Sunlight beamed into the master bedroom, making the entire room glow softly. Regulus yawned as he sat up in his bed. As a practicing Sun Witch, he awoke with the sun. He quick got dressed in casual robes, and walked down towards the garden. Hadrian would most likely be asleep for the next couple of days, so Regulus had Ceri watching over him at all times.
The quiet hum of the Morning Folk accompanied him as he walked through the garden with his woven basket. Regulus did this about once a month on the day after the Full Moon. Morning was the best time to collect magickal herb, as they were were freshly soaked in the powerful energy of the Full Moon. He would have collected them even if it was the morning after. Today was August 1st, Lughnasadh, otherwise known as the witch's harvest festival. While it was a shame that Hadrian would not be able to attend the festival, he had to rest, and get his new form as quickly as possible.
After he was done collecting herbs for the festival that evening, Regulus went to his study and start crafting a letter. Since his son spoke Parseltongue, it wasn't safe for him to spend seven years in that school. So, Regulus thought it was finally time to cash in one of the favors Madam Maxine owed to his family. Their families had been close since before The Black Family left France in the 1600s, and have kept a close relationship ever since.
Dear Olympe Maxime,
It has been quite a while since I have last sent you a letter, hasn't it Maxi? Well, I am currently writing this to you because I have recently discovered that young Hadrian Black, now officially my son as of yesterday through the ritual we spoke of last time, is in fact a speaker of Parseltongue. It can as a shock to many of us when he came back into from playing with an Albino Bermise Python coiled around his neck.
Since my son is a speaker of the ancient tongue, I would not think myself comfortable with send him into the 'Lion's den' that is Hogwarts Castle. Especially with one as...old fashioned as Dumbledore. So please forgive my late request, but I wish for Hadrian to be added to the list of first years this September.
I would also like you to allow Panda's daughter to attend this autumn as well, even though she is not yet three years of age. This is for the reason that it has also come to our attention that Hadrian Black and Luna Lovegood are Life and Death Companions, and should not be separated.
It is incredibly important to me that my Hadrian gets the best education there is to offer, and I believe that your school is the school that will provide that for mine and Pandora's children.
Sincerely, Your friend,
Regulus Black, of The Noble and Most Ancient House of Black.
Regulus folded the letter and sealed it in black wax with the family crest carved into his Lordship ring.
He call his Patronus, and two whispy figures shot out of his wand, one was a stag and the other was a doe. The handed the letter to the Doe and asked, "Can you send this letter to Maxi?"
They both nodded their head, and galloped in a circle around him for a bit. They would nudge him every few seconds, making him chuckle in amusement. After all while, they left to deliver the letter. Many people believed that patronuses weren't sentient beings who had their own emotions, but that was simply not true. When a patronus took on the representation of a person's love, the patronus would begin to take on the personality and even sometimes the memories of that love.
This was also how he knew that Beauxbatons was the right choice. He knew that Hogwarts wouldn't teach the students about an idea as progressive as this. Regulus's first choice for school had alway been Beauxbatons Academy of Magick, but he had not wanted leave Hadrian out of Albus Dumbledore's eye forever. Now though, Regulus wanted to keep their meeting as far into the future as possible. That was where Beauxbatons came in. The school was a way more…progressive school than Hogwarts was. Students at Beauxbatons could freely express their Creature Inheritance, and since in France it was way more common to be born a Parselmouth than in England, there would likely be others who speak the language in the school at the same time as him. They weren't as strict with their study of witchcraft, and students had way more opportunities to express their personal craft.
Regulus sighed as he leaned back in his chair. Things just had to get more complicated, didn't they? Well, there was no use in complaining, especially when Hadrian was safe and sound with him.
{ ~ >^^< ~ }
When he woke up that morning, the first thing he saw was a face. It was the face of a girl, he thought so at least. It was hard to tell because the figure was wearing a covering over their eyes, and a sheer black veil over their mouth. He sat up as he noticed that his head was resting on their lap. He looked around, and realized that he was in a field of Moonlillies that stretched out as far as the eye could see.
He turned to look at the figure. They had long blonde that seemed to sway and flow as if weightless, and they wore long ocean blue robes that looked like they had stars stitched into them. They were kneeling next to where he sat, and seemed to be studying him. He asked, "Where am I, and what…what happened."
The person tilted their head, as if in thought. They stood up, looking out over the field of flowers, and said, "The where is easy. You are in my garden. As for what allowed you to get here…I have no idea. Usually, mortals aren't capable of entering my sacred realm. Hmm, do you remember anything?"
He shook his head, "No."
They hummed a soft sigh, and said, "That is truly a shame. My name is #!$%£¥!?#. Yours?"
"#!$%£¥?."
"Well, #!$%£¥?. Let me take a wild guess, and say that you will probably be stuck here for a while."
"Wait, you can't get me out of here? I thought this was your garden."
"Yes, it is my garden," they said in a calm and gentle voice, "but it is not mine alone. I share the garden with my sister, #?!¥£%$!. She always has so many plans for the world, so who knows what she is planning with our meeting."
"Well, then," He said, "We should find her, and ask her ourselves."
They shook their head, slowly, and said, "I'm sorry, but…she won't show up. She never does."
He looked at them, and asked, "She never talks to you."
"Sometimes," they said, vaguely, "she will talk to me in my dreams once in a Blue Moon," They looked up at the large silver moon hanging in the sky with a slightly down turned smile. "She is ever so busy with her weaving."
"Doesn't it get lonely here," he asked gently, "you, alone, in this endless garden."
They shook their head, and said Vaguely, "No. I have the Moon and the Stars to keep me company. Alongside that, sometimes a stray will pass through here on their way to what comes next."
{ ~ >^^< ~ }
Regulus stood up from his desk in the study, and was about to leave for the Lughnasadh festival, when he heard a pop behind him. He turned around, and saw Ceri had popped into his study.
"Ceri?" Regulus asked, carefully, "Is everything alright? You were supposed to be watching over Hadrian."
Ceri, the house elf, bowed low, and said respectfully, "Ceri be tellin' yous that Young Master Hadrian be awakey."
Regulus blinked in shock. Hadrian was awake? But it hadn't even a full day since he was put into the magick induced sleep. The only way that would be possible is if…
{ ~ >^^< ~ }
He felt as if he were floating in an empty sea of gray. Dreams flowed past him, and he caught glimpse into few of them, but most passed him by unnoticed. Suddenly, he felt a pull in his stomach that pulled him downwards as if sinks into a vast sea.
Hadrian awoke slowly, as if he needed time for him to return to his own body. For some reason, as he sat up, he felt a deep sense of sadness. As if he lost something incredibly important to him. He reached up to rub his tired eyes, and his hand came back wet. He had been crying in his sleep, but he couldn't remember why. Hadrian wiped his tears away as he heard a knock on his door. Without waiting for an answer, the door opened with a soft click.
"Hadrien ?" Hadrian? Regulus's deep, calm voice resounded throughout the room. Hadrian covered his ears as his Papa's voice sound as if being forced through a pipe, echoey and distorted. Upon seeing Hadrian covering his ears, Regulus quieted his steps, and quickly made his way other to the round bed. He sat down on the edge of the bed, and softly asked, "Ça va, Hadès ?"
Hadrian thought for a moment before he shook his head. That little bit of movement caused him a head splitting headache that felt as though someone had shoved many needles into the middle of his skull. Regulus eyes roamed over Hadrian's body, checking for every little sign of discomfort. Every small movement of his body, sent shockwaves of pain through it. His skin prickled, and his eyes felt itchy and dry. His heart thumped loudly in his head. Hadrian started shaking, the movement worsening the pain, but he couldn't stop.
"C'est ta tête qui te fait mal ?" Is it your head that hurts? Regulus asked, gently. Hadrian stayed stiffly still, not daring to answer in case it caused him any more pain.
Regulus nodded as if getting confirmation of something. He rubbed Hadrian's back, which caused Hadrian to flinch back, the contact burning through his skin, and into his bones. Hot, wet tears burned their way down his cheeks at he sat their frozen, unable to move a single muscle with feel excruciating pain. Regulus sighed, and said, "Je savais que c'était mauvais signe que tu te réveilles si tôt dans ta transformation. Pourquoi ne te recouches-tu pas, je vais te jeter un sort qui t'empêchera de trop bouger. Ça te va ?" I knew it was a bad thing that you woke up so early into your transformation. Why don't you lay back down, and I'll care a spell that stop you from moving too much. Does that sound good?
Hadrian slowly moved to lay down, his body fight him the whole way. Needle settle under him as he laid down on his back. His Papa muttered a spell softly, and he found himself unable to control his body. Regulus said another spell, and Hadrian's eyes turned super heavy. He slowly closed his eyes to the world.
{ ~ >^^< ~ }
Luna sat by the window, watching the birds. She had always loved watching them fly through the open sky. Suddenly, she felt a tug in the center of her stomach, as if her magick were pulling her in a certain direction. She got up from her seat, and padded her way across the room. Luna reached up onto her tippy toes to turn the copper handle. She went out into the long hallway. As she followed the tugging, the feeling started to ache.
Luna stopped outside a black, wooden door, the pull telling her that the source was right behind it. Before she was able to turn the handle, the door opened with a soft click. Uncle Regulus blinked in surprise as he saw Luna standing in front of the door. She looked behind him, and saw Hadrian sleeping on the bed. Luna slipped past him, and walked into the bedroom.
"Do you need something, Luna?" Regulus called from from behind her. She ignored him as she reached the circle bed with her Life and Death Companion sleeping on it.
"He is hurt." Luna said as she looked him over. Her skin prickled harshly, but she paid it no attention. She pressed her hand gently to his forehead, and quickly pulled it away. His skin was burning. She turned to look at Regulus, and said, "He will be fine in a few days."
She said it with such certainty that Regulus just nodded. Luna turned back to check on Hadrian one last time. She pressed a soft kiss on his cheek, and firmly pulled out a single strand of his hair. She walked away, Regulus following closely behind her.
As they left the room, Regulus said, "We should make him a spell vial necklace. It should help."
Luna lifted her arms, and Regulus picked her up. They went down the stairs, and into the kitchen. Regulus set her down, and grabbed a small empty glass jar that was an inch tall.
He lit a candle, and put a wooden rod into the flame. Regulus took the rod out of the fire after it was lit, and put the flaming end into the jar. He swirled it around, creating smoke to cleanse the jar. After the jar was properly cleansed, Luna handed him the hair. He wrapped the hair tightly around his finger, and placed it in the tiny vial. Regulus grabbed a container of table salt, and poured it into a circle around the jar. He went around the kitchen grabbing different ingredients, sea salt, dried egg shells, dried rosemary, basil, coriander, cloves, dried bay leaves, dried cinnamon, and a piece of paper. He always kept large jars full of spell ingredients in his kitchen.
Regulus opened the jar of sea salt, and spooned a little of it into the vial. After it was in, he grabbed the vial in his hands and whispered, "Oh, salt of the sea, I ask for your power of Protection and Banishment."
He then repeated the process with all the ingredients, saying,
"Oh, shell of the egg, I ask for your power of Fragile Protection."
"Oh, Rosemary, I ask for your power of Protection and Purification."
"Oh, Basil, I ask for your power of Courage and Exorcism."
"Oh, Coriander, I ask for your power of Peace and Protection."
"Oh, Cloves, I ask for your power of Exorcism and Protection."
"Oh, Bay Leaf, I ask for your power of Strength and Purification."
"Oh, Cinnamon, I ask for your power of Power and Prosperity."
He poured his power into each request, and thanks them. Regulus grabbed a sheet of parchment, and wrote:
Protect Hadrian and Keep him away from danger. Alleviate his pain and suffering.
He folded the sheet, and place it into the vial. Luna handed him a black candle, and he lit it. He put the cork back on the vial, and waited. After the wax was melting and drippy, Regulus gently tipped the candle over the vial, letting the wax drip onto the vial. After that, he quick grabbed a wire loop with a needle and stuck it into the wax covered cork. He set the vail on a tray so that the wax could cool, and turned towards Luna.
"Do you wanna help me make some soup for Hadrian," Regulus asked.
Luna nodded, and they started working on the soup. It was a very simple recipe, but Hadrian had always loved. Regulus turned the stove on low heat, before placing a large pot filled with chicken broth on the hot-plate. He added ingredients, and Luna stood on a stool and continuiously stirred the pot. Regulus grabbed a bowl from the cupboard, and poured some of the soup into it. He checked the vial, and found that it was cooled.
Regulus grabbed a length of the finest silk thread in the world, and slipped it through the loop in the top of the vial. Luna held the bowl of soup as they left the kitchen and made their way upstairs. He nodded his head at the portrait of Cassiopeia, and they kept walking. He open the door to Hadrian's bedroom with a soft click. Regulus walked across the room, and sat down on the edge of the bed next to his sleeping son. Luna set the bowl of soup on a table next to the bed. Regulus placed the back of his hand against Hadrian's forehead, and sighed. Good, his temperature wasn't as high as it had been. He released the sleeping spell on the child. Hadrian started to shift in his sleep, waking up.
{ ~ >^^< ~ }
Hadrian looked around blankly, his mind moving slowly. He blinked, and saw his Père saying something. His Père was holding spoon to his closed mouth.
Oh, Père wants me to eat.
Hadrian opened his mouth enough for the soup to come in, but it tasted like nothing on his tongue.
His Père place the spoon in a bowl, and grabbed something. He wrapped the thread around Hadrian's neck, tying the ends together. His Père muttered some sort of spell, and the warm, fuzzy feeling of his Père's magick washed over Hadrian. The comforting feeling made Hadrian feel really good, and he feel asleep in his Père's arms.