A/N: I don't own anything.

Chapter 5 (part 2)

So. Flames? Mafia Royalty? That was... new.

And Harry just wanted to throw his hands up into the air and stomp from the room like a petulant child.

Again, Harry was special. He had gained yet another power. Another rare ability that was only wielded by very few people in the world - probably even less people than magic, because no matter how vast, an organization, criminal or not, could not possibly compete with an entire race in numbers. And even with Flames Harry had somehow gained the extraordinary kind.

But of course he had.

Harry was glad to hear that he did not have some incredibly rare once-in-a-millenium kind of Flame type, as there seemed to be at least a few others with Sky Flames. Well, his priorities sure were messed up these days, weren't they.

Considering the Potter luck Harry was just going to assume that there was more to Dying Will Flames than keeping him warm on the inside and forming bonds. The value that the mafia apparently placed on Flames made that distinctly clear.

And, the mafia? Really? Come on.

He was finally done with being the hero, having done everything that could be and had been demanded of him, including letting himself be martyred - for a cause he did not even entirely believe in. Just like in all those stories of the nice heroes with the shining armor and no brain whatsoever.

Harry had just began to hope that he would be able to start fading into obscurity. And now after all the hero business, he had somehow managed to get himself thrown into the world of organized crime.

By Merlin, he needed to file a complaint or get himself a restraining order against Fate or Destiny or whoever it was that kept messing with his life. He had already been haphazardly thrown into an entirely new world at eleven to either sink or swim. He was part of a world that had bloody unicorns! What was going to come next? Aliens? Well, at least at this point, there wasn't much that they could throw at him which could truly surprise him anymore. Though, best not think that too loudly lest someone up there decided to prove him wrong.

Ok. So that inner tantrum was done with for now.

There had been a lot of information in the man's explanation that Harry would have to mull over at a later time. It would take him a while to sort through all of it.

The mafia hadn't really been that much of a surprise. Harry had already guessed organized crime when he had been captured and the mafia was just one step further. He was going to ignore the implications of his bonded - his Guardian - being mafia for now and what that would mean for Harry's future involvement.

For now, he had to consider his own side of the explanation. The most pressing question was, what he was going to tell the man and how to tell him.

Well, a bond tied into his very soul would certainly qualify as a magical bond no matter what power it had actually been initiated by. A permanent life-force bond might actually be just as indisputable. So that took care of the Statute of Secrecy.

Harry was pretty certain that the supposed option of dissolving the Flame bond was not actually open to them. He could feel the bond in his mind and magic. Even though the bond might have been initiated by their Flames, his magic had definitely gotten involved. And true magical bonds were permanent.

And Merlin, he wanted this. For once in his life Harry wanted to be selfish, to have someone for himself.

It was all he had ever wanted. Ever since he was a child and realized that the Dursleys did not want him and later on that he did not want the Dursleys. Same with the Wizarding World.

He wanted someone to want Harry. And the thought of someone truly his, his to keep, to want, to trust had him almost aching with hope.

A bond, a person that Harry could truly rely on. That was worth everything.

Harry immediately dismissed the option of trying to get around telling the man about magic. The man had told Harry about an entirely different world that was apparently protected by something similar to the Statute of Secrecy. So, Harry was damn well not going to lie to him. Fair is fair, and all that.

And if the bond truly was permanent and Harry had finally found someone who was going to be there, who wanted him, accepted him, protected him. Harry was not going to risk losing the trust that a bond like that could potentially provide just to hide a world that would be revealed to this man at some point anyways, if only because they were permanently stuck with each other.

Also, as the man was aware of a world that seemed to be based on something very much not normal, Harry was cautiously hopeful that he would not react negatively to magic.

Though best warn him about possible Auror arrivals, lest the man shoot someone. And Harry had no doubt who would win that fight - he had seen the man move during his rescue, there wasn't even a question who would win, magic or not. Italian Aurors couldn't possibly be that much better than their British counterparts.

"I am part of another world that is segregated from the normal world. Its secrecy is harshly guarded and they can usually tell if it is revealed to anyone who is not a part of our world. Still, there are universal exceptions to these laws and in our world bonds are indisputable. However, I don't know the procedures here in Italy, so if someone does show up here, you need to let me explain to them and if they don't listen you need to get out and away. You cannot risk them catching you before I get them to listen to me."

Harry watched as the man became more and more attentive, while his muscles contrarily loosened - Harry was well aware that a loose posture was far more suited for immediate reaction than tightly coiled muscles. But instead of drawing away from Harry as he had almost feared, the arm around his waist tightened and pulled Harry protectively closer. The man's eyes were shadowed but almost glowing as he continuously assessed the empty room around them.

And Harry suddenly knew that the last thing this man would do was run or leave Harry to deal with the problem on his own. What had he said? Guardians protected their Sky.

For a moment Harry tried to inconspicuously press even further into the man's side, trying to absorb as much of his presence as he could before he had to take the leap.

Harry's chest still tightened with anxiety. "My world is based on magic." And despite the dread roiling in his stomach while waiting for the inevitable reaction, Harry could not look away from the man's face. Anxiously awaiting the reaction that would decide whether Harry would ever have a chance to trust this bond, to rely on it. He barely remembered to keep any possible Auror arrivals in mind as he focused entirely on the man.

There was a slight widening of the man's eyes at the announcement but he remained right where he was with Harry protectively tucked into his side and though his focus seemed to be on Harry, his eyes were still assessing the room, prepared for an attack.

Cautious hope expanded in Harry's chest.

He continued. "The Wizarding World is mostly segregated from the non-magical world, inaccessible and mostly invisible to people without magic."

There was still no disbelief or apprehension in the man's eyes and Harry only just kept himself from slumping in relief.

"Wizards and witches are born with their magic. Even though magic comes to us naturally it takes a while to mature and we have schools that take care of magical education. There are magical creatures, like... dragons and unicorns and we have an international sports league."

Harry knew he was rambling, but he only now realized how terrified he had been that this man would just simply reject him and the bond - the bond that felt so very safe and protective and accepting - would dissolve. Or even worse, that the bond would remain and be twisted and Harry would constantly be reminded that he had lost this chance at acceptance.

He felt the arm around his waist giving a slight squeeze and when Harry looked up there was an amused glint in the man's eyes. Harry felt the heat in his cheeks. But there was no mocking, only amusement.

"What exactly does magic mean?" The man asked.

Harry felt perplexed at that question and it must have shown on his face as the man elaborated.

"What can magic do? Can you read minds?" Something dangerous flitted through the man's eyes only to immediately disappear again. " Can you fly?" And the amusement was back in the man's voice at the last question. There was still no disbelief. Definitely an interesting life. And, if the man thought that to be ridiculous he was in for a shock.

Harry tried to remain neutral, but some amusement still bled through. "Well, yes, we can. I myself cannot read minds, but it is possible and I am actually a pretty fantastic flyer." Harry was so not mentioning broomsticks right now, even if just to spare himself the blushing at the man's inevitable comments. "In general you can pretty much assume: If you can think it, magic can do it. Wizards might not yet have invented a general way to do some things, but magic itself has very few restrictions."

Huh, there was nothing even remotely close to shock in the man's expression. Harry really hoped that the lack of surprise wasn't because Flames were just as crazy as magic. Harry didn't think he would be able to take it.

"What exactly is magic?"

Well, that was a good yet quite complex question. Harry considered his answer before replying. "Magic itself is not really easily defined. It is not just something to be quantified or categorized but more something that just is. It encompasses an entire world and has far too many facets of powers and creatures and cultures for it to be sorted into neat little boxes. No single being can actually access all kinds of magic. There are beings that cannot directly weave magic at all, like centaurs. Just as there are beings that are pure magic in themselves, like phoenixes or unicorns. Pretty much everything that is mentioned in myths and legends of various cultures does exist in some form, like merpeople or vampires or fairies."

Harry continued, still watching for the appearance of distaste in the man's expression. "Normal wizards and witches are actually pretty boring in comparison, even though most have an extreme superiority complex that would have them tell you otherwise. We can weave magic and we have extended life spans, but that's pretty much it."

"Wizarding magic has several branches based on the nature of the wielded magic. The most common branches are light, dark and gray. There are numerous smaller branches of magic such as elemental, black or nature magic and there are also some branches of magic that wizards cannot access directly at all like time magic or chaos magic. It gets complicated pretty quickly because we use tools to help us weave magic such as wands or artifacts that are centuries old as well as rituals. And then, even with extended life spans, wizards do not live long at all in comparison to other beings. There are creatures more than a thousand years old and our history is still recorded almost in its entirety. Thus the knowledge still available is immense."

There was definitely a keen interest in the man's eyes at that part of the explanation. Harry knew he had left out most of the negative sides of the magical world, hadn't even come close to explaining the complexities of magic itself. But for one it was far too complex an explanation right now and also he was pretty certain that they would be discussing both their worlds in more detail in the coming days. Now that he was done with revealing the Magical World, he felt the exhaustion returning as the adrenaline of wondering how this discussion would end was dissipating.

Still, Harry wanted to show his Guardian, show him the wonders of magic and that Harry was telling the truth. Harry couldn't perform any magic right now for various reasons, like his unstable magic or the increased chance of the Ministry being able to detect a possible breach of the Statute of Secrecy. Harry looked up. "My pouch?"

The man looked at him for a moment before reaching over to the armchair next to the couch. Well, Harry would certainly have to think about why in the world this man was able to touch or even see the heavily warded pouch at all.

He felt the man's eyes intently fixed on him, watching as most of Harry's forearm disappeared into the tiny pouch. Harry almost wanted to smile, thinking that the man had probably been wondering about this ever since he had watched Harry do the very same thing when they had picked up his possessions a few days ago. Harry reached for the invisibility cloak, and as always the desired object immediately appeared in his hand.

Harry slowly pulled out the invisibility cloak, which by itself shouldn't even have fit inside the pouch. Harry figured this was the easiest way to prove the existence of magic. His picture album might have been another option, but for one Harry was not quite ready to share that much of himself with the man and also Harry was well aware how fast technology developed. The moving pictures could be explained away. The Wizarding Space in the pouch and a cloak that made everything beneath it disappear entirely from view and even extinguished sound and smell should be far more convincing.

Harry easily wrapped the cloak around most of himself, watching his right side and most of his legs vanish, before offering the cloak to the man. This was probably the most critical part of the explanation. Because being told about magic and seeing or experiencing it were entirely different things.

However, to his unending relief there was only curiosity in the man's eyes as he examined the heirloom.

So.

Reborn had to admit that even with the evidence presented before his Sky's explanation, he would not have even thought of magic. If only because it sounded so completely ludicrous.

Now though, watching his Sky almost casually breaking a few laws of physics and reality - and Reborn had thought he had seen most of everything strange there was... On the other hand as extraordinary as the cloth and the pouch were, Reborn had still seen definitely stranger. The Mafia World was not normal in any sense of the word.

Reborn had fully expected a slew of questions from his Sky on Flames, the mafia, his involvement in either, how it would effect his Sky, maybe even demands to leave the mafia. Instead his Sky had done exactly as he had indicated before Reborn's explanation. Listened to Reborn, considered his options and then revealed his own secret world. Reborn would have to keep this seemingly natural sincerety in mind, lest he unintentionally hurt his Sky with Reborn's usual mind games.

More importantly, he could see the remaining anxiety and apprehension on his Sky's face and that just wouldn't do. He considered their exchange and decided to just go with it.

So, he offered his hand, introducing himself honestly. "Reborn. The World's Greatest Hitman. Strongest Sun Flame user in existence, tutor from hell and unaffiliated member of the mafia."

The relief on his Sky's face at the introduction was immediate.

Harry reached for Reborn's hand while he briefly considered the introduction. Well, there was really only one way to answer that declaration. "Harry. The-Man-Who-Conquered. Savior of the Wizarding World, run-off-the-mill storybook hero and all-around good guy. Just ask anyone."

They considered each other. And even though both introductions sounded unbelievable, ridiculous even, they only felt amused acceptance.

Reborn felt the corners of his mouth lift up in a small genuine smile. "Well, I think it's safe to say that between the two of us, my days of boredom might just be over."

The tired grin spreading over Harry's face made his eyes crinkle slightly. "Believe me when I say, that with me in your life you will be ruing the day you ever thought that might be a good thing."

Thanks so much for all the reviews! You guys are amazing!

Chapter 5 pt1 review responses:

To Lerya-chan: Thanks for reviewing again! Harry will definitely meet Tsuna at some point, though I'm not telling how and when in KHR :)

To Lucy Dei: Thanks for reviewing again! I'm glad you like the story so much :) Not to give too much away, but the situation with Ron and Hermione will just not be quite as simple as 'betrayal, over and done'. They fucked up badly and there will be consequences, but... well, you'll see :)

To Diamond Yandere: Thank you so much for reviewing again! I'm glad you like their interactions so far. Regarding the situation with Ron and Hermione, there will definitely be a clash and their friendship will be damaged, but I think Harry himself is just too damn loyal to break off any friendship entirely for anything less than a clear and intentional betrayal. I will try to keep it as realistic as possible. Still, definitely not Guardian material.

To SilverStarWaters: Thanks for the review! Oh that sounds like a fun scene to put in :) And you are right about the Guardian bond anchoring Harry even simply because his magic recognizes the additional protection.

To Shimmer712: Thank you for your extensive review! There will definitely be consequences for Ron and Hermione's actions but it will mainly be a matter of broken trust and confidence (which I find actually far more ultimately damaging in the long run) forcing Harry to re-evaluate their friendship. There won't be many people that can use magic and Flames in either world. Harry will get in contact with the WW, even if his focus right now is still on his situation with Reborn.

To Miss Silverspoon: Thanks for the review! Madam Pomfrey will definitely be making an appearance... :) The situation with the Order is probably going to be more explosive than with Hermione and Ron. Because the adults in HP mostly fail inexcusably and I need for Harry to have a reason to get even somehow. Reborn will certainly love tearing them apart :)