Hey again, thought I'd post the last chap real quick tonight! :)

First of all, thank you to my awesome reviewers CastorLycan and Awkwardturtle247! :) I hope you are gonna check out my next story as well! :)

And I hope I'll keep writing more stories- I just have some writer's block or something right now lol, but I'll let you know once I have that figured out! Your awesome comments and story suggestions and Kudos and everything certainly help! :) Thank you all!

As I said in the last chap, my next story will be Tempting Thomas, and it's going to have 20 chapters. I am planning to upload the first chapter by the end of the week. Here's a quick summary for you:

Godric Gryffindor needs answers- and Voldemort has the answers, all of them. Unfortunately for Gryffindor, Tom won't talk- not even locking him into a prison cell and making him suffer in every way possible seems to do the trick. Fortunately for Gryffindor, there is something that will tempt him to talk- he just needs to listen.

There will be the usual stuff: Spanking/ CP, Father/ Son, H/C, angst, plenty of fluff and lots of banter between Gryffindor and Tom :D and there will be a HEA and Aurelius (OC) and Sirius will be part of the story from chapter 1 as well, with Harry and the gang being barely there. Hope you gonna check it out!

Anyways, here's the last chapter now- and WARNING for a small spanking scene (and some humiliation, thanks to Aurelius lol)

"Let me go! I wanna leave! I wanna go home!", the boy was still crying, trying to wiggle out of his arms, but Gryffindor's grip was tight, so there was no way out, "I hate college! I hate Sean! I hate everything! I want to leave!", he kept shouting, but instead of responding to the boy, Gryffindor simply patted his butt, causing the boy to sob with shame, "no! Lemme go!"

Gryffindor had reached his study, they had not run into anyone on the way there since most students and Professors were having their lunch break now, and he slowly opened the door and carried his boy over to the couch, sitting down with him in his arms.

"Let me go!"

"Shhh…calm down, Tommy", he tightened his grip, and just like the time before, the struggling slowly lessened, and he started to hum something, gently caressing the boy's spikey hair, "you need to go easy on the gel, my little hedgehog…your hair is all stiff, you could poke someone with those spikes…trying to keep everyone away from you, hmm? So no one can hurt you anymore, baby bear?"

Baby bear.

He was not surprised when the boy started to cry again, trying to hide his face in his chest, "shhh…I know…it's going to be okay, Tommy…I am here now…I am here", and he kept holding the boy, rocking him and humming something soothing, and after some more time, the boy's crying turned to some quiet sniffs, and he had stopped struggling, being absolutely still now.

"My sweet boy…read to talk now?", he gently put two fingers under his chin, forcing the boy to look up, "what happened in the cafeteria, Tommy?"

"They…were laughing at me", the boy whispered, a pained expression in his eyes, "Sean made me trip, and everyone laughed. And…I got so mad, I just wanted to make him stop laughing, so I punched him in the face. He deserved it, though, I won't apologize! I won't!"

"Easy there, Tommy- I am not saying anything about an apology, but you do know your reaction was inappropriate, right? You should not have hit Sean."

"Why? You hit me all the time and get away with it!"

Gryffindor stifled a laugh, "I spank you, Tommy, I do not punch you in the face- you do see the difference there, hmm?"

"No, there's no difference- it's both hitting", the boy replied obstinately.

"Spanking is not hitting, Tommybear- it's discipline."

"I don't need any discipline."

He did had to laugh now, "I think we both know that is not true, Tommy. You are going to get spanked for punching Sean, and can you tell me why?"

"Because you like spanking me?"

Gryffindor sighed, "no, Tommy- I do not like spanking you."

"Then why do you do it? Why do you want me to…", the boy suddenly stopped, and Gryffindor could see the moment the lightbulb went on in his head, "wait, that's…you meant that? You…do that because…you care? About me?", the boy sounded completely stunned, "but then…why did you…in the beginning, when you made me…", he struggled to finish his sentence, to get his thoughts organized, but Gryffindor had an idea what the boy was trying to say, "honestly? When I first saw you sitting in my class, I really thought you had some kind of plan, that this was a trap or some sort of revenge- and it made me quite angry. I risked a lot to make sure you won't get send to Azkaban, and I really thought you'd like St. Francis. I was…disappointed. I wanted to punish you for just running away from there like it meant nothing, and I wanted to find out what your plan was, hence the incident in that closet."

"And in the bathroom", the boy grumbled, making himself comfortable in his lap, "you…you almost drowned me!"

"Well, that might be a little dramatic, Tommy. I thought you were disrespecting me by showing up late with that mess of a homework you handed in, and I was certain it was nothing worth mentioning anyways- until I read it that night."

"You said it was brilliant", the boy reminded him smugly, snuggling closer.

"It was brilliant- probably the best essay I ever read since I am teaching here", Gryffindor replied, amusement in his voice, "and then I realized that you really might attend college to learn and to study- and I tried to explain that to you, that day I fed you pizza, but I don't think it came across that way. Well, and then you stormed off before I could say anything else."

"I…was just sick and tired of explaining myself all the time. I had no idea you would be teaching here, I…would not have attended your class if I knew, I swear!"

"Hmmm…", Gryffindor slowly started to caress his hair again, "I like having you in my class, Tommy- even though you never participate."

"I participated in that stupid quiz- and I did not even win. What reward did you even give Sean?"

"I invited him to Gryffindor Manor for a weekend to show him the library- it's quite the collection", Godric forced his voice to be casual, and he had to smile when he could feel the boy stiffen.

Whatthefuck?

"He…gets to spend a whole weekend at your Manor? With you? And he gets to see all the books in the library?", the boy sounded almost angry now, and Gryffindor had to stifle a smile.

"Does that bother you, Tommybear?"

"No. Of course not. You can spend your time however you want", he sounded miserable though, and he avoided to look at him.

Sweet, jealous baby bear.

"Does that mean you wouldn't be interested if I asked you to spend a weekend at Gryffindor Manor?", he kept caressing the boy's hair, smiling when the boy carefully pushed his head closer to the touch, "what's the point if you already have Sean there? He's certainly better company than me, even though he doesn't deserve it after he tripped me."

"He doesn't deserve what?", Gryffindor asked mildly, playing with one of the boy's carefully styled spikes.

"He doesn't deserve to hang out with you! He's a slimy suck up! I should get to spend time with you and see all the books!"

"Hmmm…and why is that, Tommybear?"

"Because I want to make you proud!"

There was a silence.

Tom had gotten dark red, hiding his face in Gryffindor's chest. He had never felt this embarrassed in his life, and he could not believe he had been so stupid to blurt out that he wanted to make Gryffindor proud- he was such an idiot!

"Look at me, baby bear."

The boy muffled something, shaking his head, his ears as red as the rest of his face.

Gryffindor just smiled, leaning down to the boy, "you know what Sean really got for winning the quiz, Tommy? A book. And you know what? It wasn't even a very good one."

The boy slowly turned his head, blinking, "you…tricked me", he mumbled, his face still red, "so…you never invited Sean then? To your Manor?"

"No, Tommy- and I never will. Who do you think I want there instead?", he looked at him expectantly, and Tom had to grin, "dunno- Hastings maybe?"

"Silly boy- I want you to come with me this weekend. I'll show you the Manor, and the library, and you can meet my family", he almost said your family- but it was not the time yet to tell the boy the truth.

Tom bit his lips, "your…family? Like…Salazar?"

"Yes- and my boys."

"You…adopted Sirius Black, right? After he deaged himself to hide from the Ministry?", the boy sounded hesitant, "I…I don't think that's such a good idea to meet him. He'd hate me."

"He wouldn't hate you, Tommy- but I am going to be honest with you, you would have to answer some questions for me before I can take you home with me."

"About…Pettigrew?"

"Yes, Tommy. I need to know where he is. I am assuming you are living with him?"

He swallowed, staring at his shoes, "I…uhm…used to, but then he left. We had an argument. He hated the apartment and thought it wasn't safe."

"Tommy…", Gryffindor's voice was very calm, but had an edge to it, "are you telling me right now that you are living by yourself? In an apartment?"

Tom started to squirm, "it's…not that bad, I mean…I can take care of everything. I am fine, really."

"You are going to show me where you live later- and then we are going to pack whatever you need and you'll come home with me", Gryffindor's voice did not leave any room for an argument, "that is why you overslept, Tommy? And why you are always hungry and your clothes are way too thin for this weather?"

"He…he took all our money", the boy mumbled, clearly uncomfortable with the topic, "so…I had some snacks, and then I found some money in my dresser, but…"

"Oh, Tommy", Gryffindor sighed, snuggling the boy closer, "I wish I had known this…I would have taken you home with me way earlier then."

"That's…okay. I like…living by myself", he knew he was lying, but there was no way he'd tell Gryffindor the truth- that he had to snuggle with Quilliam every night, and that he flinched every time he heard a noise outside, and that he had to leave the lights on, and that he was so scared of the roaches crawling over him at night that he kept some empty whiskey bottles to throw at them by his bed since he had nothing else to kill them with.

Gryffindor sighed again, obviously not believing him, "did you know where Pettigrew went, Tommybear? Did he leave any clues?"

"I…have an idea", he admitted, "he mentioned that he wanted to move to this small town called Westchesterfield, I guess he knows someone there. Someone who'd give him a job."

"How did you make money anyways? How did you pay the rent?"

Tom closed his eyes for a second, he had hoped Gryffindor wouldn't ask, "we…just organized it", he mumbled, "mostly…Pettigrew since I had classes all the time."

"And by organized you mean stealing, right?"

"I…well, I guess you could…uhm…"

"Thomas…", he did not need to say more than that and Tom winced, "yes, fine, we stole it. All of it. We thought we'd need money for tuition, but then they offered me a scholarship, so…"

Even though he did not want to, Gryffindor had to laugh, "my smart boy", it sounded almost fond, and Tom had to smile, "I'll arrange for some Aurors to look for Pettigrew, and you are coming home with me today, it's Friday anyways. But before that, I think we have something else to discuss, hmm?"

"You mean what are we going to eat for lunch?", the boy tried, and Gryffindor chuckled, "you know very well what is going to happen now, Tommy", he sounded amused, "I am even letting you pick this time- you can either get ten with my hand- five for punching Sean, and five for stealing- or five with the belt."

Tom groaned, "seriously? How about either standing in the corner for five minutes or getting one with your hand?"

He bucked when Gryffindor gave him a soft swat as a response, "punishments are non-negotiable, you know that, Tommy. Now, what's it going to be?"

"Does the belt…does it hurt a lot?"

"It could, yes."

Tom stifled a smile, understanding what Gryffindor was trying to tell him, "fine. I choose the belt. Do I need to count?"

"No, you only need to count when you get my hand, baby bear", and then Gryffindor gently adjusted him on his lap, "this will be quick- and then you will be all forgiven."

"And then we can eat lunch, right?"

"Yes, Tommy. You are hungry, hmm?", he carefully unbuckled his belt, and Tom tensed at the noise, "can I have pizza? Please?", he was desperately trying to think of something else than the belt and Gryffindor hummed something, holding him close, "pizza and chocolate cake, baby bear- after you've been disciplined", he doubled the belt, and the boy instinctively started to struggle, but Gryffindor simply tightened his grip, holding up the belt, "one-two-three-four-five", he counted out loud, each number accompanied by a loud smack when the belt hit Tom's backside, and the boy howled, bucking helplessly, "stoooop! Stoooop!"

"Shhh…all done, Tommy- all forgiven", he pulled the struggling boy up, holding him close, "you took that really well."

"Hurts!"

"I know- it's going to sting for a while, but this wasn't as bad as your last spanking, was it?"

"Was worse!", the boy insisted, and then he sniffled, snuggling into him, "can I have pizza now? And cake?"

"Yes, baby bear- we'll eat on the couch, alright? I know the chairs would be uncomfortable now", he winked at him, carefully placing him on the couch, "I'll be right back", he went to the kitchen and minutes later, came back with Tom's favorite meal and some ginger beers to drink.

They ended up having a nice lunch, and after they were done, Tom did not even need to be told to follow him to the bathroom to get cleaned, he took his hand automatically, holding still the whole time why he cleaned his face and hands.

"Good boy, Tommy", Godric praised him in a low voice, "such a good boy…come on, I think someone needs a nap", he knew the boy was drained from everything that had happened this morning, the incident in the cafeteria, their conversation, his spanking- and when he pulled the boy on his lap for some quiet time, slowly rocking him, he was out like a light after a minute.

Gryffindor let him sleep- and when the boy woke up an hour later, blinking at him in confusion, his hands clutched into his robes, he had to smile, "welcome back, baby bear. Did you sleep well?"

"Mmmhhmm", the boy mumbled, yawning, "why do you keep calling me that?"

"What? Baby bear?"

"Yah. And Tommybear, and Tommy and sweet boy."

"You don't like that?"

Tom blushed, "no, I mean, it's…okay. If you really need to call me that…I…uhm…you can do that. I don't mind it", he knew he was rambling, and eventually, Gryffindor laughed, snuggling him close, "I am very glad to hear that. Now, it is getting late, and afternoon classes are almost over. I think it's time to go home, hmm?"

"O…okay."

He scrambled off Gryffindor's lap, fidgeting, the idea of showing the Founder the shithole he lived in suddenly terrifying. The place was a mess, even more now that Pettigrew was gone- Wormtail had not been tidy, far from it, but at least he had kept the roaches under control and had done some basic cleaning and maintenance.

"I…I usually take the bus home. There's a bus stop by the college", Tom mumbled, watching Gryffindor get his coat and briefcase, "takes about thirty minutes, but I mostly read, so…", he stopped when Gryffindor shot him an amused glance, "the bus? I might have a faster way to get to your place, Tommybear. Just say the address out loud, that's all I need you to do."

He did, realizing that Gryffindor wanted them to apparate- and not even a minute later, they were standing right in front of the door to his apartment. Gryffindor did not comment on the fact that the hallway smelled like a disgusting mix of urine, liquor, and moldy clothes, he simply waited until Tom had gotten the key out and opened the door, and then they stepped in.

"It's…not very clean, I…usually just sleep here, I don't…I mean, I am really busy with homework, and…I don't really know how to…how to…"

Gryffindor stayed silent- he did not comment on the empty whiskey bottles by the door, the broken table, the trash in the corner, or the pile of dirty clothes in another. The bathroom was clearly not being used anymore since the toilet was clogged and the sink full of something that used to be water, and the kitchen- well, once he saw the herds of roaches in there feasting on a rotten apple, he turned back around, feeling quite sick. This was where his boy had been living- this is where he had gone home to after class…

I failed you. I should never have left you at that damn school.

"I…I am sorry", Tom croaked out, clearly taking the distress on his face for anger, "I was gonna clean, and fix everything, and take the trash out and…"

"Shhh…baby bear, I am not mad at you. I am not, I promise. I just…I should be the one apologizing. I…I had no idea that this is how you lived. I am so sorry, Tommy. I shouldn't have left you at the school, I…I mean, I was just waiting til you were ready to talk to us, and that damn principal kept lying to us, telling us you didn't- and you weren't even there!"

"I thought you wanted to get rid of me", the boy whispered, "because I was so rude, and I yelled at you, and I said I hated you, and…I actually…I didn't. I was just so angry at you."

Love you too, baby bear.

"I never wanted to get rid of you, Tommy", he walked over to the boy, pulling him into a hug, "you were…so angry, and…we thought sending you to St. Francis would help you, and that eventually, you'd talk to us without telling me you wanted me to rot in hell."

"Sorry about that", the boy gave him a sheepish smile, "I guess I was very angry."

"Hmmm…", Gryffindor just smiled, pulling him closer, "anything you want to take from here? Think carefully, because this is the last time you will ever be in this place."

Tom swallowed, "uhm…not really. Maybe…some clothes? There's some stuff in my drawer…"

"Don't worry about that- I'll buy you new clothes. You can't get the smell of this place out of them anyways. If there's nothing else, we should get going, Tommybear."

The boy turned dark red, "actually…"

Here we go.

"Let me guess- you have something helping you when you are feeling…let's say, different, hmm?"

Tom blinked, staring at him in shock, "how…how do you know that?"

"I know you, Tommy. Now, are you going to show me?", he winked at him, wanting the boy to know that it was okay- that this was nothing to be embarrassed about.

The boy bit his lips, but then he led him to his bedroom- even though bedroom was quite a fancy word for that disorganized, messy space, and then he carefully flipped over the sheets and took out Quilliam, "that's…his name is…Quilliam. Quilliam Shakespeare", the boy whispered, holding the stuffed hedgehog in a tight grip, "he…he sometimes…snuggles with me at night when…when…he needs me."

And when you need him, hmm?

Gryffindor smiled, "hey there, Quilliam", he said softly, "have you been watching over my boy for me? Making sure he is safe? That was very nice of you."

The boy's face lit up, "he's a very friendly hedgehog", he told Gryffindor earnestly, "and he's super soft. You can't get poked when you touch him, look", he carefully held Quilliam out to Gryffindor, "he's soft, right?"

"Very soft", Godric agreed, gently petting the stuffed hedgehog, "we definitely need to take Quilliam Shakespeare- he might get scared being here all by himself."

"Yah, especially at night- I always leave the lights on for him so it's not scary", the boy said, the familiar look of wonder in his eyes, telling Gryffindor his boy was mentally regressing now- most likely triggered by Quilliam, "and…sometimes when there's loud noises, I snuggle him extra close", the boy added, "he likes to snuggle."

Just like you, hmm?

"You'll be able to snuggle soon- at home. I think it's time to leave, Tommy", he extended his hand to the boy and Tom took it without a second of hesitation, "hold on tight- we are going to apparate."

About a minute later, they arrived in the glamorous entrance hall of Gryffindor Manor, and the contrast to the apartment Tom had been living in for a few months could not have been greater. Gryffindor Manor was huge, with expensive rugs on the floor, old oil paintings on the walls and extravagant furniture everywhere.

The boy's eyes had widened in amazement, and he held onto Gryffindor's hand like a lifeline, "it's…so big…and…bright…and it smells good. What's that smell?"

"That would be the pine trees", someone behind him said, sounding amused, and when he turned around, a teenager was standing by the door, looking strikingly like a younger version of Godric Gryffindor. He was maybe about eighteen years old and was dressed in a dark blue suit with a black tie, "you must be Thomas- it is very nice to meet you. My name is Aurelius, I am the oldest son."

"Hi…uhm…you can call me Tom", he was stuttering, still deeply under the mental regression, and then he hesitantly held up Quilliam, "and that's Quilliam. He's a hedgehog."

Aurelius' eyes twinkled, "I can see that. He looks very soft", he slowly extended a hand and gently caressed his hair, "not like that hair of yours- you are going to poke holes in the pillows, Tommybear."

That made the boy giggle, and Aurelius and Godric exchanged an amused look, unseen by the boy, "how about a bath?", Gryffindor eventually suggested, "get all those spikes out of your hair and get all nice and clean before dinner, hmm?"

"Can…can I bring Quilliam?", the boy just asked, "he's kinda stinky. He needs a bath, and then I…could just keep him company."

"That's very nice of you, Tommy", Aurelius had to stifle a laugh, "come on, I am going to show you your room- you have your own bathroom, and there's a huge bathtub, you are going to like that", he took Tom's hand, and the boy made a noise that sounded a little distressed, not sure about going with the older boy who he'd just met.

"Don't worry, you'll see me for dinner soon, baby bear", Gryffindor promised him softly, "and until then, Aurelius is going to be in charge- and I want you to be good for him, understand?"

"Yah. I'll be good. I want pizza for dinner, please."

"We are going to have fish tonight, baby bear", Godric told him calmly, "now go with Aurelius and take your bath- I'll see you in a little bit."

He winked at him, and then he was gone- and Tom hesitantly looked up to Aurelius, who was smiling, "let's go, baby bear. You'll behave for me, hmm?"

The boy quickly nodded, and Aurelius had to laugh. Having this boy as a younger brother would be fun, and he could not wait until Tom met Sirius- especially since his youngest brother also had moments of mental regression, a side effect from the deaging potion, similar to Tom's.

Aurelius led the boy to his bathroom, a spacious room with marble counters, a double sink, a shower and a bathtub, and then he filled the bathtub with warm water, smiling at the boy, "ready to get all clean, Tommybear?", he helped him undress, and moments later, the boy was happily sitting in the tub, holding Quilliam with one hand, "it's so warm, Relius", the boy told him, using the same nickname for him that Sirius used as well, "my hair's gonna melt!"

Aurelius chuckled, "the gel is dissolving from the heat, baby bear", he explained to him, grabbing the bottle with the shampoo, "can you hold still for me now? I am going to rub the shampoo in now and then wash it all out."

The boy nodded, holding perfectly still, and then he insisted that Quilliam would get shampooed as well, so Aurelius washed the stuffed hedgehog, too, keeping his face perfectly straight. After Tom was ready to go out, he dried him off in a fluffy towel and put him in some warm pajamas.

"Are we having dinner now, Relius? I'm hungry", the boy had taken his hand without thinking about it, a fact that made the older boy smile, "yes, we are going to the dining room now, sweet boy- and you'll meet my dad and Sirius, my younger brother. He is thirteen years old and a third grader in Hogwarts."

They entered the room, and Tom instantly went to hide behind Aurelius, nervous by the fact that there were two other people to meet now, but Salazar made it very easy for him to feel comfortable by smiling broadly, "hey there, Tommy. I am so happy to see you again. Did you had a nice bath?"

"Yah", he was still anxious, and the episode of mental regression only lasted longer due to his stress, "Relius made me bubbles."

"Did he now", Gryffindor sounded amused, "come here, baby bear, I want you to meet my youngest son- this is Sirius."

Tom slowly went closer, never letting go of Aurelius' hand, "uhm…hi", he finally stammered, "I…am Tom", he had no clue what else to say to the younger boy who was examining him closely now, "who's that?", he pointed at a wet Quilliam, who was still clutched in his hand, and Tom blinked, "that's…Quilliam. He's my hedgehog. He took a bath, that's why he's so wet", he hurried to explain, and Sirius nodded like that made perfect sense, "I have a fox", he told Tom, "his name is Chestnut."

"Because he's red?"

"Yeah- and cause he can run fast", Sirius said, "I can show him to you after dinner if you want. Maybe he and Quilliam could be friends."

Tom's face lit up at that prospect, and it was so adorable that Salazar, Godric, and Aurelius all had to smile.

"Let's sit down and eat, boys", Godric suggested, an amused tone in his voice, "and then you can go play for a little bit before bedtime."

They sat down, and Tom's mouth started to water when he saw the plates with fish, rice, and vegetables the house elves carried in. He was starving- and the fish looked so fresh, so…

"No, Tommy", Aurelius gently pulled his hand back, "not with your fingers, baby bear. You have a fork and a knife for that."

"But I am hungry! It's faster to eat with my hands!", the boy pointed out, and then he tried to reach for the fish again, and this time, Aurelius calmly pulled him back and made him sit on his lap, "you are going to use cutlery like a big boy, Tommy, or I'll have to feed you", he told the boy, his voice still very calm, "we do not eat with our hands at the dinner table, understand?"

The boy let out an angry sob, not understanding at all. He was hungry, and there was food right there, why couldn't he have it? Who cared about stupid forks and knives?

"Want to eat!", he howled when he tried to reach for the fish yet again and Aurelius gave him a quick slap on his hand, "bad boy", his voice had gotten hard, "you are going to learn to obey me, Thomas", and then he held both of his hands with one hand, pushing them down and effectively trapping them, and he picked up a piece of the fish with his own fork, holding it in front of Tom's mouth, who sobbed again and turned his head away, "want to eat by myself!"

"You will once you have learned to eat nicely, baby bear", Aurelius replied, still holding up the fork, "now open up, Tommy- I know you are hungry."

The boy started to cry, squirming around in his lap, but when Aurelius tightened his grip, he went still, staring at him with wide eyes, and then he very slowly opened his mouth.

"Good boy, Tommy, such a good boy", Aurelius mumbled, feeling pleased, and he kept feeding Tom his dinner, keeping him in a tight grip, and he made him eat everything, even the cooked asparagus. His parents and Sirius were watching, Sirius in amazement and his parents in approval, and when he was certain the boy was full, he ate his own dinner, the boy watching him closely. When it was time for the dessert, he started to eat his lemon sorbet without offering anything to the boy, curious what the boy would do about it.

At first, Tom just opened his mouth and seemed surprised when Aurelius calmly went on eating his dessert without giving him any, and since his hands were secured, he was dependent on Aurelius to share the food with him. He let out a soft whimper, which Aurelius ignored- and then he gently nuzzled his head into Aurelius' chest, surrendering to him, and the older boy smiled, satisfied with the progress they had made, "would you like some sorbet, sweet boy?", he asked him softly, and he could feel the boy nod against his chest, "what a good boy you are…being all nice and quiet for me now", he gave him a soft kiss on his head, and then he went on offering him a spoonful of lemon sorbet which Tom happily accepted. He kept switching between feeding himself and feeding Tom, and the boy followed every spoon with his eyes, but he did not make a sound, and he did not squirm, he sat absolutely still, accepting him as being in charge.

He got praised for being a good boy after dinner was over, and then Aurelius took both his little brothers in the playroom for a few minutes, and Sirius excitedly introduced Chestnut to Tom. Being in the playroom often triggered a mental regression in Sirius as well, and soon later, both boys were happily giggling on the carpet, playing with Chestnut and Quilliam, Aurelius watching them with a smile on his face. He knew Tom would fit perfectly into their family- and he could not wait to teach and train him the same way he had Sirius.

Eventually, it was time for bed- and since both boys were regressing still, Aurelius put them both in bed with him, sleeping in the middle. He was not surprised when Tom and Sirius both snuggled as close as they could, wanting his protection.

"Sleeping time now, sweet boys", he told them finally, giving both their goodnight kiss, "we'll have a fun day tomorrow, hmm?"

"Gonna play?", Sirius asked drowsily, "play outside?"

"Yes, baby boy, we'll play outside- we are going to show Tom our treehouse, okay?"

Sirius nodded, grinning, already opening his mouth to tell the boy more about the treehouse, but one look from Aurelius was enough and the boy closed his mouth again, snuggling under the sheets. They all fell asleep soon after, Tom sleeping the deepest- he had always forced the episodes as he called them to stop, but this time, he had not, so his brain was catching up with everything that had happened during the day now. When he woke up the next morning, he was back to normal- and he had never been more embarrassed in his life.

Showing Gryffindor his stuffie, letting Aurelius bathe and feed him- he must have lost his mind to let that happen. Well, it certainly would not happen again, he'd made sure of that. The bed was empty when he got up, and then he took a quick shower and hastily put the clothes on that were laying on the chair by the bathroom door. He was going to find Gryffindor and ask him to take him back home- he did not belong here, and this was all so new, and so strange.

"Good morning, Tommy", Salazar was smiling at him when he hesitantly entered the dining room again, "how did you sleep?"

"Uhm…good", he stuttered, "morning. I…where's Gryffindor?"

"He is in the library- waiting for you, actually. I will show you the way after you ate breakfast", he winked at him, placing a plate with crispy bacon and eggs in front of him, "we need to feed you up good, you are way too thin, Tommy."

"I…I won't…uhm…I won't stay here, though. I mean…I have to leave. Go back home."

Salazar did not seem surprised, "I know this is all a lot to process, Tommy", he told him warmly, "but none of us wants you to leave- I have actually been waiting for you since that day Godric took you to St. Francis."

"He left me there", he was kind of shocked to realize how bitter his voice sounded, "he…he left. And he is gonna leave me again", and why the hell was he even telling Salazar all this? He didn't even really know this guy!

"He knows he made a mistake in taking you to that school, Tommybear. We thought at that time…that it was the right decision. You were so angry, and we wanted to give you some time to calm down and get used to being a fifteen year old boy again. We thought after maybe three months, you'd be ready to come home with us."

"Why? Come home with you for what? I don't…understand."

Salazar smiled, "we were going to adopt you, Tommy."

Adopt you, Tommy.

Adopt you.

Adopt…

He got up so quickly that his chair fell over, but at this moment, he did not even care, too distressed and stunned by Salazar's words, "I…what? You…adopt? Me?", he let out a disbelieving little laugh, "where's Gryffindor? I want to talk to him. This is…I want to leave."

Salazar sighed, getting up as well. He had expected this, that it would be hard to earn the boy's trust, and then he silently led the boy to the library, knowing Godric would know how to handle the boy.

The library was huge- and it had some of the oldest books in the world, but Tom barely glanced at the impressive collection, he went straight over to Gryffindor who was sitting in an armchair, his legs crossed, a book in his hand, being the picture of casualness.

"What the fuck, I demand…"

"Tommy…do you really want to start your day with corner time?", Gryffindor had the nerve to sound amused now, "if you need something from me, you'll ask me nicely, understand?"

"Yes, Professor", it sounded sarcastic, "or I guess I am supposed to call you Daddy now?"

Gryffindor smiled, "I would love nothing more than that, baby bear- but I rather have you say it and mean it. It is not a title I let just anyone use- only my three amazing boys", he winked at him, and Tom flushed, "I am not your boy."

The Founder laughed softly, "you are not? You did not try to make me proud, you were not jealous of students I was giving attention, you did not want to please me and be good for me?"

Tom balled his hands into fists, "that…you were…my mentor, of course I was…I mean…", he swallowed hard, "that's different."

"A regular mentor would not have disciplined you, fed you, snuggled you and taken care of you, baby bear. I don't need to prove to you that I am your father, I already have- just like you have already proven to me that you are my sweet boy."

Tom's face had turned pale, "but…why would you even want me? I…I am trouble. I am bad, and…yesterday…and Aurelius…", he could not bring himself to finish his sentence, too mortified for words.

"You are not bad, Tommy, you just need some guidance in making good decisions, hmm? And for what happened yesterday- there's nothing to be ashamed about, baby bear. You had an episode of mental regression, a side effect from the deaging potion. Sirius sometimes has them as well, and they usually get triggered by something- for Sirius, it's mostly by being in the playroom or when he is very tired, and I think your trigger was Quilliam, right?"

"I…I don't…I usually force them to end", the boy croaked out, staring at his feet, "Quilliam…is the only thing that helps."

"I think I might know another thing that helps, Tommy", Gryffindor said softly, opening his arms, "come here, sweet boy."

Tom tensed, swallowing hard, "you…you gonna snuggle me?", his voice was already changing, sounding more young, more helpless, and more needy.

"If you let me, Tommybear."

He swallowed again, but his feet were already moving- and seconds later, he was safely snuggled into Gryffindor's chest, "don't…don't leave", he whispered against Gryffindor's robes, "don't leave, please."

"I won't, Tommy. I am so sorry for making you stay at St. Francis in the first place, that was a mistake. I'll be taking care of you from now on, and you'll be my little snugglebug", he gave him a soft kiss on his head, "you are going to stay here, and for a while, I am going to homeschool you- and then we'll find a school for you, hmm?"

"No more college?", he was surprised that it did not bother him as much as he had expected, "I can't go back?"

"You will eventually, baby bear- when you are old enough to go. For right now, I want you to stay home with us", he told him calmly, "and don't worry, your studies here are going to be as challenging as the ones at Seymour's were, Aurelius and I will make sure of that."

He tensed again, "I don't want Aurelius teaching me."

Gryffindor just smiled, "he's your older brother now, sweet boy- which means you will have to obey him", he told him calmly, not bothering to mention that Aurelius would not only teach him but also train him- just like he had Sirius, "and you'll be a good boy for him, right?"

"I won't. I don't like Aurelius. He fed me, made me sit on his fucking lap, and…"

"Language, little brother", Tom froze, not daring to turn around to look at Aurelius, and he could hear the older boy coming closer, "you are going to get your mouth washed out with a nice big bar of soap if you keep cursing like that, baby bear", he told him, amusement in his voice, "now, it's been snowing all night, so we are going to go outside to play, I just came to get you."

"I am not playing. I am not a child."

"Stubborn little boy", Aurelius sounded fond, though, "Sirius could need some help building a snowman, and I have the feeling you would be perfect for that job- smart as you are."

"You think I am smart?", his tone has lost some of its suspiciousness, and Aurelius smiled, "brilliant, baby bear- and starting tomorrow, we'll study together and you can show me what a clever boy you are."

"I could teach you some stuff", the boy generously offered, and it made both Godric and Aurelius laugh, "sounds like a plan, baby bear- ready to go now?", he extended his hand, and the boy slowly took it, blinking at him, "okay. I don't need an older brother, though, but I guess…if it has to be you…", he blushed, and Aurelius and Gryffindor exchanged an amused look, and then Aurelius took the boy outside to play, and they had a fun day in the snow, sledding, ice skating and building an enormous snowman, and when they eventually went back inside for lunch, Tom was starving, tired and cold.

"Did you had fun, my sweet boy?", Gryffindor was smiling at him, pulling him into a quick hug, "playing with your brothers?"

"Yes, Daddy", and as soon as he said it, he bit his lips, turning dark red, but when he saw his Daddy's face lit up, he felt something warm inside his stomach, something that grew even bigger when his Daddy easily picked him up, "I love you, Tommy", he told him softly, "my brilliant, sarcastic, perfect baby bear", and then he pulled him closer, and Tom smiled, resting his head on his shoulders. It was funny, but the never-ending questions he had whirling in his head had gotten quieter since Gryffindor had showed up at college- and he did not believe in coincidences.

"Love you too, Daddy."

yep...over and out :( I loved writing this little story, and I hope you enjoyed it as well! :) I would love to hear from you and I hope I see you at Tempting Thomas soon! ;)

Thank you all so much for being awesome! :)

xoxo, Antonie :)