((A/N: Okay! Hi everyone! Finally got the chapter you all have been waiting for finished. And I figured I'd better get it out before moving tomorrow since I'm not sure when I'll get the chance to type again. Moving to the dorms so I might also not be around for a bit until my computer can be set up again. Grr..damn.
Hermione Malfoy Potter: Ron is always a prat. But I explained why in passing during this chapter. I'm not certain if I'm going to have him be reintroduced to the story or not since he's never been a favorite of mine.
Lady Phasma: I feel like kicking Ron's arse too. But believe me; you'll want to even more after this chapter. As for Padfoot, I'm not really sure at the moment. He could very well end up being there for a reason, or just a pet.
DARKMARK33LVWell, I was going to cut Silas's hair, but well, remember that he thought Bill was cool with his long hair? Yup, he's corrupted. As for HP3, I feel like bloody murdering the director on how he did the werewolves. But yes, the werewolves described by JK Rowlings look very similar to a real wolf, only minuet details separate the two.
Joulez: Thanks! So here's some more.
Analia: Hehe, I like how Silas is reading more too. How else is he gonna get more powerful? ;) As for the relationship, I don't think anyone could rush into just finding a parent, but after this chapter, things should be a bit more smooth sailing.
Anon: Well, here's more!
VB: Ahh, thank you! I forgot to add that explanation about what they were going to say about Harry/Silas's mother. This is why Madam Bones is now the Minister instead of Fudge.
ChristinaLupin01442 Thank ya! I checked into your story and liked it as well; unfortunately I couldn't leave a response since the reviewing thing was down! As for "To Be a Werewolf," I have one thing to say: I want that updated soon!
w0lf1e Thank you! Always a nice feeling to be complimented on one's writing skills.
Dragonbluephoenix: Padfoot the puppy just was one of those spur of the moment things, although he could become useful later. As for Ron, well, he's a prat as is explained in this chapter. Heh, and Silas is going to have lots of support from Hermione soon. ;)
Tia Evans Thank ya! I have one thing to say to you: UPDATE YOUR STORY! As for Silas and Snape, hahha, I have a very devious plot on how to make the two interact, even if they don't like each other. Heheh, oh yes, Snape shall stay his snarky self, especially after the next chapter.
Shea Loner Of course not! If Harry ever got a break, then there'd be no story!
hermoine21 Thanks! Soon enough for ya?
Now, on to the story!))
The first thought Silas had that morning was, "Oh bloody hell." It was his birthday, even if not everyone could know. They'd be celebrating 'Harry Potter's' birthday though since Mrs. Weasley wanted to give him a party as he'd never actually had one before. But when he'd stumbled out of bed, there was a smile pile of presents waiting for him. At that point, Sirius had woken up and saw his godson starting at the packages.
"What? You didn't think we'd forget your birthday, did you?" He smirked, and tossed a box in bright red paper at him. Inside was a silver chain with a dog charm made out of onyx. Silas stared at it in wonder.
"This way you know I'll always be there for you even if I'm not around," the Animagus told him.
"Thanks mate, it means a lot to me," he whispered and slipped the pendant over his head.
"Well, what are you waiting for?" Sirius grunted, shoving the pile back to Silas's feet. They boy took the hint and soon bits of wrapping paper littered the floor, as well as on top of Sirius's hair. Hermione had given him more books, although he couldn't resist a laugh when he saw she'd sent, "Hogwarts, A History." He'd been surprised though, but the gifts from Dumbledore and McGonagall, but they'd probably wanted to make sure that he'd gotten something at least for his birthday.
"I think people are trying to tell me something," he groaned as yet another book fell into his lap. The one from Minerva was predictably a lengthy volume consisting of complicated Transfiguration spells, but the one from Dumbledore on hand to hand combat promised to be interesting. The usual rock cakes from Hagrid were among the small pile of presents as well as a hand whittled figurine of a wolf.
"I'm guessing that would be Moony," Sirius announced after thoroughly examining it.
"Hagrid always has a knack for coming up with interesting gifts, although I'm still wary of his rock cakes. I daresay that book in my third year and the wallet could be classified as lethal," Silas smiled fondly, recalling some of his happier memories.
"There's one more," Sirius mentioned and at the same time, broke Silas out of his reverie.
-Silas-
I know things have been rocky, and understandably so, but I hope you'll accept this. Albus has mentioned in passing how disturbing some of your memories and dreams can be and I thought this may help. Use it well, and happy birthday.
Underneath the letter was a mess of scribbles that he made out to be as 'Remus,' and 'your father,' but kept 'Moony' visible. It seemed that the man didn't know how to sign the letter, and Silas didn't know how he would've preferred, so was glad to see 'Moony' had signed.
Silas took the large package from Sirius with trembling hands and slowly undid the paper. Inside was a dark cherry Pensieve with simple Celtic knot work adorning the edges. He really was touched that Moony had put that much thought into the gift. Quickly throwing on a shirt and a simple pair of trousers, Silas headed downstairs to where his father was sitting in one of the chairs, reading a book on defense. He walked over carefully so he wouldn't be heard, and tightly wrapped his arms around his father.
"I take it you liked it?" Remus asked, smiling from the embrace.
"How'd you know it was me?"
"You're scent," he tapped his nose, "One of the 'perks' to being a werewolf."
At that moment little Padfoot had come down the stairs and was carrying Silas's boxers in his mouth, although it looked as if they were already chewed up. Understandably, Silas was annoyed and he grabbed the shredded boxers from the pup's mouth.
"Just be glad you won't be doing that. I should hope you have enough taste to at least go for women's lingerie instead of men's boxers," he smirked, trying to raise the mood that was looming over him. Silas shot a glare at him.
"At least I've never rolled around in piles that Sirius made during the full moon," Silas shot back.
"Yes, well, I regret telling you that now."
Silas grinned and sat down in a chair next to his father. He'd brought one of the books, "Hogwarts, A History," since he was supposed to be a new student who didn't know anything about the school. It was nice just sitting there, not having to worry about anything in particular, well, other than the foreboding night.
"Hey you two, breakfast is ready, and I want my two best mates there for my 'birthday party,'" Sirius snickered, his glasses falling down his nose. Remus glanced down at his son and realized that in the week the charms had been removed, and the potion running its course, Silas had lost all traces of James and had even stopped wearing the glasses.
Breakfast was an extravagant affair, all of 'Harry's' friends surrounding the table with presents lining the wall nearby. Silas smiled sadly at the thought of having another birthday not celebrated. Most of the day was spent with the Weasley twins who'd taken the day off to see 'Harry' and provide the entertainment.
Dinner came quickly and the guests were graced with a chocolate cake with raspberry filling that had little frosting snitches zipping back and forth on the top. Sirius made a spectacle of himself by trying to catch one and ended up with frosting all over his hands. A pile of presents were shoved over to the man, but Silas excused himself and headed back to his room.
"Hey, you might want this," Remus mentioned as he popped his head into the room. Two goblets of the steaming potion were in his hands and passed one over to his son. "Dear ol' Snape showed up especially for tonight to drop these off."
"Where are we going to be tonight?"
"In this room and Albus will be by shortly to seal it from everyone, although I'm sure he'll find a way to allow Sirius in."
"I've been thinking about something; when school starts again, what are we going to say about my mother?" He asked carefully.
"Unfortunately you won't be able to call Lily your mother at school. Albus sent the message from Lily to the Minister Bones to clear me, but the two decided that it was better to continue having "Harry Potter" stay at Hogwarts so that the public wouldn't panic. So no one at the Ministry other than Madam Bones knows who your mother is. And most people your age don't have the slightest clue as to what Lily actually looked like, so you shouldn't run into problems," he added kindly, waving a wand to clean up the mess that was still littering the floor from earlier.
Silas let a smile grace his changed face and leaned next to Remus. What he'd just been told had been bothering him for a few days and he hadn't known how it would be resolved. While his eyes weren't the same startling green anymore, they still had that ability to draw one in, and it was amplified with the lack of glasses.
"You going to be alright tonight?" Remus asked cautiously, not entirely certain as to how to approach the subject.
"Probably not, but there's nothing we can do about it," Silas told him logically while staring at the setting sun. "How much longer."
"Maybe a half an hour or so- the length of the full moon is shorter in the summer. So at least your first moon is one of the shortest."
"I guess that's good and umm, am I going to be using the Shrieking Shack once school starts?"
"That's the plan, although you won't be alone."
"Yeah, Sirius said he'd keep me company."
"Yes him, but I'll also be around. After the Death Eater in disguise and that Ministry woman, it seems that parents would rather have a werewolf who they know will teach their children properly. Not like the two you had in your beginning years were much better."
"Hey, that's great though, I mean the Slytherins might not harass me as much if you being there as a teacher," Silas grinned, realizing just how many secrets of the castle he could make Sirius and Moony spill.
"I fear what you and Sirius are going to do to that poor school. Hogwarts isn't ready for another generation of Marauders yet. I think I regret giving that Map back to you now."
"Well, since I won't be playing Quidditch anymore, I need something else to keep me occupied besides reading," Silas muttered, suddenly turning downcast.
"Surely with the Weasley twins leaving, it's opened up a few more spots?"
"Who in their right mind would want a werewolf on the team?"
Remus didn't reply, but rather, put his arm around his son's shoulder in an attempt to comfort him. Dumbledore chose that moment to enter the room.
"Are you both set?" The two werewolves nodded, "Then I'm going to put an Indestructible Charm on the room incase the potion doesn't work yet for young Silas as well as Sealing charms on the door so no one, save Sirius, may enter. He should be up here shortly, or once he can escape Molly's clutches, although I might have to intervene." He chuckled and waved his wand around a few times and left the room.
At that moment Padfoot crawled into Silas's lap and licked his face. "Should he be in here? I mean, I'm not going to hurt him, am I?"
"You shouldn't, and if the Wolfsbane works properly, you'll be able to keep your mind and not give into the instincts. Even if it doesn't, he'll still be safe since I was around the Marauders in Animagus form and I never hurt them."
About ten minutes later Sirius came stumbling into the room and grinned lopsidedly. "Looks like I got here just in time," he smirked as the moon began to become visible in the night sky. Padfoot Sr. and Padfoot Jr. sat side by side as Silas collapsed onto the floor and Remus grabbed a hold of a chair.
Remus, while the transformation hurt, was able to watch his son change for the first time. Silas was curled up in a fetal position with his hands digging into the wooden floorboards. Reddish-grey fur was running down his body and completely covered him in a matter of seconds. His ears pushed out and moved more towards the top of his head. Hands and feet curled into deadly paws with claws that put deep scratches into the floor. A sickening crack was heard around the room as both backs snapped and left the werewolves on all fours.
Silas groaned in pain as his mouth pushed out and left him with a muzzle and his green-blue eyes faded to a warm amber color. The final and very painful change was as his tail pushed through his ripped clothing. A long, painful howl let the others know that the change was over. He wasn't as big as Moony, but then again, he wasn't fully grown yet.
Sirius padded over to Silas tentatively, not sure if he was in control or not, and head butted the tightly curled ball of fur. Moony whined and nosed his cub, trying to get him to move around. The ball of fur closed itself even tighter and tucked his tail over his nose. Their only guess was that the potion hadn't worked properly since there had been so much pain during the transformation.
Two matching black dogs settled down next to Silas, as well as Moony to comfort the young cub, but Silas didn't want it; he uncurled and staggered to his unfamiliar feet before hiding himself under the bed.
As Sirius went to crawl next to him, he was met by a face full of bared, sharp teeth that normally was his godson. Both dogs and grown wolf backed away from the angry growling being emitted from underneath the bed. Snarling continued to fill the room along with painful sounds of scratching as the hours passed, every once in awhile Remus and Sirius exchanged glances.
The crack of dawn couldn't have come sooner. Rays of light broke through the window and hit Silas in the face. A few minutes later left him back in human form, albeit naked. His body was still reeling in pain from the transformation back and collapsed in a heap on the bed. Fresh bite marks and deep scratches lined his body, that were still seeping blood onto the sheets.
"Silas, come on, you need to get cleaned up so these don't get infected," Remus's hoarse voice came, trying to rouse the boy from the bed.
"Moony's right kid, you don't want to have to visit Madam Pomfrey again until we're back at Hogwarts, right?" Sirius told him softly.
That did the trick. Silas went to stand up and started to fall, only to be caught in his father's arms. Remus sighted and carried him down to the bathroom.
"Oh dear! What happened?" Exclaimed Molly as she looked upon Silas's battered body.
"We did mention that this was his first time transforming. Unfortunately the potion didn't work properly and he bit and scratched himself."
"I'll go get some mild healing potions for the poor dear." She turned out of the hallway and Remus was finally able to get into the bathroom.
A flick of the wrist and hot water filled the tub which Silas was then lowered into. The boy was barely conscious as Remus scrubbed the wounds that lined the body. Once satisfied that there'd be no infections, he dried his son and helped get him into some loose fitting pajamas. Molly stuck her head in and handed a few vials to Remus, who in turn, helped Silas drink them.
"Thanks, dad," Silas slurred before falling asleep.
Remus felt a warmth grown inside as Silas called him 'dad,' even if it probably hadn't been intentional. The night had been long and as he placed his cub on the bed, he collapsed on Sirius's out of sheer exhaustion.
Silas cracked open his eyes and glanced around the room, only to see his father still dozing next to him. He vaguely remembered being taken care of by Moony and felt a bit better when noticing that many of the cuts had already started to heal. A growl from his stomach reminded him that he hadn't eaten since the party the day before.
"Well! You're looking better than this morning," Mrs. Weasley stated when she saw the newcomer in the door.
"Yes ma'am, thank you for the potions," he muttered, not liking all eyes on him.
"Why would you waste potions on a werewolf?" snarled Ron, just barely audible, but with now enhanced senses, Silas heard it and shrunk down in his seat.
"I'm sorry you feel that way, Mister Weasley," Remus said disapprovingly as Ron flushed a deeper red than his hair and stalked out of the room.
"You'll have to excuse him; unfortunately when the brains at the Ministry were on him, they affected his thoughts in a negative way. Although, I won't tolerate him insulting people like that." She frowned and headed out. Silas caught bits and pieces of the one sided conversation and felt a little bit better that not all people hated him.
After eating as much as humanly possible, Silas made his way into the small library that Grimmauld harbored. Hermione was in there, nose in a book as usual. As she caught sight of him, her face brightened and enveloped him in a hug.
"Are you alright? I mean, you didn't have those scratches yesterday? Didn't the potion work? Was Ron being a complete git?"
Silas couldn't help but smile. "Slow down Hermione or you might hurt yourself. Yes, I'm alright now, but this morning I woke up with a lot of blood everywhere and Moony took care of me so I'm feeling much better. Ron would probably be happy if I dropped over dead, and as for the potion, I'm not sure since I haven't asked Moony yet."
"Are you ever going to call him 'dad'?" Hermione asked feeling a bit exasperated.
"He already did this morning, although I don't know if he remembers," Remus offered shyly.
"You know, you have a habit of showing up in the middle of conversations, don't you?" Silas smirked.
"Hermione, Harry asked me to pass the message on that he needs to see you in the 'you-know-what' room in a few minutes. Augh, he's going to drive me crazy this year." He watched amused as his son was gazing longingly at Hermione. "You like her, don't you?" He chuckled after the girl had left.
"What makes you say that?" Silas spluttered, clearly embarrassed from being asked.
"As Severus has mentioned before- you tend to wear your emotions on your sleeve. You know, Hermione reminds me a lot of Lily; both intelligent and uptight about the rules. The main one though, is that each is accepting of things that others aren't generally able to."
"I, umm, should be going, yeah."
Remus smiled gently, "Silas, sit down, I need to talk to you. Last night, we could tell you were in pain, but what we need to know is if you had control of the wolf or not."
Silas sighed and moved over to stare out the window. "The entire time I had to fight the wolf so I wouldn't attack you. That's why when you, Sirius, and Padfoot came next to me, I had to move. I had to bite and scratch myself so I was kept occupied and the less I let my mind wander, the better."
Remus came over and gave him a big hug. "The potion should work next time, and if not, we'll get Snape to tweak it until it does. It might've just been because it was your initial transformation."
"So it's not normally that bad?" Silas inquired, voice laced with desperation.
"No, believe me, if the potion works, the pain is dulled and you're in control as if it were almost an Animagus form." Remus hated to see the boy have to accept even more changes in his life. First all the initial shocks of being a wizard, finding out he was the boy-who-lived, dealt with Voldemort and dark wizards more times than one should like, only to find out you were lied to about your parentage and to top it off with becoming a werewolf. Remus was amazed that he hadn't gone off on a massive killing spree yet.
For the first time since the Remus had known him, Silas cried into Remus's cloak. Everything had been kept bottled up inside and the transformation had finally pushed him over the edge. "It hurt so much, almost as bad as the Cruciatus Curse," he sniffled, although thoroughly enjoying the feeling of being held.
"Hey, you're going to be okay, you're a strong kid. If Voldemort can't take you out after five times is it now? I doubt being a werewolf will. Although, next time you meet up with the arse, give him a punch to the face; inhuman strength does have its advantages," Remus winked, knowing that Draco Malfoy would be the test dummy.
"I just realized something; if I get in trouble, someone is actually going to yell now."
Remus couldn't help but laugh. "Well, if it's not life threatening like the one we tried to pull on Severus, I'll just say it must have been the work of the new Marauders."
"Are you sure you want someone following the footsteps of a prankster and get everyone in trouble?"
"Live up to the reputation, besides, Sirius will be there."
"Aww hell, I'll need Hermione's help to master some of those spells."
"Hey, it just means you can spend extra time with her," Remus grinned as his son blushed.
"Bugger off."
Remus chuckled and left his son in the library, relieved that he was doing better. Silas was miffed though at his father's teasings about Hermione. Sure, he liked her, but not like that, right? He scowled and delved into the potions books he'd picked up.
"You're still in here?" Hermione exclaimed, "Come on, it's dinner time, incase you hadn't noticed.
Silas looked at the clock and realized that he'd just spent the last few hours reading without even noticing the amount of time gone by. "Uh, yeah, sure, dinner sounds good," he muttered, although not making any moves to get up.
"Oh come on!" She sighed, exasperated and pulled him out of the room and into the kitchen by his hand.
Once again he was bombarded by questions from the Order members about how he was. It really did make him feel uncomfortable, especially with Snape sneering at him the entire time. Sirius came to his rescue and told everyone that he was challenging "The bloody-too-smart-for-his-own-good-werewolf's son" to a game of Wizard's chess, and headed off to visitors so Silas could get some sleep.
"Get your lazy arse out of that bed! We have places to go and things to do, so if you're not up in the next five seconds, you'll be getting a bucket full of ice water to the face," was the next thing Silas heard. He grumbled and fell off the bed, only to see Sirius laughing at him.
"Get your wolf hide into the shower; I swear, I haven't smelled anything that rank since James set off a stink-bomb covered in Limburger cheese, although, the look on Filch's face was worth it."
"Just what are we going to be doing today?"
"Ahh, well, we can't have you going off to Hogwarts without any supplies, no?"
"I think sleep would be better than replacing all my junk since Dumbledore saw fit to hand it all away," Silas grumbled, agitated from having to do more shopping. As soon as he'd grabbed fresh clothing, he made his way towards the bathroom. After peeling off the clothing, he idly realized that his legs were harrier than they used to be. It felt good to wash the cuts clean again and for awhile, he just stood there enjoying the warm water splashing against his skin.
About a half hour later a banging came from the door and became conscious of the fact that people were probably looking for him and stepped out of the shower. The next thing he knew was that Hermione was staring at him from the doorway.
"Wow, umm, Silas, I didn't realize you were so well endowed, or is it an enhancement from the transformation?"
"HERMIONE! OUT!" He screeched while flying around for a towel.
But she was right- the transformation had left him better endowed than he had been. He blushed at having been seen naked by the girl he was attracted to. Grabbing the clothing, he dressed and then attacked the snarls in his hair before heading down to the clan of Weasleys, his father, Tonks, Sirius, McGonagall, and Hermione who was blushing herself. Without saying a word, he plopped down next to Remus and tore into the food; he had no intentions of telling about the bathroom incident.
"So we're going to be watching out for Harry, Silas, Hermione, Ron and Ginny?" Tonks questioned, looking slightly disturbed by the fact that there were five of the kids to watch. It was up to her, Molly, and Remus to keep the kids in order and quite frankly, it didn't sound like much fun.
"Unfortunately, and I daresay that Silas Hermione are going to want to stay in Flourish and Blotts while Ron, Harry, and Ginny would prefer wasting all their money in Zonko's or the twin's shop," Remus groaned, not liking how the day would most likely play out.
"Might as well get this over with," Molly frowned, clearly not looking forward to the shopping trip either.
The group of kids came stumbling into the room, ready to leave despite Ron's constant glares towards Silas. They were ushered outside where there were two muggle taxies waiting at the house next to them. Silas, Sirius, Remus, and Hermione piled into one while Molly, Ron, Ginny, and Tonks climbed into the other. Even with being cramped, the ride was enjoyable nevertheless.
Once the cab drivers had left the area, the group entered the Leaky Cauldron where the hustle and bustle was just as loud as ever. To Silas's sensitive hearing, it was enough to give him a nasty headache. Unfortunately the streets of Diagon Alley weren't much better.
It seemed strange to be re-buying all his supplies as if he were a first year all over again. Luckily that didn't take long and soon the group found themselves being split into two parts- the bookish and the pranksters. Silas was relieved at leaving Ron since he was becoming annoyed with the despised looks every five minutes. But now that he had his class list, they were able to pick up both the books for classes along with more for pleasure.
Silas had thought a few times that parts of his personality were changing to be more similar to Remus now than how he'd previously treated his education. He'd always been a quiet person, unless provoked that is, and had a conscience that would make him feel guilty about mistreating someone, unlike James. He wasn't worried about being placed in Slytherin anymore, but rather, Ravenclaw with his obsessive studying habits. Perhaps it was why he made a good teacher for the DA.
"Care to enlighten me as to what has you so lost in thoughts?" Hermione asked, breaking his concentration.
"I was just thinking about how much more like Moony I really am."
"Ahh, the "you both make good teachers and read too much for your own good" thing?" She grinned, swatting playfully at his long hair. "Are you ever going to get this cut?"
"I asked Moony to chop the blasted stuff off, but he keeps refusing; something about not being coordinated with a scissors. But aside from having to brush it, I think it looks pretty cool, a lot like Bill's."
"You are impossible, you know that?" She teased, idly running her fingers through his hair.
"Of course I am; it's fun to be such an impossible bastard some days. Not to mention, I think you'd miss running your fingers through it."
"Are you sure Snape didn't somehow get mixed in there as well?"
"Quite frankly, if you put Snape and Lupin blood together, I think it would fight enough to kill each other."
All she could do was roll her eyes at his utter nonsense. "Well, Mister Lupin, I do believe your father is ready to go."
And indeed he was- the rest of the group had caught up and were waiting impatiently for the two bookworms to hurry up. Sirius was carrying a package that looked suspiciously like a broom. Once again the group piled into the taxies and headed back to Grimmauld Place. At that point, Silas wanted nothing more than to go curl up by the fire with a good book and a cup of hot chocolate.
Unfortunately Remus and Sirius found him within minutes. "Hey mate! Seeing as how I stole your broom, we thought it'd be nice to set you up with a new one, even if you're not playing Quidditch. It's not a Firebolt though, sorry about that," he hung his head as he thrust the afore mentioned package into Silas's hand. As he said, it wasn't a Firebolt, but a Nimbus 2010 was nothing to be ashamed of.
"Thanks guys, this means a lot to me, especially since flying helps clear my mind," he told them quietly, knowing that he was desperately going to miss playing Quidditch.
"Well, I guess there's only one thing left to do at a time like this," Sirius looked solemn.
"What's that?" Silas dared to ask, looking nervous.
"Pile on the wolf cub!" The next thing Silas knew, he was being ploughed over by dog and wolf and was positively blushing.
"You, Sirius, are utterly insane, and sorry to say, but so are you, dad."
Remus was positively beaming.
((Now! Until next time, R&R and make me happy! ))