Two for One

Chapter 13: Punishment

They're standing in line for quidditch tickets outside of the roaring stadium because Harry has needs, and the stupid line hasn't moved in about twenty minutes so the two kids are sitting at Harry's feet.

Tom is cross-legged, leaning back against Harry's legs, while Gellert is crouched down in front, his knees resting on Tom's thighs as they snap at each other, both cranky from the wait to a stupid game that neither care about but they couldn't let Harry go alone.

Tom shoves Gellert and the blond barely stays on his feet, twisting to the side from the half-hearted attack. He goes with the turn and ends up sitting on Tom's lap, but then gets shoved off again. The blond sprawls over the ground and then kicks out, hitting Tom's stomach.

Tom scowls and lurches forward; falling onto Gellert and attempting to strange him.

"Do you want to go home?" Harry snaps back, because this has happened five times now.

"Yes," both boys retort.

"Well too bad, because we're standing in line," Harry states, reaching down and grabbing both by their hands, dragging them to either side of him in an attempt at separation.

They promptly throw the very first tantrum either of them have ever had.

It's not loud shrieking like other children. They don't flail around in anger or hit things. Harry honestly would have preferred that kind of tantrum to what they actually do.

The two boys go quiet, and then slowly -so very slowly- start building their magic into a tangible force around them.

The other people standing in line trail off from their excited chatter about the game and begin to look wary, which quickly turns to fear when the two incredibly powerful boys suddenly pulse their magic.

A shockwave washes out, making the air ripple and the ground shake as the push shoves everything in a hundred-meter radius outwards. People go flying, the grass is ripped up, there's screaming and several aurors immediately apparate in to set up a huge shield around the attackers.

Harry stands in the middle of a decimated field, two kids blinking up at him innocently, and sighs.

They do not get to see the quidditch game, but they do get intimate experience with a jail cell.

"Take a long look, kids," Harry mutters to the boys sitting either side of him. "This is what happens to criminals."

The other criminals standing around glare at him. Tom glares back and the grown adults abruptly lean away from the small group of three sitting on one of the upper bunk beds, legs dangling off the side.

Tom and Gellert aren't supposed to be in the cell, since they're minors, but the aurors only lasted ten minutes before quickly shoving the two back at Harry.

"We wouldn't be in here if you just listened," Gellert argues back. "I told you to apparate behind the brunet auror and cast a jelly-legs jinx so then I could-"

Harry tunes out as the blond berates him. He wonders how these two survived the first time without being given the dementor's kiss as soon as they turned into legal adults. Really, they're subtle like a dragon in an apothecary. Is Harry doing something wrong? Is he just letting them get away with too much?

Gellert got kicked out of Durmstrang for dark magic so maybe he just isn't as careful? Tom, at the very least, hid his darker side well in Hogwarts so Harry knows he can.

But then again, Tom deliberately put on a mask, lied about pretty much everything and supressed the parts of himself that didn't fit in.

Harry already knows about those parts, looks exasperated more than scared or angry when the boys do something most would consider abnormal. He's encouraging this behaviour because he's being too accepting of the children.

Harry should be accepting though, right? If he snaps at them, they'll just pull away and put on glamours of them being perfect children, they won't confide in him if they need help or are unsure about their decisions. However, if he lets it go then it'll continue. There's no right answer here.

Harry sighs.

"No avada necessary," Gellert continues, unaware -or uncaring- that the other criminals are now bunched up in the corner of the cell furthest from him. "Really, Harry, you need to start thinking about this for next time."

"There won't be a next time," Harry says sternly. He needs to be more firm, guide them with a heavier hand, set up proper punishments.

"Of course not," Tom agrees. "Because next time you'll do what we say, won't you?"

Harry frowns. "Okay, here's what's going to happen. Every time one of you does something illegal, we see a quidditch game."

The kids stare at him, caution creeping into their expressions.

"Go ahead," Harry dares. "Test me and see what happens."

After the Unspeakables release Harry from the holding cell (and obliviate a few people) they portkey to France just in time to catch a seven hour long game. Harry loved it, but his kids kept insisting that the Geneva Convention specifically disallows cruel and unusual punishments.

It takes three more games before they both figure out how to push the blame onto someone else and escape the authorities. It's technically progress.