Anchor Of Life

1. Letter From Hogwarts

A loud banging sound alerted the swimmers. The three of them came to the surface to the signal of their fourth partner.

"He's escaping, that way." The fourth one pointed to the other side of the river. Immediately all three of them quickly swam away, summoning their clothes and spelling them on themselves as they rush towards where they could hear a light pitter-patter of footsteps.

The opponent's face melted away, revealing a smirking Hadrianus watching three of his opponents running away. Pocketing the wand, he turned to the unconscious form of the real fourth opponent hiding behind the big rock. After a quick thought, he quickly levitated the unconscious form of one of his opponents to one of the topmost branches of the tallest tree he could find nearby, then ran to the opposite side of where his opponents went, towards the South East.

While the watercress would have been a good camouflage for his green scales, it was not enough for the skilled opponents who are fixated on catching him underwater. Better to send them on a wild goose chase and find something that'd be a better disguise than some underwater bushes.

Without having to worry about his opponents, Hadrianus quickly found the thick banyan tree wrapped in the green liana vine. Without wasting time, he changed into his mamba form and climbed up. He could have used notice me not or repellant charms, but unfortunately, his opponents are going to look for those charms, and they will give him away.

Now he needs to wait for 20 more minutes.

*****

"I win!"

"You cheated!"

"You're just a sore loser because I won!"

"But you didn't have to hang me on the top branch of a Koa! Ce n'est pas juste!"'

"C'ies la vie! Besides, that's on you for getting so busy smoking."

"Children!" Nagini called, getting the attention of her bickering kids. Both Barty and Hadrianus huffed at each other, before crossing their arms and looking away.

Nagini took a deep breath, and slowly exhaled, enjoying the rare moments of calmness, which was again rudely interrupted when a cackling Bella barged into the parlour, then swooped in to give a loud and wet kiss on Hadrianus' cheeks. "My baby boy is all grown up now, he escaped from us for the whole hour!"

Nagini sighed, she couldn't wait until all of these overgrown hatchlings are off to Hogwarts. Though the relief was short timed, until she recalled that from this year, her own hatchling will be joining them as well.

Hadrianus beamed at his godmummy. They had played chase in the forest surrounding Slytherin Castle several times but this was the first time Hadrianus managed to win. Last time he managed to stay up for a whole hour before Barty caught him just before the time was up. It's such a shame that Barty knows his naga form intimately, no matter how excellent an illusion it provides. But this time, being unconscious, wandless, and hanging from a tree, Barty's knowledge was useless. And knowing Barty was aware but oathbound about the knowledge that Hadrianus was a metamorphmagus helped him a lot.

"Hatchling, your father is waiting for you in his office."

"Father is waiting for me?" Hadrianus perked up immediately, before frowning in suspicion, "Why?"

"Why don't you go and find out yourself?" Nagini was amused.

"You're so grounded now, Little Prince!" Barty chortled, and Hadrianus scowled at him, before walking out of the parlour to his father's office, both his hands wringing in anxiety. To be honest, he has no idea what he did this time.