Hello again! :)

Thank you Anniiieh and Gypsyrose98 for your amazing comments! I am so glad you are enjoying this story of mine! :)

No warnings- just some small CP (and some Gryff/ Tom H/C).

"Sirius? Sirius!"

He groaned, trying to get up, "wha…what…you…", he stumbled and fell down, almost crashing into the collection of empty whiskey bottles next to the couch in the living room he had passed out on the night before, "Re…Remus? That…you?"

"Yes, it's me", the Lupin walked closer, sounding irritated, "what in the world has happened to you? Did you drink all of this?", he eyed the bottles in disgust, and Sirius made another attempt to sit up, "just…had a drink or…two last…night."

"Last night? This looks like you have been drinking straight for a week! I guess now I know why you did not had any time to answer my letters!", Remus' voice had gotten louder, and Sirius closed his eyes, the noise not helping with his headache, "what…letter?"

"Stop playing dumb, Sirius!", and now he sounded angry, "I've been here three times this week, and every time Kreacher has told me you were out. Where do you go all the time? Do you know how dangerous…"

"Yeah, yeah I know all that!", Sirius interrupted him, annoyed, "Kreacher is a bloody liar, I was probably just…in the attic."

"In the attic", Remus echoed, not believing one word he was hearing, "at almost midnight? I came to see you after the attack, and you were not here. Where were you?"

"Stop acting like you are my fucking father!", Sirius hissed back, "so, I was out- what's the point of living if I cannot have any fun? This house depresses the hell out of me."

"You have lots of time to turn Grimmauld Place into a home, Sirius", Remus told him, his tone cutting, "instead, you treat this house like some kind of hotel- there is trash everywhere, no food in the kitchen, the beds are not made…"

"Have you snooped through my house?", Sirius finally got up, his eyes bloody and glassy, "Kreacher is a lazy excuse of an elf, if he…"

"Kreacher is doing whatever he can, Sirius", Remus shot back, "I found him in the basement desperately trying to fix a leak in the ceiling. He looked completely exhausted."

"Boo-hoo, is that the part where I cry about the poor house elf's fate?", Sirius sneered, "he's useless."

"You still have not answered my question, Sirius- where did you go?"

"Just…went to a bar. Had a drink."

Remus laughed scornfully, "because you clearly don't have enough to drink here", he gave the nearest bottle a little kick, causing it to fall over, "Harry is heartbroken over how you treat him- he told me you don't answer any of his letters, either."

"I…have been busy."

"Busy drinking yourself to death?"

"No, I mean…yes, I have been drinking too much lately", Sirius mumbled, staring at his hands, "all the shit that's been happening…and I am feeling so…useless sitting around in this damn house. I want to fight, I want to help you!"

"I understand that- but in your current state, you won't be much of a help", Remus replied after a short pause, "and besides, Harry and I do not deserve to be…ignored like this by you. We are trying to help you, Sirius."

"I know", and now he felt useless and guilty, "it's just…the…you know what happened to Malfoy, right?"

"They found him almost beaten to death and raped at some shady bar close to Muggle London, yes, I know", Remus said without emotion, "how does that affect you, though? I mean, I know he's your cousin, but…"

"Yeah, it's just…first Bellatrix, now him, it's like…someone's attacking the family", Sirius lied, proud of himself for quickly coming up with a believable explanation.

Remus just frowned, "well, someone is attacking your family- and that's Dumbledore. And he will come for you next, Sirius, especially if you keep going out in public. Your name has not been cleared yet, even though we are working on forcing Pettigrew to confess. You know very well though that even if Peter confesses, Fudge might not believe him."

Sirius groaned, "yes, I know. Just…tell Harry I am sorry, will you? All this shit is stressing me out, and he is always complaining about stuff, asking me things…it's just…too much."

The Lupin shot him a strange look, "he is a child, Sirius", he eventually replied, "what did you expect? Harry is scared, too, we all are. Hermione is a Muggle, and she might disappear next into one of Dumbledore's camps, that alone is hard enough for him to deal with."

"I'll answer his next letter", Sirius mumbled, "I…I promise."

"Good, I'll tell Harry that", Remus sounded pleased, "and maybe go take a shower and shave, and spend some time cleaning up this mess in here. Harry would be shocked."

"I'll take care of it", Sirius responded, slowly getting up, "do they…do they know who did that to Malfoy?"

"Well, he is not talking- but his injuries were horrendous. The guy that raped him must have a genital the size of…"

"You think it was Dumbledore?", Sirius hastily interrupted, feeling like throwing up again. He had been drinking straight since he had come home after the fight- trying to numb his guilt, trying to numb what he had done- but every time he fell asleep, he could see Malfoy on his knees again, screeching, trying to crawl away from Greg who was pounding into him forcefully.

"I am sure he sent someone, just like he did for Lestrange- both incidents are quite similar", Remus said, "it's effective, too- no one at the Ministry is speaking up anymore, they are all dead silent now. They'd never thought Dumbledore would go as far as letting a man get raped."

Sirius felt like shit for being relieved that everyone was blaming Dumbledore- when truthfully, he knew who was to blame- himself. Of course, Greg had offered, but if he had said no, nothing would have happened.

If he had said no…

"Well, I have to go back- I have classes to teach this afternoon", Remus eventually said, interrupting his depressing thoughts, "please, try to cheer up, will you? For Harry- and…for me."

Sirius forced himself to smile, "will do."

He watched Remus leave, and then he leaned back on the couch, taking a deep breath. He still felt like crap- and he felt the familiar itch of wanting to beat someone up, letting his anger out…he had not been back to the bar since the incident, but all the extra guilt Remus had put on him now, making him keep promises he knew he couldn't keep made him feel even worse.

Just one last time. One more time, one more fight, and then…then I'll stop.

"Good morning, Tom. How'd you sleep?", Salazar greeted him with a warm smile, a smile that Tom did not return. The house elf who had shown him the way to the dining room disappeared quickly behind him, and Tom did not bother to thank him for his help.

"Morning. I slept good", it was a lie, he had slept like shit- and the problem was, he knew exactly why he had slept like shit. The night before, he had been safely tucked into the soft blanket, keeping him warm and grounded, and now that his body knew how could this felt, he had craved it. He had craved it badly. He had refused to give in to it though, to snuggle himself into the sheets more tightly, telling himself that he was acting ridiculous. He was an adult, and he did not need to be snuggled like that. He did not.

"Would you like some coffee?", Salazar now asked, still smiling in a friendly way, "and there's bacon and eggs for you, too."

"Sure, thanks", Tom mumbled, letting a waiting house elf serve him coffee and the bacon with eggs and toast, "so, you gonna negotiate a truce with me now? So that I can get the werewolves to join your army?", he began, helping himself to some bacon, "I would do you a big favor by doing that, you know."

Salazar chuckled, "yes, I do know that- and we are very grateful for your help, Tom. I always knew you had a good heart. Hopefully, this will help you realize soon how wrong your whole idea with the Dark Order has really been and you will step back from that."

Step back from the Dark Order? Whatthefuck?

Tom coughed on a piece of toast, "uhm…yeah. We'll see", he did not know what else to say, taken aback by Salazar saying he had a good heart- knowing very well that he did not. And the Dark Order wasn't an idea- it was a paradigm. His legacy.

"Whatever you decide to do, I know you will make the right decision, Tom", Salazar's smile was kind, and Tom started to feel uncomfortable. He had not been entirely sure what Salazar Slytherin thought of him since he had betrayed them to Dumbledore, and for some reason, it was easier to deal with Gryffindor's firmness and Aurelius' humiliations than…this.

Time to go the fuck home. This is all getting too much.

He stood up, having made his decision, "yeah, uhm…thanks. I gotta go now, lots of work waiting for me."

And a nice big bottle of Firewhiskey.

"Of course. You should finish your breakfast first, though- or would you like to eat something else?"

"Nah, not hungry", he did not sound very polite, but Salazar's warm friendliness started to irritate him for some reason, "as I said, I gotta go", he turned around for the door, freezing in his tracks at the sight of Aurelius who leaned in the door with crossed arms, an amused smile on his lips, "good morning, Tommy. Any reason why you are such a grumpy bear this morning?"

He flushed, "I…I just have to leave. I told you I can't stay here any longer."

"I thought you wanted to beat me up for what I did to you yesterday", Aurelius walked closer, "and I already prepared everything outside for our fight", he winked at him, and Tom bit his lips, silently deliberating. Giving that smug asshole Aurelius a nice big punch in the jaw for making him kneel for him the other day would be incredibly satisfying- satisfying enough to stay a little longer.

"Fine. No wands, no magic, though", he knew he'd barely have a chance against a Founder's son in a duel- and he really wanted to win this.

"No wands, no magic", Aurelius agreed, his voice soft, "come along then, Tommy. It's a nice day outside today, just a little chilly."

It was middle of September now, but fall had not been in full swing yet- the sun was shining brightly when they stepped outside, and the air was fresh and smelled like soil, leaves, and grass.

He followed Aurelius towards a small shed, anticipating that they would go inside to fight each other, "you have some weapons in there?", he asked, but Aurelius shook his head, "my weapons are around the corner, Tommy. I'll show you", he led him around the shed, right to…

What. The. Hell.

Tom's eyes widened in surprise, he had expected anything, but not…not this.

"Why…what are we doing here?", he blurted out, "I thought…I got to beat you up."

"You will, Tommy", Aurelius went over to the construction and grabbed the smallest ball from a rack, "you've played Blocking Ball before, right?", he grabbed another, slightly bigger ball, "every little wizard's favorite game- after Quidditch of course", he smiled at him, and Tom bit his lips.

"Playing games is a waste of time", he eventually replied, forcing his voice to sound arrogant, "I've had better things to do in my childhood than to throw a ball around."

Poor, sweet boy.

"Don't worry, the rules are not that difficult to learn- it's an easy game."

"And why would I care? I am not going to play a game with you. I'm here to beat you."

"You can beat me at Blocking Ball, Tommy- you'll be able to get all your anger out, and I promise you, it's going to be a lot more fun than using a Crucio on me or punching me."

Tom snorted, "more fun than a Crucio? I highly doubt it."

"Want to make a bet?"

He eyed him suspiciously, "how would you even know if it's more fun for me?"

"Well, if you smile or laugh during the game, it would mean you are enjoying yourself, right? And that would mean, I win."

"Fine- but if I don't smile or laugh, I win- and I get to punch you in the face."

Aurelius sighed, "alright. Ready to play then?"

Tom shrugged, trying his hardest to appear nonchalant, "whatever. I'll beat you either way."

We'll see about that, stubborn boy.

"There are three different balls, organized by size", Aurelius started to explain, "the biggest ball, the blue one, is filled with water, the middle one, which is red, is filled with tiny flames that burn, and the smallest one is the black one here", he held it up, "also called the Black Block. The contents of that ball change all the time, making it a joker so to say. It can have something incredibly nasty inside it, but it can also be empty- so there's always a risk to using that ball."

Tom tried to look bored, and Aurelius went on, "you get points for hitting your opponent with the ball- once you touch someone, there will be a sound, and the ball will explode with its contents. A number will appear after the ball has destroyed itself. You get five points for a blue ball that hits and three for a red ball. For black, it depends- some black balls have ten points, some have zero. The first person who gets thirty points wins the game."

"Can I throw the ball in your face?"

Aurelius sighed again, "if you must, yes, you can do that. Now, ready to begin? I'll let you go first."

"Fine", Tom went straight for the black ball, hoping there was some mud or rotten eggs inside it- he'd show Aurelius not to mess with him!

They went inside the game construction, a rectangular shaped arena with racks full of blue, red, and black balls to their right and left side, providing easy access to grab them.

"One more thing- you only have thirty balls, ten of each, so choose wisely- if you are out of balls, you cannot score points."

They were standing about ten feet apart from each other in the metal game construction now, the walls, ceilings, and sides open, "I won't need thirty balls- I'll get you with a few scores", Tom sneered, lifting up the ball, "get ready to loose, smugface!"

It would have been easy for Aurelius to block the ball with his hands, touching a ball with the hands was the only allowed defensive mechanism, but he did not. He wanted to give Tom enough time to let all his anger out on him- but in a healthy, constructive way.

The black ball exploded right at his chest, causing some green slime to pour down his body, and Tom shot him a triumphant glare, "gotcha there!"

"That's…seven points", Aurelius told him, looking at the bright number that had popped out of the ball before it had vanished, "good job, Tommy."

"I don't need your praise."

Sure you don't.

Aurelius smiled to himself, reaching for a blue ball, "ready to get wet now?"

"You are gonna be wetting your pants in a minute", Tom retaliated, and Aurelius laughed, throwing the blue ball at him forcefully.

Tom ducked, and the ball landed with a loud pop in the grass behind him, soaking the ground.

"That was pathetic", Tom concluded, reaching for another black ball, "let me show you how this is really played."

He threw the black ball at him, but to his shock, the ball turned around like a boomerang after being in the air for a second, and next thing he knew, something that smelled like burnt meat and smoke exploded in his face, causing him to cough, "what the…fuck! That ball…it's a fucking traitor!"

"That ball just gave you minus three points- meaning you are down to four points now", Aurelius was grinning at the rage in Tom's face, "beware of the black balls, Tommybear- they are evil."

"Apparently", Tom grumbled, "can I go again now?"

"No, this counts as your turn", Aurelius responded, reaching for another blue ball, "second time is a charm, right?", he threw the ball with all his might, and this time, it was a hit- and water splashed all over Tom's body.

"You'll regret that!", Tom reached for a blue ball himself now, throwing it at the younger boy, and he let out a triumphant yell when it hit Aurelius in the right arm, soaking him, "got you again! That's five points for me!"

"Don't celebrate too early- I am going to get you right back", he grabbed a red ball, hitting Tom in the chest, which caused tiny flames to explode, the heat on his body uncomfortable, but not painful. It also dried off the wetness from the water a little bit.

"Yeah, only three points, though- I am still leading", Tom told him, grabbing another blue ball, "you are going to be more wet than the ocean when this is over!"

He threw the ball at Aurelius, who ducked just in time- and they kept playing, throwing ball after ball at each other. It was a close game, and Tom started to enjoy himself more and more, and when he managed to throw another blue ball at Aurelius, causing the water to drip from his face, he had to laugh, "you look like someone was trying to drown you!", adding, "and that's another five points for me! I am totally gonna win this!"

Aurelius smiled, carefully wiping the water off his face, "looks like you are, Tommybear", it sounded amused, "what's the score now?"

"Twenty-three for me, nineteen for you!"

"Twenty-four now", he chuckled when the blue ball he had thrown hit Tom straight in the stomach, "always pay attention, baby bear."

"Hey! You tricked me!", the boy did not sound mad though, he was smiling, and Aurelius smiled right back, realizing now what was happening, "you having fun there, Tommy?"

"Yeah, this is awesome! I am gonna get you with a black ball now!", Tom exclaimed, grabbing one, "this will be your downfall, Relius!"

Relius.

Aurelius' smile widened, but he did not comment on the fact that Tom had given him a nickname, well aware that it had been done subconsciously, "bring it on then, big boy."

Tom threw the black ball forcefully, and even though Aurelius tried to duck, it hit him right in his face, causing some smelly goo to cover himself, "yuck, what is this?"

Tom was howling with laughter, "hahaha! You're all slimy now! Just like that vegetable to made me eat!", he was laughing so hard now that he fell over, and just for the sight of that alone, Aurelius knew that it had been worth it to smell like rotten eggs for a while.

The boy got ten points for his attack, winning the game, which made him cheer in triumph, "told you I would beat you! Told you!"

"Yes, well done, baby bear", Aurelius smiled at him, after he had casted a quick cleaning spell on himself and Tom, "now, I think we should have some lunch- I'm starving."

"I want pizza!"

"Let's go and see, hmm?", he extended his hand to him, knowing it was a risk- but Tom easily took his hand, letting him lead him back to the house, and for the first minute, they walked in comfortable silence.

"You know what would be so cool, Relius?", Tom eventually blurted out.

"I have no idea, Tommy", he sounded amused.

"If I could fill up the black balls myself!", the boy exclaimed, "you wanna know what I would put in them?"

"Something very slimy I am assuming", Aurelius replied, realizing the boy was regressing deeper than anticipated, "maybe something slimy and smelly?"

That made Tom giggle, "yah, the most smelliest stuff! And rotten food! And then I would set it all on fire!", he seemed thrilled by his own idea, "and then…I would make the balls fly! Like, they would carry all that smell all across the field, and then…"

Aurelius listened with amusement, never letting go of Tom's hand, and the boy kept describing all his great game ideas to him during lunch, barely registering the attendance of the Founder's at the table.

"It sounds like you had a fun time, little bear", Godric finally remarked, winking at him, "and you won, too?"

"Course I won!", Tom replied, rubbing his eyes with one hand- he was getting tired, "next time, Relius won't even get to score at all!"

"We shall see about that", Aurelius was grinning, "are you getting full, Tommy?"

"Not yet", Tom shoved another slice of pizza in his mouth, not bothering with cutlery, "kay, now I am getting full", he said, chewing, "I want dessert, though."

"I would like dessert", Gryffindor corrected calmly, "and then someone is going to take a nap, hmm?"

"Not me", Tom immediately stated, eyeing the lemon mousse that the house elves now carried in, "I'm not tired", he secretly rubbed his eyes again, though, and the Founders and Aurelius exchanged an amused glance, "I want to play again after lunch."

"Not today, Tommy", Gryffindor informed him, his voice still calm, "you are going to take a nap after lunch."

Tom stubbornly shook his head, happily munching on his dessert, "no. Let Relius take a nap, he got destroyed more than me in the game. He needs to rest."

That made Aurelius laugh, "maybe I'll tell you a story if you are being good, Tommybear."

"I want a story without the nap!"

"That's not possible, unfortunately", Gryffindor was getting up, "come on, baby bear, time to sleep, hmm? I know you're tired."

Tom was getting up as well, frowning, "I am not tired! I won't take a nap!"

"Yes, you will, Tommy. Let's go."

"No!", he stomped his foot, getting increasingly frustrated, "no nap! No!"

Gryffindor and Aurelius exchanged a look, and then the Founder gave Aurelius a quick nod, slowly walking over to the defiant boy, "shhh…someone's tired, hmm?", he picked Tom up, causing him to howl in frustration, "no nap! Want down!", he helplessly kicked his legs, which earned him a warning swat to his backside, "behave, Tommy."

"No!"

He got another swat for that, making him sob, "you…you're mean! I want down!"

"I'll put you down once we are in your room, Tommybear."

"Want down now!"

Aurelius, who was walking right next to his father carrying the boy, had to chuckle, "he's quite demanding in this state, isn't he?"

"He really is- I guess someone is asking for a spanking, hmm?", he had to smile when the boy in his arms started to squirm, "no…no spanking!"

"Behave then, Tommy- or you'll take a nap with a very warm backside."

Tom hid his face in Gryffindor's chest, "no…no nap", Godric could hear him whisper, and he stifled a laugh.

Naughty boy.

They got to his room, and as he had promised, Gryffindor put Tom back on his feet, "now, I would like you to go use the bathroom before your nap, Tommybear", he told the boy softly, "go on, I'll wait here."

"Don't need to go!", Tom replied obstinately, but when Gryffindor raised an eyebrow, he gave in, walking over to the bathroom. The door closed with a bang, only to open less than a minute later again with Tom emerging from the room.

"Good boy", Godric praised him, "did you wash your hands, baby bear?", it was obvious that he had not, the sauce and smear from the pizza still on his hands and face.

"Yah, I did", Tom stated, carefully hiding his hands behind his back, "hands are clean."

"Let me see, Tommy."

"No."

Gryffindor sighed, and then he walked over to the boy, gently turned him around and delivered a hard swat to his backside, "that's for the attitude- and I can add more for lying, naughty boy. Now, let me ask you again- did you wash your hands?"

Tom was staring at him, obviously debating how far he wanted to push him, "yah. I washed them", he answered eventually, looking like the picture of a defiant toddler now with his tousled hair, the pizza smears in his face and hands, and his stubborn expression.

"Bad boy", Gryffindor gave him another swat, hard enough for the boy to howl out, "you will not lie to me, Thomas", he dragged the boy back into the bathroom, Aurelius following them curiously. He stayed by the door, though, watching how his father took Tom over to the sink, "hands up, Thomas."

"N…no! Don't wanna wash hands!", the boy sobbed, and his sobs turned into small cries when Gryffindor swatted his butt again, "hands up, Thomas", he repeated his command, his voice dangerous, and this time, the boy obeyed, his body starting to tremble in fear.

"Move your hands and you'll get a spanking you won't forget for a week, naughty boy", Gryffindor informed him, turning on the cold water, "this will teach you not to lie to me", he carefully pushed Tom's hands under the cold stream of the water, causing the boy to cry out, "cold! It's cold!", he wanted to move his hands, but Gryffindor grabbed them just in time, "last warning, boy- try that again and you'll go straight over my lap, understand?"

"No spanking, please, no spanking!", his cries were turning hysterical now, and then he slowly pushed his trembling hands back under the icy stream of water coming out of the tap, "co…cold!", he started to whimper, "so cold, Daddy! Tommy good boy! Good boy for Daddy!"

"No more lying then, Tommybear?"

"No, no lying! Be good!", the boy hastily blurted out, his hands turning red from the cold- but he did not move them, not even one millimeter.

Gryffindor smiled, turning the cold water off and the warm water on, "good boy, Tommy", he praised him, sounding pleased, "you are all forgiven, sweet boy."

"Daddy still like me?"

"Come here."

Tom instantly turned around, and when Gryffindor pulled him in a hug, he started to cry again, snuggling into the embrace, "I love you, Tommybear", Godric told him quietly, "I love you very much, Tommy- and you'll be my good boy now taking a nap, hmm?"

"Yah. Tommy good boy!"

Aurelius, who had been watching their interaction, walked closer, a curious expression on his face, "do you know what triggered this, Father? Not just the game, right?"

"No, but playing seems to be a trigger- along with complete exhaustion. I can tell he did not sleep well last night since I did not swaddle him again. Combine that, and add a punishment that causes him fear, and eighteen year old Thomas transforms into a naughty little three year old."

"That's not…it's not common though."

"It is not", Godric agreed, "mental regression can only happen when that person did not have what's called a stable and safe childhood- at some point, the subconsciousness of someone who experienced neglect or trauma at a young age will mentally regress to a certain age in their childhood when they are feeling safe enough to do so. You have probably noticed Tom is not acting like a regular eighteen year old at certain times."

Aurelius gave a small laugh, "he stuck his tongue out at me at the meeting yesterday."

"Yes, that's a good example. He is experiencing more of what's called episodes, small times of mental regression because he knows he's safe with us to do that- subconsciously of course. He is not aware of why and when he is doing that."

"Why is he calling you Daddy, though? Is he aware of that?"

Gryffindor looked at the boy who was still quietly snuggled into him, "no, he's not aware of it- it shows me that that's what he thinks of me subconsciously, though. It's not all surprising since I have probably been the first one disciplining him, setting boundaries, but also snuggling him and taking care of him."

He easily picked Tom up and carried him back to his bedroom, and then he transformed the big bed into a mattress again with a wink of his hand, "naptime now, sweet boy."

Aurelius had taken out a big, soft blanket, and Tom whimpered when he saw it, knowing what was going to happen, "Tommy big boy! No blankie!"

"Shhh…you know you need the blanket to sleep well, baby bear", Godric replied softly, "quiet time now, Tommy", he started to gently wrap the boy in the blanket with Aurelius' help, and Tom sobbed, trying to struggle against the tight hold of the blanket, "Daddy, up! Want up!", he started to cry again, "don't want this!"

"Shhh…it's time to sleep now, Tommy", Gryffindor just said, wrapping him tight, "there you go…this will help you sleep, baby bear."

Tom howled, tossing his head from side to side, "no! Want out! Me big boy!", he tried to kick his legs, but Gryffindor and Aurelius had done a good job- he was not able to move at all.

"Settle, boy", the command was followed by a quick tap on his bottom when he kept squirming, and somehow, his brain remembered the command- and he calmed down, staring at Gryffindor and Aurelius with wide, tear stained eyes.

"There's my sweet boy", Gryffindor kept his voice soft, "and now my sweet boy is going to close his eyes and he is going to listen to Aurelius' story very nicely, right?"

"Yah, Relius story!"

They both had to chuckle, and then Aurelius carefully moved next to the boy, putting his head into his lap, allowing him to caress his messy hair, "it's a story about an owl, Tommy", he told him softly, "a very naughty owl who played a lot of naughty pranks."

He saw Tom's face lighting up with excitement, a sight that made him smile, "you are going to be nice and quiet and behave for me, hmm?"

Tom nodded sleepily, looking at him in wonder, "be good…for Relius", he whispered quietly, "Relius…play with me."

It made his heart heavy to know that he was probably the first one who had ever played a game with the boy, "yes, I'll play with you, baby", he told him, his voice still very soft, "now, once upon a time, there was a small owl named Mischievous. He lived up to his name, being the naughtiest little owl in the whole Kingdom. One day, when…"

Tom closed his eyes, happily listening to the story. He was tired, exhausted actually, and before Aurelius had even gotten to the part where Mischievous stole a piece of cake from the King's bakery, Tom was asleep- and he slept better than ever before, snuggled tightly into the blanket, with Aurelius' hand in his hair, and Gryffindor on the other side, keeping him safe.

Love you, Daddy…

yep...but things will not stay as happy for Tom...

I'd love some feedback from you!

stay safe,

xoxo

Antonie