IMPOTANT NOTES : READ ME
The scars. Last chapter I mentioned that Skull would wake up with nothing to show for his injuries. This was a case of bad wording on my part (which I have gone back to edit). I meant that when he woke up whatever injury had been given to him had healed over to the point it was scarred. Like he had had the injuries for years rather than receiving them moments before. The simple injuries would just be gone, but the magically inflicted wounds would leave marks on his skin despite healing over- he had 'nothing to show for it' because it appeared to have not happened to him right then but rather years before. All he had was scars and nothing else. No wound, no bleeding. Sorry for the confusion.
Second: We're gonna hop around Skull-Harry's memories. The Arcobaleno will have seen more than I will cover here of course, but that would take a very long few chapters if we covered them all. SO: we're gonna skip around.
IMPORTANT NOTES ^^^ READ ME.
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Skull tilts his head, his magic disappearing from the room and taking the image of the basilisk with it. "This" he explains, gesturing at the Pensieve "is a Pensieve. Just touch the top of the 'water' there and you will be transported into my memories. It will be easier to show you the coming years, and quicker."
The Arcobaleno see the flash in Skull's eyes as he explains to them. They know whatever it is he is doing, whatever it is that they will soon see it will change things. They don't know how, or how much, but they know there will be no going back.
They know this will be one of those major moments in a person's life- a moment like the Fated Day- where the person categorizes their life into Before and After in regards to that moment.
They reach forward for the 'water' anyway.
Viper is the last to reach for the Pensieve. She knows what is coming after all. Instead she stares at Skull. The others are all 'in' the Pensieve, their bodies frozen and their eyes glazed as their minds prepare to wander in Skull's- Harry's- memories. She lifts her hands to her hood and pulls it back.
Skull blinks in surprise as gleaming silver eyes come into view alongside the black curls that now tumble around the woman's head, "Viper?"
Viper stares at him, blinking for a moment before she speaks. "I am sorry." She tells him, glad that for the moment it is basically only the two of them there for the conversation- the other's inside the Pensieve waiting for Viper to join them- as she speaks. "I am sorry I didn't see you before this. I am sorry it took this for us to begin to see the fighter that you are. I am sorry they called you weak, that I did nothing to defend you from those accusations though I did not speak them. I'm sorry."
And Skull knows how serious she is, her silver eyes staring straight at him and her voice never once wavering. For a moment his eyes pin her and they are hard, jaded, and unwavering.
She meets his stare head on.
Purple eyes soften after few moments as Skull finally blinks. "I won't say that it was okay." Skull tells her "But I understand why you did so. I don't like it, but I understand why. You were always the one to see me best for all that you saw a blurry image. You were also the one to treat me best next to Fon. So I won't say that it was okay, but I will tell you that I forgive you."
That doesn't make everything okay, Skull has problems with the Arcobaleno he will have to work through. They have things they will need to make up for. It will take a long while for everything to sort itself out.
(Skull thinks of the boy from the Cupboard, who was so, so forgiving until he was hardened by war, thinks on the boy who stood in front of the downtrodden, stood for those who had no one else, and he thinks…maybe…for those who are his a bit of that forgiving nature remains. Much like he had forgiven his first Storm when he had wavered.)
Forgiveness for Skull means that he will give the others an honest chance. A chance to show Skull they have learned from what he will show them. A chance to prove they are loyal. To prove they will stand with him as he stands with them. So he forgives Viper. He gives her that chance. And after the others have seen what is in his memories he will forgive them.
After this…after this it is all up to the Arcobaleno.
Despite the issues, despite the pain, despite all the things they will have to work through Skull will give them the chance to actually work through them. It's all on them now. Skull had made his move, made his choice. The ball was in their court now.
Viper blinks. She doesn't feel like she's earned that forgiveness, but she doesn't say so. She just makes herself the promise that she will earn it on her terms. She nods instead and turns to the Pensieve. She reaches forward and touches the memories.
Skull stares at the Arcobaleno circled around his Pensieve and blinks. The memories will happen at the speed of thought, which means they will get though his memories much quicker than they would have if he had told them, but there is still a lot of memories for them to cover, and Skull has people to save.
He lifts a hand, his Magic swelling with intent and focus, his Flames raising beside his Magic as he strengthens his Magic's purpose. He lays the foundations of strong wards.
The wards will stop anyone from entering the room while the Arcobaleno are using his Pensive, will make their location uninteresting and invisible to any who did not already reside in the walls. He provides the Arcobaleno the protection he can while they are vulnerable inside the Pensive.
After that Skull stands and leaves the room. They would know how to find him once they left the Pensive. He had a family to save in the meantime.
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Once Viper arrives- her hood back up- in the Pensieve the white world the Arcobaleno had been waiting in shimmers.
Skull comes into being, but he doesn't stare at them. He stares through them. "I set this up like a movie." The Skull-that-is-not-Skull speaks "You will have the ability to pause and rewind the memories while you are here. Remember that these are memories and there is nothing you can do for anyone inside these memories."
Another shimmer and suddenly they are standing in front of a young black haired green eyed version of their Cloud who is washing the dishes.
Verde speaks after a moment of staring at him, his mind flashing through all the information he can gather from this glimpse of the boy. He's seeing all the signs of an abused malnourished child.
He…doesn't like that. And he's not…not quite sure why. He just really doesn't like it.
He doesn't like what the tub of lard at the table is saying about Skull's parents either. Neither does Skull, for the boy turns and those green eyes are shining with power as he growls and snaps back. The lights shatter, the dishes are breaking and fixing themselves behind him and he advances on the woman who had been speaking so badly of the dead.
To the surprise of the Arcobaleno the woman begins to expand (after a sharp crack from their Cloud about 'being full of hot air' and an angry but carefully targeted mini-rant) and then float away.
Reborn's lips twitch. He can't quite help it. He finds the image of the woman 'full of hot air' floating away to be an amusing one.
Family has always been sacred ground for Reborn. They were to be protected and shielded, to be taught to stand on their own. They were meant to have loyalty and be loyal in return. They were to be respected.
Reborn had nothing but the upmost respect for parents that had stepped into the path of certain death on behalf of their child. There was no greater sacrifice, and that sacrifice deserved nothing but the upmost respect.
(Reborn knows that if someone had said anything like what had come out of that woman- Marge- about his mother he would have shot her, and he would have made sure it hurt)
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The Minister earns quite a few glares for all the man can't see the Arcobaleno.
They are seasoned mafia. They see the things the man doesn't say and it makes them angry. Especially since it regards their Cloud.
Fon frowns severely at the man. This was the Minister. The man who stood at the top of the Magical Government. This man who, from what he can see of him, abuses his position. Fon isn't blind the signs are everywhere for those who know how to look. In the way he holds himself, the tics the man can't hide from the Arcobaleno, in what he says and in what he doesn't say. It's in his very actions.
Fon sort of wants to drop kick the man in the chin.
It's an odd feeling. One he hasn't had since he was a very young man still struggling to find his 'eye' in the Storm of his soul. (He doesn't yet know how strong the urge is going to get.)
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It is obvious to Viper how Skull- Harry- had been led around by the nose. The boy is thirteen and they aren't telling him information. Information is gold. Especially in regards to the protection of those who she shields in her Mists and these fools are hiding things from her Cloud.
How dare they.
Viper watches the subtle things that happen around her Cloud, the things the adults around him are whispering about, how the whispers die in his presence, the stares that follow him around…
Her frown is severe as she peers around.
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Yuni fidgets. She had seen all of this already- or well parts of it- but it's different to be so close to her brother figure when she knows what it coming. It's different when she knows what is coming and he almost looks to be in arms reach, like she could touch him or stop him to explain what will happen. It's different to be standing next to the others when she is seeing this pass.
Yuni looks around at the others. They're tense, and quiet. Their eyes are intense and focused in a way that had made them the best of their fields. Except this is directed at the situation one of their own has found himself in.
They don't know what's coming.
Yuni does.
She takes a breath.
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Colonnello and Lal are still as they watch the memories of their Cloud play out. They know some things are missing from the sequence of events, but a large chunk of them are present.
It's painting a picture they can't believe they missed.
They were better than that, they should have seen. They had been blinded though. Blinded by the 'knowledge' that the Cloud hadn't been Mafia or Military before the Curse.
They wanted to scoff.
'Knowledge.'
They had been blind.
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Skull slides back into the Wizarding World with no fanfare, easily picking up where he had left off. He gathers the relative information and begins looking for where the Neo-Eaters had scuttled to hide in the short time he had been gone.
He sneers to himself.
Rats, the lot of them. Vermin.
He would take pleasure in disposing of them.
And may God have mercy on them if any of his family had been hurt, because Skull would not.
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The Arcobaleno watched the year Harry finds out about his Godfather and the supposed 'betrayal' the man had committed. (Reborn's killing intent is strong at the knowledge of the betrayal. He couldn't even imagine betraying his family. It is enraging that someone had done so to their Cloud and his family.)
They see Dementors for the first time, and are horrified when they hear a man scream Lilly it's him! Take Harry and run, I'll hold him off followed by a woman's voice screaming Not Harry, please not Harry! Take me instead! Not Harry, please!
It's not difficult to put two and two together when they find out about Dementors bringing a person's worse memories to the forefront as they feed on happiness and joy.
As Mafia they had seen their fair share of mother's begging for their children's lives. It was a fact despite not one of the Arcobaleno taking contracts on children. It was entirely different to hear their Cloud's parents' final moments.
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They walk beside their Cloud as he goes through his third year.
They are tense as they witness the aftermath of Black trying to get into the place Harry sleeps. They are tenser still at the presence of the Dementors around their Cloud's school and all the other children. They are tense as they witness the treatment Harry is subjected to.
They are proud as their Cloud masters the Patronus Charm especially after discovering how difficult it is for even fully grown wizards to do.
They watch as the boy - Ron - stands in front of their Cloud on a broken leg and snarls that if the murderer- Black- wants to kill Harry he would have to kill them too. They watch as the girl- Hermione- slides in between Black and their Cloud.
Respect blooms in their chest for the children who had stood in defense of their Cloud.
The Arcobaleno scowl as it is revealed that Black was framed and the man to betray the Potters was in fact the rat that had been so close to Harry for years now. They blink at the sight of Harry's Cloud temper rearing its head during the course of that discussion.
Tense worry is present as Lupin is revealed to be a werewolf. A bit of respect blooms for Black when the man changes into a large Grim and lunges to meet the werewolf before he can attack the children.
Surprise is evident in the Arcobaleno's eyes for an instant as the Time Turner is revealed and used. (And if plots are made on the side to see if Skull can get ahold of some for them- well. They're Mafia. Of course they're going to ask.)
They watch the rest of the year pass by and the memories skim through the summer months. It doesn't stop the Arcobaleno form developing a bit of hate for the Dursley family.
It also doesn't stop the horror from welling up inside as they are suddenly hit by how similarly they have treated their Cloud. It doesn't stop the horror as they watch someone else do to their Cloud what they have done and it dawns on them that they had treated a human being, their Cloud, no better than an animal to be conditioned to obey them through pain. (They were going to be sick)
The images shimmer and stop as Viper pauses the images. She knows year four of Harry Potter's life is where everything truly begins. She knows it is the true start of the war and she wants the Arcobaleno to be entirely focused as they witness it so she gives them the moment they need as their world view is shifted.
She knows by the end of the Pensieve memories it will have been shattered.
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Fourth year is a big year, so I'm gonna stop this here.