Chapter Forty: Troublesome Balls

Black robes seemed to make everything perfect when it came to Riddle.

It didn't matter that his hair was messy due to the crowd of students bustling around them, or that the glare plastered across his face was the worst death glare Cordelia had ever faced. For with black robes, Tom Riddle was as good as royalty.

Some would think Cordelia intricate dress and robes would somehow affect the tyrant's mood, but the lose black bodice embellished with gold seemed to be working against her.

Apparently, Riddle didn't appreciate his partner being adorned in Gryffindor colours, regardless of how sparse the gold was.

Surprisingly the occupants of the banquet hall seemed oblivious to their inarticulate banter, their eyes too busy racing over the three couples dancing in between the room. Each eye keenly attempted to spot mistakes and faulty steps from the champions.

Estelle and Danka were doing good enough, his white coat complimenting her icy blue gown perfectly as the short couple waltzed through the room with ease, each twirl showcasing a new design on Estelle's gown.

Camilla and Magnus were akin to a Thestral and Hippogriff forced together; one was deadly yet seemingly non-existent with her forced smiles and sharp steps, and the other was joyfully jumping around at everyone new beat.

Tom and Cordelia were regarded as the optimal combination of their fellow champions, deadly yet perfect. The two waltzed around the chamber like the pythons they were. Curling around each other to rare their fangs and deliver a lethal blow and twirling away to tend to themselves before once again repeating the process.

Black, gold and silver intertwined in a hypnotizing swirl, one that had the chamber falling for their lies and fraudulent masks.

Cordelia would be lying if she said she wasn't enjoying herself as she twirled in Tom's arms yet again, not bothering to gaze at the room but also actively heeding their reactions to each move. Her delight was directed more at the gold instruments playing a gentle yet speedy tune than the tyrant spinning her around for the umpteenth time.

Although the Dark Lord didn't seem interested in the details as the song approached its end, making Cordelia let out a sigh and slowly pull away from the brunette. She had hoped Tom would be more openly spiteful towards her dress, so much so that the crowd, or at the very least the Slytherins, caught onto what was going on, but Riddle's facade remained unwavering.

Both of them were aware of each other's feelings and secret death glares, but that didn't stop Tom from tightening his hold on Cordelia into a vice-like grip as the song finished, a slower one starting up right after.

"Don't you dare."

Cordelia rolled her eyes at his comment as she adjusted her footing to accommodate the new song.

"Wasn't even thinking about it."

Annoyance eased through her body, but no one seemed to notice let alone care, as the dance floor flooded with excited couples and clusters of friends.

Even her brother and Druella, the two people Cordelia presumed would understand, simply stared at her in surprise and confusion when she entered the Banquet Hall with Riddle on her elbow.

Everyone else pretty much mirrored their expressions, all except Theodore, who gave Cordelia a sad smile as she passed the dejected brunette and bubbly Yaxley. It made sense that he would understand, after all behind the curls and interest in medicine was an observant extrovert many overlooked.

However, even Theodore wasn't enough when it came to Riddle.

Cordelia didn't know what she was expecting, perhaps a childish part of her had hoped her friends would somehow steal her away from Tom after the first dance, but she was oh so wrong, for the Dark Lord was keen on disregarding her happiness for his prestige.

Unfortunately for him, a certain French boy was ill-informed when it came to Tom Riddle, and given the circumstance, could do as he saw fit.

"Lia."

The look of annoyance on Tom's face and heavy French accent made Cordelia smirk as she turned towards the side, halting the dance to smile at one Antoine Ravenport.

"Would you like to dance?"

"I would love to."

She quickly uttered the response before Riddle could stop her, and pulled the French boy into a slow waltz just as Tom registered something except his sheer anger.

The short moment was enough for several witches to swarm Tom with requests to dance. In the end, he couldn't do much except accepting the hand of a lovely French witch as he glared at Cordelia throughout the rest of the song.

"You didn't seem very happy with Riddle."

Cordelia was surprised at Antoine's impromptu observation as they twirled farther away from the fuming Dark Lord. She was certain her true feelings had only slipped through fleetingly throughout the dance, but that was apparently enough for someone like Antione, a French boy who barely knew her, to catch on.

"We had a disagreement concerning my dress."

Antoine furrowed his brows and tightened his grip on her waist as he dipped her, making Cordelia's skirt twirl around her legs and showcase hidden golden patterns.

"It seemed too heated for a dress."

Cordelia let out a genuine laugh at his statement, making a small smile slither over his confusion.

"You'd be surprised."

If Antoine had done his research he would know exactly who he was messing with, and would perhaps scuttle away to the shadows like the Hogwarts boys, dejected frowns being his only weapon against Tom Riddle's expert verdict. But the joyous French wizard remained oblivious to the situation he had stumbled into, and Cordelia was beyond thrilled with it.

She could do damage control and fill him in later, but for then she was keen on enjoying the Yule Ball with her friends.

"Would you do me a favour?"

The oblivious boy was all ears as she leaned closer to him and lowered her voice.

"Don't let Riddle steal another dance."

Antoine smirked, seemingly understanding bits and pieces of her situation. It was enough for him to run away with his tail between his legs, but it was good enough at that moment, for it allowed caution and determination to spread across his features.

"Only if you did me one in return."

Cordelia raised an eyebrow in surprise but nodded nonetheless, ignoring the cautious voice whispering at the back of her head.

"Meet me at the clearing in the woods after the Yule."

Several red alerts flashed through her head, but Cordelia ignored them all as she simply nodded.

There weren't many reasons one would beckon another into the woods after dark, but the pureblood princess was convinced Antoine simply wished to confess his feelings for her.

As the third song of the night commenced the duo slowly pulled away from one another and stumbled through the crowd around them, meeting their respective friends just as an upbeat jig began.

"Lia, stunning as always!"

"Likewise, Ella."

The Black sisters giggled as they compared their dresses, noticing how they went for the same theme. While Cordelia's dress was long, loose and sensuous A-line, Druella chose a tight full black Sheath with a golden snake being the only thing holding it together at the back.

It was borderline scandalous and drew attention to the wild witch's figure and felt almost as if the dress was made for Druella.

The other girls chose to stick with their signature tones too, with Aurora wearing a soft pink gown and Phyllis adorned in an intricate blue mermaid.

Cordelia presumed the trio would bombard her with questions as soon as she arrived, but fortunately, they seemed too invested in the music and gossip to care about Tom. That only left her with one thing eat away at her head as Cordelia spun around with her friends.

What did Antoine want? And why did her heart and head beg Cordelia not to listen to him?