an angel's sin [t.r]

018

"I don't want to argue with you again Celine." Tom sighed out in exasperation, slumping his shoulders uncharacteristically as he sat on the bench opposite the pale haired girl.

"I can't let you do this, and you must understand why! I can't lose you as well as Papa, and I most definitely will not allow you to chase a possible lead across Albania of all places, to see if it may or may not be my father!" Celine retaliated, her near hidden and non existent bold side making an appearance.

Both of the Slytherins sat in silence after Celine ended their heated exchange, once again debating the same topic: whether or not Tom should travel to Albania to see if it was Celine's probably-dead-father.

Celine despised the silence between the two, it wasn't the comforting one she enjoyed during the cold nights of December spent in the common room, her head in his lap as he subconsciously wrapped strands of her hair around his finger, it wasn't even awkward, it was simply painful.

She couldn't let it last any longer, reaching out her pale hand, and placing it on top of his across the dining table.

"You look ill, my love." She said softly, and light met dark as he lifted his eyes from staring at the table, and met her own.

"I'm simply tired, my dear. Do not fret." He reassured her, flashing his signature grin, and as usual she fell for the ruse.

Celine immediately returned the smile, before retiring her focus to the book laid open in front of her, A Guide to Excelled Seers by Rosetta Rosier. She had snorted when she'd seen the name of the author, the idea of having 'Rose' in your first and last name amusing at first, until she found that the woman died from being engulfed by an enchanted rose bush, the thorns ripping her skin away until it was only her bones left. It was later revealed that Rosetta and her family knew of her fate, and chose the name to represent her gory future, but also the love she would hold for her husband - Warwick Avery.

Their love was legendary, and their story was told to Celine when she was a young girl, for it was filled with romance and courting, the perfect combination of fairytale and pureblood etiquette. Their love story was so strong and beautiful, that Rosetta Rosier was not remembered for her ironic death and humerous name, but the passion and love she had for her soulmate. Young witches had romanticised the pair's story for centuries, and Celine had felt somewhat guilty after reading her book, because the woman had not been acknowledged as one with a beautiful mind, only a beautiful soul and face, despite her knowledge and intelligence being apparent.

Tom's hand squeezed hers, drawing Celine back from her thoughts on Rosetta Rosier, and back into the quiet morning in the Great Hall.

"Have you had any visions recently?" He asked in a lower voice, but he continued to wear his mask of indifference.

"Not since that one in the chamber, I'm sorry Tom." She replied, but Tom simply nodded his head, before rising and turning around to face her once more.

"I have another meeting with the boys - you'll be in the library I suspect?" He flashed her a final smile as she nodded, and walked off towards the exit, leaving Celine by herself in the serpent pit.

After around half an hour, Poppy Pomfrey quietly shuffled towards the open space on the bench Celine was sat on, placing her bag down next to her as she sat.

"Hello Rosier." She greeted warmly, despite using the blonde's surname.

"I insist you call me Celine, we have been friends for months now! How are you today?" Rosier asked, greeting the girl and quickly glancing around the room to make sure no one noticed the sudden disappearance of Tom Riddle's girlfriend and a muggleborn Ravenclaw.

"I'm feeling better that I was before. Those books you leant me on grief management for witches has definitely helped, so had the Notice-Me-Not charms you cast for me during uncomfortable situations." Poppy caught Celine's eye, and her often pale cheeks began to flush a soft pink.

"I didn't think you'd realise...I'm terribly sorry if that's not helping, it's just you looked like you wanted an escape." Celine began to ramble, but stopped once Poppy grinned at her.

"Don't apologise Celine, you are quite literally a life saver. Thank you for everything." The Ravenclaw beamed at her, before grabbing her bag and rising from the table. "Shall we go for a walk around? The library seems so dull this time of day, how about to Room of Requirement?" She asked, and Celine immediately perked up at the sound of the mysterious and hidden room in the school.

"You know where it is too?" Celine quirked an eyebrow in surprise, before quickly masking it with a smile.

"Well, a little bird told me you did, so now I know it's true, shall we go?"

"That was very Slytherin of you Poppy." Celine wriggled her eyebrows teasingly at the girl as they walked out of the dining hall, still protected by the illusionment charm.

"I like to think I'm more Slytherin than you most of the time Celine." Poppy mused, and the girls began to giggle lightly.

"I second that statement, I often wonder how I became a serpent myself." Celine admitted, before Poppy's response began to sound muffled, and her vision became hazy.

Months of no visions.

And now one was occurring with a girl present she definitely didn't want to explain herself to.

As Celine slipped into the first vision she'd had in months, one thoughts stood out from the rest:

How was I going to explain myself to Tom?

His little innocent creature deceiving him, playing with filthy Mudbloods while he purged the school for her.

His Persephone bringing life and bloom to those he wished dead.

It was as if she had tricked him with the pomegranate, not the other way around.

She had began to become tainted without even knowing it.