He watched as Potter shook hand with the three people the boy didn´t know before the group fell into silence as the Minister talked, gesticulated and was clearly explaining something or another. The rest of the group nodded and Dumbledore said something with a hand towards the stairs. Riddle assumed he wanted the conversation to be moved up into his office as the hallway was still lingering with students.
Riddle tried to ignore two terrified looking Huffelpuff students that came through the entrance doors, stopping when they saw him before turning and disappearing outside again. The Slytherins that came after only glared before hurrying past him towards the stairs leading to the dungeon.
He leaned against the wall and closed his eyes. Why was Marcus DeLancer at Hogwarts? The man had no business at the school as far as Riddle knew. Unless. A thought hit him and he opened his eyes only to see Potter and DeLancer walking towards him. Behind them the rest of the group disappearing up the stairs.
A slight feeling of panic gripped at him, and he tried to force it down as the two wizards came close. His eyes wandering from Potter to the tall man beside him as he wondered yet again why the blasted man was in the castle in the first place.
DeLancer was tall, taller than Riddle, somewhere in his fifties if Riddle were to guess with salt and pepper hair and piercing blue eyes. Riddle met his eyes and held his gaze, seeing the displeasure the man was feeling bleed into his magic at Riddle action. Good.
"Tom, I have to attend a meeting. Mr. DeLancer here has been kind enough to offer to escort you up to the room." Potter waived a hand towards the older man beside him, looking distracted as he spoke. His magic had turned dark once more and was twirling rapidly. "I´ll have the house elf bring up supper if I´m not back before then." With that he turned and left just as Riddle opened his mouth to protest at being left alone with DeLancer.
Riddle closed his mouth and pushed down the feeling of wanting to run after Potter and ask him to please don´t leave him alone with DeLancer. He wouldn´t want to appear weak. Or weaker was perhaps the right word. He looked at the other wizard.
"Shall we?" DeLancer smiled and made a gesture towards the stairs.
Riddle closed his eyes before pushing away from the wall and leading the way up the stairs. He led the way through the corridors and stairs until they reached the door leading into the rooms. DeLancer had not said a word the whole walk, which Riddle was grateful for, but it also made him uneasy. He really hoped DeLancer would just drop him of outside the room, but the doubted it. The man wanted something, he always did.
He gave the door the required password and walk in as DeLancer pulled the door open and motioned for him to enter. He could feel the panic starting up again as DeLancer followed him in.
Inside DeLancer looked around and nodded to himself. He walked over to the kitchen area, looked into the two bedrooms and the bathroom before returning to the living room just as Riddle finished hanging up his cloak. He turned around and watched as DeLancer came back into the living room, his magic pleased and filled with the darkness Riddle remember all to well, along with the same sadistic gleam that had always been there.
"Still as defiant as always," the man purred as he came closer, making Riddle back away. Riddle swallowed as he hit the wall while DeLancer kept advancing. The man smiled as he lifted a hand towards Riddle´s face, which Riddle dodged only to have the man wrap his hand around his neck and pressing him against the wall.
The force of the hand pressing against the scarf and the collar cut of his air supply and he struggled to get air into his lungs. He lifted his hands to try and pry the offending hand of his throat only to have both his slender wrists caught by DeLancers other, much larger hand, and pressed against the wall over his head, effectively pinning him in place.
The panic grew as he couldn´t breath and he considered kicking the man. The intent must have shown, for DeLancer laughed.
"Please, do lash out at me. In which case the bond will activate and I´ll be forced to call Lord Potter here and inform him that you attacked me with out provocation. That, along with the rest of the stunts you have pulled and your general disrespect for you betters will be enough for the Minister to revoke the ownership Lord Potter currently enjoys in order for a hearing to be held to determine if he is to be seen as a competent owner."
Riddle stilled. Damned if you do, damned if you don´t, he thought.
The grip on his throat disappeared and he pulled air into his lungs in gasps. He hated feeling so helpless. He couldn´t do anything to the man in front of him with out causing himself pain, and making the whole situation worse by having him claim that he attacked him. Riddle knew the Minister would use any excuse he could find to bring him back. The man had been reluctant to let him go in the first place.
If it hadn´t been for the damned bond the man before him would be long tortured and dead in the most painful way Riddle could manage to invent. He settled for glaring, which earned him a backhand across the face. His bottom lip caught on his teeth and he could feel the metallic taste of blood in his mouth. He blinked to clear his vision just as DeLancer lifted his hand again and gripped him around his chin forcing his head forwards and upwards.
"It´s seems Lord Potter is quite lenient in his treatment of you if you behaviour is anything to go bye. "
Riddle kept quiet. Arguing with the man had never brought anything good. Instead he met his gaze and held it, knowing it would annoy the man. It did as he could see the irritation in eyes at Riddle´s lack of response to his taunts. Then the irritation disappeared and was replaced by something more sinister.
"Perhaps I should tell Lord Potter how I finally did manage to bring you to heel?" the man asked, a slow, predatory smile spreading across his face as he let his thumb slide of Riddle´s bottom lip. Riddle considered biting the offending digit as full blown panic rose in him, but that would give him the same result as if he was to kick DeLancer. In stead he struggled to free his hands, which only made DeLancer chuckle and tighten his grip, making Riddle wince as pain shot through him.
"The law forbids you from laying a hand on me," he finally sneered. Merlin he was pathetic when he was hiding behind the law, he thought, disgusted.
DeLancer must have thought the same thing for the man laughed. "Really? You are referring to the law? The same wizarding law you have been breaking since you were sixteen? How is that for irony?"
Riddle gritted his teeth. Why the hell at Potter let DeLancer follow him back? Why had Dumbledore for that matter? Dumbledore at least should know who DeLancer was, even of Potter might be blind to it.
The hand that was not pinning his wrists to the wall came up to card through his hair before sliding down his cheek. Riddle tried to dislodge the hand by moving which resulted in another in another backhand across his face, this time the force behind the slap was even greater and Riddle could feel his vision darken and his head slammed back into the wall just as DeLancer let go of his wrists. Disoriented Riddle slid down the wall until he was kneeling on the floor. He just one hand to support his weight while the other cradled his head. He pulled it away from the back of his head and was not surprised to see blood on it. His vision started to clear, just as a hand entangled itself in his hair and pulled his head up, a wand pressing against his throat.
"Now, are you going to behave?" DeLancer crouched down and again let his hand run over his chin and mouth. Riddle was still trying to ignore the pain in his face and head and the black dots dancing in front of his eyes and almost missed the question.
He caught up as DeLancer repeated the question in a more irritated voice. Not seeing any other option Riddle nodded as well as he could manage with the hand twisted in his hair.
"Remember the lesson about words?"
Riddle closed his eyes and force back the insult he wanted to make, knowing it would not go over well with the other man. Words yes, not the man cared much for words, except a few ones.
"I´m waiting."
Riddle answered without opening his eyes. Forcing the words out against his will, hoping it would be enough to get the man to leave and knowing it wouldn´t.
"Yes, sir."
He awoke to the sound of a house elf popping into the room with a tray. Confused he looked at it as it placed the tray on the table before approaching him slowly. It was the first time he had seen one of the house elves. Normally they popped in and out with food without being seen. The green creature appeared to be female and Riddle noticed it was wearing the Potter emblem on its tunica, marking it as a private house elf and not one of Hogwarts. It looked at him with concern, which Riddle found amusing. He was still on the floor, curled against the wall where DeLancer had left him.
The two last days had been more than enough to drain him of all his energy and he had simply not found the strength to get up from the floor. Instead he had simply curled up against the wall and let exhaustion claim him. Something he did regret as he tried to move and discovered his whole body hurt.
The little green creature came closer, stopping a couple of feet away.
"Is Master´s servant all right?"
Riddle snorted at the phrasing. Well, he guessed servant was better than slave or pet.
"No," he answered truthfully while using the wall to climb to his feet. He swayed for a moment and closed his eyes against the wave of nausea that washed over him from rising to his feet too quickly. It passed and when he opened them he looking into to very concerned green eyes.
"Tiffy will get Master," the house elf said, but Riddle managed to shout "NO!" before she popped away.
The elf, Tiffy, titled her head to one side. "Tiffy has strict orders to tell Master if Master´s Servant is unwell. Tiffy is a good house elf."
The last thing Riddle wanted was to see Potter. He flashed the elf a charming smile, knowing he was failing completely at it. "I´m feeling much better, Tiffy. Thank you. There is no reason to disturb P-," he cut himself of and tried again. "Master."
Thankfully the elf seemed to believe him. "Tiffy had brought supper as Master ordered." With that she disappeared.
Riddles sighed in relief. He walked over to the table and looked at the tray with foods, not feeling the least hungry. Instead he headed for the bathroom. He needed a shower and a bed.
As he looked in the mirror he realised he would have come up with an explanation as to why his face and throat was bruised and his lip cut. He hung his head. His whole body was spent and tired. His muscles aching and he felt more tired than he could remember being in ages. Quickly he pulled of the clothes and entered the shower, letting the water wash over him. He didn´t know how long he had been standing there, but at some point it felt like he was going to fall asleep standing and he shut of the water and dried himself of. Half asleep he made his way to his room and pulled on some pants and a t-shirt before falling into bed and closing his eyes.