House of snakes

Chapter 11

"Lord Naga," Dumbledore greeted. "Welcome to Hogwarts."

"She truly is a beautiful as everyone says," Hadrian murmured.

He hadn't seen the castle since he first came back in time. How much time had it been? Six months? Seven? Eight? Far too long. Hogwarts was his home and perhaps always would be the home of his heart, even if he never lived inside her walls again.

Dumbledore twinkled those blue eyes of his. "Would you like a tour?"

"If you have the time."

Dumbledore nodded and gestured for Hadrian to follow him inside. Hadrian stepped in line with the man. He made sure to keep his facial expressions gently awed of the surroundings. He wouldn't be able to fake total astonishment, but he'd always thought Hogwarts beautiful. All he had to do was play that up a little more.

"How are you enjoying Britain?" Dumbledore asked as they passed the Great Hall.

"Enough to not mind staying here for as long as Harry wants or needs," Hadrian said, knowing the conversation would get to his ward soon and having no patience to wait it out.

Like he thought, Dumbledore's eyes sparkled just a little more at the mention of Harry. "You seem to be a devoted guardian for our young Boy Who Lived."

Hadrian thought he'd had a good hold on his emotions but at that moniker he felt his sudden rage leak into his aura. Were he to have mage sight, he would have seen it lash out like a star burst in response. Dumbledore's own blinding aura reacted by flaring and swirling into his space. Hadrian barely kept from stumbling at the sickening taste of the man's burning Light magic. He turned angry eyes upon the headmaster. Dumbledore studied him with all cheer gone from his face. They stopped walking.

"You do a good job," Hadrian stated. "Hiding the Grey in your aura behind that blinding Light. I imagine that's why you bonded with your phoenix." It had always been a problem for him, how he didn't think before speaking when he was angry. Hadrian bit back the rest of his words before he could spout off even more of his knowledge. It wasn't obvious that the gross Lightness of Dumbledore's aura was mostly façade. Sure, he was on the Light side of Grey, but Dumbledore's ability was such he could push some of that Light to the forefront, convincing everyone he was pure Light.

For a moment, Dumbledore just stared at him and Hadrian knew he'd managed to stun the man. And then Dumbledore smiled. "You are a surprise, Lord Naga." He started walking again, leaving Hadrian with no choice but to follow.

They passed the Great Hall. Dumbledore barely gave him time to glance over the students having a quick lunch between classes, before they moved on. The blinding swirl of Dumbledore's aura calmed as they passed one of the main staircases. Hadrian knew the intimidation part of the visit was over.

"As you must know, Hogwarts has four Houses," Dumbledore said. "Each founded by a pioneering wizard or witch. Helga Hufflepuff was the first healer who learned how to combine potions and charms for maximum affect. Rowena Ravenclaw invented the self-writing quill to aid in the many hundreds of novels of magical theory she wrote. Godric Gryffindor created the guideline rules for honorable duels that we still use today, as well as several spells to use in them. And Salazar Slytherin–"

"Invented the wards we use to hide the magical world from muggles," Hadrian finished for Dumbledore. "Though most remember him only for his supposed hatred of muggleborns."

"Indeed."

Hadrian glanced at Dumbledore. "I wonder why that history is not being taught among these halls. I've made friends with many an ex-Hogwarts student these months I've been back in Britain and all have commented at least once how they wished they'd been taught more than the same few periods of goblin rebellions in class. Is it true that the same professor, a ghost no less, has been teaching since the early 1900s?"