Volume 1

- Slowly. I remarked distantly, watching the spell flying in my direction. And it flew really slowly, even slower than the standard, which made me seriously so tense, waiting for a sneak. In vain, apparently, Snape just decided to test my reaction, and not disable me with the first attack. If it were otherwise, I wouldn't have been able to dodge the spell so easily. And the professor even gave me too much time for transfiguration.

Even considering the level of abilities I was going to show, I had more than enough time to transfigure the trash lying on the floor into a thin, but very long chain. Well, then it was a matter of technique, yet things created by transfiguration are perfectly controllable by the wizard who created them. And it was this fact that I took advantage of, forcing the chain to writhe furiously, creating a kind of wall between me and Snape, preventing me from attacking normally with spells.

Well, it would be more accurate to say that Snape can't attack me with spells. I control my chain sufficiently to create small gaps in the "wall" for attack. But I was in no hurry to do that. It was necessary to assess the capabilities of the enemy, and try to attack the professor with physical attacks with the same chain.

No, I don't believe in the success of such an adventure at all. But the mask I chose would have done exactly that, and I'm not fighting here for victory. I just need to show my godfather some skills in magic and the rudiments of tactical thinking, which, according to legend, Narcissa hammered into me.

And that's exactly what I was doing, trying to break through the professor's defense, which he put up without even paying attention to my attempts to hurt him. However, I myself did not particularly lean on the attack, still continuing to wait for Snape's move. Well, minor curses and transfiguration that prevented control of the entire battlefield were only good for distraction. It was possible to win with their help, except for some fifth-year student who mercilessly skipped classes and in general a Muggle-born.

And Snape clearly showed this by simply dispelling my chains and blowing all the garbage that appeared in my direction. Yes, I was able to protect myself from him even with a lean Protego, but the initiative passed into the hands of the professor, and he did not feel sorry for me. First, a spell of increasing pain got into my carcass, then deafening ones, and at the end I was tied up with transfigured chains, knocking the wand out of my hands.

- Finish it! I snapped, deactivating the torture spell and trying to break out of the chains. I overcame the effect of the stunning spell with a simple burst of magic, and metamorphism soon promised to help me break out of my shackles. But I didn't have enough time for everything. The dust began to fall, and the professor opened up to my eyes, with a dim light on the tip of his wand, pointing directly at me.

"Not bad Draco, very good. Your mother did a great job explaining to you the main rules of duelling and magic combat in general. - The man praised me sparingly, canceling his transfiguration and allowing me to rise. - But you lack a lot of speed and arsenal. You can't get far with the simplest spells, and your transfiguration is too fragile… Although I praise you for the non–stick Finite. I couldn't do that at your age. - The godfather continued, simultaneously clearing the classroom of traces of the recent battle.

Despite the fact that the battle itself did not take even a minute, but my chains went well on the walls and floor of the room. And the spells that did not hit the professor's shields left their mark on the stone of the castle. At least the walls of Hogwarts are saturated with magic to overflowing. If it were otherwise, cracks and dents could appear in the walls, and not harmless scorch marks.

- And yes. - The professor suddenly checked himself, glaring at me. - Why didn't you attack me seriously? He frowned even harder, causing a wave of amusement in me. His attempts to scare me were too obvious. – Did you really think that because of your gentleness I would deign to be softer with you? Snape asked sarcastically, showing me with one glance everything he thinks about my intelligence.

- No, Professor. I immediately shook my head negatively. - I was just trying to prolong the battle, knowing full well that I have almost no chance against you. I answered in a little more detail, secretly rejoicing in my abilities in mental magic. The opportunity to instantly think through not only the battle itself, but also the conversation with the professor after it is worth a lot. And even if there are always deviations in the plan, but there are much fewer unforeseen situations this way.

- Why? Snape asked me with mild interest. At the same time, I was sure that he had already managed to find several dozen answers to his own question. If it were otherwise, the question would not have been voiced at all. Well, or I don't know Snape at all with his bad temper and a lot of pride.

- When you fight with an opponent who is many times superior to you. The only chance to defeat him is to wait for help from others or catch him on inattention and pride. - I answered like a textbook, remembering the instructions of one of my fellow students that he agreed to train me-Tom in exchange for help with transfiguration and dark magic. – Well, I also hoped that you would decide to play with me longer and I would be able to hide one strong attack under a lot of weak ones. I replied, remembering one of the standard combinations that Tom had worked out perfectly.

- I believe - the dean sighed, cursing my mother with his lips. Apparently, he blamed all my successes solely on Narcissa. And I understood him. If you really dig into Draco's memory, it's quite easy to notice traces of a primordial Black upbringing in Narcissus. And Draco remembered several attempts to introduce the Black traditions into my training program for the rest of his life. - Your mother has really worked hard, but you are still very far from the ideal… But I will try to bring you closer to it. The man exhaled, gathering his thoughts. Apparently, he just took on another hemorrhoid, which includes my additional classes.

- Where do we start? I asked lightly, trying to contain my own excitement. I've never practiced combat magic with any of the senior wizards before. Most of my skills were acquired through constant sparring with familiar snakes and crows, and by studying spells on my own. And it's not that he was bad at it, but I have nothing against normal training either.

Rather the opposite! Learning from a knowledgeable person can increase my combat potential in the shortest possible time. Still, I know a lot of spells, I'm quite good at transfiguration, and there's nothing to say about dark magic, that part of it that does not belong to true Dark magic, and menatlistics at all. My skill set is capable of fatally surprising very, very many... but I don't have my own style. But I need it if I want to make optimal use of all my knowledge and strength.

So let Snape help me with the creation of this very style. Well, at the same time, I'll practice curses with combat charms. I doubt that the professor will be able to find something that Tom was not familiar with before. Still, he was surprisingly consistent in the study of magic, and he was able to find sources of knowledge better than many and many.

Although I will not rule out the possibility of expanding my own arsenal of spells. You never know what has been invented there over the past half century. And the godfather himself, as far as I remember, distinguished himself in creating his own spells. Draco didn't know the specifics, but the fact that Snape got his mastery in potions precisely for inventing a spell somehow related to potions, he remembered very clearly…