Disclaimer: Not really mine. That said, enjoy!

Chapter 10: Mentors in Crime

The Wild Rompous had finally ended and the Marauder Family trooped off to their various homes for some much needed rest. Molly and Arthur all but collapsed on their bed and slept until morning, their children following suite. The next morning, Jame, Remus, Sirius, Marlene, Peter, and Regulus stepped out of the floo, smirking. Molly groaned, but Arthur was not as restrained as usual. Oh no. He turned right around and started thumping his head against the wall. Regulus began to chuckle. Evilly. Sirius shook his head, but made no move to stop his evilly chuckling little brother. It was more trouble than it was worth really. And it lent a sort of atmosphere to the bright sunny day, birds chirping happily in the background, that suited their errand. At least, that's what Sirius thought. James just couldn't be bothered, Remus was in his Happy Place, and Peter was steadfastly ignoring everyone as he looked around at the pictures on the walls. "Needs more Harry," the sandy haired Auror finally stated, nodding his head as if in agreement or giving a grave proclamation. James blinked, and looked over at his friend in confusion.

"Eh?"

"The picture collection. It needs more Harry. And Neville. And Septimus. A bit of variety you see. Breaks up the sea of red a smidge. And it would give the boys someone new to play with, a friend for every day of the week! Of course, Ginny would be paired with Serena most of the time. They both need some girl friends ya know? Imagine what Lily would have been like if Petunia was a guy!" Peter remarked. The others shuddered.

"Oh! No! Make it stop!" James moaned, his head in his hands as his over active imagination conjured up images of what Petunia would have looked like as a boy. Regulus laughed evilly while Sirius smacked Peter upside the head, scowling.

"Bad Badger, very bad! There was no need to mentally scar us!" he growled. Peter laughed as well.

"I know, but it's so fun!" he said. Shaking his head, Remus turned to the Weasleys.

"We're here to induct you into the Marauder Family! Isn't that wonderful? Now your sons will have mentors! And you can get some peace and quite occasionally! We won't keep them for too long of course. No longer than a day or so, and only with your permission. Also, as part of the Family, you get special access to Padfoot's Gambols, including gadgets that make the Auror Department drool, usually defense based but there are a few that can be used offensively if need be. The most recognizable gadget would be The Cuff, which shows Sirius, the owner of Padfoot's Gambols, claims you as family. It's what allows you the access previously mentioned, but there's more to it then that. It shields you from hexes and jinxes, all the way up to mid level curses while also having several charms that can be voice activated, such as disillusionment, silencing, and human revealing. It is also an emergency portkey to wherever you designate as 'safe house.' Here," Remus held out his wrist, showing a leather band with a metal plate embedded in the center that was carved with a dog, stag, wolf, and badger chasing each other around a stylized PG, "this is the item in question," the professor finished.

"So... all of the Black family has these?" Arthur asked, a little nervous. Remus shook his head while Sirius chuckled.

"No. Only the ones I like. Grandfather has one, as does Regulus, Narcissia, and Draco. Andromeda is going to get one, as well as Ted and Dora. As for you lot... this whole house will get one, along with a cover of their choice. I have a feeling these things and their meaning are going to become rather well known," the reluctant Lord Slytherin said with a smile.

/*/

When the boys came downstairs that morning, they found the Marauders, Marlene, and Regulus standing in front of a table filled with Cuffs and a sheet of paper. Curious, Bill came first. He received a Cuff from Sirius himself and is told, as he received the Cuff that Sirius is going to mentor him. Seeing nothing wrong with this, Bill just shrugged and went to get breakfast. Charlie went over and was given a Cuff from Remus who told him the same thing, roughly. Grinning, Charlie felt like he had just gotten the best mentor in the world. Remus knew Charlie was already thinking about being a dragon tamer, and having the recommendation of Remus Lupin, a rather respected name in Magical Creatures, would do him well in his endeavor. The Percy came, a little wary, and was given a Cuff by a grinning Regulus.
"I look forward to hearing your take on my work, Percival!" Regulus said cheerfully, clapping him on the back. "I'm sure you'll do just fine." Percy blinked.

"Does that mean you're going to be my mentor?" he asked. Regulus chuckled, a dangerous twinkle lighting in his eyes.

"Oh yes, little Weasley. I will mentor you... and you shall be a force to be reckoned with when we are done!" the younger Black Brother answered. Percy was a little unsure about the arrangement, but knew there was nothing he could do about it, so he took his Cuff and went off to breakfast... Regulus trailing after him and chuckling evilly about having a minion. The others blamed Sirius. Eager now, the Twins came and James handed them their Cuffs.

"I'll enjoy teaching you what I know of pranking!" the Potter said cheerfully, winking at the boys. Stars erupted in the Twins' eyes as they looked up at their new mentor. The walked off to get breakfast, heads together and muttering about pranks. Peter smiled at Ron and beckoned him forth. Figuring it couldn't be too bad, Ron went over and got a Cuff as well.

"We'll get you your own Magic Metal Pipe of Pain soon, my apprentice, but not until you've learned the basics. Don't want you hurting yourself now," the man said, grinning a rather frightening grin. Then again, Peter had grown to be a rather frightening man even when he wasn't trying to be frightening. Which was a complete surprise to everyone, not the least of which being Sirius. But we're off topic here. Ron wasn't too sure if having Peter for a mentor, which really was the only logical concluding for him to reach, was a good thing. Peter saw the look on his face and laughed. "Oh don't be like that! We'll have fun, promise. Anyway... breakfast!" the man said, then took the boy by the shoulder and guided him to the table. Then down came Tonks with little Ginny and Marlene patted the young girl on the head.

"Here you are Ginny. This will let you through the wards on our house so you can come visit whenever you want," she said with a smile. Tonks was looking at the emblem on the Cuff with wide eyes. She knew what that was. Who at Hogwarts didn't? Easily half the Banned Objects List on Filtch's door came from Padfoot's Gambols! And it was only half because students had to owl order from the store in Ireland and that list was limited.

"Ah and there's Dora! Here's your Cuff my dear. Give Dromeda my best would you cousin dearest?" Sirius said, fastening the Cuff around her delicate wrist. Tonks nodded, then joined the throng at the breakfast table. This was not what she had expected when Charlie asked her to come over.

/*/

Bill wasn't too sure what he expected from Sirius Black-Slytherin, even after yesterday, but this... this was okay. Sirius was easy to talk to and he listened well. Not like a lot of his brothers or his father. The man was funny, quick, obviously powerful, and he knew quite a bit about curses and how to break some of them. He was no curse breaker, but he wasn't defenseless against them either. And the stories the man told about his time at Hogwarts and on the Slytherin Quittiditch team were as amusing as they were informative. It was, Bill decided, nice to have Sirius as a mentor and a friend. Sirius seemed to know that he had been accepted by the eldest Weasley son, if the large smile that tugged at his scars was anything to go by.

/*/

Charlie spent the day happily, but also a bit confused. His time was spilt between having student/mentor bonding with Remus, who was easily his favorite professor, and watching Tonks. Tonks, who was laughing. Tonks, who was surprised. Tonks, whose hair was slowly cycling through all the colors and all the hues in the world like some huge mood ring whose wearer couldn't make up their mind or was dripping water on it and watching it with a dopy expression. Charlie wasn't too sure where that last analogy came from, and he wasn't going to think on it much. It would hurt if he did, he was fairly certain. Still, he was seeing a different side to the Hufflepuff Chaser, and he was enjoying it. "Charlie?" Remus asked, coming up beside the boy. Charlie started and turned to face his new mentor.

"Yeah?" he asked, a faint blush on his face. Remus smirked.

"Dora's a good girl. Quick with her wand, smart, and a worthy opponent in a battle of wits. She's also not controlling, like some other women you might know," he said, nodding toward Mrs. Molly Weasley. Charlie winced. Yeah, he didn't really want a wife like his mother. He froze. Wife? Whoa boy, was he getting ahead of himself! He hadn't even asked Tonks out on a date and here he was thinking about a wife! Wait... Tonks? Did he really like her like that? "Heh, don't worry too much. Let it come natural. Trust me, she'll let you know if she's interested," Remus said with a knowing smirk. Charlie growled and even went so far as to lightly shove the older man.

"Shut up, I don't like her like that!" he said, but felt he wasn't very convincing. Remus gave him a Look, then shrugged, rolling his eyes.

"If you say so. Now, what do you say to helping me with these lesson plans? I'm afraid I might be straying into COMC territory," he said. Charlie let out a breath of relief and followed Remus to look over the aforementioned lesson plans.

/*/

Percy was having the time of his life. Regulus never told him to stop asking questions about government and what he did, but he insisted on telling stories about silly things like pranks and snowball fights. "Why do you keep changing the subject?" Percy asked. Regulus shrugged.

"You focus too much on the dry, boring things that most people would rather brush off as 'work things.' If that's all you know and all you talk about then no-one's going to want to be your friend. Look at Sirius. He's a Lord, has pushed for several world changing laws, and runs a business, but his business is making others laugh. James, he's an Auror, out on the streets keeping others safe then coming in and filling out paperwork, but the best part of his day isn't knowing he has made the world safer or punched his time card, it's seeing his son smile and laugh. Peter, he's in the same position only a little more feared. His favorite thing is to see our boys happy and healthy and running around playing. Sirius is a father, so is James, and I myself have adopted a little boy, Draco. It's hard, it's messy, but it is so rewarding. I like my job, but I love my son. I enjoy watching idiots get verbally smacked down, but I am ecstatic when I listen to one of our boys read. So you see, there are more important things then how the government is run and what paperwork has to be done or what regulations need to be put into place to keep others safe," he said. Percy looked down, a slight flush coming up his neck.

"I see," he muttered. Regulus shook his head. This wasn't going the way he had expected, but he could see it was the way that was needed.

"Percy... I can tell you are a very driven person. A person who pursues his passions relentlessly. This is not a bad thing, but you do need to learn when enough is enough and it's time to kick back and cut loose. Joke with your brothers, play with your sister. There will be time for everything else later but for now, be a kid for a little bit longer. I will teach you all I know, I promise, but you're going to have to do something for me in return," Regulus told the boy, looking deep into his eyes. Percy gave him his full attention.

"What do you want me to do?" he asked, thinking about fetching paper and ink and quills and drinks.

"Do as I said, and be a kid. I don't want you to throw away your family for a job, which is where I can see you headed. They won't be young like this forever, and neither will you. The Ministry and the jobs within it are going to still be there when you finish Hogwarts and College and have your masters. Ginny, she might be married with kids by the time you stopped focusing on your career if you keep on as you have been," Regulus said, shattering that perception. Percy blushed and looked to the floor. "Now, I think that's enough heavy, philosophical talk. Let's go outside and I'll teach you a muggle game I've gotten rather good at. It's called 'basket ball' and is like quittich on the ground with one hoop and only two teams of chasers," Regulus said, a mischievous twinkle entering his eyes. Percy sighed, but nodded and followed his new mentor out into the garden.

/*/

James Potter was, in a word, fun the twins decided after ten minutes alone with the man. He told them stories about pranks he had pulled at their age, and how it would only get better the older they got. Though, he did insist that there were lines that should not be crossed and that doing well in school was crucial as well. Pranks could be useful, such as stealth training and tactical thinking as well as revision, but no-one would take them seriously if they didn't put any effort into anything else. His reasoning for paying attention in class and doing their best won the boys over and they promised to not get too engrossed in their pranking... as long as James taught them what he knew about the art. James had laughed when they delivered their ultimatum and said, "What's a mentor for?" Unable to argue with that, the twins settled down for instructions. In later years, they'd bring notebooks and pencils. There were some things that just needed writing down after all.

/*/

Peter was actually having fun messing with Ron. He'd gotten a read on the boy's personality the previous day and now, he was ruthlessly pushing his buttons. It got to the point that Ron was ready to pound his head in when the Hufflepuff revealed the reason behind his torment. "Keeping a level head is important no matter what you're doing. Your personality is a lot of heart with a big temper and a short fuse, and that could get you and any of your friends into big trouble. Also, if you can learn to keep your temper in check, you won't get into as much trouble with your mother. As we go along, I'll tell you the other benefits... or have you tell me. But enough emotion training for now. Why don't we talk about Hogwarts and your expectations of it," Peter said, leading the boy outside.

"Why are we going outside?"

"So you won't have any pressure on you besides what I put on you. Besides, exercises is good for you," Peter answered. Ron huffed, much to Peter's amusement. As they walked farther and farther from the house, Ron let out more and more of his feelings, ranting about his brothers and how everyone is always measuring him against them, even at six and a half years old. Peter hummed in sympathy as the boy poured out his heart before finally collapsing and crying his little eyes out. "And that's why I was made your mentor. I was the weak link in our group. The tag along. At least... I was. Want to know how that changed?" Ron looked up at the imposing man and had trouble reconciling the wizard looming over him with such a wimpy picture. "I decided that enough was enough and that, with war coming, it was time to stand on my own two feet and show the world just who I was! And so, I went on to become one of the best in DADA before finding a transfiguration master to apprentice to. Transfiguration was not my best subject, but I still managed to power through that and become a master in the art. If I wanted to, I could conjure anything from the molecules in the air, transfiguring them at a subatomic level to form the substance I wanted. It takes a great understanding of the atomic structure of what you want and what you have to do so, but it's possible. And permanent. I've used this method to recycle carbon dioxide and other trace elements into breathable air when trapped in an air tight space, or food when stranded in the middle of nowhere. Both situations where things I faced once I joined the Aurors. Sure James was there too, but at the time... I considered him a traitor to the... brotherhood of sorts that we had. We were still allies, but we weren't 'friends.' So! What you should take from this is that you are you, and it's up to you to show the world just who Ron Weasley is. I'll help you how I can, but only you can change how the world sees you," Peter continued, eyes lighting with a fiery passion. Ron looked back to the ground, still wondering if he could, when thoughts of Draco came to mind. Draco, the son of a Malfoy, being so kind and polite, so at odds with what he would have expected from a Malfoy.

"If you and Draco can prove you aren't everything others thought you were... then so can I!" Ron said, standing up and facing Peter with straight shoulders and a defiant look in his eye. The Badger grinned.

"That's the spirit!" Peter said, clapping a hand on the boy's shoulder. "Keep thinking like that, put in some real effort, and you'll take the world by storm!"

/*/

Ginny wasn't too sure what was going on. She was only five going on six after all. But Marlene was fun and wanted to spend time with her, so she couldn't really complain. The woman told the best stories, even better than Bill or Charlie! All in all, Ginerva Molly Weasley was happy there was another woman for her to talk to. The fact that she could play with that adorable baby and talk with Sirius Black-Slytherin was just icing on the cake.

/*/

Hearing of the success of his Mentor Weasley Brood plan, Sirius couldn't help the predatory smile that came across his face. His friends all sighed, shaking their head at their crazy brother-in-all-but-blood and his Slytherin nature. Oh sure he had what it took to be a Gryffindor, and they knew in another life he was, but this version was so much more than a hot-headed Gryff. He was passionate, wily, ambitious, and willing to use subtly and shadows to reach his ambition. Most of his ambition had already been reached: stop Peter from betraying the Potters, save Regulus, get Remus over himself, get James over himself, dote on Harry, marry the woman of his dreams, have a beautiful baby, have fun, kill Voldie. In fact, he had fun doing all the above! Though... Regulus had fun with the last one too. Man was a pyromaniac Black scary! He was in their nightmares quite a few times. Heck, Blizzard was in a lot of people's nightmares. He was just that scary. Tangle and Remus were too, come to think of it. Though, he was a bit more approachable than Regulus, and he managed to become most peoples' favorite professor within five years. It was generally the Sixth Years that sang his praises the loudest. Their test scores likely had a bearing in that. "So, what's next Commander?" Remus asked, playing with a balloon by blowing sparks off the tip of his wand. Sirius smirked.

"No new orders for you lot, but I'm going to Italy. Expect me back within three months. And Regulus, I might need to rent a room or two at Casa a la Black," he said. Regulus narrowed his eyes at his brother.

"Why?" he asked icily, unconsciously using his 'Blizzard' voice. Sirius, to his credit, didn't shiver. Even when he was able to see his brother's flinty eyes. However frightening a hunting Blizzard seemed to others, an angry Regulus was scarier.

"Oh, I might find an old friend or two and bring them back for a month or so. I'll send you a patronus if I need to rooms, okay? Okay!" and then Sirius was gone, leaving the Crew alone with a fuming Regulus. The room quickly emptied. Regulus shook his head, growling. He needed to blow off some steam. So, he took advantage of the training room Peter and James had helped set up in Grimwauld Place. Those poor training dummies. They didn't stand a chance. Peter came in an hour later and transfigured them back, shaking his head.

"Oh Regulus, why do you do this to my beautiful creations?" he muttered as he worked. Sirius walked past and said one word.

"Bianca." Peter stopped an hung his head. Of course. Regulus' Italian almost-girlfriend. That would set the man off, like nothing else would. Poor Bagheera, having to shatter his own heart for her dubious good.

/*/

"Did you have to ask for a room at Grimwauld Place?"

"Yes James, I did. Regulus needs to face this."

"... Is that why you're going to Italy? To get... her?"

"Nah, just a bonus, and a dubious one at that. No, I'm going for a business trip. Italy produces a particular powder that I need for some of my products and the stuff that I can get from England or the Mainland is the shoddy stuff. I'm going for a direct source."

"Good luck mate, on both your endeavors. And with Bagheera. I just got back from fixing up the training room. It was totally trashed." Sirius sighed at Peter's news.

"I didn't think he'd take it that hard."

"You should have known Italy was a sore subject for him."

"Maybe Remus but..."

"You hoped for better."

"... Yeah. I guess I did." James shook his head.

"Sirius... you know your brother better than that. He's too much like you for that to be the case."

"Yeah. You're right. It was stupid of me. But at least I warned him, right?"

"You could put them up at any boarding house in the country, Sirius. You have more than enough money for that."

"I want her and whoever comes with her to know what Regulus has. He's the one I'm trying to set up. I'm perfectly content with the beautiful vision that is my wife and child."

"I just hope, for all our sakes, that your idiotic plan works Padfoot. Otherwise... you might just get strung up in some ally by Blizzard." Sirius knew full well what Regulus was capable of, he'd trained the man himself, and the thought scared him a little. Him, the leader of the Marauders. Him, the Commander, the Mouthpiece of L.O.S.S. He sent up a prayer that he'd survive the coming encounter, because he knew, better than anyone, just what kind of risk he was taking. One does not want a Black angry with them.

/?/

A/N: So... yeah. That's the end of this one. What do you think? As I said, I thrive on reviews so keep 'em coming! Also, I'm having trouble with chapter 11, but you guys are so awesome, I decided to have mercy and let you have this chapter now, instead of when I was done with the next one. That said, up next a little bit of plot and a whole lot of fluff, Potter style. Have a blessed day,

Regenengel3