Transfixed: A Draco Malfoy Fanfiction

Chapter 62

The next day was mine and Draco's first Dark Arts lesson with the Carrows. We were meeting with them early in the morning, while the other students were still asleep. It was not ideal, but it was when the Carrows had time to spare, so we would just have to make it work.

I thought it might have also been a test of some kind, to force us to fight when we were still groggy and drowsy from just waking up. In their minds, they thought that pushing us this way would make us stronger in the long run. They were probably right.

As we fell asleep the night before, Draco and I talked about our strategy going forward. We would train with the Carrows early, then do a morning patrol of the castle. We had the afternoons free, and then we would do an evening patrol where we would check in on the isolation wing. Hopefully, no one would need to be punished and we could be on our way. Most of them were nearing two weeks in isolation, at which point they could go back to their houses. It was straightforward, and with Cassady's help running Dumbledore's Army, I was hopeful things would go smoothly.

It was mine and Draco's job to keep the Carrows distracted in the meantime. If they were busy training us, they would further trust us with keeping the Unfavorables in check. We would have to be professional, smart, and dedicated.

So naturally, on the first day of training, we overslept.

"We... are... so... stupid," I panted as we sprinted through the hallway to the Dark Arts classroom. It was just after 5 o'clock in the morning, and we were late.

"Don't remind me," he wheezed as we rounded a corner. I peered out the windows at the pitch black courtyard outside. It felt strange running around the castle at this hour.

We made it to the Dark Arts classroom, red-faced and out of breath. It was not exactly the image we were going for.

"Good morning, you two," Amycus said dryly as we entered sheepishly. His lips were curled in a sinister grin, his narrow eyes focused on us.

"Sorry... we overslept," I mumbled.

"We figured as much," said Alecto. "But now you're here, and we must begin."

"Alecto and I decided that we should start with dueling. Both of you have experience dueling, correct?" Amycus asked.

"Correct," Draco and I answered in unison.

"Good. Well, we would first like to conduct a duel with each of you to assess your current strengths and weaknesses. That way, we will be able to give you individualized training in the future. Sound good?"

Draco and I both nodded.

"Good. Draco, how about you go first?" Amycus said, gesturing for Draco to come forward. All of the desks in the Dark Arts classroom had been pushed to the side of the room, leaving space in the center for us to work. Draco walked to stand opposite Amycus, pulling out his wand from the folds of his Slytherin robes.

I bit my lip as I watched nervously. Draco was tired; I knew him well enough to tell. He shifted his weight slightly from side to side as he focused his weary eyes on Amycus.

Suddenly, Amycus released a curse from his wand, and Draco deflected it, taking a step back. This continued a couple more times as Amycus sent out spells, and Draco defended himself from them. Draco was decent at it, but I had seen him fight before, and I knew that he was stronger on the offensive.

C'mon, Draco, I thought. Turn it back on him.

As if he read my thoughts, Draco sent out a curse from his own wand and deflected Amycus's spell at the same time. He moved so quickly that it actually caught Amycus off guard. Amycus stumbled backwards, but only very slightly, before regaining his footing.