Hogwarts: A Home

Chapter 6 | Trust Me Not To Trust You

May 29, 1998

Draco was hovering on his broom in the crisp morning air, watching Blaise complete the training course set by the aurors. Blaise was doing quite well on the course below given the shite broom he was riding. Draco had lucked out, having left his Nimbus 2001 in the Slytherin broom shed at the end of third year; otherwise, he'd be riding one of the school's teaching Comets too.

Flying around the school pitch made Draco nostalgic for simpler times—Slytherin game days, fall evening broom rides above the school grounds, snogging a witch behind the Quidditch stands, winter weekends spent inside the Three Broomsticks. It made him almost forget the mark burned into his left forearm, the mother that he left behind and the looming threat that The Order may decide he's not worth the risk of keeping alive.

Almost.

When Blaise had finished the course, Dean waved Draco and Cho Chang to join them. The four of them had been added to Kingsley Shacklebolt's Special Reconnaissance Team 2, with Dean being appointed team lead.

"Right, SR Team 2," Dean began as they all hovered in place. "We've been given a recommended training schedule by Shacklebolt. Some of the sessions will be led by the aurors here and others will be on our own. I'll make sure to give each of you a copy in the common room after dinner."

Draco could feel Cho's eyes lingering on him, and he resisted the temptation to delve into her and Dean's minds to find out what they thought about being assigned to a team with a marked, former Death Eater. But while Draco was a talented occlumens, legilimency was a trickier art. They might not know what they were feeling, but they'd definitely get spooked by the touch of pressure if he were to attempt it.

"Do we have an assignment yet? Or an idea of what kind of missions we'll be taking?" Cho asked.

"Shacklebolt wants to speak with each of you individually today to go over what to expect but, yes, he mentioned to me that we have one of our first missions in a few days. Should be a simple scouting mission. It's about a two hour flight from here. We'll be checking out the perimeter of a town for Death Eater activity. Malfoy, your broom is fastest so you'll take the rear in our defensive flying formation to make sure the pacing doesn't become an issue. We'll make sure to practice."

"Seems like that's more of a practice run than a real mission," Blaise drawled.

Not if we actually find Death Eaters, you arrogant twat.

"I expect so. Likely a training simulation to see how we work together, so we should take it seriously nonetheless," Dean answered. "On top of the schedule provided, I'd like for us to practice an additional hour each day in the dueling room. Get to know each other's styles. Practice as a unit. That alright with you?" Dean was looking towards Draco, likely because he'd made no comment thus far. Draco simply nodded, and that seemed to satisfy Dean.

Draco allowed his gaze to graze over Cho's. She turned her head quickly, and a light blush appeared on her cheeks.

Or had that been from the flight?

"Great. Malfoy, Shacklebolt requested you after this session ended. I'll see you lot later," Dean waved as he dismissed them.

Draco and Blaise guided their brooms back towards the castle. As they approached, they were forced to land and walk the rest of the way, having to pass through the extra security wards with the assistance of the guards on duty.

"Dean seems like a good bloke. I know you were worried about the team assignment but he seems fair," Blaise commented.

Draco nodded in agreement. While he had been apprehensive about working with anyone outside of his tight Slytherin circle, the success of the training sessions thus far had eased some of that anxiety. Even still, Draco couldn't help but yearn for Theo's company. Their bond went back to birth, and no one in this world understood him quite like Theo did.