Chapter 6
Tom opens his eyes and sits up in bed, still a little sleepy. He looks around and notices his dragon stuffed animal lying on the bedside table. He remembers that Harrison, his dad, had promised to bring him a present. A smile lights up his face when he realizes that this stuffed animal is the gift in question. He grabs the stuffed animal, hugs it and sighs contentedly. He feels lucky to have Harrison as a dad. He could never have imagined that he would one day be surrounded by so much love. His heart warms and he feels happy.
He gets up and goes to the kitchen to have breakfast. On the table, he finds a note written by Harrison, saying he will be there around 1:00 p.m. Tom smiles, he can't wait to spend time with his dad. He decides to take a walk to pass the time.
Tom walks through the streets of Diagon Alley, observing store windows and people passing by. He is lost in thought behind when he hears a noise behind him. He turns around and sees two young boys older than him, who are laughing at him. He wonders why people are so mean to each other.
Tom was walking down the streets of Diagon Alley, dressed in his muggle clothes, intent on surprising Harry at his place of work. He wanted to offer him a little attention to deserve it for everything he did for him. Tom felt terribly nervous walking the streets of Diagon Alley. He had decided to surprise Harry by going to his place of work, but he had forgotten to change his clothes before leaving. He still wore his muggle clothes and didn't pass in sight on this magical street.
But as he walked, he heard voices mocking him. Turning around, he saw two pureblood children pointing at him and giggling.
-"Look, it's a Mudblood!"
Tom frowned, and stood ready to attack them. He wasn't going to let it go, he was tired of being treated like crap because of his Muggle status. But he changed his mind, remembering Harry's words about not showing his magic to everyone. So he decided to defend himself verbally, hoping that would be enough to silence these contemptuous children. Tom tried to ignore them, but they continued insulting him with Mudblood. Tom felt angry, ready to attack them.
-"I'm not a mudblood, and I don't allow you to insult me like that."
-"Oh, look at him, he's so brave! Do you think he can hurt us?"
Tom felt destabilized, but was unfazed.
- "I don't need to hurt you to prove you wrong. I may be a half-blood, but that doesn't make me inferior to you."
The children looked at each other in disbelief. Tom had managed to unsettle them, but they didn't want to lose face in front of him. So they continued to insult him, until a fight broke out between them and Tom. The children started pushing him, shoving him, until Tom felt threatened.
It was then that a gentleman dressed in very expensive clothes, a bluish black robe, he was about thirty, arrived on the scene, interrupting the scene by jostling Tom and telling him to release the path.
-"You, the mud-blood, you have nothing to do here. Go back where you came from, and never come back to this street."
Tom felt hurt and humiliated. He had been treated like an outcast, like a nobody, just because of his half-blood status.
Harry stormed in, fists clenched and glaring, ready to kill someone. How dare we laugh at Tom and touch him? He was his son, his, and no one had the right to bless him with impunity. He saw Lord Black standing in front of him, an arrogant smile on his lips, almost satisfied with the situation.
"What were you doing to my son?" Harry asked, his voice shaking with anger.
"Your son ?" replied Lord Black with a sneer. "That Mudblood is your son, like father like son. He doesn't even deserve to walk the streets of our magical world."
Harry's eyes fill with rage. He pulls out his wand and points it at Lord Black. "You're going to take back what you just said right now, or I swear you're going to regret it."
Lord Black did not back down. "You can't threaten me as a Mudblood. You're nothing but a Mudblood. You don't have the power or influence I have in the magical world. "
It was too much for Harry. He felt his magic seething inside him, ready to explode. He let out, encircling her around Lord Black, like an invisible cage. Lord Black began to gasp, as if Harry's magic was choking his breath.
"I warned you," said Harry in an icy voice. "Now you're going to shoot what you said about my son, or I swear I will destroy you."
Lord Black, trapped, had no choice but to obey. "I take back my words," he said in a choked voice. "I'm sorry I hurt your son. I'll never do that again." he said with a smirk.
Harry released his magic, freeing Lord Black from his invisible cage. He glares at the man in front of him, then turns to Tom, who had remained silent throughout the confrontation.
"How are you, Tom?" he asks softly.
Tom nodded, his eyes filled with emotion. "Yes, dad. Thanks for coming."
Harry smiled and took Tom's hand. "Let's go. I'm taking you with me to work today. You'll see, you'll love it."
Tom smiled back, happy to be with his father. He knew he was safe with him, and that nothing and no one could ever hurt him as long as he was by his side.
When Harry had pointed his wand at him, Lord Black had been surprised. He hadn't expected Tom's father to be capable of such a reaction. But then, he had found it impressive. He was used to pureblood wizards being arrogant and condescending towards others, and seeing a father fight for his son had been a new experience for him.
However, Lord Black was not one to be overtaken by events. He knew how to manipulate people and he was going to do his best to take advantage of this situation. So he had tried to invite Harry to dinner, as if he wanted to be forgiven for his behavior.
"I'm really sorry for what happened," he said in a soft voice. "I didn't mean to offend your son. I just wanted to teach him some manners."
Harry replied curtly, "I don't need your lessons in manners. Neither does Tom. We're fine the way we are, thank you."
Lord Black then tried to joke. "I don't want to teach you manners, my dear. I just want to invite you to dinner. To discuss...interesting things."
Harry shook his head. "No thank you, I have to leave now."
He had turned the talons and started to walk, but he had felt Lord Black's presence behind him. He had understood that this man would not give up easily.
Finally, he said these words: "I advise you not to insist too much. Otherwise, you may regret it."
He continued walking without looking back, defeating Lord Black behind him. He knew that this man was dangerous and that he had to be vigilant. But he was ready to do anything to protect his son.
Later in the day to compensate for this incident they decided to go out.
They finally reached their destination, which was a remote park not far from their home. Harry started pulling sandwiches, fruit and drinks out of his backpack, and he offered to play a game of hide and seek. Tom laughed and agreed. They both played for a while, Harry hiding Tom and then trying to find him. Eventually, they found themselves in a secluded corner of the park, alone.
"It's fun, isn't it?" said Harry, smiling.
"Yeah, that's really fun," Tom replied. He was amazed at how much fun he was having with Harry. He had never known an adult who liked to play like that. "I'm glad you had fun," Harry said.
"Time to go home," said Harry, putting the watch back in its box. "I have to cook dinner."
Tom followed Harry in silence, gazing at the watch in awe. He felt lucky to have a friend like Harry, someone who took the time to have fun with him and give him special gifts. He wondered what they were going to do together the next time they went out.