Disclaimer: I do not own any characters created by J.K. Rowling.

Author's Note: 7/10/20: Today I FINALLY had an MRI of my head and my spine! They said it could take another couple of weeks to get the results but I'm just glad something is being done!

12/10/20: My neighbour, who I've known all my life, was run down whilst crossing the road like she does every week, with no issues, on Friday. Someone jumped a red light and knocked her -a women in her late 70's -to the ground. She passed away at 6am this morning.

17/10/20: One of my primary school teachings has sadly passed away from -what I've been told -was a brain tumour.

20/10/20: Today we finally scattered my grandfather's ashes, where my nan and their pets were scattered. He has a lovely view of the pond and he won't be alone. I pray he's found peace.

Thank you for the continued support and patience. As you can see, pain continues as does 2020.

B x

Chapter Twenty-Seven

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"On school grounds no less! The indecency alone is to warrant that both of you should be suspended without pay!"

Both men cringed as Minerva continued to snap at them, her voice cracking like a whip through the air. They both hung their heads as though they were naughty teenagers being scolded. Minerva had always had that sort of authority over them, even when they had been students. If there was one person who could verbally thrash them, it would be her.

"I shouldn't have to tell you how undeservedly lucky you both are that I was able to twist young Miss. Tippets arm about being a gossip on matters such as this. She has been given a rather long leash."

"You bribed a student?" Remus frowned, looking up. "Why … why would you do that?"

"Because, regardless of what you may think of yourself, Mr. Lupin, you and Black here are two of the youngest, brightest and most energetic of my faculty. Suffice to say, the students of all ages love your lessons. It's such a relief to hear that students are taking some joy out of their schooling at last," she sighed, adjusting the glasses on the end of her nose. "That does not mean that either of you are escaping any form of reprimand, however. It just means that I do not want either one of you to be getting howlers in the post."

"Why would we get howlers?" Sirius cocked an eyebrow.

"You and I both know how prejudiced pureblood families can be, even if we are on the tail-end of a war."

Out of the corner of his eye, Remus watched Sirius' shoulders sag.

"Suffice to say neither one of you deserve to come down to breakfast to such a cacophony of hate mail simply for whom you decide to date."

"We appreciate it, Headmistress," Remus inclined his head. With a sigh he straightened the front of his robes yet again. After having been caught in such a compromising position, he felt paranoia niggling at every loose thread and frayed hem. "So, what will our punishment be?"

"When I have made a decision, I shall inform you, Mr. Lupin. Now, why don't you two go home and come back tomorrow with a fresh perspective."

At the clear dismissal, both men stood up and made their way towards the door of the office. Before they left, however, Minerva spoke; "Oh and gentlemen?" They both turned. "If you simply cannot control your primal instincts," she cocked a sardonic eyebrow at them. "At least try to lock the door of your office."

Cheeks flaming bright red, Remus hurried out of the office, dragging Sirius by the collar towards the spiral staircase. Minerva shook her head as Sirius' laughter echoed up from the corridor, along with Remus' mumbled profanities. Chuckling to herself, she returned her attention back to her paperwork.

~0~

"A student caught them shagging in their office?!" Ron gawped across at Draco as they lounged in the upstairs drawing room.

Hermione tutted and swatted Ron's arm. "Don't say that in front of Harry!" she hissed.

"Hermione, trust me, he's probably heard a lot worse from me," Draco sighed offhandedly. "Usually when something goes wrong with one of his little potions, I'll swear before I realised."

"Shagging isn't swearing though!" Ron protested. "Besides, he doesn't even know what it means! It's not like any of us got any whilst we were at Hogwarts."

"That doesn't mean you can say it now," she chided.

"One day you'll tell me all about this grown-up stuff and you won't have to be so polite," Harry grinned up at them before returning his attention to his drawing pad.

"We're only trying to preserve your innocence, kid," Draco teased, jostling Harry with his leg.

Harry stuck his tongue out but resumed his drawing without complaint. It was bleak and miserable outside, which meant that they had to postpone their little Quidditch practice for another week. Instead, they had opted to have a game-board day, but only if Harry finished his homework. At the moment he was working on colouring-in some basic level potions and had to list at least three of their ingredients. So far, he had been doing really well, even impressing Hermione with his knack.

"It really does speak for itself what a different environment can do for a person," Hermione mused, her gaze continuously going back to Harry sprawled out on the floor between them.

"Yeah, plus the whole lack-of-a-maniac thing," Ron quipped.

Hermione rolled her eyes. Draco huffed a brief smile but quickly quelled it. "So," he said, "What have you two been doing since Christmas?"

"Things at home have been a little less tense," Ron shrugged stiffly. "Ginny is going to see that Dr. Lisa. I don't know if it's doing her any good, but she seems less angry at the very least. George refuses to go, but he's been on a number of the Harry doppelganger ventures. It's been bringing him out of his shell a little."

"That's a weird way to help someone," Draco frowned.

"I think it's a type of escapism," Hermione's mouth twisted downward. "He can pretend to be Harry and that's fine, because Harry didn't lose a twin brother. I just …" she trailed off, shaking her head. "It won't last for long."

"It was never meant to," Draco agreed. "Only until Harry is at least fifteen or sixteen. By that point he'll be nearly fully grown."

"You know I can hear you from all the way down here," Harry said sarcastically, rolling onto his back so he could look up at all three of them. "It's impolite to talk about people when they're right in front of you."

"Oof, he's a snooty little sod," Ron grimaced mockingly. "Remind you of anyone at that age?" he shot a smirk up at Draco.

"I'll have you know, Weasley, that I was never impolite to my elders."

"No, of course not. Just to everyone else."

"Boys," Hermione shot them both a warning look. "Behave."

They both rolled their eyes and then shot one another a weak glare at the idea of having the same reaction to Hermione's warnings.

"Have your parents returned back to the UK?" Draco asked, turning his attention fully onto Hermione.

"They did actually. Third week of January, when the flights were a little cheaper," she gave a tight smile. "I wanted to give them a chance to … to say goodbye to the people they'd gotten to know out there and get their affairs in order."

"And … their memories?" he asked delicately.

"Almost entirely returned. The Mind Healer's they've been to see have said that there are a few blank spots here and there but nothing detrimental. Nothing as major as … as what I did to them."

"So, they know all about you, magic and Hogwarts? The war?"

"Sadly yes," she shot a sad glance at Ron. "That was a … particularly hard one to explain. It's a very difficult thing for them to comprehend. Their teenaged daughter that they'd completely forgotten about, going headfirst into a war she didn't need to be a part of, and could have died … they're still processing it, I think."

Nodding he said, "Of course. They're taking it a day at a time, certainly."

"Ron's been over to my house," she said, perking up a little. "So, they've gotten to meet him and think he's very lovely. Unfortunately, they're interested in meeting the rest of the family and right now I don't think we need to mingle."

"Too much ginger for their liking?" Draco asked innocently. Ron glared at him.

Hermione almost smiled. "No, nothing like that. I just think with everything we're all going through and -well, things are just starting to settle a little bit. They're still adjusting to being back here and having a daughter again. Some days it's natural and other days … not so much. There's plenty of time, now, for them to meet one another."

"How many people are in your family, Ron?" Harry asked from the floor.

Ron masked his surprised with a fast smile. "Well, I have fi-um-four older brothers and a younger sister."

"Woah," Harry's eyes went wide. "That's a lot. I don't have any brothers or sisters, do I, Draco?"

"No, Harry, your parents only had you."

"I'd have liked one though. Instead of stupid Dudley. Maybe if I had a sister, she wouldn't have given me ten Indian burns at school."

"I don't know," Ron said. "My sister can be pretty tough when she wants to be. She loves using jinxes and hexes on people who are mean to her or her friends."

Harry laughed, "Oh wow! I can't wait to get my wand and learn spells!"

"Have you … er … had any accidents, Harry?" Hermione asked, peering closer.

"Sometimes," he shrugged awkwardly. "But Remy and Daddy say it's okay for that to happen. And that if I get hurt, I need to tell someone straight away!"

"Of course," she grinned at him. He beamed brightly up at her, before rolling over onto his knees and running a hand through his hair. "Draco can you check that these are right?"

"Sure," Draco took the book drawing pad from Harry and leaned back on the sofa, cocking his leg up and returning to the first page of that day's homework. Harry waited patiently in front of him, hands clasped behind his back. He rocked a little on the balls of his feet. He tried to focus on the images and notes in front of him. He had to admit he was impressed; even Harry's atrocious handwriting had improved from its previous chicken scratch style, to something a little more cursive. "These are good," he finally said. He handed the pad back, "Well done, kid. I'm proud of you."

Harry's pale cheeks blushed a healthy pink, his gaze averting themselves as he hugged the notepad to his cheek. "Thank you," he mumbled.

"I'm going to put my stuff back in my room."

"Okay, then we can play some games if you like," Hermione smiled at him.

"Okay," he grinned. Dropping to his knees he scooped up his colouring pens and hurried out of the room. His footsteps hurried up the staircase, and Draco had to quash the urge to tell him not to run inside the house.

"When will he be turning ten again?" Hermione asked.

"In about two weeks. Though I'm hoping to accelerate the aging process. It won't be by much but it should help bring him nearer to where he should be."

"Is that safe?"

"Perfectly," Draco replied archly. "I even went as far as to consult Slughorn on the matter."

Hermione grimaced but didn't press the matter. "Do you have any plans in the next few weeks?"

Draco stiffened, and brushed lint off the armrest of the sofa. "It'll be Easter holidays and my Mother has been asking the Minister if she is able to accomondate us for a week next month."

"You think he'll say yes?" Ron frowned.

Draco shrugged. It was hard to tell these days what the Minister would agree to, without looking like he was playing favourites. "Probably not. There's still the question of my leaving the country at all, either. Unless he sends a team of aurors with us? I really couldn't say."

"Seems like a lot of hassle," Hermione admitted. "I doubt the Ministry can spare the resources."

Whatever Draco had been about to say was cut-off by Harry launching himself into the room and across his lap. "Oof! You git! You're getting to big for that nonsense!"

"Nuh uh, I'll never be too big for it!" Harry grinned cheekily as Draco wrestled him off to one side. He let out a yelp as he went sideways into some over-stuffed pillows. "Draco-o-o that was m-e-e-e-an!"

"Not as mean as it is, being rude to our guests," the blonde reprimanded.

Harry grinned before forcing himself to sit up. "I'm sorry I was rude!" he announced.

Ron had to stifle a laugh, which was easy enough when Hermione knocked his knee with her own. "That's -er -that's alright mate."

Draco rolled his eyes. "Why don't you go and grab some games, kid?"

Harry chewed on his bottom lip but eventually gave a dramatic sigh and slid off the sofa. "Okay, but that means you can't complain!"

The pair grinned as Harry darted from the room. The games were stacked neatly in the lounge, so it wouldn't take the boy long to find a couple he wanted to play. Hermione took this opportunity to turn to Draco and ask, "How's studying going, Draco? Do you think you'll be ready to sit for the exams in June?"

Draco clenched his jaw and fought the urge to snap at her or stalk out of the room. The truth was, despite all his research and study with the resources that Remus and Sirius were able to obtain for him, he had barely used his wand to practice any practical magic other than a few simplistic ones to keep his room tidy or to levitate a folded pile of laundry. He had rebuffed both his guardians attempts to train his magical core up. Even doing a basic summoning spell left him feeling prickly all over.

At his silence, Hermione frowned. Dropping her voice lower she pressed, "Have you not been practicing your magic? Draco, half the exams are practical!"

"I'm fully aware of that, Granger," he bit out, not daring himself to look up.

"Mate, you need to practice. Hermione, me and some others -we use a spare classroom in the dungeons to do some training," Ron said, hunching forward on his knees. "You can come with us one evening."

"Ron's right, Draco," Hermione frowned sympathetically. "You can't just hope your assignments have been enough."

His eyes snapped up to them. As he opened his mouth to retort with some ugly words, Harry bounded back into the room. "I found it! I really want to play Cluedo, is that okay?"

Draco narrowed his eyes across at their visiting guests, before forcing a cheery smile on his face. "Of course, Harry. That's perfectly fine. Who do you want to be this time?"

.

.

Later that evening, after Sirius had tucked the boys into bed and left Remus reading up on a Defence book in preparation for their third year class on Friday, said man had gone to the second floor office in search of Draco. The blonde teen had been in the company of Hermione and Ron, when both professors had returned home that evening, but as soon as he caught sight of them, Draco had excused himself and left Harry alone to finish up the game of Cluedo they'd been playing.

Light shone from the gap under the door. Sirius knocked gently and, upon getting no response, nudged the door open. A low fire hummed in the grate and the sconces on the wall cast a dull yellow glow around the room. Draco was slumped forward on one of the sofas, arms bent inwardly from his knees, his wand hanging loosely from his fingertips. His sleeves were rolled up, exposing the blistered Dark Mark and his blonde hair looked static from where he'd pulled off his jumper.

Shutting the door, Sirius strode over and sat down on the sofa. The cushions dipped with his weight, but Draco didn't seem to notice.

Sirius pressed his lips together before reaching out and taking the wand from Draco's limp hands. The blonde startled, whipping around to face his cousin with wide eyes. Sirius gave him a tight smile. "Want to talk about it?"

Draco raked a rough hand through his hair, tousling the locks, before turning away from his cousin. "No."

The wood felt smooth as Sirius spun the wand idly through his fingers. "Are you sure about that?"

Silence.

"I have literally all night long, Draco. Nowhere else to be, no one else to handle."

"Not even Remus?" Draco murmured dryly.

"You're lucky Remus isn't here," Sirius chuckled. "He'd have given you the verbal equivalent of whiplash."

"What's -what's that?" Draco frowned down at his empty hands. "Does it hurt?"

Sirius chuckled again. "It's a muggle term -doesn't matter. Now," he set the wand on the coffee table and braced himself against the back of the sofa. "Talk to me. Tell me what's happened today to get you so worked up."

Draco clenched and unclenched his jaw. The fire crackled, the plush rug cushioned his feet where he curled and uncurled his toes into it. He could feel the weight of Sirius' gaze on him, but he struggled to unhinge his jaw and speak the words. A tremor ran down his back. "I … I'm scared about … about my magic."

Sirius patiently placed a hand on his shoulder. "What scares you, Draco?"

"Getting things wrong. My wand not responding to me. Making … making stupid mistakes in front of the whole exam board. Failing … failing at my second chance …" Hot tears raced down his cheek. One dropped off the end of his chin and vanished into the shagpile. "I just want to do something good -something for me … I'm so tired of being bad."

"You're not bad, Draco," Sirius said scooting closer. He hesitated for a moment, raising his eyebrows in question. It took a moment or two for Draco to understand what was happening. Through his red face and tears he gave a nod and sank into Sirius' arms as the older man hugged him. A soothing hand up and down his back caused more tears to fall.

"Y-yes I a-a-am! Everything I do go-go-goes to shit!"

"Now let's cool our jets, eh?" Sirius leaned away slightly. "What have you tried doing that's gone to shit?"

"I can't even c-c-cast a Nox at the lights!"

Sirius gave a sympathetic look. "Draco, you have barely used your magic for a whole year. You should have started practicing the moment you got your wand back."

"I was afraid!"

"And? Has avoiding it made it any better?" he pressed on, gently.

Draco looked away lips pressed into a line. He gave the barest shake of his head.

"Well there you are. You're standing in your own way, Draco. Now," Sirius removed a handkerchief from his pocket with a flourish. He gently swiped it across his cousin's cheeks and handed it over in order for Draco to blow his nose. "Remus and I know for a fact that your theory work is beyond that of your classmates. You'll pass on that with O's all around I'd wager. You just need to brush up on the practical side of things."

"You know it won't b-be easy …"

"Of course not. But I never liked anything that was easy," Sirius sniffed in such a pompous imitation of Draco himself, that the blonde could definitely believe he came from the Noble House of Black. You could take the man out of the pureblood upbringing, but you couldn't take the pureblood bringing out of the man. Well, not all of it at least.

Sniffing and wiping at his eyes, Draco bunched the handkerchief, now damp, between his hands. "Grang -um -Hermione and Ron said that the eighth years and some seventh years practice duelling and other practical spells after hours," he sighed and brushed a strand of hair from his eyes. "They … they invited me to go. Friday night."

"I think that's a good idea," Sirius said gently, his hand a warm weight on Draco's shoulder.

He was almost convinced that Sirius had adopted a newfound magical ability whilst in Azkaban; it was as though whenever he touched Draco when he was in such a state, the darkness that clouded his mind would ebb away, as though Sirius himself was leeching all the evilness from his very bones. Draco knew it wasn't possible, but he drew comfort from the illusion at least.

He was almost convinced that Sirius had adopted a newfound magical ability whilst in Azkaban; it was as though whenever he touched Draco when he was in such a state, the darkness that clouded his mind would ebb away, as though Sirius himself was leeching all the evilness from his very bones. Draco knew it wasn't possible, but he drew comfort from the illusion at least.

"What if ... what if someone tries something?"

"I assume Auror Buxley will be with you, surely?" Sirius cocked an eyebrow. "Or Remus or I could stay and supervise?"

Draco blanched. "I don't think there's much adult supervision at these things. And I doubt anyone would appreciate me dragging along my bodyguard."

Sirius snorted and ruffled Draco's hair. If it had been anyone else, Draco could have hexed their balls off. "Well, someone will have to go with you. I can always ask Remus to go with you? I'm sure he could help focus the session for a few specific things."

"Unless a boggart gets brought in, I very much doubt it," Draco sighed.

"You think that's all he can do?" Sirius smirked. Leaning in, he murmured, "Did you not know that out of the four of us, he was the most devious?"

"No, I don't believe that for a second."

"Oh, you should. The bastard was a genius! Still is, in fact. Half of the most epic pranks were crafted with him at the helm."

"Then … how come it was always you and Harry's dad getting into trouble?"

"Because Remus, the sly little shit that he is rarely got caught doing anything heinous. I always got caught red handed! One time, LITERALLY! But he had built up such an amazing goody-two-shoes rep that he rarely got detention." Sirius laughed, a dreamy expression in his eyes. "Little git. I had to respect the hell out of that man on a daily basis. Always besting everyone, even though he fell asleep through most of his classes and was M.I.A. for at least one week every month."

"How the fuck DID he graduate?"

"By surviving on adrenaline, chocolate and a strict power-nap schedule that we helped monitor for him."

Draco frowned. "I … I don't even know how that's supposed to be a thing."

"It was easier when there were free study periods here and there. But there was always an hour and a half between the last lesson of the day and dinner, so we made sure he slept then. If it was a deep sleep we'd let him sleep through then sneak him down to the kitchen around midnight."

"I suppose the professors knew about his condition as well."

"Naturally. They helped Remus whenever they could without looking like they were favouriting anyone."

"Did he … get good grades?"

"Little shit got mostly 0's and two E's I think. I'll have to double-check tomorrow. But see? Remus ran through seven years of schooling on almost no sleep at all as well as his furry little problem. He managed to do so well with a good support system," Sirius looked at his cousin and hugged him around the shoulders. "You have a strong system here, Draco. Start utilising it."

Draco nodding, staring down at his lap. He fiddled with his fingers a little before his shoulders sagged. "Will … will you and Remus help me as well? On the weekend?"

Sirius' face broke out into a broad grin. "Of course! I can clear out that second dining room on the third floor. It should be long enough for what we need."

Draco gave a grateful if watery smile. "I appreciate it."

"Not a problem kid." Picking up the wand from the coffee table, Sirius handed it back to Draco. "Now, you need a proper night's rest. I'll talk to Remus tomorrow on our lunch break. Try not to worry too much. And tomorrow, I want you to report to me by dinner time that you've used at least five different spells."

"F-five?!"

"Yes," he nodded sagely. "I want them executed perfectly. If you don't get it right, keep going until you do."

"Wh-what sort of spells?"

"Oh, anything you like. Even if it's simply summoning a drink from the kitchen, I don't really care. I just want you to start practising and getting a feel for your magic again. Then Friday won't feel as daunting to you."

Draco sighed, defeated. "I suppose I can try my best."

"Good." Sirius stood up, offered his hand, and helped pull Draco up to his feet. Clapping him on the shoulder, Sirius steered the teenager out onto the landing, flicking the light switch off as he went. "I'll see you tomorrow morning."

"Goodnight," Draco murmured over his shoulder as he slid into his room.

.

~Friday~

.

It had been three days since his talk with Sirius.

The following morning Draco had rolled over onto his side and stared at the tip of his wand. The wood gleamed in the light filtering in between his curtains. It took him a while to summon the energy to get out of bed and when he did, he flinched at how cold it was. The fire must have gone out during the night, but Kreacher hadn't bothered to re-light it.

Swinging his legs over the edge of the bed, he shuddered and hunched over as his bare feet touched the cold floorboards. His wand taunted him from the bedside table. Picking it up, he twirled the wood between his fingers, feeling the magic prickle at his fingertips.

'Just cast incendio at the fireplace,' his brain said. 'It's so simple. Go on!'

Chewing his lip, he pointed his wand at the cold fireplace. His arm quaked a little. "I-incendio," he choked out, wincing as a piss-poor spark shot out and barely bounced onto the blackened coals. "Fuck!" he almost dropped the wand, chilly sweat breaking out over his skin. A part of him wanted to toss the wand aside and go about his day in muggle-fashion, however … Sirius' words echoed in his head.

He had toyed with a few spells the last few days but had quickly given up after a few attempts. His aguamenti had tasted like copper and his Lumos had either shone too brightly or too dimly before stuttering out.

'Keep going. You can do it!'

Gripping his wand with determination, he turned his glare towards the fireplace. Brandishing his wand, he cleared his throat and shouted, "Incendio!"

Fire spurted from the tip of his wand and latched onto the coals, within moments a fat, yellow fire was greedily crackling away in the grate. The heat flooded through the room and Draco shivered as it warded off the cold from his bones.

"Right," he murmured, shuffling into his dressing gown and tying it up at the waist. "One down, four to go."

.

The remainder of his day went rather smoothly, all things considered. He made sure Harry was up and dressed while he levitated a stuffed tiger to coax Teddy to calm down and not toddle off out of sight. Now that the little brat could walk, he was a nuisance, always running off and jamming things up his nose. Not that it seemed to bother him.

It did keep Draco's mind blissfully occupied as he cast a couple of spells with minimal issues. At least his levitation charms were still in working order.

Andromeda came by around midday to take Teddy for the afternoon. She asked if Draco wanted her company, but he assured her that he was fine. He needed to work on adjusting the potion that would help accelerate Harry's aging process, and said child was more than eager to help Draco in his make-shift lab in the cellar. At Andromeda's frown, Draco hastily offered that he could pop by later in the afternoon for a cup of tea, before going to Hogwarts for his first out-of-hours study session.

She agreed with a smirk, before carrying Teddy towards the fireplace.

After a quick lunch whilst watching two episodes of 'DEXTER'S LABORATORY', Harry was exceptionally eager to get down to the cellar and help Draco prep for the potion. This particular one only needed a week to brew, which would fit in perfectly with their current aging schedule. Draco was about to fetch his ingredients, when he remembered Sirius' words again. Swallowing against the feeling of dread in his throat, he picked up his wand and summoned the ingredients one by one. Harry stared up at him in awe as the ingredients floated over to the prep station, wavering slightly when panic touched the edges of his mind.

Still, he had managed on the first try, and that had to count for something.

Draco allocated a few small chopping tasks, which he seemed to happily jump at. Perched on a stool on the other side of the desk, Draco peered up through his blonde fringe as he watched a nine-year-old Harry deftly slicing up the caterpillars and putting them to one side of his chopping board, before picking up the shrivelfig and peeling the top layer off without batting an eyelid.

Draco had to admit he was impressed. He had anticipated Harry to be squeamish over such things. He watched as Harry peeled with a steady and practiced hand. "You're doing remarkably well Harry," he complimented as he stirred the base of his potion before letting it simmer over the fire. Another incendio -he felt a little proud at that! "How are you so good at this?"

"Wasn't I good at potions when I was older?" Harry paused with a frown.

"Eh … Not particularly, no," Draco admitted. "I think that was more because of Professor Snape than anything."

"Oh," Harry blinked. "Didn't he like me?"

"No, but he never really liked anyone."

"Did he like you?"

"When it suited him."

There was a moment of silence. Harry returned his attention to the last of the shrivelfig, and made short work of peeling the skin off. "This is easy. It's like when I have to peel potatoes for dinner at the Dursley's. Did you know I can cook a full roast? Aunt Petunia hit me with a wooden spoon once when I burnt some of the carrots, but I never did it again after that."

Draco clenched his jaw, magic hissing at his fingertips. Those muggles -the things he would do to them, if he had the chance. How had Sirius refrained from hunting them down at all? It was maddening!

"I like not having to cook here with Daddy," Harry grinned, setting the small knife down. "It's like being on the best holiday ever!"

Draco forced a smile, "That's good."

"I enjoy potions, I think," Harry mused. "At least, I enjoy potions with you."

Draco felt his cheeks grow warm. He cleared his throat and busied himself with organising the ingredients in the order he'd be needing them. "I'm glad you enjoy it. Remus says that your mum was very good at potions. She was top of her class at one point."

Harry's eyes went wide. "Wow! I didn't know that. Do you think I could learn to be as good as her?"

"Well with a lot of practice I don't see why that's not possible," Draco smiled encouragingly. "You do love Quidditch like your dad, though."

"I can like two things!" Harry protested with a grin. Peering over into the cauldron, he asked, "Is there anything else I can help you with?"

"I'll need you to chop the daisy roots for me in about five minutes. Do you think you can wait that long?" he asked, cocking a teasing eyebrow at the kid.

"I'll die of boredom!" Harry exclaimed dramatically. "Then who will you have to help you brew all these potions?"

"Well, I suppose I could ask Ron –"

"No, don't do that!" Harry cried. "I'm the only one who gets to help! Ron doesn't even like potions, he says it's a stupid waste of time!"

Draco smirked to himself as he stirred the shrivelfig blood into the cauldron. "Well then I suppose you'll have to keep calm for the next three minutes, and then you can be the perfect little assistant."

Harry bit his lip, but his grin was too big to restrain. Draco told himself that the flutter in his chest was definitely nothing to do with -Merlin forbid -feelings. He ruffled Harry's hair before turning his attention back to the potion. He blamed his flustered appearance and red cheeks on the heat from the fire under his cauldron.

Yes, the fire. That's what it was.

.

Draco waited until exactly 7pm -the end of dinner in the Great Hall -before floo-ing into Sirius and Remus' office. He brushed soot from his jumper and adjusted his grip on the borrowed holster on his arm. Adjusting to his surroundings, he noted the voices of his two guardians in the adjacent classroom. Stepping out onto the top of the staircase, he saw Sirius leaning casually against his desk, practically sitting on it, arms folded, as he grinned up at Remus. Whatever they were talking about, Draco couldn't decipher, but the way Sirius stared up at Remus as though in awe -it made his insides twist and ache.

Clearing his throat, he flinched when two sets of eyes turned up to him. Remus didn't shuffle away from Sirius, as he unconsciously did around other students. That made the twist in Draco's gut flare warm.

"You ready for this, kid?" Sirius asked, clapping a hand on Draco's back as he came to stand beside them.

"Nope," Draco sighed. "I just know someone's going to hex me and claim it was an accident."

"I'm going to be there right alongside you," Remus assured with a firm gaze. "Not to mention Ron and Hermione will be keeping an eye out as well."

"I thought Sirius was coming with me?"

Sirius exchanged a sheepish look with Remus before getting to his feet. "I feel … guilty. I feel as though I haven't been spending a lot of time with Harry recently. Do you … mind?"

"Of course not!" Draco felt his cheeks burn red under scrutiny. "I just … I thought it was you, that's all."

Sirius gave Draco's shoulder a squeeze. "It'll be alright, you'll see." Turning to look up at Remus, he smiled. "I'll finish the marking tonight okay?" he murmured, his hand coming out to caress the well-formed bicep hidden within Remus' cardigan.

Remus' eyes flashed gold. He fought the urge to grab Sirius close and inhale the woody scent of his aftershave. "I'll … erm-" he cleared his throat. "I'll try to have us both back by ten."

Sirius held onto his arm a moment longer, his gleaming grey eyes lingering, before he extracted himself and shot Draco a smile. "Behave yourself, Draco. I don't want to hear that you were shooting hexes at people."

Draco huffed. "You'll only hear about it if I get caught."

"Good boy," Sirius winked, before bounding up the staircase to the office.

Remus watched him go with a shake of his head. "That man," he sighed before turning to Draco. "Come on, you. Let's get going."

.

Draco followed Remus through the lower corridors of the castle. His skin prickled under the crackling light of the torches. He felt goosepumps raise all over his arms as they turned off the Entrance Hall and along a corridor that ran adjacent to the Herbology Greenhouses on the other side of the thick, stone wall. Eventually they stopped at a door. Remus raised his wand and murmured, 'Finite Incantatum' instantly dispelling the 'Muffliato' that had been silencing the hubbub on the other side.

The babble died away as the door swung inwards and Remus stepped through with Draco.

It took a moment for most of them to react, but within moments, every wand was directed at Draco. No one dared to fire a spell, though. Not when there was a professor present. Still, the threat of all their magic ready to shred him to pieces, had Draco's sweat freezing on his skin.

Remus' arm came up and with a flick of his wand, every wand that had been pointed at Draco, shot through the air and into the older man's hand. It looked a little awkward, holding twelve wands, but Remus barely adjusted his grip as he raised an unimpressed eyebrow at the teenagers before him. "I'm seriously disappointed in the lot of you," he sighed wearily. "Living through a war and still so easily disarmed. Have Professor Black and I taught you nothing?"

The sharp crack of his voice was enough to make some of the Seventh Years flinch and regard one another uneasily. The few Eighth years who recognised Draco, narrowed their eyes in disgust, but were otherwise silent.

"Now, I will let you have your wands back on one condition," he paused to make sure they were all listening. "You don't try that shit again. Do we understand one another?"

Silence.

"Do we understand one another?" his teeth were gritted now.

Reluctantly, students nodded.

Remus returned their wands after another minute of staring them down.

"Now, feel free to pair-off and practice what you usually do. I'm only here on Draco's behalf."

"Sorry sir, but why are you defending that bastard?" someone -was that Zacharius Smith? -shouted out.

"I notice a war hasn't helped your manners, Smith," Remus narrowed his eyes. "And not that it's anyone's business, but I am one of Mr. Malfoy's guardians until his probation is over."

"But -but he's a murderer!" This shout was followed by a series of murmured agreements.

A hot flush of anger emanated from Remus. Draco flinched at the way he held himself. If there was one thing you didn't say to Remus Lupin's face, it was falsely accusing someone of being a murderer.

"Get out."

"I -w-what?"

"I said 'get out'." Draco could hear the saliva pooling in the older man's mouth. It made him uneasy to think that his eyes may also have glowed gold in the low lights of the classroom. "Draco has never killed anyone, nor was he convicted or any killings. Now. Get. Out."

Zacharius looked around for anyone else to support him, but even if they had, they avoided his gaze now. Glowering at his fellow students, he shoved his wand into his pocket and stalked out of the room, ramming his shoulder against Draco's as he passed by. Draco sneered but didn't retaliate. The door slammed shut, echoing throughout the room. Draco was secretly pleased to note he wasn't the only one that flinched at the loud noise.

"If anyone else has an issue with Mr. Malfoy learning here this evening, I suggest you leave as well."

Thankfully, no one else was too proud to leave.

"Good, now that that's all taken care of, what was the specific exercise you were to be working on tonight?"

"We were meant to be working on some transfiguration and charms, Professor," Hermione's voice carried through the air.

"Very well, get into groups of three and four, and start working on whatever you've been learning in classes this week," Remus turned and placed a calming hand on Draco. He hadn't realised how rattled he'd been by Zacharius storming off. "Why don't you go and join Hermione and Ron? You can put some of that theory into practice."

Draco pressed his lips together but did as he was told. Ron and Hermione turned to him with surprised as they approached. "Can I-" he cleared his throat. "May I join your group for this?"

Hermione gave him a warm smile. "Of course."

Ron gave a barely-there smile, as was becoming his way with Draco. The blonde took that as progress at least. Sighing, he ran a hand through his unstyled hair. "So what exactly were you learning in class this week?"

"Human transfiguration," Ron smirked. The look made Draco uneasy as the thought of small clawed feet scampered through his mind.

"Figures," he grunted. "I am NOT being the test subject."

Ron snickered. "Oh come on, it wasn't that bad."

"I have literally not lived that down."

"Why would you? It was hilarious!"

"Ronalds!" Hermione scolded. "That's enough. I'll be the test subject."

"Hermione, no! What if I screw it up?"

"Then let's be glad that Remus is here tonight and not Sirius."

She handed Ron a piece of parchment that had the spell, wand movements and variation of syllables for desired effects. Draco let his eyes skim over the handwriting, commiting it to memory. He remembered reading up on the theory behind human transfiguration spells weeks ago, but his memories of white fur sprouting up all over his body and then the inside of Crabbe's trousers ... he shuddered every time.

It took Draco watching Weasley struggle for about twenty minutes to turn Hermione into ... something. All the girl had been left with was a strange shaped nose and lots of sparse prickly fur growing in patches. It was a good thing there was no mirrors around. With a sigh, he removed his wand from the holster he'd borrowed off Sirius. "Give it up, Weasley, you're too scared."

Ron rounded on him, wand pointed at his head. "Say that again!"

Maintaining an air of bravado that he no way felt on the inside, Draco moved Ron's wand to the side, staring up into his flushed face. "You're too scared of doing permanent damage to your girlfriend. Admirable though it is, it's effecting the spells you cast. Let me show you. Finite Incantatum!"

Hermione's fur and strange nose returned back to the way they had been. Draco took Weasley's place in front of her and brandished his wand. He could feel himself sweating but he forced his mind to clear, to focus, to channel his magic through his wand. He mentally counted to three then -

"Pullus!"

Hermione vanished in a plume of white feathers and in her stead, stood a plump little hen, with sleek brown and white feathers and little beady black eyes. Her head cocked from one side to the other, regarding them from her new height.

"Holy shit!"

"Holy shit!"

Ron and Draco looked at one another at hen-Hermione started scratching at the floor. "You'd better be able to change her back," Ron murmured.

Waving his wand he snapped, "Finite Incantatum!"

Hermione reappeared, a few brown feathers still clinging to her curls. Her face, however, was beaming. "Well done, Draco! I'm so impressed!" she crossed the distance between them and threw her arms around him. "That was so painless and easy! I have to tell Remus. PROFESSOR! PROFESSOR OVER HERE!"

"Granger!" Draco hissed.

Remus strode across the room that was littered with students sporting pig ears and tails, feathers and long ratty tails. He cocked an eyebrow at them. "Any trouble, Hermione?"

"No, not at all," she beamed. "Draco just successfully transformed me into a chicken and back on the first try. Isn't that great?"

"That's indeed impressive," he agreed, turning his amber eyes onto Draco. "Care to show me how you did it?"

"Er ..." sweat instantly beaded beneath his clothes. "No?"

"You'll have to do it in front of the examiners, Draco. If you can't do it in front of me, how will you manage in front of them?"

"You're not going to leave me alone until I do it, are you?" he sighed.

"Afraid not."

Hermione grinned smugly before striding away to the spot where she'd been before. She gave Draco an encouraging smile before quirking an eyebrow at Ron. "You're turn next, mister."

Draco brandished his wand whilst Ron paled beside him. He tried to ignore the hubab around the room, ignored the prickle of everyone's elses magic in the air. He cleared his mind and tried to ignore the heavy weight of Remus' focused gaze on him as he brandished his wand at Hermione. Drawing in a deep breath, he counted to three and - "Pullus!"

As seamlessly as before, Hermione disappeared into the form of a small plump chicken, before Draco cast the counter-curse and she was back, grinning broadly. Remus grinned and gave Draco a squeeze on the shoulder. "Very good job. I'm impressed. Especially on your first try. Now," he turned to look at all three of them. "I want you to rotate and practice this more."

"Alright, ferret, you heard the man. You're next!" Ron grinned wickedly, steering Draco to the spot Hermione had been at.

He shot them both a baleful look before sighing and sliding his wand back into his holster. As he listened to Ron prepare, he closed his eyes and waited for whatever nonsense was about to befall him.

He deserved what was coming, after-all.

~0~

Sirius was sitting on the sofa in a pair of lounge bottoms and a long-sleeved shirt. Teddy was bundled up for sleep in one of Harry's enlarged baby onesies with the slippered feet attached. The baby was sprawled over Sirius' chest, his hair changing colours whenever he exhaled. He kept a comforting hand on the baby's back so he didn't slide off awkwardly down the end of the sofa. On his other side, balance along the length of the sofa seat, Harry was half wrapped against Sirius' side, an arm and leg wrapped carefully around his middle, his head nestled in the crook of his arm. Sirius' arm around Harry's shoulders kept him from falling off.

The boys were drifting off to sleep as they watched 'Changing Rooms' on TV. Sirius thought that all the bright colours would help distract them, and it did, and he continued to watch the next two episodes because it was fascinating all the things muggles were able to do without magic.

The sound of the floo in the kitchen alerted him to Remus and Draco's arrival home. Unfortunately he was unable to get up and greet them.

"Honey we're home!"

Sirius rolled his eyes with a fond smile. "In here!" he called as loudly as he dared. Thankfully, Teddy didn't wake up and Harry beamed up at him.

The door to the lounge swung open and Remus walked in. Upon seeing them he chuckled. "Well don't we all look cosy?"

"Moony you're home!" Harry grinned, wriggling out of Sirius' grasp and flinging his arms around Remus' waist, his head nuzzling the older man's stomach. "I missed you!"

Running his hands through the thick black hair Remus smiled fondly. "I missed you too, pup." His eyes locked with Sirius', "Have you managed well enough without me, Daddy-dearest?" He smirked when Sirius blushed a little.

"Yes, Mummy," Sirius quipped. "Both boys are watered, fed, and had an adventure bath."

"What ... What's an adventure bath?" At Sirius' grin, Remus blanched. "Sirius! You did NOT turn the bath tub into a pirate ship again, did you?!"

"Relax, it was only for twenty minutes."

"And? Did you clean up all the soap suds after?"

"Well, I wasn't going to, but then Harry gave me a rather impressive lecture about manner's and not making Moony cry so ... yes, I did." He cocked an eyebrow as Harry wriggled back up onto the sofa. "I wonder where he learned to lecture so well from?"

"I hope you're not suggesting it was me?" Remus frowned.

"You AND my delightful cousin." Realisation dawned on his face. "Speaking of, where is Draco? Oh Merlin, did you splinch him? Is he out there right now looking for his nose or his left eyebrow?!"

Chuckling Remus shook his head. "No, he's in the kitchen going over some notes with Hermione and Ron about the potion." A wistful look swam across his face. "He did really well tonight, Sirius. He did fairly advanced spells perfectly on the first try. I think it's helped boost his confidence a bit."

"Good, then we definitely need to get him practicing after hours as much as possible. Maybe do some here on Saturday as well?"

"That sounds good," Remus reached out and gave Sirius' hand a squeeze.

The roar of the floo in the kitchen went off. Both heads turned to see Draco standing in the doorway, a corked phial in his hand.

"Are Ron and Hermione gone?" Sirius asked.

"They just left." Draco held up the phial. "It's ready for him tonight if you like. If we're lucky it should speed up the aging process, but we can't do it too often."

Remus took the phial, "I'll pop it on his bedside and take Teddy to bed." Standing to his full height, he took the phial from Draco and placed a firm hand on his shoulder. "You did well tonight Draco. I'm proud of you."

The words pierced right through Dracos heart. He looked up into those bright gold eyes and everything was pushed out of his mind as he launched himself at the older man, winding his arms around him in a fierce hug. Remus stumbled, shocked, his eyes wide as he glanced over the teen's shoulder at Sirius on the sofa. The man had a wet shine to his grey eyes. Slowly, comfortingly, Remus wrapped his arm around Draco's chest, holding him close, his enhanced hearing picking up the mumbled words of, "Thank you so much, Remus. Thank you, thank you, thank you!"

When he pulled away, Draco's lashes were wet. He swiped them dry and cleared his throat. "Thanks. I'll er ... I'll see you guys in the morning?"

He hurried out of the room, using the cuff of his jumper to dab at his eyes as he bounded up the stairs to his bedroom.

Remus ran a hand through his hair. "Just when you think he was stunting himself ... that happens," he smiled at the space where Draco had been. Shaking himself to, Remus bent down and gently lifted his sleeping son into his arms. "Let's put these two boys to bed. If Draco's potion works, we'll most likely be woken up in the early hours."

"You're right," Sirius agreed.

Harry was drowsing against his chest. He was definitely getting taller and heavier; almost too heavy for Sirius to physically carry him up to bed. He refused to use magic though. He loved those unguarded moments of carrying the young boy whilst he slept in his arms. With Harry cradled in one arm against his chest, legs dangling limply around his waist, Sirius led the way upstairs. Now that Teddy was a little older the two boys were sharing a bedroom. Teddy was easily settled into his cot and when Sirius settled Harry onto the edge of the bed and coaxed him to drink the phial of potion, he felt his heart twist as Harry groggily drank it down. Removing the fairly small glasses from the childs face, Sirius kissed his forehead and drew the covers up to his chin.

Sirius took Remus' free hand in his own and together they quietly left the boys room. They unmade the bed, Remus making short work of changing into a pair of pyjamas. There was a question lingering in the air between them, but now was not the time for any such talk as Remus hovered at the end of the bed. Leaning up, Sirius pressed a soft kiss to Remus' mouth and stroked his thumb along the rough, scarred knuckles.

Remus leaned into the kiss, their foreheads touching. "Is it silly that I'm worried how Harry is going to react to things when he ages tomorrow?"

"No. I'm ... I'm dreading it. The older he gets the more loss he will have to come to terms with. Not to mention when I ... when I ..."

"Died?" Remus breathed. Sirius nodded in the darkness. Remus squeezed his hand tighter. Drawing in a deep, bracing breath, Remus whispered, "What was it like?"

Sirius looked up, his breath hitching in his chest. The sorrow in his head was echoed in Remus' eyes; he was asking how it was for their two best friends all those years ago. For his wife who died on the battle field. The lead-up to it was horrifying, the suspense, the desperate pleas to live, but dying itself ...

"Did it hurt you?" came the hushed, trembling voice.

Sirius closed his eyes and shook his head. "It was quicker than falling asleep."

Remus clenched their clasped hands together, a tremor running through his body. Sirius cast a quick silencing charm at the door before easing Remus fully into his arms. As soon as he embraced the tall man, his resolve broke. A deep, guttural sob punctuated the air between them. Somehow they made it to the bed and, all night long, as Remus clung to Sirius and sobbed his heart out, Sirius held him and stroked his hair. He never offered anything more than was necessary. Remus had bottled everything up for so long -almost a year -and had lashed out with anger and aggression. He hadn't dared to ask; he hadn't been brave enough or strong enough to know the answer. Now that he had, he could finally start to heal.

A/N: Please leave some lovely reviews! I love long, juicy, detailed ones especially for an update that's so long :O how did that happen?!

B x