Chapter Nineteen: The Book Thief

After limping back to the heads dorm, dousing her room with powdered Murtlap essence, and collapsing on her bed Cordelia was looking forward to an uneventful morning that allowed her to sleep in and plague her mind with dreams far too good to be a reality.

However, what the brunette hadn't expected was to awake at the crack of dawn with her body aching and mind reeling with one thought.

"We start tomorrow. Be up early."

Cordelia didn't know what time was early enough for Tom Riddle, and considering the amount of healing and patching-up she would have to do that morning perhaps it was a good thing that she awoke so early.

If only she wasn't sleep-deprived, starving, and too wounded to care about anything except preventing herself from being subjected to more pain, maybe Cordelia would have taken the time to craft a physical image of herself that put on a facade of normalcy.

But she wasn't thus the brunette couldn't help but roll over with a groan as her half-open blue orbs scanned the bed for her wand.

The last time was easier.

She had Theodore who was more than happy to help her, just like he had every other time. But in her state, Cordelia was thankful for having made it from the seventh floor to the fifth without being found out. Going all the way down to the dungeons was an impossible feat that would have resulted in passing out on a moving staircase, which was why she was forced to take care of herself for the night.

The powdered Murtlap essence had done her some good.

It had healed the various cuts scattered across her form due to Sectumsempra, however, it couldn't do much about the throbbing ache lingering through her body.

Tom's Crucio had gotten stronger, that was for certain.

As Cordelia sat up in bed with a groan and shed her tattered uniform she couldn't help but think of the first time she had been subjected to a Crucio.

It was the summer of their fifth year when Melania wanted to teach her the importance of being able to shield oneself from every curse. The pain had been unbearable, but it wasn't until their sixth year, when Tom first used the curse on her, that Cordelia realised her mother was nothing compared to Riddle.

Because Melania's curse was weakened by the love she held for her daughter, while Tom's Crucio was strengthened for the deep hate reserved solely for her.

It was almost ironic how they had used the curse on each other a total of three times, yet Cordelia could still tell she would never be as good at casting it as Tom was. Because unlike him, she couldn't fathom putting someone through that sort of torture because of a school rivalry.

The cold from the tiles seeped well into Cordelia's form as she made her way towards the lavatory, going under the shower and turning it to the hottest temperature.

It stung to have her body undergo the near burns of the hot water right after a duel, but Cordelia had been taught well enough by her mother to know that cold water might ease your muscles, but it was warm water that helped your skin disinfect and cleanse.

Her mind ran back to their rivalry as Cordelia began scrubbing away at the dirt, blood, sweat, and tears staining her body, only stopping when the water sloshing around her feet had run brown and the expanse of her skin was clean enough to make a pureblood mother proud.

By the time she had dressed in her new uniform and cleaned up any mess or dirty sheets she had left last night, the sun had risen high enough to allow Cordelia to leave her room without having to cast a Lumos. However, even with the opportunity to leave the head girl remained stationed on her bed, choosing to focus on academic matters until she was certain Tom was up too.

It had taken him an hour or two, but after going over everything she needed for her meeting with Dumbledore later in the day, Cordelia finally heard the familiar knock of Tom Riddle standing at her door.

She wanted to wait, to have him get frustrated and annoyed and threaten her, but after the previous night's events, Cordelia was in no shape to retaliate if he did something, which was why she couldn't help but opt for a tactical retreat and open the door.

The two of them stared at each other for a moment, not saying anything as their eyes wandered over the other and noticed how seemingly put together they were. A pang of regret flashed across his features as Tom glimpsed the bruises and weariness she couldn't get rid of, but the flash of emotion passed as soon as it came, making room for his familiar sneer.

"We're leaving."

"Where?"

He didn't bother answering her question, simply holding the door open for Cordelia to walk out first.

He had taken her to Hogsmeade.

Cordelia would have almost been amused at their predicament if she wasn't so focused on keeping herself from freezing on the spot.

It had only been a month since she last left Hogwarts, but in her haste, she had completely forgotten about how cold the grounds could be near the first few months of the year. It wasn't really like Tom had given her enough information to allow her to put on a coat, but Cordelia should have known as much from the one he was wearing.

If only he hadn't confiscated her wand then maybe she could have cast a warming charm rather than finding solace in the slight warmth the strands of hair on her shoulders provided her with. But no, Cordelia was instead forced to trudge grumpily behind the head boy as he led them past the main street of Hogsmeade and towards one of the back alleys.

She didn't want him to notice how cold and miserable she was, yet Cordelia could seem to stop the shiver that rolled through her as she looked around them and tried to make sense of the situation.

It was only when she felt a sudden weight on her shoulders that Cordelia realised what was going on, and by then it was far too late to intervene. Maybe if she hadn't turned back to Tom the moment he placed his coat on her they wouldn't have been close enough for her to be able to see the flecks of gold in his brown eyes.

For a moment, one staggering moment, Cordelia genuinely thought he was going to seal their lips and with it her fate. But then the second passed and the rampant butterflies in her belly were replaced with the familiar tug of feeling like you were being pulled along with a hook on your naval.

He had Apparated them.

She didn't know where or why, but as their feet hit steady ground again Cordelia felt herself stumbling right into Tom's form, with his hands still on her shoulders and her pushed against his chest.

"Master Riddle, correct? Miss Travers will see you now."

The sudden squeak of the house-elf's voice had Cordelia whirling on the spot, feeling Tom's hand drop to her waist even as she did.

It took Cordelia a moment to recognise the somewhat small manor before her that was adorned with gargoyle statues and knight armours, but by then it was far too late to back out of whatever it was Tom had dragged her into. Thus Cordelia couldn't help but hiss out her words of disdain even as he lead them to follow after the elf.

"What are we doing at Tracy's manor?"

Tom seemed almost amused at her disdain but chose to hold off the mocking for later. Instead, he tightened his grip on her waist as if he was afraid she would run off the moment he looked away.

"The Travers have a tome kept in a dragonhide holder in the back of the library. I need you to take it while I speak to her mother."

"You want me to steal?!"

Cordelia couldn't help but nervously glance at the house-elf before them even as she whisper-shouted the words. However, her nerves seemed to ease as she felt the familiar wood of her wand slip into her hands.

"I want you to do as asked and collect the information I need. Now-"

Tom jutted his chin towards the staircase at the back of the foyer as they entered the manor, but refrained from loosening his grip until he was done speaking.

"-Don't get caught."

She lingered by his side for a second, watching as the house-elf walked towards the parlour at the other side of the foyer before quickly casting a delusion charm and making her way the staircase.

This was wrong, Cordelia knew it was.

Pranks and harmless law-breaking was one thing, but stealing from another pureblood family during daytime with no excuse as to why she was in their manor, to begin with, was another level in itself.

Yet as she stalked into the library at the back of the second floor, Cordelia knew that she didn't have a choice. It was either stealing a tome from the Travers or having her reputation go down the drain with Melania's following right after, and considering the magnitude of an effect it would have on their family, the right option was clear.

She would have to steal the tome.

The library was impressive, Cordelia would give them that.

The Travers were known to treasure their knowledge but weren't important enough to be able to afford a manor and library the size of families like the Blacks. Perhaps that was why it was easier for Cordelia to navigate her way through the house and to the back of the library.

It was finding the tome that proved as the real problem, for there were no books hidden within a dragonhide holder.

"Screw you, Riddle."

Cordelia began sifting through the shelves at the back even as she spoke, trying to ensure that she wasn't missing or overlooking anything. It was only when a good few minutes had passed that it finally clicked.

The book was in fact on the shelf, it was just hidden.

After all, a tome that held information important enough to not only be unavailable at the Hogwarts library but also be sought out by the likes of Tom Riddle was likely one that held secrets the Travers weren't willing to give up easily, even if it meant hiding it from the prying eyes of their children.

Unfortunately, while Tracy might have not been bright enough to see through her parents, Cordelia most certainly was.

"Revelio."

Cordelia couldn't help the wide grin that made its way onto her face as she noticed the new tome on the shelf before her, one that was pocketed in a black dragonhide holder. However, her happiness was short-lived as an unwelcome voice drifted to her ears from the window at the end of the library.

"Thank you for seeing me, Miss Travers."

Tom Riddle seemed awfully agitated as he began his walk towards the front gardens of the manor, prompting Cordelia to let out a huff as she collected the book, cast a Muffilato for safety measures, and ran out of the library at record time.

Cordelia couldn't help but regret never doing physical activities that didn't consist of dancing or duelling as she ran down the flight of stairs, secretly praying to Merlin that she didn't slip and break her jaw in her haste to get to Riddle. Stealing the book was one thing, but Cordelia couldn't possibly allow herself to get trapped in the manor.

Especially not when her accomplice wasn't exactly the type to save her.

However, thankfully, in a miracle only Merlin could have pulled off, Cordelia somehow slipped through the half-open door just as Tracy's mother walked back inside.

Cordelia couldn't help the small laugh that slipped through her lips as she came to a stop before Tom, with the tome he requested carefully cradled against her chest. He would deny it if she ever asked, but as the brunette reached forward to once again set his hand on the small of her back and Disapparate, Cordelia swore she could see a genuine smile on his lips, one that told her she did well.

However, any sense of appreciation vanished the moment they returned to the alley in Hogsmeade and Tom decided to speak.

"Well, you aren't so useless after all."

An annoyed huff left Cordelia's lips as she attempted to break away from his hold on her, which Riddle didn't take too kindly to. It was only when she was far enough to ensure he could reach out to her again that Cordelia slipped out of his coat and handed it back.

"I can make my way back on my own."

It wasn't wise to anger Tom Riddle, yet she couldn't help but rejoice in the ire flashing across his face as she began the trek back to Hogwarts.

Cordelia might have been working with Tom due to the circumstances, but she most certainly wasn't going to change herself because of it. Tom might have preferred to act as nothing had changed after last night's duel, but Cordelia would rather kneel than pretend for even a second that she thought of him as more than her enemy.

School rivalries apart, Tom Riddle had now unlocked a sense of hatred that Cordelia reserved for those she wished to ruin.

And ruin she would.