Serpentine [T.M. Riddle]

Advance

He lifts his hand to cease her talking, and almost shivers with pleasure when she obeys, "I can't say I remember exactly when and where, but..." The trailing off is purposeful, and he tries to get the timing just right, "...I was under the impression that she was dispatched."

When Druella flinches at the phrase, it all but confirms his suspicions that 'dispatched' is a euphemism for being sold to a workhouse or left at a poorhouse, "That's a lie. That's a dirty, filthy, disgusting lie." The edges of her magic threaten to lash out at him, he pictures a leopard protecting her cubs, "Colina wasn't a squib, I'll stake my life on it." Her bottom lip trembles, but her voice does not break, "She was sick, she was...How could they--" For a moment, it looks like she might have some sort of fit, "She was magical. Colina was magical. She wasn't the most powerful witch, she was young, but she was a witch." Her tongue darts out to lick her lips, anxious and upset, "I saw her on her deathbed. You can't, you can't fake that."

His eyes never leave her form; her breakdown is very entertaining. He really shouldn't go for such low hanging fruit but oh! She's making it so easy--"Come, Druella," his hand rests on her shoulder, and he ignores how unpleasant the contact is, "this isn't the place for that...I wouldn't want you to give these people any reason to spot weakness."

He leads her to his retinue.

-

Druella is a strange addition to the group. The tallest so far out of all of them, as well as the eldest. The most rigid in her beliefs, the most uncompromising in her actions. Despite this, she often trails along on the tail end during shared free periods and lunches, arms crossed over her body defensively, trying to blend into the background but not hesitating to voice her opinion when passion strikes. She's not a constant by far, being a year ahead and taking different classes, obviously, but her presence is noted by all watching. Her admirers and victims, her family and friends.

Evan, amused with the new inclusion of his cousin, takes it upon himself to keep her in check so Tom won't have to (though to her credit, her lashing out is kept to a minimum without the need for either of them to tone her down: a new, subdued version of Druella, but much improved). The sight of him is enough to calm Druella for reasons Tom can't discern (if he had to guess, he'd say she knows what she can and cannot trust about Evan, therefore making him the safest person in the room), so he doesn't even voice his concerns whenever they whisper quietly to each other outside of his hearing range (but he does keep an eye on them).

Hedwig finds her annoying, but also soon finds her a worthy match in the art of throwing verbal insults. Druella, more refined and subtle than Hedwig's coarse offences, takes ages to find out that Hedwig considers trading jeers entertainment, and a few days to figure out that the tiny witch considers her a close acquaintance because of it.

Nemesis is a bit harder to convince for reasons Tom doesn't know. She eyes Druella cautiously for the first few days as if the girl was likely to suddenly explode. Did she have some sort of nasty experience with her? She did mention playing with Ian as a child...Why not also Druella? Eventually, she does finally scoot aside to make room for Druella at their usual table after they share a conversation over their love of unicorns. Typical.

The most interesting development of the new addition, without a doubt, is the sudden increase in Cygnus' appearances. Before, he had kept his distance from Tom and his litter (presumably due to their difference in age), but now with Druella tagging along, his broody face is a consistent sight in Tom's day--and alongside it, are his cousins and siblings. Having a Black or two be regularly seen around one is akin to having a king drop your name in conversation. It's an unexpected but beneficial side effect, and he almost wants to reward Druella for it--But not yet. She's not exactly under his protection (Tom knows he's not yet grown that powerful, he's no fool), but she certainly benefits from his affliction...Therefore she owes him. Something deeper than her friendship (which he doesn't want anyways) but lighter than her loyalty (which will come in due time).