Chapter Eleven

Lunch with Bones

It was Eleven thirty, which was the time Madam Bones had said would be convenient, giving the children half an hour to socialise before lunch. They were currently standing in front of the Floo connection in Tonks apartment building.

Tonks's nerves seemed to have calmed since visiting her friend, who had spent almost an hour with them the day previous advising them on what they had to wear and what would be appropriate. It was meant to be a casual affair but it was still a lunch with one of the most important people in magical Britain. They'd then spent some time fussing over basic etiquette for the meal and introductions. Luckily, Madam Bones was not known for her obsession with old manners and customs.

Harry was wearing a light brown shirt with three buttons but no collar. It was casual but could pass for polite and formal. He wore black trousers and a nice cloak draped over his shoulders. Traditionally, adults were expected to wear robes, but children had fewer expectations placed on them outside formal events.

Tonks wore a grey shirt and black pants topped off with a long black robe. Apparently it was supposed to be worn with the buttons done unevenly but this was after all a polite occasion. Tonks's face was friendly and heart shaped: the face that Harry had gotten used to. On this occasion, she had shoulder-length silver hair. It was clear that she had made an effort. Even her boots were shiny, for once.

Looking over at him with an encouraging smile, Tonks said, "So… ready to go?"

He nodded in reply, stepping into the Floo.

The Bones family house was nice. Tonks had known the address and had actually taken the Knightbus to scout out the area and think about whom she was dealing with. Moody would be proud, though he had been less than thrilled by her popping in and leaving questions on his desk. It was an old three-storey house, tastefully done up to modern standards. She had been told that it had powerful protections on it, but these were not protections to make a person anonymous. That was not surprising as nobody would want one of the most important people in the country being able to easily vanish.

Upon arriving through the Floo, Tonks made a point of reaching to steady Harry but found he was getting used to Floo travel and he didn't need the assistance. 'They grow up so fast, HA!'

In the foyer they were greeted by Madam Bones and her niece, Susan. "Welcome to our home!" said Madam Bones.

Susan's greeting was far more enthusiastic. She immediately clasped her hands around Harry's and said excitedly, "Hey Harry, I named my owl! I went with your idea of looking for historic people and chose 'Artemisia' – she was the first women ever to be Minister of magic, though that was over three hundred years ago!"

"Sounds like a great name," Harry replied. He seemed to have gotten over his nerves now that he was here with his friend – a good thing too, in Tonks opinion – he had been nervous about all this, maybe not as demonstrative as she had, but still nervous.

"Well," Madam Bones began. "I'm sure you and Susan will have plenty to do here. Just make sure you're at the dining table by twelve thirty when lunch is served. In the meantime I will give Miss Tonks a tour."

"Come on, Harry!' said Susan, showing him upstairs to her room.

And with that Tonks was left alone with one of the most powerful people in Britain.

"Shall we be off? I'm sure they have plenty to do," Madam Bones said.

Galloping up the steps to keep up with Susan, Harry felt it would be proper to pay the house a compliment. "This is a lovely house," he said. He couldn't think of anything better. Still, he saw Susan beam at him so apparently it had been a good choice.

"Thanks, this was actually my grandparents before they... well, they were killed in the last war. The same thing happened to my parents, so Auntie and I ended up with all the houses." She spoke in a tone of strained cheerfulness. Harry could hear the underlying sadness in her voice, and it made him feel like a twit.

He tried to apologise: "Sorry, I didn't mean to dredge anything up."

Shaking her head and leading him to her room, she replied, "It's fine. Really, I'd much rather have my family than some old houses, but Auntie's always been kind to me so long as I don't misbehave too much." She sounded amused as she finished speaking, sticking her tongue out the side of her mouth as they finally arrived at her door.

"I know my parents had a little cottage that Auntie and I visit a few time a year, and Auntie has a small house somewhere in the middle of London near the Ministry, though it's really just a big office to her. Anyway, come on I've got this great Hogwarts express model that really moves!" She sounded so enthusiastic about it. And who could blame her? It looked amazing!

After they set off for a tour around the Bones family home, Tonks spied a tapestry hanging over the fireplace. It was large and slightly tattered, a royal blue triangle with a circle inside and an arrow at the centre. 'I know that from somewhere,' Tonks thought.

She was a little surprised that, although she was definitely curious about Harry, Madam Bones seemed just as curious about Tonks herself. She was still hoping to find a way to drop her career ambitions into the conversation. Maybe if her grades came up?

She had to respect the Bones family. They had been duellists, hit wizards and aurors for generations. Even those that never sought a career in law enforcement tended to be skilled combatants. Their ancestral home of five generations was tastefully decorated with memorabilia, trophies and examples of their accomplishments.

"So... may I ask about that tapestry? The symbol looked familiar," she said.

Madam Bones chuckled dryly. "It should. Does Binns never teach anyone about the history of recent wars and Dark Wizards?"

Shaking her head, Tonks began rummaging in her mind for whose symbol it might have been. Binns really only ever talked about giants and goblins and he even managed to make those fantastic creatures seem deathly boring.

"Well, before the last war there was a dark Wizard named Gellert Grindelwald. Despite having been thrown out of Durmstrang he managed to become very powerful. He was extremely charismatic and he gathered a vast army with the intention of subjugating the none magical world. "

Tonks almost clicked her fingers. That was where she'd seen it: in one of her mother's books on the history of the Dark. And, of course, Grindelwald was mentioned on Dumbledore's chocolate frog card.

"He proclaimed himself Gellert the indomitable, Gellert the undefeatable and so on. My parents took offence at that, having recently taken the world by storm as world champion duellists." Madam Bones's voice was edged with pride. "While my parents did not defeat him themselves, they battled him on numerous occasions and defeated one of his favourite servants, taking the tapestry as a prize."

"They sound truly impressive. I've read about Gellert and his followers in some history books. He was worse, in some ways, at least in terms of body count, than… well... You Know Who," Tonks finished lamely. Having heard Harry and Moody use the name without fear, she felt a tad embarrassed.

"I suppose I know who, though I would rather have a name." Madam Bones left the statement hanging for a moment, looking her over as if measuring her up to some unforseen standard.

"Voldemort," she replied, seeing the older women smile and nod her head. The tour continued until they returned to the bottom floor. Twenty minutes had passed and there was only one room left to see. The conversation turned to careers.

"Interesting. From what I have heard from Moody, you may very well be a candidate for aurorhood, maybe even the advanced studies program if your grades keep up. It's been sometime since someone has made it into the auror training program straight out of school, mostly thanks to the defence teachers. Did you have trouble studying before the trace on your wand broke?" Madam Bones asked, opening the door to a large room with very thick stone walls and a cobblestone floor. It was almost entirely empty, but Tonks noticed various runes carved into the floor, walls and ceiling; the magic in the air was so thick she could taste it.

"Thank you, Miss Amelia, and no. I made it a point to study hard while I was at school, and Alastor was willing to occasionally have practice days for me, though only if my grades and behaviour were just right." Miss Amelia looked amused at that. Seeing as the two had been partners for a time Tonks could easily guess why.

"Well then, I am most curious about your skills then, and my family felt there were few better ways to get acquainted with someone than with a practice duel. What do you say?"

Standing to attention, Tonks replied, "If you're sure, ma'am, it would be a privilege." She bowed in the proper gracious manner. Madam Bones was after all the more experienced one.

"Excellent. Silent casting for the moment. No need to mind the walls, but don't use anything too destructive – no explosives – we can continue talking while we begin and increase the pace to our comfort." She sounded rather pleased, and honestly so was Tonks.

Nodding, Tonks said, "That sounds fair ma'am. Should I mind the door?" She drew her wand and stepped into the centre of the room.

"No, I can make the door seal itself off behind the wall, if you are comfortable with that?" said Madam Bones, taking her own place at the centre of the room.

"I suppose, that sounds fair." Of course, one reason why Tonks felt secure enough to let Madam Bones seal the door was that before they had come to the House of Bones, Moody had come by and given Tonks and Harry a portkey each, just in case Madam Bones was not really Madam Bones. Seeing, hearing and more importantly feeling the magic around her, Tonks could tell the door was sealed behind the wall itself. Runes lit up the walls more strongly than before.

They bowed and took their places. Tonks assumed a duelling stance that took advantage of left arm movements and minimised any chance of clumsiness. In a serious but still relaxed tone, Madam Bones said, "Why don't you show me what you are capable of?"

And so they began.

Harry found that Susan was very good company. They were currently embroiled in a game of Wizards' Chess. The board and pieces were heirlooms, apparently. More importantly, Harry was losing.

"Rook to… E4" Harry announced after some deliberation. Susan's reaction was a sharp intake of breath, which meant that it was probably a good move.

While playing the game, they were talking in between turns, usually to cover up the yelling and bickering of the pieces.

"Bishop to B2," Susan announced confidently as her Bishop moved into place, forcing his king further backwards.

Just as her turn began, Harry had a thought he couldn't keep silent: "So, did you see the Quidditch match a few days back?" He'd seen pictures of the Holyhead Harpies covering the walls and he'd been meaning to broach the subject for a while.

Susan looked up at him excitedly, "Yes, of course! Weren't the Beaters amazing!"

"Vervix," Tonks murmured, trying to keep her voice quiet to make it slightly more difficult for her opponent to determine what she was doing. The disarming charm wavered and then flung itself to the side only to be blocked by a silent Protego.

Tonks froze the advancing flames and hurled a freezing charm in Madam Bones' direction. It was blocked immediately but she managed to force her opponent to react. Considering the small smirk on Madame Bones face, her efforts were either entertainingly impressive or amusingly pathetic.

Madam Bones apparently had the same sort of taste in "friendly practice duels" as Mad Eye Moody: which was to say, dangerous. Most practice duels involved either weakened offensive spells or disarming charms, but here, using anything but her best was going to end with ignoble defeat. And when she thought about who she was duelling Tonks knew she could probably fling about Confringos and still expect them to be blocked with ease.

'A Wind Blasting Charm,' Tonks realised. She flung herself so she faced dead centre of the blast, and was a little pleased to see shock on Madam Bone's face. "Displodo!" An explosion of magical energy tore through the centre of the attack scattering its power all over the room. Tonks immediately followed with a "Circumaggero!"

Madam Bones didn't miss a beat if she had been thrown by Tonks using such a spell. "Pressura," she said. There wasn't even an accompanying wand movement.

Tonks winced and waited for an explosion that never came. Instead, Tonks heard a crunching sound from the wall behind her opponent. 'Damn, never would have thought of a crushing curse as a counter.'

Tonks's next spell was already in motion when Madam Bones signalled for a pause and with an effort she managed to clamp down on the raging energies she had been preparing to unleash.

Madam Bones waited a moment and bowed. Realising the duel was at a close, Tonks followed suit.

Smiling with a surprising amount of warmth, the older women spoke: "Excellent performance. You certainly do show promise. I doubt most adults would have an arsenal half as large as yours, and I suppose Moody explains to you never to show off everything unless it's life or death?" Judging by her tone, Madam Bones already knew, even before Tonks inclined her head to confirm it.

"Well, I'd say as long as you pass your defence exams this year, you're a shoo-in. Now, I imagine those two children of ours have managed to work up quite an appetite. Time for lunch, I think." Without waiting for a response, Madam Bones set off. The door reappeared and opened for them automatically.

Despite her elation, Tonks knew that Madame Bones had meant something by that remark. She could only begin to guess what the elder women's mind had been able to determine from their conversation.

These thoughts were sorted to the back of her mind as the House elf was sent to collect the kid. She could hear them barrelling down the stair giggling like mad.

"Good thing I told him about House elves before coming," thought Tonks. Of course, now she was going to have to introduce him to the House elves working at Hogwarts. Harry had been highly curious and had seemed offended at the idea of House elves not getting paid for their work.

Madam Bones led Tonks, Harry and Susan to a small and well-lit dining nook seemingly intended for the purpose of more intimate discussions and meals, as opposed to the large dining table Madam Bones had shown Tonks on the tour.

"Please, have a seat," said Madam Bones pleasantly. They took their seats. Harry and Susan sat across from one another and Madam Bones sat opposite Tonks. With a scintillating magical sparkle, food appeared on the table.

Smiling at the beautiful sight and heavenly smell of food, Tonks's mind drifted slightly. 'Ah, just like Hogwarts,' she thought, before refocusing on the here and now.

The meal was delicious: bratwurst steak with mashed potatoes and gravy, as well as tea and apple juice to drink. Hoping to appear mature, Tonks went for the tea, feeling a little childish regardless.

They are in silence for several minutes. Harry and Susan gobbled their food until they received a reprimand from the house elf who insisted that food should be enjoyed at a slow pace, "to avoid choking the young mistress and master."

Chuckling, Miss Bones said, "So Harry, how have you been finding the magical world, so far?" She took up another piece of sausage as she finished her question.

Swallowing, Harry looked over at Madam Bones and smiled, something he was finally getting used to. "It's been excellent: the Quidditch! The spells! The Three Broomsticks! I know it must seem normal to you but it's been a little overwhelming at times. I can hardly wait to get to Hogwarts. I've only seen it at a distance so far." Worried he was behaving somewhat foolishly he clamped down on his speech and went back to his meal.

"You've been to the Three Broomsticks: lucky!' said Susan. 'Aunt Amelia wouldn't let me go in when we visited Hogsmeade. Though it was night time then and just after Quidditch season, so I can see why.'

"It's an excellent place. Madam Rosmerta is really friendly, though I've heard about places like that getting a bit wild after festival and big games."

"One of the toughest times for the Ministry is when big events come about, especially for the street patrollers, magical mishap menders, and the Obliviators. We all love showing off and making a show." Miss Bones sounded amused but it was mingled with mild disapproval.

"I used to really look forward to Defence against the Dark Arts at Hogwarts, but I've heard they don't get very good professors for that position anymore, cos it's cursed."

"Because," Madam Bones stressed, kindly.

"Oh, sorry Auntie," Susan said without much conviction.

Madam Bones looked over at Tonks with a level gaze, "Obviously, I haven't attended Hogwarts in years, but I do know this year's professor of Defence Against the Dark Arts taught Muggle Studies for three years and recently returned from a trip around the world for training purposes. Do you have any measure of Professor Quirrell, Miss Tonks?"

"Well, Professor Quirrell's always been a fairly quiet but decent professor. A friend of mine took his class and said he was very competent. Coming from Jason, that means a lot. He can't be much worse than Tobins; it turned out he hadn't actually graduated. His credentials were all falsified."

"Ah, I heard about that. It even made the Daily Prophet. Dumbledore and Professor Snape filled in for the remainder of the year if I recall." Tonks response was to shudder and nod.

'For someone who doesn't attend Miss Bones seemed to know an awful lot about Hogwarts,' Harry thought. Then what Tonks had actually said about professor Quirrell struck him, and he realised that the Professor Quirrell Tonks spoke of seemed quite different from the one he had been introduced to. Still, Harry knew it was probably better to let the subject of Professor Quirrell alone for the moment. There was no reason to be rude about the man behind his back. Harry had always hated the way other students at school and his neighbours in Privet Drive had said things thinking he couldn't hear them, or just not caring.

"Flying should be good though. Madam Hooch is the instructor and she's worked as a private coach. I've heard even some of the professionals have hired her," Susan said, changing the subject.

It was eight PM and Harry was drifting off to sleep, still reminiscing about visiting his first friend his own age. Harry enjoyed the experience of having dinner with the Bones family. It was very different from eating with the Dursleys. Whereas the Dursleys resented him and made snide comments about how "scruffy" and "idle" and "unwanted" he was, Susan and Madam Bones seemed to like him and they treated him like an equal, like he was one of them.

"You enjoy today Harry?" Tonks asked from across the room and behind the curtain. Apparently she noticed his still-awake state.
Tiredly, Harry said, "It's been great, thank you."

End Chapter

Author's Notes

Thanks for reading everyone I hope you've all enjoyed this installment; I'm so sorry it's taken so long to get this chapter out, writing has been hard for me recently and I do not want to put out anything less than my best work. Real life is making writing this difficult, but I I intend to get Harry to school and sorted within two/three months; after that i'm honestly not sure, sorry. If I start writing another fic I'll make sure to finish it before posting.

Before anything else I would like to thank Chandagnac for being an awesome beta reader and editor, nothing of this story would have ever been published if not for his help.

I'd like to thank everyone who has viewed, faved and followed this story, I never imagined when I started out i'd get over 100 reviews, 300 hundred follow and 200 hundred faves; I owe it all to you, so thank you everyone, you're the best readers I could have asked for!

Headcanon:

Now onto some other matters such as the content of this chapter, I hope I did a decent job fleshing out the Bones family as well as Susan an Amelia. Now I myself tend to be somewhat against people dropping the name Voldemort in Harry Potter fanfiction, as it does sort of go against the established norm. In the same vein, I do think Amelia may well be someone who would be willing to say his name, if she thinks he's dead/crippled. I personally go with the idea that Voldemort jinxed his name in the last war as well and that's why people fear saying it, otherwise it sounds like it would be hard to develop an aversion to a name. The idea is that after he "died" the jinx broke, but people either fearing he'll comeback or just because they fear the memory of him refuse to say it. Amelia thinks he's either dead or crippled in either case he'd be no threat to her as far as she's concerned; if/when he comes back she'd start using alternate names as well.

One thing to note is that while Voldemort and Dumbledore are the most power spell casters in Britain; I do no think they are unbeatable by others, I tend to put, Amelia, Rufus, Moody (in his prime), Bellatrix and both Crouches on a level of skill and power high enough that they could challenge and conceivable beat the other two wizards, it just wouldn't be likely.

As for how this works given Voldemort killed Amelia with seeming ease, I look at it like this. He's a very powerful wizard, but one of the things that makes him evermore dangerous is his mastery over the killing curse, he's a psychopath/sociopath with no empathy so he can fling that curse around with ease, this makes fighting him extremely difficult to near impossible. But it doesn't work with Dumbledore, because I think that Voldemort is still afraid of him and when he fights him as much as he wants to some part of him is still too scared of Dumbeledore for him to be able to bring out the killing curse. He does not on the other hand posses such fear of the other powerful wizards and witches.

Additionally, I tend to think he became more fearless when he returned with his new body because he was certain even if he did get defeated he'd be able to comeback, so he essentially had nothing to fear, so before when the other wizards and witches like the Potters or the Bones's were able to duel him and he could not bring out the killing curse as easily he was no longer held back by a fear of dying, making him all the more dangerous.

Sorry for the deluge of head canon there; that's all just personal theory/head canon on my part regardless.