Hey you all! :)

Thank you for the comment lilyflower101! Dumbles will get what he deserves for sure :D

WARNING: SPANKING!


"I don't know what exactly you told him- but you said the right thing", Aurelius remarked, watching a happy Sirius running across the room, laughing, "he apologized to us, and he told Sirius he can play in here again and be a loud as he wants."

They were in the playroom- which resembled a full functioning toy store.

"And I don't have to study in the afternoons anymore, just in the mornings!", Sirius yelled, racing by them, "and he said we should call him Dad again- he said he missed us saying it."

"That's…great", Tom forced himself to smile, even though he wanted to cry for some reason, "and…what about your work, Relius?"

"No more Ministry work for me", Aurelius grinned at him, "I'll just study in the mornings with Sirius, and play with you boys in the afternoon- it should be cold enough to build a snowman tomorrow."

Yeah, I know.

"You are going to stay here though, right?", Aurelius was watching him, eyebrows raised, "I mean…Dad told us he was going to talk to you about that."

"Yeah…for a while", he replied vaguely, not really wanting to talk about Belvedere, or the deal, "can…can we…hang out tonight, Relius?", he desperately needed a break from thinking, and Aurelius laughed softly, "we can hang out anytime, baby bear. Come here, sweet boy", and he effortlessly pulled him on his lap, and Tom snuggled as close as he could, letting out a breath he did not know he had been holding.

"I like this", he said quietly, and Aurelius gave him a soft kiss on his tousled hair, "I do too, Tommy. You're my good boy, hmm? Such a brave boy sticking up for his brothers", he winked at him when Tom flinched at the word brothers, but thankfully, Aurelius did not comment on it.

They kept snuggling, and after a while, his eyes got heavy again- the day had drained him, and thoughts were still whirling around in his mind.

"Looks like someone is going to go to bed early tonight", Aurelius said, amusement in his voice, "little sleepyhead."

"Mmmhh…", Tom mumbled, "tell me a story, Relius?"

"Yeah, a story!", Sirius came running closer, and Tom felt the younger boy snuggling into his side, "a dragon story!"

"You sure love your dragons, hmm?", Aurelius sounded like he was trying not to laugh, "alright. I so happen to know a story about a very smart little dragon, and one day, he…"

Tom was asleep before Aurelius had finished the story, and he did not even stir when the older boy carried him to his room, undressed him and put him in his pajamas.

"Sweet dreams, sleepyhead", Aurelius whispered into his ear, letting Bacon cuddle up next to him, and Tom grunted in his sleep, but he did not wake up until the next morning, sleeping all the way through dinner. His mind and body were exhausted, and they demanded the rest they needed.

He felt much better the next day, and when he went to take a shower and carefully picked out some matching clothes, he did not even notice that no one had to tell him these things- he did them automatically, just like he combed his hair and brushed his teeth.

For the next couple of days, he had a new routine- he would eat breakfast with the boys, and sometimes Gryffindor would be there, too, and then Aurelius would take them to the classroom for their studies- he had refused to bargain with him about that, and now, he had to do his lessons before he was allowed to draw for an hour.

After that, they had lunch, and then he usually spent some time with Salazar, often accompanied by Sirius who had a very close relationship with his Daddy.

Salazar was always happy to see them, and Tom had taken a great liking to the Founder- he was always friendly and kind, and he let him keep Bacon inside the house now, and he even allowed him to bring Bacon with him when they visited him. It was easier to talk to Salazar than to Gryffindor, and he happily shared stories about Bacon, what they had played, what he had dreamt about or eaten.

And he did not know that it made Salazar just as happy to listen to him, enjoying the entertainment and joy those visits brought him in his otherwise often repetitive and boring afternoons, and it also helped distracting him from the pain.

Later, they would go outside, and since it had gotten cold enough and there was plenty of snow, they would either have a snowball fight, build a snowman, or go ice skating on the lake.

Aurelius had promised to take them sledding by the hill next, and both Sirius and Tom were looking forward to that.

His favorite time was at night, though- after dinner, Aurelius would take them to the library to pick out a story, and then they would take a bath, and then Aurelius would tuck them in, snuggle with them and read them the book they had picked out- he let them take turns in picking a book.

Gryffindor was still mostly absent due to work- but whenever he was there, he made an effort to spend time with them and he had not mentioned training even once- even though Tom knew there were still plenty of things he had to learn.

And sometimes, especially when they went to the library at night, he felt himself longing for more of Gryffindor's lessons, and he still did not even know why he wanted that so badly.

"Alright boys, let's go and find a book", they were at the library again, and Tom could hear Sirius ask if there were any more dragon stories, and it made him smile.

He strolled across the room, and his smile vanished when he saw the chessboard by the fireplace.

You won, Thomas.

You won, Thomas.

You won…

He bit his lips, hard, and then his fingers started to move on his own, touching a white pawn and moving it to d4.

"Tom, are you coming?", Sirius was yelling from the mezzanine, and Tom nodded, "yeah, coming!"

He left the chessboard, and then they spent the rest of the night discussing the book Sirius had picked- which surprisingly did not even have any dragons in it.

The next day, the boys were ready to go outside again. Dressed in boots, jackets, hats, and mittens, they were talking excitedly about what they wanted to do outside.

"Can we go now, Relius?", Tom asked for the tenth time, a hint of impatience in his tone.

Aurelius had been looking out the window, frowning, "the weather has gotten worse- I think it is better if you stay inside today and play."

"But I wanna finish my igloo!", Tom immediately protested, "it's not even that bad! I wanna go!"

"It's too stormy today. We are not going."

Tom stomped his foot, "yes, we are going!", he was yelling now, and Aurelius wasted no time turning the defiant boy around and he delivered a hard swat to his backside, "keep up the attitude and you'll get spanked", he told the boy firmly, "you boys can go drawing in the living room by the fireplace instead."

Tom's face had gotten red, and his eyes sparkled with anger, "you don't tell me what to do! I am going!", and he attempted to march to the door, but Aurelius stopped him, "the only place you are going is across my lap, baby bear", he said quietly, quietly enough so Sirius could not hear them, "you are being a bad boy right now, Tommy."

Tom sobbed, balling his hands into fists in helpless anger, "don't wanna spanking!"

"I know you don't- you should have behaved then", Aurelius' voice was calm. He knew that Tom was overwhelmed with all the changes of the last days, and he was pushing the boundaries again- knowing that he could push against Aurelius as much as he wanted, that the older boy would keep him safe.

"Sirius, please go and get your drawing supplies and then wait for us in the living room", he told his youngest brother, and Sirius immediately nodded, "okay. Don't…don't be too hard on him", he added in a whispered tone, not wanting to embarrass Tom.

Aurelius smiled, "I won't, don't worry. He'll be okay."

Right now, he was not- Tom had decided to throw a complete temper tantrum, kicking and yelling, and even throwing himself on the floor.

Aurelius was glad when Sirius was gone, not really wanting the younger boy to see that.

"I am going to give you three seconds to get up- and if you are still tantruming by then, you'll get a spanking and corner time", he told the boy, and Tom started to cry with fury, "not fair! I can do what I want!"

"One", Aurelius replied, ignoring his remark.

"Not listening to you!"

"Two."

The boy sobbed, "go away! I wanna go outside and play!"

"Three."

"No!", Tom scrambled to get away from the older boy, but Aurelius was not only older, he was also taller and stronger, so he easily picked him up, carrying him to a small reading room, furnished with some bookshelves, and a couple of armchairs.

"Lemme go! You are a big meanie! I hate you!"

Aurelius wanted to laugh, but he controlled himself. He always could tell when the boy was overwhelmed- because he tended to regress a little, acting like a much younger boy.

"You'll get ten- and I am expecting you to count them", Aurelius told him, pulling the struggling boy across his lap, and Tom sobbed again, "not gonna count!"

"We'll see about that", and then he gently pulled down his pants, and the boy started to howl, kicking wildly, "no! Mind your own damn business!"

"You are my business, Tommy", he told the younger boy calmly, "and it is my business to make sure that you are acting like the good boy you really are- and not like a naughty little boy."

"I don't wanna be good!", the boy replied, kicking hard, "I wanna go outside!"

"Tomorrow you can go outside- unless you are still being naughty then, then I am keeping you inside again", Aurelius informed him, adjusting the boy on his lap.

He lifted his hand, and then he delivered the first swat to the boy's backside.

Smack.

As expected, the boy did not bother to count- and Aurelius sighed, "I've been asking you to count, Tommy."

"Fine!", the boy spat out, "that's ten!"

Aurelius stifled a laugh, "you know very well that that was one, not ten."

"It was ten!", the boy repeated stubbornly, and Aurelius smacked him again.

"Nine!"

Now he had to chuckle, "counting backwards, hmm?"

"You never said I have to start at one! I can count however I want!", he sounded angry, but there was a hint of something else in his voice- something Aurelius could not figure out. Not yet.

Smack.

"Eight!"

Smack.

"Seven!"

He bucked, and Aurelius decided to take a break, "you are doing a good job counting, baby bear", he told the younger boy, "taking your punishment so well- you want to be my good boy again, hmm?"

"No!"

"Stubborn boy", he delivered another smack to his backside, much softer than the last ones.

"Six!"

Smack.

"Five!", the boy was kicking again, "hurts, Relius!"

"Do you want to apologize then?", Aurelius asked, resting his hand on the boy's backside, "tell me that you are sorry and we're done."

He heard the boy sob, "you say sorry for not letting me go outside! My igloo is almost done, and I wanted to…", he stopped.

"You wanted to...what, Tommy?", he asked, "tell me, baby bear."

"Wanted to show it to…someone", his voice was merely a whisper, but Aurelius had no problem understanding the boy- and he had a very good idea who someone was.

"You want to show it to me, hmm?", he mumbled, and he heard the boy sob in agreement.

"Oh, Tommy…", he sighed, deciding to end the punishment, even though the boy had not even apologized- and when had he gotten so damn soft?

"Can you tell me why this is so important to you, Tommy?"

"Want to make you proud, Relius", the boy's voice was still very quiet, "want you…to say that I'm doing a good job."

Sweet baby bear.

"I am proud of you, Tommy", he began softly, "and you have been doing a good job with your igloo- working on it so hard every day. You are such an eager little worker, and I know the igloo will be the best igloo in the whole country once it's done."

The boy's face instantly lit up, "in the whole country? You mean it?"

"I do mean it- and I am so proud of you. You are smart, and brave, and funny, and you are a good boy", he told him, pulling him closer, and Tom snuggled into him, beaming, "I'm a good boy?"

"The best boy", Aurelius gave him a kiss on the top of his head, feeling like the boy needed to hear this- and he also needed to hear this from someone else- his dad.

He could be Tom's brother, snuggling with him, reading him stories and disciplining him when necessary, but he could never be his dad, and it was getting more and more clear that that was what Tom needed.

"Gonna let me go outside then?", the boy asked.

"Yes- tomorrow, baby bear."

"Cause I was bad?"

"Because it is storming outside", Aurelius corrected, gently putting the boy back on his feet, "now, you do have some corner time still- five minutes, okay? And then you are all forgiven", he took the boy by his hand, leading him to the corner, "what are the rules, baby bear?"

"Look at the wall, don't move, don't talk", the boy rattled out, and Aurelius smiled.

"Good boy, Tommy", he praised him, walking back to the armchair.

Tom stayed in the corner, being absolutely quiet, and Aurelius watched him, feeling proud. This would not have been possible a week ago- but the boy was learning every day, and soon he would be able to stay in the corner for more than five minutes at a time.

"Time's up, Tommy", he eventually announced, and he felt even more proud when the boy patiently waited for him to get him out of the corner, and he took his hand without hesitation.

"You are all forgiven, baby bear", he told him softly, "now, are you ready to go play? Sirius could probably need some help drawing a picture."

"Yah! I wanna go draw!", the boy told him happily, and they went to the living room together, and Aurelius had been right- Sirius was waiting for them, surrounded by crayons and paper.

Tom went over to him, and soon both boys were sitting by the fireplace in the living room, drawing. They quickly became engrossed in drawing a farm with all kinds of animals, Aurelius watching them from the couch, reading a book, chuckling in amusement about their discussions what to draw next.

It was warm and cozy inside the room, and Tom was just about to draw another piglet when he felt Sirius next to him move, "Dad!", it sounded happy, and when he turned around, Gryffindor was standing in the door, smiling, and holding two boxes in his arms.

It still amazed Tom somehow how much the Founder had changed within a few days- but then, he had basically just gotten back to the way he had been before Salazar had gotten poisoned. And he still did not want to admit the fact how much he liked him now.

"We're drawing a farm!", Sirius told him excitedly, and Gryffindor chuckled, "that's a good idea for a day like this- the weather out there is bad today, and Hogsmeade was a madhouse", he came closer, putting the boxes down.

"Did you draw that, Tom?", he sounded impressed, and Tom's face started to flush, "we…drawed it together."

"Drew it together", Gryffindor corrected mildly, "you did a good job there, Tommy. That little piglet looks real enough to run off the paper any moment."

That comment made him smile, "I like drawing animals", he told the Founder, uncertainty in his voice. He was simply not used to having a normal conversation with him.

"What's in the boxes?", Sirius then asked, eyeing the boxes curiously.

"I got some presents for my boys", Gryffindor answered, holding up the two boxes, and Tom hastily turned his head, his heart hammering against his chest.

Two. Two boxes.

Two.

One for Aurelius, and one for Sirius, and none for him. There it was again- the reminder that it did not matter how friendly Gryffindor was now, he still did not belong, and he never was going to.

I am not gonna cry, I am not gonna cry...

He forced back the tears, trying to focus on his drawing, but the friendly looking animals on the farm did nothing to stop his tears.

"Thanks, Dad!", Sirius sounded so happy, and why wouldn't he- he had a brother, and a Daddy, and a Dad- and he had…no one.

I want a present, too! And a Daddy!

He had always thought he did not need anyone- but the truth was, he did. And it hurt.

"This one's for you, Tom", Gryffindor's voice was soft, and he felt a box getting gently pushed into his arms.

"For…me?", his voice sounded hoarse, and incredulous, and he still did not dare to look up.

He got me a present? Me? Not Relius?

"I doubt that Aurelius still plays with toys, Tommy", and now Gryffindor sounded amused, "go on, open it."

"Yeah, let's open them at the same time!", Sirius declared, his voice bursting with anticipation, "on three, okay? One…two…three!"

And they opened their boxes, and Tom's eyes widened in amazement when he saw what Gryffindor had gotten him. It was a stuffie, a stuffed dog to be exact- one that looked just like Bacon.

"I saw it and had to think of you", Gryffindor was suddenly right next to him, "I hope Bacon won't think it's real."

He could not help it, he had to laugh, noticing that Gryffindor had referred to Bacon as Bacon for the first time, and not as the dog.

"I got a stuffie, too!", Sirius announced, holding up the dog that was probably an imitation of his Animagus form, "I'll call him Blacky! What are you going to call yours, Tom?"

"Bacon Two?", Aurelius suggested from the couch, and that made both Tom and Sirius giggle like crazy, "no, we can't do that! He needs his own name, Relius!", Tom protested, "I'll call him Bagel."

That made Sirius laugh so hard that he fell over, and soon, they were all laughing- and Tom suddenly realized that he was happy. Really, ridiculously happy.

I wish it could stay like this forever.

"You are going with a breakfast theme, then", Gryffindor concluded, sounding amused, "well, in case you change your mind and need some dinner suggestions- it's time to eat."

"I guess we can finish the drawing later, Sirius", Tom remarked, looking at the picture, "come on, let's go wash our hands."

"Okay", Sirius easily agreed, and they both got up, holding their stuffed dogs tight, and then he looked at Gryffindor, somewhat surprised by the expression on his face- was that…pride?

What would he be proud about? I didn't do nothing.

"Thank you…for Bagel", he murmured, unsure what else to say, "he's really…fluffy."

Damn, I sound like an idiot.

"You are welcome, Tommy", his voice was soft, and there was a hint of something else in there that he could not decipher.

He kept thinking about it all through dinner, and when they went to the library, he immediately walked over to the chess board, his heart hammering.

And his whole face started to glow with happiness when he saw that something had changed overnight- there was a black pawn standing at e5 now, and he carefully moved his pawn from d4 to e5, and just like that, he knew that there was no way he could keep pretending that he did not want Gryffindor to be his Dad.

And he had no clue that Gryffindor was thinking the exact same thing.

I got some presents for my boys.

My boys…


it's only getting better from here on for Tom ;)

I'd love some feedback! :)

xoxo,

Antonie