Lord of time (chapter 41-107)

62

The fifth of January came around quite fast, but despite that Hadrian had been anxious for days, he could envision it blowing up in his face. He was doing things differently and not able to predict the outcome. Yet he couldn't allow fear to deter him from his goals, couldn't let the fear of the unknown play havoc with him. Still, there was so many ways this could go so very wrong, Dumbledore could already have people in the Ministry wrapped around his pinkie. He honestly didn't know when Dumbledore had begun digging himself into everything in the magical world, he assumed it was after the defeat of Grindelwald but was it? He was about to find out.

Nobody else was being called in except him, and he had fought to ensure Tom would be able to attend as well. The only thing that granted him permission to attend was the fact they were bonded. It was after all Tom's husband and bonded who had been wronged, so it was within his rights to sit with Hadrian for moral support. Slughorn had been extremely shocked by that admission but not overly surprised, everyone with eyes could clearly see the love and admiration they held for each other and they were so smart, they could keep up with each other. That's not to say they had been very foolish to bond so soon, it was young even by magical standards who expect the heirs to be married by the time they were eighteen years old.

He had been advised by Eileen Prince, all the Black's, Avery and Abraxas in a letter to NOT attend in his school uniform it was seen as an insult to come to such a serious occasion dressed in every day clothes especially uniform. He had snorted derisively, remembering their plum robes, yes since wearing plum robes was so much better. The Princes, Black's, Avery's and Malfoy's would know, they were prominent in the Ministry of magic, they were well read in politics.

"Well, what do you think? Is this good enough?" Hadrian asked Eileen Prince, she was the only one there, stepping down off the staircase and into the Common Room. Eileen was burrowed in the corner, muttering under her breath with books strewn around her.

Eileen looked up, nodding in approval, "Yes, you will earn respect and they will probably refrain from talking to you like an insipid idiot." her lip curling just a tad.

Hadrian bit his lip, his lips twitching into a smile, a small one but there nonetheless. Oh, there was no guessing where her son had picked up his attitude. It was right there in the face of the thirteen or fourteen year old teenager. Moving over towards her, wondering what she was doing up so early. "Do you need any help?" Hadrian asked, sitting down, his fingers drawn to the potion book. Arching an eyebrow, this was THE potions book, the one that would be one day known as the Half-Blood Prince book. This was a sixth year book, Eileen wasn't in her sixth year yet, and she had the book? Evidently Severus had picked up more than his mothers looks and attitude then. Why hadn't she pursued a professional career as a Potioneer?

"No!" Eileen snapped her lips pursed in irritation, she refused to let anyone else know just how pathetic she was that she couldn't cast spells properly.

"Hey," Hadrian said, waiting until she looked up at him. "Something is obviously bothering you, what is it?" he asked more firmly, refusing to just walk away.

"I can't cast the spell," Eileen scowled, and it was the last chance for her today then they were moving onto something else and she'd fail.

"Which spell is it?" Hadrian queried, silently with a gesture asking if he could take the book and find out for himself.

Eileen mutinously nodded her head, glaring at the book as if it was to blame for her failure.

Hadrian's eyebrows rose from behind the book, she couldn't cast this spell? "Do you always have a difficult time with spells?" he asked her, lowering the book nary a lick of judgement on his face. He was beginning to suspect why Eileen Prince may have left the magical world behind, perhaps it had nothing to do with her parents at all.