Her face went pale fearing another suffering. 'So, this time it is the famous Hadrian Potter who will enjoy my misery, huh...'
Hadrian exhaled, his face just inches away from hers.
However, contrary to her expectations, he wiped her face and mouth with a handkerchief. "It's cruel what they're doing to you..." He said.
Then he brought his wand towards her face undoing all the 'prank' spells on her, "Why don't you try fighting back? Or get someone to fight back for you...?" He said as he stepped a few steps back and then left.
She couldn't even thank him or even say anything as she saw him walk away.
But his words stuck in her ears, even if they seemed impossible...
Well, how was she supposed to fight all of those pure-bloods when she was a lone mud-blood in the house of snakes? The idea of fighting back, or finding someone to stand with her, was daunting.
Yet, the memory of Hadrian's calm voice and unexpected kindness gave her a sliver of hope.
She began to muster the courage to resist her tormentors, hoping that her defiance might put an end to their cruelty.
The next time a group of Slytherin bullies cornered her in a deserted corridor, she attempted to stand her ground. She managed to cast a weak Shield Charm, hoping it would deter them. Instead, it only fueled their laughter.
"Look at the little Mudblood, trying to show our magic to us," sneered one of the boys, his wand pointed directly at her.
"You're not fit to be in Slytherin, you 'worthless' filthy mud-blood!" another girl jeered, disarming Evelyn effortlessly and sending her wand clattering to the floor.
Evelyn's heart pounded in her chest, but she forced herself to remain upright. "Leave me alone," she demanded, though her voice trembled.
"Make us," the ringleader, a girl named Oliviana Blishwick taunted, her eyes gleaming with malice.
After tormenting her to their heart's content, they left. As they walked away, their laughter echoing down the corridor, Evelyn felt the sharp sting of failure and humiliation.
Fighting back had only made things worse.
All she ever wanted in her life was to show her parents that she was worth something in this world, show them that she could be better than the 'son' that they had always wanted.
Prove that her existence was worth something...
When she received the letter from Hogwarts she thought that her life would take a better turn for once... Only to find out a worse hell awaited her.
Her classmates' relentless taunts grew more vicious, each incident chipping away at her already fragile spirit.
The 11-year-old girl just became a shadow of herself.
The girl who came to Hogwarts in hopes of proving to the world that her existence meant something, was now just moving through the days in a haze of fear and despair.
One evening, as she trudged back to the Slytherin common room, she was ambushed on the staircase leading to the Astronomy Tower.
The bullies, led by Oliviana Blishwick herself, cornered her with malicious grins. "Today we'll see if a mud-blood can fly without a broom."
Were they... is that why they had brought her here on this tower? To throw her off...?
Before she could react, someone cast a powerful spell that sent her tumbling over the edge of the tower.
The world spun around her as she plummeted, her screams swallowed by the night air. She hit the ground hard, her body breaking under the impact. Pain seared through her, and she felt the darkness closing in.
Meanwhile, on the tower, Oliviana was shocked. "Hey... Did she just fall down?"
"What the heck, Oliviana? You told us that she'll try to cast a shield spell again!" A boy yelled.
"Don't yell at me, stupid moron!" Oliviana hissed, "Look, I have heard it from seniors. There is nothing to worry about. In this case, either she'll die on her own which would be for the best... or she could survive, in that case, all we have to do is say that it was an accident and a harmless prank! And we'll only get a small detention or maybe lose some house points but that'll be all."
"Yeah, what are you even worried about Noel, she's just a filthy mud-blood."
Needless to say, they fled the scene after their small chat.
However, the tower's height wasn't enough to kill someone due to a fall... Hadrian wouldn't give them such an idea if he wasn't sure if his target would survive or not.
As Evelyn lay bloodied and broken on the ground, her eyes looked at the starry night, her heartbeat gradually slowed... she thought her death was near... And all she was in the end was a failure, a worthless girl who couldn't prove anything.
As her breath faltered, she heard footsteps approaching her with measured steps. Her eyes caught emerald eyes staring into her before her vision started to fail.
"Don't go passing out just yet... [Vulnera Sanentur]..." He cast a mild healing spell on her. Just enough so that she could stay conscious.
"Hadrian..." She muttered the name of the only person she could think of. The only person who showed her... kindness.
"So... tell me, Evelyn... how did you find yourself in this situation even after I gave you advice?" He asked, and unlike before, there wasn't any hint of concern or kindness... if there was any emotion present then it was just a small amount of calculated coldness.
"I..." Evelyn couldn't even gather any strength to reply to him.
Hadrian sat down and he pulled her hair to match her face to his level. Evelyn whimpered in pain but Hadrian didn't care.
"Hm... you're pathetic, worthless, incapable of anything..." He paused.
Evelyn's eyes looked at his without any life in them. She knew all that, he didn't need to tell them in her dying moments, she thought...
"These words... do they sound familiar?" He asked.
At his question, her chin quivered and a drop of tear rolled down her cheeks, and she nodded weakly, "Y-Yes."
"Your parents, the muggle world, the wizarding world, Hogwarts, and even the most infamous house in the school, Slytherin... they all called you with such words, didn't they?" This time, his voice was gentle and soothing.
"But there is always a place for everyone born in this world, Evelyn..." He said, gently lowering her head back to the ground.
"Evelyn," he said softly, "do you want the pain to stop?"
She managed a weak nod, her body trembling.
"Do you want to know your worth in this world, never feel this helpless again?" he continued.
"Y-Yes," she whispered, her voice barely audible.
Hadrian's emerald eyes seemed to pierce into Evelyn's very soul as he continued, "You don't have to be a victim of this cruel world anymore, Evelyn. I'll offer you a place by my side. From this moment on, you will belong to me."
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Thanks for reading!
Saving a girl from bullies doesn't make him a good guy when he was the one who orchestrated most of the bullying... this novel will turn darker as the chapters pass.
Remember he took in Evelyn because he needed someone to test his spells on. Don't expect him to be kind too with her in the future.
read 15 chaps ahead !
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