Chapter 6
Harry was laying on Tonks loveseat as the book he’d enchanted to float above him turned its page. Harry read with focus on this chapter as it spelled out the correct means to counteract the object duplication charm. Between the horror stories that Tonks and Kingsley had shared with him of nearly swimming in a sea of duplicate books that also happened to be charmed to eat the reader he’d taken the lessons to heart. And, besides Harry loved to read any book related to DADA, and this one recommended by Sirius was hitting the mark. He’d arrived earlier to just briefly see Tonks disappear into her room as she came off shift from the Ministry.
With less than two weeks before the school year began this weekend also marked the final weekend that he would spend in Tonks apartment this Summer. Harry wouldn’t say it out loud to the Weasleys because he knew that it would be rude, but stealing away time at Tonks place was the highlight of generally the best summer of his young life. Sans the attack from the Death Eaters which Harry wouldn’t give the time of day for the moment this really had been the best summer of his life. And Harry found that Tonks apartment was the cherry on top of it all.
Between the late night movie sessions, introduction to punk/rock/and hip hop music, and the general atmosphere of cozy homeyness Harry selfishly relished these times. Harry knew that he was living on borrowed time now that the school year was approaching, but he allowed himself to feel like this for the few days out of the year that he could. Laying on this couch, punk rock emanating down the hallway, and Tonks raspy voice singing along at the top of her lungs as she showered had a warmth spreading through Harry that he didn’t know he was capable of feeling.
Harry felt normal.
And it was bloody amazing and terrifying at the same time. Amazing because he didn’t feel on guard; that he was going to say something wrong or misspeak like at the Dursleys leading to him being locked in his room without rations. Or that he didn’t feel on guard as he’d come to grow at Hogwarts knowing that at some point a life-threatening ordeal would reveal itself. Terrifying because Harry knew that this couldn’t last. The laughter at dinner with Tonks as they ate out or he cooked to her seeming amazement. The eye rolls as Tonks made a crass joke, and Harry stole glances at just what color her hair would change to or how her features would morph as she lost focus too wrapped up in her own laughter. The simple comfort that he felt falling asleep next to Tonks as she allowed him to just exist without nudging him to wake or telling him just to go to his room.
Harry closed his eyes as he felt the duality of it all. This was the first time since discovering that Hogwarts existed that he felt any kind of antipathy to returning to the school. Though he was still excited Tonks had shown Harry that there wasn’t just another side of the magical world that was quieter, but that he also deserved it. Harry waved the book away as Tonks door slammed open and the music faded to a background noise as she hummed.
Harry saw Tonks upside down as she walked into the living room. Tonks was clad in a worn-out Weird Sisters shirt, silver cardigan with splashes of purple, and black leggings. Her hair was a neck length layered pink high ponytail. Tonks shot Harry a dimpled smirk, “Finished studying then?”
Harry turned to his side and sat up on the couch, “I’m guessing that you’ve got something planned for the night since your cryptic message you sent with Hedwig has me to believe there won’t be much time to studying tonight?”
Tonks sat on the other couch with her legs crossed, “10 points to Gryffindor!”
Harry smiled at her comment as Tonks continued, “Tonight dear Harry we are going out.”
Harry raised an eyebrow, “Out? I thought that due to safety…”
Tonks leaned forward, “Oh don’t you worry your moody little head about that. Besides, Remus and I have been brewing up a vat of Polyjuice for a salt and peppered old dog who I’m sure you’d love to see before the school year starts. But if you want me to Owl ahead and cancel, we can always watch…”
Harry now had a bright anticipation in his eyes, “Seriously I get to see Sirius?!”
Tonks rocked back and forth as she nodded, “Yep, and it’s signed off by Dumbledore himself. So, we’ll head out to the restaurant in an hour or so.”
Harry shot up as he flung himself at Tonks in a quick hug. Tonks awkwardly reciprocated as she spoke, “Easy there Harry, I’m not that flexible.”
Harry jumped back, “Ohh sorry!”
Tonks waved him off, “No need to worry, now why don’t you go get changed and we’ll head out a little earlier for a snack?”
Harry nodded emphatically as he bounded down the hallway, and Tonks smiled after him. As much as she wanted to leave it as a surprise to the last minute it was only fair given how’d the summer turned out that Harry deserved the reprieve of something positive to look forward too. Tonks sighed as her smile faltered at the thought of the fallout from the Quidditch World Cup fiasco. The Ministry seemed off kilter as scores of higher ups fumed that something reminiscent of the chaos during the height of the Dark Lords rise played out when all eyes were on Wizarding Britain. Tonks had spent countless meetings going over safety and risk assessments from the bureaucrats who more often than not hamstrung the Aurors abilities to actually protect the public.
It had taken all of Tonks and Remus’s convincing to calm Sirius down, and to keep him from whisking Harry away to America or Australia in an attempt to keep Harry safe. And, given the proximity of Tonks to the previous action she was really beginning to believe that the old dog was right. Was it a coincidence that the Cup was attacked given that Harry had been present? Correlation doesn’t always equal causation, but damned in if didn’t walk like a Thestral and grunt like a Thestral. Tonks put her Auror hat away as Harry stepped out in a simple crimson jumper, blue jeans, and his old converse.
Tonks stood as she stretched her arm over her head and revealed a bit of her toned stomach. Harry peered away not trying to be rude, and Tonks simply smirked, “Ready to go?”
Harry nodded now with a grin, “Ready.”
Three hours later in a dive bar in East London.
A portly Sirius disguised as a shorter Muggle Blokes laughter rang out as he banged the table, “Harry, I tell you Remus and your dad had to pull me off of the broom.”
Remus took a sip of his tea as he shook his head with a sigh, and Harry simply looked on with enjoyment, “Remus was he really going to try and fly to France?”
Remus put his cup down with a spark of humor in his eye, “Sirius thought that he was going to fly to France. James and I both knew there wasn’t a chance.”
Sirius sat back with crossed arms and a faux pout, “She was brilliant Remus, and you know if you two had just…”
Tonks now rolled her eyes as she rested her cheek on her hand a tad bored, “We get it Sirius you would’ve flown all the way to Paris, showered her with flowers, and then confessed your undying love. Did it ever occur to you that the last Witch in ’84 who tried to cross the channel drowned?”
Sirius now had a shrewder expression, “I forgot about that.”
Tonks nodded curtly, “Of course you did. Harry let this be a lesson for you as taking your Godfather as a case study of teenage hormones, and a bet generally go hand in hand for catastrophe in the making.”
Sirius sniggered towards Harry as Harry looked between them, “Lesson noted.”
Sirius sat up as he raised his glass of fire whiskey, “Well I want to toast to the three people around the table. I’m lucky to get to be out and about with each of you. And you three are the dearest people in the world to me.”
The three cheered as they clinked their glasses, and as Harry drank his butterbeer he felt a warmth spread in his chest. Harry had never imagined in the wildest dreams in the cupboard under the stairs that this is where he would end up. Getting to spend time with two of his parents’ best friends, and having gotten to know Tonks in the process. Both Remus and Tonks noticed Harry in deep thought as they decided to give the two a bit of privacy.
Tonks motioned to Remus, “Remus lets go get another round, yeah?”
Remus nodded, “I would be glad to.”
Sirius gave Tonks a shite eating grin as she stuck her tongue out leaving Harry and Sirius alone. Tonks and Remus arrived at the bar as Tonks tucked a green strand of wavy hair behind her ear. Tonks cleared her throat as she spoke, “So Remus I was thinking and if you’re…”
Remus was deep in thought as he turned to Tonks, “Did you say something Tonks? I’m sorry it’s just a tad bit noisy in here.”
Tonks felt herself shrink just a tad as she shook her head with a frown. Tonks hair morphed to a dull blue as she looked away, “It’s not important.”
As they walked with the drinks back to the table with Sirius and Harry Tonks tried not to feel as though the wind were taken out of her sails. This is how it had always been right? Tonks would gather up the courage to try and ask Remus out, and he’d act aloof has he’d always done. Tonks knew that there was an age gap, and that Remus still viewed her as the little girl who ran around the Order meetings trying to get his attention. But she thought maybe just maybe that…
Tonks sitting at the table was roused by her spiral of thoughts as Harry turned his attention to her. With Remus and Sirius having taken the moment to use the loo leaving them alone Harry quickly picked up given Tonks less than joyful expression that something was off, “Tonks are you alright?”
Tonks sucked in a breath as she blinked a few times, “S’orry, what was that?”
Harry slowed his words, “I was just asking if you were alright? You’ve been quiet for a bit, and your hair… it’s a bit green and yellow.”
Tonks raised a hand to finger a tendril of the sickly green and yellow, and realized that she most definitely wasn’t in the headspace for control. Tonks scrunched her face as she shook out her locks and they transformed to a neutral grey and black, “There, and now I’m not calling attention to us. See! Everything’s fixed.”
Harry raised an eyebrow, “I didn’t mean your hair exactly, you just look a bit sa…”
Remus and Sirius’ arrival made Tonks throw on a faux grin, “S’alright Harry, nothing to worry about.”
Harry sat back with a worried expression still, and Sirius peered between the two with a curiosity and grin. Harry learned quickly enough that Tonks poker face could beat the best of them as they finished out the night with returned laughter and discussion. Soon they made their exit from the pub as Harry and Sirius hugged each other in such a way that Tonks with a sad smile walked with Remus a bit away to give them privacy. Once Harry and Sirius had caught up they waved to Remus and Sirius as they took the bus back to Tonks flat.
On the ride Tonks peered over to Harry with a raised silver eyebrow, “So I’m guessing by your smile you had a fine time?”
Harry exploded into a brighter grin, “Fine? Tonks that was so cool that I got to spend time with Sirius in person. Seriously I never thought that I’d have the chance so soon. Thank you.”
Tonks leaned over nudging his shoulder his hers as she replied with a light tone, “Don’t mention it, Harry. Seriously we did break almost every rule in the book.”
Harry nodded with an enthused smile as Tonks left her shoulder just barely touching Harrys. Neither of them noticed that Tonks hair was once again a bubblegum pink as they got off for her stop and headed back to the apartment. After arriving at her apartment Harry peeled off to shower in getting ready for bed, and Tonks poured a small glass of wine as she curled up on the couch and summon a fluffy blanket to lay across her lap. Try as she might Tonks stewed on what could be seen as just a small rejection based upon miscommunication. But the excuse that Remus couldn’t hear her? One of the few if any bloody benefits of getting a bit of Lycanthrope DNA mixed into yours was credible magically backed knowledge that their hearing perked up quite a bit.
Tonks knew that muddled feelings and alcohol weren’t exactly the healthy recipe to process rejection once more, but she felt as though the good will she’d garnered in bringing Harry and Sirius together offset any angst she might have been putting out into the world. Tonks could admit to close confidence that romantic feelings and relationships had never truly been her forte so to speak. For years she always got comments about when she was going to tie the knot with Bill and enter into the Weasley family’s enlarging numbers. But, was it truly too much for people’s minds to wrap around that Bill was nothing more than her best friend? Besides she knew too much about his nonchalant ego to ever go down that road with him. Of course, the one bloke that Tonks had any interest in was years older, trauma riddled, and if she were to be honest too far along in life to really look her way with any sense of respectful romantic feelings.
But one couldn’t exactly control their heart now could they?
Harry entered into the room right on time as she put on his glasses, and Tonks titled her head as she spoke with a sad smile, “Heading out for bed then?”
Harry shrugged, “If you’re staying up, I can keep you company if you’d like?”
Tonks knew that she should tell Harry that she was quite alright to flounder in her quandary of emotions alone, but she could always blame the night cap, right?
Tonks nodded slightly, “I’d like that if you’re willing?”
Harry nodded, “Of course. Err do you want to watch a movie? Or we can talk? We can also just sit in silence?”
Tonks choked back a snort as she scrunched her nose, “How about the second one?”
Harry nodded as he sat on the other end of the couch. Tonks and Harry sat for a few moments as Harry looked at her with a gentle expression. Tonks relaxed her shoulders as she spoke, “Can you really summon a Corporeal Patronus?”
Harry, “Oh yeah I can.”
Tonks now had a proud smirk on her lips, “So Sirius wasn’t just taking the mickey. That’s impressive Harry.”
Harry ran his hand through his hair with a demure expression, “It’s nothing really. Besides Remus was a good teacher.”
Tonks hummed in response to Harrys words, but narrowed her gaze, “Can you show me then?”
Harry released a sigh, “Won’t I get in trouble for underage magic?”
Tonks clicked her tongue, and she shook her head, “Nope, benefits of shacking up at the flat of an Auror.”
Harry peered away at her use of words, and Tonks barked a laugh, “It’s just a turn of phrase Harry, and besides other than Molly no one thinks we’re doing anything below board here.”
Harry stood if only to put distance between where the conversation had turned to. Harry mumbled something with an embarrassed tone, and Tonks couldn’t fight the small smirk of appreciation in getting him so frazzled; she blamed the wine. Harry took out his wand and pointed it out as Tonks watched his face furrowed into concentration. Harry stood for a few seconds, appearing to go deep in thought before his face relaxed, and his green eyes appeared to brighten as he fell into his memory.
Harry’s voice was calm and firm as he said the incantation. Suddenly a bright white light emanated from the tip of his wand, and Tonks found herself now staring in awe. Before her was the most radiant stag that she’d ever seen. Harrys Patronus did a prance around the apartment before stopping before her and bowing its head. Tonks smiled with her pink eyebrows raised in surprise and wonderment as she reached out to pet its head, but her fingers simply slipped through its head as the whisps of light and magic warmed her fingertips. Tonks body thrummed in warmth as Harry looked on with a gentle smile. The stag dissipated as Harry put his wand down on the end table and fell back onto the couch with his shoulders slightly sagged from the strain of using the spell out of nowhere.
Tonks turned to Harry with a warm grin, “Harry your Patronus is beautiful.”
Harry shrugged, “It’s just…”
Tonks cut him off with a softer tone, “It’s just a powerful spell that you learned as a third year no less. Most adult Witches and Wizards can barely produce just the shield and let alone a Corporeal Patronus.”
Harry watched as Tonks mind seem to come to a conclusion, “You really did fend off more than a hundred Dementors by yourself that night with Sirius then?”
Harry nodded slightly as he found his throat particularly dry as he remembered that part of the night, “If I hadn’t then…”
Tonks nodded as she leaned over, grasping Harry’s arm gently. Tonks pulled Harry over to her as she guided his head into her lap, and she began to run her fingers through his still damp hair. Tonks replied with a soft tone, “You’re such a brave one Harry.”
Harry didn’t know where all of this was coming from, but for whatever reason he garnered that tipsy Tonks needed this. As Tonks continued her ministrations Harry closed his eyes as she waved a blanket to cover his body. Harrys breathing steadied as he spoke with a sleepy voice, “Thank you again Tonks for tonight.”
Tonks nodded, “Of course Harry.”
Harry, “G’night Tonks.”
Tonks replied with an airer voice, “G’night Harry. Sweet dreams.”
Tonks couldn’t tell you exactly when she herself had nodded off. Of course, the rational side of her told herself that she should have put Harry to bed, drank some water, and crashed into herself. But, between Harry’s performance of his Patronus and the happy feelings that it had elicited in her after such a downer of the evening wallowing in her own pity, and Harrys empathetic response she allowed herself this moment of selfishness. So, Tonks continued running her fingers through Harry’s hair as she stared down to him with a smile. You’re such a good bloke is what Tonks thought as she too drifted off towards sleep.