Remus exhaled through his nose, "I need you to track the bird. Her name is Hedwig. Her owner may be injured."
"A student of yours may be injured?" Sirius looked at James unsure, "Alright, on it, Moony."
Sirius turned to peer inside. The bird flared its wings and threw itself onto the open window. Sirius flinched as her long talons chipped off a piece of painted wood.
The bird snapped its beak angrily, looking fierce at the two aurors.
Sirius waved his wand, pointing it at the bird and recited an incantation. A blue mist surrounded her, sinking under her feathers and casting her in a near invisible glow.
"Alright girl," James shoed with his hands, "Go home. Go back to whoever, we'll follow."
"Follow?" Sirius asked with an eyebrow raised, "Not sure bout you, but Moony doesn't fly, mate."
"I'll apparate back and tell you where we are," James promised Remus, "Padfoot and I will follow her."
Remus gave a slight nod, looking worried, "Probably smarter, they may be watching me. If you find him...when, when you find him. You, ah, you won't miss him, don't approach him. Get me instantly."
Sirius barked a disbelieving laugh, "What, they'll curse at my pretty face?"
"Yes." Remus deadpanned, causing James to snort uncomfortably, although the auror looked very cautious.
"Sure know how to pick 'em, Moony. Alright, we'll let you know when we find him."
Remus nodded, looking worried and back at the house, "Should I..."
"Eh, tell Lil's that its Auror business." James advised, "She'll understand."
"Good luck." Remus added thoughtfully, looking at the annoyed and preening Hedwig, "You may need it."
"What do you mean exactly, by 'nearly killing' me?" Adrian asked carefully, voice betraying his worry.
His father crossed his arm, face stony and expressionless. His red eyes, shadowed by the dark hair made his entire face seem that much more sinister.
"Your face needs to be disguised, any glamour or warding would be too easily detected by Dumbledore, no matter how subtle." his father explained, drawing the pale white wand, resembling exposed bone, "A possible disguise is by altering your very own features with a deformity."
Adrian nodded, his throat clogging and hysteria bubbling under his skin.
"People tend to look away from disfigurement. It'll help aid your story, as well as keep others from wanting to look too close."
His father leant forward, still so very tall to loom over Adrian. He pressed his wand to Adrian's jaw, just under his chin.
"I'm going to have Bellatrix cast a spell," he spoke gently, red eyes shimmering with a higher intelligence Adrian only hoped to match one day, "which will disfigure your features and disguise you enough to cast doubt over our resemblance. The effects of a curse scar will correlate to your untimely….addiction."
Adrian flinched, but sustained eye contact as Voldemort lowered the wand from pressing into his skin.
Adrian completely understood it- he would have agreed to it without a doubt if it wasn't for the implications. It would hurt, certainly so; it would disguise him and cast him in a specific lighting which would be pivotal with his role in the new war.
Bellatrix though... he had witnessed her lapse in sanity all too closely in the last month. Her moments of staring emotionlessly at inanimate objects, hysterical fits or sudden bouts of rage at random stretches of walls.
She would be able to cast a curse strong enough to scar, no doubt in his mind. He doubted if she would be able to do so without leaving him with lasting damage.
"I don't want Bellatrix," Adrian blurted suddenly, his hands shaking at his side as he suddenly second guessed his outburst. Red eyes observed him coldly, "I... I want you to cast it, father."
Surprise flitted across for a brief second. An amused smile pressed on thin lips, "Me? You crave pain?"
"I..." Adrian swallowed against the lump and bowed his head with silent prayer to fate itself, "I know that the spell will be performed successfully."
"Is that so?"
His father's shoes were silent on the floor. How had Adrian never noticed that before.
A bony hand tilted his chin upwards, framing the identical cheekbones and the wide eyes.
"I find it a shame," his father paused, "to impair such potential. It's unfortunate that this is so necessary.
Adrian swallowed, his throat moving under his father's hand, "I trust you."
The wand was pressed under his chin, alongside his throat nearest his right ear. Adrian's breathing sped up.
"This will hurt," his father deadpanned.
That was his only warning.
....
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