"Didn't you listen to me?" Remus demanded in a scared and frustrated tone. "During the Gatherings the Alphas meet to talk. Their decisions stand on all werewolves no matter the Pack. If a werewolf has a suggestion or comment, they have to ask one of their Alphas for permission first. As a rogue, we have no Pack and no voice in the meeting. You were supposed to declare a Pack when they accepted you as a wolf. I'm sure they expected you to and then ask permission to speak against Greyback. But when you just stepped in, you marked yourself as declaring as an Alpha. If you beat Greyback in two weeks, they will see you as an Alpha. If you don't, he'll kill you.
"And no matter what Oaths were taken, eventually the Ministry will learn you are now an Alpha of the Packs."
"Oh bloody hell."
....
Harry and Remus entered the magical tent set up by the Westens. Much like the tent used at the Quidditch World Cup, except this one was set up like an executive conference room. It was as posh as the Gathering was rustic.
Thick carpets covered the floor while a large fireplace dominated one wall. Opposite the fireplace was what looked like a transplant from a small, high-end pub. A large wooden conference table dominated the middle of the room and matched the wood of the bar perfectly. Harry didn't know much about furniture but he'd bet the dark, burnished table was worth a significant number of Galleons. Very comfortable - and expensive - looking chairs surrounded the table.
Seeing Harry's curiosity, Oliver answered the unspoken question. "Our conference centre often hosts magical as well a normal clients. This tent is typically used for our more secretive clients that need meetings hidden from view. I felt it would be a good place for us to talk today. Now, please be seated or feel free to help yourself to refreshment. We don't have any staff with us today so I am afraid you'll have to help yourself." Harry moved to a chair that allowed him to see anyone entering the tent. A second later Remus sat in the seat next to him.
It was a short wait until Claire Westen joined her brother. The sibling Alphas easily sat in the seats opposite Harry and Remus. Surprisingly it was Claire that started to speak.
"Thank you for agreeing to meet with us, Harry," she said. "Before we get started, can you tell me roughly what your Second has told you about the Alba Pack?"
Harry considered a moment and couldn't see any harm in it. "You are based in Scotland and consist almost exclusively of 'born' werewolves. Alba is the oldest continuous Pack with leadership passing within the Westen family for several generations. You see yourselves as above the 'made' werewolves - magical or mundane, but have significant dealings with the mundane world."
"A fair assessment," Claire allowed. "Harry do you know where werewolves came from?" Harry blinked at the apparent nonsequitur.
"No, I guess I assumed it came about from a curse."
"That was actually the second step," Claire answered. "Centuries ago a special group of people appeared in Scandinavia amongst the Norse Clans. Their name in ancient Norse literally translated in to 'Shape-Changers'. I know that isn't too original a name but the Norse were rather straightforward in their thinking and speech. But then lycanthrope came from Greek and means 'wolf man' so who are we to judge?" Harry snickered at amused expression on Claire's face.
"Now among these Shape-Changers were not just wolves, but bears and big cats too," Claire continued. "It was seen as a gift from the gods to chosen warriors; father to son, mother to daughter. The wolves were from Loki and served as raiders or as fast troops; the bears were of Tyr and the heavy assault fighters; and the cats of Heimdall were the lone scouts or spies. Muggles still remember them today as berserkers but take the turning into animals as mere allegory.
"The Shape-Changers could change at will and remained in control of their animal form. Man and animal-spirit worked as one in harmony. The legends grew from the viciousness and ruthlessness of the Shape-Changers in battle. Then came the arrival of the White God's followers and their missionaries they sent amongst us. There were many battles but the courage and ruthlessness of the Norse held off their greater numbers. The Shape-Changers played a major role in these battles
"Unfortunately, their importance was also noted by the White God's followers who saw the changing of shape as being the work of their Satan. We don't know who or exactly how it was done but some magic was worked to contain the Shape-Changers' powers. I believe they merely wanted to prevent their transformation by severing the link between man and beast. However, what they did was change the blessing to a curse. At first it was simply that the Shape-Changers could no longer summon their animal forms. But the true impact of the curse did not occur until the next full moon. No one took any special note that they lost their ability on the night of a full moon. Some people hadn't changed in days or weeks so they weren't sure just when the curse took effect. The next full moon, all the Shape-Changers changed. They changed into mindless creatures that were parodies of their old forms. They killed their own families, friends, and kinsman in a brutal night of slaughter. The Shape-Changers woke the next morning to find mostly the dead. The injured survivors of that night became infected too. Most of the Shape-Changers were hunted down by the very warriors that once venerated them. Others left the Norse holds and went amongst the very people responsible for the change.
"The Bears and Cats were always the loners of the Shape-Changers. We've heard rumours of Bears in the Americas, and Asia, but we know of only a few Cats in Africa and South America. The Wolves fared better because of our Pack instincts." Claire paused now in her story to look at Harry and Remus. Both men looked stunned at the history they'd never heard before.
"That is very interesting, Claire," Harry managed.
.....
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