Chapter 23: Party On Christmas Eve!

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Arriving in Orrizo Alley he moved along it, wishing that anti-apparation charms weren't in place within it, even though he was actually terrible at apparation.

Then again, that was one of the main reasons he rented a place here. The charms over the alley were far more powerful than anything he could put up himself, so there was no chance of surprising him by suddenly apparating in.

Other wards were in place at his apartment building as well, and whilst they weren't exactly strong, they would hold back any unwanted intruders for long enough for Harry to escape.

He had been offered a room at Marco's parents' manor, but he enjoyed his privacy and didn't think that a house shared with dozens of guards and staff would offer that.

Just as Harry was entering the lobby of his building a fireplace flared with green flames and out stepped Marco, brushing soot off the shoulders of the expensive-looking black cloak he wore on top of his suit.

His blue eyes scanned around for a moment before he picked out Harry and walked over to him.

The man chucked a bag of golden coins at him and Harry caught it easily, raising an eyebrow at its weight. "Christmas bonus," supplied Marco.

"Really? What did I do to earn this?" He frowned mockingly. "I haven't saved your life in at least a month."

'33 days,' Loki reminded.

Marco laughed. "I would have survived anyway, just wouldn't have been able to use my arm for a few days – and let's not forget all the times I've saved your behind."

"Whatever." Marco reached to try and ruffle Harry's hair, but he dodged out the way. "You could have waited a few days to give me that, what do you want?"

As if to deny it, Marco opened his mouth and then re-thought, abruptly closing it again. By this point he knew that Harry was rather adept at detecting lies.

"I need you to do something for me on Christmas Eve. My family is hosting a ball for Yule, and I need you to come."

For a moment Harry was silent. "Marco, as I told you when we first met, I'm not a prostitute unless you pay me a lot."

He laughed. "You misunderstand." He paused. "Actually you understand quite well, but it is not me you shall be escorting, it is my sister."

"Wow," Harry murmured. "I've seen your sister, and I'm pretty sure she isn't ugly enough that you need to pay someone to take her as a date." In all honesty, Marco's sister was attractive, but Loki had informed Harry you weren't supposed to tell girl's brothers that unless you were trying to annoy them.

"I'm paying you to be her bodyguard, not her date." Marco sounded exasperated, used to Harry purposefully misinterpreting anything he said in order to annoy him.

"She's thirteen, and you're the only person within her age range who I trust to guard her."

"And why exactly does she need guarding?"

Marco bit down on his lip, and Harry guessed that he was wondering whether or not to tell him something. "Recently, there have been betrayals within the organization. Previously loyal members and families are turning away from my father's leadership and to our rivals. Many will be at this ball, members and non-members alike. When even our allies cannot be trusted, members of my family undoubtedly in danger. Unlike the rest of us, my sister is unable to protect herself as well, but it will be a sign of weakness if she does not attend."

Harry thought for a moment, weighing up the risks and the undoubtedly large prize. It wasn't like he had any plans for Christmas anyway. "I'll do it."

"I knew I could count on you," said Marco, smiling. "The dress code is formal, so you can wear a robe over a suit. We'll be wearing black, so you probably should too."

A snort escaped Harry. "When I'm forced to wear a robe, do you really think that it would be anything other than black?"

"Anyway, show up at the manor at 5:00pm on Christmas, and no funny business with my sister, her brother is in the Mafia." With a wink, he swaggered back over to the Floo and disappeared in a burst of green fire.

As a result of Loki's prior insistence, Harry already owned an expensive – too expensive, in his opinion – black suit with a matching robe. Harry would have preferred a cape (they restricted movement less, and more importantly, looked cooler) but he didn't want to gain unneeded attention by being dressed differently to everyone else.

So dressed in his suit and robe with one dagger holstered at his left ankle, another under his suit blazer and his wand sheathed in his sleeve, Harry moved downstairs to the lobby, locking his apartment behind him. Grabbing a handful of Floo powder and hurling it into the fire, he said, "Aurelius Manor," and was enveloped in green flames.

The world blackened and then he was rushing through darkness, lights glimmering around him. Suddenly he was thrown out of his destination's fireplace. For a moment he tumbled before regaining his footing with near inhuman grace.

Even though he had been keyed into the wards, a barrier of shimmering light still held him back from entering the rest of the manor's grand entry hall. Two robed men stood opposite from him, but neither moved to unleash him from the secondary ward.

Harry sighed, wondering how funny their reactions would be if he decided to blast it down. It had not been designed to withstand Asgardian magic.

He was ripped from his contemplations as Marco came through the doors at the end of the room that Harry knew led further into the house.

He motioned to the men and one pointed his wand at a glowing, blue crystal next to him, taking down the ward for just long enough for Harry to step into the house.

"Ah, Harry." Marco looked down to the gleaming golden watch upon his wrist. "You are exactly on time."

"Did you expect anything else?" Harry moved up to Marco and matched his pace as they strode though the manor. "How long until the other guests arrive?"

"Half an hour," he answered, "I-" He paused, looking to Harry with slight worry in his eyes. "You do know how to dance, right?"

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