Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter and can't get money for this, but I can make him into a Mafia Prince.
Warning: Some chapters (the ones including pranks and mimes) might not be appropriate to read at work. Laughter may ensue leading your co-workers to see you as even more insane than they previously thought.
Chapter 3: New Friendships
"I thought I was grounded," Harry teased his father from where he lounged in his usual chair.
Manuel merely returned the teasing with a glare, "You're not getting out of this that easily, the Clearwater's made it clear in their invitation that your presence would be extremely welcome. The Clearwater's are among are more influential investors and Phillip has had past dealings with the clan. Their daughter knows nothing of this though, and it will fall to you to entertain her during the evening."
"You mean her parents think I would be a good match for Penelope and wish to throw us together in front of society," Harry guessed shrewdly.
Manuel nodded, "that is so, and while I will never force you into a match you do not desire it would not be a bad idea for you to play at the game for a while."
Harry sighed knowing that he wouldn't be getting out of this one, "formal dress? I'm guessing suit and tie instead of dress robes though as at least one of Penelope's parents are muggle, if not both from what I understand."
"The limo will be around in two hours," Manuel dismissed Harry so they could both get ready for the evening ahead, "Dagger Vasile and Dagger Joel will accompany us tonight, but will be relegated out to the gardens for proprieties sake. Should anything happen you are to find them."
Harry understood that his father wasn't necessarily referring to the usual assassination attempts that plagued their lives, but the threat of Sirius Black. Black was an unknown factor with magical connections and was, on all accounts, a threat to Harry. Harry knew his father would have loved to have Bill acting as one of their guards that night so that both on-duty Daggers would possess magic, but Bill would possibly be recognized at the party if spotted and had previously requested some family time for that evening.
"I understand," Harry said formally, falling into the character he would be relying heavily on for the evening, "I shall go get ready and meet you at the front in two hours."
"I'm sorry about this," Penelope said with an embarrassed blush as the two teens stood around sipping at their wine before dinner, "my parents aren't exactly being subtle about their wishes."
Harry let a small grin slip before he regained his composure, he was starting to realize that Penelope might become a very good friend, "no, they aren't, but the question is whether your wishes are similar to theirs."
Harry's bluntness caused Penelope to start slightly before she decided to be honest, "they aren't. I just can't seem to make my parents understand that my interest lies with a wizard whose family isn't very well off. My parents married for a political match, not for love, and can't seem to understand why I don't wish for the same thing. They keep pressing suitors on me at all these gatherings, have been ever since they deemed me old enough to attend."
"I'm glad my father spared me that," Harry muttered thankfully, "and I think you and Percy would be an excellent match. The Weasley family might not be among the wealthy, but they are a close knit family that takes care of its own and Percy has plenty of ambition to make something of himself."
Penelope and Harry continued to talk through dinner, much to her parent's pleasure, most of their talk centering on Hogwarts and Quidditch when they were sure they wouldn't be overheard.
"Is that Madam Pomfrey?" Harry suddenly asked as he caught a glimpse of one of the guests' profiles."
Penelope followed his gaze down the table, "yeah, and the man sitting on her left is David Ackerley, the muggle studies professor. I'm not sure, but I think the two might be an item. Either that, or they come to these parties together since almost all the other guests are muggles."
Harry nodded and turned back to his food, debating quietly with Penelope about the differences between the magical and muggle world until their desert plates were cleared away. The whole party then moved from the Clearwater's dining room into a small ballroom with private alcoves where tête-à-têtes could be held. Music was already playing as the two teens entered the room and Harry held out his hand to Penelope in an invitation to dance. There were others their age there that they could have danced with, but Harry didn't know any of them and he was quite comfortable talking with Penny; he also wouldn't admit to the fact that he loved to dance and had heard from his father that Penelope was an excellent dancer herself.
His father had told him true, and Harry found himself relaxing even further as the night wore on and remained incident free; in hindsight that turned out to be a mistake, he should have realized that since Mr. Clearwater had clan connections that there were most likely others there as well and not all would have fond feelings towards the Darkov clan. When he first felt the touch upon his shoulder, Harry thought it was someone trying to cut in on his dance with Penny, it wouldn't have been the first time that night, but then the hand yanked him backwards and he felt the cool metal of a gun at his head. Harry didn't move as he was pulled backwards away from the most immediate press of people, didn't know if someone had cried out the situation, but suddenly the room was dead silent as everything seemed to come to a halt. At least, everything was dead silent until his attacker began to gloat.
"I have your heir, Darkov," the man foolishly baited his father, "what price are you willing to pay for the brat's life?"
Harry felt the hand attached to the arm holding him in a headlock fist in his hair as his head was jerked sharply backwards, the gun moving from his temple to just under the right side of his chin. Out of the edge of his vision, Harry could see his father move to the forefront of the hushed crowd, hands out to show he didn't have a gun.
"Let my son go," Manuel's voice was implacable, "and then we will talk. I will not negotiate in a situation where you can end my son's life should your emotions betray you."
"Not happening," Harry could feel the man's head shaking, "I'm not stupid enough to let go of my only bargaining chip."
"Do you really think you're going to make it out of this room alive anyhow," Manuel questioned calmly, and to those who didn't know the mafia leader all that well, it seemed as if he had little regard for his own son's life, "you will die no matter what, but it will be more pleasant for you if my son is safe and alive in my keeping."
"Oh I'll make it out of here," the man seemed to have adopted Manuel's calm, "and I'll be known as the one to bring the mighty Darkov's to their knees. I'll have succeeded where everyone else failed."
Harry was wondering what was taking the Daggers so long to make their move before he realized that the only shot they would safely have with all the people in this room would put a bullet through him as well. Whoever it was that held him captive had planned things out well, yet from the angle his head was tilted Harry could see something his captor hadn't accounted for. Penny was off to his left and had a clear shot at his captor and from her drawn wand he knew she was going to take the shot. The moment he saw Penelope begin to chant her spell, Harry tensed and readied to put in play the reflexes he had honed from childhood in training sessions with Sensei and refined with games of Quidditch. He didn't know what sort of spell Penny was going to use, but he knew the chances of it hitting him as well and also knew that there was a good possibility his captor would reflexively pull the trigger as the spell hit him.
"Stupefy!" Penelope called out, her aim dead on, and Harry flew into action.
The moment Harry heard the spell leave Penny's lips he jammed one foot backwards into his captor's lower right leg while his hands came up to shove the gun away from under his chin even as he threw himself forward. Two gunshots went off, perhaps three, right as Penny's spell hit his captor and Harry rolled into an undignified heap upon the floor with a muffled cry. In mere moments his father was at his side, calling out in his powerful voice for medical attention. It was then that Harry realized that his right cheek was on fire from where the bullet had shot up it, and that hot blood was dripping down his face to stain his father's suit. Harry himself couldn't see the extent of the damage done to his face, but Manuel could see the raw abrasions at his son's jaw line from the gun going off at such close proximity and the slight gouge where a bullet had traveled up his son's gunfire stippled cheek. They were lucky it hadn't been worse, that somehow what should have been a fatal shot had been avoided. Manuel wished the bastard who had dared try and capture his son was still alive so he could torture and kill him again—perhaps even a couple of times.
"I'm a hea—nurse," it was Madam Pomfrey, "Mr. Potter, I had not expected to have to patch you up even before the school year started."
Harry attempted to grin wirily at the mediwitch, but it hurt too much and ended up as more of a grimace than anything else. Out of the corner of his eye he could see Joel and Vasile standing over his captor with guns drawn as one of them kicked the corpse a few times before they finally lowered their weapons. Manuel looked up as they approached, before quickly looking back down as Harry hissed in pain at a particularly sharp poke of Madam Pomfrey's wand.
"He's dead boss," Vasile delivered the report.
Manuel gave a curt nod, he hadn't expected anything else, "Vasile, secure the perimeter and call the car. Joel, you'll stay here with us."
A few minutes after Vasile slipped away, the man Penny had called Professor Ackerley knelt down beside Madam Pomfrey.
"I sealed up the room," he said to her, "the aurors will be here soon to see to the memory modifications. Young Ms. Clearwater is quite upset as well. She's worried over Mr. Potter here, she saw the blood, and she also received a notification about the use of underage wizardry on top of it all. I'm Professor Ackerley by the way, Mr. Potter, I teach muggle studies."
"I'll calm the dear down after I finish up patching up Mr. Potter here," Madam Pomfrey stated briskly, "there's not much I can do, it being a muggle weapon and all, but I can stop the bleeding and stitch it up. I'll also provide you with a salve to help the healing and take away the pain. You're going to scar where the bullet ripped through your cheek, Mr. Potter, there's no helping that."
"Thanks Madam Pomfrey," Harry found it a lot easier to grin up at the strict woman after the salve had been applied, it seemed to have a numbing effect.
"Hmph," her lips seemed to twitch slightly unless Harry was imagining things, "just don't let me see you again before school starts, and even then I don't want to see you. I get enough students to patch up without you making a trip to see me."
Manuel helped Harry to his feet as he thanked Madam Pomfrey as well and Harry noticed Penny standing worriedly a few feet away. Signaling his father with a slight touch upon Manuel's arm, Harry slipped away over to the girl who was clutching a crumpled piece of parchment. He was ready to pass out, but Darkov's didn't faint in public, didn't faint at all actually, and Penelope deserved his thanks.
"Thanks Penny," he dared hug the girl knowing that it was what he would have done to Blaise in the same situation, "things would have been a hell of a lot worse if you hadn't acted."
Penny smiled wanly, "I'm glad you're okay, but I'm scared. The aurors just arrived to do the memory modifications, but what about me. I broke the law and used magic in front of the muggles, and I'm still underage for another week."
"Relax," Harry reassured her, "it was a life or death situation, they can't condemn you for that. There are exceptions for emergency cases. Don't worry about it. Now come on, let's go talk with the aurors and set things straight. I know your parents will be there and we can get my dad, Madam Pomfrey, and Professor Ackerley to back up our story. It'll be alright."
It was a good hour later before things were straightened out, the body taken away, and the memories of the muggles modified. By that time Harry was ready to drop. His adrenaline had long been spent from the encounter and his cheek was starting to throb again beneath the bandaging and salve. They had to wait until Joel's memory was modified though, before they could make their getaway to the limo Vasile had waiting. As Harry stumbled out to the limo, he could have sworn he saw a pair of eyes gleaming out at him from a bush, but then the door closed behind him and Harry put it from his mind and fell into a fitful sleep on the ride home.
Posted On: September 12, 2005
Edit Posted On: February 15, 2006