Ian laughed. "So, it was all true from 'A certain point of view'?" Harry caught the Star Wars reference. He smiled back at the Alpha.
"Well, I was following Dumbledore's advice but it was another old man in robes with a long white beard so who knows."
"Aren't you concerned about the Wizengamot hearing about this new information after what you told them just today?" Queenie asked.
"But we are here under an Oath to Loki," Harry answered with a small smile. "If this does get out then we will know someone here is an Oath-breaker." The surrounding wolves caught the implication of that statement. By their own most sacred law everything Potter told them here today had to be kept just within the Packs. Predators such as wolves appreciated cunning and somehow it had ended up that nothing Potter said here today could be used to hurt him with the Ministry.
"Ask'em about the poison," Greyback growled to Queenie while continuing to glare at Harry. Queenie merely nodded and asked the question.
Harry started to answer but then seemed to pause. After a moment, he said, "That has nothing to do with my shape-shifting ability. The Oath does compel me to say it is an ability I have when transformed but it was not something I gained initially." Neither Harry nor the werewolves seemed fully pleased by that answer.
"What was this poison?" Dyfed asked Greyback.
"Not important now," Greyback snarled back.
"I disagree," Ian said. "You felt it was important enough to have the question asked by Queenie so it was an honest one he had to answer." The Irish Pack leader paused and seemed to consider. "Yes, I think we need that answer, Fenrir."
Seeing the other Alphas agree, Greyback had no choice. "When Potter fought the Dark Lord's forces many of them were poisoned where Potter got'em with his claws. Caused paralysis and death if enough was there. Healer said it was some kind of snake venom."
Ian turned to Harry with an eyebrow raised. "Venom?" Harry shrugged.
"There were more than twenty Death Eaters in that graveyard including Voldemort and Greyback over there. I fought with everything I had." Harry paused before a small grin crossed his lips. "And by most any measure, I won."
"You won nothing, boy!" Greyback raged. "The Dark Lord has returned and will take Britain under his rule!"
"A fourteen year old boy faced Voldemort and his closest followers unaided and not only survives but manages to kill or wound at least half of them and escape to provide evidence making his secret resurrection not so secret?" Harry responded sardonically. "A fraction of an inch and I would have ripped Tommy-boy's throat out." Greyback looked furious and his eyes were glowing dangerously. While he couldn't fully transform until the full moon, it was easy to see the wolf lurking just below the skin.
"Restrain yourself, Fenrir!" Oliver barked again. "This is your second warning!" The glare Greyback levelled at the other Alpha screamed he was ready to rip the Scottish Pack leader's throat out but then he nodded and took a small step back - not of submission but restrain all the same.
"May we see it?" the woman with Ian asked suddenly. Her voice had a musical lilt to it and Harry had a stay thought that she was probably a marvellous singer. "May we see for ourselves your wolf-form?"
Catching the looks of interest on the face of all of the Alphas, male and female, Harry responded with a nod. Then he let free the Beast.
Where a nearly fifteen year-old boy once stood, now stood the Beast. He'd grown since the last time Remus had seen the Beast. The Beast now stood well over two metres tall with thick, black fur. The Beast's powerful arms were proportionally longer than on a human and ended with long, wicked looking claws. The rest of the body looked equally powerful. In fact, he looked more like a Hollywood version of a werewolf that what the magical world saw. Most werewolves looked like humans with wolf-like characteristics forced onto them. The Beast looked like a wolf with human-like characteristics forced onto him. It was, in one word Remus admitted, impressive.
The surrounding werewolves reacted with excitement at the Beast's appearance. Where the witches and wizards of the Wizengamot reacted in fear, most of the Packs' members looked almost joyful. Remus noticed that Greyback however looked furious but he also detected a slight hint of fear in those yellow eyes. Remus didn't really blame him. Unlike the rest of the werewolves, Greyback had faced the Beast in a fight.
Harry glanced back at Remus and the older werewolf stepped forward.
"Harry is unable to speak in his wolf form," Remus said. "Is there anything you would like him to do before changing back?"
"Magnificent," Oliver Westen said absently whilst gazing up at the Beast. Remus didn't think the Alpha even heard him.
"Can we see you move, Harry?" Marisol asked.
The Beast nodded and set off at an easy, ground-eating lope. Suddenly he turned and shot off towards the tree line. He dove under a picnic bench only to shot out the other side without disturbing the food on top of it in an impressive display of agility. Then the Beast was up and with a great bound cleared a fair sized tent that was set up for the cooks and food storage. Despite having seen the Beast in action before, Remus found it impressive.
The Beast was now out of sight and the crowd started to murmur about where he could be. Remus knew the Marauder was going to try something to impress the werewolves. And he was right.
A sudden growl was all the warning they had before the Beast appeared coming directly over the roaring bonfire. He landed on all fours directly between the fires and the shocked Alphas. The Beast now rose up on to his hind legs and released a chilling howl that the night air carried for miles around. The werewolves responded with a roar of approval at the display. An instant later, Harry Potter stood in the Beast's place.
"Was that sufficient?" he asked the stunned crowd.
.....
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