𝕯𝖊 𝕷𝖆 𝕸𝖚𝖊𝖗𝖙𝖊 [√]

4

Tom was in a meeting with his death eaters, but he wasn't paying attention to anything they were saying.

The meeting ended, and the only people left in the room were Lucius, Severus, Draco, Bellatrix, and Narcissa. They were staying far away from the males because of a recent divorce that she and Lucius had gone through.

It was rough, with Narcissa trying her best to keep Lucius from leaving her.

As Lucius stated, they had simply fallen out of love, but he and Severus knew the truth. So, he made her sign the divorce papers, and she had been staying in the guest wing of the manor, as she was now back to being a part of the Black.

"Tom," Severus said, and Tom's eyes snapped to the long-haired man who was looking at him cautiously. "Are you okay?" he asked, and the red-eyed man sighed heavily.

"I am fine, Severus," He said, standing from his throne-like seat and approaching his friends. "I just have a lot of things on my mind," he said; he froze when his magic alerted him that Harry was awake.

Without a word, he apparated away and appeared outside Harry's door. He paused and took a deep breath, "Cappy," He called, and the house-elf appeared, "Bring me a plate of toast and some tea," He ordered and stood out there until the elf returned with it.

He took the tray and opened the door to see the small boy's head turned towards him, and his eyes squinted. He walked around the bed and placed the tray on the bedside table before picking Harry's glasses and gently placing them in his hand. He watched as the boy placed them on his nose before looking up at him and gaping.

"There is no need for you to worry; you have my word that I will not hurt you," Tom said as he sat carefully at the edge of the bed. "I brought you something to eat," he said, pointing to the tray on the bedside table. Harry looked over at it but made no move to eat.

"Where am I?" The small boy.

"My home," Tom said, "I brought you here after you were beaten by those muggles on the playground," He said he could see the small hint of pain flash in Harry's eyes as he remembered the event that made him end up here.

"You were the one who stopped them," He said, and Tom nodded.

"I was, though it seemed they had beaten you quite a bit before they chased you to where I was," he said, standing up and moving towards the nightstand and picking up the plate with the toast. "I had to give you a few potions to heal the broken bones and other injuries you had; they made you sleep for a while, so I know you're hungry," he said, placing the plate on the bed beside Harry.

"How long have I been asleep?" Harry asked, hesitantly picking up the plate and taking a tiny bite of the toast.

"A week," Tom replied, and Harry looked up at him wide-eyed. "So you see, if I wanted to hurt you, I would have already," he said, moving away from the bed and sitting in a chair by the window.

He sat silently as Harry ate, closed his eyes, and, without meaning to doze off, slept. He hadn't gotten much sleep from the first night after he saved Harry and met Azrael. He had spent hours in the boy's room in case he woke up and was scared or just in case he needed to comfort him after the second night when Harry woke him up by screaming so loud.

When he jolted awake and saw the bedroom empty, he panicked a bit before he saw the light under the bathroom door.

Tom reached the door and was about to knock when it opened. "Oh, thank Merlin," He said, scooping Harry up and bringing the shocked boy over to the bed.

"We have quite a few things to discuss, Potter," Tom said as he sat beside the bed's edge. "But first, the rules: you will stay here until it is time for you to go back to Hogwarts in the fall; you are to eat at least half of every meal placed in front of you; you are not to leave the grounds for your safety I already locked the wards so no one can enter. For the time being, you are not allowed to send or receive owls," He said and watched Harry frown.

"Why are you being...nice to me?" He asked. Tom felt a slight pang in his chest.

"Because I was once in your position where I needed someone to be nice to me as well," He said before standing. "Try not to do anything to strain; your body will have to build up its strength again. If you need anything, call for Cappy," And with that, he exited the room.

Tom made his way to his office and sat down on his couch. He knew it was odd, but with Harry here, he felt needed. He never had children of his own. It felt good to let him down his guard and take care of someone, even if it was just a sleeping boy.

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Word count: 866

Re-published: April 28, 2024, 7 am

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