10. Finding Out

"Do you want to go?"

"Yeah, of course! It'll be fun. Australia! I've heard it's great." She told him, trying to sound enthusiastic but Harry sensed the hesitance in her voice.

"We don't have to go if you don't want to."

"No, I do want to go. It's not like I'm doing anything useful in the ministry."

"Are you sure? You sounded... hesitant."

"Uh... I was just thinking it might be weird, you know, you, me, her."

"It won't be. Really! Once she finds her parents, she'll spend her time with them. We don't have to stay with her."

"Harry! Come on. Think about what she did to them. Do you really think that they'll forgive her just like that? And who knows how long it will be until she even finds them?"

He sighed, "I don't want her to go alone, Tonks. Ron's not going. And she did what she did because of me. And maybe it would help if I was there... In case her parents don't forgive her easily, I could talk to them, I'll take the blame off her, or something. And I know she'd love to have you along. In case she needs help with the spells."

"Yeah, alright, I'm saying we should go too. You don't have to convince me. But why isn't Ron going?"

"Apparently, he's, uh, scared of aeroplanes."

"Heh, should have guessed!"

After a few seconds of silence, he quietly said her name, "Tonks?"

"Hm?"

"Do you..."

"What?"

After some time, Harry told her "Nothing!"

"What is it? You can ask me anything you want, babe."

"It's nothing."

"You weren't gonna ask me to marry you, were you?"

She almost believed him when he widened his eyes and asked, "How'd you know?"

"Ha ha, real funny!"

Harry just sighed and closed his eyes for a few seconds, hiding a smile when he felt her shift her head closer until he could feel her warm breath on his lips. He pushed himself up and blindly searched for her lips with his, eliciting a small laugh out of her when he licked her nose. After a short kiss, however, he felt her pull away a little and opened his eyes.

"I thought you were tired by now." Tonks told him.

He laid his head down next to her and told her, "I never tire of kissing you, Tonks."

His mushiness was rewarded by her beatiful laughter and another sweet kiss. "Sorry I laughed... You silly idiot."

"It's okay. I love your laugh." He quietly told her with a small smile on his lips, his eyes closing again.

"That's good." She whispered back, watching him drift off to sleep.

"Harry?"

"Hm?"

Hermione waited until he took his eyes away from the window to look at her. "I was just wondering. You are coming to Hogwarts, right?"

"Yeah! Yeah, of course."

"Would you please talk to Ron when we get back? He still keeps changing his mind from time to time."

"Um, yeah, sure!" He answered, nervously glancing at Tonks sitting across from her who had a smug smile on her face until he surprised her, "Maybe you should have Tonks talk to her. She's the one who convinced me."

"You too?"

"Uh... He was just having a stupid moment. Don't worry about it, Hermione. He's definitely going to Hogwarts."

"Oh good! Thanks, Tonks!"

"Don't worry about it."

After a few minutes, while Hermione was in the bathroom, Tonks shifted into the seat beside Harry's.

"Hi there!"

"Can you believe her?"

"What?"

"You don't just sit between a girl and her boyfriend. How rude!"

"Heh, sorry! She probably wasn't thinking."

She just sighed and shifted so she could rest her head on his shoulder. When Hermione came back, Tonks raised herself up and said, "Sorry I changed seats! You don't mind, do you?"

"Oh no, don't worry about it... I should apologize. I shouldn't have sat there just like that. I wasn't thinking."

Tonks gave her a smile and shifted so she could rest her head on Hermione's shoulder, whose eyes widened in surprise, making Harry chuckle.

"Just so you don't get jealous!" Tonks explained.

"Oh! That's very sweet of you, Tonks!"

"I know!" Tonks told her, pretending to wipe her nose on Hermione's sleeve, "I'm adorable!"

"Alright, here we are! Adelaide, baby! You excited, Harry?"

"Uh, I don't know. Kinda!"

"I was gonna say 'louder', but you ruined it."

In response, Harry shouted out, "Kinda!", smiling at some of the passengers staring at him.

Hermione palmed her face and asked, "Tonks, why are you with this idiot?"

"I wish I knew." Tonks told Hermione, grinning back to the smile Harry sent her way.

Harry just chuckled and gestured at Hermione to stand up and get a move on.

"So, we aren't booked at any hotel, right?" Tonks asked as they moved in the queue out of the plane.

"No, I thought if we find my parents today, we could just stay with them."

"Hermione, don't you think that's a little too much to hope for?"

"Maybe... But there's always a chance, you know."

"Yeah, but -"

"Tonks! Let it go." Harry stopped her.

Once they were in a less crowded place, Tonks continued her line of questioning, "So what are the chances of us actually finding them?"

"Uh, we'll know as soon as we find some recent yellow pages. They should be in there."

"Oh! I didn't think of that. ... But are you sure they live here in Adelaide?" Tonks looked at Harry, surprised at her oversight.

"They should be here. They were looking at a house here when they moved. I don't know the exact address. But we'll find them. Don't worry."

Tonks slid close to Harry, "You know I won't mind if you say something... To support her, if you want, you know."

"Uhh... What should I say?" He whispered back.

"I don't know. She's your best friend. You should know better than me."

"Ummmmm..."

"Really? Okay... Imagine it was me in place of her. What would you do then?"

"I don't know. Should I practice on you?"

"It's not an exam. Don't you ever say anything supportive to her?"

"Well... It's almost always she who's lifting my spirits up. She doesn't need my help, usually. And there's Ron."

"Harry, she's worried out of her mind. Just tell her everything's gonna be fine."

"Okay!"

"And expand a little bit."

"Okay!"

He jogged a little bit to cover the distance between them, putting an arm around her shoulders when he reached her. "Hey!" He said, giving her a little squeeze.

She gave him a small smile in response. "Hi!"

"Everything's going to be okay, Hermione... You know that, right?"

"I know. You're here, after all. Heh! What trouble can there be?"

"If trouble comes, I'll kick its ass, okay? Don't worry about a thing. We're gonna find them. And they're your parents, Hermione. They'll always love you!"

She sighed and leaned even more on him. "I hope so."

"Do you need a hug?"

She instantly turned and put her arms around him, hiding her face in his neck, hugging him tightly. He carefully turned his head around and looked at Tonks, silently asking, "What do I do?"

She answered by pointing towards some nearby chairs. Harry slowly moved Hermione and sat her down while Tonks sat a little distance away to give the two some space, carefully putting the receiving end of the invisible extendable ear back in her ear.

Hermione soon raised herself up, trying to wipe her eyes discreetly. Harry looked away pointedly for a few seconds until she asked him, "Tonks won't think anything of that, right?"

"Heh, don't worry, Hermione. She told me to come make sure you're okay. And she knows I love you."

Tonks nearly palmed her face on hearing him say that, expecting Hermione to freak out any second. But she didn't freak out. She just leaned on Harry and told him, "That's good."

'What the hell is going on?'

"So, have you told her yet?" She heard Hermione ask Harry.

'Told me what? Holy fuck? They're together. Oh god! Why did he bring me here?'

"Told her what?"

'That you're cheating on me with her, you lying son of a bitch!'

"That you love her?"

'... ... ... What? ... ... ...'

"What?"

"C'mon, Harry. It's so obvious."

'Is something wrong with your eyes?'

"Is it really that obvious?"

'... ... ... WHAT?! ... ... ...' Tonks nearly freaked out when Harry glanced in her direction for a moment.

"It is to me. Just the way you're looking at her, and also the way you're saying her name."

"Tonks?"

'... Harry? ...'

"Awww! See! So when are you saying it to her?"

'Now! Please!'

"I don't know."

'Son of a bitch!'

"I almost said it to her a few days back."

'... Huh? ...'

"I don't know what it was. There wasn't any special moment or anything where I developed some sudden love for her. I just... Knew it. Somehow, I was... I AM completely in love with her."

'... ... ... ... ... ...' She caught him smiling at her and gave him a small smile back, trying to hold back her tears, 'I love you too!'

"So when are you going to tell her?" Hermione almost squealed.

"Well, I was thinking - "

Tonks removed the receiver from her ear. She didn't want to hear anymore. She didn't want to ruin any surprises Harry had for her. She didn't care what he did or how he said it. He loved her. That in itself was so much more than she had hoped for. She was filled with such an amazing warmth that it was hard not to laugh, or cry from happiness.

She didn't even notice them walking towards her and hence was given a surprise when she suddenly found his grinning face inches from hers. He gave her a quick kiss and told her, "So you don't get jealous," laughing lightly.

She got up, smiling and grabbing his hand as they walked together.

"Tonks, could you look in that one? It's W-I-L-K-I-N-S, Monica and Wendell!" Hermione told her, pointing to a nearby large yellow book.

"Okay."

As she finished scanning through the first page of the large book, wondering how to actually use the book, she heard Harry say, "Hermione! Look."

Hermione was beside him in an instant, "Yes, yes, it has to be! I mean, it could be. Quick! Tell me the number." She ordered, moving to grab the telephone and some coins.

As it started dialing, she pushed the phone onto Harry's ear.

"Ow! What are you doing? Alright, alright. Wait! It's the answering machine."

Hermione quickly moved the phone back to her ear to listen to the voice on the message. "It sounds like mum." She told them with relief, when suddenly the message cut off and she heard the same voice saying, "Hello!"

"Um... Hello." She awkardly said into the phone.

"Hi, who am I speaking to?" The voice on the other end asked.

"My name's Hermione Granger. Is this - "

She suddenly heard very loud shouting on the other end. "DAN! DAN! DAN! Get here."

Hermione's eyes widened in surprise hearing her mother call her father by his real name.

"Emma! What's wrong?" Hermione heard her father's voice say faintly.

Her mother clearly answered, "It's Hermione! She's alive."