The Dark Dyad (Tom Riddle & ofc)

Chapter 5. Pretending

The week flew by. Probably, the endless pastime of reading books apart from everyone contributed to this. Now, Irene was waving her black magic wand around, tidying up the common room. Katherine had asked for help, as she thought the underclassmen would only get in the way. Last time they even managed to set fire to the bedspread. They were no longer to be trusted. Katherine was cleaning robes, which seemed out of character, out of keeping with her aristocratic features and manners.

"Irene," Katherine began matter-of-factly. But no matter how hard she tried to hide the happy notes in her voice, it turned out very badly. "Abraxas talked to Tom."

"And?" said Irene phlegmatically. From the mere mention of the name, a feeling of suffocation immediately appeared and clung with a death grip to the already pale Irene. Her head ached unpleasantly.

"And you're coming with us tonight!" Katherine announced solemnly and froze with delight and anticipation of eating together insanely delicious cakes, which she loved so much. Her eyes rolled dreamily and she gasped softly.

"To Hogsmeade this afternoon?" Irene sighed heavily. With a wave of her hand, the textbook went to the edge of the table.

"Yes! We'll stop by the Three Broomsticks for a butterbeer."

"That sounds really good... However, I don't want to go."

Katherine hadn't expected such an answer, so her face contorted in either complaint or surprise. But in the next moment this expression was replaced by a gaze that was so characteristic of students of the snake faculty. By God, it's like a carbon copy!

"Irene," all lightness disappeared in a moment, and Katherine said very seriously, "You're going."

"No," Irene answered categorically, and then she thought: Katherine is so sweet and easy to communicate, at first glance, but as soon as things take a serious turn, she becomes very prim.

Katherine froze in place, with arms a-kimbo, confirming Irene's inferences. The robe she was cleaning remained levitating in the air.

"Irene, you can't not go," she insisted, as if there was no other option.

"Why is that?" A smug smile appeared on Irene's face.

"Did we talk to Tom for nothing?" Katherine waved her wand gracefully as the robe continued to clean itself.

"Especially this... Tom. I don't want to see him," Irene grumbled unhappily, and, it should be noted, quite convincingly. But it wasn't enough to make her body surrender to reason. A hateful sweet languor hit her lower abdomen.

"Irene! Isn't this a reason to finally start communicating? Would you stop avoiding us all the time? Forgive me for being perhaps a little inappropriately blunt, but you shouldn't put the blame solely on Riddle. You're like a cockroach in the darkest, most inaccessible corner! Sitting there, buried in your," a wave of Katherine's wand and the textbook from the bed flew to the table, "books!"

"Ms. Grace, first of all, it's not a cockroach, it's probably a snake," Irene said through a sly smile, her gaze becoming probing. "And secondly, don't lie."

Katherine sighed heavily, and it was obvious that she was hesitating. There was something on the tip of her tongue that Irene wanted to hear, but Katherine was not a person who was easily manipulated. It was only on the surface that she looked like a sweet silly girl raised in high society, a spoiled child. Maybe that's partly true, but there's a reason she ended up in Slytherin after all.

"Irene, I promised you'd be there," she finally voiced her thoughts aloud.

"Who did you promise?"

But there was no response. Katherine only stared silently at the high ceiling and sighed audibly.