Disclaimer- I do not own Harry Potter or any such franchises. The only ideas that I own are my own that I write down here for you all to enjoy. And unfortunately, I've yet to make any money of of these ideas of mine. (T.T)

A Tale of Wings and Fangs

It really seemed like Harry just couldn't catch a break.

Every single year there just had to be something that went wrong. Each year there was at least one thing that put his life in danger, if not more than one.

First year it had been the troll and Quirrell, who had been possessed by Voldemort. Second year it had been the basilisk attacking the school and Tom Riddle possessing his best mate's sister. And third year? His third year in the magical world had started bad immediately when he had heard about Sirius Black escaping from Azkaban prison. The man claimed to have betrayed his parents to Voldemort had broken out and was claimed to have been after him.

As it turned out, the truth couldn't have been further off. The bigger threat during the year had been the dementors stupidly assigned to protect the school and the students. The soul-sucking menaces had tormented Harry throughout the entire year, nearly killing him multiple times. It even got so bad that Harry had resorted to going to his defense professor, Remus Lupin, for help.

Thanks to Lupin's help, Harry was able to learn the powerful Patronus charm, a spell specifically made to ward off the wardens of Azkaban. It was during the tutoring sessions with the DADA professor that Harry learned more about the man. Not only was Remus Lupin the best teacher of Defense Against the Dark Arts that Harry, and the rest of his friends, had ever had in their time at Hogwarts, but the man was also a close friend of his parents.

The revelation had led to many questions, including where the man had been and why he'd never contacted Harry before. The questions led the young boy-who-lived to finding out about Remus' condition as a werewolf and the persecution he faced in the world of wizards and witches.

Soon the sessions turned into tutoring as well as tales about the past. Harry easily learned more about his parents in a few months with Remus than he had his entire life. One particular thing that Remus had explained stood out to Harry. His father and friends had become animagi during their time at Hogwarts.

The explanation that Lupin gave Harry left the young boy enthralled by the idea, and eager to try and become an animagus himself as a way of getting closer to the father he never knew. At first Remus was hesitant to really help with the idea of Harry becoming an animagus like James, Sirius, and Peter had. He explained how the process was difficult and had its own risks, but Harry wasn't dissuaded from the idea.

In the end, Remus gave in to the black-haired boy and began to explain what he knew about the process of becoming an animagus. He didn't know everything about the process, only the bits that James had explained to him when asked. But even then, Remus was able to give the basic idea to Harry about how one found their animal form and the difficulty it took to change into said form.

The lessons were cut short by the introduction of Sirius into Harry's life, though. Finding out that the escaped prisoner not only innocent, but also his godfather had shocked Harry to the core. But things more or less spiraled out of control from that point. Snape's interference ensured that Peter Pettigrew escaped, and Harry was nearly killed by a swarm of dementors if not for Hermione's time turner.

The year came to an end with Harry far from happy. His godfather was on the run. The traitor that got his parents killed was roaming around. And Remus had resigned from his position as the Defense Against the Dark Arts professor after his lycanthropic rampage. To top it all off, Harry also had to go back to the Dursleys.

The strangest part to Harry was that he'd started having strange dreams towards the end of his third year at Hogwarts. Each time he would find himself flying high above the skies. While dreams like that weren't uncommon, there was no broom involved like normal for Harry. It was as if he was flying of his own power. Occasionally the dreams changed, with Harry moving low along the ground in a dense forest. Each time the dreams would end the same way. Whether flying or moving through the forest, Harry would end up at a crystal-clear pool of water and find himself looking back at a pair of vibrant yellow, bestial eyes.

It was one such dream that Harry woke up from early in the morning. He was greeted to the same ceiling he'd seen for the last three years while at his own personal hell.

"Again? What does it all even mean?" Harry mumbled to himself as he reached over to grab his glasses from the small bedside table. It was a week into his stay at the Dursley household and already he had been dreading every minute. He missed the delicious food at Hogwarts, having his friends around, and not having to deal with his abusive relatives.

A glance at the sole clock in the room revealed that the time was just before six in the morning. He still had a good hour before his 'relatives' would awaken and he fully intended to enjoy the peace and quiet locked away in his room while he could.

Harry was pulled away from his thoughts by a soft hooting from the window. A quick glance revealed an owl, dark brown almost black feathers revealing that it was not Hedwig like normal.

"Now who sent you?" Harry asked quietly as he got up and moved towards the window. He could see a small package tied around the owl's leg as well as a note. He knew for sure that it wasn't from the Weasleys since they had an owl for their family. And the old, elderly owl was not at all like the young, dark colored owl that swiftly flew away from the window.

As the young wizard unwrapped the package, the object inside grew inside. It only took Harry a few moments to recognize the effects of a shrinking spell. The package turned out to be a book with a group of animals painting the cover. A common brown bear, a hawk, and a fox were the most prominent. And at the top of the cover were the words that really got Harry's interest.

"Becoming One with Your Inner Beast?" Harry had a faint idea of what the book contained, but he went for the note to figure out more, as well as who sent him the bit of literature. And as he read the letter, the frown that the young man had worn on his face the previous week turned into a bright grin.

I know that things didn't go as planned when we met up, but I wanted to let you know that I'm safe. I can't tell you where I'm staying at the moment in case this letter or the owl I'm using are intercepted, but just be sure that I'm safe and not in danger.

I can't apologize enough for all the years I've missed and that I haven't been able to be there for you all this time. But that is going to change. I've been in contact with Moony and he happened to let it slip that you're trying to be like your old man.

Prongs would have been so proud of you doing this, though your mum would probably be mad at all of us for letting you. But I say that you're old enough to try. Unfortunately, I was never as good with Transfiguration as Prongs was, but I do know enough to find something that'll help you. Gold is gold and I was able to get this book from a shop over in the Americas. Turns out some tribes of natives have their own way of going about animagus transformations that don't involve any potions. Since you're stuck with your relatives for the summer, Moony and I figured this would be the best option.

We'll see each other soon as I can, even if it won't be in person. Stay strong Prongslet, think smart and stay safe. Don't take shit from anyone and find yourself a girlfriend or two to make you happy.

Your Dogfather,

-Padfoot

By the time Harry had finished reading the letter from Sirius, the young man could feel a weight lifted off his shoulders. Sirius was safe, and apparently was figuring out a way that they could see each other again. Hopefully it meant that Sirius and Remus were on the trail of Pettigrew and had a plan to prove his godfather's innocence. But for the time being, Harry had a new focus for the summer.

Over the following weeks, Harry threw himself wholeheartedly into working on the book that Sirius had gotten him. Some of the things he read in the book were similar to what Remus had instructed him on. The native tribes knew what they were doing, though. The words and explanations made sense to Harry like he was born to learn it.

Being locked up in his room for the summer ended up being a benefit for the boy-who-lived. He was rarely disturbed and had plenty of time to meditate and focus like the book instructed. By the second day after he'd gotten it the young wizard had already read through the entire contents.

With a passion he'd rarely shown since childhood, Harry dove into learning all he could from the book and trying his best at becoming an animagus himself.

"I'll do this. Make mum, dad, Sirius, and Remus all proud of me." Harry was dead set on his goal. Becoming an animagus like his father and godfather or die trying.

So! That was chapter one… Wow this is gonna be interesting.

I'm not going to lie and say I'm a skilled writer. I have no training whatsoever and I know there will be flaws. Hopefully everyone who reads this enjoys the first chapter. I have more planned and I'll be trying to put more down on paper soon.

Reviews and constructive criticism are more than welcome, but flamers will be fed to the dragons and drowned in the lake.

Till next time everyone,

-Okaze