a/n: So this came about as I was indulging in one of my guilty pleasures, watching the Twilight Saga. It's a short one, but I hope you like it.
Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter, Twilight, or the Mercy Thompson series. I'm just playing in the sandbox of greater people's imaginations.
Chapter 1.
Potter Manor
Flintshire, Wales,
United Kingdom
12:31 a.m. July 31st 1980 a.d.
Lily Potter screamed in pain. She had been in labor for 3 hours already. Poppy Pomfrey knelt between the young mother to be's legs. "Almost there, Lily. One more big push!" The Mediwitch said urgently. Lily screamed again, as she pushed with all her might.
As the cries of the newborn baby filled the air, Lily slumped back in her bed. Poppy quickly cleaned the child, and swaddled him in a homemade blanket. She happily cast a few spells with her wand to check on the babe, and smiled when the results were positive.
She handed the swaddled baby to its mother. "It's a healthy baby boy, Lily." She said. "Congratulations." Lily smiled as she took her son, and held him close. Poppy moved to the door and exited.
In the small family lounge of Potter Manor, a group of men sat waiting. Bran Cornick smiled as he watched 2 of the younger men pace nervously. James Potter and Sirius Black were likely to wear a hole in the floor.
"James, Sirius. Relax." Bran said. "Lily is a strong woman. She shall be fine." The 2 men paused to look at Bran, then resumed pacing. A chuckle from his right caught Bran's attention. He looked over and saw Remus Lupin smiling at his friends. The old Moon Blessed Wolf frowned at the Moon Cursed. He remembered the stories of the first Wolves and the traitors.
When he had been a young Wolf, after the incident with his mother, and spending almost a decade as the Berserker, he had met one of the older Wolves. The Older Wolf had told him the History of the Werewolf, and the Prophecy of Moon. Bran had then been forced to kill the old Wolf. He had known about the Moon Cursed already. And like all of the Moon Blessed he distrusted his Cursed brethren.
Remus, however, had earned a grudging respect from the Marrock of North America. The Moon Cursed Wolf had learned to embrace his Wolf, unlike most of the other Cursed Wolves. Remus had formed a bond with his Wolf, that had allowed him to be able to change into his wolf form without the moon. Although the young wolf still took the form of the Cursed Wolf.
Bran's attention was returned to the present as an odd power washed over him. He felt his Wolf shiver in a strange way, as it bowed to the fierceness of the Power. An Alpha had been born. 'No.' Bran thought. 'Not an Alpha. The Alpha.' He looked over at Remus, and saw that he too had sensed the Power. A glance at his sons told him they too felt it.
A door opened, and Poppy Pomfrey entered the lounge. "Lord Potter?" She said. James stopped pacing, and looked up. "You can go in now." The Medi-Witch quickly moved aside, as James hurried past her. Bran chuckled again.
"Da?" Bran's youngest son, Samuel, asked. "Did you feel…." Bran nodded.
"He is born." Was all Bran said. Remus, Samuel, and Charles, Bran's oldest, all nodded. They understood.
James rushed into the room and stopped. There in his Beloved's arms was a small bundle. A shock of raven black hair stuck up over the edge of the blanket. "James." Lily said, smiling weakly. "Meet your son, Hadrian James Bran Potter." James moved over to his wife, and she handed her son to his father.
James looked down at the tiny thing in his arms. Brilliant green eyes looked back at him. James smiled, as his newborn son cooed. "He's beautiful, Lils." He said. "We made a beautiful kid." She giggled softly, as Baby Harry's tiny fist wormed its way out of the blanket. James held his finger near the little hand, and smiled when his son gripped it.
"He's powerful, James." Lily said. "He has inherited my family's gift." James stared at her in shock.
"You mean he's…?"
"Yes." Lily said. "He is Moon Blessed." James smiled widely. His gaze turned back to his son, whose green eyes, so alike to his mother's, had turned bright gold. James's smile grew. He turned and saw that Lily had fallen asleep.
Bran smiled, as the scent of his son-in-law came closer. Another scent was with James. A scent that had Bran's wolf howling in joy. A scent that screamed, PACK. The door opened, and James strode in, a small bundle in his arms.
"Everyone…" James said, happily. "May I present, Hadrian James Bran Potter." James moved over to Bran, and presented the bundle. Bran gently took the baby, and stared down at him. James stepped back, and stood.
"Welcome to the world, Little King." Bran said in his native Welsh. "I expect great things from you." Bran felt the other Wolves in the room move to stand behind the leader of the North American Wolf Packs. Bran stood, and handed the baby back to James.
James accepted his son from his father in law, and was then surprised when all 4 Wolves knelt and presented their necks in submission. He knew what such a gesture meant, and was sure it wasn't for him. A glance at Sirius showed that the man was just as shocked.
"Bran?" James asked. Bran smiled, and rose.
"Harry is special." Bran explained. "He is Moon Blessed, and more dominant than any of us here, or any Wolf, Blessed or Cursed, I've ever known. While he won't understand right now, it is a sign of respect." James looked at his Brothers in law, and his friend, and saw all 3 nod in agreement. James returned their nods, then turned to Sirius.
"Padfoot?" He said. "I hope you don't mind if Lily and I name Samuel and Charles as Harry's Godfathers?" He asked his best friend. Sirius smiled.
"It's fine Prongs." Sirius said. "I wouldn't know how to raise a Wolf pup anyhow." The group chuckled in amusement.
"We would be honored, James." Charles said, pride filling his voice. "We would do anything for our little sister." Samuel nodded in agreement.
Headmaster's Office
Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry
Northern Scotland
12:30 a.m. Nov. 1st 1981.
Albus Dumbledore sat in his office. His plan had worked perfectly. He had managed to convince the Potters to go into hiding, using liberal amounts of compulsion charms and his fake prophecy. Then he had convinced them to use the traitor, Pettigrew, as Secret Keeper. The rat had led the Dark Lord straight to the small family.
James and Lily had been killed, and when Tom had turned his wand on young Harry, his spell had backfired, and the Dark Lord had been defeated. Oh, Tom wasn't really dead, his Horcruxes saw to that. But, the Potter brat had survived. And that was all that mattered.
Dumbledore had sent his unwitting lackey, Hagrid, to fetch the child, and had taken Harry to his aunt's house. Petunia Dursley, neé Evans, hated magic, and would abuse and mistreat the boy. Once Harry was of age to start Hogwarts, Dumbledore would swoop in to give the boy hope.
Beaten and downcast, the boy would trust Dumbledore implicitly. The old man would seem like a hero to the boy, and Dumbledore would have the perfect weapon. Not to mention access to the Potter accounts. All was going according to plan.
Except, unbeknownst to Dumbledore, his plan was falling apart.
Bran Cornick had felt his bond to his daughter and son in law die with them, and his Wolf howled in mourning. He was on a plane to the UK within an hour.
His Wolf cried out for his grandson. That bond was strong, though he had felt the boy's pain. Samuel and Charles had met him at the airport. Charles had already contacted his friend at Hogwarts, and had learned that the old Headmaster had placed Harry at Lily's foster sister's house.
Bran knew all about the Dursleys. He kept tabs on his daughter's foster family from the day she had been placed with them as a baby. Petunia and Vernon Dursley were not people Bran wanted around his only Living grandchild. The first time the boy shifted to his wolf form, they would probably kill him.
They landed at Heathrow Airport, and using a car one of Bran's contacts in the old country had gotten them, drove to Little Whinging. Samuel pulled up in front of Number 4 Privet Drive, and the 3 got out of the car.
Bran led the way to the door, and knocked. A moment later, it opened to reveal a long necked, horse faced woman. Petunia Dursley frowned as she saw the 3 men standing on her doorstep step. "Yes? What do you want?" She asked, snappishly.
"Petunia Dursley?" Bran asked. She nodded. "My name is Bran Cornick. And I am here to collect my Grandson." Petunia frowned. This man couldn't be any older then 28, how could he already have a grandson? She asked as much.
"I am far older than I look." He said, as his sons chuckled.
"Your one of them, aren't you?" Petunia asked, waspishly.
"One of what?" Bran asked, growing angry.
"One of those freaks that dropped the brat off on my doorstep." Petunia hissed. "One of her kind."
"I am not a wizard, if that's what you mean." Bran said. Petunia frowned in confusion, before understanding dawned on her face.
"Your Lily's real father!" She gasped. "But that means you're…" She gulped and backed away from the door in fear.
"Yes. I am." Bran said, allowing a hint of his Alpha power to show. He entered the house, Charles and Samuel following, even as Petunia moved away from them. "And as I said, I have come to collect my grandson." Samuel and Charles moved further into the house, as Bran backed the frightened woman into the sitting room.
"But...his letter said the boy needed to stay here till he began at that freak school." Petunia muttered. Bran frowned. He knew who the 'he' was. Bran would deal with the old man at a later date. For now, though he would deal with his daughter's foster sister.
Suddenly, Charles burst into the sitting room. His Wolf was bubbling just below the surface, and the man was seconds from changing. "Charles!" Bran said, sharply. "Calm yourself. What has gotten you so angry?" Petunia's eyes widened in terror at the look in Charles' glowing golden eyes.
"Hadrian was in the closet under the stairs." Charles growled, even as Samuel came into the room, carrying a crying Harry in his arms. Bran growled, as he turned to Petunia.
"Explain! Now!" Bran hissed. Petunia shuddered, as the full power of the Alpha of all the North American Werewolf Packs was turned on her.
"It was my husband's idea." She squeaked. "Why should we waste perfectly good space on a freak?" Bran growled, angrily.
"Well Mrs. Dursley," The Marrock growled. "You won't have to worry about that anymore. The boy comes with us. Consider yourself lucky that we don't tear you and your husband apart for this." He turned to leave, ignoring Petunia as she passed out.
Charles and Samuel followed Bran back to the car, though it was obvious that they wanted nothing more than to do just what their father had threatened.
Aspen Creek Montana,
United States
12:00 p.m. April 19th, 1987
Bran held back a chuckle, as he watched Charles run a hand across the seat of his pants. The younger Wolf growled as he glared at the peanut butter that now coated his hand. Bran could smell the perpetrators of the prank, hiding in the bushes surrounding the porch where the adults were sitting.
"Hadrian James Bran Potter-Cornick! You and Mercy have 3 seconds to come clean up this mess!" Charles yelled. The sound of canine laughter was the only answer, as a small Wolf and an even smaller Coyote took off towards the woods that boarded Bran's property.
"Rotten kids." Charles grumbled. He headed inside to change his pants, ignoring his father and brother as the 2 were nearly in tears in laughter. "Jerks." He hissed.
Bozeman Airport,
Bozeman, Montana,
10:00 a.m., Aug. 14th, 1991.
Mercedes "Mercy" Thompson sniffed as she stood next to her best friend, and his Grandfather. "Do you really have to go, Harry?" She asked, tears welling up in her eyes.
"You know I do, Mercy." Harry said, tears filling his eyes as well. "I have to have total control over all my magic. Ravenwolf helps with that, but Uncle Remus says going to school will give me the control I need."
"But why do you have to go to Britain?" She asked. "It's so far away, and you'll be gone till Christmas. How am I going to get my cuddle time. Who's gonna protect me from Charlie? Who am I gonna pull pranks with?" With each question, Mercy's tears fell heavier. Harry pulled his best friend into a tight hug.
"Uncle Sirius will be here." Harry said. "He can't go back to Britain. And you know he likes pranks. As for cuddle time, it'll be that much better when I come back. Don't worry about Uncle Charles. Grandda has him policing the packs in the east." Mercy sniffed, and nodded into Harry's chest.
"Hadrian. It's time to go." Bran said, softly. "We're on a time schedule." Harry nodded and squeezed Mercy one last time, and the 2 let go. Harry walked to where his grandfather was standing, and the 2 and Remus made their way to the plane waiting for them.
Harry took his seat, and waved out the window to Mercy. The sad girl waved back, and then was led away by her foster father. Harry sighed and sat back in his seat, as the plane took off.
Aspen Creek, Montana
United States,
1:30 p.m., June 5th 1995
Mercy Thompson sat by her best friends bed, her eyes never leaving his unconscious form. She knew that school was bad news, ever since she and Harry had learned about it. Harry had told her the stories of his misadventures since his first year.
Trolls, a Cerberus, and a teacher with an evil wizard sticking out of the back of his head, were the order of the day that first year. Harry's second year, someone had given a little girl a cursed diary that possessed her, and forced her to sic a massive snake on the school, not to mention having to deal with a con man for a teacher.
His third year, Harry had had to deal with soul sucking demons, sent to "protect the school" from Harry's so called criminal Uncle Sirius. The man had been looking for the traitor that had gotten Harry's parents killed. That Sirius had diplomatic immunity didn't matter to the English Ministry of Magic.
And this year, Harry had been forced to participate in a tournament meant for grown wizards, only to have to fight honest to god Dragons, and merpeople. Finally he had been kidnapped during the final task, and forced to witness as his parents' killer was brought back.
And all of this had happened under the nose of the man who had tried to put Harry with people who would have killed him the first time he changed into a Wolf. Bran had been furious at Albus Dumbledore, for forcing Harry to compete.
Harry had been brought home by Bran, after he had managed to escape from Voldemort. A Professor, who was supposedly Dumbledore's friend, but was actually one of Voldemort's minions had then almost succeeded in killing Harry, stabbing her best friend in the gut with a magic infused silver knife.
Harry had been unconscious for a week and a half, while his body slowly tried to heal itself. Bran and Charles had gotten to Harry in time to save his life, though there wasn't much left of the Death Eater by the time Charles could be pulled off of him.
A pain filled groan brought Mercy's attention back to the present as she stared at Harry. His eyes fluttered for a moment, before they opened. Green eyes met honey brown, and the boy smiled at her. "Hey beautiful. Why the long face?" He asked weakly, as he tried to sit up. Mercy helped him, putting a pillow behind him and propping him up on the headboard.
Once he was comfortable, she stepped back out of his reach. "Hadrian James Bran Potter, if you ever scare me like that again, I swear on everything holy, I will never cuddle with you again." She said in a cold hiss. Harry flinched back, then winced as pain shot through his stomach. Mercy was by his side in an instant.
"I'm sorry Mercy." Harry said softly. "I never meant to scare you. I had no idea Crouch Jr. knew I was a Wolf. Otherwise he wouldn't have gotten close enough to stab me. I promise I will be more careful in the future." Mercy smiled weakly at him, then climbed onto his bed and laid down next to him. He put his arm around her and pulled her close.
"Good enough." Mercy said, as she sniffed back her tears. "Cuz I love cuddling you, and don't want to lose that." The 2 teenagers sighed and cuddled close, enjoying the warmth and security the other provided.
Bran found them that way, asleep an hour later. He smiled as he gently covered the 2 with a blanket, and turned out the light. He had no doubt that the future Wolf King would declare the Coyote Walker as his mate sooner rather than later.
