Chapter 4 – Godric's Hollow

A/N: Oops, just realised I forgot my disclaimer. Shame. Oh well, its here now:

Disclaimer: I don't own anything apart from the plot. 'Really?' I hear you cry. 'Now what a surprise!'

Sorry for my weird sense of humour! On with the story...

"Godric's Hollow" he read in amazement as he found himself standing in front of a long green door with a silver lion knocker. And he stared at that same green door as it slowly creaked open...

Harry stood rooted to the spot in shock. He had heard that name before. His parents' house? Before he could reach for his wand a shape hurtled out of the door, and as it knocked him to the ground he gave a cry of pain, surprise and stunned recognition.

"Hermione?! It's great to see you. I didn't know where I was going or whom I was going to meet! And...and – Sirius?" he gasped, seeing the tall, dark haired man standing behind her with an amused grin on his long face. But as Hermione released him from a bone-crushing hug and her bushy hair cleared his face, he saw with a stab of disappointment that it was not, and would never be his godfather standing there.

"The grin vanished abruptly from the stranger's face. "Hi, Harry", he began tentatively, but seeing the distraught look on Harry's face he changed tack. "I'm sorry I'm not the person you wanted to see, and I understand why. I'm Sirius' brother, Lupus. The wolf star," he said wryly. He paused, and gave a sigh. "No-one's ever heard of it. Sirius was always the more popular one", he said, with a gentle smile on his face as his eyes filled with remembrance.

Hermione watched as the tall, dark-haired man extended his hand to the slim teenager staring at him with barely veiled suspicion. "I'm honoured to meet you", said Lupus. Finally, Harry found his voice. "Sirius never mentioned a brother called Lupus" he spat, surprising himself with the ferocity of his outburst. "His family never helped. They never deserved him. Where were you when he needed you?" Forgotten memories and images of Grimmauld Place flooded back to Harry. "You aren't even on the family tree tapestry." Harry continued quietly, "not even burned off".

Lupus' eyes darkened with pain and regret. You should have expected this, he cursed himself. You just come waltzing in here and expect it all to be fine. If you can't even forgive yourself, how do you ever expect him to understand, even less to forgive.

He looked down at his still-extended hand and retracted it with a grimace. Harry's sharp green eyes studied him intently as he opened his mouth to speak, then closed it again. As he prepared to speak, Harry began to understand why he had mistaken him for Sirius. The two brothers must have looked very alike. Must LOOK very alike, he corrected himself inwardly. Sirius is NOT dead. 'Yeah right' a voice inside him said snidely.

"He never knew me" Lupus muttered at last. Harry jerked from his study of the man. "Well that explains it" said Harry sarcastically. "You don't just go round having endless mystery brothers. You don't even know you have them."

He turned from Lupus in disgust, he suddenly became aware of the other people who had been standing by the open door, tentatively watching the exchange. "Ron! Fred! George!" he said with delight. "Mrs Weasley, I'm so glad to see you here. And Mr Weasley!" Finally, here was something in his summer that could go right. As soon as he called her name, Mrs Weasley bustled over and immediately started chivvying him into the house. "Well don't just stand there. I'm sure you're hungry, you look famished. Of course you won't have had breakfast. I don't know what they feed you at that house", she said as she sat him down in a tall wooden chair and began to place mounds of food on his plate. "I hope you don't mind, but we came this morning so we could tidy the place up and get it ready for you to come."

"I didn't even know I was coming...here" said Harry thickly, through three slices of toast. He felt a slice of pain in his stomach that was nothing to do with his ravenous hunger. This was where his parents had lived, this was where he had lived when they were all so happy, yet he didn't remember any of it. All he remembered was his mother's voice. Harry shook his head to clear the sound of his mother's voice pleading for his life. That was all in the past. He couldn't let it ruin his life now.

As he devoured yet another mound of thickly buttered toast, he began to study his surroundings. He had a feeling he would remember this house very well.

A/N: Please let me know what you think. Sorry for the short chapters, but school's a little crazy at the moment...

Eyes of sky