Tom Riddle is Here-Plan in Action

24

The rest of the evening was tense, as well as a good chunk of the next morning. It was obvious, particularly to Blaise and Pansy, who had known Draco for quite some time and were well observant in their own rights. Nobody had the will to call anyone out on it, sure that Draco's mood would improve as the day went on. At least, that is what everyone told themselves. The reality was that the tension between the young Malfoy Heir and the Slytherin Heir was quite apparent. Though none would say it to either or even speak it aloud, there had obviously been a small fight, one which Draco had conceded to, but was not over. Pansy and Blaise knew this, as it was how he would act when his Father demanded he do something that Draco did not really want to do, but could not argue against.

It left the two a bit...startled, seeing Draco revert to such habits again. He had been doing quite well, and from what they had managed to gather his relationship with Tom was the main reason as to why. The two were hopelessly fond of each other. Any blithering idiot could tell at least that much. Something big must have happened, considering Tom did not seem the person to allow such tension to continue to exist, and Draco was not one who easily got into such a form. Pansy and Blaise were of the mind to talk to the Slytherin Heir, but they held back. Draco would not be pleased if he knew that they had involved themselves in his personal affairs, and anything to do with Tom was liable to get the young Slytherin Prince angry, or upset.

They had noticed this quite early. The young Prince's emotions regarding the Alpha were far more intense and fragile than with others. Even his own father did not have the type of hold that Tom had over Draco. It was not necessarily a bad thing, of course...but it was also always a bit of a jar when it happened and they managed to witness such things. Draco would not handle them trying to intervene very well, something which both Blaise and Pansy were more than well aware considering that the last time they had tried to talk to Draco about things he did not wish to talk to, it did not end well.

All they could really do is sit back and watch things unfold. Despite the tension between the two, Draco still allowed Tom to hold him, they still walked as one to the feast, and Tom and Draco still whispered with each other under their breaths. These similarities remained the same, but Blaise and Pansy knew Draco far too well to be comforted by these routines going on as per the norm. Draco was quite good at pretending everything was perfectly fine, after all, and this would not be the first time that Draco had done something similar just to keep the peace.

Draco was sort of like that. Pansy and Blaise had figured that out rather quickly. Sure, he was antagonistic, often towards the Gryffindors, however when it came to those he highly respected or was terrified of, such as Severus Snape or Lucius Malfoy, it was far more common for him to just accept what they desired for him to do and go along with what they wanted, though it did not mean that one could not feel the tension when such things were the case. Draco would never admit such things, of course, but it was definitely something that was common when it came to things he disliked. Those who knew him relatively well could tell when it came to what he wanted, what he disliked, and what he was keeping silent for the sake of peace.

It was obvious that Tom had done something, but what it was...Pansy and Blaise did not know. They did not know many things when it came to what was going on between Tom and Draco, though, so they supposed it was not exactly a shocking thing. The two had been well known for speaking quietly amongst themselves. Though given the fact that they were planning something big, a whole upheaval on the social norms of Hogwarts, it was not that hard to figure out.

Such a thing had already begun to take place. At first, perhaps, Blaise and Pansy could admit they had not understood what was going on, nor why it was that the Prince and King would want them to act and behave in the manners that they had wished. Now, it was a bit easier to see. Hufflepuffs were becoming more friendly with the Slytherins, and while they were not unkind to the Gryffindors, suspicion had begun to cloud their eyes when gazing upon the house of red and gold. The Ravens were much more brutal in their cutting, ice cold looks and dark glares filling the Blue robed persons.

They knew it was partially Tom's plotting. Tom was incredibly smart, and thoughtful. It helped that he was obviously as cunning and ambitious as Salzaar himself. Draco was a near level under him, but with the both of them? It was incredibly obvious that they were planning on changing the status quo. Though Tom may claim that it was about revenge, and Draco's two best of friends did not question that revenge was definitely part of the motivator, there was more to it than just that.

Tom and Draco would never take such a public approach if it was just about revenge. No, the two Slytherins had gotten tired of things always going the Gryffindor way. Though none of the Slytherins were in the know regarding what had happened over the summer, it was definitely something large. A big change that had caused the two to cut fire in their eyes the moment they caught a glint of red and gold. Something had happened, and they were not about to allow it without consequences.

What neither Blaise nor Pansy understood was why Draco had not done something like this before. It was obvious that he had disliked the treatment of the Slytherin house for a long while, but why was it that he was just now doing something like this to change it?