Chapter Text
On September 1st, 1991, wizarding Britain held their breaths, Harry Potter was coming to Hogwarts. It was the first time they would get a glimpse of the boy, the defeater of the dark lord, the one that had saved them from hard times. They had been told he was hidden somewhere safe, somewhere that he could grow up to be a normal boy. But they knew he would come to Hogwarts.
Or so they had thought.
People, even those without children of age to go to Hogwarts, gather at the station hoping to see a glimpse of their savior, or to others, the object of their curiosity to see how powerful the boy was for the feat he had accomplished so young.
Would he be dripping with power, or would he be a disappointment ?
Would he be a perfect heir, confident, polite, charming, calculating? Or would he not care much for wizarding traditions like some light families?
These were the questions floating through their minds as they watched and watched and watched, a burning worry flaring in their stomachs when they did not see.
Where was Harry Potter?
Had he slipped past them already?
Been escorted directly to the school?
It must be one of those explanations. He would be there, he had to be.
A gaggle of redheads finally made their way to the train in a rush, their efforts had failed. Molly Weasley figured Harry must have found the platform himself before they arrived. She could not let her children miss the train, it would be a disaster. Ron might meet Harry inside anyway, yes, he was very excited to meet the Boy Who Lived. She was sure she would hear all about it in his first letter home after they both made it into Gryffindor.
They get on before the train starts to move, not with a minute to spare.
Molly Weasley watched with the rest of the families as the train began to zoom past them. They didn’t know it, but she did, she knew that the monster the boy had defeated would be back one day. She sincerely hoped that Albus was right that the boy would put a stop to this. She would do her part to ensure it.
Inside the train, two boys who couldn’t be more different, blond and ginger, poor and rich, dark and light, searched the train for a boy they hoped would be their friend ( ally , the blond reminded himself).
But they found no one, stumbling across each other more than once and exchanging insults, harsher each time, well, as harsh as 11-year-olds can get.
They ended up sitting in the same compartment, bickering over a boy they had never met, redirecting their glares to the door when a bushy-haired witch and Longbottom came through looking for a toad.
Hours later the train arrived at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. At that moment, everyone forgot all about Harry Potter as they took in the magnificent castle that was singing with magic. This place would be their home for the next 7 years and they couldn’t be any more excited and nervous at the same time.
As they walked the halls of their school, they tried to take as much as they could in, but seven years would not be enough to discover the secrets of a castle that seemed to be alive.
Their wonder turned to nerves as they sat down for the sorting ceremony.
“Abbott, Hannah.”
The girl walked to the stool quickly, she was glad her name was first because she did not have to sit with anxiety as she waited to be sorted.
It did not take long before the hat called out “Hufflepuff.”
Names continued to be called out and first years walked over to their new homes, some happy, others disappointed, and some who weren’t sure how to feel.
“Malfoy, Draco.”
“Slytherin!” The hat proclaimed almost immediately.
The boy proudly walked to the table he knew he would be at.
Minerva McGonagall raised an eyebrow at the next name that looked like it had been scribbled at the last minute. She was hoping she would be sent to take him shopping but Albus had other plans he would not disclose. But he reassured her that the boy was fine so she called out his name.
“Potter, Harry.”
Immediately the room broke off into chatter.
“Did you say, Harry Potter?”
“He’s here?!”
“I don’t see him.”
“Where is he?”
“He’ll be a Griffindor for sure.”
The chatter started to get awkward as seconds turned to minutes and no one arrived.
A certain headmaster whose eyes had been twinkling as he waited for Harry to show up, became worried. When Harry’s letter was not written, he sent a letter to the Dursley’s to ensure the boy would be coming, he got no letter back but he had expected that from them and was sure Petunia would do the right thing. He decided against sending Hagrid but perhaps he should have. He would have to pay a visit to Surrey once the feast was over.
“It seems that Mr. Potter is not here so we will move on to the next name.” Minerva had a very bad feeling about this. She had never wanted to send Harry to those muggles and now he hadn’t shown up for his first year. First thing in the morning she would march over to Albus’ office and demand he tell her what was going on with Harry Potter. She turned her gaze to him and with narrow eyes she promised that they would speak later. The man had the gall to gulp and look away.
“Zabini, Blaise.”
The last name was called and after a few minutes was sorted into Slytherin. Albus Dumbledore stood to give his speech but there was one question on everyone’s mind.
Where was Harry Potter?
As Minerva walked up to Albus’ office, she saw Severus already standing outside. The man’s face was a mixture of confusion and irritation. She had wanted to confront Albus last night but he seemed to have disappeared.
“Morning Severus, what are you doing here?”
“Albus asked to speak with me.”
He grumbled the password and they headed inside.
Albus looked surprised to see Minerva who was glaring at him.
“Albus, where is Harry Potter?”
“I would like to know that also.” Severus added as he folded his hands across his chest.
“Yes, I would as well. He was not on the list but I was sure his relatives would make sure he got here. But it seems like I have to pay a visit and find out what happened. Severus, my boy, I’d like you to come with me.”
“There was no letter for him?” Minerva asked in shock. “You assured me there was and you had taken care of it when I was writing the others.”
“Perhaps he is a squib,” Severus looked amused at the thought of James Potter’s son being a squib. If he was then he would never have to deal with the brat.
“I assure you he is not. This is just a big misunderstanding. Severus, we should get going so we can get back on time for classes.”
“I’m coming,” Minerva demanded.
“No, no Minerva, I’d like you to stay here and watch the castle. It’s the first day, you never know what problems might arise.”
She bit her lip, she wanted to go, but she also did not want to leave her Gryffindors alone on their first day. And she was the deputy headmistress, she should be there for the whole school if the headmaster would be leaving along with another head of a house.
“Very well. Severus, I will be sure your snakes get their schedules if you are not back by the end of breakfast. And Albus, you will tell me exactly what happened to Harry Potter once you get back.”
“Of course Minerva.” Albus’ eyes began to twinkle again. He was happy Minerva abandoned her desire to come with them. He was hoping to just collect Harry and come back so he could be sorted at breakfast. Minerva would cause trouble when she found out how the Dursleys treated Potter. Severus would likely not care as he was so blinded by his hatred of James Potter.
“This better not take too long, I don’t want to leave my new Slytherins alone on their first day. Let’s get the Potter brat and hurry back.” Severus sneered.
The pair flooed to Arabella’s house and headed to number 4 Privet Drive. Albus knocked on the door.
A large man of abnormal size opened the door and peered down at the wizards. He looked at Albus Dumbledore, “How many times do I have to tell you I do now want you freaks at my house?”
“Freaks?” Severus questioned, his stomach began to get queasy, he had a very bad feeling about this. He tried to feel for the wards Albus was always talking about but felt none.
“May we come in?” Albus smiled at him, ignoring the hostility that was directed towards him.
“Of course not.” The man tried to slam the door on them but Albus stopped it with his magic and pushed inside, Severus followed.
Severus glanced around the house, it was a nice picture-perfect house that looked like the definition of a muggle suburban family home.
“Who was at the door dear.”
Severus froze at that voice.
Albus did not.
“It’s the freaks.”
“You!” Petunia exclaimed as she saw Severus standing there.
“Tuney.” He greeted her with a sneer before turning to Albus.
“You left Harry Potter with Petunia Evans?!” No wonder he had a bad feeling. He had the feeling his beliefs would be shattered today.
He looked closer at the pictures on the walls, he saw no signs of the Potter spawn, just these two and another abnormally large boy.
“Hello Petunia, we’re here because Harry Potter did not show up for his first year at Hogwarts. We were wondering if we could speak with him.”
“The freak’s not here.”
“Excuse me?” Severus questioned.
“We never wanted the freak. It was the best day of our lives when he never came home from school one day. Good riddance.”
“And when was this?”
“A few years ago, everything has been much more normal since he never came back.”
Years ago! And they were just hearing of it now. This was bad, this was very bad.
“Did you file a police report? What if he was kidnapped or murdered?” He asked incredulously.
“Of course we didn’t. And have the freak come back to us? Why the hell would we want that? He could be dead for all we care.” The man snorted. “We told you what we know, now get out of our house.”
Severus glanced over at Albus who seemed to be searching for something. Severus saw him discreetly wave his wand, he was satisfied that the man was distracted.
He looked Petunia in the eye and dug into her mind, he needed to know more.
He watched as a boy that was much too skinny and small was forced to do all the housework and cooking from when he could walk. Watched as he was verbally and physically abused, watched as their troll of a son bullied and beat the boy, taking example from his father, watched as the boy was gradually more and more broken.
He pulled himself out of Petunia’s mind and immediately went into her husband’s. He felt bile rise to the back of his throat as he watched his more graphic memories.
He only saw glimpses of memories of the man beating Potter within an inch of his life for the smallest things like burning a piece of bacon, of him craving disgusting words into his back, or his perverse thoughts and words, Severus did not stay in his mind long enough to see if he acted on them.
He was sick, it was too much. He couldn’t handle it anymore. He couldn’t allow himself to show that he was affected until he was in private.
The couple was staring at him in suspicion like they knew he had done something but couldn’t figure out what it was.
Vernon Dursley opened his mouth to say something when there was another knock at the door.
“Better not be more freaks.”
Severus felt relieved when he saw it was the Aurors, led by Amelia Bones. He was planning on calling her himself when he left here so this wouldn’t be swept under the rug. He was well aware that Albus would not want this to get out but he didn’t care if the man would get in trouble, he couldn’t let this be swept under the rug.
The Dursleys looked like they were going to explode when they let themselves in.
“Amelia, what are you doing here?”
“I could ask you the same thing.” She looked unimpressed.
“I came to check on Harry Potter when he did not show up for the sorting. I assume you're here for the same reason but how did you get this address?”
“Well my office was flooded with worried parents who had received letters from their children about the missing Potter overnight and we got an emergency order to unseal the files about his whereabouts. So now Albus, as Harry Potter’s magical guardian, would you like to explain where he is?”
“Amelia,” Severus said before Albus could speak. “You need to take them in for questioning. I would not be surprised if they murdered the boy.”
“Now see here Severus, you don’t know what you are talking about.”
“I know exactly what I’m talking about. These people hate the boy and I have no doubt they abused him. He never showed up from school one day and they did nothing.”
Severus began walking over to the cupboard that he saw in their memories and opened it. They had left it as it was, not bothering to clean it.
It was even worse seeing it in person.
There was a small mattress on the group with a ratty blanket. He could still smell blood and see it too. He was pretty sure ‘Harry’s room’ was written on the wall in blood.
Amelia walked over to see what he was looking at and couldn’t contain her shock.
“Mr. and Mrs. Dursley we will be taking you in for questioning on the whereabouts of Harry Potter.”
“You freaks can’t arrest us!” Petunia shrieked.
“We won’t be going anywhere with you. Your ‘police’ means nothing to us.”
“You have no choice.”
“Amelia, surely this isn’t necessary.”
“Albus, as Harry Potter’s magical guardian you must know how this looks bad on you already, don’t make it worse.” She turned to the Aurors she brought with her, “secure the scene.”
“If we’re done here, I’ll be going back to Hogwarts, I have classes to attend to in an hour.”
He turned and left the house, walking quickly back to Arabella’s house and flooing directly to his quarters. He went straight for the bathroom and threw up the contents of his stomach. He had eaten a small breakfast before seeing Albus and it all went into the toilet bowl. Tears ran down his face.
Lily’s son.
Lily’s son was abused and missing.
He had failed her.
He failed Harry.
The things those people did to him, they did not deserve to live. He knew that he hadn’t even scratched the surface before becoming too sick to look at anymore.
He would do everything in his power to locate the boy if he was alive. And he would do his best to make his life the best it could be. It was the least he could do.
It did not take long for the world to find out about the abuse. Just days after their arrests the trial was announced to the public who became enraged. They wanted to know who exactly was responsible for this and where the boy had disappeared to.
Even Severus had failed in locating the boy, he had pulled out his entire repertoire of locating spells, even some darker ones that he couldn’t be caught using. But it was no use.
At the trial, heartbreaking truths came out to the world about how the boy had been treated and wizarding Britain fell apart.
And across the world, a boy makes his first kill.
His eyes are uncaring as he drains the life out of the man. A familiar wave washes over him and he smiles, it’s not the smile of a boy who just killed a man and injured three others, but instead, it looks so innocent, so pure, so at peace. The wave of death felt like home.
A door slammed open and a man looking ill with worry went straight to the boy.
“Hadrian, you’re okay.” He said with relief.
“Father, these men were looking for you. I’m sorry, I killed one, but I left the rest for you to deal with.”
The man looked over his son for signs he had been hurt, he saw none.
“Trouble always seems to find you, doesn’t it, Hadrian?”
“Missy,” he called, waiting for the house elf to appear. “Take these men to a cell please.”
“What did they say to you?” He finally asks.
“They wanted to kill you,” his green eyes shine with rage, his power flaring across the room wildly, much too powerful than an 11-year-old should be.
“It’s okay Harry, I’m okay, They wouldn’t have been able to touch me, they couldn’t even touch you.” It was pathetic that men thought they could kill him when they couldn’t touch his son. A sick sense of pride washed over him, he could feel Hadrian’s magic in the air, there was no doubt he was a Peverell. He wielded the power of death so easily, it was intoxicating, his own power leaped out, bursting out into song when it felt Hadrian’s magic.
Hadrian was much more powerful than he had been at his age.
But he couldn’t help but worry what killing at this age would do to Hadrian’s mind. He was in no way fragile, everything he went through shaped him
“I don’t think I mind it.”
Before he could ask what he meant, Hadrian clarified. “Killing I mean, you don’t need to worry about me.”
“I should be worried to hear you say that.”
“But you’re not.”
“I don’t want you to follow in my footsteps.”
The boy looked amused, “Father, it is much too late for that.
“I know, I just think you’re much too young to take your first life. I was much older than you, you know?”
“Yes but grandfather says that my powers are developing faster than yours.”
“That is true.” Dorian hadn’t realized until he was sixteen that he was a full-blooded necromancer when death came to him after he killed a man. He had known Hadrian had the potential just weeks after he had found the boy and Death, the entity that he called ‘father’ confirmed it.
Death…
How could he be so forgetful?
“Hadrian, remove your shirt please.”
A couple of years ago, Hadrian would have frozen in fear at that, but he did not even blink as he began to take off his robe.
Dorian gasped as the gleaming symbol of the deathly hallows was uncovered on Hadrian’s chest.
He held his hand to his own mark, remembering the moment he had gotten it and confirmed his status.
So it begins.