*blushes* I'm so glad you enjoyed it, and that you gave it a chance!
Gus is modeled after my nephew. He's four (turning five Monday), and pretty much everything Gus does my nephew does or did at some point. The obsession with toy cars, especially.
I'll be honest--I was worried about the time switching. It was necessary to make the story more well-rounded, but I'm sure it turned off people to the story, but I tried to write everything linearly and it made no sense. Switching between times and giving the reader a glimpse of everything pertinent was the best I could do, so I'm thrilled that people understand it.
I really just wanted a better reason for Severus's devotion to Harry's safety than his love for Lily. That's what started the whole thing. I also wanted Dumbledore alive because he was too crafty to fall for one of Voldemort's tricks. ;)