Disclaimer: Harry Potter and all of HP related parts of this story is based on characters and situations created and owned by JK Rowling, various publishers including but not limited to Bloomsbury Books, Scholastic Books and Raincoast Books, and Warner Bros., Inc. No money is being made and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended. I am just grateful to able to play in the world created.
Disclaimer: Holo the wise Wolf and all related parts of this story is based on characters and situations created and owned by Isuna Hasekura, various publishers including but not limited to ASCII Media Works. No money is being made and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended. I am just grateful to able to play in the world created.
*********************************
July 9 2029
Fort Devens, Massachusetts.
"WHY! I don't want to move again!" screamed eleven year old John.
Kneeling down John's father tried once more to explain that it wasn't his choice. The Army has given him new orders and now he is to be stationed at a SAC base outside of London. "Now John, you know I don't have the choice. We have to go. The Federation of Magic has sent down new orders and we are to go to London."
"But - but what about my friends at school? I won't get to see them and say goodbye."
"I'm sorry John, but we have seven days to get ready for the move."
_
London, England twenty-two days later.
"Hello Colonel Silver, I'm Luna Scamander. A Magizoologist with the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures. I came over to talk with you about this waiver you applied for concerning your son's familiar."
Colonel Silver looked upfrom his large pile of parchments. "Hello Misses Scamander, please take a seat," he offered without getting up.
Luna smiled and took the offered seat. "Please call me Luna, John. I was quite intrigued when I read that your son has a great wolf as a familiar."
John tried to figure out if Luna was touched ('special' or more common word for 'touched' might be more understood by the reader) because of the way she spoke. "I do hope that the waiver has been approved then."
"Well we ran into a few problems. Ffirst, no one in the ministry has any knowledge of what a great wolf is. There is only one recorded report of a great wolf and that was back in 1437. The report did not give any real detail except that they're deadly."
As John listened to Luna, he noticed as she looked over at the picture of John Jr. and Holo.
"Is this the great wolf you applied for?" she asked.
John smiled as he looked at the picture. "Yes that is John with Holo in her wolf form."
Even though the world may think of Luna as a little flaky, she didn't miss the comment. "Wolf form? Are you saying she is a shape shifter?"
"As far as I know she can only shift between three forms. I would say this is her primary form for I've only seen her once in another and she's only told me of her third form."
"So she speaks. This may help with determining her classification. Is there a way I can meet little John and Holo?" asked Luna with a sparkle in her eyes.
John looked over at a picture of a young lady sitting as she knits.. "Suzy, can you ask Kimberly if she has time for a ministry official to come by and speak with Holo?"
The young lady smiled and bowed, then as fast as she could she dashed from the picture. A few moments later she steps back in with a smile, "Daddy, she said she has plenty of time. Seems Johnny received his bike from the states and has been busy putting it back together."
Luna's eyes went wide for a moment. "Your daughter... John, I didn't.."
Raising his hand to get her to stop. "Yes that is John's older sister, she sadly left us shortly after John was born, but she has always watched over him. Haven't you Suzy?"
Sitting back down, she smiled. "Yes daddy, I always keep a close eye on Johnny."
Luna smiled at the little girl. "OK John, if you just tell me your floo's name I can just hop on over."
"Sorry Luna, this isn't someplace you can use a floo to get to. What I can do is get a car to take you over. Just remember this is a muggle base."
_
John was showing how frustated he was getting. After dumping out the tool box he was now digging through more boxes looking for his missing 9/16in wrench. As he dug deeper into a box his attention was grabbed suddenly by a low growl and a warning. "She's a witch, stay close by me John."
Luna walked through the back slider into the yard and smiled at the obviously aggressive gray wolf standing between her and the boy. It only took a few moments for her to realize this wasn't any normal wolf, with the sparks of magical energy arching up and down the wolves hackles. "Oh joy, you must be Holo. I'm here from the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures. I'm here to assist in the waiver on little John's waiver for school." Luna sat down on the edge of the deck, never once even batting an eye at how Holo acted.
John had started to move in front Holo when she once more warned him that Luna was a witch. "She doesn't belong here. No witches are allowed here!" repeated Holo with more venom in her voice.
Luna sat there starting to get confused. "Isn't Kimberly a witch, Holo?" she asked.
Holo started to lead John over and away from Luna never taking her eyes off of the witch.
Hearing her name spoken Kimberly stepped out side. "Did you call for me?"
Luna looked back at her and then understood. Kimberly wasn't a witch, she was a wood nymph. "Holo keeps saying no witches are allowed here. Do you know why Kim?"
With a dreamy look in her eye Kimberly answered in a matter of fact way. "Why yes, that's because a witch murdered Master John's mother. On that day Holo brought me here and bonded me to Master John."
Luna looked back at little John and Holo and without thinking spoke. "I lost my mom also when I was little. So Kim, you are Colonel Silver's companion."
"No Madam, I am Master John junior's companion. I take care of all his needs at all times," replied Kimberly.
Luna did a double take on this new info. For once in a long time she felt trapped. She now understood just how much danger she really was in. The wolf was highly upset that she was there and the wood nymph would take the wolf's lead if she decided to attack. Slowly Luna slipped her wand out from behind her ear and with a gentle flick of her wrist sent the wand flying back into the house. "Is that better Holo? I am disarmed now."
_
"DADDY! That nice lady is in trouble at the house!" yelled a panicked Suzy from her painting.
John looked at her and it suddenly dawned on him. He had not sent some muggle worker to his house, but a witch. Grabbing his cover, he started for the door. "Thanks Suzy, see you at home shortly," was all that Suzy heard as the office door closed.
_
Rushing in the front door, John was greeted by Kimberly who was standing as she waited for him with a wand grasped in her hands. "Colonel, I have the witch's wand, would you like to have it, sir?"
Stopping short John started to really worry. Was she still alive? Was Holo back there feasting on what was left of the witch?
"She's sitting on the deck, sir. Awaiting you," remarked Kimberly as she could see the worry on his face.
A few moments later he stepped out onto the deck and took in the scene before him. Little John was sitting behind Holo working on rebuilding his bike as Holo stood close guard and Luna sat there whistling only stopping as soon as she noticed him there, "Oh you found my wand."
"No, Kimberly gave it to me. Are you all right Ms Scamander?"
"I'm quite right. Please call me Luna. I've been here learning much from Holo. I am very sorry to hear about what happened to your wife and daughter."
"Yes it was very unfortunate." John said with much sadness in his voice.
Luna stood and walked up to John. "Well I do not see any issues with Holo. But you may want to have a few words with the Headmistress McGonagall before little John attends Hogwarts. It has been a very long time since anyone attended with a personal staff."
_
August 25th
Walking up to the door Professor McGonagall felt a deep chill as she stepped through the wards around the house. She didn't want to know what type of wards a strike mage would have placed but she knew they were not to be messed with. As she stepped up to the door it opened and she was greeted by John Sr. "Sir, I was informed your son would be attending with a staff and a class five familiar."
John didn't respond right away to the question. "Please Headmistress, come and have a seat."
Once inside McGonagall was led to a large seating area. "I do hope that there isn't a real problem. This is all new to us and I'd hate to have to keep John from making more friends like himself."
"No I had a very long talk with Luna. She assures me that the wolf would be no issue unless someone was out to cause harm to little John. It is the wood nymph that is the real question."
"Yes, Kimberly. To tell you the truth Headmistress, I would keep her home but I have no control over her in any way. Between her and Holo I really have no say over anything involving John."
Hearing this intrigued McGonagall. "Tell me Mister Silver, how did this all happen with you losing so much control over your own son?"
Feeling a bit deflated. "I'm sure Luna told you about his mother being a full fledged Veela. She always attracted a lot of attention. This led to some very interesting problems. But let's start with Holo. Shortly after John's birth Holo simply walked in the house and laid directly under his crib. Rose never had an issue with the wolf. Between her and my daughter John had lots of love while I was away on many different missions. I honestly didn't know about Holo for the first six months since I was away so much. I was only home for a week when I first learned about Holo. Then I was redeployed."
McGonagall could see this was a painful story and kept quiet while John told her of it.
"I was gone for about a week when I got the news. A jealous witch had attacked and killed both my wife and daughter. I had port-keyed back home that day. There was a caregiver watching over the house and John. He informed me that the wolf wouldn't let anyone in the room. I went in and found her curled up with John and they both were sleeping. Seeing them I broke down crying. For a few minutes I simply cried and then for the first and only time I seen her change right in front of me." He paused to take a deep breath and collect himself.
"You have to understand. I was at a loss of what I could do. She made me a offer that I could never refuse. She would take care of John and make sure that no one ever harms him in any way. I mean how could I say no? She was the only reason he was alive still. She had protected him from the witch that killed his mother and sister. So I took her offer. She stepped away and said she needed a little help with making sure he was fed and other stuff only a mother type can do. She faded away and returned in a moment with Kimberly. I was all too happy to make the bonding then."
McGonagall nodded in response to the story. "Do you regret taking her offer?"
John sat up more. "Not one bit, she has done everything she has promised. She would die before allowing him to be harmed and Kimberly would also. Even with the loss of so much control in his life, I do honestly believe it is for the best. I could never be the father he needs."
Sitting back, taking it all in, McGonagall noticed a young girl enter the room. At first she thought this must be Kimberly until she noticed the tail and ears.
"Hello witch, I was listening and thought I would show myself for once."
McGonagall couldn't miss the sheer hatred in the girl's voice in how she said witch. It was as if the word itself was a curse. "Are you Holo the wolf?" she asked as John got up to leave them alone.
"I am Holo the wise. I understand you will allow Kimberly and I to accompany John to school."
"Yes, but you do understand that Hogwarts is a co-ed school. Little John will have witches as classmates and teachers also," explained McGonagall.
"I do. As long as they understand he is mine we will never have a problem."
The declaration wasn't missed at all by McGonagall. "Holo, how old are you?"
Holo stared deeply into McGonagall's eyes. "I was born the day magic itself was born. I have taken many mates over the eons and will have many more long after John has become dust. But for this fleeting moment he is mine and will be always."
It hit McGonagall like a hammer. She was in the room with an unspoken one, one of the first ones. "You have always followed his soul through time, haven't you Holo?"
Holo shifted back into her wolf form and started to leave the room. "Even time has always returned him to me."
She sat there watching Holo vanish around a corner.
"You should be honored, that is only the second time I've ever seen her in that form." remarked John.
She looked over to John standing in a doorway. "Did you know what she was?"
"Yes, I have learned more over the years. She has followed him over the eons. Only a First One could even consider doing that."
"I would never have believed you if you had told me that in the story. But meeting her leaves no doubt. Well Mister Silver, I will make sure he has the room needed for him and her. Will there be anything else needed that I should know of?"
_
September 1
Kings Crossing
Platform 9 ¾
Standing beside her father, Lily Potter noticed the new arrivals on the platform. "Daddy, who is that?" she asked pointing over towards the soldiers.
Harry was already checking them out. Kneeling down to Lily's level, he explained. "Those are American strike mages, sweety. The boy with them will be attending Hogwarts with you this year."
Lily stood there with a look of confusion on her face. "What are strike mages?"
Harry smiled. "They're soldiers in the American military who are wizards, but Americans call them mages."
Watching them, Harry wondered what their plans were as they began to file onto the train.
_
Hogwarts
Great Hall
Students were all waiting for the announcements and sorting. As they watched the Headmistress step up to the podium she smiled at them all. "Welcome back to another year at Hogwarts. Today we have a special announcement."
Then suddenly heard beyond the doors was rifle fire and bagpipes.
With a louder voice, she declares, "From the Salem Military Academy in the United States of America. I present the Twenty-seventh Strike Mage detachment!"
The doors burst open and a squad of soldiers marched forward. Each step they take causes the whole room to shudder. They march to within ten feet of McGonagall and come to full attention. Then one soldier standing to the side or the rest and giving all the orders stepped forward . "Madam, I am here to present to your care one cadet Silver. SILVER Front and Center!"
From the rear a boy with a wolf standing at his side dashed out and ran to the front of the squad, stopping and facing the officer in the front. He snapped to attention with a salute. "Cadet Silver reporting as ordered SIR!"
"Silver, About face and at ease!" ordered the officer. "Madam Headmistress I present to you cadet Silver."
McGonagall looked down at John with a gleam in her eye. There was no doubt that he was heavily trained as a soldier. Not one speck of dust could be seen on his uniform, his shoes were so highly polished she swore they glowed. And sitting just as proudly was Holo. There was no mistaking her even in this form. "Cadet Silver, please join the first years waiting back in the main hall for sorting."
Snapping to attention John broke formation and dashed back out the doors with Holo right beside him not missing a beat.
As John joined the first years most of them made a wide path for him and his wolf.
Squeezing past a few of her classmates Lily got up close to John and whispered into his ear. "You're dressed wrong."
John turned to face the voice in his ear and found a redhead smiling back at him. "Hi, and you are?" he asked.
Lily lit up with a big smile. "I'm Lily Potter."
She waited for the wow factor to come and was shocked when there wasn't one at all. Just him looking back, looking for more.
"Potter, like, my daddy is Harry Potter," she added.
But still no reaction to who her dad was. "He saved the wizarding world from Voldemort."
"Never heard of him, you sure it wasn't just a local problem?" John said.
This hit Lily just like he had reached out and slapped her right in the face. All her life she was the daughter of the famous Harry Potter. But here and now she was without a wow factor. She was some kid on her own talking to another kid who stood out.
"Well anyhow Lily, I'm John and this is Holo," he said to her. Lily looked down at the dog and got a chill. Those red eyes stared directly into her soul.
"N-n-nnice doggy," she choked out as she stepped back.
With his hand on Holo's head John got Lily's attention back. "She's not a dog Lily, Holo is a great wolf and my familiar."
As they talked, other classmates closed in to listen and see Holo better.
As John and Lily started to talk more the soldiers marched by with a few of them giving John a smile and nod leaving him to his school year in Hogwarts.
Standing back in the great hall John watched as names were called and students got up to the sorting hat. Then his name was called and the hall fell silent. Stepping with meaning John marched up to the seat and sat down. McGonagall placed the sorting hat on his head and waited as the hat spoke to itself.
"Hmm a rarity, a true warrior in our midst. Smart, conniving, brave and fearless, there is only one house that can handle you. Gryffindor!"
As John stood up the students at Gryffindor table clapped loudly and in the middle of the table sat Lily waving frantically for his attention offering him a seat beside her.
Stepping into the Gryffindor common room the students were greeted by their head of household Professor Neville Longbottom. "Ok everyone, we have a few small changes this year. First off, all wands will be tested for proper match up. After last year's fiasco with a new wand builder selling poor wands we want to make sure they're safe for use. So please line up and present your wands for testing by Head Auror Potter.
The room broke out in clapping as Harry Potter stepped out from the boys' stairwell. Lily jumped and ran over giving him a hug. John just stood there wondering what the big deal is.
Most of the wands tested glowed light blue. A few, the bad ones, glowed a pale red. But everyone was shocked when Harry touched the tip of John's wand with his own, for it glowed a brilliant white and the tip of Harry's wand burst into a blue flame. Pulling back suddenly and whipping the flames out Harry stared in confusion at the wand John was holding. "John, do you know what your wand is made from?" asked Harry.
Holding it firmly, "I do," John said.
"Can you tell me?"
Looking at it and the inscribed runes, he answers, "It is ten inches of Ironwood with two Veela hairs core. One from my Mom and the other from my sister." He replied with a tear forming in his eye. As the feeling welled up Kimberly came out of the shadows and knelt down wrapping her arms around him. Looking up at Harry, Kim spoke. "Master lost them both when he was very young. I made him the wand so he'd have them close by. Is there a problem with it?"
Everyone in the room stared at John and Kim, some wondering where she came from, others wondering why she was there. Lily peeled away from her father and went to John giving him a hug.
Harry had never heard of a wand with two cores, but if anyone was to make one it would be a wood nymph. "No it will not be a problem," was all he could say. The two cores really bothered him. Then to his surprise...
"Do you want to test the other wand also?" asked Kim.
Before Harry could answer, John pulled out a second wand that matched the first. "You have two wands?"
John looked confused by Harry's response. Of course he had two wands, all mages carried two wands. "Yes? They're both the same if you want to check it also."
"No that won't be needed. Now who is next?" asked Harry as John pulled himself together once more.
Lily whispered to John. "Your mom and sister were Veela?"
"Ya, but I never got to really know them. I know Suzy took care of me when mom was busy, but that's all I really know."
As they talked the rest of the students filtered by and got their wands tested. It was the last wand that gave everyone a start when it exploded.
"Well Mr. Winters, seems you had a defective wand after all." The first year boy looked like his whole world just came crashing down. "I. I .. I cant afford another one." He broke down crying.
Kimberly looked at John then back at the poor kid crying, with only a nod for permission she stood up and spoke. "Master has offered my services to make the young man a new wand."
Neville stepped up and smiled. "Thank you John, that would be very helpful. Now thank you Harry for your services. I now have to get to the other changes for this year. Many of you may have noticed that Mr Silver here has a wolf for a familiar, with that, he also has Kimberly as a companion."
Everyone stayed silent wondering why.
"With this consideration it was decided that he would be placed in a private room. It is across from the boys' Prefect's room on the second floor. No student is to enter this room unless personally invited in. I would ask that the door remain open when you have guests in your room, John. I also remind you all that while Holo the wolf is here, she is a class five familiar. You all are to treat her with great care. She is to be respected and given all the space she needs."
Letting that soak in for a few moments, he continued. "Now for all the young witches, this is being told to all witches in Hogwarts. There is a family issue with witches and Holo. Do NOT at any time approach or touch her. That means you also, Miss Hagrid. Your father maybe the "Care of Magical Creatures" professor but that doesn't mean you can pet the wolf."
Everyone turned and looked at Cissy Hagrid as she froze in place. Everyone could tell she was creeping her way closer to the wolf just from the hurt look on her face. "But, but I wouldn't..." But she could see she had no way out of it. She was busted.
"Now with that all said, you all have a good night and don't forget that classes start tomorrow." With that said, Neville and Harry left the room leaving the kids to sort themselves out.
John started for the boys' stairs when a tap on his shoulder grabbed his attention. "Hi, great to meet you! Im Teddy. I see you already know Lily, but I thought you should also meet her brothers."
Looking at the boy with green hair John wasn't too impressed. "Maybe later," he said as he started to walk away. But Teddy wouldn't let go of his shoulder. "No, now. Since she seems to have taken a shining to you. And that wolf of yours."
As Teddy steered John back to the overstuffed chair, Lily watched from the girls' staircase. Albus, James, and Teddy towered over him. "You just make sure your pet doesn't hurt her," threatened Albus with the others backing him up. John, though, didn't back down. No, he simply pushed through them with Holo growling low at the boys. As he vanished up the stairs Lily ran over to her brothers and Teddy. "Don't you threaten my friends!" she spat back at them before turning and running upstairs to her dorm.
_
Standing in his new room John looked around and noticed right beside his bed on the nightstand was Suzy's small painting with her waiting for him smiling. "Heya Sis, I hope you haven't been waiting too long."
"You know I'd wait all day for you, Johnny. Daddy hopes you're fitting in well," she said as she bounced on her feet.
"As to be expected. Already had some brothers threaten me. But otherwise nothing to write home about," he said as he sat down on the bed.
Kim exited into a room to the side and Holo jumped up on the bed and curled up at the foot of it.