Last Time:

The whole Pack was no longer denning every night, but the cubs continued to share a room. Dove and Draco now slept with the other cubs easily, with no fear. They all huddled together, heads on stomachs, arms draped across torsos, no distinction made between male and female.

We'll have to fix that someday, Remus thought. But not now. In the future, yes… but right now, this is what they need.

Chapter Nine

Danger and Dove brought out hot chocolate from the kitchen into the den room. Remus, already in wolf form, thumped his tail against the mattresses pushed together for den-night. Dove handed one of the two mugs she carried to Neenie, and settled herself next to Letha. After handing out the last of the hot chocolate, Danger sat next to Remus and nodded to Sirius, who spoke the ritual words.

"Be welcome, all, to this den-night. We are Pack now. Pack together."

"Pack forever," the rest of the Pack answered in sync. Dove and Draco had swiftly picked up on Pack tradition during that very first week denning.

It grew quiet for a moment, as they blew on their chocolate to cool it to a comfortable drinking temperature. Danger was next to break the silence. "Who will tell a story? Who will remind us of what it means to be Pack?" Story-telling was the ritual that shaped den-nights, and the greatest teaching tool the Pack-parents had discovered.

Dove spoke up tentatively. "I have a question…" She paused, uncertain still. "Why are we a Pack? How are we different from any other…" She trailed off, searching for the right word. "…any other family, I guess."

The Pack-parents looked at each other, surprised. Had they truly forgotten to teach the newer cubs such an important part of their past?

Danger glanced at Remus. Who should answer this one, love? We all had a part to play…

But you and I were there at the beginning, and it was your dreams that made it possible. Go ahead and tell it, and Sirius and Letha can interject when needed.

And ditto for you, too? Danger grinned and started rubbing her mate's ears.

But of course… and would you mind scratching my shoulders too? Oh, right… no, a little lower… right there. Ah… Remus whined as she stopped scratching to signal to the others.

Danger rolled her eyes. Oh, you big baby. She turned to the cubs – her conversation with Remus had taken only a moment. "It's a long story, cubs. Do you want to hear all of it tonight?" Their enthusiastic answer nearly burst her eardrums. She laughed. "Of course you do. Now, it started a long time ago with a very evil man. Do either of you remember his name?"

Harry and Neenie both nodded, and Neenie answered. "He was Bolde… Boldenort!" She stumbled a little over the long word.

The Pack-parents exploded in laughter, and Harry corrected Neenie. "No he wa'n't! He was Coldevort!"

Again the Pack-parents' laughter rang out. Harry and Neenie continued to argue about the real name, before Draco put an end to the entire matter with his small voice. "He was Voldemort."

Laughter ceased immediately.

"That's right, little Fox," Danger answered, using Draco's nickname. "His name was Voldemort. I'm assuming Lucius told you about him?" In the time Draco had spent with the Pack, he had grown closer to them, so that questions about his past no longer bothered him as much.

"Yes. He said that he was training me to be a faithful servant to our Lord." Draco spoke the last words sarcastically, falling back to his old ways in his insecurity. Aletha stroked his hair comfortingly.

Danger nodded before continuing the story. "Anyway, Voldemort was very evil, and hurt many people, including Harry's parents. Harry was sent to his Aunt and Uncle, but they weren't nice people. They treated Harry very badly, and sometimes locked him up when they didn't want to see him. Neenie and I were living close to him, then, and I watched him during the day, so his Aunt and Uncle couldn't be mean to him." Danger made sure to speak in simple terms so the cubs could understand.

"Well, his Aunt and Uncle got really mean with Harry, so after I met Moony, we rescued him! And then we rescued Padfoot, who had been put in jail because everyone thought he did something he didn't. Then all of us came here to live with Letha, and then Meghan came along, and then we rescued you two," she looked at Dove and Draco, "and here we are! There's a lot more story behind it, but it's starting to get late, and certain cubs need their rest…"

Meghan was already asleep, curled up next to dog-Sirius, and Harry's eyelids were starting to droop. "Tell more another time?" asked Dove sleepily as Draco and Neenie yawned in unison.

"Yes, of course, my love. More another time," Danger promised.

Aletha stood up, went to the music room, and played a soft, sweet series of two notes, high on the piano, adding a quiet chord under them with her left hand. Recognizing the piece, Danger began to sing.

Lay down your sweet and weary head

Night is falling, We have come to journey's end

Sleep now, And dream of the ones who came before

They are calling from across a distant shore

Why do you weep?

What are these tears upon your face?

Soon you will see…

All of your fears will pass away

Safe in my arms, you're only sleeping…

As Danger sang, the cubs cuddled up to each other and slowly drifted off into dreamland. Even Sirius wasn't proof against the soothing power of the music – by the time the song was over, he had curled himself protectively around Meghan, and was now snoring gently, his tail twitching as he dreamed.

Danger carefully extracted herself from the mass of arms and legs that was the Pack, stroking Remus' neck once more as she did, and smiling a little at the apparent insanity of leaving her cubs alone with a transformed werewolf.

Remus picked up on her thought. You make it possible, love, he reminded her, his mental touch a caress. Never forget that.

Danger joined her friend in the music room as Aletha closed the lid over the keys of her piano.

"Tomorrow is Dove's birthday." Danger spoke quietly, so as not to wake anyone. "I think she's forgotten. I want to give her a nice birthday, but not too big. Any suggestions?"

Aletha looked at Danger in surprise. "Time's really flown, hasn't it? I'd forgotten myself. And you're right about keeping it small. Have you gone gift-shopping?"

"Yes, of course. After work yesterday, I picked up a few short novels I thought she would enjoy. How she learned to read, I'm not sure, but she's already devoured almost all of Neenie's. Care to inform the men tomorrow? I know you love surprising that husband of yours…"

Aletha grinned predatorily. "Of course. I'll help decorate too… and I'll persuade the men to take the cubs to the park. Go on to bed now, Danger. You look exhausted."

"I guess you're right." She sighed. "Good night, Aletha."

"Good night, Danger."

(Scene Break)

After that first time, Dove's birthday was in no more danger of being forgotten than that of any of the other cubs. The "Whites" explained the two new children in their home as cousins, "Kelly's" niece and nephew, who had been orphaned by a car accident.

"Nice of the Dursleys to think that up for us," Danger hadsaid.

"Reggie and Cassie Gray" were the objects of neighborhood talk for a while, but only as any new thing is, and it passed away quickly, until it seemed, to the neighbors and to the Pack, that the house at number 73 had always held four children instead of two. Five instead of three, if one was to be perfectly accurate, since Meghan was in and out of both halves of the house quite as if she lived in them both.

Which, of course, she did.

Den-night followed den-night, birthday succeeded birthday. The Pack celebrated each one with joy, but every successive celebration held a larger hint of sorrow about it, for every one brought them closer to the day when they would be separated.

The adults had secretly hoped that the cubs would forget what they had been told about the Pack's impending separation, but one thing not even Danger had anticipated was that Neenie turned out to have a perfect memory. She never forgot anything, and could remember most things on demand.

This facet of Hermione emerged one day when Harry and Draco were bragging about what they would do at Hogwarts, and how proud the Pack-parents would be to see them there. "No, they won't," said Neenie unexpectedly.

Both boys pounced on her verbally. What did she mean, they wouldn't? They wouldn't be proud? They wouldn't go to Hogwarts?

"They won't be there to see us," said Neenie. "They have to go away before then."

She proceeded to recite what Moony had told them about the Pack having to split up, complete with the time differential he had named. "But that was back when we were four, and Dove was, um, six." she said. "And we're five now, and she's almost eight. So it's gonna be two years, not three."

"That's not fair," said Harry. "Why should the Pack have to split up?"

"Lots of things isn't fair," Dove entered the conversation with conviction. "But we can fight against it. Maybe not when the Pack-parents go away from us, but we can fight to stay together. And we can learn all the Pack-stuff so good that no one can make us forget it."

Draco nodded. "Then we'll be Pack forever and ever," he said. "And anywhere we are can be our Den, as long as we're there."

"Pack together," said Harry, holding out his hand.

"Pack forever," chorused the other cubs, piling theirs on top of his.

From that day on, the cubs began to develop their own strategies and plans for the day of separation. Most of these were similar to, and worked alongside, their Pack-parents' plans, like teaching them the basic skills of self-defense, to keep them from being bullied, and housework, so that they wouldn't be a burden to a foster family.

To this, the cubs added lessons in how to act quiet and submissive – Dove was their tutor in this – and how to ask very politely for things. They practiced on the Pack-parents, who couldn't understand where the sudden spate of manners was coming from until Sirius overheard a cubs' den-meeting one evening and figured out what they were up to.

"Good for them," said Remus when Sirius told what he'd heard. "They're starting to think on their own, develop their own ideas. That's wonderful."

"I just wish it wasn't for this reason," said Aletha, staring out the kitchen window. "One more year. That's all we have. I feel like there's a time-bomb sitting under the house, and there's nothing I can do about it except wait for it to go off."

"I heard them saying one other thing that might make you feel a little better," said Sirius, wrapping an arm around Aletha's waist.

"What?"

"They're making it their first order of business to try to stay together. All of them. With special emphasis on Meghan. They know she's the most likely to be taken away from them, because she's younger, and because of precisely who she is…"

"Your daughter, you mean," said Danger.

"Yes. Some busybody might feel it's 'in her best interests' to take her away from absolutely everything she knew here. The cubs are going to try to make that impossible."

"Cold comfort, isn't it," said Remus with a small smile. "But I have an idea."

"What?" the other three Pack-adults said simultaneously.

"If this is going to be our last year with these five troublemakers, why don't we try to make it the best year any of us have ever had?"

Danger grinned. "I like your ideas," she said, sitting down on his lap.

"Of course you do. One of my ideas was marrying you."

"Best year ever," said Sirius contemplatively. "I can think of a few things we could do."

"Nothing illegal, please," said Aletha.

"Rats."

End Chapter

So, here it is! Many many many many many many thanks to Anne for all her help with this chapter. The last part was mostly hers', I just added in a little here and there… Oh! And that song that Danger sang is off of the Return of the King soundtrack.

I was hoping to get this uploaded yesterday in honor of Dove's birthday (the 26th), but I didn't finish it until yesterday evening, so… Here it is now! God Bless ya'll!

RiverSong DreamShadow