Our sincere apologies this chapter came out this late. I actually had this chapter written out at the start of July but I was caught up with my university life and so was my beta reader. It took us quite a while to edit the chapter but I still want to thank Tear-chan for helping me out when she's having a busy time at her university too. Thanks so much Tear-chan! :D

We are finally heading to Hogwarts and I'll see you at the bottom.

Disclaimer: I do not own Katekyo Hitman Reborn or Harry Potter. I might also be taking bits and pieces from the books as well. In this chapter, Vindice will be "speaking in bold."

Chapter 17: Infiltration

Donning his Vindice attire, Tsuna gave one last mental check. Lambo and Reborn were not with them and, honestly, the man was not sure whether he felt nervous or relieved that the two of them were traveling together. He only hoped that they would stick to their mission and put their slight differences aside.

Tsuna scanned the room; all of them were wearing cloaks that covered their bodies and without careful inspections they could be passed off as ordinary people. However, Tsuna knew better of these Mafiosi around him, and knew that they were as dangerous as he currently was.

Without words, the Vongola Boss caught the attention of his Guardians. He gave a lingering look as he pretended to smooth out his coat, feeling for the weapon attached to the side of his belt. He briefly patted it and pursed his lips wryly; he hated the idea of having a pistol on him but it was necessary as an extra form of precaution, as proved two years ago. He had experienced being on the near brink of death during an unexpected assassination attempt at a formal meeting with the Italian minister and had he not had the hidden weapon on him, the Vongola Famiglia would have had to find a new heir to the throne.

Lifting his head, Tsuna silently observed his Guardians as they took the hint. The man was requesting to know the location of their arsenal and they gave a soft pat to the places where they hid their own pistols. Assured, Tsuna coughed slightly.

"Just to make things clear, we're now waiting for Moody-san and the rest to arrive and escort us to Hogwarts right?" The Sky Boss confirmed and Lupin nodded.

"They should be returning from King's Cross any time now," Lupin said. "If I may ask, Mr. Sawada, how exactly will you be going to Hogwarts? Via the Floo Network?"

Tsuna laughed softly. "No, we won't be using that. We intend to journey with our jet since there are a few things we intend to transport over. Moreover, as discussed with Dumbledore-san, the Floo Network may not be that secure even though Mukuro's over at the Ministry."

"Oh yes, I heard from Arthur that the Ministry's up to some tricks… Monitoring those fireplaces. That silly husband of mine keeps complaining of how troublesome it is," Molly chuckled at the thought.

"That's right. We're simply taking extra precautions to avoid suspicions," Tsuna nodded. They had been through the same process a few weeks back while trying to break into the Ministry.

A series of clicking sounds were then heard and the Vongola Guardians whipped their heads towards the exit of Grimmauld Place. Yamamoto grinned excitedly. "Looks like we're up."

"Everyone ready?" Tsuna asked for the final time as the man led the way out. "Let's go then!"

Like before, the Vongola arrived at the outskirts of the school castle by their jet. As requested by Tsuna, the remaining air bikes were levitated with the help of the wizards escorting them over to the area where they had hidden the rest of the vehicles.

"Thanks guys," the brunette said appreciatively. They could not risk alerting the Vindice of their position since they had to start up their bikes with their Flames and it would take much effort to hand carry them.

"Tsuna, hold on. There's something weird around here," Yamamoto's sharp instincts took over and he scanned the greens around him. He felt a tingling sensation and drew his sword. The rest of the Guardians surrounded Tsuna as they observed their surroundings.

"There!"

Tsuna squinted. The wizards whipped out their wands and their eyes widened at the sight of a black, cloaked creature gliding towards them. The hooded monster turned its head in their direction, as though contemplating something. At the sight, Tsuna felt a pang in his heart as he recognized the floating creature. That was the thing he had attacked Yamamoto before.

"What is a Dementor doing here?" Tonks asked warily, ready to throw a Patronus Charm.

"If there's one, there should be more somewhere and they should be here under Mukuro's orders. Look, it's not approaching us," Tsuna observed and made a bold guess. They had been practically sitting ducks and the Dementor had chances to attack them - not that they would be easily defeated when they had this many experienced Aurors with them.

"They better be. I'm feeling shivers anticipating their attacks," Tonks commented and Moody glared at his protégé in annoyance.

"To make things sure, Chrome, contact Mukuro and tell him to withdraw the Dementors from the school boundaries for a while," Tsuna requested and Chrome nodded, tapping into her telepathic link with the other illusionist.

The Dementor had levitated a few feet towards them, inching closer and closer. Tsuna let out a breath and white fog appeared in front of him even through the mask on his face. As the creature moved closer and closer to them, Decimo could hardly control the chattering of his teeth while the Dementor affected him with its bone freezing chill.

Tsuna fidgeted. The longer he stared at the Dementor, the more uncomfortable he felt. No sooner, Yamamoto moved closer towards Tsuna, partially shielding him from the creature's sight. Tsuna glanced inquisitively at the Guardian only to see him smiling and he instantly realized the man's intention.

"So how long do you think you'll need to take this thing down now?" Tsuna asked teasingly and Yamamoto chuckled, his body posture relaxed and confident.

"You wouldn't even get to make a shriek. It'll be like taking candy from a child… or not. Lambo would possibly unleash his fury if I did that to him," the Rain Guardian grinned and Gokudera rolled his eyes at the lame attempt to counter a joke. Yamamoto had done his research on the Dementors in Grimmauld Place and utilizing the experience he acquired from his previous defeat of the ghouls, he was confident that he would be able to take it down this time. That was a lesson he had learned from a particular shark-loving mentor who molded him into the top swordsman he was now.

Just as Tsuna suspected, the Dementor turned around and glided off further into the forest. He turned to Chrome, who nodded, and relaxed his stance. "Just as suspected, Mukuro's the one overseeing them. Did he happen to say where he is now?"

Chrome shook her head. "But Mukuro-sama's close by."

"Which should mean that Umbridge must have arrived as well," Moody grumbled. "I thought we were early… We're just waiting for Dumbledore to bring you in and we'll be on our way. We won't be escorting you in since we're not supposed to be here anyway."

Tsuna nodded; it would be trouble if the representative from the Ministry saw anyone related to Dumbledore close to the 'Vindice'.

"Mr. Sawada!" A bright voice called out to the Vongola and he turned towards the direction of where it came from. Dumbledore was briskly walking towards them with Professor McGonagall close behind his heels. The headmaster swiftly acknowledged the Order and they did likewise, greeting him and the Professor silently. Without other words, Tsuna inclined his head as the wizards Apparated away.

"Once again, Hogwarts welcomes you back into her grounds," the wizard extended a hand towards the second tallest Vindice and Tsuna shook it in respect.

"Dumbledore-san, McGonagall-san, please take care of us," Tsuna replied as Dumbledore took over the duty of escorting them into the school. As they passed through the barrier, the familiar sight of the majestic school greeted them. The pale orange sunset shone its light on the castle walls, giving the school a yellowish-golden glow, and the giant lake reflected the light, making the area serene. Had this not been a mission to protect Harry from an astray wizard, Tsuna would have fully appreciated the sight. Sadly, he knew this was like the calm before the storm.

"Our earpieces should be going off anytime now," Gokudera reminded them and, not a second later, the devices received slight interferences before making buzzing sounds and finally going dead.

"Are we still communicating in English?" Tsuna reaffirmed and the wizards nodded. Everything was going smoothly, according to plan.

"Still a slight accent but fairly fine," Dumbledore chuckled. They continued walking towards the entrance of the school and saw a fellow Professor awaiting them there.

"Professor Snape, please tell me Professor Umbridge and her assistant have arrived?" Dumbledore asked pleasantly and the potions master nodded. "Ah, as expected from the Undersecretary; to be punctual."

"They arrived a few minutes ago and are currently setting up their office," Professor Snape informed as he eyed the Vongola with an eyebrow raised. "The rest of the Guardians are not intending to enter the school in their present forms, are they?"

"No," Tsuna spoke up and turned to Professor McGonagall, who looked confused. "I know our present plan has the rest of them situated in the Shrieking Shack, but I would like to request if you would agree to turn my Guardians into animals through a particular spell? I asked Moody-san to perform this spell for them to move around the school freely, but he suggested that a better teacher performed it for us."

The wizards seemed taken aback by the weird request and Professor McGonagall was stunned.

"Y-You mean to say, you want the others to turn into animals to move around in the school?" She repeated and Yamamoto grinned cheerily.

"Yep! And we all want to be cats," the Rain Guardian said excitedly and the witch shook her head.

"I never use Transfiguration on a human being. I will have you know that there are dangers to human transfiguration. Should something go badly wrong, you run the risk of getting stuck in your transfigured state and it may be impossible to repair," the Professor warned.

"We're all extremely used to danger, what matters now is that we're doing everything we can to protect our client," Ryohei nodded determinedly and Dumbledore observed the Vongola curiously. To be able to set their lives down for someone else that readily… Vongola was really something else

"Moreover, Hermione-san holds high regards for you and so I will too. I will only trust you to do this transformation for us," Gokudera added and Professor McGonagall blushed slightly. All of them knew that Gokudera was not one to give compliments or entrust his life in someone else other than Tsuna.

"Well it seems that they are confident of your ability, Minerva," Dumbledore smiled and said witch's face flushed a darker red. Professor McGonagall cleared her throat as she composed herself, unused to being complimented.

"Well if you are certain, Mr. Sawada, then I will do everything I can to help with this process."

"Look who's here already…" Hermione pointed towards the teachers' table as the professors of the school walked into the Great Hall from the side door. Harry's eyes followed her direction and was greeted with the sight of a squat woman donning a pink cardigan. She had short, curly, brown hair and a face that Harry would never forget. Behind the woman, Leonardi Lippi made his entrance as well, his ever-knowing smirk directed towards Harry.

"I still don't get why Tsuna has that creepy man as his Guardian," Harry whispered to his friends and they agreed silently.

The moment the teachers were settled down, Professor McGonagall called for the students' attention and repeated what she did every year, guiding the students through their Sortings.

As the Sorting Hat sorted out the new students, Harry let his eyes wander through the Great Hall. Despite Professor McGonagall's repeated warnings to remain quiet throughout the ceremony, the occupants of the hall were unable to abide by the request. Murmurs of questions were heard as several students shifted uneasily on their seats as they dared not make any eye contact with the three unknown beings huddling at a corner of the hall.

Over at the Slytherin table, Harry glared at Draco Malfoy who was grinning proudly to his group while pointing over at the 'Vindice'. The boy was muttering with a low voice but Harry knew that he was bragging to his friends that Tsuna was here by his father's orders. He huffed and received a questioning look from Hermione. Harry shook his head and returned his attention to Dumbledore, who graced the Great Hall once the Sorting had ended.

"Welcome back to another year of Hogwarts!" Dumbledore raised his hands in front of him and greeted many faces of his students, both familiar and new faces. "There is a time for speech making, but this is not it. Tuck in!"

Food appeared on the table instantly, making the previously bare table full with a variety of delicacies from different parts of the world. The empty goblets filled themselves with pumpkin juice and the Great Hall was filled with an aroma that left mouths watering and stomachs growling. However, there was a small obstacle that prevented most students from eating in peace.

"Well, that's a great way to show their prowess," Harry muttered softly to Hermione and Ron. There was a certain dark aura that emitted from one of the three foreign entities in a corner which made many students jittery and the trio knew exactly who was doing that.

"Purple Hedgehog," Tsuna whispered quickly as he glanced around. They were getting way more attention than they currently should. "Which part of being inconspicuous do you not follow?"

"Hm? It's a natural reaction. Omnivore, be thankful I'm not running around biting all of them to death for crowding. And stop with the annoying codename," the former prefect gritted his teeth and Tsuna could not help but smirk at the comment.

"You know we have these names to protect our identity if anything goes wrong. Right, Red Cat?" He directed his words towards the cat with a light gray coat that stood on his shoulder.

"It was unnecessary and childish," Hibari replied and the feline hissed menacingly at the skylark. While the undercover Guardian was unaffected, another cat with a faint golden glow on his coat protested with a loud screech at this hostility.

Tsuna snapped his head towards the two felines as one by one heads turned towards the noise and the students' attention shifted onto them. What on earth were his Storm and Sun Guardians doing?

A cheerful mew came from Chrome's shoulder as another cat with a small patch of black in between its ears tried to stop them. The cat meows and hisses were slowly escalating and the Vongola Boss instantly let his displeasure show. He let loose one of his harshest auras, the Absolute Evil Fist which Reborn had taught him years ago when he faced off with a dojo buster.

Without a split second, the students fell silent as they averted their gaze immediately. Harry felt a raw shiver down his spine and glanced at his fellow Gryffindors. Many swallowed visibly and were unsettled by the display despite their bravery traits. Harry was glad he was not at the receiving end but wondered what happened between the Vongola to have the usually calm man flare up.

"What is wrong with you guys? We have our mission and our lives at stake here. Don't make me do this again," Tsuna warned with a low voice and the felines cringed. Dumbledore decided to speak up at this moment to cover up for them. Returning to his indifferent position, Tsuna looked towards the teachers' table and noticed Dolores Umbridge smiling with satisfaction.

"Seems like we have gotten ourselves some merit…" Tsuna mumbled to himself as Dumbledore began.

"Well, now that we are all digesting another magnificent feast, I beg a few moments of your attention for the usual start-of-term notices," the headmaster rambled on and Tsuna sighed softly. He wondered where Lambo and Reborn could be - they did not have a chance to meet up since Harry arrived at the school and he hoped that they were both fine.

A small cough caught the brunette's attention and Tsuna raised his eyebrows as Dumbledore was interrupted during his speech. The students were confused as to why the headmaster had suddenly stopped talking and the reason soon became clear as the new teacher rose to her feet and walked towards the podium.

"Thank you, Headmaster," the witch simpered, "for those kind words of welcome."

Tsuna stood alert as the witch began her speech, preaching of the nobility of the Ministry of Magic and its minister. The students were slowly beginning to feel restless and constant murmurings were heard but Dolores Umbridge ploughed on with her speech, unyielding.

"Hem, hem," the pink-clothed woman coughed again in an attempt to redirect her audience's attention back to herself and Tsuna felt Hibari tense up beside him. He had obviously found that particular habit of that witch annoying. "The Ministry of Magic has also appointed an assistant to further aid you in your studies of your Defense Against the Dark Arts subject. May I introduce to you, your Defense Against the Dark Arts assistant teacher, Professor Leonardo Lippi."

Leonardo stood from his seat at the teachers' table and gave a small all-knowing bow at the introduction as the students clapped unenthusiastically. Umbridge mouthed to the Italian, asking if he would like to make a speech himself but the man declined. Giggling at the man's shyness, the witch continued with her task at hand.

"Lastly, the Ministry of Magic has engaged the services of a renowned group to help protect our students from a vicious group of escapees known as the Vongola," Umbridge announced and Tsuna cringed inwardly at the unfounded accusation. "As we know from history, the Vongola has inflicted bloodshed and boundless agony on our society."

"Sources imply that this group of murderers have infiltrated our world and the Ministry of Magic takes the safety of its citizens into utmost consideration. Thus, we have jointly collaborated with the lawful forces of their world to protect your well-being," the witch spoke, this time fully grabbing the students' attention. Murmurs surfaced again and Umbridge raised her voice slightly as she continued with her speech. "In return, we would appeal to everyone, should any of you find anything related to or pointing to this group of escapees, to report it immediately to me or anyone from the Ministry."

Harry noticed; Umbridge had left out Dumbledore's name on purpose and was grinning from ear to ear. The boy felt sudden fury - for what reason, he didn't know - and that anger swiftly turned into a powerful rush of dislike towards the plump woman. He would love to hex her if he could.

"Thereafter, I would like to introduce to you, the Vindice," Umbridge concluded softly, and Tsuna took it as a cue to walk towards her and introduce themselves. The students froze in their seats, the hall falling deathly silent other than the sound of the Vindice walking and the rustling of their cloaks.

Please don't let me fall, please don't let me fall, Tsuna chanted in his mind as he nervously walked through the middle lane, glancing around at the terrified faces of the students. The Boss could clearly imagine the satisfied smirk sitting comfortably on Hibari's lips as the man moved confidently with Chrome following behind. The cats on their shoulders were throwing scrutinizing looks at the students, occasionally baring their sharp fangs at anyone who dared to make eye contact. The group did not stop or turn to look at Harry at all; they simply walked past and moved towards the podium with purpose.

"Cats? When did Tsuna and the others get them?" Harry whispered to Ron and Hermione. Ron shrugged and Hermione's eyes widened in realization as she swore the cat on Tsuna's shoulder turned back and grinned toothily at her.

"No way…" The witch choked back a laugh and had to partially cover her mouth to avoid suspicion.

"That was creepy, did you see how sinister that cat was when it turned towards us? It felt like it was mocking us..." One of the Gryffindors near the Golden Trio whispered to his friend.

Umbridge's mouth twitched slightly as the leader of the Vindice approached her and drew up to his full height. Despite the bandages covering their facial features, the witch could tell that the Vindice was staring at her with a condescending look.

"I suppose any additional information about us is unnecessary. We may be here in exchange for a request by both parties, but we work by ourselves and will not be under anyone's order," Tsuna directed his words at Umbridge before turning around to speak to the students, his voice low but clear.

"We are here to seek out the Vongola and eliminate them personally," Tsuna raised out an arm, his palm facing upwards. "Should we discover any attempts by any of the teachers or students of this school to cover up for the Vongola, we will take the appropriate actions to extract information, be it physically or mentally," the man closed his hand in a crushing manner and let his words hang.

There were sharp intakes of breath as Dumbledore stood from his seat with a frown. Umbridge had caught the action and giggled inwards. Tsuna felt sick to his stomach on the personification of the Vindice; that he had to make that threat to further inflict fear onto the students. However, this also served as a warning to not mess around with them so that they would not be hindered in their mission.

"Thank you, Professor Umbridge… and the Vindice," Dumbledore said, nodding respectfully at them. "That was most…illuminating."

Tsuna pursed his lips tightly as the 'Vindice' stepped away into a corner. The noise level in the hall was starting to increase right after he had said his part. Most of the students had worried faces - Tsuna could not blame them - but what had caught Decimo's eye was a particular Slytherin.

Draco Malfoy had one of the largest grins on his face. He leaned on his elbow, his finger moving across his chin in a smug manner. He caught Ron's attention with his constant staring and when Harry turned towards him, the Malfoy heir wriggled his eyebrows mockingly.

"You better watch out Potter," Draco mouthed and Harry rolled his eyes, knowing that it was the other way around. Tsuna sighed; he would have to pay more attention to the Slytherin.

"As I was saying, Quidditch tryouts will be held…" Dumbledore regained control over the hall and continued with what he was previously saying.

"I never knew you had it in you, omnivore," Hibari commented casually as Tsuna coughed awkwardly. The atmosphere remained solemn while Dumbledore finished his remaining speech. They could feel the uncomfortable aura in the air after the brunette's warning.

"I never did too. Red Cat, go!" Tsuna whispered to his Storm Guardian as the students were dismissed.

They soon began to file out from the Great Hall to their Common Rooms. The cat peered over the sea of heads for their client and leaped down from his shoulder, chasing after their target.

"Blue Swallow, Yellow Kangaroo, the two of you will follow now."

The disguised swordsman and boxer nodded and followed suit, moving through the students' legs in a swift motion.

Tsuna watched carefully as his three Guardians went off to their specific positions as discussed. "Now we have to find Lambo and Reborn. Let's head to the Shrieking Shack after they've all cleared…Wait," Decimo said as he spotted Dolores Umbridge approaching them.

"What do you want?" Tsuna decided to ask before she had the chance to open her mouth, and she seemed taken aback and slightly offended by the small hostility.

"I was under the impression that we were working together. To weed out the Vongola," the witch hastily added in a low voice and the brunette instantly knew that she was buttering up to them.

"Do what you should to track them down, and we will lend you and your master our strength," the 'Vindice' said lazily and Umbridge's face held a faint trace of panic at the mention of the Dark Lord. The witch instantly hushed them.

"You will not mention to any soul about my master; about the Dark Lord. No one must know," the Undersecretary whispered harshly, furtively glancing around as she did so in case someone decided to eavesdrop on them. "We have already situated Dementors outside of the school to help with the search. We are doing our part and we hope that you will do yours too!"

Clearing her throat with that annoying cough again, Umbridge smiled sweetly at Tsuna and the man felt a shiver this time. This woman was pure evil and rather dangerous.

"So, is the Headmaster treating you well? Has he assigned you your rooms here?" She asked loudly and with a pretentious tone as several professors moved past her disapprovingly. Tsuna nodded dumbly at the change of tone and Umbridge giggled girlishly once again.

"You are our esteemed guests, and if you need anything else don't hesitate to tell me or Leonardo here. We will see to it that you'll get your privileges," she promised, and proceeded to exit from the teachers' side of the door. Leonardo's lips curled in amusement, giving Tsuna a lingering look before following.

"What was that about?" Tsuna shook his head and muttered to himself, shaking his head as if to rid himself of the unpleasant feeling that witch gave him.

"That shows her interest in your display of authority, Vindice. Good day," Dumbledore chuckled, sending them a discreet wink as he did so. Tsuna returned with a small bow as the Headmaster and the Head of Gryffindor bowed slightly in respect to them before walking out, leaving the three of them alone in the empty Great Hall.

"I can't help but think that Dumbledore-san is dropping me a hint. Let's get to the Shrieking Shack and regroup," Tsuna shrugged.

After much struggle with the Whomping Willow - Hibari had absolutely refused to help with the poking of the stick to paralyze the tree and the other two had to do it while dodging flying branches, the trio managed to get themselves into the Shrieking Shack. Under the dull moon, the light was just barely enough for them to navigate upstairs. The house was indeed abandoned for a long time as cobwebs and dust covered every corner. The paint on the walls was weathered and peeling off in spots. Cracks and scratches spread throughout the grimy window pane, yet there was hardly any wind or ventilation. It was as if anything from outside the Shrieking Shack was unable to penetrate into the inner building.

Tsuna pushed the door open and stepped into the room, the wooden floor giving away and making a resounding creak. Debris littered the area, and the tables and chairs were overturned. It appeared as though a fight had taken place before. A dust-covered black piano was positioned in the middle of the room but it was missing several keys.

"Gokudera-kun would still love it though…" Tsuna muttered to himself as he ran his hands over the object. Looking around, the man saw an oil lamp toppled under a small desk. He lifted the object up and made to blow the dust off it and soon rolled his eyes as he failed. Instead, he found a cloth lying around and wiped dirt off it with it.

"Uh… you guys happen to have matchsticks on you?" Decimo asked and received head shakes. He frowned as he contemplated on making a fire using the primal method. He looked at his Vongola Ring and then to his Guardians.

"By rights, everything inside is kept to Hogwarts only," Tsuna recalled but he was also warned. Hermione had informed them that the Shrieking Shack was not in Hogwarts but in Hogsmeade, even though the only entrance to it was through the school. Technically, they were still under the protection of the school… or were they not?

"No one can Apparate in or out of the school when the magical barrier is up… The same goes for the Vindice, right? Because even though they can feel our Flames, they will still be unable to find us or the school since they're Muggles like us," Tsuna referred to the Muggle-repelling charm as he tried to convince himself. Conflicted, Tsuna turned to his Guardians. "You know the consequences should I fail in my deduction. We will be murdered and slaughtered… and then thrown into prison for eternity," the brunette joked weakly.

"Remove it," Hibari said and Chrome nodded in agreement. They too were curious to find out if they were able to use their Flames.

Looking back at his ring, Tsuna inhaled deeply as he removed the Mammon Chain binding it. With his heart beating rapidly, he took the risk and let out his breath. He concentrated and a bright orange flame appeared.

"Shit!" Tsuna cursed softly, for a sudden sound of footsteps came from downstairs. The perpetrator moved slowly and cautiously, judging from the frequency of his walking. Breathing heavily, Tsuna signaled to Hibari and the ex-prefect went into an attacking stance.

Hibari darted towards the exit silently and closed the door gently. They winced almost imperceptibly when the hinges of the broken door moaned and the footsteps stopped. Chrome materialized her trident and pointed the sharp edge towards the door, protecting her Boss while Tsuna maintained his position.

Tsuna closed his eyes and a flame burned on his forehead, sending him into his Hyper Dying Will Mode. He had finally mastered entering the mode without consuming his pills, although it would drastically lessen his powers but somehow, his Intuition was telling him that the unknown being downstairs might be someone else.

The brunette clenched his fists, his metal-clad gloves already transformed as the footsteps resumed and moved closer and closer before stopping just right behind the door. Tsuna bent forward with his hands behind his back and readied to throw his punch.

The door creaked open and Hibari reacted instinctively. He appeared from behind the door and did a swift roundabout. The skylark swung his leg at the intruder, only to discover that there was no one there. However, a loud clank sounded the moment he made contact with something hard.

Hibari leapt back in alarm, his eyes widening and Tsuna's heart skipping a beat. What on Earth were they facing that was invisible and powerful enough to block his Guardian's kick?

"It's us," Reborn announced as he removed the Invisibility Cloak that was covering both him and the Lightning Guardian. The infant jumped from the child's head, Leon transforming back to his chameleon form from a stick. Lambo was staring blankly towards the front, his eyes wide with shock.

"Lambo-san almost died. Lambo-san's seeing stars…" The cow-child's eyes started spiraling comically as he stuck out his tongue. Tsuna cried out in shock and dashed towards him, telling him to snap out of it.

"That was a strong kick Hibari. Did you bind your tonfa to your leg?" The Sun Arcobaleno asked, "That's way harder than a kick should be. And don't worry Tsuna, I blocked the kick and this coward simply passed out from seeing an attack directly at his face," Reborn assured his student and Tsuna sighed.

"Hn," Hibari smirked under his mask. The man knew he had no chance of using his weapon and hence concealed the tonfas on his legs, in the midst creating another deadly attack.

"What?" Tsuna was shocked. "Lambo! Why didn't you announce your presence? You could have gotten hurt!"

"…Lambo-san didn't want to draw attention to us in case there were enemies here!"

"That's a lie, he was afraid that declaring his presence would draw ghosts to him," Reborn exposed the child immediately and Lambo glared at him with tears in his eyes for spilling his secret. His secrets were never secrets whenever the infant was with him.

Tsuna sighed again. "Lambo… Just announce your codename next time… the ghosts won't know your name then."

"Where's the other three?" Reborn asked as Tsuna proceeded to light the oil lamp. The Mafiosi pulled out the chairs and let down their guards. They removed their masks and it was their free time now.

"They're out to guard Harry," Tsuna explained, for Reborn was not informed of the last minute change of plan. "We had McGonagall-san transform them into cats so they can move around more easily and undetected. We got the idea from Sirius-san; he's able to transform into a dog at will."

"That's rather useful, but not as useful as my disguises," Reborn said with a straight face and Decimo rolled his eyes. "And I see you're using your Flames."

Tsuna nodded as he glanced at his ring. The man allowed the flame on his head to die out and sighed.

"I decided to take the risk, and I'm glad the Vindice didn't appear. It didn't strike to me back then that I'd be putting every single persons' lives here in danger if they did appear. I was only thinking of my Family's lives if we were caught," Tsuna admitted guiltily and Reborn shook his head.

"True, it may be a moment of impulse but your Hyper Intuition stated otherwise and you chose to follow it," the Sun Arcobaleno showed Decimo one of his rare smiles. "And that performance in the Great Hall was interesting… You should practice more on the Absolute Evil Fist. Don't tell anyone you learned that from me, it was pathetic."

Tsuna laughed heartily. That mentor of his always knew how to cheer him up and tackle his weak spots. It was not long before Professor Dumbledore announced his presence, and the Headmaster walked in with Professor McGonagall and two cats behind him.

"Gokudera-kun, Onii-san, good work," Tsuna praised as the teachers reversed the transforming charm and two humans now took the cats' place. "I assume that Yamamoto's keeping watch over our client now?"

"It's a pleasure, Tenth!" Gokudera glowed at the compliment while Ryohei stretched himself, nodding at the last question.

"I'm sorry for the inconvenience, you are busy teachers after all," Tsuna apologized to the two Professors and Dumbledore laughed it off.

"It definitely isn't, my boy. We should be appreciative that your Guardians are willing to do so much to protect Harry," Dumbledore said and cut to the chase. "So what do you think of Professor Umbridge?"

"She definitely has an evil aura, but I'm sure the Vindice are able to handle her fine. The only problem is Harry-kun. We'll try our best to keep him in our sights, but we can't be around him every second. He's bound to be marked by her and he needs to stay out of trouble," the brunette pondered.

"I'm afraid that trouble always finds him first," Dumbledore sighed grimly.

Tsuna noticed a small movement near the door but did not pay much heed to it, thinking that it was just the light playing tricks… until another cat appeared in his sight, meowing softly. The man pinched the bridge of his nose. "More like how he's finding it now. Come out, Harry-kun. Yamamoto just exposed you," Tsuna announced sharply and heads turned towards the exit.

Harry appeared at the door sheepishly as Yamamoto regained his human form with the help of Professor McGonagall. "I'm sorry, Tsuna. I tried but I can't do much in that small form," Yamamoto scratched his head and apologized swiftly, but Tsuna shook his head. The swordsman had done his job and it wasn't his fault.

"Takeshi's right, I came out on my own because I wanted to know what the next plan is. That Umbridge woman said…" Harry did not complete his sentence as Tsuna interrupted him.

"Harry-kun, do you know how much danger you're putting yourself and us in?" Decimo asked sternly. Harry nodded slowly and hoped that Dumbledore or anyone would come to his defense but no one did. "We're here, trying our best to protect you and here you are, exposing yourself to even more danger.

"Hogwarts isn't as safe now as you think. You are being infiltrated by a Death Eater and worse, she has your Ministry backing her. You could have been ambushed on the way and Yamamoto wouldn't have been able to do a single thing to protect you in that form," Tsuna described the possible scenario as Harry felt his temper rise. All the boy wanted was to be informed of their plans and, instead, he was being reprimanded for trying to know something related to him.

Gokudera felt the anger the boy was feeling and moved to restrain Harry as he cried his outburst. "Why can't I know what's going to happen to me? I'm the one they're after! Moreover, I didn't ask for you to protect me! I didn't ask you to risk your lives for me!"

Tsuna instantly took in a sharp breath, and Harry regretted saying that. The Guardians were looking at him with stunned faces and even Hibari, who was staring out of the window for the past few hours, turned to look at him. For the first time, the Vongola Boss was speechless.

"Tsuna, I-I…"

"My, Harry," Dumbledore hastily intervened. "Minerva, let us escort our fellow student back to his bunk. Mr. Sawada, it's regrettable that we have allowed such an outburst to happen. Please, do not take offence."

Tsuna forced a smile. "None taken, Dumbledore-san."

"T-Tsuna, I didn't m-mean it…" Harry started but said man shook his head.

"You must be tired after traveling today. Rest well, Harry-kun."

Harry did not have the chance to reply as Professor McGonagall ushered him out. Dumbledore patted the boss' shoulder and smiled gently. Tsuna replied with a small smile and the Headmaster took his leave.

"Did I go too far, Professor?" Harry asked softly as Professor McGonagall escorted the Gryffindor back.

"I'm afraid so, Mr. Potter, but I'm in no position to give any comments. Come, head to bed and we'll discuss it in the morning," the teacher advised and Harry nodded.

Back in the Shrieking Shack, Tsuna was fairly silent and seemed to be in deep thought. Gokudera and Ryohei glanced at each other, not knowing what to do. Yamamoto scratched his cheek, trying to think of a way to engage the brunette in conversation but, before he could do that, Tsuna stood from his seat.

"I'm going out for a walk guys, stay alert," the man informed and put his bandage mask back on. He then walked out of the room briskly.

"I think someone better go along with the Tenth. It's not safe out there," Gokudera began but Reborn objected.

"Let Dame-Tsuna be on his own for now. He knows that he can use his Flames, he'll be fine," the infant assured him and smiled to himself. He knew that his student had already made up his mind.

TBC

So the Vongola are able to use their flames! Hmmmm which means they're safe! *insert big/small hint*

I'll try not to drag out the next chapter but until next time!