The Chosen One
Trying not to move a muscle, Elysia waited in the shadows of the forest, her bright eyes peering through the trees and bushes as she watched the human road that laid nearby. She was again waiting for the arrival of wizards, Dumbledore, and whoever he decided to bring. She hoped it wasn't Hagrid.
Unlike the last time, where she was on patrol when the half-giant came, Elysia was without any of her clan mates today, wanting to meet them for the first time alone. Her father had protest at first, but gave in as long as she promised not to reveal herself till she was sure that their guest had arrived. Not that she expected anyone else to come down the road - human's never went farther then the entrance. The wizards believed the rumors that whoever entered the forest would die a horrible painful death, and human "po-wice" kept all the others out. The former wasn't a total lie either - only one human had been killed by them in the woods during her time, and that was mostly because he tried to attack her own father.
Her ears twitched as Elysia sudden caught the sound of a loud and unexpected 'pop'. Lifting her head slightly towards the source, Elysia held back a surprised yelp as she saw two men now standing in the path, who certainly hadn't been there a moment ago. It was as if they appeared out of thin air. She heard stories about human's with magic traveling this way, but actually seeing that it was true certainly was a shock.
One of the men pocketed something that looked like a floppy shoe. He was old, perhaps even older then Elder Arianna, with white hair that went to his waist, an equally long beard, and human seeing devices - glasses - perched on the end of his nose, which seemed to have been broken at least once. He was dressed in the most bizarre clothing, robes that were bright purple with bright yellow stars along the bottom that sparkled. They actually hurt Elysia's eyes, who was use to clothing made of brown, green, and occasionally black.
The other man was perhaps a few years older then her with pitch black robes that matched his inky hair, almost hiding his face from view. Elysia could smell fear rolling of him in waves, though he didn't show it save for the fact that his hand was slightly twitching.
She could also smell something else, though it was hard to determine at first. She'd smelled it with Harry and Hagrid as well, but on both of them it had been faint, almost nonexistent. The smell of dirt and grass and something that sparked around his senses. With these men, she smelled lemon and tainted air on the older man, and then fire and water on the other, both filled with sparks.
Magic, Elysia finally realized after a moment of thought. She could smell traces of magic, that clung to from what they did and came from inside them. She was so use to Harry's smell that she almost forgot that he also had that scent. It wasn't completely unpleasant, but it would take some getting use to for her and Harry with their stronger senses.
Within seconds, Elysia shifted into her human form and quickly shrugged on the clothes she had carried with her, since human seemed to be against seeing someone naked. Smoothing down her wild hair, she took a deep breath to calm herself before making her way to the edge of the forest.
She wasn't surprised that the dark man noticed her first as she stepped out onto the road. His head snapped her way, and suddenly there was a stick in his hand which was pointed directly at her heart. Elysia stiffened before growling lowly. She had never seen a wand before, but instantly knew what they were from the stories. Would he attack her? And did he know that she wouldn't hesitate to attack in return?
But then the old man mumbled something, and after a moments hesitation, the dark man nodded and made his wand disappear into his sleeve while the older man stepped forward. "Hello, young lady. We are here for a meeting. Are you perhaps our escort?"
"I am," Elysia said with a nod of her head and a slight bow, never letting her gaze leave them. "My name is Elysia, daughter of Jason and Agatha. Are you Dumbledore?"
"Yes. Albus Dumbledore, and it is a pleasure to meet you." Dumbledore held out a hand, and Elysia did the same, remembering the customs that Arianna had repeatedly told her last night. She was still a bit surprised though when he took it and raised it up, letting his lips brush against the back of her hand. "And this my fellow teacher and friend, Severus Snape."
Snape simply nodded towards her, not moving closer.
"Please don't feel offended, but you are much more polite then I expected," said Dumbledore said with a chuckle, and Elysia noticed sparkles in his bright blue eyes.
"No offense, sir," said Elysia, smiling. "Just because we are a pack of wolves living in a forest does not mean we are savages. But, sir, next time you enter any kind of dangerous area, I might recommended that you wear more... subtle clothes. We are not the only dangers in the forest, and they will see you quite easily while you're in such bright colors."
Dangers such as wolves that didn't shift, wild animals, other kinds of shifters, and other creatures that she had only seen glimpse of during the winter run - children of the fae and elves that came out of hiding to celebrate.
"Oh, dear, I did forget that." Dumbledore brought out his own wand, and as Elysia stiffened, he moved it in a series of motions before he jabbed it his robes. Suddenly, the bright colors melted away, and were replaced with a warm green, like fresh leaves. "Is this better?"
Nodding dumbly, Elysia stared at his new robes. "That was magic, sir?" When he nodded, she shook her head as if to clear her mind. "I'm sorry, I've just never seen such a thing before. Harry has never done anything like that."
"It will be one of the many things he could learn at Hogwarts," said Dumbledore with a smile. "Now, if you would lead the way."
"Of course. Please, this way."
As they traveled through the forest, the group was silent, as Elysia warned them before even entering the forest about attracting unwanted attention. But only five minutes passed before Dumbledore asked, "Pardon me for asking, but what is your relationship with young Harry? Hagrid was not completely clear on that when he told us what happened."
"... And why does it matter what kind of "relationship" I have with Harry?" asked Elysia, tilting her head so she could look back at them. "You are total strangers, after all. I don't have to tell you anything."
"I'm merely curious," said Dumbledore. "And I admit, concerned. I was friends with his parents, and I haven't stopped thinking of Harry since he went missing."
Elysia bit back her snarls of how he left Harry with such horrible people. Instead, she asked, "Were his parents names really James and Lily?"
"How do you know their names?" asked Snape, speaking up for the first time.
"A companion of mine," said Elysia dismissively. "And thank you for answering me. Harry will be happy to finally learned the name of his birth parents. As for my relationship with him - I was the person to find him after his uncle left him here, and the one who convinced the clan to let him stay. Later on, he adopted me as his mother."
"And how has Harry being doing these past six years?" asked Dumbledore.
"Well, the first six months were kind of hard for him," admitted Elysia. "The clan wasn't ready to except him yet. But after he passed the test my father set down for him, they slowly became family." Well, save for Logan, but thankfully they never saw him again. She learned that he joined another clan far to the west, which were not kind to any kind of human...
"And your father is..."
"Oh, I didn't say?" said Elysia with flushed cheeks. "Sorry. My parents are the Alphas, the clan leaders is probably the best way to put it. I'll inherit my mother's role when she's ready to step down."
"Ah, I didn't realize you had a such high rank in the clan," said Dumbledore.
"Well, I can't even think about it till I have a mate," said Elysia with a shrug. "And so far, I haven't found anyone to fill in that role." Although she was sure that her parents wanted to bond with Fenrir. She wrinkled her nose. That was never going to happen
As they came in view of the entrance to the clan, she glanced back at Snape, who's fear she could smell clearly increasing as they got closer, even with her human nose. "You might want to get over your fear of us very quickly, Mr. Snape," she said, noticing how he stiffened. "You basically reek of it." He reeked of it and magic, which meant that everyone already knew who was coming.
"I am not afraid," snarled Severus.
Smirking, Elysia tapped the side of her nose. "Smells don't lie, and neither does my nose."
"Then your nose is defective," snapped back Severus.
Rolling her eyes and wiping away her smirk, Elysia nodded to the guards, who waved her and the men past. This time the clan was all waiting outside there homes, watching with wary gazes. Someone must have warned them that they were coming. No wonder everyone was out then, for most of them, this was their first time seeing someone magical, not including Harry.
Speaking of Harry.
"Mum, you're back!" Racing out of the crowd and towards her, Harry wrapped his arms around her stomach and buried his face into her stomach. "Did you find them?" he asked in a whisper, trying to glance around her waist.
"Yes, cub." Turning back to her guests, Elysia wrapped an arm around his shoulder in a protective way. "Harry, this is Albus Dumbledore, and his guest, Severus Snape. They're here to talk about you going to Hogwarts."
"Hello," Harry mumbled.
"Its wonderful to finally see you again, Harry," said Dumbledore with a kind smile. "I haven't seen you in a long time, since you were just a baby."
"Hagrid said the same thing," Harry said.
"I'm sure he did," chuckled Dumbledore. "Speaking of Hagrid, he asked me to give you this." Reaching inside his robes, he pulled something that looked like a small piece of paper and held it out to Harry. "Says he promised to get one for you."
After a long moment, Harry reached out and took the gift, his eyes going wide as he looked it over. Elysia looked down to see it, and held back a sharp gasp. It was like a drawing, except it was much more realistic and it moved. A man and a woman were dancing near a some kind of stone lake that spat water into the air, obviously laughing in delight. The man, maybe twenty years old, looked almost exactly like Harry, with raven black hair that was just as wild as her cubs, and dark brown eyes hidden behind round glasses. And in his arms was a beautiful woman with hair like fire and bright green eyes that she seemed to have given to her - their - son.
"This is the picture that Hagrid promised you?" asked Elysia.
""Yeah," said Harry, nodding. "But they're moving. Normal pictures don't do that."
"In our world, all pictures and portrait move," Dumbledore informed him. "They are made this magic. I believe that Severus has one for you as well."
Narrowing his eyes, Snape reached inside his own robes and thrust out another picture. "Here," he said shortly.
Taking that one as well, Harry stared at it, and after a moment, Elysia could smell salt, so she glanced down to see what was wrong. He was wiping his eyes while still looking down at the picture. It was his mother, sitting in a chair that rocked back and forth, while holding a baby Harry in her arms. "Oh, cub," she said gently.
"Dumbledore, I presume?" said Jason as he finally approached, his mate following behind him. When answered with a nod, her father smiled politely. "I'm Jason, and this is my mate, Agatha. Lets move to my hut so we can talk about Harry, mm?" He glanced to his daughter. "Elysia, will you gather our other guest and bring him and Harry to us, please?"
Other guest? Oh... "Yes, father," Elysia with a nod. "Harry, come on." As she lead Harry back to the huts, she smiled down at her cub, who was still tearfully looking at the pictures. "Your mother was beautiful," she said after a long and silent minute.
"I've got her eyes," Harry finally said.
Nodding in agreement, Elysia pushed back the curtain to one of the guest huts. "Fenrir?"
"Ugh, what?" asked the werewolf, rolling over and glancing towards the door, blinking sleepily. He was sleeping only in the bottom half of his clothes, showing off his chest to her when he stretched his arms above his head. "Oh, its you. What do you want?"
Trying not to blush - even though she didn't want to mate with the man, even she had to admit he was good looking - Elysia simply said, "My father wants you to come with us to his hut for a meeting."
Groaning, Fenrir tossed back his blankets. "Alright, give me a minute."
Nodding as she let the curtain fall back into place, Elysia looked back down at her cub. "What are you thinking about, Harry?"
"I-I don't really remember them." Harry stroked the picture, earning a small smile from his mother. "My parents, I mean. I know that I was just a baby when they were killed, but... I wish that I could remember something. Even their voices."
"...I know it must be hard, cub," said Elysia gently. "But, while its good to miss them, I don't think your mother and father wanted you to mourn them for them anymore. They've been dead for almost ten years. I think that they just want you to be happy. And are you happy right now?"
"Only a little," admitted Harry. "And its only cause I finally know what they look like." He sighed. "I can still miss them?"
"Of course." Elysia leaned down and kissed his forehead. "Now go put those pictures in a safe place, then we'll go talk about the school, alright?"
"Alright!" Clutching the pictures protectively in his hands, Harry raced towards their hut, disappearing through the curtain.
"And how do you feel, girly?"
Looking up at Fenrir as he exited his hut, yawning loudly and wincing at the bright sunlight, Elysia frowned. "What are you talking about Fenrir?" she asked. "I feel fine."
"Uh huh," said Fenrir with a disbelieving tone. "I'm not the kid - I can smell that your upset. Let me guess, you think that Harry won't think of you as his mum anymore know that he knows something about his real one now. Right?"
Elysia flinched, he'd hit the mark.
"I knew it," Fenrir said with a smirk. Raising a hand, he ruffled Elysia's hair, earning a yelp of surprise from the grown woman. "Listen, Harry's not like that, and you know it. He'll always love you and think of you as his mum, no matter what. But he'll also think of his real mum too sometimes, even if its just to mourn about her. Its gonna happen, so you might as well get over it now instead of later."
Blinking, Elysia stared at Fenrir as he greeted the returning Harry. Had actually given her good advice? It seemed an almost impossible situation, and yet it just happened. Maybe he wasn't the complete brute she always thought he was...
"Come on, girly, lets get moving!" barked Fenrir as he started to move away, Harry in his arms.
"Coming!" called out Elysia as she jogged up to them. Even if he wasn't a brute, she really wished he stopped calling her girly. In six years, she didn't think he'd once ever called her by her real name.
Heart pounding, Harry was a little glad that Fenrir had decided to carry him, because he was so nervous he wasn't sure he'd be able to walk into the hut. He was going to meet wizards - real wizards! Sure, Hagrid had been a wizard, but he hadn't really looked the part. These wizards, on the other hand did! They even smelled like magic, though it smelled different then his. And they had given pictures of his parents that moved, which were now safely tucked away in his tiny trunk, the one that held all his worldly possessions.
Plus, they were going to tell him about the possibility of going Hogwarts.
Reaching the door first, Elysia held back the curtain so Fenrir could get through. "Remember, behave," she said firmly.
"Fine," said Fenrir with a roll of his eyes, stepping into the hut.
And then stepped to the side just in time to avoid a bolt of red light that scorched the wooden wall, leaving a large black mark behind.
Startled, Harry cried out in fear. With a snarl, Fenrir held him close and leapt back out of the hut to protect him from any further attacks, the tearing away curtain and letting falling to the ground with a spray of dust. And then his skin seemed to writhe like a squirming snake before he transformed, pieces of clothes flying and fur standing on edge. Moments later, Elysia was at his side, also in her wolf form. Around them, people started to ask what happened, all ready to attack at a moments notice.
"What is the meaning of this?" yelled Jason angrily, which Harry could barely hear over the growling of his mother and uncle, who had pushed him underneath his large body. "How dare you attack a guest of my clan!"
"That's Fenrir Greyback!" snapped out Snape, the one who attacked him, with what Harry guessed was a wand still out. "He's a monster!"
"Enough!" barked Agatha, looking fierce. "There will be no fighting while in out clan! Mr. Snape, please put your wand away."
"Severus, do as she says," said Dumbledore, though he didn't look pleased about it. The dark man looked angry about the order, but did as he was told, stuffing his wand back into his sleeve. "I'm terrible sorry about this, ma'am. In our world, Mr. Greyback is... feared, for he has forced many children to become werewolves. Plus, he was involved in the war."
"If I can get some new clothes," said Fenrir, having changed back when no one was noticing, "I can explain myself."
"May I?" asked Dumbledore, looking to the Alphas. They nodded hesitantly, and bringing his own wand out, the old wizard muttered a charm that sudden brought the piece of clothes together. They looked as if they'd never been torn to bits.
A little amazed, Elysia shifted back and picked up her clothes, holding them out and looking over them for any sign damage, while Fenrir just shrugged his on. "You alright, kid?" he asked, picking him up again. "I didn't hurt you or anything, did I?"
"I'm fine," mumbled Harry, glancing instead at Snape, was seething. "Why did he call you a monster, Uncle Fenrir?"
"You'll find out in a minute, Harry," Fenrir said with a sigh as they entered the hut.
Minutes later, everyone was settled in the hut as Fenrir carefully explained his reasons for biting children and joining the war. The wizards were sitting in chairs that certainly hadn't been there before - they were too fancy compared to the few simple wooden chairs that the clan used - and the werewolves sitting on the ground, Harry between his two "parents", with Elysia stroking his hair even as she kept her gaze on Snape.
"I see," said Dumbledore when his uncle finished. "That certainly is a different story from what we've heard. Again, Mr. Greyback, I'm sorry for the attack, on both our behalves."
The answer to that was a grunt.
"Though I must, Mr. Greyback, you are certainly... less barbaric then I remember you," Dumbledore said as kindly as he could. Harry glanced up at his uncle, wondering what he was talking about.
"... I'm not a nice man," growled Fenrir. "I know that. You know that. But, this brat here," he said, ruffling Harry's hair, "doesn't need me acting like a bast – like an idiot," he corrected as Elysia glared at him. "While I'm around Harry at least, I'm gonna act decent. Just don't expect that when we're alone."
"I understand," said Dumbledore with a stiff nod.
"Now that is cleared up, lets move onto the next matter," said Jason. "I've been told by Hagrid that you wish for Harry to attend his school of yours, Hogwarts, was it? While it seems that Harry is interested in going, I'm more concerned with other matters."
"Such as?"
"His... guardians," replied Jason coldly. "Harry came to us six years ago after being abandoned by his own uncle, not to mention shot at with one of those human guns. I will not have him return to those awful humans."
"That I can promise will never happen," said Dumbledore. "When we first discovered that Harry was missing, we went to his guardians, and while they admitted that they had abandoned Harry, we could not get from them where. They were sent to prison about five years ago, where they will remain for the next few years, and their son was taken from them."
Silently, Harry breathed a sigh of relief. His uncle and aunt were never going to hurt him again.
"I take it that's good news?" Jason said with a glance to Harry and Fenrir, and both nodded. "Very well then. My next concern is about guardianship. If his past guardian are now in this 'prison', who is his legal guardian now?"
"Well... No one," said Dumbledore hesitantly. "He had another possible guardian, but he's currently unavailable for the job. And since Harry was no where to be found at the time, no one bothered to apply."
"Then I would like to become his guardian," spoke up Elysia. "If that's possible."
"I'm not sure if it is," Dumbledore answered. "Even if you get through the process of paperwork, you'll have to go through the courts so that they can judge if you'll be good guardian for Harry, and then it will become public knowledge, and I doubt many people will be happy that a werewolf is the guardian of any child, let alone the Boy-Who-Lived."
"The Boy-Who-Lived?" said Elysia and Harry in unison. "Why do they call me that?" asked the young wizard. He remember Fenrir first calling him that when he arrived six years ago, but that was such a long time ago, he couldn't remember why, and Fenrir never brought it up again.
Dumbledore and Snape glanced at each other before the older man sighed heavily. "About twenty years ago, Harry, the wizarding world was in the middle of a horrible war between those that use Dark and Light magic. The leader of the Dark side was a man named Voldemort."
Out of the corner of his eye, Harry notice Snape flinch, and he thought he felt Fenrir stiffen before he growled lowly.
"He was a horrible man that didn't care who he harmed as long as he got what he wanted," Dumbledore went on. "Your parents fought against him more then once, along with many others. So ten years ago, on Halloween night, he went to Godric Hallow, where your parents were hiding since they had you. He'd found them somehow. And he killed them, and then he tried to kill you."
"V-Voldemort killed my parents?" asked Harry in a whisper, feeling all the blood drain from his face. "But... But my aunt told me they died in a car crash." His parents had died while he survived, only receiving a scar and the memory of a bright green light.
Snape narrowed his eyes. "And you believe her?"
"Shut it, Snape," snapped Elysia before looking down at him, who had clenched his fists at his side. "Harry?"
"Why didn't you tell me?" asked Harry angrily as he turned to his uncle, his face blank. "You knew how they died - why didn't you tell me?"
"Do you really think I wanted to be the one to tell you how your parents died?" said Fenrir quietly, yet still gruff. "Besides, they were dead either way, kid. What I told you wouldn't change that."
Looking down at his lap, Harry felt tears burn his eyes. It was hard enough knowing that his parents were dead, but learning that they hadn't died because of an accident, but were murdered. "You should have told me," he said bitterly.
Fenrir just stayed silent.
"Why didn't he kill me too?" Harry finally asked.
"He tried. But when Voldemort," another flinch from Snape, "tried to kill you, something happened caused him to lose his powers. How no one knows, but the curse didn't work, while at the same time he died. That scar," Dumbledore nodded towards his forehead, "was the only harm that came to you."
Harry's hands flew to his head, fingers tracing the lighting bolt scar. He had always thought that he had gained this during the car accident.
"Some people speculate that you are the one that killed him," Dumbledore went on. "That is why you are called the Boy-Who-Lived, or in some cases, the Chosen One. You're famous, my boy."
"Sounds like people were desperate for a hero and got one," mumbled Elysia. "Too bad it had to be a little boy."
"So all in all, your saying that it would be very difficult for my daughter to become Harry's guardian," said Jason. He waited till he got a nod before going on. "Is there anyway..."
"Well, I'm sure I could figure out something," said Dumbledore slowly. "I have some friends in the Ministry that might be willing to help me out. But until they, we would at least need to assign a temporary guardian. Someone who has actually lived the wizarding world for at least the past five years."
"Of course. Did Harry's parents have any friends that we could contact?" asked Jason.
"... Remus Lupin, perhaps," said Dumbledore, while Snape frowned. "He was one of James' close friends when they went to Hogwarts."
"My parents went to Hogwarts?" said Harry with surprise. Dumbledore nodded in answer, and he smiled for what felt like the hundredth time. Now he really wanted to go to Hogwarts.
"Lupin?" Fenrir suddenly laughed, which sounded more like a bark. "Oh, I remember him. Cute kid, though he wouldn't stop crying. He was one of the kids I was paid to bite," he explained when Elysia and Harry gave him the "look". "He had some sort of incurable disease or something, and turning him into a werewolf cured him of it."
"Ah, I wasn't aware of that," said Dumbledore with a thoughtful look. "In any case, I would be more then willing to set up a meeting between Miss Elysia and Lupin to determine if he is the right choice. If that's alright with you, of course," he said with a nod towards Jason.
"Please, if you would," Jason said with a nod in return. "Now, for my next question. Should Harry go to this school, how will he be able to pay for the tuition or supplies he'll need? We obviously have no money to pay for either."
"I've already thought of this," replied Dumbledore. "The Potters set aside a vault with enough funds for his schooling without him having to touch in inheritance."
"Inheritance?" repeated Harry.
"Your father was by all means not poor, Potter," growled Snape, his dark eyes flashing as he mentioned his father. "He was the only heir of one of the richest wizarding families in Europe. And you being his only heir means that you will inherit it all."
With his eyes wide, Harry couldn't help but gape. He never thought of himself with money - not with the Dursleys and how they didn't even get him new clothes, and not with Elysia and the clan, who made everything or hunted it. Instantly, he knew the first thing he wanted to buy when he had money was ice cream, remembering how wonderful it had tasted the one time he'd gotten it, and only because Dudley had complained it didn't taste right.
"How long will Harry be gone?" asked Jason.
"The school last from the beginning of September to the end of June," supplied Dumbledore. "And he's free to come home for Christmas holiday."
Both the Alphas and Elysia looked confused, having never heard of the months, before they glanced to Fenrir, waiting for an explanation.
"From the beginning of fall and into the first part of summer," said Fenrir. "And for a few weeks in the winter."
"And this schooling last seven complete seasons, yes?" said Elysia slowly. Answered with a nod, his mother sighed. "Well, even if this meeting with this Lupin goes well, then I think there is no problem with Harry going to Hogwarts." She glanced down at him. "If its what you still want."
"Yeah," said Harry. "It is. I can still come back though, right?" he asked Elysia in a whisper, so no one else could hear. "If I don't like it, I mean."
"Of course," Elysia replied him quietly. "I promised, didn't I?"
"Well, that's wonderful," said Dumbledore, clasping his hands together and the sparkle in his eyes almost blinding. "I shall have Lupin come around sometime soon. Also, Harry should have to visit Diagon Alley in a week or so to get his school supplies. If you don't mind, I'll have Lupin take him. You're more then welcome to come, of course, Miss Elysia."
"Father? Mother?" Elysia said with a glance to her parents.
"Its up to you," shrugged Jason, and Agatha nodded in agreement. "As long as you're safe."
"Then yes, its no problem," answered Elysia to a beam Dumbledore. "I've always wanted to see the outside world."
"Wonderful," repeated Dumbledore. "Then I shall make the arrangements."
As the adults talked a little more about the upcoming meeting between Elysia and Lupin, Harry leaned against his mother, who wrapped a gentle arm around his shoulders. He was going to Hogwarts. He was going to learn magic. And maybe he could even learn a little more about his birth parents. He closed his eyes and let his mind wander, to the pictures of his mother and father dancing in the autumn leaves.