Chapter 21:

Tom stared at him for a few very long moments, expression completely blank and Harry resisted the urge to swallow, thickly. Then Riddle's head tilted, a half triumphant and half-something else entirely gleam to his countenance.

"Now this is an interesting turn of events," Tom purred - and though the elder boy wasn't moving, Harry still got the overwhelming feeling of being circled like prey. He resisted the urge to swallow, or do anything so obvious to show his discomfort.

"Are you up for negotiating on the matter or not?" he questioned coldly. "Because you should know that if you don't allow me a decent level of freedom and seeing my friends I am not going to stop trying to get away from you. Ever!"

He could practically see the cogs ticking in the other's alarmingly brilliant mind. He wasn't sure if he should take it as a good thing or a bad thing that Tom wasn't freaking out or blowing up about his demand...it surely meant he was more likely to agree to it? But then again, it also meant Tom no doubt had his own machinations and schemes whirling to ensure he benefited from this just as much if not more than Harry.

He folded his arms, a little defensively, trying to look defiant and utterly confident in his victory, ignoring the fact that he was mimicking Tom's everyday arrogant posture to accomplish that.

"What are your terms then, Harry?" Riddle sounded like he was just humouring him, but Harry could see the tells for seriousness beneath whatever nonchalant mask the other was putting up. He supposed that was one of the 'perks' of living with the psychopath; he did gain some ability to read the other and got to know some of his quirks simply because Riddle didn't bother putting on a facade for him all the time. At least not wholly. No one did that in their own home, especially not when they were convinced of their own power and position of superiority.

Still, he gave the question honest consideration, knowing he only really had one shot to do this right.

"I come back here in the evenings, the nights - unless I have your permission otherwise, and otherwise I can can come and go as I please, and do what I like...though of course, I will never bring anyone back here either...you know, with you plotting world dominion and all that whilst my friends try and stop you. And I will stop making escape attempts to run away from you."

It was a very long shot, and he doubted Tom would agree, but he figured it was better to aim high than start too low and just have Tom agree off the bat because it was pathetically low.

The other tutted a little, shaking his head.

"You know I won't accept that, Potter," the Slytherin Heir murmured. "I amend; you can meet up with your friends several days a week, that will remain flexible mostly. You have studies that I will not let you neglect in accordance to earlier bargains."

Sometimes, Harry couldn't help but think to that stipulation, that Tom really did come across as nothing so much as a studious swot. Riddle continued.

"You will return for the evenings by 7 O Clock, unless otherwise bargained beforehand, and you can leave after 8am after you've had some breakfast because I don't want Dumbledore accusing me of starving you."

Harry blinked at that - and the fact that, so far, this deal really didn't sound too horrible, especially compared to the house arrest he'd pretty much been under before.

"You care about what Dumbledore thinks?" he questioned, raising his brows, and Tom gave him a flat expression for being interrupted during his deal-making.

"I want to rule the Wizarding world, I'm not going to give them unnecessary ammo against me," the Slytherin Heir returned. "Speaking of, you will not aid the light side, if we make this deal."

"I'm not joining the dark side!" Harry protested.

"Didn't say you had to, just said you couldn't help the light."

"How about I don't help either side and observe, give them both fair judgment until an agreed date where I choose?" Harry proposed, carefully, hoping Tom would go for that...because he didn't want to be denied the chance to help his friends, or to fight against Voldemort if he attacked them. "I won't work against them, but...I know you're not going to let me leave here to pass information on, so I promise I won't do that either. I'll be grey for now."

Tom seemed to consider him, thoughtfully.

"Okay. You can meet up with your friends three days a week, unless specifically bargained beforehand for some sort of special occasion for which you will may seek my permission to attend. You will return back here every evening without exception, by 7pm, and never bring anyone with you. You will not leave on these days before 8am, or if you're not awake then, until you've had breakfast. You will not aid either side of this war, and certainly not betray information or my trust with your light side friends. You will no longer make escape attempts, and resign yourself to living with me. Do we have an accord?"

Harry's mouth felt dry, as he thought warily over the terms and conditions. It seemed...reasonable.
"I want to reserve the right to renegotiate at a later date. I refuse to have an 7pm curfew for the rest of my life."

Tom suddenly smiled very brightly at that, and Harry cursed as he realised the implication that he was resigning life over to these sorts of agreements and - and he wasn't going to think about that now. He'd start panicking when he needed to concentrate on this bargain.

"Agreed," the other said softly. Harry swallowed, before nodding.
"Agreed," he murmured. Tom held out a hand, grasping his without hesitation, and Harry felt a jolt of magic run through him. His eyes widened.

"...what was that?"
"I made our oath magically binding. More than just words of honour."

"...well that's good, seeing as you have no honour," Harry said, before he could stop himself. Tom stared at him for a moment, before starting to laugh, patting his head in a somewhat condescending way as if he was a pet puppy which had just performed a good trick. He scowled.

"Go and do your essay, Harry. We will speak more later."
Tom sounded pleased. Very pleased. If Harry could see the wicked smirk on Tom's lips as the other turned away, he would have been seriously worried about just how pleased Riddle was.

Instead, he felt euphoric with a regained sense of semi-freedom for the first time in too long.
This was a good day.

And Tom really wasn't that unreasonable.
...except...well...he shouldn't have had to bargain for the basic human right of freedom in the first place?

Tom tapped his quill absently against his lip, eyes still gleaming from the events of the day.
Harry was starting to resign himself to this life, and that could only be good - and his 'lenience' could only favour him to Harry more. Especially because he knew Dumbledore would try and tighten his hold on the boy in panic, in contrast.

Harry loved freedom, he wasn't willing going to give it up for anyone; the little soldier act was shattered forever, because he'd sparked something, negotiation, trying to get the best out a situation for yourself and actually thinking and not taking things for granted or just assuming they had to be a certain way.

Oh, he'd have to be careful that it didn't backfire on him, Harry could be wild and untamed to everyone else but rely on Tom to...guide him, and that would just be perfect. The best thing would be that Harry just willingly started spending time with him, instead of with his friends.

He had to be the more interesting option, the better option and...well, he highly doubted the light side would be willing to answer all of the boy's questions, like he would, and it wasn't difficult to tell that despite being academically lazy Harry was extremely curious of the world around, and bright enough. Brighter than he played across, at any rate, though not to Tom's standard of intelligent - but barely anyone was.

He had it all planned out in his head, hooks layered up carefully so that he himself wouldn't be implicated, as well as a way of endearing himself to Harry more. It was going to go flawlessly. With all luck, Harry would start to rely on him a lot more than too, and grow more suspicious of the light side...of who he could also manipulate in this case.

He was so very good at faking emotions. Dumbledore would be suspicious, but he was sure at least some of them would warm to him, though he doubted they'd like him. Yet...they were waiting on the Voldemort that the old man depicted, but he would cast himself in a different role.

It would be an interesting psychological study at any rate, and he'd always loved playing games with people.

But the main objective was still Harry, though there were other perks.
He arranged himself a little meeting with McNair and some other's he'd identified as troublesome.

Now, he believed, he needed to talk to Severus Snape.
He grabbed his cloak. It was Spinner's end, wasn't it?

A/N: So, it's shorter than normal, but I've got three pieces of coursework to do in the next three weeks - a 2000 word essay, a 1500 word essay and a 2000/3000 (can't remember which) creative writing portfolio to write. So I wouldn't know when I'm next posting, so I thought I'd give you this anyway :) Hope you liked it! Thank you for all the reviews :D - The Fictionist