Chapter Ten: Slytherin's Strange Spawn.

The door pulled open as a brunette with grey eyes stared at her quizzically, his soft pools clearly seeking out the reason behind a female's appearance in the boys' quarters.

"Move, Yaxley, I am not in the mood."

The pureblood gave an understanding nod as it dawned on him that the blue-eyed brunette was none other than Cordelia Black, causing him to holler at Orion before shifting past her and exiting the boys' dorms in a rush.

Usually, Cordelia was known to be quite kind towards her brother, going as far as to be remotely civil with his gang of misfits. However, there were moments where she would lose her cool and look like a madwoman hell-bent on hexing the first person who dared defy her. And in these moments Yaxley and Bulstrode, Orion's roommates, could be seen scuttering down the halls and refusing to return to their rooms until the area was vacant of any female Blacks.

"Orion!"

Cordelia huffed out a yell for her brother as she stared around the room, gauging out the green drapings and black wooden furniture to attain a glimpse of her brother's familiar light brown tresses and twinkling blue-grey eyes. However, the two sets of bunk beds were left vacant, the sheets of one of the beds tousled indicating Yaxley had previously resigned there.

She looked at the bedside tables to find pictures of family members and scattered personal belongings indicating which bed belonged to whom. Over towards the right of the room, a long table lay with open books and scattered parchment paper indicting someone had been utilizing the desk for homework. Just as Cordelia walked forward to investigate who the pages belonged to, the bathroom door towards the left of the room opened and closed before a male cleared his throat.

"You didn't have to scare Yaxley, I was merely in the bath."

Cordelia scoffed, taking a one-eighty degree turn to glance at her brother. His hickory strands were tousled with drops of water clinging to them, clearly indicating he had been in the bath. A few pieces of hair were scattered across his warm-ivory forehead, some of them going as far as to reach his eyebrows and incredibly long eyelashes.

Much like Cordelia, Orion had inherited the better part of their parent's genes. Whereas Lia had her mother's deep blue eyes, sandy complexion and her father's dark, wavy brown hair. Orion had their father's eyes, ivory skin and sharp features, the only resemblance to their mother coming from his straight, cocoa brown strands. It was why often times Cordelia would be scared of her brother as his face would convert into that of an ired serpent's.

His features were too much like their father's, causing the female to sometimes mistake her brother's slivery yet blue pools for that of her father's. Mixing the reflection of a quaint garden's pond as the harsh storm her father's eyes resembled. However, there was one difference between them that calmed the older Black-McMillian each time she gazed at her brother while he was in a negative mood.

Unlike their father, Orion had a flicker of innocence and uncertainty each time he would lash out. As if he wasn't certain whether or not such vile words and evil acts should be let out by a boy like him.

A boy who liked to climb trees only to sit in them with a book, the boy who wasn't afraid to be Slytherin's best Seeker, but he'd stumble over his words each time a girl approached him. The boy who, much like Cordelia, was forced to grow up far too soon due to their parent's expectations. After all, being a pureblood had its downsides.

For a moment there, Cordelia lost herself in thought as she gave her brother a bittersweet smile, however it vanished as he turned around to reach his trunk for a set of school robes to replace the white tee shirt and light blue pants he had on. There, at the back of his neck, was an ugly purple bruise that clearly was the size of an egg. A gasp passed Cordelia's parted lips as she questioned her brother, remembering her purpose in his room.

"Orion?"

The younger sibling hummed, unaware of the lecture he was in for.

"Does father hit you?"

His hands faltered, one of his ivory palms retracting from the depths of his trunk and instead rested onto the suitcase's brim as Orion's eyes drew to look at her with a mixture of shock and sadness.

It was then that Cordelia noticed two things. One, her younger brother's eyes weren't a queer mix of blue and grey, they were in fact completely grey with specks of brown and gold that cause them to resemble a light shade of blue when they were confronted with light.

Two, if Arcturus Black hadn't been their father, Cordelia would feel no remorse cursing him for hurting her little brother. She didn't care how cruel her family and friends were, but the blue-eyed brunette could be worse than them all when it came to saving her sibling. Lia couldn't stand people who would hurt Orion, perhaps it was due to her moral compass. She presumed if she couldn't save herself, then she'd instead be stubbornly persistent on saving her little brother.

"It doesn't matter."

"Yes, it does!"

They both paused for a second, never had Cordelia raised her voice at Orion in such a manner. Yes, she would occasionally yell at him if the occasion calls for it, but she would never take it to the point of a scream. Which was why Orion took an offended step back, pursing his lips and letting out a scoff.

Ivory arms crossed over his chest as he replied, surprisingly calm regardless of her outburst. "Who snitched?"

"It doesn't matter."

The two smirked as she threw his sentence back at him, causing their fight to simmer down as they talked civilly.

"Lia-" Orion approached his bed, lying down and muttering a drying spell to ensure his clothes and sheets wouldn't be moist.

"Dad does what he does for a reason. And you know as well as I do that we can't interfere with the process."

Ah, yes, how could she forget? Their father always justified his 'tough love' and subtle abuse with claims of shaping them into the purebloods they were meant to be.

I will not have the Most Noble House of Black be disgraced by the pair of you just because you can't understand to discipline yourselves.

You're purebloods, you have expectations to uphold. Do not take your family's reputation lightly.

There is no room for error.

One after the other Arcturus's claims echoed in Cordelia's mind, making her wince as she walked away from the desk, choosing to sit near her brother's legs.

"I don't want you to get hurt, Rio."

He sat up, smiling at the cheesy little nickname Cordelia would call him when they were toddlers.

"Don't worry, Lia I only have two more years left. Then I can defend myself without getting disowned."

She laughed, watching as he crossed his legs. Unwilling to allow her brother to see the sadness in her eyes, Cordelia shifted her position and rested her head onto his lap, groaning in discomfort as he flicked the back of her head and muttered how she'd get her 'weird girl hair products on his jeans'.

"You know, you could just tell mum. She'd hex dad and get away with it."

The siblings chuckled at her claims, smiling in bittersweet ways. None of them was happy with their situation, however, they frankly couldn't do anything about it.

A sudden series of frantic knocks made the two retract their forms, looking towards each other in puzzlement before Cordelia fell back onto her brother's bed and groaned.

"You go get it, I'm tired!"

Orion chuckled and muttered something along the lines of 'lazy ass' and 'you're glad I love you' before he reached for the doorknob, staring in surprise as he was met with a panting Theodore Nott.

"Riddle-" The curly-haired brunette gasped, sucking in a breath before continuing, his eyes set onto Cordelia's now seated and alert frame.

"Rodolphus. Riddle's got Rodolphus and it's bad Lia. Very bad."

It took a few seconds for the girl to register what she was hearing, but when her mind finally drew forth thoughts of Crucio and other vile spells, the blue-eyed witch grabbed her wand and stared at her friend expectantly.

"Where?"

"The old potion's classroom. But I really don't think-"

Cordelia was dashing past her brother and best friend and had made it to the common room's door before Theo could warm her, making the boys groan and contemplate whether they should disobey their Lord to save someone quite dear to them.

The corridor was quiet, no sounds of a boisterous Slughorn or scheming Slytherins reaching Cordelia's ears. That should've been the first thing she took notice of, the obvious sign of a silencing spell. However, the witch's mind was in pieces as she came up with one vivid torture scene after another, causing her to yank open and close the classroom's door behind her right before her resolve weakened.

Tom stood in front of the rows of desks, his right arm raised and clutching his wand, almost as if he was on the brink of casting a spell. Hickory eyes with specks of gold met hers their irises tainted with such dark hate Cordelia almost contemplated leaving the classroom.

Almost. Because that was when her gaze landed on Rodolphus's leaned over body.

His lip was busted clearly indicating Tom had not only curses his way but had also favoured a Muggle touch.

"Expeliamus!"

With a quick wave of her wand, Cordelia had safely retrieved Riddle's yew wood and Pheonix feather wand, a smirk coating her face as a sneer painted its way onto his.

"Lia?"

The girl pitied Rodolphus's state, wincing at the cut on his arm as well as the way he clutched his abdomen, indicating a slashing spell.

"Go back to the common room, Theo will fix you up."

Out of all the purebloods in their friend circle, Theodore was the only one who could thoroughly heal people, his skills being advanced enough for him to be qualified as a certified Healer if he wished to attain such a position.

"But Lia-"

"Go!"

Apparently she had made it a habit to yell at males close to her for that day, causing Rodolphus to give Riddle a wary, almost apologetic look before leaving.

When the room was clear of his injured frame, Cordelia closed the door and made sure the muffling spells were intact before she spoke.

"What is wrong with you? You could've killed him you sadistic little prick, I swear to Merlin I will hex you so badly your mother will wish she never gave birth to you."

The girl sent Riddle a cold glare before attempting to continue, wielding her wand threateningly before speaking. Or attempting to do so.

"You-"

"Shut up Black."

The sentence caught Cordelia off guard and left her with a hanging mouth and wide eyes. Never in her entire life had she been talked down to in such a way, and the pureblood didn't appreciate it in the slightest.

"Do not presume that just because we have a rivalry of sorts you can talk to me in such a manner."

Tom shifted, sighing in a tired manner before leaning onto one of the desks. "I frankly don't care about your opinions."

His eyes shut for a split second before reopening as he detached himself from the desk, almost as if he refused to show any vulnerability. Hickory orbs met Cordelia's icy blue before they strayed away from her pools, instead wandering all over her frame before pausing somewhere lower.

For a brief, horrifying second Lia feared he was sizing her up in a wanton manner, but that was before she realized his gaze was settled onto something in her hand rather than her figure itself.

"You must be delusional if you think I'm returning your wand."

The boy scoffed, frankly tired of her mannerism and merely seeking out a bit of rest after the long day. After all, dealing with numerous magical creatures and then proceeding to torture someone happened to be a tedious feat. With newfound resolve Riddle waltzed towards her, his signature sneer returning.

Cordelia hadn't realized what he was doing until she found herself pressed up against a desk, her back digging into the wood as Tom's face hovered a few inches away from her.

His face drew closer, making her suck in a gasp of air and prepare to hex him if he dared touch her. However, Tom had no interests for such things and instead leaned towards her ear, growling out intimidating words.

"Next time, hex me before you start blabbering."

The pureblood witch scoffed, ready to respond in kind when he drew closer, his hand reaching up to rest on the desk behind her. It took her a few seconds to realize he was inhaling her scent, and even longer for her to yank her head to the side to retrieve some sort of distance.

Tom chuckled, achieving the flustered distraction he required. As the blue-eyed brunette was too busy focusing on keeping Riddle away from her, she failed to recall her mission to keep a certain wand clutched in her palm.

Quickly, the half-blood stole his wand and stepped back, lazily smirking at Cordelia's dumbfounded expression.

"You really do need to work against seduction, sweetheart. If one didn't know better, they would presume you liked me."

Unwilling to let herself be defamed, Lia pushed away from the desk and approached him, sending a cold glare his way as she spoke.

"If that was your pathetic definition of seduction, I can quite clearly see why you refuse to get into a relationship, sweetheart. After all, it would be unfortunate for you to lose your gaggle of dimwitted whores merely because you don't know how to flirt."

Satisfied with his angry and lethal expression, Cordelia took her queue and rushed towards the door, seeking out as much distance between them as possible. She was pleasantly surprised to find that Tom didn't bother calling out or hexing her, instead he stood in the middle of the room and set his gaze on Nagini.

The snake crawled out of his sleeve, curling up his arm and pausing right before him before reaching her forehead and touching it against his.

Curious as to the snake's movements, Cordelia paused walk, taking up an inconspicuous position as she glanced into the room from the partly opened door. Her eyebrows furrowed as she heard Tom talk to Nagini, the language seeming unlike anything she had heard.

Not wanting to give up her position and infuriate Riddle further than she already had, Lia took her leave and returned to her dorms, sinking into her mattress as Nix purred and came towards her. The black Persian cast its yellow eyes towards Cordelia's perplexed face before proceeding to leap into her lap, purring once again as she found a comfortable resting spot.

Her owner, on the other hand, was restless as she recalled where she had heard such a language.

"How can Riddle speak Parseltongue if he's French. Only Salazar's descendants can use the language, and his only known family in our time are the Gaunts. They're definitely not French."

As her words settled into her mind, Cordelia subconsciously petted Nix to sleep as she continued thinking, forgetting about her injured friend and worried brother as she pondered upon Tom Riddle's lineage.

"Why would he lie about his father being French?"

The question hung in the empty room, bringing about a series of queries as Cordelia attempted to figure out what exactly was Riddle hiding. And whether or not this had anything to do with his little gatherings that involved all the pureblood Slytherin boys.

Annoying little Tommy, what are you hiding?