Chapter 6: Little Brother
Harry Mills-Gold (Or at least that's what he had been calling himself. His father would call him Harry Gold or Harrison Gold if they were in the company of older adults and his friends knew his as Harry Potter and his relatives would've probably called him freak or boy if they could get away with it.) was a little overwhelmed.
Well, more than a little.
But his entire summer had been overall overwhelming, so finding out he had an older brother was really just the cherry on top of a confusing summer.
His life really was like a demented version of one of Aunt Petunia's soap operas.
"A brother?" He asked Belle, "Seriously?"
She nodded. Instead of his father, Belle had been the one to break the news to him. Not his father, but Belle.
He had been told that was because his father was tending to his brother, who was apparently injured.
Harry personally thought Gold should've been the one to tell him. And how could he not tell him he had a brother in the first place?
Belle sighed. "It's complicated. And honestly, we didn't expect to find Bae for awhile."
Bae? What sort of name was that? Seriously. It meant poop in some languages. Maybe he should really be glad his father didn't get to name him like he wanted.
Although, Harry might be ridiculously simple as Rumpelstiltskin said at least it didn't mean excrement.
When he told this to Belle she had to bit her tongue for laughing.
Especially when Harry said he hoped that if she and his father had kids, that Belle would do the naming.
God, another sibling.
It just dumbfounded Harry. Yeah, he had Regina but a brother. And he couldn't even imagine Belle and his father having a child of their own, which was bond to happen with all the alone time they had.
Harry was just glad that their hotel suite was extremely large and his father went out of his way to use silence charms.
He didn't even want to think…
He tried to get his mind off of that scary thought by asking Belle about his brother. "So what's wrong with Poo."
"Bae." Belle corrected though smiled at him for his cheekiness. It was odd, both Belle and his father seemed to like it when he was snarky. The Dursleys always hated his snark. Of course, that didn't mean he didn't get reprimanded if he was being outright disrespectful. But remarks like this, he was totally allowed to make.
Harry shook his head. "Well, what's wrong with Bae?"
She sighed.
"You're going to say ask your father, aren't you?"
"Ask me what?" Gold said appearing out of what appeared to be nowhere. Heaven forbid him to walk to the end of the hotel suite where he and Belle were. He had to poof everywhere.
"About Bae." Belle said. "And yes, you need to tell Harry about his brother, Rumple. I'll leave you two alone."
"But Belle..."
She shook her head at him. "I'm not your unofficial spokesperson, Rumple. Besides, Harry has a right to hear about his brother from his father."
His father glared at her.
Belle changed the topic. "Does Bae need anything?"
"He's comfortable for now," His father said. "Resting, though it might be wise that you go to his room to give him his potions next time. He's not exactly keen on me right now."
Harry raised an eyebrow. What had his father done to this long lost brother of his?
Belle just shook her head. "Rumple, did you try to talk to him?"
"Of course I did," His father almost barked back. "You and I both knew things were going to be difficult, and…I need to talk to Harry now."
Harry read through the lines as his soon to be stepmom walked out of the room. Looking at his father he asked, "So, I have a brother?"
His father casually walked over to the sofa where Harry was sitting and sat next to him and grabbed the remote. "Do you think Dr. Who is on? I mean, we are in England it has to be on."
"Dad?" Harry said. "I asked you a question, you almost normally answer all my questions. And we already know Belle is going to tend to Bae. Seriously, that name?"
"His full name is Baelfire." His father said sitting down the remote. "And I didn't name him. But I did come up with Bae."
Harry raised an eyebrow. "So, that's the answer I'm getting."
His father frowned and turned to him. "I….I was going to tell you about him. Things just have been complicated, and I honestly didn't want you to know about him until I knew…"
"Knew what?"
His father sighed heavily, "That I could find him."
"Find him?" Harry asked.
He was then told the whole sordid tale and to be honest he sort of wanted to puke onto the marble floor when he heard it.
His father had abandoned his brother!
"It's a little bit more complicated than that." His father said when Harry threw that accusation at him.
"You didn't follow him." Harry said. "You said you were and you didn't."
"It was a horrible split second decision," Rumple said. "One that I regretted each and every minute of my life since. I would do anything to take it back, Harry. Especially after what I've learned your brother has lived through."
Harry gave him an odd look. "What has he lived through?"
"A lot." His father said. "It's really not my place to tell you, it's Bae's. He's very excited about having a little brother."
Harry was excited too. He had always wanted a brother growing up at the Dursleys, but this whole situation was so messed up.
And it had once again had ruined the image of Gold in his head.
He really had a hard time rationalizing that this man, the man who had actually paid the most attention to him out of any adult (save for maybe his sister and possibly Belle) for the past few weeks had actually abandoned a child almost seemed laughable, because Gold really did try to be a good parent.
And by many accounts succeeded too. Although, Harry wasn't about to buy him a Father's Day card anytime soon. It was going to be really hard to deal with this Bae person.
Bae person.
Bae was his brother.
But still, a total stranger who Harry knew nothing about. Until five minutes ago and he had basically been told what was probably the worst moment in Bae's life.
God.
He still couldn't exactly look at his father. It was hard enough wrapping his head around the fact that his father was Rumpelstiltskin on a daily basis, but he always tried to separate those thoughts by telling himself that while his father might be viewed as the Dark One by everyone else in town, he was first and foremost Harry's father. But now hearing how his brother had been affected by his father's curse, well, Harry wasn't surprised he was running to the Charmings' house or wherever to hide.
He needed to talk to his brother first. And he would give it to his father that he was actually talking to Harry about it, rather than keeping it a big secret.
That was progress, right?
It still didn't make him feel good though. He was really upset with what his father and really didn't know how to rationalize it in his brain. He didn't run though, not this time. Mainly because his brother was here, and Harry hoped that at least he would give him some answers.
A brother.
That was really something he never thought he'd have. He was still getting used to the fact that he had a sister. Speaking of his sister, he missed Regina greatly. He talked to her on the phone, but it was nothing like seeing her everyday. Sure, she was a lot older than him, and it wasn't like Ron with his brothers…but she was still his sister.
And now he had a brother.
Who was apparently named after excrement.
He was really glad his father didn't name him.
"Harry?" His father asked. He must've been way too quiet.
Good. It served his father right. Let him ponder about what he was thinking about.
His father sighed. "You know you could say something?"
Harry raised an eyebrow.
"I'm sure you have questions."
He did. He just wasn't sure he wanted to ask Gold. Because as much as he was coming to the idea that Gold cared about him, he didn't trust the man. Especially when it came to giving him an honest answer. He might as well just ask Bae.
Gold sighed as he looked at Harry, "You know, I'm sorry, right?"
Harry raised an eyebrow.
"I spent over three hundred years trying to find him." Although, Gold was talking to Harry it felt more or less like he was talking to himself. "It still doesn't make up for it though, I don't think anything can. But…my relationship with you is completely different from what it is with Bae."
"Is it?" Harry asked.
Gold sighed and didn't say anything, which surprised Harry. Instead, he just sort of just sat there which Harry thought was odd and he told his father so.
"I just don't what to say." His father said.
Honestly, Harry didn't know what he wanted to say either. Finding out his father had another child and a child that he abandoned, it was a little hard to react to.
Especially when Gold had been trying to act like he'd never abandon Harry like his father did to him.
Yet, he did this to this Bae person.
His brother.
Harry knew he should've felt some sort of loyalty for this brother of his, after all, what his father did was horrible. But Gold looked so sad. And Harry in a way wanted to comfort him.
But he abandoned his kid.
What if he abandoned Harry?
Gold looked at him, "I won't ever do that to you, you know."
It annoyed Harry how his father was able to read his thoughts just by merely looking at him. He asked him one time if Gold was using some magic trick that Harry didn't know about. Gold laughed and said that no magic was involved, "You're just transparent, dearie."
Harry had never thought of himself as being that transparent. He had hid his feelings quite well for the first eleven years of his life, thank you very much. If he hadn't there would be no way he'd have made it out of the Dursleys practically unscathed. God knows he had more than one thought about how ridiculously thick they were.
Then again, maybe they were as dumb as he thought they were.
But then what about Hogwarts—he had managed to get away with a lot of stuff his first year.
But it was almost as if Dumbledore had wanted him to get away with those things, Harry reminded himself and sighed.
Maybe he was transparent.
That was sad.
His father laughed, "Oh, don't look so down. It makes communicating with you a lot more easier."
Did it?
Because Harry still found the situation to be very awkward, he didn't know what to tell his father. He didn't know if he even wanted to talk to him.
He knew who he did want to talk to though, "I want to meet him." He found himself saying.
"Meet him?"
"Yes," Harry said. "I want to meet my brother."
His father went extraordinary pale for a brief second, but quickly regained his composure. "I don't…"
"He's my brother." Harry said, "Surely, you want us to get to know each other."
"It's not that." His father said.
"Is it?" Harry asked as he peered at his father.
He might not be able to read Gold's thoughts, but he could tell Gold was unnerved. Dare he say, scared. Why was he scared about Harry meeting his brother?
When Harry asked his father this, of course Gold denied the fact that he was scared about Harry talking to Bae.
"Of course I want you to meet him, dearie." Gold said as he sunk into the leather chair.
Dearie. That was another thing, Gold only referred to him as dearie when he was unnerved. It was pet name of his for everyone really. Belle seemed to get annoyed with it too.
Harry groaned. "Then why do you have that look on your face."
"Look?"
"Like you swallowed a sock or something. And you say I'm transparent."
Now his father gave him a look of total disgust. "I don't eat socks."
"I never said you did. You just look like a pet that's ate one, that's all."
Gold shook his head. "Where did you get such an expression? Belle mentioned some book about a princess who had a cat eating sock, but I don't think you'd read that sort of thing."
"Dad. I want to know why you're acting crazy about me meeting Bae."
"Crazy is a subjective term, Harry."
"Dad…"
His father sighed and grabbed one of the macaroons that the hotel staff had set out for them. This one was green, which Harry had come to learn meant that it tasted like pistachios. He had no idea about the wonderment of macaroons till this summer. Although, he berated himself thinking it was sort of silly he'd be so obsessed over a cookie when his father wouldn't even address the elephant in the room.
His brother.
He took another glance at his father who at this point was whipping away stray crumbs of pistachio macaroon from his face—there weren't many. Somehow, Gold had perfected the art of eating something without leaving crumbs.
Harry wished he had inherited that ability.
Instead, all he got from Gold was his small stature (though he had grown a couple of inches this summer) and weird colored eyes. Okay, more than that. A lot of his features resembled his father; in fact ,if you wanted to be technical about it he was a nice blend of both his mother and his father. Though, he definitely didn't inherit the crumb swiping away ability or changing the subject ability that his father had.
Gold sighed, "You're going to ask me about meeting your brother again, and you will meet him. When he's feeling better."
"What's wrong with him?"
Gold bit his lip. Now that was something Harry did inherit. "He…well…"
"I was locked in jail for ten years for a crime I didn't commit. Unlike, our father, I tell the truth, Harry."
Harry turned around to see a very thin man wearing what appeared to be one of the hotel's ridiculously soft bathrobes.
Harry eyed the man. Unlike his father, the man was very tall. And ridiculously thin to the point you could call him a walking skeleton. His skin was extremely pale and was a sharp contrast to his hair, which was black. From first glance, he didn't resemble his father but then Harry looked at him closer. His cheekbones were similar to Gold's. Similar to Harry's. And his mannerisms, the way he held himself there was something about it that reminded him of his father. There was something else familiar about the man too, but it wasn't something that Harry could exactly rationalize.
"Bae." Gold glared at him. "I wasn't going to lie."
The man rolled his eyes. They were grey. So, he didn't have his father's eyes. Harry wondered about who his mother was. He was guessing it wasn't Cora. Not that he had expected as much. From what he had heard his father's relationship with his mother had been a bad fling. Finally he spoke, but not to Gold, but to Harry. "God, you've really grown since the last time I saw you."
"We've met?" Harry asked.
"Yes, you are my godson." The man said grinning leaving Harry utterly confused.