Tom placed his fingertips delicately around the edge of his own glass of pineapple juice, but he didn't drink for the time being. He did make himself comfortable on the stool that was behind the bar. It was something he rarely used when someone else was there, but he didn't foresee any other customers coming into his place of work anytime soon. The storm was still raging on outside and showed no immediate sign of letting up.
"From what I could tell, he was always very popular," Tom replied neutrally. It wasn't a lie. Dumbledore had always been one of the most popular professors in the school. He simply hadn't been one of Tom's favorites. He had been aware of the way that Albus had watched him from the instant that he entered the school. He had never directly interfered with anything that Tom had done, but he had always been implicitly aware of the fact that he couldn't charm Albus in the same way that he could charm other professors.
The change in Ariana's features was quite obvious. He observed it quietly and took a sip of the pineapple juice. "It's all right to think so, Ariana," Tom said softly, as if he was empathizing with her. Hating Muggles? Well, now. That certainly didn't seem to be a part of Dumbledore's agenda. "It's best to be honest, don't you think? There are far to many people here who will say one thing, but act another way."
He had obviously upset her somewhat. Couldn't go to Hogwarts? It seemed more likely that her family had hidden her away. He felt quite certain that that had to be illegal, for a witch to not attend school. It was the way they learned to control their magic, wasn't it?
"What happened to your magic?" Tom asked, his voice still low. It wouldn't be described as gentle, but the volume was certainly controlled. If she had had her hand down, he would have pressed his own against hers; touch was important for establishing trust, but it was often a matter of weighing when the appropriate moment was. Striking at the wrong time could set the whole process back.