XXVI

The truth was, Hether was training Draco to master magic. But it wasn't dark magic like her roommates suspected it was; it was elemental magic, the first of all magic, the one that came from the core of a person's soul.

Draco drank it up just as quickly as she taught him, as if there was an empty void somewhere in his body that was thirsting to be filled. He was such a quick learner that she was beginning to worry if he was giving his body rest.

She watched as he practiced his control over the water. His face was serene, as placid as the lake; as if the water was the only place where he could let go of all that weighed him down, even if it was for just a second.

She noticed his right arm had a firmer grip on the water than his left arm did. He was trying to little avail to move a whip he had made from one hand to the other, but rather than giving up like he would have a few months ago, he kept going at it. Hether's eyes flitted from the whip to the rest of his arm. Biceps had gradually began to stake their claim on his pale limbs, and they hardened and protruded with each movement of his arm. She lowered her head as she felt her face heat up.

Hether rubbed her eyes. Her mission wasn't to drool over a set of muscles (like she hadn't seen better) and act like some sick fan girl.

"Hey!" She called out to Draco. He turned to face her, causing the whip to fall apart as he focused his attention on her. "You should be able to keep the water at your command even if someone calls you. That's very important."

"Okay." He cracked his knuckles. "Look what I can do." As Hether watched, his eyes began to glow a soft, icy silver. Her breath caught in her throat in anticipation.

The water all around them grew very still. As far as she could see, it was as if they had been sawn in half and glued to a sea of glass. Impressive, she thought; and lifted her gaze back to Draco. He stretched out his right hand, above the surface of the lake, and looked up to see if she was watching.

A shiver ran through her. The glow in his eyes made him look otherworldly; like a beast waiting n the dark about to spring upon its prey. Her lips parted slightly, and she hoped he didn't notice. He smirked in response and she squeezed her eyes shut in brief anguish. It only made Draco smirk wider. He had never seen her in such a… normal state before. Perhaps it was the thing he was doing with his eyes. Was that how she expressed her emotions?

"Well…" he said, his voice coming out as a low, guttural sound that would have made him stumble if not for the fact that Hether stood dazed before him. "Shall I proceed?"

"Carry on," she said, recovering. She watched as he lowly lowered the tip of his finger towards the surface of the water. The stillness and silence combined was almost deafening, and anticipation built up in her throat like a stifled cough.

Finally, it touched the surface, causing a perfect ripple to emanate from the contact. There was a split second of silence, and then there was a deafening roar and the water all around them was thrown up into the air. Hether gasped and thrust out her hand, causing the air beneath their feet to compress and harden into a temporary ground.

She looked up. The water had twisted and converged above them such it formed a dome of thin water above their heads. The water itself danced around, catching in the light and turning into rainbows here and there. It was beautiful. Beneath them, the bed of the lake was drier than during a drought as far as the dome stretched; and she could see where every crevice and cave and crack and arch was, down to the very bottom of the bed.

She looked back at Draco, he was staring at her with those glowing eyes which were starting to make her a bit uneasy. It was by no means a great deal compared to her magic, but even if the greatest wizards decided to pool their magic, they would never top what Draco had just done. With so much as a single tap on the lake, he had sucked it dry of every single drop of water. It made her angry to think that his abilities had been kept in the dark from him for so long.

"I don't know what to say," She said breathlessly. "That was extremely amazing."

"As long as it's coming from you, I really don't mind." Draco blinked, and the glow in his eyes was shut off, causing the water to fall back down.

"'Want to see what I can do?" she smirked.

"More like what you cant do." He swam closer to her and wrapped his arms around her waist. Even though the water was cold, the feeling of her back against his arms warmed him up.

Hether laughed at the dig. "Well, we're a little underdressed. Perhaps it would be better when we're dressed in warmer clothing. Race you to the bank!"

"Were you going to freeze the lake?" he called out, swimming after her.

"No, actually, I was planning on freezing the whole school! Perhaps you would like winter during summer!"

Draco was grateful for the warmth that kissed his skin as he stepped foot on the bank. He stretched and plopped unto the grass, next to his robe. Draco shut his eyes and took in a deep breath. There was nothing he liked better as of oft than a nap in the warm sun right after a swimming lesson. "Come on over here, then."

When there was no answer, Draco opened his eyes and sat up. Hether was staring fixedly at the hollow of a tree that stood a few feet from them, as if there was something there that she didn't like.

"Are you alright?" He instantly got up and put her cardigan around her shoulders. "'Something the matter?"

"You were right," Hether withdrew her wand in a movement so swift he only caught a glimpse. "We've got company. Revelio."

To Draco's surprise, the air by the tree waivered, revealing two students that he was beginning to dislike greatly. It was Grega and Cho, Hether's roommates, and they had been frozen by the spell just as they were about to pull out their wands; faces dripping with surprise. His face went white with anger and he felt his ears tighten with the rage.

"Well, what do we have here?" He seethed. "I guess mummy never told them not to eavesdrop."

"Be nice, Draco." Hether said calmly, even though he could tell she was annoyed. "If they weren't my roommates, I would have killed them on sight. Don't encourage me."

She walked up to her roommates. It was very displeasing; she had had so much hope in their obliviousness. She could very well easily do away with Cho without caring, but she couldn't kill Grega without remembering Maisie and feeling guilty. She would just have to obliviate them.

Hether raised her hand to Cho's head to remove the memories.

"What are you doing?" Draco took her hand to stop her.

"They need to forget what they saw. It's only better." Hether shook his hand off.

"Haven't you hidden enough from them? Just tell them. How many times have you obliviated them?"

"This will be the third time." She pressed her thumb at the centre of Cho's temple.

"I think twice is enough." He removed her hand. "Take a gamble. Trust them this once, and if it gets out, we'll deal with them and leave."

"And tell them what?" she turned to face him. "That I'm teaching you ancient magic? That I'm showing you how to become a dragon? Draco, in this timeline, it's forbidden. We'll only get ourselves expelled. They'll rat us out."

"Do you trust me?" he said quietly.

Hether stopped abruptly, searching for words to answer with.

"Do you trust me?" he placed a hand on her shoulder. "Yes or no?"

She opened her mouth to speak, but frowned. He knew nothing of trust to be speaking about it. Sure, he trusted people to support him because they had no other trust, but he had never had someone trust him. If she spoke, they would only fight and he would probably blow out of control.

Perhaps it would be profitable to trust him, on the long run. She always had everyone's back, but she had never let anyone guard her own. Besides, relationships were about trust, no? And if he betrayed her trust, she would simply kill him. If he went rouge, he would only end up destroying everything.

"Hether."

She blinked and focused on him. His face was more serious; his lips were pursed in a thin line.

"I trust you." She sighed and drew out her wand. "They're poised to strike but your ring will deflect it, anyway. It will bounce back so still move out of the way please."

Draco nodded and stepped aside. She gave her wand a flick, and the girls' bodies unfroze as if nothing had happened.

Cho fell face-first unto the ground; and her wand snapped in half, while Grega launched at the air with a cry of 'pertificus totalus' which was muffled as she fell and took in a mouthful of grass.

"Ow…" Cho groaned and rolled over to her side. Her face fell in dismay when she saw that her wand had been broken. "oh, not my wand." Grega sat up swiftly and spat the grass out of her mouth, waving her wand blindly in the air as she searched for her roommate.

"You'll take someone's eye out if you keep doing that."

They both looked up to see Hether looking down at them, dressed in a surfer's suit. Cho's mouth dropped in horror as she realised she'd been swimming in the Black Lake… with-

"DRACO??" Grega's face twisted in disgust. "Oh now you're SWIMMING with him? That's disgusting, Hether!" her eyes flitted to Draco. He looked immensely displease, but asides that he was quite toned; not skinny and probably malnourished as she had expected. He was wearing a pair of long trousers, and his pale shock of hair sticking to his face just as angrily as the expression on his face was.

"Do not change the subject." Hether pressed a hand to her temple. "What's the meaning of this? I need an explanation. Oh wait-" she closed her eyes. "I already know."

"Grega." Cho said through clenched teeth. "My wand is broken."

"This was your bloody idea!" Grega retorted. "Don't cry to me."

Cho scoffed in disbelief. "You dragged me here!"

"Can you both shut it?" Draco snapped and they turned to him, glaring daggers, but he gave them a scowl just as hostile. The two girls seemed to remember why they were there and rose to their feet.

"We know what you're doing Hether." Cho began. "And we just want you to know that we're going to tell Flitwick, whether you own up to it or not."

"We know you're teaching Draco dark magic. It's forbidden, Hether." Grega pursed her lips. "I'm really sorry, but we cant let this go on. We know-"

"They've been going to the chamber of secrets!"