In Servitude to the Dark || Tom Riddle

𝘽𝙖𝙘𝙠 𝙏𝙤 𝙃𝙤𝙜𝙬𝙖𝙧𝙩𝙨

4th Year – August 15, 1994

The first time Aster saw Severus wield a sword, she immediately fell in love with the notion. Even though the wand was the deadlier weapon, for some reason a clean, sharp blade spoke more to the Gryffindor part of her. Shortly after Marvolo caught Severus up on where Aster was in her magical and physical training, they both decided it would be prudent to start Aster on weapons.

To Aster's surprise, Severus actually had a room inside his Manor completely devoted to weapons, which he aptly named as the Weapon's Room. "Wow, can you really use all these?" Aster asked, eyes wide, and waved her hand to take in all three walls.

All sorts of swords, from several time periods and continents, were hung up and displayed on the far wall. There were such swords as long, broad, short, oriental, curved, double-edged, single-edged, and all combinations in between. The wall on the right had all sorts of long-distance type weapons including, crossbow, longbow, throwing stars, throwing daggers, darts, boomerangs, and even a slingshot. The left wall had all other weapons like mace, wooden staff, fan blades, battle axes, sai, spears, and whips.

"Don't be absurd," Severus said. "No one can master all of these weapons. This is just my Family's collection."

"Most of these are just for show," Marvolo confirmed. "However a wizard who is serious in the blood sports, as all my Inner Circle Death Eaters are, is adept at using a couple of weapons." Marvolo turned to Severus. "I believe your favorite is a double-edged long sword."

Severus inclined his head and went to remove a blade that had to be at least 35" long. Aster practically salivated when her teacher gave the elegant sword a few practice swings. It cut through the air in a very satisfying 'whoosh'.

Aster's reaction, of course, did not go unnoticed by Marvolo. "I have always enjoyed watching your sword dances, Severus. Perhaps a demonstration is in order?"

Aster nodded eagerly.

"It has been a long time..." Severus replied, but even as he spoke, he was already removing his outer robes and rolling his sleeves up.

Aster watched as Severus at first tested the sword in his grip, swinging in it in different angles as if to get accustomed to its weight and feel again. Aster could immediately tell when her teacher went from practice to the real demonstration. Her teacher's dark eyes narrowed intensely, his center of gravity lowered, and was well balanced between his shifting stances. Aster's eyes glittered on how the blade swished through the air, sometimes moving so fast that it was just a blur.

It was no wonder Marvolo called it a sword dance. Severus treated the long sword as if it were a living extension of his arm. As the blade flashed and cut through the air, Aster could almost envision Severus' cutting down his imaginary opponents. A mid-level thrust to spear through the heart, a wide and low slash to sever tendons behind the knee, and a forward downward arch to behead the enemy. All the while, Severus' long legs carried him from one end of the room to the other in long, graceful strides, his body twisting and turning to meet imaginary parries and dodges. Severus's poise and mastery were so complete that at no time did he ever lose control of the blade.

Severus ended the deadly dance with a groin to head, upward slice that would easily disembowel a man. Having practically held her breath during the entire demonstration, Aster clapped excitedly. "That was wicked!" Aster crowed. "When will I be able to do something like this?" She turned expectedly towards her two teachers.

"Unless you take to the blood sports as fast as you do Quidditch, it will be many years before you reach this level of mastery," Marvolo answered honestly as Severus wiped down the blade and replaced it on the wall.