Chapter 35 - The Forked Road
Cho had barely stepped through the looming arched doorway of Hogwarts before she was suffocated by a vice like grip and a mouthful of fiery red hair.
"I'm so glad you're alright Cho!" said Arlene, her grip only becoming tighter as the seconds past.
Henry sidled up beside the two girls, gently prying Arlene off so Cho could breathe. She shot him a grateful smile, leaning into his one-armed embrace.
"Good to see you back in one peace Chang," he joked, almost going in to ruffle her hair before she ducked out of the way. Henry looked to Cho's other side where Tom stood, his stance unbearably awkward and his robes tattered.
"I'm happy to see you made it back too Tom. It was brave of you to fight Grindelwald."
Tom arched an eyebrow, unsure of where this errant praise was coming from.
Henry took in Tom's expression, amending his previous sentence, "I mean it was idiotic. Idiotic but brave."
Tom's stoicism didn't change but Cho swear she saw his eye twitch. Clearing her throat, she disentangled herself from her friends.
"I'll take Tom to the infirmary. I'll meet you for dinner later?"
Arlene and Henry nodded though Cho could see the questions swimming in their eyes. Cho gave a silent shake of her head before flashing a brief smile to show she was fine.
They watched as Cho sidled up to Tom (who steadfastly ignored her offer of help despite his heavy limp and splint) and sluggishly began their walk towards the hospital wing.
"Are they back together again?" whispered Henry, his tone hushed although there was no one else around.
Arlene grimaced, "I suppose we'll find out soon enough."
The walk to the infirmary was one of the longest of Tom's life. A part of him wanted to fill the silence between them but the other stronger part had nothing to say. Against all his better judgement he was still mulling over her words from the morning. Was what he was doing really what he wanted?
He hated the doubt that has started to gnaw away at his insides for months and he despised the fact that he was starting to entertain the thought of abandoning his cause more and more.
But what would happen if he stopped? His followers would desert him and he would have no sway over the wizarding world. He would live with muggles and mudbloods being thought of as equals and be unable to do anything about it. He would graduate, find some paperwork crunching job at the Ministry where his talents would never be fully appreciated.
But he might have her.
She had told him that she could never forgive him but he knew she still cared for him the same way he still cared for her. Why else would she have saved him? And had he mistaken the look of blind panic on her face just before he passed out in Hogsmeade?
No, Tom thought wryly. Despite everything his future self would do, she couldn't help herself - Cho Chang was still trying to save him.
A small crowd of students gathered in an abandoned classroom, the weakly flickering candlelight throwing shadows on the wall.
"-do you really think he cares about the cause anymore Malfoy?" hissed a dark haired boy, his tone urgent and full of authority. "Our plans have been stale for months now."
Abraxas sneered, the look distorting his aristocratic features. "You're a coward and a traitor Black," he spat. "You have no right to call us here!"
Orion laughed, the sound humourless and dry. "I would have thought you of all people would understand Abraxas. Did he not turn against you for simply speaking to that Chang girl?"
A hushed silence fell over the rest of the hooded students, listening with rapt attention as Abraxas paled at the memory.
Orion took his silence as a cue to continue, his voice growing stronger and more confident with every passing word. "It is clear that Tom Riddle no longer prioritises the cause above all else. As you can see, he was willing to make an example out of Abraxas, an esteemed member of one of the oldest pure-blooded families for no reason other than his own personal gain."
Orion continued amongst the murmurs of assent. "To Tom Riddle, we are nothing but a means to an end. We are pawns in his game where even he does not obey the rules. We are truly the ones with power and influence. Without us, he is nothing."
A quiet voice piped up, his tone low and measured. "So what are you proposing Black? A rebellion? Do you wish to be our new leader?"
Orion smiled, "Not at all. I'm proposing that we abandon this meaningless charade and live our lives of grandeur like we were also supposed to."
The muttering amongst the small group increased, some outraged at Orion's audacity and his bout of courage while some almost seemed like they were considering it.
Orion spoke up, his voice loud and clear in the large classroom. "I know this is not an easy decision to make, that all of you, me included, has pledged our loyalty to this cause for years. What you need to know is this – Tom Riddle is no longer the fearless leader that we had thought he to be. He has weaknesses, just like the rest of us that we can exploit. If you choose to disband from this cause, together we can protect our own. We could make sure what happened to our dear friend Abraxas never happens again to any of us!"
A tall boy near the front stepped forward, his hood not quite concealing his dark eyes and almost waxy skin. "If we were to agree to this absurd plan Black, what makes you think Riddle will stop? Do you not think him capable of making an example out of all of us and recruiting more members?"
Orion grinned, full of roguish charm but edged with ferocity. "Don't worry about that Lestrange. Even the mighty Tom Riddle can be persuaded."
If there was one thing Orion Black was particularly skilled at, it was pinpointing someone's weakness. For his classmates, he knew that their love of their entitlements and family far outweighed their hunger for destruction. He knew that when push came to shove, they would rather retreat with their tails between their legs than risk everything they had for a cause they had been bullied into.
And so that was the relatively simple part. He had sowed the seed and now it was up to the rest of the members to realise what a foolish mistake they would be making if they chose to follow Riddle.
Malfoy as his first case was the easiest. It wasn't terribly difficult to convince a tortured and humiliated pureblood to turn against his leader. If Orion played his cards right, Malfoy could easily convince the other influential families and the rest will fall into place like dominoes.
The harder part would of course be convincing Tom Riddle to abandon his plight completely. Riddle was a complex character, full of rage and driven by his need for power to validate himself before his peers. Orion knew this from the first time he had glimpsed a part of what Tom could be. Whether it was out of self-preservation or his curiosity to see how far Riddle would take it, Orion didn't quite know. But now, now when he finally figured what Riddle's pressure point was, he could reign in the madness before it got too out of hand.
The only trouble with that was he needed the help of someone else. Someone who wasn't quite as easy to manipulate as his own peers. Someone who held even the slightest hint of influence over Riddle. Someone who had just walked in through the door of the classroom.
Orion caught Cho's eyes as she scanned the classroom, flashing her a quick wink as she hastily looked away, a light flush appearing on her pale cheeks.
Oh this could be fun.
Tom had spent just over two weeks in the Hospital Wing before he managed to convince the well-meaning matron that he was fine to go. Objectively, she was a fine doctor and a lovely, motherly woman but all the tsk-ing and constant checking made Tom's patience wear thin and his temper flare. Luckily, he still managed to present his charming veneer – a tactic that proved successful when he was eventually discharged and able to roam the familiar path back to the Head Boy dormitory.
Students around him tittered as he swept the halls, some too intimidated to speak to him and some of the more confident ones congratulating him on his bravery against Grindelwald although it was actually Dumbledore who had subdued him in the end.
On the inside, Tom seethed through their praise, annoyed that Dumbledore had taken that honour away from him. Grindelwald had been his to defeat. He could have extinguished the fool that thought he was up for the task of making the Wizarding world a better place! But no, he thought, his anger ebbing away as quickly as it came, Cho had been there to stop him.
He bit back a sigh, politely dodging a group of students that had just spied his approach. Cho Chang had stopped him and he couldn't truly be mad at her despite the injuries he suffered. In fact, Tom was almost certain that Cho felt guilt over what had happened transpired too. He never actually saw her visit him in the Hospital Wing but whenever he would wake up from a fitful sleep, his jug of water had been refilled and there was a neat stack of homework he had missed as well a plate full of his favourite foods from dinner. He may have been imagining it but he swore he saw a flick of her straight black hair once when he had awakened before she disappeared out of view.
Pushing away those thoughts for the time being, Tom barked the password at the rather affronted looking portrait before collecting his things. If he was quick enough, he still had time to make it to Advanced Potions.
Cho's face felt like it was burning.
It was barely 5 minutes into Potions when Orion cleared his desk of belongings before relocating to the seat next to her. Not only did he chirp a cheerful "Hello" to her, he proceeded to make idle conversation, laughing far more boisterously than what her replies required. She felt the hot stares of her peers around her, eyes boring into her back as they wondered over this new pair. She tried deflecting, physically moving her chair further across until she hit the table leg but he just compensated by leaning across, his face close enough to hers that she could smell the faintest hint of peppermint tea on his breath.
And so Cho decided to studiously ignore him, diligently taking notes for a potion that Cho had struggled with even back in her time at Hogwarts. She was just about to ask a fellow Ravenclaw when the Professor had asked them to pair up when Orion piped up next to her.
"Miss Bellows – would you terribly mind I paired up with Miss Chang instead?" he asked, giving the Ravenclaw a winning smile that left her looking slightly dazed. She nodded, leaning across to her right to ask the girl next to her.
Cho whirled around, a glare on her features. "Can I speak to you for a moment?"
Orion shrugged though there was a mischievous glint in his eyes from Cho's ire. "Of course."
Cho scraped her chair back, grabbing Orion's wrist and all but hauling him towards the storage cupboard while some students looked on with interest. Once they were both in there, Cho rounded on him, her voice a furious whisper.
"What on earth are you trying to do Black?" she hissed, her hands pointing to the door that led to the classroom. "What happened to owling me instead?"
Orion looked amused, stepping slightly closer to her and noting that she stood her ground. "Don't you trust me?"
Cho looked exasperated, giving him a pointed look. "And why would I trust you? Was it from that time you mocked me in front of all your friends in Hogsmeade or the way you're pretending that you like me enough to be my friend right now?"
Orion blinked, his face suddenly thoughtful. "I do like you Cho," he said, not bothering to pause at Cho's expression of confusion, "but that's not the reason I'm doing this."
"Would you care to enlighten me then?" asked Cho, quickly tiring of this conversation.
Orion's eyes flickered over to a point above Cho's head, his expression changing infinitesimally. Stepping closer, Orion ducked his head and leaned in close, his proximity shocking Cho into staying completely frozen.
"I will but now is not the time," he whispered, his breath sending shivers down Cho's spine. In a slightly louder voice, he added "Meet me tonight outside the Great Hall after dinner."
Orion looked up from Cho's startled expression, his tone adopting a falsely cheery one that had alarm bells ringing in Cho's mind before dread settled in the pit of her stomach.
"Hello there Riddle. I'm glad to see you're out of the Hospital Wing."
Cho didn't turn around, her wide eyes staring at Orion's chest. Despite not seeing him, Cho could feel the tension rolling off Tom in waves, the effect like a crackle of energy that was sluggishly moving between them.
"Thank you for your concern Black," replied Tom quietly, a razor like edge to his soft cadence that Cho did not miss. "Would you please move out of the way? I'm in need of some nettle that is just behind you."
"Of course," replied Orion jovially, his eyes flickering to the girl in front of him who looked as pale as a ghost. Clearing his throat lightly and clasping his hand around one of her wrists, Orion gently tugged until Cho was coaxed into moving.
It did not escape Orion's notice that she had not looked at Tom throughout their whole exchange though Tom did nothing but look at her, his eyes sharp and mouth thin and he watched them walk out of the storage room hand in hand.
Orion hid a smirk, languidly sinking into his seat as he watched Cho brusquely chop her ingredients, all but pulverising them as she occasionally glared at him.
He gave her his best look of innocence, gently plucking the sharp little dagger out of her grasp and scooting closer to carefully slice the roots, "Careful dearest, I wouldn't want you to hurt yourself."
Cho's eyes blazed fire while the students around them tittered, all but sparking alive with ill-disguised interest.
Tampering down the urge to strangle him right there and then, Cho settled for silent seething, hyper aware of the pair of dark blue eyes that bore into her back.
A/N: Still love you guys! x