Please bear in mind that I am not a linguist.
Also, Google Translate tends to lie.
Also, in this particular headcannon, Earth Flames are basically Sky Flames that resonate with the Earth's 'grounding' aspect as opposed to the Sky's 'freeform' aspect. So, in this story, they are basically the same, but have different manifestations due to their polarities, get it?
Almost all Flame users use Sky Flames because the world is out of balance, and that's just how the cookie crumbles.
They need codenames because they cannot move about freely in the Mafia with their real names. They are Xanxus' 'ace in the hole' because he is a cautious, cagey bastard and he likes to have options.
(The man who adopted him encased him in ice for doing his job. He has trust issues.)
I really hope you guys enjoy this and that it answers some questions, it's been a real pain, and I had to toss, like, 8k worth of words due to a logic error.
(That was irritating!)
Anyways, please enjoy!
Daphne Greengrass was a lovely fourteen year old young lady with dark hair, frosty blue eyes, and an incredibly prickly demeanor to anyone who tried to make a pass at her or her baby sister. Daphne was a little tall for her age and slim, like her mother, though her coloring was all her father's fault. Astoria was Daphne's baby sister, nearly three years younger than Daphne herself, and the vivacious, minty-colored eyed little blonde was Daphne's entire world.
Daphne and Astoria had been raised by their aunt and uncle, who were Lord and Lady Greengrass of the Noble House of Greengrass. Their cousin, Cypress, was the Heir, and both girls had known from a very young age that their only worth to the House was whatever their future spouses offered their aunt and uncle.
Daphne and Astoria's parents had been young when they had married, their mother, Aubrey, had been a brilliant witch with sharp temper and an amazing mind for Runes. Aubrey had actually been Head Girl the year after Lily Evans, and Cyrus Greengrass had been the Head Boy two years before James Potter. Together they enjoyed exploring nonmagical ruins to check for Runes and gathering new and interesting herbs to experiment with Potions. Cyrus Greengrass had been a Potions Master and Aubrey Greengrass had been a Rune Master and Daphne could vaguely remember watching her Daddy putter around the Potions lab while her Mama scribbled away in a notebook while Daphne doted on Astoria nearby.
The two parents had gone on an expedition to Denmark as an anniversary gift to themselves when Astoria had been about four and had never returned. (Daphne found out later that the Portkey that her parents had taken had been faulty and it had destabilized mid-trip, tearing the passengers to pieces.) Daphne had always dreaded visiting her aunt and uncle because her uncle had no spine to speak of and his wife was an associate of the likes of Violetta Burlstrode-Black and Druella Rosier-Black.
This wouldn't have been a great issue if Aubrey hadn't been a half-blood.
By the time she was nine Daphne had learned how to weather the snide commentary with a chilly smile and even colder eyes. Her aunt was quite clear that she blamed Daphne's mother's 'wanderlust' for getting 'dear, misguided Cyrus' killed. Daphne had sat through the teas with the women only to go back to her room and scream into her pillow at the injustice of it all. Daphne wanted to fly, to touch the sky and discover new things and be more than just a trophy to the highest bidder. She wanted children, she truly did, but she wanted to be Daphne before she became so-and-so's mother.
Astoria- bless her- was an optimist, always encouraging Daphne but that only made it worse because Daphne knew that Astoria was like her and eventually Daphne wouldn't be able to protect her baby sister any longer.
It burst and broiled and stung and seared but there was no way out.
For Daphne at least, but there was a slim ray of hope for Astoria.
Daphne had gone to Hogwarts knowing that Astoria's only chance at freedom was if Daphne managed to ensnare a boy who wanted her so much that he, (or his House), would pay for both Daphne and Astoria just to get Daphne. This meant she needed to be pure, untouched, untainted, and unattainable. Daphne needed her benefactor to be helpless to deny her, so she had carefully cultivated her image during her first three years of Hogwarts and planned on continuing during her Fourth Year regardless of the Tournament.
Then something had changed with two of her possible targets.
Theodore Nott was the last scion of the Noble House of Nott and the Ancient House of Keller. Both Houses were down to Theo and his ailing grandfather, so Daphne had catalogued him as being somewhat desperate and therefore a possible suitor. It helped that Theo was actually still tolerable if he said more than three words to you.
Blaise Zabini had been a possible target, but the boy's friendship with the Gryffindor Golden Boy had been a red flag in Daphne's opinion, even after considering that the Zabini wouldn't be as likely to fall for her act as most boys his age due to his mother's influence.
She'd watched, though, the way that Potter's group had grown and something inside her purred as she studied him standing shoulder to shoulder with Neville Longbottom when the Goblet had shot the other boy's name out unexpectedly.
Daphne hadn't meant to make a stand, hadn't meant to stand out, but when she'd seen the group in the library a few days later, still laughing and smiling when she knew that Longbottom had been Excluded from his House, that little voice inside her that had always wanted to race with the wind had gotten louder, almost desperate.
So she'd gotten to her feet without realizing it, following Theo and Blaise on autopilot and before she knew it she had been staring into eyes that shone with the freedom she'd resigned herself to never experiencing, and she'd shaken Potter's hand.
The feeling that had surged through her had been nearly overwhelming; it had nearly taken her to her knees. The group had cleared out soon after and she's sat in a chair she hadn't remembered sitting down in for at least an hour before the heady rush had worn off enough for her to think.
The next day she'd grabbed Astoria and their cousin Terrence Higgs- who had grabbed ahold of his best friend Adrian Pucey- and gone back.
Now, sitting here on oversized pillows trying to meditate while Vala and Avia keep making her and Tori laugh while Padma, Luna, and Lin keep bursting out into giggles randomly, Daphne feels more at home and free than she ever has before. She can feel her Sky watching them in contentment, his gaze heavy and warm on her back and she knows with crystal clear certainty that she will never, ever be able to go back to that cold girl that she had been only a few short weeks ago.
Daphne closes her eyes and sinks into herself, letting the world fall away as she reaches for the Flames that have granted her freedom, life, and home.
This time they answer her call eagerly, and she laughs with delight as her red Flames coalesce into being in her cupped hands, the red splash of vibrant color seeming to beat in time with her heart as she smiles, wide and bright and exhilarated at her accomplishment. She turns and looks to her Sky to see him smiling back at her, just as bright as she feels and then the girls are asking her how she managed the second stage of the exercise already and she simply responds, "Freedom, life, and home."
It doesn't feel like an answer, not really, but it must be something because soon the others are managing their own flickers and Daphne feels her heart swell with emotions that she's scared to name but not too scared to feel as she watches Astoria's face light up as her baby sister gets the barest lick of Flame and tackles Luna in her ensuing excitement.
Daphne closes her eyes and basks in the moment.
I'll do anything to protect this. She thinks fiercely.
Xanxus liked to bitch about all the trouble the kitty had caused them, but Squalo knew that the dividends that came about due to those complications were worth the headaches.
Squalo wasn't the Varia Rain and Xanxus' Second in Command, (SIC), simply because he defeated Tyr. Squalo was the Varia Rain and SIC because he pushed at the boundaries of what was 'normal' for a Rain until he pushed passed them and shattered the trash's expectations. All the other Varia Elite could say the same, so it was of little surprise to them that once their Boss had returned and they'd all more-or-less gotten on board about the kitty that they'd take all the information about the magicals special tricks and find ways to make them their own.
The Black library was a veritable treasure trove of information, even if the library at the main estate was currently unavailable to due the estate being in Lockdown. The fact of the matter was that the Varia already had their hands full playing catch-up from the bullshit inquiry, staying one step ahead of the Vongola's enemies, keeping track of the new hidden world and their kitty, not to mention deconstructing and then figuring out how to use all the magical advancements they had modified. Only the Varia Elite had been briefed on the magical world, so to pass anything on to the rest of the squads, everything had to be explained as a 'new advancement' from somewhere and they were running out of excuses.
Xanxus had cashed in a 'no questions asked' favor from Verde to get the kitty's phone made, but any more of those and the scientist would start nosing around and that would cause the other Arcobaleno who weren't currently in league with the Varia to get edgy and bring too much scrutiny to what the Varia was up to again.
Lussuria had kept them updated on everything that had been happening with the kitty over the last month, and the fact that the Earth brat was gathering his Guardians so quickly was making the Elite twitchy. A Sky- Earth, whatever- usually only gathered Guardians that quickly when there was a clear and present danger to their life- not like the 'you're going to get shot by a sniper' sort of danger but more of the 'the fight that's coming could screw over everyone and their mother if you lose it' kind.
Meaning, that whatever Volde-trash was planning was more than likely going to happen sooner as opposed to later, which meant that the Varia needed to be able to fight properly in a magical battle without drawing so much attention to their unique abilities that they ended up in the Vindicare, because the Vindice were not forgiving to those who broke Omertá.
Towards that end Xanxus had claimed the Estraneo lab that the kitty and the Cloud brat had cleared during their Trial and now that the bullshit fucking inquiry was over they had had the place cleaned, sanitized, upgraded, and then warded with all the blended Flame-Magic shit that Mammon had managed to come up with on top of normal security measures. The lab actually had five levels, but to the rest of the world there were only two thanks to the hocus pocus shit from the kitty's doggy and Mammon's Mist. Xanxus was the 'Secret Keeper' so the only person who could tell people about the lab was the Varia Boss himself.
The lab was actually in Varia territory now that they had fully reclaimed the ground that they had lost to CEDEF during the fallout from the Cradle Affair, which was fabulous because Verde was going to take a while to get on board. Granted, they'd wrecked his old lab when they'd captured him, but the little shit would have Varia-approved minions and a whole new world to dissect as long as he learned that he was officially at the Varia's not-so-easygoing mercies.
It's probably going to end up being a good thing for everyone that he's in our custody, Squalo thought wryly as he made his way down the hall to Shitty Boss' office to report in, as some of the shit that the techs uncovered in Verde's research was fucking terrifying, so maybe having blatant guidelines and an entire new world's shit to mess with would keep the man's brain busy enough to not make chemical compounds that could potentially kill off the rest of humanity.
If Verde behaved for a year or two they might take out one of the trashy lowlife Famiglia who ran human trafficking rings and drugs and let the Lightning Arcobaleno have an estate with access to the great outdoors.
"VOI! Got your fucking Who down in Whoville, Shitty Boss." Squalo announced as he deftly dodged the fragile object aimed towards his head as a greeting and slapped the mission report down on Xanxus' desk.
Xanxus grunted as he flicked a glance in Squalo's direction, "About time, shitty shark."
Squalo nodded tiredly and flopped down on one of the couches, "Yeah. Two fatalities and another was wounded bad enough we'll probably have to retire them to Operations, but that's it."
There was a sound of rustling papers, "A Lightning and a Storm, and then the injury was a Sun, not bad for the risk that shitty fucker posed."
An affirmative sound came from the direction of the couch, "Yeah. Then Mammon found some fucked up shit in the guy's head, so it's probably a good thing he's in our custody. You think we'll be ready for when the shit hits the fan?"
Xanxus hummed thoughtfully, "From what I've been told this Volde-trash fucker is using this Tournament shit to prep the brat for whatever shitty fucking ritual the trash are using to fucking 'resurrect' him. Apparently old ass contracts like this Goblet shit gives the winner a 'Champion's Triumph' for winning or some shit, and that's why the disguised trash is trying to help the Earth brat."
Squalo laid an arm over his eyes and hummed, "So like a magic boost, or some shit?"
"Basically," Xanxus drawled as scratching sounds quietly filled the air between the two men, "I'm being told that Volde-trash is going to 'conquer the conqueror' and use the additional fucking magic to overcome the fact that the only rituals to restore bodies need material from the paternal line, and the trash's father was nonmagical. Black says the magic is in the blood, so Volde-trash is more than likely really fucking paranoid about his new body being unable to use his precious magic."
There was a derisive snort, "So what are we going to do then?"
"We're going to continue gathering intel with Mammon's illusion-based devices for now, Levi and Bel should have the video surveillance equipment done before the Shitty Brat's hols, so that will be even better. We make the brats run missions over their shitty holiday, get them used to working together in the field and shit. Shitty Brat's half-a-fucking Sun Guardian says that Volde-trash will more than likely call all of his trash servants together to witness his fucking triumph over death."
Squalo moved his arm enough to glance at Xanxus and gave him a deadpan stare, "You can't be serious. The trashes are going to make this easy?"
Xanxus' grin was almost feral in the light of the afternoon sun as the other man rose smoothly from the desk and stalked over towards the couch adjacent to the one Squalo was resting on. The man poured two glasses of liquor and once the Varia Boss and his SIC were once again reclining comfortably, he continued, "This guy is an arrogant piece of scum. I'm going with my gut and assuming that the scum was a Sky- the Shitty Brat had one Flame, the trash Diadem another, then that fucking Cup, then that shitty Diary, the Ring, and that fucking Locket. Mammon reports that the Arcobaleno-sized thing in that shitty hovel has what we're calling the 'main' piece, and the snake that is always around has a Flame signature, but it's so distorted that Mammon can't tell what kind."
"Probably whatever he had left of his Sky Flame."
"More than likely," Xanxus agreed, "Right now my basic plan is have Mammon cover the graveyard where all the trash's relatives are buried and have the dog and his brother use their hocus pocus shit to switch all the male and females around, which will disrupt the ritual anyways. Then on that night, we will be on standby under magic-proofed illusions with all the fucking brats. I'm having Mammon and Skull-"
Squalo elevated an eyebrow at Xanxus' use of the Cloud Arcobaleno's name.
Xanxus chortled darkly, "That fucker is Mammon's buddy and adores the Shitty Brat's fucking dog, I'm fishing, shark."
That response garnered a quiet huff of laughter from the Varia Rain but Squalo gestured for his scheming Boss to continue.
"Right, anyways, they are constructing a solid illusion for the Earth brat and the Rain brat to switch out with before the Final Task, so the real ones can be with us. This Task is taking place after dark on the fucking solstice- which is another reason why we think Volde-trash is going to wait for it- so we'll watch the fucker perform his resurrection, call his trash followers, then we go in and kill or capture them all. The brats will use their Turners to go back and be seen while we take care of the clean-up."
Squalo quirked an eyebrow, "Capture isn't our usual modus operandi."
Xanxus idly swirled his alcohol around in his glass and watched it for a moment before replying. "Some of them will be useful alive and under our control, but most of them are going to our Who down in Whoville, just like anyone we find with a Trash Mark on over the holiday missions. The Shitty Brat is probably going to pitch a fit, but we need to make sure that we've got our asses covered, because my gut is screaming at me that we have to get the brat out of there- and if we fuck up and miss something, those trashes can fuck with our heads and memories. Our Esper will probably come out alright and be able to fix us, but that would take time. Those fuckers have shitty potions and curses that can trap you inside your own fucking head, like a Mist possession but fucking worse, we cannot afford to be careless."
"Hm." Squalo murmured contemplatively as they lapsed into a companionable but heavy silence. The idea of being powerless in the face of a threat was not something that either man was used to and the perceived weakness made them angry. They were, of course, happy to know that such a threat existed, but until they had concrete ways of combating such weaknesses they would be cautious and wary. "We're still on for the smear campaign after we get the brat out, right?"
There was a deep, rumbling chuckle from the neighboring couch, "Of course. Those trash aren't going to get away with what they allowed to happen to our boy."
Squalo grinned into his glass as he gave his Boss a sword-sharp grin, You don't fuck over a member of the Varia, scum. "Good." The Varia Rain responded with something dark and vicious underlying his pleasant tone.
Xanxus snorted amusedly at Squalo's blatant passive-aggressiveness, but his crimson eyes gleamed with anticipation.
Cedric and Neville performed admirably in the Task- Cedric doing some tricky transfiguration and charms work and Neville using a plant called Angel's Liberation and his Earth Flames, (not that anyone but the Flame users knew that), to retrieve their Golden Eggs. Cedric had been decked out in Hogwarts colors, and Neville had been adorned in Varia colors. While most of the group didn't understand exactly what those colors meant to Harry, they knew that the uniform that Neville was wearing was a show of trust, and Neville had been humbled by the amount of expectant belief that been in Harry's eyes when the other boy had handed Neville the uniform.
I know you can do this. The Sky's eyes had seemed to say. No I think or maybe, just a firm, resolute sort of confidence that made Neville tremble in equal parts anticipation and fear.
Anticipation because Harry didn't seem to be wrong about these sorts of things and fear because Neville didn't want to let down the person who had stood by him through this whole mess- who had shown him the freedom of Flames and Guardians and true Family.
Harry had dared looked at Neville and seen greatness where everyone else saw below-average.
The thought of failing that sort of steadfast trust was heartrending and terrifying.
The scary thing was that Harry had seemed to even understand Neville's fear of failing- "Don't worry, just relax and let what we've practiced flow. Keep your head, you can panic and come apart later when we're all together in the room tonight." The other teen had said reassuringly outside of the Champion's Tent that morning, exchanging one of those looks with Blaise that implied an inside joke before gently squeezing Neville's shoulders and backing away to give his Rain Guardian some last moment encouragement as Lee and the other Earth-natured Flame users rallied around Neville.
The Task itself hadn't been all that troubling, honestly- it was the aftermath.
Cedric had gotten a burn on his left arm and Neville had had some scrapes and bruises, but Madam Pomfrey had been relatively pleased with their conditions after minimal fussing. It was just after Madam Pomfrey had released Neville and Cedric from her clutches, and the group was gathering to plot out the rest of their day that it all had gone downhill.
Harry sighed as he scrubbed his hand over his face tiredly, grateful for Blaise's steadying hand on the small of his back as they made their way to the Headmaster's Office. It was relatively late at night on the day of the First Task and Harry just wanted to crawl in bed and sleep for about a decade.
The reason they were headed towards the Headmaster's Office was that Madam Longbottom had swooped in to berate Neville for not using his father's wand and not wearing House Longbottom or Hogwarts colors immediately after the Task and Neville had actually stood up for himself. Oh, the Longbottom Heir had been polite but unyielding, and there had been a resolution in his tone that had taken the woman and the other Longbottoms in attendance by surprise. Not just Neville's family though, all the Gryffindors who had been crowding around the tent intending to come and apologize and/or congratulate Neville had been shocked as well, and all of the Excluded students had refused to return to Gryffindor Tower, which had caused a massive ruckus.
In the end, Madam Longbottom had yielded to her grandson with an oddly wistful expression on her face, and Professor McGonagall had seemed resigned but accepting of their decisions.
Then Cedric had popped up and promptly dragged everyone down to Hufflepuff's Common Room for the after party, as most of the 'Puffs had started to come around to at least not see Neville as the enemy through Cedric's efforts and Neville's own actions, so the party had been relatively enjoyable.
Of course, it wouldn't be par for the course if Neville hadn't picked up a few people- Justin Finch-Fletchly as a Waterfall Captain and Wayne Hopkins as Neville's Forest Guardian.
(That was actually pretty awesome news for the group, as those new additions meant that they were finally complete- and now the Skies would stop calling their elements which meant that they would stop adding new people. For all that magical Flames users were extremely rare without a catalyst, they now had twenty-two people when you included Harry and Neville and that was enough people for Harry to contend with, especially as eleven of the elements were his own.)
It was after the party had wound down and they were slipping back to the room with their new additions that Harry had been intercepted by a tiny little House Elf bearing a note that asked Harry to report to the Headmaster's Office.
It took some wheedling, but Harry had managed to get away with only Blaise accompanying to the Office, which was why they were heading for an audience with the Headmaster instead of bed. It didn't take them long to reach the Office and be allowed entry, the cheery atmosphere of the room doing absolutely nothing to quell the apprehensive twisting of Harry's intuition. Both boys were putting every lesson that Mammon had ever given them on safeguarding their minds to good use.
"Ah! Harry, my boy! Sorry to call on you so late!" The Headmaster greeted genially as he glided into the room a few moments later and proceeded to make himself comfortable behind his ornate desk. "And Mr. Zabini, as well?" Here two bushy eyebrows rose in an expectant manner.
Both boys nodded, but Harry was the one who answered with a wry smile, "Yes, sir. The party celebrating the Task was fun but rather exhausting, Blaise wanted to make sure I didn't just pull up a spot of floor and sleep."
The Headmaster's warm laugh washed over the two teens as the man gestured for them to take a seat, "Ah, the wonders of youth. Sit, both of you. Lemon drop?"
Both boys shook their heads negatively as they made themselves comfortable in the cushy chairs in front of the desk, but Harry delivered the verbal response, "Sorry, but no thank-you Headmaster. The House Elves were rather enthusiastic in their desert preparation and I'm afraid my self-control wasn't as strong as it probably should have been."
The Headmaster laughed once more, his blue eyes twinkling merrily behind his glasses as he clasped his hands loosely in front of him and reclined a bit in his chair, "Ah. I'm afraid I suffer from the same affliction from time to time. Now it is late, and you're obviously exhausted so I will be brief: I would like the Excluded students to return to Gryffindor."
Harry forced himself to remain relaxed and calm, but the air between the teens and the Headmaster was suddenly teeming with tension. "May I ask why, sir?" Harry asked calmly as Blaise shifted forward in his chair, ready to intercept an attack at moment's notice.
The man nodded agreeably, "You see, having our school as the Host school is an important distinction. The TriWizard Task Force, I'm being told, is issuing a public apology for Neville's inclusion in the Tournament tomorrow. The official reason being given is that the Goblet's magic reacted to a badly aimed Confundus and mistook a recycled piece of parchment that young Neville once used as an actual entry slip, which was why there was no school listed. This is a viable excuse as the Goblet was subject to scrutiny from many witches and wizards before it was transported, and some diagnostic spells are in the same Arithmanic family as the Confundus spells."
Blaise's eyes narrowed in shrewd contemplation, "This is less about forgiving the people who kicked Nev out and more about saving face isn't it, sir?"
Dumbledore's eyes twinkled brighter, "Indeed, Mr. Zabini. Severus told me you were sharp, but it's good to know that his assumptions were indeed correct. With the Task Force apologizing, even with their rather intricate assurances that the other three Champions were chosen correctly and such-"
"It would reflect badly on us, and Neville, if we were to continue our Exclusion from an outsider's perspective." Harry finished grimly, not at all happy about the situation.
The Headmaster didn't seem to mind the interruption and merely nodded solemnly, "Quite right, m'boy. As the Host school we are under a great deal of pressure and assessment, and as they say 'A House divided against itself shall fall'."
Harry breathed deeply through his nose and glanced over at Blaise- who seemed just as resigned as he felt. "Alright, you've been forthcoming with us, Headmaster, so we'll be forthcoming with you. We won't go back to Potions and we want to take our OWLs in June." Harry said bluntly.
Dumbledore's eyes seemed to sharpen, "You've been moderating your grades, I take it? And why Potions specifically?"
Harry and Blaise nodded unrepentantly, "Yes, sir. I learned in Second Year that attention is a double edged sword. I didn't realize that Professor Snape was the boy in the old pictures that Aunt Petunia kept in the attic until after Second Year. I don't know what happened to him and my mother, but I refuse to be in that man's class if he's just going to heap abuse onto Nev. May I inquire as to why Neville is not present for this conversation?"
The Headmaster hummed and leaned forward slightly, "I appreciate your honesty, Harry, so I will respond in kind. I will allow you to take your OWLs if you manage the Fifth Year mid-terms next month. I am happy to say that Madam Pomfrey will be delighted to take young Neville's Potions block if the rest of you return to Professor Snape's class. Finally, while young Neville has grown tremendously in the past month, he is very much following your lead, so I felt it best for us to deal with each other directly."
To say that Harry was unhappy about the situation would be a gross understatement, at the same time this really was a generous offer. While it was blatantly obvious that the Headmaster wanted Harry back in Snape's class, Harry could handle the man just fine, though he didn't particularly enjoy doing so. Exchanging one more resigned glance with Blaise, Harry countered, "Add Lavender Brown and Wayne Hopkins to Madam Pomfrey's list of students- they're both interested in the Healing Arts, you see- and we accept your terms, Headmaster."
The Headmaster's eyes brightened and his bushy mustache quivered lightly as he smiled, "Agreed, Harry. I must say that I am pleasantly surprised with your maturity regarding this situation. Your parents- your mother particularly- would be pleased."
Harry fought down the pleasant curl of warmth that the statement garnered, choosing to rise to his feet in his best Bel imitation, Blaise a faithful shadow at his side as pleasantries were exchanged and the boys were given their leave.
They made it back to the room in silence, and when they arrived Harry made a bee line for his room and left Blaise to explain what had transpired to the rest of them. Harry dug around and found his mirror, "Sirius Black."
A few moments later Skull's grinning face popped into view, "Arte-"
"Sorry, Skull, but we have a situation." Harry cut in grimly, "I need you to pass a message to Boss right now."
Albus Dumbledore reclined back in his cushy desk chair and pondered the enigma that was Harry Potter as he dismissed young Harry and young Mr. Zabini from his office.
Harry's First Year had more or less gone according to plan.
Voldemort had been after the Stone, like he had suspected, and Harry had stopped him.
Albus had noted that Harry's scar had become more irritated and prominent as the year had progressed, and Albus had theorized that it was due to being immersed in a magic-rich environment for the first time since that night and Voldemort's proximity via his possession of young Quinirus.
After the confrontation down in the Third Corridor chamber, however, events had taken a mystifying turn.
Harry had woken up in the Hogwarts Infirmary nearly a week after the Incident and had asked if he truly needed to return to his Aunt's home, which was never negotiable in Albus' mind as young Harry obviously needed the protection that the Blood Wards provided, as the events in the Chamber had made starkly apparent. Not to mention the prominence of his scar, if whatever was in the cursed thing was feeding off of ambient magic, then the boy could not be allowed to stay in a magic rich environment. It had taken some heavy-handed emotional manipulation, but the boy had eventually agreed.
Then, somehow, between the end of his First Year and the beginning of his Second, Harry Potter changed. Bafflingly, as if he had found a mentor, but Dumbledore had triple-checked every witch or wizard that had come near Privet Drive and none of them had any meaningful contact with the boy! It wasn't as if Albus wanted to control the boy's every move, but the idea that someone could get close enough to influence Harry so profoundly without Albus knowing was alarming.
Yet, instead of haring off with young Ronald in Arthur's flying muggle car like the Harry who left Hogwarts a scant three months earlier, Harry chose a reasonable course of action and hadn't yielded to peer pressure in a tense, uncertain situation. The amount of resolve that Harry had needed to dredge up in order to stand up to the boy who had been Harry's first friend in the magical world had to have been staggering but the boy had done it, and Albus doubted that at twelve he would have been able to do such a thing!
The year hadn't gotten any better from there, what with young Ronald's misadventure with the Whomping Willow, and young Miss Granger's disapproval of Harry leaving the youngest Weasley boy to fend for himself during the debacle. After it became painfully obvious that both young Ronald and Miss Granger were going to be obstinate about Harry apologizing, Albus had expected to need to step in at some point lest young Harry crumble from not having his stalwart friends by his side, but the boy had soldiered on magnificently.
Then the mess with the Chamber of Secrets being reopened happened, and Albus had been surprised when young Harry's scar, which he had been pleased to not had faded to the point of nearly being gone, hadn't reacted. Albus knew that Voldemort had something to do with the chamber, but with Harry's scar fading by the day and the boy himself changed but not seeming to be mimicking Tom's habits, (the child had been scouring newspapers for Quidditch Scores of all things! Hardly Tom's preferred level of intellectual stimulation!), he had had little to go on in regards to the culprit.
Albus had noted the increased hostility from the rest of the students but there was little that that he could do as the Headmaster without making the entire situation worse for Harry. He had simply hoped that the boy would make up with his friends and that the three would be able to weather this storm together.
Except that hadn't happened at all.
Albus had been incredibly saddened when he'd heard from the portraits that the students had been tittering in the halls about how Harry hadn't gotten any Christmas presents, (and he'd kicked himself for not sending the boy so much as a Chocolate Frog), so when he'd had time to think about everything while he had been unravelling the scheme Lucius Malfoy used to get him removed as Headmaster, Albus had privately wondered how Harry had stayed sane after a year of absolute social isolation when Albus was rather regrettably aware of the fact that Harry's life with his Aunt was unpleasant.
So, young Harry going with Ronald to save Arthur and Molly's youngest child was an unexpected, but pleasant surprise, as was the boy's open demeanor during the rather enlightening discussion after that bit of unpleasantness with Molly and young Harry's subsequent rescue of Lucius Malfoy's rather battered House Elf had truly warmed Albus' heart.
The boy had left that year, and Albus had been hopeful that Harry would be able to rekindle his friendships with young Ronald and Miss Granger over the summer through letters.
That hadn't happened either and that summer had started an even more mystifying series of character developments from young Harry that Albus couldn't find a source for.
Minerva had sent young Harry a note that someone would be by to escort him to Diagon Alley and the boy had decided to go by himself anyways! He sent a polite note back to Minerva that he already had gotten his school supplies and asked why the measure was needed to begin with, which prompted Minerva and Albus to send separate notes asking the boy to stay put for the rest of the summer, and leaving Albus wondering when the excursion happened.
Albus had had Arabella increase the amount of Kneazles she had patrolling around the Dursley property, but she hadn't reported any instances of Harry leaving or the Knight Bus being called in the vicinity of Privet Drive. Albus' own monitoring charms that he'd placed at the end of young Harry's Second Year- but before the boy had returned- hadn't registered any strange magical signatures near the Dursley residence either.
Third Year had commenced and the distance between young Harry and the inhabitants of Hogwarts had only seemed to grow, and that amount of detachment towards the world he was born to was honestly heartbreaking for Albus to see, especially as the man was now reasonably sure that Tom had created multiple Horcruxes and there was a possibility that young Harry's scar contained one. If young Harry didn't care enough about the Wizarding World to sacrifice himself and it ended up being necessary…..
Then young Harry had started associating with young Mr. Zabini, and Albus hadn't felt the need to undermine the association as at least young Harry was showing some interest in his fellow young magicals. Granted, the boy was a Slytherin which was not an ideal person for young Harry to be associated with, but at least it was a connection. The issue had almost resolved itself when their respective Housemates had found out anyways, but the two boys had come out of the situation much stronger for it, unlike most Gryffindor/Slytherin friendships.
The truly baffling thing was their absolute solidarity after the commencement of the Spring Term, and the bond between them had only deepened since then. None of his or Severus' efforts at Passive Legilimency had yielded any results, and trying to dig any deeper would cause permanent damage to their young minds, but Albus and Severus had been passively scanning young Harry since the moment he stepped foot in the Castle, Severus more than Albus, but nothing unusual had been noted- no strange mentors, or unexplainable habits, or anything to illuminate the changes that young Harry had undergone.
There hadn't even been an end-of-the-year fiasco at the end of Third Year, despite the presence of the Dementors, and Albus had been delighted to be informed of young Fred and George Weasley's loose association with young Harry.
This past summer Albus had facilitated the invitation to the Weasley house, (Albus himself had bought the tickets and made sure that they made their way to Arthur's hands), and had sent young Harry the note via Fawkes. Fortunately, the boy had responded positively to his guiding hand and had attended the Quidditch World Cup with the Weasley family.
Only to thoroughly stump Albus once again by his mature and methodical response under fire when the Death Eater attack had happened.
It was only afterwards that he had heard about this rather amazing phenomenon, of course, but hear about it the elderly Headmaster had- from reputable sources! Grown, trained witches and wizards had willingly lent themselves to the leadership of a fourteen-year-old student who couldn't even legally use magic, and even more mind boggling, was that the boy had worked around this rather large obstacle efficiently and while under duress.
Furthermore, when the other children that young Harry had previously associated with had gone haring off on their own, Harry hadn't chased them.
The boy had delegated.
Like a trained and battle-forged Commander or a Leader or a Captain or a Boss would have done.
Not like a half-trained schoolboy who had spent more of his life in a borderline-neglectful household and a year with two somewhat close friends before enduring two years of blatant ostracism and suspicion by both peer and faculty here at Hogwarts.
Who, exactly, was Harry Potter's mentor and how did they have access to the boy?
Because if young Harry was receiving that sort of training and he became a necessary sacrifice for Wizarding Britain, this mentor could prove to be a hindrance as the boy was possibly an investment to them. Not that Albus wanted to sacrifice the child, but if he needed to do so he would for the survival of his world, and having an unknown person or persons was disturbing for several reasons and young Harry's tentative future fate was just the proverbial tip of the iceberg.
Perhaps it was time to speak with Alastor, as Albus couldn't figure out just what he was missing so that this issue could be resolves, as young Harry was important for several reasons and all these inconsistencies were starting to seriously concern the aging Headmaster.
The Excluded students' return to Gryffindor Tower had been one of the most difficult things that Harry had ever done, honestly.
Harry sat by the edge of the Hogwarts Lake with his Rain and his Mist at his side as he brooded over the last few weeks in companionable silence with his Guardians.
He'd had to fall into a mission mindset just to cut through the fake well-wishes and hold himself together, and he didn't doubt that it was much the same for the rest of their group as the general populace seemed to take their remerging with the school as a sign that all had been forgiven and forgotten.
The return to classes hadn't helped them either, as Harry had been using the Varia philosophy of 'education is forced information crammed down your throat while learning is readily accepting information that could become vital to your survival'. Granted, sometimes this is done by placing the student in life-threatening situations but what doesn't kill you makes you stronger, and all the students had been thriving, if a little battered and bruised occasionally.
The return to traditional classes was actually slowing them down immensely.
So, with the only truly notable things happening being the Official Apology and the announcement of the Yule Ball, November had disappeared and December had arrived. Not that Harry truly had time to contemplate that fact because when Xanxus says 'you trash are running fucking missions over break' it meant that you buckled down and trained your ass off because the Varia Boss didn't know the meaning of quit, half, or almost.
The Yule Ball was mandatory for Neville, so the rest of them were going to suffer through it with him.
(The Yule Ball was being held on Christmas Day- which was on a Sunday this year- which meant practically everyone-guests included- was staying in the Castle for break. The plan was for the students to sneak out of the Castle via the Chamber of Secrets- Dobby had mapped out a few routes that they could use to get past the school Wards- and make their way towards a nearby town, where transportation would be ready for them.
All the while, Harry Intuition had been twisting itself into knots, which had only made him more irritable on top of everything else that was already irritating the hell out of him.)
Harry sighed and settled back against the cushion illusion that Theo had conjured to cover the rock they were seated against as he tried to mentally prep himself for the debriefing that would take place later that night via mirror with Lussuria concerning the final team placements for the Hol Missions.
They couldn't be that bad, right?
"Alright, Shark, do we have the final list?" Xanxus growled from his throne-like chair as he, Mammon, and Squalo had a conference call with Lussuria and Skull- Regulus was off doing recon- to iron out the final details for the Hol Missions for the shitty brat.
Squalo gave his Boss a side-glare but shuffled his paperwork and took over the explanations, "VOI! As you fuckers know, we're not telling the new trash-brats about the Mafia until this summer when we can get them all to a secure location, but these missions are basically a dry run to see how well they'll perform under pressure so we can structure a training regimen. We expect that their shitty Volde-trash will make his move in the Spring. Therefore on this mission we're testing the tech that our Who has modified to mimic magic and the Squad Leader's main objective is the capture and transport of anyone with a Trash Mark to our Who down in Whoville for experimentation purposes."
Xanxus cut in, his deep voice quelling the protests quite effectively, "There are actually two variations of the Trash Mark, but our Who will sort them down in Whoville. The Staging Areas will be strategically placed transport containers which have been modified for our cargo- both the material and the nonmaterial types. The brats will mostly be robbing the places blind after they get inside, but leave most of the subduing to them if you can, as this will let them cut their teeth a little even if we have to go at this sideways."
"What about the servants, Boss?" Lussuria inquired.
Xanxus grunted and Squalo took up his usual job of explaining once again, "From our research, only those 'Most Ancient and Most Noble' Houses seem to have any defense against Flame users, their Wards seem to be especially weak against Harmony and Disintegration. Likewise, Tranquility seems to be especially effective against the magical world's servants, so it will be the job of the Rains- yes I know some of the trash-brats have those Earth oriented Flames, I'm going to keep referring to them by their usual names, dammit- to soothe the servants before they tag them with their shitty Portkeys back to the Staging Areas. Emphasize the need for them to be on top of that shit, Lussuria. I want the kitty to be pounding it into their tiny heads."
Xanxus snorted into his wine, "Stop stalling shark trash, and tell us the fucking teams already."
Squalo grin turned razor sharp, "Indeed. We've made them all gear to wear, and since their shitty Ball actually prevents their trash school from letting out at their usual time, we should get a pretty good haul. We're not targeting families with young children- mostly trash who claimed to be under mind control and then have been active in being trash since then.
Team Boss, led by Boss, will be targeting the Rookwood Estate and the LeStrange Estate, both empty but considered to be highly dangerous due to their former inhabitants' predilections for obscure torture methods and bat shit insanity. Team Boss is only scheduled for those two objectives due to their projected difficulty, but there are alternate objectives if they make it back to the Staging Area in sufficient time to obtain a new objective, or the Team might be sent out as backup.
Team Shark, led by myself and Lussuria, will be targeting the Carrows, the Yaxleys, and the Rowles, all of whom are expected to have anywhere from five to fifteen members in their household when we hit them.
Team Midget, (Squalo ignored Mammon's snarled monetary fine and Skull's offended squawk with practice ease), will be led by Mammon and Skull, and their objectives will be the Averys, the Umbridges, the Malfoys, and that horrid Skeeter bitch. They will be especially focusing on blackmail material.
We have a very short window of time to gather all the Vault Keys and empty them before the trash Ministry catches on to the disappearances and we want to err on the side of caution, so the teams will have people who will be waiting at the Staging Area for any keys and emptying Vaults while the rest of us are still completing the primary objectives."
Lussuria bounced a little, "This is all so exciting! Though, really, their banking system could use an overhaul…."
"This expedition is going to earn me a great deal of money." Mammon deadpanned before snorting derisively and adding, "I will be removing the majority of the kitty's finances from the magical world as soon as I am able to do so, as their rules are ridiculous. Their loopholes are rather enjoyable, however, and I am looking forward to employing them to their fullest."
"So, sweetling, the final team placements have been decided, as you know. Team Boss, which will be led by Boss, will have you, Daphne, Theodore, Padma, Fred, and George. Team Shark which will be led by Squalo and yours truly, will have your Cloudy guard, Cedric, Lavender, Pavarti, Anthony, and Michael. Team Midget-" Oi! Who are you calling Midget! I should charge you for that terrible name, Lussuria "-which will be led by Mammon and Skull, will have Neville, Lee, Terrence, Su, Wayne, and Adrian. Astoria, Justin, and Luna will be waiting at the Staging Area with Sirius, Regulus, Trance, Vivacità, and Diluvio."
Harry's eyebrows furrowed, "I remember the Sun- Vivacità- but who are the others?"
Lussuria fairly preened in the mirror's reflection, "Viva is one of my best! Trance is one of Mammon's, and Diluvio is Squalo's saving grace most days, as that one takes care of Rain Squad when our dear Commander is busy taking care of the rest of the Varia. Fiercely loyal, these three, so no worries, lovely."
Mammon's face popped into view, "Indeed, these three are arguably the most loyal members under the Elite."
Harry nodded slowly, "Alright, then."
"One last thing, sweetling!" Lussuria called, "You need to come up with the codenames that you all will be using when you take Varia missions! You are already Artemis, and Cloudy is Janus, but it will be easier for the others if they start getting used to their codenames now."
Harry's eyebrow twitched, "I'm going to make my girly weapon idea so freaking awesome-"
"Ta, lovely!"
Harry stood in front of the group and took a deep, fortifying breath, "Alright guys, we've been training and dodging questions for months. This is a prelude to something that we can't go back on. What we're going to be doing over the break is illegal, some would call it immoral and-"
"Harry." Justin Finch-Fletchly cut in, surprising Harry, as Justin was very much a go-with-the-flow kind of guy. "We know. We all come from different backgrounds, and we've chosen to stay for different reasons, but we're not backing out. No matter what." Justin got a knowing look in his eye as he stared down the Potter Heir and the expression on the boy's face turned bitter, "I'm trapped between two worlds, Harry. I'm not really a part of either of them, this group is the first time I've ever felt truly accepted in my entire life, do you think breaking a few laws and sending criminals to be experimented on is truly going to bother me?"
There were murmurs of agreement that swept through the room.
The dark haired boy felt a little sick to his stomach, "I could be lying." He pointed out weakly, "These could be innocent people who have a benign tattoo-"
"You're not." Lin's voice was clipped and brooked no argument, "You're not and you'd never stand by and let such a thing happen. You might not be able to tell us everything yet, but you've treated us like actual people and not pawns or trinkets or tools. We're with you, Harry."
Standing there, in that room with the weight of his friend's gazes heavy on him, Harry finally felt a shred of understanding towards Xanxus' absolute intolerance for weakness. He swallowed down the fear and the panic and stood tall- just as Xanxus had taught him. "Alright then. We need codenames. I'm Artemis and Blaise is Janus, but everyone else needs simple codenames that you get damn used to answering to before the mission."
"Ooh, we should name everyone after pudding flavors! Dibs on Tapioca!" Luna interjected brightly.
"Ha! I don't think it works that way Luna!" Cedric laughed heartily before sobering, "Besides, you two didn't give yourselves your codenames, did you? These will be a huge part of whatever you're going to tell us about this summer. As our leader, I think that you should choose them. Or at least have the final authority."
The room chorused their agreements, and Harry sighed. "Technically Neville-"
"-isn't ready to fully take up my responsibilities as their Earth. Not like you've taken up your Sky responsibilities." Neville broke in gently, but firmly. "You're our leader, Adi."
Once again Harry felt a little unbalanced by the full weight of the knowledge that these people were putting their lives in his hands. It was humbling and terrifying and just about every other dichotomy he could think of right at that moment. "Alright." He said thickly, once again feeling a brief flare of gratefulness for Blaise's steady presence at his side. "Well, I'm Artemis. Not only because my mentor is a jerk and thinks that I have a girly weapon idea- which I will make awesome or bust- but also because Artemis was a badass. She was a trailblazer in her own way in that she refused to follow tradition and forged her own path instead She was also a fierce huntress, and a protector of the innocent. She's one of the most beloved of the Greek Pantheon for good reason, despite not being a saint, and that was why my mentor chose her as my 'cover' name."
Blaise cleared his throat and Harry let him take over, "My mentor chose Janus for several reasons, but mostly because I am a Cloud Flame user and finding my Sky was my 'beginning', and despite being often overlooked Janus is a cornerstone to most religious or sacred ceremonies that were used by the Ancient Romans."
Harry turned to Theo, "Do you have any preferences?"
The dark-shinned Slytherin hummed, "My family is from further north, originally. So possibly a Norse name?"
Harry dropped back into thought as Blaise laughed softly beside him, "Well, we might as well resign ourselves to a long night." Then the room shifted and became much cozier.
"Laguz." Harry said after about five minutes, breaking into the quiet conversations that had broken out, "Laguz is a Norse Rune that means, 'formlessness, potentiality, the unknown', I think that suits out Mist Guardian, hm?"
"Me next!" Vala cheered, "My Daddy is a Welshman, and that's how I got 'Vala' out of 'Lavender', but my Mamma was from the Assyrian Magical Empire, and my Grandmama was Greek, so I think that I'd like a Greek name!"
"Thea." Luna put forth promptly, "She was a Greek Titan. According to legend she was married to her brother, Hyperion, and gave birth to Helios- the sun, Selene- the moon, and Eos- the dawn. It doesn't have anything to do with healing, but it resonates with your Sun characteristic."
Vala nearly squealed with happiness, "I love it! Is that alright, Harry?"
"Fine by me." Harry said. "Pavarti?"
"I'm a Sun, too, but I'd like a Hindi name, please." Avia requested politely.
"For myself as well." Padma added.
Harry nodded agreeably, "Sheesh, this is why you study history. Giving out codenames is harder than you'd think." He muttered to Blaise, who chuckled lowly, Theo snorted in amusement from Harry's other side.
The room dropped into low conversation again as Harry contemplated. "Well, they're not perfect fits," Harry said after some discussion with Blaise and Theo, "but for Avia, how about 'Mitra'- yes, I'm aware he's male- but he's the patron of oaths and friendship. For Padma we have 'Aha', which means 'pervading', if I'm remembering correctly."
Avia pouted until Vala pointed out that their codenames were somewhat similar, then she was seemingly fine with it.
Harry rolled his shoulders. Why was he doing this again?
"Daphne and I next!" Tori cheered sunnily.
"Our family has Greek roots, but anything you choose is fine." Daphne told them serenely as she wrestled her bouncy sibling back down to earth.
"We should just call Tori, Dagaz and get it over with!" Ten laughed as he watched Daphne try to wrestle Tori into submission.
Tori stopped struggling and looked over at him, "Ooh, what's it mean?" She asked excitedly, ignoring Daphne's victory cry as her sister fully got a ahold of her.
"It's another Norse Rune. It means 'hope, happiness'."
"I like it! Can that be it?" Tori swung herself around to look at Harry pleadingly.
"Sure, fine." Harry told her, entirely amused by Daphne's exasperated look.
"Hmm, Daphne is trickier." Harry mused, "As she wants you to believe she is calm and composed and ladylike-
"-but you touch her loved ones and she turns into a fire-breathing she-devil." Blaise finished blandly.
Daphne maturely stuck her tongue out at him.
Fred grinned at his fellow Storm, "We should call her Styx- after the river, 'cause you're always just as close to the crazy as you are to the lady. Ow- dammit Daphne that hurts!"
Daphne, looking smug with the damage she'd dealt, looked to Harry, "Crude wording aside, I rather like it." She admitted.
"Alright, then." Harry said, entirely amused by Fred Weasley's moaning about his missing hair. It was going to be amusing to see how the red-head fixed that before the Yule Ball. "The twins next?"
"I'd like to use Uncle Fabian's name." George said quietly.
"I'd like something different." Fred told them quickly, exchanging a quick glance with George before continuing, "Uncle Fabian was always a little kinder. Uncle Gideon was awesome, don't get me wrong- but I wasn't as attached to him as Georgie was to Uncle Fabian. We just didn't click the same way, I guess."
Harry nodded agreeably, pleased that the twins were growing more comfortable with their personal differences, "So, Fabian for George. Any preferences, Fred?
"Meh, surprise me."
"Hmm, how about Hagalaz?" Adrian suggested, "It's another Norse Rune, but it means 'destruction, chaos'."
Fred's eyes lit it with unholy glee, "I've always liked that rune!"
"Well, that's that, then." Harry muttered, "Luna? Do you have a preference?"
The little blonde smiled, "Your Intuition is scarily accurate, Adi. Pandora. It was my mother's name, of course, but I believe it to be worth the risk to be able to use it."
Harry smiled gently at his Rain Captain ad nodded, "Pandora it is." He agreed, "Cedric?"
Cedric hummed contemplatively, "My family is English through and through, but whatever you choose is fine with me."
The young Sky knew that this was one of those pivotal moments for his Rain Guardian, as Cedric was more for subtle momentous occasions as opposed to the oud ones filled with waterworks and tears. "Hmm," Harry murmured, "Seraphim. It's usually used in conjunction with angels, but depending on how it is written, it can allude to someone with a fiery passion in their eyes. Lu-my brother and I got into a discussion about it one day when we were bored. It's Hebrew in origin."
Cedric's eyes took on a pleased sheen, and Harry felt like he'd passed some sort of test. "Alright, so- Neville?"
"Yeah, I've been thinking." The Earth Flame user replied slowly, "And you know how in Greek mythology there's the four Titans who hold up the world, right?" Harry nodded and gestured for Neville to continue, "Well, their crappy personality traits aside, I think that my Guardians reflect them, especially as you're the one who brought us all together, Harry."
Neville took a deep breath, closed his eyes briefly, and pushed forward, "Iapetus represented the pillar of the west, which I've always associated with freedom and movement."
"So that would be me." Lin interjected.
"Only if you want it to be!" Neville said hastily, "I mean I know it's a guy's name and you might have wanted something different-"
"It's fine." Lin told him steadily, "You put a lot of thought behind it, and it has good reasoning to support it." She smirked at Neville, "I'm a Ravenclaw, you know- we're rather taken by that sort of thing."
Neville's face turned bright red and Harry hastened to intervene, "Codenames don't necessarily need to be complicated, finish your reasoning, and we'll discuss things, Nev."
The other nodded and tried to bring himself back under control, "Alright. Well, there's Crius, he represented the pillar of the south. The south reminds me of storms and chaos, so I thought maybe Lee, Mick, or Ryan? They are my Storm and Lightning- well, Mountain and Swamp- Guardians."
Seeing the thoughtful, but not judgmental frowns gave Neville the courage to continue, "Then there's Coeus who represented the pillar of the north. The north reminds me of ice, so naturally I thought of-"
"Us!" Ten and Justin cheered, reaching around a few people to give each other a congratulatory high-five.
Neville grinned, "Yeah. The last one is Hyperion who represented the pillar of the east. The east has always represented rebirth to me- because the sun rises in the east and starts a new day, and sometimes that was all I had to look forward to." Neville blushed bright red and hurried to continue, "These are only my suggestions, of course! Harry gets the final say!"
Harry rolled his eyes good-naturedly, "They're your Guardians, and they have their own opinions. I'm just here because you guys are jerks." Everyone laughed at that. "So, thoughts?"
"I think that we should use Neville's suggestion." Ten said cheerfully, "But maybe just use the names of the directions instead of the Greek names? Especially since Harry's Guardians have so many Greeks."
Blaise snickered, "You just don't want to be Vala's babies."
Vala grinned and chirped brightly, "Too late!"
Everyone laughed at that.
"What language, though?" Lin mused thoughtfully.
"Hmm, why be boring and just use one?" Luna asked rationally.
Tony grinned at her, "Good point! That way we can all still use Nev's idea!"
Neville spluttered helplessly.
(Harry felt his pain- he really did- but he still laughed.)
"Ok, so let's start with Su. Language preference?" Harry asked her. "And we're just going to have to play a phonetics game and spell them out as best we can in English. It'll add another layer to your cover, anyways."
"Chinese. I won't bore you with dialect anomalies, but it would be pronounced as 'xī miàn' or 'che-me-ian'." Lin explained to them, repeating the word several times. "It's actually closer to being 'the westward facing direction' than just 'west', but otherwise it would be really short."
"It's kind of fun to say." Tori said brightly, "It's just a little strange for me to try to wrap my tongue around!"
Lin grinned wryly, "Tell me about it."
"Alright, so that's Su." Harry said, wanting to get this crazy conversation done with sometime before dawn, "Mick?"
"Ha!" Mick laughed easily, "How about Icelandic? I actually have family there!"
"Really?" Luna asked interestedly, "I've always wanted to visit the land of-"
"Luna-love, when we're not cutting into my beauty rest, please." Daphne pulled the little blonde back from where she's managed to scramble over to be directly in front of Mick.
Mick tossed Luna a grin, "Well, it'd be pronounced 'islenska', or 'is-sil-dthr'."
Once they had wrapped their tongues around that name, Harry kept the meeting moving forward, "Ryan?"
"I am boring." Ryan admitted unabashedly, "But I do know some French. So, 'sud', the vowel gets sort-of swallowed and the 'd' gets sort of 'tched'."
"Alright, Lee?"
"My grand-uncle actually speaks Swahili, and while I can't understand most of what he says, I do know the word for 'south'. It's 'kusini' or to sound it out for you children, 'clo-see-ni'."
"I'm beginning to feel entirely inadequate in the foreign language department." Harry mused to Blaise in an undertone as everyone practiced their new word.
"Right?" Blaise asked, entirely amused.
"Ok, so Wayne?" Harry prompted when everyone started breaking off into side discussions.
"Well," Their recently-added Forrest Guardian said thoughtfully, "There's Italian. Est is easy enough, yeah?"
"Oh, one I can translate and speak without issue." Harry deadpanned with a smirk. "Good enough for me. Ten, Justin?"
"Well, I took German as a kid," Justin admitted, "So 'nor-den'."
Harry nodded, and Blaise faithfully scribbled down the new information.
"My grandfather came here from Thailand- and I'm terrible at Thai because my father is an asshole and kept me away from Gramps as much as possible- but I think that north was something like, 'neu-ah'." Ten told them.
"Awesome!" Harry said, "That leaves us with Tony and Nev."
"Yeah, not really feeling the love here, Nev." Tony teased.
Neville reddened, "That's not- I mean- but-argh!"
Tony waved a hand and laughed lightly, "It's fine. Really."
The Earth Flame user settled down and glared balefully at everyone who was snickering at him- which was everyone in the room. "You can use illusions, and people use compasses to navigate the land when they can't use the stars, right? So, how about a variation of that?"
Tony looked immensely pleased by the thought Neville had put into the idea.
"Confines." "Domains." "Perimeter." "Environs." "Outline." "Frontier" "Outpost." "Outline." "Periphery."
"Ooh, 'periphery' sounds good."
"Then periphery it is." Harry decided, cutting off the chatter effectively. "That just leaves us with Neville."
Harry stared at Neville critically for several moments. "If I am the hunter-"
"-ress." Blaise coughed into his fist.
"-as Artemis is usually associated with stars and constellations, with her father being Zeus and all. So, if I am the hunter from the sky, then you are the animal from the earth. Together, we're unstoppable. So, does that make you a lion or a wolf?" Harry continued thoughtfully.
Neville grinned at him, "I always did like Professor Lupin."
Harry smiled, thankful for this particular segment to be finished, "Lupin it is then! Now I'm leaving, because I'm tired and sick of looking at you jerks."
(Harry resolutely ignored the voice in the back of his head that pointed out that that had been a very Xanxus-like thing to say.)
Harry was grateful to Luna, he truly was- if it wasn't for her he might have had to resort to extreme measures.
When the Yule Ball announcement had come out, suddenly Harry had been prime real estate and some of the more forward thinking young woman had foregone tradition, (and the not-so-subtle hinting that the others were going for), and just outright asked the young Potter Heir themselves. They hadn't been particularly lady-like in their manner of asking, either.
That had just been the first day.
Luna had put a stop to all that nonsense when she announced- loudly, at dinner time, in the Great Hall- how sweet it was that he was taking Astoria to the Ball.
Daphne's fearsome reputation kept Astoria safe, and the little blonde had been more than delighted to agree when Harry had asked her properly later.
(He'd learned to just go with most of Luna's plans, they made his brain hurt to think about but always made a distressing amount of sense in retrospect. Sometimes it felt like Luna saw the present with the benefit of hindsight- it was ridiculous.)
Most of the others had followed his example and were taking fellow members of the group. However, as they only had seven girls to the fourteen boys, (as Regulus wasn't at Hogwarts), half of them were left dateless.
Or, they'd have to look outside the group for their date, which really wasn't an appealing thought.
When the term came to an end and the day of the Ball rolled around, a few of them took pity on a couple of younger years who had been asked and then backed-out on, but mostly the ones who hadn't found dates within the group were going to just join the others at the tables.
(Except for Cedric and Luna and Neville and Lin, they had to sit with the stuffy Headmasters and politicians.)
Fortunately, the night would prove to be entertaining enough that they'd mostly forget to be too nervous to enjoy themselves.
(This is totally an OMAKE that would not get out of my head)
Squalo grumbled quietly to himself as he made his way to his office.
Shitty Boss had dumped most of the Varia Recruitment paperwork on him again. Why Xanxus felt the need to start his day with this shit, he didn't know, but he was certain that it was only going to get worse.
Arriving at his office he tossed the stack of paperwork on his desk and went to open the curtains. Apparently, Lussuria had been in here, (again), because there were several plushy stuffed sharks scattered around his fucking office- yet again.
Fucking jerk. Squalo thought uncharitably as he made coffee in the attached kitchenette, I'm going to make him do all the medical evaluations personally; bastard obviously has too much time on his hands.
A few minutes later found Squalo sitting in his desk chair, sipping moodily at his coffee as he tried to glare the paperwork into submission. Eventually, his cup was empty and the paperwork hadn't spontaneously caught on fire, so the Varia Rain sighed irritably and stretch, "VOI!-"
As soon as his favorite word left his mouth the plushy sharks came 'alive', making Squalo reach for his sword reflexively before realizing that he wasn't under attack, and then he just sort of gaped at the unfolding scene.
"VOI!" all the tiny things bellowed in high-pitched voices, tiny swords replacing their left fins as they waved their plushy appendages around wildly- and were they tap dancing on their caudal fins? "VOOOOIIIII!" They squeakily roared once more before falling silent.
Squalo stood there for a moment, dumbfounded, and then his eyebrow twitched irritably, "VOI!-"
The adorable little plushy sharks came alive again.
"BLACK!"
Back in Xanxus' office, the Varia Boss grumbled as Mammon held out his tiny hand imperiously. "Pay up, Boss."
Sky set:
Sky Flame: Harry 'Adi' Potter (Varia Codename: Artemis)
Cloud Flame: Guardian: Blaise Zabini (Varia Codename: Janus)
Rain Flame: Guardian: Cedric Diggory (Varia Codename: Seraphim)
Captain: Luna Lovegood (Varia Codename: Pandora)
Prospect: Astoria 'Tori' Greengrass (Varia Codename: Dagaz)
Mist Flame: Guardian: Theodore 'Theo' Nott (Varia Codename: Laguz)
Captain: Padma Patil (Varia Codename: Aha)
Lightning Flame: Guardian: George Weasley (Varia Codename: Fabian)
Storm Flame: Guardian: Fred Weasley (Varia Codename: Hagalaz)
Captain: Daphne Greengrass (Varia Codename: Styx)
Sun Flame: Guardians: Regulus Black and Lavender 'Vala' Brown (Varia Codename: Thea)
Captain: Pavarti 'Avia' Patil (Varia Codename: Mitra)
Earth set:
Earth Flame: Neville Longbottom (Varia Codename: Lupin)
Glacier Flame: Guardian: Su 'Lin' Li (Varia Codename: Xī Miàn)
Waterfall Flame: Guardian: Terrence 'Ten' Higgs (Varia Codename: Nehoh)
Captain: Justin Finch-Fletchly (Varia Codename: Norden)
Desert Flame: Guardian: Anthony 'Tony' Goldstein (Varia Codename: Periphery)
Mountain Flame: Guardian: Michael 'Mick' Corner (Varia Codename: Islenska)
Captain: Adrian 'Ryan' Pucey (Varia Codename: Sud)
Swamp Flame: Guardian: Lee Jordan (Varia Codename: Kusini)
Forest Flame: Guardian: Wayne Hopkins (Varia Codename: Est)
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