Ohayo, Minna-san! This is Happy Camper27! Sorry for taking so long on this chapter—my life is practically made of deadlines at the moment, so it's been difficult. Please forgive me!
Here's an answer for a question that GinaKim posed, and a reply to their/his/her review:
I understand that a lot of people would debate on whether Dumbledore is a bad guy or not. However, for this fic, the bad!Dumbles view isn't quite what I'm trying for. It's really easy (in my mind) to bash a character and make them all bad and stuff, but take a step back from the whole situation. What I'm trying to do for Dumbledore is that he's very much set it his ways, yes, but he definitely is trying to do his best. I agree that if Dumbledore were to look at the situation from a different angle than he did in canon, Harry most likely would not have been neglected and verbally abused by the Dursleys. But he's trying to make it easier on Charlus—the Horcruxes still exist, by the way. Not sure what I'm going to do with that just yet—and in some ways, I definitely agree that Dumbledore isn't an exactly good character. However, I'm trying for a different approach on Dumbledore in this fic. Not the whole 'Dumbledore is a horribly biased and manipulative old goat' approach, but not the 'Dumbledore is the wonderful wizard we should try to be'. I'm trying to get it so that his flaws are there, but he is trying to make the best of what he has, even if he is so set in his ways. And thank you very much for this review—I didn't even think of having Dumbledore contracting the Vongola! Also, what's written is written—I'm not going to go back and rearrange last chapter. Perhaps minor, minor edits later on, once I'm much more experienced in fanfiction writing than I am now. And, the Vongola has never really been a normal mafia family, now has it? Tsuna hates fighting after all—he only became Vongola Decimo because he was forced to by Timoteo and Reborn, not to mention the fact that he resolved to change the mafia from the inside out. I don't think he would ever kill—only seriously wounding, and only if his Family were threatened. Thank you for your opinion, and for critiquing my story. It makes the writing a lot easier if you can give me pointers, since this is my first fanfic. Thank you!
GreenDrkness:
The Varia is going, yes. However, Tsuna is not. He will be getting reports from Xanxus every couple months or so, but he will not be going to Hogwarts. Sorry!
Well, that ends the answers to questions so far…whoops! Didn't mean to make this note so long! So, here's the story!
Also, quick little side note: in this chapter, anything in bold (aside from the author's note), is taken directly from the book.
Disclaimer: Do I look like I'm Japanese? Heck no. English? No. I am an American, thank you very much. So, obviously, I do not own either Harry Potter or Katekyo Hitman Reborn. *frowns sadly* (nor do I own All the Pretty Little Horses!)
Final Word Count: 4,292
Chapter 7—Of Assassins and Wizards
Harry was not pleased. Of course, neither was any of the Varia, so it didn't particularly matter. (To them anyway.)
The Varia was in London, being led by a middle-aged man with brown hair interspersed with gray to 'get their things for Hogwarts'. Harry had been given the letter. He had shredded it. The man, Remus Lupin, had been rather…skittish…since he had come to pick them up. Harry could practically smell the fear coming off the man. 'It was to be expected,' he thought crankily, after all, none of the Varia were morning people—aside from Luss-okaa-chan. Harry's green eyes glittered vindictively. 'I will get my revenge for interrupting my sleep, peasant!'
Unbeknownst to Harry, Remus Lupin's werewolf instincts caused a cold chill to run down his spine from the Killing Intent being aimed at him. Gulping, he led them into the Leaky Cauldron, amber eyes slightly wide. "Ah, Professor! What can I get you?" Tom, the barkeep, asked. "Er, nothing, Tom. I'm guiding some people to the Alley," Remus replied, glancing back at the Varia. "Che, get a move on, trash," the red-eyed man, Xanxus, growled gruffly. Remus moved on, his instincts warning him to not test them. "Ah, yes. This way," he said, leading them to the back of the pub.
Harry narrowed his eyes at Lupin, his irritation spiking. "Shishi~ What is this, peasant?" he asked, glaring at the man. Lupin shifted uncomfortably, and said, "Just a moment, please," he tapped the bricks with his stick—a wand, Harry remembered. The Varia all showed various reactions of slight surprise when the bricks moved away to become an archway. "Che, let's go, trash," Xanxus snapped, stepping forward. "Welcome to Diagon Alley," Lupin said to the Varia, even as he led them along. "First we'll have to go to Gringotts, the Wizarding Bank," he said, heading towards the white marble bank.
As they arrived, the Varia noted the verse engraved upon the second set of doors—seemingly ignoring the goblins stationed on either side of the doors.
Enter, stranger, but take heed
Of what awaits the sin of greed,
For those who take, but do not earn,
Must pay most dearly in their turn.
So if you seek beneath our floors
A treasure that was never yours,
Thief, you have been warned, beware
Of finding more than treasure there.
Harry grinned. That, for most people, would be a warning to stay away. But for assassins—especially the Varia—and thieves of high caliber, it was a challenge. And oh, how much Harry dearly wished to take that challenge. "Ushishishi~ The Prince would enjoy that challenge~" Tou-san sang out, and the goblins glared at them. Lupin winced and led them inside quickly.
They approached a goblin that sat behind a counter, the sign saying that it was for withdrawals. "We would like to make a withdrawal from the Hogwarts Student account*," Lupin said, placing a small golden key on the counter. The goblin picked up the key, inspecting it closely. After a moment, the goblin called out. "Strongclaw, take Mr. Lupin and his associates to Vault 69," another goblin stepped forward and spoke to the group. "Follow me, please," his voice was clipped. Harry exchanged a glance with his Tou-san. Maybe they could rile this one up?
As the group got onto the cart, Lupin spoke. "Hold on, these carts go fast," but, as it turned out, he needn't have. As assassins, the Varia were used to highly dangerous missions. A cart that went extremely fast and turned sharply was rather enjoyable for them. (Squalo, Xanxus, and Levi-hentai were notably excused from this statement.)
As the Varia got out of the cart, Lupin stumbled a bit; obviously a bit dizzy from the ride. "Shishi~ that was fun, Goblin-peasant~" "Mou, it's over already?" "Ushishishi~ The Prince enjoyed that~" "I better be paid for this," and "Harry-sempai, can we go faster on the way back?" were all announced, and Harry smirked at Fran, but Strongclaw answered for him. "One speed only,"
Harry and Bel grumbled under their breath—quietly, after all, a Prince doesn't let others hear them grumble. Strongclaw took the key from Lupin, and inserted it into a small keyhole. The door creaked open, and the Varia raised eyebrows—not particularly impressed by the amount of gold, silver, and bronze coins. Mammon, however, eyed the money greedily, already making plans to attempt a thievery. Lupin pulled out a small leather pouch and grabbed a few handfuls of coins. "That should be enough to get all of, er…" he glanced at Harry questioningly. "Harry," Squalo supplied, pronouncing it more along the lines of 'Ha-ri', not the usual pronunciation of the name. "Harry's school things," Lupin finished, nodded to the white haired assassin gratefully.
"Shishi~ does Sharky-chan have an admirer~?" Harry grinned and dodged the blade as it tried to decapitate him. "VOOIII! Shut up!" Bel sniggered. "Ushishishi~ Sharky-chan needs to control his temper better, ne, Koneko-chan?" Squalo seemed to be seeing red. "VOOOOIIII! Shut up, fake prince!" he yelled, stabbing at Bel with his saber. "Ka-ching~ the Prince is a true Prince, Sharky-chan~" he snapped, throwing one of his knives at Squalo.
Soon, Harry and Bel were tag-teaming against Squalo, and Lupin and Strongclaw were watching from the sidelines with the Varia—horror slowly growing on Lupin's face as the fight proceeded. Finally, Xanxus shouted at the three. "Trash! Get on the cart!" he shot at them—a normal bullet, fortunately—and they stopped. The Varia were on the cart in an instant; though the arguing continued all the way back up. By the time they were back on the surface, Lupin was resigned to the fact that the Varia was simply going to argue the entire time. Of course, he just had to try and stay on the sidelines. He didn't want to die, thank you very much.
Lupin led them along, picking up the things Harry needed for Hogwarts—they stopped by the apothecary (Harry couldn't help but note that the Pineapple-hair-peasant would probably like it), the bookstore that was labeled Flourish and Blots, and finally a place where Harry had gotten his school robes. He had fought viciously—he would not wear a dress, by all that was holy! Unfortunately, Xanxus had ordered him to get them…so, being Xanxus' subordinate (and unfailingly loyal to his boss—they were family, after all), he had to obey. Didn't mean he couldn't grouse, grumble, and curse whoever had come up with such a stupid idea in the first place; all under his breath, of course.
Finally, they stopped in front of a place called Ollivanders: Makers of Fine Wands since 382 b.c. The Varia walked in, Mammon still grumbling at the use of money, when there was a soft rustle behind them. Instantly, all of them whipped around, weapons out. They found an old man stood before them, his pale, silvery eyes wide. "Ah, I'm sorry," he said, raising his hands. "Che, trash," Xanxus growled, placing his pistols back in their holsters. There was the rasp of weapons being replaced, even as the old man slipped past them. "I am Gerrick Ollivander**. Now, which one of you requires one of my wands?" Bel grinned. "Koneko-chan, peasant~" he said, hanging off of Harry. Ollivander looked carefully at Harry. "Ah, I wondered when I'd be seeing you," he said quietly. "When you didn't come with your—" Harry cut him off smoothly. "Shishi~ Get to the wand choosing, peasant~" Ollivander nodded. "I see," he pulled out a tape measure. "Which is your wand arm?" Lupin spoke up. "He means your dominant arm," at this, Harry and Bel laughed creepily. "Ushishishi~ the Prince's Koneko-chan is ambidextrous, peasant~"
Ollivander peered sternly at them. "Truly ambidextrous, or do you just think you are?" Xanxus scoffed. "Just get on with it, trash!" Ollivander nodded, and began to measure Harry. As he measured, he began a monologue. "Every Ollivander wand has a core of a powerful magical substance. We use unicorn hairs, phoenix tail feathers, and the heartstrings of dragons. No two Ollivander wands are the same, just as no two unicorns, dragons, or phoenixes are quite the same. And of course, you will never get such good results with another wizard's wand." Harry twitched when he realized the tape measure was measuring the distance between his nostrils—why would Ollivander need to know that?—and it was doing it on its own. Of course, Harry supposed he shouldn't be surprised. Crazy things were normal for the Vongola Famiglia…
Ollivander was searching in the back, rummaging through dusty stacks of long, thin boxes. "Ah, here, try this," he said, delicately pulling out a box and pulling off the lid. "Oak, twelve inches, unicorn hair, unyielding," Harry picked it up, but before he could even do anything with it, Ollivander snatched it back. "No, no, not right at all," he said, going back and grabbing a few more boxes. "Try this one," he said, handing Harry another wand. "Rowan, eleven inches, dragon heartstring, flexible," this time, Harry managed to flick it—causing a short stream of flames to shoot out, narrowly missing Squalo. "VOOIII! Watch it!" Harry snickered, wondering if he could keep this one, before it was snatched out of his hand. "No, no, definitely not," Ollivander said, pulling out another wand and handing it to Harry.
And so, it continued—Ollivander handing a wand to Harry; Harry (if he managed to move it at all) usually causing some sort of damage to the store or nearly hitting Squalo or Levi-hentai; Squalo yelling at him, attempting to stab him, or Levi attempting to electrocute him; and Ollivander snatching the wand back. The pile of wands on the counter was growing larger and larger, but strangely, Ollivander only seemed to become more excited as time went on—unlike the Varia, who were quickly growing irritable and impatient.
"Difficult customer, eh? Well, we'll find you a wand eventually! I have never had a customer I couldn't find a wand for!" Ollivander had said after the…twentieth?...wand. Harry had long since lost count of how many wands they had gone through. He could feel his irritation tempting him to stab the old man, but a soft flicker—the same flicker he got from Lady Time when she wished to tease him—warned him that it would do no good. In fact, if he stabbed the man…the possible outcomes, the threads of possible futures began to dance in Harry's mind; he had to force himself to concentrate on the present, and not on the scenes flicking through his mind.
However, as he did this, he saw Ollivander's knowing look. Panic flashed through him, along with curiosity. How much did Ollivander know? It seemed that he knew what Harry was…would he tell? And if he did, whom?
The questions flashing through Harry's head did little to alleviate the panic and irritation flooding his veins. Finally, he simply used a trick he had learned a long time ago. He pushed it all—the questions, the panic, the irritation, and the possible futures—to the back of his mind. He would focus on that later. (It had the plus of lessening his urge to stab the man, fortunately for Ollivander)
Ollivander brought another wand up, and handed it to Harry. "Walnut, thirteen inches, dragon heartstring, rather stiff," he said. Harry, the moment he touched it, felt warmth spread through his limbs. Ollivander clapped his hands as indigo and green sparks shot out of the tip of the wand. "Ah! A match!" he said excitedly. "That'll be eight galleons, please,"
Lupin paid him, looking very bored. "Alright, all that's left is an animal," he said. The Varia began fighting in their usual way, Bel and Harry taunting Squalo, Squalo attempting to stab them (occasionally nicking them), and Xanxus ending up having to attack them to get them to shut up. They finally stopped—the wonder of the Alley having worn off a very long time ago—in front of a shop saying Eeylops Owl Emporium. There were owls in the cages hanging outside, with several eyeing them with yellow, amber, orange, or black eyes. Lupin walked in, and Harry wandered around, looking at the different animals. He was drawn to two in particular—a Snowy owl with brilliant yellow eyes, and a mottled gray and black tabby kitten. Bel laughed at Harry's choice. "Ushishishi~ a kitty for the Prince's Koneko-chan~" Lupin felt exasperated. Was nothing going to be normal with these people? "You can only take one," he said firmly. Harry snickered. "Shishi~ both, peasant," Lupin twitched. "One,"
"Both,"
"Only one,"
"Both, peasant~"
"You can only take one!"
"Both~"
Finally, Xanxus growled out, "He'll take both," Lupin sighed. "Are you sure?" he tried to keep the slight whine out of his voice. He'd have to explain all of this to the Order, and he'd rather not have even more to explain. "Yes, scum," Xanxus snapped. The Varia glanced at each other, feeling slightly apprehensive. When Xanxus got like this, he usually demanded tequila, and got even more violent. Then they realized that he might cause more chaos—something they all enjoyed. Harry smirked viciously as he saw Lupin being threatened by Xanxus' unconscious threatening aura. He was feeling a spiteful joy at seeing the old-peasant being in the same position they had all been in at one point or another.
Lupin sighed. He grabbed food for both animals and took the two up to the register. "Both, please," he said to the person behind the counter. The person—a tall, pale skinned man—nodded. "That'll be six galleons and five sickles please," he said, and Lupin carefully counted out the money. After he had given the man the necessary amount, he firmly grasped the owl's cage, and lifted the kitten. Walking back to the now arguing (again) assassins, Lupin couldn't help the tiny whimper that escaped his throat. Oh, how he truly, truly hated his life right now.
The man with the piercings and rather odd hair—though, really, that didn't apply since most of the hair for the group was odd—was carrying most of the bags, constantly saying "For the boss!". Lupin passed the man the owl and the kitten, but the tall man with the pink ruff on the jacket the entire group seemed to be wearing (along with a green Mohawk—what was the world coming to?) scooped up the kitten before it had been in the man's arms for more than a few seconds. "Mou, how absolutely kawaii!" the tall man said, cuddling the kitten close.
"Shishi~ Luss-okaa-chan~" the tall man giggled. "Mou, such a kawaii koneko for a kawaii son, ne?" he said while cuddling Harry close. He passed Harry the kitten, and grasped the owl's cage from the pierced man's grasp. Lupin felt, that were it not that the pierced man had been asked (ordered) to carry the bags, he would have attacked the tall man that was cuddling Harry. Then his mind rewound the last few seconds. Wait. SON?!
Lupin sputtered, gaping at the tall man. Then the red-eyed man, Xanxus turned to him. "Well? What's next, trash?" he snapped, glaring irritably. Lupin blinked rapidly, attempting to recover from the shock of the last few minutes. "We're done," he mumbled, before pulling out the ticket to Platform 9 ¾ that Dumbledore had given him. "Here, you'll need this," he said, pulling himself back into working order. "The train is at Kings Cross Station, here in London. It leaves at 11:00 AM exactly, on September 1st. In order to get on the Platform, you walk through the wall between Platforms 9 and 10."
Finally, Lupin led the group out of Diagon Alley, and back into London. They separated, and Lupin sighed in relief. They were, for lack of a better term, insane. Lupin then remembered that he still had to report to Dumbledore and the Order about today's venture.
He could really use some firewhiskey right now…
:::::::::::::::::::::::
Once the Varia got back to Vongola's London branch, Harry was whisked away by Lussuria. He looked at the owl and kitten, even as Lussuria fussed over him. "Shishi~ What should I name you, ne?" he gently stroked the kitten's soft fur, admiring the glowing amber eyes. He then realized that he didn't know whether they were male or female. Mentally, he cursed. 'Kuso,'
He rolled the kitten onto its back, rubbing its belly. He glanced at the groin, checking the gender. The kitten, it seemed, was male. He then looked at the owl. "Shishi~ now, are you male or female?" he murmured, tilting his head in a rather cat-like way. The owl hooted, staring at him regally. "Shishi~ male?" the owl kept staring at him. "Shishi~ female?" the owl hooted, it seemed, in an affirmative way. "Shishi~ so you are female, ne? Hmm," Harry muttered, delicately stroking the kitten's belly. "Shishi~ you," he said, looking at the kitten, "will be called Hotaru." He now looked at the owl. "And you, Angelica," the now named Angelica hooted, almost approvingly.
Hotaru purred as Harry rubbed his belly, while Harry merely flopped backwards onto his bed. He stared at the ceiling, his eyes unfocused. He could feel that tiny bit of insanity that he had always kept back—after all, what person survived the Vongola, much less the Varia, without being somewhat insane?—beginning to push forward, begging for release into the world. He knew, somehow, that that would be very, very bad. No one told him; not Lady Time, Lord Space, or Dimension; not his Sight; not anything but good old intuition.
Closing his eyes, Harry slipped softly through the black door that was slumber. By the time Lussuria had finished up making dinner for them, and had come to get Harry, he was deeply asleep. For once in his young life, dreams did not bother him.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Jasper Potter watched worriedly as his brother, Charlus, collapsed into bed once more for the fifteenth time this week (yes, he had counted). He chewed his lip, staring at his panting, exhausted brother. Julie poked her head in, her curious hazel eyes wide and innocent. "Jazz? Is Char alright?" she asked sweetly. Jasper was by her side in an instant, ruffling her vibrant red hair. "Not yet, Julie," he said, "but he will be, 'kay?" Julie frowned, her pink lips jutting out in a pout. "Are you sure?" Jasper nodded, and swept her up into his arms. "Hey!" she squeaked, struggling half-heartedly. Jasper smiled at his little sister, walking a bit unsteadily towards her room. "Do you doubt me, my sister?" he asked teasingly. Julie smiled back brightly, temporarily forgetting about her position in Jasper's arms. "Nu-uh, never!" Jasper grinned, before putting her down gently in her bed. "You know, it is kind of late—you should have already been asleep, Julie," Jasper scolded gently. Julie pouted sleepily. "I was worried, 'bout you and Char, Jazz,"
"Well," Jasper stated calmly, tucking her in, "as you can see, we're fine. And you, you little rascal, shouldn't be worrying yourself sick over us—we're the older siblings, we should be taking care of you, not the other way 'round! Imagine, if anyone from Hogwarts heard about me and Char, being taken care of by our little sister!" his tone was teasing, and Julie slowly relaxed. "Jazz?" she asked sleepily. "Yes, Julie?"
"Can you sing that song that Mommy always sings to me?" Jasper smiled at Julie, carding his fingers through her hair. "Of course,"
Jasper took a deep breath, thinking on the lyrics of the lullaby.
"Hush-a-bye, don't you cry
Go to sleep, my little baby.
When you wake, you shall have,
All the pretty little horses.
Dapples and grays, pintos and bays,
All the pretty little horses.
Way down yonder, in the meadow,
Poor little baby, crying mama
Bird and the butterflies flutter round his eyes,
Poor little baby, crying mama.
Hush-a-bye, don't you cry
Go to sleep, my little baby.
When you wake, you shall have,
All the pretty little horses.
Dapples and grays, pintos and bays,
All the pretty little horses."***
Jasper hummed the melody for a little while, carding his fingers through Julie's hair.
Julie's face was lax in her slumber, a tiny smile tugging on the edges of her lips. Her expression was sweetly innocent, even in her sleep. Gently, Jasper pressed a soft kiss to her forehead. "Good night," he murmured, before softly exiting the room. He walked quietly back to his and Charlus' shared room, gently pulling the covers over his snoring brother. He clambered into his bed, finally succumbing to the tiredness pulling at his limbs.
As he let himself slip through the black door of slumber, however, he silently renewed a vow he had made a very long time ago. 'I will always protect you, Julie. Always.'
With that, he slid into oblivion, falling into a deep sleep, untroubled—when, soon, he would have very few untroubled nights.
/End.\
So, what did you think? Anyway, here are the translations for the names:
Hotaru—unisex, means 'firefly' in Japanese
Angelica—Italian usage for this one, pronounced ahn-JE-lee-kah; derived from Latin Angelicus, meaning angelic, ultimately related to Greek αγγελος (angelos) "messenger". Feminine.
Alright, now on to the notes:
*I've seen this used in a few fanfics, not entirely sure if it's canonical or not, but I needed use of it.
**I think that's his name…
***This lullaby is All the Pretty Little Horses, by Becky Jean Williams. All credit goes to her for this—I so-o-o do not own this song!
And, the reason for my choice of wood, core, and flexibility for Harry's wand:
Walnut:
From the source I used (a Celtic Tree cycle thingy) Walnut is supposed to represent those who are strongly ambitious, usually highly admired (but not liked), and very driven.
Dragon Heartstring:
It's supposed to represent a fierce, fiery temperament, hot temper, that kind of thing. I thought it would work well with the violence that Harry is used to, and enjoys using.
Flexibility:
I put it as stiff because I felt that Harry could be very much like that—stiff and unyielding, stubborn to the extreme.
On another note—please R & R people! (and check out my other stories, A Journey of Turbulent Times, which has six chapters right now, and Gundam Wing Meets the Greek Gods, which has one chapter…)
Ja ne, Minna-san!
~Happy Camper27