Warning! This chapter is not for faint hearted. In fact this whole series is not for faint hearted.
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"I don't know..." Luna wondered, "But I can be loyal," She said softly.
"If you wish to serve me in the future," Hadrian said slowly, "then you must prove your loyalty now."
Luna's eyes sparkled with a strange mix of anticipation and serenity. "How can I prove my loyalty to you, Lord Hadrian?"
A cruel smile played on Hadrian's lips. "Follow me."
He led her through the winding corridors of Hogwarts, finally arriving at the Room of Requirement. The door materialized in front of them, and Hadrian opened it, revealing a dark, empty chamber inside.
"Step inside," he ordered. Luna obeyed without hesitation, her wide eyes scanning the room curiously.
Once they were inside, Hadrian closed the door behind them and turned to face Luna. The room, sensing his intentions, transformed into a sinister chamber equipped with various instruments of torture. This was a place where he could test Luna's resolve.
"If you can endure what I am about to put you through without breaking," Hadrian said, his voice cold and commanding, "then you will have proven your loyalty to me."
Luna simply nodded, her calm demeanor unwavering. "I understand, Lord Hadrian."
Without warning, Hadrian's fist shot out, striking Luna hard in the stomach. She doubled over, gasping for air, but made no sound of protest.
He followed up with a swift kick to her side, sending her sprawling to the ground.
His slow steps walked to the sprawled figure.
Luna tried to get up, but Hadrian was relentless. He grabbed her by the hair and yanked her to her feet, then punched her in the face, feeling a sick sense of satisfaction as her lip split and blood trickled down her chin.
Tears were streaming down the blond's face, riddled with cuts and bruises but... there was a slightly upward tilt at the corners of her lips...
He grabbed her by the throat again and threw her on the cold floor once again.
"Why don't you scream?" Stepping on her face, he demanded, his voice filled with anger and a hint of satisfaction.
Luna had never imagined that this would be the test that she'd have to go through to attain what her future version had, but for that future to come true, she would endure.
She will endure until he's satisfied.
Luna's voice was barely a whisper. "Because... I will serve you, Lord Hadrian. I saw it... and I believe it."
Hadrian's eyes glinted with a perverse mixture of curiosity and cruelty as he regarded Luna's defiant yet reverent demeanor.
The girl's unwavering calm only served to fuel his sadistic desire to break her spirit, to see if her loyalty was as steadfast as she claimed.
There were three tests Luna had to pass to prove that her previous words weren't a lie fabricated by his enemies, that she wasn't sent to him by anyone, an attempt at manipulation from his enemies... that she truly believed she could serve him.
First, she had to go through his relentless beatings. To see if she would confess due to pain or humiliation, and in case she was telling the truth, to see if she'd really be loyal enough in the future or not.
Next, he would torture her with spells and hexes to see her limit. After that, he'd penetrate her mind using Legilmency to confirm her words again.
He forced Luna to her feet by her pulling her hair again and delivered a brutal knee to her abdomen, causing her to double over in agony.
As she gasped for breath, he grabbed her by the shoulders and kneed her again, this time in the ribs. The 12-year-old boy didn't care if she passed out due to pain or if her bones broke and continued to beat the 11-year-old, innocent blonde.
When his fist started to sting a bit so, he used knuckles and metal rods. After a while, her body was battered with cuts, bruises, and swellings. Even her soft, beautiful ears were all torn and bleeding.
'Step two' Hadrian muttered to himself and started the volley of painful hexes and curses.
He started with simple spells, casting Stinging Hexes and Burning Curses that left red welts and blisters on Luna's pale skin. Luna bit her lip, her body convulsing with each new wave of pain.
She hissed in pain, even shed tears, but she tried to muffle her screams, fearing that he wouldn't like her anymore.
Hadrian's frustration grew.
And then....
He intensified the spells, casting a combination of Bone-Breaking and Blood-Boiling Curses.
"Hmmmrrrrgggghhhhh!!!" She tried to muffle her scream and tears...
Her body convulsed as the spells hit her, each one sending waves of excruciating pain through her already battered form.
Her muscles spasmed uncontrollably, and her breath came in short, desperate gasps, "Aaggghhhh!!!"
Finally, her body couldn't take it anymore, and she could no longer continue to muffle her cries of pain, and she screamed her lungs out.
"Gaaaaah!!!! MMmmNooo!!!"
And... Hadrian finally stopped.
Gasping for air, she somehow managed to look at his face, tears rolling down her cheeks as she sniveled at his feet "I- I'm sorry L-Lord Hadrian, I couldn't take it anymore and screamed." She sobbed. "Please, please give me another chance I won't scream this time, for sure!!"
'Such incredible mental fortitude! Or is it just... insanity...' Hadrian smiled like a demon, he couldn't control his expression... this girl was just that impressive.
"The test wasn't to see if you screamed or not, it was to see if you'll break or not. And you passed, mostly."
He kneeled down beside her and patted her head, a habit he acquired after months of training Evelyn. Luna hissed due to pain.
Exhaling he pointed his wand at her face, "Vulnera Sanentur"
As he cast the spell, sounding almost like a beautiful song, blood ceased to flow from her forehead and torn-up ears and everywhere in her body.
Hadrian wiped the residue from her face, his gentle touch was so soothing for Luna that she cupped the hands that caressed her cheeks.
"Vulnera Sanentur" Another cast of the same spell and her wounds began to knit themselves together.
"Vulnera Sanentur", the final cast vanished all the scars.
Just one step left...
"Legilmence!"
Once the three-step baptism was finished, he was satisfied with Luna's loyalty and endurance, Hadrian allowed a rare smile to grace his lips. "You've done well, Luna. I'll accept you as my own. Expect a reward soon for managing to impress me."
Despite the lingering phantom pain, Luna's face lit up with a smile. The torment she had endured left a profound aftershock in her young mind, but the approval from her Lord was worth every moment of agony.
"Thank you, Lord Hadrian," she murmured, her voice a mix of exhaustion and gratitude.
.
.
.
Later on, Luna performed a similar, but more brutal, three-step Baptism on the people she recruited for Hadrian's purpose. She even taught this method to Evelyn and other girls.
.
.
.
As Hadrian was returning to the Slytherin dorms, after accepting Luna as his loyal pet, he heard a creepy voice traveling through the walls...
"Hiss~ Kill~"
No, this voice wasn't "through" the walls, it was "inside" them...
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I'd like at least 5 detailed comments apart from TFTCs on this chapter that tell me your views on the series. And tell me if you'd like more or not.
Thanks for reading!
Read 15 chapters ahead on patre- on. Oh, the chapter in patrea on aren't splitted into parts meaning looong 15 chapters ( avg 2000 words/chap )!
https://www.pat reon.com/marveller