Tom kept a steady stride behind Aurora as she stormed away from him, not even trying to hide her displeasure towards his company. He had debated not taking up Raoul's invitation to join them, but given that he would now be spending Christmas in the same house as her, Tom supposed he ought to test the waters with her.

They had danced around each other for months now, and aside from the odd glare, Aurora's mask of indifference when around Tom was annoyingly strong. Only the warmth she brought to him had continued, and the anger he'd felt in Transfiguration when she had lost her temper had not returned. He thought it may have relapsed a couple of times since, feeling something bubbling beneath the surface, but it had never blown up quite as spectacularly.

So it was as the head of long blonde hair disappeared around a corner towards the library, that Tom remembered why he had been so fervently avoiding her. She was powerful, and any doubts he had had about that had been shattered when he'd witnessed just how much she could do with seemingly so little effort. He knew he could use that power, she would be a strong asset within his ranks, regardless of certain wizards' views on where witches belonged in the world.

Tom was no fool, he lived in a muggle orphanage over the holidays, after all, and had seen the devastating effect the muggle war was having on England. He had also seen the women step up in the area surrounding Wool's in ways that would have been almost laughable had most of the men not been shipped off to France.

Aurora was ten times as powerful as any of the filth he had to endure over the breaks, and Tom was certain she would be an integral part of his post-Hogwarts endeavors, regardless of how he felt about her. He could always remove her tongue if she became enough of an issue, non-verbal magic was just as strong.

But she still hated him. Of course, she did. Tom had given her no reason to not hate him. He had used Legilimency, or tried to, without her permission several times now and he had wasted no breath insulting her the first night of rounds they had endured together, only to immediately decide to ignore her completely, save for sour looks and muttered jibes in lessons.

The most obvious reason for hating him would probably be that he also threatened Raoul into forging a relationship with her and could end everything for her at a moment's notice. Merlin, he could do it now if he liked. It would be as easy as telling Raoul that he felt this mission was no longer worth it, and it would all be over.

However, the mission was still very much worth it, should it allow Tom to reign control over her magic. So Raoul would be allowed to continue fucking Aurora like they were rabbits, and Tom would sit back and wait for her to fall straight into his arms when the relationship mysteriously crumbles around them.

"So are you just going to stand there or are you going to sit down?" an impatient voice drawled from just ahead of him.

Tom looked down to see Aurora staring deadpan at him. It appeared he had let his thoughts wander so much he had completely missed making his way into the library.

And quite a way in for that matter, the table was tucked close to the ornate gates to the Restricted Section, surrounded by several stand-alone bookshelves and closing it off from prying eyes, and maybe even ears.

He didn't respond, instead just placing his bag on the table in front of her, never breaking eye contact. Her face remained expressionless, but her blue eyes seemed to turn to ice the longer he held them, glazing over slightly as any emotion that may have been there died. She had been expecting him to attempt Legilimency again and put up her Occlumency walls. The warmth in his stomach began to frost over as he dragged a chair out from under the table to sit.

He should have just sat quietly with a book, allowed her to sulk until Raoul returned with her bag, but it had been far too long since his last foray into riling up Aurora Rosier, and he couldn't help but wonder if there had been any significant changed to her in the last few months. Maybe he could pinpoint a new weakness (something he had thus far failed to do with any great accuracy) or she would slip up and divulge any of one of her seemingly numerous secrets.

However, it wasn't Tom who spoke first, it seemed Aurora was just as keen to spark up an argument.

"Well, Thomas, it's been a while since we've spoken, has it not?" she asked sweetly as she leaned forward on the desk opposite him, her chin resting lightly upon her balled hands.

"Might I ask you to refrain from calling me by my given name, Rosier?" he huffed back, hating how easily it always seemed to roll off her tongue.

She just laughed in his face, still holding eye contact. Insufferable bitch.

"I don't know, might I ask you to stop trying to invade my mind whenever you feel like it?"

He probably should have seen that one coming.

"I fail to see the issue here, Rosier, you are an adequate Occlumens," that earnt a snort from her, "surely my attempts should be meaningless," he reasoned, knowing full well it would be nowhere near a sufficient explanation. He just wanted the reaction.

"The only thing that offends me is your heinous attempts at Legilimency. I think my brother could do a better job, and Evan is eleven. You even entertaining the idea that you would be able to beat my Occlumency is what I find offensive," Aurora snipped back.

So Evan Rosier was a Legilimens at eleven? Now that was interesting.

"Might I ask where you learned such a skill then?" Tom queried, leaning back in his seat and crossing his legs, his hands coming to clasp together in front of his knee.

"No," she replied, without even missing a beat. Tom raised an eyebrow.

"Awh, is poor little Tommy upset that he isn't quite as good as the Princess at something?" Aurora asked, pouting mockingly.

It was now Tom's turn to laugh in her face.

"I exceed you in every other magical outlet, I wouldn't waste my breath when you know full well I'll have your mind cracked open very soon," his tone was cool, but Aurora appeared unphased.

"I recall you saying something very similar to that on our first night of rounds, dare I ask if you remember my response, or where your emotions running a bit too high for you to have retained the exact details?" she smirked wickedly now, and Tom had immediately caught onto her meaning.

"You flatter yourself far too much, Rosier," he replied, not at all enjoying the implication that he would allow something so carnal to cloud his mind, "and I do remember, for that matter. Something about 'others have tried and failed.' Care to elaborate?"

Tom has been expecting her response, but it didn't stop the pang of disappointment he felt when it came.

"No."

"Merlin, you're a tricky witch aren't you," he sighed.

"Thank you," Aurora returned curtly. He needed to change his approach. There was no sore spot to be found here.

"It wasn't a compliment."

"To me it was," she kept smiling, and Tom still wanted nothing more than to reach across the table and wrap his hand around her throat, seeing if she would continue to smile as he slowly cut off her oxygen supply.

"Tell me, Rosier, do you ever get bored of being a stuck up, spoiled little brat?" he bit out, starting to grow tired of her nonchalance.

"I can't say that I do, no. You see, being a spoilt brat, as you so eloquently put it, has only ever gotten me exactly who and what I want. Why on earth would I ever grow tired of that?" Aurora now shifted in her seat, leaning back to cross one leg over the other, imitating Tom's stance.

"Or so you think," Tom dipped his head slightly as he answered if only to intensify his gaze.

"And what exactly is that supposed to mean?" Aurora demanded, and Tom smirked at the faint annoyance he heard in her voice.

"Surely a brat who got everything she wanted would be home with her family over Christmas and not practically salivating over an invitation to spend it with someone else."

Okay, so salivation was an over-exaggeration, but Tom had hardly missed the way Aurora's eyes had lit up when Malfoy had offered to house her during the holidays.

Tom also did not miss how her eyes lit up again now, except instead of joy he saw fire behind the ice blue. It didn't stop him from pressing on.

"As for having whoever you want, I'm sure that you're aware of Raoul's history, how can you be sure that you aren't just another notch on his bedpost? What with being the school's star Quidditch player, I'm sure he could have anyone he wanted with just as much ease," Tom shrugged as he spoke, as though it were blatantly obvious.

Aurora laughed again, but it was no longer light and airy, it had become rather shrill.

"Please, I have that boy wrapped around my finger," she rolled her eyes, breaking the stare they had maintained since he had arrived for the first time.

As Tom opened his mouth to respond, he felt the bubbling begin again, his stomach growing hotter and hotter as Aurora's narrowed, all traces of her shielding her emotions seemingly evaporating.

"Where is he now then?"

It was a cheap shot, and Tom knew Raoul would remain faithful, Tom had ordered him to, after all, but it could never hurt to place that shred of doubt in Aurora's head.

"Excuse me?" she looked only slightly taken aback, as a new wave of heat rolled through Tom.

He sighed, sounding exasperated as he replied,

"Don't act like an idiot, Rosier, I know that you heard me. I asked where the boy you have wrapped around your finger is right now."

Aurora's eyes flared again, and her jaw clenched. Tom had intended to remain calm, but with every second he could feel himself reaching his boiling point, and decided there was no use in trying to hold back. If anything, it spurred him on, daring him to push her further and further.

"You know exactly where he is, he's collecting my bag for me like the devoted pet he is," she hissed, baring her teeth ever so slightly.

Tom laughed once again, full of malice, whilst feigning checking his watch. "Ah, you see darling, I'm afraid it takes no more than fifteen minutes to get down to the dungeons and back up to the Library from the Great Hall, and he's been gone twenty. How can you be sure he hasn't suddenly grown bored of your harping and taken some other girl into one of the alcoves you too frequent so often."

Aurora's eyes only narrowed more, and the heatwave that hit Tom was enough to almost knock him off his rhythm. Still, he gripped his knee tighter and answered her unasked question as to how he knew about the alcoves.

"You forget he's my friend too, Aurora, I know all about your dalliances. Maybe you ought to keep a tighter leash on your pet"

There was no lie there, Raoul had relished in relieving the stories of his and Aurora's activities in the dorms at night. Well, on the nights that he hadn't dragged her in after him before lazily throwing up a silencing charm that didn't leave much to the imagination. Although he had used the word 'friend' rather loosely, which was what Aurora seemed to pick up on the most given the snort that left her then. Gods, one would almost think that a passerby could be mistaken into thinking there were two pigs sat at the table with how often one of them reacted in such a way.

"I fail to see the relevance to your point," she shook her head, sounding rather shrill, but Tom could hear the uncertainty threaded through her words. "And besides, you don't have friends, do you? They call you 'My Lord.' If anything, you're the stuck-up brat here. I may be conceited but at least I don't have the girls address me as 'My Lady.'"

"Well, why don't you?" he questioned, sounding quite serious, "everyone here calls you 'the Princess', asking them to address you as 'Your Royal Highness' would only make sense."

"Because I don't need a title to assert my dominance over them," Aurora spat, her lip curling viciously. It was cute that she thought his title was only in place for dominance over those three.

"And you think that I do?" he spat back with equal ferocity.

"Apart from being a swot, I don't see anything particularly special about you that warrants making you a leader," she remarked, casting her eyes up and down over him as though inspecting him for any of the qualities she deemed necessary to hold his title.

Tom exhaled slowly, mouth curling into a tight sneer before he spoke again, so quiet it was almost a whisper, but nothing could shake the weight of his question.

"Shall we ask Myrtle what she thinks?"

Aurora faltered, her eyes widening ever so slightly as she drew in a sharp breath at the mention of Myrtle. That seemed to be the very last thing she had thought him to use against her. The last time she mentioned her, Tom had literally thrown her against a wall, and he had just openly said her name in the school library. The heat in his stomach seemed to calm ever so slightly, coming down from boiling point to a light simmer. Tom's smirk remained as she watched her form her response.

"You can be a coward and still a killer," she said when she finally spoke, her voice quiet as her eyes became less harsh but more searching, connecting with his the same way she had done the night she had asked him if Myrtle's death was his doing.

"I have twice the courage you'll ever have," Tom quipped as though it were obvious.

"How very Gryffindor of you, are you sure you shouldn't be sporting a red robe?" Aurora bit back.

"Last I checked bravery wasn't exactly on the criteria for 'successful leaders,'" Tom sighed once again, feeling very much as though he had won this particular argument and not caring to take it much further. That didn't stop him from wanting to end making it very clear he didn't buy her harmless hexes and ultimately star student bullshit. "but at least I can admit to my crimes, I'm not sure I can say the same for you."

Eyes no longer searching, and back to lit aflame, Aurora's hand seemed to unconsciously raise to the centre of her chest, as though she had felt the need to protect something that wasn't there, as it only hovered over her tie before dropping onto the table as she leaned forward, her piercing gaze doing nothing to derail Tom this time. Not even the searing heat that now licked up his spine could throw him off his course now.

"You have no idea what kind of fire you're playing with, Riddle," she sneered, her voice venomous and her eyes as feral as they had been before she had attacked Jenkins. Tom almost felt himself trying to slip into her mind again but thought the better of it.

"You'll find I do. Obliviating students was very much illegal last time I looked over magical law, but do let me know if I'm mistaken," Tom smiled smugly as Aurora's mouth, which had been opening to form a reply snapped shut, the fire in her eyes flickering ever so slightly. He knew he'd won this time. Merlin, she was pretty when she knew to keep her mouth shut.

"Eyes are the window to the soul, Rosier. Didn't think I'd have to be the one to remind you of that."

As if on cue perfectly on cue, the sound of light panting and heavy footfalls interrupted their silence as Raoul made his way around the bookshelf their table was sat behind.

"Sorry 'Rora, got caught up behind a group of firsties who couldn't navigate a staircase," he smiled fondly down at Aurora, planting a kiss on top of her head as he dropped two bags down next to her chair.

Tom saw Aurora's posture slacken ever so slightly at the contact, but her eyes only diverged from his for a moment to thank Raoul for her bag as he drew out his chair and made a start on unpacking all their research material.

He raised a questioning eyebrow as if to ask if she dared question Raoul's excuse for being late. Was she that insecure about the status of her relationship? Tom could hardly say he'd expected that to be a weakness of hers he'd expected to pick up on today. Regardless, he'd still have plenty of fun exploiting that weakness as long as he required Raoul to keep her.

She made no move to respond, instead, breaking their eye contact for the final time that day, but not before her eyes glazed over once more, the fire put out and her mind locked up.

Tom's hands unclasped from his knee, brushing gently across the arms of the chair before pushing himself to his feet.

"Oh, are you leaving Riddle?" Raoul's attention was drawn away from the essay in front of him as he looked up towards Tom, yet Aurora's stayed fixed forward. Tom took that as a silent mark of defeat, regardless of her intentions.

"No, Lestrange. I was just going to head into the Restricted Section, get in some further reading as I'd mentioned earlier."

"Of course, M–" Tom's eyes snapped to Raoul's and his face hardened at the near slip-up. The boy seemed to wither ever so slightly at the intensity of his leader's gaze, swallowing nervously.

"Of course, Riddle," Tom didn't miss when Aurora's eyes shifted towards Raoul as he corrected himself.

"Quite. I won't be too long, I trust I can leave my belongings here to remain untouched?" he asked coldly.

Raoul swallowed once again, sensing Tom's less than hidden irritation.

"Yes, Riddle."

"Excellent." and with that, Tom turned on his heel and strode towards the great steel gate that split off the library.

Withdrawing the signed permission slip from the pocket of his robe, Tom held it to the lock, hearing the click that Slughorn's signature activated. He'd never had a problem obtaining permission from the professor to access the school's protected texts, all he's ever had to say was that he was trying to develop a clearer understanding of magic that the basic books would not have afforded him. Slughorn ate it up every time, barely even casting a look over what he was signing as he raved about what a bright future Tom had in front of him.

If only he knew.

The gate swung closed behind Tom, and he walked briskly through the stacks, the air growing darker around him as he made his way deeper into the Restricted Section, knowing exactly where he was going.

The Knights had been excellent sources of information, providing Tom with stacks upon stacks of contacts for future endeavours, but this particular research project had been Tom's personal goal for almost a year now. His surprise when he had found out all the information he had needed was right there in the Hogwarts' library all along had been immeasurable.

He reached the end of the stacks, casting a quick Lumos as he drew his wand along the spines of each tome and volume that filled the very darkest place of the Library. After only a couple of minutes, Tom came to a halt, his wand having landed on its desired destination.

Placing the yew between his teeth, both hands came up to steady the books on either side and long, delicate fingers slowly pulled a large, worn book from its place on the shelf. Dusting it off ever so slightly, Tom traced the embossed title, allowing each letter equal attention as he saw another piece fall right into place.

Secrets of the Darkest Arts fell open in front of him.