Harry ducks his head into the library room. "Put the books away, we still have a park visit today."
Tom looks up. "What? But we just interacted with people."
"Unspeakables don't count," Harry says happily. "Oh, don't make those cute miserable faces, your pain only makes me happier," he laughs.
Tom frowns. "Half a park visit."
"Half a visit if you play one game with the other kids."
"Or," Gellert cuts in. "You can push us on the swings."
Which means that not only do the boys not have to interact with the other brain-dead kids, but also Harry will be too busy playing with them to talk to the other adults. Tom approves of the plan so Gellert takes over since he's better at convincing Harry to do things.
"You don't play with us in the park," Gellert points out. "The other children are loud and boring and want to do silly games. Can't we just take a day off to do something nice together?"
Harry hesitates. "Are you doing this to get out of the park visit or do you really want to talk?"
Gellert taps on the cover of his book and pauses for a moment. "I've been doing some things behind your back because I didn't want you to know if it failed. It was successful so I would like to tell you now."
Harry smiles. "Okay. How about we all take a walk around the neighbourhood instead and you can tell me."
It's a nice day out and Gellert walks on Harry's left, arms out so he can balance on the curb as he chatters away. Tom walks on the right, a smaller snake wound around his wrist. Death is in his child form and following along behind them, light brown hair and green eyes like Harry.
Gellert throws up a silencing spell and explains his potions sales, promising Harry will get a cut for the sort-of intellectual property after the hospital finally signs the contract. They go back and forth for a bit about donating Harry's portion to the Wizarding Child Services until Gellert gives in and promises he'll donate money.
Gellert also briefly and vaguely explains he's really interest in rune work and has been talking with the other Unspeakables about taking on a small research project about construction.
"When did you first meet the Unspeakables?" Harry wonders. "You both seem rather comfortable around the department."
"Remember all those times you had to stop a murder or something and ran off with the dark creature?" Gellert says, gesturing behind them at Death. "Your Unspeakable isn't good at babysitting and just dumps us on his minions."
Harry looks at Tom. "What have you been doing then? If you want to tell me."
"Writing papers," Tom says slowly. "I have a few but I don't want to publish them because that would get too much attention, and I want to have the freedom to do certain things that being well known would hinder. I've been thinking of a pseudonym but…" Tom peers up at Harry. "Can I use your name?"
"Sure," Harry says easily, thinking he just barely managed to edge around the Lord Voldemort matter. "But if anyone asks about your work, I'll be very confused."
Gellert hops over and hugs Harry's arm. "Just say it's confidential." The blond leans around Harry to peer at Tom. "I can't believe you're really going to hide it until, what, you graduate? You'll lose so much time if you wait to build contacts."
"I don't need commercial opportunities more than I need a good reputation," Tom retorts. "Child prodigies are unnatural. I'm going to be good, but not so good that people will have their guard up."
Gellert huffs. "I'm going to be obvious about it so people know I'm unnatural and they'll get out of my way."
Harry pats Gellert's fluffy blond curls. "Both of your views are valid."
Gellert hums. "Oh, I have put your name down for some legal things though. It should be fine, no one will question it."
Harry is off buying cream buns while Tom and Gellert idly entertain themselves on the street outside the bakery, mainly by snarking at each other in between kicking a rock back and forth. The shadow creature sits on the front step of a nearby shop and is content to ignore them.
"I'm Mary," says a little girl in a light blue dress, blond hair up in a ponytail, perhaps one or two years younger.
"Tell that to someone who cares," Tom mutters, kicking the rock back to Gellert.
"Brother," Gellert chuckles, stepping on the rock to stop it. "How cruel. You should be polite to girls."
Tom sneers. "Did Harry tell you that drivel?"
Gellert hums. "Harry says to be polite to everyone."
They share an eyeroll.
"Um," the girl says unsurely, feeling like something is a bit off but rushing ahead anyway. "Do you want to play?"
Gellert slides a sideways glance at the muggle. "Where's your mother, girl?" he drawls in a condescending tone that no child should be able to use.
Tom purses his lips and says quietly, "Behind you, brother."
"Of course we can play!" Gellert cheers happily. "I'm Gellert, that's Tom! What do you wanna play? I love football." Perhaps laying it on a bit thick but he doesn't really care enough to act properly.
The mother steps up, rather young as they usually are in these suburbs. She has a smile on her face. "Mary, there you are. I'm glad you're making new friends but please don't run off."
"Sorry, mummy," Mary says carelessly. "But they're so pretty."
Tom almost says something but Gellert kicks the rock and it flies, guided by magic, to hit Tom on the shin. In these kinds of social situations, it's better for Tom to just not talk. Gellert does get a bit impatient talking politics though so Tom gets his time to shine in more formal settings.
"Thank you!" Gellert says with a giggle. "You're pretty too. And your mummy."
"What a charmer," the mother says, completely taken in. "And is this boy your friend too?" She looks towards the dark one in human form.
"We're all brothers," Tom says.
Gellert sends him a look for that. Obviously they don't look related. Gellert is blond haired with blue eyes, Tom is black haired with brown eyes, and the strange being is brown haired with green eyes.
"Oh," the mother says, also noticing the odd combination.
"Harry is done," the creature says, despite none of them being able to see the bakery windows from this angle.
"Is that your father?" the mother asks, looking around, latching on to the subject matter to avoid the perceived awkwardness of three brothers who look different.
"He is our Harry," Tom corrects.
Gellert is so done with these people who don't even have the decency to play along with such a simple charade.
"Let's play," Mary whines and steps forward to try and grab Tom's hand.
Gellert quickly slides in and intercepts the hand. "Yeah! I'm the best at hide and seek, let's do that."
Harry needs to hurry up before Tom cuts someone.
Harry steps out of the bakery, the door chiming with a small bell, a brown paper bag in hand with all the various sweets. "Great, none of you have run off."
The woman, who looks like the little girl holding hands with Gellert, laughs with her eyes crinkling. "I know what you mean. My daughter is a handful."
Harry's face screams 'you don't know what I have to put up with' but it's quickly covered with a smile.
"At least with three of them, the chores should be done faster," the mother muses.
"That's true," Harry mutters. "And Daniel is wonderful at catching all the bugs." By which Harry means Death kills everything. "He's my current favourite."
Harry started the boys on chores early. It's not that Harry needs help around the house, but it's good to get them in the habit of helping people in general. Hopefully one day it will be instinctual to do it.
Harry will even take 'cementing a good reputation' as the reason because it doesn't matter what the actual intent is as long as the end result is good.
Harry smiles. "Excuse us, I need to get the boys home before they somehow get into trouble."
"Oh, don't let us keep you," the mother says. "Mary, come here, maybe we'll have a play date later."
Mary clings to the hand she's now stolen so Harry subtly walks towards Gellert, separating the little girl with the movement, and sort of herds the three boys along with him.
They're getting so tall now, up to his mid chest. Harry misses the days he used to be able to grab them by the head and move them around.
Damn it, Tom's going to be way taller than Harry, isn't he? How tall does Gellert get? Hopefully the blond stays short.