Remus is standing around a bit awkwardly as Harry and James pet the thestrals while Sirius is already lounging in the carriage, ready to head off to the train for winter holidays. It's the last carriage and the only reason it didn't take off with the others is because Harry and James are distracting the drivers.

Harry glances between them because Remus and Sirius definitely moved around the thestrals. "So you can all see the thestrals?" Harry pauses. "Oh, I mean if it was Wormtail…"

"Nah, my great-uncle carked it at dinner when I was nine," Sirius offers up. "Couldn't have happened to a bigger asshole."

"I always could," Remus admits. "No idea who I saw die so it was probably Moony who saw it."

Sirius scoffs. "Moony tried to take a thestral down last year - except they can fly. He tried so hard, bless his little werewolf heart."

"Moony can definitely see thestrals," James says, sending a pointed look at Remus and Sirius. "You wanna know who I saw die?"

"Oh, don't tell him that," Sirius complains with a wince.

"What happened?" Remus asks warily.

"It was on a full moon," James begins. "And we were running through the forest, right? And I'm in the lead, just having fun, prancing around, being a cute deer - I turn and see Moony tear the bloody throat out of some guy! And then - then I just stand there, watching frozen in horror as Moony and Padfoot just straight up eat someone in front of me-"

"It was a deer!" Sirius cries, leaning out of the carriage. "Harry, he's making it sound like a human, it was a deer, and the buck was limping anyway! The deer was old and injured, if it wasn't us it was going to be someone else!"

"I had nightmares for weeks!" James snaps back. "And don't you get me started on that unicorn you ate!"

"What?" Harry gasps, head whipping around. "Wait, wait, unicorn blood is – like that's…really Dark stuff to drink unicorn blood."

"I was off my face for a solid week," Sirius admits with a bark of laughter. "I don't remember shit but no one came after us for it so Jamie and Remi did a good job."

Remus offers up a shrug to Harry. "I was fine, I'm already a Dark creature. Actually I was feeling pretty good."

Harry is still looking pretty horrified so James pats him on the shoulder. "I mean that unicorn tried to attack Moony first so…it was self-defence."

"Did you look it up later?" Harry insists. "Is it out of your bodies or do you need to watch out for that?"

James purses his lips. "Well, I mean we tried to look it up but nothing mentioned it and Sirius recovered fine so we…kind of just let it go? Is it – like are we supposed to be worried?"

Harry scrubs a hand through his hair. "Ugh, I'm going to have to ask Voldemort what happens when you drink unicorn blood."

Harry comes running out of Potter Manor and swings a leg over the back of the motorbike behind older Sirius.

"What is that?" James demands, standing at the doorway, arms crossed. "Look at it, it's a quarter of a car."

Sirius rolls his eyes. "You know damn well what this is, Jamie. I started my bike obsession back in fourth year."

James walks up to them with a frown and kicks one of the tires sceptically. "Yeah, and I know you need a helmet on one of these things."

"It has built-in safety features-" Sirius tries.

"Can't you just apparate?" James complains.

Sirius stares at him. "Why are you talking like I'm a bad boy eloping with you son?"

Harry laughs. "Dad, it's fine, I've been on it tons of times. I told you, I'll just be out for a bit."

"I'm coming with you." James slaps away Sirius' arm and grabs the handlebars, jumping a bit so he can swing a leg over awkwardly, kicking Sirius in the thigh accidentally before he settles on Sirius' lap since there's no more room behind Harry. "You won't understand until you have kids, Harry," James says wisely.

"Oh I understand plenty," Harry says firmly, humour completely gone. "James, get off the bike, it's dangerous."

Sirius is just laughing because these two are the cutest little family.

They end up going flying, all three of them. As soon as Sirius teaches James to fly it James starts doing loop-de-loops and barrel rolls because he's a hypocrite.

They get to a smaller magical shopping district and James wants to look at brooms and Sirius wants to look at creepy artifacts so they have a dance off right in the middle of the street in broad daylight to decide.

Harry stands off to the side and pretends to not know them which is difficult when James looks identical except very swiftly getting much taller than Harry.

Harry is rather happy to note that it basically just doesn't matter what kind of Sirius it is, James loves them all the same and the two fall together like they'd never left each other's company, like they're extensions of each other.

Harry tries to fade into the background, just enjoying watching them. It is a bit of an odd dynamic because Sirius will flip-flop between how his younger version acts with James -all intense energy and laughter- then becomes the godfather, turning around and coaxing Harry up to look at something or ask what he wants to do.

James is very used to running off and having people follow him so he gets confused why Sirius isn't at his hip like it should be and then backtracks to drag Harry with him.

Harry is very indulgent of everything James does and he loves James so much but having them side by side makes it very clear that Harry doesn't consider James…a parent. Not in a bad way of course but it's just difficult to.

Sirius is still just as chaotic as James so it's not their behaviour exactly. Harry is aware that he tells Sirius things that he doesn't tell James and part of that is the timeline difference but also Harry can complain more with Sirius and act out a bit – as much as Harry does at least.

James is so young and bright and Harry wants to keep him safe. Sirius is an adult, he's been through a lot and Harry doesn't want to burden him but Sirius can understand better. Maybe it's Harry, feeling like he has responsibility over James (and he's already failed Sirius, hasn't he).

James is at a window, having got side-tracked by cute puffskeins playing together and Sirius walks up to him, plasters himself to James' back and shoves his hands down the front pockets of James' trousers.

"I like the one with the sly little smile like it's plotting something," Sirius says, chin on James' shoulder.

"I like the really long one that seems to be reading the bedding newspapers," James admits.

"Are we just describing Remi?"

"Damn, we're just describing Remi."

"Well, fine how about that angry one, ripping into the bedding?" Sirius suggests.

"Isn't that just Moony instead?"

"Damn, it's just Moony instead."

"Fuck, I love that boy," James sigh fondly. "I'm going to buy the angry one."

"No you're not," Harry says immediately. "You'll get bored immediately."

James blinks, shocked. "I raised an entire werewolf, I think I can take a puffskein."

Sirius hums. "Either you're going to leave it at home during Hogwarts or Padfoot will eat it out of jealously."

James turns so he can stare at both of them in outrage. "I'm sorry, did I sign up for three dads? I'm buying the bloody puffskein."

Sirius drags James away from the store kicking and screaming, until Harry distracts James by saying he's really hungry and they should get lunch.