Wolfsbane

My New Pet

            

An hour or so before the lads were supposed to arrive at the gates, Remus and I worked on vanishing my bed, and making it as if it had only been Remus and his dog there. We placed a large dog bed near the hearth, food and water bowls, and toys were scattered across the room. I wondered how degrading it would be to eat and drink from those silver bowls, but thought it would be so worth the look of shock on their faces. Remus called to me as I was putting my finishing touches on the room, and I turned to see him standing just outside the door.

"The lads are walking across the bridge, we should head down and meet them." I nodded, and took a deep breath before transforming. Remus then clicked a collar around my throat, a small charm dangled from the loop on the collar that stated the name 'Alpha' on it. He then attached a leash, and I couldn't help but think this was humiliating. However, my animagus' brain was in overdrive, it was speaking to me as if we were separate beings. Walk! Pack! Run? We run? Why leash? I felt a whine rise in my throat and escape before I could suppress it. Remus offered a knowing smile.

"I know. It feels weird, right? Like having two separate brains, one human, one animalistic. You'll get used to it the more time you spend in that body. Come on, I think I know something that will help, we'll meet them in the courtyard instead of the bridge." I walked beside Remus, the cool of the stone under the pads of my paws felt fantastic in the midday heat. We reached the courtyard, and Remus pulled a wad of parchment from his pocket. It took a few tries, but he managed to transfigure it into a ball. I felt my heart rate increase at the thought of playing fetch. Play! Play! Play! I felt my body move into a crouch, tail raised and wagging as I waited for Remus to throw the ball. I figured giving in to more basic instincts would be easier than fighting this. Remus gave the ball a generous toss, and I went chasing after it, just to return and drop it at his feet. We repeated the action several times before I heard footsteps and chatter echoing against the tall walls of the castle. I dropped the ball at Remus' feet and waited for him to throw it again, but his attention was lost. Play! Ball! Throw ball! I let out several barks of impatience, as Remus took a few steps away. I noticed that the others had joined us in the courtyard, and I went bounding over as Remus approached them. All eyes on me as I came to settle at Remus' side.

"Moony! When did you get a dog?" Sirius had spoken, and kneeled down to settle closer to my current height, and stroked his hand over my ears. The feeling was pleasurable, and I allowed my head to turn into the caress.

"She's not a dog, she's a wolf. A Mackenzie Valley Wolf, to be specific. Dumbledore thought I could use the company when you aren't here, and of course, he gave me the biggest one he could find. Lads, this is Alpha." I barked again at the utterance of my name, and let my tongue loll out the side of my mouth. Remus offered a shining smile, and there was a light in his eyes that told me he would forever remember this prank. Sirius' nails dug into the fur and skin behind my ear, and it felt amazing as I leaned into the touch. A huge smile blew out on the other twos' faces, and they squatted down beside Sirius to shower attention on me. James seemed particularly excited to be around a 'dog'. I let out a snort, which sounded more like a sneeze in this body, and all of them chuckled or cooed at the action. Remus then leaned down and clicked the leash back onto my collar, which had a second whine rising in my throat.

"She seems well behaved Moony, why don't you forget about the leash?" Remus cleared his throat and looked down at me. His eyes shifted the slightest to something more lupine, and his voice broke through my thoughts. It's up to you Nix, I can take it off if you want to cause a little mischief. I barked twice, and Remus knelt to remove the leash. I bounded around the group a few times, before taking off in the direction of the castle, the lads pursuing hard on my heels.