Hunting For A Hero

by DZ2

Something really strange happened to Harry, but nobody can figure out why it happened: was it the Killing Curse? His birth? His legacy? Or is it the hands of Fate working in very unusual ways? Whatever it is, Harry knows this much: he's going to become the Alpha of his own destiny. Grey Powerful Harry/Tonks; Good Dumbledore

2. 1: Well, That's Different

Hunting For A Hero

Disclaimer/Plot/Author's Note: SEE FIRST CHAPTER

Recommended Reads: Apex and Silver King by JustBored21, The Accidental Animagus and Animagus At War by White Squirrel, Under the Hunters Moon and A Midsummer Hunt by saxcuL the all-knowing, A Flaw in Fate by 521-DREAM, Regretfully Uncaring by RMWB, Changes by bayushi, Weremione by Sakubato, A Tale of Wings and Fangs by Okaze, Stare of the Basilisk King by Zero Arashi Uchiha and The Beast Within and Unity In Diversity by SSLESeveritus

Key Pairing: Harry/Tonks

Other Pairings: To be determined

Normal Speech

'Thoughts'

'Mental Speech'

/Parseltongue/

Review Answers:

WhiteElfElder: Nope: he's definitely living up to his namesake in this adventure, my old friend;

Chaos Snow Kitsune: Always nice when familiar faces review again, so I hope you enjoy the rest of the adventure;

"Hello, Albus," said Remus Lupin, his green eyes looking at Dumbledore with a mixture of inevitability and caution as he opened the door a little wider, before indicating for Dumbledore to step inside as he went on.

"You'd better come in: something tells me we have a lot to discuss."

Chapter 1: Well, That's Different

If Albus was surprised by Harry's apparent affiliation with Remus Lupin, then it was safe to say his first look at the boy himself left him speechless.

Given he'd been raised in an orphanage, Dumbledore immediately found himself thinking of how he was about to meet a pale, shy, somewhat-withdrawn loner who preferred to keep secrets and was capable of great evil. He also expected to find a bare-walled, prison-cell-like room that would leave little room for home comforts, which would only fuel the boy's hatred for Muggles and all things Muggle-born and Magical that didn't bow down to his whims.

What he got was almost-literally the exact opposite.

First and foremost, Harry's room was anything, but bare-walled: instead, his walls were covered in piece after piece after piece of paper, many of which showed photographs of rolling fields, dense woodlands, beautiful lakeside and beachy scenery and even the occasional shot of a boy whom Albus guessed was Harry himself in different locations, or different candid shots.

One wall, however, made Albus' eyes water when he found himself looking at what could only be described as a floor-to-ceiling memorial that was completely filled with photos of not only Lily and James, but also Remus, Sirius Black – much to Albus' curiosity, given Sirius' reason for being out of his godson's life – and even pictures of Lily and James with baby Harry.

There was even a picture in the centre of the memorial, showing Lily, as well as a beautifully-drawn doe, next to James, and an equally-beautifully, not to mention perfectly-drawn proud white stag, with Harry in the middle, as well as what looked like a buck with newly-formed antler nubs and, curiously, a puppy in front of him.

"It took me months to draw that particular picture, Headmaster: every time I tried, it just didn't end up looking right."

Looking away from the memorial, as well as the Wall of Wonders – some of which, Albus then noticed, were pictures that had been drawn, coloured in or even painted, showing a liking for the art form – Albus saw Remus smiling while, to his immediate curiosity, the old man also saw that Harry's room didn't have a bed.

Instead, in one corner of the room, what Albus dimly-recognised as a hammock had been set up, fixed between two metal posts that didn't take anything away from the room itself.

Atop the hammock, a young boy with a very-healthy-looking tan sat on the end, swinging his legs aimlessly; he was dressed in a pair of knee-length blue shorts, while his feet were bare, as was his upper body.

This allowed Albus to take in the sight of a surprisingly-athletic build on the boy's body, complete with an early-forming six-pack on his abdominal muscles. His arms weren't muscular, but they did have quite a strong look to them, as did his hands, which were currently clasped around an orange, which the boy was using a small knife to peel open before, with the tip of the knife, he cut away a segment and popped it into his mouth.

As he chewed on the orange slice, the boy smiled at Albus, who took in the proud, slightly-narrowed facial features that he guessed came from the youth's ties to the Black Family, as well as the trademark – or so James had often-joked – head of unruly, impossible-to-tame raven-black hair.

Then, there were the eyes: emerald-green, so very much like his Mother, but with a fire in them that drew Albus in, like a moth to the flame.

And there, clearly, if not surprisingly, visible against the tanned complexion of his skin, displayed almost-proudly on his brow, was the lightning-bolt-shaped scar that identified the boy most of all for who he was.

The boy Albus had come to see.

The boy he was surprised to discover had Remus as a companion and confidant.

The Boy-Who-Lived, as the Magical World called him.

"Harry…"

"Good morning, Headmaster," said Harry, his tone not only formal, but warm and friendly, whilst his hands moved to slice off another segment of orange, before he actually held it out to the old man, "Would you like a piece?"

"I…err…thank you, my boy," said Dumbledore, stepping forwards before he took the offered piece, slipping it into his mouth as he did so.

"Would you like a seat, Albus?" asked Remus, earning a nod from Albus, who watched as Remus flicked his wand, conjuring a plush armchair for Dumbledore to sit in. When Albus saw Remus didn't move to sit down, but, rather, stood like a sentry against one of the posts holding up Harry's interesting, if not different-looking sleeping area, the Headmaster cleared his throat before he looked back to Harry.

"So, I assume we can skip the part where I tell you that you're a wizard, Harry."

"If you want to, sir," said Harry casually, offering another slice to Remus, who chewed on it softly, before he added, "Do you like the orange?"

"It…it's very sweet," said Albus, earning a smile from Harry.

"One of the sweetest types in the world, to be exact," said Harry, popping a slice of his own into his mouth, before he added, "Uncle Remus knows a friend from overseas who grows them in his orchard: the guy has a long-standing friendship with Uncle Remus, so he sends him a full supply every summer, half of which Uncle Remus shares with me. Thanks to him, both Uncle Remus and Miss White say that I'm as hooked on these things as you are on your sherbet lemons, sir."

Remus chuckled at the last part, before Dumbledore hummed softly, silently chuckling at the irony of the situation, as he mused, "I would have to agree: coincidentally, did you know it was your Mother, Lily, who got me hooked, my boy?"

"I heard a rumour," replied Harry, wiping excess juice from his lips before he added, "But unlike your lemon drops and sherbets, my oranges will make me bigger and stronger thanks to all the Vitamin C in them. And when you use them in cooking, or squeezing them for fresh juice…mmm…it's better than lemonade on a hot day, Headmaster."

"I'll take your word for it, Harry," chuckled Dumbledore, a small part of him amazed at how casually and cavalier Harry was being in this meeting.

Then again, as he'd said before, it wasn't really necessary for Albus to go through the motions of calling Harry a wizard and filling in the blanks, and it was all thanks to Remus' role in his life.

A role that, apparently, was as thick as family could be, without actually being family, which brought Albus back to the matter at hand.

"If we can get back to the reason I am here, Harry, may I just ask…regarding Remus: do you know…"

"That he's a Lycanthrope?" asked Harry, earning a surprised look from Albus, before Harry smiled as he added, "A werewolf, I mean: the big bad beastie that transforms every full moon, goes off on a rampage and with the intent of finding all those little piggies, seven goats and Little Red Riding Hoods and showing them what big teeth he's got? Yeah, I know."

As Harry said it, so casually and without much concern for what he was saying, Albus' eyes flicked to the door, but, as they did so, Albus looked back as he heard Remus chuckle.

"Oh, don't worry about Angie overhearing something she shouldn't, Albus," explained the werewolf, his voice tinged with amusement as he went on in a soft voice. "You see, she's a Muggle-born, but, unlike me, she was taught at Beauxbatons, but returned to the Muggle World after graduating to pursue a career in Child Welfare; personally, I also think the War had a lot to do with it. But, still, you can imagine her surprise when she found out her neighbour was a werewolf and that one of her charges was our nation's biggest hero since…well, you, my old friend."

"And…and the other children?" asked Dumbledore, earning a scoff from Harry.

"Why do you think my room is on the top floor, where the only other rooms up here are Miss White's study, as well as her own bedroom? There's also a private bathroom, which the two of us share, and an old storeroom that she had renovated into a library, so I can not only study magic, but also study without the other kids bullying me. I mean…"

If Harry's confession surprised Dumbledore, his next words definitely left little to no room for doubts as to Harry being like Voldemort.

"What did you expect to find when you came to my orphanage home, Headmaster? Another Tom Riddle?"

As Dumbledore took all this information in, Harry indicated Remus as he went on, "So, technically, my guardian's my Uncle Remus, but since we both know, as does Miss White, that the Ministry would be after his head faster than you can say Quidditch, then, technically, Miss White is also my guardian. They both also know I don't want to go anywhere else, because it'd mean I have to leave my family and, since Miss White owns the building and the whole house, she has me labelled as her ward, so people can't claim I'm being neglected my rights or nothing…kind of helpful."

"Why?" asked Dumbledore.

"Because of what I am," said Harry, again saying it so casually that Albus was both shocked and alarmed, both of which he showed in force as he looked to Remus.

"You…you didn't…"

"No!" insisted Remus fiercely, earning a scoff from Harry.

"Don't be ridiculous, old man," argued the emerald-eyed scion before, leaning back only momentarily, he seemed to launch himself off of his hammock, where he also seemed to flip through the air like an expert acrobat.

When he landed, however, Albus' eyes widened in horror, disbelief, wonder and a note of actual disbelief when he saw Harry had, in every sense of the word, changed.

Instead of the healthy youth, Albus now found himself looking at…no…looking up into the eyes of a big, bad, black-furred wolf!

And, as he stared up at the wolf…at the werewolf that towered over him – him – like a giant before an insect, Albus' eyes widened when he heard Harry's happy-go-lucky voice speaking to him.

'Why would Uncle Remus ever think of harming the boy he's already sworn to me is, was, and always will be his Alpha?'

Staring up into the eyes of the werewolf, Dumbledore's own eyes widened again when, seconds later, Harry's new furry body shifted and transformed all over again, shrinking down until, to Dumbledore's amazement, the Boy-Who-Lived stood before him, a boy once more, smiling like the cat that ate the canary as he saw the dumbfounded look on Albus' face.

"So, I bet, of all the things you were expecting when you came hunting for your hero, this wasn't one of them, was it, Headmaster?"

If ever there was an understatement of the century, it was that!

Hunt

'No bite…no genetic anomaly…no scratch marks…exceptional magical control, even when in his other form…and, on top of all that, he actually welcomes it, instead of fearing it or needing the potion to stabilise it…'

As Dumbledore sank into his golden throne, having just left Harry and Remus to take the trip to Diagon Alley that Albus had, originally, hoped to guide Harry on – though there was no need now – the old man still couldn't quite wrap his mind around what Harry had revealed to him, both before and after Albus had felt his age catch up with him with the biggest revelation of all.

Harry Potter, Hero of Magical Britain, was a werewolf!

But, despite all the tests and examinations that Albus performed – most of which went unnecessary when Remus produced evidence he'd managed to acquire from friends, claiming all was as Dumbledore had thought: no bite, no inheriting, no curse etc. – there was no logical explanation for what had happened to the boy wonder.

Hunt

According to Harry, he'd always been able to change his features, and not just into full wolf, but also change his nails into claws, teeth into fangs, eyes into wolf-eyes and even nose into muzzle/snout. He'd been found by Remus, barely even one hour after Albus himself had deposited the boy on the doorstep of Number Four, Privet Drive.

This was a choice that Albus wasn't favoured for, as Remus reminded him, rather strongly, of how Lily and James had both said that Harry was to go nowhere near Petunia. And, despite Albus' explanation about blood wards, Remus argued against that too, stating that Petunia had actually disowned Lily when she'd married James, since she didn't want her family associated with demons and freakish mongrels.

When Albus tried to play the forgiveness card, Remus cut that off too. "Albus, Petunia sent her sister a poisoned apple on her wedding day!"

The reference was not lost on Albus, nor was the fact that, like he had been so many times in his long life, he was once again being proven wrong, but, this time, Fate had decided to intervene and take Harry away from the Dursleys before anything bad could happen to the boy.

Anyway, after being taken away from the Dursleys, Harry had been brought to Whitehall House – the name of the children's home – where Angela and Remus had spent a lot of time talking, planning and even revealing Remus' secret to the young lady. Suffice to say, she'd been a little sceptical, right up to the point where Remus willingly swore a wizard's oath claiming that he meant her and Harry no harm and that his only desire was to honour his best friends' deaths and memories by making their son the best he could be.

After that, Harry started growing up: he was a bright boy – something Albus even learned from Angela, who even apologised for the deception, much to Harry and Remus' amusement as they revealed how this was Remus' way of getting one over on Dumbledore, at last: a fact that he knew would have James rolling around in his grave, laughing his ghostly soul off – and as helpful and friendly as Angela had claimed and, not to Albus' surprise, the once-a-month happenings she'd talked about were the times when Harry needed to go and be with Remus, owing to the full moon.

This led to the revelation of the next startling surprise for Albus: when Harry was there, something about his wolf side kept Remus in full control, even without drinking the Wolfsbane Potion. And so, instead of risking their home or their secrets, every month, Remus took Harry via Apparition to a secluded spot where, after applying the relevant charms and wards, they transformed - Harry at will, Remus…not so much – and spent time together as only a pack could.

Sometimes, Harry even spent the moon in his human form, playing pretend games of Harry Hunting with his lupine packmate, who never hurt him, but, according to Harry, was ahead by 10 points in the number of times he'd caught Little Red Riding Hood and gobbled him up. And, if anyone asked, Angela covered for Harry, using the chore excuse she'd told Dumbledore about, and even giving Harry a reward if he ever won the game he played with Remus, while assigning him a study task or chore if he lost.

Still, there was one question Albus found himself asking.

Especially as he returned to Hogwarts.

Hunt

'HOW is Harry a werewolf in the first place? If he wasn't bitten, and he's not Remus' son or anything like that, and he wasn't scarred and, clearly, isn't even cursed…how is he a werewolf?'

As he pondered on this change of events that he definitely didn't see coming, Albus also looked to his faithful friend, Fawkes, who trilled softly, while Albus gulped hard as a new problem crossed his mind.

'How can I keep the wrong ears from learning about this? Especially with Harry here at Hogwarts, and Remus…not: I mean, if Severus should learn of this…or a Slytherin…someone like Lucius Malfoy's son…what am I to do?'

For the first time in a long time, Albus asked himself that question, even though he already knew the answer.

And that answer was…

He didn't know what to do.

Chapter 1 and, blimey-oh-Riley: talk about a HUGE twist in the tale: Harry…Harry is a werewolf…but he's not the werewolf we might know: so then, if he's not born one or cursed…how is he a wolf?

Also, can Albus help keep his secret safe in a world where everyone would go from hero to demon at the drop of a hat if they found out?

Keep Reading to Find Out

Next Chapter: Harry is off to Hogwarts, where he makes a couple of interesting new friends, one of whom is a big twist to the norm; also, speaking of friends and foes, Harry demonstrates he is more than he appears to be when a certain narrow-minded fool decides to try and be something they're not;

Please Read and Review

AN: Werewolves

So, now you see the 'classic theme' I'm using and, before anyone asks, let me fill in a blank.

In this story, the weres aren't the weak, sickly appearance from the PoA movie, but, instead, they're Big, Bad Beasts, with looks and features akin to Underworld Lycans or Van Helsing Werewolves.

And, as is evident with Harry, some of them are also more…so, enjoy.