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) 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 6:Holiday Snow War
Holidays were among the greatest times at the Darkov Mansion. They were still always on alert for any attacks or criminal attempts but it was hidden under a layer of festive joy. The vast grounds had turned into a sparkling, crystal playland and fires burned brightly in the main rooms of the mansion. The best part was that Blaise, Trevor, and some of the guards moved into the mansions, filling up the numerous empty rooms so that they didn't have to spend the Holidays alone in their solitary homes. Many of the guards weren't married; preferring to dedicate to their job without putting others they cared for at risk and had long ago severed contact with their family, or in Trevor's case had lost their spouse. No, for most of them their family was the Mafia headed by the Darkov clan. Every guard was tried and true having served Manuel for years, they were family, and in this world they only needed each other and knew their backs would be safe from all attack.
"Gotcha," Blaise crowed as she nailed Harry with a firmly packed snowball.
"This means war," the raven haired boy yelled and turned away from the snowman he had been trying to build.
"Take that," he cried and lobbed two firmly packed snow spheres at Blaise.
They hit the girl dead on and she fell backwards into the soft powder.
"Oww," Blaise cried out as if the snowballs had hurt her and Harry's grin faltered as he went to her side, hoping that he hadn't accidentally packed ice inside the snow.
"Are you okay," concern showed in his radiant eyes and he held a helping hand down to Blaise.
"Sucker," Blaise smirked and quickly pulled Harry down beside her with a laugh.
For a while they just lay there allowing the cold to soak through their clothes before Blaise started slowly moving her arms and legs in a smooth, concerted motion. Harry climbed to his feet and once satisfied Blaise did as well. Together they looked at the snow angel. It was perfect except for the single handprint where Blaise had climbed out. Together they moved away to finish Harry's snowman.
They had just put the finishing touches on the snowman when they heard the crunch of boots on the crisp snow. Looking up the two mischief makers spotted two of the guards put on outside duty for the morning. One of them, Matthew, had been with the guard for as long as Harry could remember and was like an older brother or extra uncle to him. The other man, Bill, was newer to the guard as he had joined almost straight out of school and had only been with them for about a year, but Harry and Blaise trusted him fully; it had helped his case immensely when he conspired with them to devise and set up a few of the pranks they had pulled before the holidays. With a sly smile Harry and Blaise expertly packed a few snowballs and launched them in quick succession at the two guards who had just been heading off duty and inside to warm up.
"Score," Blaise yelled as the projectiles hit their oblivious targets dead on.
The two guards whirled around and crouched down low in the snow out of instinct, guns out and eyes restlessly scanning the ground before resting on the two grinning brats standing next to the snowman.
For a moment the guards just crouched there as if disbelieving that they had just been hit by snowballs from two immature adolescences before swiftly packing their own snowballs and returning fire. Quickly Harry and Blaise ducked behind the snowman, but not before they had been pelted by the snowballs. Crouching down they began forming more snowballs and lobbed them at the exposed guards only to get hit right back. Both teams realized how exposed they were to their opposing team and with a brief truce snow bunkers were quickly erected as a few more guards joined in on the fun after hearing the shouts and coming to investigate. One bunker was a half circle set up against the side of the house while the other was more out in the open but protected in the middle by a leering snowman as carefree laughter rang through the air.
Manuel and Trevor sat in Manuel's office going over papers and the usual business while the snow war waged outside.
"…owes you a lot of money. You saved his drill company from going down the drain ten years ago…"
Manuel was jerked out of his musings of trying to figure out why the names of both the man and drill company sounded familiar beyond the obvious business transaction when shrieks of laughter punctuated by "score" and "gotcha" rang through the air. Manuel smoothly rose to his feet and walked to the windows, twitching the drapes aside slightly as Trevor continued going over the papers. A ghost of a smile crossed Manuel's hardened face as he watched snowballs fly back and forth in the yard below him. He was painfully reminded of himself when he was younger; playing in the very same yard with his older brother and father, reminded of the snow wars they had gotten into with their guards. His brother and father had died in the same assassination attempt that had taken the lives of his wife and child. If the car Manuel had taken from work to meet his family at the restaurant hadn't developed a flat tire on the way he would have been there with them, would have died with them, wouldn't be standing there watching his adopted son play in the snow. Harry himself would most likely have been dead as well.
A hand fell heavily on Manuel's shoulder and he tensed before relaxing under Trevor's comforting hand.
"What's wrong Manuel," Trevor asked, knowing his friends mind had not been on their work for a while.
Manuel sighed, "ghosts my friend, nothing more."
Trevor glanced between the gaps in the curtains and saw the snow war going on beneath them; he too remembered the snow wars he had engaged in with the Darkov family though at first he had been embarassed to act so childish since he had been an adult at the time. When they had met in college he and Manuel had become fast companions, much like Harry and Blaise now were, though not nearly as troublesome or mischievous. Manuel's father had quickly cured him of his embarassment at letting loose in such a manner, explaining that at times being crazy was a necessary thing for those living The Life.
"Forget the work," Manuel suddenly declared before walking out of the office and down the hall, straight out the back door and into the crystalline snow.
As soon as Manuel was hit by the cold outside air he took off at a run for his son's snow fort, dodging snowballs from behind him and getting pelted more than once. With a dramatic cry Manuel launched himself over one edge of the snow fort and came to a rolling stop in the snow, Trevor beside him. Harry and Blaise just stared at their insane father's as they crouched low behind the hard packed walls, trying to shake the powdery snow from their clothes and hair.
"Reinforcements have arrived," Trevor quipped before turning to battle mode, "we need to shore up these walls, make them higher, and we need to call in backup. We cannot lose this war!"
Harry turned to his father with a grin when the suddenly lighthearted Mafia King pulled his portable radio from his pocket. Tuning into the frequency the off duty guards were using he spoke, "Snow war, I repeat, snow war on the North side. Back up requested and bring two coats, it's bloody cold out here."
The afternoon passed in a flurry of hard packed snow being hurtled across the open expanse of pristine snow that had turned into a battle ground. Throughout the whole time the guards were coming and going as shifts were changed, leaving both teams open to sneak attacks as no sides were set. Even a few of the house staff joined in. One moment a team would be pelting their 'enemy' and before they knew it someone in their own fort was pelting them. Manuel and Trevor seemed to be getting hit an awful lot from behind and though no one admitted to it the two men suspected their children. Little did they know that it was mostly the guards attacking them, taking the chance to score a playful hit against the bosses without them knowing it.
Finally when it was getting too dark to see and all their wet clothes were freezing stiffly on them everyone headed inside to be greeted by the head cook and one of the maids bearing trays of steaming hot cocoa, the perfect drink after a hard play in the snow. Quickly shedding their jackets, boots, and gloves the group either hung their wet things in the back mudroom to dry or left them in a sodden heap. Grabbing their mugs eagerly Harry and Blaise drank the steaming concoction, burning their tongues in the process, it was a perfect blend of chocolate and the cook had even added a tiny splash of rum for the added medicinal warmth.
A hot shower, dinner, and a few more mugs of cocoa taken before a roaring fire brought an end to the day and the Darkov household retired to their beds to sleep; the only ones still awake those currently on duty. To top off the great day they had just spent no disturbances occurred during the night and no strange dreams plagued any of the inhabitants of the manor.
The next few days leading up to Christmas did not include anymore snow wars, but Sensei had gotten an idea from the battle and decided to take training outdoors which was something he usually only did in the summer. They warmed up with basic martial arts practice while learning to adapt their movements to the hampering snow, often ending up lying face down in it until they did before Sensei instructed them to match him in a fight. It wasn't until they started getting hit by snowballs from a few of the guards that Sensei had positioned behind the snow forts that their fighting instructor explained that they were to fight him while avoiding getting hit by the frozen projectiles. He was trying to train them to not only be aware of the person they were fighting, but to be alert to other attacks that could come from anywhere at anytime. Harry and Blaise were more than a little grumpy by the time that lesson ended.
Christmas morning dawned cold and early, Harry waking up just before dawn and tiptoeing into Blaise's room. Merging with the shadows of the room as Manuel and Trevor had taught him Harry crept to the foot of Blaise's bed and pounced onto the fluffy mattress. Blaise startled as she felt the mattress move under her, felt someone in the bed with her, and woke up choking back the scream rising in her throat.
"Merry Christmas Blaise," Harry grinned angelically at his friend, receiving a pillow in his face for the trouble.
"Damn you Harry Darkov," Blaise hissed, "you scared the shit out of me."
Harry tried to look repentant but only managed to look even more mischievous.
"What would Trevor say to hear such language," Harry mocked, "come on; let's get Trevor and my father up."