Tonks led Harry to several shops. They bought his school supplies and books. Harry had decided to take nine classes instead of six: advanced transfiguration, advanced potion making, advanced charms, advanced defense, magi-zoology, healing, item creation, Spell creation and invention, and money and business. He thought that item creation would be fun and if he liked it he could open up his own business, adding another career he could seriously consider. As for Spell Creation, he'd always been curious about it, and now with the war, it wouldn't hurt to have a few spells nobody else knew of in his arsenal to catch his foes off-guard. He also had to think that such surprises could be the difference between life and death for many of his friends and himself. If it was for protecting his loved ones, he'd take whatever edge he could get.
Tonks was impressed that Harry was being so logical about his future. He was very mature for his age, something she had been told multiple times last summer (Mainly for Lupin and Sirius), but never really took notice of. She had bought him a wrist holster for his wand, stating that Hadrian expected nothing less. It would launch one's wand directly into their hand with a flick of the wrist and was the fast way to draw a wand. Harry was shocked when Tonks bought him a dragon hide vest, pants, and boots. When he asked why, Tonks smiled and said, "Hadrian's lessons." Harry was beginning to wonder what Hadrian had planned for him. After they were done shopping, Harry and Tonks went to the Leaky Cauldron to wait for the Weasleys. Tonks bought them both butter beers. "Tonks, Hadrian's a professional duelist, so why haven't I heard of him?" Harry asked Tonks Looked up from her drink and shrugged. "Dueling isn't as popular as Quidditch. Plus he doesn't duel under his name, he uses a pseudonym." She explained "Which is?" Harry asked, curious about his new professor. Tonks smiled. "He duels under the name of the Black Tiger."
"The Black Tiger..." Harry repeated. The name did ring a bell, but he still knew little about him. Like Tonks had said, Dueling wasn't as popular. "Why doesn't he use just use his name?" He asked. Tonks bit her lip. "He's sort of like me. I don't like people using my first name; he doesn't like his last name to be used. It's not that he's ashamed of it, he's quite proud of it in fact." Tonks paused for a moment. "But he doesn't want his name known. Truth is that the only thing I know about Hadrian before I was born was that he went to Hogwarts with mum and looked out for her and my aunt Narcissa. He was a few years above them, and he was in Slytherin with them." She explained. "Wait, your mum was in Slytherin?" Harry had never met Mrs. Tonks but for how kind everyone described her to be, he'd assumed she was a Hufflepuff. Tonks nodded. "She and Hadrian are living proof that not everyone in Slytherin was bad." She retorted, somewhat proud. "What kind of teacher is he? I mean he taught you to duel, so must know." Harry was still uneasy on that, after having professors like Quirrel, Lockhart, and Umbridge. Tonks grinned. "Let's just say that healing will come in handy in both class and your private lessons. He's a very...intense teacher." Harry looked at Tonks worriedly. "What do you mean by intense?" He inquired yet again. "Your enemy will not hold back so why should I intense." She shook her head. "After learning from him, auror training was a walk in the park. And he'll be condensing his training for you." Harry took a long drink of his butterbeer. He had been looking forward to Hadrian's lessons as defense against the dark arts, but it was looking as though Hadrian would be teaching straight-up warfare in his class. Even better, that was something he certainly could get used to.
Tonks saw the look on Harry's face. She placed her hand on his shoulder. "Don't worry though. Hadrian's a tough bastard when he teaches, but he's a fair tough bastard." Harry arched his eyebrow. What did Tonks mean by 'tough bastard'? "Trust me Harry. Hadrian is blunt, honest, and will beat you to a bloody pulp if you piss him off. He is intelligent, cunning, loyal, brave, but most of all proud. He is proud of the man he is, proud of what he's done." Tonks sat back in her chair. "He once told me, 'It doesn't matter what others think. At the end of the day, it's you that has to live with your choices. If you can do that, if you can live with yourself, then you've done nothing wrong, then you have a right to stand proud.' He says that he can do that." She recalled. "But he's not always like that," Tonks continued. "I told you he was my godfather. Growing up, he was always kind. He taught me to ride a broom, to play Quidditch. When I was sad or injured, he was always there. I could talk to him about anything; go to him for any problems. He was like a second father to me. When I went to school, he'd send me books to help with my studies, candy, and money for Hogsmeade weekends. He was my best friend." She finished. "Sounds like a great guy," Harry said with honesty. Tonks smiled. "He is. I remember him taking me to one of his duels. He had the duel won in five spells. His opponent was lying unconscious on the dueling platform, bleeding, with his gut cut open and intestines spilling out. Before the mediwitches even made it to the platform, he was sitting next to his opponent. When the mediwitches finally got up to the platform, he and his opponent where sitting there telling jokes and laughing. Unlike most duelists, he cares. Typically a duelist will just walk off stage, let the 'professionals' handle it, and claim their prize money. Hadrian was more concerned with his opponent than most professional duelists would have been." She stressed out "But that's enough about my uncle," Tonks said. "How was your summer?" She asked. Harry gave the same answer he'd give everyone who asked that. "It was great after I left the Dursleys," Harry explained. "Remus came and got me on my birthday. By the way, thanks for chocolate frogs you sent me." Tonks waved him off. "No problem Harry. What did you get other than those?" Harry thought for a moment. "Ron got me a Chudley Cannons poster, Hermione bought me a book on Quidditch strategy, Remus bought me a book on animagi, Ginny got me some candy, the twins gave me a box of their latest pranks, Neville and Luna chipped in and bought me a practice snitch, and Hagrid bought me a book on dragons." Harry commented. "Sounds like a good haul, too many books for my taste though." Harry smiled. "I don't mind, they're good books. And I'm sure they'll come in handy." He retorted. "Yeah, looks like it" Tonks looked up. "Hey, here come Bill and Charlie." She seemed glad about this whole ordeal.
The two eldest Weasleys came over and sat down with Tonks and Harry.
"Bill, tell him," Charlie said, running his hand through his hair.
"Harry," Bill began, "You have inherited...a lot."
Tonks raised an eyebrow. "Do you think you could be a little more specific?"
"Sorry," Bill said. "The Blacks where the richest family in the world, with the Potters coming in a close second, and Harry has got all of Sirius' goods, with exception of a couple million galleons, Grimmauld Place, a beach house in France, and a cabin in Canada, which have all been left to Remus."
Harry looked at Bill mouth wide-open. "The exception of a couple million galleons?" Bill looked over at Charlie. Charlie shrugged. "He'll find out sooner or later." Bill rubbed the back of his neck. "That money, roughly twenty million galleons, well...it didn't even put a dent in your pocket." He smiled nervously.
Harry looked at Bill, then Charlie, then Tonks, whose eyes where wide with mouth hanging open, then back to Bill. "You're joking."
"No."
Harry held his head. "No, I can't be rich. Not that rich."
"Harry, this is a good thing," Charlie tried to explain. "You can do anything you want with your life, without ever having to worry about how much you earn."
"You don't understand Charlie," Harry began. "I don't want the money. I don't deserve the money."
"Harry, it's what your parents and Sirius wanted you to have. Of course you deserve the money," Tonks said.
Harry shook his head. "No, I don't." A tear slid down Harry's cheek. He looked at Bill then at Charlie. "You guys, the entire Weasley family, have treated like one of their own. Your mum and dad are like a mum and dad to me. Yet you guys have little money. If anyone deserves it, it's you guys and your family."
Charlie and Bill smiled.
"That means a lot to us Harry," Bill said. "That you think of us as family. But don't worry about the money Harry. You don't owe us a single knut."
"You are family," Charlie said. His smile widened. "Yeah, you're our adopted little brother, who occasionally rescues the rest of our family. If anything, we should owe you." Bill said half-jokingly.
"Yeah," Charlie continued. "You saved Ginny from the chamber, Ron from the lake, and Dad from Voldemort's Snake."
Harry smiled. "You guy's accepting me as one of your own is more than enough thanks for me."
Tonks shook her head. "Okay, enough with the mushiness. I think I'm gonna get sick." She smiled.
The boys all chuckled.
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The rest of the summer passed uneventfully.
Harry, Hermione, and Ron's classes where all confirmed by McGonagall. Hermione received O's in all her O.W.L.'s and was taking a full schedule, ten classes. Ron got a total of six O.W.L.'s and was only taking six classes, much to the disappointment of both his mother and Hermione. The trio was going to be effectively split up, only having transfiguration, charms, and defense together. Hermione would be in all of Harry's classes except magi-zoology and item creation.
Tonks stopped in everyday to visit Harry. She was genuinely curious about him. Sure they had talked before, but never the in depth discussions they began to have. Yet she was unable to figure out exactly why she wanted to spend so much time with him and learn as much as she could about him. Eventually she figured it was just because she knew she'd be seeing a lot of him at the school.
Harry enjoyed his conversations with Tonks. He was intrigued by Tonks' own adventures at Hogwarts, even if they weren't as dangerous as his. He learned about her childhood and family. He also couldn't figure out why he enjoyed spending time with Tonks so much. But unlike Tonks, he didn't worry about it.
September first came and the trip on the Hogwarts express. Harry shared a compartment with Ginny, Neville, and Luna, as Ron and Hermione where patrolling the train.
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The first thing Harry noticed when he sat down in the great hall was that Hadrian wasn't sitting up at the staff table. Tonks and Charlie where, but Hadrian wasn't. Charlie was conversing with Hagrid, most likely about some sort of dangerous creature.
Dumbledore smiled and nodded his head slightly when Harry looked at him. So did Tonks.
The doors to the great hall opened and McGonagall led the first years to the front of the hall, where the sorting hat sat open its stool. She glanced up at the staff table and Dumbledore shook his head. "Is it me, or does Professor McGonagall look nervous?" Hermione asked.
Harry took another look at McGonagall. She kept glancing at the door behind the staff table and she was biting her bottom lip. "She does. I wonder why."
The Sorting hat began its song:
Knowledge has a value,
Worth more than the purest gold,
So listen to my song,
Take heed of what's been told,
Bravery, cunning, loyalty, and wit
The values four are they
Inside us all they are,
Waiting to see the light of day,
A student returns,
To teach the four,
But that's not all he has to teach,
There is one value more,
Be proud,
Stand tall,
There is no shame,
We each stumble and fall,
Now comes the time when I must work,
So put me on your head,
So hurry up,
Before we're gone and dead.
The great hall burst into applause. McGonagall unrolled her list of students and was about to read of the first name, when the doors to the great hall burst open again.
"Sorry I'm late," Hadrian said loudly as every eye in the great hall turned to him. He walked down the middle of the hall.
People gasped when they saw what Hadrian was wearing. Black leather boots came up to his knees, covering black denim jeans. His black leather trench coat billowed behind him. But what drew everyone's attention and stares was his black shirt, in the middle of which was a white copy of the dark mark.
Hadrian smiled as he strode confidently up to the staff table. He stopped at looked at sorting hat. "Good to see you again Hat."
"It's good to see you too," the hat said. "You must come and visit me now that you're working here. I do miss our conversations."
Everyone was watching the scene before them in silent awe.
"I'll try and stop in once in a while," Hadrian said. He turned to face McGonagall. The smile disappeared from his face and he took in a deep breath. Then he walked to an empty seat at the table, next to Tonks. He looked over at Dumbledore. "I'm sorry for interrupting Headmaster."
Dumbledore chuckled. Then his gaze fell on McGonagall. She looked pale, and her eyes never left Hadrian. "Minerva," he prompted.
"Yes." McGonagall looked away from Hadrian. She tried to smile, but failed miserably. She called the first student to be sorted.
"They look so similar," Harry said under his breath.
"What was that Harry?" Hermione asked.
"Professor Hadrian," Harry explained. "Look at him, then at McGonagall."
Hermione did, then her eyes widened. "You don't suppose they're related?"
"I don't know," Harry said. Although his first impression of Hadrian was that he looked like McGonagall, he was surprised at how similar they appeared to be. Hadrian looked like a male version of McGonagall, albeit a good bit younger. He decided to push the information to the back of his mind for the moment.
After the sorting and the feast, Dumbledore stood up and began to speak. "Welcome, to another year at Hogwarts. I have a few notices for the first years, and several returning students. The Forbidden forest is, as its name implies, out of bounds. Magic is not to be used between classes in the corridors. Also Mr. Filch has asked me to point out that every product manufactured by Weasley's Wizard Wheezes are forbidden and will be immediately confiscated. A complete list of all items that will be confiscated is posted in his office. Now I would like everyone to welcome our newest staff members. Teaching our magi-zoology class is Charlie Weasley. No doubt you have or will know at least one of his siblings by reputation alone." Dumbledore's smile seemed to grow. "Also I would like you to welcome Professor Hadrian as our new defense against the dark arts teacher and his assistant, Miss Tonks. I believe you will know Professor Hadrian better as The Black Tiger"
The students all applauded the new teachers, even those from Slytherin.
"Now I am afraid it is time to go to bed. You all have a busy day tomorrow. Now off to bed." Dumbledore said, effectively dismissing the students.
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Unknown to the students, Hadrian slipped quietly through the door behind the staff table.
That night many students in Hogwarts pondered what they would learn from this new defense teacher. And unlike last year, everyone was looking forward to defense against the dark arts.
Professor McGonagall sat up all night, trying to figure out a way to get Hadrian to at least talk to her.