Hey everyone,
Now I just want to warn you all that the next story – and maybe the one after that – will not really have any rules, guidelines, etc. but I still think they deserve a good home and there are a few things that will be set as requirements: one of which that you send the new chapters to me before you post any of them.
That is a rule that applies to all of my challenges and while I WILL NOT Beta any story as I just don't have the time or patience for it, am I willing to help other ff account holders along if they're stuck with a certain story – preferably when it comes from one of my challenges. I am open for help, NOT spelling checks!
Okay, enjoy,

Venquine1990

Challenge #4
Becoming A Pack

Harry's POV

After everything that happened – Lupin proving that Black was innocent, hearing the truth of how my parents met their end, successfully catching the one responsible and getting the offer of my own godfather to come and live with him – do I feel kind of stupid for not expecting something like this to ruin everything good that happened.
Now, Pettigrew – the true traitor – has fled, Sirius has been thrown into the Forbidden Forest, Snape had tried strangling me for disarming him and I have a mad werewolf slowly approaching me, a werewolf that is actually the inner beast of my most favorite of all teachers and who had forgotten to take a special potion.

Looking at the wild, feral beast as he approaches us on his hind legs with his claws extended on his front legs and his teeth gnashing over each other as he growls at us, do I dare to take only a single, furtive look into the wild eyes of the beast, only to see a bunch of emotions I could not, for the life of me, have expected.
A strong protective anger, a form of happiness that comes with a freedom of mind and will – the same I feel when on a broom – and a deep, heartfelt need to separate the group that is standing beside me, consisting of Professor Snape, my female best friend Hermione Granger and my male best friend, Ronald Weasley.
Looking closer at the eyes in an effort to uncover these emotions, do I catch the werewolf's attention, yet when it turns it's muzzle my way, do I see a deep, instinctual care and love I had not expected, until suddenly I remember what the man and his friend had told me, how my father and his friends had helped this beast.
How they had become Animagus and helped the man-beast before me embrace the inner animal and instantly, I realize why those emotions are shining in those feral eyes. "Lupin formed a pack with my parents. He considers me his pack cub. He's not feral – he's protective." And with that realization comes a whole new set of instincts.

Crouching down to my hands and feet, do I allow for a soft breath to leave my chest and lunges, passing through my vocal cords and coming out of my parting lips with the sound of a soft, needy whine, the same whine a young born pup would make when calling for its parent and instantly drawing the werewolf's attention.
The growling of the feral beast stops and his eyes turn confused and worried, his body lowering itself down on all fours and, taking this as a sign that I can approach the creature, do I try to clumsily crawl forward on hands and feet. I try as only a few steps on my way, my path is being blocked by Snape's outstretched arm.
Yet before the man can do so much as glare at me, does the werewolf start growling, does he raise himself up and does an instinct deep inside of me make me snap at the man's hand with my own human teeth, causing for my most-hated teacher and my two friends to draw back with looks of shock on their faces.

I ignore this, only a small part of me caring for the fearful shock that I can see on the faces of my friends, and turn back to the calmed werewolf, continuing my track and feeling encouraged by the emotions I can see shining in his deep amber brown eyes. Then, when I am in arm's reach, does the werewolf reach out.
Raising himself only a small bit does the beast lift one of his front legs and I carefully dip my head under it, lying the back of my head against the palm of his paw. The werewolf seems to happily accept this as a pleased growl comes from the animal's muzzle and he slowly, with a gentle paw, pulls me to come closer.

I crouch over and when I am crouched down on hands and feet next to the beast, does the werewolf move himself so that he's back on all fours and does he move his muzzle over the top of my head, his wet nose slicking through my messy black and his wet tongue coming out of his mouth to lick over the top of my ear.
This sensation makes me feel ticklish and while fighting the urge to snicker, does the sound of a happy yip actually escape my throat, making me tense with the wonder if – perhaps – there could be a canine Animagus alive deep inside of me. Yet this seems to be exactly what the werewolf above me has wanted to hear.
The animal raises himself back on his hind legs, lies his head in his neck and emits a howl that causes for Hermione to shriek in fear, yet all I hear is elation and a deep instinctual love sounding through the voice of the animal and it seems I am not the only one as a wild-furred black dog that just appeared starts to howl alongside his friend.

Recognizing Sirius for his own Animagus form, do I focus on the instincts deep within me one more time and while keeping myself to my crouched position do I lie my head back like my godfather and his friend and do I allow for the sense of belonging that I get from the two canines to escape me in the sound of an elated howl.
The werewolf and dog respond to this by howling even harder and then the dog approaches the two of us, his head low and his thread careful as a sign that he submits to the strength of the beast beside me, yet the werewolf only repeats the process he did with me, raising his paw to the animal and leading him to come closer.
The dog then looks from the werewolf to me and back and while – when he gazes at me – I can almost hear him ask if I'm alright, does the dog look at the werewolf just a little longer as if mentally asking for something and the growl the dog receives does indeed sound agreeing, making me amazed at the bond between the two.

Yet this amazement is short lived as suddenly the canine before me moves with speed I had not expected of the animal and before I know it, does he have his teeth cutting through the back of my robe and does he use the muscles in his mouth and neck to actually lift me up and make me land on his black, thick-furred back.
Grabbing onto the fur near his shoulder pads in a shocked stupor, do I feel the muscles under his fur move as the dog turns and follow the werewolf that actually growls and snaps at my friends and tutor, scaring them away from the tunnel under the Whomping Willow before the canine animal disappears into the tunnel himself.
This makes me realize that this tunnel will probably be the place I will spend the night and I quickly turn to my friends, catching Hermione's attention as I hiss: "Find Scabbers." Before the dog and I follow the werewolf into the dark, low-ceiled depths of the tunnel, the same where I was offered a family – that now became my pack.

Okay, that's it.
Now I do have one new rule that applies to ALL of my challenges: You can only start with my starter chapters for a prequel or chapter 01. You can't make a first chapter of your own unless it is to serve as a prequel and has information that will explain the readers how the story got to the point of this very chapter.
Now, like I mentioned before, this challenge doesn't really have any specific rules, guidelines, etc. but it has been bothering and coming back up inside my mind every now and then while writing other stories and I felt it was time for me to finally put it on paper. I really hope you'll like it and I really hope you'll give it a good home.
My only preferences are:

Harry-Sirius-Remus bond

Either Ron bashing or Hermione Bashing.

Sirius freed of all charges

Harry-Sirius-Remus living together for the rest of the HP books.

If you want to drive away from cannon, have the pack move out of England, have Sirius and Remus fall for someone to become like a mother and aunt for Harry, that is fine with me. I am not asking for SiriusxRemus, I just want them to be close as brothers and to – at the least – raise Harry together as a pack/family.
Enjoy,

Venquine1990