Hi, all! ZenoNoKyuubi here with a fresh chapter straight out of my head! Please enjoy!

–

Journal, November 26th, 1994,

Finally started my research into the essence of magic itself. It has been put on hold for long enough. Meditation techniques, along with Plunger, has helped me to locate my magic core. It is quite large for someone my age. I must find some way to experiment on it... I have heard that there used to be people who could see people's magical cores. I wonder if I can recreate that effect...

On another note, it would appear that Nym and I are now in some sort of relationship... We have certainly kissed enough for that to be so, I should think. Note to self, ask Nym if we really are in a relationship.

–

Journal, November 28th,

Started my work on creating a new eyeball. I believe I shall be replacing my right eye with it. Hopefully, it will work, and I won't be cutting out my eye for nothing. That would be bad. Unlike Moody's eye, this eye won't be able to see through solid objects, but it should be able to see magical cores, even through solid objects should I focus on it. In return, the eye will be of normal size, instead of Moody's grotesque eye.

–

Journal, December 1st,

Finally met up with Nym. She has agreed that yes, we are in a relationship. I didn't find myself objecting, as I kind of look forward to studying a somewhat healthy human relationship. I cannot say that it would be a normal relationship, as it will no doubt be far from normal, but it will be at least a bit healthy.

I think...

–

"Now that you have all copied down your homework, I have something to say to you all," Professor McGonagall said at the end of their Transfiguration lesson on December the tenth. "The Yule Ball is approaching, a traditional part of the Triwizard Tournament and an opportunity for us to socialize with our foreign guests. Now, the ball will be open only to fourth years and above, although you may invite a younger student if you wish..."

Lavender Brown gave a shrill giggle. Parvati Patil nudged her hard in the ribs, her face working furiously as she too fought not to giggle. They both looked around at Harry, who reached up and turned the bolt in his head, sharing a look with Hermione. Professor McGonagall ignored them and continued.

"Dress robes will be worn, and the ball will start at eight o'clock on Christmas Day, finishing at midnight in the Great Hall. Now then..."

Professor McGonagall stared deliberately around the class.

"The Yule Ball is of course a chance for us all to, er, let our hair down," she said in a disapproving voice. Harry had to admit that he could see the humor as Lavender giggled harder than ever. Professor McGonagall looked as though she had never let her hair down.

"But that does not mean," Professor McGonagall went on, "that we will be relaxing the standards of behavior we expect from Hogwarts students. I will be most seriously displeased if a Gryffindor student embarrasses the school in any way."

Her eyes landed on Harry, who did his best to look perfectly innocent, just as the bell rang, and there was a scuffle of activity as everyone packed their bags and swung them onto their shoulders.

"Potter, a word, if you please," Professor McGonagall called over the noise. Harry nodded and, turning the bolt, proceeded over to Professor McGonagall's desk. Professor McGonagall waited until the rest of the class had gone, and then said, "Potter, the champions and their partners traditionally open the ball. You do know how to dance, don't you?"

"Should I?" Harry asked. Professor McGonagall looked disapprovingly at him.

"Yes, Potter, you should. You are to open the ball with the other champions, and thus you must learn to dance. I suggest you get someone to teach you before the ball."

"It'll cut in on my work... but I suppose I will have to," Harry said grumpily, stuffing his hands into his pockets. "Will that be all, Professor?"

"That will be all, Potter."

Harry immediately left the classroom and started his search for the only person he would admit to not knowing how to dance to. He found her, as expected, in the Great Hall for lunch.

"Hey, Nym, can I talk to you?"

"Sure, Harry," Tonks said, getting up from her seat at the Gryffindor table, where she had probably been waiting for him, and she followed him out of the Great Hall. "What is it, Harry? Care for a snog?"

"No. Well, that too, but I need you to teach me how to dance."

A smirk appeared on Tonks' face.

"Oh, so you've finally heard about the Yule Ball, then?"

"You knew about it?"

"Of course I knew. So, what about it?"

"What about what?" Harry asked, blinking. Tonks sighed.

"Aren't you going to ask me to the ball?"

"Well, we're boyfriend and girlfriend, I thought it would have been obvious that we go together."

"But it's still proper to ask."

"Fine, fine," Harry said, then cleared his throat, before turning the bolt twice and looking to Tonks. "Nym, would you, er, do me the honor of accompanying me to the Yule Ball?"

"Not bad. Not bad at all," Tonks said, smirking again. "I would be honored to, Mr. Potter."

"Great. Now, come, teach me how to dance," Harry said, and started pulling Tonks with him. Tonks, however, resisted, pulling on Harry's arm.

"Oh no, first you and I are going to find a broom cupboard, and there we are going to snog each other's brains out. Alright?"

Harry stopped and thought about it. Then, he nodded.

"Alright, that sounds good."

Tonks smirked and started pulling him in the opposite direction.

–

"That's right, one, two, three. One, two, three," Tonks said as the she and Harry waltzed through an empty classroom. It was harder to do it without music, but Harry had been quick to pick up the steps as soon as Tonks had shown him. They had been dancing like this pretty much every day for the last two weeks, and now Christmas Eve was there. Tomorrow would be the Yule Ball, and Harry found himself strangely enough looking forward to it.

Dancing like this with Tonks had been much more pleasant than he had first thought it'd be, and to be able to do it in the Great Hall, with Tonks in a dress, and music playing... it really was something to look forward to.

"You are doing great, Harry. In fact, these last five lessons have been completely useless in teaching you anything new," Tonks said as they slowly revolved on the spot.

"But they have been pleasant, have they not?" Harry asked, raising an eyebrow, and Tonks nodded.

"That they have," she admitted, the put on a shrewd smirk. "Is that why you have been insisting on continuing them?"

"Of course. Why else?"

"So you consider dancing with me to be more important than your work?"

"Actually, I consider spending time with you to be just about as important as my work, but considering I don't really have anything to do, dancing with you is the best use of my time," Harry said with a shrug.

"Well, I consider you to be more than ready to open the ball tomorrow night," Tonks said, smiling at him as she leaned up and kissed him softly. "So, what do we do with the rest of our time?"

Harry shrugged, then suggested, "Snog each other senseless?"

Tonks smirked. "I like the way you think, Harry."

Christmas Day arrived, and on that evening Harry found himself looking at the mirror in his lab, taking in his appearance. He wore a pair of black shoes, black slacks, his white lab coat, and a white dress shirt with a wing collar. He had decided not to wear a bow tie, as when he had tried it on he had found it to be rather suffocating.

Nodding to himself, Harry pocketed his emergency tool kit with a syringe, some anesthetics, tranquilizers, and a scalpel, and left his lab, heading out of Gryffindor Tower and going down to the entrance hall.

The entrance hall was packed with students, all milling around waiting for eight o'clock, when the doors to the Great Hall would be thrown open. Those people who were meeting partners from different houses were edging through the crowd trying to find one another.

"Wotcher, Harry," a voice said from behind Harry, and he spun around to find Tonks smiling at him. Her hair was now long, wavy, and blond, and her eyes were green, matching Harry's. She was wearing a long, blue, strapless silk dress that looked very beautiful on her.

"You look great," Harry said, smirking as he put a cigarette in his mouth, not lighting it.

"You don't look too bad yourself," Tonks said, smirking as well as the Beauxbatons lot entered the entrance hall, led by Fleur Delacour, who was accompanied by the Ravenclaw Quidditch captain, Roger Davies. "Couldn't lose the coat, could you?"

"I like this coat," Harry defended. "You gave it to me, after all."

Tonks smiled and placed a soft kiss on Harry's lips.

But now the question was, where was Hermione?

The oak front doors opened again, and everyone turned to look as the Durmstrang students entered with Karkaroff. Krum was at the front of the party, accompanied by... Hermione? Only Hermione looked very different. Her hair was no longer bushy, but sleek and shiny, and twisted up into an elegant knot at the back of her head. She was wearing robes made of a floaty, periwinkle-blue material, and she was holding herself differently, somehow.

Then, Professor McGonagall's voice called, "Champions over here, please!"

Tonks straightened up and, looping her arm with Harry's, they proceeded forward, the chattering crowd parting to let them through. Professor McGonagall, who was wearing dress robes of red tartan and had arranged a rather ugly wreath of thistles around the brim of her hat, told them to wait on one side of the doors while everyone else went inside. They were to enter the Great Hall in procession when the rest of the students had sat down. Fleur and Davies stationed themselves nearest the doors. Cedric and Cho Chang were near Harry, but Harry just focused on Hermione, who beamed at him.

"Hi, Harry!" she said. "Hi, Tonks!"

"Wotcher, Hermione!" Tonks said happily. "Like the hair."

"You could look like that without Sleekeazy," Harry said in a sing-song voice, wiggling his eyebrow at her, but even Harry's requests to cut her open didn't seem to be able to destroy Hermione's good mood.

Once everyone else was settled in the hall, Professor McGonagall told the champions and their partners to get in line in pairs and to follow her. They did so, and everyone in the Great Hall applauded as they entered and started walking up toward a large round table at the top of the hall, where the judges were sitting.

The walls of the hall had all been covered in sparkling silver frost, with hundreds of garlands of mistletoe and ivy crossing the starry black ceiling. The House tables had vanished. Instead, there were about a hundred smaller, lantern-lit ones, each seating about a dozen people.

"Isn't this nice?" Tonks asked as they approached the table.

"It would be nicer if we were alone," Harry said, looking around with his cigarette dangling from his mouth.

Dumbledore smiled happily as the champions approached the top table, but Karkaroff watched Krum and Hermione with narrowed eyes. Ludo Bagman, tonight in robes of bright purple with large yellow stars, was clapping as enthusiastically as any of the students, and Madame Maxime, who had changed her usual uniform of black sating for a flowing gown of lavender silk, was applauding them politely. But Mr. Crouch, Harry realized, was not there. The fifth seat at the table was occupied by... Head Boy Weasley?

Harry, who had no intention of listening to the pompous prat all night, made sure to sit down as far away from him as possible, next to Dumbledore, with Tonks on his other side.

Harry looked around for a while, trying to figure out where the food was supposed to come from, when Dumbledore picked up his menu, studied it for a moment, then clearly said, "Pork chops."

And pork chops appeared on Dumbledore's plate. Everyone else, taking the hint, picked up their menus and started ordering. Harry, who wasn't hungry, didn't pick his up, and instead turned to Dumbledore.

"Professor?"

"Yes, my boy?" Dumbledore said, pausing in his eating to look at Harry, who hummed and reached up, turning the bolt.

"I have been thinking... how is me competing going to lure out the one who entered my name?"

"If it is true that Voldemort wants you," Dumbledore said, lowering his voice so that only Harry could hear him, "then the culprit is sure to make a move against you. I shall be watching you closely this year, Harry, and make sure that nothing happens to you."

Harry just hummed again and kept turning the bolt. He wasn't so sure that Dumbledore would be able to keep that close an eye on him, busy as he was.

"If you say so, sir," Harry said, then leaned toward Tonks, smiling at her. "How are you enjoying yourself, Nym?"

Tonks, who had started on her own pork chops, swallowed and wiped her mouth with a napkin.

"The ball has barely started, and you're already asking me that?"

"I thought conversation was part of a relationship?" Harry said, blinking. "Was I wrong?"

"Not at all, but I have barely even gotten an impression of the ball yet. I don't really know what to say. It's a bit overwhelming, I guess, being the center of attention like this."

"Just don't step on my toes when we dance like you did in practice, and it'll be fine," Harry said with a wink, and Tonks childishly stuck her tongue out at him.

When all the food had been consumed, Dumbledore stood up and asked the students to do the same. Then, with a wave of his wand, all the tables zoomed back along the walls leaving the floor clear, and then he conjured a raised platform into existence along the right wall. A set of drums, several guitars, a lute, a cello, and some bagpipes were set upon it.

The Weird Sisters now trooped up onto the stage to wildly enthusiastic applause, especially from Tonks. They were all extremely hairy and dressed in black robes that had been artfully ripped and torn. They picked up their instruments, and Harry stood up with Tonks and the other champions as the lanterns on all the other tables went out.

The Weird Sisters struck up a low, mournful tune, and Harry walked onto the dance floor with Tonks, taking her hand in his, before putting his other hand on her hip, her free hand on his shoulder. Then, they started revolving slowly on the spot, staring into each other's eyes.

"I'm already enjoying myself," Tonks said, now and then looking down from Harry's eyes to make sure she didn't step on his toes.

"I'm glad to hear it," Harry said with a smile, his cigarette still dangling from his mouth.

Soon enough, many of the other people in the hall had also come onto the dance floor, so that the champions were no longer the center of attention. Neville and Ginny were dancing nearby, and Harry could see Ginny wincing frequently as Neville trod on her toes. Dumbledore was waltzing with Madame Maxime. He was so dwarfed by her that the top of his pointed hat barely tickled her chin. However, she moved very gracefully for a woman so large. Mad-Eye Moody was doing an extremely ungainly two-step with Professor Sinistra, who was nervously avoiding his wooden leg, and Lupin, wearing very fine dress robes (purchased, no doubt, by Sirius), was waltzing with Professor Vector.

"Looking good there, Mad-Eye," Tonks told Moody with a grin, getting a crooked grin in return from Moody as he passed.

Harry heard the final, quivering note from the bagpipe and stopped dancing as applause filled the hall once more when the Weird Sisters stopped playing.

"Let's go sit down, shall we?"

"But this is a good one!" Tonks said as the Weird Sisters struck up a new song, which was much faster.

"I don't dance to fast songs, you should know that."

Tonks scoffed.

"You're lucky you're sexy, you party-pooper," she said as she led him over to an empty table, sitting down. Within minutes, Tonks was asked to dance by a Beauxbatons boy. Tonks crossed her arms and looked to Harry, who was staring at Fleur.

"Well?"

"Well what?" Harry asked, looking away from Fleur to look at Tonks.

"Aren't you going to fight for me?" Tonks asked with a teasing grin. Harry nodded, then looked to the Beauxbatons boy, who nervously looked back at him. Then, Harry slowly reached up, keeping his face neutral, and turned his bolt twice. The boy cleared his throat.

"Um, never mind..." he muttered, and left Tonks alone. Harry shrugged.

"Why fight when you can merely intimidate?" he asked with a hint of a grin on his face. Tonks looked at him.

"Why are you staring at that French bird, Harry? You're not... attracted to her, are you?"

"I'm ninety-five percent sure she's at least part-veela. I would like a sample of her DNA, or maybe even a blood sample," Harry said, slinging an arm around Tonks' shoulders. "You know you're the only one for me."

Tonks snuggled into him, smiling brightly.

Hermione came over and sat down on the opposite side of Harry. She was a bit pink in the face from dancing.

"Hi," Harry said, nodding.

"It's hot, isn't it?" Hermione said, fanning herself with her hand. "Viktor's just gone to get some drinks."

"Doing well with the Bulgarian bloke, are you?" Tonks asked with that same teasing grin on her face. "Does he do like my Harry and scare away possible dance partners?"

Hermione laughed. "I don't think anyone has had a chance to ask me to dance yet."

Within moments, however, that same Beauxbatons boy had arrived once more, and asked Hermione to dance. Harry was about to interfere, since Hermione looked a bit startled at being asked, but just then Krum arrived at their table, clutching two butterbeers.

"Here you go, Herm-own-ninny," he said, handing one to Hermione. The Beauxbatons boy flinched, then slouched off in disappointment.

"Looks like we both found dates with an impressive intimidation factor, eh?" Tonks said to Hermione, winking as Krum sat down next to Hermione.

Harry smiled and turned the bolt, looking from Krum to Hermione.

"So, how did you two end up going to the ball?"

"Well, Viktor here came to me when we were in the library and asked me to the ball," Hermione said, but Harry could tell that there was more to the story than that. Krum looked a bit embarrassed, which was a funny look on him, as he looked like he didn't know whether to frown or not.

"I had been coming to the library for veeks, trying to vork up the nerve to talk to her," Krum supplied, an ugly blush springing up on his face. "I am glad she said yes."

"Me too," Hermione said with a smile.

The four of them descended into pleasant small talk. Harry found Krum to be a very polite individual, not that he had stopped looking surly and actually started talking. They didn't talk about Quidditch, which Harry assumed Krum was very grateful for.

The top table was now empty. Dumbledore was dancing with Professor Sprout, and Ludo Bagman with Professor McGonagall. Madame Maxime and Hagrid were cutting a wide path around the dance floor as they waltzed through the students, Head Boy Weasley was sitting with his brothers, and Karkaroff was nowhere to be seen. When the next song ended, everybody applauded once more, and Harry saw Ludo Bagman kiss Professor McGonagall's hand and make his way back through the crowds, at which point Fred and George Weasley accosted him.

"What are you looking at?" Tonks asked Harry, following Harry's gaze. "It's funny, you haven't really looked at me all night."

"What about that intimate moment we shared when we danced?" Harry asked, raising an eyebrow. "I only had eyes for you back then."

Tonks smiled. "Want to go outside for a walk? Get away from all the interesting specimens in the room?"

Harry nodded, and the two got up, telling Hermione and Krum that they were going for a walk, but just as they turned to leave, Harry found himself face-to-face with Ludo Bagman, who had shook off Fred and George, smiling brightly at him.

"Harry! How are you enjoying yourself?"

"Fairly well, Mr. Bagman," Harry said with a smile. "But you'll have to excuse me, Tonks and I were just about to go for a walk."

"Very well, very well, this night is for enjoying yourself, after all, so go right ahead," Bagman said, giving them a small bow. Tonks and Harry shared a look, before leaving the Great Hall.

The front doors stood open as they slipped into the entrance hall, and the fluttering fairy lights in the rose garden winked and twinkled as they went down the front steps, where they found themselves surrounded by bushes, winding, ornamental paths, and large stone statues. Harry could hear splashing water, which sounded like a fountain. Here and there, people were sitting on carved benches. He and Tonks set off along one of the winding paths through the rosebushes, but they had gone only a short way when they heard an unpleasantly familiar voice.

"...don't see what there is to fuss about, Igor."

"Severus, you cannot pretend this isn't happening!" Karkaroff's voice sounded anxious and hushed, as though keen not to be overheard. "It's been getting clearer and clearer for months. I am becoming seriously concerned, I cannot deny it..."

"Then flee," Snape's voice said curtly. "Flee... I will make your excuses. I, however, am remaining at Hogwarts."

Snape and Karkaroff came around the corner. Snape had his wand out and was blasting rosebushes apart, his expression most ill-natured. Squeals issued from many of the bushes, and dark shapes emerged from them.

"Ten points from Ravenclaw, Fawcett!" Snape snarled as a girl ran past him. "And ten points from Hufflepuff too, Stebbins!" as a boy went rushing after her. "And what are you two doing?" he added, catching sight of Harry and Tonks on the path ahead. Karkaroff, Harry saw, looked slightly discomposed to see them standing there. His hand went nervously to his goatee, and he began winding it around his finger.

"Walking and smoking," Harry said, lighting his cigarette finally. "There's nothing in the rules against that."

"Keep walking, then!" Snape snarled, and he brushed past them, his long, black cloak billowing out behind him. Karkaroff hurried away after Snape.

"Just because he never got some when he went to school, that doesn't mean he should keep others from getting some," Tonks muttered, looping her arm with Harry's as they kept walking.

"What I want to know is, what were they talking about? And since when have those two been on first-name terms?"

"Hey, forget about that now," Tonks said, taking Harry's cigarette out of his mouth and kissing him. "Tonight is about us."

"Us, huh?" Harry asked. Tonks took a drag from the cigarette, then blew the smoke out through her nose, before smirking, reaching up and turning the bolt.

"Yes, us."

"I can work with that."

Then, they kissed again.

"Hey, Harry," Tonks said as they broke the kiss.

"Hm?"

"How would you like to continue your research into the human mating habits?"

–

"I hope you're not cutting yourself open," came Hermione's voice the next day as the lid to Harry's trunk was opened, and Hermione climbed down. "I swear, Harry, if you are, I'm going to- Oh my..."

Hermione covered her face and turned her back to the operating table, where Harry and Tonks were lying, snoozing peacefully, Tonks on top of Harry, and both of them stark naked.

The smell of sex was clearly evident, and as Harry stretched and saw Hermione glance their way, he saw a heavy blush on her face.

"Good morning, Hermione," Harry said pleasantly, rousing Tonks from her sleep with his voice. Tonks gave off a contented purr as she stretched like a cat, lifting her bum into the air.

"P-Put some clothes on..." Hermione muttered, looking away again.

"What time is it?" Tonks asked, kissing Harry once before getting off him, giving off an "Ooh," when her feet touched the cold floor. Harry got off the table as well, and they started picking up their clothes. Harry put his dirty clothes on the operating table, before taking another set of clothes out of a drawer in the lab, where he kept spare clothes in case of all-nighters. He and Tonks got dressed, Tonks putting on the same dress she had been wearing last night, and they gave Hermione the all clear.

"Haven't you ever heard of knocking, Hermione?" Tonks asked as Hermione turned to them, still blushing furiously.

"I'll remember that from now on..."

"Tonks and I were just doing a joint study into the mating habits of the modern Homo Sapiens," Harry informed Hermione as he put on his lab coat.

"And how did that go?"

"It was very rewarding," Tonks said with a wide grin on her face.

"But how could you do that?" Hermione wanted to know. "Harry is underage! If anyone finds out-"

"Oh, Hermione, you're thinking like a Muggle," Harry said, stretching. "We're in the wizard world. They don't have any rules like that."

"Well, the partner can't be too young, but yeah, we don't have any rules like that."

"Oh... Well, the Muggle world will frown upon it!"

"They'd be too busy wondering why I have a bolt through my head to worry about who I date," Harry said simply, making Hermione's eyes widen.

"That's right! How are you going to hide that?"

"Why would I hide it? I'll probably just pretend I'm going to a costume party, or something," Harry said with a shrug.

"As a sexy mad scientist," Tonks said with a grin, reaching up from behind Harry and turning the bolt. "Ooh, don't you just love that clicking sound?"

"You're both mental," Hermione said, making Harry twitch. Then, however, he considered it, and felt no need to deny it anymore. Therefore, he grinned widely.

"What's wrong with that?"

Hermione blinked, no doubt shocked by the lack of objection from Harry, but before she should say a word, Harry nodded toward her hair.

"I see you gave up the Sleekeazy," he said, grinning still. "You know, the offer still stands. Some magical tampering with the scalp, and you'll have smooth, wavy hair like Nym here has-" Harry stopped and saw that Tonks once more had short, pink hair. "Er... I mean, had."

"No thanks," Hermione said, huffing. "By the way, have you gotten anywhere with your egg?"

"My egg? Oh, right, my egg!" Harry said, snapping his fingers and looking to the corner of the lab, where the golden egg lay, with a thin layer of dust on it. "I haven't really considered opening it yet. Been busy, you know."

"Harry! You need to solve the clue inside!"

"Fine, fine, I'll open it," Harry said, walking over to the egg and picking it up, brushing the dust off it. Then, he dug his fingernails into the groove that ran all the way around it and opened it.

It was hollow and completely empty, but the moment Harry opened it, the most horrible noise, a loud and screechy wailiing, filled the room.

"Shut it!" Tonks yelled, her hands clapped over her ears. Harry slammed the egg shut and peered at it curiously.

"Well, that was informative."

"Was it?" Tonks asked, blinking. "I thought it was kind of ear-splitting, rather than informative... Sounded kinda like a banshee..."

"No, it was informative alright," Harry said, studying the egg. "Perhaps I can only listen to it in a certain element... Like in a certain temperature, or under water, or underground..."

"What are you thinking?" Hermione asked, no doubt recognizing the thoughtful look on Harry's face.

"If I remember correctly, merfolk cannot be heard properly above the surface of the water, and it would take an expert in speaking their language to recognize it above ground..."

"You think it's merfolk, then?" Tonks asked, but Harry shrugged.

"I won't know until I open this egg under water," he said. "I think it's time for me to break into the prefects' bathroom."

"Ooh, I've never been in there!" Tonks said, smiling brightly. "Can I come? We can skinny dip together," she spoke in a singsong voice. Harry smirked.

"Of course you can come."

That night, Harry and Tonks moved through the quiet castle, making sure not to run into Filch or Mrs. Norris, and when they reached the statue of Boris the Bewildered, a lost-looking wizard with his gloves on the wrong hands, Harry closed his eyes and turned the bolt in his head, trying to remember which door was the right one.

"Harry, how do you know where the prefects' bathroom is?" Tonks wanted to know as Harry approached one of the doors, trying to pull it open only to find it locked.

"Oh, I've followed several prefects here during the last four years," Harry whispered back as he took out his wand, pressing the tip against the door. "Purge!" he hissed, and what looked like yellow lightning traveled down the length of the wand, into the door. With a click, it opened.

"What did you just do?" Tonks asked as Harry held the door open for her to enter.

"I basically entered my magic into the magic password mechanism and overrode it, making the door think I gave it the password," Harry explained simply, following her inside, bolting the door behind them, before looking around.

The room was softly lit by a splendid candle-filled chandelier, and everything was made of white marble, including what looked like an empty, rectangular swimming pool sunk into the middle of the floor. About a hundred golden taps stood all around the pool's edges, each with a differently colored jewel set into its handle. There was also a diving board. Long white linen curtains hung at the windows, a large pile of fluffy white towels sat in a corner, and there was a single golden-framed painting on the wall. It featured a blonde mermaid who was fast asleep on a rock, her long hair over her face. It fluttered every time she snored.

As Harry amused himself for a while turning the different taps, watching in fascination as various mixes poured out of them, one with pink and blue bubbles the size of footballs, another with ice-white foam so thick that Harry was sure it would have supported his weight if he cared to test it, and a third with heavily perfumed purple clouds hovering over the water, Tonks made a show of undressing next to him, moving her hips to a tune only she could hear as she disrobed.

"Come on, Harry," she said once the deep pool was full of hot water, foam, and bubbles, "let's see that body again."

Harry undressed, not as showy as Tonks, and together they slipped into the warm water, both breathing a sigh of relief. The two were tall enough to just barely be able to stand on the bottom and keep their heads above water. Of course, Tonks' normal height wouldn't have been enough, but she had metamorphed her legs longer.

"Now, time for the egg," Harry said, reaching for the golden egg at the edge of the pool. His hand was grabbed by Tonks, however, who turned him around with a sultry smirk on her face.

"Do you want to play with your egg, or do you want to play with me?"

"I-" Harry started, but as soon as he opened his mouth, it was invaded by Tonks' tongue, and they got involved in a furious tongue war.

When they broke the kiss, Harry looked thoughtful.

"I guess the egg can wait."

"That thing won't rust, will it?" Tonks asked, nodding for the bolt, and Harry shook his head.

"Nope."

Tonks grinned. "Good."

With that, she kissed him again.

–

Well, there you have it, the tenth chapter! Please leave a review and tell me what you think!