The train ride to London had been uneventful. Malfoy made his obligatory appearance only to end up outwitted and humiliated again, the Weasleys twins came around to showcase some of their inventions and Neville had to search the train for Trevor once more. Harry said goodbyes to his friends, played one last game of wizard chess with Ron and left Hermione a note since she spent the trip to London in Morpheus' realm. The brunette looked like she was in dire need of sleep and he didn't want to wake her only to get yelled at again.

It was a nervous teenager who stepped out of the fourth carriage at King's Cross and into the loud crowd at Platform 9 3/4. Leanne had hugged him before running off towards St. Pancras Station to catch a train home, leaving him to his thoughts. If everything went well he'd be free from the Dursleys forever. But if things went wrong he'd be stranded alone in the middle of London. While he had enough money in the magical world he doubted that he could spend the summer holidays at the Leaky Cauldron without anyone forcing him back to Privet Drive, for his own protection of course. He was not even sure where this "Nymphadora" was waiting for him or how she looked. Should he wait in the train? At the Platform? Or maybe in the reception hall?

However, before Harry could make three steps towards the barrier, his brunette friend grabbing his arm and manhandled him through the crowd until she found her parents. Said parents immediately drew her into a threeway hug, leaving him standing awkwardly next to the reunited family.

"Mum, dad, this is my friend Harry Potter. Harry, this is my mother Melissa and my father Alan," Katie introduced after she untangled herself from the three-way embrace.

"So, any particular reason my daughter was 'oldin' your 'and?" Mr Bell, a tall, balding man asked and tried his best not to sound curious. He was around fifty and his thin brown hair was complemented by a dark moustache.

"I prefer being dragged around by my arm instead of my ear," Harry replied, completely missing the question Alan wanted to be answered but the man snorted nonetheless.

"So I take that there won't be any surprises in nine months."

"Behave yourself," Melissa chided her husband after rolling her eyes at his weak attempt at humour. It was obvious to Harry that Katie did not get her looks from her mother. Instead of brunette, the woman had curly blonde hair falling down past her wide shoulder and Harry noticed that she was someone he did not want to mess with, no matter how friendly she seemed. While Katie was slender her mother was rather bulky and definitely intimidating. Mrs Bell was by no means ugly, but she looked more like a boxer than like a lady of the high society.

"Katie has mentioned you in her letters a couple times Mister Potter," the blonde said nonchalantly and yet sounding harsh while she watched her daughter match her face to the scarlet train behind her.

"Harry please," he quickly interjected once more missing the byplay.

"Where's Leanne? I thought she wanted to talk to us abao' the summer," Mr Bell asked, ignoring his wife's attempts at prying for information.

"She had to run to because the Express was delayed. And if she misses this one, her next train won't leave for another hour."

"I could 'ave taken 'er 'ome. It's not even one 'undred miles to Rochester from here."

"That's what I told her but she didn't want to impose."

"It's almost as if she wants to - "

"Mister Potter," a new voice interrupted and four heads turned towards a woman in her mid-forties, wearing a bronze robe. Her heart-shaped face was surrounded by black hair tied held back by a golden headband. She had the same "no-nonsense" attitude which Professor McGonagall seemed to radiate and piercing blue eyes gave an icy stare to everyone around them.

"Good evening, I am Auror Tonks and I need to ask you some questions regarding the demise of Peter Pettigrew," the woman announced. Harry immediately recognised her last name and felt relief wash over him. This witch could be his ticket to freedom if everything went alright. Maybe his summer would be free of the Dursleys after all.

"Pettigrew? I thought 'e died twelve years ago. Got' imself blown into tiny pieces or somethin' like that," Mr Bell said with visible confusion.

"Mr Bell I presume? There was an incident at Hogwarts on the Second of June where Mr Pettigrew was found on the grounds alive but missing his soul, the Dark Mark visible on his forearm. Your daughter was one of three students who claim that prior to his demise Mr Pettigrew confessed the crimes Sirius Black is accused of committing. Mr Potter was another student present," the Auror reported.

"Accused of committing? Black spent twelve years in Azkaban," the man hissed. "Now you 'ave noticed that 'e migh' be innocent? After all those years?"

"According to the Department of Records, there has never been a trial for Mr Black. The forensic evidence contradicts the official story rather clearly. However, the Minister and the Chief Warlock are not concerned about this. According to them if the previous Minister did throw him into Azkaban then he belongs there. Head Auror Hammer did not agree with this assessment and began her own investigation after taking over from former Head Auror Scrimgeour, who was demoted due to lack of success during the search for Sirius Black. Therefore I need to ask Mr Potter some questions about the incident at Hogwarts. If there are any questions afterwards your daughter may be invited to the Auror office to answer some questions as well," she summarised slightly breathless.

"So this man could be innocent and yet you and your department still tries to have 'im kissed?" Mr Bell asked with his voice raised.

"The dementors answer to the Office of the Minister and not to the DMLE. I am just an Auror doing my job. Even if I was convinced of Mr Black's innocence, there is little I can do when our Minister and Chief Warlock agree that he should be put into chains, if not outright kissed," Tonks said defensively.

"This is an outrage," the older man spat while Katie stepped forward and pulled Harry into a tight, but not bone breaking hug. Mr Bell abandoned his verbal attacks in favour of watching his daughter

"Write me once you're settled, will you?" she whispered and patted his back.

"Sure, but it might take a while. See you soon."

"Bye Harry," the brunette said as she broke the hug. Both teenagers missed the knowing looks the Bells exchanged. There would be questions once they got home, some concerning her involvement with the Pettigrew business and others about the boy that was her friend.

While the group of three headed towards the exit, Harry followed the Auror to an empty waiting room at the far end of the concealed platform. He watched silently as the witch closed the blinds and cast several spells on the walls and door of the plain room. Dark yellow tiles were covering the floor while the beige paint was already falling from the walls. A couple of wooden benches far beyond their prime were standing in the middle of the room, providing an uncomfortable opportunity to sit down. For some reason, the smell of old paper lingered in the air.

"Alright Harry, let's get more comfortable," she said, winked and within seconds looked twenty years younger. All wrinkles had disappeared from her face, her hair shortened to a pixie cut, became bubblegum pink and, with a tap of her wand, the robe was replaced by a tight red tank top and black hotpants.

"Wicked," Harry commented before he could stop himself. The Auror only responded by chuckling which turned into a high pitched giggle when she noticed the effect her outfit had on the teenage mind.

"How did you do that?" he wanted to know red-faced, tearing his eyes away from the low neckline.

"I'm a metamorphmagus, I can change my appearance at will, well at least in theory. Emotions don't mix well with this ability. I'm Nymphadora Tonks by the way, but please, for the love of Merlin, do not use my first name. Tonks s fine," she explained.

"Well, I'm Harry," he said awkwardly before remembering the question he was supposed to ask. "Who sent you?"

"Padfoot."

"Great. Uhm, what do we do now?" Harry asked and Tonks sniggered.

"I thought you knew what to do if you are alone with a pretty girl away from everyone. Although I have to admit that this beats the old Hogwarts broom closets," she teased and Harry blushed even more. The witch only laughed at his misery.

"Not fair."

"Awww, come on, a girl has to have fun sometimes. You know, your blush is kinda cute. You're not really my type, but if you were a couple years older, I'd not say no to a date."

"Have, will, I, no," Harry stuttered after he finished imitating a fish. "Is this how the Aurors handle investigations?"

"Well, the Head Auror 's called Hammer so take your guess," she replied, what caused Harry to laugh for once instead of being thoroughly embarrassed.

"Alright, business first, plenty of time for jokes later. The interview might be our cover story here, but Hammer really wants to know what happened at Hogwarts and since Sirius can't simply walk into the ministry to testify, that only leaves you and the girls. In case your story has any holes I'll have to grill them later. Understood that?"

"So I just have to answer some questions?" Harry wanted to know. It couldn't be that easy, right?

"Got that right. Since this is not an official investigation there will be no legal consequences from your actions. Any crime that you mention will be investigated but in case no evidence is found your words will not lead to a conviction. Do you understand?"

"Yes," Harry answered and immediately felt relieved. There wouldn't be any trouble from this interview. He sat down on one of the old benches and was surprised at how soft it felt. The Auror winked and tucked her wand away, which probably meant that she used some sort of cushioning charm.

"So in your own words, describe the events of the Second of June 1994. How did you meet Sirius Black and Peter Pettigrew?" Tonks asked while a notebook flew out of her robe together with a blue quill that immediately began scribbling on the paper.

So Harry once again recounted how he and the girls came across Sirius, the confrontation with Pettigrew and their subsequent escape outlying the dementors. Unlike the other adults, the Auror seemed to actually listen what he was saying as her quill danced across the notepad. However, she also kept interrupting to ask dozens of questions, which quickly began to annoy him. Tonks didn't seem to search for holes in his story but was it really that important to know how fat Pettigrew was?

"So you condemned a man to the kiss?" Tonks wanted to know and her question would have seemed hostile if not for her calm and friendly tone. This whole interview was getting rather strange and confusing. The sooner it was over, the better.

"Well, it was him or us, and if the Ministry can't keep its dementors away from a school full of children, accidents were bound to happen. After all, the Ministry guards also caused me to lose an expensive broom," Harry answered only not to answer the question.

"Alright, that concludes the interview," Tonks said and the notepad flew towards her wrist and disappeared.

"Where did it go?"

The Auror did not reply but simply jerked her hand back and the notepad appeared before vanishing again.

"Wicked."

"I know, right? Auror grade wand holsters are awesome but most people don't realise that you can use them to store other small things. Alastor showed me that one and 's bloody useful."

"Where can I buy one of those?"

"Well, the Ministry has a strict policy regarding them so it is unlikely that you'll find one in Diagon Alley," the Auror said and paused for a moment, a glint of mischief in her purple eyes. "Of course I could simply request a new one and give it to you."

"You would do that for me?" Harry asked wide-eyed. Her sudden change from cold and distant to friendly and casual had caught him flat-footed and adults doing nice things for him was also still a novelty.

"Sure, it's not like I have to pay for them and I tend to break mine every couple months. Anyways, I know what happened after you arrived in Hogwarts. Sirius told me that much."

"You spoke with Sirius?"

"Of course. Why do you think I'm here?"

"But - the interview?" Harry pointed out stuttering. Had everything just been a prank? Would he have to go back to Surrey? Was Tonks even a real Auror?

"Well, I couldn't write a report that Britain's most wanted man was having tea with my mum when I came home. Imagine how much paperwork that would cause, " the young Auror groaned shivering.

"So, what's the plan from now on?"

"Well, we need to get you home but I don't have a car here, not that I'd want to drive through London at this time of the day."

"You can drive?"

"In theory. I learned to drive during a vacation on the continent with a couple of friends and now our side of the road seems wrong to me. But no, we will not be driving. There's a train leaving for Letchworth Garden City in a few minutes on platform 11. You will take it to Potters Bar. That should be easy enough to remember," Tonks smirked.

"Are you serious? Potters Bar?"

"No Sirius is my uncle. I'm Tonks. But there's really a town called Potters Bar. While you are on the train I will make sure your baggage is clear of any tracking or eavesdropping spells. There's an exit towards the normal station through that door," the Auror explained and pointed at a brown painted metal door behind her. "Staff only" was written on a yellow plaque in the middle of it.

"So I just walk out and take the train?" Harry clarified.

"Well, I'll charm you so you'll look different and you shall have my invisibility cloak as a backup but besides that, yeah. Potters Bar is about twenty minutes from here but the trains are full of kids returning for the summer hols so it will most likely take thirty. You'll have something to read for the way. Once you get to Potters Bar, I'll meet you at the station and take you home. I think that's everything you need to know. Any questions?" she summarised cheerfully.

"Why all the security? Are you worried about Pettigrew? I thought he was - "

"This 's not about Pettigrew. How you ended up with your relatives was very fishy, but I don't want to talk about it here so let's just say once you are in our home for seventy-two hours, we can legally claim your guardianship. That's why we need to hide you for the near future."

"How does that work?" Harry asked. He figured out that there was more to it than simply staying at a house for some time.

"There's an old law that states that any family member could claim guardianship of a child not in the care of his family if he or she stays with them for three days. The law 's from 1349 because back then there was no central Ministry but a bunch of different officials who did all the work travelling through the realm, trying to keep things from falling apart. Due to the Black Death, lots of people died, leaving orphans behind with only some distant kin. To save them a lot of work they created these automated laws to reduce their workload. Like a lot of old laws, 's still in the book so we are going to use that to our advantage."

"How do you know that much? I can barely remember enough to pass my history exams," Harry asked in awe.

"Dad is a lawyer so he made sure that I could answer most of the questions you could ask," she grimaced at the thought of additional law lessons. The basic course at the Auror academy had been more than enough for her liking.

"So, ehm, what exactly do I do now?" Harry asked slowly.

"What do you mean?"

"Well, I've never actually been on a train besides the Hogwarts Express - I mean, I've used the tube once with Hagrid but that was more like the blind leading the even blinder - Do I need to pay for it?"

"You've never - ? 'S rather simple. You take this ticket and try not to fall asleep. They announce each station and there's a map above the doors. I think that's all. 'S really just like the Hogwarts Express but without magic," she replied after chewing on her lip for a moment. "Oh, right, mum told me to give you this for the trip."

Harry took a closer look at the offered book. It was a thick red pocketbook with a black title that read "Red Storm Rising". A thin piece of paper was sticking out from between the pages which Harry assumed was his ticket.

"'S been one of dad's favourites for some time but he only recently convinced mum to read it. She devoured it in two days and wouldn't shut up about it. Once she got through this one, she immediately started with the next book from the author. Mum, like Sirius, was raised to look down on everything muggle. And while she never shared that attitude and can find her way around the non-magical world she's still surprised what you can do without magic. So am I to be honest and dad has been taking me to Heathrow since I was six. He's a little enthusiastic when it comes to technology. Not that I'm complaining about the telly, mind you," Tonks babbled with a fond smile. Harry meanwhile grabbed the book and tried to ignore the strange feeling inside his chest.

Was this how a normal family acted? Ron only ever talked about his siblings, mostly complaining about the twins pranking him or how much pressure he was under because Bill, Charlie and Percy were successful and raised the bar. Perhaps five brothers and a sister could be too much family after all.

At the Burrow, he had felt like he was intruding and had tried his best to stay out of the way. During his stay in Devon, he had been uneasy for a long time because upon their arrival Mrs Weasley had threatened to treat Fred and George like he was treated at Number four. It had taken Harry two weeks to realise that she was either joking or didn't even believe them about the barred windows, much less anything else. Which did not make him feel any better but again, adults had rarely helped him. Perhaps that was the reason he had instantly liked Sirius. The Azkaban escapee had taken his time and really listened to him, which had been a first.

"Do you want me to come with you?" Tonks asked softly.

"No, it's alright. Can't be more difficult than fighting a Basilisk, right?"

Harry did not look back and therefore missed the shocked look Tonks gave him. She was well aware of the suspicions and strange events surrounding him and Quirrell at the end of her last year. But a five X creature was something entirely different compared to an incompetent teacher with a stutter. A basilisk was the closest the magical world has gotten to weapons of mass destruction. They could kill hundreds in the blink of an eye. Why would her cousin even joke about fighting one? There would definitely be questions later.

AN:

Mr Bell's dialect is supposed to be from Manchester but if you try a literal transcription it reads like the author is drunk so I went with a "light" version to keep it somewhat readable.

Tonks remembered Katie from her last year at Hogwarts since a good chaser tends to stand out. She recognised her and concluded the man next to her is most likely her father. This was also her first "solo interview" so she is not yet up to the standards of a senior Auror. Since this is not your usual interview she is basically bullshitting her way through it.

Tom Clancy's Red Storm Rising, while an excellent book, is not the ideal lecture for thirteen-year-olds since they would not understand all words used. I try to establish Andromeda as a witch who understands technology but is amazed by it because she knows the difficulties that were overcome. When you grew up with the answer to most of your problems is "just use magic" the many layers of technology and logistics involved in, for example, an airport or even a Tesco would seem extraordinary if you bothered to look.