Hello again :)

Thank you all for the lovely comments! :)

Since this is already chapter 4 of my little story, I thought I'd give you a quick update on what I am gonna post next- feel free to skip it though, lol.

I have two more stories that I am going to publish, the next one up is called Tempting Thomas, it will have 20 chapters (currently working on chapter 17) and I will give you a summary for Tempting Thomas in the beginning of the next chap :) The other story that I wrote is called Toppling Thomas, it will have 25 chapters and it's already done- I just got this idea and had to write it down, so I just wrote and wrote and wrote like crazy :D it's kinda dark though, and different from my other stories, but I'll tell you more about that once I got Tempting Thomas up and running :D

Anyways, I don't have any other stories planned after those two, I have a couple ideas, but nothing really that I would think would make for a whole story lol. I always appreciate you guys sending me ideas for stories, that's super helpful, but as I said, Toppling Thomas might just be the last one. I am currently concentrating on writing the last chapters for Tempting Thomas, and I am hoping to finish that story this month. Sorry for the long ramble :D

The last chapter of this story will be posted this coming week! :)

WARNING: SOME CP/ HUMILIATION

"Please take out your assignments from yesterday, I am going to collect them now", instantly, everyone started to shuffle through their papers, getting out their homework- everyone except Tom. He did not lift a finger to look for an assignment he knew he hadn't done, and when Gryffindor finally walked over to him- his desk was the last one, all the way in the back- he did not even bother to look at the Founder.

"Your homework, Samoal."

"What homework?", he knew he was being rude, but he didn't care. He did not care about anything anymore, he didn't even have any emotion left inside him, just anger. He was so angry.

"Are you telling me you did not do your work again, Samoal?", Gryffindor's voice had gotten dangerously low, but Tom did not even care about that anymore, "nah, I did do it- but then the cat ate it", he grinned when he saw Gryffindor's expression darken, and then the Founder leaned over his desk to him, his faces inches away from him, "drop the attitude- or it's another spanking, Thomas. I have no idea what has gotten into you lately, but I am not taking this disrespect from you any longer."

"I don't have an attitude", he replied obstinately, avoiding to look at the Founder, "I'll do your stupid assignment right now, only gonna take me ten minutes anyways. All this stuff is so easy."

"You'll do it at your lunch break- see me in my office after your last class for this morning", and before Tom could protest, Gryffindor had turned around and walked back to his desk, leaving the boy fuming in his seat. What the hell was Gryffindor thinking forcing him to give up his lunch break like this? He was so sick of being bossed around by him, and he was sick of everything- of not having any damn money, of not having enough food to eat, the damn roaches who had taken over the whole kitchen, the clogged toilet, the loneliness, the snidely looks from Sean after he had been forced to apologize to him, and the fact that he had been embarrassing himself by sitting on Gryffindor's lap snuggling into him like a little boy- and the fact that he had enjoyed it.

Tom brooded for the rest of the class, not caring at all what Gryffindor was talking about, even though the Founder's way of teaching was great- he kept the lectures interesting, engaging and funny, but Tom would rather die than admit that.

He stormed out the classroom as soon as Gryffindor had dismissed them, walking over to Advanced History of Magic. The topic today was boring- absolutely boring, and he decided to spite Gryffindor and do his stupid homework right now in this class. Imagining the stunned look on Gryffindor's face when he threw that stupid assignment in his face, he had to grin- and went to work. Usually, the Professor in this class left him alone, but today was clearly not his day, because he got called on- twice- and when he did not respond the second time, Professor Loewenstein decided to investigate.

"Pardon me, Mr. Movorth?", he looked up, and when he saw the irritated look on his Professor's face, he knew he should apologize- but again, he did not care anymore.

Leave me the hell alone!

"What?", he could hear multiple students gasp at his rude answer, and Loewenstein looked like she had been slapped for a second, but then she regained her composure- and she grabbed his papers in a fluent motion, her frown deepening when she realized what he had been doing in her class, "what is this, Movorth?", she hissed, holding up the papers, and Tom leaned back in his seat, somewhat amused by her anger, "looks like some papers to me, Professor", he replied in a mocking tone, and then Loewenstein paled, looking like she was ready to cast an Unforgivable on him, "you impertinent, rude, disrespectful little brat!", her voice had gotten louder, "doing homework for another Professor in the middle of my lecture- who do you think you are?"

"I am Samoal", he almost had to laugh when Loewenstein began to tremble with rage now, and then she suddenly grabbed him, and he was too stunned for a second to even react, kind of taken aback by her reaction and her strength, since she was a short, elderly witch.

"In my decades as a Professor, I have never! To speak to me like that, to me! I will not teach you any longer, Mr. Movorth, but I will make sure Professor Gryffindor gets to know where exactly you do your homework for him!"

Tom's grin vanished. That she was going to snitch on him to Gryffindor had never been part of any plan- he had enjoyed making her angry, suddenly feeling somewhat alive again, but this was not what he had wanted.

This won't be good.

Loewenstein kept dragging him along the hallway, and to make matters worse, her classroom was right by the studies for the Professors- now he could only hope and pray Gryffindor was teaching some other class now, or doing something, or…but of fucking course Gryffindor's door immediately opened after she had knocked, quite forcefully actually, and Tom bit his lips, realizing he had taken this too far.

Gryffindor raised an eyebrow, "Leonora, how may I help you?", his voice was calm, but when he looked at Tom, his eyes hardened, "anything the matter with Samoal?"

Loewenstein snorted with disdain, "there are quite a few things the matter with that boy! He has been nothing but insolent in my class, and instead of paying attention, he spent his time doing an assignment for your class! I have never been disrespected like this in my whole career!"

"I apologize- thank you for letting me know. I am going to take care of it", Gryffindor's voice was still calm, but Tom could hear the edge in it- and he knew he was in deep shit.

I should have just stayed home. Why is everything always going wrong?

"The boy should get expelled!", Loewenstein now hissed, and Tom tensed, the possibility of that making his stomach churn.

"I am going to make sure the boy gets punished severely- and he will apologize to you later", Gryffindor now said, his tone reassuring, "thank you for bringing him here."

Loewenstein grumbled something, and then she turned around and left, leaving Tom standing by himself in front of Gryffindor's door.

There was a silence, and eventually, Gryffindor stepped to the side, "come on in, Thomas", and since he knew there was no point in trying to run away again, he wordlessly walked into the room, Gryffindor closing the door behind him.

"Take a seat, Thomas."

"I rather stand."

To his surprise, Gryffindor just smiled, "you'll be standing a lot today then, but suit yourself- now, what exactly happened in Professor Loewenstein's class?"

The boy shrugged, "nothing. I was bored, so I did that stupid homework for you so I wouldn't have to spend my lunchbreak with you", his tone had gotten more hostile towards the end, and how he was standing there, his hair all messy and spikey and his hands balled into fists, he looked like the definition of a defiant teenager.

"It sounded like you did more than that- or why did Professor Loewenstein call you insolent?"

"Don't know what the old hag was talking about. I was just bored with her fucking lecture."

"Watch your tone, Thomas."

"Or what?", the boy was staring at him now, a provoking sparkle in his eyes, and Gryffindor had had enough, "I think you need some time to think about your behavior- go find yourself a corner, facing the wall, hands to your side."

"In your dreams, asshole."

Gryffindor did not bother to respond, he simply grabbed the boy and dragged him over to the nearest corner, forcing him to face the wall, "you will stay here until I decide you are ready to come out", he informed the boy coldly, "and the more you defy me, the longer you will stay in here. Do you understand me, Thomas?"

"Fuck you!"

He delivered a hard swat to the boy's backside as a response, causing the boy to howl, "that's another minute for you", his tone was basically icy now, "you will obey me, Thomas", he stepped back, not surprised when he saw the boy immediately trying to get out of the corner.

"No, Thomas", he simply told him, dragging the screaming and cursing boy right back, "stay, Thomas", he gave him another swat, softer this time, "and that's another minute."

The boy just sobbed angrily, and ten seconds later, he turned around, ready to leave the corner again- and again, Gryffindor was right there, dragging him back, "stay, Thomas", he got another swat on his backside, and another minute added.

"Screw you! I won't stay here! You cannot make me!", he tried to leave once again, and Gryffindor dragged him right back into the corner again, the swat to his backside hard enough it made him buck, "stay, Thomas- that's another minute for you."

For the next ten minutes, it became their routine: Tom trying to get out of the corner, and the Founder putting him right back into the corner, swatting him each time he tried to leave, "stay, Thomas."

Again…and again…and again.

"Leave me the fuck alone!"

Smack.

"Stay, Thomas."

"No! Nooooo! Let me fucking go!"

Smack.

"Stay, Thomas."

"I hate you! I hate all this!"

The swat was hard enough that he wailed, "stay, Thomas."

"Hurts! I wanna leave!", the boy started to cry, exhausted, sore, and miserable, "I want out!"

"You will stay in the corner until you are ready to behave, Thomas", Gryffindor told him calmly, "and next time you try to get out, you'll get the belt- do you understand me?"

He could hear the boy sniff, "ye…yes", he eventually croaked, his voice thick with tears, "I…under…stand!"

"Good boy", he made him look at the wall again, gently moving his hands to the side, and the boy sniffled, his face a mess of tears, drool, and snot, and then he carefully nuzzled his face into Gryffindor's chest, and the Founder hummed in approval, "all done being defiant, hmm? You'll be nice and quiet now for me, Tommy?"

The boy sniffed, nuzzling into him again, silently begging for him to end the punishment, and Gryffindor smiled, "you earned yourself nineteen minutes in the corner, you little escape artist", it sounded amused, "but if I see you being good now, I'll reduce it."

The boy whimpered, but he did not argue- and he did not try to leave the corner again, too exhausted, hurt, and tired. He leaned his face into the wall, liking the coldness it provided for his hot, sweaty skin, and he closed his eyes.

So…tired…

"Time's up, sleepy boy", he blinked, slowly coming back to reality, "what…did I…"

"No, you did not fall asleep- you just dozed off a little", Gryffindor told him, amusement in his voice, "you did very well, being all nice and quiet, and you are all forgiven."

Tom looked at him uncertainly, biting his lips, "uhm…but I didn't apologize."

Gryffindor did not bother to tell the boy that by nuzzling into him, he had basically surrendered himself to him, which counted as an apology, but he knew the boy had been in pain and exhausted and most likely did not even remember doing that, "you are going to apologize to Professor Loewenstein after class today- and if you want dessert after lunch, you might want to think about apologizing to me as well for cursing at me", he winked at him, and Tom blinked in surprise, "dessert? Like…cake?"

I haven't had dessert since I left that damn school.

"Anything you want, Thomas. Now, what would you like to eat for lunch?"

"Pizza?"

"Again?", Gryffindor had to laugh, "how about something different this time?"

"Uhm…can I have steak? Steak and potatoes?", his mouth started to water at the thought, and when Gryffindor nodded, his eyes lit up, "for real? Thank you! And…uhm…sorry for…for saying that…I hate you."

Gryffindor found it quite interesting that the boy had decided to apologize for telling him he hated him, but not for screaming Fuck you at him- definitely something to keep in mind, "apology accepted. You get to pick a dessert now."

"Chocolate cake!", the answer came instantly, and the Founder had to laugh again, "alright. Why don't you sit at the table, your lunch is coming right up."

The boy glanced at the wooden chairs, swallowing, and then he looked over to the couch, and Gryffindor did not even need Occlumency for understanding what the boy was trying to communicate, "you'd rather sit on the couch and eat, hmm?", he smiled when the boy turned dark red with shame, but then he quickly nodded.

"I am making an exception for you- but next time, you will have to place your sore little butt on my wooden chairs, understand?"

"Yes, Sir", the boy's voice was soft, every hint of defiance gone. He quietly walked over to the couch and sat down, and minutes later, Gryffindor appeared, carrying a tray with their lunch, ginger beers to drink, and a whole chocolate cake to eat.

"Can I eat the whole thing?", Tom blurted out, beaming at the sight of the cake, and Gryffindor chuckled, "yes, you may- if you eat your salad first", he shoved a bowl with salad in front of the boy, and the boy eyed it suspiciously, but the protest he had expected never happened, Tom simply took a bite, then another one, and soon later, the salad was gone. He devoured the steak and potatoes as well, chugged down two bottles of ginger beer, and then got to work on the cake. He did not bother with a fork or even a plate, he just took the slice in his hands and started to eat.

"Good?", Gryffindor sounded amused, watching the boy eat. He knew he'd eventually have to teach his boy some table manners, but for now, he was simply happy the boy allowed him to feed him, especially after he had just disciplined him.

"Yah. It's chocolatey", the boy answered between two bites, "I don't share, though."

"You don't have to share, Tommy", he assured him, his voice soft. He had started to wonder where that jealousy about food came from- the boy seemed very protective of his food, but he knew that as soon as he would start to question him, he'd shut down. He had not earned enough of the boy's trust for that, but eventually, he would.

Tom managed to eat almost half the cake, and then he groaned, holding his stomach, "I am full. I am never gonna eat again!"

"I'll remind you about that tomorrow, big boy", Gryffindor stood up and held out his hand, "come on, let's get you cleaned up- your face is all chocolatey."

The boy grinned, taking his hand after a second of hesitation, and then they went to the bathroom together. Just like last time, the boy was silently watching him take the soap and the washcloth out, and again, he made no attempt to wash his face by himself.

"You want to be nice and clean, Tommy?", he could see the boy blinking, his eyes getting the familiar look of wonder they had had the last time, and he smiled, gently starting to clean his boy's face and hands, "what a good boy you are…being so patient…almost done…you are my sweet boy, all nice and quiet, hmm?", and the boy held absolutely still, staring at himself in the mirror with wide eyes, and Gryffindor hummed in approval when the boy immediately took his hand again after he was done. He led him back to the living room, knowing exactly what he needed right now.

"We'll have some quiet time now, Tommy", he told his boy softly, sitting down and pulling the boy on his lap, "you are going to close your eyes, and you are going to be quiet- there will be no talking and no squirming", it seemed like Tom did not even need the reminder because as soon as he was safely snuggled into his chest, he closed his eyes, feeling warm, sated and drowsy, and not even a minute later, his breathing got more even, telling Godric that his boy was asleep.

Sweet boy.

He started to slowly rock him, humming something, and the boy made a happy sound in his sleep, instinctively snuggling closer, "you are a little snugglebug, hmm?", he laughed quietly, not wanting to wake the boy- he enjoyed this, holding him and taking care of him, and he knew it was important to earn the boy's trust- so he would eventually answer his questions.

Tom ended up napping for about thirty minutes, and it was a good thing he did not have any more classes that day, so he was able to let the boy sleep on his lap.

"Wha…uhm…whe…where…what…", the boy was blinking like a little owl, "sleep?"

"You took a nap for about half an hour, Thomas", he told the boy, carefully putting him back on his feet, "and I think it's time for that homework you promised me to do, hmm?"

Tom blushed, staring at his feet, clearly uncomfortable with the situation, "I…uhm…it's kinda done. I mean, I almost finished it…earlier."

"You will do it again, Thomas", Gryffindor told him calmly, "I am going to write you an excuse for the Professor you are having class with now, and once you are done with the homework for me, you will go apologize to Professor Loewenstein. Are we clear, Thomas?"

"Crystal", the boy mumbled, sounding annoyed, but he did not backtalk, "can I do my homework on the couch?"

"Ask me nicely."

He could see the boy rolling his eyes, "fine. Can I please do my homework on your couch since my ass is fucking sore?"

"Try that again- without the swearing."

There was a silence- the boy was obviously debating if this was worth another punishment, so all Gryffindor had to do was to be patient- and just like before, his patience got rewarded.

"May I please do my homework on your couch, Sir?"

Look at that.

He smiled, giving the boy a look of approval, "good boy- and yes, you may, Thomas. There's chocolate cake waiting for you in the kitchen if you do a good job with your homework."

Tom's eyes automatically lit up at the mention of the cake, "you didn't eat any of it, right?"

"No, big boy- the cake is all yours."

Tom grinned, and then he went and got his satchel, and minutes later, he was engrossed in his homework, while Gryffindor was sitting in an armchair next to him, reading the Daily Prophet. They spent the next hour in a comfortable silence- Tom working and Godric reading- and when he was done, he did get more cake as a reward, and later that day, he ended up apologizing to Loewenstein- not because he cared much for her, but because Gryffindor had told him to.

But as Gryffindor had expected, his obedience did not last- the very next day, Tom almost got kicked out of another class, and then he had been rude to him, refusing to participate yet again, so he had spanked him and put him in the corner, ignoring the screams and curses from the boy. He had snuggled him after, which had calmed Tom down instantly, but as much as he tried getting closer to the boy and trying to figure out what was going on with him, Tom always shut down, refusing to answer any of his questions- not even bribing him with cake had helped.

The other students had quickly noticed Tom's change in attitude, too- they called him Sulky Samoal now, and tried to stay as far away from him as they could. Samoal meant trouble, and no one was willing to get in any arguments because of him. Tom had become even more isolated and lonely, disliked by most of the Professors and students alike- but he did not care, at least that what he kept telling himself.

A few days after he had been spanked yet again by Gryffindor for yelling and cussing at him and refusing to do any work, he was sitting in class, not even sure why he still showed up- maybe it had just became a habit at this point.

"I have some news for you, class", Gryffindor actually looked quite happy today, and Tom automatically scowled. In his opinion, everyone deserved to be as miserable as he felt- and most of all, Godric bloody Gryffindor, "Dean Hastings has agreed that it is about time we start another mentoring program- meaning each Professor will mentor one student very closely, helping with the classwork, answering questions, and trying to get that student achieve their full potential."

Excitement was building up, and Tom could see Sean waving his hand like crazy, "yes, Sean?"

"Are you going to participate as well, Professor?", Sean sounded almost frantic with anticipation, and Tom rolled his eyes.

Smug little suck-up.

"Yes, I am- meaning one of you will get to be the unlucky one having me as a mentor", he winked at them, and the students started to laugh- except Tom of course, who could not stand it any longer, "what if we don't want to have you as a mentor? This program is voluntarily, right?"

Gryffindor raised an eyebrow in a silent warning for him, "of course the program is voluntarily- and getting chosen will mostly depend on the essay you are going to write for me, explaining to me why I should pick you out of all the students in this class."

"Why do you even ask? He'd never pick you anyways, Sulky Samoal", Lisary next to him whispered in a mocking tone, "he'll pick Sean, or Darius- anyone but you. You're trouble."

Tom bit his lips, ignoring the fact that the girls sitting next to Lisary who had heard her started to giggle, whispering to each other how much they agreed with Lisary, and when Gryffindor announced it was time to write their essay now, all he could do was stare at the paper in front of him for about five minutes. Finally, he picked up his quill, a sneer on his face. Gryffindor wanted an essay? Well, he would get an essay- but it wouldn't be like the fawning, cringy little love letter Sean was going to write.

Later that night, Gryffindor was sitting in one of the living rooms of the Manor on a couch, the application essays in his hand. He had asked the students not to write more than five paragraphs, but it looked like more than half the class had written way more than that- because of course they had. Sean's essay was two pages long, and he had to chuckle when he saw it.

"What are you laughing about? Are the essays that funny?", Salazar had looked up from his book, an amused smile on his lips.

"Not really, just a bunch of groveling- with one exception of course", he held up Tom's essay, looking amused, "since we both know you won't pick me, I just wanted to tell you have fun with Sean- he's a slimy suck-up, so he's perfect for you since you want obedience all the time. Oh yeah, and also screw you for always interfering with my life. Don't you have a family you can bother?", he read out loud, and as soon as he was done, Salazar started to laugh, "he's bold- but what is that nonsense about Sean? I thought you were using this whole mentor thing as a scam to get closer to Tom and finally bring him home."

"I am- I never intended to pick Sean, I actually cannot stand that boy. He is a slimy suck-up."

"And Tom is clearly jealous of him", Salazar remarked, "he actually sounds downright miserable in the beginning, now that I think about it: Since we both know you won't pick me- he still does not understand you are disciplining him because you care about him, right?"

Godric sighed, "no, he does not- in his mind, I prefer someone like Sean over him, someone with literally no personality", he looked at the essay again, "don't you have a family you can bother…", he had to smile, "oh, Tommy…you are my family, you just don't know that yet."

It had gotten cold the next day, and Tom cursed himself for forgetting to wear a warmer jacket. He also had nothing to eat anymore, so this morning, he had left the apartment without having any breakfast. Thankfully, he had found some hidden money in his dresser, so he'd be able to buy something to eat later. He was starving. To make matters worse, he knew Gryffindor would tell them who had won the damn mentoring spot today, and when he thought about Sean smiling his smug smile when Gryffindor told him he'd be mentoring him, his heart got heavy. The closer he got to the entrance doors of Seymour's College, the slower he walked. Watching Gryffindor tell Sean how amazing and clever and perfectly obedient he was would be a nightmare, and maybe he would even tell Sean he was proud of him…

Tom forced back the tears, abruptly turning away from the entrance. He wouldn't go, he would stay out here and wait til class was over, and then he would go to Advanced Arithmetic, the only class where the Professor still liked him and was friendly to him. It was freezing out, but he did not care. He found an empty bench by the cafeteria building and sat down, determined to wait this out- and to his surprise, he did not even have to wait long. Shortly after the bell rang, a small group of students came running towards him, and Tom recognized Sean, Darius and a few other boys from their Ancient Magic class among them.

"You…this is all your fault!", Sean started to screech as soon as he was standing in front of him, "I want to see your essay! I want to see why Professor Gryffindor picked you! I am sure you cheated!"

Tom stood up, confusion on his face, "what the hell are you talking about, dimwit? Picked me for what?"

"For the mentoring program of course!", Sean hissed back, his whole body trembling with rage, "he…he said your essay was brilliant, and very convincing! And now you get to have him as a mentor, the guy who is rude to Professor Gryffindor all the time! It's not fair!"

Brilliant? Convincing? Didn't I just basically insult him?

"Listen, if you are trying to shit me, I am going to…"

"Go and ask Professor Gryffindor! Go ask him!", Sean looked like he was about to burst into tears, "you…you cheater! You don't deserve his attention!"

Tom had to swallow hard, anger boiling up inside him at Sean's last comment, and then he stormed back towards the school, not bothering to say anything else to Sean and his friends.

You don't deserve his attention!

Gryffindor better had a very good explanation for this bullshit- why the hell would he pick him over Sean? Him? None of this made any sense- it had to be a joke. A cruel joke.

Tom went straight to Gryffindor's study, and then he hammered on the door, not even caring to knock respectfully, "open the fucking door, you owe me…"

"Hello there, Thomas", Gryffindor had the nerve to smile at him now, "why don't you come inside? You look a little cold."

"I am not cold!", Tom lied, slamming the door shut behind him, "you owe me an…"

"Explanation, I know- would you like some tea first? And maybe something to eat?"

"What do you have?", he blurted out before he could stop, his stomach rumbling with hunger.

"I could make you a sandwich- or some bacon and eggs with toast?", Gryffindor suggested, and when he saw the boy's face lit up at the mention of bacon, he had to laugh, "bacon and eggs it is- and maybe some green tea? You can put your jacket by the fireplace, so it's all dried and warm for you later", he winked at him, and Tom bit his lips, suddenly feeling lost. He had been so angry, but the anger was gone- and now he just felt…safe in a weird way. Cared for.

"Why are you being so nice to me? My essay was rude as hell. I thought you'd pick Sean", he mumbled, hanging his jacket by the fireplace, "is this a joke or something?"

"Do you want it to be?", Gryffindor's voice was mild, "I never intended to pick Sean- he does not need me, and frankly, I do not care much about him- not like I care about you, Tommy."

Tommy…

"You…care about me? Why?", his body was tense, and he crossed his arms in front of his chest, desperately trying to stay in control of the situation.

"I've always cared about you, or why do you think I never sent you to Azkaban? I deaged you and sent you to the best school in the Kingdom instead hoping you would use that as a second chance for yourself, to change- to turn your life around."

"I hated St. Francis."

He could hear Gryffindor sigh, and then he came back from the kitchen, carrying a tray with his food, "I don't understand why you hated it there so much- the education there is excellent, you had so many extra activities you can do…I thought you were going to enjoy being around other smart boys your age", he put the tray on the table, and Tom hesitantly walked closer, the smell of the bacon and eggs captivating.

"Can I…"

"Go ahead, Tommy."

He blushed, not daring to ask why the Founder called him Tommy now, and then he sat down and reached for his fork and knife, and seconds later, he was eating, enjoying every bite. Gryffindor had sat down opposite from him at the table, watching him silently, and Tom suddenly realized he still had not answered his question.

"I…I hated it because I felt…controlled. Like, the other boys were always around, and I just wanted to be alone sometime. And it wasn't like a real orphanage, it was a boarding school, so I felt…excluded."

"Why did you feel excluded?"

Because they were all having families.

"Because they were all rich and spoiled."

Gryffindor was watching him silently for a minute, and then he sighed again, "we sent you letters, you know. About two letters a week- we actually had no idea that you had run away. That principal- or, ex-principial since I got him fired- was eager to keep the tuition money for you since I had paid upfront, so they just kept our letters to you and never told us you were gone."

"You sent me letters? Every week?"

"Every week, Tommy."

The boy did not respond to that, he kept eating his food, apparently deep in thought. A few minutes later, he started to talk again, "so, you are really gonna do this mentoring thing now? How's that going to work? What does a mentor do?"

"I'll be mostly helping you with your classwork, and I'll be having lunch with you every day to see how your day is going- and I'll be disciplining you when you don't behave and reward you when you are being a good boy", Gryffindor very well knew this was way beyond anything a mentor did- but he also knew Tom had no idea about that. Acting like a mentor would slowly ease him into the role of being Tom's father, and soon, the boy would be used to come to him for guidance, advice and protection- and hopefully some snuggles as well.

"I don't need help with my classwork. I am smart on my own", the boy sounded dismissive, but Gryffindor was easily able to translate his dismissiveness to anxiety- Tom had no idea how to deal with someone helping him and taking care of him all of a sudden, and he knew he had given the boy a lot to think about when he had told him that he cared about him.

"You are a very smart boy- but classwork is not all about the content, it is also about making sure the work is neatly written and well organized", he told him, "and I think you could need some help with that, hmm?"

"Maybe", he still sounded a little defensive, and Gryffindor smiled, "are you all done eating? Ready to get you nice and clean again?"

The boy flushed, but Godric did not miss the happy little sparkle in his eyes before he looked down and quickly nodded.

Sweet boy.

This time, the boy automatically held up his hands for Gryffindor to wash them, standing still the whole time, completely surrendering to him. He got praised for being such a good boy, and then Gryffindor gently cleaned his face and hands off any ketchup, grease and fat, and soon later, they were back in the living area. Just like the times before, the fog had lifted from the boy again, and Gryffindor suspected now that taking him to the bathroom to get him washed triggered the mental regression, and he wondered if there were other things that triggered them as well, and how often this happened. For now, he let the boy go back to class- asking him to come back for his lunch break to eat lunch with him and talk about any homework he had gotten so far.

The boy did as he was told, and they had a fairly peaceful lunch together- and the next day as well, Tom being more calm those two days, happily eating whatever he served him and working hard on his assignments with him. On the third day after their little arrangement had started, things did not go as well though. Tom had been irritated all morning, Sean had been teasing him before class had started, he had forgotten his warm jacket again, and he had tried really hard in the test they had taken for Advanced History of Magic, trying to get back into good grades with Professor Loewenstein, but even though he had answered every question correctly, he had simply gotten an Exceeds Expectations and not an Outstanding, with the remark that his handwriting had been too sloppy and hard to read at times. By the time he had gotten to Gryffindor's study for their daily lunch, he was trembling with fury and helpless anger.

"I want pizza for lunch!", he hissed at the Founder without a greeting, "and a huge fucking cake, and I am not gonna do any fucking work for that stupid Loewenstein bitch ever again!"

Gryffindor silently dragged him over to the corner, making him face the wall, "one minute for being demanding, one for cursing, and one for disrespecting your Professor", he told him calmly, "and we are having Shepherd's pie for lunch today, not pizza."

"That's nasty! Why can't I pick the food? You clearly suck at it!"

He howled when Gryffindor delivered a hard smack to his backside for that comment, "that's one more minute for being disrespectful, Thomas- keep it up and you are going over my lap again", he informed his boy calmly, "four minutes now- and then we'll eat", he went back into the kitchen, knowing the boy would stay in the corner- he'd be fuming and cursing under his breath, but he had learned his lesson about trying to get out on his own.

Four minutes later, he went to get his boy, pleased with the fact that he had calmed down- being forced to stand in the corner usually helped with that, and he led him back to the table, making him sit down and eat. And even though he had called the Shepherd's pie nasty, he managed to eat two big plates of it, but Gryffindor knew better than to comment on that.

"Now, what happened with Professor Loewenstein today?", he asked the boy while they were eating their dessert- chocolate mousse with berries- and Tom instantly tensed, "I answered everything correctly and I still only got an E. That bit…uhm…she said my handwriting was too messy, but I am sure that's just a lame excuse! She is holding a grudge!"

"Maybe she is", Gryffindor agreed, taking a sip of his ginger beer, "but your handwriting is sloppy, Tommy- which means you will have to write your assignment again, neatly this time."

The boy paled, "I…you can't make me do that."

Gryffindor just smiled, "are you sure about that, Thomas?", he kept his voice even, but Tom knew him well enough by now to hear the underlining threat, but he had gotten too angry to care, "that's not fair! I answered every question correctly, I deserve an Outstanding for that! I don't want to write everything again!", he slammed his spoon down, getting up, "I am gonna go!"

"The only place you are going is over my lap if you keep this up, Thomas", Gryffindor told him calmly, dragging the struggling boy back to the table, "get your papers out and start working."

The boy cursed, sitting down again, his arms crossed in front of his chest, "I won't do this."

"You are going to stay here until you have written your assignment again", Gryffindor informed him matter-of-factly, "and the longer you spent pouting, the longer you will have to stay here."

"But…I have Advanced Arithmetic later! I don't want to miss that!"

"You better start working then, Tommy", Gryffindor's voice was mild, "it is important that you keep your work neat and organized- and this will help teaching you to not turn in sloppy and disorganized papers anymore."

The boy grumbled something, finally taking out his quill and some paper. Gryffindor watched him work, but when the boy merely hastily smeared down some words, not even caring what it looked like, he shook his head.

This is going to take a while, stubborn boy.

"I am done!", Tom declared ten minutes later, getting up again, "I am leaving!", he did not even make it past the table when Gryffindor silently led him back to the table, taking his papers. The assignment looked worse than the one before, and Godric raised an eyebrow, "you call this done? This is a mess, Thomas."

"Everything's correct!", the boy spat out defiantly, "it's perfect!"

"You are going to do this again, Thomas", and then he ripped the papers in half, causing the boy to howl with fury, "you…you bastard! How dare you!", he howled even louder when Gryffindor turned him around and delivered a hard smack to his backside, "watch your tone, boy- now sit down and do this again."

"No!"

"Last chance- you either do your work now or it's a spanking, Thomas", he informed the defiant boy coldly, and Tom sobbed, but he grabbed the papers and sat down. This time, it took him about fifteen minutes to get started, and he smeared even worse than before, decorating the paper with angry tears and ink blots. Gryffindor wordlessly ripped the papers in half again, which made Tom burst into tears, "you…you are so mean!"

Not used to someone sticking to a consequence, hmm?

"I am trying to help you here, Tommy", he told the boy softly, using the nickname on purpose. It caused the boy to sob again, but then, he sniffled, and then he went to work- and he wrote neatly and slowly, not even making any ink blots, and thirty minutes later, his work was done.

"Good boy, Tommy- I am so proud of you", he smiled at the boy, and Tom flushed, clearly overwhelmed with the situation. He grabbed his satchel and stormed out of the room, needing space, needing to think, and needing to breathe.

I am so proud of you.

This was getting dangerous, him spending time with Gryffindor- he was starting to like him, to enjoy spending time with him, the same guy who had ruined his life. He had ruined his life. He had, and he'd better remember that before he got even more under Gryffindor's spell. Tom went home, not caring about classes anymore since he had missed Advanced Arithmetic, and then he spent the rest of the day snuggling with Quilliam, the fog more than heavy than usual.

The next day, he decided to ignore Gryffindor's stupid lunch invitation- he would eat lunch in the cafeteria instead. Since he had not brought any food, going to the cafeteria was his only option, his stomach growling loudly with hunger. He entered the big building, the noise deafening- remembering again why he never ate here. It was too much. Tom kept to himself when he quickly got his lunch- some pumpkin pasties and a bottle of ginger beer- and then he went to find an empty seat. It turned out to be more difficult than expected since the cafeteria was always crowded around lunch time, especially now that it had gotten too cold to eat outside.

Tom started to walk, his eyes scanning the room for a place to sit, and he was so focused on that that he did not see Sean and some his friends pointing at him, smirking and whispering something. He did not even realize he was walking by their table until he suddenly stumbled over a hastily stretched out foot, and before he could catch his balance, he had crashed to the floor, the ginger beer soaking him, and the pumpkin pasties smeared into his face and clothes.

Every single student from Sean's table started to laugh, and Sean was laughing the hardest, "learning to walk there, Samoal?", he sneered, "I still don't understand why Professor Gryffindor picked such a pathetic screw up like you! He probably just did that out of pity for you."

Something inside him snapped, and next thing he knew, he was in Sean's face, punching and cursing and kicking the older boy, not even realizing the other student's starting to scream, and Sean begging him to stop, he wanted to hurt him, to make him pay, to…

"That's enough now, baby bear", someone said in his ear, and then he carefully got picked up, and he struggled and yelled, thrashing around wildly, and when he realized it was Gryffindor carrying him out of the cafeteria, he started to cry.

I messed it up. I messed it all up.

nah- it will be okay, tom ;)

the happy ending, one more spanking scene, and tom meeting aurelius, sal, and sirius will be in the next and last chap! :)

I love to hear from you all! :) Thank you so much!

stay safe,

Antonie :)