Chapter Thirty: Developments

A small smile stretched across her lips as Cordelia took in the enthralling scent of fresh camomile tea, with her fingers slowly carding through the feathers of the phoenix on her lap as her gaze remained trained on the wizard before her.

Dumbledore let out a soft sigh as he set the two teacups before them before dropping down into his seat on the other side of the desk. For a moment, the two of them simply remained silent, with Cordelia sipping on the tea while Albus examined her form.

It was only when she looked up again with another smile that Dumbledore finally spoke.

"I apologise for summoning you so suddenly."

Cordelia shook her head at his words as she settled down her teacup and replied in turn.

"It's alright, professor. Although I must say, your letter seemed quite urgent."

"Yes, well, these matters often tend to hold a sense of urgency."

It was then that Cordelia finally seemed to tune into the tension in the room, noticing the way Dumbledore's actions seemed more quipped than usual and held a sense of hesitance. The realization had the brunette subconsciously dropping her hands to fiddle with the end of her skirt as she contemplated the reason she had been summoned for.

"It has come to my attention that you are courting Tom Riddle."

Dumbledore didn't give her a chance to reply before continuing.

"Now, while I see no harm in courtship I do think it is imperative to ensure that you are with him out of your own free will. After all, you and I both know Tom can be a little...challenging at times."

She remained silent for a moment, with her gaze sinking to the desk between them as Cordelia genuinely contemplated her answer. At first, the truth seemed like the only option available.

After all, if there was anyone who could help her out of her current predicament it was Dumbledore. Yet deep down Cordelia knew that while the truth might set her free, it would come at the come of having her crimes revealed, a feat that even Dumbledore couldn't save her from.

Sure, if she went down Tom would certainly go down with her due to Myrtle's death, but the prospect of spending the rest of her life in Azkaban with the boy she detested was one that had Cordelia fiddling with her fingers under the table as she painted on her most convincing fake smile.

"While I appreciate the concern, professor, Tom has been nothing but cordial to me."

Dumbledore quirked an eyebrow at her response, almost seeming amused if not offended at the lie. However, he chose to refrain from pushing her more than necessary and pretended to believe her words.

"Of course, I apologise for thinking otherwise. Now, about the NEWT preparations you had previously stated-"

As the older wizard shuffled around his desk and reached for a roll of parchment tucked away in one of the drawers Cordelia couldn't help but feel a sense of guilt take over, yet it was her fear that allowed her to sit still and keep up her poised act for the rest of the afternoon.

Fresh air always seemed to make things better.

Cordelia had learned that lesson at a young age.

There was something about being surrounded by nature and allowing the wind to caress your skin as it whispered tales of foreign lands that made the brunette feel more at ease as she leaned against the far end of the back alley, a place close enough for Tom to know she was still there yet far enough for the man he was speaking to be none the wiser.

It had only been two hours since her return from Dumbledore's office, yet even as she whined about being tired and having to complete schoolwork, Tom persisted in forcing her to tag along for yet another one of his little ventures.

This time his destination was Knockturn Alley.

Cordelia couldn't tell if the location was better or worse than the other ones he had forced her to accompany him to. On one hand, this certainly wasn't her first time visiting such a place, especially with her title as one of the oldest Black heirs, but on the other, it was her experience with such places that had her increasingly aware of the fact that nothing good ever came out of trips down the darker parts of the Wizarding World.

Thankfully, this time Tom seemed more intent on having a meeting than committing a crime.

Even with her previous visits down Knockturn Alley, Cordelia had never been to the infamous Borgan and Burkes, mainly due to the owner's affinity to host and sell cursed objects.

According to Melania, it was no place for any respectable pureblood witch. Yet somehow Cordelia found herself tucked away in a corner of the shop's back alley as she watched Tom's conversation unfold.

From the looks of it, he was talking about something along the lines of employment but it didn't seem to be going very well. The sight of Tom struggling to convince someone to bend his way would have usually amused Cordelia wasn't certain Tom was a second or two away from cursing the older wizard.

A soft sigh fell from her lips as she finally watched the two wizards ease out of their tense banter.

The shopkeeper finally seemed to give in to Tom's usual charisma and let out a large smile, even going as far as to guffaw cheerfully and slap his shoulder before walking away. For a moment, Tom seemed to simply stand there with his fake smile ever present, however, it quickly melted into his usual cold demeanour the second he turned towards Cordelia.

The quick shift in his personality had her flinching away as Cordelia watched him stalk towards her and once again tug on her wrist to lead her to the opening of the back alley, however, he was quick to trail his hand down and interlock their fingers as they once again walked out into the main streets of the alley.

Cordelia knew for a fact that Tom had cast spells on them to ensure no one could recognise them, yet she couldn't help but feel her heart race at the prospect of someone recognising them, or even worse, someone back at Hogwarts noticing the two heads weren't actually back in their dorms.

Their uniforms ensured that the two stuck out like sore thumbs amongst the crowd of shady witches and wizards around them, yet somehow Tom seemed almost unconcerned as he lead her down the path they had taken previously.

His nonchalance had Cordelia's frown only deepening as she shifted her train of thoughts to a less nerve-wracking topic.

"So, what was that about?"

Tom scoffed at her question, only pausing to throw her an annoyed side-eye before once again turn to the front and tugging her along with him.

"If I wanted you to know I would have said as much."

The two of them remained silent for a moment then, yet as they moved out of Knockturn Alley and towards the normal parts of the wizarding town, Tom found himself giving in and divulging his plans before he could think twice.

"A dark lord can't stay afloat without an appropriate cover."

Cordelia took a moment to genuinely contemplate his words, realising how she had, in fact, been right with her presumptions and that Tom planned to seek odd yet suitable employments for his first few years outside of Hogwarts, or at least until he was competent enough to unfold his real plans.

The realization had Cordelia feeling a sense of unease as she mulled over her own plans, or the lack therefore of.

Tom seemed to sense her sudden change in behaviour, even going as far as to tug on their joint hands to get her attention.

"What about you?"

"What about me?"

His nose crinkled in annoyance followed by a quick eye roll, but even so, Tom gave in and gave her the clarity she so deftly chose to evade.

"Well, you'll have to have a competent job. After all, I can't have my Dark Lady be a nobody."

Usually, Cordelia would have felt a sense of annoyance take over at the prospect of being referred to as his Dark Lady, however, this time she couldn't help but feel a sense of...embarrassment. The feeling was one that had her uncomfortably turning towards the streets around them in order to look at anything but Tom's pointed stare.

Even after her conversation with Dumbledore at the start of the year, Cordelia found herself constantly feeling unsure of her plans for the future.

"I'm going to join the ministry."

Tom hummed as he led the two of them to a bench at the side of the street, with his hand quickly leaving hers the moment they settled down.

"How about running it?"

It took her a moment to process his question, and then another to completely comprehend the fact that Tom Marvolo Riddle of all people had just suggested she became one of the most prominent governing figures of the current wizarding world.

"You think I could become the minister of magic?"

Tom shrugged as he looked up to the sky, only turning towards her once he began to speak again.

"I think you could do anything you put your mind to. You're like me that way."

Cordelia knew it was just a couple of words. Words that probably meant nothing to Tom, and fell from his lips almost naturally, just like every other one of his statements sickened with honey, yet as she looked at the boy beside her, she couldn't help but feel a smile stretch across her face, with the sight making Tom scoff and turn to the front again.

To an outsider, their conversation would have probably seemed like something normal, but to Tom and Cordelia, the two people who had been at each other's necks for years, there was something about the sudden serenity and benevolence between them that made it feel like maybe, just maybe, things wouldn't be so bad.

Fresh air always seemed to make things better for Cordelia. She just hadn't realised Tom Riddle had the ability to do the same.