4 - Uncanny Tendencies

¶Dragon Tongue¶

√Parseltongue√

°Wolf Language°

Thoughts

"Spoken words"

{Flashback scenes}

×Animagus communication×

I guess this is what having a family feels like.

The Potters so far weren't disappointed of their additional family member. James had even offered Dudley to get his name changed, which the young boy gladly accepted. He no longer carried his father's name but chose his late grandfather's instead. Dudley Vernon Dursley was now Dudley Mark Evans, and he was proud of it.

Another remarkable achievement was that he discovered that he was an Animagus. With help of his guardians, he had revealed his form, that being a grizzly bear.

He'd gotten along great with his cousins over the past two weeks and now, Harry wanted him to meet two of his best friends (he said "I promise they'll be nice to you. Their parents, you've already met their mum Helena, are quite alright too, you will see."). So, today was the day. They waited in the living room because, as Lily told him, only the residents were able to Apparate inside of Potter Manor and everyone else - if they were authorized - had to arrive by Floo - which meant going through the fireplace.

Lily had briefed him about the order the Lupin family would arrive (first was Remus, then Artemis and Ian, Helena brought up the rear), yet he was undeniably nervous. He knew they were both Professors at Hogwarts, leading to the conclusion that he couldn't under any circumstances allow himself to slip up.

The roaring Floo jerked him out of his thoughts and he watched in awe as a man stepped out of the flames.

The most notable thing about that man was his sheer height, 2.10 metres for sure. Then, there were the deep scars covering a good part of his arms, neck and face. A strand of his sandy hair kept falling into his dark blue eyes that held the familiar golden shimmer Dudley saw before, just now it was paired with sapphire instead of emerald.

The man greeted the Potters with hugs and, in James and Harry's case, ruffling the chaos they called hair.

Two children marched out of the fire, their appearance denying any doubts about their heritage. A tint of gold in their eyes, sandy respectively caramel-brown hair, similar gestures and expressions and already standing at a remarkable height even though the girl was only eight years and the boy was eleven.

Once again the Floo jumped to life to reveal the woman Dudley had met in the kitchen of Potter Manor, namely Helena Flint. He hadn't realised just how tall she actually was, her hug was practically drowning Lily, Harry and Mia. James on the other hand was just as tall as her, a good 1.80 metres.

Again, Helena's eyes held the golden specks he wondered where they came from.

Dudley shrank in his seat, his only hope being that the newcomers didn't notice him.

Of course that one wish wasn't granted.

Remus extended his hand towards him and - though unnecessary - introduced himself. "Hi. My name's Remus, also known as Moony. I'm teaching History of Magic at Hogwarts. How are you?"

The boy gathered composure to stammer out a quiet "I'm fine, sir, thank you."

Remus' response was cut short by Harry who shepherded the other two boys upstairs to his room.

Dudley was amazed by Potter Manor once more as he was led to his cousin's room that - just like his own - changed its appearance at his will. Fleamont's words about the residence's specific feature were: "A damn chunk of spell work your aunt has put in there. Merlin may curse me if I say that woman doesn't deserve her Charms mastery."

This time, Harry's room resembled a calm yet vivid forest as the three of them plonked down on the bed, Dudley already much more at ease than he had been a week prior. Harry and Ian (or The Marauderlings, as the First Generation called them) had taken the task of informing Dudley about the quirks of Hogwarts, which passages were good to avoid teachers on patrol, which of the older students were a good address to sneaking goods from Hogsmeade, what you should best not say to which people, and so on.

As Harry excused himself to the bathroom, Ian spoke. "You're unsure of what to think of me." It wasn't a question, but a simple statement.

"Yeah... wait, I never said that!?" Dudley was confused. He didn't want to be shunned away. Did his petty jealousy offend the other boy? Shite.

Obsidian smiled. "I know. And I also know that you've just been thrown into a different world that is completely alien to what you've experienced before. But you didn't have to discover everything on your own because your aunt and uncle chose to help you. You've found a friend in Harry and now you find out that there's another boy who is even closer to him. You're afraid of losing the only friend you have made so far and that is completely valid. In your place, I would be wary too."

The other boy was speechless. "Wha- how...?" Was the only thing he could splutter.

"I have the uncanny tendency to read people like open books. Instinct, I guess." Ian shrugged.

The closing bathroom door alerted them of Harry's presence. Ian shot him a look, silently asking: Should we tell him, I mean, we know he's an Animagus. It's only fair if he knows about us. Harry nodded and returned to his spot on the bed.

"So, what do you know about werewolves?"

Dudley was gaping. "Er... not much, I think". He looked down nervously.

Harry looked at him, saying: "Even better. Despite the law being passed several years ago, people still keep their heads up their arses and refuse to see us any different than animals.

So, you might have noticed that amber tint in my eyes, that's a major indicator for lycanthropy. Also, we don't really act like 'normal' people because we simply aren't. We're forced to change during the full moon and are allergic to silver. The only other difference to Animagus wolves we have is in our appearance, like the fact that we're bigger and more massive in size. Remus, for example, is 1.50 metres at the shoulders when he's in his second form. Then our wolf form's hind legs are shaped differently so that we can go a short distance on two legs if we have to. That's it."

Harry interrupted. "Nah, not really. You and Artemis get unbelievably cranky the days before and after the full moon. So, it's kinda like werewolf PMS. Time of the month, y'know?" He made a vague hand gesture and grimaced.

His cousin was gobsmacked, if he hadn't been sitting already, he'd have toppled over backwards. "Could you show me your wolf forms please?" Dudley asked timidly, the two wolves looked at each other and shrugged.

With a faint whisper, two of the boys were gone, replaced by beautiful juvenile wolves.

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check out the already published version of this story on Wattpad to see what the characters look like: https://my.w.tt/0RGMnt4ha9

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