Hello again, and for the last time (at least for this story). I cannot believe it is finally DONE! I am not going to lie, the last two chapters were somewhat of a struggle, but I did want to make sure this story gets the ending it deserves. I am so grateful to all my reviewers, especially Angel, Anniiieh, and Gypsyrose98 (thanks so much for your encouraging words!).
I loved writing this story, and at the same time I am super excited to share my next story with you, which is called Toppling Thomas and will have 25 chapters. It is already written and done! Here's a quick summary for you, I hope you are going to check it out! Hoping to start posting it within the next week.
Summary: With the war between Dumbledore on one side and Voldemort on the other side in full force, Gryffindor tries his best to convince Tom of a truce with him to stop Dumbledore and his depraved fantasies of a white-magic-only wizarding world, but his arrogance and pride do not allow Tom to accept any help- until it is too late, and he is not only forced to surrender to Gryffindor, but also to his oldest son, Aurelius who shows him a very different kind of hell- one without any escape from it.
There are dark parts- Dumbledore IS a depraved pos in this story, and there's rape, and tons of degradation (not just for Tom, but for Remus and Sirius as well) and spankings/ CP, some torture. Aaaand also tons of fluff, H/C, banter, and a father/ son relationship between Gryffindor and Tom, Gryffindor and Sirius, and Snape and Harry. I would be more than happy to have you check it out! :)
Enjoy the last chapter, and read you soon ;)
Day Four.
Sirius was staring at the calendar at the wall in a futile attempt to force it to change the date, but of course, nothing happened.
Tomorrow was the day he was supposed to lure Tom over to the fence, to hand him over to Pettigrew, and by now he could not even comprehend anymore how in the world he had ever been excited about that.
"Hey! Are you coming?"
Sirius turned around, plastering a fake smile on his face just in time, "yeah, sure. Let's go grab the skis first."
It was now end of November, and it had snowed so much the night before that Aurelius had suggested to the boys during breakfast to go skiing in the afternoon.
"Relius already put them by the door for us", Tom replied, dressed in a warm winter coat and snow pants, "I was thinking of making an obstacle course, won't that be fun?"
Sirius had to swallow, the lump in his throat growing bigger by the second, "yeah, that sounds great", he eventually answered, "maybe…we can have a race."
"Yes! Relius can be the judge!"
"Yeah."
"And the loser has to polish the skis after!", Tom added, grinning so brightly that it caused Sirius physical pain.
How did I ever want him to leave?
"Sirius! Tom! Are you coming?"
They both turned their heads at the sound of their brother's voice, knowing better than to let Aurelius wait.
"Coming!"
"On our way!"
The afternoon turned out to be great fun- the skied down a small hill by the orchards, Aurelius helped them set up an obstacle course, they had a race…it could have been the perfect afternoon with his brothers, if Sirius could forget for even one second that somewhere out by the fence, Peter Pettigrew was lurking and waiting.
Aurelius made them take a bath before dinner since they were both cold and wet, and once they were sitting at the dinner table with their parents, Sirius' mood had gone from misery to despair. He had no idea what to do still, he just knew he could not bring Tom to the fence- but he did not even want to imagine Pettigrew's wrath if he didn't.
Dinner was delicious as always- crispy potatoes with sour cream and a filet mignon, served with a side of asparagus.
Usually, Sirius would have enjoyed a nice meal after spending the afternoon outside, but tonight, he mostly played with his food, organizing his potatoes in a row.
"Are you not hungry, baby boy?", he looked up at the sound of his Dad's kind voice, and when his eyes met Salazar's, his Dad was smiling.
"I…uhm…not really", he mumbled, lowering his eyes right away again. He hated lying to his parents, but he knew they would hate him even more if he told them the truth.
Unknown to Sirius, his father was watching him as well- he had kept a close eye on his youngest for the last few days, knowing something was bothering his boy. Gryffindor knew that eventually, his son would come and confess, all he had to do was patiently wait.
"Eat your dinner, Sirius", he instructed his boy calmly, knowing very well the boy had to be hungry, "you spent all afternoon outside, and your body needs that energy back."
"Yes, Daddy."
Sirius did not dare to argue, knowing it was pointless. He made himself eat most of the potatoes and some of the filet, and when the house elves came in to clear the table and his Daddy did not object, he exhaled in relief.
Dessert was a chocolate pudding with berries, and Gryffindor watched in amusement how both his youngest boys quickly cleaned their plates.
"Alright, time for bed- you had a long day and I am sure you want to go skiing again tomorrow", Gryffindor's voice was calm, but with an underlining tone of firmness, "no playroom tonight, understand?"
"Yes, Daddy."
"Yes, Daddy."
"Good. I might take you to the Winter Quidditch Cup next weekend if you keep behaving yourself the way you have been these past days. I am proud to see that you are finally starting to get along and behave like the brothers you are."
Sirius' face flushed red with shame and guilt, while Tom immediately started to ask some excited questions about the Quidditch Cup.
I am not behaving like a brother. I am behaving like a jerk, like a liar…
These thoughts kept haunting him when he got tucked into bed by Aurelius later that night, after he had read both him and Tom a story about a lost reindeer.
"Sleep tight, baby boy", he got his goodnight kiss, "I love you, Sirius."
How can you even love me?
"I…I love you, too", he croaked out, forcing back the tears, "love you so much, Relius."
"My sweet baby brother", Aurelius was smiling at him, his face an expression of pride, "you have made me so proud by trying to get along with Tom. I know that was not easy for you, but you know, once you overcame a difficult situation once, the second time, it feels much better."
Sirius just nodded, not trusting his voice enough to speak. He was glad when Aurelius finally left the room, because it meant he could hide his face in his pillow and cry.
"I'm a bad boy", he did not stop the tears from flowing down his face, "I am a liar, I am horrible, I don't deserve anyone's love…", he kept crying, while outside, it had softly started to snow again.
For a while, Sirius kept sobbing, until he finally had no more tears left.
What do I do? What the hell do I do?
"I want my Daddy", he eventually whispered into the dark, his face pale and unhappy, "I need you, Daddy…"
His Daddy would make everything good again. His Daddy would take care of it. His Daddy would help him.
Daddy…
Sirius had no clue how he managed to get out of his bed and stumble across the darkened hallway to his parents' bedroom, but somehow, he made it. He opened the door without knocking, too desperate for his Daddy to take the horrible guilt and misery and sadness away from him.
Godric and Salazar were still awake, Salazar reading the newspaper, and Godric reading a book when their youngest son suddenly scrambled into the room, his face wet with tears.
He only said one word, and that one word was enough for Gryffindor to understand.
"Daddy."
"Come here, baby boy. Daddy's here."
He had not even opened his arms all the way when Sirius came running over, his whole body trembling.
"Daddy!"
"Shhh…it's all good now, sweet boy. Daddy's got you. Shhh…I'm here, baby boy. I'm here", he gave Salazar a wink, and his partner understood, silently leaving the room. He knew his boy had a confession to make.
Gryffindor sat down on the bed with his youngest, holding him tight and rocking him gently, humming a soothing melody.
"Bad…boy!", Sirius finally croaked, and Godric had to smile, realizing his boy was ready to tell him what had been bothering him so much that he had to come find him late at night.
"You are not a bad boy, Sirius", he told him calmly, "but I think my boy might have done something that was bad, hmm?"
"Ly…lying!"
"What did you lie about, Sirius?"
There was a silence, and then Sirius started to cry quietly, the sound of it utterly despair.
"The…fence", he choked out between sobs, "there…he…waiting!"
"Who is waiting at the fence, Sirius?"
"Pe…Pettigrew!"
Gryffindor's face instantly hardened, of all confessions, he had not expected that, "did you talk to him, Sirius?"
"Ye…yes!"
"What did he say to you?"
The cries got louder, and Godric tightened his grip on his youngest, trying to calm him down.
"Said…he…he wan…wanted…To…Tom!"
Gryffindor suppressed a curse, not wanting to scare his boy. How in the world had Pettigrew managed to get this close to them? To talk to one of his sons even?
You'll burn in hell for this one, Wormtail.
And then the words poured out of Sirius, he told his father everything, about the five days, how he had tricked Tom into liking him, and how guilty it had made him feel after a while.
And Gryffindor listened, the expression on his face becoming more and more grave. He had known Pettigrew was dangerous- but this scheme was beyond anything he could have imagined. He also immediately knew that Peter had to have had help from the inside. Someone who had told him about the fights between Tom and Sirius, and someone who had send Sirius to the fence.
He asked his boy about it, and Sirius sobbed again, hiding his face in his Daddy's broad chest.
"It was…the house elf. Tilly."
His own servant!
Gryffindor could feel hot anger rising inside him, but he had to stay calm. It was important that he stayed calm now, knowing how close they had come to a catastrophe. He needed to talk to Salazar- and to Aurelius.
Right on cue, the door opened and his partner entered the room, carrying a mug with hot chocolate.
"I thought you might want something warm to drink, Sirius", he smiled when he handed him the treat, and Sirius sniffed, accepting it gladly. He took a careful sip, enjoying the warmth spreading in his stomach.
"I…I'm in trouble, Daddy", it was not a question.
"I need you to listen very carefully to me right now, Sirius", his Daddy's voice was firm, "you did a brave thing tonight by coming to me and telling me the truth- but you should have come to me right away, Sirius. I will not punish you for keeping this horrible secret, but you will own up to both of your brothers, and Tom will decide about a suitable punishment for you."
Sirius felt like crying again, but he knew he deserved this, so he lowered his head in surrender, "yes, Daddy."
"I love you, baby boy."
That did make him cry again, and he did not resist when his Daddy pulled him closer again, humming softly into his ear. Eventually, his cries got less and less, and a few minutes later, Gryffindor realized his youngest had fallen asleep in his arms. He carefully placed the boy in his own bed, and then he looked over to Salazar, who had been watching the scene silently.
"We need to talk."
Salazar simply nodded, knowing it had to be urgent if Godric wanted to discuss something in the middle of the night. They quietly left their bedroom with Sirius sleeping soundly in their bed, and made their way to one of the small sitting rooms, furnished with only a fireplace and a few armchairs and a couch.
Godric wasted no time ordering a house elf to get Aurelius right away, and the elf obediently ran off to fetch Aurelius.
"What is the matter?", their oldest son looked sleepy, with his hair tousled, "did something happen to Tom or Sirius?"
"Something did happen, yes", and then Gryffindor went on to tell his partner and son what Sirius had told him- and after he had finished, both of them looked pale and distraught.
"The nerve of him to get that close to the Manor- it's absolutely brazen!", Aurelius exclaimed, a hint of fury in his voice, "and Tilly- I never really trusted that elf. Always showing up where it was not needed."
"I agree- still, the most disturbing part is that Peter managed to get this close to us. We underestimated him."
"Well, we shall not make that mistake again", Godric's voice was grim, "because after tomorrow, he will not bother us or any of the boys ever again. I will make sure of that."
"Do you have a plan, Father?", Aurelius asked.
"I do. I am planning to let Pettigrew believe he achieved what he wanted for a bit longer. Let him wait at the fence, and then Tom and Sirius will show up- but not the Tom and Sirius he is actually looking for."
Salazar understood at once, "Polyjuice Potion?"
"Exactly. You and I will transform each other into the boys, while Aurelius will keep an eye on Tom and Sirius. I do not trust anyone in this house until this matter has been cleared. Tilly might or might not have a partner, and I am not taking any chances. I already casted a spell that will prohibit any elf from leaving this Manor, and tomorrow morning, I am going to question each and every one of them."
"What about Tilly?"
"Tilly I will see personally tonight."
Aurelius shuddered at the tone of his father's voice, knowing Tilly was in for a world of pain- not that he did not deserve it.
They discussed the plan for a little longer, and then Aurelius and Salazar went back to bed, whereas Gryffindor went to find Tilly. As it turned out, Tilly had been acting alone- the Veritaserum Godric forced the elf to drink helping Tilly telling him the truth.
It did not spare the elf from getting crucioed for several minutes, and then, after Tilly was not even able to scream anymore, Gryffindor quickly casted an Avada. He still planned to question the other elves, making sure they understood what loyalty meant.
Sirius felt sick to his stomach the next morning. His parents had informed them what the plan was- and while he was more than glad the burden had been taken away from him, he still had to confess everything to Tom.
It was right after breakfast when his Daddy asked him and Tom to join them in the living room, and while Tom seemed confused, Sirius' face paled.
This is it.
It was horrible enough to tell Tom the truth, but to do it in front of his parents and Aurelius was nothing but a nightmare.
"Sirius has something to tell you, Tom", Gryffindor began without introduction, and Sirius desperately forced back the tears, clenching his hands into fists.
Tom looked even more confused now, "what's this all about?"
"I…I lied to you", Sirius blurted out, wanting to get this over with, "I just…pretended to like you so would follow me to the fence outside, so Pettigrew could…could take you."
Tom instantly started to tremble at the mention of Pettigrew, his eyes growing wide with fear, "he…he's here? He's coming? He…"
"Shhh…you're safe, baby bear", Aurelius pulled his younger brother on his lap, letting him snuggle close, "we will deal with Pettigrew."
"He hurt me", Tom's voice was merely a whisper, "he…he crucioed me, he…he put me under the Imperio and made me do all these things, and…I had…no choice. No choice at all", he began to cry quietly, and Aurelius snuggled him even closer, needing his brother to know he was there to protect him, but also silently encouraging him to keep talking. Until now, Tom had refused to tell them what had happened with Pettigrew, so he was glad to see that finally, his brother was sharing what had happened.
"I did not want to do any of these things! I never did!"
"We know, Tommybear. We know that", Godric gave his middle son a warm smile, "and you were so strong, protecting yourself from him all these weeks…and you made me so, so proud, baby bear."
Tom's cries turned into sobs, still snuggling as close as he could into Aurelius, who held him tight.
"I couldn't…tell you. I thought…you were gonna be…mad!"
"No one's mad at you, sweet boy", Salazar assured him softly, "none of this was your fault. Pettigrew forced you to commit these horrible crimes- and it is time he gets punished for that."
"And then…I never have…to see him again?"
"Never, Tommybear. He will never hurt you again."
Tom sniffed, a small smile forming on his lisps, and then he looked over to Sirius, who was still standing in the middle of the room, his whole body tense.
Their eyes met, and Tom could see the tears welling up in Sirius' eyes.
"I'm sorry, Tom", he croaked out, his voice thick with guilt, "I…I am sorry for…being so mean, lying to you, and tricking you. I know it…it doesn't matter, but…I did enjoy spending time with you after a little while, and then…I felt so ashamed. And guilty."
There was a silence.
"It…it does matter", Tom eventually replied quietly, "I mean…what you did was horrible, but…I liked spending time with you, too."
Sirius started to sob, "you…it's up to you to decide my punishment", he finally choked, "I…I'll accept it, whatever it is…if you want me to go, I…"
"I don't want you to go", Tom interrupted him, his voice firm, "you're my brother, Sirius."
You're my brother, Sirius.
He cried louder, and then Tom slowly got off Aurelius' lap, walking over to his younger brother, the rest of the family silently watching.
"It's okay, Sirius. I was mean to you, too. I forgive you."
"I don't…deserve…your forgiveness!"
"Yeah, you do", Tom had to grin, "and besides, you are gonna help me get my treehouse fixed- that's your punishment."
"But…you said I am not allowed in your treehouse."
"I was just mad when I said that. You can come up."
"Just to work?"
"Nah- to hang out there, too. I have lots of plans for it."
"I might…have some ideas, too."
"That's great, we can talk about all our ideas."
Salazar, Godric, and Aurelius were looking quite amused listening to their boys, grateful that there was finally, finally peace between them.
Now there was only Pettigrew to deal with.
"I see you have followed my invitation", Peter did not even try to hide the sneer from his voice when he saw Tom and Sirius approaching, "surprised to see me, Mylord?"
His sneer vanished quite quickly when he saw not only Sirius, but Tom raising their wands at him.
"Your arrogance will be and is your downfall, Pettigrew", Godric said with Tom's voice, "did you really believe my son would not tell me about your depraved little scheme here?"
"Your…son?", Pettigrew let out a nervous laugh, trying to fumble for his own wand, but before he could reach it, Salazar, currently looking like Sirius, casted a quick Expelliarmus spell and the wand flew straight into his hands.
"Polyjuice Potion, Wormtail. Never heard of it?", Tom alias Godric shot him a cold smile, "now, if it was for me, you'd already be dead- but I do need my son's name to be cleared first. Therefore, you are going straight to the Ministry with me today, and then we'll have a little talk there."
"You are out of your mind if…"
"Crucio."
Neither Gryffindor nor Slytherin were interested in listening to Peter's spiteful words any longer, and once the rat animagus was rolling on the ground, screaming out in pain, they both shared a quick, satisfied smile.
It was finally over.
Hours later, while Gryffindor escorted a very unwilling Pettigrew to the Ministry, Aurelius and the boys were in the playroom together. Sirius stayed by himself, still feeling guilty, even though they already knew Pettigrew had been arrested and Tilly was dead.
"How about a game?", Aurelius suggested, sensing the tension in the room, "didn't you boys tell me you can win at Seven Out?"
"We have a whole strategy", Tom replied after a pause, "right, Sirius?"
"Yeah", the boy avoided to look at his brothers, "a…a great strategy."
"Hmmm…I am not sure if your strategy can win against my talent at this game", Aurelius responded slyly, "no strategy can be that good."
"That's not true!"
"Yes it can!"
"Show me then", Aurelius winked at them, "and let's see if it's really that good."
"Come on, Sirius- wanna play?", Tom's voice was soft, and Sirius swallowed, finally looking up, "as…a team? Together?"
"Yeah. You and me against Relius."
"You…sure?"
"Of course I am sure! We discussed our tactic for an hour, it's perfect! Come on, little brother!"
Little brother.
Sirius felt his face flush with excitement, and then he did walk over to his older brothers, sitting down next to Tom.
"We count five and six twice."
"And not seven."
"Fine by me."
They started to play, and just like Aurelius had hoped, both boys forgot what had happened over the game. Soon, the name Pettigrew would mean nothing to them- he would be forgotten and the boys' relationship would grow stronger by the day.
And as Aurelius had predicted, it happened. Pettigrew got sentenced to a life in Azkaban after Tom's name had been officially cleared, and Tom and Sirius were now inseparable. They played together, worked on the treehouse, took baths together, and sometimes even slept in the same bed together.
Godric and Salazar had decided to keep the boys home until after Christmas Break and then send them to Hogwarts together to allow them to heal from what had happened and establish a strong family bond.
After they had spent a miraculous Christmas together, today was finally the day where all three boys would return back to Hogwarts. Tom was going to attend third grade, and he was more than excited, just as Sirius was to show Tom around and to see his friends again. He had exchanged letters with Simeon and Caspian and a few others, and was relieved to know that they had forgiven him for what he had done. He'd even written Henry a Christmas card, and surprisingly, got a quite friendly response in return.
"Ready to go, boys?"
"Sooo ready!"
"Yes, yes, yessss!"
Aurelius had to laugh at his eager little brothers, "alright then. We are not going to take the train, we are going to apparate right into the entrance hall- Founder's benefit. Hold on tight to me, boys."
Tom and Sirius obeyed, their eyes sparkling with anticipation and happiness. Being in school together would be so fun!
The hall was already full of students, and Tom looked around curiously, holding on to his suitcase and the cage with his owl that Salazar had gotten him for Christmas.
It's so different now.
"Cassius! Hey, Cassius!", someone with a strangely familiar voice suddenly shouted, and Tom turned around- and paled.
It was Tristan. Tristan, the boy from the play, who thought his name was Cassius…
Oh. Crap.
"Hey! I am so glad to see you! Did you convince your Dad to let you come?", Tristan blurted out, his face beaming, "wouldn't it be fun if we end up in the same house?"
"Yeah, that…would be great", Tom replied uneasily, looking over to Aurelius for guidance. As always, his brother understood, and with a kind smile, he pulled Tristan over to the side, talking to him in a low voice. Tom had no idea what he was telling the other boy, but when Tristan came back, he noticed with relief that he was still smiling.
"So, it's Tom? And those are your brothers?"
Tom hurried to introduce them both, and when they made their way into the Great Hall minutes later, Tom made sure to walk next to his big brother.
"Thank you", he mumbled, quiet enough that no one else could hear, "what…did you tell him?"
"That Cassius is your middle name that you don't use at school- and that you will explain the rest to him later on", Aurelius replied quietly, "this is your second chance, baby bear- and I want you to use it."
"I will, Relius."
"I know, sweet boy."
They sat down, and when it was time for the new students- Tom, Tristan, and a small girl to get sorted into their houses, Tom's heart started to beat so fast he was afraid everyone would hear it.
The girl was first, and after a short deliberation, was send to Ravenclaw.
Tristan was next.
The Sorting Hat was quick to make a decision this time, and once he roared: "GRYFFINDOR!", across the hall, the Gryffindor's started to clap and yell like crazy.
Tom was last.
"Hmm…and who do we have here?", the Hat sounded amused, and Tom bit his lips, afraid what would happen next.
Please not Slytherin, please not Slytherin…
"Hmmm…I see. You want to stay with your brothers this time?", the Hat let out a laugh, and Tom realized, somewhat calming down that he still sounded amused, "then how about…GRYFFINDOR!"
He stood up, trembling, while the Gryffindor table erupted in loud cheers and claps again, and he walked over to his brothers and Tristan like he was dreaming, a happy smile on his lips.
I did it. I did it.
"This is awesome! We're gonna have sooo much fun together!", Tristan sounded as enthusiastic as he felt when he sat down next to the boy, "I'm so glad you are here!"
"Me too", Sirius' voice was quiet, but Tom had no problem understanding his younger brother. He felt a sudden wave of affection for the younger boy that made him pull Sirius into a quick hug.
"Love you, little bro."
"Love you too, big bro."
They smiled at each other, and when Tom felt Aurelius standing behind him, murmuring soft words of praise into his ear, he believed he had never in his life been this ridiculously happy.
He had parents who loved him, two brothers who adored him, and it looked like he had just made a best friend as well.
He was truly the happiest boy on the planet.
over and out :( I hope you enjoyed this last chapter and the ending, and I hope to hear from you how you liked it! :) Thank you for all your amazing support!
hope to see you soon at Toppling Thomas :D
xoxo,
Antonie :)