Why can I never stop writing? Oh well. So here's the other side to my story The Cloud. It ended up being long enough and different enough that I figured I'd just post it on its own. This kinda took on a mind of its own, but I had a blast writing it actually. If anyone wants to take the idea and run with it a little more, go for it! Also, where my fascination with Blaise Zabini came from, I have no idea haha. So, enjoy!

Also, side note, how on earth do you post on Archive? I've tried to figure it out and wow do the stories not look pretty like everyone else's. Help?

Lavender Brown was a ditz.

Her mum knew it, her papa knew it, her siblings knew it, everyone at Hogwarts knew it.

But Lavender didn't know it.

Not until fifth year.

Not until she looked around at the students who had been hurt (tortured) and she was busy talking about what nail polish would look best on her fingernails. She had trailed off, a bottle in each hand as she watched a small second-year go by in the common room, tears running silently down his cheeks as he clutched at his hand.

Padma had looked up, mid-brush and stared at Lavender as the brunette got lost in thought.

Then she shook her head and picked the sparkly blue, returning to her discussion with Padma. But she kept sneaking glances around at the students coming back in.

Had she really never noticed how many tears there were?

/\

So perhaps her way of dealing with it hadn't been the best. After Umbridge leaves, the castle has a surprisingly normal year. She spends half of it glued to Ron's side. It started out so she could be warned of what nonsense would happen this year, but turned to actually caring about him, but then he didn't actually like her and so she broke up with him.

(she refuses to say that he broke up with her)

Then everything changed.

She knew that it was too good to be true to have a completely calm year, and was rewarded (unfortunately) with Death Eaters attacking the castle.

She loses her wand and is cornered and is just filled with the overwhelming desire to not die when blue-purple-ish flames lash out from her, catching the three Death Eaters who had her cornered. They're flown backwards, hitting the tone wall with a crack and crashing to the ground.

She stands there frozen for a moment as the flames dance around her, and she would say that this is her magic instinctively acting, but it doesn't feel like it, filling her up with a sense of warmth, of welcome, of survival.

It is this last feeling that she uses.

Her hands fly around her as she stalks through the castle, the odd flames responding to her will exactly and Lavender finds herself grinning as she takes them out.

It is only when everything ends that she finds out that Dumbledore is dead. The Dark Mark is in the sky, Dumbledore is dead, and she can throw around blue fire.

When did life become so weird?

But she moves on. Ish.

She goes home, and she finds the explanations she needs for what the blue-ish fire is for.

Her papa is from Italy, and the indigo (not blue-ish for heaven's sake Lavender, get it right) fire is called Flames, and it's most often used in the mafia. Tommaso Marrone (not Thomas Brown) moved to England to study, meeting Celia Fawley by happenstance on the road. Both of them in the middle of using their family's gift. Tommaso Marrone was the last son in a minor mafia famiglia, a Lightening. Celia Fawley was a witch, a Pure-blood.

Tommaso liked this civilian, Celia liked this muggle, and so they made it work.

It had only taken a few spells and mist constructions to convince both sides of the family that their spouse was normal and that oh look, their children were normal as well, so no need for forced indoctrination on the mafia side.

But now Lavender has Flames, and her papa ignores everything about it. If she ignores it, it will go away, and then she doesn't have to get married to a person of lower stature in the mafia. Instead, she should focus her sights on finding a nice wizard to get married to.

She tries to ignore it, the Flames. Tries to ignore how they itch beneath her skin, begging to be let out.

But as she once read, knowledge is power.

And so when the Death Eaters have taken over Hogwarts, she is there and she talks with everyone. She tells no one that she is Neville's ears, that she manipulates the students as easily as she breaths. They ask for things, the Slytherins, the teachers, and she raises her chin defiantly and asks what they're willing to pay.

Most curse her. Figuratively or metaphorically. Some give up. And a few narrow their eyes and they have a spirited discussion on what price the information has.

Her prices start rising the longer the year goes on, and she finds that her Flames are always there, always helping. She knows that she is a Mist, that this means she does illusions, but she dismissed the idea at first. Then when she is confronted with the Carrows, their faces identical in their cruelty, she looks at them and uses her Flames to confuse and confound them.

She walks away without a scratch and new appreciation for Mist Flames.

That year is incredibly hard. She survives only thanks to her Flames, and only sees people looking out for themselves. Neville is perhaps one of the only people in the school who actively looks after everyone, and without a price, but most others scuttle from room to room, heads down, fear reeking from them. There is no help coming from them. She walks around and brings down havoc on anyone not willing to compromise with her.

Blaise looks at her with interest as the year goes on. Christmastime he comes to her and asks to speak to her. He knows all about Flames. His father is in the Mafia, although the father isn't aware that Blaise exists. His mother doesn't want Blaise forced into the mafia world. But Blaise is incredibly interested in how and why Lavender Brown of all people knows about Flames and the mafia.

She eagerly learns under him, how to double talk a person, how to pretend you're going to do it without actually agreeing to it. She takes to it like a duck to water and Blaise watches her progress with pride. He asks her if she wants to attend some meeting, meet some people, and she hesitates, but says okay.

"I make no promises though," she warns him, and he only gives her a shark-like grin in reply.

"Of course. Cover your features. Don't let them know whether you're a man or woman."

/\

The meeting is…interesting. She's not really sure what she's here for, but stays silent and observes as several groups-mafia-talk to each other. The insinuations are sometimes not so subtle and Lavender has to shake her head at them. You only be obvious when you know you can back it up. Blustering will only get you and yours killed.

It's after the negotiations, because she's pretty sure that's what they are, are over that someone approaches her. They are covered head to foot in a black cloak, the purple-blue markings on their cheeks the only distinguishing mark.

"Who are you?" they ask her, direct and to the point.

"How much are you willing to pay?" is her instant response, and inwardly she blanches because that's what she says to the Hogwarts students, not to the Mafia. But outwardly she doesn't move, doesn't do anything, and very carefully she lets out a small breath, the only sign she allows herself to make.

Inexplicably, this makes the person smile.

Lavender is instantly wary of such a smile because no one smiles as freely like that without reason. Especially not in the mafia.

"You don't know who I am do you?" their tone is amused and Lavender feels like she is stepping through a minefield now and would desperately like to escape. Blaise said that he would get her as soon as the meeting was over, but Lavender can't see him anywhere.

"How much would you pay me to answer you?" she cringes at that because she really does need to stop thinking that this is Hogwarts where she can say stuff like that, she's more likely to get shot here.

The smile widens and a small laugh escapes, "My name is Viper, the Information Broker. I think you and I should have a chat."

This is how her descent into the Mafia begins. Viper takes her under their wing. Teaches her how to wield her information as either a scalpel or a hammer. It's liberating in a way she hadn't thought of before.

Viper teaches her about the Mafia as well. Viper uses their information as a scalpel. Lavender uses hers as a hammer.

It fascinates her how Viper is able to wield their words so subtly, able to get people to reveal anything and everything without them even realizing it.

It's challenging for her to be the same level of subtle. She prefers to be straightforward with people. Then she doesn't have to waste time with them. Also because wizards are sometimes incredibly dense.

But still. The scalpel approach is good. Very good.

Going back to Hogwarts is interesting. The scalpel approach gives her so many more options, and Blaise gives her a nod of approval after she steers the Carrow siblings away without needing either her magic or her Flames.

She keeps in touch with Viper, sending them reports every day about what she has done and all that she has learned. Hogwarts is her playground.

It's coming up to the end of the year where things get interesting. Viper asks her to sneak out so they can have a face to face meeting. She spins Flames and magic together to create a double, then disappears out one of the hidden passageways.

Viper is waiting for her outside one of the houses, cloak drawn about them in the chilly air. They say nothing as Lavender draws near, only gestures to the alley next to the home. Silently, Lavender follows and watches as Viper draws up a barrier using their Flames, making the road hard to see through the opaqueness.

Viper is currently creating a table and chairs, nodding their head at the one opposite their own. With only the slightest bit of hesitation, Lavender takes the seat across from them, waiting as Viper pulls out stacks and stacks of piper.

"I've found myself in a bit of a bind." Then Viper lowers their hood and Lavender blinks at the unassuming man in front of her.

"I'm not paying a fine for hearing this right?" she asks before they, he, can go any further.

He chuckles a bit and shakes his head, "No Lavender, this is something different." Lavender nods slowly and allows herself to relax as Viper places one stack in front of her, the other one staying in front of himself.

Slowly, meticulously, Viper reads through the stacks with her. Information of all sorts is contained on these pages: bribes, secrets, money laundering, kidnappings, ransom, murder, torture, scientific research, anything and everything is on the pages, and Lavender finds herself drawn into how much there is. How much power there is.

It only takes her a couple pages for her head to snap up and interrupt Viper mid-spiel about the Estraneo Famiglia.

"This is your information!"

He shakes his head slightly, "Yours." Lavender's mouth drops open as he continues, "This is me retiring. Congratulations Viper."

Lavender sputters for a moment and blurts out, "Like Dread Pirate Roberts?"

A full out laugh this time, head thrown back, shaking as he pulls himself together, "Exactly like Dread Pirate Roberts. I am not the original Viper. My name is Lorenzo. The one before me was not the original Viper either. Her name was Sofia. The original Viper is currently living like a king in California."

Lavender points an accusing finger at him, "You just stole that straight from the film!"

Viper, Lorenzo, shrugs, "Maybe I did, maybe I didn't. Although the original Viper really did retire to California. This is me, retiring. I want to go to Russia without having to deal with the Bratva. There's a very pretty woman waiting for me there."

Lavender is silent a long moment as she fiddles with the edge of the stack, eyebrows furrowed as she thinks. Lorenzo only waits patiently.

"Why me?"

"Because the first words out of your mouth were about money. Then you stuck to your guns even though you knew that you wouldn't be able to stand up to me, but you intended to try. And you're good at it. All these reports coming from Hogwarts? They're brilliant. And, yes, part of it is because we have similar names."

Lavender blinks at that, looking at him blankly before looking down at the stack, "What's required of me?"

"The switch off should be smooth. No one should recognize the fact that you're becoming me. Discrepancies in height, weight, and voice are passed off as Mist Flames. I already employ the idea that no one knows what gender I am; this is why. The switch between us two shouldn't come across as male to female. Your Flames are brilliant. Your magic is brilliant. Your able to use both of them and it is a bit terrifying, yes. Especially for how little training you've had."

There's a bite to his words, something else that he isn't quite saying, "Someone else already approached you."

A shark's grin, "Yes. And they're useless. So another reason why it's you. You aren't an idiot."

"There's some sort of catch, isn't there?"

A pause has Lavender looking up, the brunet across from her looking at her carefully.

Finally, he nods, "Yes. There is. You leave this life behind you. You die. No one can know that you're leaving with me. You'll spend a couple months shadowing me. Learning how I act, the small things that people only recognize subconsciously. After a couple months, we'll switch. I'll shadow you, gauge how you're doing. Eventually, I'll stop and you'll continue on yourself as Viper."

Lavender is silent, thinking it through, "No one?"

The answer is immediate, "Not a soul."

It's a hard thought. Not her mum, not her papa, not her siblings, her friends, Hogwarts, her professors. But at the same time...this is a war. Knowing Potter, it would probably be at the end of the year. Four months away.

"If I say yes or no, is it a binding answer?"

Silence.

Lavender looks down at the stacks, at the words blurring together the longer she stares.

Lorenzo waits in silence, patiently. His expression doesn't betray what he's thinking, and Lavender is grateful for the lack of pressure.

What is waiting for her here in the Wizarding World? A battle-torn world? It's not even a for sure that Potter is going to win the war after all. And she certainly doesn't want to be living a life of fear. And even if he does win, what waits for her then? Marriage to some other Pure-blood? To be continuously looked down because she gives off the appearance of a ditz? Even her parents call her one.

She looks up, face set and says, "Please continue."

Lorenzo's face lights up in a grin. Then he continues reading on about the Estraneo Famigilia.

/\

She starts writing letters to her parents again, something she hasn't done since perhaps third year. And if her letters are filled with the words she can't actually say, she hopes that they are able to understand anyways.

Her mum replies back only once and Lavender hides away to read it and cry.

There isn't anything in them. Have they really grown so far apart? Does her mum really think she's only waiting around for a man to save her? Does her papa really think so lowly of her?

It's easy then, to stop thinking about the world she's living in and concentrate on where she wants to be.

/\

Her chance comes at the end of the school year. Just as she thought, Potter brought the fight to them. It's terrifying on one hand. She has to make it look as though she died, realistically, but not actually die in the process.

On the other hand, it's so, so easy to live. Mist and magic together are nigh on unstoppable to a people who have never heard of Flames. Her opportunity comes when Greyback tackles her, slamming her into the ground. It hurts, her breath knocked out of her, and it's only the timely intervention of her Flames that have the claws getting her face superficially and not actually enough to kill her.

Still hurts though and she manages to use both Flames and magic to throw the werewolf off of her, the heavy body slamming into the ground a fair distance away from her.

For a moment, she lays there, gasping in breaths as she feels blood drip down her face, closing her eyes instead of reaching up to brush away the blood that's falling.

Then she's gathering Mist Flames and as she carefully sits up, because being slammed into the ground by a feral werewolf hurts, she leaves a Mist construction behind her, lying in the same position she had just been in.

It's simultaneously the hardest and easiest thing to walk away from the Battle. She creates a Mist construction to follow Parvati around, to make sure that her best friend survives the Battle.

Then she walks away. Steps careful as she passes through the rubble and the oh so still bodies, Death Eater, students, wizards and witches alike.

And she doesn't look back.

/\

Working side-by-side with Lorenzo is eye-opening. She learns so many more things just by being next to him day in and day out. Lorenzo uses both a scalpel and a hammer and rules the information trade amongst the Mafia. The scars eventually die down, enough where when the hood is up, no one can tell she has them.

As part of Lavender becoming Viper, and in honour of her former life, she dyes her hair a lavender colour. It doesn't even stand out in the mafia, so no one blinks an eye at it. Lorenzo eyes it, and then copies her. The few people who dare to ask about the colour change are given the driest look ever and they skulk away without getting an answer.

It doesn't take her as long as she thought it would before she is Viper, and Lorenzo passes on the mantle with little fanfare. He buys her a drink, gives her his number in case of emergencies, and then disappears off to Russia.

/\

She's on a high when she's offered a job, a job offering millions, maybe even billions. The client is sketchy, but most usually are. There's an added caveat of working with other people who are the best in their respective businesses, and she's willing to work with them because of the amount of money involved. The fact that her reputation will grow just from working with the group is a welcome bonus.

The others are…. Weird. To put it lightly. Not like she's any better, but it's odd being placed with others just as odd as her.

Reborn likes coffee way too much. But he's an excellent assassin.

Verde has no concept of personal space. But he's a genius.

Lal likes orders way too much. But she's a good balance to their chaotic group.

Fon drinks tea like there's no tomorrow. But he can beat anyone into the ground.

Skull is…annoying. Very, very annoying. And it's incredibly obvious he doesn't want to be there or be a part of the group. And so very obviously civilian, it pains her to look at him bumbling around sometimes. But he's stubborn, so no one can accuse him of folding like a wet tissue.

It pains her to admit how long it took her to figure out that Skull literally has no idea why he was here and had no idea what he was doing. She helps him out with his Flames, the Cloud filling the room with Flames the first time she helps him in physically manifesting them on purpose.

It's… impressive to say the least. She blinks at the amount, makes sure that she's on Skull's good side-if he has one that is- and then moves on with her life. There's money to be made after all.

/\

Once after a mission they go to some bar, the bartender well-paid to not say anything as they drink their way through the stock.

It turns into sharing time and Lavender only sniffs and tells them how much it would cost for them to hear even a portion of her past. They all cringe and turn to Skull instead.

His answer is surprising, and Lavender looks at him with new eyes as he talks of being a soldier, of being a child soldier, and it adds in a level of depth that Lavender hadn't thought existed to the stuntman.

But he stalks out after saying that and Lavender doesn't have the opportunity to ask him anything about it. His Flames discourage anyone from following him, but Lavender sits up at the slight feeling of magic in them. Perhaps…?

But no. Surely not. Who at Hogwarts had the potential to be a Cloud?

No one.

(right?)

/\

Then the Cursed Day happens.

And she really wants to kill something. The only thing that stops her, barely, is the fact that Luce is pregnant.

Well, in truth, it's because when she poisons Luce's coffee, the Man in the Iron Hat shows up and tells her she's not allowed to do that.

She snarls at him, but he only towers over her tiny form, something otherworldly in his stance and Lavender reluctantly backs down.

She doesn't dare try to leave after that, not until Skull is told off for researching the Curse, not until after he curses out Luce, not until he storms out of the house without even collecting anything.

Remembering how in the beginning Skull would just be dropped off when he didn't want to actually be there, Lavender waits for a bit to see if he's going to be forced to come back, but when he isn't returned, she's gone without a word to anyone else.

/\

The first thing she does when she leaves is call Lorenzo. The second thing she does is drop everything and go to Russia, a little town just outside of Omsk. Lorenzo has settled down at an inn, of all places.

She rages at him, ranting and cursing, and when someone pulls a knife on her for disturbing their meal, she turns her attention to the room in general and proceeds to fight them all.

When she finishes, Zoya, the pretty Russian woman that Lorenzo retired for, hands her a cup of tea and vodka and stabs a man trying to gut her from behind.

Lavender blinks as Zoya calmly cleans off the knife and looks at Lorenzo sideways, "I thought you were retiring." She says drily as she sips the cup.

He gives her a magnanimous smile, "I did. Zoya and I made this inn, and it was fun, and then the Bratva showed up and we got rid of them, and now we run a safe house! It's so much more fun than I thought it would be."

Zoya pats her on the shoulder, "Yes, Lorenzo has been such an angel."

She side-eyes Lorenzo who only takes a sip from his own cup, an expression of pure innocence on his face.

"Angel. Right."

"Yes indeed. An angel, so please kindly tell us who did this to you and Zoya and I will go kill them for you," it's said so calmly that Lavender blinks at it.

Zoya pats her shoulder again, "Don't worry dearie, Auntie Zoya and Uncle Lorenzo will make sure his body is buried in the ocean."

Faced with their concern, the whole story spills out, ending with Lavender raging over how she's only been Viper for 6 years, and she's going to have to retire the name! Lorenzo's face is thunderous, Zoya's is strangely calm, and they let her go on for a long time just listening.

/\

Through the years, the Arcobaleno don't really interact. There's a certain comradery to them all, due to the Curse, so inevitably they learn things about each other, but they don't interact.

Lavender tries once, with Skull. Something that Skull refuses to tolerate is to be bothered on some dates, dates that she recognizes almost instantly.

But it's been a long time since she's interacted with a person just to interact with them, to be a friend, so she definitely botches the question. Skull barely takes the time to snarl an answer at her before he slams the door shut in her face.

She winces, but there's not much she can do. Skull had that particular face that meant she should drop it if she doesn't want an enraged Cloud in her face.

(Reborn managed to bring it out once, just once. Nobody talks about that day)

/\

It's after that that she goes back to visit the Wizarding World. Because who is Skull? It bothers her more than she admits that she can't figure out who the Cloud is.

Walking through Diagon Alley, Lavender feels the eyes on her as soon as they appear. She takes a left, waits for them to turn as well, and then drags them into a little alcove with boxes, knife trained at their neck. She is small enough that standing on top of the boxes places her at eye-level.

It's with amusement that she realizes that a wand is pointed unerringly at her mid-section, held by a dark-skinned hand that she recognizes.

The two of them hold eye-contact before blinking at the same time, smirks appearing on their faces.

"You took over the Wizarding World. Is that why you introduced me to Viper?" Lavender asks carefully, slowly lowering the knife.

Blaise Zabini cocked an eyebrow, wand slowly lowering as he took in her miniature form, "Is this a thing that the Mafia does?"

Lavender sniffs in response, "Hardly. And anymore than that will cost you."

Blaise throws back his head and laughs, "Like a duck to water huh. And to answer your question, only partially. If you hadn't taken with Viper, I probably would have offered you a place with me to take over the Wizarding World."

Her mouth quirks upwards at that, and she sheaths her knife, watching carefully as Blaise does the same thing. There isn't any doubt in her mind that both of them could draw their weapons in an instant, but the idea remains that they aren't a threat to each other.

They end up going back to Blaise's home, where there are no ears attempting to listen in, and have a genuine, if stilted conversation.

Thankfully, Blaise already knows about the Mafia, she already knows about magic, so neither of them are breaking any rules.

She gets the list of everyone who died in the Battle of Hogwarts, perusing the Fallen Fifty to see what names stick out to her. About half she doesn't even begin to recognize and has to conclude that they were adults who returned to Hogwarts. Blaise doesn't ask many questions, simply sips his tea and watches as she flips through the papers.

Perhaps Skull isn't a student near her age, but one of these adults who she doesn't recognize. That would make more sense than Skull being one of her classmates.

In the end, she hands back the list to Blaise, nodding in thanks. He returns it as he vanishes the papers back to wherever they came from. There is a moment where he simply watches her, and Lavender waits patiently for him to say whatever is on his mind.

"Do you want me to look into that Curse?" he finally asks. She freezes, blinking at him, and then nods.

"I can't come and check on it, there are people keeping watch over us, to make sure we don't do this, but whatever you can find would be helpful," she finally answers softly.

He raises his cup at her and takes another drink.

They don't spend much longer together before Lavender heads out, pulling her cloak back over her head.

(perhaps, if she hadn't been cursed…)

(but it can only be a dream at this point.)

(perhaps she needs to stop thinking of herself as Lavender and start embracing herself as Viper. she cant do anything as Lavender. but maybe Viper…)

/\

Viper tears through the Mafia with a vengeance. She rises to be the top, unequivocally, makes men fear her name and quake in their boots just from her appearance. If no one else can be Viper after her, then she's going to make well sure that no one can ever take the name Viper.

Sky's sometimes try to pull her in, but she relishes in slamming the metaphorical door on them.

And then charging them ridiculous amounts of money for "using my Flames as though you had any rights to them."

But then everyone starts questioning her about why she was Cursed and all that crap, so she weaves an Idea of Mist and Magic to become Mammon.

It's a lot more fun than she thought it would be; she still conducts deals as Viper, but through perhaps six different fronts at least. Being in Varia challenges her in ways she hadn't thought she would ever enjoy.

And if part of that allure comes from Xanxus and his Flames- well. She hadn't ever felt like this towards Luce.

/\

The beginning of the end is perhaps when she receives a call. She hasn't really been paying attention to how many years have gone by, only recently starting to pay attention because of Belphegor, the brat, (she fully intends to be on the other side of the world during his hormonal teenage years).

But the phone call comes, she answers, and her world stops.

Lorenzo is dead.

Someone is speaking to her, talking about some sort of attack that needs to happen, and Mammon-Viper-Lavender- nods their head in a vague motion, creates a mistmagicsomething construction that will last almost any of the potential hits anyone in the Varia could give it, and then is on the first flight out to Russia.

Reflecting on it, Mammon can't say she is necessarily surprised. Lorenzo hadn't been young when he first found her, and years in the maifa, as Viper, are sure to take their toll on anyone. It sucks, but she is able to make her world start turning again by the time the flight lands.

Zoya is red-eyed, but not crying. She welcomes Mammon-Viper-Lavender in without a fuss, sitting her down in the achingly empty inn.

There is a small child sitting morosely on the floor, half-heartedly playing with a doll.

"Lavender, this is Alena," Zoya introduces quietly, the small child looking up through an absolute mop of hair. She waves cautiously at Lavender-Viper-Mammon- who gives her a nod in return.

The two of them talk through the night, only pausing for Zoya to take the mildly protesting Alena to bed. It wasn't sudden per se, Lorenzo could tell he was on a countdown, but hadn't wanted to bother anyone with it. He wanted to spend his last days with his family.

"We tried calling you about a month ago, but couldn't get through," Zoya tells her quietly, "When that didn't go through, Lorenzo wrote you a letter." She holds out an envelope to Lavender. She stares at it for a moment before taking it with shaking hands and tucking it away. She shoves down any feelings that might happen right now. She'll leave that for later, in private.

Zoya doesn't comment.

Lavender stays for the funeral, a silent spectator even as she is the third person in line to toss a handful of dirt on Lorenzo's grave. There are a surprising amount of people here, and even more surprising there are no fights.

She gets acquainted with Alena a little bit, the small child shyly showing off all the secret hideaways she's found or made around the inn. It's feels a bit like a breath of fresh air to be scampering around secret passageways with the girl, and Lavender feels herself loosen a bit from everything that's been going on.

Before she leaves, Zoya embraces her and calls her дочь. She gets on the plane with the feeling that she can get through the rest of this month.

That feeling lasts until she lands in Italy, then it's crushed under the knowledge of what Xanxus has attempted to do.

/\

The fallout from the coup hits them all hard. Nobody trusts them, they barely trust each other, and they all hurt from their missing Sky.

(if this is what Harmonization was like, Viper isn't sure she wants it.)

(why does she feel so much pain?)

Squalo confronts her in private and rages at her, demanding to know whether or not she knew about Xanxus being adopted, about the situation, about what the Ninth had done, and about where they had actually been during the whole affair because perhaps if they hadn't left to do their own crap, perhaps Xanxus would have made it out of that mansion!

At the end of his outburst, chest heaving, sword pointing at the ground, Mammon blinks, and then sits him down for some tea and vodka.

He drinks several cups very viciously, determined to not look anywhere near her. Mammon only waits until he isn't slamming his cup down to refill it before she starts speaking.

"I probably had a paper about his adoption yes. But I would have to go digging for it. The Ninth treated him as a son, even if it wasn't the best treatment. No one really wants to argue with the leader of the Vongola after all. I wasn't here because I was attending a funeral. If you want more information, it will cost you," she informs him primly, ignoring how he gapes at her for this bit of information.

He doesn't say anything though, just rubs a hand over his face and gulps down the rest of his cup in one go.

(they dont speak about it again. but when squalo is cleaning house, he doesnt question mammon signing on without hesitation. in return, mammons door is always open for some tea and vodka)

/\

Six years pass, and Xanxus comes back. It isn't pretty, it isn't nice, and Mammon has to remind herself several times to not kill her boss. But when he's throwing bottles at everyone, nearly killing Belphegor, she snaps back at him and slams the door behind her as she drags the brat to go get his head checked out.

She might not really like the bloodthirsty little brat, but she can't deny that she'd probably be willing to kill for him. He isn't…terrible after all.

Every other fifth Tuesday he can even be nice.

Squalo yells at her, but Mammon only glares back, mouth firmly downturned as she watches him impassively.

She's used to his yelling by now, can tell what type of yelling it is from the first syllables out of his mouth, and so that is the only reason she doesn't charge him. As it is, she turns and floats away without responding to him.

/\

She does have to wonder if being in ice for the past eight years means that Xanxus has gone insane because this plan to overtake Vongola screams madness. But she doesn't say anything out loud beyond what it will cost him.

The fact that Xanxus doesn't even blink at the price is both concerning and endearing.

Battling the Vongola brats on the other hand…is exhausting. It brings to mind memories of Hogwarts, of too-small children fighting the battles the adults should have dealt with. But she's being paid, and so she shoves those feelings deep down inside of her.

Of course, with her luck, that only lasts until it's her fight, and she's fighting the girl, and then the kid's organs collapse, and for some awful reason, she sees Alena, and she freezes. It's easy then for the boy to beat her, and Mammon chooses to flee from the situation instead.

/\

She flees so hard, she ends up in Russia, spends an hour cuddling with the confused kind-of-godchild-kind-of-sister that is Alena before she returns to Xanxus' side. He side-eyes her, but doesn't say anything.

Her Flames warm beneath her skin, but she ignores that because she still doesn't like what they're doing, but at least Xanxus is calming down. Ish. Eventually they make it back to Italy and return to just being Varia and not a weird-potential-take-over-Vongola-group.

Apparently she missed Xanxus and the Decimo brat connecting. In her mind it almost sounds like Xanxus bonded with the brat, like as a Sky, but she doesn't dare say anything to his face because of how many bottles he would probably throw in retaliation.

He can probably read it in her face though, so she still ends up with a bottle being thrown at her head. At least the embarrassment in the throw is obvious to her, so she just leaves cackling at her boss.

/\

Things are….not bad overall. They aren't as bad as they used to be, but they aren't as good as they once were. The brat isn't as psychotic as during the time Xanxus was frozen, but the Ninth still looks at them as though they are the scum of the earth.

So you know, good and bad.

Then Mammon is woken up in the night, screaming.

Viper-Lavender-Mammon can barely breath, magic and flames whipping around her as she tears through the Varia compound, looking for Xanxus, looking for her Sky.

She's not the only one who seeks out their Sky, but she is the first one there. After all, she is the one who died in the future that never was. She tries to pretend that she's come to check up on him, and not because she needs to assurance of her Sky.

Xanxus doesn't even bother pretending as he basically crushes Mammon-Viper-Lavender to him, sucking in deep breaths as he confirms to himself that she is there, that she is still alive.

She remembers so much more about that future than she ever wanted in her life. She doesn't want these memories, the pictures of how she chose to sacrifice herself for Xanxus, for the Decimo brat. How after Colonello had fallen, she chose to call Xanxus, her Sky, one last time.

The words said then that were not meant to be repeated by anyone else.

But as Xanxus holds tight to Mammon-Viper-Lavender, Xanxus whispers in a small voice, in English, responding to the words she had once told him in confidence.

In the end, it is when Xanxus simply turns to repeating her name, "Lavender," that Mammon-Viper-Lavender lets herself release a shuddering breath and return the crushing hug.

/\

Asking for the Varia's help for the Arcobaleno Trials are easy. Xanxus blusters about, but gives in easily enough and Viper gives him a small smile before she disappears.

She will break this Curse.

There are no other options.

But the Trials don't go as she expects for one reason and one reason only.

Harry Freaking Potter.

Who shows up to be one of Skull's (Skulls!) fighter's. It makes her stop and stare, knocking her flat on her back at one point. Turns out expelliarmus on knives coupled with a small body literally sends her flying. She takes the break to pause and re-think everything she has ever thought about Skull, because how many people could just call up the Man-Who-Conquered? The man who it was rumoured hadn't aged very much. The man who had so many rumours surrounding him it was surprising that he wasn't drowning in them all.

Then she has to stop ruminating and start fighting because Potter never wasted a moment during a battle and her short break has allowed Potter to get close- too close- to Belphegor. What she throws at him in response is an expelliarmus, causing the raven-haired man to rear back.

The two of them stare at each other, and even through the cowl of her cloak, Lavender-Viper-Mammon feels as though his eyes as seeing into her soul.

And carefully, he lowers his wand, bows his head, and leaves the Varia to collect themselves. She can feel Xanxus turn to her, about to start questioning what just happened, but then the Vindice show up and they have no more time to talk.

/\

Listening to the Decimo's idea is brilliant, and Viper barely pauses to make sure that the Varia are a half step behind her as they go forward with it.

And, best of all, it works.

The only downside is being forced to stay with the other Arcobaleno as the last bits of the Curse work its' way out of their system. She would much rather be with the Varia. Or even in Russia with Zoya and Alena.

Instead, she's forced to spend time with a bunch of other people who even on good days she can barely tolerate all struggling through puberty for the second time.

At least she gets entertainment when Skull turns out to be taller than Reborn. The temper tantrum the hitman has only makes Skull smirk at him and lord his height over all of them.

Of course, the day when the Curse is officially broken, all of them back to their adult selves, no lasting effects on them, it's perhaps the best day of her life.

She goes with the others to a bar, that same one from years and years ago, to go and get properly smashed.

It's at some point late in the evening, Viper still nursing one of her earlier drinks as she watches the others get more and more drunk, that everything changes. Again.

Skull snorts out of nowhere, causing Colonello to ask about it, and Skull answers, "I'm still in moral danger, my mum's going to be pissed." He gestures for another drink, "I bet Harry went and told them the Curse was broken, my mum probably hoped my clock hand would move off of mortal danger. But you're all still super scary!"

Viper feels her insides go cold. She's frozen, mind taken back to that one year, that one year of peace at Hogwarts.

We have a clock at home that tells my parents how us kids are doing. Charlie's and Bill's are almost always in trouble, gives my mum such a fright, I tell you.

"Your mother enchanted clock hands?" the words slip out, and Viper wants to take them back, wants to rephrase it, but Skull is looking at her with confusion, Reborn eyeing her out of the corner of his eyes as he takes another drink.

"Errrr, no? I think it was my dad actually." Then he has the audacity to hiccup and starts thinking a little bit harder, "Uh, wait, no, you don't know about the Statute, so forget I said anything!" he tries to order, pointing an unsteady finger at her, but there's no way that Viper-Lavender- can go back now.

"You have magic?" she finally whispers, her hands clenching and unclenching as Skull takes another drink.

He thinks hard about it, then slurs out, "Yessir ma'am."

She realizes then that she hasn't revealed her gender to them, to any of them, and so she throws off her hood, intent on interrogating Skull because she still cannot figure out who he is, but maybe, she has known?

Then Skull is sputtering, words not making any sense, until she hears "Lav?"

Her world goes still.

She hears someone speak, but she only has eyes for Skull who starts stumbling towards the door. She pulls herself together to go stalking after him, now grateful that she hasn't had much to drink. It's easy to catch up to Skull, grab him by his collar and throw him against the wall, hands in his jacket as she asks, "How do you know that name?"

He stares at her, then leans back to hit his head against the wall a couple times, "I thought you were a hallucination," she can't help the rage on her face and he hurriedly continues as he holds up his hands, "Bit hard to forget one's ex-girlfriend."

She releases him, staggering back away from him as all the things that made no sense suddenly do make sense, all the little things from throughout the years, all the little hints, why none of the Fallen Fifty made sense as being Skull. Why it makes sense that Ron is Skull- because Skull has always been about people, not places.

"Wha…Ron?" she demands, hands clenching as she struggles to pull herself together. At his nod of confirmation, she hesitates, then slugs him in the stomach, hard. And if that's because he's so absurdly tall, she isn't going to mention it to him.

Then she hesitates another half-second as he falls to his knees, hands wrapped around his stomach, and then Viper-no Lavender - throws herself forward and wraps her arms around Sk- Ron.

She finds herself breaking, breaking for the first time since that tea and vodka with Lorenzo and Zoya, and she feels Ron wrap his arms around her in return, just holding her.

"Why are you not with Harry?" she finds herself asking. Harry was surely a Sky, she had seen it, wouldn't Ron be his Cloud?

She feels his shoulders drop as he answers, "Things happened." And really, when it comes to Harry Potter, no more explanation is needed.

They stay like that for a long time, and eventually, Lavender feels the other Arcobaleno join in on the hug. It's awkward, incredibly so, but at the same time, she can feel how they want to help, how they really do want to help.

And it's nice. She lets out a shuddering breath, thinking about how much needs to be done. Dealing with the remnants of Mammon and how to transfer that back over to Viper, how to talk with Zoya and Alena, everything with the Varia, with Vongola. Maybe even whatever is left with the Wizarding World, maybe see if Blaise is still around.

But at the same time….

The arcoableno surround her, their Flames just there, Ron's arms around her, just holding her, and Lavender closes her eyes, and lets herself sink into the embrace.

She can deal with it later. It'll be okay.