For the Greater Good || Tom Riddle ||

Chapter Eight: The Cousins

Gwen returned to the Great Hall in an agitated mood. She was hardly hungry, having lost all appetite after her irritating conversation with Tom Riddle. Her mind whirled with questions, and she was flustered by the fact that she was unable to reign in her unorganized thoughts.

After she had accepted his offer, he had in essence, shooed her away from his studies (one could hardly rule it as studies, after all, all the boy was doing was scouring the Secrets of the Darkest Art, which wasn't even a mandatory schoolbook) with no explanation of exactly what she would be doing for him. He just merely went back to his book.

Gwen realized that his interest in Dark Magic, it was his little hobby.

Just as she was nearing the sanctuary of the Ravenclaw table, a spirited voice called out to her from across the room. She turned to see Lucretia and Walburga Black.

The cousins were the night and day of one another, with Walburga's short, fair hair contrasting against Lucretia's long, black locks. However, their eyes contained the same gleeful look that made you think that they took joy in the fact that they knew something that you didn't.

Both of the girls flashed exuberant smiles, and waved Gwen to come nearer to them. Hesitantly, truly exhausted of such fake kindness, Gwen approached them as if walking out on a limb.

"Gwen!" Walburga greeted enthusiastically. "Good morning! How was your first week? We noticed that you arrived a little bit late for breakfast, so we wanted to invite you to come sit with us at the Slytherin table. The Ravenclaw is awfully empty right now, most of the lot are night owls that stay up studying."

"We thought that perhaps we could all get to know each other better, and you could meet some of our other friends," Lucretia explained with a wide smile. "Wouldn't it be a little nice to expand your circle? After all, you want to be able to know some people outside of your House."

Gwen was having trouble covering up the annoyance that bubbled in the pit of her gut, but forced herself to yank a grin out of the far recesses of her good-tempered self. She nodded with false enthusiasm. Even though Gwen was raised outside the British Ministry of Magic, she knew that the Black family held a stimulating amount of power in the wizarding community. She couldn't cross them nor deny them.

"I'd love to, thank you for the invitation."

"Of course," Walbura gushed as Lucretia ushered the three of them to a crowded area of the Slytherin table. Gwen spotted Quillish, Simon's older brother and Head Boy, seated next to what Simon deemed Tom's "Slytherin Horde." He winked at her, and she immediately fixated all of her attention back on the two Black cousins.

Immediately, the group parted like the Red Sea for the Black cousins. Gwen only received bewildered looks from a few of the Slytherin students before Lucretia took the liberty to correct their behavior.

"Don't gawk at her! She's from Durmstrang, she is obviously cultured. Now, move over so Gwen can sit."

As if it was an order from an angry mother-figure, a space for Gwen to sit was immediately created. She bit her lip awkwardly, but took a seat. Lucretia sat to her left, and Walburga sat to her right. Across from her sat a pale girl with heavy-lidded eyes, and extremely curly black hair. Her thin lips were pursed in a frown, and she stared at Gwen with terribly veiled disdain.

"Gwen, this is our dear friend Druella Rosier. Druella, this is Gwen Gawmdrey."

"Pleased to meet you," the girl sighed, stabbing a piece of breakfast sausage with her silverware.

Lucretia and Walburga giggled and leaned in to whisper to Gwen.

"She has her menstrual belt on today."