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WARNING: Small scene with cp.


"What is going on here?", Aurelius came closer, sounding irritated, and then dropped their pajamas on a chair by the door, "the whole floor is wet!"

Tom rolled his eyes, and his irritation grew when he saw how pale Sirius had gotten.

Really? He's gonna freak out over some spilled water? What a spoilsport.

"Chill out, we were just having some fun!", he told the older boy, not bothering to make his voice sound even the slightest bit respectful, "it's just water!"

"I take it this was your idea then, Thomas?", and now his voice sounded dangerous, and Tom's stomach clenched.

"Answer me, Thomas!"

"Yeah, it was my idea", he mumbled, "just wanted to have some fun."

"Up you get, Thomas."

Tom swallowed, not liking where this was going, and he hesitantly stood up.

Aurelius did not waste any time, he turned him around, and then he delivered two hard swats to his backside, the sound echoing inside the big bathroom.

"Before you think about having fun, maybe think about what kind of example you are setting for Sirius- not to mention the disturbance for my father. He needs it to be quiet, Thomas, and you have been anything but."

The boy did not respond, he hung his head in anger and shame. Being disciplined like this in front of Sirius was unbearable, and it made him resent Aurelius even more.

I hate all of this!

"Wash yourself, and then get out- I have pajamas for you to wear."

"Yes, Aurelius", Sirius said quietly, while Tom said nothing- but Aurelius had not expected him to. He knew the boy felt humiliated, and hated him right now.

"Are you almost done, baby boy?", he asked his younger brother, ignoring Tom who was still standing in the bathtub with his hands balled into fists, his whole body tense.

"Yes, I'm ready to come out now", Sirius told him, carefully standing up, "I am sorry for being so loud, Relius."

"I know you are, baby boy", Aurelius responded, gently wrapping him into a fluffy towel, "let's get you all dried off, hmm?", he helped Sirius to dry himself, still watching Tom out of the corner of his eye, "we want to make sure you are all nice and clean, baby boy."

He saw Tom flinch at the nickname, and then the boy kicked his foot at the water in obvious distress, and Aurelius knew it was time to end the punishment. He signaled Sirius to get dressed, and then he walked over to the boy, "are you ready to come out, Thomas?", he kept his tone mild, but the boy still refused to even look at him.

"You're mad at me, hmm?"

The boy bit his lips, and then he quickly nodded.

"Tell me- are you mad because I disciplined you, or are you mad because I disciplined you in front of Sirius?"

The boy stayed silent for a while, "cause…Sirius…", he finally mumbled, and Aurelius stifled a smile. He had only been here for a couple of days, but he was learning so much already.

"I am sorry I had to do that, Thomas", he told the boy quietly, and he saw the younger boy blink in surprise, "I will usually discipline you in private, unless you disrespect me in front of others- I am not having Sirius think he can talk to me like that as well, do you understand?"

"Yeah."

It still was not how he expected Thomas to answer him, but it was better than nothing, "let's get you out of here before the water gets cold. Come on", he attempted to help the boy, but Tom quickly exited the tub without him, grabbing a towel and hastily drying himself off.

"There are some pajamas for you to wear, Thomas", he still kept his voice even, and the boy kept rubbing his skin with the towel, more aggressively than necessary, and Aurelius sighed.

"That's enough- hand me the towel and let me help you get dressed", he told him, and the boy stared at him, his eyes clouded with anger, and then he threw the towel on the floor, "don't want your help!"

Aurelius stayed calm, he could easily translate Tom's outburst, and he knew that the boy might not want his help, but he needed it.

"Pick up the towel and hand it to me, Thomas."

"No."

"Bad boy", and now his voice was firm, "you will do what I say, Thomas- pick up the towel."

The boy sobbed, but he still did not move, and Aurelius knew that he wanted to be good, he wanted to obey him, but his pride prevented him from doing so.

"I'll let you see Bacon tomorrow if you pick up the towel, Thomas", he told him, he usually would not use bribery to get what he wanted, but he could not help to feel a bit sorry for the boy- he really did not like to discipline him in front of Sirius.

"You promise?"

The boy sounded small, and miserable, and Aurelius had to stop himself from just pulling him into a hug, and picking up the towel for him- but he knew that the boy needed this, he needed to learn, so he smiled at him, "I promise."

Tom hesitated, and Aurelius just stood there, patiently waiting- and after about two minutes, the boy gave in, picking up the towel and handing it to him, his hand trembling.

"Good boy", he told him softly, reaching for the pajamas, "let's get you dressed and into bed. It's late."

Tom did not respond, but he did not fight it when he put some warm, cozy pajamas on him, and then he carefully took him by the hand, leading him into the bedroom where Sirius was waiting, cuddled under the covers.

"Could I pick a story, please?", Sirius asked eagerly, not commenting on what had happened in the bathroom, and Tom was grateful for it.

He did not want a story though- he just wanted to be left alone with his thoughts, but of course, Sirius did not let him, "Tom, you'll stay, right? The bed is big enough anyways."

He shrugged, not trusting his voice enough to talk, and Aurelius gently pushed him towards the bed, "he'll stay for the story- and if he wants to sleep in here, he can do that of course. That bed can fit an army."

Sirius grinned, "that's true. Story now, please?"

"Sure, which one do you want, baby boy?"

He saw Tom flinch at the nickname again, and then he settled into the bed next to Sirius, pulling Tom on his lap.

"The story about the dragon escaping the castle!", Sirius replied immediately, "it's so scary!"

"Very well, then- the dragon story it is", he sounded amused, and then he started telling the story, often interrupted by one of Sirius' thousands of questions, even though he had heard the story many times before. Tom stayed silent, but he did not protest when Aurelius pulled him closer, and when he started to slowly rake through Tom's hair with one hand, the boy immediately pushed his head closer to his hand, obviously liking the comfort.

Aurelius did not comment on it though, certain that the movement had not been intentional- he just kept telling them the story, and when he got to the point where the dragon was fighting the evil wizard, Sirius started to bounce on the bed in excitement, "he's going to kill him! He has to ask the other dragons for help, or he'll get killed!"

"The other dragons are too far away still- it takes a day to travel from Dragonland", Tom blurted out, and then he bit his lips, clearly embarrassed about admitting that he had been listening.

Aurelius smiled, and then he leaned down to the boy, planting a soft kiss on his hair, "you are so smart, baby bear", it sounded fond, and he liked the way Tom's eyes widened in wonder at the nickname.

Baby bear.

"I told you I would find a new name for you, didn't I?", he sounded amused, "being such a good boy for me, making me so proud…", and when he saw the boys' eyes filling up with tears, he started to hum something, letting the boy snuggle as close as he wanted, "shhh…I know…you want to hear the rest of the story now, baby bear?"

He could feel the boy nodding his head against his chest, and it made him smile. He kept telling the boys the story in a low voice, and by the time he was finished, both boys were asleep- Sirius cuddled next to him, and Tom on his lap, his face pressed against his chest.

"Sweet dreams, boys", he told them quietly, carefully putting Tom next to Sirius. They both moved closer to each other instinctively, it was adorable- and he realized that he already saw Tom as his younger brother- and had started to love him just as much.

He kept watching the boys for some more time, eventually turning around. He was tired, too, but there was no way he was going to be able to go to bed for another two or three hours- he had piles of work waiting for him.

Since Salazar had gotten poisoned, he had taken over some of his work, and he also had his studies, and he had Sirius to take care of, and now Thomas as well…the day did not have enough hours for all of the work he had to do.

Sighing, he left the bedroom and went to his study, spending the next three hours working. It was pitch black outside when he was finally able to go to sleep.

A few hours later, he had to get up again, making sure that the boys were getting ready in time to eat breakfast- and then they would have to study. His father had instructed him to not let Thomas slack around- he was supposed to study just as much as Sirius, and Aurelius was determined to show his father results when he came back.

He had a quick breakfast, and then went to get the boys, and he was pleasantly surprised when he heard them both in the bathroom, laughing. The water was running, so at least one of them was hopefully showering already.

Aurelius knocked on the door, and seconds later, it opened and Tom appeared in front of him, wearing a red sweater, green socks, and white shorts.

"I'm dressed, can I go see Bacon?", the boy blurted out, looking at him expectantly, a happy sparkle in his eyes.

"Good morning, baby bear", Aurelius smiled at him, "I can see that you are dressed- you look like a little Christmas present", he winked at him, "it might be too cold for shorts, though- it is snowing outside."

The boy blinked, the happiness from his eyes rapidly fading, "but…I got dressed all by myself."

And I thought this is what you wanted?

Aurelius did not need Occlumency to hear the unasked question, it was written all over Tom's confused face, "such a good boy getting dressed by yourself", his voice was soft, and he slowly pulled Tom into a hug, planting a kiss on his tousled hair, "I'm so proud of you."

"You…are?"

"Of course I am- come on, let's find something to wear that actually matches and is warm enough for this kind of weather", he led Tom to the huge walk in closet, and then he helped him pick out another colored pair of socks, and black pants, which looked perfect with his dark red sweater.

"Did you take a shower this morning?", he asked the boy.

"Yeah, but it was a quick one cause Sirius wanted to take one, too", he smiled at the blunt honesty of the boy, "that's fine- as long as you get all clean, it does not matter. We need to comb your hair though, it's a mess- and then you boys will have some breakfast."

"And then I get to see Bacon?"

"And then you will study until lunch."

Tom's face immediately darkened, "I don't wanna study. That's stupid. I could go and play with Bacon, and…"

"You will study- and if you do a good job, I'll let you see Bacon after lunch."

"After lunch? But that's hours away! I need to see him now!"

Aurelius did not respond, he merely raised an eyebrow in a silent warning, and Tom bit his lips, "fine, whatever- I'll study."

He wouldn't, but he would not Aurelius tell him that now, the older boy would realize quickly why teaching him was a waste of time.

I can't even read without stumbling over the words, let alone calculate.

Tom was brooding the whole morning, and Aurelius who figured that it had to do with not being able to see Bacon until later, mostly left him alone.

Tom's mood was at his boiling point when Aurelius took him and Sirius to the small classroom after breakfast, and Sirius dutifully started his work right away, while Tom stared at the assignment in front of him like it was written in Chinese.

"This test will determine what level you are on, Thomas", Aurelius told him, "it includes questions from every subject. I'll give you two hours to finish."

Two hours!

Tom groaned inwardly, and then he hesitantly reached for the quill. It was a magnificent quill, and he spent some minutes admiring the craftsmanship, but when Aurelius shot him a sharp glance, he hastily looked down at his paper.

What…in…ingr…edi…ents…are…needed for…for…what's that word?

Tom kept staring at the paper like it would magically tell him the answer, but of course, it did not. He started to grow restless, he had never been good at sitting still, and this was hard for him.

Eventually, he sighed, blinking his eyes.

I wonder what Bacon is doing now…

And before he could stop himself, he had started to draw. He had always liked drawing, and since he had lost his magical powers and some other learned abilities along with them, he had spent hours and hours drawing.

Instead of the answer to the question, Bacon appeared on the paper, a happily barking Bacon, wagging his tail.

Tom smiled, and then he added some more details to the picture, a ball for Bacon to play with, and some snow surrounding him, and he worked so hard on his drawing, that he did not even notice Aurelius walking closer.

"Sirius, would you mind leaving us alone for a minute?", he did not look at Sirius when he was talking, though, he looked at Tom- and his look promised trouble.

Oh crap…

Sirius instantly nodded, leaving the room, and as soon as the door had closed behind the younger boy, Aurelius yanked him out of his chair, "what in the hell have you been doing for over an hour, Thomas?", he sounded livid, "did you even answer any of the questions?"

An hour? Really?

"I…told you I don't wanna study, I like drawing a lot better", he eventually blurted out when Aurelius' tight grip on his arm became too painful to ignore, "studying is boring."

"Is that so?", the older boy sounded sarcastic now, "you know, I would rather spend my days relaxing and sleeping as well- but that is not what life is about, Thomas. Life is about working hard, achieving your goals, and taking pride in your accomplishments."

The boy looked unimpressed, "did Gryffindor tell you that?"

Aurelius clenched his teeth, his father had told him that- more than told, he had drilled the words into his brain since his dad had gotten ill. He did remember a time when his father had played with him, and joked around with him, but that seemed like ages ago now.

"It does not matter who told me that, what matters is that it is true", he replied, more harshly than intended, "and until your assignments are not done, you won't see Bacon."

Tom stared at him in shock, "you…you can't do that!"

"I already did, Thomas", Aurelius hissed, "you have another hour until lunch- try to make an effort to answer these questions at least. I did not say I expect perfection."

Tom did not respond, he just kept staring at him with open hatred, and when Aurelius let go off him, he sat down again, his hands balled into angry fists.

"You have one hour", Aurelius repeated, and then he walked to the door and let Sirius back into the room, "I am expecting both of you to show me that you worked hard before lunch."

"Yes, Aurelius", Sirius easily answered, but Tom said nothing. He knew he could not answer any of that stuff, and his drawing was not done, and he always hated it when a drawing was unfinished, it made him feel nervous.

So, after making sure Aurelius was not looking, Tom spent the rest of the time perfectionating his drawing of Bacon, and he did not even realize that he had started to quietly hum to himself until Aurelius appeared in front of his desk again, basically fuming.

"I have never met anyone as obstinate as you, Thomas", he told him coldly, "very well then- you'll go back to work after lunch, and you will sit here until dinner, and you will not see Bacon at all today."

"I won't do any work after lunch either, so how about…"

"How about you stop yourself right there before I put your over my knee, Thomas", he sounded dangerous now, and he knew Aurelius well enough already to know that he did not make empty threats.

He pressed his lips together tightly, and then Aurelius stepped back from his desk, "let's go eat some lunch", he did not even wait for Tom to respond, he simply turned around and left the room, and then Sirius got up and walked over to him.

"Why was he…", he stopped when he saw the drawing, and his eyes went wide, "did you…draw that?"

Tom quickly turned the paper around and slammed it back on his desk, "don't worry, your darling brother already punished me for it", he spat out, mistaking Sirius' reaction for disbelief.

"No, I mean, it's really good! It's fantastic, I wish I could draw like that."

He did not want to, but he had to smile, "really? You think it's good?"

"You are extremely talented, Tom", Sirius assured him, "who taught you how to draw like that?"

Tom shrugged, "no one really. I just…always scribble around when I'm bored."

Sirius chuckled, "these tests can be boring, I know. If I were you, I would try to do some work later at least- I haven't seen Aurelius that angry in a while."

They had left the classroom and were on their way to the dining hall now, and Tom was tempted to tell Sirius the truth- but then he stopped himself. Sirius was three years younger than him, and it would be mortifying to admit to him that he struggled with reading and arithmetic.

So, he kept his mouth shut, and after lunch, Sirius was allowed to have some relaxation time, while Tom was back in the classroom. He spent two hours drawing a landscape in Cornwall with Bacon and him running across a field of sunflowers, and when Aurelius walked over to his desk and saw his drawing, he sighed.

"Up you get, Thomas", the words sounded horrifyingly familiar, and Tom hesitated, "are you…"

Are you going to spank me again?

Aurelius raised an eyebrow, "you don't think you deserve it?"

The boy shook his head, but he did not say anything.

Aurelius sighed again, "I gave you an order and you refused to obey me- pretty obvious case in my opinion."

"You told me to work and I did work- you know how hard it is to draw sunflowers? Took me freakin' forever to figure that out."

"Drawing is not working, Thomas. It's a waste of time."

"It's art."

Suddenly, Aurelius looked tired, "look, Tommy, I don't like to discipline you either, but how do you imagine your future without some education? You were working in a pub for God's sake- barely eating enough."

"I was happy there cause I had Bacon", the boy shot back, glaring at him, "I didn't ask you to come rescue me, I did not need you, and I don't need you now!", he got up, "and this is my future, right here", he pointed at the drawing, "I was gonna go leave and move to Cornwall with Bacon and find work on a farm!"

"On a farm? In winter?"

"There's always work on a farm!", the boy declared, but Aurelius could hear the uncertainty in his voice.

Sweet baby bear.

"Come here."

The boy tilted his head, but he did walk over to him, clearly expecting to be spanked now.

"I don't need you", the boy mumbled again when Aurelius pulled him into a hug, and it made him smile.

Keep telling yourself that, Tommy.

"I really should spank you, though."

"Mmmhh…", Tom snuggled closer, "but you don't like spankin' me and you don't wanna hurt me."

"You need an education, baby bear", he gave him a kiss on his head, "and you won't learn anything from drawing."

"Yeah, I learn how to draw better."

"You do have an answer for everything, don't you?"

The boy just grinned at him, and Aurelius could not help himself, he had to laugh. He knew he was being too soft with the boy, but he was tired of disciplining him nonstop, and he was tired of working day and night and being responsible for not only one, but two boys- he was only sixteen years old himself after all.

"Relius?"

"Hmmm?"

"If I run away with Bacon, would you help me?"

"Do you want to run away?"

"I mean…I miss Bacon and…I don't understand what your father needs me here for."

Secretly, Aurelius did not understand that either- his father had not told him about the bet, he had just said he was going to take the boy in and train him to be good, but he had not told him why- and Aurelius had not dared to ask.

"I promise to study tomorrow, Relius", the boy went on, "if you just let me see Bacon today. What if he's worried? Or sick? What if the other dogs are mean to him? What if…"

"I really should not let you- you don't deserve it."

"But that would punish Bacon, too, and he didn't do nothin", Tom explained, "I know he misses me, he's probably crying right now and…"

"You are unbelievable", Aurelius picked him up without effort since the boy was still too thin, "you'll get ten minutes, and then we are going to have dinner- and after dinner, you will take a bath without making a mess, and you'll go to bed like a good boy, understand?"

"Yes, Aurelius", the boy was smiling in triumph, snuggling closer, "I can be good."

"I know you can, baby bear."

He carried him out of the room, and then he made sure he put some warm boots and mittens on, and Sirius came running as well, excited to spend some time with the puppy.

They all went outside, and Tom ran into the shed, and Bacon barked like crazy when he saw Tom, and he let him out of the shed, and soon, Tom, Sirius, and Bacon were rolling around in the snow, the boys screaming with laughter at the playful puppy who was barking at the snowflakes, and Aurelius was watching them, not even knowing the last time he had seen Sirius so happy- and it made him happy, too.

Unfortunately, just like most happy times, it did not last forever.

"Care to explain this to me, son?", Gryffindor's voice was hard, and when Aurelius turned around to face his father, he saw nothing but fury in his eyes, "I leave you in charge for less than two days, and this is what happens? My youngest son fooling around in the dirt like he is some kind of animal, and why is Thomas not in his cell?"

"I…I let him out, Father."

"I am assuming he apologized, then."

"He…he did not."

His father's expression darkened, "how interesting- have you started training him? He must have been studying today at least- how did he do?"

Aurelius thought about the drawings in his studies, and he started to feel sick. There was no way he could show his father any of that.

"He…did not do very well", he answered, unable to lie to his father, "and for the training…it's…uhm…I think it's quite impossible. He's…too wild."

And I like him that way. I don't even think I want to train him anymore.

"You are a disappointment, Aurelius", Gryffindor sounded scornful, "it's a good thing I am back so I can put everything back in order- first of all, I don't want to see that dog out anymore- he is staying in the shed from now on. Tell Sirius to go upstairs and take a bath immediately, he is not eating dinner tonight as a consequence for behaving like a clown out there- and Thomas will go straight back into his cell, and he will stay there until I am hearing an apology. Did I make myself clear?"

"Yes, Father", there was no other answer, and Aurelius hated how hollow his voice sounded.

"I would like to see you in my study after you dealt with Thomas", Gryffindor now said and Aurelius bit his lips. He knew what that meant- he was in for a lot of pain.

"Yes, Father", he repeated, and then he walked over to the boys like he was in a trance, and he put Bacon back in the shed, and he sent Sirius upstairs to take a bath, and then he took Tom by the hand and led him back to his cell.

The boy went willingly, not even making an attempt to protest, and Aurelius was grateful for it. He opened the lock, and he had expected Tom to rebel now, but the boy simply stepped into the cell, looking at him questioningly.

"You look sad, Relius", the boy stated, and Aurelius blinked in surprise, "it's because I am still not being good, right? Did you tell him about the drawings?"

"I only told him you did not well on your test- don't worry about the drawings, I'll make sure he does not get to see them."

"I'm not good at reading anymore after Gryffindor took my magical powers away", the boy offered, surprising him even more, "otherwise I would have tried, Relius. For you."

"What…do you mean?"

He had an idea, but he badly wanted to hear it from the boy.

"I want to make you happy, Relius- and if that stupid test makes you happy, I'll take it for you."

And all Aurelius could do was stare- realizing that he had already achieved what his father probably never would- earning the boys' love.

I want to make you happy, Relius.


next chap will have some more cp (poor aurelius...)

I would appreciate some feedback! :)

xoxo,

Antonie