(Dumbledore's POV)

It was the first day back at Hogwarts, and the spirits in the castle were high. The students were spread out across the hall, talking to friends from the different houses they hadn't seen all summer. Dumbledore sat upon his large throne-like chair at the head table, looking out at the smiling faces with a grandfatherly glint in his eyes. His blue eyes sparkled as he looked them over, thanks to a dandy little charm he had found many years ago.

He spotted his friend Fleamont's young boy, James, sitting at the Gryffindor table along with his two best friends, Sirius Black and Peter Pettigrew. However, he noticed the boy was not smiling like his peers around him. No, the young boy was staring across the hall with a very agitated look upon his face. Following his line of sight, he found him staring at the Pendragon boy, who was sitting at the Ravenclaw table. On either side of him sat two of the most beautiful girls that Hogwarts had to offer, or so he had been told. Honestly, Albus could care less about girls, or women in general for that matter.

However, he had plans for those two girls that were sat happily eating and conversing with the Pendragon boy, along with another beauty across from them. He mentally ground his teeth at the thought of his plans going down the toilet. He had planned to have the Potter boy get together with the damned Muggle-born. He had been told that she had excellent school records in the Muggle world. She had then come to Hogwarts and shown that she was in fact just as intelligent as he had hoped. On top of that, she was a beautiful girl. She was a fantastic poster girl for the light: a Muggle-born with brains and magical power. She would have made for a fantastic trophy wife for the Potter family.

It only helped his case that James was obsessed with the girl. Oh, he knew she had dreams of being something in the magical world, but that was just the way their world worked. Women were meant to be seen, not heard. At least that was his opinion and the opinion of many of the purebloods.

Many people saw him as the leader of the light, the purveyor of Muggle-born rights. However, what many didn't see was that he couldn't care less about the damn upstarts. All Muggle-borns wanted was to tear down their worldviews and plunge them into the Muggle world. Into the twentieth century.

Ha! What did the Muggle world have that the magical world could possibly want? He mentally shook his head. He had helped grease hands and line purses with gold in order to see certain Muggle rights bills be passed. However, he had also made sure that many did not. In fact, many that ran across his desk as the leader of the light would never see the light of day if he had anything to say about it.

So no, he did not need the unity girl getting any ideas on influencing her husband to pass certain laws. Once he had gotten her into the family, he would have slipped her a little potion making her into a meek and pliable wife. Well, he would have given her a year or two out of school. Just enough time to earn the trust of the wizarding world. Oh yes, it would be a fantastic thing indeed.

He glanced at the other girl sitting next to Pendragon, and again he was angered. Andromeda Black was sitting next to the dragon spawn. Her eloquent and beautiful face only accentuated by the bright smile that shone on her face. Just like her older sister in seventh year and her younger sister in fourth, she was seen as a beauty among swine to most.

She came from a high-class Pureblood family of good stock. She would make an absolutely wonderful Pureblood wife for someone. However, that was not the plan he had for her. Oh no, not at all. The Black family was a diehard neutral family. However, Arcturus had royally pissed him off in the last war against Albus's ex-lover, Grindelwald.

The man had fought with vigor and killed many from the opposition. He and many others had a kill or be killed attitude that did not sit well with Albus. Many in Grindelwald's army were purebloods and needed to help keep their world running the way it had been for centuries. It was why he always would fight for second chances.

He reached up and stroked his long beard in thought as he watched Pendragon and the girls. He had planned on Cygnus setting up a contract for his daughters. He knew that he had one for the oldest and was in the process of creating one for the youngest. He knew it was only a matter of time before he set one up for the middle girl, whether she liked it or not. He was counting on her not liking it and settling for some Muggle

-born. She would run away from her family to escape a horrible marriage contract to some stuck-up and most likely abusive Pureblood. It would start to tear the Black family apart.

Her running away with a Muggle-born would disgrace the entire family. He knew Arcturus would be devastated. The man loved his grandchildren more than anything, and having one run away would devastate him. He would be blinded to the goings-on in his own house and allow it to be torn apart from the inside.

He could tell that Sirius Black hated his parents and would do anything to embarrass them. He would only help in Albus's plan. He would end up running away and furthering the Blacks' demise. Oh yes, it was a wonderful plan.

But then that damned Pendragon had to ruin it all again. He had somehow won the Black girl's heart and now had her wrapped around his little finger. He knew it was only a matter of time before a contract was made between the two. With that contract, it would cement the Black family into a strong standing with that ally. Even if the other two girls were placed into Dark families, the Pendragons were an extremely influential family, being seen as the leaders of both the dark and light families. With them being firmly in the center of the Grey faction, it would allow the Blacks to stay just that, grey.

He had even heard from Fleamont that Arcturus had had his grandchildren move into his home over the summer. The only ones not staying there now were the youngest Black, a year below Sirius and Narcissa, Regulus. Along with him was Bellatrix, who was now more over at the Lestrange house rather than her own anyway. This threw everything off for him.

He was hoping that with him being treated horribly, it would send him to the Potters. There he would be under his influence even more than before. He would wait until he gained the Black lordship, as he figured Arcturus would keep him as the heir. With that, he would have the Black fortune at his disposal. But now… now it was all down the toilet.

He watched as Filius stood up on his chair next to him. He scowled even more internally now. He knew what he was about to announce, and it only pissed him off more. It would only add to the bloody boy's already substantial popularity. He didn't think there was a single student that didn't like him in three of the houses at this point. Slytherin, on the other hand, feared him for the most part, it would seem, as he had heard that Lucius had ordered no one to touch him or his friends. He sighed internally. There was nothing he could do if he didn't want to look like he hated the boy. He would just have to rethink things.

(James's POV)

James watched as Lily laughed loudly at something Pendragon had said. He gritted his teeth and balled up his fists under the table. She was supposed to be his! It should be his jokes she was laughing at. It should be his shoulder she was resting her head on! He hated the boy so much that it almost hurt.

He growled as he watched her pull his chin to her and lay a sweet kiss upon his lips. He should be the one to kiss her. But no, it was some Yank who thought he could come here and take what was rightfully his. He hated it, but he would get her yet. It was only a matter of time before she woke up to reality.

Oh yes, he knew the truth about Pendragon, even if no one else could see it. He was a dark wizard, and it was obvious. He even had a fucking snake as a pet! His father had ingrained in him that anything snake-related was dark. He had even agreed that the boy was most likely a dark wizard. He couldn't understand why Dumbledore had not expelled him. When he asked, he was simply told that it was truly only a matter of time before the rest saw the truth they had seen and agreed with him.

He watched as Professor Flitwick stood up on his chair and called out for their attention. He scowled a bit as his attention was called from his wayward love. Couldn't people realize he had to watch her to make sure she didn't get hurt? After all, she would be his wife one day!

(Severus's POV)

Severus gritted his teeth and snarled as he watched Lily kiss that Pendragon bastard. He had thought of going over to her home over the break but had decided to give her a few weeks. However, every time that he had gone, he was either turned away at the door by her filthy Muggle father. Couldn't the fool see that Lily belonged to him?

He snarled again, causing many at the table of the snakes to look at him oddly. It was a well-known fact who it was that he was glowering at, as many had heard of his falling out with the mudblood girl in Ravenclaw. However, the real problem was that even within his own house, no one would go against the Pendragon boy.

The majority of the House of Snakes were either afraid of him for some reason, or they respected him for being a powerful pureblood and a rather smart one at that. The bastard had been the top of their year for the last three years running for the males anyway. Lily Evans and Amelia Bones were the top two females. They didn't even care that he was dating a mudblood for the most part. It was overlooked due to him dating two respectable pureblood girls of good standing.

The only people that really had a problem with him were Bellatrix and her friends. Bellatrix because she didn't feel he was good enough for her sister. The Lestranges only because Bellatrix told them not to like him. And a few others such as Nott, Bulstrode, and Parkinson because he was dating a mudblood whore, as they would say. To them, anyone who associated with Mudbloods or Muggles were filth.

He looked across the table from him at Lucius Malfoy, who was talking with Narcissa Black, and gritted his teeth even more. Lucius still acted as his mentor and kept the others away from him for being a half-blood, but beyond that, he didn't seem to care. Oh no, if anything, he was just as afraid of that fucking Pendragon as everyone else. He still refused to help him get revenge or even let others help him, and it royally pissed Severus off. Couldn't he see that he needed Lily? That he deserved her.

No matter, it was only a matter of time before he got exactly what he wanted. He would take her back from Pendragon and he would make her his. He could only imagine her naked form below him as he pumped in and out of her. She would be screaming his name and moaning in pleasure as he released himself within her. Even thinking of it turned him on, and his hate-filled sneer turned to a small perverse smile.

He would breed the bitch and make her give him their children. With them in the world, she would have no choice but to stay with him. Oh yes, one day she would be his, and all he had to do was figure out a way to get rid of Pendragon. He was no fool and knew that it would be hard for him to take him on magically. Perhaps he could figure out a way to slip him a potion or a poison. Hmm, yes, he would have to think about that indeed.

His thoughts of revenge and murder were interrupted by the charms professor standing up. He could care less what the little goblin could want. He had no love for charms and only feigned it for Lily. No, he was strictly in love with potions. Yes, he could kill or heal with nothing but his precious potions and would one day be known as the best potioneer in history. Nevertheless, he listened closely but would come to regret that decision very soon.

(Harry's POV)

Harry was laughing along with the girls when he heard Flitwick clear his throat and gain the attention of the hall. He looked up at the little professor, who smiled down at him. He lifted an eyebrow at his mischievous glint in his eyes. That wasn't good. The last time he had seen that had meant he would be used as softball target practice for an hour.

"May I have your attention, please!" Flitwick called. "As some of you may have heard, the under fifteen dueling championships were held in Berlin over the summer. What some of you may not know is that I was once a dueling champion myself and had never taken on a student. However, that changed last year just after the start of the year. I had found that Harry Pendragon was more than up to my standards that I would look for to take on a student. I entered Mr. Pendragon into the tournament as his sponsor, and it is my immense pleasure to announce that he took first place within the division?"

Cheers erupted from around the hall for him. It had been a while since Britain had won anything under eighteen since Antonin Dolohov went into the big leagues. Harry looked around and was stunned that everyone was clapping excitedly for him. The girls were some of the loudest to clap along with his close friends.

Andie pushed him out of his seat. 'Go on, love, and give a bow,' she told him with a wide grin.

Harry stood up and did as he was told. He gave a slight bow and raised his arm to acknowledge the praise that was thrown at him. He gave a small smile to everyone before sitting back down, along with a nod to Fillius. The charms professor raised his glass to him and gave him a wink.

'That was nice of the Professor to acknowledge your win like that in front of everyone,' Lilly said. Fillius was her favorite professor and charms one of her favorite classes.

Harry smiled at her as they all got up to go their separate ways. He then leaned over and gave Andie a hug and a small kiss goodbye. 'I'll see you at lunch.'

'Of course,' she said with a smile, and he watched her walk away.

He turned back to Lilly and Amelia with a smile as he took their bags from them. They all had Transfiguration as their first class this morning. They started walking out of the hall, and Harry felt a tingle on his neck. Larry lifted a head up to hiss in his ear.

'The Potter boy and the Snape boy do not seem too pleased with you, Harry. They are both glaring at you pretty hard.' Harry glanced at the two boys, and sure enough, they were both drilling holes into the back of his head.

Harry sighed as he spotted this. It was an almost sure sign that something bad was bound to happen. 'Do me a favor, Larry, and keep an eye on those two for me. Let me know if anything is said that I may need to know.'

Larry nodded, and once they were in a secluded place, he slithered out of his robes without anyone noticing. He quickly slithered into a pipe door that Salazar had set up for Laura. They came out in many places around the castle. He could get into any one of the common rooms or private quarters using these tunnels.

(Full moon)

Harry may no longer have his invisibility cloak, but he had made sure to master both the silencing charm and the disillusionment charm. He had also learned a charm to hide his scent. He snuck down to the Whomping Willow after watching McGonagall leave. He froze the tree and rushed into the small hole under it. He made his way down the tunnel and finally came up in the familiar shrieking shack.

Remus was sitting there in a chair looking worse for wear. The place was not much better than it had been in his time, but it didn't have as many claw marks around the walls. The drapes were shredded though. He slowly walked over to Remus prepared to change in a heartbeat.

'You doing okay, Remus?' he asked, eyeing his friend.

Remus snorted a bit painfully. 'I'm not sure I would say okay, Harry... but I'm here, I suppose.'

Harry nodded his head. 'How much longer?'

'Any minute. When I change, don't move. Let me sniff your form to identify you as human. The... the wolf should recognize you,' he said in a gravelly voice. 'Now hurry, change... can't hold much longer.'

Harry didn't need telling twice as he quickly changed into his tiger form. He watched with his now feline eyes as Remus began to change. His mouth elongated and large fangs extended. His fingernails lengthened and sharpened into claws. His back curving out and his limbs becoming long and gangly. His skin turned a sickly grey.

When he turned around, his amber eyes spotted the white beast before him. Harry held perfectly still, trying not to look like a threat despite his own size and powerful frame. The wolf stuck his nose in the air and sniffed a few times. It crept forward, sniffing as it went. It stuck its nose into his face and snuffled some more. He pulled back after a moment and... yipped?

Remus yipped again and started acting like a puppy as it pushed into him in a friendly manner. So Harry did the only sensible thing; he pushed back a bit. The wolf seemed overjoyed about the change in its new friend, and they started a shoving match between the two of them.

Before Harry knew what was happening, he was being chased around the old house by the werewolf in a game of tag. When one pounced upon the other, they would change who was chasing. Harry had to be careful with Remus though. Werewolves were strong and durable creatures, but Siberian tigers were no joking matter either. One wrong swipe of his massive claws could take his friend's head clean off.

Their back and forth went into the dead of night and the wee early morning hours. Harry curled up beside his friend as Remus slowly fell asleep in the living room. He waited until the beast was well and truly asleep and only an hour before the sun would rise before he got up. He waited a time to make sure that Remus wouldn't be waking up and lightly padded out of the room. It still amazed him that despite how large he was he could still move as if completely silent for the most part when he wanted to be.

He made his way out of the room and saw his friend still asleep. He got to the trap door and quickly changed and slipped in. He locked it back just as the professors had. After a time, he came to the end of the tunnel and disillusioned himself once more. He applied the other charms and snuck out of the hole. He froze the large tree and made his way out and back to the Ravenclaw common room. It had been a fun night, and he could only hope that it was the same for Remus.

The next day, he was sitting at breakfast with the girls when Remus had come down. He had missed the day before to recover. He came over and sat with them with a good morning. Harry smiled at him, and he smiled back. When no one was watching, he mouthed, 'Thank you.' Harry just nodded with a smile. He could see the other boy's eyes watering a bit from the new experience he had. Never had the changes been as tolerable as they had the other night. And he had his best friend to thank for it.

Remus looked over at Lilly and frowned a bit. His brows scrunched up in thought. He had been considering asking Petunia out on a date over the Christmas holidays, but as he thought more about it, he wasn't sure that would be a good idea. He was a monster after all. Then a memory came to him of him and Harry playing chess.

(Flashback)

'Have you ever killed someone just to kill someone?' The blond asked, making a move.

Remus looked shocked and quickly shook his head. 'No, of course not!'

'Then tell me, Remus, how does that make you a monster? To me, a monster is a mindless beast that doesn't care if he harms others and will kill anything or anyone without remorse. I'm not going to tell you that everyone will love you or want to be your friend as there are too many that are

bigots. But the ones that are truly your friends. The ones that will truly love you for you and nothing else. Those people will not care that you are a werewolf, Remus. All they will care about is that you make them happy and that they make you happy. Life is a risk and you either take it and possibly get the best thing you could ever hope for. Or you ignore it and let it pass you by. Option one may bring you sadness, but wouldn't it be better to have tried and lost than never have tried at all?' Harry asked him.

(End flashback)

Remus sat in silence as he took in his words. Maybe... maybe he had been right. Maybe he should take the risk and tell Petunia what he was. He really liked her, and he hoped she liked him back. He looked back at Lilly and the other two girls. They had been some of the best friends he had ever had. If Harry trusted them... then perhaps he could too. It would also be a good way to see if Petunia would hate him or not... Yeah, maybe he should show some trust in his friends.