What if He had a Choice?

66

He sometimes felt that his excitement was a curse. Something that was bound to cause problems and things to go wrong, because as much as Draco was ecstatic to learn more about the dark magic Tom had promised, the book that Tom had given him, how he had poured over its words as if they were some sort of lifeline, when Tom returned into the Room of Requirement, he was not exactly in a pleased mood. It left him nervous, finicky, and almost wanting to flee. He knew that he was not going to be harmed, the Dark Lord may be young, but he was not really impulsive. He seemed to be so much more mature, and it just constantly threw him for a loop if he was being honest. 

He had wanted to talk to him about the information that he had found, perhaps even get some sort of praise for having combed through such a large amount of spells already, but he had a feeling, fingers gripping the edges of the book nervously, that perhaps now was not a good time to really ask questions. For all that he seemed alright, Draco was hard wired to pick up subtle cues, and Tom was definitely not happy. Not angry, of course, but not pleased. Draco teetered on the question of whether his comments would be welcomed, or punished, but it would seem the Dark Lord was intent on answering his hesitance for him, as he was quickly called to the other's side. 

Draco rushed over, an uncharacteristic haste to his steps as he moved to the seat right next to the Lord. Tom let his fingers dally against the edges of his shoulders, before he leaned back in the couch himself, letting his arms splay behind him. Draco, by contrast, was still stiff and tense. Unsure, if nothing more. He wanted to know, wanted to ask questions, but was still nervous about doing so when he was not able to read Tom's liable reactions to them yet. 

"The new headmistress will want to talk to you tomorrow," Tom said in lieu of waiting for Draco to speak. Draco inhaled sharply once, but otherwise nodded silently. 

"I figured, the situation..." 

"She wants to talk to you about Lucius, I presume." Tom watched with narrowed eyes at how the Malfoy boy tensed slightly at the confirmation. He saw the displeasure as well, hidden but still there. He was not sure whether it was the situation that he was displeased with, or if it was Tom having cut him off, but he continued nonetheless. "Your fear was not normal, Draco," Tom said softly, he moved off the couch, pulling himself to stand in front of Draco, who could not bear to look him in the eyes. 

Tom's fingers swirled his wand around as he stared down at the boy contemplating. He did not want Lucius locked up. That would put more problems on his plate, but Lucius was becoming a bit of a menace...There was negatives no matter which way he looked at it. Lucius' influence over Draco was not too much of a hinderance at the moment, but once they returned? 

"I want you to try and ease her mind. After all, while your fear is not necessarily normal, there is nothing she can do if you refuse to entertain her theories." Draco glanced up sharply, grey eyes stinging, and Tom was quite surprised to find a bit of water in them. Was he truly that upset at the thought of his father being put away? Tom could not understand it, and brushed aside the strange thought. 

"Are you certain of that?"  He asked, barely daring to believe it. Tom laughed. His project was so naive sometimes it was hard to remember just how much he had gone through already. Perhaps it was because of how sheltered he was, he may have gone through quite a bit, but the boy was sheltered beyond belief. Even Parkinson and Zabini had begun to notice his intentions with the Malfoy heir and how his intentions were not necessarily normal, or born out of good will, and yet Draco remained oblivious. 

"Of course, she can request an investigation into what happened, but I doubt it would go anywhere. After all, money buys more than just goods, it buys people, and witnesses." Tom continued to twirl his wand through his fingers as he tried to figure out what more to say. "I doubt that was what you wanted to talk about though," Settling on changing the topic, he turned his gaze down to the boy's own, watching as he turned away from him, cheeks flushing slightly red. It really was a pretty look. 

"I...that is I went through the book." Tom raised a brow, unimpressed. Of course Draco had gone through the book, that had been his order. He knew the other followed it, why would he not? Draco was painfully excited to learn the Dark Arts. Tom could tell it was doing the boy good, though, considering his magic was far more stable than it had been since he had met the other. Volatile magic could cause horrific affects to ones' health and personality. Not to mention their mind. 

"I know you did, my dear," Draco frowned at his words, and Tom could not help but feel a bit lost as to what exactly he was supposed to be reacting to. "Did it enlighten you?" The frown slowly turned upside down, and Tom smiled. He wanted to be known for his effort, of course. Tom should have figured that out far sooner than he did. The other was notorious for needing praise. Seriously, he almost felt sad that he had not understood for a moment. A lapse, of course, but one easily remedied. "Good, it will be very useful, giving you a base foundation." Moving away from the boy now, he dropped back onto the couch. "Have you ever delved into blood magic, little one?" Tom wondered quietly. Draco shook his head. 

"No, it is dangerous, father and mother banned any books that even mentioned it" Draco rolled his eyes and Tom couldn't help but find amusement in his exasperation. "It is stupid because of course I already know about it, what difference does it really make if I read up on it?" 

"Well, I am certain we can procure plenty of books on the subject now that we are here. This room is quite infamous for giving students whatever they desire. Materially," He added quickly, noting the gleam in the other's eyes. It did not dim, however, and Tom could only roll his eyes. 

"I still do not understand why they were so against it," Draco admitted softly, pulling his knees towards his chest. A rare form of vulnerability. Tom would indulge whilst he could. He doubted this would happen again soon. 

"I am sure they have their reasons, as stupid as I believe them to be." Tom pat the boy on the shoulder, fingers lingering each time he did so. "It does not matter anyways, I am teaching you now, and I like to think I know a fair bit more than they could ever hope to." Draco smiled softly, but seemed to shrug off the overly sentimental atmosphere easily. 

"Is it because you want to bond our magic together with the bracelet?" 

"Bracelet?" Draco flushed at Tom's question. 

"I mean," His fingers lifted to the choker that Tom had gifted him. "I don't think you are really a necklace type person, and so I figured a bracelet seemed more...your style."