Tom had slightly calmed down.
He had decided not to kill Slughorn, at least for now. Or more exactly he had revoked his decision of killing Slughorn that he had made standing in the Gaunt's shack with an empty box in his hands.
Who truly deserved to be skinned alive (besides Dumbledore) was R.A.B. Regulus Black. Because yes, R.A.B. had to be him, who else? The initials fit (Tom had checked), and Regulus had been the one to lend him the house-elf Tom had used to test the defences of the cave. How the little miscreant had discovered his secret, he wasn't sure, since the elf had died in the cave and it would be ludicrous to think that anyone —least of all a Black still in diapers— could track Lord Voldemort when he didn't want to be followed.
Unless the elf hadn't died...
When last year Bellatrix and Narcissa had informed him about the Black's house-elf that had turned up at Malfoy Manor searching for a better mistress to serve, Tom had not even remembered that once upon a time he had had a Black's elf at his service. Truth be told, he had been so sure about the safety of his Horcruxes that he hadn't thought about them much since he had placed them in their respective hideouts. In retrospect, he probably should have checked on them regularly in the past, and he definitely should have checked when he had found out about the diary's destruction. Clearly he had fallen prey of overconfidence.
Could it be the same house-elf that had somehow escaped the cave? Tom had never thought much of elves' magic, but perhaps he had underestimated what they could do. Elves could Apparate inside Hogwarts, after all, he really should have thought of that before. Had the creature told Dumbledore about the Horcrux, or had it been Regulus? Was Regulus truly dead, or did Dumbledore keep him hidden somewhere? Tom had felt the Mark connection break many years ago —around the time he had borrowed the damned elf, to be precise— and had assumed that someone in the Order had killed him, but perhaps he had chopped off his arm or gotten rid of the Mark some other way? Tom had made sure those were not options available to his Death Eaters, but perhaps Dumbledore had found a way around it.
He would have to look more closely into it. Especially since there was a chance that the locket was still intact somewhere. It could only be destroyed from the inside, after all, and it could only be opened with Parseltongue. As far as Tom knew he and Harry Potter were the only two Parselmouths in existence and there hadn't been others since the Gaunts. Had Dumbledore used the boy to open it? If Potter had been responsible for the destruction of yet another Horcrux Tom would have to reconsider his decision of keeping the brat alive.
Had Regulus Black been a traitor from the beginning? Had Dumbledore sent him to infiltrate Tom's organization? The brother, Sirius Black, certainly had been a blood traitor. But Tom had legilimized young Regulus before accepting him and then the boy had seemed fervently loyal and had lacked any sort of mental defences, so he must have turned traitor later. Tom had noticed a loss of enthusiasm after he had joined, of course, but he had assumed that like with most young recruits it would just take him some time to toughen up.
Tom had been careless.
He had failed to identify Regulus as a traitor. He had used a house-elf instead of a simple Muggle to test the Horcruxes defences. He had let Slughorn live after talking about Horcruxes with him. He had been sentimental when choosing where to hide the pieces of his soul. He had given too much of himself away that day so long ago when Dumbledore had gone to the orphanage to tell him about Hogwarts.
And now everything was falling apart as a result.
But not everything was lost yet. Thanks to his faithful Severus, now Tom had a heads up. He knew what Dumbledore was doing, and he had the advantage that the old man thought him still clueless. That was good, since he believed Dumbledore perfectly capable of killing the boy himself if he so much as suspected that Tom no longer intended to do it.
He would very much rather snatch the brat from those wrinkled hands, though. Potter wasn't safe so close to the old bastard. And not only that. Dumbledore must be filling the boy's head with inconvenient ideas. Telling him about Horcruxes and how to destroy them...
Another wave of fury shook his frame at the thought of his own Horcrux trying to destroy his fellow Horcruxes. At the knowledge that Potter had destroyed one of them already, even if he hadn't known what it was at the time.
What was he going to do with that insubordinate part of his soul?
/
He was distracted from his reverie by the arrival of Severus, who glided through the room like a shadow and took a knee in front of him.
"My Lord," he greeted in a grave, levelled voice.
Tom was pleased to see that despite yesterday's torture his subject didn't seem afraid at all to be in his presence. Perhaps he had overreacted about Potter's Quidditch injury, he reflected. And perhaps Severus had not deserved to be punished because of that. Tom didn't feel remorse about anything, and he was a firm believer in that there was no such thing as excessive or fruitless punishment, but he had to admit that it wasn't really necessary to use those methods with Severus. He responded just as effectively to mere words.
Of course, yesterday had been more about releasing his anger and anxiety than about disciplining his servants.
"What does Dumbledore make of you coming to me four days in a row, Severus?" asked Tom, suddenly realizing that he might be drawing suspicion with so frequent summons.
"He doesn't know, my Lord. I have only reported about yesterday's summons, since my absence had already been noticed and Dumbledore was waiting in my quarters at my return."
Summoning Severus at mid-afternoon during a class day had definitely been a way to draw attention, Tom berated himself. He must be more careful, especially now.
"What did you report about yesterday's meeting?"
"I told him you were frustrated, my Lord. And I told him about the McLaggens."
Tom stopped his pacing abruptly.
"I don't recall telling you that was to be disclosed," he hissed.
"I beg your forgiveness if I overstepped myself, my Lord. I thought it would be suspicious if I didn't inform him about such a high profile assault beforehand. I told the old fool that he was not to interfere, however, and he won't." He hesitated. "I did suggest to him that he could discreetly save one of the children. The girl."
Tom saw red for a moment, but he refrained himself from torturing Severus just yet.
"What makes you think I will allow any McLaggen to live, Severus?" he asked in a very low, very dangerous voice.
This time his subject visibly shivered. His voice was steady when he spoke, however.
"No one will live if you do not wish so, my Lord," he said matter-of-factly. "The girl can be disposed of later. Or she can be pardoned and raised to be eventually married to one of your subjects. Her blood is pure, after all."
Tom considered the merits of Severus' suggestion. He had a point. There weren't many pureblood lineages left, and the McLaggen girl certainly would be a fine reward to bestow upon one his loyal followers someday.
Once again, Severus' proved himself a very valuable asset and advisor. He knew just how to manipulate Dumbledore to keep him content and unsuspicious, while at the same time promoting Tom's goals on his own initiative.
The man deserved a reward, but he had never asked for anything. Not since the Mudblood.
Perhaps he wanted the McLaggen girl for himself? That could be arranged...
"Come sit with me, Severus," he said after a silent minute. His subject complied, but refused the drink when offered. Tom couldn't decide whether daring to refuse anything he offered was cause for punishment or reward, so he just shrugged it off. "My young spies report seeing the Headmaster's chair empty more often than occupied."
"Indeed, my Lord. Dumbledore's mysterious absences have grown more frequent and prolonged. Neither I nor the Order have been informed about what he's doing, however."
He's hunting Horcruxes, thought Tom irately. Not that he was going to find any more outside of Hogwarts, of course. The cup was safe inside Gringotts, and Nagini was with him.
"And he's still meeting with the boy?"
"Yes, my Lord. In fact he only returned yesterday from one of his absences to meet with Potter, or so he told me. He departed again this afternoon." Before Tom could ask, he added, "I still don't know for a fact what he does with the brat behind closed doors, but I assume he's teaching him Occlumency, my Lord. He has expressed in the past concern about the connection between you two, but last year he deemed the boy too young still to learn."
Tom nodded thoughtfully. He knew all this already, Severus was repeating old reports, but lately he found himself re-examining every last bit of information under the light of recent discoveries. It would make sense for Dumbledore to be training the boy in Occlumency, especially if he planned to share critical information with him. Assuming he hadn't already told him everything he knew or suspected about Tom and his Horcruxes, of course. And about the prophecy.
He felt tempted to instruct Severus to break into the boy's mind at the first opportunity to find out what he knew, but that wasn't an option if Dumbledore was regularly entering such mind. Not to mention that Tom wasn't yet sure if he could trust Severus with whatever information Dumbledore might have shared with the brat.
I am already trusting him with a piece of my soul, though.
Even though Severus hated the boy, he had come to inform Tom as soon as Dumbledore had told him about the soul piece, and he had vowed to protect him for Tom. Severus also suspected about Nagini, and yet Tom would not hesitate to leave her under his protection too.
He could trust Severus with his soul issues.
"Tell me, Severus," he began once he had made his decision, "have you ever heard about a room that comes and goes in Hogwarts?"
Severus furrowed his brow.
"I don't believe I have, my Lord."
"It is a special room that gives the user what he needs," added Tom. He didn't expect Severus to know about it, but just in case he probed.
The puzzled expression remained for a moment while the man considered his words, but then some sort of recognition made his black eyes glint.
"I'm not sure if it is the same room, my Lord, but now I recall an anecdote Dumbledore enjoys telling over and over again —to everyone's annoyance— about a room full of urinals that he came across one night when he was in need of such fixture, and that he never managed to find again."
Tom had frozen the moment he had heard the old fool's name, but he forced himself to relax. It didn't mean anything. Even if Dumbledore had discovered the room that didn't mean he had found the diadem. It was extremely implausible that it would have occurred to him to request that from the room, and the room only gave the user what he asked for.
Still, now he definitely didn't feel comfortable leaving one of his remaining Horcruxes there. At the very least he had to check whether it was still safe.
"I will need you to visit that room for me, Severus," he finally said.
/
"We still need to discuss Dumbledore's death," said Tom a while later, once he had finished giving his instructions and made sure that his loyal subject understood just how confidential his mission was. "I want the old meddler gone as soon as possible."
Severus nodded in agreement.
"I am eager to take care of it as soon as you give the command, my Lord," he said.
"Are you?" challenged Tom. "Won't you miss your dear old mentor?"
A very dark expression took over Severus' face.
"Not at all," he said coldly, lips curled in disgust. "I have been ready to see the last of him for years, this last atrocity involving the brat only makes the prospect of killing him even more alluring."
Tom chuckled.
"Why, Severus, if I didn't know you better I would say you're indignant in Harry Potter's behalf."
His subject scowled, but there was conflict in his eyes.
"Perhaps I am," he reluctantly admitted, and he immediately rushed to clarify, "The boy is still an arrogant cretin, just like his jerk of a father. But... I might be able to see how much Dumbledore manipulated him over the years, to shape him into what he is."
"A bloody Gryffindor?" guessed Tom, having heard Severus rant against Harry Potter plenty of times.
"Yes. A self-sacrificing moron with a messiah complex."
A hard, dark expression deformed Tom's face too. He didn't have nasty enough words to describe the old bastard, so he let out an angry hiss. Nagini hissed in reply and began slithering towards him, to comfort him. Severus didn't flinch nor shudder when she brushed his feet, he was one of his few followers that didn't seem affected by the vicious snake.
"Potter could have been sorted into Slytherin," continued musing his servant, his expression one of aversion mixed with uncertainty. "Dumbledore told me years ago. The hat offered Slytherin to the brat, and the brat refused."
Tom's hairless eyebrows rose, his fury replaced by incredulity as he stared at his subject.
"Slytherin? How have I never heard about this?"
"I thought at the time that Dumbledore was messing with me," said Severus in an apologetic tone, "to warm me towards the boy. Of course it didn't work, and Potter proved to be the most infuriating Gryffindor ever existed so I didn't give it any more thought. Now I wonder."
Tom wondered too. It did make sense that, just as Potter was a Parselmouth and had a wand brother to Tom's, he had been offered Slytherin. The boy was a part of Tom, definitely. But he had been made into a bloody Gryffindor by Dumbledore. It wouldn't be surprizing at all if the old meddler had somehow influenced the brat's choice under the Sorting Hat.
They subsided into silence, both absorbed in thought. Tom turned the Potter conundrum inside his head for a few minutes, but then his mind drifted back to the urgent matter of Dumbledore's murder. He was certain that the old fool (truly a fool, if he had tried on the Horcrux) was already dying, but he wasn't willing to wait until the ring's curse ran its course. It would, no doubt, be a satisfyingly painful way for the bastard to die, but too slow, since he clearly had done something to temporarily halt the curse's progression.
And besides, if Dumbledore died on his own Severus would most likely die too, struck down by an unfulfilled Unbreakable Vow. His servant was probably already fearful as it was, having Draco's orders been rescinded and thus rendered the Vow unpredictable.
Dumbledore had to die soon, but Tom hesitated in giving Severus the order. He was now even more interested than he had been before in preserving Severus' position inside Hogwarts and the Order of the Phoenix, close to the boy. It would be ideal if someone else killed the old fool, but Tom had always known it would have to be Severus. Draco had never had a chance of success, it just had been fun assigning such a suicidal mission to Lucius' son.
"I have been considering the matter of Dumbledore's demise, my Lord," said Severus breaking the thoughtful silence. "Much as I wish to kill him in a very direct way, I hesitate to do anything that could jeopardize my position close to Potter. I would not be able to take the brat with me if I had to run after the fact, and then I fear the Order might put the boy beyond our reach."
Tom nodded, pleased to verify that they were thinking along the same lines and that Severus seemed to be taking his task of protecting the boy seriously.
"What do you propose, Severus?"
His favourite grimaced, plainly not very keen of his own idea.
"I propose to make it look like a natural death," he said. "Dumbledore is old, it would not come as a shock if he just died in his sleep." He took a deep breath. "It has the downside of not being a painful or even aware death, but I would not be suspected for it and so I would be able to maintain my position."
Tom considered the suggestion. He was just as loath as Severus was of giving the old coot a peaceful death, but he couldn't ignore the benefits at this juncture.
"You would be suspected if Dumbledore were poisoned," he pointed out. "And there aren't any undetectable poisons whose effects resemble a natural death."
Severus traced his thin lips with a long, white finger, his eyes calculating.
"There will be people who will look in my direction, or course," he admitted. "I will never be fully trusted by some members of the Order. But they will have no proof. You are correct about there not existing any adequate poisons that could go undetected, my Lord... at least not in the wizarding world. If I used a Muggle substance, however..."
Tom leaned back in his armchair and congratulated himself again for having recruited Severus all those years ago. He had already been highly resourceful and cunning in his youth, probably a consequence of his half-muggle —and half-hellish— upbringing. Tom had had a similar upbringing, but the Muggle world had been very different in his time and he had made sure of distancing himself from it as soon as possible. While Severus also despised all things muggle, his ambition to be the best in his area of expertise clearly had led him to research muggle poisons as well.
He still didn't like the idea of killing Dumbledore in such a boring way, but he could see the advantages.
And his soul was at stake now, he reminded himself. The priority now was to remove Dumbledore from the board and protect his remaining Horcruxes.