10 A Birthday Gift (2)

"AGHH!", He yelled as he laughed loudly. His curly locks of hair flew backwards, and his smile stretched further due to the wind.

The ground was fast approaching, but still - the boy refused to yield.

Not until the front of the broom was nearly about to kiss the ground, did he finally lift up into the air. He stopped immediately, though the back of the broom had taken the brunt of the crude landing. The bristles at the end cracked, with plenty falling out as he stabilised himself.

His heart drummed heavily in his chest and a warmth spread throughout his body. Every sensation became clear to him, from the blowing of the wind, the prickling of grass under his feet, and the drumming of his heartbeat resounding in his eardrums.

Suddenly, the skies cracked open - the rain poured from darkened clouds, the wind heralding its arrival. It fuelled the young boy with adrenaline, his green eyes flashing with determination.

"Higher!", he urged himself. "Higher, Higher, Higher!…"

Blinded with adrenaline and a tense thrum of magic under his fingertips, Hadrian ignored all common sense. His broom soared through the sky, going way further than he had before.

The wind raced with the tempo of his heartbeat, amounting to a cacophony of harsh whispers. It was a symphony, the boy and his broom, instruments accompanied by the weather itself.

Thunder clapped, and the broom grew hotter in his palms. He chanced a glance backwards, twisting as he overlooked the top of the manor.

His stomach fluttered.

And then the broom wobbled.

He looked at the piece of wood in betrayal, and adrenaline gave way to fear. An intense desire nestled in. He wanted to get on the ground, but it seemed the broom had other ideas.

It jerked harshly in the air, suspended high above the ground he knew so well. The rain and thunder that seemed to be cheering him on only moments earlier, seemed like mocking laughter in his ears as he held on desperately.

Lightning flashed, and suddenly, the broom launched out of his hands. The warmth abandoned him, leaving behind cold chills that embroiled itself onto his skin.

Immediately, he began to drop. It felt oddly similar to when he were flying, only now he was going the wrong way.

The wind wrapped around him like a makeshift cocoon, but still, his eardrums popped under the pressure.

He opened his mouth to scream, but the air flew into his mouth - choking and subduing his cries.

Deep helplessness filled him as he realised he was plummeting to his death.

Hadrian closed his eyes, and threw his hands out to shield him against the ground. It was instinctive, but futile. He couldn't break his fall, not from that distance.

His heartbeat felt slow and sluggish, yet strong as it echoed in his ears. He wished deeply for something - anything, to rescue him.

A familiar feeling of nausea wrestled itself into the pits of his stomach. His falling drowned out as he felt a deep sensation burst from within him!

Bathed in a blinding green light, Hadrian stopped just before he hit the ground. He looked down to see the muddy ground barely touching his nose, his eyes wide with surprise at his survival. He was suspended in mid-air…without his broom!

Static, and afraid to move - he let out a loose laugh, before he twisted mid-air and fell unceremoniously. His eyes rolled back, and he could do nothing as unconsciousness took hold of him.

He remained splayed on the ground, under a large clearing where the grass had been scarred somehow. The rain continued to pour, and the wind continued to sing with the thunder accompanying it, sounding just as boisterous and overbearing as it had been since the dawn of time.

And underneath it all…laid a small boy. A ghost of a smile tugging at the corners of his lips as he slept.

...

"Urgh…", Hadrian groaned. He tried to toss his body up, to reach into a sitting position - but found that he was too tired to do so.

He let out a yawn as his eyelashes fluttered open. He squinted before looking around, his eyes adjusting to his waking - only to be met with the disappointed and angry faces of his grandparents.

Dorea's nostrils flared as she looked down at him, but it was clear she was fighting conflicting emotions. Her eyebrows moved quite a lot, trying to fix into a stern point, but softening as she looked at her grandson worriedly.

"You stupid, stupid little boy!", she slumped over him and pulled his head into the corner of her neck. She held him slightly, her shoulders shaking with relief, before she suddenly pulled back and clipped his ears. "If you ever-!"

Charlus pulled her back with a smile, but it was quickly discarded as he returned his gaze to Hadrian. "I'm disappointed, you've let us down, Hadrian."

His voice was steel-like, cutting sharply into Hadrian. It was the first time he had ever heard his grandfather say anything of the sort. It stung so hard to hear those words come out of Charlus' mouth.

He lowered his gaze, refusing to look at him - fearing tears would come rolling if he spent any second under his gaze. "I'm sorry…"

Charlus scoffed. "No, you're not." He seemed to be pondering what to say next, but it looked as though the words refused to come out. So, he said nothing and walked out - leaving Hadrian alone with his grandmother.

Hadrian felt his chin quiver, but he held it in. He deserved punishment, and he knew that Charlus was right in his treatment of him, but it didn't ease the pain any less.

"He cares about you," Dorea said softly. "Luckily you were alright, but when we first saw you…You scared the both of us to the point of death, Hadrian. Charlus…he hates that feeling."

"Of death?", Hadrian asked mutely.

"Of waiting for Death. He's spent all his life surrounded by it, so to see you like that..." She trailed off. "What do you know about your grandfather, Hadrian?"

He gave a slight head shake and shrug before replying, "I don't know, just that he's my grandpa, and that he looks after me. He likes Quidditch too."

"That he does, but that's hardly unique to Charlus, and your grandfather is definitely not as simple as that.", She stood up, and away from Hadrian's bed. "He's the strongest man I've had the pleasure to spend the rest of my life with. The strongest people are not those who show strength in front of us, but those who fight battles we will never see or know. There's always more to know about a person…Your actions last night did not match with how Charlus and I raised you, we taught you better than to make decisions so rashly. You could have died."

She then left wordlessly, leaving Hadrian to his thoughts.

The sun shone through the window brightly, but it was still cold. Too tired to get up and shut the window, he burrowed under the covers, wallowing in guilt. His chest tightened as he recalled the look Charlus had given him.

"I'm sorry,", he said, his voice small and hoarse as he fell into the covers. His words fell on deaf ears.

Hadrian spent the remaining hours of the day in his bed, with Korby coming to deliver food to him from time to time. Confined to his room, and having nothing to do, he began reminiscing about last night's incident.

He knew it was magic, he knew it! His grandparents had yet to say anything, which dulled the excitement associated with the revelation, but it was exciting nonetheless. He recalled how he flew through the air, and how his body had protected itself, no…how his magic had answered his call for aid.

How it listened when he couldn't even speak.

An odd sense of pride and gratitude filled him as he flexed his fingertips. He had seen his grandparents use magic constantly around the house, even his house-elf Korby used it trivially. Now that his magic had shown itself, why couldn't he?

He looked at one of the books on the counter, and then closed his eyes. He called in his mind for the book to come to him. Images of it flying through the air and landing on his lap played constantly in his head for a while. Until…

Woosh!

The book's pages rustled as it catapulted across his room and landed squarely between his face.

Hadrian recoiled as it slapped him between the nose and the ridges of the book dug sharply into his skin. He let out a hiss, but it did nothing to wipe the smile off his face.

Not until the other books started falling off the shelf, one by one. Some flung their way to Hadrian - barraging him with hardbacks as he sat there and tried to shield their attacks helplessly. Others simply dropped to the ground.

"Korby!", Hadrian called.

"Yes, young master?", Korby answered. As soon as he popped in, all the books ceased their attack.

Korby looked at Hadrian with crossed arms and a raised eyebrow. He clicked his fingers and shook his head. Suddenly, all the books returned back to their original place. "Please refrain from making such a mess, young master. I am far too busy to play games with you today."

He then apparated away, leaving Hadrian feeling humbled. Even to Korby, Hadrian had become a nuisance.