Title: Howling at Dark Stars
Author: Dissedent
Rating: PG-13
Warnings: Some character death, violence, torture, kidnapping, child abandonment, insanity. You know, all the good things in life... Oh, and Vernon Dursley is human, which I know plenty will hate me for ^_^
Disclaimer: Anything you recognize, you recognize it because it doesn't belong to me. The plot is mine, as is the majority of the prose and a few of the characters. Those things, you no touch-y.
Summary: AU – Harry Potter was raised by wolves. Werewolves, that is.
Chapter One – In which men suffer from guilt, a doggy is unfriendly, and bugs strike back
Vernon Dursley wasn't a bad man, per se. He was just protecting his family after all. Nothing wrong with that. Besides, it's not as though the boy was exactly human. He was a wizard, which was, in Vernon's eyes at least, a completely different breed entirely.
Vernon glanced at the very young boy sitting in the passenger seat who was looking out the window in rapt fascination. Regardless of his feelings about those sorts of people, he still didn't like what he was about to do, not that he had much choice in the matter. It was simply too dangerous to keep the boy. At the rate things had been going someone would have ended up hurt, and more likely sooner than later.
Vernon turned his eyes back to the road, scowling. He wouldn't have had to get rid of the boy if those wizards hadn't lied. They said that the boy's magic wouldn't begin to show until he was at least five years old and that when it did it would only be little disturbances like things changing color, or something bouncing when it should have broken. If that had been true then maybe Vernon could have put up with having such an abnormal child residing in his household. But it wasn't.
Instead, for the last few months things had been exploding. Plates flew through the air and shattered when they struck walls. His wife had been terrified of going into the kitchen lest the cutlery start flying as well. And the boy was scarcely two, which wasn't even old enough that Vernon could punish the child properly. In all likelihood, beating the boy probably would have just caused more bizarre and dangerous things to happen.
And that was absolutely unacceptable.
So he'd begun discussing with his wife the possibility of getting rid of the boy. The first, and best idea had been to give him back to his own kind, but they hadn't been provided with a way to contact anyone of that crowd so that was impossible. Then had come the idea of taking him to the orphanage, but that idea too had been rejected.
So here Vernon was, out in the country, planning on dropping the boy off at the first bit of wilderness he came across. The boy might end up being found by someone or other, but the likelihood of him ever ending back up with the Dursleys was slim to none.
Seeing a good spot and knowing that the last sign of proper civilization was a good twelve miles back, Vernon pulled over onto the side of the road and got out. He went around to the other side and opened the door while the boy was still struggling with his seat belt. Vernon unclipped the belt easily and lifted the boy out of the vehicle.
Grasping the boy's hand he led him into the woods, stopping when they were well away from the road.
"Stay here." The boy looked up at him trustingly and nodded, a small smile playing across his face. It seemed that the boy thought it was a game of some sort. Vernon's conscience nagged at him, and he felt guilt threaten to stop him from doing this, from leaving the boy here. He shook the feeling off, telling himself that the boy would be fine. He was a wizard, after all. And Vernon had his own family to worry about. This was for the best.
"Stay," repeated Vernon. The boy sat, cuddling his one stuffed animal into his chest. Vernon dropped a blanket next to him, the same one that had been wrapped around the boy when he'd been dropped on Vernon's doorstep in fact, and the boy looked up at him still smiling faintly.
Vernon walked away, forcing himself not to look back into the trusting eyes of the child. He wouldn't be back, and he certainly hadn't told the boy that he would be but he knew that the child still expected it. He climbed into his car and for a few scant moments merely stared at the wheel. With one last involuntary glance towards where he'd left the boy, he turned his vehicle around and drove away.
~*~(*)~*~
Harry had long ago forgotten his orders to stay put. He'd sat in the place where his Uncle had left him for perhaps an hour, just looking around while cuddling Teddy, but eventually his patience had waned and he wandered off to look at the many interesting things surrounding him.
But that was hours ago and now it had grown dark and previously exciting and interesting sights and sounds had turned threatening to match the ominous thunder sounding overhead. He had left his blanket when he'd first started exploring, and he couldn't remember where he'd put Teddy. As the first cold rain drops started to fall a particularly loud clap of thunder accompanied by a bright flash of lightning startled Harry into a scream as he huddled against a tree.
He whimpered and wrapped his arms around himself in a vain, instinctive attempt to ward off the cold. The dark was frightening, and it had been hours since Uncle Vernon had left him.
He flinched as yet another lightning flash illuminated the woods around him.
"Aunt 'Tunia? N'cle Bernon?" he said, young voice mangling the names of his relatives horribly. "Teddy?"
The next flash of lightning outlined a shape that hadn't been there before. It was vaguely familiar to Harry.
"Doggy?" came the wavering, plaintive voice. "Nice doggy?" Harry's eyes were wide and innocent as he stretched his arms toward the beast, stretching stubby fingers out, reaching for soft fur.
In a flash of fur and teeth the werewolf lunged toward his prey. The boy screamed in terror and pain as teeth went through skin down to the bone, and a harsh, indescribably haunting cry rent the air as the boy changed almost immediately.
Almost as quick as the wolf had lunged, he pulled back. His senses had registered the change in the child's scent, and he no longer smelt prey before him, but a pup, and in the manner of his kind he accepted without pause that the pup was his to protect.
The new werewolf pup lay in a submissive position in front of the adult, whimpering from pain. The alpha bent his head down and the pup licked his snout. Slowly, but quick enough for the eye to follow, the wound on the pup's foreleg closed leaving only a small hairless patch to show that it had been there at all.
The werewolf shook water from his fur and walked away, tail high. The pup followed closely behind him, tail low but wagging happily.
~*~(*)~*~
Davin woke, wincing slightly as his body told him that it had not had fun last night, as it always did after the full moon. It took him a moment to register the small, warm, breathing something curled up against his side. When he did his eyes shot open and any sleepiness that he's previously felt disappeared. He looked down and cursed loudly as he saw a very young, very small child sleeping next to him.
Of all the times! He'd managed seventy two years of lycanthropy without biting anyone, and now he'd not only ruined someone's life but he'd ruined the life of a child.
"Sorry," said a soft voice, and he felt the boy move away from him. He looked down at the child in surprise. Sorry? The boy was looking down, fiddling with the torn remains of his clothing.
"It's all right," said Davin. Or at least, that's what he'd meant to say. It came out as more of a croak. He cleared his throat. "It's all right." He patted the boy's shoulder awkwardly. He had very little people skills, he knew. He'd been bitten in his mid-twenties and had always been rather introverted. Becoming a werewolf had slowly driven him to being all but a hermit. He brushed the boy's long, floppy hair out of his eyes and paled.
There was a scar. A small scar shaped like a bolt of lightning that could mean only one thing: he had bitten Harry Potter, the Boy Who Lived himself. He got up quickly, brushing himself off and grimacing. It had rained the night before, as was evidenced by the half-dried mud caking his clothes. He looked around, trying to figure out exactly where he was, and easily recognized the twisted, gnarled old tree about three meters away.
He bent over, which wasn't an easy task when he was feeling so sore and stiff, and gently lifted the boy to his feet.
"Harry?" The boy's eyes widened in shock. He was rather obviously surprised that this stranger knew his name. Davin smiled, or attempted to. He was worried beyond measure and feeling completely out of his league. He knew nothing about children. How on earth was he supposed to care for one? Much less this one.
"Yes?"
"I need you to come with me, all right?" The boy nodded and Davin inwardly breathed a sigh of relief. At least the boy wasn't difficult.
They set off. It wasn't too long before Harry began to look tired, obviously not used to walking long distances, but Davin pressed on. Stopping would just make it harder to start again, he knew, and Davin was hardly in a good enough state to carry a child for any length of time.
About the time Harry was stumbling in exhaustion Davin stopped and knelt.
"Hey." Harry looked at him with tired eyes, seemingly on the verge of tears.
"It's just a little bit more, all right?" Harry nodded mutely. Davin sighed. The poor kid looked like he'd only just got the hold of walking and they'd done a good half a mile by now. It wasn't much to Davin, but Harry wasn't used to it and had to take three steps for every one of his besides. Davin got back up and, true to his word, it was only about five minutes later that Harry was being set into a large, comfortable, thread-worn chair and covered with a blanket. Harry curled up immediately, settling down for a nap.
Davin sat in a chair across from Harry, staring at the boy without really seeing him as he considered his current dilemma. He'd bitten someone, which generally meant a year long stay in Azkaban, longer since it could have been prevented if he'd taken better precautionary measures.
It was just his luck that a wizarding child had gotten onto his land. There were muggle repelling charms all around the border, as well as charms to prevent Davin from leaving without his wand (which he never had while he was transformed, obviously), but there was nothing to prevent wizards from moving freely through his little forest.
And there couldn't be, because the Ministry demanded that they have full access to his property, so that Werewolf Support Services could regularly check up on him.
As that thought crossed his mind Davin went pale. Every six months (that is, every six full moons) a representative of the Werewolf Support Services checked up on each registered werewolf. Davin was due for a check up after the next moon.
And there was no way that Davin, at his age, could survive a year in Azkaban. And considering just who he had bitten... Davin shuddered. If he was tried, he'd probably end up being given to the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures, ostensibly for testing.
It was a fairly standard death sentence for werewolves, as Davin was all too aware. Not that it was ever stated as such. Supposedly you were set free after you were there for however long you were sentenced, but there'd not yet been a case of a werewolf lasting for more than three months as a test subject in that Department.
Davin forced himself not to think about it. He wasn't going to get caught. He just needed to think of a place to go. A place where the Ministry wouldn't follow him, or even better a place where the Ministry couldn't find him.
An idea came to him. It had been a long time since he thought about the pack. He'd heard about it from someone who had been born amongst feral werewolves but had left, wanting to see the world. He'd spoken quite highly of the pack, of the community of it and their willingness to take in strangers.
Davin didn't see why it wouldn't work. After all, he practically lived feral now. He had might as well make it official. And it would save him from the Ministry, and the boy could grow up with others of his kind without being battered with wizarding prejudices at every turn. A good situation all around, really.
Of course, Davin didn't actually know where their territory was. He knew it was in Scotland, in the Forbidden Forest (one of the largest magical reserves on the planet, as well as one of the most dangerous). But that was a mere detail, Davin assured himself. It would work out, surely.
Mind made up, Davin got up with the intention of preparing for the trip when his eyes landed on Harry. Davin smiled faintly. Maybe breakfast was a more immediate concern.
~*~(*)~*~
"Just grab onto this, all right. It'll take us where we're going," said Davin, holding the portkey out for Harry to grab. It had taken Davin some time to gather what they needed, and to mentally prepare himself for the trip. Davin was carefully not-worrying about whether they would be able to locate the pack. He told himself that if they didn't, he could always make another portkey and come back home. That would lead to an inevitable "facing of the music", which Davin didn't exactly look forward to, so that was their last recourse.
Davin smiled as Harry grabbed the portkey. Harry had proven to be endlessly curious about everything, though he tended not to talk much and seemed to think that whenever anything went wrong it was his fault. He probably said "sorry" more than any other word, which rather bothered Davin. But he shrugged it off, determined to deal with the now before he worried about the past.
The clock struck twelve and they vanished.
The reappeared in the middle of a dense forest and Davin looked around carefully, wand ready. Casting a perimeter charm, which would inform Davin if anything dangerous came near, Davin looked down at Harry and grinned confidently.
"So, how about lunch?" Harry nodded, looking around in interest. Davin sat and took a small object out of his pocket, which enlarged into a rucksack. Harry watched him closely as he did. Harry was always fascinated when Davin did magic.
Davin dug around in the bag and pulled out a pair of rather smashed sandwiches, one of which he handed to Harry. Harry very carefully separated the bread from the filling and ate the bread first, then the meat, then the cheese. Davin just shook his head in amusement. Harry was a quirky eater, but Davin had gotten used to it over the last few days.
When they were both done eating Davin reshrunk the rucksack and they were off. They wandered aimlessly, resting when Harry needed to and snacking often. About the time when it started getting dark they found a nice clearing where they could sleep the night. Davin cast another perimeter charm, though this one was stronger. Nothing could get in while they were sleeping. Another quick wave of his wand assured that Harry would not be able to wander off during the night.
Davin handed a blanket that he'd pulled out of the rucksack to Harry, who fell asleep almost as soon as he'd curled up in it. After checking to make sure the charms would hold for the night, Davin did the same.
The next day proceeded in a similar fashion, as well as the day after that, and the day after that, and Davin was beginning to wonder if his idea of wandering aimlessly until they found the pack was really as plausible as he'd once thought.
But it wasn't until Davin took sick that things took a turn for the worst. He'd been bitten by something, he guessed while they were sleeping because he couldn't remember when it had happened, and within days the flesh around the bite was swollen and red and oozing green fluid. They stayed in a small clearing for several days, until Davin was literally too ill to move at all.
Harry was frightened. Davin wheezed loudly with each breath and every now and then he would go into fierce seizures. Just then, there was a loud wheezy gasp and Davin collapsed and there was silence as the labored breathing Harry had been listening to for days suddenly stopped.
"Dabin?" Harry asked. Davin had reassured Harry several times that he was going to be fine, but it had been three days since he had been able to say anything at all. Harry crawled over to the old man and stared down at him. Davin had told him not to touch him, and Harry remembered his command so he didn't touch. Davin lay very still, and his eyes were open, but they didn't look towards him like they usually did when Davin spotted him. They just stared into space, unfocused.
The flicker of light that had been at the edge of Harry's vision for the duration of their stay died, and he jumped.
"Dabin?" Harry's voice was higher this time and more frightened. Dabin had put the spark there with his wand, Harry knew, but he hadn't been the one to take it down like he usually did. "Dabin!"
There was a loud growl behind him, and Harry scrambled away as a large, scary looking thing came into the two-year-old's view. He ran, terrified, and never saw the animal attack his guardian's body.
Some ways away Harry stumbled and fell, skinning his hands and knees as he did so. He cried, from fear and general discomfort perhaps more than pain. His head ached and he'd not eaten or drunk anything since the day before, when he'd gulped down the very last of the water Davin had brought with them. An animal slowly stalked behind the boy, preparing to pounce, but it ran off when Harry let out a loud scream of pain.
If it had stayed it could have had a feast of an equally vulnerable werewolf pup beneath the light of the full moon.
Once Harry changed, instinct took over and he searched out water, soon stumbling upon a stream from which he drank greedily. A howl drifting on the air reached his ears and he answered while running awkwardly toward it, his own howl a weak imitation of the first. A good twenty minutes later there was another howl, this time ringing with a multitude of different voices and much closer that the first. Harry clumsily moved towards the sounds and it wasn't long before he crouched low and submissive in front of an adult.
The adults were playful and inviting, asking with their postures and expressions for him to join them. So they romped, and whenever Harry stumbled or fell behind one or more of the others would come to encourage him to keep up. As far as any of them were concerned, tonight there was nothing more pressing than play. There was nothing in the forest that would take on a full pack of werewolves, so they ran and chased and wrestled until the moon touched the horizon.
It was only then that they stopped and slept.
Author's Notes: This is currently unbetaed, so I'd be very, very grateful to anyone who would be willing to beta for me...