What if He had a Choice?

How to proceed

Tom inhaled deeply, calming his inner rage as he finally managed to get himself locked into the room that the Malfoys' had given him. He closed his eyes, wiling the anger down and yet, for an unknown reason, it just grew, more and more and more. This was...not common. He knew that he was angry, why would he not e? He had a good reason to be upset. The boy...he...There was something. 

He did not believe that Draco was lying to him, but he knew that there was something more to the story then just what Draco was being told. What it was...that was the question that he needed to know the answer to. Well, wanted more so then he needed. He did not much care to have the answers, it just irked him that this was something he did not know. There was something interesting going on with the eldest Malfoy of this household.

From the beginning to the end, he knew that the Malfoy's were a dark family, it was well imbedded within their dna at this pint, and there would be no switching that up, there was...however, something going on. He was just not entirely certain what that was. The Malfoy's were a notoriously powerful dark family. For Lucius to deny his son the ability to practice in the arts of the line? That was something that was rather suspicious. 

He supposed that there was some good to this unfortunate situation. He did learn quite a few things in this little...talk with the younger malfoy boy. The first and foremost being that though he did not have the youngest malfoy's entire loyalty, it would seem that with a little push, he can still get the information that he wishes willingly, despite the image that it gives his father. Though Tom heavily chalked that up to more admiration then anything else. Still, he could work with admiration, even if it was not as stable as loyalty. It would work, at the ery least it would work at the moment. he would need to ensure that he snatches the boy's loyalty, before Lucius returns from the job that he had given him. After that, it would be much more difficult, as there was several things that needed finalizing, and he would not doubt that Lucius would be keeping a close eye...both on his son and Tom as well. He could deal with the scrutiny, and it would prove useful, but he had to be careful. He was not one to act recklessly, at least not usually. 

There was also the fact that the boy was surprisingly low in self esteem. He thought himself bothersome. Something that...irked Tom greatly. It reminded him...far too much of himself. He found that he definitely did not like it. He had noticed it quite often, and Tom knew there was something behind that story. Still, he had little time to dwell on that. 

So many things about the Malfoy boy reminded him of himself, and it was rather unnerving to think about. The boy's uncertainty of his place, his insecurity, the worry of becoming a burden, of not being good enough, not doing well enough. His pride in his family, in his name and his house, his desire to prove himself. All of these were...definitely things that Tom himself had. For the most part at the least. He had seen himself in Draco, and it unnerved him.

He had always chalked up many of his difficulties and worries to his childhood. To being an orphan, a halfblood, to having to be raised by muggles. Yet now he was forced to contemplate that train of thought. Draco was not an orphan, he was not raised by muggles, nor was he a half blood. In fact, he was an elite, even among purebloods, but he had so many of the same fears and worries. Tom felt perhaps it was a Slytherin thing, rather then mayhaps just a childhood thing. He preferred that thought, to the alternative.

He could use this though. He had seen it. Seen in Draco's eyes and underneath that adoration and admiration was the fear, the fear that Tom would cast the boy away. It would seem that the boy was every bit as fearful of loosing Tom as his father had been upon meeting him. It was a rather interesting contrast, Tom thought. Where his father was so anxious within his presence, and for good reason, Draco desired it, sought it, longed for it. Perhaps it was simply because Draco had not been among the first, or even the second generation of his followers. Even he was not entirely certain what it was that he had done among his second generation of followers, but he could harrow a couple of guesses. The picture was not exactly a pretty one. 

For anyone that Draco could have idolized, Tom found it somewhat ironic that he chose what was more then possibly the most dangerous person in the room, ever in the room. Still, he would not begrudge the boy. Draco was starting his training tomorrow. Tom needed to figure out how best to teach the boy. 

He had never really had to teach unforgiveables before. For one, most of his first group of followers had already known how to use them when he had recruited them, and for two, it was far too risky to teach such things within Hogwarts grounds, and he was not exactly one that was capable of practicing magic outside of the school. Furthermore, most people feared him too much to ask him for help regarding anything in the darker edge of magic. I suited him fine, of course, but it did cause a few...misfortunate complications. 

He had never had to teach an unforgiveable, and the way that he had taught himself would likely terrify the poor Malfoy boy. He needed to begin gradually with the sensitive kid, otherwise he would run in the other direction as fast as he could. The dark arts was fascinating enough, but until Tom knew the propensity that the boy had towards violence he could not risk using the same tactics. 

He just got the boy hooked by agreeing to train him, shoving him fully submerged into the dark arts was not exactly the best idea. The boy was a malfoy, had a desire towards pain and torture, he had seen it, but he could not risk destroying that too soon. He was barely thirteen. Tom had been thirteen once, two years ago. he knew the mindset of most thirteen year olds in Slytherin.

Although who knew, perhaps he would surprise Tom. Either way, he would take this training curriculum extremely carefully. Start small, work his way up. That always tended to be the best way of going about things, from what he could tell a the least.