Disclaimer: I have no right to any character, they belong to JK Rowling. The only thing that is mine is the mistakes

Beta: budchick

Pairing/s in this chapter:

Warnings in this chapter:

Nr words in this chapter: 1,600

"Talking"

'Thinking'

-Parseltongue-

Dream/Memory/Letter/Journal/Book/Newspaper

Chapter VI

–Older Brother–

Thursday, June 29, 1995

Harry awoke alone on his own bed. He called Winky several times but she didn't show up and that relaxed him. It meant that she had stayed with Tom.

Harry spent the day packing up. When Ron said that he had to go to the Dursleys he had half the mind to run, but knew better than that. Besides, he had to be a good example for Tom now. Harry knew he must have seemed like a lunatic, smiling for no apparent reason.

He suspected that he was kind of Tom's older brother now.

Wednesday, June 29, 1932

When Harry arrived Tom was ready this time and, when Harry fell, he helped him to the bed.

"Maybe you should try being seated when you are transported?" the boy asked amused.

"I wasn't ready yet." Harry groaned. "I was going to the kitchens to fetch some food. I don't know if you are given enough and I passed dinner so I thought… well…" Harry shrugged.

Tom turned his head to the closet.

"Winky." The house elf put her head out the closet. "Would you bring us some food? This moron forgot to have dinner."

Harry glared at Tom as the female house elf's eyes grew. She popped away.

"Great. Now she's going to make a feast," Harry groaned.

"You look enough skinny as it is," the young boy said.

Harry looked at the boy with a raised eyebrow.

"What are you talking about, midget?"

Tom huffed.

"I'm a growing boy. I'm taller than any other boys my age." The boy said trying to make himself looking taller.

Harry smiled, amused and pulled him to his lap. Tom's eyes grew and he became tense but Harry didn't let him go, putting his face in the boy's hair.

"You'll always be my baby Tom."

Tom groaned.

"I'm not a baby anymore, Serpens."

Harry smiled sadly.

"I know this is going to sound odd, considering I only see you one day a year, but you grow so fast…"

Tom laughed, it was the first laugh Harry saw him releasing and it was so nice and… Harry wanted to see him doing it again.

"You don't ever need to become tense with me, Tom. I won't ever hurt you."

"You aren't here either."

Harry sighed.

"Tom I…"

The boy moved so he would be sitting with his legs to the side and turned to Harry.

"You weren't here when they picked on me. You weren't here when Mrs Cole raised her hand. You weren't here when…"

Harry pulled the boy to his chest hugging him tight.

"I'm sorry… I wish I could control this. I really do. I would stay with you or bring you with me. My life is not easy but I would find a way to protect you and…"

Tom took his face from Harry's chest looking at him.

"Once a year. You'll protect me one night every year. Winky protects me the rest of the year. But who protects you?"

Harry smiled weakly and stood, kissing Tom's face and putting him back on the bed.

"I'll be right back." Harry left the bedroom and looked around in silence until he found Martha. She was scolding some boy for being out the room after hours and Harry waited by the side as she scolded the boy. When the boy finally disappeared, Harry approached. Martha turned, ready to scold again, when she noticed who he was. "Hi Martha."

The woman smiled.

"Nice seeing you again, Mr Black. What brings you here? Is Tom all right?"

"Can I talk to you where people won't see me?" Harry looked around. "I mean it would bring up questions about who am I and… we both know I can't answer them."

The woman nodded and pulled him to one of the rooms. It happened to be the nursery Harry had appeared on in the first day.

"It is about Tom, isn't it?" the woman asked, knowingly.

Harry nodded.

"He mentioned that some other boys had blamed him for things that they'd done and that Mrs Cole, I think that was the name, had raised her hand at him."

Martha frowned, sitting on the rocking chair as Harry sat on the bed.

"He didn't enter into any details, did he?"

"He barely knows me. He's most likely as scared of me as he is of the other people in this orphanage."

"I can't promise to be always there, but I'll keep my eyes open."

"Thank you, madam." Harry said, bowing his head.

"I saw that… dwarf you brought Tom last year." Harry looked at the woman blushing. "She is a nice fellow. Helps me in the kitchen and she's always taking care of Tom. I'll ask her to take an eye on Tom when I can't. And to come to me at once if she see the other boys picking on Tom."

Harry smiled.

"Thank you madam."

"Now run along. I'm sure Tom is worried sick about where you are. After all, you only have one night a year."

Harry smiled sadly at that reminder and stood, going to Tom who was sitting by the desk where Winky had prepared their feast. Harry approached and sat by his side, on a chair Winky made appear for him.

"Thank you Winky."

"You welcome, master Serpens Black sir."

Harry took a hand to his pocket and fingered his own coin purse in silence. It didn't have much money, but he was sure Winky would know how to make it work. Harry threw the coin purse to the house elf, who grabbed it.

"It's not much, but hopefully it will be enough for now."

The house elf looked at the inside of the purse and then nodded.

"Winky will use it well."

"Good. I want wards around the room so the other orphans can't steal Tom's things and any other things you might think of. You can do wards, can't you?"

"Winky can do simple wards. But muggles can't break them."

Harry smiled at the house elf which made its chest increase proudly.

"I also want you to start tutoring Tom about our world, like you must have taught your old master. I won't be able to do it and I'm sure you're more than capable."

If it was possible, the house elf's eyes grew even bigger and became red. Harry feared he would hear a crying fit like Dobby used to do.

"Winky will do that." The house elf said before popping away.

Harry turned to Tom and they both heard muffled hiccups from the closet.

"Great. You made her cry now." The boy hissed.

"That's because she's not used to be treated like an equal. If you start treating her like an equal, she'll stop acting like that." Harry reprimanded.

Harry filled two plates for the both of them and, as he was going to give Tom his plate, he noticed the boy gaping at him.

"What did I say?"

"You… you raised your voice at me…"

Harry frowned, confused.

"I did…" Harry conceded, wondering what was going on.

"You never raise your voice."

"I raise my voice when it is needed, Tom." Harry said with a sad look. "You need to understand. Winky's job may be to take care of you, but if she doesn't like you there's a chance of her turning against you. I helped a house elf once to be released from his family. Actually I think that I also helped Winky to be released from her family, but she liked her family…" Harry added the last part thoughtfully before shrugging it off.

Harry helped Tom grab the cutlery as it should be and the two ate their meal. As they were about to go to bed, Harry saw Tom looking at him as if afraid. Harry sent him a confused look.

"Are you mad at me?" the boy asked. Harry stopped in his tracks as he opened the bed and laid the plush on the floor. "I mean, you must be mad for the way I treat Winky and…"

"I don't think I'll ever manage to get to be mad with you, Tom. As much as you need me I need you. You're my safe ground. I just saw a person die in front of me a few days ago. That was the first night I was sent here. I don't know why, I just know that you keep the nightmares away and that I need you to keep my mind together. I love you Tom. And I don't think that a little spat over how you treat a house elf will change that."

Tom smiled, ran to Harry and hugged him.

"Promise?"

Harry pulled the boy onto his lap.

"I'm here for you, Tom. As long as you want me."

Tom had the most gorgeous smile and Harry found himself smiling back.

"Bedtime story?" the boy asked.

Harry chuckled and put the boy down.

"Peter Pan again, midget?" he asked and the boy shook his head.

The boy ran to his closet and looked for a book in there. He returned and gave it to Harry. Harry looked at the title and then towards Tom, amused.

"It's a book this time," the boy taunted.

Harry chuckled and sat on the bed against the headboard with Tom sitting next to him. His head was on Harry's shoulder, looking at the book. It was an old book of Peter Pan; there were no drawings in it. Harry promised himself that he would buy Tom some children's books from his own time.

(TBC)