"Like this, my Prince." Lucius' hand touched the boy carefully and quickly, as though afraid any exceedingly strong or extended contact would have the Dark Lord descend upon his head, as Harry noted. The teen did not know that the man was right in doing so. Voldemort would, without a doubt, injure the eldest Malfoy if either of the things occured. He understood that certain injuries were going to be present, because of the training he was enduring. However, there wasn't an excuse for some things.
Straightening his back, the teen took a deep breath, closing his eyes as the man had previously instructed. Lucius (as he was instructed to call him) was his teacher in body strength. They, as wizards, had no concept of Kung Fu, or other martial arts, but Harry found it very similar to a lot of things he had seen on Dudley's games and movies, if not as exaggerated. "Clear your mind," the man commanded, and the green eyed teen was reminded of Severus' previous disasterous lessons of Occlumency at Hogwarts.
He shuddered to himself, then cleared his mind.
Walking around the teen, he eyed the teen's form, trying not to take not of the seemingly perfect dips and curves of his youthful muscles. "Relax." The teen did, rolling his shoulders back. "Listen to the sound of my voice." The voice was behind him now, and he took note of that. Closing his eyes around the man made him nervous, and though he knew the man wouldn't do anything, as Tom was not even 30 feet away, he couldn't help but be anxious.
They were in a large room, empty of everything except Lucius, Harry, Voldemort, and the chair he sat on. The youngest stood in the middle of the room, eyes closed, shoulders rolled back and head high. Even though Lucius had just told him to relax, his posture held tight, every muscle in his body tensed. Seeing it, the man repeated himself, his voice more exasperated this time, "Relax, my Prince. You must."
The teen's shoulders rolled forward, and he took a few steps, clenching his hands in his hair and opening his eyes. "I can't do this," he stated, walking away from the man, turning to face him again. "I can't."
A tic worked in the blonde's jaw and he said in a carefully controlled voice, "My Prince, we must. This is only the first step, but it's crucial."
He shook his head, "I can't have you behind me while I've got my eyes closed. I simply can't." He licked his lips and glanced over at Tom, who had yet to say anything. "I don't trust you."
Jaw clenching, the man carefully watched his words and tone, not eager to infuriate his Prince nor his Lord. "My Prince, if there is one thing I can swear to you, it is that I will bring you no harm. I understand that we have had our dealings in the past, but you are my Prince now. You are on our side, under my Lord's protection, and, therefore, under mine as well. I shall not let any harm come to you, not while I am around." The teen stopped and looked at him blankly, as though surprised at his words.
"While I will not allow harm to come to you while I am around, there will be times when the Prince is alone. Therefore, you will need to learn how to protect yourself, and a strong body mirrors a strong mind. There will be times when you will need to rely on body strength, among others things, besides simply magic."
The words surprised Harry. He always believed that Lucius saw that the solution to every problem was magic, as he was so proud of his Pureblood heritage that the teen was sure if there was a badge for such, he would keep it pinned on his lapel. Glancing over at Tom, who did not move or say anything. Turning back to his instructor, he nodded, dropping his head to look at the ground. He moved forward, standing where he had previously been positioned. "Here?" he asked, looking over at the man, who nodded in return.
"Seeing as you aren't comfortable with me behind you yet, let's just work on your balance." He moved to stand in front of the teen, looking into his eyes. Swallowing the saliva in his mouth, the teen forced himself to stay still and not back away from the eyes that he had trained himself throughout his life to hate. "Stand with your feet a shoulders width apart. Hold your hands in front of you, elbows bent, palms facing me." He assumed the same stance he had just told Harry to take, watching him as he assumed it, making minor adjustments.
