Tom Riddle is Here-Plan in Action

Casting more doubt

Draco was nervous now, not wanting to stay a moment longer in this room, with this man. He tugged gently at Tom's sleeves, a small sound working through the back of his throat, his eyes wide and pleading as he looked down at Tom. He would not dare pull Tom away from where he was seated, but he could...he could ask. subtly, of course because they needed Dumbledore to wonder, but not be assured. That was the important factor after all. Dumbledore was keeping a close eye on them at the moment after all, and it would not do to go too overboard. 

Tom got the message and, flicking the sleeves of his robes, he stood from where he had previously been seated. Draco moved close behind him, walking from around the chair. It was time to go. They both had gotten what they wanted and it was important to ensure that Dumbledore began to stop suspecting that the two of them, or any of the Slytherins in all honesty, were direct culprits. After all, it would engage Dumbledore's curiosity, and after that they could pin the blame on someone else. It would not be too hard, and they just had to ensure that they had all the ground work laid out. 

After all, it was not easy trying to trick an entire student body. Slytherins were more then capable, but at the same time, there were things that took great care and attention to detail. Draco had been right, Tom mused, Dumbledore was dangerous, and until they managed to shoo him out, they had to play the man before he tried to play them. Not that they would fall for Dumbledore's petty tricks, but even still. It was best to one up the old Gryffindor before he managed to do so to them. Or try at least. Dumbledore may be a fool but he was still powerful. 

"If that is all," Tom said curtly.

"Actually, I have a few questions." Dumbledore said. Draco bit the inside of his cheek to keep from speaking out of turn. Tom tilted his head up to Dumbledore. He sighed heavily, but assented. There was not much he could do other then answer, or avoid the answer. They did need to throw Dumbledore off their scent for the moment after all. 

"What, pray tell, may that be?" Tom asked, keeping the ire from his voice. 

"I have noticed that there have been some rather interesting changes, among your fellow Slytherins." Draco furrowed his brows, appearing confused. 

"Headmaster, I am not sure what you mean. What is your question?" He asked, his voice gentle, soft. 

"I mean, do you know anything about that?" 

Tom almost laughed from the audacity of this man. Did Dumbledore truly think that they were going to out their own house? What sort of idiot was he? He chalked it up to foolish Gryffindorian thinking. Even them, many a Gryffindor would sooner die then betray a friend, though Tom would never die to save anyone, though kill...that was a different story. 

Draco was having similar thoughts. It was absolutely inane that he would think that Tom or himself would give up their own house. They were Slytherins, they protected each other, even if they did not like each other. They presented a picture of utter house unity outside of the common room. It was dangerous otherwise and such danger always led to much worse things later on down the road. Something that they were not willing to allow. 

Though both would admit, the Slytherin house had changed quite a bit lately. Due to Draco and Tom's relationship a lot of things had changed among the house. Despite that, it was not as though these changes were too negative in nature. They were expected. Tom was the Heir of Slytherin, and he was in a romantic relationship with the Prince of Slytherin. The two had spent the entire summer together, along with an unfortunate residence at the House of Blacks with the Weasley family. Obviously some things were bound to change.

"Ah," Draco said gently. He looked up at the folly old man with wide eyes. "My housemates are quite protective is all," He said with a small shrug of his shoulders. "After hearing about the impromtu things which happened between myself and my father and Tom and his father, it was quite the reaction. This only doubled when they realized I had been forced to stay with the Weasleys," Tom could not help but give a small smirk at the disdain Draco had not been quite able to cover upon saying the name. "Needless to say, they were quite worried. Since then they have been perhaps a bit too enthusiastic to ensure that I am safe." Draco smiled at the Professor, a picture of calmness. "There is not much to worry about. I assure you," 

"That is a relief." Dumbledore said gently. "Although...I am still worried about you two." Tom almost rolled his eyes. 

"Headmaster," Tom said, the word coming in a rush of breath. "There is no need to worry about us. We are perfectly fine. We are grateful for the concern but there truly is no need of it." Dumbledore did not seem all that convinced.

Which was truly exactly what they were going for. While they did not want Dumbledore to be focused on the Slytherins as a whole as it would become quite problematic, they were well aware that keeping his attention on just them, and perhaps Pucey as well, was the better alternative. Anything that required Tom or Draco's work could be done within the common room, an area of the castle Dumbledore would be hard pressed to get into. They then could distribute their work through the aid of Blaise and Pansy. Keeping Dumbledore on his toes and worried that perhaps something were to happen to the two of them was the best way to keep his attention off of the others. While Tom was hesitant in trusting Blaise and Pansy he knew that Draco held high opinions of them, and as such he also knew that they would be able to handle their work load. 

They seemed to have come across this conclusion simultaneously, which was good. It showed how similar they were in thought. Something which Tom was quite eager to note. It showed them to be similar in mind, which was a good thing.

"Headmaster, I know..." Draco paused. "I know perhaps you think that there is something going on, but I wish you to rest assured that Tom and I, we are fine. There is nothing going on." Draco added a slight breathy note to the end of his sentence, which did the trick perfectly, Dumbledore narrowing his eyes on them.