Never Trust A Snake

Chapter Eight

'Trauma'

Fear was an emotion that had consumed and destroyed Harry during his time with the Dursleys. Fear was an emotion that Hadrian was sure he had killed along with the Dursleys. But here Hadrian stood, one person away from a boggart that would replicate his greatest fear.

Very soon, Draco had turned his fear into a object that received laughter from all over the room. Though Hadrian didn't even see what it was, or hear the noise around him as he stepped in front of the boggart.

It quickly transformed, suspended in the air, trying to select Hadrian's fear. The class and teachers fell silent, anxiously awaiting Hadrian's fear.

Eventually, the shifting shape landed on the ground with an all too familiar appearance. Standing in front of Hadrian was a thin, malnourished boy. The boy was soaked in blood. Blood dripping from his mouth and nose. Blood seeping through the thin cloth of his over sized second-hand clothes. He was shaking as he nervously looked around. A scared pair of killing curse green eyes stared at Hadrian.

"So this is my fear..." Hadrian muttered, his face expressionless. His fear was being weak, being at their mercy, being Harry Potter, the boy who lived under the staircase.

"Boy!" A perfect imitation of Vernon's voice echoed around the silent room. A fear that Hadrian believed had disappeared, quickly returned as Hadrian flinched at the call.

Young Harry Potter's face morphed into terror as his eyes began brimming with tears and he attempted to back away. The scene was suddenly ripped apart by a curse.

Hadrian's wand was pointed at the boggart as the 'bombarda' charm silently flew from his wand, without his realisation. The charm exploded the boggart and wardrobe combined, leaving only a charred mark upon the Defense classroom.

Hadrian quickly turned from the charred mark on the floor, pushing through students in an effort to escape. James Potter, who had suddenly found his voice once more, turned to Hadrian, then the destroyed wardrobe.

"Hadrian! Get back here at once and fix this mess!"

Hadrian ignored the Defence professor and aggressively slammed the door shut behind him. He continued down the hall, ignoring the sound of Draco leaving the classroom. Hadrian didn't stop moving until he had reached the dungeons, then the Slytherin dormitories.

"Hadrian! Stop! Please!" Begged Draco as he hurried after the shaking boy. Unfortunately, he received no reply from his friend, who promptly shut himself inside his room. Once he was inside the secluded environment, his glamour quickly dropped. His raven hair seemed to melt away to reveal a bone white colour, a large lightning bolt scar appeared upon his forehead and many other scars littered his body. A growl escaped the boy's lips as he thought back to the boggart. He hated feeling like this; weak, defenceless, powerless, afraid. He needed to stop these feelings.

Without reapplying his glamors, Hadrian dresses himself in a pitch black loose shirt, ripped black jeans, dragon hide boots and a black half-skull mask with a wave of his wand. His killing curse green eyes shone through the mask, which stood out against his white hair. It was the perfect disguise for what was going to follow.

He apparated out of Hogwarts without a second thought, landing in the centre of Diagon Alley. A cruel grin formed on his lips as he carefully watched his new prey.

"Sectumsempra" Hadrian muttered, firing the curse at a man amongst the crowd. His screams ripped through the Alley's cheerful buzz, drawing everyone's attention. Hadrian's sadistic laughter soon joined the man's screams. As if a switch was flicked, the previously passive shoppers began running, pushing others in an attempt to escape the attacker.

Their efforts were abruptly stopped as Hadrian flicked his wand, creating a spark of fire that soon grew into a large snake made of flames that began circling the crowd.

"Not so fast" Hadrian's cold voice echoed as shoppers backed away from the newly formed flames. Very soon, curses were flying at the crowd, mostly the unforgivable crucio. Hadrian's laughter filled the Alley as another crucio stuck it's victim.

Aurors finally arrived on the scene, led by Kingsley Shacklebolt. They quickly fell into formation, attempt to vanquish the hissing flames.

"Stop this at once!" Shacklebolt ordered, firing a stupefy towards the attacker. His curse bounced harmlessly off a shield that Hadrian had effortlessly lifted.

"Surrender and show your identity!" He yelled as his fellow Aurors managed to hold a path through the flames. Kingley's eyes finally met with the attackers. He looked into the cold, cruel, insane toxic green eyes and realised who this man was. Before the leading Auror was able to shout his next command, a young Auror ran through the flames. The young Auror threw curse after curse at Hadrian, who easily deflected them with a pale blue shield that had formed. However, the Auror was soon stopped as Hadrian pounced forward with incredible speed, plunging his basilisk bone knife into the young man's stomach. The Auror clung to Hadrian's muscular form as his body arched forward, pale and shaking. His eyes moved frantically as blood dripped down from his mouth and gut, staining Hadrian's clothes. The man tried to speak, slurred words escaping his lips. He was quickly silenced as Hadrian dragged the dagger upwards, tearing through the man's flesh, allowing his eyes to glaze over as the man was killed.

"Hades..." Kingsley whispered as he watched in horror. This was the deadly assassin whom they had been attempting to catch. How would they ever stand a chance? Before Kingsley had realised the crack of apparation, his fellow Auror's body hit the ground lifelessly.

***

Draco stood beside the brooding potions professor, with a few other students behind them; Pansy Parkinson, Blaise Zambini, Daphne Greengrass and Theo Nott. Despite the Slytherins' cold exterior, they were worried about Hadrian. Ever since the defence lesson, he hadn't left his room. They couldn't hear a single noise from within.

"That boggart... What was it about?" Pansy asked quietly, everyone recognised that it was Hadrian. Yet he had been younger, horribly injured and so afraid. However, what everyone was questioning was the strange lighting scar that fell from the top of his forehead, over right eye, down to just below his lip. Only a few had seen the scar, the majority of Griffindors and the two adults had been behind the boggart, only able to see it's blood soaked back.

"You-you don't think that was his childhood, do you?" Theo asked nervously, glancing at his peers.

Draco looked up at his godfather, who for once wasn't sure what to do. Severus was accustomed to the symptoms of abuse, many of his Slytherins were abused, verbally or physically, by parent's who were unhappy with their children's school house. However, this seemed to be a very severe reactions and Hadrian was not going to come around any time soon. Luckily, the potions professor had a solution that he hoped would aid Hadrian; Sirius Black. He only hoped that it would work.

***

"I will not have you without the darkness that hides within you. I will not let you have me without the madness that makes me. If our demons cannot dance, neither can we"