Hadrian's True Potential

Chapter Twelve

Disclaimer: I Don't own Harry Potter, J.K. Rowling does.

     Two nights later the boys decided to take Hagrid's advice and watched the spiders leaving the castle and making their way into the forest. They followed the spiders to the edge of the forest, Hadrian knew he shouldn't do it, but they set off into the forest. They followed the spiders along a path in the forbidden forest, both with their wands lit and looking in front of them. Ron was disliking this a lot as he was terrified of spiders. They had been walking for about and hour when they were about to give up when the spiders went off the path and into the forest. They both went right and followed the spiders for a while until they came face to face with a huge spider. Ron looked absolutely terrified, and Hadrian took a deep breath, "Hello, you must be Aragog, we are a friend of Hagrid. You apparently know him?"
     "Yes, I am a friend of Hagrid's, what do you need?" Asked the large spider, in a booming voice.
     "Um... We wanted to know if you knew anything about the chamber of secrets?" Asked Hadrian nervously, he could easily turn into a snack for the spider.
     "Yes, there was a monster that we spiders despise, and when Hagrid was expelled he brought me here. I never harmed anyone, as much as the man that got Hagrid expelled says I did."        
     "So it was a basilisk that killed the girl fifty years ago then?" Hadrian asked, as Ron kept looking around, appearing to be terrified, not being able to say anything.
     "We do not speak of that animal!" Yelled Aragog.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                   
     "I am sorry, we will be leaving now." Said Hadrian as him and Ron started to back away slowly.
     "No, I think not. I cannot deny my young fresh meat, goodbye friend of Hagrid." Said Aragog as the spiders started to close in on the boys.
     Hadrian then told Ron to hold onto him and not let go, Hadrian really hoped they were outside the wards the school had in place. Hadrian then turned in his place and apparated them to the front gates of Hogwarts. Hadrian took a few deep breaths before he could speak, as apparating for the first time took a lot of his energy.
     "Sorry Ron, I had to get us out of there, apparating was the only thing I could think of to get us out of that situation. My dad is totally going to kill me though, I promised him I wouldn't do anything this stupid again." Hadrian said as he sighed.
     "You can apparate? You need to be of age to do that!" Said Ron, looking shocked, as well as quite green from the experience.
     "I know, I just can do it, I am very glad I didn't splich either of us as I haven't apparated before, I have only read about it."
     "You just side along apparated me on your first time apparating, your mental!!"
     "I know." Hadrian said then cast his patronus. 'Hey dad, sorry to bother you, can you come get me from the front gates of Hogwarts, I got locked out. Thanks." Harry told his patronus as it set off to go to his dad.
     "Bloody hell, mate! You can cast a patronus?" Ron exclaimed.
     "Yeah, it's good for communicating, especially for times like this, and I get into problems like this surprisingly a lot." Hadrian said as his dad's patronus came in front of him. 'I am on my way, and you better have a good explanation!' Severus' voice came from the doe and then disappeared. His voice did not sound at all happy, and Hadrian gulped.
     "Let me do all the talking and follow along with my story, okay? It will not get you in trouble." Hadrian said to Ron.
     "Okay, thanks mate. Man Snape's not going to be happy."
     "No, he's not. He will be easier on me than you though, let me take this one. I haven't done anything super stupid this year, so ill be fine."
     The boys then waited for Severus to arrive, they were sitting in the grass and Hadrian was explaining things about the stars for their Astronomy project to Ron when he got there. Both boys stood up and Severus let them through the gates.
     "Now, pray tell why you were outside of the Hogwarts grounds after curfew?" Asked Severus, with a glare.
     Hadrian took a deep breath before he started to explain.
     "The shortest version is that I asked Ron to come with me into the Forbidden Forest to follow the spiders after something Hagrid said to us. We then came across a giant spider named Aragog, and it was about to feed us to his young when I apparated us away to the front gates." Said Hadrian, not only was he going to be in a lot of trouble, but he learned barely anything from Aragog, what was Hagrid thinking sending them to him.
     "That is the most idiotic thing I have ever heard. Mr. Weasley you have earned yourself detention for the rest of the week with Mr. Filch and have lost Gryffindor twenty points, you are to go straight to your dormitory. Mr. Potter will see you in the morning." Severus said as they entered the castle.
     "Yes, sir." Said Ron, he wasn't happy that Hadrian as going to take the blame, but he would make it up to him, and he made his way up to his dormitory.
     Hadrian and his dad didn't say a word to each other the entire way to their quarters, Hadrian knew his dad would be mad, but he couldn't help but think, 'didn't that mean Tom Riddle opened the Chamber if he framed Hagrid? And if I found out who had the book in the first place, I could figure out who is petrifying students!'
     Once they were in their quarters Hadrian was told to sit down on the couch. Once he was seated his dad started.
     "Why did you go into that forest? That is the most idiotic thing you have done yet, following SPIDERS! What happened last time Hagrid told you to do something, it ended up you getting detention and facing The Dark Lord's spirit! You apparated, you could have splinched yourself or Mr. Weasley! You haven't apparated before and thought that was the best plan of action! What were you thinking Hadrian?!" Severus said in a loud voice. Severus was disappointed in Hadrian and both of them knew it.
     "I wasn't thinking. I was only thinking about trying to find something out, rather than Ron and I's safety." Hadrian said.
     "Well that's rather obvious. Go to bed and I will tell you your punishment in the morning."
     Okay, I'm sorry, good night." Hadrian said in a dejected voice, then he left the room.
     Severus didn't know what to do with the boy, he so rarely got in trouble, but when he did he went full out, there was never any halfway. Does he take away his favourite books and art supplies, or ground him as punishment?

     The next morning Severus decided that for the next two weeks Hadrian would come back to their quarters after class, and wasn't allowed to spend time with his friends outside of class. Harry understood his punishment, and followed it for the next 2 weeks. He absolutely hated the fact he had disappointed his father though, and promised himself he would make it up to him.