The Tale of Azure - Book I: Shades of Green and Blue

Chapter Twenty-Six: Exposure and Threats

Disclaimer: I do not own "Harry Potter", "Black Butler" only my OC's.

A/N: This chapter introduces two secondary villains who the sixth book and the movie mention to be part of "Riddle's gang". I suspect they became Death Eaters afterwards but as of this moment, Riddle does not have the Death Eaters. He has his "Knights". Cyril Avery is one of his most loyal followers and a nephew of that creepy Aleistor Chamber, aka the Viscount of Druitt, from "Black Butler". Reynard Lestrange is half-French, like Azure, and they hate each other.

Trigger warnings: harassment (borderline sexual)

Although she was in her fourth year, she had the privilege of sleeping in the same dormitory she would use if she had not repeated the year in the first place, something she was privately thankful for that; one of the girls had quite the reputation among the witches of Slytherin House and ruled the entire dormitory.

Since today was the beginning of the second part of her punishment, there were no students inside of the dormitory. Sat in her bed with knees pulled up, Azure was reading an old Herbology book, her friends' Christmas gifts safely inside of her drawer: ice-rolling skates for Myrtle and a signed copy of Mr Scamander's new book for Ru.

"It is most notable for its pulsating and squirming nature and its unique defence mechanism," she glanced at the illustration of a mimbulus mimbletonia. "When prodded, Stinksap is squirted out from the boils on the surface of the plant. Stinksap is a non-poisonous liquid and is described as dark green and smelling like 'rancid manure'."

Perhaps Sprout could tell her more about this cactus...

That one was like a walking Herbology encyclopaedia. Unafraid of "getting your hands dirty", Pomona Sprout usually received "E" and "O" in assignments while Azure, her partner, got low "A's".

To put it simply, Azure had never been the best student of her year. She did not want to.

"The less the things in common with the twit, the best," she muttered. Leaving the bed, she prepared to remove her pyjamas' shirt when she halted; someone had entered the dormitory without knocking and it was not a girl but a boy her age. He was also leaning lazily against the door like he was not invading someone's privacy.

She instantly recognized the caramel-brown eyes, short blond hair and the malicious smirk: Cyril Aleistor Chamber Avery, fifth-year Slytherin and part of Riddle's group of "dedicated friends", despite she was sure Riddle did not feel anything for them.

Until this day, she had never allowed herself to be alone in a room or a wall with Avery. One of the most physically attractive wizards in Hogwarts and a master seducer, Avery was unashamed of undressing the opposite gender with his eyes, regardless of their age.

She had seen him doing this at her mother during the Christmas Party and it had taken her a lot of willpower to not hex his male parts.

"I should have expected that after the New Year you would lose your last modicum of decency. Did Riddle put you up to this?" Azure's eyes stared at the taller boy whose malicious smirk widened as he looked at her up and down.

"Come down to the common room and don't take too long," he drawled, smoothly changing the subject. "You wouldn't want My Lord to be kept waiting, now would you?"

Her wand – Dagan – floated to her hand and she instantly pointed it at him, mismatched eyes narrowed. "If that bloody Lord of yours wants to see me, he should not send his errand boy. Or perhaps his boy toy?" She added in a mocking tone. "Sometimes, I just can't tell the difference."

Avery's eyes instantly darkened. "You should be more respectful towards him, otherwise someone you care about might find themselves in a predicament," he took some steps towards her, stopping before their noses touched. Defiance and hatred danced in her mismatched eyes as he gripped her chin. "And that 'boy toy' comment makes me feel very offended," he said, whispering against her ear. "Tormenting little girls like you is one of the best pleasures I have in this school. But Tom... wants you for himself."