Tom Riddle is Here-Plan in Action

Twins

They needed to meet with the Twins. They had an established time and place and everything was ready to go, but there were certainly still reservations. Namely the fact that Tom was not very eager to let Draco go anywhere near them, and especially not since the last bout with anyone in the Weasley family had left him panicked and helpless in his room, unable to think, unable to see...just dead to the living world. The after effects had been just as horrible as the beginning, and Draco himself did not really want to have to go through anything similar to that again. He knew that Tom was worried about his safety, and it truly warmed his heart in a fashion which he could not entirely understand. Yet, Draco was not one to allow his fear to rule him. Tom knew that if he could not stop Draco from doing this, then the best thing that he could do was to go along with the boy to try and ensure his safety.

Draco could also easily understand what Tom was feeling, of course, and he certainly had his own reservations about the whole plan. It was just, they needed to know what the Weasley's wanted in order to ensure that they did not do something to increase their suspicions. Not that Draco was entirely certain that they could lessen them as it were. However, despite all of the risks which it held, if the Weasley's were spies for Dumbledore, they would need to know, that way they could act accordingly. For that to happen, Tom had to be close to them, in order to read them, which meant that they would need to meet them. Tom still had not exactly been to keen on the idea, even after Draco had pointed that out. He understood, of course, the reasons why Draco was willing to go head first into this meeting, it did not mean that he had to like it. Then again, Draco understood why. He got the hatred which Dumbledore was held in when it came to Tom, and Draco certainly felt the same way as Tom did. Neither of them particularly liked Dumbledore, and when it came down to it, they both would rather he be kicked out of the school and disgraced if it was possible, something that they were in fact planning on doing. If the Weasley Twins were spies for Dumbledore that put them in even more danger because of the fact that the Twins were students, and it would be easier for them to trail them. They needed to know as much as possible about everything, and despite all of the risks, they knew that it was important for them to do this. Not just that, but Draco could not really help but be curious, and he wanted to know what the Twins wanted from them. Why they really wanted to talk to them. Even further, why they waited until two months into the school year to do so. It was almost Halloween, yet they had made no mention of trying to speak to them until now, which made the two even more cautious. They knew it was unlikely that anything bad would happen, given the two of them, but they could not help but be cautious.

After all, who knew what the Twins could be up to. Or be put up to at that matter. It was something that they were just entirely uncertain of the outcome, but no matter what, they needed to do this. They had to and they would because it was necessary, even if they felt it...unnerving.

"Don't worry," Draco said softly, not an hour before they were to meet the Twins. "I am sure that everything will work out perfectly fine, we have everything covered, we have gone over every potential." Draco gently reminded Tom. Tom glared at him darkly.

"I know!" He hissed. Draco flinched slightly at the tone, but otherwise, did not give any notion of discontent. It was enough for Tom, however, who sighed heavily, running a hand through his hair. "I know, I am sorry." His voice much calmer now. "I am just worried, I hate not knowing what to expect, and I know that we have gone over everything a thousand times, but I still feel as though there is something that we are missing, and that one something is going to throw us off somehow."

Draco did not dare interrupt Tom. It was not common that the other admitted that something was bothering him. Slytherins in general had a habit of pretending things were perfectly fine when they really were not. Draco knew that this took some courage. It was the first time that Tom had so openly stated something was bothering him, as well as listing the reasons as to why. Draco was rather surprised at that, for he had not been expecting it. In any way whatsoever. It came as a shock, one which Draco was certain would follow him from now. He was rather flattered that Tom was even willing to share that something was bothering him.

Furthermore, Draco understood what Tom was feeling. Draco was feeling the same things himself, and he had to admit that there was quite a bit that could go wrong, even though they had prepared for all possible outcomes. They knew that it was not unlikely that something could easily change, causing everything that they had prepared for to collapse. They just had to hope, they had to hope that they would not need any of the contingency plans.

"At least they are not trying to meet us after curfew," Draco muttered out softly. Tom smiled faintly. The other was correct, who knew what could happen if they were out and about after curfew, especially considering the current headmaster trying to blame Slytherin without evidence. Not that it would be an easy thing to do, but it would make it an easier case for Dumbledore if he caught Slytherin students out after hours. Tom and Draco simply could not take such a chance, not at this time. Tom and Draco would need to be extremely careful with what they did, as with the rest of the Slytherins.

"Are you guys coming to dinner?" Blaise questioned, interrupting the quiet conversation that Draco and Tom were having.

Tom glared up at the other. For all that he was Draco's friend and confidant, he did not appreciate being cut off. It was not something that he relished in, and he hated it when his conversations were interrupted, important ones or otherwise. He did not like being cut off. It aggravated him quite severely. It would seem that Draco as well was rather annoyed at the interruption, but he merely smiled at Blaise, rather than the dark glare which Tom sported towards the other, and glanced back at Tom, who swiftly schooled his expression into a more neutral phase.

"Do you want to go to dinner?" Tom was asked, the blue eyes gleaming in Draco's eyes. Tom smiled, just a little, barely there, and gently brushed the boy's hair to the side. He hummed softly, as though he were thinking it over.

He already knew his answer, of course. He did not wish to eat. Dinner was hard enough when he was under Dumbledore's gaze at all times, he knew that Draco felt something similar during their dinners. Yet, with the looming time when they would finally speak to the Weasley Twins coming over them, he did not think that he would even be able to eat anything, should he desire to.

"What do you wish?" Tom asked, turning the question around on Draco, who sighed heavily at the obvious redirect.

"I am not really entirely certain that I could handle dinner at the moment."

"That is your answer." Tom said, directing his words to Blaise, his gaze never once leaving Draco's. Blaise gave a tight smile and a brief nod before heading out of the Slytherin common rooms.

Tom knew that Blaise was frustrated at how much time Tom seemed to occupy of Draco's. It was not entirely the other's fault that he was feeling petty jealousy, however it did amuse Tom to see it. 

It was not every day which Tom got to see such emotions so clearly visible in another. Tom himself was rather schooled when it came to his emotions, though he knew exactly how to portray them. Draco was also typically in great control over his emotions as well. This meant that there was little if any room for truly studying such emotions. He had seen Draco's fear and joy up close, but things such as jealousy simply did not exist between the two of them, and as such, Tom was not as well acquainted with such emotions. Though Draco did bring out many different emotions in Tom himself, he could not say that he was used to seeing others portray such emotions as jealousy. He personally felt it an odd emotions to have ties with.

Either way...Both of them could feel the upcoming dread. This meeting could go one of two ways. The Twins may actively wish to speak about important matters, perhaps they were on his side. Yet Tom had his doubts. Draco had spoken to him about his own doubts as well, though they both knew that they needed to go through with this. The Weasley Twins may be incredibly different from their family, but in the end they were still apart of it. They were still holding strong bonds with that family. Even if they said that they wished to help, could they truly say it was to benefit them? Or were they just spies pretending? The two were incredibly nervous. This evening would put that to the test, and everything had to go as planned. Or, as close to planning as they had been capable of.