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Tom did not dare to turn around to look at his father, standing frozen to the spot by the cage. How could he have been so stupid to think his Daddy would not find out where he kept sneaking out to? How could he have been so disobedient and ignorant?

"Daddy…"

"Yes, it's really me- surprised?", Gryffindor's tone was dry, and then he stepped closer, "how long has this been going on, Thomas?"

Tom flinched at being called Thomas, "for…about…ten days", he eventually croaked out, unable to lie to his Daddy, "I…I was curious, and then…you were busy so often, and I…"

"Don't you dare to blame your disobedience on me not spending enough time with you!"

Tom ducked his head at Gryffindor's cutting voice, blinking back the tears, "I…I am sorry, Daddy", he whispered, "I am so sorry."

"You deserve a good spanking for this, I hope you know that", Gryffindor sounded disapproving, and when he took one more step, Growler suddenly bared his teeth and lunged forward, even though his paw was clearly hurting him. He started to bark, the sound of it aggressive and threatening, and Gryffindor let out a sardonic laugh, "my boy seems to have been feeding you good if you suddenly change sides", it sounded cold, "and you know very well that you do not bark at me, boy", he lifted up the cane, causing Growler to instantly roll over in surrender and whimper anxiously, and Tom's eyes widened in shock, "please don't, Daddy! Please don't hit him! He's just trying to protect me!"

"Do you even know who he is?", Gryffindor asked, but thankfully, he lowered the cane, looking at Tom with raised eyebrows.

"I…I called him Growler cause he always growled at me in the beginning", Tom stuttered, "but he's not doing that anymore. I…I think he kinda likes me now, and…he's hurt, Daddy. His paw is bleeding. We need to help him, maybe he has a splinter or something in his paw!"

"Well, good luck with that- he won't let me go near him to look at his paw, stubborn as he is", Gryffindor sounded irritated, and the dog flinched like he had been kicked.

"Growler, will you…let me look at it? Please? I promise I won't hurt you", Tom kept his voice soft, crouching down in front of the cage, "please, I don't want you to be in pain."

The dog stared at him for what felt like an eternity, and then he let out a soft little bark and went to lay down, stretching out all four of his paws.

Tom had to smile, "thank you, Growler", he whispered back, and then he looked up to his Daddy, "could you open the cage, Daddy?"

Gryffindor sighed, obviously not liking this, "very well- just be careful", he opened the lock with a quick wave of his hand, "and you- if I see you as much as snapping at my son, you'll get a caning you won't forget for a week, understand?"

Growler whimpered, and Tom bit his lips, suddenly feeling quite angry at his Daddy for treating this beautiful dog like crap- there was nothing he could have done to deserve this. He crawled into the cage, unable to stand up, and then he started to carefully examine the injured paw.

"There's a small piece of wood", he told his Daddy, "he probably stepped in it. It's not deep, I think I can take it out."

Growler whined anxiously, and Tom softly petted his head, "don't be scared, doggie. You are gonna feel so much better once it's out. Hold still now, okay?", the dog whined again, and then Tom gently pulled the small piece of wood out of his paw, causing Growler to howl first, but then he whimpered again, and this time, it sounded relieved.

"Told you", Tom giggled when Growler started to lick his hand, "hahaha, that tickles, Growler! Tickles a lot!"

The dog barked playfully, and next thing he knew, Tom and Growler were wrestling on the floor, Growler barking and Tom laughing, and Gryffindor was watching them, trying his best to keep a straight face- after all, his boy deserved to get disciplined for sneaking out here after he had told him explicitly not to, and the dog, well…

"Come here, Tommy", he eventually told his boy, and Tom instantly straightened up, leaving the cage. He had stopped laughing, and now the expression on his face was anxious, "sorry, Daddy- he just wanted to say thank you to me for helping him. He's a good dog."

Gryffindor snorted- really, it was time to end this charade, "he's not a dog."

Tom frowned, clearly confused, "he's not? But he looks just like a dog, Daddy- wait, is he a werewolf?", and now the boy sounded fascinated, "is that why he has to stay in his cage?"

"He's an animagus, Tommybear", Gryffindor was looking him straight in the eyes now, "and one you know very well."

"Wait, so…he's human?", Tom paled, thinking of all the secrets he had told Growler- and all the humiliating stuff about the training, "what…who…", and then he closed his eyes for a second, realization dawning on him, and he looked at Growler again, who was sitting by the wall now, hanging his head.

"You…you're Sirius Black."

Growler- Black- winced, but he did not attempt to deny it, and Tom bit his lips, "great. You must have enjoyed watching me making a fool of myself all these days."

The dog shook his head.

"Why are you even here?"

The dog jerked his head in Gryffindor's direction, and Tom went to look at his Daddy, frowning, "did you…dognap him, Daddy?"

Godric had to chuckle, "something like that- but it's probably better if Black explains himself under which circumstances we have met", he waved his hand, and within seconds, the big dog transformed into Sirius Black- dressed in some shabby pants, his chest and legs exposed. There were red, angry welts on his back, plenty of them- and Tom knew there were from the cane. His hair was long and tousled, and the collar had left marks on his neck, probably from him pulling it too much. He was thin, and he looked miserable, miserable and resigned.

"Good to see you again, Black", Gryffindor said conversationally, like they were meeting in an office instead of a shed with a cage inside it, "now, you've heard me- go explain yourself to my son. Tell him what you did."

"If I do, are you going to finally let me out of here?", Black's voice was raspy, he sounded like he had not used it in a while, "I am not a damn dog, and this here is…it's a crime."

"I'd be careful with accusations like that- after all, the rest of the wardens are in Azkaban now."

"Do they get treated like a fucking dog there, too?"

"Probably worse from what I heard."

Black snorted, "is that even possible?", he seemed to suddenly remember Tom was listening, and he sighed, "alright, I guess I do owe you an explanation- after all, I probably would have starved to death without you giving me treats every day."

"The treats you refused to earn by behaving for me, Black", Gryffindor pointed out mildly, "I do not reward bad behavior."

"You want me to apologize now for refusing to run after a ball or walking on a leash? I am not a dog, and all your hours and hours of training won't change that."

"I am not training you to become a dog, Sirius Black", Gryffindor replied evenly, "now, you were saying?"

Sirius glared at him, but eventually, he just sighed, "fine. Dumbledore had me kidnapped to work at one of his torture camps for him, I was responsible for the…the evening entertainment."

Tom blinked, not understanding, "like, you were performing? Singing or something?"

Sirius rolled his eyes, "you are one naïve kid now, aren't you?", he mumbled, "my job was to torture the prisoners to death, while the wardens were watching."

"Did you…torture Bellatrix? Did you do that to her?"

Black shook his head, "that was way earlier before I got there- even though, I probably wouldn't have minded. She was a crazy bitch, that one. I fucked over your other Death Eaters, though- I killed Peter by shoving his junk int…"

"There's no need for graphic details", Gryffindor interrupted him, his voice sharp, "Tom might still have most of his old memories, but he is a child- and I am not going to allow you to traumatize him like that. Get to the point, Black."

"Well, the point is, Gryffindor and his little army stormed the camp one night, and moved the prisoners to St. Mungo's. The wardens got arrested, Dumbledore was long gone before that of course, and I…I landed here, forced into my animagus form", he sounded bitter, "and forced to earn my food by behaving."

"What he's trying to say is that he got punished for acting like a sadistic, cruel, and arrogant little prince at the camps, and that he knows very well that he gets out of here as soon as he's giving in", Gryffindor added casually, "but since he is being stubborn and defiant, I see him spending a lot more time as a dog in here, eating out of a bowl and playing fetch with me."

Sirius flushed with shame, his eyes starting to sparkle, "you already had your fun when you made the crawl around in that damn arena- I don't see why I should apologize on top of that."

"And that is why you'll stay here", Gryffindor remarked calmly, "because you are still not seeing the wrongs in what you did."

"Pettigrew deserved it. They all did."

"Does that mean…you would have tortured me to death as well?", Tom now blurted out, after following the conversation silently, "I deserve to die as well, right? For what I did?"

Sirius refused to meet his eyes, "Dumbledore's been looking for you, you know that, right? Turned a whole section of the camp into some sick little rape dungeon for you", he bit his lips, "and to answer your question- I probably would have, yeah. Before…you told me about all this shit that your brother did to you, and…I kinda liked your little visits. At least you never used that damn cane on me", he scowled at Gryffindor, and the Founder raised an eyebrow, "I never punished you without a reason, Sirius Black."

"I think I've been punished enough now", Sirius grumbled, "I need to go back to Grimmauld's Place, my actual home."

"I thought you hated growing up there."

Sirius stiffened, "really? You gonna go there now? That's low even for you, Gryffindor."

Godric just smiled, "I actually have another proposition for you- since you are so adamant not to apologize."

"And what would that be? More humiliation?"

"Not…exactly", he kept smiling, and Tom suddenly got an idea where this was going, "the…meeting with Lupin, you meant him?"

"You had a meeting with Remus?", Black sounded irritated, "had a good laugh about me being your lapdog now, right?"

"You really are self-centered, Sirius Black", Gryffindor shook his head with amusement, "I did not tell Lupin what I am doing in here with you- he just knows that I convinced you to stay at Gryffindor Manor for a while."

"Convinced, right", Sirius mumbled, and then he looked at Tom, tilting his head, "you were there, at that meeting?"

Tom nodded, "yeah- I am gonna be the first graders spy. Dumbledore formed this alliance with Hogwarts students, and Lupin said the army needs one for first grade and…one for third grade."

"Then what do you…", Sirius suddenly stopped, his eyes widening, "fuck, no! You don't think you can deage me like you did with him and send me back to Hogwarts?!"

"I don't?", Gryffindor merely raised an eyebrow, "well, I am giving you a choice of course- you can either stay here and learn how to be my good doggie or you can let me turn you into a third grader and spy for us at Hogwarts."

"That's basically a choice between shit and crap", Sirius remarked, and Tom could not help it, he had to laugh, but when his Daddy gave him a look, he instantly got silent.

"Think about it, Sirius Black- I'd reverse the deage spell once the spy mission at Hogwarts is completed, and then you would be free. Free to spend the rest of your life at Grimmauld's Place if you choose to do so", Gryffindor easily picked Tom up, and the small boy happily snuggled into him, "Tom is going back in two days- so you need to make your decision quickly. If I am sending both of you, I have to send you together, it would be too suspicious to keep having new students appear in the middle of the schoolyear."

"He would be my brother then, Daddy?", Tom asked, sounding excited for some reason, and Sirius scoffed, "your fake brother you mean- and as I said, I won't agree to that. It's crazy."

"I daresay another two days of command training might change your mind, pup", Gryffindor replied calmly, and Sirius paled, "wait, please, don't make…", the rest of his sentence turned into barks since Godric had simply forced him into his animagus form again with a wave of his hand, "I'll see you later, doggie- be good."

The dog's barks got louder and more desperate, and Tom watched him trying to pull on his chain in despair, howling. And then his Daddy closed the door to the shed, the dog barking furiously from the other side of the door. Gryffindor carried him back to the Manor, the dog howling loudly behind them, and for about a minute, neither of them said a word.

"Daddy?"

"Yes, baby?"

"You gonna spank me for sneaking into the shed?"

"I should- but I won't. After all, if you had not been there to help, that stick in his paw could have easily turned into an infection."

Tom had to smile, "you like him."

"What do you mean?"

"Sirius. You like him, that's why you want him to go to Hogwarts with me and Relius."

He could hear Gryffindor sigh, "maybe."

"He is kinda funny", Tom pointed out, "he'd drive Snape crazy at Hogwarts."

"Not only Snape", Gryffindor murmured, "let's go eat some lunch, hmm? And then my little sneaky bear is going to take a nap."

"Okay", Tom easily agreed, snuggling closer. He was hungry- and he was tired. Still, he kept thinking of Sirius Black in the shed, lonely, chained, and probably really hungry- and when the house elves served them chicken and potatoes for lunch, he got an idea.

"Daddy?"

"Yes, Tommy? Do you not like your lunch?"

"I do- I love it. I was just thinking if I could share some of it with Grow…with…Sirius."

His Daddy looked at him silently for a while, and eventually, Tom blushed, lowering his gaze.

"You are trying to make it up to him, hmm?"

"It…it was my fault, after all. I did kill his best friends, and he got sent to Azkaban for it."

"And now he will hopefully use the opportunity to get a second chance- just like you did", Gryffindor was smiling at him, "you are my good boy, Tommy- and I am proud of you. You may share the chicken with Sirius, I am sure he is going to enjoy it a lot."

"Can I go right now? And bring it to him?"

"After lunch, yes- and then you are going to come right back for your nap, baby bear."

"Yes, Daddy."

Tom was smiling all across his face when he carried a huge chunk of chicken, wrapped in some paper, to the shed after lunch. A month ago, he would not have hesitated to cast a spell at Sirius Black, but things had changed- he had changed. He had had plenty of time to think during his month in the basement, and he had realized how much he'd done wrong, and this was his chance to make some of it right again.

"Hey", he smiled at the dog when he opened the shed, laughing when he saw him sniffling expectantly, "we had chicken for lunch just now and I thought I'd share it with you", there was a small opening in the cage that he carefully unlocked, and then he pushed the chicken in, "it tastes great- maybe a little too garlicy."

Sirius Black looked like he was frowning, and then he went closer to the chicken, drooling already. He did not eat it though, he just kept staring at him.

"It's not a trick or something, and Daddy gave me permis…", he had not even finished his sentence when the dog hungrily dug into the chicken, apparently, the permission from Gryffindor was all he had needed to hear. He devoured the meat within seconds, and Tom watched him, smiling, "told you it's great."

The dog licked some grease off the floor, and then he looked at him, wagging his tail.

"You're welcome, Growl…I mean, Sirius. I can call you Sirius, right?"

The dog nodded his head.

"You know, you should really come to school with me- Relius is gonna be there, too. And we can spy on Dumbledore and help Daddy", Tom now said, sitting down in front of the cage, "command training is horrible- and Daddy is strict with you, right?"

The dog nodded again, looking down. He had stopped wagging his tail, and Tom felt sorry for him, "apologizing is only hard the first time", he told him quietly, "I apologize all the time now, and it's not a bad feeling. I actually need to apologize to you as well- I am sorry for what I did back when I was…Voldemort. I am so sorry."

The dog whimpered, and Tom had to swallow, "this can be your second chance, Sirius", he whispered, "and then you can be happy, too. Just like me."

You can be happy, too.

Remus was frustrated. He had tried twice now to lure Snape to a secret meeting where he had prepared a romantic picnic to finally confess to Snape that he was his secret admirer- and twice, Snape had simply refused to show up.

He still suspected Snape to work for Dumbledore, or at least help him, but he still had no evidence, he had nothing. Salazar was making steady progress with Hagrid in recruiting more and more magical creatures for the army, Harry and his friends were organizing meetings with the army, Aurelius was trying to extract information from the alliance among the students, and Godric was working on getting a trial started to hold Dumbledore accountable for what had happened at the camps- and he had still not even managed to find out what side Snape was on. He was now at a point where he had completely run out of patience. If Snape did not come to him, he would have to come to Snape!

Remus planned his next step very carefully. First, he spent about an hour getting ready, shaving and wearing the new robes he had bought that he thought made him look quite sophisticated, and then he dropped off another small gift for the Potion Master at the kitchen, waiting for an elf to deliver it to Snape's private quarters. Since Snape refused to let him in anymore, he planned to sneak into the room with the elf delivering the package this time, giving Snape no chance to avoid him. It worked like clockwork, the tiny house elf knocked, Snape opened the door, and before any of them had even noticed him, he had stormed into the room, slamming it shut right before the house elves face.

"What in.."

"Finally we are alone!", Remus purred, grabbing the Potion Master, "I have a confession to make, Severus."

"We are actually not alo…"

"You probably have been wondering who sent you all these gorgeous, thoughtful gifts", Remus went on, ignoring Snape's remark, "well- I am here to tell you that it was me. I am your secret admirer, Sev. You are everything I dream of, strong, handsome, and brilliant. I want to be yours, Severus", he curled his lips into something that he thought was a seductive smile, and then he leaned forward to kiss the Potion Master, who stood frozen to the spot, "mmmhhh…you smell so good, you…"

"Remus?"

The Lupin turned around so fast he almost fell over, and then he came face to face with no one else than Harry- who was standing in the hallway, a cup with tea in his hands, and a shocked, distressed look on his face.

"Are you ready to go, boys? Everything packed?"

"Yes, Daddy", Tom answered happily, carefully holding up the cage with Beagle, his owl, "Beagle is ready, too!"

"That's good to know", Gryffindor smiled at his eager boy, and then he shifted his attention to the boy next to him, a handsome boy with soft brown curls and high cheekbones, even though his handsomeness was somewhat spoiled by the sullen look on his face.

"I asked you a question, boy, and I expect an answer- or do we really need to have another talk in my study before you leave?", he kept his voice calm, but firm, knowing that Sirius desperately needed a firm hand and clear boundaries.

The boy scowled, "no need for that- I'm ready. Can't wait to get the hell out of here actually."

"Turn around, Sirius."

The boy instantly paled, "I didn't even do anything wrong!"

"You cursed- and you know I do not tolerate that kind of language from you. Now turn around, my boy, or we are going straight to my office, understand?"

Sirius balled his hands into fists, hating this, but he slowly turned around, closing his eyes in defeat when he felt Gryffindor moving behind him.

Swat.

"I am expecting you to set a good example to Tom- which means no cursing, no rudeness, and no sloppiness in class. Are we clear on that, my boy?"

Not your boy.

"Crystal clear", Sirius mumbled, still avoiding to look at the Founder. He kept his gaze on Salazar, who was now coming closer with a small bag in his hands, "it's a long journey, and I know you boys will get hungry- so here is some money for you and Tom to buy something on the train", he handed him the small bag, "and have a safe trip, you'll keep an eye on Tom, right?"

Don't worry, I won't let anything happen to your little prince.

Sirius inwardly rolled his eyes, but he had started to grow very fond of Salazar within the last few days, so he just nodded, "sure, no problem. Thanks for the money."

They eventually made it to the platform at King's Cross, Gryffindor had arranged for them to take the Hogwarts Express back to school, even though he could just have apparated with them straight into the Great Hall. Officially, they were real brothers though- Tom would attend first grade under the name Orion Lemarc, and Sirius would attend third grade under the name Scipius Lemarc. Gryffindor had put a lot of work into making sure they had a fake birth certificate, fake documentation, and fake reports from their- also fake- last school. According to their story, they were from a small village in Cornwall, and they had grown up on the family farm there. Their father had died four years ago, and now their mother had inherited some money from an uncle who had passed away, so she was finally able to send them to Hogwarts. Both Godric and Salazar had spent hours in quizzing them on their fake story, and Sirius had often thought how much easier life would have been as a dog- but then he remembered the cane again, and the training, and he had sighed.

This will be over fast enough- as soon as Dumbledore is done, I am outta there.

Now they were sitting opposite each other in one of the train compartments, and while Sirius was staring out the window, frowning, Tom was feeding Beagle some Owl Treats, causing the eagle owl to hoot with appreciation.

"You want to play a game or something? Dad packed the chessboard for me", Tom now said, smiling at him, "or we could just…talk."

"Or we could both be fucking silent until we get there."

Tom had to laugh, "you shouldn't curse, you know that. Relius is gonna spank you if you curse like this at Hogwarts."

Sirius snorted, "and why should I care what your brother has to say? He has no right to do anything to me."

Tom did not reply to that, he gave Beagle another treat, and then he started to rummage through his satchel, "look, I got an envelope with my name on it!", he pulled out a white envelope, and Sirius rolled his eyes, "fascinating. An envelope. Whoever could that be from?"

"It's from Daddy!", Tom announced, delighted, "and it says: Dear Tommy, I already miss you so much, little bear, most of all your happy infectious laugh and snuggling you before bed. You are my sweet boy, you are clever and strong and perfect, and I know you will make me so proud at Hogwarts. Listen to Aurelius and Sirius, study hard, and most of all, be happy. Love, Daddy."

Tom was beaming, "that's the best letter I ever got! What does yours say, Sirius?"

Sirius bit his lips, hard, staring at the envelope in his hands like it would explode at any second. He had been surprised to find one in his satchel- why the hell would Gryffindor even write him?

Probably to tell me what a rude, disobedient and annoying little shit I am- and that he's glad I'm gone.

That thought hurt for some reason, and next thing he knew, he had crumbled the letter into a ball, shoving it into his pockets, "nothing important I'm sure", he answered curtly, "are you hungry? We should get something to eat."

"Yes! Let's buy a bunch of chocolate frogs!", Tom started to jump up and down in his seat, and Sirius rolled his eyes again. Did he had to behave that childish?

Minutes later, the food trolley lady appeared, she was an elderly witch with white hair and a crooked nose, "anything you want, young gentlemen?"

"Let's buy all the candy they have!", Tom suggested, and when Sirius just shrugged, Tom happily placed his order, "I take a dozen chocolate frogs, the jelly slugs over there, five liquorice wands, these sugar quills, and then…"

It did not occur to Sirius that their lunch was anything but healthy and nutritious, but when Tom got even more hyped up after he ate everything expect a few jelly slugs, Sirius started to realize that it might have been a mistake to let the younger boy eat so much candy. And hours later, his concerns started to become reality.

"My tummy hurts, Sirius", Tom was whining, rubbing his stomach, "are we there yet?"

"Almost. I can see the platform already", and he had never been more relieved to see it, "come on. You…you are probably just nervous."

Tom nodded, the expression on his face pained. He stayed silent when they got into the boat, not saying a word when they entered the Great Hall. It was weird to be back at school- and Sirius found himself staring at the Gryffindor's table, hoping to spot Harry. Dumbledore welcomed them quickly, and after the Sorting Hat sent them both to Gryffindor- surprise- they went and sat down with the others. It was dinnertime now, and while Sirius hungrily dug into the food, he had been too agitated to eat much during the train ride, Tom just nibbled on a pumpkin pastry, keeping his head down. After dinner, some of the other students took them to the Common Room, their luggage had already been brought up to their dorms. Harry was there, and Ginny, and Aurelius- and when no one was looking, Aurelius quickly put a small note in Sirius' hands.

Meet me in the second floor girl's lavatory in ten minutes.

Sirius sighed, but he dutifully showed the note to Tom, who immediately seemed to feel better at the prospect of meeting his beloved older brother. They were able to leave the Common Room without anyone noticing, and when they got to the bathroom, Aurelius was already there, leaning against the huge sink in the middle of the room. No one ever came in here, thanks to Moaning Myrtle, who was currently taking a nap inside one of the pipes.

"Relius!", Tom started to run, and Aurelius laughed, easily picking the smaller boy up, "hey there, baby brother", and then he looked at Sirius, his smile widening, "and hey there, little boy. It's good to finally meet you. Did the two of you had a good trip? Did you boys eat something?"

"Yeah, I guess", Sirius mumbled, not even trying to sound polite.

"Yah. I ate a lot of candy, though, and now…my tummy hurts", Tom snuggled closer to his brother, finally feeling safe and loved again, "missed you, Relius."

"I missed you, too Tommybear- let's go and find something for your tummy, hmm?", he gave him a soft kiss on his head, and then he turned to look at Sirius, frowning, "why in the world did you let him eat so much candy that he gets sick? Do you not have any sense of responsibility?"

Sirius could only stare at him, stunned. How was it his fucking fault that Tom ate candy like he had never had any before? This was bullshit.

"We'll talk more tomorrow", Aurelius eventually announced, his voice sharp, "the alliance is having a meeting in three days and I would like you both to express enough interest in that to get an invitation."

"Sure. Whatever."

He was really not in the mood to take directions from that arrogant prick, but apparently, Aurelius was not in the mood to take his sullen disrespect, either. He carefully put Tom down and whispered something in his ear, and then Tom shot him a quick, somewhat emphatic look and hurried out of the room.

"I want to make something very clear here, Sirius", Aurelius began as soon as Tom had left, coming closer, "and that is that I am not going to tolerate any rudeness or disobedience from you. I am aware my brother told you that I trained him- and just so you know, I am quite willing to get you to understand how to behave as well if you keep this up, is that understood?"

"I don't even want to…"

"Is that understood, Sirius?", and now his voice was cold, and Sirius winced, "ye…yes, Aurelius", he whispered, "I…I understand."

"Good boy."

Not your boy.

"Can…I go now? I'm kinda tired", he was not, but anything was better than to stay around Aurelius for longer, and the older boy sighed, "very well. Meet me here again after class tomorrow so we can discuss the next steps. Other than that, act as ordinary as possible- the last thing we need is to attract any unwanted attention."

"Yes, Aurelius."

Whatever.

"Have a good night, Sirius- and sweet dreams, little boy", and for whatever reason, Aurelius was smiling at him now, and he almost believed he meant that. He mumbled a thanks, and then he hastily left the bathroom, going back to the Common Room in a daze. Some of the other third graders approached him curiously, wanting to know more about him, but Sirius was not in the mood to talk and answered their questions in a curt manner. He did not realize that this was not the way to get popular with his classmates, not that he cared anyways.

Class the next day was even worse- the lessons were dull and way too long, and Sirius had never been one anyways to pay much attention in class. The other third graders all seemed to be a bunch of little goody-goodies because when he used his wand to make some small fireworks during Charms, none of them seemed very impressed- and Flitwick gave him some extra homework for it on top of that. He did not care about that though, since he wasn't planning on doing it anyways.

The meeting with Aurelius and Tom was just as dull, and when he sat in class again the next day, he was more bored than ever. Back then, he had spent his time playing pranks on Snivellus or the Slytherins, trying to impress James or flirt with one of the girls, but this was just…so damn boring. He had not done his Herbology homework and they got points taken from Gryffindor for that, and during Potion's, he had spent the lesson drawing a bat on his desk, so more points had been taken- and Snape had been furious, burdening him with additional homework as well. Sirius did not intend to do any of it because really, what where they supposed to do? Expel him? He would actually welcome that. He did not bother to show up for the daily meeting with Aurelius after class, instead, he went outside, determined to stay out until it was time for dinner.

"Hey! There you are!", Tom came running closer, waving his arms, "Relius sent me. We have a meeting now cause tomorrow is the alliance meeting. Come on, Relius is waiting", he was panting, proving that he had run very fast indeed.

"So? I'm busy."

Tom's eyes widened, "you're already in trouble for being late- come on, you can't make Relius angry like this. He'll spank you."

"He won't. He's not my brother, and you are not my brother, either!", Sirius hissed at him, getting irritated, "I'll come with you- but only to tell that brother of yours to leave me the hell alone. There's no need to waste our time with these meetings every damn day."

Tom did not respond, he just hung his head, and they made their way to the second floor bathroom in silence. Since they were officially brothers, none of the other students thought anything of it in seeing them together that often. Aurelius was waiting for them, the look on his face impatient, "did you forget about our meeting, Sirius?", he asked him, his voice sharp.

"Nah- I just had something better to do."

"And what was that?"

"Counting the stars."

He knew he had taken it too far when Aurelius' face darkened, and then he grabbed him, turned him around and delivered three hard swats to his backside, "keep being naughty- the next time I see you acting up, you will go straight over my lap, Sirius", he finally released him, the expression on his face still cold, "I am not very pleased with your behavior, my boy."

Sirius still thought about the swats and Aurelius' cold words of reprimand when he entered the Common Room later that day. He felt angry at being disciplined, embarrassed because it had happened in front of Tom, and humiliated because really, he was too old to be swatted like a naughty little boy! Some of his classmates were discussing something by the fireplace, and he could hear Colin Creevey laugh loudly- which happened a lot during the day. Colin was probably the happiest boy he'd ever met- apart from Tom probably. He always smiled, always joked around, but never in a mean way, and was extremely popular with his classmates, even though he was a little bit of a simpleton and barely average in class, despite working hard on every assignment they got. Sirius usually ignored him, but today, he was too irritated with himself, Aurelius, and everything- so he walked over to his classmates, "what's the noise about?", he asked them, his tone bordering on rude, "I'm sure Creevey can be heard all the way down to the Great Hall with his stupid laugh."

There was a silence, and then Colin came closer, "you are not being very nice right now, Scipius", he told him, and Sirius scoffed, "boo-hoo, not very nice, eh? Do you even know more than a hundred different words, you dimwit?"

He had expected Colin to start crying now, but to his surprise, the boy's face hardened, "says the one who never turns his homework in- we all think you are unable to even write your own name at this point", some of the other third graders, including Ginny, had to laugh at that, and Sirius felt his face starting to burn, "bullshit, I am a lot smarter than any of you!"

"Smart at what? Losing house points?", more laughter, and Sirius realized it had been a mistake to tackle Colin- but he was not going to back down now, "I'll take you down any time of the day, asshole!", and then he jerked forward, punching Colin straight in the face, "that's what you g…"

"What is going on here?"

Aurelius came closer, and Sirius suddenly wished he was somewhere far, far away when he saw the look on his face- and then he remembered what Aurelius had said to him earlier, and he had to groan in helpless despair.

Next time I see you acting up, you will go straight over my lap, Sirius.

He really should have stayed living life as a dog.

yep...poor siri. there will be spanking in the next chap ;)

I'd love some feedback from you all! :)

stay safe!

xoxo,

Antonie :)