My Godfather

Chapter XXXII: To Start Afresh

The next morning, at six o' clock sharp, Draco flooed over to Black Manor. The early hours didn't bother him much since he was well accustomed to waking up early. His mother hadn't been too pleased when she had found out about him sneaking off like that. But, she'd relented and allowed him to learn the family magic.

Like many others, he was left awestruck at the beauty of the opulent mansion. Unlike Malfoy Manor, this place was well lit and gave off a positive vibe. It felt happy. So this is where Potter lives. Draco felt a stab of jealousy at the realisation that his nemesis lived in such luxury. And people thought he was the spoilt one. Prince Potter.

He banished the thought almost immediately it appeared. He had to be civil towards Potter if he wanted these lessons to progress. He would have to swallow his pride and do it. Also, Black was teaching him something that no one else could. The least he could do was show him some respect.

"Good morning, Draco." He snapped out of his thoughts when he saw the man approaching him. "Good morning." He replied. "So there's a training room downstairs where we'll practice. If you have any questions, I'll answer those as well." Sirius continued.

They went down the stairs that led to the basement. Draco was excited as well as nervous. He was full of questions but at the same time, he was hesitant to voice them. According to him, trust was something that was extremely fragile. Even the slightest error was enough to permanently shatter a person's trust. He didn't trust anyone in this world other than his mother. He'd stopped trusting his father years ago.

Sirius was exceptionally good at reading expressions. He picked up on the boy's thought process within minutes. "Draco, if you want to ask me something, you need to go ahead with it. This won't work if your head is full of doubts. If it's any consolation, I'll answer honestly."

Draco was silent for a minute before he spoke again. "Why now?" On Sirius' questioning look, he elaborated. "Why did the magic within me stir now. Why not before?"

"Well, it differs according to every individual. In our family, some members started showing signs of magic at the age of three or even two while others weren't able to tap into the magic even after they had come of age. In your case, there is only one possible explanation. For some reason, you weren't able to summon that magic inside your body. One of the major reasons is that you weren't aware of the existence of such magic." Said Sirius.

Draco listened carefully and frowned. "You have a question." It was a statement. Draco was slightly taken aback by this. The man was obviously remarkable at reading people. "Other children had accidental bursts of magic when they were younger. I never had such incidents. Yesterday was the first time it happened." Draco admitted.

"Well, I admit that's strange. Between ages five to nine, children show occasional but minor bursts of magic. I'm surprised you never experienced it. Usually, accidental magic is a result of strong negative emotions like fear or anger. I'm guessing that you've always been very withdrawn when it come to emotions or they were deliberately suppressed."

Sirius had a strong suspicion that Lucius might have had something to do with it. The man must've been worried that his son would get out of control so he might have tried to dull the magical capabilities of the boy. Whatever spell was cast, was broken when Draco was freed from his father's tyranny.

He noted Draco's surprised expression and inwardly sighed. The boy clearly had a lot to learn and he just wasn't referring to the magic. "So we'll be covering quite a bit in every session. Familial magic is stronger than other kinds of magic. You need to be strong enough to control it. It won't be easy and you will have to work hard. Are you willing to do that?"