Chapter Thirty-One:
Surprise

If there was one thing that Harry was learning very quickly, is that Hogwarts students really loved their Quidditch.

And they also loved gossip.

So if people find out that Professor Snape, who hated Quidditch, was going to referee a match, which was practically unheard of, people who Harry had never even meet were coming up to him and offering their support, their condolences, or their bets that Snape would curse him off his broom - again - to ensure that Slytherin won the Quidditch Cup. It got to the point that in the days leading up the match, Harry made sure to spend as much of his time outside except for practice.

It was the day before the match when Harry was once again spending his time near the forest, hiding in a clearing near the edge of the trees and lying on his back, relaxing. Susan had joined him, saying it was preferable to read outside than in the library; she was sitting next to him, bent over a book that was resting on her crossed legs and scratching the top of Harry's head absentmindedly. If it was anyone else, he would have snapped at them, especially since he wasn't even in his wolf form... but damn it all, she gave really good head scratches. So absorbed in the action of Susan's nails raking thru his hair, it took a few moments for Harry to realize that something was coming his way.

When he finally did, Harry leaped to his feet, ignoring Susan's yelp of surprise while he whirled towards the forest, lips pulled back in a snarl. There was something - no, three somethings - racing through the forest at top speed, right for him. Harry furiously sniffed the air, but the forest was heavy with the scent of all its other creatures and the flowers that were coming into bloom, and he was so tired from all the extra Quidditch practice and homework that had kept him up most of the night. He'd been caught off guard.

"Harry -" Susan tried to ask, but Harry was already melding into his wolf form, landing on all four a matter of seconds before the three creatures entered his clearing, and without evening pausing he leaped forward, tackling to the ground the closest and smallest one.

The creature yelped, then snarled in anger as they fought back, squirming and snapping its teeth at Harry's neck before the body underneath him changed, melding as he did just a few moments ago - only instead of a boy changing into a wolf, it was a wolf changing into a girl. "Harry! Get off me!"

Harry blinked. "Morgan?" he barked out, and then he was jumping back, transforming back into his human. "Morgan?!" He could barely recognize her scent - had he really been away from his clan for that long that he couldn't even recognize his best friend? Or was that he had just been around humans - his own kind - for too long?

"Who else, you idiot?" snarled Morgan, and she leapt for him, switching back to her wolf form again before tackling him back to the ground. "And this is what we get for trying to surprise you," she snapped, even though her eyes were gleaming with delight.

"We?" repeated Harry, and he looked passed her. Standing there were two more wolves; one jet black and large enough to be two wolves, and another warm brown wolf that was smaller but still bigger than most normal wolves. They both barked their greetings, and Harry smiled brightly, happier than he had been in months.

"Mum! Uncle!" Scrambling up and letting Morgan jump back, Harry held his arms open wide as the two wolves rushed to him, licking his face and sniffing him, yipping at him a barrage of questions. "I missed you guys so much! No, Mum, I haven't grown since I left - ya, I've been eating right - oh for the love of the Moon Mother! Mum, I'm fine, I promise! Tell her I'm fine, Uncle... oh come on, not you too!"

"Um... Harry?"

Harry looked back over his shoulder. Still on the grass, though it looked like she had scrambled back a few feet, Susan was staring at the three wolves that were prancing around his feet, her eyes wide. "Those are - wow those two are big - bigger than you are - holy - bloody hell -" she babbled before shaking her head. "Harry?" she repeated with a whimper.

"Oh, sorry, Sue." Harry looked to his adoptive relatives. "Maybe you should -"

In the blink of an eye, two of the three wolves were human again. This time, Susan gave a little screech of terror, slapping her hands over her eyes. "NAKED! VERY NAKED!"

"Mum!" Harry could feel his face turning a bright red in embarrassment. "Morgan! Clothes! Humans like clothes!"

"Mm?" Elysia glanced down at herself, as if suddenly just realizing that she was naked as a newborn baby. "Oh, right. Humans and their dislike of the naked form." She looked to Fenrir, who was still in his wolf form and making a noise that sounded distinctly like a snicker and smacked him on his shoulder. "Why didn't you remind me?!"

With a yip in answer, Fenrir turned and walked back into the forest, his tail swishing back and forth with amusement - and Harry now saw a pack attached to his back, probably with their clothes. Elysia groaned and started to follow, Morgan behind her as his mother continued to yell at Fenrir. "Did you intentionally want to embarrass me? I could kill you - and no, I don't care if it's not a human thing to do, you watch -"

"You can put your hands down, Susan," Harry said, turning back to her after making sure his family was out of sight. "They went to go put some clothes on - I am so sorry for that, by the way -"

Turning back to her after making sure his family was out of sight. "They went to go put some clothes on - I am so sorry for that, by the way -"

"Werewolves!" Susan was already up, almost right in his face, her smile so large it threatened to split her face. "Real werewolves! I mean, I know you told me about them - but oh goddess! They are huge!" Her hands went high into the air to emphasize her point. "I thought you were bigger than the average wolf, but wow! Especially that black one - he could be freakin' ridden into battle!"

Harry laughed. "I take it you're pretty excited, huh?"

"How could I not be excited, Harry?" Susan asked with equal parts exasperation and delight. "I've been studying up on werewolves since you told me - we don't have a lot in the way of information since most werewolves are wild or rejected by society. But they all have enhanced senses like you do - and the ability to move between their two forms whenever they want, though they absolutely have to on the full moon. I don't understand that part - but most of the bitten that don't go off to join clans usually take wolfsbane to stop their transformations? I don't understand that either."

"Your classmate is very curious, Harry," said Elysia when she reemerged, fumbling with the top buttons of her dress shirt. Already dressed in a t-shirt and jeans, Fenrir offered to help, his hands going for her breasts, and Elysia swatted them away. "I am a little surprised to see you transforming in front of her so easily..." Elysia sniffed the air, then raised an eyebrow as she glanced between Harry and Susan. "Her scent is all over you, Harry - and the same with her. Is she someone you are looking to bond with as a mate in the future?"

"NO!" shouted both Harry and Susan together, both of them red as tomatoes.

"Why not?" asked Morgan, who was in a loose dress that was a surprising shade of pink. She held her shoes in her hands as she bluntly added, "She's pretty. I like her hair." She grinned wickedly. "It's like blood."

"Oh, by the Moon - this is my friend," Harry stressed the word long and hard, "Susan Bones. She's in the same House as me, and one of my really close friends. Even if she hadn't figured it out, all on her own, I would have told her anyway so someone could cover for me when I need help." Harry swept a hand towards the werewolves, who had all returned, fully dressed and staring down his friend. "Sue, this my Mum, Elysia, my best friend, Morgan, and..." Harry paused. Fenrir had told him that he wasn't exactly well liked in the wizarding world, and his name was recognizable that Susan might know all about him.

"Ferral," answered his uncle smoothly, bowing and making Susan blush again. "This pup's adoptive uncle, of sorts." He stood tall again, sniffing the air. "It's been a long time since I've been here. Doesn't seem like it's changed a bit. Except I swear the students have gotten smaller."

"What are you all doing here?" asked Harry, suddenly worried. "Is everything alright back at the clan?"

"Yeah, after those little Inferni buggers not much can scare us anymore," snorted Fenrir. "Actually, Dumbledore asked us to come report in person, which would give us a chance to check on you since we missed your winter break." He grinned. "Plus, he might have mentioned something about a Quidditch game going on tomorrow?"

"I don't know if I like the sound of this game," admitted Elysia with a frown. "You play this game on brooms? That doesn't sound safe at all."

Susan and Harry shared a glance and decided not to share the fact that Harry had almost fallen off his broom during his very first game. "Don't worry, Mum - I'll be fine! Come on, I'll take you to Dumbledore."

"Mm, we should probably wait for our guide to catch up with us," suggested Fenrir with a shrug. At that, Elysia frowned, turning back to glare again at the male werewolf, who shrugged again. "Well, you're the one that decided we should leave him behind."

"Your guide?" questioned Harry. "Who -"

A rustle in the bush interrupted Harry questioning, and a moment later, and a man almost stumbled out of the bushes, struggling with the tangle of thorns that had grabbed onto the lower leg of his pants. "Thank you," said Remus Lupin tersely, "for waiting for me."

"I told you," said Elysia just as tensely as she turned to him, arms crossed and her eyes flashing with a challenge, "if you just transformed, I'm sure you could keep up with us much better. We could have gotten here days ago instead!"

"And I told you," Remus shot back with a snap as he stepped forward to meet that challenge, "that not only is that a dangerous idea, but I have no idea how to do that."

Harry glanced at his adopted mother and the man that technically had custody of him in the eyes of the Ministry of Magic, and he could almost imagine sparks flying between them. "I guess Mum still doesn't like Remus, does she?" asked Harry, directing his question to Fenrir.

"How could you guess?" replied Fenrir with a rumble of a chuckle.

At Harry's question, Lupin turned away from Elysia and smiled, his tenseness melting away as he stepped towards him. "Harry!" Remus said his name happily, kneeling on one knee so he could hug Harry easier. It made Harry tense for a moment, he was not use to getting physical attention from Remus, but he could smell the happiness and relief in Remus' scent, so he awkwardly hugged the man back, knowing how it would mean to him.

"How are you?" asked Remus when he pulled back, scanning him. "Are you enjoying Hogwarts?" When Harry nodded, Remus let his gaze fall on Susan, and he blinked in surprise. "Oh, hello, Miss..."

"Bones, Susan Bones," was her answer, hold out a hand for Remus to shake. "I'm Harry's best friend - well, one of them, anyway."

"Best friend?" commented Morgan, frowning as she turned to Harry. "I thought I was your best friend."

"I am allowed to have more than one, Morgan."

"Why don't we discuss this conversation as we make our way to the castle," interjected Fenrir before Morgan could open her mouth to argue. "I'm bloody hungry."

Author's Note: Look at that, posted on the right day! Woo! I was worried I wouldn't manage to get this posted in time, since I decided to add Remus into the mix (he wasn't in my original chapter) but thanks to a reviewer who managed to convince me that Remus needs a little more action in my story! I can't remember who that was, but thank you! And hope you all enjoy this chapter! Till next time!