Draco shook himself off. The clash had been brief, but he had to admit to himself that it hadn’t been meant to be quite so brutal. He realised that, thanks to his recent training sessions with Kei, he’d started to rely more on his instincts and senses whilst fighting. It helped him to focus and improve his reaction times, but he now realised that he shouldn’t necessarily always rely on them. He decided to ask his master about it at the earliest opportunity.
Meanwhile, he walked over to Cedric and held out his hand to him. The boy, panting heavily, looked at him from under his brow, but accepted the help and let himself be pulled to his feet. He had a bit of trouble staying upright and kept clutching his stomach, but it seemed he was unharmed. He didn’t say a word to the dragon, but simply set off after the assistant instructor. The rest of the class watched him closely, though no one commented on what had just happened.
‘Well done.’ The reptile flinched slightly when Zane patted him on the back. ‘He’ll never tell you this, but you’ve made a good impression on our dear Cedric.’ A wry smile appeared on the elf’s lips. ‘And not just on him. Keep it up and don’t screw anything up, and soon everyone will treat you as one of their own.’
‘Thanks… I suppose.’ Draco looked around and, sure enough, as he met the eyes of the other cadets, he could see that something had changed. Perhaps it was the beginnings of respect, or perhaps something else entirely. He couldn’t tell.
Without waiting for further instructions, they picked up the pace to catch up with Retfield. The rest of the team quickly joined them, and for the first time they seemed like a cohesive unit. At least on the surface.
The entrance to the ravine was gentle, but its floor soon began to slope downwards, and the width of the passage narrowed. What had looked from a distance like a pleasant little wood clinging to a gentle slope was merely
