Author's Note: Much longer chapter for you, enjoy!

"Harry," Sirius greeted warmly as his godson entered the room. "There's something I want to talk to you about," he spoke gently.

"You're upset that I'm a Slytherin," he murmured as he settled in a chair opposite.

"No actually." The boy startled. "I'm proud of you for being true to yourself," he stated. "You might not have had the familial pressure of many of your peers, but you would already have been exposed to others' expectations, and you went against that, to join the House you were meant to be in. That was very brave, and I – well, I realise I'm repeating myself, but I am proud of you for it."

"Thanks Pads," he murmured with a smile. "So what d'you want to talk to me about?"

"Okay, first, I want you to know that you will always have a home with me," he spoke firmly. The boy blinked before nodding. "I want to make sure you understand that, before I get to what I want to talk to you about." He paused, waiting until his godson nodded before continuing, "You're more than you appear to be, aren't you?"

"What do you mean?" he asked, expression filled with confusion.

"You're older than you are physically," he stated, and Harry stilled. "Like I said, you always have a home with me," he spoke firmly and his godson relaxed.

"How…?"

"It was lots of little things," he stated. "Like – as much as I would wish otherwise – you're too old to remember me; you were a little too quick to agree to live with me; the emotions in your eyes at our first meeting; and, you just called me Pads," he listed. His godson groaned, causing him to grin. "How did it happen?" he asked gently.

Harry licked his lips. "Before I answer, is there any chance you could get Draco?" Sirius' eyebrows rose. "I promise I'm not going anywhere."

"All right," he murmured, leaning forward to give his godson's hand a squeeze before disappearing from the room. He returned several minutes later, with Draco following.

"Hi," the blonde greeted shyly, before settling beside Harry, as Sirius resumed his spot opposite.

"He knows Draco," he stated.

Sirius watched with amusement as the blonde scowled at his godson. "I told you that you needed practise," he hissed.

"He figured it out from other things," he stated. "Not by the way I talked. Right?" he spoke, turning to his godfather for confirmation.

"Right," he agreed, grinning when Draco sniffed haughtily. "At least you're not alone in the experience," he remarked. "And please, both of you, feel free to be yourselves around me," he entreated. Harry linked their fingers together and Draco's lips curved upward. "How bad was it before the two of you came here?"

"Not great," Harry stated.

"Understatement Potter," Draco drawled. He tilted his head in concession. "He was dying," he stated.

Sirius stilled while Harry scowled. "What did you tell him that for?" he demanded.

"Because I want him to realise we didn't make this choice frivolously."

"We didn't make the choice at all," he pointed out.

"Yes, but he didn't know that."

"Okay, so Harry was dying," Sirius spoke, visibly reigning in his emotions to that statement, "what happened then?"

"I fed his core with my own," Draco stated.

"But that would have killed you," the Animagus remarked.

"Exactly," Harry huffed while Draco tilted his head.

"What happened next?"

"He stopped me," he spoke, lifting a shoulder.

"And here we are," Harry retorted.

"How old were you?"

"Seventeen," they replied in unison.

"Bit annoying, being eleven again," he remarked with a grin.

"Could have been worse," Harry murmured. Sirius' eyebrows rose. "Could have been younger."

The Animagus let that comment go. "You're welcome to visit whenever you like Draco," he invited.

"Thank you," he replied with a smile, before sighing. "I should get back," he stated. He gave Harry a chaste kiss before reluctantly unlinking their fingers and rising.

"Floo powder is by the fire," Sirius stated. The blonde inclined his head in thanks before disappearing.

"Pads?"

"Yes Pup?"

"Do you mind if I pretend to be this age for a bit?"

"Of course not," he replied, smiling when the boy rose and crawled into his lap. He wrapped his arms around his godson. "You should know, I'll never consider you too old for a cuddle," he remarked. Harry snuggled close with a contented sigh.

HPDMHPDMHPDMHPDMHPDMHPDMHPDM

A throat cleared from the doorway. Both brunets turned to the doorway where Remus hovered. "I'm sorry to interrupt-"

"Uncle Remy?" Harry breathed, brow furrowed.

Remus' eyes widened. "He remembers Moony," Sirius remarked with a smile.

The werewolf opened his arms and Harry flew into them. The blonde enfolded the boy in his arms. "Are you all right?"

"I'm much better now Uncle Pads is looking after me," he admitted. "Um," he murmured nervously.

"What is it Cub?" the werewolf asked, loosening his hold enough to look at the boy's expression.

"I'm a Slytherin," he admitted, biting his bottom lip nervously.

"Do you really think I would care about that?" he asked gently.

"I know my parents, and the two of you, were Gryffindors."

"Harry," he spoke gently, stroking the boy's hair, "none of us would disown you for being in a different House. We love you too much."

He blew out a relieved breath. "Are you joining us for Christmas Uncle Remy?"

"Yes," he replied with a warm smile.

HPDMHPDMHPDMHPDMHPDMHPDMHPDM

Remus glanced through the doorway at his sleeping Cub, before he gripped Sirius' arm and steered the Animagus downstairs. The werewolf began to pace. Sirius sat, watching, content to wait. "Something isn't right," the sandy-haired man stated.

"What do you mean Moony?"

"It's okay Pads," Harry spoke from the doorway. "You can tell him."

"You realise a secret is easier to keep, when less people know it right?"

Harry crossed the distance between them. "Yes, but I knew his werewolf senses would pick it up," he responded and curled up in his godfather's lap.

"Then why pretend?"

"The same reason I would have still done it with you even if Professor Snape hadn't been in the room. Because you both deserved the illusion for as long as possible."

"What is going on?" Remus demanded, stopping before them with his hands on his hips.

"I'm older than my physical years," Harry stated.

"How could you lie to me Sirius?"

"I never lied," he protested. The blonde opened his mouth. "I said he remembered, I didn't specify what."

"How old were you before you came back?"

"Seventeen."

The werewolf braced himself. "How bad was it?"

Harry waved his hand back and forth. "It had been bad, but actually the world would have started to get better, I just wouldn't have been in it."

The werewolf sat down heavily. "Yeah, it hit me like that too," Sirius murmured. "Moony needs a hug," he urged.

Harry slipped from Sirius' knee and crossed to Remus. The blonde pulled him close, holding on tight. "I'm sorry I'm not your Harry," he breathed.

Remus pulled back enough to tip up the boy's chin. "You're still my Cub, no matter how old your mind is," he spoke fiercely. He stroked his hair gently. "I think you might need us more than he ever would have."

HPDMHPDMHPDMHPDMHPDMHPDMHPDM

Remus set the breakfast dishes washing, caught Harry turning toward the Floo seconds before the flames whooshed. Draco arrived, followed shortly by Professor Snape. Harry magically silenced Sirius before he could say anything. "Uncle Remy, I need to talk to Uncle Siri-"

"Go on," he urged as he fought back a smile, "I'll see to our guests."

Harry tugged his godfather into the living room and cast a silencing charm before dropping the spell. "Pup-"

"I couldn't be sure that time in his office was a fluke," he interrupted. "I'm not going to ask you to be friendly," he stated. "But could you at least be civil, please, for me?"

"Do you promise to tell me why after they leave?" The boy nodded. "Then okay," he agreed and wrapped his arm around his godson's shoulders. "How powerful are you?" he asked curiously.

"Higher end," he stated. "I could cast a Patronus at thirteen," he remarked and his godfather startled. "Moony taught me."

"You might want to tell him that later," he remarked. "Come on, let's go see what this is about."

The pair rounded the doorway. "About time-"

"Sorry about that," Sirius remarked affably, "my godson had something he needed to share to me. I'm sure you understand that I make him a priority."

"Well, there is a matter we need to discuss," Severus drawled.

"Did you want to do it here, or in the living room?"

"The living room," Draco interjected. His godfather growled but rose.

The potions Master noted that his godson settled in a chair next to Harry, and took a seat on the blonde's right, while Remus and Sirius sat on a sofa on Harry's left. "You have concerns," Remus began. Draco's gaze went to Harry's and raised his eyebrows. Harry nodded slightly.

"Yes," the potions master drawled, and waved his hands at the pair of boys. "Like that. What is going on?"

"You've noticed some discrepancies in Draco's behaviour," Sirius remarked. The raven arched his eyebrows. "Only little things, something that someone who didn't care about him might overlook, but you saw enough of them for you to realise there was more going on than there appeared to be."

"Is this why you insisted on coming here before answering my question?" Severus drawled. "Because Harry is the same?"

"Yes," Draco stated. Harry linked their fingers together and gave them a squeeze. "We are both older than our physical ages," he continued firmly.

"How much older?" he drawled.

"Six years," Harry answered. "Little under seven if we're being technical. It was the May before we turned eighteen, and we returned to the August after we turned eleven."

"Why then?"

The boys shared a look. "It was not planned Severus," Draco answered.

"But it makes sense," Harry murmured. The blonde's eyebrows rose. "We came back together, why wouldn't we return to the moment we first met?" Draco inclined his head in acknowledgement.

"Before I get to my other questions, are the two of you dating?"

"No," Draco stated. "We're a little young for that Severus," he retorted. "However, we are planning to do so once our bodies have aged appropriately."

He blew out a breath. "Very well. How did this happen?"

Harry squeezed the blonde's fingers. "I was dying and Draco fed me energy from his magical core," he stated. Severus' breath hitched. "I wasn't about to let him die for me, so-"

"You never did explain this part," Sirius retorted. "What did you do?"

Harry licked his lips. "I don't know really. I just felt the connection and…pushed?" He lifted his shoulder. "There was a…reverberation and next thing I knew, I was outside Madam Malkin's, aged eleven. Draco?"

"I can't explain it any better," he stated.

"What were you thinking?" Severus demanded.

"That I refused to let him die," he spoke firmly.

"Don't you dare say that you owed me," Harry retorted. The blonde's eyebrows rose haughtily. "If anything-"

Draco laid his fingers over the brunet's lips. "Probably best if we don't get into that. The scales are far too difficult to balance." He raised his fingers.

"But you saved my life," he stated.

"And after you saved mine," he reminded.

"I almost-" Harry began, voice anguished.

"Don't," he spoke fiercely. "I saw your reaction after you cast, and besides, have you forgotten the spell I was attempting to cast?" he demanded. "Honestly, I was glad that you were faster."

"With your tolerance for pain?" he retorted.

"It might not be as high as yours," he spoke primly, "but it is not that low." Harry's eyebrows rose. "I was milking it." The brunet laughed softly.

"The two of you weren't dating, were you?" Severus retorted.

The shook their heads in unison. "We were rivals," Harry stated.

"Rivals?" Sirius parroted, surprised.

"Our first and second meeting didn't go too well," Harry stated.

The blonde hummed, and Harry's expression turned curious. "I always wondered where exactly I went wrong."

"The insult to Hagrid," he stated. "That was what I couldn't forgive. Or rather, the first thing I couldn't forgive."

A tinge of pink appeared on the blonde's cheeks. "I was young," he murmured.

Harry leant over and kissed his cheek gently. "We've gotten past it," he stated. "And I think if circumstances had been different, we still would have done."

"Nice to think so," he sighed. "You have more questions Severus?"

"How many people died?" he asked softly.

Draco squeezed Harry's fingers. "We never got the final count, let's just say a lot."

"Don't ask unless you truly want to know," Harry cautioned.

"I died then," he murmured. A short nod from both boys. "How?"

Harry squeezed Draco's fingers. "It doesn't matter," the brunet stated.

"Why?" he asked curiously.

"Because the circumstances that caused it are unlikely to come to pass," Harry stated.

"For the two of us too?" Remus asked gently. Harry nodded. "How can you be so sure?"

The boys shared a look. "We have a plan," Draco stated.