Tom watched with horror on his face as Harry began to scream on the floor, his body jerking uncontrollably as the vampire looked at him with a grin on his face.

Tom immediately ceased the spell, looking at Harry worriedly, who was on the floor, skin pale and sweaty, panting heavily.

Tom immediately moved forward to his precious horcrux, hating himself for causing his precious so much pain. He couldn't help it; the darkness and rage had overpowered him.

However, as Tom approached Harry, he failed to realize that he was approaching the vampire that Harry was now protective over.

Extremely protective.

At once, Harry jumped up as if he hadn't just been cursed, crouched in front of the vampire protectively, a snarl on his face. His eyes were flickering colors, Tom noted, his poor horcrux must be terribly conflicted on who his master is now that he had drunk from the vampire's blood.

Tom didn't know much about vampires or their traditions, he had no need or desire to search them up in the library. He also knew that there was no point in trying to convince them to join his side in the war, they were in their own world, they will not participate in the war unless they think that he will win or if Tom offers them pure blood.

'Even then,' Tom thought, 'there's always a chance that they will still not join me.'

However, he did know that if a vampire drinks a human's blood, and the human tastes their blood, it forms a type of bond between them, and the vampire becomes the human's Master.

Tom couldn't have that.

"Return him back to normal at once" Tom hissed out angrily "Or you will find that you have lost the ability to use your fangs as I will rip them out myself"

Harry hissed angrily, looking ready to pounce, when the vampire soothed him.

"Shush, child. You have no need to fear. Release me from these chains" He commanded gently, and Tom watched as his horcrux went to obey him. Tom decided to try something as Harry's hands went to the lock of the handcuffs.

"SSSSStop it, my little sssserpent. Don't lissssten to him. You are to obey me, and only me. I am your true Masssster" He hissed out, and saw Harry froze, closing his eyes as he heard the hissed commands. He saw the vampire look on angrily.

"Yessss, Masssster" Harry hissed out, and the vampire roared in outrage.

"What kind of witchery is this?! What language were you speaking in?! Why does the child now hesitate to free me! He should instantly obey me!" The vampire exclaimed in rage, and looked at Harry in the eyes while they turned into a bright yellow color.

"Free me... You will be rewarded greatly... I will make sure that you receive only the best... You will be worshipped... loved... if you freed me" The vampire said, releasing soothing pheromones that even Tom could feel from him, and had to admit even to himself that combined with the pheromones and the offer, it did sound tempting.

He wondered what it must feel like to Harry, who was receiving the full force if he was only getting a small portion.

"No, my little sssserpent... don't lissssten to him..." He knew that it was most likely taking a tremendous amount within Harry to disobey the vampire, and as Harry closed his eyes and backed away...

Tom couldn't have been more proud of his precious horcrux.

He smirked at the vampire as Harry turned away from him and ran to Tom, jumping into his arms as Tom caught him midway and wrapped his arms around his waist as Harry wrapped his arms around his neck and buried his face in the crook of Tom's neck. Tom noticed that he was shaking, and ran his fingers through his horcrux's messy hair, hoping to calm him.

"My precious. I am sorry that I have caused you such pain" Tom murmured into his ear gently, pressing a gentle kiss to his temple.

He felt Harry nod against his neck, still shaking slightly.

"I forgive you, Master" He heard Harry mumble against his neck, although it was a bit muffled.

"NO! What have you done?!" The vampire shouted, then took a deep breath in "No matter. You cannot change the bond between us that has formed. It is now too deep in his blood to remove. He will come back to me" The vampire said with a determined look on his face.

"I'll make sure of it."

Tom scoffed "I think you forgot who is the prisoner and who is the Master here, Princeton. My Harry won't be serving you, he is loyal to me."

"Looks like you don't know much about vampires then" The vampire gave a wicked smile, and Tom was curious, and cautious at the same time.

"What is that supposed to mean?" Tom asked, keeping a tighter hold on his serpent as the vampire turned his eyes onto Harry.

"He is mine"

Tom snarled at the vampire as he smirked.

"And there's nothing that you an do about it."

Tom let go of Harry and immediately put his hand around the vampire's neck. The vampire seemed unfazed, and seemed to shift his eyes behind Tom.

A growl was the only warning Tom got before he found himself on the ground, a hand around his neck, his serpent on top of him with bright yellow eyes, a furious look on his face as he snarled at Tom. As his serpent cut off his breathing supply, he saw the vampire smirk.

"I told you so"

He glared menacingly at the vampire, but shifted his eyes to Harry once he heard a warning growl come from him.

"Release me, my little ssserpent" Tom hissed into Harry's mind, seeing the yellow eyes widen as he heard the voice in his head, but didn't obey Tom, snarling menacingly.

'Why isn't it working?' Tom thought to himself as he was struggling to breathe 'It worked last time...'

"Release him." The vampire commanded, and at once Harry obeyed, still looking at Tom with a wary look on his face, watching his every move with yellow eyes as he got up, standing in front of the vampire protectively.

"Why didn't he obey me?" Tom demanded, and the vampire raised an eyebrow.

"You share a mind-link with him?" He asked, and Tom's eyes narrowed.

"Yes, I do. Why didn't he release me when I told him to?"

The vampire smirked.

"That's for me to know, and for you to never find out. Release me." He commanded, and Harry obediently released him from the chains, and the vampire stretched.

"Much better. You shall be rewarded later" The vampire said to Harry, and Harry looked at him with adoration shining in his eyes.

"Thank you, Master."

Tom felt rage well up inside of him as he saw his serpent calling another man 'Master'. That title should only be for him.

He was the only one who could control his serpent.

He will make sure of it.