12, 13, 14, 15

I stood up, already tired from my basic ass workout in the morning. I could barely do 15 pushups. Being a scrawny, underfed 13 year old would take a long time to get used to. I hadn’t even made it a quarter of a mile on my morning run before I had to stop and rest. Making it to a mile seemed like a long road, but I was determined to do that by two weeks. And then to two miles by the end of the month.

Not only that, but I would have to start lifting in some capacity to get the strength that I wanted. It seemed that being a werewolf hadn’t given me supernatural strength or speed like some of the other variations in the multiverse. At least my senses were better than ever.

I walked back inside, and struggled to make it up the stairs into my room. Eventually, I did though and I sat down at my desk.

“Dobby.” I called out, as I tried to rest.

“Yes, master?” Dobby asked without even worrying over my current state. I had a theory that he had watched me all morning.

“Could I have some water, please, and breakfast whenever you’re ready.” I told him still breathing a bit strained.

Dobby snapped his finger, and my breakfast of 3 bacon strips and 2 fried eggs appeared on my desk in front of me, hot and ready to go.

“Hedwig returned last night, master. The letter from Gringotts is beside your breakfast, along with a copy of the Daily Prophet. Neither have any curses that I could find.” Dobby told me with a massive smile on his face. He knew that I would be happy.

I smiled back at him. “Very impressive, Dobby. Thank you. You may go back to your duties.” I told him as I grabbed the fork beside my plate.

‘POP’

I devoured my breakfast and water, which always seemed to refill itself whenever it emptied, something I was very grateful for. Next I browsed through the Daily Prophet, barely paying attention to the words inside, they were all hollow and not worth my time and it was hard to give it any energy.

Finally, I opened my letter from Gringotts and a nervous excitement filled me.

‘Dear Mr. Potter,

In accordance with your families will upon their death, all assets, where applicable, were liquidated, and transferred into a trust. A separate vault was established for you until your magical maturation. At the beginning of every fiscal year, the vault will be filled to the amount of 50,625 galleons, without access to any more funds until the next fiscal year.

The main trust has performed more than adequately over the past 13 years since the liquidation of the Potter assets. For further explanation, other than sums, you must present yourself to Gringotts, and an Account Manager will explain the Potter Trust portfolio in detail.

Account Balance: 24,532,897 Galleons. ***

Griphook

Account Manager’

I nearly fell out of my seat as I read the final account balance at the bottom of the letter. I couldn’t help the smile that sprouted on my face. I knew that I wouldn’t have to worry about money for a long time, but I had no idea that I could spend it without care in the world before it ever depleted.

This changes everything,

I grabbed another letter without pause. I now knew that I could make a few purchases without remorse. The equipment I would need in the future is sure to be expensive, after all.

I handed the letter to Hedwig, along with a treat, and watched her fly away for the second day in a row.

----------------------------------------

I heard his car park in the driveway, and I knew that confrontation was coming soon. I had yet to see Vernon yet as he was away on a business trip for the past two days. Dudley had also been staying with a friend. I knew that both would return today and want their chance at the freak.

Well it won’t go so well for them.

I closed the first year charms textbook in front of me on my desk and grabbed the wand holster beside me, slipping it on to my arm. Then I waited. I waited while Petunia shrieked about how I had treated her when I showed up. I waited while she slandered me to her husband and gave him ideas on how to fix the newest problem. She told him how I had the tools and used them to take the existing locks off of my door. She told him of the noises she heard in my room, although they were exaggerated.

She pissed him off, and in turn she pissed me off. But still I waited.

“Boy!”

Dudley’s cackling laugh could be heard in the background as he knew that his cousin was in trouble with his father. As much as it would pain me to hurt a child, I know of no other way to stop the bullying he would try to continue this summer.

I didn’t move until he banged on my door four times in a row. When I got up, he was trying to wiggle the door open.

“Boy, I know you’re in there. Open the door this instant.” He yelled.

“I’m coming, calm down.” I called out as I walked over to the door. Hopefully I will be able to handle this with words and threats.

Not really sure if I can take him physically, honestly. A scrawny 13 year old versus a fully grown 300 pound man? Odds aren’t good.

I reached up to the locks and undid them one by one. I didn’t undo the last one until he stopped wiggling the door handle. When I did, I reached down and pulled the door open.

What happened next, I would never have expected.

Vernon moved forward with both of his hands pointed at my throat. I was so surprised that he actually managed to grab me by the throat and push me back three steps.

But with my fourth step, something inside me woke up.

My right leg lashed out at the most vulnerable part of a man. I must have caved his nuts into his body with the strength of the blow.

“Ah!” Vernon cried out and paused in shock.

I was so fucking angry, and he had put his hands on my first so I lashed out with every ounce of my being. I sent a left straight punch that landed on his nose, dazing him. I didn’t pause, and sent an overhand right that landed on his temple, exactly where I was aiming.

Vernon folded and went to the ground, although he wasn’t knocked out. I was only 13 and couldn’t pack that much of a punch. But I followed him to the ground and led with an elbow to the back of his head that caused him to bounce his forehead against the carpet.

Then another elbow.

And another.

Another.

I saw red, and I couldn’t stop myself.

Luckily for Vernon, and myself as well, a mass tackled me off of him. I realized it was Dudley pretty quickly. In my fight or flight mode, I managed to roll Dudley off of me with strength I didn’t know I had. Maybe it was his inexperience with wrestling that allowed me to as well. All I knew was that I was now on top of him with my fist raised.

Dudley raised his hands to protect himself, but I could see the fear in his eyes.

“STOP IT, STOP IT!”

It was only then that I heard Petunia in the background yelling. I lowered my fist and I jumped off of Dudley looking behind me and preparing myself for Vernon to attack me again.

He didn’t.

In fact, Vernon wasn’t doing much of anything. He laid in a limp heap of 300 pounds of fat and worthlessness on the ground. He was definitely knocked out, and with the blood on the back of his head, he would be lucky not to have a skull fracture.

“CALL THE AMBULANCE DUDLEY, CALL THE POLICE!” Petunia roared as she kneeled next to Vernon’s body.

“Yea great idea, we’ll tell them how he attacked me and I defended myself! Then he’ll go to jail for assaulting a minor, huh Aunty?!” I practically yelled at her with a massive smile on my face.

She looked at me with fear and hatred in her eyes but she shut up.

“I didn’t think so!” I snarled at her.

“Go start the car Dudley.” I commanded. There was no scenario that worked out good for me if the cops got involved. I would have to get Vernon to the hospital and bully Petunia and Dudley into not saying anything.

Dudley didn’t move.

“Your father is dying, you dolt!” I yelled at him. “He needs a hospital, go start the car and open the back seat, I’ll get your father there with magic!”

He looked between me and Petunia a couple of times before he got off of the ground and headed downstairs where Vernon normally laid his keys. When I heard the jingle of keys hitting keys, I knew he wasn’t calling anyone.

“Dobby.” I called out.

When Dobby arrived, he gasped at the scene in front of him. Although I wasn’t sure if he was gasping because of the limp body, or the blood he would have to clean off of the carpet. If adrenaline wasn’t still pouring through my body, I would have found humor in that.

“Levitate him carefully into the car downstairs.” I told Dobby quickly.

“Yes Master.” He answered as he snapped his fingers. Immediately the body lifted from the ground, without moving the body hardly at all.

I would have done it myself, but I really didn’t want to have an underage magic charge against me with my current standing in the world. It would be wise to stay out of the papers for a long time.

Slowly but surely Dobby floated the body down the stairs and into the car. I followed, with my wand in my hand and a mean look on my face. The anger, the aggression, and the want to destroy stayed with the adrenaline.

Normally a 13 year old would be wiped out by this amount of adrenaline for this long. Werewolf physiology for the win.

Petunia backed out of the driveway in a panic and nearly peeled out on the way to the hospital. I looked to where Dobby stood with his ears flat against his head. He looked up to me, almost frightened at what just happened. No doubt he had deduced that I caused the damage to Vernon. It was easy to put together with the drying blood on my right elbow.

“Let’s go inside, Dobby. The blood needs to be washed from the floor, and I need a shower.”

I ate steak, potatoes, and green beans that night, without remorse.

----------------------------------------

Petunia, Dudley, and Vernon didn’t show up for another two days. I couldn’t help the anxiousness that I felt for those two days. It was nerve wracking not knowing how much damage I had done to Vernon. Had I killed the man, without meaning to?

There was no doubt about it. I lost control for a moment.

Was that because of my condition? Would I have to fight my anger problems now that I was a werewolf?

Or was it because I was fed up with the Dudley’s? Was it because I had new memories that showed me just how fucking up their treatment of me was?

I wasn’t sure what the answer was, but I had a nagging feeling it was somewhere between the two. A mixture of all of the factors had a part to play with my reaction. I had beaten my uncle into a bloody pulp and I was only feeling bad because of what repercussions it might mean for me. I didn’t feel bad about actually beating his head in. Was I becoming a psychopath, as well as a werewolf?

If anything I was proud of that fact. He should have never laid his hands on me, and I am willing to put money down that he never will again. Either way, I needed to get out of this house, damn the blood wards Dumbledore.

This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.

But I couldn’t deny the effectiveness or the convenience of such powerful wards. To be able to leave this place meant that I would have to be able to protect myself against Voldemort, or other dangerous wizards.

Because that’s what my life came down to now wasn’t it? A fight.

I would have to fight because I was a werewolf. I would have to fight because I was the Boy-Who-Lived and Voldemort wasn’t capable of stopping. I would have to fight because, as much as Dumbledore loves me, he also wants to use me against Voldemort.

I guess I already know these facts.

And now I know that I LIKED that feeling of pummeling Vernon into the ground. Not in a psychopathic sense, but in the sense of testing yourself against someone better than you and coming out on top.

There is no option in this world where I am weak and survive. I need to be strong to survive, even more so with my new curse. I need to be able to go up against the alpha dogs that lord over everyone.

I needed to become an alpha.

I looked out of my window, and saw that all three of the Dursley’s climbed out of the car. Vernon leaned on Dudley heavily, but he seemed to be functioning well enough.

Before I turned away from the window, Vernon looked up at my window, catching my eye. He looked away from me quickly, and had a skittish look on his face.

I won’t have to worry about him for a while.

----------------------------------------

“Here goes nothing.” I said as I lifted the potion to my lips.

I did my best to channel my college partying days as I chugged the potion. Of course it wasn’t enough for it to taste like chalk, it had to be just slimy enough for me to want to gag.

“Mother fucker!” I coughed out as I slammed the potion to the table. “I have to do that for 7 days before the full moon, fuck me!” I managed to get out in between coughs and gags.

It took me a moment for the potion to settle on my stomach, and all the while I was worried about it coming back up. That was not an option for what was apparently a rare and expensive ass potion.

“Master has a bad mouth!” Dobby exclaimed as he swatted me with a kitchen spoon on my arm.

“Ow!” I said as I felt the sting of the spoon. I raised my hands between him and myself as I looked back at him.

“Master cannot be heard saying such words!” Dobby berated me as the kitchen spoon disappeared.

I glared into his eyes, and he glared into mine. I was shocked at the audacity of my house elf. Never had Dobby been anything but meek around me. Sure he was stubborn and spirited, but I would never have expected him to smack me with a spoon.

In the end he just snapped his fingers and disappeared before I could tell him not to hit me ever again.

Fucking house elf.

----------------------------------------

I tossed and turned in my bed, unable to sleep. It was obvious as to why. All I had to do was turn to my window, and look at the moonlight pouring into the window.

I wasn’t sure what I was expecting when approaching a full moon. I suppose I thought it would just be normal until I transformed. Nobody told me that the hairs on the back of my neck would stand up when it became nighttime and the moonlight filled the sky. Nobody told me that the night would beckon me to join it and roam around the forests. How was I ever supposed to get sleep? I was becoming nocturnal as the moon became bigger and brighter in the night sky.

I basically ate only red meat, with very little variation. Breakfast consisted of bacon or sausage. Lunch was almost always a hamburger, of course cooked rare. Dinner was a ribeye, also cooked rare with bacon and veggies as a side. Every meal I forced myself to eat my sides, although they turned to dust in my mouth.

The meals were good and I never really craved anything else. I knew that when the full moon passed, I would be able to mix it up and maybe throw in some poultry for once.

I threw the covers off of me and stood up. I felt great, way too good to be confined to my bed. I walked to my window, and opened it. The cool night air of Surrey greeted me, but I did not feel the bite of the cold on my shirtless frame. If anything it felt good.

“Hoot!”

I looked at Hedwig and realized that she was an owl, capable of operating in daylight and nighttime. It was one of the main benefits of having them as messenger birds, one could send them whenever they wanted.

I reached over and opened her cage. She flew out immediately and into the night.

I couldn’t help but smile, and an inescapable urge to follow her overtook me. It was odd. The night normally looked uninviting and scary. But I felt like I needed to be out there exploring.

I immediately got dressed, jeans, shirt, and all. Then I walked right up to my window, and without hesitation I jumped out. When I hit the grass and dirt of the Dursley’s front lawn, I crouched with my weight. But the twelve or thirteen foot drop didn’t hurt me at all. It didn’t even cause my joints to ache.

I heard a hoot, causing me to look up. Without any problems at all, I located Hedwig in the night sky, something that wasn’t normal.

I smiled as I ran after her.

----------------------------------------

‘Pop’

I jerked awake as I heard the tell tale signs of someone apparating near me. It was definitely louder than when Dumbledore had delivered me to Privet Drive, however. I looked at the clock on the wall.

2:57 p.m.

“Shit.” I said as I got up and got dressed for my guest. This time I threw on my school robes, instead of muggle clothing. I would need to dress the part for whatever world I found myself in.

“Boy, another freak is here to see you.”

“Coming.” I called out as I slipped my outer robe on and barreled out of my door, remembering to close it behind me before leaving. The clicks of Dobby locking the room up hit my ears when I went downstairs.

“I’ll be back tomorrow or the next day.” I told Petunia as I walked out of the door, not caring of her response.

Of course it’s Snape.

“Professor.” I greeted as I walked up to him.

“Potter.” He greeted me neutrally as he held his hand out to me.

As soon as I touched it, the world squeezed in around my being, twisting and turning until finally I was spit out at our destination. My stomach rolled again, but my equilibrium wasn’t affected at all, causing me to land on my feet and recover much quicker than normal.

Snape looked at me, obviously expecting me to throw up or something equally as dramatic. His face didn’t budge an inch when he noticed that I was perfectly fine, but I could tell that he was mildly impressed.

And then we were off. As I looked around I saw the front gate of Hogwarts and took the time to actually look at the structure that was Hogwarts. Directly in front of us, were massive wrought iron gates that were big enough to allow two carts to pass through unhindered, as was its original purpose. The stone that made up the wall was tall, beautiful, and well kept. The gate entrance was flanked by two statues of winged boars. It was a sight that I never expected to see in my previous life, and I couldn’t get enough of in my current one.

As we approached the gate, it automatically swung open to allow us to enter. A nice piece of magic, if I’ve ever seen one. How would one begin to enchant such a thing? Would it have to be intent based? Or something that was linked to my clothing? Perhaps it sensed Snape’s magical signature.

“Did you take your potions?” Snape asked, as if expecting me to tell him I failed in that task.

“Yes sir. Dobby made sure of that.” I answered as I continued to look up at the beautiful stone towers that were not common in the world anymore. It really was a beautiful site to see.

It wasn’t until we reached the entrance courtyard that Snape stopped and responded to me. “You have acquired a House Elf? Good.” Snape said neutrally. His words told me that he wasn’t expecting that information, yet his face revealed absolutely nothing but a blank stare towards me.

The result of being the world's most accomplished Occlumens?

“You will stay in the same place that Lupin did. I assume you remember the location?” Snape’s normal slow manner of speaking returned now that his task was accomplished.

“Yes, professor.” I answered quickly. Snape stalked off immediately, robes billowing and all.

“May I ask you a few questions, Professor?” I asked, recognizing an opportunity before me.

He stopped before twirling back around and facing me, but he did not respond. He was obviously waiting for me to ask the question.

“It does not take too much intellect to realize you are the one brewing my potions for me. I would like to relieve you of that burden as soon as possible.” I told him as quickly as I could. He was not a man that liked wasting time talking to children.

“And how do you propose to do that?” Snape asked, waiting for me to say something stupid.

“I’d like to learn how to brew it myself. I know it’s asking a lot but…”

“You have no idea how much you are asking, Potter.” Snape interrupted me, enunciating his words slowly in the same manner that he did when berating me in class. His words leapt off of his tongue, as a whip would, to punish and discipline.

“The potion is reserved for only the most accomplished of masters, only the most meticulous, of which you are neither. One must complete mastery of the subject to even approach another about the potion, and even then the cost of such a mentorship would be outside the realm of possibility to anyone not of the Sacred Twenty-Eight.” He practically spat the last part at me, as if it was my fault that my family had been well off.

Well alright then… I thought as I was taken back by the passion and venom in his words. But I was not deterred. Snape turned around and his black robes billowed around him once again.

“I will pay you the normal fee, and I will also take on the financial burden of the potions myself, along with a fee you would normally charge for brewing such an illustrious potion.” I called out to him, trying to offer a deal that he couldn’t refuse.

Apparently even that wasn’t enough, because he did not stop.

----------------------------------------

Staying in the Shrieking Shack was actually less boring than I expected it to be.

Thanks to Dobby and his ability to teleport anything from Privet Drive to me, I really did exactly what I did when I was at Privet Drive. I reviewed previous years material intent on perfecting them. I wasn’t sure the best way to learn enough magic to take on Voldemort, but I knew it must start with building a good foundation. So I read as much as I could.

Although unlike at Privet Drive, I could cast spells. The Shrieking Shack was so close to Hogwarts and Hogsmead that I didn’t have to worry. The ambient magic in the air was palpable, and nothing as small as underage magic would get picked up on. So I practiced my casting.

And it was obvious to me the improvement that I was having. I was always gifted with my wand, consistently being near the top of the class with casting spells. But theory had always caused me some grief, leading to some less than stellar grades on my written work.

Now that I was filling those blanks with the theory found in my textbooks, I realized that casting was becoming easier and easier. Of course, I was still practicing the first year material, but I would take every victory on my path to magical dominance.

In fact, I had just turned a wooden splinter into a perfect silver needle when I felt a shifting inside of me.

It wasn’t a physical shift, per say. I could feel it in my magic, in my soul. Something just… changed.

Immediately I set my wand on the table in front of me and I began stripping down. I was already fairly prepared, only keeping my pants on my frame, afraid I would transform unintentionally and rip all of my clothes. Now I could tell that I would always be able to feel the start of the transformation. How had Lupin neglected this and not known of his coming transformation last month?

I stood stark naked in the middle of the Shrieking Shack, awkwardly waiting for something to happen.

And then it did. First it started in the same place that I had felt the shift in, my soul. Slowly I could feel my magic begin to twist and change in density. It happened for a couple of moments, before I ever felt the first physical pain.

But when the pain came, it hit like a freight train.

First it was my insides, near my heart. My ribs cracked, grew, and then reshaped themselves to allow a deeper chest, and more protection over my vitals.

“AAHH!” I screamed for a moment, before forcing my mouth shut. I tried my best not to cry out as my body was rearranged, but all I could manage to hold it to was a deep moan that didn’t allow me to breathe.

Next, my spine decided it was time to change, and the pain was nearly double that of my ribs. My spine twisted, and grew to accommodate the burden my wolf form would put on it. Thankfully, it was a fast process.

‘CRACK’

My legs gave out, and I caught myself on my hands before I could face plant into the wooden floor of the Shrieking Shack. My knee inverted, at the same time as my thigh expanded.

“FUCK!” I screamed as each leg underwent the same transformation.

I sighed in relief as the pain in my legs stopped, but was unprepared for my forehead to meet the floor as my arms snapped and elongated. I rolled over as soon as I could and my mouth went to scream, but I couldn’t.

Because my neck and head decided it was time to change as well.

The next few moments were miserable for me. My hands grew in size, while talons also extended out from each finger. My jaw dislocated, deepened, and grew new teeth to accomodate my physiology. It was more uncomfortable than it was painful. Worse than any trip to the dentist, or even orthodontist. Eventually I just closed my eyes, and resigned myself to my fate.

Somehow this made the pain fade a bit, as I did my best to think about anything other than the changes happening in my body.

After what felt like an eternity, the changes in my body stopped abruptly.

I laid there on the floor for a moment, trying to banish the thoughts of how I would have to undergo that transformation every month without any pain killers to help.

Eventually I found the will to roll over and put my hand on the floor, preparing to stand up. That was the first thing that I saw about my transformation. My hands had grown with long slender fingers, from which a three inch talon extended from. My skin was darker than I expected, a dark bluish color with more hair than I ever wanted to see on my body. But it wasn’t a thick coat like a dogs or wolfs, but somewhere in between my pale human arms and a wolfs.

I was able to make out every single detail in the hair on my skin. The light that flickered with the candle’s on my table looked even brighter, with more color detail than I could ever imagine. My eyesight was perfect, and the clarity it gave me, even in the dark night, was breathtaking.

I took a breath of air, and scents unlike I had ever experienced assaulted my brain causing me to snarl and cover my nose to protect it. And then I smelled the salt from the sweat on my skin, and how it clung to the floor beneath me.

It was too much.

Fuck!

A short yip escaped my mouth, as opposed to the human speech that I expected to. My ears caught how the sound bounced off of every surface, and I twitched them in that direction instinctively. As I did, I was met with a myriad of sounds. The night wind blowing on the leaves of the forest, and even the Whomping Willow creaked near the Shrieking Shack.

My senses were overwhelmed, but in a beautiful sense. Soon, they stopped hurting me and when the pain left, it was replaced by wonder. Sure I was a werewolf, and I could bitch and moan about how unfair that was to the world.

But the curse had beautiful complications that came along with it. My eyesight, which was traditionally awful as a child, was fixed. In my werewolf form, that was enhanced tenfold. The smells of the world were more crisp, and even the awful smells of decaying flesh that clung to the wind from the forbidden forest didn’t make me gag as it once had, all it did was allow me to appreciate the depth and information in the smell.

I heard the breathing of wild hogs in the forests. I heard the clittering of spiders moving in the night. I even heard the hoofs of what I assumed were centaurs roaming through the wilderness.

I heard, and I smelled it all. All while confined to a tiny shack. All while keeping my mind and not having a single murderous thought. I looked out the windows of the shrieking shack, peeking through curtains to try to get a glimpse of the world with my new eyesight and form.

I yearned to be out there, amongst the night.

Where I belonged.