Saturday, July 5th, 2014. 1:30 PM.

  Hogwarts Castle, Scottish Highlands, Great Britain.

  London to Hogwarts was within Harry’s maximum Apparition range, just barely, but he saw no need to stress his body and his magic. Instead, he went about halfway, and stopped over in Appleby, (Home of the Arrows).

  This was not a random choice. By Ministry of Magic regulation, every League Qidditch field was required to maintain Apparition points, secure from Muggle observation, for both fans and travelers.

  A short breather and quick lunch there, and he went the rest of the way, appearing outside the Main Gates of Hogwarts. It was, yes, raining. He dispatched his Patronus to find Hagrid to let him in. It wasn’t long at all until the familiar bear-like form appeared, striding across the grounds, Fang Jr., Sweetfang, and Direfang gamboling about him.

  ***

  Fang’s offspring were going on 7 years old, and finally settling into their full growth. Fang, Jr. and Sweetfang were siblings from the same litter, by a bitch boarhound whose owner lived on the far side of Hogsmeade. There were only three in the litter. The owner kept the runt for company, since the mother hound had been on the mature side, even then.

  Direfang was another story entirely. A US company, associated with the Magical Congress of the United States of America, had been quietly combining gene research and magic to bring the Dire Wolf back from extinction. This was not out of any desire for another vicious giant predator in the world. The truth was that the true Dire Wolf was a magical creature, on a par with unicorns, gryphons, thestrals, and the like. They were wiped out by fear and ignorance from the non-magical world. They had lived in balance with the magical herd animals of the world, and had little or no interest in any non-magical creatures, including mankind.

  By 2006, the program had produced three wolves, two males and a female, Romulus, Remus, and Khaleesi. The males were fine, rude and healthy, showing every sign of reaching the potential of their ancestors. Khaleesi, however, did not thrive. And they could find no mundane reason for this.

  So, in the year 2007, MACUSA sent scientists and magicians to the World Conference of Magizoology. This was sponsored by and held at Académie de Magie Beauxbatons, in Southern France. Madame Maxime, herself a famed breeder of Abraxan Winged Horses, was acting as hostess to Magizoologists from around the world.

  When she was briefed on MACUSA’s issues with the Dire Wolves, her first act was to call in the premier Old World specialists, Rolf and Luna Lovegood-Scamander. Khaleesi had been brought along, and was subjected to a thorough examination by the two. Rolf agreed with the American experts that there was no physical reason behind the female Dire Wolf’s poor progress.

  Luna, on the other hand, spoke with Khaleesi’s handlers, such as they were. It seemed the wolves had been kept only with each other, in a limited habitat, with no other socialization.

  “I believe,” Luna told them, “That is the problem. The original Dire Wolves were extremely pack-oriented, with packs known to range up to 25 or more individuals, all very obsessed with pack rank. In the males, the absence of this would not be so noticeable, but a young female would need more development, to eventually take her position in the pack.”

  The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

  “That is beyond our ability to influence at this time,” said MACUSA’s leading Magizoologist.

  “There may be a work-around.” Luna said. “Arrange a meeting with Madame Maxime. I wish her to consult.”

  ***

  “...and that is why I believe the lack of pack socialization is the key. Khaleesi is destined to be an Alpha Female, but as of now, she has little or no idea of how to even be a wolf.”

  Madame Maxime nodded. “And, as Monsieur le Docteur has pointed out, zere is no way to provide such expérience, as ze program stands now. And you have, you theenk, a means of providing such?”

  “I believe so,” Luna said. “What Khaleesi needs is experience in a pack, but not necessarily a wolf pack. She needs to spend time learning from an Alpha, dealing with other Betas and lower-ranked pack and non-pack creatures. She needs to be taught how to hunt, how to be fierce, and when being fierce is not appropriate, by someone she can respect.”

  “Ah,” Madame Maxime smiled. “I begin to see ze light.” She turned to address the US party. “We are theenking of a friend of ours, a great champion and lover of magical beasts. Send your Khaleesi to live with him for, how long would you say, Luna, dear?”

  “At least a year,” Luna said. “The person we are suggesting is uniquely qualified to take on such a challenge. He has access to a vast magical forest, in which Khaleesi can roam at will, and he is uniquely suited to guiding her development.”

  “Wait.” The lead scientist in the MACUSA contingent was looking at the two women as if they were mad. “Roam at will? DIRE WOLF, remember? Khaleesi already stands four feet tall at the shoulder, and is only going to get larger. I don’t care how remote this forest is, there is a chance of someone innocent getting hurt...”

  “I never said the forest was remote.” Luna said brightly. “Oh, from the mundane world, certainly, but the Forbidden Forest surrounds a very active magical school. The gentlema..., well, the person... we are recommending is actually a teacher there. I’m certain his students would be thrilled to study Khaleesi as part of the curriculum.”

  “A... teacher?” The man boggled. “You think a teacher can stop an almost fully-grown Dire Wolf from doing whatever she wants?”

  Luna smirked. “Rubeus Hagrid is no ordinary teacher. In fact, he could almost be considered an animal, himself.”

  Madame Maxime smirked as well. “Now, ZAT, I can vouch for!”

  ***

  So, for more than a year, Khaleesi lived with Hagrid and Fang. She ran in the forest, and chased the unicorns, (Half-seriously. Frankly, it thrilled the silver beasts). She learned to respect the centaurs, and be wary of the Acromantulae, much reduced though their swarm was. They, in turn, were equally wary of her. She even learned to chase cars, due to the teasing behavior of the Weasley’s feral Ford Anglia.

  Hagrid’s students loved her dearly, and she learned to treat them as young pups, (that is to say, a little stupid, and needing some mild supervision). Their personal hygiene certainly took an uptick after the first few times Khaleesi pinned a student to the ground with a dinner plate-sized paw. She then cleaned their face to her exacting standards, using her towel-sized tongue liberally.

  The only hiccup in the program came when Hagrid ‘failed’ to notice she had come into season. Khaleesi and Fang disappeared into the Forbidden Forest for several days, and almost exactly 2 months later, Direfang was whelped.

  Although the MACUSA team would never have approved of the cross had they known in advance, they were far from displeased with the results. Motherhood had put the final touch on Khaleesi’s development. She was now a fully mature Alpha Female, ready to return to the US and take charge. After Direfang was weaned, she was taken to her greatly enlarged pack’s new home, a huge magical forest hidden in the Rocky Mountains of the US and Canada. Direfang joined Fang Jr. and Sweetfang as brothers and sister, secure in the warmth of Hagrid’s regard.

  Rolf and Luna had remained fully involved throughout the process, documenting, giving feedback, input, turning a blind eye when needed, and generally making a nuisance of themselves. The paper they wrote, with Rubeus Hagrid, O.O.M.2* listed as co-authour, was very well-received, and won several prestigious awards.

  *Order Of Merlin, Second Class.