Tom Riddle is Here-Hogwarts, Slytherin Side

6

Tom had to make sure that Draco was ready for breakfast which was proven to be a slight issue. Barring the fact that this morning he had almost sent himself into another attack-at Tom's orders nonetheless-they had little other complications. The Slytherins, for all their confusion, did not react negatively to him, and he knew that as much as last night, and likely Blaise and Pansy trying to explain things to confused and worrying Slytherins in the common room did wonders of his reputation. He knew that the Slytherins, for all their wariness, would not question him, nor his orders, nor if he told them to do something, which he would file that information away for later, as he had other things to focus on. They had to prepare to get ready for breakfast, for as much as he may dislike it they had to have some sort of breakfast. The both of them had an entire day full of classes coming up on them, and it would do neither of them any good to skip eating before their first set of classes. He knew that Draco was in an incredibly sensitive stage right now, and that it would not take much for him to relapse, not something that Tom really wanted to happen, so he decided that he was just going to have to ensure that it did not happen. He was still unsure exactly how, but he would figure something out.

Tom had pulled out clothes for Draco to wear that morning, and waited for him to get ready and change into them, before pulling him close into a hug. Draco would not be able to get that much physical affection from Tom later on in the day, and therefore he figured it could not hurt to give him some at the moment. He had deserved it, after all. 

Tom really did not want a repeat of the day before. The boy had gone into a rather long drop. It was not a good thing, and he hated it when the boy was in such a disastrous state, there was a lot of risks involved and in such a state anything could happen to him. Tom was at least careful with how he phrased himself. He would need to ensure the aid of the Slytherins before they left, however. He knew that he would have it, but he wanted to cement that reassurance before leaving. It could never hurt to be careful and wary, after all, especially with Slytherins. 

"Zabini! Parkinson!" Tom barked when they got down the stairwell. Glancing over the common room, he saw a couple of other Slytherins hanging around the common room and they were probably waiting a bit for friends before heading out. Blaise and Pansy jumped up and rushed to him. He gave them a wry smile. If the Slytherins had any doubts now, he doubted that they did anymore. The unquestioning obedience of Draco's closest friends clearly would alleviate those doubts. He even saw, out of the corner of his vision, some of the straggling Slytherins watching in some form of shock. 

"Is he..." Tom shook his head. Draco, though he would not admit it, was not quite okay yet. He would not be until he stopped being so...clingy. Currently the boy was pressed against his chest, hiding his face in Tom's side. Blaise sighed heavily, and Pansy looked nervous. He knew their feelings, and to some extent he did share them. 

"How are we..."

"I shall take care of it. Do not worry yourself with that. Though I could use your help." Tom said calmly. He said this in a way that would ensure their obedience with his desires. He knew that they would help Draco in any way that they could and without much question. He knew that it was risky to speak on Draco's behalf, considering most of the Slytherins did not know Tom yet, but he knew that if nothing more, Pansy and Blaise would be the most receptive, and the other Slytherins would be receptive to them as stand ins for Draco. 

"Anything." Blaise and Pansy said instantly without hesitation. Tom smiled a bit. Blaise should be more careful saying things such as that, it was dangerous. He was not going to stop the boy from making such broad claims, though, considering Tom felt it likely that it was solely linked to Draco's benefit. 

"I need you to confront Potter." He admitted, his eyes narrowing as the words flowed from him. He wanted the Potter boy to pay, and this would be the beginning of a long in coming retribution for the negative that he had been forced to deal with. "The boy has some sort of martyr complex. Make him feel guilty. More than guilty. I want him to be sinking in shame of what he has done." Tom said eyes glinting dangerously.

"How do you want us to do that?" Pansy asked, Blaise looked at her in disbelief. Tom, however, still answered the question nonetheless. He was in a rather giving mood at the moment after all. Furthermore, he wanted no mistakes. If that meant he would have to suffer explaining simpler things, he would do so. 

"You are a Slytherin are you not?" Tom questioned in response, a smirk on his lips. "Use your words, and manipulate him. Get to his core. From what I could gather, the boy is not treated all that well at home, expand on that. Use it to your advantage. I want him feeling terrible by lunch. Get the other Slytherins to join in." Tom directed them. "He will soon be coming to beg for apologies, and I wish to see how Draco will handle it." Blaise and Pansy nodded their understanding, and they all smiled happily. They loved doing things like this. It fit within their character. Revenge, and protecting their friends.

"Let's get started, then." Tom said simply. "I want to ensure that we have plenty of help with this. It will need more people to really be proactive to my plans." 

It took at least  a good ten to fifteen minutes, but with Pansy, Blaise, Goyle, and Crabbe, not to mention Tom who was currently holding onto his waist protectively, he stood straight. His anxiety slowly fled, and by the time he was near the Great Hall, he was his normal self once more. Tom smiled at that. He was hoping that would be what would happen.

Draco was keen on plots and vengence, as such, this sort of thing had been bound to help bring him back around, and Tom was glad to know that he was correct.