Harry would like to say that his newest patients' words hadn't gotten to him, but that would be a blatant lie. In the days following his first session with Lord Voldemort - Tom - he couldn't get the sight of his haunting red eyes out of his head. They followed him into his dreams, pervaded his thoughts, and generally taunted him as he prepared for their next session.

He knows he should proceed with caution, considering who this was, but he almost found himself excited to see him again. He tried to tell himself it was anxiousness, not excitement, as he thought about Tom and his honey-like words with a poison tongue, but he couldn't deny that he longed to hear what the man would say to him next. Perhaps he even just wanted to hear his voice.

When he found himself standing back in front of the door to their session room, his heart was beating faster than it had last time. In the back of his mind, questions were swirling around, making his thoughts muddled and confused. How could one man affect him like this just after one conversation? This was dangerous, and not at all what he would have expected from his patient, nor himself. He didn't even know what he was feeling, but he found himself asking, is this how Ginny had felt?

He stood outside the door for a good five minutes, refusing to enter until he had composed himself. It would do no good to make him more vulnerable to Tom than he already was. Tom Riddle was sitting casually in the metal chair, chained as before and smiling, as if he knew of Harry's inner turmoil and found it amusing. "Hello, my dear Harry, I'm so glad to see you here again." Tom's smooth voice swept over him as he made his way towards the seat across. "Hello...Tom." He responded, settling into the chair across from him.

There was silence as Harry went through his files, if only just to have something to do, and he felt Tom's eyes studying him. "I almost thought you might not come back to me, dear." Tom broke the silence, sounding almost amused, but Harry could sense the underlying irritation that the criminal had at Harry for being days late.

He cleared his voice, trying to be official and said, "Yes, well, I had some things to think about, but I am not one to give up. Tell me how you've been, Tom." There was silence as Tom studied Harry's face intently before grinning in a sort of delighted way. "Well, my sweet Harry, things have been dull as ever, the food still lacks any sort of flavor, and my cellmate is a rather unamusing fellow, but tell me, how have you been the last few days, hm? I missed you here at dear Hogwarts Asylum."

Harry tried to stop himself from being affected by the way Tom addressed him, but the blush crept to his cheeks despite this. "I apologize, I had to do some things before coming back to meet you, I'm sure you understand." Tom learned back with a satisfied expression, his red eyes staring straight into Harry's green ones.

"Yes, I do actually. Had to collect yourself before coming back into the room with the big bad Lord Voldemort, hm? Don't worry Harry, I like you. Much more than the rest of the unclouth workers here." He smiled as if trying to reassure Harry of his sincerity, and against his better judgement, Harry found himself responding to it. Tom's smile certainly wasn't an infectious one, nor a particularly joyful one, but Harry felt himself smiling back despite this, because either way, it was a genuine one.

"I like you too, Tom. Certainly, I know you are the monster that everyone says you are, there is no denying that, but a monster is not all you are, is it?"

Tom abruptly sat forward bringing his face close to Harry's, close enough for him to feel his breathing as his eyes raked up and down Harry's shocked face and whispered, "Harry, you have no idea the kind of monster I am..." He paused to bring his eyes up to Harry's, reveling in the barely hidden excitement in them, "but not to worry," he continues, "I am many other things too."