"Brax! Brax there's a letter from home!"
Ron tried to blink his eyes open, and all the Weasleys stopped their conversation about last minute shopping when Prince jumped down the last stairs to the Kitchen and ran straight onto Lestrange's chair. The blond somehow managed to take him full on without falling off and steadied him with a hand around his waist, seemingly used to moments like these.
"Father's coming to visit" Prince was visibly radiating barely contained excitement "he's got the rest of the holidays off, he'll arrive Christmas morning—! Oh" he cut himself off and a faint blush settled over his cheeks as he looked towards Sirius with slight embarrassment "err… We'll probably go out, we don't want to intrude on your celebration"
"Oh nonsense, dear! You're all more than welcome, right?" Mrs. Weasley piped up.
Prince blinked at her in silence for a second. They all knew her sweet tone was forced and fake, they all knew she thought very lowly of their two guests and that she would rather they leave, but she was hellbent on being polite, although it came across as passive aggressive more than anything else.
"I mean no disrespect, Mrs. Weasley, but I thought this was Lord Black's house?"
George and Fred gasped softly and many jaws hung open as they stared at the stoic blond. It was the first time he addressed any of them directly in all of three days, beyond quiet greetings and thank yous.
"Excuse me?" she managed to let out. Harry could imagine her clutching her clutching a pearl necklace like his aunt Petunia, if she were wearing one.
"This is Black Manor, is it not? Comme mon père l'a toujours dit, it's easier to spot a lack of manners than to fake them. No, save your tirade," he held up a hand to interrupt her when her face became bright red, "I'm not a sweet or good person, Mrs. Weasley. I have no desire of being polite when I haven't been given the courtesy, and if I have something to say, I will say it. I won't be rude, I won't yell, I won't insult anybody, but I don't owe you my respect— I've been insulted and ridiculed my whole life, so feel free to do your worst if you wish, but let me be absolutely clear: if you ever step out of line when it concerns Tom… well, I'll leave the possible consequences to your imagination. If you excuse me, I wish to be alone now"
He stood up calmly, leaving his napkin folded right next to his half eaten breakfast, kissed Prince's cheek, and left.
The silence left behind was tense and nobody had the words to break it, it seemed. Prince looked really uncomfortable and out of place but eventually he carefully folded his letter and placed it in his pocket, taking the now vacant seat next to Remus. Molly huffed and left the room as well, probably to go and clean the house to distract herself, or perhaps to complain to her husband.
Hermione was the first to snap out of it, looking down at the plate as if to ask him if he wanted a new one and he shook his head, giving her a polite smile. "Thank you, but I'll finish this one so it doesn't go to waste"
Little by little, everyone started back on their food again, but it took way longer for any conversation to even start, and surprisingly it was none other than Sirius Black who broke the silence.
"… Your friend has a really big temper" he said to Prince.
The boy paused for a second.
"Yes, Brax can be a little intense. He's always at the defensive because of how everyone normally treats him, I'm sorry about it... I'll try to talk to him about the attitude"
"He's a pureblood, isn't he? There's hardly anywhere in the entire magical world who wouldn't be decently polite to him"
"Well—" he once again looked like he was heavily considering something for a second "he's from a good family alright, but he's not really… he's not… human"
Ron's mouth fell open, his eggs sliding back to the plate, and Hermione's eyes widened, for once not admonishing for his lack of manners.
"He's a creature? Like, a werewolf?"
Remus frowned slightly; he would've sensed if there had been another werewolf nearby. Prince shook his head.
"His parents were half creature, and he -by luck or not depending on what your stance is- simply inherited all the non human parts thanks to genetics. Ninety six percent creature, I believe"
Sirius choked on his coffee and Remus pat his back, but both the adults looked properly shocked. And although the kids did not exactly know much about the topic of non humans, they also were surprised.
"Brax is the last of his kind" He added two more spoonfuls of sugar to his tea, mixing it slowly "People always notice after a while, it's hard not to if you keep staring. Then they start being awkward, then their words aren't as sincere… they make up excuses to be somewhere else, pretend they forgot not to invite him somewhere. They stare behind his back, and slowly they don't fear to do it directly anymore, until they're being blatantly disrespectful to his face but he can't say anything because if he does, then he is the problem"
It made perfect sense that Lestrange was so openly hostile from the get go. Everyone assumed it was his pureblood upbringing and pride, but it was just that people had never truly been nice to him.
"Curious, isn't it? How being born rich doesn't magically give someone a perfect life" he looked pointedly at where Molly Weasley had left the room and drank the rest of his tea in silence.
Harry and his friends could only be allowed into Diagon Alley with a whole escort, so Tom and Abraxas tagged along to make it less awkward and also to not stay in the house with the Weasley matriarch. Once there they could perfectly split up in smaller groups, and Tom ended up in a book shop with Hermione and Remus Lupin.
"Looking for something?" the girl asked curiously as she watched him frown at yet another book before putting it back on the shelf.
"Brax already has most of these" he sighed, eyeing the entire section "and the ones he doesn't have don't cut it"
Hermione grabbed a random book and skimmed through the spells.
"He knows all this?" she was more than impressed, because she had never heard of a lot of them, they were incredibly advanced spells that she was sure they didn't even teach at Hogwarts.
"He's a genius when it comes to spell casting and curses" Tom smiled softly as he looked down at another title "He's been working on spell creation too"
Tom was well aware that he sometimes bragged about his boyfriend too much so he put the book back on the shelf and sighed, trying to think of another gift idea.
"Are books what you normally gift him?" Remus asked politely, looking up from what he was examining.
"Yes and no" he sat down in a plush armchair while he and Hermione finished their own shopping "I try to give him books I know he won't get anywhere else. It's just... he's not very into jewellery or fancy things, you know? He hates being gifted things like clothes too because he prefers to get them on his own. And I fear that if I actually give him the other thing I had in mind, it will be too much"
He had the best education a pureblood could be given, but he also lived in a different magical society, he had no idea of what were the rules and courting expectations in Magical Britain. Not that he was trying to court Abraxas with the intention of marriage because the blond had left clear from the beginning he probably would never want to get married, and he was a little stubborn when it came to rejecting social norms so what if Tom offended him? It had taken years for them to even get together, he would never forgive himself if his impulsivity ruined everything.
Hermione and Remus exchanged amused glances as he sulked on his seat, looking like a kicked puppy.
"What did you have in mind?" Hermione asked, encouraging him a little bit. It couldn't possibly be that bad.
Tom fidgeted with the buttons of his sleeves.
"Well- he doesn't have a wand that fits him well so I thought... I had mine custom made, so um... it's stupid, isn't it"
Gifting a wand was uncharted territory when it came to social norms. Nobody had ever attempted it because of the whole 'the wand chooses the wizard' thing, so it was neither good nor bad. He could do that. Well, ok, maybe he had already done it, what of it? He was just a little excited, wanted Abraxas to be comfortable with his wand since the ones he had never lasted too long.
"Do you think he'd like it?" Remus asked delicately, since neither of them knew anything about either of them, they couldn't say.
Would he? Abraxas was unpredictable and intense. He had never been too mad with Tom, at most they only had dumb fights, and everyone in their families and friend group always openly teased them about how only Tom was safe from the blond's temper.
"I don't know" he confessed.
"Maybe you can have that gift ready and ask him subtly about it" the man suggested "if he gives you any signal that he wouldn't appreciate the gift, you can have a second one, a backup plan"
A backup plan sounded good.
"You're right! Thank you, Mr. Lupin, that's a wonderful idea"
The man chuckled and they started walking to the front to pay.
"You can call me Remus, you know"
"Oh thank god, I hate being nice to adults"
Hermione smiled despite herself and Remus laughed out loud, evidently liking Tom the more he got to know him. He might be a bit of a brat and a weirdo, but he had a 10/10 in charisma and charm. After they paid they walked out onto the alley and walked further down, meeting Harry, Ron, Sirius -albeit in dog shape- and Tonks in front of a broom shop. Ron was basically plastered to the crystal window, while Harry and Tonks conversed about quidditch, Sirius piping up with an excited bark from time to time.
"Are you planning to buy a broom?" Tom raised his brow, looking at the display.
Umbridge was super close to banning the sport, if things kept going in that direction. She just seemed to think anything remotely fun was a personal slight against her.
"Don't have the money" Ron admitted, looking embarrassed, and quickly changed topic "The new Nimbus 2004 is so beautiful"
"It's just a broom" Hermione rolled her eyes.
Ron gasped and Harry looked at her in betrayal. Even Tonks looked hurt as she took a hand to her chest.
"Word of advice dear, never say that to a quidditch fan" Remus pat her shoulder.
Tom eyed the brooms again.
"You're a player, right Harry? You have one of these"
Harry blushed slightly and nodded.
"Padfoot gifted me a Firebolt in my third year. You play too?"
He grinned.
"Nope. My friends have been trying to make me join our local team but I'll never give in— I don't see the appeal on the sport, I only own a broom for emergencies' sake"
"What model?" Tonks asked, interested "they still make good models for travel"
"Phantom Thunder. My word of advice, quidditch fans, is to get your hands on a Japanese model. Granted, the Nimbus and Firebolts are good quality, but Japan has the top best flyers in the entire world" and sure, Tom was religiously against riding a broom unless his life depended on it, but if he ever needed to, he wanted to have a broom he could trust.
"They are?" Hermione looked like she didn't believe him "I have never heard about it"
"They're much more resilient and train regularly under storms" he shrugged "they just don't qualify for the World Cup so their teams are not well known in the western world"
"Why wouldn't they qualify?"
"Magical Japan is still technically an empire" Remus clarified, guiding them away from the display as to let a group of kids look instead "Which already doesn't align well with our democracies, but the official reason is that they haven't apologised."
"For World War II?"
"And for the dementors" Tom raised an arm and waved energetically to the other side of the alley, where they could see Abraxas talking with Malfoy- he had stepped away since they ran into the other blond earlier that morning. After he finally waved back, he turned to the trio's horrified faces again. "They've existed since forever, but it was their last Dark Lord who set them loose everywhere. Their story is fascinating by the way, really intense."
"Do you have a book about it?" Hermione was awestruck.
"Can you read japanese?" he asked back, and everyone else proceeded to check out of their nerdy conversation.
Sirius liked Prince way too much, but since Harry was just as smitten, Hermione kept saying it was a family thing. Either way, it meant Prince's father would spend christmas day with all of them, in Grimmauld Place, and then quite possibly another few days if his schedule allowed it. Harry was incredibly nervous for some reason... maybe it was the dreams. Not bad dreams, mind you. They were actually kind of nice, relaxing. Not being plagued by nightmares was good, he didn't need to keep seeing Cedric's empty eyes every time he laid down on his pillow. He almost could forget his scar was there nowadays, except he was reminded when he looked in the mirror and the ugly thing was right there atop his right eyebrow.
Christmas morning, everyone woke up early for presents and they all filed downstairs to sit on the kitchen in their pjs. Even Lestrange joined them, although he was fully dressed and stuck to his boyfriend's side like always- surprisingly though, Prince hadn't bothered to dress like he usually did; he wore jeans and a black t-shirt from some sort of punk rock band, his snake coiled on his shoulders. He looked very nice and Harry had to keep his eyes away because he didn't want to embarrass himself any more than he already did on a daily basis.
The presents were passed around:
All the Weasleys, Harry and Hermione got their usual handmade sweaters and pastries from Molly, and Hermione got nice stationary for everyone equally. Harry was never good with choosing gifts so he got Ron some quidditch merch, a book on charms for Hermione, some assorted trinkets for each Weasley, a wand maintenance kit for both Sirius and Remus, and some new quills for Prince and Lestrange. Sirius and Remus gifted together, only something small since neither of them had much money to begin with, and lastly Prince and Lestrange got French pastries and medicinal tea for everyone.
"Well, who's helping with breakfast!"
Molly retired to the kitchen with Ginny and the twins while everyone else cleaned up. Harry was back from leaving his stuff in his room when he saw Prince and Lestrange sitting on the stairs next to each other, and for some reason he felt compelled to hide behind the corner.
"I see how it is" the blond was saying "not getting me presents now that you have me for granted"
"I could say the same!" Prince laughed softly, and he leaned a little closer, before he reached into his pocket and resized a box to its original size.
Lestrange took it, touching the bow on top of it with a finger before opening it up. He stayed silent for a moment and then took the wand out of its box, weighing it and examining it closely- even from a distance Harry could tell it was beautiful: made of some sort of crystal or gemstone instead of wood, it was almost transparent for the most part, but the core was a milky white with tiny specks of shining gold, reflecting light at every angle.
"Is it...?"
"Elven craft" Prince nodded softly "I figured... this would work much better for you"
The blond lowered it and looked at him. "This must've costed a fortune, even for you! All elven-made wands were thought to be destroyed"
"I know some people" he dismissed, although he seemed a little embarrassed "It's too much, isn't it"
"No. I like it. It's... the best gift I've ever been given" his voice was the softest he had ever spoken so far.
Harry looked away before he saw them kiss and walked back down the hall.
He really was an idiot, wasn't he? Why was he so hung up on Prince when he knew he was taken? He had known from the first day that he would never have a chance! Hell, he hadn't even been aware that he also liked boys until he came in, turning Harry's world upside down. He sighed and changed into more decent clothing, ignoring the bird's nest atop his head. He almost sighed in relief when he saw the boys were no longer sitting on the stairs, and he told himself he needed to cheer up- it was christmas! He was with his closest friends and godfathers! He should be happy and enjoy himself! He was just being ridiculous!
"... pleasure to meet you"
"The pleasure is all mine, Mr. Lupin. I trust Tom has behaved like a good guest?"
"Of course I have! Who do you think I am?"
Harry turned towards the first floor.
"Too much like me, according to your father"
The man standing between the adults had his back turned to him and all that could be seen was dark hair and an elegant posture, broad shoulders and long limbs.
"Ah, there you are Harry" Remus encouraged him to come closer "Come greet our guest"
Harry would never forget the first time he met the man.
His hair was wavy, short, framing a face of sharp features that gave him the look of a fox or a snake ready to strike. Pale, the sort of skin you know is soft to the touch, the one you know will bruise so easily if you press just hard enough, a sharp contrast with his pink mouth, subtly turned on a smirk, and with deep maroon eyes that stared into Harry's green like they knew every intimate secret of his. He didn't have Prince's peculiar air nor Lestrange's stunning beauty, but he was easily the most handsome man he had ever laid eyes on. Suddenly he was self conscious about his clothes, old hand me downs from Dudley's closet, of his unruly hair he didn't brush, of the glasses he needed to give a deep clean to. Suddenly, he remembered he was just a random kid with no class and an ugly scar.
"Father, this is Harry Potter, from the study group" Prince introduced him with ease "the one I told you is also a parselmouth?"
"I see. It's a pleasure to meet you at last, Mr. Potter"
Merlin, it should be illegal to say his name like that-
"I- nice to meet you, Mr. Prince" he managed to say, trying to not blush like a little girl.
The man made a subtle face before schooling his expression back into serenity.
"While my legal name shall still be Prince for a while, I do prefer Gaunt now. Gerhardt Gaunt" and he extended a hand to shake Harry's.
His skin was soft, and it sent a subtle charge up his arm, filling him with a warm feeling of familiarity. He felt as if everything had shifted, two pieces of a puzzle clicking together, like he just regained something he didn't know he'd lost.
Oh Merlin... Only Harry Potter would immediately get a crush on his classmate's father.