Creepy twinkling eyes - 28

                                    

                                          
   The headmaster had called his usual staff meeting a week after break ended and Snape hated it. The man clearly favored the Gryffindors despite their rowdy nature and lower grades compared to the rest. Teachers would also request for better equipment for the safety of students and the fool loved to claim the school's budget did not have the money available for it! He wasn't expecting this meeting to go any better than ones from the past so the man began to slightly zone out.
   "And how is our little celebrity doing in his classes?" Dumbledore asked, quickly regaining the potion master's attention. "Now Albus you know as headmaster, you cannot pick favorites!" McGonagall scolded. "Ah but my girl, with no magical guardians watching over Mr. Peverell, I simply wish to make sure he is holding up well in class." The meddling fool responded cheerfully. The woman sighed before answering his previous question. "Well Albus, if you must know, he is exceeding my expectations and probably all the expectations all of us had for him even with the extra work we are giving him to keep his incredible mind busy."
   Snape sends a quick, nervous look at Quirrell and refuses to meet the old man's direct eye contact. "Severus, my boy! Why is this the first I have heard about this? As headmaster I should be aware of these kinds of things before they are approved." "Perhaps Dumbledore, while that is usually the case, Lord Peverell is an emancipated adult despite his young age and does not require your permission to do anything. Had he struggled with the work, we simply would have put him back on a regular course of work with the rest of his class. No need to bore you with all the details and work you are already so busy with." Snape claimed, sounding as if he would prefer to be anywhere but that room at the moment.
  "Regardless, I would like to meet with him tomorrow after his classes to congratulate him on his achievements in class!" Dumbledore proudly claimed before popping a lemon drop in his mouth. Severus just nodded and forced himself to maintain a bored expression as worry for the boy flooded his brain. The meeting ended soon after and neither Snape or Quirrell sleep well that night. When morning finally came, Severus drank a small pep up potion to hide his exhaustion and set out to warn his favorite student.
   A minute into his search, Severus walked into the Slytherin dorm to find Hadrian in his favorite spot. Reading a book about magical inheritances, sat Hadrian on the black leather couch farthest from the fireplace as his body heat already kept him plenty warm with Raven casually draped across his neck. He looked up when the portrait closed and smiled up at the man. "Good morning Uncle Sev!" Hadrian said as he bookmarked his page. Noticing his godfather's lack of his usual snarky remark to being called uncle, Hadrian grew worried. "What's wrong professor?"
   Severus bends down to look at Hadrian at eye level and puts a hand on the boy's knee with a sigh. "The headmaster had taken it upon himself to personally congratulate you on your academic success after your classes today in his office. As the head of your house, I can remain with you the entire time but do NOT look him in the eyes! You have very strong shields but do not put it past Dumbledore to attempt Legilimency on you in front of me or try to manipulate you again." Hadrian immediately grew serious and nodded. 
   For the rest of the day, all of Hadrian's friends and classmates noticed him being slightly distracted in class and Snape could see them trying to cheer him up at dinner. Seeing as how Hadrian was merely picking at his food, Severus stood up and walked up to the first years. "Ready to go Hadrian?" He asked, accidentally startling the children and smirked as they jumped. Hadrian looked up at the man and nodded nervously. "Let's go then." He said and walked off.
   Hadrian walked silently beside the man all the way to the griffin guard. He looked up as he felt a hand on his shoulder and met the concerned eyes of his godfather. "You'll be okay Hadrian, I will stay by your side the entire time alright?" Hadrian just nodded, feeling slightly better then before. Severus says the password, "blood pops", and they walk side by side up the stairs. Severus gives the boy a comforting squeeze on the shoulder and knocks on the door. "Come in" a muffled voice calls.
   Hadrian forced himself to focus and makes sure his mask looks calm despite the nerves eating at his stomach. They walk in the see Dumbledore sitting at his desk and sucking on a lemon drop but the stand beside the man catches Hadrian's eye. He quickly struggled to hide a little smirk as he realizes that the old man had yet to remove Fawke's empty post as the Phoenix had been freed from the forced bond back in December at their last meeting.
The headmaster's face soured for a second when he noticed what Hadrian was looking at but quickly tried to look caring again.
   "You asked to see me Headmaster? Did... did I do something wrong?" Hadrian pretends to nervously ask. "No of course not my boy! Severus thank you for bringing him, you may leave now." The fool tried to wave the man away and frowned when he made no move to walk away. "Albus you seemed to have forgotten at our last meeting, Hadrian wishes for me to stay with him and the rules clearly state I can do so when a student requests teachers to do so." Dumbledore's frown deepened at the man's sudden jab at his older memory and sighed. "Very well." Claiming as if he had the power to allow the rule to be followed instead of ignored as usual. 
   "Hadrian-" "Lord Peverell sir" Hadrian interrupted. "My apologies, Lord Peverell, I merely wished to discuss your increased work in your classes. Are you handling it well?" "Yes sir, I enjoy the extra work and am helping some of my friends with their work as well." "I merely worry about all the attention it is bringing on you, after all your name and past already leave a lot of eyes watching you. Young Ronald especially has been very vocal about it." Before Hadrian could even respond, Severus stepped in. "Ronald Weasley is the biggest whiny brat I have ever met! That boy will do anything for attention and should have nothing to do with this conversation!"
   Dumbledore just sighed and acted disappointed at the mentioned boy's actions. "Very well, off you go. I've kept you long enough." Hadrian just nodded and refused to meet the man's eyes as he feared the man's magic will rip his shields to shreds. He fiddles with his hands, "Goodnight Headmaster," and goes to walk off. But as he turns away, he feels a strange compulsion to look up and freezes as his eyes connect with the old man's creepy twinkling eyes. His head instantly felt as if hit by a train and stabbed with a million needles at the same time.
   Dumbledore entered the boy's mind and laughed at how well the compulsion charm worked. He appeared in front of a house and used Bombarda to explode the door, not caring that he could have just as easily unlocked it with Alohomora. The house full of still photographs but none of them held any faces. The bodies were there but the faces had been burned off so Albus assumed this was the house Hadrian's family abused him in. He flew through the house finding memory after memory of the abuse and ruthlessly destroy the mind scape. However, once again they were faceless as if he had scrubbed them out if his memories. He now knew exactly what to say to manipulate and control the boy but frowned as the boy roughly pushed him out.
   Hadrian was finally able to blink and felt his cheeks wet with his tears. He blinked again as his vision cleared and noticed a pair of concerned onyx eyes staring back at him. The man's calloused man's from constant potion making wiped away his tears and gently pushed his towards the door as a signal to get out. Hadrian stumbled back and ran once he reached the door, not even stopping as he entered the dorms. He ran part all the concerned faces of his house mates and friends and only stopped to slam the door to his room shut.
   For the first time in a while, Hadrian let himself sob, not caring who could hear him. He didn't hear the door reopen and close and didn't realize anyone had entered the room till the scent of green apples and hair gel entered his nose. His brother's pale arms wrapped around his smaller body and held him tight. He felt the bed dip a second time as Blaise sat down on his other side to join the hug and kissed the top of his head. "Do you want to tell us what's been bothering you all day now?" Blaise asked as he rubbed Hadrian's back. Hadrian just shook his head. "Later?" Draco almost begged and Hadrian just gave a little nod in response. Snape came into check on Hadrian after yelling at Dumbledore for his Azkaban worthy behavior and sighed quietly as Dumbledore pulled the Death Eater card on him. He walked into the room with a sleepless potion and headache reliever and smiled at the sight of the three boys cuddled together on the bed asleep peacefully.