The blood made Adrian flinch, looking away while exhaling through his nose. His arm tingled like stinging hex, making his skin warm and relaxing his muscles. He could seriously see the use of casting magic like this- to ward off the cramping muscles he got after writing long essays.
"Feel it?" Bellatrix asked, breathing it out in a loud noisy sound, "The harder the magic, the better it is."
"The stinging hex is better," Adrian blinked, frowning as the warmth faded all too soon, "Does it last longer depending on the target?"
"Nope," she popped the P with her lips, painted in horrible lipstick, "The stronger the spell the longer it lasts."
Adrian pointed his wand at a bird circling above them, "Ictum."
The spell was cast harder, the white light tinted almost blue around the edges. Adrian felt the sensation before it even hit the bird. He cast the dark bird popping spell before the bird hit the ground.
It felt nicer, like he had sprawled out with his arm on Nagini's basking rock.
He didn't even notice the bird pop.
He blinked, staring at his hand which displayed no external signs of the feeling. It was his magic itself thrumming in his skin, warming in his blood.
"What's next?" He asked Bella instantly.
She grinned.
The convenience with Adrian's new height, was that he could pass off as an adult when he wore robes.
Of course his entire wardrobe had to be adjusted, his special cloak was taken from him one day and returned the next with all new fabric.
Lutain had been spending more time with Nagini, at night they conversed and Lutain filled him in on the new techniques for scaring and his new lessons in human-building-navigation. Adrian thought it was all Griffon fodder until Lutain surprised him horribly by opening the door to the lavatory while he bathed.
What Lutain lacked in muscle and in size (although he was rather skilled at tightening around Adrian's throat if he said so himself), he made up in speed. With his black scales and stunning yellow belly, he and Nagini made it a contest to scare the living daylights out of Wormtail whenever they could.
Adrian had explicitly told the two that he still needed Wormtail for his animagus lessons, and they were not allowed to eat him or kill him.
Bellatrix's lessons continued on a daily schedule, although the intensity of the training varied by the injuries obtained. Adrian's father had a near constant supply of potions for injuries, Adrian suspected the man brewed them all himself. Although Voldemort hadn't ever actually stopped in to watch the training for himself, he seemed pleased by the evidence of the curses along Adrian's skin.
They had mostly stuck to various hexes and curses that were simple in complexity- Adrian could tell because the most satisfaction he received was warming tingles to his right shoulder. Regardless, they were able to do enough damage sticking to the basics. Slashing, blasting, melting, and cutting hexes were almost exclusively used.
Bellatrix managed to cross over the scar on Adrian's bicep with a curse, turning it into a perfect 'X'. Adrian managed to cut her hair even shorter. Considering how long it took for Adrian to heal, he considered it a win.
Once again, Adrian found his affinity with fire spells, able to shift them and cast them with relative ease. Bellatrix mentioned how his Fiendfyre would be absolutely beautiful.
He wasn't allowed to start practicing magic that advanced, the only difficult piece of magic he was expected to learn was the one he was dreading.
Apparation was something Adrian genuinely expected to learn from his father. He assumed since it was a general mode of transport for most wizards and witches, it wouldn't take an extensive time to learn how to perform.
Rowle was one of his father's followers, therefore loyalty and duty bound to protect Adrian was well. It was a good decision, mostly because Adrian wondered if Bellatrix would have actually helped him if he splinched part of his leg on the other side of the room. Rowle apparently was very proficient with dark magic, as well as damaging charms. Bellatrix sighed almost dreamily as she explained how she once watched him cast four killing curses back to back.
If his father trusted the man, then Adrian would have to hope that he didn't mess up too badly.
"He's here!" Bellatrix squealed excitedly, skipping down the hall with Adrian's forearm in her gasp. "Oh, you're going to love him."
Adrian seriously doubted that.
Bellatrix swung open the door to the main dueling area, warded to prevent damage to the building's infrastructure. A smart decision considering how vicious Bellatrix got.
Rowle stood, wearing dark clothing with the signature white mask covering his face. His hair was short and blonde, more of a Northern European look than the Malfoy platinum. Sharp blue eyes pierced Adrian, as fierce as an eagle.
"Hello!" Bellatrix cried excitedly, jumping up and down with her robes billowing, "How have you been!"
Rowle's thin lips pinched into a polite smile, "How was Azkaban."
His voice was deep, rumbled with the faintest slur of an accent or a speech impediment.
Bellatrix threw her head back with a cackle, twisting her torso and nearly throwing Adrian with the sharpness of her movements, "Wonderful! So many crying idiots, begging for this or that. I almost miss it."
"Enough goading," Adrian clipped out, eyes looking at Rowle criticising, "I was told you're a proficient dueler."
Rowle tensed, his obvious muscles hunching as he flat out ignored Adrian, looking at Bellatrix instead. "What's with the kid?"
"Thorfinn!" Bellatrix gasped in shock, holding her hands to her chest in shock, "How rude!"
Rowle sniffed, "When did you get a kid?"
"I'm not Bellatrix's child," Adrian's voice was icy. He mentally chanted that this man would not attack him, no matter how intimidating he looked.
"Right," Rowle sighed impatiently, "I have things to do-"
"You're supposed to teach me Apparation," Adrian scowled, spitting the word like venom from his mouth, "In two months at the latest."
Rowle's eyebrow lifted from behind the mask, "Two months, right. How old are you kid, fifteen?"
"Thirteen," Adrian scowled, pinching his expression sharply, "Fourteen in a month."
Rowle snorted loudly, a patronizing smile on his face, "Right, thanks for the laugh Bellatrix but-"
"Oh Thorfinn," Bellatrix sweetly sighed, shaking her head sadly, "How upset our lord will be when he finds out you were so rude to his heir."
Rowle paused, looking at Adrian blankly.
Adrian rolled his shoulders with pointedly annoyed expression, "I need to perfect the Animagus transformation as well. The sooner we get this over with, the sooner I can get back to more important things."
Rowle opened his mouth, then clicked his jaw shut.
"Isn't he precious?" Bellatrix gushed, "I taught him everything he knows!"
"If that's true, Merlin save you." Rowle grimaced, pulling his mask off to reveal strong features and a thick jaw. He stashed it in his inner cloak pocket, offering one arm as thick as Adrian's leg, "You ever Side-apparate?"
"I have." Adrian admitted, "Father took me."
Rowle paused, "Father, right. Okay, well..." He coughed uncomfortably, "Let's hope you don't splinch yourself."
Adrian winced visibly, "Can't possibly be worse than Bella's curses."
Bella wriggled her fingers sweetly.
"Probably not," Rowle admitted gruffly, "Hope you're persistent."
Adrian grasped the arm, looping his own thinner limb through it like a hook, "I'm not lazy.."
Adrian splinched himself so badly, his right foot was left on the other side of the room.
Bellatrix had the gall to laugh.
....
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