- There you go, Cub. It's not luxury, but it's better than being with those bastards you lived with.

After Harry and Sirius returned from the Dursleys (Sirius leaving a small brown present on the beautiful living room rug), they found Fenrir at the park.
They had wondered for a while how to go unnoticed until Harry remembered that he had his Cloak in his trunk. Once he had slipped under it, Fenrir grabbed the dog by the neck and asked Harry to hold his arm tight.

The sensations of the Apparition were far from being Harry's favorites, but he was delighted to see that it was possible to move so quickly from one point to another several dozen kilometers away. He quickly recognized Diagon Alley and was amazed. He couldn't imagine a man like Fenrir living in this type of bright and lively neighborhood.
So he wasn't surprised when the werewolf turned down a dark alley with uneven cobblestones and houses so close together that, even in broad daylight, all light seemed dimmed. A rusty old plaque announced the name of the street they were taking. The protection offered by the Cloak was welcome. If the population of Knockturn Alley was questionable during the day, it was even worse at night. He recognized several establishments as brothels, judging by the red lantern posted beside each door of these buildings. He had read about them in stories and, although he did not know exactly what was going on in it (he was still only twelve years old and it was not the Dursleys who were going to have "the Talk" with him), he knew it was a place where people paid to take advantage of other people's bodies.
He was sure he had met at least four vampires on the way, they had turned in his direction sniffing the air. Luckily, Fenrir's wolf scent effectively discouraged them.

The trio entered a building whose walls were filthy and the windows so dark with filth that it was unclear whether or not the lights were on inside.
However, as soon as they went through the door, Harry was surprised to see that the entrance hall was immaculate. And the windows showed what was going on in the street. The lobby was not very large and looked rather dated, with its exposed beams and threadbare carpet, and only seemed to lead to two places: a door with smoked glass and a "guardien" sign nailed to it, and a staircase.
Fenrir led them up the stairs, taking them up four floors. He opened one of the two doors on the landing and led them into his apartment.

Just like the hall, you could tell that the apartment was quite old. The walls were covered in faded wallpaper and the furniture had that well-worn look. But, again, everything was clean.

- It's only a secondary apartment. Normally, I live with my pack in a village hidden in a forest, but when I have business to do in the wizarding world, I come here. There's only one bed but I think the sofa will be more than enough for you, little one.

Harry could only nod after looking at the couch in question. Even bent on himself, Fenrir wouldn't fit in it while Harry was small for his age (thank you, malnutrition…) and would be comfortably settled for the night.

- We'll talk tomorrow. Your animagus can sleep with you or on the rug, it's up to you.

- Huh…?

Fenrir smirked before tapping his nose meaningfully: werewolf sense of smell. He then indicated the bathroom door before disappearing into the bedroom.

Shrugging, Harry decided to have a quick wash before going to bed. His race to escape Ripper had made him sweat and he refused to sleep dirty. Cleanliness had a special value to him after years of conditioning. He enlarged his trunk and pulled out some pajamas.

Once he was done, he laid down on the sofa, pulling the blanket that was draped over the backrest over him and wedging a pillow under his head. Sleep came very quickly, he was physically and morally exhausted. He still couldn't believe he had just missed being killed by his adoptive mother's own family, removed as it was in Marge's case.

.oOÔOo.

The sun was already high in the sky when Harry opened his eyes. Accustomed to being woken at dawn by Petunia's acerbic voice, he was confused for a few minutes before the events of the night before came back to him.

He sat up suddenly when he heard a noise. His eyes fell on Fenrir who was busy in the kitchenette.

- Hello Cub. I didn't want to wake you up, you needed some rest with what happened yesterday.

- Good morning Fenrir. Thank you for letting me sleep.

The man gestured to a small table. Two steaming cups sat there as well as two plates.

- I warn you, I'm not a cordon-bleu. But I make an amazing omelet.

At these words, the werewolf turned away from his hotplate, frying pan in hand, and served a slice on each of the plates. After a plaintive whine from Sirius, Fenrir pulled out a third plate, set it on the floor, and served a third slice.

- We'll talk after we eat, kid.

And they ate. A moan of pleasure escaped Harry's throat, surprising himself. The omelet was indeed delicious. Perfectly seasoned and cooked just right.
Once their meal was over, the three settled in the living room part of the main room. Harry and Fenrir settled on the sofa while Sirius sat nearby.

- Good. We're not going to talk about your shitty family, I think I understood that you haven't had it easy since your parents died despite the rumors that say otherwise. We won't go into the details right away, I hope you'll tell me about it when you're ready.

Harry nodded, relieved that he didn't have to go into detail about the Dursleys right away. After what happened yesterday, he needed some time. Not only had Marge tried to kill him but the fact that the others were sleeping peacefully when he came to get his things showed that they didn't care that their nephew hadn't come home when a supposed murderer had been seen near Little Whinging. It was confirmation of what he had always known but it was still hurtful. Even though he knew they didn't share the same blood, they were supposed to think they did.

- On the other hand, I would like to know what you wanted to say about Black yesterday. That he was your adopted godfather.

Harry didn't know if it was the fact that the werewolf had obviously adopted him as his cub or the protective aura he had yesterday but he decided that Fenrir, like Voldemort, deserved to see a Harry without a mask. And Sirius…well, if it turned out he couldn't trust him, the Obliviate spell wasn't a complicated spell if one had a good mental organization.

- Yes. When I first went to Gringotts, the goblin I spoke to found it very suspicious that it was Hagrid that had my key. Or he didn't find it suspicious and used it as an excuse, who knows how a goblin thinks?

- No one but another goblin, Cub.

- Absolutely. So he demanded that I pass an inheritance test. Hagrid tried to protest that it wasn't something Dumbledore had allowed, but I gave him a good puppy dog look and he relented. He even agreed to let me go into an office alone with the goblin.

- Manipulator, slipped Fenrir with a smirk revealing some sharp teeth.

- Well, it always was necessary to survive. Anyway, I passed the inheritance test. And the goblin was as surprised as I was when he saw the result. The Potters were listed as my adoptive parents, Sirius Black and Alice Longbottom as adoptive godparents, and Henry Potter as my adoptive brother, stillborn in July.

- Damn it. They adopted a baby right after losing theirs?

- That's it. I don't know the circumstances. Who took me away from my biological parents, why the Potters adopted me, who knows? No idea. I just know that the Potters took good care of me, maybe even really loved me as their son. But I also know that I wouldn't have been through hell at the hands of Lily's sister for over ten years if it hadn't happened.

- How do you know? If your biological parents left you, it does not mean that they would have treated you well if they had kept you.

- That's the thing, they didn't abandon me.

- How so?

- My parents are Purebloods. You know how difficult it is for them to have children and that, for them, each wizarding child is sacred. So imagine how happy a Pureblood couple was to foresee the arrival of twins.

- Twins? You mean you have a brother somewhere?

- Yup. So they are happy to have twins even if they don't talk about it around them, probably to avoid the jealousy of other families in their social circle. In short, they go to St Mungo where my mother gives birth to my brother and me. Births of magical twins are difficult, babies often need to stay a month or two in the hospital. They return home with only one baby without even remembering that they had a second.

- How do you know that?

- Our mutual friend questioned my parents but also their house-elves. And they are the ones who confirmed that the… my parents never showed any sign that they knew about their second son.

- Damn… It's twisted. To sum up, someone kidnapped you while you were in St Mungo before casting an Obliviateon your parents and possibly other people. After that, you were given to the Potters who adopted you about two weeks after losing their son. Really twisted.

- That's it. I think the godparents appointed by my parents were also given a forgetting spell or something. Otherwise they would have asked my parents where the second baby was. The elves did not ask for fear of making their masters sad, but godparents would not have the same scruples. Especially those two.

- Who are your godparents?

Harry glanced uncertainly at Sirius, who was listening attentively, lying on the rug facing the fireplace on the other side of the room. He hoped he wouldn't have too bad a reaction.

- Severus Snape and Bellatrix Lestrange.

Suddenly, a man appeared where a dog had been before.

- WHAT? Snivellus is your godfather? What the fuck!?

Sirius was immediately tackled to the ground by Fenrir.

- Listen to me, Black. The only reason I let you come is because I thought you had Harry's well-being as a priority. If you show me otherwise, you won't get out of here alive. Got it?

Sirius struggled for a few moments but had to give up when he couldn't even get the man to move slightly on top of him.

- Yes, okay, yes. Sorry, but Snivellus was my enemy at Hogwarts and… Wait, did you say Snape and Lestrange?

Fenrir let Sirius get up when he saw that he was calming down and resumed his place next to the boy. He remained visibly tense, ready to react to the slightest hint of aggression from the escaped convict.

- Um yes. These are the two people designated by my biological parents. Why?

- The only couple in common between these two people, to my knowledge, are the Malfoys. Lucius is Snape's best friend and Narcissa is Bellatrix's sister. Are you a Malfoy?

Harry's gaze flicked from one man to the next, hesitantly.

- Yes… Indeed, Lucius and Narcissa Malfoy are my biological parents. And Draco is my brother.

- Ooooh… More and more twisted, laughted Fenrir.

Sirius sat down heavily on the ground, visibly overwhelmed by what he had just learned.

- I have not made contact with the Malfoys, apart from a few uninteresting discussions with Draco at school. I've always lived without parents, I don't know if I really want to have them now. I feel like they would bother me more than anything. Besides, Draco is an arrogant and immature brat, too spoiled rotten to think of anything but himself.

- Don't worry, I won't say anything. Not my secret to reveal.

- Thank you Fenrir. Sirius?

- Eh? Ah, uh, anyway, I can't say anything in my dog form and the Malfoys aren't really the first people I'd talk to.

- And Dumbledore?

- I know what you told me about him yesterday, Harry. I still have a hard time seeing him as anything other than the sweet grandpa I knew at Hogwarts or the leader of the Light during the war. James and I were close to him, we were members of the Order of the Phoenix, an organization that Dumbledore founded that fought against the Death Eaters. So it's hard to see him as you described to me.

- Maybe this will make you think, what position did Dumby hold during your trial?

- I didn't have a trial. But he was Wizengamot's Chief Warlock at the time.

- So he was able to get you a trial. He did it for Snape who did have the Dark Mark, arguing that he was his spy. Why help Snape, who entered the Death Eaters voluntarily, even though he supposedly changed his mind afterwards, and not you who were a member of his Order?

- Voldemort had just been defeated, he must have been busy?

- And yet, Snape.

Sirius rested his head in his hands. He had never thought of that. During all those years in Azkaban, he had convinced himself that his old mentor had tried everything to get him out of there. But if he had managed to get Snivellus out of there, he could have ensured that he had a proper trial.

- Well, Cub, we're going to let the dog think about all that, that's a lot. There is a month and a half of vacation left, they will have to be occupied. And to begin with, we will train you.

- Train? I can only do wandless magic during the holidays, it might be pretty limited.

- I was thinking more of a physical training. You're so skinny! Admitedly, you have good form, you are obviously a runner. But you will have to improve your endurance and, above all, your strength. Because you're lacking in that department. We're going to spend a few days here, at least until you had the time to buy your stuff for next year and I finished what I had to do here. Then we'll go to my village. Don't worry that my betas will be happy to make you exercise.

- Betas?

- We're a pack, kid. We function a bit like a pack of wolves. I am the alpha of the pack, the leader. All the members respect and obey me. In exchange, I protect them and ensure the cohesion of the pack. Betas are my seconds. They lead the pack when I'm not around and enforce my orders. Omegas are the weakest, they serve mainly to ease tensions in the pack. Although we remain human so they are not mistreated as they would be if they were really wolves. Between all that, there are the other members, who make the pack live by working.

- Ok. Ah, I have to give you the stuff for our mutual friend! I almost forgot with everything that happened!

- Yeah, that's part of what I came here to do. Give it to me, I must see him at the end of the morning. During that time, you go buy what you need or finish your homework, as you wish. He told me he was going to contact you yesterday to let you know I was coming but with the dog, you must not have felt the call.

- I will call him when we are in your village, once settled. You will tell him not to worry when you see him. But how do I get out without being recognized? Camouflage spells are a bit complicated for wandless magic.

- Hmm… It's not my forte either, never wanted to hide. Here, put this on your head and put on this coat. You'll look like a bum but who cares. And you stay in Kockturn, you don't go to Diagon Alley. We have everything you need here for Hogwarts, don't think otherwise. But you take the dog with you and you don't talk to anyone. If you are asked, you are there with me, that should be enough. And my smell is everywhere on the coat so there will be no doubts.

Harry took the silk bag containing the diary from his trunk and handed it to Fenrir. The werewolf quickly did the dishes before leaving to fulfill his mission with Voldemort.

With the coat on and the old threadbare black hat falling over his forehead, Harry walked out of the apartment, Sirius on his heels.
He quickly found the bookstore which was two doors down from the building he had just left. He didn't have his supply list yet, but he knew that most teachers didn't change textbooks from year to year. So, apart from the Defense and the options he had chosen, he knew which books he had to buy. For the three missing materials, he would order from the catalogue.
The bookstore was empty when Harry entered. The shelves were dusty, making him frown. He hurriedly put the textbooks he would need aside so he could consult the shelves. The choices were very different from what one could find in Flourish and Blotts and, after barely fifteen minutes, he had put aside a good dozen books dealing with various subjects such as "From Creatures of the Abyss to the Heights: The Dangers of Extremes" or "Runes of Ancient Peoples". In one corner he found an unlabeled shelf. He approached it when a hand landed heavily on his shoulder. Instantly, Harry turned around and found himself face to face with a gruff-looking elderly man. He was not very tall, but his broad shoulders made him look imposing.

- Are you looking for something, kid?

- Uh, I found what I was looking for, now I'm looking at the rest.

- Yeah, I saw you do it. Are you sure you have enough for all this?

- Yes of course. Are you the owner?

- Yeah.

- What is this shelf? Everything else is pretty well labelled but there's nothing on this one.

- Unsaleables. These are books that have been in the store for decades and no one wants them. Take a look, you will understand why.

Harry looked at the edges of the books and, sure enough, he understood. Most were in deplorable condition while others were written in strange languages. Two books, however, stood out to him. One was titled "The Thousand and One Virtues of Snakes" and the other "Wand in Hand, Guide to Instinctive Magic". It wasn't so much the titles that attracted him but the fact that, although written in a different alphabet, he had no problem reading them. He pulled one out and opened the first page. He was not disappointed when he saw that he had written by a certain Sibilus Slytherin, probably a descendant of Salazar. So this strange alphabet was Parseltongue. Perfect.

Once the two books in his hands, he joined the counter with the other books he had selected. The old man raised an eyebrow at the two books Harry had chosen but said nothing. He was used to the oddities in this store and never put his nose in things that didn't concern him. As long as the little one had enough to pay.

Harry exited the bookstore and noticed that he had spent more time there than he had expected. So he hastened to stock up on ingredients at the apothecary. Snape might be a bad teacher but he wasn't going to let that get in the way of his education. Again, he found a very different selection of ingredients from the Diagon Alley store. The basic ingredients were the same, but he doubted that Kelpie's blood or a piece of Lethifold' cape would be found in the other store. He stayed a moment to observe the ingredients he did not know before going to pay for his purchases.

After shopping for his third year, Harry returned to Fenrir's apartment. Apart from the sellers of the two shops, no one had approached him within two meters, sometimes stepping back after sniffing the air. Sirius who hadn't left his godson behind was a little disappointed to have had nothing to do.

While waiting for the werewolf to return, Harry immersed himself in his new books. He had already read his course books in the common room the previous year, borrowing them from the older students, and so concentrated on his findings. He quickly hid his two Parseltongue books in his trunk. He wanted the fact that he could speak the language of snakes to remain his secret for the time being. He would reveal it in due time.