Chapter 39
"Here, you both missed lunch," Carrow said, speaking for the group, as he put two plates on the table having been hiding it from the librarian, Selnick wasn't too bad when it came to being strict, but food was obviously the number one rule in the library that he stuck to.
Hadrian glanced at the clock blinking in surprise, they'd actually been in here for over five hours, bloody hell, and he'd never spent such a long time in the library before. "Thanks," he murmured gratefully, biting into the sandwich they'd brought him, cheese, ham and pickle, it was one of his favourites.
Damn Slytherin's weren't half observant, even his so called best friends hadn't known his favourite foods, just Dobby. "What have you guys been up to?" he asked after swallowing his bite, quite quickly to take another, he really was hungry.
"Nothing much, just went for a fly," Lestrange said as he took a seat, the others followed, Nott, Carrow and Dolohov. "You really should have given Quidditch a try; you're bloody brilliant on a broom!"
"I love flying, Quidditch I can do without," Hadrian shook his head, who would have thought he'd ever say those words? Quidditch he could do without? His eleven year old self would have screamed at him for his 'blasphemy' no doubt.
He'd been proud of the fact he was the youngest seeker of the century, still proud but it was nothing he could talk about without people here thinking he was lying through his teeth. He didn't have the urge to play here, he wasn't burdened with fame and people loving or hating him at the drop of a hat.
Another reason he'd rarely gone flying, well that and the brooms sucked, he was used to flying a damn Nimbus and Firebolt for Merlin's sake, those old school brooms were pathetic next to them.
"Never!" Lestrange said vehemently, "Quidditch is the best."
"Hardly," Tom stated. It was a foolish waste of time, flying around on a broom after a snitch or hitting Bludgers.
And that was it, another word wasn't said on the subject much to Hadrian's amusement, he watched them with twinkling green eyes. He never got bored with the hold Tom seemed to have over the others, his word was law with them and that was it.
Hadrian's gaze shifted to Tom's, staring at him pensively, wondering what it was that held three generation of wizards and witches enchanted with him, it wasn't his looks, since by his time he didn't have the looks to enchant others into following him. Was he truly that powerful? Or was it the hold he had being Salazar Slytherin's heir?
Part of it he suspected was how far the magical world had declined, when Dumbledore took up the unofficial throne and changed so many laws and made a branch of magic almost extinct as if the devil itself was imbued in it. Hell it could be a combination of all of them that he thought could be the reason.
The loud clearing of a throat had Hadrian blinking and coming back to the current conversation going on around him, which sounded to Hadrian a little bit too forced as if they were trying to pretending not to know what was happening.
Far from being annoyed, Tom was sitting there smugly, honestly Hadrian half expected him to start prancing around like a proud peacock. Hadrian just rolled his eyes, of course Tom thought everything was about him but in this case it might be true but he wasn't going to admit it - that would just make him even smugger although he didn't think it was possible.
Hadrian stretched out languidly; he'd been in the same position for hours, "Is there anyone out in the pitch right now?"
"It's Christmas, there's no schedule," Carrow said, watching Hadrian put a bookmark in the book he was reading and swipe it closed.
"That didn't answer my question," Hadrian pointed out, picking out two other books he wanted to take with him.
"I don't know there obviously wasn't when we left," Carrow said shrugging his shoulders, "Why?"
"Just curious," Hadrian replied, "I was thinking of going flying for an hour or so later."
"You said the brooms suck," Lestrange said blinking in surprise. They'd been trying to get him to go out for a game of Quidditch for how long? And all of a sudden he wanted to go flying? Would he ever understand Hadrian?
"Well, there is that," Hadrian grumbled, "Honestly, I can't wait for the day they make a decent racing broom."
"Why don't you just fly yourself?" Tom pointed out.
Hadrian's jaw dropped, "Don't tell me you can do that already!" Hadrian couldn't help the whine in his voice, he really couldn't, and thankfully it wasn't too full on.
Tom just smirked at him, his dark eyes gleaming with satisfaction and self pride.
"Wait, you can fly too?" Dolohov asked his question aimed at Hadrian not Tom.
"I've done it once." Hadrian said slowly, but not in this body, and not alone, he thought to himself. "I've never actually tried to do it again though, and when I did do it, it was sort of in an emergency, my magic reacted I doubt I'd be able to do it again without training myself first."
Tom bit his tongue to stop himself from asking questions that would surely raise a lot of eyebrows. He was curious when Hadrian actually had learned, he had a feeling it was older than they were right now, probably a lot older and Hadrian had obviously had trouble with it judging by the fact he couldn't believe Tom had been able to do it so soon.
It was curious that Hadrian had the ability to do what he did pretty much, but he couldn't fly? Interesting, indeed.
"I've read those books; do you need information on them?" Dolohov enquired, reading the titles upside down.
"We've all read them," Carrow said amused, they were forced to memorise all books pertaining to pureblood society, so they were never unprepared for anything.
Including etiquette, laws and rules of elite society, it was by far the most boring stuff, but their parents always insisted it would be used later in life and if they wanted to be heirs they would be required to be able to recall this information at the drop of a hat.
"It's drier than mummies dust." Hadrian added, "I have no idea how you managed to remember any of it."
"It's important, especially when we come the heir, you really should have read it before you became Lord Peverell," Dolohov.
Hadrian narrowed his eyes, sharply looking around and giving Dolohov a 'shut the fuck up' look, he didn't want anyone knowing about his status.
He'd rather it not get back to Dumbledore; he was annoying as hell as it was, without him knowing more about him. "I'd rather the entire school didn't know in time for dinner," he stated, his annoyance obvious.
Just then Rosier came jogging over, panting heavily, extremely out of breath. "Uh, can you come down to the common room that Taipan is freaking out the first and second years, it keeps slithering all over the common room."
"I thought you all liked snakes?" Hadrian asked innocently, and he pulled it off quite spectacularly.
"Not poisonous ones," Rosier squeaked, clutching his ribs as he tried to regain his breath.
"Alright, I'm coming," Hadrian shrugged, his lips twitching at the relief lit all over his face. "Just give me a few minutes." with that he took his three books over to the desk for the librarian to check out for him.
The librarian gave him a smile, used to Hadrian and Tom being in the library quite often, although usually not for five hours straight. As soon as he had his books, he was about to walk out, only for Tom to jerk him back by the back of his cloak. Hadrian just huffed quietly and waited, used to Tom's ways by now.
Ten minutes later they were speaking the password to Slytherin Common room.
"Alright you, stop terrorising everyone," Hadrian hissed, hiding his amusement from the snake.
"They smell of fear, stupid humans," the Taipan snake hissed back, sliding across the room to get to Hadrian, slowly winding itself around his leg and further up. The sighs of relief from the students caused another burst of hilarity at the situation.
"They fear you, you have an extremely potent poison in your fangs that can kill us, and they'll always fear you." Hadrian explained.
"You don't," the Snake said, sounding petulant.
"No, but me and Tom have a distinctive advantage," Hadrian said wryly, shaking his head, unaware of everyone silently watching him converse with the snake with reverence.
Tom didn't speak very often, in fact in the past few days they'd heard it more than in all the years he'd been at Hogwarts. They were all envious too; Tom and Hadrian had everything, powers, looks and an ability that all Slytherin's would kill for.
"So stop terrorising everyone or I'll either put you in a tank or leave you in the forbidden forest to fend for yourself. If anyone and I mean anyone finds out you're here, a teacher, you'll be taken away to the Ministry and locked up and packed back to your own country." He added, not sure if it was true but he believed most of it was, the Ministry would take it, and the snake was a dangerous breed.
"Fine," the snake hissed, sulking as it wrapped itself around Hadrian's neck, hissing in content at the heat radiating from what he considered his human.
Hadrian laughed, shaking his head slowly; it wasn't half a temperamental thing. "You don't know anyone that would be able to tell me what age he is and whether he's healthy?" speaking to the group as he sat himself down, dumping the books on the table.
"Lord Jackson Yaxley will be able to help you," Rosier said, sitting down on his conjured seat.
"My healer?" Hadrian asked perplexed, "Isn't there someone more qualified like a vet?"
"He is a vet, he has more than one Mastery," Carrow explained.
"Your healer?" Tom asked his voice deceptively smooth.
"He is," Hadrian stated, "I wouldn't be here if it wasn't for him, he created the counter-curses for all the spells that Healer Chang couldn't remove. A natural healer, they're really rare."
"Not really," Dolohov shook his head, "There are five that I know of working in different departments in St. Mungo's. Lord Yaxley didn't go there because they are forbidden from taking on independent cases, and personally I don't think he likes people telling him what he can and can't do."
Hadrian just nodded idly, but Tom had understood, even natural healers were things of the past during Hadrian's life. What the hell had happened in the next six decades that caused such a decline in the magical world?
Natural healers are very well respected, and they could heal people, in ways that normal healers couldn't hope to achieve. "I wouldn't either! Who are they to decide what someone does in their own time? Not everyone can afford to go to St. Mungo's!"
"Why would that bother you? You're one of the richest Lord's with only a few in front of you." Nott replied quite frankly amused by his statement.
"Even if I explained you wouldn't understand, you've never had to go without," Hadrian replied coolly, "Never had to go without food, shelter, warmth, endured pain because nobody took you to a healer.
"If you did experience that even for a day you'd think differently about those who actually need a hospital but couldn't go because they have no money and no means to get it. How many wizards and witches have died because they couldn't get help from St. Mungo's? How many have suffered because of it? And it's not just Muggle-born's either! Its Pureblood's too."
Thaddeus' amusement faded fast; instead a solemn look replaced it. He had nothing he could say in turn to that statement. He'd never really thought about it before, where did they go if they couldn't afford St. Mungo's? Perhaps his father would be able to enlighten him.
"Surely there's somewhere for them to go," Carrow frowned.
"What to someone down Knockturn Alley who isn't qualified to transfigure a water goblet never mind try and diagnose someone? Or heal them?" Hadrian snorted wryly; then again he wasn't sure if the clinic was here in this time.
"That just makes it even worse, we're stuck in the nineteenth century, and as much as Muggles suck at least they've actually advanced passed using bloody ink and quills and oil lanterns and actually look after their own. We're backwards compared to them, and if we don't get out of it, we will remain this way even in the new millennium."
"Look after their own?" Dolohov scoffed, "They've made a war!"
"Oh and we're completely innocent are we?" Hadrian asked sarcastically, "Grindelwald is just a nuisance? Come on, don't start statements if you've not got anything at all to back it up it just makes you look stupid."
Dolohov's nostrils flared but he said nothing, just silently grinding his teeth.
"How would you go about making our world better?" Lestrange, causing Rosier to nod vehemently.
Hadrian shrugged, "Need a Minister that isn't scared of his own shadow, willing to do whatever it took, whether they were liked for it or not.
"Need to get the Wizengamot onside, they're the ones with the true power, considering most of them come from high up pureblood societies all you'd need to do is prove your lineage and standing, make sure they knew you were a force to be reckoned with.
"Get all the information you possibly can on them, so you would know how to play them. Play nice at first, but after a while of them treating you like a child, show your power, that way you'll have a good understanding of what they're really like when they're not sucking up to you." Hadrian's smirk was truly vindictive.
"Because guaranteed they'll be as condescending as hell thinking they know better, then just like that the tables are turned, everyone's always respected power, followed it, revered it even, there's always more than one powerful person in play, so it also helps by being recognized for your good deeds over political clout, they'll remember you that way."
"Such as?" it was Tom who spoke, his tone thoughtful.
"Playing on their sympathies has always worked, changing laws to better the lives of magical creatures is another way, playing the hero, people will want to vote for you, be your friend, or at the very least claim to be one. Giving out advice, being humble yet strong enough to stand your ground and not let them walk all over you." Hadrian said thoughtfully.
Kill a dark lord who is terrorising the magical world would also surely work he thought sardonically to himself. He wasn't sure how Tom had gone about it the first time, whether he'd done it the wrong way or if Dumbledore had just been too big an influence at that point.
He would soon find out if Tom could do it without Dumbledore or not, since Dumbledore was never going to get to spread his 'anti-dark' disease all over the magical world. Tom had just made it even easier for Dumbledore to spread how dangerous the Dark Arts were.
Thaddeus listened intently, watching the expression of Tom and Hadrian's face as one spoke the other listened. He'd always known Tom would go places when he left Hogwarts, he had so many ambitions, it also helped by surrounding himself with pureblood's who could help him achieve that greatness.
As he listened he realized it wasn't them that was going to help Tom go to the top now, it was Hadrian. He seemed to be able to read people, knew them, how to get a desired results out of something. "Was that why you rarely spoke until" Thaddeus paused, "Until Avery started?"
"It's easier to observe your surroundings when you blend into the background," Hadrian admitted, smirking.
"That's cute; you actually thought you ever blended into the background?" Carrow said in a teasing tone.
"Didn't I?" Hadrian blinked glancing at him in confusion.
"No," Carrow said laughing a little, "You were the talk of the castle the second you accidentally Apparated to Hogsmeade. That didn't change after you woke up, everyone was curious about you."
"Hmm," Hadrian muttered, stroking the snake around his neck disgruntled.
Notes:
There we go! the next chapter up for you, I meant to get Tom motivated but i guess it got sidetracked...Will Tom kill his uncle and his parental family and claim the fortune? or will he merely kill his uncle and father and make it look like they'd fought to death?
Getting the Riddle money in the process when he 'meet's' his grandparents who are bound to be really old by this point and considering who they are they will want someone to carry on their name...I'm truly stuck on that BUT his fathers death is going to happen it was implied earlier on in the story Death said Harry wouldnt be able to prevent it since some hate just runs too deep and Tom hates his father...R&R please