Helloooo, this is me with chapter 18! :)
Thank you to the best of the best, Anonymous, lilyflower101, and luvinmylife247365 for your awesome reviews! :)
WARNING: Godric being an ass to Tom yet again, but Karma gets him right away for it. Lol.
It was Monday and he was back in class. Everything was the same, Snape had even allowed him- grudgingly- to come back to Potion's class, but at the same time, everything was different.
First of all, when he had run into Aurelius this morning, the older boy had smiled at him, and had told him to meet him in the quarters in the afternoon- and then he had kissed him and had quietly whispered in his ear how much he loved him.
No one else had heard that, because no one else was supposed to hear those things anymore- they were not pretending for the public anymore, and Sirius had enjoyed having a private moment with his older brother.
Aurelius had made a little speech in the Common Room before breakfast, apologizing about the match, stating that he had not been feeling well- and had promised everyone to pay them back their betting money.
Charming as he was, his fans had readily come back- but Aurelius and Sirius both knew that it would not take long for them to turn their back on him again.
Aurelius had also paid back all the other students, and since he was probably the richest student who ever attended Hogwarts, that had not been an issue.
As a consequence, the buzz about the Quidditch game had quickly died down- after all, there were other things to discuss now, like the preparations for the Halloween party which was the following month.
Sirius had returned the fake cloak to Ginny, who had given it back to Harry, but at the same time, Gryffindor had given them the original again- now all they needed was a plan to steal the elder wand quickly and efficiently.
Sirius knew that his brother would most likely ask him about his ideas, and he still wanted to make him proud, badly, so his thoughts kept wandering off, and instead of listening to Professor Binns' monologue, he soon started scribbling down ideas.
No one else was paying attention either, and Professor Binns did not even seem to notice- or he simply did not care. Half the class was dead asleep minutes later, and Sirius had all the time in the world to think about the plan.
History of Magic was the last lesson for today, and he was just as relieved as everyone else when it was finally over.
Lunch was loud and noisy, and he sat next to Colin, who knew all about the new plan- and was not shy in giving him some suggestions, too.
After lunch, he raced to the quarters without even bothering to bring his bag back to the dorms, too excited to go over his ideas with Aurelius.
His brother was already expecting him, smiling broadly, "hey there, baby boy- come on in. Did you run here all the way?"
"Yeah", he was panting as he came inside, "want to tell you my ideas!"
"You will have all the time in the world to do that- after you washed your face and your hands", Aurelius answered, and calmly pointed at the bathroom door, "go ahead, Sirius."
Sirius sighed, but he knew better than to disobey his older brother- so he went and washed his sweaty face and his hands with warm water and soap, and then he raced back to the living room, "I've got a lot of ideas!", he started excitedly, and Aurelius had to laugh, "come here, let's sit on the couch then and you can tell me all about them- I just hope you did not think about the plan during class", he had pulled him on his lap, and Sirius immediately snuggled into him, glad that Aurelius could not see the blush on his face, "I just thought about it during lunch- and this morning, too. Colin had some ideas as well", he replied, knowing very well that he was lying- but he could not tell Aurelius that he had spent his whole History of Magic class with writing down ideas.
"Well, go ahead and start then- since you look like you are about to burst any second."
"Not true!", he protested, but he was laughing, "alright, so this is what I think…", and he began explaining some ideas to Aurelius, and his brother was listening attentively.
"This is really good, Sirius", he praised him after he was done, and Sirius started to glow with pride, "I've got some more stuff written down!", he said, rushing over to his bookbag, completely forgetting when he had written his ideas down, so he excitedly grabbed his notes and handed them to Aurelius, "what do you think?"
His older brother read the notes carefully, "you have some good points here", he paused, and Sirius was beaming now, "I just wish you had not used your History of Magics class to write them down."
Oh Shit.
Sirius paled, and the smile had vanished from his face, "I…I…the lesson was really boring, so…"
"So, you decided you don't have to pay attention to your professor?", Aurelius' voice was calm, but had an edge of steel in it, and Sirius winced, "no…I mean…the plan is more important…right?", he knew he was getting desperate now, hating to make his brother upset.
Aurelius did not respond, he just looked at him silently, and Sirius began to tremble, "please…I know lessons are important, I…I am sorry…I won't do it again."
"No, you won't", Aurelius agreed, his voice still very calm, "do you have any idea what would have happened if someone saw these notes? Or if Professor Binns took them from you and showed Dumbledore?"
Sirius forced back the tears, "no…no I did not think about that", he whispered guiltily.
Aurelius sighed, "you know I have to punish you- not only for the fact that you risked exposing us, but you also did not pay attention in class and you lied to me."
"I am sorry, I am sorry! Please, I am so sorry!", Sirius started to cry, "please don't spank me, please don't, I'll do anything…"
"I wasn't going to spank you in the first place, Sirius", Aurelius replied, "but you will get corner time- 10 minutes. Go face the wall, and if you talk or move, I'll add another five minutes."
The punishment wasn't even that bad, but Sirius was still sobbing all the way to the corner, knowing that he had disappointed his brother- and that hurt more than anything else.
Now he's gonna hate me again for being so stupid.
Not being able to cry and tell Aurelius how sorry he was, was pure torture- but still, he managed to stay absolutely quiet.
"Time's up, Sirius", Aurelius finally said, "come over here."
Sirius slowly walked back, not daring to look at his older brother.
"Eyes up, Sirius."
He swallowed and carefully lifted his head, surprised to see Aurelius smile, "you did good- and you are all forgiven, baby boy. Just promise me that you will not use the lessons to think about the plan again, hmm?"
"I promise, I promise!", Sirius answered hastily, and relief flooded through him when Aurelius pulled him into a hug and gave him a soft kiss on his head, "good boy- now, do you want to hear my ideas?"
"Yeah, of course!", he was smiling now, too and then they went back to the couch, and Aurelius told him his ideas, and then they spent the next two hours developing a plan- and when Sirius returned to his Common Room late in the afternoon, he rushed to find Colin- because they had a plan now, a real plan, a plan that would most likely work.
He knew he was making a mistake, and he knew that what he was about to do would probably destroy their already wrecked relationship forever, but he had no choice- if Dumbledore found out that Tom had the stone, he would not hesitate to get it from him- by all available means.
Therefore, he went back to the orphanage the very next day. He saw a group of boys playing and laughing in the park, and he went closer, secretly hoping Tom would be among them.
He was not.
"Sir, are you looking for someone?", a red- haired boy with freckles all over his face asked him respectfully, effectively pausing the game.
"I am looking for Thomas- Tom. Have you seen him?"
The freckled boy shrugged, "Tom? Last time I saw him was at breakfast- but he wasn't eating anything", he turned to the other boys, "have you guys seen Tom?"
One of them snorted, "I haven't- thank God", and some others laughed, confirming to Gryffindor what he had known all along- Tom had made no friends here, just enemies.
"Why does he not play with you?", he could not help to ask, and the freckled boy shrugged again, "I asked him to join us for soccer the other day- he almost bit my head off, and told me I should leave him the hell alone with my childish bullshit. After that, I did not ask him again."
Gryffindor just nodded, "thank you. I am sorry for the way he has been treating you, I will talk to him about that."
"Are you…his dad?", another, small boy asked shyly, "you look a lot like him."
Gryffindor smiled, "it is complicated", he eventually said, "anyways, it was nice meeting you all."
The boys bowed their heads respectfully, and then went on with their game, while Gryffindor went to find Tom.
As the day before, he found him in a remote part of the park, sitting in a tree and throwing leaves on the ground.
Tom's eyes went wide in shock when he saw him, "what…what are you doing here again?", he stuttered, clearly not expecting him to come back that quickly.
"I need to talk to you", Gryffindor responded calmly, "it's important."
Tom swallowed, "is…did something happen with Dash?", he blurted out, sounding scared, "or…Salazar?"
"No, they are all doing well- except for the fact that they miss you", Gryffindor answered softly, "can you come down, Tommybear? This is nothing to discuss in a park."
Tom stared at him for what felt like an eternity, but then he finally climbed down the tree, avoiding to look at him the whole time.
"Is there a place inside we can talk privately?"
Tom bit his lips, "yeah…I guess we could use one of the first time meeting rooms."
"Meeting rooms?"
He still refused to meet his eyes, "every second Saturday, they invite potential adoptive parents- and when they picked a kid they liked, they all meet in those rooms to get to know each other better."
They started to walk back to the building in silence, until Gryffindor could not bear it any longer.
"Was there an event like that last Saturday?"
"Yeah."
He sounded heartbroken, and defeated all at once and Gryffindor closed his eyes.
This is all my fault.
"Did…did anyone want…", he could not bring himself to finish his sentence.
Tom let out a bitter laugh, "to meet me? Course not. Not that I care- I don't need a family."
"You already have a family, Tom", Gryffindor replied, forcing his voice to be steady, "you know, Salazar and I are…"
Tom snorted, "don't be ridiculous. You replaced me for your real sons the first chance you got."
"That's not true, I…"
"We're here", Tom interrupted him coldly, "so, what do you want to talk about?", he closed the door behind them, and made no attempt to sit in one of the chairs by the round table in the middle of the room, instead, he stayed by the door, his arms crossed.
"Sit down, Tommy, this is going to take a while."
Something like fear flickered across his eyes, "you gonna punish me?"
"No- even though I should for the way you are treating the other boys here. Sit down."
Tom did not move an inch, "they're annoying."
Gryffindor sighed, "sit down. I am not going to ask you again."
Tom seemed to deliberate what to do for a moment, but then he slowly walked over to the desk and sat down in one of the chairs, "happy now?", he sounded sarcastic.
"If you drop the attitude, yes."
"Make me."
Gryffindor got up without saying another word, and then he walked over to Tom and dragged him out of his chair, "I think you need some time in the corner to think about your behavior- five minutes, and if I hear even the smallest noise from you, you'll get spanked. Are we clear?"
"Fuck you!"
"Six minutes then."
Tom was trembling now, his hands balled into angry fists, "you...you can't just walk in here and boss me around!"
"Seven minutes."
"You are such a bastard, I fucking hate you, you know that? I hate you!"
"Eight minutes- I can do this all day, Thomas. Go find yourself a corner, and stick your nose in it."
"How about you don't stick your nose into my private business?", he hissed back and Gryffindor raised an eyebrow, "nine minutes- and if I don't see you moving in three seconds, I bump it up to fifteen."
The boy glared at him with open hatred, but he knew him well enough to know he did not make empty threats- so he slowly walked to the corner and faced the wall.
"Good boy", Gryffindor said quietly, and he saw Tom's shoulders stiffen in response.
I am not a good boy, why don't you get that?
The next nine minutes passed in silence; all they could hear was the ticking of the clock above the door.
Standing in the corner was incredibly boring- there was nothing to do, nothing to see, and nothing to entertain him other than his own miserable thoughts.
Why does he keep coming back here? Why does he not leave me alone?
He had no answer for his questions, and even though he did not want to, after several minutes of staring at the white wall in front of him, he felt…calmer somehow. More relaxed and more…at ease.
I guess that's why he's putting me in the corner in the first place- so I can calm down, just like a naughty toddler in time- out.
That thought was humiliating, and yet, strangely comforting.
"Time's up, Tommybear", Gryffindor's soft voice finally interrupted his thoughts, "are you ready to behave for me now?"
Tom turned red with mortification, and since he did not trust his voice enough to speak, he just nodded.
"Good boy, Tommy- you are being such a good boy for me", Gryffindor praised him again, his voice filled with affection, "come here and sit down."
Tom slowly walked back over, and sat down in the same chair he had been sitting in before, watching Gryffindor taking a small vial out of his pocket, "what…what is that?", his voice sounded hoarse.
Gryffindor smiled, "no punishment, don't worry- this is just some Veritaserum."
Tom flinched, "why? I never lied to you, why do you even…"
"Shhh…calm down, Tom. I know you don't lie to me, but this is very important- I need to ask you some questions about the Resurrection Stone", he looked him straight in the eyes, "Salazar believes that you have it- being his heir."
There was a silence, and finally, Tom laughed humorlessly, "I get it now- the cloak, the elder wand, the stone- damn, I was such an idiot…you are after the Deathly Hallows."
"Yes, I am", there was no reason to deny it, "and Dumbledore is as well- we got the cloak, and we have a plan to get the elder wand this week, so all we need…"
"…is me being a good boy and helping you get the stone", Tom finished his sentence sarcastically, "just…why should I?"
That was exactly what he had feared.
"If you don't help me, Dumbledore will make you help him", he answered calmly, "and his methods are probably going to be a lot less friendly than just giving you Veritaserum."
"Are you…threatening me?"
"I am just warning you- remember what he did to you while you were at the detention center? His thugs almost killed you- what do you think he will do with you when he finds out that you have the stone?"
Tom paled, "but…you won't let that happen, right?", for the first time, he sounded like a scared little boy, and Gryffindor smiled softly, "no, Tommy- I am going to protect you, as long as you help me get the stone."
"So…you are blackmailing me then."
He shrugged, "if you want to call it that- fine by me. There's too much at stake here, and if Dumbledore gets the Deathly Hallows before we do, he will destroy the wizarding world- and everything we worked for."
"How do even know that?"
"Because I know Dumbledore. He is power- hungry, and arrogant, and he does not care the slightest about anyone else than himself."
Tom snorted, "and that does not sound familiar to you?"
"Do you need more corner time, Thomas?", his voice had gotten low, "I told you, this is too important to joke about- and if you help me, you will get a reward."
Tom stayed still for about a minute, "a…reward? So, now you are bribing me?"
Gryffindor ignored his question, "is there anything you want?", he prompted, "anything?"
I want you to take me with you.
"Freedom", he finally said quietly, because he knew Gryffindor would not let him come back without him answering his stupid question about why he was here, "I want my freedom."
"You are fourteen years old; how do you think that would work? I can't just let you run off, and where would you even go? Back to the Death Eaters? Back to wasting your time with playing around?"
He stiffened, "I wasn't playing around!", he hissed, an angry sparkle in his eyes, "besides, freedom is the only thing I am interested in."
Gryffindor sighed, "I could find another orphanage for you", he eventually suggested, his voice hesitant, "or…a family, you could come ba…"
"I am not coming back to play happy family with you and your spoiled brats", Tom sneered, "but you know what? You could find me a family, preferably some family with a single mother and no annoying siblings."
Every word was a stab in his gut, and he had to control himself to keep his composure, "Tom…you can't mean that, I told you I want you to come back, I…I love you, Tommy."
There. He said it.
Tom stared at him for a moment in shock, and then- he burst out laughing, "damn, you are really going all the way now to get this stone, right? You love me? Bullshit- you love power, and being in control- and I am sick of being manipulated by you. I won't help you."
Gryffindor did not want him to see how much his cold rejection hurt, "I can find you a foster family if that's really what you want", he finally said, his voice hollow.
"What I really want is you to leave."
"I can't do that, you know that. I need you to tell me where the stone is, Tom."
Tom grinned mockingly, "I have no idea where the stone is, Gryffindor."
He was lying, obviously, and suddenly, something inside him snapped, "fine- have it your way then", he grabbed the Veritaserum and got up, "this will be similar to the time I had to force feed you- but again, if you don't want things done the easy way, I will have to hurt you."
Tom got up so hastily that his chair fell over, "stay…stay away from me!", he shouted, fear in his eyes and his voice, "don't…don't touch me, you bastard!"
Gryffindor casted a quick silence spell on the room, and then he casually picked up the kicking and screaming boy, and sat down with him, pulling him on his lap, "there you go- always being the rebel, hmm?"
He opened the vial with one hand, while he held the struggling boy in his lap with the other hand, "open your mouth, Thomas."
As expected, the boy pressed his lips together tightly, fury in his eyes.
"Bad boy", Gryffindor said coldly, "last chance, Thomas- open. your. mouth."
His mouth stayed closed.
Gryffindor realized he was running out of options, and he really did not like to do this- but they were so close now, so close…
"MMMHHH!"
"Shshshsh…I know- just open your mouth, Tommy, be a good boy for me…", the boy kept struggling in panic, while Gryffindor calmly kept holding him- and at the same time, he was holding his nose, preventing him from breathing.
Tom was clearly realizing that there was no way out for him, so his struggles became livid- he kicked, and boxed, and tried everything he could to get away from him- but Gryffindor simply held him, and waited patiently.
"MMMMHHH!"
"I know, Tommy- you need to breath…come on, open your mouth, take a deep breath…there you go…open nice and wide…"
Tom gasped for air, red in his face, and Gryffindor wasted no time making him swallow the potion, "one more sip, Tommy…come on…", he held his face and made him swallow the Veritaserum until the last drop, "good boy…such a good boy…", he murmured, while Tom was gasping and coughing and swallowing, his eyes wet with tears.
"All done", Gryffindor announced calmly, "now, time for some questions- where is the stone?"
Tom coughed again, trying to get off his lap, but Gryffindor's grip was tight, "you are staying here until I am done with you- now, where is the stone?"
"I…I don't know", the boy smirked when Gryffindor paled, "did not expect that, right? I was telling the truth earlier- I really don't know where the stone is."
"But you had it at some point."
"Yes", Tom was forced to admit, he looked furious, "I hid it after Potter managed to almost kill me two years ago. I was half dead, and I remember apparating to this little fishing village by the sea- and I hid it in one of the little cottages there."
"What's the name of the village?"
"I don't know."
"Would you recognize the cottage?"
"Maybe."
Gryffindor groaned, "fantastic…all this for nothing…"
"I told you", Tom reminded him, trying to get more comfortable on his lap, "serves you right, Gryffindor."
He sighed, "I am sorry, Tom- Salazar has warned me before that I am getting too obsessed with the plan…and it happened again- I can only apologize."
"There is something else I remember", Tom admitted grudgingly, ignoring Gryffindor's apology, "the little village had a harbor- I remember seeing some ships…and there was a big office building with red bricks right by the shore."
"Thank you, Tom- that sure helps a lot."
"Are you gonna try to find that village now?", Tom asked curiously, still under the influence of the Veritaserum.
Gryffindor smiled, "not me- us. We are both going to find that village- and the stone."
hope you all liked it, I would love some feedback! :)
xoxo,
Antonie :)