World's Away

Chapter VIII: Pre-Yuletide Happenings

After Tom allowed Charlus and Dorea leave Godric's rooms; he took Hadrian into their now shared bedroom whenever they were there and laid him down gently to the bed as he then crawled into it with him. Only bothering to remove their socks and their shoes, before he pulled the covers over them and then hugged Hadrian to him as he tried not to let his emotions get carried away. Bearing that darkened part of his soul clean to Charlus hadn't been a part of their plan, but Tom found it as necessary to sustain a fragile peace between the houses that was forming.

This had been a tough conversation for them both; for different reasons.

Tom laid there and he idly rubbed his fingers to Hadrian. Let them wander somewhat lazily; quirking a small smile as his soulmate suddenly fidgeted as if he was uncomfortable, but remained sound asleep. Yet, Tom's own eyes still remained worried for Hadrian.

He knew that battling Grindelwald was now a necessary priority for Hadrian's existence in this alternate life; to ensure the changes he wanted could not go as askew as they had allowed for in his other life.

But Gellert Grindelwald; no matter how insane he seemed at times, was a ruthless, cunning, and a very powerful and dangerous foe for many. Tom tried to convince himself that Hadrian would be alright; he had won a war against him in his other life; and Voldemort had surpassed Grindelwald in a lot of ways.

Though Tom was internally aware now that the persona of Voldemort had had a lot of shortcomings to the German dark-wizard too. Due mostly in part; to his rituals and his horcruxes that had damaged his mental faculties.

There was also no way for surety either; for them to know exactly how different this version of Gellert was to the one in Hadrian's other lifetime. This soulmate of his, after all, he had been born decades after Gellert's defeat, and was not present for his war then.

But Tom knew that Hadrian also had history on his side; and that was no small boon. But for some reason; this sensation of foreboding and ill would not leave him be. There was just...something there that he couldn't grasp at, and it gave him the sensations of great dread...like he had spiders crawling over his spine.

"Hadrian..." He spoke in a tired whisper as his eyes drifted closed and his breathing levelled out

Missing the bearily opening green eyes as they watched Tom now and tried not to startle him. Hadrian knew Tom was worried; for himself and Hadrian individually, for them together as mates, and for their operations. He supposed that he had been working a bit overly much and had caused himself much strain.

But it had been necessary; all of it.
And it would not stop till Hadrian deemed it safe to do so.

But he would try to take care of himself better now to alleviate Tom's worry and stress a little bit better than before; though internally, he felt guilty. He knew he still had secrets he had not shared on purpose because he was forbidden to speak of them; though he had alluded to them priorly to Tom, but the teen had not noticed the notions... and these secrets were ones that could in time ruin all of this if certain matters were not resolved soon.

He breathed and leaned to Tom's chest as he took his scent in; praying that those matters would soon be resolved, and he allowed the scent to lull him back into his dreams.

The rest of November had passed with few incidents, thankfully. Even word from the the front-lines of Gellert's war was suspiciously silent. Hadrian didn't know if that meant to expect an ill turn, and so he had forced the goblins to work harder and faster on the repairs to the Peverell Castle; feeling the need for it to be done by Yule time.

They had acquiesced and managed to move quickly; not wishing to chance the wrath of the Peverell Heir towards them should they refuse or they not finish all of what needed done. Hadrian; in the meantime, he had personally made the port-keys for all who sought shelter there. Each one individual to their owner and passworded for them alone.