Enjoy :)

Disclaimer: I don't own anything related to Mario or its franchise; it belongs to Nintendo and their affiliates. I just am really grateful to its creators for giving me such a wonderful game and media series to write about!

I also don't own anything related to Harry Potter, all that belongs to J.K. Rowling, but thanks go to her as well because, using her wonderful work, I can expand this story to make it more interesting :)

Chapter Thirty-Two

My employer was a lot more understanding than I thought he would be. I showed up to the parlor early in the morning and came in to speak with him. He told me that another trip would be fine so long as I came in and made up the time later. I didn't really know how I was gonna' make up that many hours, but I guess I'd cross that bridge when I got there. On my way out of the parlor, though, I had the misfortune of running into an old foe.

Now Terry and I weren't even on the same shift anymore, thanks to what happened last time. He was on mornings and now and I still had afternoon and nights. He didn't look happy to see me, and I could understand that. It was because of me that he had to get fifteen stitches in his hand. I didn't speak to him as I passed by him in the kitchen and I figured he wouldn't say anything, but this was Terry. Of course he had to say something.

"Must be nice being the boss' little bitch." He called out to me.

I just ignored him. If I didn't entertain him, maybe he'd just shut up. But no, that was wishful thinking. Terry had come from behind his counter in the kitchen and was following me to the door.

"He lets you get away with anything. Even pays you in advance an' shit." He spoke bitterly.

I wove through tables, trying to lose him but he persisted. Not without stumbling and bumping into chairs, making a scene, that is. I was almost at the door.

Terry said, "I always knew you were gay but man, you must be ridin' his nuts pretty hard these days."

I stopped and turned to face him, the anger inside me rising to the surface. How could I have ever been something akin to friends with this idiot? What was going through my mind? Was I really, truly that depressed and desperate for social companionship? I stared at Terry unflinchingly and in the face of his blatant ignorance and stupidity I felt my anger subside. He was just trying to get a rise out of me. That was not gonna' happen, not today.

Terry just let his lips curl in a disgusting smirk and said, "I guess after a few more 'visits' to his office, you'll be running this place."

I shook my head and turned to leave. I could hear him making accusations about me behind my back, saying something about me doing 'favors' or something like that but I just tuned him out. I was really glad we weren't on the same shift anymore, for his sake and mine.

"I hate these clothes."

Larry had said it but he wasn't alone in the sentiment. The dress clothes he and his siblings had been forced into were constricting and cumbersome. He, like Roy and MJ and Iggy, wore black tailored black slacks, shiny shoes, an uncomfortable long-sleeved black shirt, and a matching black jacket. His mohawk had been cut yet again by Ludwig, in his sleep this time, so that it sat only a few millimeters above the rest of his short blue hair. He pouted after running his hand through it in dismay.

"That wasn't right for him to do." Iggy spoke quietly beside him.

The thirteen year old's green hair was in a neat topknot, leaving a few locks on either side of his head down to frame his angular face. He took his seat on the left side of the dining room table, adjacent to the head position. Not the head that Ludwig would be sitting at, the head at the opposite end. Larry sat down to his left and started picking his nails.

"Your hair is your own." Iggy explained, then added, "You should be able to decide what to do with it. But I guess our brother's in the habit of taking our freedoms away from us."

"...What now?" Larry frowned in confusion, having not been paying attention.

"Never mind." Iggy sighed.

He stared at the empty white plate in front of him between the clean linen napkin and golden utensils. With his head downcast, he didn't see MJ take his seat in a bit of a huff across from him.

The black-haired young man was mildly irritated. For a few days now he'd been trailing Roy and the older boy had been downright insufferable. MJ was used to Roy's prideful personality, but lately his brother's ego had soared grand new heights. He couldn't stand being around him anymore. He was getting tired of Roy's constant bragging and showing off. Back at the bunker, when it had been just the two of them working out and practicing with each other, they'd gotten along fine.

Now he just acts like he's better than everyone else, MJ thought sourly, recalling an instance back in the Mushroom Kingdom where Roy had used him as a veritable prop in one of his show-off sessions.

"What's with you, yo?" Roy asked him.

MJ didn't even look to his right where the seventeen year old sat. He just shook his head and mumbled something that sounded like, 'nothing'. Roy thought nothing of it and just turned to his fork, in the surface of which he was trying to see his reflection. Honestly, he wasn't totally to blame for his increased narcissism; he wasn't used to getting out and interacting with anyone other than his own family. Roy wasn't used to the attention he received in response to his impressive strength and his handsome looks. His mind was on a high and he wanted nothing more than to keep gaining the approval that he, deep down, really craved from the navy haired king who never seemed to be truly satisfied with him.

But to be fair, not much seemed to satisfy Ludwig these days. His soul, his mind was in a state of constant flux and discontent. It made him edgy and irritated. Maybe that was what prompted him to rush his sister down the stairs.

"I'm coming!" Wendy snapped back at him, "You don't have to yell at me."

She held the train of the elegant black dress that she'd agreed to wear without protest, much to Ludwig's mounting suspicion. To get her into it before would have taken nothing short of a miracle and a half, but these days she was much less confrontational. With her hair done up nicely, she looked the part of a demure princess.

"Who are we waiting for, anyway?" She asked him once they got to the dining room.

Ludwig walked past her to his seat and said, "You'll see soon enough."

The last two to come to the table came hand in hand, only one of them wearing shoes. Their outfits were the least classy of them all, consisting of stained black shirts and dusty silk vests. The pants they wore were clean enough, if you overlooked the white smudges dotting them. The older of the two helped the youngest into his seat at Ludwig's right, then took his own at Ludwig's left.

"Why are you so dirty?" Ludwig asked his brother.

Lemmy stated, "Me and B-Jun were playing in the kitchen and wasted some of the flour on us."

Ludwig glanced briefly at the former Crown Prince, only long enough to swipe the boy's thumb out of his mouth. He sighed and felt his mouth twitch into a displeased frown when the child re-inserted it.

"Both of you go change," He commanded, then said to Lemmy, "And make sure he puts on his shoes."

No sooner had they disappeared past the double doors did another being come striding through them; literally. The tall, long-haired immortal donned a huge grin as he walked into the room with two Boos in tow. He was dressed to the nines in his Victorian ensemble, and he shamelessly let his eyes rove over all of the present guests.

"Well who died?" He asked with a tugging smile, "You all look like you're dressed for a funeral!"

Only Iggy smiled, faintly and sardonically so, and that was because a morbid thought on his own situation had crossed his mind. The rest of the siblings that were present met the immortal's malevolent magenta eyes blankly. Roy was bored. MJ was still peeved. Wendy was fighting a blush at the remnants of her old feelings of infatuation that bubbled in her stomach. Iggy was wondering who the being was and Larry had food on his mind. King Boo took his seat.

"My, how charming you all are!" The king declared, lounging in his chair. "Ludwig's told me all about you, but he didn't tell me what a remarkable bunch of youth you are."

In dissension with his words, his eyes seemed predatory as they dragged over each and every one of the siblings. He didn't mean to come off as threatening, but a being such as himself, given his background, couldn't exactly help it. Consequently, the people under the age of eighteen at the table seemed to share in a collective shudder.

"Now that you've arrived," Ludwig's voice cut through the awkward atmosphere like daggers of ice. "We can discuss what's been going on with my-"

"Not so fast, my boy!" King Boo interjected, "I haven't even taken the first course yet!"

Ludwig narrowed his eyes and wore a slight scowl, but shut his mouth nonetheless. He didn't say anything more as the servants began to bring out the food. He barely ate anything. He was anxious and ready to figure out what was ailing him and why. So he sat in silence while King Boo and some of his siblings dug in.

"Yes, I must say again, Ludwig," The immortal spoke, "you do have such charming siblings."

King Boo threw a hand in Wendy's direction, and said, "Just look at your lovely sister! Pretty as a peach, that one!"

Wendy smiled a small bit and said, "Thank you."

"I bet you have scores of admirers!" He winked.

Wendy tensed a bit and wondered if she should even broach the subject. She knew it might lead to an altercation with her eldest brother, but she was not yet so mature as to leave the bait untouched. She picked at her mashed potatoes with her golden fork and spoke almost conversationally.

"Well, there is one person."

"Wendy." Ludwig uttered in warning.

"What?" She snapped at him. "I can't even talk about him now?"

"Talk about who?" King Boo asked, highly intrigued.

The immortal put down his fork and placed his hands in his lap, awaiting an answer. Wendy wasn't the one who spoke, though, it was her brother who said something next.

Roy snorted and said, "Some stupid punk she's sweet on."

"Shut up, Roy!" Wendy frowned. "He's not a punk."

"Wendy, stop it." Ludwig told her in a sigh. "We're not starting this tonight."

"There you go again, taking Roy's side." Wendy frowned. "You're such a hypocrite."

Ludwig locked eyes with her and asked evenly, "What did you call me?"

Instead of repeating the word, Wendy said, "You won't let me talk to Munson or leave the palace but Roy can go around, taking his shirt off and sucking face with whoever he wants!"

At her frank accusation, MJ choked out a short laugh, losing his sour demeanor for the first time in days. Larry, too, snickered at the imagery of the claim. Roy was less than amused, and had this to say.

"I ain't suck nobody's face, Wen."

"Yes you did!" She nearly shouted, "Back at Prince Mario and Princess Peach's castle; Ludwig saw you kissing some girl and he didn't tell you anything!"

"Who told you about that?" Roy frowned.

At that moment MJ looked away with his eyes anywhere but near his brother's.

King Boo said, "This does all sound hypocritical, Ludwig."

Ludwig sneered at the immortal and said, "Please don't entertain her."

The two youngest members of the household chose this moment to make their return, coming back into the dining room holding hands, in clean shirts and vests this time. King Boo was delighted.

"Well look at you!" He said, swiveling his head to see Bowser Junior. "You've gone and grown up; you look just like your father!"

"You know my Daddy?" was the five year old's apprehensive question.

King Boo's smile faltered as he said, "Knew. I knew your father."

And back into his mouth Junior's thumb went. As he and Lemmy took their seats, with Ludwig's attention on Junior, Iggy tapped on King Boo's arm. King Boo looked down at him with great interest, and Iggy pointed to the one of the Boos that kept phasing in and out of the far wall behind its king.

"What is it, dear boy?" King Boo asked.

Iggy responded with, "Can you show me how to do that?"

"Do what?"

"Walk through walls like those ghosts." Iggy told him.

King Boo smiled fondly and said, "I'm afraid that, in order to do that, you've got to have some magic in your blood."

"I do have magic." Iggy insisted.

"Do you? Let me have a look-see." King Boo said, holding out his hand.

Ludwig watched now as Iggy slid his palm onto King Boo's. The immortal grinned wildly, having sensed something immediately.

"Ah, you do!" He exclaimed, but after a moment he paused. "What's this?"

Now he had the attention of the rest of the diners at the table. Iggy sat patiently while King Boo stroked the back of his hand with his thumb.

"Now that's curious." King Boo noted. He faced Ludwig and asked, "Ludwig, why is your magic coursing through this boy's veins?"

Iggy faced his brother as well, his eyes hard as he asked. "Yeah, Ludwig; why is your magic inside me?"

Ludwig narrowed his eyes and said, "Get out. All of you. Go."

Wendy was only too eager to oblige as she beat her brothers in filing out of the dining room. The rest of them trailed out at their own pace. Iggy sent a glance back at the immortal. He glanced also at his brother but blurted his question anyway, no matter if it would get him in trouble or not.

Iggy asked, "Can I talk to you about some things? When you're finished, I mean?"

"Why, of course-"

"That's enough, Ignatius." Ludwig said curtly. "Go to your room."

Iggy shot a very frustrated and angry look at his brother, but left the room nonetheless. King Boo watched the last of his siblings leave and shook his head. He picked up the glass of wine that had been provided with his dinner and took a sip.

"You didn't have to send them away."

"Yes, I did." Ludwig replied. "They're a nuisance. It's time we got down to business; you know, the reason why you came in the first place?"

"I came because I was invited to dinner." King Boo remarked.

"Right." Ludwig deadpanned. "Can we start now?"

King Boo sighed but said. "If that is what you wish."

"So what'd Mr. Lestrange say?"

Daisy got into the car and was smiling, so I had a feeling I knew what her answer would be.

"He says it's fine." She told me. "He's closing the shop for the entire week."

"Why's that?" I asked.

Daisy beamed and said, "His sister, Bella, is having her baby tomorrow."

"Oh. That's good. I guess." I responded, driving away from the department store where she worked.

I was glad she'd had a better day than me. I still had to go to work in a few minutes, which only left me just enough time to swing by the apartment and notify my landlord of our plans.

"Did you think anymore about it?" Daisy asked me when we'd come to a red light.

"Think more about what?" I frowned.

She said, "About us getting engaged."

"Oh. Uh, not really." I admitted. "Haven't really had much time to think."

Daisy sat back in her seat and nodded, but I could tell I'd not given her the answer she wanted. I love her so much and the reason I was waiting wasn't because I was afraid of committing to her. No, what was hanging me up was the fact that I was still no closer to affording a ring and, though Daisy may not care about it, I wanted to get her one. She deserved something as beautiful as her. She was the love of my twenty six years of life, I wanted to honor her and get her something really special. On my salary, though, that just didn't seem like it'd be happening any time soon. I was inclined to wait, to save up until I could afford a ring and afford to put on the wedding she deserved, but the girl seemed sort of impatient about these things.

"You're gonna' miss your turn." Daisy informed me.

I checked back into reality and saw that the turn to my apartment complex really was about to be behind me, and jerked the steering wheel to the right swiftly. I turned on a dime and the car behind me laid on their horn.

"Yeah, whatever." I frowned.

Daisy asked, "Are you alright?"

"Yeah."

"Did something happen?"

"Not really."

"Is something bothering you?"

I sighed and said, "Yeah, but it's nothing."

Daisy stayed in her seat even after I'd parked the car. I turned to her and knew by the concerned look on her face that she wasn't gonna' drop this. I took the key out of the ignition and got out the car, then came over to her side and opened her door. Daisy turned and swung her feet over the edge but didn't get up.

"Luigi," She spoke, "You're always telling me to talk about my problems. Please. Tell me what happened."

I shook my head and said, "It's really nothing serious. I just had some issues when I went in to my job this morning."

"You won't be able to take off?" she asked, crestfallen.

"No, no; I can get off." I assured her. "I just had a run-in with Terry."

"You didn't send him to the hospital, did you?" She prompted.

I wish

"No." I told her, then said, "Come on. I really got to get this over with. My shift's about to start."

I bent over and took Daisy's hands in mine and kissed them, then helped her to her feet. While we walked, I slipped my arm around her waist and she put hers behind my back. I led us over towards my landlord's door and knocked a couple times. He was on the ball today; he came right away.

"Oh, it's you." He greeted, "What can I do you for, kid?"

"I'll be leaving for a week." I told him.

"Another wedding?" he guessed.

"Something like that." I answered.

"What'll it be now?" He then smirked knowingly. "Last time you left, you came back with a girl. You gonna' bring a baby home this time?"

Cue awkward silence.

Well, it was awkward on my end. Daisy seemed to get a kick out of this because she was smiling. In the back of the apartment, I saw Tanya. I didn't know what she was doing there, but she didn't seem to find her uncle's comment funny, either.

"Just leave your rent under my door." he told me. "And if I can offer you a tip?"

"...What?" I asked warily.

"Wrap it up, kid. Babies don't come cheap."

"Muffliato."

Again, King Boo noted the excessive measures his former enforcer seemed to be taking. First he'd sent off his siblings, then he'd taken them down into the bowels of the palace into some tiny dark room. Ludwig had uttered a silencing charm over the door and it was only after the torches were lit along the four walls that Boo realized where he was. And who it was chained to the wall across from him and his ex-enforcer.

"Ludwig."

"What?"

"Is that who I think it is?" King Boo asked, his voice and features wary.

Ludwig said, "I told you. I can't stop thinking about that girl. The nightmares won't end and I can feel something inside my head, something fighting me, something besides the power that I absorbed. You told me that it had something to do with him, so here we are."

"Ludwig." King Boo began patiently, leaning against one of the sooty walls. "I'm almost certain that, when you performed that spell that I expressly warned you not to, you did something wrong."

"No I-"

"Listen!" King Boo cut in. "If you'd done it right, you wouldn't be suffering now."

That made Ludwig quiet, if only for the moment. He still held his chin high as the firelight flickered off his stoic features. King Boo glanced once more at the chained figure across from him, then settled his glowing magenta eyes on Ludwig. His eyes, they glowed in the dark and gave weight to his next words.

"When you transferred the Dark King's powers from his body to yours, his mind was split." King Boo explained, "His subconscious mind got transferred to you, hence its latent manifestation in your thoughts and dreams. His conscious mind must have been sent somewhere else."

"So what must I do to end this pain?" Ludwig asked. "How do I give it back?"

King Boo said, "First you'll have to locate his conscious mind."

"And how do I do that?" Ludwig then asked.

The immortal said, "It couldn't have gone far. Think back to who was present when the king was slain and go from there. His active mind will have manifested itself within the host in much the same way as his subconscious mind did with you, probably to a greater extent. My advice: return both parts of his mind and the power to the old king, then end him for good."

"Can't I keep the power?" Ludwig inquired at once.

King Boo frowned and said slowly, "The mind was not meant to exist in more than one body; since his power is a part of who he is, there may be adverse effects."

"They can't be worse than what I'm experiencing now." Ludwig remarked.

King Boo added, "Another thing you need to consider is the ethics of returning his conscious and subconscious mind."

"What do you mean, 'ethics'?" Ludwig scowled.

The King glanced at the tangled mass of red hair that was distinguishable on the chained figure.

He said, "I assume he's alive, right?"

"Technically, yes." Ludwig answered. "The spell would have it no other way."

"Well then, once you restore his mind," King Boo explained, "he will be awake and he'll have physical needs that must be seen to. Unless you plan on starving him and leaving him to rot in his own waste."

"Why not?" Ludwig remarked carelessly.

"Ludwig." King Boo reproached.

Somewhat defensively Ludwig accused, "Are you seriously concerned about a sociopathic, mass-murdering dictator?"

"My only concern," King Boo spoke with an edge, "is that you don't turn into one yourself."

"Your concern's not needed." Ludwig spat callously. "I'll take care of this."

"Ludwig, I worry about you." King Boo admitted softly.

"Don't." The youth spoke brusquely.

"You don't have to do this" King Boo implored. "Just rely on your own intellect and abilities. You don't need his powers."

"I know what I'm doing." Ludwig clipped.

"You might think you do, but you don't." King Boo insisted. "Trust me, Ludwig, if you don't give up this power, it'll be your undoing."

"Then let me undo myself." Ludwig replied cheekily.

King Boo stared hard at the young man of merely twenty years. Ludwig held his head high and crossed his arms over his chest. His emerald eyes shone fiercely in the firelight and King Boo knew then that he wasn't going to budge. With a sigh that seemed to make his entire body sag against the wall that supported him, King Boo shook his head.

"Where did I go wrong with you?" he lamented quietly to himself.

"Just tell me what I need to do." Ludwig demanded.

King Boo said quietly, "Once you've located his active mind, you'll need to bind the two to his psyche once more with a certain incantation-"

"Which one?" came the youth's impatient inquiry.

"It's in my library somewhere, I'm sure." King Boo said noncommittally.

"Can't you just tell me where it is?" Ludwig groused. "Or better yet, just give it to me?"

"If you want to condemn yourself to the Dark King's wrath and consequences untold, that's fine." King Boo said tersely. "But don't expect me to help you hang yourself. You may visit my library whenever you feel inclined to in order to search for the incantation. If it's still there."

Ludwig was silent for a minute. In that span of time, King Boo studied him. He saw past the soft, porcelain skin and flawless feature, past the curtain of long, silky black-streaked navy hair and sharp emerald eyes. He didn't linger on Ludwig's red mouth or thin, aristocratic nose. He didn't see Ludwig the enforcer, or Ludwig the new King of the Badlands, he only saw Ludwig the young impressionable wunderkind. His heart ached a bit but he knew ultimately that Ludwig was of age and that his choices were his own to make. Still, his instincts and emotions wouldn't allow him to pass up one last chance to get through to him.

"Ludwig," King Boo spoke.

His voice pulled the blue-haired king out of whatever silent reverie he'd been engaged in and caused him to meet his magenta eyes.

"What?" He asked dully.

King Boo said, "Ludwig, the subconscious mind holds our most deepest fears, beliefs, desires, and inhibitions. I think you may be adopting the Dark King's subconscious as your own."

"That's ridiculous." Ludwig dismissed.

"It's true." King Boo insisted. "You need to let all this go. You may not see it, but it's changing you. Not just with your thoughts and dreams, but with your mind and behavior as well; I see how you interact with your siblings."

Here Ludwig rolled his eyes.

"Don't let my sister's melodrama sway you." He drawled.

"It's not just your actions with your sister, questionable as they may be." King Boo countered. "But to bind your own brother to the confines of the palace walls? That's right, I recognized the spell you put over young Ignatius."

Ludwig said in his own defense, "Ignatius can go wherever he wishes, provided I am there with him."

"Slavery!" King Boo proclaimed in a disparaging tone.

Ludwig scoffed and said, "You wouldn't know what it's like, trying to control them all."

"Well there, that's the thing; they're not your minions or peons to be controlled." King Boo chided. "You used to know that. You used to speak so highly of your talented siblings. I thought you were going to grant them a life of freedom and opportunity?"

"My mistake." Ludwig sneered. "I've since realized that they don't belong in that other world. Their place is here in my empire. I'm trying to train them so that their talent does not go to waste."

"Shouldn't you let them decide what they want to do with their lives?" King Boo argued.

"Of course not." Ludwig frowned. "They don't know what's best for themselves."

"And you do?"

"You think I don't?" Ludwig challenged.

"I think you've lost your way."

King Boo pushed himself off the wall and said sadly, "I know all about your foothold in Sarasaland, Ludwig."

"You nosy old-"

"Nosy I may be, but I also know one thing," King Boo interjected. "This isn't like you."

"You knew early on of my ambition." Ludwig pronounced coldly.

"Ambition, yes," King Boo acceded, "But this is not mere ambition. Wasn't this throne enough for you? Why do you now seek another?"

"I'm not-"

"Don't lie to me, boy." King Boo reprimanded. "You're turning into something you're not and it's all because of the power; power corrupts, haven't I taught you that?"

"In the wrong hands, it does." Ludwig spoke confidently, "But I know what I'm doing."

"You say that so often, but if you did you'd know to stop this while you still can." King Boo told him. "Please, Ludwig, just let it go. You don't want to mess with the Dark King, you'll only regret it. Just give it up, please just give the power back and end him now."

For a second, Ludwig was silent. For a second, King Boo was hopeful. He didn't grovel for anyone, but maybe, just maybe his pleading had garnered him a proper reaction from the younger sorcerer. Maybe he'd gotten through to Ludwig after all.

"Thank you for your assistance." The young ruler stated stiffly. "I'll have a Koopa show you out."

A/N: And that is where I have to cut it off. My laptop is still in the shop and so I'm at the library and they're kicking me out. I would have written more because one, I'm motivated, and two, I had coffee today. But alas, what's one to do without a computer?

I hope this chapter is good enough to tide you over until the next day or so. I really wanted to write so much more, I wanted to jam this chapter to the max with action and events and drama, but I couldn't so I guess it'll have to wait.

And as you can see, the Dark King is indeed alive. Sort of. Kind of. It's complicated.

Oh, and by the way, can you guys imagine Bellatrix Lestrange with child? Lol, I threw that in for all my HP fans. Just something kooky.

Anyway, I'll see you next time, and as always, until then...

~DymondGold~