~ by Chris S. (alias WerewolfKing350)
Come Christmas morning, Harry slept in and awoke to find the house smelling like turkey; the delicious aroma made his stomach growl loudly. Eileen had said that she liked to get up really early on Christmas morning to start cooking.
He made his way downstairs to grab some breakfast, but completely forgot about food when he glanced inside the living room. There had only been a few presents under the tree when he went to bed, but now… he was unsure how so many presents actually fit under the tree! And they were all wrapped so much neater than the gifts he had watched Dudley open.
When Severus came downstairs, he and Harry quickly gulped down breakfast before returning to the living room to open presents. Harry had been shocked enough by the number of presents under the tree, but now he was blown away by the fact that there were actually some for him! Not just space fillers, but actual presents. There were new clothes, books, a home potions kit, and a wizarding chess set.
Harry was also surprised to find that Eileen had bought him a new pair of glasses that were charmed to adapt to his eyes. He was amazed by how much clearer everything looked when he put them on; he had never gotten his eyes checked, and the drugstore glasses he wore were not the best.
“Thank you, Eileen!” he gasped. This was more than he could have ever expected; of course, she could have given him socks and he would feel the same.
“It’s no big deal. It’s something you needed, but you are very welcome,” Eileen said as she hugged Harry tightly.
* * *
On New Year’s Day, Harry and Severus went to Lily’s house to give her a Christmas present. When Petunia answered the door, Harry was almost shocked to see her so young, yet her face still reminded him of a horse.
When she saw Severus, her expression twisted into a sneer Harry had seen too many times before. One would think that Petunia would be smiling after spending the Christmas holidays in Paris with her grandparents, but perhaps she didn’t have any other mode besides bitter and cold. Lily was so sweet and kind, and Petunia was… Petunia.
“Ugh!” Petunia groaned as she threw the door open wide enough for Harry and Severus to enter before she stomped angrily from the room. Harry could tell by her expression that she was biting back insults.
Later that evening, when they left Lily’s house, Harry felt a need to be alone with his thoughts.
“I’ll meet you back at the house,” he told Severus, who gave him a questioning glance. “I just need some time to think.”
Severus looked hesitant, but eventually left him. Harry walked into the park and onto path in the woods he had discovered. If followed, the path led to a lake which reflected the moonlight beautifully.
Harry was so caught up in his thoughts that he didn’t notice a creature following closely behind him until he felt a sharp, piercing pain in his calf. Suddenly his leg was jerked out from under him, and he slammed onto his belly so hard that the air rushed out of his lungs. He flipped over so he could see what had attacked him, and found himself staring into the ferocious, golden eyes of a strange doglike creature. What was the thing going to do next?
With a look of animalistic rage, it took a menacing step towards him. It seemed ready to lunge when a loud howl came from the other side of the woods. Harry watched with relief as the creature turned towards the howling and ran off. After a few seconds of stunned silence, he glanced at his ankle and found a deep bite mark that was bleeding quite heavily. He hurried home as fast as he could.
When Harry limped into Severus’ house, Eileen’s eyes widened with shock and worry.
“Harry, what happened?” she asked, rushing forward to help him to the couch. Harry tried to protest, muttering about not wanting to bleed on it.
“Forget about the couch! I’m concerned about your leg. What happened?” she asked as she rolled up his jeans to reveal the bite mark that was still bleeding. She pulled out her wand and put a clotting spell on the wound, and the bleeding immediately slowed down.
“Severus! I need bandages and a cut healing potion!” she cried, examining the bite thoroughly.
“A dog bit me when I was on my way home,” Harry said, not entirely sure ‘dog’ was the right word for it.
When Severus appeared in the living room, he gasped at the sight of Harry’s injury and rushed forward to help his mother. Severus opened the potion, and Eileen rubbed it on the bite. Harry’s leg felt pleasantly warm, then it began to tingle slightly.
“This potion should fight off any germs, including rabies if the dog was infected. I want you to take it easy on the train back to Hogwarts tomorrow. No roughhousing, and try to keep your leg elevated,” Eileen told him as she wrapped it with a thick bandage.
Harry wouldn’t have been surprised in the slightest if that ‘dog’ had rabies; it looked far too… unnaturally angry to not be rabid. It was out for blood!
“Don’t you worry; this will be healed completely by lunchtime tomorrow,” Eileen said, nodding happily. “You’ll find that magic healing techniques are far more advanced than the muggle techniques. Now, go upstairs and get some rest, young man.”
“But the couch…”
“Is not your concern right now. Severus, help him upstairs; I don’t want him to put pressure on his leg,” Eileen said as she waved towards the couch.
Harry gasped as the bloodstains disappeared. He could only imagine how much easier his life with the Dursleys would have been if he had been able to clean like that.
After Harry settled into bed, he kept thinking about how that dog was unlike any he had ever seen before. Every time he started to drift off, he saw those vicious eyes, and when he finally did get to sleep, they followed him into his dreams.
In the middle of the night, he awakened in a cold sweat to the sound of a wolf howling in the distance. But there couldn’t be wolves this close to civilization.
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