When Hadrian woke, it was to an unfamiliar space the first thing he noticed being; he was warm and in a bed, the second was that he felt safe, protected almost and though he knew what the feeling was like, it had been so long that he had went without it that it felt foreign.
Blinking his sleep away, he pulled the blanket away so that he could sit upright and get a better get a better grasp on what or where he was.
Trying to remember was like sifting through a haze but from what he did know was that his trauma at the hands of-
-well everything really that happened caused him to have a panic attack and he ran from his old friends.
Friends that were cold and clearly didn't like or want him there, not that they will have to worry he won't talk to them anymore and he will try to avoid them as much as possible because he knows if he had to face that again it would hurt more than he already has been.
Softly he felt movement shift next to him and he felt his body stiffen, his blood ran cold.
-I'm not at the Dursley's, I'm not at the Dursley's, I'm not at the Dursley's- He found himself repeating over and over in his head like a mantra trying to calm himself down so that he didn't have another panic attack.
Gaining some of whatever poor Griffindore courage he had left, he took it to glancing at whoever he shared the bed with.
What or should he say who was with him made his heart stop beating, it felt as though time had simply frozen in that moment and he was back in the past. It didn't prevent him from the cold shiver or the threatening tears that he tried and failed to hold back or the memories of a lifetime ago to resurface and so he ran out of there.
Funnily enough he found himself hiding in a dark corner of the library that had appeared untouched by any semblance of life at least that was what he gathered from thick layering of dust, wandlessly he cleaned everything there curling on his side on the comfortable arm chair with his back facing out so he didn't have to see anyone.
Tom was startled awake by the slamming of the door. He caught himself trying to feel for the young boy that was next to him but what he felt and saw when he looked was nothing sitting upright he realised that the boy had probably gotten frightened again and ran off.
"Bollocks" he said harshly to the quiet, casting a tempest to check the time to see that it was six in the morning.
Sighing he got up to cast a point me only for it his wand to spin in a circle before dropping.
Now what was he to do, frustratingly he rubbed his face harshly before changing and running out the door.
His first thought was to check the wards to make sure the boy hadn't left before gathering his friends to help search for the child.
Unfortunately after multiple hours they still hadn't found the boy and he was being to grow concerned and he wasn't the only one.
"It's like he's just vanished and we've checked everywhere" Corvus said lightly though his voice faulted a bit.
"Well the boy can't have left we would have felt the wards shift" Abraxas said softly leaning forward so his body was being supported by the wall.
"Has anyone checked the library?" Orion asked his voice coming out slightly strained.
"But it's warded to keep everyone out well except us, our children and our grandchildren" Abraxas informed them, looking up from the wall.
"What if the wards registered him as someone else?" Tom said feeling unsure of how to say what Nargini told him the day prior.
"But that's impossible Tom" said Corvus looking a little more confused from where he was seated.
"Nargini had said something yesterday about two people can look alike but there would always be something that set them apart to show they weren't the same but she also said that Mr. Potter didn't just look like our Hadrian but that his magic tasted the same" he explained to the room hearing a few intakes of air though he himself still felt unsure.
"So you're thinking that the wards aren't seeing the boy as Potter but as Black? You do realise that this sounds incredibly far-fetched but I understand that this is Hadrian we are talking about" Abraxas said and he saw everyone else nod their agreements.
Hadrian woke for the second time that day to the sound of voices, not wanting to look behind to see who it was he curled into himself more in an attempt to hide.
He knew the likelihood of anyone actually hurting him here was low but seeing the cold angry looks from two of his old friends had given him yesterday had frightened him enough to not want to chance a glance at anyone else he might have known.
"Hadrian are you in here?" He heard a familiar voice call out into the room 'Tom' he thought, his body falling stiff in the cold room.
"Tom, the child can't talk remember even if he's in here he might not be willing to show himself" came another familiar voice if he remembered correctly he was at the very back of the library behind a few bookcases in a dark corner that was once used as a sitting area.
"I know Orion but if he knows we are looking and that we mean no harm to him, then maybe the boy would come out willingly" Tom said sounding slightly hopeful though the sad sigh he heard the man breathing out made him wanting to turn to see if he could see what expression the man had but due to the bookcases he knew he would not be able to see him.
"Let's just start looking for the child he has to be in here it's the only place that hasn't been checked" Tom ordered to the room and he could hear more than a few foot falls sep in a few different directions. Hadrian could hear someone getting closer and he curled more into himself squeezing his eyes shut, he could feel his tight grip on his pants and a few tears threatened to fall.
"Tom I found him" he heard someone say but was unable to identify their voice with how loud his thoughts were.
He heard more than a few people come running towards them.
"Orion, Corvus and Abraxas I want you all to wait at the entrance, Lucius stay" Tom ordered and he heard the leave to the entrance.
"Mr. Potter are you awake" Lucius asked aloud and he nodded his head gently.
"May you please sit up so I can introduce you to the person who will be taking care of you" he said softly though he wondered what happened to Orion being his guardian but realised that his situation as Hadrian Potter was quite similar to Tom's past and realised that Tom might have felt the need to protect through the bond they have even if the man hadn't realised who he was.
He shifted himself into a seated position through he thought he still looked hunched.
"Thank you" he said "now this here is Lord Slytherin- Grunt or as most call him Tom Riddle he will be looking after you for the foreseeable future, due to your situation and any trauma you have experienced you will not be going to Hogwarts, do you understand" Lucius explained gently and he nodded, his gaze never leaving his lap.
"Hello, Mr. Potter you already know my name but for clarity it's Tom, I don't want to hear any Lord Slytherin- Grunt,Mr. Riddle or any yes sir got it" Tom said kneeling down so he was at his level and could see his face, Hadrian nodded showing his understanding but he never looked up not wanting to see his Tom upset with him.
"How about we go have breakfast" Tom said gently, and he felt the same cold chill go down his spine from earlier before he remembered that he limped his way into the library and his leg was throbbing something fierce.
Hadrian shook his head and tapped his leg.
"Where's your cane?" asked Lucius and he sounded worried, he shrugged hoping it showed he didn't know.
"Here" Tom said transfiguring a temporary cane, holding it out for him to grab but he hesitated to grab wondering if he could walk with it as his one wasn't normal and the fact his leg felt like it was on fire and the pain seemed to only be getting worse not that he show any outward emotion to it but walking might prove to be a harder task.
Slowly he grabbed the temporary cane, taking a deep breath than he stood thinking he should really be used to the physical side of pain but even after so long -am I sweating, bollocks I didn't think it would be this bad, I shouldn't have stood- he thought angrily to himself with shaky hands he moved towards the entrance ignoring the two watching him silently.