Tobias Potter// Second Book

18

Tobias had finished moving his Hogwarts luggage back into his original home, Severus had told him to unpack while he quickly cleans up the kitchen table from when he was doing work. He followed orders and unpacked everything, Tobias had no doubt that seeing Severus was a Professor at Hogwarts, he'd be made to have a strict homework schedule. He came down to the sitting room and began on his Charms essay, this ultimately shocked the man who expected him to awkwardly sit or wait for some instructions. Severus thought to himself as he looked on at the boy who was hard at work, at this point in their relationship the man hadn't really much else to lose pride wise.

'Tobias, do you want to talk? At all, I know something has to be bothering you.' Severus put down his papers that he had brought in with him, he really wanted to get him to open up.
'No, not really but I feel like I can't opt out of it because you're just going to continue to ask the same question until I cave. So sure, let's talk.' Tobias didn't mean to be sassy.
'Okay, first of all, don't you dare to ever use that tone of voice again with me. Ever. I don't care if you're becoming a teenager, no need to be snarky. Second of all, I wouldn't keep asking, I'd offer and wait until you're ready. Thirdly, you've accepted now so start speaking.' Severus snapped harshly at Tobias due to the tone Tobias had delivered his previous comment in.
'Sorry, I didn't mean to be snarky, I suppose you're right. Hormones and stuff, I'll love the next few years. Plus, can we wait, I don't want to talk about it right now.' Tobias didn't want to admit his weaknesses to the Professor, he was so strong willed and Tobias wanted to be like him.
'I accept the apology, and don't mention hormones I don't want that conversation. If you don't want to open up, maybe it's because I haven't and you therefore think you shouldn't. So, I propose, I tell you something and then you can decide whether you wish to or not.' Severus looked to the boy, he hoped he'd take the offer.
'Okay, I like that.' Tobias was glad he wasn't expected to share everything and gain nothing in return.

'Great, I'll just start with school, that will probably be the easiest thing to explain. So during school, a group of boys were the biggest bullies of the school but the most popular. There was four of them, two of them just trailed after and the other two were the main troublemakers of the school. I honestly can't remember a day they didn't have detention, but they'd constantly bully and generally annoy me. The most seven important years of my life, I spent getting bullied and feeling depressed. It never truly goes, the depression but it lessens so much when you least expect it to. I did have one person who would stand up for me when nobody else would, and that was your mother Lily. She was the kindest person, and I was thankful to have been blessed with her in my life. I don't think I could have survived without her.' He had completely dropped everything for Tobias, how he spoke, his tone, everything.
'Who were the boys?' Tobias wanted to know, in case he came across them in his life.
'Uhhh, Sirius Black, the criminal. Peter Pettigrew the man whom Black killed. The other two weren't bullies, they just hung around.' He was lying, he had dropped his guard which worked perfectly with Tobias. He didn't want to tell him the true bullies, he believed Sirius Black but not Pettigrew.

'Oh, alright. Thank you for telling me that, what is happening with me is a lot. I don't know if I could ever make you understand, simply because I don't understand it. What you said yesterday was true, I do still like Draco. I know it's weird being so young and liking boys in that way, but sometimes I wonder if I dated a girl would I feel the same way and realise that what I feel with Draco isn't actually anything special. So it's confusing me on whether is should try dating a girl or not, but that honestly is the least of my worries. I do feel outcasted by Harry, I know that Slytherin doesn't have the best reputation but that I believe is simply because of one person. You can say that so many dark witches or wizards came from Slytherin and joined Voldemort, but maybe most of them wouldn't have joined if they hadn't spent the most impressionable, important years of the lives being told they would end up a death eater. So being shamed upon of being a supposed saviour of the wizard of world turned dark, it's like people thinking me the next Voldemort. So yes I see why Harry doesn't like my house or the people in it, but I don't see why others shouldn't accept us because of our ancestors. Then you also have the fact of the chamber of secrets, I did say I'd become a death eater myself at the age of sixteen but that was to protect Draco. If I didn't, who knows how much pain he'd be in, I am just trying my hardest to please everyone and nobody understands that I can't do that. I'm twelve, I'm a twelve year old orphan boy, who might be gay, I don't know. I'm not sure about anything, the only thing I know to be true anymore is my name and age. Yet somehow I'm questioning my own name, what other twelve year old sits and goes through this?' Tobias wanted to cry but he had nothing left within him.
'Tobias, sometimes you have to become nothing to rebuild yourself as something.' Severus was trying to handle this like Minerva did with him so many years ago, when he sat in her office and held a conversation just like this one. Sadly, Tobias isn't Severus.

Tobias breathed in, and let out a strangled sigh 'I just don't know anymore, dad. I just don't.'