“WAS THAT THE BITE OF ‘87?!”
"AND STAY OUT YOU LITTLE FREAK!" Vernon bellowed drunkenly as Harry sprinted away from the house. After the boa constrictor incident earlier today, his uncle had seem to have enough of his "antics" and decided to kick him out. His ribs hurt as he breathed and his bruises were throbbing but he ignored all his injuries, just trying to get as far away from Privet Drive as he can.
He ended up at the playground a few blocks away, sitting heavily on one of the swings as he coughed while trying to catch his breath.
He didn't even get a chance to grab any of his minuscule amount of items, barely having enough time to grab his shoes before he was practically thrown out of the house. He doesn't really care though. It's not like he had anything of actual value or importance.
But as he was catching his breath, he heard a threatening growl from behind him.
Uh oh.
Harry slowly turned, afraid of what he was about to face before he promptly turned and hauled ass, a wolf or dog or just something furry and terrifying looking quickly following him at alarming speed. He wasn't exactly surprised the canine(?) was definitely faster than him but he was surprised at just how quickly it seemed to move.
Then, like any cliche horror movie, he tripped at exactly the wrong time on a curb. And as soon as he was down-
A shriek ripped through the air as teeth sunk into his side.
As the beast let go of him, sharp dog like whines coming from its bloody maw, Harry's world grew darker and darker.
***
"Oh fuck, oh merlin! I bit a kid! What hell! Isn’t this wolfsbane stuff supposed to help?!”
Well, safe to say Harry's very confused.
Firstly, he could've sworn whatever happened would've killed him. But here he was, very much alive in breathing though very sore everywhere. And his side was burning. Not the worst pain he’s felt but definitely not the best either.
Secondly, what’s a Merlin? Is it like a god in some other religion? Aunt Petunia always tells Harry “The Lord’s name should never be taken in vein” but he’s learned by now Aunt Petunia and Uncle Vernon’s opinions can be very scewed. But that’s not his most important question.
Thirdly, his most pressing question, what does this person mean "I bit a kid"???
"Who are you?" He finally said as he rubbed his eyes, wincing when his voice sounded louder than he meant. Was he yelling? It sure sounds like it. He hopes he didn't sound rude.
The boy in front of him looked at him with wide eyes like a deer in headlights. As his eyes adjusted he was able to take in how pale the black haired boy was. He looked kind of sick.
”Are you okay?” He asked concerned.
”And what do you mean you bit me? I was bitten by a…well, something last night. I think it was a wolf.” As his eyes travelled down to his side, he was shocked to see the bite was already scared over as he seemed to be shirtless. What the…?
“Uh, well — Merlin, how do I say this — that…beast, was me. I am a werewolf, and I bit you...” Harry stared at him in shock. For a second he thought the boy was pulling his leg, but when no “Sike!” came his mouth fell open. This wasn’t a joke was it..
”How- what? How is that possible? I thought werewolves didn’t exist?!” He finally exclaimed. This made no sense. If he was bitten, is he a werewolf now?!
”Magic.” The boy said theatrically, jazz hands and all. “But no, seriously, it is because of magic.” The boy said, again, completely serious.
. . .
”You don’t know about Magic either. Great, add violating the statute to my list of crimes then..” The boy muttered the last part, looking like he was hating life at the moment. He was surprised when the kid suddenly closed off, his face turning stony now. He would’ve expected that at the werewolf part, not the magic part.
”Magic isn’t real.” Harry said firmly. It wasn’t. It couldn’t be. Uncle Vernon has literally beaten that truth into him to the point he felt himself shake at even saying the word, resisting the urge to look around to make sure this wasn’t some sick joke his Uncle thought of. But the Dursleys aren’t smart enough to pull that off. Which means—
“Have you ever done anything unexplainable? So strange you can’t even come up with a logical excuse to how it happened? Like a toy floating down to you from a shelf or some difficult homework catching on fire?” The boy asked, seeming completely sure of himself, and that only scared Harry more.
Harry hesitated, doing a cursory glance around. He knows he’s done freakish things. Making his hair grow, making a sweater shrink, somehow ending up on the roof of his school, but he didn’t think…
He hesitantly nodded, looking down at his hands.
”That’s all magic. You’re a wizard…” The boy paused, seeming to realize neither of them know each others names even after all of that.
”Harry.”
”You’re a wizard Harry. And judging by how old you look, it won’t be long before you start at Hogwarts. Hogwarts is a magical school for witches and wizards in Britain. You should get your letter whenever your 11th birthday is.” The boy explained. Harry nodded.
”What’s your name?” He asked.
”Aries. Aries Lestrange. Oh, I forgot to ask what your surname is. If you have any magical family we could try to contact them.” Aries said. Harry frowned.
”Potter. But I don’t have any family…nor any house either now. You don’t have to waste your time.” His frown turned confused when Aries eyes widened before the boy quickly straightened his face into a friendly, somewhat nervous, smile.
“Well, Harry, I think it’s time you get to sleep. You’re gonna be feeling pretty sore for a little while. You need all the rest you can get before we decide on what we’re gonna do next.”
***
Later, as Aries watched the tiny Potter boy fall asleep in the spare bedroom before slowly closing the door, he felt like this was the start of something good.
He’d later realize that feeling was the start of his very own pack. A pack that would only grow as the years went by.