The Dark Dyad (Tom Riddle & ofc)

Chapter 9. The Christmas Pantomime

!!NC!!
The magical atmosphere of the coming Christmas was palpable physically. Huge, beautiful Christmas trees decorated the Great Hall of Hogwarts. The smell of pine needles and the joyous anticipation of the ball hung in the air, making everyone smile involuntarily. A chorus of students filled the space of the hall with singing, the beauty of which gave goosebumps. The last rehearsal went very well. The troupe of students played perfectly. It was true that not all the decorations had been used yet, but the atmosphere was no less festive. Irene was completely immersed in the process and began to enjoy it. Back in the states she was delighted with the traveling circus-carnival, where Daphne Black's father worked, and sometimes jumped on stage, like a little Harlequin, laughing, swinging on the canvas, and played literally magical tricks. The audience, of course, thought it was just a quality illusion. Auntie Vi even scolded for it, considering such antics stupid and thoughtless, but little Irene was so theatrical and dramatic that the aunt's strict heart thawed very quickly.

Saturday evening was warm and beautiful, and Irene was once again experiencing that heart-wrenching "I'm home" feeling. Before going to the dungeon, she decided to stop by the owlery to see if her barn owl had returned and been exposed to any magic. Turning down the wrong wing of the corridor, Irene sighed unhappily: she was greeted by the welcoming corridors of the south tower, not the owlery. She went to the window, where she could see the Black Lake, already frozen but still enchanting. Somewhere in the sky, the moon hung in the sky, illuminating the winter landscape, the snow silvery in the bluish glimmer of the night. She wanted to be outside and just run towards the snowflakes, listening to the cheerful crunching underfoot and exhaling warm steam from mouth. Irene smiled. She heard the creak of a door opening. Remembering that somewhere around here, the prefect of Hogwarts had been rewarded with his own private room, she wrinkled her nose in disgust. She didn't want to see him. What if it was him? The Disillusionment charm came in handy. Irene froze in the corner by the window.

Tom Riddle and Abraxas Malfoy were walking down the corridor. There was no one else in this wing, which was probably why they felt free to discuss personal matters without fear.

"Have you decided what you're going to do about it?" Malfoy asked in a low voice.

"Yes. It's time to get rid of her. No one wants trouble, and I know her better than anyone. Is Katherine on close terms with her?"

"She considers her a friend, but she'd never go against family, she's loyal to me. You know, we're already engaged."

"Maybe Grace should have known everything after all?"

"My Lord," Abraxas' voice was careful and still quiet, "be assured of our loyalty. I fear that Katherine will overreact if she knows that there were two murders that summer, not just one."

"Abraxas, nothing guarantees loyalty like fear. Are you sure of your decision?"

"Yes, my Lord," Malfoy bowed his head politely.

Irene forgot how to breathe, eagerly listening to every word.

"The day after tomorrow, I'll go to Torquil Travers. It's his job. All the facts and inconsistencies are obvious. I'm more than sure she'll be expelled. We'll finish our training in peace, and then we'll have the strength and experience to get on with the implementation. One filthy mudblood was already enough... She got in where she didn't need to, thereby putting all the training at great risk."

"If she doesn't get expelled?"

"I wish I could say I'd just kill her then," Riddle grinned, "but I can't yet."

"Maybe you should have invited her to the ball. She'd be on the radar."

"Yes, but I've never invited anyone, and I don't see the point in changing my fine tradition," Tom laughed warmly.