Ch47. Badger's Den and Surprise

Hadrian followed the prefects to the Basement as they showed the order of knocks needed to enter the Common Room.

The room was incredibly cozy and poured the feelings of warmth and safety. All kinds of mysterious plants hung and in some instances even danced all around the room, bringing smiles to many first years.

Hadrian also smiled. He quite liked the feel of Hufflepuff house. The friendliness and kindness. He remembered what little he remembered, what little he could remember about the house from the movies and his heart felt at ease. He chose the right crowd for himself. He really wouldn't mind spending the next few years in such a place.

His decision was proved completely right when they were given rooms. The Hufflepuffs lived in something like flats. Four people per flat where each flat had four rooms with their separate showers and bathrooms. No need to share the rooms as basements were vast and spacious. Each student managed to get his own room.

Dora quickly pulled bewildered Hadrian to her flat while other Puffs good-naturedly laughed at his predicament. She dropped him in a neighboring room as he blinked owlishly, not knowing how to react when she excitedly told him she would come for him in the morning to show him the way to the Great Hall and closed the door behind herself, her entire head beet-red.

As his mind was still processing what just happened, Rowena flew through the wall to his room, completely bypassing the wards of Hogwarts.

"Hello, girl." Hadrian shook his head in amusement. He watched the raven flop next to a small bronze statue of badger cuddled up in a ball next to the hearth and started to peck on the top of its head. "It's just a statue." Hadrian laughed but blanched when Rowena sent him a scathing glare.

"Ah? You think so?" He looked weirdly at her and focused his perception and realized the statue of badger was flickering with magic.

Hadrian approached it cautiously, putting his hand on the place Rowena pecked previously and gently pushed his magic into it. The bronze badger statue blinked and Hadrian took a surprised step back. It uncurled itself and stood up on all four where it froze, displaying a cautious badger ready to pounce at the drop of a hat. Hadrian was so enamored with the animation of the statue he didn't notice the hearth disappearing, creating a passage.

Only Rowena's beak, clutching a strand of his hair could get his attention away from the statue, as she pulled him head-first into the newly-opened passage.

Inside, he saw a room three times as big as the room he just left, with a king-sized ancient feathery bed and old-looking furniture. The room was clean as if it just left a stasis charm and marred with many portraits, none of them magical in nature. Hadrian checked.

Seeing the portrait of what appeared to be twenty-five years old Helga Hufflepuff he was pretty sure whose room he just 'invaded'. Rowena found a perch in the corner and happily took it for herself as she gave Hadrian a stern gaze.

He knew what she wanted and could only sigh.

"Sure girl, from now on, this room is ours. I doubt the previous occupant would mind…"

Only when the raven nodded, Hadrian pulled his shrunken trunk from the chain on his neck and enlarged it. He opened it to take out his possession but his eyes widened when the first thing he saw was an envelope signed by Narcissa.

Curious, he opened it as the room was filled with smoke that clung to the walls, covering them in some kind of a clear, see-through barrier. Hadrian marveled at the clever way of enacting a privacy-ward when the letter glowed, Hadrian, noticing it contained only one complicated rune, swiftly threw it onto the ground.

Before he could wonder about the effects though he had to blink in surprise, completely speechless as his mouth gaped at the sight in front of him.

"Ah, ah. You did not really think I would let you leave me for months to no end, now, did you, dear?" A melodious teasing feminine voice resounded through the room as Narcissa Black, his wife, stood in front of him in a very revealing nightgown, looking saucily at him as her hands held a bottle of aging potion.

...

Hadrian, in his adult form, and Narcissa dropped onto the bed, completely exhausted and drenched in the fluids of each other. Both peered at the other with a happy content smile as Narcissa's hand coursed through Hadrian's hair, massaging his scalp while Hadrian made sure to gently rub her back as they laid next to each other.

"That was nice." Narcissa released a satisfied sigh and leaned closer, kissing Hadrian.

"How did you get here?" He asked her before returning the quick kiss.

"I am a prodigy at runes." She whispered to him as if it explained everything and rested her forehead on his. Seeing his 'uh-oh' gaze she continued with eye-roll. "Developing a rune that could transport me through wards unnoticed is not as hard as it sounds."

"You could have hurt yourself." Hadrian weakly chided her in a worried tone.

"I tried it on the wards of Grimmauld Place and even Malfoy Manor when I asked Doby to 'deliver' a letter on the table in the library there." She rolled her eyes and continued in an amused tone. "Let's just say, we have a nice assortment of newly acquired books in the Black Library courtesy of one unknowing Lucius Malfoy. But I had many fail-safes in place and frankly, seventy percent of the runes is to prevent me from getting caught by the wards or splinching slash killing myself by transporting."

"Okay, I will let it go." Hadrian unwillingly relented, earning himself yet another chuckle followed by a heated kiss.

"What about Lucius though? Won't the missing books be a problem?"

"I doubt it. At least not for a long time. I only took the really old, really useful but not-much-used books and replaced them with blank copies. He may be smart and cunning but he is a lazy bigot. He won't go into the library searching through these books. After all, I had management rights to Malfoy Estates for over a decade, and not once did he check deeper than the final financial reports I put on his table. Hence my ability to take away ninety percent of the profits."

"As long as he saw an increase in his coffers while not having to even lift a finger for it, he was content." Narcissa's smile widened. "But I am sure by now he knows I was stealing the profits. After all, now he has to manage the Malfoy Estates himself. Oh, what would I give to see his expression!" She giddily exclaimed.

"That's mildly worrying. You build quite the extensive web of businesses for the Malfoy family." Hadrian poked her nose with his, making her giggle.

"Not really," Narcissa said after her giggling fit receded. "I already signed whatever I could over to myself. Fifteen percent of previous Malfoy Estates now belong to the Black family. Thirty-five percent is confirmed to be bankrupt and by now people are surely asking, 'How could that happen!?'" She gasped in a fake-horrified voice.

"And his remaining fifty percent are in decline due to me taking over the suppliers with Black Estates, stealing his clients and so on, and so on. You trusted me with your businesses and I intend to make it worth your while, dear." She purred, earning herself another kiss. "Well, Lucius is smart and he surely will find a way out of the situation considerably intact but it will take him time."

"Glad to hear that, Cissy." Hadrian smiled.

"But really, we just did it in the bed of Helga Hufflepuff?" Narcissa rolled on her back as she gazed around herself in interest. Her gaze stopped on Helga's portrait. "Damn, I kinda regret my youth is over. She did look well. I could imagine most purebloods drooling over her beauty." Narcissa nodded to herself.

"Well, I certainly do drool but I think the cause is more your naked form than the portrait in front of the bed. You realize you look twenty-five, don't you?" Hadrian asked, getting a playful swat on the shoulder as he also rolled onto his back, gazing at the portrait. "I am just glad it is not a magical one."

"There is no magical portrait of the Founders." Narcissa offhandedly replied, leaning her head closer to Hadrian's.

"How so?"

"The magical portraits were first created after their death." Narcissa smiled, her gaze showing her love for history.

"Ah..." Hadrian acknowledged.

"Did you know she was the only Founder who agreed with Slytherin's point of view regarding muggles and muggle-borns?" Narcissa stated as Hadrian's both eyebrows rose.

"She did?" He pointed at the portrait in shock.

"Yes, but their supposed beliefs were so twisted in the hearsay and claims of people like Dumbledore that whatever you heard about them is most likely stupidity of the highest order." She rolled her eyes. "Really, nobody cares to pick up old records... Instead, they listen to the prattling of old coots. No wonder the house rivalry is so fierce nowadays." She huffed.

"Tell me then, oh wise Cissa, how the past ensued." Hadrian chuckled.

"Both believed in the superiority of purebloods." She rolled her eyes and scowled at him playfully. "But that was mostly because these children of magical people were raised around magic. Their mindset was easier to mold towards it. They were easier to teach, got the material quicker, just better overall."

"While Slytherin focused on purebloods, Helga agreed with him but she was a very kind woman and muggle-born herself. She focused on muggle-borns." Narcissa stopped herself, her eyes flickering in mirth. "Did you know among those muggle-borns she taught was certain Nott, Crabbe, and even Avery? Quite the irony, is it not?" She barked out in laughter.

"Figures..." Hadrian muttered. "Oh, I the hat told me you have some of Ravenclaw's blood in you."

"Do I?" Narcissa blinked. "Hmm, never knew."

"Did you not try the inheritance blood ritual at Gringotts?" Hadrian asked curiously.

"That?" Narcissa snorted and continued in the haughty tone of 'proper pureblood lady'. "Dear beloved, we wizards are above such things as goblin magic! You mentioning it made me sick, how could you! This is grounds for a divorce!" She pouted. "That's how purebloods view such things."

"Aha…" Harry deadpanned. "Nevertheless, divorce is something you can't manage to do. You will go and get the ritual done." He plainly told her, glad to see her happy acknowledging nod.

Narcissa again rolled her body, landing on Harry's as her soft breast pressed themselves on his stomach, her head landing on his chest while her cheek pressed into it. She intertwined her legs with his and her hands snaked around his torso as her long pale hair covered most of their upper bodies.

"You are poking me into the belly." She giggled. "But I think I had enough for today. I am exhausted." She kissed his chest and promptly closed her eyes. "Goodnight."

Hadrian could only sigh in exasperation at her antics and gently caress her scalp with his hand as his face marred a happy smile.

"Goodnight, honey."