~O0o-Harry Potter and the Wolves of the Nevernever-o0O~
~O0o-Book 1 of the Archive Series-o0O~
Sorry for the wait. Enjoy.
Black dog, Deery dog, Shuck and Cu.
Gabriel's hounds hunting after you.
Whist hounds, Arawn's hounds, Barghest and Grim.
See a black dog, prospects look slim.
Black dog, Gytrash, Padfoot, Ki Du.
Coinn Iotair chasing after you.
Hellhound, Mauthe Dhoog, Skirker and Grim.
See a black dog, luck turns dim.
-Ash "LeopardDancer" DeKirk
Chapter 7: Run, Hunt, Padfoot?
~O0o-Dec. 2, 1993-o0O~
Harry lay taking a nap on his comfy couch in his lab as he waited for Remus to awaken. He was clad in a pair of black workout shorts and a matching, tight shirt with red tribal markings along the sides. Nic was back in his place and Jace was sleeping on the couch with his head on Harry's stomach, Harry's hand idly scratching him behind the ears. Harry's eyes fluttered open and reached up to grab his pocket watch to check the time. '5:45, fifteen minutes til' dinner. Hope he wakes up soon," thought Harry. His thoughts were answered when the colored dial turned to '4' and the door opened.
If Harry didn't know Remus was in the ritual room, he would have barely recognized the man that came out of the room dressed in grey sweats and a tank top. Remus no longer looked like the sickly man that he had been before. Now his body had filled out with lean muscles, his 6'3" frame had bulked up from a scarce 180lbs to 230lbs and lost all of his scars from his old transformations and fights. His slightly graying hair was now a darker brown color along with his slim mustache. His face no longer held the sickly, gaunt pale look, but was now strong but still angular. Even his brown eye seemed to sparkle with new life. All in all, he was healthy, strong, and looked to be no older than his late twenties.
"How you feeling Moony?" asked Harry as Remus sat at the table in the center of the lab.
"To be honest Harry I feel bloody fantastic," said Remus with a grin. "I feel like my bloods on fire Harry. I can't tell you the last time I've ever felt this good, this calm, or this…complete."
"Trust me Moony I know the feeling," replied Harry with his own smile. "I'm sure you've noticed some of the changes to your body, although I'm not sure how different your senses are compared to how they were."
"The physical changes are shocking, if I'm honest I didn't expect such a change," commented Remus. "You didn't change this much."
"I asked Nic about that and he said that it was because of the potions I took in August already brought my body to its peak for my age," said Harry.
"Nic?" asked Remus in confusion.
"Yes," came Nic's voice getting Remus to look at the skull that he thought was a decoration with surprise.
"Remus, I'd like you to meet Nicodemus. I call him Nic," explained Harry. The dark haired teen went on to tell Remus what Nic was and how he came by him. After Harry assured Remus that neither Nic, nor the archive he was linked with, were dark or dangerous, the older man was once again impressed with his young friend's resources. "Any way as you've no doubt noticed, you've de-aged slightly." Remus nodded. "That comes with what I told you last month when we first discussed the ritual. We don't age after we reach our prime which is usually our late twenties. For those that go through the ritual who are older than that, like yourself, it brings you back to your prime. You'll also have to get used to the power increase as far as your core is concerned. I noticed mine increased, but since I'm still aging it hasn't topped off yet. Your core, however, will have topped off and I'm not sure how different it will be for you."
Remus nodded his head in understanding. "So what's the plan then?" asked Remus.
"Well," Harry started, "we're both going to have our first shift tonight as you know. Tonight is a full moon so no one should question why you aren't at dinner. I had Dobby bring you a full plate of meat, nuts, and fruit, by the way. Eat that so you have plenty of energy for the run. I, on the other hand, will have to make an appearance at dinner so as to keep suspicion down." Harry picked up his pocket watch from the table. "Speaking of which I really should be heading down. Where do you want me to meet you, since you know better about this part?"
"I think the best place would be near the hill by the Whomping Willow. It would be easy to get to and no one is ever near there at night." Lupin answered.
"Alright then. I'm off for the hall. Make sure Jace comes with," said Harry as he exited the trunk.
~O0o—o0O~
Harry made it down for dinner just as the last few stragglers were going in. As he walked toward his place at the Gryffindor table, he looked over at the Hufflepuff table. He saw Susan who was giving him a questioning look, which he answered with a thumbs up. He was rewarded with a happy and relieved smile from his mate as he took his seat between Hermione and his other mate, Katie.
"Harry?" Katie stated as he sat next to her. Hermione giving her own questioning look.
"The ritual was a complete success," whispered Harry. "Moony came out of it just fine. He should be eating right now and I will meet him later tonight for our run."
Both girls relaxed at Harry's words and turned back to their respective meals and made small talk with him and others around them. Harry piled on the food to his plate before he dug in. While Harry was eating, he let his eyes wander over to the Slytherin table. He and the girls had yet to figure out who his other Beta mate would be, but Harry had narrowed it down to the four girls that happened to be in his year. They were Daphne Greengrass, Tracey Davis, Millicent Bulstrode, and Pansy Parkinson. Harry had been shocked when he had gotten to know the girls from his Ancient Runes class, and found that they weren't as bad as he had once thought. Daphne, known as the 'Ice Queen' of Slytherin, he found, to be a genuinely kind girl with a love for enchantments. Her best friend, Tracey, was an equally kind girl with an infatuation with quidditch, but never joined the house team due to certain rumors within the snake pit. Millie was a large girl with a sweet disposition. Pansy was completely different from what Harry expected since she seemed to follow Malfoy like a lost puppy, but in fact hated the blonde bastard. While Daphne and Tracey acted the way they did simply to keep the boys away, Pansy, however, had little choice since her father had put her into a marriage contract with Malfoy.
Harry was brought out of his musings when Katie gave him a gentle, but firm elbow. "Sorry Katie. Got lost in thought," said Harry with a sheepish look.
Katie gave him a playful growl that made Harry's pulse quicken. "I was saying that I was talking to Angelina and Alicia today, and they started asking questions about you and me. Apparently they are under the impression that I need their help to catch the boy I want," whispered Katie with a sly wink. "When do you think we should bring them into the fold Harry?"
"Since they are going to join the tribe sooner or later, I think at the earliest after the hols; latest, after we've found the fourth." Harry said after thinking about the situation.
Katie nodded and turned back to finish her meal while Harry did the same.
~O0o—o0O~
Upon finishing dinner, Harry wandered off with few being the wiser. The only ones that knew he was leaving the castle for the night were Hermione and his mates, whom he kissed goodnight before making his way out of the castle after stopped quickly at a loo to change his clothes, putting on some transfigured clothes, and asking Katie to take his real clothes back to the tower. Nic had warned him that he would most likely rip out of his clothes when he shifted and chose to not lose his favorite workout clothes.
Harry made it out of the castle with ease and made the trek down to the Whomping Willow. He was coming out of the covered bridge leading out the back of the castle when he saw it. He looked up and saw the massive pale moon in the sky in all its full glory. 'So that's the Hunter's Moon.' Harry thought idly feeling his wolf beginning to stir. Harry let a feral grin cross his face as he felt the night air whip past him picking up bits of snow from the ground, and made his way toward the Whomping Willow. He felt the cold ground beneath his bare feet, but it didn't bother him in the least.
He saw Remus waiting for him just away from the barbaric tree that seemed relatively calm at the moment. Jace sitting next to his 'uncle' and looking around at the forest. When Jace saw his 'dad' he bounded over to him, his large wolf body moving with grace, speed, and power.
"Ready, dad?" asked an excited Jace.
"You bet pup," said Harry ruffling Jace's fur. He reached into his pocket and brought out a nickel necklace with a black walnut wood ring at the bottom that, with Nic's help, he enchanted to be a wand holder. He realized early on that there would be almost no way to keep hold of his wand when he shifted and brought up the problem and Nic told him about a dimension rune-series that would make for a handy wand holster for a necklace. Harry took his wand and put it through the ring and it vanished until only the top half inch was visible. He wasn't worried about breaking it since two of the enchantments made it unbreakable and self-sizing. He looked up to see Lupin staring at the full moon with a look of wonder. "Alright Moony?"
"It's beautiful. I've never…" Remus paused as a tear fell from his eye. "I never dared…"
"You thought it wasn't going to work huh?" asked Harry to which Remus nodded.
"I haven't seen a full moon without fear since I was eight years old. I'd given up hope a long time ago of ever being able to look at one without worrying about what would happen to those around me." Remus said. "Hell, I'd even given up on the girl I loved back in my Hogwarts days because of my condition. Even though that wasn't why we split."
"Why then?"
"It was our sixth year, her seventh," started Remus with a sigh. "We'd been together in secret since my fourth year. I truly believe she loved me as I did love her. However I was fearful of her finding out about me. I know to this day she was my mate, but then it all changed. She started to seem distant for a time and I was worried she had found out about me some how. She asked me for a rondaivue one night after the winter hols, and she seemed nervious. That night was both the greatest night of my life, but also my worst." Harry looked up at the solumn face of his professor, friend, and tribe brother.
"We made love that night, and she told me how much she loved me and I resipricated those feelings. Then she told me what happened back home. Her father had gone behind her back and placed her into a marriage contract with someone, who I have grown to dispise with all my being," Remus gritted out. "She was given two choices. Either go through with it willingly, or be forced to. She knew that no matter what choice she made both her heart, and mine, would be broken. So she chose to willingly do it, but she wanted to have one last night with me so that she would atleast be able to have her first time be with the one she loved. I was devistated, but honored that she had wanted that with me. She left that night back to her dorm and I drudged back to mine, both of us devistated. I haven't seen her sense."
"Who was she?" asked Harry.
"You would know her now as Narcissia Malfoy," answered Remus much to Harry's shock.
"Draco's mom?" asked a surprised Harry gaining a sad nod from his tribe brother. He winced realizing what he had just said. He couldn't imagine how painful it must be for Remus to see the son of the woman he loved each day knowing that he wasn't his. "I'm so sorry Remus."
"Thank you Harry. It's still hard to think about it, but at least I know that I was the one she loved and not him," said Remus with confidence in his saddened voice.
"Come on Moony," Harry said with a playful grin. "Maybe we'll get lucky on our run and run across Lucius in the forest."
Harry was answered by a chuckle and feral grin from Remus and her turned to follow Harry and Jace to the edge of the Forbidden Forest. Man, teen, and wolf each stared off into the dark forest. Harry soon felt his blood being set ablaze by a sudden shot of adreniline. He clinched his fists popping his knuckles; grinding his bare feet into the light snow and grass. He felt his muscles tensing in anticipation. His emerald eyes growing dark before turning to gold and shinning in the night. Looking to his right he noticed Remus in a similar state, along with Jace between them He could see their breathe in the air. At an unknown signal they were off with a shot.
Harry sprinted into the tree line followed closely by Remus and Jace. He was leaping over large roots and weaving between trees and brush. Over and down his with ease and grace. He swung under branch and vaulted over roots. His speed picked up as he sprinted toward a perticularly large root at full speed for his human form. He felt his body twitching and rolling just under the skin. He dove over the root as his body exploded and landed on four paws never breaking stride. The young teen had been replaced by the massive black wolf now barreling through the Forbidden Forest.
Harry quickly came to a large clearing and skidded to a stop kicking up the snow in a flurry. He turned his large head to look at himself. He looked to be slightly smaller than he had in his dream, though not by much. His shoulders were roughly five and a half feet high; broad, strong shoulders, deep chest, and shaggy neck mane. His pitch black fur was equally shaggy with a few tips of deep, forest green in his mane and tail; and covered his lean, but strong ten foot body (nose tip to tail). He was well muscled and around 350 lbs.
He was brought out of his self assesment by a russling and whimpering from his left. Glancing over he saw Jace, ears flat on his head and body lowered with his hind end tucked. Harry was uncertain why Jace was in such a submissive behavior until he remembered his reading on wolf behavior.
Then he heard something different: a deep, rolling growl. Harry felt his hackles bristle at the sound and looked in front of him. He watched as a large smoke grey wolf prowled out of the brush, its hackles bristling like Harry's own. In his primal mind, Harry knew this to be Remus, but he knew this fight had to take place for him to be the Alpha Fenrir had stated that he was. Looking at Remus, he noted that he seemed slightly smaller than Harry, maybe five feet at the shoulders and 300 lbs. His fur was a smoke grey with flecks of deep black throughout giving the wolf a salt and pepper fur pattern. His eyes were a deep amber as oposed to Harry's golden colored eyes.
Harry squared his shoulders and brought himself up to his full height with his ears fanned forward and tail high. His lips pulled back in a threatening display with his fangs bared. Lupin stalked forward with his own teeth bared and trying to look as big as Harry; pacing back and forth in front of Harry who merely held his ground following Remus with his eyes. He could feel Remus' aura, that he had most likely perfected over years of being a rouge*, rolling off him and meeting Harry's own Alpha aura. Harry's eyes locked unblinkingly with Lupin's and knew almost instantly what was to come.
In an instant, Remus rushed Harry at great speed his deadly jaw snapping, but was met head on when Harry exploded like lightning off the blocks; and the two massive wolves met chest to chest. With jaws snapping, they wrestled and rolled taking bites at each others shoulders, neck, forlegs, and pawed at each other ruthlessly. As they rolled, Harry was pinned up to a tree for a split second before using his hindquarters to shove the grey wolf into the air. Remus landed with ease and was met by his opponent and sent sproling along the grass and snow. Harry was on him in a flash pinning him to the ground with his sharp fangs centimeters from Lupin's jugular and growling threateningly at the downed wolf. Remus lay still on his back his forlegs tucked up and tail tucked showing submission; he noted with shock that while Harry stayed strong above him, behind and to the side of Harry were tendrels of shadow that seemed to be originating from Harry's shadow and poined at him like spears. The fight had been fast, but ferce lasting maybe a minute or two.
"Do you yeld Moony?" came Harry's calm voice from the wolf above him. Remus idlely noted that Harry seemed to be speaking with his mind, just like Jace.
"I yeld Harry. You've proven that you are the Alpha of the tribe," conceeded a panting Remus.
Harry released Remus and sat back on his haunches with his head held high like a true Alpha.
"Come on out Jace," called Harry when he heard the pup whimper again. Jace stepped out of the treeline at his dad's urging and padded up to the two larger wolves. He kept himself low and licked at Harry's mane and proceeded to do the same to Remus; both wolves licked the top of Jace's head. Remus stood and shook his fur out letting small drops of blood from the few wounds he had incured from his fight. "Alright Moony?"
"I'm fine Harry. I've had far worse some nights as you saw last month." Remus stated. "How about yourself?"
Harry looked at his fur and saw a few wounds of his own, but shrugged. "I'll be fine. Tis' merely a flesh wound." Harry stated with a wolfish chuckle at his memory of watching 'Monty Python and the Holy Grail' with Tonks during one of her visits last August. All joking was lost however when they heard a pained yelp coming from farther into the forest. All three wolves looked in that direction when the smell hit them: blood, anxiaty, and fear.
Without a thought, Harry and Remus stood and took off in the direction that the sound and smell came from with Jace close behind trying to keep up, but falling behind. As they got closer to their destination not only did they hear the yelping they also heard an odd wheasing followed by a chilling noise that sounded like a broken bougle. They slowed to a prowl as they made it towards the sound. Picking out of the trees they saw a massive beast. A stag seven feet at the shoulders and easily as long with rust red fur and powerful legs and massive, wickedly hooked antlers adorning it's head. With a guess, Harry believed the beast to be at least 300 lbs. However what really got Harry was its muzzle: it was shaped normally till you noticed that it was open with sharp, fanged teeth bared in a vicious display. It was then that Harry realized that he was looking not at a stag, but at a monster known as a Sianach*.
"Harry?" the teen wolf looked at his tribe brother to see him looking at what had the Sianach's attention. Crouched down in front of the massive stag was a black dog that looked like an Irish Wolfhound, although Harry had to admit that it looked like a Grim*. "That's Sirius," Harry's eyes widened at Remus' voice and knew that had to think of something quick before he was killed.
"I have an idea Moony."
~O0o—o0O~
It had not been a good night for Sirius. He'd attempted to get into the school again in order find the dirty rat that set him up twelve years ago, but decided to find some food in the forest before attempting his plan. Unfortunately that's where things went from annoying to deadly when he came across the moster stag before him. He didn't think much of it when he past it until it tried to stomp and crush him with its hooves. He had gotten away with minor injuries so far from its hooves and antlers, but it was the teeth that put him on edge. He saw the beast prepare to charge again when a massive grey mass stepped in front of him and took up a protective, challenging stance in front of him followed by a smaller black mass. As he focused on the two figures, he came to the realization that they were wolves, but one was absolutely massive. Easily the biggest he had ever seen.
He watched in shock as the two wolves growled threateningly at the monster stag that growled right back and tucked it's head and stomped it's hooves as it prepared to charge. The beast had not taken two steps when it was blindsided by another wolf a little bigger than the first with pitch black fur. The stag toppled over to its side and was immediately set upon by the grey wolf as the black wolf ripped into its throat with its fangs.
~O0o—o0O~
After checking the Sianach to the ground, Harry whipped around and clamped his jaws onto the jugular of the beast and bit down with all of his force and Remus tore at its underbelly. The beast let out a strangled roar which drenched Harry in blood around his head and neck from slicing through its main artery. Remus was equally drenched in blood after opening up the belly. The beast bled out in less than ten seconds, while its blood continued to pool around it.
Harry circled around and growled at Remus who backed away from the belly. Harry, letting instinct take over, took his fangs and tore into the belly that Remus started on and worked his way up into the chest cavity until he reached the still beating heart. He took it in his teeth and pulled it out and proceeded to eat it first.
While Harry was occupied, Remus heard a growl and turned his head to see his old friend still in his dog form and growling trying to look mean. Remus gave a wolfish chuckle which sounded like an odd growling whease.
"Knock it off mutt," he growled playfully. This brought an odd look and head tilt from Sirius as he looked as his long time friend.
"Remus?" said Sirius with hope in his voice.
"In the fur Padfoot." Remus said with a wolfish grin.
~O0o-Dec. 3, 1993-o0O~
The Shrieking Shack is rumored to be the most haunted building in Britain, and if anyone was inside it this morning they would be hard pressed to disagree with the odd guttural rattling sound coming from within. However, that same person would be mistaken for thinking that the sound was coming from a specter. No, the noise was actually coming from the lungs of a large black wolf named Harry.
Harry's eyes fluttered open as he slowly woke from his sleep. Looking around with sleepy eyes he noted a few things: he was still in his Shadow Wolf form, it was the beginning of dawn, and he was in what appeared to be the Shrieking Shack. He rolled back onto his hindquarters, while keeping his forepaws forward and straight digging his claws into the old, rotten wood of the stair landing; before rolling forward and stretching his back and hind legs, hearing several pops along his body and sighed in contentment. He followed this by shacking his body sending dirt and dried mud and blood flying. He padded to the room just off the landing and grinned at what he saw.
On an old, broken-down bed lay two black masses that he could easily tell were Jace and Sirus, still in his grim-form curled at each end of the bed. On the floor by the bed was Remus, like Harry, still in his own wolf form. The memories of the night before came flooding back to him in an instant: his first shift, running the forest, stalking and hunting the Sianach, saving Sirius, eating the monster stag, and finally filling in Sirius on all the happenings over the last twelve years since his imprisonment. He was livid when he found out about Harry's life at Privet Drive, but that was soon replaced with shock when he was told the rest about his August and since. He was equally happy that his friend, Remus, was now cured…sorta. Harry was brought out of his musings by Jace yawning and stretching from his side of the bed.
"Morning pup," said Harry.
"Morning dad," yawned Jace in greeting. Another change of the last month was Jace lost his cute 'puppy voice', as the girls called it, and instead started talking more like a teen but kept his sarcastic wit.
Jace's voice brought the other two occupants awake. After a stretch similar to Harry's they all said their 'mornings' to each. Sirius himself stayed in his Grim form, just so he could continue to talk with them.
"How you feeling Padfoot?" asked Remus. He was so happy to have his friend back and now knew where he needed to go to contact him.
"I'm doing amazingly Moony," stated Sirius with a doggy grin. "So what's going to happen now Oh-Great-Alpha?"
Harry gave his Godfather a playful glare and growl which drew snickers from the two Mauraders and Jace. "Moony and myself need to get back to the castle before anyone notices that I'm missing. Then we will come visit you from time to time now that we know where to look. Any problems with that Moony?"
"I need to go see Madam Pomfrey like I normally do after a full moon. Got to keep up appearances after all. Other than that I will begin the plan after the hols like we planned." Remus said after a thought.
Harry nodded and the three bid farewell after Harry had shifted back to their human form with Harry removing his wand from its special holder and transfiguring some old sheets into shorts for both him and Remus. Remus, Harry, and Jace made their way back to the castle where they split discretely with Remus heading toward the hospital wing and Harry and Jace heading up to the tower.
After giving the password, Harry and Jace walked into the Gryffindor common room. He glanced around the common room and noticed, unsurprisingly, that there was no one to be seen. He, however, was proven wrong when he heard a pair of soft breathing sounds coming from the sofa in front of the fire. He looked over the back of the sofa and smiled at the sight before him.
Katie and Susan lay cuddled together in silk pajama sets (Long-sleeve button up shirts and tie pants). Katie's being black and red; Susan's being gold and black. He stepped around so he was facing them and laid a kiss on each of them to wake them up. Both girls roused with a groan, but gave sleepy smiles when they noticed who'd woke them up.
"Morning Harry," they said in unison.
"Morning ladies," responded Harry with a grin. He took a seat between them when they offered it and they both cuddle into his sides; each giving a sigh of contentment.
"How'd it go?" asked Susan.
"It went good for the most part. We shifted with no complications; it felt amazing by the way. Me and Remus did have to fight though to see who would be Alpha, and yes I won," he said with a chuckle. "Unfortunately, we did have a problem though." The girls looked up at him with slight concern on their faces. "After I won, we heard a yelp from the forest and took off to investigate. We found Sirius trying to stay alive against a damn Sianach. Luckily we were able to take it down and save Sirius."
The girls sighed in happiness and relief that their mate was safe along with the others.
~O0o-December 8, 1993-o0O~
The week before break went by in a blur with everyone taking their exams and Friday found Harry on the Hogwarts' Express and heading for London. Harry currently sat with Susan and Katie cuddled against him with Hannah and Hermione sitting across from them with gentle smiles as they talked with the trio.
"Where's Ron at anyway Hermione?" asked Harry.
His bushy haired friends eyes narrowed in eritation at the mention of their ginger haired friend. "Oh! That git is off Seamus and Dean most likely," she ranted with a huff.
Figuring, correctly, that Ron had stuck his foot in his large mouth again, Harry simply sighed and relaxed against his girls as the train ride continued thourghly excited to spend his holiday with the girls and his friends away from Hogwarts.
~O0o-To Be Continued-o0O~
Sorry about the long wait hopeful to have the next chapter up soon along with the next chapter for Harry Potter: Prisoners and Walkers. As always please R&R. Thanks
Sianach: Is a monsterous, aggressive, and carnivores deer in Scottish folklore. Some believe that it was a reference to the extinct Irish Elk of the Ice Age that had an antler span of 12 ft.
Grim: Is a nickname given to the demonic black dogs of British folklore. These beast would be seen as a sign of bad luck or impending doom or death.