A/N: Hey guys, thank you again for all of your patience. Me and my co-author have been busy with some other things, but without any delay, here is the second chapter. Also, we would like to acknowledge that some of the things we will write will be inspired by Harry Potter and the Daft Morons and Harry Crow and many others. Please, leave us a review and tell us what you think.
Chapter 2: History Lessons
Scar Vulpus was many things, however, he was never good with interacting with kids. His father and mother never had what you might call a happy relationship. They often cheated on each other and he and his brother-
Scar shook his head, to remove himself from his thoughts of his brother. He was dead to him, the boy he knew was gone, lost to the darkness that now threatens this young man staring at him. Oh, Scar knew who this boy was. He was close friends with his mother and father, they were all part of the same group, the secret society that Scar, Wolf, and many others have pledged their lives to, the Pack.
"Who are you? Why are you following me?" came the uneasy question from the raven haired boy's mouth.
Scar smiled. "As I said before, my name is Lord Scarious Vulpus, lord of Most Noble and Most Revered House of Vulpus, Master Guardian and Warlord of the Pack, Lord of the Light, Ruler of Caste Vulpus, master.."
"Oh, just ignore him," Wolf said, rolling her eyes.
Scar glared at her, then gestured in her direction. "This is Wolf, she..."
"She can speak for herself," Wolf interrupted with a faint sniff. "I am Enya Nox of the Royal and Divine House of Romulus. I hail from Rome, Italy. I am also known as Master Guardian Wolf, Lady of the Light." At this Harry nodded slowly, not really understanding the titles.
"We are part of an international and interdimensional peacekeeping organization called the Pack. We are made up of both wizards, mundanes, and other magical creatures," Scar continued, not letting Wolf's interruption slow him down.
Harry's eyes widened. "Like S.H.I.E.L.D. or the Avengers or the Justice League or the MI6 and James Bond?" remembering what he heard from Dudley's tv shows or comics.
"Something like that," Scar answered, nodding to Wolf so she could take over explaining the Pack. She did it better than him anyway.
"As Scar said, the Pack is an international and interdimensional peacekeeping organization that accepts humans, both magical and mundane, and other magical creatures," Wolf reiterated. "It's history is very long, but the general concept was it was formed by the various Gods of the world whose followers united to stop a Great Evil." She paused. "The Pack was originally made up of separate independent cells based on religion, culture, and location, however, as time went on, the various cells started to come together in the shared goal of protecting both the magical and mundane world."
"At the top, is the Omega. The Omega is our leader. Underneath the Omega, is the Sigma. The Sigma is the Omega's second-in-command, successor, and advisor. From there, the hierarchy splits into three; Master Guardians and those under them, Justiciars and those under them, and the Council of Elders and those under them.
"Master Guardians are the Pack's most powerful operatives in either magical or non-magical combat. There can only be three Master Guardians at any given time, who act as the leaders of the other Guardians, Hellhounds, and Hounds. They are regarded as the best of the best and have unlimited authority in the Pack with only the Omega and the Sigma their only superiors. Scar and I are two of the three only Master Guardians, and of thirteen total Guardians, alive."
"What happened to the others?" Harry asked.
"We will explain in a bit," Scar responded to the young wizard's question.
"Hellhounds are bodyguards for high ranking leaders," Wolf continued after a beat. "They also act as bailiffs during trials, protect high risk targets, defend important Pack locations, guard the more dangerous prisoners of the Pack, investigate signs of dark magic, and assassinate or capture powerful dark wizards or witches, magical creatures, non-magical criminals, and demons. Hounds are middle-ranking operatives who do much the same thing as Hellhounds with the added bonus of being investigators to make sure all Pack members are remaining true to the Oaths of the Pack.
"Any questions so far?"
Harry shook his head. Maybe later, when his mind wasn't being overloaded with information, though it also appeared that Wolf wasn't done imparting said information.
"Justiciars are seven beings who judge those that commit crimes the pack cannot ignore," Wolf continued on, "and they are responsible for upholding the Laws and Codes of the Pack. Under them are Master Wardens. They are in charge of three prisons located in the center of Antarctica and the various storage warehouses we keep in Greenland and the Arctic Circle. Under the Master Wardens are regular Wardens who are more akin to prison guards.
"The Council of Elders acts as the Pack's legislative branch. Their members are often the leaders of both the magical and mundane world's different countries with the Secretary-General of the U.N. and the Supreme Mugwump of the ICW holding memberships. Aside from the leaders of different countries, many magical creatures who hold titles of authority are included. Leaders of species such as Centaurs, Goblins, Elves, Vampires, one tribe of Dementors, and Werewolves all hold membership in the Council of Elders."
Harry felt a shudder roll down his spine at the mention of dementors. Wolf nodded sympathetically.
"We are not big fans either," Scar commented then, watching both whilst keeping an eye on the still sleeping form of Dudley. "However, they are useful to some of our operations."
"Moving on," Wolf said. "Under the Council of Elders are Alphas, Betas, and Gammas. Alphas are the Pack leaders of this world. There are seven and they rule North America and the Caribbean, Central and South America, Europe, Asia, Africa, Australia and Oceania, and the Preserve."
"The Preserve?" Harry asked, unfamiliar with the term.
"That is where all the magical creatures live," Scar answered.
"Betas are the country leaders," Wolf continued. "Meaning, they are in charge of their respective countries under their continental Alpha. Gammas are sector leaders under their respective Betas. How many sectors there are varies with the size of the country. Some countries are just huge whilst others are really small. Initiates are new and very low-ranking operatives from both the magical and mundane worlds. They can also be poached to join any of the branches within the Pack."
Harry's eyes once again widened due to the intense amount of information.
"Oh, that is just our peacekeeping ranks, our military ranks are more easily explained," Wolf chuckled.
Harry sighed.
"I know kid, let me explain the military and then you can ask us questions," Wolf said. "The Master of War is a title given to the man, or woman, who is in charge of the Pack's military forces. They also hold a seat on the Council of Elders and are of equal rank to a Master Guardian. The current Master of War is Beathaine Keita. You would like her, she is kind, but brutal in battle, and she was close with your mum and dad"
She paused to let Harry absorb the information. When he nodded, she continued.
"Warlords are the highest ranking commanders in the Pack military," she said. "They share similar powers to that of Alphas. Scar was one of the Warlords before he became a Guardian. Commanders are the second highest rank in the Military. They act as the second-in-command of the Warlords and act as senior agents for the Alphas and other higher ranking Pack leaders. They control two divisions of four battalions. Admirals are in charge of the various fleets of ships, airplanes, dragon flights, gryphon flights, etc. Captains are senior agents in both the Pack's military and peacekeeping operations. They are often placed in charge of middle level pack operations and are of equal rank to Hellhounds. They lead a battalion of five platoons. Lieutenants control small-level pack peacekeeping and military operations and are of equal rank to Hounds. They lead a platoon of six squads. Sergeants are in charge of Pack squads in both its military and peacekeeping operations. Squads are made up of nine men.
"So, any questions?"
"What were my mum and dad? You said they were members of the Pack. Was Sirius also a member?" Harry questioned.
"Your mum and dad were part of my Hellhound detail," Scar spoke up then. "They were pretty powerful and reliable members. Sirius, as well as Remus, were approached, but they never joined. Dumbledore is also a member."
"What is Dumbledore's rank?" Harry asked.
Both Scar's and Wolf's eyes narrowed at Dumbledore's name.
"We are not big fans of Albus, we respect his powers and his heart, but there are things about him we don't like. However, he is a member of the Pack as one of the Council of Elders. Right now, he is trying to rise higher in the Pack," Scar explained.
"Why were those Dementors after me?" Harry asked, changing the subject from the ranking system of the Pack.
Scar and Wolf shared a look, wondering if it would be a good thing to tell him the truth. Whatever decision was made, made Scar shrug.
"The normal dementors were sent by a very unpleasant and stupid little pink toad named Dolores Umbridge, the undersecretary to the British Minister of Magic," she said, "or as I like to call her, the Umbitch." Scar snorted under his breath, in an attempt to hide a laugh, and Wolf just grinned wolfishly at him.
"The Alpha Dementor," Scar began, "was sent by the Great Evil, who goes by many names that are echoed throughout history and mythology. He is the foe of life, light, family, honor, love, and compassion. He does not serve evil; he is evil incarnate! His more polite names, or the names that people use because they are scared of him are; the Dark King, the Creator of Evil, the Lord of Nightmares, the One in the Void, the Embodiment of Darkness, the Enemy, the Adversary, Typhon, Ibis, Satan, Chernobog, Aphoisis or Apep, the Corruptor, the Eater of Light, the Slayer of Deities, the Destroyer of Worlds, the Serpent, the Darkest One, the Father of Monsters and Demons, the Endless One, the Dreaded One, the one who sits upon the Dark Throne, the Evil One, the Lord of the Dark Realms, and the God of the Cabal, his twisted and dark version of the Pack. He is unstoppable in magic and cunning with only the Omega to match and oppose him."
"What is his real name?" Harry demanded, not sure if he wanted to know.
"Even Scar and I fear his name," Wolf spoke, "but I will speak it; Null. That is his name and if he comes, not just our world, but every world will fall into the Void, the reality of Darkness and Emptiness, for that is the home of Null."
Harry couldn't stop the shudder at that name. Null! It was scarier than Voldemort. It whispered of powers that not even the Dark Lord could match. He noticed how even though Scar and Wolf looked uncomfortable at the name, they were not shivering at it.
"W-w-w-why is Null after me?" Harry asked, fear and worry in his voice.
Then it was Scar who answered; "Because, you are one of thirteen people, along with us, destined to stop the Darkest One."