Tʜᴇ Dᴀʀᴋ Lᴏʀᴅ's Aɴɢᴇʟ | Tom Riddle √

122: Unexpected Invitation

Within another three days, the Winter Ball would be held, and it seemed like everyone had found dates except Cassiopeia. She contemplated attending the event alone, her mind drifting to Tom, the one who had recently broken up with her. Despite her best efforts, thoughts of him continued to intrude on her every reflection.

Cassiopeia sat in the library, her head buried in a Defense Against the Dark Arts book she had found there. The library was her refuge, a place of silence and solitude where she could escape the cacophony of the world around her.

Suddenly, Gregory, one of her fellow students, settled down beside her with a Charms book in his hand. Cassiopeia raised an eyebrow at this unusual sight, knowing that Gregory wasn't known for his affinity for books.

"Hello," she greeted him. "I never thought you were a book person, Gregory."

He chuckled at her observation, acknowledging his rare appearance in the library.

"Actually, I came to meet you," he began, and Cassiopeia turned her attention to him, intrigued. "Okay, don't give me that look that's clearly undermining my confidence."

Cassiopeia chuckled in response, and Gregory continued, "Well, actually, you aren't with Raven, right?" He hesitated, and Cassiopeia nodded.

As she nodded, Tom entered the library and walked past them, heading toward a cupboard nearby. Cassiopeia couldn't help but wonder why he always seemed to appear at the most inopportune times.

"I—I wanted to ask you..." Gregory's voice brought her back to the present. "Would you like to be my date for the Winter Ball?"

Cassiopeia gasped, taken aback by the unexpected question. Gregory quickly reassured her, explaining that he wasn't asking her to date him but rather to be his companion for the ball.

"Oh, you still remember my warning, huh?" Cassiopeia laughed, recalling the time she had threatened both him and Crabbe. "Scared of me, then?"

"Honestly, I thought you would Cruciate me instantly when I saw the anger in your eyes," he admitted, shrugging. "So, I'm expecting an answer, Cassiopeia."

She pondered for a moment, her fingers tapping on the table, and then she gave a resolute response, "Sure."

"Is it a yes?" Gregory sought confirmation.

"Yes, I'll be your date," she grinned. "I thought I would go alone since Draco is already taken by his girlfriend and—"

A sudden noise interrupted her words. Cassiopeia and Gregory exchanged puzzled glances before turning their heads toward the source of the disturbance. Tom had dropped something, and his departure from the library was swift.

Cassiopeia raised an eyebrow but decided to dismiss the incident from her thoughts.

"I think he's pissed," Gregory observed. "Maybe he felt jealous when his ex-girlfriend was going to the ball with someone else."

"It's not my fault he had no guts to talk to me and make everything alright," Cassiopeia mumbled, her frustration evident. "I waited for him to come and talk, but he just continued being Tom R—Thomas Raven."

With a sigh, she scolded herself for her foolishness.

"I'm going to find Draco," she declared, closing the book. "Is that alright?"

"No problem," Gregory opened the book he brought. "Guess I could be a master of Charms when my tutor abandoned me out of the blue."

"Funny," Cassiopeia playfully hit the back of his head before leaving him alone in the library. She couldn't help but wonder what had happened to Tom. He didn't even stay in the library long enough to read a single page of a book.

"Good evening, Miss. Black," the headmaster stood in her path, causing her to abruptly stop. As she saw his blue eyes piercing hers, she remembered what Draco had said. He stared at her as if he were scanning the dark depths of her soul.

"I wanted to meet you, but accidentally I could," he began as Cassiopeia smiled. "I will come to the point, Cassiopeia."

"Any issue, sir?" The curiosity was evident on her face, and she was sure he could see it.

"Do you know that you're dealing with a monster who has taken innocent lives?" He was remarkably straightforward, making her eyes widen. Normally, he didn't address matters so directly. "The Dark Wizard you're dealing with is not the person you—"

"Excuse me?" Her brows furrowed at him. "Don't call someone a monster without knowing the full story."

"Still defending him?" She was caught off guard by the amusement spreading on his lips. "I didn't specify whom I was talking about."

"I know you have only one person in your mind to talk about, with me," she retorted, still angry at him for calling Tom a monster.

"Do you think he's the same teenage lover you fell for years ago, Cassiopeia?" This time, his voice was calm. "Have you ever considered that the boy has turned into a monster, ruining innocent lives?"

"I'm sorry to say, sir, but you also have some responsibility for Tom becoming what he is now," Cassiopeia scowled at him for the first time in her life. "If you had paid as much attention to Tom Riddle as you have to Harry, it's certain he wouldn't have turned out this way."

"Harry is an innocent boy who didn't choose the dark side—"

"That's because you kept a close eye on him at all times," Cassiopeia cut him off. "You did it to cover up what you had done to Tom. You brought him to Hogwarts and then abandoned him—"

"I didn't abandon him, Cassiopeia," he raised an eyebrow. "I let him go when I saw he had found good company from the start. You must remember how you influenced his life and had control over him to a certain extent—"

"That doesn't excuse your actions, sir," Cassiopeia couldn't stop herself from raising her voice. "Are you now trying to shift the blame onto me?"

"I suppose your anger has led the conversation astray, Cassiopeia," he said, placing his hands behind his back. "I strongly advise you to control your emotions. Despite your claims of moving on from your past, your eyes suggest otherwise. You know his whereabouts, don't you?"

"I'm not," Cassiopeia replied sharply. "If I did, I wouldn't be standing here right now."

She was surprised by how easily the lies slipped from her tongue. It was as if she had become an expert in the art of deception.

"So, if he asked you to join him, you would?" Dumbledore raised an eyebrow as Cassiopeia looked away.

"It depends," she sighed. "If he wants to return to being the man he was before, without hesitation, I would help him."

"And if not?"

"I haven't thought about it yet," she met his suspicious gaze. "I know you suspect that I know something about Voldemort, but right now, I have much more to contemplate than rekindling a fifty-year-old romance. If you'll excuse me."

Without waiting for a response, she quickly walked away from him, pondering how she had just talked to the headmaster in such a manner.

"This is all because of you, Tom Marvolo Riddle!" she thought as her steps carried her further from the confrontation.

A/N

Is Tom Riddle jealous????

Well, let's see who he will bring as his date!

Thanks for your votes and lovely comments:)

I have uploaded a link in my message board for the trailer of an unofficial fan film called, "The House of Gaunt: Lord Voldermort Origins"

Stay safe and love y'all <3

~ monoceros_x 🦄