The others didn't leave until ten o'clock in the evening, which was for most part the curfew their parents had set for them with the obvious exception being Abraxas who was old enough to do what he liked. They'd stayed for Lunch and Dinner; it hadn't escaped Hadrian's notice that they didn't even glance sideways at his House-elves. Good, it meant they could take a telling and learning - it might rub off on them with a little luck.
"I'm going to go and have a shower," Hadrian murmured tiredly, stretching out and leaving the living room, not noticing Tom's lack of reply. He had been quiet but that was nothing new where he was concerned. He only spoke when there was something worth talking about, at least to the others. Tom was a bit more open with him but that was about it.
Aiden was right about one thing though, he thought as he ambled up the stairs; it was great living on your own without anyone telling you what to do. That's not to say he wouldn't have given up everything to be raised by his parents as a child. Unfortunately it just wasn't meant to be, still living here was better than being at the orphanage or even in the Leaky Cauldron which admittedly was better than the other alternative. A different version of himself, one that would be completely different would grow up with his parents, at least that's how he assumed it would work.
For so long Hogwarts had been the only 'home' he'd truly known, the only place he'd loved, but he had been such a child. This home he'd made with Tom encompassed all that, even the feelings of belonging he'd had once upon a time for Hogwarts. It went to show just how lacking and unfulfilling his life had been that he'd come so quickly attached to this place. His thoughts continued as he entered his bedroom, wandering through to the bathroom, their room was neat and tidy, something he and Tom ensured, the House-elves didn't get in here. Both of them were neat and orderly, Tom due to his obsessive compulsive disorder (which he would deny of course) and his ingrained need for everything to be perfect.
Hadrian put the shower on with a little bit of Wandless magic then began to undress. Shoving his thoughts aside, he didn't want to think about the past or anything like that, it hadn't happened, and never would. He was going to create a whole new world, one the magical world can say it was proud of. Considering how popular his book was, even in Pureblood circles, there was a sense of renewed hope. He was curious to know what changes it would bring and whether the so called 'pureblood's' could stand the though of letting their family lines become 'impure' as it were. It wouldn't be making them impure; it would be ensuring the survival of magic, and inevitably the family name.
Stepping into the shower, he sighed softly as the water washed over him, he was tired and he hadn't even done all that much today other than sitting around talking with his friends. There was nothing that needed done in the manor, everything had been bought already and had a place of pride in his new home and the money replenished in his vaults with all his various investments. His homework had been done, already packed away in his trunk; there was nothing he had to do other than just enjoy the rest of his summer holidays.
He would enjoy it while he could, he had a funny feeling Dumbledore would be on their ass a lot this year. Imagine trying to fucking interfere with their summer holidays it was unbelievable. Maybe he should speak to the Headmaster about it, he had no doubt Dippet had absolutely no idea that Dumbledore was going behind his back saying that he approved this or approved that. From the conversation he had with Dippet he had no doubt the wizard would be happy that he had somewhere safe and secure to stay away from the troubled Muggle world. Hell the wizard had told him blatantly to use magic if he ever felt that his life was in danger. He had looked apologetic when he told him that he just couldn't stay at Hogwarts. No doubt Dippet was used to having to turn people away and it obviously got to him. Hell Dippet had worked it so that Tom could actually stay during the summer before his last year, he cared.
He couldn't let Dumbledore become the Headmaster of Hogwarts; he just couldn't he thought as he scrubbed himself clean, the water washing it away just as quickly as it foamed up on his skin. Stepping back he lathed the shampoo into his hair, massaging it deep into his scalp he hadn't cut his hair once since appearing here, which meant it was getting long. Fortunately for him most men once they become the heir or the Lord stop cutting their hair so it wasn't something odd. Although Tom still did, his hair was always immaculate after he was done with it in the morning.
Stepping back under the hot spray, he rinsed out the shampoo before waving the shower off, grabbing his towel from outside the shower on a hook on the wall and wrapped it around himself. Glancing at Tom as he moved over to the drawers and removed something to wear for the night. "You alright?" he asked frowning at Tom, he was definitely acting out of sorts, usually you'd be hard pressed to get a book out of Tom's hand while he showered.
"Is there anything you've forgotten to tell me?" Tom asked, his head jerking up at the sound of Hadrian's voice. Despite the conversation, his black eyes couldn't help but gleam as he took in the sight of Hadrian bare before him, he was perfection at its greatest and nobody would convince him otherwise.
Hadrian's brow puckered as he stared at Tom strangely clad in only his boxer shorts, a t-shirt clasped loosely in one hand a towel in the other. Which he used to dry himself some more before throwing in the laundry basket, it promptly disappeared downstairs for washing. "I don't think so," Hadrian said sounding amused, before his face was hidden from view as he put on his t-shirt. "Why?" he asked curiously, walking over to the bed and sliding in, joining Tom under the covers.
"Nothing?" Tom echoed wryly. "Nothing at all?"
Hadrian just stared at him, waiting for Tom to stop playing around and say what was on his mind. Although he was at a loss of what he could mean to be entirely truthful.
"Like when you space out intermittedly?" Tom prompted.
Harry burst out laughing, shaking so hard clutching his stomach as he realized what this was about, "He didn't!" he managed to choke out before he was lost in hilarity again. "Oh man! I wish I had heard that!" he chortled out, Tom's unimpressed look didn't bother him the slightest.
"Yes, hilarious, I would have liked some warning," Tom stated slightly irritated that he couldn't remain angry; Hadrian's infectious laugh was just that infectious.
Hadrian's laughter eventually trailed off as the hilarity he was experiencing trailed off, leaving only amusement in its wake. "I didn't think you'd be able to talk to him, I mean really Tom, despite everything I've told you…what would you have said to me if I told you I could talk to death and you hadn't heard him?"
That made Tom pause, quite frankly he didn't know how he would have reacted; he wasn't given that chance or opportunity. Perhaps it was a good thing for he wasn't sure he would have believed Harry's claim that he could converse with Death himself despite his real trust in him. "I do not know," he admitted slowly.
"Exactly," Harry said seriously, squeezing Tom's leg as he continued, trying to reassure him. "Honestly I am surprised you can talk to him, its unexpected, this is all new to me too, it isn't like I've gone somewhere else and bonded to someone before," Tom grasped a hold of his arm and squeezed back, not liking the thought of Harry being bonded to another. Harry was his and it would remain that way for all time.
"So Death is male then?" Tom teased, changing the subject completely, not desiring to dwell on even the thought of Harry with another even abstractly.
"Death's voice sounds male, so I unconsciously think of him as male, but he's not male or female, Death just is, an entity that's been around since before the dawn on man. He doesn't like to be cheated out of his souls, but can respect people if they get the better of him. And before you ask, no he didn't respect your other self, he mutilated his soul beyond anything he's ever seen, Death couldn't help him, he was beyond anyone's help, stuck in limbo for all time." and yes Tom and Voldemort were two completely different people now. Tom wasn't going to mutilate his own soul, he had no need he was immortal…he'd already accomplished most of what he wanted.
"So you've never actually seen it?" Tom queried curiously. Perhaps the tale of the three brothers was more accurate than he could have predicted, sure he believed the three items but considering what Harry just said he believed it all to be an exact account of what had gone down. "Death is always a voice?"
"So far," Harry admitted thoughtfully, "I'm pretty sure he could do whatever he wanted; he's very powerful, scary powerful actually. Nothing should be able to get through my mind shields but he can slice through them like they're butter, I pissed him off once and got a full blast of his power, his voice went almost demonic when I accused him of manipulating me, Merlin the feel of it, I've never felt anything like it." awe coated his voice.
"And was he?" Tom asked, irrationally jealous of Death for being able to awe Harry so thoroughly, and he would have been even more so if he didn't know that Harry loved him and felt nothing but a keen respect and a little awe for Death. Harry felt more for him and that enabled him to push passed the irrationality.
"Manipulating me you mean? No, he's made it clear it's my path to walk, what happens is on me, and I realised along the way that I didn't need to panic or worry about things since if it goes bad I can just come back and start all over again, at fifteen this time then getting emancipated straight away…although truthfully the thought of starting all over again is quite daunting, I've put a lot of work in correcting the damage idiocy and stupid inane belief's do to the magical world…I can only imagine how I would feel in a few years time if I had to do it." Harry explained, now propped up on his elbow watching Tom.
"What would happen to me if you ended up back in time again? Would I be different from my other self?" Tom questioned finding himself fascinated with the conversation they were having.
"I don't think so," Harry admitted, "But that's a question you'll have to ask Death, I think this will always be my body now no matter what time I end up in. As you know the only changes were the hair, and the more obvious characteristic Potter traits, it's a good thing I didn't want everyone thinking I was a bastard from the Potter line, it would have made it uncomfortable and well…I can imagine how everyone would have reacted. I don't know, it just doesn't seem likely, you'd probably just drop into your younger body."
"Does he appear often?" Tom questioned, he was getting a lot of theories and nothing concrete, Harry was right though, they needed to know what would happen if such an occurrence did occur. "And does it always feel like a sledgehammer taken your head?"
Harry laughed a little at that, "Yes and yes, he'd always appeared if I've needed it, helped me get through the worst of appearing so suddenly nearly seventy years in the past even though he's so busy, especially during this time, with the war and all that, can you imagine the amount of poor souls he has to collect?"
Tom didn't like that thought, and would have rebelled at such conversation if he wasn't safe and secure in his own immortality.
"So are you happy that they all know we're bonded?" Harry teased, sensing that particular conversation had met its end, no doubt it would be raised again, perhaps after one of them had spoken to Death regarding the ins and outs of such a thing happening.
Tom's lips twitched smugly, "I thought I trained them better than that," he said, sniffing imperiously. "Took them long enough to notice."
"Oh, please, you growled at anyone that looked at me all year!" Harry said giving Tom a shove shaking his head. "Half the time they didn't even look at me when they were taking to me because of your moods! I'm actually surprised they didn't take longer to find out."
Tom didn't even have the grace to be abashed, "They wanted to take you to the Yule ball, I wasn't about to let that happen." he stated firmly. Harry was his, and nobody else was going to be given permission to take what was his to the school Yule.
"Possessive dictator that you are, of course you wouldn't," Harry said ruefully, "I bet it never once crossed your mind that I could and would have told them no right?" Tom wouldn't give them that chance though, but that was just who he was. Maybe down the line he'd calm somewhat but he couldn't see it, Tom was very, very greedy and ungenerous when it came to things that belonged to him. Harry did belong to Tom just as Tom belonged to him.
"Of course you would have," Tom stated, as if he'd let any thoughts of agreeing cross his mind let alone actually agreeing with someone.
Harry just hummed, he was too tired to talk overly much, it was bound to be about eleven o'clock, and he guessed doing some reading was out of the question. He was half way through the seventh year Ancient Runes book, as much as he hated Granger, she'd been right about one thing, Ancient Runes was a fascinating subject. He wanted to get it finished before they returned to Hogwarts; he didn't want to take anything with him other than the allotted books for this year, with Dumbledore watching them he wanted the old fool to underestimate them. Even if it meant getting one of the others to take books out of the library for him he would do it. Either that or break in after dark and copy them now that he knew how to do it. Or search for a really interesting one in the Room or Requirement. It would surprise nobody that they weren't even half way through the damn room, it was unknown just how long or wide it was it seemed endless. Tom had copied them all, and decided to keep the originals this year instead of selling them, giving the copies for the price you'd pay for it, not even a quarter of its original's value, since he no longer had to worry about money, he didn't care. He'd rather have the real thing. In fact they were now in the library, the more…darker ones hidden in a place that the Auror's would definitely not look for them.
The feeling of being dragged towards Tom brought him out of his thoughts, glancing up at those gleaming black eyes filled with so much emotion that it literally took his breath away. He would never get used to seeing that look directed at him, for so long he'd always thought he'd be alone. "What were you just thinking about?" Tom asked curiously, sensing the feelings and wishing to know what they were associated with, he'd asked that quite often since this emotion wall they could sense from each other flared up.
"Oh, just about the Room of Requirement," Harry shrugged, "We'll need to go more often, we only have a few more years left of Hogwarts and that will be us. Unless…do you want to the Defence Against the Dark Arts instructor Tom?" his chin on Tom's chest, green eyes staring curiously, he still didn't know what Tom wanted to do here in this time.
"Partly," Tom replied thoughtfully, "As more of a… hobby, not my life aspirations," he had other things he wanted to do, and that required a lot of time in the ministry of magic.
"So you want to be the Minister?" Harry asked thoughtfully.
"Perhaps, but being the chief warlock of the Wizengamot would be a higher position of power and I'd be able to do a lot more," Tom admitted.
"You can be both right?" Harry questioned, trying to think of the laws, Dumbledore had been chief warlock in his time and the Headmaster to a prestigious boarding school, so it wasn't a one job thing.
"That I am not sure about, I would need to read the laws and legislations and I haven't gotten that far yet," Tom replied, he hated not knowing, there was a section of books in the library about the laws and legislations, in total around fifty books, he was barely through half of them.
"Takes years to get through them, Aiden and the others began reading those books when they were kids, a year or so before Hogwarts." Harry conceded, and even they weren't through them all. "Abraxas might know." if anyone had read the load of them it was him.
"If anyone does it is him," Tom nodded confirming it was a good bet. "What about you?" was then asked, as he carded his hand through Harry's hair absently.
"I don't know," Harry admitted sounding slightly lost, "I'm good at teaching people things, I don't want to be an Auror, I think that's more out of spite though. I quite like writing, its fun; I enjoyed both the theory for class then actually turning it into a book."
"Then perhaps you should do that," Tom suggested, "There's nothing more important than educating the next generation, and your books could help with that depending on the subject."
"It would be different ones I think," Harry said, "But if anyone can write books on more subjects and create new magic it's you."
"Well, we have a few more years of Hogwarts before we have to decide anything," Tom stated, "There's no need to worry about it." Harry's hair was already dry, it never took long.
"True," Harry mused thoughtfully. Perhaps he should even make the Wolfsbane potion available to the werewolves of this time, stop the prejudice from getting bad like it had been in his time.