FicWad

Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter and can't get money for this, but I can make him into a Mafia Prince.

The four members of the Darkov Clan were all up early the next morning, Harry and Blaise leading the way out to the lake so that they could all loosen up before breakfast. As usual, Severus joined them, giving everyone a silent nod as they began a run about the lake.

After the run, Harry fell into the moves of the Path along side Blaise as Nara and Vasile sparred nearby to give them some semblance of peace as they enacted their morning ritual. Severus had started on his own morning stretching ritual, some of which he seemed to be taking from their moves of the Path. Yet even as Harry walked the Path, his mind stayed focused on the presence of the dementors at the school and the reactions of his pendants. He wasn't sure if it was the dragon pendant or the dream catcher that had filled him with that warmth. On one hand, the pendant had helped him against the dragon in first year, but on the other the dream catcher had its own mystical properties linked to the power of Cheveyo's people. Either talisman could have been the one to spread the warmth through his body, but he wasn't planning on going near enough to any of the dementors to test them out.

~~ ~~ ~*~

Manuel was in the forest and had just finished walking the Path, he had wanted solitude that morning, and was heading back to the house when he heard noises. Drawing his gun, Manuel made his way towards the sound and came upon a most unexpected sight. Bill Weasley was furiously slamming his fists over and over again into a moving dummy, Manuel could only surmise it had been created through magic, he appeared to have been at it for quite some time. Holstering his gun, Manuel leaned against a nearby tree and settled in to wait, deciding that it would not be a good idea to interrupt the young Dagger just then. Finally, Bill collapsed to the ground, seemingly spent.

"Want to talk about it?" Manuel remained leaning against the tree, although he was ready to dodge any projectile that might come his way as he uttered the cliché question.

"Not really," Bill had tensed as well, but had slumped back down when he realized who had spoken.

"Do you want time off then?" Manuel continued "Do you want leave to seek your revenge?"

"How can I," Bill's laugh was mirthless, "when we don't even know who the bastard is?"

"You don't think it's Sirius Black?" Manuel persisted "I thought that was what everyone believed? Why don't you?"

Bill sighed and leaned his head back to meet Manuel's gaze, "the Ministry is using Sirius Black as a scapegoat for my father's murder. They don't want the wizarding world to panic and realize there are two sick nutcases on the loose."

Manuel moved away from his tree and sat down beside Bill, "now this is a theory I haven't yet heard. I trust you can tell me more?"

"It's not a theory," Bill said, "It's the truth. One of my friends in the Unspeakables told me even though I wasn't supposed to know; he wanted to make sure I didn't go off half-cocked after Black thinking that the man had murdered my father. In truth, Black didn't escape until after my father's murder, he was still there when Minister Fudge made his monthly visit a week after the murder had happened. The Ministry is blaming Black to keep panic from escalating about there being two killers on the loose. That's why they're saying that Black had escaped during the beginning of the summer, but that the Ministry had kept it under wraps to keep people from panicking."

"So, in other words," Manuel summed the information up, "this Ministry of Magic of yours is trying to save ass by lying."

"Yeah," Bill sighed in dejection, "that's about it, but that also means that my father's murder is still unsolved and that the real murderer is out there somewhere, biding his time."

~~ ~~ ~*~

"Potter," vivid red eyes snapped open at the thought, and their owner hissed again, "Potter. He isss the only one that will do. Hisss blood, hisss power, our connection."

The acolyte merely nodded its acceptance, knowing that Harry Potter had been the only choice all along, "then he shall be the one."

"We ssshall have to get him away from his guard dogsss," Voldemort mused, "sssnatch him right from under their nosesss. Dumbledore will not know what hit him!"

"Then begin your plans," the acolyte suggested, "then you will not have so long to wait once we leave here. It will be still awhile yet before you will regain enough strength to survive outside of this place and my Master does not wish to wait for eternity."

"Yesss, yesss," Voldemort hissed impatiently, "I know of the impatience of your massster, he and I have that much in common. Potter...I will have you for what you have cossst me!"

Voldemort continued to float in the void the acolyte had taken them to, imperiously ignoring Malal's servant as he schemed on the ways to bring disaster down upon Harry Potter. Voldemort couldn't wait until he had regained enough of his power to survive in the true world, a world he desired to claim as his own. The moment he had his magic back the portal leading to the void would reopen and he would be free to put all his plans into place, but first he needed to lay out those plans. It would not due to be unprepared when Lord Voldemort returned to the world, it would not be right to disappoint himself after all.

From nearby, the acolyte continued to watch the deformed infantile form that was currently Voldemort. He did not know what Malal saw in this mortal, but it was not his duty to question his Master. No, he could not question his Master, not even if he doubted that this mortal would be able to triumph.

~~ ~~ ~*~

Classes started out on Tuesday, September 1st had fallen on a Monday, with the usual start-of-term boring lectures until after lunch when the Slytherin third-years had their first Defense class with Professor Lupin. They arrived in class in their usual cliques, Harry and Blaise with Vasile and Nara in tow, some milling around waiting for the bell to ring while others sat down quietly to get their books and parchment out so that they were ready to take the usual first day of class notes. Professor Lupin had a different approach in mind though as he smiled at them while placing his briefcase down.

"Good afternoon," he said. "Would you please put all your books back in your bags. Today's will be a practical lesson. You will need only your wands."

Now from most people this would have elicited a curious response, but the majority of the Slytherins had already decided to dislike Professor Lupin based upon his shabby appearance and grumbled while complying with what had been asked. Those that weren't judging the Professor based upon his appearance, but were waiting to see what his teaching was like, were intrigued and wondered if they finally had a teacher competent enough to teach them something. Harry and Blaise already had a vague idea from the incident on the train and were ready to see more.

"Right then," Professor Lupin was ignoring the mutters as he headed for the classroom door, "If you'd follow me."

Shrugging, Harry and Blaise followed their Professor, the rest of the class falling in after them as they were lead down a deserted corridor. Draco's voice grew louder as he attempted to break the Professor's composure.

"This place is going to the dogs," Draco's posse was hanging off his every word, "I can't believe they'd let someone so shabby teach us. Even that ponce Lockhart looked better than this sorry excuse for a Professor. I should write my father, when he and my mother hear-"

"Ohhhh!" Peeves unmistakable crackle interrupted Draco's words, "it's a Daddy's boy. Does Malfoy miss his mommy too?"

"Why you!" Draco's face tinted pink.

"Malfoy misses his mommy and cries for his daddy; moan-y, mope-y Malfoy misses his mommy!" Peeves sang happily.

"That's enough Peeves," Professor Lupin faced the poltergeist calmly, "I have a class to teach and you're disrupting it."

"Loony, Loopy Lupin," Peeves blew a raspberry and Harry could have sworn Professor Lupin hid a small grin, "not in a classroom, so Peevesie can play."

Giving an almost inaudible sigh, Professor Lupin drew his wand out, causing Peeves to scowl. Seeming to consider for a moment, Peeves finally saluted in the Professor's direction and grinned towards Harry and Blaise before zooming away through the nearest wall.

"After classies, little Slytheries!" Peeves cackled as he disappeared, allowing Professor Lupin to continue on towards their destination; the staffroom.

"Inside, please," Professor Lupin motioned them all in.

Once inside Harry took a good look around, nodded slightly to Professor Snape who had ensconced himself in a shadowy corner to observe what was taking place, and wondered why their lesson was to be in here of all places. He had been near the staffroom before, had even eavesdropped on the conversations inside, but had never actually come into the room itself because he knew it to be warded so that the Professors would know if a student came looking around their sanctuary. The rattling of a wardrobe in along one wall gave Harry his answer; there was something inside that the Professor wanted them to face. Harry and Blaise smirked as some of their classmates jumped when the wardrobe rattled again.

"Not to worry," Professor Lupin seemed a bit too cheery about whatever was in the wardrobe, "it's only a boggart in there."

Obviously this was cause for worry in some students, but Harry and Blaise didn't really see the reason. Sure a boggart would assume the form of your greatest fear, but there were ways to defeat and master a fear if not overcome it. The most common way to defeat a boggart was to turn your fear into something that you could laugh at, but a more rare way was to face down the fear and force yourself to overcome it so that it didn't impede you. It was a lesson Harry and Blaise had been taught year after year, know when you are afraid of something, but find some way to keep going despite that fear. Both of them had mastered it to some degree, for if they hadn't they would be dead.

"Boggarts like dark, enclosed spaces," Professor Lupin began his lecture, "Wardrobes, the gap beneath beds, the cupboards under sinks-I've even met one that had lodged itself in a grandfather clock. This one moved in just this morning and the headmaster kindly left it to give my third years some practice."

From the muttering, most of the class didn't think the headmaster had been all that kind.

"So, the first question we must ask ourselves is, what is a boggart?"

Blaise raised her hand to answer, "It's a shape-shifter that will take the shape of our greatest fear."

Severus nodded his approval from the corner as Professor Lupin smiled at Blaise, "couldn't have said it better myself. So the boggart sitting in the darkness within has not yet assumed a form. He does not yet know what will frighten the person on the other side of the door. Nobody knows what a boggart looks like when he is alone, but when I let him out, he will immediately become whatever each of us most fears. This means we have a huge advantage over the boggart before we begin. Have you spotted it, Harry?"

Harry nodded, "we have the advantage of numbers to confuse it with. The boggart won't be able to scare us all at once and won't know who to focus on."

Once again Severus gave his silent nod of approval, unseen in his corner except by Harry, Blaise, Vasile, Nara, and perhaps Lupin.

"The charm that repels a boggart is simple, yet it requires a force of mind." Lupin captured Harry's attention again even though Severus and Trevor had already taught him about boggarts, "You see, the thing that really finishes a boggart is laughter. What you need to do is force it to assume a shape that you find amusing. We will practice the charm without wands first. After me, please...riddikulus!"

The class chorused the spell with different amounts of enthusiasm a few times before Professor Lupin called a halt.

"Good," Professor Lupin said, "very good. Now, Theodore, if you would step forward to assist me. What is it that you fear?"

"I'm not telling you," Theo muttered defiantly, the rest of the class sullenly agreeing with Nott, none of them wanted to reveal their fears.

Professor Lupin sighed as if expecting this, "you either participate or I'll start taking points from Slytherin for everyone who refuses."

Still Theo remained silent, causing Lupin to take five points from Slytherin. And was it Harry's imagination, or did it seem as if Professor Lupin was resisting the urge to tap his foot impatiently as he went to take another five points. At this point Professor Snape glided from the shadows before Lupin could take a third set of points, startling his grumbling students; he had been shooting Harry and Blaise looks as if to tell them to step forward, but they had shook their heads slightly and gone back to watching Theo squirm. They had no hesitation in participating like their classmates did, but wanted to watch how Lupin handled getting the reticent Slytherin's to face the boggart and reveal their fears.

Professor Snape eyed them all before speaking, "I don't want to hear Slytherin lose another point."

Professor Snape's voice was soft, hinting that Theo had better take some form of action, but Theo kept up his silent and nervous shifting.

"Well!" Snape barked, losing his patience and finally getting a reaction.

"I'm afraid of rabbits," Theo finally blurted out to the scorn of the others, "my brother gave my bunny fangs and made it attack me."

"Alright," Professor Lupin's easy-going nature was back, "that wasn't so hard. Now think of how you can turn your fear humorous and I'll release the boggart. Everyone else be ready for when it turns to you."

Lupin easily positioned Theo in front of the wardrobe and backed away, ignoring the patented glare Professor Snape was directing at him, "three...two...one..."

With a flick of his wand, Professor Lupin opened the wardrobe door and Theo's bunny-boggart emerged.

"Riddikulus!" Theo shouted after a moment pause of fear, his voice slightly shaky as he turned the bunny pink with huge lips that wouldn't allow the fangs out.

"Good," Lupin encouraged them as Professor Snape settled back to watch, "next!"

Pansy's boggart turned into a version of her as and old maid with wrinkles, she rudely turned it into Hermione Granger. Millicent was hit next and bats flew around her until she managed to imagine them flopping on the ground with severed wings. Draco tried to duck out then, but Crabbe and Goyle's bulk blocked his exit and he found himself faced with a Pansy wearing a wedding ring bearing the Malfoy crest. Harry had to admit, but seeing boggart-Pansy in a wedding dress was enough to scare him as well. The boggart turned to Harry. Even expecting this as he was, Harry almost froze at the sight of his father lying still and dead upon the cold ground, but he forced himself to know that it wasn't real.

"That is not going to happen," Harry stated, vaguely aware as the boggart began to flicker through the still forms of Trevor and the Guards that Vasile, Nara, and Lupin were trying to get to him through the students forming a tight semi-circle about him.

The boggart froze on the image of Blaise lying in a pool of her own blood.

"That is not going to happen!" Harry actually screamed the words aloud for all to hear as Blaise reached him first, throwing herself between Harry and the boggart, knowing he would have done the same for her, "I won't let that happen!"

But even with Blaise standing between him and the boggart, the boggart did not lose its focus on Harry, almost at a loss that Harry was defying what it was showing. Then suddenly, as if settling upon a realization, the boggart became a dementor that moved towards Harry and Blaise as they stood to face it together while a chill swept through the room.

"RIDDIKULUS!" Professor Lupin had moved between Harry, Blaise, and the boggart while Professor Snape pulled them aside as an extra precaution.

With a crack the boggart turned into a moon-like orb that Professor Lupin forced back into the wardrobe.

"Class dismissed," Lupin sounded nearly breathless as he leveled his gaze upon Harry, a gaze that Harry returned firmly and without fear despite what he had just seen from the boggart.



It wasn't until after dinner on that first day back at classes that Penny managed to get Harry off to himself; Blaise was off somewhere with Nara and Harry had decided to play around with Vasile and had given the man the slip. She had been trying to get Harry alone since she had gone to stay at his house, but it had always proved impossible with Blaise and all the others around. She had begun to wonder if Harry ever got any privacy at all.

"Harry," Penny hurried up, nearly running to seize the presented opportunity, "can I talk to you, somewhere where we can't be overheard?"

For a long moment it seemed that Harry was only going to stand there and look at her, but then he grabbed her arm and tugged her after him, heading for an abandoned classroom nearby.

"We shouldn't be overheard here, and I'll be able to avoid Vasile for a while longer. He's still not quite used to the moving stairs, changing passageways, and disappearing doors." Harry said as he closed the door and threw up a few minor wards Severus had taught him, "So what's up? What do you need to talk about?"

Penny was suddenly a bit nervous, but plowed on anyhow, "your dad is more than just rich, isn't he? The Weasley's might not know much about the muggle world, but I do, and I know that no one needs as many guards as there are at your house for just wealth; most people don't have a shooting range either. There's something else going on. Your dad and my dad do business, and I know some of the stuff my dad gets into isn't perfectly legal, I've heard my parents argue about it. I also once heard him say something about the mafia. Is that it? Is it true your dad is in the mafia?"

Harry hadn't said a word while Penny said her piece and she wasn't sure if it was a good thing or not. Maybe this had all been a bad idea; she should have just kept her suspicions to herself. Harry meanwhile was trying to decide the best way to answer the girl and decided that he had best trust her. Penny had already proven to be a very good friend and she had more than enough information for any Ravenclaw to figure out the truth.

"No, my dad isn't in the mafia," Harry began, continuing on even as Penny let out the breath she had been holding; Vasile could obliviate her if it became absolutely necessary, "he is the leader of a mafia, its king if you will. There are other mafias of course, but the Darkov clan is currently the most powerful and the most well managed with a perfectly legal façade to operate behind. Your father does occasionally do some clan related business for my father, mainly in information and acquisition, nothing too dangerous."

Penny hardly realized when she collapsed into a chair, she had pieced together the truth, but getting the confirmation of that truth was a shock.