After all, the Black Kaiser had the power to tame the dark spirits within creatures of the night;
Including werewolves!
"Very well, old fool…let the games begin again!"
Chapter 16: The Dark Knighthood
Reaching Hogwarts, Hadrian was still in his darkened mind-set about the revelation concerning their newest Professor, but with the Brotherhood by his side, it seemed like he now had the allies and means to enjoy his time without needing to do much more than confront Mr Lupin about his place at Hogwarts.
Admittedly, the Slytherin King had to confess that it was a good move on Dumbledore's part: a good move, but a foolish one.
Bringing a blast from the past to Hogwarts at about the same time that Sirius Black escaped Azkaban to make sure Hadrian returned to the path of good: at the same time, Remus would incite a bit of trouble with Severus, which would lead to some old-time war wounds opening up for the Potions Master. Then, with a few choice words and maybe the odd meeting, Remus would probably try and turn Hadrian towards the way of the Gryffindors while making sure that the Slytherins lost their King.
Yeah, it was a good move, except for one little thing:
With Luna acting out in Ravenclaw, Neville and Hermione in Gryffindor and the majority of the Brotherhood in Slytherin, Hadrian had eyes and ears in ¾ of the school and allied forces in Severus as well as Hogwarts herself.
So while it was a good move, it was a foolish one because Hadrian would see the trouble coming before Dumbledore even had a chance to do anything to spark the fires of his plan.
Climbing out of the carriage when they reached Hogwarts, Hadrian took a moment to stop and, moving to the front of the carriage, he lifted his hand and gently patted at the leathery snout of a horse-like creature with spindly legs, an-almost skeletal body and leathery wings, his expression actually softening as he looked upon the creature.
"Such beauty," Hadrian whispered, earning a snicker from the equine creature, "And such a shame that one has to witness death to see your glory."
"Talking to yourself now, Potter?" asked the familiar human-foghorn voice of Ronald Weasley, earning a sigh from Hadrian while the Brotherhood, ever loyal to their King, moved to intercept the trouble while Ron added, "You know they say that's the first sign of madness, but then again, you are mental hanging around with Death Eaters and freaks!"
"And you are mentally-challenged for not being able to open a book, Weasel-bee," Draco replied, his own eyes able to see the creature that his King was whispering to as he explained, "Because then you'd know that Thestrals pull the carriages of Hogwarts and not the great magic people claim to have witnessed."
"Thestrals don't exist," Ron laughed, but Hadrian just turned, the Brotherhood now stepping aside like a well-trained military procession as the Slytherin King approached his local village idiot.
"Tell me, Mr Expert," Hadrian drawled, earning worrying looks from the group with the sarcastic barb in his tone, "Have you ever seen a Thestral?"
"No…"
"No!" Hadrian agreed, "Because to see them, one has to have witnessed death itself, but then again, from the rumours I heard on the way here, you may as well have seen death incarnate with those Dementors. Apparently, you were crying for Mummy and close to wetting yourself!"
"That's not true," Ron scowled, but the Brotherhood's laughter covered up his exclamation while Ron added, "Anyway, if anybody should have been shitting themselves, it'd be you, Potter: remembering the only event that nobody else could compare to. How'd it feel? Remembering Mummy and Daddy like you did?"
The laughter died down;
The Brotherhood's expressions turned to ice while Hadrian's eyes beetled with rage.
"Actually, Weasley," Hadrian growled, flexing his fingers as he felt the dark power within him rising up, his voice like ice as he hissed, "I didn't hear my parents when the Dementors approached and, do you know why? It's because some of us, unlike the cowardly retarded chickens that exist in certain parts of the school, had the foresight to look up the means to repel Dementors."
"No third-year can repel Dementors," laughed Ron, but again he was silenced as Hadrian drew his wand.
"Expecto Patronum!"
Unlike the Umbrios version of the spell, it wasn't a Basilisk that flew from Hadrian's hornbeam wand: instead, a glorious white Chinese-style dragon flew from the wand and coiled around Hadrian protectively, much to the awe of the assembled students.
"Sorry, Captain Obvious, but what were you lying?" asked Hadrian as the Patronus dissipated into nothingness, allowing the Slytherin King to move towards the door.
All the while, leaving Ronald Weasley without a leg to stand on…
Darkness Is My Ally
That night, following the Sorting Ceremony and the accompanying feast – with Lucien Drake being sorted into Ravenclaw, much to the group's surprise – Hadrian took his usual seat of power within the Slytherin Common Room while, next to him, it was now Tracey's turn to address the newcomers. Thankfully, unlike the previous year, the posture of the Slytherin King flanked by his Brotherhood seemed to be enough for the few new first-years to get the message.
Afterwards, Hadrian gave a command for Tracey to call someone to the main Common Room and, a few moments later, the Brotherhood disbanded to their respected dorms while Ellen and Stephen Rosier both appeared before him, the two of them bowing before the King while Hadrian let his head rest against his hand in a look of relaxed focus.
"Do you know why I summoned you here?" asked Hadrian.
"No, sire," Ellen replied, then aware of the trembles from her little brother as she felt the greater strength of the King before her.
"How about you, Stephen?"
"N-No, Highness," Stephen answered, his heart racing in his chest as memories of his warning from the King from last year passed through his mind.
"Then allow me to explain," Hadrian explained, indicating Ellen first as he told her, "You, Ellen, as I understand it, are about to leave Hogwarts at the end of this academic year, correct?"
"Yes sire."
"While you, Stephen, are now a second-year student, yes?"
"Y-Yes, Your Majesty."
"Then it seems that I am left with a dilemma," Hadrian remarked, using his free hand to pick a stray speck of dust from his trousers as he added, "Because last year, when you, Stephen, challenged my authority as the Slytherin King, it was only because your sister promised me that you would learn your place that I spared your life, do you remember this?"
"I have not and never shall forget, my lord," Stephen answered, his voice edged by fear as he knew that Hadrian's dilemma was centred around his sister's departure.
"But when your sister leaves," Hadrian continued, his voice like ice as he asked, "Tell me, my duplicitous, rebellious friend: what's to stop me killing you the next time you decide to raise the banner of rebellion against me?"
"Nothing," answered Stephen, feeling a hint of the King's dark power roll over him as he answered.
"Exactly," Hadrian answered, extending his free hand to Stephen and Ellen as he added, "And it is for this reason that I have summoned you both here: you see, Stephen, with me and the majority of the Brotherhood in our third-year, there are certain members of the Brotherhood whom could benefit from protections, but I can't be in two places at once. So I need an envoy…an emissary, if you will: one whom is willing to pledge themselves to me and to my Brotherhood to protect and guard my dear Ginny and my Luna-girl with their lives."
"And…where do I come into this, my lord?" asked Ellen, then aware of her brother lifting his head to the eyes of the King.
"I'm getting there," Hadrian answered, smirking with a hint of victory to him as he added, "As one of fiery spirit and true possessiveness, I have been keeping an eye on you, Mr Rosier, and I have no doubt in my mind that youwould make a fine bodyguard and study partner for my Ravenclaw friend and my Slytherin redeemed spirit-sister. All I ask is a full wizard's fealty vow of servitude to me and to the Brotherhood and not only will all be forgiven, but you will be free to call yourself one of my warriors: one of my Knights, if you will."
Stephen gasped with disbelief as he looked up to Hadrian, seeing the power of the King rolling off him in waves that had not been there before.
"What do you say?"
"El?" asked Stephen, looking to his sister, but Ellen shook her head as she indicated Hadrian.
"It's for him to decide now, Stevie," she answered, her voice trembling slightly as she added, "I do leave at the end of the year and therefore would not be able to protect you if you crossed him again. What he's offering you is not something he can give lightly: trust me, I know: I mean, I'm a higher year as are the likes of Bletchley, Flint, Carrow and Bole and none of us have been given this privilege. So choose your words carefully."
"Sound advice, Ellen," Hadrian replied curtly, looking back to the still-trembling younger Rosier as he asked, "Well Stephen, what will it be? Servitude and alliance to the Brotherhood or should I find the nearest funeral parlour and have you measured for a coffin?"
"No!" squeaked Stephen, before he cleared his throat and added, "I…I mean, no, my lord: there's no need to…to do that; as I said to you, I have not forgotten and never shall forget what happened to me because of my arrogance. My nights afterwards were plagued by nightmares and, when the House worshipped you last spring, I was one of those who went as far to prostrate myself before you. I saw that I was wrong to challenge you: you are the Slytherin King and…and I would be honoured to be considered worthy to join your ranks."
"Then go to your dorm and do not leave until I send for you," Hadrian commanded, earning a nod from Stephen while the King lifted his hand and beckoned to Ellen, "As for you, Heiress Rosier, come forwards."
Stephen left the Annexe for his dorm while Ellen approached, her eyes looking deep into the eyes of the King as she asked, "Y-yes, your Highness?"
"Though you are about to leave our ranks," Hadrian explained, "I do not want you to think that you are going to be free of my presence: for you see, I know that both your Mother and Father are named associates of Lord Voldemort and that your Father pleaded to being under the Imperius while your Mother was sent through the Veil, am I wrong?"
"No, my lord."
"So tell me," Hadrian continued, now folding his arms with an air of power that, in her three years, Ellen was not a stranger to, "When you leave our little band and join the ranks of the sheep and the fodder, what do you think would happen if, say, a certain someone whom many call You-Know-Who returns?"
Ellen's eyes were wide with terror, but she answered as honestly as she could as she explained, "I…I would i-imagine that my…my Father would try t-t-to return to Him and b-b-become one of his circle once again."
"And you?"
"I…I would probably be s-s-strong-armed into b-being a Death Eater and given to the m-male members for…enjoyment," Ellen swallowed hard at the very thought of it, but it was Hadrian's next question that silenced everything for her.
"What would you be willing to do to avoid that fate?"
The Slytherin seventh-year's eyes were like saucers as she saw Hadrian look upon her not with malice or command, but with an air of warmth and compassion that, as far as she was aware, was only ever saved for the Inner Circle of his Brotherhood: Blaise Zabini, Pansy Parkinson and Draco Malfoy.
On the other hand, while the question had knocked Ellen for six, she had to confess it to herself that she didn't have an answer for him and he must have seen it as he asked, "Well Ellen? What would you do to avoid such a fate?"
It was in that moment that Ellen Morticia Rosier felt like she had suddenly been enveloped by a dark light: a dark light that shone on her like a spotlight, filling her heart and soul with a darkness that she had never experienced, not even in her younger years when she had been subjected to curses and mental torments for her Father's pleasure in teaching her about the power of the dark.
Within this light, Ellen saw her brother, standing tall and proud, a warrior and a Dark Knight to the Slytherin King: she saw the enemies of her past and her future, including her pure-blood, feminist Father, begging for mercy and she saw her future as somebody more than practice for junior male Death Eaters and enjoyment for the elder ones.
Within this light of revelation, the Slytherin elder had her answer, "Anything."
"Would you be willing to step away from his path for this?"
"Yes."
"Would you obey and ensure the reign of the King?"
"Yes."
"Would you kill for it?"
"Yes."
"Would you die for the King?"
"Yes."
"And would you kill in his name?"
"Yes."
"In that case," Hadrian's voice seemed to cut through the darkness that had shrouded Ellen, the Slytherin girl's hazel-coloured almost edged by a sliver of emerald that seemed to slither through her like a serpentine parasite as his voice told her, "I will give you the means to escape this fate, but once my work is done, you will be mine! You shall join and serve my Brotherhood not as their practice nor their sensual slave, but as one of their number. Your enemies shall cower before you and your rewards shall be yours in their thousands: what say you?"
"Yes," Ellen replied, lowering herself to one knee before she felt a black, leather-like appendage grip her hand as she spoke, "I, Ellen Morticia Rosier, do hereby pledge my life, my magic and my fealty to the Brotherhood of Shadows and to its King, Hadrian James Potter. Forever do I pledge to do whatever he asks, to follow his creed and his ways through hell and back and make his enemies my own: my wand is his sword, my body is his shield: so I swear it, so mote it be!"
"So mote it be," Hadrian replied, feeling the magic of Acheron swarm around them as Ellen became the newest acolyte of the shadows: as she gasped in shock, feeling the dark power course through her veins, Hadrian retracted his gloved hand, the shadows changing him back into his more humane appearance as he told her, "Rise, my Dark Maiden, the shadows await you!"
"Yes, Your Majesty," Ellen replied, rising on command before she lifted her sleeve, expecting to see a symbol like the Dark Mark.
When all she saw was pale flesh, Hadrian allowed himself a smirk as he told her, "You are marked as mine, Ellen Rosier, but not like Voldemort: when you leave these walls, you will be my eyes and ears outside along with others whom you consider worthy to join my ranks. I have plans concerning that half-blooded pretender that cannot be halted by anyone: will you do whatever is necessary to ensure my victory?"
"I will, my King," Ellen replied, lowering her sleeve before she asked, "May I speak freely, sire?"
"Of course."
"Why did you ask my brother to leave if all you were going to do was anoint me as one of your Brotherhood?"
"Because he needs to see that what I'm about to do is, as a certain someone I know and loathe would preach, for the Greater Good."
"And what is that?" asked Ellen.
With a shark-like smile, Hadrian met her eyes before he answered, "I'm going to kill your Death Eater Father and, as your King, I am ordering you to assist me, Ellen."
There was a moment of silence from the Slytherin seventh-year before she lowered herself to one knee, her hand over her left breast as she addressed Hadrian's command:
"What is thy bidding, my Master?"
Darkness Is My Ally
After converting the Rosier siblings to his cause – though he kept the knowledge of Lord Rosier's soon-to-be execution between him and Ellen for now – Hadrian spent most of his time working on the next phase of his plan: getting to meet Remus Lupin without directing the conversation towards his apparent will-never-be return to the Gryffindor in him.
Thankfully, or maybe it was just coincidence, but one such opportunity presented itself in the first Defence lesson that Hadrian and the Brotherhood had with Remus. As Hadrian had guessed, the Defence lesson was also with the Gryffindors, though the Slytherin King paid the crimson-decorated students very little attention, except for Neville and Hermione as the duo joined their brothers and sisters in arms.
At the same time, Hadrian saw a rather curious-looking glance sent in his direction from the mousy-haired Seamus Finnegan, the eyes of the Irish-born half-blood filled with a hint of wonder as he saw how close Hadrian was to his allied forces.
While the group waited for Remus to arrive, a part of the Slytherin King feeling a bit annoyed at how their professor kept them waiting, he leaned over to Tracey's desk before he indicated Finnegan as he addressed her, "How goes your work with him?"
"Ever since our first lesson back in our first year," Tracey explained, her voice low as she didn't want to attract attention from the others, "He's been attending study sessions with me outside of classes and he actually seems to like spending time with me despite my being a Slytherin. Last summer, before the end of term, he told me how he'd appreciate a chance to meet the one who convinced a Slytherin like me to work with a half-blood Gryffindor like him."
"So he wishes to meet me?"
"Yes Hadrian."
"Do you think he's worthy of my time?"
"Yes."
"Why?"
"He has a talent with Charms that not many of our group could equal, not even Drake," Tracey answered, earning a smirk from Hadrian as he thought how upset their newest third-year acolyte would be with this information.
"Anything else?"
"He thinks Weasley is annoying and actually helped Ginny adjust to her new life and name when Luna's Father adopted her last year," Tracey added, earning a smirk from Hadrian before she added, "He also has a strong affinity with Potions prep work that he says comes from months of studying Muggle Chemistry or something like that."
"I see," Hadrian muttered, his train of thought slowed down slightly as the door opened and Remus walked in; with a look of disbelief at the man's careless attitude for his students' educational needs, Hadrian returned his attention to Tracey as he told her, "Find out if he's had his Hogsmeade slip signed and tell him I want to meet with him on the first weekend at the end of the month."
"Yes Hadrian," answered Tracey as Remus informed the students that their lesson would be a practical one; leading them out of the usual Defence classroom, Remus took them down the corridor to what looked like the staffroom and, when they entered, the students were surprised to see a large wardrobe there that trembled threateningly.
"Does anyone want to take a guess at what's in there?" asked Remus once everyone was assembled.
"That's a Boggart," answered Theo, earning a nod from Remus while Hadrian raised an eyebrow questioningly.
"Does anyone want to tell me what a Boggart looks like?"
"Nobody knows," Hadrian answered simply, "Boggarts are shape-shifters that take on the form of what frightens a person most: they usually dwell in thick forests like the Black Forest or the depths of the Amazon, waiting to spring out on unsuspecting travellers. They're also used in curse materials for tomb protections and even as traps for treasure chambers."
"Interesting explanation, Mr Potter," Remus replied, but Hadrian didn't react, "Ten points to Slytherin: that's five to Mr Nott and five to Mr Potter; now, for an added ten, can anyone tell me what the counter spell is to repel a Boggart?"
"Riddikulus," answered Neville, earning Gryffindor the ten points as he added, "But a Boggart can only be repelled: there have been attempts to destroy them, but they've all been put down as Dark Magic because they involve Blood and Soul magic."
"An extra five points for that answer, Mr Longbottom," Remus remarked, a little impressed by the knowledge of this small gathering, but he was more surprised by the careless, even callous attitude of the boy he'd once called his cub. Even worse, Severus had warned him that he was to address the boy as Hadrian or Mr Potter and not as Harry.
Slytherin, Remus could accept;
Head of his own little gang of friends and allies, he could understand;
But this noble, cold attitude that would make Voldemort look as threatening as a pussy-cat: it frightened Remus to think of what his cub had gone through.
"Now," Remus continued, "If you'd all form a line, I'd like to see how you do with the Riddikulus Jinx: rest assured that I will be here at all times in case of extreme fear or submission before what you will see, but kindly remember that what the Boggart represents is merely an illusion: it cannot physically harm you."
"No, it can just make sure you don't sleep for a week," muttered Hadrian, earning a few sniggers from the Brotherhood as they fell into line; watching the group go, Hadrian was amused to see that Weasley's biggest fear was spiders and, when he hesitated, it had taken Lupin reminding him that he needed his wand at the ready before Weasley had made the spider roller-skate across the floor…very badly.
Parvati Patil's greatest fear seemed to be a snake, but when she cast the spell, it changed into a jack-in-the-box before she moved on, allowing the first of the Brotherhood members to appear: Hermione.
The jack-in-the-box seemed to take a long time to decide before it finally shifted and changed into a figure that had many of the students screaming, but Hadrian didn't know whether to be angry or just plain amused with what he saw.
It looked like some sort of cross between a scorpion and a wyvern: a triangular-shaped head with mandibles for jaws and eyes that were as black as night was connected to a body that was egg-shaped and covered in black scales with a ridged, almost skeletal underbelly, a pair of leathery wings unfurling from the spine. Six spindly legs hung from the creature's lower body as well as a scorpion's tail with three prongs that clicked together loudly, ready to strike.
While the class screamed, Weasley fainting while McLaggen made a remark about what the bloody hell that thing was, Hadrian took his chance and stepped forwards, linking his hand with Hermione's and causing her to look at him.
"With me, you will never be threatened by them," he told her, indicating the creature in front of them, "Change it and make it tame."
Hermione nodded before she lifted her wand and, with Hadrian's company empowering her, she commanded, "Riddikulus!"
The creature, which members of the Brotherhood knew to be the menacing, ancient dark creature known as the Mara, gave a loud shriek before it changed into a small black kitten that rolled onto its back playfully staring up at them with loving eyes.
"Good girl," Hadrian remarked, stepping in front of Hermione while the kitten looked up at him.
A feeling of intense cold seemed to pass through the room as the class waited before, at long last, the Boggart changed and, for the first time, it split itself in two: one part of it became a tall man with dark hair and dark-coloured eyes behind wire-frame spectacles and dressed in Gryffindor robes. The other became a red-haired, green-eyed woman also dressed in robes and looking at Hadrian with tears of sadness before a voice broke from the Boggart.
"You failed us, Harry," Boggart-Lily-Potter told the still, unmoving form of her real life counterpart's son, "It's your fault we're dead: if only you had died, then all would have been well."
"And you now disgrace us," added Boggart-James-Potter, "You ally yourself with Slytherins, break bread and share rooms with our murderer's offspring and you actually call yourself their leader: you were never worthy to be our son. We're glad we're dead."
"Excuse me?" asked Hadrian, almost laughing with the incredulous inability of it all, "But is this really the best you can do? My greatest fear is a dead woman and an imbecilic prankster of a dead man? Well, you know what? This really is Riddikulus!"
The spell struck the Boggart pair so hard that it reunited them into a single form: a green-robed form with white hair and dark eyes that smiled fondly before he bowed to Hadrian and vanished with a pop, his essence returning to the cupboard as Hadrian turned before he asked, "End of the lesson then?"
When Remus dismissed the class, Hadrian told the Brotherhood to wait for him outside before he slammed the door, locking it in the process and, turning to face his professor, he asked, "So tell me, who's idea was it to jinx the Boggart to change into them?"
"Hadrian," Remus sighed, looking to the spot where the ghosts of his best friends had been, "I promise you…I had no idea of what it would turn into."
"Bullshit!" snapped Hadrian, using his magic to release the Boggart once more, but this time, it changed into a full moon, which had Remus cowering before the glow it gave off. "Let's see how you like it: to be used by fear and darkness because a senile old fool can't take a hint!"
"Hadrian…" grumbled Remus, his voice garbled by a bestial growl as he pleaded, "Please…we can talk…I'm not your enemy…"
"No," Hadrian agreed, "You're just here because Dumbledore wants you here: he wants a weakling for a Gryffindor rather than the King that I have become! Well I'm sorry, Remus Lupin, but I refuse to let him win: and any ally of Dumbledore's is not my ally, so you can cower here like the mewling quim of a puppy that you are, Lycanthrope, because I am not going back to the weakling Harry Potter! I am Hadrian James Acheron Potter-Black and I amwhat I want to be: powerful! Stand in my way and you're digging your own grave!"
With that, Hadrian released a small piece of his bloodlust, frightening the Boggart back into the closet before he turned and made for the door, pausing only once to stop and turn his head to Remus, his eyes shining with black malice.
"Tell anyone, especially Dumblefucker, about this and you will beg for death!"
Then, while Remus felt his wolf side retreat back into the skin of the man, Hadrian left the room, his dark essence being felt by Remus no matter how far away he got.