"Come here, boy!" Aunt Petunia called from downstairs. Harry, who had been gazing at the wall of his bare bedroom, was only too happy to oblige. He lumbered down the stairs and found Aunt Petunia in a blue cocktail dress.

"I am going to run some errands, so I am going to trust you with the task of being alone." Her beady eyes in her bony, horse face sharpened and glared at Harry before continuing. "If one thing is out of place, boy, I will make sure you wished you've never been born." She spun on her heel walked out of her house while her words hung there, just like her sickly perfume.

Harry sneered after her. Gone to run some errands? More like going to a formal dinner. On the other hand, he was alone. Uncle Vernon was at work and would not return for another two hours. Dudley was at some friend's house, and would stay overnight. Excellent. He had at least one hour alone before Aunt Petunia returned. He ate some grapes from the bowl on the kitchen island and decided to explore Aunt Petunia's room to see if she, by a very slim chance, had some of his mother's stuff. Harry knew it was pointless, and if the Dursleys knew, they would kill him, but he just wanted to do anything that would take his mind of Sirius.

Sirius. Harry couldn't bear thinking about Sirius Black. He died last term, just before vacation, and his heart would still scream of agony whenever he thought about his totally cool godfather.

Harry shook himself mentally. No thinking about Sirius, he scolded himself sternly. Climbing upstairs to Aunt Petunia's bedroom, Harry's brain was still thinking about all the punishments he would receive if the Dursleys caught him rummaging in Aunt Petunia's bedroom. Harry was surprised by how tidy it was. Of course. Aunt Petunia was a neat freak. She was still grumbling about how her kitchen wasn't as neat as before, because Tonks had broken several things before making their escape.

He opened the drawer in her desk and found a letter in a plastic sleeve. Heart pounding, Harry read it:

Dear Tuney,

I have a sneaking suspicion that you won't care, but I just have to share the news with you, since you're my beloved sister. Just don't toss this in the flames or rip it up or throw it away. Well here it is: I have not married James, the one that we had an unpleasant beginning. I, instead, married another Marauder, Sirius Black. Well, we sort of had a discussion about it, and agreed that it was best if Sirius played Harry's godfather, and James would be the picture of a father to Harry. If you have him after, you- know- what, please tell him I'm sorry for not telling him, and that I love him. I'm not sure he was of age to understand anyway. The godfather of Harry, is my dearest friend, Severus Snape. Yes, I know, Petunia, he's the one you call greasy git and an overgrown bat. (Harry snickered at this and continued reading, intrigued.) I really hope you're not angry with me, and that you don't think that I'm a freak. I'm really sorry for all the trouble that me and James caused between you and Vernon at our meeting. Give my love to Harry, if you taken him in, after it happens. I certainly hope you're not too hard with him. As I told you before, I'm being hunted by a very Dark wizard. I hope you'll be upset, when it happens. Please don't have a cold heart, Tuney.

Your dearest sister,

Lily Potter (Black)

Harry looked up from the letter in amazement. So Sirius was his father! Then a wave of anger crashed into him. Why couldn't Sirius have told him? Did he not trust Harry? He chewed on his lip, deep in thought. Harry wondered why he was feeling so uneasy. Then it dawned on him. Snape, the greasy haired git that everyone (except for the Slytherins) hated, was Harry's legal guardian. How would Snape react when Harry told him? Probably Snape would chop him into potion ingredients and use him for the most gruesome potions. He amused himself with that thought. Even though there was nobody in the house, Harry closed the drawer quietly, and slipped back into his room.

He placed the letter, still in its plastic sleeve, into his trunk, which the Dursleys had allowed in his room. Harry sat down at his desk and composed a letter to Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger, his two best friends, concerning what he found. Hedwig hooted softly and nibbled Harry's finger when he opened the cage door. "Here's a letter for you to deliver, Hedwig," Harry said softly. "It's to Ron and Hermione. They're together in Romania, visiting Bill. Wish I could've come." He gave the letter to her, and she soared out of the open window.

Should he tell Dumbledore? Nah, he told himself. Best not to concern the wise old wizard with something as unimportant as this. One more week until school starts, Harry mused silently. he couldn't wait to get back to Hogwarts. Anywhere would be better than Number 4, Privet Drive.

Then a thought hit him. If the greasy ol' bat was indeed his guardian, then would he stay in Snape's home? He busied himself with the thought. Best to think about that then Sirius.