Author's Note: final installment - and the pairing shouldn't be a surprise. Enjoy!

"Hello Draco," Harry greeted without glancing up from his paper. "Get comfortable, Kreecher will bring refreshments in a few minutes."

"How did you know it was me?" the blonde drawled as he settled opposite the brunet.

"Do you think I don't know your magical signature by now?" he retorted and flicked to the next page.

"True," he acceded.

Kreecher appeared with a crack, and deftly floated refreshments onto the table. "Thank you Kreecher," Harry spoke glance up with a smile for the House Elf.

"It was Kreecher's pleasure, Young Master," he replied respectfully. "Does Young Master require anything else?"

"No thank you Kreecher," he replied with a smile. The elf bowed respectfully before disappearing with a crack. "Help yourself," he urged the blonde before turning his attention back to the paper. By the time the blonde had poured himself a cup of tea, Harry folded the paper with a sheepish expression. "Trying to catch up on what I've missed," he stated.

"Understandable," he murmured, watching as the brunet made himself a cup of tea with the slightest flex of his magic. "You didn't tell Sirius about what he'd missed?" he asked curiously.

"He insisted," he replied before taking a sip. "Didn't want to start the grieving process when he was stuck in another world," he added, lifting a shoulder casually.

"Where is Sirius?"

"With Molly. They're grieving together," he added softly. "I think it's helping her, to not only have one person saved, but also to have someone she can mourn around…" he trailed off and shook himself. "Sorry," he murmured.

"No need to apologise," he replied, lips curving slightly. "It makes sense, after all, she's the Matriarch. She would feel that she had to be strong, while the rest of her family grieved."

"Exactly," Harry murmured with a poignant smile.

"There is one less person to grieve for," the blonde stated. Harry's eyebrows arched. "Severus."

"I thought it was odd he hadn't taken precautions," he murmured. "I'll pass it on," he promised. "I'd contact them now, but I don't want to interrupt," he added sheepishly.

"I wouldn't either," he retorted with a smile.

"You have questions," Harry stated.

"Yes."

"Shoot." The blonde's eyebrows arched. "Sorry, go ahead."

"Where were you?"

"I'm not sure if I was in the future of our world, or a different one completely. If there was a magical world, it was hiding as thoroughly there as it is here," he added with a negligent shrug.

"How long were you there?"

"They measure time differently there-"

"Harry," he interrupted chidingly.

"Six years," he stated.

"Six years?" the blonde repeated.

"We had three years at Academy, and were two years into a five-year mission, with some time between the two, so roughly six," he elaborated.

"So, which one were you dating?" The brunet blinked. "Those were rather…emotive goodbyes," he drawled.

Harry's lips quirked upward. "Scotty is just a big softie, Bones is still recovering from his divorce, and Spock and Jim – who saw me as a little brother – are dating," he informed.

"I take it you listed them in order?" he drawled.

"Yes, and in case you were curious, I wasn't interested in dating any of them," he stated.

"Oh?"

"I did have a few offers while I was there – like I said, I was there for several years – but-"

"But?" he prompted.

"But I couldn't consider dating any of them, not even for the flings a couple of them suggested…"

"Because you knew you wouldn't stay," the blonde finished.

"Because it wouldn't have been fair to them," he corrected. Draco's eyebrows arched. "I couldn't in good conscience start even a casual relationship, when I was attracted to someone else." He blew out a breath. "I've learnt a lot while I was away, about myself and so much more, but deep down, I'm still me." He licked his lips as Draco tilted his head curiously. "I'm still a Gryffindor."

"To take the risk without calculation," Draco drawled.

"None of them could compare to you," he blurted out.

Draco's lips curved into a smug smile and he held out a hand to Harry. The lion rose and rounded the table before taking it. Draco tugged until the brunet settled on his lap, resting a possessive hand on the base of his back. "I was the one came to get you, because when we cast the spell to find the best candidate, we found that I had the strongest feelings for you," he informed. Harry let out a relieved breath and tilted his head, offering his mouth to the blonde. Draco closed that final distance instantly, slipping his tongue between the brunet's parted lips, his caressing strokes leaving his lion with no doubt as to who he belonged to.

Harry pulled back, breathing hard. "That claim better go both ways," he panted.

Draco's lips curved in a smile. "Of course." He stroked the brunet's cheek gently. "I want you to share with me what you did while you were away."

"That'll take a while," he warned.

"I have no pressing engagements," he drawled, causing his lion to let out a huff of laughter. "Given the length of the narrative, I realise you will have to pause in the telling."

"There're likely to be things you don't understand."

"If you don't sufficiently explain in your narrative, I'll prompt you," he promised.

Harry shifted so he was settled more comfortably in Draco's lap. "Before I start, are we dating?"

"That'll do to start," he drawled.

Harry grinned. "You want kids?"

"Of course, as many as you want," he added.

Harry leant close and kissed the blonde sweetly. "We can negotiate on names nearer the time," he announced, causing Draco to snort. "Though I'd like James, nickname Jim, for our eldest son."

"I can live with that," he replied, stroking his lion's cheek gently. "As long as I can give him a traditional middle name."

"I can live with that," he replied with a grin, leaning into the touch. "Well, first, I didn't go to the Department of Mysteries to follow Sirius – that desire vanished long ago – I went to get closure. When I got close to The Veil, a force sucked me inside and I found myself…"