Chapter 12
Tonks watched on with pride as Harry went toe to toe with Remus and Sirius. Harry deflected their spells well and was doing a solid job keeping his footing grounded. Even as Sirius sent a particularly nasty hex flying at Harrys head, he side stepped quickly, and then rebounded the curse in their direction. Today’s lesson wasn’t about winning against multiple opponents. No suffice it to say few Wizards and Witches went toe to toe with multiple opponents and walked away unscathed. The whole point of this exercise was one of Tonks harshest lessons learned from Moody, and that was defense in depth. Harry kept on the move as he drew his opponents towards him, and the trap that he’d set before offering to duel the two older Wizards who both lit up with training Harry unexpectantly.
Tonks now grey eyes watched like a hawk as the two older Wizards got overtly cocky thinking that they’d gotten Harry corned, and in three, two, and one… A large purple light encapsulated Remus and Sirius, and that was that. Both men were trapped up to their neck in a Jello like substance. Sirius howled a laugh as he congratulated Harry, and Remus held a dry grimace of appreciation.
Sirius, “Good show Harry!”
Harry now sported an awkward grin as he waved his wand releasing the two. Tonks stepped forward clapping, “Great work Harry!”
The four stopped in front of each other as Harry shrugged, “Tonks taught me everything…”
Tonks rolled her eyes as she nudged Harry’s shoulder with her own, “Harry here is being so meek, but even I couldn’t have set a better trap.”
Sirius, “Oh so those after school lessons are really paying off them?” Sirius wagged and eyebrow, and Tonks replied with a nonplused tone, “Get your mind out the gutter you old dog.”
Sirius laughed again and Remus and he left the basement to go and clean off the residue. Tonks turned towards Harry, “You did brilliant Harry. You held your ground and ceded it as you needed to drawing them into the trap.”
Harry was about to make a self-deprecating remark, but Tonks reached a hand up and pressed a finger to his lips shooshing him. Tonks replied with narrowed grey eyes, “Harry if you don’t want me to tie you down and read off all of your good qualities then you’d better just take the compliment and move on.”
Harry nodded slightly, and Tonks smiled again, “So how’d it feel?”
Harry spoke with a tired but happy tone, “Honestly? So much better than when we first dueled. You’re right about keeping myself grounded, and not trying to deflect every spell. It’s still difficult not to immediately strike back, but I get what you mean by a defense in depth.”
Tonks crossed her arms and nodded, “You learn well young grasshopper. As I said before when you have time to prepare it’s important to survey your surroundings and use the element of surprise when you can. More battles have been one by proper preparation than not.”
Harry nodded listening intently as he gave Tonks a proper grin, “Can you please come and teach DADA this year? Other than Lupin I haven’t learned this much at Hogwarts.”
Tonks rolled her eyes, “Could you imagine me as a Professor? All prim and proper in my teach robes, writing on the chalk board, and having to field out the millionth innuendo from a 7th year about the color of my knickers?”
Harry tilted his head, “I mean they’re gold, aren’t they?”
Tonks missed a beat as she replied with a meeker tone, “How did you know?”
Harry now waited a moment before letting out a laugh, “Tonks you do remember you had me do your laundry today, and since you’ve been using my drawers for whatever reason it’s all you had left?”
Tonks now released a breath as the logic of Harrys admission made sense. Given Kreacher’s disdain for Tonks, and his penchant for setting her clothes on fire it had been the safer move to leave them with Harry. And though it had only been a week at Grimmauld Place since Harry had arrived between her Auror duties, training Harry, and inability to get home to get more clothes Tonks had been running low on the laundry front. Harry of course had been a lifesaver as he took over her clothes duty, and he just folded them so much better than Tonks. Or as Andromeda would say a child folding clothes would be better than Tonks balling them up and flicking them into one drawer with her wand. Still for a Witch who was usually pretty flippant about her attire there was something increasingly intimate of Harry being able to guess just what knickers that she had on, and especially since they were a pretty flimsy excuse for knickers at that.
Tonks had to gain the upper hand again, “Well since you already know that I’m wearing a golden cheeky pair of panties, would you like to know what color bra that I’m wearing?”
Harrys eyes went wide as Tonks didn’t save him with a laugh. Tonks simply searched his gaze before summoning a rag and wiping the bit of sweat from Harry’s forehead. Harrys eyes were still wide as she leaned in only a few inches away as Tonks spoke, “Don’t tell anyone Harry, but I’m not wearing one.” Tonks winked at Harry as she sauntered away out of the basement, “Have a good shower, Harry!”
Harry stood rooted to the spot as he threw his head back with a groan. Just when he thought that he had a leg up on Tonks she went ahead and one upped him again. Harry’s cheeks finally reddened at Tonks admission to be going sans bra. Merlin she was trying to short circuit him.
Later in the den.
Harry, Ginny, Ron, Hermione, Fred, and George all sat or more so laid around the den as they watched a Muggle action movie. Fred and George sat beside Ginny on the main couch. Ron lay at their feet on his side with his face on a pillow. Hermione sat beside Rons face with her legs out and head resting on the back of the couch. Leaving Harry on the side loveseat with his legs splayed out in front of him on an ottoman.
George spoke with a tone of awe, “Harry do all Muggle skyscrapers have ducts that you can just worm through?”
Harry shrugged as he kept his eyes on the move while Bruce Willis crawled through the HVAC duct, “Dunno, but I think movies in general take liberties.”
Fred, “Could you imagine what kind of movie you could make if you just had one Witch or Wizard on set?”
Hermione replied with a snort of a laugh, “The amount of laws that you’d be breaking.”
Ron now spoke with agreement with Hermione, “Hermiones right, could you imagine how bloody angry Mum would be?”
Hermione looked down to Ron who looked up meeting her gaze with a small grin, and George and Fred spoke in unison, “Spoil sports.”
The door to the den opened with a creek as everyone looked to see the newest member of the group, but Harry just watched the movie. The lazy footfall of black combat boots was all Harry needed to hear to know that an exhausted Tonks had joined them.
Tonks greeted the group with a tired wave and grunted in their direction. Ginny spoke with an inquisitive tone, “Was the raid that bad?”
Tonks nodded with a small frown, “They somehow corralled a giant into an apartment complex with a shrinking charm, but the idiots didn’t realize that it wears off after an hour unless you add in another spell.”
The group of teens grimaced, but Harry simply dropped his legs as Tonks lightly tapped his legs with her own as she moved to sit beside him. Tonks kicked off her boots before she let herself fall with a light thumb resting her head on Harry’s lap. Harry was still engrossed in the movie as he reached for his wand and summoned a fluffy blanket to cover Tonks legs and stomach. Tonks squeezed his knee with her right hand as a sign of appreciation, and she began watching the movie.
Tonks spoke to Harry with a click of her tongue, “Die Hard?”
Harry nodded, “It was next on the list.”
Tonks smirked with an exhausted grin, “Yippy-kai-yay.”
Tonks took in a deep breath as the sounds of the groups murmurs and side comments filled the lulls in the action scenes. The laughter from Ginny as the Twins began side barring over which aspects of the walkie talkies that they could incorporate into their products. Ron tapping Hermione as they both rolled their eyes as Ginny shushed the twins, and then went on about the impracticability of crawling through an air duct.
Tonks then turned onto her back as she stared up at Harry who was so engrossed in the movie that he failed to notice Tonks quiet smile. Tonks eyes first noticed the dark circles under Harrys eyes remained as apparent as ever. But the smile lines near his eyes were apparent as well. Harry finally peered down to Tonks with an eyebrow raised. Tonks simply shot him a lopsided grin as her hair turned bubblegum pink, and she shrugged. As the movie progressed Tonks lids grew heavier as she felt the warmth of Harrys body, the air filled with the comments and laughter of the group, and the fact that she’d been up for 18 hours lull her into a quiet sleep.
An hour later Tonks finally felt Harry’s hand on her shoulder as he caused a waking motion. Tonks slowly blinked her eyes awake as she blurrily looked to Harry with a lazy grin, “Is the movie over already?”
Harry nodded with a glint in his eyes, “It is, and surprise! The good guy won.”
Tonks now shot Harry a smirk, “It’s a Muggle action film, and usually that means a nice bow tied on the end of killing the bad guy, getting the love interest, and somehow walking away from an explosion.”
Harry rolled his eyes, “That explosion would have completely left him deaf.”
Tonks, “Don’t underestimate the magic of Hollywood Harry.”
Harry snorted, and Tonks released a small yawn as she stretched and arched her back. Harry peered away with a small blush as Tonks met his averted gaze with a cheshire grin.
Tonks, “Harry seeing as we’re alone with this whole couch to ourselves…”
Harry looked down to Tonks with admonishment, “Tonks…”
Tonks nuzzled into his lap, “How about another movie?”
Harry, “If you don’t get to bed, I’m pretty sure my leg will shrivel from the lack of blood flow.”
Tonks pouted, “Any other Wizard wouldn’t complain.”
Harry now shot Tonks a cheeky smirk, “Any other Wizard would have kicked you off for how much you drool.”
Tonks now glared, “I didn’t drool!... that much.”
Tonks now replied with her wits, “I was just going to request a small game of truth or dare.”
Harry gave her a cautious expression, “Tonks…”
Tonks now sat up, “It’s just a friendly game, and besides it’ll help to take my mind off of the case and get to bed quicker…”
Tonks held Harry’s gaze with a pout, and Harry finally relented rubbing his hand through his hair, “Fine Tonks you win… but nothing weird!”
Tonks huffed, “Since when have I ever made you do anything weird?”
Harry replied with a deadpanned expression, “Need I remind you about the incident with Sirius and I switching voices and…”
Tonks rolled her eyes, “Oh come on you both volunteered of your own volitions, and besides I’m pretty sure Sirius almost died of laughter. Wouldn’t you say that was a happy outcome?”
Harry shook his head sheepishly, “Well go on then, truth or dare Tonks?”
Tonks eyes twinkled with amusement, “Fortune favors the bold, and so dare!”
Harry raised an eyebrow, “You’re really not afraid then?”
Tonks wiggled her eyebrows, “Harry you’re way too honorable and goodie two shoes to try anything skeevy off the bat.”
Harry sighed with a slight nod, “Fair… I dare you to wear a piece of red clothing for the rest of the month.”
Tonks booed as she shot Harry a thumbs down, “Such a waste of a perfectly good dare, but…”
Tonks took out her wand and pointed it at her jeans as she turned the color a scarlet red, “I’ll oblige.”
Harry shrugged, “Like you said I’m too much of a goodie two-shoes to do anything skeevy. I’m also careful enough to say truth.”
Tonks stuck out her tongue, “Spoil sport… let’s see… who was your first snog?”
Harry threw his head back, “I knew this was going to be a mistake.”
Tonks smiled, “Come on now, out with it!”
Harry took a deep breath as he finally replied, “It was with Fleur last year…”
Tonks smiled faltered just for a moment as the tips of her hair grew a limy green as she replied with a recovered sickly-sweet voice, “Oh isn’t that nice for you.”
Harry sensed the shift in Tonks mood as he eyed her hair carefully, “Tonks it’s not as though we shagged in a closet.”
Tonks crossed her arms as her eyes narrowed, “So I’m not the only Witch during the Yule Ball you pulled into a broom closet?”
Harry now laughed, “Tonks you’re the one who pulled me into the closet remember? And, besides as nice as it was it didn’t feel… well like there was anything there, you know?”
Tonks turned her face away, “Oh there were definitely two perky things there…”
Harry reached over to slightly push Tonks shoulder, “Tonks come on, I’m being serious here. It was like… well I’d imagine like snogging Hermione. It wasn’t unpleasant, but there wasn’t that spark that you’re always on about.”
Tonks hair now returned to a magenta and pink as she uncrossed her arms, “Well when you put it that way… truth.”
Harry didn’t miss a beat as he narrowed his eyes, “Are you jealous that Fleur and I?...”
Tonks scrunched her nose, “Eww! No… it’s more just being worried about your chastity. You’re still a student and all.”
Harry bit his inner cheek as a clicked his tongue before replying, “Didn’t know the image of me snogging was such a disgusting…”
Tonks now curtly cut Harry off, “The eww wasn’t for you Harry, it was more the French Floozy…”
Harry gave Tonks the careful look as she sucked in a breath, “I mean the elegant Fleur who any Witch or Wizard would be grateful to get the opportunity to thrust their tongue…”
Harry groaned as he spoke, “Dare! If it will get us off this subject.”
Tonks tilted her head, “I dare you to show me how you snogged Fleur then.”
Harry’s face went stoic, “Oh… do you mean?...”
Tonks gave Harry a quirk of a smile, “With the pillow…”
Tonks watched with a Cheshire grin as Harry’s cheeks turned pink as he nodded. And Tonks barked out a laugh as Harry really leaned into fulfill her dare. Tonks reached out stealing the pillow from Harry, “That’s enough, I know you’re good for it.”
Harry released a groan, “Are we almost done?”
Tonks clicked her tongue now and shook her head, “Not even close. Dare Mr. Potter.”
Harry felt in the back of his mind that if he didn’t escalate the game and appease Tonks, he’d never get any sleep. Harry spoke with the first shocking dare he could think of, “I dare you to transfigure your clothes to what you’d sleep in if you were dating someone.”
Tonks now actually had to take a moment as her hair grew shorter, and the pink now held strands of bright yellow, “You’re serious then?”
Harry crossed his arms, “I’m Harry actually.”
Tonks rolled her eyes at the worn-out joke as she steadied her breathing and tried to hold her composure. Okay Harry, two could play this game. Tonks waved her wand before putting it beside her. Her outfit transformed into a simple pair of purple satin shorts that ran down to her upper thigh exposing her long smooth legs. Tonks now sported a button-down satin shirt that hugged her curves, and the first two buttons were undone showcasing just the vestiges of cleavage. Tonks pulled her multicolored tresses into a messy bun, and she waved her wand removing the bit of makeup that she had put on earlier that day.
Tonks knew she’d won this list bout as Harrys eyes inadvertently roamed up her long legs, and briefly settled on her chest. Tonks acted as if nothing were out of the normal, but inwardly she felt herself warm knowing that she captured his attention and took his mind off of that French Witch.
Tonks spoke with a sing song voice, “Truth or dare Harry?”
Harry averted his gaze as he replied with a slightly higher pitched tone, “Err… dare?”
Tonks now pounced like a cat on a poor unsuspecting mouse, “I dare you to let me sit on your lap for five minutes then.”
Harry blinked slowly, “Tonks…”
Tonks leaned forward just a bit as Harrys eyes flitted towards her night shirt before slightly glaring at her, “Oh come on Harry, it won’t kill you.”
Harry shook his head as he relented, but mentally groaned as he pictured Aunt Petunia and Uncle Vernon sunbathing on a beach. Tonks got up and plopped down onto Harry’s lap as her bum met his thighs. She wrapped her arms around his neck as she kicked her feet like a kid on a merrie-go-round. Harry sucked in a breath which he only realized now was a bad idea as he took in Tonks warm and comforting scent, wildflowers and the spice that was all her. Tonks spoke with a huskier voice, “You can open your eyes Harry, it’s not as though I’m starker’s and bending over.”
Tonks smirked inwardly as Harry released a shakier breath, “Did you really have to use such an indecent image?”
Tonks shrugged, “Well you’re the one with your mind the gutter there Harry. Now truth.”
Harry was trying ever so hard not to focus on Tonks warm legs on his own, the feel of her chest just barely pressed into his side, and the fact that one of Tonks hands was playing with the hair on the nape of his neck.
Harry finally spoke, “Is it fun for you to take the piss like this with me?”
Tonks replied with a relaxed voice, “Oh getting you all flustered is one of the high lights of my day now Harry. Right up there with my after-work shower, and fire whiskey after a rough day catching the evil ones.”
Harry replied with an exacerbated tone as he met her gaze firmly, “Do you do this with anyone else?”
Tonks heart skipped a beat. She should have replied even if it was a lie to dig herself deeper. Because if anyone entered the room and saw that she was nearly straddling Harry clad in glorified underwear she’d surely be hauled off to the Ministry for interrogation, or worse to the Burrow by Molly for a screaming session. But Tonks brought a hand to cup Harry’s cheek as she smoothed her thumb over it and replied with a quiet and loving tone, “Harry, I can assure you that you’re the only one I will ever play with like this.”
Harry didn’t know why his grasp on her back holding her up, and on her knee tightened. But he watched as Tonks eyes went a bit wider, and a small flush grew on her cheek as he spoke with a darker tone, “Good.”
Tonks only now felt the burning touch build through her skin from the contact with Harry. And, for a moment the tension grew even heavier. Tonks sucked in a large breath as she went to speak before the door to the room opened suddenly, and both of their eyes went wide. Tonks instincts kicked in as she pulled Harry on top of her, and waved her wand as a blanket came a top her obscuring Harry. Harry tried to bring his head above the blanket, but Tonks hand threaded through his hair and pushed him back down. Harry’s head rested on her chest, and Tonks legs were wrapped around his torso as she wrestled him to still.
Of bloody course it was Molly who burst in. If it were anyone else Tonks would have been barking out laughter, but right now the flush of her cheek belied the slight fear of Molly and embarrassment in finding her and Harry in such a position. But mainly due to the fact that Harrys very warm, very firm, and very tense body was pressed in such a way that friction was the primary driver of her current predicament. For what felt like an eternity Molly talked with Tonks none the wiser, and Tonks had to appreciate all of the lessons from Moody on how to bull-shite through a conversation with a mark. Finally, Molly bid, good night, and when Tonks was sure that she was gone she removed the blanket.
Harry came up like a man stuck under water, and Tonks tried to ignore the major flush on his face, “Do I smell that bad then?”
Harry had both a glare and a smirk, “Tonks you could have run a marathon, and still smell amazing to me.”
Tonks scrunched her nose, “Such a kiss ass. S’orry for the trapping you under the blanket, but…”
Harry shook his head, “No, your quick thinking saved us from a whole night of lessons on appropriate distances in sitting from Mrs. Weasley.”
Tonks was about to continue, but Harry leaned in just a bit to rest his forearms and Tonks felt the pressure once again. Tonks nearly froze as her eyes grew just the bit heavier as she blinked, and she released the smallest of moans. Harrys eyes went wide, and Tonks bit her lip as she yelped out an apology. Harry quickly jumped up, “Well… err… hope you can sleep well tonight, Tonks!”
Tonks sat up as she spoke, “Harry I didn’t mean to…”
Harry was gone with a flush that made the Weasleys hair go for a run for its money. Tonks through her head back with a groan. Merlin of course she’d gone ahead and… Tonks fell back onto the couch. Well, she certainly wasn’t getting much sleep tonight.