To her surprise, he apparently got her quite well, as she saw by the way his eyes widened a tad. He twitched a little and regained his composure, squaring shoulders. ‘You two will try now’, he ordained coolly, ‘Elena, you start and try breaking down Draco’s defences.’
She sat up, sighed and focussed on doing as he’d told her. Of course, it was hard, but the moment she started to probe into the young Malfoy’s mind she noted the difference to Daysen. Where Jack’ mental defences were a solid stone wall with only the rarest of cracks, Draco’s was more like a hastily erected plywood construction. It was, however, quite enough to counteract her feeble attempts.
‘Not bad’, Draco drawled generously after he had swiftly thrown her out, ‘how long have you been doing this? A few months? ��� Not bad at all, really.’
She would have liked to slap the privileged sneer out of his face, but shot him a moody glance instead. Jack, however, was not satisfied. ‘You can do better’, he said tersely to Elena, ‘and you, too, Draco; your defence was sloppy. ��� Again, same procedure.’
Elena’s new attempt was no more successful than the first, but she noticed that Draco tried to reinforce his plywood wall. She let her mind quickly dart this way and that in order to confuse him, but he was quicker and always sealed up the holes a fraction of a second before she got there.
‘No, no, this won’t work!’ Daysen’s cold voice interrupted the process.
Elena snapped out of her mental channel and was startled to find Daysen suddenly sitting on the armrest of her chair. His closeness made her hair stand up, but in a pleasant way. She felt a smile come to her face, but remembered Draco just in time and suppressed it. When Daysen bent towards her with the obvious intention of whispering into her ear, a chill ran down her spine. ‘Do you remember our last lessons before Halloween?’ he murmured, pouring silk into her suddenly oversensitive ear. ‘What you tried?’
She looked up with a smile, nodded.
He nodded back. ‘That’s what I want you to do now.’
Draco grinned, not quite so sure of himself anymore, and squared his shoulders while Elena prepared for another attack. It essentially consisted in making Draco believe that she would go at his mental wall from one end, but quickly dodge to another the moment he was busy to cover his weak spots. Draco didn’t see it coming and a second later, she caught a generous glimpse of a girl ��� black curls, large blue eyes, smiling, gesturing vividly as girls do when they want a boy’s attention. Elena realized she had seen the girl before ��� at Hogwarts, herding a bunch of young students towards the Slytherin common room, acting bossy and wearing a badge with a ‘P’ on it. In her head ��� or rather, in Draco’s head ��� Elena heard a voice. ‘You need to take some time, Draco. Get some space between yourself and all that happened. Take as much time as you need. I’ll wait ���’
This was the point where Draco pushed her out of his head. When Elena looked at him, there were beads of sweat on his forehead and his grin was lopsided.
‘What did I tell you?’ Daysen droned out, but it was directed at Draco. ‘Never underestimate your opponent, no matter who they are. Self-assurance is good, but it can easily turn into arrogance. An Occlumens cannot afford arrogance.’ Then his eyes flashed at Elena. ‘And you, don’t look too smug!’ Her smile fell off her lips. ‘I won’t be satisfied until you’re able to break down his defences again. And again. And again. ��� Starting now.’
However, she never saw the girl with the black curls again. Draco was alert now and put considerably more effort into his mental shield, perspiration gathering on his face. However, his powers as an Occlumens were quite solid, and after a while it was Elena’s face that was bathed in the sweat of futility.
After half an hour, Daysen interrupted the process with a languid wave of his hand and looked at Elena pointedly. In the next moment, she heard his voice in her head. ‘Still feeling under-challenged?’ She replied with a rueful smile.
It was Draco’s turn again to practice Legilimency, but Daysen didn’t let him try on Elena, claiming that he would learn nothing from it. Instead, he insisted that Draco try on him. It occurred to Elena that there might be a very specific reason why Daysen did that. Very probably, he did not want Draco to rake up what was buried in her mind ��� and not exactly buried, either ��� about that night in the lighthouse.
This time, Elena watched more attentively what was going on. It was obvious that Jack was far too good for Draco and that the young Malfoy hardly managed to break through his mental stone wall. However, it was also clear that Draco wanted nothing better and really made an effort, his eyes gleaming like a reptile’s. Whenever he appeared to succeed a little bit, he couldn’t help whooping with boyish pleasure and that was what made Elena realize how Draco looked up to Daysen and admired him. It disposed her a little kindlier towards the young wizard, especially since after a while she saw Jack’ mood lighten considerably. He even reacted with an occasional smile to Draco’s successful attempts and his body language became relaxed, the characteristic twitches almost gone. ‘Thought you’d become a bit rusty at first’, he murmured after a while, ‘but this is not so bad at all. I hate to say this, but your aunt Bellatrix taught you well.’
‘Bellatrix Lestrange?’ Elena blurted out. She might be a novice in the wizarding world, but she had certainly heard enough of the witch ��� a cruel and crazy banshee who’d enjoyed torture and setting everything and everyone ablaze ��� to stare at Draco with disbelieving eyes. He looked back coolly ��� clearly masking embarrassment ��� and nodded. It was in this moment when Elena became fully aware of the fact that she was sitting in a room with two former Death Eaters. And sure enough, there was something between those two; she had noticed it the moment she had entered the sitting room and seen them leaning towards each other. There was a connection, an invisible bond. To Elena, it was also a small glimpse into Jack’ past.
‘She was a superb Occlumens’, Daysen remarked.
‘She was many things’, Draco supplemented with a small smile.
‘So I’ve heard’, Elena said, inspecting her fingernails and eliciting a faint scowl from Draco.
‘This is, I believe, a good point to break this off’, Jack drawled smoothly, ignoring the tension.
A peek at the large grandfather clock told Elena that it was already 9 p.m. ��� time had flown without her realizing it. Like Draco Malfoy, she got up from her chair, but Daysen shook his head. ‘I didn’t mean you’, he told her firmly, ‘we’re not done yet.’ He looked up at Draco. ‘And with you I need a quick word.’
Sitting down obediently, Elena watched as the two wizards exchanged a meaningful glance. Draco bowed formally to Elena, mumbled something about the pleasure of having met her and then left the room with his teacher while Elena’s eyes followed them curiously. What did they have to talk about? And was she wrong, feeling that she had detected a conspiratorial note there as if the two men were harbouring a secret?
The moment they had stepped into the hallway and the sitting-room door had closed, Daysen turned to Draco. ‘You know now what I mean?’ he asked urgently, his voice quiet so as not to carry into the adjacent room.
‘Yes, I understand’, Draco confirmed with a thoughtful nod. ‘Mind you though, I’m not quite sure whether she’s as helpless as you make her out to be. At least, if the Occlumency is anything to go by ���’
‘Ah, but there you’re wrong’, Daysen corrected with a strictly raised eyebrow, ‘granted, she has talent, so much is obvious. But that makes it easy to overestimate her and to forget that she only started with all this about six months ago. Most importantly, she tends to overestimate herself and be reckless.’
‘Didn’t she save your life on at least one occasion?’
‘Two, to be precise.’
‘One might say that she has earned her spurs ���’
‘Wrong again. She was lucky. And now I’m sure she thinks the world of her powers.
This is exactly what worries me. She might run out of luck someday, and as you’re certainly aware, nobody will give her any credit for being a beginner in case of an emergency. No kid gloves in our world.’
‘Certainly not’, Draco admitted. ‘All the same, do you really think it is necessary?’
‘I’m sure of it. There have been attempts to get at me through her. My original intention was merely to teach her, to make a witch out of her. But before I knew it, she became my Achilles heel.’
Draco eyed Daysen curiously. The corners of his mouth jumped. ‘So you want me to ��� follow her around?’
‘Keep an eye on her’, Daysen specified carefully. ‘See what she’s doing all day while I’m at Hogwarts, where she goes, who she meets.’
‘What if she notices?’
Daysen shrugged. ‘Think of something. She’s your co-student now, so you have an entry. Also, you want to learn more about the Muggle world, don’t you?’
‘Um ���’
‘Well, at least you could claim that you want to learn. She’s a talker, that one. I’m pretty sure that she’ll be eager to please and fill you in on the wonders of her original world.’
‘I didn’t have the feeling that she liked me all that much’, Draco grumbled.
Daysen raised an ironic eyebrow. ‘What about that Malfoy charm, then? Didn’t you say that older women like you?’
‘A certain type of older women.’
‘You’ll manage’, Daysen said confidently. ‘I know you’re resourceful. You’ll be perfectly able to keep an eye on her without Elena being any wiser.’
‘I’ll try’, Draco promised, but he looked doubtful.
The kitchen door creaked. ‘Are you already leaving us, Mr Malfoy?’ Eileen Daysen came into the hallway with a rare smile on her lips. ‘You’ve hardly arrived.’
‘It’s been two hours’, Daysen remarked, watching with an amused gleam in his eyes as his mother took in Draco almost greedily and with an unusual eagerness to please.
‘An intense two hours’, Draco said and bowed deeply to Eileen. ‘However, it’s been a pleasure to meet you at last, Madam Daysen.’
‘Actually, it’s Prince’, Eileen explained self-importantly, ‘I have assumed my maiden name again.’ She completely ignored her son’s astonished glare.
Draco acknowledged this by inclining his head. ‘Madam Prince’, he purred smoothly.
‘You look very much like your father’, Eileen said with something that resembled warmness. ‘I remember him well. He used to come here sometimes. Always so charming and polite. ��� I hope he is well?’
‘Quite well. You’re very kind’, Draco said. ‘I’ll give him your regards when I see him.’
‘Please do. And visit us again soon.’
Mother and son saw the young wizard off.
‘Your maiden name? Seriously?’ Jack hissed as soon as the door had closed behind Draco.
Eileen merely shrugged. ‘Is she still there?’ she asked after a beat, pointing to the sitting room door, her expression sour.
‘She needs far more tutoring than Draco does’, Daysen replied reasonably.
‘Yes. I could see that right away. ��� Don’t forget about your wound, sweetheart, we have to do our little routine.’
‘There’ll be enough time’, Daysen declared, ‘afterwards.’ And with that, he turned to the adjacent door. He shot an ironic glance over his shoulder. ‘Will that do, Madam Prince?’
‘Fine, Jack, be like that’, his mother hissed. ‘And don’t let your little ing��nue wait.’
They glowered at each other for a few moments. Then, at the exact same instant and with the exact same twitch, they turned sharply, each one in their respective direction, and exited the hallway, banging doors.
‘Is he always going to participate from now on?’ Elena asked when Daysen had come back into the sitting room.
To her surprise, he smiled faintly. His mood seemed altogether much improved compared to this morning’s. Elena even thought she could detect a softness in his demeanour. ‘You object?’
The good thing about him was that she was hardly ever tempted to tell a polite lie, but could just spill out any misgivings she had, because he would certainly never hesitate to do so. ‘I think he’s arrogant’, she dealt out gloomily.
‘When was he arrogant to you tonight?’
‘Oh, come on, it’s just the way he sits there, stinking of money, constantly wrinkling his nose ���’
‘He was brought up very differently me from you or me.’ Daysen sat down in the armchair beside her and watched her with a look of amusement. ‘Do I detect a class prejudice here?’
‘He just seems spoilt, that’s all’, Elena mumbled.
‘He was’, admitted Daysen, ‘but I don’t think he is any longer. Draco went through a rough time.’
‘You like him.’ It wasn’t a question, her face was too stern.
‘I do. ��� But to get back to your original question, no, he is not going to join us every time. But sometimes, and particularly for Occlumency. He asked me for help in that area and I intend to give it.’
His eyes on her were cool and, she thought, a little calculating. What was he thinking about? If he hadn’t been so hard to read, she might have wondered if he had a secret.
‘Alright, then’, she breathed sulkily.
Daysen watched her with another thin smile. From overhead, determined footsteps could be heard. Half a minute later, there was a nerve-racking screech as if a chair was dragged across the floor by a child. Jack’ eyes went up to the ceiling, then he sighed. ‘How about a walk?’ he suggested.
She looked up in surprise. ‘No lessons?’
‘We can do that while we’re walking’, he said matter-of-factly, ‘plus, I have to get something from a certain spot. It’s not far.’
A thud from above.
Elena nodded firmly. She was actually excited. How many women, after all, had ever been asked by Jack Daysen to walk with him in the moonlight?
As it turned out, there was not much of a moonlight, the night sky being overhung with heavy clouds. The cold air had a nasty bite although only a few dirty patches of snow had survived the last couple of days. They crossed the nearby smelly river and walked across a soggy meadow towards the woods where they had often gone to practice fighting spells. This time, however, Jack took Elena in a different direction. It didn’t occur to him, of course, to inform her on their destination. She didn’t care much, though, as she would have walked to the North Pole with him.
For a while, they proceeded in silence, side by side. When Elena risked a glance at Jack, she noticed that he had turned his face skywards. His eyes were closed and he was breathing deeply, as if he enjoyed the walk and maybe her company, too. She wondered whether she could risk asking about his mother, but then decided against it, resolving that this relaxed and easy atmosphere she sensed between him and herself was too precious to ruin. And as it happened, he was the first to break the silence.
‘You did very well today.’
She turned her head sharply. ‘What d’you mean?’
‘What do I mean? Occlumency, of course.’
In spite of herself, she chuckled and he glared at her, irritated. ‘I’m sorry’, she breathed, ‘it’s just ��� this must have been the first time you paid me a compliment on my magical performance without me fishing for it.’
‘That’s not true’, he claimed lamely, ‘I say it all the time.’
‘Define ‘all the time’.’
‘Why don’t you define ‘desperate need for recognition’?’
‘Anyway, I don’t think I did as well as you say.’
He snorted. ‘Talking to me in my head? ��� How did you do that, anyway?’
Elena stared at him blankly. ‘Just tried. I had the feeling you were open for it. What’s so special about it, anyway?’
Even in the dark, she could detect the glitter in his black eyes as he scrutinized her. She could al
so see that he was thinking, but it took a while until he spoke. ‘I’ll say this for you: you don’t use your mind as often and as well as you could ���’
‘Oh, thanks!’
‘��� but you’ve got something else that not many others have. A feeling for the right moment. Maybe what you like to call intuition. It helps you along when you’re too lazy to think or make an effort.’
‘I knew there was a catch’, she murmured gloomily, but not very seriously, ‘not a compliment at all, then, but merely an entry to tell me I’m lazy.’
Now it was his turn to chuckle. ‘Am I wrong?’
She made a show of turning up her nose. ‘No comment.’
‘This way’, he commanded, pointing at a narrow path that was hardly visible in the darkness, leading into the shrubs. For a brief moment, Elena felt the tips of his fingers at the small of her back as he directed her, but the contact broke sooner than she would have wanted.
For a few minutes, they walked between bushes and young trees until a natural pond came into view. Its surface was black and still, a murky smell rose up from it. Elena watched as Jack came closer to the pond’s rim and started to rummage among grass and reed. He had a small knife that he used to swiftly cut off plants and dug out roots which he then showed to her, explaining what they were and what he would use them for.
‘Magical plants in industrial Cokeworth?’ she asked with a smile.
He nodded earnestly. ‘My mother found this place, decades ago. It’s fortunate only Muggles live round here, they won’t steal them away because to them it’s weed.’
Elena saw her chance. ‘Is she good at this? Your mother?’
‘It’s a family thing. Herbs, potions, all that.’
‘So you’re not so special’, she said, teasing him.
‘Within the Prince bloodline, probably not’, he admitted.
She whispered Page 32