Acceptance
Watching as Logan limped off in defeat, Elysia felt her lips twitch up as she tried to smirk like she would in her human form. She wasn't pleased with the werewolf at all, since it was an old tradition that fights were not permitted during the winter , but still she was glad to have won and shown him that just because she became an Omega for a while, she wasn't at all weak. And of course, she wasn't sure why he didn't think she wasn't going to have to talk with her father about his behavior. He would have been punished if he won or not, for starting it.
Sniffing the air to make sure that Logan was indeed moving far away from her, Elysia caught the scent of a young male wolf that she'd never met before. Swiveling her head around to find him, it only took a few moments to look over the cub that had tackled Logan, giving her the chance to take him down. He couldn't have been more the five years, with pitch black fur that only a few wolves in her clan had, though he couldn't have been any of theirs - too young. He wagged his tail at the sight of her, startling bright green eyes filled with happiness. And almost in the middle of his forehead, there was a small patch of white in the familiar shape of a lightning bolt.
Staring at the cub, Elysia felt her eyes go a bit little wider as the pieces quickly came together. "Harry?" she said in shock as she took a step forward. "Is that you?"
"Elysia, you won!" said the cub - Harry - happily, bounding over to her and rubbing his head against her uninjured shoulder, though he cast a worried glance at her wound, which was still bleeding slowly. "Are you alright? It looks like it really hurts."
"How... How is this possible?" Elysia questioned, sniffing her cub as if he was the one bleeding instead of her and wondering the worst. "You weren't changed, were you?"
Shaking his furry head, Harry answered with a yip, "Fenrir taught me how to do it. I did it with magic!"
"What?" Elysia glanced towards Fenrir, who was shifting back into his wolf form so he could join the conversation. "What sort of magic is this?" she asked. "I wasn't aware that the humans had the ability to change into one of use without being bitten." This could be bad for her clan...
"You have a lot to learn then," growled Fenrir. "Some witches and wizards can use advance magic to turn into one kind of animal, and only one. Surprisingly, kid's a natural at it, and he's obviously chosen for that form to be a wolf." He smirked. "He did something that at the age of five that most adults can't even learn - this kid's gonna be some powerful kind of wizard when he gets old enough."
Elysia took in the information slowly, staring down at Harry. This was her Harry, the one that she had cared for since the beginning of fall and protected from almost members of the clan, the ones that didn't want him around. He was different, but still hers. Her cub, who now could turn into an actual cub now.
"You don't like, do you, Elysia?" said Harry, his ears and tail drooping after a long moment of silence passed and she hadn't done anything but stare at him.
Blinking, Elysia leaned down and gave Harry a lick up his forehead, earning a look of surprise before she nuzzled his cheek with her own. "I'm so proud of you, Harry," she said truthfully. "Even if Fenrir was wrong and this wasn't advance magic, I'd still be proud of you. I was just a little surprise, is all."
His bright green eyes shone as he perked up visibly. Harry yipped as he danced between her and his teacher, visibly excited, before racing off to a pile of snow nearby, leaping into it with a glee that caused snow to fly, and both the adult werewolves grinned at his behavior.
"I don't think its going to take him long to get used to this," said Fenrir, snorting as Harry rolled around, dusting his dark coat with white powder as he clearly took advantage of his form, which probably kept him much warm than all those furs he had been covered in.
Nodding her head in agreement, Elysia smiled at her cub, letting him play for a few minutes before barking once to catch his attention, which caused him to spring up like a rabbit. "Harry, we have to keep going," she said as Harry trotted over to them, small paws sinking into the snow. "We have more than half the night left to run. How long do you think you can stay like this?"
"Uh, an hour maybe," Harry answered, sounding unsure. "I don't know, haven't been able to do it long."
"Then you should save your strength, change back and climb back on my back," said Fenrir, looking up through the leaves and staring at up the moon. "We have a lot of ground to cover, and I know you're not even going to be able to cover a quarter of it. And don't argue," he said just as Harry tried to speak. "Just do it."
Pouting with a whine, Harry shifted back to a boy, grumbling softly as he climbed up on his back. If Fenrir heard the complaints, and she had no doubt that he did, he ignored them before racing forward with Elysia right on his tail, grateful when she noticed he was slowing down for her.
The rest of the night went peacefully, and whenever they stopped to rest - which was more for Elysia's sake than the others - Harry spent at least a few minutes in his new wolf form, examining himself and everything around him as if he were a newborn cub. But it still seemed like this form was natural for him, as Fenrir said, taking up very little of his magic. Of course, he wasn't quite ready to eat raw meat when Fenrir caught them a rabbit to share, instead nibbling on some non-poisonous winter berries that were pointed out to him by Elysia.
Almost towards the end, Fenrir started to cast the warming spells instead, seeing that Harry's magic was starting to wane, and he gave the reason that he wanted Harry to save it for something special. Elysia didn't understand, but she didn't argue. For at least a little while, she was going to trust him, as hard as it was.
Soon enough, the group made it back to camp just as the sun started to rise, and it seemed they were the last ones to come back. The rest of the clan, already back in their human forms and in comfortable clothes, seemed surprise to see that Harry made it through the night, and the whispers started before he could even slide off Fenrir's back.
Changing back, Elysia groaned as she reached for the clothes she'd left waiting for her near the entrance. The wound on her shoulder had already started to heal, so all that was left was a large scab and blood that flaked off, but it still hurt when she made a sharp or sudden move. She just would have to be carefully for a few more hours not to open it back up.
"Why is everyone staring at me, Elysia?" asked Harry softly, still bundled in furs.
"They're just shocked is all, kid," said Fenrir as he ruffled Harry's already wild hair. "I don't think they were expecting you to make it, is all. You just proved them wrong. Good thing too, I was betting on you and I didn't have enough to cover it if you lost."
"Elysia," spoke up Jason before she or Harry could start in on Fenrir for betting on the cubs safety. "I'm glad to see you made it through the night, though not completely unscathed. Why are you injured?"
"I was attacked," said Elysia, earning a gasp from the crowd. "From one of my own pack mates - Logan. It was an unprovoked attack that was witness by Harry and Fenrir."
"Logan," growled Jason, swinging head towards the crowd and trying to sniff him out. "Where is he?"
"He hasn't returned yet," spoke up Lucas as he stepped forward, clearly upset at the news that his cousin had attacked her. "And if he doesn't soon, I doubt he ever will. He's been going on for weeks about leaving the clan, disgusted with the fact that you've let a human stay here." He bowed his head. "I'm sorry, Alpha, I should have brought it to your attention sooner."
Snarling, Jason turned to a few men nearby. "I want you on patrol, now," he snapped. "Find Logan and bring him back!"
"I knew bringing a human into our clan would bring nothing but trouble," hissed a werewolf hidden in the crowd. A few gave their muttered agreements, and most started to glare at Harry, who went behind his guardian to hide from them.
"Leave Harry alone," snarled Elysia, her eyes starting to melt into gold. "He wasn't the one that attacked me! He is a child, a cub! He wouldn't harm anyone on purpose, and he even helped me when Logan attacked me!" Would her stubborn clan ever see that Harry would never do anything to them?
"He's a human," said the same werewolf, "That's a good enough reason for him to leave!"
"He has to go!"
"Yes!"
"Make him leave!"
"Leave, human!"
Trembling with anger, Elysia could feel Harry bury his face into her side, trying not to show that he was crying silently. That just made her more furious. His own family had already gotten rid of him - and now his new home wouldn't even accept him? Her cub didn't need to be treated this way!
With a snarl, Elysia felt herself shift into the form she had already been in the entire night, her clothes falling to pieces around her after her sudden growth. Her golden eyes bright with anger even as she wrapped herself around Harry, protecting him from the people she thought of as her own family. People cried out, saying that this was unacceptable, but she simply growled and rubbed her jaw against Harry's cheek, wiping away the tears that were still flowing. She couldn't believe that her own clan was acting no better then the humans they hated!
"Not wait a minute," suddenly said Fenrir over the noise. "I think you need to see this before you keep going on," he went on, slowly gaining everyone's attention as they calmed down in curiosity. When it was quiet enough, he smirked before glancing down at Harry. "Oi, kid, show them your new little trick."
Even as he blinked in confusion, Harry nodded hesitantly before he also changed into his new wolf form a moment later. Almost immediately, his ears went flat against his skull as everyone started to shout again, some about their protest to this, or some wondering when and why he had been bitten before he was a full member of the clan.
"What is this?" asked Agatha, her eyes wide but her posture was clearly defensive, as if she expected Harry to attack at any moment. "Elysia, did you change him without our permission?"
Elysia quickly shook her large head, and looked to Fenrir, giving him a look to tell him that he needed to explain before things got out of hand.
With a grumble, Fenrir started. "Harry isn't completely human. He's a wizard, he can use magic -"
Screams of panic and fear filled the air, and quickly the werewolves started to yell that they had to get rid of Harry before he hunted them down, before he destroyed them all, and some even advanced forward to do just that, starting to shift into their larger and stronger forms. Snarling, Elysia got ready to stand and placed herself in front of her cub, fur bristling in anger. She was not going to let them hurt her Harry!
"Kill the wizard!"
"We have to stop him before he kills us all!"
"He has to leave now!"
"Get rid of him!"
"Now enough of this!" said the sharp and stern voice of Arianna. Everyone went silently as she swept out of her hut and into the clearing, frowning at the clan like she was their disappointed mother. "I can not believe how you all are acting. Really, have you all become so stupid?" She turned to Jason. "Might I say a word or two on Harry's behalf?"
"Please do," said Jason with a nod.
Nodding back with thanks, Arianna looked back to the clan. "I have a story to tell, and you will be silent till the end of it," she firmly, and went on when no one argued. "My mother, who some of you that are older remember as Miranda, was a Beta to another clan. She was sent out one winter to sneak into a wizarding village, to find something that might save her to be mate, who was slowly dying from silver poisoning. She sneaked into a Potion Master's home without any problem, but it wasn't long before she was found by the master of the home. But instead of harming her, he took pity, and sent Miranda off with a cure.
"She never forgot that act of kindness, and she returned to the wizard's home to give her thanks, and continued to go on for friendship. Eventually, a relationship was started, and the end result was Miranda was with child, a child that wasn't from her mate-to-be. Her clan was furious, and they kicked her out before that child, me, was even born, stating that they would not have a human child, or magical one, in their home. So my mother wandered, all alone, and almost ready to give birth. In fact, she gave birth to me not more than ten miles away from here, without any help.
"It was perhaps fate that the old Alpha, Jason's own grandfather, found us and invited us to stay here. Even when my mother expressed her concerns that I was half-magical, fearing that he, or someone from the clan would harm me, he didn't care. He said as long as I did not reveal my gift to anyone outside the clan, he would not force us to leave, or would he let anyone hurt me.
"I grew up. While I did not have an enormous amount of magic, I was gifted with the ability to sense magic and also use it to help in my work with healing, while still gaining my ability to change." Arianna glanced over the clan. "Every time you came to me about your wounds, I used some small bit of magic to fix it. Without it, there were a few times that one of you might have died." While they were startled at the news, she went on to say, "And I had children, who had given me grandchildren, and now I have a great-grandchild. It's quite possible that she might inherit my magic, since it like to skip generations sometimes."
Out in the crowd, Sophia gasped and hugged her daughter, Morgan, closer to her.
"But does that mean we will get rid of her, of kill her if she does." Arianna held her head high. "Harry has proven himself, not only by surviving the winter run, but by showing that he can use his magic to become one of us without being bitten, and use it to help us instead of against us. In my mind, I believe that he will become a strong and powerful member of the clan if given the chance." Taking a moment to look over everyone, Arianna step back and nodded to Jason that she was finished.
"Elder Arianna has a point," Jason finally said. "We should not be like the humans, with their prejudice towards anything different. Harry obviously does not intend to harm us, and at one point, was willing to be bitten to become one of us. He has also passed the test we set down for him, surviving the winter run, and I have no doubt that he will survive the rest of season." He turned to his mate. "Agatha?"
"... He did help Elysia when Logan attacked her," Agatha finally said. "I think that is enough to prove himself. And even Elder Arianna believes he will be a good addition to the clan." She glanced towards Harry, still in his wolf form. "Harry, please change back to your normal self so we may talk." She waited until he did as she said before asking, "Harry, do you still wish to be a part of this clan?"
Nodding even as he yawned a bit, Harry answered politely, "Yes ma'am, I do."
"Are you certain? There is the possibility that you will still need to be bitten later in your life to be truly accepted."
He nodded again. "Yes, ma'am."
"Then its settled," said Jason with a nod before looking to his clan. "We do not believe that Harry needs to prove himself any longer. He is now a full-fledged member of the Estriatus Clan, with the same privileges as anyone else in this clan. If anyone has any objections, I suggest you speak now."
There was only deafening silence as the clan looked around, waiting for one of them to speak out. It was so quiet that Elysia was sure that everyone could hear the thudding of her heart, waiting for someone to object. But when a minute had passed and no one spoke, Jason said, "Then its final. Now I believe that you take this first day of the new year to get some rest, and I shall see all of you later."
"Congrats, wiz-kid," said Fenrir with a grin as everyone started to leave and go home for some well needed sleep. "Looks like you're one of them now..." He chuckled and motioned to Elysia. "Looks like he's all tuckered out," he said, pointing out the sound asleep Harry, who had curled up against her for warmth.
Finally changing back to her human form, Elysia cradled her cub against her chest. "Lets get inside, shall we? I think I need some new clothes."
"I don't know," Fenrir said as he glanced over her naked form appreciatively. "I think I like you better this way."
Rolling her eyes, Elysia resisted the urge to hit him, not wanting to wake up Harry. "Of course you do. How long do you think you'll stay here now?" she asked as they made their way to her hut, ignoring the cold snow that her bare feet sunk into. "You don't have to train Harry anymore, you could return to your clan."
"Eh, probably leave in the morning," said Fenrir, shrugging. "After a good sleep and a meal. They'll probably wonder what the hell is taking me so long." He grinned at her as he held back the curtain that served as a door. "I hope you don't miss me too much."
"I won't, don't worry," shot back Elysia, quickly checking afterward that she didn't wake Harry.
"Not even a little?"
"Not even a smidgen." Elysia couldn't help but smirk at the pout on Fenrir's face as the curtain fell back in place. "I'll see you later," she called out, earning a grumble that made her laugh. She then laid Harry down in his bed, pulling fur blankets over him before moving over to the trunk to get some new clothes on.
"'lysia?"
Just shrugging on her shirt, Elysia turned back to Harry to see he was blinking sleepily, not fully awake. "Go back to sleep, cub," she said gently as she knelt next to him, running her fingers gently through his bangs. "You've been up all night."
Bright green eyes, heavy with sleep, looked up at her. "I'm part of the clan now?" he asked in drowsily. "Wasn't a dream?"
"Yes, you are, Harry," said Elysia with smile. "You're part of our family now."
"Does this make you my new mommy?"
Her heart suddenly jumped into her throat, and Elysia had to swallow a few times before she nodded. "Yes, cub," she answered softly, her fingers traveling up so they could shift through his hair. "If that's what you want."
Shuffling forward, Harry slipped his arms out of the furs and wrapped them around her waist, resting his head in the crook of her hip. "You could be my mommy," he mumbled. "I'd like that..."
Tearing up, Elysia watched as he fell back asleep before she leaned down and gently kissed Harry's cheek. He was already her cub, and if he truly meant it, he was now her son. She faintly wondered if her parents would object, but she decided she didn't care. He needed a family, a real family, and now he was going to get one.
It'd been four months.
Severus rubbed the bridge of his nose. It was the morning afters New Years, and it had been almost four long months since the last time anyone saw Harry alive. When he went to the Dursley home when Dumbledore asked him to, he found that both his guardians, his uncle, Vernon, and his aunt, Petunia, had been abusing him practically since the day he arrived, beating him, starving him, and forcing him to do chores at the young age of five. Apparently though, Dursley had enough, and took Harry to some remote forest before going home and drinking himself stupid. So stupid in fact that he had no memory of where he had abandoned Harry. Not even the use of Legilimency could find it.
Holding back a curse, Severus tossed back a finger of whiskey. At least they were being punished appropriately - they were awaiting trail for more multiple charges of child abuse that could result in years of prison and fines, not only to their nephew, but also to their son, Dudley, who had been taken away from them and sent to a foster home. Though they never hit him like they had obviously done with Harry, they had continued to over feed him till he was so large that he was in danger of dying of multiple diseases before he turned twenty. They had been warned by both doctors and teachers, but had ignored them, saying they knew what was best for his son.
They knew what was best to kill him, perhaps.
But none of that could fix the fact that Harry was gone, and at this point, probably dead.
Slamming down his glass, Severus placed his face in his hands and could only wonder what Lily must think of him now. He never checked up on her son, believing Dumbledore when he said the boy was fine. Thinking that he would never have to see him until he came to Hogwarts, where he could then hate him because of his bloody father and how he would probably look so much like him. But now Harry would never go to Hogwarts, would never learn about magic, or his mother. He would never have friends, or enemies, or a life.
And all of this could have been avoided if Severus had just looked in on Harry once in awhile.
Or, if Dumbledore had actually listened to Figg.
As if the man could sense that he was thinking about him, the Floo flared up, and when Severus looked up, he saw the face of Dumbledore appear in the green flames. He looked like he hadn't slept well in the last few days, circles under his eyes, which lacked their usual sparkle. "Ah, Severus, would you mind coming to my office, please? I have something I'd like you to look at." And without waiting for an answer, he disappeared, the fire turning back to its reddish orange color.
Even as he grumbled about it, Severus stood and tossed a pinch of silver powder into the fire.
"Thank you for coming," said Dumbledore as he stepped into the Headmasters office. He was bent over a large book that was laid out on his desk, his fingers running down the pages as he searched for something. "I believe I've found a way to tell us at least if Harry is still alive."
"How?" asked Severus as he moved closer.
"This book," said Dumbledore with a nod towards it, "has the list of future students, whose names are written from the time they were born to be accepted into Hogwarts. Until they come here for their first year, their names are only removed in the event of their death."
"And if Potter's name is in there, that means he's still alive?" asked Severus, a silent hope building in his chest.
"Yes. Unfortunately, it cannot tell his exact location until he turns eleven and is ready to receive his letter," said Dumbledore with a sigh. "Only then will we know where to look for him, if we haven't found him by then. Which I certainly hope we do. But at least we will know that he is safe for the time being."
Nodding in agreement, Severus followed Dumbledore wrinkled finger as it skimmed down the many names of children that might someday come to Hogwarts.
...
Parkinson, Pansy
...
Patil, Padma
Patil, Parvati
...
Peakes, Jimmy
Perks, Sally-Anne
...
Potter, Harry
The moment he saw that name, Severus silently breathed a sigh of relief. He was still alive. No one knew where he was, but somewhere out there, he was still alive. Lily's child was alive.
"This is good news," said Dumbledore with a weary smile. "That means we can still continue to look for him." He leaned back and sank into his chair, rubbing his tired eyes. "I've been searching for a few days for a way to find young Harry without much sleep," he explained when he noticed Severus' look. "I don't know why I hadn't thought of this before."
"Will you send out the search parties again?" asked Severus.
"Yes, of course." Dumbledore covered his mouth with a heavy hand as he yawned. "Excuse me, I think a nap is in order after this. I was just going to ask if you found anything we can use to find Harry."
"I'm sorry, I haven't," admitted Severus with a shake of his head. There were no potions or spells that he could find that would help them locate the young boy - not without his blood or the blood of a close relative, such as his mother, father, or a sibling. And unfortunately, there was none. And basic finding spells would only work if he was in the general area of at least a hundred feet. "You will continued to check the book?" When he was answered with a 'Yes, of course', he gave him curt nod. "If you'll excuse me, Headmaster, I would like to return to my study. Get some sleep."
"Thank you, Severus."
Leaving the office through the Floo again, Severus entered his rooms with a small smile on his face, something that usually scared anyone who had the privilege of seeing it. Harry Potter was alive somewhere. And now he just needed to find him. Somehow.
