Chapter 39: Chapter Thirty-Eight: Vexatious Dark Lords
The golden chamber looked different as Cordelia entered it for the second time that day.
Perhaps it was due to the setting sun and Slytherin boys clustered near the window, or perhaps the serpent had more time to analyze the room without her mind set on injured tyrants.
Whatever was the case, Cordelia presumed it was highly influenced by the newspaper crumbled in her left fist.
Rivals or Lovers with Quarrels? What do the Hogwarts champions truly mean to one another?
The title itself was enough to have the pureblood princess lose control and set the newspaper ablaze. By the time Cordelia had gained her senses, the article was too burnt to be legible, yet two words were clearly visible, and those were enough for her.
Natalie Porter.
The name itself was enough to make Cordelia let out a feral growl as she took a detour towards the hospital wing, the sharp clicks of her shoes and burnt paper being enough for people to scutter the other way.
Out of all of the events involved in the Tournament, she was worried about the champions' interview the least. Perhaps that was why Cordelia had let her guard down enough to influence such slander.
The enraged serpent couldn't stop thinking about Riddle's involvement in the article as she strode through the palace, her thoughts becoming wilder and more profound as her rage grew. It wasn't until she walked into the hospital wing and saw the Dark Lord and his knights that her rage subsided and made way for rationality.
Her mind focused on another incident of the past as Cordelia's gaze set upon Theodore and Rodolphus, noticing how they nervously glanced between her and Tom as the latter continued whispering.
Melania knew.
If having her classmates and teachers presume Cordelia and Tom were courting wasn't enough, her mother, the oldest Black wife and the sole heir of the McMillan household, was somehow aware of the article. Dread rushed through her veins as Cordelia wondered whether her father was aware of the article, and whether that was the reason for his anger.
The more she thought about it, the more it made sense.
Arcturus Black might have been a vengeful wizard, but he was always remotely nice towards his children, and usually didn't bother with insults.
For him, it was all in the stares. In the way he would glare at them when they got a bad grade or talked to mudbloods. In the way he would simply look at them as a warning not to screw things up, only ever getting physical if Cordelia or Orion truly messed up.
Arcturus Black might have been a monstrous man, and an abusive father, but he was never one to beat them down for good things.
Unless, of course, he wished to mentally weaken them as punishment for their insolence.
While Natalie's scandalous tales were in no way Cordelia's fault, a part of the young snake ouldn't help but wonder whether the article would have been printed had she simply avoided Tom that day.
"Ah, you read it."
Her hazy, unfocused pools switched towards the three boys across the room as Theodore and Rodolphus made their way towards Cordelia. They didn't bother with conversation, simply sending her worrisome glances as they exited the hospital wing, leaving the Hogwarts champions in the golden chamber.
"Did you know?"
Tom shrugged, allowing a lazy smirk to stretch across his lips.
"I had my suspisions."
She didn't bother replying to him, choosing to simply roll her eyes and walk towards his bed, balling up the newspaper and aiming for the bin.
"Are you perhaps ashamed, Black?"
Cordelia's gaze whipped towards him frantically as Tom broke away from the window, walking towards her like a predator stalking prey.
"Are you embarrassed at having everyone think of us courting? Does it boil your blood to have me dubbed as your suitor?"
She narrowed her gaze at his form, letting out a scoff and tightening her grip on the crumbled paper yet holding her tongue as he paused in front of her.
"To have me win?"
The statement made her lose control as Cordelia met his muddy gaze with an icy glare, allowing the burnt parchment to fall onto the white marble. For a moment the witch couldn't help but feel scared, but the second passed as quickly as it came and was replaced with a mask of hostility.
She could have nearly persuaded Tom of her disdain if she hadn't taken a step back and furrowed her brows subconsciously.
"I will never be with you, Riddle, regardless of what lies you feed them."
Tom scoffed, closing their distance yet again as he sneered out threats.
"Good luck finding another."
This time she didn't bother with fraudulent masks, her anger being strong enough to take control of her tongue.
"Not everyone is afraid of you."
"That's the difference between us, Black. You have friends and loyalty while I have knights and respect."
As he spoke, Tom sneered at her, his voice taking on an odd tone.
"We might be equals in academics, but you're slow when I'm fast and hesitant when I'm assured. You're weakened by things that make me stronger-"
he yanked onto her arm, pulling her closer to him as he barely whispered the last words
"yet you're insufferably persistent when I turn to anger."
The words left Cordelia in a puddle of confusion, giving her no time to respond as he continued.
"All these years I've presumed I don't need another, but perhaps I was wrong to dismiss you so easily. Perhaps having a Dark Lady is optimal."
Cordelia furrowed her brows at his words, her confusion making his patience dwindle by the second.
"For Merlin's Sake, Cordelia, you're either with me or against me."
His remark made her gasp as the blue-eyed witch finally let go of her confusion, replacing it with shock.
Over the six years they had know one another, Tom had never, not even by accident, referred to her by her name. A part of her thought it was fitting he would use it the one time he decided to somewhat court her, but another part, a more sceptical part, couldn't help but wonder what tricks he had up his sleeve.
This was Tom Riddle, after all.
"What makes you think I want to accompany you?"
Tom let out an exasperated sigh as he tightened his grip, lowering his head to meet her azure gaze.
"It wasn't a question."
The statement brought Cordelia back to their time at Hogwarts, when Tom had cornered her in a classroom and confessed a series of conflicting emotions.
The moments seemed to be a lifetime apart, but Cordelia couldn't help but see the similarities between them.
Much like before, Tom wasn't asking her to be with him romantically, he was asking her to accompany him through his reign as a Dark Lord. The brunette despot had no romantic feelings for her, and simply thought her worthy of being equal to him.
The revelation saddened Cordelia for reasons she couldn't quite comprehend.
It was true that Tom was the only male she could see as her equal if not superior, but in doing so Cordelia had painted an absurd image in her head, one that became clearer with the second task's events.
An image of their future outside of Hogwarts.
But with time slipping through her fingers and Tom growing increasingly impatient, she couldn't do much except steady her thoughts and compose herself physically, putting on a cover of smugness as she replied.
"You might need me, Riddle, but I have no interest in assisting you."
"And what of Orion? And Nott and Lestrange? Would you let them suffer out of spite?"
Tom scoffed as he took a step back, making sure he had her undivided attention as he continued.
"You might have your doubts, Black, but my knights remain undeterred and utterly loyal."
Cordelia let out a sneer, breaking away from his hold as she thought about the consequences.
It wasn't hard to deal with Riddle alone, but they both knew she would never let her brother and friends get thrown into his games.
Tom Riddle might have been a vexatious sociopath restricted to the bounds of Hogwarts, but his manipulative tendencies had everyone wrapped around his bloody little finger, including the friends and family she cared for dearly. At the end of the day, Cordelia had everything to lose while he had everything to gain.
"Visitation hours are now over, Miss Black."
Madame Brin's adenoidal voice caused the Slytherins to tuck away their glares and return to their usual personas as the older lady waltzed around the room, summoning remedies and discarded vials as she went.
Cordelia didn't bother waiting for another warning as she sent Tom a final glare and retreated towards the hospital wing's golden gates.
"Wear something black for the Yule."
She threw a glare over her shoulder, his smirk and Madame Brin's look of surprise being the last thing Cordelia saw before she walked away. As she slammed the doors shut, she couldn't help but wish his stupid head was trapped between them.
Tom seemed content with her retort and curtly nodded towards the golden gates as the French woman ushered him to the bed, seeming as conflicted as Cordelia.
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