Chapter Seventeen: Shadow and Darkness.

Cheery music played from the phonograph as Phyllis danced around the room, her light green mermaid gown covered in various specks of glitter that made it fade into a forest green with golden snake patterns. Her costume was complete with a dark golden lip, eyeshadow with a snakeskin pattern, and golden heels with green snakes curled around them. Various emerald rings and earrings adorned the honey-skinned girl's body, her secret belly piercing even embezzled with an emerald and gold snake.

The brunette laughed as she glanced around the room, twirling in her heels and humming to the music as her chocolate gaze set on Aurora's frustrated form, a groan bursting forth from the blonde as she yanked the hairbrush through her tresses in a huffing fit.

"Need any help?"

Two pairs of eyes turned towards Druella Black as she exited their dorm bathroom and approached the annoyed Fawley heir, manicured fingers pulling the pink hairbrush out of the blue-eyed creature lover's hand before she could reply.

It seemed Aurora had been trying for the past hour to mimic the intricate Niffler updo Anastasia had showcased at the store a week back, unfortunately, the blonde had been preoccupied gazing at her costume to comprehend how complex the hairstyle really was. As luck would have it Druella happened to be great at hairstyles and thus started twisting the blonde's curls into an intricate half up and half down look.

With Phyllis ready, Aurora dressed in her knee-length Niffler-Esque dress and Druella adorning a short yet cute Golden Snitch outfit the trio seemed more than ready to head down to the common room and encounter their dates. However, the purebloods had one obstacle yet to surpass.

"Cordelia! I swear to Merlin if you make us late I will hex you!"

A tinkering giggle sounded from the bathroom as the Black witch in question hummed at her cousin's threat, unaffected by the scowls thrown her way as the teenager finished slipping on her gown and entered the dorm room.

The scowls were however replaced with smiles as Phyllis abandoned her twirling and rushed towards Cordelia, cooing at the witch and examining the outfit. Unfortunately, the Parkinson heir only encountered chocolate brown strands of hair as Lia sharply turned towards the mirrors and sought out her appearance.

A gasp echoed around the room as Cordelia turned towards the mirror, finally getting to glance at the dress Tom had picked out for her. It was a cape dress with lace overskirt and a thigh cut towards the right, the sleeves reaching her mid-thigh. The costume was as unique as its description, icy blue eyes memorizing new details the longer they lingered at the long black gown.

The cape gown was one-shouldered, her right shoulder and arm bare while the left one was covered with a lace sleeve, its cuffs reaching her thigh and astronomical print fitting Nyx's persona perfectly. Right above her right collar bone, a platinum choker faded into the dress's top, its position creating an illusion of a half necklace.

While the skirt had five different layers, it happened to be very thin and flowed around Cordelia as she moved, three of the five layers being pure black lace that mirrored the sleeve's pattern. Most of her body was covered with the skirt's initial two layers, however, the soft inner skirt halted right above her knees, the rest of her legs covered with the lace skirt.

A chunky black and silver belt nestled snugly against her waist, the leather almost digging into her ribs due to Ursula Couturière being a strict preacher for small waists and long hair. Cordelia didn't mind much, she was used to her mother adjusting her body to fit tight corsets and gowns over the years.

You don't alter Couturière to fit you, you alter yourself to fit Couturière.

"You look beautiful."

Druella's statement made Cordelia grin widely as she forgot about her mother's mantra and twirled before the mirror, her costume swirling around her ankles and creating an effect of a cloudy night due to the lace's patterns.

"Remember to thank Riddle, Lia."

The Black-McMillan heir giggled at Aurora's statement, finally turning away from the mirrors to put on her accessories.

"Should I do that before or after I thank late Madame Couturière?"

Phyllis snorted at the words, fetching the pastel pink bag containing Cordelia's accessories and shoes while the latter sat onto the armchair in their room. A smile overcame the brunette bookworm's features as she glanced at the dangling platinum earrings, sighing happily at the pretty rubies placed methodically over the wings-shaped ornament that vaguely replicated Nyx's wings.

Next came the long silver bracelet, starting at her wrist and ending halfway up her forearm. With several silver bands holding together a combination of crushed flowers, skulls, stars and a moon, the complicated design made Cordelia contemplate how Ursula Couturière came up with and created the bracelet, though her mind didn't dwell on it for long, instead focusing on something else.

The metallic jewellery felt cold against her skin as Cordelia put them on, the metal making the witch shiver and mutter a light warming spell.

"Are you ready yet?"

Aurora's question made the Black-McMillan heir bite her lip as she shook her head, the gesture making her friends groan as she walked forward and plopped down into the vanity seat in front of her cousin.

"Any ideas?"

The question made Druella laugh as she shook her head, realizing Cordelia frankly had no clue what to do with her hair. It was weird watching the know-it-all witch be so oblivious for once, the situation evidently being unideal as Phyllis and Aurora sighed and walked towards the Black duo.

Aurora grabbed a spare footstool and dragged it towards the three brunettes, grabbing a bunch of makeup products and swirling the vanity chair to face her as Druella took hold of her cousin's hair and Phyllis grabbed a filer and her wand, getting ready to magic the bookworm's nails.

Cordelia, on the other hand, simply laughed and kneeled in front, following the three witch's commands for the next few minutes.

When they were finally done the Black witch had on a simple grey and black smokey eye with a red undertone, eyeliner and an eyelash charm accentuating her ocean blue eyes. Her hair was tied into a simple half-up and half-down updo, a loose braid being adorned with a skull hair clutch that held a ruby between its teeth. Finally, her nails were done plain black with white constellations on them, her thumbs charmed to mirror the moon throughout the night.

"Thank you guys, seriously."

The trio nodding along to Cordelia's words, not noticing the nervous tinge in her voice as Druella fetched her black and gold flats while Lia wore her black and silver heels, the heel itself having a customized red pattern that spelt out Nyx in ancient Greek amidst an array of flowers.

Sighs and huffs echoed around the room as each girl rushed to clean up the area and ensure everything was in place, smiling at one another once they were done before finally heading out of the dorm room.

It seemed the four sixth year witches hadn't been the only ones delayed due to a mishap for several Slytherin girls wandered out of their rooms and down the hallway along with the four witches, the slight crowd making Cordelia sigh in relief.

No one seemed to catch on that the reason why Cordelia delayed getting dressed was due to going to the Halloween ball with Tom Riddle rather than her lack of inspiration for the costume.

After their previous encounter in Le Couturière and Tom's clear awareness of Lia's tendency to spy on his knights, the brunette was unsure whether she should tread carefully, pretend nothing happened, or simply face Riddle head-on. An image of the Slytherin head boy sneering down at her in middle of the ball found its way to her mind's front, the picture furthering her anxiety as she subconsciously clutched Druella's palm.

Before the Black heir could question her cousin's sudden hesitance the group reached the common room's entrance, a group of third-year girls scurrying out of their way as Aurora spotted Ignatius and immediately called out to him.

Cordelia couldn't bother paying attention to the others as her blue eyes met a particular set of almond ones.

Tom's POV.

She seemed different as she descended the stairs, pretty even. The dress fit snugly around her as she longingly glanced at her friends, sighing before she decided to walk towards him. Tom's eyebrows furrowed as he examined her, realizing he had in fact picked right, Nyx's costume fit Cordelia's essence perfectly.

Some would argue Erebos didn't sit well with him. Those lucky few had the pleasure of being unaware of his darker personality. But Cordelia didn't fit in that category, thus she cheekily grinned at him and trailed her sapphire eyes over his costume.

Most of his costume was obscured by a black cloak, the tips having swirling silver designs, however, the remainder of his body was clad in a black tuxedo. It was different than anything else Cordelia had seen, the jacket being printed with various symbols as its pocket was covered with a silver ruby broach. The majority of his costume looked simple to an onlooker, but the way the patterns twirled and mixed amongst each other made Tom's outfit stand out amongst others.

Simple, elegant, yet fashionable. Lia had suspected as much.

"You look beautiful."

Usually, a witch would be flattered by the compliment, however, the brunette bookworm narrowed her eyes at Riddle and leaned against the pillar opposite to him, the gesture subtly creating a bit of distance between them.

"Flattery will get you nowhere, Riddle."

Tom laughed at the statement, walking forward with a smirk until his frame towered over Cordelia's hesitant one. It was clear the witch was more on edge than usual, her right hand subtly resting against the secret pocket in her skirt that held her wand.

With her eyes narrowed, lips parted and palm curled around her wand Cordelia almost looked comical to Tom, yet he refused to mention as much.

Good, she should be scared.

Clearing his throat Tom reached out his left arm, offering it to her as he took a step back.

"But chivalry might."

Cordelia chuckled at the retort, abandoning her position beside the pillar and leaning forward to grasp his clothed arm, allowing the aspiring Dark Lord to lead.

A good amount of the Slytherins cleared out of the common room, about fifteen of them heading to Slughorn's party due to start in the next few minutes. While the Halloween ball would commence at ten pm and allow the students and facility to dance the night away, the Slug Club gathering would carry on through the evening.

The tight time schedule ensured that Tom couldn't dwindle for the night, and thus the misanthropic male commanded his knights to have a day to themselves. Needless to say, the blithering idiots cherished the lack of training and wandered the halls and common room with various witches, entertaining several females for the night.

It seemed only a choice few had settled on a date and stuck with them. Tom and Cordelia being part of that category.

"Thanks for the costume."

The Slytherin head boy raised an eyebrow at his partner's words, briefly looking at her as they exited the common room.

"We couldn't have you foolishly choosing a wrong costume, could we, Black?"

Lia scoffed at the statement, tugging at his arm as she briskly led them away from the mob of chattering snakes stationed around the common room's entrance.

It seemed the conniving witch refused to succumb to Riddle's taunts, her eyes trained on the corridor around them as she greeted various people passing by. Tom, however, refused to be ignored, and thus it was his turn to tug at her arm and lead them array.

"The party-"

"I'm not a dolt, Black, I'm aware the party isn't in a dusty old corridor."

His statement made Cordelia snap her jaw shut as she furrowed her eyebrows, detaching herself from him as she looked around the abandoned corridor and walked further down the dusty hallway. A porcelain hand reached into the secret pocket of her dress to fish her wand, a series of cleaning spells passing her lips to ensure the dust and dirt didn't ruin her costume.

In reality, Riddle knew she was simply taking her time to examine their surroundings, and in doing so subtly ignored his presence. Tom didn't mind, he was amused by how on-edge the witch seemed to be as of late. If he had known one simple revelation would get her this far, he would have mentioned her spying days ago.

But that was the problem. She was almost too skitterish. As if the brunette had something to hide. And Tom Riddle didn't entertain being out of the loop for too long.

"I went to the Restricted Section last night-" his words made Cordelia turn towards him, her wand still clutched in one palm.

"To retrieve a certain book. Yet the contents I was searching for weren't there, as if someone had burned those pages."

If he were someone else, Tom would have missed the way Lia's pupils dilated for a minor second, the tell a tale hint of recognition briefly flashing across her face before she set her mask back in place.

"Perhaps Dumbledore doesn't entertain your late-night endeavours. I wouldn't be surprised."

Her retort, though fraudulent, caused Tom to flinch as he walked closer towards her, his mind reeling at the prospect of the Transfiguration professor getting rid of the information on Horcruxes.

"It's a possibility, but I know someone else who would be more amused by halting my prowess. Someone who's awfully annoying and has a tendency to stalk me."

The statement failed to draw the reaction Tom sought, his words making Cordelia roll her eyes and step forward rather than scaredly cower.

"The extent of my keen attitude in regards to your late-night endeavours only lies on ensuring Orion is safe, do not flatter yourself with fraudulent presumptions. I'm not one of your inebriated harlots, Riddle."

His jaw clenched at her retort, a pale hand reaching out to grasp her arm and rotate their frames to the right, pushing the witch up against the wall before she could complain.

"Listen here, Black-"

Before he could continue Lia placed her wand on his chest and stung the misanthrope, a hiss passing Tom's lips as he began to speak yet again. However, he was stopped as Cordelia turned her head to the side and addressed a person Riddle hadn't noticed.

"The party's down the opposite hallway."

Cordelia's words made the unknown Slytherin witch sneer as she dared walk into the secluded corridor, her red hair and green eyes looking familiar under the moonlight. It seemed the girl from Le Couturière Riddle had been entertaining happened to weasel her way back to him.

"Tom, dear, why don't you come along to Slughorn's classroom, he's waiting."

Riddle scoffed at the statement, aware the party hadn't started yet. Pureblood witches were sometimes too doltish and self-assured for their own good.

"Leave us."

The words made the red-head falter as she opened and closed her mouth, mulling over his words before pathetically turning towards Cordelia with her wand drawn.

"You! You stole him from me!"

Yet again the brunette before Tom surprised the male as she burst out laughing, giggling at the stranger's statement as if the red-head had muttered a hilarious joke.

"Please, I couldn't care less whom Riddle chooses to whore around with. I'm merely here for the show."

Weirdly Cordelia's words made Tom frown as he stared at her, not sparing the other witch any thought as she scuttled away from them in a fit of rage. How was it that neither his charm nor his tough demeanour had any effect on the witch before him?

His mind ceased its whirring as Cordelia reached her left hand and placed it on Riddle's shoulder, tightly tugging at the boy's hair to draw his attention.

"Don't overthink my words, this facade will only last as long as Slughorn deems it important. Come tomorrow morning everyone will be too focused on the Tournament to ponder our sudden alliance."

Giving the wizard a once over with her painted blue eyes, Cordelia abandoned their position in the corridor and walked into the main hallway, throwing Tom an expectant look as he faltered.

Apparently, it would be harder to fool Cordelia than he originally expected.

Slow ballroom music blasted across the Great Hall as several couples descended onto the dance floor, each of them sparing the head boy and his date a quick glance before turning back towards their partner. Several people muttered regarding Riddle and Cordelia as they sophisticatedly twirled across the dance floor. It seemed the red-head witch had taken to keenly conversing about the incident that transpired a few hours ago.

By now the mass population of Hogwarts either thought Tom and Cordelia were dating or presumed they had another type of relationship. Needless to say, Professor Merrythought added fuel to the fire with her recollection of the duo 'kissing' in the hallway.

"This is all your fault."

Cordelia's grumble made her partner chuckle as he twirled her around his finger, turning her back to face him after a few seconds as his right hand rested in the bend of her waist. His other palm clutched her hand delicately as Tom drew closer, lowering his voice to barely a whisper.

"The redhead's claims don't say as much."

Her scowl depended as Lia tightened her grip on his shoulder, allowing Riddle to dip her at the same time as every other couple. By the crease in her eyebrows, it was evident Cordelia hadn't expected her partner to be aware of various traditional pureblood dances, however, the brunette was focused on other matters. Instead, she let out a huff as Tom pulled her up and drew her closer, slowing to a waltz as the song commenced.

"Merrythought's do."

Riddle shook his head at Lia's words, twirling her one final time and releasing her palm as the couples around them began clapping. The costumed Greek gods, however, subtly snuck off the dance floor before the professors could talk them into yet another dance.

"Slughorn must be delighted at the prospect of us being together."

Lia rolled her eyes at Riddle's words, uncomfortably squirming as his palm continued to rest on her wais. Tom seemed to be having the time of his life as he escorted her to the drinks table, pretending to miss the look of longing Lia threw towards her friends.

It seemed the Black-McMillan heir had gotten bored of hanging with him. Nonetheless, she turned towards Tom and replied as he fetched them butterbears.

"Was that your plan all along? Get me to come with you so that good old Sluggy will think he succeed in pairing us."

Regardless of the fact that Riddle hadn't thought as much, he smirked at Lia and allowed his gaze to wander across the hall, looking at the various figures around them.

Cordelia seemed to think his lack of attention was due to her catching on, and thus rolled her eyes for the umpteenth time as Tom guided her to their seats.

"You do realize I can shut the rumours down if I wish to do so."

Riddle smirked at her words, allowing Lia to sit as he leaned against the table.

"Then why don't you?"

His question made Lia squint her eyes as she glanced at her lap, realizing she was trapped. The blue-eyed brunette frowned as she glanced at her hands, unsure how to proceed.

Tom, however, had his attention diverted as he spotted a certain snake slithering near the Great Hall's doors, the sight of Nagini posing her head to strike an unknown Gryffindor making Riddle growl as he abandoned his position at the table.

"Excuse me, Cordelia, I'll be right back."

She nodded at his words, too busy relishing in his lack of presence to notice where he was going.

Orion keenly swooped in and stole his sister away right as Riddle left, the siblings dancing to an upbeat song with their group of friends as the night faded away.

Tom, however, was busy chasing Nagini up to the second floor.

Loud thuds echoed around the corridor as he ran after the snake, constantly hissing in Parseltongue to stop her. The serpent finally ceased her movements outside the girl's bathroom, the sight piking the Heir of Slytherin's interest as he knelt beside Nagini.

"What is it?"

The snake finally turned towards her master as she hissed a reply, asking him to open the door and see for himself. Unwilling to disappoint Tom pushed open the pastel pink door and walked in, awaiting any sign of someone else's presence before slowly turning towards Nagini.

"Well?"

The snake seemingly shook her head at his question and slithered towards the sinks, waiting until Tom joined her before she nudged her head towards a snake's symbol engraved in one of the sinks.

"Speak to it."

Riddle peculiarly gazed at his pet for a moment, contemplating what she was up to before he finally gave in and did as asked, kneeling down and muttering Parsletongue at the sink. For a moment, nothing happened, then the sinks shifted and turned into a gate of sorts, serpentine designs and patterns covering the white marble.

Tom Riddle gazed at the entrance smugly as he beckoned Nagini closer, smirking as he pet her head lovingly, for she had done it.

Nagini found the entrance to the Chamber of Secrets.