Dinner Time Observations
Draco spent next to no time sitting next to Tom, when the older boy pointed to the seat next to him. Tom noticed the young boy looked incredibly anxious. Tom just grabbed the boy's upper arm firmly, and the boy seemed to melt of all nervousness. Tom smiled, smirking at Snape, who watched the exchange with glittering black eyes, curious.
"Eat." Tom ordered, whispering the word into Draco's ear. Draco looked at Tom with grateful eyes, and turned to his food, beginning to eat it all. Tom just smiled at the younger boy. He too, began eating his food, readying himself for an onslaught of conversation, which happened almost at once after Draco and Tom's interactions.
Unlike Draco, Tom had expected the loud conversations to begin, as he had seen many families act in accordance to such customs. Tom knew that Draco had not been to a dinner with any other than Pureblood Slytherin families, and those were always quiet and polite conversations, if indeed there were conversations in any way. The boy jumped as soon as the loud conversations started. He began hyperventilating at the sudden onslaught of noise. Snape watched the two closely as Tom simply moved his hand from Draco's upper arm to his neck, curving his long fingers around the back of the boy's neck, and simply holding it there, placing gentle pressure on the lower half. Draco calmed immediately. Tom was not putting enough pressure to put him into a subspace, nor to get him to fall into sleep, but just enough to calm him. Draco closed his eyes in a strange sense of peace, and continued eating, whilst Tom continued to keep his hand on the younger's neck. The boy seemed to calm more and more as the meal progressed.
_- _ - _ - _
Hermione watched Tom and Draco as they entered the room. There was something about the two's relationship. She could not quite put her finger on it, but there was definitely something strange about it.
She watched as Tom directed Draco into a chair next to him, near the end of the table, located conveniently near the door, with Professor Snape two seats down from Draco, Sirius right next to Draco, and Remus Lupin at Tom's immediate left, whilst Draco sat at his immediate right. She continued watching the two, discreetly of course. It would never do to be caught.
She watched with interest as Tom placed a firm, but not painful, hand on Draco's bicep. The Slytherin, who before had been slightly tense and unnerved, which none but the extremely observant would be able to pick up on, seemed to calm slightly at the gesture. He then whispered something to the young boy, before turning to his own food, Draco, seemed to be happy for some reason, and started to eat. Tom, Hermione noticed, kept a firm hand on the younger's upper arm.
She also noticed the two's reactions once the conversations started about five or ten minutes into the meal. Tom, seemed to have been expecting something similar, for he merely tensed slightly. Poor Draco, however, had seemingly not expected anything of the sort, as he jumped, and leaned back in his chair, becoming anxious and nervous. Hermione noticed, and it would seem Riddle did as well, for he slid his hand, which had still been gripping the younger's arm, upwards, towards his neck. Hermione tensed as the older boy wrapped his fingers easily around the back of Draco's neck, applying firm, but seemingly gentle pressure to it. Instead of freaking out, as Hermione would have expected from the Malfoy heir, he calmed instantly. Hermione simply could not understand the two's interactions. One thing she did know, however, was that there was absolutely no WAY Malfoy would allow anyone other than Riddle to touch him so possessively. Not willingly. Yet, here he was. It was if the former Malfoy had been done away with, and a new compliant Malfoy replaced. It was terribly confusing. Hermione, being as smart as she is, was not real intimate with the emotion 'Confused', and she was realizing that she did not enjoy it at all, in any way whatsoever.
Hermione never saw Tom's hand leave Draco's neck during the rest of the Dinner, if anything, he would apply more pressure to attempt to calm him, when he got extremely uncomfortable. Which happened once they began asking questions of what to do with him. There was only another twenty four hours before Hogwarts, but as Lucius was not here to take Draco, and Severus WAS Malfoy's legal godfather, and guardian when Lucius could not be. This raised several questions, and Draco had become close to what seemed to be a panic attack, until Tom subtly calmed him.
This all raised more questions than it answered. The Malfoy that she, Ron, and Harry had known for several years was rude, dominating, easily frustrated, and snappish. In other words, as Psychology would put it, he was without question a clear alpha male. However, now, it seemed to be the complete opposite. And, though Hermione was not proficient in Psychology, she had read several books on the subject, and articles, a personality change to this degree, although not impossible, was a nigh impossible occurance. Which meant one of two things, either Malfoy is faking this new vulnerable compliant, and people-pleasing side or he was faking his alpha male personality, OR, something really bad happened to Malfoy to cause this change, or a combination of the two choices. She would, of course, keep a close eye on the two, to see how this progressed. After all, Hermione had a strong feeling that he was faking this new side. As such, he was bound to make a slip up at some point, and she would be there when he did, and than, oh, and than he would be in trouble. She just knew that Malfoy was simply getting close to this Riddle, because he was Voldermort's son. Playing on the scared, intimidated child, and getting close, to make his move. Malfoy was like that. He was a planner, and a good actor, from the hundreds of times that she had see him get out of trouble with words alone.
_-_-_-_
Hermione was not the only one looking on curiously at two two's relationship. Remus was as well. He was once again teaching Defense Against the Dark Arts, thanks to a loop hole Dumbledore found in Werewolf laws. He officially had a job! It was an exciting experience thing for him. Possibly a permanent job. He would not allow himself to get his hopes up on a technicality, however. Barring that, he knew that the main reason Dumbledore wanted to keep him on was to keep an eye on Tom and Draco. The bitter thought did little to stem his excitement, however.
He was watching the two boys curiously. Specifically Tom Riddle, because, like some of the others, he was still wary of the young boy. Though he would not judge the boy on the acts of his father, for clearly the two were different. He noticed the strange gestures that indicated possessiveness. But, he not only noticed that, but he also noticed that Draco seemed to calm from these same gestures that, if anyone else would try, he would flip out on them. It was an odd turn of events, and one that made Remus slightly uncomfortable. Because one of them was playing the other. Or perhaps, Malfoy had just been faking his whole personality whilst at Hogwarts, and Tom had managed to break through to the true Draco Lucius Malfoy hidden underneath the stern cold exterior. Either way, he would be keeping an extremely close eye on the two this year.