Rather than reaching into it, as she had been trying to do, the common practice in the Mafia was pulling at it. Luring it out, for lack of a better word.

It wasn't like magic, with a measure of awareness to it. In magic, rather than bending it to your will, it was more convincing it to agree with you.

Soul Flames -Or Dying Will Flames- was completely, and entirely yours. You own it. And just that had already earned Mary's favour.

This piece of knowledge and some other small nuances that only someone mafia-born could know, was information that was both difficult and easy to have come by.

Seeing as Mary was a civilian, if she was to be honest, she'd actually acquired the information more with luck. She'd portkeyed to Italy, Rome with the help of Abraxas' contacts in the magical smuggling business -in exchange for teaching him Occlumency (she actually benefited the most here contrary to his belief since she also mastered legilimency while 'helping' him)-, planning to infiltrate the criminal society before then quite literally stumbling in an alley where an idiot and another idiot were conducting business.

She still had the trace, of course. But -as she'd learned from Greengrass- it wasn't like the trace was on her. Just her wand. And she'd used enough expelliarmus to do it wandlessly if not wordlessly.

And then, when she'd knocked them out by slamming them to the wall with two overpowered expelliarmus, tying them up became a simple matter. She'd waited for when the first one regained consciousness and pounced on him with Legilimency -because she wasn't good enough yet to go shuffling around someone's head when they're asleep though it would definitely be next on the list. She slit his throat before then doing the same with other too, after determining that they had no further use.

So now, Mary was somewhere in a random abandoned building, taking shelter and contemplating her next actions.

First, what was the end goal anyways? Immortality.

To do that, she'd need to gain access to her Soul so that she could start the process for a horcrux. Which would involve tearing in into pieces.

...hm, perhaps it was a bit late, but she thought she was now seeing what every one else did.

Tearing a soul is such a waste.

Since it's also another source of power that had so much potential to it.

Mary would hate to have to waste it. Really she would.

Besides, there were more than one ways to achieve immortality anyways. It's not like a person had more than one soul.

And ooooh, she wanted it.

Something that was utterly, entirely, hers. Magic was great, wonderful, majestic, but it was... Magic.

Not hers.
_

And that was how Viper was born.

This was kept entirely hush hush of course, locked in the deepest recesses of her mind and almost completely erased from her waking consciousness by the time she was back at Hogwarts. It wouldn't do for either school of thought to find out about her summer escapades in the muggle criminal world.

But it wasn't like her school life was completely untouched. For one, she was back to square one on the matter of immortality. Potions, relics, rituals, everything was perused for a formula for immortality. And two, she discovered that the magical world wasn't entirely unaware of the parallel of a magical society in the muggle world, just...

Magical Britain and other European countries had all but forgotten it, the secret society of Flames being just passively mentioned in some very select literature. Italy was another thing entirely though, being the metaphorical nest of Western Mafia.

But it still wasn't... interactive. The Statue of Secrecy -first implemented some times in the dark ages (just a bit befoe the Mafia) in Salem and then later spreading like wildfire in the West and adapted by a large part of the East- and the Omerta neatly divided all three worlds.

Mary imagined it like a Venn Diagram with three circles.

The Soul society, magical society, then the mundane world.

Mary had the privilege of being a part of it all. But that was just expected. Mary was, well, Mary.

"You seem happy, Riddle." Malfoy prompted.

Mary smiled at him, a baring of teeth in the dark of the common room. "I am."

That was more than he needed to know.

"What about you Malfoy, you don't seem happy?"

His sneer was cruel, "Adonis."

Ah. Of course. That Veela that had been hanging onto him in every party the Malfoys hosted and that his parents had told him to please. The reason for his investments in the mind arts protection.

Though there was still a heavy influence of the females are delicate and weaker mindset, Mary had been amazed to realise that relationship among same sex was practically a norm at least in this part of the magical world.

Adonis wasn't actually his name but it was what he introduced himself to them as. Abraxas was probably hoping to vent to her but it wasn't like Mary was a good friend. She could pretend but didn't mean she did when she could get away with it. Abraxas was perhaps the closest to being a 'best friend' she had so she could leave knowing that he wouldn't think of her oddly or out of character of 'Mary Sue' Mary.

He should be honoured she was so honest to him.

"Well, I'm off to do something away from your general area." she didn't let him get a word before skipping away.
_

aknight reply.
Yes. self-fulfilling. But the prophecy did not include Dumbledore. The prophecy became true the moment Voldemort decided to send Bellatrix to the Longbottom's while he went Potter hunting. If not the Dursley's (muggle with no Imperius or any other form of instant mind control) who else would he send him to? I'd think magic would take care of its kids so no random person (maybe well intended or maybe not) would qualify right? Not even taking into account that you don't know who you can trust in the time with the Boy-Who-Lived. One of James' friends (wether the mistaken Sirius or the spy Peter) had sold them to the enemy and the Marauders had been together since Hogwarts. Tight as tight could be (They became illegal animagus for their equally illegal werewolf friend). Other pureblood family who are distant relatives? But probably hated Lily or James or loved Lily, hated James, or loved James, hated Lily. Too unpredictable. Snape?! Yeah, no. That'd be sending both baby and man the deep end because double spy Severus. Longbottom granny? She didn't sound like anyone who'd unconditionally love the person who (essentially, depending on your point of view) got her son and daughter-in-law targeted by the mad Black Sister. Maybe. But it's not like Dumbledore can just ask that and Lady Longbottom would fess up to maybe (maybe not) hating a toddler. The blacks?... (Andromeda I think is the most likely) Sirius was the black sheep of the blacks, and somehow people still got it that he actually betrayed his best friends so I don't think the Blacks are trusted much and someone is bound to violently protest. Who else? At least with Dusleys, there was neglect, maybe emotional abuse (I don't think physical abuse is considered normal, unlike two boys getting rough) but there are certainties. No mind control, no cashing in his fame, no brainwashing of loyalty (Why would they?).

That said, it's not like I'm hating on Dumbledore bashing. Even I like reading stories like that sometimes and fan fiction is fan fiction. fufu.