A/N: I'd like to say thank you to all of those who have read, reviewed, added my story to their favorites, or are following it with their alerts. I'm trying to respond to each review; even if to do nothing more than say thank you. Suggestions and criticism are welcome and I hope you enjoy the following chapter.

There was a very critical reason James had opted not to inform Lily before officially inducting Harry into the Marauders. The fact that he would now be staring down Hurricane Lily hadn't occurred to him at the time. Oh he'd made Harry tell her but Hurricane Lily must have had a bullshit detector because she rounded on James without a second thought. "Lils had I called you over here before Sirius I know your inquisitive nature would've stopped us from doing anything until Harry here had answered every fathomable question you could come up with. In case you've forgotten it's a full moon tonight and it's going to be rising in less than an hour."

"James you're not understanding the point! Our son manages an extremely difficult bit of magic and instead of calling me and letting me know the first thought in your mind was how to prank his god-father! And don't think you're off the hook young man!" the fiery redhead finally voiced rounding on Harry in the guise of Shadow.

"I get it Lils. I really do. Next time Harry proves he's a prodigy I'll call you first and everyone else next. But what you're not getting is Harry did this for Remus. He wants to be there for Remus, Lils; I know you think he's too young to be out all night and I know he'll be exhausted tomorrow but he has earned the right to be here. I won't deny him this. Not when he worked just as hard, if not harder, than I did to earn my place with Remus during the full moon."

"But he's so young James! He's just a boy."

"Lily your little boy is a seven hundred pound feline that is larger than any of us. I highly doubt there is anything we could get into that is in anyway, shape, or form dangerous to him. Merlin, Lily look at him! He's huge!"

"Fine... He can go out with the boys. But so help me god, James, if that boy starts slacking on his homework or chores I will invent new hexes to try out on your bits! And you, young man, will be spending the morning with me going over everything you didn't think was important during your 'project.'"

Watching Remus change became one of Harry's worst memories and that wasn't going to change for many years. Oddly enough there wasn't any fear associated with Remus transforming; sadness certainly but not fear. It was the pain and fear in Remus' eyes that solidified it for Harry and in an instant Shadow was at the werewolf's side. The night was spent playing tag, hide and sneak, and general rough housing between the four. Prongs had the greatest speed of the four which generally made him the hardest to catch in an open field. Padfoot had the greatest stamina and the most experiences using his enhanced senses which made him the hardest to sneak up on and the hardest to lose in a chase. Moony had the unfortunate case of having the least control but it was off set with his improved strength and durability. Shadow's strengths laid in his mass (which allowed him the greatest overall power), unparalleled balance and grace, agility that matched or exceeded that of Prongs, stealth, and the greatest bond with his inner animal. It was the first time that Harry reflected that it was good to be an apex predator, but it wasn't going to be the last time the young boy thought that.

Morning came far too soon for the newest and youngest of the marauders. Tired, sore, and sleepy Harry walked through the fireplace to his home and while for the slightest moment he was off balance he didn't fall on his face like he normally did. And there in the kitchen looking at the fireplace, wearing a sadistic grin, sat his mother. "Good morning, honey!" called the sickly sweet voice that wasn't honestly sweet at all. Oh sure she sounded nice and pleasant but this was all just a part of Harry's punishment for being out all night. Prongs had already happily handed his son over to his wife while he headed for the office for the last day of the week. Bastard would probably be sleeping at his desk within the hour.

"Morning, Mom." Exhaustion was evident in Harry's voice. But he'd honor his agreement; he'd certainly not risk not being there with Moony now that he had the ability to.

"So Harry do you know what kind of animal you are? I did a little research and I think I figured it out."

"How much research did it take to figure out I was a cat?" He'd keep his end of the deal and answer her questions but if she was going to be silly he'd show her he had inherited her sharp tongue along with her temper.

"Well it's certainly true that you are a cat but I was wondering if you knew what breed you were."

"All I know is the cat is big, black, and has amazing senses."

"Harry dear only two predator cats come in the melanistic coloring you showed: A jaguar or a leopard. So which do you think you are?"

"I'm not sure is there a big difference in them? I mean they're both spotted and like to eat meat right?"

"Their size, temperament, coloration, body structure, and muscle structure are all different. The jaguar is the larger of the two if that helps."

"Jaguar it is than." Harry understood that his feline form was large enough to intimidate Moony after he had transformed; he honestly didn't want to consider that there were mundane cats larger then he already was.

"Quite wrong honey; you see a jaguar doesn't have slightly darker stripes mixed into his coat or grow to be seven hundred pounds."

"But mom you just said it could only be one of the two. How can it be neither?"

"Congratulations, son. You, just like your godfather, are a mutt. Well, to be more exact you're a hybrid of two breeds. It's not exactly common but obviously it happens from time to time. If I had to guess you're either a Jager or a Tiguar; a cross between a tiger and a jaguar as it were. From what I saw last night you take predominately after the jaguar side in structure and the tiger in size."

"So what exactly does that mean?

"Truthfully it doesn't mean much. There are larger cats out there; particularly if you consider the hybrids but if the best traits of the Jaguar run true than I doubt any of them are a threat to you. The Jaguar of central and south America is by and large considered pound for pound the strongest cat in the world. It's one of the reasons they don't grow as large as their African counter parts. The only real issue I see you having is that if you find that you like to climb trees some branches won't be able to support your weight."

"Oh..." Harry tried to control his rising blush but Lily was far to observant for that.

"So tell me how many trees did you destroy trying to climb them?

"Only four or five."

"Well I guess your animal instincts aren't overriding your common sense when you transform. After all you only tried the same thing with the same results four or five times. I honestly expected your answer to be in the double digits."

"I did not! I'll have you know that so long as I stay near the trunk, and the trees are older, the branches are not prone to breaking under the weight. It was only leaping from branch to branch that got me in trouble a few times last night."

"I stand corrected. Now tell me how you managed to become an animagus." Ah yes, the heart of the matter for what Lily wanted to know.

"Really it was all meditation based, Mom. I'd spend a couple hours a night looking for my animal spirit until I was able to find it last year."

"It took you almost two years just to find your animal form?" That was highly unusual. James hadn't needed more than a year and most people took the potion to instantly reveal their inner animal.

"I don't know. I found something a lot of the time but I couldn't make it out for months and months. I thought it getting clearer just meant that I was making progress but now I'm not so sure."

"Why do you say that Harry?"

"Well what if the reason it took me so long to find shadow was because it was still changing?"

"It's possible but impossible to test for." It was an interesting theory none the less; if it was true it suggested that becoming an animagus required either a certain age or a certain amount of maturity- magical or otherwise. "Either way I think it'd be best if I run some diagnostic charms on you to see if there are any major changes."

"Mom do you really think that's necessary?"

"Harry I've already seen at least one major change to you. For the first time since I gave birth to you you're not on your face after coming out of the floo. And didn't you mention your senses being more sensitive? I'd like to see if there are any other changes we need to be aware of." Her wand flicked out and flourished about as she silently released a series of charms.

With a scowl Lily repeated the charms again. She'd been doing this for the last half hour almost non stop and the results were … perplexing. The things she had expected were there; a better sense of smell and hearing along with better eyesight, mainly in alacrity and low light levels. Those things weren't unusual; maybe one in five people reported something along those lines. Even the increased muscle density, heightened reflexes, and improved sense of balance was explainable under the same theory; even if it was a bit of a stretch. No, what was baffling Lily was the charms that were suggesting her son was starting puberty and aging faster then he ought to be. His hormone levels were astronomical and his cellular growth rates were three fold higher then what would be considered normal. She'd ran the tests enough; they weren't going to change and she clearly hadn't made a mistake.

Harry sat in silence watching his mother work; he'd seen that look on her face before. It normally ended with his father sleeping on the couch. But his dad was at work and the only one at home who could've possibly earned her ire was looking at him from the reflection of the window above the sink. Whatever the charms were telling her was making her growl and glare at him like he'd set the house on fire.

"Would you like the good news or the bad news?"

"Do I get a choice?"

"No not really I just thought you'd enjoy the illusion that you had a choice. On the plus side all the benefits of the transformation came out true. All of your senses are a bit altered for lack of a better word; your eyesight, hearing, and sense of smell are the most improved. I'd say their roughly on par or just a tad weaker then Remus's normal senses. You're also about twenty five percent stronger then you were before the change, your reflexes are about fifteen percent faster then before, and your sense of balance has improved dramatically."

"Those are all good things aren't they?"

"Yes they are but now you get to hear what your stupid project cost you."

"Mum why are you trying to sound all ominous?"

"Congratulations son. You've started puberty. And not just a normal puberty I'd wager your going to experience a rapid and vicious puberty where you get all your teen years condensed over the next three of four years. "

"Puberty?"

"That's right my little boys becoming a man. And this means you and your father get to have the birds and the bees talk this weekend."

"Mum are you sure that's needed?"

"No you're quite right; I'll be supervising him to make sure he doesn't bring in your godfather or fill your head with stupid ideas about girls. OH and to make sure he covers the importance stuff correctly."

It was a pale faced Harry who sat in the kitchen awaiting his father's return from work. Compared to what he was currently dreading he was quite honestly considering taking Rose up on her offer to help him find a collar for his "big kitty-cat" as the six year old girl referred to Shadow. He had honestly enjoyed rough housing with his little sister even if he did have to treat her like she was made of glass. He hadn't expected to enjoy playing pony for a six year old girl but the delight in her smile had silenced any hesitation.

Hell he'd even take a pink collar with rhinestones if it got him out of this conversation with his dad. And with all the tact and consideration his father possessed in his body, which is to say none at all, he asked his first question of what would be a very long night. "Who died?"

"Your son several times today of embarrassment. I think by the end of the night he might actually have a record."

"Why's that Lils?"

"Because he knows you and him are going to have the talk tonight and I've been giving him hell all day."

"What talk are me and Harry having tonight?" James was quite certain what conversation his wife was referring to. It was a very serious conversation and warranted using Harry's real name. He just didn't believe his wife was saying he should have that talk with their ten year old son. When he'd had that talk with his father he'd been going into his fifth year at Hogwarts and a bottle of fire whiskey had been involved. Although that might have been why he was ruddy clueless for the first three years he had been at Hogwarts.

"The sex and puberty talk James."

"Lily why would I be having that talk with a Harry tonight? Does he have questions?"

"I HAVE NO QUESTIONS! GREAT TALK DAD WE SHOULD DO THIS AGAIN SOME TIME NEXT CENTURY." It was only the quick petrification spell from Lily that stopped the bolting boy from reaching the door.

"You're not getting out of this that easy, Harry. James, the reason you are going to have this talk with Harry is because by becoming an animagus he jump-started his body into an early puberty. By the time he comes back from Hogwarts next summer his body will be closer to thirteen than twelve. Which means you need to do your job and let him know what he can expect. Oh, and I think it'd be good idea to teach him some basic occlumency. Between puberty, enhanced senses, and animal instincts Harry's mind is going to be overworked and he will need the ability to maintain control of his self to a higher degree."

James walked over to the shelf where he kept his finest stash of fire whiskey and despite the glare from his wife he poured himself and his son a glass. "Can I at least invite Sirius over? He'd have a lot to add to this conversation."

"James Potter you are not letting that man-whore discuss anything related to sex with my son. Is that clear?"

"Crystal, darling." By the end of the night several things were certain... The most memorable being that it'd be months before Harry looked at a banana the same way again.

A/N: I've had a few people ask about Harry's animagus form. Not as a part of it's description but as to why it was chosen. Harry's form was chosen based on the mythology, symbolism, and beliefs that are found surrounding those animals. My interpretation of the animagus form has always been that it is the ability to manifest one's inner animal or spirit animal in a physical manner. I've drawn mainly from Central America and Asian/Chinese cultures although there are a few other aspects taken into account. To that end the Animagus form is not dependent or chosen based on the actual physical traits or personality types of the animals in question but of what traits are associated with them.

Below are some, not all, of the traits that are associated with each animal. Part of the reason I've brought in three separate animals is to

Tiger: Enthusiastic, courageous, ambitious, leadership, confidence, charismatic, Power, Energy, Royalty, Protection, Generosity, Illumination, Unpredictability.

Jaguar: confidence, leadership, power, ferocity, and valor, embodiment of aggressiveness, represents the power to face one's fears, or to confront one's enemies.

Panther: Swiftness, Cunning, Strength, Perseverance, Boldness, Beauty, Gaining Confidence, symbol of courage, valor and power.

Now I'm not going to say Harry is going to manifest every one of these traits or that he is going to personify these traits or that he will even display all of these traits. These were the animals that not only blend together well physically but also symbolically as well as in mythology. Even looking back at the cannon story a number of these traits stand out when looking at Harry's character.