hey, back with chapter 19! Getting closer and closer to the (happy) ending ;)
Thank you Anonymous for your review! :)
WARNING: Small SPANKING scene (like, tiny), and corporal punishment and regular punishment- just lots of punishment lol.
"I am afraid I have some bad news", Aurelius announced glumly, raking a hand through his hair, while he came closer to the table Sirius was working on.
Sirius looked up from his homework. He was in the library, working on his assignment for McGonagall.
It was almost dinnertime; therefore, the library was pretty much empty.
"Something…wrong with the plan?", Sirius asked quietly, worry in his eyes.
They were supposed to steal the elder wand tonight after dinner- and everything was ready.
"Dumbledore is gone- he is attending some conference for headmasters in Scotland, and he is coming back in two or three days."
Sirius paled, "but…the replication of the cloak…"
"I know", Aurelius sighed and sat down next to him, "the replication will automatically disappear in one day- and then Harry will get suspicious, and it is not going to take long until he is coming after us."
"Can you…renew that replication spell somehow?"
"We would need the fake cloak for that- and how would we get that? There's no way Harry is going to give you his cloak again on such short notice."
"And…if we just take our chances? It's not like Harry is using the cloak every day."
"That's too risky, Sirius", Aurelius mumbled, "because if he does, we are screwed. He would run to Dumbledore to report his cloak missing- after all, Dumbledore is the one who gave Harry the cloak three years ago- and then Dumbledore will investigate."
Sirius bit his lips, "what are we going to do then?", he asked quietly.
"There's only one thing we can do at this point- to tell Harry the truth."
"What? No!"
"Lower your voice, Sirius!", Aurelius hissed, "and unless you have a better idea, we have to tell Harry."
"What about some…memory spells, like can't you make him forget that he even has the cloak?", Sirius blurted out.
"First of all, that would be illegal, second of all, such a spell does not exist- and if it would exist, I doubt that my magical abilities would be sufficient enough to cast such a spell", Aurelius answered matter-of-factly, "besides- why are you against telling Harry the truth? You did nothing wrong."
Sirius let out a bitter laugh, "I slapped Harry in the face the night Gryffindor took me with him- I came into his dorm, I cursed, I was drunk, like I was every night- and we got into a fight. He asked me to leave but I refused to listen to him- and I sneered at him, I was…horrible to him."
"You are not that person anymore, Sirius", Aurelius replied softly, "you have changed."
Sirius took a deep breath, "yeah…I guess I have", he eventually said, knowing that he could thank Gryffindor and Aurelius for that- otherwise he would probably still spend his days drinking, tormenting Snape, and hurting his godson.
"Harry has already forgiven you; you know that. He loves you."
"He always forgives me", Sirius admitted quietly, his voice full of guilt, "and…I keep disappointing him", he covered his face in his hands, blinking back the tears.
"Baby boy…", Aurelius sighed, and then he gently pulled him on his lap, "you are not disappointing anyone- in fact, when Harry hears about what you have done for the last weeks, he will be very proud of you."
"You think?", Sirius mumbled, snuggling closer, "cause I did some bad stuff, too- and you punished me a lot."
"There is no reason why Harry needs to know our private business, Sirius", Aurelius replied calmly, "but he will need to know about the plan if we are expecting him to help us."
"Okay…", Sirius whispered, his face pressed into Aurelius' chest, "I guess we can talk to him."
"Good boy", Aurelius gave him a soft kiss on his hair, "we will talk to him after his Quidditch meeting tonight- I know where they are meeting."
Sirius just nodded, "…kay…", he had closed his eyes, and Aurelius had to smile, "tired, baby boy?"
"Hmmm…"
"You have to eat dinner first and then we'll talk to Harry- but if you want, you can sleep with me in the quarters tonight- I told McGonagall that we would meet our father again- so we are excused until tomorrow afternoon."
"Cause you thought we would have the elder wand by then."
"Exactly", Aurelius carefully lifted him up, "come on, time for dinner- you know I can't carry you into the Great Hall."
"Lame", Sirius mumbled, but he obediently got up, "carry me later, though?"
"I'll carry you all night if you want me to", Aurelius grinned, "let's go now."
They went into the Great Hall and had dinner- and later, they waited for Harry to finish his meeting with the Quidditch team.
Around 8 pm, their patience got rewarded- Harry came out the small meeting room by himself, looking like he was deep in thought.
No one else was in the hallway, but they knew that the other team members would come out soon enough- so they wasted no time.
"Harry", Aurelius took a step forward, smiling broadly, "can we talk to you for a minute?"
Harry stopped, and looked at him, frowning, "is…this about the Seeker position?", he asked hesitantly.
"No, this has nothing to do with Quidditch", Aurelius assured him, "how about we go into one of the classrooms down the hall? This is rather…private."
Harry seemed to deliberate for a minute, but then he nodded, "okay. I've got some time."
They walked down the hallway and went into one of the empty classrooms.
It was strange being in a classroom at this time of the day- the room was dark, and cold, and quiet- which felt…weird.
Aurelius casted some Lumos spells, and with a wink of his hand, turned on the fire in the fireplace.
"What is this about?", Harry asked, curiosity in his voice, "and why do you both want to talk to me?"
"Uhm…why don't you sit down, Harry", Sirius suggested, "cause this might…surprise you."
Harry took a seat, and then he glanced over to Sirius, "you are…Scipius, right?"
"It's…Sirius, actually", Sirius answered quietly, waiting for the penny to drop.
The Potter stared at him for what felt like an eternity, "this…is a joke, right?"
"It is not", Sirius replied, "I…I am really Sirius- and I can proof it to you. We…we had an argument the…the last time you saw me, I…I slapped you- and then Gryffindor took me with him and…turned me into my thirteen year old self."
"He told me he sent you to some rehabilitation center for your alcohol addiction!"
"Yeah- I know", Sirius was looking down now, "but…the truth is, I've been in Hogwarts all along- and Aurelius is actually Gryffindor's oldest son."
"But…why? I don't understand. Why did Gryffindor do this? Why are you in Hogwarts?"
"Maybe I should explain that", Aurelius interrupted, and then he proceeded to explain quickly and efficiently what the plan was about- without giving too much away.
After he had finished, there was a silence.
Harry was sitting in his seat, completely stunned.
Finding out that Dumbledore had been betraying him and was not the friendly, wise old man he pretended to be hurt him the most- after everything he had done for the headmaster…
"Dumbledore has been asking me a lot about the cloak lately", he admitted quietly, "he kept wanting to know where it is because he said he was afraid someone might steal it. I always had it in the dorms until then- but then I found another spot for it, but I lied to Dumbledore about it because the whole thing seemed…off somehow."
"You trusted your instincts", Aurelius remarked, "that was smart- otherwise Dumbledore would be another step closer to having all three magical artefacts."
"I always thought the story about the three brothers was just a fairytale", Harry tried to smile, "and…of course I help you. This is all crazy, but- I trust Gryffindor. You can keep the cloak, and I won't say a word to anyone."
"Thank you, Harry", Aurelius sounded as relieved as Sirius felt, "if there is any way you can get the cloak back later, I'll let you know."
Harry nodded, "what…is going to happen to you now?", he was looking at Sirius, "Gryffindor is going to transform you back, right?"
"I…I don't know", Sirius stuttered, glancing at his big brother for help, "I mean…it's been nice having a brother…and…", he did not know how to finish his sentence and bit his lips.
Aurelius came closer and put a hand on his shoulder, "why don't you let me talk to Harry for a minute in private?"
Sirius blinked, not liking this idea, "but I want…", he hung his head when Aurelius raised an eyebrow, "there is a storage closet next door- go and wait in there, please", his voice was calm, but had an edge in it, and Sirius immediately got up.
He walked over to the storage room, which had two doors- one that opened the small hallway in between the closet and the classroom, and one that opened the door to the actual storage space.
He went into the tiny hallway, and when he realized he was able to hear Aurelius and Harry, he hesitated.
He won't see me, he won't know that I am not in the closet, but in the hallway.
Sirius felt guilty for eavesdropping, but he was way too curious what Aurelius was going to tell Harry about him.
"Does that mean he is going stay a child forever?", he heard Harry say, he sounded agitated.
"No, not at all- he will age normally, which means he will get one year older every year- and the older he gets, the more he will forget about his old life."
"But…what if he wants his old life back at some point? He is my godfather- he is the only family I have!", now Harry sounded like he was about to cry and Sirius' heart clenched.
"I hate to say this to you- but Sirius has not been a responsible godfather", Aurelius answered calmly, "he was too immature to take care of you or help you- Remus Lupin has done a much better job doing that."
There was a silence and Sirius angrily balled his fists.
How dare you saying that about me!
"I agree", Harry finally said hesitantly, "he…was either drunk, or angry, or had so much energy that I did not know what to do with him- and he never really asked me how I was feeling…I often felt like I am the adult and he's the child."
"Precisely", Aurelius' voice was still calm, "you will have the chance to really get to know Sirius now- on a less formal level, with less pressure. My father has adopted him, which makes me his older brother- and I can tell you that much, he won't be acting like he did when he first was a student here- I'll make sure of that."
Yeah, I know that!
"He is very lucky to have you", Harry eventually said quietly, "I always wanted him to be happy- and to have a family."
"He's still part of your family, he always will be- and being Gryffindor's heir, you will always be part of our family, too", Aurelius told him kindly, "and my father is going to be very grateful when he hears that you are helping us."
"Thank you", he could hear that Harry was smiling, "he helped me, too- without his sword I would not have been able to kill the Basilisk two years ago."
"I'll make sure I tell him that", Aurelius promised, "now, it is getting late- but we will keep you updated, Harry."
"Thank you", Harry repeated and he could hear the noise of chairs being pulled back, "I will see you later- please let Sirius know that…I am happy for him…and…I will need some time to process all of this, but…I will talk to him when I am ready."
"I will. Have a good night, Harry."
"You too."
Sirius hastily opened the door to the storage closet, which squeaked a little, and pushed himself inside.
"Sirius? Come on out", he heard Aurelius call him, just in time, so he opened the door again and smiled innocently at his older brother, "are you done?"
"We are- I hope you did not eavesdrop."
"Course not", Sirius lied and pushed himself past him, "what did Harry say? Is he mad at me?"
"No, he is not mad at you- he told me to tell you that he is happy for you- he'll talk to you when he is ready."
"And what did you say? Something about me?", Sirius could not help himself to ask, still upset about what his brother had told Harry.
"I said quite a lot of things about you", Aurelius answered calmly, "did you really not listen to what we were saying?"
His heart sank.
"I already told you", he mumbled, not daring to look at his brother, "I was…in the closet."
"The whole time?"
He bit his lips, desperately trying to stop his face from blushing.
"Sirius…", Aurelius' voice sounded hard now, "if I have to ask you a third time, it will be worse for you- tell me the truth."
"Fine! Fine, I listened to everything, and I heard you calling me a bad godfather!", Sirius spat out, "thanks a lot for that by the way, how dare…", he stopped when he saw Aurelius' face darken, "I think you are forgetting who you are talking to, little brother. Let's go, we'll have a little talk in the quarters."
Sirius' revolt was over before it even had started, "no…no please, no spanking, I am sorry…please, please, don't spank me!", he was whimpering now, "I was just…curious…and…wanted to know what you would say to Harry about me."
"I understand- but that does not give you the right to lie to me or to be rude", Aurelius replied, "let's go."
They went back to the quarters in absolute silence- meeting nobody on the way, since most students were either in bed or in their Common Rooms.
Sirius started to tremble as soon as Aurelius had closed the door behind them, "please, I'll be good, please don't spank me, please don't!"
Aurelius was looking at him, frowning, "you are lucky it's late- I am too tired to spank you right now, even though you deserve it. You are getting punished though. Sit down at my desk."
Sirius immediately walked over to the desk, too relieved for words that Aurelius was not going to spank him, "you…want me to study, Aurelius?", he asked quietly.
"No- I want you to write I will not disobey my older brother- twenty times, and I expect perfect handwriting", he handed him a quill and took some white paper out of his drawer, "and while you work, you will be absolutely quiet. Did I make myself clear?"
"Yes, Aurelius."
"Good- let me know when you are done", he went back into the living room, and Sirius stared after him, feeling miserable.
He hated writing- and he was tired, and this was just…stupid.
Hesitantly, he dipped the quill into the inkpot, and started to write.
It was quiet, but that did not stop the thoughts from going in circles inside his head.
Sirius has not been a responsible godfather
He was too immature to take care of you
Not been responsible
Too immature
Not responsible
Immature…
He tried to force back the tears, but it was too late- some of them landed on his neatly written work, leaving wet marks. He grabbed some more paper, trying to dry the wet marks, but as a consequence, some of the ink smeared everywhere.
At least he can still read it.
With his fingers covered in ink, he kept writing- and due to the fact that he was wiping the tears away, his face was soon inky as well.
"I…am done, Aurelius", he called out minutes later, feeling absolutely drained. He knew his work was messy, but he did not care.
Aurelius came over, barely glancing at the paper, "you call that perfect handwriting?", and next thing he knew, Aurelius had ripped his work in half, "go wash your face and your hands, and then you will do this again- thirty times."
"That's not fair, I won't do that!"
"Forty times", Aurelius responded coldly, "and if you backtalk again, I will spank you- and you will write it fifty times. Do you understand me?"
Sirius had balled his inky hands into fists, "yeah, I guess", he spat out, knowing very well he was pushing the boundaries now.
Aurelius did not respond, he hauled him off the chair and delivered two hard swats to his backside, "keep up the attitude and the pants will come down. Now, let me ask you this again- do you understand?"
Sirius howled, "yes, yes, I understand! Please, no more!"
"Go to the bathroom- and then back to work. I am not taking this disrespect from you."
Sirius swallowed hard, but did as he was told- and when he was looking at his tired, inky face in the mirror in the bathroom, he had to sob.
He knew he was still upset about what Aurelius had told Harry- and if he had not eavesdropped, he would not be upset now- and he would not have to write lines like a naughty schoolboy…
Eventually, he went back to the desk- and this time, he was more careful, which was hard because he was even more tired now.
He worked in silence, a sad expression on his face.
"Almost done?", Aurelius suddenly came closer, making him jump, "I…no, I have…eight more", he mumbled.
"Let me see", Aurelius held out his hand and Sirius silently handed him his work.
"It's fine- you are all forgiven", his brother informed him calmly, "you are going to take a bath now, and then you are going straight to bed."
"Yes, Aurelius."
"I'll make you bubbles if you want", the older boy offered, but Sirius shook his head, "I'll just…take my bath by myself if that's okay."
He half expected Aurelius to be upset now, but the older boy just nodded, "that's fine, Sirius."
So, he took his bath by himself, without Aurelius sitting on the edge of the bath tub, and without any bubbles- and without his brother drying him off and kissing his wet hair telling him what a good boy he was.
He felt even more sad after, but he did not show it when he walked back into the living room, "I am going to bed now- goodnight", he turned around to go to the bedroom, and Aurelius called after him, "I do get to tuck you in, right?"
"I am too tired for that", Sirius lied, "goodnight."
He hurried into the bedroom, almost slamming the door behind him- and seconds later, he was under the covers, staring into the darkness.
He does not love me anymore- he did not even care that I wanted to take a bath by myself.
Sirius swallowed.
He's still mad cause I was rude to him- no wait, he said I was forgiven, so maybe he's mad cause…cause I wanted to take a bath without him?
He felt a headache coming, too exhausted to focus.
Maybe he's not mad…maybe he just respected my wishes? Or maybe he's sad now cause he thinks I am mad at him?
The thought of his older brother being sad because of him made his stomach clench, and before he knew it, he had gotten up and hastily went out the door.
He was barefooted, and his feet made some soft noise when he tapped down the hallway into the living room.
Aurelius was sitting on the couch, and he did not seem all surprised when Sirius came running towards him, sobbing, "I am sorry! I am sorry! I am so sorry, Relius!"
The older boy silently opened his arms, and in the next second, Sirius was clinging onto him like a life line, "don't want you to be sad!", he stammered, and Aurelius smiled, "what makes you think I am sad, baby boy?"
Baby boy.
Sirius started to cry, "cause I was rude, and I…lied when I said I don't want you to tuck me in, cause I was mad…and I spilled the ink cause I was crying, did not want to write it again, I…"
"Shhhh…it's alright, baby boy…you were upset about what I said to Harry, right?"
He sniffed, "yeah."
"That's why I told you to not listen, Sirius- some things are not meant for you to hear. I know this hurt you, but if you are being honest to yourself, you know I am right- I just rather would have discussed this with you when you are a little older."
He sniffed again, "sorry…for listening…", he mumbled, "and…for being rude…"
"As I said, you are all forgiven, baby boy- now, do I get to tuck you in?"
"Yeah", he was too embarrassed to look at his brother, "and…can you stay…and snuggle?"
Aurelius chuckled, he sounded amused, "yes, Sirius, we can snuggle. Come on."
"Carry…me?", his voice was quiet, but Aurelius had heard him and smiled, "of course."
He carried the younger boy into the bedroom, and then carefully tucked him in- and then he lay down next to him, pulling Sirius into an embrace, "my good boy…", he murmured, his voice full of love and affection, "you are going to sleep very well tonight…and you will have the sweetest dreams…"
Sirius listened to him quietly, blinking, snuggling as close as he could, "love…you…Relius…", he finally mumbled, and next thing he knew, he was asleep.
"I don't want to do this."
He was angry, and embarrassed, and annoyed- and just like before, Gryffindor completely ignored him.
"We will take this one as well", he told the saleswoman at Twilfitt and Tattings, smiling.
She eagerly grabbed the robe, "as you wish, Sir!", she was beaming, which was no surprise- the robe alone cost a small fortune, not to mention the pants and shoes and shirts Gryffindor was purchasing.
Tom frowned, hating this more and more, "I am going to look like an idiot."
"You are going to look like someone who they will trust- or do you think anyone will let you walk into their house looking like you just came from the stables?"
Tom balled his hands into angry fists, "I rather be in the stables than here!"
"I know", Gryffindor was smiling at him now, "remember what I promised you then."
Tom sighed in frustration, "you'll never be able to find a family like that- who lets me go horseback riding, and lets me work in the stables, and who…loves me, knowing who I am."
"Have a little trust in me", Gryffindor winked at him, "I will find you the perfect foster family, as long as you help me find the stone."
Tom grumbled something, and when the saleswoman came back, carrying at least a dozen robes, he groaned, "no, please, this is torture!"
"Thank you", Gryffindor casually took the robes, "do you have some suits, too?"
"Absolutely, Sir!", the woman was practically flying back to the sales room, leaving them alone in the fitting rooms once more.
"Suits?", Tom repeated, sounding disgusted, "I am not…"
"You are, Thomas", he sounded calm, but Tom could hear the underlining threat, "you are going to try all of this on, and you will smile while you do- and be polite."
Tom angrily grabbed another robe, "this is the fucking worst day of my life!", he spat out, "this is so fuc…"
"Language, Thomas", Gryffindor interrupted him coldly, "you know what happens to naughty boys who curse, don't you?"
"You wouldn't dare to do that here."
Gryffindor just smiled, and when the eager saleswoman came back with a whole pile of suits, he looked at her questioningly, "if you don't mind me asking, do you have a bathroom here? I would like to wash my hands- they get so sticky all the time; I think I need some extra strong soap."
"Yes, of course, Sir, that is not a problem at all, Sir!", the saleswoman hurried to assure, "we just got some big scented bars of soap- my personal favorite is the one with lavender and argan oil."
Lavender and argan oil? Fuck me…
"Thank you- I will definitely give that one a try as soon as we are done here", Gryffindor was smiling at her, and it only sounded like a threat to Tom's ears, "and before I forget- we need some hats as well."
"Coming right back, Sir!", the woman chirped and sped off, and Gryffindor turned around to look at Tom, "now, what's it going to be, Thomas?", he asked him causally, "behave- or trying out some lavender scented soap?"
"I'll behave", his voice was quiet, "just…please…"
Please don't do that to me.
"Good boy- smart decision", Gryffindor was smiling, "pick some robes and some suits- we are going to buy at least three more of each."
"Yes, Sir."
He tried on the rest of the clothes in silence, not caring at all which ones Gryffindor would eventually buy for him.
"Does your son need some socks as well?", the saleswoman asked, and that kicked him right out of his silence, "I am not his son", he hissed, "he's…"
"I am his private tutor", Gryffindor interrupted him, "we are taking part in an international competition, hence the new clothes."
"I understand", the saleswoman responded politely, "and I apologize for the mistake- it's just, you look very much alike."
"No, we don't!", Tom spat out, not able to control his temper any longer, and Gryffindor's smile froze, "would you excuse us for a moment? The bathrooms are down the hall, right?"
No! Please, no!
"Yes, second door on the left, Sir."
Gryffindor pulled him along in complete silence, and Tom followed, dreading what was about to happen.
The bathroom was empty- and Gryffindor wasted no time, "open your mouth, face the ceiling- you get three minutes."
"Please, Sir, please, I am sorry!" he was sobbing, the smell of the soap making his stomach turn, "I don't want this!"
"And I don't want to be embarrassed by your temper tantrums any longer", Gryffindor replied, his voice hard, "open up, Thomas- the longer you wait, the more minutes I will add."
Tom started to cry, "I'll behave, I promise, I'll be good!"
Gryffindor ignored him, he took the soap and gently pushed it in Tom's mouth, "now, look up- all the way."
"MMMHHMMH!"
No, please, this hurts, ohmygod, this hurts!
The smell and the foam made him want to gag, and he was crying so hard he could not even see.
"Mmmmhh…mmmh!"
Please, Daddy, no more!
Realizing he had just called Gryffindor Daddy in his head made him gag for real then- he threw up, spitting foam and bile and soap and the lunch he had had with Gryffindor at The Leaky Cauldron all over the bathroom floor.
He was trembling, feeling awful, and scared, and ashamed.
"I…I…"
"Shhhh…it's alright, Tommy. You did not breathe through your nose, I should have reminded you", Gryffindor said, casting a quick cleaning spell on the bathroom floor and him, "are you okay?"
"Yes, I am fine."
I am not fine.
"You don't seem fine", Gryffindor responded quietly, "look, I know you don't want to do any of this- but I have to get the stone, I have to."
"I know", Tom stared on the floor, "I know the plan is important."
More important than me.
"I wish it wasn't- I wish there was not so much at stake here. I am sorry, Tom."
No, you're not.
"It's okay", he forced himself to smile, "just…can we go now? Please?"
"Yes, we can go- we have everything we need anyway. As I told you at lunch, I think I know where the village is- it's a small town called Somermis Cove, located on the southern coast of Cornwall."
"Okay."
He did not know what else to say.
Gryffindor sighed, "it will be quick, I promise- the village is very small, there is only about two dozen houses that come into question anyways."
"Okay."
"Come here, Tommybear", Gryffindor's voice had changed, it was soft now, "you are my good boy, you know that? And I am so proud of you for doing all this- especially since you don't want to."
Tom did not resist when Gryffindor pulled him into a hug, "I am only doing this because you promised you would find a family for me", he said hoarsely, "and after this is over, I hope I'll never have to see you again."
Liar.
"I know", Gryffindor sounded resigned, and…sad, and this time, he was definitely not imaging it, "and I hope you will understand…", he sighed again, "let's go, Tommy."
They walked out of the bathroom, and then Gryffindor paid an insane amount of money for the clothes, and then they apparated back to the orphanage.
It was dinner time, and everyone was already eating, talking, and laughing- and Tom sat down, feeling numb, and sad, suddenly wishing he had never met Gryffindor before- at least then he would not know what could have been…
yeah...in the next chap, sirius and aurelius go for dumbles wand, and tom and godric go for the stone- and there will be spanking, and a lot of Godric/ Tom fluff (about time!)
I'd love some feedback :)
xoxo,
Antonie :)