Wolf In Me

Wolf In Me: Meeting Hogwarts

Trees snapped as a creature made its way through a forest as quickly as possible, trying to get away from the beast chasing it. Panting breaths came out in little white puffs, proving the cold weather around the creature wasn't felt as it sweated profusely. It's emerald green eyes and jet-black fur helped insulate it as it ran away from another creature as big—maybe bigger—than itself. It reached the outside of the woods and broke through the trees to the large field that housed a large castle, greenhouses, a lake, and a small hut, as well as a large enclosed field for some sort of sport. The large dog sped up, racing toward the oak doors that served as the castle's entrance. The creature chasing it seemed to stop at the edge of the woods, unwilling to leave the shadows provided by the trees. The black dog slowed as it reached the doors, nosing them open before slipping into the shadows of the school. It sniffed at the corner of the room it found almost instantly and curled into it gingerly, laying its muzzle on its paws.

The dog remembered everything that had happened to it. The death of its parents when it was just three years old; the separation of its brother; the woods it had found when wandering away from the wreckage of its home; the attack that had turned it into a large dog that fateful night. The man's yellow eyes still haunted it; the pain of the man's bite still ghosting its ribs and right flank. Slowly, it drifted off to sleep, unaware of the three children looking at it in fear and shock.

______________________________

Stacie groaned as she woke up, human once again, in a corner. She remembered the large creature chasing her, and wandering into the castle on the grounds. She stretched, the tiny t-shirt doing nothing to hide her stomach, before getting up shakily. She looked around, confused. The paintings on the walls were talking to themselves, and the noise coming from the next room over suggested the castle was a school. She quickly morphed back into wolf form, not wanting to be seen quite yet, and started walking toward the noise—and the smell. Oh, gods, the smell was wonderful and inviting. After not eating for weeks, it made her mouth water. She froze as three teens approached her, joined by an older woman with graying hair and a stern expression.

"See, professor, that's the same dog that was here last night." The bushy-haired brunette said. Stacie slowly backed into the corner, ears flat, terrified.

"Miss Granger, it appears that this wolf is scared and probably confused. If what I assume happened actually occurred last night, it is probably hungry as well." The professor commented, tilting her friend. The boy whose black hair was a mess came toward her and she felt a strange bond course through her when he neared. When she noticed the lightning bolt scar on his forehead, she barked happily and wagged her tail, leaning into his touch. She hadn't seen her younger brother since the night their parents had died. The professor laughed at her reaction.

"I see it likes or recognizes Mr. Potter." The teacher commented with a small chuckle. "Go ahead and take it down to the kitchens, then up to the hospital wing, you three. You are dismissed from morning classes while the dog is getting checked and fed."

The three—Granger, her brother, and a redhead who seemed to be his best friend—slowly led her to the kitchens, talking and planning with laughs. She observed her brother. He'd grown up to look like her father, with the Potter clan's trademark messy black hair, but his emerald eyes were that of her mother's. They reached the kitchens and Harry held the portrait entrance open for her and the others before entering herself.

"Master Potter!" she heard a house elf screech happily and put her paws over her ears. The small elf appeared with a bright smile. "What can Dobby do for Harry Potter and his friends?"

"We need some food, Dobby." Harry answered, looking embarrassed by the attention. "For my friends, even the wolf."

Stacie barked happily in agreement and leaned against Harry's leg. Dobby went off and came back minutes later with a few bags of food. He handed it over to Harry and they left with a small thank you. The three led Stacie to the hospital Wing while they munched on their food. Every once in a while, Harry dropped his arm, letting Stacie have whatever he'd been eating. They arrived at the Hospital Wing and led her to a bed, on which she jumped and curled into a ball next to Harry, who sat on the corner of the bed, looking around. A nurse shuffled over, looking surprised to see the three.

"Mr. Potter, to what do I owe this visit? You seem uninjured, as does Miss Granger and Mr. Weasley."

"Professor McGonagall sent us. This wolf needs to get checked out." The redhead answered. The nurse looked over and gasped.

"This is no ordinary wolf. Weasley, go get Professors McGonagall and Dumbledore. Granger, get Professors Flitwick and Hagrid." The nurse ordered. The two split, going to get the respective teachers. The nurse mumbled to herself until the teachers arrived.

"Poppy, what did you need us for?" The oldest of the four asked in a grandfatherly voice.

"Albus, this is no ordinary wolf. Its fur is the exact shade as Mr. Potter's, and its eyes are exactly like- "

"Lily's." the smallest professor finished in a quiet voice.

"How is this possible, Albus?" the familiar professor asked. "James and Lily died that night. Harry was the only survivor."

"Unless James and Lily had an older child. The Potters were a secretive family. They never told of a child being born until the child came to Hogwarts. The only reason they knew Harry was because of what happened." The grandfatherly professor answered slowly.

"It's possible." The nurse mumbled.

"But that would mean the child was born at least a year or so before Harry." The giant professor grumbled calmly.

"The large question here," the small professor piped up, "is why we are talking about children—human children—in front of a wolf."

"Filius, it recognized Harry instantly." Familiar Professor admitted quietly. "As if it had spent time with him when he was a baby."

"How, Professor McGonagall?" the giant asked quietly. "How did it act around him?"

"It immediately leaned into him when it noticed Mr. Potter's scar, as if it recognized him as an old friend or family member." McGonagall--as that is what her name seemed to be--answered. The nurse looked slowly at Stacie.

"I'm going to need you to be in your human form, young one." she said gently. Stacie whined, flattening her ears. Harry put a gentle hand on her hip.

"If she's been like this for thirteen years, I doubt she has clothes that fit." Harry said. "That's bound to make her uncomfortable."

"Right." McGonagall transfigured spare sheets into clothes and set them in front of Stacie lightly. "If you please."

It wasn't a suggestion. It was an order. Stacie scooped the clothes into her jaws and let off the bed, padding carefully behind a sheet that hid the teachers and Harry from her view. She shifted back carefully, the cold shocking her bare feet that were scabbed from years in woods being barefoot and running from the creature the night before, and pulled off the ruined t-shirt she'd worn for the last thirteen years. The shirt the teacher had transfigured for her was large and baggy, slipping slightly off of her left shoulder, leaving her largest scar slightly visible, and reached about mid thigh on her. She shrugged and slipped the shorts the teacher had given her on over her hips, the article of clothing barely reaching farther than the shirt's material, landing just above her knees. 

She ran a hand through her tangled hair, willing it to straighten out slightly. It wasn't very long, just reaching the nape of her neck, but it was thick and messy, susceptible to tangles and burrs. It straightened, and she took the hair band she kept on her wrist and tied it up and out of her face. It was roughly cut, and, as a result, hung in uneven strands in her eyes. She knew her face was covered in dirt and mud as well as blood, but was unfazed. It was a normal thing to her after thirteen years. She stepped out from behind the screen, tensing as everyone's attention turned back to her.

"By Merlin himself." the nurse breathed. "They did have another child."

"And, it seems," the grandfatherly professor said slowly, "they had her just after they left Hogwarts, as she looks to be sixteen years old.