Chapter 17: Blots

This is the first chapter of the second year arc, where things will be admittedly much faster along.

Adrian's Occlumency shields were pitiful at best. Due to the well shrouded secret of his very existence, he was not permitted to visit with a teacher who could fortify his own walls.

Which left his father as the only Legilimens between the Lestranges and the scarce number who were aware of his existence.

Adrian was rather uncomfortable with calling the shriveled, snakelike creature, who looked more like a mandrake root than an actual person, his father, but there was something about drawing closer to the Dark Lord... something which made his skull ache yet sent addictively soothing waves of sensation through his blood and left him dazed and slowly walking ever closer.

The Dark Lord's residence felt purged of magic. Unlike the ancient noble house of Black, where dark magic oozed and bubbled from the peeling wallpaper, Adrian could scarcely feel its mark on the crown molding or the plastered ceiling.

He knew where his father was, something in his heartbeat drawing louder and yet somehow indiscernible whispers tickling the corners of his hearing. He opened the large door at the end of the stairwell, slipping inside blindly. Adrian paused, waiting for his eyes to adjust to the lack of lighting. The fireplace was in use, the flickering flames casting dancing shadows and filling the room with the smell of burning pine.

The door slid shut behind him, trapping him inside.

"My Occlumency shields are not yet in place," Adrian murmured, trying to resist the wavering uncertainty. "I assure you, my Lord, I press to better them."

He spotted the claw like hand curl inwards from the armrest, holding daintily a bleached wand as long as Adrian's forearm.

There was a pause in the air.

"You see that you do," The high pitched voice triggered a ringing buzz in Adrian's head. "What did you address me?"

Adrian stumbled. "I- I apologize, father, It will not-"

"Crucio."

His head screeched and his very nerves were alight with fire. It was a baffling sensation, through the agony of pain!pain!pain! the very sense of touch had been distorted and perverted until all that existed was the raging inferno. The smoldering burn which echoed the laughter of Suzie and the thrashing of David's death throes.

For some illogical reason through the suffocating hell, he envisioned a single sparrow fluttering to the ground with venom in its blood.

He felt the curse release instantaneously. Blood was burning in his veins but he could feel it warm down his arms and legs, filling his fingers and toes which were contorted and cramping.

He was laying on the ground, the cloak covering his still twitching body. His throat was hoarse and raw, blood sliding down from where his tongue had been bitten through. Snot and tears made his face sticky and damp.

He gasped, the sound was humiliating yet he couldn't prevent it. He breathed heavily, on the verge of sobbing as each joint and socket moaned out in its of suffering. It took him too long to rise to his knees, longer still to manage a crawling position.

"Come here."

Adrian didn't dare resist. He dragged himself over the floor slowly, collapsing at one point, his limbs leaden and his fingers trembling violently. He kept moving, forcing himself to crawl, until he reached the large chair and the skeletal homunculus sitting with its talon-edged feet just above Adrian.

Adrian whimpered, his eyesight blurring at the sides, his eyelids drooping before his sluggish thoughts could force them open again. A clawed hand touched Adrian's head and he whimpered again, shaking and forcing himself not to flinch away.

It continued, Adrian couldn't stop the tears from cascading or the pathetic sounds from escaping his throat.

"I expect you to do better," the homunculus said, continuing with its mockery of human affection. "You know what happens if I am…displeased."

"Yes father," Adrian whimpered, eyes sliding shut once again.

It continued for a while. His father spoke a few times, stating spells that Adrian evidently would have to master the next time he came in, or at least have Bella teach him.

There was a strange part of Adrian that always seemed to intuitively know what his father was feeling. It was alarming to suspect his father was content with running his claws through Adrian's hair. Even more so to suspect his father would miss his company.

It was after all, just a speculation.

Rabastan pulled out vials and began checking the labels on the side, he returned it and continued on when not finding the desired potion.

Adrian was back at the Lestrage household, sitting pathetically on a corner of a long cracked leather couch in the main sitting room. Rodulphus was arguing with his wife, who was too perplexed to quite understand the situation.

"I never had any potions!" Bellatrix argued, "The boy doesn't need any!"

"Because you certainly ended up sane from cruciatus curses." Rodulphus argued, splaying out one hand towards Adrian, "He's eleven!"

"So!"

"He'll result in nerve damage or almost as crazy as you!"

Bellatrix huffed, casting an eye at the curled form of Adrian, who wasn't entirely lucid.

Lutain was curled protectively nearby, watching his master with unease.

Adrian himself looked wretched, his skin was pale and nearly see through in areas where it was naturally thinner. His eyes were glazed, large patches of red from where capillaries had burst on his cornea. His lips were stained red where blood still oozed down his chin, and throughout all of that his legs and arms still flailed uncontrollably from the muscle contractions and further spasms.

Rabastan finally found the proper potion and pulled it out; Adrian's eyes flickered to it. The younger reached upwards, trying to grasp the vial yet the violent trembling of his fingers left any coordination impossible.

"None of that," Rabastan grunted, grabbing Adrian's jaw and pushing the vial between bloody lips, "The bugger bit his tongue too."

"I can heal it!" Bellatrix chirped, only for Rodulphus to argue, "You'll fuse his tongue to his mouth!"

Adrian let out a low keening noise, which Lutain tensed to hear.

"I still don't get why it's such a big deal," Bellatrix huffed, "He's gotten the curse before-"

Adrian violently turned, arching backwards and twisting. He managed eventually, his pained actions ordering silence from the three caregivers in the room. Once his back was facing outwards, and his eyes closed against the back of the couch, the three left the room.

"I will protect you, master." Lutain swore, poking and prodding Adrian's back with his blunt snout.

He felt comfort in the title, somehow finding satisfaction and stability in the fact that if he was unable to decide his own fate, he at least held power over something.

The spell, it was damnation. It was power.

Something from the events from earlier didn't seem to exactly line up. From his understanding, his father held servants under the curse for much longer than Adrian. Multiple castings were common, Bellatrix had confessed the first time Adrian had experienced the spell, that she once had upwards of six individual castings in a single meeting.

Adrian had blatantly failed his orders for accomplishing Occlumancy, yet he had only one significantly short curse.

Perhaps his father was trying to teach him something after all.

He had received letters from Theo alongside Draco, although he suspected the latter was just formalities. Theo's letter had been lengthy, highly speculative about the new Defense Against the Dark Art's teacher.

Adrian had immediately looked into the matter, reading only two of the assigned books (which were in fact Gilderoy Lockhart's complete collection) before summarizing that it was all gargoyle rubbish.

There were clear contradictions in the stories, along with simple facts that were impossible due to the time frame of events in the other books. He had pointed out the flaws to Bellatrix, who sniffed once and reduced his book to purple smoke. It even smelt pompous and extravagant.

The destruction of one of his required books meant that he was now forced to purchase another copy, which Bellatrix relented and agreed to pay for herself.

Another matter had come up, something which led to a certain amount of dread as Adrian followed closely behind Bella through the streets of Knockturn.

With Adrian's naming, Bellatrix had explained that it was now implied that he must be marked. Not a Dark Mark, which would be too obvious, but something relatively similar.

Nagini was a gorgeous snake, her patterns and her scales were dazzling and according to Lutain, her shed was always smooth. It didn't surprise Adrian when Bellatrix informed him that Nagini herself would be plastered under the surface of his skin.

Bellatrix admitted that she was not familiar with any sort of permanent marking or inking spells, which led them to pushing through the streets of Knockturn to the well-known parlor Markus Scarrs Indelible Tattoos. Adrian wasn't excited, and with a false cool exterior he entered the store after Bellatrix.

It was ramshack like almost all of Knockturn, the floorboards had thin gaps between them, everything else was aged slightly grey. The man behind the counter looked at them, he had a series of porcupine quills protruding from his scalp instead of hair.

"Well well," The man spoke, his voice deceptively hoarse, "If it isn't Mrs. Lestrange herself."

Bellatrix flashed a somewhat crazy grin and pushed Adrian forward, "You're going to mark this boy, and with the spelled ink."

The porcupine blinked, "Ain'e a bit young?"

Bellatrix beamed, "Nope!"

The man shrugged and walked out from around his counter, looking at Adrian with a critical eye, "Wha' kind of spell again?"

"The portrait spell, and enchantments for movements and physical interaction." Bellatrix rattled off, causing the man to lift one eyebrow- thankfully with actual hair.

"Painting you a pretty lady, eh?" The porcupine winked, eying up Adrian with a lewd grin.

"A snake," Adrian deadpanned, eyes glinting sharply, "Like her arm."

The man paused, looking seriously at Bellatrix who now was twirling her wand, "Get out."

"Oh don't be daft," Bellatrix huffed, walking over to sit harshly on a three legged stool near an archaic looking tattoo chair, "He's not actually getting it. He just wants a snake like it. I can provide memory reference," She tailed off, watching as the porcupine man gulped and eyed Bellatrix's wand carefully.

"Come here, boy," The man grunted, yanking Adrian over to the archaic chair, "Ruddy well get it over with."

Bellatrix hummed, pressing her wand to her skull and pulling out a thin strand of something from her temple. Adrian watched in fascination as the man pulled out a single needle apparatus with an open vial at the top. The silvery liquid slid into the needle, and the porcupine tapped the side.

"Right," He coughed, "How big?"

Bellatrix grinned and held her fingers two inches apart, "This is it's head."

The man's eyes bulged, gasping and staring at Adrian who already was silently removing his shirt.

"Are you bonkers! The boy is a birch tree!" Porcupine argued, "It'd be as long as his leg!"

"That's why you're going to give it a physical interaction and movement!" Bellatrix snapped, pointing the wand at the man.

The man gulped, and slowly casted something under his breath on the hollow needle. He casted a few more spells, continuing until the very tip of the metal changed to the silver colour itself.

Without any other words, he leant forward and pressed it into Adrian's skin.

It hurt, only like an annoying tingle under his skin. It spread from the needle point, glowing silver across his chest and over one shoulder, looping low and across his ribs before its tail continued down his thigh out of sight.

It slowly faded, and from the fading scales began to rise, pressing outwards and filling like Nagini herself was rising from his bones. It blinked awake, flickering its tongue and peering outwards attentively towards Bellatrix.

"There," The Porcupine swallowed, shifting and pulling out a shrunken canvas. He enlarged it, before pressing the needle against the fabric and tinting the material black. "And here's your portrait."

Bellatrix accepted the canvas, and looked at Adrian expectantly.

Adrian looked down at his chest where Nagini was slithering up and investigating his collarbone, "Nagini, go to the picture."

The porcupine man gasped and spluttered in growing horror. The snake turned, looking as if it was somehow going underwater. Its picture warped and gradually vanished, until its tail slid inside the ripple and it was entirely gone from Adrian's skin.

It slithered into view in the portrait, peering around once more, and giving a loud hiss towards Porcupine.

Bellatrix smiled, and Adrian quietly slid his shirt back on.

"Thank you!" Bellatrix chimed, jumping upright without offering any sort of payment to the man, Adrian didn't think that he would expect it anyways.

Once outside, Bellatrix passed him a few galleons, more than enough to replace the one book, and apparated him to the entrance of Diagon Alley.

"I'll be back in an hour," Bellatrix waved, before she vanished from sight with a jarring crack.

Adrian stepped into the crowded streets, finding the situation very similar to last year. He wished that he had brought Lutain, but his familiar had eaten a rather large breakfast and was unable to move quickly for the rest of the day.

He moved towards the bookstore, almost immediately feeling that something was wrong with the building.

It was unsettling, he leant to the side, one hand holding him balanced as he stared off and tried to pinpoint what it was that was making him so uneasy.

"Adrian!"

Adrian snapped his head around, looking at the rather baffled but uncomfortably smiling face of Hermione.

Adrian started over towards her, not quite comprehending still the situation.

"Pleasure seeing you once more," Adrian nodded, looking over her shoulder to see why she was so anxious-

-right as a younger girl's cauldron flew across the floor and an elder red haired man tackled Lucius Malfoy into a bookshelf.

Dozens of heavy spell books came falling down on their heads; there was a collective yell of, "Get him, Dad!" from two twins Adrian's elders; assumedly his wife shrieking, "No, Arthur, no!"; the crowd stampeded backwards and knocked more shelves to the ground.

"Break it up, here, gents, break it up-"

Now it was a large man, Hogwart's Groundkeeper if Adrian recalled correctly, waded inwards through the sea of collapsed books and in an instant, managed to pull Lucius Malfoy and who he assumed as Mr. Weasley, apart.

Mr. Weasley had a cut lip and Lucius was starting to develop a dark spot on his forehead.

He was still holding a Transfiguration book; he thrust it out at the younger red haired girl and spat "Here, girl- take your book- it's the best your father can give you-"

He turned and with as much dignity as he could spare he beckoned for Draco, who was rather humiliated as default, and they left the shop.

"Yeh should've ignored him, Arthur," The gamekeeper grumbled, shaking his head morosely, "Rotten ter the core, the whole family, every-one knows that- no Malfoy's worth listenin' ter- bad blood, that's what it is- slimy Slytherins ter all-"

Adrian cleared his throat, drawing attention from the gamekeeper who looked curious.

Hermione gasped in alarm and flushed quickly, "I'm sure Hagrid didn't mean that, Adrian! Not all Slytherins are bad! I mean, you-" She cut off quickly, thoroughly embarrassed.

"You're that Slytherin-"

"-the broker-"

"-can you give us a deal?" The two twins spun, looking at Adrian interestedly, while their mother scolded them loudly.

"Possibly," Adrian started slowly, "Although terms will have to be set later."

The two twins beamed and grinned wickedly. Adrian gave a polite smile and looked back at Hermione who was comforting two adults who looked rather spooked.

"Adrian! These are my parents!" She hurried to introduce, "They're new to this magic thing!"

"Muggles?" Adrian tested, trying not to wince or think on all experiences he'd suffered due to muggles, "A pleasure to meet you."

They smiled and thanked him, exchanging utter nonsense with him before the group realized they were to meet someone else outside of Gringotts.

They hurried out, filing around and the manager of the store looked like he wanted to stop them. It was thoroughly amusing.

"Do I know yeh?" Hagrid suddenly rumbled, squinting down at Adrian with a confused expression.

"I don't think so," Adrian blinked, "Was the Cerberus from last year yours? I heard he had a beautiful pelt."

The man's face lit up instantly and he seemed embarrassed, "Yeh, Fluffy jus' 'ad a couple Hornworms e'ery week!"

Adrian nodded, "Wonderful to hear that your Cerberus was well taken care of. I have a familiar, he's fairly picky with his food, do you perhaps have a good supply of mice or rats? The ones from Diagon over Owl Delivery are sometimes," Adrian grimaced, "Picked over."

Hagrid nodded solemnly, "Aye, ruddy job they do, 'ead down to my 'ut and we'll talk!" He beamed and waded out of the store through the books.

Arian paused- the strange sensation had vanished.

And he still needed the replacement book Bella destroyed