Tom exchanged a glance with Severus, a silent question as to whether he ought to tell the boys about Occlumency and Legilimency. Severus shook his head lightly. Tom thought on his feet. "Well, you two are pretty bad liars, and you respect him so much that you can't really lie to him," Tom said. "But Severus has to be careful not to mistake fear for respect."
"That can happen?" Harry asked.
Draco nodded, surprising everyone else. "I know it can. Er... Lucius... thought I respected him, when I was just afraid of him," he said softly.
"Oh," Harry said quietly, he'd always been scared of his relatives, but he had never respected them either.
A silence hung in the air for a few minutes, a silence which Harry wasn't exactly comfortable with and he began to chew nervously on his bottom lip. Draco caught his eye and the two shared a long look, both wondering why Tom was there at all, and if they were going to eat, their Father had said, after all, that he wasn't going to tolerate them skipping meals.
"I don't think I'm ever going to get used to twins," Tom suddenly said, breaking the silence. Harry, Draco and Severus just looked at him confused. "I don't know what you two are looking so confused about," he told Harry and Draco mock-defensively. "You two just look at each other and it's clear you understand what the other is thinking and you can practically have a whole conversation by just changing you're facial expressions slightly!"
"Oh," both Harry and Draco said together, sharing another look.
"There you go again!" Tom told them.
"We know," they said, still speaking at the same time.
"And that as well…" Tom started on.
"We don't mean to speak together!" Harry and Draco protested at the same time. "It just sort of happens…" they too trailed off.
Severus cleared his throat. "Well, both of you need to eat, despite missing lunch, so you shall eat, but we need to discuss this further," he said.
Harry and Draco shared yet another look. 'Discuss what?' they were silently asking each other.
Severus noticed their look and was fairly sure what the silent question was. "Discuss your lateness," he said promptly.
Harry, after his recent conversation with his Father, felt dismayed. So they were going to be punished after all… Well, his Father had never said they weren't... Draco too looked panicked.
Tom exchanged a look with Severus. Then he turned to the boys. "Don't worry," he said quietly. "I don't think your Father means to punish you." Both Harry and Draco looked at him disbelieving and this time they didn't have to look at each other to know that the other had the exact same look on his face.
"Harry, Draco…" Severus said gently.
"Yes Father?" they both whispered together, neither looking at him, both knowing that they'd probably be told to.
"Why don't we get you something to eat first," Tom interrupted smoothly, "and then your Father can discuss your behaviour with you," he finished. Severus shot him a look.
Tom ignored the look and Harry and Draco looked from Severus to Tom confused - who were they supposed to obey? They shared another look, but Tom and Severus weren't paying any attention to them. 'Now what?' Draco mouthed. Harry shrugged lightly. He was still sat on his Father's lap and if he moved it would surely draw his Father's attention.
"Well, I'll have the house-elves put out lunch for the two of you. Go sit down at the table," Severus commanded in a calm voice. "When you're done eating, we'll talk." He looked down at Harry, then over at Draco. "Go on."
Harry and Draco obediently went into the dining room, although they left the door open just enough so that they'd be able to hear what was going on in the sitting room. Harry slumped down in his chair with a small sigh. "This is starting to get confusing," he whispered.
"What is?" Draco asked in a whisper.
"This whole who do we obey thing and are we in trouble or not," Harry clarified, careful to keep his voice down. "And I'm not hungry, I'm too nervous to eat."
"Same here… but if we don't…" Draco left the sentence hanging.
"I know," Harry said. "Why do we keep getting into trouble? Is it going to be that hard for us to stay out of trouble for one day?"
Draco shrugged. "I don't know."
"Father says it's because we're still growing up… but it's not like we've done much exactly! And this whole Tom thing is just plain confusing!" Harry said.
Draco nodded, biting hungrily into a sandwich, chewing and swallowing it before deciding that he couldn't eat any more. He was hungry, but he wasn't sure if he could keep anything else down... he was too nervous.
Harry didn't even touch his own sandwich. "I think Father's idea to talk before we ate was a better one," he said quietly.
Draco nodded. "Yeah. Father seems to listen to what Tom says though..." he said.
"Don't forget that Tom's Voldemort, Drake," Harry told his twin.
Draco slapped his forehead. "Oh. Yeah. Father's used to listening to Tom... of course..."
"Yeah… but who do we listen to? I mean, if they contradict each other?" Harry asked.
Draco shook his head. "I don't know. I'm still kind of scared of Tom, but I think we're supposed to listen to Father...you know, because he's our Father," Draco reasoned.
"Yeah… but even Father obeys Tom…" Harry pointed out.
Draco nodded. "Well, when I thought I was a Malfoy, Lucius talked all the time about Tom...only he called him the Dark Lord, you know…"
"What did he say about him?" Harry asked curious.
"He said that "Potter would pay for stopping the Dark Lord"...Draco gave his twin a look. "I was brought up to think you were the enemy, you know, except I was supposed to try and be friends with you in public, but I'm glad I'm not a Malfoy. I hated it."
"I wouldn't know…" Harry said quietly. "I mean, I don't know what it's like to be a Potter… I'm not even sure what it means to be a Snape," He admitted quietly.
"Me either," Draco said, idly picking at his sandwich. "But I'm sure we'll find out."
Harry pushed his plate with his uneaten sandwich on it away from him, towards the centre of the table. "Want to go out and talk to Dad and Tom yet?" he asked his twin.
Draco tore the crust off his sandwich distractedly. "And what exactly do we say when Father asks us if we've eaten?" he asked.
"We tell Dad the truth," Harry said simply. "That we want to talk before we eat because we're too nervous to eat."
"You think he'll buy that?" Draco asked sceptically.
"He should do, considering it's the truth," Harry said.
"Good point," Draco said, standing up. "Well, you first," he grinned, motioning Harry towards the door.
Harry, not feeling very confident anymore, opened the door further and stepped out. "Dad?" he said quietly.
Severus looked at him from where he was sat on the couch with Tom. "That was quick," he commented mildly.
"We couldn't eat," Harry admitted quietly, looking at the floor.
"Case of a guilty stomach is it?" Severus asked mildly.
"Kind of," Harry answered, knowing that it wasn't an exact lie.
"Care to explain?" Severus asked, beckoning both Harry and Draco closer, since they were still stood in the doorway to the dining room.
Harry and Draco somewhat reluctantly moved forward, when Tom spoke. "You have no reason to fear your Father," he said gently and it was Harry who looked at him, shocked, he didn't like how this man seemed to know what he was thinking all the time.
"Harry?" Severus drew his son's attention back to himself.
"What did you want to talk about Father?" Harry asked quietly, although he met Severus' gaze square on, he was learning.
"Father?" Severus asked. "You called me Dad a moment ago Harry… I'm still not sure why you two both keep changing what you call me."
"Father always seems more proper," Harry admitted.
"So you've said before," Severus told him with an easy grin. "Am I really that scary? Proper?" he then asked. Harry just shrugged helplessly, he didn't know how to answer that question.
"I don't know," Harry finally admitted. "But you know, having you as our Professor, we were supposed to refer to you respectfully, and now..." He closed his mouth abruptly, thinking of all the times he'd referred to his father as "Snape" instead of "Professor Snape". Severus laughed softly.
"You wanted to talk to us about something, Dad?" Harry asked, gaining confidence and giving his Father a cheeky grin.
Severus just shook his head and sat back against his sofa, stretching his legs out. He motioned to his sons and then to the floor, causing Draco and Tom to give him very confused looks, but Harry got the idea and flopped down to the floor to sit near his Father's legs and then looked at Draco, expecting him to do the same. Draco complied and sat down. He looked up at Severus.
"So, what do you think I want to talk to you about?" Severus asked.
Harry barely managed to refrain from rolling his eyes. "About us being late," he stated matter-of-factly, causing Draco to give him a shocked look, he didn't know how his twin could be so brave.
"What about you being late?" Severus then asked.
"Erm… not to do it again?" Harry offered, with yet another grin.
"Well, you don't want to do it again, no," Severus said calmly.
"Because the next time there'll be consequences?" Harry asked, shrewdly.
Severus' eyes glittered. "You said it, Harry, I didn't," he commented lightly.
"It'd still be true no matter who said it though, wouldn't it?" Harry said, leaning back to rest on his hands and looking up into his Father's eyes. Harry then thought for a moment. "What kind of consequences?" he then asked, now a bit more hesitant.
"What do you think? Drake?" Severus asked. Draco just shrugged.
Harry thought on his feet. "Not being allowed out again?" he suggested, almost hopefully.
"Well, that is one option," Severus said.
Draco nodded. "It seems better than...you know...that all the time."
Severus raised an eye-brow. "That is of course always another option if I feel you deserve it," Severus commented neutrally. "I wouldn't suggest being late too many times in a row or if I've asked you to be specifically back."
Harry nodded numbly. "Okay, Father," he whispered.
Severus sighed. "What's wrong Harry?" he asked.
"Specifically back like you told us to be today?" Harry asked quietly. Draco gulped. He didn't like where this was going.
"Indeed, why do you ask?" Severus looked down at Harry, who stubbornly looked at the floor.
Harry shrugged lightly. "No particular reason," he muttered.
Draco glanced at his twin. He knew Harry was tired of being punished the same way so often. He was too, and he didn't know what they could do about it, if anything.
Harry met his twins look, and whilst what he knew what his twin was thinking was true… there was also something else. A nagging feeling in his stomach. He knew what it was, but he really didn't want to voice it.
"Harry?" Severus pressed. Harry shook his head. He still felt guilty, but he wasn't going to say that. He'd just found out that he had a father and now he kept getting into trouble. And he didn't want to be punished… did he? But he was willing to do almost anything to get rid of the guilty feeling in his stomach and go back to the way he had been joking with his Dad only minutes before.
Harry looked up. "Can I be excused, please, Father?" he asked, desperately wanting the safety of his and Draco's room for a while.
Severus looked like he didn't want Harry to go, but in the end he nodded. "Yes, go ahead," he said quietly.
Harry jumped up and fled to his and Draco's room and Draco watched him go, suddenly remembering that Tom was sat on the couch with his Father. He looked back towards them and shrunk back as both looked at him, but he was motioned towards the couch and pulled to sit in between them, his Father's arms around his shoulders. "Are you okay?" Severus asked him quietly.
Draco nodded. "I'm worried about Harry though," he admitted quietly.
"What do you think is up with him then?" Tom asked. "He seemed fine one minute and not the next."
Draco nodded. "He was really scared when we were in the dining room and then when we came out here he was fine," he said.
Meanwhile, in Harry and Draco's room, Harry couldn't hear any of the conversation because he was laid face-first over his bed with his arms over his head. He had never felt more confused in his life.
"Someone needs to talk to him, alone," Draco said.
Severus got up, "Well, it should be me then," he said. "I can leave you two in here without you destroying the place, right?" Tom looked back at him innocently and put his arm around Draco's shoulders, where Severus' had been only moments before.