The next chapter, as promised, is being served!

Bon appétit! XD

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"Are you sure you don't need to see a Healer, Luna?" Hadrianus asked for what felt like the tenth time.

A bubbled laughter left her mouth as Luna shook her head, her ponytail bouncing around, "I just need to see my mommy."

"Okay," Hadrianus fell silent, his eyes meeting Neville's as the four of them silently walked out of Gran's chamber. After practicing the karate move, they had been lounging around, playing the board games in the Manor when Luna suddenly felt restless, which made her want to see her mommy as soon as possible. Hadrianus didn't ask her judgment, wanting to spend as much time as possible with mum is something that he can understand and agree with.

Of course, Jim didn't want to hang out with them and return to his guardian's chamber, but apparently, Madam McGee had asked him to stay with them until she comes to collect him. Mum wanted to tag along, not wanting to let them go to Hogwarts without adult supervision, but Hadrianus and Neville had convinced her to stay, as they won't take much. They will only escort Luna to her mommy's quarter and return through the Floo from there. Hadrianus already had a successful Restraining Charm against the Headmaster, so he can't ambush Hadrianus from now on. Besides, his father, Barty, and Uncle Batman are already in Hogwarts, busy with the staff meeting. If necessary, he will run to them. What could go wrong in this simple tour, right?

As they walked on, Hadrianus squirmed uncomfortably under the watchful gaze of so many portraits following their every move. Why there must be so many portraits? Why they're watching him like a predator? Hadrianus felt unease, inwardly thanking the stars that he doesn't have to put up with Portraits like this, back in their house. It would have made things too awkward. Now he would have to stay under their gaze for seven freaking years.  No privacy, or whatsoever! Are the dorm rooms going to be the same? And if what Barty said is true, the portraits all report to the Headmaster, the Restraining Charm will be less than useful. 

"I hate to sound like a clueless schmoe, but can anyone tell me why there are so many portraits?"

"Thats normal in uh, magical Britain household." Neville explained.

"Is it?" Hadrianus looked at him, surprised. "Why? Do people in Britain love to be stared at all the time?" Hadrianus inwardly cringed when Potter scowled at him, to be honest, he had forgotten about his celebrity status, and now probably the boy thinks he is poking fun at him, "No offense, Potter."

Potter rolled his eyes.

"Oh, I think they all are looking out for the evidence of Crown-faced Hornswoggles."

"Crown-faced...what?"

"Crown-faced Hornswoggles. Everyone knows that a Crown-faced Hornwoggles attacks only the boys' lungs and makes them unable to breathe, unless a girl helps them by giving them mouth-to-mouth resuscitation for at least half an hour in a brooms closet."

Behind them, Jim Potter coughed violently into his hand, his face getting rather red as he tried to look away from them awkwardly, while the portraits gasped, looking scandalized at the mention of how a girl could save a boy from a Crown-faced Hornswoggles. Hadrianus and Neville made disgusted faces, "Ew! Why a girl? Why can't the Healer do that?"

"And why it must be in a freaking broom closet?"

"Yeah Why not in Infirmary?"

"Well, because if the girls do it in broom closet, its less painful," Luna lectured them wisely, her large eyes gazing into something on Hadrianuss shoulder. "There is an infestation of Crown-faced Hornswoggles around the Hogwarts, I have seen many girls trying to resuscitate the boys. When I asked them, they said the boy will die from not breathing if they wait for the Healers, and given they know the secret and forbidden recipe to save them, they are happy to help out their friend as what Healers do is rather painful."

Jim Potter coughed again, mumbling something like 'forbidden romance' under his breath, seemingly getting redder every second with the topic of discussion.

"I see," Hadrianus looked a bit green. "Warn us if you see a Crown-face Hornswoggles, yeah? We will make sure to run another way." Neville agreed, nodding vigorously and gagging at the image of receiving mouth-to-mouth from a girl for thirty minutes in a broom closet. Unlike Luna who roams around the Castle, Neville is happy to spend most of his time in the Green House, helping Madam Sprout. So he hadn't noticed such infestation and was now very concerned to have them. After the pool incident, Uncle Marvolo taught them some basic emergency medical procedures, both Muggle and Magical, to help each other in case of emergencies, so they know what is mouth-to-mouth resuscitation.

"We CAN escape from it if we run, right?" Neville asked worriedly as they came nearer to what seemed like the lower level of Hogwarts, a familiar feeling caught Hadrianus's attention. He blinked, looking around, ignoring the ongoing conversation of how to escape from a Crown-faced Hornswoggles. The hallway seems unfamiliar, understandable as he had never come here before. But why does the atmosphere seems so familiar? And where is that humming noise coming from?

"What was that?"

His words caught the attention of the others as they looked back at him. "What was what, Adrian?"

"That noise...you can't hear it?"

"What noise?"

Suddenly Neville remembered his friend is more enhanced than a normal human being, as he is a Naga. His senses are more advanced. He must be hearing something beyond what a human ear can do. "Adrian, we can't hear anything, other than our own voices."

Hadrianus gave them a blank stare, realizing his sensitive hearing is picking up the voice. He hadn't realized just how sensitive his hearing is, as he had been surrounded by enhanced beings most of the time. He nodded, before looking around, "Where are we?"

"Near the Dungeons," Neville replied.

"And...why are there no portraits near the Dungeons?" Hadrianus asked, pointing at the wall full of suits of armor, otherwise barren.

"That's our quarter!" Luna pointed out a door at twenty feet distance as she ran towards it. Does that mean there are no portraits near the quarters, allowing them privacy? Hadrianus thought as he watched Luna burst the door open.

"Mommy!"

Chanting and humming noise increased on opening the door, catching his attention and Hadrianus realized it was coming from that room. 

"Wait, what was that?" Hadrianus asked at the same time he remembered why it feels familiar to him. This is the exact feeling he had after his Flippendo'd the fireplace, and right before it exploded spectacularly. The feeling of impending doom twisted and wrung his guts; his Inner Mamba, the self-preservation part of his mind, shrieked and pleaded with him to slither away from the place of mortal peril.

Danger. Unsafe. Back away.

"Uh oh!" Hadrianus immediately ran after Luna, covering the twenty feet distance with a few large strides, and grabbed her arms before she can enter, "Luna! Wait! Don't!"

"What?" Luna's large eyes focused on him, looking confused, "But that's my mommy!"

"What's going on?" Neville asked as they reach them, even Potter who approached and peered inside the room.

Instead of answering them, Hadrianus followed Potter's example and peeked inside the room, ignoring his Inner Mamba's cries to 'get away'. Luna's mum is working on something, hunched over a table and waving her wand hurriedly and in a complicated motion, chanting what seems an invocation in an ancient language towards a piece of log in front of her. And with each wave, the magic around the room is getting thicker and thicker, sparkling like crazy and spreading very fast. The bewitched aura is building much, much slower than what Hadrianus remembers with the fireplace, but it is much stronger than that. Which is a sure indication that it will explode, on a much larger scale than the fireplace. And it won't be pretty.

"Mrs. Lovegood!" Hadrianus called out, "You need to stop that and leave the room!"

"Adrian!" Neville's voice is now nervous, looking around as he too realized something is off, "What's going on?"

"I-I think the room's going to explode," Hadrianus confessed nervously. "We need to get her out."

"No!" Luna's eyes were wide when she heard him, "No! Mommy! Mommy!" She started struggling to escape Hadrianus's stronghold, "Let me go! My mommy!"

"Help me!" Hadrianus's voice was strangled as he tried to hold on to the struggling girl and Neville caught her other arm to stop her, as the blonde girl hissed at them to let go.

"She needs to stop!" Even Potter came over, his eyes wide and fear-stricken as he called out, "Mrs. Lovegood! You need to stop! Come outside! Mrs. Lovegood? Can you hear me? Mrs. Lovegood!"

It seems Pandora Lovegood's consciousness was somewhere other than this World, as she paid them no mind. She was now busy dancing in an intricate motion in front of the piece of log, the chatting and humming increased with time, and the aura is so thick that the now frightened children had trouble breathing the same air, even when they were standing outside the doorframe. Potter's frantic calls went unheard, as did Luna's pleading.

We need help, Hadrianus thought desperately, looking around and noticing as there seems to be no portrait nearby, he can't call for help that way. But we need help!

Hadrianus suddenly remembered he is inside a Sentient Castle, and he knows from previous experiences that Sentient Castle is capable of helping their Lord and Heir, even the residents of the Castles to a certain limit. Maybe Hogwarts can help him by getting his fathers attention. And his father is more than capable of handling anything. He will be able to help Mrs. Lovegood, Hadrianus knows. That's all he needed, his father to get here.

Hogwarts! Hadrianus cried out, reaching out for the Castle's magic, and felt her answer by tightening the ambient magic around his tense body, hugging him, and Hadrianus understood the hug as a greeting and to tell him that he has her attention. Hogwarts! Help us!

A loud clang of metal sounded from behind, and the children gasped when they saw at least ten suits of armor come into life, jumping to the ground to their knees from their position on the wall, then standing up, and approaching them. Before they realized what was happening, the suit of armors came to stand in front of the Hadrianus, who backed away from the door, allowing them space to surround them properly, creating a small circle around them, then facing the room and standing on guard from the room.

What, that's not what I ask, Hadrianus thought, bewildered as Neville and Jim shrieked, asking what's happening. She's saving me from the explosion only way she can think of. But what about Mrs. Lovegood? Why did he not just contact his father like Slytherin Castle did? Or maybe his father is coming to help Mrs. Lovegood, he only needs to wait for him?

What Hadrianus didn't realize was his father had specifically warded Slytherin Castle to contact him immediately in case Hadrianus is in danger. Hogwarts has no such warding...yet.

"No! Mommy!"

Luna's voice snapped Hadrianus into the present, he watched her rush forward, her desperate hand reaching out from the space between the legs of suits of armors. It made him wonder if his father would be able to reach in time, or if the suit of armor can bring Mrs. Lovegood back to safety. It will not be pretty to see her die in front of their eyes while they are caged inside this dome.

"Uh, excuse me, Mr. Armour, can you bring Mrs. Lovegood here as well?" None of the suits of armor seems to be moving to do as Hadrianus asked, making Hadrianus deflate his shoulder in defeat, "Thought so."

"Damn it!" Jim Potter cursed, kicking one of the suits, "Why the hell would they surround us like that?"

That may have been my fault, Hadrianus thought, though he didn't dare confess that.

"Hadrianus! Do something!" Nevilles voice sounded urgent and strangled, making Hadrianus feel more helpless than before. He hardly knows any magic, apart from some levitation, glamour, and color-changing charms, none of them are as useful now. He is not his father, an invincible superhero and capable of anything! At a moment of desperation, suddenly a memory came floating in front of his eyes. The memory of his fathers homunculus form, summoning newspapers and reading them.

What was the incantation again? Akao? Agaro? Akio?

No, wait Accerso... It had to be Accerso. It means 'I summon' in Latin. But was it the incantation of the spell? It doesn't sound right in his head, but Hadrianus knows it's a near thing. It had been almost a year since he heard the incantation of that spell, in a passing.

Well, the wording or wand movement hardly matters. What matters is the intent, the will, behind the casting. Not shouting the spells out, or moving wands. The intent.

Hadrianus closed his eyes and squared his shoulder, masking all his emotions and doubts with the practice of Occlumency. Now is not the time for doubting his actions, someones life is dependent on them. It's time to focus.

Breathe in, breathe out.

His Manchineel Wand slid into his hand.

Breathe in, breathe out.

60 % visualization, 15, and 15 % will and focus, and 10 % magic.

Breathe in, breathe out.

Green eyes snapped open, and with confidence and firm stance, Hadrianus raised his wand towards the back of Mrs. Lovegood's dancing form, and called out, "Accerso Luna's mum."

As soon as the words left his mouth, his magic acted, letting Hadrianus know the spell had worked. But whether he was able to summon Luna's mom, he couldn't see, as, for some reason, he flew forward, slamming himself into one of the suits of armor in front of him, before crumbling to the ground. It was as if an invisible hand tried to yank him forward, but the suit intercepted the procedure, not wanting Hogwart's Heir to leave the safety of the dome they had formed. The wand released from his hand at the impact and the safety features that his father installed was activated, drawing it quickly back into the wand holster. But Hadrianus was not able to see any of it, too dizzy to comprehend what was going on.

"Adrian!" He heard a voice call out, at the same time a high-pitched girly shriek, "Mommy!"

Before he realized what was happening, something...or rather. someone shrieking and thrashing came crashing into them. A loud clang told them the suits of armor had made a way to let them pass and then they tripped into Hadrianus's prone body, falling right beside him, leaving Hadrianus groaning as his head slammed against the ground, again.

Then everything went silent. Including the humming. Though, for some reason, it reminded Hadrianus of the silence before the storm. 

The worse is yet to pass.

"Mommy?" Luna's voice rang, and after a few shuffling of clothes, something fell beside Hadrianus, loudly exclaiming "Mommy!" making Hadrianus groan.

Neville was quick to appear at Hadrianus's side, "Are you -

Whatever Neville was about to say caught his breath as the World around them collapsed right that moment. Even with the closed eyes, Hadrianus heard the moment the doors of quarters were slammed shut, probably another of Hogwarts' attempts to contain the damage, right before the explosion violently shook the whole Castle.

***Warning: Blood, pain, and mention of violence ahead***

Hadrianus's mouth opened in a silent gasp of cry as the fierce eruption produced thundering sound waves that pierced his sensitive eardrums in a most excruciating way. The hot wet blood dribbled from his ears as he writhed in agony, clutching his head and bleeding ears. It reminded him of one of the unfortunate times when Dudley's gang had caught Harry. Piers had kept him pinned down while Dudley, wanting to try a new move he learned from television, had punched him on both sides of his face. It had caused him excruciating pain as his eardrums had burst, causing him to bleed severely. Dudley had panicked and ran off with his gang, and later some random people had found an unconscious and bleeding Harry on the road, and contacted the police.

That had been the first and last time he had seen a doctor, while under Dursley's care. Thanks to the police intervention, after coming out of the hospital, he had received an extra beating and no meal for the next five days to 'make up the cost of the hospital stay of a freak like him'.

He didn't realize how long it took for the painful nasty throb inside his head to stop, and a silent but loud ringing took its place as his already exhausted magic activated, working diligently to heal his ear. The feeling of his dinner and evening snacks trying to reappear through his mouth was too much to bear as well, but Hadrianus tried to keep up with his breathing exercises as Barty taught him. He doesn't want to be sick, on top of everything else. He remembered the experience very well when it happened the first time. Finally, when the dizziness of his head finally shifted after some long minutes of breathing exercises, and his head cleared a bit, it could have been minutes to hours, but he would have no idea about it.

***Warning ends***

Hadrianus didn't bother opening his eyes. He can tell from past experience that he has suffered more than a major concussion and it will hurt more to try to see, and the world will spin like crazy, also there is still a chance he might lose the excellent dinner. Instead, he twitched his nose and scented his environment, trying to find out what is happening around him. He noticed he was still lying in the corridor, along with Neville, Luna, Potter, and...Mrs. Lovegood? A relieved sigh passed his mouth as he realized he was able to save her. Suddenly another thought crossed his mouth as he immediately reached out and patted his own thighs.

'Oh Loki! Mr. Legs... you better be there and not run off! Oh, thank Loki!' Hadrianus sighed in relief for the second time when he found he was still in his human form, practicing the Occlumency shield before casting had helped. He inhaled deeper. The air is thickly smelling of smoke, ash, burnt pine, cherrywood, parchments, and acrid. There also seems to be a smell of burnt metal and rocks blended in the mixture.

Well , Hadrianus thought, I think its safe to say Luna's quarter is now in tiny pieces and burning at the moment . The closed doors and suits of armors probably took most of the explosion, as none of his friends seems to be hurting, the only thing he can sense from them are startlement, shock, anxiety, and hope.

And anger, Hadrianus thought with a frown. Why is Mrs. Lovegood angry? He could tell from the smell that she seems to get angrier every second is passing, as she realized what just happened. Is she angry at herself for hurting others? That must be it.

Before Hadrianus could dwell on it more, the ground started to vibrate. Footsteps. Help is coming.

Father always knows if I even drop an inkpot. Hadrianus thought lazily, as sleep seems to draw him nearer and nearer. There is no way he would miss that .

Maybe Hogwarts had told him?

Wait a minute, what if his father gets angry? He has always asked Hadrianus to stay away from troubles, and today he came to Hogwarts without his permission.