Hadrian
After Hadrian finished opening his presents, Regulus picked him up, all while Hadrian squirmed in his arms, and whispered gently, "Et si vous alliez tous les trois jouer au balai dans le jardin ? Il faut une discussion entre adultes." Why don't you three go play with your broomstick in the garden? Us adult need to have a grownup-talk. Hadrian stopped squirming when he heard Regulus's voice. Hadrian knew this would happen. After all, Hadrian's père and Sev always had 'grownup-talks' after sev had a meeting with the Dumbie.
"Okay, Père," Hadrian said, softly into Regulus's shoulder. Hadrian knew that they make it up to him. They always did. Hadrian knew that Père and Sev always talked as soon as he got back. Regulus smiled softly, and pulled Hadrian into a tight hug, causing Hadrian to squirm in his arms once again. Hadrian said, indignantly, "Tu m'écrases, Père!" Your crushing me, Papa!
"Pose le pauvre garçon par terre, Reg." Put the poor boy on the ground, Reg. Cissy said, gracefully. Though, Hadrian thought he might have heard some amusement in her tone, if only for a second.
"Tante Cissy, sauve-moi !" Auntie Cissy, save me! Hadrian whined, causing everyone in the room to start laughing and crying. A wave of confusion washed over Hadrian in that moment, causing him to settle down. What had he said that was so funny?
"Ai-je dit quelque chose de mal ?" Did I say something wrong? Hadrian said barely above a whisper, but everyone still froze. After a minute of silence, Regulus pulled Hadrian away from his should, so he could look him in the eyes, spoke gently and said, "Non, Hadès, tu n'as rien fait de mal. On riait tellement tu étais adorable." No Hades, you didn't do anything wrong. We were laughing because you were so adorable. Hadrian could feel a gentle hand rubbing comforting circles on his back. After a few minutes, Regulus sat Hadrian down on the couch with one last squeeze before letting go.
Both Hadrian's Père and Sev had long since learn that after Hadrian was picked up for more than a few minutes, he would have to down for a few seconds. They had found in the three years that they had together, that since Hadrian only had one fully functioning eye, he had trouble with balance, depth perception, and spatial awareness. Hadrian didn't know what any of those words meant, but based on Père's face upon this discovery, it wasn't a good thing. Sev had been equally worried and upset by the new, and suggested they take Hadrian to see an eye specialist that he knew.
The eye specialist lady had been very nice. She was a Non-magical from Sev's hometown. She had said that Hadrian hadn't lost all of his depth perception, which she said was a good thing. But she also said that he would have trouble telling distance and likely run into objects every now and then. She said that his balance was mostly fine because the floor grounded him, but that if someone were to bump into him unexpectedly or he was lifted off the ground for an extended period of time, he would have trouble keeping his balance.
Hadrian waited for the couch to ground him, while not looking up the entire time. He had found that looking at people made it hard for him to ground. He finally look up, which let Regulus know he was ready. Hadrian grabbed onto his Père's outstretched hand for support and stood up on unsteady legs. Once Regulus had made sure Hadrian wasn't going to fall over, he released his son's hand.
"Que s'est-il passé ? Ça va, Hadrien ?" What happened? Are you okay, Hadrian? Draco said in a timid voice; he was obviously worried. He gently placed his arms around Hadrian and pulled him into a light hug.
"Je vais bien. C'est juste que… mon équilibre n'est pas optimal. C'est pire quand je ne suis pas au sol." I'm okay. It's just…I don't have good balance. It's worse when I'm not touching the ground.
"Oh d'accord." Oh, okay.
"Allons jouer !" Let's go play! Hadrian said, while grabbing his broom in one hand and Draco's in the other. He ran with him out of the room, only stopping long enough to yell excitedly behind him, "Allez, Dora ! Allons jouer !" Come on, Dora! Let's go play!
Hadrian led Draco and Dora through the black halls of Étoile Noire, until they arrived at the door leading to the garden. He opened the wooden doors and ran out.
Hadrian's little feet padded softly across the cool stone path, his hands clasped behind his back in excitement. He was leading Draco and Dora through the door that opened up into his favorite place in the whole world, the garden. It was his secret treasure chest of colors and smells, and today, he couldn't wait to show it off.
Near the house, there were rows of roses in full bloom, fat, velvety petals of crimson, gold, pink, and snowy white, their scents blending into a dizzying perfume. Bees buzzed lazily around them, diving in and out of the blossoms.
Along the main path grew a border of lavender, its soft purple spikes swaying in the light breeze. The smell was sharp and sweet, and whenever Hadrian or his friends brushed past, the plants released a stronger puff of fragrance, like a whisper from a fairy.
Tall, proud sunflowers stood like soldiers at one side of the garden, their faces turned toward the sun. Some were so tall Hadrian could hardly see their tops. They made a kind of living wall, guarding the smaller flowers inside.
Patches of marigolds blazed like little fires among the greenery, their rich orange and yellow heads bobbing on their stems. In between were clusters of snapdragons, pink, red, white, and yellow, so full and plump they seemed to chatter secrets to one another in the breeze.
Farther back, a patch of wildness had been left untouched. There, wildflowers grew thick and tangled, daisies with sunny faces, purple clover that felt soft between fingers, and buttercups that gleamed like tiny drops of sunlight. Dora especially loved this part, she darted through it with endless energy, chasing butterflies and sometimes pretending to be a fairy herself.
A shady corner held ferns and moss, soft and green underfoot, like nature's carpet. A willow tree draped its long, silky branches to the ground, creating a secret hideout underneath where Hadrian liked to sit and tell stories. Dora, full of excitement, swung from the lower branches like a monkey, laughing and daring Draco to try it too.
In little stone pots scattered here and there were petunias, pansies, and sweet alyssum, tiny delicate flowers that smelled like honey. Some pots overflowed, trailing vines and blooms down their sides like waterfalls.
A small pond sat tucked near the back fence, ringed with water lilies and tall cattails. Frogs croaked lazily from the edges, and dragonflies zipped above the water like flying jewels.
In every corner, there was movement, bees, butterflies, and Dora herself, racing around, calling out the names of every flower she recognized and making up names for the ones she didn't.
The garden blazed under the noon sun, everything bursting with color. Roses, marigolds, lavender, and tall sunflowers nodded in the warm breeze. Bees drifted lazily from flower to flower. In the middle of it all, Hadrian stood proudly, his broomstick clutched tightly in both hands, his friends Dora and Draco bouncing with excitement beside him.
It was no ordinary broomstick. It was a practice broomstick for children, his birthday present from his dad, carefully made to be safe, light, and easy to fly. No fancy activation spells. No complicated enchantments. As soon as a young witch or wizard sat on it and pushed off, it would lift just a little, enough to hover and glide across the ground.
Hadrian grinned. The handle was polished smooth, just right for small hands, and faint carvings of stars and swirls danced along the sides. A few colorful charms dangled from the broom, a red feather, a tiny silver bell, and a bead that shimmered blue and green in the sunlight.
Dora, full of restless energy as always, twirled in a circle. "Hurry, Hadrian! Ride it! I want to see how fast you can go!"
Hadrian didn't need to be told twice. He swung a leg over the broomstick and pushed off the ground with a little hop. Instantly, the broom rose a few inches into the air, floating gently. It gave a faint, friendly hum, like it was happy to be used.
"Whoa!" Hadrian laughed, wobbling for a second before finding his balance.
Without waiting, he leaned forward and zoomed down the stone path, flying low over the soft grass and moss. Dora and Draco chased after him, laughing and shouting, their footsteps thudding against the earth.
Hadrian zipped past the towering sunflowers, raced alongside the rose bushes heavy with blooms, and skimmed over the wildflower patch where the garden gnomes liked to hide.
"Look at him go!" Dora yelled, running faster.
"Je parie qu'il bat des records de vitesse !" I bet he's breaking speed records! Draco shouted.
Hadrian whooped and leaned into a sharp turn around the willow tree, the broom tilting smoothly under him. Even though it was a practice broom, it felt real, the magic buzzing through the air, the sunlight flashing off the colorful charms, the garden spinning by in a blur of green and gold.
When he finally slowed to a stop near the little pond, his hair was sticking up in every direction and his face was flushed with excitement.
"C'était incroyable!" That was amazing! He gasped, trying to catch his breath. Dora ran to hold him up, while he regained his balance. When she was sure he wouldn't fall over, she let him go.
Dora grinned and grabbed the broom. "My turn! I'll go even faster!"
Even though she was a bit too big for it, Dora didn't care. She hopped on and shot forward, her laughter ringing through the garden. Draco and Hadrian chased after her, pretending to throw invisible spells and dodge imaginary obstacles.
The three of them spent what felt like hours racing, laughing, and tumbling in the grass, with the broomstick zooming low and steady around the flowerbeds.
•••
Just as they were about to head inside for an afternoon snake, Hadrian saw something different about the garden's willow tree.
At the base of the willow tree, lying still and coiled like a pale ribbon and partially still in its egg, was a snake unlike any he had ever seen. Its body shimmered in soft yellows and creamy whites, like banana custard in the sunlight. The snake was about 20 inches long, so Hadrian assumed, along with it still being in its egg, that the snake must be a newborn.
Hadrian crouched low to get a closer look. The snake didn't move at first. Then it raised its head slowly, red eyes blinking, watching him with a strange, calm intelligence.
Dora ran up behind him with fear in her eyes. She said quietly, " Hadrian, back up slowly. We don't want to spook it into attacking us."
Hadrian barely even heard what Dora was saying, to enraptured by the prettiest snake he has ever seen.
"Your so beautiful," Hadrian said, softly.
The snake lifted its head higher as if leaning into the praise.
"Thanksss."
"You can understand me?"
The snake nodded its head.
"Great! Then you can answer all my questions!"
"Sssure."
"What type of snake are you?"
"I'm a Albino Burmese Python."
"How can you understand me?"
"It's not that I can understand you. You are a ssspeaker."
"A speaker?"
"You can ssspeak the language of the sssnakes."
"Wow! Are you a boy or a girl?"
"I am a lady. Thank-you-very-much." The snake huffed.
Hadrian wanted to laugh at that. He had never seen a snake act so human before.
"What's your name?"
"My name is Row. What's yours?"
"I'm Hadrian! Wanna be friends?"
"Sssure. Can I climb on you?"
"Yes! Of course!"
Row slid off the roots of the willow tree, her yellow and white scales glistening in the afternoon sun. She slithered up Hadrian's body, and situated herself around his shoulder like a scarf. He let out a giggle when Row scented at his neck.
Hadrian turned around, only to find Dora and Draco frozen like the garden gnomes were during the day. Row scented at them as well.
"Sun-Bean?"
"Are you talking to me?"
"Yes. You are Sun-Bean. Why are the humans not moving? Are they about to shed their skin?"
"I don't know, but humans don't shed their skin."
"Humans are weird."
"Vous allez bien les gars ?" Are you guys okay? Hadrian said, as he pet Row's scales and earning satisfied hisses from her. His voice must have brought Draco back because he kept looking between him and Row. Finally he got the courage to ask, "Tu parles Fourchelangue ?" You can speak Parseltongue?
"Row? What's Parseltongue?"
Row lifted her head, which was resting on his shoulder, and seemed to think for a few seconds.
"That's what the humans call the Language of the Sssnakesss."
"Oh, okay!"
"Row a dit que je le parle." Row said I do speak it. Hadrian said, cheerfully.
All of a sudden, Hadrian felt a slight weight in his stomach. Not a painful sensation, in fact, Hadrian thought it felt nice. Row preened, as if she too could feel the featherlight warmth.
"Row, what's happening?"
'We are bonding, Sun-Bean.'
Hadrian paused. Row's thoughts went directly into his head without her even speaking. Could Row read his mind? Wait, bonding? What does that even mean?
'Yes I can, Sun-Bean. So can you, if you try.'
Hadrian focused on finding Row's voice in his head. He opened his mind, and received flashes of thoughts. Humans are strange. I will hunt. Must stay with hatchling. Must protect. I'm hungry. Hadrian almost died from laughter at the strange thoughts of his new snake friend.
'My thoughts aren't strange.'
'Whatever you say, Row.'
The entire conversation, dawning horror spread across Dora's until she finally spoke up, "Oh Morgana, what are we going to tell Uncle Reggie! He is going to kill me when he finds out I let you get close to a wild snake!"
Row preened in amusement, 'Sun-Bean, I like her. You should keep her.'
Hadrian laughed out loud, earning confused looks from Dora and Draco. Dora must have assumed he was talking about her because her face morphed into one of offense.
Dora said, "It's not funny! How are we going to explain the snake? What about how you speak Parseltongue? Uncle Reggie will want to get rid of it!"
Protectiveness flared in Hadrian, filling his small body with uncontrollable magic. Wind whipped around him, and the willow tree shook with the rage of his childish anger. Hadrian didn't know why, but the thought of someone taking Row away from him had made his magic restless and he couldn't stop it. He should vaguely make out that Draco was calling for him, but his mind refused to focus on the words.
Row wrapped tightly around him as the wind turned dangerously fast. The feeling of her being so close to him calmed Hadrian down. The wind died died down, no longer fueled by his protective fury.
'Calm…down, Sun-Bean.'
Row's voice in his head was strained, and he realized his anger was harming her. Any leftover anger morphed into concern as he pet Row's scales in apology.
'Sorry, Row.'
Hadrian turned to them, while still petting Row, and said through clenched teeth, "Personne ne peut me prendre Row ! Elle est à moi !" No one can take Row from me! She is mine! Tears streamed down Hadrian face as he held Row tightly until he was sobbing.
Draco seemed to hesitate for just a moment before he ran over and wrapped Hadrian in a tight hug, not paying any mind to the snake on his shoulders. Dora followed close, and they held him until he ran out of tears to cry. Dora was the first to let go' opting instead to pat his back gently. Draco, however, kept his hold on him until Hadrian finally spoke.
"Elle est à moi." She's mine. He said, barely above a whisper. And I'm her's. But he didn't feel the need to say it out loud. Row knew, and that was all that mattered.
"Ouais, elle est à toi." Yeah, she's yours. Draco muttered before he gave Hadrian one last squeeze and then let go, and holding his hand instead.
"Yeah! Even if Uncle Reggie doesn't let you keep her, Row could always just stay in the garden. What Reggie doesn't know won't hurt him!" Dora said with a mischievous smile, earning a laugh from Hadrian.
"Oui, tu as raison. Mais bon, je ne veux pas qu'on me la prenne !" Yeah, you're right. But still, I don't want anyone taking her from me! Hadrian said with a huff.
'I won't let anyone take me away from you, either. Don't worry, Sun-Bean.'
'I know, Row. But, thanks anyway.' Hadrian smiled.
"Well, we might as well head back inside, and get this over with. Uncle Reggie is going to start wondering where we are soon anyways. We have been out here for a few hours now." Dora pointed out, nervous of Hadrian reaction.
"Ouais, allons à l'intérieur." Yeah, let's go in. Hadrian said after thinking about it for a minute. He knew Dora was right. Père did tend to worry about him a lot, and it was better if Hadrian walked into the house with a snake, than if Père came out to look for them, only to find Hadrian with a snake wrapped around his neck.
They begun the slow walk back through the garden. Dora had pointed out that it would look better if they were calm. If they ran into the house, their parents might think they were scared.
They walked through the black hall of manor, taking them in in a way they hadn't when they ran through them earlier. The black wallpaper was covered with wisteria flowers in a color that was only a few shades lighter than the black. If someone wasn't paying attention, they would have certainly missed that detail. But now, Hadrian felt the need to take in every little detail that he could find. He felt as though he was walking towards his death, though Hadrian was only four and didn't know what that feeling was like. He was probably just scared.
They arrived at the still closed doors to the parlor and stopped. Hadrian took one last look at Draco, who was on his right, and Dora, who was on his left. They gave him encouraging smiles. And with one last breath, he opened the doors.