Tigris walked up the stairs, stopping in the upper hallway. It dawned on him that he didn't know where the training room that his father had been talking about was. Tigris had automatically assumed that it was on the second floor since that was where the library was. Uncertain, he turned that way. It was probably one of the several doors leading off the main corridor. He was spared the search when one of the doors opened, revealing Draco who was waving at him. He hastily pulled him into the room.

"I figured you wouldn't know where the room was. I wasn't supposed to leave it, so just don't say anything, okay?" Draco seemed a bit nervous.

"Sure," replied Tigris, looking around. "Thanks."

Draco shrugged. He was barefoot, wearing a white tracksuit instead of his usual robes. "You should get changed. Suits are over there." He pointed at a closet off to the site.

The room had large windows on one side, showing the garden. The smooth wooden floor was covered in bamboo mats. The windowless side of the room held a row of glass cabinets, showcasing a diverse array of weapons.

"He wanted me to show you the basics of hand-to-hand combat and how to handle some of the weapons," said Draco while Tigris was changing. He pointed at the cabinets. "Pureblooded wizards usually learn this from their sixth year onward. Father taught me everything I know." He hesitated. "I enjoy it, but I'm not sure how good I am at teaching it. He's going to check in to see if you're making progress." He considered Tigris with mild concern. "Do you have at least a little bit of experience with non-magical combat?"

Tigris glanced at the cabinets, unsure. They housed scimitars, different types of swords, daggers, and some weapons he didn't recognize at all. "I killed a basilisk with a sword in my 2nd year, but that was more luck than technique. Also, Fawkes helped." Tigris noticed Draco's look. "What? You knew that. The entire school knew that."
Draco blinked. "Yes, but Dumbledore didn't go into detail. You killed a basilisk with a sword?" He sounded incredulous.

"Yes, but Fawkes - Dumbledore's phoenix - had already pecked out both of its eyes. It wasn't much of an achievement. I just wanted to live. I managed to hit it, but it bit me before dying. I'm only still alive because that phoenix was there."

"Yes, but why in Mordraud's name were you fighting a basilisk with a sword? Why weren't you using your wand?"

Tigris avoided Draco's eyes. "That's a bit complicated. Riddle had my wand."

"Riddle?" Draco shouted, shocked. "You mean the Dark Lord?"

Tigris bit his lip. "Strictly speaking it wasn't him. Just a manifestation of his memories when he was fifteen."

"I see," said Draco, shaking his head in confusion. "Seems like there's a lot more to the story. Oh well." He cleared his throat. "Anything besides the thing with the basilisk?"

"Not really. I guess my constitution's fine and I've got great reflexes thanks to quidditch. And I did learn a bit for the Triwizard Tournament, but that doesn't really count."

Draco sighed. "I hope he doesn't expect that you are actually competent by the end of the week, but fine. Let's warm up and I'll try my best."

They spent most of their morning practicing the basics of hand-to-hand combat. Tigris didn't struggle with most of the techniques that Draco demonstrated. He was flexible and the stamina he had built through quidditch paid off. He only hit a wall when Draco tried teaching him swordplay. Tigris simply didn't understand what he was doing wrong. Draco showed him a stance time and time again, but Tigris still couldn't get it right.

Draco's impatience didn't exactly help either. It wasn't long before it felt like it could have been Snape lecturing him on his form for all the good it did. He knew he was doing something wrong, but Draco didn't help him figure out what he was doing wrong. He became increasingly more frustrated until he finally lost his patience, shouting back at his brother. They decided to call it quits for the day at that point. It was time for lunch soon, anyway.

After lunch, their father took them into another room, similar to the training room but without glass cabinets or bamboo mats. Adrenaline rushed through Tigris when his father pulled out two wands. He gave Draco one of them. The other, he held out towards Tigris without taking his eyes off him. Tigris had grabbed for it, before becoming consciously aware of the movement. His father pulled the wand back an inch.

"Can I trust you with this, Tigris? This is my grandfather's wand. It may not work as well as your old one, but it should suffice for a harmless duel. Can I trust you not to do something foolish with it?"

"Of course, Father," answered Tigris without taking his eyes off of the wand. He was dying to snatch the wand from his hand and…

"Tigris!" snapped his father, angrily.

Tigris flinched and looked up. "M…my apologies, Father." He was shaking and struggled to get a grip on himself and look his father straight in the eyes. "I will only use it with your permission." This time, he didn't fight the presence in his mind.

His father smiled and left Tigris the wand. "Good. As you may have already figured out, we'll be practicing duels. I'll teach you a couple new dueling spells, but first I want to see your current level of proficiency. You will fight each other. Anything goes, as long as it doesn't do lasting damage. Don't hold back or I'll be very displeased. Understood?"

They nodded. Tigris glanced at his brother and they locked eyes. Draco mirrored his own uncertainty. He didn't want to hurt him, but he also didn't want to defy his father. He was sure that he could beat Draco. He'd done so many times before and he had learned a few new spells these past weeks. "I won't hold back," he finally decided.

Draco nodded in agreement. "Me neither, brother."

"One more thing," added their father with a hint of amusement. "I believe it's time to take off that necklace."

Tigris blinked in confusion. "Why? I mean, it's not like I'm complaining, but I thought it was here to keep me inside this house, right?"

"Of course." His father opened the clasp and took it off. "Which it did an excellent job at. However, I don't think it's still necessary. Am I wrong?"

"No, Father." Tigris hated the fact that this was the truth. He was no longer fighting his fate. He realized he'd never truly attempted to flee. It wouldn't have worked, regardless, so why did he regret what he couldn't change? Maybe he'd feel better if he'd fought more fiercely, but a part of him figured he'd fought as much as he could have. The result would have always been the same, of that he was sure. Tigris forced himself to focus on the task at hand.

The two of them took their place on opposite sides of the room and bowed before each other. The action evoked a weird sense of deja-vu. Tigris muttered a defensive spell once their father began counting. A wise decision, as Draco attacked as soon as he had reached the number two. His curse hit Tigris' shield, withering away.

"Imago!" Tigris yelled, rolling to the side. As Draco was blinking in confusion at seemingly facing multiple enemies out of nowhere, Tigris spoke his next spell.

"Expelliarmus!" Draco was hurled back and his wand came flying into Tigris' hand. His brother whipped around towards him. Tigris threw him an apologizing glance. "Petrificus totalus." Draco fell.

Muted clapping interrupted his concentration. His father stepped next to Draco.

"Finite Incantatem." Draco got to his feet and Tigris returned his wand. His father scrutinized him.

"Obviously you're quite ahead of your brother. I should have expected this, now that I think about it. With this much of a difference, it seems useless to have the two of you duel. Let's see how you handle someone with more experience."

Tigris took an involuntary step backwards. His father grinned. "Out of the way, Draco."

His brother gave Tigris a concerned look, but did as their father told him.

"Would you be so kind as to count for us?"

They bowed before each other. Again, Tigris didn't hesitate to speak a defensive spell - a stronger one this time. But his father actually waited until Draco had counted to three.

"Imperio."

Calm. Satisfaction.

"Drop your wand."

Tigris felt his grip around the wand slacken before a wave of anger rippled through him. He wouldn't make it this easy for him. "No! Impedimenta!"

His father dodged the hex and tossed back another. "Protego! Expelliarmus!" His spell disappeared without effect.

Tigris dodged the spell. Before he could retaliate, his father beat him to it.

"Consopio!" For a moment, Tigris was dizzy. Then, he broke the spell like the Imperius before. "Defigo!"

His father dodged. "Detorquete!"

"Referio!" Tigris' shield deflected the spell, sending it back at his father who cast a shielding spell just in time. Tigris noticed how he was slowly getting annoyed.

"Expelliarmus!" Again, his father was faster than Tigris with his next spell.

Tigris dodged. "Ineptio!"

The curse hit and his father's next spell left his mouth as gibberish.

"Stupefy!" shouted Tigris, using the chance.

His father seemed surprised for a moment, before dodging and pointing his wand at himself for a moment. Shortly after, he regained his voice. "Crucio."

Tigris dodged, shocked. Then, he angrily pointed his wand at his opponent's legs. "Osum frangi!"

There was an unsavory crack. His father let out a surprised yell of pain and reeled.

Tigris didn't hesitate. "Expelliarmus!"

His father was blown off his feet and his wand flew into Tigris' hand. Tigris pointed his own wand at him, but his father was faster. "Petrificus totalus!"

Tigris froze and fell, eyes directed at his father in disbelief. He had only pointed his hand in his direction.

His father grinned, even if the grin was contorted by pain. "Never assume like that, my son. Please, get me my wand, Draco."

Draco obeyed hastily.

"Now get your mother. I'll need her. Oh, right: Finite Incantatem."

Tigris slowly got to his feet and looked at his father with uncertainty. "You can cast without a wand." He had always believed that only truly powerful wizards were capable of that. People like Dumbledore.

"Obviously. Don't tell anyone." His father grinned before grimacing and muttering a spell to brace his broken leg. "And you're not above using dark magic. I am impressed."

Tigris grinned back arrogantly. The magic and the adrenaline made him confident. "I had to get some use out of all these books I read."

His father laughed. "Your first time, I assume."

Tigris sobered up in an instant. "To be honest, no."

"Really? Do you mean that incident with my lovely sister-in-law in the Department of Mysteries? Because that doesn't count. You didn't get it right."

"Oh."

"You're remarkably naive considering how good of a duelist you are. Where by Mordraud is your mother when you need her?"

Just then, his mother entered and immediately took care of the injured leg. That day, they didn't learn any new spells, but to Tigris' relief, his father didn't consider it necessary to punish him for the spell. On the contrary, he seemed strangely satisfied.

"Concentrate. Breathe slowly. In, and out. In, and out. Do you see it now?"

Tigris sat opposite his mother with crossed legs. An image of the labyrinth of his mind slowly formed behind his closed eyes. It wasn't quite an image. More of a feeling. But Tigris preferred thinking of it as an image for lack of better words. It was a bit like that unconscious knowledge that people used to navigate known places in complete darkness.

"Yes, it's slowly getting clearer."

"Good."

She had taught him how to use his newly gained talent during the past few days. She wasn't very impressed by his experiences with his father.

"Don't tell him to his face, but he isn't a very good Legilimens. Occlumency is more than keeping someone from your mind. It's the art of hiding thoughts without anyone noticing. What do you think a more determined Legilimens would have done in his stead? They would have known straight away that you were blocking them. That would've led them to believe that you had something to hide. The moment this happens, your Occlumency is wasted."

The argument made sense. Thus, Tigris had learned to sort his thoughts, letting some memories rise to the top while obscuring others. Slowly, he was reaching a point where a stranger looking through his mind would only see what he wanted them to see.

If he wanted to hide a memory, no one would ever know that it existed. With his newfound sense of direction, it was easier than anticipated. What was difficult, however, was keeping his inner balance. Memories that he pushed too far into the background at first tended to turn out as good as forgotten. It was tricky to manipulate his consciousness in a way that made it appear from the outside as if the memories didn't exist while not losing his own access to them. Tigris was far from perfect at this, but got better every day.

"Now that you've advanced this far, it's time to dedicate ourselves to the other side of our talent: Legilimency."

Tigris looked up, frowning in surprise. "But I'm far from mastering Occlumency."

She smiled. "You're more advanced than most regular Occlumens ever get. I'm sure if you ever have a look into an auror's mind, you'll find their attempts ridiculous. At least that's how I've always felt. You wouldn't believe how many allegedly educated men are foolish enough to look into the eyes of a smiling woman." She chuckled softly, thoughts lost in her memories. "But enough of that. You're good enough to learn the basics of Legilimency. It'll take some time until you can handle a well-trained Occlumens, but it shouldn't be difficult for you to look into an unprotected mind. We won't even bother speaking the spell, that's child's play. What use does Legilimency have if you alert your enemy? You should already be able to know if someone is lying or telling the truth, simply by looking into their eyes. Soon, you'll manage to pick up fractions of images or thoughts at the front of someone's mind. If you eventually use the spell, it'll merely be a tool to break down blockades and crack open the subconscious to reach those thoughts they're trying to hide. That's why it's so dangerous to let a Legilimens know that you've got something to hide. If they know, they can gather their entire strength for the spell."

Tigris was a bit overwhelmed by the notion. "That sounds like too much power," he muttered.

She laughed. "First and foremost, it's a useful tool that will serve you well. You need to stop paying so much attention to morals. We possess these abilities so that we may use them. The world is cold and unfair, my boy. If you want to get ahead, you need to take what you can get before someone else does."

"Alright," answered Tigris uncertainly. He didn't want to disappoint her, but he didn't agree with her either. Sure, the world wasn't fair. But you needed some values to survive within it. If everyone always just did what was best for themselves, then what would the world be like?

She offered him a sympathetic smile. "Once you get older, you'll understand what I mean. It's the privilege of youth to be idealistic." She hit the floor with her flat hand. "Let's get back on track. You should start by developing a feel for another person's mind. If we're lucky, you'll be able to sense a foreign presence near you by the end of the day. The more advanced you get, the further this sense will reach and you'll be able to recognize people you know."

"So that's how he does it!" Shouted Tigris without intending to.

"Who does what?" She asked, amused.

"Professor Dumbledore!" Tigris was excited about his insight. "He always knows if someone's in front of his office. He even knows who is out there - and he can see through cloaks of invisibility. Or at least it appears that way. What he's actually doing must be what you just explained."

"Oh, yes. Dumbledore," she said with an absent minded tone. "He's a powerful Legilimens for someone without a keystone. But who knows… It's said that all the pureblooded families are related. Maybe, many generations ago… You can never know, right?"

"Dumbledore is the most powerful wizard in the world," answered Tigris. "Surely, he doesn't need a keystone to be a potent Legilimens."

"Maybe," she muttered, lost in thought. Then, she returned from her absentmindedness. "Don't say that in front of your father. He'd be displeased."

Tigris flinched involuntarily. "You disagree?"

She shrugged softly, a small crease on her forehead. "It's hard to say. Rumor has it that he fears him. That old man has been alive for a long time, all in all."

"Dumbledore himself said that the Dark Lord knows more about magic than any other wizard in the world," Tigris admitted, feeling like being indulgent.

She sent him a cutting glance. "They say that knowledge is power, but that isn't entirely true as you know very well. Don't pretend to believe something you don't in front of me. Save that for your father."

Tigris must have stared at her in shock, for she smirked. "Remember what I just said about abilities? We all need to make the most with what we have, right? Now, let's return to your training. I had planned on giving you a few books from the Black family that I'm sure you'll find interesting."

Tigris nodded slowly. It took a few minutes before he was able to concentrate again.