Harry Potter & the Power of the Eclipse

"Like this is speech." Like this is written words. Like this is thoughts. Like this is telepathic. Like this is different language.

Chapter 17

()()()Flashback()()() ((Continued from last chapter))

Ginny watched as Shadow walked over to the wolves as the pups yipped and rushed to tackle him. He fell back as the masses of fluff hit him and they wrestled in the snow for a while. Finally they stopped and Shadow stood up. He gave a wolfish chuckle as the pups seemed to pout a little as their game had ended too soon for them.

The adults came over and he knelt to pet them. He turned to Ginny.

"Are you going to just stand there? They really would prefer to get to know you."

Ginny smiled and walked forward. The pups, incidentally, took to her like they took to Shadow, by tackling her. She fell as the mass of yipping fur hit her and began to lick and jump on her. She laughed. She heard Shadow give a wolfish bark and the pups stopped and moved to her legs so she could sit up.

"How did you do that?"

"I've been around them enough to know how to get certain points across."

"Really? And why do they listen?"

"I don't really know or care. They might think I'm like their alpha or at least beta." Shadow replied with a shrug. Several of the wolves walked forward and nuzzled a few of the pups that had gotten off of her before going over to Ginny herself. They sniffed a little bit and then a wolf that was dark grey with a white tipped tail nuzzled her cheek.

"Looks like Darkcomet accepts you. Welcome to the pack I guess."

The rest of the day was spent playing with the pups, laying with the pack and just walking around.

During this time she learned the names of each pack member and made sure that Lara remembered them each. She still didn't want anyone to know, even if it was Shade but that was more because she thought that possibly that Shadow could talk to the wolves and understand what they said.

()()()End Flashback()()()

"You ripped a man's HAND OFF?" Hermione's near shout brought Ginny back to the present. Thankfully she had the smarts to not, unlike a certain red head.

"And he was on My property and attacking the wolves that are under My protection. I even have paperwork that makes my lands a protected animal preserve. I make sure they are healthy and fed and the state sends me the money to do so." Shadow said with a shrug. "And as for the man's hand, he was at the moment trying to stab me when I kept him from capping one of my wolves. That is why his hand is now just a skeleton that the pups have hid away while playing with it. The man himself is in prison with poaching charges, though minus one hand."

"Oh." Hermione said blatantly.

"Every one. May I please have your attention." Dumbledore called out. "Thank you. It is time to start getting ready for the ball now so run along and change, unless you prefer I provide some tutus." There were several shouts and screams of 'NO!' as chairs moved and scrambling sounded at high speeds. "I thought that would get them moving." The teachers just shuddered.

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Shadow was the first one back, and so he turned invisible and shifted into shadows. He looked into the room while still not actually in it himself. It was missing the large tables, having been replaced with a dance floor with small ten man tables along the edges and chairs against the walls. Where the head table once was there was now a stage with two bands on it by the name of Seether and Evanescence. As it turned out, much to the surprise of many, the two bands were mages, though most thought them muggle. Shadow stayed in the shadows for a while and just waited for every one else to show up. He made it look like everything was normal and came in and sat down at a table near the door. Then he saw Ginny come in.

And boy did his jaw drop.

She was dressed in a green dress that was complementary to her hair. It was a simple halter top style that ended half way past her knees and had gentle folds in the lower helms were the extra clothing that kept it from hindering movement. She had her hair in a high pony tail and was wearing the choker he got her. Some one had gotten her complementary earrings as well, which just made her look all the better.

He walked up behind her seeing that the dress did her body great justice. He opened his mouth to speak.

"Wow Ginny you look… well wow!" Was all he could say. He didn't think he could say anything that would do her justice.

She turned around at his voice, blushing at his complement, and looked at him. He wore midnight black denim jeans, a button up shirt of black silk and a midnight black denim coat. To her and almost any one who looked at him instantly thought wolf for some reason. It was just how he was dressed. Sleek and elegant, yet rough and tough.

Shadow waved his hand in front of her face as she was just staring at him.

"Hello, Ginny? Come on I can't look that bad."

"Huh?" She looked at his face. Before either could say more the bands started.

"I didn't know that those were magical."

"Well you never asked. May I have a dance now?" He asked as he held out his hand. Ginny nodded as she took it and he led her out to the dance floor.

She had no idea how to dance to this music and thus followed Shadow's lead. It was mostly fast beat but some were slower. She found she liked them and how Shadow showed her to dance to them. Finally Amy Lee joined Seether in Broken and it grabbed several couples. Ginny had heard it before, but dancing to it with Shadow was totally different for some reason. It started slow and picked up some pace but didn't get as fast as some of the other songs. It might have to do with how Shadow danced to it with her. Every time the line 'I want to hold you high' came he would lift her up a little. Not a lot that would draw attention but enough for her to notice. Finally the song stopped and Shadow led her to the side. He sat her down and told her he would be getting drinks for them before he went towards the refreshment table.

I don't know what to do. I like him and I know he says he likes werewolves and thinks it as more of a gift but I don't know how he will react. I still can't stand the thought of the pity that people might give me.

But if you don't, how will you know how he will react? Lara asked.

Ginny mulled over it for a while with Lara until the wolf finally convinced her to go with it and first chance she got to tell him, to do so.

Shadow returned with the drinks, nodding his head to the song currently playing.

"Sorry it took me so long. Your doff of an older brother thought that tripping into the punch was a good thing and breaking the table when I tried helping him was just the same." Ginny could tell by his eyes, tone, and smile that Ron had tried to tell him to join him, Shadow had refused, Ron got mad and tried to punch him, Shadow got out of the way and tripped the male red head, Ron went into the punch, got even madder, attacked Shadow yet again and got flipped over onto the table, breaking it. She looked at Shadow as she accepted a drink.

"Hey Gin, who is that Hermione is dancing with?" Shadow asked as she was taking a drink. She looked over and saw Hermione, in similar clothes as she had worn in her fourth year, including the hair, dancing with some one that it took her a moment to recognize. She promptly spat out her drink.

"Blaise? Hermione is dancing with a slytherin. Now that is something I would never see coming." Sure enough Hermione was dancing with Blaise Zambini, who was in a complementing black and clue outfit. When the song ended Ginny waved them over.

"So this is where you have been disappearing to all this time. And here I thought you were just studying in the library with your book up your nose." Ginny said with a laugh. Hermione glared at her. Blaise smirked.

"Yeah, we have been going out for a while now." Hermione answered.

"That's great for you Hermione." The two females precided to talk about various things, shortly being joined by Luna, while the three males were left to talk about other things.

"So you can handle Hermione and her book fetish?" Shadow asked.

"Yeah, but I kind of have one myself. The slytherin cunning comes into sneaking books out of the library." Blaise answered.

"And Hermione doesn't care that you're looting books?" Neville asked.

"Actually that is how we met last year. She caught me and amazingly we got together real great. But now I need a prefect escort to use the library."

"Let me guess, you and Hermione go every single day that you can." Shadow smirked.

"No, more like every other day. We spend the other half of the time together."

"Doing what?" Shadow teased. "Quizzing?"

"No we, uh, …"

"Oh so Hermione isn't such a stick in the mud as most think. Let me guess you're both planning on waiting until after graduation and you get jobs to tie the knot and shag?" Blaise's blush told him that that was a yes. "What about you and Luna, Neville?"

"Uhh…………" Neville had an even brighter blush. Shadow whistled.

"That far? Wait no, not that far but you have seen each other?" Neville went so red you would think him a mutated tomato. Yeah Shadow got it in two.

A silence fell between the males while the females still talked.

"Hey Ginny?" Shadow spoke after the girls had sat in silence for a minute or two. She looked at him, a small 'Hmm?' being her reply. "Care to walk with me out side for a moment?" She nodded her head and as they were walking out, she caught a look from Tonks that said she would make sure they were alone, which was followed by a wink that also added 'Have at him and make him like it' which made Ginny blush.

They walked through the snow decorated grounds for a few minutes while Ginny mulled over what to do and trying to ignore Lara's chant of 'Tell him, tell him! Tell him, tell him!' and the echo of Tonks's last wink's meaning.

"Hey Gin, I know we have only known each other for a little less then half a year and all, but do you think we could seriously go out go out?" Shadow finally asked. It was a little bombshelling to Ginny but she half expected it at least subconsciously.

"Before we do this Shadow, there is something I want to tell you."

"As long as it's not something like you're really a guy or that you prefer greasy haired men three times your age."

"No, no it's not something like that… Shadow, I'm a werewolf." She said as she braced for some negative action, whether it be pity in his eyes or him looking revolted. His reaction was not what she expected.

"You're Lara? Thank god. I thought I would have to stop our walks or something. She seemed so nice I didn't want to hurt her by telling her I could go on the walks any more."

"Wait, wait, wait! You know Lara?"

"Yeah."

"Then that would mean that you're Shade. Wait, you use the nick name Shade. I can't believe I never realized the connection!" Shadow just chuckled. "So you're an animegus?"

"No." At her confused looks he explained. "The best way to explain this is to go over a little history. Now then you know that 'Shade' is a crescent eclipse wolf. A crescent is born every so often to a human or wolf couple, thought they are born normally to crescent eclipse wolves as well. A crescent born to wolves will look like that natural breed until around its sixteenth birth day. Now for the crescent born to humans, it will look human completely up until that same time. Crescent eclipses can take on human forms and it isn't some spell. The first time the change and have a complete mind is when there is a crescent moon that rises in sync with the sunset closest to their birthday. Anytime around that time they will change out of anger and danger but will be driven by instinct and not remember until their first real change." Shadow said as he thought back to all the research he had down shortly after his own. He was quite surprised when he found out he had named himself correctly when he found his breed in the book.

"Well the best way to say this is bluntly. I am a crescent eclipse wolf."

In Shadow's opinion she took it really well compared to how he expected a normal person to take it. I mean how often do you see a guy walk up to you and tell you he is really some creature that can move through shadows and has already taken at least ten lives? But being a werewolf she took it a lot better, well as much as you can in this situation.

"WHAAAT?" She nearly deafened him. Yeah a lot better than what she could have done.

"Ok, you really took that better then I thought you would. I thought you would rip my head off or something." Shadow joked.

"Maybe I should." Ginny growled angrily, letting Lara come forward a little.

"Oh I would love to see you take on an alpha." Shadow said with a growl right back, but his was more fun and games as to her annoyance.

"Wanna bet?" She tackled him with another growl, this time with play added in.

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Declaimer: Don't own HP.

A/N: Ok, I have had several reviews asking about when Shadow finds out about Ginny and vice versa. I also had some one ask about the other three in their group. Well to that person, I had the bit with Hermione planned before your review, but thanks for noticing. And I hope this chapter answers the question of what and how Harry became a crescent eclipse wolf. Which is he was born one, just didn't change till around his sixteenth birthday. And this one might take a while before getting another chap added on, so sorry in advance, but I will still be working on this one. So I hope you enjoy this chapter and the other stories I have.