Their return to the common room was quiet, which was nothing unusual, Tom never really spoke unless he had something worth talking about. Rabastian was already immersed in the book Hadrian had written. Hadrian had absently opened all his gifts he'd received from the others. Mostly advanced books, they knew him well enough to know that the Hogwarts curriculum wasn't challenging enough. They also knew he woke up early to practice magic, or as he called it training. Tom had taken to accompanying him and watching silently or reading, he already knew what Hadrian was up to after all he had admitted it. He made sure to thank those he saw for the gifts he'd received. Especially the big box of sweets from the three Black girls, there was absolutely everything in there, even sweets he didn't like. The largest selection was definitely the Honeydukes finest chocolate, all flavours.
They were definitely surprised when the door opened and their Head of House, Professor Slughorn walked in. He had a large box floating behind him. "Good morning, I hope you're all having a wonderful Christmas," he beamed at them, greeting them happily.
"Morning professor," they chorused together, some adding, "Happy Christmas," as well.
"Does he do that every year?" Hadrian whispered to Rabastian who had curiously looked up from his book, he was sitting on a chair next to the couch where he and Tom sat, the roaring fire keeping away the cold winter chill.
"Yeah, without fail, he doesn't stay long though," Rabastian answered, marking his page in the book seen as he wasn't going to be reading it any time soon.
"Ah," was the only answer Hadrian gave in confirmation of understanding Rabastian. He'd known Slughorn cared; it was shown in everything he did, while he did have preferences nobody was completely left out. Never in his six years at Hogwarts had his Head of House came to the common room and wished them all a Happy Christmas. Don't get him wrong he didn't particularly hate Minerva McGonagall he just believed she didn't make a good caretaker for children. She'd ignored him so many times, one time about the stone then she wouldn't let him tell her about the Blood Quill Umbridge used on him.
"Mr. Peverell, it seems you've got quite a fan base," Slughorn commented as he handed Hadrian the large green box.
"What?" Hadrian managed to squeak out, his green eyes astonishingly wide. Accepting the box with a dumbfounded look on his face. His heartbeat shooting through the roof, this was the last thing he wanted…but he calmed marginally, they might not be fans per se, they might actually be filled with ridicule. "I thought…why didn't they write to the publishing company?" why had he not just written it under a false name? He just hadn't thought at all.
Tom just sniggered under his breath, black eyes gleaming with amusement.
"You might want to get a publicists, I have many that I could recommend to you, should you wish to proceed," Slughorn assured him, "They are the best in their fields, they will be able to go through all this for you and send out the appropriate responds, replying to even some fans will make them more appreciative and in the long run help you aspire your goals."
"Um…I have no desire to be famous…" Hadrian muttered, seeing the look of disbelief on Slughorn's face he added, "Having people taking pictures of me, intruding in my life and thinking they have a right to run it…isn't what I want."
"Ah, but there are always much greater benefits," Slughorn chortled, but his eyes were filled with understanding.
"The benefits don't outweigh the negatives." Hadrian commented honestly.
"Ah, but you must remember that with you being the first male heir of the Peverell line in a really long time, especially considering they thought the line had died out, you will be quite the celebrity in elite circles." Slughorn pointed out honestly, best prepare him for that at the very least. "Now, would you do me a great honour and signing my book?" he asked bringing out a copy of Hadrian's book and a self inking quill.
"Oh, you aren't kidding are you?" Hadrian said, taking the book, considering all the professor had done for him and Tom, getting them out of the Muggle world early, it was the least he could do he supposed. Feeling very self conscious but refusing to show any sign of it, he signed the book H. Peverell. Mentally reciting to himself that he wasn't Lockhart. "Anyway, there's no saying whether these are all good letters…"
"The cursed ones have been removed and sent to the Auror department." Slughorn reassured him as he accepted back his book and quill, putting them away in his cloak pocket once again.
"Wait…the mail gets screened?" Hadrian asked feeling a little indignant; he'd thought that was an invasion of privacy when Umbridge had done it.
"Cursed mail gets redirected, Hadrian, not read," Slughorn informed him solemnly, "It's much too dangerous to allow just everything through, especially in a school filled with children. They are always informed of any threats to their lives and every measure is taken to safeguard everyone. Many enemies had a tendency to target the children of the elite pureblood's they're in conflict with."
"Well that makes sense, so I've got someone wanting to kill me?" Hadrian enquired, nothing in his tone indicated he was even slightly scared.
Slughorn was taken aback by his demeanour, he looked as if he was just suggesting the weather could get worse, not that someone had potentially tried to kill him and he wasn't sure how to respond to that for a good few seconds. He did however, notice that Tom had gone completely stiff his eyes gleaming darkly, and he cared about Hadrian deeply apparently. "The curses haven't been identified yet, and since its Christmas day, I think it will be a few days before I hear back from them."
"They won't contact me directly?" Hadrian enquired casually. Surprised the school wasn't dealing with it themselves, it was the way it had been in his time, it was as if Hogwarts had been a law onto itself.
"Every Slytherin here at Hogwarts is under my care, including yourself; until you are eighteen years old you'll be considered my ward while you are within the castle grounds." Slughorn explained, thinking Hadrian didn't know everything yet, but surrounded by Slytherin's there was little doubt he would be caught up to speed.
"I understand," Hadrian replied nodding his head in thanks, deciding against informing Slughorn of his Lordship status, he frankly didn't want it to get around the school, Dumbledore mostly. "Although I'm surprised you aren't asking Professor Merrythought to identify them."
"Oh dear me, no, that is a job for the Auror's dear boy," Slughorn waved away his question still smiling. "You shouldn't worry yourself about it; I'm sure it's nothing too serious."
Hadrian nodded once in agreement, it seemed to him as if Hogwarts and the Ministry worked in sync together instead of being at odds all the time. The longer he was here and the more he noticed the greater his fury was at the way the magical world had developed - if such a thing could be coined development since it really wasn't. He couldn't blame Dumbledore for everything, but it was getting more and more difficult not to, because it all seemed to revolve around him. Tom did his share of fucking up the magical world, but hopefully not this time around.
"Are you all caught up on your homework?" he asked the others, gazing around the room critically.
A chorus of 'Yes Sir' went around the room.
Slughorn nodded as if he'd expected that answer, "If you need help, you know my door is always open." he informed them, as he did regularly, mostly so the first and second years so they knew he was available and he would help them in any way he could.
'Thank you professor' a smattering of first years said, knowing it was aimed at them due to the fact the professor was actually looking at them while he spoke.
Hadrian dumped the box and its contents on the floor at his feet, scratching his chin thoughtfully, honestly unsure of what to do. He'd never had fan mail, never in all his years…which was oddly suspicious when one thought about it, after all he'd been revered from the moment the curse rebounded on Voldemort. Surely he would have been overwhelmed with mail? He had never thought much of it at all. It was actually really disturbing, he was so lost in thought that he didn't even hear the rest of the conversation they had with Professor Slughorn before he left.
"Are you alright?" Tom enquired, regarding Hadrian shrewdly. He looked stunned, but not for the reason in front of him, obviously something from the past (his future but Hadrian's past) had bothered him. He had learned to recognize when he was thinking of things that had happened to him. He'd had no other choice but to after all, since Hadrian had mental walls he didn't penetrate out of respect and well the more obvious reason that Hadrian would feel him reading his mind.
"Yeah, yeah, I'm fine," Hadrian muttered shaking off the remnants of his thoughts, that wasn't his life anymore. He had a new one, which was much simpler even if the classes weren't all that good.
"Come with me," Tom said, smoothly getting up, as always making the statement seem like a demand, but when it came to the others he didn't even bother with the pretence and just told them to follow him and expected them to knowing they never would without consequence. Not that they thought about it they clung to his every word he thought with smug satisfaction. Unfortunately for him Hadrian wasn't willing to play along, he was still standing alone by the time he got to the stairways to the dorm, and he paused and gave Hadrian a single look, a tiny bit of amusement in his eyes at the simple challenge that was Hadrian.
The others just gazed at Hadrian now, no longer feeling the need to get dramatic over their relationship. Hadrian was never going to just roll over and play the game Tom obviously wanted him to. It was good in a way, it would help calm Tom down and give him something to care about - and he did a great deal they could all see it. Many still felt envious of the powerful couple, the heir of Slytherin with the last Peverell heir, one hell of a power couple.
"Oh, alright," Hadrian grumbled, standing up, he flicked his wand and the pile of presents he'd just opened flew into the box of letters. Picking the one box up, he made his way over to Tom, and walked up the stairs with him, absolutely not following him. He didn't want to talk about his past, hopefully Tom wouldn't push but he always did when it came to finding out more he thought sardonically to himself.
Hadrian put the box on his bed, taking out his gifts, the book Myrtle had given him already safe within his trunk not risking it for anything. The sweets, books, vouchers and everything else he'd gotten were put in his trunk too; he did nab a chocolate frog from his box of chocolates and sat himself down on his bed, gazing at the box silently willing it to go on fire. It didn't of course.
"I want us to do this ritual," Tom said, for once his voice wasn't as assured or confident as it normally always would be.
Hadrian froze, gazing at the book his heart pounding again, he let out a shaky breath when he observed that it couldn't be the book about Horcruxes. It was not the right colour or size of the book they'd found in Dumbledore's office. Glancing at Tom's face, Hadrian saw that he was completely inscrutable; he was literally giving nothing away.
Opening the book at the bookmarked page, his eyes grew wide again for the second time in less than an hour. Bonding? This was a book on bonding! Basically marriage, what the hell! Had the Horcruxes truly done a number on Tom that he just lost all sense of himself completely?
'No, it was always there, he closed that part of himself away to do what he needed, your presence here has altered his perception, he knows he doesn't need to do it alone - that he can have someone at his side without judgement of being weak, as seen as human,' Death revealed, his presence as always a surprise to Hadrian as he effortlessly penetrated his mental shields and wrapped his mind to prevent anyone eavesdropping on their conversation. He knew he had to give Hadrian an insight to what Tom felt and thought, since the wizard wouldn't do so. Not out of vanity but rather he'd never had another person in the world to share his thoughts with - none that he had let in at any rate.
'Even towards the end?' Hadrian asked his heart in his throat. Tom couldn't have found out about him, it was literally impossible…so he actually did just want to bond with him it was quite a shock to the system.
'Especially towards the end, he realized he wouldn't come out of this intact, especially when he realized the Horcruxes were being destroyed. But he was too proud to back down, it was his life's work,' Death explained.
'Way to humanize him,' Hadrian thought, but hadn't that been why Dumbledore showed him all those memories? Then again he could have totally misinterpreted his lessons; it wouldn't be the first time. Dumbledore as much as he tried couldn't control what Hadrian thought. He tried, tried to stop Hadrian seeing the sameness between Tom and Hadrian insisting choices was what made them truly different. Dumbledore had probably just tried to make him see that Tom was always destined down the road he'd taken. Even at the age of eleven Dumbledore had totally distrusted Tom and never gave him a single chance. Admittedly he had been wrong to hurt those Muggles, but he'd never had a chance to learn right from wrong or alternative ways to deal with his anger with Dumbledore branding him as the next Dark Lord in the making.
'I am merely answering your question; there is always more than one facet to a human being. Even one as damaged as Tom Riddle became. It's very easy to look at someone and make judgements about them, their present and their past. But you'd be amazed at the pain and tears a single glare or smile hides. What a person shows to the world is but one facet of the iceberg hidden from sight. More often than not, it is lined with cracks and scars that go all the way down to the foundation of their souls' Death said profoundly. 'You might want to answer him,' he added sounding deeply amused before he departed, despite not being able to communicate with Hadrian he could see everything, nothing was closed to Death himself.
"You seriously want to bond with me?" Hadrian blurted out, his eyes never wavering from Tom's who was like a human statue he was so still he could barely see even his chest rising and falling.
"Yes," Tom replied curtly, feeling as though he was being made a fool off. "Would you answer me?" having to bit his tongue from saying the horrifically disgusting word 'please' he wasn't that desperate - or so he tried to convince himself.
Hadrian shook his head upon realising they couldn't, there were so many reasons why they shouldn't - not yet. "We can't…"
"Why not?" Tom demanded coldness settling in, he hadn't been sure that he knew Hadrian's response but he'd let himself hope like an utter fool.
"If we did this before you took up your lordship you'd still be known as…" Hadrian grumbled having to say it, "Lord Peverells consort." grimacing in distaste. "As soon as the bond takes…which by the way doesn't require consummation as you'd believe…it just reaffirms it, it still goes by the date we actually agreed to the terms. I know it isn't something you'd want."
"Lordship or heir ship?" Tom unconsciously relaxed and became critical, sitting down on his own bed; it wasn't a no so surely Hadrian wouldn't go through all this to just tell him no in future?
"I don't know, I never really paid all that much attention to the rules and regulations of pureblood society, I had much more pressing concerns when I did join the magical world." Hadrian revealed honestly, "I just know bonding to someone who is a Lord already would completely nullify any house the other person belonged to. Its why the wizards are always at least a year or so older than the witches they marry but usually its only qualified to witches that marry wizards…I'm sort of assuming it would work the same way if we did bond." that and he would also have to reveal absolutely everything to Tom if they did bond, because once they were there was no going back, he would immortal, not that it would bother Tom of course, since that was one of his main goals, or would be at any rate. Hadrian didn't want to risk Tom wanting to do it which was why he'd never mentioned being MOD to him. He'd never thought he would want to tell anyone, or that he'd get the opportunity to. He cared a lot about Tom, the good and the bad, but could he really tell him everything? He'd already revealed pretty much everything, just omitted a few details really. Would Tom see it like that though?
Tom quickly realized he would need to read up about this, if it was true he would need to deal with his uncle much sooner than he wanted to. Tom stood up, "You coming?" Tom enquired.
"Going to the library are you?" Hadrian said, glancing up at Tom, his green eyes glimmering with amusement.
"Yes," Tom stated, slightly disgruntled that Hadrian knew him so well, yet another part of him was glad for it - a very small part that he rarely acknowledged.
"Ah, what the hell? It's better than reading through these," Hadrian said glancing at the box briefly before joining Tom. He felt a tingle going up his spine, something was going to happen very soon, he could feel it he just had no idea what.