Chapter 9

Ignorance part I.

When Harry woke up the next morning, he found himself wrapped in unnatural warmth.

"Father?" Harry asked, his voice muffled, "I'm sorry, did I wake you? I just had a bad dream. I'm really, really sorry." Severus raised his head and looked at Harry.

"No, no. You've been through a lot. Waking for me for a nightmare is nothing to be ashamed of or sorry for. Your nightmares will be much worse and much more complex than anyone else's." said Severus. "I will be going to see Dumbledore soon, so let's get dressed and you packed." Harry and Severus got dressed and Severus packed Harry a small back pack (Severus had bought clothes and such for Harry, before he had started looking for the boy). Since it was nine in the morning and already pretty warm, Severus dressed Harry in shorts and a red tee-shirt that said 'unbreakable heart' on it. Severus then carefully lifted Harry into his arms, shouldered the small back pack that Harry was using as an overnight bag, and carried Harry outside.

Severus carried Harry down a small dirt road, away from his manor and closer to a thick forest. Soon, on either side of the path, there were tall pine and aspen trees. A few minutes later, father and son stood before an enormous mansion. Severus walked up to the door, with Harry still in his arms. A small sign above the door stated the motto of the Pack: Alone, we are nothing. Together, we are infinite.

Pack meant everything to Wolves-especially these ones. The Pack's name was Nezeljen. It meant 'unwanted' in Croatian. This was because every single member of the Pack had been shunned by their parents because of what they had become. Nezeljen Wolves depended on each other and loved each other like siblings, like family. In this Pack, unwanted Weres could have what they had always dreamed of- a family. This was highly unusual for a werewolf Pack. However, Nezeljen was the most powerful modern-day werewolf pack in the world.

Severus wished he could have protected Harry from the intricacies of werewolves, but they were up to their eyeballs in Were politics could not back down now. Severus shifted Harry onto his hip and knocked on the intricately carved front door. A few seconds later, the door was opened by a house elf.

"Ah, Lord Severus. We have been expecting you. As I understand, you are about to become one of the Number." said the small figure. Harry stared at the elf, dumbfounded.

"You don't talk like a house elf!" the small boy half yelled. The house elf looked at Harry reproachfully.

"I see your young hasn't learned its manners." said the elf.

"Not about you, but Harry he is no ordinary house elf, so mind your manners." chastised Severus lightly. "Harry, this is Jake. He was raised by the Hopea-Wolfes. He is not a servant, but closer to a godchild to the Wolves." Jake nodded.

"My good sir, please come this way, my mistresses are training." Harry tossed Severus confused glance.

"I don't know whether, you noticed Harry, but Jake is very polite and very proud. He still believes that he should call the Hopea-Wolfe girls 'mistress', though they have raised him from birth." after this brief explanation, Severus, with Harry in his arms, followed Jake through a hall filled with pictures and paintings. They were beautiful and intricate. One picture showed a male werewolf standing upright in a torrent of a thunder storm. Another was of Anneliese and Josephina with a baby Jake blowing the seeds off dead dandelions. At the end of the hall, there was a closed door, from which was a loud shouting. Jake opened the door, to reveal the Alpha's sparring. The fight was completely unfair. It was Anneliese, Damen, and Gunnar against Josephina, who only had a dagger, while the others had swords. Gunnar planted a kick in Josephina's chest, knocking her to the ground. She moaned in pain. The three other Alphas pointed their swords casually at her throat.

"Check and mate," said Anneliese with a snarky grin.

"Can I get up?" asked Josephina, with slight exasperation.

"Will you writhe for me? Show me a little more tummy, Jo." asked Gunnar, knowing that right now, Josephina could not slap him.

"Never." said Josephina defiantly. Jake knocked on the wall quietly. Damen, Gunnar and Anneliese turned around with inhuman speed, their swords pointed at the Severus and Harry. Severus glared at them all. Harry's head was buried in Severus's chest, and Severus wanted them all beaten for hurting what was—to Severus's mind—a goddess.

"Ah, Severus." said Gunnar, "We were just sparing. Is it time already?" Severus nodded, fighting with his fury. He was Gunnar's now, and it paid not to tangle with your Alpha.

"Would you like a hand up, Josephina?" asked Severus with what he hoped was a casual air, walking over to the fallen woman. She gratefully took Severus's hand. Once to her feet, she stroked the back of Harry's head, with a light, gentle affection.

"It's okay, sweetie. That was just training for the moment when we're not in a fair fight." she murmured softly. Harry turned his head to look at her and nodded. A flush crawled up his cheeks and he said,

"Father, I have to use the loo. Really, really bad." though Harry had spoken quietly, all of the Wolves heard him and chuckled.

"I'll take him, Severus then I'll get suited up and we'll be on our way." said Gunnar, taking Harry from Severus and leaving the training center with him. Anneliese smiled at Severus and asked him if he slept well. Severus thanked her for asking and said that he slept well. A few seconds later, Gunnar came back with a sobbing Harry in his arms. An instinct Severus had never seen before in Josephina seemed to kick in.

"What. Happened." Josephina grabbed Harry out of Gunnar's arms and held the small boy close to her

"I didn't do anything! That kid just has a seriously screwed bladder." said Gunnar, 'suiting up' as he put it.

Severus's POV

Gunnar and Damen got their suit cases, and the three men bade the women and Harry goodbye before Apperating to Hogwarts. They trooped into the castle and straight up to the headmaster's office. The door creaked open to reveal Dumbledore sitting behind his desk.

"Ah, Severus, Gunnar, and Damen. What a lovely surprise. Lemon drop?" said Dumbledore.

"No, we'll be fine." said Gunnar immediately.

"Sit, then, Severus." said Dumbledore, trying to find a point of power.

"You don't have to." said Gunnar once again. Severus did not sit. Gunnar strode forward- with Damen a Severus behind- and did not stop until he stood directly in front of Dumbledore's desk. It was not until then that Severus noticed how menacing Gunnar actually looked. He had black sunglasses that completely hid his grey green eyes from view. He was wearing a black leather jacket over a black muscle shirt. Gunnar's pants were ripped blue jeans. He had a six millimeter shotgun strapped to his back and a huge hunting knife strapped to his right upper thigh. He wore huge, grimy black hunting boots.

"Two words." Gunnar growled "Harry. Potter." Dumbledore smiled at the tall man.

"What about him?"

"He was beaten to a pulp."

"I don't think so."

"Why not, if I dare to ask?"

"He was taken from his comfortable life at his aunt and uncle's by Severus, there." stated Dumbledore, with an apologetic smile. Gunnar laughed a horrible, singularly humourless sound.

"That," said Gunnar with humourless mirth "He did. Though it was not a comfortable life. Here. Look through these. Perhaps they will change your view." Gunnar slapped a file of pictures he had taken of Harry down on Dumbledore's desk. The old man quavered slightly. Gunnar grinned, pulled the hunting knife from its sheath, and began picking at his fingernails with it.

"These cannot be right." Dumbledore said, shaking his head "I didn't know, Petunia said…Petunia said."

"Bullcrap." said Gunnar with menace "you don't give a rat's butt about that boy do you?"

"I do! I just saw no reason to disbelieve his aunt." whined Dumbledore.

"Severus, where is Harry now, as far as you know?" asked Gunnar calmly.

"You don't have to answer a question like that, Severus." said Dumbledore, vying for leverage.

"Actually, he does." said Gunnar "he's my Beta." Dumbledore's jaw dropped in fear and awe.

"Well, Harry has been having pain doing ordinary things, at this point in his recovery. Unless he's calmed down, he should be in Josephina's arms, sobbing his little blessed heart out because it hurt to urinate!" snarled Severus slamming his hands down on the desk, wishing with all his heart that he could strangle Dumbledore right there and then.

"Perhaps if you didn't coddle him, Severus-"said Dumbledore

"Don't push me." snarled Gunnar, taking the sunglasses of and revealing the fact that his eyes were glowing with an unearthly light. "Severus either."Dumbledore quaked in his seat. Gunnar slammed his hunting knife, point down, in to Dumbledore's desk. It went in all in to the hilt. Severus could barely hide his surprise; that desk was solid mahogany. Gunnar vehemently ripped the knife back out of the desk, spraying Dumbledore with shards of wood.

"I need to keep Severus child free, so I will put efforts into finding a Harry a family and-" said Dumbledore.

"You listen to me now," snarled Gunnar, he canines inhumanly long and sharp, "Severus, has completed a Blood Adoption with Harry's one hundred and twenty percent approval and consent. You cannot keep them apart legally, and he and Harry's welfare are my responsibility. the Nezeljen stands behind them. If you feel brave enough to tangle with my soldiers, then so be it." Dumbledore mutely shook his head. Severus barely saw in happen: a whirl of movement and Dumbledore's chin was bleeding. Gunnar had whipped his knife across Dumbledore's face so fast; it was but a blur of movement.

"You will answer me when I speak to you!" Gunnar was wearing the shadow of the Wolf around him like a cloak. It was like a reminder to everyone in the room, Gunnar was unstable, he was powerful, he was aggressive, and above all, he had a beast lurking just beneath his skin.

"Come, we are leaving." said Gunnar in a voice that had a lupine snarl in the center, Severus and Damen followed suit, although not before the silent Wolf had given a cold stare of his own to the man that had nearly destroyed his charge's life, by handing him to tyrants. The trio, walked away from Hogwarts, then Apperated to a small café, to have a coffee before Gunnar and Damen left.

"Thank you for that, Gunnar. You are a huge help. I am certainly in your debt." said Severus calmly and graciously. Gunnar simply grunted.

"Don't be. You're Pack, remember? That makes us family. Family sticks up for its members." with that final word and a relaxed goodbye from Damen, the two Wolves Apperated, and Severus Floo'd to the Malfoy's house, where he had arranged to stay the night. Severus went the guest bedroom, undressed and fell asleep as soon as his head hit the pillow. It had been a long day.