In the Shadow of What If's

Chapter Nineteen: Fireplaces and Firsts

March 16th, 1932 – Longbottom Manor, Sussex Downs

The hearth glowed green, flickering wildly with Floo flame as Harrison knelt beside it, a gentle hand placed firmly on Tom's small shoulder. Tom was staring into the blaze, his eyes narrowed at the swirling emerald vortex like it might bite.

"You're certain it won't eat us?" he asked warily.

Harrison smiled. "I've done it a hundred times. It's just a magical doorway, nothing more. I'll be with you the whole way."

Tom's lips tightened. "I don't like not seeing where I'm going."

"That's fair," Harrison said, brushing the boy's dark hair back and steadying his coat collar. "But you've already done scarier things. And this? This leads to warmth, friends, and pie."

Tom raised an eyebrow. "Pie?"

"Cherry," Harrison added in a whisper, like a promise.

Tom stared at the fire again, then stepped closer.

"...Okay," he said, quiet but brave.

Harrison pulled him gently in, both hands resting around his thin shoulders. "Hold on tight."

And with that, they stepped forward.

"Longbottom Manor!"

The green flames whirled them away.

The landing was... rough.

Not unkind, but chaotic. They stumbled slightly into the receiving parlor of the Longbottom estate, a cozy, handsomely magical home nestled into the hills of Sussex. Tom clutched at Harrison's coat, legs shaking from the unfamiliar spin.

But Harrison steadied him, crouching immediately.

"Well done," he murmured. "You didn't even scream."

"I was considering it," Tom muttered, breathless.

Harrison chuckled and placed a firm, warm hand on Tom's back.

And there—for the first time—he let it linger. A protective touch. A parent's gesture.

Not the mentor. Not the master. Not the magical guardian.

Just Harrison, and his son.

Tom didn't move.

He didn't pull away.

In fact, something in his posture relaxed. Just a fraction.

The parlor door swung open.

"Tom!" Hal practically launched into the room. "You made it! Oh, wait till you see—we've got four kinds of biscuits and Maximus has a friend over too and he's half-blood and really cool and doesn't care about it!"

Behind him, Lady Alyssa and Lord Cedric entered, both smiling graciously.

"Harrison," Lord Cedric said, offering a firm hand. "We're so pleased you came."

"Wouldn't miss it," Harrison said smoothly, rising with a last glance at Tom, who now stood straighter, watching Hal with a mix of awe and cautious anticipation.

"This way," Lady Alyssa said, gesturing toward the tea salon. "The boys know where to go."

Harrison nodded, giving Tom one last reassuring look. "You'll be all right?"

Tom glanced at Hal. Then gave the smallest nod.

Upstairs – Two Wings

The Longbottom Manor was sprawling, with wide staircases and high-beamed ceilings. The second floor was divided cleanly: Maximus's wing to the right, Harold's to the left.

The younger boys raced down the left corridor, a blur of muffled laughter and the scuffle of boots.

Tom paused at the door to Hal's room.

It was... chaotic.

Books in messy piles. A half-made model of a Quidditch pitch floating midair. Posters of magical creatures, enchanted frogs in jars, and a pair of misbehaving animated socks that were attempting to duel.

Tom stepped inside slowly, looking around like a cautious explorer.

Hal flopped onto the bed and grinned. "This is your side. I made a pillow wall in case I kick."

Tom stared at the pillow fortress. "...Thanks?"

"I figured that's what sleepovers are, right?"

"I wouldn't know," Tom said honestly.

"Well, first rule: no rules."

Tom blinked. "...That doesn't make any sense."

Hal grinned wider. "That's how you know you're doing it right."

Tom didn't respond—but for once, he didn't feel left behind. Not strange. Not feared.

Just included.

Meanwhile – Maximus's Room

Maximus's room was all polished order and dueling posters, with a glass case of wand-holsters and books on politics stacked with methodical neatness.

His friend sat on the rug beside the fire—Dorian Crestfield, half-blood son of a magical historian and a Muggle linguist, with wild curls and a sly grin.

"—So this is the mystery man," Dorian said, looking up at Harrison's departure and nodding toward the younger boy.

"Tom?" Maximus said, unlacing his boots. "Yeah. He's sharp. Smart in a way that makes you watch what you say."

"He's got that haunted look."

Maximus raised a brow. "You've got a look, Dorian."

"Mine's rakish charm."

"I was thinking windblown disaster, but sure."

They both laughed.

Then Maximus added quietly, "He's not like most of the young ones. You can tell he's survived something. But he's... holding steady. That man he lives with? He's doing something right."

Downstairs – The Tea Salon

Lady Alyssa poured a second round of rosehip tea. Lord Cedric leaned back in his armchair, clearly relaxed.

"She's already charmed by your boy," Cedric said. "Alyssa can't stop talking about how polite he is."

"He reminds me of our older son," she added fondly. "Not in behavior—goodness, no—but in presence. He fills a room. Not loud, not showy. Just... there."

Harrison let the praise wash over him, warm but bittersweet.

Because he knew exactly what kind of man Tom could become.

And every soft word, every compliment, was a reminder that the child upstairs was no longer that boy. Not yet. Maybe not ever.

"I'm doing my best to give him what the world never offered," Harrison said, quiet. "Security. Joy. Choice."

"You're succeeding," Cedric said firmly.

Harrison looked into the fire, hands folded around his cup.

"I hope so."

Upstairs – Hal's Room, Later That Night

They sat on the floor with charmed playing cards and sugar frogs that recited jokes in terrible French accents.

"Do you think we'll go to Hogwarts together?" Hal asked.

"Probably," Tom said. "You're a Longbottom. You're guaranteed Gryffindor."

Hal pulled a face. "Boring."

Tom cocked an eyebrow. "You say that like bravery is a flaw."

Hal smiled. "Well... I'm glad you're not boring."

Tom didn't smile back—but he gave a nod. That was more than enough.

He looked around the room—messy, warm, full of laughter and comfort.

And he realized, with a small shiver, that this was what being safe looked like.