Tʜᴇ Dᴀʀᴋ Lᴏʀᴅ's Aɴɢᴇʟ | Tom Riddle √

14: Unwanted Morning Interruption

Cassiopeia slowly opened her eyes, greeted by the sight of the ceiling above her, and she could feel the familiar sensation of a cold hand wrapped around her body. Another night spent with him. This time, she found herself in his dorm. At first, she was apprehensive, concerned that she might run into Braxton, as Tom and Braxton Lestrange shared the same dorm. However, Tom had assured her that last night, they planned to spend time at Malfoy's dorm for a small get-together, which allowed Cassiopeia and Tom to have some alone time.

She couldn't recall what had happened after their intimate moments, but it seemed she had drifted off to sleep. She noticed she was wearing Tom's oversized t-shirt, which she loved because it was the first time she had ever worn it.

Her gaze turned to Tom, who was staring down at her, propping himself up on one elbow on the small bed.

"Good morning, Cassie," he greeted as soon as their eyes met. She wondered if he had been watching her sleep.

"Morning, Thomas. Were you watching me while I was sleeping?" Cassiopeia asked, her brows furrowing, and a soft chuckle escaped from his lips. He shook his head before planting a kiss on her forehead.

"Not just while you were sleeping, but always," he replied before placing a gentle kiss on her cheek. Cassiopeia couldn't fathom what she had done to deserve so much love from him. Then, he planted another kiss on her other cheek.

"Why are you being so romantic since you woke up?" she inquired, her face flushing with warmth due to his endearing gestures. Tom didn't respond with words, but he sealed the silence with a kiss on the tip of her nose.

"You're gorgeous, and I can't stop admiring every inch of you," he explained before their lips met, and he held her close, unwilling to let go. Unfortunately, their moment of intimacy was cut short when the dorm room door burst open, revealing her brother.

Both of them were taken aback and pulled away from each other.

"Why did you lock the door, Tom?" Braxton questioned without noticing Cassiopeia at first. However, when his eyes landed on her, a mix of nerves and fear coursed through her. She almost sat up on the bed, ensuring the sheets covered her up to her stomach. Lestrange knew she was dating Tom, but seeing her sister half-naked in his friend's room was something he hadn't expected. "What the hell are you doing here, Cassiopeia?"

Lestrange almost yelled, his eyes fixed on her, ignoring Tom as if he didn't exist.

"I—I—I was," she stammered, struggling to find the right words to explain. She couldn't reveal that she and Tom had been intimate in his room. Anxiety coursed through her, and perspiration covered her body as Braxton Lestrange's voice echoed in her ears. She couldn't even get out of bed, as she was wearing only Tom's t-shirt. What made the situation even more embarrassing was that both her and Tom's clothes were strewn on the floor, including her underwear. Oh, dear!

"We were just..." Tom began, getting up and covering her, ready to face his friend.

"How dare you do that to my sister? Dating is one thing, but I never gave permission for anyone to be intimate with my sister," he yelled at Tom.

Cassiopeia's adrenaline surged as she realized Tom had a fiery temper. He never stood quietly when someone raised their voice at him. She saw his fists clench, his muscles tense. Cassiopeia held onto his clenched fist tightly, urging him to take a deep breath before speaking.

"I love her, I truly do," Tom declared. Braxton, seeing Tom's calm response, seemed to calm down and sat on the bed with a deep sigh.

"You know that our family will never accept you two," he finally spoke nonchalantly. Cassiopeia didn't care about blood status, but her brother was right. Her parents would never allow her to marry a half-blood boy. She glanced at the ring on her finger and then at Braxton, who had noticed her hand. He turned his gaze toward Tom, his expression filled with curiosity. "Did you propose to her?"

"Yes, I did," Tom finally admitted, letting himself fall onto the bed, and an awkward silence hung in the room. No one uttered a word. Cassiopeia looked at her brother, who seemed to be pondering what to say next.

"I think I should go. Don't let Abraxas know about this," Braxton said, standing up and sighing. "The Malfoys will probably oppose this due to concerns about blood purity."

"Nonsense," Cassiopeia muttered, rolling her eyes. Both boys looked at her, expecting an explanation. "Why? I despise that whole concept of pure blood, half-blood, Muggle-born; in the end, everyone has the right to live in this world."

"Not Muggle-borns," Tom commented, which only fueled her frustration. Braxton Lestrange remained silent but walked away, closing the door behind him.

"Seriously, Tom?" Cassiopeia raised her brow at him, and he did the same.

"Yeah, why?" Tom asked, emphasizing the two words, sparking a heated argument in the next few minutes.

"Your father is a Muggle, and you shouldn't speak like that," she scolded. Tom didn't like to hear about his Muggle-born father. His reaction was clear—he was angry.

"Don't talk about my Muggle-born father," Tom fumed, revealing that Cassiopeia had pushed his buttons.

"Sorry," she mumbled, realizing she had provoked him more than she should have. "I'm really sorry."

Her whole body jolted when Snape's harsh voice echoed in the classroom. "Detention, Ms. Black."

"Finally, you've found a reason to get detention," she grumbled to herself.

"I've never allowed students in my class to sleep on their desks," Snape said, his imposing figure suddenly in front of her. It snapped her out of her drowsy state. "Do you understand?"

"Ye—yes, sir," Cassiopeia nearly gulped as Snape moved back to the front of the class to continue the lesson. She heard Draco snickering under his breath, prompting her to shoot him a glare.

"Shut up, Draco," she hissed before turning her head to Snape, who had his eyes fixed on both her and Draco.

"I believe, this time, you don't need detention with her, Mr. Malfoy," Snape remarked, emphasizing each word and pausing.

"No, sir," Draco replied, and Snape continued with his lecture. It was a continuation of Amortentia. Cassiopeia still couldn't figure out how she had fallen asleep in class. In any case, she was likely to stay behind after the lesson for detention, possibly to clean up, as she had done before.