He never thought he'd say this, but he hated Hogwarts. He hated magic. He just plain loathed the sheer stupidity of people who thought a freaking stick and some fancy lights made them superior to everyone else.

And right now, facing down the same monster that killed his parents and made one hell of a concerted effort to kill him as well.

Honestly, why did he keep coming back for more abuse? He had to deal with a shitty summer, then an equally nasty build up that always seemed to start around Halloween and end with a massive fight sometime after exams were over.

And it wasn't like he was compensated or had any actual back up. His friends were alright...but they were too wrapped up in themselves to be very good in a real combat situation. Their morals would keep them from doing what was necessary when the time called for it.

So looking at the people surrounding the graveyard, and knowing what he would likely face when he went back... he made a decision.

"Dobby."

The house elf appeared in a near silent pop that went unnoticed in the general din of the wizards trying to find him.

"You calls for Dobby?"

"Dobby, when I give the signal I want you to take me home. And I don't mean that house with the horse and pigs. I mean my real home."

Dobby nodded, before hiding himself. Not like the wizards noticed.

He slipped past the wizards, and spotted the portkey...and Cedric. He used his wand to levitate the goblet onto Cedric's body, before throwing one of the twin's fireworks up in the air to cause a distraction.

One of the Death Eaters got a lucky shot with a cutting curse, right before Dobby delivered him far, far from England.

"Shit! He's injured! Someone grab the med kit!" shouted a voice in Russian.

"Hang in there, brat."

He woke up a few hours later in a familiar trailer looking at worried faces.

"You had us worried brat," said a man gruffly, in accented English. "What happened?"

"Trap. Ambush. Not going back," he replied in choppy Russian.

"...Explain brat."

He sat up with a pained expression.

"I was set up. There was a tournament between schools and I was entered against my will and forced to compete. Entire thing was a trap set for me. Managed to escape after the ambush was sprung. Idiots will be looking all over the UK for me," he explained, leaning against one of the pillows.

The older man grunted.

"Want your old job back?"

He nodded.

"Good. Replacement is barely acceptable. Lions will be happy to have their cub back."

He grinned.

The Immortal Skull would ride again, and this time he wasn't going to make the same mistake of going back to that school.

Skull looked in the mirror and grinned. Purple hair, purple eyes and just the right amount of make up to make his normally pale complexion even more ghostly. Also, it hid that damn scar that everyone would be looking for.

He made sure the left over dye in his hair was washed out properly, before drying it with a black towel. Once that was done, he slipped into his old gear that the circus kept on hand just for him. It might have been five years since he was last with them, but they still loved him as one of their own.

He whistled as he went to feed the lions, who loved him so much that he actually cuddled with them when he was younger in their cages.

It had given the poor animal tamers a heart attack the first time, until they realized that for some bizarre reason the predator animals all considered him one of their own. Especially the lone snake, who adored him and would get snippy every so often without him there to translate what she wanted.

Thanks to the fact he finally had money of his own, he was able to buy an RV, though if they were pulled over he had to switch seats with one of the older troupe members since he was technically too young to drive.

Which was ironic considering he was hired as a stunt driver and part time animal tamer when one of the others fell sick.

With Dobby's help, it was promptly expanded to something closer to a house, though it wasn't like anyone would notice since most assumed that the very small door lead to an equally cramped closet. It was actually the 'front door' to the magically expanded section. As far as the troupe knew, he stored most of his gear in the closet, and it was so small that merely opening it would send everything falling on the poor idiot to do so.

Hedwig hooted from her perch in the RV. Dobby had retrieved everything and removed any possible spells on the things he wanted to keep, along with removing Hedwig before anyone had the mind to use her to track him down.

"You ready for tonight's show, Skull?" asked Ivan.

"I am now! Got my lucky color on!" said Skull cheerfully. And he had Dobby stocking up on enough potions to supply a small clinic. Especially skelegrow and bruise balm.

Like he was going to brew his own with how often he moved. He wasn't that stupid.

Skull grinned as he put on his lucky helmet. He could hear the crowd cheering from behind the curtain.

He wondered how any of them would react, knowing that the stuntman wasn't even fifteen (not for another two weeks) yet.

Revving up the engine, his grin widened even more seeing the Ring of Fire. At an unseen signal, he took off and did a flip while inside the ring before making a smooth landing. And that was just the opening act.

Sphere of Death? Don't make him laugh. He could do that in his sleep and half drunk. He was the World's Greatest Stuntman.

"Let's hear it for Skull de Mort, a man so skilled that Death itself owes him money!"

Skull snickered. He had coined that one as a joke, and it had been so funny that the ringmaster insisted on using it. He waved at the crowds, before driving out of the tent.

He loved his job.

He leaned back in his special recliner and turned on the TV. It wasn't his turn to cook, and he just wanted to relax. Butterbeer in hand, he let any stress in his body wear off.

Today had been a good day.

He was woken up a few hours by someone banging on the door. Glaring at it, he brushed his hair back and walked over.

"Yes?" he said in Russian.

"Police inspection."

Skull rolled his eyes. Surprise police inspection his ass. The cops in this area were corrupt as hell and were just looking for an excuse to fine the circus.

"I'll get ready for this so-called inspection then."

Once the door closed, Skull immediately called for Dobby and Winky.

"Make sure the corrupt morons see nothing and leave with nothing. Hedwig, can you stay in the expanded part? These people are annoying enough about our animal acts and their papers. I don't want them asking about an owl," said Skull.

Hedwig hooted and allowed Dobby to carry her into the magically expanded area. Winky was already busy making things so perfectly boring that most cops would ignore everything in the vehicle. Skull really, really didn't like people messing with his things.

She was just glad he was kind enough to hire her at all. Originally he had done so by saying she could likely earn her place back with the Crouch family by showing she was such a good worker that they would have to take her back... but then she found out from the goblins that the Crouch line was dead.

Skull had held her through the entire thing, and even sat with her the entire night while they drank butterbeers until morning.

It hurt...but Master Skull was kind and let her mourn her old family properly and gave her simple tasks that were easy to complete. A month later she managed to come out of her funk and decided to be the best elf Master Skull had ever seen. She would not fail as a proper house elf a second time.

Even if Master Skull was a bit odd, letting her pick her uniform. It had taken some quick talking, but she had understood he wasn't demoting her for her shameful behavior. He was rewarding her with uniforms that told the world who she worked for with pride.

She didn't own them, and therefor it didn't count as him dismissing her from service.

Skull looked bored and just plain irritated as the corrupt cops went through every trailer looking for anything they could pin on the circus. The suspicious looks they kept shooting him were really annoying.

Fortunately he was more mature for his age than most kids, so they just thought he was a really short seventeen year old like his driver's license claimed he was.

Two hours later they left and Skull's good mood was thoroughly ruined.

Then Yelena handed him a fresh bowl of stew and it returned like magic.

The thirty-something trapeze artist always clucked at him and made sure anyone who neglected to finish whatever she gave them went hungry in short order. And she acted like a real mother to Skull, ever since he first came to the Cloud Circus.

Molly Weasley was a harpy who smothered any child she could get her claws on. Yelena was someone who let you make your own mistakes and patched you up with good food and a warm smile.

Skull dug in with glee. It didn't take long before he held out the bowl with a puppy-dog look.

"More please."

"Good boy," she said pleased.

Skull was far too skinny and the rare times they went over budget for the food, he made up the difference. He didn't need to work for his paycheck (apparently his long dead father was very rich), but he enjoyed it. He never complained even when the task was something as boring as cleaning after the animals or maintaining whatever grounds they set up shop in.

And he made a point of doing his homework online, thus negating any need for formal schooling. Considering his track record, it was probably for the best.

Skull was like a cloud who did best when drifting along on the breeze. Tying someone like him down was a horrible idea, and it had slowly been killing him inside.

Skull was sixteen and a half when he got the invitation to join the I Presceti Sette.

It sounded interesting, and from what he found out the 'assignments' rarely lasted very long. And he knew he could trust leaving his home with Yelena and the others. After all, the circus was where he belonged. Here, he could be free.

The first meeting with the others was almost a disaster.

He immediately pegged Renato as an abusive asshole, and tried to avoid being around him as much as possible.

Lal Mirch was a strict woman who reminded him strongly of McGonagall, except far more competent and a tsundere personality.

Viper was blunt, sarcastic and money obsessed. But he had the feeling that as long as you paid them what they demanded, they were absolutely loyal. At least they were honest about their motivations.

Verde was odd, and he really played up the 'mad scientist' feel. The looks he kept shooting them all gave him a feel that was almost like the Weasley twins testing out a new prank, only with far less morals.

Luce was bubbly, friendly, and appeared to be a nice person over all. Except there was something about her eyes that had him very suspicious about her intentions...more so than the others.

Fon... he was a wild storm contained only by strict discipline and hiding behind a serene smile. He was a martial arts master, and he felt rather kind overall.

Skull immediately opted to sit next to Fon. Catching a familiar scent on the Chinese martial artist, he immediately struck up a conversation about tea.

"So what's your preference? Green, black or Oolong?" asked Skull curious.

Fon blinked.

"I find oolong tea is pleasant, but I prefer green tea," he said cautiously.

"Never actually tried Oolong, but green tea is pretty good especially with a slice of lemon. I usually drink black tea though," said Skull.

Fon looked at him oddly for a moment, before a slow smile came upon his face.

"I find earl gray is particularly good," he admitted.

"You prefer loose leaf or bagged?" asked Skull.

"Loose leaf provides better flavor, though bagged is fine in a pinch. Less of a mess too," admitted Fon.

"I can bring some of my collection next time," said Skull cheerfully.

"I'd like that. It's hard to find anyone who appreciates a good cup of tea anymore," said Fon smiling.

"Are you two done?" said Renato with a drawl. He was a coffee drinker through and through, and thus found the discussion rather boring.

Skull rolled his eyes at him.

"If we're going to be working together, having something to make small talk about that can't be used against us would be useful," said Fon.

Skull blinked.

Used against us? He mentally repeated. He had a bad feeling about this already.

And it only got worse when he saw the assignment.

Say what you would about him, but he was not an idiot. He could read between the lines and without having to maintain an image of something he wasn't, he could see what that Checkerfaced bastard had neglected to mention.

Namely that the group he was planning to join (if only out of morbid curiosity) was part of the bloody mafia. Or at least had ties to the criminal underground.

Well, he wasn't one to turn down from a challenge.