"I can't believe you just paid three hundred galleons to Rookwood for those House-elves!" Tom hissed out in exasperation after they landed back in Peverell manor. He'd kept silent despite his earlier surprise when Harry opened his mouth, he didn't even attempt to negotiate the price. Something had caused Harry to stiffen and outright demand the House-elf he'd agreed to receive and its bloody parents, using the excuse he wanted the House-elf to be trained further to please the Peverell Lord properly, appropriately for his station. Tom knew it had been a lot of nonsense, but Rookwood had eaten it up and the contracts had been altered and signed. Rookwood didn't even try and demand more money for the creatures either. It was almost as if he had just dealt with two stubborn full of heart, bloody Gryffindors.
"It's Dobby, Tom," Hadrian said seriously, "My Dobby; I didn't put it together…not until I heard his name. Dobby belonged to the Malfoy family and what did Abraxas say in his letter to the others?" as soon as he'd seen those eyes and that face he'd known it to be true. While House-elves were similar in appearance, like the goblins, there were ways to tell them apart. Hadrian himself had never had trouble doing that, he suspected it was mostly due to the fact the Pureblood's didn't bother giving them any attention whatsoever. Abraxas had reluctantly allowed Rookwood to give the House-elf to Hadrian instead of getting it as an alliance between the families. Mostly in an effort to appease Tom since he could not do it from Hogwarts anymore.
"I see," Tom replied understanding dawning, Hadrian wasn't loyal to many people from his past, obvious since he'd been betrayed, but there were a few people he was fond off, and Dobby was evidently one of them. He had died to save Hadrian in the past; inwardly he thought it pathetic when he saw Hadrian crying over the dead House-elf, the scene not Hadrian, nothing about Hadrian could be seen as pathetic. He would have to make sure those thoughts never see the light of day. Admittedly he did feel grateful to the House-elf; he had saved his soon to be bonded after all. His lip curled, he was NOT getting fond of House-elves.
"Follow me," Hadrian told the House-elves, moving swiftly through the living room into the dinning room and through to the kitchen. He made his way to the cupboard, the one the House-elves would be using. Unfortunately there was only one bed, he had only planned on having one after all, but it was easy enough to transfigure a few pieces of wood into a bed for them. He had plenty of wood, especially in the corner of the kitchen; its primary use was for the fires. Grabbing two pieces from the large bucket of wood he made his way back over slipping into the cupboard he transfigured the wood into frames.
The frames were the right size for a House-elf, putting them in place he moved out of the cupboard, ignoring the exasperated yet amused look on Toms face. He summoned the box he'd put the discarded stuff in and levitated out two of the mattresses and cleaned, sterilised and practically good as new before shrinking them down, just as he had done with the one already in the cupboard. It might be useful to keep the stuff; there was plenty of space to put them in some sort of storage just in case they came in handy. He also added a few of the throws he didn't like on top of the bed, if they didn't like them well he knew how good they were at sewing and that, they could make their own.
"The bond will not be done until tomorrow morning;" Hadrian informed the wide eyed House-elves, "By then, both me and my partner will be bonded so you will belong to both of us. It will also give me enough time to get you some…uniform without it being considered freeing you." they were not keeping what they had on right now, it looked as if it was some sort of old short skirt that they'd changed into something to wear, which was utterly filthy. "You are now Peverell House-elves and your clothes will reflect well upon my name,"
"Where exactly are you going to get something for them? There is no House-elf clothes shop you can just wander into and purchase what you need." Tom pointed out dryly.
"If it pleases you Masters, I know how to sew," the House-elf bravely told them, his tone hesitant and afraid, he was talking without permission after all.
"Give them a galleon to get some fabric," Tom suggested. He didn't want Hadrian going anywhere after their bonding; in fact if he had his way, they wouldn't leave their bed for days.
"Black or blood red?" Hadrian said thoughtfully, they were the colours of the Peverell coat of arms after all.
"Black," Tom stated immediately, grimacing at the thought of blood red, although he reluctantly had to concede that blood red wasn't Gryffindor red.
"I agree perhaps a white or silver 'P' embroidered on the chest or the Peverell coat of arms?" Hadrian hummed thoughtfully, he wanted people to see his own House-elves and perhaps hope to emulate him, by treating their House-elves better, or at least allowing them to dress better. Not all people hated their servants that were obvious, Winky had worn a blouse and skirt for Merlin's sake, and she had missed Crouch when she was freed.
"P and S," Tom argued immediately, they were combining their names; he wanted everyone in the world to be constantly reminded that Hadrian was his. Hadrian Peverell-Slytherin.
Hadrian glanced at Tom, an amused smile spreading across his face; he didn't have a problem with that actually. "Very well, the Peverell and Slytherin coat of arms. Give me a second," he added before Apparating to their bedroom and digging around in his trunk, until he pulled out a bag of money, merely pocket change, he did look in to make sure there was a galleon at least, and there were five amongst the Sickles and Knuts. It was more than enough for what he wanted to accomplish. Apparating back down to Tom, his pouch hanging from two of his fingers.
"There is enough money in here to buy fabric, in one of the boxes in here there are a few sewing machines, parts for it, and needles, thread and wool, and someone used one of the rooms as some sort of knitting room back in the day." Hadrian explained, "You best buy some food as well since there is nothing here, other than that until I come to you tomorrow at some point, do not interrupt us but you're free to explore the manor and get acquainted with it." he did not want a House-elf coming into his room, not ever. That would be the one place they were forbidden from entering. He would make that clear to the three of them.
"Yes Master," the three of them chorused together, looking well and truly stunned, they had no idea what to make of Hadrian or Tom, never been treated as well as they had, they were still recovering from the beating their previous master had given them the day before.
"Very well," Hadrian said, handing the female the money, he still didn't know their names, other than Dobby that was, but there was time for all that, no wait the male was called Dippy, he could feel Tom getting more and more annoyed at the fact they were continuing to get off track. Tom wanted to bond with him, and had done for such a long time, when you thought about it though; it was a honest miracle he'd managed to last as long as until yesterday before asking again.
Sighing softly, wandering over to Tom, he closed his eyes and leaned into him. He honestly hadn't expected to run into anyone he knew (with the obvious exception being Tom and Dumbledore even McGonagall) so soon in this new life. It had kind of thrown him in a loop if he was honest, quite like when he saved the boy from the rubble, and found out he was a Granger. Somehow someone just continued to pop up out of the blue, after settling in after some sort of upheaval, big or small. Like those other times, he wasn't alone, Tom knew everything, although he wasn't sure Tom could understand the feelings he was going through but him being there was enough.
"Where did you set everything up?" Hadrian enquired, his voice muffled from where he was burrowed in Tom's neck, just relishing in having someone there for him through thick and thin, someone he knew wasn't just using him. Someone who actually really cared. He knew Tom had everything ready, but he hadn't come across anything ritualistic in nature.
"I was originally going to do it in the dungeons, but its disgusting down there, I chose an empty bedroom on the first floor," Tom explained, anticipation thrumming through him, as the time for them bonding was coming closer and closer to being realized. Then after they were bonded he was going to claim Hadrian in the only other possible way. "Come on, let's go," he added, guiding them both away from kitchen and more importantly away from the House-elves.
Hadrian unwound himself, reluctantly, there was nothing like being wrapped in the possessive embrace of Tom. They made their way up the stairs without rush.
"Are you sure you're going to be alright with him here?" Tom enquired, Hadrian was obviously still affected, but he was pulling himself together with remarkable ease.
"Yes, it was just a surprise that's all, he'll never be the little guy I knew, but that's fine, I can make his life better, it's the least I can do after he sacrificed his life to help me." Hadrian commented, as he said this he felt himself becoming stronger, realizing it was nothing but the truth.
Tom couldn't help but think Dumbledore and the others in his Order were idiots. Hadrian was probably one of the most loyal people he'd ever met. No matter your status, creature, human or otherwise. It wasn't a disgusting Hufflepuff display of loyalty, just pure unfretted dependability. Hadrian would have gone to the end of the earth and back for the insipid morons, yet instead of cherishing that friendship they'd stuck to Dumbledore like glue and destroyed it and all that was 'disgustingly good and light' in Harry in the process. Sure Hadrian had been inwardly dark, but his friends had held it at bay, squished it until that day he'd lost it all. Well, no matter, because their loss was his gain and nobody will know what hit them, nor would they understand why. Oh yes, when the time came he was going to truly enjoy messing with them and making their lives hell. It was all memorised, he had their names, what they looked like and he obviously knew the year they were born, same age as 'Harry' after all.
"This side," Tom informed him as he moved towards the correct room as Hadrian opened the first door nearest the stairs.
Upon entering the first thing Harry noticed was that the room was empty of anything one normally finds in a bedroom. Instead in the middle of the room, there was a large circle drawn in black, with over a dozen runes painted on the outside of the circle. Each of them familiar to him, as much as he hated to admit to agreeing with Granger about anything, Ancient Runes was a very interesting subject. There was a table at the 'front' of the circle where the ritual would be completed. On the desk were a few candles, and herbs mixed into a bowl in the centre and the closed book of rituals and a small dagger.
"Have you put the wards up?" Hadrian asked after giving a nod of approval at the settings.
"And why would we need to put wards up?" Tom queried giving his partner a pensive look.
"Are you kidding? We're both extremely powerful, if the wards don't contain it, the Ministry will find out despite both of us having our traces gone…this is a ritual we are doing, it's not as simple as a piece of accidental or Wandless magic." Hadrian explained, as he pushed his magic through his wand, pouring copious amounts into the walls, surrounding the room in his magic. "They've got all manners of ways of finding out things like marriage, bonding, hell they even know the second a damn betrothed contract is created despite the contract itself remaining with the families."
Tom narrowed his eyes as he thought about Hadrian's statement; he'd been unaware of the extent the Ministry could find out about someone. He wondered if it was something they could do in Hadrian's time or if it truly was possible that they had so much information about people that should be private. He would need to find out more about this, quite frankly it was disturbing. Flicking out his yew wand, he added to the wards, doubling their power, it was a testament to both he and Hadrian's compatibility that the wards weaved together seamlessly and effortlessly. "There," he said in satisfaction, it was his first time using that particular ward and he was proud of his success. Normally he didn't have much of a reason to use privacy or anti-detecting wards. "Ready?" he called out to Hadrian, his heart beating erratically against his ribcage, this was it, after months and months of patiently waiting it was here.
"Of course," Hadrian said wryly, "You are aware that this ritual causes pain right?" not that it would be a problem for him, he was used to pain. Tom would probably find the pain he was in higher than his own, with Death doing his thing, which he was still in the dark regarding; he hadn't thought to ask and probably wouldn't understand it anyway. Death did like to be very vague sometimes, alright most times, preferring for him to work it out himself.
"I did read the book," Tom said, his voice smooth as he stepped into the circle, more than ready to bond to Hadrian and make him his irrevocably. He'd chosen the ritual because of how permanent and binding it was, that and the others were just not what he wanted. "Do you need the book open to read your lines?"
"Best to just in case," Hadrian replied, standing inside the circle as well. Unclipping his cloak, and flinging it outside the circle, now his arms were bare, and he was free to move around a little easier.
"fideliter et curabit nos," Tom chanted, clasping their hands together,
"Ut qui fideliter et curabit nos," Hadrain said speaking flawless Latin, despite the fact the ritual was in an older Latin than he was used to.
"Cor corpus et animam," Tom continued, despite the dramatic increase of magic saturating into the runes on the floor. He also didn't notice the extra Rune that appeared, it was pulsing black even Hadrian was oblivious to it despite the fact that Death himself had put it there.
"Cor corpus et animam," Hadrian echoed, glancing quickly at the book memorising the next line.
Tom picked up the dagger and sliced his palm almost carelessly, inhaling sharply, not even blinking at the sight of his own blood; he'd seen his fair share of blood since he was a small boy. Not all of it his, but that was beside the point. Glancing up at Hadrian, silently enquiring if he wanted him to do it or if Hadrian would do it himself.
Hadrian understood and gave a nod to Tom to go ahead, Tom took care when he sliced into Hadrian's palm, but he gave absolutely no indication that it had happened, not even a tightening of his hand or a wince.
Tom clasped their bloodied hand together again, hovering it over the bowl filled with herbs, squeezing tightly, allowing three drops to fall into the bowl, which also had a rune engraved into the bottom of it. It began to glow blue, indicating that it had been successful - the blood had reached the rune.
"Ut super nos sanguinem innocentem sanguinem," Tom and Hadrian chanted together as soon as the blow appeared, both breathless, the magic saturated in the room was giving off hot pulsing waves, neither had felt anything quite like it before and it was extremely breathtaking and not to forget arousing.
"Spatio quasi vinculum animarum nostrarum," they added, finishing the ritual, and immediately both felt tearing pain consume them.
Crying out in agony, unable to stifle it they both felt their legs buckle, and as they fell their bodies jarred as they hit the cement floor. The runes were all pulsing now; the white glow caused was visible to Tom and Hadrian, even from behind their closed eyelids adding a headache to their problems.
Hadrian panted his injured hand curled up against his ribs as if to afford it more protection, his other hand was pressed against the stone cement floor, using it to brace himself and stop him falling over. That moment of agony he had felt cold, empty, as if something had been taken from him, but it left just as quickly, leaving behind an awareness, a warmth that was all Tom (at least he was assuming so) since he'd never done something like this before. Opening his eyes he groaned in pain, he quickly found that Tom was unconscious, scrambling over, he pressed his uninjured hand against his chest, relieved when he felt the thumping of Tom's heart, and the slow rise and falling of his chest as he breathed. Hadrian idly noticed that the runes had disappeared as if they'd been completely burnt out or something.
Wincing slightly, Hadrian shifted until he was sitting on his backside despite the shakiness he succeeded. Flicking his wand out of his holster, he healed the wound on his palm, before repeating the spell on Tom's watching it heal seamlessly. Glancing up when he saw Tom's hand twitch, it didn't take long for those eyes to open, temporarily filled with confusion before Tom focused on him and they flared with passion, unhidden within those depths was a look that primarily screamed 'mine' in every way.
"How are you feeling?" Hadrian asked concerned.
"I'm fine," Tom stated, face impassive, it crumbled slightly as he sat up dizzily. Despite his pain he felt over the moon, Hadrian and he were now bonded for life, and they'd be together forever. The pain was merely a temporarily thing, that could be easily controlled with potions. It was definitely worth it in his book.
"Really?" Hadrian said amused, knowing he was lying through his teeth, "You don't feel like you've been ground up in a meat grinder?"
Tom grimaced and nodded, betting that Hadrian felt just as rough as him. The urge to summon his potions kit was very strong, unfortunately for him - for both of them actually - both their cores were drained. It had taken everything out of them to do that ritual; anyone else weaker wouldn't have succeeded.
"Come on, let's get out of here," Hadrian said, before he grasped a hold of the table giving himself some support as he got to his feet. Stretching out with a groan, it was absolutely freezing in here now, his bed looked mighty inviting. The pain was beginning to abate; it would probably be gone in ten to twenty minutes - hopefully. He could feel an echo to the pain, sort of like how he'd felt when the wards gave away for Tom. The ritual didn't explain anything like that. "Do you feel it too?" he asked, as Tom stood up copying him in stretching out.
"I feel it," Tom replied, "It did not say anything about this, nor were any other symptoms supposed to manifest until after we completed the bond." With a pointed yet heated look at Hadrian, and the fact they had waited until the bonding would make it significant stronger.
"I think it might have something to do with my powers itself, not the ritual," Hadrian guessed, as he wandered the length of the room and opened the door, "The books would have specified if it was to happen, if it doesn't say anything about it then it's guaranteed to be the Deathly Hallows." it would need to be if there were no other alternative explanations.
"By that point, you must be able to feel the three hallows themselves then," Tom stated, as he followed Hadrian, "Is that the case?"
"Um, no, sure I can sense the power in them when they're nearby, but I can't sense where they are right now," Hadrian said in surprise, glancing thoughtfully at Tom as they walked. "Maybe I'll need to have all three in my possession again before that happens…as I said this is all new to me too."
"I'm sure we'll have a chance to figure it out," Tom assured him, black eyes gleaming, the desire to know everything and experiment was present.
"That we will," Hadrian said with a serious expression on his face.
"And when will that be?" Tom queried curiously.
"Before May 1st 1945," Hadrian immediately replied, knowing the date that Dumbledore's 'legendarily duel' with Gellert Grindelwald.
"Two years," Tom murmured quietly, he honestly hadn't expected the date to be so soon.
"Our last year of Hogwarts," Hadrian nodded, both of them would be seventeen years old, thus the trace would not be on it was actually kind of perfect, this way the Ministry couldn't try him for using 'underage magic' since he would be legally an adult and allowed to use magic outside of Hogwarts. "During our N.E.W.T's actually."
"Unless we leave before N.E.W.T's and get back before we're due to take them," Tom suggested, absently opening their bedroom door.
"I don't know, I mean this is Gellert Grindelwald we're talking about here, the most wanted Dark Wizard at the moment, I doubt he'll be in the same place for too long with the fear of being caught." Hadrian commented thoughtfully, sliding his shoes off, as he sat down and got undressed. "I think I'm best going at the end of April."
"We, we are best going at the end of April," he was not going to let Hadrian go along, despite the fact he knew his bonded could take care of himself, well and truly. He just wanted to be there, and if he needed to step in and prevent anything from happening to him.
"We," Hadrian nodded, truth be told he wouldn't want to go alone, he couldn't say for any degree of certainty he would be able to beat Gellert Grindelwald if he wasn't cheating. Which he was, the Elder wand belonged to him, and it would sense it (at least he assumed so) and would refuse to harm him, just like the time Voldemort tried to use the Elder wand to hurt him only for it to backfire. With a little luck the same thing would happen, he really didn't want to duel Gellert for three bloody hours like Dumbledore had in the old timeline.
"Where exactly did this 'battle' take place?" Tom asked realizing that he did not know.