Canis Lupus: Redux

Disclaimer: Harry Potter does not belong to me but the wonderful J.K. Rowling and last I checked that wasn't the name on my driver's license. So I'm making no money, all I have are student loans, and an ornery cat who thinks driving me bonkers is his lot in life.

One last note: I’m sure I’ll get things wrong on occasion, please, if you find something I’ve done wrong that you just need to nitpick on, send me an email and I will fix it. I can be reached at: thedarksynfullegend@gmail.com

Much love to my friends who listen to me rant and rave, my betas the CelticMuse and Darkwatch, and most of all to those of you who take the time to read and review my stories. Thank you.

Warnings: Action Adventure, Angst, First Time, Romance, Slash
Timeline: Set after Book Five: Order of the Phoenix. Canon until then.

Italics – thoughts.
. . . italics – flashback
. . . Bold italics – dream/fantasy sequence
Bold Text - Journal or Paragraph entry.

Summary – Harry has been working on becoming an animagus to spend the full moons with Remus now that Sirius is gone. Unfortunately he becomes stuck in his animal form and no one knows what has become of the young wizard. Fortunately, one Severus Snape comes across Harry and decides to adopt the stray. Harry sees a completely new side of his most hated Potions Master.

Author's Note: This story was posted before but I left the readers wondering and it was irking me that I didn't expand on scenes that needed it, and a few more things were pounding in my brain that needed to come out. So for all the readers who read, left reviews and commentary...and finally finished a year later...this one is for you.

- The Dark Synful Legend

Author's Note - The reason that no one told Severus was there was no time. Thank you for all the wonderful reviews, and to those who question my actions, or the way I write things that's fine, you are entitled to your opinion, because opinions are like assholes, everyone has them and occasionally we have to hear from it. Personal note - that was to no one specific, but I've received some flames in my email and wanted to respond. So to those who don't like the way I wrote the story, or how I've developed their relationship, go somewhere else.



Canis Lupus: Redux

By TheDarkSynfulLegend

Chapter Eleven - As A Matter of Fact . . .

Hedwig, let out a shrill hoot as she took wing. She flew down over the turrets and towers of Hogwarts only to land on Minerva McGonagall's shoulder and nip at her ear lightly. They had just returned to the school from the graveyard, for when the Order of the Phoenix had arrived in Little Hangleton, they found the dead body of Voldemort still being devoured by the wolves, and they didn't have to check for pieces were being fought over. They continued to search and came up with several other bodies including that of Bellatrix Lestrange. The Order had managed to round up Lucius Malfoy, along with a few other Death Eaters but there had been no sign of either Severus or Kyrian. "It's Harry's owl."

"Perhaps she senses Harry nearby." Remus said. Several teachers were armed with lanterns in search of the two missing people. In pairs they searched the grounds, each pair going in a different direction. "Let her go, she can lead us to Harry."

Minerva did just that and Hedwig took wing once more, as she flew over the grounds heading for the Whomping Willow and the Forbidden Forest as it was there that she had found her human in his canine form. She was hopeful that was where he was again. Minerva was looking around holding her wand aloft its tip glowing from a lumos spell, and she walked directly into Remus who had stopped. "Remus? What is it?" She queried, watching his features in the low illumination from her wand.

Holding up a single hand, Remus barely turned to look at Minerva as he was sniffing the air currents around him. "Kyrian's scent, he's been this way." Remus answered her, tilting his head in various directions. "This way." He said as Hedwig flew before them while the duo dashed through the trees of the Forest. Minerva followed closely behind when they came to a lake as silent as the grave. There were two figures slumped against the shore, "They're here."

Hedwig landed next to her human, nipping at his hair as though willing him to awaken. "Severus . . ." Minerva spoke softly as she rolled him over, as she did his arm fell from around Harry who lay there in his human form, dressed in a pair of threadbare pajama pants and a large gray t-shirt. Remus lifted Harry tenderly in his arms, cradling the boy to his chest as he followed Minerva back to the castle, she having simply levitated Severus with a simple charm.

~*~

Poppy wandered between her two charges as they were both firmly ensconced within her infirmary presently asleep. She had instantly bundled Harry in several blankets, as all he had been clad in were the threadbare pajamas to keep him warmer, she had smiled fondly at the owl perched on the headboard and given her a treat. Pulling the curtains around Harry closed, then the one around Severus to give them both privacy as she turned to see several concerned faces before her.

"How are they, Poppy?" Minerva inquired.

Poppy glanced around the room quickly, observing who was there. Remus was pacing a rut in the floor while Tonks watched him with concern shining in her eyes. Mad-Eye Moody stood stoically, hands folded over his cane, his magical eye whizzing in it's socket. Fred and George had gone to the Burrow to retrieve their parents, and Harry's friends were presently sitting in a small contingent off to the side. Kingsley Shacklebolt entered nodding to everyone and standing quietly with Moody arms crossed over his chest. It was then that Albus Dumbledore walked into the infirmary, clearing her throat she spoke, "Severus had several bruises and was struck with the cruciatus curse for what appeared to be several minutes; I have given him several potions to help stabilize him including one for nerve damage, and repaired the wounds with my wand. He had a terrible laceration on his left side which will require further treatments but with rest, he will recover."

Before she could speak to them about Harry, Albus spoke, "And what of Harry?" He questioned, running his hands down the front of his violet robes.

Poppy frowned momentarily at being interrupted but spoke after a glance at Harrys' friends whom she smiled at warmly. "Harry had contusions, broken ribs which I gave him skele-gro to mend those." She paused for a moment, "he's gained some weight, and he's filled out." With that bombshell dropped, the noise began to increase though on the faces of both Remus and Minerva they exchanged a glance and understood.

"Silence!" Albus said with authority in his voice and the noise began to die down as he asked the next question that was on everyone's mind. "Will Harry recover fully?" As he spoke, he pushed his half-moon glasses up his nose.

Before Poppy could answer there was a growl from behind one of the curtains as it was pushed aside and Harry himself stood there. "Yes, I will Headmaster. And I would like you to stay and hear what I have to say." he said. His hair had grown out some while he was in his animagus form and fell around his head in straight strands framing his face that had become lean and angular. Hermione and Ron both rose to go to him but he held up a hand shaking his head making them stop and retake their seats. When Harry had awakened, he had heard voices and one of them belonged to Dumbledore and he had a few choice words for that man.

"Harry, my boy. I only . . ." his voice trailed off as the magic began to swirl around Harry and gained in intensity.

"QUIET!" Harry snapped, as his magic flared to life shattering the windows of the infirmary behind him. The anger in the air was palpable but no one came to defend the Headmaster of the School. "You knew what happened to me on Privet Drive, yet you said I had to return there year after year." He muttered darkly as eyes turned towards Dumbledore, and the old man was wincing visibly under that emerald gaze.

"Harry, what I did . . . I did for the greater good."

"The greater good?" Harry questioned as he took a very shaky step forward for he was unused to walking on two feet once again. "Let's talk about the greater good!" he snapped, "You left me, alone with my relatives who hated magic and repeatedly tried to stamp it out of me; whether by withholding food, being beaten or locked in my room for the duration of the holidays." There were shocked looks from some of the gathered group. "You said that I was safe there and that there was nowhere else, was there?" He asked.

"There was nowhere else . . ." He started but blanched seconds later.

"Grimmauld Place, does that ring any bells for you, Headmaster?"

Minerva and Poppy shared a look watching as Albus sputtered indignantly. "How....how..."

"Does it matter how I know? I know, there were other options. I believe you sent me to that house so that I would do as you asked." Harry responded. "You see people as chessboard pieces, you played the game with Voldemort, who left a nasty taste in my mouth I might add."

There was some stifled laughter in the room, and Ron walked over holding a glass of water. "Here you go, mate. You have snake face breath."

Harry rolled his eyes but drank the water gratefully. "Thanks, Ron." he said then continued. "You are willing to sacrifice lives for the greater good. I'm not. I see the innocent as just what they are, innocent."

Dumbledore cleared his throat, "Sometimes sacrifices are made in war."

"Really now?" Harry inquired as the magic he had crackled around him once more.

~*~

Behind the curtain, Severus Snape slowly started to awaken and he groaned slightly as he realized where he was, but then heard a voice that he never thought he would hear again. Harry... Severus thought to himself, pushing the covers off his legs as he swung them out of the bed and placed his feet on the cool floor of the infirmary. He stiffened though as he heard Harry words.

~*~

"How much do you know about what Severus suffered as your spy?"

"Harry,"

"Answer me!" Harry snarled sharply, the underlying growl in his voice reverberating through the room and it was crystal clear that he wanted to be told no more lies.

"He has never spoken to me about his injuries."

Severus' upper lip curled into a silent sneer as he remembered all the times he had gone to the Headmaster to report his findings, limping and looking paler than he usually did. Oh he knew, he just won't admit it. Not with all these witnesses.

"No?" Harry queried, quirking a brow, "well, let me tell you how he comes back from those meetings. In great pain, with bruises, cuts, and you had no idea about ANY of this?!" Harry shouted, taking a step forwards towards the man.

Severus winced at the anger in Harry's tone, but something in Harry's voice made Severus realize that there was a real possibility that he had saved his life the night he had come back in too much pain to get to his potion stores. He had retrieved both Minerva and Poppy to render aid and he remembered Harry comforting him in his canine form all night.

Albus tried to diffuse the situation, "of course I had no idea, Harry."

"Yes. You. Did." Harry barely held back the snarl in his voice.

"Harry . . . enough." Came a new voice, as Severus stepped from behind the curtain. If he had no clue beforehand on how the young man felt about him, he knew now. For there was such loyalty in his voice that it brought a new light to Severus' soul. The anger was rolling off Harry in waves, and Severus held his hand out towards Harry who reached out and took it in his own slightly smaller one.

"Unhand him! Right this instant!" Albus thundered watching along with everyone else as Severus pulled Harry against him, wrapping his arms around the young man. "Severus! What is the meaning of this?"

"The meaning is clear, Albus. I resign." Severus said with an expressive quirking of his brow along with complete neutrality in his tone.

"I forbid it!"

It was then that betwixt the two of them a golden thread began to weave its way around them both illuminating them in its glow. All the people in the room were astonished by the glow, as Harry's head snapped up and his eyes glowed with power. "Old man, back off." he threatened. Albus had seen this particular phenomenon before but he was astonished as he lifted his wand and cast a spell towards the duo but it never reached them as the golden glow pulsated and a powerful shield emerged and surrounded them in a soft shimmering visible barrier. "You can forbid all you want, but this is what I want and not that I have done what you couldn't, you let him run around unchecked, unchallenged . . . I am through."

Albus forgot that there were others in the room as he tried to bring down the barrier but found with a few spells that he could not. "you have grown powerful, my boy . . ."

"He is not your boy, Albus. He is mine." Severus said, his long slender fingers twining with Harry's over his stomach.

Ignoring Severus, Albus wondered why no one else was attempting to help him in this. He never realized that they were all looking in wonder at Severus and Harry and completely ignoring his plight. "Should I let you do the same, Harry? Run around unchecked . . . as it were?"

Harry turned, glancing up at Severus with a lopsided smile, "Oh, I think I'll be in check with Severus watching over me, yeah?"

"Yes, brat." he said, "You know you need a Slytherin to keep you out of trouble."

"Oh? Should I go see if Malfoy is available?"

"I should think if you did, his life would be in imminent danger." Severus drawled.

"You are a child that knows nothing!"

"Stupefy!" Came the voice from the doorway and Albus Dumbledore crumpled to the ground. The shimmering shield around them dropping since the threat was no longer a threat. "Harry!" said the familiar voice of the Weasley matriarch, as she rushed over and grasped Harry in a tight hug.

"Hello, Mrs. Weasley."

"Are you alright?"

"Yes, fine, couldn't be better."

Molly eyed the fact that Severus had not let go of Harry's other hand even while she had hugged him, and a slow smile crept over her features, "Severus takes good care of you?"

Harry grinned, "Yes, ma'am." He said, the looked over to where the Headmaster was still crumpled on the floor, "Um, what are we going to do with him?"

"I've heard enough innuendo and seen enough to know that he'll be taken care of Harry. Don't you worry about it." Kingsley said as he and Moody lifted the Headmaster and nodded towards him in respect. "Good job, my congratulations to you both." The two aurors left, leaving the school, with Tonks trailing after them but not before she ran her fingers through Harry's hair fondly.

Harry's friends and second family all pressed forwards, crowding around both him and Severus but that was almost too much for the Potions Master, who slipped his hand out of Harry's and quietly made his escape as he returned to his chambers.

~*~

Remus walked over to Harry and enveloped him in a hug, "its good to see you, cub." he said gently, ruffling the hair on Harry's head. In his hand was a copy of the Daily Prophet, which he handed to Harry. "Might want to check out page three."

"Its good to be seen. I'm just glad I'm not stuck in my animagus form anymore." Harry replied as he looked at the paper and noticed that it was open to the article Remus wanted him to look at. "Sirius..." Harry whispered reading it quickly as he realized that Peter Pettigrew had spoken under veritaserum and told them everything exonerating Sirius. He looked up with a happy grin on his lips only to realize that something else was going on, and he glanced to Minerva for some sort of explanation.

Minerva smiled grimly, "Mr. Weasley, Miss Granger, perhaps you should go find Mr. Potter some clothes."

Ron and Hermione gave Harry one last hug before they left the infirmary and it was only then that Harry looked up at his Head of House. "What's going on?"

"Harry, your . . . family was killed, in order to draw you out." Harry blinked as a tear came to his eye and cascaded down his cheek but he said nothing. "I am sorry, but I thought you should know."

Harry nodded dumbly, "I...they...they were horrid people, but they didn't deserve to die. Do...do they know who did it?" Harry inquired, though he really wasn't sure he wanted the answer to that particular question.

"It was Bellatrix, cub." Remus offered softly as he wrapped his arms around Harry to give him comfort.

"She's dead too, the wolves finished her off." Harry said, knowingly as he looked at his friends who were returning with some clothes. "I think I'd like to get dressed and go see Severus if that's okay."

"Of course, Harry, you go do just that." Minerva said as the other two thirds of the Golden Trio looked at her oddly though the look on Remus' face was amused.

~*~

Severus stood quietly in the center of his chambers, where he found most of Kyrian's things strewn about. With a sigh, he walked over to the small rubber copy of the Prophet and picked it up tossing it into the blanket that Kyrian prefered to sleep on before the fire. He headed towards the bedroom then, passing by the lab where he paused for a moment; he could almost see himself standing over the cauldron with Kyrian laying on the floor attempting to nap. Severus closed the door to his private lab when there was a knock on the portrait door. Turning on his heel he walked over and yanked the door open, "What?" He snapped and blinked as he came face to face with Harry.

Harry looked up at Severus shyly through his fringe, "Hi."

"Mr. Potter."

Harry quirked a brow, "We're back to Mr. Potter are we?" he inquired, as he shook his head lightly, "Can I come in? This isn't a conversation I wanted to have in the hall." Harry continued, his feet shuffling nervously over each other.

"You did live here, I suppose you can enter." Severus said as he stepped aside and Harry walked in glancing around nervously. "Everything is the way you remember."

"Not really, everything seems smaller." Harry said with a lopsided smile, "When I was a dog, things were bigger."

Severus sighed as he closed the door not realizing he left it open a crack. "Why did you come back here, I thought you would want to spend time with your friends."

"My things are here."

"Obviously." He deadpanned, mostly to himself.

"And I wanted to talk to you." Harry pressed as he walked over and hesitantly wrapped his arms around Severus, "I came to care for you."

"You love me, Mr. Potter."

Blushing across his cheeks, Harry nodded. "I was hopeful that you felt something for me."

Severus surprised Harry by wrapping his arms around him before he responded, "Foolish boy." he spoke, rubbing Harry's back soothingly. "Why did you not tell me who you were when you were my . . . pet?"

"I tried. You did know that all that rubbish they printed in the Daily Prophet was just that. It's why I chose it as a dog; and I always went to those I trusted without persuasion." He continued, "I tried to tell you so many times."

"I know, Harry. I did not recognize the signs as you gave them to me." Severus replied, but made no move to let the young man go now that he had him in his arms. "However, I did not realize that all they printed was rubbish until I read your journal."

Harry blushed more, "I know you think of me as my father, but I'm not. I'm just me. I'm just Harry Potter."

"I know you are, Harry." Severus said, and as the young man started to say something else, Severus place a finger over those lips, "Harry, do shut up." Severus quipped before he leaned down and brushed his lips over the young man's. Harry whimpered softly as Severus' arms tightened about him.

The chaste kiss was enough to make Harry's toes curl, while he reached up and carded his fingers through Severus' long hair. Breaking the kiss, he blinked to see onyx orbs staring down at him, no one knew or could even say who dived in first for that second kiss, but suddenly their tongues were dueling for dominance. Lost in their own little cloud of love; it was several voices clearing their throats made them break and stare. Harry was blushing a deep shade of crimson and Severus looked very annoyed.

Hermione walked over to Harry and took his hand in her own, "Harry. . . is this, what you really want?"

"Yeah, mate. I mean it is Snape."

"He once said that I was the strongest child that he had ever come across and he meant it Ron." Harry said as he smiled over his shoulder at Severus.

Severus snorted, "I said no such thing." he replied though he knew that he had, and there was an amused look in his dark eyes that spoke volumes.

Ron took a deep breath and nodded, "As long as you're happy, mate. You seemed pretty happy a few moments ago. You deserve it for going through what you have for so long."

Hermione looked at Ron as though he had grown a second head. "Ronald, you sound like a grownup."

"I just wanted him to be happy, Hermione. And if the grea...Snape makes him happy then who am I to stand in his way."

Hermione blinked repeatedly and then glanced over at Harry, "did hell freeze over? And if it did, where was my memo?" she asked.

Harry laughed, and Severus was holding back a chuckle himself, "I would have been happier if you lot hadn't interrupted us." he muttered with a smirk.

Minerva was shaking her head slightly at the trio's antics but then spoke, "Mr. Weasley, Miss Granger, can you excuse Mr. Potter, Professor Snape and myself please? I'm sure he will come see you at the Burrow tomorrow."

Hermione and Ron both nodded and hugged Harry tightly then went on their way out. "We'll see you soon, mate."

Minerva closed the door after the duo left and turned towards Severus and Harry but it was Harry who spoke first, "What did you need to talk to us about?"

~*~