Chapter Text
Hadrian J. Potter-Black
Room 21
Second Floor
Wool's Orphanage
Minerva Mcgonagall was not angry. She was furious. She told Albus not to leave young Hadrian with that worst type of muggles. But he didn't listen! See what happened now! He grew up in an orphanage.
She took the Hadrian's Hogwarts acceptance letter and stormed to the head master's office and threw the letter to Albus Dumbledore's face not caring about frightened Quirinus Quirrell who was asking the headmaster to teach DADA instead of Muggle Studies upcoming year.
"Care to tell me Albus, How did the young Hadrian end up in an Orphanage named Wool's?" Minerva Mcgonagall asked without noticing a the reddish glint appearing in professor Quirinus Quirrell's eyes after hearing the orphanage name.
"Wool's Minerva? Are you sure?" Albus Dumbledore checked the letter's address with a horror struck face. He felt like deja-vu. To him that orphanage was a nightmare.
"Check that yourself Albus. Of course that worst type of muggles left him in an orphanage. Now who is going to give him the Hogwarts letter?" Minerva Mcgonagall , thinking the head master's face was bloodless because Hadrian was not raised inside blood wards.
"I will personally deliver this letter to young Hadrian, Minerva."
"Headd.. Master… Can… I.. Al..so come with.. you.. I adm..ire Had..rian.. I also.. wa..nt to ta..ke a part in intro..ducing him to the wiz….arding wo..rld." Quirinus Quirrell, who was now possessed by the dark lord Voldemort meekly asked the headmaster wanting to see his prophesied equal's reaction to the first time hearing the magic is real. Faking the shutter and acting like he was afraid of his own shadow was annoying. But gaining a new body was more important to him. That's why he thought to possess Quirinus Quirrell knowing headmaster Dumbledore would surely bring the philosopher's stone to the castle wanting to test the chosen one.
Propacied enemy or not lord voldemort was furious after hearing leaving a magical child with filthy muggles. But he was not surprised because he knew Albus Dumbledore would pull strings like that. It was hilarious to see Albus Dumbledore's face losing colour because the Potter boy now living in rebuilt Voldemort's past orphanage. Voldemort thought to observe the Potter boy before acting like a Bloody Gryffindor like last time.
"No problem, My boy! I am also thinking of taking Severus with me. He is Lily Potter's son after all." Albus Dumbledore quickly changed his face and beamed at Quirrellmort ignoring Mcgonagall's glare.
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Albus Dumbledore pushed the orphanage's gate, noticing the significant change in the building and ground in the last 53 years. The building was clean and well maintained. He noticed Quirinus Quirrell glancing around curiously like he never saw an orphanage before. He sighed after seeing Severus sneering at Quirrell without minding his own business like usual.
"Good Morning, I need to speak to the matron of this orphanage." Albus Dumbledore approached the muggle auror and asked him slightly, putting compulsion to his voice. He didn't want to wait too long answering various questions.
"You can wait here. I will bring the matron." The guard left them quickly after giving a curious glance to Dumbledore' robe.
The man came back with a stern looking woman in his late thirties with him.
"Good Morning, My name is Hilda Peterson, The matron of this orphanage. I was told you were looking for me." The woman gave a polite smile to them and led them to her office asking more questions.
"Indeed Miss Peterson, I'm Albus Dumbledore, headmaster of Hogwarts. This is Severus Snape and Quirinus Quirrell, professors at Hogwarts. We are here to offer a scholarship to one of your wards. We think he has all the qualities we are looking for." Albus Dumbledore explained to the matron while taking a seat on the couch in the matron's office.
"You are surely looking for our young Hadrian. You are not the first person who tried to give him a scholarship. He at least gets one twice a year." Hilda Peterson said with a soft smile, noticing surprised looks on the other three's faces.
"You see, our Hadrian is the star of this orphanage. He is a prodigy at everything. Because of him this orphanage never lacked financial aid. I took charge in this orphanage when he was seven. He was the best behaved child in this orphanage. He is an angel." Hilda's bright smile eased Dumbledore's fear. He worried about young Hadrian turning into the next Voldemort.
"We are glad to hear that. Can we talk with him?" Albus Dumbledore asked politely, wanting to meet young Hadrian quickly. He also wanted to talk to another person about Hadrian, not wanting to trust one person's perspective. He hoped other people would say the same.
"Of course, You can! I will bring Hadrian here. You are lucky he is free this weekend from his tournaments."
"Actually we are hoping to talk to him in private. Can you lead us to his room?" Albus suggested not noticing the furious glance she sent towards them.
"Of course I can't! We value his privacy. And I will not allow strangers into his private room. Jenny! take them to the second visiting room! I will take Hadrian with me." She sneered at them rivalling Severus and left the room giving a warning glare to approaching meek looking woman.
"Excuse me, Miss Jenny.. Can you tell us about young Hadrian?" Albus asked the woman, noticing the rapidly paling face of the woman after hearing Hadrian's name. That chilling feeling returned in full force to Albus Dumbledore. Quirrellmort wanted to crackle loudly after seeing Dumbledore's face.
"No matter what you tell us, we will never withdraw from our offer. And don't worry. We don't tell anyone about this either." Albus spoke softly to the frightened woman wanting to know what Hadrian did to make her afraid of him. He laced his voice with compulsion to tell the truth.
"Hadrian arrived here with a horse-faced woman. She said someone dropped the baby on their doorstep…. She also said the baby's name is Hadrian James Potter-Black. She acted like that child was a devil's spawn… But I didn't understand her behaviour about hating a lovely child at that time." Jenny took a shaky breath and asked them to follow her towards the visiting room.
"Unlike other babies.. he rarely cried. He was unusually intelligent compared to other children. All things started when he was four.. He started to attend primary school with older children because he was very intelligent. Teachers liked them so much. So other children in the orphanage started to bully him… The matron at that time ignored the bullying saying it was a natural thing because other children were jealous of him ...." Jenny sighed not wanting to continue, but Albus Dumbledore quickly casted a compulsion again.
"Hadrian won a mathematical competition with flying marks. All the teacher's astonished because he was only four and he was also a bright child. They started to give him more attention. Other children ganged up against him and tore his books and destroyed his supplies.."
Quirrellmort was furious. He knows that feeling very well. He also got bullied because he was smarter than those filthy muggles. They also tore his books or stole them. After seeing the woman's face Voldemort knew Hadrian surely struck back.
"He got a new room for himself after that incident. But strange things started to happen with four boys that were accused of destroying Hadrian's belongings. One of them fell from the stairs and broke his two legs. Matron said it was Hadrian's doing. But I didn't believe her. Hadrian was only four! But others are over ten years old. It was an unbelievable thing. But how wrong I was! One of them couldn't sleep for a week. He always cried having a nightmare. Second eldest permanently lost four fingers from fire. But.. But.. Eldest one.. who bullied.. Hadrian.. the most.." Jenny took a deep breath to steady herself and pushed open the door of the second visiting room. She shakily sat on one couch and continued her tale without looking at three people in front of her.
"Billy, the eldest boy, went to bed at night like other days. But he never woke up. Doctors said he was in a coma. All of the children started to avoid him after that. Previous matron insisted that Hadrian was a devil's spawn. Three years passed without much problem. Children who tried to hurt Hadrian end up damaged in some kind of way. So they decided to kill the matron's hens and frame Hadrian. Matron didn't even think before locking Hadrian inside the cellar without food. After that accident one month passed. But.. the matron fell down from the second floor and broke her spine. She was retired… And Miss Peterson took the charge here. And she didn't believe a word I said to her. She is like bewitched by him. She worships the ground he walks on…" Jenny chucked softly.
"Of course! No one believes me. You guys don't believe me too, right? Top of that he never bothers anyone. He never spared a glance towards them. But strange things happen around him. No one suspects an angel like him right? His appearance is like God carved him himself. Perfect and flawless. He is brilliant and polite. Well spoken child…" Jenny was interrupted by the opening of the door. She gave a pleading look at them before shakily leaving the room.
Albus Dumbledore always thought Hadrian Potter would be like James Potter's replica with Lily Potter's eyes. Boy with messy black hair with green eyes wearing round glasses with a scar on his forehead. But the boy who entered the room with Hilda Peterson shattered all those expectations. He was too tall for his age. He didn't wear glasses and there was no lightning bolt on his forehead. The boy had perfectly combed chin length wavy pitch black hair with few dark red locks. He had high cheekbones from the Black line which gave him an aristocratic look and sun kissed tan skin from the Potter line. He also had few characteristics from another prominent line but Albus Dumbledore couldn't point out which one. Hadrian looked more like a mix between Charles Potter and Arcturus Black. Handsome and deadly.
Charles Potter and Arcturus Black were Grindelwald's nightmares. They butchered his army without mercy. They held no prisoners nor gave second chances. Even every wizard and witch respected and feared because they didn't take a shit from anyone.
The thing that shocked Albus the most was the boy's eyes. Unlike Lily Potter's warm emerald eyes, Hadrian's eyes were cold Avada Kedavra green. They held so much power that three of them felt like Hadrian was staring into their souls. He wore a cream coloured khaki shorts and blue arms cut shirt which revealed his perfectly muscled arms that told them he was no amateur to physical activities.
Lord Voldemort always thought Potter boy would surely be a skinny messy haired kid wearing dreadful glasses like in the stories that were best selling the last couple of years. But his equal was nothing like that. He looked like a Greek god and his features screamed nobility. Voldemort had to agree that Hadrian was more attractive than him in his youthful days. It was confirmed after seeing jealousy pooling from Severus Snape's black eyes. He found Severus Snape was more pathetic than snivelling Wormtail.
Hadrian Potter-Black walked towards them, no! it could more count as stalking, like a feline predator hunting their prey. He gave them a calculating look and gracefully took a seat on the couch in front of them.
"Good Morning, I was told you were looking for me." He gave a gentle smile to them, easing their uneasiness.
"Good Morning Hadrian, Mind me asking what happened to the scar on your forehead?" Albus Dumbledore finally found the courage to talk but immediately cringed after his own question. He badly wanted to know what happened to the scar that contains Voldemort's soul fragment.
"I didn't like it. So I had surgery to get rid of it. But how do you know about the scar Mr?" Hadrian's voice became slightly cold.
"I was the one who left you with your relatives, My boy. But we didn't know that you ended up in an orphanage." Albus tried to explain softly but failed miserably.
"You know me then.. I was told you come from a school." Hadrian asked not wanting to continue about his private life.
"I'm headmaster Albus Dumbledore. This is Severus Snape and Quirinus Quirrell professors at our school. We came here to invite you to our school, special children like you." Albus Dumbledore explained with twinkling eyes and beaming smile.
"Special children? What kind of school? I already attend the best school for gifted children." Hadrian didn't see the approving nod of the turban wearing professor.
"I understand Hadrian. But I think you will like my offer. I'm the headmaster of Hogwarts, School of witchcraft and wizardry. I know It's hard to believe.. But.." Albus tried to explain, ready to demonstrate, to make him believe but Hadrian's voice stopped him.
"I know I can do special things unlike others. So I'm not stupid to believe magic is not real. My question: why would I learn magic to do things when I already can?" Hadrian asked in a curious tone tilting his head a little.
Albus had delivered countless letters. But never in his lifetime someone asked a question like this. Not even Voldemort asked like that. Voldemort was also surprised at Hadrian's confident tone. Severus Snape sneered at the arrogance of the boy.
Albus wanted to ask what the child was able to do. But meeting with Voldemort was still fresh in his mind. So he decided to continue without asking that question.
"You see, a trained wizard is able to do many things. Even turning into animal forms. Animagus is the name for that. We can control the elements too and travel great distances without wasting much time."
"I can understand. But why should I attend Hogwarts? I already have many paths in front of me. I'm not ready to leave my hard work behind."
"You see Hadrian, Your parents also attended Hogwarts. They paid your school fees for seven years. James and Lily wanted you to attend Hogwarts and become a great Wizard." Albus tried his last card because things were not going the way he wanted. Who didn't want to attend Hogwarts? That was a surprise for all.
"You know my parents, Headmaster? Mind me asking what happened to them and why only I got to live?"
"There was a war in magical Britain. Evil wizard and his followers killed people who opposed him. On Halloween night he came to kill your parents and you. He killed them both. But when he tried to kill you he didn't succeed. But he got himself killed. You save the country as a baby." Albus didn't want to give all the information. But Hadrian was getting extremely difficult.
"How do I know It's not the other way around? Sometimes doing and wanting to do different but important things make other people label you as an evil one or a freak because of jealousy. How do you know that wizard tried to do useful things?" Hadrian's facial expressions didn't change. But he got a calculating look.
Albus's smile was gone from his face. He never thought children were like this. He thought Hadrian vow to defeat Voldemort after hearing he killed his parents. Voldemort was amazed at the child's intelligence. He never wants to kill a bright child like this.
"How could you say that Hadrian, He killed so many people. And he killed your parents!" Albus said with a pained voice.
"You said yourself headmaster. That's war. People get killed, that's normal. Let's forget that headmaster. Can you tell me the name of the evil war leader who killed my parents?" Hadrian completely ignored the disappointed face of the headmaster.
"His name is Voldemort." Albus said defeated. He never wanted to reveal this much information. But he knew there was no chance Hadrian would come to Hogwarts without knowing most of the things.
"Was he always that dramatic?" Hadrian chuckled and asked with an amused smile.
"What do you mean Mr. Potter?" Quirrellmort finally thought to speak, wanting to know why this boy took his feared name as a joke.
"Headmaster said himself that after learning magic we can do many things. That wizard surely found a way to become immortal and named himself Voldemort. You guys know that Voldemort means flight of death right? That's why I said he is dramatic. What is his real name, headmaster?" Hadrian leaned to the back of the couch and questioned the headmaster with a curious tone. He noticed the headmaster paled after hearing his guess that Voldemort was still alive.
"Arrogant and demanding as your father I see.." Severus Snape sneered at Hadrian ignoring the headmaster's warning glare. Severus was jealous. He hoped for a beaten down starved child. He hated Hadrian Potter's existence. That boy was the living proof that he lost to James Potter.
"You know nothing about me. And I don't even know about my father. Compare me with someone else again, I will rip you into two!" Room's temperature dropped down several degrees. Hadrian's eyes shone with power. All three of them understood Hadrian disliked comparing himself to other people even though that person was his father.
"You.. insolent.." Headmaster stopped Snape's words. He didn't want Snape's behaviour to affect Hadrian's decision to attend Hogwarts.
"I Apologise on professor Snape's behalf Hadrian. He will not behave like this again."
"Apology accepted, Headmaster. And what is Voldemort's real name? I'm really curious." Hadrian asked again, completely ignoring the greasy haired professor's murderous glare.
Voldemort was sure the headmaster would have to spill all the things. This was not an introduction to the wizarding world. But more like an interrogation done by the Potter boy. He knew Albus had to answer all the questions, maybe including the prophecy. Voldemort was surprised that he was not angry knowing Hadrian was going to know his muggle upbringing.
"His name is Tom Riddle."
"Only Tom Riddle?"
"Tom Marvolo Riddle."
"Ohh.. I see.. He surely disliked his name. Tom is a common name after all. He became lord Voldemort anagramming his own name. Drama Queen indeed."
Voldemort wanted to crucio someone hard. He was not a drama queen. What's wrong with this child? Other children and surely adults almost pee in their pants after hearing his name. But this child was mocking him. But he wanted to crack up after seeing Albus and Severuss' miserable faces.
"Indeed my boy, Now do you agree to come to Hogwarts?" Albus Dumbledore didn't want to spend any more time with Hadrian.
"Forgive me headmaster, Since Voldemort didn't really die that night my life's at risk. So I won't come to Hogwarts until you answer all my questions." As Voldemort predicted, Hadrian asked the headmaster sternly. Now Albus Dumbledore had to satisfy his curiosity.
"Ask your question Hadrian. I will answer your questions. Since you guaranteed you will come to Hogwarts after this." Albus said in a defeated tone.
"Don't Worry headmaster. I won't ask about Voldemort again. But Can you tell me why he thought of killing my parents himself instead of sending him followers to do his bidding? And Why did he try to kill me too?"
Albus sighed. He wanted to use spells to make Hadrian obey. But he didn't know what kind of powers Hadrian had. So trying spells would break the trust between them. He already regretted bringing Quirrell here now. "There was a prophecy about a child causing the Dark Lord's downfall. Prophecy words matched two boys. But Voldemort chose to come after you."
"Is this a public spoken prophecy? Or public knowledge? If not, how did Voldemort know about this prophecy?" Hadrian asked, feeling something fishy about the situation.
"No. It's not. Prophecy was spoken when I interviewed for the Divination position. At that time the first two rows were heard by a Voldemort's follower and reported to him. "
"You did the interview in your office right? Then how did his followers roam around Hogwarts?"
"No. No. Not in Hogwarts. I did the interview in a pub." Albus Dumbledore quickly admitted not knowing why Hadrian asked this.
"In all of these places, you did the interview in a pub. Top of that you didn't think about ensuring privacy. So it was overheard." Hadrian questioned amazed.
Voldemort got what Hadrian was indicating. It was almost like a set up for him! Why did Dumbledore choose a bloody pub without privacy wards?
"What are the lines that the spy told Voldemort about?" Hadrian asked again, wanting to know about the prophecy. He didn't believe in divination even a bit.
"Don't worry, Headmaster. I won't ask for the full prophecy because I don't believe in Divination. Blind faith about things like that can cause someone's ultimate downfall."
"The one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord approaches... Born to those who have thrice defied him, born as the seventh month dies…" Albus regretted coming with Hadrian's letter. He should have sent Hagrid instead. But if Hagrid came instead of him Hadrian never would come to Hogwarts. Albus Dumbledore never wanted to reveal this much. He wanted to keep the child in the dark until the right time. But the last Potter was unusually intelligent for his own good. Albus wanted to drown himself in lemon drops.
"Oh.. I see.. Even though he ensured his immortality. Fear of death got the better of him and he made a rash decision. I think Voldemort has thanatophobia. After hearing a dark lord's destruction he thought the prophecy was about him. Did he really think he would be the only Dark Lord till eternity? He should have ignored that. He tied himself to the prophecy in the end going after me." Hadrian was disappointed. He thought the Dark Lord was intelligent. But sometimes fears get the better of people.
"Headmaster, You should be the Hero. Not me. If you didn't have the interview in that pub, maybe war would have still been going on." Hadrian smirked and laughed at the shocked headmaster.
Voldemort knew that the kid's laugh was a mocking. He knew Hadrian thought that prophecy was a set up. It was hilarious to see grandpa Persana slipping off Albus Dumbledore's face. Voldemort vowed to tell his goals before he went insane, to the boy. He never wants to make an enemy of this intelligent boy. Hadrian was his equal. His! That's what matters the most.
"But headmaster, I thought Voldemort's followers were locked up in a prison or something. Were they freed? How do you make sure they won't try to attack me wanting to get revenge because of their master's defeat? And How can I recognize them? Is there a mark or something?" Mischievous glint replaced calculating gaze in Hadrian's eyes. Voldemort knew Hadrian was going to bait Albus Dumbledore again. Child was an enigma. Voldemort was sure that Hadrian's has a high iq.
"His Loyal followers were locked up in a prison called Azkaban. But most of his followers bribed their way out. Voldemort's followers are called 'Death Eaters'. They have Voldemort's mark on their left forearm. He used that to summon him." Albus wasn't even sure what Hadrian was upto. He never felt this helpless against a child.
"Death Eaters? Interesting… I always thought non-magical governments sucks. But it looks like the Wizarding world's government is the same. So his followers are allowed to teach children in Hogwarts even though they named criminals because they supported Voldemort?"
"Why did you say such a thing my boy? Hogwarts is the safest place for magical children!" Albus got a dreaded feeling. He got a hint of what Hadrian was up to now.
"You said yourself, headmaster. He is a professor in Hogwarts. He is Voldemort's follower. Isn't he?" Hadrian asked, tilting his head towards Severus Snape leaving Dumbledore speechless.
"Why do you assume like that Hadrian?" Albus Dumbledore asked not denying Hadrian's words. Hadrian's voice was so confident. If he denied Hadrian's words and Hadrian somehow proved his point, Hadrian would surely lose his trust in him. Albus was helpless. He didn't want to become a liar in the boy's eyes.
"When you said Voldemort's name for the first time, he was busy glaring at me. He was not paying attention. So he didn't know you were going to say that name. When you say 'Voldemort' he flinched and clutched his left forearm unintentionally. His movements were minimal. But I saw it. The other professor didn't react to his name. So I guessed that his name was feared or something. Either professor Snape was a victim or a servant of Voldemort. But Victim part is out because since he arrived here he was glaring at me. He has a judge against me and my father. He didn't even try to hide it. If he hated my father for other reasons he should have not held that judgement against me like this. So he hates me for his master's temporary defeat. I made a lucky guess. My conclusions could be wrong too. So I want to see professor Snape's left forearm." Hadrian gave Snape a taunting smile ignoring Snape's murderous glare. Albus was busy stopping Severus from causing a scene.
"Severus was my spy, my boy. You don't have to worry. He behaved like this because your father and he were rivals during the school time. Now.. Can you tell me about your decision about Hogwarts? We spent so much time here my Boy." Albus Dumbledore wanted nothing but to give the letter and bank keys to Hadrian. He felt like Hadrian gave him a truth potion.
"I will have faith in you this time headmaster. I will attend Hogwarts."