Harry stood from his chair and turned to the library door frantically.
"Mr. Marvolo, I-I'm sorry to intrude," Harry whispered shaking in fear. Tears welled in his eyes fixed on the floor in front of his feet and his entire tiny frame trembled violently.
"Hadrian, sit down, please," Tom instructed the child, afraid he would collapse. "Severus, a calming potion if you would?" Tom suggested as his son obeyed but quickly started hyperventilating. While Severus left the library to retrieve the necessary potion, Tom knelt in front of his son and grasped the tiny trembling hands in his much larger ones. "Hadrian, you are not intruding. You have nothing to fear from me. You are my son and I love you. Please try to breathe with me," Tom instructed praying Severus would return quickly.
The potion master returned within mere moments and Tom helped the young boy drink the potion. Within a few minutes, Harry collapsed back against the chair with a sigh of relief although the tears did not completely cease flowing down his sunburnt cheeks.
"How would you prefer I address you, son?" Tom asked deciding to start the conversation with a bit of a lighter tone knowing what they would soon have to address.
"You may call me whatever you'd like, sir," Harry answered formally.
"Hadrian, you needn't call me sir. That's much to formal. I know you probably won't feel comfortable enough to call me dad yet, but you may call me Tom until you are more comfortable," Tom instructed with a smile.
"Yes, si-sorry, yes, Mr. M-Tom," Harry stammered.
"I suppose that will have to do for now," Tom chuckled. "Now Hadrian, I know I am capable of calling you whatever I'd like, but I'd like to know how you would prefer to be addressed. Hadrian was the name your mother and I chose for you, but I understand if you have become attached to the name Harry. It is a good name which you've been called for the most of your life."
"I-I'm not so much attached to the name Harry, s-Mr. Tom. I only just learned it was my name a few years ago. I kinda like it when you called me Hadrian, I suppose, Mr. Tom," Harry mumbled keeping his eyes downcast.
"Very well, Hadrian it will be then," Tom replied with a smile as he gently guided Hadrian's gaze back up to meet his own. "What do you mean you only learned it was your name a few years ago, Hadrian?" Tom asked.
"I-well, it's really nothing, s-Mr. Tom," Hadrian mumbled uncertainly.
"Hadrian, take a deep breath, you have nothing to fear from me. You are safe here. I simply wish to better understand my son and a part of that is knowing what he was called before he learned his name," Tom tried again gently.
"I am a freak, a useless boy who wastes s-space and oxygen. I am nothing, who d-deserves nothing except pain and m-misery. I didn't know my name until Hagrid came to take me to Hogwarts, s-Mr. Tom," Hadrian answered quietly.
Severus almost gasped and Tom had tears welling in his eyes. "Hadrian, you are never to repeat these things. You are no freak. You are not useless. You do not waste space or oxygen. You are my child whom I love. A wise, loyal, curious child who has so much to offer the world. You deserve everything good, Hadrian. No child deserves pain or misery. Now who dared to call you these things, Hadrian?" Tom asked thankful for his practice keeping his emotions at bay. There was no need to frighten his child needlessly.
"My aunt and uncle and later m-my cousin, s-Mr. Tom. Although, I suppose they aren't really my aunt and uncle are they?" Hadrian contemplated thoughtfully.
"They were the people in charge of your wellbeing after James and Lily Potter died?" Tom asked.
"Yes, si-Mr. Tom," Hadrian answered.
"Do you know their names, my child?"
"Vernon and Petunia Dursely, s-Mr. Tom."
"Thank you, Hadrian. Now, would you be willing to tell me what frightened you so bad when I came into the room earlier?"
"I-I don't want to go back to them, sir. I don't know what I'll do if you hate me. I promise I'll be good. I can cook and clean. I'll be really quiet. Please, please just don't hate me, sir," Hadrian pleaded quickly approaching frantic again.
Tom acted on instinct as he lifted the child-who was much too light for his age-into his arms and sat in the armchair pulling the boy into a secure embrace as he began to slowly rock him while simultaneously brushing a hand through his hair. "Shhh, deep breaths, Hadrian. You will never go back to them. You are my son and I have just gotten you back. I won't allow you to leave me that easily. I will never hate you. You are my child; you could be the most miserable little boy on the planet, and I still would not be capable of hating you, Hadrian. You need not cook or clean or be quiet. I will never hate you, Hadrian. You are my son. I love you so much." Tom continued whispering reassurances to the child until eventually he realized the twelve-year-old had fallen asleep in his arms.
Tom looked to his friend sadly, "Have you run a full diagnostic exam on him, Severus?"
"I will immediately," Severus replied withdrawing his wand and setting to work immediately.