A/N: Don't own. Continues immediately after last chapter.

End of last chapter:

Harry felt Ren step in close and wrap an arm around his waist from behind. He automatically leaned back into his Sun's chest and took one more wistful look around.

As though called, Fawkes appeared in front of them. Within an instant they had vanished from their little apartment and from Italy altogether.

It wouldn't be until months later that they realized how much their departure would affect the future of the Mafia World. Not even Reborn would have been able to anticipate the chaos their disappearance would leave in its wake.

Chapter 11

Barely a moment passed between reaching for Fawkes and finding themselves in Harry's apartment in London. Harry noted with some surprise that there was only a slight sense of vertigo immediately afterwards. Well, that was certainly different from any other form of magical travel he had experienced so far.

His Sun was still keeping a firm hold of him, but Harry was in no hurry to step away from where he was leaning against Reborn's broad chest. He assumed that his Guardian was probably checking their new surroundings for threats, but instead of feeling irritated by the overprotectiveness Harry only felt strangely fond.

Reborn scanned the room and the entire surrounding area with his Flames. He did not let go of Harry even after confirming that there was no immediate threat to his Sky but rather kept Harry pulled against his chest - fitting perfectly into the contours of his body - and looked around the apartment.

They were standing in the living/dining area and Reborn could see what appeared to be an entrance area through an open door slightly to the right. Though the layout was less modern than his place in Italy, Reborn actually quite liked the feel of the apartment. The small kitchen had been opened to the living and dining area by a ceiling-to-counter breakthrough in one of the walls which had been converted into a kitchen island. The kitchen itself seemed rather modern, clearly recently re-done with metal and light wood fixtures.

"I bought the flat from the elder lady who owns the house. She is very kind and said I reminded her of her grandchild. When she realized that I did not own any furniture she more or less filled the apartment with whatever she found in her attic. I mostly just bought the bed and the couch." Harry seemed to be fidgeting slightly from where he was still leaning against Reborn, clearly looking for some sort of approval.

The living area had a large, grey couch with chaise that looked perfect for Reborn to stretch out on with his little Sky curled up on his chest. The modern couch was set off by two dark-leather, high-back armchairs and a low coffee table on rickety legs. A dining table was pushed underneath the window next to the kitchen island giving a pretty nice view outside. Reborn found the random assortment of mismatched furniture quite charming.

At his prolonged silence, Harry rambled on. "I actually declined a lot of the furniture she offered to me, but I really like the look of it right now. Though if you have something you want to add from your place feel free to do so. I had the kitchen installed professionally, though I haven't really had time to use it yet. There is also a small study that you can have for your work. If you want to."

Reborn affirmed to himself - yet again - how very adorable his Sky was as he briefly squeezed him to calm him down - not at all because how very good it felt to have him pressed to his chest.

"It is very charming." Reborn replied, almost wanting to smile when the tension immediately left Harry's form at the minimal reassurance.

Moving into the apartment was done quickly. Reborn had brought all the things he would need to assure himself of their safety at their new place and he immediately set about checking the apartment physically after already having scanned it with his Flames.

They took a brief tour through the three other rooms that were connected to the entrance area. The bedroom had a large front of narrow floor-to-ceiling windows and the bathroom was pretty spacious and had obviously been recently redone. The large bathtub had Reborn's mind drifting into not so innocent areas with his little Sky featuring prominently. Harry watched Reborn suspiciously, clearly uncertain of what to make of his sudden smirk.

Finally, Harry showed his Sun the study, though suddenly mortified to realize that he had never even brought up the option of converting the study into a second bedroom. He could actually feel the heat of his blush, which got even worse at Reborn's reaction when he brought it up. Suffice to say, they would not be converting the study into a bedroom.

Ignoring his embarrassment, Harry thought that he was glad that they were keeping the study, as he had turned it into a small library. Reborn had been fascinated by the collection of numerous ancient tomes. Two walls of the study were entirely taken up by bookshelves which were filled mostly with old, leather-bound books. Harry had explained that these were all books from his Family Vaults at the wizarding bank, leading to an explanation goblins and Gringotts.

Harry loved having a room filled with books from his Family Vault - a reminder of his family - which he had brought to his warded flat from his various trips to Gringotts. Though that had only been after he had cleared up the situation of the horcrux hunt break-in with the goblins.

After the Final Battle everyone had been speculating about how the goblins would get their revenge for the break-in, how they would ban Harry from their bank, seize his money, confiscate his family heirlooms, and so on. Hermione had been clear in her opinion that the goblins would consider their break-in a breach of several treaties between the goblin nation and the British Ministry of Magic and thus they would hold them harshly responsible. She had been very sympathetic while explaining that based on the goblin treaties they would be able to seize anything owned by the offender as compensation. Hermione had of course promised to look into it but hadn't had much hope of finding anything.

While Harry had been bitter at losing whatever remained from his family, he knew that even if he had known this beforehand, he would have done the exact same thing in order to rid himself of Voldemort.

So, after listening to various people paint increasingly awful scenarios but nothing actually happening, Harry had decided go gauge the situation himself. It had been about two weeks after the Final Battle and Harry had been mentally and physically exhausted, from assuring the public, from consoling survivors, from attending funerals, from giving statements at one trial after the other. From everything. He had just wanted to get the situation sorted, just as he had wanted to resolve anything else still hanging over his head from the war.

Harry had decided to just try to approach the goblins. When he had entered Gringotts Harry had been apprehensive but to his relief - and contrary to everyone's stated opinions - Harry had neither been barred from Gringotts nor had he been detained. After stating his reasons for being there to a goblin teller - though admittedly under the very suspicious eyes of the goblin guards - he had been brought to an elaborately decorated office with a truly ancient-looking goblin sitting behind the desk.

After Harry had settled into the chair he been pointed to by the guards, there had been heavy silence. He had been quite confused by the situation as - just based on the office and the guards stationed around the room - this was clearly a goblin quite high up in the hierarchy.

Not knowing what to expect and so very damn tired Harry had just decided to go ahead and ignore any social etiquette. Breaking the loaded silence in the room, Harry had explained the background of the break-in. That it had been part of the war against Voldemort and not been aimed at Gringotts itself. That Bellatrix Lestrange's vault had held an artifact that had been crucial for their winning over Voldemort.

His statement had been met with more silence.

Not sure what to make of it, Harry had continued by assuring the goblin that he would be very willing to finance the repairs and refund the loss of the dragon. The goblin had listened to Harry prattle on for a while before abruptly lifting his hand, effectively silencing Harry.

Contrary to all the scenarios Harry had come up with beforehand, the old goblin had merely stated gravely that goblins were a warrior race.

After that statement the goblin had fallen silent again and Harry had been far too tired to even try to put things together. At the lack of reaction from Harry the goblin had graciously - and clearly aggravated by Harry's inability to understand - added that as a warrior race they considered any act of war not aimed at them to be governed by the laws of warfare. Thus Gringotts would be demanding compensation for any repair costs as well as additional compensation for the inconvenience.

Then the goblin had abruptly booted Harry out of his office.

Harry had been baffled and wandered through the Alleys mulling over the new information for a while. He didn't even know whether he even had enough money to cover the costs of the repairs, though the goblin would have probably said so if he didn't. Harry came to the conclusion that he needed a lawyer and remembered Luna pointing out her father's barrister to him at some point during the smear campaign in fifth year. Harry figured that for Luna's father to have maintained an independent newspaper despite the Ministry's media policies he had to have a decently good barrister on his payroll.

So, he sent a letter to Barrister Motley from the owl office. The reply was almost immediate and assured Harry that the law firm would make time for him tomorrow. The perks of being the Savior, he supposed. The next day he sought out Motley & Wellington in Form Alley.

Barrister Motley - a tall, older man with a calm air about him - not only appeared to have cleared his entire schedule for him, he had also contacted the firm of Clarke Solicitors who had apparently been the Potter Family's main lawyers some decades past. Laura Clarke was a middle-aged witch - though jovial she seemed very efficient - who had just recently taken over the firm of Clarke Solicitors with her brother and cousin from their fathers. She started out by conveniently producing her firm's previous contract with the House of Potter to renew the old secrecy clauses. Harry had spent most of the day with both lawyers behind closed doors.

All in all Harry was very grateful that they had been easy to get on board with his most pressing concerns. Barrister Motley easily sorted out the situation with the goblins conceding the fees for the repair costs, the lost dragon and the inconvenience. Then Motley had turned right around and started the process of reclaiming the money from the Ministry, citing some complicated legalese on privately funded war contributions or something similar. Wizarding Britain had seemed close to deifying Harry at that time, so the Ministry had easily and without complaint agreed to reimburse Harry.

Harry had protested in the beginning, wanting to cover at least some of the costs as he felt personally responsible the break-in, however Motley and Clarke had cautioned him gravely. Both barristers were certain that if The-Man-Who-Conquered so much as hinted at covering any war costs, it would start a trend and soon the public and the Ministry would be asking for more. They had come to the compromise that Harry could always anonymously donate funds but the lawyers had been very clear in cautioning to leave his name out of it. They had been probably been right in hindsight.

Their willingness to get reimbursements from the Ministry had also earned Harry and his lawyers the appreciation of the goblins. His role in the war had already earned Harry the goblins' respect as a warrior which was certainly a factor in their willingness to endure his presence. It had definitely shown in any of their dealings afterwards and the goblins' help in the following weeks had been invaluable.

Additionally, Harry had been briefed intensely by Clarke for some specific situations and during one of his many many not so voluntary interviews - read: being mobbed in the Alleys and having people shout questions at him - Harry had stated that 'of course it was impossible for there to have been an actual break-in at Gringotts and that the help of the goblin nation had been invaluable for the war effort'. It had somehow convinced the public that the goblins had been on their side all along and had helped stage the dramatic escape on the dragon in order to avoid Voldemort's suspicion during the war.

The goblins had immediately spun the situation even further in their favor and claimed monetary recompense for their help in the war and the Ministry had not been at all prepared to deal with their demands until it was already over and done with. With the added boost in reputation due to Harry's statement and thus increased business from the sheeple, the goblins seemed to have decided to take the forgive and forget approach in regards to any of Harry's previous actions.

Regarding the 'theft' from Bellatrix Lestrange vaults, the goblins had decided that not only was it an act of war - and thus apparently entirely justified as long as there was monetary compensation for the goblins themselves - but as Harry had been made Lord of the Noble and Ancient House of Black by Sirius - and that information had certainly come as a surprise - he had been entirely justified in entering the vault of a family member that had forfeited any and all privileges by killing the previous head of house.

His claim to the House of Black had been yet another aspect that took him, the goblins and his lawyers quite a while to sort through. The accounts of the House of Black were a mess, all the while everyone had been suitably horrified at how little Harry actually knew about his privileges and obligations as a Lord, not to even mention his complete ignorance of estate matters. Until that point in time, Harry had not even considered that he would become the Lord of House Potter with his majority - not that he had thought there would be much left of the House to begin with - so it came as a shock to him to find out that he was now part of the main legislative and judiciary body of the Ministry of Magic, twice over.

Additionally, with his majority he gained access to his Family Vaults. Harry hadn't even known that there were more vaults to the Potter name. No one had seen fit to warn him about this, prepare him for his role in society, explain the intricacies of wizarding politics to him. His lawyers had been horrified. Even the goblins had been kind of stumped at the situation as they had simply considered Harry to be a moron due to him ignoring his vaults instead of considering that he simply might not know about them at all.

And then in addition he had also gained the Ancient and Noble House of Black on top of it, which had sent Clarke into a frenzy trying to find the most recent Black family solicitors. By combining two of the remaining Ancient and Noble Houses Harry had suddenly turned into one of Gringotts' most prolific clients. Not only due to his pure monetary wealth but also because of his political power based on his number of Wizengamot votes, his shares in numerous wizarding and muggle companies, and so on.

From then on any of Harry's requests had immediately been put on top of the pile. It was one of the reasons why he had been able to get his apartment warded right away after buying it, even though a lot of people had lost the protection of their homes during the war and asked for Gringotts' warding services during that time.

All in all, the entire situation had worked incredibly well in Harry's favor. So, of course that was the point when the Potter luck had reared its head, screwing up his magical core and ultimately sending him tumbling head first into the world of organized crime.

After concluding their brief tour through the apartment, they decided to go out and grab something to eat. Though Reborn was intensely curious about the Wizarding World, they had decided to wait before 'acclimatizing Harry's core to a magically saturated environment' as the healers had put it until tomorrow at St. Mungo's. Instead they went to a small bistro just a few blocks down from the apartment - not too close to their home in order to quiet Reborn's paranoia - and had a late lunch.

Here, Reborn brought up Obliviation Squads, a topic that had been on his mind ever since Harry had mentioned them.

Harry tried to conceal how much this topic affected him as it brought up memories of Occlumency lessons, visions, possession and Sirius' death. But as much as Harry would have liked to avoid this topic indefinitely, he would not send his Guardian into the Wizarding World unaware of specific dangers. So, he explained the Mind Arts to Reborn, focusing on applications of Occlumency and Legilimency.

Harry was slightly apprehensive of talking about this, as it was definitely one of the darker sides to the Magical World. He completed the explanation with, "To me, mind magic is one of the most insidious kinds of magic. Masters of the Mind Arts can manipulate your very thoughts, alter memories, control your actions subtly or directly. While mind control spells are obvious to the affected, compulsion spells and suggestion spells anchored within your mind can be used very subtly and effectively. Thankfully, Mind Arts are an Obscure Art and very rarely taught or practiced. Most mind magic can be defended against by using Occlumency which is mainly a question of strength of will. It does not actually require an accessible magical core and is at least partly possible for non-magicals. I myself have very strong mind barriers and thus I am protected from pretty much anything except for the most focused attacks of a skilled legilimens."

He concluded with a brief explanation of actual Obliviation. "While mind magic can be incredibly subtle and the Obliviate Spell is based on the Mind Arts, it does not really work the same way. For Obliviation the caster does not have to enter someone's mind. He just specifies a thought, a set of knowledge or a memory and the spell erases everything that is directly connected to it. The spell erases parts of your mind and does nothing to fill in the holes, thereby making it detectable if you know what to look for."

Reborn considered the new information as they finished their lunch. He had already decided that he would be learning as much as possible about mental defense. Just the thought of it made him gnash his teeth.

Harry suggested getting some groceries before returning to the flat. Even though the spells on the cabinets in Harry's flat kept everything fresh Harry had not really had time to cook since he had moved into the apartment and thus was missing a lot of the small things that would be required for making a decent meal. After a brief detour to a supermarket right across the street from the restaurant they returned to the apartment where Reborn started arranging the kitchen to his liking.

It was already close to evening and they were discussing what to do after the appointment with the healers tomorrow. Harry had explained the various points he thought were to be considered before they actually went to the Wizarding World, such as finding an explanation for Reborn's Flames. There was no way Reborn would be willing to let his Sky walk into the Wizarding as long as he was not able to use his Flames to eliminate possible threats.

Reborn had been very interested in there possibly being some kind of magical gift sufficiently similar to Flames that Reborn could claim it. Though they would have to research a bit. Good thing that Harry had his own private book collection and they could always acquire more books. Though that would mean entering the Wizarding World, bringing them full circle.

The evening boasted typical London weather - the kind that made you want to stay inside, tucked under a blanket with a good book and a hot drink. So, they decided to do just that.

Reborn had been anticipating going through some of the ancient tomes so he was actually quite happy to stay in. The fact that they spent their entire evening on the couch with Harry on the chaise and Reborn's head settled in his Sky's lap certainly didn't hurt. After getting over his initial timidness, Harry's hand kept returning to play with Reborn's hair, curling individual locks around his slim fingers. Reborn loved it and he decided then and there that they would be making this a regular thing.

The next morning Harry was quite anxious about the appointment at St. Mungo's. He was afraid of something going wrong, of running into some of the people he did not yet want to face, of the healers figuring out his bond with Reborn or figuring out that Harry suddenly boasted an additional power.

Reborn remained calm, entirely certain that he would be able to easily take care of any threats. Apparently wizards were entirely unprepared to defend themselves if an attack did not include wand movements or fancy light shows. Which was convenient and any possible attackers would be dead at his feet before they had the chance to put his Sky into any real danger. He wasn't the World's Greatest Hitman for nothing.

Though Reborn could feel his superior smirk soften when he saw Harry fidgeting with his tea cup at the kitchen island. Stepping in close to Harry from behind he settled his hands on either side of his Sky on the island. Some of the tension seemed to bleed out of Harry's form as he leaned back slightly against his ches. Looking for a distraction Reborn randomly asked Harry for a summary of magical offense.

Harry gratefully latched onto the topic. Combat magic had actually been something he had looked into at some point after finding out about the prophecy. "In general, offensive curses can do pretty much anything to your opponent you can possibly imagine, from instant death to infinite torture. But real combat magic isn't actually something that a lot of people know how to use. Most wizards rely on a very limited number of spells that have been designed for specific applications in a fight, such as a killing curse or a bone breaking curse. They have one application only and are either sufficiently powered or not. If successfully cast, the killing curse kills on contact, no exceptions. It has a bright green color and is to be avoided at all costs. It cannot be stopped by other spells, only by physical shields."

Harry felt Reborn resting his head against the side of Harry's, while wrapped around him from behind. Harry adored the affection, even though he was kind of irritated to realize that despite bending down Reborn's chin was still only on the level of Harry's temple. He hated being short.

After a brief pause, Harry continued. "Other curses such as cutting curses for example can be applied in more varied ways as they depend on the power and the intent put behind the spell. A cutting curse can be used to cut paper just as well as to slice an entire house in half. However, this demands a lot of power and control from the caster and thus they are not used offensively by most people."

Reborn made an affirming noise from where he now had his nose buried in the hair on top of Harry's head.

"The best duelers use a mixture of low and high-power spells to distract and fell their opponents, whereas good fighters know to throw in apparition, silent casting and sometimes even chain casting. True warlocks can level cities by bending the elements, by weaving runes with potions, by performing rituals before or even during a fight, by bending space and time, by summoning assistance from other realms. However, true warlocks are rare as it requires the mastering of several disciplines at once and it is something to devote your life to. The last known British warlock lived about six centuries ago. There are supposedly some scattered around the world right now, but no one is really sure of their identities as warlocks rarely get involved with other people's business."

"There are only a handful of really good fighters in Britain right now and none of them would dare attack me or someone walking at my side." Harry stated confidently. Then he cracked a smile. "Even if only for the fear of getting dog-piled by everyone around for attacking the Savior."

Reborn chuckled and Harry had to suppress a shiver at the feeling of it vibrating through the chest pressed to Harry's back. He knew that Reborn had intended to distract him with the question, but it had worked a little too well because now all Harry could focus on was the warm body wrapped around him, especially the large warm hand curled around his hip. He sure had messed up priorities.

After a prolonged silence Reborn made another humming noise before standing up straight again though not letting go of Harry and stating. "It's noon."

Before Harry could react to the statement in any way, Fawkes already appeared hovering in front of them.

They appeared in Mediwizard Biran's office and Harry could feel the clear and immediate change in Reborn's aura. It was clearly honed to protect and only relaxed slightly when no immediate threat was apparent. Not entirely though, probably due to the presence of the three other specialists in Biran's office.

As Harry stepped forward to greet everyone present, Madam Pomfrey looked plainly relieved at seeing them appear in the office, probably having already come up with various scenarios of having to hunt down Harry again. Though even now, as Reborn continued to mask his presence, Biran and Pomfrey mostly disregarded him. It was understandable as Reborn made a living by disappearing into the background whenever he chose, but he was slightly irritated that by ignoring Reborn the healers had failed to draw several essential conclusions. The healers clearly assumed Reborn to be a wizard and thus he should have been able to get in contact with the Wizarding World earlier, even without Fawkes. Accordingly, they should have considered whether there were any factors that had Reborn refrain from doing so. He was glad they didn't consider any of this, as it made his life easier and he knew his aggravation was ridiculous, but still.

After introducing the older balding man as Mindhealer Brixton, the rotund middle-aged man with a permanent frown as Potions Master Holford - who had brewed all of the potions for Harry's treatment - and the short younger man as Rune Master Travers - who had mostly designed and attuned any of the rituals needed to stabilize Harry's magic - to Reborn, it became clear that Holford and Travers had far more situational awareness than the healers. They avoided turning their back to Reborn if at all possible, keeping him in their line of sight.

After the introduction and some questions about Harry's general wellbeing, the testing and prodding commenced. In addition to observing his magical core by using the mirror sphere, Travers had prepared a rune array beforehand that would give him a clear picture of the flow of Harry's magic and would also neatly document the progress of Harry's magic during each appointment. Though after Harry stepped into the array, Travers looked slightly puzzled for a moment. When the Rune Master didn't say anything Harry assumed it was not relevant, despite a slight frown not leaving Travers' face during the entire testing session.

All in all, the testing was done with pretty quickly and they settled down in the various chairs in the mediwizard's office to discuss how to proceed from here. The healers and specialists decided that the best way to proceed would be for Harry to mostly continue as he had so far. As Harry had not been feeling any adverse effects of being in the magically saturated surroundings of St. Mungo's they also suggested that he spend short amounts of time every day in the Wizarding World, though not too extended until they could confirm that this wouldn't have any negative side effects.

Afterwards they drifted into conversation about the current state of the Magical World - with Reborn silent but listening intently - though not much seemed to have changed since Harry disappeared. The Ministry was trying to rebuild itself with Kingsley Shacklebolt at its head, dark magic was still considered evil and to be destroyed at all costs, and Harry was still seen as the representation of all that was good and righteous.

There were some noteworthy topics, such as Elphias Doge - at mentioning his name Biran pratically exuded animosity, clearly not having forgiven the man for removing Harry from St. Mungo's without consulting his healers - apparently vying for an even stronger position within the Ministry, while the pureblood wing was still almost entirely silent. Though Harry was definitely surprised to hear, that many of the post-war trials had been put on hold with Harry's disappearance as his presence was apparently considered to be essential. As he had left written testimonies with the DMLE for any trials where he had thought he might possibly have anything relevant to say, knowing full well that he would be unavailable for a while due to his treatment, Harry was baffled by this.

At this turn in the conversation, Madam Pomfrey seemed to remember something and briefly rummaged through her bag before producing a small stack of newspapers. She handed them to Harry while elaborating. "Not knowing where you had ended up, I kept the newspaper issues with the more important articles. Though I only started about a week into your disappearance when Mr. Doge gave his statement about supposedly ensuring your safety during your recuperation." There was clear contempt in the last part of her statement.

Harry was really grateful to her for the consideration and he thanked her profusely. He could have owled the newspapers for copies but that would have meant revealing that he was back in Britain, so this was an incredibly convenient way to get himself up to speed again. He could already see Reborn eyeing the newspapers keenly, clearly interested as well. Incredibly, the healers seemed to have forgotten about Reborn's presence altogether. Harry really needed to learn whatever trick his Guardian was using. His life would be so much easier if he were able to actively disappear into the background.

Though seeing the Daily Prophet in his hands reminded Harry to ask about what the Wizarding World currently thought about his whereabouts.

It was Biran who answered his question. "The Wizarding World was made aware that you had been removed from St. Mungo's without your healers' approval. It wasn't advertised too strongly as we did not want to have the entirety of Britain including whatever remains from the Dark Lord's forces creating chaos while looking for you. The DMLE was of course made aware in case we needed support, the same with Minister Shacklebolt who had apparently approved your removal from St. Mungo's, though he had been given the clear impression that it was healer sanctioned."

Harry mulled over the information before stating decisively. "I will let Kingsley know that I am back. It will be better if the Minister and the DMLE are informed early on, lest the Aurors try to arrest me as an impostor based on the knowledge that I am supposed to be missing."

Reborn noted to himself, that not only did Harry know the Minister of Magical Britain well enough to call him by his first name, but also that his disappearance had been newsworthy enough to make it into the papers several times and to be considered an issue of importance for the magical police.

Madam Pomfrey confirmed. "That would definitely be a good idea. The number of articles about your supposed whereabouts have been steadily increasing in number." At this point she briefly hesitated.

Harry questioned sardonically, "Let me guess, the public opinion alternates between me recuperating on a beach somewhere and me being incurably sick and dying in an underground bunker."

The healers chuckled at his depiction and Travers commented. "Pretty much, Mr. Potter. Though right now no one would dare say anything bad about you, so our wonderful press has kept it on the supportive side."

"Well, let's give it another few months." Harry just kept himself from snorting in contempt.

Travers nodded solemnly. "Indeed, Mr. Potter."

They returned to the topic of Harry's health again when he asked when he would be able to use magic himself again. The healers did not entirely agree on the answer, though they all assumed something between two to four weeks before his core would have entirely recovered.

Remembering their conversation about the Mind Arts yesterday Harry asked Mindhealer Brixton about the barriers protecting his mind and how they would be affected by the reset of his magic.

Harry himself had never actually mastered Occlumency. Any mind shields that he might have purposely or subconsciously built at some point, had been eradicated during fifth year under the near constant pressure on his shields by Snape and Voldemort. However, due to the numerous and ceaseless attacks his magic had instinctually come up with its own form of defense which now worked just as well as Occlumency if not better in defending his mind. It had even incorporated quite a few automated offensive reactions to any attacks on his mind as well.

It had driven Harry into absolute fury when he Brixton had initially told him that though it was of course more reliable to master Occlumency himself, it was not actually something that was recommended for children. Their mindscape was still fluent and it was recommended to only learn to built Occlumency barriers with a stabilized magical core meaning after magical maturity. Parents who wanted their children's minds protected usually gave them a protective charm or amulet of some sort.

The healers were very aware of Harry's history with Legilimency attacks and possession, which was actually the reason why Biran had demanded Mindhealer Brixton be included into the team of Harry's healers in the beginning. At Harry's question Brixton immediately reassured him that his barriers would have reformed almost immediately after the reset of his magical core. Though the treatment had removed the underlying structure of his magical core, his actual instincts wouldn't be affected and thus any of the intrinsic patterns especially those based on his instincts would be reformed by his resettling magic.

Harry was relieved and, thinking of Reborn's clear interest in being able to defend his mind from magical attacks, asked. "Could you maybe recommend some books on the topic. I know that Occlumency is rather obscure, but I would really like to read up on the topic."

Reborn had been listening intently to the conversation, especially after Harry asked about his mental shields. Harry had mentioned before that he had strong barriers against mind magic attacks, but it had been in the direct context of Occlumency, so Reborn had assumed his Sky's shields to fall in that category. Based on what the healer had said though, Harry's shields were instinctive instead of a learned skill. This was far too reminiscent of their conversation about his Sky's magic being unusually autonomous in its defense of Harry as a direct result of his treatment during childhood.

Reborn sure as fuck hoped that he was putting the clues together incorrectly and that his Sky had not learned to mentally defend himself due to having his mind attacked often enough for the defense to be instinctive. Harry's last question however lent further credence to this assumption, as evidenced by the suddenly heavy atmosphere in the room. The healers clearly knew something about this that Reborn was unaware of. The question itself also pointed in this direction as well. If Harry didn't possess any literature on the topic of Occlumency, how did he learn to defend his mind? Other than by force and necessity.

After a weighted silence the healers seemed to come out of it and assured Harry that they would be sending Harry some books on the topic or at least some recommendations on which books to order.

Knowing full well that Reborn had to have picked up on some of the clues in this conversation, Harry was feeling apprehensive about returning to their apartment. But he wasn't a Gryffindor for nothing. So, he wrapped up the conversation with the healers, agreeing to see them again in two days at the same time, and after saying his goodbyes had Fawkes transport them back to the flat.

Head first, eyes open, hope for the best. They should just make it the unofficial Gryffindor motto.

When they arrived home Reborn was trying to contain his questions and going by Harry's obvious anxiety, he was quite aware of it. Then Reborn decided, to hell with it. He easily moved them to the sofa and settled Harry against his side the same way they had usually sat in the evenings at his apartment in Italy. His Sky easily rested his head against Reborn's shoulder curling his legs up on the couch. There was a brief silence as Reborn tried to find the best way to approach a clearly sensitive topic. He decided to go with the careful approach, as usual leaving it up to Harry how much to actually tell him.

"You didn't learn from books how to shield your mind." Reborn stated, knowing that this was somehow connected to the main problem, though he had not yet entirely seen through what the main underlying problem was. He was definitely getting the feeling that he was not going to like whatever explanation he was going to get.

Harry hesitated. Strangely the Occlumency lessons with Snape almost seemed worse to talk about than any other topic they had covered so far. There was so much he would have to get into in order to explain. The regular violation of his mind by Snape was only a small part of the problem, as the betrayals at the hands of those he had trusted had been far more severe.

Dumbledore had sacrificed him, had not only raised and guided him towards willingly sacrificing himself, but Dumbledore had not even had the decency to tell Harry himself. Harry had been losing more and more of his trust in the headmaster over the years, especially when he realized that Dumbledore would not risk his political standing to fight for Sirius after finding out about his innocence. It was a breach of loyalty, a betrayal that Harry had never been able to forget. However, even then he had truly believed that Dumbledore had wanted the best for everyone, aimed for the Greater Good. He had held fast to that believe until the very end of the war. Harry had been blindsided by the fact that this Greater Good had not included Harry at all.

Harry had not only had his childhood taken away as a direct result of Dumbledore's actions, a man he had trusted deeply for years, but he had been conditioned to see himself as the one to save people, without ever considering his own worth or seeing himself as 'The Savior' at all. Harry had his early teenage years invaded by monsters and plots and betrayal, whilst everyone else had the luxury of mostly normal teenage years. Then Dumbledore had sent Harry to hunt the horcruxes, had him give up the last of whatever time he might have had left to live before martyring himself for Dumbledore's Greater Good.

And Harry had believed in Dumbledore. Had believed that the headmaster had everything planned out in a way that if Harry did everything just right, if he saved people, destroyed the horcruxes, trained children, that in the end Harry would have a decent shot at living a life of his choosing. Harry had known that he would have to confront Voldemort, but he had thought it would have been with an honest chance, that he would have been free afterwards if he survived.

Instead after all the grief and pain and loss he had found out that he was to die. At that point, if Harry had not sacrificed himself everything he had done before, had been done by others, would have been worthless. So he had martyred himself.

It had been well played by Dumbledore. In the instant Harry had realized just how well he had been played by someone he trusted, something in Harry had broken. Harry Potter had been worth more for the Greater Good than the entirety of the Wizarding World put together, while at the same time being worth less than any other individual in the Wizarding World.

And even afterwards, after he had ended the war, killed the Dark Lord, sacrificed literally everything, the Wizarding World had been ready to demand more of Harry. There had already been mentions of Harry joining the Auror corps and 'doing his duty in keeping the Wizarding World safe'. His duty. Harry had done his damn duty already.

Harry knew he could just tell Reborn only about the Occlumency lessons with Snape and be done with it. But that would definitely be distorting the underlying reasons for his aversion of this topic. Their easy communication and the trust they had built in their conversations was something Harry refused to jeopardize.

And here, tucked into Reborn's side, Harry was finally someone's first concern. He had found his focal point and was the center of his Guardian's world in return. Everyone else could go hang for all that Harry cared at this moment.

So, instead of answering Reborn's question about how he had learned Occlumency directly, he started far further back. Started with the underlying reason for his messed up life, started with the prophecy.

"They think me their Savior, their Chosen One, their hero for vanquishing the Dark Lord. They do not realize that me killing Voldemort was just the tip of the iceberg, that the sacrifices I made had started decades earlier. By the time of the Final Battle I had nothing in my life that wasn't directly tied into Voldemort's defeat. Leaving Voldemort be was not even an option because everything I held dear, my whole life, was built on his demise."

Harry paused before for the first time admitting out loud what everyone preferred to ignore, especially the ones who should know him well enough to know better. "I did not safe them. I saved whatever remained of what I held dear. The survival of the British wizarding population was no factor in this. I am no hero. I am a survivor."

With that, tucked into Reborn's side, the entire story spilled out of him. The war, the intentional and unintentional failure of any and all authority figures even remotely involved in his life, the end-of-the-year trials at school, the Halloween disasters. Being conditioned into a protector, being directly and indirectly attacked by their government, being a chew toy for the press, being abandoned so often he lost any ability to be surprised whenever it happened again.

Snape and Occlumency became a side note, just another aspect in his incredibly screwed up life, another example of how Harry Potter had never been considered a real person, how his future - a future after Voldemort - had never even been a factor. He talked about the betrayals at the hands of those he trusted, having his childhood taken from him, his teenage years turned into a social experiment, before being forced into a war and not even realizing when the goal turned from winning for moral reasons to pure survival.

He talked about the sacrifices anyone even remotely close to Harry had made. His parents and Sirius dying for him, to protect him. Remus, Tonks and Fred dying for the people they held dear, for their families. How children had fought this war and stood on the battle field opposite from their friends and family.

Harry was exhausted and his voice was hoarse, but now that he had started he would be finishing his tale. At his side, Reborn was silent through it all. Not speaking even when Harry fell silent for more than a few minutes - trying to gather his thoughts or re-living various scenes of his life - before continuing with his story. The arm around Harry's waist did not loosen at any point. At some point during the story Fawkes had settled on the closest armrest, though not making a sound throughout.

Harry talked about Voldemort, about childhood abuse, immortality and terror. About human evil, the destruction wrought by arrogance and willful ignorance, greed for power and the soul-deep abyss found in those who were supposedly normal, decent people. About living in a tent for a year, being hunted, wondering whether there would still be anyone left when they made it back. About torture and possession and desperation and the occasional hope that they would survive this. About martyring himself.

Reborn felt his heart stop. Simply stop for a moment. That was it. That was what he had been missing, the fact that had been resonating in all of Harry's stories. Death. His Sky had died. Willingly. Reborn couldn't help but remember the utter desperation he had felt in his Sky's Flames when he had broken down after telling him about killing the Dark Lord. Harry had sacrificed his life.

Reborn had subconsciously dragged his Sky even closer at this revelation. His Sky was entirely tucked into his side, head resting on Reborn's chest and legs thrown over his lap. Their bond was humming and it reassured his frenzied Flames that Harry was safe here with him.

Harry had left this revelation for last, clearly aware that Reborn would be needing a moment afterwards. Though there was no way Reborn would be able to work through this so easily. He would need some time. Though hopefully Harry was aware that after this revelation Reborn wouldn't be letting him out of his sight anytime soon. Or ever, really.

They remained silent for a while. Reborn decided to reciprocate. He talked about his youth, glossing over his childhood, though he mentioned finding himself thrown into the Mafia World as a child, simply because he had activated his Flames far too early, having no family left to protect him and thus learning very quickly to protect himself. Most importantly, he learned that everyone had a price they could be bought for, even if not necessarily monetary. That loyalty never extended beyond one's own interests.

Reborn talked about his mentor, the man who had taught him how to always come out on top, to always win no matter what, to never accept any other outcome. He talked about suddenly finding himself without even that form of support right after having been identified as an incredibly strong Sun by the rest of the mafia.

He talked about Famiglias trying to convince him to join them - still so young and supposedly easily manipulated - before turning right around and trying to get rid of him when it became clear that Renato Sinclair was too strong. None of those Famiglias had lasted long past trying to get rid of him. His mentor taught him well.

Reborn talked about vanishing from the Italian Mafia World when it became clear that this pattern would continue, cutting all ties, erasing his name, his history, his very self, before returning. Reappearing as Reborn two years later and easily claiming the title of the Strongest Sun. Being immediately pursued with assassination and blackmailing attempts.

He talked about claiming the title of the World's Greatest Hitman. Of being offered contracts that should have killed him right after, of ambushes and betrayals, of learning that loyalty suddenly meant something again. Anyone that high up in the food chain had their soft spots protected, knew how to take care of their own needs and thus - though counterintuitive - could not be bought as easily based on non-monetary motives making them less prone to betrayal.

Reborn talked about the vying for his attention and favor, the constant pulling at his Flames by one Sky after another as they tried to bond to him, to pull him in, pull in the Strongest Sun. His pride and disappointment each time they failed and the chafing of his Flames when yet another Sky tried and failed to force a bond. The reason why Reborn never even considered allying himself with any Famiglia, as they only tried to gain an allegiance after they failed to force a bond. Reborn had found no small pleasure in denying every single one of them.

He talked about the increasingly desperate longing of his Flames for Harmonization, the hope for companionship and a place to return to. The disappointment and loathing. He talked about the contempt he had developed for Sky Flame users in general.

He talked about all of it with his Sky's solemn green eyes focused on him, listening intently and pressing further into his side whenever he even alluded to pain, longing, disappointment or betrayal.

Later, after dinner and some more time spent talking on the couch, when Reborn was taking a shower - Harry ignored his blush when his treacherous mind pointed out that Reborn had not entirely closed the bathroom door - Harry settled in the middle of the mattress though still remaining upright. Usually he pretended to settle on one side of the bed until Reborn just pulled him over anyways. Not today.

When Reborn appeared Harry couldn't help but appreciate the view, as he did pretty much every evening. The usual slacks, shirt and tie - though the tie usually disappeared when they were just lounging about in the apartment - were replaced by a soft pair of sleep pants. And best of all, no shirt.

Harry forcefully suppressed his blush at his thoughts. Harry loved the difference between Reborn's usual attire and his casual dress for bed. Though he doubted that Reborn owned even a single t-shirt, he was very much okay with being the only one to see Reborn dressed like this.

Reborn's surprise at seeing Harry sitting in the middle of the bed was barely noticeable before he was already settling right next to him with a grin and Harry wanted to curse as he felt heat spread down his neck. Thankfully, Reborn didn't actually comment but just looked up at him with warm eyes waiting for Harry to settle down.

After the heavy conversation earlier - this time about their personal history, betrayals and disappointments, childhood and hopes, friends and family - Harry's shyness seemed ridiculous. So he simply stretched out against Reborn's side who immediately wrapped an arm around his waist pulling Harry even closer. In the end Harry was curled mostly on top of Reborn's chest and he felt a tension he had not even realized was there release in his chest at how safe and warm and welcome he felt.

A/N: I had a ridiculously hard time writing this chapter. I hope the reveal of their personal life stories was not too abrupt (I'm still note quite happy with it but it somehow kept coming back to this no matter what)... In the next chapter they are finally going to enter the WW. I am also planning to include the first confrontation with the sheeple/Order/H&R (though no promises on this definitely happening next chapter, as I haven't actually written it yet).

Just to warn you, I will be on holiday for a bit so I am putting my try-to-update-once-a-week promise on hold until I get back :)

Thanks to everyone who commented on Leon and the other Arcobaleno animals. I already have my own explanation for them in this 'verse but it's good to know that I won't be screwing with canon if there isn't an actual explanation in KHR. To anyone who asked for clarification of where this takes place in the KHR timeline, this is before the Arcobaleno.

Chapter 10 review responses:

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

To guest dragon & writer2000z: Thanks for reviewing yet again! There might be more animals included in the petting zoo in the future though I don't really have anything specific planned yet. Definitely no owl though, they have Fawkes and I just don't see Harry replacing Hedwig with another owl if he has a choice.

To Armed Truth: Thanks for reviewing again! George wasn't involved with moving Harry, but he was also far too preoccupied with Fred's death at that time to realize what the others were planning.

To GermanReader1992 & IgnisFelicis & KyuubiChild717 & Fireheart K: Thank you for your reviews! Any Arcobaleno-related plans are definitely affected by them leaving, though I'm not telling exactly how :)

To iReadWriteType: Thanks for reviewing again! I'm not commenting on Harry's involvement with the Arcobaleno curse yet. If Harry were to create his own Famiglia it definitely wouldn't be a traditional Mafia Famiglia… :)

To DementedKitten13 & creepygirl201: Thanks for reviewing! Harry is definitely not going to bond to all the other Arcobaleno, though I am not saying he won't bond to any of them :)

To DocAJ: Thanks for your review! You are right, the technology is going to become relevant again later on in the story. Good job on spotting that :)

To shawtywiththemglasses: Thank you for your review! I'm not commenting on Harry's other Guardians yet :) I am hoping to make this a mix of HP and KHR though I have no idea how long it is going to take to fully integrate both.