Carrow Part One: Gang War

Ginny Potter was walking her son home from school one afternoon. They were currently in the business district of Palm City.

"So, how did your history report go?" she asked.

"It went well," Al shrugged.

"It did?" Ginny asked him. It wasn't that she didn't think he could do well, but she had to make sure he was applying himself.

"Yeah; can I play X-Box when we get home?" the ten year-old asked.

"After you do your homework," his mother replied.

"Mum, you have to give my brain a rest—" Al argued, as they began to cross the street in front of the local library. Their apartment building was merely a couple of blocks away.

As they started across, a gold-colored car drove up. A tattooed hand emerged from one window, bearing a submachine gun. A second hand with an identical gun followed it—both were aimed at the two ARK officers opposite them.

Al and Ginny were perilously close to the line of fire. As bullets started flying, Ginny dragged her son down behind a parked car to shelter him. Stray shots hit the car they were crouching behind, shattering windows and spraying the two Potters with falling glass.

When it was over, an ARK officer lay dead and the gunmen drove away.

"Are you okay? Are you hurt?" Ginny demanded.

"I'm fine," Al assured his mother, as they stood up. She still looked worried and checked him over for injuries, but found none. Apparently the shots had all missed him, much good that that did her blood pressure. Her heart was still pounding from the terror.

INSERT THEME MUSIC

"And you say you didn't get a look at the driver or his license plate?" the ARK officer asked Ginny. He hadn't been one of the ones shot at, but had arrived on the scene after the gunmen had already departed to take statements from the witnesses. He was looking at Ginny as if she was trying to give him a hard time.

She hadn't been, but she would be happy to give him one now.

"What are you saying?" the redhead demanded, her eyes flashing. His attitude was pissing her off.

"Mrs. Potter, this is normally a quiet area—"

"Quiet? Let me ask you something: Do you live around here?"

"Well, no…" he admitted.

"I do. I'm a public defender. I have been representing clients arrested in this escalating gang war against ARK. Those shooters were aiming at ARK officers, which we both know is the only reason you're investigating this damn incident! My son was almost killed in your gang war. So don't tell me this area is safe!" Ginny grabbed Al's arm and led him towards home, leaving behind one intimidated cop.

She didn't realize they had forgotten Al's backpack behind on the sidewalk, nor did she see a hooded figure emerge from a nearby bench to collect the bag after they'd left.

~TC~

That night, Severus Snape met Gilderoy Lockhart out by the docks.

"There was a shooting on Sycamore Boulevard today," Snape began. "It was thuggish, brutal and I immediately thought of you."

Goldilocks didn't deny the accusation. He saw no reason for Snape, a.k.a. Chess, to have complete control of the city.

"One of my officers is in a morgue thanks to you!" Snape continued.

"Odd, one of my men showed up recently with his head missing. You wouldn't happen to know where it is, would you, Snape?" Gilderoy asked.

"In a cooler at ARK Tower," Severus replied dryly. If Goldilocks thought he was going to accept the retaliation as part of the status quo, he was mistaken.

"Straightforward and ruthless, I like that about you, Snape. But if you came here to ask me to be your friend—"

"I've no interest in being your friend," the CEO cut him off. "Let's be enemies! But let's do it in a way that helps both of us."

"I'm listening," Goldilocks crossed his arms over his chest.

"The business district, from ARK Tower to Sycamore, is mine. You can have the rest of the city."

"I don't think I've heard you correctly," the blonde put in, his eyes narrowed. What sort of game was Snape playing?

"Palm City could use a 'godfather' figure. A little fear is a good thing; it will drive the people closer to me. And the business district is the only part of the city the press cares about. Your men can operate in the rest of the city, as long as I collect twenty percent of the take," Snape offered.

Severus, let me out, Chess drawled.

Snape rubbed at his temple, distracted by the unexpected interruption. The gesture did not go unnoticed by Gilderoy, though the smuggler was unaware of the voice that had spoken.

"Are you alright, Snape?" Goldilocks asked.

"I'm fine," he lied. If he were fine, he wouldn't have the voice in his head.

It's time to pull over. Let me drive, Chess murmured. Severus closed his eyes for a moment. That voice should not be so bloody tempting.

He doesn't respect you! Let me talk to him, Chess pushed his advantage.

Severus wavered. He didn't want to give up control, but Chess could be persuasive.

"Those are my terms. What's it going to be?" the billionaire demanded.

"Hmm, I like the sound of 'godfather.' Alright, Severus, you have a deal," Goldilocks replied. They shook on it.

~HP~

Back at his hideout, Harry Potter was rifling through his son's backpack, his thoughts a whirl. He felt so helpless. He hadn't gotten to the scene until after his wife and son were nearly killed. Damn Snape! Their blood would have been on his hands.

"There was a shootout on Sycamore today," Harry informed his partner, who was sitting at his computer. "ARK officers were the targets but Ginny and Al were nearly killed in the crossfire. And they were only a couple of blocks from their home!"

"The gang war is being stepped up," Hermione replied, not looking away from the screen where she was playing Solitaire. "No part of the city is safe anymore."

"I want you to see what information you can find about the gang, the shooters—"

"In a minute," the blogger replied, as she made another move in her game.

"What's wrong with you?" Harry asked. "My family was nearly killed today and you're playing a card game? You haven't posted anything to your blog in the past four days."

"Yeah, well I married a corpse. Shouldn't I get a honeymoon?" Hermione snapped back. She didn't mean to lash out at Harry, but she hadn't gotten over her ordeal with the Dark Lord, yet. The man had kidnapped her, used paralytics and hallucinogens on her, had tried to force her to marry him, had nearly killed her…and her father hadn't been there.

He hadn't rescued her, hadn't swooped in to make everything right. He didn't even know that any of it had happened to her. To make matters worse, thanks to her hallucinations she was now confronted with her feelings for the man that had rescued her.

She had a crush on her partner. Maybe it was more than that, she could even be in love with him, and he was a married man, doing his best to get back to his family. She didn't feel much like being his sidekick at the moment.

"I have to go, Harry," Hermione said, as she headed out the door.

Before Harry could decide whether he should go after Orwell, Tonks came rushing through the entrance, her hands covered in crimson.

"Tonks, is that your blood?" Harry asked.

"It's not mine, its Ron's. He's badly hurt, Harry! Come with me, quick!"

~HP~

Inside the tent at Trolley Park, Harry grimaced at the sight of his best friend. Ron's face was covered in blood, but he was alive and awake. Moody was tending to his injuries.

"What happened, Ron?" Harry asked.

"Goldilocks' men; they think Mad-Eye's the mayor of Trolley Park. They want to muscle in; said Mad-Eye has to start paying him protection money."

"Looks like we've stayed here too long," Sirius pronounced.

Tonks turned to look at him, her eyes wide.

"What? We live in a tent for a reason," Sirius added.

"Black has a point. We don't put down roots," Moody acknowledged.

"Now wait a minute," Harry said. Outside of the Carnival of Crime, the only person that knew that Harry Potter was still alive was his partner, Orwell. (He didn't count enemies like the assassins, Fred and George.) Ron had become one of his best friends. Mad-Eye was his mentor. They couldn't just leave him!

"This doesn't concern you, cop," Sirius spat the last word as if it were an obscenity.

"You know something," Harry turned to Sirius, "there's a lot around here that I pretend not to see. Maybe I should stop pretending!"

"I don't need this." Sirius turned his back to Potter and addressed Mad-Eye. "I'm a thief, not a gang member. We don't need to get involved in this war." Finished talking, he stalked off.

Tonks bit her lip and addressed their leader.

"Are we pulling up stakes?"

~TC~

The next day, Severus Snape paid a visit to Dr. Albus Dumbledore.

"Your blood pressure's high," Dumbledore informed him, before removing the cuff from the billionaire's arm. "Maybe you should have a lemon drop."

"I don't want a lemon drop," Severus declined. One of these days, he was going to lose his patience.

"Alright, what's bothering you?" Dumbledore asked, before plopping a lemon drop in his own mouth.

"I had a visit from him: Chess."

"I see."

"Chess used to be an amusement, but we've grown apart," Severus explained. "I mean that quite literally. He's showing up unannounced now. I can't have that."

"He?" Albus questioned.

"I beg your pardon?"

"You said 'he.' You're talking about Chess as if he's a different person," Dumbledore pointed out.

"He started it," Snape replied, the corner of his lips twitching.

"I'd like to talk with him," Dumbledore announced.

"I don't think that's a good idea, Albus."

"Why wouldn't it be? We're not exactly strangers."

"He doesn't like you," Snape explained.

Chess was suspicious of all therapists. He was not interested in someone trying to make him disappear or, for that matter, in any attempts to diagnose them as insane. (And if Dumbledore were to make the mistake of offering Chess a lemon drop, well, Chess couldn't be held responsible for his actions.)

"I'm sorry to hear that, but I'm still going to have to have a chat with him, Severus. Doctor's orders," he insisted, a twinkle in his blue eyes.

Author's Notes: Thanks to IronAmerica for beta-ing.

Oh, look. I managed to write a version in which Orwell isn't crazy. How about that?

Thanks to dem bones, Orwell, and IronAmerica for reviewing!

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