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Gryffindor gets what he deserves here ;)


"Take a seat."

He did, eyeing the Founder with curiosity, "are we gonna play chess again? I thought about another way to attack."

Truth was, he had spent all night drawing out strategies- determined to win again.

"Not right now- I have something else to teach you first", and with that, he put an ancient looking book on the table in front of him, "I think this is something you will enjoy learning", he opened the book at a certain page, tapping at the title, "now, what do you think, Thomas?"

Tom swallowed hard, forcing back the tears. Of course Gryffindor had to teach him something that involved reading- something he would screw up at.

"Sounds…good", he lied, desperately trying to spell out the words on top of the page. His anxiety got the better of him, it always did, and he was barely able to figure out the first word.

"Good? I had expected more excitement from you", Gryffindor remarked, "well, let's begin- what is the first step?"

Tom blinked, staring at the number one and the huge amount of text behind it, "uhm…I…I am not sure."

"You should probably read it, Thomas", and now he sounded sarcastic, and Tom wanted the ground to swallow him. His face was burning with shame, "I…I can't."

Kill me. Kill me now.

"You can't?", Gryffindor seemed confused, "I know the text is small, it's an old book, but…"

"That's…that's not it", he interrupted him, too anxious to keep his mouth shut a second longer, "after…the spell that took my…magic, I…uhm…reading has gotten hard. I just…it takes me forever to read a…simple sentence", there, he said it, now Gryffindor could sneer at him.

To his surprise, the Founder did not.

"Look at me, Thomas."

He did, reluctantly.

"The spell I used to take your magical abilities did just that- taking your magic. It is impossible to erase anything else than that with that spell- let alone your reading skills."

"But…I'm not making this up! I really suck at reading now, and I was fine before you took my magic!", he blurted out, the shame forming a lump in his throat.

This is so embarrassing.

"I am not saying you are making this up, Thomas", Gryffindor's voice was calm, "but I think your sudden changes in your skills might be…psychological."

"I don't get it."

Gryffindor sighed, "I am assuming taking your magical powers away did something to your self-worth and your identity- and you now believe that you are unable to do anything that requires using your brain."

He bit his lips so hard they almost started to bleed, "just say I am idiot- I don't care."

"You are not an idiot, Thomas- you know how long it takes people to learn chess?"

"No."

"Well, longer than an hour, I can tell you that much- and besides, Aurelius has won against me maybe twice in the last year- and Salazar has never."

"Maybe your just not a good chess player then", he mumbled, almost expecting to get swatted for that comment, but Gryffindor just laughed, "I am part of the international chess league, Thomas- and one of the current champions."

"For real?"

"Yes, for real- so you are definitely not an idiot."

There was a silence, but it wasn't an uncomfortable one.

"I want you to read that now, Thomas- think about the chess game from yesterday, and how you won, and then read."

Tom blinked, not sure how that was going to help him, but he did what Gryffindor had said- he thought about how it felt when he had won, and how he had tricked Gryffindor by sacrificing his queen- and it made him smile.

I can win again. I am not an idiot.

"The student will start by assuming the correct position, the same position as if holding a wand", he read, and then his eyes went wide in amazement, "I…I just read this! I did not even stumble once!"

"You did- good job, Thomas", Gryffindor was smiling at him, "now, read the title of the book- what am I trying to teach you?"

He flipped over the book, looking at the title, "Prospects and Limitations of Wandless Magic", he read, and then he gasped, "wait, you gonna teach me how to do magic without a wand?"

"I had a feeling that would excite you", he seemed amused, "now, go back to the instructions."

He obeyed without thinking about it, his heart beating faster. He would be able to perform magic again! He would be a real wizard again!

This is even better than chess!

"I can do all magic without a wand then? Like Relius can do stuff with just wavin' his hand?", he asked, his voice cracking in excitement.

"Not all magic- but some, yes. It will take you years to get to Aurelius' level, but you will be able to do simple things, like a Lumos or Nox spell without using a wand."

"And you still gonna give me my magic back in three weeks?"

"I am planning to, yes- but you know what you have to do for that, Thomas."

He looked to the floor, avoiding Gryffindor's eyes, "I'm not good at the training stuff", he mumbled, "I did it for Relius cause it makes him happy, but I don't like to…obey. Salazar will be disappointed, right?"

"Why would he be disappointed?", Gryffindor asked, completely forgetting that he had told the boy that Salazar wanted him to be trained.

"Cause he wants me to be good- like Relius and Sirius. It's hard though. You think I should just tell him it's useless?"

Gryffindor frowned, "he needs to rest- I don't think it's a good idea for you to see him now. Maybe in a week or so."

Maybe never.

He would make sure the boy did not get to see Salazar- he was not going to risk having his house of cards crumble to the ground. He would keep training the boy, and in three weeks, he would hopefully have him at a point where he could explain to him how important that meeting was, and then Dumbledore would tell him the name of that damn poison, and he could finally get a cure for Salazar.

He had agreed to the deal- of course he had- but he was not willing to train the boy to a point where he would fear him. Not anymore. Thomas hated Dumbledore just as much as he did, so he hoped he could convince the boy to fake being terrified of him for the former headmaster- and then he would get that cure, and his family would go back to normal, and he would send Thomas to a nice, fancy boarding school, one where he was allowed to bring that dog of his, and he would give him his magic back.

There was no way his plan could fail.

The boy had started to read the instructions again, anticipation clear in his voice. His fluency and confidence got better and better with every word he read, and he could tell that the boy was extremely happy about that fact.

"I'm ready I think!", he announced now, grinning from ear to ear, "I wanna try!", he stood up, taking the position the book had instructed him to, "it's all about concentrating hard!", he told Gryffindor earnestly, like he had not been performing wandless magic since centuries, "the more you concentrate, the easier it gets!"

Gryffindor could not help it, he had to smile at the eager boy, and there was another sensation in his stomach, a warm feeling by looking at the excited, wild boy in front of him- but he suppressed it.

He'll be gone in three weeks. Don't start liking him now!

As it turned out, the boy was a natural at wandless magic- his talent clearly shining through everything he did.

After an hour, he was already able to turn the light on and off with waving his hand, and he shrieked in excitement when he managed to get a book flying into his hand from the shelf just by holding out his arm.

"This is the best thing ever!"

"I am glad to hear that- and you did well, Thomas. Very well."

The boy stared at him, he always looked unsure when he complimented him, but Gryffindor could tell that he liked being praised by him- the sudden flush of delight on his face gave him away every time.

"I have a meeting with Fudge now, but you are welcome to practice more until lunch."

"Yeah, I will! What you meeting Fudge about?", the boy asked absently, trying to get another book to fly into his hand.

"Just…about the trials. They are starting this week."

The boy stilled, turning around to look at him, "they all gonna go to Azkaban?"

"Most likely, yes."

"If I didn't use that deaging potion, I would be in Azkaban, too", the boy told him, his voice had gotten quiet, "you think they hate me for…being such a coward?"

"Everyone is responsible for their own actions, Thomas", Gryffindor replied vaguely, "they committed several crimes, and now they are getting punished for that."

The boy was silent for a while, and then he looked at him again, "but you want me in Azkaban, too, right?"

Not anymore.

"I want you to be a good boy, Thomas."

"I can't be good though."

"You just spent an hour following every instruction in the book- and yesterday, you followed every single instruction I gave you to learn the game."

"That's different- that's not training."

He stifled a smile, "all of this is training, Thomas- whenever I teach you something and you do it, it's training. It's teaching you obedience, just in another way."

The boy grinned at him, "maybe I can be good then", he sounded strangely hopeful, and Gryffindor had to prevent himself from hugging the boy.

Damn it, I am not even supposed to like him!

It was getting harder and harder to keep pretending like he hated the boy- he did not, and maybe deep down, he never had.

"I think you can be a very good boy for me, Tommy", the nickname had slipped out before he could stop himself, but the boy did not seem to mind- instead, his grin got even wider.

"Yah, and you can teach me stuff every day and then you can be prou…", the boy stopped himself, biting his lips.

And then you can be proud of me.

They looked at each other, and something had clearly changed between them- something that they both could not put into words.

"I…have to go. Fudge does not like to wait", Gryffindor eventually said, forcing himself to step back before he really put the boy in a hug, "tell Aurelius I'll be back late- I'll leave him in charge for the day."

"Yes…Sir."

"Good boy", Gryffindor smiled, and this time, it did reach his eyes- and then he was gone.

And Tom sighed, feeling weirdly lost out of a sudden- so he decided to go and find Bacon. He missed the playful puppy, even though he had to admit that Bacon loved being in the shed with the other two dogs, and Aurelius was letting them play in their own little part of the park most of the day, far enough from the house that it would not bother Salazar.

Bacon whimpered in happiness when he saw Tom coming, and he laughed, picking up the puppy, "hey there, Bacon! Are you having fun playing?"

The puppy gave a happy little yelp, and seconds later, they were rolling around on the cold ground, and Bacon playfully tugged on his ear, and Tom, ticklish as he was, shrieked with laughter, "no…stop, bad…dog!", and Bacon let out a joyful bark, and they kept playing, until it was finally getting too cold for Tom.

"I'll see you later, Bacon!", he told the pup, stepping over the fence that prevented Bacon from getting out, "be a good dog!"

Bacon yelped, he loved his owner, and he loved to play with him, and, upset that playtime was already over, he decided to follow Tom.

He was too short to jump the fence, but he was a master at digging- and Tom, who was already running back to the Manor, did not realize that tiny paws were following him.

"Woof!", Bacon excitedly passed by him just as he had reached the patio door, racing into the house, and Tom was too shocked for a second to react.

"Bacon! Bacon, come back!", he yelled after the puppy, but the dog, way too excited to be able to roam around, did not listen. He raced down the hall, and then he ran up the stairs, barking with enthusiasm.

Tom ran after him, sweat forming on his face. He knew the rules- it had to be quiet in the house for Salazar at all times, and Bacon was anything but quiet.

The puppy thought they were playing chase, and he barked again, running down another hallway.

He was going to run down the hall and then make a turn to the left, but a sudden smell stopped him abruptly.

Smells good!

Bacon decided to investigate, so he sniffed around the hall until he figured out where the smell came from- and then he barked at the door, jumping up- and the door opened.

The dog darted into the room, noticing instantly that the smell came from a tray with breakfast leftovers- there was some sausage, the remainder of an egg, and some baked beans, and he was just about to dig in when a friendly voice startled him.

"Who are…you, little guy?"

Bacon gave a small bark, wagging his tail.

The friendly man in the bed laughed, "I see. It is…nice to…meet you."

Bacon barked in agreement, looking at the breakfast tray longingly, tentatively whimpering.

"Go…ahead. I was…done anyways."

Bacon did not need to be told twice, he started to eat with gusto, only interrupted when his owner came running into the room, "Bacon, you…"

Tom paled, realizing that the puppy had chosen the one room he was not allowed in- Salazar's.

Shit!

"I…I am so sorry! I swear, I did not mean…I am sorry, please, please forgive me", he was trembling, his eyes filling with tears.

Gryffindor is going to kill me!

"Don't worry, he…made me laugh", Salazar said, his voice raspy, "you…must be…Tom."

"Yes, I am", the boy whispered, hanging his head, "sorry for being such a disappointment. I…I really tried."

The Slytherin frowned, "tried…what?"

"The training", the boy hastily explained, "I…I'm really not that good, and I know you want me to be perfectly obedient, that's why you brought me here, and…"

"I did not…bring you here…for training. I…was worried…about you, working…in that pub, all…by yourself", the Founder explained, carefully sitting up in his bed, "you…are…perfect the way…you are, Tom. Just like…my other…boys."

Tom stared at him completely stunned.

You are perfect the way you are.

Salazar, who was clearly not in a position to worry about anyone than himself, had worried about him- enough to be wanting him to live here.

Why did Gryffindor say that Salazar wants him to train me?

"But…the contract", he stammered, "I signed the contract that if I obey Gryffindor just like you want me to, I'll get my magical powers back in a month."

Salazar looked at him, a sad smile forming on his lips, "what…contract? Why would…I want you…to leave in a…month? I told…Godric to…adopt you."

Adopt. Adopt. Adopt…

He thought he was going to pass out, so he sat down, "adopt me?", he gave a bitter laugh, "you must be talking about someone else. Gryffindor hates me- I spent most of the last days locked up in a cell in your basement, and when I did not want to kneel for him, he tried to cane me and hit Aurelius instead cause he was trying to protect me."

That seemed to trigger something because Salazar suddenly turned white and made a strange choking sound, and then some kind of alarm bell rang- and within seconds, Gryffindor appeared.

"What is going…", he noticed Tom, and then Bacon, who had happily devouring the leftovers, and his eyes started to sparkle with fury, "how dare you to bring that dog in here, how dare you to…"

"How dare you to lie to me like this!", Tom fired back, anger quickly overtaking him, "all the bullshit about Salazar wanting you to train me- you just said that so you have an excuse to treat me like crap and lock me up in that cell!"

They were both staring at each other now, fury in their expressions, and then Gryffindor let out a scornful laugh, "I did what was best for you, Thomas- you badly needed to be disciplined, and I know you would not have come with me otherwise."

Tom was too furious to ask why he had wanted him to come home with him, "you know what? I am glad you don't actually want to adopt me, you already suck at being a father for your own sons, they probably wish you got poisoned instead of Salazar!"

The hard blow to his face was not unexpected, but it still hurt, "who do you think you are talking to me like this, Thomas!", and now he sounded livid, "you should be grateful I took you in!"

"Why should I? I was happier in that filthy pub, just because you have enough money to buy half the kingdom does not mean it's a fucking joy to live here! You treat Aurelius like he's your secretary and your babysitter, and you never even care that he might not want to spend every day working and worrying about everything! And Sirius, he's not even allowed to play in the playroom anymore, all he does is fucking study! He can't play, can't laugh, and you probably prohibit him from breathing too loud next! Why did you even adopt him if he's such an annoyance to you?"

Gryffindor had turned white, "you are forgetting who you are talking to, Thomas."

He snorted, too far gone to care, "yeah, the Great Godric Gryffindor- I'm surprised you let your sons call you Father- maybe Master or Your Highness would be more appropriate", and then he turned around, grabbing Bacon who was still licking the plates, "I'm outta here. This was a mistake from the beginning. Get yourself a little slave boy from an orphanage instead", and then he ran out of the room, ignoring the tears welling up in his eyes.

He had to leave.

The patio door was still open, and within minutes, he was back in the park. It had started to snow, and it was cold- but he did not care.

He was going to get the hell away from this mess, and he would not turn back.

Bacon whimpered quietly, confused by the sudden change of scenery, but Tom ignored him, running towards the woods. He knew that Gryffindor Manor was huge- but there had to be a fence at some point.

He kept running, tears streaming down his face.

Believe me, I have no interest in being your…father.

You will learn, and you will obey me, Thomas.

I can and I will control you, you obstinate, stubborn boy!

He sobbed, running faster now. Good thing he had left- Gryffindor was a liar, he was a cruel, sadistic piece of shit, he…

You are good at this, Thomas.

I want you to be a good boy, Thomas.

I think you can be a very good boy for me, Tommy.

You can be a very good boy for me, Tommy.

Good boy for me, Tommy.

Tommy…

The tears and the snow made it hard for him to see, but he kept running, determined to get away from the house as quickly as possible.

He finally saw something resembling a fence in the distance, and he sped up again, not seeing the huge branch in front of him- and next thing he knew, he felt a burning pain on the side of his head, and his ear started to bleed.

Sobbing, he stumbled to the ground, and Bacon started to jump around him in worry, barking anxiously.

Blood was dripping in the snow, and now he realized how cold it really was- it was freezing. He curled himself into a ball, and it did not take long for his teeth starting to chatter.

It's so cold…

He knew he had to get back up though, and he knew he had to find a place to hide from the cold. Stumbling, he got back up, and Bacon started to bark again, taking three steps in a direction, and then running back to him.

"What you want, Bacon?", he was so tired, and he needed to rest.

Bacon barked again, and then he whimpered, running back and forth.

"You tryin' to show me something?"

Another bark.

He was too exhausted and hurt to think about it, so he just followed Bacon through the snow, and the puppy led him to what looked like a barn, and there was hay, and it was warm, so warm…

Tom sighed with relief, stumbling over to the hay. Bacon eagerly started to shuffle hay around with his snout, building them a nest. They both curled up in the hay, Bacon snuggling up to him to provide warmth.

And minutes later, they were both fast asleep, the snowstorm howling outside.


there will be a HEA for all boys, and gryff, don't worry :)

I'd looooove some feedback!

xoxo,

Antonie