Hadrian Potter

Tracy Davis

Tracy POV

I had heard the rumours, but then again that's all that they were. Hogwarts school ran on gossip, it tossed and turned like a turbulent quaffle - you never knew what to believe and what to consider as absolute bullshit. According to the school grapevine, elusive criminals had been caught and were going to be attending Hogwarts this year. I had laughed when I had heard it - someone was a little high when making up that one. I hadn't given it any thought, I had been completely oblivious - too occupied in starting a new a year at Hogwarts. The train journey was too exciting - friends I hadn't seen all summer were sat in the Slytherin carriage, chatting about what they did during the summer and revelling in being a 6th year.

Nothing seemed strange, nothing was out of place.

The train finally came to a stop and everyone rushed out excited for a new year. Daphne and I walked towards the carriages linking arms, smiling and chatting about what we'd get up to this year. 

"Did you hear about those criminals?" a Gryffindor fourth year walked by - yapping loudly.

"Yeah, yeah, I heard! Can you believe it?" his friend spoke.

"They fucked up, Charlus Potter! Beat the Weasley too!" he laughed in bewilderment.

Now the gossip caught my attention - I nearly smiled when I heard about the beating, served Potter right. Suddenly the crowd started to divide - an man in Auror's garb, walk forward, tall and serious. Two men walked either side of him, hands handcuffed behind their backs. 

Cackling laughter filled the air... no, no no no, please no! I saw them.

Tall, lean in an almost gangly way, Neville Longbottom pushed through the crowd. His brown hair was short and his eyes were full of hysterical laughter. The boy was good looking and watched the girls in the crowd me appreciated his form - if I hadn't been so anxious I would've rolled my eyes, for goodness sake. 

The figure on the other side of the ministry Auror was a sight to behold.

Hadrian Potter waltzed through the crowd with a natural swagger - he was tall but carried a physical strength that Neville didn't. The black hair sat on the top of Hadrian's head was short and wild. His face seemed to be sculpted by Aphrodite herself, framed by a defined jaw and cheek bones. Yet despite all of that, it was his eyes that were his most beautiful feature - the powerful green were obscenely intimidating. The killing curse colour swept the crowd intelligently and calculatingly.

Subconsciously, some of the girls from crowd stepped forward reaching out as if to touch him. He must have seemed like an image from their dreams, a corporeal beauty. Neville was good looking, Hadrian was violently captivating.

They were the perfect pair.

Tracey knew them well. Neville seemed trustful, strong and powerful, Hadrian's personality on the other hand was difficult to distinguish; at times he seemed ice cold, and other times amused; wearing either a sneer or a smirk both intimidating anyone near him. At times I would catch a glimpse of something cruel that seemed to lurk within the dark and cold depths of Hadrian Potter's gaze.

...

I couldn't believe it. The last time I had heard from the boys they were in America - something to do with their smuggling operation. Had they been caught by the Ministry? No, even I knew that would mean they would be in Azkaban, Fudge wouldn't of let them go that easily.

Glancing at Daphne I saw shock and worry pass across her face before her illustrious Ice Queen mask took over. The grip of her hand on mine was the only indication of her inner panic, as did it mine when I returned the gesture.

I was fiddling with my hands at the Slytherin table, it was a nervous habit one that I had never been able to suppress, perhaps due to the state of my heart which was beating fast with worry. As I looked up from my lap, I saw Daph walking across the Hall heading for the table, she gave me a comforting wink, what I knew to be an attempt to put me at ease, despite knowing that she was as worried as I was.

There was a commotion at the entrance hall door, looking away from Daphne I watched, as did the rest of the hall, as a large group of Slytherin's waltzed in. It was the only way I could describe it - confidence and beauty radiated from the group. Alone they were intimidating but now as a group they emitted a sense of danger that was palpable. I noticed Hadrian and Neville with the same Auror that I had seen earlier walk at the back of the group.

They suddenly stopped - the ministry Auror and the boys conversed quickly before they were released them from their restraints. Hadrian strode out in front, I saw his intention before he made it known. Oh the asshole, I smirked.. poor Daph. He had her over his shoulder so fast than it seemed inhumanly possible. Oh did he just? Oh, yup, he did. Ew, I looked away. For someone as close as a brother I didn't need to see that. Ever.

My thoughts were dismissed when a hiss drew my attention, Daphne threw herself into a seat in front of me. Well I say threw, she had a way of making every action extremely feminine and graceful. Bitch.

"What's wrong?" I asked her innocently, a smirk threatening to appear.

"Don't you, what's wrong me, traitor," She seethed, flipping her dark hair over her shoulder with attitude. Omg, I loved her. She could hide it, but I knew she was in a frenzy by the attention Hadrian always gave her.

I was lost in my thoughts through the entire sorting, except when Professor Mcgonagall read out Thalia Potter. I was surprised to see an almost replica of Hadrian. She was small for her age, her long dark hair lay straight down her back, she had Hadrian's long dark eyelashes, however her eyes were not green, they were more a combination of James and Lily Potter, resulting in a warm hazel. When she smiled I noticed the dimples imprinted on her cheeks. 

Hadrian also had them but it was rare if ever you saw them. I had only seen them once, it happened when he had laughed so hard that he has seemed to have forgotten his usual controlled disposition. I remember him noticing my shocked face as I stared at his gorgeous smile, as soon as he noticed he stopped laughing. I felt grateful to have seen be able to have seen him that way, however it saddened me that I would probably never see him smile that way again.

It wasn't until Dumbledore introduced the boys, that my heart started beating. Both of the boys stood next to Sirius Black, a man who still retained his handsome features and eyes full of mirth. I was wondering what his part would be now that the boys were captured.

My chest hurt, ba bump, ba bump.

"Slytherin," the hat called out.

Faster now, ba bump, ba bump, ba bump.

"Slytherin," the hat called once more.

They were in Slytherin? The painful stabbing in my heart ceased once I knew they would in my house, to be honest both Hadrian and Neville thought like snakes so my worry seemed unreasonable. I could feel the stinging of tears in my eyes.

Crap, standing I embraced a warm chest that smelt deliciously of wood musk. Totally male, Hadrian towered above me holding my head to his chest as if it was a priceless gem. Whispering promising of a catch up later I turned to Neville who was walking determinedly toward me, arms wide for a warm embrace. They were here, they were safe, in the now dull, persistent beat of my heart, I heard the songs of hope.

Everything was okay.