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Old 03-08-2011, 12:42 AM   #20 (permalink)
steflegan
Ravenclaw
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Join Date: Feb 2011
Location: Orlando, FL
Posts: 666

Hogwarts RPG Name:
Melina Morninglory- "Glory"
Second Year

Ministry RPG Name:
Violet Downing
Minister's Office
Ravenclaw
WizWorld Universal / Tom Felton for President

NEW CHAPTER---YAY!!

Disclaimer: all characters and some concepts belong to J.K. Rowling (cause she's awesome)


Chapter Five: The First Training


He looked around the grand foyer. Ornate sconces flanked the huge, gilt-edged mirror on the right side; to the left was a magnificent display cabinet filled with precious antiques and artifacts. Some of them had been passed down the McClellan family tree, but most had been stolen from the homes of the Death Eater’s victims. Past the foyer was an expansive dining room where three more Death Eaters sat at a long, intricately carved table. Orin led Lucius, Bellatrix, and Draco to their seats. A house elf appeared with a vintage bottle of Merlot, pouring a glass for each of them. Draco tried not to focus on the fact that the dark red liquid looked nauseatingly like something else.

“Raoul, Dolohov, Yaxley- today we begin young Draco’s training into the ranks of The Dark Lord’s army,” announced Orin. The three Death Eaters smiled broadly at him, and everyone raised their glasses. Lucius stood up, glass in hand: “To my son Draco, the first of a new generation to join our Noble Order”. Draco looked quizzically at his father: he looks…sort of…proud of me. He felt a stirring in his heart, but kept it subdued. Bellatrix completed the toast: “And to the Dark Lord, in whose service we bind our lives”. “To the Dark Lord!” they all replied, including Draco.

Afterward, he was led to an enormous hidden room. Tall shelves lined three of the walls containing collections of books on the Dark Arts and various weapons, as well as equipment to hinder an attack. Draco noticed swords of all shape and sizes, vials of potions, blindfolds, handcuffs. He struggled to control his nerves, anxiously wondering what to expect from this “training”. Orin broke the silence: “Draco, today we will begin with simple dueling. Though I hear you have been quite adept at besting your classmates, you will find your opponents today a bit more challenging.” The Death Eaters chuckled as Draco took a step backward, the anxiety clear on his face. He looked over at his father for reassurance. Lucius gave him a small nod but it was clear that he was as nervous as his son. Draco swallowed hard: thanks for the vote of confidence, Dad.

Bellatrix took her nephew by the arm and pulled him to the center of the room. “All right then, Draco, let’s see what you’ve got!” Draco fumbled for his wand; drawing a few deep breaths he managed to pull it from his pocket. Great, I already look like an idiot. His aunt stood across from him, smirking at him. They readied themselves, chose their dueling stances, and raised their wands. Draco had hardly spoken the beginning of his first spell when Bellatrix silently cast a Levicorpus jinx. Draco was suddenly suspended in midair, hanging by his ankle. He felt incredibly stupid, even more so when Bellatrix lifted the spell and he crashed to the ground. He heard them chuckling again, all except his father.

“Up! Try again!” commanded Lucius. Draco scrambled to his feet and faced off with McClellan. He spoke faster this time and cast a stunning spell. Orin simply blocked the spell with a Protego counter-curse. Draco’s spell rebounded and he was thrown back, landing on his rear end and smacking his head on one of the bookshelves. Pain reverberated in his skull but he could still manage to think clearly about his performance. I suck! His father grabbed his arm again and stood him up. His head was throbbing but he made himself stand at the ready.

Lucius faced him this time. “Don’t choose weak spells, Draco-think about shielding yourself and attacking your enemy. There is no mercy in dueling”. Draco nodded and set his jaw, choosing his spell carefully. I’ve got to impress him. He shouted "Obscuro!" to blind his father but forgot to shield himself. His father shouted a curse he’d never heard before: “Sectumsempra!” Searing pain slashed across his chest and he fell to the ground. He watched in horror as blood soaked through his shirt and began to pool around him. He felt ripped open; the pain took his breath away and the rapid blood loss was quickly sapping his strength. For a moment he actually wondered if he was going to die. But then his father was kneeling over him, drawing his wand across the gashes. “Vulnera Senentur,” he murmured repeatedly, closing Draco’s wounds and drawing the pain from his body. He pulled his shaken, terrified son to his feet. Draco stared at his father in shock and disbelief. “That is what I mean by no mercy,” Lucius said softly. Draco sank into the nearest chair, still shaking visibly. They allowed him a short break and then resumed his training before he lost his nerve completely.

The Death Eaters put Draco through his paces. Though he was no match for his father or his aunt at all, by the end of the session Draco had effectively used a shield charm against Raoul and managed to stupefy Dolohov. He was covered in cuts and bruises from slamming into the walls or other furniture when hit by their spells. His left leg hurt so badly that he could barely walk on it. He knew he had performed terribly and cringed as his father approached him. Here it comes. He hung his head and braced himself for the verbal blows. To his utter shock, Lucius clapped him on the back and smiled at him. “Excellent work, son. Not many apprentices can cast even one successful spell against us on their first day.” The others agreed, congratulating him. Draco’s mouth fell open. Funny-I know I must be dreaming, but I don’t remember going to bed. “Your son is exceptionally talented, Lucius,” remarked Orin. Still in a daze, Draco played their words over and over in his mind. He felt a thousand feet tall.

Once they returned home, Draco rested as Mimsy practically bathed him in Dittany. He hardly felt any pain as he listened to Lucius and Bellatrix recount his first day to his mother. His mind embraced every word they said. Remarks like “outstanding work” and “potential to be a great wizard” floated through the air like sweet music. The praise, especially from his father, was intoxicating. He drank it up, capturing it in his heart. He thought he didn’t care that much, thought he’d shut down the need for his father’s approval long ago. But he discovered in that moment that the father-shaped hole in his heart still existed, and Lucius’s emerging respect had begun to fill it.

Last edited by steflegan; 04-04-2011 at 01:22 PM. Reason: re-write: much more detail about his training.
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