Here's a reminder that killing the author is a bad thing…this chapter actually got written because I was going back through reviews and kept thinking about how people mentioned the chummy nature with the Weasley's. Responding to that kicked off the first part of this chapter and the rest just fell in.
ShadeDancer
Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter and can't get money for this, but I can make him into a Mafia Prince.
Warning: Some chapters (the ones including pranks and mimes) might not be appropriate to read at work. Laughter may ensue leading your co-workers to see you as even more insane than they previously thought.
Chapter 12: Plans and A Map
"Has Penny talked to you anymore since you told her?" Blaise asked out of blue as they left class, Vasile and Nara had fallen behind enough to give them a semblance of privacy while they talked.
"Yeah," Harry smiled slightly, glad that things felt right between him and Blaise again, "she's more understanding than I thought. I'm just glad that she hasn't realized that dad invited her to the Manor as a hostage to keep her father in line, I do truly count her as a friend and think she'll be useful to have around."
Blaise nodded, remembering Manuel's reaction when he had discovered that Mr. Clearwater had let Harry's attacker into his own party in order to take care of the Darkov Prince. Harry had already been asked about having Penny over and Manuel had agreed in order to put pressure upon Mr. Clearwater and force his compliance; Mr. Clearwater hadn't dared refuse allowing Penny to come for the visit once Manuel had personally extended the invitation. Harry and Blaise had wondered briefly why Manuel didn't just kill Mr. Clearwater, but then had realized that it was because he didn't want to risk losing Mrs. Clearwater's connections in the wizarding world; if he had killed Mr. Clearwater, Mrs. Clearwater would have had to die as well or they would have risked her causing trouble with the very connections they desired to exploit. It had been hard for both Harry and herself to act normal around Penny even though they knew that one wrong step by her father would seal the girls fate.
"How about Percy? I know you've been sounding him out this summer for your dad. I would have asked earlier, but there never seemed to be a time to get you alone this summer and then school started—" Harry shrugged as he trailed off, knowing he didn't need to explain further.
Blaise blew a strand of hair out of her face in frustration, "he needs to loosen up and stop being a pompous know-it-all. There's a fire in him, a hidden determination to be someone, but other than that I haven't really had much a chance to talk to him without others being around. The Weasley's had way too many kids and half of them annoy the hell out of me."
"I know," Harry chuckled, "Bill and the twins are the only ones that don't annoy me, though I'm not sure I would trust the twins with any type of weapons. If Percy would loosen up he would have possibilities, especially if he succeeds and gets a position in the Ministry or as a Law-wizard. Charlie is just too nice, too open, while Ron and lately even Ginny are just annoying pains in the ass. They are the most pettish and immature of the Weasley children and the ones I wish we never had to invite over, though sadly Ginny was never like that before last year. It's so hard to remain polite to their faces when I just want to tell them to go screw themselves. If it wouldn't seem odd not to invite them when we invite the others, they wouldn't ever set foot on our property again."
"I'll second that," Blaise replied fervently, before falling into humor "they're like an invasion, only if it was a true invasion we could just kill them and be rid of the problem."
Harry snorted and shook his head as he joked back, "not that easy, there would still be the bodies to dispose of and Bill wouldn't be too happy with us if he found out. Besides, we can't kill people merely because they annoy us, that would mean lowering ourselves to the level of the other Mafia clans."
Blaise rolled her eyes, "of course, I forgot, the almighty Darkov clan is too sophisticated for such things."
Harry couldn't help it, he burst out laughing, "sophisticated my ass, dad just doesn't want to deal with the paperwork unless it's actually necessary. Besides, you can't scare a corpse."
"You're hopeless," Blaise was laughing as well by the time Nara and Vasile drew even with them to find out what was so funny.
"So are you Blaise," Harry grinned at Vasile and Nara, but didn't tell them a thing, "so are you."
… … … … …
The letter summoning Nara and Vasile home came one morning during breakfast right before Halloween causing the Wolf and Dagger to depart immediately—at least two of the lesser Mafia clans had banded together to rise up against he Darkov's. It appeared that Mr. Clearwater hadn't liked being put under pressure that summer and had decided to do something about it while he thought his daughter was safe at Hogwarts with Dumbledore and out of Manuel Darkov's reach; his limited knowledge of the Darkov clan had been enough to entice at least the two clans to work together and form a plan that might actually have a chance to see success.
The combined clans had attacked the Darkov Manor directly and instigated what might turn into a full-scale Mafia war. Manuel wasn't going to take any chances to the contrary and was calling home the best of his Guards and specialized warriors, the Darkov Clan would prevail and that meant the rival clans had to be destroyed utterly so that none of the other lesser clans decided that banding together might give them a chance. That Manuel was calling Vasile and Nara away from Harry and Blaise's side told both children that at the very least Manuel suspected a trap in the attack and that things were possibly worse than what the letter had hinted, but they had been ordered to stay at the relative safety of Hogwarts under Severus' protection until Vasile and Nara could return.
It made both Harry and Blaise feel helpless and they unhappily realized that they would probably feel like this often over the next few years until they graduated from Hogwarts, waiting for the news that those they cared about were safe. It also made them realize how much they had actually been kept out of the action when they had been at home, the times they had actually faced real and deadly battle having been when there hadn't been time for them to get to a safe vantage point or when they had been attacked off the grounds. These realizations drove Harry and Blaise to their practice room within the castle the moment classes were over for the day where they worked on honing their skills, determined to drive away the helpless feelings assailing them.
… … … … …
"I can't believe it," both Harry and Blaise were fuming, but Blaise was being a bit more vocal about it at the moment, "I can't believe we're being banned from Hogsmead because Vasile and Nara aren't here. He can't do this! Our permission slips are signed. That meddling old man doesn't have the right!"
Harry punched a suit of armor, physically venting his frustration and actually halting Blaise's tirade as she stared at him in a mixture of shock and amusement. They had both been eager to go to Hogsmead that day to get out of the suffocating confines of the castle and forget everything that was going on so that they could just enjoy themselves. They also needed to pick up a few things necessary for a prank idea they had been tinkering with.
"I feel better," Harry grinned at Blaise before his eyes darkened in fury again, "and you're right, he can't stop us from going to Hogsmead. We'll go anyhow, even if we have to sneak out."
A sound had Harry lunging around the corner just in time to startle the twins into falling flat on their arses.
"Hiya, Harry," the two grinned unrepentantly, "we couldn't help but overhear..."
"Eavesdrop," Blaise and Harry corrected together.
"…and we'd like to offer our services and a gift."
Harry and Blaise exchanged glances, wariness hidden deep within their eyes before they looked back at the twins and the tattered parchment they held out in their hands.
Harry raised an eyebrow, "are you going to make me ask?"
The twins grins grew even wider, "this, dear Harry, is the secret of our success. We humbly present to you the Marauders map."
Harry felt his muscles tense slightly in recognition of the name, but refused to react otherwise.
"We are presenting this to you," the twins continued, "it is a map of the castle, complete with secret passages and the position of anyone within the castle at any time. It tears at us to hand this over to you, but we know you'll put it to good use and we've already memorized every usable passage on it."
The twins handed over the blank parchment to Harry and Blaise and Harry studied it for a good long moment before turning back to the twins, "how do you activate it?"
Fred took out his wand and tapped the parchment, "I solemnly swear that I am up to no good!"
Ink spidered out from the center of the parchment, flowing and linking to form the rooms and corridors that made up the castle, moving dots marking the inhabitants.
"To clear it, merely state 'mischief managed' and it will go blank," George informed them, "We recommend this passage to get out of the castle, it'll take you out to Honeydukes cellar. The map will show you what to do. Now you had best get going, it seems Filch is back to prowling the halls."
"And what about you?" Harry's voice halted the twins as they headed towards the front doors to leave for Hogsmeade, "Filch will think you've been up to something since you haven't left yet, so you might as well show us this tunnel personally."
The twins exchanged glances before turning around and Fred looped his arms with Blaise while George did the same with Harry to escort them down the hall, "right you are. We don't want him thinking we had anything to do with the dungbombs hidden inside the suits of armor outside his office, now do we?"
Harry repressed a chuckle at the thought of Filch's reaction even as his mind was turning over what the twins had told them about the map. This was just the sort of clue he needed to crack the secret of the journal, he would definitely work on it tonight after they returned from Hogsmeade, but right now he wasn't going to worry about it; it was so much easier to ignore the existence of the journal now that it wasn't such an incomprehensible mystery.
Posted On: March 30, 2006
