Fixing Past Mistakes

Chapter 21

Introduced to the Wolf cub pack

Harry had enjoyed himself at the beach, but unfortunately all goods things came to an end. It was beginning to get late, and the weather was cooling down somewhat. It was time for them to go to their new home, whether it was ready or not. They could have gone back to the hotel to stay the last night there, and would do that if the beds weren't set up. Once Harry was asleep, Severus would have a busy night ahead of him. He certainly wouldn't relax until the whole area was warded; at least his last home had had everything warded already, and by the goblins, no less, which actually made the protections stronger, since goblin magic was different from wizarding magicks. With Harry held firmly in his grip, he Apparated them to the same spot he had gone to earlier that very same day.

Harry looked around from where he sat on his daddy's hip; he was right, it did look like their home back… home. This was their new home now, with his daddy, in the warmth, where he'd never be cold again, like he had with the horrible people who had kept him in the dark dusty place. He buried his face in the crook of his daddy's neck as his stomach grumbled; it didn't get a chance to do that often…not with his daddy.

"Hungry, little one?" Severus murmured; perhaps it was best to go to the hotel, get some food, and then come back. After the day he'd had, no doubt Harry was exhausted.

"Yes, daddy," Harry replied just as softly.

"It won't be long," Severus said firmly, he always made sure Harry had more than enough to eat. He didn't know what it was like to go hungry the way Harry had, but more often than not, the Snape family's meals had been…lacking, especially in nutritious food. It was just sheer happenstance that he'd grown so tall, like every other male in the Prince family. So now there was always food to go around; not junk food, but fruit and vegetables, which Harry seemed to like... thankfully.

"Okay," Harry said, remembering to say it right... just like his daddy. He wondered what he'd get today; the burger yesterday had been so tasty! And lovely. He'd gotten sauce all down his front in his excitement; he had worried his daddy would be mad. He hadn't been, though; he'd just flicked his wand and made the mess disappear. He loved magic; it was so much fun! And it made his daddy proud of him, which Harry loved most of all.

"Do you remember what we spoke about?" Severus asked, walking through the front door and in through the side door where the swimming pool was. Three doors for one room; it was at the height of ridiculousness, but he was definitely keeping them closed and sealed to prevent any accidents from happening. "The Wolf Cubs?" he added so Harry could understand what he meant.

Harry nodded vigorously; they'd spoken about the animals while on the beach, and he already knew about wolves from the games he played with his daddy. He had learned lots of new information last night, about people turning into wolves and how they were different from something called Animagi who chose to turn into an animal. His daddy hadn't explained where the wolf cubs came from, if they weren't people turning into werewolves or Animagi. When he'd asked, his daddy had gotten a funny look on his face, and given him Sickles to get an ice cream. That had been the end of that conversation, as he devoured his mint ice cream cone, which wasn't as good as his toffee one had been.

"A pack of wolves live behind here in the trees," Severus said, staring out past the back garden and letting Harry see for himself.

"Where?" Harry asked, his green eyes eagerly searching for anything moving. He wanted to see them for himself.

"They live inside the trees," Severus said, his lips twitching at Harry's green eyes being so wide and twinkling, just as Lily's had when learning new information.

"Inside?" Harry echoed, cocking his head to the side. "How?" How could animals live inside trees?

"Not inside them," Severus replied, inwardly groaning; he was being taken too literally. "Beyond them, far into the forest is where they have their home."

"Will they come out?" Harry asked, his voice full of hope.

"I'm sure they will, at some point," Severus said, scanning the woodline for any sign of them, but he too failed in finding anything. The forest was quite large, nowhere near the Forbidden Forest in size, but big enough for, say, Harry to become lost in. Not that it would happen; hopefully the Moonwolves would help him. Not that Harry would be going in there; he'd make that clear to his son one way or another. What kind of potion ingredients waited to be found in there? Regretfully that would have to wait until they settled in and the Wolves became accustomed to their presence and wouldn't act skittish or defensive because of their being there. Wolves were territorial animals by nature; human intelligence or not, they went by their instincts.

The kitchen, he noted, was fully unpacked. The Elves had been busy indeed, but with magic it didn't take long at all. The biscuit jar was within reach; Severus opened it up and held it towards Harry, letting him choose one. "Go on then, just one; your dinner will be ready soon," Severus said; the little hand dipped into the jar before beginning to munch on the digestive biscuit.

"Look! Wolfie!" Harry suddenly exclaimed, his green eyes lighting up as he looked at the Wolf, greedily drinking up the sight of it. "Pretty!" he breathed in awe.

"She is indeed," Severus said, his lips twitching in amusement.

"Can I go pet her?" Harry begged, turning his puppy dog eyes on his daddy, unaware that those eyes could make his dad give in completely.

"She is a wild animal; they don't take well to people," Severus warned. "They aren't used to us, that's all." He was trying to explain it to the three-year-old in a way he would understand.

"I want to see closer!" Harry declared. "Please?" he added, remembering his manners.

"Only for a moment," Severus said in warning, in his own way telling Harry he was very serious, and that no amount of begging would change his mind. He wasn't going to risk Harry for anything, especially not against animals that could rip him to pieces in a matter of seconds. He hadn't risked his life coming back in time to fail now; no, Harry would have a long and prosperous life. Sliding the back door open, inwardly he contemplated getting a proper back door, one made of sturdy wood that couldn't be smashed. Not that a bugler could get within sighting distance of the house because of the wards... or rather, one wouldn't be able to, once he got the wards up.

"YAY!" Harry cried, over the moon as he was placed on his feet, and led outside. This garden was much bigger than the last one.

The white wolf was still there; it seemed to be sniffing at the air, looking for what, they didn't know. Perhaps for Harry and his scent to memorise. The black male approached, looking puzzled, and Severus was quite frankly alarmed by that. Grabbing onto Harry's shoulders, he prevented him from going even a step further. The others were approaching now, and Severus could see that there were seven wolf cubs in total. Three white, two black, one varicoloured, and the brown one.

The black wolf turned to his sister; the little human, possibly the one they'd been asked to protect, was already claimed by another. The claim was weak, fragmented, perhaps because the wolf was dead. Or because he wasn't around; either way, someone had claimed this little human as its cub. They didn't normally talk to humans; the only one they'd spoken to was the one that had raised them. Yet they wanted to ask why he'd wanted them to care for the little human, protect him, when he already had a wolf protector. Slinking forward, he watched the human become tense, alert, drawing his wand but not raising it; he was merely being cautious, smart. The wolves were known for their intelligence, pride, and caution, after all. The big human would have made a good wolf, that was for sure.

Once he was close enough, and the human met his eyes, he spoke to him, breaking one of their rules in the process, a rule he himself had made to protect them. Ironically enough, it was one all Moonwolf Cubs came up with, since wizards did not know of their abilities. "Your human cub has already been claimed," the black wolf said, speaking directly into Severus' mind.

Severus pursed his lips, "human cub"? Well that was new but what else could he expect― this was a wolf he was speaking to; all young were cubs to them. No doubt they could smell that he wasn't Harry's biological father; he idly wondered what they thought of that. Wolf packs only protected their own, they rarely took stragglers in— unless, of course, that only applied to normal Muggle-world wolves. Claimed? How could Harry have already been claimed? Oh fuck, thought Severus to himself, of course; how could he have forgotten that conversation? 'But you did, at the time; I couldn't be part of my cub's life because you and James feared I was a Death Eater' had been said by Remus Lupin. Merlin, it rang through his head as if it had happened only last night. Considering how drunk he had been at the time, even though the alcohol had been watered down, it was a miracle he recalled it at all; he'd still been tipsy by the time the wills had come through the Floo.

"Yes, yes he has, is that going to be a problem?" Severus enquired out loud, causing Harry's eyebrows to scrunch as he gazed at his daddy as if he was nuts. Why was he talking to himself? It didn't make any sense.

"He's not Alpha," said the black wolf in reply, still sniffing the human cub.

Severus snorted at the prospect of Remus Lupin being an Alpha; he was an Omega, a coward; he did what he was told, constantly. He truly loved Harry, though; that couldn't be denied. He had been devastated by his loss; Black was probably the only reason the werewolf had been standing. He doubted he'd ever like the pair of them, but sooner or later…they would be part of Harry's life. As he'd said earlier, he couldn't let them grieve for Harry, thinking he was dead. It was the biggest sin anyone could commit, but it wasn't about him, even if he was now Harry's adopted father. It was official, thanks to the goblins, but they were keeping the paperwork well hidden due to the time-travel business. On the paperwork he had, Harry was Harrison Regis, his son by birth; he would have to go to Gringotts and get it corrected when he was eleven. At least Harry knew; that was the main thing in all this, otherwise he wouldn't want to contemplate the betrayal the boy would feel.

"He is not like you; he's like your…father, he turns into the wolf only on the full moon," Severus awkwardly said, wondering if they could possibly understand what he was saying.

The wolf snorted his understanding, before moving closer to the human cub, then licking at his bare hand; his scent, wolf-scent, was now on him, making him once again claimed, by his pack, and as alpha his claim would have more meaning than this…human moon wolf's.

Harry squealed, his hand automatically going out to pet at the wolf, gasping in awe at the softness of the fur. It was so thick and soft, his entire hand disappeared into it, and the wolf was warm. Looking at his biscuit, he handed it over, waiting to see if the wolf would like it. He'd seen doggies on TV, and this wolf looked a little like them. The dogs ate biscuits, would the wolf like one? For a wild animal, the wolf certainly took it with care from the little boy. Giving him one last lick, the black wolf bound away to the rest of his pack.

"He took it!" Harry exclaimed in excitement. "Can we get more? Please!"

"Not right now," Severus said, breathing a sigh of relief. They'd accepted Harry and him; it was a weight off.

"Dobby?" Severus called after a few seconds of silence as they gazed at the wolf pack disappearing into the trees. Well, that was the worst of it over; now all that was left was for Harry to have dinner, then play for an hour or so before going to bed. Then he'd have free rein, but instead of potion-brewing, he would need to work on the wards.

"Yes sir?" Dobby answered with just a few seconds' wait.

"What's the status?" Severus asked.

"Nearly everything is unpacked sir, except for the potions laboratory," Dobby told his master. "Heather is making dinner, sir. It will be ready in fifteen minutes."

"Thank you, Dobby; take a rest and leave the lab until tomorrow; settle yourselves in for tonight," Severus replied firmly, knowing they wouldn't listen if he wasn't firm with them.

"Yes, Master Regis," Dobby said, bowing low before popping away.

Severus narrowed his eyes before cautiously looking around; Dobby didn't usually use that name unless they were surrounded by people. Then he saw her, a neighbour by the looks of things, with a batch of cookies in her hand, staring wide-eyed, evidently having seen them interacting with the wolves.

Severus observed that the woman was extremely tall, either coloured or extremely tanned; in this weather it would be impossible to pinpoint for sure. He'd bet she was as tall as he, maybe an inch or two taller. Her hair was long and braided all the way down her back, with beads at the bottom. She was wearing a long flowing brown-and-white patterned dress, with a pair of sandals. She was quite young, younger than he at any rate…at least in his mind. Outwardly she obviously did appear older than he, which did bother him to some extent. He was glad he wasn't a people's person, since having people talking down to him would have brought out his sharp tongue within seconds.

"Sorry if I startled you; I just wanted to welcome you to the neighbourhood; it's been a while since anyone lived here," she said, her accent noticeable.

Him, startled? She was the one who had been staring wide-eyed a few seconds ago, but he elected not to mention it ― best not to antagonise the neighbours; after all, who knew how long he'd be living here? After tonight they wouldn't be able to get onto his property, so it wasn't a big deal. Word must get around quickly; she wasn't even asking if he understood her, which pointed to the fact she'd been speaking to the estate agent.

"Indeed?" Severus intoned, watching her walk towards him as if he'd invited her in. Neighbours! Why did they think they had the Merlin-given right to trespass on other peoples' properties? He'd had more privacy in Spinner's End, where all the houses were attached and clustered together, with more people that she had probably ever met!

"Your brother?" she asked, smiling at them both.

Instead of choking her as he was sorely tempted to, Severus began to reply, but his son quite literally beat him to it. He had to withhold a laugh at the look on her face; it truly was amusing, but from what he'd learned about the island, they usually didn't marry young or, heaven forbid, have children so young.

"He's my daddy, silly!" Harry said, giving her an odd look. What was a brother? He looked up at his daddy, but he wasn't looking down at him, so he turned back to the strange lady. She had the oddest looking hair he'd ever seen; the urge to put his hand out and stroke it was strong. Would it feel like his? Or different?

"Oh," she said, feeling very foolish. "My apologies, I didn't mean to offend; I just wanted to welcome you to the neighbourhood and invite you to join us for a barbeque on Saturday. There will be many children your son's age. Give him time to adjust before school begins. Oh, before I forget again, my name is Abayomi Balewa, but people call me Abi." She handed over the large platter of cookies, which had an invitation wedged inside of it.

"It is very nice to meet you, Abayomi Balewa, my name is Se-Septimus Regis, and my son is Harrison; it's a pleasure to make your acquaintance," Severus said shaking her hand, his other hand holding onto the platter of baked cookies. It seemed as though she also knew his son's age; that was disturbing really.

"Oh, my," Abi said, greatly taken aback by his manner of speaking; you didn't meet many in the younger generation that spoke this way. It reminded her of her father and grandfather, who were sadly no longer in this world. Shaking her head, she got a hold of herself. "I hope to see you there, and I'll leave you to settle in."

"Thank you," Severus said, relived beyond belief that the conversation was over.

"It was nice to meet you too, little one," Abi said, staring down at the adorable child.

"Hi," Harry said, smiling shyly but stepping behind his dad.

Abi smiled softly once again before heading away; she knew how stressful moving could be. The child was absolutely adorable; hopefully he would get on with her own kids. It would be hard for the child for the first few months, with the weather change, the life changes, and new children to contend with. Plus school would begin soon, if she was right about his age anyway. She was guessing he was around three to four years of age, judging by his height; he was the same height as her four-year-old son.

"What's a brother, daddy?" Harry asked, his wide, innocent eyes looking beseechingly at his dad.

Severus froze; oh hell, he'd just gotten himself out of the one with the wolf cubs, now this! Damn it.

Big thanks to Jake and Jordre for editing this :)