the small smile on her stern face. It was the same expression he’d seen McGonagall make when she wanted to be strict but was too amused to do it properly.

“Hush now,” the first woman chided. “This is not the time, nor the place!”

“I’m sorry,” Professor Sprout finally spoke. She stared at each of the paintings in turn, a look of dawning awe on her face. “But who exactly are you?”

“Why of course! How silly of us to forget,” the first man exclaimed. He gave a short bow, and then sent a quick wink Hadrian’s way. “My name is Godric Gryffindor, and we are the founders of Hogwarts.”

The whispering started up immediately. Not a single person in the hall was silent, other than the trio still standing just inside the door. Thankfully, they hadn’t been noticed yet. They began their trek to the Slytherin table when Godric spoke again.

“Well, where are they?” he asked, still beaming excitedly. He had a fairly good idea, of course, but Rowena was always telling him not to assume.

“Sorry,” Professor Sprout replied, frowning slightly. “But where are who, exactly?”

“Our heirs, of course!” Salazar exclaimed. “We know they’re here, and we’re quite excited to meet them. Which of you is it? Who is the current Lord Slytherin?”

Chapter Text

September 1st, 6pm

Severus Snape was feeling a lot of things as he settled into his seat in the Great Hall. The students would just be getting off of the train, and he wasn’t looking forward to having to deal with any of them- not even his godson. Lucius had told him only the day before that both Narcissa and Draco had run off at the beginning of the summer holiday, and he could only guess what Narcissa had told the boy. He felt the same pang of… something that he felt every time he thought of the witch, and shoved it down, same as always.

Dumbledore was missing. That in itself wasn’t unusual, but McGonagall actually looked worried about it. That was definitely strange. She always knew what the old fool was up to, and she always seemed to support his “greater good” no matter who it affected or what the outcome might be. It was why he usually avoided her. Tonight, watching her sit with a disgruntled frown and wrinkled eyebrows, he had the uncommon urge to try to comfort her. He didn’t like that at all. What was happening to him?

“It’s too quiet,” Sprout said under her breath. Of course, it was silent enough in the hall that everyone heard her. Severus rolled his eyes, but his face was tilted towards the table so nobody would notice. Aurora Sinistra, sitting next to him, let out a short huff. He was unsure if it was towards Sprout or himself, and he wouldn’t ask her.

“I’m sure it’s nothing, Pomona,” Filius told her gently. He, too, seemed to be more stressed than was usual for the beginning of the school year. What was with everyone this year? Was it simply because of the war? Or had something happened that nobody had let him in on? It wouldn’t be the first time they chose to keep something personal a secret from him.

“Do you think we should be worried?” Hooch asked, raising both of her eyebrows. “It was a quiet summer, but…”

“But nothing,” Minerva said firmly. “Albus has complete control over the school, and you know anyone who might mean to harm the children won’t go through him.”

“And where is our savior?” Severus sneered. “He’s off doing who knows what, in an unknown location. Just like usual. He cannot protect the school if he is not in the school.”

“Is that concern, Severus?” Filius asked, turning his full attention towards the potions master. “Are you worried for our students?”

“No,” Severus replied shortly. He was cursing himself for speaking at all, but if he could just get Minerva to understand…

Albus Dumbledore was losing his grip on the school, just as much as he was losing grip with reality. The things Severus knew from playing both sides of the war- and twice, at that! The headmaster wasn’t going to make it much longer, curse on his arm, or no curse. He had signed his death warrant the moment he had announced the return of the dark lord.

“Hm,” Pomona shook her head, eye soft as she looked over at Severus. “Whether you try to hide it or not, we all know that you have a heart. Even if it’s only for one or two people.”

“That is enough,” he snapped. “We are not discussing my emotions, or lack thereof. We are discussing whether or not there is anything to be worried about. Have you all forgotten that we are in the middle of the second biggest war our world has ever seen? I was called just three days ago, and I can tell you-”

“Severus, my boy,” Albus called from where he was entering the hall. The usual gleam in his eyes wasn’t present. It was the sternest that Severus had seen the man in years. “These are things that should not be discussed in such a public place, when the children are just about to arrive. Minerva, I believe Hagrid will be at the entrance with the first years in three short minutes. We wouldn’t want to make them wait.”

Minerva rose from her seat without another word, and exited through the door that was stationed right behind her. Albus settled into his throne-like seat only moments later.

“We were simply wondering if there were any extra precautions we might take this year,” Pomona spoke quickly. They only had perhaps a minute more of discussion time.

“There is no need,” Albus informed them. Only Severus seemed to notice the steel behind the words. Only Severus knew that there was more to the headmaster than anyone could guess. “Hogwarts is the safest place on earth.”

This time Aurora’s huff was much louder. It was ignored. For a long moment, nobody spoke. Severus was just preparing himself for the onslaught of noise the students always brought with them when Filius spoke again.

“Every year, we tell the students and their parents that they are safe within these walls. And every single year, one or more of them goes home in a much worse condition than when they arrived. Two years ago, we lost one of them entirely. Last year, we gave permanent damage to several of them in the form of scarring and emotional abuse. What is it going to be this year, Albus? What more can we inflict on these students- these children - before there are none of them left?” he asked quietly.

There was no further opportunity to speak privately, as the doors to the hall were magically opened for the rush of second through seventh year students. Most of them were grinning, or laughing, as they settled at their tables. All of them were talking excitedly.

Severus surveyed his snakes silently, taking in the tense postures and stilted conversations. He knew without having to wonder exactly which ones had parents on the dark side of the war, and which older students had taken the mark over the summer. He knew which of his students would be in danger, and which would be causing said danger. He knew who to pay attention to, and who could go without interference this year. And he knew which two were missing.

“Where’s Mr. Potter?” Albus muttered to himself, frowning as he looked over the Gryffindor table. The other professors had noticed his absence, as well. Not a single one of them realized that there were two other students missing. Not a single other teacher cared.

“Do you think they made it alright?” Sirius asked. He was pacing in front of the fire in the library. Remus had been watching him pace for the better part of an hour, and he was starting to get annoyed. “We haven’t heard anything yet. What if they get there, and then the castle won’t let them in? Or something happens when they walk through the door, and Dumbledore finds out everything? Or-”

“Siri! Enough!” Remus exclaimed, finally having had enough. He pushed himself off of the couch and tugged Sirius into a tight embrace. “They are perfectly fine. Hadrian is prepared for anything that old windbag could possibly throw at him, and he’s got friends to help should he need it. And he’s got us.”

“Draco would never let anything happen to him,” Narcissa chimed in. “He’s grown rather fond of your son over the summer. Odd, considering how much they hated each other before.”

“Wars change everything,” Sirius reminded her darkly. “I seem to recall you and a greasy dungeon bat being much closer in the first war. I don’t care to know what changed- I don’t need the nightmares. But my point is that perspectives change.”

“It is none of your business,” Narcissa hissed, looking furious. “You have no right to bring that up now.”

“Cissa-” Sirius started, looking apologetic. Remus was almost proud of his sincerity. Narcissa, however, didn’t seem to be having it.

“No! I have been trying so hard to accept that we were wrong about each other. I’m sorry that I thought you were guilty, and I’m sorry that I cut you off before. That does not mean that you can bring up old wounds and pretend that you care what’s changed,” she spat. “What happened to Severus and I can’t be fixed or changed. I can’t go back and undo it. Just like you can’t go back and stop yourself from chasing after the rat, or giving up your child.”

“That’s not-” he tried, but she raised a hand to cut him off.

“I don’t care,” she informed him. “I don’t care that it’s not fair. You’re not being fair, either.”

“You’re right,” he sighed. He buried his face into Remus’s shoulder, and went silent. Remus wrapped his arms around his husband and let him stay hidden for the moment. When he looked over at Narcissa, her face was in her hands. They both seemed completely exhausted.

“Gizzy!” he called. He didn’t jump when the elf appeared less than a foot away from him, though it was a close thing. “I think we’re all a little tired. Could we perhaps get some hot cocoa and biscuits up here?”

“Of course! Gizzy bes bringing them right away, sir,” the elf replied happily. With a pop , she was gone. Not even thirty seconds later, a tray of steaming mugs and chocolate biscuits appeared on the table between them.

“Now then, can we talk like adults?” he asked gently. He carefully maneuvered so that Sirius was sitting on the couch beside him, then reached down for his mug of cocoa and a delicious looking biscuit. Narcissa sighed heavily as she settled into the seat across from them and took her own mug, but she was nodding.

“Sorry,” Sirius said softly.

“I am, as well,” Narcissa told him just as softly. “Severus is a touchy subject with me.”

“May I ask what happened? I don’t think any of us know. One moment, you were happily involved with Snape, and the next…” Remus trailed off, looking mildly uncomfortable. She gave him an almost amused look.

“I married Lucius?” she finished for him. He nodded. “It’s as simple as that. Severus and I had plans, you know. We were going to bond right after school, and we were going to leave Britain entirely. I was fluent in French, and he was learning Italian. We were going to travel until we found a place to settle. We were going to have children together. A lovely life. Modest, but comfortable. We were going to be happy.”

“Oh, Cissa…” Sirius whispered, looking heartbroken. She shook her head with a sad smile.

“One day, Severus pulled me aside between classes and told me all about a wizard who was going to revolutionize the world, and the way magic users lived. He was so excited. He was convinced it was going to be a bright new world if we ever returned to Britain after school, just because of this one wizard. There was going to be a meeting in Hogsmeade that weekend, and he wanted me to go with him. To hear these new ideas, and decide whether or not this could be a chance for us to really escape our families, once and for all,” she continued. She stopped to take a drink and let them consider what she’d implied. 

“Of course, that was the weekend Andi disappeared. She broke her engagement to Lucius and fled the magical world with her muggleborn fiance. She wrote to me to say that they’d eloped, and that she was so much happier for it. Told me that I should think about doing the same, if I didn’t want to be trapped in a loveless disaster. I was called home the day they found her note. The headmaster granted their request, because they were old family friends, you see. I didn’t even have time to tell Severus that I had to go home. I think he must have waited for me for quite a while before going to the meeting by himself,” she told them. She had to pause to calm herself.

Sirius and Remus shared a look when she was glancing down at her mug. They both understood exactly what she was about to say, and neither knew how to let her know gently that she didn’t need to continue her story.

“When I returned for classes on Monday, it was with a marriage contract to Lucius and no way out. Lucius had been informed the moment Andromeda left. He knew that he was to marry me, and he’d spent the whole of Sunday bragging in the common room about it. Called me the prettiest of the Black daughters, and said that I was a good enough consolation prize if Andromeda had to choose her…. Well. He said some rather unkind things about my oldest sister. And that meant that Severus already knew about it before my return,” she continued. She wasn’t looking up at them at all anymore, not even in quick glances. “He was waiting for me just inside the school gates. He begged me to pack my trunk, and… and run away. Right then. He said that the man he’d met with over the weekend had offered shelter and support to any who needed it. That he was kind, and just. That we would only need to explain what had happened, and he would take us in. He was so sure that it was the right thing to do, but…”

“But you’d just spent the weekend with your parents, who were much the same as my mother was about honoring the family and doing your duty,” Sirius sighed. “They were always quite good with guilt.”

“Quite,” Narcissa agreed with a wry smile that didn’t meet her eyes. “I told him thanks for his concern, but this new contract was what I wanted. That Lucius could give me things that I would never be able to have with him. That… that I couldn’t humiliate my family the way my sister had. And then I left him standing there, and I didn’t look back. He disappeared right after graduation, and I didn’t see him again until I was pregnant with Draco.”

“Weren’t he and Lucius always… friends?” Remus asked in confusion. Narcissa gave a humorless laugh.

“They have never been friends. Lucius realized early into our engagement that I had feelings for Severus, and he saw it as an advantage that he could use over both of us. He would invite Severus over only when the invitation couldn’t be declined. He named Severus as Draco’s godfather to taunt him about what he could never hope to have. When I said or did something that he didn’t like, he would make sure that their lord gave Severus a harsh punishment. Always within my hearing, of course. I was seen as Lucius’s property, and as such, I was to be present at all gatherings. I was never given the mark, myself. Being a prize had some advantages.”

“Narcissa, I-” Sirius started, but she cut him off again.

“I don’t want your pity, or your apologies. We have all gone through awful things, and we will continue to do so until this war is over,” she told him firmly. She then shook herself out of bad memories and offered them a genuine smile. “I’d much rather discuss tomorrow’s Wizengamot session. Hadrian gave you the letter for his proxies, yes?”

“He did,” Sirius confirmed. He didn’t sound it, but Remus knew just how nervous he really was. “Along with a list of things that need to be set into motion as soon as possible. He made me his proxy for all of his houses, but as discussed, he did it in three different letters. All anonymous except for the Potter, Black, and Slytherin titles. As far as the world will know, three different lords trusted me with their votes.”

“Does Dumbledore know yet that you’re alive?” Narcissa asked with a gleam in her eyes that made Remus wince. That woman could be vicious when she wanted to be.

“Nope,” Sirius replied, popping the ‘p’ playfully. “It’ll be a shock for him. Hopefully it’ll stun him enough that he won’t be prepared for all the things I plan to spring on the council.”

“With any luck, he won’t be there at all,” Remus said thoughtfully. “From what I remember of my year of teaching, he usually misses the September session because of his responsibilities at the school. And he won’t expect Hadrian to know enough to hand over his proxies. He probably still believes that they’re in his hands, and therefore won’t think anything of missing this meeting. I believe this might go better than any of us imagined.”

“I really hope you’re right, because I can’t handle more things going wrong,” Sirius sighed.

Parvati was trying her hardest to catch Luna’s eye from across the hall, but she wasn’t having any luck. Padma looked over at her frequently, but she’d only shake her head before going back to her meal. Parvati herself had hardly touched any food. She’d noticed Hadrian’s absence, but as she’d specifically requested that all details be kept from her, she had no idea where he’d gone… or if he’d even made it to Hogwarts at all.

“Is everything alright, Pav?” Lavender asked her, frowning in concern. She glanced over at her best friend and offered what she hoped was a reassuring smile. “You haven’t touched your plate in a while, and you just… seem distracted.”

“I’m fine,” she said softly. They were sitting too close to Granger and Weasley, and both had been glaring over at her suspiciously since she’d sat down. She’d known that they would be keeping an eye on her. It was why she was avoiding Hadrian. But still…

“You’re not fine,” Lavender sighed. “Look, you don’t have to tell me. But I can see what’s happening. Is it Terry? He’s decently fit.”

“Hm?” Parvati asked, looking back over at Luna again and paying no attention to Lavender at all.

“It is, isn’t it! Why don’t you just ask him out? He’d say yes. You’re too good for him to turn you down,” she continued with a grin. She didn’t seem to notice that Parvati wasn’t listening. “Oh, are you planning to date all of the Ravenclaw guys in our year? I tried that last year. Anthony was nice, you know, but not quite my type. And Terry never did take the hint! You’ll have to be plenty direct with him.”

“I don’t think he fancies girls,” Parvati said absently. She missed Lavender’s surprised blinking, and the scowl on Granger’s face as she said it.

“That’s… not encouraging for you, Pav,” Lavender told her gently. “Maybe choose someone else?”

“What?” Parvati finally turned her attention back to Lavender with a frown. “I’m not interested in Terry Boot or Anthony Goldstein, Lav. I’m not… listen, I’ll tell you why later. This isn’t the place.”

“You’ve already got someone, haven’t you?” Lavender gasped. She had a delighted sparkle in her eyes that made Parvati want to laugh. “Well, go on then! Anyone I know?”

“Yes,” Parvati admitted. “And that’s all I’m saying here. Ask me again when we’re alone in the dorm, and maybe I’ll tell you who.”

“Oh, who would date her?” Weasley scoffed quietly. He was looking over at her with a mean little smirk that was easy to ignore. Parvati didn’t react at all, but Lavender didn’t take it very well.

“And I suppose you think you’re a catch, Ronald?” Lavender shot back, crossing her arms. “I don’t know who you think will date you with an attitude like that.”

“I don’t need a bint like you, that’s for sure,” Weasley snorted. Granger was looking between them as they spoke, eyes narrowed as though she couldn’t decide whose side to take. In the end, she stayed silent. It was Angelina who stepped in to end the fight.

“That’s enough out of you. I don’t know what you’re playing at, Ron, but you might want to pay more attention to who you’re saying things like that around. Girls talk.”

Weasley turned a sickly pale shade as he realized where he was, glancing around at the scowling and glaring girls around him. Most of the Gryffindors had heard his comments, and a few of the Hufflepuffs behind him had turned to glare at him as well. Parvati felt quite a bit of satisfaction knowing that he wouldn’t be recovering from that bout of stupidity for a long, long time. He’d better hope Granger didn’t take too much offense to it, or he’d be on his own for a while.

That satisfaction faded when she glanced up at the head table and found Dumbledore staring at her with the same focus his two pawns had been giving her all evening. Right… the reason she’d been trying to get Luna’s attention. Hadrian.

Merlin, I hope you’re okay, Hadrian. I hope you figured everything out.

AND NOW

Previously…

“Well, where are they?” he asked, still beaming excitedly. He had a fairly good idea, of course, but Rowena was always telling him not to assume.

“Sorry,” Professor Sprout replied, frowning slightly. “But where are who, exactly?”

“Our heirs, of course!” Salazar exclaimed. “We know they’re here, and we’re quite excited to meet them. Which of you is it? Who is the current Lord Slytherin?”

“Don’t worry, dears,” Helga spoke up when they received nothing but silence and stares. “We’re not upset with you. We’re just rather curious.”

Hadrian was torn between announcing all three of their presence, or dragging Blaise and Theo back out of the hall before they could be discovered. He settled on doing neither of those things. He placed his hands on their arms to get their attention, noting that both of them seemed nervous.

“Go to the table. Don’t draw attention to yourselves. I’ll meet you there in a bit,” he whispered. He received two hesitant nods, and then he was standing alone in the middle of the hall. He squared his shoulders and turned to face the portrait of Salazar Slytherin. The man was already watching him expectantly. He raised his voice to be heard across the hall. “That would be me, my lord. It is an honor to finally meet you.” He drew on what little society training Narcissa had managed to give him over the summer and offered the portrait a deep bow.

“What might your name be?” Salazar asked, looking extremely pleased. He glanced over at Godric, satisfied to see the man in the portrait looking stunned. He’d been right, then. This boy was heir to both of their legacies.

“Harry!” Hermione screeched from the doorway. Hadrian winced visibly, but didn’t move away from her. He’d been expecting this since he woke up. “Where on earth have you been? Ron and I have been worried sick! You didn’t write, you didn’t find us on the train… we thought you’d been abducted, or even killed!”

“Hermione, I’ll ask you only once to lower your voice,” he told her firmly. “Things are different this year. My name is Hadrian, and I’ll appreciate you making an effort to call me that instead of the nickname I was apparently given as an infant.”

“What on earth are you talking about, Harry?” Hermione demanded, crossing her arms. She hadn’t bothered to lower her voice at all. Hadrian glanced at the portrait of Salazar and found the man glowering at Hermione. Good. 

“Have you not read the paper? Or the Quibbler? I learned a lot of things over the summer, not the least of which is that I’m not who I was told I was born to be,” he informed her. He kept his tone unfailingly calm, but his hands shook slightly in anger. “But I think you knew that already. If you were ever my friend, you’ll respect that I’m trying to be who I was always meant to be. I finally connected with my real parents, and we’ve been spending the summer getting to know each other as a true family. I claimed my titles, and I’ve been learning about what that means for my future. I didn’t have time to write, or energy to try to explain myself to you… nor did I owe you an explanation.”

“Harry James Potter, don’t you speak to me that way!” she snapped at him.

“That’s not my name,” he reminded her.

“Sirius dying doesn’t give you the right to decide you want to be someone else, or make up such outlandish lies. You’re a Gryffindor, not a Slytherin! And you’re not old enough to claim any titles, whether you had them or not,” she screeched. He took a moment to wonder how any potion or spell had been strong enough to tolerate her shrill voice before turning his gaze away from her completely. He addressed the portraits again, standing tall and proud.

“My name is Hadrian James Potter-Black, and I am the lord of houses Potter, Black, Slytherin, and… Gryffindor,” he informed them. He was well aware that every single student and staff member currently in the hall was hearing every word. He sent his thanks to the castle that Dumbledore was not present.

“Welcome, my child,” Godric called. He still hadn’t stopped grinning, even as he’d watched the confrontation. His heir had handled it perfectly.

“Do you know who the others are?” Helga asked gently. “I’m quite curious to meet my newest family member.”

He’d thought carefully over the last several hours about whether or not he wanted to reveal how much he knew, and had settled on only sharing the secrets that were his to tell. He knew that Blaise and Theo would introduce themselves privately. There was no need to draw attention to them before they were ready… and he felt oddly protective of them.

“No, I’m sorry,” he said after a moment of hesitation. “I only just learned about myself. There’s still much that I don’t know.”

“It’s alright, child,” Rowena told him. She had a knowing glint in her eyes that Hadrian wasn’t sure he liked. As long as she wasn’t calling him out on the lie, he decided that he wouldn’t worry about it. “We’re happy knowing that they have restored us. We have much to catch up on, and many things to do.”

“We have portraits in each common room, as well as the library,” Godric informed the hall. “We will frequently visit each. We might be together, or we might be found on our own. We’ve been restrained for far too long. All of us will be happy to answer any questions you may have, no matter what they might be.”

“Some will be happier than others,” Helga giggled. Salazar was already rolling his eyes at the proclamation. “It’s so nice to see so many excited students in our illustrious halls!”

“Now, enjoy your breakfasts, and get to learning!” Rowena finished. She was smiling softly towards her house’s table, taking in who was sitting there.

“Young Hadrian, a word?” Salazar was quick to request before Hadrian could escape to the Slytherin table. Godric appeared at Salazar’s side from one blink to the next. “We have much to discuss.”

“This might not be the best place,” Hadrian said as quietly as he dared. He approached the painting carefully, eyes darting around the hall to note who all was watching him. Hermione made to follow, but an older Gryffindor who had been paying attention grabbed her by the arm and pulled her to the table despite her protests. At least some of the students still respected him.

“We won’t ask for any of your secrets,” Godric was quick to assure him. “We’re merely curious to know how you came to be both of our heirs. Where did our family lines cross?”

“They didn’t,” Hadrian sighed. He should have known they would want to know. “The Potter line is descended from you, Lord Gryffindor. I won the title of Lord Slytherin by conquest, but I suspect that the Black family has some ties to that family line as well.”

“Am I right in assuming that you cannot speak plainly because you cannot risk being overheard?” Salazar slipped into parseltongue effortlessly, and Hadrian felt a rush of relief. He’d forgotten that the founder could speak it. It was the only language in the world that he knew nobody else could speak.

“ Yes. Much has been hidden from me. I only just found out about any of this over the summer, when I claimed the titles. Being entered into the Triwizard Tournament emancipated me, giving me the ability to claim all titles and assets available to my name. My inheritance test was… shocking. Dumbledore knew all of it, and he’s been hiding it from me for my whole life,” Hadrian replied. Godric was looking between them in frustrated confusion, but Hadrian did notice that Rowena seemed to be following the conversation. Was she a speaker as well?

“That man has much to answer for,” Salazar spat, scowling. Then his expression softened. “ Have you found my chamber yet? The basilisk won’t harm you if you can speak to her. I have a private portrait down there. Or if it makes you uncomfortable, my heir shall always have a place amongst my house. The common room will always be open to you.”

“I… think there are many things we’ll need to talk about,” Hadrian replied, frowning. He wasn’t looking forward to explaining why he’d killed the basilisk, or what had happened over the last few decades. Why he wouldn’t be safe in the Slytherin common room. “ I can meet you in the chamber whenever you want, within reason. I just have to find an excuse to be on the second floor.”

“Why on earth would you need to be there?” Salazar asked in confusion. Rowena covered her mouth with her hand to hide a laugh, and he turned his glare to her. “Well?”

“You hid an entrance in the girl’s toilet,” she reminded him. Salazar took a moment to bury his face in his hands as Godric patted his back fondly. Even Helga was laughing at him. “That must be the only one the boy has found.”

“There are others?” Hadrian asked in amazement. Salazar let out an unintelligible grumble behind his hands.

“Of bloody course there are others, lad! Do you think I snuck into a girl’s toilet every time I wanted some privacy?” he asked in exasperation. “There are entrances all over if you know where to look. Simply look for a carving of a snake, just like the one on the sink. And for merlin’s sake, do NOT take the slide. I only added that for Helga’s amusement. If you request stairs, the castle will provide them.”

“Thank you,” Hadrian told him, and he meant it. He hadn’t been looking forward to taking that slide again. Centuries of disuse had left it quite disgusting. “I really should have some breakfast.”

“Of course, of course. Go on, lad. Just make sure to find us later. We have much to discuss,” Godric said quickly. “And we’ll want to meet your friends, too. It’s been so long since we’ve been around the students! I, for one, have so much to teach you young ones.”

“I’m sure they can’t wait to learn,” Helga assured him with a smile.

Hadrian didn’t stick around for the rest of the conversation. The founders seemed to like bickering, and as entertaining as it was, he was done being the center of attention. Or, well… for that reason, at least. He was fully aware of all eyes being on him when he sat down between Blaise and Theo at the Slytherin table.

“Great start to the year, mate,” Draco smirked from across the table. “Way to keep everything a secret. That probably won’t make it through the whole school before lunch. Not at all.”

“Shut it, Malfoy,” Hadrian shot back. It lacked any heat, and that was more confusing to the Slytherins sitting near them than anything else had been so far. Clearly, it was going to be an interesting year.

Albus couldn’t find the energy to get out of his bed that morning. He was late for breakfast, and he was supposed to be going to the Wizengamot directly after. He couldn’t bring himself to care. There was so much for him to think about, and so many plans to be made. It wasn’t as though anything big was going to happen this morning. He could take this one morning for himself, to better prepare for the year ahead now that he had more information. He summoned a special quill and some parchment, and got started on the list of things he would need to accomplish by the end of this first month of term. It was time to get things back on track.

The first thing he’d need to do is reach out to Remus and offer him comfort- and a few compulsions. It was always so much harder to get them to stick on wolves. No matter. He’d see to it.

The second thing- and quite possibly the most important thing of all- was to get Harry alone in his office. He needed to find out what the boy knew, where he’d been staying, and what he’d done so far. And then he needed to get him back under control before he could ruin anything truly important. A memory charm or two couldn’t be a bad thing, either.

Before he did that, perhaps he should get a few other students under control. Ms. Patil, Ms. Lovegood, and Mr. Longbottom, specifically. They couldn’t interfere again if things were to go as planned. It was for the greater good, after all. They would understand- he would make it so.

And he would need to do something about those pesky founders. If, as he suspected, they had found a way out of his personal quarters, they would spread too much knowledge to the students. Things he had made sure were taken out of the curriculum. Even worse, they might share the things he had done over the years. The things he had been very careful to keep secret. The only thing that could have freed them was their heirs. He knew that Harry had taken his lordships, and that had given him Slytherin. But who were the others? He would have to find them and get them under control, as well. If he could enchant the heirs, he could get the founders back under control. It should be simple.

Satisfied with his planning, Albus summoned his favorite of the school’s elves and gave it a vial of poison to be added to one specific student’s food at lunch that day. Time to set this year into motion the way that it was meant to be last night. He would regain control, or he wasn’t Albus Dumbledore.

Chapter Text

Tiberius Ogden had been on the Wizengamot for a few long decades, and he had seen many things over his time. He had, over the years, worked his way up through the ranks of the lords, until he was just under the Chief Warlock. In the last several years, Albus Dumbledore had missed more meetings than he’d led. It was only a matter of time before someone put into motion a vote to thank Dumbledore for his service and force him to step down from the position. Ogden was looking forward to the day he could finally claim the title for his own officially. Many lords and ladies already deferred to him.

He really wasn’t surprised to step into the Wizengamot chamber and find that Dumbledore wasn’t present. Even when the Chief Warlock had been attending most meetings, he had always missed the September session due to his headmaster duties- so he claimed. Many of them didn’t understand why he didn’t have his deputy headmistress take over duties for one morning. The first full day back didn’t usually involve lessons, anyway. It had always been about making sure new students were comfortable in their new living space and learning their way around. Ogden wasn’t going to complain. It meant he could lead in peace.

He took his seat at the head of the chamber and watched as familiar faces filed in and settled into their family seats. Many of them remained empty, as several of the lords held multiple titles in proxy. It always made Ogden sad to see the empty seats; it meant that either a family didn’t have the proper heir, or didn’t feel safe joining them in their sessions. As it stood that morning, only twenty of the lords and ladies that made up their court were in attendance. He was just raising his gavel when the visitor entrance banged open and a wizard that none of them expected to see waltzed into the chamber.

“Mr. Black, this is a closed and private session of the Wizengamot,” Ogden told the man gently. He had always been fond of the younger Black generation. Regulus had helped to tutor his youngest daughter, and Narcissa had babysat her for a few years. The only one he’d never really known was Bellatrix, as she’d always been a bit… wild.

“I am aware, Lord Ogden,” Sirius told him with a mischievous smile. “I’ve come to claim a few proxy seats and join this illustrious court.”

The chamber was filled with hushed voices, but Ogden quickly banged the gavel to put a stop to the chatter. He quite enjoyed banging that thing. It was something the muggles had gotten right, in his opinion. “Do you have a letter granting you proxyship?”

“Indeed,” Sirius replied. He reached into his black formal robe and pulled out three sheets of parchment that had been enchanted so that only the recipient and the writer could read them. Lord Ogden spent a few minutes reading through the letters, making a few lords fidget impatiently. Sirius remained perfectly calm and still.

“Right. All seems to be in order,” Ogden eventually announced. He gave Sirius a small smile and banged his gavel once more. “This court recognizes Sirius Black as Regent proxy of houses Potter, Black, Gryffindor, Slytherin, Peverell, and LeFay. Your seats have lit, and you may choose whichever seat you’d like.”

Indeed, several chairs in the chamber were glowing with a soft violet light to indicate that they were his for the taking. The family crests were carved into the stone wall above each seat to indicate which title he’d be sitting under, officially. Sirius didn’t even glance at the Black family seat, much to the surprise of many in the chamber. Ogden watched with bated breath, curious to see which seat the new Regent would be taking that day.

Traditionally, someone with more than one proxyship would choose a different seat at each session. To sit in only one or two would be seen as favoritism and corruption, unless there was a good political reason for it. In the case of Sirius Black, only Lord Ogden knew who the true lords were. Many knew that Sirius’s son held three of the titles he’d claimed that day, and they expected him to choose one of those three seats. Sirius clearly had other ideas. He made his way leisurely across the chamber and settled himself into the LeFay seat with a wide grin.

“Right,” Ogden cleared his throat. “If there are any further proxies to be claimed, step forward now or wait for a future session.”

Nobody stepped forward, though many looked around in anticipation. Ogden noted with curiosity that Lady Longbottom was trying to catch Regent Black’s eye, while Lord Malfoy (who held proxy over the titles of Lestrange, Gaunt, Crabbe, and Goyle) was glaring heavily at the man. After several seconds of silence, Ogden banged his gavel for a third time to officially begin the session.

“Last time, Madam Umbridge proposed a bill that would further restrict creature rights. She is requesting a registration act that will be available to the public so that all might know exactly who they are hiring. A second part of the law will make it completely illegal to hire creatures in any role that deals with the public. I now open the floor to a final discussion before we vote,” he announced. He noted that Umbridge was watching the proceedings with a smug smile, as if she’d already gotten her way. Maybe if Sirius hadn’t claimed those proxies, she might have succeeded… but by Ogden’s count, Sirius now held more power than anyone else in that room. If only two people voted with whatever side he chose, it would pass. And if there was any truth to the article Ogden had read a month ago, Sirius was, in fact, married to a werewolf.

He was not surprised in the least when Sirius was the first to speak. “Are you joking right now? You cannot be serious. You want to put more restrictions on creatures?”

“Yes, Mr. Black,” Umbridge replied with a sickly sweet tone to her voice. “They are hardly under control. Creatures are a danger to all of us, and we must get them under control before they damage our society irreparably.”

Several heads in the chamber were nodding, and Ogden felt his heart sink. He was against the proposed law, but there wasn’t much he could do if it was voted in. Sirius let out a short, humorless laugh.

“You think the creatures are a danger to us, but do you have the information to back that claim up?” he asked, crossing his arms calmly.

“I hardly need statistics,” Umbridge replied. “We hear every day about attacks on wizarding kind from beasts. Werewolves go crazy on the full moon; vampires feast on our magical blood; centaurs kill all who enter their forests. What more could you need to know?”

“First of all, werewolves are only a danger on the full moon, and only if they don’t have the wolfsbane potion. Actually, this is a great way for me to present the changes that I wanted to set into motion today,” Sirius shot back.

“Changes?” Ogden prompted when Sirius went quiet. It seemed to be all the encouragement that the young Regent needed.

“Did you know that the wolfsbane potion is only sold in three apothecaries in the entirety of the British wizarding world? It’s sold at the highest legal price that they’re allowed to set. Currently, werewolves are not allowed to hold jobs due to our creature restrictions. Most of them don’t have family or friends who would be willing to buy the potion for them every month, as we constantly encourage people to fear these cursed wizards. They can’t brew the potion for themselves, because moon lilies cost half as much as the potion itself,” Sirius informed the gathered lords and ladies. A few of them looked completely shocked, and several looked appalled. 

“Vampires can’t legally drink the blood of the living without consent, and we’re not properly taught about them in school to know that it takes more than a simple bite to be changed. People fear them because we are told they have an uncontrollable lust for blood. In reality, most vampires can get the minimum amount of blood that they need in order to survive from the butcher’s shop. Or they could, if they could afford it. Unfortunately, it’s much harder to hide that you’re a vampire, and they can’t get jobs due to our prejudice and restrictions. They can’t buy the blood that they need in order to survive. Those that can’t hunt animals are forced to find another way to feed,” Sirius continued calmly.

“Yet they choose to break our laws and continue to bite witches and wizards!” Umbridge interrupted quickly. “They are a danger to our society-”

“I wasn’t finished,” Sirius cut her off coolly. “They aren’t given much of a choice when they have no other way to eat. If you ended up having no money, no food, and no help, you’d break the law as well, Madam Umbridge.”

“I would do no such thing!” she hissed, eyes narrowed dangerously.

“What was the third creature you mentioned? Ah yes, centaurs. With our restrictions, they only have two forests that they are currently prohibited to live in. Without the ability to leave the forests that they’ve been confined to, their race is actually dying out. When most wixen only enter their forests to take things from them, it’s no wonder they live on the offensive. If we treat them like beasts, we can’t expect them to act like anything else,” he continued as if she hadn’t spoken. Ogden was a bit concerned to see how red the witch’s face was becoming.

“I do have one more creature to mention before I propose my own change,” Sirius continued. Ogden nodded in approval, and Sirius shot him a quick grin. “I am aware that many of you don’t personally know any werewolves or vampires, and therefore it doesn’t affect you that they might be further restricted, or even eradicated. However, we entrust our entire economy to the Goblin Nation. While they don’t follow wizarding law, they do belong under the category of creature, and they are treated as such by magical kind. They don’t discriminate between creature and wizard. If this proposed bill passes, we will be taking hundreds of clients from their bank. None of these creatures will be able to make money. What little they have will be spent on trying to survive, and their accounts will be closed. If that happens, do you honestly believe that the goblins won’t retaliate? It’s too late to find another way to manage our money. If the goblins close their doors to us, they can collapse our entire economy in moments. Is that something that we really want to risk?”

“You have no way of knowing-” Umbridge began, but Ogden banged his gavel to shut her up. He wanted to hear what more Sirius had to say, and he could tell that most of the others agreed.

“It’s what I would do,” Sirius told her bluntly. “I was raised- as were most of the wizards and witches in this room- to protect what is mine. If someone were to decide that I could no longer make money the way that I was used to, or cut my funding exponentially, I would do whatever it took to prevent it from continuing. The goblins would be losing income from many species that currently keep their gold in the bank. As it is taken, it will affect their own economy. Creatures wouldn’t be allowed to use the bank anymore, and that means any of their services as well. Many werewolves trust the goblins to provide them a safe place to transform. Several vampires go to the bank to exchange their skills for blood. If we further restrict these species, we take gold away from the goblins.”

“I agree with Regent Black,” Lady Longbottom spoke after a moment of silence in the chamber. “I have been on friendly terms with the goblins for many years. They delight in taking gold from us, and provide many excellent services. My son, may his soul rest in peace, had a friend who used a vault in the bank for his painful transformations on the full moon. That man was a wonderful auror. Unfortunately, after Frank was… well. That poor man was revealed to be a werewolf and fired from his position. He could no longer afford to use the bank, and the goblins took revenge on the head auror of the time.”

“What was done to the man?” Lady Bullstrode asked.

“They audited his accounts and found several inconsistencies. His account was closed instantly, and the reports turned over to the head of Magical Law Enforcement. The man is currently serving his sentence in Azkaban, though he swears to this day that he never did anything wrong,” Lady Longbottom told them grimly.

“Well, if he broke the law, he deserves the punishment,” Lord Malfoy sneered. “I fail to see how this affects the proposed restriction on creatures.”

Sirius was opening his mouth to reply when someone unexpected chimed in. “Lord Malfoy, are you not half-veela?” Lady Zabini asked. Her expression was neutral, and her nails clicked as she tapped them on the arm of her seat. “I could have sworn that my son told me it runs in your family. Your heir speaks of it at school. Should these new restrictions pass, you would be affected greatly, would you not?”

Lord Malfoy paled dramatically, and Sirius could barely contain his glee. Even Lord Ogden found that he had a new affection for Lady Zabini. Nobody else had ever shut Malfoy up as quickly or effectively. Silence rang in the chamber for several long seconds. Nobody else seemed to have anything to add. Finally, Ogden banged his gavel in preparation.

“All in favor of these new restrictions, raise your wands,” he announced. Only Madam Umbridge and Lord Parkinson raised their wands. “The motion does not pass.”

“Lord Ogden, I propose that we abolish the current creature restrictions, and make it illegal for all businesses to discriminate for any reason when hiring new staff,” Sirius spoke up before Umbridge could recover enough to argue. Ogden had no interest in hearing the woman argue any further. “Many of you might know that my son was raised in the muggle world against my will, and as such, he has learned many things about their culture. In many ways, they are far behind us, but in this… they are against discrimination. Why shouldn’t we be?”

“All in favor of abolishing the current creature restrictions and eliminating the right of discrimination, raise your wands,” Ogden said quickly. Umbridge had recovered enough to open her mouth, and he didn’t want to hear it. All but the two who had voted for further restrictions raised their wands- some more bitterly than others. “The motion carries. Regent Black, write out the proposed law for approval at our October session. For now, we will release a statement with the new changes informally. Are there any further proposals? No? Wonderful. We are adjourned.”

He banged his gavel three times swiftly, feeling a bit sad that he wouldn’t be using it again until the next session that he would be allowed to lead. The roar of voices arguing was instant, but he’d tuned it out in order to think properly. He did notice that Sirius didn’t waste any time in leaving, but he didn’t blame the man. Umbridge was out for blood. Ogden could only hope that Regent Black would bring about the changes that their world sorely needed. And he hoped that Hadrian Potter-Black knew what he was doing.

Sirius Black Named Proxy of Many Houses: Wizengamot Shaken

Article by Rita Skeeter

My dear readers, I write this with a troubled mind. Today, I witnessed a moment in history that none of us dared hope would come. Several seats on the Wizengamot that were believed to be extinct have been claimed this very morning, and all by one person! Sirius Black, ex-convicted criminal, stepped forward to claim proxy to the houses of Potter, Black, Slytherin, Gryffindor, Peverell, and LeFay. You read that right, dear readers! LeFay, as in Morgana.

You might be wondering who the lords are to these many ancient and powerful houses, and dear readers, so am I! Regent Black arrived with three signed letters and presented them to the standing Chief Warlock, Tiberius Ogden. Albus Dumbledore was absent from this morning’s session, though that’s no surprise as the school term has just begun at Hogwarts. (See page 6 for predictions on this year’s tragedy.)

The letters were hidden from prying eyes, and it is unknown who holds most of these illustrious titles. The only thing we know for certain is that one wizard holds three of the titles. Hadrian Potter-Black claimed his lordships earlier this very year, and he holds the titles of Potter, Black, and Slytherin. (See page 4 for guesses on the other lords.)

Along with claiming the proxy of long forgotten titles, Regent Black brought some very interesting laws up for debate. This reporter isn’t sure what to make of them! Amongst the passed laws and retractions, we have a few rather interesting changes. The first is that the law forbidding creatures from holding wizarding jobs has been abolished. Likewise, there is no longer a restriction on where they can shop, or go to school. There is talk of sending some of the eligible children to Hogwarts for a late start to the school year!

The other, and more pressing, law that passed this morning is that it is now illegal for businesses to discriminate in any way, for any reason. Services cannot be denied because of identity, heritage, or creature blood, and hiring will be done the same way. Regent Black informed the council that muggles have been doing it this way for a few years now, and that we are behind the times. (See page 2 for other laws passed/abolished.)

In all, this was a very interesting session to sit in on. This reporter can’t wait to see what other changes are coming!

There were several different reactions to the late edition of the Daily Prophet. It arrived at the beginning of lunch, which Hadrian assumed couldn’t be more than an hour after the Wizengamot session had ended. Rita Skeeter was in fine form. He glanced through the article, but he already knew what had happened. He trusted his father not to stray from their plans.

He was sitting with the Gryffindors for lunch, but made sure that he was facing the Slytherin table. He had Neville on one side of him, and Lavender on the other. He wasn’t sure if Parvati had filled her in on the need to keep him away from Ron and Hermione, or if she was just sitting there by coincidence, but he appreciated her. He could see Ron glaring at him out of the corner of his eye, though Hermione hadn’t shown up yet. He’d be willing to bet that she was in the library already.

“Are you done with that?” Neville asked softly, gesturing to the paper. Hadrian handed it over without hesitation. “Thanks. Gran doesn’t think I should worry about the news. She says it’s not anything to do with school, and so I shouldn’t focus on it. But… with the war…”

“You don’t have to explain. I understand,” Hadrian told him gently. “I think Sirius would agree with her. Thankfully, Remus agrees that we need to stay on top of what’s being said about us.”

“Hadrian,” Neville said softly. He really didn’t like the look of pity in his friend’s eyes.

“Just read the article, please,” he sighed. Maybe it would help Neville to understand that pity wasn’t necessary, and he wasn’t crazy. Or maybe it would just make everything worse; that would be his luck.

It didn’t take Neville long to get through the article. He dropped the paper onto the table and turned wide eyes towards Hadrian in silent question. Hadrian offered a small smile, and no other explanation. Unfortunately, that was the moment that Hermione slid onto the bench across from him with a stern frown in place.

“Harry, you really should tell people that Sirius has died. Rita Skeeter is foul at the best of times, but to lie so obviously…” she started. Hadrian raised a hand to cut her off.

“Firstly, my name is Hadrian . If you can’t get it right, please don’t say it at all. And secondly, my father is alive and well. He and Moony are in my ancestral home right now, as we speak, probably eating their own lunch,” he told her firmly.

“Harry, please,” she rolled her eyes. “Enough of this foolishness.”

“Hermione, you’re not listening to him,” Lavender pointed out, raising her eyebrows. “He asked you nicely. He clearly doesn’t like that nickname now that he knows who his family is. Didn’t you read the article? Or today’s, for that matter.”

“Of course not,” Hermione scoffed. “I don’t read Skeeter’s drivel.”

“The first article wasn’t written by her,” Lavender rolled her eyes. “I’ve got it in the dorm. You can borrow it later. Maybe it’ll give you a clue. For now, don’t you have classes to study for? Somewhere to be other than here?”

“You… you…” Hermione glared at the other girl, but for once couldn’t seem to find the right words to insult her. She got up with a huff and stormed out of the hall, followed quickly by Ron.

“Thanks,” Hadrian said softly. Lavender gave him a genuine smile and patted his arm.

“Don’t worry about it. Some of us believe you, you know. About everything,” she told him. “And honestly, I’ve been waiting years to put her in her place. She’s a completely different person when you’re not around.”

“I can believe that,” Hadrian sighed. “They’re not really my friends. I know that now. I have to play nice, but that doesn’t mean I’m going to sit here and let them push me around like before. This year isn’t going to be the same.”

“No offense,” Lavender began, keeping her tone gentle. “But I’ll believe that when I see it. It’s never changed before, even when we thought you’d finally noticed how they act. After Ronald’s meltdown in our fourth year, I thought… but then you acted as though nothing had even happened. Pav told me not to worry about it, but I see everything. There’s a reason people come to me for gossip, you know.”

“What do you know?” Hadrian asked, turning his full attention to her. He’d forgotten that other people might know things that he hadn’t learned yet.

“Right now? Not as much as I’d like. I can guess at a few things, but I don’t know anything for certain. I can tell you that Ginny and Hermione snuck off last night and came back smelling like boomslang skin. I know that Ron is trying to convince Seamus to help him with an explosive ‘prank’, but Seamus keeps saying no. And I know that McGonagall and Snape haven't taken their eyes off of you since you sat down. Don’t look!”

Hadrian stopped himself from turning his head, looking sheepishly back at Lavender. She kindly didn’t laugh at him, though he could tell that she wanted to. “Sorry.”

“It’s fine. You’re very new at this,” she waved away his apology. “It’s cute. Speaking of, can I ask you something?”

“Sure,” he agreed. He didn’t have to answer if it was too invasive, and he was pretty sure she’d understand that.

“You sat with the Slytherins this morning, and rumor has it that you and Malfoy were actually… friendly,” she told him. He raised an eyebrow, waiting. “Well… what changed?”

Ah. That.

“Did you know that the Malfoy matriarch was once a daughter of House Black?” he asked casually. “That makes Malfoy my cousin. When I lived with the muggles, my cousin was horrible. He liked to chase me around and hit me when he caught me. As I’ve discovered that he’s not my only cousin, I refuse to have that relationship with any other member of my family. We discussed it, and came to the conclusion that our disagreement came about when I didn’t know anything to do with our culture, and it was time to forgive and move on.”

“That’s very mature of you,” Lavender said after a moment. He chose not to be offended by how surprised she seemed. “I didn’t know that about your other cousin.”

“Few people do,” Hadrian sighed. “I tried to tell people in our first year, but I was told that they simply loved me in a different way than other people love their children. That Dudley was just playing around and didn’t mean to hurt me. That I just didn’t understand. I was sent back into that abusive home over and over again. So I stopped telling people, and I just…”

“I’m so sorry,” Lavender whispered with tears in her eyes. “Nobody deserves that.”

“You’re right,” he agreed. Then he carefully changed the subject. “Which class are you most looking forward to?”

“Oh, divination!” she answered with a grin. She seemed much more comfortable with this subject, as well.

“I’ll never understand,” Hadrian sighed, smiling. The smile faded as he noticed the calculating look on Lavender’s face.

“You’re going to pass this year, if it kills me. There’s more to divination than having the Sight, you know. I don’t have it, but I still think it’s fascinating. I’ll help you with that, and you’ll help me with defense. Deal?” she asked. He blinked at her a few times in surprise, but she waited patiently for him to catch up.

“Deal,” he said after a few moments (and a nudge from Neville). “Actually, Nev, I was going to ask if you’d help with herbology. Same deal? Herbology for defense?”

“Of course,” the quiet boy replied instantly. “And maybe we can all do charms and transfiguration together?”

“Hadrian needs all the help he can get in potions,” Draco drawled, sliding into the seat across from them as casually as if he were at his own table. He ignored the stares around them. “You, too, Longbottom. And I could use the extra study time for defense and herbology. Though I’m not doing divination, Brown.”

To their credit, Lavender and Neville barely winced when he joined the conversation. Hadrian was absurdly proud of them.

“It’s fine, Malfoy. I don’t really need the potions help. But I happen to know you’re a natural at transfiguration, and I’ll use that to my advantage. You can sit in on our charms study group,” she offered. He nodded to her, looking pleased with himself. “And I can help you with creatures. We’ve all seen your struggle there.”

“Astronomy,” Hadrian coughed, trying not to grin.

“Shut it,” Draco snapped, glaring at him playfully. “You really can’t talk, there.”

“So… we’re doing this?” Neville asked, just to confirm. Lavender hesitated, but then she nodded. “We should invite others to join us. We can… do it in the library? Or the room again.”

“The library would be best, I think,” Hadrian said thoughtfully. “Although if we’re inviting others, we may as well open it up to anyone at all. We don’t want to exclude anyone.”

“Not even Granger and Weasley?” Draco sneered. Lavender tensed up, like she was going to say something… but then seemed to think better of it. After what she’d seen so far that day, it made sense that they might want those two to stay away.

“You didn’t even hear the shite he was spewing last night,” she sighed quietly. “Calling me a bint, and saying nobody would want to date Parvati.”

“He did what?” Draco asked darkly. Hadrian shook his head, and Draco shut his mouth with a scowl. Lavender was eyeing him thoughtfully, but she didn’t comment.

“Angelina shut him up,” Neville told them. “He hasn’t said anything since, that I’ve heard. He was even quiet in the dorm.”

“That won’t last,” Hadrian reminded them. He didn’t add that he wished that it would, but he was pretty sure they knew at this point. It wasn’t a secret that they were no longer close. “I think-”

But what he was about to say was cut off by a scream from the Ravenclaw table. Lisa Turpin was kneeling on the ground, coughing blood. Her face was extremely pale, and she looked moments away from collapse. The scream had come from Padma Patil. Although… as Hadrian looked more closely, he could suddenly tell that who he’d assumed to be Padma was actually Parvati in Ravenclaw robes, clutching Luna’s hand tightly.

“What in the-” Lavender murmured, standing to get a better look. Snape and Flitwick had made it to Lisa’s side, and they were feeding her a bright blue potion that Hadrian hoped was an antidote to whatever poison the girl had ingested. They hurried her out of the Great Hall as soon as the vial was empty. She appeared to be unconscious.

“Do you think she’ll be okay?” Neville asked quietly, looking pale. Draco turned back towards them, looking grim.

“If I had to guess, what she was given was a form of Nightshade. It takes only seconds to begin shutting down the organs of whoever ingests it. Unless Pomphrey is fully certified and has more than just standard potions…” he told them. “I don’t know about you, but I don’t believe for one moment that it was meant for her.”

“It wasn’t,” Luna confirmed. She and Parvati had made their way over to the small group while they were distracted, and both looked pale and drawn. “It was meant for me.”

“What?” Lavender asked with wide eyes. She didn’t seem surprised in the slightest to see her best friend in Ravenclaw robes. Hadrian had a sneaking suspicion that it was something Parvati and Padma sometimes did- trading robes to be each other.

“I didn’t know which drink it was in,” Luna sighed. A single tear escaped her eye. “Lisa asked for the pumpkin juice, and I thought it was safe… I don’t like it, you see. I thought it would be in my tea.”

“Why didn’t you tell someone?” Draco asked, frowning. “You could have-”

“Stop,” Parvati snapped. “That’s not how any of this works, Malfoy. Nobody can See everything. The future changes all the time. If we would have known it was going to kill Lisa, we never would have let it happen.”

“Pav,” Lavender whispered, reaching out for her friend. Parvati took a quick step back to avoid her touch.

“This isn’t because of us, ” she hissed, shooting a glare at Hadrian. “And you will not blame us for it. Come on, Luna. Let’s go.”

“I didn’t mean…” Draco said quietly, shaking his head as Parvati pulled Luna away. Hadrian reached over and placed a hand on his shoulder for comfort. It was a testament to their new friendship that Draco didn’t shake him off.

“We know,” Hadrian assured him. “We know.”

News of Lisa Turpin’s death spread through the castle rapidly. Over the next few weeks, students were wary of everything placed on the tables in the Great Hall. Those with access to their own elves had them deliver meals to the common rooms and didn’t even go to the public meals. Hadrian and the others would only eat things made by Wena and Salzy, once they’d been introduced to the new elves.

Blaise pulled Hadrian aside a few days after the poisoning to let him know that Salazar was holding informal lessons in the common room to teach students how to test for and recognize poisons in all different settings, and small tutorings of how to brew antidotes for all of the well-known poisons. The older Slytherins had banded together to brew several of the antidotes for each younger student. Blaise gave Hadrian his own set of antidotes with the promise that he’d brewed all of them himself with ingredients given to him by Dricey.

Theo stole him away a few hours later to offer him books from his personal library about different ways poison can enter a person, and what to watch for. Then he gave Hadrian a small leather bracelet that had runes engraved into it. “It’s to help detect the poisons that have no scent or visible indicators. It works with all potions, really. It’ll heat up on your wrist if something you’re about to touch contains a potion.”

“I can’t accept this,” Hadrian said quickly. He noticed the way Theo’s face fell, and hurried to explain. “I know this must have cost a fortune, and I can’t accept something so special like that.”

Theo’s face cleared instantly, and Hadrian could have sworn he could see relief in the other’s eyes. “I made this myself. The leather came from my family’s vault and I fashioned it into the wristband. The runes were carved by my own ritual knife.”

“You made this for me?” Hadrian clarified, looking down at it in awe. Theo nodded with a soft smile. “Thank you.”

“It can’t be removed by anyone but you,” Theo told him as he slid it into place. “I’m not gifted at brewing, like Blaise is. But I’m perfectly suited for runes.”

Hadrian was keeping himself busy with his schoolwork, and he hadn’t given himself time for much of anything else, including meeting with the founders as they’d requested. If he was being honest with himself, it was because he was scared of how they’d judge him. He couldn’t bring himself to tell Salazar about what happened in his second year, or Godric about how he’d lost his sword. He couldn’t stand the thought of disappointing them.

He was thankful that Blaise and Theo had given himself something else to focus on. He couldn’t in good conscience accept their gifts without giving them something in return. Since they’d made something for him, he wanted to make something for them in return. Some form of protection that nobody else could offer them. If they were going to be spending time with him, they’d need it.

He wrote extensively back and forth with Onyxclaw at the bank to figure out if there was anything in his vaults that he could alter, but the goblin was drawing a blank. The best he could find was a selection of rings that could be enchanted with wards to protect the wearer, but that seemed too… formal.

Finally, Hadrian broke down and used the mirror that Sirius had given him at the beginning of the year. He made sure that his curtains were closed tight and warded against intruders (as Ronald was constantly trying to break through his defenses) as he settled on the edge of his bed. He stared at himself in the mirror for a long time before activating it.

“Sirius Black,” he said softly. The mirror glowed blue for a few long moments before his father’s grinning face appeared in the glass. “That was fast.”

“I’ve always got the mirror in my pocket, pup,” Sirius told him gently. “Nothing is more important than you. What is it you need? Or did you just want to talk? I was just putting the finishing touches on your next big Wizengamot change.”

“Oh! The muggleborn study act?” Hadrian asked, immediately distracted. Sirius nodded. “That’s great! Make sure you add something about who is allowed to meet them in the muggle world, and maybe an inspection of attire before they leave the ministry. Our muggle studies class is so far behind that it’s more of a danger than a help to us.”

“We’re working on getting Moony onto the school board so he can propose changes to classes, but I think it’s going to have to wait until Dumbledore is gone. He’s blocked us at every turn. Next week’s session will finally put into motion the laws against discrimination for good, and then we can force his hand into letting Moony onto the board. Making changes, though…” Sirius sighed.

“I know,” Hadrian agreed, feeling as frustrated as he looked. 

“But enough about that! How are classes? Have you talked more with the founders? Draco treating you well?” Sirius asked, forcing cheerfulness. Hadrian sighed fondly.

“Classes are fine. I’ve got top marks in DADA and Charms, and really high marks in Transfiguration and COMC. The rest are a work in progress. Draco has been helping me a lot with potions, and I’ve been working with him on defense. We started a study group in the library,” Hadrian told him. He hesitated a moment before continuing. “I know you heard about Lisa.”

Sirius’s face darkened, and he nodded. “We’re working on figuring out who did it, but it’s slow going when we’re not in a good position of power.”

“We both know exactly who did it. He was aiming for Luna, but he miscalculated. One good thing has come of it; the houses are currently united over trying to make sure that nobody else gets hurt. The older Slytherins have been brewing antidotes in every available moment, and the founders are teaching everyone who will listen how to detect most poisons or potions in food or drink,” he told him. “Blaise brewed a bunch of antidotes for me, and Theo made me an armband that detects all potions I might come into contact with. I’m safe.”

“Pup,” Sirius said quietly, eyes shining. He knew what that meant, even if Hadrian didn’t seem the right amount of amazed. A wizarding courting was a big deal, especially for a triad. It never occurred to Sirius that Hadrian might not know what was happening. “What have you given them?”

“That’s just it,” Hadrian frowned. “I can’t think of anything that’s just as special to give them. I had Onyxclaw check the vaults, but enchanted rings just seemed too…”

“Yeah, no,” Sirius agreed instantly. “That’s much too fast. It sounds like they played to their own strengths, so you have to play to yours. It’s only traditional. It’s gotta be something you make yourself, too, since that’s what they both did.”

“But what skills do I have for making something?” Hadrian asked in frustration. “I can’t brew potions well enough, I don’t know anything about runes. I did a lot of reading on wards, but I don’t have anything handmade to put them on.”

Sirius was quiet for a few minutes as they both considered the options available to Hadrian, and then he brightened. “You said Theo fashioned the bracelet, but he couldn’t have made the leather, right? So you just have to have a material to transfigure. Something that will hold your magic, and embrace it. Hadrian, what is the one thing you have that nobody else in that school could hope to match?”

“Er,” Hadrian hesitated. It took him a moment, but then he grinned. “My parselmagic.”

“Your parselmagic!” Sirius agreed. “If you can find a magical snake to get some skin off of, you can fashion anything you want with transfiguration, and ward it to the moon and back. Yeah?”

“You’re brilliant!” Hadrian exclaimed, almost dropping the mirror in excitement. “And I know exactly what kind of snake to use. I’ve got to get back down to the chamber of secrets.”

“Pup, that does not sound like a good idea,” Sirius chimed in quickly. He sighed when he realized that Hadrian was going to do it either way. He was just like his dad; when he got an idea, he was determined to see it through, no matter how dangerous or stupid it might be. “At least take your cousin with you, okay?”

“Sure,” Hadrian agreed. It was mostly just to get Sirius to let it go, but he knew that Draco would be interested in seeing the chamber. “I’ve got to go, Pads. Tell Moony I say hi, and I love you both!”

He didn’t wait for a response before turning the mirror off and shoving it into his bag. He stashed the invisibility cloak in there for good measure, as well, before leaving the safety of his dorm to find his cousin.

Draco had spent the last few weeks keeping his head down and listening to the gossip in the Slytherin common room. Nobody seemed to know that he and his mother had left Malfoy manor and were now refugees from the dark lord, and that suited him just fine. He was still the Prince of Slytherin, and most of the younger years were watching him and staying on his good side. The students in his year- his friends, he’d thought- were mostly avoiding him. They seemed to be waiting to see what he was going to do before deciding whether or not to associate with him. The seventh years were not welcoming.

He was listening to Blaise and Theo’s whispered conversation while pretending to read the chapter for Charms when Hadrian found him in the common room.

“It’s been a week, and there’s been no reciprocation,” Theo whispered, keeping his face turned down. It was smart to avoid being seen in a house that prided themselves on spying and secrets.

“Maybe he’s working on it. We kind of… sprung it on him,” Blaise whispered back, slightly louder. The Italian hadn’t quite figured out how to keep his voice down. Theo shot him a glare, and he sighed. “I don’t think he’s rejecting us. Maybe he doesn’t know.”

“It’s common knowledge,” Theo hissed. “His former friends were in the middle of a courtship right in front of him.”

Draco’s heart sank as he realized what they must have been talking about. He’d seen the looks they’d been sending Hadrian’s way. He’d heard the flirting from all three of them. They’ve been gravitating towards each other for weeks. It was only natural for a courtship to be established if they were all serious.

The problem was that Hadrian was raised in the muggle world. Thanks to his mother’s quiet tutelage, Draco knew that muggles did courtship completely differently. There was no established ritual, and they were much more vocal about the asking aspect. Hadrian wouldn’t have known that giving and receiving gifts was the start to a traditional courtship. He wondered what Blaise and Theo had given his cousin. If it had been a week, he was coming on the end of the accepted timeline for continuing the courtship, whether he knew it or not. He was just deciding how to go about explaining it to Hadrian when the door to the common room swung open, and Hadrian himself walked inside. An immediate hush fell over the students there.

“It’s about time, lad!” Salazar called from his portrait over the hearth. “I’ve been waiting for a visit for much too long. Come, speak with your ancestor.”

“Sorry, Lord Slytherin,” Hadrian bowed slightly. “I’m not here for that conversation just yet. I came to find my cousin. I need a favor.”

“Cousin?” Salazar muttered, eyes narrowing as he watched Hadrian cross the common room and stop in front of Draco. Another relative, however distant. He could see the facial features famous of the Black family. Hadrian had said that he suspected the Blacks to be in his lineage somewhere… this would need to be confirmed. Perhaps he could have more family to speak with.

Draco tracked Hadrian’s path across the common room with dread, wondering which Slytherin would try to hex his cousin first… but it seemed that none of them wanted to anger the great founder. Hadrian stopped in front of Draco, giving Blaise and Theo a quick smile before turning his full attention back to his cousin. He didn’t seem to notice that everyone in the room was watching them.

“You don’t leave the common room much, do you?” Hadrian asked with a grin, as if he didn’t have a care in the world. “Listen, I need your help with something. Padfoot won’t let me do it alone, and I thought this might be interesting for you.”

“What kind of trouble are you trying to drag me into?” Draco asked, unimpressed. If Sirius didn’t want his son going alone, it couldn’t be good. Hadrian fidgeted nervously for the first time since entering enemy territory. That did nothing to make Draco feel better.

“Er,” he replied, biting his lip. “I’m going somewhere that I maybe shouldn’t.”

“Hadrian,” Draco groaned. It was all for show. Obviously, he’d be going with his cousin. He could see how Blaise and Theo had perked up, probably hoping for an invitation themselves. 

“It’ll be fine! It’s perfectly safe, and we’ll have Amarantha with us,” Hadrian hurried to reassure him. “She wouldn’t let anything hurt us. Not that anything would!” Hadrian hissed something down towards his shirt. The snake’s head poked briefly out of Hadrian’s collar, and she regarded Draco with slitted eyes before giving a short nod and disappearing again.

“Fine. You owe me,” Draco replied shortly. He closed the textbook with a snap, making a few of the first years jump. He left it on the table when he stood to follow Hadrian, knowing it would still be there when he returned. He saw Theo starting to stand out of the corner of his eye, but Blaise stopped him. Hadrian waved to them cheerfully before turning to lead him out of the common room, making Draco sigh again.

“I’ll talk to him,” he muttered to them. He didn’t wait for a reply before following Hadrian out to the corridor. Hadrian was already halfway down the hall, hissing quietly to his snake as he ran a hand along the wall. “Where are we going?”

“Hurry up,” was the only reply, as Hadrian rounded a corner. It took Draco a bit to catch up, and by then, Hadrian had stopped in front of a random portrait of a poppy field. “It’s here.”

“ What is here?” Draco demanded, pulling out his wand. No matter how it was said, that phrase was still ominous. Hadrian simply pointed a little to the right of the giant portrait, where a tiny snake seemed to be carved into the stone. “Is that-”

Hadrian hissed something at the carving without acknowledging a word that Draco had said. When this was over, Draco was going to hex him for all of the stress this was causing. At first, nothing happened at all. After several seconds of anticipation, the wall began to shake in front of them. Slowly, the portrait swung open to reveal a wide stone slide that disappeared into darkness. Hadrian snorted and hissed something else, and the slide transformed into a moving spiral staircase.

“This is so much better than second year,” Hadrian whispered with a grin. Draco’s stomach sank as he realized where this must lead.

“No,” he said quickly. “No, absolutely not! We are not going down there! Have you lost your mind?”

“I just need to get some of the scales for Blaise and Theo,” Hadrian told him with wide eyes. Draco was pretty sure that it was meant to look innocent, but he just looked a bit deranged. “It’ll be fine.”

“Hadrian-” Draco started, but his cousin was already disappearing down the stairs. “I’m going to kill him. I’m going to bloody kill him!”

Chapter Text

The stairs down to the chamber seemed to go on forever; much longer than Hadrian remembered from his second year. He could hear Draco behind him because of the muttered threats and curses that came every few seconds. He was pretty sure that Draco thought there was still a live basilisk down here, but that was just ridiculous. Finally, they reached the bottom.

It was just as dirty as Hadrian remembered, and he wrinkled his nose at the smell of mold and rot. Draco coughed behind him, and he turned to face his cousin for the first time since climbing on the stairs. “You have to stay close while we’re down here. There are a lot of dead ends and paths to get lost down. You could be stuck down here for a long time. I can feel the way to the main chamber… I can’t explain why.”

“Why the bloody hell did you drag me down here? Why would your father suggest this?” Draco demanded angrily. “Isn’t there a monster down here?”

“What do you mean? I killed the basilisk in second year, Draco. It can’t hurt us anymore,” Hadrian reminded him. Draco’s already pale skin became nearly translucent.

“That was bloody true? That was the one rumor that nobody actually believed! There was a bloody basilisk down here?” he asked in a strangled tone. Hadrian simply nodded, realizing that his cousin needed this moment to panic before he’d be able to move forward. “Bloody hell! Of all the shite that’s happened in this school, I never believed Dumbledore would have endangered us all that much.”

“What about the bloody tournament?” Hadrian asked, raising his eyebrows. “Or Umbridge with her blood quills? The dementors?”

“Right, I get it, you’ve had a dangerous life,” Draco scowled. “I know that nothing good has happened to you in this castle, but some of us have had a good time.”

“That’s not what I meant,” he replied as patiently as he could. He understood that Draco was scared, but he was losing the little bit of calm he’d managed to find thanks to the castle’s guiding magic. “Listen, I know you don’t want to be down here because you’ve been told that it’s scary. Can you for one second think about how it must feel to me? Last time I was down here, I was twelve years old, drugged on potions and compulsions, and facing down a giant bloody snake with a bloody sword. I don’t really want to be down here any more than you do!”

“Then why are we bloody here?” Draco demanded. Instead of answering, Hadrian turned and started heading down the corridor towards where Hogwarts was pushing him to go. Draco cursed under his breath and hurried after him. “Do you even know what you’ve gotten yourself into?”

“What?” Hadrian asked, barely listening to his cousin. He was focused on making sure he didn’t trip over the rodent bones that were littering the ground. More than once, he had to catch Draco’s arm to keep him upright. The corridor narrowed, and then widened dramatically into the main chamber. There, lying in the very center of the chamber, was a heap of snake skin, bones, and fangs that glistened with venom.

“A great one,” Amarantha hissed reverently. “My mother. My own, this is where I was born. We have been here before.”

“Yes, we have,” Hadrian agreed. He couldn’t pull his eyes away from what was left of the basilisk. Amarantha unwound herself from across his shoulders and slithered to the ground to inspect the giant snake more closely. Hadrian followed her excited hisses over to it, and found her moving rapidly back and forth, tongue sniffing the air.

“She’s excited,” Draco grumbled. Hadrian nodded in agreement, frowning. He’d never seen Amarantha like this before, though she often was excited over little things.

“My own, I sense another! I have a sibling!” she hissed up at him. He felt his heart sinking in dread. That could only mean one thing.

“Stay close, and keep your eyes to the ground. Amarantha says that there’s another snake here,” he told Draco softly. “I’m sorry. I don’t know what kind it’s going to be. She says she’s got a sibling.”

“We need to go,” Draco said quickly. He’d closed his eyes tightly, fear all over his face. It would have been funny to Hadrian in any other circumstance that the prince of Slytherin was scared of a snake, but… he was also afraid of finding another basilisk. “Hadrian, we need to go now.” 

“Yeah, alright,” he agreed. He reached down for Amarantha, but she sped away from him before he could grab her. She shot towards the open mouth of the statue with a speed Hadrian had never seen from her, leaving both of them behind without a second glance. “ Amarantha!”

“Come along, my own! We must find my sibling!” she hissed back as she disappeared into the mouth. Hadrian cursed loudly and took off after her. He didn’t know if a basilisk’s stare could kill other snakes, and he didn’t want to find out by losing his familiar. He heard Draco’s yelp of alarm as he scrambled up the statue, and knew that his cousin was following.

“Amarantha, get back here! You can’t just go off to find a bloody basilisk without talking to me about it first!” he shouted after her. He could just make out her tail disappearing through the lone doorway at the end of the dark corridor inside of the statue, and he ran after her as quickly as he could. She hadn’t replied.

He skidded into the room and froze, wide eyes taking in the sparkling clean study that seemed to be immaculately preserved from the time of Salazar Slytherin himself. Amarantha had made her way up onto the ornate desk, and she was hissing almost hysterically in her excitement as another snake stared at her. If it was a basilisk, it was just a baby. He took a step into the room, and Draco collided with his back, knocking them both to the ground. They looked up when they heard amused chuckling that did not come from a snake.

Salazar Slytherin and Rowena Ravenclaw were watching them from separate portraits, amusement shining in both of their gazes. Hadrian had barely a moment to wonder why Ravenclaw had a portrait down here before Draco reached over and punched him as hard as he could in the shoulder.

“Ow! Bloody hell, Draco!” Hadrian scowled.

“What a mouth your heir has,” Rowena grinned. “You should be proud. He certainly must get it from your family.”

“You would know, sister dearest,” Salazar chuckled. Rowena’s chin lifted proudly, and she seemed to bask in the shock of the two students on the ground. “I knew you’d be coming down here. Are you working on your return gift? I have so many ideas!”

“How did you know I was working on a gift for Blaise and Theo?” Hadrian asked as he pushed himself up off of the ground. “I didn’t tell anyone else.”

“Oh dear,” Rowena said softly, glancing between Salazar and Hadrian. “Should we…?”

“No,” Salazar told her with a mischievous smile. “I’ve a bet with Helga that I intend to win. Helping with the gift is allowed, but nothing else.”

“Sorry,” Draco interrupted, eyes narrowed. “But you called her your sister. History says you were just friends. What is going on here?”

“History is written by the victors,” Rowena replied bitterly. “I married into the Ravenclaw name when I was very young. Salazar took the Slytherin lordship, and I took the Ravenclaw title when my husband passed away. Our lines never crossed again, that we are aware of. But Salazar is my brother, and always has been. Just as Godric and Salazar never managed to bond, but had a long love affair that has yet to end.”

“We couldn’t bond and each keep our titles, thanks to ancient laws that may never have been changed,” Salazar told them bitterly. “But we’ve been true to each other for centuries.”

“That’s…” Hadrian couldn’t come up with a good enough word to sum it up, and Salazar simply nodded.

“You didn’t come here for a history lesson,” he reminded his heir. “Though I will tell you one final thing that I hope you will remember. The Black family did cross with my own only once, according to Phineas Nigelus Black. Casseopia Black married Virgil Gaunt, but they had no children of their own. You and I have no blood relation.”

“What does that mean for the title? Am I not eligible to be your heir?” Hadrian asked, biting his lip.

“You won it in conquest, young lord. It is yours, and I am glad for it. I was simply telling you what you might need to know later in life. The goblins can verify it when the time comes,” Salazar replied gently. Hadrian nodded, trying not to let his confusion show. Draco nudged him to get him back on track, and Salazar grinned. “Go gather the basilisk skin from the chamber, and I’ll teach you a bit of parselmagic.”

“Really?” Hadrian asked with wide eyes. “You’d teach me?”

“I will teach you everything that I know before you leave this school,” Salazar vowed. The magic in the room vibrated from the strength of the promise, and Hadrian shivered. “ Now, go gather the skin and we’ll make your gifts. I have something perfect in mind.”

Hermione’s head was throbbing. She was hiding in the library because it was the one place that Ron was guaranteed not to go. He seemed to be allergic to studying of any kind, and that meant books as well. She often took refuge from him in here, and he hadn’t seemed to realize that’s what she was doing.

She had a book open in front of her, but she wasn’t really reading it anymore. The page was one she’d memorized over the last hour, and she felt numb. 

Coactus Dedisco, frequently given to prisoners to make them forget to fight their imprisonment within their own minds. The potion forces the drinker to forget that they are being compelled, while making them listen to the suggestions and orders of the brewer. Because of its complexity and mind compelling abilities, it was banned from use by the Wizengamot in the year 1802.

Symptoms include large periods of memory lapse, fatigue, migraines, and loss of appetite. It can be given in food and drink, or through tincture. It must be given every thirty days, or it will fade.

She felt numb. For a long time now, she had noticed that thoughts filled her mind that went against everything she believed. Ron frequently told her things that she didn’t agree with, yet she’d gone along with every single thing he told her. Even Dumbledore had been speaking with her more frequently, though she never seemed to remember exactly what was said. And last night, she’d watched Ron drop something into her drink when he thought that she wasn’t looking. She’d vanished most of it from her glass, and saved a sample to study. Coactus Dedisco was what she had found.

How long had they been controlling her? What had they forced her to do? Which thoughts were really her own? She didn’t know anymore. The longer she thought about it, the worse her headache became. She couldn’t allow herself to be dosed again, but she didn’t know how to avoid it. Who could she go to for help?

“Hermione?” She jumped, looking up through her tears (when had she started crying?) to see Neville standing there looking worried. She quickly wiped her eyes and slammed the book closed, drawing the glare of Madam Pince. “Are you alright?”

“Yes, I-” she hesitated, realizing that if she lied about this, nobody would know that something was wrong if she was dosed again. Could she trust Neville? “No.”

“No?” Neville asked nervously. He sat down in the chair across from her hesitantly. “Do you… d’you want to talk about it?”

“I don’t know if I can,” she told him honestly. She didn’t know what she’d be allowed to say. The potion couldn’t be completely out of her system yet. Instead of talking, she slid the bookmarked textbook over to him silently. He didn’t open it.

“You can trust me,” he told her seriously. “I know we haven’t spoken much, but if you’re in trouble, I want to help you. I still remember how you tried to help me in our first year.”

“Thank you,” she whispered. “I can’t, though. It’s…”

“Why don’t you come with me?” Neville offered. He slid the book into his bag and stood up, offering his hand to her. “We’ll go somewhere private to talk, and we’ll see what we can do.”

It was the best offer Hermione could hope for, given what she could remember of their interactions lately. She and Ron hadn’t exactly been kind to the people Harry… Hadrian… had gotten close to. She nodded slowly and reached out to accept Neville’s hand… only something was wrong. Something smooth and cool coated her hand, and she felt herself getting dizzy. When she looked up at Neville, he was wearing a mean smirk. And hadn’t his eyes been brown, before?

“Just relax, Hermione. I knew my idiot brother missed your dose last night,” he told her. But that wasn’t right… it was getting so much harder for Hermione to focus, but she knew that Neville’s hair wasn’t orange. And he wasn’t a girl…

“... Ginny?”

“We moved too fast. He doesn’t want us,” Theo said for the third time that afternoon. Blaise sighed tiredly and shook his head. “No, listen. He never gave any indication that he returned our affection. We forced his hand, and this is him letting us down gently.”

“You’re overthinking again,” Blaise pointed out. “What do you think he’s dragged Draco off to do?”

“Probably nothing to do with us,” Theo sighed. Blaise fought the urge to roll his eyes at his love’s words.

“Do you remember when I asked you to court with me?” he asked suddenly. Theo blinked up at him in surprise, but he was starting to smile. “I was so nervous, Cara Mio. I had your gift for months before I gave it to you. I knew from the moment we met that you were going to be mine.”

“I still don’t know how you found the charm,” Theo admitted. His hand lifted to the pendant hanging around his neck, and he smiled fondly down at it. “I can still feel your magic every time I touch it.”

“I wanted you to have a piece of me forever,” Blaise shrugged. “It holds a small piece of my magical core.”

“How?” Theo breathed, eyes wide. Blaise’s smile grew. “I didn’t know that was possible.”

“It’s part of my family’s magic. Mama granted me access to the grimoire early just for that enchantment. When I go home for Yule, I plan to make one for Hadrian, as well. As my next gift to him,” Blaise explained.

“If he reciprocates,” Theo pointed out bitterly. This time, Blaise didn’t hold back his sigh. “I used my family magic for both of your gifts, as well. I made you both those bands. Runes have always come easy to the Notts. My grandfather’s journal says that we were blessed by Lady Magic herself.”

“That’s amazing, Theo,” Blaise grinned. He was glad that the bitterness seemed to be fading the longer they talked.

“Yes, well. It’s not a piece of my magical core,” Theo shrugged shyly. Blaise wasn’t going to let him talk down on himself. He shifted closer and cupped Theo’s cheeks in both of his hands, meeting his eyes seriously.

“You are amazing,” he told his love. “You have gone through so much, and you get stronger every day. Your gift with runes is breathtaking, and your kind soul mesmerizes me. I won’t have you thinking badly of yourself, or comparing yourself to others. You are perfect as you are, Cara Mio. And what you are is mine.”

He leaned forward to kiss Theo deeply, not giving the other time to form a response. He wiped the single tear that trailed down Theo’s cheek away when he pulled back, smiling softly. Theo returned the smile, choosing not to speak for now. Instead, he cuddled closer to his boyfriend and just let himself be held.

“You’ve got the wand movement wrong,” Rowena pointed out quietly. “It’s swish and flick, dear. Just swiping it down won’t have the desired result.”

“Isn’t swiping it down the same as flicking?” Hadrian asked in frustration. He ignored Draco’s snort of amusement and Salazar’s frustrated sigh. He was sure that the man was regretting his promise right about now.

“No,” Rowena told him just as gently. She seemed to have the most patience of all of the founders. Godric had shown up twenty minutes into the lesson and kept offering unhelpful tips while hanging off of Salzar, and Helga had appeared five minutes ago and was no longer paying any attention to the lesson at all. “Flicking is all in the wrist. It has nothing to do with your arm movement. Flicking best directs where you want the spell to go. Simply slashing your arm downwards could send the spell wild.”

“Oh,” Hadrian sighed. He repositioned his hand on his wand and turned his focus back to the piece of basilisk skin on the desk in front of him. He was trying to transfigure it into a simple ear cuff, but he couldn’t seem to master the spell in parseltongue the way Salazar insisted he do.

“Now, focus on how you want the cuff to look. What you see in your mind is what will appear if the spell is done correctly. Once you have the cuff, we’ll be delighted to teach you the basic protection ward, and the parselmagic,” Rowena told him encouragingly. “And after the first one, the second one will be a breeze.”

Hadrian took a deep breath and pictured the cuff in his mind again. He was trying to make Theo’s first, as it was the simpler of the two. Theo was quiet and reserved, and wouldn’t want to wear anything flashy. He was picturing a small cuff that would wrap delicately around the top of Theo’s ear. The design would be woven in a celtic style, while still retaining the texture of the snake skin. He planned to make it nearly translucent, so nobody would know that it was there. It was less likely to be detected that way. He let out the breath he’d been holding and flicked his wand with his wrist as directed. “Mutatio Figura!” 

The snake skin warped before his eyes and slowly became the cuff he’d pictured in his mind. He stared down at it with wide eyes for several seconds before looking back up at the founders. All four were grinning at him, and Godric was clapping enthusiastically.

“Well done!” Rowena told him proudly. “Now for the wards. What protections would you like to give him?”

“Just… basic ones,” Hadrian replied awkwardly. “I read a bit about wards over the summer, but not enough to be an expert. I want to be able to protect him from basic spells and potions, and maybe… compulsions?”

“That’s easy enough,” Salazar told him with a smile. “Two simple wards will accomplish all of that. The first is a well-known ward called Tace Praesidio. It is a silent spell, and must be used with pure intentions. The second ward is one that most likely hasn’t been used in several centuries. It is called Mens Custodiat, and the incantation must be said in Parseltongue.”

“I don’t know if I can do this,” Hadrian sighed. He hadn’t felt so hopeless in a long time, but given how long it had taken him just to learn the first spell, he didn’t have much hope of being able to finish the cuffs today. He really didn’t want to wait any longer to give Theo and Blaise their gifts, even if he wasn’t sure why it was so important to him.

“You are my heir, are you not?” Gryffindor demanded, crossing his arms. Hadrian nodded silently. “We may not be as quick to learn as Rowena or Salazar, but those of my bloodline do not give up, and we do not know the meaning of losing hope. Do you understand?”

“Yes,” Hadrian agreed. Godric’s speech had filled him with newfound determination, and he lifted his wand to try the wards without another word.

“Good. Focus on your intention as you cast the first ward. Feel the protection that you want to bestow as you think of the incantation,” Salazar instructed.

Hadrian let his urge to protect and keep Theo safe fill him. He could feel his magic reacting to his emotions, and with the sudden confidence that his spell would work, Hadrian flicked his wand forcefully at the cuff. It glimmered for a few seconds with the strength of his spell, then settled back to normal. When he looked up, Godric was beaming at him.

“Excellent,” he praised. “You’ve got the makings of a very powerful mage.”

“Thank you,” Hadrian replied. He could feel his cheeks flushing with embarrassment; he wasn’t sure he’d ever get used to positive reinforcement after so many years of abuse. Draco scoffed playfully in the corner.

“Don’t make his ego inflate any further,” he called out with a smirk. “His head is already almost too big for his robes to fit over.”

“Shove off, git,” Hadrian shot back with a grin. He’d missed this kind of banter with his cousin. “I should have left you upstairs.”

“And disobey your parents? Hardly,” Draco snorted. “You don’t know how to tell them no right now.”

“Boys,” Rowena said pointedly, interrupting their playful argument. “We still have much to get done today. That was excellently cast, young Hadrian, but you still have one more ward and a spell to cast before you’ve finished your first cuff.”

“Right,” Hadrian sighed. “What was the incantation again?”

The second ward went just as easily as the first, which was a relief after the transfiguration failure. He briefly wondered if warding was a family specialty that he’d inherited, but that wasn’t something for him to focus on just yet. He still had a spell to cast using parselmagic- which he had never done before in his life.

“Casting a spell with parselmagic is a little bit different than simply saying the incantation in Parseltongue,” Rowena told him calmly. “Though I cannot speak the language, I can draw upon the magic of the snakes. It’s how I’ve managed to learn to understand the language over the centuries.”

“It’s a language that can be learned?” Draco asked, perking up. Rowena turned her attention to him with a sad smile.

“Not for you, young one,” she answered. “The language can only be understood by someone with the gift of parselmagic. It runs in our bloodline, but you do not have a tie to our families. Though the Black line and the Malfoy line are powerful in their own rights, they do not possess the gift.”

“I didn’t want it, anyway,” Draco muttered, turning his face away from everyone in the room. Hadrian almost reached out to him, but Rowena shook her head sharply to stop him.

“Reach inside of yourself to find this gift,” she instructed, leaning forward in her portrait to see him better. “As soon as you’ve found it, drag it to the surface of your core. From there, you can use it to cast more powerful spells.”

“It’s a skill that takes many years to learn,” Salazar cautioned him. “What you’ve accomplished today is more than enough to be proud of. Perhaps you should make the other cuff and give it the wards before you exhaust yourself with trying to find the parselmagic.”

“Don’t discourage the boy,” Godric told him quietly. “I believe him to be fully capable of doing this today.”

“It’s a good idea, though,” Hadrian interrupted before they could really start to argue. “I’ll make the other cuff, and then I’ll enchant them both.”

“What are you going to be casting on them, anyway?” Draco asked, turning his attention back to his cousin. His earlier frustration was apparently forgotten for now, but Hadrian didn’t really want to tell him what he was planning to do. It would just make Draco more upset.

“Er,” he said, trying to decide what to say.

“You can tell me,” Draco assured him with a tired smile. “I know why you’re making these for them, Hadrian. I don’t begrudge whatever you’re giving them. In fact, it better be good. They’re my best friends, and they deserve nothing but the best.”

“If the spell works, it will help them to understand parseltongue, as well as a few other creature languages,” Hadrian said after a moment. “I read about it in Salazar’s journal, and he confirmed that it could be done while you were playing with the snakes.”

“... Oh,” Draco said after a moment, like he’d been waiting for Hadrian to say he was just kidding. He offered a smile that was definitely not genuine, then turned his attention back to the snakes. Hadrian held back a sigh. He didn’t know how to make it better, so he was choosing to focus on the cuffs until he could talk with Sirius and decide how to fix it.

“Right,” Rowena said after a moment. “Do you need me to walk you through the transfiguration again?”

“Please,” Hadrian sighed.

Blaise’s finished cuff was much more elaborate than Theo’s, simply because Blaise enjoyed drawing attention while Theo liked to fade into the background. The cuff looked like a golden snake that wound around itself and sparkled in the light. It would contrast beautifully with Blaise’s dark skin. Just the thought of seeing Blaise wearing it had Hadrian blushing for reasons he wasn’t ready to think about just yet. It was just as easy to cast the wards on Blaise’s as it had been on Theo’s. It wasn’t long before he was looking down at the two cuffs in anticipation.

“It’s alright to be done now, child,” Helga told him gently. “Nobody will think less of you. These really are wonderful gifts.”

“No, I can do this,” Hadrian replied firmly. “I just need a little bit of time.”

“When did they give their gifts?” Godric asked innocently. Hadrian looked up at him with a small frown, and he held up his hands. “I merely assumed that they had. There’s nothing wrong with you initiating-”

“A week ago,” Salazar interrupted, rolling his eyes. “They gifted him potions and a wrist cuff. Quite expertly done, if I might say.”

“Ah,” Godric smiled. “These are excellent reciprocal gifts, in that case! A good use of protections. Adding the parselmagic will show how serious you are. Marvelously done, Hadrian.”

“You always say too much,” Helga sighed, shaking her head. “Let the boy concentrate, Godric. He’ll need to focus if he’s going to get this part right.”

“Sorry,” Godric replied, holding his hands up in surrender once more. “You’ll hear nothing further from me.”

Hadrian shook his head and tuned out their antics as he looked back down at the cuffs. He’d read up on the incantation last night, and he knew it by heart. He knew what he was supposed to feel while casting it. He just didn’t know what, exactly, parselmagic was supposed to feel like. He ran his fingers along Theo’s cuff thoughtfully, then closed his eyes. His other hand landed on Blaise’s cuff, grounding him in the moment. He would use them as an anchor to find his way back if he got lost in his magic, just as Salazar had written.

With his eyes closed, he reached within himself to find his magical core. This was something he’d only done a handful of times before. The only other time he’d managed to feel it so strongly was before the blocks had been removed from it- back when he’d learned how to summon his patronus. With that in mind, he sank down to find it, grinning when it wrapped around him like a warm hug. It felt familiar and safe, and he never wanted to leave. But he had a purpose. He went even further, drowning in the depth of his magic that was unlike anything he’d ever truly felt before. It was so much larger and warmer than it had been three years ago.

It wasn’t until he reached what he assumed to be the very center of his core that he encountered something different. This foreign magic slithered over his skin the same way that Amarantha did when she wanted to show him something. He shivered at the feeling, knowing instinctively that this is what he’d been looking for. It was easy to wrap that magic around himself the way his familiar liked to wrap around his shoulders. The hard part was finding his way back out.

His core didn’t seem to want to let him go. He felt it trying to pull him deeper into the safety, like it wanted him to find something else. Something even more important. The deeper it dragged him down, the more worried he became. The warmth began to fade, and the bright magic dimmed. This didn’t feel like his magic at all. It was dark and angry, and… a little bit afraid?

He came to a stop in front of a foreign shade within his magical core. It took the form of a person, but it was nothing but shadow. It had no face, no features, and nothing to indicate that it was aware of his presence at all. As he watched, the shade turned towards him. A chill went through his very bones.

“Harry Potter, you have arrived at last.”

“That’s not my name,” Hadrian replied hesitantly. He didn’t know how the shade was communicating, but it wasn’t a good sign that it only knew his false name.

“It matters not. I felt when the blocks were removed. Yet I was not set free. Why?”

“What are you?” Hadrian asked instead of answering the question. He didn’t know the answer, and he didn’t want to give anything away until he knew more.

“I am your destruction if you do not set me free.”

“Threatening me doesn’t really make me want to help you,” Hadrian pointed out. He was impressed that his voice wasn’t shaking from the fear he was feeling. He hadn’t thought he’d be in danger inside of himself.

“It is not a threat. It is merely an observation. We cannot both exist in the same space. If you release me, I can return to myself. Perhaps I will restore what I have lost.”

Hadrian had a sinking suspicion that he knew exactly what- or rather, who- the shade was. “I don’t know how to free you, and I know that my family wouldn’t want me to let you go.”

“You know NOTHING, child.”

“Then tell me,” Hadrian challenged. He didn’t know if it would work; he was stalling for time while he came up with a plan.

“I was cursed, just as you have been. Albus Dumbledore introduced me to the magical world, and he became my savior. Hogwarts was to be my salvation. I was treated with nothing but suspicion and mistrust to the day that I graduated. When I showed an interest in defensive magic, I was shoved towards dark magic, instead. When I refused to kill, I was compelled. Only after I’d been forced to rip my very soul to pieces did I understand what had been done to me. I cannot let it happen to anyone else.”

“Voldemort,” Hadrian sighed. Of course it was him.

“That is not a name I would have chosen for myself. I am Tom Marvolo Riddle. I am the heir of Slytherin. I am the one who is going to bring about the end of Albus Dumbledore.”

“About that,” Hadrian started, mind reeling. “I’ve already got a plan for how to get rid of Dumbledore. We’re working on it while we’re inside of the school. You might have been the heir of Slytherin, but I am Lord Slytherin, and Lord Gryffindor. Heir Ravenclaw and Heir Hufflepuff are both also in the school. We’re taking it back. I suppose once he’s out, he can be your problem.”

“You must release me so I can restore my lost sanity.”

“How are you going to do that?” Hadrian asked. He was seriously considering letting the shade go.

“I must simply restore my soul. The loss of those pieces caused the loss of my sanity. I have done many terrible things, child. Let me make amends.”

“Alright, fine. I release you,” Hadrian sighed. “When you’ve finished fixing yourself, I want to meet you. We have a lot to talk about.”

“Indeed. I will find you when I’ve finished my task. Do not get yourself killed.”

Hadrian felt the shade tugging away from his core, and he gave the push needed to force the foreign soul out of his own body. As soon as it was gone, his magical core grew tremendously bright and warm. It wrapped around him tightly as if thanking him for releasing the terrible curse it had been forced to endure. Moments later, it assisted in pushing him out of itself. The parselmagic was still wound loosely around his metaphorical shoulders, and he could feel phantom scales along his skin when he opened his eyes.

“Lad?” Godric asked, perking up when he noticed the open eyes. Hadrian offered a tired smile in response.

“Hadrian!” Draco barreled into his side and hugged him tightly. “You git, it’s been over an hour! We couldn’t get you to respond! I thought we were going to die down here!”

“I wouldn’t have let that happen,” Salazar was quick to say. “I would have given you one more hour before retrieving help.”

“One more hour? ” Draco growled angrily. Hadrian gave his arm a warning squeeze and he fell begrudgingly silent.

“I found it,” Hadrian told them all. He had decided the moment Draco had freaked out that he wasn’t going to tell him what else he’d found. “What’s the incantation?”

Tom Marvolo Riddle could barely remember the man that he had once been. He occasionally saw flashes of memory, or heard voices from his past that made him pause, but he could never recall why they might be important. On the occasions that he couldn’t get the partial memories or voices out of his head, he took to torturing the people around him. He didn’t much care if they were against him or his own followers. He had lost sight of his former goals, but he was too broken to even care.

Many of his favored followers were avoiding him. He knew that something must have gone horribly wrong if he was being avoided; it was a common enough pattern that he wasn’t surprised by it any longer. Bellatrix was in the corner of the room muttering to herself, which was also quite normal nowadays. He couldn’t make out what she was saying, nor did he particularly care. There was only one thing that he wanted to know, and she couldn’t tell him. He needed his spy.

He pulled the sleeve of his black cloak up far enough to expose his left forearm, though there was no mark there. Long ago, when he began his crusade, he had given himself a mark to show that he was equal to his followers. When he was reborn into this body, he had seen no need to mar his skin with such a thing. One of his Deatheaters would always be on hand to be used to summon the others. He could not be seen as equal and still rule over all of wizarding kind.

“Bellatrix,” he rasped, gaining her instant attention. “I have need of your arm.”

“Yes, my lord,” she said quickly. In seconds, she was at his side with her left arm brandished. Once upon a time, summoning one of his followers hadn’t hurt at all. The original magic he had used would simply heat the mark enough to gain their attention, and they would be able to follow his magic back to where he was. It was quite an impressive bit of alchemy, really. Now, though, his magic was tainted by his resurrection and the loss of most of his soul. When he pushed the tainted magic through the marks, they burned until his followers were in agony that they could not ignore. Each time, they appeared before him with trembling legs and a nearly bleeding left arm. This time was no different.

Severus Snape was most certainly not the man that he was when he had joined Tom’s cause. He was cautious and withdrawn, and Voldemort was fairly certain that his favored spy had taken to withholding information from him. This would no longer be accepted.

“You have lied to me,” he rasped, his slitted eyes narrowing dangerously. “You must know, by now, what lying to me will do to you.”

“My lord,” Severus gasped. He looked paler than usual, and he was gripping his left arm so tightly that it really was dripping blood. “I would never dare to betray you in such a way.”

“Save your voice for screaming,” Voldemort recommended. His cruel smirk darkened, and he lifted his arm to send out the first ‘Crucio’ when a dark shadow flew in from the high window and slammed into him hard enough to knock him off of his feet.

For a long while, all Voldemort knew was burning agony. He had never before endured the cruciatus curse, yet this was how he imagined it must feel. Every part of his magical core throbbed, and he clawed at his skin in an effort to pull the shadowy figure away. It only served to drive the thing further into him. Finally, after several minutes of torture, the pain went away. Tom Marvolo Riddle blinked heavily up at the ceiling of a crumbling Riddle Manor with only one thought echoing through his mind.

“What have I done?”

Chapter Text

September 13th, Dumbledore’s Office

Ronald and Ginevra Weasley were quite used to being in the headmaster’s office from the past several years. It was just as common to see their mother sitting in one of the chairs across from the headmaster. The thing that confused them was the sight of Nymphadora Tonks sitting in the other chair, looking nervous.

“What’s going on?” Ginny asked suspiciously. “I thought she was on their side.”

“Nymphadora has just shared a few alarming details with us, Ginny dear. Come, sit and listen,” Molly replied gently. She waved her wand to conjure two comfortable looking armchairs beside her own.

“Right, as I was saying,” Tonks sighed. “Mum has been spending a strange amount of time away from home. Every time I ask, she just says she’s visiting with a friend, but I’ve never seen her do that before. Then last night, I heard her and Dad talking when they thought I was at work. Turns out she’s been spending all of her time with Sirius and Remus… and Narcissa Malfoy.”

“They’re visiting with a death eater?” Ron spat, eyes narrowing. “Why does that not surprise me. Strategically, it’s a smart move. We knew they didn’t trust our side anymore when they failed to return Potter to his relatives and lied to Mum about it. Makes sense that they’ve turned their backs completely. It’s only a matter of time before Potter is working with You-Know-Who.”

“Now, now,” Dumbledore said quickly. “We don’t know anything for certain. Harry has so many compulsions on him that there is no way he would turn his back from the light. It’s the only thing I know for certain that we can still rely on. He may know of his true parentage now, but it doesn’t change how he’s been raised or what he’s been forced to believe.”

“I would’ve said that Mum would never associate with a Malfoy, too, but…” Tonks shuddered. “I don’t know what we can count on anymore. I like Sirius and Remus, don’t get me wrong. I just think they’ve strayed off of the path.”

Ginny’s eyes were bouncing between the people in the room as she listened to what they were saying… and what they weren’t. Dumbledore really didn’t know what was going on anymore. He’d lost touch somehow. Her mum was being blindly optimistic as usual, and missing all of the clues that were in front of them. Only Ron seemed to see all of the angles, much as she didn’t like to give her brother credit. And then there was Tonks.

Ginny had always been fond of the other woman, since she’d met her two summers ago. She was clumsy and funny, and painfully honest. There was no reason to doubt her, as far as Ginny could tell. And yet… she hadn’t even blinked when Dumbledore had mentioned the compulsions. She wasn’t surprised or disturbed in the slightest, as though she’d had prior warning. As though she’d already known.

“Mum,” Ginny said quietly, but she was shushed immediately.

“We’ll need to speak with her, Albus,” Molly was saying. “Get her back on the right path. We can’t have her straying when so much is already going wrong.”

“Nymphadora, do you think you could get her alone for us?” Dumbledore asked kindly. He ignored the way her hair flashed an angry shade of red at the use of her given name.

“Mum,” Ginny tried again. She was shushed once more. She had to bite back her frustration, but settled back to watch until she’d be allowed to speak.

“Sure,” Tonks replied gruffly. Ginny assumed it was still just ruffled feathers over her given name. “But what are you going to say to convince her? I worry that Malfoy hexed her or something. Maybe she hexed all of them.”

Ginny didn’t like the way Tonks’ eyes shone, like she had something she was hiding. She knew something. She had information that could change the whole game, and nobody else saw it. This… was something to consider.

Ginny couldn’t care less about Harry Potter as a person. He was pretty boring as far as she was concerned. It was nice that he was a hero and all, but plenty of other heroes were attractive and not bloody boring. She was quite fond of Viktor Krum, for example. She hadn’t spoken to Hermione for a week after the other witch had gotten a date with him. No, the only things that appealed to Ginny about Harry was his fame and his money. She’d been receiving payments from his account since before her first year at Hogwarts. She had a nice amount set back for her future, and knew she wouldn’t have to work for several years once she’d graduated. She couldn’t care less about getting married, and she’d earn her own fame by joining the Holyhead Harpies. She didn’t need Harry Potter.

The problem was that she couldn’t currently get out of her contract. Dumbledore had made it ironclad, and it clearly stated that she was to marry Harry Potter and provide at least one heir before his death. A death which had been planned for a long, long time. She was to be a young mother, something that had always appealed to her when she was younger. Now, she understood how stupid she’d been.

As she listened to Tonks spin her tale of concern and frustration, Ginny was making a new plan of her very own. Tonks knew important information that was going to turn the tide of the war they’d found themselves involved in. Something had changed with Harry over the summer, and he wasn’t the same boy he’d been last year. He was smarter, somehow. She’d been listening to Hermione complain about it for the last week of classes. He’d either already figured out what was going on, or he was on his way to figuring it out. That meant he was no longer under Dumbledore’s control.

She could alert all of them to what she’d worked out.

She did not do that. Instead, she crossed her arms and feigned disinterest. She wanted them all to think that she wasn’t listening anymore while she searched Tonks’ words for clues.

She wouldn’t be able to feign innocence unless she claimed to be under compulsions herself. But she could say that they threatened her, or that she didn’t know it was wrong until it was too late to be changed. That contract had to be fulfilled or she’d lose her magic. Anyone with half a brain could read it and know that. She could say that they’d threatened her into signing it, and that she didn’t have a choice. She could be free, on her own terms, and keep the money that nobody even knew she had. Who would listen to the words of those liars once they were exposed?

She’d feel bad about letting her mother and brother fall from grace, but… really, what choice did she have? They’d done it to themselves.

“Right, I’ll let you know when I’ve got her alone,” Tonks was saying when Ginny tuned back in. “Thank you for hearing my concerns. I didn’t know where else to turn.”

“Of course, my dear,” Dumbledore replied. His eyes glittered in the light; his grandfatherly impression was out in full force. Did he really think people trusted him more when he looked at them like that? She’d always found it creepy.

It was silent for a minute or so after Tonks had left through the floo. Finally, Dumbledore sighed. “We couldn’t have asked for a better break.”

“Getting Andromeda back under our thumb is a big step in the right direction,” Molly agreed with a smile. “What is she thinking, siding with a Malfoy?”

“Remember, Narcissa is still her sister. She may have been disowned, but I have long known that Andromeda misses her family. If Sirius is truly harbouring his cousin, Andromeda most likely thought her sister was finally straying from her dark path. A lie, I can assure you,” Dumbledore replied.

“If we get Andromeda back, we can use her to get to Sirius and Remus,” Ron mused. “Send her along with a potion or a compulsion to force onto them. It can’t hurt.”

“Ginny, what was it you wanted to say?” Molly asked, finally giving her daughter the attention she’d requested so long ago. Ginny fought the urge to roll her eyes. As if what she’d wanted to say mattered at all.

“Nothing, Mummy. I was just thinking about my wedding,” she replied sweetly. They often spoke of things like what her dress would look like, or what season she should be married during. It wasn’t uncommon for sessions like this to drift in that direction, much to Ron’s annoyance. “I was picturing how beautiful my time to shine will be.”

“That’s nice, dear,” Molly replied distractedly. They drifted back into the conversation on how to control Andromeda as Ginny sat back to listen. Her plan was forming rapidly, and she soaked in the information carefully. Her tide was about to turn.

September 22nd, Potter Manor

“You’re sure they took the bait?” Andromeda asked for the third time. Sirius had to cover his mouth to keep from laughing at the frustrated look on his favorite cousin’s face. Tonks clearly wanted to be anywhere but there.

“ Yes, Mother!” she groaned. Her hair was shifting towards red, but lingering somewhere around ginger. She was annoyed, but not angry. “I’m supposed to be finding a time to get you alone so they can enchant you. They were talking about using you to get to the others. They know that you know more than you’re letting on.”

“And they trust you, now,” Remus added thoughtfully. “As a concerned daughter and a disgruntled auror. That was a smart move, but also really dangerous.”

“Eh, they always underestimate people like me,” Tonks shrugged. At the confused looks she received, she flashed a bright smile and her hair went nearly white. “Clumsy and loud, practically daft. It’s what people see, because it’s what I want them to see. I was a Hufflepuff, you know? We learn early how to make ourselves less noticeable. Or if we have to be seen, we know how to control the narrative. And there’s the added bonus that Dumbledore only pays attention to Gryffindors and that means that he barely knows me. He doesn’t know my tells.”

“You’re awfully confident,” Sirius grinned. “It’s a good look on you, cousin.”

“Hush, you,” she rolled her eyes. “Honestly, I thought that Ginny had figured me out for a second there. She kept trying to interrupt, and the look in her eyes… but she must not have noticed anything. She never did speak up.”

“She’s only after one thing, and that’s Hadrian. I doubt she cared at all if the discussion was about your mother,” Remus replied. Sirius noted with amusement that Tonks didn’t seem to agree. She also didn’t seem to be willing to argue it.

“Whatever,” she sighed. “The point is that they trust me, and that means they’re not being careful around me. I already have memory evidence of them talking about compulsions.”

“You do?” Sirius asked with wide eyes. “What are we waiting for?”

“We don’t have nearly enough to lock him away,” Remus told him gently. “One witnessed conversation can be explained away. We need concrete proof, and we need him to be out of all positions of power. We can’t go after him until he’s out of Hogwarts and off of the Wizengamot. We’ve discussed this.”

“Are you comfortable with keeping this up?” Andromeda asked her daughter. She didn’t like the calculating look that she was given in return, but it was followed by a short nod. “Then name your time and place. They can place their compulsions, and then you lot can get me to Gringotts to be cleansed. They’ll think they have their players back, and we’ll have more proof.”

“Andi, we can’t ask that of you,” Sirius told her quickly. She shot him a glare that had him raising his hands in surrender.

“You’re not asking me. I’m telling you how this is going to go. Hadrian is my family as well, and I want all of you to be safe. If that means being uncomfortable for a while, then so be it,” she told them firmly.

“Three days from now, in the Hog’s Head. We’ll say you’re meeting me for lunch there because I have information that isn’t safe to share in our normal places,” Tonks said after a moment of thought. “It’s on his turf, but it’ll be easy to get you to Gringotts from there.”

“I’ll write to Onyxclaw. Maybe he’ll give us some kind of portkey that can be activated once Dumbledore is well and truly gone,” Remus said after a moment. “That way you can be cleansed as soon as possible.”

“What if we just give you some kind of protection to make sure that everything he tries to do just slides right off of you? You know our family has to have something like that,” Sirius offered. Andromeda shook her head sadly.

“I have to show that it’s worked. I won’t know how to act if the spells don’t stick, will I? I just have to trust that you won’t let me stay compelled for long. If you can get the portkey, good. If not, you’ll just have to rush me back into the floo when I return,” she replied. “Chin up! We’ll be one step closer to locking him up for good.”

September 17th, Gringotts

“That was bloody awful!” Andromeda spat. “It was like… I could remember exactly why I was on your side, but it was shoved to the back of my mind every time I tried to think about it. Thoughts of how awful my sister was and how unsafe all of you were kept trying to take their place at the front of my mind. Fighting it just gave me a giant bloody headache.”

“The compulsion was a strong one,” Thornfire confirmed. “Thankfully, you didn’t give it time to truly take hold. It would have been much harder to remove in an hour or two. You were smart to come here.”

“It was planned,” Sirius reminded her, and he was treated to a scowl from the goblin.

“Yes, I’m aware of your foolish plans,” she snapped. “My mate and I will be having words about that later. There is no need to put yourselves at such risk! As if we would be foolish enough not to keep a complete record of the curses and potions placed on our young friend, as well as samples of the magical signatures of all involved! When the time comes, you won’t need more evidence than what we have. And should you wizards fail to convict this horrible man, we goblins will not hesitate to exact our judgment. Never forget that Hadrian is one of us.”

“How could we forget?” Sirius sighed. The glare directed at him intensified. “Listen, I only meant that he’s showing more signs of being like you every day. He’s developing skills that wizards just… don’t have. It started with the travel and the letters, and it just… it gets weirder every day. How much of him has changed?”

Thornfire looked more uncomfortable the longer Sirius spoke, which wasn’t encouraging. “He is changing?” She bit back a sigh at the nod she was given. “We do not know. This has never been done before. Kriger Herre is the first of his kind. I will alert Nagnok to the strangeness, and he will consult the oracles. We will find an answer for you.”

“Right,” Sirius nodded, looking down. “I was afraid you’d say that. Just keep us informed, please. Hadrian means the world to us.”

“And to us,” Thornfire assured him. “You are healthy. You may leave.”

September 29th- Present- Slytherin Common Room

Theo couldn’t stop glancing over at Draco’s forgotten textbook. He kept thinking that he should take it down to the dorm, but he couldn’t bring himself to get up. Blaise was seated beside him with the air of complete calm about him… which was a complete illusion. He’d never seen his soulmate so tense before. Just when he couldn’t stand to keep sitting still, Draco sauntered back into the common room.

“Where have you been?” Blaise asked casually. He crossed his arms and relaxed back against the couch they were perched on, still seeming at ease. It put Theo on edge, even as a part of him calmed. Draco didn’t seem worried, which meant that Hadrian was fine.

“Aren’t you two a bit hungry?” Draco replied without answering the inquiry. “I know you missed lunch. You should head to the kitchen.”

It was the slightly pointed look that he directed at them that alerted Theo to the hidden message. Draco wanted them to go to the founders’ kitchen. Hadrian must have been waiting for them there. Blaise visibly tensed beside him.

“I’m not a bit hungry,” his soulmate practically growled. Theo rested a hand on his arm that was promptly shaken off. “I’m going to the dorm. I need to write a letter. Privately.”

Theo and Draco watched Blaise stomp down the steps towards the dorm with surprise. Neither of them had ever seen him act like this, and they didn’t know how to fix it. Knowing there was nothing he could do for Blaise, Theo pushed himself to his feet and began the trek out of the common room.

“Where are you going?” Draco demanded. Theo barely glanced over his shoulder on his way through the portrait hole.

“He might not be hungry, but I’m starving,” was his only reply. He just barely glimpsed the relief on Draco’s face before the door to the common room sealed behind him.

The walk was longer than it needed to be, because Theo needed the time to think by himself before facing who he was sure was his other soulmate. He’d always known that he must have two; he’d never quite felt complete, even after finding Blaise. It was like a piece of himself was missing, calling out to him weakly from elsewhere in the world. Finding Hadrian in Knockturn had been like waking up from a dream you didn’t know you were having. He didn’t know nearly as much about his second soulmate as he wanted to. There were too many rumors and stories, and an entire fictional book series that many wizards swear are at least partially true. That’s not to mention all of the news articles that had been written over the years, and the things Umbridge had said over the last year.

Theo had always been one to stay quiet and listen to those around him. He’d learned many secrets over the years that nobody knew he was aware of. (He had, of course, shared them with Blaise.) It started at home with his father and the company that he kept. He knew many political movements before they happened, not that he’d understood them as a child. The sorting hat had seen that inside of him and known just where to put him- after a quick warning to keep an eye on his surroundings and beware of who he trusts. He learned all about Daphne’s dalliances over the years, knew every single hiding place where Crabbe and Goyle kept their snacks, and heard Pansy telling everyone repeatedly about her betrothal to Draco. (“Our fathers signed the contract when I was born. We’re meant to be!”)

He knew about people in other houses as well. Susan Bones was being groomed to enter the Ministry under her aunt directly after graduation. Ernie MacMillan’s father wanted him to join the Dark Lord as soon as the school year was finished, but his mother wouldn’t allow it. Luna Lovegood was some kind of seer and in a complicated relationship with the Patel twins. But as far as Hadrian went… there were too many conflicting whispers. Some say that he uses his fame as a shield, purposely flaunting rules and societal norms because nobody would dare to question him. Others said he was raised in ignorance and just didn’t know any better when he missteps. Draco had started most of the fame rumors, if Theo remembered correctly. He had since changed the stories to reflect as much of the truth as he could, but Theo knew that he wasn’t completely sure what the truth really was.

By the time he made it to the founders’ kitchen, he felt confident in two things. The first was that he would calmly listen and ask questions of Hadrian to learn more about him, keeping an open mind the way that Blaise currently couldn’t. The second was that if Hadrian didn’t acknowledge the budding courtship, he would simply ask him about it. It wasn’t technically done, but Hadrian had a habit of shrugging off tradition whether he meant to or not. Just this once, Theo would follow his lead.

Hadrian perked up visibly when Theo stepped through the door, but he frowned slightly when he realized that Theo was alone. Sympathy was not a thing that Theo was accustomed to feeling, but it was hard not to feel bad for Hadrian when he looked like a kicked puppy. As soon as he’d settled into the seat across from his soulmate, Theo made an effort to soothe him.

“Blaise was a bit occupied, and sends his apologies,” he said softly. It was a bit of a lie, but Hadrian wouldn’t know. He didn’t know them well enough to tell if he was lying or not. Theo resolved to fix that. “But I was more than happy to hear from you. How are you?”

“Oh, er… I’m fine,” Hadrian replied, reaching to rub the back of his neck sheepishly. “I don’t know what Draco told you…”

“Not a thing,” Theo assured him with a small smile. How could he act coldly when Hadrian was being so cute?

“Oh,” he said again. A light flush dusted his cheeks, and Theo felt his heart skip a beat. He glanced down at the table just in time to see a flash of the cuff he’d gifted him. He reacted without thinking; his hand shot out to gently grab Hadrian’s hand, reaching with his other to run soft fingers down the leather band. He knew he was smiling, but couldn’t help himself.

“You’re wearing it,” Theo breathed, looking up from their joined hands to study Hadrian’s expression. He looked stunned, and the flush of his cheeks had darkened considerably. “I wasn’t sure that you would. We’ve been… wondering.”

“Wondering?” Hadrian asked. He sounded a bit gobsmacked. As Theo watched, he visibly shook himself. “About what?”

“Whether or not we’d overstepped with our invitation,” Theo confided. He hadn’t meant to share so much, but seeing the cuff on Hadrian’s wrist made something in him snap. His heart sank when Hadrian just continued to look confused. “The… the courtship?”

“Courtship?” Hadrian’s eyes widened dramatically, and he finally looked up to catch Theo’s gaze. “As in… dating? Both of you?”

“You didn’t know,” Theo stated. He didn’t have to make it a question; he could see for himself that Hadrian really had no clue what they’d been trying to do. “Would you like me to explain?”

“Yes,” Hadrian replied firmly. Then he hesitated. “But I have something to give you first.”

“No,” Theo said quickly, even as his hope surged. “No gifts until you know exactly what it means, alright? You can’t get my hopes up just yet.”

That adorable flush was back as Hadrian nodded his agreement. “It’s old-fashioned, but most pureblood families still follow the rules of olde. Marriage contracts are still very much a thing, and you’ll want to investigate to make sure that you’re not committed. Your family was the type to do that. For the families that don’t initiate a contract, courtship is imperative. You need the time to get to know a potential spouse, and the families need to get to know each other to make sure their political views align. Nowadays it’s a little different, of course. Only the darkest of families reject a courtship based on things like that anymore.”

He paused to make sure that Hadrian was following, and it was only then that he realized he was still basically holding his hand. He moved to pull away, but Hadrian shifted his hand enough to hold Theo’s in place. Neither of them commented on it, but the room seemed to heat several degrees.

“Courtship always begins with an exchanging of gifts that exhibit their specific magical talents. The wristband that I gave you is imbued with the runic magic that my family is best at. The potions that Blaise gifted you are recipes that his grandparents created and he himself has modified. When we gave them to you, that was us declaring our intent to court you. Traditionally, giving us gifts in return is you accepting the courtship. From there, it moves forward,” he continued.

“If I accept the courtship, does that mean we’re engaged, then?” Hadrian asked. He didn’t sound upset or repulsed, which Theo was sure was a good sign.

“No, not really,” Theo assured him. “A courtship can be broken at any time, by any party. As the point is to get to know each other before deciding to marry, you could compare it to simply dating in a more formal arrangement. Starting an official courtship is like… declaring your intent to find a suitable partner. It’s not an impending marriage. It’s a promise to consider marriage.”

“So what would happen after I give you the gifts, then?” Hadrian asked next. He seemed to be thinking things over, which was almost better than Theo expected from this exchange.

“The next step is a chaperoned outing. We go on a date in public, get to know each other better, and make sure this is something we all truly want,” Theo informed him.

“You and Blaise are already courting each other, aren’t you?” Theo nodded silently, waiting. “How did that start?”

“It’s a long story,” Theo cautioned.

“I want to know,” Hadrian replied. He looked determined, but Theo wasn’t sure exactly what he was determined about. After a moment, he nodded.

“Blaise and I met when we were nine years old. My father had a brief courtship with his mother before she realized what Blaise and I must be. Lady Zabini ended the courtship but made sure that Blaise and I could continue to be friends. He and I acknowledged that there was something between us in our second year, and we exchanged our courtship gifts in fourth year. Our first date was the yule ball. We’ve been in serious courtship ever since, but… we’ve often discussed how something is missing. When we saw you that day in Knockturn, we just… knew.”

“That’s not such a long story,” Hadrian informed him. He looked like he was trying to suppress a smile, which made Theo smile in return. 

“I didn’t want to bore you with the details. Blaise tells it much better than I do. You should ask him sometime how he asked me to the ball. It was quite dramatic,” Theo replied.

“Can I give you the gift, now?” Hadrian was watching him through his eyelashes, and Theo felt his breath catch. It was much, much too early for feelings like this, especially since he wasn't convinced that Hadrian understood what he was doing.

“... No,” Theo said after a pause. Hadrian’s expression crumpled, and Theo hurried to continue. “I’m sure that it’s amazing, and that Draco would have steered you towards something to meet the courting expectations, but this is brand new to you. You didn’t know what you were making gifts for. And… you don’t know what we are.”

“We’re soulmates, aren’t we?” Hadrian shot back. He pulled his hand out of Theo’s loose hold to cross his arms in what Theo could only assume was annoyance. “I’m not the most observant, but I’m not bloody thick. You’ve implied it a couple of times today.”

Theo hesitated, but in the end he couldn’t lie about it. “Blaise and I think so. I had to get an in depth inheritance test when I was seven, and I was told then that I would have a soulmate. I’m not sure if Blaise has ever been tested or not, but he knows.”

“Nobody thought to tell me back when we met?” Hadrian demanded. It pulled a heavy sigh from Theo.

“Firstly, when we first locked eyes in first year, you’d already been sorted and poisoned against Slytherins. You had so many blocks on you that it didn’t even register for me. I didn’t know that we were soulmates until this past summer, and I wrongly assumed that you knew it already. I’m afraid we’ve all assumed a lot of things about you, Hadrian,” he answered gently.

“You… didn’t know,” Hadrian muttered. Theo watched emotions cross Hadrian’s face rapidly, and he seemed to settle on exhaustion. “There are so many things I don’t know. My aunt and uncle hate the magical world so much that they tried to beat the magic out of me. Clearly it didn’t work. My best friends poisoned me with compulsions and potions the entire time I’ve known them. The man who was supposed to be taking care of me, illegally though it was, wanted me to be completely ignorant for my entire life. Please, in the future… assume that I don’t know anything at all.”

“I’m sorry-” Theo started, but Hadrian cut him off.

“I knew that I had soulmates, because I had to do an in depth inheritance test right after I got off of the Hogwarts Express,” Hadrian told him. “I knew that I could trust people I’d never been able to let in before because when the compulsions came off, so did the paranoia that I always felt. The thing is, I didn’t know who I was anymore. The compulsions made me into the perfect little puppet for them, and it didn’t leave much of me behind. I’m still trying to figure it all out, Theo. I should have been asking questions and trying to learn what was kept from me, but instead… I was trying to figure out what I actually feel about things.”

“Things like…?” Theo pressed when Hadrian grew quiet. After a moment of careful consideration, Hadrian reached into his bag and pulled out a small jewelry box. He placed it on the table in front of Theo with a small smile. “Hadrian…”

“Don’t tell me that I don’t know what I’m doing, because you just explained it all to me,” he said quickly. “I know exactly what this means, and you should know that I’m completely sure about this. I’m choosing it for myself.”

Theo knew without having to be told what a big deal that was to Hadrian. Though he wasn’t sure he should be accepting the gift right after explaining what it meant, he wasn’t willing to push Hadrian away because of his own hesitation. If Hadrian said that he was sure, he’d have to believe him. He flipped the box open and his breath caught in his throat.

The ear cuff was beautiful. It was opalescent in the light, but practically invisible in the dark. Theo could feel the power radiating off of it when he ran his finger along the edge. The twisting celtic design felt strange under his fingers, like the material was something otherworldly. It took several seconds of running his fingers along it for him to identify the snake’s skin that it had to be. Amarantha’s, maybe…?

“It’s beautiful,” he whispered, glancing up at Hadrian for a moment. His vision was the same form of hazy that it got when he was failing to suppress tears. He gently lifted the cuff out of the box to study it more closely. “It’s warded?”

“Yes,” Hadrian replied shyly. “Among other things. Put it on.”

Theo obeyed instantly, sliding the cuff over the top of his ear delicately. He could hardly tell that it was there, other than the subtle hum of his soulmates magic that settled over his own core. He felt it mingle with the piece of Blaise’s from the pendant around his neck, and it made him breathless with delight.

“Is he wearing it, my own?” 

“What was that?” Theo gasped. His head shot up and he locked gazes with the snake around Hadrian’s shoulders. She let out a delighted hiss that Theo would almost call a laugh.

“Hush, quiet one. It is only me,” she replied. Theo’s jaw dropped, earning another amused hiss from the snake. Hadrian’s shoulders were shaking with his own suppressed laughter, but he remained silent to let Theo process the surprise.

“This is impossible,” Theo whispered. He lifted a hand to feel the cuff against his ear again, just to make sure it was still there. “That’s not a language that can be learned.”

“But it can be gifted. Salazar taught me how to find my parselmagic, and I used it to make the cuffs. While you’re wearing it, it’ll protect you from most potions and spells, no matter what they are. It’ll also allow you to understand Parseltongue, among other basic languages that you might not know. I… it just seemed like the best gift I was capable of making. Was it a bad idea?” Hadrian explained nervously.

“Yes, quiet one,” Amarantha hissed dangerously. She coiled tighter around her human’s shoulders. “Was it a bad idea?” 

“Not at all,” Theo assured them both. He was astonished that his soulmate had managed such complex magic. “This is amazing. I’ve always wanted to know what the two of you talk about.”

“Oh no,” Hadrian groaned. His cheeks were suspiciously dark. “She was right.”

“I am always right, my own,” Amarantha hissed proudly. “May we visit my sister again?”

“Sister?” Theo questioned. He was getting the hang of understanding the hisses. It was strange; he could still hear the hissing that anyone else would hear. It’s just that his mind seemed to fill in the words while the hissing was happening. He’d never used a translation spell before, but he would imagine this is what it would be like.

“Oh, er,” Hadrian hesitated. He had that shifty look that he seemed to get when he’d done something that he knew nobody else would approve of. “I went to the Chamber to get the snake skin, and we discovered that Amarantha has a sibling down there. She… she was made from the mixture of basilisk venom and phoenix tears. Amarantha is my familiar, but her sister hasn’t found her own familiar yet.”

“May I see?” Theo asked. As much as he didn’t really want to go down to the chamber he’d heard hardly anything about other than how dangerous it was, he also knew that there had to be some amazing things down there. A second snake to understand was just as exciting.

“Not today,” Hadrian said after a moment. “I’ve already spent too much time down there today. If Draco finds out that I’ve gone down there again, he’ll tell my parents. I don’t want them to worry more than they already do.”

“I understand,” Theo promised him. “Some other time, then. I’ve always been curious about the founders, you know.”

“You can talk to them whenever you want,” Hadrian reminded him.

“With an audience, sure,” Theo agreed. “But not alone. Not when I could get real information that they might only share with their heirs. Hufflepuff didn’t have a secret chamber in the castle to hide away.”

“Begging yous pardon, sirs,” Hela interrupted, wringing her hands nervously. “But Missy Helga did have her own rooms. They is still in the castle.”

“She did?” Theo asked, sitting up a little straighter. “How does nobody know? The only known hidden rooms in the castle are the Room of Requirement and the Chamber of Secrets.”

“Missy Ro’s come-and-go room is no secret, sirs,” Wena chimed in quietly. “She be saying all the time that anyone can use it.”

“I should have known that was her magic,” Blaise sighed from the doorway. He looked exhausted, but he’d shown up. That’s what mattered. Theo was relieved to see him, and he could tell with a quick glance that Hadrian felt the same. Blaise was avoiding even looking in Hadrian’s direction as he settled himself into the third seat at the table. “It always feels familiar when I go there for some peace.”

“Is that where you went?” Theo asked gently. Blaise shook his head, but he seemed to be done speaking for now.

“Much as I want to know more about Hogwarts,” Hadrian said cautiously. “Blaise, we should talk.”

“I don’t really have anything else to say, Hadrian,” Blaise replied quietly. He rested both of his hands on the table, gripping it a little tighter than he probably meant to. Theo’s gifted cuff was visible on his wrist. Hadrian would assume it was a coincidence, but Theo knew it was on purpose. He knew what Blaise was doing.

“Well, I have some things to say to you,” Hadrian shot back stubbornly. “Theo just explained to me what courting is. I didn’t know that the potions you gave me were meant to start a relationship, Blaise, or I would have done something much sooner than this. The two of you are together. I didn’t want to assume anything.”

Hadrian pulled a second jewelry box from his bag and slid it over to Blaise calmly. Blaise glanced at it, then away. “You didn’t know? That’s not possible. Everyone knows.”

“I was raised by muggles,” Hadrian reminded him. “Muggles that hate anything to do with the magical world. Not to mention the fact that muggles stopped courting over a century ago, and they don’t even talk about it in muggle schools anymore as history. I had no way of knowing that it’s something the wizarding world still does. I’m sure my parents would have explained someday, but they haven’t gotten around to it yet.”

“You really didn’t know,” Blaise repeated, sounding more convinced. He finally looked over at Hadrian with a small frown. “Hang on, go back. The muggles hate all magic? But you are magic.”

“He said-” Theo chimed in, but Hadrian shot him a panicked look and he snapped his mouth shut. It wasn’t his secret to tell, if he didn’t want to talk about it.

“He said what?” Blaise asked, eyes going straight to Theo. Theo simply shook his head. “We’re talking about this later, Hadrian. You can’t start a conversation and then change your mind.”

“Later,” Hadrian promised. “You have a gift to open first.”

Blaise looked back down at the jewelry box. His brows furrowed as he ran a single finger down the center of it. Hadrian was doing an admiral job of not squirming in his seat, but Blaise was a master of this game. Theo had to bite the inside of his cheek to keep from grinning as his boyfriend toyed with their soulmate. Really, it was a suitable revenge for making them wait so long. Finally, Blaise flipped the box open. His eyes widened as soon as he saw the ear cuff inside.

Theo wasn’t surprised that Blaise’s was more eye-catching. The gold would look beautiful against his dark skin, and the twisting snake pattern suited the Slytherin perfectly. Blaise just stared at it for a long time with wide eyes. Finally, he gently removed it from the box and slid it into place on his ear.

“Well, pretty one?” Amarantha asked. She’d been watching silently the whole time from Hadrian’s shoulders. They were treated to another hissing laugh when Blaise nearly fell out of his chair.

“Bloody hell,” he gasped, looking completely shocked. Theo chuckled, meeting Hadrian’s eyes across the table with a fond grin. It had been well worth not warning Blaise about the strange magic.

“He likes it, my own,” Amarantha informed Hadrian proudly. “Now, can we talk about how right I was again?”

“Hush,” Hadrian replied quickly, flushing. Theo was more than a little bit intrigued. “You were right. We don’t need to say anything else about it.”

“I told you that they were yours. You did not listen, my own, but I was right. Just as I knew that you were my familiar. You should listen to me more often,” she continued as if he hadn’t spoken. Blaise was openly laughing at how red Hadrian had become. Their soulmate looked completely mortified. It was adorable. “Now that you have your mates, will you be finding them familiars? They will need powerful magic to keep up with us.”

“Not all wizards get familiars, my pretty,” Hadrian told her.

“Not all wizards know where to look,” Amarantha shot back. She seemed thoroughly unimpressed. Theo decided now was the time to interrupt before they got too engrossed in their argument.

“About those rooms,” he said quickly, much to Blaise’s amusement.

“Lucius, my most loyal servant,” Tom called from the room he’d locked himself into. He’d been mad for so long that nobody had even questioned the isolation. 

It had been three days since the sudden return of rational thought, and he’d pieced together a few important things. He could remember everything that he’d witnessed from inside of Hadrian Potter-Black. The tiny soul shard that had been left behind in the infant had grown with the child. With the destruction of the diary, Tom’s soul fragments had clung to each other and mended. As soon as Hadrian had allowed them to leave him, they’d returned to the tattered piece of soul that had remained, and they had fused together. He was not complete, but he was closer to whole than he’d been in many decades.

Dumbledore had ruined his entire existence. Everything he had stood for was gone. He had wanted to make the world a better place for wizards and muggles alike, and instead he had been forced to go on a killing spree that had ended the lives of thousands. Blood hadn’t mattered at all, as long as he was spilling it. What’s worse was that the people he’d turned to after losing his mind were some of the absolute worst that the world had to offer. What had he been thinking, recruiting Fenrir Greyback? Not to mention Bellatrix Lestrange, who had become his most loyal and devoted follower by torturing and killing anyone she met.

He hadn’t been thinking. He wasn’t able to.

In the last three days, he had come up with a plan to get himself back on track. He would start by gaining as many pieces of his soul that he could find, to make himself whole once more. As soon as that was done, he’d give up this illusion that he was still a crazed dictator who wanted to watch the world burn. The worst of his followers would be dealt with swiftly, and the rest could choose between Azkaban or pledging loyalty to a new cause. A better cause. One with morals.

He would be killing Albus Dumbledore. That was unavoidable, after everything the meddlesome fool had done to him. Any who stood beside the old man would be dealt with accordingly, once his actions had been brought to light. He had a good idea of who that would be, and he’d need to think carefully on how to handle them. He refused to spill more blood than necessary. His soul might already be corrupted, but there was no need to add to his misdeeds any longer.

“Yes, my lord?” Lucius asked from the doorway. Tom turned his gaze to the blonde wizard, who immediately bowed low. It was pathetic, really. Tom remembered when Lucius was sixteen and under his father’s thumb. He remembered trying to help the young man get onto the right path before it was too late, and being forced to acknowledge that some things couldn’t be changed. He remembered Severus’s devastation after the loss of Narcissa to this man in front of him, and it was easy to curl his lips in genuine disgust.

“I have a job for you. I have left a priceless artifact in Bellatrix’s vault at Gringotts. I require it at once. You will retrieve it for me,” he informed the other coldly. “Take great care not to lose this one, Lucius. You will not survive failing me again.”

“Yes, my lord,” Lucius replied. His voice shook, as did his legs. Tom had never wanted to inspire fear in people, but seeing Lucius Malfoy so afraid of him was… thrilling. The thought made him shudder. He needed the rest of his soul, as quickly as possible.

“Go,” Tom ordered, waving his wand threateningly. He sent a stinging hex at Lucius’s feet, delighting in the yelp that followed. Lucius was gone before Tom could blink again.

“The locket, the ring,” he whispered to himself. “The diadem at the school. The cup in the vault. Nagini.”

Nagini would be easy enough, when she returned from her hunt. The poor creature would most likely be thrilled to be rid of the tainted piece of soul. Tom had hope that Hadrian would be willing to retrieve the diadem for him. The locket would be a bit harder, but not impossible. Perhaps he would take Bellatrix with him for that one. It was the ring that he was most anxious about. He had not visited his ancestral home in decades. The memories alone might cripple him. It would be the last piece that he would retrieve.

And once he was whole again, there would be no stopping him. Dumbledore wouldn’t see him coming.

Chapter Text

It took Lucius two weeks to bring the cup to Tom, and by that time he had already managed to retrieve the soul piece from Nagini. It had been a touching interaction that Tom was quite glad that nobody had witnessed.

“Nagini, my love, I have done you a great wrong,” he’d said as soon as she’d returned from her hunt. She’d hissed at him in confusion. “The piece of myself that I have hidden within you is damaged and unnatural, my dear. I am so sorry to have done this to you. I will retrieve it at once.”

“Massster, you have done me no harm,” she’d replied. If snakes could frown, she certainly would have.

“I am not your master,” he’d informed her. She remained silent, but regarded him with some amusement.

"It iss what I've heard the othersss call you. What makess me different?" she asked pointedly. Tom considered his answer carefully.

"I have treated you as my familiar all this time, but you are much more than that. You are my confidant, and I hope that someday you will be my friend. I know what you once were, and I hope to help you become that person once more," he told her. "My mind has not been whole for a very long time. A piece of it resides inside of you, and I fear it will hurt you."

"I have alwaysss known the gift that you gave me," she informed him primly. "You are not the firssst to bestow upon me such a gift, but you are the first to acknowledge that I am more than I appear."

"You possess other pieces?" Tom felt his heart freeze in his chest at the revelation. One piece was bad enough, as he knew from young Hadrian. But to hold multiple fractured pieces?

"Not anymore," she assured him calmly. "They have been retrieved, one by one. There is only one I wisshed to keep, but he needed it more than me."

"Well, I must retrieve mine," he told her. He wasn't sure how she'd take the news any longer, but he was sure that he was not the one she'd been referring to. She regarded him with a patient stare that he took to mean 'get on with it'. He laid a single hand on her scaly head, and his magic reached deep within her to retrieve the piece of himself that he never should have given.

"How do you feel?" he asked her.

"At peace," she replied softly.

He had also managed to gather all of his less than trustworthy followers together to issue new orders that he wasn't certain he could trust them to follow. They were no longer allowed to have free reign in the muggle world. He expected them to follow both wizarding and muggle laws for the time being, and to lay as low as possible. Those that had been broken out of Azkaban were to retreat to Gaunt Manor for the time being, until he could decide how to proceed.

Only Bellatrix had given him any trouble over these orders. She protested at length the fact that he no longer wanted them to kill or make examples of muggles and muggleborns. (He had done his best not to cringe at the words he was forced to use to sound like the lord they all knew and followed. He was under no illusion that they would continue to follow him if they thought he was going soft. These were not people who took kindly to kind people, and while Tom had never once claimed to be kind, he was no longer bloodthirsty or mad from power.

He made his own way to Gaunt Manor before allowing any of them entrance, hoping to find the ring that he'd placed a much larger portion of his soul into, but... it was gone. He could still feel the shard of his soul somewhere in the world, but it was no longer at his ancestral home, and that irritated him. A very large part of him wanted to burn the manor down in anger, but the rational part of him managed to prevail. He summoned the manor's elf to understand what had happened, instead.

"Master is being angry," the poor little elf squeaked. Tom withheld his sigh and tried to appear patient. It wouldn't do to scare the thing before he could get what he wanted.

"There was a ring hidden here many years ago," he stated calmly. "I placed it beneath the front steps with enough wards to keep even the most powerful of wizards from retrieving it. Where has it gone?"

The elf shuffled its feet, refusing to meet Tom's eyes, and he had to bite back a shriek of rage. His calm appearance never wavered, and he was rewarded for his patience with the full story of what had transpired.

The ring had just... disappeared. It was there on June sixth, and gone on June seventh. The exact same day that Hadrian had claimed his inheritance. Tom nearly groaned when he realized that Hadrian Potter-Black was in possession of yet another piece of his tattered soul, and the boy clearly didn't know.

"There's more," he prodded gently, seeing that the elf was still shuffling its feet. It looked up at him with wide eyes.

"Mipsy is being bad," the elf admitted. "When the ring went away, Mipsy knew it had been there for a reason, so... Mipsy hid an identical ring there instead. The magical protection was gone, so Mipsy cursed the ring with elvish magic. A bad wizard came looking not two weeks later and took the ring."

"A bad wizard?" Tom asked, mostly speaking to himself. Mipsy nodded so hard that Tom worried about whiplash.

"He reeked of bad magics, Master. Mipsy not be liking the look on his face when he found the ring," the elf replied.

Tom had rewarded the elf for its honesty, then ordered it to prepare the house for visitors. As soon as the house was ready, the elf was to report to Riddle Mansion to stay there for the time being. He was not going to allow the exiled death eaters to hurt the poor elf. He might not be particularly fond of elves, but he wasn't going to allow any more innocent creatures or people to be maimed or killed if he could help it.

When Lucius returned with the goblet, Tom very much considered punishing the man the way that he would have months ago. This was not a good man at all. What little Tom remembered of his time since being resurrected, he knew that Lucius had abused his wife and terrified his son. Privately, Tom was glad that Narcissa had taken Draco and gone far away, where they could no longer be harmed. There were a lot of wrongs to the two of them that he would need to correct in the future.

"I have a job for you, Lucius," Tom informed the horrible man who was currently cowering on the ground in front of his seat. It was easy to sneer at him in disgust. "Your wife has vanished, is that correct?"

"Yes, My Lord," Lucius replied. His voice was smooth as ever, but Tom could hear the fear in it. He'd always been able to tell when his followers feared him. In the past, he'd used that talent to make people feel more comfortable in his presence. Lately, he'd been using it to control them. Fear made people obedient. "When I have located her, I will teach her why that is unacceptable."

"That seems pointless," Tom informed him. He'd thought this through at length, and he knew what needed to be done. He ran a single finger along the rim of the goblet and pretended to consider the options anyway. The longer Lucius cowered, the quicker he'd agree with the new order. "Instead of trying to find her, cut her off. She has been afforded wealth and prestige her entire life, has she not?"

"Yes, My Lord," Lucius agreed cautiously.

"An annulment would put an end to that. The ministry would agree that what she has done is considered abandonment. You would owe her nothing, and she would no longer have the means to live the life she is accustomed to. She will come crawling back for forgiveness, and we will punish her then," Tom proposed.

In reality, he knew exactly what would happen should Lucius free her from the marriage that she had never wanted. Having lived in Hadrian's mind for the entire summer, he knew very well that Narcissa was being cared for. She would want for nothing if Lucius followed this order, and would in fact be relieved. Perhaps she'd finally go back to the man she once loved. Tom wanted nothing but happiness for the two of them. Severus would have to be handled delicately, but Tom knew what he needed to do for him, as well.

"You wish me to annul my marriage, My Lord?" Lucius asked, finally raising his eyes to meet Tom's. They went back to the ground immediately.

"I do," Tom agreed. "We have used the marriage to control her for years, have we not? The lack of it will control her just as well. She will not want her son to lose the heirship he so desires. You will not, of course, disown him. We will handle him when he returns from the school. He will bear my mark before next year, I assure you."

"Of course, my Lord," Lucius bowed his head with hands clenched at his sides. He didn't like the order, but he would obey. Tom felt a touch of relief at the ease of obedience. He had special plans for Lucius Malfoy, none of them good. It would take patience, but the man would get what he deserved.

"Go, see to it immediately. I do not want to wait this time," Tom ordered, making his voice as harsh as possible. "If you disappoint me, Lucius, you will not see tomorrow."

"Yes, my Lord," Lucius said quickly. He stood and bowed, then practically ran from the room. Tom rolled his eyes as soon as the man was gone.

The golden Hufflepuff goblet sat on the dais in front of his chair, gleaming in the magical lights he'd conjured to illuminate the room. With a flick of his wand, he transfigured a quill into a jeweled dagger and pulled the edge along his palm. Red blood bloomed in its wake, and he placed the dagger beside the goblet carefully.

"One more piece of sanity. At last," he sighed. Then he clasped his bleeding hand to the stem of the goblet and hissed when he was engulfed in black smoke.

Hadrian hadn't expected to hear from anyone in his family while he was at Hogwarts, due to the high risk of Dumbledore intercepting his post. He was therefore very surprised to receive a package with an attached envelope, both very heavy compared to what he was used to receiving. Draco watched him detach the envelope with raised eyebrows, while both Lavender and Neville pretended not to pay any attention at all. Hadrian's name was written in flowing calligraphy on the outside of the envelope, and the sight of it made Draco snort inelegantly.

"Mother is in fine form," he said quietly, knowing full well that they were being watched at every angle.

"This is from your mum?" Hadrian asked. He sounded as baffled as he felt. Draco nodded and gestured for him to open it already. Rolling his eyes, Hadrian complied.

Inside the envelope there were four separate letters. One of the folded pieces of parchment had Draco's name written in his mother's calligraphy, and Hadrian passed it over without a word. The other three letters had numbers written on the outside, which he assumed was the order they were meant to be read in. The letter that was marked as number one was from Remus.

Hadrian,

Firstly, don't be mad at your cousin. He reached out when it became clear that there are certain things you have never been made aware of. This is our fault, and we're very sorry for the oversight. We focused so much on the power and influence aspect of your education this past summer that we forgot several very important details that you might not have known in the social aspect. I was raised in a muggle household as well, even though I am a halfblood. My mother was a muggle; I'm not sure if I ever told you about that. James and Sirius taught me everything that I know about wizarding culture and traditions, and now I can pass that knowledge on to you.

As my explanations are long winded, Sirius has included a letter with brief amendments to what I'm going to say. Please remember that you father has spent most of his life rebelling against his family's ideals, and that Blaise and Theo were both very much raised in pureblood culture. From what I understand, you've made the first steps in your courtship. But Hadrian, you have to be completely sure before you continue.

Courtship is archaic to muggles, but essential to wizards. If not followed properly, the oldest families can find fault with relationships or marriages and dissolve them in a ritual. Andromeda only got away with marrying Ted because Walburga disowned her before she remembered that ritual existed. While Siri and I would never do that to you, Theo's father most certainly would. I don't know enough about Blaise's mother to say for certain that she would, as well. Tradition states that as long as courtship rules are followed, no family members are permitted to interfere. If the ritual is used when no rules have been broken, the family members can be prosecuted by the Wizengamot.

I am fully aware that you are the head of your family. You don't need anyone's blessing to begin this courtship. However, Siri and I want you to know that you have our blessing anyway. It has probably already occurred to you, but they very well could be your soulmates. You'll know for certain if and when the three of you bond. That should be years away, in a perfect world. I hope that our world can become that for you.

Enclosed is all of the information that I've been able to assemble about courtships and wizarding traditions that you might not be aware of. Follow them to the letter and nobody will be able to tell you that your relationship is wrong. If you have any questions, don't hesitate to write, or use the mirror. At some point, we'd love to officially meet your partners as well.

Much love,

Moony

Opening the parcel, Hadrian found a small stack of books, a folder with several lengths of parchment folded into it, and what looked like an antique jewelry box. One of the books had a bit of parchment stuck to the cover with Draco's name written in that same calligraphy, and Hadrian passed it over to him silently. It was accepted without a glance. Hadrian was surprised to see a light blush dusting his cousin's cheeks, but chose not to comment on it. Being well aware that Lavender and Neville were trying to discreetly watch him, he passed the letter he'd just read over to Neville wordlessly. It was received with a sheepish smile.

The second letter was from Narcissa and Andromeda, most likely written by Draco's mother. Hadrian was nervous to see what they had to say, but also touched that they'd written to him at all. He wasn't used to having family that wanted to write to him, and now here were letters and packages from all of them.

Darling Hadrian,

Please excuse my son for his gossiping ways. He means well. He is not accustomed to hiding secrets from me, you see. He and I have always had the closest bond that a mother and son can aspire to have. We have leaned on each other in trying times, and everything I do is to protect him. That being said, he was right to reach out. It sounds like you've gotten yourself into quite the situation.

We're not going to lecture you. Enclosed is the same book I made Draco read when he was ten years old, so that he would be prepared when entering Hogwarts. The Malfoy name is quite... powerful, at times. There are many who would have (and did) encouraged their children to attempt to court him to gain some of that power for themselves. It is possible to trick someone into a courtship, but there are family fail safes as well. As you are the head of your family, it shouldn't be an issue for you to break an unwanted courtship. If those boys tricked or coerced you into courting, you have options. That book contains those options as well.

Andromeda would like to extend her congratulations on your progress at school. We've heard some very flattering things about your education, and how well you're progressing with your goals. If an auror is still what you'd like to be, she'd like to assure you that her daughter, Nymphadora, would be happy to speak with you on the matter. You might find her at the castle occasionally as she discusses security matters with your headmaster. Never fear, darling. We all take your safety quite siriusly. (Pardon the old joke. I could not resist.)

In other news, your father is taking the Wizengamot by storm. His first appearance went over better than we could have hoped, and he has plans for next week's meeting that I think will more than exceed your expectations. Should you wish to know more, I'm quite certain that he'll be happy to share details with you in a more private setting. Do not abuse your strengths.

With love,

Narcissa Malfoy and Andromeda Tonks nee Black

That letter was more shocking than any mail he had previously received in his entire life, as far as he was concerned. Not counting his Hogwarts letter, of course. He looked up from the letter to find Draco already watching him with guarded eyes, like he was expecting to be shouted at. Clearly, Narcissa had lectured him about his cousin's right to privacy and making his own decisions.

Hadrian wanted to be mad at him, but... he couldn't blame him for reaching out to the one adult he knew that he could trust. Hadrian should have remembered to speak with Sirius and Remus about it over the summer when they were teaching him other things, but it had honestly never occurred to him that relationships and peer interactions could be so different from the muggle world. He should have known better. All Draco had wanted was to give Hadrian a resource for information that he might not be comfortable in asking his cousin about. With a sigh, he offered Draco a tired smile.

"Stop looking at me like you're waiting for an explosion," he told his cousin. "I'm not angry with you."

"You shouldn't be, but you're hardly predictable," Draco shot back. While he sounded completely uncaring, Hadrian had spent a lot of time watching him over the years. He could read the relief in the lines of his cousin's face.

By that time, Neville and Lavender had both finished Remus's letter and had moved on to flipping through the research he had sent in the parcel. Hadrian placed the second letter by Neville's elbow but received no reaction. Shrugging, he unfolded the last letter.

"I would have done the same thing if I were you," Hadrian admitted. "We don't have the best history, so I wouldn't expect you to just trust information that I've given you about something you didn't even know existed before. So don't worry about it. The books that they've sent will be brilliant, I already know it."

"You're a lot calmer than you used to be," Neville told him conversationally. "I don't know every single detail, and I don't need to, but... whatever you did over the summer, it worked for you."

It wasn't entirely the truth; Neville knew most of what had happened. Lavender, on the other hand, had no clue and hopefully never would. Hadrian had no intention of exposing everything that Dumbledore had put him through to the world. Nobody needed to know how the Dursleys treated him, or all of the compulsions and potions that had almost killed him. There would be plenty of speculation, he knew, once it came to light that Dumbledore was not the person that everyone assumed... but nobody would ever know the extent of what he'd put his golden boy through before he'd been caught.

"Thanks, Neville," Hadrian grinned at him. Neville clapped a hand on his shoulder, then lifted Narcissa's letter to read. Hadrian took that as his cue to read his last letter.

Pup,

It feels weird to be writing to you as my son instead of as my godson. Just as weird that I'm writing as a free man, and I don't have to sign as Snuffles. I hate that name so much. If you tell me that you miss it, you'll be subjected to every prank I can think of when you come home.

Ready for a story? They're not your parents, exactly, but they're family in every single way that has ever counted, so I thought that you might like to hear a bit about their courtship. Buckle up, kiddo-- what a weird muggle saying-- because their relationship started out... interesting.

Jamie loved your mother from the moment she criticized the way that he held his wand. Keep in mind that James was a pureblood and raised with a practice wand from the time he was three, and your mother didn't know that she was a witch until she was eight or nine years old, and hadn't held a wand up until she got her letter. So here was this tiny little wisp of a girl, standing in Charms class with her hands on her hips and lecturing a boy she's never met before about how to properly hold a wand. He was infatuated. She was all he would talk about for days, and he kept trying to befriend her, but...

Okay, here's where everything gets complicated. I know you were conflicted last year about our treatment of Snape, and you were right to be upset with all of us. I can't say we were under a compulsion, or at least not at first. We just really, really disliked the bloke. He didn't make himself very likable. He kept to himself, would only talk to Lils. He looked down on all of us as inferior, even though the only subject he excelled at was potions. Basically, he was a right git and we treated him as such. We failed to see that we were also gits.

Lily knew Snape from before coming to Hogwarts, and they were best friends. While Lils managed to make other friends in our first year, Snape did not. He clung to her. James was too young and full of himself to see that the more he pushed Snape away, the further away Lily went as well. James flirted, and Lily told him off. James picked at Snape, and Lily hexed him. He thought that was Lily's way of flirting back. It was not.

You know about what happened with Snape and I in our sixth year. James felt bad after that, even though he didn't know about it. He stopped acknowledging Snape at all after the incident with Lily that ended their friendship. As soon as he started focusing more on his studies and his head boy duties, Lily started paying more attention to him. The catalyst was when he went to the library to find a book on magical creatures for... things... and spotted Lily at a table alone with a stack of books about wizarding traditions and courtship. He came rushing back to the common room without the book that we needed, spouting things about the perfect first gift, and wording for asking her out that wouldn't infringe upon tradition. While it wouldn't have mattered to Lils or her family, Jamie's family would have been upset if he'd done it wrong. He grew up with certain expectations.

James's first gift wasn't anything special, really. I barely remember it, to be honest. He went mad for a week or so while trying to perfect the transfiguration (because that was going to be his specialty), and there were three or four explosions in the dorm that week that none of us were willing or able to explain to dear Minnie. (She misses us. Don't let her lie to you.) When it was done, he was actually shy about it. I had never seen James shy before. It took him another full week to work up the courage to get Lily alone and offer it to her. I don't know what he said. I don't think I would have wanted to know; they were extremely sappy with each other after that first gift.

I do remember that Lils gave James a plant as her first gift. It was one that none of us have ever heard of, but that she'd grown herself over the years that she'd been at Hogwarts under the watchful eye of Prof Sprout. (She also misses us. I'm sure of it.) James had black thumbs of death, according to Sprout, so he enlisted Remus to help him keep it alive. I believe he named the thing Clive. Clive was not a friendly little bugger. I'm not sure what happened to it.

I'm only telling you their story instead of your dad's and mine because... well. When Moony and I got together, I was heavily rebelling against my family's values, and if we'd done a proper courtship, dear old mum would have done the ritual to dissolve it faster than I could have said 'don't do it, you bint'. And honestly, neither of us really asked the other out. We just sort of... snogged, and then called ourselves a couple. Not the most romantic thing, but it's worked for us. You deserve at least one good story to learn from, though, hence James and Lily's epic romance of the ages.

A triad is a bigger thing in the wizarding world than you'd think. Moony has told me that muggles don't believe in a relationship between more than two people, but I think we're all already aware that muggles are backwards and a bit mad, right? To have a successful triad, there has to be trust and a fair bit of affection. It doesn't mean that the three of you have to do things all together. You can have dates with the three of you, or just with two of you at a time. They can spend time together alone, or you can spend time with one or the other alone. As long as you trust in each other, and treat each other as equals, there's no right or wrong way to develop the relationship. Pup, one thing that you have to remember is that the only people who matter are the three of you. Your classmates might not like that you're seeing Slytherins, or your teachers might try to see that they're not hurting or threatening you. People might not understand, is what I mean. The only ones who have to understand are the three of you. Don't let society try to dictate your personal life, Hadrian. They don't matter. You do.

You've never had much of an opportunity to be a kid. The Dursleys hardly let you have any fun. You got tossed into the middle of a war when you entered our world. Hell, last year you literally led a battle and lost someone close to you. Sure, I came back, but I know you still grieved. This is a chance for you to have a piece of normality as a teenager. Have fun with it. If you haven't come up with a good courting gift by now, I've got some suggestions. If you're ready to plan your first (chaperoned!) date, I've got ideas for that as well. What I'm trying to say is that I'm here for you. Use me as a resource, or talk at me about your experiences (within reason; I don't need to know details about my son's sex life), whatever you need. You've got me. I'm not going anywhere.

Moony wants me to send something helpful on the traditions of courting, but I had a better idea. That odd old box belonged to a Black family ancestor and has been passed down for generations.

Okay, that's a lie.

The box is something I transfigured to appear old and important, but it isn't. The set of cuffs inside are old and important. I will never pass on the things that my family valued, because they are all incredibly dark and dangerous, and I wouldn't wish most of them on my worst enemy. (Maybe a certain headmaster...) Instead, the cuffs belonged to Lord and Lady Potter, and James. There's one for each of you, if you choose to use them. They offer basic protections, which I honestly doubt that the three of you really need at this point, but they also act as emergency portkeys and safety beacons.

When the three cuffs are all in use, they are connected. If one of the portkeys is activated, the other two cuffs heat up to alert all of you to potential danger. If one of you is injured, the cuffs all light up red. If one of you is in emotional distress, the cuffs light up blue. You can tap your wand to the cuff and light it up green when you want to meet up with them, and if you're really creative, you can figure out how to send messages with them. James never showed me how, so I can't teach you. I just know he would have gifted them to you himself if he were here.

Don't be a stranger, Pup. We miss you already and it's only been a month. With Halloween coming up, be careful. You know he likes to test you around now. Don't go anywhere alone, and don't rush into danger without backup. I know I'm normally joking, but I mean it this time. There's too much going on to put yourself at risk. Remember why you're doing what you're doing, and stay strong.

I'm here for you. I always will be.

With love,

Sirius (NOT Snuffles)

Hadrian resisted the urge to roll his eyes fondly at the farewell. He knew very well that Sirius enjoyed his alias while he had to use it, because James and Remus had come up with it when they were all kids. He'd heard the story before. This letter felt more personal than the others, and so he chose not to hand it over to Neville. Instead, he folded it back up and shoved it into one of his pockets for safe keeping. Draco eyed him suspiciously, but the other two carefully didn't react at all.

"So?" Draco asked impatiently.

"What exactly are you waiting for me to tell you?" Hadrian shot back. He really wasn't sure what Draco was hoping to learn that he didn't already know. "The letters were all information on courting and making sure that I'm okay and not upset with you. Well, other than Padfoot. He didn't mention you at all."

"I'm choosing not to be offended, as your father has terrible taste," Draco rolled his eyes.

"Padfoot?" Lavender asked, voice deceptively casual. Hadrian resisted the urge to sigh.

"Sirius," he explained. "He's an unregistered Animagus, and a dog at that. He and his friends all did the transformation after finding out about... about Professor Lupin. James Potter could turn into a stag, and Peter Pettigrew was a rat."

"Fitting, if you ask me," Draco muttered. They all chose to ignore him.

"So Padfoot was the name they gave his dog form?" Neville asked. Hadrian was a little surprised that Neville didn't already know the story, but he was more than happy to explain.

"Not exactly. The name they gave his dog form was 'Snuffles'," Hadrian told them all. Draco snorted, but Neville's eyes widened in understanding. He'd seen that name on letters in the past few years and hadn't understood who it might be. "Padfoot was his nickname in human form, sort of like an inside joke. James was Prongs, Pettigrew was Wormtail, and Remus was Moony."

"Wait," Lee Jordan leaned over from where he was sitting a little ways down the table. Hadrian wasn't surprised that he recognized the nicknames. "Did I just hear that right?"

"That my parents were the Marauders?" Hadrian asked with a smirk. "I never got to tell Fred and George."

Thinking about the Weasleys made his heart sink. He hadn't been able to bring himself to go to their shop over the summer, because he didn't know how deep that particular betrayal ran, and he missed the twins more than he would have expected. They were like the older brothers he'd never had. The betrayal of the first people to treat him like family hurt worse than he'd let himself feel. Though the twins hadn't been mentioned in Gringotts at all, Hadrian wasn't sure he could trust that they had never stolen from him or lied to him in the past.

"They're going to flip!" Lee cackled. Then he paused and studied Hadrian's face carefully. "I won't tell them. That's your story to share. They missed you, this summer. I reckon they'll be worried until they hear from you."

"I don't think I'm what they'll be worried about," Hadrian replied almost bitterly. He shot a quick smile at Neville when his friend placed a comforting hand on his arm. "Doesn't matter. I couldn't go to their shop this summer, but I do have their family's things that got left behind at my place. If I give the trunks to you, will you send them on?"

"Why not just give them to Ron? You guys were always close," Lee pointed out patiently. Hadrian took a moment to acknowledge that Lee would have done well in Slytherin. It was phrased innocently, but Hadrian could see the actual underlying question that hadn't been voiced. What did he do to you? What did they all do?

" He and I aren't really getting along this year," Hadrian shrugged. He'd been aiming for uncaring, but he missed it by a mile. His voice was flat, and the anger he felt over Ron's betrayal leaked through.

"About time if you ask me," Lee said quietly. At Hadrian's sharp look, Lee offered a sheepish grin. "He walked all over you, mate. Fred and George used to want to step in and make him back off, but their mum sent howlers every time they tried. Honestly, even Percy spoke with him over it once, and you know how we feel about Percy. I never understood why you forgave him so fast during the tournament. He was a right berk."

"I wondered about that as well," Lavender admitted cautiously. "He was such a prick. What? He was!"

"It's... a long story," Hadrian sighed. "Let's just say that I didn't exactly have a choice and leave it at that, alright?"

"Sure," Lee agreed. "I'll pass on the trunks if you want, but I think it would mean more coming from you. When they got evicted, they were terrified that it meant you weren't... you know. Showed up at my place nearly in tears over it. Your article in the paper calmed them down, for a bit. But then they didn't see you all summer, and you never wrote. I get letters every few days about you."

Hadrian leaned forward to prop his elbows on the table and buried his face in his hands. Had he gotten it wrong? If they'd tried to stand up for him and Molly had put a stop to it, did that mean that they really didn't know? And what about Percy? Hadrian had never really cared for that particular brother, but that was mostly because he'd never gotten to know him. Ron had very much influenced how he saw the other Weasleys, likely on purpose. Was it possible that only three of them had been working against him? But how could Mr. Weasley not have known?

"I'll write to them," he decided out loud. He didn't have to share any secrets with them, after all. He wouldn't let them get close until he knew for sure what they were after. The best way to find that out was to play the game.

"Great!" Lee offered him a genuine grin then stood from the bench. "Sorry for interrupting. I swear I wasn't listening in. I'm just conditioned to hear those names, I guess. That map..." he trailed off, shaking his head as he walked away.

"Map?" Draco asked suspiciously. Hadrian simply shook his head, and was impressed when Draco actually dropped it. "Anyway, we should get to class. Do you need help carting this stuff to your dorm?"

"No, thanks," Hadrian replied with a sigh. He tapped his wand to the parcel and it shrank enough to fit into his pocket. He would be wanting to look through it at some point that day, and he couldn't do that if it was up in Gryffindor tower.

"Hadrian!" Blaise jogged to catch up from Slytherin table, throwing his arm around Hadrian's shoulder as soon as he fell into step beside him. Hadrian grinned over at him in greeting. "Listen, I know we've already got potions partners for the year, but you're working with me today. Theo is stealing Draco. Since Slughorn is obsessed with you, I figure he won't give you any trouble if you're the one to ask. Just try not to blow anything up, yeah?"

"Oi!" Hadrian laughed. "I'm not that bad."

Draco's snort was uncalled for, but Hadrian couldn't bring himself to be mad. This was the most carefree he'd felt since the summer started. "Right, sure. And Hagrid went to Beauxbatons," his cousin shot back. "Face it, you're never going to excel at potions."

"Maybe I would if the former professor bothered to teach me instead of just marking me down for breathing," Hadrian grumbled in good nature. Draco rolled his eyes, but he couldn't argue. "I wish he really would have given me remedial potions like we claimed last year."

"You didn't get lessons?" Blaise asked, raising his eyebrows. Hadrian shook his head.

"No," he admitted. "Dumbledore made him attempt to teach me occlemency in secret, but I'm pants at it. I could never keep him from barging into my mind."

"He did what?" Blaise snarled. Hadrian almost stepped away from him before registering that Blaise wasn't angry with him. "That's completely barbaric! You don't teach occlemency by ripping into someone's mind over and over again! Did he even show you how to meditate or build up your walls?"

"No?" Hadrian answered in confusion. "He told me to clear my mind and shove him out if I could."

"Bloody hell," Draco muttered, looking pale. "I knew he hated you, but I never imagined..."

"That he'd want to torment me any way that he could?" Hadrian asked pointedly. "He didn't want to teach me occlemency, so he used it as a way to punish me. The lessons ended when I cast protego on reflex and ended up in his memories instead. What I saw... I promised not to share, but I understand why he hates my parents so much. It's a long time to hold a grudge, and he was just as wrong as they were, but I get it."

"I doubt he shares the sentiment," Blaise sighed. "The man is a tyrant, Dray. I've been telling you that for years. He might be your godfather, but he treats the rest of us like we're so far beneath him that he doesn't have the time to acknowledge us. It's only slightly better with his own house than with the rest of the school."

"I'm starting to see that," Draco nodded. "I don't like it. I'm going to talk with him."

"I don't think you're in the best position to do that right now," Hadrian pointed out quietly. "Whether he's on Dumbledore's side or Voldemort's, you're not exactly on either. Your mum took you and ran from Voldemort, and we're actively going against Dumbledore every single day. Has he spoken with you in private at all?"

"No," Draco admitted. "I catch him looking at me every once in a while, but he's extraordinarily hard to read on a good day. But I can't just sit back and let this continue, can I?"

"You have for years," Neville pointed out. Then he blanched as he realized what he'd said. "I didn't mean to say that out loud. I just... you've watched him belittle the other houses since our first year, and it's never bothered you before. Hadrian says you've changed, and I trust him, but I've really only seen it when we're all alone together. You rarely speak when you sit with us at meals, and you don't interact with us in classes. With the exception of partnering with Hadrian for potions, which you didn't even really get to choose... you're acting just like him in public."

"Longbottom..." Draco looked completely appalled. Hadrian was about to step in and change the subject before Draco took a shuddering breath and nodded. "You're right. I didn't even notice it, but you're right. I'm very used to hiding what I'm thinking and feeling in public, which is not an excuse. Just a fact. I was taught at a young age to be seen and not heard, and to respect the Malfoy family ideals. I couldn't exactly express my distaste for some of the things my housemates said or did when they were exactly what my father wanted me to be saying or doing. Crabbe and Goyle might have seemed like they were following my orders, but they reported every word and action to their fathers, who informed my father as quickly as possible. I wasn't in a position that I could do anything, nor did I want to be. I mistakenly believed that my father wouldn't steer me wrong."

"And now?" Lavender asked, crossing her arms. Hadrian shot her a look that she ignored.

"I wouldn't be walking to class with all of you if I still believed any of that shite. I fully supported my mother when she escaped with me from Malfoy Manor, and I stand with her now. I stand with Hadrian," he informed all of them haughtily. Only Hadrian and Blaise seemed to notice the slight waver in his voice, or the fear in his eyes. Saying it out loud terrified the once proud Slytherin. "If I thought it would make any difference at all, I would shout it from the towers."

"You need to worry about your own protection," Hadrian pointed out carefully. He glanced over at Blaise and found him nodding. "If you openly defected, you'd be getting a lot of threats and attempts of harm from your own house. The fact that you've braved sitting with us during meals honestly shocks me every time."

"We all should join you," Blaise said softly, frowning. Hadrian leaned more fully against him in an offer of comfort, and he relaxed.

"No, you shouldn't," Hadrian argued. "Draco can get away with it because nobody is entirely sure what happened with him and his mother over the summer. Voldemort would never admit to losing a follower, would he? So it's likely that most of Slytherin thinks that Draco was assigned to get close to me for some nefarious purpose. Since I've shunned Ron and Hermione, it probably looks like whatever the plan might be is working. If you join us, too, what will they think?"

"My mother is neutral. We live in Italy, not Britain, and we've never been a part of your war," Blaise informed him calmly. "Theo probably couldn't get away with sitting with the Gryffindors, but there's nothing stopping me."

"You don't think people would question why you're not sitting with your boyfriend?" Lavender asked pointedly. Hadrian held back a sigh.

"You're asking the hard questions today, are you?" Blaise asked with a grin that didn't meet his eyes. Lavender didn't waver in the slightest. "Theo and I have never exactly announced our courtship to the world, because it never felt complete. Now that we have Hadrian, we're working on a time and a place to make it public knowledge. But since so few people know for certain, nobody is going to wonder why I'm suddenly not sitting with my 'boyfriend'. Satisfied?"

"You want it to be public knowledge?" Hadrian asked with raised eyebrows. He was distantly aware that they'd come to a stop just outside of the potions classroom, but he was too focused on this new fact to care.

"Did you not?" Blaise replied. His face had become carefully guarded, like he expected Hadrian to immediately shoot the idea down. Instead, Hadrian took his time to consider it.

"It's not that I don't want people knowing. I'm not ashamed to be in a relationship with the two of you at all. It's not even because you're both Slytherins. I was meant to be a Slytherin as well, did you know?" Hadrian replied slowly. "Being around me isn't exactly safe this year... or any other year, really. I'm a target for any bad thing you can imagine, plus some. With Dumbledore and his pawns watching me so closely right now, it would be extremely dangerous for you and Theo to be linked to me like that."

"You think they'd use us as leverage?" Blaise asked in complete seriousness.

"Or try to sway us against you?" Theo asked from over Blaise's shoulder. He offered a wry grin when Blaise jumped. "It wouldn't work. We're Slytherins; we carry basic wards and protections with us at all times. Plus, these cuffs you gave us are seriously strong bits of protective magic."

"I'm more worried that they'd hurt you," Hadrian admitted. "Ron is a strategist, and Dumbledore isn't exactly daft. If they know what you mean to me, they wouldn't hesitate to take you off the board as either a distraction or a battle tactic. You wouldn't be safe. I can't protect you from everything."

"We don't need you to," Blaise told him gently. "Listen, if you're more comfortable waiting to announce it, that's fine. It's not against the rules. It just makes our first date a bit harder to plan, if we can't be seen on it."

"Speaking of, you need a chaperone," Draco butted in pointedly. Blaise groaned dramatically in response, but he didn't argue the point. "If you're all very nice to me, I'll agree to do it out of the goodness of my heart."

"Not on your life," Theo informed him with a smirk. "I don't think any of us want our first date to be interrupted by your snark."

"Neville," Hadrian turned to face his friend quickly. "Neville, would you be willing to do it?"

"Oh, I suppose," Neville grinned. "Twist my arm, why don't you. Do you know where you want to go?"

"I've some ideas," Blaise admitted. They all chose to ignore Draco's grumbling as they entered the potions classroom.

That very evening, Lucius returned to Riddle Mansion looking grim. He knelt before Tom, keeping his eyes trained to the ground. Tom took a moment to wonder if they avoided his gaze out of fear or respect. It certainly wasn't both.

"Well?" he demanded. He flicked his wand lazily, blasting the ground to Lucius's left. The man jumped, then tried to pretend that he hadn't reacted at all.

"It is done," Lucius replied quietly. "The woman is no longer my wife, but Draco remains my heir."

"Good," Tom stated calmly. Inside, he felt nothing but relief. Narcissa was free; that was one wrong that could finally be considered righted. Now he just needed to find a way to pass on a message. She needed to see a mind healer as soon as possible. He'd been doing research all afternoon, and he'd discovered some grievous magic that had been undoubtedly used on the poor woman. Hopefully, the memories could still be recovered.

"My Lord?" Lucius asked, still keeping his gaze down. Tom leaned forward slightly, curious despite himself. "I wish to join the others at Gaunt Manor for a time."

"Why?" Tom asked, narrowing his eyes. "They are in exile for now, until I can decide what to do with them. They remain at the manor so they cannot give away our locations or plans. You have a perfectly good manor of your own, Lucius Malfoy. You cannot afford to avoid the public, or your job at the ministry. I need both of those things to continue my plan. You know this."

"I have heard from Bellatrix that there is something happening in the muggle village nearby. Something dire," Lucius admitted.

"And rather than informing your lord, you have chosen to go see for yourself? Have you forgotten that all of you are forbidden from interacting with muggles?" Tom demanded angrily. The urge to torture the man before him was less than it had been that morning, but still present. He needed to retrieve the rest of his soul.

"No, my Lord," Lucius said quickly. His normally pale skin was nearly translucent in his panic. "You misunderstand my request. I wish to go to the manor to keep the others inside. They have plans to go to the village and cause their own chaos, this very evening. I wish to go and put a stop to it."

An idea came to Tom so suddenly that he froze in his seat. They wanted to go muggle hunting, did they? Against his very clear orders. Well, he'd been trying to decide what to do with them, and now it was clear. While he did still need someone within the ministry to keep him updated and further his goals- his true goals- he did not need Lucius Malfoy. He could kill two crups with one spell.

"Go," he said finally. He flicked his wand again, this time turning the transfigured quill into a portkey. "Join them in their chaos. You have all earned it."

"My Lord?" Lucius didn't dare to look up, but Tom couldn't mistake the tone of his voice for anything other than the hope it was. He wanted this.

"This is my reward to you, Lucius, for being so loyal to me. Go with them, and enjoy yourselves," he repeated. His eyes were still narrowed in anger, but as Lucius never looked up far enough to see, he had no clue that he would be walking right into a trap. As soon as his hand closed around the portkey, he vanished. "Mipsy!"

The elf appeared with an audible pop, looking much calmer than the last time he'd seen it. "Master calls?"

"You are to deliver a message to the aurors at the ministry. If they ask who you belong to, you are to tell them that you are a Malfoy family elf, and you are only reporting what you have overheard. Do you understand?"

"Yes, Master," Mipsy perked up, looking far more curious than he'd ever seen an elf look before. Tom very nearly grinned at it in his anticipation. His followers thought they could cause chaos against his orders? He would show them chaos.

Chapter Text

"Does it have to be on Halloween?" Hadrian asked for what had to be the twentieth time that day. Draco didn't roll his eyes, but Hadrian imagined that it was a near thing. "I just mean... nothing ever goes right on that day. The troll, remember? That was Halloween. You weren't there for the death day party, but it was horrible... and I kept hearing how the basilisk wanted to kill us all. Then everyone decided I was the heir of Slytherin- shove off, Malfoy, I wasn't back then- because of Mrs. Norris. Oh, and we can't forget Sirius's supposed attack, or the bloody Goblet of Fire."

"Fifth year was fine, remember? You're overthinking this," Draco told him patiently. Well, patiently for the Slytherin. "This date is not going to end in disaster. You've been looking forward to it too much."

"Exactly," Hadrian said quickly. "I've been looking forward to it, which means it's definitely going to end badly."

"Hadrian," Draco groaned. Hadrian had to dodge the foot that Draco sent at his knee, both scowling at each other. After only a few seconds, both boys snorted with laughter. The entrance hall was maybe not the best place for this conversation; anyone could walk by and overhear them. They were already earning looks from people leaving breakfast. Thankfully, it was early enough on a Sunday that not many people were up and about yet.

"Right, fine," Hadrian surrendered, lifting his hands with a grin. "Maybe it'll be fine and I'm being dramatic for nothing."

"You are absolutely being dramatic for nothing," Draco agreed generously. It was Hadrian's turn to roll his eyes, but he grinned when he spotted Blaise approaching.

"Cauldron, meet kettle," Blaise snickered, nudging Draco with his elbow. Draco scowled at him and nudged him a little harder than necessary in return. "What are we being dramatic about?"

"Hadrian thinks your date is going to end disastrously," Draco answered quickly. It was his turn to dodge a foot, but it was clear that he did so gleefully. Hadrian wanted to shake him for a few seconds, until he realized that sharing the fear with the people joining him on the date might not be a bad idea.

"It's Halloween," he shrugged. "That night never ends well."

"The troll," Blaise nodded, making Hadrian beam. Draco let out a second groan of annoyance and turned to stomp away. Once he was out of earshot, Blaise turned his full attention back to Hadrian. "Theo and I thought that having the date on Halloween might serve as a good distraction for you. I don't know if you've realized or not, but you tend to retreat into your own mind on Halloween. We've never blamed you; losing who you thought were your parents on that day had to be traumatizing. I don't like being in public on the anniversary of my own father's death, and Theo's mum died in childbirth, so his birthday is a sore subject. We thought if we gave you something else to think about, it might make that day a little easier for you. But if you're just going to worry more, we'd be happy to pick a different day.

"That's why you picked Halloween?" Hadrian asked. His voice sounded hoarse even to his own ears, and he knew that his eyes were glistening with tears. It was the most thoughtful thing anyone had done for him in a long time.

"Of course," Blaise assured him. "As I've said, we'd be happy to reschedule. If I thought you wouldn't panic, I'd suggest tonight."

"Er," Hadrian hesitated, feeling his cheeks heat up.

"Exactly," Blaise replied with a little smirk. "We could aim for the beginning of November?"

"Halloween is fine," Hadrian decided. He knew he'd made the right decision when Blaise's face lit up with joy. "Where are we going?"

"We've got special permission to leave the castle," Blaise informed him. "Wasn't easy, but my mum can work miracles when she wants to."

"Your mum got us permission to leave the castle?" Hadrian repeated in surprise. Blaise nodded happily. "How?"

"A letter to the board," he replied with a shrug. "Most of them like my mum, and three of them are trying to court her. When she told all of them that her son needed permission to have a courtship date outside of Hogwarts, they approved it without even asking who I'm courting. I think they assumed she meant just Theo and a chaperone."

"So nobody has any idea that you're taking me out of the school?" Hadrian tried to keep his face a perfect mask, but he was fairly certain that his amusement was shining in his eyes. He'd have to call Sirius on the mirror later to let him know the plan, but he knew he wasn't going to let the opportunity for some mischief pass him by.

"Not any clue at all," Blaise confirmed. He reached for one of Hadrian's hands, and Hadrian let him take it. He ignored the fluttering in his stomach that the casual contact caused; he'd been feeling that more often over the last few weeks. Ever since accepting the courtship.

"Brilliant," he said softly, looking up into Blaise's eyes. He didn't notice them shifting closer to each other until Neville cleared his throat from behind them. Both of them were flushed when they jumped apart.

"I can see why you need a chaperone," Neville told them, grinning. "I'll have my work cut out for me."

"Shove off," Hadrian grumbled, but he wasn't hiding his grin very well at all. "What class are we studying for today?"

"You're running a defense lesson," Blaise reminded him helpfully, as if he hadn't just been about to...

"When did I agree to that?" Hadrian frowned. He would have crossed his arms if Blaise didn't still have his hand firmly grasped between them. Nothing in the world could make him pull his hand away just yet.

"Last night," Neville replied easily. He didn't even glance at their hands, which Hadrian was thankful for. He hadn't had much time to go through the exact rules of courtship, but he knew that it was too early for much of anything remotely fun.

"I would remember that," Hadrian argued. "I know I would remember that. Would I not remember that?"

"You may have been a bit distracted," Neville admitted sheepishly. "When I asked, you were in the middle of an argument with Malfoy about the merits of muggle television. It was pretty funny."

"That's positively Slytherin of you, Longbottom," Blaise complimented, grinning. "I wondered why you chose that moment to ask. Didn't occur to me that Hadrian might not want to teach a class."

"He's a bloody good teacher," Lavender informed them as she came to a stop beside Neville. "Last year, when Umbridge wouldn't teach us a damn thing, he led a secret class to teach us all what we needed to know for our OWLs. All of us passed with high marks, and you should have seen the look on her face when Hadrian summoned a patronus!"

"You can cast a patronus?" Blaise asked, turning his gaze to Hadrian quickly. "You've never told us that! What's it look like?"

"It's... I'll show you later," Hadrian sighed. "And before you all ask, I'm not teaching our whole year how to do it. The DA was hard enough, thanks."

"You won't teach me?" Blaise pouted. Hadrian nearly sighed a second time and the exaggerated look of hurt he was given.

"Are you the whole school, now?" Hadrian shot back, trying not to sound as annoyed as he suddenly felt. "I'll teach you, just not tonight. Theo, too."

"Promise?" Blaise asked, leaning in close again. Hadrian's breath caught in his throat for a moment, and he scowled as soon as he realized what Blaise was doing. He reached up with his free hand to gently shove Blaise's face back. He quickly wiped his palm on his trousers when Blaise licked it, ignoring the fluttering that had returned in full force.

"You're such a child," he grumbled halfheartedly. "Yes, I promise. Are you happy now?"

"You could say so," Blaise grinned. "Draco will be so jealous when we know how to do it and he doesn't."

Hadrian's heart sank when he realized that Blaise was right. It had been difficult lately with Draco not understanding Parseltongue while his two best friends suddenly did. He'd quickly been informed that gifting a cuff to someone else would break a massive rule in courtship, so he hadn't been able to make one for Draco. Salazar and Rowena were being strangely quiet about whether or not he could gift the language in a different way. Even Amarantha had been decidedly unhelpful with it. If he taught Blaise and Theo how to cast a patronus and not Draco, it would be just another thing pushing his cousin away. He couldn't do that.

"You know I'll be teaching him as well," Hadrian said after a few moments. "It's not a courting gift, it's a survival skill."

"You're taking the fun out of it," Blaise pouted. Still, he was looking at Hadrian like he understood what he was thinking and didn't blame him. "What good is it to know how to do it if I can't gloat?"

"You can gloat to everyone else in your house," Lavender pointed out. "Just not necessarily to the other houses. Most of us learned from Hadrian last year."

"What's yours, then?" Blaise asked, turning his attention back to her. She looked down for a few moments, and Hadrian almost stepped in to change the subject. If he recalled correctly, she'd never gotten it to take a shape last year. But when her eyes raised to meet Blaise's he saw nothing but pride there.

"A butterfly," she told them softly. She glanced at Hadrian before offering a better explanation. "I spent a few weeks with Parvati and Padma over the summer. Since their whole family is magical, we could practice magic. We all managed to get our corporeal patroni by the end of the summer."

"That's great!" he told her, grinning. "I wondered if any of you would manage it this year. I was going to offer to try to help again if you wanted."

Neville shuffled his feet but didn't say anything until Lavender elbowed him. "I, er... could use the help," he admitted. "I tried, but my gran didn't want me practicing anything over the summer. Mine is still just a wisp."

"Did you ever think that maybe that's what it's meant to be?" Theo asked, joining them. He tossed an arm over Blaise's shoulder and offered Hadrian a bright smile in greeting. "Wisps are pretty powerful in their own right."

"What's a wisp?" Neville asked after a few moments. Hadrian had been wondering, himself, but wasn't going to ask in case it was somehow common knowledge in the wizarding world.

"It's a Celtic creature," Theo told them all casually. "They're said to lead people to their destinies. If you can catch a wisp, they grant you one wish or answer one question. If you follow them, they'll lead you where you're meant to be. They're made of pure magic."

"My mum told me about those once, when I was a kid," Lavender gasped. "They're like... little balls of light?"

"Yes," Theo agreed. "What I imagine a patronus might look like before taking a form. What if yours doesn't take a form because that is the form?"

"I didn't think they could be magical creatures," Hadrian replied with a little frown. "I remember Hermione saying-"

"Oh, and everything she says must be true," Blaise snorted. "Although I will say that if anyone would have a magical creature, I would have guessed it to be you and not Longbottom."

"Thanks," Neville said drily. Blaise gave him a sheepish smile in return. "I don't feel like it's complete. Isn't that something I would know?"

"Yes," Hadrian assured him. "I could feel how different it was the moment I first summoned Prongs."

"You named your patronus?" Blaise asked, smirking. Theo elbowed him, but it went ignored.

"The first time I managed it, I thought it was my father casting. Well... James Potter, anyway. It takes the form that he took as an Animagus. Prongs was his nickname," Hadrian informed them quietly. He saw the regret in Blaise's eyes, but turned away before he could apologize. He wasn't really upset with the Slytherin; he'd had no way of knowing. Hadrian hadn't meant to say the name out loud.

"That's curious," Theo muttered, mostly to himself.

"What is?" Neville asked.

"Well, a patronus takes the form of what you view to be a protector. It makes sense that Hadrian would have seen who he believed to be his father. I wonder whether it will have changed now," Theo replied carefully.

"I doubt it," Hadrian told him without turning around. "Are we using the room again?"

"Yeah," Neville replied easily. He sounded a bit relieved by the change in subject. "I told them to meet us there."

"Them?" Hadrian asked sharply.

"Draco!" Lavender chimed in quickly. When he glanced over at her, her cheeks were flushed. "We told Draco to meet us there."

"Er... right," Neville agreed after a moment. "Malfoy is definitely who I meant."

Hadrian didn't ask who else would be there as he headed for the stairs. He had a feeling that he was going to be walking into a good portion of the DA, waiting to learn more defensive magic from him. While he had learned more over the summer that he could teach them, he didn't think they'd be needing it this year. Snape might not like any of them, but he was passionate about Defense. Draco had told him at length that this was the position that Snape had always wanted. They were focused on theory in class right now, but he knew they were about to start practicing the spells.

They made it to the fifth floor before Blaise decided to ask where exactly they were going. "What's even up this far? An abandoned classroom?"

"Not exactly," Neville told him with a grin. "You'll see."

"How high up are we going?" Theo asked patiently. From what Hadrian had observed, Theo was the quieter of the two. He observed before speaking, and he was careful to keep Blaise from shoving his foot too far into his mouth. He was incredibly smart, but he didn't show off the way Hermione liked to. Blaise, on the other hand, didn't seem to have any sort of filter. He said whatever came to his mind, and didn't hold much back. He didn't seem to realize how his words could be taken until after they were spoken, but he did show true remorse if they were taken badly. He was also smart, but in a more practical way. They balanced each other.

Hadrian wasn't really sure where he fit in.

"We're going to the seventh floor," Hadrian answered calmly. "That's where we held meetings last year, and it worked out well."

"There's no empty classroom on the seventh floor," Blaise frowned. "Just two common rooms and access to the towers."

"It's not a classroom," Hadrian reminded them.

It was silent for a few more minutes, until they made it to the seventh floor and turned down a passage behind a Celtic tapestry that Hadrian had only ever shown Ron and Hermione before. Neville didn't seem surprised, but the other three made varying sounds of surprise. It let out just down the corridor from the troll tapestry, and Hadrian wasn't really surprised to see the door already there. He closed his eyes for a few seconds to find his calm, but then squared his shoulders and made his way to it.

"That door shouldn't be there," Theo whispered in disbelief. Hadrian held back his snort of amusement as he shoved the door open, but couldn't hold back his defeated sigh when he saw what was waiting for him.

"Neville, remind me to kill you later," Hadrian told his friend. It was undermined by the little smile he couldn't help having at the sight of most of the DA assembled and waiting. Even a few of the ones who had graduated had come back for the lesson. "How did you get word out so fast? I only apparently agreed last night!"

"We all kept our coins, mate," Seamus informed him brightly. "Hoped ye'd restart, but we had no way'a knowing without them."

"Some of us saw it coming," Parvati added, stepping forward to embrace Hadrian calmly. He was relieved to see that she didn't seem upset with him anymore. She held him tightly for a few moments before going back to her place beside Luna. "Stay calm. He means well."

"What?" Hadrian asked blankly. It was at that very moment that he noticed Lee Jordan and the twins hanging at the back of the crowd. The twins were watching him with identical expressions of guarded hurt that made him ache. He was almost certain that his expression was a mirror of theirs, but he didn't have the time to worry about that. He had a class to teach. Shaking himself out of distraction, he shot red sparks from his wand to get everyone's attention.

"Right, you all know why we're here, I suppose? There's still a very real threat out there, but it's not coming from where we all expected it to be. We can discuss that in the future. First order of business is coming up with a new name. The DA won't work this year," he announced to the room. He felt more than saw Blaise and Theo staring at him. "For those of us who might not know, DA stood for Dumbledore's Army. We formed the group last year when it became clear that Umbridge-"

"Umbitch!" someone called from the back. Hadrian was reasonably certain it was Lee Jordan.

"-Wasn't going to teach us anything we needed to know. This year we have a slightly better teacher-"

"Yeah, right," someone snorted.

"- So the need isn't as dire. Clearly you all still want to learn things that aren't necessarily in the curriculum, so... fine. We'll do that. I want each of you to come up with at least one spell you want to learn, and we'll learn them together. The only rule is that it can't be an illegal spell. For today, we're going to go over what we did last year," he finished.

"Why can't we still be the DA?" Padma asked. He shouldn't have been surprised that the question came from a Ravenclaw.

"Dumbledore already has an army that he uses in ways that he shouldn't," Hadrian informed them bluntly. "We're not playing his game this year. Anyone who has a problem with that should leave right now, but know that we'll know who you are, and we'll be watching."

"Why?" Ernie Macmillan asked him impatiently. "Last year we were all supposed just trust your word that You-Know-Who was back, and this year we're just supposed to trust your word that Dumbledore is out to get us?"

"Was I wrong last year?" Hadrian asked flatly. The tension in the room was climbing, and he didn't like it. He knew he had one chance to win everyone over, or his entire plan would have to be scrapped. "Did I lie about Voldemort?"

"Well... no, but-" Ernie started, but Hadrian cut him off.

"I never said that Dumbledore is out to get anyone," he pointed out. He'd thought it, but he hadn't even implied it. "I said that we're not going to be his army this year. You're welcome to leave if that makes you uncomfortable."

"I'm not leaving," Ernie huffed. "I just want proof."

"I'm not giving you any proof," Hadrian shrugged. "You can believe me or not, and that's up to you. I don't really care. I've got more important things to worry about than whether everyone thinks I'm lying or not."

"Nobody thinks you're lying, mate," Seamus assured him, shooting a glare at Ernie. Ernie had finally given up the argument. "Do you know what you want to call us, then?"

"I think it should be a group decision," Hadrian replied carefully. "We decided it together last time, so we'll do that again this time. There's the board at the back of the room. Write your suggestions when you can, and we'll vote at the end."

"Brill," one of the twins muttered, grinning.

"We're starting with shield charms. Who can tell me the incantation?" Hadrian asked. From there, it was like falling back into an old pattern. He carefully monitored the new members to see where they struggled and where they excelled. He was pleased to see that Neville had more confidence than ever in his casting, and he succeeded at every single spell. Blaise and Theo were pretty evenly matched, but they both struggled with the spells that they should have learned last year. Hadrian made a mental note to work with them privately on some of it to catch them up. It had nothing at all to do with the fact that he wanted to spend more time with them.

Draco didn't struggle with any of the basic spells, but his envy of the ease at which his classmates could cast was obvious. When the moment came that Hadrian requested to see everyone's progress with the patronus charm, his cousin's lips pressed together so tightly that they went white. None of the Slytherins attempted it at all.

Hadrian was pleased to see that Parvati, Padma, and Lavender had indeed all mastered the charm. Lavender's butterfly floated lazily through the air in front of her, while Parvati and Padma's foxes chased each other through the room. Soon enough, the room was full of patroni. Hadrian came to a stop beside a struggling Neville, just to watch for a moment.

"What memory do you use?" Hadrian asked softly. Neville shot him a glance but didn't reply. "Right, sorry. Have you ever tried a happier one? Or... for the longest time, mine wasn't even a real memory. I imagined talking with my parents, and the feeling was like... a warm hug. I'd never felt so safe in my life."

"I don't have anything like that," Neville whispered. "My gran isn't like that, and my parents don't... don't really know me."

"I'm sorry," Hadrian sighed. "I maybe shouldn't have used that as an example. Will it help you to know what my memory is now?"

"... No," Neville decided. "If you think I need something stronger, I'll work on that. I... have an idea. I just have to do it."

"Alright," Hadrian agreed easily. He hadn't really wanted to share his memory, either. He patted Neville on the shoulder, then continued through the room to offer critique and praise. After another fifteen minutes, he made his way back to the front of the room and sent up another set of red sparks.

"You're all just as good as I remembered you being, so I can see nobody has been slacking off. Well done," he told them with a grin. "To our new members... you guys are just as good as the rest of us. Your styles are unique, which is something I think we could all learn from. The last thing you want is to be predictable in a real duel or fight. The only thing left for today is choosing our name and deciding when the next meeting will be. As not all of us have coins, we'll use a different method to communicate. The group doesn't have to be so secret this year."

"You said we shouldn't let others know," Ernie pointed out bitterly.

"No," Hadrian disagreed calmly. "I said not everyone should be trusted. Or implied it, rather. I don't care if you lot invite friends that want to learn. If we're doing this, we're doing it properly. No discrimination. No hexing people you don't like or trust for joining us. Got it?"

"Does that mean there will be more... of the other houses?" Seamus hedged. Hadrian (and probably everyone else, as well) knew that he really only meant Slytherins, and he rolled his eyes.

"Having a grudge against a whole house seems like a waste of time, to me. Draco is my cousin, something we just learned over the summer. Once I started getting to know him, I learned that he's just like everyone else. We all have good and bad parts of us. Slytherins are no exception. So yeah, expect to see people from every house," he answered without hesitation. "If they cause trouble, they're out. If you lot cause the problems, so are you."

"That's not fair!" Someone complained from the back.

"Life isn't fair. What's not fair in this case is that you lot think you deserve to be treated better than the students around you. You're not any better or worse than they are. Let me ask you this," Hadrian replied angrily. "Are you your parents?" Heads shook all around the room, understanding dawning over most of their faces. Hadrian felt himself starting to relax. "Neither are they. That's something to keep in mind. Their parents made up their own minds in school, probably because of the same bias that happens today. It's time for them to make up their own minds. Wouldn't you rather have them as allies, rather than pushing them into becoming enemies?"

Not a word was spoken for a while as everyone processed this. Blaise reached out to take Hadrian's hand again, holding it behind his back where hardly anyone would notice. The silent support almost made Hadrian grin.

"So, new name. What are the ideas?" he called out, gesturing with his free hand to the board in the back. The twins quickly spun around and began to call them out loudly.

"Potter's Army," George called out, grinning.

"The Hogwarts Alliance!" Fred shouted.

"Defense Against the Daft!"

"Potter's Pals!"

"Marauders in Training!"

"Students Against Slimy Gits!"

"Alright, enough you two," Hadrian grinned. He was fairly certain that only the first two were real suggestions, as the others were either ridiculous or only known to a few people in the room. "Most of those are going to be a no. I do like the idea of the Hogwarts Alliance, given that we're all from different houses coming together for one purpose. Who wrote that up there?"

There was silence for a few seconds before Parvati let out an exasperated sigh and stepped forward. "It seemed like a good idea at the time. As the only other one was Potter's Army... I didn't think that was quite what you were going for."

"You're right," he agreed easily. "It's not at all what this is about. All in favor of calling ourselves the Hogwarts Alliance?" Every hand in the room went up, most with matching grins. "Great, that just leaves the next meeting. I promise I'll find a way to communicate like we used to, but for now we'll have to figure out the dates before we finish the meetings. I don't know when I'll have time for research. Does Sunday morning work for everyone next week? We could just set a permanent date and time..."

"Ravenclaw is practicing quidditch next Sunday," Cho called out apologetically. "And Hufflepuff have the pitch right after us. It's going to be hard to get around all the practices this year, after the disaster that was last year."

Hadrian had completely forgotten about quidditch, and the shiny badge that was hidden up in his trunk. He hadn't even told the team yet that he'd been made captain. He needed to hold tryouts as soon as possible. He held back his sigh of frustration; restarting this group was the last thing he needed to be doing. But if teaching all of them how to defend themselves saved even one of their lives, he couldn't be upset about it. He'd have to make it work. Blaise gave his hand a quick squeeze, like he knew why Hadrian had tensed up and wanted to reassure him.

"Right, that makes sense. What day works best, then? I'll make it work for myself," he offered. Nobody spoke for a while as they all considered the options.

"Tuesday evening?" Katie Bell offered, crossing her arms. She was watching him with barely disguised concern. Apparently, she'd gotten quite good at reading his emotions over the years of being on the team together.

"Works for us," Terry Boot agreed, gesturing to the other Ravenclaws around him. Draco was nodding when Hadrian caught his eye.

"Why not?" Ernie sighed. "It's not as though that would be a good time to do homework."

"Nobody is making you come," Draco drawled impatiently. Hadrian frowned at him, and he huffed. "Well, we aren't."

"We'll meet up on Tuesday, and anyone who can't make it will be welcome to join me this weekend to catch up. How does that sound?" Hadrian offered after a moment. He got a chorus of excited agreement. "Right. This isn't against the rules this year, so feel free to tell your friends if they want to come. The only thing I'll ask is that you not share the location unless you know they're going to come and not tell a teacher. We don't need interference."

"You just said it's not against the rules!" Padma protested.

"It isn't," Hadrian shrugged. "The thing is, Snape isn't going to want us all meeting up outside of his class to learn things he doesn't think we're ready for. Our heads of houses aren't going to want us to do this unsupervised, and I guarantee that none of them will want me to lead. And for reasons that I'm not going to share, Dumbledore has a vested interest in keeping me from doing this. So while it's perfectly fine for a group of students to meet up and practice spells for their exams, there's a lot of reasons they'd try to stop this particular group from meeting."

"You'll tell us one day, won't you?" Cho asked quietly. Hadrian understood why she'd be adverse to secrets. After losing Cedric and being forced to pretend it was an accident, and then Marietta's betrayal last year, Cho probably didn't have much trust left in people being honest with her.

"Someday," Hadrian agreed. He kept it vague, knowing that it could be years in the future before all was revealed if things went wrong this year. Cho nodded in acceptance, and nobody else protested. "Get to relaxing for the rest of your Sunday. We'll meet back here on Tuesday to start the real lessons back up."

The room cleared slowly, as nobody was worried about getting detention for hanging out in a group this year. Blaise, Theo, and Draco stayed with Hadrian as students trickled by to welcome him back or ask quick questions about possible curriculum. When only the Slytherins and the Weasley twins remained, Hadrian turned to his friends to send them off.

"I've got this under control. I'll meet you in the founder's room, okay? Have Hela make sandwiches or something," he told them softly enough that the twins wouldn't hear. When it looked like Draco might protest, Hadrian fixed him with a stern stare. "I have to talk to them eventually. They're not going to hurt me here. I'll meet you within the hour, and I'll tell you exactly what they wanted."

"Fine. But if they hex you, I'm never letting you live it down," Draco grumbled. He turned and stomped from the room in a huff, but Hadrian knew it was out of worry and not anger. He turned his gaze to Blaise and Theo to find them both watching him with concern.

"They wouldn't really hex you, would they?" Blaise asked, reaching for his hand a third time. This time, Hadrian didn't let him take it. While he trusted the twins not to physically hurt him, he wasn't sure that they wouldn't immediately tell their mother exactly what they'd seen and heard. Blaise's hurt look almost changed his mind, but he squared his shoulders and stayed firm.

"Of course not. They need me to trust them," Hadrian assured both of them. "Really, it's going to be fine. I can handle anything they might throw at me."

"That's not encouraging," Theo sighed, but he gave Hadrian a fond look instead of an annoyed one. He slipped an arm around Blaise and began the hard task of pulling him from the room without another word. Hadrian waited until they, too, were gone before making his way over to the twins.

"I didn't think you'd ever come back to Hogwarts," Hadrian said carefully, watching their faces for any trace of emotion. The guarded hurt was back, along with a touch of guilt that Hadrian didn't like.

"You're a hard bloke to get ahold of," George informed him cautiously.

"When Lee said you were getting the gang back together, we jumped at the chance," Fred continued.

"We wanted to make sure you're okay, since we didn't see you over the summer," George finished.

"Why wouldn't I be okay?" Hadrian asked, crossing his arms. Fred winced, but George barely reacted. Curious.

"We may not have been there," Fred said quietly.

"But we know how you must have felt, with Sirius..." George finished.

"You two don't read the news, do you?" Hadrian asked, raising his eyebrows. In their defense, they had two siblings and a parent who saw Sirius die in the Department of Mysteries. With that in mind, he pressed on. "Sirius didn't really die. He's recovering at Grimmauld right now."

"What?" they asked together, both looking baffled.

"We haven't had time to pick up the paper," George admitted.

"Sirius was cleared of all charges, and he's definitely still alive. And he's my father, not James Potter," Hadrian informed them carefully. "And before you ask, no, he wasn't involved in your family's sudden eviction. That was all me."

"But..." Fred gasped, eyes wide.

"How?" George finished.

Hadrian hadn't expected to be asked how; he thought they'd want to know why he'd kicked their family out of the supposed headquarters. He considered his answer carefully, unsure of exactly how much to tell them. The longer they spoke, the more sure he was becoming that they weren't a part of Molly, Ron, and Ginny's betrayal.

"The veil," he settled on. "Bellatrix didn't hit him with a killing curse, so he wasn't dead when he fell through. He was lost for a little while, but with some help, he made it home."

"Wicked," they said together, both grinning.

"And you said he's your father?" Fred asked, eyes lighting up.

"But that's great! You have a family again!" George exclaimed. Before Hadrian could stop them, they'd wrapped him into an embrace that was tight enough he couldn't quite breathe. To their credit, they let him go quickly.

"Was Lily really your mum?" Fred asked.

"Technically," Hadrian shrugged. This was a safer subject, he was pretty sure. "She was a surrogate, but also supposed to be my godmother. James blood adopted me before I was a year old, and... I was living with them when they were killed. That's complicated."

"But then," Fred started.

"Who's your other parent?" George finished. The twin speak was starting to make Hadrian's head hurt.

"Professor Lupin," he told them with a small smile. "He and Sirius have been together since they were in Hogwarts. Longer than Lily and James, from what I've been told."

"I knew we liked him for a reason," George muttered.

"That explains why you're happier," Fred stated carefully.

"But why have you been avoiding us?" George asked.

"That's... not really your fault," Hadrian hedged, looking down. He missed the look that the twins shared.

"We know," Fred sighed.

"We wanted to tell you what we heard over the summer, but you never came to see us," George added.

"It's not really something we could put into a letter," Fred informed him.

"Too dangerous," George agreed.

"Still, we agreed..."

"You need to know."

"I need to know what?" Hadrian asked suspiciously. He didn't dare to hope that they were about to tell him about their family. There was no way. Even if they'd overheard one of them talking about how they'd stolen or compelled him, they wouldn't come running to him with it. They were still part of the family.

"Mum is off her rocker," George told him quietly.

"Ron and Ginny, too."

"We think..."

"They've been doing something to control you."

"Or steal from you."

"We didn't know until this summer!"

"We swear!"

"I know," Hadrian sighed. He felt something inside of him loosen. The twins really had been innocent, then. It gave him hope that the rest of the family might also not be aware of what those three were up to. "I went to Gringotts on the first day of summer and got a cleansing. I was under a lot of potions and compulsions, and a lot of things have been stolen from me."

"We're so sorry," Fred whispered. They both looked devastated at the confirmation that their mother and siblings could do such a thing.

"We'll pay you back for every single knut," George added.

"No matter how much..."

"They've taken."

"No," Hadrian argued quickly. He absolutely refused to accept their money. "There's a plan in place already. It's not just them that's been using me. This isn't a safe place to discuss it."

"Come back to the shop with us," George offered, sounding almost desperate.

"Let us keep you safe," Fred agreed.

"You've already been through too much."

"And it's not like you need to be here to learn."

"You're teaching most of your classmates."

"I'm not leaving Hogwarts," Hadrian sighed. "Everything is under control. We have a plan."

"What is it?" Fred asked.

"And can we help?" George added, looking hopeful.

The relief he'd already been feeling since the start of the conversation doubled. Not only did they believe him without question, they still wanted to stand behind him. He didn't know what he'd done to deserve the Weasley twins, but he was so lucky to have them on his side.

"There's nothing you can do here," Hadrian replied. Seeing their crestfallen expressions, he hurried to continue. "But! You can find out how many other members of your family know what's going on. We're going to need as many allies as we can get. I wasn't kidding when I said that Dumbledore already has his army. The Order hang on his every word, and none of them doubt him in the slightest."

"Dumbledore is behind this?" George asked, eyes narrowed in anger.

"Yes," Hadrian said simply.

"Consider it our delight to help," Fred informed him. He looked just as angry as his twin. "You can count on us, Harrikins."

He felt a pang at the familiar nickname, but he knew he had to put a stop to it now. "Actually, my name is Hadrian, not Harry."

"Oh," they said together, looking surprised. He would have laughed if it wasn't such a serious discussion they were having.

"It was just another way of controlling me," Hadrian shrugged. "Most people have taken to my real name with no trouble. I'll give you three guesses as to who hasn't."

"Of course they haven't," George rolled his eyes.

"They always have been stubborn," Fred agreed.

"You can say that again," Hadrian snorted. "Anyways... I really have to get going. I appreciate you guys for coming today, and for telling me what you know."

"Of course, little brother," Fred replied easily. George reached out to ruffle Hadrian's hair, and he couldn't help his bright grin.

"Will you be here Tuesday?" he asked.

"Wouldn't miss it-"

"For the world!"

Hadrian had just rounded the corner on the way to the founder's room when someone called out from behind him. He whirled with his wand in his hand to find Colin Creevey running towards him and waving the newspaper wildly.

"Hadrian, wait up!" he cried, skidding to a stop in front of his idol and panting to catch his breath. "You have to... see... this!"

Hadrian took the paper hesitantly and froze when he saw the front page. "Can I keep this?" he asked, not looking back up at the younger boy.

"Sure," Colin agreed easily. "I've got three others."

Of course he did. Hadrian gave him an absent smile before turning and continuing towards the room on autopilot. He read the entire article in the short walk, and had just started back at the beginning when one of the Slytherins cleared their throat to get his attention.

"Oh," he said, blinking as he looked up at them. "When did I-"

"Clearly you're fine," Draco huffed, crossing his arms. "What happened?"

"They just wanted to tell me about what their mum and siblings are doing to me," Hadrian replied distractedly. He held up the paper with a frown. "Did any of you read the headline today?"

"No..." Theo answered for all of them with a frown. Hadrian dropped it onto the small table for all of them to see.

Auror Raid Successfully Retrieves Escaped Convicts!

Written by Rita Skeeter

Just before midnight last night, the Auror office received an anonymous tip from a house elf that a group of wizards planned to attack a small muggle village in Wales. A brief interrogation proved that the elf was telling what it believed to be the truth, so a group of Aurors went to investigate. They apparated into complete pandemonium! This reporter has never seen anything like it.

Aurors made quick work of rounding up the group of escaped Azkaban convicts, including Bellatrix Lestrange, Antonin Dolohov, Augustus Rookwood, Rabastan Lestrange, and Rodolphus Lestrange. There was also the surprise arrest of Lucius Malfoy, who was found in the middle of performing one of the unforgivables on a muggle child. All of the arrested will face additional charges and most likely be sentenced to the dementor's kiss.

Interestingly, earlier that very day, Lucius Malfoy filed an annulment from his wife, Narcissa Malfoy nee Black. The newly single Narcissa was not available for comment.

Aurors are looking for the owner of the elf to come forward for questioning. Said elf vanished from the ministry moments after the aurors left for the raid. Any details should be directed to Lady Amelia Bones, head of the Department for Magical Law.

"What?" Draco asked blankly, staring down at the article.

"What?" Blaise echoed, glancing up at Hadrian for confirmation that this was, indeed, real. He received a grim nod.

"What, indeed," Hadrian agreed. "There's something I need to tell you guys."

He had a pretty good idea of who might have sent the elf, but he'd have to wait for official confirmation. For now... he should probably tell them what he knew about the former Lord Voldemort.

Chapter Text

Potter Manor, Halloween morning

Narcissa had been coming to terms with her newly single status for less than twenty-four hours, and she still wasn't sure how she felt. On the one hand, she could finally be free of the torture Lucius liked to make her suffer through. On the other hand, what would this mean for her son? Especially now that Lucius might be facing the kiss...

Sirius was giving her as much space as he possibly could, which was amusing. Remus had asked after her health multiple times, which was equally amusing. Only Andromeda, who had stopped by for tea the previous afternoon, had treated her as though nothing had changed.

And really, the only change was that she was suddenly back to being Narcissa Black instead of Narcissa Malfoy. It wasn't as though she and Lucius acted like a married couple behind closed doors. That he'd annulled their marriage before getting arrested would prove to wizarding society that she was completely innocent of those charges. He surely hadn't meant it as a kindness, but she was grateful for whatever had possessed him to 'punish' her in that way. It had likely saved her life.

She was aware of what this day meant to Sirius and Remus when she woke up that morning. Her own turmoil shoved to the back of her mind, she dressed casually for the day. She had a plan to help them both through it, if they'd let her. She was the first to the kitchen, and she had intended to help with their breakfast... she should have known better. Gizzy sent her to the table before she could even take two steps towards a cabinet.

"Mistress Cissa not be doing the chores," she scolded. With a snap of her fingers, a cup of tea appeared on the table before Narcissa. It was made perfectly to her tastes. "Let Gizzy do the work."

"Fine, fine," she agreed, trying not to smile. She sipped at her tea silently for a few minutes, letting thoughts rush through her mind. She wasn't sure what the day was going to be like. Sirius had a strange habit of having mood changes like a hormonal teenage girl on his bad days, and this was sure to be a bad day. Most of the time, Remus could pull him out of his heavy moods... but Remus would be just as upset today. "Magsy!"

The tiny elf appeared on Narcissa's left, wringing her hands nervously. She was the oldest elf that Cissa had ever seen, and also the most nervous. "How can Magsy be helping?"

"I thought perhaps a lovely fresh bouquet might brighten up the room. Perhaps one for the library, as well? Today should be filled with happy things as much as possible," she told the elf calmly. "There should be no reminders of the silly holiday."

"Yes, Mistress Cissa," Magsy replied quickly. The garden elf popped out of the kitchen with a snap, leaving a fresh bouquet of lilacs and carnations at the center of the table. Cissa didn't feel the need to check the library; she knew there would be another extravagant bouquet on the center table in that room as well.

"Missy Cissa is doing a good thing," Gizzy said softly. A second snap refilled Cissa's cup. "Master Siri is being very lucky to have family like you."

"I'll have to tell him that you said so. Though... perhaps tomorrow," Narcissa replied with a smile. "I'm going to take the boys into the muggle town today. I don't have the faintest idea what we might do there, but I know that they shouldn't be alone today."

"Master Siri be liking the movie theatre," Gizzy replied casually. Several full platters levitated their way towards the table while her back was turned. "And Master Remi be liking the library."

"That doesn't surprise me in the slightest," Cissa laughed. She waited for the trays to settle fully on the table before sliding some of the sliced fruit onto a small plate. She wouldn't touch the real breakfast foods until her companions joined her, of course. "Perhaps we'll visit both of those. A nice walk will do some good as well, I believe."

"Who's walking where?" Sirius grumbled as he entered the kitchen. He dropped himself into the chair across from Narcissa without even looking at her. She didn't like the look of the bags under his eyes, but chose not to comment on them. Instead, she pushed the platter of fruit towards him gently. He took a strawberry without saying a word. She was glad to see that he had an appetite, at least.

"We will be walking to the muggle village," Narcissa told him calmly. "I need to get out of this house, and I refuse to go alone. I was so hoping that the two of you would escort me."

"You'd be perfectly fine," Sirius pointed out. He still hadn't looked at her, but she didn't really mind. A cup of tea appeared in front of him, and he downed the whole thing before thanking Gizzy for it. She snapped her fingers and refilled it without replying.

"I'm certain that I would be," she sighed. "I simply don't wish to be alone after what's happened."

"Well, I do want to be alone today," Sirius snapped. It was getting harder not to take offense, but she forced herself to have patience with him. Grieving affected everyone differently.

"I'll ask Remus, then. I can't believe you'd refuse to spend time with your favorite cousin," she frowned. She could play hurt with the best of them, especially when it was partially true. Finally, Sirius looked up at her. His eyes held so much sorrow that it nearly took her breath away. He looked haunted, like he'd never be happy again. Her heart broke for him.

"You do that," he rasped. His gaze fell back to the table then, and he stared into his tea without really seeing it. "I'm not hungry."

"You should eat something," she whispered, trying to gain some control of the situation. It didn't work. Without another word, he shoved himself away from the table and shuffled out of the room. She heard him on the stairs, then there was nothing but silence. She'd be willing to bet that he'd gone up to the roof. She'd noticed that he went there frequently to escape when he didn't want to speak... or feel.

"Should we be concerned that he might harm himself?" she asked Gizzy, looking down into her own cup. "I don't know how to help him. I've never experienced a loss like... like that."

"He won't really hurt himself, or anyone else," Remus told her. He settled himself into the chair that Sirius had vacated, claiming the tea left behind as his own. "He doesn't know how to handle the emotion after so long in Azkaban. It's a different kind of despair than what the dementors made him feel. It'll take a few days, but he'll get back to himself before you know it."

"And yourself?" she asked, lifting her cup to hide her own frown. He sounded exhausted, and didn't look much better than Sirius had.

"I'll be fine," Remus assured her. Then he sighed. "I will be, just... not today. If I thought I'd sleep, I'd just go back to bed for the day."

"There's always dreamless sleep?" Cissa suggested. Remus shook his head before she'd even finished speaking.

"That doesn't really work for me, and Sirius has already taken too many in the last month. The last thing we need is for him to become reliant on them. Having Hadrian away at school where we know our biggest enemy could hurt him... it's not good for either of us," Remus replied carefully. "Especially not today. It's already a day of great loss. We'll be on edge all day."

"What if we could bring him home, just for today?" Narcissa asked, leaning back in her chair. "It can't be hard for the world's greatest pranksters to find a way to either be in the castle, or get their son out of it for one day."

"I'd considered it," Remus answered. He was actually smiling... slightly. "Unfortunately, Hadrian's first courting date is this evening. If we pull him from the school, he'll miss it. We can't ruin this for him, you know that."

"Of course not," she sighed. Then she perked up again. "So you go to him. You can't follow their date, but you can be in the school in case he needs you. It might make both of you feel better to have him within reach today. Borrow that cloak of his, and stay close to him."

"We could," Remus said slowly, thinking it over. "But what will you do?"

"I think I'll still visit the muggle village," she replied. She really had been curious about it, and she needed the distraction just as badly as they did. "I'll be close to home if you need me."

"Are you certain?" Remus asked. There was a spark of hope that hadn't been there when he'd sat down, and she felt proud to have put it there. Maybe it wasn't the day she'd planned for them, but it was what they'd needed all the same.

"Go, gather your husband. You have a son to see," she replied with a bright smile that she didn't really feel.

Transfiguration Class, Halloween Afternoon

"Mr. Potter-Black, are you paying attention?" McGonagall asked loudly, drawing Hadrian's attention away from the book on courtship that Narcissa had sent for him (A Beginners Guide to Courting for the Newly Courted). He felt his cheeks heat up, but kept all traces of guilt off of his face. He knew all of the spells they'd be learning that year already; he would be fine.

"Of course, Professor," he replied quickly. She pursed her lips but didn't call him out on the lie.

"As I was saying," she continued with her frown firmly in place. "Transforming inanimate objects into animals has always been a complex bit of magic, but you seem to have mastered it well over the last few years. This year, we will be focusing more on transfiguring one animal into another."

She continued on with her lecture about how the different species could be difficult at first, and why they should always practice without their wands before trying any spell like this for the first time. Hadrian easily tuned her out again to continue reading.

The first date is significant, as it shows how well your prospective partner knows you. The person to start the courtship should be the one to plan the first date. Courtship could be compared to an elaborate dance in some ways. This first dance is your partner's lead. The second dance is yours. It is a give-and-take relationship that only ends upon bonding.

At the end of the first date, your prospective partner will present you with your second gift. The first gift was important in that it was to show what makes your partner uniquely suited for you. This second gift is to show you that they are serious about the union. It does not need to be handmade this time; it simply must be given from the heart. It is to signify their place in the relationship. Essentially, they are giving you something that they see as representing themselves.

The return gift must be presented at the end of the second date, which should be no more than three weeks later. Any longer than that could be seen as a rejection of their suit.

"Mr. Potter-Black, would you care to demonstrate?" McGonagall called, narrowing her eyes at him for the second time that class period. He held back his sigh. Truthfully, the last thing he wanted to do was show off. He could see Hermione's smug smirk as she watched him; clearly she knew that he hadn't been paying any attention. With a wave of her wand, McGonagall sent a single mouse over to his desk. "We are turning mice into rats, in case that slipped your notice."

As it was written on the board, he simply raised his eyebrows at her. She pursed her lips and gestured for him to get on with it. He'd be willing to bet that she was comparing him to his father in that moment. He cleared his throat and lifted his wand, shifting his complete focus to the mouse in front of him.

"Verto Genus!" He flicked his wand down towards the mouse and grinned in satisfaction when it grew and shifted. In seconds, a large rat sat on the desk in front of him, cleaning it's whiskers. When he looked up, McGonagall looked proud despite herself.

"Ten points to Gryffindor," she told him, eyes shining. "The rest of you, I expect the spell to be completed successfully by the end of class!"

Hadrian turned his attention back to his book for all of thirty seconds before he felt something prod him in the shoulder. Glancing behind him, he frowned when he saw nothing. Before he could start reading, it happened again. This time it was accompanied by a loud "pssst". He turned in his seat quickly, eyes narrowed. "Sirius?"

"Shh, kid. Don't want to get into trouble," Sirius whispered back invisibly. Hadrian's frown grew more pronounced. "Muffliato! There, should be safe to talk now."

"What are you doing here?" Hadrian asked, leaning back against his desk. Thankfully, his early completion of the spell meant that McGonagall wouldn't pay him any more attention in this class. Unfortunately, there was no guarantee that nobody else would notice him acting strangely.

"Turn around, pup. Keep looking at your book, and act like you're muttering to yourself," Remus told him quietly. Hadrian jolted slightly in surprise; he hadn't expected both of his parents to be here. Still, that was a good suggestion. They couldn't afford Ron or Hermione figuring out that something was going on. He reluctantly turned to face the front again, trying to keep his expression clear. "Sorry. We just... needed to be here today."

"Oh," Hadrian said softly, eyes lighting with understanding. As much as he hated Halloween, it hadn't occurred to him that his parents would be having a worse time of it. It made sense that they'd need to be close. "What if you get caught? How are you hiding?"

"We borrowed your cloak," Sirius admitted. "Should have asked, but there was no time. We won't get caught. We're the Marauders!" His voice sounded almost bitter as he proclaimed it, but there was nothing that Hadrian could do about it in that moment.

"After this class, we'll go somewhere nobody will find us," Hadrian told them both without turning around. "I've got a place that only a few others can even find."

"Blaise and Theo?" Remus asked, sounding amused. Hadrian didn't bother to answer. "We know you've got your date tonight, so don't worry. We'll be out of you hair by then. Not even Sirius would interfere in a courtship. Isn't that right, Padfoot?"

"You wound me, Moony. Of course I'd never interfere," Sirius replied. He sounded lighter. "Our pup deserves all the happiness in the world, and those boys make him happy. Of course, if that ever changes..."

"Nobody would find the bodies," Remus finished darkly. Then his voice lightened as well. "Do you know where they're taking you?"

"Just that it's not in the school," Hadrian replied carefully. He'd already informed them the previous day via mirror call, but he was still waiting for one of them to forbid it. Neither of them did.

"Better not be anywhere too crowded," Sirius said thoughtfully. "The first date is meant to be a private affair- with a chaperone, of course! You're meant to get to know each other, and make sure you're compatible. Otherwise, a courtship could go on for ages without completion."

"Not that you three should be bonding before you graduate," Remus added smoothly. "From what I understand, they've been together for some time now?"

"Yeah," Hadrian sighed. "Officially since fourth year, but they've known that they would be for a lot longer. Sometimes I'm not sure how I fit."

It felt good to admit that out loud. As much as he liked Blaise and Theo- and he really liked them- there were times when they only needed one look to communicate with each other. Their inside jokes left Hadrian feeling confused, or sometimes completely alone. They were fairly good at noticing when he was uncomfortable, but there wasn't much they could do to fix it. It would just take more time.

"Every courtship starts like that," Sirius told him gently. "I'm sure that when they started out, they had no clue how they'd fit together either. You just have to share your concerns with them, as hard as that sounds. Communication is key."

"He's right, but also a complete hypocrite," Remus told Hadrian fondly. "Your father is the least likely person in the world to discuss his feelings with anyone. Even me. Especially me."

"Did... did James and Lily struggle like this?" Hadrian asked hesitantly. He really didn't know if talking about them would help or hurt today. At that moment, the bell chimed to signal the end of class. "Don't answer yet. Follow me."

He gathered his books as quickly as possible and left the classroom before anyone else. McGonagall had been eyeing him again, and he really didn't feel like sticking around for the potential lecture she had prepared for him. He led the way down a side staircase, spiraling down to the dungeons without a word. He only knew that they were following because he could hear the occasional sound of them tripping over each other, and muttered curses when one of them missed a step. By the time they made it to the founder's room, Hadrian was struggling not to laugh at them.

"What is this room?" Sirius asked. He whipped the cloak off as soon as the door closed, frowning as he looked at the cozy kitchen area.

"It's the founder's kitchen," Hadrian replied, sinking into his favorite chair. "Nobody can get in here without an invitation from one of us. Draco has access, along with Theo and Blaise. And now the two of you."

Remus stepped up to the door that led to Gryffindor tower, resting a hand on it carefully. Hadrian wondered if he could feel the hum of magic the way that he now could. "Did you just discover this?"

"First night we were back," Hadrian nodded. "Theo led us here instead of the regular kitchen without really knowing why. Hold on... Dricey! Salzy!"

The two elves popped into existence, eyes wide as they took in the sight of the two adults who were still exploring the small room. "Master Snakey calls?"

Sirius mouthed the words, eyes shining with mirth. Hadrian couldn't find it in himself to be upset; he'd noticed the bags under his eyes as soon as his face had been revealed. Anything that made him smile like that was worth it, no matter how embarrassing it might be.

"Yes, I did," he replied. "These are my parents, Sirius and Remus. Or... call them Padfoot and Moony." He pointed as he introduced them, smiling slightly. "They'll be around the castle today. Can you help them in not getting caught? It's really important that nobody who can't get into this room figures out they're in the castle."

"Of course, Master," Dricey replied. He gave a low bow, then bustled over to the kitchen equipment to whip up snacks. "Master Snakey needs to be eating more. Dricey will help."

"That's not necess-" Hadrian started, but Sirius cut him off.

"Growing wizards need more food, pup. You probably really haven't been eating enough. Let your elf help," he told him. Much as he wanted to argue, Hadrian could only reluctantly nod.

"Leave him be, Siri," Remus sighed fondly. "Hadrian, promise me that you don't usually cut class to spend time in here."

"I really don't," Hadrian assured him quickly. "This seemed like a special circumstance, and I honestly didn't want to deal with Snape today anyways. I'll make up for it tomorrow. The HA is meeting, and I'll go over whatever he planned to teach today with everyone then."

"The HA?" Remus asked, raising his eyebrows. Right, he hadn't told them...

"The Hogwarts Alliance," Hadrian informed them both. "We couldn't exactly be Dumbledore's Army this year. That man does not need a bigger army. It was Parvati's idea to call us the HA. Everyone wanted to keep meeting this year, and... if it saves even one of them, how can I say no?"

"Do you have the time for that?" Sirius asked worriedly.

"Not really," Hadrian admitted. "I'm going to make the time for it somehow. Don't worry, I'm not going to fall behind. I spent all of my spare time last summer reading, remember?"

"Reading is not the same as going to classes and doing homework," Remus pointed out sternly. Hadrian fought the urge to smile.

"Maybe not, but you just saw me perform that spell on my first try," he replied. "I can't really explain why I know that it'll be okay, I just... my magic feels different this year. It took no effort at all to do that transfiguration. I don't know if it's the new goblin magic, or if it's just the lack of blocks, but I feel... strong."

It had taken him by surprise how often he managed spells on his first try anymore. Since removing the blocks on his magical core, he could feel the magic inside of him so much more intensely. Classes were a breeze, which was driving Hermione crazy. He caught her staring at him all the time with an intense frown that he didn't quite understand. Sure, he wasn't playing their game anymore... but he also wasn't doing anything differently than he had since the start of the year.

"If you're sure," Sirius sighed. Remus shot him a look that went ignored. "We just want what's best for you, pup."

"I know, Pads," Hadrian replied gently. "I've got everything under control."

"Are you sure?" Draco asked from the Slytherin doorway. His arms were crossed and he had the haughtiest expression that Hadrian had seen from him all year. "Because you should be getting ready for your date."

Hadrian muttered a word that he very much should not have said in front of his parents as he quickly got up from the table and hurried for the Gryffindor tower door.

Spinner's End, Halloween Afternoon

Tom arrived at the edge of the muggle village with a frown of distaste. He'd come a long way in gaining his sanity back, but a part of him would always hate the nonmagical people of the world. He would never understand why wizards would willingly choose to live amongst them. Raising the hood of his dark cloak, he made his way down the side streets while keeping to the shadows. The less attention he drew to himself, the better. It wouldn't do to be caught in such a place.

Severus Snape lived in a cottage on the other end of the muggle village, alone. He never received visitors, and therefore didn't seem to care about upkeep. If Tom recalled correctly, the only spotless room was his potion's lab. There was always a potion brewing there, and the room itself was updated and immaculate. It was where Tom had spent the most time when forced to visit his once-loyal follower.

He didn't bother knocking on the door. Severus was not to be trusted until he was convinced of Tom's recovered sanity and goals. Though he loathed to do it... Tom owed the man a heartfelt apology. The loss of his sanity had caused the death of the only person Severus had truly cared for. Well... the only one who still spoke to him. He was unsure of why Narcissa had left Severus, but that was a question for another day.

The sitting room was abandoned and dusty. The kitchen had dishes piled in the sink with a stasis charm on them. The bedroom was unkempt but not dirty. He found the potion's master in his lab, bent over a small table for preparing ingredients.

"It's been too long, Severus," Tom spoke, not outwardly reacting to the way Severus flinched. A flick of his wand healed his follower's newly cut thumb wordlessly. The instant change of posture told Tom that Severus knew that something had changed just by that simple action.

"My lord," Severus gave a low bow. Tom withheld a sigh of distaste. Why he'd enjoyed people bowing to him would forever be a mystery of his insanity.

"No need for that," he stated calmly. "I am nobody's lord any longer."

"I... do not understand," Severus replied cautiously.

"I am quite aware of how things have been for the last sixteen years, Severus. I am aware of what I have done, and of what others have done in my name. I am... ashamed to say that I lost myself in a battle for power and control that I never meant to cause," Tom told him. "I used a horrible bit of magic to keep myself from dying, and it stole my very soul from me. With it went my sanity."

"Your sanity..." Severus said quietly, as though he didn't dare believe this wasn't a trick.

"Indeed," Tom agreed. "I am afraid that I owe you an apology. I made you several promises that I was unable to keep. I am here to inform you that I will be returning to my original goals; we will be working to keep the magical world secret and safe. There will be no more needless death and destruction, muggle or magical. I no longer wish for power. I simply want peace."

"And the others are welcoming this change?" Severus asked carefully. Tom's lips twitched towards a smile against his will.

"The ones who would not have been are no longer our concern. And there is more that you should know," Tom answered.

He spent the next hour explaining the things that he had done since regaining the first piece of his sanity, including Hadrian Potter-Black's assistance and what he knew from his time with the boy- within reason. He did not give away any secrets that could harm the boy. That was no longer his goal. In the end, he had to summon a calming draught for Severus.

"I knew that he wasn't what he seemed," Severus rasped. "He made the same promises that you- but he never kept them, either. He made me sign away my freedom in return for things that he could not provide. Lily..."

"I am truly sorry for her loss, and the loss of your love," Tom said gently. He meant it, much as he didn't want to say the words again.

"I can't blame you," Severus whispered. "The things that I know... you didn't stand a chance, My Lo- Tom."

"What do you mean?" Tom asked suspiciously.

"If Dumbledore can control the Potter brat, do you not think that he could have been controlling you, as well?" Severus asked carefully. "If he placed such strong compulsions that the heir of Gryffindor and Slytherin could not break through on his own... what chance do the rest of us stand?"

"You believe he may have used his compulsions on myself as well?" Tom asked dangerously. His anger, which he'd previously been keeping in check, flared. Three empty vials on the counter beside him shattered.

"I believe him fully capable of such a thing, morally," Severus hedged. "Now that I am aware of his deceit, I will be visiting Gringotts for my own purge of foreign spells."

"Very well," Tom said quietly, struggling to get himself back under control. "Let us visit Gringotts."

Chapter Text

Godric's Hollow, Halloween Afternoon

"James, no!" Lily cried, laughing despite her words. She giggled as he twirled her gracelessly, stumbling straight into his chest when she stopped spinning. "You're going to make me throw up."

"I would never do such a thing," James gasped in mock offense, causing more laughter to ring through the room. Lily had been quick to nausea for the last week, but she was a good sport about it. She never complained, and she never seemed upset. She was always happy.

"I don't know, Jamie," Sirius chuckled. "You've definitely done it before. We'd rather not have our little pup come out scrambled!"

"Oh hush," James shot back, grinning. "That's not how babies work. The little prongslet will be just fine."

"We are not calling him a prongslet," Remus chimed in. He sounded amused, even though his face was deadly serious. It made his husband's heart swell with affection. Sirius threw an arm over his shoulders and held him close, nuzzling into his neck. It was a habit he'd picked up over the years of being an animagus and living with a werewolf. Remus's woodsy scent never failed to make him feel safe and loved.

"Spoilsport," James muttered, but there was no heat to it.

"And we're not calling him our pup, either," Remus continued as if James had never spoken. Lily giggled from her place in her husband's arms. "He will be our little cub. The completion of our pack."

"Your pack, you mean," Sirius muttered affectionately. "And who says we'll stop at just one? Or what about when James and Lily have a prongslet of their very own?"

"Who says we will?" James asked innocently. He blinked in surprise when Lily tore herself from his arms to scowl up at him.

"And what is that supposed to mean?" she demanded, crossing her arms. "Are you telling me that after years of chasing me, you don't want to make a family with me? James Charlus Potter, I will kill you where you stand."

It was the first extreme reaction that any of them had seen her have, and Sirius fought not to laugh out loud. He was extremely grateful that it hadn't been aimed at him. Not only did it save him from a hex, it had earned him a few galleons. They'd all been betting on who she'd target first, and Remus and James both assumed it would be him. He'd bet on James, because even as sickeningly in love as they were, they still argued every single day.

"Lils, I wasn't being serious," James said quickly, raising his hands in surrender. His eyes were wide. Sirius... couldn't resist.

"Of course you weren't," he chimed in. "That's me."

"This is not the time," Lily hissed, turning her glare to him. He held up his own hands, and she turned her focus back on her husband. "Why would you joke about such a thing?"

"Obviously I wasn't thinking," James sighed. "Of course I want kids with you, Lils. I've been picturing a little mini us running around our house for years. Since before you gave me the time of day, really. I've always wanted everything with you."

"Oh," she said softly. She seemed to deflate, suddenly looking exhausted. She relaxed back into his embrace and closed her eyes.

"Maybe we should call it a day," Remus suggested. "I think we could all use some rest."

"Yeah, you're right," James agreed. His hand lifted to run through Lily's hair, dragging a smile from her. "Meet up again on Friday?"

"Yeah," Sirius agreed with a grin. "Just think! This time next year, we can all take the little pup trick or treating. That's what it's called, right?"

"Yes," Lily grinned. "Oh, that will be lovely! We could dress him up as a little golden snitch."

"Really?" James asked. His eyes glittered with love and fondness. Sirius very carefully did not point out that it would ultimately be his and Remus's decision. Mostly because he thought the sight of a tiny male Lily dressed as a snitch would be adorable.

"Why not?" she replied. Her hand rested on her still-flat stomach, eyes closing again. "He deserves every bit of fun that we can give him in this war."

Hogwarts Entrance Hall, Halloween Evening

Hadrian had rushed to get ready, with the help of his very amused parents. He was very thankful that they'd insisted he buy some better robes for himself, as he would have had nothing suitable otherwise. As it was, he was the first one to the Entrance Hall. Remus and Sirius had gone ahead to get home, claiming that Narcissa would be worried if they stayed away for the whole day. Hadrian strongly suspected that they were going to Godric's Hollow instead.

He was quickly joined by an amused Neville, who leaned against the wall beside him to wait much more patiently than Hadrian felt. Hadrian eyed the book under his arm, but chose not to comment. He let Neville be the first to speak. "Are you ready for this?"

"Is anyone ever ready for a first date?" Hadrian shot back. He winced, opening his mouth to take it back, but Neville spoke before he could.

"No, and especially not when it's a courting date. My gran doesn't talk about my parents very often, but she's fond of the story of their first courting date. It was a complete disaster," he replied with a slight smile. It didn't make Hadrian feel any better.

"This won't be a disaster," Blaise informed them as he approached. He and Theo were walking up the stairs from the dungeon, and Hadrian felt his mouth go dry at the sight of them. Blaise was wearing a very flattering robe in forest green, while Theo had opted for one in midnight blue. He was suddenly glad that he'd chosen one in dark grey instead of the maroon that Sirius had tried to push him towards. This way, he wouldn't look like he didn't belong. "I chose the location very carefully. I think you'll be impressed."

As soon as he was close enough, Blaise threw an arm over Hadrian's shoulder and tugged him close. He was careful to give plenty of time for Hadrian to move away, but he chose to take the comfort offered. Theo fell into place at his other side, and it just felt... right. Together, they headed for the entrance.

"Where are we-" Hadrian started, but he was interrupted by a voice he was hoping not to hear that night.

"HARRY!" Ron shouted, jogging to get in front of their little group. He was scowling. "What the bloody hell are you doing, mate? First you ditch me and Hermione with no explanation, and now you're trying to leave the school with bloody snakes?! Did they curse you or something? Do you need... let's get you to Dumbledore! He'll fix this."

Hadrian knew very well what Dumbledore would do to fix it, and he had no intention of letting either Ron or the headmaster anywhere near him. It seemed his companions agreed with that sentiment. Theo stepped smoothly in front of Hadrian, and Blaise's arm tightened around him as if he'd pull him to safety at any moment. It was Neville who spoke up.

"Get out of the way, Ron," he said quietly but firmly. "You can't interfere with a courtship, and you know that. Hadrian hasn't been cursed, or enchanted, or... whatever you think of next. He's doing this of his own free will, or the courtship would have already dissolved."

That was news to Hadrian, but he hadn't exactly had time to read much of the books he'd been sent by his family. What he knew came from the few passages he'd gotten to and what his parents and Draco had managed to tell him so far. It was nice to know that magic really wouldn't let him be controlled on something so important.

"Harry would never willingly hang out with the Slytherins," Ron argued. His voice was getting louder by the second, and he was drawing a crowd. Hadrian needed to put a stop to this immediately.

"Clearly you don't know me as well as you thought," he informed Ron, satisfied with the intense glare that was immediately sent his way. "I like Blaise and Theo and you're not going to stop me from spending time with them. Just because we've grown apart doesn't mean you get to control who I speak to or hang out with. It's not going to be the same this year as it has been all the other years."

"Harry, this isn't like you," Ron tried. He was clearly trying to sound civil, but the glare didn't leave his face. Whispers were getting louder across the entrance hall, and he fidgeted nervously. It made Hadrian stand a little taller.

"And my name is Hadrian," he continued as if Ron had never spoken. "I won't be responding to 'Harry' any longer."

"Harry," Ron tried, but Hadrian just shook his head.

"Come on, we can't be late," he said quietly to Blaise and Theo. As one, they moved around Ron towards the door again. They made it almost all the way there before Ron found his voice again.

"Stupe-"

"Expelliarmus!" Neville called. With a flick of his wand, Ron's went flying. Hadrian caught it before it could hit the ground. He wasn't sure who would have been on the receiving end of the spell, and it infuriated him. Instead of tossing it back to his former friend, he gripped it tightly in both hands. The urge to snap it was so high that it was hard to ignore. Ron gaped at him... along with all of the gathered students.

"Don't you ever try to hex us again. Do you understand me?" he asked. His voice was dangerously low and venomous. Ron's mouth opened and closed a few times, but no words came out.

"Would you like me to bite him, my own? I would be happy to teach him a lesson," Amarantha hissed sleepily from around his neck. All of the excitement had caused her to wake up, and she didn't sound happy about it. Beside him, Blaise suppressed his laughter.

"There's no antivenom for your bite, my sweet," Hadrian reminded her gently. "Although I'd love to teach him a lesson that he won't forget, we can't do it by killing him."

"A pity," Blaise muttered. He let out a muffled hiss when Theo elbowed him in the ribs.

"Very well. I could scare him?" she offered. Hadrian hesitated for just a moment too long, and she rose off of his shoulder to direct her gaze at the redhead in question. Ron took a step backwards.

"Don't cause lasting damage," Hadrian finally said. He knew without having to look that Blaise had to be grinning.

"I am what you need, my own. My bite will carry no venom," she promised. And then she began to grow.

As she grew, she slithered down from Hadrian's shoulder so that she wouldn't hurt him. Wordless hisses came from her mouth as she moved towards Ron menacingly. She stopped growing when she was the size of Nagini, but she didn't stop moving forward until she was close enough to strike. She raised herself up until she was eyelevel with him, holding his gaze the whole time.

"Call off your snake!" Ron shouted, stumbling backwards. He wasn't fast enough. With no warning, Amarantha sprang forward and sank her fangs into Ron's arm. Three things happened simultaneously: Ron let out a wordless cry of panic and dropped into a dead faint; someone from the crowd around them sent a cutting hex at Amarantha, and the shrieks rose as it bounced harmlessly off of her scales; and Professor Snape stormed out of the great hall just in time to witness all of it.

"What is the meaning of this?" he spat, glaring at every single student. His eyes lingered on Hadrian longest, because there was no question that it was his snake who had struck a student. "Someone take Mr. Weasley to the hospital wing at once. He will need antivenom for... what snake is this, Potter?"

"It's Potter-Black, sir," Hadrian replied with narrowed eyes. "I'm not really certain what kind she is. She just keeps saying that she is whatever I need her to be. I do know that she didn't use any of her venom on him. He's completely fine."

"I highly doubt that, Potter," Snape replied angrily. "Twenty points will be taken from Gryffindor, and you will be serving a month's worth of detentions with me for attacking your fellow student. And a friend, no less."

"He's not a friend," Hadrian informed the professor calmly. "And I didn't tell her to attack. In fact, I told her not to."

"I can confirm that, Severus," Salazar called from his portrait beside the door of the Great Hall. "I heard the entire thing. Not only did young Hadrian tell his snake not to harm the boy, but the boy struck first. He fired a curse at their backs. It was the quick thinking of the young Gryffindor with them that saved one of them from a nasty stinging hex."

"Is this true?" Snape asked. His eyes scanned the crowd, but none of the students seemed to want to confirm it. Finally, his eyes landed on Theo and Blaise.

"It is, sir," Theo confirmed. "And he was aiming for Blaise. Neville prevented the attack just in time."

"Very well," Snape spat. His intense glare landed once more on Hadrian. "The point loss will remain, but I will drop the amount of detentions. You will have three detentions with me, starting this very evening."

"Sir," Blaise said quickly. Snape's eyes snapped over to him. "He won't be able to attend tonight, sir. We have our first courting date, and nothing can interfere with courtship."

"You are... courting?" Snape asked slowly. He looked as though the words tasted sour.

"We are," Theo agreed carefully, stepping forward to be level with them. He reached over to grab Hadrian's hand, and Hadrian was sure that his cheeks were flushed the moment their hands connected. It felt good to know that they were willing to stand up to someone they respected so much for him.

"I see," Snape sighed. He looked frustrated for all of a moment before his face smoothed into his usual scowl. "Tomorrow, then, Potter."

"Potter-Black," Hadrian said automatically. "Sir," he added when Theo gave his hand a warning squeeze. Snape pretended that he hadn't heard as he stalked back into the hall for the feast. Blaise and Theo took charge as soon as his back was turned, working together to tug Hadrian out of the door before he could make it any worse.

"Things will always be interesting with you, won't they?" Blaise asked in amusement. Even Theo was smiling slightly at the statement.

"You can say that again," Hadrian sighed. "Where are we going?"

"France," Theo told him. His tone revealed his exasperation. "Blaise planned the whole thing, and I didn't feel like preventing it... this time."

"Miragia is a great place for a first date! It's just as special as Hadrian is," Blaise informed Theo primly. Then he reached into his robe and pulled out a long, thin chain of woven gold. "I know you don't like portkeys, Hadrian... but it's the only way to get there without being a legal adult. We can't apparate."

"It's not the only way," Hadrian replied thoughtfully. Before he voiced what he meant, he remembered what Onyxclaw had said about trying to travel to a place he didn't know. He sighed and shook his head, holding out a hand for the chain.

"You're going to explain that later," Theo informed him, gripping another part of the chain. Neville grabbed onto the end of it, book now firmly in his empty hand. Blaise waited until all of them were holding on tightly before activating the portkey. The hook-like sensation would have had Hadrian spiraling into panic if he'd been with anyone else. As it was, he just screwed his eyes shut and held on tightly.

Gryffindor Tower, Halloween morning

"James! You have to share the chocolate," Sirius called from his place on the floor. It was too early for any of them to be awake, but none of them could sleep any longer. They were all too excited. They'd been planning this for months, and it was finally time.

"Get your own, you great lump," James shot back. It came out distorted around the chocolate in his mouth, but there wasn't anything he could say that Sirius wouldn't instantly understand. They could practically read each other's minds half of the time. The others hated them for it as much as they loved them.

"Do you think Lily will like the surprise?" Remus asked, sticking his head out of the adjoining bathroom. "This is for her, isn't it?"

"Not everything is about Evans," James muttered, but his face was bright red. None of them believed him for a moment. "But yeah, I reckon she'll love it."

"How'd you even know this is her favorite holiday?" Peter asked hesitantly. He didn't usually chime in much when it came to pranks or discussions of James's obsession, but he'd been unusually chatty this morning. It warmed Sirius's heart.

"She talks about it all the time," Sirius pointed out casually. He leaned over to shove Peter's shoulder gently, grinning. "And you know that Jamie memorizes everything that comes out of Goddess Evans's mouth."

"She's not- I don't-" James spluttered. His eyes narrowed when Sirius laughed out loud. "Shove off, Padfoot."

"I shan't," Sirius replied joyfully.

"Behave out there," Remus called through the bathroom door. He was ignored, as usual.

"Who're we changing, again?" Sirius asked. It was more to distract James than an actual need to hear the plan again. He'd brewed the Polyjuice himself, after all.

"The Slytherins, for sure," Peter chimed in. Sirius gave him an odd look but nodded anyway. He wasn't wrong. The entirety of Slytherin would be ingesting the potion in their morning pumpkin juice. The only sad part of this prank was that there could only be one human hair added to each pitcher. Most of the house would become the same person. Fortunately, they'd chosen a rather good one for them.

"The Gryffindors who deserve it," James chimed in with a grin. He'd been the one to get the hair from McGonagall himself, and he was proud of it. He talked about it frequently behind closed doors. "And the Ravenclaws who are outshining my Lilyflower."

"She'll know immediately that it's us if you do that," Remus sighed as he walked back into the dorm.

"Please," Sirius snorted. "She'll know it's us before the first person even finishes transforming. Prongs, tell me you did the backup plan."

"Of course I did," James replied, sounding offended. "What do you take me for, a fool?"

"A fool in love," Peter snickered. Again, three sets of eyes turned to him in surprise. He didn't even seem to notice.

"What backup plan?" Remus asked after a moment. Sirius simply shook his head, and James mimed zipping his lips. "Right. I'm not taking credit when it goes wrong, then."

"But you'll take credit for what goes right?" James asked with a smirk. Remus shot a smirk back, and Sirius bit back a laugh. It seemed they were all feeling a bit daring that morning. "Moony!"

"What? It was mostly my idea. It's not my fault you expanded it without me," Remus shrugged.

"And who brewed the potion?" Sirius asked. "You're pants at potions, Moony. It might have been your brilliant idea, but it was our excellent execution that will make this prank shine. As usual."

"I have no interest in getting my hands dirty," Remus shrugged. He didn't seem to mind the teasing at all, which was fortunate. Moony's revenge was legendary.

"We should hurry before it happens without us!" Peter squeaked as he scrambled to his feet. "I don't want to miss this one."

"Relax," James told him, waving a hand impatiently. "The house elves won't add the potion until Evans is actually present. It's for her, after all."

"Still, Peter is right. We should get going," Remus told them. It was when he encouraged it that Sirius and James finally got to their feet. They all ignored Peter's pout as they walked by him to leave the dorm.

The trek to the Great Hall was a quiet one, though they did push and shove each other (Sirius and James) and talk quietly to each other (Remus and Peter). They made it to the Hall just as Lily appeared from the steps to the dungeon. James immediately scowled.

"Evans," Sirius greeted casually. "Didn't think you belonged in the dungeons. That is red on your robes, right?"

"That's none of your concern, Black," she bit back coolly. "Shouldn't you be off breaking the school rules? I figured this would be your busiest day of the year."

"We're not Santa," Remus pointed out with a grin. "And you're thinking of Christmas, anyway."

"Am I?" she asked with a mild smile. Then she spun on her heel and continued into the Hall.

James was in a bad mood for the full minute it took them to get to the Gryffindor table, but by the time they were sitting down to start their breakfast, he was grinning again. Sirius sometimes admired how quickly he bounced back, as if nothing could ever dampen his spirit. It was refreshing after how depressing his family always was. It was the first thing that had drawn him to James all those years ago.

"Ready?" James muttered under his breath. He met each of their eyes and shared secret smiles with them as they nodded. He held his hand under the table and snapped his fingers twice.

Nothing happened immediately. There was no indication that the elves had followed the instructions. Ten minutes later, the first shrieks started at the Slytherin table. They took their time to look over, keeping all traces of pride off of their faces. They had plenty of practice at appearing completely innocent... not that anyone ever believed them. Up and down the Slytherin table, random students were beginning to transform. It took less than a minute for dozens of Dumbledores and Slughorns to appear in place of students.

The Ravenclaw table was next, less than a minute after Slytherin had finished. Two dozen students transformed into Flitwick, and another dozen became Filch. Those dozen were the ones James had targeted specifically. The others were collateral damage. Hufflepuff followed, with two dozen Professor Sprouts popping up at random. Finally, several dozen McGonagalls appeared across the Gryffindor table.

It was a mixture of laughter and horrified yelling throughout the hall, too loud to make out individual voices. All four marauders were laughing uproariously, of course. When Sirius peered down the table, he was surprised to see Lily giggling as well. She didn't usually think their pranks were funny.

At the front table, Dumbledore stood and shot red sparks into the air to gain everyone's attention. "What is the meaning of this?" he asked calmly.

"Someone attacked us!" a Slytherin Dumbledore shouted. There was no way to tell who it was, but the voice was shrill enough that Sirius assumed it was one of the younger girls.

"I do not believe this to be an attack," Dumbledore replied with a little smile. His eyes glittered with amusement. "It is, in fact, a rather ingenious prank. I will have to take five points from whichever house is responsible."

Nobody was surprised to see five little rubies rise up and disappear from the hourglass. The low murmuring increased in volume again until Dumbledore raised his wand and fired off green sparks. "Yes, yes, what a surprise," he called out. His little smile grew slightly. "Now, then. I award twenty points to whoever brewed the potion responsible. Clearly they are learning something from their potions class. An additional five points to the mastermind, for creating a prank that harms none and amuses all."

"Harms none?" another Slytherin shrieked. "What about emotional scarring?!"

"Is it so bad to be me for a bit?" Dumbledore asked mildly. There was dead silence for several seconds before something new happened.

The sky above the floating pumpkins darkened rapidly until the clouds were completely black. Orange lightening streaked across the enchanted sky, starting slow but speeding up rather quickly. It spelled out 'Happy Halloween and a very joyous Samhain!', staying in the sky for an extended time. When it faded, candy began to fall from the sky like rain.

"What did you do?" Remus asked quietly. Sirius knew he was trying to seem annoyed, but his eyes were sparkling with amusement. Sirius simply shook his head, then shrugged innocently. Remus was not fooled.

At the head table, Dumbledore was chuckling loud enough to be heard across the hall. "Ten more points to the ones responsible!"

"Potter!" Lily called down the table. She was holding a slab of chocolate that had fallen gently onto the plate in front of her. With a flick of his wand, James transfigured the slab of chocolate into a chocolate rose. A light blush dusted her cheeks as she looked down at it, then back up at him.

"Happy Halloween, Evans," James called back to her with a grin. He started to turn back to his plate when she called a reply.

"Happy Samhain, Potter."

Miragia, France, Halloween Evening

Hadrian somehow managed to land on his feet. He didn't recognize where they were, but it wasn't as though he'd ever been to France before. The alleyway they'd landed in was completely abandoned and definitely muggle. Hadrian could hear vehicles that sounded nearby, and he knew the sounds must have been confusing for Neville and Theo. He'd learned over the years that most pureblood wizards weren't like Mr. Weasley. They didn't care to learn about muggles, and therefore didn't know anything about what they were capable of.

Blaise tucked the chain back into his robe with a smile, then reached out to loop Hadrian's arm through his. Theo took his hand on the other side, bringing the flush back to his cheeks. Without a word, Blaise tugged them to the mouth of the alley. Across the street, there was a large sign on top of a nondescript building declaring 'Miragia'.

"What is this place?" Hadrian asked, not really expecting an answer.

"It's a restaurant," Blaise said carefully. "It's both muggle and wizarding. When we enter, we'll be on the muggle side. I've made us a reservation for the wizarding side; we'll just need to speak with the host to get there. I've been told it's an interesting doorway."

"You've never been here before?" Hadrian asked, curiosity peaked. Blaise grinned over at him, then met Theo's eyes over his head.

"No, I was told to wait," he confirmed. "My mother told me about this place. She came here with my father for their first date. It wasn't a courtship, so they didn't have a chaperone... but it'll be just as fun with Longbottom here, I think."

"What should we be expecting?" Theo asked warily. For Hadrian's benefit, he added, "I've never been here, either. I only know exactly what Blaise just said."

"I'm not spoiling the surprise," Blaise added with a grin. "Come on, let's go!"

He dragged them across the street and straight into the building, grinning the whole time. The inside was more posh than the outside. Tables were spaced out to give the illusion of privacy, and a surprising amount of them were filled. It smelled heavenly, though Hadrian couldn't place what kind of food it might be. It was a bit dimly lit, but it added to the romantic atmosphere. Everyone in the restaurant was paired off. A string quartet played quiet music in the far corner, completing the image. It was the nicest place that Hadrian had ever been to.

Theo and Blaise stayed close to him, with Neville coming in directly behind them. They approached the host stand, and Hadrian could feel the magic coming off of the man standing there watching them. He was wearing some type of illusion, Hadrian just knew it. The man spoke rapidly in French to Blaise, who answered just as quickly. Whatever he'd said must have done the trick, because the man grinned broadly and gestured for them to follow.

"Don't look around, and don't seem suspicious," Blaise whispered to them as he pulled them along to follow. Hadrian shot him an amused look but kept his mouth closed and followed the instructions. The host led them to the back of the restaurant, through a curtain that had been roped off. The only thing on the other side was a wall covered in a large, ornate mirror. The images reflected back to them were distorted, as though the glass was clouded.

"Welcome to Miragia," the host told them in accented English. "'Ere you will find enchantment and joy. We 'ope you 'ave a wonderful time beyond the looking glass."

Hadrian glanced over at Blaise, but he was grinning broadly at the mirror. "C'mon," he told them quietly. He shifted his arm off of Hadrian's shoulders and grabbed his hand instead. Then he pulled the straight towards the mirror. Hadrian squeezed his eyes closed, half expecting to run straight into the glass...

He blinked them open to find an enchanted garden that he could picture as belonging in Wonderland. He could see the walls, but they were glimmering and transparent and seemed to move further apart with every step taken towards them. The ground was covered in grass in shades of deep greens and blues, and the path they found themselves on was lit at either side by what he knew to be will'o'wisps. There was a soft, humming melody in the air that seemed to be coming from a grove of strange crystals several yards away from them. In the trees that were all around- weeping willows with branches hanging over the path, and huge flowering tulip trees, cherry trees, and what could only be Acacia trees- faeries fluttered their wings and let off their own shimmering light.

To the side, there was a babbling brook that ran the length of the room and disappeared in the distance. A small waterfall was set into the wall behind them, beside where they'd entered the room. As Hadrian watched, a nymph made entirely of crystal clear water leaped up and dove back beneath the surface, sending ripples through the peaceful water. Farther down, she did it again, and again. Each ripple was a different glowing color, making a kaleidoscope across the water.

Farther down the path, there was a table with three chairs set up. Candles decorated the center of the table, and three places were set. A tray had been placed behind each plate, covered to keep whatever food had been provided warm. A second, much smaller table was a few feet from the first with one place set for Neville. They would have the illusion of privacy while still meeting the requirements of their courtship. It was perfect.

"This is..." Hadrian didn't have the words to finish the thought. Thankfully, Theo didn't seem to have that problem.

"Amazing," he breathed, eyes shining in wonder. "You'll have to thank your mother for me."

"I'll pass that on," Blaise replied in amusement. "You like it, then?"

"Like it?" Hadrian asked, turning his gaze to Blaise with a grin and a light blush. "I think it's safe to say that we love it. This was a good idea."

"This isn't even all of it. This place is supposedly infinite, and it gives you what your heart desires... within reason, of course. And there's an old legend about the crystals here, but nobody has ever proven it," he replied.

"What's that, then?" Theo asked. He'd beaten Hadrian with the question by less than a second, but he found that he didn't mind.

"Supposedly, the crystals were created for a specific magical couple in medieval times. It was before the inheritance tests had been created by the goblins. He loved her deeply, but she was saving her heart for the person meant to share the other half of her soul. He badly wanted to convince her, but she couldn't be swayed without proof. He went to an old and wise wizard with a plea for help, and the wizard gave him two of these crystals.

"He said that when someone holds one of the crystals, a song that is unique to them will play from within. If two souls were meant to become one, their songs would mix and make a new melody. If their love was not meant to be, the songs would not mix. The man took the crystals back to his love and offered her one of them. The moment her hand touched the crystal, it played a beautifully haunting song. The man held up his own crystal, and the melodies mixed to create a happy tune. When he gave the woman the instructions that the old wizard had written out, she fell into his arms and married him on the spot.

"The crystals were supposedly gifted to the wizard who created this place, which didn't start out as a restaurant. People would come from all over the world to touch the crystals and hope that they'll find their soulmates," Blaise told them.

"So you're saying-" Theo started, eyes shining.

"Exactly," Blaise nodded. "I thought it might make this easier."

"Do you want to share with the rest of us?" Hadrian asked, raising his eyebrows. They both gave him sheepish looks.

"You had your inheritance test. Did it say anything about..." Theo started, then hesitated and glanced at Blaise.

"Soulmates," Blaise finished for him. "Theo and I are soulmates, and we're pretty sure you're our third."

Hadrian's heart felt like it was beating out of his chest. Could it be possible that it would be this easy to find out? How did Blaise and Theo know for sure? And... if they weren't all soulmates, what would it mean for their courtship? He wasn't sure if he could handle everything ending just because some crystals didn't make a good song.

"Let me be clear," Theo said after a few seconds of silence. "For me, it won't matter either way. I like you, Hadrian. I would have asked you to court even if I wasn't nearly certain that you're my soulmate. Blaise and I have discussed it at length, and we both agreed. I didn't know about the crystals, but we don't even have to touch them if you don't want to. I don't need that confirmation to continue this relationship."

Blaise's eyes were wide, and he looked almost horrified by the time Theo had finished speaking. "No, no, that's not what I meant at all! I just think it's an interesting legend. I don't put much faith into it to begin with. I never planned to look for confirmation at all. It would be bloody brilliant if you were our soulmate, but I don't believe that having a soulmate means that you have to end up with them."

"What about the two of you?" Hadrian asked. He felt better already, but he really wanted to understand what he was being told. He hated feeling like he was walking blindly into something.

"We both knew when we turned eleven that we had soulmates," Theo told him calmly, gently. "We didn't know that we were soulmates until after fourth year. We were already together by then. We didn't enter courtship until the end of last year, because we wanted to make sure that we were really in it for life. My family doesn't break a courtship for anything other than death, and I won't be the first."

"Before we could truly begin, my mother wanted me to get tested at Gringotts to determine whether we were soulmates or not. She just wanted to make sure that nobody could come and try to force us apart for any reason. That's how we found out that we are, for sure, soulmates. We exchanged gifts the very next day and started our courting. I didn't tell her that I was going to exchange gifts with you until after we'd already done it, because I didn't really want to force you to go to the bank for proof. I didn't want you to think that I put so much faith into soulmates," Blaise added. "Because I don't. Truly."

"Most wizards don't even get one soulmate, much less two. I don't think either of us expected you, but I can promise that we're not disappointed either way," Theo finished.

"It's a lot to process," Hadrian admitted. He took a deep breath, then glanced back over at the crystals. He could feel the magic coming off of them in waves, but he couldn't tell what it would do. He only had Blaise's story to go off of, but if it was at all true... "Let's try it. What could it hurt?"

"Hadrian," Neville said quietly, looking up from the book he'd opened the moment Blaise had started talking. "Think this through."

"I did," Hadrian shot back. He gave Neville a reassuring smile. "It's fine. I'm not alone, and I can feel that the magic isn't in any way harmful. We're in more danger from the faeries and nymphs than from the crystals, I promise."

"You can feel that?" Theo asked with wide eyes. Hadrian nodded. "How?"

"Er," Hadrian hesitated. It was a new thing for him. He'd just started noticing a few days before that he could suddenly feel when an object was magical. He could feel the magical vibrations coming off of the things around him. He'd thought it was a natural development of his magical core, but maybe... "I wonder if it's a goblin thing."

Theo's laugh sounded slightly hysterical as he shook his head. "Only you," he muttered. Hadrian was inclined to agree. "If you're sure, I wouldn't mind hearing what music my soul makes."

"We'll touch them one at a time, and then all together," Blaise nodded. He held out his hands to his partners, and Hadrian didn't hesitate to slide their fingers together. No matter what else happened, he trusted Blaise and Theo, and he trusted Neville to have his back.

They surrounded the large crystals and gazed at them apprehensively. Hadrian's was a deep shade of blue, and he could feel his magic reaching for it. The urge to touch it was intense. Blaise had chosen one in a muted shade of green, and Theo's was a bright purple. They let go of each other's hands, then looked up to meet eyes.

"I'll go first," Blaise offered. He received nods in response, and it gave him the courage to place his right hand on the green crystal. Almost immediately, the humming of the crystal cluster changed. Blaise's song was fast and cheerful, just like the Italian himself. It somehow conveyed both the charisma that he usually displayed, and his hidden insecurities that Hadrian was just starting to learn about him. It continued on for nearly a minute before Blaise pulled his hand away with a wide smile on his face. "It's... exhilarating."

"My turn?" Theo asked. He smiled softly at Blaise, who returned it without hesitation. He didn't wait for nods before placing his hand on the purple crystal. Again, the melody changed. Instead of the soft hum of all of the crystals together, a sad, haunting song full of longing filled the garden. Hadrian's heart almost broke as he listened to it. He only knew what he'd been told about Theo's life before they'd met, but he knew it hadn't been a very happy one. The song seemed to confirm that. Theo didn't leave his hand on it for long.

"Theo," Blaise whispered. All three of them had tears in their eyes, and Theo couldn't meet either of their eyes.

"Hadrian?" Theo said quickly, gesturing to the blue crystal.

"Er... right." He took a deep breath, then placed his right hand on the crystal. It took longer for his song to start, but the sensation began immediately. It was as though the crystal was mixing their magics together to read him. Finally, a new song started up. It wasn't anything like Blaise's happy music or Theo's sad song. Hadrian's song rose and fell like waves in water, sometimes fast and sometimes slow. The underlying song seemed to speak of peace, which was a feeling he didn't get to experience often. It was the last thing he'd expected to hear. He let it play on nearly as long as Blaise's had before he tore his hand away.

"Whoa," he whispered. He pulled his gaze away from the crystal to meet first Blaise's, then Theo's. They were both watching him in wonder. "I think... we should try it all together."

If he wasn't mistaken, their songs would fit together to make the best melody he will have ever heard. All three of them lifted their hands at the same time, and while watching each other, lowered them to the respective crystals.

He'd been right. The song that played from the moment they connected with the crystals was the most beautiful love song that Hadrian had ever heard. He couldn't get enough of it. He met first Theo's, and then Blaise's eyes, all of which were shining with tears. If he'd ever needed confirmation that their match was meant to be, this would be it. The legend was true.

Godric's Hollow, Halloween morning

Lily giggled as she danced across the floor with Sirius. He twirled her playfully to the applause of James and Remus. They'd just returned from their honeymoon, and all of them were in the mood for a celebration. Lily had helped Remus with enchanting pumpkins to float around the sitting room the way they did in the Great Hall at Hogwarts, and Sirius had helped James create a dress for Lily that looked like the night sky. His best friend was wearing robes of shining silver, like the moon. Sirius had gone for a blindingly yellow set of robes, while Remus had robes of sky blue with cloud-like patterns enchanted to float across the fabric.

"Who knew this could be so much fun?" James asked, leaning back in his seat. Sirius hadn't seen his best friend this happy since his own wedding. He was glad to see it again. None of them had had much to smile about over the last year.

"I did," Lily reminded him patiently. "I told you that three weeks ago, when we were making these plans. And you're going to tell me how right I am when we attend the ball the Longbottoms are throwing tonight in our gorgeous costumes."

"Yeah, yeah," James laughed. "You're always right, my Lilyflower. Someday I'll remember that without having to be reminded."

"She's got you tied around her little finger," Remus snorted. "Has since first year, actually. Sometimes I wonder..."

"What, Moony?" James asked, shifting on the couch to face him. Curiosity was written across his face.

"Well, I just mean... this has to be fate, doesn't it?" Remus asked a bit uncomfortably. "You've married the love of your life, and you've known who she was since you first saw her. It sounds like a fantasy, doesn't it? It must be fate."

"Lily is my soulmate," James replied with a secretive smile sent towards his wife. She returned it with a wink.

"Soulmates aren't real," Sirius rolled his eyes. He twirled Lily again, getting her to laugh even louder at the absurdity of their dance. "Otherwise it would definitely also apply to me and Moony."

"Why couldn't it?" Lily asked patiently. She gave Sirius a little curtsy, then plopped herself gracelessly on top of James. He let out a little 'oof' but didn't protest in the slightest. "If I ever have a child-" she glanced at James fondly, "He'll grow up believing in fate and soulmates. Everyone has a match out there somewhere. Maybe it's the muggle in me, but I want to believe in that kind of magic, as well."

"It's a beautiful thing to believe in," Remus replied with a soft smile. "I want to believe it, too."

"Then let's," Lily told him, grinning. "Why shouldn't we? A little faith never hurt anybody."

Godric's Hollow Cemetery, Halloween night

Sirius and Remus stood with their arms around each other tightly in front of the grave of their best friends. The statue of James and Lily was in clear sight, and it brought tears to both of their eyes. Remus leaned forward to place his free hand on top of the gravestone, letting a tear fall to the ground.

"They'd love all of this," he whispered into the night. "Hadrian having a date on Halloween, celebrating with his soulmates. It would have warmed Lily's heart."

"I think they know. I think.... I think they can see us, wherever they wound up," Sirius said after a moment. "The memory of death is getting fuzzier every day, but I do remember seeing them. I think... I think they told me they've been watching. That they love us all so much."

"Siri," Remus whispered. He turned his face to bury them in his husband's robes, letting his tears truly fall for the first time all day. Sirius held him tightly, letting him cry. He didn't let his own tears fall. He couldn't.

"They'd want us to be happy, Moony," he sighed. "They'd want us to move on."

"We have," Remus whispered. "I feel bad for it every single day, but we have moved on."

"Come on, let's go home. We can have some firewhiskey and talk about memories until dawn. I can't think of a better way to celebrate Samhain," Sirius said after a moment. Remus just nodded, keeping his eyes downcast.

They strolled out of the cemetery slowly, only stopping once in front of the massive statue of their best friends. Remus stayed back, already overwhelmed with emotion. Sirius approached the statue and picked a rather large weed from the ground. With a wave of his wand, it transformed into a bouquet of white roses and lilies. As he placed it on the base of the statue, he looked up into the bronze faces of Lily and James.

"Happy Halloween," he whispered. "And a very joyous Samhain."

Chapter Text

"I think they're ready."

"They are still children, Salazar," Rowena pointed out warily. "They are easily controlled and easily corrupted. We cannot trust them with this yet."

"Speak for your own heir," Godric smirked. "Ours is perfectly capable. He fought off enough compulsions to bring an army down in order to get to where he is today. He's ready."

"My Theodore has been through quite enough," Helga said softly. "He doesn't need this responsibility added to his plate."

"Must you always speak in food metaphors?" Salazar groaned. He rolled his eyes at her pointed glare. "The point, my dearest friends, is that Albus has held control of the stone for long enough. He uses the power for his own gain and not the safety of the children we are all sworn to protect."

"And you would like to give that power to those children!" Rowena pointed out angrily. "They are not ready."

"Rowena..." Helga hesitated, eyeing her best friend warily. Though she clearly didn't want to admit it out loud, she agreed with Godric and Salazar.

"I want it known that I do not agree to this lunacy," Rowena sighed. She shook her head, looking away from them for a few moments. "Might I propose a test instead of simply giving them the location?"

"What sort of test?" Godric asked warily. "The rest of us are not known for our wit."

"Ignoring the fact that you just called us uneducated," Sal rolled his eyes. "I'm all for a bit of a game to get the reward."

"No rules, no puzzle... we simply see if they'll listen to their magic. We allow Hogwarts to guide them, and see if they follow," Rowena proposed.

"Did they not already prove that they're willing to listen?" Helga asked, crossing her arms. "They found our elves, did they not?"

"That was once, when they were still overwhelmed by the new sensations granted by their lordships uniting. It is not the same as the gentle prodding against magic that they would now experience. They would need to be attuned to themselves and each other to find the ward stone," Rowena replied easily. She looked far too satisfied with herself. "Are we all in agreement?"

There was a dull chorus of affirmation, and then Rowena lifted her hands. The feeling of Hogwarts magic channeling through her would never get old. It only took a few moments for the castle to respond. All four of them felt her satisfaction with the decision, and an underlying excitement of good things to come.

"Are we making a mistake?" Helga asked softly. She nearly flinched at the looks she received in return. "I only meant that they are still children. This is a heavy load to put on them, when they've already been through so much. Couldn't we interfere ourselves? I know we are no longer alive, but Hogwarts responds to us even now. We could alter the stone from where we stand."

"It would deplete us," Salazar reminded her gently.

"Some things might be worth disappearing for," she countered stubbornly. "Getting a monster away from our children would be one of them in my personal opinion."

"But how would we teach our heirs what they need to learn if we are no longer here?" Rowena asked, crossing her arms. "At some point, we will have to let them make the hard decisions. Young Hadrian has already made several for himself. As much as I dislike having to trust children to make the correct decisions and not be swayed, I know that Godric and Salazar are right. This is what must be done."

"The boy knows," Godric said with confidence. "He knows that he must find the stone and change it. I'm certain that he's discussed it with the others. All will be well."

"I can only hope you are correct," Helga sighed.

My dearest son,

I have heard a wonderful, terrible rumor that you were attacked at school, and defended yourself and your... what are they now? Boyfriends? Partners? Been calling them Trouble, myself...

Hadrian rolled his eyes and folded the letter small enough that it would fit into his pocket. He'd read the rest of it in private later. Hedwig had dropped the letter on his head while he'd been on his way down to the Quidditch pitch; he was fairly certain that she was mad he hadn't been using her as often this year. He wasn't really surprised that she'd flown herself to Potter Manor to get some exercise.

November first was much too late in the year to be starting the Quidditch season and he knew it. Usually, teams were already formed and practicing by now. The very first game of the season was to be November twentieth, which meant that he had his work cut out for him. He'd only finally called for try-outs because Katie had cornered him that morning and demanded that he either set the time or hand over the captaincy to her. She didn't want it, but she refused to see Gryffindor lose this year because he was slacking. He had to agree with her. He had most of a team to replace, after all.

The Quidditch pitch was full when he made it down there. It seemed that word had spread in the three hours since he'd posted the notice. Students from all four houses were in the stands, which made him uneasy until he saw Draco, Blaise, and Theo seated among them. It was easier to square his shoulders and face the students on the pitch knowing that they were there to have his back should something go wrong. Especially when he saw both Ginny and Ron among the hopefuls.

"Right, listen up!" he called loudly. Silence immediately fell across the pitch. "Er... this is going to be a relatively fast try-out. Katie and I are going to be watching all of you to decide who plays best. The people with the most designated points at the end will be on the team. Split into groups according to what you're trying for; keepers to the right, chasers to the left, and beaters in the middle."

He was not surprised to see Ron among the keepers and Ginny with the chasers. He didn't recognize any of the beaters, but Dean and Seamus were among the chaser hopefuls, and Cormac McLaggen was amongst the keepers with Ron. If he was being honest, there were very few people he was looking forward to flying with amongst the gathered crowd.

"Beaters are going first. We're going to start out individual, and we'll pair you up based on skill from there. All beaters into the air! We're going to release a bludger. To start, you're going to pass the bludger to each other and avoid getting hit. If a bludger comes anywhere near the stands or the people on the ground, you're out. Got it? Good!" Hadrian grinned at the six hopefuls up in the air. Without any further words, he waved his wand at the mechanism holding the bludger into the trunk and released it.

They watched for a few minutes as the beaters hit the bludger around and across the circle, with Katie whispering names and commentary to him. After nearly four full minutes of nobody messing up, Hadrian pointed his wand back at the trunk and released the second bludger without warning. A few of them let out surprised cries, and almost immediately a third year hopeful was hit with one of the bludgers directly in the arm holding the bat.

"Corvin, you're out!" Hadrian called gently. He didn't want to discourage him; he'd been watching the boy closely. He was the youngest of the beater hopefuls, and he had a lot of potential. When the boy landed, Hadrian gestured for him to come closer. "Is it broken?"

"Nah," was the reply. He was offered a sheepish smile. "Just bruised, like my ego."

"You did really well," Hadrian assured him. "Try out again next year and you'll make the team for sure. Go get Pomphrey to double check your arm, then you can watch in the stands if you want."

"Can I stay down here? I've got a bit of a different perspective," Corvin hedged. Hadrian raised an eyebrow and he flushed. "My dad is a professional chaser for the reserve Comets team in Cokeworth."

"Why did you try for beater, then?" Hadrian asked, frowning.

"Your dad was a chaser and you're a seeker," Corvin pointed out bluntly. "We play to our strengths, and mine isn't speed on a broom."

"That's... yeah. Okay," Hadrian agreed sheepishly. "Sorry for assuming."

"Everyone does," Corvin shrugged. "So?"

"Yeah, stay. You've seen more Quidditch than I have, for sure," Hadrian agreed after a moment. It wasn't something that was usually done, but he wasn't one for following tradition. Another thought came to him and he called out for everyone to stop. A wave of his wand sent the bludgers back to the trunk.

"What are you doing?" Katie hissed. "We've only eliminated one!"

"I know who I'm picking," Hadrian replied carefully. "You know we don't really need to see more. It's clear who will be on the team."

"Hadrian," she sighed. She made no move to stop him from announcing it, though.

"Our beaters will be Stephen Knox and Kathryn Zellers. Our reserve beaters will be Corvin Olivier and Anita Blake," he announced.

"But you said Corvin was out!" one of the fourth years protested, at the same time as Katie cried out, "Reserve! What?!"

"I said what I said, and I'm the captain," Hadrian reminded them pointedly. "Listen, how many times have I been knocked out of a game, or been unable to play for various reasons? Oliver and Angelina had to scramble every single time to replace me, not to mention the one memorable time that we lost to Hufflepuff because I fell off of my broom! A reserve team is a good idea. We're going to have at least one reserve for every position, including seeker."

"Mate, this is ridiculous," Ron called out, scowling. "We only need one team."

"I'd think you'd all be happy about this," Hadrian shot back with narrowed eyes. "It doubles the amount of positions that are open and means that nearly all of you could join the team."

"It also means more training and practices, and neither of us have time," Katie hissed.

"It's an advantage that no other team currently has," Hadrian turned to her and spoke quietly. "If one of their players is knocked out of the game, they're out of luck. If one of ours is, we'll have a back-up ready and still be at full force. Think about it! We're almost guaranteed to win this way."

"Are you going to train them yourself?" Katie asked, crossing her arms. "Because I passed on the captaincy for a reason. I support you, you know that. But I have to pass my NEWTs."

"I know," Hadrian sighed. "I have a plan for that, too, which we'll go over at the first practice. It'll be easier than you think, I promise."

"Alright," she nodded. "I'm trusting you."

In the end, their team was double what it had been every year previous. On top of their four new beaters, they had five new chasers, two new keepers, and a new seeker. Their primary team would be Katie, Dean, and Ginny as chasers; Cormac as keeper; Stephen and Kathryn as beaters; and Hadrian as seeker. Their reserve team included Corvin and Anita as beaters; Seamus, Colin Creevey, and Dina Knox as chasers; Ron as keeper; and Romilda Vane as seeker. He was satisfied with all of it.

"Right you lot," he addressed his new team. "Our first practice will be Saturday morning and nine and will go until we're all satisfied. We're going to play it as mock-games. We'll switch up the teams every twenty minutes or so, that way we can get a feel for how everyone plays and make strategies. I'll have plenty of water, pumpkin juice, and healthy snacks for when we need breaks."

"Sounds great!" Ginny chirped, grinning. "I can't wait to fly with all of you."

He gave her a strange look, but she hadn't gone out of her way to be rude, clingy, or call him by the wrong name the entire time. He'd had to place Ron on the team on a probationary period because he refused to put up with being called by the wrong name all the time. It was based on the muggle strike system. Three times and he was off the team. He'd grumbled about that for a good long time, but had agreed in the end.

"Hit the showers and have a good rest of the night," Hadrian told them all. He had to speak with some of them individually before they'd walk off, but finally it was just Katie left with him on the pitch. She looked completely exhausted, but satisfied. By the time they'd chosen their team completely, she'd realized what a good idea having reserve players was.

"I knew making you captain was the right decision," she grinned. He didn't like the look of the bags under her eyes, but he wouldn't comment on it. Clearly something was going on with her.

"Listen, I know you're going to want to spend a lot of Saturday studying, so I'm only going to make you stay for a couple of hours. I can jump in as a chaser for a while after you go and give Romilda a chance to practice without as much pressure," he assured her. "Thanks for pushing me to do this. I needed it."

"You always carry so much on your shoulders," she told him. She nudged him with her own shoulder for emphasis. "I thought maybe this would balance some of it out. You're still a kid, Hadrian. You have to have fun sometimes. And I don't mean just going on dates."

The wink she shot him had him blushing. "Don't you start," he groaned. Her answering smirk made him turn and start to walk away. She was laughing when she caught up.

"Really though, I'm happy for you. I wrote to Angie and Alicia, and they're just as glad you've found someone who makes you happy," she told him gently. "And I have gossip!"

"Oh?" Hadrian asked, trying not to sound as interested as he really was. She laughed at his effort.

"Mhm," she replied smugly. "You remember Ollie, of course. He's gone and found himself a courting partner as well! It's supposed to be top secret. Something about Ministry bullshit, I don't know. But between you and me? He's courting Percy Weasley!"

"What?" Hadrian asked with wide eyes. The last he'd heard of Percy Weasley, he'd been promoted and was shunning his family. He hadn't given the older Weasley another thought since summer started, but now he had to wonder. Did Percy leave because his father didn't approve of his new job... or did he discover something in his family that made him turn his back on them?

"That's what I said! We all thought they hated each other. Can you imagine how their dorm must have been? They had one other roommate, but I happen to know that he was bunking with a younger year for a while. Between how stuck-up and studious Percy was, and how Quidditch obsessed Ollie was... they never should have gotten along," Katie shrugged. She glanced around to make sure nobody was close enough to hear and lowered her voice. "I guess Ollie flooed Angie in a panic when Percy gave the first gift. He was so excited and so afraid that he'd mess it up that she got him sloshed and helped him pick a gift while they were both... well. She told me that he gifted Percy a hand-crafted snitch. I didn't even know Ollie knew that kind of magic!"

"I can't imagine that Percy was thrilled with a snitch," Hadrian snickered. He was surprised by Katie's soft smile.

"According to Angie, he wears it as a pendant around his neck, shrunken down so it'll go unnoticed at work," she told him. "Last letter said that they're sharing a flat together."

"How long has this been going on?" Hadrian asked with wide eyes.

"Not long enough to be sharing a flat," Katie giggled. "They're keeping it a secret because Percy thinks his mum would go mental if she knew."

"She would," Hadrian muttered. He ignored Katie's curious look guiltily. "I hope they're very happy together. You tell Angie that I expect an invitation to the bonding!"

"You'll have to bring your boys along with you," Katie smirked. "She's been dying to meet them."

"Of course she has," Hadrian sighed. "And I suppose that you have, too."

"Mhm," she agreed, smirk growing.

"I'll introduce you, I promise. I just need..." he paused, unsure of how to finish the sentence. Katie's hand landed gently on his shoulder and pulled him to a stop just outside of the castle.

"You need time for it to be more official. I know, and it's okay. I'll be here when you're ready. We've never been particularly close, all things considered, but I think of you as a friend. I hope you know that," she told him. She let him tug her into a hug with a soft smile.

"'Course I know, Katie," he told her. His voice was slightly muffled in her shoulder, but she heard him anyway. "Thank you."

"Go on," she told him when they pulled apart. Her eyes were soft and a little sad. "You've got a detention to get to if you don't want to be late."

Hadrian cursed under his breath and took off into the castle with Katie's loud laughter following him. He was not looking forward to this detention. He hadn't been alone with Snape since the previous year, and he really didn't know what to expect now that everything had come to light. As much as he disliked James Potter, Snape despised Sirius. This was not going to be fun.

Chapter Text

November 1st, Gringotts Bank

Tom Marvolo Riddle was dead. He had died the moment compulsions had taken over his actions and forced him to commit atrocities. The day that he'd been forced to choose the moniker 'Lord Voldemort', Tom Riddle had ceased to be. The return of his sanity could not resurrect that boy who had died so young. Too many people knew what Tom Riddle had become, and would therefore not allow him to do what needed to be done. He had acknowledged that long before he'd gone to visit Severus and decided to be checked at Gringotts. He had already decided on the name he would be taking once the goblins declared him healthy and whole.

Severus, on the other hand, didn't seem to know what to think of this new man standing beside him at the teller's station. He kept glancing towards Tom and then quickly away, as if Tom could attack him at any moment in front of all these witnesses. It was with a heavy heart that Tom acknowledged it could have happened that way only a week before.

"We would like to speak with a healer, please," Tom told the goblin before them politely. He'd learned long ago that being rude to the goblins would earn him only contempt and a long waiting time. Severus glanced over at him yet again, and he held back his sigh. This would be a long day. The goblin regarded him steadily and silently for several seconds before nodding.

"This way," it said curtly. It led them down a long hall that Tom had never seen before and to a set of beautifully carved onyx doors. The goblin ran it's long nails down the length of the door, stopping just above the handle. A garbled word was called from inside the room, and the goblin offered them a bow and gestured for them to enter.

The inside of the room was just as dark as the door itself. Instead of sparkling onyx, the walls seemed to be made of hematite. There was a large, ornate desk in the center of the room, and shelves of books and strange objects lining the walls. The goblin seated behind the desk did not look amused as he gestured for them to sit in two red chairs across from him.

"You have requested a healer that you do not have the right to," the goblin informed them gruffly. "Rather than turn you away, Griphook correctly guessed that you are connected to a friend of the goblins. I am Onyxclaw, the account manager of many ancient and noble houses. That includes the house of Prince."

Beside him, Severus shuddered and hung his head. Tom considered asking what that was about but decided he would be told when it became necessary. The goblin was not so polite, it would seem.

"Lord Prince, that does not please you?" the goblin asked dangerously. Severus's head shot back up and his eyes narrowed dangerously.

"I am not Lord Prince," he hissed. "My grandfather disowned my mother and myself before he died, and he left a rather rude letter explaining exactly why."

"I do not know who has told you this falsehood, Lord Prince," the goblin answered. Tom couldn't read the expression on the goblin's face, but he guessed that it was a rarely expressed sympathy. "Your grandfather did disown your mother, but he did not disown you. His will stated that everything be held in trust for you until your seventeenth birthday, upon which you could claim your title and seat on the Wizengamot. The title was claimed with a vial of your blood, and the seat is held in proxy. Your vote has decided several laws over the years, as I understand it."

"What?" Severus asked. His voice was low and dangerous, and Tom nearly shivered from it. This was the formidable man he'd met so many years ago. "Who holds it?"

"I'm certain you already know," the goblin countered with a terrible smirk. His gaze turned to Tom and his eyes narrowed. "The Riddle family holds no title, but your mother's family certainly does. It is also held in trust for you."

"I come before you today to claim the name of my birthright and the title that belongs to me. I did not know that it had already been claimed," Tom replied. He kept his tone pleasant, which seemed to amuse Severus. Their eyes met, and an understanding passed between them. "I believe we are both in need of an in-depth inheritance test, and a magical cleansing. I will pay for it from my own vault."

"It won't be necessary," Onyxclaw replied after a moment. "My young Lord has offered to pay for any who are harmed by the same man that he was. It will come from his vault if it is revealed as I suspect."

The goblin pulled two sheets of enchanted parchment and two blood quills from his desk. He handed a set to each wizard and gestured for them to sign their names at the top. They did so with much trepidation. It didn't take long for lines of script to flow down the pages in front of them. Tom inhaled sharply at what he saw.

Lord Tom Marvolo Riddle Gaunt

Father: Thomas Riddle II

Mother: Merope Antiope Riddle nee Gaunt

Titles:

Lord Gaunt - passed from Marvolo Salazar Gaunt upon his death. (Pending)

Lord Slytherin - lost by right of conquest.

Heir Slytherin - passed from Morfin Mylan Gaunt upon his death. (Pending)

Vaults:

Riddle family vaults - 1218-1220

Gaunt family vaults - 67-72

Slytherin heir vault - 12

Various Donations** - 1678, 1682-1690, 1712-1714

**Gifted to the Dark Lord

Properties:

Riddle family - Little Hangleton, Riddle Manor

Gaunt Family - Gaunt Manor (pending donation), Corvus Convent (Italy), Salazar's Sanctuary (Scotland)

Slytherin Heir - Beauxbatons (50%), Loch Ness (Scotland)

Tom scowled as he read through his report, growing angrier by the second. He was not surprised in the least that he'd lost the Slytherin lordship, and he knew exactly who had it. He would have known even if he hadn't been reading the papers. He couldn't begrudge Hadrian his right of conquest. He wasn't sure how he'd managed to hold onto the heir position, though. At least he could still claim his birthright of the Gaunt Lordship. It would give him a place in the Wizengamot, and a start at what he had originally hoped to accomplish so many years ago. On the desk directly in front of him were two ring boxes.

"The young lord has no heir of his own," Onyxclaw said softly when he realized Tom was done reading through his report. "He has agreed to allow you to claim the heirship as a show of good faith, secure in the knowledge that if you are not the man you claim to be, he can revoke it. This is not a threat."

"No," Tom agreed. He actually felt a bit comforted to know that there was someone out there who could stop him in the event that the compulsions were placed once more. "I cannot continue to go by either name the world knows me to be."

"I would imagine not," the goblin agreed calmly. "Did you have a name in mind? Lady Magic will witness the change and approve."

"I have chosen the name Mylan Hydrus Gaunt. I will join society as the son of Delphini Gaunt and a muggle man who will remain unnamed. My grandfather would have refused to acknowledge him in the family tree," he spoke carefully. "My family has never been known to be kind to muggles, after all. It will shock everyone when I have different views."

"A very well thought out change," Onyxclaw acknowledged. "We can make the change for you once you are cleansed of all potions and compulsions. I believe you'll be surprised to find how different you look once my mate has finished with you." The goblin scribbled something on the parchment in front of him, then tossed it into the air and didn't flinch when it burst into flames. "For now, make yourself comfortable. Lord Prince?"

Severus was shaking in his seat as he studied the lines on the parchment in his hands. Without a word, he shoved the parchment towards Tom. As soon as it left his hands, he used them to cover his face. Tom glanced down and winced at what he saw there. So much had been kept from the man...

Lord Severus Tobias Snape Prince

Father: Ignotius Severus Fawley

Father (blood adopted): Tobias Snape III

Mother: Eileen Kathryn Snape nee Prince

Titles:

Lord Prince - passed from Elijah Roderick Prince upon his death. (Pending)

Lord Fawley - passed from Ignotius Severus Fawley upon his death. (Pending)

Vaults:

Prince family vaults - 672-698

Fawley family vaults - 44-48, 79, 87

Eileen Kathryn Snape's vault - 1899

Properties:

Prince family - Prince Manor, Prince Apothecary (London; Diagon Alley)

Fawley Family - Fawley Manor, Meland Place

"Fawley," Tom muttered to himself. Then his eyes lit up in understanding. "That's a Sacred Twenty-Eight family, Severus. You hold two seats on the Wizengamot."

"I don't want them," Severus shook his head. Tom couldn't read the look in his eyes, but suspected it might be related to anguish. He'd never heard the man sound so hollow before. "How could I not have known?"

"Perhaps I can shed some light on the situation?" Onyxclaw offered. He looked unusually soft for a goblin in that moment, and Tom had to appreciate that they were being shown a side that most wizards would never know existed in goblin-kind. "Your grandfather left a detailed letter with his will. It is addressed to his only grandson, and contains quite a few answers that I'm sure you're desperate to know."

"He hated me," Severus frowned. "He disowned me."

"He did no such thing," Onyxclaw replied. A thick envelope appeared on the desk in front of Severus, along with two ornate ring boxes. His were much larger and more important than the Gaunt and Slytherin boxes. For once, Tom felt no envy. "But before you read it, I suggest you follow Thornfire to the medical chamber to be cleansed."

Severus was finished long before Tom, as he had fewer compulsions. He'd been forced to hate his students, especially the Gryffindors, and especially Harry Potter. He had also been compelled to believe and obey Dumbledore, and to hate Tom with everything in him. There were several blocked memories that had been revealed, as well as a love potion that had been wiped from him. He could now remember with perfect clarity that Lily was nothing more than a best friend... a sister. The love of his life had been forced to marry another, and they'd both been forced to forget.

He sat alone in Onyxclaw's office with his grandfather's letter clutched in his hands. As much as he wanted answers, he was frightened to know what the man had to say. Had he known of his true heritage? Had he helped to hide things and compel him? Would it change anything if he had?

He would only find out if he opened the envelope and read the letter.

Severus,

If you are reading this letter, I am no longer in this realm. Good. As I write this, I have lost everyone I have ever cared for. You are too far in their grasp to be reached. If the goblins have followed my instructions, you're reading this with a clear mind for the first time in years. Hopefully not too many years... but what can we do?

I will start at the beginning. Assuming you have done an inheritance test, you might have found that your parentage is not what you once believed. I don't know for certain, I'm afraid. If it shows that dreadful muggle as your father, then you must forgive an old man his ramblings and suppositions. The first thing I want you to know is that your mother was the light of my life. Your grandmother died giving birth to her, and I cherished her with everything I had. I wanted only the best for her. To that end, I arranged a marriage with a family who was more well-off than we were. She was not pleased, and I never could understand why.

At my urgings, she spent much time with Ignotius Fawley. They courted, and followed the rules... to a point. You must know that many of the rules become simply guidelines the further into courtship that you go. I hope you have courted and bonded with the love of your life by now. If you have not, I hope you will find them soon. My darling Eileen went on several unchaperoned outings with Fawley, and I was quite pleased. They seemed to get along well. She even seemed to have accepted the contract happily.

One night she returned from their outing with tears streaming down her face. She refused to speak with me that night, or the following morning. Fawley did not call on her, as he usually did in the afternoons. In fact, that evening I received an owl from his father saying that the courtship had been revoked and there would be no bonding. He accused Eileen of doing awful things, and I am ashamed to say that I believed it. It made sense, at the time, that she'd come home so upset if she'd been caught giving Fawley a love potion and taking advantage of him.

I did not discover until long after she disappeared and married that muggle, after you were born, that it was the other way around. He had been slipping potions into her food on the outings, and he must have convinced himself that she no longer needed them... or he miscalculated the dosage. She woke from the potion in the middle of whatever they were doing, and she fought back against him. The damage had been done, however. I do not know when you were conceived, or if you belong to the Fawley family or that muggle. It honestly no longer matters to me.

Eileen disappeared in the middle of the night and never returned. She married that muggle and drained her inheritance account directly after. I do not know what they did with the money. I know what kind of man he was. I visited him only once, and that was enough to know that I needed to protect the family legacy. With a heavy heart, I disinherited my daughter so that she could not give more to him. I did, however, leave a clause in the will that would make it so that you could inherit as long as you perform the inheritance test and have a cleansing.

I added those stipulations after Dumbledore came to visit me in my home a few weeks ago. He spoke of my legacy helping to win the war against darkness, and tried to place a compulsion on me to change my will and leave everything to his Order. My lordship ring prevented the compulsion, but gave me an idea that he might have you as much under his thumb as he seems to have many others. Instead of leaving everything to him, I leave it all to you along with my hope for your bright future.

I wish that I could have been a part of your life, especially towards the end of mine. I would have loved to get to know my grandson. There's not much worth saying about myself. I died a lonely old man with wealth beyond what could have been spent in several lifetimes. I do know that you've become an accomplished potions master. I hope you'll use the money to strike out on your own with your potion creations. It will make me happy to know that you've made more of yourself than I made of myself.

With love,

Your Grandfather, Elijah Prince

He stared at the letter in disbelief for several long minutes, until Onyxclaw cleared his throat from the doorway. "If you'll place the rings on your fingers, I'll take you to see your familial vaults. Lord Gaunt will be quite a bit longer and has requested you take advantage of the rest of your afternoon off to learn more of your family heritage. You are the last of both lines; the previous Lord Fawley never married or had any other children."

"I don't think I want to see the vaults today," Severus replied quietly. He did slip both rings onto his fingers, though. Both accepted him instantly.

"You will never understand that which you do not seek for yourself," the goblin informed him gruffly. "It is an ancient goblin saying that sounds better in our language, in my opinion."

"There is nothing that is not in this letter that I care to know," Severus answered after a moment. "But... I would like to see the Prince family vault that contains the family grimoire."

"It also contains a few journals you might find intriguing," Onyxclaw grinned. Severus had to suppress a shudder at the sight of it.

"I somehow doubt that," Severus muttered, but he stood and followed the goblin from the room.

By the time Tom was fully done with his cleansing, Severus had returned to Onyxclaw's office for the second time and was reading through his family's grimoire. If he noticed a change in the other man, he didn't say anything about it. Tom kept his own comments to himself as well. The goblin waited for them both to be seated before he spoke.

"Now that both of you have accomplished what you came here to do, I must insist upon a vow from each of you. Our young Lord wishes for his identity to remain a secret for the time being, along with the things he has learned and chosen to do. You are both smart men. I'm entirely certain you've pieced together quite a bit on your own. He has given me permission to share the rest only if you take a vow of secrecy," Onyxclaw informed them both.

They shared a look that spoke mostly disbelief, but for different reasons. Severus couldn't believe that Potter's brat- no, but that's not what he was. His head spun every time he thought of the lies he'd been forced to believe. Tom couldn't believe the information he wanted was being offered so freely after everything he'd been through with Hadrian. The boy was just going to trust him? It must have shown on his face.

"Don't mistake this kindness for trust, Lord Gaunt," Onyxclaw sneered. "Just as he controls your heirship, he has the means to eliminate you as an adversary should you choose to return to that path. He has the backing of the Goblin Nation, and we will not let him down. You will face our brand of justice should you harm the young one."

"I mean him no harm," Tom assured the goblin sullenly. He didn't like having to explain himself to anyone. "I never would have gone after his family had I been in my right mind. None of what I have done has been what I wanted. I never wanted to hurt anyone."

"Lord Potter-Slytherin is aware of that," the goblin nodded. "That is why he has given me permission to share his story. I have also been authorized to pass on messages for you, should you have the desire to speak to him yourself."

"I will make the vow," Tom agreed after a few seconds of consideration. Honestly, he had nothing to lose.

Severus studied him for several long moments, then nodded. "I will, as well."

The vow was short but binding. As soon as the magic faded from the room, Onyxclaw snapped his fingers and made two bundles of paper appear on the desk. "These are the records of what Hadrian found in his own inheritance test and cleansings. He needed more than both of you combined. And from what I have gathered, the one thing we couldn't identify has now been removed." He gave Tom a pointed look and received a nod in return. "Good. All of his compulsions were placed after that night in Godric's Hollow, which we believe did not happen the way the public was informed it to be. You don't have to share those details. It really doesn't matter to the goblins, and I believe that Hadrian doesn't want to know."

"A good sentiment, but he will always wonder," Tom sighed. "I will not deny him the information if he requests it. Just as he'll receive word from me, I will receive it from him. He and I are closer than he realizes."

"He realizes more than you think," the goblin smirked. "There were stipulations that no longer apply, so. He offers you full ownership of Slytherin Castle if you would like it. He is aware that Dumbledore knows the Gaunt residence and Riddle Manor, and he exposed the town your family owns a few years ago. He does not apologize. He does offer you an alternative place of residence, fully staffed and ready to be inhabited. Consider it a gift of good faith."

"He would give up a piece of his heritage?" Tom raised his eyebrows in surprise.

"It is not his heritage. He won it," Onyxclaw pointed out. "He has stated that he has plenty of other properties that belonged to his own family and won't miss the Slytherin property in the slightest. In that same way, he offers Shell Cottage to Lord Fawley-Prince, should he wish a place to go where nobody might find him."

"We despise each other," Severus frowned. "Why would he offer anything to me? What does he want in return?"

"He says that his mother saw something in you that he'll never be able to see, but that he trusts her judgment. He's not expecting a clean slate," Onyxclaw replied carefully. The look of distaste on his face told Tom that these were not at all his own words, but Hadrian's.

"I refuse to be in his debt," Severus insisted.

"That is not what this is about," Onyxclaw's eyes narrowed dangerously. "Lord Potter-Slytherin has been controlled all his life, and none of his past decisions have been his own. He's making his own decisions now. One of those was to offer you a sanctuary that he was never given and had to find for himself. You are not obligated to accept it, but do not belittle his kindness. I am well aware of the way you have treated him, compulsions or not."

Severus sat back in his chair with his gaze directed to the floor. Tom looked between the two of them for a moment before gently inserting himself into the conversation. "Though we were adversaries for such a long time, I lived in the boy's head for nearly sixteen years. I'd like to think that I understand him fairly well, even without his compulsions. He means no harm, Severus."

"Whether he means it or not, we can't let Dumbledore know that we know. We can't let on that we're free from his influence, or he'll simply put the compulsions back into place," Severus sighed. He'd relaxed slightly when Tom had spoken up, which didn't go unnoticed.

"And we won't let on until we absolutely must," Tom agreed. "That doesn't mean you shouldn't accept his offer of a sanctuary. We all need a place to go that is our own, where nobody can invade our privacy. If Dumbledore calls on you at Spinner's End and you are not there, you can simply tell him you were out of town to find rare ingredients and leave it at that."

"I don't..." Severus hesitated. He looked so unsure of himself, and Tom felt the pity before he could prevent it. Nobody had been kind to Severus in a very long time, he knew. Himself included.

"Before you make a decision, speak with the boy," Tom suggested carefully. "Ask him about it in a nonconfrontational way."

"He does have detention this evening with me," Severus mused. "I could speak with him then, and see what he has to say. I might owe him an explanation as well."

"You certainly do," Onyxclaw muttered, but he was ignored.

"Very well. I'll speak with Pot- Hadrian this evening," Severus nodded. Tom was almost proud of the determined set to his shoulders.

"I will write him a letter," Tom said after a moment. "I'll explain a few things about my past goals and how they align with the present, and ask a few questions of my own. Will you deliver it to him when you speak with him?"

"Yes," Severus replied easily. As uneasy as he was about everything he'd learned that afternoon, he couldn't deny that it would be helpful to have the boy on their side in all of this.

"I need your arm, Severus," Tom said after a moment. Severus gave him a sharp look, but presented his left arm without having to be told which was wanted. Tom carefully rolled up the sleeve of his robe to reveal the dark mark he'd placed there so many years ago. It was raised and shimmering slightly in the light of the goblin's office, and it looked painful. Tom's magic had become so corrupt through his soul magic that his mark had been affected on each one of his followers. It was time to change things.

He pressed his wand gently to the mark and muttered a few words in an ancient language that had been almost lost to time. Severus inhaled sharply when foreign magic flooded into his mark, then all the breath left him as though he'd been punched in the gut. The mark flickered, then faded away completely. A wave of intense magic spread through the office and outward as Tom sat back in satisfaction.

"What did you do?" Severus asked hoarsely.

"I removed the mark from existence," Tom informed him. "It no longer exists on any of my followers, living or dead. It's a release from the vow you all made decades ago. With the return of my sanity comes a shift in the goals and promises I made all those years ago. I don't want to bind anyone to the past, and I will not be creating a new mark."

Severus sat in stunned silence as Tom accepted a long sheet of parchment from Onyxclaw and wrote out his letter to Hadrian Potter-Black. Things were going to change, and it would be for the better.

November 1st, Detention

Hadrian felt ridiculous as he stood outside of Snape's office nervously. He wasn't the same person he'd been the last time he'd had a detention with Snape, and he had a feeling that Snape wasn't the same person, either. He'd spoken with Onyxclaw that morning, and then again just an hour before the Quidditch try-outs. He was aware that Snape had accepted two lordships, though he didn't know which two, and that he'd been cleansed of all compulsions. The man he was about to face was not the man he'd spoken to even the night before. This was the closest he'd come to the man that his mother had been so fond of.

The door opened before Hadrian could knock, and he felt his cheeks heat at the raised eyebrows that Snape gave him. "Did you plan to serve your detention standing in the corridor?"

"No, sir," Hadrian replied after a moment. "I didn't want to be too early."

"You are three minutes late," Snape replied. He moved out of the doorway to allow Hadrian entrance without another word. There was nothing in the office that looked like the usual torture he put students through in detention. No cauldrons to scrub or ingredients to prepare. It made sense when he thought about it; what could a defense professor make students scrub, or prepare? Snape's desk was empty other than a stack of essays and a rather thick envelope. He made the easy assumption that he'd be doing lines, or something equally boring.

"What is it that I'm to do, sir?" Hadrian asked as he stood awkwardly in the center of the office. Snape looked very much like he wanted to roll his eyes.

"Have a seat, Potter-Black," was the only reply. He waited until Hadrian was seated to speak again. "Call your elf and request tea."

"Er," Hadrian replied eloquently. His eyes were wide in surprise, and Snape just... watched him. He offered no insult, even though it would have been easy to come up with several on how Hadrian was acting. "Salzy!"

The nervous elf popped into existence beside him, ears back as though he expected to be reprimanded for appearing in front of Snape even though he'd been called. "Master calls for Salzy?"

"Yes," Hadrian said after a moment. "Er, would you mind bringing us some tea?"

"Oh, Salzy can be doing!" the elf looked relieved that Hadrian wasn't upset with him, and he was gone in a blink. Not even a moment later, a full tea service appeared on the mostly empty desk.

"I believe I owe you an apology," Snape told him after over a minute of silence. He waved his wand at the tea service and two cups began to prepare themselves. "As I am sure you are aware, my actions were not entirely my own. That doesn't excuse the fact that you were treated... poorly."

"You don't owe me anything," Hadrian said after a moment of shock. "The things that I did before this year weren't really me, either. I think... we should just move forward. Looking to the past will drive us mad, yeah?"

"... Indeed," Snape replied. He looked baffled, which greatly amused Hadrian. "You did not earn this detention and I will not be making you serve it in any typical way. Instead, I have a letter for you from... well. Someone you don't know the way you think you might. I also thought that we could perhaps clear the air about things we don't understand."

"You can ask me anything, but I reserve the right to keep my secrets," Hadrian replied carefully. "I assume the letter is from Voldemort."

"He does not wish to be called that any longer. He has chosen a new name and claimed a lordship," Snape told him.

"Right, yeah. And an heirship. Onyxclaw told me that you claimed your lordships, too," Hadrian nodded. At Snape's sharp look, he grinned. "I've been named an honorary goblin. Onyxclaw is a good friend of mine, and Thornfire treats me like her own child."

"Somehow that does not surprise me," Snape sighed. "Lily was just the same. She never saw anyone as lesser and treated everyone with the utmost respect. Had she been around the goblins more, I have no doubt that she would have charmed them just as you have."

"Moony- er. Remus says I'm just like her," Hadrian replied. He nearly winced at his slip, but Snape didn't even blink at it.

"I think introductions are in order," he said after a few moments. The expression on his face was one that Hadrian had never seen on him before. "As of this afternoon, I am Lord Severus Tobias Fawley-Prince."

"Fawley," Hadrian muttered. "Sacred Twenty-eight?"

"Indeed," Severus nodded. "When we are in private, should we find need to seek each other out, you may call me Severus. I have a feeling that we would have known each other well had someone not meddled."

"I'm Lord Hadrian James Potter-Slytherin, but I've got several other titles sprinkled in. Call me Hadrian," was the only reply he could give. "I know you and my mum were close. I'm sorry that you lost her."

"I... am sorry, as well. She would have been a wonderful mother to you," Severus told him. He looked supremely uncomfortable, so Hadrian decided to move the conversation along.

"Do you plan to take your seats on the Wizengamot?" he asked. He lifted the cup of tea that had been magically prepared, mostly to give his hands something to do. This was an awkward conversation all around.

"I plan to appoint a proxy for now, for the Fawley name only," Severus answered. "It would be too dangerous for me to take my seats personally. It is too early to reveal the change in the former dark lord."

"So... he is for sure the former dark lord?" Hadrian asked slowly. He'd been fairly certain that Tom wouldn't be continuing on with his murdering, especially after the more malevolent followers had been caught and sentenced, but it was nice to have confirmation that he'd made the right decision.

Instead of answering immediately, Severus rolled his sleeve up to show his bare arm. Hadrian's eyes widened when he realized that the dark mark was completely gone. "He did this to show that his former goals are changing. The mark no longer exists on anyone, which will send a message to everyone who knows the significance."

"Won't Dumbledore get suspicious that you suddenly don't have it?" Hadrian asked. He was thrilled that Tom had changed so much in such a short amount of time, but...

"On the contrary," Severus replied. "It was previously thought that the only way to remove the mark was the death of the dark lord. In a sense, that proved to be true... but not in the way Dumbledore suspected. He was gravely weakened by your encounter in the ministry. It is our hope that Dumbledore will believe that you pushing him forcefully from your mind destroyed him fully. If he goes looking, he will discover that all of Tom's horcruxes have been destroyed."

"Horcruxes?" Hadrian raised his eyebrows. He'd heard that word before.

"Pieces of his soul placed in other objects," Severus explained. "Dark wizards use the killing of a living thing to split their soul apart. It is said that each piece of a soul can be used to bring someone back from the dead, but as you have witnessed, it is not the only way."

"Did he use a horcrux to come back in the graveyard?" Hadrian asked. He was almost certain that he knew the answer.

"No, I do not believe so. The shade that was left after... after Godric's Hollow," Severus paused, pain crossing his face briefly. "When you ejected it from Quirrell, it possessed a series of muggles. It drained them quickly. The ritual used to bring him back was to form a new magical body for that wraith. Adding the pieces of his missing soul to it bound him to the mortal realm once more. He no longer looks like the monster you last saw."

"Does he look like his old self, then?" Hadrian asked. "I was really confused when I wasn't faced with an older version of the diary wraith."

"He does, yes," Severus nodded. "I had forgotten that you've already seen the man he was before."

"Well, teenager," Hadrian shrugged.

"I think, perhaps, that you should read the letter he wrote for you before we continue. He has given me permission to answer any questions you might have to the best of my ability," Severus said after another moment of silence. He pushed the envelope towards Hadrian, which was opened without hesitation.

Lord Potter-Slytherin,

I write to you not as Lord Voldemort or Tom Riddle, but as Lord Mylan Hydrus Gaunt. It is too dangerous for me to be the man I once was, and I refuse to be the monster that I became. I have taken my late mother's maiden name, and am going to be known as the lost child of Delphini Gaunt, who was the daughter of my only uncle. Gringotts is forging the documents to prove that my supposed mother had relations with a muggle and conceived me. My 'grandfather' was too ashamed of us to even look at me, and so I was sent away to be raised in a foster family.

Now that we are... acquainted, I will explain a few things to you that you deserve to know. I never would have harmed a living soul. When I started all of this, I was an outcast as a halfblood Slytherin with progressive views about how things should be between muggles and wizards. I do not see muggles as lesser beings, but I do believe that we should live separately from them. Imagine, if you will, a world in which muggles have learned about magic. When they discover that magic can solve nearly all of their problems, we would be enslaved and forced to perform for them.

Alternately, I have seen how they treat people that they deem to be different. We are not better as wizards, but we are a smaller community and enough of us believe in human rights that it will never progress to the point that muggles have taken it. Muggles who are believed to be strange are prosecuted, enslaved, or even killed. They have fought entire wars over color of skin.

A muggleborn witch or wizard presents early in the muggle world with magic. Accidental magic cannot be controlled or hidden, no matter how old the child is. Even adults occasionally use accidental magic when emotions are strong. There are many, many cases of muggles abusing their magical children, or even killing them. A popular practice of olden days was to perform and 'exorcism' on the child with magic, claiming that they were possessed by an evil being. So many muggleborns do not make it into the wizarding world because their parents abuse them. Have you heard of an obscurial? It is a magical child who was pushed to near-death by abuse and consumed by their own magic. There are not many left, but they do still exist. I was nearly one, myself.

My original goal was to separate completely from the muggle world. I wanted to prevent wizards from being with or around muggles, to prevent any more death in the muggle world. It was not a feasible goal. I realize that now, after years of being controlled by a wizard who would see wizards ruling over muggles.

My new goal is to find a way to save the children who would be abused in a muggle home. I want to find a way to predict which children would be unsafe and remove them from the situation before it can happen. I have many ideas for this. I also plan to abolish the blood stereotype without destroying our roots. There are many old wizarding traditions that are no longer observed because they are believed to be too dark.

Blood magic was banned in Britain nearly a century ago, even though it's most common goal is to heal or protect. Sabbats and solstices are no longer celebrated, even though the rituals were created to renew and strengthen the ambient magic in the air. Even the Wizengamot is not what it once was. There are so many laws and restrictions that should not exist. A creature should not be classified as dark simply because they have the potential to kill. Wizards should not have a monopoly on certain aspects of magic, including how we channel that magic. The law preventing creatures from using wands should be abolished immediately.

I will be joining the Wizengamot with my newly acquired lordship, and after much discussion I will be holding the proxy for the Fawley vote. A few of my more devoted followers named me as their heir when they took their vows, and the ones who did not have children never changed that. Once the paperwork goes through for my change of name and background, I will be claiming their proxies as well. I refuse to take their titles, even though they were left to me. I will allow the lordships to be held in wait for the next of kin, and only claim the heirships that I am entitled to. I will use those votes to further my cause. Instead of creating a new mark and gathering new followers, I will network as any pureblood would. My votes will be assigned to the dark faction until I can convince enough others that magic is neither dark nor light.

All this to say that I am not the man you've heard so much about, nor the one you have fought several times. I do not expect you to simply take me at my word; I'll be proving myself to the entire wizarding world, and most especially to myself. I cannot apologize enough for your losses that were caused by my own hand. Know that if I could bring them back, I would. I will be happy to answer any of your questions, and so will Severus.

I do have a few of my own questions. How did you discover Dumbledore's treachery? Those memories are fuzzy. How aware were you of my presence in your core? Did my leaving drain any of your magic? What are your own goals, now that the entire board has been revealed to you?

Feel free to tell me to bugger off. You do not owe me any explanations at all, yet I hope that we will be able to work together in the future.

Lord Mylan Hydrus Gaunt

P.S. There is something of mine in the school that may feel very familiar to you. If you were to find an item containing my magical signature, I would appreciate it greatly if you would send it my way. It needs to be properly disposed of.

Hadrian had to read the letter twice to be sure he understood what he was looking at. In that time, Severus finished his tea and prepared himself a second cup by hand. Hadrian's was still warm when he took a sip to calm himself, and he knew that it was only so by house elf magic.

"He really is different," he said after he managed to calm his nerves. He took a deep breath, then nodded to himself. "Did you both claim the properties?"

"No," Severus admitted with a deep frown. Hadrian gave him a confused look, and the man sagged under the weight of it. He looked completely exhausted in that moment. "I can not in good conscience accept such a gift from you after the way we've treated each other over the years. Instead, I plan to purchase a small property and pay to have the goblins make it unplottable."

"It's not meant to be charity, or anything daft like that," Hadrian sighed. He could understand the other man's hesitation, but he was disappointed. "My family and I are staying at Potter Manor, and we've changed the wards so that an army of wizards couldn't get in if they tried. Slytherin Castle already has wards like that, and Shell Cottage just had wards added with a brand new ward stone. I've asked the goblins to fortify the wards at Longbottom Manor and Malfoy Manor as well, and I've offered to do the same for Blaise's mum's manor in Italy but he doesn't think she'll go for it."

"Why?" Severus asked. His face was as unreadable as it always was to Hadrian.

"Everyone deserves a place they can go to hide or escape," he shrugged. After a few seconds of pointed silence, he sighed again. "Because I have a saving-people-thing, according to Draco. Because I selfishly don't want to go back to fighting you or Tom, and I don't want to have to worry about my friends and family turning on me against their will. Dumbledore doesn't know I've slipped his compulsions yet, but I'm barely managing to keep my activities hidden. He'll know by now that I'm being courted by two Slytherins that he's got no control over, and while I made sure they're protected, there are plenty of people around me that he can manipulate if he feels like he's lost control."

"Breathe, Hadrian," Severus said gently. "Just breathe."

"How can I just breathe when everyone I've ever cared about, everyone that I love who is still alive, is in mortal danger just because I'm finally thinking for myself for once?!" Hadrian demanded. He continued before Severus could speak. "Most of them don't even know they're in real danger! Sure, they've heard about what was done to me, but none of them lived through what it felt like. They don't know how the compulsions feel against their magic and their skin. They don't know what to watch for. They're not going to have any way to fight him off! I can't make ear cuffs for every single student and teacher in school, and all the wizards on the Wizengamot. I can't save everyone!"

"HADRIAN!" Severus shouted, eyes blazing angrily. He calmed as soon as Hadrian's mouth snapped shut. "You're right. You cannot save everyone. Not like this. You don't need to be offering protection and draining your magical core to keep everyone around you safe. You will drain yourself to an early grave and leave Dumbledore the victor without him having to raise his wand a single time more."

"... What do you suggest, then?" Hadrian asked quietly.

"I assume that you returned to the school with a plan?" Hadrian gave a weak nod in response. "I also assume that you have been unable to find time to focus on said plan. Instead of worrying about everyone's safety, and running around the school trying to protect your friends, I suggest you let the professors handle the safety of the school. It is what we were hired to do. You focus on accomplishing your goals, and know that you can come to me if you run into trouble."

"You make it sound so easy to stop caring," Hadrian shook his head with a twisted smile. "It's not easy like that for me."

"I am not suggesting that you stop caring," Severus sighed. "I am suggesting that you shift that attention to other things. Instead of putting wards up around Mr. Longbottom's bed, try focusing your mind on the magic around the school. Whatever it is that you need to find or accomplish, Hogwarts will want to help. I am well aware that you are heir to Slytherin and Gryffindor. I am equally aware of Mr. Nott's and Mr. Zabini's roles in the school. Perhaps you should try meditating on those magics and see what you'll find."

"We... hadn't thought of using the Hogwarts magic like that," Hadrian admitted sheepishly.

"Of course you hadn't. I do not mean this to be an insult," Severus told him gently. "But you are just children. Sixteen is not an age to be fighting a war, and yet all three of you find yourselves at the very center of one that has been raging since before you were born. I will never tell you that you should simply trust the adults around you to take care of it... but it would not harm you to ask for help when you hit a wall."

"Until this morning, I had no clue who I could trust on the staff. I still don't know about a few of you," Hadrian replied. "I couldn't have asked for help without knowing that it could get back to him. I can't keep everything secret, but I can avoid having all of our plans exposed for a little bit longer."

"I will do my best to ensure that remains the case," Severus vowed. "Now, I believe I have taken enough of your time. Your friends will have questions for you, I'm certain. All I ask is that you stay discreet with who knows of our secrets. It cannot make it back to the headmaster that I have claimed my lordships, or that Tom is still alive."

"He won't hear it from me, or anyone I share it with. If I can help it, only a few people will know at all. I have to tell Sirius," he nodded. "He'll be a big help to both of you in the Wizengamot what he hears what you're trying to do. I'm hoping that I can convince Aunt Narcissa to take the Malfoy seat until Draco is old enough to claim it. I want to give her a seat or two in proxy that Sirius can't hold."

"You are determined to shock the entire wizarding world, aren't you?" Severus's lips twitched towards a smile. Hadrian hadn't missed the look of longing that flashed across his eyes at the mention of Narcissa, but he filed it away for later.

"They won't know what hit them," Hadrian grinned.

Chapter Text

Hadrian rolled over on his bed for the third time that night, mind going a mile a minute. He couldn't calm down, and couldn't stop thinking about everything he'd learned that day. He'd sent a letter off to his parents before he'd laid down, but he didn't expect to get a response. He suspected that Severus might get a howler, though.

With a sigh, he gave up on pretending to sleep. He grabbed his invisibility cloak and a random book from his trunk, and made his way down to the Founder's Kitchen. It wasn't until he was seated at the little table with a steaming cup of hot chocolate and a scone on a tiny plate that he realized he'd grabbed Salazar's journal. He opened it to the first page and began to read.

Wales, 972

Godric thinks that something horrible is about to happen. He is in no way a seer of any kind. He has never once predicted danger correctly. I am unconvinced that he would know danger if it danced before him in the nude. I will never tell him so, however. He insists that we should go for a visit with my sister. He thinks something awful is about to happen to her. I haven't yet had the chance to inform him of her engagement. I have never been able to deny him anything, and so we will be making the trip to visit Rowena shortly.

I had a letter from Nicholas this morning. Perenelle is with child, but they do not plan to tell the world of it. She is going to remain hidden in their villa in Athens until the child is born, at which time they will take turns in seclusion to raise the babe. Nicholas claims it is to protect his legacy, but I think he fears something. Something- or someone- has frightened the two of them in a way that I do not understand. He will not put it into writing. We have learned the hard way not to trust the written word. We have both been betrayed in ink.

In other news, Helga has once again made an attempt for Godric's affection. I believe I got my point across this time when I threatened to slit her throat if she does not leave him be. He is too kind to tell her so himself. I have no such hesitation. Hopefully we will all be able to move forward as friends now. I know that Rowena has always been fond of Helga, though indeed not in the same way that I am fond of Godric. The four of us were once so close. I wonder what, exactly, has changed.

Wales, 972

Rowena has not yet told Godric about her engagement. We are both enjoying the way in which he runs about threatening a painful end to any who even glance her way. Percival has not come to visit yet, and I cannot wait for him to officially meet my partner. I wonder if he'll realize what is going on between him and my sister when he can seem them interact with his own eyes.

I received a raven from an old friend last night, one I had not heard from in nearly a decade. Morgana once was my neighbor and my closest confidant and I have often wondered what happened to her. She simply... vanished, one day. As it turns out, she has been residing in a new kingdom with a wizard she calls 'Merlin' and a muggle king named Arthur. She claims to love this king, though she has a husband and two small children. I am unsure if she means that she is in love with Arthur, or that she simply loves him the way she once loved me. Perhaps she does still? I will find out. We are meeting in our village a fortnight from this very day.

Wales, 972

Godric has discovered Rowena's engagement, and he is outraged. He often speaks of bonding these days, but only in the privacy of our home. The law states that two wizards cannot be bound to one another as it will never produce an heir. As such, I usually put an end to the talk before he can truly begin to plan anything. He has grown a bit... bitter towards those couples who can bond to one another. I was unsure of how he would react to Rowena's planned marriage, and I am still unsure of what he truly feels now. He will not speak with me about it.

Rowena pulled me aside this morning to inform me that the reason for their rushed bonding is that she is with child. She was unamused when I threatened to hex Percival into an early grave for doing this to her. As it turns out, she is quite happy to be having a child. We are in agreement that Godric cannot know until after the bonding is done.

Hadrian's head snapped up when the door to the Slytherin common room opened and a head of blonde hair ducked through it. The door closed almost silently, and Draco let out a little sigh... until he noticed Hadrian sitting there and jumped nearly a foot into the air. His scowl only darkened as Hadrian laughed at him.

"Why the bloody hell are you in here?" Draco demanded, crossing his arms. His cheeks were flaming red in the dim light of the kitchen.

"Why are you?" Hadrian shot back in amusement. That seemed to take all of the wind out of his sails. He slumped into the seat across from Hadrian and nodded in thanks when Wena placed a mug of hot chocolate on the table in front of him.

"My father's trial was today," Draco said quietly. He kept his eyes firmly on the mug and not on Hadrian as he spoke. "He's a monster, and he was horrible to Mother. But..."

"He was still your father," Hadrian nodded. "Did they sentence him to the Kiss?"

"No," Draco answered after a moment. "I wonder if it would have been better if they had. He's been sentenced to life in Azkaban with no chance of release. The Dementors will make his life hell until he dies."

"But he's alive," Hadrian pointed out gently. Draco snorted, and Hadrian's eyes narrowed. "I understand better than you apparently think, Malfoy."

Draco scowled at him again, but it faded slowly as he realized what Hadrian meant. He shook his head after a moment and didn't speak again. They sat in uncomfortable silence while they both drank the cocoa, until Hadrian couldn't take it any longer.

"Snape claimed seats on the Wizengamot," he spoke softly, as though the very castle itself was listening. For all he knew, it might be. "Voldemort regained his sanity after I shoved a piece of his soul out of my magical core and he's changed his name and his entire personality. He's also claimed a seat on the Wizengamot, and he's going to hold Snape's in proxy for now. He's planning a big takeover of the Wizengamot to change things back to the old ways and protect muggleborns from fatal abuse."

Draco stared at him with wide eyes for a long time before he finally spoke again. "WHAT?!"

Sirius was pacing when Narcissa made it down to the dining room for breakfast. Remus was seated, watching his intended pace across the floor over and over again. She was fairly certain that he was muttering something under his breath, but she didn't possess Remus's supernatural hearing to know what it was. After her stressful day yesterday with Lucius's trial and sentencing, she'd hoped for a peaceful morning.

"Good morning," Remus told her softly as she joined him at the table. "I'm afraid you're going to be just as upset."

"I highly doubt that," she sighed. "Sirius has always had a tendency towards the dramatic."

"It runs in the family, Cissy," Sirius snapped distractedly.

"Whatever you say, darling," she rolled her eyes. "What has you so worked up this morning?"

It was the wrong thing to say. He didn't send a hex at her, but the look he gave her said that he really wanted to. Remus winced slightly in sympathy as he rounded on her.

"What has me so worked up?" he snarled. "First, my son sends me a letter that starts with 'don't worry, but...'! He proceeds to send a detailed account of a letter that he received from Voldemort, handed to him by Snivellus, and assures me that he's certain that it's genuine because he had the monster living inside of him since he was a goddamn baby! Even if we ignore that horrible little piece of information, I then receive a letter from the monster himself to give me a detailed account of his plan to take over the fucking Wizengamot!"

Narcissa sat back with wide eyes and just stared at her cousin for a while. He was out of breath from his outburst, and literal smoke was coming out of his ears. She'd never seen him display accidental magic out of anger before, and while she wasn't afraid of him by any means, it was a bit intimidating.

"And... what exactly does this plan entail?" she asked delicately. Sirius opened his mouth angrily, then closed it a moment later. He seemed to deflate in front of her eyes.

"That's the worst part," he sighed. "It makes sense, and it's not evil at all. It actually aligns with my own goals for the Wizengamot."

Remus silently passed Narcissa both sheets of parchment, and she read through them quickly. She inhaled sharply at one paragraph from Hadrian, and her eyes sought Sirius for a few seconds. He gave her a short nod of agreement.

We both actually agree about several things. The most important of which being that we need as many people on our side as possible on that council. We can't let Dumbledore gain any more power there. Snape and I talked about it, and we think that Aunt Cissa should claim the Malfoy seat until Draco is ready for it later. If she does, I can give her proxy of Le Fay. She might also be able to claim the Lestrange seat? Tom thinks that Bellatrix might have made Draco her heir.

She let the parchment fall to the table and lifted her hands to rub her temples. She had never even considered joining the Wizengamot, and she still wasn't sure that she wanted to. She didn't have long to decide; the next meeting was in two days time. According to Tom's letter, he planned to claim his place and his proxies at that very meeting. Severus would have undoubtedly given proxy of the Fawley title to him. While she could just give Sirius her own proxies, it made more sense to have an extra body on the council.

"I think it's a good idea," he told her softly. He'd calmed down completely in the time it had taken her to think everything through. "You've always had the most common sense out of all of us, Cissy. If you claim the Malfoy and Lestrange proxies, and Hadrian gives you Le Fay... you'll have control of the dark faction. I've got undisputed control of the neutral faction. We'd just need someone on our side in the light faction and we'd control all of it. We could change the world for the better."

"We can't trust anyone in the light faction," she sighed. "I've given that quite a bit of thought. If we didn't know that they betrayed Hadrian, I'd suggest speaking with the Weasleys. Dumbledore has held that proxy vote since Arthur took the title. I do wonder who the Prewitt title went to. I always assumed that Arthur held that until one of his sons could take it, but then none of them ever did."

"I think that line can only pass to magical twins," Remus said thoughtfully. "I would wager quite a bit of money that Fred and George could claim it if they were so inclined."

"Do we know if they can be trusted?" Sirius asked. Narcissa shook her head at the same time that Remus nodded.

"I spoke with Hadrian about that, actually. He said that Fred and George spoke with him after his first Defense group meeting, and they told him what they knew about their mother's betrayal. He trusts them."

"No offense to your son..." Narcissa hesitated. "Should we trust his opinion on this? He is still learning who he is after all of the compulsions and potions. I understand wanting to believe that your friends are trustworthy, but most of his have proven otherwise. The twins are from a family of people who have betrayed him. How can he be certain?"

"He can't," Sirius said after a moment. "But he can trust his own instincts and behave accordingly. That's all any of us can do. If we choose to reach out to the twins, we'll be keeping our plans to ourselves. We don't need to tell them what we're trying to accomplish in order to get them to take their title and join the Wizengamot. If Hadrian thinks they aren't under Dumbledore's thumb, they most likely won't vote in his extreme way. While they wouldn't be fully on our side, they also won't fully be on his."

"I'm willing to defer to you on this," Narcissa said after another moment of consideration. "I'm not certain that I want to claim those proxies."

"You've got a couple days to decide," Remus pointed out gently. "And there's no shame in choosing not to. Draco will be of age next year. It can wait for him."

"Could I not pass my votes to someone else? Someone who is already doing a phenomenal job with his own proxies?" she asked pointedly. Sirius grimaced.

"Nope," he answered quickly. "I'm not taking any more votes. Nobody should have this many. I don't envy Hadrian when he takes his rightful place."

"He'll be leading our government by the time he's twenty," Remus said fondly, shaking his head.

"I shudder to think of what he might do," Narcissa grinned.

"-adrian! Hadrian!" someone shouted down the corridor behind him. He blinked in surprise, because he recognized the voice but didn't want to believe she'd be bold enough to confront him in public after what Ron had pulled. He spun to face her with his wand in his hand.

She stopped a few feet away from him, hands held up slightly to show that she meant no harm. Right.

"I just want to talk," she said quietly. "I know that... that things have been different this year, and I can guess why. I think I've made some mistakes that I'd like to fix."

"No offense, Gin... but I don't trust you in the slightest," he replied coldly. Inside, he was reeling. Not only had she called him by his true name, but she was acknowledging the things that she and her family had done to him. She knew that he knew, and she seemingly hadn't told the others.

"That's fair," she nodded. "I wouldn't trust me either. I just have two questions."

"I'm not promising to answer anything," he said after a moment. His curiosity was too strong to for him to let this opportunity pass.

"Can we go somewhere... less public?" she winced. Most likely, she didn't want anyone to overhear the truly horrific things she'd put him through. While he had no interest in being alone with her, he didn't want to risk her not talking if he turned the request down. He gestured for her to follow and turned to lead the way to the empty Charms classroom down the hall. He happened to know with certainty that Flitwick was in the Transfiguration room for fifteen more minutes. That wouldn't give her time to do much more than hex him, if she could surprise him.

"Right," he said awkwardly when the door was closed. "What?"

"I don't want to know how you figured us out," she said after a moment. "I think it's better if I don't have any details. I'm not the best at occlumency, but I've managed to keep them out of me head since I realized something was wrong. My heart hasn't been in this for over a year now."

"I really don't care," he cut her off impatiently. "Ask your questions or let me leave."

"Right," she muttered, frowning. "I want to know... why haven't you told the aurors? Why not have us all locked away for life- or worse?"

"Who says I didn't?" he raised his eyebrows. "Maybe I went to them immediately and they're building a case as we speak."

"I sometimes forget that you grew up with muggles," she sighed. "And then you say things like that. The aurors don't wait. They wouldn't hesitate to take someone in on accusations half as bad as what we've done to you. And with my confession here, they wouldn't even need to hold a trial. I suppose I had some foolish hope that..."

"That?" he pressed when she trailed off, and she sighed.

"That you really did feel something for me," she finished softly. "I can admit now that I don't love you. I don't have the hero worship that Mum wanted me to develop. I like who you are as a person, on and off those damn potions. I suppose I hoped that you might like me, too, without the potions."

"Ginny," he shook his head. "Even if the potions had never happened, I wouldn't have been interested in anything more than friendship. You were great, don't get me wrong. I don't know how much of that was the potion and how much was really you. Sorry, but I really don't feel like finding out."

"That's my second question," she nodded. "Why?"

"Why... don't I fancy you?" he asked, just to clarify.

"That makes me sound so shallow," she muttered. Her cheeks were a little rosier than usual, but she wasn't quite blushing. "I really don't fancy you. But I don't understand why you say there was never a chance? We had a good time together."

"Sure," he agreed hesitantly. This was information he didn't know if he should be sharing, and she seemed to realize it. Something sparked in her eyes, and she shoved a hand into the pocket of her robes.

"A secret for a secret," she said as she pulled her hand back out. She held out a tiny vial of shimmering blue potion with a triumphant look. "I know you don't believe it was just you. We really... well. I liked Hermione before. I think she'd be easy to like again when she's not under Ron's thumb."

Hadrian accepted the vial with stunned silence. They had been dosing Hermione with something? She wasn't really his enemy? He quickly dropped the vial into his pocket before she could steal it back, mind made up.

"I have a soulmate," he told her quietly. "I was always fated to be with someone else, Ginny. Nothing would have ever happened between us, and it's likely that the love potions would have eventually killed me and my soulmate."

"... I see," she said after a few moments. She nodded to herself, eyes trained to the floor. "I won't lie and say that I'm sorry for everything, because I do respect you. What I can promise is that I'm done. I want to be known for something, and that something isn't being the one who tormented Hadrian Potter-Black for his entire life. If... when you go after my family, please keep this conversation in mind."

She turned to leave, and Hadrian reached for her arm before he could stop himself. He couldn't trust a word that she said even now, but he had to know. "Your family," he said quickly. "Are they all..."

"In on it?" she finished for him with a little smirk. "No. It's just Ron and Mum. They've been potioning Dad, too. I think Percy found out and that's why he cut contact. They don't trust me with all the information, probably for this very reason. My motivations have always been different than theirs. I couldn't care less about the money. I want the notoriety."

"The potion," he pressed on. "I just need to get it into her drink?"

"Or apply it to her skin, if you can," Ginny nodded. "Let go. I think we're done here."

"Yeah," he agreed as he released her arm. "We are."

Chapter Text

In the dead of night, a snowy owl flew from a tower high on a castle. She clutched a long roll of parchment in her talons, and flew with great speed. In what was definitely too short of a time, she swooped down through a manor's window and deposited her burden onto the head of dark hair. Satisfied, she made her way to the perch that always welcomed her for a well-earned rest. She was roused nearly an hour later and sent on to a colorful building not far from her original destination. The recipients of this new letter whispered to each other excitedly as she tucked her head under her wing and went promptly to sleep.

A tawny owl left from the same castle window just minutes after the snowy owl with a much heavier roll of parchment clutched in his talons. He had a much shorter flight, yet still arrived with impossible speed. His letter was dropped carefully on the desk of the elderly woman who was still awake. She gave the owl a distracted pat on his head, and he flew off again as she unrolled the parchment to read.

One final owl, a regal-looking eagle owl, flew from a lower window of the castle. She had the longest flight of the three, yet she arrived first. She did not dare to drop the scroll onto the head of the recipient, or onto the desk in front of her. She landed on the perch that was strategically placed beside the desk and offered her leg patiently. She preened her feathers as the woman read the short missive and burst into peals of laughter.

Albus Dumbledore settled himself into his seat at the front of the Wizengamot chamber with a sense of complete satisfaction. This was the first session he'd been to since August, and he felt prepared to make the changes necessary to get his plans back on track. His people were in place with their bill proposals prepared. He knew from experience that if he supported a bill, the light faction and most of the neutral would follow his lead. Not even Sirius Black could ruin this day for him.

He watched patiently as witches and wizards filed into the chamber and took their seats. He greeted some with wide smiles and twinkling eyes, and ignored others completely. It was fortunate that Lucius Malfoy would no longer be able to attend; with his four votes out of commission, the dark faction would no longer hold any sway over the Wizengamot at all. There simply wasn't enough of them left to make a difference. The clock ticked over to eleven, and the meeting was about to officially begin. He noted with glee that Sirius had not arrived. Just as he was lifting the gavel to gain attention, the door burst open to admit Sirius, Narcissa, and a man he had never met before.

"Hope we're not too late!" Sirius called with a grin. He was far too chipper for Albus's liking. He was up to something. "My cousin would like to claim some proxies."

"She may approach," Albus said after a moment. He hadn't anticipated this. He felt reassured that even if she could claim the Malfoy vote, it wouldn't be enough to help the dark faction. He just couldn't fathom why Sirius seemed to be supporting her.

Narcissa stepped forward with Sirius at her heels, but they stopped several feet from his chair. She cleared her throat and addressed him loudly enough that the whole room would hear her. "I stand before you today to claim several proxies on behalf of my family. I, Narcissa Ariadne Black, do claim the title of proxy to the houses of Malfoy, Lestrange, Crabbe, Goyle, and Le Fay."

"As the current proxy of house Le Fay, I, Sirius Orion Black, confirm that the head of the house approves this change," Sirius chimed in happily.

Albus felt his blood run cold for a moment as the chairs Narcissa had listed lit with a soft purple glow of approval. "It would seem that Magic has approved your claims," he said coldly. He had to work to force the twinkle back into his eyes. "Please take your seats so that we might begin."

Narcissa bowed her head in respect for a moment before making her way up the stone steps and sinking into the Le Fay chair. Sirius practically skipped up the steps behind her to take the Potter seat. Though Albus had hoped to just ignore the strange man, he stepped forward as soon as Narcissa's spot had been vacated. It seemed he was following her lead.

"I have come to claim my place as Lord Gaunt, along with several proxies," he announced just as loudly as Narcissa had. If Albus had been horrified before, it was nothing to how he felt now. It couldn't be him.

"Proceed," Albus said quietly. The twinkle was once more gone from his eyes. If he'd been paying attention, he would have noticed how Narcissa had tensed in her seat, or how Sirius was glowering at the man openly.

"I, Mylan Hydrus Gaunt, do claim the title of Lord Gaunt. I also claim proxy of the houses Fawley, Crouch, Carrow, Avery, Rosier, and Rowle, until such time that the lord and heirs can come forward to claim the titles themselves. On my magic, so mote it be," he announced to the chamber. Complete silence followed, until all of the mentioned chair lit with the same soft purple light that Narcissa's had.

"Take your seat," Albus told him. Any warmth that he'd infused into his voice at the beginning of the meeting had been leeched out by his anger over these changes. It was obvious to everyone in the chamber. Just as he lifted the gavel once more, the door banged open with the sound of a firework and the Weasley twins tumbled inside. "What is the meaning of this?"

"Sorry, Professor!" one of them grinned. He threw his arm around the other.

"Didn't mean to be late," the other added with a wink.

"Running a business, you know," the first stated.

"Can't predict when you'll get busy," the second finished.

"This is a closed session, my boys," Albus told them with as much kindness as he could muster. It wasn't a lot.

"We know," the first nodded. He cursed himself silently that he still couldn't tell them apart.

"That's why we're here," the second stated. They both straightened up and suddenly looked quite serious. "I, Fred Gideon Weasley..."

"And I, George Fabien Weasley," the second added.

"Do claim the title of Lords Prewett," they finished together. Albus didn't even have time to process the surprise before the Prewett seats lit with that same purple light. He heard one of the twins mutter, "Wicked". He didn't even have time to tell them to sit before they were scrambling up the steps to take their place in the light section.

He waited for several seconds, but nobody else came through the door. With bated breath, he banged the gavel to get silence in the chamber. When all eyes were on him, he forced himself to smile. "Welcome to our new members. Feel free to watch this meeting if you'd like to get a feel for how we operate; there is no rush in voting if you do not feel ready. Nobody will think less of you."

He hoped that at least the twins would take that advice, selfish though it was. They were far too young and had not been properly groomed by Molly for this. Not to mention the fact that they had taken away one of his more prominent proxies. He now only had claim to two of the founders, the Dumbledore vote, and the Weasley vote.

"Before we begin, does anyone else have anything to claim?" he asked, as was tradition. Never before had anyone taken the opportunity.

Lady Zabini rose in her seat with a sharp smile. "I, Lady Consiglia Marinette Zabini, would like to claim proxy to the house of Ravenclaw until such a time that the lord can come forward to claim it himself. I have been trusted with this proxy in the strict confidence that I follow his instructions on how to vote."

"This is highly irregular," Albus started to say, but the chair lit purple before he could finish. Lady Zabini sat back down in her own chair with a satisfied smirk. "Do we have any... others?"

Lady Longbottom rose from her seat, and Albus nearly dropped his gavel in horror. This couldn't be happening. How could she have a title to claim and not inform him beforehand? She was one of his chosen allies! One he'd trusted with the most important bill he'd wanted to put forward.

"I, Lady Augusta Margaret Longbottom, do claim proxy of the house of Hufflepuff, under the understanding that I vote how the lord has chosen on each matter put forward."

"Augusta-" Albus started, but the flaring of purple magic at the Hufflepuff chair cut him off. It was brighter than the others, as though the Hufflepuff magic was excited to be acknowledged.

"There's no use in arguing with Magic, Albus," she told him cheerfully as she settled back into her chair. "What's done is done."

"... Anyone else?" he asked bitterly instead of acknowledging her. Nobody stood, to his relief. "Then this meeting can begin. Does anyone have any bills they would like to put forward for a vote?"

Silence lasted for only a moment before Lady Zabini cleared her throat and stood again. "Speaking not as Lady Zabini, but as the proxy for Ravenclaw, I put forward a motion to thank Chief Warlock Dumbledore for his service and begin a vote for a new Chief. It is the belief of the founders that Dumbledore has done an admirable job over the last several decades, but it is time to welcome someone new. We are stuck in our ways. It's time to shake things up."

"I truly believe-" Albus started, shock clear on his face, but he was cut off by Sirius.

"I agree. No offense to our illustrious Chief Warlock, but it's time for a younger mind to step forward and change our world as we know it. We've been living in the past for too long. If we're not careful, the muggles will advance far beyond us," he nodded.

"Surely you're not suggesting that Dumbledore would allow such a thing to happen," Lord MacMillan chimed in with a frown. "He has led us for many years with nothing but success."

"In the last ten years alone, Albus has missed more than twenty meetings due to his obligations with the school. Lord Ogden has been leading in his stead for long enough now that we tend to follow his lead in most things anyway," Augusta pointed out loftily. "I say it's about time for someone new to take the seat. It'll give the headmaster more of a chance to focus on our children."

"That's true," Lord Parkinson agreed hesitantly. Albus tried not to let his scowl show. Of course the dark faction would be for this. "We entrust him with our children, yet several times during the school year, he is here with us instead. It would be much better for all involved if he could continue at the school without interruption."

"He still has a seat here for his Order of Merlin," Lady Shafiq pointed out. "While I agree that we should consider someone new for the position, I do not think we should ask him not to return to our meetings."

"That's not what I suggested at all," Lady Zabini frowned. "I merely stated that it's time for someone else to hold the gavel."

"And who would you suggest?" Narcissa asked. Albus didn't like the little smile she sent to Lady Zabini, or the way that Lady Zabini seemed to be suppressing her own amusement.

"I have several ideas," Lady Zabini replied casually. "The most appealing of which being Regent Black, as he holds so many important titles in proxy. Though Lord Gaunt has provided an excellent alternative by claiming so many of his own. But I believe the one meant to lead us for the foreseeable future is the formidable Lord Ogden himself. He has done such a marvelous job thus far."

"He is not quite a younger mind," Lady Shafiq chimed in. Albus wasn't certain if she was on his side or merely pointing out all of the facts. Either way, it was working in his favor. He would have to do something nice for her soon.

"Perhaps not, but he is a new perspective," Narcissa replied thoughtfully. "I second the motion to vote on a new Chief Warlock."

"This is highly unnecessary," Albus tried. He was met with looks of disbelief from most of the gathered Lords and Ladies. It simply wasn't done to argue with the court. He would have no choice but to put it to a vote. "As you wish. All in favor, raise your wands."

A startling number of wands waved in the air. As soon as he saw all four founder's proxies with raised wands, he knew it was over. There would be no salvaging his position that day. He would have to wait for an opportunity in the near future to reclaim his power here. It wouldn't be hard to find a way to dispose of Lord Ogden. Tiberius had always been more trouble than he was worth.

"Very well. I thank you for the many years of your trust in leading this court. I leave it in your capable hands," he sighed. "Let the nominations begin."

"I nominate Tiberius Ogden," Lady Zabini called out pleasantly. "He has always done a wonderful job in the past and I know that he will continue to do so."

"I second the nomination," Narcissa stated when she was done. She offered Lord Ogden a brilliant smile. "I know you'll do well."

After a moment of blustering, Tiberius rose from his seat. "I accept your nomination. Thank you for the faith that you've placed in me."

It was all Albus could do to keep the scowl off of his face. Had he not done a wonderful job of leading all these years? Of course the dark faction would want him gone. It didn't matter that Lady Zabini was neutral, or that Narcissa Black was an unknown factor. It was obviously Lord Gaunt- Lord Voldemort- who was behind all of this.

Augusta rose from her seat with a stern look on her face that instantly had some of the gathered court shrinking in their chairs. Her sharp gaze turned to Sirius and she eyed him for a moment before nodding. "I nominate Regent Black for the position. The man has been through too much in his short life, and that includes misjustice from this very court. If anyone is going to be able to get things back into order, it would be him."

"We second the nomination," one of the twins chimed in quickly.

Sirius blinked at all of them with wide eyes, then shot a glance at Narcissa. Her encouraging smile was not what he was expecting to see, based on the look he gave her. Albus would have crossed his fingers if he'd thought it would do any good. Finally, he gave a short nod. "I accept the nomination. I don't know what you think I'd be able to do that ol' Ogden wouldn't, but I appreciate the sentiment all the same."

"Oh please," Augusta rolled her eyes. Albus was horrified to see the old woman smiling at Sirius. "Don't you sell yourself short. I remember when you ran around with my son. You were a good, smart boy back then, and you're a good, smart man now."

"Are there any other nominations?" Albus asked through gritted teeth. He was not surprised in the slightest when Lord Parkinson rose. A nomination from each faction, as was traditional.

"I nominate Mylan Gaunt. He may be new to our court, but he claims nearly all of the most powerful families under his own control. I believe that means he is fated to do something big... something important," Lord Parkinson announced. He glanced around for support, but found very few nods of agreement. It was Mylan himself that stood instead of someone to second the nomination.

"I thank you for your consideration, Lord Parkinson, but I must politely decline. I have much to learn before I will feel ready to throw my hat into the ring, as it were," he said politely. At the blank looks he received, he chuckled under his breath. "I can see what Regent Black meant by the muggles advancing beyond us. I hope he will be able to bring us more up to date. My vote will be cast for him."

Albus narrowed his eyes as he looked between Mylan and Sirius. Lord Gaunt was smirking lightly at the Regent, and Sirius was absolutely glowering at him. There was a clear animosity between them no matter what the supposed 'Mylan' had just claimed. And who did he think he was, using a muggle saying? If he was trying to throw Albus off of his trail, he was failing miserably. He would prove exactly who this man was before the year was over.

"Yes, yes, very good. It is time to vote, then. All in favor of Tiberius Ogden, please raise your wands," Albus called out in his most grandfatherly voice. Let them all believe that he approved of this. If he sounded like he supported Tiberius over Sirius, hopefully people would be swayed in that direction. Tiberius would be much easier to dispose of. Half of the wands in the room rose, including Lady Zabini and most of the light faction. Though she had seconded the nomination, Narcissa did not vote for Ogden. Neither did Augusta or the twins.

"A good number," Albus nodded. Inside, he was fuming. Though at first glance it would seem that they were nearly tied, he knew that by count of votes it was a landslide. "Raise your wands if you would like to vote for Sirius Black."

The rest of the wands in the room rose, including that of Mylan Gaunt. Magic swirled around the chamber, and a soft golden light surrounded the Potter chair. Sirius temporarily disappeared in the blinding flash that it created, and when it faded away he was wearing the traditional violet robes of the Chief Warlock. Magic had spoken, and there would be no changing her mind.

"Congratulations, Regent Black," Albus stated flatly as he stood from his chair at the front. Sirius had also gotten to his feet, but he hadn't begun to make his way forward yet. Smart of him; if he couldn't get a hand on the man, he couldn't enchant him without being caught in this chamber. Holding back his snarl of disgust, Albus made his way to his place beside Griselda Marchbanks. Only once he was seated did Sirius make his way to his new place at the front of the chamber.

"This is... not how I expected today to go," he admitted to the room at large. It earned him a few chuckles and plenty of smiles. He ignored Albus as he tried to catch his eye, which only further infuriated the headmaster. "Thank you very much for your trust and your kind words. There are a lot of things that deserve our full attention, but we only have so long for each meeting. Before I present my own findings and changes to be made, I open the floor to all of you."

Nobody spoke for several moments. Albus was quite relieved to see that none of them seemed to know what to do now that things had taken such an unexpected turn. Perhaps he would be back in office much sooner than expected. Just as he had that wonderful thought, Lady Longbottom rose from her seat once more. He felt a kind of guarded hope that she might put forward his chosen bill so that he wouldn't have to do it himself.

"I must admit that the reason I did not vote for Lord Ogden is because I have a much more important job in mind for him," she announced to the room at large. "It is fortuitous that all of this has come to pass today, I think. It makes what I am about to say quite a bit easier."

Albus shot a glance up at Sirius, but he didn't seem to be the least bit confused or curious. They'd planned this. Augusta had fully betrayed him. His anger made his hands shake, but his magic was no longer what it once was; nobody noticed him quietly fuming as his magic did not lash out.

"Much as it was time for a change on our council, it is time for a change in our Ministry. With everything that we have learned over the past several weeks, I believe it is time to remove Cornelius Fudge from his position as Minister of Magic immediately and without honor. He has been found hiding certain truths and allowing misdeeds to happen in these very chambers. I do not wish to know what else he may have done under the table," she continued.

Around the room, heads were nodding firmly. There were very few who seemed to be unsure. Only Madam Umbridge seemed angry by the proposal, but it seemed that someone had had the foresight to silence her before she could shout out her displeasure.

"Right. That's a big change to be making on my first day!" Sirius grinned out across the room and received plenty of answering smiles. Albus pointedly did not return the gesture. "Before we get to the Lord Ogden part of that proposal, let's first vote on whether or not it will be necessary. All in favor of sacking Fudge, raise your wands."

All but three wands were held high before he'd even finished the call for a vote. Albus had no choice but to vote in favor of ousting Fudge; he'd outlived his usefulness. This may still work in his favor; if he could get someone into that office who still followed his directions, he could maintain firm control of everything without being Chief Warlock. He might even be able to "uncover evidence" that proved Sirius was guilty of an equally horrible crime that would get him sent back to Azkaban.

"Perfect. I open the floor to nominations for the interim Minister until a proper vote can be called for the public," Sirius announced. Then he sat back and watched the chaos unfold. He was sorely disappointed when there was in fact no chaos.

"I nominate Lord Tiberius Ogden to the position of interim Minister of Magic," Augusta said simply.

"I second the nomination," Narcissa added warmly.

Not a single other person put forth a nomination. Albus glanced around the room as a whole, but nobody seemed inclined to speak. He himself could not think of a single person in that room that he would be able to trust to follow his orders should the need arise. He felt only the slightest amount of vindictive pleasure that nobody nominated Mylan Gaunt, either.

"Anyone else? No?" Sirius asked after several long seconds of silence. "I don't even think we need to vote. Lord Ogden, do you accept this honor?"

Tiberius looked utterly stunned as he stood from his seat. Albus felt the curl of dislike growing inside of him. There was little doubt that his bitterness showed on his face, and he was glad that nobody was paying him the slightest bit of attention.

"Well," he said, eyes wide. "Well. I... well, I accept, of course."

"Someone send a notice to Fudge to clear out of the office. It'll be yours by the end of the day, Og," Sirius told him with a wide grin. Albus wondered if anyone was going to scold Sirius for being so informal, but it seemed that the majority of the council seemed... relieved by it. The atmosphere had greatly relaxed since he had stepped down from the chair.

"Now that that's out of the way, I have a proposition of my own involving the ministry," Narcissa announced. She rose gracefully from her seat to address the room. "We must discuss the Department of Mysteries."

"Right," Sirius agreed. "I have a pretty big problem with them myself."

"Who do they report to?" Mylan asked innocently. "Would it not be the minister? Perhaps we should give Lord Ogden a chance to go over the departments before we dive into this subject."

"I think you'll find that the DOM doesn't answer to anyone," Lady Shafiq spoke up hesitantly. She'd been very quiet since Sirius had taken the chair. "The head of the department has always claimed that they answer only to Lady Magic herself. They do not report to the Minister, and it is in fact considered an act of great disloyalty for any of the information they uncover to be shared with... well, anyone."

"How do you know all this?" Narcissa asked.

"My late husband worked in that department for a short time. He could never tell me anything, and in the end decided to accept a memory-altering charm to leave the department permanently," she replied quietly. "He was never quite the same after that."

"That can't be allowed to continue," Lord Ogden frowned. Albus himself was also frowning. He'd been regretting the fact that he hadn't managed to get to the Ministry until after Harry had left the Department of Mysteries. One of his only regrets was that he had yet to see the interior of that department. The children had been "too traumatized to talk about it" according to Madam Pomphrey. Minerva had all but forbidden him from bringing it up even after they'd left that retched woman's care. Minerva had been watching him too closely to allow for him to place the necessary enchantments to change the mediwitch's mind.

"My son had to go there at the end of his fifth year, thanks to... well," Sirius shot a pointed glare at Umbridge, who was conveniently still silenced. "He doesn't like to talk about it. Honestly, neither do I. I nearly died there because of a tricky bit of enchantment they placed over a veil between worlds. I'm lucky to be here today. They need to answer to someone. If they won't allow that to be the minister, then so be it. We'll make that department head another elected position."

"I like the idea of that," Lady Shafiq nodded. She sat up straighter in her seat and turned her full attention to Sirius. "It needs to be someone who doesn't mind sharing information with the public when it is for the greater good. Some magic... I understand should be kept secret for all of our safety. My heir has told me a great deal about what was encountered there, however. Much of it would be of benefit to our society."

"Your heir has been there?" Albus asked without thinking. He received a sharp look from Lady Shafiq, then a short nod. He was left reeling with that knowledge. It was widely known that Zafira Shafiq did not have any children. In fact, it was common knowledge that she was the last of her line. To find out that it wasn't true after all this time...

"Lady Shafiq, would you be willing to run for that position?" Sirius asked, drawing attention back to himself.

"Oh, I don't know," she hedged. "I'm getting to be an old woman. That kind of responsibility might be beyond me."

"Nonsense," Lord Ogden spoke, looking quite serious. "If I'm not too old to hold the Minister's office, you're not too old to be a department head. Sounds like they took something from you. Only makes sense that you should be the one to return order there."

"You're too kind," Lady Shafiq blushed. She ducked her head, smiling. "If Lord Ogden has such faith in me, then I am willing to run for it."

"Excellent. Anyone have a problem with this? No?" Sirius banged the gavel merrily. Albus was perplexed to see the longing look that Lord Ogden gave to the banging gavel, but pushed it to the back of his mind. There were more important things to focus on. "I'll get a missive sent over to the DOM as soon as our meeting adjourns. Lady Shafiq will step in as the department head for the time being, and that election will be held at the same time as the one for the Minister."

A silence settled over the room once more. It seemed that nobody wanted to bring up any more major issues at this session. Albus was still silently fuming over the way his own suggested movement had been turned against him. He wasn't sure he could sit by calmly if anything else was changed that might disrupt his plans for the future.

"Nobody else?" Sirius prompted. He received no reply. "Right then, I've got one of my own. I was planning to bring it up today anyway. I know the Chief Warlock doesn't traditionally bring their own changes to the court, but... given the circumstances, I hope you'll indulge me."

Nobody spoke. Albus considered speaking up himself, but he would clearly be outvoted.

"Thank you," Sirius sighed. "I wanted to discuss the ethics of the prison Azkaban. More specifically, the abolishment of the dementors as prison guards."

There was immediate uproar, which Sirius had seemed to expect. Even Narcissa looked uneasy at the prospect of removing the dementors, and she had been Sirius's biggest champion so far. Sirius had to bang the gavel to get everyone to quiet down.

"I know it's out of the blue, and completely bonkers to most of you," he started, frowning. "But as an innocent prisoner, let me tell you... living with the dementors for twelve years very nearly killed me. At a future meeting I want to discuss revisiting some cases and possibly freeing some prisoners, but for now... how do we know that more innocent witches and wizards aren't suffering? The dementors are housed in that prison, which is not nearly as big as some of you think it is, and they are not fed. They have to get the scraps of emotions that prisoners hang on to, and that's not a meal. Let me tell you from experience that fear gives way to hopelessness fairly quickly, and that's not an emotion that dementors thrive on. So we've got these starving creatures guarding all manner of prisoners. Azkaban is our only prison. We send everyone there."

"I fail to see why this is an issue," Lord Nott said stiffly. Several people nodded in agreement, and it looked as though Sirius was barely managing to keep calm.

"Let me put it this way," he replied carefully. "What is the punishment for stealing?"

"Up to five years in Azkaban, depending on how much was stolen," Lord Ogden supplied. Sirius nodded.

"Do any of you have family that has served that sentence?" he asked.

It took a few seconds, but Lord Parkinson eventually nodded. It created a ripple effect; in the end it appeared that most of the dark faction and half of the neutral had family that had served time for minor crimes.

"I'm sorry," Sirius told them gently. He did look very apologetic. "I have to ask... were they ever the same afterwards?"

Nobody wanted to answer, but it was clear from the looks on their faces that they had begun to understand why Sirius wanted to make this change. Albus was seething. He did not want the dementors to be released from Azkaban. It was time to ask.

"As regrettable as that is, my dear boy, should we not also consider that Lord Voldemort allied with the dementors in the last war? Would it not simply make it easier for him to do so again if we release them now?" he asked calmly. "Would it not also be easier for his devoted servants to break out if the dementors are not there?"

"I'm not suggesting releasing them, Albus. Dementors are vile creatures who steal souls without a second thought. They are a danger to society," Sirius replied. Albus wondered if he knew how much like Umbridge he sounded. Until... "How many of you know what a dementor really is?"

No. No.

"You all know what obscurials are, I assume," he continued on, much to Albus's horror. "Those poor souls just fade away most of the time, but the ones that were truly tormented and suffered the most pain... they linger. They adapt. As their souls start to fade, they learn how to take others to survive. They feed on the fear of others because it is all that they know, and when it becomes too much, they take the souls in an attempt to cling to this realm of existence. They become dementors."

"No," Lady Zabini whispered in horror. She had tears in her eyes, and her hand had lifted to cover her mouth. She was the very picture of distraught. "We must help them!"

"The only way to help an obscurial is to send it on to the next realm," Sirius told her gently. "That's what I propose that we do. We can send the aurors to patrol the halls of Azkaban. I'm sure Lord Ogden would be happy to look into the budget for more to use as guards. We send the dementors on, and we let those prisoners have peace to atone for their crimes. All in favor, raise your wands."

This vote was much less unanimous. Less than half of the wands raised, but it was enough votes to pass the motion. Albus knew he wasn't imagining the sheer relief on Sirius's face as he banged the gavel to pass his own motion. All of the tension had bled out of him.

"If there's nothing else...?" he asked, glancing around the room. Albus very much had more things to say, but this was not the time or the place for such conversations. "Meeting adjourned. I'll be sticking around for a few minutes if anyone wants to talk with me."

Albus wanted nothing more than to return to the school and destroy things in his anger, but he didn't want to look like he was running away after being ousted. He was also hoping to see Cornelius being led out, if he was honest with himself. He stood from his seat but did not immediately head for the door of the chamber. He lingered, and he listened. He was glad that he had.

Lady Zabini headed straight for Sirius as soon as he'd ended the meeting, and they were talking quietly at the base of the Chief Warlock's seat. Albus couldn't quite hear them, but he could very clearly hear what Augusta Longbottom said when she approached.

"Bloody good show," she told them both with a grin. "I've not seen a meeting like this in years."

"Yes, well. It needed to be done," Lady Zabini smiled. Her eyes drifted towards Albus, then quickly away. He tried not to scowl. "Thank you for your help."

"Don't thank me for doing what's right. Someone has to set an example for the youth," she replied. "Speaking of which, why are you two not on the school board? You've both got children in the school."

No. This could not be happening.

"We could used parents like you who aren't afraid to speak their minds. Where's Narcissa? As the proxy of the founders, all three of you have a rightful place on that board," Augusta continued.

"Oh, now... I don't know about that. I'm not Lord Gryffindor-Slytherin, after all," Sirius replied uneasily. Good. He could keep his nose out of Hogwarts.

"We should discuss this further," Lady Zabini said pointedly. Her eyes again slid to Albus and away. "You're all welcome to visit my manor for lunch. I'm certain we've all worked up an appetite."

"I'll grab Cissa and we'll floo over as soon as I can leave," Sirius nodded. "You're right about this requiring discussion. We should be including our heirs, don't you think?"

"You can contact them?" Lady Zabini asked. Interesting...

"You think I can't contact my own son whenever I want?" Sirius asked. Albus gritted his teeth, then immediately regretted doing so when Sirius glanced over to give him a cheeky grin. "I can talk to him any time. He can put us in touch with the other two, as you well know."

They all knew who the new lords were. If Albus wasn't mistaken, Sirius was heavily implying that the two unknown heirs were currently also residing in Hogwarts. Students? Teachers? He would have to investigate. There was very little that could be hidden from the headmaster of the school when he truly wants to know. Even the founders were forced to answer his direct questions truthfully. They would certainly know who their own heirs were, would they not?

"Right then, it's settled. We'll have lunch at Lady Zabini's manor in Italy," Augusta was saying when Albus tuned back in. "Until then... good luck, Chief Warlock Black."

Without waiting to see what he'd say in reply, Albus finally made his way out of the chamber. He was only slightly happy to see that Cornelius was being marched from the lift between two burly aurors. He was throwing a delightful tantrum that attracted the attention of everyone in the atrium, which made for the perfect cover. Albus really didn't feel like stopping to talk with anyone. He needed to get back to the school.

He may no longer have control over the Wizengamot, but he still had a firm grasp upon the school. Nobody could take it away from him.

In the middle of History, Hadrian stiffened. A wave of very familiar magic shot through his core, and he shivered. A voice that he hadn't heard in months echoed through his mind in pure excitement.

"It is time."

Chapter Text

Wings of inky black fluttered as the bird perched on a high windowsill. It gripped a thin scroll of parchment in one foot, which it offered as soon as the recipient was close enough. It did not wait for a reply before taking off into the night.

Severus,

Letters do not seem like a secure way to discuss what must be done, yet I cannot think of a better way that won't risk you being caught. That old fool seems to have eyes everywhere.

The meeting went just as planned, with an interesting twist. He is no longer in charge. Unfortunately, the newly appointed head will be hard to sway to our side without the brat's help. It's clear that he knows who I am and does not approve. I had hoped that the brat would have been able to sway him by now. At the very least, it's become clear that we have the same goals. He doesn't seem the type to sabotage himself just for spite. Of course, you would know him better.

Narcissa looks well. She would be receptive, I believe.

I am hopeful that you will have a response from the brat to send along with your next letter. He can hardly use his own owl without it being inspected. I will work on finding a solution to this unfortunate means of communication. Suggestions are welcome as long as they are not idiotic.

Lord Mylan Hydrus Gaunt

Severus pinched the bridge of his nose in irritation as he finished the short letter. Everything about it was frustrating for him. He had long suspected that Black would be ridiculous about the return of Tom's sanity. The only saving grace was that Black really wouldn't sabotage himself.

The mention of Narcissa troubled him. He'd been fond of her when they were in school, yes. They'd been good friends. Once she'd married Lucius, they'd stopped talking completely. He really wasn't sure why Tom would be insinuating that he should make a move on his former friend. The longer he thought about it, the bigger his headache became. It didn't take long for him to realize that something was very, very wrong.

He hurried to the fireplace in his office and tossed floo powder into the dwindling flames. "Deputy Head's Office!" The green flames swirled, and Minerva's frowning face could suddenly be seen. Her irritation immediately shifted to concern.

"Severus, what...?" she trailed off. He was clutching his head too tightly to really focus on what she was saying. "I'm coming through."

Moments later, the flames flared up and Minerva McGonagall stepped into the office. She lifted her wand immediately to cast a diagnostic spell and scowled at what she found. She placed a gentle hand on his shoulder and pushed him backwards until the backs of his knees hit the armchair against the wall. He fell into it, still clutching his head.

"There's a curse that's blocking memories from being accessed in your mind, Severus. It needs to be removed at once. Do I have your permission?" she asked gently. He looked up at her with anguished eyes and gave a short nod.

Minerva was not as well-versed in healing spells or reversing health curses the way that Poppy was, but she'd spent enough time with the mediwitch to be proficient. She didn't hesitate as soon as she had his permission to lift her wand again. It took her several minutes to locate and dispel the curse, as she was not a natural legilimens. By the time she'd finished, they were both panting from exertion.

"I don't understand," Severus finally spoke. "I just had a cleansing with the goblins. I just... I had those memories just a week ago."

"It did seem like a fairly new curse," Minerva agreed gravely. "I couldn't tell who placed it, unfortunately. I should have taken you to Poppy, but I didn't want to make you wait any longer. You seemed to be in terrible pain. What triggered it?"

"You couldn't see?" Severus asked with raised brows.

"I would never invade your privacy in such a way," Minerva replied. There was hurt in her eyes when he looked up into them. He sighed and pinched his nose again.

"I'm sorry," he said softy. The hurt shifted to brief surprise before settling on fondness. She had known him since he was eleven years old. She'd been concerned when he'd chosen a dark path in his fifth year, and disappointed when he continued down that path through adolescence. Now that they were colleagues, she'd spent quite a bit of time looking for the little boy she'd been fond of. This was the closest she'd seen him come to that boy.

"No need to apologize. I understand the lack of trust, given that the curse had to have originated here in Hogwarts," she sighed. "I'm glad that you trusted me enough to seek me out for help."

"There are few here that I'm willing to put my faith in. You are the one I trust most. Filius and Pomona are also... trustworthy, I believe," he told her. She was touched, until she realized there was one glaring absence.

"But not Albus," she murmured. Her forehead wrinkled as she considered that. It had been a long time since she'd allowed herself to question the headmaster. It wasn't as though she could force him into doing something that he didn't want to do.

"No," Severus agreed cautiously. "Not Albus."

The regal owl circled the grounds a few times as it waited for its charge to be available. It had strict instructions to deliver this letter at breakfast with the rest of the mail, as visible as possible. It didn't have to wait long.

Bambino*,

Ciao! I know that I do not usually write to you during the school year, but this is rather importante*. The Wizengamot met yesterday and elected a new head. Your amante's padre* is now in charge of the council. And what a stir we caused! Your plan worked wonderfully, il mio bambino*. I'll not spoil what we've accomplished; I'm sure our illustrious Chief Warlock will want to share his own achievements to your amati*.

Sadly, Marcelo has moved on. I know that you will be most heartbroken by this news. In better news, I may be courting again soon. I've a reputation to uphold, after all. I have been told that Spain is lovely this time of year. My dear friend Estevan tells me that the Spanish wineries are wonderful right now. I may make the trip before Yule. Should I not return on time, I've arranged an alternate guardian for you.

Ti amo, figlia mia*. Write soon.

Tutto il mio amore*,

Mother

P.S. Do not let your Italiano grow rusty just because I am not there to speak it with you.

Blaise sighed heavily as he rolled the parchment back into a scroll and tucked it into his bag. He was well aware of his mother's reputation. They called her the 'Black Widow', as she's had so many husbands that it seemed obvious that she was killing them herself. The reality was so far from that it was laughable.

His mother 'courted' with men who needed a way out. Whether it was an abusive family, blackmail, or something far darker, she took them under her wing and offered her protection. Her tiny amount of Siren blood made it easy to trust what she says, which in turn made it easy for her to protect them. Of course, none of them truly loved her. Eventually, they'd want to part ways. She forged the documents, conjured fool-proof false bodies and infused them with the man's magical signature, and smuggled them out of Italy under disguise of a trip to the country to mourn. The wizarding world believed them to be dead, and they went on to live full lives with new identities. Marcelo had undoubtedly become Estevan.

The only news that was relevant was the changing of Chief Warlocks. They'd actually managed to wrestle control away from Dumbledore; he could hardly believe it. He needed to tell Theo and Hadrian as soon as possible, but he was having a little trouble finding them. He stalked down the abandoned corridor and turned to step behind the tapestry for a secret passage that would take him close to the Founder's Kitchen, but... it was already occupied by a couple snogging.

"Really? This is the place?" he sighed. He couldn't say that he was surprised to see them together, but it was amusing to watch them jump apart in embarrassment. He wondered if it had just happened now, or if they'd been doing this in secret for a while.

"What are you doing here?" Draco asked in resignation.

"I'm on my way to see my wayward soulmate with some interesting news," he replied with raised brows. "And I asked first."

"I'd think it's fairly obvious why we're doing what we're doing down a hidden corridor, Zabini," Lavender snarked. Now that she'd assessed the threat and deemed him lacking, she stepped closer to Draco and leaned into his space again. "If you could leave us be?"

"Sure, sure," Blaise raised his hands in surrender, smirking. He met Draco's eyes before he started to back away, and he was satisfied to see the shining happiness there. He wondered if Draco realized something was... missing.

He took the long way to the Kitchen so that he could have more time to think. He wasn't about to tell anyone what he'd seen, but he was curious to see how it would play out. Lavender wasn't exactly known for keeping secrets. Now that Draco was free of his father's influence, he could do whatever he wanted. That was why nobody had said anything about him getting closer to Hadrian this year. Blaise had always been free to do whatever he pleased, as his mother was notorious for being neutral in the wars. As they'd never taken a side, they weren't expected to start now.

The problem that they currently faced was Theo. Nott Sr. wasn't in the habit of getting caught while doing his dark deeds. Even if Voldemort was suddenly a better man, Theo's father never would be. Thaddeus Nott was accustomed to getting his way no matter what, and not being caught while doing so. Anyone that he thinks is disrespecting him or disobeying him mysteriously disappears or suddenly changes their mind. Blaise was well aware of how he treats his only son while they're at home. He just hadn't figured out how to get Theo out of that environment.

"Mr. Zabini," his head of house drawled from several feet away. He stood in the doorway of what Blaise was pretty sure was an abandoned classroom with an unreadable expression on his face. "A word?"

"Of course, professor," he replied smoothly. He allowed himself to be ushered into the empty room with only a sliver of unease. Hadrian claimed that Snape could be trusted, and Blaise believed him. Mostly.

"It has been brought to my attention," Snape started, drawing his words out just enough to be annoying. Blaise shivered as he felt a privacy ward settle over the room. "That a certain Gryffindor has been spotted in the common room lately. Would you care to explain?"

"Oh," Blaise replied. Relief settled over him; this would be easy enough. "He's the Lord of Slytherin, Sir. He has every right to be there. Salazar himself invited him."

"Yet he did not use the password to get inside. Several sources informed me that he simply stepped through the opening without uttering a word," Snape pushed. Blaise frowned; he hadn't known that.

"I suppose the castle recognizes his right to be there?" he hedged. It was his best guess.

"Please inform Mr. Potter that if he wishes to visit the Slytherin common room in the future, he needs to speak with me beforehand," Snape said after several moments of consideration. "We would hate for harm to come to him because he startled a house known to eliminate their enemies. Wouldn't we?"

It sounded like a threat to the untrained ear, and Hadrian probably would have taken it as one if Snape had said it to him instead of Blaise. He recognized that immediately. Instead, he heard it for the true warning that it was. Hadrian had only escaped unscathed because he'd taken everyone by surprise and left before they could gather themselves. They'd all be ready next time. If Snape escorted him, though, it might deter anyone who wanted to do him harm.

"Understood, Sir," Blaise nodded. "I'll pass the message along."

"See that you do," Snape sneered. "And while you're at it, return this for me. It is everything it was claimed to be."

Snape shoved a vial of blue potion into Blaise's empty hand almost angrily. He wasn't sure what it was supposed to be, but if Hadrian had asked for it, it must be important. The privacy ward dropped just as quickly as it had risen, and Blaise left the room first. He didn't feel like translating anymore threatening hints.

Hadrian was the only one in the Founders Kitchen when he arrived there, though he had the feeling that Theo wouldn't be far behind him. His heart warmed at the smile his soulmate offered when he sat down across from him. He wasn't sure he'd ever get used to feeling so... complete.

"You okay? You look distracted," Hadrian said after a moment. He closed the book in front of him to give Blaise his full attention. If he had to guess, he'd say that was one of the journals his soulmate had taken from Gringotts.

"I had an enlightening conversation with Snape," he replied after a moment. He held out the vial first, smiling slightly at the look of surprise it earned him. "He said this is everything it was claimed to be?"

"It is?" Hadrian's face did something that Blaise couldn't quite follow. He seemed both apprehensive and relieved, which... made no sense. "Alright then. I'll need help figuring out how to get it into Hermione's drink tonight."

"We're pulling a prank?" Blaise wrinkled his nose in distaste.

"No!" Hadrian said quickly. It was entirely unconvincing until he continued. "She's been potioned the same way that I was. This is the antidote. I've got to write to Onyxclaw about a necklace or something that will protect her once she's free from their influence, but once I've got that..."

"You'll have your friend back," Blaise nodded.

"Exactly," Hadrian agreed with a grin. "The trick is going to be doing it without being seen."

"So what I'm hearing is that you need a distraction," Blaise smirked. "I have just the thing in mind. Draco isn't going to like it, but it's for his own good."

"You don't mean-" Hadrian started.

"Oh yes I do," Blaise confirmed.

"That's not going to end well," Hadrian sighed, but he was grinning. Blaise was taking that for the permission that it probably wasn't meant to be.

"What's not going to end well?" Theo asked. Both boys turned to face him with matching mischievous grins, and he took a step back in alarm. That of course caused all three of them to laugh.

"Blaise is planning a distraction for me," Hadrian explained, holding up the potion that he'd just received. Theo nodded in understanding.

"Sorry love," Blaise told him gently. "You might be eating lunch with Pansy and Daphne tomorrow instead of with me."

"That's alright. Daphne owes me a book," Theo shrugged. Blaise didn't like the defeated look in his eyes. It just strengthened his resolve that he needed to find a solution to the problem that Theo's father poses. He met Hadrian's gaze for only a moment and saw that they were in perfect agreement.

"Oh! The reason I came all the way here," Blaise exclaimed. He dug his mother's letter out of his pocket and passed it to Hadrian. "I think things went exactly according to plan."

"Brilliant," Hadrian grinned. "Time to work on our end then, don't you think?"

"Have you been feeling a strange pull on your magic?" Theo asked as he settled into the chair between them. "It's been pretty insistent for a few days now. I haven't followed it, because I didn't want to go without the two of you."

"Yeah, I have," Hadrian confirmed. "It just doesn't feel like time yet. I think we should wait for a time that Dumbledore is out of the school. That way there's no chance that he could figure out what we're doing until it's too late."

"Do we know when that will be?" Blaise asked with raised eyebrows. Hadrian sighed.

"No," he admitted. "But if we need to give him a little push, I'm sure my father can think of something."

"Sounds like he's got more resources now," Theo nodded. "So that's our plan? Follow the pull as soon as the headmaster is away?"

"Yes," Hadrian nodded. "And maybe we'll finally find a way to get him out once and for all."

A beautiful snowy owl circled over the highest tower of the castle as she waited for her target to be alone. She had strict instructions not to deliver her letter until he was on his own with no chance of being intercepted. She had neatly dodged the summoning spell that had been sent her way as she crossed the wards, and she was getting impatient. Why couldn't he hurry along to his room?

What she couldn't see was the artful way that he was dodging the people he now had to avoid. Most of the people in the tower were either ignoring all of them, or watching the entertaining showdown. The ginger boy grabbed for his arm, but he managed to evade. They traded barbed comments, then he stormed up the stairs and charmed the door locked. A quick ward was placed over it to alert him if someone attempted to use a spell to unlock it.

Finally, she could deliver her letter. She gave his fingers a quick nip in affection before taking off to the owlery. She'd earned a nap.

Dearest Son,

I am utterly speechless. Speechless, I tell you!

(He's not. He hasn't shut up since he got home. It's a bit ridiculous. I might need you to return home and save me from his antics. I hate that the winter hols are still two weeks away.)

Rude. Anyways! I was elected Chief Warlock of the Wizengamot! Completely blindsided me. I had no clue there would even be an election to begin with.

(Another lie. As if anyone can keep a secret from him. He's ridiculous.)

... I've hidden in the attic while I finish this letter so that Moony will stop calling me out. I'm sure that by now you've heard all about what we accomplished. As you and your loves orchestrated most of it yourselves, you should be aware of its success. I'm here to fill you in on what you don't know.

The most important thing that you wouldn't have heard is what happened after the meeting. We had lunch with Lady Zabini in Italy of all places. I'd forgotten that the school board was a thing that existed. As it turns out, Consiglia has a place on it and has informed us that there are a few openings that have yet to be filled after the unfortunate catching of deatheaters a month ago. As I just took a full position within the Wizengamot, Moony will be joining the board. Narcissa will also be joining up, as Draco's mother. Only parents, so no Andi.

Another result of the meeting is that Dumblefuck-

(Sorry, I've found him and taken the parchment away. He's spelled it so I can't erase what he's written, though, and anytime I try to write over it... well. Let's just say I'm a bit covered in ink at the moment. What he was trying to say so eloquently is that we've effectively silenced the headmaster in all ministry matters for now. As the law states that the Hogwarts Headmaster cannot hold the position of Minister, he'll be scrambling to find someone he can control. We've got a handle on it. Tiberius Ogden is in charge for now, and will hopefully remain so. Tonks is keeping an eye on him in the ministry, in case of assassination attempts. We can't leave anything up to chance.)

But that means that most of his attention will be away from the school for now! Consiglia told us that he rarely attends board meetings. He counts on his pawns to maintain control for him. With Moony and Cissa on the board, that tips it out of his favor. You might get to see new classes and an expanded curriculum before you graduate, pup!

(I wouldn't count on that. But Padfoot and I can tutor you on anything you want to learn that you haven't gotten the opportunity to study. As I understand it, the founders have been teaching you a bit as well.)

Have you had any time to find the wardstone? I know you've been busy with aspects of the war that we can't touch. Speaking of, thanks for the warning. 'Mylan Gaunt' did indeed make his appearance. Can't say that I like him any more now than I did before his big change. Augusta has a different perspective. I'm sure you'll hear all about it when you're home. She and Neville are coming over for Yule.

(We hope you'll invite Theo as well. We've already invited the Zabinis.)

Love you, Pup! We'll see you soon.

Love,

Padfoot (and Moony)

The snowy owl got nearly two hours of sleep before she was rudely awoken by a disembodied hand stroking her feathers. The hood of the invisibility cloak was thrown back and she found herself blinking sleepily at her wizard. He seemed highly amused as he fastened his reply to her leg. She hooted in disapproval, but she was ignored. With an exaggerated stretch of her wings and a nip at his fingers, she was off.

None of the windows were open at the manor when she arrived, and she could see her charges sleeping inside. She took great pleasure in pecking at their window until one gave an annoyed grunt and went to let her inside. He attempted to go back to bed without taking the letter, but she wasn't about to allow that. She'd been given a job and she would complete it!

She landed gracefully on his head and stretched her leg to dangle the letter before his eyes. Though he made annoyed gestures, his partner was laughing at him. Relieved of the letter, she no longer cared what they chose to do. She flew off to her perch and went back to sleep.

To my strange parents,

I'm not sure I'll ever get used to your letter styles. It's funny, and I like it, but it's confusing at times.

I'm sorry to tell you that none of what you wrote surprised me at all. Blaise told me all about the board stuff right after it happened. His mum was too excited to keep it to herself, and from what I've gathered, he's just like her.

If I have to listen to Ronald go on about what I'm supposed to be like, I can't be responsible for what I hex him with. Amarantha is less than pleased that she's not allowed to scare him again. (She says hello, by the way.) I can't afford to make a scene with her again. Somehow, Dumblefu- er, the headmaster didn't see the need to call me to his office to discuss it, but he's been looking at me more often in the last week or so. Can't say I'm sorry that his attention will be elsewhere.

In other news, the potion I told you about was genuine. We're planning to use it as soon as possible. Blaise came up with some form of distraction that doesn't bode well for Draco, apparently. With any luck, things will be closer to normal soon.

I don't have much time; I had to lock and ward the dorm to get away for a bit. I'll be sending this as soon as curfew starts. Wish me luck and sanity.

Your son,

Hadrian

With his letter sent off, Hadrian went back to his dorm to write one final letter for the night. He hadn't heard from Onyxclaw in a while, and he'd started to consider the goblin a close friend. He wrote a long missive to Onyxclaw, then a separate letter for Thornfire. He tied them together in a scroll, then tossed it into the air. It dissolved into flames very satisfyingly. He had no doubt that he'd have at least one response by morning.

Onyxclaw,

I've discovered a great betrayal that I actually have a way to fix. My friend has the same potions on her that I did, just at a lesser extent. She isn't herself. She's being forced to act in a way that I believe is not her personality. I don't honestly know when they started dosing her, which means I don't know which parts she agrees with and what they're controlling. It's driving me spare.

I have the antidote, and a way to get it to her undetected. What I need is some form of jewelry that I can give to her once she's freed to make it so that they can't control her again. I don't know what kind of actress she is, so I don't know if waking her up is going to expose everything I've figured out, or if she'll be able to pass it on as her figuring it out for herself. Some of the looks she's been giving me lately... I think she's broken through the potion once or twice on her own. Or maybe they don't dose her often enough? I don't know how it works.

Do you have anything that might be able to help? Something from the Potter vault, maybe? The dragon pendant that I gave to Draco does something similar to that, but that was something that James and Lily made for me specifically. I doubt there will be another thing like that in the vault. Maybe the Black vault? That's a paranoid family. Or Slytherin? I don't know. I'm just thinking on paper.

I know the workings of wizards mean little to a goblin, but my father just took over the Wizengamot, and he's been working on lowering creature restrictions. That will impact the entire goblin nation, won't it? Let me know if there's something he should include that might not occur to him.

My your enemies fall to your axe,

Hadrian

Thornfire,

I didn't want to write to Onyxclaw and not include you! How is my favorite healer doing? I do miss you, but I'm not sorry that I haven't needed any healing yet. This is the farthest I've made it into a school year without being to the hospital wing a single time. Of course, I've only done two quidditch practices so far... and only two Hogwarts Alliance meetings... I'm falling behind. It's not even my newt year and I feel like I'm accomplishing nothing in order to keep up with everything.

As I told Onyxclaw, I discovered that one of my friends is under similar compulsions as what I came to you with. I've got the potion that I need in order to cure her, but I'm baffled as to why they felt the need to control her. Maybe because she'd see right through my own compulsions? Eventually I'll figure it all out.

I won't waste more of your time. I hope you're well!

May your gold ever flow,

Hadrian

In the morning, the snowy owl was startled awake by a loud bark from a shaggy, black dog. The dog shook its tail and seemed to grin at the owl. A heavy sigh came from her left, and she turned her head to stare at the bedraggled looking man who had been laughing the previous night. He was carrying a letter.

Sometimes the owl wished that she could make the wizards deliver their own mail. Unfortunately, she could not communicate the sentiment beyond a glare and a baleful hoot of indignation. It didn't prevent the man from attaching the letter and sending her on her way.

At least this time she was able to deliver the letter with the rest of the school's mail. She flew back to the owlery with the other owls as soon as she'd been relieved of the parchment and hoped in silence that she would get a day of rest.

It was not to be.

Hadrian,

Your owl is a bloody menace. I think she tried to rip my beautiful hair out when I let her into our room last night. Amarantha wouldn't have done that to me. Why couldn't she deliver the letters? Tell her we say hi.

(It was the funniest thing I've seen in months. He tried to lay down without taking the letter and she wasn't having it. I wish you could have seen it. Maybe I'll wrap the memory for you as a Yule gift.)

Your dad is also a bloody menace.

(I love you, too, dear.)

Don't get caught using that potion. It'll throw everything we're doing into the light and that's the last thing that we need. I heard from a dear friend that you might need a different sort of distraction soon. I can guarantee that he will be out of the school on November twenty-third, as that's the emergency session I'll be calling to review a few laws before your Yule break. You lot should be on the train around December tenth, if I remember correctly.

(As if he's not marking days off of the calendar at home. Don't let him fool you.)

Betrayed by my own husband! I'll be sobbing all night.

(Let us know how it goes, pup. With both upcoming plans, not just the ward stone. We've been worried about you since you left for school.)

Yes, don't you dare stop writing. We need letters at least once a week, or I'm storming the school and pulling you out myself.

We miss and love you!

Love,

Your wonderful parents

From the journal of Salazar Slytherin

Wales, 917 AD

I have much to say, and little time to convey it. There is a great darkness in our world, and it grows by the hour. I met with Morgana this very eve, and she told me a horrible tale of love and betrayal.

Merlin, the wizard to whom she has devoted herself, has discovered a great darkness within her. She has lost many moments of her days over the past years. She grows wary of herself with each passing month. People in Camelot are dying without a trace of a killer, their very essence drained from their bodies. She says that she can feel their blood on her hands. I have tried to assure her that her soul is not corrupted, but she was inconsolable. She spoke frequently of fire, and feeling flames licking at her skin at all hours of the day. She sees smoke on the horizon no matter where she resides. She fears for her family, but is too afraid to send them away.

I offered her refuge from the darkness that she feels inside of her, but she refused my help. She does not want to endanger anyone else. She will not even return to Rowena's manor with me for a night or two of rest. I wonder what Rowena will see in all of this. She and I have both felt something shifting for many months now. The world is off balance. We've considered taking action, but we have yet to find a way to interfere in the workings of Lady Magic.

I have decided to visit Lady Nimue in the enchanted lake. As a nymph of high honor, she may have more information about the imbalance. Perhaps her mother has shared something with her that could balance the scales. I would do anything to see it done.

Yesterday, Rowena informed me that she wishes to distance herself from the Slytherin name. She has chosen a different family name that she will adopt upon marriage. She will become Lady Rowena Ravenclaw, in order to be recognized for her own clever wit instead of a family name. I believe it to be a smart choice. If there were another to carry the name, I would adopt a new one of my own. As it is, the Slytherin legacy must continue with me. Someday, I will have a child to pass it on to. Godric will do the same. I do wonder about Helga at times...

I'll make the journey back to Raven's Keep in the morning. I may send a raven to this Merlin to gain more information about Morgana's current mental state. It seems he may not be helping. From what she has told me, he has been encouraging her delusions in the hope that they will provide a sign of the true culprit. As much as I hope they find whoever is terrorizing the village, they cannot do it to the detriment of Morgana. She is too important. He must see that.

Chapter Text

The goblins didn’t reply for nearly a full day. Hadrian was anxious the entire time, wondering if this was finally one thing too many. What would they do if they decided he was no longer one of them? Could they do that after that ritual? Finally, just before he was leaving to go to breakfast a full day later, a scroll appeared in a burst of fire. It was followed shortly by a small box.

Kriger Herre,

My lovely mate regrets that she cannot reply to your kind missive. She finds herself busy with several beds full of whiny goblins who have returned from battle missing limbs. Do not fret, as we both know you are prone to do. They returned with honor and will be recognized as heroes of our nation. They are perfectly content with the outcome of the battle and the loss of limbs. They simply do not appreciate being forced to stay in bed for such a long period of time. Our kind is not fond of healers, you know.

Your request for an enchanted object was intriguing. You’re correct in thinking that the Black family was paranoid. The dragon pendant created by James and Lily was unique in that they placed a small amount of their own magic into it to power it. Most witches and wizards wouldn’t dare to try such a thing. However, an equally effective protective talisman is connected to blood. Enclosed is a bloodstone wristlet. Simply place three drops of your blood onto the stone to activate it, and whoever wears it will be protected from any curse, compulsion, or potion that you can think of. They are highly rare, and therefore worth your entire fortune. We have added a touch of goblin magic that will make it impossible for the wristlet to be removed unless it is by you or the wearer herself.

There are three more of these wristlets in the Black family vault, and two in the Peverell vault. Ignotius Peverell was very paranoid, as you may already know. He had the wristlets made for himself and his wife. They wore them every single day, until his wife decided that she didn’t wish to live with his delusions any longer. Unfortunately, he was correct to think that people wanted him dead. Within days of removing the wristlet, she was killed. Ignotius did not remove his own until the day he died. They have not been removed from the vault since that very day.

Perhaps you didn’t wish to have a history lesson, and if that is the case then I apologize. I simply know that you do not know much about your family yet. If you wish to know more about the treasures in your vaults, please do let me know.

Inform us whether the potion works or not. If it is a failure, we have a few suggestions of our own. None of them involve potions, though one does require a lovely axe. We await your next letter.

May your enemies quiver from your wrath,

Onyxclaw and Thornfire

Hadrian slid the box into his bag and left it there. He didn’t open it to look, because he knew that if he did he’d be tempted to move their plan forward. It was too early for that, no matter how tempting it was to bring Hermione back to herself as soon as possible. It felt like a betrayal that he was letting her suffer when he knew what was wrong.

The morning of November twenty-second was quiet. Hadrian sat with Neville, Lavender, and Draco, as usual. Ron and Hermione got as close as they possibly could to their group, also as usual. Ginny sat with them but was scribbling something on a scrap of parchment, which was the new normal for her. Theo sat at the Slytherin table, chatting with a blonde girl that Hadrian now knew was Daphne Greengrass. He squashed the hint of jealousy he felt upon seeing how intense their conversation was becoming.

The only unusual thing was that Blaise had not yet entered the Great Hall. Draco had pulled him aside that morning when they all met up in the Founders’ Kitchen to let him know that he was aware of Blaise’s plan and had grudgingly approved of it. He refused to tell Hadrian exactly what it was, though. According to him, the shock had to be genuine from all angles. He hadn’t even warned Neville. Which was… interesting, but Hadrian couldn’t focus on that.

He checked his pocket for the dozenth time to make sure that the blue potion was still there. It hadn’t moved, of course. Then his gaze slid to the door again, and he held his breath for a few moments as Blaise came stomping inside. His soulmate looked somewhere between gleeful and angry as he made his way straight over to Draco.

“So, it’s like this, then?” he demanded, looming over Draco and Lavender from behind. Draco spun lazily on the bench to face his best friend with one raised eyebrow. “You’re really going to just turn your back on us like this?”

“You’ll notice that I turned to face you just now, actually,” Draco drawled in response. “I believe that is the exact opposite of turning one’s back.”

“You bloody well know what I meant, you tosser,” Blaise growled. Hadrian would be concerned if he hadn’t seen the glint of amusement in his eyes as he spoke. He was good at pretending, but Hadrian was getting much better at reading the Slytherins.

“I don’t,” Draco replied. “Why don’t you tell me exactly what you’re talking about so we can settle this ridiculous spectacle.”

Hadrian’s gaze bounced between Draco, Blaise, and Lavender. Draco seemed to be the picture of calm, but Hadrian could see his underlying tension. Blaise seemed utterly upset, but amusement was written in his eyes and the way his lips turned just slightly upward for a moment before smoothing back into a frown. Lavender was doing her best to seem bored, but anyone who looked at her would see how nervous she was. All at once, Hadrian had a bad feeling about this plan.

“Blaise,” he said softly. He was ignored.

“”You and your… Gryffindor,” Blaise spat. Draco’s eyes narrowed quickly, and Blaise changed direction seamlessly. “I saw you together. A tapestry can’t hide those noises, you know.”

“And what business do you have, peeking behind tapestries?” Draco shot back in annoyance. “Might I remind you that you are also courting a Gryffindor?”

“One of my station,” Blaise sneered. “Hadrian is respectable. We’ve all heard the rumors surrounding your chosen… consort. What would your mother think? What would your father think?”

“My father is dead,” Draco replied with an eerie level of calmness. “My mother couldn’t care less for the station of my intended. Does your mother truly care for such a trivial thing? Might I remind you that Hadrian was not raised as a pureblood heir? He hardly fits the criteria you’re describing. As to the rumors… well, I would have thought you’d know better than to pay any attention to such drivel.”

“Careful,” Blaise warned. They were attracting quite the audience by this point. Purebloods didn’t usually have confrontations in public places, and especially not if they were Slytherins. This was a rare spectacle. “I’ve hexed people for less. Don’t speak of my intended again. I don’t care if he’s your cousin. I wouldn’t have even heard the rumors if you hadn’t started dating the biggest gossip in the entire school.”

“Who is Malfoy dating, then?” Ron asked loudly. The question wasn’t directed at Blaise, but he turned slightly to face Ron as he gave the answer.

“I’m surprised you don’t know, Weasel. Your girlfriend shares a dorm with her,” he informed the redhead.

“Parvati?” Ron’s gaze darted to the Seer in disgust, and she shook her head incredulously.

“I’m quite obviously in love with a Ravenclaw,” she shot back primly. Hadrian’s gaze shot to Luna for only a moment, and he was happy to see the look of devotion she was giving to her girlfriend. They might not be out in the open yet, but it would have been obvious to anyone who looked over at that moment. Luna wasn’t meant for secrets.

“It’s me, you dolt,” Lavender snapped. “I’m seeing Draco. And I’ll thank you in advance not to say a word about it.”

This was, of course, the very wrong thing to say. Ron’s face quickly turned as red as his hair, and Hadrian could see the anger building. Even Hermione scooted slightly away from him. That was his cue.

“Hermione?” he said softly, trying to sound as normal as possible. Her gaze snapped over to him instantly, but her expression was guarded. Clearly she expected some kind of trick. “Can I borrow you for a second? I’m having trouble with the Potions homework.”

Hermione’s gaze went back to the tantrum that Ron was throwing, and she shook her head in irritation. “We wouldn’t get much done here, Har- Hadrian. It’s not nearly quiet enough. And you don’t even have your book!”

“Er,” he hesitated. The plan had been to get her out of the Great Hall, but he was no longer certain that any of this was going to work.

“Just go to the library. Hermione, it’s your favorite place in the school,” Ginny rolled her eyes. “I’ll keep my idiot brother from getting hexed if you want to go help him. You’re best friends, remember?”

Her words seemed to trigger something in Hermione, because she was quick to nod. “Of course. Let’s go to the library.”

She was up and moving for the doors before Hadrian had fully processed that she’d agreed. “You’re welcome,” Ginny muttered under her breath as he passed her. It made him feel strange, knowing that she had once again helped him. What was her angle?

Hermione didn’t say a word on the walk to the library, and Hadrian was too busy making sure they weren’t being followed to engage in conversation. He was nervous enough about all of this as it was. If something went wrong here, it would ruin all of their other plans. Maybe he should wait until after tomorrow…

No. It was time to free Hermione. Providing she was actually under their control, and all of this wasn’t an elaborate ruse to get him back under their control as well. He didn’t stop watching for trouble even after they were settled at the table in the library. He was ready for this. He had rehearsed this with Theo and Blaise for hours the night before.

“Now, what’s got you confused?” she asked him almost gently. Her eyes were sharp as they scrutinized him. It was an expression that he wasn’t used to seeing on his best friend. Now that he was actually sitting so close to her, he could see subtle differences in the way that she held herself. She wasn’t any more relaxed than he was. 

“It’s not the homework that he assigned everyone,” he admitted carefully. “Slughorn asked me to brew something for extra credit, since I’m a lost cause. Says he wants to make sure his favorite, er… celebrity passes.”

“Oh, Har- Hadrian,” Hermione clearly resisted the urge to roll her eyes. He took comfort in the fact that she seemed just as annoyed by the concept of his being a celebrity as he was. At least that was the same.

“Right,” he agreed with feeling. A small smile was creeping onto both of their lips. “The thing is, he wanted me to brew it on my own time. Which I’ve done! But I don’t know if it’s quite right. Is it supposed to be this… blue?”

He held up the vial of potion that he’d been keeping in his pocket, and Hermione’s brow furrowed. She studied it without taking it from him, noting the shade and consistency as he moved the vial. As predicted, she immediately had questions.

“What potion is it? I won’t know for sure if I don’t know what it’s supposed to be. There are plenty of potions this color,” she spoke quietly, completely focused on the task at hand. Exactly how he wanted her to be.

They’d given a lot of thought as to how they should do this. Hermione wasn’t likely to accept a drink from him, since they’d been at odds all year. She wasn’t going to drink just any potion if it was presented to her, nor would she accept random gifts of lotion or perfume. She would, however, be intrigued if it was presented to her as an assignment. It wasn’t a secret that Hadrian was still pants at potions. It also wasn’t a secret that Slughorn very badly wanted to collect the Boy Who Lived. It wasn’t out of the realm of possibility that he might give Hadrian secret extra credit projects to help him succeed.

The potion he’d present it as couldn’t be anything that if messed up would cause harm. She wouldn’t even consider testing it for him if it could hurt her. It had to be at least in the same family of blue as the potion he’d been given. The closer to the same appearance, the better. That left only two potions, and Hadrian knew exactly which it had to be.

“It’s a cheering solution,” he told her. Her eyes went from his face back to the vial with interest. “The book says light blue, but this seemed…”

“It’s very vibrant for a light blue,” she agreed. “But I think you’ve got it just about right. Have you tried it yet?”

“Er, no,” he admitted sheepishly. This was the hard part. “Madam Pomphrey advised me against it, actually. She said that some of the potions she’s used to heal me over the years stay in my system, and that this particular potion would mix badly with them. I don’t know what potions she’s talking about, since I only remember taking Skelegrow…”

“Oh!” Hermione’s eyes got very large, and she quickly took the vial from him. He’d said just the right thing to trigger another compulsion, clearly. “No, you’re right. You should never mix potions, Hadrian. It’s silly of me to not think of that. And since the only thing a botched cheering solution might do is make you sleepy, I’ll be happy to test it for you. I mean… if you’d like?”

“Please,” Hadrian nodded quickly. “I’ve got to turn it in after lunch, and I want it to at least be an EE.”

“I’m sure you’ve done just fine. Here, let me just…” she popped the cork off of the vial and took a delicate sip of the potion inside. Hadrian felt a moment of relief, until Hermione’s face began to change color. Her hand went to her chest, as though her heart was about to rip free. Her cheeks went bright red, and his relief disappeared completely. Had they lied to him? Did Ginny and Snape poison Hermione? Her hands lifted to cover her face, and she shook slightly. All he could do was stare in horror.

Finally, after what felt like ages, she brought her hands back down to the table.Her face was void of any color, and she was crying. He felt his hope rising again, cautiously. “Hermione?”

“Oh, Hadrian…” she whispered. She sounded devastated. Seconds later, she was leaning as far across the table as she could to hug him tightly. “I’m so, so sorry.”

“There’s nothing to be sorry for, Hermione,” he assured her quietly. “It wasn’t your fault. It wasn’t you.”

“I knew,” she sobbed. He rubbed her back gently, feeling more than a little awkward. “I knew what I was doing, but I couldn’t stop myself! Sometimes they would forget to give me the potion and I would start to come back to myself, but then Ginny… she always found me and dosed me again. Last time, she made herself look like Neville. I felt so helpless…”

“They’ll never get their hands on you again,” Hadrian promised. His arms tightened around her automatically, as if he could shield her just like that. He wished that they could just leave Hogwarts for the safety of his home, so that neither of them could be hurt again… but he could never abandon his soulmates, or the people who needed him to finish what he’d started.

“They’ll know as soon as they see me,” she whispered. She couldn’t seem to bring herself to speak any louder. “It’s only a matter of minutes before I’ll be dosed again, Hadrian, and I’ll betray you. I won’t want to, but I won’t have a choice. They think you don’t know…”

“And they’ll continue to believe that for a while longer. We’ve got a plan, Hermione, and it’s already working,” he assured her. She pulled away from him abruptly, shaking her head wildly.

“Don’t tell me! I can’t know. Please, don’t make me do this to you. I’ve already hurt you so much,” she sobbed. She couldn’t meet his gaze, and his heart broke for her.

“Here,” he said quickly. He pulled the box containing the wristlet out of his bag and opened it to show her. Her sobbing quieted immediately. He could tell that she knew what she was looking at by the sharp inhale. There was a jeweled dagger inside of the box as well, which was good as Hadrian didn’t carry an athame with him the way the goblins did. He quickly pricked his finger and let three drops land on the large stone at the center of the circlet. Immediately, it flared a bright red. When the light cleared, he offered it to Hermione.

“I can’t accept this,” she said quietly. She didn’t reach for it, but he could see that she wanted to. “Bloodstones like that… real ones, I mean… they’re so rare. It has to be a family heirloom. You don’t want to give that to me, Hadrian. You must not have shaken all of the compulsions, and I’m so-”

“You don’t have to be sorry. I’ve got five more of these in my vaults, Hermione. I’m the lord to several ancient houses, and the things I’ve inherited… this doesn’t even scratch the surface. I won’t miss it. You need something that will protect you from their influence, and this is the best thing in the world for that. It’s keyed to my blood, so it will protect you until I die. Nobody can remove it but you and I, and I certainly won’t be taking it from you,” he assured her. “The goblins fixed me as soon as I got off of the Express for summer. I didn’t have to go back to the Dursleys. I went straight to Grimmauld to be with Remus and Sirius.”

“Hadrian, Sirius is-” she tried, but he interrupted again.

“He was, but he’s not anymore,” he told her. “It’s a really long story that I promise I’ll tell you as soon as you put the wristlet on.”

Hesitantly, she took the wristlet and slid it on. He watched her shiver as the magic settled over her, satisfied with the knowledge that she wouldn’t be forced to be what she’s not any longer. She was safe. He spent the next hour telling her everything that had happened since he’d gotten off of the Express. They set up privacy wards so that nobody would hear, and he even briefly pulled out the mirror to prove that Sirius was, in fact, alive. By the time they left the library together, Hermione was completely calm and determined to help with whatever they had planned.

“I don’t understand how you knew to trust Parvati, but I’m so glad that you did. I’ll let her know that I’m… that I’m better, now. Lavender too. I’ve been so awful to them for the last few years,” she sighed.

“Parvati understood, I think,” Hadrian said after a moment. “At the very least, she never blamed you for it. She didn’t tell me directly, but she told me a while ago that some people who don’t seem trustworthy will become my greatest allies.”

“The Slytherins,” Hermione stated, raising her eyebrows at him.

“And you,” he told her gently. “You never really betrayed me. It only looked like you did.”

“I will never willingly betray you, Hadrian Potter-Black. You were my first friend… the first person to look at me and see someone worth knowing,” she replied fiercely. “We’re going to make them pay for trying to use us, aren’t we?”

“We’ve already begun,” Hadrian nodded.

“I don’t understand one other thing,” she said hesitantly. “Why would Ginny help you after all this time? She’s been in on this since the beginning, but she suddenly decided to switch sides?”

“She and I have… an agreement,” Hadrian replied, though he wasn’t sure that was the right word. He really had no clue what made Ginny change her mind after all this time. He didn’t trust it to last.

“You have to be careful of her,” Hermione pressed. “She’s had this idea that you’re going to get married and give her everything she’s ever wanted. Obviously that’s never going to happen, but I think she’ll do anything that she can to make it her reality.”

“She told me she doesn’t want that anymore,” Hadrian shrugged. “I don’t necessarily believe that she’s given up, but I do believe that she’s going about her goals in a different way. Have you been able to notice that she’s not coming after me the way she used to anymore? She keeps to herself at meals, and doesn’t seek me out in the halls. She ignores me if we’re both in the common room, even though that rarely happens anymore. I’m always with Blaise and Theo now. I think she’s recognized that I’m serious about them, and now that the whole school knows we’re courting, she’s smart enough to realize that it would be suspicious for me to suddenly decide I fancy her instead.”

“You’ve given all of this a lot of thought,” Hermione said after a moment. “How do I fall into this, now that I’m…”

“That’s up to you. We discussed it at length and decided that we won’t make you pretend. It’s likely that Dumbledore suspects that I’ve broken at least some of my compulsions, especially since I very publicly announced taking up some of my titles. He’s got to know that I know at least part of what’s been done to me. You suddenly brushing off the compulsions and having protection won’t really surprise him all that much, I think,” Hadrian said carefully. “So if you’d rather tell Ron to eat shite and come spend time with us, you’re obviously welcome to. You’re still my best friend, Hermione.”

“You don’t think it would be better for me to… to act like I’m still their slave?” she asked hesitantly. Hadrian shook his head. “Not even to know what they’re planning before it happens?”

“No,” he assured her. “We don’t need a spy. After tomorrow, it’s going to be nearly impossible for him to continue as he has been. We’re hitting him from three different angles.”

“Right,” she said slowly. “Then I’d like very much to change the way things are.”

“I was hoping you’d say that,” Hadrian grinned. He offered his arm to her. “We should get to Transfiguration before we’re considered late. I don’t fancy making McGonagall angry, do you?”

“No,” Hermione agreed quickly. Together they set off to the classroom, ready to cause yet another scene.

Chapter Text

Lavender was a lot of things, but nobody could call her unobservant. There was a reason that she was regarded as one of the best gossips in the school. She knew that something was wrong before Draco pulled her aside to tell her about their latest dumb idea. She listened to him explain what they needed and why, and the sacrifice they’d have to make in order to accomplish their goal, and she didn’t hesitate to agree.

There was no love lost between Lavender and Hermione. They hadn’t gotten along from the very first day of classes. Hermione seemed to think that anyone who didn’t spend every waking moment trying to improve themselves were idiots, and she refused to associate with them. Lavender tended to believe that anyone who spent every moment trying to prove themselves had no self respect, and she didn’t have time for that. They rarely spoke. She wasn’t exactly shocked to find out that Hermione was under an enchantment, but she was a little disappointed with herself for not realizing what it was. While she didn’t want to be the latest gossip, she also refused to let anyone suffer like that. It’s why she was in Gryffindor.

She didn’t know Blaise very well, but he played his part with enthusiasm. “So, it’s like this then? You’re really going to just turn your back on us?”

Draco squeezed her hand under the table for strength and she wished with all her heart that she could take the anxiety away from him. He’d been through so much already. Now he had to pretend to fight with his best friends? She was going to rain fire down on the idiots responsible for this mess if it was the last thing she ever did.

“You’ll notice that I turned to face you just now, actually,” Draco drawled in response. “I believe that is the exact opposite of turning one’s back.”

She carefully remained facing her plate, nonchalantly picking at the food in front of her. It wouldn’t be good to engage before she absolutely had to. She trusted them.

“You bloody well know what I meant, you tosser,” Blaise growled.

“I don’t,” Draco replied. “Why don’t you tell me exactly what you’re talking about so we can settle this ridiculous spectacle.”

Lavender forced her face to relax. She had to seem aloof even though every part of her screamed to put an end to this. She thought she was doing a decent job, until Hadrian tried to put a stop to the plan. She shot him a glare, and he immediately stopped trying. Good.

“”You and your… Gryffindor,” Blaise spat. Something must have flashed across Draco’s face because Blaise changed direction seamlessly. “I saw you together. A tapestry can’t hide those noises, you know.”

Lavender’s face flamed. She hadn’t forgotten that they’d been caught, of course. She knew, logically, that Blaise was going to bring it up. It had to be believable, which meant that it had to be the truth. Oh, how she hated this. 

“And what business do you have, peeking behind tapestries?” Draco shot back in annoyance. “Might I remind you that you are also courting a Gryffindor?”

“One of my station,” Blaise sneered. “Hadrian is respectable. We’ve all heard the rumors surrounding your chosen… consort. What would your mother think? What would your father think?”

Tears came to Lavender’s eyes, but they were purely out of anger. How dare he bring that up now? She was well aware of what the other girls in the school whispered about her. Parvati and Padma frequently assured her that it was because she was beautiful and they felt threatened by how secure she was in her own body and mind. She privately thought it was because she knew so many of their secrets. Still, it hurt to hear it brought up now, and that made her angry.

Of course, she was also upset that Blaise had brought Draco’s family into this. His father had always been a sore spot for him, and it was worse now that he’d been caught doing deatheater things. She was proud of how he handled it all.

“My father is dead,” Draco replied with an eerie level of calmness. “My mother couldn’t care less for the station of my intended. Does your mother truly care for such a trivial thing? Might I remind you that Hadrian was not raised as a pureblood heir? He hardly fits the criteria you’re describing. As to the rumors… well, I would have thought you’d know better than to pay any attention to such drivel.”

“Careful,” Blaise warned. She could feel eyes on them, and it took all of her strength to remain calm and collected. For some reason, her eyes went to Neville. He was already watching her with concern. “I’ve hexed people for less. Don’t speak of my intended again. I don’t care if he’s your cousin. I wouldn’t have even heard the rumors if you hadn’t started dating the biggest gossip in the entire school.”

She shook her head to Neville minutely when he opened his mouth, and he closed it instantly. Her stomach fluttered with the knowledge that he trusted her enough to let her handle this. Of course, Ronald immediately ruined all illusions of calm.

“Who is Malfoy dating, then?” Ron asked loudly. She straightened slightly. Showtime.

“I’m surprised you don’t know, Weasel. Your girlfriend shares a dorm with her,” Blaise informed the redhead.

“Parvati?” Ron’s gaze darted to the Seer in disgust, and she shook her head incredulously.

“I’m quite obviously in love with a Ravenclaw,” she shot back primly. Lavender glanced over at her, but she was glaring intensely at the redhead. That was enough; she couldn’t let him keep offending girls over something she herself was proud of.

“It’s me, you dolt,” she snapped. “I’m seeing Draco. And I’ll thank you in advance for not saying a word about it.”

This was, of course, the very wrong thing to say. Ron’s face quickly turned as red as his hair and she braced herself for the explosion that was sure to follow. She was not prepared for Neville to speak up.

“How is it any of your business who Draco and Lavender are seeing?” he asked just loudly enough to be heard. Her eyes snapped over to him in surprise, but he was avoiding her gaze. Her heart sank. “Both of you are acting like this is some big betrayal, but it’s not. Blaise, Draco has been sitting with us all school year. He hasn’t been around the Slytherins much at all, so this isn’t some sudden slight against you. And Ron, you called Lavender names at the beginning of the year and told her and Parvati both that nobody wanted them. Clearly you have no interest in her, and you’ve mostly been ignoring Draco and focusing all your attention on Hadrian. This doesn’t affect you in the slightest.”

Ron’s mouth was gaping in shock, which was not an attractive look for him. Lavender had to suppress her glee at the sight. It wasn’t often that the most annoying Weasley was shocked into silence. A quick glance at Blaise showed a crack in his normal mask of indifference. His eyes were wider than usual and he was openly staring at the usually quiet Gryffindor. When her gaze fell back to Neville, he was watching her with a guarded expression.

“I understand why you hid it,” he told her softly. “I just wish you hadn’t felt it was necessary. Obviously, you have my support.”

“We should talk later,” she nodded. Draco’s hand tightened around hers under the table in agreement. “In private.”

Neville nodded once, then turned his gaze back to his plate. Ron was gearing up to start yelling again, but Blaise beat him to it.

“He’s right,” the Slytherin sighed. “This is ridiculous. I’m just offended that you didn’t tell me. Shove over.”

He pushed Draco’s shoulder so he’d slide on the bench and settled between Draco and Lavender. His shoulders were relaxed, but his face was slightly pinched with tension. Anyone who didn’t know him well wouldn’t notice, but Lavender had been paying attention to him this year. She saw it.

“Now wait a bloody second!” Ron shouted angrily. His face was an alarming shade of puce and his fists were clenched at his sides. They were lucky that he hadn’t drawn his wand yet, but it was a matter of time if history was anything to go by.

“No, you wait,” Parvati snapped. “I’ve had just about enough of your idiocy this year! How thick are you? You don’t control anyone but yourself, Ronald Weasley. You don’t get to dictate who they can date or where they can sit. There’s no school rule saying that a Slytherin can’t date a Gryffindor, or sit at a different table. There is a rule against bullying.”

“I would never-” he tried to protest, but Dean cut him off with a roll of his eyes.

“What do you call what you’re doing right now?” he asked, speaking slowly as though he were attempting to teach a child a lesson.

“Yeah,” Katie chimed in with crossed arms. “Sit down and shut up. This isn’t the time or the place for a tantrum.”

“I’m a prefect,” Ron spat. “You can’t tell me what to do. Speaking of, I’m taking five points from each of you for your attitudes.” His smirk was triumphant for two seconds before the entire table erupted.

“Can’t take points from your own house, you dolt-”

“Blatant disregard for rules-!”

“Abuse of power-!”

“What is he playing at-?”

“ SILENCE!” 

Everyone froze, including Ron. Godric Gryffindor was scowling down at all of them from his portrait, with Helga Hufflepuff frowning over his shoulder. She’d clearly gone to find him when Ron had started his tirade. There was no noise in the hall; even the professors were staring in shock. None of the founders had ever raised their voices in the hall like this, and especially not at students.

“What is your name, boy?” Godric demanded angrily.

“Ron,” he said after a moment. ‘Er… Ronald Weasley?”

“Is that a question or a statement?” Godric asked, raising his eyebrows. Lavender was quietly impressed by the subtle insult. “Do you not know your own name?” Okay… not so subtle. It took a lot of willpower to keep her giggle silent. She thought she saw Helga wink at her, but it was over too fast to be sure.

“Er…” Ron said again, going red. 

“How are prefects chosen these days?” Godric demanded, turning his gaze to the professors. “He can’t even be certain of his own name, yet he’s in charge of keeping other students in line? His behavior is appalling. Minerva, we’ll be having words about this later.”

McGonagall scowled at that, and Lavender thought she was about to argue, until…

“I had no hand in choosing Mr. Weasley to be a prefect. The headmaster saw fit to appoint him and refused to allow my input. You would have to voice your concerns to him,” she informed the portrait primly. Godric’s eyes narrowed.

“Believe me, I shall,” he promised darkly. “We’ll be having a little chat with him shortly, beginning with the fact that he was never meant to be-”

“Godric,” Rowena said calmly from her own portrait.

“Right,” he deflated slightly. “Right, of course. Sorry, Ro.”

“Perfectly fine,” she nodded. Then she turned and calmly left her portrait, presumably to fetch Salazar. Lavender had a feeling that she knew what was coming, and she wished Hadrian would hurry up so he could witness the spectacle. 

Godric’s glare returned to Ron, who shrank a little under it. “It is unacceptable behavior to dock points from another student simply because you dislike them pointing out your faults. Not a word said to you today has been incorrect, Mr. Weasley, and your docked points will not stand. Nor will you maintain the ability to take additional points.”

“What do you-” he started but Salazar had arrived just in time to speak over him.

“Oh, are we doing that today?” he asked. His smile was vicious. “How grand. Marvelous. I’ve been waiting all year.”

“Now that we’re all here,” Rowena said pointedly. “Shall we get this over with? Helga, dear, you may want to enter your own portrait.”

“Yes, of course,” Helga sighed. She disappeared, reappearing moments later in her portrait by herself. 

“Ronald Weasley, by the power of the Founders of Hogwarts, we strip you of the title of prefect. It will never be returned to you,” Godric announced formally. Lavender gasped, and she wasn’t the only one. Ron’s face went white.

“We find your behavior deplorable,” Salazar continued. “Your actions against your own house are appalling and unforgivable.”

“We find you unworthy of the title that was bestowed upon you, and as your head of house did not choose you, we hold the power to instate our own choice,” Rowena added. “The school’s charter is quite clear; in the event that a student is found unworthy by either the Founders or their heirs, they have the ability to promote a student of their own choosing by unanimous decision.”

“We have been watching all of you since the first day of term,” Helga spoke. “Our choice has been made since the second week, but we were unable to step in until you committed an infraction against your house.”

“We have chosen Heir Neville Longbottom to take the place of sixth year prefect for Gryffindor house,” Godric concluded. “He has upheld the values of my house and we believe that he is well suited for this role. Any who object, speak now.”

The hall was silent. McGonagall watched on with pride gleaming in her eyes. If Lavender had to guess, she’d say that Neville would have been her choice as well. Just as Godric opened his mouth to conclude the impromptu ceremony, Neville spoke up.

“Why not Hadrian?” he asked. His voice was soft, but it felt loud in the silence all around them. Lavender itched to reach out for him, but there were too many eyes on them.

“The young Lord of Gryffindor has much on his plate,” Godric replied with a smile. “I believe he is already a Quidditch captain, and he must study for his exams. They’re quite important this year. I doubt he would accept this responsibility if we offered it to him, but that is not why we chose you. Don’t sell yourself short, Heir Longbottom.”

“I’m not, I just…” he took a deep breath. “I’m not top of the year, or remarkable in any other way. My gran says I was lucky to get my letter, and I think she was right. Nobody really expects greatness from me. Hadrian has been powerful from the beginning, and he’s your descendant. I was just…”

“It’s a surprise,” Rowena said gently in understanding. “We would very much like to speak with you after you’ve finished your meal. For now, though, will you accept this privilege that is being offered?”

He hesitated, and Lavender really did reach out this time. Her hand landed gently on his wrist, and he glanced over at her. She offered a reassuring smile and a small nod. It seemed to make up his mind for him. He squared his shoulders and faced Godric with a surprising amount of confidence.

“Yes,” he said. “I accept. Thank you for your belief in my ability to uphold your values.”

It was exactly the right thing to say. All four Founders beamed at him, and even McGonagall was smiling slightly. Whispers started up around the hall but were quickly silenced by sudden shouting.

“THIS IS BOLLOCKS! YOU CAN’T DO THAT! THERE’S NO WAY IN HELL THAT BLOODY PORTRAITS CAN TAKE AWAY A TITLE GIVEN BY THE BLOODY HEADMASTER!” Ron bellowed at the top of his voice. His face was a fascinating shade of purple that Lavender had never seen on human skin before. Before any of them could react, Ron had his wand out and aimed at Neville’s face.

Lavender and Draco both were out of their seats and shouting spells before Ron could open his mouth to utter a curse. His wand flew into the air and landed in a bowl of pudding halfway down the table, and he was shoved backwards hard enough that his back hit the wall beside Godric’s fireplace. He slumped to the ground, unconscious. They shared a look of shock as applause started up.

“Silence!” McGonagall ordered. Her voice was magically magnified so that she could be heard. Lavender took a moment to look around and was relieved to see that she and Draco were not the only ones with wands drawn and raised. Their spells hadn’t caused that much damage alone. “Prefects, lead your houses to their common rooms at once. Anyone who defended Mr. Longbottom should remain in the hall. Mr. Finnegan, would you escort Mr. Weasley to the infirmary? Take Mr. Thomas with you. You have permission to use defensive magic should the need arise.”

Lavender and Draco leaned against each other to watch as the hall began to clear. Students kept shooting them looks, most of which were kind or encouraging. A few of the younger Slytherins and Ravenclaws, however, seemed less than pleased. If she had to guess, she’d say that it was because their parents were supporters of Voldemort and they didn’t approve of Draco’s choice of girlfriend. She couldn’t have cared less.

“Minerva, where is the illustrious Headmaster?” Salazar asked calmly when there were only a handful of students left. “We would very much like a word with him.”

“He is not currently in the school,” McGonagall sighed. She suddenly looked nearly a decade older than she usually appeared, and so tired that Lavender was worried she might fall over. This was a side of her that students never got to see. “Professor Dumbledore informed me before the school year began that he will often be absent this year. I was, of course, not to disclose that unless it is a dire emergency.”

“I would say that this catastrophe could be considered as such,” Helga said after a moment. “Has he given a location that he might be reached at?”

“No,” McGonagall said shortly.

“Very well, then. Our heirs will be sure to take that into account when they come into their power. You are the deputy, are you not?” Salazar asked gently. McGonagall nodded. “Excellent. From what we have seen, you have been very good for this school and its students. We will endorse you for Headmistress when the time comes.”

“Surely that won’t become necessary?” she asked. All she received in return were bland smiles. When it became clear that they wouldn’t be offering further information, she turned her sharp gaze to the cluster of students left behind. “All of you used defensive spells, correct?”

The only one not nodding was Blaise, but McGonagall didn’t appear to notice. “I can only guess at the spell Mr. Weasley would have used, but I imagine it would not have been kind. Therefore, I award each of you twenty points for defending another student against an attack. Mr. Longbottom, are you alright?”

“I’m fine,” he confirmed quietly. “I knew it was coming. Ron is fairly predictable.”

“What do you mean?” she asked with narrowed eyes. Lavender froze as realization crashed into her. Hadrian hadn’t shared much with her yet, but she was well aware that he must have been under some form of enchantment with how drastically he’d changed over the summer. Clearly, he’d broken through whatever it was. She was also aware that he was off breaking an enchantment that had been placed on Hermione. With how McGonagall was acting now… could she have been under the same thing? How far-reaching was this? Should she be getting checked?

“He’s got a temper,” Parvati replied calmly. “Teachers aren’t usually around to see, and he won’t use physical or magical violence if Hadrian is around, but he lashes out over the smallest things. If he gets angry, you can bet he’ll be making it known.”

“Nobody has reported this,” McGonagall said, sounding stunned. “How has it not been reported?”

“We tried,” Katie said after a moment. “Not me, but I’ve witnessed enough and I’m friends with some of the people he’s been awful to.”

“I know that Daphne and Pansy have gone to Professor Snape a few times over the years, but he just seems to forget as soon as they’ve left the room,” Blaise informed her.

“His older brothers used to be able to keep him in line, somewhat. Especially the twins; they used their pranks to stop him from really harming anyone. But now that they’re gone, this year has been torture,” Parvati shrugged. “Luna had to report him to Professor Flitwick and Professor Sprout, but the same thing happened. It’s like they just… forgot.”

Lavender felt herself getting a little lightheaded as more of the group spoke up. Professors just forgetting about a bully? That had never happened for anyone else. She’d had to report Ernie MacMillan once when he wouldn’t take no for an answer, and Professor Sprout had him in detention for a month. But she couldn’t recall the last time that Ron had gotten a detention for anything. Not since third year, she thought.

“I will be addressing this immediately. His parents will be receiving a letter tonight detailing all that you’ve told me, and I’ll arrange for a suitable punishment. He’ll be serving detentions with myself and Professor Snape for the foreseeable future,” she promised. “None of you are being punished. I simply wanted the opportunity to commend you for standing up for your friend.”

“He would have done it for us,” Lavender replied, forcing a smile. She needed to get the professor alone to voice her concerns, which meant that she needed this little meeting to be over.

“Be that as it may,” McGonagall smiled. “It was a very brave thing to do. I expect nothing less from my own house, but that is not a typical Slytherin trait.”

“Utter nonsense,” Salazar grumbled. “We didn’t actually separate students based on personality or blood purity, you know. My students can be just as brave as Godric’s.”

“Hush, Sal,” Godric grinned. “Let her praise my bravery.”

“I suppose we’ve never thought to ask you how you chose your students,” McGonagall said after a brief silence.

“We never could find a system that worked every time. There are always exceptions. We charmed the hat to determine the values of the student and place them in the house that resonated most with our own values,” Rowena explained. “Today, those who are most brave go to Gryffindor. In our day, those that valued doing the right thing even when it is hard were placed in Godric’s house. I value the pursuit of knowledge, but I also value using that knowledge for the greater good.”

“You lot think that Slytherins are all about ambition and getting what you want in a way that can’t be traced back to you,” Salazar rolled his eyes. “In reality, the hat placed you in my house because you value truth and trust. Secrets never remain hidden. To be trusted with them is an honor, and you understand that at your core. You seek the truth because without it, you know that you’ll never truly be satisfied.”

“I’ve heard my darling Hufflepuffs being called many things, strange being the least insulting. I believe you say that we are loyal and weak?” Helga asked with amusement. “In truth, those of my house value honesty and friendship. They are loyal because they know that true friends are hard to come by and should be cherished.”

“Your sorting now is a mockery of what it once was,” Godric confirmed. “Someone tampered with the hat long ago and it has never been repaired. Though I loath to admit it, young Hadrian most likely wasn’t suited for my house. He’s thriving now, but he would have been better with Sal or Ro.”

“I beg your pardon?” McGonagall asked with narrowed eyes. The tension in the room rose to an almost unbearable level. Lavender was certain that she was about to tell them off for implying that the hero of the wizarding world might not belong in her house. “We must fix the hat at once. I have access to the Headmaster’s office. I will retrieve the hat if you will instruct me on how to repair the charms.”

“I knew you were good for the school,” Godric beamed. “Go and get it, Minnie.”

“Don’t call me Minnie,” she told him primly. She turned to leave the hall, and Lavender hurried to catch up. McGonagall was distracted enough not to notice her until they were both in the Entrance Hall. “What is it, Ms. Brown?”

“You… seem different today,” she said carefully. McGonagall narrowed her eyes but didn’t say anything. “What they said in there, about professors forgetting the reports. I know of a few students who were having similar… issues.”

“Be blunt, Ms. Brown. There is no time for riddles,” McGonagall said. She began walking again, and Lavender hurried to keep pace with her.

“They were under some sort of enchantment. They’re not anymore, but they were. They broke through them,” she said quickly. “I think all of the professors might be under the same enchantment, but there’s nothing that I can do about it.”

“I can assure you that I’m under no enchantment,” McGonagall sighed. “Professor Snape has recently undergone a cleansing, and I followed his lead. I have encouraged the others to do the same. I wouldn’t be surprised if we all seem a bit different in the coming days.”

“Oh. Oh, good,” Lavender sagged under her relief. “Nobody deserves to be controlled by someone else. Thank you, Professor.”

“For what?” she asked. They came to a stop in front of a statue of a griffin, and McGonagall’s sharp gaze studied her face.

“For helping us. For showing us what doing the right thing really looks like,” she said quietly. “We look up to you.”

The professor’s gaze softened and she almost smiled. “There won’t be much to fear, soon. Though we might act a certain way when others are watching, know that you can trust the professors of Hogwarts.”

Lavender didn’t miss the way she stressed the word. It was clear that she knew who couldn’t be trusted. She didn’t know what the plan was, and she didn’t want to know. She was just relieved that it would be handled. 

“Was there anything else, Ms. Brown?” the professor asked. She shook her head. “Go to the common room. Your friends should be waiting there by now.”

“Will we be sorted again?” she asked just before she walked away. She was curious as to what house she should have truly been in. McGonagall shook her head, though.

“No, I think not,” she sighed. “It’s far too late for it to be of any benefit to most of you. This far into your schooling, your houses have already shaped your friendships and your habits. To change it now might affect how you learn going forward.”

“Oh,” Lavender said quietly. “That makes sense.”

“If you’re curious, I might offer to let the older students converse with the hat once it’s fixed. There is no harm in knowing what might have been,” she told her after a moment. “But that will be discussed later.”

“Yes, professor,” she replied with a little smile. Then she hurried down the corridor toward the Grand Staircase. She needed to fill everyone in on what she’d learned.

Chapter Text

November twenty-third dawned cold and rainy. The sky was a light shade of gray, and the sun didn’t peek through the clouds at all. Narcissa thought that it was rather poetic for what they all had planned that day. She sipped at her tea as she stared out of the window. Sirius and Remus could be heard moving around upstairs, but it wasn’t the same level of mischief in their careful steps. They were nervous, she could tell by the lack of crashes.

“Missy Cissa be liking her tea?” Gizzy asked gently. The elf’s eyes were wider than usual as she tried to determine what her family needed. Narcissa softened under the gaze.

“It’s wonderful, Gizzy. Thank you,” she replied with a smile. “You take such wonderful care of us. We’d be lost without you.”

“Missy Cissa be hushing now,” Gizzy said quickly, pulling at her ears in embarrassment. It was almost enough to make Narcissa smile. Almost.

“Are you torturing our poor elf?” Sirius asked as he plopped into the seat beside hers gracelessly. “Hadrian will be so disappointed in you.”

“Hush,” she shot back with a grin. Gizzy snapped her fingers and a second cup of tea floated across the kitchen to land in front of Sirius. He gave her a smile in appreciation and she turned away, flustered. “Now who’s torturing poor Gizzy?”

“Don’t know what you mean,” he replied innocently. He reached over to pat her arm gently, and her lips quirked in amusement. Months of living together, and he was no better at comfort than he’d been in the beginning. “Are we ready for today?

The mood grew somber immediately. Even Gizzy hunched in on herself more than usual. “We should go over the plan one more time,” Narcissa said after a moment. Sirius nodded. “Is Remus on his way down?”

“I’m here,” Remus said from the doorway. He crossed the kitchen in three long strides and slid into the seat across from theirs. Gizzy was already bringing over a mug of what Narcissa was certain was hot cocoa instead of tea. “Padfoot, you’re first.”

“Erg,” he groaned. “I hate being first. Fine, fine. Technically my meeting starts a quarter of an hour before yours does. We know that Dumblefuck-er, sorry Cissa. He doesn’t bother with the school board meetings, thanks to Consiglia. I’ve obviously called an emergency board meeting to go over some laws that I’ve found that are… troubling. Since our dear Cissa won’t make it for the morning part of the session, I’m starting with the boring laws that nobody will actually care about. I can drag it out for a few hours, especially if that toad shows up.”

“Consiglia has promised to introduce us to the other board members as soon as the meeting begins, and they’ll vote on whether we can join or not. The only problem we’ve foreseen is Molly Weasley. Interestingly, we’ve found a solution to that problem,” Remus continued. Narcissa nodded with a smile.

“Yes, it seems that her poor son has been demoted from being a prefect, and by a portrait of all things. How embarrassing for her. It just so happens that Professor McGonagall scheduled her meeting to protest this at the same time as the beginning of the board meeting,” Narcissa agreed. “How fortunate for us.”

“Is Minnie on our side?” Sirius asked with wide eyes. “Did you both know that and not tell me?!”

“We’re not sure,” Remus placated. “Draco sent an owl last night after you’d already gone to bed. How he knows what happened…”

“He is a Slytherin,” Narcissa sniffed. “He knows how to discover facts that he’s not meant to know. I’d dare to say that he learned some of his skills from your son.”

“You take that back,” Sirius gasped dramatically.

“I will not,” she smirked. “As soon as we have been inducted into the school board, we will begin the motion to change things for the better. I will bring up the wards before Molly arrives, as they need to be thoroughly inspected. Many things have happened in the last few years that the wards should never have allowed.”

“Such as?” Remus asked with furrowed brows.

“The troll,” she said simply. Both men nodded in understanding. “The goblins have graciously offered to redo the wards. We need a majority vote before Molly arrives, and then the headmaster will have no choice but to agree. Really though, this will just be a failsafe in case the children can’t locate the stone or change it themselves.”

“Once that vote has been acquired, we’re content to let things play out. Consiglia has something up her sleeve, I’d bet my life on it,” Remus added. 

“Which leaves Hadrian,” Sirius sighed. “He’s to wait until an hour into both of our meetings before setting out with Blaise and Theo to locate the ward stone and do what they can to return Hogwarts to the way that it should be.”

“Does he have any idea how it should be?” Narcissa asked. Neither man could meet her eyes. “Do we know how it should be?”

“He was our headmaster, too,” Remus said after a moment. “I have to think that he had already changed things beyond recognition. We certainly didn’t have access to the Founders, and clearly they should have been there all along. I, for one, can’t wait to meet them.”

“I’m jealous,” Sirius huffed. “I want to meet the Founders, too.”

“You will,” Remus promised. “We’re going to visit Hadrian on the next Hogsmeade weekend, and we’ll meet them as his parents then.”

A clock chimed somewhere inside of the house, and Narcissa forced herself to stand. “We are out of time, gentlemen. Sirius, you’d best be off if you want to arrive first. Consiglia and I will join you for lunch. We’ll let you know how it goes at Hogwarts.”

“Right,” he nodded. He grabbed Remus around the waist and pulled him in for a kiss before heading towards the entrance room. They gave him a head start, then walked arm in arm out to the garden.

“Here goes nothing,” Remus said with some amusement.

“Nothing indeed,” Narcissa grinned.

It was unusual for the Wizengamot chamber to be empty, and Sirius felt an odd sense of dread as he waited in his seat. It felt too much like a throne, and he didn’t enjoy that in the slightest. It was going to be the first thing he changed after lunch, as long as things went according to plan. The seating arrangements felt cold and distant for a body that was meant to be working together for the same cause.

He didn’t have long to speculate. The first person to enter the chamber was the newly named Mylan Gaunt. Sirius scowled at him, but the man didn’t seem disturbed in the slightest. The glare was not returned. In fact, the man went so far as to approach the head seat.

“Chief Warlock Black,” he greeted. “May I inquire as to why we are having this meeting today?”

Hadrian had told him at length that this man could be trusted, but Sirius just didn’t believe it. Too many bad things had happened at his hand for him to ever be trusted again. However, he did seem to have the same goals as them… for now. As this man could make or break their plans this afternoon, Sirius chose to suck it up and treat him cordially.

“Lord Gaunt,” he replied. “We will be reviewing old laws today. This morning will be tedious, but this afternoon… I think you’ll find it quite interesting.”

“Oh?” Gaunt asked. He had a glint in his eyes that Sirius didn’t like. “I must say, I’m intrigued. It seems I’ve made a good decision on who to back for this position.”

The next wave of Lords were entering the chamber, and Sirius simply nodded in fake gratitude. The amusement only seemed to grow in the other man as he turned to take his seat. It took nearly twenty minutes for everyone to find their seats, and Sirius was starting to get nervous. Dumbledore had not yet arrived.

“Chief Warlock?” Lord Ogden asked from his position at Sirius’s side. “Is everything alright? I believe we are ready to begin.”

He was spared having to make an excuse to wait by the late entrance of the headmaster. He strode calmly into the room as though he wasn’t causing a bit of a scene, wearing blindingly yellow robes with what looked like scarlet lions dancing along the hems. He did not apologize as he settled into his seat. He merely looked up at Sirius expectantly, as though he were the reason the meeting was beginning five minutes after it was meant to.

“Right,” Sirius said under his breath. He only just managed to keep the relief off of his face. He wasn’t sure what he would have done if Dumbledore hadn’t attended. “Right, let’s begin. The doors are now sealed. The floor is open to any who have something to say before we begin the review of our laws.”

“My dear boy, I fear I don’t understand the relevance of reviewing things we have already voted upon,” Dumbledore spoke without bothering to stand. Sirius suppressed the urge to roll his eyes.

“I’ve spent the last few weeks reviewing old and new laws, and I’ve found a few things that make absolutely no sense. Some new laws make the old ones irrelevant, and some of the old laws no longer make sense,” he replied calmly. “Over the next several months, we will be reviewing these laws in meetings just like this one. They are optional. As you can see, some members have elected not to join us today, or will perhaps join after our lunch break.”

“What gives you the right-” Dumbledore began, but he was cut off by Lord Parkinson.

“He’s our Chief Warlock,” Parkinson reminded him. “He can do what he wants. You don’t have to be here if it’s a waste of your precious time.”

“I am happy to attend,” Dumbledore replied stiffly. “I simply do not see the need-”

“It’s not up to you to see the need,” Lord Nott snapped. “I have things to accomplish today. I say we get started.”

“Well said,” Lord Parkinson nodded.

“Very well,” Sirius nodded. He flicked his wand, and stacks of parchment appeared before each Lord and Lady present. “This is our morning agenda and the written laws that we’ll be voting on. Let’s begin with the top one.”

“This is the law banning flying carpets,” Dumbledore said flatly. Sirius took great pleasure in banging the gavel once. (He didn’t miss the wistful look that Ogden gave it when it hit the podium. He’d have to consider getting the man a gavel of his own.)

“I don’t see how this law is relevant anymore. The person who broke the statute repeatedly is no longer among the living. So… all for keeping the law as it is?”

Narcissa kept her arm wrapped around Remus’s for the duration of the time that they were waiting in the corridor. She kept her head held high and did not allow her gaze to wander. That was why she didn’t see Severus approaching until he was already beside her.

“Narcissa?” he gasped. He looked pale and a bit alarmed when she glanced towards him. She wasn’t expecting the sharp pain that seeing him brought to her chest. Her hands fluttered for a moment, and she felt the strange urge to place one on her stomach…

“Severus,” she nodded in greeting. Only decades of practice kept her pureblood mask in place as their eyes met for the first time in years. Her heart felt like it was going to burst from her chest, and she felt a strange fluttering sensation below her stomach that she hadn’t felt since… since Draco… The corridor seemed to spin around her as that sank in.

“Are you well?” he asked. She could hear the concern in his voice, but she couldn’t bring herself to tell him the truth. Not with what she’d just discovered. She didn’t realize she’d clutched Remus’s arm much tighter until he tugged his arm away and wrapped it around her side instead. The comfort was very welcome to her, but Severus’s expression shuttered and he took a step back.

The door to the chamber opened, and Consiglia stuck her head out to invite them inside. Her eyes narrowed when she took in everyone’s expressions, and she stepped fully into the hall. Her sharp gaze found Severus and she offered him an insincere smile. “You’ll have to excuse us, Severus. These two are needed for their induction to the school board.”

“... Of course,” Severus said after a few moments. He turned away as quickly as he’d approached, and Narcissa felt desperation claw at her throat. Her hand shot out to stop him before she could process what she was doing.

“Severus,” she whispered. She could hear the grief in her voice, which meant the rest of them would as well. She forced herself to relax and released his arm when his gaze met hers again. “We should talk soon.”

“I don’t know when I’ll have the time,” he replied quietly. It was a clear brush-off, but she wasn’t going to allow it. Not now.

“You will make the time,” she assured him. “Soon. Not today, but… soon.” 

He studied her face for a few seconds, and she wondered what he saw. She was sure that she was as pale as he was at that moment. Her hand really did cover her stomach for a moment, and his sharp gaze followed the movement. His eyes narrowed, then all of the fight seemed to leave him.

“Very well,” he said tonelessly. Then he really did escape down the hall. Narcissa took a shaky breath before turning her attention back to the other two.

“I apologize for that,” she said quietly. Remus was already shaking his head before she could finish. She kept talking anyway. “I didn’t realize that reunion would be so… tense. Remus, remind me to pay a visit to the goblins later. I believe I may require their services.”

“Narcissa…” Consiglia was looking at her with pity, which was the last thing that she wanted. She smoothly cut her off while moving towards the door.

“We have a meeting to attend, do we not? We are on a tight schedule. I don’t know how long Minerva can keep Molly talking,” she replied. She had tugged Remus inside before either of them could say another word.

The school board met in the teacher’s lounge. There was a large, round table in the center of the room with several high-backed chairs. Most of the chairs were occupied, and Narcissa only recognized a handful of the adults seated there. She was pleased to see Augusta at the head of the table; though she wasn’t certain how far her loyalty would extend, she knew that the Longbottom Dowager was at the very least neutral. She recognized Delaney Parkinson and Adela Greengrass as well. Adela had saved a seat beside her for Narcissa, as promised. The only others that she recognized were Mariella Ogden and…

“What is she doing here?” Violetta McClaggen demanded nastily. Narcissa withheld her exasperated sigh.

“She is a guest,” Consiglia replied coldly. “Her son is a prominent figure amongst the student body, and she is therefore eligible to join the board. As is Mr. Lupin. As a former professor, he just might have valuable insight into what needs to be changed to better the school. Does anyone have a valid reason they should not join us?”

“Think very carefully,” Augusta said quietly. Her words were enough to give everyone pause as they considered whether she meant that they should find a good reason or pretend that there were no reasons at all.

“Isn’t there a rule against professors joining the school board?” a quiet man asked. He glanced at the Dowager before looking back to Remus. “No offense, Mr. Lupin. I will never understand why the headmaster saw fit to let you go.”

“None taken, Mr. Brown. My monthly condition gave many parents cause for concern. I removed myself from the situation before it could escalate,” Remus explained smoothly. He turned politely to Narcissa. “Mr. Brown’s daughter is in our sons’ year at Hogwarts. She was exceptionally bright and quick to learn the materials. I do believe Hadrian mentioned spending more time with her this year.”

“Ah,” she said quietly. She directed a kind smile to the man. “A pleasure to meet you, Mr. Brown. I am Narcissa Black.”

Her introduction caused a quiet stir around the table as people realized she was no longer using the Malfoy name. The annulment had been public knowledge, but she didn’t blame them for not trusting the Prophet explicitly.

“Call me Jeremiah,” he replied with a kind smile of his own. “If there’s no rule against Mr. Lupin, I say we invite them to join.”

“Seconded,” Adela nodded. “It would be quite nice to have a new perspective after years of the same.”

“There is no rule,” Augusta assured everyone. “I checked long before Consiglia invited them to attend this meeting. All in favor?” Every wand but one raised into the air. Augusta raised an eyebrow pointedly at Violetta until she huffed and held up her own wand. “Wonderful. Welcome to the school board Narcissa, Remus.”

“Thank you,” Narcissa curtsied, as one did for a Dowager. She ignored Violetta’s snicker and Jeremiah’s slight confusion as she settled into the chair beside Adela. Delaney leaned over to welcome her as Remus took the seat directly across from her.

“Introductions are in order,” Augusta said once they were settled. “Going clockwise, we have Birchell Montgomery, Consiglia Zabini, Remus Lupin, Theodora Edgecomb, Jeremiah Brown, Delaney Parkinson, Adela Greengrass, Narcissa Black, Mariella Ogden, and I am Dowager Augusta Longbottom.”

“A pleasure to meet you all,” Narcissa smiled. “We are so pleased to be joining your board. I hope that we will accomplish great things for this school.”

“Ah, we’re just in time!” A commotion came from the large portrait over the door. A man dressed in flowing scarlet robes had appeared, and he was practically bouncing in place with excitement. A pale hand clamped down on his shoulder and he stopped. The hand was joined by the body of another man, this one wearing an intriguing combination of dark green and black. Narcissa imagined that Severus was pleased to see his idol dressed much like he did himself. Thinking of him made her heart give another pang.

“Relax, Godric. You’ll frighten them,” Salazar said drily. “They’re not used to your… energy.”

“Oh hush,” a woman dressed in a beautiful golden gown said as she entered the portrait. She took her seat in a chair that was painted into the background and smiled down at the gathered board. “Our apologies for never attending before. We didn’t know when you met, you see.”

“Yes, my heir was kind enough to inform us of this meeting!” Godric agreed. “We have a few things we’d like to share about our own vision for this school, if you don’t mind.”

“We would like a more active role,” the final woman added. She was dressed in a gown of midnight blue that sparkled with what appeared to be shining starlight. Narcissa’s breath caught in her throat as she took in the sight of Rowena Ravenclaw. She had always privately thought that she would have done better in Ravenclaw than Slytherin, but she’d naively trusted the sorting hat. She didn’t trust anything anymore.

As if sensing her gaze, Rowena turned her smile to Narcissa and offered her a little wink. Narcissa blushed and looked down at the table. The parents around her were just as awed; clearly none of them had met the Founders yet.

“Yes, yes,” Augusta blustered. “We will be glad to hear your opinions on what we discuss today. We will open the floor to suggestions and comments now.”

Narcissa caught Remus’s eye and nodded pointedly. This had to come from him, as he’d spent the most time inside of the school. They both hoped that the Founders would agree with their request, as that was going to be the easiest way to get everyone else to agree.

“Erm,” Remus said, flushing a bit when every eye turned to him. “I’ve been meaning to bring up the wards.”

“The wards?” Adela asked. She looked surprised, as did most of the others. Augusta nodded in approval of the subject, which was really all that Remus needed.

“I’m unsure if you’ve read the charter or not, but the wards are supposed to be the best in the world. Hogwarts was once the safest place, safer even than Gringotts. Now, though…” he trailed off, letting them consider his words.

“This is true,” Helga said quietly into the silence. “We built this school to offer protection to the children of our world because muggles had begun to hunt us. Our wards were innovative and brilliant; the best of the best.”

“Mm,” Salazar agreed, looking thoughtful. “After everything young Hadrian has told me, I do have to question what happened. The charter states that the wards must be refreshed each decade for full effectiveness.”

“When was the last time they were refreshed?” Augusta asked. She sounded dangerously calm. Narcissa happened to know that a quiet Augusta was a very dangerous Augusta. She thanked whatever was listening that it wasn’t directed at her.

“Nearly a century ago,” Rowena replied just as quietly. “And we have been locked away for eighty of those years. That should never have been possible. The wards are meant to block malicious magics of all kinds.”

“You’re saying that someone has altered the school’s wards enough that harmful spells can be used at any time?” Adela demanded angrily. Her fist hit the table in front of her and Remus flinched.

“Yes,” Rowena replied bluntly. “To my understanding, that happens rather frequently these days. We witnessed one such spectacle last night. It allowed us to step forward and use that power that Hogwarts still grants us to ensure the safety of our students. She is not impressed with what has been happening within her walls.”

“Hogwarts is-” Remus breathed.

“Yes,” Godric confirmed with a short nod. “Hogwarts is quite sentient. If only you could feel her strength.”

“All in favor of having the wards refreshed as soon as possible?” Augusta asked. Her tone implied that arguments would not be tolerated. Every wand at the table lifted before she’d even finished speaking. “Wonderful. Remus, I’ll have you reach out to the goblins. I do believe they are the masters of warding these days. A few of their curse breakers should be just what we need.”

“I’ll see it done,” Remus nodded. “Thank you for hearing me out. I worry for the safety of our children.”

“Your own especially, I’d imagine,” Delaney smiled sharply. “He seems to find himself in trouble more often than not. My Pansy tells me everything, you know. He should have been in Slytherin.”

“Yes, the hat agrees with you,” Remus replied blandly. “He’s told us that the sorting hat wanted to put him in Slytherin, but he convinced it that he’d be better off in Gryffindor. And now he has to hide from his housemates most of the time because they believe they know what’s best for him and spend quite a bit of time trying to control him.”

“Ah yes,” Adela sighed. “Molly does tend to talk about the friendship between her son and yours as though… well. As though her son has won a prize.”

“I can assure you that they are no longer friends,” Remus informed her. “Hadrian doesn’t like being treated like something to be won or displayed, and he especially doesn't enjoy being called by the wrong name now that he knows what it was meant to be all along. Sirius and I will never understand where ‘Harry’ came from; anyone who knows Sirius would know that name is not nearly dramatic enough.”

Quiet laughter drifted through the room at that. Nearly everyone there had had the pleasure of meeting Sirius before. He’d gone to school with most of them, after all. The laughter was abruptly cut off by the door slamming open. Molly Weasley stomped into the room wearing a scowl that only darkened when her eyes fell upon Narcissa.

“ Why is there a Death Eater at our meeting?” she demanded loudly.

“Narcissa is hardly a Death Eater, darling, " Consiglia replied glibly. “She’s just joined the school board, along with Mr. Lupin.”

Molly’s cheeks darkened under her anger as she looked between Remus and Narcissa. “No. Absolutely not. Professor Dumbledore will never allow it.”

“I’ll remind you that the headmaster has no say here. He chose not to attend this meeting, and therefore his opinion will not be considered,” Augusta said firmly. “Besides, a new perspective is a good thing, Molly. Remus was a professor here, and Narcissa has much influence in society.”

“What about my opinion?” Molly demanded. Consiglia was losing the battle against smirking, much to Narcissa’s amusement.

“You were late,” Augusta reminded her. “We vote on new members at the beginning of the meeting. We have already invited them to join and passed our first decision.”

“And that would be?” Molly asked, crossing her arms. Narcissa waited with bated breath for the screaming to begin.

“We will be refreshing the wards within the school,” Delaney told her with glee. Clearly Narcissa was not the only one with a dislike for the Weasley matriarch.

“ What?! ”

Sirius glanced at the muggle clock hanging above the door to the chamber and held back a sigh. Two more hours before he could declare a break from this. The only thing that was keeping him from dismissing everyone early was the growing annoyance of Albus Dumbledore. The headmaster’s face was growing darker by the minute as each small law was reintroduced and debated over.

Flying carpets were no longer illegal. It was no longer illegal to buy a goat on the full moon, much to the delight of the twins. Verbal consent was now legal for vampires who wanted to feed, so long as no magical force was used. They were now having a lively debate over what qualified as justifiable emergency in the case of an exorcism. This one was particularly fun, because they’d sent Umbridge out to locate one of the three ghosts of former Ministers who still haunted the building to get an opinion from an actual ghost.

“Sirius, my boy,” Albus called, gaining the attention from everyone in the room. That was apparently not what he wanted. He forced a very fake smile onto his face as he asked his question. “What is the meaning behind the laws you’ve chosen to review today?”

“This morning, we’re going over laws that are extremely outdated or obsolete. We wouldn’t want someone to accidentally break a law that was forgotten or misunderstood and face judgment for it, would we?” Sirius asked innocently. “I’ll remind you of the trial my son had to face for using defensive magic, Regent Dumbledore.”

Oh, he didn’t like that title. He sat up a bit straighter in his seat, and his eyes lost their usual sparkle. “He used a patronus charm in front of his muggle cousin.”

“Yes, to defend the both of them against the dementors that ambushed him. And I’ll remind you that the Dursleys are family in name only,” Sirius replied sharply. Murmuring had begun to break out in the chamber. “We are reviewing these laws for the good of our community, Regent Dumbledore. If you would rather be doing something else, you are welcome to leave while the doors are unsealed.”

He was taking a risk, here. He had no way of knowing if his family had accomplished their goals, but he also couldn’t let Dumbledore plant doubt in the minds of the other Lords and Ladies. The sour look on Dumbledore’s face told him that the risk had paid off. He wasn’t going anywhere.

“Ah, and here is the delightful Lady Umbridge with our resident spiritual advisor!” he announced, allowing just a touch of sarcasm into his voice. It had the desired effect of getting the attention away from Dumbledore. “Tell us, Reginald, exactly how much does an exorcism hurt?”

“You stepped on my toes again,” Blaise grumbled under his breath to Hadrian. The invisibility cloak was not made for three nearly grown teenagers, but Hadrian didn’t trust himself to cast a disillusionment charm and the other two weren’t advanced enough to do it themselves. Hermione was leading the way through the school, with little guiding nudges from the boys in the right direction. She’d volunteered to stand outside of wherever the ward stone was tucked away to keep watch and try to distract anyone who might interrupt before they were finished.

“Shh,” Theo hissed. His elbow collided with Blaise’s ribs and Blaise let out a sharp breath of pain. “You’ll get us caught.”

“ And after everything he’s done for this school, this is how he’s treated! By a portrait, no less! I expect you to fix this, Minerva, or I’ll go over your head!” Molly Weasley’s shrill voice echoed down the corridor from McGonagall’s office, and all four of them winced in sympathy.

“Lower your voice, Molly, or I will ask you to leave,” McGonagall replied sharply. “Ronald deserved what he got. I would have done it myself if the Founders hadn’t beaten me to it.”

“Ooh,” Blaise whispered, looking delighted. “Can we stop and listen?”

“No,” Hermione replied in annoyance. Then she quickly glanced around to make sure that she hadn’t been noticed. Nobody seemed to be in the hall. She sighed softly and shook her head. “We can’t be caught by anybody. If it gets back to Dumbledore-”

“Granger,” Pansy Parkinson called as she rounded the corner at a sprint. She slowed as soon as she was sure that she had Hermione’s attention. “Listen, I’m looking for Theo. Where is he?”

“Why should I know?” Hermione asked stiffly. She seemed more nervous than annoyed to Hadrian, and he was sure that Pansy saw the same thing with the way her eyes narrowed.

“Oh please. You’re best friends with Potter-Black, and he spends all his time with Theo, Blaise, and Draco. You know where they are. I couldn’t get Draco to tell me, but I will break you,” she replied casually, as if it wasn’t a threat. Hermione’s eyes flashed in anger.

“I’ve no clue where the boys have gone. I’m not their keeper. I’d try the library; that was the last place I heard them say that they were going,” she replied primly. Pansy flashed a victorious smile as she turned on her heel to sprint away, but Hermione wasn’t done yet. “Parkinson! Whatever you wanted Theo for, you better hope he’s nicer than I am. If you treated my friend that way, I wouldn’t help you with anything. As I’m Hadrian’s best friend, it stands to reason that Theo would at least have some respect for me, wouldn’t you say? So what do you think he’ll do when he hears how you threatened me?”

“... You wouldn’t tell him. What would that do to your pride?” Pansy said after a moment, but she didn’t look as sure as before. Hermione smirked.

“My pride? I’m not a Slytherin. I couldn’t care less about pride, Pansy. What I care about is how my friends are treated. And before you make a Hufflepuff comment, I’ll remind you of what the Founders said about their houses last night,” she replied easily. “ When I tell him what you said to me, I hope he tells you exactly what he thinks of your behavior before refusing to help with whatever menial ‘emergency’ you have going on.”

Hadrian held his breath as Pansy studied Hermione with narrowed eyes, but he needn’t have worried. Instead of lashing out, Pansy deflated suddenly. There were tears in her eyes that hadn’t been there before, and she seemed so… defeated.

“It’s Millie,” she whispered. “She’s angry with me for something I… said. Not about her, but… it may as well have been. I forgot, you see. She won’t listen to my apology and I don’t really… have any other friends. Daphne only spends time with me because Millie does. Draco would usually sort it out, but he’s off with his girlfriend. I wouldn’t even care, except that now Theo and Blaise are always gone as well, and it’s left me…”

“Alone,” Hermione sighed. Hadrian wasn’t surprised to see sympathy written all over her face. There was no doubt in his mind that she was remembering her first year, before the troll. Before Hadrian had befriended her. “I was going to help with a project, but I’ll come help you instead. I don’t know Millicent or Daphne very well, but I’m sure we can get this cleared up.”

“Isn’t your project important?” Pansy asked hesitantly. Hadrian reached out to put a hand on Hermione’s back and gave her a little push towards Pansy, which was all the invitation she needed to move down the hall and loop their arms together.

“They’ll be fine,” she said dismissively. “This seems to be more important.”

As the two girls rounded the corner out of sight, Hadrian let out the breath he’d been holding. He turned to glance at Blaise and Theo, who both looked amused. “Guess we’re on our own,” he said softly.

“Come here,” Theo said quietly, grabbing both of their hands and pulling them through a door into an empty classroom. As soon as a simple ward had been put up, the cloak hit the floor. Theo pushed Hadrian against the door gently and crowded into his space. Hadrian’s head felt like it was spinning from the proximity, and Blaise squeezed his hand in reassurance. “We don’t know how today is going to go.”

“No, we don’t,” Hadrian agreed, voice barely above a whisper. Theo’s lips quirked upward.

“So we should take every chance that we have, yeah?” he asked, lifting a hand to brush his thumb along Hadrian’s cheekbone. He shivered, biting his lip to keep from embarrassing himself. He wasn’t sure what was going to come out if he tried to speak at that moment.

“Mhm,” he nodded instead. Theo grinned triumphantly and leaned in the rest of the way. Their lips connected for the first time and it felt like the sky was falling. It was all he could do to part his lips and press in further to reciprocate. He was sure that he made an embarrassing sound, but it was swallowed by Theo’s lips. Blaise’s hands traveled up their arms and traced patterns there. Having both of his soulmates pressed so close to him was giving him… feelings.

He shifted forward to press more firmly against Theo, who shifted just enough to slide a thigh between his legs. The noise that Hadrian made wasn’t completely swallowed by Theo’s lips this time, and Blaise groaned beside them.

“This isn’t fair in the slightest,” he grumbled under his breath. His hand slid up to grasp Hadrian’s hair and he gave it a tug until the kiss broke. Using the leverage he had, he angled Hadrian’s head to the side and slotted their lips together. Theo stayed pressed to his front as their tongues collided, and Hadrian thought he might win the battle for dominance until Theo shifted his thigh and drew a whimper from him. Blaise took advantage of the opportunity and took control of their kiss happily.

Hadrian didn’t know which sensation to focus on. He was trapped between Theo and Blaise, who both seemed to know exactly what they were doing to him. Theo’s lips pressed against his neck and he nipped hard enough to leave a mark, making Hadrian’s hips buck against him. He could feel how much this was affecting Theo as soon as he shifted, and it gave him more satisfaction than he would have thought possible. At least he wasn’t the only one feeling… overwhelmed.

Blaise broke the kiss to press their foreheads together, and they panted into each other’s mouths for a few moments. Theo finished leaving his mark on Hadrian’s neck and turned his attention to Blaise. Their eyes met, and Hadrian watched with a little bit of amusement as they leaned in to complete the triangle. His amusement quickly shifted to heat as he watched his soulmates kiss, and his breath caught in his throat. Blaise’s hand, which was still in his hair, gave another little tug to remind him who was in charge. 

It was over too soon. Theo and Blaise separated with matching grins, and Blaise carefully removed his hand from Hadrian’s hair. Theo took that as the sign to get off of Hadrian, and untangled their legs so he could step back.

“To be continued,” he winked. Hadrian could feel his cheeks flushing, but he wasn’t sure if it was embarrassment or arousal that was coloring them this time. It didn’t seem fair that they had to stop, but he did understand why it was important. Not only did they have things to be doing, but it would break their courtship if they got caught in a compromising position without a chaperone. He sighed as he straightened his robes. It took him an embarrassingly long time to realize how hard Hogwarts was tugging on his magic.

He looked up from buttoning the top of his shirt and his mouth dropped open. Theo had led them directly to the ward stone without even realizing it.

“I don’t think we’re going to get anything else done today,” Consiglia sighed to Augusta. Molly had been ranting for nearly an hour about how the wards in the school were perfect because the headmaster himself added to them every few years. None of them had gotten her to shut up for long enough to ask how she knew that for certain when none of the rest of them had heard a peep.

“A shame,” Augusta nodded. “I was so hoping to convince everyone to add a class to the curriculum. I do believe that Neville would be fabulous at wand lore.”

“Oh! I adored that class,” Mariella gushed with a bright smile. “I just know that Jo would love to take it. But would they find an acceptable teacher? Dumbledore’s judgment on hiring is…”

“Awful,” Remus nodded, smiling slightly. “I would know. If we were to add the class, I think we should nominate a teacher that he’d have no reason to turn down. That way we know that our children are being taught by someone we can trust.”

“Are you implying that there are some here who shouldn’t be trusted?” Salazar asked from above them. Remus didn’t quite recognize the look on his face, but he’d guess that it might be respect.

“I don’t wish to imply anything at all,” he replied diplomatically. He might be pants at politics, but he could play neutral very well. Salazar nodded in approval. “I simply think we might do a better job at finding a neutral party who knows what they’re doing.”

“I didn’t mean to imply-” Mariella started apologetically, but Remus waved the apology away. 

“Don’t worry about it, Ms. Ogden. It’s quite alright,” he assured her.

“It’s Mariella, please,” she told him almost shyly. “Josephine tells me all the time that I need to be more careful about what I’m saying. I’m not technically a parent, you know.”

He’d been wondering how she could have a child Hogwarts aged. He offered a small smile. “She’s your sister, then?”

“Yes,” Mariella nodded. “Our parents passed away two years ago and I took custody of her. We live with our grandfather and I’m being trained as an heir, but… it’s hard on all of us. My coping mechanism has become saying whatever comes to mind, and it gets me into trouble at times.”

“I much prefer brutal honesty to guarded smiles or false platitudes,” he informed her gently. “I am well aware of what I am and the danger that I posed to the children. I should never have taken the job, but I was so excited to meet Hadrian that I let it consume me. And that’s before I even knew that he was my son.”

“You didn’t know…?” Mariella asked with wide eyes.

“It was hidden from him, supposedly for Hadrian’s protection,” Consiglia confirmed for him. It was still painful to talk about, and he was grateful to her for taking over the conversation.

“Fat lot of good that did,” Augusta rolled her eyes. “Neville told me all about what those muggles did to him. He’d have been better off trying his luck with a werewolf.”

“The muggles were abusing my heir?” Godric asked dangerously. Remus barely held back a sigh. They’d been hoping to keep that quiet for as long as possible, but there was no controlling what came out of Augusta’s mouth.

“Broken bones, starvation, emotional abuse,” she listed off, counting on her fingers. Remus was horrified to hear Moony growling out loud. It wasn’t even close to the full moon… “Sorry, Remus. I’m sure you’d rather not think about it.”

“Sirius and I have been addressing it slowly with Hadrian. He’s going to be seeing a mind healer when he’s not in Hogwarts. The first appointment is before Yule,” he replied carefully.

“Ted Tonks, I should hope,” she sniffed. “He’s the very best in his field, and Narcissa has no business feuding with her sister any longer. Now that that husband of hers is out of the picture, I mean.”

“They’ve been talking since summer,” Remus confirmed. He glanced over to where she had her head bent together with Adela and Delaney, giving them all a soft smile that they didn’t see. When he looked back to Augusta, she was smiling.

“Good. Shall we call this meeting over?” she asked. “I don’t see us making any further progress.”

The ward stone took up the entire middle of the room. If they’d gone further in before snogging, they would have walked right into it. As if that wasn’t enough of a shock, Hadrian could clearly see that it was made of the same blood stone that he’d given to Hermione for protection. The same stone that was nearly impossible to find in small chunks, much less the size of a small muggle vehicle.

“Er,” he said, eyes wide. “I can’t believe it was that easy.”

“I don’t know, I think it was fairly hard,” Blaise teased, letting his eyes drag along Hadrian’s body for a moment suggestively. Theo shoved his shoulder and he laughed out loud. “Sorry, couldn’t resist.”

“What do we do?” Theo asked, staring at the stone. Hadrian had to think back to what Sirius had told him months ago, and he hesitated before answering.

“It just needs access to our magic. Hogwarts knows what it wants,” he replied finally. “We just have to touch the stone and let it take what it needs, and it’ll heal itself.”

“Are you sure?” Theo asked. He sounded skeptical, and Hadrian couldn’t blame him for it. It sounded far too easy.

“What if it takes more magic than we can give?” Blaise asked uneasily. Hadrian wished that he had an answer for them, but he was just as lost. 

“I think… We just have to trust our magic and the school. It can’t want to hurt us; we’re the heirs. I know that when Siri and I changed the wards at Potter Manor, it felt exhilarating. I had to push my magic into them and think of the changes that I wanted to make. With the school’s wards, we don’t have to work that hard. Can you feel the pull?” Both boys nodded. “I think if we touch the stone, it’ll direct us on what to do to fix what’s been broken.”

“Alright,” Theo said after a moment. “We’ve come too far to back down now. In for a galleon, and all that.”

“I still don’t like it, but I agree,” Blaise nodded. “Let’s get this over with.”

None of them noticed the massive portrait at the back of the room where all four Founders had appeared to watch with satisfaction. They took their places around the stone and held out their hands. With very little hesitation, they pressed forward to shove their palms against the rough stone.

Hadrian gasped as a flood of foreign magic entered his body and mind. He could feel everything. Magic swirled around the room in reds, yellows, greens, and blues. A burst of bright violet flared around the stone itself, covering the three heirs with a darker magic that felt like slick oil on their skin. Hadrian could feel all three of their discomfort like it was all his own.

A strange wind kicked up around the room as the stone flared to life. The magical swirls grew brighter as Hadrian felt his magic entering the stone for the first time. It wasn’t painful, but he could feel it draining his energy slowly. It was worth it when he opened his eyes to see the wards for the first time.

The magical swirls had formed webs all around the room, from floor to ceiling. Different colors looped and collided together, but there were big holes in spaces. The violet magic clung to the webs in places, weighing them down until the strands had nearly snapped. As he watched, the webs began to repair themselves. Reds and Greens traveled from his own body into the webs, filling in the holes and chasing away the darkness. Blues and Yellows came from Blaise and Theo, doing the same thing. He almost didn’t notice when his vision went gray at the edges.

The last thing that he saw before he passed out was the steady glow of the repaired wards. They’d done it, finally.

In the Wizengamot chamber, Albus Dumbledore sat bolt upright in his seat as a foreign feeling spread from the top of his head to the ends of his toes. His hands glowed a dark violet for a few moments as magic he’d nearly forgotten about returned to him. He’d gained quite the audience when it started, and his horror grew at an alarming rate.

Somebody was tampering with the Hogwarts wards.

Chapter Text

It started in the Chamber. Ward webs in green and red spread across the walls and floor, covering every inch. Wherever the dark purple magic clung to the wards was replaced with a vibrant blue or golden yellow. The foreign magic sizzled as it dissolved, and piece by piece the Chamber knit itself back together. Bones and shed skin crumbled to dust, which was then vanished by whatever magic was nearest. The marble of the columns glowed brightly for several seconds, and when the light faded they were sparklingly clean. The same thing happened with the statues and doors, and then the walls and floors. By the time the ward webs faded back to invisibility, the Chamber of Secrets was spotless and looked brand new.

“Regent Dumbledore, stop whatever spell you are casting at once!” the ghost of Reginald Bagshot exclaimed angrily. “In all my years working for the Ministry, I have never seen such a show of blatant disrespect.”

“It is not my spell,” Albus protested as calmly as he was able. He was disappointed, distantly, that his voice was not quite steady. He used to be much better at hiding his anger and hatred.

“You’re clearly doing something,” Lord Gaunt raised his eyebrows. “Care to share?”

“If I knew, I would be delighted,” Albus lied through his teeth. This had the Potter boy written all over it. He was the heir to two founders, as he’d been spreading through the school all year. He’d need to figure out the other two heirs as soon as he returned to the school, so they might receive the appropriate punishment for messing with the wards. Students simply were not allowed. 

“Do you need a magic dampening cuff?” Lord Ogden offered helpfully. Oh, how Albus loathed that man.

“A wonderful idea. Lady Bones, my dear, would you mind?” Sirius asked. He was hiding his delight at the situation, but only barely. Albus wasn’t fooled.

“There will be no need for that,” Albus said through his teeth. He could feel the well of magic that was returning to him, and it was becoming a struggle to keep it all contained to simply glowing hands. With great effort, he managed to extinguish the light.

The dungeons were next. Every sconce on the wall went out as the ward webs spread across floors, walls, and ceilings. Though they were mostly green and yellow, patches of blues and reds were filling in where the foreign dark magic had been. The sizzling of dissolving curses could be heard throughout the dungeons. Several students clutched their heads with shrieks as enchantments were ripped from their beings. Even Severus, who had undergone his cleansing weeks ago, found himself suddenly dizzy as something dark was pulled from him.

When the webs began to fade once more, the sconces roared to life much brighter than they’d ever been. Several portraits that had never before moved were now alive and waving excitedly to the students. Every surface was suddenly spotless, and the students felt healthier than they’d felt in a long time. Some of the older students felt stronger than ever before; the drain on their magic had finally been ended.

Both the Hufflepuff and Slytherin common rooms underwent huge changes. The once dark Slytherin common room was suddenly brightly lit and much friendlier. Each dorm gained rooms for every student with a simple common area to connect the yearmates together. Shining plaques showed the names of the room’s intended occupants. In Hufflepuff, the same thing occurred. Students who had been sitting on their beds found themselves suddenly in a private room that was all their own. Each room contained a bed, a simple desk, a bookshelf, and a window to the outside. These windows were enchanted so that the students could not leave, but their owls could visit them. The windows would not be visible to the outside, as the common rooms were technically below ground.

The kitchens also underwent a change. Each house elf suddenly found themselves wearing a standard Hogwarts uniform. The kitchen equipment underwent a vast upgrade to more modern fixtures that reacted much better to magic being used on them.

Ron had been in the middle of whispering a hex at Draco’s back, but before he could flick his wand to complete it, he found himself frozen completely in place. Unable to move, he watched helplessly as Severus stormed from his office to give punishment to the Gryffindor. He had been alerted by the castle herself when she sensed the danger.

The dark magic was extinguished for less than thirty seconds before it roared to life once more, brighter than before. Albus growled under his breath in frustration. He clenched his fist to extinguish it, but all that did was change its form to purple flames that climbed harmlessly up his arms.

“Regent Dumbledore, put out your wrist. I’ve got a cuff that will control the wayward magic,” Lady Bones ordered. He recognized the black cuff in his hand as one that he and Gellert had created many decades ago. He was well aware of how effective it was, and would be on him.

“It’s quite alright, Amelia,” he assured her unconvincingly. A sudden flair of magic returned to him, and the flames shot a foot into the air. “Quite alright!”

The first floor began in the Great Hall, but there wasn’t as much to do there thanks to the actions at the beginning of the year. The fireplaces grew a bit larger, and the sky shifted from perpetually cloudy to bright and sunny. The tables changed only slightly; the banners above that marked which house sat at which table changed permanently to simple Hogwarts banners instead. The hourglass that recorded house points changed, as well. All four hourglasses underwent a change in totals. Any points that had been taken for frivolous reasons were returned to the total, and points given out of favoritism were removed.

Minerva, who had been grading papers, got the shock of her life when bright red ward webs flashed into life across her office. She dropped her quill as she watched patches of dark purple magic- which she recognized as being extremely dark- sizzled out of existence. The shadowy corners that she’d never been able to lighten suddenly glowed brightly. When the glow faded, there were no shadowy areas left. The scarlet webs wrapped around her for a few moments, and when they cleared she felt lighter… younger. She smiled for the first time in days as she realized that things were going to be okay.

The library doors sealed for newly five full minutes as the room rearranged itself. Madam Pince cowered at her desk as shelves moved rapidly across the floor to arrange into a more accessible area for studying. Directly across from her desk, a glowing doorway appeared. The midnight blue stone sparkled in the suddenly well-lit room, and the knob twisted itself to open the door. Inside, she could see rows upon rows of ancient books that were thought to be long lost. As the library unsealed, she was entering that room to catalogue the knowledge to be found inside.

Each classroom on the first floor gently ejected their occupants and sealed themselves. Inside, the webbing was more complex and covered with quite a bit more dark magic than the other rooms had been. The Founders’ magic burned through it rapidly, sending it back to the owner with a force that would impede him from returning to the school as quickly as he’d like. Hogwarts gave a pleased hum that every single person within felt to their cores.

When the classroom doors opened, they seemed brand new. They were spotless, and seemed to resonate with newfound power. The corridors got a rush of powerful magic, and when it settled, they gave off the same resonation. They felt safe .

The hospital wing was the last to be touched, and it underwent the most dramatic change. Madam Pomphrey found herself locked inside of her office with no warning as the wing itself converted to something more modern. Many of the potions and instruments vanished, as they had been soaked in the dark magic of the headmaster. A great, stone fireplace grew from the floor to cover an entire wall, above which hung the largest frame yet to belong to the Founders. A cerulean throne sat in the very center, with an eagle perched on the back. A bookcase sprang into existence at the far end of the wing, filled with books written by Rowena herself about healing magics and potions. 

The matron herself was wrapped in blue webbing that sucked several compulsions and enchantments out of her. As the blinds were quite literally lifted from her eyes and mind, she wept for the children that she had failed over the years. She would find a way to make it right.

“Hold out your wrist,” Amelia demanded angrily as the flames were tamed. The flickered an inch above his wrist now, and he could feel that they were frigidly cold instead of warm. It was a sure sign of dark magic that even the newest of wizards would be able to identify. He couldn’t let anyone close enough to feel. The color was enough of a red flag.

“Back away,” he warned her. The sparkle that he liked to enchant into his eyes was gone, and he knew it. The flames climbed another inch as he spoke; it was taking his full focus to keep them under control. Having her too close was dangerous for everyone in the chamber… not that he cared in the slightest. He’d be thrilled to be rid of most of them.

… Why was he attempting to maintain control?

“I say, this is completely inappropriate,” the ghost of Reginald Bagshot snapped.

Ah yes. Witnesses. He couldn’t have witnesses when he finally decided to rid the world of those who would hold him back.

“You know what this is, don’t you?” Lord Gaunt asked impassively. He didn’t seem to be worried in the slightest, unlike every other person (and ghost) in the chamber. It rankled like nothing else had.

“Please, enlighten me,” Albus responded in a monotone. It was meant to make Mylan pause, but he didn’t even hesitate.

“This is magical backlash. A curse that you have cast has been dispelled, and it’s returning to you in three-fold. Given the amount of flames you have there, I would say it’s more than one curse,” the man informed the room at large, though it was directed at Albus specifically. “You won’t get it under control until it has all returned.”

“I’m certain you’re wrong, my boy,” Albus assured the room in general. Inside, he wanted to shriek. Of course that’s what it was. Anyone with half a brain would know that. He’d just been counting on the fact that most of the gathered council did not.

“A curse?” Amelia asked with narrowed eyes. “What curse?”

The second floor went much faster than the first. There were no offices or common rooms to contend with. The classrooms ejected students and staff alike, repaired themselves, and unsealed to begin a new age of learning.

There were several secret passageways on the second floor that had long been sealed, but they suddenly found themselves unblocked by magic. Hogwarts was ready to aid her students in any way that she could, including offering faster routes to classes.

The grounds underwent their change as the second floor shifted. The greenhouses expanded and the plants flourished before Professor Sprout’s eyes. Several large bits of dark magic sizzled away as she watched, and it didn’t take her long to realize exactly what had happened. Her smile faded to an angry scowl as sections of soil that she simply couldn’t get to grow sprouted with no trouble once the magic was removed. She had many things to say to the headmaster when he returned.

The Whomping Willow, which had always been extremely violent, calmed considerably when the ward webs that draped over it were simply green and blue instead of mostly violet. It shook out its branches and then finally stayed still, enjoying the warmth of the sun.

The forbidden forest underwent the biggest change on the grounds. What once was dark and forbidding became bright and full of life. Trees and foliage that had been dying perked up towards the sun and grew an abundance of leaves. Creatures that had been on the brink of starvation and dehydration suddenly were in perfect health. Magical springs spread throughout the forest, and herbs and plants sprang up around them that had previously been considered extinct.

“I can assure you that I have not cast any curses, Amelia,” Albus told her. Even to his own ears, he didn’t sound believable. His eyes moved across the room, and all he saw were accusing faces and anger. This was not going to be good.

“Albus,” she hissed, eyes flashing in anger. “Explain yourself. Now.”

The third and fourth floors were the same as the second floor. Several students that had been in the middle of casting hexes or jinxes were frozen in place, and Hogwarts alerted professors or prefects that happened to be nearby. Classrooms fixed themselves. Passageways unblocked themselves.

The grand staircase froze into place for the first time in nearly a century. Slowly, the stairs that liked to move as soon as a student stepped on them slid to the correct floors and stayed there. The trick stairs became real stairs. Any that needed to be repaired found themselves completely fixed or brand new.

Peeves had been hovering on the fourth floor, just outside of what had once been the Alchemy classroom. He had been unscrewing the chandelier there slowly, but jolted backwards as what felt like an electric shock pricked his fingers. He shook his fist at the ceiling, but when he heard the voice of Hogwarts for the first time in decades, he fled the scene. She was not pleased with the way he endangered students while she could not help them.

“I believe that Hogwarts is under attack,” he announced suddenly. Yes, that should do… “This is a spell that I placed on the wards to alert me if anyone should manage to get through. It did not react with my own magic in the way that I had intended, and for that I do apologize.”

A few faces shifted from anger to concern as he spoke, but not enough to completely clear him of suspicion. Unfortunately, Amelia was still studying him with disgust that she usually reserved for the worst criminals. He remembered very clearly at that moment that her niece was currently a student at Hogwarts. Perhaps he shouldn’t have implied that she might be in danger.

“Regent Dumbledore, are you saying that you don’t have control of the school?” Sirius asked mildly. “Our heirs are in danger because you chose to be here instead of there, leaving them much less defended. Am I understanding that correctly?”

“It would seem so,” Lord Gaunt mused. There was a glimmer of mirth in his eyes now. How had no one else realized who he was? “Perhaps we should send him back to the school before something worse occurs?”

The violet flames shot a foot into the air again as the next wave of magic returned to him. He glanced down at his arm and saw that his skin was starting to darken in the tell-tale sign of frostbite. He had hardly noticed the pain in his desperate grab for a good lie. It wouldn’t take more than a minute or two for someone to notice.

“I agree,” he surprised himself by saying. “I should return at once to ensure the safety of our youth.”

“Not so fast,” Amelia replied. She was holding the cuff tightly as she studied his arm. Blast it all, she had noticed! “This is not from the wards. Or at least, not in the way you’ve implied.”

The fifth and sixth floors took ten minutes in total to complete. These floors were predominately red and blue, but gained big patches of green and gold along the way. Hogwarts was slowly gathering the majority of the violet magic and holding it dormant at her core. She had a plan, now that she was able to do more than passively watch things play out. It was almost time…

“I’m certain that I don’t know what you mean,” Albus said through gritted teeth. The flames shot even higher as his anger boiled over. How dare she question him!

“If you will not present your wrist, I’ll summon the aurors right now,” she threatened. “Don’t force my hand, Albus.”

“Surely that will be unnecessary,” Lord Ogden said quickly. His eyes darted between Albus and Amelia with great concern. If it had been any other situation, Albus might have appreciated that the man did seem to care for his safety. Or perhaps it was that he was worried only for Amelia’s… and rightly so.

“Move out of my way,” he ordered. He would be leaving this chamber on his own power one way or another. If that meant having to show his hand before he was ready, then so be it.

“Let him go,” Lord Gaunt said after a moment of tense silence. Every eye in the chamber went to him incredulously, but he was unphased. “We all know exactly where he is going. If it’s true that this is related to the wards, then we also know that the children will be just fine. Hogwarts is the safest place on Earth.”

“He said the wards are under attack!” Lord Nott spat. “We don’t know that they are still intact. How are we to know that the heirs are safe?”

“An interesting choice of words,” Lady Marchbanks sneered. “Is it just the heirs you are worried for? Specifically your own, I should assume.”

“Enough!” Sirius called out. In the midst of the commotion, he’d somehow passed his gavel to Lord Ogden, who banged it happily on his own desk. “We don’t need to be arguing with each other. We need to be deciding what to do with Regent Dumbledore. I am inclined to trust Madam Bones, as the head of law enforcement, in whatever decision she makes.”

When nobody spoke up in protest, Amelia moved forcefully towards Albus. “Place your wand on the desk before you and step to the side, Regent Dumbledore. You’ll be coming into custody until we can determine what the threat is to the school.”

“I will be doing no such thing,” Albus said calmly. He’d made up his mind; it was time to show them who they were turning on.

The seventh floor was the final area of the castle to undergo the change of wards. There were no classrooms on the seventh floor save Divination, and the wards simply closed off that entire tower. The entrance was sealed, and Trelawney found herself unceremoniously transported to the entrance hall.

Ravenclaw Tower and Gryffindor Tower underwent the same changes as Slytherin and Hufflepuff in the dungeons. Everything brightened, and the dorms were changed to individual rooms with connected sitting rooms. Two narrow doors appeared at the backs of the towers: one led down a steep staircase, straight to the Great Hall; the other led to miniature kitchen areas with tables set into the walls. Each table had snacks piled onto them, which would refill and change as the days went on.

Professor Flitwick’s office was changed at the same time as the Headmaster’s office. Both rooms sealed themselves, one with the tiny professor still inside. Flitwick didn’t know what to think as things began to change around his small office area. It expanded rapidly to become the same size as the headmaster’s office, and the two tiny portraits that he had allowed into his space were joined one by one as the past headmasters were transported to the new headmaster’s office.

Dumbledore’s office remained sealed. The gargoyle that guarded it stood for the first time in decades and stretched his wings. He let out a groan of relief that turned into delighted laughter when he realized that his vocal chords had returned. The great beast ambled towards the nearest window, which expanded to allow him to leave. The entrance that he’d been forced to guard simply disappeared. All of the instruments, most of which were far too dark for a school, were transported to the goblins of Gringotts with no explanation. All of them had been stolen, after all.

The only room that was left completely untouched was the Room of Requirement. The wards didn’t seem to know what to do with the room, and so Hogwarts left that to the heirs to see to personally. There was a bit too much darkness in the room to allow entry to other students, and so the door sealed itself until the heirs could inspect it.

“You are under arrest for using dark magic in a court of law,” Amelia told him, her eyes narrowed in fury. Instead of the anger he’d been feeling all along, he felt a strange calmness settle within him. The flames flickered, then died. Her eyes narrowed further. “Any attempt to resist will be met with force.”

“I urge you to reconsider,” he told her, but he didn’t really mean it. He couldn’t have cared less if she reconsidered or not. He was leaving, and that’s all there was to it. “This will not end well for anyone.”

“Drop your wand, Albus,” she ordered. Her own wand was pointed at him without a hint of shaking. She wasn’t afraid in the slightest. If only she knew.

“I will not,” he replied calmly. In the corner of his eyes, he saw several nearby Lords raising their own wands. None of them seemed to know who they should be aiming at. “Move aside.”

“No,” she said stubbornly. He sighed, forcing himself to remain relaxed and perfectly calm.

“Think of the children, Amelia. Think of Susan,” he pressed. Her scowl deepened. “What might happen to her if I’m not there to make sure they are all protected? Let me go investigate the wards, and then I will present myself to your office for investigation. I am merely concerned about the state of the school and the students.”

He couldn’t have cared less about the students, but he forced that blasted twinkle back into his eyes so that he might seem more believable. She wavered slightly, and he felt the roar of triumph.

“Drop your wand,” she said again. “If the children were at risk, we would know. You’re trying to get out of an investigation and it’s not going to work. Clearly there has been some dark activity that you don’t want us to discover before you can cover it up. I’ve always had a great deal of respect for you, headmaster, but I will not jeopardize the wizarding world if you are truly using such dark spells. Look at your arms! That is not the backfiring of an alerting charm. That is the mark of truly dark curses.”

“Perhaps I miscast the charm I placed upon the wards, but I would never do a thing to endanger a child,” he replied. His wand remained firmly grasped in his hand. He felt a strange tug against his consciousness, and alarm filled him once more. The tips of his fingers burst into violet flames before he could stop them.

Hogwarts was nearly done with her transformation. Now that the headmaster’s office had been successfully moved, it was time to welcome the new headmaster to the school. Dumbledore would feel the connection being severed, but it was long past due that Flitwick should take his rightful place.

All four colors of the wards wrapped around the Charms professor, and he felt a change immediately. There had been an extremely powerful block on his memories that the goblins hadn’t been able to remove, but the magic of the Founders knew no limits. As the barrier was removed, Filius Flitwick suddenly remembered a long ago conversation with Armando Dippet. 

The former headmaster had commended him for his patience with the children and his outstanding talent in both charms and defensive magic. He had taken Filius to the ward room and showed him the stone that controlled all of the protections contained within the school. Dippet had shared that he had been unable to fully connect with the stone because someone had been tampering with it, and that it hadn’t been updated in a great while for that same reason. He had said that the heirs were coming, he could feel it in his bones. Before he retired, he offered the position of Headmaster to Filius, and he gladly accepted.

The day that Dippet had retired, Dumbledore had cornered Filius just outside of the Charms classroom. The spells had been cast before Filius could even lift his wand. While the professor stood helplessly by, Dumbledore had performed a complicated blood ritual to sever one connection to the school and forge a different one for himself. He placed himself as the false headmaster with nobody any wiser; Dippet had planned to announce his predecessor at the feast that night, but he never got to. He disappeared from the school mysteriously, leaving only a letter that Dumbledore had found in his own office which declared him the new Headmaster of Hogwarts.

With those memories restored, Hogwarts wasted no time in reforging the bond with the tiny professor. As soon as they were connected, the school severed the bond with Dumbledore permanently.

As a final act while still connected to the magic of the Founders, Hogwarts gathered up the rest of the dark magic and shoved it all at once back to the former headmaster. There would be no controlling this inferno.

He was tired of listening to them argue around him, and sick of seeing Amelia’s wand aimed in his direction. With a barely noticeable flick of his wand, he unsealed the door to the chamber. It was a handy charm that he’d been privileged with before he’d even been Chief Warlock. Nobody had thought to take him out of the chamber’s wards once he’d been removed, which he was finally using to his advantage.

“Just stun him and be done with it!” Lady Marchbanks snapped. “Stop wasting our time.”

“That’s unethical, and we don’t even know that he’s guilty of anything,” Lord Shacklebolt pointed out.

“Who cares,” Lady Shafiq sighed. “Are there more laws to cover, or shall we disperse? Let the old fool go back to the school. Lord Gaunt is correct; it is the safest place in all of Europe for the children to be. If he truly has done something, I’m certain the heirs will prevent him from continuing.”

He inched his way towards the door as they argued, carefully watching to be sure that none of them were going to stop them. Lord Gaunt’s eyes never left him, but he didn’t speak up either. Good, that was good.

“We should visit the school ourselves,” Lord Parkinson offered. “Inspect the wards and ensure that our heirs are safe.”

“I agree,” Lord Nott said, to the surprise of nobody at all. Albus would have rolled his eyes if the situation wasn’t so dire. How could things have gone so wrong so quickly? As soon as he got his hands on the Potter brat…

“We should send the Aurors,” Lord Shacklebolt argued. He was so, so close…

“Regent Dumbledore, where are you going?” Lord Gaunt asked calmly. Albus bit back the curse he wanted to shout at the man. “I do believe we are deciding your fate.”

“This is not a trial, Lord Gaunt,” he replied. His voice did not quiver this time, though he felt angrier than ever. “This is a session to go over laws, none of which have been broken today. Amelia has no right to arrest me, as I’ve caused no harm. Accidental magic is allowed even here. I am returning to the school to ensure that all is well.”

“Magic as dark as what was returned to you is illegal,” Sirius pointed out. “We can all see the mark of it, Regent Dumbledore. If you can explain what such a dark spell was used for, we might be able to let it go. Until you do, Amelia has every right to detain you.”

“I have cast no dark spells,” he said for the final time. “This is simply a misunderstanding for which I must find an explanation. I can feel that it will be found at the school, and so I am going to investigate. You are welcome to join me, Amelia.”

Mutters broke out across the room, but Amelia stared at him with an unreadable expression. Finally, she gave a short nod. “Alright. I’ll join you. If I see even a hint of dark magic, I’ll be bringing you in,” she finally answered.

It wasn’t what he’d wanted, not by a longshot, but it was better than showing the governing body of Wizarding Britain just what he could do given the motivation. If he had Amelia alone, he could place a compulsion on her that would have her believing that the Potter brat had tampered with the wards and used the dark curses himself. Yes, that was a wonderful idea. Why hadn’t he thought of it before?

“I shall meet you just outside the gate to the school,” he told her when it was clear that nobody was about to protest that idea. He was unhappy to see that every Lord and Lady present seemed to trust Amelia Bones. It would make removing her much harder.

“Fine,” she agreed. They made their way to the atrium in silence, but there was not an opportunity for him to pull her aside and place the compulsion. It would have to be within the school. 

As soon as they were outside of the ministry, Albus spun on the spot and appeared before the gate with a soft pop. Amelia appeared beside him moments later, and she didn’t hesitate to walk forward and shove the gate open. She made it several steps within the ground before she realized that Albus was not behind her.

He stood just outside of the gate with his palm pressed against an invisible barrier that he could not break through. He shoved some of his magic wandlessly at the barrier, but it absorbed it like it was nothing. He muttered a curse under his breath that Amelia would be just far enough away not to hear, and shoved more magic at it. The magic was again absorbed.

“Is everything alright?” Amelia called with a frown. He bit back the retort that threatened to slip out, instead choosing to give her a fake smile.

“Perfectly fine,” he replied with forced cheer. He shoved more magic ineffectively at the barrier. It was starting to be an uncomfortable drain on his core, which meant that the barrier was not giving the magic back to him. As he opened his mouth to call out that she should come back and help him remove the ward holding him back, something hit him with the force of a forbidden curse.

Violet flames spread across his entire body, starting over his heart and spreading from head to toe. They burned bright enough to hurt the naked eye and cold enough to freeze anything they touched. Albus felt nothing but agony for long minutes.

Amelia screamed as she watched him go up in flames, but there was nothing that she could do. The school’s wards kept her inside while he burned just out of her reach. He made no sound, though she was sure he must be in terrible pain. She couldn’t see any of him through the flames.

When it stopped, there was nothing left but a frost-scorched patch of ground just outside of the gates. Albus Dumbledore had disappeared.

Chapter Text

Hogwarts, October 1977

She was in so much trouble.

Students shoved their way down the halls without regard for who they were bumping into. The Gryffindors were being especially rowdy that day, and she wasn’t sure it was safe for her to be around them. Not with what she’d just discovered.

Her hand covered her stomach at all times, making her look ill in the eyes of her fellow students. That was just fine; if she appeared ill, they might avoid her. She didn’t want to be touched or looked at for too long. She was fairly certain that all of the color had drained from her face as well.

She could feel eyes on her, but she ignored them. It was either Lucius, who wouldn’t leave her alone now that Andi was gone, or Severus, who… she couldn’t face him right now. Not yet. Not until she knew more.

The hospital wing was abandoned at first glance, so she settled onto the bed farthest from the door to wait. Only a minute later, Madam Pomfrey bustled into the room to fret over her.

“What seems to be the problem, dear?” she asked. Her voice always held a relaxing quality that Narcissa appreciated. She dreamed of someday becoming a healer herself, though she’d only ever mentioned that to Severus. It wasn’t exactly a realistic dream given her family.

“I…” she couldn't make herself say it. Not when she wasn’t certain that the matron could be trusted. So many people would want her to terminate, and she just… she couldn’t.

“It’s alright. Anything you tell me will stay within the walls of the infirmary. I took an oath of patient confidentiality, and I intend to keep it,” Madam Pomfrey assured her.

Oaths were serious things, Narcissa knew that. Andromeda might never fully recover from breaking hers, even though she hadn’t made it herself. Her heart ached for her lost sister, but she shoved the feelings down and out of sight. They would do no good today.

“I’m pregnant,” she whispered.

Hogwarts, Present Day

Hadrian woke up in his own bed. He yawned and stretched, blinking sleepily up at the scarlet canopy above him. It was quieter than he was used to the common room being. That wasn’t cause for alarm, though; it might just mean that he’d slept in.

Except that he wasn’t really capable of sleeping in anymore.

He jolted upright, heart beating loudly in his chest. Where had everyone gone? He flicked his wand at the curtains around his bed to part them, and was completely baffled by what he saw. There were no other beds in the room, which was much smaller than it had been the day before. There was the standard door leading out to the rest of the common room, and the second door that led down to the Founders’ Kitchen. His desk was just as messy as he’d left it, and his wardrobe was still partially open. What…

He remembered all at once that he’d been in the middle of changing the Hogwarts wards when everything had gone dark. He must have used too much of his magical reserves. It was a small miracle that he wasn’t still in bed or without magic for a few days. He frowned to himself as it occurred to him that Blaise and Theo might not be so lucky.

He hurried through getting dressed, but then had to have a lengthy argument with Amarantha about whether or not she should come with him to the Slytherin common room. She was firmly of the belief that he shouldn’t be left alone, and he was adamant that she not be put into any more danger than necessary. They compromised with her hiding in his (expanded) robe pocket for the journey and only revealing herself if he was in danger.

Stepping out of his room offered even more surprises. He found himself in a circular room with several fluffy couches and chairs spread throughout. There was a small bookshelf that was completely empty. He saw other doors spread evenly along the wall, each with glittering plaques to the side announcing who the rooms belonged to. The exit to this room was directly across from him, and had no door attached. He could see the usual staircase just outside, and across the way was a similar-looking room for the girls.

The common room itself hadn’t changed much. He didn’t take the time to explore, though. He was too worried about his soulmates to investigate the changes that had been made to the castle, but he did distantly wonder how much of it was a change back to how things once were and how much was the school updating itself.

The Grand Staircase was another shock. It no longer seemed to move and the trick step was gone. Colin Creevey was demonstrating that fact by jumping up and down on the once-dangerous step excitedly. He bypassed the stairs to avoid being seen and took a passageway that he was completely certain hadn’t existed until he needed it. The staircase that he found there was also stationary, and took him down three flights of stairs in a single go. Exiting the passage, he found himself on the third floor, just outside of the once-forbidden corridor.

He stood there for a few extra moments, mind wandering back in time. He could hear the barking and snapping of Fluffy, and the fluttering of hundreds of tiny wings. A raspy voice whispering, “ Harry Potter…” 

But that was over now. Voldemort was no longer a threat, and he never would be again. Hadrian had been speaking with Tom since he’d regained most of his sanity, and he trusted the man more than half of the other people in his life. If only he could make Sirius and Remus understand…

He moved down the corridor to a second hidden passage, taking that staircase down the remaining floors to the dungeons. It let out across from the Potions classroom, which he’d have to remember for future use. That would save so much time… 

The Slytherin common room was just down the corridor and to the left. He paused in front of the entrance, even though it had appeared for him as soon as he’d rounded the corner. For the first time, he wondered about the danger he might face if he went in alone. When he’d done it before, he’d been so distracted that he hadn’t even thought twice. Now, though, he didn’t have a clear idea of what the new common room would be like or who would be lingering. Blaise, Theo, and Draco would never let anything happen to him, but Draco was almost definitely with Lavender, and his soulmates could very well be unconscious or without magic.

It was that last thought that made him square his shoulders and step forward. He wasn’t going to let anything happen to them. Never again.

Hogwarts, November 1977

It never used to be so stressful to spend time with her friends. Barty and Evan were constantly poking fun at each other and mostly ignored her. Pandora spent her time looking out of the window and speaking softly to the clouds. Severus kept his gaze focused on her for long periods of time that would usually make her feel warm but now offered nothing other than anxiety. Did he know? Had he figured her out?

She hadn’t been able to tell him the news. When she’d gone to Madam Pomfrey last month, the matron had declared her four months pregnant with a healthy baby girl. Too far along for anyone to be able to force termination, and too early to be showing noticeably. The matron had wanted to involve the headmaster and professors, and inform her parents… but Narcissa had declined vehemently.

Nobody could know. If they knew, they would find a way to take her daughter. She couldn’t bear the thought of losing her child, especially since her baby’s father was the love of her life. No. She would hide the pregnancy until she gave birth, and then she would leave with her. She didn’t know where they would go, but… she had time to figure it out.

She couldn’t decide if Severus would be excited or angry. She didn’t even know if he dreamed of being a father one day as she’d dreamed of being a mother. She often caught herself stroking the tiny bump of her stomach and daydreaming about what might be. She’d even begun thinking of names that would do her family proud.

“Narcissa?” Pandora asked gently. Her eyes shot over to her friend and she blushed lightly in embarrassment. She wasn’t often caught when she daydreamed. “Is everything quite alright?”

“Oh yes, of course,” she replied instantly. Years of practice kept her voice and face steady as she lied. “You’ll have to forgive me. I didn’t sleep well last night.”

“I’d imagine not,” Pandora smiled. “Plimpies will do that to you.”

“What-” she started, but Evan interrupted.

“Are you on about imaginary creatures again, Dora?” he asked with a roll of his eyes. “Leave Cissa be. Come sit over here and tell me about your fantastical beasts, will you?”

“Be nice,” Barty hissed, elbowing Evan in the ribs. Evan didn’t even flinch.

Pandora seemed oblivious to the way they were bickering as she settled between them and launched into a story about Plimpies and Gimbits. Severus chose that opportunity to move closer to her, and reached for her hand as he always did. She flinched without meaning to, and he quickly withdrew.

“Sorry,” he whispered. He sounded hurt, and she hated that it was her fault. She reached for his hand this time, and he let her take it without protest.

“No, I’m sorry. You’ve done nothing wrong. I’ve just been on edge today,” she whispered back calmly. 

“All month,” Severus said after a few moments of quiet. “You’ve been on edge all month. You can tell me anything, you know.”

Her heart ached, but she couldn’t tell him. Not yet. “I know. I’m sorry,” she sighed. “I’m just not looking forward to going home. Things are unbearable now that Andi is gone.”

“I wish I could offer you a safe place to go,” he told her sadly. He gave her hand a little squeeze, and her heart ached even harder. She had guessed quite a bit about Severus’s home life, and she’d offered once or twice to help him get away. He always turned her down and swore that he had a safe place to go when things got really bad. Then last year, the so-called Marauders went too far and Severus lashed out against his best friend and protector. When he arrived back at school this year, he was bruised all over and had three broken ribs and a broken ankle. Madam Pomfrey had healed them in an instant, but nobody could get Severus to discuss what had happened.

“It will be fine,” she assured him. “Though my parents don’t approve of my decisions, they still need me. As long as they think they can control my life, they won’t let any harm come to me.”

That was the hardest part. Until she turned seventeen, she had to live under the illusion of freedom. She couldn’t make her own choices, including who she would marry or how many children she would have. Her parents had every legal right to control her. It was pure luck that they’d focused on finding matches for Bellatrix and Andromeda, first. She only had to make it four more months before she’d be considered an adult in the eyes of magic, and therefore free to decide on her own husband. She couldn’t wait for the day she’d finally be able to announce her engagement to Severus Snape.

“You know that I’m always here for you, Narcissa,” he told her softly. He leaned in and brushed his lips across her cheeks in a sweet kiss that made her blush. Her hormones flared, and it was hard to keep from turning her head and capturing his lips in the heated kiss she was suddenly craving, but she managed.

“And I for you,” she replied gently.

Hogwarts, Present Day

Helping Pansy had taken the better part of the previous day. They were having a stilted conversation with Daphne and Millicent in the library when the changes occurred. They’d gone their separate ways right before supper, but Hermione hadn’t seen Hadrian to tell him about it. She ended up sitting by herself at the end of what was once the Hufflepuff table, and she was joined after a few minutes by Lavender and Draco.

“Don’t look so upset, Granger,” Draco said not unkindly. “They’re fine. The Founders would have told us otherwise.”

“Know what else I’ve noticed?” Lavender asked in a hushed tone. Her eyes were sparkling in a way Hermione had never been able to notice before. She assumed that was the look her roommate got whenever she had gossip to share. “Dumbledore never showed up today.”

“Rumor has it he couldn’t get into the school,” Padma said as she slid into the seat across from Lavender and beside Hermione. “Susan Bones said that her aunt came to investigate some strange magic with him, but he disappeared after struggling to get through the front gate.”

“Disappeared?” Parvati asked, sliding into the seat on the other side of Hermione. “Or died?”

“What do you know?” Lavender asked. That gleam in her eyes had intensified.

“I don’t, that’s the problem,” Parvati huffed. “I haven’t been able to See him all year.”

“What do you mean? I know he hasn’t been around much, but he does occasionally show up for meals,” Hermione pointed out gently. She still felt so unsure around the girls she should have grown up with. She couldn’t figure out why they were suddenly sitting with her. She hadn’t been able to apologize to them yet.

“Hadrian didn’t tell you about me?” Parvati asked with raised eyebrows. “Aw, that was sweet of him. I’m a closeted Seer, Hermione. I get little glimpses of the future.”

“Oh,” she whispered. She’d never been a big believer in psychics, but she couldn’t deny that it was uncanny how Parvati and Lavender seemed to know so much about everyone. “Lavender too?”

“No,” Lavender snickered. “But thanks for that. I just benefit from being Pav’s best friend. She tells me almost everything. Well, everything that doesn’t involve my own future. Knowledge is power that I’m not ready for.”

It sounded like she was quoting someone, but Hermione’s best guess was that Professor Trelawney had told her that. She absolutely did NOT believe a single word that crackpot had to say. Instead of commenting on it, she chose to focus on the other facts. If Parvati could get glimpses of the future, and she had helped Hadrian…

“You knew about me,” she whispered. She managed to keep her voice steady and the tears from her eyes, but it was a near thing. It only made sense that Parvati had known she was under their control and had done nothing to help her. It stung more than she’d expected, given that they weren’t ever friends.

“I… yes,” Parvati admitted, looking down. “What I need you to understand is that while I saw it happen, I didn’t know how long it had been going on. And seeing the future isn’t an exact magic, Hermione. Yes,  I get glimpses of things that will happen, but I also get glimpses of things that might happen. It’s up to me to interpret which visions are real and which ones are just possibilities. I knew that you were being controlled, but I saw many scenarios of what might happen if I spoke up or tried to help you. Hadrian died in most of them.”

“... Oh,” she breathed after a moment. How could she stay mad, knowing that? Even though she would have given anything to be saved sooner, she would never want it to happen at the cost of her best friend. 

“I’m so sorry that happened to you,” Parvati told her. She laid her hand on Hermione’s arm, and Hermione did her best to summon a smile in return. It must not have worked. “Listen… we’ve never really gotten to know each other. I think we could all use a fresh start. Why don’t we go up to the common room and just talk? Maybe we can finally be friends.”

“I’d like that very much,” Hermione admitted after a moment.

Black Manor, January 1978

Yule was over, and the new year had begun. Narcissa was very visibly showing when she didn’t have a glamour over her stomach. She had to be very careful not to leave her room without one. Her parents were plotting something. She’d seen it in their eyes every time she caught them looking at her. She didn’t like the creeping feeling that it gave her.

Her hand rested on the swell of her bump. She could feel her daughter kicking merrily, and it always brought a soft smile to her lips. She’d settled on a name, and had decided that it was time to tell Severus. As soon as they were back at the school, she’d drag him to the infirmary to do a scan. He’d be able to see their daughter for himself.

As she was daydreaming about her growing family, her door burst open and Bellatrix stomped inside. Narcissa scrambled for her wand, but it was too late. Her sister had seen her secret.

“WHAT,” Bellatrix shrieked in delight. If Narcissa hadn’t known any better, she would have thought that Bellatrix was excited for her. Unfortunately, she was very aware that her sister’s excitement was over being able to ruin Narcissa’s life.

“Bella, please,” she whispered in despair. It was too late. Bellatrix gave a manic cackle and took off out of the room. “No,” she whispered, tears flowing from her eyes.

She took a tiny amount of comfort in the fact that it was too late for her parents to terminate the pregnancy. They couldn’t kill her child without going to Azkaban. Unfortunately, they could put the child up for adoption before she was born. It would be hard to fight that once she was of age, but not impossible. She held onto a shred of hope that it could still end well.

That shred of hope lasted for ten minutes.

Once she was seated across from her parents with her bump on display, the bad news began. Her mother was clutching a handkerchief to her cheek in despair as her father scowled at her angrily. Bellatrix stood behind them with a satisfied grin on her face. Narcissa wanted to claw the expression off of her.

“We’ve treated you well, have we not?” her father demanded. She knew better than to contradict him just then.

“Yes, Father,” she whispered.

“We let you continue your disgusting relationship with the half-blood, even though it was holding you back,” he continued as if she hadn’t spoken. “We let you befriend the wrong sort, knowing that you’d leave them behind once you graduated. We let you imagine a future the way that you wanted it. We didn’t arrange a marriage for you.”

“Yes, Father,” she repeated. She couldn’t look at them any longer.

“First your sister became a disgrace, and now you. Your Aunt Walburga has already disowned Andromeda for her discretions. What do you think she’ll do when she finds out about your bastard child?” he demanded. Tears began to stream down her cheeks again. “ANSWER ME.”

“I don’t know, Father,” she sobbed. “I’m sorry. Please-”

“That’s quite enough from you,” her mother spat. The handkerchief was thrown down onto the table between them, and her mother gripped the edge of the wood tightly. “You don’t get to speak. You ungrateful little wretch!”

“Luckily, we’ve already found a suitable partner for you who doesn’t appear to mind that you’re… tainted. He has agreed to marry you as soon as you’ve graduated, provided we take care of your little mistake,” her father informed her with a cruel smirk.

“No,” she whispered. Her hand settled over her stomach. “NO.”

“You’ll have the wretched little thing and then we’ll give it away. You’ll never see it again,” her mother informed her with a haughty little sniff. “And good riddance to it.”

“No,” she sobbed, clutching at the bump.

“You’ll be bonded to Lucius Malfoy in the place of your sister this coming June,” her father continued as though she hadn’t spoken. “He’ll make a respectable woman out of you. Don’t you even think of telling anyone about your shameful little secret. If the words ever leave your mouth, I will kill the bastard infant before your very eyes. It has been agreed that the thing will be removed from our presence the moment it is born. I could not care less where it ends up, and you WILL NOT go looking. Am I understood?”

“No,” she whispered. Then she spoke louder, until she was wailing. “No, no, NO, NO !”

“That is ENOUGH,” her mother shrieked. Narcissa covered her cheek where she’d been slapped with a sharp inhale. Tears streamed from her eyes until the entire room and all occupants were a blur. “You will behave or you will be disowned. You are lucky that your father is letting you remain a part of our family at all. I hope you understand the severity of your situation, Narcissa. You wretched, vile whore! I did not raise my daughters to be such… such monstrosities! Only Bellatrix has made us proud. Leave our sight immediately. You will remain in your room until you leave for school. And you WILL maintain your glamour.”

Hogwarts, Present Day

The Slytherin common room was practically deserted. A few fifth and seventh years sat around in the study area, but they had their noses in their books. Hadrian was certain they were studying for their exams. He wasn’t as confident about where he was going now that he knew the common rooms had all changed, but he wasn’t about to stop and ask for directions. He didn’t trust anyone in Slytherin other than his cousin and soulmates.

“Be very quiet, my own. There is something here that was not before,” Amarantha hissed from her hiding place. That did nothing to calm Hadrian down. He made his way farther into the common room, but paused when he caught a whispered conversation that was definitely not meant for his ears. He hadn’t noticed Parkinson and Greengrass sitting by the fire until he was practically right behind them.

“I’m just saying, things have been weird this year,” Pansy whispered insistently. “First Draco leaving us to sit with the Gryffindors, then Potter ditching his friends to be courted by Blaise and Theo… and did you hear the rumor about Dumbledore?”

“Which one?” Daphne whispered back. She sounded exasperated, and Hadrian didn’t blame her. He hated rumors.

“He couldn’t get back into the school,” Pansy hissed with delight. “Whatever happened with the wards, it blocked him from getting inside. My father sent me a letter to tell me to watch out, because apparently some really dark magic rebounded on him while they were in session at the Wizengamot.”

“Then how do you know he couldn’t get into the school?” Daphne demanded. She forgot to whisper, and Pansy shushed her quickly.

“Susan Bones,” Pansy replied after a moment. “Her mum escorted him back, and he… Well, I don’t know that I believe what she says happened, but the gist of it is that he couldn’t get through the gate, and he’s disappeared to avoid being arrested.”

“Madam Bones was here?” Daphne gasped. “Damn! I would love to speak with her. I’m going to be Lady Greengrass one day, and I…”

“Yes, we know,” Pansy rolled her eyes. “You want to be just like her when you grow up. How sweet.”

“Shove off, Pansy,” Daphne grumbled.

Hadrian started moving again, mind spinning through all of the possibilities. Dumbledore couldn’t get back into the school? Good, that meant the wards really were strong again. He meant to harm too many of the students and teachers for him to be allowed back inside. And from what Hogwarts had whispered to him while they were fixing things, it sounded like he wasn’t meant to be in the school to begin with. That meant that while they were inside of Hogwarts, Dumbledore could no longer hurt him. 

He made it to the back corridor where the smaller common areas were, but then he was lost. There were so many different rooms, and he didn’t have much time before he knew he’d be caught. Being the Heir of Slytherin wouldn’t get him anywhere if he ran into the wrong person. As he was deliberating, a hand landed roughly on his shoulder.

“You’re not meant to be in here,” a deep voice told him. He spun around to face the older student, and felt his heart sink. Cassius Warrington was not someone he wanted to run into. His father was a strong supporter of Voldemort as he used to be.

“Er,” he replied eloquently. Cassius smirked.

“You’re looking for Zabini and Nott, right?” he asked. Hadrian hesitated, but then nodded. “As prefect, I got a list of where everyone’s rooms are. Curious that those two are the only ones in the whole of Slytherin that got a joint room, no?”

“They did?” Hadrian asked in surprise. Cassius’s eyes narrowed. He’d clearly expected Hadrian to already know that. “Can you tell me… where?”

Cassius studied him for a long time without saying a word, and Hadrian did his best to stand still and not fidget under his gaze. Finally, the older boy nodded. “Third grouping to the left, the door at the very back. Haven’t seen them since the big change, so I assume they’re passed out in there. I couldn’t get through the door to check.”

Hadrian bit back his retort, knowing that antagonizing Cassius was a very bad idea. He couldn’t believe the older boy was actually helping him instead of cursing him to within an inch of his life. This was the most surreal experience he’d had so far that year. Something must have shown on his face, because Cassius smirked again. Before Hadrian could speak up to thank him, the older boy spoke again.

“Not all of us are what we appear to be, Lord Slytherin,” Cassius informed him. Then he turned on his heel and walked away.

Hadrian stared after him for a few seconds, but then shook his head and continued on his way. Sure enough, he found the room exactly where the older Slytherin had said he would. He knocked lightly on the door but received no response. He hesitated a moment, realizing that he should probably have a chaperone… but Hogwarts had given them a joint room, which meant it must be okay for them to be alone together as long as they behaved. A little prod at his magic moved him forward, and he pushed the door open carefully.

Their room was just like his, but in double. There were two beds, two wardrobes, two desks, and three doors along the walls. Their window impossibly looked out over the lake instead of at the bottom of it. He had to grin for a moment; he loved magic.

Blaise and Theo were in their own beds, completely unaware that he was even in the room at all. They both looked peaceful, which gave Hadrian more relief than he’d expected to feel. Even though he was seeing them with his own two eyes, he couldn’t bring himself to leave their sides. As if Hogwarts sensed what he needed, a third bed appeared in between them. Without even stopping to think about it, Hadrian kicked off his shoes and shucked his robe, then climbed into the bed and fell back into a peaceful sleep.

Hogwarts, March 1978

“One more push!” Madam Pomfrey assured her. She felt like she was splitting in half, both her body and heart. She knew that the moment her daughter was born, she was to be whisked away to the muggle world. Her father and Lord Malfoy had found a squib family who was looking to adopt a magical child to be raised amongst muggles, and they had signed binding agreements to never tell anyone that she was adopted.

She screamed as she gave her final push, and she felt an intense pressure… and then immense physical relief. The baby gave her first cry, and Narcissa cried with her. Madam Pomfrey straightened up, cradling the little girl with a wide smile.

“In all my years as a healer, I’ve always wanted to deliver a child to a loving mother,” she said softly. “Would you like to hold your child?”

“Yes,” Narcissa whimpered. She hadn’t been expecting to be given that kindness. Without a hint of hesitation, Pomfrey settled the baby against Narcissa’s glistening skin and showed her how to hold her newborn. “She’s beautiful.”

“What are you going to call her?” Pomfrey asked. She waved her wand, producing an official birth certificate. “And are we adding a father?”

“Severus,” she said quickly. “Severus Snape is her father. And her name is-”

“Not for you to decide, my dear,” the headmaster admonished as he entered the hospital wing. “Her new parents have already chosen her name. I’ll see that the certificate shows the correct information, Poppy. And I will need the child now. She is going to meet her new parents.”

“Albus, that is hardly appropriate,” the matron argued. She could see the tears streaming down Narcissa’s face, and she knew the girl didn’t want to give up her child. She wasn’t going to let this happen if she could help it. Narcissa Black was only a month from being seventeen… if she could delay this for long enough, she’d be able to keep her child. She didn’t like the look on the headmaster’s face, though. “You shouldn’t be here. This poor girl has just delivered a baby, and they both need time to recover. Neither of them are leaving my care until I deem them both healthy enough, so those parents will just have to wait.”

The headmaster gave Madam Pomfrey a bland smile, then glanced over at Narcissa. She curled in on herself as much as she could, shielding her daughter from Dumbledore’s gaze. His smile sharpened. 

“I believe you are mistaken, Poppy,” he said calmly. He lifted his wand towards Pomfrey and the tip glowed white briefly before wrapping the matron in a sickly purple light. When it cleared, Pomfrey looked dazedly ahead. “This child is not Ms. Black’s. You called me to take her from her care immediately, don’t you recall? And I believe we can all forget this ever happened, don’t you?”

Narcissa was horrified to watch Pomfrey nod. “Yes, headmaster,” she replied in a vacant tone of voice. “We’ll just… forget.”

“Very good,” Dumbledore beamed. Then he turned towards Narcissa and the baby. “If you’ll kindly hand her over, I’ll ease the pain of your separation for you. I’ve already blocked the events from your family’s minds. I shall ensure the Malfoys will have no recollection as well. You will go back to life as you knew it before.”

“No,” she snarled angrily. “You won’t take her from me, and you will not erase my memory of her!”

“My poor child, there is nothing you can do to change my mind,” he offered. He sounded sad, but she saw right through it. He was practically gleeful about doing this to her. He had the same sort of manic energy that Bellatrix had always carried with her, and in that moment she hated them both. She hated the whole world.

Dumbledore raised his wand towards her, and she flinched backwards. She tried to fight, she really did… but her magic was no match for Albus Dumbledore. Her gaze flicked down to her daughter for the last time, and she let out a sob.

Gringotts, Present Day

Narcissa didn’t want to open her eyes. She could feel the tears streaming down her cheeks. How could she have forgotten…? How could she have let him do that to her?!

“Cissa?” Sirius asked gently from somewhere to her left. She became aware that someone was holding one of her hands tightly. Of course… she’d brought Sirius and Andromeda with her. She hadn’t wanted to face this alone.

“I’m going to kill him,” she whispered. “I will rip him apart with my bare hands, and just as he’s finally dying, I’ll… I’ll…”

“What is it?” Andi asked urgently. “What has he done?”

“He stole my baby,” she whispered. “My Callista.”

Chapter Text

Albus Dumbledore: Phoenix or Foe?

Written by Rita Skeeter

Dear readers, I have uncovered what may be the strangest conspiracy our world has seen in centuries. We have known and adored Albus Dumbledore since his defeat of the dark wizard Grindelwald. He spent decades running our government behind the scenes and educating our children at Hogwarts. We have all trusted him implicitly and without question. Nobody had a bad word to say about him. That all changes today.

In a surprising twist of fate, Dumbledore has been pronounced dead by the Ministry of Magic as of yesterday morning. He was hit by the backlash of a curse that he himself had created over the wards of Hogwarts as it unraveled. The Heirs of the Founders have been quite busy! Multiple sources have informed me that Hogwarts underwent drastic changes as the wards were updated from within. The school itself showed a few twisted truths about the former headmaster; the first being that he was never meant to be headmaster at all!

Newly appointed Filius Flitwick wouldn't speak with this reporter, but that doesn't mean I didn't get the scoop! It seems that the false headmaster locked the Founders within a portrait that was hidden in his own quarters and used his magic to wipe the memories of anyone who witnessed Armando Dippett appointing Flitwick as his replacement. Only the Founders themselves knew the truth until the wards were updated.

How long has it been since the wards have been updated, you may ask? A goblin official stated that it's been nearly a century since they were last allowed inside to update the wards. That is right around the time that Dumbledore would have begun his teaching within the school. Just how long has he been pulling strings behind the scenes? What did he have planned with his sinister machinations? More will hopefully be uncovered soon. For now, I leave you with quotes from the School Board.

"He always seemed like such a kind man, but he would never give simple answers. If you needed to know something, you'd have to wade through a riddle first. Now I wonder if anything he told me was ever true," Jeremiah Brown stated upon exiting the school after the transformation.

"What example has he made for our children? That man deserved whatever he got. It isn't for us to tamper with the way things are meant to be. Makes me wonder if he actually defeated Grindelwald... or if that wizard was the true threat to begin with," Mariella Ogden scoffed when I asked her to describe how she was feeling about all of this.

"If the truth had not been uncovered, I fear for what would have happened to my only child and heir. He always speaks of the unfairness of treatment within those walls. Now I'm certain that I know who to blame. That man is lucky he met his end when he did. There is nothing a mother would not do to protect her child," Consiglia Zabini spat angrily, to the agreement of Delaney Parkinson and Adela Greengrass.

A last query: "Is he really gone, or is this just another plan to gain control of things that aren't his?" (A direct quote from Narcissa Black- formerly Malfoy.)

For more about the defeat of Grindelwald, see page 6.

For an exclusive interview with Aberforth Dumbledore, see page 3

For an extensive history of the Hogwarts wards, see page 4.

"How does she do it?" Theo demanded as he tossed the newspaper down on the table in the Founders' Kitchen. Hadrian kept his head ducked down in the hopes that they wouldn't shift their attention to him. He was fairly certain that Hermione wouldn't like him sharing her blackmail secrets.

"Hadrian?" Blaise asked. His fingers slid under Hadrian's chin to tilt his face up gently, causing a blush to spring to life. He hated that it was so easy for his soulmates to fluster him.

"Hm?" he asked, trying to seem innocent. It didn't work.

"You know something," Blaise replied simply. "We would also like to know this something."

"I've never known anything in my life," Hadrian tried. It made both Blaise and Theo grin at him, but it didn't distract them in the slightest. He huffed softly as he leaned back and crossed his arms. "It's not exactly my secret to share, and I'm not sure what Hermione is planning to do with the information now that Rita broke their... deal."

"Granger made a deal with Skeeter?" Theo asked slowly.

"Er," Hadrian hesitated again. He hadn't really meant to send their curiosity Hermione's way, but he was almost glad they might have a reason to interact. Hermione was his best friend, and he really wanted the three of them to get along. He'd never force her to like them, especially after what she'd just been through, but... having them curious about her might help things along.

"You can tell us, you know," Blaise tried patiently. "We're soulmates. We would never do anything to hurt you. That includes sharing things that you tell us in confidence."

"I know that," he sighed. "It's just that my secrets never remain a secret, and I don't want to expose someone else's. This one could really hurt Hermione if it got out, and while I know you would never do it on purpose, there are ways someone could force it out of you. Sharing has to be her decision, not mine."

"A noble sentiment," Theo said after a moment. "We'll have to speak with her, then. In the meantime, we've both been wondering about something else."

"Oh?" Hadrian asked. His own curiosity spiked at the looks they were giving him. Unfortunately, Draco took that moment to storm in.

"Mother sends her regards," he announced rather dramatically. He flopped down onto a chair and tossed an envelope Hadrian's way. "Along with this riveting letter."

"Was it for me or for you?" Hadrian asked curiously. He didn't move to open it, because he knew it would annoy Draco.

"Both," he replied with a frown. "Go on, then. Read it."

"Out loud," Blaise requested with a grin. "It must be good if it's got Draco so worked up."

"I am not worked up," Draco snapped. Even he was fighting a smile at that point. "I'm simply frustrated that important things must be shoved to the last minute because of dunderheads and hooligans."

"That's how you know he's worked up," Blaise whispered loudly to Hadrian. "He starts using language his grandfather would have used."

"Shove off," Draco laughed, accompanying the words with a shove to Blaise's shoulder. Blaise lost all sense of composure and laughed loudly with him.

"Dearest Dragon," Hadrian began loudly, much to Draco's annoyance. He danced out of reach when Draco tried to snatch it back out of his hands. "I am so excited to have you home for Yule. Things have been busy here, as you well know. Sirius chose to have a Yuletide bonding, which of course means that I've got less than a month to get everything ready. Remus is absolutely no help. That man has no opinions every time I ask."

"Sounds like Lupin," Theo muttered with amusement.

"You have several formal robes, of course, but I'll be long dead before you'll wear a repeat fashion to a high society event. Sirius has informed me that while Hadrian has plenty of official robes, he does not have much in the way of high society formal. It has been decided that your Aunt Andi and I will be retrieving you and your cousin from the station to take you to Paris for a robe fitting. I will be standing for Sirius, and Hadrian will be standing for Remus. Please let him know that the happy couple are allowing him a number of invitations to pass on to friends.

"Sirius has asked us to remind him that while the adage 'the more the merrier' does apply, there is a limit to the amount of teenagers he is willing to put up with. This means you're not to invite the entire school," he continued. He had to pause to roll his eyes at the audacity of his father. "Personally, I believe you should each be allowed only your dates. Do with that as you wish."

"Your mum is a savage," Blaise chuckled, elbowing Draco.

"She knows what is and is not acceptable," Draco sniffed. "Clearly, Sirius does not."

"Oh, he does," Hadrian argued. "He just doesn't care. You remember the portrait of his mum, right? She was like that when he was our age, too. A nightmare, from what he's said and what I've seen of her. She was all about tradition, and Sirius hated her. Still does. So he refused to follow societal traditions, and became who he is now."

"That sounded rehearsed," Theo stated with raised brows.

"I've heard him say almost exactly that many, many times. I could quote it in my sleep," Hadrian shrugged. "What's the difference between formal and societal?"

"My sweet, naive Hadrian," Blaise chuckled. "You're in for a whirlwind of fun with the Malfoys."

An excerpt from the history of the First War:

Gellert Grindelwald has always been known to be charming individual. He was capable of convincing anyone to do anything, given adequate time. What we know about him, we know from those who were closest to him before he started the war that would claim the lives of nearly sixty percent of the wizarding world.

As a child, he had only a handful of friends. His sister, Natalia, has been quoted saying, "He was always a quiet child, but when he spoke, it felt like you had to listen. He chose his words very carefully. Nobody ever won an argument with him as long as he had time to prepare."

It is to the shock of this reporter that Albus Dumbledore was the closest friend of Gellert Grindelwald.

"They spent every waking moment together when they were both home from school. I used to hear Gellert muttering to himself about how it would be much easier for both of them if Albus would just transfer to Durmstrang," Natalia shared. "We never thought it was strange. I had a best friend as well, but we were never... well."

Well, indeed.

"After their big fight and separation, Gellert was different. The quiet kid I used to know was gone. He still could convince anyone of anything, but he was using it to his advantage in a different way. Convincing massive amounts of people that the ministry was against the wizarding world in strange ways, or convincing purebloods that muggles were beneath us.

"It was horrible to watch the change in him. I left before he went down his darkest path, and I only wish I would have stayed. Maybe I could have convinced him that he'd lost his way..."

"The school is screaming," Luna announced as she sat down across from Hadrian at the Gryffindor table.

"Is that so?" he asked. He was distracted by the letter he'd just finished reading. Lord Gaunt was once again asking if he'd found a dark artifact that he'd hidden within the school while he wasn't quite sane.

"Yes," she replied. "Something is terribly wrong in the Come and Go room."

That made Hadrian pause for a moment to consider. He'd only been in the Room of Requirement a handful of times this year, and it had felt... off. He wasn't sure how Luna knew that something was wrong, as she couldn't feel the Hogwarts magic the way that he could, but he'd learned long ago to listen to the things she said.

"What can we do to help her?" he asked after a long hesitation. Neville perked up a little way down the table at his tone of voice and he had to hold back a sigh. He'd been hoping that he could deal with whatever it was alone and not have to drag others with him to potential danger.

"She needs it to be removed," Luna replied nonchalantly. "If you ask her nicely, she'll lead you right to it. She's assured me that you'll know exactly what it is and what to do with it. She won't be complete again until it's gone."

His mind flashed back to his conversations with the former dark lord and his insistence that something important was within the school walls. It seemed like too big of a coincidence that the school was suddenly crying out for help right after he'd read that last letter.

"I think I already know what it is," he admitted softly. He was trying to keep the rest of the conversation just between him and Luna, but it wasn't to be. Parvati slid into the seat beside Luna with a flip of her hair and an amused smirk.

"What are we waiting for, then?" she asked. "No time like the present."

Hadrian shook his head in exasperation, but he knew that he couldn't actually win this argument. He could see Neville nodding from where he was sitting. "Fine. But at the first hint of trouble, you're all leaving. Get help if you think you need to but get out of there. Understood?"

"What are we understanding?" Draco asked as he slid into the seat beside Neville. "You're not planning to do something monumentally stupid, are you?"

"What-" Hadrian started indignantly.

"Don't even try to deny that it's something you do," Parvati cut him off. Her smirk was much more pronounced now that others had started to pay attention. "I could list all of the stupid things you've done over the years, but we'd be here all day."

"I don't do dumb things that often!" Hadrian protested.

"Hadrian," Draco said flatly.

"I don't!" he insisted.

"Hadrian," Neville grinned. "In our first year, you faced a troll rather than go for help, helped smuggle a baby dragon out of the school, and went off to face Voldemort without even knowing what all you'd have to go through to get there- or that it was him to begin with!"

"Well, when you put it like that..." he sighed.

"There's no other way to put it!" Parvati laughed.

"Are we going or not?" he grumbled. He stood from the table abruptly in an attempt to get far enough that they wouldn't bother to follow, which definitely didn't work. He could hear them all rushing to follow with muffled curses. They caught up to him around the third floor.

"You're such a twat," Draco muttered under his breath as he fell into step beside Hadrian, almost earning a laugh from his cousin. "You know damn well that I'm not going to let you go waltzing into potential danger when I'm around. Luna told us on our way to catch up what we're going to find."

"I'm not quite convinced that she knows exactly what we're going to find," Hadrian replied with a small smile. "She said the school was screaming, but she hasn't indicated that she knows exactly what it's screaming about."

"But you do," Parvati panted as she slid into place on his other side. "You know, and you're going anyway. That's why you need us."

"Oh, he doesn't need us," Luna interrupted airily. "I see him doing just fine on his own. But everything is better with company, don't you think?"

"Exactly," Neville said, dropping his hand onto Luna's shoulder with a grin. "Besides, I just got appointed prefect. I can't let you lot go wandering into trouble without supervision."

"You're going to be bringing that up a lot, aren't you?" Parvati asked. She was clearly trying to appear annoyed, but it wasn't working.

"I'm sure I don't know what you mean," Neville replied innocently. That really did earn a laugh from Hadrian, but he kept any comment he might have made to himself.

"We're here," he announced. He was not exactly shocked when Theo and Blaise rounded the corner from the other side of the corridor, talking quietly to each other. "And so are you."

They both looked up with startled expressions when they heard Hadrian speak, which changed to bright smiles as soon as they made eye contact. "We were just talking about you!" Blaise exclaimed happily.

"We were about to be looking for you," Theo admitted much more quietly. "Clearly Hogwarts recognized our intentions and led us straight to you."

"Don't you hear her screams? She's so loud here... there's so much pain," Luna said quietly. She placed a hand on the blank wall that would contain the door when summoned. Tears shone in her eyes as she traced the stones there. "She needs it out, Hadrian."

"I know she does, Lu. That's what we're here for," he assured her. He gently tugged her away from the wall and gestured for all of them to step back. Hogwarts wouldn't be able to tell what desire to grant if they were all so close. He closed his eyes and paced three times in front of the wall, and a plain wooden door had appeared when he opened his eyes.

"What exactly are we facing?" Theo asked in a low voice. Both he and Blaise seemed extremely tense, and Hadrian felt a moment of guilt when he realized that it was because nobody had explained the real reason they'd been led there.

"Untold horrors, I'm sure," Draco sighed. "If I'd known that throwing my lot in with this prat would bring so much trouble my way, I would have-"

"Done exactly the same thing," Parvati interrupted sweetly.

"Shove off," he grumbled, but he didn't contradict her. "Pay attention to the danger magnet over there."

"Right," Hadrian took a deep breath. "Remember what I said about leaving if I say to."

"You should know better by now," Draco said under his breath. Hadrian pretended that he hadn't heard. He reached out to open the door, unsure of what he might find...

Inside of the room was completely empty of all furniture. Four blank stone walls surrounded seemingly nothing. When he took a step over the threshold, he saw the missing Ravenclaw Diadem that Gaunt had mentioned without truly mentioning. He took three steps into the room and scooped the diadem off of the floor, expecting something dramatic to happen. Nothing did.

"Well..." he said, frowning slightly. "That was anticlimactic."

An excerpt from the interview with Aberforth:

"My brother has never been kind to anyone in his family," the younger Dumbledore remarked when we first sat down together. "Poor Arianna has been erased from history because of him. He killed her, you know."

"Are you saying that Albus Dumbledore murdered his own...?" I'm sad to say that I did not know how to finish the question. I, like most others, have never heard Arianna's name before.

"Sister," Aberforth informed me gruffly. "He murdered his own sister. The first thing you need to know is that my brother and Grindelwald have never truly been enemies. They were friends when we was kids, and lovers when they were in school together. Lived down the road from us, he did.

"Arianna wasn't quite right in the head, but I loved her anyway. She was born with... strange magic. Visions, mostly. Screamed somethin' awful when they came, like they was tearin' right through her brain. Used to drive Albus mad. So one day, he and Grindelwald were plannin' somethin' secret in the basement when Ari got a vision. She was screamin' up in her room about a darkness comin' for the Dumbledore line, and it threw Albus over the line. He came stompin' up the stairs in a rage. Grindelwald and I tried to stop him, but he couldn't be stopped. Threw the door open and aimed his wand. I lunged and shoved it up and away, but Gellert- I mean, Grindelwald- fired his own curse to stop Albus at the same time.

"To this day, we don't know which curse struck Arianna. Coulda been Albus with whatever he was goin' to hex her with, or it coulda been Grindelwald with his over-powered spell to stop Albus. Coulda been both. Either way, it killed her before she even knew they was there."

Narcissa pulled her son into a hug the moment she saw him. To his credit, he allowed it to happen without protest. Hadrian was shocked when he was tugged into a hug as soon as Draco was released. He hadn't known Narcissa for long, but she had never seemed overly affectionate. Maybe spending time with Sirius was really good for her.

"Boys, it's so good to have you close again. We've all been so worried!" she informed them warmly. "Ah, and here are Theo and Blaise. I daresay we'll be seeing quite a lot of you this holiday season."

"Not likely," Theo muttered under his breath, but only Hadrian and Blaise seemed to hear him. Blaise wrapped a reassuring arm around him and Hadrian shifted a little closer to add support.

"I've got to meet up with... someone," Hadrian told Narcissa seriously. "I promised to pass something important along to its rightful owner."

"Ah yes, that was mentioned to me at the Wizengamot emergency session. The second one, I mean," Narcissa nodded. "But first, we have an appointment with Madam Delacour."

"Fleur?" Hadrian asked in surprised confusion. He'd meant to ask about the second emergency meeting that nobody had told him about, but hearing the name had distracted him- most likely as intended. Draco rolled his eyes at his cousin, but Narcissa simply smiled.

"Her maman," she replied gently. "She runs a very prestigious boutique in France. I've been fairly close friends with her since we were children."

"You've never told me that," Draco said after a moment of silence. It seemed strange to Hadrian that it had never come up, especially in the wake of the Triwizard Tournament. Narcissa simply kept on smiling as if nothing was odd about it at all. "Why have you never told me that?"

"Come along, children," she said instead of answering. "We're on a tight schedule today. We've got to get both of you fitted for robes, and then we're meeting Sirius and Remus at Consiglia's manor in Italy for supper. Blaise, you've got a choice. Your mother has assured me you're welcome to join our shopping spree if you'd like, or I can ensure you've flooed home before we leave."

Blaise glanced at Hadrian, most likely checking to see if he'd be welcome to intrude upon a family moment. Clearly he liked what he saw, because when he looked back to Narissa he was grinning. "I'd love to join you."

"Wonderful. Theodore, let's locate your father. If he's amendable, you're also welcome to join us," she replied with an answering smile.

"He's not going to approve that," Theo sighed. "I'll be lucky if I get to see Blaise over the holidays. I shouldn't push my luck."

Narcissa's eyes darkened for only a moment before her mask was back in place. "Don't fret, darling. I think you'll find that things will be much different from now on. Come along!"

Hadrian only distantly recognized Theo's father when they found him further down the platform. Theo was practically rigid between them when he caught sight of the odd group they made, but Thaddeus Nott made no immediate comment or gesture.

"Lord Nott, it is always a pleasure," Narcissa greeted calmly. She sank into the tiniest of curtsies, and he nodded his head in the shallowest of bows. He still did not speak. "I hope to find you in good health. I was hoping I might borrow your son. We're going shopping in Paris, and then to Lady Zabini's for supper. I will, of course, ensure that he makes it home safely afterwards."

"I'd heard that the Potter boy has a meeting with my... with Lord Gaunt," Nott Sr. replied gruffly.

"Yes, he has," Narcissa agreed calmly. "He shall be attending that before we set off to Paris. Theodore will not be present for that meeting; he, Blaise, and my son will be attending to other matters."

"I'd prefer him to attend," was the eventual response. "He could learn a thing or two from Lord Gaunt, if you ask me."

"I do believe you're mistaken," Narcissa said softly. Nott Sr. didn't seem to realize that danger he had walked himself into. "Theodore is a charming young man. It seems you might be in need of a few lessons, however."

"I beg your pardon?" Nott Sr. demanded angrily. Theo flinched the slightest bit, but it was enough to make Hadrian clench his fists at his sides. His magic surged within him, and he had to struggle to reign it in. He was nearly losing the battle when Theo's hand closed around his fist. It shocked him just enough to settle the raging inferno of magic ready to break free.

"And you may have it this time," Narcissa smiled. It was not a kind smile. Hadrian felt a moment of awe for how she was handling the situation. "I don't believe I require your permission any longer. I'll have a word with Lord Gaunt myself. When we meet in the future, I do hope you'll remember better manners. Good day to you."

She turned on her heel and immediately began to herd the boys away from Lord Nott. He didn't say a word, but he was glaring harshly at Narcissa's back when Hadrian glanced over his shoulder. That could be trouble later.

"Now then," Narcissa said brightly. "Where are we meeting Lord Gaunt, Hadrian?"

His head whipped around as he guilty looked to his aunt. "Er," he hesitated. She gave him a reassuring smile, and he sighed. "He's requested that we meet him in muggle London. There's a cafe just south of the Leaky Cauldron that he's going to be at in twenty minutes. If we floo to the Leaky, we can make it in time. He's promised not to keep us for too long."

"That's perfectly fine, dear. I'm sure you're all hungry after the long train ride. We can grab something small to snack on while you speak with him. Madam Delacour won't be pleased with us if we bring food or drink into her shop, you know."

They made it through flooing to the Leaky, and Hadrian and Narcissa managed to guide the three others through muggle London to the cafe. Lord Gaunt was already inside and waiting patiently at a private table in the corner. Hadrian could feel the strong wards around it as soon as they'd entered the cafe.

"Go along, Hadrian," Narcissa shooed him. "We'll be over here when you're done. Please inform Lord Gaunt that I would like a word with him before he leaves."

"Of course," Hadrian agreed easily. Theo lifted the hand that he was still holding and kissed the back of it delicately, mischief shining in his eyes. He knew exactly what he was doing to Hadrian. Blaise's smirk said that he knew, too. He shook his head at both of them before he made his way to greet Mylan.

"Well met, Lord Potter-Slytherin," Mylan greeted formally. He offered a hand to Hadrian with a wry smile.

"Well met, Lord Gaunt," Hadrian replied, shaking his hand with an amused smile of his own. "Just Hadrian is fine."

"Then you should call me Mylan," was the immediate reply. "It's a bit surreal, don't you think? A year ago we wanted nothing more than to kill each other, and look at us now. Sitting down to tea in peace."

"Well, a year ago things were... not great," Hadrian shrugged awkwardly.

"Eloquent as ever, I see," Mylan chuckled. "All teasing aside, I truly hope my... problem, shall we say? That it didn't give you any trouble."

"Er, no," Hadrian said after a moment. "This one was shockingly easy to come by. It wasn't well protected. Anyone could have picked it up."

"No," Mylan shook his head. "Not just anyone could have touched it and survived. You had my express permission. It's cursed to bring fatal luck to any who hold it without permission. Only destroying it would break that curse, and it doesn't take long at all for the curse to kill its intended victim. I'm glad that you listened when I requested that only you pick it up."

"What if Blaise or Theo had?" Hadrian asked with a glare. Hogwarts had wanted all three of them to be there. He was fairly certain she wouldn't have opened the door if one had been missing. It was borderline miraculous that nobody had shoved Hadrian aside and grabbed it themselves to keep him out of danger. So many things could have gone wrong, and he' had no clue...

"They should have the good sense to know when a malicious curse might kill them," Mylan shot back. "We're not here to argue, Hadrian. I need that piece of my soul in order to be complete. I gained much more than I bargained for when you pushed me out of your head. I've gotten the diary, the ring, Nagini, Hufflepuff's cup, you, and now the diadem. I'm only missing the locket."

"Locket?" Hadrian asked with a frown. Something in the back of his mind perked up. "What sort of locket?"

"Never you mind," Mylan said after a moment. "That is one I'll need to locate on my own. It involves brewing a complex antidote to a potion that should never have existed in the first place, and putting several dozen Inferi to rest."

"... I don't want to know," Hadrian decided. He reached into his bag and pulled out the wrapped diadem. Mylan was reaching for it before it was fully in view with longing plain on his face. "It's a shame you'll have to destroy it."

"Who says that I do?" Mylan asked with a mischievous smirk. "I've long since mastered the art of extracting my soul without leaving a mark. I didn't have to destroy you, did I?"

"Well, no," Hadrian sighed. "That hadn't occurred to me."

"I'm going to blame it on the long train ride and the exhausting few weeks you must have had. Is Hogwarts back in order?" he asked almost playfully. If Hadrian wanted to think of such things, he might wonder if this was what it was like to have an older sibling.

"Mostly," Hadrian nodded. "Between Flitwick and McGonagall, they've got everything arranged for the better. The board of governors is working on determining a new class list and new professors for next year. I'm a bit jealous, really. There are going to be classes that I wish I could have taken."

"I may be able to help with that," Mylan said after a moment. "Remind me over the summer. But for now, you should join your family. I'm sure you have other important things to accomplish. I shall see you at the bonding ceremony."

"I wondered if you were going to attend," Hadrian admitted brightly. He couldn't believe that he was actually excited about seeing the former dark lord again. "Narcissa would like a word before we go. I think it's about Lord Nott."

Mylan's face darkened for a moment before it smoothed into a similar mask to what Narcissa had managed. "Send her over. I'd love to hear her opinions any time."

Narcissa passed him on the way back to the others and gave his shoulder a gentle squeeze. When he slid into the booth next to Draco, he noticed that Theo was tense all over again. He reached across to grab his hand gently, just as he'd done for him.

"It'll be alright," he said softly. Theo gave him a weak smile but didn't reply. "Really. Mylan isn't the same as Tom Riddle. I've spoken to him a lot at this point. If Narcissa tells him what your father does..."

"It's just as I've been telling you, Il Mio Cuore," Blaise finished for him. "Things can only get better from here. Look, Lady Malfoy is already returning. We'll go shopping with them, have supper at my home, and then you'll stay the night. Give Lord Gaunt the opportunity to speak to your father. Things will be better in the morning."

"I couldn't have said it better myself," Narcissa agreed. "Now, come along! We've got a boutique to visit."

Elsewhere...

A low groan escaped him as he woke. He wasn't in his own bed, of that he was certain. He couldn't quite make his eyes open. His skin felt like it had all flaked off and was being regrown, which was a distinct possibility. He was surrounded by quiet, though he could make out the turning of pages in a book. Where was he?

"You're awake, then," a gruff voice grumbled. "Don't know why you came to me. I can't heal you."

"I shouldn't be here," he rasped. His voice didn't seem to want to cooperate. How badly injured was he?

"You don't say," his companion scoffed. "I don't have a wand, Albus. I can't heal you. I can't brew you a potion. I don't even want to bandage you up and send you on your way."

"Why...?" he tried.

"You betrayed me, and you think I want to help you? You're barking mad, as usual," Gellert laughed without humor. "And yet, I adore you so. Rest, mein schatz. You won't survive without it."

Chapter Text

"Would you come sit down?" Remus sighed. Sirius was, once again, pacing the floor in front of the fireplace. "They're not due to be back for a few more hours still. You're going to make yourself more anxious than you need to be."

"I don't like this, Moony," Sirius protested. He did not go sit down.

"I think we're all aware of that," Remus replied dryly. "Hadrian can hold his own against fully grown wizards, and we don't need to worry about Dumbledore now. He's with Narcissa, Padfoot. She's not going to let him get into trouble."

"Please," Sirius snorted. "She's a Black, Moony. Trouble is in her blood just as much as his. As much as mine. Nothing ever goes exactly the way it's meant to when we're involved."

"Yet we always end up exactly as we should be," Remus replied. He stood up from the couch and wrapped his arms around his pacing husband to stop him from moving. Sirius allowed it, though he gave a dramatic huff when he was stopped. "They're not even in the country. They're with Madame Delacour, getting robes for our bonding ceremony. Can we talk about that instead of what could go wrong?"

"We've got it all planned," Sirius answered automatically. "Cissa and Andi have everything ready for us. We just have to wait for Yule. The invitations went out this morning, and the goblins are collecting replies for us."

"Why?" Remus asked patiently. Sirius gave him an exasperated look that said he knew exactly what his husband was doing. Remus hid his answering smile; it was working as a distraction. Sirius was no longer tense or pacing.

"Andi says it's so we don't get overwhelmed, but we all know it's because there are still several people out there who'd love to see us unhappy. It's entirely too easy to curse a piece of parchment. Speaking of which, we should probably reach out to Onyxclaw tomorrow to make sure that none of the potential curses have hurt any of the goblins. Hadrian won't be pleased if he finds out they've been harmed," he sighed.

Their lives had gotten simultaneously harder and easier since Hadrian had forged a relationship with the goblin nation. It still baffled Remus that they'd liked him enough to claim him as one of their own. He hadn't gotten to check in with his son lately about any other potential goblin abilities making themselves known, and he wasn't sure that he really wanted to know the answer.

"We need to discuss what we're going to do if someone interrupts the ceremony," Sirius said after a moment of hesitation.

"Nobody is going to interrupt the ceremony," Remus responded automatically. It was something he'd been saying to himself all week. The closer they got to their bonding ceremony, the more both of them were on edge. The last ceremony had been beautiful, but also a secret. Only James, Lily, and Peter had been there. Sirius had invited Regulus, but he'd disappeared by then. It had been entirely too easy for Dumbledore to erase it from their minds because they hadn't shared the fact that they were married to any other people. This time, they were going to have a private bonding ceremony and then a massive society reception.

"Some of the deatheaters that Mylan hasn't gotten control of still want to kill Hadrian. They might think this is a good time to do it," Sirius pointed out impatiently. He'd clearly given this quite a bit of thought, and Remus felt a little bad that he hadn't noticed exactly how on edge his husband had become. He was behaving how he used to before regaining all of his memories. Sometimes they all forgot that even though Sirius seemed perfectly fine most of the time, he was still mentally recovering from the dementors. Being brought back had cleared all of the physical symptoms, like always being cold or random shaking... but it hadn't fully healed his mind.

"He's sworn to watch for them and punish any who dare to show up," Remus said quietly. "He'll be at the door, and we've got the goblins setting up their special wards to prevent any sort of travel into the bonding chamber. Hadrian will be perfectly safe in there with us, and then there will be an abundance of people at the reception who will be watching out for him. You know he most likely won't leave Blaise and Theo's sides, and they'd die for him."

"Would they?" Sirius asked bitterly. Remus pressed a lingering kiss to his forehead as if to chase away such negative thoughts, and he was delighted when Sirius blushed.

"I would die for you, and we're not technically soulmates," he pointed out gently. "If that's how I feel, I can only imagine what kind of devotion they must feel to each other."

"We're soulmates in all the ways that matter," Sirius said after a moment. His arms tightened around Remus, and the wolf hid a smile in his hair. Another success.

"Of course we are, love. I was simply making my point," he agreed easily. His right hand lifted to play with Sirius's curls while his husband tried to think of a counterpoint. When he seemed to feel, Remus's smile grew. "Why don't we go celebrate our impending nuptials while we wait?"

Sirius's grin was nothing short of salacious when he looked up at Remus. "What a wonderful idea, Moony."

The journal of Morgana Le Fey

Wales, 1210 A.D.

Nelle is still alive... though I've no idea how that can be. She looks just the same as I remember. She has told me sad tales of the fates of those that I once loved. Merlin was killed by a dark wizard, not myself. Salazar died fighting a dark lord... could it be the same one to kill my closest friend? Nelle told me that Godric died of a broken heart. As I do not believe that to be a true cause of death, my imagination has gone wild. Did he take his own life to be with his beloved? I thought that my own death would return me to mine. Alas...

Strangely, though it has been centuries, Nelle has told me that Helga remains alive at a school that she created with Godric, Salazar, and Rowena. She must be near her end, and I'm certain she won't want to see me... but it heartens me that one of my closest allies survived. I do not know the cause of Rowena's death. Illness, perhaps? I would rather not be told. It is all so morbid.

Nelle speaks of a great evil that arose just days before my own resurrection. Was I brought back to fight this evil, or to aide it? Oh, how I wish Merlin were here. Even Arthur would be a sight for sore eyes. I've been introduced to Nelle's husband, and he seems perfectly kind, if a bit strange. He has an odd little stone that he claims grants eternal life. Where was this stone when Merlin needed it? Or Salazar? Could it be used to bring them back? He assures me that it cannot.

I dreamt of fire again last night. I am staying in the village I awoke in, much to the displeasure of those who live there. Nelle invited me to stay with them in their cottage, but I have declined. If I am still dreaming of flames, surely this darkness inside of me has yet to pass. If I begin to lose memories, I will not hesitate to take my own life once more.

Wales, 1210 A.D.

It is as I feared. I awoke early this morning with mud caking my feet and splattered across the hem of my dressing gown. There was blood on my palms. I do not know who I have harmed, but I know that I can no longer stay among people. I must find somewhere isolated to live until I can find a way to prevent this from happening again.

I have been reading about the potential for binding my magic. I can hear my mother in my head some days, begging me to slow down and think about what I am doing. She claims that it is not I who has caused this evil, but how can she know? How can she see what I cannot? I found a potion in Salazar's late journal that just might prevent me from using any magic at all. If I can become non-magical, it would solve the problem that I have been facing. I cannot kill anyone without my magic. I am not strong enough to wield a sword, nor cunning enough to deliver poison.

The ingredients may be hard to come by. I have heard rumors that some of the herbs needed no longer grow on this continent. I could order them, but to access my vault is to admit that I am alive. I have rechristened myself as Morgan Laufey, and I will remain as anonymous as I possibly can. Nobody can know that the scary tale told to children is among the living once more. I fear I will have to travel to acquire what I need to complete this potion.

Wales, 1212 A.D.

The potion cannot be completed. Moon lilies are extinct, and cannot be obtained. There is no peddler in the world that carries them, and I do not have enough potion expertise to change the recipe successfully.

I suppose I could ask Nelle's husband, but... the darkness grows within me every day. I will not endanger the only friends that I have left. I will not endanger anyone else, ever again.

Wales, 1215 A.D.

MERLIN HAS RETURNED.

France, present day

Madame Delacour's shop was exactly as Hadrian had pictured it being. The front was white stone and an abundance of windows. Moving mannequins filled the windows in current wizarding fashions that he'd seen in Lavender's magazines. A small section of mannequins to the left of the storefront had muggle styles that Hadrian knew Petunia would have killed to own. He'd been surprised to see several witches in the Paris wizarding alley dressed in impeccable muggle fashion. He'd been under the impression that all wizarding kind was horrible at fitting in amongst muggles, but he wasn't necessarily shocked to find that it was a mostly British problem.

Narcissa hustled them into the shop before he could get his fill of looking around the alley, but he was confident that he'd be able to convince her to bring him back sometime if he wanted to explore. She seemed so at home in Paris that Hadrian wondered if they had a summer home here. He wasn't going to ask.

Madame Delacour herself was behind the counter, using her wand to conduct the motions of several needles and spools of fabric. She seemed to be in the middle of creating a special gown for someone in a shining golden fabric. She didn't look up as they entered, though he was certain she'd heard their arrival.

"It is a pleasure to see you work, Apolline," Narcissa announced as they reached the counter.

"It is a pleasure to have such a wonderful audience," Apolline shot back with a bright smile. She waved her wand in a grand, swooping gesture that tied off the thread on the completed gown, then turned to formally greet her friend. She placed her hands on Narcissa's shoulders across the counter and leaned over to ghost kisses to each of Narcissa's cheeks, who returned the gesture happily. Hadrian tried his best to hide his bafflement, but he knew it hadn't worked when Blaise laughed quietly behind him.

"It's a traditional French greeting, la mia anima. They are friends," he leaned in to whisper under his breath. Hadrian was proud of himself for not shivering at the feeling of his breath against his ear. Theo's hand slid into his, and the other boy was not quite smiling when Hadrian glanced over... but it was close.

"I suppose you have come for your special orders," Apolline was saying when Hadrian turned his attention back to the two women. "They are nearly done. I was simply waiting for your arrival to do the fitting."

"Excellent. We're all here and ready to be your mannequins," Narcissa replied with a sharp smile. "I've even brought Hadrian's dates ahead of schedule."

"What?" Theo asked under his breath. Hadrian frowned slightly.

"Did you not want to come with me to the bonding?" he asked under his own breath. Theo's sharp gaze met his and he tried his best not to squirm under the attention.

"Of course I'm going with you," Theo sighed after several seconds. "I wasn't expecting to be getting special robes for it. I figured I'd be wearing whatever Blaise shoves at me."

"While I do have impeccable taste, I was aware that Lady Malfoy would never allow us to wear what we already have," Blaise shrugged.

"You know my mother better than that," Draco agreed casually. "I wasn't certain it would be a Delacour original, but I knew she had something up her sleeves for the two of you."

"Please, as if I'd let the two of you embarrass my nephew," Narcissa teased. "If he is going to be wearing Apolline's finest, so will the two of you. You will be second only to the grooms."

"That seems unnecessary," Hadrian said hesitantly. He still wasn't used to having new clothing, much less something so highly sought after. It made him a little uncomfortable.

"I assumed that Miss Granger would also be in attendance, and I've had a dress prepared for her, as well. Draco, one for your date will be ready within the week to match your robes. Please pass the information on to her as soon as we arrive back home. If she needs someone to take her to her fitting, inform me. Our family will present a united front at this event," Narcissa continued as if Hadrian had never spoken.

"Lavender will be thrilled," Draco grinned. "She talks about Madame Delacour's fashions all the bloody time."

"Language," Narcissa reprimanded instantly. "You will behave like a gentleman while in public."

"Yes, mother," Draco sighed. He avoided all of their gazes while Apolline waved her wand to assemble the robes and gown that she had prepared for the waiting family.

Hadrian's eyes ran across the robes in stunned silence. He could tell immediately which robe belonged to which person, and even he had to admit that they were of the best possible quality.

"I have refused to do any other robes for the occasion," Apolline announced conversationally. "It wouldn't be right for someone to steal the spotlight from the family of honor."

Narcissa's gown was in a shade of deep red that spoke immediately of where her allegiance lied. It wasn't subtle at all. The thread was golden, though only at close examination. Glittering topaz gems had been sewn into the neckline, removing the need for any form of necklace. The gown seemed to have a tight waistline but then flared at the bottom. Subtle, golden leafing had been stitched into the very bottom of the gown.

Draco's robes were standard black, but matching topaz gems had been sewn into the very top of his suit pocket. The suit for underneath the robe was the same shade of deep red as his mother's gown. The golden thread was woven subtly into the robe in a way that it could be missed if one wasn't looking for it. He seemed very pleased by what he saw when Hadrian glanced at him. He could only imagine what Lavender's dress would look like.

The opposite impression was being made with Hadrian's own robes. He hadn't seen the robes that his parents would be wearing, but he'd been told that they would be white with golden accents. Hadrian's robes were nearly identical to Draco's; black with golden stitching that was much less subtle. The suit for underneath his robes was a dark, forest green. Emeralds had been sewn into the top of his suit's pocket to match the suit beneath.

Blaise and Theo had matching robes in the reverse of Hadrian's colors. The robes themselves were forest green and the suits were black. Emeralds were sewn into the green robes in the same leaf design as Narcissa's gown, making them elegant enough to belong at the wedding while subtle enough not to flaunt their wealth. A closer look at Hadrian's robes showed leaves of pure onyx and hematite to match the theme.

"As I said, we will present a united front," Narcissa beamed. "Yule colors don't give a lot of room for creativity, but I believe we'll make our point."

"It'll certainly get the point across to those who are not already aware," Apolline agreed serenely. "Who will go first?"

A whirlwind three hours later, they left Madame Delacour's shop with their outfits completed for the big day. Hadrian had a bit of a headache from the amount of time spent under bright lights as Apolline adjusted and readjusted the fit of his robes and suit. Blaise and Theo hadn't been allowed in to see what he looked like, and he hadn't gotten to see what they looked like, either. Narcissa was very firm in her decision that they would be a surprise to each other.

"I believe we've worked up the proper appetite for supper with Lady Zabini," Narcissa announced happily. "Shall we retrieve Remus and Sirius and be on our way?"

"Do you think we should send word ahead to them?" Blaise asked in amusement. "I don't know about you, but I don't want to walk in on something... untoward."

"They wouldn't-" Hadrian started, but he trailed off at the looks everyone shot him. "Alright, fine." A flick of his wand had his patronus standing before him. He ignored the sharp inhales around him in favor of giving the message to be delivered. Prongs was gone in a flash.

"I always forget you can do that," Draco sighed.

"You're nearly there," Hadrian assured him. "You just need to create a happier memory."

"What one do you use?" Theo asked, speaking for the first time since his robe fitting. Hadrian flushed and shook his head. This wasn't the time to share that.

"Hm," Narcissa hummed in amusement. Hadrian was spared having to hear her response by the appearance of what had to be Remus's patronus: a great, shaggy dog.

"Yes, come home. We're ready and waiting for you," it announced in Remus's voice.

"There we are," Narcissa grinned. "Come on, you lot. We'll floo from Giradella's. Hadrian, you may use your special form of transportation and meet us there if you'd prefer."

Hadrian ignored Draco's complaining the entire way to the cafe. His mind was lost in thought of what was to come. Could they really all have a happy ending this time?

The journal of Morgana Le Fey

Wales, 1215 A.D.

I do not know how it could be possible for both of us to return, but we are together once more. I have missed him more than I knew could be possible. He assures me that no evil magic has returned us to the land of the living, and I trust him with all of my heart. He is my brother in all but blood, after all. Oh, I only wish that Arthur could join us.

Merlin has assured me that Arthur will one day return, but that day is not today. He is to return when the world needs him. While I may wish to have him beside me, the world does not need a king. It needs a sorcerer. It needs Merlin.

Wales, 1217 A.D.

I do not know how to explain what has happened. I am still reeling...

Merlin has done something unthinkable. I never imagined he could be cruel, and yet... the death of a child is on his hands. I awoke from the darkness and find myself in an unfamiliar cavern. I could hear Merlin's chanting in another chamber, and rose to find him. I assumed that he had saved me from harming someone, or prevented me from setting something ablaze. I never thought I would see him standing over a little girl, holding a bejeweled dagger. As I watched, he plunged it into the poor girl's heart. A darkness unlike any I have ever seen rose from the child and flowed into Merlin through his eyes and mouth.

I retreated back to the chamber I'd awoken within and pretended to be asleep once more. I could hear him come to check on me, but he did not suspect that I was awake. I felt him move me from the chamber back to my own bed, but I was careful not to react. He does not know that I know.

What am I to do? How can I fight my oldest friend? The strongest sorcerer in the world?

Perhaps I have misunderstood?

Wales, 1217 A.D.

Now that I am aware of where the darkness originates, it does not control me. I can feel it creep into my heart and mind, but I control it now. I can push it away, or embrace it. I hear the commands of Merlin, but they do not drive me to action against my wishes. I hear them, and I turn them into what I want. No longer will I fear the darkness. No longer will I allow him to control me.

He suspects. I know that he does. I see him watching me when he believes I am not looking. I see the frowns, and the confusion. He wants me to darken my soul for him, but I will never do so again. If he wants to perform evil deeds, he may do so himself.

I will stop him somehow. I simply need more time.

Chapter Text

It had been easy for Tom to sink into another alias. After he'd named himself Lord Voldemort, it had taken him months to train himself to respond solely to that. It had taken his friends- who by then had become only followers to him- just as long to remember to use that name and that name alone. He'd led them down a dark, corrupted path in a blind attempt at power that was doomed to fail. If he'd been in his right mind, he would have recognized that all along. He wasn't sure how many of his former friends had tried to warn him before he'd tortured that instinct out of them. Now, he had very few true friends and only a slightly larger array of followers remaining, and much more to lose should he fail.

His mind was whirling after his meeting with Hadrian. He had long known that Thaddeus Nott was a problem. They'd been friends, once, but he'd learned very quickly upon losing his sanity that Thaddeus had never been sane to begin with. The only thing that had given his friend any sort of conscience had been Dorinda, the love of his life. Upon her death, Thad had become one of his most devoted and sadistic followers, topped only by Bellatrix. He used to delight in that fact. Now, though...

Now he could see the madness for what it was. As Mylan Gaunt, his goals had changed significantly. He no longer wanted to see anyone suffer if he could help it, and he wasn't nearly as ruthless in his cause. Subtlety was an art for the sane.

If Thad was truly abusing his son and flexing his power, it was time that they had a little talk. Thad was one of the few left alive who knew of his true identity; he'd known that the long-devoted man would never betray him. While Mylan didn't want to have to punish anyone, he would do what had to be done to ensure that the people under his control behaved properly. He'd blame the tiny piece of his mind that he'd yet to recover on his chosen methods later.

It was easy to summon Thaddeus to Slytherin Castle. The man was already irritated by his son's disobedience and the verbal lashing that Narcissa had given him. He'd jump at what he thought would be the chance at revenge, Mylan knew. There was a pattern there that he'd always seen and usually used to his advantage. This was no different. He settled himself onto the throne-like receiving chair that Salazar had left behind and stroked Nagini's slender head when she settled across his shoulders.

"Are you ssscertain this is what you want to do?" she hissed. Her eyes were fixed on the roaring fire, waiting with him for it to turn green.

"It mussst be done, my beauty," he replied gravely. "He cannot be allowed to continue in his abuse of his heir. The future of our world dependsss upon healthy and well-adjusssted heirs."

"Perhaps it would be bessst to jussst kill him," she mused, making him chuckle. The thought had certainly crossed his mind.

Before he could reply, the fire flared green and Thaddeus Nott swept gracefully into the receiving room. He immediately sank to one knee and bowed his head, as had been the expectation so many years ago. Mylan's lips curled in disgust, both at this man before him and at the past. He'd done so many things wrong.

"Thaddeus," he greeted coldly. It was too easy to slide back into the role of ruthless dictator. He would have to be careful. "You have been on my last nerve."

"My lord?" the man in question asked. He did not dare to lift his head, but Mylan heard the confusion in his tone.

"Can you not think of a single thing that you have done to anger me?" he demanded. He was distantly satisfied that Thad's hands had started to subtly shake. "Not a thing that might be wrong?"

"I have done only as you've requested, my lord," Nott protested. His voice remained annoyingly steady. "I have been respectful to those beneath us and backed your choices in the Wizengamot. I have kept my head down and caused no glorious chaos. I can think of nothing."

Of course he couldn't. He didn't even see his son as being beneath him. He didn't see the boy at all. "Your son is at Hogwarts this year, is he not?"

"Theodore? For all the good it does him," Nott sneered. "The boy has fallen in with the wrong crowd, but I intend to correct that, my lord."

"You will do no such thing," Mylan snarled. There was enough rage in his voice to startle them both, though Nagini gave the snake's equivalent of a laugh. He spared her a quick glance, but her eyes remained fixed on the man below them. "I have many plans for your son. You will not lay a single finger on him from this day forward, or I shall painfully remove them all from your hands."

"My lord?" Nott asked again. This time, his head raised enough to look at the man on the throne. Mylan saw not a hint of recognition in those dark eyes. It really would be a mercy to simply kill him where he knelt, but he was trying to behave. If he broke such horrid laws now, it would do no good for him to try to do things the right way later. He could plead insanity on all past kills but not going forward. He wasn't truly insane any longer.

"I believe I made myself clear," he spat. "You will treat your heir with the respect you show every other Lord and Lady of the court. You will not punish him or dissuade him from the path that he is currently on. You will offer quiet encouragement and any tools that he needs to succeed. And for Merlin's sake, Thaddeus, stop blaming the boy for the death of your wife. He was not the one who killed her."

Thad's face darkened with each sentence until he looked absolutely murderous. "I will not coddle that... that... ingrate! He's no son of mine," he shouted, outraged. "If I had any other children, I'd disown the brat! He won't be returning to my home if I am not able to discipline him in the way that he deserves."

Mylan's wand flicked before he'd thought the action through, and Thaddeus became a twitching mass on the ground. Several long seconds of torture passed before Mylan let the spell end. He turned his attention to Nagini as his once faithful servant panted on the ground.

"How... disssappointing," he hissed. "I had hoped to keep him alive. I sssee no good coming of his continued exissstence, do you?"

"No, my friend," she shook her scaly head in amusement. "I told you. Sssome people cannot learn."

"I had such high hopesss for the future," he sighed. "I sssuppose he will make a fine meal for you."

"You jussst want me to get rid of the evidence," she rightly accused. He shrugged gently enough not to dislodge her, and she shook her head at him again. Both of their attentions returned to the man on the floor.

"I find myself truly disappointed, Thaddeus. I had such high hopes for your future, but you continue to irritate me. You know what that means," he said conversationally. The man paled drastically as he realized exactly what was coming. He shook his head, but Mylan continued. "I will take good care of your heir until he comes of age. I do believe you've named me as his godfather, yes? The goblins know of my identity and will file the proper paperwork to transfer him to my care. I daresay he'll find me a more suitable mentor."

"Please, my lord," Nott whimpered. He managed to pull himself up to his knees, and his head was nearly pressed to the floor as he struggled not to weep. It had always disgusted Mylan how easily men could be reduced to begging and degrading themselves when their lives were on the line. "I have been your loyal friend all these years! Please, have mercy..."

"The same mercy that you have shown your son?" Mylan's eyebrows raised expectantly. "I gave you a chance to change. You threw it back in my face. You could say that you willingly threw your own life away, could you not? You know what it means to disobey me. Or did you believe that I had truly changed so much?"

"My lord, I beg of you!" Nott had lost the battle against tears. His cheeks were streaked with them when he looked up to beg for his life again. "I meant no disrespect! It's just... my Dorinda..."

"Dorinda died by your hand, Thaddeus," Mylan reminded him harshly. He still felt the same sorrow he'd felt that day, when he'd witnessed what had become of his best friend's wife. "Your son had nothing to do with it. His birth was quick and easy. Painless. But you were so distracted by your firstborn son that you killed the healer before he could administer the proper care to Dorinda. You wanted no remaining witnesses to what you wanted to perform on your child, do you recall?"

"No..." Thaddeus shook his head in dawning horror.

"I watched but could not prevent her death. Her painful passing was due to your lack of control," Mylan continued ruthlessly. "And in your pain and outrage, you blamed your only child. It was the only way your mind could handle such a loss. You were so stricken that you never even performed the blood ritual that you wanted no witnesses to."

"She died for nothing?" he whispered. Mylan simply nodded. He'd wondered all along if Thad had remembered correctly what had occurred. He'd always had his suspicions of what was happening to his godson, but he'd never cared enough to investigate or prevent it. Now he was wondering how many children of his other followers suffered the same fate.

"She did," he agreed. The man before him was broken, that much was clear. The reminder of such a painful occurrence was possibly breaking the rest of his damaged mind. It gave Mylan a much better idea of what to do with him. "I will not kill you today, my friend. Instead, we will get you the help that you need."

"... My lord?" Nott asked, but he was clearly not paying any attention. His eyes were glazed with tears and confusion. All Mylan felt was pity as he looked down on him. The plan that had just came to him was already mapped out in his mind.

"What a tragedy," he sighed. "To have such a promising Lord fall to pieces in my parlor for seemingly no reason at all. We shall have to alert the proper authorities, I believe. Yes, we can't have you going without treatment."

"I..."

"Hush now, old friend. You'll have a permanent bed in the Janus Thickey ward at St Mungo's. I'll pay for it all out of my own vaults, of course," Mylan continued casually. He flicked his wand to summon his patronus and didn't miss the way Thad nearly fell over from his full-body flinch. "Go to Madam Bones. Inform her that Lord Nott is on his way to St. Mungo's after having a nervous breakdown in my home. Ask her to meet us there as soon as possible."

The patronus- a large serpent, of course- gave a single nod before disappearing in a puff of light. With that taken care of, he gestured for Nagini to remove herself and stepped off of the raised dais. Thaddeus shrank away from his approach, but he was babbling under his breath about blood rituals and a sacrifice being needed. It seemed to Mylan as if he'd transported himself back to that night. Perhaps he believed he could change what happened if he relived it? No matter.

"Come along, old friend," he ordered. He placed a firm hand on the man's shoulder and turned on the spot. As the Lord of the castle, he alone had the power to apparate in and out. He ignored Nott's yelp and moan of pain as they landed in the atrium of the hospital. A healer ran to them as soon as they appeared.

"What in the world is going on here?" she demanded angrily. Her wand was in her hand, but she paused when the weeping man on the floor flinched away from her. "What have you done to him?"

"I'm afraid I did have to use my wand to prevent him from hurting himself," Mylan admitted. The lie came just as easily to him as all the others had in the past. "He came to have supper with me, but just a few minutes in, he started ranting and raving about a blood ritual and a murder. I don't know how much of what he's said is the truth and how much is delusion, but it was clear to me that this man is deranged and in need of medical attention."

"What sort of spell did you use?" she asked bitingly. "He's shaking like a leaf! Sorry, muggle expression. We only see this sort of damage after severe spell trauma."

"I'm certain I don't know what he's done to himself, or what happened before he came to me. I've only been in his company for the last twenty minutes or so. It did take some time to get him calm enough for travel without splinching."

"Mhm," the healer pursed her lips for a moment before giving up the line of questioning. "Wait, did you say blood ritual and murder?"

"I did," he confirmed. "I've already summoned Madam Bones, as well. He hasn't been very lucid, but I've caught a few things here and there. This is Lord Thaddeus Nott, in case you were unaware. I believe he is speaking of the death of his wife and birth of his child. The child in question is now nearly seventeen, so this was a good many years ago."

"He may be dangerous," the healer muttered to herself. Her hand tightened around her wand and Mylan wondered for a moment if she planned to stun Nott. He wouldn't be upset if she did. The man was now clutching the hem of his robes and rocking back and forth. It hadn't been his intention to break his mind so thoroughly, but it was a better outcome than having to kill him. Maybe this way his mind could be partially healed and he could move on.

"I doubt he will be of any danger to you. This seems to be all he is currently capable of," Mylan pointed out dryly.

"Lord Gaunt, what trouble have you found yourself in today?" Amelia asked as she entered the atrium. She looked tired, but she was still very alert. Her eyes hardened as she took in the site of Thaddeus rocking on the floor. "A nervous breakdown indeed."

"I called you here because of the disturbing things he's been saying in his madness," Mylan told her carefully. "There have been mentions of a murder and a blood ritual. He's not making much sense, but I believe it should be investigated. The Notts and the Gaunts have always been close friends, and it would be my honor to let you into his estate in his stead."

"That is a friendship I was not made aware of," she stated after several moments of consideration. "I suppose you'll know who should have custody of his heir?"

"I believe that would be me," he admitted with a small smile. "The goblins should be able to see to that part. I intend to go to the bank first thing in the morning and have the custody properly transferred. My godson will be in good hands. He is staying with the Zabinis tonight, so I will speak with him about all of this in the morning as well."

"Your godson?" Amelia's sharp gaze turned thoughtful. If he were prone to panicking, Mylan would worry that she knew more than she was letting on. As it stood, he was confident that nobody could prove he had once been a dark lord. "Very well. You are dismissed, Lord Gaunt. We will investigate the claims of murder and dark magic. I'll be in touch should I require your help."

"Thank you," he bowed his head briefly in acknowledgment, then carefully pulled his robes out of Thad's hands. He was quite proud of himself for not ripping them away in disgust. He chose to use the floo to return to Slytherin castle, where Nagini and Mipsy the elf were waiting impatiently for his return.

"Master is being okay?" Mipsy asked as she wrung her hands. He withheld his sigh; every time he thought the little elf was starting to calm down around him, she did something like this.

"Yes, yes. It all worked out wonderfully. I do have two letters to write, and a message to send to the goblins. I'll be in my study for the evening. Nagini, you'll have to go hunting, I'm afraid," he told them. He didn't wait for their replies before making his ways up the grand staircase.

Lord Potter-Slytherin,

Perhaps it is unwise to share this information with you before your beau is ready to tell you himself, but he will need you in the coming days. There are things that I am uncertain he even knows for himself. The first bit of information is being sent to him, as well. Lord Nott named me as Theodore's godfather upon his birth. It has never legally been changed, and the documents would have adapted to my magically granted name as soon as it was changed. It is important to note that I did not force him to name me as anything; children were too unpredictable and... loud for my tastes.

The second thing that you should know is that Lord Nott has blamed Theodore for the death of his mother for his entire life. She died after childbirth, but it was not anything to do with the child at all. Upon revealing that fact to him, he had what one could call a... mental break. He had convinced himself that Theodore's birth killed the love of his life and acted accordingly. In truth, it was his own quickness to violence that was her end.

He is currently residing in St. Mungo's for the foreseeable future. As my intent was less than kind, this works out for everyone involved. He keeps his life, your beau leaves his abusive environment, and I don't have to murder another of my followers. We are all doing well this evening, don't you think?

I will be retrieving Heir Nott from the Zabini residence at noon tomorrow. The countess and I have much to discuss while I am there. I do believe that Narcissa would benefit from participating in the conversation as well.

I look forward to seeing you on Yule to discuss the next steps of our plan.

Lord Mylan Hydrus Gaunt

Heir Nott,

I do apologize for the lateness of this note. I am unsure of what your father has told you about your past. Perhaps you already know that he named me your godfather upon your birth. I regret not being in my right mind and therefore not getting to know you properly, but it seems we will have time for that yet.

Your father has suffered severe mental trauma and is being treated at St. Mungo's for the foreseeable future. The goblins will be arranging the proper paperwork, and I will be caring for you until your seventeenth birthday, at which time you may claim your title and your ancestral manor. There is, of course, much to discuss. We will have time for all of that at a later date.

I will be by to retrieve you at noon tomorrow from the Zabini residence. It might be a good idea to inform your paramours of the finer details of your home life, as I am unfortunately certain they will come to public attention in the coming days.

Lord Mylan Hydrus Gaunt

From the journal of Morgana Le Fay

Wales, 1218 A.D.

It seems that Merlin is unwilling to darken his own soul. He has yet to realize that I know what he has done, but he certainly knows that I am no longer killing for him. Tentative peace has settled across the land, but I know that it can't last.

I do not know what his goal has been, but I have a sinking suspicion that he is the dark wizard that my dear Salazar perished while fighting. If Merlin has just returned, who or what killed him last time? I shall turn my attention to discovering what has brought us both back to the land of the living. Perhaps I can discover a way to prevent it from happening again.

Wales, 1218 A.D.

Nelle provided me with a second journal written by my darling Salazar. It details a dark magic that he regrets creating. It would seem that Merlin commissioned the spell with no explanation, and Salazar was too tempted by the challenge to resist. It is a form of necromancy in which one can split apart their very soul to tether themselves to this realm. It is an escape from death himself.

I believe that Merlin used this dark ritual to keep himself from dying. My greatest fear is that he has forced me to do the same. Though the ritual as it is written cannot be used to link two souls, Merlin has always been creative with his magic in a way that I am not. I do wonder if he's found a way to link our souls, so that if one of us returns the other might as well. As these last few weeks have proven, he does hate to lose his puppet.

Wales, 1218 A.D.

An interesting thing that perhaps I should document: I have been back in this realm for eight years today, yet I have not aged a single moment. I did not notice it myself; Nelle pointed it out this morning when she surprised me with a visit. She came to bring me an elixir from her husband's strange stone, but declared that I do not seem to need it. She drank the elixir herself before she left.

Chapter Text

It was still dark out when Hadrian woke up on Yule. He stayed perfectly still and just listened to the silence of the house for nearly an hour, letting his mind wander. Today was a big day for his family. Not only was it their first real Yule together, but they were making a huge statement to the rest of the Wizarding World. For most, this was the first official bonding of Sirius Orion Black, and it was to a werewolf.

Everywhere he'd gone for the last two weeks, at least one person had stopped to ask him for his opinion on the matter. As Lord Black, it was his duty to approve the bonding for the family. It seemed that nobody could quite believe that the Black family was willing to accept a creature into their ranks, even though it was widely known that Hadrian was friends with creatures and the child of said werewolf. It was infuriating. No matter how many times Remus told him to ignore it, or that it didn't bother him, Hadrian couldn't let go of the rage he felt for his father. It wasn't right.

Of course, there was nothing he could do about it yet. He'd have to officially claim all of his seats in order to make the kind of difference that was required, and he was told in no uncertain terms that he needed to wait until he'd finished his schooling. That was mostly fine by him; he didn't feel ready to sit on the Wizengamot yet.

He forced his attention onto happier things after a while. It had taken a long time, but he'd managed to find presents for everyone that was important to him. They were going to have a family breakfast and open gifts together before his parents had to go their separate ways to get ready. Draco had already promised that he'd be helping Hadrian get ready, as apparently he couldn't be trusted to make himself presentable. He'd be meeting up with Blaise and Theo an hour before the ceremony to exchange gifts while they had a moment to be alone. Once the ceremony started, he was going to be busy with his role. It was going to be a long but satisfying day.

The first signs of life came in the form of footsteps heading down the hall to the bathroom. Hadrian had his own attached to his room, but Draco, Narcissa, and Andromeda did not. Not to mention the fact that Andi's husband and daughter had stayed last night to join in on the festivities of the day. Hadrian was looking forward to getting to know Tonks better, though they'd met last year. Sirius promised that she was on their side.

Shortly after the closing of the bathroom door, the smell of bacon drifted up from the kitchen. Remus had told him it was a special trick that Gizzy had perfected over the years to assist in waking the family. He smiled to himself as he imagined the Yule spread she would be making. This was the first Yule she'd have a family to spend the day with in decades. Poor Gizzy had been alone for too long, in Hadrian's opinion. He knew that Narcissa especially spent plenty of time with the elf, and Sirius tended to treat her like a doting aunt. Hadrian himself still wasn't quite comfortable enough with elves to be able to treat her with anything other than polite respect.

"You are thinking too loudly," Amarantha hissed from her place under his pillow. She refused to sleep on top on the grounds that it was far too cold. She was a bit of a drama queen at times.

"I'm sorry," he sighed. "This is all very new for me, you know? Before... I spent most of my Yules at the school and I was ignored. And before that, the Dursleys wouldn't usually let me out of my cupboard for the whole day. They liked to pretend I didn't exist on holidays."

"That is awful, my own," Amarantha's head peaked out from beneath the pillow, and she looked as distressed as it was possible for a snake to be. "I wish to bite them. When will we see them?"

"Never," Hadrian replied firmly. "They're not worth it, my beauty. I don't usually think about them anymore. It's a much happier time, now."

"You are loved. Do not forget that. As long as I live, I will love you, my own," Amarantha swore. "You are mine, and I am yours."

"You are mine," Hadrian echoed fondly. "And I am yours. Go back to sleep, silly snake."

A knock sounded on his door only minutes later, and his cousin's excited voice drifted through the thick wood. "Hadrian, come on! We can't start without you!"

Hadrian had never been around Draco on a holiday before, but he wasn't surprised to find out that his cousin was very much a child on special occasions. It made him feel warm to know that Draco trusted him enough to let that side of himself show. It also reassured him that he'd chosen the right gift.

"Right, I'm coming!" he called back after a few moments. He sat up in his bed with a little sigh and ran his hand through his always-messy hair. He didn't feel as ready as he thought he'd be. He didn't give himself time to dwell on it, though. As Sirius had assured him that it was a very informal family breakfast, he didn't bother to change out of his pajamas. If he knew his family at all, he knew that he'd be getting some form of clothing as a gift, anyway. He really didn't feel like changing multiple times throughout the day. He shrugged on a thin dressing robe and made his way down the stairs.

He'd been right; Gizzy had outdone herself. The huge dining room table was laden with pancakes, bacon, sausages, eggs, waffles, and a full English fry-up for the adults. Muffins with red and green frosting were stacked in the shape of a tree, and several trays of biscuits and chocolates were spread throughout the table, as well. It was nearly as much food as one could expect at Hogwarts for Christmas. Hadrian stared in awe for a few seconds before his eyes found Gizzy fidgeting nervously. He didn't really think about it as he stepped over to her and knelt to give her a hug. She squeaked in surprise, but it only took her a few seconds to return the gesture.

"Little Lord be liking the food?" she asked quietly as she held him. He stayed in the embrace for a few extra seconds to gain control of his emotions; tears had welled up in his eyes, but he hadn't let them spill over. He was endlessly grateful that nobody else had gone straight to the dining room.

"It's amazing, Gizzy. Thank you," he murmured as he pulled away and straightened up. Remus stood in the doorway watching him with a soft expression, and he went over to hug his dad next. Deceptively strong arms held him tightly. "This is... so much."

"I know, cub. The first time I had a Yule like this was when Siri and I came and stayed with the Potters for our fifth year. My family couldn't do something like this, and the Blacks were far too stuffy for a private celebration. The Potters were the first family both of us had ever met that went to great lengths to spend real time together on the holidays," Remus told him. "It can be overwhelming, at first."

"Do you ever get used to it?" he asked, looking up at Remus from his place in the embrace. Remus chuckled low in his throat.

"No," he admitted. "But it gets easier. Come on, they're waiting for us. Your father is still just an overgrown child when it comes to Yule."

Sirius was, indeed, bouncing in place as he waited for his family to join the rest of them in the sitting room. There was a huge fir tree decorated with sparkling garlands and red orbs that seemed to glow from within. There was a live faerie sitting at the top of the tree and playing with what appeared to be a tiny doll. Her wings fluttered every few seconds, and sparkling dust fell onto the branches below. There was a ginormous pile of presents wrapped and stacked below the tree.

Sirius lit up as soon as he saw them coming. "Finally! Took you both long enough!" he exclaimed. He nearly tumbled off of his chair in his haste to get over to them and tug them into yet another tight hug. Hadrian laughed in his arms.

"We couldn't have been more than five minutes, Pads," Remus laughed. "Well? Pass out the gifts!"

Hadrian felt a nervous pang as he settled into his place between his parents, but he shouldn't have worried. While he and Draco did have several more gifts than everyone else, there were plenty for everyone. He was thankful that they didn't take turns opening them, as well. They all tore into their gifts at the same time, smiling and laughing at the things they found.

Draco had gifted him a practice snitch and new gloves, and Hadrian had given him a dragon figurine that moved and breathed fire- much like the one he'd received in the Triwizard Tournament. Narcissa had gifted him a soft (and definitely expensive) set of gray robes with a combination of his house crests stitched onto the pocket, and he'd given her a beautiful silver necklace with a pendant displaying the Draco constellation.

Andromeda had gifted him a pensieve, as well as three vials of memories that she didn't seem inclined to share what was inside. He had given her a pair of cashmere gloves in a subtle, forest green that she exclaimed over happily. He'd also given Ted a soft scarf in the same color, which the man seemed to appreciate. Tonks had given him a Sneakoscope, and he'd returned the favor with a foe glass.

Sirius and Remus had gifted him several books on multiple topics, a portable wizarding wireless, and a voucher to see a live professional quidditch game. He had given Remus a voucher for a year's supply of Honeydukes and a robe with the Black family crest sewn onto the breast. He'd given Sirius a new collar for Padfoot, a voucher for Weasley's Wizard Wheezes, and the Potter and Black family grimoires.

("Are these...?" Sirius asked, looking up with tears in his eyes.

"I was hoping you'd teach me about the family magics," Hadrian replied carefully. Everyone else was kindly focusing on their own gifts to give them the illusion of privacy. "I don't know how much of the Potter magic you know, so I thought... we'd learn that one together?"

"Monty taught me some, but... yeah. I'd like that a lot, pup," Sirius replied as he pulled his son into another tight hug. Neither of them let go for several extra seconds, and they didn't point out the tears that were shed in the emotional moment.)

Hadrian had gifts from several people he didn't expect to receive anything from, as well, but he was glad that he'd sent gifts to every person who'd sent something to him... except for one.

Hermione had sent him a pouch that was enchanted to never be full or heavy. She'd tucked three books into it; one about snakes, one about mythology, and one about the knights of the round table that appeared to be muggle in origin. He'd sent her enchanted clips for her hair that would style her hair in any way she could imagine while wearing them. Neville had sent him a jar of gillyweed, which Hadrian thought was hilarious. He'd sent Neville cuttings from the Potter family greenhouse; they were plants that Remus had thought were extinct until Tuffy had opened the doors for them. Lavender had sent him potions that were meant to help with his hair and complexion, along with a note assuring him that he looked fine as he was; these were just in case he wanted to look extra nice for dates. He'd sent her the same scarf and gloves in a shade of purple that Draco swore she loved. The twins had sent him a crate of new products that were not yet available to the public, and he'd sent them a crate of rare potion ingredients that they couldn't have otherwise gotten.

Cassius Warrington had sent him muggle cufflinks in the shape of snakes that were the exact shade of the emeralds that had been sewn into his robes for that night. A quick flick of his wand revealed that no magic had been used on them at all. There was a card with them that Hadrian was hesitant to read. The note was short.

Lord Potter-Slytherin,

I did tell you that we're not all what we seem to be. Someday I'll prove it to you. Until then, I'll show my support in small ways. Enjoy the bonding.

Heir Cassius Warrington III

Hadrian tucked the card into the bottom of the pile of notes he'd received and tried to push the confusion to the back of his mind. It had been a kind gesture, that's all. He'd have to return it once he was back at Hogwarts, but until then, he simply... wouldn't think about it.

Breakfast was over in a blink, and Remus and Sirius were being whisked in opposite directions immediately after. Narcissa pulled Remus out of the front door before he even had a chance to say goodbye, and Andi was tugging Sirius up the stairs to their private floor just as quickly. Draco grabbed Hadrian's arm and simply raised his eyebrows when Tonks moved to follow. She ignored the gesture, much to Hadrian's amusement.

"Come on," Draco insisted. "We only have a few hours to make you presentable, and we're going to need every second."

"Rude," Hadrian pointed out, but he wasn't really upset by it. Draco seemed to get like this every time something big was happening. He was almost as obnoxious every time Hadrian had a date with Blaise and Theo, come to think of it. "It's not going to take that long. Lavender says I'm fine as I am. Shouldn't you trust your girlfriend's opinion?"

"She was being kind," Draco waved a hand dismissively. "What did you do with the potions she sent you? Sleakeasy's is what we need for your hair, not that I think it'll do much. Do you ever try to style it?"

"Er," Hadrian replied, refusing to meet his cousin's gaze. Tonks started laughing behind them.

"Mum says you're like me," she pointed out helpfully. "You can make your hair into whatever you want it to be."

"Sure, if I get it right on the first try. It's only been reliable so far when I'm going to be in danger and spend the whole time worrying about my appearance," he informed her. She frowned slightly but didn't push further.

"The potions?" Draco asked pointedly. "And are you opposed to a bit of a makeover?"

"Depends on what you mean," Hadrian replied carefully.

"Tell him not to come near me, my own," Amarantha hissed as she wound her way up his leg. "I can smell his excitement. It is... too much."

"You're annoying Amarantha," Hadrian added with a laugh. "She says you smell to excited and it's making her nervous."

"I am excited," Draco huffed. "This is the event of the year! Everybody who's anybody will be there, and everything is going to be examined at every angle for perfection. You want to make a statement, don't you?"

"Well... yes, but-"

"Your appearance is going to be part of that statement! If you're dressed in nice robes but your hair is a mess, that says that you're there, but you don't really care how you're perceived. If you look immaculate from head to toe, it'll show that this is truly important to you. You need to look every inch the Lord that you are, Hadrian. It's not up for debate," Draco spoke right over him.

"I think you're making this sound more serious than it is," Hadrian sighed. Tonks cleared her throat uncomfortably.

"No, he's right," she said. "You're new to this, but our family has always been under scrutiny. The Blacks are one of the oldest pureblood families of all time. We're known for being proper in every situation. This... isn't a proper situation. You're a new lord and you're a halfblood... technically. Remus is a werewolf, which doesn't matter to us, but it does matter to the rest of the world. This is the first time in history that our family has publicly broken tradition in so many ways under the approval of the current Lord Black. It's a big deal."

"Would you rather have reporters focused on your mop of a hairstyle, or on the way the Blacks are setting a new standard within the wizarding world?" Draco asked. He crossed his arms and arched his brows expectantly as Hadrian processed all of that. "Because that's your choice here. They will either focus on the revolutionary bonding of the century, or the sloppy appearance of the new Lord Black at a bonding that he clearly didn't care much about."

"Fine," Hadrian huffed. "Do whatever you want, but I still think you're being overly dramatic."

What followed was three hours of absolute horror for Hadrian. Draco and Tonks worked together to make him look what they deemed as acceptable. Potions were used on skin and hair. Spells were used to cut and style. Draco pulled a jar of what looked like the dust from the faerie's wings out of nowhere and sprinkled it over his head dramatically. His robes were studied and adjusted several times after he donned them, and Draco took great delight in fastening the new cuff links into place.

"There," he announced after an incredibly long amount of time had passed. "You're presentable. Now, Tonks and I have to go get ready. Don't you dare ruin it!"

"How can I?" Hadrian demanded, though he was more amused than annoyed. "You placed so many stasis charms on my hair and clothes that I don't think I could budge them if I tried!"

"Knowing you?" Draco asked with a scowl. "You'd find a way. Sit down and stay put."

They were gone in whirl, leaving Hadrian alone in his bedroom for the first time since early that morning. He settled at his desk with a sigh, smiling when Gizzy popped a plate of small sandwiches in front of him from the kitchen. He pulled out Morgana's journal to read while he waited, but then he paused. Nimue had said they could communicate...

"We may speak," she confirmed in his mind, as though the very thought had summoned her. "You have been reading my daughter's words."

"Er, yes," Hadrian nodded. He still felt uncomfortable about speaking to a voice in his mind, but he was alone here. "I'm confused. I thought Merlin was a good wizard?"

"He led many to believe so," Nimue replied. "Dark wizards are often cunning. His magic was strong, and so many believed he used it for good. My poor daughter was weaker, and he convinced the world that there was a darkness within her. My greatest sadness is that she believed it for so long."

"But she's setting things right," Hadrian said after a pause. "She figured it out, and she worked against him. She must have succeeded... right?"

"For a time," Nimue said sadly. "They battled over many decades. Centuries. Both won and lost many battles. They died and were reborn. She may never return to the realm of the living, but she did what she set out to do. Those who matter know that my daughter was a good woman, a good witch. I am and have always been proud of her."

"Why can't she return?" Hadrian asked with a frown.

"Keep reading, little wizard. You will see," she promised. An odd silence echoed through his mind, and he knew that meant she no longer wished to speak.

He cracked open the journal to read, hoping to see what she meant before he'd have to go to the venue.

Wales, 1220 A.D.

Merlin has discovered what I know. I do not have much time left in this realm. While I will not be sad to go, I worry that nobody will be able to stop Merlin in my stead. I do wonder... if we are linked, would my death cause his own? Or at the very least... weaken him enough for someone else to put an end to his reign?

France, 1492 A.D.

I have once again woken when I assumed that I should never see the sun again. My dress is torn and tattered. My hands are pale and frail. My hair falls limp to my waist. I have not aged a day in my death. The temple in which I found myself was dedicated to the goddess Proserpina, queen of the underworld. It is as broken as I feel.

As I never had a chance to write out my plan, I will document what I have done and how it went wrong.

It would seem that my dear Salazar confided in his lover of what he'd done. When Godric found out, he set about planning a way to reverse the magic and restore the broken souls. It was too late for Merlin, and for half of my own soul. Salazar had already given the ritual to Merlin, and I am certain that he used it. Fortunately, Salazar altered the ritual within days, with the help of Godric. They presented the new ritual to Merlin as 'improved', and that is the ritual he has continued to use. This new ritual does not permanently slice the soul apart; when the object housing the soul piece is destroyed, it returns to the owner.

Knowing this, I took it upon myself to find and destroy as many of both of our objects as I possibly could. My mother long ago gifted me with the ability to sense my own magic, and Merlin and I once did a ritual to bind our magics together. It is not the same as binding our souls, but I wonder...

The first two were easy to find, as they were stored together. I am certain they were the first ever made, as I felt no different upon shattering the urns. For good measure, I used creature fire to burn them to ash. The next one was my own, and I felt the piece of my soul as it returned to me. I know now that I will always feel hollow, but recovering even that small sliver made my life a bit more worth living. I believe that the third one was Merlin's, and the return of his own sliver must have clued him into what I was trying to accomplish. I managed to destroy two more, both my own, before he caught up to me. I had his third one in my grasp when he cast the first curse, and it cut clean through the chain of the necklace. It gave an ungodly shriek, and I watched a cloud of black drift back into him before he managed to end my life.

I do not know who brought me back, nor do I know why it was done. I do know that it wasn't with the use of a piece of my soul. I look like death, and I feel worse. Yet I am here, brought back for a second chance to right this horrible wrong that my oldest friend has committed.

France, 1493 A.D.

I could not find Nelle this time. I know that she has not died, thanks to her husband's wonderful elixir, but something has made her hide away. I sense a great evil in the world, and I am certain it is Merlin. Yet I have learned something unfortunate.

The world believes me to be the evil one among us. My name is a curse used by the light wizards, and a blessing given amongst the dark. Merlin is praised as being the greatest wizard of all time, and revered as someone who can do no wrong. He has convinced everyone that my darling Salazar claimed him as his own. Though I know that they are distant cousins, there is no possible chance that Salazar would have condoned what Merlin has done.

They also do not believe that Merlin walks among them to this day. He is said to have died centuries ago and never returned. I alone know better. I fear what he can do when nobody has thought to even attempt to stop him. What horrors has he brought to the world? How many has he killed in his quest for more power?

France, 1501 A.D.

I have located and destroyed three more objects. I believe that each piece I once returned to him has been torn from him once more. I have no way of knowing when I have destroyed them all. I will never know when my quest has ended.

In brighter news, I have confirmed that there are no further pieces of my own soul to retrieve. I will never have to return once my job is complete. I will never have to face the broken pieces that Merlin will leave behind. I know that he will not leave this realm unless forced. I will not go down without bringing him with me.

France, 1503 A.D.

I hold in my hands the last piece of Merlin's soul. I have set the trap. He will find me just as I destroy the statue and force his soul to reunite. With my dying breath, I will kill him with the dagger my own mother forged in 903 A.D. and gifted to me upon my thirteenth birthday.

It ends today.

In flowing script unlike the writing in the rest of the journal, there is one final entry. It is not dated, but the page it is scrawled upon seems newer than the rest of the journal. There are two spots where the ink is smudged, as if the writer either cried or spilled some water on the ink after it dried. Hadrian traced over the words gently, barely able to read them through his own tears. She'd gone through so much... and she'd still died at the end.

My darling Morgana,

You will never read this letter. You will never know the horrible truth. It will die with me, I think, when I finally go. I hold possession of Merlin's final horcrux. That is what they named the horrid magic that Salazar created. You did kill him, Morgana. He is no longer in this realm, and he will never return. I will see to it. You have my word.

The world that you left behind grows and changes every year, and yet it is the same. It will always be the same. History repeats, again and again. The same conflicts arise, and the same solutions are made. It is only a matter of time before another like Merlin comes forward. I hope with all of my heart and soul that another like you will save us all.

With love,

Perenelle Flamel

"Hadrian, let's go!" Draco called as he shoved the door open. He took one look at his cousin and groaned. "I knew you'd find a way to ruin it. What are you crying for? Come on! Blaise and Theo have just arrived."

Hadrian reached up to wipe the tears away. He could feel Nimue's presence again, but she stayed silent. It felt like a quiet embrace in his mind. It was with that feeling that he followed Draco down the stairs and into the waiting arms of his soulmates.

They hadn't had time to set up an official second date with everything that had happened over the past two months, so they'd decided that the ceremony would be their second courting date. There were plenty of chaperones, and there wouldn't be time for them to be alone. Hadrian had placed both decorative boxes into his robe pocket before leaving his room, and his own heirloom cuff was clasped on his left wrist. He'd sent them both Yule gifts, of course, but this would be different.

Though they'd already seen him in his robes at the fitting, both boys stared in adoration as Hadrian descended the stairs, and he felt the same way about seeing them. The stood in a silent triangle at the base of the stairs for several long seconds, looking their fill. Draco groaned quietly behind them.

"Just get on with it, already. And if you mess up his hair, I will hex you," he snapped. Then he spun on his heel and went into the dining room to give them privacy that they really shouldn't have had.

"How's your-" Hadrian started, looking to Theo. Theo cut him off before he made it any farther.

"Fine. He's going to be locked away for the rest of his life, though. Lord Gaunt is... surprisingly agreeable," he replied.

"I told you Mylan isn't the same as he used to be," Hadrian replied smugly. Both other boys had been... apprehensive upon receiving the news that Lord Gaunt was to be Theo's guardian, but Hadrian had been delighted.

"Yes, you were right," Theo rolled his eyes fondly. Then he leaned in and brushed a chaste kiss over Hadrian's lips. "And you look phenomenal. Draco has outdone himself."

"Hey!" Hadrian laughed. "I could have done this myself."

"You could have," Blaise agreed with a smirk. "But you wouldn't. It would never have occurred to you that this is fancier than the Yule Ball. It's adorable."

"Why are you like this?" Hadrian groaned fondly. He lifted a hand to run through his hair, but Blaise caught it easily.

"You wouldn't have us any other way," he pointed out cheekily. Hadrian simply shook his head and let himself be pulled into a slightly less chaste kiss from his other soulmate. "We sent your gifts up to your room. They're for after the bonding. Open them tonight."

"I will," Hadrian smiled. "And speaking of gifts..."

He tugged his hand out of Blaise's to reach into his pocket and pull out the boxes. "Rules of courtship dictate that I give the both of you the first gift this time. These aren't something I made, but they are family heirlooms." He handed the boxes over apprehensively, but he needn't have worried. They both looked gobsmacked when they opened the boxes.

"Hadrian," Theo breathed, unable to tear his eyes away from the cuff within.

"These are..." Blaise tried, but he couldn't seem to find the words. Hadrian glanced between them anxiously as he waited for real words.

"Too much," Theo finished for Blaise. "You don't have to give us such precious things, love."

"Of course I do," Hadrian protested with a frown. "I lo- er. You're both important to me, and you always will be. Who else would I give these to? Sirius told me all about them in a letter months ago. They're Potter family heirlooms. They're a connected set. When they're in use, they monitor health and mental wellbeing, and they'll alert the others if the wearer is in distress of any kind. We can light them up green when we want to meet, and Sirius says there's a way to pass messages between them if we can figure it out."

"You're sure?" Blaise asked. He looked up to meet Hadrian's gaze, and there were tears in his eyes. "You really want us to have these?"

Hadrian realized that he was going to have to say it. The feelings had been building all year, ever since he met them, but he hadn't wanted to be the first to express them. He didn't want to move too fast or overwhelm them. But clearly they didn't realize how much they really meant to him if they were questioning this now. It was time to dig for that Gryffindor courage. He reached out and took one hand in each of his.

"I've never been more sure in my life," he nodded. He made sure to meet both of their eyes for a second. "You are the most important people to me. I... I love you."

He was met with beaming smiles, and then they were all wrapped in a tight embraced together. "We love you, too," Theo whispered, then slotted their lips together.

"So much," Blaise agreed. He pressed their lips together as soon as Theo pulled away, sucking Hadrian's bottom lip between his own. When they parted, Hadrian got to watch the kiss between the two of them. It made him wish very much that they weren't all about to be in a public place.

It felt like only seconds later that Tonks tripped down the stairs loudly and ruined the moment. She straightened at the bottom, completely unharmed, and cleared her throat. Her cheeks were rosier than usual as she regarded them, and Hadrian wasn't sure if it was embarrassment over tripping or over witnessing their display.

"Come on, you lot," she said cheerfully. "I'm supposed to escort you to the venue. Sirius already left with Mum, and Draco was supposed to be following them. We don't have long to go before the ceremony! Hadrian, you know your part?"

"I do," he nodded. Tonks nodded back with a grin.

"Great! The floo address is 'Ceremony Hall, Gringotts Bank'. Speak it very clearly! The goblins won't appreciate you appearing anywhere else. Well... maybe you'd be fine, Hadrian," she shrugged. "Don't know how you convinced them to let you use the bank in the first place."

"I'm a goblin," he replied, struggling not to laugh at her unconvinced eyeroll. "Just be nice to them and they're agreeable to most things."

"I'll take your word for it," she said after a moment. "C'mon, I'm not getting yelled at for being late! Let's go!"

Sirius was in awe of the way the goblins had decorated the venue. He should have known that it would be beautiful; Hadrian had promised that he and Narcissa had communicated what they were going for in the best possible way. Still, stepping through the fireplace and into the receiving room of the ceremony hall was like stepping into a dream.

The golden walls of the ceremony hall were decorated with beautiful evergreen garlands. Each garland had perfectly spaced white roses and candles with flames that would last all night without dripping wax. The golden floor was magically waxed to make it shiny but not slick. Rows of chairs had been set out with a clear aisle decorated in red and white rose petals that were enchanted to stay in place no matter how many times they were stepped on.

The altar was set up in the traditional way; a raised dais displayed the podium that contained the red ribbon, two bottles of magically enhanced white sand, and a ceremonial athame. Minerva McGonagall stood behind the podium wearing the nicest emerald robes that he'd ever seen her in. She was beaming at him as he approached.

"Mr. Black, I never thought I'd receive such a request from you," she greeted. He lifted her hand and kissed the back of it, like a gentleman. "I very nearly said no, thinking it was another of your pranks."

"No prank, my darling Minnie," he replied with a grin of his own. She rolled her eyes but didn't correct him. She'd given up on that in his fifth year, if he remembered correctly. He and James had worn her down. "Just your favorite student marrying the love of his life."

"As I understand it, you are already bonded," she replied. She didn't correct his comment, either, he noticed. "But I am thrilled that you feel comfortable doing this today. You deserve every bit of happiness, Mr. Black."

"It's just Sirius now, I think," he offered. They both pretended that his voice sounded normal and not at all overwhelmed with emotion.

"Yes, I suppose so," she agreed.

The rush of the floo announced the arrival of Draco, who hurried over to pull him away. "Come on, you've got to move! Mother will be here with Remus any second now, and you're not allowed to see each other!"

Sirius was pulled bodily out of the hall and into the office of one of the goblins who had volunteered to give it up for the day. Draco and Andi worked together to fuss over his robes, banishing the soot from the floo and making sure he was presentable. Hadrian appeared at one point, but he disappeared just as quickly to check on Remus. Twenty minutes before everything was meant to begin, just as he could hear guests starting to arrive, Narcissa stepped into the office.

"Are you ready?" she asked with a smile that reached her eyes. "I've made sure that Remus is as prepared as it's possible to be, as you requested."

"Then I'm ready," Sirius confirmed. It felt like he'd blinked while opening presents and appeared there. Time had a funny way of distorting when nerves came into play. It had been that way since Azkaban.

"Good," Narcissa nodded. "Hadrian is with him now. We're ready to begin exactly on time. I've spoken with Minerva, and she's ready as well."

"Let's just hope nobody interrupts," Sirius sighed. He had a sinking feeling that it wouldn't be as easy as it seemed. He was a little surprised when Narcissa scowled at him.

"Have you forgotten why Hadrian suggested Gringotts? The goblins have already updated their wards to prevent anything untoward from happening. No wizard can break them in the time it will take for your bonding and subsequent reception. There will be no interruptions, and the reporters have already been warned away from interviewing anyone who isn't directly involved in the ceremony."

"I'm so glad I've got you back, Cissa," he told her fondly. She blinked in surprise before her smile reappeared.

"As am I," she replied. She leaned forward to brush a kiss across his cheek, then slipped her arm through his. "It's time."

The aisle was as beautiful as it had been when he'd arrived. He took great pride in the looks of admiration that he received as he and Narcissa walked up the aisle to the dais. Even Minerva's eyes sparkled with unshed tears of pride. When they reached the dais, Narcissa lifted his right hand a pressed a kiss to the back of it, as was tradition. When he took his place to the left of Minerva, she went to the left end of the base of the dais.

His gaze immediately moved to the back of the aisle, where his husband was about to appear. The first thing he saw was Hadrian. Their son had cleaned up well. His hair was actually curly for once, and tamed into a stylish-looking knot at the base of his head. Every inch of him shone in the light of the hall, which Sirius knew had to be from faerie dust. Draco was in good form that day, it seemed. He'd have to thank his little cousin later.

Remus took his breath away. His husband's white robes were pearlescent in a way that Sirius's were not. The golden trim sparkled, but not as beautifully as the robes themselves. Someone had managed to get Remus to twist tiny white flowers throughout his hair, which should have looked ridiculous but instead made him look elegant. He seemed to glide down the aisle like one of Sirius's favorite dreams. It felt like only moments before Remus was in front of him, on Minerva's right. Hadrian stayed at the base of the dais, also to the right.

"We are gathered today to witness the bonding of Mr. Sirius Orion Black, and Mr. Remus John Lupin. I have known these two since they were wee lads in school, and I have never seen a love such as theirs," Minerva began. The tears had not disappeared from her eyes, but she was keeping it together much better than most of the people in the audience seemed to be. "They have loved each other since they met, and I firmly believe that they will continue to love each other long after we are all gone. Theirs is the love of several lifetimes."

Minerva lifted both bottles of sand and offered one to each of them. They held the bottles in their left hands, then offered their right hands- palms facing upwards- to each other. Slowly, they emptied the bottles into their hands. It sparkled in the candlelight as it filled their palms. The empty bottles vanished from their hands, and they closed the sand into their fists. "Traditionally, a bonding couple will use sand to signify time. As they have already faced the challenge of time, Sirius and Remus have chosen a slightly different meaning." Without explaining further, she nodded to them. They both grinned up at her for a moment before flinging the handfuls of sand over their left shoulders.

"I bless you both with good fortune and strong magic," a voice whispered across Sirius's mind, and his eyes widened for a moment. It almost seemed like... but it couldn't be. Minerva moved on before he could think any further on it.

She lifted the red ribbon above their heads so that everyone gathered could see it for what it was. "Kneel and clasp hands," she ordered gently. They obeyed immediately, and Sirius was surprised to find that the ground wasn't as hard as he'd imagined. Remus reached his left hand over for Sirius's, and their eyes met for the first time since standing across from each other. Remus had unshed tears as well, which was unusual for him. He was usually the stoic one. For once, their roles had reversed. "Will the family step forward?"

Narcissa and Hadrian stepped onto the dais, and they each took an end of the red ribbon carefully. Minerva lifted her wand to hover over their hands as Hadrian and Narcissa wrapped the ribbon around their arms and hands. When they stepped away, she placed her wand on top of the ribbon.

"May you find health and strength in each other for all of your days," she announced. A golden beam of light left her wand to wrap around the ribbon. She stepped back again, and Narcissa took her place.

"May you find wealth and luck for all of your days," she told them both. Her wands conjured a second strand of golden light that wrapped around the ribbon. Hadrian took her place next.

"May you find happiness and good fortune for all of your days," he announced. The golden light from his wand flared brightly enough to blind the onlookers for a moment. They had to blink to see clearly, and Hadrian left out a gasp of surprise. The third strand wrapped more tightly than the others, and a tear fell from Sirius's eyes. He was just so proud. A glance at Remus told him that his husband felt the same way.

Minerva took her place once more as Narcissa and Hadrian left the dais again. She lifted the athame from the podium and smiled tearfully down at them. "Do you promise to shelter and protect each other for all your lives?"

"We do," they spoke together.

"Do you promise to cherish the time that you will spend together?" she asked.

"We do," they answered.

"Do you promise to love each other for all eternity?" she asked. This time, her voice shook the slightest bit.

"We do," they answered. Sirius caught his husband's eye and offered a brilliant smile that didn't even slightly express how happy he truly was. The beaming smile he got in return made him feel warm inside in a way he sometimes struggled with after so many years locked away.

"I now pronounce you bonded, magic and soul," Minerva announced. She used the athame to cut through both the ribbon and the magic binding their hands together. "You may now kiss to seal your union."

They were embracing before she could finish speaking. Sirius didn't think he'd ever want to let go of his husband again. He knew that the crowd was applauding and that pictures were being taken, but he couldn't have cared less about anyone else in that moment.

"I love you," he breathed into Remus's ear. He felt his husband's smile against his cheek.

"I love you more," the werewolf whispered back tenderly. Sirius didn't feel the need to correct him, for once. Instead, he leaned back just far enough to press their lips together in the binding kiss that would make their second marriage official.

Hadrian's breath caught in his throat as his parents kissed. A strange golden light enveloped them, unlike anything he'd ever seen before. He could practically feel their radiant happiness, and that was all he'd ever wanted for them. He'd have to look up later what the golden light meant.

He glanced back at the gathered crowd, and was immediately distracted by the sight of both of his soulmates watching him closely. An image flashed through his mind, there and gone, of the three of them on the same dais, doing the same thing. He felt his cheeks heat, though he wasn't remotely embarrassed by the thought. No, instead all he felt was anticipation.

Chapter Text

Music played throughout the celebration hall, and several couples twirled on the dance floor. Hadrian watched from his place beside Blaise as his parents attempted elaborate twirls and dips, much to the amusement of their guests. Sirius had been radiant ever since the ceremony ended, and Remus just looked awestruck every time his eyes fell on his partner or their child. Hadrian knew it was because the werewolf never believed he could truly have this again.

"Would you like to dance, anima mia?" Blaise breathed against the shell of his ear. He shivered, turning his gaze to his soulmate. They hadn't had a chance to be alone together in a while, and that was probably a good thing for their courtship. The more time he spent with his soulmates, the more he loved them. Because that's what the emotions swirling inside of him were; he was sure now. For the first time in a long time, he was happy.

"No," he replied after a moment of hesitation. He was a terrible dancer, and he'd seen the looks Theo kept shooting Blaise's way. He wasn't usually the most observant person in the room, but he'd been paying close attention to every detail of the reception to make sure everything went perfectly for his parents. So far, everything had gone off without a hitch. "But I think Theo would love to spend a song or two on the floor with you."

Blaise had deflated a little at the blatant rejection, but there was nothing but understanding on his face. He perked up again at the mention of Theo, as though it hadn't even occurred to him to ask. Still, he hesitated. "Will you be alright on your own?"

"He is not on his own," Mylan remarked. He stopped at Hadrian's side with a small smirk. Hadrian had been watching him especially closely, all things considered. He hadn't quite ruled out that he'd been tricked by the former dark lord, but so far Mylan had been nothing but polite and good mannered. "I'll keep the young lord company until your return."

Blaise met Hadrian's eyes pointedly, but Hadrian simply nodded. He'd been hoping to catch Mylan at some point anyway, and this was convenient timing. After one more moment of simply gazing at his soulmate, Blaise turned on his heel and made his way to Theo. Hadrian watched him go for a bit before turning his full attention to the lord at his side.

"Well met," said lord greeted with a curl of his lips. "I wasn't certain we would get this chance to speak to each other."

"Things tend to work out well when I need them to," Hadrian replied mildly. It wasn't arrogance; it was simply fact.

"I see," Mylan hummed thoughtfully. He chose not to protest the fact. "I had a wonderful meeting with the countess and Narcissa. There are several things that I do not believe you have been informed of yet."

"Is this your way of saying that you know something I don't know?" Hadrian asked in annoyance. He'd gotten enough taunting like that to last a lifetime with the Dursleys.

"Not hardly. This is my way of introducing a topic that you will find... illuminating," Mylan scoffed. "Lady Zabini has spoken with Aberforth Dumbledore."

"That's..."

"His brother, yes. What do you know of their past?" Mylan asked. Hadrian had to fight to keep his expression neutral, because the truth was that Dumbledore had never mentioned a single thing about his past. All of the information that Hadrian had gathered had been after he'd learned of the betrayals. Mylan didn't wait to see if he would lie or tell the truth. "We did not know much, either. Aberforth had quite a lot to say. It would seem that after the death of their sister, Albus went a little... mad."

"He wasn't always that way?" Hadrian couldn't help asking. Mylan's lips twitched briefly, but he did not allow the smile to show.

"No. According to Aberforth, Albus had been a normal boy. Eccentric, but normal. He and Grindelwald were very much in love, but that all changed after the accident with his sister. He became withdrawn, and much more interested in alchemy than real magic," Mylan explained. He didn't sound very enthusiastic about explaining all of this to Hadrian, but he kept going. "That is how he met Nicholas Flammel."

"Nelle," Hadrian whispered, eyes lighting up. Mylan gave him a sharp look, so he hurried to explain. "Morgana Le Fay was good friends with Perenelle Flammel. I've been reading her journal."

"You have...?" Mylan was showing more expression in that moment than he'd shown any of them all day. Hadrian would have been amused if the topic wasn't so serious.

"Yes," he said simply. Though he didn't owe further explanation, he decided it would only be fair to tell the man who was sharing his own secrets. "I was named Lord Le Fay over the summer. Her journal was in my vault. I also have the journals of my grandfather and Salazar Slytherin."

"Slytherin," Mylan said flatly. Hadrian hadn't considered how the former heir of Slytherin might feel about knowing that Hadrian had his ancestor's journal.

"I'm almost finished with it," he said after a moment. "When I've read it all, would you like to have it?"

Mylan eyed him silently for a short time. Then he shook his head and continued as though the topic had never been changed. "Aberforth said that after meeting Flammel, Albus was never the same. He became more distant and withdrawn, and possessive over everything he owned. There was something in his room that he wanted no others to know about; he placed blood wards that were tied to him and him alone. Not even his mother could enter the room."

"The horcrux," Hadrian said after a moment. Mylan was staring at him again. "At the end of Morgana's journal, Perenelle wrote her a letter. They had... a mutual enemy, and Perenelle had taken the last horcrux ever created by him to ensure that he could never return."

"Am I not trusted enough to know their name?" Mylan asked pointedly. Hadrian glanced around warily; he had never forgotten that they were very much in public during this highly secret conversation. Nobody was looking their way, but that didn't mean that nobody was listening. "I see. A later time, then."

Hadrian nodded without hesitation. After all, if he was trusting the former dark lord with everything else, he might as well know who the real enemies are. "Enjoy the reception. And... happy Yule, Tom."

"Happy Yule, Hadrian," Mylan smiled. Then he turned to face the dancing guests in silence. Hadrian certainly didn't mind the company.

"Are you at all worried about the former dark lord talking to our son?" Sirius asked as he spun his husband for the tenth time this song.

"No," Remus replied instantly. Sirius started to frown, and he hurried to continue. "Firstly, Lord Gaunt has been nothing but kind and trustworthy these past few months. Secondly, Hadrian has more than proved that he can handle himself, don't you think? And lastly, there's too large a crowd for him to be in any real danger right now."

"You're really not worried?" Sirius asked. His shoulders had relaxed, so Remus wasn't really concerned that he was pushing the topic. Sirius got like this sometimes after his time in Azkaban.

"I'm really not," he assured him. Sirius relaxed the rest of the way and dropped Remus into a sharp dip that had them both laughing. "We're attracting quite a lot of attention."

"It's our wedding!" Sirius exclaimed, grinning brightly. "And it's Yule. We're allowed to attract quite a bit of attention today."

"You always did love the attention of others," Narcissa called from where she was dancing with Kingsley Shacklebolt. "You should feel right at home here."

"I do!" Sirius answered without hesitation. "It's Remy that's usually uncomfortable with so many eyes on him."

"And yet, he chose you," she teased them both.

"And I would again," Remus grinned. "And again, and again."

"You're staring again," Blaise murmured into Theo's ear. His soulmate hadn't torn his eyes away from Hadrian a single time during this dance. Not that he was jealous.

"Do you think he even knows how to have a good time?" Theo asked just as quietly. "He's always so... tense. He never lets himself have fun."

"His live hasn't exactly been easy, love," Blaise sighed. "I think when he feels comfortable enough, he'll learn to have fun with us."

"It's safe now," Theo said abruptly. Frustration shone in his eyes. "Dumbledore is gone, and it's safe now. Your mother would never do anything to jeopardize our courtship, and neither will Sirius or Remus. Lord Gaunt is my proxy, which does not give him grounds to protest who I've chosen for myself. I don't have to hide who I love anymore."

"I wouldn't say it's safe," Blaise hedged. He suspected that he knew where Theo was going with this, and he wasn't sure it was going to work out the way his boyfriend hoped.

"It is," he insisted. "I was getting away with implying that you had a fascination with Hadrian, and everyone knew we were courting, so it was easy to just... say that I was along for the ride. Nobody questioned it. But now, I don't have to pretend. I want things to be different," Theo stated confidently. "Do you know what I really want?"

"What's that?" Blaise asked, resigned.

"I want to dance with my boyfriends. Together. Right now," Theo told him. "I've never meant anything more in my life, so don't you dare treat it like a joke."

"Do you remember the Yule Ball in our fourth year?" Blaise asked after a moment. Theo blinked up at him in confusion, but Blaise waited for a real reply.

"I don't think I'll ever forget it," he confirmed.

"We went together. We danced as our stations dictated, and we behaved with dignity. And at the end, you agreed to let me court you," Blaise continued with a small smile. "We had the time of our lives."

"... We did," Theo agreed after a moment.

"You might not have been watching the way that I always did, though," Blaise said after a moment of hesitation. "See, I watched Hadrian off and on that whole night. He was... he was miserable, Theo. It's taken me a long time, but I've pieced together what happened leading up to the ball. He wasn't raised as his own station dictated. You know that as well as I do. He didn't learn to dance the way we did as kids. He had to learn with the rest of his house, in one lesson. Do you know who taught that lesson?"

"Professor-"

"McGonagall," Blaise nodded. "Not the most patient of teachers. She wouldn't have made it fun the way my mum did for us. And to top it off, he had to go with Parvati Patil as a last-minute thing, because there was nobody he could trust to go with. He didn't have a good time."

"What does that have to do with-"

"Think, Theo," Blaise said gently. "That is Hadrian's one and only experience with dancing. It was not a pleasant one. When I asked if he'd like to dance earlier, he turned me down immediately. I think he would love to spend time with us, just..."

"Not on the dance floor," Theo sighed. He let his head fall to Blaise's shoulder as a slow song began to play. "I understand."

"We can ask him," Blaise pressed a kiss against Theo's forehead. Hadrian was watching, and he gave his soulmate a little wink. It was always wonderful to see how bright red his face turned when he was flirted with. "Just don't be insulted if he turns us down."

"No, we won't ask," Theo said decisively. "We'll finish this song, and then we'll spend the rest of the reception with him. I don't care what we're doing as long as we're together."

The Burrow was lit up like a Christmas tree, inside and out. Bill stood at the edge of the walkway, waiting patiently for his younger brother to appear. They had a plan. They would arrive together, and Charlie would distract their mother while Bill spoke with their father. He pulled the letter from his pocket to read one final time before Charlie's arrival.

Bill,

Things here are... not good. I know you get news in Egypt, but the facts must be distorted by the time they reach you. The Wizengamot is under new leadership, and... that's not a good place to start. I'm attaching the relevant articles for you to catch up. Go on, before you read the rest of this letter.

There, you see? Things here have been difficult to say the least. Dumbledore has made a real mess of things. Those articles maybe didn't emphasize that enough. I've been speaking with the twins, and they've filled me in on more than what the public has been privy to. Hadrian Potter-Black is at the heart of it all. Bill, when you hear what we've done to him...

Mum's gone mental. She's been using him. Stealing from him, even. They say that Ronald and Ginny are in on it, as well. When you look at the timeline, it makes sense. I've always found it strange that he's at our house for most holidays and over each summer. Why on earth did he come to the World Cup with us? If every bad wizard in the world is after him, why were we the ones entrusted with his safety? We're not exactly the strongest of the lot.

They've taken up the Prewitt lordship, and they've asked me to pass on a request. Two, actually, but one is for the good of the Weasley name and the other... well.

We want you to take over the Weasley Lordship. Use it the way it always should have been used instead of being handed as a tool to Dumbledore. We've seen what he's done with it. He's dragged our names through the mud. We want you to take the lordship and help build the good that Hadrian's family is working towards.

The other request is much more important to us as a family. I think that Ginny has already started to help, though I couldn't guess why. Mum has been feeding potions to dad. I found the empty vial a few months ago. It reeks of illegal love potion. We don't know how long he's been on them or if he ever loved her. We want to free him. Nobody deserves to be trapped, even if it means he'll leave her. The twins and I are already debating leaving ourselves.

Think about it, okay? Make the decisions for yourself. But please... come home for Yule. See it happening for yourself.

Love,

Percy

A quick incendio incinerated the parchment, removing any evidence of the letter. It wouldn't be good for Molly to get her hands on it. If what Percy said was true, then it was time for Bill to move back to London for good. He'd already put in the paperwork to transfer to the London branch, and by some miracle it had been approved. How this went would determine whether he'd be moving back to the Burrow or into his own flat for the time being.

A quiet pop announced the arrival of Charlie, and he pulled his little brother into a tight hug. They didn't see each other nearly often enough, as neither could get time to travel as far as they'd have to go. It was a tragedy, really; they'd always been nearly as close as Fred and George.

"Happy Yule, Bill," Charlie grinned. His hair was down past his chin, which would surely send Molly into a fit when she saw it. Bill was sure that was his intention.

"Happy Yule," he responded with a grin of his own. "Shall we get this over with?"

"Can't say that I'm ready," Charlie grimaced. "Neither of us exactly get on with Mum, but I never would have suspected..."

"Maybe it wasn't going on when we were living here," Bill shrugged. He didn't feel much hope of that, of course. Love potions weren't given out of nowhere.

"Right," Charlie gave him a knowing look. "And maybe I don't have a dragon egg dressed in a tiny nappy shrunken in my pocket."

"Charlie," Bill groaned fondly. "Mum is going to go mental!"

"That was the idea," the younger nodded with a bright smile. "C'mon, let's go. We've been spotted."

Sure enough, the twins were already spilling out of the door to greet them with tight hugs and laughter. It took them a solid ten minutes to make it into the Burrow once the rest of the family realized they'd both made it home. Neither of them had told anyone other than Percy that they were coming. (Though Bill was completely sure that Percy had warned the twins.)

"Boys, it's so good to have you home!" Molly exclaimed. She had tears in her eyes, which by now Bill could recognize as the guilt tactic she meant it to be. His resolved to figure out what was really going on hardened. If she was like this with her two eldest boys, how did she treat the rest of the world? How was she treating their father?

"I've missed you," Ginny said quietly. He tucked her under his arm, pulling her into an embrace that they both seemed to need. Ginny was once his favorite sibling; he was old enough when she was born to be tired of brothers, and he remembered holding her for hours when she was a baby and just... watching her. Waiting for her to get big enough to talk to. She used to tell him everything, from her dreams and ambitions, to what she had planned for her future. He'd known about her crush on Hadrian before he left for Egypt... which had been long before she'd ever met him. But what had started that crush?

"Charlie, look at your hair!" Molly screeched, crossing her arms. "We're going to have to cut it."

"I like it," Ginny piped up. She pulled away from Bill to go stand by Charlie. He watched as she tugged on the strands with a fond smile, and he just couldn't picture this version of her doing anything as horrible as manipulating the savior of the wizarding world. Not of her own volition. She had to have been put up to it.

Charlie glanced over at Bill and he nodded. This was his moment. He was around the corner and in the sitting room before their mum could even glance his way. As he went, he heard Charlie say, "Don't you want to see your grandbaby?" Her screeching reply was high-pitched but impossible to understand as he sank into the chair beside Arthur.

"Hi, Dad," he said softly. "It's good to see you."

Arthur didn't glance up from the fire at first, but when he did, he was smiling tiredly. "I'm so glad you made it home for the holiday."

"Me too," Bill nodded. "I really need to talk to you."

"I had a feeling," Arthur said warily. "As it happens, I was wanting to speak with you as well. Would you like to see the shed? I've added some new items that I think you'll like."

"You know you're not supposed to be collecting more muggle things," Bill chuckled as they stood together. Arthur led the way out through the front door; they were both avoiding the back as much as possible. Molly was still shrieking about the dragon egg. Bill didn't envy Charlie.

"Hush," Arthur winked. "It's perfectly safe and legal enough. Besides, that's not what I want to show you."

The shed looked just as it always had. The only difference was that instead of a muggle gadget laid out on the workspace, there was a scroll of parchment and an empty vial. Bill stopped in the doorway to take it in, frowning. "What's-"

"What I am about to tell you cannot leave this shed," Arthur interrupted. He'd never seen his father look so serious about something, so he simply nodded. "I know that I don't seem like the sharpest bulb in the litter..."

"Er," Bill interrupted. "I think it's-"

"It doesn't matter," Arthur said impatiently. "I am well aware of what has been going on within our family. I wasn't for the longest time, I am deeply ashamed to admit. I found this vial among your mother's things, and it wasn't hard to discover what it had once contained. I haven't been drinking a thing that she hands me, and I have remembered what she wanted me to forget. I have a strong feeling that I know where the potions have been coming from, but that should be done now."

"Dumbledore," Bill nodded after a moment. "Percy said-"

"I wondered if he knew," Arthur sighed. "I hoped that none of you had figured it out."

"It was the twins who figured it out, actually," Bill replied with a wry smile. "Percy wrote to me when they told him, and I spoke with Charlie. We had a whole plan tonight."

"My boys," Arthur said fondly. His smile looked just as tired as it had when he'd first looked at Bill, but his shoulders had relaxed some. "I've made a mess of things, Bill. I wasn't meant for your mother, but I will never regret a single one of you. What I do regret is not taking a more active role in your lives."

"You were there for us," Bill protested.

"I let your mother make all of the decisions. I didn't try very hard to be what you all needed me to be. That's changing now. It's too late for me to do much with you, as you're grown and living your own life, but I can do this," Arthur replied. He gestured to the parchment, and Bill finally stepped the rest of the way into the shed to read it.

"Dad..."

"It's time, Bill," Arthur said firmly. "It should have been yours when you turned seventeen, but I let Molly convince me that you weren't ready. The twins have their rightful titles, and this one is yours."

"I was going to ask for it," Bill admitted sheepishly. He couldn't quite meet Arthur's surprised gaze. "I knew about the twins, and they told me what Dumbledore was trying to do with our votes. They asked me to step up, and I came here today to do just that. I never thought..."

"That I'd be giving it to you?" Arthur asked gently. Bill nodded. "You're ready. I know it with my very being. I am so, so proud of you. I'm proud of the man that you've become. If you don't feel ready to sit in the seat yourself, then know that I trust you to choose the right proxy until you are."

"I'm ready," Bill said after a moment. "I think I've been ready for a very long time."

"Promise me one thing," Arthur requested. Bill finally forced himself to meet his gaze and found him smiling. "Promise me that you'll use this to make a difference in our world."

"I promise," Bill nodded.

"Then I, Arthur Billius Weasley, do declare you the new head of House Weasley. So mote it be," Arthur stated. A gust of magical wind swept through the shed and Bill felt the Weasley family magic settle within him fully for the first time in his life.

The night was winding down, and the guests were mostly gone. Sirius and Remus were dancing to a slow song, alone on the dance floor. Hermione was talking quietly across the grand room with Tonks, whose hair had turned a vibrant shade of cerulean. Hadrian's head rested on Blaise's shoulder, and his arms were wrapped around Theo. His soulmates hadn't left his side in hours.

"Do you think it can always be like this?" Blaise asked suddenly. He was met with silence. "I mean... do you think we can always be happy like this?"

"Of course we can," Theo replied. His tone left no room for argument, but Hadrian frowned slightly.

"I don't know," he said after a moment. "It's not like the three of us can see the future. And the future isn't set in stone."

"We don't need it to be," Theo replied easily. "As long as we have each other, we can be happy like this. I, for one, don't intend on letting either of you go."

"The world is not always so kind," Blaise said softly. His eyes were sad when Hadrian looked over to him. "I'm sure that my mother thought she'd be happy with my father forever."

"They weren't soulmates like we are," Theo reminded him. Blaise gave him a look, and he sighed. "I'm sorry. I know that was insensitive. I just need to know that you've not going to give up on us."

"I could never," Blaise said fiercely.

"Nobody is giving up on anybody, and nobody is dying," Hadrian insisted. "We're happy right now. Isn't that enough?"

"No," Blaise and Theo said at the same time. Then they laughed.

"You're right," Thoe sighed after a bit. "Of course you're right. It's supposed to be a joyous night, and we're ruining it with talk of death."

"We haven't ruined anything," Blaise argued. He stood, causing Hadrian to nearly fall to the floor. "Come on, I have something to give you both."

"We're in Gringotts. Where could we possibly go?" Theo asked with a small smile. He allowed himself to be pulled to his feet when Blaise grabbed his hand, and he tugged Hadrian up with him. A quick glance to the married couple proved that they were not paying any attention at all. The three left the reception area without an escort.

"You worry too much," Blaise informed him as soon as they were out of sight of anyone else. He pushed Theo gently until his back hit a wall, and he swallowed any protest the other boy might have given with his lips. Theo hadn't let go of Hadrian's hand, so Hadrian was treated with the sight of his soulmates kissing as though they would never need to come up for air. When they did break apart, it was only so Blaise could turn and tug Hadrian into just as desperate of a kiss.

"Not that I'm not loving this," Theo said after a few long moments. "But what is going on with you?"

"I can't kiss my boyfriends?" Blaise asked innocently. He didn't even sound winded, which Hadrian found vastly unfair. Theo gave him a pointed look, and he rolled his eyes. "We so rarely get time alone. Forgive me for wanting to take a few moments alone with the two of you. What is it you said earlier?"

Theo's eyes lit with understanding that Hadrian wished one of them would share with him. His wish was granted almost immediately. "It's safe for us, now. Safe to just be... us."

"Is it?" Hadrian asked doubtfully. "There's always the next big danger lurking, and it's usually after me. I don't know if it's ever going to be safe to be with me. Especially not alone with me."

"We're in Gringotts with an honorary goblin. I think we'll be fine," Blaise said dryly. "And I think it's up to us to decide whether it's safe to be with you or not, love."

"Definitely up to us," Theo nodded in agreement. Hadrian glanced between them uncertainly, and Blaise let out an impatient groan.

"Do we need to spell it out for you?" he demanded. Hadrian just looked at him. "Fine. We love you, Hadrian. We love you. There is no amount of danger that would stop us from loving you. We're not going anywhere. You're stuck with us for life. Maybe even beyond that. Please get that through your thick head."

"You..." he said, eyes wide. He was horrified to feel tears gathering as he realized that they were both completely serious. "I love you, too."

Their relieved grins were worth the argument it took to get there. Though he'd barely had the time to process the depth of his emotions for them, he couldn't regret telling them. Especially not when they tugged him into a tight embrace and just held on. He didn't want them to ever let go.

Chapter Text

The Hogwarts Express was quiet on the journey back to the school. Hadrian was happily sitting in a compartment with Blaise and Theo, and they were talking quietly about the upcoming term. When the compartment door slid open, neither of them expected to see Pansy Parkinson and Millicent Bulstrode on the other side.

"So this is where the party is," Pansy said after a moment of silence. She stepped into the compartment and plopped herself between Blaise and Theo without any further hesitation. She seemed oblivious to the tension, unlike Millicent. It only took Pansy a moment to realize that she hadn't been followed. "Come on, Millie, don't look so frightened. They won't bite."

The way she said it made it sound like she was disappointed, which... Hadrian wasn't going anywhere near that. He watched, baffled, as Millie stepped fully inside and closed the door behind her. She settled herself stiffly in the seat beside him as though she thought he might hex her for it.

"You're all so dull," Pansy complained. "Entertain me!"

"You're the one who interrupted," Blaise pointed out with a little smile. Hadrian wasn't surprised to see that Blaise and Theo weren't concerned, but he really wasn't sure what to make of the situation. This was his first time interacting with the other Slytherins when they weren't trying to harm him in any way.

"And that means I should be forced to die of boredom?" she demanded, crossing her arms. Blaise snorted.

"It means you shouldn't make demands, Pans," he replied. She huffed, but didn't argue the point. "Besides, aren't you supposed to be in the prefect meeting?"

"Millie didn't want to sit alone, and she thought you might be mad at us," Pansy said almost sweetly. Millicent glared at her angrily. "Oops. Was that meant to be a secret?"

"You're a menace," Theo told her fondly. "Nobody is upset with anybody. Right, Blaise?"

"Right," Blaise agreed. Both of their gazes went to Hadrian, who still sat frozen beside Millicent. Pansy and Millicent both looked his way, too.

"Er," he said after a moment. He didn't like the sheer amusement he could see on his soulmates' faces. "Right. Nobody is upset. I don't know you well enough to be upset with you."

He could feel how warm his face was, and he knew that meant it was bright red. He silently cursed Blaise for it, even though it wasn't technically his fault this time. They all continued to stare at him for a few more seconds before Pansy burst into genuine laughter.

"Right, we'll fix that. I don't have time right now, mind you, but when we're back at school..." she said when she caught her breath again. "Draco is going to kill me if I don't at least put in an appearance. Play nice, kiddies!"

With that, she was gone. Millicent was still extremely tense beside him, and he wasn't sure how to put her at ease. He wasn't quite at ease, himself. It was Theo who jumped to both of their rescue.

"Millie, I don't think you've officially met our soulmate. This is Hadrian Potter-Black, Lord of multiple houses, most notably Slytherin. He really doesn't bite," he told her. Then his gaze turned to Hadrian. His smile was playful as he addressed his boyfriend. "Hadrian, this is one of my best friends, Millie. Don't call her Millicent if you value your life. Not because she minds, but because Pansy might claw your face off."

"Er... what?" Hadrian blinked in surprise. Blaise was silently laughing at him.

"She's protective," Millie said quietly. "And she doesn't like my full name."

"That's not really for her to decide," he frowned. It was the wrong thing to say; Millie's face shuttered and she turned away from him. "I'm... I'm sorry. I just want to understand."

"We forget how little you really know," Blaise sighed. He raised his hands in a placating gesture before Hadrian could get angry with him. "I just meant that this kind of thing is common knowledge to us, but being raised by muggles means that you wouldn't have learned about it."

"Will you explain, then?" Hadrian asked impatiently. He was surprised when the explanation came from Millie.

"I was named after my ancestor, Millicent Cranwell. She was a devout follower of Morgana and caused a lot of pain and terror in her time," Millie whispered. She wasn't quite looking at Hadrian. "My parents hoped that I would someday live up to my namesake in the name of the dark lord."

Hadrian wasn't sure what his face was doing, but Blaise was watching him with open concern and even Theo's lips were tugging downward. Millie had no way of knowing that he held the Le Fay lordship, or that Morgana wasn't at all what she was portrayed to be, but her words had deeply alarmed him.

"Her followers did what?" he asked incredulously. Millie flinched slightly, but she sat up straighter. Her own discomfort seemed to give her a strange kind of confidence. Or maybe it came from openly confusing the so-called 'Chosen One', like it used to do for Draco before they understood each other.

"They tortured and killed muggles and wizards alike. Anyone who didn't match their ideals. My parents were confident at first that the dark lord was following their example, until it became clear that his ideals were different. By then, they'd already fully thrown their lot in with him. They want me to take the mark as soon as I turn seventeen," she replied slightly louder than a whisper.

"You can't want that," Hadrian said after a moment. It was too much to process with an audience. He had more than a few new questions for Mylan, too.

"It doesn't matter what I want," she said, back to whispering. She slumped in her seat, looking away again. "I will follow Pansy."

"But... why?" Hadrian demanded, frustrated. Blaise kicked his shin, but he ignored the less than subtle hint. So did Millie.

"Pansy is my betrothed," she said in a tone barely above a whisper. "Our parents never made contracts for us, so we could choose our spouses ourselves. Within reason, of course. There are standards that are demanded of our family names. When we were five, we promised on our magics to marry each other, and the family magics accepted the vow. We didn't know any better, you see. Hardly anybody knows about it now."

"That's not the kind of courtship we have," Theo was quick to tell him. "Ours is a bit less antiquated. We didn't swear on our magics or anything. Not that there's anything wrong with what they've done. They're happy, and that's what matters."

"Do you love each other?" Hadrian asked. He was watching for any kind of reaction from Millie, so he didn't miss her grimace. She was far more complex than he'd ever expected. He'd never given much thought to the other Slytherin students.

"That's complicated," she said after several moments of silence. "Of course we love each other. I just couldn't say whether we are in love."

"And there's no way out of it?" he asked. He hissed under his breath when Blaise kicked him in the shin again, harder this time. He'd known when he asked that it was probably not a polite question, but he had to know.

"Why would we want out of it?" Millie asked. She frowned at him in confusion, and he struggled to find the words to express what he'd meant.

"If you're not in love, then do you really want to get married?" he tried. Millie shook her head at him, but she was smiling faintly now.

"It's kind of you to be concerned for us," she said. "You don't need to worry. We're both happy with the way that things have turned out. Neither of us wants to marry anyone else."

"Hadrian," Theo said quietly. He shook his head pointedly when Hadrian glanced his way. Though he still had questions, he decided to let them go for now. It was good timing, too, because Draco and Pansy chose that moment to return.

"I'm just saying, you might as well not have come at all," Draco grumbled. He didn't seem concerned at all to see all of them sitting together as he took his place on Hadrian's other side. He barely spared Hadrian a glance as he spoke suddenly to him. "Neville was looking for you."

"Did it seem important?" Hadrian asked. Draco shook his head, but he was barely paying attention. "Draco."

"No," he sighed. He shifted in the seat enough to face his cousin, but something was seriously distracting him. "He said it could wait for the feast. I think it's about Granger."

"Hermione?" Pansy perked up. Even Millie looked interested for the first time since they'd returned. "What's going on with her?"

"Nothing," Draco replied impatiently. His gaze shifted again. "She only wanted to talk about a book she read over break, and I mostly tuned her out. Something about French pixies, I think. I feel bad for Lavender; she's sitting with her on the ride back. She'll have to listen to all of it and actually pay attention to her."

"What a caring boyfriend," Pansy rolled her eyes. "Back to the meeting. What did Cassius mean by a new curfew?"

"New curfew?" Blaise perked up. "Please tell me it's going to be later. They need to let the library stay open for exam prep."

"And everyone thinks that Theo is the nerd," Draco said under his breath, nudging Hadrian playfully. Hadrian managed to crack a smile in reply. "It's not later, that's for sure. Cassius wasn't happy about whatever the change is. Flitwick is apparently updating all of the rules now that he's officially headmaster."

"But that's a good thing, isn't it?" Hadrian asked. "The rules haven't been updated in decades."

"It would be great if it was happening after we were already done with school," Pansy scoffed. "Dumbledore was a shit person, but he at least let us do as we pleased. If Flitwick is updating the rules, that means we might actually be monitored. Is that something you really want?"

"I won't be caught," he shrugged.

"Cocky," Pansy cackled. "I like that attitude."

"He's got a way to cheat the system," Draco informed her. She straightened up in interest, but he didn't offer any further information and neither did Hadrian. "Oh. Before I forget again." Draco handed Hadrian a sealed envelope from the pocket of his robe. "From one of the many Weasleys."

"Is that safe?" Blaise asked, leaning forward with a frown. "Should we check for spells or potions?"

"I'd know if it was enchanted," Hadrian assured him. He tapped a single finger to the ring that was now always visible. He'd chosen the Black family ring that day. "It's clean. I think this is one of the older brother's handwriting." Without further delay, he tore the envelope open and began to read.

Lord Potter-Slytherin,

I am writing to express my deepest apologies on behalf of my family. We have been made aware of the horrible things my mother has done, and I am ashamed of her. Percy believes that you might know of more transgressions than I've managed to uncover, and it is for that reason that I am hoping to meet with you on the first Hogsmeade weekend upon your return to school.

Whatever she- or anyone else in my family- has done to you, you have my word that I will make it right. Again, I am truly sorry for the pain that my family has caused yours.

Hoping to hear from you soon,

Lord William Weasley

"Bill took up the Weasley family title," he said out loud when he'd finished reading the short letter. "And he knows what Molly has been doing."

"He what?" Draco asked, shifting to face his cousin. It was the first time since the ride had began that Hadrian felt like he had his full attention.

"Which part surprised you?" Hadrian asked, lips twitching in amusement. It wasn't really funny, but it was so rare to see Draco visibly shocked like this. His mask was usually too good at concealing any surprise he might feel.

"Start with the fact that he took his title," Draco replied tightly. He was decidedly not amused. Hadrian withheld a sigh.

"He signed the letter as Lord William Weasley. Arthur must have given him the title over Yule," he shrugged. "I didn't even know he was back in London. The twins never said. The other thing that's bothering me is that he mentioned Percy. I didn't know Percy was involved at all. Last I'd heard, he was avoiding his family in favor of the Ministry."

"I didn't think they were in contact with that prat," Pansy agreed. She seemed to shrink a bit when everyone looked at her. "What? Gossip is like... who I am. The Weasleys are blood traitors, but they're still Sacred Twenty-Eight. That means I know what's going on with them."

"Can we go back to the part where the newly appointed Lord knows what his family has been doing to you? What is he going to do about it?" Draco demanded impatiently. Even Theo leaned forward in interest.

"He wants to meet up in Hogsmeade as soon as possible," Hadrian said carefully. There were people here that he didn't necessarily trust, and he didn't want to give too much information away.

"You're not going alone," Draco said immediately. Hadrian felt the familiar prickle of stubbornness that he tried his hardest to squash, but the effort was ruined when Draco continued. "It isn't safe. He could have anyone with him, or be in on their plans."

"Bill isn't going to hurt me. The twins would have warned me," Hadrian said with a scowl. "I'm perfectly capable of taking care of myself, Draco. There's nothing he can do to hurt me that hasn't already been done. I'm not putting anyone else in potential danger just because you think I need to be coddled."

"I don't think you need to be coddled-" Draco started, but he was interrupted by the opening of the compartment. Parvati stood in the doorway with a little scowl on her face, like she knew what they'd been discussing and she didn't approve.

"We're nearly to the school, and you have more to worry about than Bill Weasley," she said quietly. Her eyes darted to Theo, then back to Hadrian. He wasn't sure what the look on her face was supposed to mean, but she was trying to convey some sort of message with just her eyes. "I thought you'd want to know."

"Thanks, Parvati," Hadrian replied with forced brightness. Her scowl lessened slightly. "Would you like to join us?"

"No," she said after a moment. He didn't miss the way her eyes shifted to gold for a moment. She was Seeing something. "Luna is waiting for me. She says hello."

"Tell her I've been missing her," Hadrian nodded. She gave him a small smile, then turned on her heel and disappeared again. He'd naively thought that maybe they could more openly be friends once Dumbledore was gone, but clearly there was something more holding her back from getting too close to him. He'd respect her distance... for now.

"Will you be sitting with the Slytherins now that your courtship is public knowledge?" Pansy asked when the silence seemed to be too much for her. She didn't flinch under the sudden scrutiny. "Oh, please. We all knew about it. It's the worst-kept secret in the entire school. Even Theo couldn't seem to hide how much he fancies Pot- er... Lord...?"

"Just Hadrian," he sighed. It wasn't like he was used to his titles any more than they were. "I don't know. What do you think?" He directed the question specifically to Theo, who had always been the most cautious of the three.

"Either you're sitting with us or we're sitting with you," Theo told him with confidence. He really meant it. Hadrian wasn't sure what to say for several moments, struck by the enormity of what that would mean for them. There would be no more pretending for any of them. No more implying that Theo's allegiance could go either way. If he chose to sit with Hadrian at the Gryffindor table, he would be making a statement as loudly as if he'd screamed it to the whole of the world. And if Hadrian sat with the Slytherins instead of his own house, he'd be making a similar statement of his very own.

"We'll do both," he decided at last. "I'll sit with you lot tonight, and you can join me for breakfast in the morning. I may as well go first."

"There you go again," Draco sighed under his breath. Hadrian shot him a glare, but he didn't back down. "It's your savior complex at work. You don't want Theo to take the leap until you know how the school reacts to you doing the same. You're trying to protect him from a backlash that won't exist, and that he's ready for if it somehow does."

"I-" Hadrian started, but he was interrupted.

"I don't need your protection," Theo said stiffly. His expression had closed off, which Hadrian hated. Blaise reached over, but Theo refused to take his hand. "I am prepared to be my own person, Hadrian. I made my decision when we officially met in Knockturn Alley. I didn't have to follow you blindly. I chose to put my faith in you, just like I make that same choice every single day. You are not the only one who gets to show their strength in this relationship."

"This wasn't my intention," Pansy murmured apologetically, but she didn't seem to know who she was apologizing to. Her gaze was fixed firmly on her lap.

"Intended or not, it's a conversation that was bound to happen," Blaise replied gently. "Do you think you could give us a few moments to talk?"

"C'mon," Draco stood and held out his arms to the girls. "We'll get to the front of the train so we can have our pick of the carriages."

As soon as they were gone, Theo's expression shifted again to reveal the anger he'd been concealing from everyone else. Hadrian shrank back a little in surprise. It wasn't like he'd meant to cause such a reaction. Blaise let out a little huff and grabbed Theo's fisted hand.

"Let's be calm and rational about this," he suggested. "I can mediate a little, but I'm with Theo on this one. You can't take all of the risks and expect us to just sit back and watch, Anima Mia."

"That's not my intention," Hadrian said immediately. "I'm just used to the backhanded comments and glares, at this point. I'd rather they focus their attention on me than on the two of you. I can handle it."

It was the wrong thing to say. "You think you are the only one who hears rude comments and gossip about themselves? Blaise has to listen to people speculate whether he is like his mother- whether I'll someday end up dead and he'll be the richest widow in Italy. I have to listen all the time to how I'll be just as cruel and harsh as my father. That we're 'slimy snakes', that Slytherins are all out for only themselves, that we're selfish deatheaters that will never amount to anything!"

"But you're not," Hadrian told him vehemently. "You are not any of those things!"

"I know that!" Theo bellowed. Hadrian flinched at the sheer anger in Theo's voice, and it seemed to calm him some. "I know that," he repeated more softly. "But that doesn't stop the rumors. Me sitting at the Gryffindor table will at least change the gossip to something more positive than me being a deatheater."

"I never said that you shouldn't sit with me there," Hadrian pointed out gently. "I thought it would make a bigger impact if I sat at the Slytherin table first. They can't argue that I don't belong there, because I'm Lord Slytherin. But if they try, then we'll know what to expect when you come to sit with me. Blaise and Draco have been getting away with it, but that was because Dumbledore couldn't risk alienating me further. We don't know what's going to happen now that Flitwick has had time to come to terms with his new position. We don't know if he's going to insist on house separation, or if he'll approve house unity."

"I'd think he would be in favor of unity," Blaise said after a moment of consideration. "He never seemed to mind partnering houses together in his classes."

"He also ignored blatant bullying within his house. Luna was bullied for years. Honestly, she only isn't now because I stepped in this year," Hadrian pointed out. While he hadn't gone out of his way to speak with the people he knew were behind it, he'd made some very pointed comments that had been timed perfectly. Nothing had been stolen from her this year, and nobody seemed willing to call her Looney. He was calling that a success.

"This doesn't change the fact that I don't want you to protect me," Theo pointed out. He'd deflated some; the anger didn't seem to have lasted long. He just looked... tired.

"That's what partners are supposed to do, isn't it?" Hadrian asked with a frown. He didn't have many shining examples, but that's what he'd always imagined his future relationships to be like.

"Not at the expense of themselves, and not without letting it be reciprocated," Blaise answered. "All we're asking is that you allow us to return the favor when necessary, without protest."

"And let me sit with you tonight," Theo added. "Let me do this, Hadrian. I want to."

Hadrian considered both of them with a thoughtful frown. It shifted to a small smile when he felt them entering the Hogwarts wards. He didn't have much more time to decide, not that he felt he'd be allowed to have the final say. The look on Theo's face was sheer stubbornness. Honestly, he was tired of fighting it. He wanted to be with them as badly as they wanted to be with him, and he did logically know that he couldn't protect them every second of every day. The school would be a perfectly safe place since they'd fixed the wards. He could already feel them singing under his skin to welcome him home.

"Alright," he said as they stood to exit the train. "Sit with me at Gryffindor."

As it turned out, their argument had been completely unnecessary. Where there had once been house banners over the tables, they were now all simply the Hogwarts crest. After much confusion, students chose tables that heavily featured one house or another, with only minor mixing. Hadrian, Blaise, and Theo settled at what was once the Ravenclaw table.

There were also several changes at the large staff table. The most notable was that the Headmaster's throne was gone. In its place was simply another chair just like the others at the table. Flitwick sat calmly in the center, only two spots over from where he'd once been. A new face was sitting where he used to, and there were two or three others that Hadrian was more than a little surprised to see. He didn't get the chance to point them out.

"Welcome back to Hogwarts!" Professor Flitwick spoke with a magically loud voice over the noise of the Great Hall. "Welcome to a marvelous new term! There are several changes that are going to be implemented, which we will go over as you eat. I see no need to deprive you of a meal when you've had such a long journey."

It was a pointed jab at the former headmaster, but it went over most of the students' heads. Hadrian shared a glance with Hermione, who had sat down across from him. It was hard to hide their amusement. Thankfully, the feast appeared on the tables only moments later. Flitwick continued to speak as they filled their plates.

"The most notable change, I suppose, is that we will no longer be forcing house separation! You will remain in your dorms, of course, with the housemates that you've grown accustomed to. There will still be the common rooms for each house, as we know that it will take time to create the kind of unity we strive for," Flitwick announced. Blaise shot a triumphant glance towards Hadrian, who only just managed not to stick his tongue out.

"There will also be three new common areas for all four houses to mingle in. There is a new room across from the Great Hall that is roughly the size of the Southern Courtyard, which is to be used to study sessions that might become too loud or practical for the library. It may also be used for celebrations of holidays or quidditch wins. There is an enchanted bit of parchment attached to the inner door that will allow you to request the room for use of whichever celebration you would like. Attendance is to be open to all. House-specific parties should still be held in that house's common room," he explained.

"On the third floor, where once there was a forbidden corridor, there is now a wing for entertainment and clubs. You may request permission to use any of the rooms for clubs old or new, with the understanding that all houses should be allowed to join. That rule will be enforced. If we find you discriminating against one house, there will be severe punishment, and the clubs will disband at once. Teacher presence is no longer required for most clubs; any club that will be performing magic above a third-year level should request the presence of a professor in that field," he continued.

"The final new common area is on the seventh floor. Some of you are aware of what was once the Come-and-Go room, or the Room of Requirement. After much consulting with the Founders, we have repurposed that room into an area where all students can be themselves. It will still provide you with anything you might need, other than food or drink, but it will remain in the form that it now holds. This room cannot be commissioned or reserved; it will be open to all, at all times, with no exceptions. Treat it like a larger version of your house's common room," he finished.

Silence followed his announcement. It seemed that most of the students were holding their breath as they processed what they had been told. While Hadrian hadn't realized that the Founders could access Hogwarts' magic enough to completely change a room's function, he wasn't upset about it. He hadn't intended on going there any longer, anyway. And if there was now a room specifically for practical study, he wouldn't have to wonder about where to meet for the HA.

Flitwick didn't give them a chance to start speaking amongst themselves before moving along to the next important topic he had planned. "We will be changing a few things, but we are doing so in a way that should disrupt your learning the least. Madam Pince's contract with the school has expired, and she has chosen not to renew it. Rowena Ravenclaw has her primary portrait located in the library and has offered to take over that duty by using Hogwarts magic to maintain the books and keep track of who has taken which ones. She can answer any question that you may have, and has requested that you simply tap on the frame of her portrait if she is not present when you need her help."

"Good riddance," Hermione muttered under her breath, earning amused smiles from those around her. It was no secret that Madam Pince was more interested in hoarding the books than helping the students. At least Rowena would encourage them to learn.

"The curfew has also been changed. Years one through four will remain the same; they must be in their common rooms no later than 8:00 on weekdays and 9:30 on weekends. Year five must be in their common rooms by 9:00 on weekdays and 10:00 on weekends. Years six and seven must be in their common rooms by 10:30 on weekdays. Year six should be in their common rooms by 11:30 on weekends, but there will no longer be a weekend curfew for seventh years. Questions or concerns may be directed to your head of house and discussed on a case-by-case basis," he continued. That started even more quiet conversation, and he waited until most of the attention was back on him before he continued.

"You may have noticed that we have some staff absences and additions," he said. He sounded more subdued than he had when he was talking about the other changes. Something had happened that he either hadn't expected or didn't like. "We will begin with myself, I suppose. As I have been named Headmaster of the school, I cannot continue to teach Charms as I have in the past. That does not mean that I will no longer be teaching; I will continue to teach fifth- and seventh-year Charms to ensure that the students have the best possible education for OWLs and NEWTs. I will also be offering a new Advanced Dueling class to only the most qualified students once per week. Please do not be discouraged if you do not receive an invitation, as dueling is not for everyone."

More murmuring broke out, but he continued as though he couldn't hear it. The students quieted quickly to catch the rest of the changes. "Professor Hagrid could not bear to stay at the school while he is grieving the loss of a friend. He will be replaced by Professor Charlie Weasley, who ordinarily works at a dragon reserve in Romania. You will treat him with utmost respect. Professor Weasley will also be taking on the role of Head of Ravenclaw while he is here with us."

"Oh, good," Luna said dreamily. Hadrian hadn't even noticed her moving to sit closer to him. "I had so hoped to have someone I could rely on."

"You're sure we can trust him?" Hermione asked pointedly. She was (rightly) more than a little wary of all of the Weasleys. Luna simply nodded.

"Professor Snape will continue on as your Defense professor, but Professor Slughorn has suddenly recalled a prior commitment that unfortunately requires his full attention. In his place, we will be joined by a temporary professor, Madam Andromeda Tonks. She will also be taking on the role of Head of Slytherin, as Professor Snape will be spending quite a bit of time on some private brewing that he was previously neglecting due to lack of qualifying replacement," Flitwick continued.

Hadrian's jaw had dropped, and quick glance across the hall to Draco showed that he also hadn't known. Hadrian had to wonder what they were playing at. There must have been a plan in place. He was a little hurt that his parents hadn't told him what it was.

"Finally, it has been decided that Madam Pomfrey needs more hands in the infirmary. She has elected to teach an Advanced Healing class that will meet twice a week before supper. She has chosen a handful of students who have an aptitude for healing and will be approaching them shortly to extend an invitation. We will also be welcoming volunteers from Saint Mungo's whenever they can be spared. This week we will have Healer Blanche and Healer Prette. Treat them with respect if you must see them, but do be careful enough not to need to," he finished.

With that, he sat down to enjoy his own meal, seemingly oblivious to the roar of sound that followed.

"Did you know?" Hermione asked, eyeing Hadrian carefully. He must have still looked mildly surprised. He shook his head, but he didn't know what else he could say without giving away family secrets. "We'll have to speak with her, then."

"I don't think that's a good idea," Luna told them serenely. "All good Fae wish to be left alone until they're ready to share."

"Aunt Andi isn't Fae," Hadrian sighed. While he was starting to understand the metaphors that Luna liked to use, he didn't understand this one. Then again, he really knew nothing about Faekind. Blaise was already looking at him like he was crazy. "But I do agree. We should wait and see what she does before we go asking too many questions that she might not be able to answer here."

"Your family doesn't think the school is safe," Theo leaned in to whisper. "Professor Tonks is probably the only one who could have gotten away with taking a position here without being questioned too harshly by the other professors or the public. She's still the black sheep of her family, but it would make sense for her to want to get to know you and Draco. Nobody is going to look too closely at what she's doing at the school, which means she'll be able to accomplish whatever it is she wants to do."

"You've given that too much thought in the little time we've had to consider it," Blaise grinned from his other side. "But I think you're right."

Hermione still didn't look pleased, but she didn't put up any further fight. Hadrian knew she'd wait until they were alone, probably on their way up to bed, before she'd continue the argument. Even though she had accepted Blaise and Theo into her life, she didn't seem to fully trust them the way that Hadrian did. He couldn't really blame her after what she'd been through.

"Can we talk about the fact that not only did Bill take up the Lordship, but apparently Charlie has also moved back?" Hadrian asked abruptly.

"I was watching Ron," Hermione admitted after a moment. She looked as though she'd smelled something sour as she said it. "He didn't know that Charlie was going to be here. I saw the moment he realized. He's not pleased."

"You don't look surprised about any of that," Blaise said after a moment, frowning. Even Hadrian had been expecting more of a reaction from her, but she just smiled.

"It makes sense for Bill to take up the lordship now that Dumbledore can't be a proxy. I certainly can't picture Arthur sitting on the government, can you?" she replied. "I read up on the Wizengamot over the holiday, and I think I understand it a bit better, now. I don't know Bill well, obviously, but I do know that he was smart enough to become a Curse Breaker, which is nearly impossible for wizards to do. The goblins are extremely selective. And given how they've reacted to everything the other Weasleys have done, we know he must be at least a bit trustworthy. I at least don't think that he'll make things worse."

"And Charlie?" Blaise asked, raising his eyebrows.

"Anything that makes Ronald scowl like that is fine by me," she shrugged. Hadrian couldn't contain his amused snort. She turned her smile to him, and they shared a brief moment of nostalgia.

This is how things always should have been, Hadrian thought.

As the feast wound down, Flitwick stood and cast the voice amplifying spell once more. "It is time to end the night, I think. All first through fifth year students, please follow your prefects to your common rooms for the night! Sixth and seventh years, please remain behind for one final announcement."

They all shared a concerned look, but they remained seated as the younger years were ushered up to bed. The Heads of the houses made sure that no younger years had lingered before Flitwick began again.

"Albus believed that you were too young to know what was going on in the world. We have spoken over the holiday and decided that we do not agree," he told them seriously. Hadrian couldn't help the stunned look on his face, and he wasn't alone. "Most of you may already know this, but Albus Dumbledore was not meant to be the headmaster of Hogwarts. He did immense damage to the wards and to the morals of this school. We all trusted him, and we were all proven wrong in the worst of ways. Though he is gone, his influence will take some time to be rid of. We ask your patience in this, and for your aid."

Professor McGonagall rose next to him. She didn't need to amplify her voice to be heard over the silence. "We ask that you come to us if something seems wrong, or if a professor seems..."

"Changed," Professor Sprout called out with a grim smile.

"Quite," McGonagall nodded. This was a side of the professors that most of them had never seen before. "We are monitoring every aspect of who enters and leaves the castle, but we are not perfect. Albus had many loyalists, and there is still the matter of..."

"Voldemort," Sprout chimed in casually. McGonagall shot her a look but didn't verbally protest.

"Yes," she nodded grudgingly. "Though he has been nearly silent, we cannot rule him out as a threat. We are well aware that there are students within the school that he will target without mercy. Should you see anything threatening or out of place, we ask that you come to us at once and do not engage in whatever it is yourselves."

That seemed very targeted to Hadrian specifically, but it wasn't like he could protest. He had a habit of doing exactly that. He withheld his sigh as he felt the amusement of his soulmates beside him. He'd have to pull McGonagall aside later and let her know that Voldemort wouldn't actually be a problem, but first he'd have to consult with Mylan on what exactly he should say. They hadn't really decided how to handle the matter of the murderous dark lord.

"There is one final thing," Flitwick said. His smile was much less grim than McGonagall's and Sprout's. "Albus believed that at least one of the Heirs of Hogwarts had to be someone new to the school. We don't believe that to be the case. We are not asking anyone to step forward if they might be uncomfortable but know that you have our deepest and sincerest thanks for your help in repairing our school and protecting our students. "

Hadrian had a sudden sinking suspicion that he knew what was coming next, and he nearly groaned when all eyes turned directly to him.

"Lord Potter-Slytherin, you have our gratitude. It isn't much, but there will be a plaque added to the trophy room in your honor, detailing the greatness that you have performed," Flitwick told him. Then he did the most astounding thing: he bowed to Hadrian.

"Should we?" Blaise asked under his breath.

"Is it safe?" Theo breathed back. Hadrian glanced from the bowing headmaster to the two loves of his life, and he smiled.

"Thank you, Professor Flitwick," he said as loud as he could. His voice easily carried over the silence, just as McGonagall's and Sprout's had. "But I can't accept it alone. Would you like to meet my fellow Heirs? Or rather, my fellow Lords?"

"Hadrian," Hermione hissed, looking alarmed. He wasn't sure what she had to worry about. Theo and Blaise had stiffened beside him, but he knew it was the right call when Theo slipped his hand into his. They would follow his lead.

"Yes, very much so," Flitwick replied eagerly. His eyes darted around the hall expectantly, though his expression seemed almost wary. He didn't know what to expect, that was clear.

"Allow me to introduce you to my soulmates," Hadrian announced, rising from his spot at the table. He tugged until Theo stood, and Blaise followed only a second later. "Lord Theodore Nott-Hufflepuff, and Lord Blaise Zabini-Ravenclaw. We are the Lords of Hogwarts."

Chapter Text

Andromeda was not the first to pull Hadrian aside, as it turned out. After the spectacle that Hadrian caused in the Great Hall, he had really tried to just slip away. Theo hadn't spoken a word the entire time they'd been stared at and asked questions. Hadrian didn't really know if he was angry or upset or just overwhelmed. His mask was too good. He didn't make it to the end of the table before a hand on his arm stopped him. It was Luna, and she was smiling in that distant way of hers.

"You can't go yet," she said quietly. "You are still needed. Amends are being made before our very eyes."

"Lu," he sighed. Her eyes sparked with happiness for a moment at the nickname.

"I do like it when you show our friendship," she whispered fondly. Then she was walking away to link arms with Parvati.

"Where d'you think you're going?" Blaise asked, draping his arm over Hadrian's shoulders. He was also tense, but much less so than Theo. Theo, who still hadn't uttered a word or looked in Hadrian's direction, though he hadn't abandoned them when he could have.

"Anywhere that isn't here, where everyone is staring at us," he admitted easily. Blaise huffed, giving him a squeeze that was partly exasperation and partly fondness. "We could go for the kitchen?"

"Or just back to our room," Theo finally murmured.

"I like that idea," Blaise nodded. They didn't make it more than three steps before they were stopped again.

"Har- er. Hadrian?" Charlie called from a few feet behind them. He looked distinctly uncomfortable when Hadrian turned to face him, but he was pretty sure it was only because he wasn't confident in what to call his new student. Hadrian paused.

"We can wait," Blaise offered. Hadrian shook his head.

"I'm perfectly safe here. You two go on ahead. I'll meet you in our room when I'm done, I promise," he replied. Theo finally turned his gaze towards him, scowl unmistakable.

"You have an unfortunate habit of making promises that you don't know you can keep," he said lowly. Blaise frowned between them. "I would rather be here with you than wondering what you've gotten yourself into this time."

"It's fine if they want to stay," Charlie offered cautiously. "It's not really a secret, what I've got to say. I have a feeling they already know, and you'll tell them if I tell you anything new."

"That's true," Hadrian allowed. He sighed, leaning against Blaise a little as he gave Charlie his full attention instead of trying to argue his soulmates away. Charlie offered him a nervous smile that he didn't return.

"The twins talk about you all the time," Charlie told him after a few seconds of awkward silence. "Er, that is, about how capable you are, and how well you handle difficult situations. As someone who works with dragons, that's pretty high praise to me."

"... Thanks," Hadrian said after a second. It was his turn to feel confused. Charlie ran a hand through his hair with a sigh.

"I told Bill that I'm the wrong person to make first contact," he muttered, seemingly to himself. "But no, he was sure you'd feel more comfortable with someone closer to your age. Couldn't be the twins, had to be me. I'm pants at this!"

"Er... Charlie?" Hadrian asked. Charlie's eyes snapped up to his, and his cheeks flushed in sheer embarrassment.

"Sorry," he blurted. "I'm used to dragons, not people. What I'm trying to say is that we're extremely sorry for what our mother has done to you."

"You didn't know?" Hadrian asked. He knew the answer, but it was a comfort to see how Charlie recoiled like he'd been slapped at the accusation.

"Of course not," he insisted. "Bill and I don't come around often, in case you hadn't noticed. Mum is mental half of the time, and it's hard being around her when she wants to change every aspect of who you are. You'd think I'm committing a huge crime by choosing dragons over giving her grandbabies. Doesn't matter that I don't want to have a relationship, or s- er. Not important. Sorry. Point is, we weren't around to see it, which is not an excuse. Now that we know, we're fixing it."

"I got Bill's letter," Hadrian admitted after a moment. He felt like he'd just learned quite a bit about his new professor that he hadn't necessarily needed to know... but it was endearing.

"I wasn't sure if he was really going to write it or not," Charlie admitted sheepishly. "He's as new to all of this as I am, but he's learning. He and the twins have been going through the laws that the family votes have been used for in every spare moment, which... I've gathered that it's not good. Perce has been delivering new records to the shop in Diagon every other day, and Bill spends a lot of time there in their flat. I stop by occasionally, but I'm not great at following politics. Thank Merlin that it's Bill's problem, right?"

"I know what you mean," Hadrian nodded emphatically. Charlie flushed again when he realized exactly who he was venting to.

"Fuck, sorry. That's about to be your life, isn't it? I know you've got seats on the Wizengamot, too," he sighed. It was wildly entertaining to hear someone who was meant to be their professor swear like that.

"I've got a while still," Hadrian assured him. "Aunt Cissa is holding some proxies for me, and Sirius had others."

"How many... know what, it's not my business," Charlie said. "Listen, could I go with you when you speak with Bill?"

"Hadrian," Theo said under his breath, but Hadrian wasn't really listening to him. He was considering his options. Finally, he nodded.

"I reckon he'd tell you what we discuss either way, yeah?" he replied. Charlie nodded hesitantly. "It involves your family, which means it involves you. I'm bringing Blaise and Theo, too. They're my family."

"Sirius and Remus, too?" Charlie asked. Hadrian hesitated again before shaking his head.

"They're my parents, and I love them, but they're already dealing with so many of my problems. They don't need to be involved in this one. Though I might ask my account manager to stop in at some point. Onyxclaw is as much family as they are," he mused. Charlie's brows furrowed, but he didn't protest it.

"Bill won't mind a goblin or two. I feel like I should warn you, though, that goblins don't really like to involve themselves with wizards," he replied after a moment.

"That's fine, since I'm just as much goblin as wizard now," Hadrian said casually. Charlie just blinked at him. "It's not common knowledge. Please don't share that with anyone."

"You have my word," Charlie said automatically. He still looked completely baffled, though. "Maybe that's how Bill got approved for transfer so fast. He really couldn't figure out which high-ranking goblin he'd impressed."

"Probably King Nagnok," Hadrian shrugged. "I've met him once or twice. I know he's aware of my situation, and he might have thought this was the best way for him to provide help."

"You've met the king?" Charlie asked, eyes wide. "Oh, Bill is going to love that. Oh! Speaking of things you've done, I've got photos of Norberta in my quarters! I'll bring them to your first lesson with me so you can see her. She's got a clutch!"

"Norberta's a mum?" Hadrian asked excitedly. He missed Blaise and Theo sharing a confused look behind him. "Hagrid would love to know that, too. When he comes back-"

"Oh, er... Hagrid won't be back," Charlie interrupted. He lifted a hand to rub the back of his neck sheepishly. "Flitwick downplayed it quite a bit, but Hagrid was devastated to find out what Dumbledore had done. He just sort of disappeared from his hut one night over Yule and never came back. Left Fang behind, even. They found evidence of a real giant hiding in the forest, but it's gone now. McGonagall says that it's likely Hagrid went back to the colony with whichever giant he brought here, and giants aren't famous for straying from their groups."

"That doesn't mean he won't be back," Hadrian said after a moment. A part of him was glad that Hagrid was with his brother. The rest of him ached to know that the man who had always shown him such kindness was gone from his life, likely for good.

"Just... don't count on it, okay?" Charlie replied gently. Hadrian nodded just to get him to drop the subject. It was too painful. "I've kept you lot long enough. I expect I'll be seeing you in class sometime this week. I've got it on good authority that there's going to be a Hogsmeade weekend in a couple weeks, so I'll catch up with you when it's posted. They're trying to find a good rotating schedule and talking about letting the seventh years go whenever they want. It's a good time to be a student."

"Right. That's..." Hadrian sighed. There were a lot of things he could say, but none of them would help the situation. That's the way it always should have been. It always should have been good to be a student. Instead, he offered an awkward smile. "I'm glad you're here."

"Glad to be here," Charlie grinned back. He turned to go, and Hadrian felt the urge to say more. He didn't hold himself back.

"Hey, Charlie?" he called. The hall had mostly emptied by that time, and only a few professors and students remained. Nobody glanced their way as Charlie turned back with wide eyes.

"The twins talk about you all the time, too. They say you're really creative and brave to work with dragons like you do," he said after a moment of consideration. Charlie's cheeks flushed slightly, but he looked pleased. "There's not really any higher praise from them, and I trust them implicitly. That makes you pretty cool in my opinion. Just so you know."

"Thanks, Hadrian," he said softly. He gave one last smile before retreating.

Theo looked very much like he had something that he wanted to say about the interaction, but Blaise had clamped down on his hand and he kept his mouth shut. Draco, who was waiting just outside of the Great Hall, did not.

"Did you know that Aunt Andi was going to be here?" he demanded. He didn't wait for a response. "Mum didn't say a damn word. Just wait until I write to her! I can't believe they kept this from us. What do you think they're planning?"

"Your mum is on the school board, and so is my dad, but they can't be at the school all of the time," Hadrian shrugged after a moment. "Maybe they just wanted to make sure that things are really going to be okay?"

"You'd think they'd trust us to let them know," Draco sniffed imperiously. Hadrian couldn't help his snort of amusement. "What?"

"You might write to your mother every time someone breathes in your direction, but when have you known me to willingly ask an adult for help?" Hadrian shot back. "I hate to say it, but this has Sirius written all over it. I bet he asked her to take the position as a favor to him. I dunno how we're going to call her 'Professor Tonks', though."

"That is a problem for our first class with her," Draco said after a moment. He was frowning in the way that said he was still thinking of exactly what he wanted to say to his mother. Speaking of which...

"You have Defense before I do, yeah?" Hadrian asked the Slytherins. They all nodded with varying degrees of wariness that he was a bit insulted to see. "Can you let Snape know that I need a meeting with him? As privately as possible. I don't need the other students to know that we don't hate each other."

"Is that all?" Draco asked with a roll of his eyes. "You had me thinking you were going to ask for something much more... diabolical."

Blaise shook his head, eyes full of mirth. "That's our boyfriend. Diabolical."

"You know what I meant," Draco snapped, blushing. He wasn't used to being called out like that, but Hadrian knew that he wasn't really mad. If he had to guess, he'd say that his cousin was pleased that they felt comfortable enough to tease him.

"Blaise," he said quietly, flicking his eyes towards his soulmate. Blaise turned to him immediately. "Will you take Draco to the common room and make sure everything is the way that it was before? I need Theo for a minute."