Chapter Thirty-Three: Mother Dearest

Everyone finally seemed to be happy.

The seventh-year Slytherins had made peace with each other and finally settled down, with the purebloods collectively moving forward from the whole start of the year scandal to focus on more important matters: the sudden unity of the faces of their house.

Obviously, there were things Cordelia couldn't tell them, like how her relationship with tom was one-sided and how she never intended to be his dark lady, but it was still peaceful and over time she had gotten used to her schedule. One of lies and deceit paired with a sense of calmness that could only be found in the eye of a storm.

A storm known as Tom Riddle.

After the events in the Room of Requirements Tom too seemed content with remaining docile for the winter break, as if the Crucio and everything after was a cease-fire of sorts. The situation had seemed almost too good to be true but after a week of blissful tranquillity, Cordelia had gotten somewhat used to their truce of sorts.

Even Orion seemed content with the way things were, choosing to ignore the events that occurred that night to instead put on a farce of tranquillity that the rest of the Slytherin boys were quick to follow.

Thus, it was safe to say everyone finally seemed to be happy. Everyone but Cordelia.

And apparently, so was Melania McMillan.

Cordelia had never been one to question her parent's decisions. The act of docility was something every pureblood child was taught at a young age, a skill that made it easy to simply bat an eye and move on the second Arcturus asked his children to remain at Hogwarts for the winter break.

The young witch had been perfectly fine with continuing her studies over the break and remaining at Hogwarts with the likes of Tom and Theodore, the few purebloods who had chosen to stay as well. In fact, the winter had so far become somewhat of a peaceful ordeal.

Up until Melania McMillan showed up at the head common room one fine morning.

When Arcturus had initially asked them to stay back for the winter break, Cordelia had presumed he simply needed some time to himself, perhaps there was a ministry deal that needed tending to which couldn't be dealt with in the presence of children.

If worst came to worst, perhaps the ministry was yet again conducting a raid at the manor.

What she hadn't thought of, however, was the possibility of her parents' affiliations with Grindlewald finally coming back to haunt them.

"Your father's a suspect for the ministry."

Melania's voice had never sounded as dreadful as it did then, with the way she sunk to the couch in the centre of the head's dorm only serving to solidify the image of apprehension.

"They think he's involved in the lord's recent uprisings."

Cordelia let out a small sigh at her mother's words, yet even as fear lingered at the back of her mind she surprisingly felt a wave of calmness wash over her. The Blacks weren't foreign to the ministry's ministrations and had gotten used to the occasional prod or two over the years, thus she didn't quite understand why her parents were so shaken now.

"Have they called upon him?"

"Not yet. But that's not why I'm here, Lia."

Melania abandoned her seat as she spoke, reaching out a shaky palm to clasp that of her daughter's.

"The Lord has assigned you a task."

Her wave of calmness withered away almost as soon as it had arrived, instead being replaced with a gripping fear that had Cordelia's mind reeling as she revelled in her idiocy. Of course, her parents would have never been shaken by the ministry's involvement. However, it was the threat of having a target painted on their daughter that had them scrambling like so.

As her mother's words sunk in, Cordelia couldn't help but think back to her task at Beauxbaton and the life she took. It hadn't quite caught up to her that she was a murderer up until Grindlewald reappeared in her life, but even as panic struck her heart, she was certain of one thing.

Tom couldn't know.

"Not here."

Her grip on her mother's hand tightened as she spoke, urging Cordelia to quickly flee the dorms with Melania by her side. Casting the disillusionment charm was almost a second habit by then, yet even with the safety of the magical blanket Cordelia couldn't help but feel a sense of dread clutch at her heart as she wordlessly led her mother across the castle and towards the only place she could use as a safe spot.

The Astronomy Tower.

The older blonde woman was more than happy to slump against the window and gaze upon the grounds below them as Cordelia cast charm after charm to secure their privacy, only turning to face her once the shuffle of Cordelia's shoes had come to a stop.

"The Lord wants you to keep an eye on Dumbledore."

"Why Dumbledore?"

Cordelia already knew the answer to her question, yet as she leaned against the far end of the circular room she couldn't help but hope she had been mistaken, that Grindlewald wasn't looking to revive old wounds and heal them with spilt blood.

"They're making a move, Lia, and it's big. I think- I think this is it. This is what we've been leading up to all these years, these decades."

Melania's tongue darted out to wet her lips as she spoke, but even that wasn't enough for Cordelia's eyes to break away from the crazed stare lingering within her mother's eyes, one that was far too similar to the way Tom's knights looked like when they spoke of him.

"This is our final stand-still, Lia. And don't you feel honoured to be part of it? To aid our lord? To bring the wizarding world the glory it deserves?"

Cordelia hadn't even noticed her mother had crossed the room and was before her until she felt a bruising grip on her left elbow, one that seemingly brought her back from the dazed realm of confusion she had travelled to.

"Don't you feel honoured to be able to help your parents strike the final blow?"

"Mother-"

If she had heard her daughter's voice, Melania clearly chose to ignore it and instead press forward, with her grip tightening and voice rising in a way that had Cordelia questioning just how blurry the lines of her parents' devotion were.

"To finally purge our world and-"

"Mother!"

This time Cordelia allowed herself to use a more assertive tone as she wedged her palm between the two of them, slightly nudging Melania away in a motion that was far too light to cause any real harm yet enough to seemingly bring her mother back to her senses.

Yet even as Melania let loose a string of apologies and clutched her head with a soft sigh, even as the older witch pulled out her hairpin and a familiar curtain of blonde hair fell across her mother's shoulders in an attempt to ease her mind, all Cordelia could think of was that look.

That crazed, haunting look that was often plastered across the faces of prisoners of Azkaban. A look filled with madness and indescribable urgency, the kind that had little children cowering in corners as the adults wondered just how far gone the person before them was.

A look of judgement, one that instilled fear within the hardest hearts as the person condemned to the gaze wondered just what they had done wrong, what had led them to fall prey to a crazed predator.

A look of blind devotion.

It was Cordelia's turn to sink to the ground as she blindly clutched at the back of her neck, allowing her nails to sink into the soft flesh in an attempt to replace her apprehension with a sharp pain that could clear the sudden cloud of fear before her.

Grindlewald was making his big move, and Albus Dumbledore was to become the catapult they needed to instigate their ideals of what was an optimal wizarding world. That fact wouldn't have bothered Cordelia as much as it did if it wasn't for one staggering detail.

Her relations with Dumbledore.

Albus Dumbledore had always been an important figure in Cordelia's life. He was the wizard who had guided her and helped transform her from a wounded snakelet in foreign territory to the queen of serpents. The one who had taught her healing charms as well as stinging curses to use against the other houses.

He had educated her, and in doing so transformed her from just another pureblood witch to the Slytherin who understood, the one who didn't just blindly follow the ideals of purity but used them as a way to mark her place in the world.

He was the man who had unknowingly become the father figure she had always needed, someone who replaced her father who was never quite there for her and undeniably become family for Cordelia. But would she really betray her family for a professor?

Cordelia knew what her answer should have been, but after years of thinking of Dumbledore as her father, she also knew what her answer really was.

Yes. She would betray her father's trust for the man who was there for her when Arcturus wasn't.

The way the thought solidified Cordelia's gaze fell flat when presented to Melania, who simply thought of her daughter's newfound resolve as determination to do as asked, to become what she and Arcturus had always wanted Cordelia to be: the weapon that would change it all.

"Tell the lord I accept."

Her reply was enough for Melania to abandon her state of mania and once again instil the appearance of the prim and proper pureblood wife she was known to be, yet even as she watched her mother leave, all Cordelia could think of was Dumbledore, and the hidden path she was due to follow.

Cordelia had never been one for farces, but as she left the Astronomy Tower and began her journey to the second floor, she couldn't help but feel a crippling sense of anxiety. Apparently, having confrontations with one Dark Lord wasn't enough, for fate planned to tangle Cordelia up in the webs of another as well.

She just hoped Grindlewald wouldn't be as pressing as her resident bane of existence.