Now that Draco knew the big secret, Draco couldn't help but be suspicious that Black wasn't holding up his end of the deal. It felt like he was trying to sway Draco away from his goal because he had gone down that path himself and decided differently. Nothing particularly changed with their interactions or research, but Draco now understood Black's jabs and became increasingly aware of what Black left unsaid between them.
Knowing Black betrayed the Dark Lord fundamentally changed their realtionship. Black started being more open with him and his "don't talk about the past" rule was more of a suggestion at this point. He'd let small things slip that he previously wouldn't have. Perhaps the most useful part was they started discussing the ring more in-depth. Thankfully, Black avoided mentioning the creator, but with the dead ends they kept hitting with getting a viable body, they had another problem: how to get the soul out of the ring. Hence the discussions about the runes on the ring.
Black had an incredible understanding of his ring. It was something Draco hadn't appreciated until now. Apparently, each rune inscribed on the ring had a matching pair, designed to accomplish a purpose. Absorption and Magic allowed the ring to absorb curses without an unexpected rebound. Malice and Guard were meant to direct what types of spells should be absorbed in the ring. Even Concealment and Power were included to make the ring's magic signature less obvious so no one could quickly identify what it really was.
They had been discussing the implications of the pair Reduction and Pain when Black, blatantly crossing the "not talking about the past" line, admitted, "There's probably about an hour's worth of crucio stored up in there. If we don't have a way to release my soul while keeping that contained, we better have some way to channel it."
Draco stared at him in shock. "An hour? How is that even possible?"
"To me a crucio only felt like a mild stinging sensation while wearing the ring. I learned how to fake it well enough that no one questioned it, but I gained the reputation for being able to withstand it." He grimaced, presumably remembering some unpleasant time.
"Why would they target you more with it then? You proved that you were better!"
Black sighed, "People often see other's strength as their weakness, and it's terrifying to be faced with what you can't do."
Draco was confused by that. He felt the urge to change the mood before it got too depressing and said, "Are you sure we can't build another version of this ring for me?"
Black just grinned. "You wish, although I am thinking we can alter the principles to give you a little something. It isn't uncommon to find spelled objects and I have a particular knack for spotting helpful ones."
Encouraged by that prospect, Draco started studying rune combinations and how to spell them to get different results. Even if they couldn't replicate Black's ring exactly he could still learn from it.
When Hagrid finally returned months into the school year, looking battered and being just as loud as before, he'd taken them to go "see" thestrals. Draco was unamused. Why on earth would he be showing off creatures that most of the class couldn't even observe? Draco stood there annoyed, staring at an empty clearing. Black however seemed interested enough.
"I've never seen what they look like before." Draco tried not to acknowledge Black since his classmates were so close, but Black knew he would still be listening.
"I had a tendency to look away from any of the deaths I was near. My mother always said my resolve was weak. I don't think it was until my father that I saw death itself." He paused whether because he was surprised by the admission or whether it was painful to remember, Draco didn't know.
"Although I wonder if dying myself would have brought me close enough for me to see them," He held out a hand, presumably to test if the creature would react to him. It didn't.
"I am telling you this now because I don't want to discuss it. You should know that I killed my father because he learned that I was considering betraying the Dark Lord. He ordered Kreacher to spy on me and tell him about my activities, and when he confronted me about it, I snapped. I just kept remembering all the shit he used to do to me and Sirius and I was so fucking scared he was going to tell someone else and get me killed. So I killed him first."
Draco couldn't look at him. This was firmly over their boundary of "not talking about Black's past" and for good reason. It is a morbid memory. Black's voice dripped with spitefulness.
"I know you don't understand it, but you deserve to know. I didn't plan to kill him, but it wasn't an accident either."
Draco thought he could understand that though. He couldn't and wouldn't be able to hurt his father, but if Draco had been in Black's shoes it would be different. Survival was a strong motivator and what little pieces he had learned about Orion Black, he had been evil. Black stayed quiet and class continued. They didn't speak about Black's admission directly, but Draco had said a simple, "I think I understand." He found himself, yet again, a little closer to Black after that confession. He supposed that's what secrets were for.
Holidays came swiftly after that and Draco was anxious about returning home. He had felt good about the information he was giving his father (both about Hagrid and some bits about the frequency of Dumbledore's disappearances from the school), but there was always an undercurrent of uncertainty when he returned home from holidays that put him on edge. He never quite knew how his father was going to react to any one thing. He could be thrilled about Draco's development and allow him access to new magical artefacts, or he could be upset about his posture and not speak to him for days.
Much to Black's concern, and Draco's unconcern, Potter and the Weasleys disappeared before break officially began sparking rumours about preferential treatment. That was all cleared up when the next day, the prophet leaked that Mr. Weasley had been gravely injured while at the ministry, much to Draco's amusement and Black's un-amusement.
When he finally stepped off the train at King's Cross, his mother was alone. She gave a tight hug and at his questioning gaze said, "Your father is rather busy of late. Come, he will be meeting us at the manor."
Turns out, busy of late was a bit of an understatement. His father didn't return until long after dark and when he did he barely greeted Draco, too focused on an assignment and complaining about the Weasley attack.
His father's air was off too. He seemed anxious, and jumpier, but spoke with more pride than usual. Draco gleaned that he had gotten an important role from the Dark Lord, but something was either difficult or slow, causing his father's impatience. The shift from how he was during the summer made Black nervous.
"Watch your mouth around him. And your twitching. More than you normally would. You don't know what will set him off." He had kept a slew of warnings, making Draco debate leaving the ring off, but he knew Black was trying to help even if it did just the opposite. All it did was make him paranoid and defensive. He could look after himself.
Apparently, a 'what if' scenario gone wrong is what set his father off. His father finally had a day off for the solstice and was, the best way Draco could describe it, restlessly existing.
"How would you get something that you aren't allowed to get yourself?" The question seemed innocent enough, but Draco couldn't help being reminded of his father's stress about his current task for the Dark Lord. Even if he didn't know what it was, Draco could be helpful.
"Find who could get it and get them to retrieve it for me."
"And what if this person didn't want to?"
"I'd make them."
"How?" His father was testing him.
"Imperious," Draco said, hoping to prove that he wouldn't shy away from what needed to be done.
His father scoffed, "Such a simple answer, one I of course already thought of. You had experience with the imperious curse last year right?" Draco wouldn't soon forget those defence classes.
"Yes."
"And were you able to resist it?" Draco remembered obeying without hesitation just as everyone had.
"No."
"And yet you propose it. Your will would be too weak. Perhaps we should work on it." His father stood to face him.
"Yes, father."
Black tensed next to him, "Alright Draco, I know you can't react, but listen. Imperious can be fought, but it's bloody difficult. I doubt your father can even do it successfully," Draco swallowed but kept eye contact with his father. "It's going to feel miserable as soon as you're free. It's going to feel like you have no control. And knowing him, he is probably going to do it over and over or for long periods."
"Let's begin now," he said while gesturing. Draco stood.
"Do what you can to avoid syncing into the void. It'll make coming down afterwards easier. It's going to feel good at the time, but try to remember how fucking awful it feels when you realise your actions aren't your own."
"Imperio."
Draco's mind went white. It was comforting. All that was there was the comfort of the voice telling him what to do. Jump. He did. Jump again. He did it again. His own thoughts were too much work. The voice did it for him.
He had no sense of how long he was under. He was just doing task after task. Walk over there. Pick up a book. Sit down. Stand up. Sit down. It felt like a lot of time was passing, but that didn't matter to him. When the spell finally ended, Draco gasped, his stomach rolling. He focused on the pattern in the carpet underneath his feet, steadying his stomach. He couldn't throw up in front of his father. That had been far longer than Moody, or well Crouch, had held him under for.
His skin was crawling.
"Breathe Draco. It's okay," Black spoke softly from behind his back. Draco was suddenly very thankful for sucking up his annoyances and wearing the ring today. He sucked in a breath keeping the panic and nausea away.
"Pathetic. You didn't fight it at all. We go again. Gather yourself!"
"Yes, father." He closed his eyes and readjusted his posture.
"You know what it feels like now. Just try to remember that you want control. You want your thoughts to be your own." Draco opened his eyes.
"Imperio."
Draco went blank again. Jump. He did. Jump. Did he hear something? He jumped. Was someone screaming? He tried to find the noise. Jump. He did.
"Stop!" The urge was there again, but what was that voice?
"Draco! Stop!" He found it. It sounded like Black.
He jumped again. "Don't jump again. There is no reason to."
Draco frowned, but he wanted to jump again. He crouched but realised he didn't know why he wanted to jump. JUMP. Why? JUST JUMP.
It took longer, but Draco did jump. "Fuck yes! That was better! Keep listening to me."
Black's voice was loud and grating, but it did keep him from sinking further into the comfort of nothingness. He still did his little tasks, but he started questioning and dragging his feet at Black's pushing. It wasn't until the curse was lifted that it dawned on Draco what was happening. He was fighting it. Well, Black was helping him fight it.
"Better, but you have room for improvement. Tomorrow we'll resume."
Draco nodded. "Better" was a far better criticism than expected. All the same, he bolted out of the room as fast as he could without looking desperate. He made it to his room and collapsed on the bed, arms tucked in close.
"You heard me right? That's what caused you to start resisting."
"Yes."
"Good, we can work with that." Draco didn't respond. He didn't want to do it again. "You should call Kreacher."
"Why?"
"He can bring some dreamless sleep. It'll help." Draco remembered Black telling him to bathe in hot water during the summer. He'd been so resistant then.
"Kreacher."
It took only a second before the elf was there. "Masters?"
"Dreamless sleep?" Draco didn't have the energy for more words. Crack. Kreacher was gone. Crack. Kreacher returned with several vials in hand.
"I will bring more. Master Regulus was always wanting them too."
Draco just took one of the vials and collapsed back on the bed. "Thank you."
"Of course, Master Malfoy," and with that he was gone again.
"You probably shouldn't take him up on that, I was addicted," Black admitted a little sheepishly.
Draco found himself not caring. Each night, after his father had returned from work and did his training, he downed a bottle. He began to dread the evenings, but in contrast, found the abundance of time during the day terrific. He didn't have to worry about exams and since the Black family house was full for the holidays his Kreacher duties didn't resume either.
They were able to find more leads than expected in the Malfoy library because they severely underestimated how thorough they had been over the last few weeks of summer.
Black was particularly interested in a book about reverse runes. His theory was that if they created the "reverse" of the ring, maybe they could detach his soul and get it to attach to something new, without breaking the integrity of the ring.
Draco had found interest in a book called "Mysteries for the Ministries." His father had let slip that he was very focused on the Department of Mysteries and with the Weasley attack taking place there, it was obvious that there was something there that the Dark Lord wanted. After reading the book Draco understood why.
There was all sorts of restricted magic from time to knowledge, and death. Draco found the veil interesting, it reminded him a lot of Black's ring. It was designed to separate the soul and body and keep the body while letting the soul move on, but no one really knew if that was what was happening. Regulus was more enthralled with the locked room, apparently containing a magic so powerful and mysterious that no one could withstand it. Draco couldn't help but assume that's what the Dark Lord was after.
They were waiting for his father's return towards the end of break when Black once again proved himself capable of opening up.
"Your father mentioned that Crouch used imperio on you?"
"Yeah, it was his take on teaching the unforgivables. Get us some real experience. It's honestly a bit shocking that no one pegged him as a traitor being that it was illegal."
"Do you know what happened to him?"
"He was kissed by dementors," Draco replied. "Did you know him?"
"He was in my year. You would probably call us friends. He only joined the death eaters because of me."
"Sorry," Draco wasn't sure if there was anything else to say.
"It's fine. He liked being a Death Eater more than I did. I'm not surprised he ended up dead and I shouldn't be upset." The use of the words "I shouldn't" instead of "I'm not" was obvious. Draco couldn't keep his next thought to himself.
"This might sound a bit sick, but could you use his body? It's without a soul right?" Black kept his face neutral.
"That's not the worst idea. It'll be tricky to get my magic into his body. It wouldn't be accustomed, but if we could somehow alter his body closer to mine… it's not the worst." They both dropped the idea after that, waiting for his father in silence.
He arrived without any fuss, coming straight through the flu, a wild look in his eyes, and told Draco to stand before him. As always Draco did.
"Imperio."
"Stay focused. If you can hear me, clench your fist." Black and he had created a routine in the last few days. "Good. You don't want to do what he is telling you."
It continued. Draco felt his father becoming more frustrated. His thoughts were getting more hostile. He pushed harder and Draco got more tired. Commands kept coming and coming until eventually they started to get through to him.
"Keep pushing! I know it's… you'll regret…" Black's voice faded to silence and Draco felt more relieved. He should've just been listening to the inside voice.
Eventually, the spell ended and reality came crashing down again. His senses were overloaded and he fell to his knee.
"... damage him. This is not training!" Was that his mother?
"Draco needs to learn."
"Yes, but not like this," His mother hissed. She was here.
"Steady yourself. You did well," Black said from beside him. Draco didn't feel like he did well; it felt like he got run over by the night bus.
"Draco, dear?" His mother came and kneeled before him. "You are taking a break." She pulled him upwards. He shot a questioning gaze to Black.
"She came and stopped your father. He was going too far."
Draco looked over at his father. He looked annoyed, probably because of the disruption, but there was something else in his expression. If Draco didn't know better he'd say it was regret. But his father didn't regret his actions. He regretted Draco's.
"No." He shrugged his mother off. "I can go again. I couldn't resist."
"You idiot," Black grumbled.
Something flashed in his father's eyes. He was silent for a few seconds.
"No, you have been pushed too far. You need rest!" His mother grabbed his arm again.
"Don't tell me what I need," he spat at his mother, shrugging her off again. He hated how he stumbled doing so, his legs were jelly. He still met his father's gaze.
"Tomorrow then Draco." Draco found himself too tired and worn out to ask Kreacher for Dreamless Sleep. He took off Black's ring, not able to handle his judgmental stare any longer, and fell into an uneasy sleep.
The next day Black surprised him by bringing up a new topic altogether.
"We might have to figure out a way to guard your mind."
"Occlumency right?"
"That's actually what worries me. Your father is treating these sessions as teaching. There are fairly common topics that are covered for Death Eater recruitment, Imperious resistance being one. Especially if he wants to prove you to the Dark Lord, he will continue with occlumency."
Draco saw the issue. "If someone teaches me occlumency practically, they'll learn about you."
"Exactly. I was hoping we'd have more time, at least until I was out of this damned ring, but your father is eager."
"So I just learn it on my own."
"It won't be good enough." He corrected himself, noticing Draco's angry face, "Not that I doubt you, but I don't think anyone could."
"So what do I do?"
"There are lots of interrogation techniques, although I am struggling to think of one that is applicable in this case. The problem is that they are bloody difficult and usually require two people. Since I don't count, I am not sure what we'll do."
"Is it really so bad if someone learns about you?" At first, Draco had kept Black a secret because he wanted to have special knowledge, but now it was more a habit than anything else.
"Remember what I told you? The Dark Lord will take an interest in me." He didn't say 'The Dark Lord might murder you,' but Draco assumed that's what he meant. Their list of research topics just grew.
Despite his father's promise of testing him today, he never returned home. His mother said that he had to stay overnight because of urgent business. Draco didn't miss how relieved she sounded or how he felt brave enough to go a night without potions.
On the last day of the break, his father did return home and only did a single short round of imperious. Draco had resisted most of the commands.
"Good. We will resume in the summer, along with other training. Big things are happening in the coming months. The ministry is gearing up to reduce Dumbledore's position. I expect you'll do what you can to get Umbridge in his place."
"Yes, father."
His father smiled smugly, "If only you knew the greatness I am achieving for our family. Azkaban will soon be under our control. I will soon be one of his most respected. And you can rise with me."
Draco repressed the thrill that ran through him at those words. Black wisely said nothing.