Chapter Eight: Perception

Cordelia had tried to avoid her new friends as much as possible.

She had tried to stick with the mobs of green and silver and attempt to blend in even as some of her snakes betrayed her with sneers and mocking mentions of her new friends, but somehow Augusta just couldn't get the message.

If she was being honest, Cordelia couldn't really blame her. The Fawleys weren't exactly the brightest flames and prioritised learning about creatures over understanding social cues and a person's mannerisms. That was perhaps the only thing common between Augusta and Aurora.

While one Fawley persistently followed Cordelia around the halls in hopes of blossoming a friendship doomed from the start, the other chose to hide behind Ignatius's frame every time Cordelia so much as glanced her way. Aurora had never had bad blood with the Black heir, but her mannerisms certainly convinced the snakes otherwise, making it much harder for Cordelia to explain herself to them.

She didn't exactly understand why she couldn't be loyal to her house and fraternize with Ravenclaws, but Cordelia was aware that a potential friendship wasn't worth her house possibly dethroning her.

The success of the Triwizard Tournament had seemingly been trumped by Cordelia's supposed betrayal and split Slytherin into two; the ones who wished to ostracize Cordelia and the ones who were too scared or attached to see their queen go.

Thankfully, Druella, Theodore and Phyllis fell into the latter.

In a way, Cordelia's antics had split their group further, making it clear that Ignatius and Aurora would insistently hold onto their grudges until Cordelia did something about it. Unfortunately for all of them, the Slytherin Queen was far too petty to apologize for something she couldn't and wouldn't control.

"Just apologize."

"For what, being too good for them?"

It was rude, Cordelia was aware of that.

She was being rude and conceited and perhaps a little narcissistic, but Cordelia felt it was only fair she would be allowed to express her emotions if Aurora was allowed to do the same. Druella heavily disagreed with her logic, but even as Cordelia watched her cousin walk away with a small groan, she didn't do much except frown and contemplate whether it was inf act time to forgive Aurora.

Two weeks certainly was enough time to get back into the hang of Hogwarts and earn most of the house's trust back, but apparently, it wasn't nearly enough for Aurora, who apparently couldn't bear to be around Cordelia for longer than five seconds without desperately clutching onto her beloved Ignatius for comfort.

It irked her how everyone seemed to empathise with the blonde while Cordelia was yet again asked to be the bigger person and forget and forgive.

Unfortunately, refusing to do so also meant a subtle drift in their group's dynamics as the three friends who remained with her physically and figuratively began to drift away.

"This is a little too drastic even for you."

"Try telling them that."

Tom Riddle scoffed at her words as he reached an elbow towards Cordelia, waiting for her to accept it before they began to head back to the Head's dorms and away from the dungeons they once considered home.

The only seemingly good thing that had happened to Cordelia during the start of the seventh year was a blossoming friendship of sorts with Tom Riddle.

At first, it had started as a facade. Cordelia knew Augusta and Olivia weren't particularly fond of the head boy, and thus chose to stay beside him as much as possible in hopes of driving them away. Riddle had caught on faster than she would have liked, but apparently, he didn't mind the company and was also using her to ward off a certain someone.

She knew it was peculiar, but at the back of the mind Cordelia couldn't help but wonder whether that person was Tracy Travers; the girl Tom had apparently taken a liking to after his defeat in France.

"Perhaps if you hadn't strained a previously wounded friendship the Slytherins wouldn't be so hard on you."

Tom's words were true, Cordelia knew that. If she had only chosen to control herself on the train and return to Druella's side perhaps her loyal friends wouldn't have taken to avoiding her like a mud-riddled muggle, but Tom didn't have to know that she agreed.

"You're just jealous you don't have any real friends."

It was an absurd rebuttal, one that had the head boy chuckling with the overly fake laugh he saved for the public. However, the sound of his bemused laughter heavily contrasted his malicious whispers a moment later.

"At least the company I keep don't run away due to fear of my success, forcing me to instead seek out others who would desperately cling to it."

The statement was peculiar, to say the least.

Augusta and Olivia might have been a lot of things, but Cordelia was certain they weren't the type to use a stronger witch for social statuses.

"You're wrong."

Their footsteps echoed around the fifth floor's corridors for a few more seconds before Cordelia finally tugged on Tom's elbow, forcing him to justify his words.

He remained quiet for a moment, simply rolling his eyes as if the witch before him was an exasperating little child asking him an obvious question, but when he finally spoke, Cordelia couldn't help but wish he hadn't, for his words held more truth than she would have liked to admit.

"Outside of the train, when was the last time they approached you privately, or perhaps extended an invitation meet that took place behind closed doors?"

"We've only known each other for two weeks."

"Yet-"

Tom took a step forward, tilting his head down with a taunting smirk

"-they chose to introduce you to their side of the Great Hall and left out the dorms."

He didn't bother saying more, choosing to instead move past Cordelia's irritated form.

The two remained silent for a little while, with Tom working open their dorms' doors and Cordelia contemplating his accusations that were far too obvious to ignore.

When she finally spoke, Cordelia couldn't help the self-doubt that eased into her words.

"You could be wrong."

"Or I could be right."

The door opened, allowing the two to enter and set their book bags down on the common room's couches.

"Why don't you see for yourself?"

Tom's suggestion was incredulous, Cordelia couldn't exactly force her new friends of sorts to meet in private without making rumours fly or causing a scene, but the smug grin he threw her way was enough for the brunette to abandon any rationality and stalk towards his side of the room with a tight-lipped frown.

"Maybe I will."