Disclaimer:
I solemnly swear that the literature and works of the Harry Potter Verse belong to JK Rowling, Bloomberg and Warner Bros. The only thing I own are the one-shot ideas that popped into my head and whatever OCs I would create for them. This is a work of pure fiction made solely for fun, constructive reviews will be welcomed, flames will be ignored. Any references to characters in real-life or fiction are purely coincidental. If I could make money out of my ideas, it would be nice...
Mischief Managed Damn It!
Title: A Heist of Magical Proportions (Working Title)
Posted Date: March 20 2022
Tags: Gentleman Thief Harry, Good Ron / Twins, Demolition Seamus, Ocean 11 Inspired AU, Ron x Hermione, UST for Ron & Hermione, Possible UST for Harry & Susan Bones
Possible Challenges: WBWL, Manipulative Dumbledore, Slight Crack, Harry x Multi, Possible 3 part series
The sounds of footsteps echoed in the hallway of jail cells as the guard for the day walked down the path, making sure the prisoners were staying put. Granted it was early in the morning and this was the low crime wing where the prisoners would be there either for a few weeks to months at the longest for minor crimes or on good behavior, but one could not be too careful when some guy tries to be free. The guard stopped in front of one cell and looked in to find a well furnished cell with a shelf filled with books, some drawings stuck on the wall, and the occupant currently napping on the bed.
"Rise and shine, Llyr." The guard called out to the sole occupant in the cell while knocking on the railings lightly. The occupant stirred from the sounds before getting up from the bed and stretching his arms out. Said occupant was a young man around his mid twenties with dark hair that looked like a mess dressed in the standardized prison garb. After letting a sigh from popping the joints, the man opened his eyes to reveal emerald greens that would likely make any woman swoon at the sight.
(This was partially why no woman, visitor or guard, was sent to meet him unless in the company of other male guards. The first time it happened was something no guy wanted to repeat, even the occupant in question who begged for an isolation cell block.)
"Good morning, Carl." Llyr greeted the guard.
"Morning. You know the drill." The prisoner nodded and walked to the front to stick his hands out of the railings to let the guard cuff him, then took a few steps back and waited for the officer to open the cell door before walking out calmly and letting him guide him about. "So, big day for you."
"Maybe, I would rather not jinx myself." The prisoner remarked as they made their way down the corridor just as a few of the others woke up for the morning and looked out. All of them greeted him in various manners, from polite to downright jeering depending on the occupant in question. Llyr merely nodded and greeted back as his escort brought him to another room where three people dressed in suits were waiting for him. After guiding him to the chair and securing the cuffs to his legs, the guard went to a corner and stood watch.
"Mister Harold Griffins Llyr?" The man in the middle of the table asked as he consulted a folder in front of him. "British national?"
"Yes sir." the prisoner answered while shifting into a better position.
"Do you understand why you are here in this room with us?" The man asked with his eyes peering at Harold over his spectacles.
"I believe so, sir." That got the man looking back to his file.
"You have been here for 11 months now. Noted to have good behavior and responsive to questions. No aggression and willing to help around the prison, actually helping to get the prison levels under control." The man hummed as he perused the document. "You were also granted a chance to leave early because of those traits. Why didn't you?" Harold shrugged.
"I did do a fair bit of property damage, and wrecked a few bodies, so I should do my punishment. Admittedly, I was not in the best state of mind when I arrived, being in the cell helped to knock me out of my funk, helped to focus me. That is why I chose to stay to finish my sentence." The young man answered. The panel of people looked at their documents and wrote some notes.
"Mister Llyr, as you may have surmised, this hearing is to see whether you are likely to break the law again." The woman in a crisp suit on the left side of the table started to talk. "This is your first conviction and the circumstances behind it were problematic due to the people handling your case, even if you had good reasons behind them. We just want to make sure that you won't break the law again."
"Perfectly clear." Harold nodded to the woman.
"You do realize that if you fail this hearing, you could be stuck in a cell for a lot longer?" The third person on the right side sniffed in a manner that spoke of his arrogance, ignoring the light glares courtesy of his companions.
"I believe my actions will speak for themselves." Harold answered with a straight back and a smile.
"In that case, Mister Llyr." The man in the middle spoke up again. "Let us begin."
~ooOOoo~
"Heard we got someone leaving the prison?" A young man in a guard uniform walked to an older guard with a well trimmed beard.
"One of our newer and more responsible guests." The older guard answered as he watched Harold gather up his belongings and sign out the different paperwork to get them back before moving to the cell next to the guard room to change his clothes. "Shame really, he is a nice guy, would be better without his god awful puns though."
"Low crime?"
"Medium, Kendricks." The older guard remarked. "Even then, it is barely hitting the requirement." The younger guard raised an eyebrow at that.
"The hell does that mean, Boris?" The older guard raised a finger as he went to the nearest table that had the folders detailing inmates about to leave the prison, while Kendricks watched the person in question finished changing into a simple suit and walked out of the cell, allowing the guard assigned to him to move him through the door and to the fenced corridor that would lead to his freedom, noting how the other prisoners came to their end to say their goodbyes to him.
"Never heard the prisoners act so nice to another leaving the joint." The young guard remarked watching the now ex-con moving out to the fenced corridor while the other prisoners cheered him on.
"Oh right, you are new around here." Boris scratched his beard as he returned with a folder in hand. "You would not know about the guy's history."
"What was he here for?" Kendrick asked his senior. In response, the man opened up the folder to read it out to him.
"In the official report, Harold Griffins Llyr was sent here for vigilantism, aggravated assault, attempted murder and criminal contempt of the court." Boris answered as they made their way back to the guards room. Kendrick perked his ears up at that odd wording.
"And unofficially?" Boris nodded at the alertness of the kid.
"He entered the general area for a quick stopover and within one week, stopped two drug trafficking gangs and one child trafficking gang, taking down the members without killing them, and finding evidence to show their crimes. Also prevented a few children from getting assaulted by the gang members in the process. All done by complete accident as he was not trying to go after them at all. No deaths whatsoever." Kendricks gawked at that.
"Wait, seriously?" A nod from Boris prompted him to continue "Okay, I get the vigilantism, and maybe the aggravated assault, even if they are a stretch to believe considering they are supposed to be medium level crimes. But the attempted murder and contempt of the court? Won't he be here longer?" Boris snorted at that.
"One of the gang members with the taste for young girls happens to be the son of Judge Creed. The same judge who sentenced the lad for supposed assault against his son, when the only injury found on him was a bruise to his head." Boris shook his head as they entered the room. "Everyone could tell that it was a grudge against Harold but they could not get the judge out of the seat for the ruling, and when Harold pointed that out to the judge, Creed tagged on the contempt of the court charge. So Harold got sentenced here supposedly for the next few years. Thing is, everyone had already heard about the gangs and their actions, so the guys down here made it clear to not attack the guy. Helps that he is bar none the politest son of a bitch to grace these cells, provided you don't piss him off."
"Thankfully, some of the other officers had the common sense to keep looking, thus finding out what really happened and showing the evidence. Creed got booted out of the court and both of them are now getting prison time. I know that a few others are looking forward to meeting them here." Kendricks felt some sweat on his head at that admission. Something in his gut told him that if those two did get into their prison, their stay was going to be a short one.
"Despite all of that, he should have let the officers know about them and he did do a fair amount of property damage taking out the gangs. That is why he has been here for the past year. He is understanding of that fact, though if I were to be honest, he seemed more relieved to be in here than outside for the first few weeks." Kendricks looked at him curiously. "I think that guy is in trouble and he just got a break from whatever it was chasing him when he got sent here. Considering he is British and there are all those weird cases going on in that country, I don't blame him for wanting to get away." Boris shrugged before moving on. "Still, it is out of our hands now." Kendricks only looked back to where the ex-con left the area before giving a shrug of his own.
Guess it was not their problem anymore.
Why was he feeling light-headed so early in the morning?
~ooOOoo~
Not hearing their thoughts, Harold Griffins Llyr waved his final goodbyes to the last of the prisoners who had been his neighbors for the past 11 months. For the most part, they were fine to leave alone and vice versa, but there were a few who wanted to show him the pecking order. Too bad for them, he made sure to dissuade them while keeping his nose clean. He knew that he would be free from prison since the officers handling the case had kept him up to date, but walking out was the true confirmation.
And at least it was a nice way to have a vacation while keeping his head hidden from the outside world.
A car honk drew his attention to the nearby second-hand car where a lanky red haired man waved lazily at him. A smile appeared on his face as he quickly made his way to him.
"Eugene called, he apparently wants his jacket back." The redhead snorted as he pulled at the dark leather jacket that clashed badly with the hair.
"He can have it if he actually wins the next game. He cannot whine about his luck." The man brought a hand for Harry to grasp and pulled him into a bro hug. "Nice to have you out of the joint, Harry."
"Likewise, Ron." Harold / Harry patted his back before breaking out of the hug and moved to the passenger seat. "What happened to your other car?"
"Got banged up in an accident. Seamus took it out for a joyride but forgot to check around the corners." Ron grumbled as he entered from the driver's side and started the engine up. "The damage is minimal, but I need to leave it in the shop for a month to keep our tailcoats cool, not to mention the bloody mechanic trying to screw me over with the pricing." Harry hummed as they slowly moved out of the parking spot and towards the gantry.
"Speaking of tailcoats, any tails?" Ron paused to show the guard at the gantry who he was picking up, prompting Harry to wave at the man. The guard in question rolled his eyes in good humor before waving them on and bidding him farewell.
"Two by the sedan next to the Chevrolet." Ron answered as they went down the road. "Had to stop for gas, so they caught up."
"Any relation to the ones we dealt with?" Harry asked as he casually looked at the side mirror to watch an unmarked sedan following them a few meters away.
"Not them, but that kid you beat up before entering this place. Guy did not like how daddy dearest could not get him out of jail fast enough and got some guys out for your head." Ron went to the lane where there were cars waiting for the traffic light to change. Harry kept watch on the sedan that stopped roughly five cars away. "I believe those are the last two since the rest got caught by the police."
"Well, that should be an easy fix." Harry stuck out his hand from the window, acting like he was waiting for the light to change as he waved his hand a bit. When the light turned green, they moved on with the sedan following suit only for them to bang into another car by the rear end, prompting a jam at the intersection. Harry smiled as he watched the people get out of the car to argue while a police cruiser nearby came to a stop and the officers disembarked quickly to get to them.
"Bad luck for them." Ron smirked as he looked by the rear window. Harry shrugged as he tried to get breathing. "Hey, you okay?"
"I had to keep my magic under wraps for the past few weeks when I heard a few magical raids going on in the area. Last thing I needed were Aurors coming into the cell." Harry cracked his neck. "But my magic is feeling a bit weak since I have been stuck there with no vegetation to draw energy from, and I had to keep some of the rougher inmates away." Ron nodded as he listened.
"Well you can take a nap for now. We are heading to the distro center down a few miles. Figured you need to do your checks with the parole officer before leaving the area earlier. Once there, we just head to the portkey point." Ron did something to the car that eliminated most of the noise instantly. "Hopefully by next week, we can move to France."
"Has the heat died down?" Ron gave a 'so-so' gesture with one hand.
"We scattered quickly, long before the Aurors could come after us. At least we had our fake passports and moved to our hideaways, but some of the Aurors haven't stopped chasing." Ron peeked at him with a wry smile and wiggling eyebrows. "Heard Bones was really gunning for you before you landed yourself in that jail cell." Harry shrugged humorously.
"I needed to stay off the radar, and those gangs were in my way. What better way to stay out of Azkaban than to be in a muggle jail cell?" Ron snorted at that.
"True, I don't think anyone else had considered that option. I definitely would not have known if you hadn't listed me as your emergency contact. Gave us quite the shock hearing you were in this joint." Ron shook his head in slight amusement.
"Exactly, if you don't know, the rest won't, and that also means the Aurors won't as well." Harry sighed as his body sunk into the chair.
"Go on, take a nap. Can't really use the boosting spell on this piece of junk." Ron grumbled as he fiddled with the joystick. Harry took his suggestion and closed his eyes, dozing off within a few seconds.
For a few minutes, they enjoyed the silence and the radio throwing out cheesy music, before Ron woke him up to eat some food he brought from one of the road vendors. After some chatting and a quick glance about the area, they moved on just as dark clouds were gathering.
"So how are you and the others?" Ron looked to him before looking back in front when some raindrops hit the windscreen.
"Seamus and Dean are handling their own jobs in different states. The twins still have their joke shop as their cover, while the rest of our gang are tackling smaller cases. But all of them are missing you and they do wish to have another big job." Ron answered. "As you know, Neville has finally settled down with Hannah, and if my last letter was any indication, they are expecting a kid anytime now." Harry blinked at that last bit.
"Really?" Ron nodded at that, to which Harry gave a gentle smile. "Good for him, he needs that stability, and Hannah can keep him out of trouble."
"Like he needs that at all, he is the most cautious of us all." Ron raised an eyebrow at him. "Unlike some people, I might add."
"Like you are any better. Remind me who was the one that decided to dump laxatives and chilies into the chancellor's stew in Rome?" Ron shoved Harry's arm at that while the latter laughed at him.
"Okay, not my best moment, but that did help us get the jewel from his safe. So, any new jobs?" Ron asked as he checked the sign they were coming up to.
"I only just got out, I will probably stay low for a while longer before considering another job." Harry placed his hands behind his head and closed his eyes. "That Creed kid was a joke, but his attitude reminded me too much of Malfoy Junior. I seriously did not need to deal with him or that prick of a judge." Since his eyes were closed, Harry did not see the glint in his friend's eyes or the set jaw that came on while he gripped the steering wheel tightly.
"Funny you should mention Malfoy. I might have an idea for a possible job."
"Oh?" Harry opened one eye.
"You know about the casinos opened by Lucius Malfoy?" Ron checked the side mirrors to make sure they were not followed.
"Who hasn't? The newspapers kept blaring about it when the first one was opened during our fifth year, and made a very big deal about it when the others were opened after we graduated. Even now the Daily Prophet won't stop their wanking about the latest Runespoor Casinos from two years ago." Ron almost swerved off the road from his spit-take at Harry's description of the news taking, though to be frank he did have a good point. The newspaper from Britain appeared to be serenading to the ego of Lucius Malfoy, and the man was walking like he had won the lottery.
"That's one way of putting it. And it is quite coincidental that you mentioned the Runespoor casinos, because the trio of casinos are what I want to talk about." Ron set them back on course.
"I am guessing from your words, there is a big payout coming along?" Harry sat straighter, his mind now clearer and more alert for the news.
"Victor Krum is coming back to the Quidditch pitches, and Malfoy is milking the spectacle for all it generates." Ron gave him the details. "And because there is some big-shot international duelist coming to Britain around the same time, Lucius Malfoy decided to offer one of their amphitheaters for an exhibition duel with others."
"I would bet you are happy to see Krum again." Harry teased before yelping from the punch given by Ron. "Hey, watch it, I am fragile!"
"Yes, I know. I was a major fan of the guy, so stop teasing." Ron grumbled at the reminder of how he used to act like a fanboy in his youth. "What I am trying to tell you is that with Krum and that duelist coming to Britain and Malfoy getting the two to perform at his casinos, the number of people coming would be doubled if not tripled." Without even looking at him, Ron could tell that Harry was thinking very hard of the scenario and crunching numbers.
"Considering big events draw people over like bees to honey, the amount of money flowing through would be astronomical to say the least. Not to mention security would need to be tight." Harry remarked. "If my information on the exchange rates are not too outdated, the payout would be extreme, but the procedure for this would be to regulate the money in one casino if I recall correctly. Easier to focus all the security on one location than to spread them out, even if you run the risk of someone trying to get that amount of wealth."
"Haven't found out which one, but I had heard from a contact that the Emerald Serpent, the second of the trio, is getting some serious upgrades with the vaults, supposedly from some safe warders that boast their security measures are strong enough to compete with Gringotts." A snort from Harry pretty much showed his thoughts on that claim. Very few could claim to rival the bank run by blood thirsty goblins who hated thieves with a passion, and in their opinions, the only ones that could match if not surpass the goblins were the dwarves from Switzerland. Humans, not so much.
"Okay, I get what you are saying and like it a little. Just one hitch to your suggestion." Harry looked at Ron seriously. "You do recall that Lucius Malfoy is a Death Eater, right?" Ron winced at the tone, but understood the reason for that. It was a pretty open secret to the British public that the man in question, often labelled an 'upstanding citizen' by a woman wearing obscene pink, was actually a member of an ICW recognized terrorist cell called the "Death Eaters", led by some upstart dark lord named Voldemort promoting the blood bigotry that had seen Britain divided and much blood spilt over the generations. The major reason why such a person was not locked up was due to the lack of evidence along with the major corruption that went on in the British Ministry that had seen much gold exchanged between them. This was one of the bigger factors that had Ron and Harry leaving the country as soon as they could and going about their lives.
"I know, but just think about it. All of that money in one location, just waiting for us!" Ron tried to sell the idea to Harry who kept his eyes narrowed at him in concentration.
"There is another reason for this, isn't there?" Ron flinched which led to even narrower eyes. "Ronald Benjamin Prewett." Ron winced at his tone.
Oh crap, Harry used his full name. The last time that happened was on a con job that went sideways to MacUSA, and only thanks to some quick hands that they got away while messing with their competition at the time, with some Seamus-approved explosions, Dean's artistic ideas, the twin's mayhem, and a few rubber ducks.
Not their best moment.
Ronald sighed as he scratched his head before making a pit stop by the side of the road. Once he made sure no one would drive into them from behind, he parked the vehicle and turned to his buddy with a grim face.
"It's Bill." The name of his eldest brother loosened the tension in Harry's eyes but raised an eyebrow. "One of Lucius's chummy buddies got to him and his crew during an excavation in Peru. He is alive." Ron raised a hand to dispel his worries. "But Bill got banged up big time, and the bastard who attacked him got off scot free by Malfoy." Ron clenched his hands tightly on the steering wheel. "Even with his employment with Gringotts, the treatment involved is expansive. The twins and I are doing what we can to help, while the ones who should are doing bloody nothing!" Ron slammed a fist hard against the wheel. "And they accused us of being traitors."
Harry closed his eyes at the explanation, now understanding a little about the situation. William 'Bill' Weasley, the eldest son and primary heir of the Weasley Clan, was one of the best curse breakers under Gringotts and a man that Harry could respect. He, along with Charlie Weasley, were also the only members of that family still in contact with Ron and the twins who had been estranged with the rest of the family and were forced to leave while taking up the family name of the Prewetts from the mother's side, due to Charlie taking up the heirship. Ron had changed his name to follow the man who took him under his wing and helped him out when his birth parents did not do so, with the mother ordering her husband to disavow them.
In a few ways, he could relate to Ron and his twin brothers when it came to issues regarding family.
"Looks like I have a lot of news to catch up on." Harry commented. Ron inhaled and exhaled deeply to regain control of his temper.
"I know, we cannot get too involved with a job." Ron managed to get that out. "But I can't get rid of the thought of those bastards always getting away with shit like that because of their damn money. They screwed Bill over. They messed with my family!"
Harry placed a firm hand on his shoulder. "Don't need to worry about my reaction. I too am not happy that those guys get to go scot free." Harry looked out the window before sighing. "All right, I might consider the job."
"However!" Harry raised a finger in front of Ron's face to stop the obvious cheer. "I still need to lay low and recover for a while longer, we can use that period to get the details and prepare the team before we scope out the location. If we are going against Malfoy, we have to be prepared to go against his fellow munchers who are more than likely to be there for the events at least. I am not going to rush head on without at least 3 exit plans."
"No problem, we definitely need to be careful, especially if we have to go back to Britain." The expression that appeared on Ron as he said that was likely reflected on Harry. Much like Ron, Harry had his own reasons to leave the country and was not keen to break that streak. "I think we would need another 4 exit plans to avoid getting attention from that old man. You know, just to have lucky number seven?" Harry snorted as they continued on to their destination.
They would need all the luck they can have if they want to pull off what was likely their craziest heist of the century.
