Chapter 27 (Zevi's POV)

He entered the common room with some trepidation, only pausing for the slightest moment at the sight that he was greeted in. Alphard wasn't so accepting.

"Err…may I ask why Harry is laying across your lap, fast asleep?" he asked.

"No," Tom replied, gesturing them to their seats. They all sat down, automatically.

"What did you do to him?" Zevi asked, cautiously. Tom's eyes drifted down to the emerald eyed boy, his long fingers idly twirling through the raven locks.

"He's merely sleeping," his lord replied quietly. He couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief. He suspected that Tom did care for Harry, hell - his uncharacteristic lenience showed something, but that didn't mean he wouldn't lash out at him if pushed. That didn't mean Harry couldn't get himself killed along with the rest of them if he decided to fall back on the golden boy persona.

In some ways, he was both more protected and more vulnerable…protected because he'd somehow managed to make the Slytherin heir care…and vulnerable because of that. If Tom hated, he hated to the extreme of murder, if he cared…he did that to the extreme too. Harry didn't seem the type to take too kindly to be bubble wrapped.

He had Tom's interest, and while that could keep you alive, gaining Tom's attention was also a sure way to gain yourself a ticket to meet the reaper. It…worried him. With Tom's personality this was going to go one of three ways…a war, Harry's death or Harry's immortality.

He hoped everything would work out.

(Harry's POV)

He could feel himself slowly coming to consciousness, hear the slow murmur voices above his head and something warm. That had probably been the best rest he'd had, that wasn't potion induced, in years.

"Forgive me, but do you really think Harry's going to go along with that?"

All sense of sleep left him, but he kept his breathing slow and even and his eyes shut. They were talking about him.

"What makes you think he'll have a choice?" Tom's voice was cold, with only the faintest trace of amusement. "By the time he finds out it will be too late for him to do anything about it."

"He's not going to like it," Abraxas murmured.

"I don't care if he likes it or not. He'll have to deal with it."

Harry had to bite his tongue to stop himself from snapping a retort at that. Nonetheless, Tom stilled. He could feel the teenage Dark Lord burning holes onto his face. He cursed himself for reflexively tensing.

Oh crap.

"Don't you know that it's rude to eavesdrop on private conversation?" he asked softly. Harry, knowing the gig was up, opened his eyes.

Tom's expression was completely neutral.

"Don't you know that it's rude to discuss a person behind their back?" he retorted, abruptly sitting up.

"Salazar…" Zevi began. "Tom -"

"-Leave us."

"T-"

"That's an order, Prince. Get out, all of you, and make sure that no one comes in," Tom instructed, his voice like venom. "Unless you would prefer to end this holiday early? I brought you here, I can put you back just as easily. Keep your tongues in your mouths."

The death eaters left silently.

They regarded each other silently for a moment. It felt like someone had brutally shoved a piece of ice into his chest.

"How much did you hear?" Tom asked.

"Enough," he replied tightly, reaching for his wand. When his fingers grasped only air, he looked up sharply. Tom smirked, confirming his thoughts on exactly where his wand had gone. 13 inches of yew was drawn from his pocket. Harry's heart beat quickened.

"Why don't we talk about this?" the Slytherin heir suggested smoothly. He shook his head.

"Nothing to talk about," he said coldly. Tom's expression darkened.

"What, are you going to kill me now?" he asked, regarding the wand carefully.

"Do you think I should?" Tom arched his brows, a small smile touching his lips. He levelled the yew in his direction, lazily. Harry, instinctively, took a step back away from the tip. It was pointed straight at his heart, too close range to miss.

"I'd rather you didn't," he said honestly.

"I'd rather I didn't either," Tom said, to his utmost surprise.

"Lower the wand then," he replied, automatically. Tom closed the gap between them, pressing the wand against his heart once more.

"I can't do that."

"Why not?" he asked, studying the elder boy. Strangely, now that it came down to it, he wasn't scared. Not really. Nonetheless, he took another step back…more because he was slightly uncomfortable at the invasion of his space then anything. Tom simply followed him. His back hit something solid, but he didn't dare to look behind him and see what it was.

"Because you wouldn't stay for a second the moment I didn't have you under wand point," he responded coolly. There may have been an element of truth in that…

"What are you up to? What am I not going to go a long with?" he demanded.

"My plans."

He was doing it deliberately now!

"Strangely enough, I got that part," he spat. Tom shook his head, his eyes growing serious.

"Just for the record, I'm sorry."

"For what? Being a lying, cheating bastard?" he hissed. Tom's jaw tightened, before he smiled a singularly dazzling smile.

"No. Not for that. For this - obliviate."

The next second there was nothing but blackness.

(Tom's POV)

He stared down at the crumpled boy in front of him, before sighing and scooping him up and sitting down on the same couch as earlier with Harry's head positioned on his lap. He would have to be more careful. Too many memory charms could affect the younger in a more permanent way, and he didn't want that.

Something vaguely like regret tickled the back of his mind, before he brushed it away like a cobweb.

He had Harry's best interests at heart.

Carefully, he picked up his earlier discarded book on Horcruxes.

Before the year was out…everything would have fallen into place.

AN: I'm sorry, really. I don't know what's wrong with me that was AWFUL. Any ideas on what Tommy-boy is planning? I'd love to hear them ;) Thanks for all the reviews, they've made my day. I hope you managed to enjoy that garbage, rather than feel like you were pulling your teeth out…next update on my list is Past's Player…we'll see how that works out. Thanks. - The Fictionist.