The sunlight was warm on his face and the heat of the quickly fading day perked up his hope that this summer would be different than all the others. His relatives, if you could call them that, had just been warned by Moody, Lupin, Mr. Weasley, and Tonks to be nice to him. The aforementioned relatives were following in his wake to the car. Harry looked to either side of the nearest car park and realised that he didn't know where the car was and he was unlikely to find it without some direction. For all he knew, Vernon could have gotten a new one while he was away at Hogwarts trying to stay alive. 'Or getting others killed. Or risking the lives of my friends.'
Harry had goals for the summer. He hoped they were simple enough since he had just formulated them on the train ride south.
1. Stay Alive
2. Protect Your Mind
3. Take Control Of Your Life
4. Get Information
5. Keep Your Loved Ones Safe
6. Learn How To Win
The list wasn't in any particular order, but he needed to achieve all of them. Failure would only lead to someone else's death. He would be lucky if his was the only death that came from a failure. At least then he wouldn't have the guilt he was dealing with at the moment. Sirius was his fault. He had failed to save him. More over, he had led Sirius to his own death. He'd had a chance to save him in the chamber, but he had just stood and watched. And then when he'd had the chance, he couldn't even avenge his godfather's death properly. 'I will not be useless next time,' Harry thought to himself while trying to cope with the anguish and frustration he was feeling.
He had failed on so many levels this year; Umbridge being only one of them. The list could take up rolls of parchment. 'I have to succeed. I have to win. I have to…to find my bloody 'family',' Harry thought, as he realised he was alone in the crowd on the street outside King's Cross Station.
A quick scan of the throngs of people showed him two lumbering masses making their way to a car park across the road. With a deep breath and a tight grip on his trolley, Harry made to follow the dreadful people he stayed with during holiday break.
'Remember, Harry, they are on notice to treat you well. They will be better. They won't be the same.'
Harry dodged a Renault that accelerated past him to make a turn. Remembering the basic lessons of childhood Harry thought, 'avoid Dudley and his friends if you can, if you can't you are faster than them, and look both ways before crossing the road because Dudley will push you in front of traffic given the chance.' Navigating the hazards of London's city streets as well as he could, Harry reached the car and knocked on the boot so his Uncle would release the latch. Ten seconds went by before the boot popped open with a metallic click. The 'relatives', as Harry planned to call them for the duration of his sentence, were seated in the car with Dudley behind his father and Petunia in the front seat.
As Harry hefted his trunk off the trolley and into the boot, he noticed that the car leaned heavily to one side. Laughter welled up in his mind as Harry figured out the cause of the lopsided vehicle. 'I wonder how often the car will try to make right turns on its own.' Hedwig would be riding inside with Harry. That situation was not debatable. She deserved better, but an owl in a cage was 'abnormal' enough. No need to push it by releasing her in front of the evening commuters.
Harry closed the boot and slid into the back seat. Dudley, taking up nearly two thirds of the backseat alone, tried to distance himself from Harry as much as possible but failed miserably in his efforts. Vernon barely flinched at the quiet hoot Hedwig made when the car was backed out of the space abruptly still listing to the right.
Harry watched Vernon carefully, keeping his humorous observations to himself. The next two hours would set the terms for the summer. Vernon looked straight ahead as he aimed the auto through the congested streets. He was still white-faced. He hadn't come to terms with the warning yet. He hadn't made his decision to listen to it or fight it. Harry decided it was a very volatile situation as far as his Uncle was concerned.
Shifting his eyes left led him to Aunt Petunia sitting straight-backed in her seat. She only looked backwards quickly enough to reassure herself that Dudley was the same beached whale he always was and hadn't been 'changed' by any of Harry's magic. She paid Harry no mind as far as he could tell but something somehow was different all the same.
Dudley kept his maw fixedly pointed out the window. He never turned his head nor asked any questions. Harry was reminded of a saying he'd heard once. "See no evil, Hear no evil, Speak no evil." Only in this situation it would be, "See no Harry, Hear no Harry, Speak no Harry."
'This I can handle,' Harry said to himself. 'I can live with this. Silence would be good for a summer.' It didn't last long.
About every half hour, Harry noticed that Vernon was changing colours. At first it seemed like the twins might have slipped him something, but an hour into the ride 'home' Harry knew it was a normal Vernon reaction coming out. His face was a shade of white, then normal colour followed by a pinkish-red. Only one colour remained and they had less than twenty minutes left to the trip.
'Same pinkish-red,' Harry noted as they pulled into the driveway of Number Four, Privet Drive. 'I might just make it to bed before he snaps.'
The car was switched off, the boot was popped, and the Dursleys exited the car as swiftly as possible. Harry slid out of his seat and closed the door. The locks snapped closed and the interior light was extinguished letting him take note of the darkening sky. Harry went to the rear of the car and pulled his trunk out of the boot before closing it sharply. He gripped Hedwig's cage in his left hand and the trunk in his right and headed towards the front door.
'Well, let's get this over with, eh.'
Harry closed the front door with his foot while balancing his weight carefully on the remaining foot. The Dursleys were in the living room judging by the lights that were on in the house. A faint bluish flicker and the noise droning on from the room most likely to house Dudley when he was awake was proof enough.
'So far, so good.' Harry set his trunk down and quickly carried Hedwig up to his room. He opened the window, glad that it hadn't been nailed shut, and opened the door to the cage telling Hedwig to help herself. He returned to the entryway and grabbed his trunk planning on repeating his quick escape from his 'relatives'.
Unfortunately, he felt a presence behind him. It wasn't the same feeling he got around Voldemort or the Death Eaters. It was similar to slipping on black ice and catching yourself rather than the empty feeling of being halfway to the ground after your feet leave the earth. Harry spun around smoothly and was met by Vernon's hand on his throat lifting him slightly off the floor. An errant thought ran through his mind, 'Things were too good to be true.'
"Thought that was funny, didn't you, boy?" Vernon hissed, spraying spittle on Harry. "Thought your freaky friends could scare me, eh? Had a good laugh you did. Well, now it is time to pay up, boy."
Vernon swung a fist into Harry's gut at that moment. Harry doubled over as the air was pushed from his body by the force of the blow. Things went white and a burning sensation flared in his lungs. Things were definitely not going well this summer. Another swing and Harry saw stars in addition to his white, hazy vision.
Letting his instincts take over, Harry kicked out his foot and caught Vernon in a very advantageous spot. He felt himself being dropped and ended up striking his head on the banister and collapsed into his trunk on the floor. Neither object moved enough to save Harry from additional injuries. 'Bloody hell. Another, normal, summer at the Dursleys', but I have my list of things to achieve and I'm not going to fail. I can't.'
Harry regained his vision and footing before Vernon could gather himself for another attack. Harry fingered his wand as he looked at the Dursleys and scowled. 'The poster family for pathetic Muggles according to Voldemort,' Harry thought. 'This is not going to happen. I'm better than this. I've had enough abuse in my life and I'm not going to let these people continue it.'
"Not this time, Uncle," Harry said coldly. "I will not be beaten by you or anyone. I have had enough of the pain."
Harry noticed the vision in his left eye take on a slightly reddish tint. With a sigh and a swipe of his hand, Harry found blood running down his face. "Always bleeding. I'm tired of this."
Vernon regained his footing and stood in front of his wife and 'child'. The purple colour had finally found its way onto his face. The bulging vein in his forehead was pumping away. His fists were clenched and he was ready to throttle Harry. He made to charge but paused when he saw the look on Harry's face. It was one of resolute defiance. The smeared blood added to the look, too. This boy wasn't scared. He wasn't cowering. He was standing on his own feet, relaxed, accepting, and waiting.
"Think this is over, Boy?" Vernon snarled trying to change the feel of the situation. "I will beat the magic out of you this time."
"I doubt that very much, Tubby," said a voice from the doorway.
Harry spun around with wand in hand, as he was prepared to fight Vernon, training it on the new target. He paused for a second slowly recognizing the spiky red hair and heart-shaped face of the clumsy Auror before turning the wand back on Vernon.
"Tonks," Harry said pleasantly, not showing any effect of the current situation. "Nice of you to stop by. Care for some tea, maybe some Dursley-abuse while it steeps?"
"Thanks for your offer, Harry," Tonks said cheerily. "But I think the Ministry might frown on that, considering."
"I won't say a word, Tonks," Harry returned. "I was just thinking of what curse to use myself. Surely, there are laws permitting me to save myself from assault by animal life. At least one law that says I can protect myself from 'them'?" Harry commented casually tilting his wand in Vernon's direction.
"Maybe one or two, Harry," Tonks smiled as she took in the situation. "I have a few laws that I could enforce right now as well. I saw you attack Harry, Muggle. Apparently our warning did little to impress upon you the seriousness of… Oh, to hell with the legal crap. Listen you fecking tub of lard. I should curse your whole family to within an inch of their lives for hurting Harry. I might just do it anyway. But if you touch him again I will hurt you. I will hurt you really badly."
"Dumbledore will not…" came a squeak from Aunt Petunia.
"Dumbledore won't know about it, Horsy," snapped Tonks, her eyes blazing in the dim light of the entranceway. "I am an Auror, Scotland Yard to you, and do you think anybody would bother after they heard what you did to Harry?"
"He is a nothing of a boy," Vernon yelled for the first time. "He is nothing but a piece of…"
"He is ten times the man you could ever hope to become, Dursley," Tonks replied forcefully. "Harry is the kind of man everyone wants as their son or son-in-law, but you are too blind to see it, bastard."
Harry kept his wand pointed at Vernon, but looked at Tonks. This was the first time, ever, anyone had stood up for him inside the walls of Number Four. He thought about what he could do to salvage the whole night from Vernon yelling at him or worse once Tonks left. According to Dumbledore - a small nugget of anger burned in him as he remembered what happened in his office - he had to stay here. He was protected here. He needed to think about that. How could it still work? Voldemort used his blood when he came back. Movement brought reality to the forefront and pushed the wondering to the rear.
Tonks moved to the side of Harry. She looked sideways and saw the blood trickling from his head. His hair was becoming matted down from the liquid. His eyes were glaring at the Muggles. His wand was steady and ready to strike. He handled things better than most. He knew who he was and how to take care of himself one way or another at least.
"Harry," Tonks prompted, "did you lose consciousness?"
"Nope, just fog and stars," Harry answered. "No big deal. I've had worse from falling down."
"At least your sense of humour isn't damaged," Tonks quipped. "Now, stupid Muggle family, that is you by the way, you are on official notice. If I hear or see anything like this again, you will all spend some time in Azkaban. That is our prison if you didn't know. You assaulted your nephew, who happens to be Harry Potter no less. For that, you would get no leniency from our courts. Now, I am going to take Harry upstairs and heal his cuts and make sure you leave him alone. Any problems with that?"
"I will not have a trollop like you in my house," Vernon yelled again.
Harry stepped forward and in front of Tonks. "Watch your words, Uncle. She happens to be my friend and I will defend her or her honour if need be."
"Thank you, Harry," Tonks said playfully. "I appreciate the offer, but this pillock here isn't that big of a deal to me. I have been called worse."
"Doesn't matter," Harry said quietly, while staring his uncle down. "He won't make the same mistake again, will you, Vernon." 'I will not let him threaten me anymore. I will not let him threaten my friends. I will not be threatened any more by anyone. I will take control of my life right now. I will fight the fights that need fighting. I have lived by determination so far and I will keep it up. You will not beat me Voldemort. I will not be beaten. I start my war right now. Start small, then go big.'
Vernon Dursley was mad, very mad. He wanted to kill his worthless nephew. He wanted to crush him like he should have when he was a little brat. Now though, he stared down two wands being held by a trampy little floozy and that same nephew. The only thing stopping him, really, was the look in the boy's eyes. It was different than before. It was dangerous. The kind of look you see before a dog attacks. It was unsettling at the very least. Something had changed in the last year. The boy was not sad, scared, or depressed this time. He was sharp. He was menacing. He was intimidating, frightfully intimidating. The night had gone terribly wrong and it had all started when they had seen Harry.
"This is still my house," Vernon tried to change the subject. It was his house; they were 'guests', right? "I will speak as I wish in my own house." As he finished his words, he saw a flash of faint light flare around his nephew. 'Oh shite, can this get any worse?'
Tonks felt a burst of magic, it was unfocused, but it was there. She looked at Harry and saw his aura. It was greenish-blue and it had ripples flowing through it. An aura from a fifteen-year-old kid? Most people never managed a visible aura at any time during their life, let alone at fifteen. She had to rethink her opinion of Harry. 'Kid' didn't fit any longer. He had been through too much for that. He had a visible aura and it was still showing.
"Your house or not, you will watch your mouth, Uncle," Harry said sternly. "You know nothing about her and you will not speak about her like that. Now, I am going up to my room. Hopefully, we can move past what happened here tonight. I assure you I will remember it though. Tonks?"
Harry returned his wand to his back pocket and grabbed his trunk. He started up the stairs to his room. 'One foot in front of the other. Keep your eyes open. Fight the grey cloud. Stay strong or this will all be for nothing. One lesson I learned from Voldemort: always make a grand entrance or exit as it keeps the cattle impressed.'
Tonks felt more than saw Harry turn and make his way up the stairs. She also felt his aura flicker, badly. She looked the Dursleys up and down. "Have a pleasant night, Muggles," she said with an air of intimidation, to her words and hurried up the stairs after Harry. She found him at the top staggering slightly with the fingertips of his empty hand running along the wall. He stepped into his room stiffly and released his trunk as quickly as he could, letting it drop to the floor with a thud that rattled the contents of the small room. He took one more step before roughly falling onto his dilapidated bed. Tonks entered the room and closed the door.
'Bloody hell, he passed out. He must have got a harder hit than I thought. Well, first aid training here we go.' With a few flicks of her wand, she healed the cut on his head and reduced the swelling of the knot at the base of his skull. She discovered he had a slight concussion, but it was minor and would heal by itself. She remembered hearing from Moony that Harry hated hospitals. Something he shared with his father, according to the stories. 'Probably some macho thing.'
Harry didn't move from the place where he collapsed. Tonks found herself in an odd position. Harry Potter was unconscious in front of her, and she was supposed to be on guard duty protecting the house. 'I protect Harry, not the house. Definitely not the Muggles.' Mind made up, she levitated him into the air, rolled him over, and lightly set him on the bed properly. She removed his shoes, noting that they desperately needed to be replaced.
As she looked him over, she saw that all of his clothes needed replacing as well. 'How could Harry Potter wear clothes like these? They are even worse than what can be found at the goodwill. He is Harry Fecking Potter for Merlin's sake and he looks like a street rat. He has money; I know the Potters were a wealthy family. Doesn't he care? Doesn't he know about his financial situation? Doesn't he…'
"Fucking Dursleys, no doubt," Tonks said venomously. "They're the real reason." She looked around the room. It was tiny and cramped. Just her presence seemed to make the room bulge at the seams. She didn't want to know what it would look like if someone decided to add more furniture. "The best way to protect you is to watch you. The greatest danger you have are from the people downstairs, Harry. The Death Eaters are secondary, at best, for now. I will stay until the morning then I will see what can be done." Tonks's eyes searched Harry's form as she tried to decide what to do in the morning about everything that had happened.
"Don't bother," came a muffled reply. "No one cares. I am out of sight here and everyone figures I am safe from Voldemort. There aren't any other dangers, right?" Harry had lifted his head slightly and a smirk was visible. "Dumbledore just wants his weapon and the Order just wants me to be quiet and leave them alone. I am a mushroom as far as most are concerned. Keep me in the dark and the bullshit coming." Harry wavered for a moment before continuing. "No more, Tonks. I need to be ready. Can you help me? Sirius died because I didn't know things. Sirius died because I couldn't do things right. Sirius died because of me."
"Harry!" Tonks couldn't believe what Harry was saying. He wasn't completely with it at the moment. He was saying things that he normally wouldn't or shouldn't, but he knew things most didn't. "Sirius died because he got cocky. He taunted Bellatrix and she beat him. If you learn anything from that terrible night, learn never to hesitate in a fight. Fight it to the end and be done with it. Gloat, taunt, sulk, and cry later. Worry about things after the fact, never during. I have seen too many people die from getting that process mixed up. Now, what do you mean about a weapon?"
"The weapon against Voldemort," Harry said oblivious to Tonks's slight jump at the name. "Keep me alive so I can kill the bastard later. No one ever bothered to ask if I care about winning. There's only so much a person can take before they give up."
Tonks was beside herself. Not only by what Harry said, which was nearly earth shattering if it were true, but how he said it. The matter-of-fact way he spoke of Voldemort and death really unnerved her. "Do you care about winning?"
"Yep," Harry said, groggily forcing the words out. "I have to, but you're the first to ask me. If I fail, everyone dies. Everyone I care about will be killed. I can't lose. I made myself a promise to win. I can't afford to lose. I...just…sleepy…night."
Tonks watched as Harry fell asleep. She had learned more in the few minutes listening to Harry ramble on than she had in all of the Order meetings over the last year. He had said some things that made sense. Actually, all of it made sense really. She had heard the term 'weapon' before but nothing specific about what it was. She had never heard of anyone, other than Moony, talk about Harry as a person or his feelings. Molly was different though, she reflected. Molly wanted to coddle him. Wrap him in cotton and stick him away in a closet for safe keeping so he wouldn't get hurt.
"Oh, Harry," Tonks mourned, "what has happened to you? What is going to happen?" She looked around the room thinking what she could do. Many things came to mind, some good, some bad, some just not appropriate to think. "I will help you, Harry. That is my promise to you. I will help you somehow."
Tonks covered Harry in a blanket and conjured herself a chair and pillow. She tried to get comfortable over the next ten minutes but failed. Huffing, she stood up and vanished the chair. "Well, what the hell." She expanded the bed and lay down next to Harry. She covered herself with the blanket and settled in for the next eight hours before she would be relieved. She set her wand to wake her up a few minutes early.
As she began to drift off, Harry rolled over slightly and wrapped an arm around her. She stilled for a second not knowing what to do. Harry's grip tightened and she found that she couldn't get away unless she really tried. Harry sighed lightly and breathed deeply once. She waited for him to wake up. 'Surely he isn't used to this? Well, Harry Potter has probably had half of Hogwarts by now. Probably used to a female sleeping in his bed. Maybe he is still hurting from the injuries?'
But, Harry didn't wake up, and Tonks fell asleep thinking a variety of things. She made a mental list of things to do the next day. Talking to her boss was one of them; Dumbledore was another. She knew the wards would be triggered if anyone else entered the property. She was linked to the wards so she felt safe falling asleep. After all, Harry was right next to her. She would know if anything happened.
A vibration caused Tonks to wake up. She found herself staring into the eyes of Hedwig who was sitting on the headboard. Tonks could swear that the owl was giving her a look of thanks. Hedwig ruffled her feathers and looked behind Tonks at what must be Harry. The look on the bird's face changed. She seemed concerned. Tonks thought to herself that she must still be groggy from sleep. 'Owls don't show emotion like that. They are birds for Merlin's sake.'
She realised that Harry's hand had moved slightly during the night and was cupping her breast. She felt safe and warm inside along with the uncertainty of the situation. Try as she might, she could only think that their bodies fitted together well. Taking a chance, Tonks turned over slowly and finally managed to face a sleeping Harry. His dark hair was sticking up in all directions adding to his youthful appearance. His face was more relaxed than she could ever remember seeing it. He seemed to realise that his previous 'arrangement' had been disturbed. He gripped her sides and pulled her closer to him. Tonks just watched and waited. She still had ten minutes to get downstairs and outside before she was relieved.
Harry's mouth was open slightly and he breathed just a little bit through it. Tonks couldn't help but think how cute it was. This was a side of Harry that she had never seen. She wondered how many people had seen it. 'Probably every Gryffindor female within two years of him and a few Ravenclaws and Hufflepuffs too. Oh, to be in school again.'
Tonks waited a few more minutes and slowly slid out of Harry's tight grip. 'Quidditch hands.' She moved to the door and stepped into the hallway. She looked back, once, before closing the door. Walking down the stairs, she heard a noise coming from the kitchen.
She made her way down the rest of the stairs, nearly falling down the last five steps, and entered the sterile room she remembered from the year before. Petunia was beginning to get the food ready for breakfast. Tonks cleared her throat softly causing Petunia to turn abruptly and drop an egg on the floor. The yoke broke and ran with the white into a small pool mixed with broken shell.
"I will not forget what happened last night, woman," Tonks said in her most authoritative voice. "You have allowed Harry to be abused his entire life. You have no idea what some people would do to you if they knew that."
"What do you mean?" Petunia said, snottily trying to hide her fear of the witch. "He has had a roof over his head and that is more than he deserves."
"Say that in front of a few people, and you will not live the day, Petunia," Tonks said, controlling her anger.
Petunia seemed to deflate. A flash of guilt washed over her face. Her imaginary life seemed to fall down around her. "He looks so much like him. He is a constant reminder of her, too. Those eyes. They never let you go."
"Harry is his own person," Tonks explained. "He is the sum of Lily and James. I've heard many things about the both of them, but I know things about Harry. You should consider yourself privileged to have him here. Many would do anything to have Harry Potter stay with them for the summer. From what I have seen, your family is not worth the effort Harry seems to put into you."
"What do you mean?" Petunia asked, truly confused and looking slighted.
"Harry could go anywhere he wanted in our world and have a loving home to stay in with a loving family all too willing to share. He has friends willing to fight for him. He has people willing to kill for him. The thing is, he doesn't realise what people will do for him. People who get close to him will follow him anywhere. He has that ability."
"Lily had that ability," Petunia said softly after a few seconds of thought. "She always was the centre of attention. She, I don't know, held people somehow. Was that her ma-magic doing that?"
"Never met her, so I don't know. Most likely it was just the way she was. Do you know anything about Harry's life at school?"
"No," Petunia said. "We don't know anything other than the nightmares he had last summer. He would scream and wake everyone up though."
"If you saw and went through what he did, you would too," Tonks said angrily. She decided to diffuse her frustration by asking the woman a question instead of hexing her. "You never asked him about it?"
"Even if I did, he wouldn't tell me anything anyway. Those things are not to be spoken of here. He knows that."
"You should find out," Tonks countered, losing her patience in the process. "He has done so much. He has made such a difference in our world. You might learn something if you took the time."
"He would never tell me." Petunia looked lost. "I've given him no reason to trust me."
"If an owl shows up with a paper, would you read it?"
"One of your papers?" Petunia asked. "Moving pictures and all?"
"Yep. I could probably get you a book that would be more accurate, though. Our papers are just like yours; thirty percent truth, twenty percent half-truths, and fifty percent rubbish. Harry has had his share of rubbish, bloody gits. But he has kept on."
"He has been in your papers?"
"Has Harry Potter been in the papers?" Tonks couldn't believe they were this out of touch. "You really have no clue, do you? How could I make a comparison? Tony Blair would have less coverage than Harry. Harry, alone, can sell out whole printings. He goes for weeks on the front page. Hates every moment of it from what I can tell. I will send you a book if I find one that is accurate. Will you read it if I did?"
Petunia took a moment to think it over. She thought and seemed to decide but was apprehensive in her response. "Yes, I will read it. I will have to keep it hidden from Vernon, but I will read it. If he is as popular as you say."
"He is a hero, champion, winner, athlete, and hottie all rolled into one."
Petunia gave Tonks a disapproving look on the last comment. She also seemed to maintain a level of scepticism about the rest of what was said.
"Well, I must go since my replacement is nearly here. We are watching Harry so don't think you can go back to the way things were before, after I leave. Leave him alone for today. I will be back tonight and we might be able to work out a tentative truce."
Tonks watched Petunia look down at the floor and saw the egg drying on the floor. Tonks waved her wand at the egg and it disappeared without a trace. Petunia let out a slight squeak, but did nothing else.
"Handy thing magic." Tonks turned and left the kitchen. She breezed out the front door and went to her guard position. She was there for less than a minute when someone came up behind her.
"Dung, you are terrible at stealth," Tonks said, jokingly. "I couldn't hear you, but the smell gave you away long before that was possible."
"Sup' Tonksy," slurred Dung. "I am what I am."
"Yeah and drunk, but who's complaining," Tonks replied. "You messed up last time, Dung. Do it again, and even Dumbledore won't be able to save you. Watch the Muggles carefully. Our warning didn't do much good. Don't be afraid to hurt the fat one if need be."
"Whi' fat one?"
"Either, I am not particular. I will be back at six." Tonks Disapparated to the Ministry leaving Dung to put on his invisibility cloak and settle in for a long day.
Tonks entered the atrium with a crack and headed past the guard station. The Ministry was quiet this early in the morning. Only a few night shift people and early risers were about. The lift was as slow as always to arrive. It dinged and Tonks entered and pressed the button. It rattled and descended into the depths of the Ministry. She was lost in thoughts about what she was about to do. Could this be the way to help? Could this help at all? Could this ruin whatever plans had already been made?
It didn't matter. Harry asked for help and he never did that from what Tonks knew. Sure he was delirious, but it was sincere. She would figure out the rest later. He needed help against You-Know-Who and she could give that. She knew people who could help a lot. She was still lost in thought when the lift dinged and called out the floor, "Level Nine, Department Of Mysteries."
Tonks exited the lift and walked down the hallway. She stopped half way and turned to the left. She drew her wand, tapped the wall in a specific pattern, and spoke a set of words. A door appeared and Tonks opened and entered the newly created doorway. 'It was now or never.'
Harry woke up feeling rested for the first time in as long as he could remember. He reached for his glasses and found them in a different place than he would usually put them at Privet Drive. As he turned his head to put the glasses on, a pain sparked across his head.
"Ah, what the hell happened?" Harry thought for a bit and began to remember Vernon attacking him. He hit his head, there was blood, Tonks was there, and then darkness. He searched the room for anything else that was out of the ordinary. The same old furniture was there. Hedwig was in her cage with her head tucked under her wing. His trunk was at the foot of his bed.
"Wait a minute; the trunk's a lot smaller than the bed. That isn't right." Harry looked at the bed and noticed there was more of it to either side of him. The bed was bigger. 'The Dursleys didn't do this. They would be more likely to get a smaller bed. It must have been Tonks.'
Harry looked around again. No note from the Ministry was waiting, so at least they could tell that Harry didn't do the enlargement charm unlike the hover charm before his second year. Harry pulled himself out of bed and sat up fighting off the bout of dizziness that washed over him. The room swirled a little bit but righted itself quickly enough. 'No quick movements for the day, I guess. I hope the Dursleys stay away until this passes.'
After a quick wash up, Harry dumped his dirty clothes in his room with his enlarged bed and made his way carefully downstairs. The steps were a little difficult to navigate, but nowhere near as bad as the night before. At the bottom landing, Harry listened for the Dursleys. Hearing nothing, Harry advanced into the living room scanning for 'relatives'.
He found nothing but the usual pillows, couch, chair, and obnoxious wallpaper. The clock on the mantel told him it was one o'clock in the afternoon. 'I hope Tonks didn't kill them. That would be…tragic.' Harry couldn't think of why he had been left alone for the day. He had never been allowed to sleep in. It was a workday so that explained the absence of his uncle. Dudley was most likely out terrorising the neighbourhood kids or worse.
That left his aunt. She had to be out shopping or something. She wouldn't leave him alone this long. There was work to be done for sure. Harry crept to the kitchen door and listened for a minute. The only sound he could hear was the sound of an occasional page being turned. His aunt read every now and then, but it was usually circulars or the tabloids. A book was something she hardly ever read.
Deciding it was time to test the waters and hopefully begin a different summer holiday; Harry opened the kitchen door and entered the very clean room. He saw his aunt sitting at the table with her back to the doorway hunched over a book. He could tell that she hadn't moved since lunch, because the dishes from lunch were still sitting on the table. Some food remained on the table and Harry figured now was his chance to see if things were going to be different.
Mustering his Gryffindor courage, Harry began the short trip to the table and sat opposite his aunt. She failed to notice him at first, but it was obvious when she did see him. She grabbed a creased bit of paper from the side of the table and quickly covered the book she was reading with it.
Harry saw a few emotions on her face the most prominent being fear. Fear of what, Harry didn't know. Another was apprehension and the third was one Harry had never seen when she looked at him. The best he could figure the emotion was pride.
"Good afternoon," came the forced form of greeting from Aunt Petunia. "Help yourself to whatever you would like that is on the table. I advise you to be scarce when your uncle returns at six. Dudley will be home later."
"Yes, Aunt Petunia," Harry said automatically. She had made the first move and it was positive, or at least neutral. Knowing when the others should arrive would help him avoid the inevitable confrontation that was sure to follow. 'Tonks must have talked to Petunia before she left last night. That has to be the reason she is being nice to me right now.' "I will clean off the table before I eat then."
Harry was met with a raised eyebrow that could rival Snape's. "No need. Just take what you want, but I'd prefer to be alone in the kitchen."
"Okay." Harry figured that the request was more than favourable compared to what he had been expecting to get. He grabbed food keeping a careful watch for the slightest hint that he had taken too much. His aunt's eyes followed his fluid moments as he piled the leftovers onto a plate. Harry had taken bread, ham, cheese, crisps, an apple, and a glass of juice. He ran out of room on his plate before he received any indication from his aunt to stop.
'First meeting – success.' Harry didn't know if this was the quiet before the storm or if this was for real. He decided he should take it as a victory and retreat to safer waters to watch the reaction. He nodded respectfully to his aunt and left the kitchen and hurried up the stairs to his room. Only when the door closed did he think he was safe to eat more food than he had ever had inside Number Four.
Lunch was eaten quickly and the plate left clean except for the apple core. Harry looked around the room trying to figure out if he was still asleep. Nothing so far today had made any sense. His aunt had never been violent towards him, but she'd always been the most hurtful. The coldness and lack of caring from her had been more scarring than the belt or punches from Vernon or Dudley.
As his aunt - his blood - she was supposed to be the most loving person towards him. She had never been nice to him. She had never shown any warmth. Something had changed with her and he didn't know what it was or what had caused it. He needed to talk to Tonks to figure out what she had done or said to them after he passed out.
Family issues aside, Harry needed to begin working on his summer plans. He was staying alive by being in this house. 'Staying here is enough effort on that. Protecting my mind on the other hand needs a lot more effort. I need a book that can help with that and I need it now. Something to ask Tonks if she comes back.
'Taking control of my life, well I guess I am starting that one. The events of last night were evidence enough of that. Information will be a hard one to work on. Dumbledore will not tell me anything unless he has too, and even then it will be too late to do any good.
'Keeping others safe means I have to be able to help them. I have to be able to protect them. Staying here won't do that. I have to be out there either guarding them or stopping Voldemort from attacking them. Both of those options suck and are even harder to accomplish. My guards won't let me leave and Voldemort is not likely to take it easy on me. The Death Eaters will be after me worse than before since I basically got some of them arrested.
'Learning is another thing entirely. Books only go so far and I learn better by doing. That will be the hardest thing to do this summer. I can't practice since I'll be expelled immediately if I do. Or will I?
'Dumbledore can't expel me. I am the only person that can kill Voldemort. If I am expelled, it would be that much easier to kill me. Dumbledore can't let his weapon be killed that easily. He would do everything he could to prevent it. That means I am in a position of control. He needs me, the whole Wizarding world needs me whether they know it or not. I am marked whether or not people know I can kill Voldemort. He and all of his lackeys are after me even without knowing I am the key. So I would go from the top of the list to what, higher on the list. Hahaha, whatever. It's my life, not theirs. It is my future, not Dumbledore's. I will do this one my way unless I find a better way and people willing to let me participate in it.
'I have little choice since I am in this to win or die. Shitty options, but those are the only ones I've got. So, I keep working the 'relatives' angle and I start my fight on my own terms for my own ends. Life and a reason to live it.'
Harry unpacked his trunk as much as he dared. He kept the important items and some food under the loose floorboard and his school things in the trunk. Harry started reading a book of curses he had. Later, he looked around and found the shadows getting longer. Harry figured his uncle would be home soon and prepared for that meeting. He knew it wouldn't go as well as the one with his aunt.
Tonks left the lift feeling better than she did when she went in. Her meeting with her boss had gone well considering she hadn't got an answer at the end of the meeting. She was on her way to Diagon Alley now to find a book for that hateful Muggle. Maybe Petunia could be saved, but she doubted it. With a crack, Nymphadora Tonks appeared in Diagon Alley. One thing that stood out was that everyone who was in the Alley was looking over their shoulders waiting for the next attack. Those that remembered the last time were the most nervous of the bunch. She passed her fellow Aurors who had been stationed in the Alley since the Ministry had been forced to admit You-Know-Who had returned. Fudge was only hanging onto his job because he had greased the wheels of government for years prior.
Tonks was convinced that, with a little push, Fudge could be tossed out on his head. If Dumbledore had asked for his resignation publicly, the Wizengamot would have supported the request and Fudge would be gone. The best she could figure was that Dumbledore could manage Fudge and control how things were handled. His control had waned for a few years, but now Fudge knew his job rested in the hands of the Headmaster.
'So much for separation of powers,' Tonks thought. She continued to Flourish and Blotts and entered the bookstore. It was mostly empty, but a few people were about browsing the shelves. They acted much in the same way as those in Diagon Alley by looking over their shoulders and jumping at the least bit noise.
Tonks found the section for biographies after nearly scaring two people out of their socks. She located the Harry Potter shelf easily enough since there was a display for it. The recent vindication of The-Boy-Who-Lived had put him back on top of the popularity list. She remembered hearing Remus and Sirius talk about some of these books. Apparently her cousin had taken an interest in them. Knowing his sense of humour, Sirius had most likely planned to read them and use them to embarrass Harry when he could. Now, Tonks was trying to remember which one had been the most accurate.
She found one written by F.L.D and thought that rang a bell. The title, 'Harry Potter: Not A Fantasy Story' sounded like the one. She flipped through it and read a bit about this first year of life. The book was really vague about his years with the Dursleys since it only took up one chapter. Every year of school had at least two chapters dedicated to it and the book stopped after Harry's fourth year. Tonks figured that was good enough.
She doubted that it would do any good, but she had to try for Harry's sake. She bought the book and went to post office to send the book to Petunia. At the very least, the owl would remind Petunia that Tonks was still out there and returning soon enough. She left the post office and prepared herself for her visit to Hogwarts. Dumbledore was an imposing person and even worse when he was in his office. She knew he wouldn't go to headquarters for a few days and this issue needed to be resolved fast. With another crack, Tonks was at the gates to Hogwarts.
The imposing castle sat on the hill up the path. Tonks took a deep breath and began the long walk to the confrontation she had been dreading since last night. Her mind wandered to what Harry had done and what he had said. This was important and she was not going to leave without doing what needed to be done. The trip had taken less time than she'd planned and she soon found herself standing in front of the oak doors. With a steadying breath, Tonks opened the door and entered the school.