Dinner was always an uncomfortable situation, mostly because it never extended to involving people beyond Adrian and his father.
The table was a long piece of wood, lacquered darkly and covered with silvery plates with various foods. They were fancy, high quality ingredients set in an aesthetically pleasing shape by the house elves.
"How are your studies?" His father asked casually, more out of obligation than actual interest.
"Decent," Adrian responded politely, pausing as he buttered a roll with a dull knife, "Rowle is an adequate teacher."
His father arched one eyebrow and looked at him with an almost lazy ruby glance, "Only adequate?"
Adrian gave a minor shrug, looking down at the bread in his hands.
"Don't shrug, it's unbecoming," his father scolded without looking up from his food, "I had assumed that his personality would prompt you to master the techniques faster."
"He's…" Adrian paused, thinking carefully, "He's bold. Impressive endurance."
Voldemort gave a low hum of thought, slicing his own portion of meat into bite sized cubes with elaborate silver utensils. "He's loyal. I noticed you asked Rowle for advanced spellwork."
Adrian paused, "Did Nagini..."
"No," Red eyes glimmered, "You forget your mind is as open to me as it is yourself."
It wasn't like he was hiding his curiosity. Adrian didn't want to be pinned down by Hogwarts curriculum spellwork and charms. With a resource like Rowle at his disposal, Adrian would be an idiot to not take advantage of it.
"Unfortunately, although Rowle performs spells acceptably, he lacks the required knowledge on theory itself." His father continued, plucking a ripe plum from a nearby plate. His knife split its skin effortlessly, sending darkly tinted juice over the metal.
"Magical theory?" Adrian paused tentatively, "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."
What he said to Rowle suddenly sounded much less impressive when he was saying it to the Dark Lord.
"That book was created to address neutral magic and light magic," his father explained casually, "I recognize the phrase. Unfortunately misinterpretive for the content. Dark Magic feeds off of destructive emotions. Normally thought of as a loose term applicable to any spell whose intended effects are discomfort or death, it generally does not consider other emotional based magic."
Adrian paused thoughtfully, "Magic such as the Patronus charm then-"
"Is a derivative of dark magic which does not function in previously defined categories."
Adrian paused thoughtfully, "Dark magic is any magic which feeds off of emotional cues, and light magic is from intent itself?"
"There a considerable difference between 'intent' and outcome," Voldemort sighed, holding the sharpened knife with plum juice on the blade between two fingers, "If the intent behind one dark spell is lesser the damage will be reduced. If the intent behind a light spell is lesser, the spell will not perform."
With how Adrian's patronus could be conjured in the beginning depending on his level of emotion, it didn't fit in the category of light magic.
"Dark magic is considered dangerous," Voldemort continued with the smallest twist of amusement on his lips,"because our cores interpret strong emotions as pleasure."
"The more emotion required behind a spell, the nicer it feels?" Adrian simplified, staring transfixed at his father.
Voldemort sliced off another layer of the plum. It's juice was similar to blood dripping over his fingers. "Precisely."
Adrian shrugged on his cloak, pulling the hood up carefully just in case his father had late night visitors over. Adrian was not sure- although he knew that the residential wing and his training rooms were off limits to guests.
"Master?" Lutain asked groggily, eyes clearing as he awoke to Adrian's movements, "Where are you going?"
"To practice spells. Go back to sleep Lutain," Adrian hushed, pulling the covers back up to save whatever heat they still retained. Lutain grumbled something before drifting off into sleep once more.
Adrian smiled fondly at his familiar. It was still rather early in the morning. He'd have hours before Bellatrix or his father went looking for him.
He tiptoed out of his room, through the hallways carefully and down the stairs. He didn't encounter anything except one startled house elf, wearing a strange mixture of half a curtain and a woman's hairnet.
He opened the door to his training room, activating the illuminating and protective wards with the keyword. The door closed behind him, sealing the protective barrier in place until he or someone else opened the door once again.
Adrian shrugged off the cloak, pulling out his preferred wand and smiling at it fondly. "Avis!"
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