His Mark
[Knowledge is Power]

1st October 2016
Saturday

Cordelia

"Her hair, her hair, falls perfectly without her trying"
"Juliet, shut up!"
"When I see your faaaaace!"

Oooooh boy, it's a duet now.
Just great.

"There's not a thing I'd rather change!"
"Cause girl you're amazing!"
"Just the way you...are!!!" The two twits ended their duet with an overtop high note that stretched on forever, making the wall a tempting place to bash my brains in.

"Really?" I demanded to Juliet, and Rosaline who was bowing to an imaginary audience and waving their wands that doubled up as microphones.

"Oh come on. Ship Caileen leaving port ready for a steamy honeymoon!" Juliet proceeded to imitate a ship's whistle while Rosaline was laughing her butt off at my expression.

"By Merlin's ass, guys there is nothing between us! Just mutual friendship. Besides," I added as I saw their disbelieving smirks ,"I told him that I didn't want to be in a romantic relationship."

I had just recounted the last hour or so to my two twit friends, apart from anything to do with Tom Riddle (I still had no clue on how to persuade him that going as is uncle is a very stupid and terrible idea without tarnishing the image of his uncle).
I had left Aileen with a promise that I would think about going to the Ball with him-though that would depend if he would give up going as his uncle.
Talk about a Halloween scare.
I don't even want to think of the chaos he would cause.

Juliet and Rosaline's face dropped their stupid annoying little smirks to one that spoke of crushed hopes and dreams.

"And ship Caileen is sinking! Red alert, red alert! Come on Cordelia,save those poor drowning souls! Tell me you did not cut him down!" Juliet cried out.

"Well, ship Caileen shouldn't have set sail in the first place. We're just friends ok? He's only taking me as a friend...and as his mother. God that sounds weird." I noted, still trying to comprehend my strange predicament.

"Why?! At least we have seven years to get that ship fixed for sailing." Juliet suddenly flashed an evil smirk and pulled out her drawing equipment and parchment.

"You know, friends don't call their friends hair 'shiny and black like the night sky" Rosaline called out.
"He was sick,all right? He was probably feverish or something."
I suddenly took notice of Juliet sketching something with Rosaline sniggering over her shoulder and shooting suspicious glances at me.

"What's that?" I demanded as I moved myself over to Juliet's bed.
Juliet quickly moved the paper away from my line of vision but not before I saw what seems like a manga version of me kissing a manga version of Aileen. My cheeks felt hot with embarrassment and the new objective of mine that I was going to murder them.

"Give it here you twit!" I roared a war cry as Juliet handed Rosaline the drawing and pushed her off.
I started to chase her around the dormitory while Juliet in the background sang an off key version of a muggle country song.

"If you could see that you're the one who understands him, been here along so why can't you see-e-e,you belong with him, him him!!"
"You belong with him!"

"Juliet, for the love of God...."
I muttered as I resorted to using my wand.
"Wingardium Leviosa!"

Rosaline uttered a shriek as the army of pillows oversee threatenly hovered above her before swooping down at her like a flock of hungry harpies.

"And I'll take that," I said as I triumphantly plucked the drawing from her hand.
"What the fudge, this isn't my wand," Juliet said with confusion as she drawer out a wand from her robes.
"It's Aileen's" I told her, recognising the unnaturally long and bone white wand.
"You must have picked it up when he fell"
"From when you almost killed him?"
"Shut up."
"Well that gives our little love struck girl an excuse to go visit her man." Rosaline added as she pulled herself to us.

I sent her a death glare before accepting the wand from Juliet.
"Come with me?" I asked.
They grumbled about the perils of excess moving before pulling on their cloaks.
***
"So are you actually going to go to the Halloween Ball with him?'
"I dunno," I sighed.
I've almost gotten over the weirdness of going as his mother, but I don't think that the terror of going as Father's boss would ever cease to nag me.

I'll probably do an Aileen and faint.

"Mep!" I squeaked as something fluffy and warm suddenly brushed on my leg.
"Oh, hey Momo "
I bent down and started to scratch his neck, to which he started to paw at my dragon leather bracelet.
"I've already given one to you,Momo. Are you looking for Aileen? We're just heading to the Ravenclaw tower."
I told him, feeling again the strange sensation that he knew what I was talking about.

Mom gave a purr of what I assumed to be the cat equivalent of a yes and started to lead us to the tower with his bushy tail high in the air.

To my distaste (wait why distaste) I came face to face with Aileen holding a very animated conversation with a red head, whom I recognised as Lily Potter,daughter of the great Harry Potter.
I watched as Aileen pushed a strand of fiery red hair back to whisper in her ear, to which she replied with a tinkling laugh. I could feel something shatter into a thousand shards- Peeves must be near, smashing the portraits.

It definitely didn't come from me.

And here I thought he genuinely wanted a friendship with me.

Was it all an act to get me to agree to become his mother? The nicknames, the audition-all the moments that felt real and genuine, an act just to get what he wanted- my pity to agree to his ludicrous request?

"Don't freak," Rosaline whispered to me,"he asked you to the dance, not her."
"I never gave him an answer" I replied numbly as a horrid thought floated in.

What if he gave up on me and started to target another girl to agree to go to the dance with him?
Because I didn't say yes?

"Rosaline's right. We don't know everything, Cordelia. Don't accuse him of anything in case you'll regret it later" Juliet replied, her carefree air suddenly changing to one surveying the battlefield.

"I need to clear out my thoughts. Rosaline, you give him his wand." I handed her the wand and turned away, my thoughts intangible and blurred.

He looked really happy with her.

And why not?
She was an exotic beauty, with red fiery hair like the sun, the rarest hair colour in the world, while mine was common and plain black. She could hold a decent conversation with him without stripping, almost kill him with a snowball or brandish a knife or a wand at him,or do anything awkward. She was the daughter of the honoured Harry Potter and I, the daughter of the scorned and fallen Death Eater.

I'm not jealous! To be jealous,I have to like him first and I don't!

Then why do I have that unpleasant twist in my stomach?

You're feeling....betrayed?

Yes that's right! Betrayed because he thinks I'm disposable...just another sucker for his charms...just another way to reach his goals...but I wasn't working right for him...so that's why he's moved on! No one treats me like that!

"Look,you don't know the full story..." Juliet began as we headed to the common room.
"Really? Just an hour ago he told me he wanted to be friends with me! Which, concidently he asked this huge massive favour which I didn't give him an answer to! An hour later, he's chatting up another girl the same way he did to me! An hour later, Juliet! How do I know that everything he has told me wasn't a lie!" I raged, forcing tears of God knows what back in.

Juliet seemed to be in deep thought.

"Listen. You've already misread him once. You don't want to do that again. Until we know exactly the details of Miss Lily Potter's relationship with Aileena-nerd, do not do anything different in case you are wrong"

Even my hysterical mind couldn't argue with that logic.
"Fine." I sighed.

"You really do like him." Juliet said, though there was no jest in her eyes.
"I don't...I dunno, I just feel...betrayed that he told me that he wanted to be friends with me...just before he asked this crazy request which I didn't say yes to and then he talks up another girl" I slumped against the wall of an empty corridor in dejection.

"I do agree it is a stupid move. Look Cordelia, if he really is the wanker he seems, then he's no good for you" Juliet suggested while rubbing my back in comfort.

"Just a few minutes ago you were ready to set sail with ship Caileen" I replied wryly.
"Well I didn't know how much of a wanker he was. I still don't have definite proof he is a total wanker. Don't bring down your hopes Kay?"

"Guys,guys, Cordelia, he's heading our way!"Rosaline announced as she clutched her sides. I noticed she still held the bone white wand.
"Oh no, I can't face him in this state!" I trilled in my panic.

"Cordelia! Cordelia please wait!" Aileen's unmistakable voice could be heard from a few feet away, making me break into a cold sweat.

"Go! Run! I'll hold him off!" Juliet said with a creeping grin that spoke of untold evils.
"Thank you so much" I whispered and ran off, hiding behind a wall so I could see the action and yet be concealed from him.

"Oh, hello Aileen. Can I help you with something?" Juliet's smooth acting voice echoed through the corridor.
"Didn't I tell you to refrain from ever helping me?" Aileen's usual disinterested tone of voice seemed to hold a hint of preoccupation in it, and his face seemed slightly flushed- well at least from what I could see from my hiding place.

I could almost hear the frost spilling from Juliet as she spoke.

"Fine. Rosaline, you can assist Aileen here since he obviously doesn't take a shine to me."
"Is there a reason why you are in a rush to get here?" Rosaline inquired coolly.

Aileen's gaze seemed to linger in the direction I was hiding in, which made me press my small frame closer to the wall.

"Well," His voice echoed throughout the corridors once more after just a few excruciating seconds of silence.
"It would be nice of you, if you could give me back my wand..." He trailed off whilst speaking to Rosaline.
His voice held no trace of disdain while talking to her, it was almost the same tone of voice that he used with me, but I couldn't ignore the preoccupied undertone in it.
Aileen usually sounded annoyed, disinterested, disgusted- sometimes could even sound and look genuinely happy, but never preoccupied this was a first.

"Oh yeah,silly me,Cordelia-OW!" Rosaline yelped and gave Juliet a disgruntled glare before realising her mistake at Juliet's frustrated glare.

"Here's your wand, Juliet picked it up," she said as a hasty attempt to correct her mistake and quickly handing the wand to Aileen.
"I figured as much, thank you for holding on to it- your friend here might have tried to destroy it otherwise..." He finished with a genuine smile towards Rosaline, who didn't quite know how to respond to so much kindness. After all, Rosaline hadn't really interacted much with Aileen up until now, she only knew him from classes and from what Juliet and myself told her about him.

Judging from the even sweeter smile on Juliet's face, she did not miss the jibe at her.

"Ok then. Our business is done here. Rosaline, let's go."

"You know, it's really rude to interrupt grown ups when they're talking..." Aileen trailed off yet again, but this time there was a hint of playful mock added to his- still slightly preoccupied voice.

I resisted the urge to go out and comfort Juliet and say some sort of a smart ass reply, but Juliet seems capable of handling it herself.

"It's not interrupting anything when all you talk is bullshit."

Oh! Burn!!!

"Such a foul mouth- and here I was thinking that you'd finally warmed up to me," Aileen replied to Juliet's obvious insult calmly, as if he was genuinely trying not to flip her off.

I could imagine Juliet giving a Cheshire Cat grin, as if he was complimenting her.
"Honey, I don't warm up to people, I burn them into ashes. You on the other hand warm up to me like mold on a steak at room temperature."

All this was said with a pleasant tone and smile.

Aileen however seemed to have completely tuned her out- his eyes were scanning the corridors as if in search for something.

Or someone... I thought silently to myself just to almost jump out of my elaborated hiding place as something warm and fury rubbed itself against my legs.

"Eep!" A traitorous squeak escaped from my mouth, high and audible.
I stared horrified at Aileen's direction before sprinting off for all that I was worth.
However, there was no sign of Aileen when I looked behind me during my mad dash through the corridors, Momo and Juliet were the only ones who had followed me leaving Rosaline behind to deal with Aileen.

Aileen

I looked after Cordelia's and Momo's rapidly retreating figures as Juliet gave me an evil glare and dashed off after them, leaving Rosaline and myself standing there feeling out of place.

What the heck is wrong with that cat?
He usually isn't that affectionate towards anybody besides me...

"So...do you have anything else to say?" Rosaline asked while trying to maintain her cool composure.
"Is that the norm for those two? Well I could imagine Juliet creeping around- but why was Cordelia listening in to the conversation in secret?" I asked Rosaline in fake confusion, slightly relieved that it was her who stayed behind and not that obnoxious Juliet.

To my surprise, Rosaline's neutral face morphed into a tight, prim expression like an angry mother.
"Stop being a git to Juliet and screwing with Cordelia's feelings."
She said through pursed lips.
"Screwing with her feelings?" I asked her slightly confused, the vulgar cuss word laying heavily on my tongue.

They must have witnessed my interactions with the Potter girl...

"Yes. Screwing with her feelings. Stop sending her mixed messages! You send her hopes up then you crushed them down with ironclad boots with your flirting with that Potter girl! Can't you see Cordelia isn't used to relationships and she needs time? She isn't some easy whore you-"

"Flirting?" I interrupted the now raging Rosaline whilst looking at her with confusion.
"That Potter girl as you nicely put it, asked me to accompany her to the ball and I told her that I was already going with Cordelia."

Rosaline's cold mask faltered slightly at my words as I took two steps away from her.

"Rejection isn't whispering something delightful in the girls ear while she laughs last time I checked." she replied coldly,regaining her icy composure.

"That had nothing to do with the ball..." I trailed off. I was starting to consider to just use Occlumency on her and get this over with.

"You mentioned that Cordelia isn't used to relationships as if I had asked her out," I said whilst looking at Rosaline- with what I hoped looked like a genuinely confused expression.

"I asked her to be friends- and I haven't done anything to betray said friendship."
"Ok maybe I've worded it wrong-oh never mind. You have to sort it out yourself" Rosaline barged past me, almost running away.

It was obviously wrong for me to think that Rosaline wasn't a threat, she might be the quietest of the three but she's not as gullible as I had thought.

Going after Cordelia now won't do me any good either...I could probably get into the Slytherin common room or into the boy's dormitories with the help of Salazar's portrait, but I would have to fend for myself after that, not to mention what would happen if Julius found m-

"Aileen?" Lily Potter's voice ripped me out of my thoughts, making me abruptly turn towards her.
"So, are you still going to help me with my Potions assignment? Professor Nova gave me permission to use the Potions room after hours." The redhead said whilst slowly making her way towards me .

"Sure, let's go."
****

Three hours.

It took her three whole hours to finish her damn essay on the Wiggenweld Potion.
I had to contain myself from simply force feeding her the information.

No wonder that she's failing the subject.
I recalled her fervently searching for information on the Flobberworm as if her life depended on it- which it probably did, well at least her academic life.

The Wiggenweld Potion isn't really that hard to brew, but judging on what I've heard about Lily's disastrous Potion classes- she once managed to blow up her cauldron its contents covering the entire classroom and every single person in said classroom, with a sticky purple substance- I was seriously relieved that I didn't have to actually brew the potion with her.
****
I slowly made my way through the corridors in the dungeons, passing by various Slytherin couples who were either studying, or otherwise engaged- on my way up.

"Teenagers and their raging hormones..."
I murmured through clenched teeth as I made my way around what seemed suspiciously like Julius and his girlfriend making out behind an armour.

Let's just hope, that at least some of the effects of the Armontentia that dear father was conceived under passed on to me.

Salazar forbid that I ever behave like those- those animals...

With those last thoughts, I silently made my way towards the Ravenclaw tower, forgetting all about Lily, Cordelia and Momo.