heyho, sorry that this is kinda late! I did want to update today though, cause it's chapter 22 and it's the 22nd...hahaha, I know I am not funny :D

thank you to the most amazing reviewers, Anonymous and luvinmylife247365! :)

WARNING: Some CP in this chapter!

"We really did it."

Salazar smiled, "I know- unbelievable, right? Do you think Dumbledore already knows?"

"I doubt it- but in a couple of days, he will", Godric responded, looking at the magical artefacts in front of him again.

The cloak, the stone, and the elder wand- the Deathly Hallows. The most powerful magical things there were- and thanks to Aurelius, Tom, and Sirius, Dumbledore did not win the race to get them first.

"What is the next step?", Salazar asked, moving closer to him.

"The spell to combine them- and after that, we will basically be invincible."

"Aurelius told me that Sirius has asked about James and Lily Potter."

"I was thinking about them, too- and Neville's parents."

"I thought they were at the Mungo's hospital?"

"They are- tortured to insanity by Bellatrix Lestrange."

"Well, as soon as you said the spell, freeing them should not be an issue anymore."

Godric smiled, "it won't."

They were powerful alone, but combined, the Deathly Hallows were stronger than any wand, any spell and any curse- the power of them would not only allow them to relive the death, but also to time travel- and it would allow them to reverse spells, to change memories, to create a completely new wizarding world. In the wrong hands, this could mean misery and slavery, but they were not interested in forcing their opinions on someone, but rather help to build a fair and equal society for wizards and witches.

"Are you ready?", Salazar was smiling at him.

Godric nodded, and then he casted the spell, and minutes later, the Deathly Hallows were combined again- just like they had been thousands of years ago.

Let the games begin, Dumbledore.

Dash whinnied when he saw him, and Tom wanted to believe he was telling him he was glad to see him. He was certainly glad to see Dash- his dad had told him that he was allowed to spend all morning at the stables, so right after breakfast, he had taken off.

"Hey there", he murmured, gently petting the beautiful horse, "I missed you, Dash."

He started to work, enjoying the fact that he was able to take care of Dash by himself.

He had just started to muck Dash's box out when he suddenly heard footsteps behind him.

"Hi…uhm…Tom", Sirius slowly came closer, "Salazar told me you are here."

"Yeah, I am just cleaning Dash's box", Tom replied, unsure what else to say.

There was a silence.

"Do…you need any help?", Sirius finally asked, he sounded hesitant, "I mean…I don't know much about horses but…I thought…maybe you can…teach me?"

Tom blinked. This was new, having a little brother, having someone ask him to teach him something- and it felt strange.

"Sure, I'll teach you", he grinned at the younger boy, "grab a pitchfork from over there- first thing you are gonna learn is how to clean a box properly."

Sirius obeyed instantly, feeling giddy with excitement. Aurelius was not much of an outdoor or sports kind of guy, and Sirius loved being active and being outside, and he had always wanted a horse.

Moments later, they were working side by side, and Sirius tried hard to pay attention to everything Tom was saying.

"Now that the box is empty and cleaned, we can start putting fresh hay in", Tom eventually explained, "you start with the back of the box- here, I'll show you", Sirius observed every movement silently, following every single one of his directions obediently.

"Good job", Tom praised him, hesitantly, and Sirius looked at him, eyebrows raised, but he smiled and did not say anything.

They kept working, and Tom tried his best teaching Sirius the same way Gryffindor had taught him, he praised him constantly, let him try himself, and encouraged him if he did not get it right the first time, but it was hard- and he was not even sure if he liked teaching his younger brother.

"Hey…Tom?", Sirius finally said hesitantly.

"Yeah?"

"Thank you- you're a good teacher", he was smiling at him, and he could not even remember the last time anyone had told him something like that, and before he knew it, he was smiling back at the younger boy.

"You're a great student", he eventually responded, "do you want to be my assistant? I could need some help around here."

"Sure, if Dad lets me", Sirius was still smiling, "are you gonna pay me, too?", he was clearly joking.

"If you are doing a good job, I'll pay you one Galleon an hour", Tom answered earnestly, and he had to laugh at the face Sirius was making now, "you really thought I would let you work for free?"

"It's fun- Aurelius does not care much for outdoor stuff, so…"

"Well, good thing you don't have to do everything Aurelius does", Tom remarked, sounding more sarcastic than he had intended.

Sirius looked at him silently for a moment, "he's not that bad- you'll like him once you get to know him better."

Tom snorted, "I doubt it", he put his pitchfork down, "come on, let's take a break."

He showed him the hayloft, and they climbed up the ladder, and soon after, they were laying in a haystack.

"This is pretty cool", Sirius said, chewing on a piece of hay, "what are we gonna do next?"

"I have to count the sheep again- and then I want to saddle Dash and ride him for a little. Dad said I could try- he's tame enough now."

"Can I come?", he sounded excited, and Tom had to smile, "you can help me counting, but you can't ride with me."

"Why?"

"Dash does not know you well enough, and you are not really an experienced rider."

"But he knows you", Sirius pointed out, "so, I could just…"

"I said no, Sirius", Tom's voice was calm, "it's too dangerous."

"That's stupid."

Tom felt his frustration building, "look, I am not going to let you get hurt just because you want to ride Dash- but if you show me that you can handle a horse, I'll let you ride Moonlight."

"How do I show you if you don't let me ride with you?"

Tom did not realize Sirius was testing the boundaries, and as his older brother, he should not have engaged in a power play, but he was still clueless when it came to interacting with his brothers, "fine, you help getting Dash ready- and if you do it right, maybe you can ride Moonlight."

"I don't want to ride Moonlight", Sirius was pushing now, and Tom had no idea what to do about it- he was not used to dealing with a disobedient little brother.

"I told you, it's too dangerous", he finally repeated, and Sirius, who had realized by now that Tom had no clue how to get him back in line, tried a different approach, "I am sure Aurelius would let me", he was grinning, "he would not say it's too dangerous."

"I most certainly would say that, little brother."

Both boys turned around, they had not even realized that Aurelius had been standing by the ladder, listening to their conversation. He came closer now, an amused smile on his lips, "you are a bad boy, Sirius", he pulled him up and smacked his backside once, hard, "and I know what you've been trying to do here- and you will stop your little power play immediately, understood?"

Sirius blushed, feeling humiliated, "yes, Aurelius", he stared at the ground, and Tom blinked, feeling confused.

What is he talking about? What does he mean by power play?

"Now, I want you to apologize to Tom for being disobedient- and then you are going to spend some time in the corner over there while I am talking to your brother."

Sirius swallowed, his face was dark red, "I…am sorry, Tom", his voice was quiet, "I…I will ride Moonlight, just as you said."

Tom knew he was supposed to say something, but he had no idea what, "uhm…it's okay, Sirius", he finally mumbled, "you still want to count the sheep with me?"

"Of course", Sirius felt bad for a moment for trying to push the boundaries, "that sounds fun."

"Alright, let's go then", Tom turned towards the ladder, "we gotta count them before they head too far out in the field."

"Okay", Sirius went to follow him, at least he tried to, but Aurelius held him back, "you seem to have forgotten something, Sirius", his voice was cold, "corner, right now- you get ten minutes."

Sirius blushed again, and then he slowly walked over to the corner, facing the wall of the hayloft.

"It's fine- he already apologized", Tom sounded annoyed now, "this is just wasting time- come on, Sirius."

Sirius did not move though; he knew Aurelius well enough to not disobey him like that.

Tom on the other hand, got angry, "okay cool- I am gonna count the sheep by myself then. I don't need you. You can stay here all day for all I care- and don't forget to fucking kiss your brother's shoes after."

He attempted to climb down the ladder, but this time, he got held back by Aurelius, "I don't like your tone, Thomas", his voice was sharp, "and I especially don't like the way you are talking to Sirius."

"So? Why would I care what you like?", he sneered, "you can boss Sirius around all you want- but you won't do that with me. I don't have to listen to you."

Aurelius did not respond, he just wordlessly pointed at the corner opposite from Sirius, "twenty minutes- and if you give me any more attitude, I'll let you stand there for an hour- are we clear?"

Tom had balled his hands into fists, he had never been this furious in his life- there was something about Aurelius' cool demeanor that irritated the hell out of him, but he was smart enough to know when to stop, "yes, we're clear", he spat out, walking over to the corner.

Obviously, he had no intent to stand there for twenty minutes- arrogant as Aurelius was, he seemed to have forgotten where they were- and the corner he was standing in was right next to the opening which was used to throw down the hay. He carefully looked down, and realizing that there was enough hay to soften his fall, he made his decision.

See ya later, dumbass!

And when Aurelius turned to face Sirius, Tom jumped down the hayloft, right onto a huge pile of hay.

He did not take the time to get comfortable in the hay, instead, he got up as fast as he could and ran.

He could hear Aurelius yell something, and grinning to himself, he ran even faster. His idiot of a brother was in for a surprise if he thought he could turn him into a meek little boy like Sirius!

You won't win this, Aurelius!

Aurelius certainly did not feel like a winner at the moment, he was fuming. He knew his dad had warned him about Thomas- but this was a whole new level of insolence and disrespect.

Just wait until I get a hold of you, I will…

"What…what happened?", Sirius' voice interrupted his thoughts of revenge, and when he turned around to look at his brother, he noticed with satisfaction that Sirius was still facing the corner.

At least one of them obeys me.

"Your brother decided it was a good idea to jump down the hayloft and run away from his punishment", Aurelius said through clenched teeth, feeling humiliated, "let's go back to the Manor, Sirius."

"Yes, Aurelius", Sirius came closer, smiling timidly at his older brother, "are you…mad?"

"Not at you", Aurelius assured him, "come on, I'll help you down the ladder."

They left the hayloft, and went back to the Manor, and Aurelius sent Sirius to his room to take a shower and get changed. Sirius gladly took off; he had no interest in being part of what would happen next with Tom.

Gryffindor was on the patio, raising an eyebrow when he saw the look on Aurelius' face, "where's Tom?"

"Hiding in the fields laughing his ass off about me", Aurelius spat out, unable to control his anger any longer, "I put him in the corner for being as rude as can be, and he decided to run off."

Gryffindor stifled a smile, "I can't say I am surprised."

"I am going after him", Aurelius announced, his eyes blasting with fury, "and then I am going to give him a spanking he won't forget!"

"You are too angry to punish him right now- and we both agreed it's too early to spank him."

"Well, he deserves it!"

Gryffindor frowned, stepping closer, "Aurelius…", his voice held a warning, "you know that this is not how this works- you cannot just change the rules however you please. Do you want me to deal with your brother?"

Aurelius swallowed, his anger slowly decreasing, "I am sorry", he mumbled, "it's just…he did this in front of Sirius, and it was just…humiliating, and now Sirius knows that I don't have any control over his older brother."

"You shouldn't have punished Tom in front of Sirius- he probably felt just as humiliated."

"He was being rude, and Sirius was getting punished at the same time anyways for being rude to Tom!"

Gryffindor had to laugh, "quite the morning you had- it's not easy to raise little boys, hmm?"

Aurelius sighed, raking a hand through his hair, "I have such a great relationship with Sirius now- and I thought I would…I thought Tom was…", he bit his lips, "I just thought it would be similar with him."

"It will be", Gryffindor's voice was soft, "you just have to give it time, Aurelius."

"What am I supposed to do now?"

"Well, it's is almost time for lunch- so I suggest we go inside and eat."

"And…Tom?"

Gryffindor smiled, "don't worry, your brother will come on his own- he is going to keep pushing now until you react."

As it turned out, Gryffindor was right- they had just started to eat lunch when Tom suddenly appeared in the door, grinning, "I counted the sheep- it's 52", he announced casually like nothing had ever happened, "are we having roasted potatoes for lunch? I am starving", he attempted to sit down, not seeing the look his dad and his older brother exchanged.

"You are not going to have any lunch right now", Aurelius' voice was calm and controlled, "you are going to enjoy some corner time while we eat- I promised you an hour and you will get an hour."

Tom visibly paled, but he kept his bravado, "I don't remember any promise like that."

"And I don't remember saying that this is up for discussion. Go find yourself a corner, or I will find a corner for you."

"Would probably be a hard decision since there are so many corners in here", Tom was openly mocking him now, "let's see- there's one, and two…and three, and four- four corners, who would have guessed?", he was smiling, obviously enjoying this, but Aurelius kept his composure, "well, since you don't seem to like the corners in this room, maybe you will enjoy spending some time in a corner of my choice", he had gotten up, and before Tom could react, he had grabbed him, "let's go, Thomas."

Tom was too stunned to react for a moment, but then he began to struggle, "let me go, I am not standing in any fucking corner, get off me!"

Aurelius just held him tighter, and then continued to drag him down the hallway, and finally, into the kitchen.

No, hell no!

The kitchen was as busy as always, about a dozen house elves were cooking, cutting, scrubbing, washing, and cleaning, and to Tom's horror, they all looked at him when Aurelius dragged him inside, their eyes wide.

"There's nothing to see here, get back to work!", he spat out, feeling angry, "stop staring at me you damn…"

"There's actually a lot to see here", Aurelius interrupted him smoothly, "you all get to watch and learn what happens to naughty little boys who think they can disrespect their older brothers", he held Tom in a tight grip while he marched over to a corner with him, "little Thomas here was a bad boy- and that's why he is going to stand in the corner now for an hour, thinking about his behavior."

Tears of fury welled up in his eyes, and he felt so humiliated that he could not even speak.

You bastard, you'll pay for this!

"One hour, Thomas", Aurelius' voice was calm, "you will face the wall, and you will neither move nor speak- and if you do, I'll let you stand here until dinner. Do you understand?"

Tom was too furious to answer, so Aurelius simply turned him around and delivered one hard smack to his backside, "I asked you a question, Thomas", his voice was cold now, and Tom began to tremble, "yes, I understand", he finally said through clenched teeth, hating Aurelius more than ever.

"Good boy", he stepped back, leaving him in the corner of the kitchen, and Tom forced himself to wait for the right moment.

If he really thinks I am gonna stand here for an hour he's out of his mind.

He listened to the noise around him, and when he heard Aurelius talking to a house elf about the dinner menu, he decided to give it a try.

He spun around, aiming for the door, but he had not even moved two steps before Aurelius grabbed him, smiling, "you thought I'd make it this easy for you? That's another ten minutes for you, Thomas."

He dragged him right back into the corner, even though he was kicking and screaming the whole time, and as soon as Aurelius had turned around, he tried it again.

And again.

And again.

And again…

And every time, his older brother put him right back in the corner, casually adding another ten minutes to his sentence, he never lost his composure, and Tom hated him for that.

I'll get you; you will see!

He would not give up, he would not stand in this damn corner like an idiot, and when he heard an elf asking Aurelius if he would like to eat some lunch, he smiled scornfully.

Can't eat and run after me at the same time.

He waited until Aurelius had thanked the elf, and he could smell the food now, and it made his stomach rumble in hunger.

He gets to eat while I stand in the corner? Not happening.

He tried to run off again, and this time, he almost made it past the table, but then Aurelius grabbed him, "you clearly don't want me to eat, hmm?", he sounded amused and Tom balled his hands into angry fists, "screw you, I fucking hate you!"

Aurelius just laughed, "trying to get a rise out of me, Thomas? Nice try- and that's another ten minutes for you. Come on", he dragged the smaller boy right back into the corner, "and since I'd like to eat my lunch in peace now…", he waved his hand and Tom paled.

Shit.

There was a huge metal ring coming out of the wall now, and a rope, and just like he had done with Dash and the other horses a thousand times, Aurelius now tethered him to the ring, ignoring his cursing and panicked struggling.

"You can't do this, I am not a fucking dog, let me go, I'll tell Dad, you asshole, you…"

Aurelius finished tying him up, unmoved by Tom's screams and curses, "there- all done. Now, I did keep track- and thanks to all your escape attempts, you earned yourself two hours and twenty minutes in the corner", his smile softened when he saw the tears in Tom's eyes, "I know- you should have just listened to me back in the hayloft and taken the twenty minutes, hmm?"

Tom did not respond, he angrily tried to blink back the tears and refused to look at Aurelius.

"So prideful…", the older boy sighed, "you are one stubborn little boy, you know that?"

Again, no response.

"Very well then- enjoy your corner time, Thomas", he turned around, and left him in the corner once more, facing the wall.

He immediately tried to free himself, but Aurelius had done a good job- the rope did not move an inch, even though he desperately tried to get it off, and the harder he pulled, the more it hurt.

"Stop moving, Thomas- you can't get out, just accept that."

"I am not accepting shit!", he pulled again, grazing his skin, and it hurt so bad he wanted to scream, but he stopped himself just in time.

"You are going to hurt yourself, Thomas", Aurelius' voice was calm, "stand still now."

He ignored him, and pulled on the rope again, and this time, he started to bleed.

This hurts, it hurts…

He could not stop the tears from falling down anymore, and even though he knew it was senseless, he made another attempt to free himself- or tried to, because before he could pull the rope again, Aurelius was there, holding him, "that's enough, little bear", and for some reason, that comment made him burst into tears.

Aurelius sighed again, "I should have just spanked you", he mumbled, and Tom froze, "no, please no, I…I am sorry, I am so sorry, I'll listen, I stay in the corner this time, I promise, I am sorry!", he was crying now, not even realizing that Aurelius gently untied the rope, "please, I'll be good, I'll be just like Sirius, I promise, I can…"

"I don't want you to be like Sirius, Tom", Aurelius said quietly, "just be yourself."

"You don't like me being myself", it sounded more bitter than intended and Aurelius smiled, "I do- just not the disrespectful part- but don't worry, we will work on that one. Come on."

Tom blinked, realizing that he was not tied to the wall anymore, "no….no spanking, please…", he was whispering, afraid the house elves might hear him.

"No spanking", Aurelius promised, his voice low, "I need to put some cream on your wrists though- you hurt yourself pretty bad there", he looked at him, "now, do I need to carry you or are you going to come with me on your own?"

Tom blushed, "I…I come with you", he eventually whispered, the shame forming a lump in his throat.

"Good- let's go then", he took him straight to one of the bathrooms, asking him to sit on the edge of the bathtub while he took some healing creams out of a cabinet, "this might burn a little in the beginning- but it will help, I promise."

He carefully started to apply some of the cream, and Tom watched him, tears in his eyes.

Why is he being so nice to me now?

"Thank…you", he finally mumbled, not daring to look at the older boy.

"You are welcome, little bear", Aurelius' voice was soft, and Tom closed his eyes, "you…don't…you don't have to do that."

"Do what?"

"Give me…a nickname, and…all that stuff."

"You are my little brother, Tom", he was smiling, "giving you a nickname is one of my duties as older brother."

Tom swallowed, "were you…mad?"

"What do you mean?"

"When…Dad told you he adopted me…were you mad?"

"Oh Tommy…no, I was not mad, I was excited. Dad told me so much about you, and I wanted to meet you so bad."

"What did he tell you?", he sounded scared now.

"He told me the truth, Tommy- everything that he thought I needed to know."

Tom bit his lips, "he told you that he…punished me?"

"Yes, Tommy."

"And…you were still excited to meet me?"

"Yes, Tommy."

"That makes no sense- if you know how…badly behaved I am, why would you want to meet me?"

"Because you are my brother, Tommy", he was still smiling, "and it does not matter how badly behaved you are- you'll always be my little brother."

"Even if I am never as good as Sirius?"

Aurelius had to laugh, "even if you misbehave every single day, Tommy- which I am hoping you won't."

"I…I can't promise that…that I won't…", he struggled finding the right words, but Aurelius seemed to understand him just fine, "I know- and I am not expecting you to, at least not now", he put the cream away, "all done."

"Do I have to go back in the corner now?", he sounded small.

"No, you don't- but if you run away from a punishment again, I will spank you- understand?"

"Yes, Aurelius", he whispered.

"Good boy- come on, let's have some lunch then. I never got to finish mine."

"Serves you right", he was grinning, and Aurelius gave him a soft smack on his bottom, "behave, Tommy."

They went back to the dining room, which was empty- after all, lunchtime was over, but the house elves scrambled right in, serving them lunch like they had just waited for them- which they probably had.

They ate, and then Aurelius took him to his room for a nap, and he did not even protest- partly because he was truly exhausted, and partly because he kinda wanted Aurelius to tuck him in- even though he would never have admitted that.

"Now, close your eyes and go to sleep, little bear- and sweet dreams."

"But I…"

"Shhh…no more talking, little bear. Sleeping time now", he gently ruffled his hair, "I'll see you later, Tommy- for playtime."

Playtime? Does that mean he's gonna play with me? But what? Can we play outside?

Aurelius seemed to have noticed that he was bursting with curiosity, and he laughed, "if you are a good boy now and take a nap, we will play later- and I promise, you'll like it."

He wanted to ask more, but Aurelius raised an eyebrow, "only good boys get to play- goodnight, little bear. Sleep tight", he gave him the softest kiss on the top of his head, and then he left- and Tom did not even realize until minutes later that he was grinning from ear to ear.

Maybe he's not as much of as bastard as I thought he is.

yep...that's it for now. Next chap has spanking in it!

i'd love some feedback :)

xoxo, Antonie