Chapter 14

The next day was surprisingly easy.

Woke up, dressed to the nines, had my outfit and hair approved by Silver before I left my room to find Pansy and Daphne in the common room. They sat on the couches before one of the fires, a cup of tea in their hands as they waited. I came down and walked over to them, sitting when they gestured. The tray of teacups conjured up another one for me, floating a cup of coffee towards me before I grabbed it.

I tasted it. Done exactly how I liked it. I sipped it as we sat quietly for a moment. It was a comfortable silence. We didn't find the need to speak as we took our time in properly waking up with a hot cup of whatever we liked the most in the mornings. I knew I didn't like being woken up abruptyly and then be expected to be a happy person about it. It took me a few minutes to even react and then more to chill down my burning Magic enough to function.

It hummed under my skin during the whole morning tea time. It was low, going even deeper as it chilled out properly.

"Do you have tea every morning?" I asked, hands around my warm mug. I lifted my feet onto the couch, stretching back. I had seen them do this before so I knew it was okay. I wouldn't act so Muggle if I could help it. They needed to see me as one of their own.

Pansy shifted too, putting her black boots on the edge of the coffee table, rattling the tray with teapots and sugar and milk. She leaned into the corner, one arm over the edge. She sipped from her drink, swaying her arm a little in the air. Not a drop had spilled.

Daphne nodded, taking a tentative sip before speaking, "It's a good way to start. Helps prevent Pansy from lashing out at the stupid First years."

"I can't deal with them until I've had at least one cup," Her arm swayed again and not a drop fell out of the cup. She gazed into my eyes, giving me a smirk. "This Prefect business isn't easy when they can't even ask a question without stuttering."

I smiled, "They're young. They probably find you intimidating."

"As they should," Pansy flipped her hair over her shoulder. "I'm a Parkinson. We'll finish our drinks and then go for breakfast. By then, the First years are usually finished or near enough."

We left for the Great Hall soon after, making it within the last half hour of breakfast. A space was left between Theo and the Sixth year students, usually my space across from Draco. Ever since his little stunt, I didn't want to sit near him to piss him off but today would be the first day I would do it. I made Theo budge up a seat so I was across from Blaise while Daphne sat on my side and Pansy on Blaise's other side.

"Good morning," Blaise greeted instantly.

Pansy dished out food onto her plate as I grabbed a blueberry muffin. I never had a big appietite during the morning and today was the same. Daphne had a beautiful full English breakfast and shoved a piece of crispy french toast onto my plate.

"Eat it," she said, jabbing her fork in the air.

I rolled my eyes playfully and took a big bite out of it to humour her. She hummed in satisfaction before continuing to eat her breakfast.

It was quickly over before we were wandering off for our classes.

When I finished with the morning classes, Pansy and Daphne found me before I could even walk to the Great Hall. We walked together to our next class and Harry was glaring at me at any moment he could find. I didn't purposefully go out of my way to avoid him but our paths didn't cross much.

"He doesn't approve, does he?" Daphne asked with a curl of the lips at his staring.

"He doesn't approve of much that doesn't involve him, Gryffindor, or Quidditch," I said back. "I'm used to it by now."

"As long as he doesn't cause problems for us," Pansy tutted at him as he kept staring as we waited to be let into our next classroom.

)()()(

"Again, Potter!" Snape shouted as we stood in the Room of Requirement, a whole defence setup having been conjured. Rows upon rows of dummies had been summoned, scattered around the room as an area was set into the middle. As I advanced with his teachings and when he believed I was good enough with simply casting spells at dummies, he allowed us to duel.

I sent spell after spell towards my Head of House, trying to get through his barrier before I saw him raise his wand. I put up a shield charm without speaking. His spell hit it and dispersed quickly.

"Good," he stepped out of his combat position, foot to the side as he nodded sharply. "Again. Shield down until I cast. You need to know exactly when a spell is even thought of."

I kept it up, watching as he didn't announce any spells but only flicked his wand in certain, familiar movements. I had to remember each specific movement for each defensive spell that Death Eaters were known to use so that I didn't have to rely on them speaking to know what they were casting. It helped me learn the spells myself, letting me do wordless Magic quicker than anything else.

While Snape had only taken off his robes, leaving the dark suit underneath, I was dressed down to my trousers and shirt, sleeves rolled up to my elbows as we continued to duel.

I tucked my left hand behind my back as I duelled with my right, and then at Snape's demand, I changed wand hands so that I was skilled with both hands. I had to train every day, my extra lessons disguised as simple subject lessons when I was already caught up with everyone else.

It was an hour later when Snape decided we were done for the day. He strode out of the Room of Requirement before I did. I retrieved my robes from the side before I left, quickly finding myself face to face with a red-faced Harry, Granger and Weasley.

"What were you doing in there?" Harry asked instantly.

"I was doing some spell work with Snape," I said. "He needs to make sure I'm able to do my exams this summer."

"But why the Room of Requirement?"

"Why not?" I raised an eyebrow. "Is it because there's some other use for it, for a larger group of students? Wait, I wouldn't know. My own brother keeps secrets from me. Don't worry, I won't tell anyone about your stupid little club. Good luck with not getting caught."

I shoved past them all, going down to the dungeons without any more incidents.

The weeks of February passed with nothing more than classes and plenty of lessons from Snape. There was nothing to do but bide my time with Pansy and Daphne, as I come to know them as now. I had to act the part.

For now, I just needed to talk to Aces and see what they needed. They had sent a Third year to tell me to find them in Blaise's room.

I wouldn't tell them about Dumbledore's plot to make me a Death Eater, not when I didn't even know their alliances yet. There was too much at stake for their intervention when it wasn't needed. I was doing fine on my own. I had a mentor and I knew my mission, however vague Dumbledore's words were. Perhaps he worded them that way for a reason. Perhaps I had to do more things but he would tell me in time. He never said I couldn't betray him. I could seize power from him and Voldemort and then take everything.

As long as Voldemort died.

That was the only goal. It didn't matter how I got there. I had options, and since I had options, I could almost choose my fate. As long as I could survive everything.

And now I had to deal with the three Ace boys interrogating me.

The door to Blaise's room was the second door to the left of mine, while Draco took the first left and Theo the right. I knocked at the door and it took only a moment before I found Theo leaning against the frame, smirking.

"Look what the snakes brought in," his smirk was playful as his eyes twinkled at me. He nodded for me to come in, holding the door opened. I went in and found Blaise's room to be much like mine, save for adding an extra desk with a spell book on top. I recognised it as a rune book but not what type.

Two sofas faced each other, a coffee table between before it sat across from the fireplace, roaring to life. Draco had a chess board set up and Blaise moved a white rook. Draco sat on the sofa while Blaise took a seat on the ground, pillow below his legs.

"Evening, Viktoria," Blaise said, pausing his game. "Fancy taking my side? He's kicking my ass right now."

I sat down on the sofa where Blaise sat on the ground, my eyes scanning the board before looking to where Theo sat next to Draco. They sat close.

"Two moves to checkmate him," I said.

Draco's eyebrows rose slightly before his eyes scanned the board. His lips settled into line and he flicked his king over. "Reset the board. Blaise, give her your seat."

"I don't need it," I shook my head. "I can see it from here."

"Arrogance won't get you anywhere in this room," Draco coldly said. Any warmth he had when he saw me was gone. He was aloof, strange. He barely looked at me now. I didn't care but I noticed.

I kept my eyes connected to his, staring unwavering as I flicked my finger and a white pawn on my side moved. "Your turn."

I noticed everything, even the tiny tilt of his head before he quickly moved a black pawn and let me have my turn. I flicked my finger instinctively, letting my tactical mind come to play at the game.

"What do you three want?" I asked.

Light glittered off one of Draco's many rings, catching just. The signet ring of the ace of diamonds sat on his middle finger. He wore a matching serpent around his ring finger much like Blaise. I looked and saw Theo was the same, with the ace of hearts and a serpent. Blaise was Ace of Clubs. A horned devil ring finished all of their right hands, placed firmly on the pointer finger. They all wore their family rings on their left pinky, being heir of their Houses, alongside a square obsidian ring on their left pointer fingers. Everything was polished silver.

"What is your brother up to in that special little room of his?" Draco asked, lifting the knight on his third go. "What's he up to with his club?"

I shrugged, moving a rook. "He's teaching them spells but I don't know besides that. I haven't had the time to investigate his newest stunt."

Theo raised an eyebrow, "You weren't invited to join?"

Blaise lifted a hand and a book from the shelf zoomed over to him. He opened it and runes filled the pages, ones I didn't know. I curled my legs under me on the sofa, leaning against the arm a little more.

"Slytherin traitor, remember?"

I took his knight, letting it float over to me so I could look at the marble white piece. Draco took a pawn while I examined it, letting the rook move a few squares over to a pawn and I took that too.

Theo conjured up a black deck of cards, shuffling it in his hands as he sat next to Draco, watching the game and conversation.

"He's not being sneaky about it," Theo said. "Multiple students running up to the Room of Requirement? Not everyone knows of it but Dumbledore defiantly does."

"And you do," I said.

"As do you," Draco hummed, locking his eyes with mine as he leaned forward to move a piece. "What's your business with that room?"

"I have none,"

Theo scoffed at my words. "You were there earlier. Golden boy confronted you about it. You were with Snape."

I rolled my eyes, "You've got eyes and ears everywhere then."

Blaise tapped his finger against the side of his book as he continued to read. "Portraits do love to talk, don't they?"

"Oh, they do," I took another two pawns in my next moves. "But they do like their portraits intact more."

He slowly turned his head, barely looking at me from the corner of his eye before returning to his book once again. I still had no clue but those runes were familiar, perhaps something in Ancient Runes I hadn't gotten to. I couldn't stay on that thought because Theo butted straight in with a, "What are you doing in the Room with Snape every other day? It's either you or your brother's lot in the room nowadays."

"Private lessons," I said as instructed by Dumbledore and Snape. I couldn't tell them anything, not that I wanted to. They were threats to me at the moment, and I was treating them as such even when they didn't know. "Dumbledore wants me able to take my OWLs at the end of the year and he thinks I had a good chance."

It wasn't a lie, was it? I might bend the truth or omit it completely, but I didn't lie. Not outright. It was something I had to get better with, manipulate the truth to my will, morph it so I could use it. I chose my words carefully, making sure nothing could be seen in my words, only what I wanted them to.

"While that might be true, it is not all of it, is it, Viktoria?" the italian roll of his tongue made me freeze. It had an allure to it but my instincts told me danger lurked closely. "Should we be concerned?"

"There's nothing you need to know,"

"Ah, there it is," Blaise looked up from his book, the firelight making his eyes sparkle with Magic, a dark, ebony colour of the night sky. "There is something then, something you don't want to tell us about?"

I played confused, moving a bishop to take a black bishop. "What are you talking about? Snape's mentoring me in certain areas."

"Are you going to be a potion mistress then?" Theo asked, crossing his arms as the deck he had shuffled balanced on his knees. "I can't see you over a cauldron all day long, even if you're good at it."

"Oh, praise from Theodore Nott," I put my hand on my heart. "I can die happy now. No, I'm not going to be a potion mistress. I don't know what I'm going to do."

That was true. I had no plan to exactly insert myself into Voldemort's ranks. I had only just begun with Pansy and Daphne.

Draco tutted, a hint of a dark laugh being hidden from me before he raised his blue eyes to bore into me. It was like looking into a pool of ice, the way he was staring at me.

He stared at me, "Lie to us again, Viktoria."

"I'm not lying,"

I was only telling a half-truth so I wasn't technically lying. He had spoken to me about that once, in a brief passing.

Blaise smirked at that, tilting his head a little, "It's better to tell us everything sooner rather than later because we will find out. We always find out."

"Believe whatever you want," I rolled my eyes. "It doesn't matter to me."

"Well, it should," Draco snapped and I raised an eyebrow at that.

"I don't give a shit about your little secret Circle or its members. I don't care what you know or don't know. Your lives are unimportant to me right now. I suspect you'll know in time what is going to happen but I'm not telling you shit." I told them, walking over to the door before sending Draco a glance over my shoulder. "It's not arrogance if I'm right."

I moved a pawn into position and his king fell.

Theo snorted from the couch and I left.