Harry Potter:Raised by Wolves

"It's a lot of magic. I don't want you overdoing it," Lupin warned.

On the contrary, Harry's magic felt better than it had in weeks—finally able to start leveling out the extra burst from his newly freed core. But he couldn't say that, so he allowed himself to be herded into the chair and handed a large mug of hot chocolate.

"I have to say, I'm impressed. You're picking this up far quicker than I expected."

Harry grinned, pride swelling in his chest. "Thanks." He sipped his hot chocolate, letting the warmth seep through his body. Then, glancing up at the man opposite him, he hesitated before speaking. "I heard my dad."

Lupin frowned, puzzled.

"When the dementor came… usually, I just hear my mum screaming for Voldemort to leave me alone. But this time, before I passed out… Dad was there. He said he'd hold Voldemort off so Mum could take me and run. I've never heard his voice before."

Lupin's shoulders tensed. "James would have done anything for you and Lily," he said after a moment. "Ever since we were kids, he always said he'd never love anyone as much as he loved Lily Evans. And then they had you."

He met Harry's gaze, his eyes shining with unshed tears. "You were his whole world, you know? You and your mother. He was never as happy as he was when he was with you."

A lump rose in Harry's throat. He took another sip of his hot chocolate. "What—what was it like? When they had me?"

The only wizarding home he had ever known was the Burrow, a unique brand of chaos that was nothing like the house he had been born into.

Lupin seemed to understand what he meant. "At first, James was terrified. He was an only child, you see, and he'd never been around babies before. It took Lily ages to convince him to hold you without her supervising—he kept insisting he'd drop you." He chuckled softly. "For the first two weeks, he kept putting your nappies on backwards. But he got the hang of it eventually. Always said he was useless at it—told me the cat was the one actually watching you, and he was just helping. But he doted on you, Harry. Every second of every day. Even when times got dark, even when things were difficult, there was so much love in that house."

Harry's heart ached as he tried to picture it. "We had a cat?" he asked, latching onto the safest part of that statement.

"Sergeant Pepper," Lupin told him, his lips curling into a smile. "Lily's cat from when we were in school. He didn't like James at first. Warmed up to him eventually. We knew Lily had finally given in to her feelings when Pep started leaving dead mice on James' pillow. Well, once we realized it wasn't Sirius doing it as a joke," he added with a snort.

A flash of pain crossed his face at the mention of Sirius, and he looked away. "No one ever found Pep after… after Voldemort. The house was in a terrible state. We never knew if he ran for it or…"

Harry hoped the cat had run. Hoped he had found a new home, a new family to love him. That would make one of them, at least.

"So Dad wasn't great with babies?" he asked eventually.

That made Lupin laugh. "Not exactly, but he muddled through. Lily, on the other hand, was a natural from day one. Took to motherhood like a duck to water. She always said she wanted at least one more. Said being an only child sounded lonely, and even a terrible sibling was better than none at all."

Lupin set his mug down. "Sirius said the same, and he hated his brother. The rest of us were only children too. Severus never understood it, not after—well. Never mind." His cheeks flushed, and he ducked his head.

Harry caught onto that immediately. "Why did Snape never tell me he knew my parents?"

It was the second time now that Lupin had mentioned Snape and his parents as if they had known each other better than just as classmates.

"Professor Snape, Harry," Lupin corrected automatically. "He… James and Severus never got along. In fact, I think it's safe to say they hated each other." He sighed. "I'll admit, James didn't help matters. He was always jealous that Lily and Severus were friends, so he… well, most of the pranks he and Sirius played were on Slytherins, and Severus in particular. I tried to stay out of it, but… things happened. They were my friends."

Lupin rubbed at a faint scar on the bridge of his nose. "It's a very long story, Harry, and it's not entirely mine to tell. Perhaps one day… Suffice it to say, Professor Snape has a complicated relationship with the memory of your parents. And I don't think you make it any easier. Not that it's your fault," he added quickly. "He's just working under some… mistaken assumptions."

Harry slowly finished off his hot chocolate, mulling over Lupin's words. He supposed he could understand it. If Snape and his dad had hated each other as kids, and then Harry showed up looking exactly like James Potter… no wonder Snape didn't like him. It wasn't fair, being judged against a man he didn't even remember, but at least it made sense.

"You loved them, didn't you?" he murmured, watching Lupin closely.

The man choked on his hot chocolate, his eyes widening in shock.

"My dad, I mean," Harry clarified. "And Mum. And… Sirius Black. And Pettigrew."

Lupin swallowed, his voice hoarse when he finally spoke. "I… yes. I loved them very, very much."

He exhaled shakily. "They were my family."

In that moment, something dark and burning ignited deep inside Harry—a hatred so fierce it startled him. Hatred for Voldemort and everything he had stolen. Hatred for the destruction he had left behind, the lives he had shattered.

And hatred for Sirius Black, who had torn apart everything Lupin had loved. Who had sent James and Lily to their deaths. Who had laughed when their family was destroyed.

Harry wouldn't wish the Dementors on his worst enemy.

But Sirius Black deserved everything he got.

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