Hey! :) I know I am running a little behind with the new chapter, and I am so sorry! The last few weeks were crazy busy, but I finally found the time to finish this chapter! :)

Thank you for your loyalty and patience, and thank you Gypsyrose98 for your lovely review! :)

WARNING: Graphic scenes of violence!

Before Aurelius was even able to open his mouth to say anything, the shabby looking man had made his move closer to him, holding up one fist in anger, "you lost your mind, you punk? Botherin' us at this hour? Is this supposed to be a joke?"

"I did not…"

"If you are trying to sell us anything, we are not interested!", the woman interrupted Aurelius, her voice shrill, "now get on your way, and Princess, stop barking!"

Princess did not care, not until the man raised his fist at her, and then she stopped, howling quietly, her tail between her legs.

Aurelius had watched the scene in disgust, it was apparent that the dog had been mistreated before and feared the man, and he felt his own anger rising inside of him.

"I am here to see Thomas", he began rather sharply, "I would like to speak to him, please."

"Thomas?"

Aurelius frowned, starting to feel annoyed on top of his anger, "your son, the boy you adopted a few months ago. I want to see him. Right now."

The girl started to giggle, the sound of it obnoxious, "oh, Tom? He does not live here anymore, he…"

"He is not here", the woman interrupted her daughter, shooting her a warning glance, "he went back to…the orphanage. He was too much trouble."

"That is a LIE."

All three of them shrank back at the pure venom in Aurelius' voice, "Thomas did not go back to any orphanage, and he never stayed at one in the first place. Now, let me ask you one more time- where. is. Thomas?"

Silence. Even Princess had stopped whimpering, too afraid by Aurelius' tone to make another sound.

"I…we…we don't…actually…know", the woman eventually stammered, her face paling, "he…he just…left."

"And he took the dog with him!", the girl added, half- hiding behind her mother now, "he stole Princess!"

"How did he steal your dog if the dog is right here?", Aurelius did not care to even attempt to sound polite, and the girl completely disappeared behind her mother, "that…that is another dog!", she finally blurted out, "not…the dog Thomas stole!"

"And when exactly did this occur? When did Thomas leave?"

"About…a…a few…weeks ago", the woman stated, the man staying silent, a huge scowl on his face.

"A few weeks ago?", Aurelius repeated, his voice disbelieving, "and you have no idea where he has been staying this whole time?"

"Why would we care!", the man had finally found his voice again, his tone aggressive, "the little smartass was nothin' but trouble from the beginning- a bully, a liar, and a dirty little thief, that is all he was. I had hoped he would be dead in a ditch by now, wrecking our family, and assaulting Felicity before he left, the spiteful little bast…", he was not able to finish his sentence because Aurelius had wordlessly taken out his wand and pointed it at the man, causing him to yell out in pain seconds later.

Enraged, Aurelius moved his wand from the howling man to the woman, now shivering with dread, "what exactly happened here?", he asked, his voice icy, "why did Tom leave? You will tell me the truth and nothing but the truth, or you will scream like a pig just like your husband is in a few seconds!"

The woman started to sob, obviously too distraught to even speak, Felicity quietly crying behind her, "leave…my parents alone!", she was sobbing as well now, "put that…thing away!"

"Do you really think I take orders from you?", Aurelius was done playing games, "if your parents are too cowardly to talk, maybe you can enlighten me- why. did. Tom. leave?"

"He did…not like it here!", Felicity sobbed louder, "he was always…mean to…", she screamed out when Aurelius muttered a quick curse, causing her face to show deep, red cuts, "no! Nooo! I will tell you, I will tell you everything!"

"Go on, then", Aurelius made no movement to put his wand away, the whole family now a sobbing, anxious mess, with the dog hiding in a corner behind the door, "tell me."

"I…I did not want another sibling", Felicity started, her voice thick with tears, "I hate having to share everything. I always hated it, but my parents…never cared. I hated him, and I wanted him gone. So, I…I did what I did with the other…two."

"The other two?"

"My…other adopted brothers", Felicity balled her hands into fists, "they…came here, demanding attention and…I did not want to share! So, I lied. I told my parents that…they had broken my toys, or hit me, or…things like that. And they got punished and sent back."

"Felicity!", the mother gasped, tears streaming down her pale, anxious face, "all this time…you…you lied?"

"She lied for good reason!", the man immediately jumped to her defense, "these boys, all worthless little…", he howled in agony when Aurelius pointed his wand at him again, falling to the floor, Felicity screaming almost as loud as him.

"Let me get this clear", Aurelius began again, not caring the slightest about the screams and cries of the people in front of him, "you adopted Tom, let your daughter bully him, and probably punished him for that- you did, didn't you?"

"The…strap…", the man was spitting up some blood, "I…beat…him for being such a…such a…"

"Such a…what?", Aurelius' voice was merely a whisper now, but the man heard every word, and knowing that the pain he was in would increase again, he decided it was better to shut his mouth now.

Aurelius smiled, moving his wand over to the woman again, who was still crying, "you let your husband beat your son for something he never even did? I did not occur to you to investigate if your daughter was telling the truth?"

"Felicity…had never…lied…she…"

"She just told you she has lied for years to you", Aurelius interrupted her, not in the mood to hear more excuses, "but I can assure you that I will get rid of that nasty little habit of hers", he slowly moved his wand over to Felicity, who now looked like she was about to faint any second, "little girls who lie are never liked by anyone- but do not worry, after I am done with you, you won't even dare to speak another untruth", he lifted his wand, having the perfect spell in mind already. It was a spell that would force Felicity to say nothing but the truth- it would not last longer than a few days, but the girl did not need to know that.

Mumbling a few words at the trembling girl, Felicity burst into tears again, begging and crying at the same time, but Aurelius did not care to listen to any of it. He had never been more upset in his life, and he was determined to get the full truth out of the family in front of him.

"I hate you!", Felicity screeched now, the spell already working, "I want you to leave!"

"All in good time", Aurelius smoothly put his wand away, concentrating his attention on the parents again, who were both still feeling the aftermath of the Sectumsempra spell he had cursed them with, "now, did you report Tom leaving to anyone?"

"The…adoption agency", the woman answered, her voice hoarse and subdued, "we…reported it."

"When?"

"Last…week."

"Sectumsempra."

The woman howled out in pain, and Felicity screamed in terror, wetting her pajamas, the horror of seeing her mother getting tortured too much to handle.

"He left a few weeks ago and you did not bother to inform anyone that he was out there, by himself, without money or shelter?"

"It was more…he left a few months ago", the man croaked, knowing now it was pointless to keep lying, "we…were worried they…would not give us…another foster child."

"Sectumsempra."

More agonized howls, with Aurelius trembling with rage now, "you selfish, useless excuse of a man", his voice was sending shivers down his spine, "you did not report anything because you wanted to have another foster child to abuse for your daughter? You don't even seem to want someone else than your daughter here."

"They…the agency…gave us…money…"

"Of course they did", Aurelius smiled, but there was no friendliness in his smile, "you wanted the foster boys for the money, didn't you? And your wife thought she was doing your daughter a favor, letting her have a sibling…which she despised for similar selfish reasons. What a disgusting bunch of people you are, all of you."

"I…I am sorry, so…sorry!", the woman babbled, Felicity clutching onto her like a lifeline, "I wanted…Tom to like it here…and…"

"You did nothing for that, clearly", Aurelius replied coldly, "it seems like all you ever did is cater to your daughter's spoiled antics. Disgusting, as I said."

The woman looked like she had been slapped, her face turning even more pale.

"You certainly will never welcome another child into this…home", he said the last word like it was an insult, "and you will face consequences for the abuse and neglect of Tom. This is not the end of this matter", he turned around, "oh, and one more thing- since none of you is capable of taking care of someone else than your own selfish needs, you will also not ever have any pets in here again. I am taking the dog with me."

Felicity looked like she was about to say something, but then she just whimpered, looking down at the floor.

"Let's go, Princess", Aurelius did not even have to raise his voice, the dog came running immediately, too terrified to disobey any command by him.

"Have a great rest of your day", he turned around for good this time, no one responding to his cynical wish, as he had expected.

It was still early morning when he and the dog walked back down the street, and after the house was out of sight, he exhaled deeply, the reality of what he had just found out slowly sinking in.

He was too much trouble

He left a few months ago

I beat him

I hated him, and I wanted him gone

I had hoped he would be dead in a ditch by now

Too much trouble

A few month ago

Beat him

Hated him

Dead in a ditch

Beat him

Hated him

Dead.

Aurelius did not realize he was crying until he felt his vision getting blurry, and then Princess whimpered quietly, starting to lick his hand.

"This is…all my fault", he eventually whispered, his voice hoarse, "he was working…at this goddamn café, always looking thin, always looking tired, and I never…cared. I never cared", he sunk to the ground, right on the side of the street, the neighborhood still mostly quiet and waking up, and Princess barked softly, licking his hand affectionately.

"He was by himself all this time", Aurelius had to sob, "without a home, without food, without anything…why, why did I never bother to talk to him? Why did I ignore all the signs?"

He knew the answer to these questions, of course he did, but he was too afraid to admit to himself that he had been cruel and resentful towards the boy because he had unjustly blamed him for his parents' arguments and divorce.

Aurelius?

He groaned, hiding his face in his hands. His father was the last person he wanted to talk to right now, knowing very well how much guilt he had put on himself by treating Tom the way he had.

Father…I…I have news for you.

You met Tom's foster family.

I…I did.

Did that enlighten you in any way?

His father's voice was surprisingly calm, just as calm as he had been before, and Aurelius had to sob, the realization finally dawning on him.

You…know where Tom is, don't you?

I do.

Where…where is he?

Currently asleep in the guest room, after he walked across town to come here last night.

Aurelius sobbed louder, knowing now it had been a punishment all along- and a quite painful one.

I…I never…cared. I saw…he was overworked, and too thin, and I…kept mocking him, and I tortured him and…

I know, son. I know.

I am sorry. I am so sorry!

I am not the one you have to apologize to, Aurelius.

Can…can I come talk to him? I…just want to see that he is okay.

Not right now.

But…I need to…tell him…I need to…

You will have to do something for me first- before I let you come here.

What…is that, Father?

There is an abandoned office building, I will tell you where exactly to find it. I want you to go there and get someone from that office. A dog.

Princess?

I think he goes by Squirrel now.

There was a hint of amusement in Gryffindor's voice now, and then he proceeded to calmly explain to his oldest son where to find the office building where Squirrel had been waiting for his owner for the last day.

I will…get the dog right away, and come…see you and Tom.

Yes, you will- tomorrow.

Tomorrow? But…I cannot take the dog back to school with me, and I took the other dog away from them as well, so now I have…

You should find everything you need at that office to stay there with the dogs until tomorrow.

Aurelius paled, understanding what his father was asking him to do now, and why.

That…that is where Tom…stayed? This…whole time?

And that is where you will stay for a little while now.

He forced back his tears, knowing very well he deserved what his father had planned for him.

Yes, Father.

I am expecting you here tomorrow afternoon, Aurelius.

Yes, Father.

Until then, I do not wish for you to contact either Tom, your dad, or Sirius. Is that understood?

Yes…Father.

Use this time to think, Aurelius. To understand what Tom went through the last weeks and months- and your part in that.

Yes, Father.

I will talk to you tomorrow, son.

Yes, Father…

Aurelius could feel the mental connection closing, and he bit his lips, hard. It was going to be a long day, and knowing that he would have to walk quite far now in the cold, his hunger getting worse already, did nothing to bring up his mood. His father had not stated it directly, but he knew that he would not be allowed to use magic anymore- just like Tom had not been able to.

"Let's go, Princess."

The dog instantly jumped up, happy about being outside in the fresh air and away from whiny Felicity, and Aurelius smiled thinly, the dog some sort of comfort now.

The walk to the office building was long and strenuous- it was far from the foster family's home, and Aurelius could feel his hunger and thirst grow with every step now, but it was not half as bad as the voices in his head, constantly reminding him what he had done to deserve this.

You destroyed my family, Thomas

You are nothing but a useless, weak Squib

Watch your tone, boy- I am not going to have you make demands here

Do not backtalk, boy

I only train boys who are worth the effort

You disobedient, reckless, horrid boy

I wouldn't pay you a penny, boy

Eat up, boy- and don't you dare make a mess, understand?

I guess you have gotten so used to lie to me that you don't even have to think about it anymore

Useless…

Disobedient…

Reckless…

Horrid…

He clenched his hands into fists, the guilt hitting him full force. He had been awful to Sirius for weeks, and he had been awful to Tom for weeks, when both boys had longed for his love and affection all along.

"I will make it up to you, Tom", Aurelius said quietly, speaking to no one in particular, Princess walking loyally next to him, lifting her head and sniffing into the cold air, "I will be…the best big brother for you and Sirius. I will, I promise."

He kept walking on, getting closer to the office building now. He was tired and hungry and felt quite miserable when he eventually made it there, Squirrel's low barks guiding him on the last part of the way.

Squirrel barked loudly with excitement as soon as he saw Aurelius, and Princess started barking as well, both dogs taking an immediate liking to each other.

Aurelius petted Squirrel, talking to the dog in a low voice, before he began exploring the building. What he saw was worse than he had expected- there was no light, no warm water, a hole that had been used as a toilet, and some cans of food inside the room Tom had obviously stayed in for a quite a while. The couch in there looked uncomfortable, and it was cold inside, even though not quite as cold as it was outside.

Aurelius frowned, listening to the dogs happily playing outside, realizing he would have to stay in this bare, cold place now, with nothing but canned food to eat.

He managed to make a fire outside, and he was glad to see Squirrel still had some water and food left, so he fed both dogs, and then cooked himself a can of beans for lunch. It tasted bland and soggy, and he was simply not used to eating food that was anything else than perfectly cooked and extravagant, but the hunger made him finish his lonely meal to the last spoon.

Being left alone with his thoughts, with nowhere to go and nothing much to do all day was its own form of torture- while the dogs had each other and played all day, he was forced to sit in the almost empty office room, cold, lonely, and upset.

He welcomed the dark, knowing that the next day would finally allow him to go back home, but at the same time, he dreaded the night on the couch. He had never slept on a couch before, and he was afraid it would get cold enough for him to wake up from it.

Wrapping himself as tightly as he could into the blanket, both dogs snuggling close to him for extra warmth, Aurelius finally managed to lay down to sleep, but his mind did not allow him to rest.

Conversations he had had with Sirius and Tom kept repeating themselves in his head, and while the couch really was uncomfortable, it was far from the worst part of being alone in this office, alone with his torturing thoughts.

I hate this. I want to go home.

Tomorrow, my boy.

Father? I…I thought…

Shhh…no more talking, Aurelius. It is time for you to sleep now.

Please…can I ask…

Tom and Sirius are both doing well.

I…I miss them. I miss…you. I miss…dad.

I know. I miss you too, son. I need you to be brave for me tonight though.

It's…so cold.

I know.

I am sorry, Father. So…sorry!

Shhh…it is going to be alright, my boy. I love you, I always will love you.

Aurelius felt tears welling up in his eyes yet again, thinking he had cried more in one day than he had in years.

I love…you, too.

I will be seeing you tomorrow, my boy. Sleep tight now.

Goodnight…Father.

Goodnight, son.

And sometime later, Aurelius finally, finally fell asleep, his mind and body exhausted.

I will be the best big brother for you, Tom…and for you, Sirius.

yep...Aurelius is finally realizing the error of his ways...and he and Tom will meet again in the next chap!

Hope to hear from you how you enjoyed this chapter! :)

xoxo,

Antonie ;)