Author's Note: I love this scene... just wanted y'all to know.
"… Don't you think they'd be lovely, Vernon? Oh, here, she's waking up!" I heard an annoying voice say near my ear as I shifted positions to get more comfortable. I groaned as pain flooded my head like when I hadn't had enough water in a while, and opened my eyes to see a strange woman with a very angular face smiling at me.
As my memories slowly came back to me, I immediately knew that wherever I was wrong. I had been in a damp concrete tunnel, being chased by Dementors along with Harry. But now, as I sat up, I realized I was laying on couch in the middle of the Dursley's living room.
"Get some water, Potter!" Harry's fat uncle, Vernon, ordered harshly as my eyes focused on him.
"You hit your head and my darling son Dudley, here, carried you back home so we could tend to you," Harry's aunt smiled.
I looked at her confused and glanced over at Dudley, who was sitting on an armchair, holding a steak against his eye. Harry's Uncle stood near the doorway, huffing from yelling at Harry.
Harry's aunt turned to her son and gave him a firm look, which caused him to drop the steak. "Yeah, Potter pushed you and you fell," he said in his slow voice as he eyed me.
"We do apologize for our nephew's behavior," Harry's aunt assured me.
At that moment, Harry walked in with a glass of water and a bar of chocolate. I looked at him, not caring to hide my confusion. He handed me the glass of water which I eyed, before setting the chocolate down next to me, with plenty of glares from his uncle.
"Don't you have something to say, boy," his uncle grumbled.
"I'm sorry for pushing you," Harry began to apologize. "I'm a rather unstable and deranged boy. It's a good thing my cousin was there to put a stop to my madness, though it didn't go without sacrifice,"
I nearly broke into laughter. Did they really expect me to believe this garbage, I mean, I was bloody there!
"Are you alright, dear?" Harry's aunt inquired, looking at me like she was worried for my sanity.
"Oh, yes, I'm just a bit… shaken," I murmured, using my Metamorphmagus powers to subtly lighten my skin and dark beneath my eyes. "I mean, the complete change in your nephew was so startling," I cried, as if frightened.
This was hilarious.
I quickly took a drink of water before taking Harry's aunt's hand in mine as if I needed something to hold onto.
"Have some chocolate, it will help," Harry muttered, visibly trying to keep himself from laughing before me walked back behind the couch and out of my view.
I quickly picked it up and took a few bites until I felt happiness and calm come back to me, making me feel loads better. I was only when I heard the sound of an owl did I look away from my chocolate and over the back of the couch. A letter flew into the air as the owl flew back out of the house and turned around until it faced Harry.
"Dear Mr. Potter,
The Ministry has received intelligence that at 6:23 this evening you performed the Patronus charm. As a clear violation of the Decree of the Reasonable Restriction of Underage Sorcery, you are hereby expelled from Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.
Hoping you are well,
Mafalda Hopkirk,"
It then dropped like a rock.
"Oh dear," Harry's aunt suddenly muttered behind me as I turned around.
Quickly, before they tried to convince me that I was some sort of magic trick Harry liked to play on people, I stood up. "If it's alright with you, I'd like to go wash my face. I think I'm a bit delusional from my fall," I sighed, holding a hand to my head.
"Right you are! Just upstairs, it is," Harry's aunt seemed pleased that I had dismissed everything as a trick of the mind.
"Thank you," I smiled, moving slowly past Harry's uncle and upstairs to the bathroom.
After ten minutes of sitting there, I came back down stairs to find only the Dursely's sitting around, all looking as if they were ready to leave. I stared at them from the doorway before Harry's aunt noticed me and rushed over happily, taking me into a hug.
"Oh dear, I nearly forgot that our family has been chosen as the winner of the All-England Best-Kept Suburban Lawn Competition. I was hoping you could accompany our little family to the award ceremony, maybe keep our Duddy company," Harry's aunt smiled.
I looked over her shoulder at her little Duddy and resisted the urge to let the look of disgust flash across my face. I then looked back up to her and smiled brightly at her.
"I'd love to Mrs…?" I pretended not to know her name, since I 'had only met the ten minutes ago when I woke up'.
"Dursley, dear," she smiled.
"I'd love to Mrs. Dursley, but I'm sure that my parents will be very worried about me and will want me home as soon as possible," I told her, getting a disappointed look from her.
"Are you sure, dear?"
"Quite," I smiled.
She looked very disappointed as she looked back to Dudley who didn't seem to be paying much attention except to the itch in his crotch. I looked away in disgust before smiling up at Harry's aunt again as she looked back to me.
"Well, alright," she sighed. "The phone is in the kitchen if you'd like to call them to pick you up,"
"Phone?" I asked confused.
"Yes, to call them?" she told me, sounding a bit like a question. After I thought about it for a moment however, I remembered what she was talking about, the muggle way of communication. My mother had shown me one and I had been able to try it out myself, though I don't know why I would want to speak to the Chinese.
"Oh, yes. Sorry," I smiled and gestured to my 'injured' head before walking into the kitchen and pretending to call my parents. After a minute later, I walked back out into the living room where they all waited for me. "They'll come to pick me up in about a half hour,"
"Alright, dear," Harry's aunt sighed sadly. "Well, we should be on our way or we'll be late. Don't worry about our nephew, we locked him in his room and won't bother you unless you let him out," she assured me as she picked up her purse and walked with her husband to the door.
"I'm sure I won't have any problems," I smiled as I stood next to the famous cupboard beneath the stairs and watched Harry's aunt and uncle walk out the door.
"Oh, and don't be afraid to come back and visit…" she trailed off as she looked back at me, and I instantly knew she wanted my name.
"Adhara," I told her.
"Strange name," Harry's uncle murmured as he waddled after his wife out the door and to the car.
"It's a witch name," I murmured.
Dudley, who was just walking out the door, stopped and stared at me with wide eyes, but I just smiled and shut the door on him.
I waited there until I heard the sound of their car disappearing down the street before I ran upstairs, searching for Harry. It really didn't take me long, even with so many doors. I figured it out when I spotted the one door with the massive amount of locks on the outside. I unlocked them all and carefully knocked before walking into his room, which was small, but very well organized. Harry was laying on his bed, asleep, and moaning, twisting on the bed.
I carefully walked over and shook him by the shoulder. "Harry? Harry," I whispered. Suddenly, his eyes popped open and he stared at me for a moment, fear the dominant emotion in his eyes before the fog cleared and he was staring at me.
"Rebecca?" he asked, as he sat up, grabbing his glasses off the side table.
"Yeah, who else?" I smiled as I sat down on the bed next to him.
"Your still here?" he asked.
"Yep. Apparently your aunt and uncle are trying to get on my good side so that I will eventually fall in love with Dudley and have a fat kid," I grumbled. "That is not going to happen,"
"Good, I don't look forward to a future where you marry my cousin," Harry chuckled making me roll my eyes.
"Harry, what really happened?" I asked him once he was done chuckling. "I doubt the version your family told is the one I'm looking for, since I know for a fact you are not a deranged boy or that Dudley is brave enough to come back for us," I shuddered, imagining Dudley carrying me back to his home.
"They did try to set you up with Dudley, that's for sure," he smirked, almost laughing at me, so I smacked him gently on the arm until he stopped. "Well, after you slugged Dudley-" I smiled triumphantly, "we ran for shelter,"
"I remember all that," I nodded, willing him to get to what I couldn't remember.
"Anyway, when the Dementor threw you backward, I tried to go after it, but another one appeared and grabbed me," Harry explained. "So once I got away from it, I used my Patronus to get rid of them. After that I carried you back to the Dursley's,"
I winced and looked over at him sheepishly. "Sorry,"
"For what?"
"That you had to carry me," I explained.
"It's all right, you're a lot littler than you look," Harry said quickly, and I had to stop a moment to debate on being insulted or not.
I decided not to be. "Thank you for saving me," I told him.
"No problem," Harry said, his face dropping as he looked down at the floor sadly, looking as if he had just lost everything.
"They can't expel you, Harry," I insisted thinking back on what had happened and what the letter had said.
"You heard the letter! I'm expelled from Hogwarts!" Harry exclaimed jumping up to lean against the wall across the room.
"But it's not fair! It's not even logical," I growled. "First of all, there were no muggles present. And second, you were using your Patronus to defend yourself," I exclaimed, trying to explain it to him. "We'll go to Dumbledore and have him set up a hearing, unless there is already one. You'll explain yourself. I'll be your witness that there were Dementors,"
"You'll help me?" he asked, looking up at me with new hope.
"Harry, what have I been doing for the past four years?" I asked with a chuckle. "Of course I'll help you silly,"
Harry smiled then, not a full out smile, but enough of one for me to be satisfied. We sat for a minute in silence before Harry looked up at me, a quizzical look on his face.
"Rebecca?"
"Hmm?"
"Why are you here? You started to tell me before the attack, but…"
I looked away from him, out the window, feeling that happiness in me get squashed by a giant foot. "Harry…" How was I supposed to tell him? I had come all the way out here, and now I lose my guts? "My mum… she's gone,"
"What do you mean, gone?" Harry asked.
"… She's dead,"
"What? How?" he asked.
"My father brought Death Eaters to our house… and they killed her right in front of me. I barely escaped. I didn't know where else to go," I told him, looking down at my hands.
"I'm sorry,"
"Me too," I sighed.
We were awkwardly silent for quite some time.
"I missed you, Harry,"
"I missed you, too," he seemed happy that I had spoken first.
"Why didn't you write, then?" I asked.
"Why didn't I write? Why didn't you write? I didn't get any news from anyone all summer!" Harry exclaimed.
"I didn't get anything from anyone either!" I yelled back. "Anything I did get from was really vague," We both watched each other before we both sighed and relaxed. "I guess we're both in the same boat, then?"
"I guess so," Harry nodded.
Suddenly, I heard a pop and then china crashing to the floor, followed by a female voice swearing and some male grumbling. Harry and I both looked at each other before jumping up, Harry pushing me behind him as he held up his wand in front of him, waiting for the intruder.
"Where's my bag?" I hissed at him.
"In the cupboard beneath the stairs. I figured that if I brought it in, my aunt would go snooping and figure out you were a witch," Harry told me.
I cursed internally. No wand. Now I had to be saved by Harry yet again.
Slowly, and suspensefully, we waited as we heard footsteps coming up the stairs and to the front of Harry's door before the door burst open in an explosion of light. I quickly ducked behind Harry to block the light from my eyes before peaking over his shoulder to see a group of witches and wizards. To the front, a young female with bright purple hair who was muttering about how clean muggles were before stepping into the room, smiling at Harry and I.
"Am I interrupting something?" she asked.
"No, no, no, no-"
"Good," she smiled, interrupting Harry and I.
"Professor Moody?" Harry asked, spotting the man behind the purple haired woman. "What are you doing here?"
"Rescuing you of course," Mad-Eye grumbled, before making his way back down stairs. "Make sure he's ready, Tonks," he yelled back up behind him.
"Alright then," Tonks smiled, using her wand to pull out Harry's trunk from under his bed. "Let's get packing," she smiled.
Harry and I gave each other before Harry went to work on packing. I quickly moved out of the way to stand beside Tonks, glancing in the mirror next to me. I looked horrible, so I quickly fixed myself, adding the color back into my skin, getting rid of the bags under my eyes, and fixing my hair so that it sat on my shoulders perfectly in smooth dark golden waves with splashes of brown.
"You're a Metamorphmagus!"
I jumped and turned to Tonks who was staring at me happily. I slowly nodded only to have her attack me in a huge hug.
"I'm one too!" she exclaimed, jumping back to show me her quickly changing hair that was purple on moment, then bubble-gum pink, the dark green.
"You're Nymphadora?" I asked.
She froze, her hair slowly turning bright red as she glared down at me, as if I had just slapped her. "I hate the name Nymphadora," she said slowly. "I go by Tonks," she finished as her hair changed back to purple.
I quickly raised my hands up in surrender, taking a step back and into the dresser behind me. "I'm sorry. I've only ever heard of you as Nymphadora. Aren't you related to the Black family?" I asked.
Tonks nodded. "Yes, but my mother was disowned when she married a muggle born, my father Ted," she explained.
"Oh," So there was more than one good guy from the Black family tree.
"Are you done yet?" Tonks asked, looking more like an annoyed teenager than a full grown witch.
Harry looked up, looking slightly annoyed and surprised. "No,"
Tonks sighed, and with a flick of her wand, clothes, books, papers, and other odds and ends suddenly flew up into the air and then crammed themselves into Harry's trunk. Harry stared for a moment before looking up at Tonks who was beaming as she walked over to his trunk and looked in.
"Never could get the stuff to organize itself. It always ends up in a jumbled mess. My mother was always better at household spells," Tonks told us before shrugging and slamming the lid of the trunk shut before looking over at Harry. "Is that everything?"
Harry stared at her before nodding slowly.
"Right she smiled looking back down at the trunk before her eyebrows furrowed as she stared down at the trunk. "I don't know how we're going to take it which us,"
"I do!" I smiled. "Just bring it downstairs," I told her.
She nodded, and with another flick of her wand, the trunk rose a foot off the ground and hovered in the air, before following her out the door, leaving Harry and I to follow. Once door stairs, I grabbed my bag out of the cupboard, where Harry had told me it was, and shoved his trunk into my bag.
"We ready?" Mad-Eye asked as he came around the corner from the kitchen, eyeing Tonks, who quickly nodded. "Good, let's go,"
He, along with the rest of the group of witches and wizards all moved to leave, but Harry chased after Moody. "But where are we going, the letter said I've been expelled from Hogwarts,"
"Well you haven't been, not yet," he grumbled. "Kinglsey, you take point,"
"But the letter said-"
But a dark skinned man in fancy robes interrupted him. "Dumbledore has persuaded the Minister to expend your expulsion, pending a formal hearing,"
"A hearing?" Harry asked.
"Told you," I smiled as I gently elbowed him in the side.
"Don't worry, Harry. We'll explain everything when we get back to headquarters," Tonks told him, earning a glare from Mad-Eye.
"Not here, Nymphadora," Mad-Eye growled.
Tonks froze as her hair turned bright red and she turned on him glaring, making me want to laugh. "Don't call me Nymphadora," she growled frustratedly, before Mad-Eye slammed his wand in the ground, making everyone's brooms appear, even mine. Tonks quickly shook herself, catching her broom before it could smack her in the face before mounting it.
"Stay in formation everyone. Don't break ranks if one of us is killed," Mad-Eye grumbled before he took off.
"Great inspirational speech," I murmured, getting a chuckle from both Tonks and Harry before we all took off after him.
Author's Note: I love Tonks and I like(d) that I was able to display her here and later on before Rebecca has to go to Hogwarts.
