"So, who taught you duel?" Draco asks rather bluntly, making Blaise raise an eyebrow at the question.
"Why does someone have to have taught me?" He questions, acting affronted, as Draco rolls his eyes.
"Don't bullshit me, mate. I saw you there looking all…graceful and whatnot." He replies with a grin, causing Blaise to shake his head. "It was Snape wasn't it?" At this, the dark-skinned boy can only sigh.
"If it were, why would it matter, and why would I tell you?"
"Because we're best mates." Draco says, throwing his arm around his closest friend. "And we tell each other everything." Again, Blaise raises an eyebrow.
"Do we?" Draco turns to him, grin still on his face.
"Of course we do! For example, I met a PYT the other day in the dueling club—"
"Excuse me, PYT?" Blaise interrupts.
"Pretty Young Thing." Draco clarifies, before double taking as his dark friend gives him a blank stare. "Come on, have you never heard of Michael Jackson? Truly, mate?" Blaise shakes his head.
"Can't say I have." Both boys then pause and look at each other for moment, before their expressions devolve into two very wide grins. "I'm pulling your chain mate. Of course I have! Off the Wall and Thriller and all that." It's Draco's turn to shake his head this time.
"And all that…you do not disrespect the King in that manner!" Draco scolds his friend, disgusted at his ignorance, causing Blaise to roll his eyes.
"Anyways, what's your point about…?"
"The PYT? She's in Gryffindor, she's Black, she's gorgeous, and I think I might be somewhat infatuated." Draco explains, as Blaise nods along.
"Interesting, interesting. But here's the thing, I'm not asking about that." Blaise asserts, before frowning heavily. "And please, can you stick to Slytherin for the love of Merlin? I'm trying not to step on your toes here, but it's a bit unfair if you're expanding your roster to every bloody house!" He complains. Draco just grins.
"The heart wants what the heart wants." Blaise snorts derisively.
"Yes, well because of 'the heart' there won't be another dueling club this year, or ever, and you'll likely never see her again." The dark-skinned boy points out. This time it's Draco's turn to frown.
"You don't know that."
"I do know that." Blaise counters. "You said she's Black, right? Which seems to be more my lane, but I digress…"
"Yeah but—" Again the 'Little Demon' is cut off.
"So it's Angelina Johnson, Third Year, who you share zero classes with." The darker boy deduces.
"Yeah but—"
"And we've already kicked their ass in Quidditch this year, so unless they make it to the Cup, you won't see her there either." He continues to explain.
"Hmm…you have a point." The Malfoy heir concedes, making his friend almost shake with excitement.
"Yes, I do! I always do, Draco. You just don't—"
"I should go make time to see her." He interjects, and Blaise can only respond by palming his face with extreme force.
"No, no you should not. Please, Draco, let at least one girl have a normal life here in Hogwarts."
"Hey, I'm not gonna do anything—" The platinum blond begins to plead, and his best mate fixes him with a single knowing look. "OK, yeah I will. Fair point." He then gets an expectant look. "So…So…" Blaise continues to give him the look, and finally Draco just sighs. "Fine, I'll leave her alone."
"Thank Merlin." The dark-skinned boy breathes out a sigh of relief.
"For now."
"Bloody hell!" And all Draco can do is shrug.
"Best I can do." Blaise shakes his head in disbelief.
"Of course it is."
"So," the Slytherin King begins, reverting the subject back," about your dueling skills…"
Eventually, Draco and Blaise come to an arrangement: they duel once a day, with Draco helping his best mate to hone his skills, and the darker boy…"teaching" Draco his dueling techniques that he learned from Snape. "Teaching" because all Draco wants him to do is…perform the moves while trying his damnedest to survive. And against the "Little Demon", that was a monumental task, requiring all of one's focus.
Time flies, and soon it's Valentine's Day, a special day for all, especially the romantics, a day Draco has something special planned. Before that, he has something a little less special planned, but something he wishes to see nonetheless. He arrives in the Great Hall, on time for breakfast, excited for the day. He daps up Blaise and gives Nott a nod, before digging into is meal of meat, meat, and more meat…with a side of eggs. He's moved on to desert, when he sees it, his bird, his raven, making its way to the Gryffindor table, more specifically to one Angelina Johnson, who looks at it with confusion. Of course, the raven holds a message, a love letter even, and as the girl tentatively takes it from the bird (who refuses to leave until she does), Draco chooses then to wink at her, to let her know who it's from. Naturally she turns away, horrified, and Draco begins to think that Blaise may be right…
"Oh come off it, Potter! Is the big bad Gryffindor afraid of a little lover letter?" He speaks with a grin as he cuts off the spectacled boy's path to escape in the hallway, causing him to trip and for all types of things to spill all over the ground. "Besides, it's got a ring to it. 'Eyes are as green as a fresh-pickled toad, hair as dark as a blackboard!' This is good stuff Potter, you should be honored!" He teases with a grin, before his eyes fall upon the girl who no doubt sent the poem to the scarred 'hero.' He also sees the beat up book on the ground and notes it in his head, wondering if his Father is at fault for the so-called tragedy that's befallen the school. Shaking his head, he stalks over to the red-headed girl, whose face is as red as her hair from embarrassment, and pauses in front of her. "Next time, Ginevra, send it a real man. Like me." He speaks softly, lips almost to her ear. He then walks away, almost humming his own version of the tune. "Eyes gray like a stormy night, his hair as bright as the moon…"
:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
As classes go by, and meals are eaten, Valentine's Night gets ever closer, and it can't come soon enough for one self-proclaimed King of Slytherin, as those are when his real plans occur. When he can truly enjoy the day for what it is and what it is supposed to be. Simply put, he has a date.
Stealthily, he departs from Hogwarts and makes his way to the land of death, to the prison of immortals, to the horrible no-good place known as Azkaban. Also, the home of his Aunt Bellatrix, at least as it stands. He comes bearing gifts, chocolates, for his favorite person in the world, and as happy as he is to see her, she is at least ten times as giddy; which makes sense as she spends her days around Dementors after all.
"Draco," she nearly purrs, "my dear boy, how are you?" He can't help but to smile and maybe blush a bit at her tone.
"Wonderful, now that I'm here." Words no one has said about Azkaban before. The two get into small talk soon enough, as he tells her about his days, his nights, his meals, he…excludes the various crushes he has, but he does emphasize the duel, much to her delight.
"HAHAHAHAHAHAHA! YES DRACO! SHOW THOSE FILTHY BLOOD TRAITORS EXACTLY WHERE THEY STAND!" She exclaims, joyously, as Draco looks on, mesmerized by her aura. "JUST LIKE He—" She sobers up almost immediately as she calls upon memories of her Lord. Her devoted who she hasn't seen, nor heard from in over a decade.
"Yes, well not everyone thought that way, my dear Aunt Bella." Immediately her head snaps to him.
"Who?" She sneers, having an idea. "Dumbledore. Him and those—"
"Actually no." He corrects her. "It was…Uncle Severus." He feigns hurt as he says it.
"What?" She snaps, looking furious as he's ever seen her. "HE dares? I knew he couldn't be trusted! I never understood why the Dark L…" Again she calms down somewhat, at the thought of her long lost Lord. This time, she composes herself rather quickly, and changes the subject herself. "How is your magic progressing, Draco?" She questions in a soft tone. He can only shrug in response.
"As it usually does."
"So at a monstrous level, then?" She remarks in glee, causing him to smirk at her praise.
"I'd say so."
"So your Legimency?" She asks, getting giddy once more.
"Top notch, I'd like to think." He stops to think and his smirk deepens. "I'm sure the Centaurs and the Acromantula would agree." He adds, referring to the beasts living in the Forbidden Forest back at Hogwarts. Bellatrix's wicked smile grows wider.
"That's wonderful, Draco. Soon you'll—" She almost compares him to He Who Must Not Be Named, but she falters.
"Soon I'll be able to free you from your bonds." He says in a whisper, holding her hands and kissing them lightly.
"Oh Draco, do not worry about me. The Dark Lord will return one day and—"
"To hell with the Dark Lord!" He interrupts, and her expression darkens into one of anger.
"Take that back." She says with a quiet crazy, and Draco refuses, instead remaining silent. "Take that back!" She demands, yelling in anger. "You mustn't smear the Dark Lord's name Draco! TAKE THAT BACK!" She all but roars. Draco sighs and waves his hand, putting his dear Aunt to sleep. "You mustn't…" she mutters in her sleep. "…Dark Lord…" Draco sighs again. She's far too obsessed with this Dark Lord of hers. He'd have to change that. He shakes his head as he stays in her cell, watching her sleep, losing track of time. Soon it's dawn and she awakes, looking around groggily in confusion. "I—what?" She then notices the sun is up, and that her nephew is still here. "Draco did you—?" He nods. "The whole night?" He smirks. "My dear nephew…" She puts a hand to his face. "You truly have grown as a wizard." He nods, holding her hand there, feeling good, feeling safe, feeling…right.