Disclaimer: This story is based on characters created and owned by JK Rowling, various publishers including but not limited to Bloomsbury Books, Scholastic Books and Raincoat Books, and Warner Bros., Inc. No money is being made and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended.
AN:
Thanks to all reviewers! I'm so happy that you're enjoying the fic so far. And I'm very sorry but I've had a couple of very busy days and I didn't get around to replying reviews, as I had promised to do. But I will as soon as I can catch my breath!
And this is once more a long chapter, filled with info, to give more depth to characters and all that jazz. And the action part will come next!
Oh, and please do tell who you think Albus' nephew and descendant are! I'm certainly highly interested in knowing if some of you hits the nail. *winks*
No one mentioned it, but perhaps some of you noticed that I changed some 'solid facts' concerning Albus and Gellert's story from what was written in canon in the seventh book, in Skeeter's article about Dumbledore's life. I did this on purpose, since I wouldn't think that Rita Skeeter would have written all the facts down correctly. Some differences are, that in my version, Gellert met Albus through Elphias Doge instead of being directly introduced by his great-aunt Bathilda Bagshot. Another is that Gellert wasn't expelled from Durmstrang but that he decided to leave in order to pursue his quest for the Hallows and to start forming his army of followers, and that he stayed in Godric's Hollow for one month –not two- and that he left after Ariana's burial, and not right after she had died, which was what Skeeter wrote. Obviously the whole Ariana-gang-rape thing and the reason for which Dumbledore Sr. was carted off to Azkaban is my version of the story, since it would make a lot of sense.
Oh, and as like some reviewers mentioned, I did want to show Dumbledore in another light. Meaning, that I wanted him to be understood. I have never believed in evil!Dumbledore. In canon, after reading the seventh book, I disliked Dumbledore immensely. But I think that the man can be understood, and it gives him more depth. All in all, I don't consider him evil or ill-intentioned, though he is slyly manipulative. But the man has his reasons and he believes himself to be right in his actions. And as in any confrontation, both sides have motives which can be understood. Whether we agree with those motives is another thing. And, well, in my opinion, an evil!Dumbledore simply doesn't make sense, since it's too out of character and unrealistically extreme. In my fic, there's no good and evil, but shades of gray, since I think that's how the world is.
Ah, and for those who were curious:
PRIME stands for 'Preponderous Ridiculously Impossible Magical Examinations'.
And they are the NEWTs counterpart at Durmstrang. Just like Durmstrang's WITs –'Wizarding Intermediate Tests'- were like Hogwarts' OWLs.
Enjoy and make my day with reviews! *smiles encouragingly*
Chapter 18
With their second serving of their respective drinks in hand, Grindelwald and Orion sat across from each other.
The old German wizard took a short sip from his tumbler, before he gazed at Orion with his hawk-like eyes, and said, "Albus' specialties and magical fortes are Transfiguration, Charms and Potions. And he will use his skills, particularly in the first two, in a duel." He stared at Orion pointedly. "For instance, can you give me an example of how he has used them in the past?"
Orion frowned pensively. "Well, I've only directly seen him in action during the Department of Mysteries Battle, when he dueled Voldemort. But then, he used what you have taught me to do: to duel with wandless and nonverbal magic, simultaneously with casting spells with a wand. But…" He gazed up at Grindelwald. "But I think I know what you're referring to. At the Atrium of the Ministry of Magic, Dumbledore spelled the statues of the Magical Brethren. So he used Transfiguration and Charms to do that, right?"
"Almost, but not quite," replied Grindelwald, his lips quirking upwards. "You told me, some time ago, that the statues came alive and jumped between you and the fight going on between Albus and Voldemort. So tell me, mein junge, could you have done what he did to those statues?"
"I…" Orion frowned deeply, rubbed his forehead, and finally muttered, "Well, actually… no. I haven't read about any spells which would allow me to do that. But I guess that I could use Transfiguration-"
"Nein, you couldn't," interjected Grindelwald impassively, "because he didn't use Transfiguration at all, but something else." He shot Orion a crooked smirk. "You see, after Ariana's death, Albus went back to Hogwarts to pursue two apprenticeships in order to become a Master in Transfiguration and Charms. In that advanced and joint apprenticeship, Albus learned Transanimation. And this is what he used to control those golden statues. Do you know what Transanimation is?"
"Not really," replied Orion pensively. "I've come across the term in some books, but the only thing I could gather was that one had to be very knowledgeable and skilled in Transfiguration to be able to use it. So Transanimation must be an advanced branch of Transfiguration, right?"
"Precisely," said Grindelwald placidly, "and very few have the skill and magical prowess required to be able to master Transanimation. But let me explain to you how it works. For example, what happens when you transfigure a knut coin into a chicken?"
"The knut will take the appearance of a chicken and outwardly behave as one," replied Orion easily, "but it will not truly be a chicken. If you dissected it, its insides will be exactly like the insides of a chicken. And you could eat it, I suppose. But it will not be able, for example, to lay eggs. And if placed among other chickens, the animals would instinctually sense that it wasn't one of them. Also, the transfigured chicken will revert back to being a knut eventually. The duration of the transfiguration depends on the power of the wizard who casted the spell. And it's temporary since no object can be turned into a living being for too long. At the most, if the wizard who casts the spell is very powerful, the chicken will last for a month, before turning back into a knut."
"Correct," said Grindelwald, "that's why wizards can't simply become rich by transfiguring anything they like into galleons. Though many have tried and felt the full brunt of Gringotts' goblin rage." He toothily grinned. "The limitations of Transfiguration are the reason why, also, wizards won't transfigure objects into food. Because at some point the transfigured food would revert to its original state. And imagine if you had transfigured a knut into a chicken, then eaten the chicken, and in the middle of your digestion it turns back into a knut. You'd be bedridden for a month, with terrible stomach aches, and would probably need to floocall a healer so that the knut could be extracted from your digestive system." He shot him a wide smirk. "All in all, not a wise idea. But Transanimation is entirely a different matter."
Grindelwald raised his tumbler of scotch and gazed at the golden liquid sparkling with the light of the nearby lit fireplace, as he continued musingly, "Transanimation is quite astounding and remarkable. A wizard who masters it, like Albus, can use it to animate any object, and transfigure it as well. A transanimated object will eventually revert to its inanimate state. But whilst the spell lasts, the wizard holds the object in his power, conferring to it not only mobility but also some measure of artificial awareness." He side-glanced at Orion, and said pointedly, "This is what Albus did to those statues. He animated them and also directed their actions, with his thoughts alone. He could have also turned them, let's say, into dragons and made them obey his thoughts. And here lies the main difference between Transfiguration and Transanimation. If Albus had transfigured those statues into dragons –which would have been quite a feat in itself- they would have outwardly acted like dragons, wild and uncontrolled, as they are by nature. On the other hand, if he had transanimated the statues, animating them and turning them into dragons, then those dragons would have been in his direct control, following his thought and acting as he ordered. So you can imagine the span of possibilities that opens up for someone who can use Transanimation. And I must warn you that, when dueling, Albus uses this amazing skill of his. He'll use anything at his disposal, everything around him, and transanimate it in order to attack his opponent or defend himself. This ability of Albus' is what you have to be most concerned about."
Orion had been staring at him with wide eyes, taking it all in, and he finally demanded crisply, "And you've waited all this long to tell be about this?!" He worriedly carded his fingers through his hair. "I had little idea about Transanimation and I certainly didn't know that you could turn things into dragons and command them! For Merlin's staff, how am I supposed to duel with Albus whilst fighting against a bunch of dragons?!"
"Well, you wanted a challenging duel, didn't you?" said Grindelwald nonchalantly, before he let out a crow of amused chortles. "Albus will certainly give it to you, mein junge!"
"And you find this funny?" snapped Orion, glaring at the guffawing wizard. "Again, why didn't you tell me about this before, Gellert?"
"Don't blame me, mein junge," said Grindelwald, amidst crowing chuckles. "Blame yourself. If you came across the term of 'Transanimation', why didn't you research it to fully know what it was about? Moreover, why didn't you study the subject yourself?"
Orion darkly scowled, and bit out, "Because as much as I always find magical subjects which highly interest me, I don't have the bloody time to pursue everything that catches my attention! Must I relate to you how busy I've been during all these years? It isn't as if I have merely been going to classes like any other student my age. There was always something I had to do, always something that kept me busy, Gellert!"
"That's no excuse," interjected Grindewald sternly, piercing him with a pointed stare. "You cannot sit on your laurels and believe that you know everything you need. A wizard must never stop studying, mein junge. One has to constantly broaden his magical abilities. Even I, at present, know and master a mere quarter of all magical skills and subjects. Beside, I'm telling you about it now, aren't I? So you'll have to keep Albus' transanimation skill in mind and prepare yourself accordingly for your duel against him."
Orion shot him glare, and said miffed, "Fine, I will." He stared at him speculatively. "Do you master Transanimation, Gellert? Because you could teach me-"
"Don't even try to delay your duty of killing me by saying that there's something more I need to teach you," interrupted Grindewald sharply. Then, he waved a hand dismissively. "And I never learnt it, mein junge. I was much too busy becoming a Dark Lord and waging a war in several fronts in both the muggle and wizarding world."
"You were too busy to learn Transanimation?" said Orion crisply. "You had over a hundred years of existence and never studied it, and you dare say that I've been lazing around just because I haven't become a Master in Transanimation?! I'm just sixteen, Gellert! There's a limit to how much I can do-"
"Age isn't an excuse, nor is lack of time," interrupted Grindewald sternly, leveling Orion with a hard gleam in his hazel eyes. "If you organize yourself efficiently you'll find that you would have time to spare to pursue many interests. Furthermore, you cannot compare yourself to me." He pierced him with his eyes, and said curtly, "You have much more potential than I did. Thus, you must demand of yourself much more. You have to constantly push yourself further, mein junge. Obviously, much beyond whatever I've done and accomplished."
"How long would it take me to learn Transanimation?" grumbled Orion.
Grindelwald tapped a finger against his chin pensively. "Hmm, you have to be very advanced in Transfiguration and Charms, well beyond PRIME level… So I would say two years."
"Two years?!" spluttered Orion, before he rebelliously crossed his arms over his chest. "Well, forget it, old man! I have enough on my plate. As I said, I have my limits. Sure, someday, if I find that I have nothing better to do, then I would like to learn it. But certainly not now!"
"As you like," said Grindelwald impassively. "I simply pointed out that there's much you don't know. And I merely want you to be aware of Albus' less known skills. On that note, he's also a superb Legilimens. And he constantly uses this ability in battle to know what his opponent's next move and spell will be, and thus, counteract swiftly and beforehand. But you already knew about this and you have nothing to worry about in that regard. Your mind is well protect by your own dark magic, and it can only be legilimized if you purposely allow someone to do so. But what you surely don't know is that Albus is also an Alchemist."
"I know that," said Orion, calming down and placidly stretching his legs. "It says so in the Chocolate Frog Dumbledore-card."
Grindelwald crookedly smirked at him. "But do you know exactly what an Alchemist can do?"
"I know what Alchemy is, in theory," replied Orion, eyeing him wearily. "It's the study and manipulation of non-magical and magical elements, in order to transmutate them into other states. It's linked with other areas of knowledge, like Transfiguration and Potions. And I know that Dumbledore discovered the twelve uses of dragon's blood. But that's it. I've never seen a book about Alchemy. It's briefly mentioned in some textbooks in Hogwarts and Durmstrang libraries, but there isn't a book which goes into it in depth."
"Ja," said Grindelwald, his smirk widening, "Alchemist like to keep their secrets." He swiftly stood up, with tumbler in hand, and propped an elbow on the fireplace's mantelpiece, as he relaxedly crossed his ankles in a casual and elegant pose. "There's something you must understand. Wizards keep their existence hidden from muggles, but they also like to keep their secrets within the wizarding world. It's impossible to fathom just how many secret societies exist in our magical world." He gazed down at Orion, piercing him with his hawk-like eyes. "For instance, wizards are mostly ignorant about vampires, werewolves, and veela, to name a few. These half-breeds and creatures live secluded from wizarding communities. And only by being one of them would someone ever fully know about all their skills, customs, beliefs, and social dynamics. Furthermore, this secretiveness in the magical world doesn't only apply to creatures. The Necromancers Guild you told me about is a good example. I didn't know it existed before you revealed it to me. And they certainly aren't the only group of wizards who have created their own little secret society. Moreover, this happens in both Dark and Light sides. You are vastly knowledgeable about the Dark sphere of our wizarding world, but you're ghastly ignorant about the Light one. Light wizards also have secrets which dark wizards know nothing about."
He took a small sip from his scotch, and smirked at him. "Alchemy is one of them. And with it, one could transmutate copper into steel, metal into wood, glass into rock, rock into gem, and so on. And unlike transfiguration, the transmutation is a stable and permanent change of any earthly element. Furthermore, to be able to transmutate, you have to carry this ability in your blood. And just like Necromancy in a trait only carried in dark blood, Alchemy is a trait only carried in light blood. Only light wizards can become Alchemists, and they must have this ability in their blood, passed down through generations. Obviously, it's not a common blood-trait. Those who become Alchemists are very few and they are powerful. Moreover, Alchemist have their own secret group. That's why you'll never find a textbook which reveals in depth just what Alchemy is and what Alchemists can do. The Covenant of Alchemists made sure of that."
Orion gaped at him, before he clamped shut his mouth, and said disbelievingly, "Are you telling me that there's a Guild-like society formed by Alchemist, and that they call themselves the 'Covenant of Alchemists'?"
"Ja, that's precisely what I'm telling you, mein junge," said Grindelwald, his lips quirking into an amused smirk. "But don't ask me about them. As I said, they like to keep their secrets, and I'm a dark wizard so it's obvious that I could never approach them." His smirk widened, and his hazel eyes glinted mischievously. "Oh, I did try. I was particularly interested in something their Founder had managed to create. And such Founder was, coincidentally, a good friend of Albus'. Albus himself is a member of the Covenant and he worked briefly alongside their Founder." He arched an eyebrow and gazed pointedly at him. "Does the name of the Founder of the Convenant, Nicolas Flamel, ring a bell?"
"Er…" Orion deeply frowned in concentration. It did sound familiar, but he couldn't quite recall-
Abruptly, his eyes snapped up to Grindelwald, and he gasped out, "Yes! I remember reading about him during my first year at Durmstrang. But it was later during that year that I understood what was going on at Hogwarts." He leaned forward, and continued eagerly, "Remember what I told you a while ago? Draco was there when his Defense Against the Dark Arts professor came running into Hogwarts' Great Hall, saying that a Troll had entered the school and then fainting. And Draco noticed how all the students and professors left the Great Hall, leaving Quirell behind. And I thought that the whole Troll-thing was very suspicious. I actually told Draco that Quirell must have been behind it, since the wizard was the new professor in staff. And I was right!" He beamed a smile. "I had my first vision of Voldemort that year, and it was then that I discovered that Voldemort was still somehow alive. Of course that I didn't know exactly that he was a bodiless soul, and I certainly didn't know why I had the vision –because I'm a horcrux- or that Tom was Voldemort, but I realized through the vision that Voldemort was alive and somehow possessing Quirell. And I saw Dumbledore arriving where the Mirror of Erised was, and Voldemort demanded that he'd be given the Sorcerer's Stone, because he wanted to produce with it the Elixir of Life. And in textbooks, it's mentioned that Nicolas Flamel is a known Alchemist and the latest one to have created the Sorcerer's Stone."
"And do you know what happened afterwards?" said Grindelwald, smirking at him.
Orion slightly frowned. "Well, no. I mean, Voldemort made Quirell duel with Dumbledore, but Quirell lost and Dumbledore casted some spell on him, and then I simply felt pain… A lot of pain, it was horrible… and then Lezander woke me up. Afterwards, I understood that the pain I felt was what Voldemort's soul felt when Quirell died and he was forced to leave the wizard's body." He gazed up at Grindelwald, and bit his lip uncertainly. "But if you're asking me about what happened to the Sorcerer's Stone, then I must tell you that I haven't the faintest idea."
"I do," interjected Grindelwald, toothily grinning. "See, this is why I asked you to tell me all about your life. Because the moment you told me about this, I related it to the Spirits, since the Sorcerer's Stone is something of great importance. With it, a non-Alchemist can turn anything into gold and also produce the Elixir of Life, which grants immortality as long as you drink it. And the Spirits hadn't been aware that Albus had been keeping the Stone at Hogwarts, because the Aux Atrum in the school hadn't found out about that. Apparently, Albus hadn't told his staff, with the exception of a very few. But the important matter is that Albus convinced Flamel to destroy the Sorcerer's Stone. And it was destroyed, just a few months after that incident. Therefore, there aren't any more Sorcerer's Stones left, unless the Convenant decides to produce one – which isn't like, at least not in the near future."
"But how do you know that Flamel really destroyed the Stone?" asked Orion with curiosity.
Grindelwald tapped his forehead with a finger, smirking. "Because the Spirits always keep me well informed - they owe it to me. A couple of months ago, after I told them what you had seen through your first horcrux-vision, they sent an Aux Atrum to discover what had happened to the Stone. And this Aux found out, two months ago, that the Flamels had recently died. Therefore, it was logical to conclude that, five years ago, Albus convinced Nicolas to destroy the Stone, and that Nicolas did so, after arranging his businesses. He and his French wife were over six hundred years old when they died two months ago."
"Okay," said Orion pensively, "but why is this important? I mean, it's good to know that there isn't any Sorcerer's Stone lying around, and that if someday I wanted one I could coerce it from the Covenant. But, frankly, I don't think I would ever want a Sorcerer's Stone. Immortality doesn't appeal to me."
"Someday you might change your mind, mein junge," interjected Grindewald, taking a long sip from his tumbler.
Orion scrunched his nose. "I doubt it. I will live well beyond the two centuries of a wizard's average lifespan. Given that I have Lezander's blood in me, I'll probably live for about five hundred years. That's a lot, and it will surely become tedious in the end. No, immortality is certainly something I don't want." He gazed up at him, frowning slightly, as he said, "But we were talking about Dumbledore's skills. So, alright, he's an Alchemist. But I don't see how he could use this ability in a duel or battle."
"I don't think he would use it," said Grindelwald impassively. "In a duel, he could only use Alchemy to transmutate something permanently and use it against you. But it's quite pointless to change something permanently when it's only going to be used for battle. He can change something much easily with Transfiguration and Transanimation. Therefore, those are more practical in a duel, instead of using Alchemy. But anything you know about Albus is useful, so keep his Alchemical skills in mind." He pierced Orion with his eyes, and added sternly, "And above all, remember about the Covenant of Alchemists. Because like them, I'm sure there are many more groups of power conformed by light wizards."
He leaned away from the fireplace, and sat back down on his couch, spreading himself comfortably, before he intently bore his eyes into Orion's. "Once you become the Vindico, and openly show your abilities and what you have become, you'll encounter a lot of opposition. It will be then that you'll discover just how intricate our magical world is, and just how much depth and how many secrets the Light side has. I have no doubt that those secret Light societies composed by powerful light wizards -with some specific magical ability or other, and certainly with their own agenda- will reveal themselves to you. To fight you, mein junge. Don't even think, for a second, that everything will be easy once you become the Vindico. Nein, it won't. Indeed, it will be much harder for you because everyone will know how powerful you are, and that you're the Dark's champion. Thus, for the first time in your life, you will be confronted by the whole light wizarding kind. So far, you only had to be concerned about surviving in the Dark side, and making your way up. But you have been never opposed by a united front of light wizards." He leveled Orion with a grave stare. "Once you become the Vindico, matters will become much worse for you, before they get better."
"I see," said Orion quietly. He gazed up at Grindelwald, and solemnly nodded. "I understand. I'll be prepared."
"Gut," said Grindewald with satisfaction, his voice carrying a hint of pride.
Orion shot him a smile and took a long sip of his firewhiskey. But just as the bronze liquid warmly trickled down his throat, he felt a sudden highly unpleasant twist in his stomach.
And he immediately set the tumbler down on the low table, and grasped his midriff with an arm, groaning, "Argh. I shouldn't have drunk anything."
"You're drunk after only drinking two half-filled tumblers?" said Grindelwald, arching an eyebrow.
"I'm not drunk – Uff!"
Orion grimaced and doubled over, feeling his mind swamping with dizziness and his stomach twisting and clenching, swirling with nausea.
Grindewald frowned at him, leaning forward on his couch. "Your face is getting green. Are you alright, mein junge?"
"M'fine," breathed out Orion with difficultly, glancing up at him. "It's just that bloody potions of yours… You know that I'm taking it daily, and it's killing me."
"What symptoms do you feel?" asked Grindelwald, observing him while his frown deepened.
"What you told me I would," replied Orion slowly, still doubled over his stomach and clenching his arm around it. "Dizziness, nausea, exhaustion… and my muscles ache, and I'm constantly tired, my stomach is frequently unsettled, and I can't eat without taking chamomile tea or all the food would just come up again."
Grindelwald spread a hand forward, and suddenly Orion felt the muscles around his stomach relaxing, and the dizziness and nausea instantly mellowing away. Letting out a heavy exhalation of breath, he slumped back on his couch, wiping a hand over his forehead. "Oh, thanks for that, Gellert. What wandless spell did you use-?"
"Have you considered the possibility," interrupted Grindewald, eyeing him closely, "that you might be pregnant, mein junge?"
Orion's head shot up, and he choked out, "WHAT?!"
"That you might be pregnant, Orion," repeated Grindelwald sternly.
"Don't be ridiculous," snapped Orion briskly. "Do I look pregnant to you?" He swiftly pulled up his shirt, and glanced down to poke at his taut, leanly muscled and flat belly, then glanced up at him. "See? I can't be accused of being fat or pregn-"
Grindelwald rolled his eyes, and scoffed, "You actually don't know anything about pregnancies, do you?"
"Do I look like a bloody witch to you?" bit out Orion with annoyance. "Of course I don't know anything. I don't need to know anything because I'm not planning on getting pregnant! At least not for a couple of more years – decades, preferably."
"Mein Dunkelheit," said Grindelwald with a heavy sigh, before he pierced him with his eyes, and said sternly, "That you aren't showing doesn't mean that you aren't pregnant. During the first three months of pregnancy, witches' and wizards' bodies don't show it. If anything, they only have a small bulge, which can be imperceptible. Furthermore, they feel, during those months, all the symptoms you just told me. Granted, the potion you're taking also makes you to feel that way. But you shouldn't discard the possibility of being pregnant as well. And I must warn you that the potion you're taking can be fatal to your baby-"
"I'm not PREGNANT!" bellowed Orion in agitation. "It's simply not possible-"
"You don't know that," interrupted Grindelwald sharply, gazing at him with a hard glint in his eyes. "And if you've been feeling this badly, it should have crossed your mind-"
"Of course that the possibility fleetingly crossed my mind – I've been feeling like shit!" snapped Orion impatiently. "But I discarded the notion because I haven't taken the darned potion for male pregnancies!"
"That means nothing," said Grindelwald coolly, leveling him with a stern gaze. "Voldemort could have slipped it to you. I told you before that I thought that Voldemort might resort to that-"
"He wouldn't do that," interjected Orion in a steely tone of voice, "because he knows how much I oppose having a baby during war times, and because he knows that I'm not prepared - that I have my own ambitions and goals to accomplish, and that I don't want it. He would be blatantly disregarding my will and wishes in a very serious issue, and he knows I wouldn't forgive him - ever. Furthermore, I know that he hasn't slipped me the potion because I would have instantly felt agonizing pain, Gellert!"
"But your dear Dark Lord is a very sly wizard, isn't he?"
Orion scowled at him. "He isn't my 'dear' anything. Not anymore – we broke up a month and a half ago. He's going to sever our marital magical bond someday soon. That's also why I don't think he slipped me the potion. If he wanted a baby with me he wouldn't have broken our relationship, would he?"
"You broke up a month and a half ago?" said Grindelwald, one eyebrow shooting upwards.
"Yes," replied Orion in clipped tones. "And don't ask for details. We split up but remain war allies, and that's all there is to it."
"I see," muttered Grindelwald pensively.
Orion arched an eyebrow, and demanded briskly, "What – you don't rejoice? You're not going to tell me how much better off I am without him? Or that now, without any personal attachments, I should kill him without remorse in order to absorb his power?"
"That's what you expected me to say, mein junge?" said Grindelwald calmly. "Nein, I'm not going to tell you anything. Because what to do with him is your choice, a personal one. And I'm not going to influence your decision. You know what you want to become, and the things you have planned to do to accomplish it. You don't need my opinion or direction in this regard. Become the Vindico in your own terms, mein junge. Without listening to anyone else."
Orion silently gazed at him, before he mutely nodded.
"However," interjected Grindelwald, with a frown on his face, "that you're no longer having a relationship with Voldemort, and that you didn't see him slipping you a potion or that you didn't feel pain, doesn't mean that he hasn't done it." He pierced Orion with his eyes, and said gravely, "Voldemort is, admittedly, one of the smartest, and most devious and sly persons I've ever met or heard about. He could have perfectly well made you drink the potion and easily obliviated you. Because there's one thing for sure, he won't relinquish his hold on you – spouses or not."
"He wouldn't," said Orion uncertainly, a deep, dark frown marring his forehead. His eyes snapped up to Grindelwald, and he added firmly, "He wouldn't do that because he knows I wouldn't forgive him and that I would become his enemy-"
"That wouldn't matter to him," interrupted Grindelwald curtly. "I'm sure he would think he could mollify you or gain you back in some way." He narrowed his eyes at him, and said sharply, "And you're being too stupidly stubborn about this, mein junge. You should have already checked if you're pregnant or not. And I think you haven't because you're scared to discover that it might be true. Because you don't want to have a valid and personal reason to confront him, or to want him dead."
"I'm not scared of anything," interjected Orion crisply. "I simply don't see how he could have done it without me finding out-"
"By obliviating you!" spat Grindelwald angrily.
"And then what?" bit out Orion, glowering at him. "Then, after some months, I would know that I was pregnant! And how would he explain that to me, Gellert? Furthermore, if I was already pregnant I would sense it somehow, wouldn't I? I would sense the baby's magical core developing inside me."
Abruptly, Grindelwald stood up with an aggravated sigh, stretched out hand, and demanded sternly, "Lend me your Phoenix wand, and let's discover once and for all if you're pregnant or not. I know a spell that will instantly tell us."
"Fine," said Orion shortly, scowling with irritation while he flicked his left wrist.
The Phoenix wand came shooting from underneath his sleeve, leaving its holster, and slapping into Orion's open left hand. He quickly handed it to the old wizard and leaned back on his couch, gazing at him with a worried and uneasy frown on his face, shifting uncomfortably.
Immediately, Grindelwald grasped the wand and pointed it at Orion's midriff. "Revelio impregnum!"
He was glowing blue… light blue… blue everywhere… Orion blinked while he gazed down at himself.
Then, he heard Grindelwald clicking his tongue, and he shot his head up and demanded agitatedly, "What does it mean?"
The old German wizard sat down on his couch, a deep frown on his face.
"Gellert, what does it mean?!" asked Orion frantically, not liking the man's silence.
"Blue means," said Grindelwald quietly, intently meeting his gaze, "that you aren't pregnant. And green would have meant that you are."
"Oh, thank Merlin, Circe, and all the Fates!" breathed out Orion, as he slumped back on his couch while his lips spread into a happy and beaming smile. "See, I told you-"
"Don't congratulate yourself so soon," interjected Grindelwald sternly. "Voldemort could have casted a spell on you so that your pregnancy couldn't be revealed by a spell."
Orion sprung up to his feet, feeling reenergized, and he cheerfully chuckled. "Rubbish, my dear friend, rubbish." He shot him a wide grin. "You're even more paranoid than I am, and that's saying something!"
"He could have even," continued Grindelwald, completely ignoring Orion's words, "created a modified and more complex male-pregnancy potion. He's very skilled in Potions, after all. Therefore, he could have created one with which you could become pregnant without visibly showing it up until the time that the baby was ready to be born."
"That's extremely farfetched, and it doesn't sound as if such potion could be created. I never heard of something like it. Not to mention that it would take even Severus several years to create it. And why are you insisting so much on this?" demanded Orion sourly. "Do you actually want me to be pregnant, for Merlin's sake?"
"Of course not," said Grindelwald sharply, narrowing his eyes at him. "It would be disastrous for you. It would make you postpone all your plans for several years. And you'd have to wait a long while before attempting to undergo the Vindico test, since I'm sure you wouldn't undergo it if you had to take care of a small child."
"I wouldn't," affirmed Orion nonchalantly, widely grinning. "But I don't have to worry about that, because I'm not pregnant!"
"I told you that Voldemort could have-"
"Oh, you can keep your conspiracy theories," said Orion cheerfully. "You casted the spell, it gave negative, so let's not continue trying to unravel plots where there aren't any."
"Well, I told you my suspicions, ignore them under your own risk," interjected Grindelwald curtly, handing over the Phoenix wand to Orion. "And keep in mind that Voldemort has a very good reason to want you to be pregnant with his child. Because now that you aren't in a relationship with him, he needs some other way to keep you tied to him."
Orion scoffed, utterly unconcerned, while he placed the wand inside the holster strapped on his left forearm. "But you forget that he's the one who broke it off with me. So why would he need to tie me down to him by making me pregnant, when he could have simply not told me that we weren't spouses anymore?"
"I'm sure he has his reasons," said Grindelwald dryly, glancing up at him. "Furthermore, when he said that he didn't want to be your spouse, you said nothing previously that might have given him the idea that you wanted to split up?"
"I said that I was tired of how things were going between us," replied Orion, slightly frowning at him. "And I was thinking of asking for a break… you know, like not seeing each other for a while, until matters settled."
"Ah, I see," said Grindelwald, smirking at him. "And hasn't it occurred to you that he broke it off between you before you did so? Someone like Voldemort wouldn't like to be dumped, would he? Even if it was just a 'break'. He would act beforehand so that he wouldn't lose face."
Orion waved a hand dismissively. "Well, that's of little consequence. He had his reasons –whatever they truly are- and I have mine. Plus, I'm quite satisfied with how things are proceeding for me. I'm certainly not complaining." He shot the old wizard a smile. "Now, are we done? Or do you have more Albus-info to give me?"
"Nein, that was all," said Grindelwald, comfortably spreading himself on his couch. "And I have nothing further to teach you. So you can stop coming here, since there will be no more training sessions." He crookedly smirked at him. "I'll merely spend the rest of my days in blissful idleness, drinking Kristakoff's excellent scotch and taking out the pegasi for a flight." Suddenly, he narrowed his eyes at Orion. "And since I'm an old man at the dawn of his days, I want some peace. So take your father someplace else, or he won't be alive the next time you drop in. There's so much that I can bear, and I honestly can't stand him."
Orion chuckled under his breath. "Alright, you'll have your days of solitude and quietness. I know where I can take Sirius."
Then, he paused uncertainly, before he crouched down on the floor, besides the old wizard's couch, to be eye-level with him. Locking his gaze with Grindelwald's, he said quietly, "This won't be the last time we see each other. I'll come back once school lets out, and then I'll take you to Durmstrang, as planned, before I kill you. But I want to thank you now for everything you've done for me, Gellert. You've been my mentor, but more importantly, my close friend and confidant. Indeed, no one knows about me as much as you do. I've never told anyone my whole life and all the secrets I keep. You're the only one who knows about everything. And no one knows me –my wishes, my ideals, my feelings, my ambitions, and even my thoughts- as you do. And I'm glad for it, because your support and help has been invaluable, and your friendship priceless. You will not be forgotten, Gellert."
"Thank you, mein junge," said Grindelwald, his lips quirking upwards into a small, twisted smile. Unexpectedly, he carded his fingers through Orion's hair, ruffling and messing it up, while he crowed a chuckle. "Ah, now I understand why your father likes to do this so much." He crookedly smirked. "I will not, however, call you my 'pup'." He dropped his hand away from Orion's hair, and said curtly, "Well, well, you can leave, mein junge. We'll see each other one last time for my grand and spectacular presentation at Durmstrang. Now, off you go."
Orion nodded, standing up. He gazed down at him one last time, observing him in silence, wanting to remember Grindelwald just as the wizard was now. Comfortably spread on a couch, with a tumbler of his favorite scotch poised in one hand, wearing rich and elegant robes over tight ridding breeches, one booted ankle propped casually on one knee, with wind-blown glossy blonde short curls peppered with gray, and with his lips curving upwards in that characteristical crooked smirk on his handsome face.
With a faint smile on his lips, he nodded again at Grindelwald, in farewell, before he turned around and left the room.
Orion rubbed his forehead and sighed, before he knocked on the closed doors of Potter Manor's master study.
"Sirius – Dad, it's me, open up."
Not a sound came from within, and Orion rested his forehead on one of the mahogany doors, as he said quietly, "I know you are there, brooding and depressed. Daisy told me. So let me come in. I have some news that will cheer you up."
Suddenly, muffled sounds came through the door, of a chair scratching the floor, of the brush of feet against carpets, and finally, a 'click' from the door-handle on the other side. And Orion leaned away his forehead from the door, just the instant it was opened ajar.
Sirius poked his head out, and his grey eyes immediately landed on Orion. "Iz you. You're 'ere."
"Um, yeah," said Orion, inspecting him closely with a frown.
His father looked terrible; unshaved, disheveled and untidy. With a beard of several days, messy and uncombed long black hair, red and puffy eyes, dark circles under them, and his robes wrinkled and in disarray.
"You're a mess," remarked Orion, before he arched an eyebrow. "Are you going to let me in?"
Sirius blearily eyed him, scratching his beard, before he nodded and opened the door wider, as he said slowly, "Yeah… come'n, pup."
Orion followed him inside, as the wizard unsteadily made his way towards a couple of couches. As his father inelegantly plopped down on one, Orion calmly sat across from him, his frown deepening when he saw a nearly empty bottle of firewhiskey on top of a low table.
"Waz'up, pup?" slurred Sirius, not meeting Orion's gaze and focusing on something in his hands.
"You're drunk," said Orion dryly.
Sirius' puffy eyes snapped up to unfocusedly gaze at him, and he adamantly shook his head, with an innocent expression on his face. "Me? Nah, pup."
Orion heavily sighed, before he whipped out his wand, pointed it at his father, and said shortly, "Soberitus!"
"Ugh," groaned Sirius, grasping his head with one hand and slumping back on his couch. He shot Orion a miffed glance. "I was enjoying the numbness in my head, pup. Could have let your old man be happily drunk for a while-"
"You were drunk but I certainly didn't see you happy," pointed out Orion calmly. He glanced at the thing that Sirius was tightly clutching, and asked with a soothing and soft voice, "What do you have there, Dad?"
"Oh, this?" said Sirius, opening his hand and gazing down with a sad and melancholic expression on his face. "It's a wizarding picture. It was taken just a week before we graduated."
Orion leaned forward, and finally saw a framed picture of a group of young wizards and a witch. He recognized them instantly: James Potter was beaming a smile, with one arm over his father's shoulder and another around his mother's waist, while Lily seemed to be laughing beautifully, and Sirius was lopsidedly grinning with one hand on top of Remus' head. The teenager Remus was waving a hand happily, alongside Peter Pettigrew.
"Where did you get this from?" asked Orion quietly.
Sirius glanced up at him, and said hesitantly, "Well, you said that you had told Dobby that you were going to bring me back to life, and that he could be my personal house-elf. So I tried, and called him. And he popped in. And since I can't leave this manor, I asked him to bring me some of the stuff I had in Black Manor…" He eyed him uneasily, and added hastily, "But if you're concerned about security, Dobby won't say anything about Potter Manor-"
"That's alright," said Orion quickly. "Don't worry."
Dear Merlin, was his father afraid that he was going to get scolded? Had he treated his father that harshly?
Orion sighed and leaned back on his couch, before he warmly smiled at the wizard. "It's fine. Dobby is now your house-elf, so you can ask him to do whatever you want. I'm not worried about him because I know he's loyal to me." He shook his head with amusement. "Though I don't know why."
"Because he likes you, pup," said Sirius, widely grinning at him. "Dobby thinks you're a good wizard. And to gain a house-elf's free-willed loyalty is quite significant. Like me, he knows that you aren't bad, even if you're a dark wizard."
Orion slightly frowned at him, but let it slide, as his father added with a cheerful and mischievous glint in his grey eyes, "I told Dobby that he could stay at Potter Manor, and I think that you'll discover that there's house-elf love in the air."
"Oh?" said Orion, quirking an eyebrow.
"Yup," said Sirius with a chuckle, looking quite satisfied with himself. "Dobby popped in just when Daisy brought me a drink, and the moment he saw her… Well, you should have seen it! He looked as if he had been struck by a beam of sunlight. With a dumb grin plastered on his face and his ears vibrating and flopping from one side to the other." He let out another amused chuckle, shaking his head. "Poor Dobby, because Daisy didn't even spare him a glance. You know how she is… hard-working, efficient, and quite bossy. Anyway, it's fun to see Dobby trailing after her with a goofy smile on his face, while she simply glares at him with irritation. But I bet my knickers that those two will get together!"
Orion inwardly groaned. House-elf romance, just what he needed.
"You don't mind, do you?"
Orion glanced at him, and chuckled under his breath, waving a hand dismissively. "Not really. They can do whatever they want, as long as they don't slack in their duties."
"Good," murmured Sirius, gazing down at the framed picture and slowing caressing it with a finger. With a sad, lost voice, he said, "You know, pup, I don't understand why… why James made you his son."
Ah, he had wondered when his father would bring that up. Sirius hadn't mentioned it before.
Orion gazed at him intently, observing him closely, and finally said quietly, "You know why. Mum was being affected by the compulsion mind web that Slughorn had casted on her. That's why I think that she's the one who came up with the idea of making me undergo the consangri ritual, so that I could become a Potter. After all, the compulsion was making her want to have a child with James. And in a way, she did, by using the consangri ritual so that James would give me his blood and make me a Potter and his blood-adopted son. And James agreed because he wanted to protect me and her. Remember what I told you? That I saw their spirits at the Atrium of the Ministry of Magic when my wand and Voldemort's produced a priori incantatem? James said that he wasn't trying to steal me from you. That he knew that you were my father, but that he also wanted to protect me, because he loved Lily, and thus her son as well. They were going to tell you the truth." He leaned forward and grasped his father's hand. "But they never had the chance, Dad. Do you… er… well, do you begrudge James for it?"
"No!" said Sirius instantly, snapping his head up to stare at him. "No. I don't mind that James decided to give you his blood. It's just that I would have liked to know about it. To have known, back then, that you were mine. That Lily still loved me and that she hadn't simply ditched me for my best friend."
"But you told me that you had understood her reasons," interjected Orion quietly. "That day in Grimmauld's Place, when you checked the tapestry of the Black tree-line and discovered that I was your son, you said that you finally understood why she had married James. To protect me, because I was the son of a muggleborn and a pureblooded dark wizard. You said she must have feared that I would have been recruited by Voldemort, because I was a Black, or that she and I would have been attacked, because she was a muggleborn who had a son with you, and thus muddled the Black pureblood line."
"Yes, I understand her reasons," muttered Sirius, carding his fingers through his long hair, while a frown formed on his forehead. "She was being affected by the compulsion thing, but who did she really love? James or me?"
"Her spirit told me that she had loved you both," said Orion with a sigh. "In different ways, but she had loved both of you. But does this truly matter, Dad? Whether she loved James due to the compulsion or not, is irrelevant now. She was happy with him, and she had been happy with you as well."
Sirius nodded, and shot him a wan smile. "You're right. It doesn't matter why." He briefly glanced down at the picture again, and said in low voice, "And Peter is gone. You killed him."
"I did," said Orion nonchalantly. "I told you about that as well."
"I'm glad you did," said Sirius fiercely, piercing him with his eyes. "I would have liked to be the wizard to have killed him. But I'm glad that he got what he deserved. Even if you had to be the one who killed him, in the end."
Orion widely smirked at him. "Good, because I vastly enjoyed it."
"Um, yes," mumbled Sirius, looking uneasy and slightly unsettled.
"Gellert thinks you're ready," said Orion, changing subjects while he shot him a warm smile. "He told me that you've mastered Occlumency and practiced dark curses. And that you're ready to go to Dumbledore and the Order."
"Hmpfh. I don't like Grindelwald," groused out Sirius.
"I know," said Orion, masking his amusement. "And I think the feeling is mutual."
"Yeah, well," interjected Sirius sourly, glancing up at him, "you're going to eventually kill him. So that's that."
Orion narrowed his eyes at him, and said in a chilly tone of voice, "So as long as I kill dark wizards, you don't have a problem with me being a 'killer'. Is that it?"
"No!" gasped out Sirius, vehemently shaking his head. "I just mean that with Voldemort we have enough. Imagine if we had to deal with another Dark Lord. With Grindelwald, if the wizard suddenly decided to-"
"I greatly admire Gellert," interrupted Orion, piercing him with a hard gleam in his eyes. "And I will derive no pleasure or satisfaction from killing him. What's more, I'll do it, because I must, but I'm sure that I'll feel it deeply once he's gone. If there's someone I could revere, it would be him."
"Revere?" snapped Sirius angrily. "That wizard was responsible for the Muggle Second World War! He used that muggle, Hitler, as his puppet and was therefore responsible for the muggle genocide! How can you say that you admire him?!"
"That's beside the point," said Orion coolly. "His intention wasn't to target a specific group of muggles, but to make them kill each other. And Gellert used that weak-minded Hitler muggle for his purposes, like any Dark Lord would have done. The Muggle War was merely a side-line of the main war being waged in the wizarding world. It was Gellert's way of distracting light wizards and making them apply their efforts in saving muggles. Therefore, he weakened his enemies' armies because many light wizards decided to get involved in the Muggle War. The American and French light wizards did this. Thus, depleting in some measure the wizarding ranks of the Light's side. You cannot blame Gellert for being a tactical genius. If it hadn't been for his decision to allow himself to be defeated by Dumbledore, Gellert's wizarding armies would have won."
"And the result were millions of dead muggles," pointed out Sirius heatedly.
"That's preferable to thousands of dead wizards," interjected Orion impassively. "By allowing himself to be defeated, Gellert protected his soldiers, since those dark wizards had the opportunity to escape once Dumbledore 'won' the duel. Most of Gellert's followers didn't die in battle thanks to him. I would have done the same. And yes, I rather have millions of muggles dying instead of a couple thousand wizards."
"So what you're saying is that you value a wizard's life much more than a muggle's?" demanded Sirius gruffly, piercing him with his grey eyes.
Orion arched an eyebrow, and said nonchalantly, "Of course I do. Moreover, I value a dark wizard's life over that of a light wizard's. Don't you?"
"No!" spat Sirius hotly.
"Then you're a fool," said Orion crisply. He narrowed his eyes at him, and said sharply, his exasperation evident, "Then you're betraying your own kind. When are you going to get it through your head? You are on the Dark's side! For the simple reason that I am on the Dark's side. And where I go, you go. Right? That's what you told me. Where I lead, you follow, no matter what!"
"Yes, I will follow you, pup," snapped Sirius fiercely. "But I don't agree with-"
"I don't care if you agree or not," interrupted Orion in a steely tone of voice, his eyes narrowed to slits. "I'm tired of trying to make you see reason. I'm tired of you denying what you are. You're a pureblooded Black - have some pride in it! I'm disappointed and disgusted by you whenever you dislike a wizard just because he's dark. Or whenever you spout to me your Light-oriented ideals. Light wizards are our enemies, father. They aren't your friends any longer. Damn it, even Remus is on the Dark's side!" He pierced him with narrowed eyes, and demanded, "If you want out, tell me now, once and for all. If not, you will obey every order I give you, and you'll change your frame of mind and consider yourself as part of the Dark. I cannot keep having this conversation with you. You said you had made the choice to stand by my side, then act like it! So I ask you, do you want out?"
"No. I will follow you, as I promised," grumbled Sirius, meeting his gaze. He sighed and carded his fingers through his messy, long hair. "Fine, pup. I will consider myself to be part of the… Dark. And the Order of the Phoenix and the Light side will be my enemies." He glanced up at him, and added vehemently, "But when it comes to muggles and muggleborns, I want my opinion to count. I want you to consider what I have to say."
"Alright," said Orion coolly, waving a hand dismissively. "In that, you're like Remus. And I have no problems with it. I still haven't made up my mind about what to do with muggles, but it matters little, since if there's a war against them it will happen in the distant future."
"Fine, that's all I ask," said Sirius gruffly.
Orion intently stared at him. "Good, then remember it. And don't make me have this conversation with you again. You will have to follow me in everything, father. If you seriously oppose me in any issue, even once, then I'll wash my hands from you. I cannot have my own father questioning me. I cannot have weak links in my ranks. Do you understand?"
"Yes," muttered Sirius, with a somber expression on his face.
"And you cannot be reluctant," pointed out Orion, eyeing him closely. "If you want to be on my side, then show resolved determination and an eager disposition."
Sirius sighed, before he locked his gaze with his, and solemnly nodded. "I will. You won't doubt my loyalty to you, pup. No one will doubt it."
"That's better," said Orion, shooting him a warm smile.
"Yeah," said Sirius, lopsidedly grinning at him. He casually spread himself on his couch, and his eyes suddenly sparkled with excitement. "You said something about good news that would cheer me up?"
"Ah, yes," replied Orion, smirking at him. "As I told you before, Gellert thinks you're ready. But before you go to Dumbledore, I would like to take to Lycaon. And I'm sure you can stay there for a couple of days. Remus will be happy to see you again. Do you want to go?"
"Of course I do!" cried Sirius cheerfully, immediately springing to his feet. "Let's go, let's go!"
Orion chuckled under his breath, and pointedly glanced up at him. "You're not going anywhere looking like that. Take a bath, shave, dress with fresh robes, and then I'll take you. I'll wait here."
"Done!" said Sirius instantly, wheeling around and energetically hurtling out of the study.
"And remember to bring the standard wand that Daisy bought for you!" called Orion after his father.
The moment their feet landed on the ground of the vast clearing in the middle of the dense forest, Orion secured the pendant-portkey under his shirt, and glanced at his father. Again, he had to admit that the wizard's new look suited him.
"I like your goatee, Dad," he said with a smile, as he started to make his way towards Lycaon.
The sun was already setting, and the skies were lit with beautiful golden, orange and purple streaks, giving the clouds a violet and silvery outlining. It was quite a sight. And the dusking sunlight bathed the werewolf village in a warm and cozy ambient, with the sound of the breeze rustling tree-leafs and the chirping of birds conferring a sense of peacefulness.
"It makes me look even more dashingly handsome, doesn't it? Ah, witches around the world will start swooning for me again, you'll see," said Sirius with a smug grin, peeling his marveled gaze from the view of the nearby village to side-glance at him. "You could try to grow one, pup."
"You think it would look good on me?" asked Orion unconvinced, while he touched his recently shaved, smooth face.
Sirius shot him a wide grin, his grey eyes glinting mischievously, as he said flippantly, "Well, pup, it would if you manage to actually grow a man's beard instead of just a soft fuzz."
"Oi! My facial hair is not a fuzz," snapped Orion indignantly.
"It is," said Sirius, his grin spreading while he ruffled Orion's hair, "because you're still a kid, son. My kid."
"Right, but stop messing my hair up," complained Orion, swatting his father's hand away from his head, and carding his fingers through his hair to rearrange it.
"You should leave it messy," said Sirius solemnly, with the air of one bestowing sage advice. "None of that pureblood nonsense of having a proper, tidy hairstyle." He shot him a lopsided smile. "You inherited my unparalleled good-looks, so with messy hair you would have a whole I-have-just-shagged-someone look that would drive girls wild."
Orion groaned, and said pointedly, "I don't care about girls noticing me in that way. I had enough with Lavender – that's an experience I don't want to repeat. And I like wizards, remember?"
"The same applies," pipped in Sirius with a devious grin. "I'm sure a couple of boys would jump at you if they saw you like that. Let me think… like the Malfoy boy, your vampire friend, or that Valois chap you mentioned."
Orion quirked an eyebrow, and eyed him curiously. "You wouldn't have a problem with me being with Draco? Or Lezander?"
"Anyone is better for you than Voldemort," replied Sirius with a pained expression on his face. "And I have nothing against Draco. He's a spoiled, stuck up brat, but he's been your friend for ages." He grimaced, and added, "I dislike Lucius Malfoy, of course, but I won't blame the boy for his father's sins. And Lezander was your boyfriend, wasn't he? I never met him but he sounds like good fellow who cared about you." He side-glanced at him, and whispered pointedly, "And didn't you tell us something about a vampire legend regarding you, that said that you would be 'thrice-bonded'? According to what you told us, you already are. With the vampire boy because he gave you his blood, with Draco because you …er, well, because you took some of his soul's essence. It still unsettles and worries me how you were affected by that darned Hallow which made you behave like a Dementor." He shuddered with a pinched expression on his face. "But there you have the second bond. And with Voldemort… Well, that's one bond I would prefer to see gone. But you are his horcrux, and you've explained that there's little we can do about that."
He sighed, and stopped in his tracks to intently gaze down at Orion. "In short, pup, I rather see you with anyone but Voldemort. But I won't insist on the matter. You've fiercely defended your marital union with him, and I know you're content with being his spouse-"
"Er, about that," interrupted Orion, clearing his throat, "I have something to tell you. It's time you knew, because things are moving on. But I'll wait until we're with Remus."
"What is it?" asked Sirius puzzled, his curiosity evident.
"When we're with Remus," said Orion shortly, grasping his father's hand and pulling him forward towards the high wooden fence which encircled the village.
With a few strides, Orion felt the tingling of wards washing over him, as they crossed the gate and entered Lycaon. While he pulled his father along with him to follow one of the pebbled paths, he saw a buzz of activity going on around them. There were about fifteen children happily yelling and chasing each other at the school's playground, several women were busily coming back and forth from the roofed enclosure which served as Lycaon's dinning hall, whilst something was being prepared on the stone oven, filling the air with a delicious smell, some bare-chested men were tending to the orchard fields behind the section of lodges, some other men and women were entering the village with large leather duffel bags filled with furs and hunted rabbits and other forest animals, a couple of teenagers were coming from the nearby river carrying large amphoras which were surely filled with fresh water, along with some women which came from the same direction holding baskets of wet, washed clothes, while some other men and women were coming out from the wood-and-stone building which served as the village's library. Furthermore, Orion detected that some used wands, whilst others did their tasks manually, indicating that they were muggle werewolves.
Nevertheless, no one stopped them. Though many paused in their activities to glance at them and murmur between them. And some of it reached Orion's ears.
"… they crossed the wards… must be guests of our Alpha… but who…"
"…that's the Boy-Who-Lived… saw his picture in the Daily Prophet…"
"Our Alpha's cub… Harry Potter…"
"…he's called Orion Black now… but who's the other…"
"Sirius Black… must be… similar features to the boy's… Death Eater… but doesn't look dangerous…"
"….the boy's father…but he was Kissed…"
Meanwhile, he saw his father cheerfully waving at them, the wizard seeming to enjoy the attention, while favored with puzzled and strange glances. The werewolves surely thought that Sirius was a bit deranged given the man's happy-go-lucky attitude and charming smiles.
"This place is amazing," whispered Sirius to him, shooting a roguish grin at a young, pretty woman who had halted in her way towards the children's playground. "And Remus built all this?"
"Yes," replied Orion with a hint of pride, "with some funds of our main Black vault - didn't even make a dent."
"Incredible," breathed out Sirius, before he warmly smiled at him. "You did well, pup, by helping him in this way." He lowered his voice, and said in an eager murmur, "I want to see this Lair you mentioned, where they have their orgies."
"I didn't say they had orgies!" choked out Orion. "They merely come together at night at the Lair, to sleep huddled among them, and… well, some were having sex, by it wasn't a massive orgy, father!"
"Same thing," said Sirius, waving a hand dismissively while his gray eyes glinted excitedly. "I want to see it."
Orion rolled his eyes, and huffed. "Well, it happens at night, so you'll have to wait." He side-glanced at him, and added dryly, "And I'm sure you'll have plenty of opportunities to watch them during your stay here. Just don't…" He grimaced. "Well, don't get into trouble with any of their women."
"I wouldn't!" said Sirius, innocently blinking at him. A serious expression spread on his face, and he said adamantly, "I loved your mum, pup-"
"Wait," interrupted Orion, clutching his father's arm to stop him, while he intently gazed up at him. "I didn't mean that I don't want you to be with a woman, father. I wouldn't mind. I know you loved my mother. But she's dead, and you should find someone you like. I don't expect you to remain unattached. Indeed, I would have no problem if you decided to marry some witch. I only meant that werewolves are very territorial and if you fool around with one of their women, you'd certainly cause problems for yourself and Remus."
"Are you sure?" asked Sirius hesitantly, eyeing him closely. "You would be okay with it if I found a witch I liked? If I married?"
"Of course," replied Orion, shooting him a warm smile. "In that regard, don't limit yourself because of me, Dad. You're free to love and marry whomever you like. And now that I think about it, I would enjoy having a little brother or sister."
Sirius widely smiled at him, ruffling his hair. "You're a good son, pup."
"I know," said Orion, smirking at him. Then, he groaned, "Stop fumbling with my hair!"
Sirius chuckled and purposely messed it up further, as they resumed their walk along the pebbled path, reaching soon the one lodge which was slightly larger than the rest.
"This is Moony's home?" asked Sirius, cocking his head to aside, while he inspected the charming, wooden house with its small garden at the front. "It's very nice."
"Yeah, it is," said Orion, while he quickly took the two steps to reach the wooden door.
He was about to knock when he heard muffled voices coming from the inside, one particularly loud, sounding angry and exasperated. And he instantly grabbed Sirius' arm, to listen before his father decided to saunter inside.
"…I can't believe what you're saying, Remus! I've been here for almost two months. You've denied me the use of my wand and you won't let me communicate with anyone outside of here. But Dumbledore needs to be informed, and I need to get back to the Order and to my Auror job-"
"Tonks, I've explained my position to you-"
"Yes, that you're siding with the Dark because you want to gain equal civil rights for werewolves, but I'm sure that Dumbledore can offer you the same. The same, and much more than that boy is offering to you. He's personally involved with You-Know-Who, Remus! He might have been Harry Potter, but Orion Black isn't what everyone believes him to be. He is the Boy-Who-Lived and he was supposed to be the one who would rid us from You-Know-Who, but he turned out to be dark, Remus! And you're only loyal to him because he's the son of a dead friend. And I'm telling you that you're siding with the wrong people. You can't honestly tell me that You-Know-Who is good, or that his views are right! And he'll use you and then dispose of you – he won't fulfill the terms of your allegiance to the Dark-"
"He will. I and the Alphas of continental Europe have signed magical contracts with him. Furthermore, if that fails, we have Orion's commitment to the werewolf cause-"
"You can't blindly cast your luck with a mere boy-"
"He isn't a mere boy, Tonks. He's very powerful and knows what he's doing. And he has my full confidence and support-"
"But he's aiding the Dark side, Remus! He's helping You-Know-Who, and they will end up killing muggles and muggleborns. Not to mention the war between light and dark wizards that they have already caused-"
"Orion didn't initiate the war, Tonks. Voldemort did, and it was something to be expected. You have to consider the dissatisfaction with the Ministry of Magic, not only from creatures like me but from dark wizards as well. The English Ministry of Magic, being controlled these past few centuries by light wizards, has done nothing but repress werewolves, considering us mere beasts. And they have also oppressed the use and study of the Dark Arts-"
"Listen to yourself! You've been brainwashed by that kid-"
Orion pulled his father to a side, and whispered as he glanced up at him, "I've heard enough. You can go inside-"
"What are you going to do, pup?" asked Sirius quietly, with a grave expression on his face. "You said you would kill her if she didn't turn to the Dark's side. Are you?"
"Probably," murmured Orion, observing him closely. "You understand why, don't you?"
"Yeah, I suppose," said Sirius, with a gloomy and pained expression on his face. "I saw her once, you know, when she was a baby. Cute little thing, she was. And she's my second-degree niece, pup. Your cousin twice removed-"
"That's why I gave her a chance," interjected Orion in a low whisper, gauging him. "But you heard her, she won't change her mind."
Sirius heavily sighed, and uneasily carded his fingers through his long, wavy, black hair, as he muttered, "I don't like this. I don't want you to kill her." He grimaced, before he pierced Orion with his eyes, and added sternly, "But I understand that she can't be allowed to go back to Dumbledore. And you can't give her to Voldemort either. He would merely end up torturing her in the end. A swift death is preferable to that. So… if you decide to kill her, I won't oppose it. I did promise that I wouldn't be an obstacle and burden for you, and that I would try to understand your decisions. I do, in this matter. I wish there was another solution, but I can't come up with one. So, even if I don't like it, I'll back you up in this. I'll deal with Remus, to make him understand, because he'll certainly oppose it."
Orion stared at him in silence, realizing that this moment was highly significant. That this was a test that his father had passed, proving that the wizard was serious and resolved in his promise of supporting him.
"Thanks," he said, warmly smiling while he gently squeezed his father's arm, "I appreciate it, Dad. Now, go inside. I'll be back in a while."
"Where are you going?" asked Sirius, confusedly frowning at him.
"I need to get some answers," said Orion quickly, as he spun around to take again the pebbled path. "But I'll be back shortly!"
Just as he was about to reach the lodge next to the one of Remus', he heard a loud, shocked voice gasping out, "SIRIUS BLACK?! You – you were dead!"
"Hello, luv!" came his father's carefree, muffled greeting.
Orion shook his head in amusement and chuckled under his breath, moments before he knocked on the wooden door of the lodge he had reached. He heard strange muffled sounds coming from the inside, but there was no reply. And with a puzzled frown on his face, he turned the knob and silently stepped inside.
He would have gasped, but what he saw was so unexpected, that he merely gaped at the scene before him. There, inside the Beta's lodge, were two naked people on the carpeted floor, a few feet away from where he was standing. Patrick Connolly was on top of a woman who had her head snapped backwards, while the werewolf powerfully thrusted into her. She was loudly moaning, while Patrick growled in pleasure, keeping a wild pace, taking her hard and fast. He saw Patrick's strong muscles flexing and rippling in the twenty-something-year-old werewolf's back and arms, while the man continued to plunge into the woman.
Suddenly, Patrick's head snapped to a side, his nostrils briefly flaring, and Orion was pinned by his amber gaze, while the werewolf's lips curled into a smirk. And Orion merely gazed back at him with stunned, round eyes, feeling himself flushing deeply. But when Patrick's smirk widened into a snidely taunting expression, as the man kept savagely thrusting into the woman, Orion recovered his wits. He felt his own face heated, and it was clear to him that he couldn't act embarrassed or Patrick would nastily taunt him until the end of times.
Therefore, Orion pulled an impassive expression over his features, and casually leaned back against the wooden wall, with his arms crossed over his chest, and with the air of someone completely bored and uninterested in the proceedings. Patrick's smirk widened even further, and his amber gaze never left Orion's face as he continued to thrust into the loudly moaning woman, before the woman finally let out a resounding cry of pleasure and Patrick aggressively plunged into her, with one last throaty groan.
The young werewolf swiftly stood up, not sparing the woman a glance, as he said in his low, rough voice, "Leave, I have business to attend to."
"What?" said the woman confusedly, obviously still not out of her post-sex daze. She shook her mane of chestnut curls, and propped herself on her elbows, gazing up at Patrick. "But, Sharpfang, I thought we were going to spend some time together-"
"I don't cuddle and I don't wish to spend time with you. This was only a fuck, you know that," said Patrick gruffly, throwing at her a dress which had been lying on the floor. "Clothe yourself and get out, Moonbeam."
Orion silently and coolly observed them, detecting that the woman was quite beautiful, with a voluptuous body, which he supposed that would incite and attract many men, though it did nothing to him.
She unsteadily stood up, messily pulling her dress over her head and down her curvacious body, and spluttered, "But, but-"
"Get out now, woman!" snarled Patrick, before he turned around and approached Orion with a predatory smirk on his face.
"Who's this?" she asked, finally catching sight of Orion, gazing at him with curiosity. "Oh, you must be the boy our Alpha tells us about. You're Orion Black, right? The one who gave us the galleons to build Lycaon?"
Orion curtly nodded, and she beamed a smile at him, as she said giddily, "You're so cute!"
At that, Orion shot her a dour glare, just when Patrick clutched her arm and forcefully shoved her outside, growling, "I said to get out!"
Her complaints were instantly muted when the werewolf slammed the door at her face, before he swirled around to stand a few paces away from Orion, still completely naked, and looking quite shamelessly proud of his own strong-built physique.
"So, what do we have 'ere?" said Patrick in his Irish-accented, low voice, his lips curling upwards. "A lil' boy entering my domains, uninvited. What should I do with ye? So many delicious possibilities-"
Orion scoffed, and said unfazed, "You didn't seem to mind my presence when you were shagging her, Connolly."
"Aye, I didn't," said Patrick, bearing his teeth at him in a feral, vicious smile. "I rather enjoyed observing your flushed, pretty face while I fucked her."
"I dare say that you treated her quite harshly," interjected Orion coolly, ignoring the comment. "You sounded to me like the misogynist type."
"Misogynist?" said Patrick, arching the eyebrow marred by an old scar. "Quite a big word for a lil' boy like ye." He approached him in a prowling and predatory manner, and smirked as he roughly clutched Orion's chin. "Make no mistake, Black, I like women – I like to fuck 'em until they screech." His smirk widened into a feral expression, while he trailed a sharp fingernail along Orion's cheek. "But I wouldn't mind fucking such a pretty boy like yerself. I'm sure I would enjoy ye and make ye scream my name. And I can tell that ye like what ye see. I could give ye a taste."
"I'm not 'pretty', if anything I'm handsome." Orion darkly glowered at him and slapped the man's fingers away from his face. "And I've seen better bodies than yours. I'm not remotely tempted by what you offer. So stop playing around and get dressed, Connolly. I need to ask you something."
"Better bodies than mine?" snorted Patrick, bearing his teeth in a menacing smile. "I doubt it, Black." He widely smirked at him. "If ye had, yer cheeks wouldn't be blushed and ye wouldn't shy from gazing bellow my waist."
"You're a vain git," scoffed Orion. "I'm not looking down because there's nothing there which interests me. And you're only wasting our time." Then, he instantly whipped out his wand, and swiftly conjured a robe which immediately covered Patrick's body. He smirked with satisfaction, lowering his wand. "Good, now we can talk-"
"Don't ye ever use yer wand on me, boy," snarled Patrick angrily, his amber eyes flashing as he easily ripped the robes off him. "And don't ye ever clothe me with disgusting wizarding robes."
"Wear whatever the bloody hell you want, Connolly," snapped Orion impatiently, scowling at him. "Stay naked, for all I care, but I need to talk to you."
"Then let's talk," said Patrick brusquely, in his low, rough voice, as he swirled around and approached the squared dinning table at one side of the room, beside the unlit fireplace.
Thankfully, Orion saw him picking up a black leather pant from the floor. And once the werewolf pulled it up his muscled legs and zipped it up, he sat down on a wooden chair, across from the man.
"Ye want to talk about the bitch, right?" demanded Patrick gruffly, propping his elbows on the table.
Orion arched an eyebrow. "You mean Nymphadora?"
"Aye, the bitch," spat Patrick harshly, narrowing his amber eyes at him. "She has caused nothing but trouble, Black. Just like I knew she would. Ye shouldn't have left her 'ere with us. She keeps pestering m'Alpha, demanding to be able to leave Lycaon, to go back to Dumbledore and his pathetic group of lil' light wizards." He pierced him with his eyes, and demanded briskly, "Ye said ye would kill her. Well, are ye gonna?"
"Depends," said Orion, smirking at him while he played with his wand, resting his forearms against the edge of the table.
"Depends on what?" snarled Patrick irately, bearing his teeth at him. "The bitch is yer problem. Ye were the one who dropped her on us, and ye're the one who must deal with her, as ye promised to do."
"Oh, I will deal with her," interjected Orion impassively. "But first, I want to know what Remus wouldn't tell me. I want to know about Greyback."
"What for?" growled Patrick, narrowing his amber eyes at him. "I told ye before that it's somethin' that m'Alpha has to tell ye, not I. It's his story."
"But he won't tell me," said Orion curtly. "I already tried once more when he visited me at my manor, about a month ago. I had disclosed many of my own secrets to him, and still, he refused to tell me about it. So, I'm asking you, because I won't kill Nymphadora until I'm aware of what's going on." He pierced him with his eyes. "Because I think you want me to kill her for some specific reason."
"Aye, I do," said Patrick gruffly. He leaned back on his chair, and shifted to a side to plop his calves and bare feet on the table, as he crossed his arms and gazed silently at Orion, pinning him with his amber eyes. At last, he said sharply, "Very well, Black, ye win. I'll tell ye. Just because I want ye to dispose of the bitch."
Orion flippantly gestured at him to continue, shooting him a smirk, and Patrick narrowed his eyes at him as he said brusquely, "What I'm gonna tell ye involves werewolf and pack secrets. If I ever find out that ye have slipped any of this to a wizard-"
"You still mistrust me, Connolly?" said Orion coldly, staring at him with hard gleam in his eyes. "The allegiance I have with Remus is one of mutual loyalty. In the same way that he keeps my secrets, I keep his. And I wouldn't tell anyone about werewolf matters. I'm fully aware that wizards don't know much about werewolves, and it's not my purpose to enlighten them. It will be your kind's, if you ever feel inclined to do so."
Patrick pierced him with his amber eyes, and finally nodded, saying roughly, "Alright, Black. Then let me start by telling ye that an Alpha is always a werewolf born to the previous Alpha-"
"But Remus was born a wizard," interjected Orion, frowning at him. "He became a werewolf because he was bitten, and he's the Alpha even though his parents were a wizard and witch-"
"Let me continue before ye pester me with yer stupid questions," interrupted Patrick angrily, his amber eyes darkly glinting. "As I was sayin', only a werewolf who's the offspring of an Alpha and his mate can become the next Alpha. This is our tradition, to insure that our leader is the strongest one in the pack, since an Alpha always is and so are his offspring. Fenrir's father was an Alpha who mated with a dark witch. And he turned his mate into a werewolf to make sure that his son, Fenrir, would carry the lycanthropic trait. Therefore, Fenrir can be considered a pureblooded werewolf, because both his parents were werewolves when he was conceived, and he's also a dark wizard because his mother was a dark witch – a pureblood, at that. Ye can imagine that Fenrir's mother, being a pureblooded dark witch, wasn't happy when she was turned into a werewolf and mated by Fenrir's father. But there was nothin' she could do about it, since Fenrir's father instantly sensed that she was his mate when he was attacking a wizarding community and crossed paths with her. So-"
"Hang on, I have to ask," said Orion, holding up a hand and intently gazing at him. "Are you telling me that werewolves have one predestined mate, like the veela?"
"Glorious Moon, no," replied Patrick with a scoff. "Thankfully, by nature we aren't that pathetic." He pierced him with his amber eyes, and added briskly, "But we do have a mate, and the inner wolf in us senses him or her. Nevertheless, if that mate died, we wouldn't die a couple of months later, like veela do. Furthermore, if our mate dies, our inner wolf will select another. We are creatures who adapt quickly in order to survive harsh circumstances, like wolves are. But, it is well-known by us that our first mate is the best one chosen by our inner wolf. Any subsequent mates will not satisfy our inner creature as much as our first mate could. Moreover, all of us try to find our original mate and keep him or her with us, always protecting our mate since we know that we won't find another who'll match us so well. And as long as our first mate is alive somewhere, he or her will be the only one for us. Furthermore, if we find our mate and don't claim him or her, or if we go through life without our mate after he was found, then it negatively affects our inner wolf. We become restless, more violent, and I dare say, even unhinged. Because our inner wolf feels that our mate exists, and we're spurred to claim him or her. Another important issue is that the child that we have with our first mate is much stronger and powerful than any offspring that we can have with second mates or non-mates. Furthermore, if a male werewolf has a male mate, then the submissive partner in that couple will naturally be fitted to bear children once he's turned into a werewolf, if he wasn't already."
"You're joking," gasped out Orion, staring at him with wide eyes.
"Of course I'm not," growled Patrick impatiently. "What do ye think is the basic and most important ingredient in the male pregnancy potions that ye wizards use? Blood of a transformed werewolf! We're also hunted down for potions ingredients, Black. There are countless of potions for several purposes which use a transformed werewolf's hairs, claws, or fangs. In the case of the male pregnancy potion, our blood is used." He bared his teeth, and snarled, "Though I've heard that it's one of the most expensive potion ingredients."
"I didn't know about all that," muttered Orion quietly.
"There's much ye don't know about, Black," spat Patrick brusquely.
Orion shot him an amused smirk. "That's not the first time someone has said that to me today."
"I'm glad to know," sneered Patrick in his low, rough voice, "that someone else has been broadening yer mind's limited horizons."
Orion rolled his eyes, and said tartly, "Spare me your puny quips, and get on with it."
"I will if ye shut yer trap, Black!" growled Patrick short-tempered, his scarred eyebrow twitching with irritated annoyance. "Well, now ye know a bit about the mate issue. So let me tell ye why Remus could become m'Alpha when he wasn't born to any previous Alpha. When an Alpha finds his mate and claims him or her, especially if it's the first one originally fit for the Alpha's inner wolf, then that mate has the duty – nay, the obligation, to become the Alpha if his dominant partner and original pack Alpha dies or is, for some reason, unfit to lead the pack or unable to do so." He pierced Orion with his amber eyes, and added sharply, "Ye see, about three decades ago, when Fenrir was hunting in a forest and a ten-year-old Remus was playing around the outskirts, Fenrir's inner wolf instantly sensed his mate – his first one. Therefore, Fenrir could do nothing but bite and turn Remus into a werewolf, and then he claimed him-"
"Remus is Greyback's mate?" interrupted Orion, aghast. Then, his face dramatically paled, and he asked hoarsely, "Claimed him? What do you mean by claiming?"
"That Fenrir fucked him, Black!" spat Patrick impatiently. "What else could I possibly mean?"
Abruptly, Orion irately pounded his fist on the table, and hissed out furiously, "That Greyback RAPED him, you mean! Remus was ten years old, Connolly! And you want me to bring Greyback to Lycaon? You want me to convince Remus to accept him – his rapist?! No wonder Remus hates Fenrir so much! Are you bloody insane? Of course that I won't bring Greyback here-"
"Aye, the ten-year-old Remus was raped," interrupted Patrick brusquely, bearing his teeth at him in a feral snarl. "And it was brutal and savage as all first claimings are, Black! And there's nothin' Fenrir could have done to make it easier on Remus. Fenrir was guided and spurred by his inner wolf, and once a werewolf finds his first mate, he has the need to claim him and turn him into a werewolf. Furthermore, after being fucked, Remus somehow managed to escape, and his parents instantly whisked him away. Then, he was accepted at Hogwarts. And as much as Fenrir tried to steal him back, he didn't succeed. He spent many years without his claimed mate. Do ye have any idea what that does to a werewolf?! And even for more reason when that werewolf is an Alpha and when the mate is his first one? And to make matters worse, when Remus graduated from Hogwarts and worked for the Order of the Phoenix, he was persuaded by Dumbledore to go to Fenrir, to spy on him since Fenrir was Voldemort's supporter. And Remus, like a brainwashed, good, little light wizard, obeyed and formed part of Fenrir's pack under false pretenses. Fenrir, the poor sap, actually believed, at first, that Remus was accepting him as a mate. Obviously, Fenrir soon discovered that Remus really didn't want anything to do with him, that he was only spying for Dumbledore, and that he despised him with seething hatred. And yes, during that period Fenrir constantly fucked Remus. The Moon knows that Fenrir is a savage brute, but it was his way of reclaiming Remus and trying to make him understand that they were mates. Nevertheless, I was told that Fenrir had never been so content and appeased as he was during that period of time, when he had Remus with him. And it might be probable that Remus had started to accept him. Indeed, Remus' inner wolf would have made sure of that. The bond between mates isn't one easily ignored."
Patrick pierced him with narrowed, amber eyes, and continued brusquely, "Of course that everything crumbled when ye were a one-year-old baby and felled the Dark Lord. Then, Fenrir was captured and thrown into Azkaban, Remus' light friends died, yer father was imprisoned, and Remus disappeared to spend his years secluded in a crumbling cottage in some forest, like a hermit. And it was during that period that both Remus and Fenrir suffered the most, because they were mates who felt each other but couldn't be together. Oh, I don't delude myself. Remus didn't want to be with Fenrir, but his inner wolf still longed for his mate, Black. Furthermore, imagine what Fenrir had to go through during his years at Azkaban. Affected by Dementors, his worst memories constantly replaying in his mind, probably regarding Remus' hatred towards him, and to top it, he was an Alpha separated from his first claimed mate. As I said, a werewolf becomes unhinged and violent if he spends too much time without his mate, and an Alpha is affected even more deeply."
He paused, and then snarled angrily, "So yes, I want ye to bring Fenrir to Lycaon, because Remus needs to accept his mate. There's no other solution for 'em. They will always be unsatisfied unless they are together. Even if Fenrir died, and then Remus' inner wolf selected another mate, Remus would never be as content as he could be with his first original mate – Fenrir. Furthermore, Remus is the submissive one, and as such, since Fenrir turned him into a werewolf, he has the natural capacity to bear children. And that's another reason why the pack wants Fenrir to come back, beside the whole issue that Fenrir is the Sire of many of us. It's because the next Alpha has to be the child that Remus bears to Fenrir. And he or she will be powerful and a pureblooded werewolf, because both Remus and Fenrir are werewolves and Alphas. There's no better future Alpha for us than that child. And Remus became our Alpha because he is Fenrir's mate, since, when Fenrir was broken out from Azkaban, he was too wild and unhinged to be a fit Alpha. That's why his pack left him to join Remus, and Fenrir didn't really oppose it, because as an Alpha's mate Remus had the chance to become the Alpha, and to be accepted as such. What's more, since everyone thinks that Remus has been an excellent Alpha, especially for founding and building up Lycaon, he won't lose his position if Fenrir came here. Indeed, nothing would please us more than having both of 'em as our Alphas. Having two Alphas isn't common, by it has happened in the past when those Alphas were mates. And all of us wants this, because it would reassure us with a future Alpha, the child of Fenrir and Remus. And also because having both of 'em as Alphas will make our pack stronger, more united, and powerful, since our inner wolves would detect 'em working together, as Alpha mates. Do ye understand, Black?"
"I…" Orion heavily sighed, and rubbed his forehead. "Yeah, I do, Connolly." He shot him a piercing gaze, and demanded sharply, "And this is the real reason why you want me to kill Nymphadora, right? Because she-"
"Because she's like a bitch in heat crawling all over m'Alpha," growled Patrick, angrily baring his teeth, his expression feral while his amber eyes darkened menacingly. "And because m'Alpha likes her and he's at risk of being swindled by her. M'Alpha is a stern, just, and firm leader with us, but he's gentle and too permissive with her. And he obviously doesn't put her in her place. If Remus wants to fuck her, like the bitch she is, then that's fine by me. But another thing is for him to develop feelings for her when he already has a mate! And the bitch has the gall to declare that she's in love with him. She doesn't know what love is! She'll never be able to give Remus what Fenrir can. She's not one of us. And even if Remus turned her, which he wouldn't, his inner wolf wouldn't choose her as his mate, because he already has one. And I bet you anything that if Fenrir died, Remus' inner wolf still wouldn't choose her. We, werewolves, can sense this. And so does Remus, but he's too good-hearted to expressly cut short her advances. And we fear that she might end up wearing him out, and that he'll yield and take her as a partner." He pierced Orion with his amber eyes, and snarled, "And that's something which has to be prevented since Lycaon will be much stronger with Fenrir and Remus together as Alpha mates. As it stands, Remus is Fenrir's, and Fenrir is Remus'. And the sooner m'Alpha accepts this, the better for us."
"I see," muttered Orion pensively, with a deep frown on his face.
"Will ye kill her, then?" demanded Patrick brusquely, narrowing his amber at him, expectantly scrutinizing him.
"I will," replied Orion firmly, glancing up and meeting his gaze. "I have my own reasons to do so, but I understand what you've told me. And I cannot deny that it's obvious that Greyback and Remus belong together, since their inner wolves made them mates. One cannot go against a creature's nature." He sighed, and added with a hint of worry, "But the most important matter is for Remus to accept Greyback. And how can this be possible given Remus' hatred for him?"
"It won't matter," said Patrick, his lips curling into a wide smirk, while his amber eyes glinted with satisfaction, "because at some point Remus' inner wolf will make him accept his mate. Remus won't be able to fight it. As you said, one cannot go against a creature's nature. And we certainly cannot go against our inner wolf."
"Fine," said Orion sharply, intently gazing at him. "I will kill Nymphadora, and when I have a chance, I'll contact Greyback and bring him here. And you will have the task of working on Remus, to prepare him to accept Greyback. This is something you must do since you're in Lycaon, and since you're his Beta. Furthermore, I'll need something distinctive that belongs to you, so that I can show it to Greyback. I haven't seen him in ages, but the first time I met him was during a Death Eater gathering, when I was much younger." He shot him a wide smirk. "And I tortured him to prove my worth to Voldemort. And since I don't want to be mauled by Greyback in revenge, I will need to show him something of yours which will convince him of my 'good intentions'. Do you agree?"
"Aye," replied Patrick in his low, rough voice, smirking back at him. "I do, with everything ye've said."
The werewolf pushed his wild, curly hair away from one ear, and Orion arched an eyebrow when he caught sight of the pierced earlobe which displayed a tiny earring. Patrick clicked it off, and tossed it at him. "Here, show that to Fenrir, and he'll know it's from me. He gave me that as a birthday present."
Orion deftly grasped it in mid air and glanced at it to discover a tiny, silver half-moon. Obviously, it couldn't be made of silver, but it looked as if it was. And suppressing a chuckle, he pocketed it, while he shot the werewolf a wide, mocking smirk. "Very cute, Connolly."
"I don't do 'cute', Black," growled Patrick, menacingly bearing his teeth at him.
"Neither do I," said Orion nonchalantly. "So tell that Moonbeam of yours that the next time she says I'm cute, I'll viciously curse her."
Patrick nastily smirked at him. "But she was right, you are cute. What, with that pretty, delicate face of yers, and with yer petite size-"
"It seems that we'll be closely working together, given that you're Remus' Beta," interrrupted Orion coolly. "So you'll have to learn to respect me, Connolly."
"I'll respect ye, Black," said Patrick in his low, rough voice, "when ye earn it."
"Then I will have it in no time," interjected Orion impassively, swiftly standing up.
"We'll see," said Patrick gruffly.
Orion smirked at him. "Yes, we will. Now let's to go Remus' lodge. I want to introduce you to my father."
"Yer father?" said Patrick, arching his scarred eyebrow, before he sneered, "Yer father was Kissed, Black. Yer father is dead."
"Yup, but I resurrected him," piped in Orion nonchalantly, swiftly reaching the door and opening it.
"Come again?"
Orion side-glanced at him, as they made their way along the pebbled path. "What you heard, Connolly."
"So the rumors are true?" whispered Patrick brusquely, narrowing his amber eyes at him. "Ye're a full-fledged Necromancer?"
"Is that the latest gossip?" said Orion with amusement. "I'm not full-fledged, at present, but I am a Necromancer."
"Ye studied it with Vagnarov?"
Orion stopped short in his tracks, and sharply glanced at him with narrowed eyes, as he demanded crisply, "How do you know about Vagnarov?"
"Please, Black," scoffed Patrick. "To which school do ye think I went before Fenrir turned me into a werewolf?"
"You went to Durmstrang?" said Orion, stunned.
"Of course," replied Patrick harshly. "Ye know that I come from an Irish dark pureblood family. Where else would I have studied? Though I only attended up until my third year. Because my parents disinherited me the moment I was bitten and turned into a werewolf during my summer holidays in Wiltshire, with my English uncle. And since I had no family or home left, Fenrir, as my Sire, took me into his pack. But before, I was a Hydra and thus, I heard the older Hydras' gossip about Vagnarov and his Necromancy class. Not that anyone attended it during the three years I spent at Durmstrang." He side-glanced at him, and added gruffly, "What's more, ye've probably seen my little brother there. He's a Gorgon, I think, in second year. Though I never met him. My parents decided to have him after I became a werewolf, because they needed a new Connolly Heir."
"Oh," murmured Orion quietly.
Patrick shot him a vicious smirk. "Yeah – 'oh'." He shook his head, and sneered harshly, "Is that the best yer lil' wizard brain can produce, Black?"
"Was I supposed to commiserate with you?" interjected Orion, with a roll of his eyes. "You seem pretty happy and proud about being a werewolf. So you might have cared about your parents replacing you by purposely having another son, and thus losing your position as the Connolly Heir. But I doubt that it matters to you any longer."
"Quite right, it doesn't," said Patrick, his lips stretching into a feral curl.
"Good, so stop whining-"
"I don't whine, Black," spat Patrick, narrowing irate amber eyes at him.
Orion groaned with exasperation. "Whatever. Look, I'm counting on your support to deal with Remus when I kill Nymphadora. Alright? So let's get moving."
He swiftly took the two steps up towards the front door of Remus' lodge, and he was about to open it when Patrick mused gruffly, "If yer father is alive, then I can't call ye 'Black' anymore." He nastily smirked at him, and added, "Aye, I know. I'll do as m'Alpha and call ye 'cub', or better yet, 'cubbie'."
"Call me either of those things and I'll hex your balls off, Connolly," snapped Orion crisply. "But you can take a leaf out of a Death Eater's book and call me 'My Lord Black'."
"Lord Black?" snorted Patrick snidely. "The day I call you 'Lord anything' will be the day I stop fucking."
"I can easily make that happen," said Orion, shooting him a vicious smirk. "Keep tempting me and I'll scorch off your bits, wolfie. Now, let's get on with it."
And without giving Patrick a chance to quip in any nasty retort, he pushed the door wide open, with wand immediately aimed forward and a spell on his lips.
