Rowle was a good teacher. He was calm, and didn't tire. It was convenient since Apparation was even harder for Adrian to perform than he anticipated.
Bellatrix didn't always watch, she often had other things to do. Rowle was given a special Portkey to the manor, and the privilege of freedom only in the main training room. On the rare occasions he saw another person, it was either Wormtail being chased by Nagini, or Rabastan delivering another shipment of illegal goods.
Rowle was professional in terms of never asking for information about his student.
Adrian almost suspected that the man doubted that he was the Dark Lord's Heir, until he saw Adrian deep in discussion with Nagini.
Lutain then terrified the man by moving across the floor faster than any curse, five feet of lethal intent.
"Got you!" Lutain crooned happily, displaying his fangs horrifyingly, "you are not so fast."
"That's because father would kill him if he cursed you," Adrian sighed, rubbing his eyes with his palm, "Leave him, he's my tutor."
"Shame he isn't as good as Nagini," Lutain sniffed, but retracted his imposing body obediently, "we are well matched."
Rowle swallowed nervously, blue eyes focused on Lutain's strikingly dark scales. "An impressive snake you have, young lord."
"Young lord?" Adrian quoted questioningly, blinking slowly as his familiar hissed laughingly, "That's a new one."
"Is it?" Rowle asked calmly, hands trembling as they clenched only air- not daring to draw his wand, "It baffles me others do not show you proper respect, my lord."
"Considering only you, and the Lestrange's know of my existence," Adrian stated boldly, drawing his wand and pointing it at Rowle innocently, "I don't have many to base my standards on."
Rowle nodded, not so much as blinking at the threat, "Then allow me to thank you for the generosity of your presence."
"You flatter me," Adrian drawled, lips pressed thinly together, "I know you're supposed to be teaching me how to apparate. I want you to teach me a spell, or a curse. One that will be more useful than popping birds or tripping aurors."
"Hatchling," Nagini scolded, peering over at Adrian disapprovingly, "You are to learn different magics."
"I won't be of any help without knowing any useful spells" Adrian hissed in response, "What point is learning Apparation when father already said he didn't think I could master it before the raid? I should at least know how to defend myself for a while."
"You have our bite," Nagini's tail thrashed loudly, thumping heavily on the floor, "That is all that is needed."
"But I should know something- just the incantation," Adrian bartered, "I'll practice it on my own. Just one day for the spell, then I can master it along with Apparation."
Nagini looked unconvinced, "You will practice with yourself?"
"And I won't get far behind. Let me surprise father."
Nagini grumbled and looked at Lutain who was obviously waiting for her decision.
"Okay," Nagini huffed, "But strong spell! Only for your safety!"
Adrian smiled, nodding to Rowle who looked remarkably well composed for having witnessed an entire conversation in parseltongue.
"She agrees, and you won't be disobeying my father," Adrian translated with a small smile, "I want you to teach me a spell. Something for combat, something strong."
Rowle's face spread into a vicious grin, his pale eyes lightened considerably, "Oh? Dealing some damage, are we?"
Adrian's face didn't flicker, "Something brutal." Something dark.
Rowle paused in consideration, chewing his bottom lip thoughtfully. "What do you know about the Dark Arts, Ki- my lord."
Adrian almost smiled. He wondered how Draco would look if he was forced to address Adrian as such.
"Dark magic is a mutating form of magic, always adapting and changing. It's not defined or restricted by limits of power, or expressions of emotion." Adrian recited properly with near textbook definition, "I want something which cannot be countered easily."
Rowle grunted an affirmative, "Tell you what. I'll show you two; one for large scale attacks and one for single targets."
Adrian nodded, watching as two training dummies were conjured- not nearly as well constructed as Bellatrix's usual creations.
"Abrumpo!" Rowle hoarsely grunted, slashing his wand in a diagonal shape. A shimmering red line blasted out of his wand, glinting like a blade. It slashed deeply into the dummy, spilling its cotton and straw stuffing onto the floor.
Without giving Adrian enough time to register, Rowle was already moving onto the next dummy.
"Ruptura," Rowle spoke, sending a thin stream of purple fire searing through the air like a long rope attached to an arrow. It singed, burning through the cloth of the dummy with a clean move.
"How is the second one able to affect multiple people at once?" Adrian spoke calmly, ignoring how the purple heat singed his own skin.
To demonstrate, Rowle twisted his wrist, severing his wand's connection to the fire as it continued through the air like a dangerous ribbon.
"It'll exist for several minutes after being cast," Rowle explained with the smallest flicker of a smile, "And will continue to feed off of your own magic unless you consciously sever it."
The fire burned, moving faintly in the air with the grace of kelp in water.
"Alright," Adrian exhaled through his nose, "Abrumpo and Ruptura. I can remember that."
Rowle's eyes shined with some sort of sadistic humor, as if he wasn't telling Adrian all of the relevant information.
"Good," He smiled, lips pulling back in an expression Adrian couldn't decipher, "Apparation then?"
....
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