Chapter 15 - Veiled Deception

They were told it was an overdose on a new drug. Most everyone accepted it without hesitation, but Serena couldn't. She knew better. But, if it wasn't a drug overdose, what was it? She knew Tom was behind it and she was determined to find out what he did. She thought about asking Ginch's roommate, who apparently gave him the drug, what had happened, but she was told they were traumatized by it and shouldn't ask them. Asking Tom seemed the only way to find out information on it. So, that morning after he was announced dead and after they sat through a very long lecture about how they should not do drugs, Serena ran off to find Tom while everyone else went to eat breakfast.

She couldn't find him in the great hall, and knew he wasn't in the library this early so she decided to wait for him in the dungeons. The halls were damp and she wrapped her school robe around her tighter. All the Slytherin's passed her, heading towards the great hall, but she didn't see Tom among them. It unnerved her how most of them didn't look affected by the news of the death of a student. Many of them were laughing and smiling and only a few seemed mildly upset, but she didn't even think that was because of Ginch. Most of them had left when she finally caught sight of him.

"Tom!" Serena called, walking towards him. He smiled at her, his smug look screaming his guilt.

"Good morning," He said as he met her. He bent down to kiss her, but she turned away, waiting for the rest of the students to leave. Soon they were alone in the dark hallway. Once they were gone, Serena flicked her eyes up to glare at Tom.

"What?" He asked.

"How did Jack Ginch die?" She asked him coldly. He smirked.

"Apparently of an overdose," Tom said. Serena's face never changed.

"I don't know what you want me to tell you. His friend Henry gave him the pills, and he overdosed," He said smirking. "Some people just don't know the proper limits."

Shit, he wasn't telling going to tell her. And she had to know how he died. She had to know how much he suffered on her account. Time for a new approach, one that was bound to succeed.

She changed her voice and her posture. Flicking her eyes back up at Tom in a very flirtatious manner, she grabbed his tie and started playing with it with her fingers.

"Tom, come on," She said, her voice like the silk tie she toyed with, "tell me. I know how much effort you put in to thinking up your plans. I'd be dying if I had to keep it a secret…" Tom leaned against the wall with a hand, watching her hands wander over his chest. "You're brilliant Tom, your plans are brilliant. Tell me, Tom, how'd you kill him?"

It was Tom's turn now. He started running his hands across her hip and up her body, sending shivers up her back.

"You don't want to know," He said softly, although she could see his pride.

"No, Tom, I really do," She whispered.

"Are you sure?" He asked her as she tried not to let herself become distracted with his touch. She had to know.

"I'm sure," She said. Tom smiled arrogantly.

"First, I met with Henry and put him, how should I say…put him under my spell," He said. She looked at him.

"How?" He smirked again.

"Guess."

"You didn't…You couldn't have used…" She started. No, it was illegal, though it wasn't like he would pay attention to that. "the Imperius curse?" He smiled. Her jaw dropped. She never expected he would use magic like that, that he even could!

"And once I had him controlled, which was actually very easy, I gave him the pills and told him how and when to give it to him," He said. Serena had stopped flirting and was only standing, trying so hard to concentrate on what Tom was telling her that she didn't notice where his hands were going.

"He gave him the pills that night, and let's just say his death was…most unpleasant," He said. She shook her head. She had to know more.

"What did the pill do?" She asked.

"Now Serena, you don't really want to know that," He said.

"No, I do," She said. He shrugged.

"It would release toxins once in his body that would make him cough up his blood and pieces of his stomach, lungs, etc. until he died. Apparently he even did it in front of all his roommates," Tom laughed. "Henry, of course, never remembered anything and is now in trouble for dealing drugs. It turned out quite well actually." Serena clamped her hand over her mouth, feeling faint and nauseous. She couldn't believe…it was so sick… She was concentrating so hard on not vomiting on him that she didn't know he was busy caressing her neck. It took her a little while to differentiate between the shivers of nausea and the shivers Tom was busy creating.

"Tom!" She cried, realizing her situation. "What do you think you're doing?" He smiled and kissed her while her mouth was hanging open. She writhed against him. No, she wouldn't kiss him, what he did was sick, no,…. Her thoughts were lost as he won and she released most of her struggle. He was kissing her sensuously, powerfully, taking her breath away, and not leaving her with enough strength to fight him. It took a little while for her to notice his hands sliding underneath her skirt. She gasped.

"Tom!" He took no notice and then smiled.

"A thong with a skirt Serena? You're quite daring aren't you," He said.

"Tom! What the FUCK do you think you're doing?" She cried, pushing his hand away. He looked at her.

"Well, I'm trying to have sex with you, if you couldn't tell," He said mockingly, but smiling all the same.

"We're in the middle of the hallway!" She said. He shrugged.

"No one will see," He said.

"No, they will. Besides, I haven't eaten anything since lunch yesterday!" She said, just trying to not sleep with him in the middle of the corridor.

"That's true. I wouldn't want you fainting on me," He said with a sigh.

"Which is probably what would happen," She said.

"Go eat something, I'll take you later tonight," He said, giving her a hard spank as she turned to go back to the great hall and causing her to squeak.

"Tom!" She cried.

"Don't forget to finish that book I gave you on Sunday," He said his attitude turning again. She rolled her eyes. Shit! She hadn't finished it yet! She was still 100 pages away!

"We'll meet in the library later tonight," He said. She nodded.

"See you then," She said, turning and taking her leave.

She walked back to the Great Hall where she hurriedly ate breakfast and drank some coffee before going to class. She decided it would be better not to mention to anyone, not even Heather and Eve how Ginch had really died. That would have just made things worse.

If she had expected classes to have lightened up after break, she was sorely mistaken. Classes were even more stressed than before, the teachers piling on more work before finals. They still had three weeks before exams though, which were nice.

Finally it was time for lunch. Serena met her friends at the great hall. It was so scary, Jack Ginch had just died and so many people acted as if nothing had happened. She knew they probably accepted it, but she couldn't believe they'd just forget about him, especially so soon. She couldn't drop it yet, not when she knew it was murder. But, she thought as she glumly played with her food, what could she do? That sure answer was: nothing.

With a softened mood, still trying to accept the fact that she could do utterly nothing about the fact Tom murdered him, she went to class trying to pay attention.

It wasn't long before they went to potions, and then to transfiguration where they learned more about the final stage of the contest.

"The final stage of our competition will be taking place on Friday," Dumbledore announced. "That gives you a whole week to prepare for it. Now, I cannot say what exactly will be on it, but be warned, it will not be easy. This test will be to prove yourself in the difficult art of transfiguration and it will not necessarily be on something we've studied as yet. I only hope you prepare yourselves. Tom, Serena, Elizabeth, Jennifer, George, Harry, Winston, Noel, Brittney, Eve, Sophia, and Phillip, I wish you all good luck. And now, to today's lesson –"

Serena glanced at Tom, her concern about the competition obvious. He smiled at her.

"Don't worry," He said. "I never lose." She bit her lip and turned back to the lecture. Oh, she knew he never lost.

After class, the students filed into the great hall to hear a lecture from the Headmaster, probably about doing drugs. So, Serena took that opportunity to sneak away and get a shower. The common room was quite empty, so she hurriedly made her way to her room to grab a towel and some clean clothes before going to the bathroom. She turned the water on full blast, and shook off her skirt, threw her blouse on the floor so she was wearing only her tank top and a thong. She was gently testing the water temperature when there was a knock on the door.

"Come in," She said, not really caring that a girl see her in what she was wearing. When she looked around, she was startled to see Tom standing in the doorway looking curiously around the room.

"Tom! What are you doing?" She asked him.

"I came to find you, and Heather and Eve told me you were up here and gave me the password," He said.

"Not that you really needed it," She said. He smirked arrogantly.

"No I didn't," He said, stepping into the room and shutting the door behind, "but it doesn't hurt to have them believe that I did."

"Well, why did you need me?" She asked as he came close to her, leaning against the wall next to her.

"It's been a long break," He said, his eyes examining her scantily clad figure. She couldn't help smiling a little as she rolled her eyes.

"Really Tom, it's only been two weeks," She said. "And I'm trying to take a shower."

"But that'd be such a waste," He said, now standing in front of her. Though there was still some distance, she could feel his growing need. She moved back further so she was literally up against the wall, the cold stone shocking her.

"No, I'm serious Tom, I really need to get a shower, I…" She started but was interrupted by his kiss. His hands explored her body, reaching underneath her shirt. So absorbed in his kisses, Serena didn't notice that he had started removing her chemise.

"Tom! No, this is going to stop. I'm being molested in my own bathroom," She said, as he slid the straps off her shoulders, worked the shirt up over her chest and off of her. It was tossed carelessly to the floor. She crossed her arms and glared at him while he literally stripped himself of his clothes. Then he turned back to her.

"Why so angry?" He asked her mockingly. She placed her hands of her hips and stood up tall.

"I am trying to get a shower, Tom, really, this is enough," She said, though her body ached for him. No, she wasn't going to do it.

"Well," He thought for a moment, "I guess we can do it in the shower."

"No, that's not what…"She started but was interrupted by him picking her up and bringing her into the shower. The hot water splashed her face and poured over her body, soaking the bra and underwear she wore. Tom shook his hair out of his face and began kissing her again. They were up against the shower wall, hot water spraying on top of them. His hands gently unclasped her bra, and he tossed it outside the curtain. His mouth moved down her neck to her chest, sending her arching against the wall. He quickly removed her underwear and tossed that too outside the dripping curtain. Then he came back up to find her mouth as he parted her legs with his. He entered her quickly, sending ripples of pleasure through her. He thrust, and her knees buckled, she had to lean against him for strength to stay upright. Again and again, until they had both climaxed and she rested against his chest, sandwiched between him and the wall.

For a few moments there was nothing but their ragged breathing and the gentle downpour of water. Gradually, she regained her breath and her senses. She pushed back the hair out of her face as Tom softly stroked her body. She leaned her head against the wall and closed her eyes, hardly believing they had just had sex…again. She opened her eyes as Tom kissed her lightly before exiting.

"I'll get dressed while you finish you, but then we have some serious work to do," He said. She nodded, slightly in a daze as he shut the curtain and winked. She immediately set about washing herself and trying to recollect her thoughts. She finished washing and peered out of the curtain to make sure Tom wasn't there while she got changed. She hung her damp towel up and grabbed her clothes, making her way to her room wondering where on earth Tom had gone too.

He was lying on his side, on her bed, flipping through the papers she had left on top of it earlier. He glanced up at her as she made her way over, dropping her soiled clothes on the floor by her trunk.

"Serena, you should do better on your school work. Some of these things you obviously just didn't study for," He said obnoxiously. She rolled her eyes, taking the papers from him.

"My grades are fine," She said. "Don't worry about it." She sat down on the bed with him.

"So what was that serious work we were going to do?" She asked him. He grabbed the book he had given her to read and laid it on the bed.

"Did you finish reading this?" He asked.

"Most of it," She said. "I skimmed the last thirty pages." He scowled slightly, obviously very irritated at her cursory completion of his task.

"Well, I've heard that…"He started but was interrupted from loud giggling in the hallways outside the door. Serena smiled, recognizing the laughs. The door opened and Heather and Eve flew into the room laughing loudly. They stopped, suddenly catching sight of Serena and Tom, their wet hair, and began sniggering and making annoying faces at them. Serena rolled her eyes, annoyed at them, and still laughing with them.

"Oh Serena!" Heather said.

"I hope we're not interrupting," Eve said.

"Come on Tom, let's go to the library," She said. He grabbed his books and followed her out of the room. They made their way to the library and went to the back room. They only had a half hour before dinner, so she knew they wouldn't be here too long. Or, at least she hoped. She had known Tom to skip dinners before.

"Now," He said, as she seated herself into a chair. "I've found out that the test will require transfiguring mice that will be running around the floor. Whoever will transform the most, fastest, will win. So, we need to practice your transfiguration of moving creatures."

"What do you propose?" She asked. He pulled out a small book from his bag, and, with a swish of his wand turned it into a mouse. Serena cried as it ran towards her.

"Do it Serena," He said. She grabbed her wand and tried, but couldn't concentrate.

"Serena!" Tom sighed, obviously annoyed. "We have a lot of work ahead of us."

0-0-0-0

She spent the half hour practicing on the mouse but only turned him back into the book three times out of the ten they did it. Tom was very exasperated by the time their "tutorial" was over and made her promise to come again the next day.

"Are you coming to dinner?" She asked him, as she packed up her things."

"No, I have…other things to do," He said. She sighed. She knew what that meant.

"Well, I'll see you later then," She said.

"yeah," She heard him mutter. She rolled her eyes and left the library, making her way to the great hall to meet up with Heather and Eve for dinner. She knew they'd want the gossip from her little adventure, and gossip they would have.