My Dark Lord

Chapter Fourteen: Circles Within Circles

Slytherin Girls' Dormitory -- Late Evening

The Black Lake murmured beyond the green-glass windows, dark and endless, as I sat curled in the corner armchair of our dormitory. A thin volume of magical theory lay open in my lap-- its spine cracked, pages annotated in my own spidery script-- but I wasn't reading.

Not really.

I was thinking of him again.

Tom.

The new "partnership." The agreement we'd struck over the creature, the books, the power neither of us could name yet-- but both wanted to own.

He knew I didn't trust him.

He counted on that.

And I... I couldn't decide if I was keeping him close because I wanted to protect myself--
Or because I wanted him near.

Every day he drew others closer. And every night I asked myself how long before he stopped pretending he saw me as an equal.

The dormitory door creaked open. Candles flared.

Calliope Travers swept in first, her strawberry-blonde curls wind-tossed, followed by Dahlia Mulciber and Mara Selwyn, who were both giggling under their breath. Dahlia flopped onto my bed dramatically.

"Oh, Layla, you're studying again?" she groaned. "It's after curfew, darling. Time to gossip."

Calliope plucked the book from my lap before I could object and tossed it onto the nearby trunk. "No ancient horrors, no dead languages. Just us. Come on."

I sighed but didn't fight them. Resistance only prolonged the ritual.

Mara was already conjuring a cushion charm circle. "We're taking turns. Everyone's saying who they've snogged this term. No lies. No coy smiles."

"Absolutely not," I said, arching a brow.

"Absolutely yes," Calliope purred. "You first."

I shook my head, letting my lips twitch into a reluctant smile. "That's cute. You think I kiss boys. I barely tolerate them."

"Oh, come on," Dahlia groaned. "What about Diggory?"

"Diggory doesn't count."

Cassia raised an eyebrow. "Because he's a Hufflepuff or because he's not Riddle?"

The room went silent for a moment too long.

I kept my expression flat. "Next."

Mara leaned in, her cheeks already pink. "Fine, I'll go. Cassian Avery kissed me in the Astronomy Tower last week."

"Cassian?" Calliope wrinkled her nose. "He always smells like duelling powder."

"He has presence," Mara argued. "And he follows Riddle like a shadow."

Calliope smirked. "That's his only trick. Whispering Tom's name like it's foreplay."

That made them all laugh.

Too loudly.

And something about it made me cold.

"Speaking of shadows," Dahlia said, voice lowering, "Rufus Lestrange snogged me after Potions. He said Riddle would 'approve'."

Everyone giggled again-- except me.

I straightened slowly. "He said what?"

Dahlia rolled her eyes. "I know. Dramatic, right? Said he was part of some 'vision' Riddle had. All very cryptic. Honestly, it worked."