True, Tom had gotten a lot better over the last few weeks, but he was hardly "affectionate'. Harry, himself, made a point of touching the Dark Lord at every opportunity. He brushed over his arm, hugged him good morning and good night. It was a little bit like having a parent; Harry liked to imagine. With time, the man did not tense up but started to return these gestures tentatively. The Dark Lord had an image to uphold. But even Tom could see, what the "positive re-enforcement" – as his Horcrux called it – did for Bartemius. The Death Eater was downright glowing, whenever he was around, not in the "crackling-mad" way Bellatrix had preferred. There was a quiet joy to him; the Dark Lord did not find off-putting at all.