Hey you all! :)
Thank you lilyflower101 and Anonymous here for your reviews! :)
This chap has some Aurelius/ Sirius fluff (about time!) and more of Gryffindor trying to turn Tom into a good boy (hahaha...)
Let me know what you think! ;)
Sirius was in a bad mood. It was nothing new, he had been in a bad mood all Sunday, which he had spent studying and going over ideas to steal Harry's cloak while Aurelius had gone to Dumbledore's stupid meeting- and surprise surprise, he had managed to weasel himself into Dumbledore's pretentious little circle of slimeballs in the end.
It had not brightened his mood to find out that Colin and Callum had gone into Hogsmeade with Callum's brother Cormac on Sunday, and listening to their tales about how much fun they had had and how nice the weather had been and that Cormac had gotten them Hog's Head Brew at the Hog's Head had certainly not helped either.
For the past three days, he had successfully avoided Aurelius, but this morning, he had bumped into his fake brother at breakfast, and like always, Aurelius had smiled at him and ruffled his hair and had even had the nerve to tell him how much he loved him- and the worst part was, everyone had been watching and he had had to listen to Ginny and some other third grade girls yet again how awesome and cute and amazing his big brother was.
He was sick of it; he was so sick of it he could scream.
And now he was forced to endure a double lesson of Potions with the Slytherins and Snivellus Snape- life was officially unfair.
Snape had just announced that they were going to brew the Wiggenweld Potion in today's class, and Sirius halfheartedly got in line with the other students to get the ingredients from the shelves.
Callum had already partnered with another third grade boy, so Sirius and Colin decided to team up even though Sirius did not like to work with Colin much- the boy was very scatterbrained and often clumsy, and he could not afford to fail Potion's- Aurelius would murder him.
Eventually, they had what they needed and went back to their desk. Everyone started to work eagerly, Snape was in one of his bad mood's this morning, even worse than Sirius' mood, so no one dared to slack to anger the Potion Master.
"Do you have the salamander blood? That has to go in first", Sirius announced in a bored tone, not even pretending that he cared about the potion, "and we need some honey- and flobberworm mucus."
"I've got everything right here!", Colin replied cheerfully, he seldom was in a bad mood, "salamander blood coming up!", he handed Sirius a vial, "and…let me just check if we got flobberworm mucus", he started to rummage through their ingredients, and then-
"Oh no!", Colin helplessly stared at the ground which was now covered in slimy looking flobberworm mucus, "I…I am sorry, Scipius…"
Sirius forced himself to smile, "it's alright- we'll just clean it up real quick and get…"
"What is going on here?", Snape came closer, his dark eyes glowing in anger when he spotted the mess on the floor, "Creevey- another one of your masterpieces, I assume?"
Some Slytherins started to giggle, and Colin blushed, "I…I am so sorry, Professor, I was looking and then…it really was an accident, I'll clean it up, please…"
"Twenty points from Gryffindor for being clumsy, Creevey", Snape interrupted him and Colin's blush deepened when some Slytherins began to mockingly whisper Clumsy Creevey, Clumsy Creevey behind his back.
"I am so sor…"
"And detention tonight, 7 pm- I have some cauldrons that need to get scrubbed- and thankfully, they are big enough that not even a cretin like you will be able to knock them over."
Laughter, and Colin hung his head in shame.
And still, Snape was not done with him, "now, clean up your mess- and since you have wasted enough time of my lesson, just use your hands."
More laughter, and some groans of sympathy. The mucus was extremely slimy and everyone hated to touch it even for a couple seconds when it went into the potion- but to pick up a whole jar of it? Gross…
Sirius had been silently watching the scene in front of him, getting angrier by the second. Sure, Colin was clumsy- but he had not done it on accident, and to single him out like this and humiliate him in front of the whole class…
Typical Snivellus- always going for the weak and shy ones, just like he does with Neville.
"I'll help you, Colin", the words had left his mouth before he could stop them, and now everyone was staring at him.
Snape cursed his lips in open disgust, "how Gryffindor of you, Lemarc- are you trying to follow in your brother's footsteps, becoming everyone's sweetheart?"
Don't bring up Aurelius now, don't!
"I am just trying to help a friend, Professor", he finally replied through clenched teeth, "that's what friends do for each other."
"Is that so, Lemarc?", Snape's eyes were practically burning with contempt now, which Sirius knew was a warning sign- and meant it was time to shut up.
But instead, he opened his mouth.
"Yeah, but you wouldn't know anything about friendship, would you? Do you even have any friends? Besides the other Death Eaters, I mean."
The silence which followed now was deadly- and when Sirius eventually dared to look up again, Snape's face did not even look human anymore, it was a just a grimace- a grimace of pure and raw hatred.
"How dare you", Snape finally said, his voice as cold as ice, "how dare you to talk to me like that, Lemarc- not following in your brother's footsteps after all, clearly", he was hissing now, sounding more like a snake than ever, "get out. Get out and don't you dare to show your face in this classroom again- I am failing you, and I am going to fail your brother as well if you ever as much as look at me from now on."
Someone was sobbing, and Sirius realized with growing horror that he was sobbing, "please…I am sorry, I am so sorry, Sir, I'll do anythi…"
"GET OUT!", Snape was roaring now, a sound that he had never heard before, it was the most terrifying sound in the world, and Sirius ducked, expecting to get slapped.
"100 points from Gryffindor for talking back", Snape whispered, "and the longer you stand around here, the more points I will take, Lemarc."
So, Sirius grabbed his bag and ran.
He ran and ran and ran until he was out of breath, and then he sat down by a tree in the park and started to cry in utter despair.
What have I done?
Aurelius would hear about this, he had messed up the plan, he had attracted negative attention, he was failing Potions, Snape had taken 100 points from Gryffindor, Aurelius might fail Potions, Dumbledore would kick him out of the circle…
Ohmygod, ohmygod, he is gonna kill me, he is literally gonna kill me!
He kept crying until he had no tears left, and the thoughts were still going crazy inside his head.
What am I going to do? Run away? Tell Remus? Tell Harry? Apologize to Snape? Beg Aurelius?
The clock announced the time, it was eleven am- and his life was pretty much over.
And then, if it wasn't bad enough, it started to rain- so he was forced to grab his bag and go back inside.
The hallways were empty, everyone was in class- everyone but him.
He stared on the ground, not knowing where to go and what to do, feeling completely and utterly alone.
"Well, hello there, Scipius!"
He blinked and looked up, right at Nick's friendly ghostly face, "are you lost, young Gryffindor?"
Sirius nodded, not trusting his voice to speak.
I am more lost than I ever was.
"I can help you", Nick announced cheerfully, "find your way to the library, the fifth graders are working on an assignment there I heard- go and find your dear brother, he will brighten your mood."
Why am I not surprised that he even managed to fool the ghosts?
"Thanks, Nick", he sounded hoarse, "will do."
"And tell him how joyous I am for him tha…"
Sirius started to run, knowing he would have to vomit if he had to hear one more thing about The Great Aurelius.
He ran all the way to the library, an idea forming in his head. There was no way that Aurelius already knew what had happened in Potions, so maybe…
I have to act like he is the most amazing, loving brother in the world- charm him, flatter him- and then maybe he will show me some mercy…and not kill me.
He knew his plan was stupid, and that Aurelius would most likely raise an eyebrow and kill him anyways, but he could not run away, and Remus and Harry most likely wouldn't even believe him, and Snape hated him, so…
Also, it might be the last chance ever to…have a brother.
He arrived at the library, panting- and he did not even have to look for Aurelius, his fake brother was right there- sitting at a table, surrounded by two other students.
He is not alone, thank God!
Knowing that Aurelius would be forced to act like he cared about him now, Sirius came closer.
All three boys were working quietly, and when Aurelius looked up for a moment to think, Sirius stood right in front of him.
"Scipius", he sounded honestly surprised, "what are you doing here? Why are you not in class?"
"I…I was not feeling well, so I got excused", Sirius lied, "and…Nick told me you are here, so…I wanted to see you", his voice got quiet.
"Did you see Poppy Pomfrey?", Aurelius asked and he sounded so concerned now that anyone would have believed he actually cared- but Sirius knew better.
"Yeah…she said it's some kind of stomach bug- not infectious, but she said I should just…rest and relax", Sirius mumbled, "and…she said it helps if…someone…you know…rubs my belly."
"Is that so?", Aurelius sounded amused now, "well, come here then- but you have to promise me to be a good boy and be quiet- we have to finish this assignment."
"I'll be good", Sirius whispered and he had to smile when Aurelius carefully picked him up and pulled him on his lap, "poor baby boy…", his voice was low, low enough to prevent the other students from hearing him, "does your tummy hurt you? Don't worry, I'll make you feel better…shshsh…all good now…", and he hummed something, and he started to rock him slowly, and Sirius wanted to cry with how great it felt- and it felt even better when Aurelius began to carefully rub his stomach, "tell me where it hurts, Scipius…"
"Every…where…", he whispered back, "it…all hurts…", he pressed his face into Aurelius' chest, "head…hurts…too."
"Hmm…poor baby boy", Aurelius said again, his voice soft, and then he slowly raked through his hair, "does that help?"
"Yes!", his voice was too loud, and he blushed, "I mean…yeah, thank you."
Aurelius let out a small laugh, "good- that's all I wanted to know", and he kept rubbing his belly and he kept stroking through his hair with one hand, and he worked on his assignment with the other hand, and Sirius watched him silently, the sadness inside him overwhelming.
Look at him, he is smart, studious, ambitious- he is popular, he is always dressed well, he would never ever act like me in class- he always has himself under control, he is in control, and I am just…a loser. No wonder he hates me, I can't do anything right…and now I messed up the plan…
The tears wanted to come out again, but he forced them back. He could not cry now, not here, not like this…
"Your brother is really well behaved, Aurelius", one of the other fifth graders suddenly remarked, "you know, I've got a sister in second grade- but she never listens to anything I say- it's really annoying."
Aurelius chuckled softly, "thanks, Martin- I dare to say that I got really lucky with my brother- he is always such a good boy…and I am really proud of him."
Don't say that…please don't say things like that…
Sirius pressed his face even harder into Aurelius' chest, so hard that it hurt, but the pain helped to distract him from the things Aurelius had said.
I want you to be proud of me. I want you to love me…I want to be your good boy…
He knew it would never happen though- as soon as Aurelius would find out what he had done in Snape's class, he most certainly would not even care to pretend in public anymore. There would be no more hugs, no more kisses, no more belly rubs- he was lucky if Aurelius even let him live.
"I love you, big brother", he whispered quietly, "you are my favorite brother in the whole world."
He could feel Aurelius kissing him on the top of his head, "love you too, little bro", he was smiling, "being such a good boy for me…"
This time, he did not force back the tears, but he made sure Aurelius did not see or hear him cry.
They sat in silence for the next ten minutes, until Aurelius finally sighed and put down his pen, "alright, I am done- how about you guys?"
"I am done, too", Martin said, and the other boy just nodded, "we should go back to class", he eventually suggested.
"We should", Aurelius agreed, "Scipius- I want you to go to your dormitory and lay down until dinnertime, okay?"
"Yes, Aurelius."
Another kiss, "good boy…", Aurelius murmured and carefully stood up with him and then he gently put him down, "I'll see you later, little brother."
Yeah, you will- but then you won't call me good boy anymore.
Sirius nodded, stretching out his arms for one last hug and Aurelius laughed softly, "you are quite the little spider monkey today, aren't you?", but he pulled him in a hug, "gotta go now."
Sirius nodded again, and then he watched Aurelius and his friends leave the library, the lump in his throat enormous. If he was lucky, he had until dinner until Aurelius found out- but it was more likely that everyone was going to talk about it at lunch time…
He took a deep breath and made his way to the dorms- there was no reason to anger Aurelius any more by disobeying him now.
The dorms were empty, and quiet, and he lay on his bed and closed his eyes, waiting for the inevitable.
And it happened hours later in the form of Colin who came running into the dorms, catching his breath, "Sci…pius…here you are!"
Sirius looked at him, a resigned expression on his face, "let me guess, my…"
"I wanna tell you thank you for helping me", Colin interrupted him, panting, "they are all taking about you, and they think you are a hero! No one ever stood up to Snape like that!", he smiled, "I mean, the Slytherins are pretty mad at you, and even Dumbledore heard about what happened!"
Sirius swallowed; this was worse than he thought.
"Anyways, before I forget- your brother wants to see you. He said it's urgent."
Here we go.
Sirius got off the bed, "did he…say something else?", he asked, his voice not more than a whisper.
"No…well, he said it's urgent and something about a surprise for you", Colin answered earnestly, "he probably thinks you are a hero, too and wants to give you something!"
Sirius wanted to laugh and cry at the same time.
God, Colin was naïve- so naïve…
"Thanks…for telling me. I better go see him right away."
No point in letting him wait- he'll get even more angry.
So, he left the dorms, and he walked through the hallway, and he could see the students pointing at him and whispering, and he went to the old quarters of the Founders, and with the last tiny bit of bravery he had left, he knocked on the door.
And then the door opened, and there he was- Aurelius.
Game. Over.
The second day was even worse than the first one.
He had to take a shower again, and he wasted about twenty minutes combing his hair, and another thirty minutes finding an outfit that was matching and appropriate and when he finally got to the dining room to eat his breakfast, he felt annoyed.
I could have been doing something useful- but no, here I am, looking like some rich kid, eating breakfast with plastic cutlery.
Gryffindor still did not allow him to use real cutlery, and by now, he found it even more humiliating than he had in the beginning.
"Good morning, Tom", Gryffindor was smiling at him, "your hair looks very nice today."
Who. Cares. About. That. Damn. Hair.
He had gotten used to Gryffindor calling him Tom- he only called him Tommy when he was being a good boy, and he got called Thomas when he was- and he hated that word- naughty.
"Good morning, Sir", Tom replied, forcing his voice to be respectful, "thank you for complimenting my hair- I spent twenty minutes combing it."
Gryffindor seemed amused, "twenty minutes, hmm? I should show you a way to comb it faster."
"Would that way involve cutting it?"
"It would not", Gryffindor seemed even more amused, "have a seat, Tommy. I hope you like bacon and eggs for breakfast."
Yes, Yes, Yes!
"I certainly do not mind bacon and eggs", Tom replied haughtily and sat down, "thank you, Sir."
"You are welcome, Tommy", Gryffindor's voice was soft, "and after breakfast, you will meet in the library- and you will study until lunch just like yesterday."
He looked down, feeling defeated, "yes, Sir."
He hated studying- the books were difficult, and he was not allowed to talk or walk around, and he had to write nicely- that was the worst part. The day before, Gryffindor had told him he could not even read his scrawly handwriting, and then he had taken the work of almost two hours and had dumped it in the trash, and he had been forced to write it again. He had felt angry, and ashamed, and resentful, but he could not show it, instead, Gryffindor had made him apologize and had let him sit in the library until he was done.
Just get through today- and tomorrow, you will be free.
He carefully ate his breakfast, he knew how to use his fork and knife by now so that he would not spill or stain anything because if he did, Gryffindor would take his food away and give him soup again.
After breakfast, Gryffindor made him wash his hands, another completely useless procedure, and then he quietly followed the Founder into the library.
"I want you to read chapter 4 and 5 of this book and answer the questions here- and then you will learn these lessons here…and this one you will memorize. Any questions?"
Why do I need to learn this stupid shit?
"No, Sir."
"Good- you have three and a half hours, so do not slack around- you know what will happen if you do not finish your work in time."
Tom swallowed, that he did know- he would get the cane again, Gryffindor would force him to hold out his hands and the cane would come down, and it would hurt…it would hurt a lot.
"I will be in my study, if you have any questions, come and see me."
"Yes, Sir."
Gryffindor smiled, "you are doing very well so far- keep it up and I will let you out tonight."
Tom's heart started to beat faster in excitement, "for real? I don't have to wait til tomorrow?"
Gryffindor just silently raised an eyebrow, and Tom blushed, feeling humiliated, "I mean…I do not have to wait until tomorrow, Sir?"
"Good boy- and no, you do not- unless you misbehave today."
"I…I won't, Sir."
His smile turned soft again, "good. Now, get to work, Tom. I will see you later."
"Yes, Sir", Tom sat down at his desk and looked at his assignments. It was a lot- he would have to work without a break until lunch to get done, but he could get it done.
I will be the last one laughing, Gryffindor.
And then, he started to work.
Time was flying, and he was surprised when Gryffindor eventually came back, "it is time for lunch, Tom. Are you done?"
Tom blinked and put down the book, "I just finished, Sir."
"Good job, Tommy", Gryffindor praised him, and even though he wanted to tell himself that it did not matter, he felt a warm, happy sensation inside him upon the praise, "come on, time for lunch- I will look at your work later."
Tom immediately got up, feeling relieved, "may I ask you something, Sir?"
"You may."
"What…am I going to do after lunch?"
Please don't say quiet time, please don't say…
"You will go to your room for some quiet time."
Tom closed his eyes, quiet time had been the worst part about yesterday, and it looked like it was going to be the worst part of today as well.
Gryffindor would take him to his room again like he was some toddler needing a nap- and then he would have to lay in his bed, and Gryffindor would tell him a story, and then he would hum something, something…soothing, and then he would put a blanket around him, a light, cozy blanket, and then…he would fall asleep like a little boy, and that was definitely the worst part.
He remembered how embarrassed he had felt the day before when he had realized that he had fallen asleep, and he had been even more embarrassed by the fact that he had liked Gryffindor's story, and he had liked when he had put the blanket around him- it had been so…new, and strange…and comforting.
"May I ask another question, Sir?"
"Tommy…quiet time is not negotiable. You are tired after working hard all morning, something you are not used to anymore, so you will take a nap."
I. Don't. Take. Naps!
He was struggling now, and Gryffindor saw it because he slowly pulled him into a hug, "shhh…I know…but you have to trust me on this, Tom."
"I…I don't want to…", his voice was thick with tears suddenly and Gryffindor smiled, "I know you don't want to- but you will have to if you don't want to get punished. Come on, let's go eat lunch."
Tom had no choice but to follow him, and he stayed silent during lunch, even though the house elves served him one of his favorite meals- pumpkin pasties.
And after lunch, he had to go up to his room with Gryffindor, the room he had spent hours and hours of cleaning and organizing the day before, and then Gryffindor made him lay down, and he told him an imaginative story about dragons, and fairies, and wizards, and he absorbed every word of it, wonder in his eyes, and then Gryffindor tucked him in, and he hummed something again, and Tom was watching him, determined to stay awake this time, but he could not stop his eyes from getting heavier, and he could not stop his breath from getting more evenly, and minutes later, he was asleep.
He woke up an hour later, feeling well rested and ashamed at the same time, and because he knew he was only hours away from freedom, he brushed his hair again and went back to the library.
Gryffindor was already expecting him, "had a good nap, Tom?"
I. Don't. Take. Naps!
He winced, "yes…Sir."
"Good boy", Gryffindor praised him, and this time, he was not sure what the praise was for, but nevertheless, it made him feel good.
"I have been looking at your work from this morning."
He swallowed hard, "ye...yes, Sir?"
Gryffindor smiled, "it is not perfect- but getting there. A couple more months and you will be at the level I want you to be at."
A couple more months? No way. No way in HELL am I doing this for a couple more months!
"Yes, Sir."
"Now, is your room cleaned?"
It's not my room.
"Yes, Sir."
"Is your work all done?"
"Yes, Sir."
"Did you apologize for being rude?"
"Yes, Sir."
"And have you been a good boy for me?"
Tom swallowed, the weird feeling in his stomach was back, "Yes…Sir."
"Well, in that case- ", Gryffindor paused and winked at him, "in that case, I think you have earned the right to go outside."
Yes, YES, I did it, I really did it!
"Thank you, Sir!"
For some reason, Gryffindor let out a small laugh, "don't thank me yet, Tom", he got up, "now, I still have some things to do, but right after dinner, you may go- and until then, you may do whatever you please."
Yes!
"Can I…"
"May I", Gryffindor corrected him mildly, "the rules have not changed, Tom."
Tom bit his lips, reminding himself yet again how close he was to freedom.
"May I go change into something more…more…", he struggled finding the right word, but just like most of the time, Gryffindor seemed to understand him, "more appropriate for the outside?", he finished his sentence, smiling in amusement.
"Ye…yes, please."
"You may- and if you get hungry, feel free to join us for the five o' clock tea in the parlor."
"Will…there be biscuits again, Sir?"
"Yes- and chocolate cake, too", Gryffindor replied softly, "your favorite, if I remember it correctly."
Why would you even remember that?
"Thank you, Sir", he eventually responded stiffly, "I will see you…later", he did not know why but he needed to be alone for a while, so he turned around and went upstairs to his room- or, to be exact, the room he was forced to sleep in- and then he took a long time picking an outfit to go outside in. It had to be casual and warm, and he would need a darker color to be able to hide at night- and something that was plain, and would not generate any kind of buzz.
He finally picked a black hoodie with pockets and some blue jeans, feeling quite satisfied with his choice.
Later, he did join the Founders for some tea and chocolate cake, and then spent the time until dinner by looking outside the huge windows in the living room, getting more and more excited by the second.
At dinner, he was barely able to eat, even though he told himself that he did not know how long he would have to go without food and water and therefore, should eat and drink as much as possible- and to avoid to be force fed again as well.
He eventually managed to eat everything on his plate, and as soon as he had taken the last bite, he looked at Gryffindor, "ca…may I go now? Please? I ate everything, even the carrots."
"Good boy, Tommy", Gryffindor smiled and got up, "let's go then."
Tom immediately rose, grinning from ear to ear.
I get to leave, I get to go outside, no more stupid showers, and no more studying, and no more naps, and no more green beans, and no more punishments!
Gryffindor took him right to the patio, and the sun was setting now, and Tom got even more excited. The sunset would look spectacular from the park, and also, it meant that it would be dark enough soon for him to hide somewhere- and then escape.
He knew that there were spells that would prevent him from climbing over the fence or even touching it, so he had come up with some ideas. His plan was to either climb a tree by the fence and jump over, or to dig a hole under the fence, preferably near some water so the digging wouldn't be too difficult.
"There is one more thing we need to do", Gryffindor now said calmly, interrupting his thoughts, "do you know what this is?", and he held something up- and Tom wanted to die.
No. No. No. This is not real, this is not happening, he can't…that bastard, I won't…
But he was not able to talk, to respond, to yell at Gryffindor, to tell him to go fuck himself, all he could do was stare- his face as white as a ghost.
No. Please. No.
Anyone wanna guess what Gryffindor got for him? XD Well, let's just say it's another way to humiliate Tom...more of that and what's gonna happen between the "brothers" now will be in the next chap!
Feedback is appreciated ;)
xoxo, Antonie :)