A/N: I was so thrilled to see the reviews I've gotten. Thank you to everyone who has reviewed so far and to those of you have stuck with this story so far. Your reviews make it so much easier to WANT to write. :) Sorry for the wait, but this chapter is the longest one yet!

Chapter 11

Harry apparated to the only place he could think of that may not have changed too much in almost a thousand years. He landed awkwardly almost losing his balance and leaned against a large tree. He didn't remember the forest having been quite so close to the town of Hogsmeade. It was inevitable he guessed since the town had grown, and the Forbidden Forest was known, at least in the Founder's time, to be what somewhat sentient in itself. He really shouldn't have been so surprised to find himself only feet from where the shrieking shack would one day stand.

He allowed his magic to flow out around him, the way Gabriel had taught him to check for enemies, and noticed that the level of magic he'd felt in the town in the Founder's time had dropped drastically. It didn't make any sense. The magic should have increased with the town being so close to Hogwarts, not depleted. With the way the Forest seemed to have crept up on the town, Harry couldn't figure out why he couldn't feel any magic from it either. Something was wrong here.

Harry decided that he should have a look around, and see what he could find. He passed a hand over his body, changing his hair and eye color. It really was something he should have done immediately upon arriving in this time period, but hadn't had a chance to think of doing anything to disguise himself when he'd landed, virtually, in the middle of an air raid.

Eyes now a deeper green, hair a midnight color that seemed to flash with deep red highlights, and his clothing now matching those of the time period, Harry made his way into the village. There weren't nearly as many shops as there were in his own time. He casually strolled through the village seeing that it was mostly still a rural community. Harry smiled softly when he saw the large house still standing on the hillside that looked down upon the path leading to Hogwarts.

The house was a large structure made of the same type of stones as Hogwarts herself. It's roof, which had once been made of straw thatching, now appeared to be made of dark tiles. Harry wondered who would have done the upkeep on the house. He knew no one could enter the gates guarding the property, except for the Founders, Gabe, and himself. Considering that he hadn't performed the updates on the house, that left the Founders and Gabe. It made no sense that the Founders could have done the work, because those tiles on the roof hadn't become fashionable until the late 1300's. How he knew this, Harry had no clue. He supposed it was from the ability transfer from Rowena. She had said that he would easily acquire knowledge, but hadn't explained just how easy it would be. Bringing his thoughts back to the house, Harry decided that it had to have been Gabriel. That thought brought a large grin to his face.

He continued his walk through the village, noticing that the little pub from his own time, The Three Broomsticks, hadn't been built yet. There was currently a very small corral with sheep in it. It did come to his attention that the Hog's Head was here though. Harry peered closer at the sign above the establishment and snorted. Apparently, it wasn't called the Hog's Head yet. The sign hanging over the door portrayed a rudimentary carving of a woman on her knees in front of a man. Harry couldn't stop the laugh that bubbled up from his chest, as he realized exactly what kind of establishment the place was in this time.

"Excuse me, Sir," a small boy interrupted Harry's sightseeing. He had been watching the stranger for the better part of ten minutes, and he wouldn't be a child if he hadn't been curious.

"Oh!" Harry startled. "Hello."

"Um, Sir," the boy stuttered nervously. He wasn't sure if he should tell the man about the place he had been looking at, or let him find out on his own. With a nod, the small boy made his decision. "You shouldn't go there. Bad things happen to the men who go in there. They don't come back out the same. They always get very ill, and die with sores and boils all over them within a few days."

Harry had, at first, been amused with the small child. That was until he heard the boys rapid explanation. The smile he had been wearing, while indulging the boy with his attention, dropped quickly from his face in surprise. There was definitely something very wrong here. He turned back to the child who looked as if he were afraid of being reprimanded for speaking out.

"Thank you. I would surely have made a grave mistake," Harry replied gently. "How long has this disease been here?"

"As long as I can re'ember," the boy answered stoically. This man was nice. He would answer his questions and hope it kept the nice man from getting sick like his Uncle Sean had done.

"How old are you?" Harry asked trying to figure just how long this child's memory could be.

"I am ten, Sir," the boy replied with a show of pride that made Harry smile again.

"Do you know who runs the pub?" Harry questioned, his head cocked to the side in curiosity.

"O' course, Sir," the boy answered as if Harry were a simpleton. "It be Master Gellert. He be the best mate of Master Dumbledore up at Hogwarts."

Harry paled. It couldn't be. The rumors of Dumbledore being the lover of Grindelwald, no. It just couldn't be true. Now, Harry understood why the old man had been trying so hard to get him to the castle. The disease that seemed to be coming from men visiting the pub, Harry had seen it once before.

In the Founder's time, Salazar and Helga had heard of a similar occurrence and gone to see how they could help the local villagers. Helga had come back sweaty and pale, and she had fainted in exhaustion once safely within the halls of the castle. Harry would never forget what Sal had told him of what they'd found down in the little village of Hogsmeade.

A dark wizard had enslaved several women, which in itself was nothing to be surprised about back then. It had been the men who had gone into the wizard's home, supposedly to sample his product, and come out with their magical cores stripped from them and a muggle disease that had sent Sal into a rage. He'd told of how the dark wizard used the women to lure the men into the house, and then while they were coupling, he would perform a ritual to steal their magic. Once they had been stripped of their magic, they would then be susceptible to the disease of which the muggle women had been infected.

Once again, Harry turned from staring at the pub, to look down at the small child. "Thank you very much. You may have saved several lives this day," he smiled as he flipped a galleon in the air to land in the small child's hand.

The boy stared in awe at the shiny gold piece. "Thank you, Sir!" He shouted as he rushed off to tell his parents and brothers.

Harry glanced at the pub one more time before making his way toward the house on the hill. He needed to contact Gabriel. There was no way around it, Rowena had been right about Dumbledore. Harry needed to stop this tragedy happening in the village, and he needed the vampire's help.

As he continued on his way to the house, Harry paused as he saw a figure just up ahead. When he realized that it wasn't anyone he knew, he started to take a step only to stop suddenly. His eyes widened in surprise as, there in all his glory and vampiric beauty, stood Gabriel. He couldn't speak around the lump in his throat. He wanted desperately to call out to his friend, but he found there was no need as the man slowly turned towards him.

Harry's heart thumped wildly as he slowly regained his ability to move. He began taking slow steps at first, but by the time he was within ten feet of the vampire, he had broken into a full out sprint. He didn't give his friend much chance to recognize who he was before he had wrapped himself around the man.

"Gabe!" Harry sighed into the man's chest. "I am so damn happy to see you. I didn't know what to do when I first got here." He rambled so quickly that if Gabriel weren't a vampire, there would have been no way in hell he could have made out what the wizard was saying.

Gabriel was stunned. Here was some young wizard throwing himself into his arms. He didn't recognize the boy. He had been startled when the boy had begun running towards him, but hadn't expected him to jump into his arms the way he had. Gabe had no choice, he had to catch the wizard. It wasn't until the young man began his rambling, that the vampire realized exactly who he had in his arms.

"Harry?" Gabe asked softly. He was almost afraid to ask. He'd pretty much given up hope on seeing his friend in this decade.

"Oh, Gabe," Harry sobbed against his chest. "It's so horrible! Dumbledore is as evil as Rowena had thought he might be! What am I suppose to do?! I can't kill him! It would change my own time too much!"

"Calm down, Little One," Gabe soothed. "Come to the house with me. I have kept it updated, hoping you would return soon."

Harry smiled up at his friend. When Gabriel grinned back at him, Harry almost forgot his reasoning of why he hadn't allowed anything to grow between them. He knew he loved this man. He also knew that he could never love him the way the vampire's true mate could love him. Harry reminded himself not to be selfish. He didn't know if Gabe had found his mate or not, but he was guessing he hadn't because of the way he still held Harry so close.

"Okay."

HPHPHPHP

Harry and Gabriel found themselves comfortably ensconced on a leather loveseat in the library of the house on the hill. Gabe had leaned back against the arm of the small sofa, and pulled Harry down to sit between his legs, so he could pull the young wizard back against his chest. Harry allowed his friend to maneuver him as he wished. He was just glad to have found the vampire as quickly as he had done.

"So, how did things end up?" Harry tilted his head back against Gabriel's muscled shoulder to look into his eyes.

"Not quite how you would expect, I imagine." Gabriel tilted his head down toward Harry as if he were going to kiss him. Deep blue eyes flashed across his vision, and he pulled back.

"I'm guessing that the rumors and histories written about the Founder's split were a bit exaggerated?" Harry decided not to mention the aborted kiss. He knew Gabe would explain when he was ready to do so.

"Those disgusting tales are nothing more than that, tales." Gabriel was still disgusted with the way the wizarding world had taken the facts and twisted them so badly.

"I had always suspected that something was off about the history we were taught about them." Harry bowed his head, and closed his eyes tightly before asking his next question. "What happened to them? I know things had become a little tense between Godric and Sal there at the end."

Gabriel shifted slightly. Even after all of these years, he was still afraid of Harry's response. He stroked a hand down the wizard's arm soothingly as he began to tell the tale he had come to dread.

Harry listened quietly as Gabriel recited the things that had happened from the moment he'd left until he had met Tom Riddle. He felt his stomach clench in guilt when he heard how it had been his disappearance that drove Godric to turn on his brother, Salazar. Harry didn't understand why such an occurrence could have happened.

Gabriel didn't mention the Black Blade, Libur, or the dagger, Mercurial, in his telling of the events to Harry. He would not do so until Harry had reached his own time, just as Rowena requested. By leaving out that information, he knew that Harry would have questions as to what caused the paranoia and fruitless violence. He was unsure as to how to explain it without giving up that information.

As Gabe's story came to an end, Harry sat up. He turned his body slightly away to better see his friend's face. He didn't think the vampire would flat out lie to him, but he needed to look into those endless pools of serenity to be sure as he asked his questions.

"Why did Godric do that?"

"I do not know." Gabe blinked. He knew Harry was watching him closely. He kept his expression impassive, but had been unable to stop the blink.

"What about Rowena? Didn't she See anything?" Harry continued to peer intently into Gabe's eyes. He knew the vampire knew something more. He just was unsure why he wouldn't tell him.

"I received a letter from Rowena," Gabe stated quietly. "She wasn't very forthcoming with information. The fact that she left a letter at all, told me she did See what was coming."

"What did it say?" Harry was curious about that letter. It wasn't like Rowena to let something like this happen. She would have stood between her brothers and forced them to work out whatever issues they had with each other. If she had only left a letter, then she felt that no matter what she did to intercede events would play out as fate had determined.

"She asked me to tell you, when you next popped up, that they all loved you dearly. She requested I remove her diadem from her daughter's reach. I thought nothing of the requests because all of them had done such things." Gabe refused to allow the grief he had been drowning in, until he met Tom, to overwhelm him again. He had almost a thousand years to grieve this loss of his friends. Now, he needed to be there for Harry.

"I-" Harry broke off in a sob. He missed them all so terribly. He didn't get to tell Helga how much her mothering had helped him to heal emotionally. He hadn't been allowed the chance to thank Rowena for giving him the gift of mental stability the ability transference had granted him. He hadn't been given the opportunity to thank Godric for teaching him confidence and true bravery. And Sal.

"Oh gods!" Harry wailed. "Sal!" His heart seemed to wither and dry out. He clenched his teeth to stop the scream he could feel rising in his throat. He hadn't permitted himself to admit just how deep his feelings for the dark wizard had gone while he'd been with him. Now, a deep regret surged through his veins.

"I never told him I loved him," Harry whispered between sobs.

"Oh, Little One," Gabe sighed as he took the smaller man into his arms. He hadn't realized that Harry had kept such feelings for Salazar. He should have known. After that first kiss in the forest, Harry hadn't so much as hugged Gabriel in Salazar's presence. All of the time hidden away now made much more sense to Gabe.

"How could I not have told him?" Harry sobbed softly into the strong chest of his friend. He had thought he'd have more time. He remembered Sal's whispers of love when the potions accident happened. Harry had been afraid to get attached because he knew he would have to leave. Now, he couldn't stop the pain of regret and grief from consuming him.

"Little One, he knew." Gabriel tightened his hold on Harry. He rested his chin on top of the messy locks and breathed in the scent of loss. He was unsure as to how to handle his little wizard like this.

"I never told him." Harry whispered again. He knew it would have changed nothing. He would have still been forced to leave. It didn't make any difference to Fate that he'd fallen in love.

"Harry, Salazar left this world with his heart full of love for you. He would not want you to feel this way." Gabe tried to console his friend, but he understood the deep pain Harry was feeling. Nothing would ease that pain until Harry realized that what happened between Godric and Salazar hadn't been his fault. Unfortunately, Gabriel couldn't explain to him that it had been the influence of the Black Blade that caused Godric to act the way he had done.

"I know." Harry pulled back and wiped the tears from his eyes. He had had his moment of weakness. It was time to be strong. He would not dishonor the memory of his friends, and the love Sal had given him, by being a weak, pitiful wreck.

"Well, do you have any idea as to why you were brought to this time period?" Gabe blatantly changed the subject.

"Not really," Harry began, shaking his head, "I think it may have something to do with Dumbledore and Grindelwald."

"Ah, the dark wizard intent on world domination?" Gabe raised a brow in question.

"Yes, but for some reason, I think it may be more than that." Harry then told Gabriel of what he'd discovered in Hogsmeade.

"How would anyone have found those spells?" Gabe was outraged. He had personally destroyed the books that had contained those awful spells. There had only been one remaining, and it was hidden in Helga's rooms. She had insisted on keeping some record of it, in case it was rediscovered later in time.

"I don't know, but we need to find out."

"How do you suggest we do that? I can not go into the establishment. I am sure they would recognize me for what I am."

"How would they know you?" Harry raised a brow. He had assumed that Gabe would remain unknown to the general public.

"I doubt that they would know me personally, but they would know I am not human."

"Oh," Harry stated somewhat stupidly. He should have known that already. Gabe's beauty and grace would have caused his vampiric nature to stand out. "I guess I'll have to do it."

"No." Gabe's voice resembled Sal's so much in that moment Harry couldn't stop the smirk from rising on his lips. "You will not go in there."

"Who else do you expect to do it?" Harry was becoming quickly annoyed. He wasn't used to anyone telling him what he could, or could not, do anymore.

"There has to be another way to find out exactly what is happening there." Gabe said placatingly. He knew he'd overstepped the line by telling Harry he couldn't do something. After all, Gabe had been the one to train him to the opposite.

"Hmph," Harry huffed as he fell back against the sofa. He just knew this was going to be a long drawn out conversation, and he really didn't want to have it. He just wanted to know how to stop what Grindelwald was doing.

"Dumbledore!" Harry exclaimed. How could he have forgotten that it had been Dumbledore who'd defeated Grindelwald?

"Dumbledore?" Gabe looked at Harry like he had grown a second head. "What does he have to do with this?"

"In my time, it was Dumbledore who defeated Grindelwald."

"Really?" Gabe was astounded. It was common knowledge, at least among the underground, that Dumbledore was Grindelwald's lover and had been for quite some time.

"Yes! I'll just go up to the castle and convince him it's time to take out the evil jerk." Harry tried to remember exactly what year it had been when Dumbledore had taken out the evil wizard, but no date came to mind. All he knew was that it happened sometime during the forties when Tom Riddle was still at Hogwarts.

"Are you sure it was Albus Dumbledore?" Gabe was uncertain if he should tell Harry about the relationship between the two older wizards. It was obvious he didn't know. Or, if he did, he hadn't realized what it could mean.

"Yes," Harry nodded, "I remember him telling me about the aftermath of the war. He never mentioned how he had taken down Grindelwald, but I assumed that was because he didn't want to relive his friend's betrayal."

"His friend?" Gabe was becoming very perplexed. Obviously, more than just the tales of the Founders had been twisted throughout history. He suspected that much of that twisting had been done by Dumbledore himself.

Harry nodded.

"Harry, Albus Dumbledore and Gellert Grindelwald aren't friends. They're lovers." Gabe decided the direct route would work best with Harry right now.

"Lovers?" Harry gasped in surprise. How could Dumbledore fight, and kill, his lover? That must have been one hell of a spat.

"Yes, Little One." Gabe eyed Harry carefully. The young wizard didn't seem to be overly stunned. He was surprised, but it wasn't quite what Gabe had expected.

"I guess it makes more sense." Harry pondered aloud. "It would explain why he was so reluctant to go into detail about their duel."

"I suppose," Gabe nodded, "but I don't believe it was Albus Dumbledore who would have done such a thing."

"Why not?" Harry tilted his head trying to figure out what Gabe was getting at.

"Albus Dumbledore is not as powerful as he pretends to be."

"What?" Harry cocked his head to the other side in confusion. He had always believed Dumbledore to be one of the most powerful wizards alive.

"He is only an average wizard. He is extremely talented with transfiguation, which is why he obtained the position at Hogwarts. But, overall, he isn't very powerful."

"How do you know that? In my time, he was one of only two wizards that had power to rival Merlin!"

"Not possible, unless he found a way to gather more power." Gabe shook his head.

"No," Harry muttered, "it can't be him doing it. Rowena said he would do questionable things, but she never said he was that evil."

"Are you thinking that it isn't Grindelwald who is causing the disease in Hogsmeade?" Gabe had already come to that conclusion, but felt he had to let Harry get there on his own. He realized that Harry had a lot of emotions concerning Dumbledore that he hadn't yet contended.

"I believe he might be," Harry sighed sadly. He didn't want to believe that Dumbledore was that evil, but what else could explain his significant increase in power between now and the future? This changed things.

"What do you think we should do?" Gabe asked quietly.

Harry settled further into the comfort of the couch. He waved his hand, and a tray of tea and sandwiches appeared on the glass table in front of him. He needed to think about this before doing something stupid like he'd almost done. He slowly chewed on the small bite of sandwich. He knew Gabe was waiting for an answer, but honestly, he didn't have one.

"I don't know."

"Perhaps you should finish eating, and then go get some sleep," Gabe suggested with a smile.

"I need a shower," Harry grumbled.

"Of course. I did make sure to update everything in the house. You should find a shower and bath just off of your room."

Harry looked up, swallowed the last bite of the sandwich, and grinned widely. "You put in a shower for me?"

"I remembered you mentioning it a few times," Gabe smirked. Oh he would never forget how much Harry used to whine about not having a proper shower.

"Yeah, yeah." Harry waved a hand airily, and rolled his eyes.

"Well, I will leave you to your shower and bed." Gabe stood slowly and headed for the door.

"Where are you going?" Harry asked in surprise. "Aren't you going to stay here?"

"Mhm," Gabe cleared his throat as his eyes raked over Harry's body. "I don't believe my mate would appreciate finding me in another man's bed." He smirked at Harry's widened eyes and strode swiftly for the door. "Goodnight, Little One."

"Wait!" Harry jumped to his feet to follow the retreating vampire. "What mate?!"

He stood in the middle of the entry hall, his mouth gaping open and eyes wide. He couldn't believe Gabe would drop that kind of information and leave! He was going to string the vampire up by his toes and enchant feathers to mercilessly tickle his feet! Gabe was extremely ticklish. He smirked at the pretty picture that floated in front of his eyes and made his way to the shower.

HPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPP

Several months passed with Harry and Gabriel making frequent trips into Hogsmeade. They never directly approached the pub where the men were being lured by beautiful women. Harry did use the knowledge he had of the previous time this had happened and managed to disable most of the compelling charms that the place seemed to be soaked in. It didn't stop men from going to the pub, but it did cause it to slow down.

Harry often wondered who Gabe's mate could be, but the vampire had teasingly declined in sharing that information. He simply said that Harry would find out soon. With that, Dumbledore, and other things going on around him, Harry was able to process his grief for the Founders in a healthy manner. He didn't try to bury it, instead he embraced it.

Harry would go just to the edge of the wards of Hogwarts on the forest side of the Black Lake, and spend a few hours a day. He spoke to his friends there. He knew they couldn't answer him, but it helped him to heal to share the things he and Gabe had discovered. It was one such day when Harry once again met the Tom Riddle of this time period.

He'd been sitting quietly, staring out over the lake. Harry had just finished his recitation of how he'd finished removing the compelling charms around the pub when he heard a small splash. Figuring it was the squid, who was no longer only a baby, he dismissed the sound. Once again, a soft splash could be heard. Harry gracefully unfolded his body into a standing position. He might as well go say hello to the cephalopod.

As he approached the water, it came to Harry's attention that the splashing hadn't come from the squid. He could see a sleek, black head slicing through the dark water while thin, muscular arms cut through the waves. The figure swam from the far side of the lake towards where Harry stood. He didn't think whoever it was had noticed him yet. He continued to watch the lithe body move like a water snake in his direction.

The closer the body came, the more Harry could see of it. The legs were long and powerful, kicking softly to propel the person through the water. The back was straight and smooth, pale skin reflecting the sunlight slightly as the water moved over and across it. The arms weren't as thin as he'd first thought, lightly muscled and strong as they pulled the body toward the shore. When the head came up out of the water for a moment, Harry gasped. Those were the prettiest green eyes he'd ever seen. The person continued to swim in his direction.

Harry stood silently, just watching the powerful body slide through the water. He could feel his trousers tightening with each stroke the man took. He could definitely tell it was a man, now. He was startled out of his fantasy of what he'd like to do with the beauty in front of him by a splash that was much closer than it had been. He flinched at the drops of water that dripped into his eyes. The swimmer had splashed him hard enough to drench his hair from a standing position. It was the clear, ringing laugh that finally drew him from his thoughts.

"I never thought I would get your attention!" Tom rolled his eyes at Harry. He recognized the other wizard, even through the slight glamours.

"Er," Harry mumbled. He wiped the water out of his eyes and glared at the man before him. Then, he gasped. It was Riddle! He'd known that Tom was handsome, but he'd never really noticed just how beautiful he was in truth.

Tom laughed again at Harry's response. "I wasn't expecting to see you here."

"But, you were expecting to see me?" Harry smirked. His voice had dropped to a flirtatious huskiness.

"Of course." Tom winked. "I would not have let myself rest until I found you again. You displayed magic that I've never even read about."

"Oh?" Harry thought back to the shield he'd used over Diagon Alley. Was it still there? "Should I be worried about that?" Harry wasn't quite certain where this playfulness was coming from, but he was unusually comfortable with it.

Tom let loose another ringing laugh and pulled himself from the water. He stretched out on a nearby boulder where the sun shone down like a spotlight. He noted how Harry's eyes scanned his body, and seemed intent on a drop of water as it slid from his abdomen down to his hip. He knew Gabriel would have done the same.

"Perhaps," Tom smiled softly. He finally had his chance to speak to this amazing wizard. He didn't want to waste it with senseless flirting. Gabriel wouldn't appreciate it.

Harry spent the next few hours, until the sun began to set, speaking with Tom about random subjects. He found himself amazed at the magical knowledge the other wizard seemed to have crammed into his head. They spoke of the shield, or ward, Harry had used in the Alley. Tom had seemed overly astonished about the idea of self stabilizing wards.

"You've never seen one?" Harry asked in surprise, uncrossing his legs to hang down by the water. They had both moved to sit on the boulder once Tom had dried off.

"No, I told you," Tom waved his hand in front of him, "it simply isn't possible! Every ward must have an anchor, someone powerful enough to keep them strong."

"What about Hogwarts?" Harry raised a brow in question. He knew Hogwarts wards were self powering. At least, he'd always believed them to be. What if they weren't?

"Not even Hogwarts." Tom shook his head at the lack of knowledge Harry seemed to have about his own magic. It was commonly known that wards were not self sustaining.

"Hmm," Harry murmured. That would explain the need for the the Headmaster of the school to remain on the grounds year round as Dumbledore had always done. It would also explain Voldemort's reasons for waiting to attempt his yearly Harry-Potter-Must-Die plan.

"There you are!" Tom and Harry both jumped to their feet. Tom had drawn his wand and fell into a dueling stance. Harry had pulled Excalibur from his back and fell into a crouch with the sword held diagonally across his body in defense. They both looked ready for a fight.

"Very well done, Harry!" Gabe praised with a wide grin. "And Tom, simply beautiful!"

Harry and Tom turned to each other in surprise. "You know him?" Both asked at once. Harry chuckled.

"Yes, I know the annoying prat," he said affectionately.

Tom looked from Harry to Gabriel. His eyes narrowed in suspicion. Gabriel had never mentioned knowing someone like Harry. Then, it hit Tom like a ton of bricks. The damned vampire had never answered his letters! He scowled and turned his fiercest glare on his mate. He knew it wouldn't have quite the effect he hoped for, but it was worth a try.

Gabe's eyes widened when Tom turned his death glare on him. Then he blushed. He knew why his mate would be angry with him. He just had forgotten to answer the letter, honest! He was on his way to see him to explain about Harry and why he'd taken so long. Now, to convince the irate Tom Riddle.

"Hello, Love," Gabe fluttered his lashes.

"Where have you been?" Tom asked in an icy voice causing Harry to flinch slightly. 'What was that about?'

"I've been with Harry," Gabe answered automatically. He couldn't lie to his mate.

Tom's eyes narrowed further. Gabe blinked. Oh no. He wished he had phrased that differently.

"With Harry?"

"Yes, Love." Gabe raised his chin and set his jaw. He would not let Tom over ride him in front of his best friend. He shouldn't have to explain himself. He nodded.

"And you couldn't find the time to answer my letter? Or, to come see me?" Tom's voice had dropped to almost a whisper. Gabe leaned away from him a bit. He knew what was coming.

"I'm sorry?"

"Is that an apology, or a question?" Tom demanded.

"An apology?" Gabe raised his brows hopefully, a sheepish grin on his lips.

Harry couldn't take it any more. His shoulders were sore from the shaking they'd endured while he tried to suppress his laughter, and his jaw hurt from clenching his teeth to remain quiet. He burst out in laughter.

Tom turned from Gabe to stare at Harry in amazement. He had a gorgeous laugh.

"Don't you laugh at me, you prat!" Gabe exclaimed.

Harry looked up at his friend, taking deep breaths to calm himself, but to no avail. As soon as his eyes met the vampire's, he lost it again. He never thought he'd see the day that Gabriel, a very powerful immortal, would be scolded by a teenage boy. It was simply too much for Harry not to laugh.

"It's not funny, Harryyyyy," Gabe whined causing Harry only to laugh harder.

"Actually, Love, it is quite amusing," Tom smirked at his mate.

"Oh, Merlin! I never thought I'd see you scolded like a child!" Harry giggled.

"Fine," Gabe pouted and turned to walk away. "I'll just go back to the house."

Tom watched his mate with quite a bit of amusement. He looked to Harry and raised a brow. Harry smirked and said with a shrug, "For being so old, he acts like a two year old at times."

Tom laughed that clear, ringing laugh that Harry found himself growing fond.

"I heard that!"