Harry blinks and finds himself waking up.

The attackers are on the ground, everyone else gaunt and shaking where they cower in their hiding places.

Gellert is brokenly sobbing, curled over a horrific injury, the mess trailing out of him. Credence is spilt over the cobble stones further away, barely more than a handful of dust left, so tenuously held together.

Tom stays hidden for longer than he should, even as Harry desperately screams for him, an unconscious and half healed Gellert in his arms, what little is left of Credence cupped to his chest.

St. Mungo's is already a mess when they apparate into the lobby.

Gellert is taken into surgery and when they wheel him out to a private room, he's still in a magically induced sleep to heal. After Harry's stuttered explanations can't do anything, the Unspeakable comes striding through the hallway and Credence is moved into a special reinforced room where they can feed him with magic until he rebuilds himself.

The Unspeakable and Albus are in and out, each time just a bit more ruffled, but clothes exceptionally well-kept with all the cleaning charms they have to keep reapplying. Albus with his blue eyes alight, every breath leaking magic. The Unspeakable with their face shadowed and voice even, but red runes bleeding across their skin in more and more complex layers.

Tom quietly follows half a step behind Harry as the man paces between Gellert and Credence's rooms.

When there's finally enough of a break to breathe, Harry pulls Tom aside in Gellert's room.

"You hate me," Tom whispers. "For not staying with them-"

"You are a child," Harry interrupts. "No, Tom, I do not expect you to fight off well-trained adults, who have had decades and actually train to fight, compared to your four years of knowing about magic. I want you three to help each other if you have difficulty with homework, if you need to share chores, but protecting you all is my responsibility." Harry bites his lip. "I'm sorry, I should have been there."

"You were," Tom says.

Harry just laughs. It's not a happy sound.

Tom shuffles forward and stands very close to Harry. Harry gently reaches out but when Tom leans away he just drops the arm and they stay like that for a while.

Tom pulls back. "I lost my knife."

"Yes, into someone's throat," Harry sighs. "I did see that."

Tom waits.

Harry hesitates, not sure what the silent demand is. "We can get you a new one."

Tom is still staring.

"Good aim?" Harry tries.

A little flutter of Tom's eyelashes reveals that he's satisfied.

"Harry," Albus says cautiously when he steps into the room, finally with a moment to breathe. "I'm so sorry, I should have known there'd be an attack. I – I didn't think they'd need to be watched any more-"

"It's on me," Harry interrupts.

Harry turns away from Gellert's bedside, Tom slumped down and napping on a nearby chair, having finally come down from the adrenalin. Credence is still too dangerous to be in the same room with anyone but when Harry peered through the small window into the quarantine room the boy was asleep.

Harry manages a half smile at Albus. "I shouldn't have let them run around so much. I knew - that with the Unspeakable, with you, even just being themselves, I knew they'd be targeted by people. Didn't think it was going to go this far but…I knew."

Harry pauses. "And the thing is I really do know people are after them – have for a long time now. The other time traveller with their muggle followers and hired wizards, and the boys were complaining about people challenging them recently. People have blatantly stated they want the boys dead. So…I don't know why I wasn't more concerned."

"It's hard to worry when children like them usually have everything under control," Albus soothes. "It's hard to remember how young they are when they're far more skilled than most adults."

"But they're still children-" Harry cuts himself off. "Have I been too relaxed? I wasn't treating it as a joke, I just never thought it'd really be a problem because they don't have problems. Not ones they haven't caused themselves."

"The attackers were well trained, many of them hired mercenaries," Albus admits. "They knew the boys – this version of them, even Credence. The Unspeakable can tell you more but the hired hands spent weeks just learning the lay of the shops and alleys. I would say it was completely overboard but if the attackers were any less prepared, I have no doubt the boys would have been able to handle them."

Harry purses his lips. "But I still should have…am I a bad caretaker?"

Albus huffs out a laugh. "Harry, if you were a bad guardian, you'd be dead."

Harry thinks about that for a moment and then slumps, relieved. If the boys were upset, they'd definitely say it.

Albus pauses. "What happened?"

Silence comes. It lasts long enough that Albus thinks he won't get an answer.

"I don't remember," Harry says, doesn't meet Albus' eyes. He turns back to Gellert.

Albus lets that settle in his mind. Picks through responses. "Were you being controlled?"

Another long pause.

"I don't want to talk about it," Harry whispers, fingers twitching on his lap.

Albus waits.

Harry shakes his head, slow.

.

A/N: I've got some original works (and by that I mean a couple chapters barely) over on ScribbleHub now so you can just google Ourliazo, or find one of my stories like Gaslighting the Gods in Your Prayers.