A/N: Hey, all! I hope you enjoy this story! It came to me one day. And you know how plot bunnies can bevicious! Lol! Well, this is completely A/U so don't tell me things are wrong when in fact, in this universe, they are very right. =) I hope you like it! Please review!

Disclaimer: Harry Potter characters, places, and events belong to J.K. Rowling. I own all my made up characters and events. Thank you. =)

* * * * * *

The Christmas season was approaching quickly and many of the houses on Privet Drive were decorated with lights, Father Christmas figurines and other things of the like. But of course none of the residents made their house look gaudy or anything outlandish, because that was just not how it was done. A casual elegance was required for your holiday decorations, lest you be taunted and scorned by the rest of the neighbors.

Number four was no exception. The white lights made the thin layer of snow sparkle like diamonds and made the other neighbors envious. But the residents residing in the home of number four were oblivious to the envious stares their home got at night. They were too busy making their house ooze of holiday elegance.

It was a peaceful day but as all delicate things do, it would be shattered with time. Because standing outside the Dursley home was a stoic looking man. He was tall, wearing a long black robe that just touched the ground, his long, straight, black hair fell to the small of his back in a pony tail tied at the base of his neck with strands framing his face. His hazel eyes were a storm of fiery emotions as he stared at the door with a wreath on it.

He looked down at the piece of parchment in his hand, his handsome features contorted as he read his own handwriting,

Inquiry Current location of Harry James Potter

Inquiry answer Number four Privet Drive, Little Whinging, Surrey

Guardians Mr. Vernon Dursley and Mrs. Petunia Dursley

He crumbled the parchment and shoved it in his pocket. He made his way towards the door, the snow seemingly silenced by his unadulterated anger.

His baby brother was with his monster of an aunt and uncle? How dare they! How dare the Ministry give his little brother to the two Muggles who loathe magic with every inch of their being. How dare Albus Dumbledore even think of leaving him here!

He knocked on the door firmly and waited with a frustrated impatience.

"Just a moment!" Came the shrill yet cheery voice of his aunt. She opened the door and her cheer melted away, "Yes?"

"I'm looking for Harry. I understand that he is living here," he said, his eyes narrowed.

Petunia frowned, "Who are you and what do you want with the boy?"

"You don't remember me, dear aunt? It's me, your favorite nephew, Rune," he said with a sort of savage humor.

Her face went from curious to horrified, "Get away from my house and my family, you freak!" she hissed and slammed the door in his face.

He smirked, sadly enough he expected that reaction. He pulled out his wand and whispered a quick, "Alohamora," and the door opened with ease. He strode inside and closed the door softly. The first thing he noticed was that the house was so ordinary and plain, and all around boring. He shook his head, his brother deserved much more than this.

Quietly, he walked into the Sitting room and saw a tree with white lights and poorly made ornaments, probably made by a child, Harry perhaps? But then he saw a large, round, blonde mass on the floor glued to the television watching something with some sort of green monster.

Suddenly the boy turned around and stared at Rune with his watery, blue eyes, "Mummy! There's a strange man wearing a dress in our house!"

There was a crash and suddenly Petunia and Vernon were in the sitting room. Petunia had hurried and heaved her huge son into her bony arms while Vernon stepped in front of them, "I demand to know what you are doing in our house disturbing our son!"

"As I told your darling wife before," he answered silkily, "I've come for Harry."

Vernon looked as if he were about to protest when he got a horrible smile on his face and pointed his beefy finger behind him, "The miserable whelp is in the back. Take him and never come back."

Rune nodded, wondering why his little brother was outside, it was too cold to play comfortably and then it hit himhis aunt and uncle wouldn't care about his brother's comfort or health. He picked up the pace and left the house. He heard the roar of a car engine but he didn't bother to make sure. His eyes scanned the yard for any signs of his brother.

He saw a rather lumpy snowman, some round snow angels and then some footsteps leading towards a small shed. He started to follow them when something else caught his eye.

A few specks of red.

He paled and all but ran to the door. It was locked, but he didn't care, magic wasn't on his mind right now, what if his brother was dying?! He wrenched the door open and nearly choked at what he saw. It was a scrawny, bloody, black haired child laying face down on the freezing cold floor. He pulled off his thick winter cloak and scooped the child into his arms. Without giving any second thoughts, he Disapperated with a loud crack to St. Mungo's.

*

Minutes had passed since Rune had taken his baby brother to the children's ward at St. Mungo's. He looked down at the application he had just been given a few minutes earlier and looked down at the first few questions.

Name: Potter J Harris

Date of Birth: 31 July, 1981

Parents and/or Guardians: Rune Dion Potter

Age:

Rune thought and quickly did some mental math. His brother was about six years old now.

Age: 6

He quickly filled out the rest of the form and handed it back to the nurse behind the counter and began to pace. He glared at the floor, he had imagined the meeting to be soso different. He didn't know what he would have expected, but it certainly wasn't that. He glowered at the floor, willing it to flames, the Dursley's did this to his brother.

"Mr. Potter."

They didn't know how long his mother had tried to have a second child. How much pain she went through, how much-

"Mr. Rune Potter!"

Rune froze in his tracks and looked up at the nurse his expression blank, "Yes?"

"Harry is awake, I suggest you go and see him. Follow me," she said and made her way into the corridor.

Rune followed her, he was sure his heart was beating loud enough to wake the whole hospital. They came to a door with the number 212 on it.

"He's right inside," the nurse said and left Rune to go inside.

With a deep breath, he opened the door and was rather shocked at what he saw. His brother was even smaller than he was, he looked at his watch, a few hours ago! He was clean now and his skin had regained some colour. He was propped up on a mountain of pillows with thin tubes going into his small arms. He was looking a picture book full of magical beasts and beings.

Silently, Rune made his way forward and sat down on the edge of the bed, "Hello, Harry," he said.

The boy looked up at him curiously, the emerald orbs searching the hazel.

"Hi," Harry said softly.

Rune searched for something to say, but couldn't find anything. It had been six years since he had seen his little brother and he was at a loss. After a few silent moments, he came up with something, "Do you know who I am?"

"Nosir," he said as an afterthought.

"Well, my name is Rune, and I'm your brother"

Harry studied Rune for a few moments and then a tentative smile graced his features, "Did you save from Uncle Vernon and Aunt P'tunia?"

Rune smiled lightly, "Yes, yes I did."

"Thank you, sir."

"There's no need for any of that 'sir' nonsense around me, understand?" Rune said firmly, though his eyes held a fondness reserved for his baby brother.

Harry looked down at his book shyly, unsure of how to respond. This who situation was different for him. Totally foreign.

"How do you feel?" Rune asked, trying to break the silence.

"Ohb-better," Harry stammered, caught off guard. The Dursley's never cared about his well-being before.

"Well, if that's the case, then I suppose it would be all right for me to take you home."

Harry paled and his eyes held a flurry of heartbroken emotions. He was going to go back to the Dursleys. Back to the cold shed. Back to the merciless hand of his uncle.

Rune, instantly sensing his mistake, carefully moved forward and with a gentleness he didn't even know he possessed, pulled Harry into his arms, "Don't think that way, Little one, we're going to my home. Our home."

Harry looked up at Rune with an expression of hopeful fear, "H-honest?"

"Honest," Rune whispered as he held his baby brother firmly, yet gently enough not to hurt him.

Harry swallowed nervously and decided that this man, his brother, his real family was worthy and deserving of his trust and love. He raised his arm and clutched at the fabric of Rune's robes with his good arm, at this point it was his left arm.

Rune smiled at him, he was doing a lot of smiling lately, and said, "Are you ready to come with me?"

Harry stared up at him for a few seconds that seemed to last an eternity, "Yes, si-er"

"You may call me Rune or Frère or both," Rune said as he sat Harry back on the bed and covered him up.

"Okay" Harry said, the word slipping from his mouth with ease. He didn't know what it meant but he knew it sounded right when addressing his brother, "w-where are you going?"

"I'm going to see the nurse and tell her that you are ready to come home with me."

Harry nodded and worried his lip slightly. Rune gently ran his hand through his brother's messy locks reassuringly and then stood up and left the room.

The boy tugged at the blanket nervously, not entirely sure what to expect. All his life he had been treated horribly and didn't quite know if his brother, Rune, would treat him any better. So far he'd been nice and caring, butwhat if it was an act.

Harry shivered, he didn't know what he would do if his brother was mean to him. He would probably cry.

His thoughts were cut short as his brother and the nurse came in, "Hello, Harry dear, I understand that you are ready to go home today."

Harry chanced a glance at Rune and then looked back to the nurse, "Yes, ma'am."

She smiled, "All right, you'll be going home as soon as Rune, here, signs these release forms."

A clipboard with parchment on it appeared and the nurse left. With a sigh, Rune began to fill out the forms. Harry watched him silently, knowing that while his brother was working, he was not to speak and disrupt him lest he be hit.

Once his brother was done, he summoned the nurse once again. She looked over the forms and proclaimed that Harry was free to go. She moved forward and removed the IV's from the child's arm and laid out some fresh robes.

"Here you are dear, once you are dressed you are free to go. Be careful now."

"Yes, ma'am," Harry replied.

She smiled, "You're such a polite young man, have a good day and I don't want to see you back here, understand?"

"Yes, ma'am," Harry answered, though he was slightly hurt. She didn't want to see him ever again. She hated him.

The nurse left with a smile and closed the door behind her.

Rune moved forward and pulled the hospital scrubs off his brother and pulled the robe over his head, "There, now you look smashing!"

Harry just nodded, and Rune instantly realized something was bothering his brother, "What is it?"

"Wh-why doesn't the nurse like me?" he asked sadly.

"What do you mean?" Rune asked, puzzled.

"She said she didn't want to see me back again," Harry explained.

Rune laughed, "Oh, Harry, she means she doesn't want to see you sick or hurt again. It doesn't mean she doesn't like you."

Harry looked at him and then looked a bit sheepish, "Oh"

Rune smiled and scooped the boy into his arms and wrapped a blanket around him, "It's cold out there and I want you to be nice and warm."

Harry nodded as he snuggled close to his brother. Rune donned his cloak and wrapped it around the child in his arms. The two made their way down the corridors and to the waiting room where Rune promptly Disapperated to the home where he was raised for the first eight years of his life and where Harry would also be raised.

* * * * * *

It was finally Christmas eve day and Harry was very excited. After many assurances from Rune, he knew he was getting some presents from Father Christmas this year and from Rune. Which was the reason he was working diligently on a picture. Right now it was of him and his older brother standing outside next to the lake wearing Father Christmas hats and holding candy canes. They both had huge smiles on their faces and Harry had made it so the two in the picture were hugging with little hearts floating around.

To complete the picture, he drew a big heart around the both of them. Harry grinned and held up the picture. He liked drawing pictures for his brother, it made him feel happy to see his brother smile.

Harry wrapped his picture with a frown, over the past few weeks he had noticed that his brother didn't smile very much, like he did when they first met. He always seemed tired when he came home from work and worn out. And when his partner came over he was always veryHarry searched for the word but the only thing he could come up with is quiet.

He shrugged and worked on his brother's card. He had already finished his brother's Christmas card and this was his Christmas Eve card. Harry smiled, this would be the best Christmas ever!

* * * * * *

Rune came in the door of the humble little cottage his parents had chose to raise him in before they took him to the manor. He would be doing that when Harry turned eight. He gave his briefcase to the house elf and plopped down on the recliner in front of the fire. He sighed, sometimes work at the Ministry was monotonous. He was just lucky he didn't have to go on any raids today and that he was free until January fifteenth.

He leaned over and pulled the Daily Prophet from the table. In his haste this morning he hadn't been able to read and he had paper work all day and wasn't disturbed. He opened it and felt his insides freeze when he saw the headline.

Sirius Black Let Free after Six Years of False Imprisonment!

By Cathy O'White

After six years of wrongful imprisonment, Sirius Orion Black has finally been freed from the confines of Azkaban. He was accused of the murders of 12 Muggles, Peter Pettigrew, the alliance with You-Know-Who and the betrayal of the Potters.

His innocence was discovered when Arthur Weasley discovered Pettigrew in his Animagus form (a rat) early one morning rummaging through the family's refrigerator. If anyone knew Pettigrew in school they might of known that the man was not the brightest nor the cleverest. Arthur Weasley had this to say, "I never would have known he was in the house if he hadn't been hungry," he chuckled here, "so I guess it's a blessing that his stomach rumbled early morning."

Pettigrew admitted to working for the Dark Lord and switching taking over the Secret Keeper job. Both Black and Pettigrew's stories match and align in the right places.

The Ministry held a very private trialStory Continued on page A6

Rune flipped to the page and finished reading up the article. He wanted to vomit, the person who be thought betrayed his parentsdidn't. He set down the paper and buried his head in his hands, all of these years he had been hating his godfather. Traveling to get better training and knowledge of the world so he could protect. He became an Unspeakable to just that and yet get no credit for it.

He looked to the stairs where he knew Harry was. Now his main objective was to keep Harry safe from harm. He stood up, this house was very secluded and very secret. No one outside the Potter Family knew about it.

Not even Sirius Black.

Harry would remain safe for two more years. Until they moved into the Manor, a place that was just as illustrious as the Malfoy Manor. He stood up and headed up the stairs, eager to see what his little brother had been up to all day. Rune knocked on the door that had a sign that said, "Harris's Room."

The door open and before Rune could say anything, a pair of arms went around his legs with a happy squeak.

Laughing, Rune scooped the little boy into his arms, "Hey, how are you? How was your day?"

"Really good! Mitsy took me outside because it snowed today! I made a snow angel, and snowman. You have to make one too, because the one I made is me. And I made you this!" Harry finished babbling and handed Rune his Christmas Eve Card.

"What's this for?" Rune asked as he balanced Harry on his hip.

"It's a Christmas Eve card. I bet you're the first one ever to get one!" Harry gushed.

"I'm very honored," Rune said and sat down on the bed. He sat Harry in his lap and opened the card. He smiled. On the front in said in red and green crayon, Happy Christmas! And it had Christmas trees around it and candy canes.

He opened it and his grin widened, Dear Rune, I love you! Love, Harry.

Rune closed the card and enveloped Harry in a tight hug, "Thank you so much, Harry. It means a lot to me."

Harry sighed happily, all his doubts melting away. His brother liked the card. He would like his Christmas card and gift a million times better, then.

Rune pulled away with a smile, "Are you ready for dinner?"

Harry thought for a moment but then his stomach rumbled before he could even utter a word.

Rune laughed, "I'll take that as a 'yes' shall I?"

"Okay," Harry said and hopped out of his brother's lap. Taking the older man's hand, he began to drag him out of the room.

Rune chuckled, "I'm coming, I'm coming."

* * * * * *

Harry peeked out the window and saw that a fresh layer of snow had fallen. He grinned, it was Christmas day and it was going to be great. He slid out of bed and tip-toed to his brother's room.

Rune was fast asleep, gripping his pillow firmly, sleeping peacefully. Quietly, Harry climbed onto his bed and sat on his stomach, "Rune. Rune, wake up, it's Christmas!" he whispered.

Blearily, Rune opened his eyes and smiled, "Hey, there, Harry."

"G'morning, Frère," Harry said.

Rune sat up and watched as Harry fell back onto his legs. Harry let out an 'oomph' and grinned when his brother pulled him into his lap, "Are you ready for presents?"

"Uh huh!" Harry agreed.

"Good," Rune said as he climbed out of bed and carried Harry down the stairs. Harry beamed at the sight of the glowing Christmas tree with mountains of presents under it.

Gasping, Harry looked at Rune, "Father Christmas must have thought you were a really good boy this year!"

Rune smiled gently, "Not all of them are for me. Most of them are for you."

Harry looked back at the tree with wonder. He could barely comprehend that most of those gifts were for him. It was mind boggling. Usually, at the Dursley's, he wasn't even allowed to play with the wrapping paper. To actually be getting gifts was a miracle.

"I was a good boy this year," Harry said. It wasn't a question, but more of a statement, a reassurance that the gifts under the tree were earned by him. He was a good boy.

"That's right," Rune said as he sat Harry down. He took a seat on the sofa that his father bought his mother on this very day almost twenty years ago. It was faded, yes, but it was still in good order. There were no ripped seams, no missing pillows and no stuffing oozing out.

"Here," Rune said as he handed his brother a card.

Harry climbed on the sofa and held the card with reverence as if he was seeing it for the first time. And he was, it was the first time anyone had ever actually given him something because they loved him.

With anxiousness and trepidation, Harry opened the envelope and saw that it was also a handmade card. His brother was a very good artist. It consisted of a portrait of Harry drawing. When it opened up it said this(Harry was able to read because Rune spent countless hours teaching him reading, writing and grammar, but the boy still had much to learn);

Dear Harry,

The past few weeks with you have been some of the best of my life. The drawings you have for me, the smiles you give freely, and the love I feel for you. It's of nothing I've ever really experienced. I'm thankful that you are in my life and I hope you will remain with me.

Love,

Your brother Rune

Harry felt his eyes well up with tears and threw his arms around his brother's neck, "I love you too, Frère!"

Rune held the child close, glad he hadn't been too stoic and stony with him in the past weeks. He had grown up hardened by the war and the loss of his parents. He exhaled deeply and pulled away, "How about we unwrap all those presents, yeah?"

"No! You have to open my card!" Harry exclaimed and hurried over to where he had put the card on the tree, "here."

Rune took it and opened it up, he smiled, it was even better than the one he received last night, "How long did you work on this?"

"For hours and hours," Harry said, walking forward, it had taken him a long time to get everything just to his liking.

"It's wonderful, Harry. Simply wonderful. Come here," Rune said as he opened his arms.

Harry jumped into the outstretched arms and kissed his brother on the cheek, "Love you, Frère."

"Love you, too, Harry," Rune said softly.

* * * * * *

Frère = Brother in french