Chapter 1
Tonks was bored. Bored, bored, bored, bored, bored.
It had been five hours since she had took up her shift for the day, and she was yet to see something more interesting than a caterpillar crawling up a brick wall. Clad in comfy muggle attire, paired with dragonhide boots and a disillusionment charm, she leaned against a lamppost at the corner of the deserted street, absently chewing a piece of gum and causing her fingernails to shift colours at a rapid rate.
Time seemed to warp here, in this neighborhood that reeked of privilege and nosy neighbours, ebbing and swirling and curdling without a twinge of remorse for the young woman stuck on guard duty. It was Nympadora Tonks' turn to watch over young Harry Potter, and for the hundredth time, she wondered why she couldn't just reveal herself to the young lad and kip out in his room, sipping on some ice cold lemonade.
As she tried to distract herself with thoughts of an immersive ice water bath and a refreshing drink, the sounds of raucous laughter and thrilled shouts made their way over to where she was standing.
She recognized the group of boys walking in her direction as Dudley Dursley and his band of sidekicks. She didn't know much about Harry's cousin, except that he would occasionally taunt Harry and throw jibes at him. Dumbledore had shrugged this off as normal cousin rivalry and boy behaviour, so she'd shrugged off her apprehension and paid no further heed to it.
Tonks flattened herself against the lamppost as the boys passed close by her, and waiting with bated breath for them to round the corner. It wouldn't do for them to bump into an invisible person after all.
So caught up was she in keeping herself hidden, that she almost missed the thin frame of Harry Potter slip out of the front door and make his way over to the shed. Giving herself a mental prod and hoping to Morgana that things would pick up, she crept towards the shed, being ever so careful not to trip over her own feet and give away her position.
Standing on her tiptoes, she peeked through the small window of the shed, to see what her young charge was up to. She found him bent over a small contraption that she could make neither heads nor tails of, and figured it was probably one of those weird instruments that Muggles seemed to be so fond of. Letting out a deep sigh, she settled herself down in a shady area and waited for Harry to emerge again, counting down the days for when he would soon be sheltered in Headquarters, and she would be off this darn guard duty.
Harry Potter made his way over to the shed that occupied the corner of the Dursleys' garden. Despite how particular his aunt was about maintaining the best lawn and garden patch in the locality, she hadn't stepped foot in the shed more than four times, as far as Harry could remember. That worked out perfectly for him.
He trudged down the path with his head down and ears perked up, the hair on the back of his neck standing up, probing for any sign of magical energy around the area.
Harry knew he was being watched. He'd been observing the shimmer in the air that seemed to always linger around Number 4, Privet Drive, easily mistaken by Muggles as a sign of heat in the air, but Harry knew better. The shimmer was too solid, too consistent to be heat haze, and his constant observance of the phenomenon had paid off. The sound of a car backfiring one night and the sudden appearance of a mangy shoe when he'd been looking out his room window sealed the deal. He was sure there was someone under a disillusionment charm standing outside his house, day and night. Probably a group of someones taking turns, judging by the way it occurred round the clock. Harry also realised that magic could be sensed, like a slow, thrumming buzz of electricity. It came as a bit of a surprise to him as the amount of magical activity at Hogwarts should have sent his senses on overdrive at this rate. He filed it away as a question to ask Hermione later on.
As he entered the shed, Harry wondered whether it was friend or foe watching him. His scar had been twinging a lot lately, but nothing to worry about when he stepped outside near the magical presence. Whoever they were, they didn't seem to want to do anything apart from watch him, as well. It was most likely people designated by Dumbledore, Harry mused with an inward sigh. Still, it was better not to let his summer plans get uncovered.
Making his way to his work corner, Harry pulled out the bit of equipment he was tinkering with. He had managed to scrounge a couple of walkie-talkies from Dudley's room, which seemed to be in working condition for the most part, except for a few loose wires that needed connecting. With his brow furrowed in concentration and gritted teeth, he went about winding the ends of the wires together, hoping it was the right way to fix them. He made sure his back was to the window so that anyone looking in wouldn't be able to see exactly what was going on.
Twenty minutes later, the two walkie talkies were crackling with static. Harry turned them off and slipped them into the baggy pockets of his cargo pants, an advantage of wearing Dudley's oversized hand-me-downs, and made his way back to his room for the finishing touches.
He drew the curtains shut and pulled out the walkie-talkies, turning them over in his hands, pleased with the first phase of his plan.
"Dobby," he called out softly.
A little elf with bat-like ears and orbs for eyes appeared, dressed in a clean blue tea-cosy with the Hogwarts crest stitched on it.
"Master Harry Potter has summoned Dobby," said the elf, bowing low. "Dobby is so honoured that the great Harry Potter who fought He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named yet again has called upon Dobby for help. What can Dobby do for Harry Potter sir?"
"First off, Dobby," said Harry, rubbing his eyes wearily, "Please just call me Harry. Or Harry Potter. None of this Master business, you're a free elf."
"But Dobby would be honoured to serve Ma... Harry Potter sir, if only he would let him," replied the elf excitedly.
"Well Dobby, I do need your help." Harry placed the walkies on the table.
"You see these? They're called walkie-talkies. Muggles use them to talk to each other," Harry explained. "You turn this knob on the side to change the frequency and make sure both the handsets are set to the same channel. Then if you press on this button and talk into it, I can hear your voice from my walkie-talkie, and reply in the same way."
Dobby's eyes became even rounder, if that was even possible, as he took in the Muggle contraption that seemed to work like magic.
"What is Dobby doing to help, Harry Potter sir?"
"You know how magic interferes with Muggle devices?"
Dobby nodded frantically.
"A problem with these is not only do they stop working if they're around too much magic, but they also don't work over really long distances. It helps if the two people are within the same neighbourhood, but I need it to work for farther ranges than that."
"Harry Potter sir wants to talk to his friends Wheezy and Grangy!" Dobby squeaked excitedly. "Dobby can help with that. House elf magic is not like wizard magic, we is being able to help our masters out by doing things they can't!"
"That's excellent, Dobby! But I need you to make sure this is a secret. You can't tell anyone, not even Dumbledore, is that clear?"
"Dobby is swearing he will not tell anyone Harry Potter's secrets. Dobby may be a Hogwarts elf but he is still free and his loyalties lie with Master Harry Potter sir, the one who freed Dobby and will free all other house elves from the darkness!" Dobby's voice rose in volume as he became more and more excited and imbued with energy from his own words.
"Keep your voice down, Dobby," Harry hissed, listening carefully for any signs that the Dursleys might have heard. "And what did I say about calling me Master?"
"Dobby is sorry, Harry Potter sir. Dobby will work on these walkie thingies in silence now."
"Thanks Dobby. I'm also going to need you to take one of the handsets to Hermione and Ron along with a letter, once you're done," said Harry, feeling a little calmer now that things were falling into place.
He quickly penned a letter to his best friends, explaining the situation, and asking them to contact him immediately. As Dobby popped away with the fixed handsets, he lay back down on his bed, feeling at peace for the first time in months.
Number 12, Grimmauld Place
"Why can't the bloody house elf get all this stuff? I mean, isn't he bound to serve the house and keep it clean?" Ron grumbled as he made his way up the stairs of Number 12, Grimmauld Place.
"At least it's keeping us busy, Ron. I think I'd go mad if I was stuck indoors with nothing to do," Hermione replied. "I do hope they make us get the library soon though. Sirius hasn't let me step inside ever since we reached."
"Do you have a death wish or something? Half the books in there would bite off your fingers, and the rest are probably worse."
Hermione pursed her lips, not having a suitable response to Ron's surprisingly logical statement.
"I'll see you at dinnertime," she said, starting to climb up to the next landing as Ron opened his room door.
"Um... Hermione, you better come in here for a moment."
Hermione entered her red-headed friend's room, her eyes turning into wide saucers as she got a glimpse of the house-elf standing in a corner.
"DOBB..." Her voice was muffled by a hand placed over her mouth.
"Seriously Hermione? Don't let the entire house know."
"But..." she let out an exasperated sigh and turned to their unexpected visitor. "Hi Dobby, what brings you here? How's working at Hogwarts?"
"Dobby has been good, kind mistress. Dobby comes to Harry Potter sir's Wheezy and Grangy with a message," replied the elf, pointing to the objects lying on the table next to him.
"A walkie talkie? What's all this about?" Hermione wondered as she slit open the envelope next to it and read the letter out aloud.
Dear Hermione and Ron,
How have you two been? It's been pretty much the same at the Dursley's, except for the continuous boredom, now that I can't expect much from your letters. And Hermione, before you lose your head over this, don't worry. I gathered from your previous letters that there's not much either of you can tell me about where you are or what you're doing. I just hope it's a sight better than what I've had to deal with. At least you two are together, not that I hold any of that against you.
I recently figured out that I'm being followed or watched by people. I'm guessing either Dumbledore or old Voldy have something to do with this, although nothing out of the ordinary has happened yet and I'm lying low for the most bit. I sent this letter along with Dobby so that we can communicate freely without having to be careful about what we tell each other.
While I've been keeping out of the way for the most part, it doesn't mean I haven't been up to something all this time. I managed to get Dobby to sneak some of my school textbooks into my room as well, and I'm planning on revising all our material from the past few years. I know I have to prepared, now more than ever, since Voldemort is back and the Ministry keeps denying it.
That's the extent of my knowledge on the outside world, however, since you two didn't tell me much more in any of your letters. But I hope that's about to change. Dobby would have brought a walkie-talkie along with him, which we've enchanted to work around magic and across long distances. And before you ask, Hermione, Dobby did most of the enchanting so I'm not sure how exactly it works, you'd have to pick his brain to learn anything more. I just know it's elf magic.
Anyway, it's not going to be functional for the whole summer, but hopefully I'll be able to join you both soon, wherever you are. Tune into channel 7 to talk to me till then, but please keep it a secret.
P.S. I've named the pair of handsets "Magicomms."
Stay safe,
Harry.
Ron let out a low whistle. "Well, I guess we don't have to worry about him being mad at us. See if it works, Hermione."
"Dobby will be going back to the Hogwarts kitchen now, Master and Mistress," said Dobby, bowing low.
"Yes Dobby. And thank you for doing this," Hermione replied.
With one last bow, the elf vanished.
Hermione twiddled around the dial on the Magicomm handset to channel 7 and turned to look at Ron.
"Make sure the door's locked, Ron," she said, as she pushed down on the transmit button and spoke into the handset.
"Harry? Harry, are you there?"
For a few long seconds, all they could hear was crackling static, before Harry's low voice was emitted from the device.
"Hermione? Is that you? I can't believe this actually works! Is Ron there with you?"
"Hey mate, Dobby just dropped this off. It's bloody brilliant!" said Ron.
"I'm not sure how long this connection will last," replied Harry. "It's too much magic for the receivers to handle so we'll have to make it quick every time."
"It's an amazing idea though, Harry. Where did you get the walkie-talkies from?" asked Hermione.
"Nicked them from Dudley's room. He has loads of stuff in there, I don't think he'll ever realise this is missing."
"How are you, Harry? I'm so sorry about the vague letters I had to write you. It's Dumbledore. He told us not to say anything beyond small talk in our letters and we didn't know how to get through to you otherwise," said Hermione, frantically.
"Don't worry, Hermione, I figured it was something of the sort. Is he the one having me followed?"
Ron and Hermione exchanged looks at that.
"Yeah. We don't know what he's trying to do, but from what we managed to hear - "
"Eavesdrop," entered Hermione.
"- we figured it's some kind of a security rotation," Ron finished.
"If it's for my safety, why couldn't he just tell me? Why can't those people reveal themselves? What's Dumbledore playing at?" Harry's voice was filled with subdued outrage.
"We're not sure, mate. We aren't exactly allowed in all the important conversations that take place here," said Ron.
"Where's here, exactly?"
"It's a house that's under the Fidelius. It's being used as the Headquarters for the Order of the Phoenix, a secret organisation that works towards taking down You-Know-Who and his death eaters. We can't tell you the name of the place or the location, but from what we gathered, someone should be sent to you soon to bring you here," Hermione explained. "All the Weasleys are here, as are Sirius, Professor Lupin, and a lot more members of the Order who come and go during meetings."
"So I'm guessing neither of you know what they're doing to take down Voldemort?"
"Not a clue. Fred and George came up with this cool creation called Extendable Ears which let's you listen in on conversations. But we weren't able to hear much beyond You-Know-Who gathering up his followers," Ron said. "Mum found out we were listening and put an imperturbable charm on the door a few days ago."
Harry sighed.
"So what are you guys doing if you're not allowed in the meetings?"
"Mostly cleaning," replied Ron. "This house is an absolute mess and Mum's got us cleaning every inch of it."
Harry let out a low, sullen laugh.
"Thanks for talking to me, you both, and keeping this a secret. I just... I think I'll go mad if I'm stuck here for the whole summer without any company."
"We'll get you out of there soon, Harry, just hang on," said Hermione. "Oh! And your letter said you've started revising everything we've learnt. That's great! What are you going through? Have you finished all the summer assignments?"
"I'm mostly practicing all the incantations and the wand motions for Defense, Charms, and Transfiguration. Trying to get through some Potions theory. I haven't made too much headway on the assignments though, still stuck on the essay Snape has given us," said Harry.
"Ron, you should do what Harry's doing and brush up on spells," Hermione said, turning to her gangly friend.
"Ah hell, Hermione. It's bad enough that we have summer homework without extra revision."
Hermione huffed and gave him a stern look.
"Um... guys, I have to go. Aunt Petunia just called me downstairs. Also, don't initiate conversation until I do, in case I'm around Muggles," said Harry's crackling voice from the radio.
"Alright mate. We'll get you out of there soon, I promise."
"Take care, Harry! And keep sending letters so we can keep up appearances!"
With a final farewell, the radio signal went off. Ron and Hermione looked at each other in silence, processing the events of the evening.
"I guess I should go shower. Do you mind if I take the Magicomm with me, Ron? I want to figure out how Dobby got it to work."
"Sure, just don't break it." Ron shrugged. "Think we should tell Sirius?"
"Not yet. It's going to be harder to keep it a secret if too many people know. I say we ask Harry next time we talk to him," reasoned Hermione.
"Okay. Now go. I want to get this stench off me before dinner."
A/N: And that's it for the first chapter of The Birth of a Warrior! If any of you have constructive feedback, do let me know. It's been over a year since I last wrote fanfiction (on a different site) and I'm a bit rusty now. Plus all the chapters are being posted as soon as I'm done, without a beta going over them, so apologies for any errors.
I hope to get the next chapter out within a week, so keep an eye out for updates. :)
Cookies and special mentions for everyone who reviews!