Tom walked inside the house after having finished up shopping with Molly and Arthur. He had not really wanted to go, but he had needed his school things as they were finally able to go soon enough. Dumbledore had managed to obtain the threstles once more, although Tom was unsure why they did not just walk, or something more so that the school year would not be so late. He glanced around the room, confused when Draco was no where to be seen. He watched Ron and Harry play Wizarding chess, Hermione reading a book, and Sirius doing something in the corner. Tom dropped the bags on the floor, glancing around. Something was wrong. Something was very, very wrong. The problem was, he was uncertain as to what it was, but he knew that it had something to do with Draco. And it made him highly uneasy. he did not like it when he did not know where his mate was at all times. He looked around again, but Draco was still no where to be found.

Tom narrowed his eyes at the Trio gang. "Where is Draco?" he asked, his voice calm and steady. Ron glanced up with his ugly face and shrugged.

"Don't know. Haven't seen him since he came down with breakfast with you." Tom bristled with fear and anger as the realization coursed through him. They had done something, Tom was not sure what they had done but they had done something.

"That was over seven hours ago." Harry glanced up now.

"And, your point is?" The precious boy-who-lived asked. Tom stared at him, his dark eyes going to ice. He was effectively pissed off now.

"My Point? What is my point? My point is that Draco had been going through severe anxiety attacks for months now, which I have been helping him through. In knowing this, I tasked you four..." Tom Riddle pointed to Ron, Hermione, Harry, and Sirius. "to watch him, and make sure that he does not have an attack. And what do you do? You leave him alone for over seven hours. Do you know where he is?" He watched their faces turn shamed. "Did you even bother looking for him?" They turned guilty looking. "No, and why? Is it because he is your enemy? I thought you people were supposed to be the oh so wonderful 'good guys' and yet, I have seen nothing from you but scorn, derision, and hatred, on both my part, and Draco's part. You seem to think you know us so well. Why do you not think on this, hmmm...When was the last time you had a civil conversation with Draco?" The three froze. They actually could not remember one time Draco had been civil to them.

"Malfoy..." Harry spat out the surname. "Has never been civil."

"Oh, really? Well, you obviously you are so clearly caught up in the idea that all slytherins are bad that you cannot even remember your facts straight." He spat out before whirling around. "Do not let me see your faces. Because I am uncertain if I can help myself from cursing you into oblivion right now." Tom stormed up the stairs, looking for Draco.

Needless to say, when he found him in the Library's closet room, door shut, and the boy curled up in the corner, trembling, but unconscious, Tom went into a flying fury. He barely managed to contain his anger and the only reason that he caught himself was because Draco needed him. he would have never have left those idiots in charge of Draco's wellbeing, but Severus was not around, and Tom had not been able to convince the Weasley parents to let him bring Draco with him.

Tom gently picked him up, and called for Kreacher to take them to the boy's rooms, where he gently set Draco down on his bed. He sighed, pulling out his wand, and whispering a calming spell over the lad, who stopped trembling at the very least. Tom put his head on Draco's chest, simply relieved that nothing too horrible happened to him. He had read muggle books, and he had seen the kids at the orphanage. Sometimes they went and made drastic decisions to try and escape. He knew one girl who tried to commit suicide. Of course, she claimed it was his fault, so that she would not be put in a mental asylum and have to deal with the doctors, but honestly, how was it his fault that she could not handle a bit of mean words? Needless to say, the state that he had found Draco in, was far better than what he was expecting to find his mate in. He sighed, knowing with unending grief that Draco was damaged mentally, and it would take much time to help him.

- - -

Hermione thought about what Tom had said. Did they really know Draco? She doubted it. They had never really tried. And what was it about them not caring about remembering facts? She remembered facts! She always remembered facts. That was who she was. it was her own thing. She did not care not to remember facts, because nothing mattered but the facts. But to call her prejudiced? That was a bit harsh. Is it though? her traitorous mind thought. You judge Malfoy without really knowing him. Is that not prejudice enough simply against one slytherin? And what of all the others? Do you really know anything about any of them? Hermione groaned. Riddle was right. He was so clearly right. She was a prejudiced Gryffindor. She knew nothing about any of the Slytherins or what they were like, and yet she still judged them.

- - -

Harry was bristling with indignation. He could not believe that Riddle would dare, that he could possibly dare to call him a prejudiced Gryffindor. He defeated VOLDERMORT! Several times, before FINALLY managing to kill the blasted man. Was that not good enough? Huh? He killed the darkest wizard his age had ever seen! Him? Prejudiced? And when had malfoy ever been civil? Never. He was most certainly not prejudiced, and he did know Malfoy. Is that really what you think?His gut told him. When did you talk to him enough to know him, hmm? When did you become friends with him? he may be a git, but are you sure that he really is? Or is it because you want to think that? Because that is what he portrays? The last few days with the git have not been too bad. He has not caused any trouble whatsoever. harry growled at the uncertainty of everything. It was annoying him greatly. He had to figure this all out. Clearly, there were two sides to Malfoy, the one at school, and the one now. One had to be a fake, and one had to be the real one. The biggest question in Harry's mind was which was which, and why was he hiding one, and portraying another?

- - -

Ron sat stunned. He cannot believe that Riddle had just told them the truth to their faces like that. Normally Slytherins were a lot more subtle. Of course, this was Riddle, and he was worried about Malfoy, so obviously he was not thinking straight. Nobody would. And, whether he knew it or not, Riddle had let on more about Malfoy than he suspected that he did. He told them Malfoy had panic attacks. For 'several months now' was what he had said. And that he had been helping Malfoy through his panic attacks. But why was malfoy having these attacks? For what purpose did they come about? Something had to have happened to the Malfoy heir, that much was clear. But what happened? Something traumatic that was for sure. But what?

As for the prejudiced part, Riddle was dead on when he thought about it. None of them were particularly kind to any of the Slytherins. Deciding instead to, basically, shun them for their house. he supposed that it was not easy being a Slytherin. Practically the whole school is pitted against you. He supposed not all Slytherin's were evil. Look at Snape. He had been saving harry since first year. And Pettigrew was in Gryffindor, and yet he betrayed his best friends to Voldermort, causing their death, and seeingly felt no remorse for that act either. What right did they have to judge? They were raised in an entirely different world to everyone else.

- - -

Sirius felt guilty. He knew that he should have checked up on the Malfoy boy, but the kid was already fifteen. He had thought, that the kid would be fine. Clearly, he was not, and he had made a huge mistake to believe so. Sirius closed his eyes. He would have to make it up to the kid. Panic attacks? Sirius knew those were not fun in any was whatsoever. He had dealt with them when he was a kid. They sucked major, and where very difficult to predict. It was...kind of tragic, actually.

- - -

Remus just stood there, frozen, realizing that, no matter what, Tom was just protecting Draco. But the encounter had sent chills down his spine. His mannerisms were so much like Voldermort, that it was scary, combined with the fact that he was like a mirror image to the young lord voldermort, it was enough to send ice down anyone's body and shiver in fear. Though the previous Voldermort would never have defended and freaked out for another person's wellbeing, it was still terrifying. The way Riddle managed to put everyone in their places with a few well worded sentences. The clear anger with which he said them, but his voice staying deadly calm and quiet. He was the most slytherin slytherin Remus had ever met besides Draco Malfoy, and perhaps Lucius. He would have to be careful, and keep a very close eye on these two.

- - -

The Golden Trio had several things that they needed to discuss. As soon as possible without being overheard.