Shiver

Adrian packed the Animagus Transformation potion in his trunk with all of his things; as well as Lutain's new home and his near bookshelf worth of tomes. Even trying to push and arrange Nagini's considerable weight on the top lid only compressed the pile slightly. He unhappily had to restack and remove several of his books from his collection simply to fasten the lock shut.

On September first the Hogwarts Express left promptly, and it wouldn't do to show up late or early enough to be noticed.

Normally lucky to find an empty compartment, it seemed that no matter where he looked Adrian was forced to exchange pleasantries with younger students or the occasional annoying upper year. His reputation was working against him, after the fiasco of the Chamber of Secrets people started to view him as the more shady salesman of Hogwarts. On multiple occasions in the short trek through the cabins, he was forced to awkwardly inform equally awkward students that no, he didn't have anything on him for the trip.

One student even gasped embarrassingly loud before yanking her friend out of his way. She blushed embarrassed yet still eyed him warily. Merlin's beard, did she think he was suddenly going to throw a cursed mummified rat at her?

The idea behind such an unwarranted stigma caused him to hotly shove past, none to gently, knocking his bony shoulder into her side. He heard her gasp loudly again and murmur to her friend as he practically stomped down the hall.

He hadn't done anything, it was absolutely asinine for anyone to treat him like that.

He slid into a compartment with a strange looking younger year student, wearing dark robes with a silvery blue scarf which complemented her surreal eyes. She was reading a book upside down, seemingly enraptured in it, although it must have been entirely illegible.

Adrian stewed and slid down slightly in his seat, saliva pooling in his mouth as he bit his tongue waiting for her offensive question or action.

She didn't look up, she simply turned a page of her upside down book.

The train ran over a bridge, the repetitive sound of wheels turning changed pitch and light flickered in the window.

"That's a nice snake you have," The girl spoke, her voice feathery soft and her eyes half-lidded as if she had just woken up, "He seems nice."

Something about her face reminded Adrian of a newly hatched snake, eyes clouded and unfocused with the sudden exposure to air. No, somehow the incoherent hatchling didn't fit her. She seemed more haunting, a dream-like creature such as a Nocnitsa; drifting in and out of awareness with a state of relaxed lethargy.

Adrian stared at her with no regard to politeness. Who was she?

"Excuse me?" he asked abruptly, long past the point where a comment didn't seem awkward.

She didn't look like she noticed the time that elapsed.

"Your snake," She blinked widely, tilting her head and sending mosquito-earrings twisting gently. At least, they looked a little like mosquitos. If mosquitos normally had three wings and a stinger. "He must be a gentleman."

Adrian had no idea what to say in response.

"It's a shame with last year," She continued, confirming that she wasn't a first year, "Now people look at you like you have Bowtruckles for hair."

"Well I hope I don't," Adrian blinked, still completely baffled. At least she made a little more sense than Bellatrix. A little. "That would be a disaster."

"Yes, it would," She tilted her head with a knowing smile and the disconcerting silvery eyes. "Your hair is more blue. Like a Korruu."

"A korruu?"

"Yes. They're like giant wolves with antlers. But they have black hair and eat femur bones. It's a shame that they're being pushed out of Bulgaria- "

"I know what a Korruu is," Adrian stumbled to try and save the conversation, "There's a preservation in Hungary for them. I heard the American breed is doing well."

"Oh wonderful, I wondered if they were doing alright with the Thunderbirds and the Naki war. Silly things, Naki, they think that every storm is because of a Thunderbird. Naki just want to eat tree roots in peace, but it's hard to when the tornados keep coming around. At least they don't have any Hankypuffs fighting with them either." She smiled, beaming with strange eyes like they were filled with stardust.

What? What was, what was this girl? Some sort of Sylph? No, the sylph were much more elusive and other species of human or human like creatures weren't accepted into Hogwarts. Perhaps she was some sort of seer? A seer wouldn't explain her befuddling personality.

Then she looked back at her upside down book and ignored him for the rest of the ride.

Of course.

Just over halfway, the train skittered to a screeching stop. Lutain awoke in a fury of aggression at being jolted around in his comfy nook in Adrian's front pocket. As he cupped one hand around his chest, he could hear the muffled shouts and complaints from other students and classmates as the train teetered to an unfortunate stop.

"What's going on?" Adrian mumbled under his breath, asking his familiar more than anyone else.

"The train has stopped," The girl blinked, jolting him and reminding him that he wasn't quite alone, "I dearly hope it's not from a Boobrie."

Adrian shot her a look. "This far from a loch? Probably not, a Glaistig or a Cu Sith seems more likely..."

She smiled knowingly and looked out the window right as the sky became black. Her smile faltered, twisting her expression into something concerned.

"Master," Lutain hissed, tucking his snout under Adrian's jaw, "Master, I smell rotting death."

Adrian's hairs slowly stood on end on his arms and the back of his neck. He almost smelled the sickening aroma that a few of Bellatrix's spells gave off, brushing just along his jaw.

Clouds covered the sun from what the window of his compartment could show. The window on the door to the hallway flickered eerily, making Luna's skin look slightly green.

He heard a muffled voice cast lumos, echoed by other students; fireflies illuminating through the glass like pixies.

Adrian exhaled and saw his own breath just as his bones began to ache in his skin.

"Oh," The girl exhaled, her own breath a fine cloud of cold. Adrian followed her eyesight, seeing something fluttering and black flash past his window.

What was going on?

It was too much Bellatrix's style, her taste in dramatics. But Bellatrix was in Azkaban, this...this couldn't have been her work.

Perhaps his father, oh Merlin, was his father making a move?

Wouldn't he have told him?

There was another trail of black, barely visible in the gloom that had shrouded the window in darkness. Black trailing strands, like ribbons dancing over the glass.

At once he knew what it was, and he felt the rising swell of excitement in the face of danger.

"Dementors," He breathed, stumbling to his feet to swing open the door to the hallways, "They must be on the train for something…"

He had to see them, he had learned so much about them behind his father's back. His father had told him to not interest himself in the guardian's of Azkaban, that he wouldn't find use there.

But Dementor's were on the train, he knew that the book would be useful.

(He mentally groaned as he remembered where he had left the book, hidden in his room under his bed. It was one of the first books to be removed from his trunk when Nagini convinced him that no matter how hard she squeezed, the lock wouldn't close.

The darkness receded and the temperature rose before he could open the door to see the shadowy figures just out of eyesight.

"The Minister should have better control over them." A glance at the girl showed she was as pale and shaken as a real sylph after being so close to them. "They shouldn't be on the train."

"Don't you wish you saw one?" Adrian asked in puzzlement, this girl knew magical creatures and seemed enthusiastic over them. Surely she hungered to see the creatures that stood in the Veil between death and life too?

"No," Her voice was sharp and her eyes lost the dreamy qualities. "Creatures that are more shade than living are not for those on this train, Shadis."

For speaking of Thunderbirds before, she seemed to embody the firm boldness of the creatures.

Adrian flinched unwillingly at the firm nearly sizzling bite to her tone.

"What? What did you just call me?"

She gained the dreamy quality once again, "Selwyn, of course. A wonderful name, it almost sounds like selkie." She paused, looking pensive, "Do you think there could be selkies in the Black Lake?"

Shadis, she had clearly called him Shadis.

Adrian didn't know why that name had hit him somehow harder in his chest than the Dementor's presence had, but it couldn't be good.

Everyone was still complaining about the Dementors by the time they had reached the Hogwarts station.

The first years were split apart to ride the boats across the Black Lake in the impressive first glance at the castle. The other students waited patiently for the Thestral-drawn carriages to transfer a half dozen students at a time.

Luna eyed him boldly, not looking away even as he caught her rudeness. She was observant, much more than he had given her credit for. He knew that she had seen his accidental flinch.

She turned in the crowd, walking with the masses away and out of sight.

Despite seeing her walk pointedly out of his sight, she somehow gave the impression of fading away into the dark, swallowed up into the night.

Adrian didn't bother chasing her.

Instead Draco approached and slung one arm around his waist, careful to not bother Lutain who curled around Adrian's throat.

"Ah," Draco grimaced, "Still have that thing with you?"

"You smell like canary." Lutain hissed casually, as if discussing the weather.

"Can't get rid of Lutain that easily," Adrian smoothly stated, peering up at the Thestrals who paid no mind to him, "Did you find the others?"

"Crabbe and Goyle rode with Pansy in the last carriage. Theo, Blaise, and Daphne are waiting for us." Draco assured, turning and taking the lead towards a more weathered Thestral in particular. Theo was awkwardly avoiding looking at the creature in question.

"There you are!" Daphne sighed, brushing her hands on the green overcoat she was wearing, "Were you on the train with the Dementor?"

"No, fortunately." Adrian lied smoothly, and continued with "A pleasure to see you again, Daphne."

"Bad luck, that." Theo started, fidgeting to not look at the thestral. "Figures if anyone would see that thing, it would be you."

Adrian felt a flash of annoyance through him, burning slowly at his fingertips. He had grown so used to the respect and strange balance he and his father had, the blatant disrespect irked him in a way it never had before.

"Bad luck, right." Adrian spoke sharply, glancing at Theo coldly and irritated, "Best I not let all that out then."

Theo's face twitched in surprise at how sharp the comment was. He didn't say anything further.

"Master, can we go?" Lutain hissed, flexing against his throat, "It is cold and wet."

The thestral snorted and shook its head, as if laughing.

Theo jumped noticeably, skittering once he landed like a fawn on ice. He flushed uncomfortably, trying to skirt away from the Thestral with how anxious he looked in its presence.

What a ridiculous thing, Adrian almost felt like glaring at him.

Thestrals were gorgeous, strong yet wiry with every bone on display like an anatomy textbook.

He tried to not let it bother him how Theo cringed away from such beautiful beasts, they deserved more respect and admiration. Adrian would love to gaze upon them if he had time.

"Let's hurry on, I'm dying for the feast." Draco drawled, "Honestly, those pathetic pastries the trolley passes off as-"

Adrian quickly ignored the dull chatter of the others as he took his place nearest the window.

The carriage rolled towards the castle into the unloading area where the Prefects and house ghosts were cheerfully moving the students along into the grand hall to find their spots under the proper tables and banners.

"Draco!" Pansy shrieked, having saved a spot for him right next to her, how amusing the sight was. Draco winced but resigned to sit next to her, Adrian sat across in a spot not as good for viewing the new first years.

"Ah, still have that thing?" Pansy asked, her smile strained as she spotted Lutain uncoil from Adrian's neck to sit on his golden plate.

Lutain puffed out air annoyed, his tail tip flickering lazily to show his disinterest and offence.

"You can't keep the snake away, can you?" Blaise grumbled, seating himself stiff and dignified and ignoring the glances from two second year girls whispering and giggling to each other.

Finally the tables were filled, proportionally quieter compared to the year before. Most likely due to the somber quiet Weasley twins who looked more sickly than happy.

Adrian physically jolted when he realized why.

Ginny.

"What's wrong, it looks as if you've seen a ghost." Daphne remarked, reaching for a goblet filled with water.

"I'm fine." Adrian croaked back, trying to compose himself quickly.

He hadn't even thought of Ginny in the summer months.

He had left a girl to starve to death, wandless, alone, and scared, miles below the school, and forgotten about it.

He had murdered her-

'But was it murder?' A voice prompted him, soothing away his horror, 'You were only a bystander. You didn't kill her, after all, starvation did.'

That was true, but -

He chose to do nothing.

Nothing.

Was choosing to not intervene in certain death the same as killing her himself? And what did it matter? His father would have had her killed without question, she'd seen and heard too much. If anything, he'd given her a kinder death than his father would have.

He thought of hunger, and darkness, and fear - please let me out I promise I'll be good mom, dad, where are you! - and wondered when those things had become a kindness.

He couldn't think about that now. He couldn't.

He hadn't thought about that in a long time. He couldn't lose it now.

The large doors to the main corridor swung open, being led by Professor McGonagall with a large pointy hat. The first years all looked a mixture of terrified and amazed by the thousands of floating candles and enchanted ceiling.

"Hey," A slytherin slid down the table, one of Pansy and Daphne's friends, if Adrian remembered correctly. "You hear Potter fainted?"

Draco's neck snapped around in surprise as his jaw dropped.

"What? Tell us!" Pansy shrieked in a whisper like a baby banshee, looking enraptured in the story already.

"Yeah!" The girl giggled, a noise more dignified on Millicent. "Somethin' bout the Demen-tor stalkin' him! He was at front o' the train so it got 'im and 'e fainted! Shrieked somethin' and passed ou' righ' there!"

Draco looked positively gleeful

Something twisted warmly in Adrian's chest. Skylar had fainted, hell, he could wager that Skylar didn't know a single thing about Dementors.

He wanted to search out the other boy and laugh at his face.

The first names were called and the students walked across the stretch to get to the sorting hat.

"But tha's no' the bes' par'!" The girl continued, leaning inwards with a whisper."They said 'e shouted ou' a name o' some guy-"

"Potter's a poofer?" Draco gasped, eyes growing wide in surprise.

"Nah, nah!" The girl hushed, eyes gleaming with excitement. "Be'er!"

They were on the C's now for students.

"Better than that? I doubt it." Draco sniffed, losing interest already. "Isn't that right, Selwyn?"

Onto the D's.

"I get better information from the Hufflepuffs." Adrian baited, watching the girl scowl and rise to prove them wrong.

"Fine! Bu' hear this," She grinned at each face, waited, then dropped. "Shou'ed somethin' abou' a brother."

Adrian's heart jolted.

In the shocked silence of the table, the name of the next student rang loud and clear in the quiet of the Great Hall.

"Forestar, Suzan!"

Adrian's heart stopped.

A girl in pigtails- her face was unmistakable, sprang across the ground looking excited and nervous all the same. The hat fell over her head, contemplated a while before shouting loudly to the expectant hall, "Slytherin!"

Adrian's life was falling apart.

It was her.

It was her.

How? How? Adrian thought she was dead- she should have died in the fire. There was no way that she could be alive, not to mention here.

Suzie was younger than Adrian, but she hadn't ever expressed accidental magic. If she did she could have stopped him from pushing her down the flights of stairs, she could have stopped him from destroying her bear, she should have stopped him from-

David's cold empty eyes stared at him. His corpse had stiffened and glowed orange in reflection to the fire-

Adrian clutched his head harder and tried to keep from curling into a ball.

His father...his father could help. Yes, his father would help, because he was important to his father.

But was he really? Perhaps his father would scoff and find it a nuisance.

No, no, no he had to think that his father would help him.

Unless he had to deal with her alone.

Against his will, a flash of red hair and pale skin filled his mind.

He shook his head violently, hair whipping his face at the near manic movement. Draco coughed around his roll, eyeing Adrian as if he was possessed.

Oh Merlin, what if his father wanted him to kill her.

Oh god no, no he can't do that…

He felt bile twist and surge against his throat, stinging his chest painful enough tears welled in his eyes. He forced it down, gagging on the acrid taste as his knuckles curled and he struggled to ease his breathing.

In through his mouth, out through his nose.

The air stung his nostrils.

This? Was a disaster.

The rooms for the Slytherin students were finally moved upstairs. Theo had graciously agreed to be Adrian's roommate this year. He'd even already moved everything onto his one side, decorating the walls with earthy tones after a simple spell. Adrian had waited until the other boy left before he locked the door.

He managed to unpacked one chest before he crumpled to his knees.

It was Suzie, it was her. He could recognize her face and her voice anywhere, even as it was older. She still had those ridiculous pigtails, although she had filled out much more. Had she been adopted? Was David a squib?

Suzie had seen Adrian speak parseltongue-

If Suzie exposed Adrian, then the only student who could possibly be the heir to Slytherin would be him. They could threaten him with expulsion, they could take Lutain away from him in an attempt of a threat. Worse yet, it would give the headmaster a reason to finally start to look at Adrian, to really look at him. It was suspicious how similar Adrian already looked like to his father, he knew that Professor McGonagall was uncomfortable but had dismissed it.

But Suzie could ruin everything.

Not only that, but now a rumor spreading around that Skylar Potter had a brother?

"This is bad," Adrian choked out, clutching his head in a panic-induced mess. "Lutain, this is bad."

"I can bite!" Lutain offered, even as he was shivering with equal levels of anxiety. "Get rid of girl-"

"No no, they have tracking spells, analyzing spells, they'll trace it back to you and me both." Adrian gulped, pausing before his eyes widened even further, "Lutain, she's seen you before. She's seen you before."

Adrian crumpled, bracing his forearm against his bed as his stomach twisted and he gurgled pitifully. His jaw jolted open to near serpentine proportions as he gagged, nearly retching out the dinner he had just consumed.

Adrian Selwyn was, utterly and entirely, screwed.

When Adrian entered the Great Hall for breakfast the next day, the first thing he saw was Draco Malfoy entertaining a large group of Slytherins with a story. As Adrian walked closer, he could see Draco imitate a swooning fit to cause a roar of laughter.

"Hey! Potter!" Adrian flinched before realizing Pansy's cry was directed over his shoulder.

Skylar Potter, Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger all scowled at Pansy.

"Potter! The dementors are coming, Potter! Wooo!" Draco imitated, once more drawing laughter from the crowd.

Adrian instead walked to the table to receive his schedule for his classes. He pulled off an excellent job ignoring everyone, although it may have been from how terrible he looked. Dark bags hung from his eyes, his normally pristine hair was in disarray and he found himself jumping at all sounds.

"You okay there?" Theo asked, sliding closer to lower his voice under the level anyone else would be able to hear."You didn't sleep last night-"

"I'm fine." Adrian snapped, snatching his schedule before quickly reading it over. Hagrid was the new Care of Magical Creature's teacher? He must have missed it being announced the night before.

His schedule was custom-fitted to accommodate his strange request for Care, along with Runes and not Arithmancy or Divination. This meant that his first class would be the following day, generally the first day was a free day to walk your schedules and to find all of your classes before you were on a time constraint.

Adrian had something better to do.

There was an Animagus Transformation Potion he needed to take.

The Chamber of Secrets didn't smell, that was the first warning.

It looked identical to how Adrian and Riddle had left it. The massive snakeskin was still there, shifted to one side but still in perfect condition. It just emphasized the oddity of having a complete skeleton nestled nearest the clawed up bits of skin.

For some reason, seeing a skeleton was easier than seeing a corpse.

"I thought bodies took longer to rot." Adrian spoke, feeling as if he was hearing the words spoken by another person.

"It is wet and air," Lutain offered, uncoiling and sliding down to finally stretch and slither off into the darkness of the chamber.

No- in the tomb.

It was now a tomb.

Adrian approached the corpse, trying not to heave at the sight of the hair, dampened by grime and wet and rot, but still fiery red, and the pristine teeth still stuck by the roots.

The snake skin had suspicious marks on it, like rodents had been gnawing at it, or something, something else-

Adrian turned and vomited violently on the floor. His breakfast was expelled in an acidic slosh of juices and half digested pastries.

"Master?" Lutain slithered over alarmed, "Is threat near? No smell, do you?"

"Lutain what-" Adrian choked off at another dry heave as his stomach gurgled angrily. "What are you talking about?"

Lutain seemed confused, but even he could recognize that vomiting was a bad sign.

Adrian couldn't look at Gi- at the corpse. The corpse. He couldn't even think of how she probably was so tired, so exhausted to even try to eat the remains of a Basilisk's shed skin for food.

No. No. no, no, no, no…

He heaved with a contracting wave of pain, his stomach cramping against the movement. Stumbling onwards, he hurried into the main chamber to try and get away from the stench of bile and the sight of red hair.

His legs shook, threatening to pitch him onto the slimey ground. He nearly fell, already twisting his body in the pathetic movements to crawl away.

Adalonda was sleeping, as Adrian requested. He would awaken her but for now...

He needed something to block it out. He needed to forget.

No, no, no, no

He could see her staring at him. Lying prone and limp with lips painted in blood.

How she would lift herself up on bruised forearms, reaching out to trace his jaw gently with fingertips tinged in gore.

"You killed me," She whispered, and the soft fingertips suddenly felt like dull bone.

He sunk to his knees, the sound clicking loudly in the large dimly lit chamber. He hunkered and heaved, wet sounds from his tongue as he coughed pathetically and greenish bile dripped onto the ground.

"Lumos." He croaked out, lighting his wand as Lutain curled restlessly around where he kneeled.

"Master is this good idea?" Lutain fretted, "You smelled threat so no food-"

"No," He coughed, gagging, "It- It's a human thing."

"Oh," Lutain sighed, scenting worriedly, "I will check for threat."

Adrian exhaustedly smiled, "Thank you."

The crystal potions vial was cold in his hand, and almost certainly terribly to take, especially on an empty stomach. It grounded him, bringing slight clarity through the vicious trembling of his body.

It couldn't possibly be worse than Bellatrix's curses, and it would keep his mind focused, away from- away.

The potion was only supposed to sink him back into his mind, so far intoxicated that he would barely feel when his magic would wrap his body for the first change. From there he would have to teach his own magic how to trigger it on command. Essentially, he would fall unconscious and he would transform into his animagus form. Trapped so far from his body, pushed back in his mind to where he wouldn't be able to see the skeleton...

He fished for the crystal vial, holding it up in the light his lumos cast. It was slightly golden, nearly transparent, and it didn't smell when he removed the stopper- very high quality

"Bottoms up," He muttered with barely any attempt at humor, hoping it wouldn't taste as bad as the bile which still permeated his throat.

It tasted like honeysuckle and ginger.

But it burned like Fiendfyre.

Adrian woke up with his head pounding and his limbs feeling like jello. They tingled with a painful pins and needle sensation, taking several tries to flex and move properly.

"Lutain?" Adrian hissed, blinking in the dark for his companion. He belatedly noticed he was speaking parseltongue.

He found his wand, a short distance away from where he had put it, and lit lumos once again.

"Master?" Lutain quizzically asked, a safe distance and coiled loosely around himself, "Are you back?"

"Back?" Adrian asked, rolling his shoulder painfully, "What happened?"

"You are!" Lutain hissed enthusiastically, slithering over tentatively, "You are of noble kind!"

"Noble kind?" Adrian echoed with a hoarse snort, "You've been hanging around Nagini too much."

"Never," Lutain retorted. "A serpent of blackened scale with green eyes."

Huh. That was... useful.

"How did I know it would be a snake?" Adrian sighed, smile curling at his lips.

The best thing was, if he was a snake, there was no excuse why he couldn't travel with his father on raids.

He would be useful. He would find a way.

And he would forget about ginger hair and gasping sobs. He. Would.