Antonio spent more than five hours teaching Lily. Since it was their very first session, he remained focused on two basic and primary objectives.
The first was to gauge Lily's raw talent and latent abilities. There was no doubt that she was an exceptional witch. Her track record, on how she had handled the Slytherin attack, had already proven as much.
However, the question in Antonio's mind was whether she was truly as capable as Minerva McGonagall claimed. Did Lily have the potential to transcend the limits of an "exceptional" witch and become one of the most powerful magical practitioners in all of Britain? To become a great witch?
And true to Minerva's deduction, Lily's talent was top tier. Her ability to comprehend the intricate workings of a spell and her natural grace in wielding magic were both flawless. Undoubtedly, she had been blessed by the magic itself.
The second objective was to teach her the reality of a true fight. Antonio emphasized that even with a vast arsenal of spells, a duelist is at an absolute disadvantage if they cannot cast in a flow or integrate their magic seamlessly. A duel was never about a single powerful spell but a mixture of spells producing maximum result.
Therefore, on this first day, he did not introduce Lily to new spells. Instead, he taught her how to integrate the spells she already knew to use them optimally in combat.
For example, he taught her a combination of Transfiguration and Levitation. He showed her how to transform a simple stone into an attacking weapon and simultaneously levitate it toward the enemy. Both are basic spells on their own, and Lily had known them for years, but their integrated execution makes them unexpectedly lethal. Similarly, he led Lily through more explanations and demonstrations of flow and continuity of spells in a duel.
By the time Minerva arrived to pick her up, Lily had completely exhausted herself and was on the verge of breakdown. And Minerva had been quite impressed to see her student in that state. It means she had worked hard.
After the tutoring session, Antonio returned to his manor where, not very unexpectedly, someone was already waiting for him. Bellatrix Black.
"Miss Black," Antonio greeted her with a raised eyebrow.
"Olario," she mumbled in a dissatisfied tone. "Where were you? I have been waiting for an hour."
Antonio shrugged.
"Busy with some work," he replied. "You do not expect me to remain holed up in my manor all day, do you? I have a great deal of business to attend to. If you had informed me earlier, I would have not made you wait."
Bellatrix snorted but did not reply. Antonio stepped through the wards with a shake of his head, Bellatrix trailing closely behind him.
As he led her into the house, he could sense a heightened agitation and irritation in her behavior. She was clearly frustrated, and although she was trying to suppress the urge to lash out, it was not difficult for Antonio to pick up on it. He had a very good guess as to what the reason might be.
They reached the main hall. Bellatrix propped herself on the sofa while Antonio took a seat opposite her.
"So," he questioned. "Are you here for business, or just to kill time?"
"Oh!" Bellatrix almost snarled. "Now even my arrival is becoming problematic for you?"
"The last few times I arrived, you did not ask if I was here to," she paused, her voice dripping with sarcasm and in an exaggerated tone, "...kill time.'"
Antonio chuckled. It was all the confirmation he needed to know his guess was accurate: Bellatrix was jealous.
"I was just joking," he said, earning a sharp glare in return.
Bellatrix took a deep breath to steady her emotions.
"By the way," she said, a minute trace of sarcasm hidden in her voice. "Congratulations on your betrothal."
"Thanks, I guess," Antonio replied with a small smirk and Bellatrix's irritation only grew further.
"But it is not really a genuine betrothal. It was merely a move to save Aurora. We can withdraw from the contract at any time."
"But will you?" she asked instinctively. "I mean, you have known each other for such a long time, and..."
She trailed off, then continued, "Soon this house will have a Lady, and I will be forced to justify my presence here with actual 'work.'"
"Oh, come now!" Antonio waved his hand dismissively. "You will always be my dear friend."
"Will I?" she questioned. "I guess, I should be grateful, then."
Antonio merely smiled and said nothing. It was quite amusing to see Bellatrix, the dreaded and the fearsome witch, getting jealous and throwing a tantrum.
"Tell me, Olario," Bellatrix said, her tone suddenly turning serious. "If I were in a situation similar to Aurora's, would you be willing to help me?"
"Why ask something like that?" Antonio questioned.
"Just answer the question!" Bellatrix almost snapped, her anger flaring.
Antonio raised both hands in mock surrender.
"Chill! Chill!" he said. "If you were in a situation like Aurora's, I would surely help you."
"Great," she grinned. "Then I assume you are helping me."
A confused expression crossed Antonio's face. "Helping you? What problem have you gotten yourself stuck in? Don't tell me your father is still pushing for Rodolphus Lestrange."
"Correct," she replied. "My father has not given up on his dream of marrying me off to Rodolphus."
"But why?" Antonio questioned, shock coloring his voice.
"After all that has happened? What does he even see in that idiot Rodolphus? His family has plummeted to rock bottom, and with Reinhart Lestrange dead, they have lost a significant amount of their influence."
"Convince my father of those things," she snorted. "To him, these are all temporary setbacks. The Lestrange family still stands strong, and according to him, it is only a matter of time before this blemish is washed from the family name."
"Besides," she whispered, her voice dropping, "there are quite a few people who believe that whatever Reinhart was doing was correct, that he was martyred. He is a hero to them. The supporters of the Death Eaters, you know."
Antonio nodded, though, his expression was of a little shock and Bellatirx giggled seeing him like this.
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