The Return

Oliver, Fred, George: 18

Hermione, Harry, Ron: 17 (7th year)

Tanya & Victoria: 17 (7th year)

Ginny: 16 (6th year)

Viktor: 20

Dislcaimer: I own nothing but Tanya and her family...might not even own them. Who knows?

Summary: A year after the incident at Hogwarts, Tanya returns with the help of her brother and assumes a new identity to protect Harry and the others. The war looms closer and before long, Tanya finds that there's a bigger danger of her falling for Harry than anything else.

AN: I just started this story...let me know if you want more. If I get enough reviews, I'll continue. Also I'm not sure if Oliver and the twins will appear in the story…I just put them there as a just in case. Enjoy!

Chapter 1

Tanya Hardin glared over her sunglasses at her dad. He'd insisted on accompanying her on this surveillance mission and now he was doing everything he could to call attention to them as he ate his lunch.

"Dad," she hissed in annoyance as he made yet another delighted sound to compliment his meal. "Cut it out, you're going to get us caught." Joseph Hardin paused, another forkful of steak and kidney pie halfway to his mouth.

"I'm sorry," he said abashedly as he laid his fork down on his plate. "But this stuff is delicious." He paused. "Why don't we have this stuff in America?" Tanya shook her head and sighed.

"Just eat your pie, dad," she said tiredly before mumbling, "I knew I should've brought mom instead."

"What was that?" Tanya looked up, clearly surprised.

"Huh? Nothing, nothing at all. Eat your pie, dad, it's getting cold." He shrugged his shoulders and Tanya smiled slightly. To think, this goofy man sitting across from her was one of the most revered names in the magical world. Her father (and her mother as well) were both well known for their immense power and reputation as Charmed Ones.

Tanya herself was not as well known but her parents had great expectations. She sighed heavily and looked back to their subject.

'He looks so happy,' she thought and leaned back comfortably in her chair and them immediately sat back up. She'd almost forgotten about the pains.

Last year, at the end of the year at Hogwarts, Tanya had faced off with Voldemort to leave him a message: his glory days were over. Instead, she had walked into a trap and had almost caused the death of the three people she had been sent to protect.

At the last second she had managed to save them but had almost lost her life at the effort. Raging that he had once again been cheated out of his revenge, Voldemort had unleashed the killing curse on Tanya.

It had hurt. That bull about not feeling a thing had made her angry. She had always thought death meant no pain but instead she was bombarded with it. She must have blacked out and Voldemort must've thought she was dead because when she awoke the village was still empty, it was dark, and she was in pain.

She'd stumbled into the nearest home and rummaged around for anything she could use to treat her wounds until she got home. America was the only choice for her then. She couldn't go back to Hogwarts after what she'd done. Dumbledore must've been furious with her.

Cowering uncharacteristically, she'd left with her tail between her legs. She didn't dare use magic for fear that in her weakened state she'd cause herself more damage.

When she finally made it home, her parents had tended to her every need. They'd concocted healing potions known only to their family and did their best to repair the damage Voldemort had caused. The only thing they hadn't been able to cure was the large angry burn in her arm that bore the dark mark. It gave her pain every now and again as if to remind her of her purpose.

"Tanya," her dad's voice broke her from her reverie. She looked up at his face and smiled. Worried didn't suit him. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah," she nodded. "It just burns." He nodded, his brows still furrowed. He had never quite gotten used to the mark. Tanya knew she wouldn't either and didn't know why she'd expected him to.

"Do you need the salve?" he asked. Tanya shook her head. The most she and her parents had been able to do to lessen the pain of the burn was create a salve that numbed the area for five hours at a time. Tanya hated using it; it made her entire arm feel as if it wasn't there. As if she'd lost a limb.

"No," she sighed and gave him a slight smile to show him she was fine. She glanced over his shoulder at Harry, Hermione, and Ron. "Come on, dad. They're on the move." He nodded and without another word dropped enough money on their table to take care of their meal and the tip.

Tanya stood and headed towards the threesome, insuring that she wouldn't be seen. Looking over her shoulder she saw her dad try and shove more of the pie into his mouth. She could've died of humiliation.

'Why?' she asked mentally. 'Why for the love of the gods does he have to be so embarrassing?'

"Harry, are you coming?" Hermione asked as she and Ron started pushing themselves through the crowd at Diagon Ally.

Harry nodded, a bit startled, as he had been staring at a couple behind them. There was an older man and girl around Harry, Ron, and Hermione's age. The two seemed deep in conversation and Harry had a feeling that he'd seen the girl somewhere before.

"Yeah," he said to Hermione breathlessly, prying his eyes away from the girl long enough to give his friend a reassuring glance. He turned to glance back at the couple and was dismayed to see that they were gone.

'Where did they go?' he thought in confusion. Diagon Ally was an open place and, except for shops, there was practically nowhere to hide. He sighed and shrugged it off. It was probably nothing.

Tanya sighed in relief as Harry turned back towards his friends and began walking away from her and her father who was now ogling a display of new sweets being sold at the candy store.

"Dad," she hissed. "Cut that out. Come over here." Joseph, pouting slightly, did as he was told and went to stand beside his daughter.

"Yes?" he asked.

"What do you see?" Tanya asked him nodding towards the diminishing backs of Harry, Ron, and Hermione. Joseph shrugged.

"Three kids," he said easily. "Walking down Diagon Ally." Tanya nodded.

"What else?" she asked. Her father sighed and took another look.

"They're being followed," he frowned. "I doubt Dumbledore knows of this. They don't look like members of The Order." Tanya shook her head.

"No," she agreed. "They don't."

'Finally,' Tanya thought as Harry, Hermione, and Ron met up with Hagrid. 'They're in good hands.' She looked up at her dad and was surprised to see a look of concern written on his face. His lips were pulled thinly onto his face and his brow furrowed.

"Hagrid's good protection," he said after letting the silence stretch for what felt like eons. "But they need more. He hasn't stopped looking for them. He hasn't stopped looking for a way to get to them out of Dumbledore's protection." Tanya nodded, turning back towards the trio just in time to see Ron's leg disappear into a tavern. They were heading back to the muggle side of the street.

"And he'll find it," Tanya said nodding in agreement to her father's unspoken conclusion. "Eventually, he'll find a way to separate Dumbledore from those kids and he'll kill them."

"What are you going to do about it?" Joseph eyed his daughter warily. Tanya spun to face her dad.

"Me?" He nodded. "But I screwed up big time last year. There's no way that I should be allowed to go back. I'm only here because I feel like I have to watch over them."

"Exactly, and what better way to watch over them than to ensure you're right there with them."

"They think I'm dead."

"Then use it," Joseph insisted. "Use it to your advantage. They'll never expect a ghost and it should help you find out more with Voldemort." Tanya shook her head.

"I can't do that, dad. How am I supposed to watch over them without them knowing?"

"You've changed your appearance before…I don't see why you can't do it again." Tanya frowned.

"Because the Polyjuice potion is painful," she responded. "And it only lasts for an hour at a time." Tanya sighed as her dad rummaged around in his coat pocket before pulling out a blue vial.

"What's that?" Tanya asked as her dad placed it gently in her hands.

"Your mother and I have been working on this all summer. We figured that you'd end up back where you started so we've managed to concoct a potion that will change your appearance for a month at a time. It'll even change your voice." Tanya frowned.

"How did you-"

"Don't worry about that." Tanya shook her head.

"Dad, I can't do this alone. I don't think I could handle it again. Come with me." Joseph smiled slightly.

"And have the children recognize me? How will it look if I came to teach at Hogwarts when my daughter just 'died' there a year ago? Not too good." Tanya frowned.

"Dad, please. I honestly don't think I can do this alone. I need help." Joseph smiled again.

"I'm glad that you can admit that. Too many of our kind lose their lives because they're too proud to admit that they may have taken on more than they can handle."

"So you'll come with me?" Tanya asked hopefully. Joseph shook his head.

"No," he responded. "But your brother's due in at the airport any minute."

Tanya grinned as she finally spotted her brother in the sea of people coming and going in the airport. Brandon Hardin was a handsome man of 23. He had short black hair, hazel eyes, dimples, and a killer smile. His body wasn't too bad either. He was around six feet tall and all lean muscle.

Looking at him you'd never know he was one of the most powerful Charmed Ones around. He gave off a feeling of comfort to everyone around him and usually blended easily with the crowd around him.

"Brandon!" Tanya called as she rushed him. He smiled easily at his little sister and caught her in a bear hug.

"Tangy," he said using her nickname. "How're you doing? Mom and dad told me what happened." At this Tanya stiffened and pulled away.

"Oh," she said woodenly. "I thought-since you didn't come home-" Bobby shook his head.

"I wanted to come home, Tangy," he said earnestly meeting her penetrating stare. "I really did but I was in the middle of a mission. If I had left I would have lost a year and half of undercover work in the underworld." Tanya nodded.

"It's okay. I understand. How did it go?" Brandon shrugged.

"All I'm allowed to say is that Brotherhood of Demons won't be any trouble for a while, at least." Tanya smiled.

"Good. Come on, dad's waiting for us outside. I've got a lot to tell you."

"Like what?" Brandon asked Tanya smiled.

"You'll see."

Tanya took one last look at her reflection before taking a deep breath and letting it out quickly. She looked weird as a boy was her only thought. She frowned as she peered closer at her reflection. Her eyes were the same. Everything had changed, except for her eyes.

She looked a lot like her brother. There was no denying that. Even her dad had said so. She wondered if Brandon with think so too. He had left days before she had even taken the potion as she had wanted to wait until the last minute.

Brandon had taken over teaching DADA. Apparently Krum had decided to teach flying lessons since Madame Hooch choose the year before to retire.

Tanya sighed. If this plan was going to work, everything she knew about the Harry and his friends was going to have to stay between her and her brother. No one, not even Dumbledore could find out she was alive.

She sighed again and gave a half hearted smile at her reflection.

"Well," she said in her newly deepened voice. "Here goes nothing."

'Three days,' Tanya thought solemnly on Wednesday morning. 'I've been here three days and I haven't even talked to anyone. This was a mistake.' Her return to Hogwarts had gone pretty quietly. She rejoined the students as Bobby Lewis, a seventh year exchange student from America, and been immediately sorted into Gryffindor. She had a feeling that the Sorting Hat knew the truth about her as it had whispered it would keep her secret safe.

There had been no sign of the twins, Oliver or Victoria. The first three, she knew had graduated. Victoria, however seemed to have disappeared over the summer break. As far as she could tell, no one knew where she was.

She sighed heavily. Her first class of the day was double Defense Against the Dark Arts, with Professor Brandon Jones. Her brother. She wondered if he'd recognize her as she hadn't had the chance to speak with him since she'd come to school.

"Welcome to your final year in Defense Against the Dark Arts in Hogwarts," Brandon smiled at the class, a mixture of Gryffindors and Slytherins, causing some of the females to swoon. "I'm Professor Brandon Jones. I prefer to be called Brandon or Professor Brandon, either one will suit me. As you can see, your previous professor is no longer teaching this course. Madame Hooch chose to retire last year so he took over for her." He stopped speaking as though he expected the students to begin throwing questions his way.

"We'll begin today by going over what you learned last year and building on that. Would it be right to assume you began learning of Demons last year?" The class mumbled a general 'yes' and Brandon nodded.

"Good," he said waving his wand and causing a large white sheet to fall from the ceiling in front of the class. It hung there as he then turned and walked swiftly to the back of the class towards a film projector. He waved his wand at it and it shined a large image of a circle of salt full of symbols and burning candles onto the sheet.

"This," he said loudly to the class. "Is called, The Circle of Protection. It is used to cast protection spells on the person casting it as well as others. This spell is very dangerous and can only be cast correctly by a very powerful witch or wizard. Anyone else could get one of two things. Anyone know what they are?"

Tanya smiled as Hermione's hand shot into the air as expected. Brandon looked down at the seating chart in his hand. He had bewitched it to show him who was sitting where.

"Yes, Miss Granger?"

"If cast incorrectly the spell could have no effect or it could kill you," Hermione stated matter-of-factly. Brandon nodded and flashed Hermione a smile that had her blushing beet red.

"Correct. Ten points to Gryffindor. Another ten to whoever can tell me where the potion originated." Again, Hermione's hand shot into the air but Brandon, attempting to be fair to everyone called on someone else. "Zabini," he said glancing at his seating chart. "Care to answer?"

Obviously in shock, the class turned to Blaise Zabini who sat in the back of the class next to Draco Malfoy, a bored expression on his haughty ebony face.

"The Charmed Ones," he said with an air of someone who genuinely didn't care. "Created the spell. It's a signature of sorts for them." Brandon smiled and nodded.

"Ten points to Slytherin. Okay that's it for the day. Everyone read Chapter five and we'll continue next class."

The class began to shuffle their things and leave the classroom hurriedly. Tanya stood from her desk, making sure to drop most of her things from her desk so that she had to bend down and pick them up. She slowly began placing most of her things in her bag, making sure that everyone else left before her.

Once she was sure everyone was gone, she walked over to Brandon, who was grading papers and pretending not to notice her or Bobby rather.

"Professor," she said in her newly deepened voice. Brandon looked up.

"Yes?" he asked cautiously. Tanya rolled her eyes.

"Brandon," she hissed. "It's me!" Brandon frowned before realization struck. He looked Tanya over, clearly at a loss.

"Wow," he said breathlessly. "You look and sound like a guy!" Tanya nodded and walked around Brandon's desk to stand right in front of him. "You still walk like a girl though."

"What?" Tanya scowled at the comment. She waved it away with her hand. "Not my fault. No one else has noticed." Brandon snorted.

"Oh, they noticed," he assured his sister/brother. "I should've known though. You look just like me when I was your age…except for the eyes. Those are all yours." As he said this he again looked Tanya over as though searching for anything that would betray her true identity.

"Good disguise," he said finally. "Now that you've established a different identity all you've got to do is pick up where you left off." Tanya shook her head.

"I still can't believe mom and dad still trust me after what happened the last time. Anyone else would have been severely punished for what I did." Brandon shrugged.

"They trust you," he said honestly. "Don't be so hard on yourself. You were faced with a decision and made it. You were tricked."

"You wouldn't have fallen for it," Tanya said evenly. She looked at her feet and shuffled them. "You wouldn't have let anyone find out about you before you were ready, you wouldn't have almost gotten them killed."

"Tanya," Brandon said sternly making her look at him. "If you're looking for pity, from me or yourself, you're in the wrong business. Would I have fallen for the trap? I can't say because the situation would have been different if I was there. You caught on to Victoria in the beginning and you were right not to trust her. That's something that's hard to do. Even for a Charmed One." Tanya swallowed hard and nodded at her brother's words.

"We make mistakes," he said, his eyes boring into Tanya's. "But we have to move on or nothing else will ever seem good enough." Tanya blinked and nodded once more.

"We have a job to do," Brandon reminded her softly. "And we can't let our past interfere."

"I know," Tanya agreed. "Emotions run us."

"Right," Brandon nodded. "So if you're feeling sorry for yourself you'll be vulnerable."

"I know," Tanya said again looking Brandon in the eye. "I get it." He seemed satisfied and Tanya gave him a small smile before heading towards the door.

"You still walk like a girl," he said just loud enough for her to hear.

"Yo momma," Tanya said as she disappeared around the corner to her brother's laughter.