Chapter 13
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Sirius made his way towards the museum with Cassiopeia lost in the abyss of sleep within his arms. He noticed that most of the vehicles were gone now. Most of the guests left during the battle that ensued between the Death Eaters and Order members along with their wolf allies.
Not too far from the entrance Remus met him with Tonks by his side. After the retreat of the Death Eaters they began scouring the grounds.
"Good thing the sun came up." Remus commented to Sirius. He noticed his date laying unconscious in Sirius' arms and tried his best to hide his displeasure.
"Sirius? I thought you were dead. I don't understand." Tonks asked confounded.
Sirius barely acknowledged her with a glance. However, he did not answer her inquiry and continued walking towards the museum. He had some questions for Gabriel.
He continued towards the door and made his entrance by kicking it open with his foot. For some reason he expected to see a raging war, however what met his vision were several members of the Order, Gabriel, and some of his werewolf tribe members, but no Death Eaters or wolves from the other tribe.
All those in the room stared at the escaped convict that was strolling into the museum carrying an unconscious Cassiopeia heading towards them. The only ones that did not have 'shock' written all over their faces would be Remus and Gabriel.
"I knew you weren't just some dog." Gabriel commented.
"What happened?" Sirius asked Remus ignoring the rest of the crew and turned to his right where Remus had been walking alongside him.
"We just fought a battle with some Death Eaters and their wolf allies. What happened to you?" Remus asked his best friend while continuing to eye the woman in his arms.
"I stopped a kidnapping."
"Follow me; I don't think we should speak in the open here. There are some matters I believe we need to discuss." Gabriel told the group.
Gabriel led them to a panel within the wall hidden behind the buffalo display. The wizards and werewolves entered the large chamber. There was a large circular table in the middle. It looked like a conference room.
"This is where I conduct our tribal conferences." Gabriel explained as the group all took seats around the table. Remus surveyed the room and noticed the various murals of wolves that adorned the walls. It was a rather mystical room.
Sirius remained standing holding Cassiopeia in his arms as everyone else sat. Remus grew more annoyed.
"Why don't you set her down?"
"Hell no! I waited four months to hold her; I'm not setting her down." Sirius retorted back to his friend. Cassiopeia was beginning to stir and awoke. She did a quick analysis of the room with her gaze ending on Sirius' face. His eyes softened as their gazes met. "But if you want me to put you down, I will."
She smiled up at him. "That's okay. This is actually pretty comfy." Sirius gave Remus a smug grin and hugged Cassi closer to his chest as he took a seat. He then sat her in his lap.
"Care to explain yourself?" Gabriel asked the man that was formerly a dog.
"Tell me the real reason why Luther wants Cassi and then I'll tell you about myself."
"I would like to know why my dog is now a grown man as well. Are you THE Sirius Black?" Cassi asked him.
"Yes, I am Sirius Black. No, I didn't kill all those people. Yes, I have been your dog for the past four months. And I will explain it all as soon as Gabriel tells us what's going on."
The attention was then shifted from the animagus towards the leader of the werewolf tribe. Gabriel shifted uncomfortably. His piercing blue eyes began to focus intently on one of the murals on the wall. It was of a wolf hunting in the snow.
"Well, you see, Luther wants Cassiopeia because of who her father is."
"Why does that matter? Dad has nothing to do with werewolves." Cassi interrupted confused.
Gabriel cleared his throat. "Actually, your father has a great deal to do with werewolves."
The gears in Remus' head were turning hard as everything clicked. He looked back and forth between the two. The similarity between their piercing blue eyes was uncanny.
"I am your father."
"Woah, Darth how can you be her father? She's not a native werewolf." Remus interjected. Sure they had similar eye color but this didn't make sense after all he had learned about the nature of his lycanthropic infection.
"Her mother was mortal. She died during childbirth. I asked my best friend to adopt her so that she could have a normal life. The werewolf gene is recessive. However, Luther found out about her anyway. If he was to take her as his mate then he would have claim to my tribe as well as his own through her."
"You're my father? I don't understand. Then if I'm a native werewolf why can't I transform at will? You said you passed the gene recessively. When Luther infected me wouldn't that make me the same as a native since you are native?" Cassi was very confused. The chloroform gas had made her very light headed. Not to mention that sitting in the arms of the man that was formerly her dog was also mind boggling.
"I'm not sure exactly myself. You're the one who researches genetics. But my genes within you will not cause you to be an active werewolf. However, once Luther bit you; you became one anyway regardless of your genetics." Gabriel explained. He felt horrible revealing Cassi's identity to her this way. He honestly had wanted her to grow up experiencing a normal life, but fate had a different point of view.
"So why didn't you want me?" Cassi asked hurt. Sirius held her closer to him to offer comfort. She gladly accepted the warm embrace. Her mind was still cloudy from the after effect of the noxious fumes she inhaled earlier.
"As tribe leader I did what I thought was best for the tribe. I thought that if Luther didn't know you existed then you would be safe. I only wanted to keep both you and the tribe safe. I never thought he would find you. The man that you call father has been my best friend since childhood. I should have known that Luther would connect him with me. But, I didn't trust anyone else to take care of you." Gabriel's eyes reflected the burden he had carried for the past quarter of a century.
Cassi smiled at him. "It's okay, DAD."
"Okay, so now we know why Cassi is so coveted. I know we should discuss what we are going to do about this, but honestly what I want to know is how Sirius is not dead?" Charlie was on the edge of his seat. He didn't really know about the whole werewolf ordeal but he knew all too well about the disappearance of Mr. Black.
Oliver looked extremely uncomfortable. "But, I thought Mr. Black was an escaped convict from Azkaban."
"I am. But, I'm innocent. I can't tell you all the details about why I didn't die just yet. It's complicated so I'll wait until we have more time to waste. I can tell you that falling behind the veil does not mean death. It is more of a way station that guides you to your fate should you fall in. Some are given a choice if the fates decide they are worthy and others are given death. I was granted the choice to return to this realm as long as I abided by certain guidelines."
"Guidelines such as not revealing his true identity to his owner for four months or contacting his godson." Remus supplied.
"So I guess you aren't my pet anymore." Cassi replied teasingly as she removed Sirius' arms from her waist and stood. She was still suffering the after effects of the gas and began to sway dangerously.
Sirius circled his arms around her waist again and pulled her back into his lap. "You can still be my master."
Remus rolled his eyes in irritation. Tonks was amused by the tension she sensed between Remus and Sirius. She was sitting to Remus' left across from Sirius and Cassi since they shared the same chair.
"So in summary, Sirius is not dead. Luther wants Cassi so he can claim leadership rights to both tribes. His tribe and the Death Eaters are allied." Tonks summed up.
"Basically. Well this revelation certainly clears up one matter that has been pestering me. I now know why Luther's bond to Cassiopeia was severed four months ago. It seems I would have been correct to say it was because of her new dog." Gabriel smiled at his daughter.
Remus remembered Gabriel saying the severance of such a bond would result when one was near their soul mate.
"It could also be related to the fact that Cassi has been spending so much time with wizards."
"That's true. I'm not entirely sure what kind of effects wizards in general can have upon werewolf magic. However, I definitely am sure that Sirius should stay with Cassi."
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Snape hurried to the meeting of the Order. He finally discovered the connection between Lord Voldemort and Luther.
"Severus, we are pleased to see you this evening. What news do you bring?" Dumbledore asked his spy.
"The connection between Luther and Lord Voldemort is so obvious. I can not believe I overlooked it."
"And that connection is?" Dumbledore coaxed.
"Luther's last name is Lestrange. The Lestranges are Voldemort's most loyal servants."
"But isn't Rodophlus Lestrange a pure-blood?" Moody asked.
"Yes, but Luther is his adopted brother. That is our connection. Voldemort is only allying with the werewolves to increase his ranks. It is the same reason he is allying with the giants and all sorts of beings."
"I see. We'll just have to trust in Gabriel's ability to deal with this situation with the help of the Order members we sent to America. We really must concentrate on the matters at hand here in England." Dumbledore replied.
"Something big happened last night. Malfoy and Bellatrix were to head up a kidnapping at the gala that Remus, Tonks, and Charlie attended." Snape informed them.
"When did Malfoy get out of prison?" Bill asked.
"Unfortunately, he got out a few days ago. He and about three other Death Eaters managed to escape with the aid of a few dementors." Moody answered.
"Back to the American issue, it was unsuccessful and Luther was not pleased at all. There is talk that he may terminate the alliance." Snape continued.
"We can only hope for such a possibility. Now we must concentrate on the activities here revolving around the recent break out."
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
"What I want to know is if there is a way to make Luther give up on Cassiopeia." Sirius voiced his concern.
"I don't know all the rules to werewolf society seeing as I'm apparently a rogue, but I too imagine there must be some sort of rules regarding the topic of mates." Remus joined in.
Gabriel once again shifted uncomfortably in his chair. The wolf in the snow was no longer very interesting. He met the gazes of Remus and Sirius. Then he looked at his daughter who was no longer sitting in Sirius' lap much to the wizard's disappointment. Apparently after she regained her wits she felt foolish clinging to her former dog.
Once Cassiopeia's mind had cleared she had distanced herself from Sirius. She sat in the chair beside his but had scrambled out of grasp embarrassed by her behavior. She was stunned by his appearance because he was everything she had ever hoped to see in a guy, but then she felt extremely guilty for clinging to him. She may have been physically attracted to him, but it was horrible of her to let her desires affect her so, especially in the presence of Remus. Remus had become such an important factor in her life that she did not to risk upsetting him.
"There is one thing that even a werewolf as power-mad as Luther must honor. It is the Challenge of Wills."
The other werewolves that had joined the wizard ensemble lost the color in their faces. The wizards noticed the reaction and each became a bit anxious.
"What is this Challenge of Wills?" Charlie ventured.
"It is where one male challenges another for the right to claim a female. Since Luther has claimed Cassiopeia someone would have to challenge him."
"That doesn't sound so bad. You know a challenge is always good for you. Why this one time in a Quidditch game I thought that ---"Oliver began but was interrupted by Remus.
Remus had noticed the somber looks upon the werewolves faces had only intensified. "Exactly what kind of challenge is this?"
"It is a dual to the death." One of the werewolves who sat to the side of Gabriel answered.
"What happens if our challenger wins?" Tonks asked.
"Then he has the unquestionable claim to my daughter and the spoils of whatever Luther owns. This includes leadership of the other wolf tribe."
"What happens if Luther wins?" Cassi asked timidly.
"You don't have to worry about that because I will NOT lose." Sirius declared.
Gabriel was not surprised by this proclamation. He could smell the desire of Sirius to protect his daughter clearly. However he was concerned. 'Could a dog defeat a wolf?' For in the Challenge of Wills one must compete in the form of their canine alter ego. The challenge also must take place on the night of a full moon.
"I need to prepare you then for our time is short. The challenge must transpire on the night of the full moon. You have less than two days before the next full moon. I do not think we can wait until the next cycle." Gabriel informed his daughter's former guard dog.
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TBC
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Sirius made his way towards the museum with Cassiopeia lost in the abyss of sleep within his arms. He noticed that most of the vehicles were gone now. Most of the guests left during the battle that ensued between the Death Eaters and Order members along with their wolf allies.
Not too far from the entrance Remus met him with Tonks by his side. After the retreat of the Death Eaters they began scouring the grounds.
"Good thing the sun came up." Remus commented to Sirius. He noticed his date laying unconscious in Sirius' arms and tried his best to hide his displeasure.
"Sirius? I thought you were dead. I don't understand." Tonks asked confounded.
Sirius barely acknowledged her with a glance. However, he did not answer her inquiry and continued walking towards the museum. He had some questions for Gabriel.
He continued towards the door and made his entrance by kicking it open with his foot. For some reason he expected to see a raging war, however what met his vision were several members of the Order, Gabriel, and some of his werewolf tribe members, but no Death Eaters or wolves from the other tribe.
All those in the room stared at the escaped convict that was strolling into the museum carrying an unconscious Cassiopeia heading towards them. The only ones that did not have 'shock' written all over their faces would be Remus and Gabriel.
"I knew you weren't just some dog." Gabriel commented.
"What happened?" Sirius asked Remus ignoring the rest of the crew and turned to his right where Remus had been walking alongside him.
"We just fought a battle with some Death Eaters and their wolf allies. What happened to you?" Remus asked his best friend while continuing to eye the woman in his arms.
"I stopped a kidnapping."
"Follow me; I don't think we should speak in the open here. There are some matters I believe we need to discuss." Gabriel told the group.
Gabriel led them to a panel within the wall hidden behind the buffalo display. The wizards and werewolves entered the large chamber. There was a large circular table in the middle. It looked like a conference room.
"This is where I conduct our tribal conferences." Gabriel explained as the group all took seats around the table. Remus surveyed the room and noticed the various murals of wolves that adorned the walls. It was a rather mystical room.
Sirius remained standing holding Cassiopeia in his arms as everyone else sat. Remus grew more annoyed.
"Why don't you set her down?"
"Hell no! I waited four months to hold her; I'm not setting her down." Sirius retorted back to his friend. Cassiopeia was beginning to stir and awoke. She did a quick analysis of the room with her gaze ending on Sirius' face. His eyes softened as their gazes met. "But if you want me to put you down, I will."
She smiled up at him. "That's okay. This is actually pretty comfy." Sirius gave Remus a smug grin and hugged Cassi closer to his chest as he took a seat. He then sat her in his lap.
"Care to explain yourself?" Gabriel asked the man that was formerly a dog.
"Tell me the real reason why Luther wants Cassi and then I'll tell you about myself."
"I would like to know why my dog is now a grown man as well. Are you THE Sirius Black?" Cassi asked him.
"Yes, I am Sirius Black. No, I didn't kill all those people. Yes, I have been your dog for the past four months. And I will explain it all as soon as Gabriel tells us what's going on."
The attention was then shifted from the animagus towards the leader of the werewolf tribe. Gabriel shifted uncomfortably. His piercing blue eyes began to focus intently on one of the murals on the wall. It was of a wolf hunting in the snow.
"Well, you see, Luther wants Cassiopeia because of who her father is."
"Why does that matter? Dad has nothing to do with werewolves." Cassi interrupted confused.
Gabriel cleared his throat. "Actually, your father has a great deal to do with werewolves."
The gears in Remus' head were turning hard as everything clicked. He looked back and forth between the two. The similarity between their piercing blue eyes was uncanny.
"I am your father."
"Woah, Darth how can you be her father? She's not a native werewolf." Remus interjected. Sure they had similar eye color but this didn't make sense after all he had learned about the nature of his lycanthropic infection.
"Her mother was mortal. She died during childbirth. I asked my best friend to adopt her so that she could have a normal life. The werewolf gene is recessive. However, Luther found out about her anyway. If he was to take her as his mate then he would have claim to my tribe as well as his own through her."
"You're my father? I don't understand. Then if I'm a native werewolf why can't I transform at will? You said you passed the gene recessively. When Luther infected me wouldn't that make me the same as a native since you are native?" Cassi was very confused. The chloroform gas had made her very light headed. Not to mention that sitting in the arms of the man that was formerly her dog was also mind boggling.
"I'm not sure exactly myself. You're the one who researches genetics. But my genes within you will not cause you to be an active werewolf. However, once Luther bit you; you became one anyway regardless of your genetics." Gabriel explained. He felt horrible revealing Cassi's identity to her this way. He honestly had wanted her to grow up experiencing a normal life, but fate had a different point of view.
"So why didn't you want me?" Cassi asked hurt. Sirius held her closer to him to offer comfort. She gladly accepted the warm embrace. Her mind was still cloudy from the after effect of the noxious fumes she inhaled earlier.
"As tribe leader I did what I thought was best for the tribe. I thought that if Luther didn't know you existed then you would be safe. I only wanted to keep both you and the tribe safe. I never thought he would find you. The man that you call father has been my best friend since childhood. I should have known that Luther would connect him with me. But, I didn't trust anyone else to take care of you." Gabriel's eyes reflected the burden he had carried for the past quarter of a century.
Cassi smiled at him. "It's okay, DAD."
"Okay, so now we know why Cassi is so coveted. I know we should discuss what we are going to do about this, but honestly what I want to know is how Sirius is not dead?" Charlie was on the edge of his seat. He didn't really know about the whole werewolf ordeal but he knew all too well about the disappearance of Mr. Black.
Oliver looked extremely uncomfortable. "But, I thought Mr. Black was an escaped convict from Azkaban."
"I am. But, I'm innocent. I can't tell you all the details about why I didn't die just yet. It's complicated so I'll wait until we have more time to waste. I can tell you that falling behind the veil does not mean death. It is more of a way station that guides you to your fate should you fall in. Some are given a choice if the fates decide they are worthy and others are given death. I was granted the choice to return to this realm as long as I abided by certain guidelines."
"Guidelines such as not revealing his true identity to his owner for four months or contacting his godson." Remus supplied.
"So I guess you aren't my pet anymore." Cassi replied teasingly as she removed Sirius' arms from her waist and stood. She was still suffering the after effects of the gas and began to sway dangerously.
Sirius circled his arms around her waist again and pulled her back into his lap. "You can still be my master."
Remus rolled his eyes in irritation. Tonks was amused by the tension she sensed between Remus and Sirius. She was sitting to Remus' left across from Sirius and Cassi since they shared the same chair.
"So in summary, Sirius is not dead. Luther wants Cassi so he can claim leadership rights to both tribes. His tribe and the Death Eaters are allied." Tonks summed up.
"Basically. Well this revelation certainly clears up one matter that has been pestering me. I now know why Luther's bond to Cassiopeia was severed four months ago. It seems I would have been correct to say it was because of her new dog." Gabriel smiled at his daughter.
Remus remembered Gabriel saying the severance of such a bond would result when one was near their soul mate.
"It could also be related to the fact that Cassi has been spending so much time with wizards."
"That's true. I'm not entirely sure what kind of effects wizards in general can have upon werewolf magic. However, I definitely am sure that Sirius should stay with Cassi."
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Snape hurried to the meeting of the Order. He finally discovered the connection between Lord Voldemort and Luther.
"Severus, we are pleased to see you this evening. What news do you bring?" Dumbledore asked his spy.
"The connection between Luther and Lord Voldemort is so obvious. I can not believe I overlooked it."
"And that connection is?" Dumbledore coaxed.
"Luther's last name is Lestrange. The Lestranges are Voldemort's most loyal servants."
"But isn't Rodophlus Lestrange a pure-blood?" Moody asked.
"Yes, but Luther is his adopted brother. That is our connection. Voldemort is only allying with the werewolves to increase his ranks. It is the same reason he is allying with the giants and all sorts of beings."
"I see. We'll just have to trust in Gabriel's ability to deal with this situation with the help of the Order members we sent to America. We really must concentrate on the matters at hand here in England." Dumbledore replied.
"Something big happened last night. Malfoy and Bellatrix were to head up a kidnapping at the gala that Remus, Tonks, and Charlie attended." Snape informed them.
"When did Malfoy get out of prison?" Bill asked.
"Unfortunately, he got out a few days ago. He and about three other Death Eaters managed to escape with the aid of a few dementors." Moody answered.
"Back to the American issue, it was unsuccessful and Luther was not pleased at all. There is talk that he may terminate the alliance." Snape continued.
"We can only hope for such a possibility. Now we must concentrate on the activities here revolving around the recent break out."
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
"What I want to know is if there is a way to make Luther give up on Cassiopeia." Sirius voiced his concern.
"I don't know all the rules to werewolf society seeing as I'm apparently a rogue, but I too imagine there must be some sort of rules regarding the topic of mates." Remus joined in.
Gabriel once again shifted uncomfortably in his chair. The wolf in the snow was no longer very interesting. He met the gazes of Remus and Sirius. Then he looked at his daughter who was no longer sitting in Sirius' lap much to the wizard's disappointment. Apparently after she regained her wits she felt foolish clinging to her former dog.
Once Cassiopeia's mind had cleared she had distanced herself from Sirius. She sat in the chair beside his but had scrambled out of grasp embarrassed by her behavior. She was stunned by his appearance because he was everything she had ever hoped to see in a guy, but then she felt extremely guilty for clinging to him. She may have been physically attracted to him, but it was horrible of her to let her desires affect her so, especially in the presence of Remus. Remus had become such an important factor in her life that she did not to risk upsetting him.
"There is one thing that even a werewolf as power-mad as Luther must honor. It is the Challenge of Wills."
The other werewolves that had joined the wizard ensemble lost the color in their faces. The wizards noticed the reaction and each became a bit anxious.
"What is this Challenge of Wills?" Charlie ventured.
"It is where one male challenges another for the right to claim a female. Since Luther has claimed Cassiopeia someone would have to challenge him."
"That doesn't sound so bad. You know a challenge is always good for you. Why this one time in a Quidditch game I thought that ---"Oliver began but was interrupted by Remus.
Remus had noticed the somber looks upon the werewolves faces had only intensified. "Exactly what kind of challenge is this?"
"It is a dual to the death." One of the werewolves who sat to the side of Gabriel answered.
"What happens if our challenger wins?" Tonks asked.
"Then he has the unquestionable claim to my daughter and the spoils of whatever Luther owns. This includes leadership of the other wolf tribe."
"What happens if Luther wins?" Cassi asked timidly.
"You don't have to worry about that because I will NOT lose." Sirius declared.
Gabriel was not surprised by this proclamation. He could smell the desire of Sirius to protect his daughter clearly. However he was concerned. 'Could a dog defeat a wolf?' For in the Challenge of Wills one must compete in the form of their canine alter ego. The challenge also must take place on the night of a full moon.
"I need to prepare you then for our time is short. The challenge must transpire on the night of the full moon. You have less than two days before the next full moon. I do not think we can wait until the next cycle." Gabriel informed his daughter's former guard dog.
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TBC