Pack Mentality

James looked down at the shiny black egg in his lap and smiled. The nytura egg was a gift from his parents as a way to give their blessing to his new circle. It was the egg of his family's pair of nytura, who hadn't felt the need for a larger pack. James had seen it sitting unhatched in a warded cabinet almost his entire life. But now that he was starting his own circle, his parents had decided to give it to him.

Now all that was left was to feed it his magic.

James pet the egg softly as he focused on offering his magic to the being inside.

He could feel his magic drain away and then a loud crack was heard as the egg began to open.

James watched with awe as a little snout peeked out, followed by a tiny head and then a tiny body. Barely larger than a kitten, the baby nytura was adorable. And a quick check told him it was female.

Looking into its blue eyes, James felt his love for the creature bloom.

“I think I'll name you...” he paused, thinking of things he loved.

He couldn't name her after Lily or any of his other circlemates.

With his natural talent in the subject he rarely studied so the only name that he remembered about Transfiguration was McGonagall, and he wasn't naming her Minnie.

But what else did he love?

“Ah!” he exclaimed happily, “I'll name you Chaser.”

The baby nytura happily nuzzled and then bit him.

Lily looked at the creature lying beside her son. The size of a house cat, the little dragon-like creature was entirely capable of fitting in Harry's crib and had taken advantage of that fact to be by the infant's side twenty-four/seven.

It wasn't that Lily was bothered by Chaser. She knew instinctively the nytura would never let harm come to her baby. But there was lines that shouldn't be crossed in her opinion.

Like Harry's first word being Chaser.

Yes, she was jealous of the nytura.

James may have found it hilarious but she also knew he was smarting from the fact that he lost his silly bet with the other marauders on Harry's first word.

Lily couldn't help but smile as she thought of her family. Her circle. It still felt so new, this knowledge of dragels and circles, but she loved them all wholeheartedly.

Reaching out a hand, she pet the nytura's back.

“You just love Harry a lot, don't you, Chaser?”

Chaser gave a quiet chirrup before nuzzling the baby's side.

“We all love him more than life itself. So please, continue to protect Harry with everything you can.”

The nytura gave a rumbling purr and Harry rolled over and grabbed at her in his sleep.

Lily watched Chaser close her eyes and drift off to sleep too.

She gave one last smile to the adorable picture inside the baby crib before leaving the sleeping pair alone

Chaser growled as the body bind that had stunned her finally lifted as the man who cast it turned to dust.

She shook off the last of the stiffness in her body and ran as fast as she could to the crib.

Relief filled her as she saw the toddler was alive.

Despite all odds, Harry lived.

Even though half of her circle was now dead, at least their child had lived.

She nuzzled the crying toddler trying to turn his face away from his dead mother, but the boy was stubborn and kept calling and reaching out for her.

Chaser was getting desperate, when in came a tall dark man. Chaser was on the defensive but the man ignored the nytura and crying child completely.

The man just collapsed on the ground, and gathered up the dead woman in an embrace, with great heaving sobs.

Chaser stayed on alert while the man continued his breakdown until it was interrupted by the sound of a motorcycle motor. Chaser stood up from her crouched position happily. A member of the circle was back! They could help Harry.

The dark man took off, in a swirl of robes and a loud crack.

Within moments, Sirius was up the stairs, a frantic look upon his face that became worse at the sight of Lily.

When Harry lets out another sob and cries out “Paddy!” Sirius expression immediately brightens.

“Harry!” he called before scooping up the toddler. Chaser purred at someone finally taking Harry's attention off of his mother.

“Paddy!” Harry called back, with fear and frustration audible in his voice.

Sirius cooed and rocked the child in his arms as he silently cried. Chaser was relieved and tired from being on guard for so long after taking a spell that threw her against the wall. She walked over to the pacing man and climbed up him onto his shoulder.

Sirius sighed as he looked into Chaser's blueish purple eyes.

“You did good Chaser,” he said softly, a broken and mournful tone breaking his voice.

Chaser glared at the man.

“No I didn't! The alpha and submissive are dead and I couldn't do anything to protect them,” Chaser whined to the man mentally.

“That wasn't your fault. Besides, you protected Harry.”

Chaser remained silent, refusing to concede on her point.

Just then her ears pricked as she heard something heavy coming up the stairs. Seeing her alarm, Sirius whirled around and grabbed for his wand with one hand, the other holding Harry.

He gasped, apparently shocked by the person who could now be seen. He was a giant of a man with hands bigger than Chaser or Harry alone and maybe put together.

“Hagrid? What are you doing here?” Sirius asked.

“Professor Dumbledore sent me. Said to take young Harry to see him immediately to ensure he's okay,” the giant, Hagrid, explained.

Chaser was shocked as she watched Sirius visibly consider it, torn between what to do. She couldn't understand! Harry was the circle's child! He came first!

But to Chaser's horror, Sirius said with a pained voice, “Fine. I have to see to a traitorous rat anyways,” and let the giant take Harry in his large hands.

Harry was obviously distressed from leaving his parent's arms before he calmed down. Chaser knew the night had certainly been traumatic enough.

“You can take my motorcycle too,” Sirius added, handing over the keys to the man as well.

Chaser watched in astonishment as the giant dared to leave with her circle's child. Chaser would have never thought the pareya would abandon Harry but she had just witnessed it.

Chaser followed the giant down the stairs and watched Hagrid settle the still crying toddler in the sidecar. He got on the main seat and fiddled with something in his coat and that is when Chaser struck. She sneakily entered the sidecar and grabbed the toddler before flying as fast and as subtly as she could away.

Moments later the motor roared to life and the motorcycle took off in the sky.

But now Chaser was once more alone with a distressed toddler.

Placing Harry down on the grass, Chaser settled in front of him, looking into his teary green eyes.

Now what was she going to do?