Harry Potter:Raised by Wolves

Lupin's face drained of what little color it had, and he braced a hand against the desk for support.

"Harry," he breathed, looking as though he had just been struck. "Harry, I thought you knew."

"How could I have known? No one ever told me! No one tells me anything about them!"

"I'm sorry—I assumed someone must have. If they ever spoke to you about your parents at school, well… I thought you just didn't want to know."

Lupin truly looked apologetic, and Harry exhaled sharply, his anger beginning to cool.

"I've been trying to figure it out since the train," he admitted softly. "Why you seem so familiar. I knew you, didn't I? Before?"

Lupin hesitated, then nodded, heartbreak evident in his expression. "Yes. Your parents… your father was one of the best friends I ever had. Your mother, too. I miss them every day—today more than most. I'm sure you know what I mean."

Harry knew all too well. Every Halloween, he woke with a hollow ache in his chest, a swirling emptiness he didn't know how to fill—the aching, gaping chasm where his parents had been.

"Tell me about them. Please," he begged, his voice cracking.

Lupin studied him for a long moment before sighing.

"Sit down," he said at last. "I'll make some tea."

Harry obeyed, sinking into the chair opposite the desk. Instead of sitting behind it, Lupin took the seat beside him, placing the tea tray on the small table between them.

"So," Lupin said, pouring them each a cup, "what do you want to know, Harry?"

"Everything," Harry said immediately. "Aunt Petunia never says a word. I didn't even know about magic until I got my Hogwarts letter."

He scowled, then muttered under his breath, "She didn't even tell me my name until I was five."

Lupin's eyebrows rose slightly. "Petunia? Lily's sister?"

"Yeah. She won't talk about Mum at all," Harry confirmed, shaking his head. "What were they like? The yearbook said they were Head Boy and Girl. And Mum was really good at Charms?"

Lupin chuckled quietly. "Beat me to the top spot every year running."

A fond look crossed his face as he continued, "Lily… I've never met a kinder person than Lily Evans in all my life. She was always willing to go out of her way to help people. The only time I ever saw her truly angry was when your father was involved."

Harry frowned, puzzled.

Lupin laughed. "Oh, it was far from love at first sight, Harry. For the first six years of school, Lily thought James was an arrogant tosspot—and, to be fair, she wasn't entirely wrong. James, of course, thought the sun rose and set with Lily Evans from the very moment he first saw her at the Sorting. But she wouldn't give him the time of day until seventh year."

"What changed?" Harry asked, gripping his teacup tightly.

"James grew up," Lupin said simply. "Stopped trying so hard to impress her. Stopped hexing Slytherins for fun."

From the way Lupin's expression shifted, Harry had a good idea which particular Slytherin James had been hexing.

"Drove Sirius mad at first—all his fun being spoiled because James was trying to woo a girl."

Lupin didn't seem to realize what he had said at first, but when he did, anguish flickered across his face. Harry winced.

"They were friends, then."

Lupin's voice was soft when he answered. "The best of friends. Practically brothers. The four of us were inseparable, but those two… their bond went beyond friendship."

Harry hesitated. "You three… and my mum?"

Lupin shook his head. "No. Myself, James, Sirius, and a boy named Peter Pettigrew."

He fell silent, his gaze distant, lost in some memory. Harry cleared his throat quietly, and Lupin blinked, returning to the present.

"That was half a lifetime ago, of course. None of us had any idea that Sirius… Sometimes, I still can't believe it myself."

Harry tried to imagine how it would feel if Ron or Hermione suddenly turned out to be Voldemort supporters. The thought made him feel sick.

"What happened?" he asked hesitantly.

Lupin's eyes darkened. "Your parents went into hiding," he said after a moment, avoiding Harry's gaze. "Under a very powerful secrecy charm—the Fidelius Charm. It allows a location or person to be completely hidden, known only to a single individual called the Secret Keeper. Your parents chose Sirius. They trusted him more than anyone. And within a week…"

Lupin trailed off, squeezing his eyes shut. He didn't need to finish. Harry already knew how that sentence ended.

"Peter was furious when he found out. He went after Sirius. But he was never as good with spells as the rest of us, not quite as brave…" Lupin swallowed. "He was one of the people Sirius killed when he blew up the street. All that was left of him was a finger."

Harry's heart felt like it had stopped.

A heavy silence settled between them, thick with grief and horror.

"I'm sorry, Harry," Lupin said abruptly. His shoulders slumped as he seemed to collapse in on himself, as though trying to hide from his own memories. "That was more information than you ever needed. I should have broken it to you more gently."

"No." Harry shook his head. "I'm glad you told me. I—I needed to know."

Sirius Black. The reason his parents were dead.

"He was my godfather, wasn't he?"

Lupin hesitated. "I—yes. How did you know?"

The words flashed through Harry's mind. Named Heir to the Noble and Most Ancient House of Black.

He had his answer now.

He opened his mouth, unsure what he would say—but before he could speak, the door suddenly swung open.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Thank you for choosing this novel

For advanced chapters visit:

http://ko-fi.com/abrahansmith1b

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~