"What's wrong with you? You're acting like you've got a wand shoved up your backside, its Halloween, relax a little," Thaddeus said wryly, staring at the teenager who looked as though he'd just lost all his favourite books, toys and part of his body as well. There didn't seem to be a reason for it either, usually something annoyed him. Unless just wakening up on the wrong side of the bed had done it, since he'd been in that funny mood throughout the day from the moment he woke up.
"That's my problem," Harry muttered with a grimace. Glancing over and arching an eyebrow seeing Hagrid hoarding food into his bag. It's something he had used to do, but then he'd been starved and it was mostly habit. He wondered if Hagrid's appetite was as big as the half-giant would get in future. He already towered over all the students in the Gryffindor table, big and bulky, the amount of food he'd packed away said his hunger was just as big. He was distracted by his grandfather, who was grimacing in distaste at Hagrid for some reason, maybe they didn't get on?
"You don't like Halloween? Who doesn't like Halloween?" Thaddeus aghast as the others just chuckled as they listened.
Harry turned on the bench to stare at Nott curiously, "Let me get this straight, you all hate the fact the pagan holidays have been…stopped, but you like Halloween? I'll bet Christmas as well, who doesn't like getting gifts? Are you sure you're against Christian holidays as you profess you are?" Harry twirled his apple absently as he waited for a reply he knew probably wouldn't come.
Thaddeus stared indignantly, opening and closing his mouth but nothing came out.
"He got you there," Dorea Black laughed, from two seats down.
"He also changed the subject," Thaddeus pointed out, trying to change it back over to the previous line of conversation.
"Ahh, but it didn't make my questions any less true, you can't pick and choose which customs to follow its called being a hypocrite." Harry pointed out as he bit into his apple, it was a normal one he'd gotten from the kitchens earlier, and he didn't want the toffee coated ones. He wasn't a child anymore, and never really had been. Food was one thing he'd never turn down though, but unlike the others (minus Tom of course) were gorging themselves on as much sweets as humanly possible. He'd already put a select few in his bag for eating during the next few months. He didn't see the point in buying any when there was a table full for him to help himself with.
"Hadrian," Tom stated sharply, there was definitely something wrong with him; he was actually goading people in the Great Hall of all places. It was fine to do it with just the Slytherins around but not in front of the teachers and the rest of the student body.
"Yeah, yeah, wrong place wrong time." Harry grumbled, biting into his apple again, he hated this time of year, this day specifically, ever since he learned the truth. He rolled his eyes and ignored the inhales of shock at all sides, everyone else might be too afraid to stand up to Tom but he wasn't one of them. They should know that by now, honestly, you wouldn't think he'd been here for a year now the way they acted.
Tom just chuckled more amused at the looks of those around him than anything else. Although it was true, if anyone else had spoken to him like that they would have paid the price. He couldn't lead them if they didn't respect him and he intended to lead them, he had a world to change and change it he would. Hopefully with Hadrian by his side, and not because of his knowledge, admittedly that would be a big help, he was a Slytherin after all, but just for the boy himself and his powers but those were just bonuses (his knowledge and power) in his book. He wanted him, badly, but he wasn't going to do it with flowers and words, but he also knew he couldn't demand his affection so he would have to work on that. Just as soon as he worked something out.
"What did you receive for your theory of magic project then, Hadrian?" Carrow enquired, sitting down in his seat after speaking to a few of the younger years and helping them with their homework. On that very subject, which reminded him of the fact Hadrian had been one of the few taking the extracurricular class. He had hated him when he first appeared, but the others had knocked some sense into him, he was trying to do the same with Avery…he wasn't sure how it was going yet.
"I don't know, I've not gotten it back yet, we have that class only two times a week, and the teacher is probably still trying to get through the list of all homework that's been handed out." Harry shrugged, "I wont be surprised if we don't get the results until just before Christmas." he had been in touch with publicists and planned on publishing his work, he'd held a lot of details back of course, he wasn't an idiot, he wouldn't risk anyone taking credit for his work. He might have been in Gryffindor originally but he was meant to be a Slytherin and spending time in the snake den especially with Tom he was even more cautious. He had everything lined up, the company was prepared to publish and print it for him. It would shake the pureblood fanatics to the very core of their foundation.
He was going to have so much fun with that.
"Wait I thought we only had theory once a week!" Dorea joined the conversation sitting across from them.
"We did," Rookwood said in agreement. "Last year, but this year we only have it once."
"Never mind…Hadrian made it sound like he had the class less this year than last semester." Dorea said shaking her head a little.
"Yeah I did, didn't I?" Harry admitted, realizing the truth of it. He didn't apologize, Slytherins rarely apologized for anything.
Dorea just gave Harry a droll look not amused but unsurprised by the fact he didn't say the simple word 'sorry'. Honestly, boys, they were so full of pride that it was rather annoying. "Oh, by the way, Samantha was looking for you, she asked me to tell you, please stop getting the muggle Borns to speak to me," she sniffed disdainfully. "I'd rather nobody got the wrong idea, if word got back to my father I'd never be allowed out the house again."
Harry snorted in amusement, "I have no doubt, but I didn't ask her to speak to you, you must have been one of the more approachable Slytherin's in our year." he said amused, smirking at her disgruntled look. He wondered if his grandfather mellowed her out or if she just realized love was more important than prejudice. Although for all he knew his grandfather might be just as prejudice. He hadn't spoken to him once or even looked at him much. Heck all the friends James supposedly had were pureblood's, a Black a Lupin and a Pettigrew as traitorous as he was. He had no idea when his grandparents die, for all he knew it could be before Lily and James married, considering they weren't in the wedding photos it was a good assumption. The pictures, the only pictures he had left were gone, he hadn't even thought about them before this. Out of all his things, two items were the most precious, the cloak and album. They were alive during James' sixth year since Sirius said he moved in with them so between James being sixteen and eighteen they die in that timeframe.
The main course disappeared after it had all been eaten, followed of course by the platters upon platters of desserts with mixed in bowls of sweets and other treats. Harry grabbed a selection before sliding them into his bag before swinging it over his shoulders. "I'll see you back at the dorm," Harry told them.
Tom's eyes swung to Avery's and gave him a pointed look; it was his turn to watch Hadrian. He wasn't sure if Hadrian knew what he was up to, he hadn't given any subtle indications that he did at any rate. Usually he got a smirk or a knowing look when it came to things Hadrian knew about.
"I have homework to do, I'll come with you," Avery said disgruntled, as he rose up to follow Peverell, it's the first time he'd ever been asked - go figure it would be the Halloween feast. He knew better than to argue, he also knew Peverell was utterly untouchable, Tom had made that very clear the first night back at Hogwarts. Then he'd proceeded to tell them exactly what would happen if anything happened to 'Hadrian'. It had almost made him pee his pants with the intensity of his magic. Which of course made him loathe Peverell all the more, why did he deserve Tom's attention so much? His protection? It wasn't fair; everyone else had stuck by him for years not Peverell.
"Alright," Harry shrugged, having no doubt he had homework, sometimes Lestrange and Avery left it to the last minute - quite literally. Sliding from the bench he gave everyone a nod before he walked from the Slytherin bench and made his way to Samantha Creed and accepted the scroll from the Gryffindor smiling at her and giving his thanks, ignoring the blush that set about her entire face as he always did when others reacted that way to him. Well, Myrtle and a few of the elder students were the only exception to that. Harry Idly noticing that the hulking figure of Hagrid was no longer around. Myrtle had been that way in the beginning, but she had flourished, saw him as a good friend, had a boyfriend of her own now and her confident had skyrocketed as had her participation in class, none of her so called bullies ever dared to bother her, not only fearing his retribution but hers too. She wasn't the meek girl she had been a year before and Harry revelled in the knowledge he had helped create the confident girl before him. She was nothing like the ghost he knew and he would be damned if he ever let it happen. He also knew Tom was visiting the chamber, he hadn't heard anything in the pipes though so the basilisk hadn't been let out to roam yet. He wasn't sure what to do with that particular situation, he just hoped that Tom wouldn't let it out…he prayed to Death that Tom had at least listened to him about the things he'd said. Only time would tell if he was right or not.
"Let's go," Avery said grimacing at the fact he was anywhere near the bloody Gryffindor table voluntarily. How could Peverell stand being near them? That was another thing he hated, Peverell freely associating with those outside of his house, associating with those of lesser blood - Mudblood's - it wasn't meant to be that way, he was changing the status quo. Instead of enjoying the rest of the feast he was leaving early with him. Great, just bloody great.
Harry threw Avery a suspicious glare; nobody and he meant absolutely nobody ever told him what to do, not anymore. He certainly wasn't about to let Avery of all people order him about, but he brushed it off, he knew he was just in a seriously messed up bad mood. It wasn't anyone's fault that they didn't understand since he wasn't in the telling mood. He was definitely glad to see the back of the usually annoyingly loud Great Hall though and into the silent hallway.
It was silent, for all of a few minutes as they left the chaos of the hall behind them, but Harry's well honed never dimmed senses felt something was watching him. Freezing cautiously, his wand flicking out as he heard the sound of claws on the marble flooring, turning suddenly, almost jumping before sighing in relief when he saw it was just a small tabby cat. Bloody hell, he thought warily, he was definitely tenser than he thought if he was imagining things. He needed to sleep this off, sliding his wand back in his holster then he made the mistake of turning around.
Something launched at him from the shadows, latching onto his neck with its razor sharp teeth, Harry could do nothing other than bellow out his agony as blood gushed through the open wound, the thing opened its jaw presumably to bite again, that was when Harry who had never been one to take anything lying down, used all the force he could muster and throw a bout of Wandless magic into his hand and shoved the thing off him and into the staircase causing it to howl, yelp then whine in pain before quietening completely lying on its side unmoving - it was a wolf like creature - of all things. It was the last thing Harry really saw before he fell backwards his legs splayed to the side, as he went white due to the blood loss.
It shouldn't have surprised anyone that every single person in the Great Hall jumped and began panicking when they heard the screaming. Curiosity won over that fear, and everyone began to make their way out of the hall, almost hurting each other in the process to see what was going on. Tom of course, was one of the first to get up being very familiar with everything that was Hadrian. For the first time in his life he felt true fear, even the orphanage, the bombs, the war…paled to comparison when he saw Hadrian pale, almost lifeless with blood surrounding him.
"Hadrian!" Tom said horrified as he knelt down next to him, checking for a pulse his eyes wider than normal. His own heartbeat was through the roof, he couldn't feel anything under his own shaky fingers, and he couldn't tell if Hadrian was alive or not. "GET THE BLOODY HEALER!" he snarled at one of the Slytherins closest to him, his black eyes glaring ferociously, becoming even more threatening when they landed on Avery.
Harry choked out a sardonic laugh but it sounded bitter and broken, as he remembered something from his past. It had been a clue all along but he hadn't thought about it, he'd just assumed Tom was lying or something about it. He should have known better, other than his first year Tom…no Voldemort had never lied to him.
Carrow would have wet himself if he hadn't had such ridged control over himself, he didn't dare look but he was pretty sure everyone in Tom's circle felt the same. He didn't think he'd ever seen Tom more furious before in all the time he'd known him. Thankfully he didn't have to hunt the Medi-witch Change down, since he heard her shouting furiously at the students before she actually used magic to cause a force field to part them so she could actually get to her patient.
Just as she knelt before Hadrian her emergency supply kit fell with a thump right next to his head and not too far from the Medi-witch. "Blood replenishers, give him four!" Change barked as she started chanting urgently, her entire face screwed up in determination as magic poured out of her with a vengeance revealing her true level of power - one that people didn't really expect a healer or a Medi-witch to have. She never stopped chanting as inch by inch the large wound on Hadrian's neck slowly began to heal along with the arteries that had been damaged.
Tom didn't even think he grabbed the bag before any of the teachers could even think to move in and offer assistance. He rummaged through the bag until he found the potion he wanted it was murky red. Using his teeth to remove the cork, he dumped the potion down Hadrian's throat and didn't even think twice about rubbing the other side of his bloody throat. He didn't even pause before uncorking another one and feeding the next one. Four, he realized, was the most they could give someone, it was no guarantee that it would work. The last two were quickly shoved down Hadrian's throat, despite his coughing and spluttering as he tried to breathe. To most it was horrible to see but Tom was just glad - it was a sign that Hadrian was still there - still alive. The rest could be dealt with in time; a little pain was nothing on being dead. Or so he tried to tell himself, he didn't know why but seeing Hadrian in pain was hurting his chest like nothing before.
He had to focus on something else, anything, he didn't like that feeling and he wanted it gone, now. Then he caught sight of the animal by the stairs, the great big oaf was clutching it in his enormous hands tears pouring down his face. Then anger began to consume him, and he let it, feeling more natural, normal really and that he could deal with much more easily than the feelings Hadrian evoked in him.
"Is he going to be alright?" Tom asked as politely as he could, none of his rage showing, paying no attention to the fact his hands were saturated in blood that was quickly drying. He wanted so much to grab her and forcefully demand an answer from her but he didn't, somehow against all odds he retained that impulse.
Albus Dumbledore watched the boy surprise written across his face, if he hadn't known any better he would say Tom was genuinely concerned about Hadrian Peverell. He knew how the boys mind worked; saw the darkness in him while everyone was fooled by his charming façade. There could be no way someone so evil could be drawn to another, unless it was solely for his powers, the thought of both of them together frightened him more than even finding out what happened to his sister. They were powerful, and that boy was the last direct descendant of the Peverells, he had done his checking. He knew Charles was Ignotus Peverells descendant and that Tom was Camdus' heir, which meant this boy had to be Antioch's heir; it was the only thing that made sense. All information told him that the Peverell line was the first pureblood line to go extinct when it came to having a male heir. Obviously they were wrong, but he was having trouble digging up information. He did teach students full time and he was the head of Gryffindor he didn't have unlimited time to dig all day of the week.
"He'll be fine," Change told him firmly, but truthfully she honestly didn't know she could only hope that she was right. Getting off her knees once the last big of skin finally closed, standing up she conjured up a stretcher underneath Hadrian and had him floating in midair. Without another word to anyone, she hastily walked away, up the stairs and out of view of the suddenly whispering animatedly students.
Tom snatched the bag the healer had left behind, as well as Hadrian's school bag; as Dumbledore bent down to retrieve it. No doubt going to use it as an excuse to nose around for more information. "I have it professor Dumbledore; I'm going up anyway, thank you." Tom told him politely giving a small smile for added benefit before quickly sliding along and up the stairs before anyone specifically Dumbledore could say another word. It wasn't curfew so none of the teachers could stop him anyway.
He got to the hospital wing doors which were wide opened, to see the healer putting Hadrian on the bed closest to her office door. He presumed she was casting a diagnosis spell, for the first time he regretted not taking a healing course. He didn't like relying on anyone, even a healer to help Hadrian, someone that was his, his to care and protect his. He said nothing to the healer as he took a seat beside his bed.
Once the healer left, he took out a book and idly began reading it, making a mental note to pick up some healing books when he returned the other library books he'd borrowed. He would never be caught unprepared or worse useless if such a situation happened again and he was nothing if not determined.
"How is he?" a voice interrupted his reading.
Tom turned unsurprised to see Myrtle there; Hadrian was fond of her for some reason. They had nothing in common, but he wasn't blind to the influence Hadrian had over her, and his ability to make her stand up for herself. He could admire that, at the very least, since he absolutely loathed people who let others walk all over them and bully them. He seemed to have a few weak spots when it comes to bullies and those being bullied. Hadrian had threatened Philip Pucey when he'd been toying with the first year Eileen Prince when she had been unable to perform a simple shield charm in Defence at the beginning of term. He had agreed with Pucey it was embarrassing, but Hadrian didn't just defend anyone, not against the Slytherins at any rate, so he would wait and see what happened over the next few years.
"I do not know," Tom informed her.
"Its curfew soon," she said thoughtfully, "I um…bought some food up," she handed over the plate with a small half-hearted smile, not in the mood for much pleasantries. She knew Tom obviously wasn't, did he even realize how he felt? She couldn't help but wonder. Surely he did he was very possessive, they were cute together. She wandered around to the other side and sat down, ignoring the gimlet glare. She was more than used to them being sent her way from time to time, she thought concealing her grin with her hand. She didn't even blink when Tom placed the food uneaten on the cabinet underneath the shelf with quite a few blood replenishing potions.
"What happened after I left?" Tom reluctantly asked since he knew none of the Slytherins would come and he wanted information.
"Headmaster Dippet took the head of houses with him to his office along with Hagrid, the caretaker took the creature away, he says he thinks it's a wolf cub and he's probably right. I didn't find out whether it was alive or not though." Myrtle informed him. Although it didn't look like no werewolf cub, it was more like a full grown one to her. "I did overhear the Headmaster say they would be speaking to Hadrian when he woke up, maybe to get his side of it? I'm not really sure."
Tom nodded curtly, finding Myrtle's serious voice was much more tolerable than her excited squeaky one, although he'd only put up with it twice. He'd literally had to dig his nails into his hand to prevent himself cursing her, it had been so annoying. She'd eventually lowered it a few octaves. "I see." Tom said smoothly, his eyes darkening when he thought of Hagrid, how he wanted to kill the half giant, do something, anything, especially torture him for his actions.
He narrowed his eyes, Hadrian had been very squirrelly today, had he known something like this would happen? Had that been the reason for his bitter laugh? The thought of that answer being yes infuriated him, when he woke up and he got his answer it bloody well better be a resounding no, otherwise he was going to make him regret putting himself in danger and making him feel this way. He clutched the book tightly in his grip, nostrils flaring, disgruntled by the fact he couldn't immediately get his answer, but…hopefully soon he would.