Half-Dimension

33

Lucius almost scoffed at the look that Tom had given them, but he knew better than to scoff at the Dark Lord. That was courting a level of danger that he was not stupid enough to cross. He knew that Severus was aware of it as well, neither of them spoke a word about the situation, not wanting to risk angering Tom in some way. The Dark Lord was not merciful when he was angry, but even an idiot could tell someone that. Tom may seem kind and precious, but he had a dark side, as most of them did, the difference was that his ran far deeper than most. Not that it bothered Lucius, he was just not a fan of his younger brother, and one that he had just recently managed to obtain and find again, getting caught in Tom's claws.

Although, it is not quite the end, after all. Lucius thought to himself, his eyes continuing to track where Tom was sitting next to Draco. There is still time, barring that it is not for certain that Tom even wants Draco in marriage. While, that much seems fairly obvious there is a possibility that this is another one of his fleeting fascinations. Lucius knew better than to get his hopes up for that, though. It would seem that things were different, he was not sure how, but something about the way that...the way that the interactions between the two were, and the fact that Tom had directly ordered Lucius and Severus to keep tabs on the boy. He had never done that to anyone else before, at least not outside of someone he had been targeting, and even then only if they were higher end targets. Still, one must remain slightly positive. Lucius mentally scolded himself, despite the fingers of his hands shaking no matter how much he may try to delude himself. He felt Severus lay a hand on his shoulder.

"Calm down, Lucius," The other said softly. "Right now, we can't worry about potentials. At least we know that Draco is in safe hands, for now. The Dark Lord will not risk hurting Draco at the moment. He holds value, and outside of that, he is not stupid enough to try anything with Dumbledore here, or Madam Promfrey for that matter." Severus' words managed to calm Lucius down at least slightly. The other was correct, after all, there was no way that Draco would be harmed for the moment, not that he thought Tom would harm Draco, oh no, he was sure that there was going to be more...Drasic measures.

He did not share this with Seveurs. For as much as Severus may be Lucius' mate to be, he knew that the other held a deep set awe, and healthy amount of fear, of the Dark Lord. This was not out of place, Lucius fully understood the fear that his mate held towards the other, but at the same time, he could not say anything to Severus about his inner worries, as he knew that eventually it would come back to Tom. As much as he may hate to admit it, Tom likely already was aware of the situation currently flooding Lucius' mind. He probably found some sort of sick joy in it as well, Lucius was not unaware of the Dark Lord's sadistic tendencies. It was obvious to anyone who knew the Dark Lord on any level. At least, it was if they were not blinded by his charm and handsomeness.

He wondered anxiously if Draco knew what sort of game that Tom was playing, if he was even aware of it. He probably was, for as much as Lucius would like to think that Draco would never truly involve himself with someone as dangerous as Tom, he knew that his past was really working against him in this regard. Furthermore, Tom could be kind enough when he really wanted to be. Lucius did not want Draco to fall down the same path that so many before him had, but he also knew that there was nothing he could really do other than warn Draco away from Tom, which would do the exact opposite of what he wanted. Lucius knew because this was a habit that the Malfoy family tended to have, and he would not be surprised if Draco would get involved with Tom directly because he had asked him not to.

"I have informed Mr. Malfoy, he is on his way here, as for the Headmaster, he should be headed here soon. I have ensured that he knows that Mr. Riddle is not to be removed from the room, and to keep contact to a minimum. I do apologize for any untoward behavior that the Headmaster may employ, but fear not as I shall be swift to intervene should he become anything other than the utmost polite."

"Thank you Madam Pomfrey, I am sorry for the inconvienence of everything." The medi-witch merely shook her head and waved away his apologies. Lucius almost wanted to grimace at the sight. Tom was once more playing the nice act, it was certainly something admirable. It was hard to play nice when you disliked almost everyone.

Lucius wondered who it was that Tom actually gave a damn for. There was not many, if any, that he was certain of. If his idea of caring for people was putting the torture curse on them and forcing them to submit to his will, Lucius was even more worried for Draco, but he knew better. Tom had these sort of...levels for people. He had the people he had no regard for, from what Lucius could tell they were mostly muggles or those who had no sense of intelligence. Then he had those that he tolerated, most people seemed to fall into that category. Then there were those few that he regarded highly enough, those such as Severus, himself, and now apparently Draco as well.

"It was nothing dear. I am just worried how it happened so quickly. I know most presentations happen without warning but even this is a little bit fast."