Dose of Darkness | Tom Riddle |

Chapter Four: Can I Trust You?

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"An ounce of performance is worth pounds of promises."
-- Mae West

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By the end of the first week, Eleanor was neck deep in work from her classes, not to mention her extra curricular activities that kept her busy when she wasn't sleeping or in class.

The higher levels of of her courses were a lot harder than she expected, but Marcella was sharing a lot of classes with her so it was a joint effort. On top of it all, her mother didn't seem to mind from burying her in work for the Defense Against the Dark Arts either.

Eleanor was hoping to expect a break from that class most of all.

But nonetheless, she was tired.

In the Ravenclaw Common Room on Friday evening, most of the younger year students were prepping for bed after a full dinner to conclude the week.
She wished she could go back to the days where she could sleep when she pleased, but with her classes now, studying a few hours collectively each night was only just the basic requirement.

Julius sat on the same couch as Eleanor, her shoes kicked up on his lap while Marcella had a chair all to herself. Lillian, who returned on Wednesday morning laid with her head in Cormac's lap and a book in hand as they sat by the fireplace. Other Ravenclaw students lingered nearby, taking this Friday evening to study up as well.

The crackling of flames was the only sound they could hear.

"We should be popping some giggle water at the top of the tower right now to celebrate, not this." Cormac said, breaking the silence.

It was so quiet they could hear a pin drop, but instead, they all expected him to be the first to break it.

Eleanor looked up from her Potions book and heard Julius snicker.

"That's because you're borderline alcoholic." she grinned.

Cormac threw his hands up. "How?!"

Marcella laughed quietly. "You always say there's something to celebrate, Cormac."

"Oh no, he calls that being naturally optimistic and humble for living every day." Lillian chimed in, not breaking from her book.

Suddenly, at the resurfacing of a memory, Eleanor looked to Marcella to see she was already looking at her, thinking of the same dreadful night of the Yule Ball in which the Bulgarian's smuggled their own alcohol and really ruined the night.

The girls laughed, earning some extraneous looks from the other students before they shut up quickly.

"I could really care less about these magical creatures. The only magical creature I care for is the one and only Veronica Lake in my dreams." Julius huffed, shutting his book.

Eleanor felt the urge to close her book too, sensing that the atmosphere of the room was now changing from studying to sleeping after only an hour in. As much as she'd regret it by Monday, she did just that and felt the burning of her eyes finally phase her.

"Excuse you." Marcella scoffed.

It perplexed Eleanor at first to think Marcella was offended by Julius dreaming of an actress, but then she realized he had insulted something her family made into a profession, and was in fact, upset about his disdain for magical creatures.

"What?" he asked.

"You're dumber than me sometimes, mate. I happen to enjoy magical creatures, like the one in our Defense Against the Dark Arts class." Cormac said all too happily.