....
'It gets worse at night.'
....
"Mum? Dad?" A voice called out.
Lily blinked out of a revery, twisting her body towards the doorway. A small smile found its way easily onto her face. James sat up straight, his body tall and expectant. Hadrian didn't have to guess who had come - their reactions said it all. There appearing in the doorway, was a boy, no older than eleven. He looked nothing like Hadrian, he didn't look like James either, he was all Lily. A mop of straight light brown hair sat on top of his head, the ends swishing in front of his eyes. Daniel Potter flicked it, swishing it away.
"Daniel, sweetheart," Lily smiled lovingly.
Daniel Potter smiled a toothy smile, pulling off his backpack and dropping it down onto the floor. He confidently entered the room, happily making his way towards his parents. Hadrian look at his brother for the first time since they had been children. Daniel was neither skinny nor fat, dressed in simple muggle clothing. Nothing about his appearance was particularly remarkable. But that didn't mean a thing. Hadrian knew not to judge so to ignorantly.
"Mum! Terry's was so fun, his Dad let us fly in the garden and we had a match.." Daniel babbled animatedly.
"Daniel," James interrupted.
Daniel looked up at his father confused, his brown eyes squinting slightly. Suddenly, his naive gaze caught the sight of Hadrian's foreign form. Hadrian's small creeping smile awaited him, it was soft yet menacing. Hadrian watched as his younger brother regarded him, the confused frown deepening as he considered him.
Daniel Potter was confused. Turning he looked at his mother, noticing how her smile didn't quite reach her eyes. The smile if it were real, tried to encourage him, but he didn't believe it. Instead, Daniel turned to his father, the man he had always admired, always wanted to be. James Potter didn't smile, instead he sat upright, tense, as if preparing for something to happen.
"Daniel, this is your brother." Lily uttered contritely.
"Hadrian," James finished.
Daniel's eyes widened dramatically, his head turning back to look at the dark hair boy. Daniel scanned the strangers face, searching desperately for some sort of familiarity. Daniel swallowed, he couldn't find anything, not a single thing that made him remember. Instead, he was met with cool green eyes. The eyes weren't kind, neither were they particularly nasty. Daniel felt the eyes assess him. The ice cold green ran from his head to his feet and back again.
"Hadrian's back for the summer," Lily revealed, swallowing tightly.
Daniel turned and looked at his mother, not liking what he saw there. Daniel knew his mother - she was the best thing in the world, she was his everything. Daniel searched her face, finding the anxiety that tightened the skin around her eyes, he saw the fear that clouded her vision. Daniel watched as his mother, glanced over his shoulder to look at his brother. A strange emotion took over her usually warm features, it was saddening mixture of fear and love - Daniel couldn't find the word for it.
"You're my brother?" Daniel turned, daring to ask the stranger.
Hadrian regarded his brother for a moment, impressed with his ability to assess the situation before uttering a word. Now staring straight at the boy, he noticed the splattering of freckles upon his cheeks. The boys eyes searched Hadrian warily, seeing without really seeing a thing.
"I'm Hadrian, yes," Hadrian answered.
"I didn't ask that, I asked if you were my brother," Daniel stated quickly.
YOU ARE READING
Hadrian Potter, Revenge (A Harry Potter Fanfiction)
FanfictionHadrian grows up alone in the obscure shadow of his younger brother, Daniel Potter, The-Boy-Lived. Daniel is loved while Hadrian is forgotten. In the absence of love; a cold, hard, calculating boy is born. The story follows Hadrian's life - how the...