Chapter 29
"Mr. Peverell!" Professor Slughorn boomed out as soon as Harry stepped foot in the Great Hall for lunch, all the Slytherin's refrained from cringing, he rarely called his favourites by their last name, and 'Hadrian' was definitely one of his favourites, right up next to Tom.
By the time Harry looked up, Slughorn was making a beeline for him, an unusually severe look on his normally joyful face. The Great Hall was silent watching the Head of Slytherin approach Hadrian, not wanting to miss anything that happened. So they heard his next words.
"What have I done now?" Harry cried out in exasperation. He'd expected Dumbledore to single him out or something, probably not in the Great Hall, but with just a small possibility. So seeing Slughorn so pissed off was a surprise, he stared perplexed as the wizard approached him.
"Follow me," Slughorn demanded; as soon as he got within ear shot of Hadrian, "You may go for lunch Tom," he dismissed his favourite, honestly most days they were like Siamese twins, never one without the other. He followed Hadrian when he turned to leave the Great Hall, looking quite puzzled.
"Do you have any idea what I've been doing for these past few hours?" Slughorn snapped, gazing at Hadrian with disappointment, exasperation and barely concealed worry.
Harry took a step back, frowning at his Head of House, utterly bewildered about what was going on, "Um...no?" he replied his green eyes brighter than normal showing everything through his expressive features.
"I've been searching every inch of this school for you! Where have you been?" Slughorn demanded, his anger draining at the uncomprehending look on Hadrian's face.
How bad was his life that someone trying to look out for him was completely unknown to the teenager?
"I just...um did some reading in an abandoned classroom," Harry replied, he couldn't very well say he had made a potion and helped Tom remove his trace now could he? Not even to Professor Slughorn, he still didn't understand what all the fuss was about.
"Do you not realize just how badly injured you were? You should never have left the hospital wing! Everyone has been fanatically worried about you!" Slughorn scolded, "I really should remove points for disobeying Healer Chang," here he pursed his lips, but he couldn't really do that since Hadrian didn't understand why this fuss was created by the looks on his face.
"If you are ever sent to the hospital wing again you do not leave until you have permission, is that understood? You could have taken a sudden turn or anything, and you had potions you were supposed to take." or worse still, the thought that he might have been kidnapped from under their noses.
"Err, I promise and I won't leave without permission, Sir," Harry said, why was a big deal being made? He'd snuck out of the hospital wing dozens of times in his own time and never once had anyone said anything.
Hell, Poppy hadn't even came after him once or asked the teachers to, and she did care about her patients...unless...she had complained to Dumbledore and the old wizard had just dismissed her? Or maybe McGonagall had dismissed her? "I'm really sorry I caused so much worry...I didn't think it mattered so much."
"Of course it does, you are under our care, and we care about all our students, now after lunch we shall get you to Healer Chang to make sure your escapade hasn't caused any damage." Slughorn said pointedly, he wouldn't take no for an answer. "As for the comments you made in the Great Hall..." he added getting stern again.
Harry cringed waiting for it; he was so embarrassed he had lost control like that.
"You were right, this was a serious incident and it should never have been swept under the rug..." Slughorn stated. The teachers were wondering what they'd been thinking quite frankly at wishing to forget it happened so quickly, what occurred had been very serious business indeed. It shouldn't have taken the victim of the attack to make them realize this; needless to say they felt terrible.
"Hagrid isn't going to be expelled is he? I was just thinking maybe a oath or Vow not to bring in anything else might be enough," Harry said in a rush as if 'defending' Hagrid but really he was just hoping the oath or Vow idea might take root in his Potions Master.
He would rather not have a nest of Acromantula's at Hogwarts at all. There was enough in the Forbidden Forest without that too.
It wasn't enough to have Aragog but the idiot had to bring him a 'friend' so he didn't get 'lonely' honestly Hagrid was...a piece of work sometimes here he was thinking of the Dragon and how much trouble they got into helping him - unaware of the damn shenanigans he'd gotten into in the past werewolf cubs and Acromantulas what the hell had Dumbledore been thinking even contemplating the idea of letting him near children? Oh yes, he didn't really give a shit.
"No, no he isn't being expelled," Slughorn said, gazing at Hadrian shrewdly, oh he knew there was more to each of his Slytherin's than they displayed, they easily forgot he was a Slytherin himself.
He knew how they thought and acted, he himself had once upon a time, still did every now and again. Nonetheless the idea was a good one, and it was the least the Gryffindor could do considering he had almost murdered someone by sheer negligence, it was a good job it didn't happen when he was seventeen or the Auror's would have been called - and nothing would have saved him.
Hagrid was having detention with him though. "You do have detention with Professor Dumbledore for the way you spoke to him, just a week because of the circumstances leading to it, you were understandably upset," and because he had a point but he wasn't about to voice that thought.
He had argued about that and thankfully gotten his way. Quite frankly Albus' reaction was surprising and suspicious, he had no idea who Ariana was, but obviously Hadrian had hit quite a tough spot.
How he knew though was anyone's guess, since he didn't even know who this Ariana was, it wasn't a student, they'd became teachers at the same year so it wasn't a student before his time either. The way Albus was reacting to it now though didn't sit well with him, he could sense something brewing and he worried.
"Oh, okay," Harry replied, shrugging his shoulders in a helpless fashion for show. "What time?"
"Seven o'clock sharp," Slughorn said, "Now lets get back in, I don't know about you but I've built up quite an appetite this morning!"
"Yes sir," Harry said it was true he was rather hungry but that's only because he hadn't eaten since dinner yesterday.
"Oh, and Hadrian?" Slughorn said, putting his arm on Hadrian's shoulder, stopping him just shy of the doors. "If you ever need to speak to me, no matter what or why...you know you can come to me don't you? About anything or anyone."
"Thank you, professor," Harry said sincerely, giving him a small smile before wandering back in.
"Hey, Hadrian are you okay?" one of the younger Ravenclaw's asked followed by a lot more of them from various other Ravenclaw's basically just asking how he was, if he felt okay, whether he had recovered or not. "Hello, Professor," he said as Slughorn passed.
Slughorn merely replied in kind, "Enjoy your dinner, young Smith."
"I'm fine, thank you though," Harry flashed them a grin.
"Did you get my card and gift?" Myrtle asked, gazing at Hadrian in concern, the bite looked very inflamed.
"Um, actually everything is still back in the Hospital wing, I haven't even had a chance to open anything yet." Harry admitted sheepishly, "I'm sure I'll love it though, thanks!"
"You're welcome; I'll be in the library later if you want to join us?" Myrtle questioned.
"Actually I have detention for a week with Dumbledore, so I won't be able to join you at all this week," Harry admitted letting some of his bitterness bleed through.
"WHAT? Why? They can't just give you punishment for telling the truth!" Myrtle cried out in injustice, those around her all vehemently agreed with her, giving their own protests at the treatment.
"I may have told the truth but it's the way I said it I think," Harry shrugged, "I'm hungry so I'm going to head to my table, I'll talk to you guys later, alright?"
"Alright, I'll see you later," Myrtle said, not even attempting to hide her concern.
"Bye, Hadrian!" Goldstein chimed in.
"Cya!" Harry added waving as he quickly moved towards the Slytherin table before he could be spoken to again.
"He's just out of the hospital wing and he's serving detention?" Myrtle hissed in displeasure glancing up at the Head table.
"I know it's disgusting!" Steven Selwyn practically hollered his agreement.
Olive Hornby scowled into her food, as she ate it, ever since that boy had turned up her life had gone down the crapper. She used to be the most popular girl in her year, putting the ugly girls in their place, having the respect of her peers - who would do whatever she asked at the drop of a hat.
Then Hadrian Peverell had gone and screwed it all up, making them laugh at her! At her! She was a pureblood, it was she they should follow not a half blood like Warren.
She wasn't up to challenging her just yet, she'd quite literally gotten her ass handed to her, she'd learned a lot of spells from her brother, but she needed to know more so nothing like this could happen again. Would the desert come already? She wanted to get to her dorm, this was ridiculous, it was Hadrian this, Hadrian that.
The little piece of news Harry had let slip was rapidly making its way around the Great Hall like a bush fire, and the teachers could do nothing - say nothing - since the students weren't being very loud, if anything they were quieter than usual, in an uncommon show of unity all four houses were united in their belief for once - it wasn't fair what they were doing.
"Myrtle, do you know who Ariana is?" Goldstein asked since Myrtle was Hadrian's friend, and she may know.
"No, I can't find any references of an Ariana at Hogwarts either, it's strange," Myrtle answered, "I went back fifty years of Hogwarts school records."
"Why didn't you ask him?" Selwyn asked he wanted to know so badly.
"I didn't think about it," Myrtle frowned, "Quite frankly do you really want to know? Dumbledore looked ready to drop like a sack of potatoes, Hadrian's getting detention for mentioning her, whoever it is, its probably bad news and if you want to get on Dumbledore's bad side...keep digging, we'll lose a tone of house points same as he does to the Slytherins."
"But you're digging!" those surrounding her protested in sync.
"I know," Myrtle grinned giving that evil cackle that raised the hair on Harry's neck each time he heard it. She wanted to know, she was the ultimate Ravenclaw, the desire for knowledge burning within her. Rowena Ravenclaw would have been proud.
"What happened? What did Slughorn want?" Dorea Black asked curiously, from her side of the bench as she stared at Hadrian who had literally just sat down. Everyone was waiting for his answer, although admittedly half were trying to pretend they weren't listening at least.
"Oh, what I suspected would happen," Harry shrugged as he began to put food on his plate, his stomach rumbling hungrily at the aromas still wafting from the still hot food. Putting a lot of vegetable on his plate, especially potatoes.
Sighing in exasperation seeing everyone at his table blatantly waiting for an answer he replied, "I got detention for a week for the way I spoke to Dumbledore, and reprimanded for sitting in an unused classroom and leaving the hospital wing without permission."
Tom concealed a smirk behind his hand, proud of the way he lied so casually to everyone. Unused classroom indeed, the chamber was the best thing about the school, he was proud of it, and the lengths his ancestors had gone to in a bid to keep the chamber exactly what it was meant to be - a secret.
"I have to go back after dinner," Harry added disgruntled, he hated the hospital wing and he hoped that Healer Chang wasn't going to make him stay another night. "Did we get any homework the past two days that I was out?"
"I've put them on your bed," Tom answered him coolly, to say he'd been bored was putting it lightly, he missed the challenging between them in class.
It had made him think more heavily over Hadrian, that and of course the fact he'd felt so much seeing him lying there, he wasn't used to those emotions, but he was proud that he'd kept his wits together, it told him that he could do anything.
If it had been anyone else, absolutely anyone, he wouldn't have cared, just watched the commotion blankly with curiosity.
"Thanks, how many assignments though?" Harry asked, homework, something he hadn't missed when he left Hogwarts. He did it though, this was his fresh start after all, and he'd be damned if he screwed it up - unless he already had - but no, there was no way Dumbledore would risk anyone finding out about Ariana by making such a big deal out of it, and everyone had probably seen his reaction earlier and probably curious about it already.
"Two, Ancient Runes and Transfiguration," Tom replied, irony seeping into his last word.
Harry chuckled dryly, "Of course," was all he said in answer.
"I assume you informed Mr. Peverell of his detention?" Albus enquired of Horace expectantly.
"I did," Slughorn replied tensely, he was deeply unhappy with Albus' decision to go through with Hadrian's detention so soon after getting out of the Hospital Wing.
He should be taking it easy, it just wasn't like Albus, and he was worried too. Something was clearly going on; Hadrian knew something that was turning Albus who was usually quite happy and genial into a vindictive wizard.
He wasn't the only one to notice either, Septimus had been giving Albus odd looks too, an upon speaking to the Arithmancy teacher realized that they were on the same page thought wise - not really a good thing - he didn't want confirmation on what he was thinking.
Nothing about him had changed, not his voice, not his general countenance it was merely his actions that alluded to a vindictive side to Albus he'd never noticed before.
"Good," Albus said, his gaze turning to the boy, his insides quivering, he put his cutlery down unable to eat a single bite more. He wasn't even sure he wanted to see the boy much less serve his detention.
Ever since he'd uttered that word his entire world had come crashing down around him, he felt suspicious of everyone around him. Did the Slytherin's know? Did Horace know? Did the other houses know? Did his Gryffindors know? Did the teachers know? His greatest shame...his greatest sin and that boy knew...who else did?
He was quite literally terrified of everyone finding out. Gellert surely couldn't be that heartless to do this to him? There were only two people alive that knew, then he remembered his brothers words that he'd so callously spat at him
'You can hide it all you want, but sooner or later the truth will come out Albus!' Was he living up to that promise? Had he told people? "Actually Horace, would you mind taking his detention tonight?" he had to know for sure, if his brother had done this he would never forgive him.
And if he hadn't...then he would need to expose this boy as a spy, because surely it was the only possible way he knew such intimate details about his life.
"Very well," Horace sighed out in agreement, he already had Hagrid in detention so what was one more? Perhaps seeing what he had done would help Hagrid understand the ramifications of his actions.
He'd almost killed one of his Slytherins and that wasn't tolerated. One of his brightest Slytherins at that. The entire school was in outrage, the teachers had so far stopped four attacks that they'd seen on the half giant.
Notes:
okay there we go the Slytherin's are going the extra mile to ensure Hagrid gets whats coming to him without touching them himself lol would you like to see one of the attacks? will we see the fight between Albus and Aberforth?
Will the public find out about what Harry knows or will that happen once he graduates Hogwarts? if theres anything else you want to see remember to review about it - might be something I'm overlooking...which I have a feeling I am but I cant quite put my finger on it! will any of the Slytherins push their luck with Harry or will it only be Avery who needs a telling off?
Do you want to see his punishment for 'neglecting his duties and letting harry be hurt?' or will tom just punish him for something else or will we see Harry sticking up for him ending the animosity between them? or will that jealousy always be there? how do you want to see Tom ask Harry to the ball? demanding? expectantly :P or will we see Tom actually asking after one person too many asks? R&R please!