I.

Harry has never been needed.

Sure, with the Dursleys, he makes all the food, washes all the dishes, and tends the garden. But that isn't need, it is a type of coping, so that Uncle Vernon and Aunt Petunia could overlook him, the little strange boy that isn't normal, that doesn't belong in their life. This way their precious and normal Dudley would follow in their footsteps and not be tainted by his abnormality. So their neighbors see a loving family, who even with the burden of their own child, takes in another one under their wing.

So he answers Aunt Petunia and Uncle Vernon with obedience and understanding eyes, because even though he isn't needed, he still hopes that someday they would notice. Because even though they hate him, it was the closest he ever comes to being needed in his eight years of life. (They are family and isn't that worth something?)

But:

When a white-haired man (not normal, notnormal, NOTNORMAL) approaches him with a fake, fake smile and an offer, Harry agrees.

(because even though the pacifier will take his life and wither him away, he is needed.)

So he ties the ribbon of the flickering pacifier around his neck and smiles at the man with a soul that weeps. (The eyes are the windows to the soul, and clouds cannot always hide the sun.)

The man smiles back, and beyond that smile lays a field of broken glass.

When Harry cradles the orange pacifier in his hands that night, something shatters and wings unfurl themselves and take flight.

II.

Leaving the Dursleys had been the easiest thing he's ever done.

(Because now he knows the difference between need and tolerance, and when there is something that needs him, there was no longer any desire to stay.)

On his tenth birthday, Harry Potter vanishes without a trace. (Actually, he whines to Kawahira until the man agrees to get him out, but that's not the point.)

On August 1st, Hadrian Evans, age 12 and red-headed, becomes a citizen of the United States of America.

But before he even officially sets foot on American soil, barely finishes with his passport check-ins, the American Arcane Agency sweeps him off for an orientation.

(Apparently there is another hidden society. And instead of omerta. there is the Statute of Secrecy, and instead of Vendice, there are creepy zombified-creatures wrapped in bandages (what a coincidence) called dementors.)

Instead of flames and mafia and dying will, there is wands and wizards and magic.

And somehow he is the heir to an Honorable and Venerable House with too money to spare and more piling up in interest. That invalidates Aunt Petunia and Uncle Vernon's claims of his parents. Because even with all his wisdom of a ten-year-old, he is skeptical that a drunkard and whore would be able to obtain such a fortune.

So he ventures on, and outright gawks at the majority of items on display. There is anything from singing hamburger hats to pens with random color-changing ink to bottled intestines. He snatches a brown featherlight sling bag and proceeds to stuff it with sweets and books.

Most people didn't even bat an eye at the sight of a 10 - no 12 - year shopping by himself, probably assuming that his parents were somewhere nearby. And the government itself didn't care where you use magic, as long as he isn't the cause of Salem Witch Hunt v.2.

Something in him shatters when he receives his wand - light-colored cypress with a phoenix feather. The wandmaker smiles at him with sadness and respect - 'wielders of cypress will die a hero's death, a sacrifice'.

When he raises the wand up in the sun, all he can see is gentle engravings of deer frolicking and studded fire opal eyes blinking back at him. He shrugs, and stuffs the wand back into the leather holster on his thigh.

The pacifier will take his life, but he doubts that laying in bed and coughing out a lung will make him a hero. Bloody hell, he is too young for stress lines. (What exactly did you bring, Kawahira?)

III.

Harr-Hadrian (he doesn't even care anymore) meets the first of the Arcobaleno a month after he steps foot in America. (He stands out like a sore thumb with his politeness and British accent, but he's adapting.)

He is in New York City, walking mindlessly through dark alleyways because he's lost in this maze of a city.

He remembers walking into a dainty little cafe on the corner of an alley and a bustling street, but when he walks out he is absolutely baffled by the amount of people walking by. So he does the logical thing and turns left into the far less crowded alley instead, disregarding the fact that he knows as much about directions as any other tourist. So like he does in Surrey, he turns left at every juncture until he emerges back on the same street.

But apparently, New York doesn't work like that, he contemplates as he hops over another suspicious-looking bag with an unpleasant odor.

When his pacifier starts to glow from underneath his two layers of sweater and dress shirt combo, Harry stops moving and pulls it out to cradle it in his hands. He panics for a second that the glow might attract attention before remembering that normal people can't see dying will flames.

So, he stands there with the pacifier in his hands and waits. Because whoever it is should know the streets better than he knows them (or does not know them) and come looking. He isn't disappointed when he hears light frantic footsteps coming from behind him.

He turns around with a smile because he knows who it is. "Hello Skull," because only other one person in the group besides him would ever be caught dead with loud footsteps. "I'm Hadrian, it's nice to meet you," and he stares into a pair of amethyst eyes.

Unlike him, Skull seems far more surprised and then prepares to gawk at him for the next couple minutes. He is startled out of his reprieve when Harry asks him how they can get back to the hotel.

Cloud and mist are not far apart,

Sun and cloud form a double-edged blade,

When clouds cover the sky, a storm might brew,

Bringing rain and lightning in its wake,

Storm and lightning are brothers at heart,

While the rain dances merrily away.

IV.

So when mist follows the cloud, Harry isn't surprised.

When he stumbles into the kitchenette of the hotel room the next morning wearing pajamas, he discovers two infants sitting at the table and drinking strawberry milk. He rubs his eyes and yawn because it is 6 in the morning and there are babies in his hotel room.

"Oh," last night's events make themselves known, and he doesn't say anything else as he collapses on the table. He stares at them from where his face lays on the table, and his question comes out flat because he doesn't have that extra energy to waste on intonation. "How are you even awake at this ungodly hour."

The cloaked baby snorts. "You'll need to pay for an answer."

Skull slams his helmet onto the table. "Mammon," he starts, "Please don't charge minors and zombies."

Harry cracks his chin on the table and sighs. He stares forlornly at the cave-in on the table from where Skull slammed into it. "Now the hotel will charge me for that."

"Muu, just charge the lackey for it." Mammon gives off an air of practiced patience and turns to him. "Hadrian, was it?"

"Just call me Harry," he mumbles, standing up to search for a bag of tea because it seems the other two weren't about to let him go back to sleep. Two minutes later when he is sipping tea and not so dead anymore he refocuses to catch the tail end of a conversation.

"-to the meeting?" Skull says, and Harry doesn't quite understand.

Mammon sighs at his questioning look and reiterates the conversation.

"Well," Harry sighs. "On a scale of one to ten, where one is 'we'll just keep an eye on you' and ten being 'there needs to be a fully trained army surrounding you at all times', where do the Arcobaleno rank?"

"Twenty," Skull says without a trace of hesitance. "As in 'we need to lock you in a tower in the middle of nowhere with armies surrounding you at all times'."

Mammon makes a sound of agreement. "After the death of Luce and the disappearance of the pacifier, no one will want you going anywhere." It earns a sigh from Harry, who stares forlornly into the mug.

A part of him growls and bristles at the thought of being trapped. He isn't ready for that yet, not when the remaints of the Dursleys still weigh him down.

In the end, they decide to wait a year. And if the others find out before that, they'll deal with it when it comes.

But Harry gains a companion in the form of Skull, and a mother (father?) hen (rooster?) in the form of Mammon.

V.

Five months come and go, and Harry and Skull are hiking in the Sierra Nevadas, both of them admiring the abundance of fauna gathered in one area and taking photos. They mail some of the photos to Mammon, who replies back that they are a lovely couple, and somewhat annoyed that he/she have to waste money on stamps.

Harry laughs and finally complies with Mammon's request to get a phone. Skull presents him with an unhackable, untraceable, and unbreakable one, which he has had since the first time Mammon grumbled about it.

When Harry offers him payment, Skull gives him a deeply wounded look, complete with the 'my heart has been pierced by thy hurtful words' and clutching his heart while falling. Harry rolls his eyes, and they decide to test exactly how unbreakable the phone is. (It survives every single drop, and they stop in fear it would actually break.)

In the meantime, Harry finally gets permission to tell Skull and Mammon about magic, and Skull and him share a laugh as Mammon mist-ports over 5 minutes after receiving the text. Harry laughs at both of them when he takes them to the magical shopping center in Los Angeles.

But at least he can now practice magic in the presence of those two, and Skull still gets a little starry-eyed whenever Harry practices charms or transfiguration. (He rolls his eyes because the fact that Skull is literally unable to die seems much more interesting when compared to magic.)

VI.

Another month passes and March arrives with a gentle breeze.

The Arcobaleno gathering is this month, but Skull doesn't go, and a small part of Harry feels warm. The meeting takes place in Florence this year, and Skull and him avoid it by going to the furthest possible geological place from it.

Autumn has just arrived in Australia, but it feels like the middle of summer. England had never been this warm, and they avoided most of the hot weather by sticking to high elevations and coastlines in California.

Harry sprawls out on the ground right under the air conditioning, while Skull sits on the sofa and flips through the channels. Skull takes off his helmet, but Harry is still baffled at how he can wear leathers and survive.

Skull stares at him. "Why don't you use one of those charm things to make it cooler?"

"I can't," Harry sighs because Australia disapproves of the usage of magic outside of school and home, and hotels aren't exactly private. "How are you not baking alive in leathers?"

"Magic," Skull smirks and has to dodge a shoe aimed at his face. (Harry rolls his eyes, because once you get to know the stuntman, the annoying parts starts to show.)

They leave two weeks later when Harry becomes utterly disgusted with the weather. Two backpacks and a portkey later, the duo arrives in London.

Harry barely steadies himself when his phone rings. Viper yells at them for hopping to three continents within the timespan of a month, warns Skull to be careful, and that Fon found out and is coming for a visit.

His mind blanks on the last part. "What. Repeat that please?"

Skull and Viper reassure him that Fon is unlikely to kidnap him and lock him in a tower, and Harry sighs in relief.

He refuses to be caged when he just learns how to fly.

VII.

Harry stares at the white monkey stealing his pancakes. He isn't quite gawking but belongs somewhere in between incredulity and acceptance.

Skull walks out from the bedroom and does a double-take at the sight of the monkey. "That was fast," he comments. "It's only been a day."

"What do you mean?" Harry doesn't take his eyes off the monkey, shielding the rest of his breakfast carefully. He gets his answer when Skull's pacifier begins to shine because his is wrapped tightly with chains.

A red blur drops onto the center of the table, and Harry topples as he lunges back on his chair. Skull laughs at him as the cloud arcobaleno seats himself comfortably on Harry's head.

"I'm sorry for Lichi's behavior," the arrival bows slightly. "My name is Fon, it is nice to meet you."

Harry reciprocates the greetings and assures him that Lichi is not a bother. He doesn't notice when Skull takes the rest of his bacon and Lichi the biscuits.

Fon sits and hides a smile behind a cup of tea as Harry drinks the last of Skull's juice.

Later that day, Mammon arrives and the four of them are cloaked in illusions and heads off to the magical district in London. Fon looks pleasantly surprised, and Skull sighs at the mostly lack of reaction. (Because Skull apparently screams his head off when surprised, and stocked himself with endless amounts of self-replenishing candies.)

Harry's mind is whirling - he hears whispers about a Harry Potter, and catches disappearance, kidnapped, and Death Eaters from the crowd. Skull, who's been with him everywhere, picks apart his excitement from nervousness and ushers him into the closest store.

He is properly distracted when a beautiful snowy owl with the clearest amber eyes makes a nest in his hair. ("Ha, bird nest and bird nest?" - "I can hear you Skull.")

The owl hops onto his raised arm while the storekeeper rushes over to apologize. When he and Skull meet up with the rest of their group in the ice cream parlor, Harry holds supplies in one hand and wears an arm brace and an owl on the other.

VIII.

Skull dislikes Hedwig.

Harry disagrees.

Mammon gets annoyed at both of them and hits them both.

Fon tries to calm them down while his monkey laughs at them all from the sidelines.

Hedwig refuses to stop using Skull as a perch.

They all stop and start fussing over Harry when he catches a cold.

"It's just a cold," and Harry sneezes onto Skull's helmet. He tries to wipe it off while Skull screeches like a banshee about how the Great Skull-sama's helmet is being mistreated.

Mammon ties Skull up to save her ears and Harry chokes out a laugh with a sore throat.

After Mammon and Fon leave for work, Skull refuses to speak to in any language that he knows. (English, French and that tiny bit of Gaelic.)

Instead, he is given a variety of Italian and Japanese books, along with an Ita-Jap dictionary. Skull smirks at him with a note to figure it out one way or another.

Harry goes with it but enjoys the indignant expression on the cloud's face when he sees the presents Hedwig left for him. But when Harry wakes up the next day, he is a blond and has hair styled into curls.

It's on Skull. Challenge accepted. (But his grin falters just a bit when he remembers that he is Harry Potter and not Hadrian Evans. Because one is independent and bright, while the other is shattered and jaded.)

Harry orders squid kaarage for breakfast the next morning and smirks at Skull's horrified expression. Learning Japanese means integrating the culture, right?

Mammon kills both of them when Skull orders snake and Harry orders frog the next time they meet. (Harry doesn't know how the image of Skull dancing in a tutu could be so mentally scarring. Or how Mammon even comes up with them.)

IX.

"It's Harry. Harry Potter." He tells Skull, Mammon, and Fon offhandedly on a blistering summer day in Mexico.

(Both Mammon and Fon are beyond exasperated - trying to keep track of their traveling schedule is downright impossible without liberal use of trackers. But even then, as portkeys deny all travel time and distances, and Harry and Skull take turns throwing pins at a map, no one has a single clue of their next destination.)

"Muu," Mammon states, "We were wondering when you would finally tell us."

"You knew?"

Skull looks offended. "Of course we knew! We're the I Prescelti Sette for a reason! You shouldn't be surprised!"

Harry tilts his head forward, and Skull tumbles off with a yelp. "I thought you weren't part of the mafia? And get off my head, you're too fat and heavy." He descends into an argument with Skull, which involves quite a bit of hair-pulling and thrown pillows.

Fon smiles at the scene, but a tendril of hurt slithers into his voice. "I wish you would've trusted us more to tell us earlier, but at least we didn't have to drag it out of you."

Harry freezes and his shoulders slump. "I'm sorry," Hedwig lands on the newly-vacanted spot of head in a measure of comfort. "It wasn't a part of my life I wanted to remember very much." He doesn't raise his head, afraid of what he would see in their eyes.

Disappointment, hurt, pity, or even anger. Because he is something broken, something worthless, and something ugly. He sees the broken shards scattered around his feet, and when he tries to piece himself back together, they seem to cut deeper into him.

So he never tries again and keeps himself away from the cloud and mist and storm that call out to his soul. Because it would be selfish to use them piece himself back together, and then he would be gone and not be there for them.

Harry notices that tears are gathering at the corners of his eyes and that he is clutching a pillow like a lifeline.

"I'm sorry," he says, quieter this time and voice hitching. "Because if I trusted and bonded then I would hurt you guys when I am gone. Everyone has been so nice to me and taken care of me and I can't ever hurt you because I couldn't control myself and harmonized and then break that bond when I die in a few years." Tears drip down his face and he gives up on holding them back and buries his face in the pillow. "You're my guardians, and because of that we should harmonize but if we did that it would be selfish of me. So I try not to but my flames don't listen sometimes and-"

The pillow is tugged out of his hands with a surprising amount of force and he is staring into Skull's eyes. "You're our sky," he states simply, and there is no room for argument in that voice. Mammon and Fon stand next to him, and both stare at him with firm eyes.

Harry smiles and raises a hand to wipe his eyes. In return, he releases the leash on his flames just a little and smiles at their startled expressions.

Mammon huffs and sets up a barrier. Fon takes the initiative and Skull and Mammon follow. Harry matches them step for step and ribbons of orange, red, violet and indigo entwine each other.

X.

July 31st begins with the screeching of owls and harried delivery personnel.

Hedwig almost scratches Harry's face off when he tries to pick up the crumpled letter on the doorstep.

"Harry!" Skull sounds reprimanding. "Cast some diagnostic charms on that medieval thing!"

The letter turns out to be a portkey and Skull decides to worship Hedwig for life. They call Viper (because apparently that was the name she favored, and now Harry finally understood why Skull was almost disfigured for ordering snake) who arrives in a whirl of indigo and gives Harry a lecture.

Harry pleads his innocence - the letter was parchment, written with green ink, and stamped with a wax seal. "You don't see something like that everyday!"

"You're not supposed to touch anything that isn't normal!" Viper is shrouded in a cloud of darkness, and Harry can see tentacles waving around. "I deserved to be paid for this,"

Skull shivers as Viper turns to glare at him. "And you," she grinds out. "Is supposed to watch over him, but apparently Hedwig scores higher as a babysitter than you do."

"I'm not the baby here," Harry mumbles sullenly. He flinches when the letter is eaten alive by mist flames. While the mist flame ranks the lowest in terms of raw power, Viper makes them appear absolutely feral.

(The raw power rankings of flames had thrown Harry off. Because storm is strongest, followed by sky, lightning, sun, cloud, rain, and mist. That would mean gentle Fon could disintegrate a building in mere minutes.)

They pack their bags in twenty minutes with Viper's encouragement and gets mist-ported from Ireland to Switzerland.

In front of them is an old but in surprisingly good shape cottage with ivy growing up the sides. The lawn looks alive, with patches of wildflowers sprouting out from nowhere.

"It's one of the Potter properties," says Viper, before Harry has a chance to ask. "It was prepared in case an emergency happened and needed a safe place to stay."

"But-"

"You never knew because you never bothered to look at your list of properties." Skull interrupts.

Harry sighs. And hogs the birthday cake when dinner comes.

When another letter arrives on the porch the next morning, Viper curses and drags them off to the most warded place she knows.

XI.

Harry learns how to dodge. Fast. Because being skewered by sharp objects just isn't his cup of tea.

He also learns chemistry and physics and biology because there is no way he can practice magic in a mansion full of it's-not-paranoia-if-they-are-really-out-to-get-you assassins.

Belphegor shoots past him with knives in hand all the while cackling wildly, and Harry lets out a sigh of relief as he jumps down from the air vent.

The difference in skill between them is fairly obvious, even though the other boy is only a year older than him.

Harry is fast. Bel is faster.

Harry has fast reflexes. Bel has inhuman reflexes.

Harry can think on his feet. Bel thinks twenty steps ahead and predicts all his moves.

So to ensure his survival, he tries and learns how to outsmart a genius and dodge when sharp objects are nearing his person.

Bel expects him to use Skull as a shield. So Harry imitates shot put and throws Skull at his head.

(Harry gets praised by Mammon and ignored by Skull for a week.)

Bel thinks Harry will try to avoid him whenever possible and flee when in range. Instead, Harry puts his newfound chemistry knowledge to use and mixes matches with ammonia.

(The resulting stink bombs leave their mark for a week. And Harry finds that Squalo's lungs are beyond human.)

Bel believes that Harry will be the perfect specimen to test his I-will-shred-you-to-ribbons wires on. So Harry panics and burns down half of the east wing.

(Viper lectures him for five hours straight while Harry sits in seiza. Lussuria eventually takes pity on him and writes off the incident as 'collateral damage'.)

Skull laughs as Harry peeks around the corner to check that the way is clear and heads to dinner.

The chair at the head of the table is empty like it has been for the past three months. Harry never asks why and never blames Bel for his actions.

(Because the Guardians are still Guardians, even though the bond is starting to feel strained. Harry scatters traces of Harmony throughout the mansion; because while he can't restore the bonds of another sky, he can calm the Elements and help them not slip away.)

The grief and tension are almost tangible and Harry feels it like a noose.

Viper tells him; "It's been a year." The Varia officers vanish for the next week.

Harry and Skull take that time to explore Venice, and pop in the wizarding quarters. A copy of the Daily Prophet in a window catches his eye.

'HARRY POTTER MISSING! WHAT FATE HAS BEFALLEN THE-BOY-WHO-LIVED?'

Skull follows his gaze and frowns. Hedwig tries to rearrange his features.

XII.

Verde joins one of their little gatherings one day.

Hedwig is pleasantly surprised and attacks him. Lichi joins in.

Skull is too busy laughing to help. Viper refuses to move without a fee. Harry tries and receives a face-full of monkey.

(This time, when Harry unleashes his flame, Verde startles. And then reciprocates without another word.)

Loyalty, Harry mind whispers. Family.

(He holds on tight, because never, in any world, would he be the one to let go.)

.

"Well," Verde remarks dryly, "Skull never showed up. Viper and Fon have been behaving strangely. Only an idiot would not notice."

Skull gapes. "You can read Viper's moods? I take it back - you're not a robot, you're an AI."

"It's expected that with your limited intelligence you perception of the world is illogical." Verde sniffs haughtily, and Skull tries to flatten his nose. Viper ends up being swept in, and Fon and Harry give up on peacemaking.

Harry feels a warmth spreading in his chest, and he smiles. (The smile no longer looks as broken, but beyond his eyes lies pieces of a whole.)

He coughs, but somehow it doesn't stop. He bends over, and a small hand places itself on his back.

"I'm fine," he wheezes, finding all eyes on him. It doesn't help his case when he breaks out in coughs immediately after.

XIII.

Rome is cold in March.

Truthfully, England is normally colder than that, but the cold penetrates his bones in a way it's never done before.

Harry is bundled in a white dress shirt covered with a slightly big orange sweater, and dark navy slacks. A pair of slightly worn sneakers are on his feet and an orange-white striped beret tucks in some of his unruly curls. He snuggles into the same crimson scarf with Skull, who is being used as Harry's live-in heater.

Vipers scoffs at their choice of dress. "You'll make a wonderful first impression, Harry."

"Hey! It's formal enough," he grumbles and tugs at the untucked dress shirt. "I'm wearing a dress shirt and slacks, see? Why aren't you complaining about Skull?"

"His image is already solidified as immature and noisy. No amount of money can change it."

"Hey! The Great Skull-sama is amazing! You are just afraid to bow down to my greatness!" Skull pokes his head out of the scarf and turns to glare at Viper. "Because if you bow down to my greatness, it would mean that you are inferior!"

"As if," Viper snarks back, and proceeds to ignore Skull as they trek through the winding path strewn with leaves.

"Why did you want to walk, Harry?" asks Skull.

Harry smiles down at him. "Because I want to enjoy life as much as possible." When I still can went unsaid, but both the arcobaleno hears it loud and clear.

And suddenly they find themselves in front of a scenic little cottage, with a backdrop of pines and cypress and a little creek trickling nearby. Flowers and vines hang out of the window planters and ivy climbs up the walls. A wisp of smoke floats out the chimney, and lights shine through the drapes.

"The arcobaleno meets in a place like this?" Harry asks, incredulous. Because he was expecting a stone-grey mansion or a high-security room in the middle of a city.

Skull smirks at him. "Who'd expect the arcobaleno to be in a place like this? Besides-"

"It's armed with the most advanced security possible." Verde interrupts, emerging from who knows where. "Of course, they don't trust me enough for me to arm this place myself, but it's not like such toys would matter in the face of real science."

"He's just bitter," whispers Skull.

Harry smiles and pushes open the door.

XIV.

"You don't have to accept me. I know you still care for-"

"Don't worry, I won't." Shoes clattering away on the wooden floor, a fedora hiding his eyes.

A smile, a whisper. "I understand."

You were her most faithful guardian, weren't you?

A flutter of feathers, a soft hoot. "I'm fine, I'm fine."

Somehow it sounds weaker with every repetition, but the sky will always have a place for a sun.

"I'll be here." For as long as you need me.

XV.

He can no longer travel and feel the hum of nature in the very air.

Harry is eighteen, and the coughing and sickness come more often, every month if he's lucky. Skull and Viper don't trust him in any place without a Rain in a mile radius, so he spends his time between the Varia with Squalo and Mafia Land with Colonello.

"Harry!" Colonnello barks out, laughter deep in his voice and waving eagerly. "Come here and watch these idiots, kora!" There are two grown men flailing around in the whirlpool, screaming obscenities at the blond toddler.

He walks over with a grin, Skull in his arms and Hedwig on his head. Hedwig launches herself off his head and proceeds to dive bomb Falco, who darts up and tries to outmaneuver the owl.

"Your owl is trying to kill Falco again, kora!"

Harry stares up at the two birds, Hedwig intent on ripping the other to pieces. "Not really my fault, Falco does seem to have somewhat of a superiority complex."

"Just like his owner," Skull mutters.

Colonnello zeroes in on him in a millisecond. "Did you say something, lackey?"

"N-no, nothing, Colonnello-senpai!"

He laughs and tell them to try and get along.

XVI.

"Ne, will you join me, Harry-kun?"

"Never."

A disappointed sigh, the sky pacifier being ripped away from his neck, and a flash of indigo.

The next time he wakes up, he's staring at the ceiling of his room in the Varia mansion with Fran and Lussuria at his side.

"Mammon sent you back here," Belphegor mutters from the corner of the room.

Harry leans back and covers his eyes when he feels emptiness in place of Rain and Mist should've been. Lal's bond echoes weakly, a single thread where seven used to be. He wipes eyes who can no longer cry, and a flicker on amber settles in his eyes.

"I seek sanctuary," he intones, and his voice gains a hard edge. "Will it be granted?" He is their sky, and his life was forfeited the moment he accepted the pacifier. But his wand is cypress, and a core of phoenix. Cypress will die a noble death, and phoenixes go in a flash of fire and flame. His body is weak, but his soul burns brighter than ever before.

"Sanctuary is granted on one condition," a baritone declares. Xanxus stares at him with wine-red eyes. "Don't falter, trash."

"Of course not," Harry meets the stare unflinchingly. His eyes declare the twenty-five years of his life in a way his voice never could.

XVII.

The low quality ring shatters the moment he channels flames into it, but the brief second is enough to activate the box.

"Prongs," Harry smiles, a hint of wistfulness entering his eyes. "Shall we do one last run together?" His heart throbs as he sees where Hedwig should've been - hooting imperiously from the horns of the stag - and runs his hand through the snow-white fur.

Prongs nuzzles against his hand, intelligent hazel eyes gazing at him. Harry closes his eyes and inhales deeply. When he opens them again, his fatigue and tiredness are washed away by a flicker of flame.

"Let's go, Prongs."

Thank you for everything.

XVIII.

They arrive in time for Prongs to deflect a white dragon aimed at Vongola's heart.

"What a surprise!" Violet eyes and white hair. "You are still alive, Harry-kun!"

"Of course." A glance to the young Vongola shielded behind Prongs, and he slips off the white stag. "I never thought you'd stoop down to the level of killing children, Byakuran."

A laugh. "You really scare me sometimes, Harry-kun. Have you been clinging on with dying will flames this entire time? Being able to move is impossible for you at this stage in your illness, you would've been great if you joined me when you had the chance."

"Maybe." A smile, and his left eye burns fierce and lights with an amber flame. "But betraying those bonds would've been a thousand times worse than a sickly vessel."

"Oh?" Chuckles which turn into full-blown laughter. "You are being very noble about it all."

"Don't worry. It's not something a person like you would understand." The young Vongola is standing up now, and determination burns in his eyes. "Vongola," the brunet startles. "There's people waiting for you."

A fire rekindles on the boy's forehead, and Harry feels his determination penetrating the air around him.

(That is a strong will, and he is not the only one to acknowledge it.)

The fight starts, and Harry gathers the pacifiers from a stunned Yuni. "You feel it too, don't you?" A kind smile. "It's not your time yet. Go back to where your heart belongs." Gamma stands behind them, and Yuni flies into his arms.

"Will you be-"

"Of course. I apologize for burdening you for so long."

A deep breath, and a rich amber flame surrounds his body. Reborn's eyes drill into his, unreadable pools of ink. A nod, Harry tilts his head and a smile reaches his eyes.

Sorry, everyone, I couldn't protect you. But please, protect everyone else.

The pacifiers drop down to rest in the folds of his cloak a moment later.

XIX.

Harry wakes up with a splitting headache as ten years of memories crash into his mind like an avalanche.

Red eyes. Tattered red silk. Red covering his hands. Red snow. Why-why is it red? There's so much red. WHY IS THERE SO MUCH RED-

The coppery tang of blood mixes his dinner, and he is suddenly crouched over the toilet, trembling.

Fon, Skull, Verde, Reborn, Colonello, Viper.

(It's his fault. It's all his fault that Voldemort came. It's his fault that everyone died before he couldn't defeat Byakuran.)

It's your fault, Reborn snarls out between rasping coughs, his student's body resting in a bed of flowers. Luce would've been strong, she wouldn't have hid. You brought danger here and weakened the Arcobaleno.

He's glad that Skull's out, because Harry can't face any of the Arcobaleno. Fon died protecting him from Voldemort, and Viper died rescuing him from Byakuran.

Get out of here, you troublesome boy. Don't make me bankrupt you for this. Viper laughs, and suddenly he's at the Varia mansion.

He refuses to be the cause of someone's death this time around.

Harry, go! Skull screams, a cloud of purple the only barrier between them and an army. Go! Live for the rest of us!

When Skull comes rushing back, he's greeted with the absence of Harry's supplies and a note.

'Don't worry,' it says. 'I haven't been kidnapped.'

XX.

Five weeks later, newspapers around Britain announce the mysterious demise of Lord Voldemort, whose remains were a pile of ashes. Scholars puzzle over the unidentifiable factor that caused his death, but eventually writes it off as the fate of someone who ventured too far into the world of the forbidden and joins in the celebrations.

On the same day of the discover of the death of Lord Voldemort, a pair of redheaded twins picks up an exhausted Hadrian Evans during their escapade from Umbridge's reign.

("Are you alright?"

"...argh."

"I don't think-"

"He doesn't look-"

"...Quiet.")

When Harry wakes up again, it's to the sound of exploding cauldrons. (He's had lots of experience.) He's blinking up at the ceiling, which looks like it couldn't decide on which combination of rainbow-puke to settle on.

"Look-"

"Sleeping beauty-"

"Has finally-"

"Decided to-"

"Grace us with his presence!" A pair of redheaded twins bound into the room, smelling of something distinctively unpleasant. Identical grins are on identical faces, and both are covered with a thin layer of soot.

"Oh," Harry winces as he sits up. "Hi. I need to use the restroom."

It wasn't that funny.

XXI.

Kawahira appears again, and the loneliness seems even more pronounced.

(His eyes cry but shed no tears, and his soul wails but makes no sound.)

"It's been a long time," he says, and Harry catches the merest hint of a smile. "The Arcobaleno trials start in three days, at Namimori. Each arcobaleno will have their own representatives, and the winner's curse will be broken."

"I understand," Harry smiles, and reaches up to trace the iron mask with a finger. The illusion disintegrates with a touch of sky flame, peeling away from his fingertips. "There's no need." Because he is resigned, and will not fight those he loves for a will that no longer burns.

Kawahira sighs. "The Eye of Horus - sacrifice, healing, restoration, and protection. You earned that name well." A pat on the head. "Thank you." A wisp of indigo, and the man disappears.

A moment later, Harry gets tackled by twins.

"So-" Fred.

"Who was-" George.

"That creepy man-" Fred.

"With the ability-" George.

"To peel off skin?" Gred and Forge.

Harry groans when he realizes that the twins had seen it all, and feels the soft flickering of a mist flame stirring to life inside them. "First, have you always been fantastically good with glamours? And second, if you repeat this you'll be hunted down by dementor-look-alikes-who-are-so-much-stronger-and-scarier. Lastly, my name is Harry Potter, not Hadrian Evans, and it's nice to meet you."

He regrets introducing the twins to their mist flames. Running into doors and walls just because the twins are having way too much fun with their illusions wasn't his cup of tea.

XXII.

"Why are you following me?" Harry deadpans, staring at the twins who were sandwiching him on the airplane seats.

"Who said we-"

"We're following you?" The twins grinned devilishly, each throwing an arm over Harry's shoulders and blowing in his ears. Harry yelps, and whacks them both on the head.

"Besides-" Fred offers Harry a handkerchief as he breaks into a coughing fit.

"Who would-" George pats him on the back commiseratingly.

"Take care of-"

"Poor little Harry-"

"If we weren't here?" The twins chorus together, and Harry would definitely whack them on the head if he wasn't so busy coughing out his lungs.

"Thank you for your concern," Harry says dryly, ignoring the specks of red on the pristine handkerchief. "But I'll survive a little longer without your tender loving care."

The twins smirk in unison. Harry is extremely unnerved. "Think of it as-"

"Our duties to a fellow redhead-"

"I'm not actually redheaded, you know that, right?" Harry rolls his eyes, and twirls around a strand of hair with fading red dye.

"That's not-"

"The point."

Harry groans. "There's no avoiding you two. It's like trying to pry a tooth from a basilisk."

"What made you think-"

"You had any chance-"

"Of avoiding our pleasurable company?" The twins chorus, and sling their arms over Harry's shoulders.

Harry sighs, and thinks of this as a test of patience. But Harry is just about to murder them all when Disney movies are played on loop for the rest of the flight. Because while they are in business class and it's their first time seeing it, that does not mean there is a need to sing every song obnoxiously like drunken sailors.

XXIII.

"Woah! Japan is so different!"

"The food-"

"The culture-"

"Their mannerisms-"

"The language-"

"The setting-"

Harry slams his head against the car window. "Shut up, shut up, shut up! You guys haven't stopped talking since we got off the airplane, and that was three hours ago!"

"But Harry-" Fred whines.

"It's the first time-" George continues.

"That we've been out of England!"

Harry ignores the twins and pays the taxi driver as the car grinds to a stop. "We're here," Harry snarks. "Get out of the taxi before I change my mind about our accommodations."

The hotel stands in all its glory, and seems to shine and sparkle like mother-of-pearl. The extravagant structure seems out of place among the traditional Japanese buildings, and Harry can guess why it was built in the first place. (Vongola. Hibari. And whatever slightly illegal organization comes along.)

He herds the twins to the receptionist, and ignores the questioning looks shooting their way from other residents. None of them look very formal, decked out in sweatshirts, t-shirts, and jeans.

"Hadrian Evans, reservation for a king suite." The receptionist gives them the instructions to their room and hand over three key cards.

"Harry? Isn't this a bit too lavish?"

A nervous laugh. "I wouldn't know. It's my first time doing this too." Because his travels are mostly incognito, and that doesn't involve fancy hotels with snobby people and a dozen security cameras in every room.

XXIV.

Harry sees Belphegor and Viper kidnapping Sawada the moment he exits the elevator.

"What-" he doesn't have time to say anything else before he's slung over Bel's other shoulder like a sack of potatoes.

"You insolent boy," Viper hisses and lands on his head. "I'll make you be in debt the rest of your life."

Oops. Guess he underestimated the effects of his sudden not-kidnapping.

"Ushishishi, Mammon is mad." Bel snickers, and they arrive at the 'Super Suite'. (Really, Varia, really.)

Squalo is drinking brandy, Lussuria is exercising, Levi is drunk off his ass and dancing naked. Xanxus is nowhere to be seen, probably brooding somewhere.

"Hi, long time no-AHH!" Harry screams as Bel throws him at Squalo, who flips out of the chair in time for Harry to crash headfirst onto the cushion. Harry ends up sprawled over the sofa, nursing a sore head.

"VOIIIIII! WHAT WAS THAT FOR, BRATTY PRINCE!" Squalo's sword is out and ready to maim.

"Ushishishi, the prince's got another delivery to make." Sawada is lugged off somewhere else, probably where Xanxus is.

"So, long time no see, everyone?" A bead of sweat tickles down the side of his side as he feels Mammon's murderous faze on him.

"I suggest you reconsider your next words, for they may your last." Mammon floats over, and a murderous aura permeates the air.

"Haha," a nervous laugh. "I haven't said hi to Xanxus yet, have I?" He bolts like demons from hell are on his heels, and Mammon gladly takes up that role. Sawada becomes collateral damage when Harry bowls him over to relative safety. (Because while Xanxus won't necessarily kill him, there's still a pretty high chance of injury.)

"Will an 'I'm-sorry-please-spare-my-pathetic-life-work'?" Harry grins sheepishly from his hiding spot behind Xanxus. If glares could kill, Mammon and Xanxus would've killed him a thousand times over.

The next moment, Xanxus destroys the ceiling and a man falls down. (Because trouble doesn't dare to follow the Varia. They just create it instead.)

"I'm Wonomichi, the planner of the arcobaleno battles."

Harry blood freezes. He prayed with the fervor of a desperate man that it wouldn't come down to fighting, because he doesn't think he can bring himself to fight those who died for him.

Red. Purple. Indigo. Blue. Green.

Blood. Ash. Tatters. Bullet. Glass.

(He's soft, and he knows. But how can his heart betray those that mended it together.)

XXV.

"Harry," Mammon says. "Don't."

She knows. Because Harry is soft-hearted and kind and caring, with loyalty so strong that not even death severs it. The mafia is not a place for him, for someone who gives out their heart so readily and wholesomely.

"Don't worry about me," that smile. "I'll be fine."

But when is he ever fine? The battles will tear him apart, because his heart is shared between them all, and he won't take it back even if he could.

Because what do you do when pieces of your heart are destroying each other? His smile is as radiant as ever, but the seams are pulled apart one stitch at a time.

XXVI.

George and Fred are his representatives.

"Promise me," Harry whispers. "Promise me that you'll break your watch if you're ever in danger. Please, please don't get hurt just for me."

They make contingency plans upon contingency plans, and charm reusable portkeys and extra-sturdy cloaks. The twins have a field day tries out new pranking products, and Harry teaches them how to survive by running them into the ground.

Harry doesn't like using his flames for attacking, but he does and the twins curse him for it. He ignores the specks on red on white that appears the more he uses his flames; survival is priority, and he should at least put his last days to use.

The first battle comes, and they are shopping in the marketplace. Verde's team - Mukuro Rokudo and Fran - descend on them like vultures, and the twins get a close up look at the power of practiced illusionists.

"Kufufu, what do we have here?"

"Pineapple master, I'm tired."

Harry winces. "If you'd just ignore us, that would be wonderful. I need to get these eggs back without breaking them." He really doesn't think that any of them are ready to face two of the three strongest illusionists in the world yet, especially these two. (Because Mammon would at least go reasonably easy as not to dirty herself with a bunch of amateurs.)

The world turns itself upside, and Harry barely manages to burst through the illusion with a touch of storm flames.

"That was-"

"-amazing!" Fred and George seem unreasonably unaffected, and in that moment hates natural talent with a passion. He's about to empty the contents of his stomach in the nearest garbage can, but all they do is gawk.

"Oh? Interesting. I don't think this will be as boring as I thought it to be."

"I'm hungry. Pineapple master, when is dinner." With that sentence, the world turns on itself and reality shatters. (Harry gains a severe dislike for illusions. Because while Viper's are terrifying, these are downright horrendous.)

They manage to break the female member's - M.M.? - watch (on accident - Fred ran into a stand, caused a dominoes effect, which buried her in boxes) before they portkey out.

"That was scary,"

"Absolutely terrifying."

"Well," Harry smiles, looking quite green. "Your illusions will have to be able to trick me first. Shall we practice-" Suddenly the contents of stomach decide that they want to be free, and Harry finds himself crouched over the toilet. "After I finish throwing my organs up."

That training results in the entire hotel being covered in plant life and whatnot. Mammon isn't impressed when she deconstructs everything because everyone collapses long before she arrives.

XXVII.

The next time Harry sees Skull is in the hospital.

The heart monitor beats erratically, and Harry's heart leaps to his throat with every beep. Skull looks lifeless - a bandage around his head, shallow breaths, and fingers so cold that Harry trembles.

"Skull," the name comes out in a whisper. "Skull." His hands come away wet when he wipes his face, but he can't take his eyes off the white clad form.

No one says a single word in the room, and the familiar weight of Viper - no, Mammon - settles onto his head.

He knows Skull won't die. (But will he not feel pain?)

He won't have to fight his guardians. He'll have to protect them.

Red. Purple. Indigo. Blue. Green.

Blood. Ash. Tatters. Bullet. Glass.

Never. Let his life burn, if only he can incinerate that wheel of fate.

Harry leaves a bouquet of flowers each day. Asphodels, irises, raspberry blossoms, purple hyacinths, cyclamens.

XXVIII.

He pushes himself harder than he's ever done.

Fred and George send him concerned looks when the food is left untouched, Viper doesn't say a word, and the only other arcobalenos that come to visit are Colonello and Lal.

("Haven't seen you in a long time, kora!"

"Still as soft-hearted as always, brat.")

His heart lightens just ever so slightly.

(Oh Skull. I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm so sorry-)

So he pushes himself, finds every last of that precious, precious flame, and learns how to protect.

Rain to hinder the enemy, sun for a surprise, lightning for impact, storm to injure, cloud to enhance speed, and mist for weapons. He can't bring himself to use his birthright - because what is a sky without his elements?

XXIX.

The Vendice attacks.

"Fred! George!" Harry screams as the twins are sent crashing into the wall. "What are you doing! Stop!"

The single Vendice turns to him, and holds the twins in his chains. "Harry Potter," he begins, and it's clearly a threat, "You have been summoned. Come with me, and their lives shall be spared."

"Let them go first, and then I'll go with you." Harry clenches his fists when the twins are dropped on the ground roughly, eliciting cries of pain. Chains snake around his arms, and then he crashes onto cold stone floor.

"There's no need to be so rough with our guest, Jeager." A baby wrapped in bandages with a clear pacifier sits on the shoulder of a Vendice. "Now, Boy-Who-Lived and Savior of the Wizarding World, what do you know about Checkerface?"

Harry struggles to stand with his hands still bound. He ignores the ache in his chest that signifies an upcoming bout of coughing. "What makes you think I know anything?"

The sound of the baby's chuckle sends a shiver down Harry's spine. "You are the sky arcobaleno, are you not? Because the sky always knows." Another Vendice appears and shoves Harry on his knees. "Are you going to say anything? Or do you need more convincing?"

"I told you, I don't know anything." Harry bites up, and glares up at him balefully through his bangs. A cough slips out, and the sharp tang of of blood fills his mouth.

"You're at that stage of the illness already?" A splotch of scarlet on the ground. "I wonder how long you'll last without a rain or sun to ease your suffering."

Harry dully realizes that the coughs aren't stopping. His chest is heaving, and the draw of each breath takes more effort than the last.

"It would be in your best interests to tell me before you choke on your own blood."

XXX.

"Peverell. You're Peverell's descendant."

Harry wakes up to the sight of a starry ceiling and Kawahira sitting at his bedside.

"Did you know," Kawahira stares down at him with those pale violet eyes, "that Peverell was my sky?"

His limbs feel like leaden weights and he struggles to sit up.

"Does this change anything?" Harry asks and he can't keep a hint of bitterness out of his voice. Because while he used to be able to sacrifice himself without regret, he now has people to live for.

Kawahira doesn't answer.

XXXI.

One day, Harry wants to live in a world free of bloodshed.

One day, Harry wants to not have to worry about his friends when he's not there to look out for them.

.

One day, Harry thinks as he clutches a pendant of a triangle inside a circle bisected by a line, I want to see my friends again.

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or Katekyo Hitman Reborn!.

Author's Note: This oneshot was started last July, but somehow lasted till January. And before anyone asks, this was based off Shadowblayze's Trading Yesterday, but only the first two chapters. Honestly, I gave up editing this story after a while, so please excuse any mistakes you find.

The ending of this story is up to individual interpretation, but there is a general assumption that can be made. If you are confused about the ending, just look for the generalizations behind the powers of the deathly hallows.