I'm back! I know it's been taking me a while to post new chapter and I'm so sorry. This one isn't as long as I originally intended, but I wanted to go ahead and post something to reward the loyalty and patience of my readers. I've been a little stuck on this and I couldn't move forward until I'd sorted a few things out for myself within this plot. I've got some exciting stuff lined up and I apologize if this chapter seems a little rushed. I'll probably have to go back and refine it a bit. But, it's finally progress that all of you can see.

Anyway, happy reading and feel free to leave a comment. Unless you want to say something stupid or rude. You can keep that to yourself.


Sirius paced the floor in the kitchen at headquarters, running his fingers through his hair anxiously. Remus was out on a mission to recruit werewolves, and his poor husband was left behind to fret. They needed to do what they could to get some of the werewolves to side against Voldemort. Remus was their best chance, but it wasn't without risk. The animagus hated to be left behind while his lover walked into danger.

They'd taken to staying at the Pack headquarters to be available for any wolves in need of refuge or support. They'd provided food after missions for the wolves outside of Hogwarts. Viktor's group had passed through just the week before, needing a bit of healing after a run in with snatchers.

Snatchers were unpleasant individuals that grabbed muggleborns from the streets and their beds, for a fee. They were feared nearly as much as Death Eaters. The worst part was that the Order and the Pack felt reasonably certain that the Snatchers were employed from within the Ministry. They were everywhere and without mercy.

The front door burst open, startling Sirius out of his thoughts. Relief flooded him as Remus walked in, weary and haggard. A moment later, the pair was locked in a tight embrace.

"Are you hurt?" Sirius asked, his hands shaking just slightly as he cupped Remus' face.

"A little bruised," Remus admitted tiredly. "But I'm alright. I expected some hostility."

Sirius slowly lowered his hands, gently guiding Remus to the living room to sit down. His eyes searched his husband's face anxiously.

"I'm fine," Remus insisted, relaxing on the couch with a little sigh. He offered a small smile as he turned his head to look Sirius. "A few were interested. Willing to listen. Some have agreed to meet me again."

Sirius was torn between pride in his husband and anxiety over the idea of Remus returning to the werewolves. He knew as well as anyone how volatile werewolves could be. Every encounter was one more chance for Remus to get killed. The idea made his stomach churn unpleasantly.

Remus gave his shoulder a comforting squeeze. "I think I'll need Harry and Draco," he said. "Being able to see the two Alphas in person could really help. Their presence is..." He shook his head fondly.

Sirius nodded his agreement. "Then, let's try to contact Harry."

"It'll give us an excuse to see him at least," Remus signed, settling himself more heavily against his husband's side. He tilted his head to peer up at the side of Sirius' face. "Do you think he's alright? Harry and Draco... The others... They're too young to be off on their own."

It wasn't the first time that such a statement had been voiced. Remus in particular had been struggling with Harry's absence. Every night that they went without hearing from Harry was a torment. Death Eater activity had grown steadily worse, the attacks brutal and merciless. Remus had nightmares about Harry being killed in an attack. It wasn't uncommon for him to wake up sobbing and drenched in sweat.

"Harry is a great wizard," Sirius told him firmly. "So is Draco. They're clever and resourceful. And the Betas would never let anything happen to them." He cupped Remus' face, his thumbs smoothing over scarred cheeks. "He'll come back to us."

Remus nodded, slumping forward to allow his husband's embrace to sooth him.


Draco crept around around the back of a house, wincing at the sound of pained whimpers and deranged laughter. He tipped his head back to eye a darkened upstairs window. He opened it with a silent charm before jumping up and grasping a branch from the massive tree he stood next to. He braced his feet against the trunk and carefully hauled himself up. He balanced himself on the sturdy branch before climbing higher.

Once he was high enough, he edged closer to the house. He threw one hand out, casting a cushioning charm against the side the house and the roof. For good measure, he cast the same spell on himself. Satisfied, he took a deep breath and leaped.

He managed to catch hold of the eaves, his body slamming into the side of the house. Thanks to his spell work, he was saved from injury and the sound was well muffled. He climbed onto the sloped roof and shifted over to position himself over the open window. He lowered himself to hang from the eaves again, swinging forward to catch his feet on the window sill.

It took some careful maneuvering, but Draco managed to slide through the window. He found himself in a dusty, cluttered attic. He jerked in surprise at a loud cry of agony from the floor below. He darted between boxes and crates until he got to the stairs.

"We need to go," said a gruff, male voice. "The Order could be here any minute."

"But we were having so much fun."

Draco shuddered in revulsion. Some of the death eaters were simply lunatics. Shaking his head, he reached into the pouch at his belt. His fingers brushed over a small leather bag which he quickly pulled out and opened. Inside was a dark powder. He poured some into his palm as he silently made his way further down the staircase.

The blond smirked and blew across his palm sending the powder into the air. It spread quickly and flooded the room with darkness as the death eaters gave startled shouts. Draco lightly brushed his fingers over his own eyelids with a murmur of a spell, and then opened his eyes to descend the rest of the staircase. His feet didn't make a sound, but it likely wouldn't have mattered. The death eaters probably wouldn't have been able to hear him over all their yelling.

A door flew open with a crack, drawing a surprised yelp from someone. Draco moved toward the chaos, the charm that he'd used allowing him to see through the darkness. His vision was full of a strange violet haze, but he could clearly see the four death eaters in the living room along with another man that was battered and bound to a chair.

At the entrance, Draco could see Harry and the Betas pushing into the room. Their wands were out and pointed at the death eaters, obviously having no difficulty seeing through the darkness powder.

Harry brow furrowed with a scowl as he held one empty hand out and pressed the closest death eater to the floor with a spell. Draco copied him as the Betas used their wands to bind the death eaters in ropes. Once the dark wizards were secured, they released the prisoner and cleared away the darkness powder.

Blaise moved in close and set about assessing the wizard's wounds. He shot the death eaters a look of disgust and then held out his hand for Hermione's beaded bag. Once he had it, he dug around in it for a moment before pulling out a vial of potion and a small jar of salve.

While Blaise healed the man, Harry asked questions. The man's name was William Barton and he hadn't been able to get away before death eaters had besieged his neighborhood and started torturing or killing everyone they found. His voice shook and his eyes darted around anxiously.

"Just try to stay calm," Harry murmured, his tone perfectly even. "The death eaters are either captured or escaped. We'll call for the Aurors to pick these up," he added, motioning to the men tied up on the floor.

William nodded slowly, staring at Harry in stunned awe.

"We need to move on," Hermione said, turning to peer through the window. The Dark Mark was looming over the town ominously, casting a sickly green pallor over the houses.

"Thank you," William said.

"We're keeping an eye on things," Draco told him seriously. "But, you and your neighbors have to be vigilant." He offered a little nod and led the way out of the house.

Harry tipped his head back to scowl at the dark mark. He lifted one hand, focusing carefully. He smiled as the image of a pair of wolves burst through the Dark Mark dispersing the green light and leaving a cool blue glow. The wolves stood among the stars as if watching over the town.

The sound of a long howl broke the silence. It was joined by a few more voices. The sounds were distinctly human so Harry and Draco exchanged grins and swiftly transformed. They took off, following the howls with the Betas chasing after them.

It didn't take them long to find the source of all the howling. They found Viktor, Warrington Davis and Marcus Flint in front of an old house. Their faces lit up at the sight of the Alphas.

"Alpha Orion! Alpha Centauri!" Viktor greeted them heartily. He shook their hands firmly once they returned to their human form. He stilled, his eyes widening when he spotted Ron.

In the next moment, Ron and Viktor collided. "I haf been so worried," Viktor murmured, his arms curling around Ron's back. "I missed you."

Ron sighed, relaxing in Viktor's hold. "I missed you too," Ron said quietly. He pulled back just a little, relief flooding him when Viktor cupped his jaw and kissed him earnestly.

"Er, well," Blaise muttered, looking away from the tender scene awkwardly. "Are you all alright?"

"Of course," Marcus replied. "A patrol sent word of the Dark Mark, so we came to investigate. It looked like someone had already swept the houses. Then we saw the wolves," he explained, gesturing toward the fading wolves in the sky. "Thought we'd say hello. Didn't realize that it would be the bosses," he added with a grin.

Harry chuckled. "It's great to see you Flint," he said.

"Likewise," Marcus nodded. "You should come back to the safehouse. You lot look exhausted. We'll put you up for the night."

"Yeah, and it'll give these two time to get... that out of their systems," Warrington put in, waving a hand dismissively toward Ron and Viktor.

Viktor rolled his eyes but smiled. "You vill stay with us tonight?" he asked Ron hopefully.

Ron glanced at his friends sheepishly.

"It would be a nice change of pace," Vince said helpfully. Greg nodded his agreement.

Harry and Draco accepted the idea easily. It would be nice for all of them to get a good night's rest. Most nights were full of interrupted sleep as they took turns keeping watch and guarding the tent. And it was clear the Ron and Viktor desperately needed some time together.


Viktor was a very attentive host. He made sure that his guests ate a decent meal and sent some of the wolves off to prepare places for everyone to sleep. He tasked a house elf with refreshing their supply of clothes and restocking their supplies. Viktor even contacted headquarters while the Alphas and Betas took turns in the shower.

Sirius, Remus and Narcissa came through the floo as they were all preparing to go to bed. They rushed to Harry and Draco, embracing them joyfully. Once they had sufficiently smothered their children, they greeted the other wolves. "Thank you so much for calling us," Remus said, smiling at Viktor as he pulled Harry close again.

"Happy to help," Viktor responded, reaching out to tangle his fingers with Ron's.

"Are you eating enough?" Narcissa asked, peering at Draco's face before letting her gaze drift to look over the Betas. "Are you taking care of each other?"

"Of course," Vince assured her.

"You all look so grown up," she went on with a dainty sniffle.

"Mother-" Draco groaned, not keen on seeing his mother cry.

Luckily, Greg was quick to step in. "Let's go make a cup of tea," he suggested, gently drawing her toward the kitchen. He nodded his thanks when Marcus joined them to show Greg where to find the items he'd need.

"So, how are you?" Harry asked, glancing between his two father figures expectantly.

"Well, we're in a bit of a bind..." Remus hedged, looking a little hesitant. "I could use your help."

Harry frowned slightly, nodding. "Anything. Tell me what you need."

Remus told them about his meeting with the werewolves. Harry and Draco listened attentively, their expressions somber. When Remus had finished, the couple shared a thoughtful look.

"So, we need to come to your next meeting and assert dominance?" Draco asked, folding his arms over his chest.

"Basically," Remus agreed with a slight shrug. "We would need to be very careful. We can't show a weak presence, but we also can't afford to drive them toward aggression."

Harry expression became just a bit smug. "Well, I think this might be a good time to reveal our secret weapon," he said. He grinned and turned to Hermione. Hermione nodded and then closed her eyes. Her brow creased as she concentrated and transformed.

Hermione had become a lovely gray and white wolf. She sat down on the carpet and looked up at Blaise. One by one, the Betas transformed. When Greg stepped back into the room, he quickly changed as well. The five Beta wolves were all varying shades of black, gray and white. Ron even had a bit of red in his coat.

"Merlin!" Sirius exclaimed, obviously shocked and delighted. "You're all wolves? This is amazing."

"It was Hermione's idea," Draco explained, gazing fondly at the five wolves. "Being an animagus has many benefits, so we agreed that they needed as many advantages as they could get."

"We never dreamed that they'd all become wolves," Harry added, chuckling when Vince nudged at his hand in request for a scratch behind his ears. "I guess it's fate."

"It's that pack magic," Sirius laughed, reaching out to pet Blaise carefully.

"It's amazing," Viktor said, kneeling to run his hands over Ron's fur coat reverently. "Such beautiful creatures."

"How did you manage this?" Remus asked.

"Draco took care of the potion," Harry replied. "The rest of the process is mostly patience and timing. You remember what it was like when I did it."

Remus nodded. "It's certainly impressive."

"Indeed," Sirius agreed.

"So, we have our backup," Harry said cheerfully. "The Betas can safely reinforce our status and discourage an attack against us."

"But, we do have a another mission to complete first," Draco reminded him.

"I think we can have a bit of flexibility," Remus said lightly. "What do you have planned? Anything we can help with?"

"We've got to get into Gringotts," Harry said as the Betas returned to their human form. "We believe that there's a horcrux inside the Lestrange vault. It was Lucius that suggested it, though he wasn't pleased with our plan to go after it." Remus and Narcissa looked horrified. Sirius looked impressed.

"I heard that they were keeping a dragon in there to guard some of the vaults," Warrington commented.

"It's true," Marcus declared, crossing his arms and eyeing the Alphas with concern.

"Perhaps I can assist," Narcissa suggested. "I still have some resources and those goblins will not be easy to fool."

"We're open to suggestion," Harry responded.

"But, maybe a good night's rest first," Sirius said. "All of you need some sleep. Perhaps we can see you in the morning to determine how we can be of assistance."

"Of course," Viktor nodded. "You are velcome here. Please join us for breakfast."

Remus, Sirius and Narcissa left a few moments later. The wolves were left to settle in for the night. It had been a long eventful day, and they were exhausted. It was also a nice opportunity for Ron and Viktor to have some time to themselves.

Ron allowed Viktor to lead him to their bedroom. His ears had turned red when Viktor had referred to the bedroom as theirs, but it was somehow comforting despite the embarrassment. They'd parted on such uncertain terms and Ron had been left to wonder if their relationship would survive. It had been a painful thought that he'd carried around with him.

The room that Viktor had prepared held a large comfortable looking bed and simple but elegant furnishings. They changed into bed clothes in silence, sneaking glances at one another. Once dressed, they sat down together at the foot of the bed. After a few more moments, Viktor spoke quietly.

"I haf so many regrets about our last day together," he murmured, his head bowed. "I vas afraid for you, but I vas also jealous."

"Jealous?" Ron asked, finally turning to face Viktor.

"Of Blaise," Viktor admitted softly, looking ashamed. "You haf always been so close. We had already spent so much time apart, and you were going to be on the run with him."

"Along with three other Betas and two Alphas," Ron retorted irritably. "And you've no right to complain after hanging all over Daphne at the wedding. Did you want me to be jealous?"

"I vas upset, and behaved like a child," Viktor said remorsefully. "I haf hated myself for it. Please believe that I vould never cheat on you." He paused and took Ron's hand, giving it a light squeeze.

Ron sighed. It wasn't surprising that Viktor had been feeling insecure about their relationship. Ron had been having a similar issue. And then they'd both gone and made it worse right before they'd been forced apart. And Viktor's concern over Blaise wasn't unfounded. Ron liked to think that he'd never cheat, but his mind had certainly wandered a bit.

His thoughts were interrupted when Viktor reached up to brush gentle fingers across his jaw. "I love you," Viktor said earnestly. "And I'm sorry for acting so foolishly. Can you forgive me?"

Ron stared at Viktor in shock. They'd been together for nearly three years, but they'd never said that they loved each other before. His heart raced as he stared into the face of the young man that he'd stumbled into a relationship ship with. Despite the struggle, he couldn't regret their time together. Taking a deep breath, Ron cupped Viktor's face tenderly. "I love you too," he murmured. "So much. And I'll forgive you if you'll forgive me too."

Viktor nodded eagerly, pulling Ron in close. "Anything for you," he assured breathlessly, pressing a warm kiss to Ron's neck.

"Anything?" Ron asked with a grin. He chuckled when Viktor gave him a questioning look. "Why don't you take your pants off and I'll show you what I have in mind?" he suggested, his fingers teasing at the waistband of Viktor's pajamas. After so long apart, they surely deserved a bit of fun.

Delighted, Viktor not only began tugging off his own clothes, but he went for Ron's as well. In no time, they were both completely bare and Ron wasted no time pinning Viktor to the mattress. Ron's fingertips trailed along Viktor's thighs, sliding lower while Viktor urged him on with heated kisses.

It was nearly two hours later that they finally fell asleep, tangled up together feeling quite satisfied and very much in love.