Chapter 123: New Year
*Inhale... exhale...*
I finished applying the last runic chain for the day and inspected another diamond pillar destined for Hogwarts' security system. That was no longer my concern, though. My job was to create the pillar, and Flitwick would integrate it. So after sending him a Patronus, I cleaned up with a couple of spells and headed for the fireplace hall.
All the fireplaces had already been installed in that hall, and the first was already connected. It was the very fireplace linked to my Quarter. All because I, as Head of the Quarter, was providing full support for this initiative. Still, the other fireplaces were supposed to start working soon too. There were only two problems. At the moment, Fudge still ruled over the Ministry Quarter, and that was the first problem, because that incompetent idiot was trying to influence Hogwarts through the students.
He still had not understood that while we would certainly be upset if some of the children did not return to the castle, we had no intention of yielding to that blackmail. All that remained was to hope that the parents would be more sensible and find a way to send their children to school.
The second problem was that the Lord's pure-blood supporters were also trying to put pressure on Hogwarts.
Still, some children solved that problem themselves by appealing to me or, through Dumbledore, to other Heads of Quarters to request asylum. Of course, not all the children did this, but every one of them had the choice and the opportunity.
When I reached the hall, I approached the fireplace, threw powder at my feet, and clearly said the name of the Quarter, transporting myself directly to the indicated place.
*That's it... a few days off...*
I stretched and, in an excellent mood, headed out of the hall and then toward my house, where the girls should already have everything prepared for the holiday.
"I'm home!"
"Get yourself cleaned up now!"
Fleur hit me on the head with a towel, but did it so playfully that I pretended to be frightened and, hunching down, began nodding very quickly.
"Of course, of course, most kind and merciful mistress. I'll do everything, just don't be angry!"
"I cannot be angry! I am a kind mistress!"
"As you say!"
With those words, I headed toward the bathroom, where I happily sank into the water, head and all.
*So good...*
When I surfaced, a towel flew into my face.
"Um..."
I turned slightly and saw Fleur and Penny, both lightly wrapped in towels.
"Cover yourself. We want to sit in the bath with you."
I nodded, then wrapped the towel around my hips. After that, the girls got into the water.
"We haven't rested like this in a long time..."
Fleur's foot, as she sat to my left, rubbed against my leg.
"Well, at Hogwarts, we used to have this sort of rest once a month, but overall, yes... it's been a while. Draco threw himself into work again..."
"That's true..."
I nodded.
"...though not long before the New Year's holidays, you did manage to talk me into a mini vacation."
"That was ages ago, and it doesn't count."
Penny said, making it clear there was no point in arguing.
"So, what are your plans for these three days? You must have a lot of work planned."
"No..."
I shook my head.
"...I'll rest. At most, I'll look over the quarterly documents to see what's been done and what still needs doing."
"Damn it, when are you ever going to rest?"
"Once the Convergence is over, and in five or ten years, I can arrange a vacation. Until then..."
I shook my head.
"Do you think we'll live that long?"
"Why wouldn't we? Wizards live a long time, and we'll be long-lived since we can afford all the necessary potions and rituals, even those that were forbidden until very recently. So we will live..."
"From your mouth to God's ears..."
Penny sighed, then pressed herself against me. Fleur did the same from the other side. It felt good, and even though certain parts of my body reacted appropriately to the closeness of my beloved girls, it didn't get in the way.
"Pervert..."
And though Fleur tried to add a reproachful note to her voice, she failed, and I heard the slight embarrassment in it.
"You shouldn't..."
Penny said this with the same embarrassment.
"...we should be glad that... well... he..."
"That he wants us."
Fleur helped her friend, who was too embarrassed to speak. Even Fleur herself seemed embarrassed by those words, despite having just said them.
"Hah, girls..."
"Just be quiet. We already regret bringing it up, so just pretend you didn't hear anything."
Penny said it, and I gave her a nod to show that I had heard.
"So, what are your plans for these winter holidays?"
"I will be preparing..."
Fleur smiled.
"...because I want to compete for first place again this year. I think it will be harder for you to deal with me this time."
"I will look forward to it..."
Gradually, we moved on to the topic of the upcoming international dueling tournament, which was supposed to begin almost immediately after New Year.
*** The Next Morning. ***
"So, you came to our training..."
Summer looked at me with a faint smile. I simply nodded, took my battle-axe, and froze, readying myself for the fight and trying to feel the same thing I had felt during that battle with the mercenary.
"You're very serious... want to show me something interesting?"
"I at least want to try."
The girl nodded to me, and I noticed Fleur standing off to the side.
"Looking at your girlfriend? She's simply waiting for her turn."
I nodded, then rushed forward. After only a couple of steps, just before I had to strike, I finally managed to enter that same state where I saw the body painted in colors.
What I saw briefly stunned me. There were no large zones where damage could be dealt. No, the zones were there, but they were small. A small green dot the size of two fingers near her right elbow, a yellow horizontal line about five centimeters long at the level of the solar plexus, another green dot near her right temple, a yellow one near the foot... In total, I could count seven or eight zones, but they were tiny... and the rest of her body was red.
Twisting, I redirected the training axe's strike toward the green dot, but my plan failed when Summer moved and the zone shifted.
I had to turn the axe and strike with its butt, and I did manage to land this blow precisely on that yellow line.
Kha!
Summer bent slightly, and her body immediately shifted to new colors, allowing me to strike her several more times. But I could clearly sense that, overall, she could have overpowered me...
I opened my eyes and coughed. Ice-cold water was pouring onto my head and running down my collar.
"You knocked me out."
"Yes..."
Summer, who had doused me with icy water, snorted mockingly.
"...but you pleased me. Discovered your Semblance?"
"Um... I think so..."
"And what is it?"
"I'd call it Zonality, though I'm not very good with names, so I'm open to discussing it."
"And what does it do?"
"As I understand it, it shows zones... The body is colored in three colors, though I've only seen three so far. Red means attacking that spot is pointless, yellow means there's a chance to hit, and green means I'll almost certainly hit."
"Uh-huh... what else did you notice?"
"Well, during the fight where my arm was severed from my body, I also saw weak points in spells, points you only need to hit with any spell. One hit, and the battle magic stops."
"Is that how you got me?"
"Yes, but that wizard's zones were large, while yours..."
I shook my head.
"I see. Well, starting today, you'll fight me using only your Semblance. Understood?"
"Yes."
I stood with difficulty and, seeing my battle-axe, picked it up.
"Just don't knock me out so quickly, please. I didn't even have time to understand anything, and I was already on the ground, coming to."
"All right, I'll try."
Summer smiled, then took up a combat stance again and nodded to me.
"You can begin whenever you want."
Nodding to her gratefully, I focused again, and when I saw her body once more colored in three colors, I rushed at her, this time with a clearer understanding of what to expect from her.
Strike!
Where I should have hit her, Summer's weapon suddenly appeared, and she blocked my strike with it. Then, transforming the axe into a rifle, she aimed it at me. Bang!
A short shot, which I caught on a magical shield, but it only slowed the bullet slightly, giving me a chance to dodge out of the way. If I'd had a wand in hand, it would have been easier, but...
And once again, I shift to attack, because going on the defensive when fighting Summer is as good as death.
"Well done! Come on! Act! Strengthen your body! Move faster!"
She was even giving me advice...
With an effort of will, I pushed the faint irritation aside, since I knew perfectly well she wasn't trying to mock me but was genuinely giving advice that could save my life someday. I'd already realized I was far from the biggest toad in this swamp, so...
I set my jaw, swallowed my pride, and charged in again, as Summer kept deflecting my attacks almost playfully.
The fact that fighting me had become harder for her was evident only from the techniques she started using. I'd never seen her use such techniques before, which meant she'd been forced to become serious.
I opened my eyes again. Once more, cold water. I had to cough it out since it had gotten into my airways.
"Again?"
"Yes. Let me show you how I knocked you out, then I'll start training with Fleur, and you have other things to do."
I nodded gratefully, and then I was shown what had been done to knock me out the first and second times. After that, I was sent toward the house, where I sprawled in my work chair and started looking through documents.
"Hello, sweetheart..."
Bella entered the office, and she looked a bit uncertain.
"Hello to you too, Mom..."
I nodded to her, and then she crossed the office and sat in the armchair across from me.
"So?"
"Well..."
She looked away somewhat uncertainly.
"Mom... what happened?"
"Listen, maybe you shouldn't go to Hogwarts?"
I frowned slightly.
"Mom..."
"No, don't say no right away. Just think about it. You've essentially mastered the school curriculum. According to Flitwick, you're already a master, and he can complete your training remotely, while I'll train you in combat here..."
I blinked.
"Mom..."
After studying Bella intently, I sighed.
"Do you really want people, after the years it will take me to rise to the position of Lord of the House of Black and take the reins of power, to point fingers at me and say that Lord Black is a coward?"
"Draco..."
"Mom, let's be honest, you yourself would say that about the Lord of another House."
She lowered her gaze.
"Mom?"
"Well, yes... I would say that..."
She nodded, but with a very displeased expression.
"But you don't understand..."
"Why not? I do understand..."
I nodded.
"Over there, it's someone else's child, and here, it's your own dear son. So I understand everything, but at the same time, I cannot allow myself to gain that kind of reputation. Because when I become Lord, it will work against me."
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