Ch. 14

Harry's Pack

By the time the wolves started to gather under The Alpha's call, Harry had gotten used to speaking in short sentences. He and The Alpha were waiting, both in their wolf forms in the large clearing of the woods, The Alpha sitting his monstrously huge form, his black fur almost blending into the darkness while Harry sat next to him, his tail moving nervously.

"Calm down, Harry," The Alpha commanded. "Your tail keeps moving."

"Sorry," Harry barked. "Nerves hurting me."

"Breathe," The Alpha commanded.

"It helps if I'm closer," Harry said. The Alpha looked down at the small black wolf with white outlines around his eyes and nodded. Harry smile and shuffle closer to the Alpha until their fur were practically touching, and he can feel the heat radiating from his future father-in-law. He started to see the wolves coming closer, a sea of browns and greys mixing with a rare white here and there. He saw the Weasleys and Draco coming down looking excited, Draco being escorted by the two large forms of Fred and George while Ron and Ginny walk by themselves. Harry looked up at the Alpha as they started to approach. "We wait," was all The Alpha said. "There will be time afterwards."

"Okay," Harry whined. He looked around the clearing, seeing the wolves gathering and frowned as they at first seem unfamiliar, though he knew that he knew them. He started to feel his anxiety acting up again and pressed himself against The Alpha, focusing on his heat, on his touch. The Alpha did not react at all so Harry took that as a sign that he could continue to lean on him, so he stayed against the Alpha, allowing his powerful presence to overfill Harry and push his anxiety back. It was like Cedric's, it reminded Harry of Cedric, but Cedric's was more loving with him whereas the Alpha's was full power.

He missed Cedric. He knew why The Alpha locked him in his room for tonight, but still he missed Cedric, he missed his alpha's touch, almost like there was a small void inside him that only Cedric could fill, and that void was pulling him like a stretched tendril that connected him and Cedric. He started to make tiny whining sounds, looking around the clearing as if Cedric would somehow show up.

But he never did.

Instead more wolves came, the puppy-dog Justin yipped around Harry happily before jumping away. Harry smiled at him, but stayed in his place as he looked at a wolf that he recognized immediately. He walked submissively, like an injured dog, his fur was brown, ordinary-looking, he was about the size of both Fred and George yet he didn't carry his weight like the two. Harry stared at Cormac McLaggen, but he did not once look up as he was followed by two older looking wolves whom Harry figured were his parents.

He looked up at the Alpha, but he continued to stay quiet, as he waited for the last of the wolves to finally come. Harry did his best to be quiet too, leaning onto The Alpha as he waited. Finally, the last of the stragglers, Remus and Sirius, made their appearance. They kept their eyes on Harry, and looked that they just wanted to run up to Harry and stay with him, but they kept their distance.

The Alpha gave one long look around the whole pack before speaking.

"Everyone. The Full Moon is once again with us, and we gather in our woods to celebrate the gifts life has given us. I am pleased to see that we all are here to celebrate together, however, we must address the obvious situation. My son Cedric will not be joining us tonight. A month ago, as you might remember, Cedric has brought in Harry to meet our pack, and begin his initiation into our family. However, as you can see, through a lack of thought and consideration on both sides, the initiation has taken a rapid turn, and their mating was completed, and Harry is one of us, completely. So while today is a day to remember my son's stupidity and learn from it, more importantly, today is the night where we celebrate Harry Potter! And his complete initiation into our pack!"

There was a roar of noise as the wolves in front of Harry howled. He wasn't sure if he heard words mixed with the animalistic noise, maybe a "Let's go Harry!" that sounded familiarly like George's voice or a "Welcome Potter!" that sounded like Fred's, but he wasn't sure. It was just a noise that was surprisingly welcoming. He did not know how to handle the noise, it was unusual for Harry, so he just hugged closer to The Alpha, who nudged him to take a step forward.

Harry took a hesitant step forward and looked around at the howling wolves. He tried to lift a hand up awkwardly but then remembered that he was a wolf. So he lifted one of his front paw the best he could and did his best to wave it from side to side in a sort of greeting motion. The noise of words and howls continued, and Harry looked back at The Alpha, unsure on what to do.

The Alpha looked out at the crowd and motioned for Harry to return to him, which the boy did gladly, already feeling his anxiety bouncing around in his body. The Alpha stood slightly, and the noise slowly died down. When it return to silence, The Alpha continued, "Yes, welcome Harry. Welcome to your new family, your new lifestyle. You are an intelligent boy, a caring soul, and the perfect mate who will keep his Alpha on track."

Harry smiled with soft pride at this.

"In the future, when both you and Cedric are older, I will gladly welcome you Harry, as my son-in-law," The Alpha said.

Harry smiled and rubbed his head affectionately against the Alpha as the rest of the back howled approvingly. Out of the corner of his eyes, he could see Sirius and Remus watching him carefully. He turned to them and smiled, showing that he was perfectly okay. The two nodded and shown a small wolfy smile that made Harry's tail wag happily.

The Alpha signaled for silence as the wolves all cheered, and waited to make sure that the silence was complete before saying, "I will not hold you back for longer, go, run through the forests and celebrate the night and the gifts the Full Moon has blessed us! Except… for you, Cormac McLaggen. There is something important that we need to discuss."

The other wolves turned to look at Cormac McLaggen. Some were curious while others were hesitant, however all of them looked as though the boy has done something bad, which made Harry's heart hurt a little. As yes, he did do horrible things, however in Harry's eyes, what Cedric did was completely worst. He looked at The Alpha, hoping that he would reassure Cormac as the boy just stood there listlessly, but the huge wolf said nothing. Instead he lifted his head high, as if to block out the moon, and gave out a long, powerful howl that the other wolves joined with a rousing chorus.

Harry found that he could not join in the howling, and instead just stood there, watching Cormac as he howled pathetically.

The Alpha lowered his head and the wolves were off, running back into the darkness of the woods, except for Cormac McLaggen, his parents, and Remus and Sirius. Harry looked at the five wolves in front of them and frowned, it would be hard for him to talk in front of all of them. The Alpha looked disappointed as he said, "I only asked for Cormac McLaggen to stay behind. Sirius, Remus, why are you still here?"

"We are looking after Harry is all," Sirius answered coolly.

"Harry is safe with me, or are you afraid of that?" The Alpha asked suspiciously.

"No offense Alpha, but we have made a promise to Harry's parents to keep an eye on him at all times," Remus said. He looked between his husband and the Alpha before bowing slightly.

The Alpha's amber eyes narrowed, but Harry interrupted him. "It's okay. They can stay."

The Alpha looked down from Harry to Sirius and Remus, and nodded. "Fine, stay, but do not speak, and do not interrupt." The two nodded and The Alpha turned his attention onto Cormac McLaggen. "Come forward to us, Cormac," he ordered.

He did not look up as he walked slowly, meekly, towards Harry and The Alpha. Harry thought he looked like a man on the way to the gallows. He waited five feet in front of the Alpha and Harry. His parents stuck in their original place as they watch nervously. "Look up," The Alpha commanded. Cormac McLaggen hesitated but looked up at them, his eyes looking dull and emotionless. "Cormac McLaggen, you have done harm to Harry Potter, is that true?"

"Yes," Cormac whined, so unlike the cocky boy Harry knew.

"And yet, harm has also been done to you, isn't that right?" The Alpha asked.

Cormac was silent. He looked nervous, his head twitched and his ears flatten against his head as he looked down at his paws.

"Cormac—"

"Alpha… can I try?" Harry said slowly. If The Alpha was shock, he did not show it as he simply nodded and moved into a resting position. Harry walked up slowly towards Cormac, still not fully used to walking on four feet. He was right in front of Cormac and he lifted his paw as high as he could to rest on the young wolf. "Cormac?" he whispered, coming out as a low whine. The bigger wolf looked up at Harry, and Harry's heart broke, filling with a temporary anger at Cedric for doing this. "Tell Alpha what Cedric did. We all know."

Cormac looked like he wanted to run away, that he was about to do something horrible. He shook his head and said, "Nothing, nothing happened. Alpha did nothing to me!"

"That's lie!" Harry said loudly. "You know it! Cedric bin—bou—turn you into slave…basically."

"Harry means, Cormac, that my son has performed a sealing spell on you, a spell that is highly dangerous to both you and Cedric," The Alpha said. "He has messed with your mind, as well as your wolf's. Forcing you to be obedient. To listen to his every word… this is a tactic Alphas use only as a last precaution with those who they believe to cause the worse of trouble, and yet my son through instinct or stupidity, perhaps a mixture of both, has chosen to use this method instead of bringing the situation to me. Now, how has my son been treating you? For how long have you been sealed?"

"A month…"

"I noticed he acted differently… after first lesson… with Dumbledore," Harry struggled to say as he focused on words instead of barking.

"I see," The Alpha frowned. "Well, it seems my son's punishment will lengthen significantly. But before that, McLaggen, I will remove your seal. Tonight, even. However, you must know that this is only because of Harry."

Cormac looked at Harry, who nodded softly.

"Harry has shown kindness and compassion where others would have shown petty negligence. For even after all the terrible things you have done to him, including exploitation and blackmail, he has still chosen to forgive you, to give you your will and freedom back," The Alpha said. "So, you might want to thank him."

A glimmer of hope passed through Cormac's eyes and he looked up at Harry. "Thank… thank you," he said softly.

Harry just nodded briskly, wanting this to be done and Cormac to have his mind and will again. The Alpha stood up fully and looked down on all of them. "Good," he said, "Now…" He gave out a thunderous howl and his form began to change. He was shrinking rapidly, becoming near human-sized again, but stopped at seven feet as he lifted his front body to stand on his hind legs. His front paws started to become clawed fingers, he was becoming human-like in shape yet his was still furry, his face still clearly a wolf's as his body became thick and muscular. Harry thought that the Alpha emitted power before, but now it was like he was lost in a sea of the Alpha's power. A sea that could easily sweep any enemies away.

In his new form, the Alpha approached Cormac silently. The teen whimpered, but did not run as he rolled over and shown the Alpha his stomach. The Alpha began to work immediately. He placed one of his massive hands on the center of the wolf's belly and began growling out something Harry did not understand. Yet he could feel the magic in the air. The ground surrounding the two started to tremble, Harry felt like he was going to fall, but Sirius and Remus quickly ran to him to keep him up as the Alpha continued his incantation. The air swirled around the two, Harry could see splitting wind the colors of green and yellow clearly in the night sky as a small twister formed. And from that twister, Harry watched in horror as the Alpha plunged his hand into McLaggen's chest. But there was no blood, though it looked as though the teen was in incredible pain.

Then the Alpha started pulling. His hand came out of Cormac's chest, there was no wound and the hand was clean, however it was holding a red thread that continued to come out of Cormac's chest as The Alpha lifted his hand upwards and upwards until it was fully extended, and with one final pull a silver mark came out that looked like a wolf's paw in a circle, lashed by a whip with no owner. The brand disappeared into the air, and the twister disappeared immediately.

"Cormac?" Harry asked.

"He is fine, just exhausted," The Alpha said. He looked at the parents. "Bring him home, the boy needs rest. It will be some time until he wakes up."

The two nodded and quickly ran towards their son. They worked together to lift him onto his father's back, and the two disappeared into the woods as they left the clearing.

"Harry."

The Alpha's words shocked Harry. He turned to see the man turning back into his wolf's form. "Yes?"

"You are a better man then my son," The Alpha said. "Make sure he learns from you, and correct him when he screws up. The both of you will make fine leaders when I step down."

"Thank you Alpha…" Harry said, his small smile returning.

"Now go, be with your friends."

Harry didn't need to be told twice. He ran off from the three adults, yipping excitedly as he ran free in the forest, looking for the Weasleys. He found them easily enough, as Ron pounced onto them, the two tumbling into the ground. Both boys laughed and soon after Harry's night melted away into a long and elaborate chase with no winners. It was mainly him, Ron, and Ginny, but they ran into Seamus and Dean who joined for a time, as well as Neville and Blaise, who joined for a brief time before moving off to be by themselves.

The more Harry ran, the stronger he felt his connection both with the moon and his friends. However, he still felt like something was missing, that he was empty, and there was only one person to fill it, though sadly he wasn't there.

As the moon rose and it gotten later and later, an incredible exhaustion gotten over Harry that did not seem to effect anyone else. With many stifled yawns, and against his wishes, he decided that it would be best to look for Sirius and Remus.

"I'm tired," he panted out to Ron and Ginny when they noticed he was leaving. "Gonna collapse."

"Ohh, well good night Harry," Ron said a little sadly, "see you tomorrow, yeah?"

Harry just nodded and moved away. He supposed Sirius and Remus really were keeping an eye on him as he found them not a minute later. "Tired Harry?" Sirius asked.

"Yeah," Harry yawned. "Need sleep."

"Alright then, let's go home," Remus said. He looked up at the sky and frowned, "Lily and James will not be happy about this, it's one in the morning."

"Ahh, it's his first full moon out, I'm sure they'll let it slide," Sirius said. "Come on Harry, let's get you home." Harry nodded and allowed his uncles to escort him out of the woods, and though he did not see the man, he had a feeling that the Alpha was watching him closely. It reassured him.

Ten minutes later found Harry relaxed on his own bed. He was able to unlock and relock the front door with magic, and the three crept inside without waking anyone up. Harry thought that it would be impossible for him to sleep with the full moon outside, but found that as soon as he curled onto his bed, his eyes closed and his body became heavy as exhaustion finally took over his body, and he slept, his thoughts drifting to what he had accomplished today and, for once in his life, feeling proud about it.

.

The next morning came too fast, as it always did for Harry, however he felt oddly refreshed. He woke up naked, his glasses still on his face and digging into his skin, but he did not mind that as he rolled out of bed and shook his ass like he still had his tail. He showered and got dressed quickly with a happy tune on the balls of his feet. When he went downstairs, he found that it was only his parents.

"Sirius and Remus took Orion home while you were sleeping," Mr. Potter said. "They said that you've behaved wonderfully, and you even helped someone?"

"Yeah," Harry nodded. "I've helped a classmate."

"Good for you Harry," Mrs. Potter smiled. "Now come on, eat your breakfast before you head to school." Harry nodded and got himself a bowl of cereal. "So, what exactly did you do?" Mrs. Potter asked.

"Nothing much, just helped him find himself," Harry said, not knowing if he could say what exactly happened to his parents. "Cedric did something horrible to him and I fixed it."

"Sounds like a marriage already," Mrs. Potter said, giving Mr. Potter a hard look.

"What? I didn't do anything!" Mr. Potter laughed.

"Yet. Anyway, I'm glad that you've fixed Cedric's mess Harry, however you also need to make sure that the boy learns his lesson," Mrs. Potter said.

"I will mum, don't worry."

The Potters ate their breakfast, and Harry dawdled on his phone until he heard Cedric pull up. He kissed his parents goodbye and ran out the door to see Cedric waiting in his car. "Hello Pup, I missed you," Cedric said, kissing Harry's cheek when the boy closed the door. "You missed me?"

"Barely," Harry hummed. "Can I guess that your dad told you what happened last night?"

Cedric's mood shifted entirely. His smile gone, replaced by a deep frown as his shoulders dropped. "Yeah, but I did it for you Harry, last month was the best month you've had with that prick—"

"From now on, Cedric," Harry said in a surprising commanding tone, "if you want to use that form again, you ask for my permission. Understand?"

"But I'm the Alpha—"

"Shhh," Harry placed his finger against Cedric's lips, a predatory smirk forming on his face. "And I am your Mate, your lover…your Pup. And you like doing stuff with your Pup right doggy?" Cedric nodded silently as Harry pressed his finger harder against his lips. "Then you'll listen to me from now on, won't you Cedric? I'm still your mate and submissive… but Pup will have a say on how you do things from now on. Because this is our pack."

"Our pack?" Cedric repeated questionably.

"Yes Alpha, ours," Harry nodded. He looked around and smirked. "I don't have my plug inside yet, will you be a good Alpha and take care of his Pup?"

A lewd expression made it's way across Cedric's face. His hands tightened on the steering wheel as the two boy stare at each other. "Suck me Pup, while I look for a place," Cedric ordered, his tongue licking Harry's finger as he brought it in his mouth for a moment.