Harry's Pack

Author's Note: This is admittedly more of a prologue than a first chapter but I figured it would just be easier to call it the first chapter. This story is almost completely AU because I have a weird mind and I just want to see where I can go with this craziness that I thought up. I already have 7 chapters written out completely and 2 chapters typed up so that I can post a new one every week without falling behind (hopefully). Thank you all for your support, and I'd love to hear what everyone thinks of this. Reviews are always appreciated!

Chapter 1: Lily's Secret

My Dearest Harry,

I pray that you will never have to read this letter, and that I will be able to tell you all of this myself. Unfortunately, with Voldemort gaining power by the hour and a target on our family, it is very possible that I may not even survive this night. For your safety, I have made an unbreakable vow with your fathers to keep this secret until you have read this letter on your fifteenth birthday. That is probably the easiest piece to explain, if not the shortest explanation.

Harry, you have two fathers. Loving James Potter was a choice I made when I was tired of saying no to him every five minutes, and could no longer think of reasons to refuse him. Loving Remus Lupin was destiny that I found painful to continue fighting.

James and I had been dating for just over a month when Remus ran into several problems. Most of those problems were financial, and the issues based more in an emotional upheaval lead to an even worse financial crisis.

He chose to lean heavily on Sirius for a while, and Sirius never had an issue supporting Remus financially. Then James and I ran into issues of our own. Maybe it was because we had just come out of the honey moon phase of our relationship, the fact that up until our first date I had a dreadful image of James and he had me on a pedestal, we had a romanticized view of relationships due to our lack of experience in the dating world, and our youth, or it could have been any number of reasons that could fill up a twenty page list, but to make it short, we began fighting constantly. We would argue non-stop, and several of our verbal battles would last for days, even weeks. The topics of the arguments were silly, petty things and we knew it, none of it was relationship ending in severity; but it was a constant and impossible to ignore strain on both of us that was tearing our relationship apart and neither of us wanted to break up over it.

That was when Remus stepped in and helped us see reason, connected the mental and emotional dots, really opened our eyes to our differences, our similarities, and what we needed to do if we wanted to get the most out of being together, rather than clash against each other over and over. To make a long story short, Remus became our mediator and we became his therapists. By the time we were all about to graduate, James had asked me to move into a house with him. I agreed immediately and suggested that we invite Remus to come along with us.

Of course, James jumped at the idea to have one of his best friends living with him as well as me and he agreed without hesitation. Remus ended up moving in and living with us in a nice house James inherited from his parents. But, only a couple weeks into living in our new home, things began to change.

I found myself slowly but surely falling for the sweet, attentive, occasionally brooding and lonesome werewolf. I didn't love James any less, nor was I any less resolute in spending the rest of my life with him. He'd asked me to marry him the night we moved in and I had not once doubted my choice in agreeing! However, I felt more and more ashamed of myself every day because I had a loving fiancé that I was mad for, yet I also craved the very thought of being with Remus too.

Eventually, I decided that enough was enough when it came to tormenting myself over the two men I wanted, and tested Remus to find out if any of my mental torture was even warranted. I almost lost my nerve and ended up asking Remus straight out if he had any feelings for me, after promising that whatever was said would stay between us. When he admitted that he did indeed care for me in a romantic fashion, I knew it was time to put together a plan.

I was desperately in love with two men and they both loved me in return. So, a month and a half after my conversation with Remus, I approached both men with my head held high. I admitted that I loved them both, that I didn't want either of them any more or less than the other, and I demanded that they either love me together or not at all.

Thankfully they both agreed and there was almost no hesitation in accepting my proposal. We were happy for a long while. In an effort to keep the anti-werewolf stigma off of us, we didn't tell anyone that Remus was part of our relationship. So, Remus claimed me privately as his mate and James married me publically in a beautiful ceremony with all our friends. It seemed as though nothing could go wrong.

Of course, I had to be stupidly stubborn and follow Remus and James when they went out for their full moon run. There had been several arguments between the three of us about whether or not they would help me become an animagus, and because of the risks that come with it, James refused to guide me and they both demanded that I stay at home during the full moon and keep safe. I refused because I didn't want the two men I loved risking themselves every full moon with people trying to kill werewolves. I probably should have just listened to them, but I didn't. That night that I followed was the night Remus turned me. Even with the wolfsbane potion and James trying to hold him back, Remus could not fight the urge to make his mate like him. He bit me before he could stop himself, and the moment he realized what he had done he ran off.

James quickly got me to Hogwarts, asked for me to be treated by Madame Pomphrey, and demanded that no one be informed of what had happened. It was to protect me, to keep me from being hunted as I had feared Remus would be. As soon as I was being helped I told James to find Remus. I woke up the next morning to Remus crying over me as if I were dead. He was horrified by what he had done, and more than remorseful. James was angry that I had gotten hurt but could see that I was recovering just fine and had no issues with my new status as a werewolf, just as he hadn't cared when he found out about Remus.

That of course leads into the more complex explanation. You were conceived shortly after I was turned, a child of two werewolves and an animagus. When you were born and placed in Remus' arms, your eyes glowed golden for several moments. That was how we knew you had been born a werewolf.

Born Wolves are special Harry, rare and powerful beings that are feared, admired, and consistently hunted in an effort to be studied. You will not transform until the first full moon after your fifteenth birthday, you will have full control of yourself when the wolf takes over, and though the full moon will force your shifts, you are not tied to it. You, unlike every other werewolf, can unleash the wolf at any time that you wish.

You have a long road ahead of you my brave baby boy. It breaks my heart that I will be unable to care for you myself for many reasons. All I ever wanted in life was to fall in love and be a mom, and now, when I have everything I want, I will likely have to give all of it up and I just don't know how to comprehend that. All that helps me at this time is the thought that no matter what happens you have a bright future ahead of you, and hopefully I will be able to watch over you. It isn't the same as what I want for you and for us both, but it's better than nothing, and that's what's most important.

I hope that you can forgive me Harry, and please don't be angry with James and Remus. I was the one that demanded that this be kept from you for your own safety. No one knows about me, no one knows about how I am involved with Remus, and no one knows your true parentage beyond James and I. If anyone discovered any of it with ill intentions, you would be in terrible danger. You are special Harry, you are very special for several reasons, a good few having nothing to do with how powerful you are. You are special because you are truly loved by so many people. Don't ever forget that. You are a third of my heart and soul Harry, split evenly between you and the only other men in my life that I have loved, James Potter and Remus Lupin.

I love you, be safe, be brave, and never forget how special and loved you are.

All my love,

Your mother,

Lily Lupin Potter.

Lily took a deep breath as she folded the letter and placed it inside an envelope. She heard a crash downstairs and James shouted up to Lily to take Harry and run. Remus crashed through the door, his eyes wild. "Lily, what are you doing? We have to go!" He shouted.

Lily wiped her tears away, stood, kissed Remus a final time, and placed the envelope in his hand. "Stay safe Remus. I love you. Our son will survive the night, you have my word."

Remus' eyes widened as Lily took a deep breath and activated the portkey she'd made out of the letter in case of emergency. "Lily No!" Remus cried and attempted to lunge forward in an effort to grab her, but it did him no good. He was pulled away before he could even think of reaching out to her.

Lily's eyes began to water and she rushed to her baby's crib. "Harry," she whispered softly. "Mama loves you, your fathers love you, Harry you are so very loved. Please remember that. Be safe Harry, be brave. I love you so very much."

Baby Harry reached up toward his mother and Lily smiled at her baby boy for what she was sure would be the last time. "Step aside foolish girl."

Lily schooled her face and turned toward her husband's murderer. She refused to leave Harry with a bad example, and therefore refused to beg for her life. "Not my son you evil bastard. Kill me if you must but leave my innocent baby boy." Her voice was devoid of fear, she stood proud and strong, ready to die in an effort to protect her son, but even if that was to be her fate, she would not go down without a fight.

Voldemort's blazing red eyes bore into the proud muggleborn witch's. "There is no need for you to die my dear. You have the rest of your life to have another child, and perhaps even with one of my many death eaters, all you have to do is stand aside and join my cause."

Lily shook her head and raised her wand. "I'll not stand idly by and allow you to kill my son."

Remus fell to his knees outside of the leaky cauldron. He had watched James die, unable to help. His best friend, his brother in all except blood was gone forever. Lily, his mate, he could feel her death. The moment she took her last breath, Remus' heart nearly stopped for good. There was nothing left for him without Lily… except… yes, he could feel that Harry still lived. His son was still alive.

For now, that would be enough for him. That would be enough to carry Remus through the rest of his life. Remus could keep living if Harry was alive and safe. So with a heavy heart and an audible sigh, Remus stood himself back up and began to walk, not sure where he was going, and lacking any care for what his destination would be.