hey! It's me, back with the LAST chapter! I really cannot believe it, when I started writing, I originally planned 15 chapters, but it kinda just went from there, but this is the definite last chapter, there won't be a sequel to this story.

First of all, thank you to everyone who commented, reviewed, mailed, favorited, left Kudos...you name it! It really made me so happy, and knowing that my little story made some of you happy is the best thing ever! :)

Secondly, I AM going to publish another story soon (probably this week), I already am at chapter 7 of writing it haha, it will be quite similar to this one, and the title will be Teaching Thomas, a standalone story with lots of drama, angst, h/c, spanking, and a HEA of course ;) I hope you will check it out!

Thirdly, this chapter will have SPANKING in it, you have been warned! ;)

And last but not least: #FreeProtasevich.

Thank you all!

"Your turn!", Aurelius pinched his arm, "you are dreaming again, Sirius!"

"No…just…thinking."

Aurelius laughed, "clearly not about our game though- you are losing."

Sirius forced himself to concentrate on the chess board in front of him again, but his thoughts went back to the dining room only seconds later- he knew Tom was protecting him, and he knew Tom was probably getting spanked for it this very minute- and thinking about his older brother crying over his dad's lap, struggling to get away from the pain, made him want to throw up.

"Check!"

Sirius blinked, "wh…what?"

Aurelius sighed, "you really are not a fun opponent tonight", he looked at him, and his expression changed, "about earlier, at dinner- what did Tiny mean by…"

Sirius swallowed, "I…have no idea", he mumbled, and Aurelius nodded like he believed him, because he always believed him, he was his brother, always loyal…

And suddenly, it came all blurting out of him.

"Actually, I do know what he meant- I did lie, the other day, when I told you I lost my skates and went looking for them. I did not look for my skates, I…I was snooping for my Christmas presents, I was so…anxious to know cause I never…had a real Christmas before", he took a deep breath, "and then…I found them, and…I saw that you got more gifts than me and…and…", he swallowed again, bile forming in his mouth, "I destroyed three of your gifts…because I was so jealous…and Tom found me, and he…fixed everything and I begged him not to tell on me", tears were forming in his eyes, and Aurelius was staring at him, pale as a ghost, "and…so Tiny must have found out and told Tom he would tell Dad, and Tom…protected me, and now Dad is probably punishing him and…I feel so horrible for being so mean to you, and for lying, and now Tom…he…I did not want him to get in trouble…Dad will not believe me and…"

"I do believe you, Sirius."

For a moment, he thought his heart would stop beating- and then he slowly turned around in his chair, coming face to face with Godric Gryffindor, who looked at him with a calm expression on his face, "I believe you", Gryffindor repeated, "your older brother and I had a long conversation."

Sirius bit his lips, "did you…I mean…he was just protecting me", he said, feeling helpless all of a sudden, "I am sorry."

"What happened between me and your brother is not your concern, Sirius", Gryffindor answered firmly, "but I can assure you that Tom is doing fine- he is in bed, sleeping."

"Go…good", Sirius replied quietly, "and…are you…", he was too scared to finish his sentence.

"Yes, we are going to have a little talk now", Gryffindor responded, still very calm, "but before that- anything you want to say to Aurelius?"

Sirius sobbed, "I am sorry, Aurelius", he whispered, shame forming a lump in his throat, "I am so sorry. I…I know what I did was mean and nasty and I understand if you can't forgive me and I…"

"Of course I forgive you", Aurelius interrupted him, his voice just as low, "but you have to stop being jealous- Dad and Daddy love you just as much, just for being you, Sirius. And I do, too."

His sobs turned into cries, and then he went and hugged Aurelius, tears streaming down his face, "I…thank you…and…I am sorry…"

Aurelius smiled, "it's okay. All forgiven. Tom fixed the presents, you said?"

Sirius had to laugh, "yes, yes he did."

Gryffindor had come closer while they were talking, and now he put a hand on Sirius' shoulder, silently signaling him to follow him.

Sirius obeyed, and he was not surprised when Gryffindor led him straight to his office.

Time to face the music.

For some time, his dad was simply looking at him, and when Sirius could not bear that any longer, he hung his head, dreading what would happen next.

"I need you to explain this to me, Sirius", Gryffindor finally said, and now he sounded…weary, and…sad and…different, "why do you think we love Aurelius more than you?"

Sirius had feared that question, and now that his dad had asked, he stumbled out his answer, "the…Christmas presents…I…I counted mine, I had six and Aurelius had nine and…"

"I want you to tell me the truth, Sirius- your jealousy is not coming from some Christmas gifts, it was there before, and that is the whole reason why you even searched for them, right?"

Sirius had to nod, "right", he eventually whispered.

"Tell me, Little Star- what is it?"

The nickname almost made him lose it, but he forced himself to hold it together, "it's…just…I…get punished so much…and…I know you want me to be good, like Aurelius, and I am not…and even Tom had to punish me cause I was…disobedient when…he was watching us and I refused to listen to him…and…I just…disappoint everyone…", he buried his face in his hands, too ashamed to look up, "I…I can't do anything right…I can't be good…"

Gryffindor sighed, "oh, Sirius…my silly boy…come here", he opened his arms and Sirius held onto him like he was a lifebelt, "I love you so very much, Little Star- just as much as Tom and Aurelius. No one is saying you have to be like Aurelius to be loved, just be yourself, that is all…", he kissed him on his hair, "I know you need more discipline than Aurelius does, but you also had a difficult childhood before- and certain things take time to heal, hmm?"

"Regulus…was always the favorite", Sirius said quietly, "and…he was always good- and…so I thought…"

"You thought this would be the same", Gryffindor finished for him, "but it is not- your parents never really loved you, Sirius, but your Daddy and I do, and so do your brothers. Tom was quite desperate in making sure to protect you, and he knows now that is not his job, but mine."

"I love you, too", Sirius replied in a small voice, "and…I am sorry for…everything."

Gryffindor held him close, "about the Christmas presents…", he smiled when Sirius stared at him with worry, "you did not count all of them, Little Star, because three of them are hidden somewhere else- and no, I won't tell you where, you little snoop", he smiled even bigger when Sirius threw his arms around him as a response, "I…I get the same amount as Aurelius then", he finally said, "not…not that it matters…"

"It does not, Sirius- even if he gets more, or you get more, we love you all the same."

"I know."

"Good", Godric's voice turned serious and Sirius had an idea why, "then we should talk about your punishment now."

He whimpered, "no…spanking, please…"

"Yes, Sirius- I am not spanking you for being jealous, or even for the snooping- what I am spanking you for is the lying, and for dragging your brother into that."

"Please…I am sorry, Daddy!"

"You will get ten, which is generous- after all, you have been lying for three days straight."

Sirius let out a strangled sob, but he did not move when Godric adjusted him on his lap, "your pants can stay up- but you will count, understand?"

"Yes…Daddy."

And then, it began- and soon Sirius was screaming, and kicking, and howling in despair, but Gryffindor held him tight, so he had no other choice than to count and endure the punishment.

"Fo…four! Four, Daddy!"

"Good boy."

Smack.

"Fiveeee, Daddy, five!"

"Halfway done, Little Star."

Smack.

"Six! That was six, Daddy!"

Gryffindor smiled, "indeed- good job, Sirius. You are doing very well."

Smack.

"Seeeeveeeeen!"

He kicked harder now, and Gryffindor strengthened his grip, "shshsh…almost there."

Smack.

"Eight! Eight! Please, Daddy, please!"

"Good boy", Gryffindor praised him again, but made no intent to stop.

Smack.

"Niiiiiineeeee!", he was howling, the pain was intense now, "Daddy no more! Daddy stop!"

"One more, Sirius. Almost done."

Smack.

"TEN! Ten! Ten! Pleaseeeee!"

"All done- come here", and then Gryffindor pulled him into another embrace, and held him, and hummed something in his ear, and the pain slowly slowly…decreased.

"You took that so well…I am proud of you- and I am even more proud of you for telling Aurelius the truth earlier, even though you did not have to at that time."

"I…was feeling so guilty…and…I did not want to lie to Aurelius anymore", Sirius mumbled, closing his eyes, "love you, Daddy…"

"I love you, too, Little Star", even though Sirius had his eyes closed, he could tell Godric was smiling, "are you ready for bed now?"

Sirius blinked, "yes…just…"

"Just, what?"

Sirius smiled- and told him.

Minutes later, he quietly opened the door to Tom's bedroom and slowly walked over to the bed, "hey…Tom?", he whispered.

No response, all he heard was Tom's peaceful breathing.

"Tom?"

Tom mumbled something, he groaned, and then opened his eyes, "Si…Sirius? What…are you doing here?"

"Wanted to hang out", Sirius answered sheepishly and carefully climbed into the huge bed, "are you…okay?"

"I am not in pain if that's what you are asking."

"Did Daddy spank you?"

Tom blushed and was glad that Sirius was not able to see his face in the dark, "don't…worry about it. I really am okay. How…are you?"

"I…am okay, too", Sirius responded quietly and snuggled closer, "it's…all good. Daddy told me I don't have to be jealous and I get the same amount of Christmas presents, too! Isn't that great?"

Tom smiled in the dark, "yes, that is great. Come here", he put one arm around Sirius and kissed him on his head, "and next time, you will tell Dad instantly, okay? No more lying, little brother."

"No more lying", Sirius agreed and yawned, "good…night, Tom…love you…"

"Love you, too…"

And moments later, both brothers were fast asleep, snuggling close to each other, and when Godric checked on them an hour later he smiled softly, his heart filled with pride.

Harry was looking around the kitchen, a smile on his face. It had taken him and Snape several days, but now Grimmauld Place was back in its old state- the pipes were fixed, the windows cleaned, the floors mopped, and every room was looking neat and tidy now.

They had stacked the shelf next to the fireplace with fresh cut wood and bought groceries, and Snape had made Kreacher promise to take good care of the house from now on.

Harry looked up when Snape entered the kitchen, "the lights are fixed now- this is it", he put some tools in a cabinet, "you did a great job with the kitchen, Harry- I am proud of you."

"Thank you, Dad", he blushed, liking how the praise made him feel.

"I think it is time to go back- Dumbledore is not a threat anymore and after all, we still have to decorate."

"Decorate?"

Snape smiled, which was still something Harry had to get used to seeing, "for Christmas, Harry. It is only a week away; in case you have forgotten about that."

"I have not…forgotten, I just thought…ehm…I mean…"

Snape raised an eyebrow, "you thought I don't decorate? Or you thought I don't celebrate Christmas?"

Harry coughed, "uhm…both?"

"Well, you thought wrong, Harry James Potter", Snape replied in a mock- stern tone, "we will decorate, and get a tree, and hang up stockings, and there will be presents, and cookies and…", he stopped when he saw Harry staring at him, "something wrong?"

"I love you", Harry blurted out before he could stop himself, "that…I never had…that sounds wonderful…", he was suddenly blinking back the tears, "thank…you…"

Snape sighed, and next thing he knew, he was pulled into a hug, "thanking me for celebrating Christmas? Oh Harry…", he pulled him close, "you deserve all the happiness in the world, son."

Harry sobbed, but Snape was not done, "and I love you too, Harry. I always will."

He sobbed again, "Daddy…", snuggling even closer, and Snape kissed him on the top of his head, "come on, let's go back home."

Harry looked at him, a small smile on his lips, "home", he repeated quietly, loving how the word sounded, "yes, let's go home, Daddy."

And with that, they apparated back to Spinner's End- their home.

"What time is it?"

Tom groaned, "about ten seconds later since you last asked, Sirius."

"Soooo it's still too early?", Sirius whined while jumping nervously up and down, "what time is it now?"

"You are asking for a spanking, little brother."

Sirius swallowed, and hastily stepped back, he knew his older brother well enough to know that he rarely made empty threats, "nonono…please…I am just…so excited!"

Tom walked over to him and lifted the struggling boy up into his arms, "I know you are- but the time will not pass any faster if you keep asking the same questions over and over again. Do you know how the time will pass faster?"

Sirius snuggled into him, "if…you play with me?", he asked in a small voice, "or…maybe eating?"

Tom laughed, "I think you had enough candy for a lifetime already today- but yes, I will play with you. Go tell your brother to put his book down and come over, we will all play something."

He put Sirius back down and the boy ran over to Aurelius, who had been sitting quietly on the couch, reading a book.

They were waiting in one of the small reading rooms, it had a fireplace and some bookshelves and two couches with a table in the middle.

"We will play some cards", Tom announced and they all sat down in front of the fireplace, "I don't want you to get your suits dirty, so no rough play for tonight. And be careful with the fire- do not get any ashes on yourself, understand?"

"Yes, Tom", they both answered obediently, just like they always did. Since the incident with the Christmas presents Sirius had been an exceptionally good boy, and Aurelius was usually good anyways, and Tom was often taking care of his brothers when the Founders had a meeting or were going somewhere at night and he enjoyed it, even though he still at times could not believe how much his life had changed within the last months.

He was happy now- truly happy. The foundation he had set up with the money from the Ministry benefited all of his victims, it had paid to restore buildings and stores, for surgeries, for mental health services, and for some to start a new business.

Some of them had reached out to him, thanking him, and forgiving him- and little Ann- Louise had even sent him a Christmas card, telling him they had rebuild the grocery store with the money and that her dad was happily doing business again.

It had been nice- and had given him something he thought he never needed- closure.

He was not the Dark Lord anymore, now he was just Tom, or Thomas when he misbehaved, and he had a family, and brothers who adored him, and he was even strangely excited to go back to school in January- his dad had told him that he was going to the same private school Sirius and Aurelius currently attended.

He even had made up with Tiny, he had apologized to the elf, and Tiny had promised him in return to not be so nosy anymore.

"Your turn, Tom!", Aurelius tugged at his sleeve, smiling, "looks like I am winning!"

Tom laughed, "of course you are", he ruffled Aurelius' hair affectionally, "you are too smart for your own good", he winked at him, and Sirius was watching them, smiling as well. He was not jealous anymore, he knew that Tom loved him as much as Aurelius, and that Aurelius loved him as much as Tom, and he was just happy knowing he had two brothers who loved him.

They kept playing, forgetting the time, talking, laughing, and cuddling, and they did not even realize that Gryffindor was standing in the doorway, watching them amusedly.

"I was told there are some good boys in here waiting for their Christmas gifts", he finally said and smiled when all three of them immediately jumped to their feet.

"Is it time now? Is it?", Sirius started to run in a circle, "it's time now, it…"

"It is time now, Little Star", Godric assured him, picking him up easily, "time for good little boys to listen to their Dad telling them to not run into the room like crazy, to not shout, and to patiently wait their turn- do you think you can do that?"

"Yes, Daddy", Sirius replied breathlessly, "I'll be good, but…I want to run so bad!"

They laughed, and Gryffindor put him back on his feet, "you will hold my hand then. Come on, let's go, boys."

They went next door and Sirius was fidgeting with excitement, but Gryffindor held him tight by the hand, and he obediently walked next to him, his eyes sparkling with happiness.

The room where their presents were was another, bigger reading room, and the enormous Christmas tree was in there as well, and it smelled like cinnamon and oranges and fir cones and joy and snow and family and…love.

Salazar was standing right in front of the tree, dressed in an elegant black and purple suit, and there were three big piles with neatly wrapped presents in different colors, red for Sirius, green for Tom, and blue for Aurelius.

"Merry Christmas, boys", Salazar said warmly, "are you ready to open your presents?"

"We should check if they have been naughty or nice before they get to open anything", Godric suggested, but he was grinning, and the boys protested immediately, so the Founder started to laugh, "very well, then- Tom, you are the oldest, you get to open the first one."

Tom walked over to his pile, and carefully selected a big parcel and brought it back to his brothers who were watching him curiously.

"Hurry up, open it!", Sirius urged, and he squeaked when Gryffindor picked him up again as a response, "be good, Sirius, or you will be last."

Tom chuckled, and slowly unwrapped the gift- and his eyes widened in amazement when he saw what his present was, "that…is that what I think it is?"

"It's a first edition, too", Gryffindor remarked, "do you like it?"

Tom held the old book carefully, his whole face glowing with joy, "I…I love it, I…always wanted to read this one, thank you!", he hesitated a moment, "thank you…Dad."

And Gryffindor put down Sirius once more and slowly walked over to him, "no, thank you, Tommy", he said quietly, quietly enough for only Tom to hear.

"What…do you mean?"

Gryffindor smiled softly, "for calling me Dad- and for meaning it."

Tom blinked, and then he blinked again, because there were still tears forming in his eyes, "thank…you…for…adopting me", he whispered back, "and…that…you know…you…for believing in me and…making me a better person."

"You always were a good boy, Tommy- you just needed someone to help you find that good boy inside you- and I am so proud of you, Tommy, so incredibly proud- you are an amazing son, and an amazing brother for the boys", Godric's voice was warm, and loving, and he hugged him, "I love you, Tommy."

"Love you too, Daddy", Tom responded quietly, and then they were standing in an embrace right in front of the tree, watching Sirius and Aurelius shriek with joy while opening their presents, and Tom realized that Godric had been right- it was a good Christmas- and knowing that every Christmas and every holiday and every day from now on would be good made him smile with happiness.

I love this life.

yeah...it's over and out :( please let me know what you think of this story, and don't forget to check out my new story, Teaching Thomas, which will be posted soon! :)

Thank you for all the support and comments! :)

xoxo,

Antonie :)