Kora! Look, at there is a KHRxHP crossover! Read it, kora!

(This will be set after the Ring Battles and the time I'll call the Missing Years [which is not canon, kora] and also fictional Seventh Year after AU of Book Five)

Edit 14-11-09: Fixed a few consistency errors.

Ten Lives to the Fall

Chapter One

In the seventh carriage of the bright red steam train known as the Hogwarts Express, only one figure was awake, and that figure belonged to Tsunayoshi Sawada.

Tsunayoshi, or Tsuna, on his part, was aimlessly staring out the window, watching the scenery go by. His mind took that opportunity to wander, and he automatically thought back to the first moment he was told about his Mafia heritage, like he had done so many times before.

"Ehh--! I'm the Vongola Family's tenth generation Mafia boss?!"

And then shortly thereafter he met the silver-haired teenager, no, young man that was currently beside him in a fight staged by his then-home tutor, Reborn. Hayato Gokudera turned out to be the most devoted person he had ever met, and then some.

As if he could feel Tsuna's gaze on his currently sleeping form or his musings, Hayato shifted slightly and mewled.

"-enth…" came from his lips during the pride-damning sound.

Tsuna smiled softly. His right-hand man was even willing to try and serve him during sleep, a time of rest. That took a depth of loyalty others didn't have, and that dedication merely increased over the time in which he brought his Guardians to Italy for further training.

The next Guardian to join his Family – Takeshi Yamamoto – was of the strange sort. He originally showed a naïveté towards all of them and their motives by pretending it was all a game and that weapons – deadly, real weapons – were nothing more than toys. Now, Takeshi was on the way to becoming one of their most skilled representatives in combat, and his Shigure Soen style something to be feared. At that moment he was currently on a mission in Istanbul, and when not on missions, training with the Varia swordsman Superbi Squalo.

The rest of them were, really, added during the Ring Battles against the Varia, where his father had chosen them and brought them into the Mafia world by force. Ryohei Sasagawa, extreme Lion-Puncher and boxing-obsessed maniac, now showing the potential as a silent but deadly infiltrator. Lambo of the Bovino Family, previously a five-year-old crybaby but presently undergoing training to bring him to the standard that he would be upon his twenties; introducing him to the Elettrico Cornata and perfecting his Cuoio.

His other two Guardians were of the eccentric sort and not exactly the type to socialize. The last he'd heard of his Cloud, Kyouya Hibari, was that he was accepting and completing missions at speeds almost too fast to comprehend, though his motives were unknown. Chrome Dokuro's status was completely unknown, having left the Vongola base a month and a half ago presumably on Mukuro Rokudo's orders, Ken Joshima and Chikusa Kakimoto disappearing at about the same time. Mukuro himself was sentenced to remain in the Vendiche prison for a while yet, but Tsuna had the Ninth Vongola Boss aid him in finding a way to release him as soon as possible.

The two years since then had changed him too. His eyes, whilst still large and absorbing everything around him, gained a darker shade from having seen too much; far too much. His mouth was now set in a firmer line and every time he looked at people it was apparently as if he was seeing through them and into their thoughts, rather than at them – or so Ryohei had said, after an extended visit to Egypt. Tsuna also hadn't found the time to cut his hair at all, and it resulted in his spikes becoming thinner, slightly longer and more plentiful, his fringe barely brushing his eyelids. It always took so long to grow due to how thick it was.

And now he was on his own mission, given to him via the Ninth himself out of an urgency he had never seen, related to the strange situation they found themselves in. For a while, the Vongola and their Allied Families found their public businesses and projects as targets by an unknown group, costing them tens of billions of dollars. Naturally, as the Vongola was the largest and most influential within that circle, they had been automatically turned to and held the responsibility of trying to prevent any more disaster from happening, and fast.

Even with their resources, it had taken a while until questioning finally seemed to pay off. One poor person admitted that yes, he knew who was doing this because of that skull-and-snake trademark; yes, this person was in charge of a group on the opposing side of Wizardry Law and publically had an ambition to cleanse the world of non-magical people; and yes, witches and wizards existed in this era.

Once they knew what type of people they were looking to question, it was truly a surprise that they had about a fourth of the Mafia to comb through as they were all users of this magic. They got their results and a new target surprisingly quickly within weeks, as it all seemed to be common knowledge in their world. To say that Tsuna was startled that he of all people were chosen to remove this threat would have been an understatement.

After all, it wasn't every day you were told your next goal was to infiltrate a prestigious school for magic.

--

"Tsunayoshi." The Ninth greeted, after Tsuna completed all the formalities required during a meeting between the Vongola heir and the current boss. "I have called you because you will be sent on a mission that is of the utmost importance to all of us. I presume you are aware of the economic crisis we are currently in?"

Tsuna nodded, not trusting himself to speak in front of this imposing, confident aura.

"I have discovered that there is apparently a young man in this Wizarding World who seems to have the possibility of defeating the 'Lord Voldemort' that is causing all of this, as the two of them have faced off on more than one occasion and are still alive at this time. You should know that no one else has done this before, let alone get out alive and sane the first time from your own efforts in this case.

"He is Harry Potter, age 17. We have checked his records and they state that he is currently living with his aunt, uncle and cousin in Little Whinging, Surrey, due to the fact that his parents had died in a car crash. They seem to be strangely missing important details, and further questioning of Francesco of the Gesso Family has given us the reason why.

"His parents had actually died when Voldemort went after him at the age of one, his father and mother both sacrificing themselves to save him, and rebounding the Killing Curse to vanquish the Voldemort instead. He now attends a school hidden in Scotland called Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, and attends his seventh and final year.

"Your job is to infiltrate the school under the guise of being a child who refused to have anything to do with the Wizarding World due to a traumatic incident he had undergone in his childhood. As this is a very delicate and important long-term mission, you will also be accompanied by your right-hand man, Gokudera Hayato, and my son, Xanxus."

"What?!" Tsuna exclaimed suddenly, before clasping his hands in front of his mouth. "I mean, I'm sorry for my act of insolence and display of disrespect in front of you, sir."

The Ninth chuckled. "Now, you know you don't have to be so uptight around me, si? Also, there is a genuine reason for choosing those two specifically, as the ones accompanying you are legitimate wizards. Close your mouth, Tsunayoshi, or your face might stay that way forever."

Tsuna did so. Why hadn't Hayato told him?

"My son, it turned out, refused to accept his magical skills and somehow found a way to seal them off with the Flame of Wrath, where he simply used them as fuel and energy rather than choose to harness them in other ways. He was the only one available that can fill the position of being strong enough to aid you, possessing a magical ability and high up enough in the ranks to satisfy the bosses of the other Allied Families in his reports as supervisor.

"Gokudera Hayato and his sister – yes, Tsunayoshi – were simply those who refused to live their lives in magical society. He was homeschooled in the basic control of his magic by his father, but upon his mother's death refused to do any more and found a way to remove his magical energy involving the use of dynamite and healing. His sister, however, did attend the school for about two years before she felt that the life of a hitman was far more beneficial.

"As I was saying before your interruption," Tsuna blushed at this, and bowed his head in embarrassment. "The full details of your fake identity and the mission are in the folder on my desk which I expect you to remember all the details of. You are to go to the Poison Scorpion Bianchi and learn more about the Wizarding World in preparation as you will be under strict scrutiny. New fitted uniforms will be sent and delivered to you as soon as they are gathered, and your school supplies will be done the same way.

"I'm afraid the matter of your wand requires a personal visit to the alley in Britain the magical folk shop in, as it is something that cannot be sent to you, but that should be a good opportunity to ensure that your identity is in place and flawless. That should be all the information you need at the moment, all the rest is in the folder."

"Sir," Tsuna asked, knowing the answer but needing conformation. "What is the mission's label and target?"

"Elimination of the one who is behind the cause of our economical failures, and to take any means necessary in doing so. Backup may be called if you feel it is so required, as Xanxus is not to interfere as supervisor unless he feels it is absolutely necessary."

In reply, Tsuna nodded determinedly, and made to leave.

"Oh, and Tsunayoshi?" The Ninth added, as he picked up the folder and gave it a cursory glance, before handing it over. "Good luck."

--

He had had a month. It was one month to remember and memorize the theory all the curricular spells were revolved around, and a month to learn the basics of the Wizarding World to effectively use during conversation.

Tsuna reached into his pocket and pulled out his wand, rolling it between his fingers in a contemplative manner. It was very slim and very smooth, except for the two small, firey-orange stones implanted in the middle, at the end of the pointed grip. The grip itself was fluid, leafed with a thin gold strip at the base, shining against the pitch-black wandwood.

But what he found most curious was the cursive, golden V at the bottom, a marker of his Family.

--

Tsuna waved the first wand he was offered through the air awkwardly, and was certainly surprised when a flurry of multicoloured sparks came out the end and a calm feeling washed over him.

"Ah, that wand, I see. I thought so. Ivy, 9 3/4 inches, core of a phoenix flight feather, supple yet sturdy. Good at all general magicks, but it prefers slightly more advanced levels of spellcastory. The core is the strangest thing; usually my wands are made of phoenix tail feathers, but this phoenix came to me and pulled out the largest feather on each wing to give to me with a look in its eye that said, use them well. Your wand contains the one from the left wing and was originally intended for another, but the wand rejected him and instead accepted the sister wand made from the other feather."

Ollivander looked over all three of the wands they held, now that they had each been chosen; Tsuna, Hayato (Aspen, 11 inches, heartstring of a Hebridean Black dragon, fluid, a wand for general usage and slightly more preferable at Charms) and Xanxus (Hawthorn, 13 inches, core of Manticore fur, temperamental, ideal for transfiguration) simply watching (or staring) him back as he paced along the shop floor, subconsciously waiting for a form of dismissal.

"I tell people," he said abruptly, "that all my wands are made with three different variables; length, wood, and core; but in truth there are actually four. The fourth variable is the catalyst. Each variable has a different purpose in the wand itself, and bind together to form the completed product.

"Firstly, the length functions in strength. If the person's magic is too fierce after being drawn out of the barrier that runs along the skin, they need a longer, sturdier wand to cope with all the power at once. If their magic is weaker or is drawn out smoothly, the shorter length does the same thing.

"The wood acts as a body to dull, or in some cases, amplify the raw power and change it to something more workable for spells, otherwise the magic is more likely to go out of control and cause potential harm.

"The core acts as a stabilizer that ensures the magic only runs through it and it itself. If the magic runs through the wood, it can do anything from cracking the wand to exploding it and causing irreparable damage.

"The catalyst converts the person's magic into something easier to handle, and what differentiates my wands from those of other people. Each wand has a thin and fragile web of this inside their wands, and it is made of something I call Liquid Fire. There are seven types and colours of catalysts; orange, red, blue, yellow, purple, green and indigo. The rainbow, or as you more commonly know them as, young Vongola, the person's Flame."

--

Tsuna absently looked around the compartment after remembering the stubbornness the old man had shown after his unexpected speech and reluctance to answer any of their questions, when his eyes settled on the almost-snarling Xanxus draped on the seats opposite Hayato and himself. He almost snickered as the typically fearsome look on the Varia boss' face made him look like a kitten during his sleep.

His mind wondered for a moment whether the school would allow Xanxus to wear his usual Varia coat and matte leather pants, unable to imagine him in a robe. Then, he reflected that the look on his face if he was told that he could not would most likely rival the comical one he'd had on earlier when they exited the Ninth's office and heading on their way to the new Allied Families' Apparation Unit for transportation to the train station at King's Cross.

--

"Xanxus?"

"Shut up, stinking trash."

Tsuna frowned. There must have been something Xanxus seriously wasn't pleased about if he was still sulking about it even with a month of time between meetings. Hayato glared at him, saying that the Tenth all the conversation he wanted, but he found himself ignored by the both of them.

"What are you using for cover anyway? You weren't mentioned in my folder at all, except that you were going to 'watch us from a distance' and 'report and fulfil duties as supervisor'."

Xanxus muttered something incoherent and almost guaranteed to be profane, but Hayato seemed to catch the end of the sentence.

"Did you say, 'teaching stupid fucking trash'?"

Tsuna blinked. Did he hear that right?

"I'm going to be a damn teacher that is fucking teaching this 'Defense Against the Dark Arts' to the entire fucking school." Xanxus growled quickly, glancing at a visible sheet in his folder that was labelled 'Fifth Year Course Notes' in surprisingly neat Italian.

Tsuna couldn't help it. He laughed. The mental image of Xanxus in front of a crowd of students teaching them rather than scaring them away or trying to murder them very violently was just about the funniest thing he'd heard in a while – or ever. Plus, it would've been worse than babysitting because even though the whole visualization of Xanxus in a frilly pink apron was probably the best in the world, as a teacher he had to make sure they learnt and remembered whatever he was saying.

It was with ease in which he dodged the bullet fired at him with an X-Gun, and Tsuna clutched his sides at the situation as he knew that Xanxus had to act nice and not use any form of violence, or risk being fired and compromise the entire mission, even as supervisor.

And a nice Xanxus was…well…

…the damn funniest thing he'd ever heard.

--

During his silent laughter at the memory, several things happened all at once.

The first thing was that their compartment door's latch was clicked open, and it was only a matter of time before the blurry figures behind the window slid the door.

The second was that Hayato abruptly woke up from his nap and took a position in front of his Tenth, as if waiting for an incoming onslaught.

And the third was that his Dying Will Flame lit up on its own.

And chapter one has finished, kora!

Oh, and I'm only doing these impersonations to stay slightly more interesting and to train my characterization, kora!

Kora, what did you think? What about the idea of Xanxus as the Defence teacher, kora? Or Tsuna and Hayato?

I'll be trying to stick to fortnightly updates also, kora! You better thank me for that! (Unless I go mysteriously MIA -- check my profile for information, kora!)

Ciao, kora!

If you don't send your opinion to me, kora, I tell you I never pass up on the chance to test my aim with my anti-tank missiles. Review, kora!

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