Chapter Five: A Little Revenge

Hogwarts was quite a peculiar place. It housed wizards and witches of great potential, as well as esteemed professors holding jobs far too inferior for their set of skills. Its grounds and castle were grander than most, each nook and cranny hosting a new secret to discover and a hidden area to pass onto friends. Over the years many had attempted to map such a majestic structure, yet most had come up fruitless, the dungeons being their most unsuccessful area.

For usually, Slytherins would ensure no other house attempted to sneak into their dungeons, placing hexes and curses across each passage, the severity of each spell increasing as the trespassers waltzed further into the snake pit. By their second year, each Slytherin was familiar with these curses and their countercurse, either by experience with the spells themselves or by lectures from their older siblings and friends.

And older Slytherins were always on the prowl with their friends to ensure none of their raven, badger or lion peers was severely injured. But today was different. Today the dungeons were left vacant as every snake took sanctuary in their common room, Slughorn's announcement being more important to them than their fellow students' safety.

"We have all keenly awaited further developments regarding the Triwizard Tournament."

This sentence itself was enough to silence each Slytherin, their gazes eagerly set onto the pot-bellied professor as he basked in their undivided attention.

"Fear not my snakes, for that wait is over! Starting this week each house' sixth years will be tested and put under the Tournament's exam. This will involve theory and practical exams. The order of the houses hasn't been disclosed yet-"

Murmurs broke out across the room as each snake discussed who might know what the order of houses was and what would be this mystery person's rate. Slytherins were known for their tendencies to grasp at any and every advantage, this included the portraits of ancient snakes cluttered across the common room. Slughorn's attempts to quieten his house were fruitless as they paid him no heed. That was, of course, until he once again spouted vital information.

"Fret not my snakes, for I am one of the three professors aware of the order. And you will be delighted to know Slytherin house will be done second, your exam due for the start of October."

Once again murmurs crowded the snake pit, yet this time they were excited and anxious rather than the previous trepidation.

After a month of silence from the professors, the sixth years finally received news that was quite frankly music to their ears. It made whispers coat the halls of Hogwarts as students and professors alike conversed about the new developments regarding the Tournament. The next morning, owls from Slytherin students were sent out left and right, each person querying their esteemed parents to assert further details regarding the Tournament, the date of a test not nearly enough for them.

"You shouldn't worry yourself so much, you'll do splendidly, all of us will."

Theodore and Ignatius glanced at Cordelia long enough for her to witness their eye roll before they once again busied themselves with the potions textbook in front of them, leaving Phyllis to reply to their overachiever of a friend.

"Lia, honey, not everyone's as much of a know-it-all as you and Riddle."

Cordelia snorted at this claim, turning back to stirring her porridge as she retorted. "That's because the rest of you are too busy eyeing either wailing men or wanton mistresses thus pay no heed to the professors."

"Well, we're sorry if we don't kiss ass."

Aurora gracefully placed herself in the arms of her betrothed (and recently made boyfriend) as she glanced down at the book alongside Ignatius while answering Cordelia.

"Rora, what would your mother say if she heard such crude language spilling forth from her only heir?"

The glare sent Lia's way almost persuaded the Black heir to think her friend was, in fact, angry, but the smile and wink sent after vanished such thoughts. Phyllis nudged Cordelia as the latter packed up her belongings, having explained her meeting with Tom and Slughorn prior to their current predicament. As Lia looked up, she received a quick chastise and warning to tread carefully around Riddle.

After the common room incident, Phyllis had an about-turn regarding her opinions on Riddle, the golden boy's persona evolving into something deeper than the young Parkinson had ever imagined. But Cordelia allowed Phyllis a little space to develop her own image of Tom, allotting her the opportunity to come to unbiased conclusions, ones that she couldn't blame Lia for.

Light clicks echoed around Tom as Cordelia approached his position at the end of the table. He presumed she wouldn't want anything to do with his group and retrieve him as quickly as possible, but his assumptions were wrongly placed.

"How are my two favourite brothers doing?"

Orion glanced at his older sister with a groan as she ruffled his hair, eliciting a chuckle from Rabastan and Cygnus, the latter retorting in his cousin's steed.

"We're your only brothers. And you forgot cousin."

Cordelia faked a gasp as she placed herself between Abarax Malfoy and Antonin Dolohov, turning her body towards Aldrich Avery. Some would presume the two would've chosen to ignore each other after their harsh break up last year, but the keen smiles and flirtatious yet limited greetings proved otherwise.

Lia and Aldrich (better referred to as Richy or Al) had been together from the third year to the brink of the sixth year, their relationship painting a picture of high school sweethearts. It was quite rare for a pureblood to be free from a betrothal contract, and even more exceptional for them to end up dating someone with the same lack of a conjugal contract. Which was why Al and Lia were expected to last throughout their school years and get married. These dreams were crushed when Lia lost love for Aldrich.

However, Avery had been kind enough to claim he cheated on Lia and was the reason for their sudden break-up. Which explained their neutral friendship.

"So, what brings you to this side of the table?"

Malfoy's question drew the eyes of the rest of Tom's gang as each of them eagerly awaited the reason behind Cordelia's sudden presence.

"I had to fetch Riddle, Slughorn awaits."

"Another one of your fancy potion classes?"

Lia snagged a bread roll and nodded towards Cygnus as an answer before stretching as she stood, her gaze set onto the silent form at the end of the table.

"Are you done yet?"

Tom Riddle was quite a queer person. He had an appearance and brain to rival many and appease to each female, yet his personality did little to elevate those traits. This was evident in his reply, or his lack therefore of as he simply stood up and walked out of the hall.

"Someone's cranky."

The group of Slytherin boys chuckled as Lia followed after Riddle, the girl munching on her bread roll as she walked.

The old potions classroom smelt of beetle eyes and lovage as Lia and Tom poured their mixture of crushed ingredients into their respective cauldrons, the potion turning a slight mint-like green after its new additions. The lumps of mashed newt tails occasionally popping to the top of the concoction increased Cordelia's disgust regarding her potion, but also intrigued her as she continued stirring it.

Slughorn had left his two most prized students to their own devices, leaving a book containing Veritasirum's between their two benches and promising to return after the two hours required for the potion. While their fellow snakes were busy undergoing an actual potions lesson, Cordelia and Riddle were sent to an old, rusty and minute classroom, one that hosted potions lessons from the early nineteen-hundreds.

The benches had been coated in various clumps of dust and doxies, each spot being tainted by a nefarious insect bite or foul spilt substances. With a flick of their wands, Tom and Lia had cleared their own benches as well as the ones surrounding them, the task being quick and efficient due to the minimal amount of desks.

"Could you pass the mortar and pestle?"

Tom merely moved aside to allow Cordelia's honey arm access to the instruments, moving back to his potion once she had grasped it. This pattern had followed throughout their time at the classroom, each choosing to ignore one another unless it was absolutely necessary. Frankly, Lia would have chosen to let things be the way they were, but the more unpropitious side of her personality ensured she would get her revenge however she could. That included ruining his potion.

The instructions for the first day were clear, grind the three different elements: beetle eyes and lovage, newt tails, and finally doxy eggs with a collection of herbs. These were to be added one after the other, a collection of stirs and occasional dashes of liquids or changes of temperature separating their additions. Lia was known for adding her own tricks while making potions, she never wrote them down, however, because they merely came to her.

Tom was the opposite, he would plan each step before executing it, something that was quite admirable but easy to tamper with. All it took was a distraction and a pair of swift hands. This was provided when Slughorn came to check in on them.

"Tom, Cordelia, how are we faring so far?"

Lia glanced at the professor in question, a humble response ready on the tip of her venomous tongue. "Quite nicely professor, however, I do think it will take a small part of the next lesson in order to stabilize the potion and leave it for the next day."

Slughorn nodded at this, turning to Riddle and questioning him on his take on the matter. Tom, ever the charismatic dolt, took it upon himself to engage in a thorough conversation with Slughorn, their topics ranging from his potion to the Slug Club and back.

With a swish of her wand, a muted murmur Cordelia had successfully heightened the flames placed under Tom's potion, ensuring his beetle eyes would pop from their position at the base of the potion. The flames were meant to be a steady orange to allow the eyeballs to melt and be whisked into the mint green potion, but with Riddle's flames current position as a light blue, the eyes popped, creating uneven bubbles on the top.

This also affected the newt tails, their slimy skin baking in the new heat. Her success although short-lived was enough to ensure Riddle would fall back in his prowess with the potion, ensuring he would not only be a day behind Cordelia but also a step under her in regards to the Tournament.

"Tom, my boy, it seems your potion isn't quite what it should be. No worries, I'll leave you to fix it."

A frown and disappointment were quite evident in Slughorn's voice as he moved onto Cordelia's potion, examining it and giving his tone an about-turn as he praised her work.

"Miss Black, you might do well assisting Tom with his potion."

A smirk glazed Cordelia's face as she turned towards Tom, a sneer and scowl meeting her egoistical expression.

"Do you need anything, Riddle? I'll be happy to help."

He growled out a quick 'no thank you' as Cordelia continued stirring her potion, packing up her ingredients and leaving the classroom in a flurry of snickers and flashing black clothing.

The common room bustled with noise as each snake traded information and polite conversation. Lia quite easily spotted her group of friends lounging in the right corner of the room, each of them taking up spots on the couches and armchairs. Phyllis had taken up a spot on the comfy armchair' arm, her dignity too high to allow herself to settle onto the pristine black rug running beneath them.

"Any new information?"

Theo, Druella and Ignatius glanced up from the letters each of them were clutching, their families seals evident on the envelopes' placed onto the dark wood table amongst the pieces of furniture dedicated to human bodies.

"Mother happened to score a pot of gold with the Minister of Animal Welfare, he always took too kindly to her."

Cordelia was already informed on the peculiar affinity the middle-aged man held for her aunt, but she wasn't aware this could lead to an advantage. Her form glided towards Druella as she placed herself onto the armchair's arm, choosing to lightly lean her body onto the material as she examined the letter.

Swift as a mouse Druella hid it, looking up at Cordelia with a pensive glance. "The information isn't really good Lia."

At this a frown replaced the Black heir's smile, her perfectly manicured nails tapping a rhythm onto her thigh as she gazed onto Druella expectantly.

"Ella, I can take it."

As much as she knew her cousin's power to withhold information, Lia also understood Druella's tendency to put family before advantage, something that was direly respected. And allowed her the information she required.

"Well you see, to pass the test and get into the Tournament-" each of the members of their group keenly locked their gazes onto Druella, the newfound interest clearly indicating Ella had awaited Cordelia's presence before disclosing her piece.

"To get in, you need to face a few monsters for the DADA test. And two of them are werewolves and Dementors."

Each of the purebloods' jaws went slack, the people eavesdropping on their conversation choosing to join it with a series of insults. Everyone was aware these two particular animals were quite difficult to face, and SLytheirn was known as the house with the least amount of successful Patronuses.

Even though this information affected most of the house, Cordelia was aware she could produce a Patronus, and so could Theodore, Druella, Ignatius and Phyllis. What made the information so important, was that a good chunk of Slytherin's best students couldn't afford to produce even a corporal Patronus.

And one of them was Tom Marvolo Riddle.

A smirk coated Cordelia's face as she looked upon the lieth form that entered the common room, her eyes trailing Abarax's form as he went to inform Riddle of their current predicament.