Chapter 36 - Distractions
"You are unbelievable!" hissed Cho, her voice barely above a whisper as it echoed throughout the tiny alcove.
Orion smirked down at her, his cheekbones thrown into sharp relief in the flickering torchlight. "Unbelievably intelligent and handsome? I know."
She almost growled in frustration, a furrow appearing between her brows. "It's not funny Black! Lying to someone and manipulating their feelings is not something I can be a part of!"
Orion bit off a laugh, inwardly wondering how she had ever fallen for a Slytherin in the first place.
"It's a means to an end Chang – I admit it isn't the most elegant of plans but time is running out and as someone who expects me to believe them about Riddle, you are not very good at placing your trust in others."
Cho sighed, seeing the validity in his point. It was already a big step on Orion's behalf to believe her, let alone attempting to put the wheels into motion for the rest of Tom's followers. The least she could do was play along right?
Even as the thought crossed her mind, a twinge settled at the bottom of her heart, twisting anxiously as she thought of the farce that Black wanted her to be a part of. She was never particularly good or convincing when she tried to lie and she was very conscious of the fact that it could all be over if she slipped up even once.
"How do you know this will work?" asked Cho, her tone barely above a whisper, "What happens if it doesn't? You, Abraxas and the rest will not be let off lightly."
"Though I am flattered by your concern Chang, trust me on this one," said Orion, "I've known Riddle for far longer than you have, just follow my lead and-"
"- hope for the best?" said Cho, her tone falsely cheery.
Orion smiled, a look of fondness flashing briefly in his eyes. "Something like that."
Cho stared up at him, her gaze long and hard as she studied his face for any hint of a lie. After a beat of silence, she sighed, her voice heavy with resignation: "What do you need me to do?"
Cho and Orion had set out rough guidelines on what they needed to do for their plan to work, the conversation feeling like more of a business deal than Cho would have liked.
"- remember, the point is not to make him murderous. Just be yourself and show him what he's missing out on."
Cho's eyesbrows hitched up towards her hairline, "Excuse me?"
Orion laughed again, his eyes crinkling at the corners to show his mirth, "Not in that way. I mean you need to remind him why he liked you in the first place."
The idea of flaunting anything was a little daunting to Cho who after her time in the limelight with Cedric preferred to live quietly. And just what did Tom like about her?
Orion had no answer to that, giving her a casual shrug of his shoulders as his response. "Behave as usual but try to distance yourself from him."
Cho looked mystified, "Isn't that what I'm already doing?"
"Not quite," amended Orion, "Avoiding him like a particularly nasty case of dragonpox is not the same as being around him but being just out of reach."
Cho felt vaguely faint, "How in the name of Merlin's name is this going to work?"
Orion placed his hands on her shoulders, the warmth grounding her, "Trust me Chang. Just this once."
Cho shook herself out of the memory from earlier on in the evening, rounding the corner and preparing to make her way up to Ravenclaw tower when she saw a trail of bright purple robes disappear around the corner.
Jogging to keep up, Cho caught up to him, the sound of footfalls causing Dumbledore to turn around. He looked tired, the lines around his eyes seeming to have deepened since she had last seen him in Hogsmeade.
"Professor! I'm glad you're alright," said Cho, feeling genuinely relieved that Dumbledore had remained unscathed after his confrontation with Grindewald.
"How are you?"
A faint smile crossed his face, "Ah, Miss Chang! Just the student I was looking for."
At Cho's inquisitive look, he silently ushered her towards his office, trailing behind and trying to keep up with his long strides. Once safely in his office and tea was offered, Cho sank back into the cushy armchair while Dumbledore sat opposite, his eyes sharp and his fingers clasped and resting beneath his chin.
"How have you been feeling lately Miss Chang?"
Out of all the questions she thought he would ask, simple pleasantries weren't what she was expecting.
"Fine, sir?"
"And your moments of disappearance?" questioned Dumbledore, tilting his head ever so slightly, "Have those episodes improved?"
Cho blinked owlishly, realising that she had completely forgotten about those in the midst of all that had happened recently. Wracking her brain, she realised that she hadn't had an incident like that since that day in Hogsmeade with Grindelwald but what had changed?
Dumbledore leaned back, taking a delicate sip out of his teacup as he regarded her, "Perhaps your fate here has finally become clear," he commented, his answers infuriatingly vague as always, "Best to keep an eye on it though."
While Cho was glad that she was no longer disappearing in and out of time, there was also a large part of her that found Dumbledore's words troubling. There was something deeply unsettling about the notion of her fate being sealed, as if she had no control over what happens and it was already set in stone. What if her and Orion's plan didn't come into fruition? What if she was stuck here for the rest of her life, forced to watch what would become of Tom Riddle without being able to stop him?
The nauseous feeling rose up within her again, forcing her to sip the hot peppermint tea in front of her so she would have something to fill the silence between them.
Tom hated having no control.
He had always been attuned to variables, anything that could influence the outcome that he wanted. He would predict the most likely scenarios, scheming and planning around obstacles that he would deem problematic.
However, as he watched Orion Black sitting at the Ravenclaw table during breakfast, he realised that he had been thrown a curveball that he had not seen coming.
He had accounted for disobedience amongst his followers and he had taken into consideration the threat it would pose when he punished Abraxas. He had thought about what it would mean for the others and if the fear of retribution was enough to stave off their advances. What he didn't account for was a brazenness so inconceivable that Tom would have been proud of if it if it wasn't adversely affecting him so much.
He continued to watch Orion as the boy leaned towards Cho, veering at the very last minute to pick up a plate of crispy bacon and laughing as she nudged him away so hard he almost fell off the bench.
Tom wasn't stupid. He knew exactly what Orion was doing. He was trying to make him, Tom Marvolo Riddle jealous.
Long ago at the orphanage, Tom had understood that jealousy was a petty emotion. It was designed to make people weak, to divert their attention from doing the things that matter so they would able to rise up from their station. Jealousy was for the unambitious, those who would rather waste time coveting something than just going ahead and taking it.
And the infuriating thing was that despite all logic and reason, it was working.
Three weeks had passed by with little incident. Cho kept her up charade with Orion, having no idea whether it was working according to plan but continuing anyway. To her surprise, she found Orion to be much more than she had originally let on.
He was clever, funny and charming to the point of it being ridiculous. Luckily, Cho found it endearing rather than egotistical and frustrating - a point that Orion exploited to its fullest degree especially when Tom was in the near vicinity and could hear her laughter and good-natured quips.
To be really honest with herself, she didn't mind having him hang around at all. She wasn't completely sure whether they were true friends or just working towards a common goal but more and more often, she found herself placing down her books and bags next to him in potions when she came in after him until it became the norm. If Orion noticed the little changes in her behaviour, he never said anything but he would flash an even brighter smile at her every time he said hello.
Outside of potions, Orion made sure to keep up appearances. He would sit with her at the Ravenclaw table for at least one meal a day, take her for walks around the grounds and join her, Arlene and Henry for trips to Hogsmeade. He was the picture of the perfect boyfriend - gentlemanly, intelligent, wealthy and above all, someone who made Cho laugh with abandon. Not even Henry, Cho's friend who seemed more like an overprotective brother, could fault him for how he had acted so far.
Orion knew his Slytherin housemates were curious above all else, curious as to why Riddle had not punished him yet and wondering why Orion Black, a pureblood from one of the oldest and wealthiest wizarding families was associating himself with a known blood traitor who had not a sickle to her name.
Of course those in the inner circle knew what game he was playing. With predatory eyes, they watched and said nothing. They were waiting, whether it be for Orion to lose his head or for Tom to surrender. With both at a standstill and no additional orders from Riddle himself, they had no reason to choose a side yet.
Orion wasn't concerned - if they were ambivalent towards the cause, it was a step in the right direction. It meant they were hesitating. It meant that they were considering the possibility of abandoning Riddle's plight.
Riddle on the other hand, appeared as unflappable as ever. He went to classes, barely ate in the Great Hall and holed himself up in the Head Boy dormitories where he spent his time doing Merlin knows what. The only time Orion or Cho actually saw him were in class or when he was on patrol, stalking along the corridors and deducting points from students out late after dark.
"Perhaps he really doesn't care anymore," said Cho, her brow furrowed as she walked next to Orion, careful not to slip on the muddy banks for the lake. It was another one of their post-dinner walks - a ritual that inspired much envy among the girls of Hogwarts but was really just a chance for them to talk privately.
Orion skeptically watched the girl next to him as her eyes kept flitting to the ground, worried that she was going to fall face first into the mud. He curled his arm, looping one of hers around his with ease. At her questioning look, he replied with a grin: "Just in case anyone is watching."
Cho rolled her eyes though she didn't retract his arm from his, something that made Orion feel light and warm inside.
"Trust me Chang, it's working," he replied airily, "You haven't known him as long as I have but it is affecting him much more than he lets on."
She raised her eyebrows, enunciating her next words, "How do you know? If it's affecting him why has he done nothing? Why does he avoid us like the plague? For all we know, he could be plotting some mad plan right now!"
Orion would never tell Cho that he found her incredibly attractive in the moments of her righteous anger. Perhaps it was the fire in her eyes, the tightness of the line of her mouth or the earnestness of her expression but he felt the strangest urge to lean forward. To bend lower and tilt his head, to carefully press his lips against hers…
He disregarded the thought almost as soon as it had struck him, slightly dazed at where the direction of his thoughts had taken him. What was happening to him?
He cleared his throat, hoping that the fading rays of sunlight would be able hide the blooming redness in his cheeks. He turned to her, putting both hands on her shoulders to stop her from walking or stomping away back to the castle.
"Chang, do you know why we take walks around the lake after dinner?"
She looked at him as though he had grown a second, very unattractive head, "Because you have nothing better to do than be an annoying presence in my life?"
Orion smirked, enjoying her sarcastic tone, "No. We walk here because the Head Boy dormitories have a perfect view of this lake. Have you ever looked up at those windows on this side of the castle wall?"
Cho almost turned her head to look but Orion caught the side of her head just in time, his hand cupping her smooth cheek and stopping her from looking.
"Trust me," said Orion, his hand still on her face, his brown eyes and wide and honest, "He's watching our every move. He doesn't trust me around you. He still cares about you, more than anyone else. We have him where we want him, we just have to take the next step."
Cho was hyper aware of the heat emanating from Orion's roughened fingers on her cheek and she could count each and every individual lash that framed his expressive eyes that darted from looking at her eyes to flickering down to her lips. As he leaned in further, she could barely remember what she was trying to say at all.
"What's the next step?"
Her voice was breathy, stilted and unsure as Orion's scent swallowed her whole. He looked at her, with an expression she had never seen on him before he ducked his head and leaned in impossibly close.
"This."
Cho stood stock still, her brain fuzzy and in shock as Orion wound his other arm around her waist, pulling her into his warm embrace and he kissed her, his mouth slightly chapped but warm and soft against her own.
Just what had she gotten herself into?
A/N: Better late than never amirite? Terrible excuses aside, thank you all for sticking with me for this story - much love! x