DISCLAIMER THE FIRST: It is by JKR's writing alone I set my mind in motion. It is by the grace of coffee that thoughts acquire speed, the back acquires strains, the strains become a warning. The warning is that I make no money from this. It is by JKR's writing alone I set my mind in motion.

PITHY STATEMENT RELATING TO THIS CHAPTER: "In order to know virtue, we must first acquaint ourselves with vice" - The Marquis Donatien François, de Sade

CHAPTER FOUR – FACES AND FETISHES

FIRING RANGE, GRIMMAULD PLACE, LONDON – AUGUST 6th 1997 – MORNING

"I can't believe you slept with Tonks!"

Blam! Blam! Blam!

"I mean she's your cousin!"

Blam! Blam! Blam!

"You're newly married cousin!"

Blam! Blam! Blam!

"You're newly married, pregnant cousin!"

Harry glared at Hermione as he ejected the empty clip and rammed another one home.

Blam! Blam! Blam!

"Honestly Harry! I just can't believe you did it!"

Harry lowered his pistol and flipped on the safety as he turned to Hermione, "You know what Hermione? If you keep going on about this the next thing you're not going to be able to believe is that I just shot you in the foot! Now can we drop this? I'm sorry you found out about it. It's not like I regret what Tonks and I did but I didn't intend to broadcast it either.

Hermione's eyes went wide and but she decided silence was probably the best option so she merely pursed her lips and huffed a bit. Harry just glared at her as if daring her to say something. Finally he turned back to the range and went back to firing. Hermione also raised her pistol and started firing again as well.

For the next half hour, neither teen said much to the other except for comments about each other's hits and misses in their target. Finally Harry looked at his watch, "I think we should stop. Didn't you say your potion would be ready by mid-morning?"

Hermione checked her own watch and nodded. She ejected the magazine of her pistol and then pointed it down-range and dry-fired it twice to ensure it was clear. Harry mimicked her and they both went over to the table across from the firing steps and began to clean their weapons.

"We beat up her husband," Hermione said quietly after a bit.

Harry couldn't help but roll his eyes. He knew Hermione wasn't going to let it go. "We beat up her soon to be ex-husband. The one that wanted to not only run out on her and her unborn child but was going to stun us and drag us back to the Order."

"She's emotionally vulnerable right now, Harry!" Hermione counted.

"She seemed a lot more relaxed after last night," Harry replied.

"I grant you that, but Harry! But three times? You might have well been Luna's satyr the way you went at it!" Hermione scoffed.

Harry blushed, "Hey it's not my fault I seem to have a lot more 'youthful stamina' as Tonks put it. Besides she said it allowed her the opportunity to teach me more…" Harry's voice trailed off.

"Are you alright Harry?" Hermione asked.

Harry turned to look Hermione in the eye. He stared at her, trying to see if he could see it in her face.

"What?" Hermione asked a bit flabbergasted at the intense look Harry was giving her.

"Hermione. How did you know we did it three times last night?" Harry asked.

Hermione's eyes went wide but she quickly stammered out, "Uhm, I'm not quite sure. I think Tonks must have bragged about it while you were dealing with the whole Ron and Kreacher drama this morning."

Harry shook his head, "Yeah okay I might normally believe that but I doubt she said anything about Luna and satyrs to you. I do know she said it to me so unless you were there to hear it, I don't see how you could know about it.

Hermione blushed and looked away, "Uhm, Harry I don't know what you're trying to imply!"

Harry reached out and forced Hermione to look at him, "Cut the crap Hermione! How did you know what Tonks said to me?" Harry's brilliant emerald eyes bored into Hermione's chocolate colored eyes.

Hermione stammered a few words which didn't make any sense until she sagged in Harry's grip. "Okay, I'll tell you but only if you promise you won't get angry."

Harry's eyebrows shot up in surprise, "Isn't that usually my line to you?"

Hermione smiled faintly at this but still tried to avoid looking Harry in the eye.

Harry was having none of that and gave her a slight shake. "Hermione! Look at me! What did you do? I won't be angry; I promise."

Hermione broke Harry's grip and raised her hands in surrender, "Alright…uhm…well the truth is before you got back Tonks and I were having a bit of girl-talk together."

Harry nodded, "She mentioned that, yes. Go on."

Hermione seemed flustered by this and seemed to blush a bit harder, "Ah yes…so I was talking to her about my conflicted feelings about Ron and how suddenly I had these feelings for you as well as trying to deal with my desire to not date till later in school. Tonks started teasing me about how you and I slept together and I had to admit that it was nice and the thought of you going off and doing the same with Luna sort of bothered me."

Hermione looked at Harry to see his reaction. Harry just nodded, "Keep going."

Hermione took a deep breath, "Well Tonks said my problem was I was dealing with my natural feelings which had been suppressed. Apparently both you and I were fighting the potion because while there was enough emotion enough for the potion to activate, it really wasn't what we wanted. So our drives and hormones and the like are all messed up. That's when Tonks made a suggestion."

Hermione stopped. After a minute, Harry finally said, "And that suggestion would be?"

Amazingly Hermione's blush turned even darker, "You're sure you aren't going to get angry?"

"Of for Merlin's sake Hermione! We've fought Death Eater's together! I think whatever it is can't be worse than that!" Harry snapped.

Hermione blanched at this and worried her lip for a moment until Harry made an insistent 'get on with it' gesture. "It's like this. Tonks was saying that something both you and I needed to do was…well…uhm…get laid. She said a good shag would really help purge us of the potion. I was a bit shocked by this and I sort of blurted out that I was almost certain you were a virgin and so probably wouldn't go for having a shag for health reasons."

Harry felt his face heat up but kept his voice even, "What about you?"

Hermione looked puzzled, "What about me what?"

"Are you not a virgin and so are all for medicinal shag?" Harry asked lightly.

Hermione eyes widened in shock, "Oh course I'm a virgin! Do you think I would sleep with that ginger prat?"

Harry shrugged. "I don't know. You know what they say about the quiet, bookish girls," he said with a sly grin.

This comment was rewarded with a smack to the arm, "You cheeky git! Anyway I told her since we were both virgins I didn't think we could have throw-away sex just to hurry up the purging process. So Tonks got it into her head that since she felt she needed a shag that she'd teach you about sex."

Hermione paused again and again Harry waited for her to continue. Harry finally sighed, "Okay so I can see where Tonks thought shagging me was great in the way of tutoring me but where does that leave you?"

Hermione suddenly buried her face in her hands, "Oh this is so embarrassing!"

Harry was getting a bit peeved at how long it was taking to get the truth out of the bushy-haired witch, "What is so embarrassing? I'm the one you and Tonks were discussion the finer points about my sex life! So, Hermione, again, how does this relate to you?"

Hermione finally looked back up at Harry, "I just don't you thinking I'm pervy but it's just…well. You see…" Again Hermione stopped.

Harry sighed and glared at her.

"I'm a voyeur! Okay I said it! Are you happy now?" Hermione said in a rush.

It took a moment for Harry to remember what a voyeur was. "Okay. And?" Harry asked even as his face heated up some more and he found himself becoming erect in his trousers at the implications of what Hermione was saying.

Hermione stared at him for a moment as is she was surprised at his reaction. However she seemed emboldened by his lack of explosion, "Yes, well you see earlier Tonks had made a joke about the eye-candy one sees as a prefect and I guess I blushed to quickly so she got on me till I admitted that I…well I rarely broke up couples when I was on prefect patrols."

Harry started to see why Hermione was embarrassed as well as probably what happened the night before, "So instead of jumping in and being like Percy, you just watched. Because it turned you on."

Hermione turned away again, "Yes. I know it sounds pervy but I wasn't hurting anyone! I know a lot of prefects do it," Hermione said in a small voice as if trying to justify her actions if only to herself. "Tonks said she certainly did when she was a prefect."

"It's okay Hermione, I'm not judging you. Let me guess; since Tonks was going to sex me up, she had the brilliant idea to work it so you could watch and get some pointers." Harry said.

Hermione gave a curt nod, "Uh-huh."

Harry rubbed his chin, "Okay so if this was all planned between the two of you, why were you nagging me this morning?"

Hermione grimaced, "Come on Harry! I hadn't expected Tonks to come out of your room at that precise moment. Since you knew I saw her coming out of your room, I was sure you'd jump to the conclusion that I was thinking she was doing a walk of shame. It didn't help Tonks up and admitted it! What else was I supposed to do? Don't you think you would be just a tad suspicious if I had ignored it all morning? Honestly Harry! I know enough about myself to know when I'm expected to be bossy and judgemental."

Harry grinned sheepishly, "Okay, okay! I get it. Although considering how your attempt at faking being Draco's girlfriend went down in flames, maybe you should have kept quiet!"

Hermione swatted at Harry, "Oh you!"

"Yeah well I still want to know how you were supposed to watch Tonks run me through her sexual tutorial," Harry asked.

"Tonks convinced Kreacher to charm the big mirror in the master bedroom to act like a telly. It transmitted the view to another mirror in my room," Hermione explained.

"I'm surprised Kreacher went along with that. Spying on the Master and all," Harry said.

Hermione nodded, "It took a bit, but Tonks was able to convince him you needed it. Plus it helped I said the potions where because of Molly Weasley." Hermione bit her lip, "I'm worried that Kreacher is going to take that violation of you out on Ron."

Harry smiled evilly, "Too late!"

Hermione's eyes bugged out, "Harry! What did Kreacher do to Ron?"

Harry laughed, "I might have let slip to Kreacher that Ron was afraid of spiders last night. I'll tell you the gory details later." Harry leaned in to a more intimate distance, "I want to know what you were doing while you watched us. Were you being all books and cleverness and taking notes or were you being a naughty girl?"

"Harry!" Hermione exclaimed.

"Well?" Harry merely replied, cocking his head to the side and a pointed look.

Hermione visibly deflated and finally said in a small voice, "I was being a naughty girl."

Harry leaned in, almost close enough to brush his lips against Hermione's; he suddenly realized how tight his trousers had became, "And what do naughty bookworms do?" He asked huskily.

"A question I'm afraid will have to be answered another time, sad to say,"

Both Harry and Hermione jumped apart and turned to see Tonks grinning at them from the stairwell.

"Come on Harry. I need to do an experiment on you so we can start hooking up with those Muggleborns Hermione is so concerned about. I want to do it before mum or dad show up." Tonks said as she motioned for Harry to follow her.

Harry shared a look with Hermione, "Uhm does this mean we might be doing some 'experiment' which your parents might not approve of?" Harry asked?

Tonks sighed and rolled her eyes, "Yes but this isn't a dodge to get you back into bed. It's just the best way I can think of to find out if you're a metamorphmagus or not."

"What?" both teens cried out.

"Come up to your bedroom and I'll explain," Tonks said.

Hermione looked at Harry and blushed, "Can I come too?"

Tonks leered at her, "I don't know. I guess it will depend on how hot and bothered you get."

"Tonks!" Harry exclaimed. He was both aroused and appalled at the notion of Hermione watching him have sex.

"Just kidding! Come on, I'll explain everything in your room," Tonks said with a grin.

After making their way up to the master bedroom (with a quick stop to check the slave potion) Tonks sat down on the bed and motioned Harry to do the same. Hermione, however, sat in one of the ornate chairs by the writing desk and looked a bit uncomfortable. Harry figured it was because she was sitting in front of the mirror which had transmitted everything he and Tonks had done the night before and felt guilty.

Shaking his head at that, he turned to Tonks. "So what's this about me possibly being a metamorphmagus?"

Tonks looked at Hermione, "No interruptions from the peanut gallery, okay?"

Hermione colored and huffed at this but nodded.

Tonks grinned, "Okay here is the deal. Remember the other day when you with me when I woke up from my crying jag? Well while we were talking about hair, you mentioned how you have rarely had it cut. That and how you regrew it back after that awful cut your aunt gave you."

Before Harry could do more than nod in agreement, Hermione spoke up, "You know, I don't think I've seen your hair much longer than it is now in all the years I've known you." Before Tonks could chide her for interrupting, Hermione waved her off. "In fact, now that I think about it, your hair would get longer but right around Christmas and end of term, it seemed to get shorter again." Hermione looked at Tonks, "Are you saying Harry's doing this with magic?"

Tonks smiled, "Yes I do and what you just said just makes me think I'm even more on the right track than I was before." She turned to Harry and fingered his hair gently, "I think you unconsciously kept your hair pretty much as it is now. It might get a little longer but I'm betting around Christmas or end of term you started thinking about having to go home and that meant having to deal with another possible bad hair-cut so you shortened your hair without realizing it."

Harry ran his hand through his hair, "Okay. I never thought about it but you're right. While I've had my hair trimmed, if I think about it my hair really should be down past my shoulders if it grew as fast as say Ron's does."

Tonks smiled at this, "See that's the whole point. You never really gave much thought to your appearance often so you may have been keeping yourself at this sort of default. However it isn't something people might notice. I mean Hermione here has been with you for seven years and didn't cotton to it."

Tonks form shimmered and she rapidly changed her face and hair style for a bit, "Harry, I'm a rare type of metamorphmagus. Most do not have the control I have. However there are a lot more limited metamorphmagi than ones with my range of body control. When I was in Auror School I found out Director Bones' late husband Darrell was one. He could fiddle with his face a bit, change his skin, hair, and eye color but that was about it. This sort of limited control isn't as rare and it tends to run in families. House Black is the best known for throwing up talents like being a metamorphmagus."

Tonks tapped a finger on Harry lips, "Personally I think Dumbledore was wrong in thinking you're a Parselmouth because Voldemort is one. There are a lot more Parselmouths than people think. You just don't hear about them."

"Why not Tonks?" Hermione asked.

Harry laughed, "Well if they get treated like I got treated when I was outed as a Parselmouth, I'd keep it a secret as well."

"Exactly!" Tonks said. "Now while you might have gotten it from your Black side of the house, there are two known Parselmouths in Wales who are Druids. Considering your blood connections to House Pryce, I'm willing to wager that's where your gift comes from. However, I still think you are a limited metamorphmagus due to your Black blood."

Harry looked at Hermione who just nodded at this info. Turning back to Tonks, Harry asked, "Okay but how is sex going to help? We are going to have sex, right?"

Tonks nudged Harry in the ribs with her elbow, "Don't sound so eager there, oh Chosen One!" She laughed at the scowl this caused. "All fun aside, yes we are going to have sex but for the very good reason as using it to concentrate your mind on your body. Putting aside Bushy Missy's fondness for watching, she's going to help."

"I'm going to have sex with Harry?" Hermione practically squeaked.

Tonks laughed again, "No but you will be in bed with him while the two of us are having sex." Tonks turned back to Harry, "The key here, Harry, is Hermione and I are going to get you into a state of arousal so you're very much aware of your body. That is the key. Once I get you to a point of extreme arousal, I've got a plan to help you sort of shock you into doing a change."

Tonks looked over to Hermione, "You see Hermione; one of the reasons why limited metamorphmagus often get overlooked is because what they do unconsciously is mistaken for accidental magic like when Harry fixed his hair after his aunt cut it. I'd bet with everyone telling him how much he looked like his dad, Harry here has been keeping his hair like James even though he isn't doing it consciously. What were going to do is try to get him to make a change. Once Harry does it consciously, he'll be able to do it again and practice at it."

Harry frowned, "Hey Tonks, I think being a metamorphmagus, even a limited one, would be brill but why go through all this? How does this help us get to the Muggleborns?"

Tonks face grew serious, "Well Harry, as an auror I know all the various ways the Ministry can check for people using glamours and other magical disguises. Right now with You-Know-Who running things, finding you is going to be Number One on his to do list. We can't risk using magic to hide you. If you can change yourself like Darrel Bones could, well that's a sort of magic which is innate and can't be detected."

Tonks ran a hand through her long hair, "Hermione, while you are famous in your own way and just as much a public enemy to the new regime, you're just not as well known by sight. I hate to say it, but I think one of the first things we need to do for you is hit up a stylist, have your hair cut and colored. Since Harry is going to be getting contacts, I think you should get some which change your eye color as well."

Hermione looked startled at this, "Cut my hair?" Harry could tell how this bothered her.

Tonks nodded, "Yeah I know it took years to grow but look at it this way. After all this is over, you can charm it back until it actually grows back. Having it short and blonde or something is really going to throw people off, especially if they use a Finite spell on you expecting a glamour. We can also get you some Wonderbras and maybe some clothes which pad your shoulders a bit."

Harry snorted at this, "Show some cleavage and no one looks at her face, right?"

Tonks grinned, "Hey! Not my fault you wizards can't seem to make eye-contact when faced with a nice set of tits. I've used it once or twice on recon missions."

Hermione looked at Tonks' chest and blushed a bit when she realized what she was doing, "You know Tonks; I was...well...last night when you and Harry were..." Hermione's voice trailed off

"Yes, when Harry and I were fucking, what?" Tonks said with another little elbow nudge to Harry.

Hermione reddened some more and looked away, "It's just that I noticed that...well...ehm...your breasts where bigger. Did you do that on purpose?"

Harry nodded at this; he'd wondered about it himself that night.

Tonks laughed as she shook her head. She ran her hands over her breasts a few times, "Nope, these are all natural Black boobs. They only look big on me because you're used to seeing me in my auror form which has more compact breasts. It's something I've worked on a lot and stayed in for long periods of time. A metamorphmagus has to practice a form so or you'll revert if you get knocked out or sleep for a long time. I've got a few forms I've practiced at enough that I have to willfully change back. Reverting back to your base form during an undercover operation is a mistake which is usually only made once."

"Is that why you're so clumsy?" Hermione asked curiously.

Tonks looked mischievous like Sirius did right before a prank of his was about to go off, "Just between you, me, thee and the wall, the truth is I'm not clumsy at all. When I started apprenticing to Mad-Eye, he got me into acting clumsy. Due to some incidents back at Hogwarts which totally weren't my fault, I got tagged as a klutz. So Mad-Eye had me play this up. It's a bit of misdirection which I can drop at will. I mean if I'm chasing you, you might think, 'Oh it's only that clumsy pink-haired auror!' and not take me seriously. I was so glad for that troll leg umbrella holder here because I could run into every time and reinforce the clumsy old Tonks idea."

"Sneaky!" Harry said approvingly to which Hermione nodded in agreement.

Tonks stretched a bit and both teens saw she elongated her arms and made her neck longer as well, "See now if I were to run around like this with legs to match, then I'd be as klutzy as people think I am. It takes practice to change into a form which is balanced naturally." She resumed her normal form, "I have practiced with various body forms so I can get used to them. Let me tell you when you are wearing a body which is heavier and shorter, it can really trip you up if you haven't practiced with it."

Tonks paused. She made a face before looked at Harry, "You weren't kidding yesterday. We do seem to get side-tracked pretty easily. What were we talking about again?"

Harry looked at Hermione and then back at Tonks, "I had just asked why the need for all this but I think you covered it pretty well."

Hermione nodded, "I'm glad you're here Tonks. With most of our DADA teachers being horrid, we never got a good grounding in a lot of things. I know I've read a lot but I don't think I've read as much on things like glamour detection and the like." Hermione looked at Harry, "If it was just Harry, Ron and me, well I'm sure we'd have probably done something stupid and got caught."

Harry nodded grimly, "Yeah, we still need to figure out how those Death Eaters found us so fast at Tottenham Court Road."

Tonks pursed her lips, "Oh Shack and I found out how that happened. He overheard Yaxley talking to Mrs. Edgecombe in the Floo department about the need for quick reaction teams to be on alert. I did a bit of snooping in this form I have established as a Ministry janitor. It seems one of the first things You-Know-Who did after taking over the Ministry was to have a taboo put on his name."

Both teens looked confused. "Taboo? What does that do?" Harry asked.

"It means if you say the Dark Lord's name, it alerts the Ministry and breaks any enchantment's which might be protecting you or hiding you." Tonks replied.

Harry looked at Hermione, "I know I've said Voldemort's name quite a few times since we got here." Hermione nodded so Harry looked back at Tonks, "So why aren't we wall to wall in Death Eaters?"

Tonks shrugged, "I'm betting the Fidelius Charm subverts the basic mechanic of magic the Ministry uses for detection. It's why underage magic isn't detectable here or even how we can be connected to the floo connection but still be hidden. They know we exist but that's about it. Even with the charm as weakened as it is with the death of Dumbledore, it still keeps Ministry magic from working properly. Since the taboo is still a function of that magic, we're safe saying his name as long as we're under the charm."

Hermione looked thoughtful, "Harry, I know a spell which will keep us from making a mistake when we're out and about. It's a little charm to keep you from making little slips of the tongue. Parents use it to keep kids from spoiling a surprise like a birthday party. So even if we try to say Voldemort, it will force us to say something like Riddle instead."

Both Harry and Tonks looked excited at this. "Well there is another example of why I'd be rubbish without you Hermione," Harry said admiringly at his best friend. Harry turned to Tonks, "Of course this shows how important being able to get info out of the Ministry is. You are too much of a known quantity so we'll need to find another inside witch or wizard. Oh and we need you to teach us how to use our Patronus as a messenger. There is a lot of things we should have learned before Dumbledore died but didn't."

Tonks sighed sadly, "Yeah I tried to bring that up a few times during Order meetings but the 'older and wiser' heads didn't see the need at the time."

Harry's faced hardened, "Well a lot of those older and wiser heads are dead so we're on our own."

Tonks quickly reached out and caressed Harry's cheek, "Hey! Hey! Let's not go down that road. This is supposed to be a happy occasion, right?"

Harry took a deep breath, closed his eyes and counted to ten. He opened his eyes and smiled at Tonks, "Yeah, sorry about that. They didn't call me Emo McBroodypants in the D.A. for just for laughs."

Both Hermione and Tonks snorted at this.

Harry took another deep breath and exhaled, "So, how is this going to work?"

Tonks chewed on her lip a bit while looking back and forth between him and Hermione. "Okay I think we'll do it like this. Harry I need you to get completely undressed. Hermione, I need you to get as undressed as much as you're comfortable with. The object here is we're going to want to have as much tactile contact with Harry as possible. We need him to be very aware of his skin."

Hermione blushed a bit, "Can I stay in my bra and knickers?"

Tonks nodded, "Yeah I think that actually might be best. While I'm going to be using sex to set this up, we need Harry focusing on his body. It's going to be bad enough with me without him also thinking about you and what you're doing."

Harry shook his head, "No. I want Hermione naked as well."

"Harry!" Hermione said and looked at Tonks for support.

Tonks just smirked, "Any reason beyond a pervy one, Harry?"

Harry couldn't help but grin his lop-sided grin, "Well I figure since Hermione got her own private Potter porno last night the least she could do is give me a show of her own." Harry looked over to Hermione, "In fact, you two still owe me for that and I have an idea on how you can make it up to me."

Tonks laughed at the look on Hermione's face, "Sorry Bushy Missy, he's got a point. So strip and come over here. I need to spell your hands."

OoOoO

Tonks and Harry got off the bed and all three started to get undressed. Hermione couldn't help but take longer since she was still embarrassed. She knew Harry was right that she'd seen all of him but this was the first time she would be naked in front of a man. This of course just meant that both Harry and Tonks ended up watching her since they finished first. It wasn't helping Hermione embarrassment that Harry was definitely excited. His erection left no doubt of that. The teen witch was gratified that he was checking her out instead of just ogling Tonks.

Tonks motioned for Hermione to come over. Taking up her wand she tapped both Hermione's hands and cast, "Cutis Infantem!"

Hermione gave Tonks an odd look, "Baby skin?"

Tonks shrugged, "Something like that. It's a spell that makes your hands act like lotion without the greasiness. It's used by aurors when we have to wear our full armor. It helps prevent chafing without all the slipperiness."

Harry nodded, "Yeah, it's used a lot in Quidditch. Mostly by those who have to wear the most padding. I didn't use it myself since my Seeker armor is so light.

Tonks nodded, "While most masseurs use actual oils, this spell will work for us because it will excite Harry's skin but won't make him slippery." Tonks made a face, "You might hear how great silk sheets are but let me tell you it really kills the mood when you're sliding all over the bed when you're trying for a romantic moment."

Tonks pushed Harry to a seated position at the edge of the bed, "Hermione I want you to get behind him and start to massage him. Remember, we're really not trying to do an erotic thing here. We're trying to get Harry to concentrate on how his body feels. So rub him, scratch him softly but try not to tickle him."

Hermione nodded, "What are you going to be doing?"

Tonks smirked, "Well Harry being a typical male will probably pop too soon for this to work so I'm going to get him off first. Then we can get too it. I'm sure you noticed how quickly he recovered last night, yes?"

Hermione giggled and was glad she was behind Harry so he couldn't see how aroused she was getting. The room was pleasantly warm, almost stuffy yet her nipples were rock hard. She already was wet and she worried there would be a noticeable wet spot for whatever Tonks had in mind next.

Harry sighed as Tonks began to stroke his erection with sure, practiced hand. Hermione started to tentatively rub his back and arms.

Tonks looked up, "Okay Harry. I know you're living most guys' dream but focus. Close your eyes and really concentrate on your body. Feel our hands on your skin; monitor your breathing and so on. I know Snape didn't teach you crap but I figured you read that book on occlumency I got you right?"

Harry nodded. It didn't look like he trusted his voice at the moment.

"Well think on the meditative parts. Clear your mind of what we're doing to you and concentrate on the feelings." Tonks explained.

Harry nodded again. Hermione knew he was probably conjuring up in his mind's eye a blank space all in white. Every time some image popped up, he would imagine a white panel covering it up. Hermione had helped him find this imaged out of the various ways the book Tonks had given him (and a copy to her as well) before leaving King's Cross station. Of all the different methods, this worked the best for Harry. Hermione, for her part, used an image of the ocean.

It became apparent to Hermione that Harry was having a lot harder time focusing then when they had practiced back at the Burrow. She was sure it didn't help that she had become more adventurous with her hands and he would be feeling her hard nipples digging into his back. From the little grunts he made, Hermione could tell that Tonks was very good with her hands.

No one spoke and the only noise was that of skin on skin and Harry's breathing which was getting heavier as time went by. For that matter so was Hermione's. While she was in heaven massaging Harry's body like she was, her eyes were riveted on Tonks' breasts as they jiggled as she wanked Harry off. Old concerns about her sexuality once again boiled up to the surface of her mind. For the moment, however, she just let herself appreciate Tonks' beautiful nude form and decided she'd worry about her possible lesbian leanings later.

Hermione could feel Harry becoming tenser under her fingers. His breathing was becoming more ragged. She almost gasped when Tonks leaned down and licked the crown of Harry's penis causing him to groan in pleasure.

"Do you want to cum in my mouth Harry?" Tonks practically purred.

"Oh please let him shoot on your breasts!" The words were out of Hermione's mouth before she could stop them.

Harry gave a strangled grunt as Tonks just looked up and locked eyes with the bushy haired teen. Tonks then shrugged and began to tongue Harry's sensitive areas again. Now, however, Hermione could tell she was putting on a show. A show for her.

A show which rapidly came to an end when Harry's hips started to jerk and he began to ejaculate onto Tonk's heaving bosom. Hermione was amazed at the amount he came and how oddly bright and shiny his seed was on Tonks' breasts. Without conscious thought, her hand snaked down to diddle her clit. She amazed herself by having a small orgasm before Harry had gotten his breathing under control after he finally stopped cumming.

None of this was missed by Tonks. Hermione was certain that Harry couldn't help but feel what she had been doing behind him. For once, she didn't care as her body shuddered in release.

"Okay!" Tonks drawled out knowingly. "Now for phase two. Hermione, I need you to prop up some pillows against the headboard and lie against them. Harry, you get between her legs on your back."

"I can think of a better position to use if I'm going to be between Hermione's legs," Harry quipped with a sly smile.

Hermione swatted his arm, "Prat!"

"Says the girl who secretly watches her friends shag and does what naughty girls do," Harry muttered.

"Children! Don't make me separate you two," Tonks joked as Hermione took another swing at Harry only with a lot more force this time.

After a bit of maneuvering, Harry and Hermione got settled. Tonks straddled Harry's knees and lightly traced her finger up and down Harry's cock. It was twitching but wasn't fully erect yet. "Same drill as before, Hermione; slow and steady." Tonks reached out and started to wank Harry again and for a minute or two all three just watched.

Finally Tonks gave a grunt, "Okay I think you're hard enough. As with Hermione, same as before Harry. I know you're going to be tempted to watch your crazy hot and only slightly older sexy cousin shag you but I really need you to keep your eyes closed. When I tell you to open them, I'm going to need you to look at my face. My face! We can always have private showings for my other exciting bits later. Do you understand?"

Harry nodded. He seemed very aware of Hermione's naked body behind him if the tenseness in his back was anything to go by. Hermione was embarrassed to see his left leg was right on the wet spot from where she had cum earlier. Tonks noticed none of this and merely smiled at Harry and scooted forward and maneuvered his cock into the opening to her sex. With a pleasurable sigh she impaled herself upon it and then started to rock her hips back and forth.

"Merlin this is so good!" Tonks said with a happy moan of contentment.

As Tonks and Harry began to try and find a good rhythm, Hermione found it difficult to concentrate on what she was doing. Watching Tonks bouncing up and down on Harry's manhood was stimulating enough but holding Harry and stroking his body was difficult to do without it become erotic. She found herself running one hand through his hair and caught herself nibbling on his ear. He seemed to like it just as much as Lilith did back in school.

For a second Hermione roving hands faltered as for a moment in a flash of panic in regards to her fellow muggleborn friends. Was Lilith alright? Was Sally-Anne? Had Fay decided to stick it out in Hogwarts even though she was only a half-blood? She hoped that Justin and Anthony had had sense enough not to return to school.

A long drawn out moan from Tonks broke this train of thought and brought her back to watching the older witch. Hermione knew she herself had a nice bum but she envied Tonks and her womanly figure with a vengeance. It wasn't fair a woman who could fiddle with her body could have such a naturally pleasing figure to begin with.

Tonks licked her lips and moaned again, "Crap Harry what have you been eating? Every day your aura keeps getting stronger! I'm getting light-headed up here!"

Hermione realized she was nibbling on Harry's ear again. Tonks was right. Harry's aura had gotten a lot stronger from the end of term to now. Was it the addition of all the different family magicks added to his own or did it have something to do with Dumbledore's death? Either way, Harry's aura was making him even more fanciable. The stronger the wizard magically, the more witches desired them. It worked the other way around. Beyond Veela powers or big breasts, magical strength made witches like Fleur and Susan catch the eye of most wizards which came their way.

OoOoO

Tonks fell forward so that she was resting on her elbows, her nipples teasingly rubbing against Harry's own. She practically growled as she bucked her hips harder, "Please tell me you're close, Harry. I can't keep this up for long." The older witch's face was screwed up almost as if she was in pain and she was breathing in short gasping breaths.

Harry groaned, "Ready? I've been ready for the last two minutes or so! I've been trying my best to last this long!" It had been a struggle he felt was worthy of its own saga or maybe comedic opera. It hadn't helped that Tonks had this amazing internal muscle control which felt like she was milking his cock with her sex. Then there was Hermione who was grinding against him and seem intent on making dirty, sweet love to his ear.

Tonks let out a satisfied moan at this, "Okay Harry. Try to focus on your body. When I tell you to; open your eyes." With that she started to fuck with joyful abandon. Harry felt Hermione's hands sneak out and rub his chest before reaching up and tweaking Tonks' nipples.

With a startled shriek, Tonks cried out, "Oh Merlin! I'm cumming! I'm fucking cumming!"

As the auror thrashed on top of him made it impossible for Harry to try and not think about Hermione feeling her up, staying focused on his own body and not to orgasm at the same time. "I'm cumming too!" Harry practically shouted with a cry of his own.

As his cum boiled up out of his balls and towards its inevitable date with Tonks' womb, he tried to stay focused. So much so it took a half second to realize Tonks had yelled for him to open his eyes. As he began to loss control and thrust widely against Tonks' equally frantic bouncing, he opened his eyes.

He found an inch from his face was a red-head with startling blue eyes. The red was not the brassy Weasley ginger but a more subdued amber. The face was a stranger yet oddly familiar in a way Harry could not identify immediately. Yet as he groaned against Tonks as he shot another heavy set of fiery loads into her, Harry found himself realizing what he was seeing.

He was seeing what might be his fraternal twin. A twin who combined the best of his mother and father. Yet this time it was Lily Evans' face except for the brilliant blue eyes of James Potter. Harry could see glimpses of his father in the face but his mother's high cheekbones and aquiline nose dominated. He felt an odd surge of connection even though Tonks had kept the face feminine. This might have been his face with a different roll of the genetic dice.

When he finally stopped cumming and Tonks had all but collapsed onto his chest while resuming her base form, Harry felt odd. His entire scalped itched and his face felt hot. Before he could even raise his head to look towards the mirror, he heard Hermione's shocked intake of breath.

"Harry you did it!" Hermione squealed into his ear.

Tonks looked up at him and smiled in tired, triumph. "Bingo!"

Harry looked over to mirror to find his face had indeed mimicked Tonk's face. He didn't look like himself yet he could still see the essentials of his mother and father in him.

Tonks rolled off him before running a finger alongside his cheek, "Needs a little work. You look a bit too feminine but that's probably mostly from copying my face. I'm betting if you practice this in front of a mirror you can make your jaw line more angular and adapt a man's hair style and then we'll be golden."

Harry found himself unable to stop running his hands over his face and through his hair. It was odd to have hair which didn't look like a tatty bird's nest.

Hermione hugged him tightly, "You look great Harry! Now if we could only do something about that scar!"

Tonks frowned, "Well that will take a bit of work. Harry can't remove it but with some practice he should be able to shift it. I think Harry should be able to manage moving it down to his shoulders. If that doesn't work, we can see about moving it behind an ear. His hair will cover most of it up so it won't be recognized as anything but a normal scar. Get you your contacts and maybe some shoes designed to give you a bit of height and I doubt any Death Eater would give you a second glance."

"How long will it stay like this Tonks?" Hermione asked.

Tonks shrugged. "Probably till he falls asleep. I'm fairly certain he'll be able to get it back if I mimic it again and he concentrates."

Harry frowned, "I don't know; this face feels so familiar. I feel like I'm my own fraternal twin."

Tonks beamed, "It's why I chose it. I went through that album Hagrid gave you and worked on this all morning while you two were down shooting. Because the form is made up of elements of your parents, I think your body unconsciously accepts it."

Harry smiled, "I'm not trying to impersonate anyone; I'm just using a potential me."

Tonks gave his arm a squeeze, "That was the plan. As much as I think you were fanciable before, I have to say you do a much better ginger than any of the Weasleys."

Harry laughed but he felt Hermione tense behind him. "Well as much as this has been very fun, I need to go check on my potion. It should be ready by now. I think we could have Ronald home by dinner." She said in a flat voice.

Harry gave a dry chuckle, "I'm sure as long as he makes it to dinner on time, he'll forgive us eventually."

XxXxX

OFFICE, GRIMMAULD PLACE, LONDON – AUGUST 6th 1997 – EVENING

Harry watched as Ron pulled another strand of silvery memory partially out of his forehead for Hermione to tap it with her wand. They had been doing this for quite some time now. Harry really had to admire the sheer brilliance of Hermione. Even cut off from the mundane world for nine months out of the year, she still was grounded enough to come up with ideas he was sure no Magical could even comprehend.

Harry had thought they were going to remove every memory from Ron and store it. Hermione, however, had come to realize this would probably cause psychosis over time because he would have a memory hole in his mind and so Ron's consciousness would be vainly searching for information it knew existed but was no longer there.

As Hermione explained to him, the key would be to leave the information in place enough so Ron's consciousness would acknowledge its existence but be unable to access it. So taking a page from technology, she was tagging each memory so with the proper potion, the memories would suddenly be inaccessible until the antidote was given.

Harry knew enough about computers to understand what she was doing. Hermione was doing to Ron's memories what a computer did to a deleted file. It didn't actually destroy the file but merely took away the bit of info which told the computer it existed. Luckily for Ron, memory wasn't like a computer so his memories were in no danger of being over-written. So now all of Ron's memories were there enough for his sanity but hidden enough that only a highly competent legilimens with an idea of what was done would find them. Harry doubted even Voldemort had the patience for that.

While Hermione was not actively engaging him, Ron simply stared blankly at the wall. He'd done that a lot over the course of the afternoon. The slave potion really deadened one's ability to care about anything but the orders one was given. Harry didn't like having to use the potion on his erstwhile friend but it had made the process go smoothly.

While Ron had been pulling out the various memories at Hermione's direction, Harry had idly read up on love potions as well as the slave potion. Harry was surprised to find the latter to have been designed by wardens working under King Arthur at Merlin's direction. Originally called the thrall potion, it was used on prisoners prior to the invention of magic-negating hand-cuffs to make it easier to transport dangerous prisoners. While still occasionally used by the DMLE, the potion had taken on the more sinister connotations due to being used for nefarious ends.

Less appealing was the section on love potions. Harry, for the life of him, could not understand how the Magical world could view them with such blasé. Every author warned about the fact they did not create love but merely lust or amplified existing emotions. Yet all seemed to imply that since the effects were temporary meant the potions were perfectly acceptable.

Harry couldn't help but scowl at the thought that Magicals were so lazy they even resorted to using a magical aide to find a boy or girlfriend. How typical!

As Harry listened with half-an-ear to Hermione as she rattled off her test questions to ensure she had gotten all the memories they were worried about, he was thinking about his ginger-haired friend. Ron's change in demeanor had gotten Harry wondering. Had Dumbledore's death broken some enchantments on the trio? Yes they knew Molly Weasley probably had nothing sinister in mind when she brewed up her potions since it wasn't in her nature to be other than the loving, if a bit domineering, woman she was.

Yet Harry could shake the idea that Molly's concerns could easily be used to further someone else's plans. The fact that Dumbledore had left them clues like they were on some sort of scavenger hunt made Harry question the Headmaster's motives. He already had a bad feeling why he was suddenly becoming more powerful. In this case he felt it was less of Dumbledore's planning and more of his failure at seeing what had been right in front of his long nose all along. However this didn't mean Dumbledore didn't have other plans in motion.

Hermione laid her list down on the table and put. "I am confident we got everything, Harry. It would take an accomplish legilimens a long time to dig around and find anything we might have missed. Frankly I can't see them taking the time."

Harry nodded grimly. He worried that if push came to shove, they'd just kill Ron rather than waste the time digging. Hopefully his blood status would protect him as it had protected Andromeda the day before. Even so, he hoped that Charlie was working on a way to house the Weasleys if they had to flee England.

"Pass me the activation potion, will you Harry?" Hermione took the phial from him and turned to Ron. "Ronald, drink this potion. After you do, I will be casting spells at you. You will not react. Do you understand?"

"Yes," Ron said woodenly.

"Wait!" Harry suddenly said and grabbed the potion out of Ron's hand. His earlier thoughts about Dumbledore using the Weasleys and others in the Order came back to him. He had to know. "Ron, did you or your family ever have anyone tell you to befriend me?"

Ron stood silently for a moment before shaking his head, "I do not believe so."

"Why were you outside the barrier of Platform 9 ¾ back in our First Year? I know because of me and security issues, we ended up going different ways but hadn't your family usually flooed directly to the platform? So why not didn't your family do this our first year?"

Ron paused again before answering, "I'm not sure. Mum said we were meeting someone but never said who. I never really thought about it till now."

"How did your mum get my vault key?" Harry asked. Another thing which had bothered him after his meeting with the goblins. Griphook had waspishly asked him if he needed spare keys to his vaults to give out to his friends. It was obvious that people rarely ever gave anyone their vault key. So how did Molly get it? It didn't make sense for Hagrid to give it to her considering Molly's opinion of Hagrid.

"Dumbledore gave it to her," Ron said almost immediately. Before Harry could ask another question, Ron continued, "A good thing too. Dad had gotten censured at work over possession of some Muggle items and had his pay cut along with a fine. We were struggling but the money Dumbledore had Mum take out of your vault for us helped. Still can't believe that prat Percy is still sore about that since Dumbledore said it was payment for taking care of you. It's not like we didn't earn that money unlike the money paid to those horrid Muggles."

Hermione gasped but Harry's eyes just narrowed dangerously, "Which horrid Muggles? The Dursleys? How much did they get paid and how often?"

Ron shrugged, "I don't know. I do know Mum didn't like it. She felt we should have gotten it all considering how bad your relatives treated you. I overheard Mum and Dad arguing over the money. Mum wanted to get us better clothes and new wands but Dad said they had old debts and issues with the Burrow to spend the money on."

Harry leaned closer, his voice barely above a whisper, "So you're saying without that money, your family would have gone broke or something?"

Ron looked for a moment like he was fighting the potion but nodded, "Yes but Dumbledore said he wouldn't let that happen."

Harry took off his glasses and rubbed his eyes tiredly. Molly's insistence at Harry being at the Burrow as often as possible was making more sense to him now. Good intentions or not, he was a cash cow to their family which Dumbledore was apparently in charge of milking. He also realized how Dudley had always gotten everything he wanted. The money supposedly going to support Harry went to all the toys, games and the like Dudley had plowed through every year. Plus Harry was sure it funded all the family vacations he had never gotten to go on.

Something to deal with at another time. Harry knew he had larger issues to worry about no matter how deeply this information hurt him. Yet for all which had happened since that first day on the train, Harry could not bring himself to let Ron go without one last chance. He took up the antidote for the slave potion and gave it to Ron, "Drink this."

"Harry?" Hermione was looking at him with concern. Harry was sure something in his face must have given him away.

"He may be a ginger prat, Hermione but he's our ginger prat. I know you'll think me daft but I'm going to give him one last chance."

"Honestly Harry! Haven't you given him enough chances?" Hermione huffed.

Harry watched as the life began to fade back into Ron's eyes, "I have indeed, Hermione. But this time it's different. This isn't about you and him. It's not about my friendship or him being my best mate. This is about Voldemort. Here is his last chance to join the fight against him."

Ron let out a small groan and shook himself like dog drying itself off. His face was instantly wary when he realized Harry and Hermione were staring at him, both with their wands out.

The trio just stared at each other for a moment before Ron finally broke the silence, "So…are you still sending me home or just going to let that little bleeder have another go at it for laughs?" Ron gave Harry a sour look, "That was right cold about the spider thing, Harry."

Harry shrugged, "I'm sure it is still pales to going out to your possible death by dragon thinking your best mate thinks you are a liar and a cheat. Just because I accepted your apology back then doesn't mean I didn't want a little payback if the opportunity presented itself."

Ron reddened but didn't explode. He looked at Hermione but she was looking like she had just graduated from the Greengrass Winter Academy of Etiquette with honors. "What now?" Ron asked.

Harry smiled, "Now I'm going to ask you to reconsider. I realize we are asking a lot of you. We intend to break a taboo you've heard about all your life. We're asking you to look past how you used to see the world and see it with a fresh perspective. We're asking all of that on top of asking you to come with us into danger and death. Some of that death will be by our hands."

Hermione spoke up, "You seem to equate killing with murder, Ron but we're at war. You can't possibly think soldiers are murderers and Dark do you? We may not have uniforms or have Letters of Marque from the Queen but we are soldiers now. My father did time as a soldier and both my grandfathers fought in Europe. They did their duty and now it is my turn to do the same."

Harry nodded at this, "The Ministry has fallen Ron. Fallen internally but still in the grip of a power which is in some ways no different if we had been invaded by another country. Do you not have a duty to fight that power?"

Ron shook his head, "Of course I do, but you're asking too much! What's the point of winning the war if it gets you thrown in prison?"

Harry shrugged, "You're assuming we will. I'm willing to bet after I kill Voldemort and we retake the Ministry from the Death Eaters, a whole lot of folks will overlook how we did it. Frankly, Ron, I figure if people aren't going to fight with us then they don't get much say in how the war was fought. Besides, if we take down Voldemort, who will stop us?"

Ron's eyes narrowed, "You sound like you want to take over yourself. I knew it! You're going Dark! Dad always scoffed at the Headmaster's worrying about the chance of it but it looks like Dumbledore knew what he was talking about all along!"

Harry laughed at this but Hermione didn't look amused, "Harry's not going Dark in the slightest! I may have a lot of changes I want made if possible but Harry here would cheerfully fade into anonymity if he can."

Ron looked puzzled, "Anonymity? Is that in Australia?"

Harry and Hermione shared a look. "Look Ron, we've been through a lot but ever since the fight at the Department of Mysteries it has long ceased to be about us. While I'm asking you as a friend to join me, I'm also asking you as a patriot. You have your family to protect and Hermione and I will protect our loved ones as well. We're just not going to let tradition or archaic laws tell us how we're going to do it." Harry said firmly.

Ron's eyes bugged out, "So you're still going to try and use Muggle means against Voldemort? Merlin, Harry! You're not asking me to just fight; you're asking me on a suicide mission! Look I know you think Muggles are dash clever but you have to understand Magic has trumped Muggle for thousands of years and it always will. There are no Muggle solutions to beat Voldemort! Only through magic are you going to have a chance at winning and fulfilling the prophecy."

Hermione looked ready to explode but Harry waived her off. "Ron what are you?"

Ron look at him suspiciously, "What do you mean what am I? A Gryffindor? A Weasley? What?"

"What do you consider yourself as?" Harry asked taking a slightly different tact.

Ron's face brightened, "I'm a wizard, Harry. A Light wizard and I always will be!"

Harry nodded, "Okay but how much of a wizard are you now?"

Ron looked confused, "What do you mean? I'm still the wizard I've always been."

"Prove it!" Hermione said coldly.

"I can't. You have my wand," Ron said angrily.

"Exactly!" Harry said. "Without your wand there isn't much you can do that a Muggle can't do as well. Oh sure you can see things they can't and you can still apparate but without your wand you are no different from them. Do you know why? Because you're human just like them. They have the same loves, hates, fears, and desires as we do Ron. Yet you talk about Muggles like they are a quaint animal that can just mimic what called 'real' people can."

"I do not!" Ron said.

"Sure you do. If you didn't, you and your family would have taken the time to get to know your neighbors in Ottery St. Catchpole just like the Lovegoods and Diggorys do. No, you just set yourself apart and hopped from one magical place to another through the floo or apparition. You have barely been anywhere in Britain let alone the world." Harry said.

Harry looked at Hermione, "You know what else Ron? Hermione and I are so much richer than you. Not in wealth but in culture, art, literature and so much more. What did we learn at Hogwarts? Practically nothing compared to what I could have learned in the Muggle world!"

"We learned magic, Harry!" Ron said indignantly.

"And magic is the answer to everything, isn't it Ron?" Harry said with a slight sneer.

"What else would we learn at Hogwarts besides magic?" Ron asked angrily.

"You might learn there is an entire world out there you know nothing about. You might learn that the Muggles you look down on do a lot of things I've yet to see equaled by any witch or wizard." Harry said.

"Oh? Like what?" Ron asked.

"What a piece of work is a man! How noble in reason! How infinite in faculties! In form and moving how express and admirable! In action how like an angel! In apprehension how like a god! The beauty of the world; the paragon of animals'" Hermione quoted in a measured voice.

Harry nodded, "You keep saying that no Muggle thing can defeat Voldemort but you're wrong. We're not going to use Muggle means; we're going to use human means. Just because they can't cast spells doesn't matter since they do so much more than Magicals. I've yet to hear of any witch or wizard who has been to the moon. 'Mere' Muggles have been there quite a few times."

Ron said nothing so Harry decided to appeal to something in Ron he knew he had hungered for ever since Harry had known him: Fame and Glory. "Old men forget. Yet all shall be forgot, but he'll remember with advantages what feats he did that day! Then shall our names. Familiar in his mouth as household words; Harry the king, Bedford and Exeter, Warwick and Talbot, Salisbury and Gloucester be in their flowing cups freshly remember'd. This story shall the good man teach his son and Crispin Crispian shall ne'er go by, from this day to the ending of the world, but we in it shall be remember'd; We few, we happy few, we band of brothers."

Hermione gave Harry a curious look, "I know you hid out in the library a lot back in Surrey but that's rather impressive Harry!"

Harry shrugged, "Well occlumency does help you order your mind. I'm amazed at what I can remember now. I wish Snape had been a better teacher since my OWL exams would have been a breeze if he had."

Ron looked lost, "What are you two talking about?"

Harry shook his head sadly. He had hoped his quote would get Ron thinking about the glory of their quest against Voldemort. He didn't see it that way but he knew Ron would. It seemed Ron was a bit thicker than Harry had suspected. "We're talking about a world which exists right outside the door here. A world filled with knowledge we didn't get a whisper of at Hogwarts."

Harry turned to Hermione with a sly smile and knelt, "But, soft! what light through yonder window breaks? It is the east, and Juliet is the sun. Arise, fair sun, and kill the envious moon, who is already sick and pale with grie. That thou her maid art far more fair than she: Be not her maid, since she is envious. Her vestal livery is but sick and green and none but fools do wear it; cast it off. It is my lady, O, it is my love!"

Hermione blushed and lightly cuffed Harry on the side of his head, "You, good sir, have a honeyed tongue...for a prat!"

"Okay! Ha! Ha! Let's all laugh at Ron Weasley who's not in on the joke," Ron said in a peevish tone, "So you two know some fancy words. What good are they?"

The happy smile on Hermione's face faded and she scowled. "What good are they? Ronald do you ever listen to yourself? What Harry is trying to get through your thick skull is you and most everyone else in the Magical world live under a rock. A rock you cheerfully carry on your backs. There is this huge world outside filled with thousands of years of culture, history, art, philosophy and literature. You learned almost nothing of it at Hogwarts and you seem glad of it!"

"We learned about history!" Ron said. He turned to Harry with a sly smile, "If you can stay awake in class that is!"

Harry wasn't amused, "No we didn't. All we learned was the history of magic and even then we barely got taught anything. I recently learned more from the goblins in a day than I got taught by Binns in a month. Once again, Ron, you seem to think because you got taught something relating to magic that it keeps you from needing to expand past the magical realm."

Ron huffed in irritation, "So what Harry? The Statute of Secrecy keeps us separate. It has to be that way. Don't know why you two are getting all worked up about all this Muggle stuff. We can't use it so why should we learn it?"

Harry just blinked at this. He knew Ron wasn't keen on learning but now he seemed to be happy with his willful ignorance. Hermione, however, picked up from where Harry left off, "You're missing the point, Ronald. Not everything has to have a use that you can see. In all that time in Hogwarts, we didn't get exposed too much beyond magic. What Harry and I are trying to teach you is there is more to life than magic. As Harry put it, take away your wand and you're not much of a wizard anymore but you're still a man. Like I told you earlier, now is your chance to act like it. Be a Gryffindor and step out of your comfort zone for a change."

Ron looked at Hermione with an angry flush in his face, "And I'm telling you you're better off in the Magical word solving things the magical way. It's the better way. I can't see how you refuse to see how much the magical world is better for you, Hermione!"

Hermione raised an eyebrow. "Really?" she said in a voice dripping with sarcasm. "Now, my liege, tell me what blessings I have here alive? That I should fear to die? Therefore proceed, but yet hear this: mistake me not; no life, I prize it not a straw, but for mine honor, which I would free, if I shall be condemn'd. Upon surmises, all proofs sleeping else but what your jealousies awake."

Harry snorted at this but Hermione's eyes never left Ron's. "You sit there and try and tell me how much better my life is in the magical world while you witnessed how much I suffered for being a Muggleborn. Or how just because I'm a witch I'm supposed to be subservient to any wizard I choose to enter into a relationship with. Honestly Ronald, I always knew you were jealous of Harry for all sorts of things you feel he has that you do not. What amazes me is the one thing you should be jealous of, you scorn with contempt. I think the reason you and all the other Purebloods stay away from the Muggle world is because you know, in your secret heart, how far ahead of you they have gone. Maybe they've always been ahead because as Harry said, there is more to life than magic. You don't need magic to live, to love or to fight for what you believe in."

Ron just stared back at Hermione. Minutes seem to pass before Ron gave a small snort of disbelief. A snort which seemed to imply he was amazed at how naïve Hermione was being.

This was too much for Harry, "Okay Hermione that's about all I can take. Give him the activation potion and spell him and let's get him on his way."

Before Ron could do more than say, "Wait!" Hermione had stunned him. Harry noted she didn't do anything more than that. Thus Ron crumpled to the floor in a heap.

"A bit harsh," Harry said lightly.

Hermione's face was like a blank mask, "He doesn't understand. None of them do. Worse, they don't want to understand."

Harry put a reassuring hand on her shoulder. "I know Hermione."

Hermione reached up and squeezed Harry' hand with her own, "It didn't bother me at first but as the years went by and I started looking at how much I'd have to catch up for when I wanted to go to University did it begin to sink in how far behind I'd be. I mean except for Professor Flitwick's choir, we had nothing! No art, no orchestra, no dancing, literature or theater; we had none of it! Where was the philosophy? The economics or government classes? " Hermione's voice once again dripped with venomous sarcasm, "No! It was all magic. Magic this! Magic that! Charm your teacup to dance and turn your pincushion into a hedgehog! Oh aren't we all so clever!"

Harry squeezed Hermione's shoulder again. Even so, he was amazed at the anger which seemed to be welling up from somewhere deep inside her. "I know, Hermione. I know." Harry said to try and soothe his friend.

Hermione began to tear up, "What's the worst is they are so gleefully happy with how ignorant they are! If it wasn't for the library at Hogwarts most of them wouldn't have a hint there was more to life than magic."

"Something you tried to point out quite often, Hermione. You were the Joan of Arc trying to lead them to something greater than themselves. They just didn't want to hear the truth from your lips," Harry said sadly.

Hermione wiped a tear away from her eye. "Truth?" she asked.

Harry smiled, "There is no frigate like a book to take us lands away. Nor any Coursers like a page of prancing poetry. This traverse may the poorest take without oppress of toll. How frugal is the chariot that bears the Human Soul?"

"Oh Harry!" Hermione cried and hugged him fiercely.

After sharing a special moment, the pair broke apart and looked down at the erstwhile member of their trio. Harry knelt and tucked Ron's wand and a seemingly blank parchment into the inner pocket of Ron's robe. The only marking on the paper was an ornate PPM&W at the top. He figured between Ron or the Twins that someone would figure it was a reference to the Marauders which in turn would give them the code to activate their message. Not that they said much more than why they felt Ron had to go back and a warning to Molly about how they knew about the potions.

Hermione knelt next to Ron and tapped his forehead with her wand, "Obliviate!" She looked at Harry, "With the effects of all his memories being suppressed, I highly doubt anyone is going to be able to retrieve the memory of this conversation."

Harry nodded. Trying to find one obliviated memory was hard enough. Who knew what having all of those hidden memories would do to Ron's mental landscape? It certainly wouldn't make it any easier for a legilimens if his rudimentary knowledge was anything to go by.

Hermione stood up and with a flick of her wand she levitated Ron up and cast a cushioning charm on him. She then poured the activation potion carefully into his mouth and then cast the charm Healers used on unconscious patients so they'd swallow.

As she did this Harry tossed a pinch of powder into the fireplace. "The Burrow, Lemon Drop Emergency!" Harry said clearly. Tonks had given them the secret code which would allow them to override the security wards so they could send Ron thru without anyone on the other side opening the connection.

As the flames roared up, a wand flourish sent Ron's unconscious form vanishing into the green fire. With a wave of his own wand, Harry broke the connection. After a moment he sighed, "Well that's it then." He looked at Hermione. He could see it in her eyes she felt the same way. A sense of finality to what had just happened.

The Golden Trio was finished forever.

XxXxX

Chapter Five Preview: Harry ties one on and takes a night walk which ends in mayhem and mistakes.

A/N: Not to be a bit persnickety but can a lot of you out there wait a chapter before going off on me in righteous fury over a perceived outrage? A lot of people felt Tonks had done a Bad Thing in regards to Harry. Maybe she did. Maybe the first paragraph of this chapter might have been, "Harry; I'm sorry. I made a terrible mistake." I realize this is the danger of having a serialized format but please, have a little patience.

Silk Sheets + Water Bed: Not as much adult fun as one might imagine.

Quotes: I would hope all of you would recognize the Bard. Emily Dickenson might not be as well known but hey, always a good thing to broaden your poetry base, yes? If you don't know why Harry snorted at the last thing Hermione quoted, well it's a bit of an 'in-the-know' joke. Look it up; I'm sure you'll understand why I say this.

Spells: Cutis Infantem – The skin of a child

Update: Special thanks to stealacandy for catching a huge plot problem in this chapter!