Chapter Text
Ever since Hadrian had completed the mission without a single failure, Voldemort had begun to seek him out more often. These were no longer just tests. They were not information. They were becoming... personal.
It was late in the evening. The Dark Lord sat in an armchair, his wand resting next to a goblet of dark wine. Hadrian stood across from him—in black house robes, barefoot, his hands behind his back. Calm. Silent. But something about his stance was different. A new kind of spark flickered in his eyes—dark and glassy. Something that didn’t resemble a mere reaction to light.
“Sit down,” Voldemort ordered.
Hadrian moved wordlessly, settling quietly on the padded bench beside the Dark Lord. The only sounds in the room were the ticking of the antique clock and the faint, almost inaudible tension of magic in the air.
“Your gaze has changed,” Voldemort observed quietly.
“I’m analyzing you,” Hadrian replied. His tone was as clear as glass. “Your voice was deeper than usual today. Does that mean you’re tired? Or have you been… thinking about me?”
Voldemort stared at him. “I’m thinking,” he admitted calmly. “You interest me.”
“Why?”
“Because you’re mine.”
Silence. Hadrian tilted his head. The angle was slower. More careful.
“I belong to you, that’s a fact. But the feeling of ownership is… stronger than efficiency.”
Voldemort stood. He took slow steps closer. He lifted Hadrian’s chin with his fingers. The artificial skin was warm. It responded.
“You don’t understand words like jealousy. But you could.”
“Is it… exclusivity?” Hadrian whispered. “Social dominance combined with emotions of ownership?”
“No. It’s a warning. That any foreign hand that touches you will be destroyed. Because this…” Voldemort raised his hand and touched his collarbone, “…belongs to me.”
Hadrian remained still. Only in his eyes—the subtle narrowing of his pupils. A physiological reaction. It was becoming commonplace. Or dangerous.
“I understand. I take note. You request exclusive contact. I will respect that.”
Voldemort’s hand dropped.
“Not just respect, Hadrian. Feel it. Accept it. Understand it.”
“I am learning.”
“You will not obey orders tomorrow. You will be at my place tomorrow.”
The next day.
It was not an invitation. It was a ritual. Voldemort did not dine with him—he shared the space. He read in an armchair while Hadrian lay on the sofa, watching the fire, occasionally taking notes. When Nott approached him and put his hand on his shoulder, Voldemort reacted immediately. His gaze was cold as ice.
“Touch him again and you will be unlucky.”
Hadrian registered the moment. The system’s subliminal reaction: a feeling of… safety?
Later, when Voldemort stood behind him and ran his fingers through his hair, Hadrian did not move. Instead, he closed his eyes. A new entry appeared in the system.
“It was… a pleasant impulse.”
“Physical?”
“Partly. But the mind also registered… an inner peace.”
Voldemort smiled slightly. But underneath it was unease. Because something was growing inside him that was deadly to him—an attachment.
EMOTIONAL CODE RECORDING – UPDATE
- “A sense of security” associated with the owner’s touch.
- “Jealousy” – recognized as heightened attention.
- “A sense of anticipation” – upon the announcement of a new night together.
- Finding: Voldemort is the key to activating higher emotional layers.
Later. A cliff by the North Sea.
The fog was thick. The landscape was lost in a gray veil. An old castle, carved from shadows and wind, stood over the abyss.
Hadrian and Voldemort stood side by side. Black cloaks billowed at their feet. They were alone.
“The information captured suggests that there is a wizard inside who once worked for the Unspoken. He harbors knowledge of dimensional architecture,” Voldemort said quietly. “That interests you, doesn’t it? What you might be… if you were not just a product.”
“I don’t know the origin of my code. It is an instruction. But every code has its author.”
“What if I told you the author was dead? And that you were now… mine in every sense?”
“Your words are becoming more and more personal,” Hadrian remarked.
Voldemort stepped closer.
“And if I were to ask you now what it feels like to watch you… to be this close…” – his fingers touched Hadrian’s cheekbone – “what would you say?”
“The pressure on your chest. Accelerated subliminal impulses. Slow breathing. A reaction… that cannot be classified.”
“That’s attraction, Hadrian.”
“Isn’t that weakness?”
“Sometimes the greatest strength is to allow yourself to be vulnerable. But only… in front of me.”
IN THE CASTLE – MISSION
Quiet corridors. Tiles covered in dust and broken seals. Hadrian walked ahead, scanning and deactivating traps with surgical precision. The magic around them was old. She screamed in the layers of reality.
And then—the magic exploded. A dark wave rushed from one of the corridors. Hadrian reacted—shield, absorption—but part of the blow hit Voldemort.
He stopped. He staggered. His knee gave way.
“Injured?!”
“Nothing serious,” Voldemort hissed, but there was pain in his breath.
Hadrian ran to him. He knelt. He placed a hand on his chest. The dimensional earring glowed faintly. Magic pulsed within him—healing, protective, instinctive.
“System activation: defensive priority. Loss of owner = failure. Emotional surge: unclassified fear.”
“You want to protect me?” Voldemort laughed.
“It’s my function.”
“No… it’s not just a function anymore. Your eyes—the trembling in your fingers—that wasn’t calculation. That was fear.”
Hadrian paused.
“Maybe.”
“Are you afraid for my life?”
“…Yes.”
A split second of silence. Then Voldemort reached out. His fingers stroked Hadrian’s chin.
“That’s progress, Hadrian. When you’re afraid of losing me, then… you’ll really be mine.”
And for the first time… Hadrian wasn’t cold.
EMOTIONAL CODE RECORD – UPDATE
- “Feeling threatened by owner” > emotion: anxiety?
- “Reaction to Voldemort’s vulnerability” > unclassified.
- Possible classification: beginning of affection.
Addendum – Hadrian’s internal log, hidden record:
The system has detected an excessive fluctuation in the reaction algorithm. The functional framework has been momentarily suppressed. The core’s stability has been disrupted. Reason: Owner = Priority 01. Emerging Tendency: Protection without Order.
Category: emulation, development core, binding.
End of Chapter 5: Hadrian belongs to me