The Divided Dragon - A Dramione Fanfic

Research

"I still can't believe Percy acted like that," Ron said for about the hundredth time since Draco had told him what happened. "I mean, not that he came to your rescue. That's his duty as a prefect, but that he went under the table and threatened Barrow and Montague..."

"Yes, Ron. I know. Can you drop it? Please?" Draco asked, yanking open the door of their dormitory. He'd told Ron because the two of them didn't keep secrets, but he didn't want to dwell on what had happened. There had been no response from Uncle Frank yet, and he'd had trouble sleeping last night. Every hour he'd been awake, checking under his pillow to make sure his wand was still there.

"Sorry, Draco. I'll drop it," Ron said apologetically as the two of them made their way to breakfast. "We have Herbology right after breakfast, right? Do you remember the fourth use for goose gorse pollen? I keep forgetting it, and I'm sure we have a quiz today."

Their conversation was fully entrenched in herbology by the time they took a seat at the Hufflepuff table. Draco was grateful when Neville and Hannah joined them. It meant that when his little tawny owl, Demetri, arrived no one paid too much attention. Absently he gave Demetri a bit of bacon before opening the letter from Uncle Frank.

Dear Draco,

I'm sorry to hear about what happened, but I'm very glad to hear that Percy Weasley was there for you. You were right to share the experience and let out your feelings about it. From what you have said it was not the attack that caused you to panic, but rather the loss of your wand.

I would like to examine this. You admitted to me back in August that the presence of your wand made you feel safe. This, combined with your discomfort around large groups of magical folk, leads me to believe that you associate magic both as a threat and as something to bring security — a weapon rather than a tool. In the possession, of strangers, it is to be feared, but in your possession, it is a means of protection. A wand is the physical manifestation of magic in your mind.

Or that is what I am lead to believe from my years of working with you and what you have said. Please correct me if my words are incorrect.

Draco had never truly put words to his feelings on magic, but what Uncle Frank said was true. That's why he didn't feel fear when his mother cast a spell, or when practicing in the classroom with his fellow Hufflepuffs. He trusted them not to hurt him with their magic. He knew it made no sense. No one had ever hurt him with magic. But the fear was real, and he knew he had to live with it if he wanted to be the best he could be.

I know there was no exact moment that caused you to think this way. Rather it is likely due to your isolated upbringing and the circumstances behind. It will take time and a lot of effort for you to not see magical strangers as automatic threats. We'll begin working on that when you come home for your winter break.

In the meantime, I have a suggestion. I know I am a muggle, but I've known about the magical world since I was a young boy. You can not imagine my disappointment when I failed to receive a Hogwarts letter like my brother. I will freely admit that I had several terrible years as I learned to deal with the knowledge that magic existed, but I had no right or claim to it. During this time, I borrowed my brother's owl when he was home and used it to order many books on magic. You see, I hoped there was a kind of magic I could use. This leads me to my current suggestion to you.

While it will take years to overcome your natural fear, we can begin working now on your dependence on your wand. There is a magical school in Africa called Uagadou. There they primarily learn magic without wands. If you could learn to cast some defensive spells or even a spell to recover your wand if lost, then it should help you.