Harry and Tonks: a love story, chapter 28
Thanks for all the reviews: hopefully we can make it every person who reads it reviews now soon!
a/n this chapter (the end) may seem unrealistic but the entire story is sooo... and it needs to happen, for any cracks in the relationship to be fixed!
After breakfast, all three of us head to our first lesson of Transfiguration and for an hour practise conjuring spells – well besides Hermione, she mastered them last year when she was practising with past OWL papers, I mean who does that? Because she moves onto the vanishing spell (I know how to do both – again from last year – but I don't let on so that when Professor McGonagall comes round and sees the amount of things I have conjured, she is extremely impressed.
"Well done Potter, 25 house points!" she exclaims and I internally go 'YES' – I beat Hermione! Even though technically she was doing this last year… but so was I!
"Thanks professor!" I respond with, and she gives me a meaningful smile – I presume about the Order – before moving onto the Slytherins.
"Mr Malfoy, if you please, give up chattering and get on with the work! Even Mr Longbottom has managed to conjure more than you so I would get a move on!" she yells, as Neville shrinks in his seat at being called out in class: Ron next to him sniggers at the colour of Neville's face!
"Harry, are you ever going to tell him?" Hermione asks me in a whisper – she sat with me automatically today: probably to do with our conversation. Ron's face was priceless when he saw though – he expected his 'girlfriend' to come and sit with him: arrogant git! – he went bright red and looked ashamed. I raise my eyebrows inquisitively – pretending I have no clue what she is on about – and she inclines her head in Ron's direction.
"No I don't think so: not until we've left Hogwarts so he can't kill me in my sleep!" I reply and Hermione bursts out laughing, bringing the focus on us two.
"Miss Granger if you would care to tell the class what is so funny you can interrupt my lesson giggling about it!" Professor McGonagall tells her and Hermione shrinks back in her seat.
"Well professor… er-" she begins, faltering.
"Professor she was laughing at the joke I told her!" I intervene, to which Hermione throws me a grateful glance.
"Well Potter, lets here the joke then," McGonagall says, and the smile on my face falters before I think of the first Muggle joke I can then decide to say it:
"What do you get when you pour hot water down a rabbit hole?"
Nobody answers, so I give the answer:
"Hot cross bunnies!" to which Hermione and Ron force themselves to shriek with laughter (Ron is being supportive) and every Muggleborn does also: they've grown up hearing the awful joke. Professor McGonagall's mouth twitches, and some of the others in the class laugh – not a single Slytherin though – before she tells us to get back on with our work.
Class ends and then I walk to charms. The lesson is uneventful, all we are doing is just revising the spells we learnt in the past 4 years because Professor Flitwick doesn't feel too good.
Break rolls round quite quickly and the three of us go and sit near the spot where Hermione punched Malfoy 2 years ago; the aura around this place is awesome due to that punch!
"So what were you really talking about in Transfiguration?" Ron butts into our conversation (mine and Hermione's) about the Muggle tv show F.R.I.E.N.D.S and how she thinks it is awesome whereas I think it's acceptable but the storylines are appalling: she hits me when I say this.
"Erm, well, we were just-" Hermione begins, faltering again: is that all she is doing today?
"We were laughing about the Chudley Cannons new robes and how we think (well I do) that they are hideous," I reel off without a seconds hesitation: a bit suspicious but oh well, insult his precious Cannons and he'll forget everything but the insult.
"Harry you obviously had that planned out: what were you really laughing about? Was it me?" he says – ooops, I thought my insult the Cannons thing would have really worked.
"Ron we weren't laughing at you, or anything, just Quidditch honestly!" Hermione cries out but Ron ignores her and pushes her away when she tries to get close. Then he swings his bag over his shoulder and stalks off, Hermione almost following before I pull her back. I don't want her having to follow him around, just because he's off in a mood: she's not his skivy or anything so why should she go after him, just because he's in a mood?
"Hermione, leave him – you don't have to follow him: you did nothing wrong. Just leave him to it!" I tell her and she nods, upset that he reacted like that to her, but anger is building inside of her – I can tell.
"Well well, Potty and Mudblood have been abandoned by the Weasel. Who knew the Weasel had such guts, such courage to walk away from a dangerous, mentally ill boy called Potter?" a silky smooth voice, heavily laced with sarcasm comes from behind me. Malfoy.
"Piss off Malfoy," I tell him, keeping my back to him: then I change my mind… never turn your back on your enemy Sirius, Remus and Mad Eye told me. I turn and see him standing there, slightly taller than me but about 10m away – doesn't want to get close to the Mudblood – positioned with Crabbe and Goyle on either side of him, their wands drawn. How comical – they actually know how to use a wand – just baby spells of course!
"And stealing the Weasel's lines: how poignant, now that he's finally discovered what the rest of the world already knew… Harry Potter is a lunatic that doesn't deserve to have friends," Malfoy pushes, and I feel my temper rising sharply; from a look at Hermione's face, hers is too.
"And Mudblood Granger being abandoned by her boyfriend, awww poor ickle wickle baby!" he continues further: at the attack at my friend I attack.
"Rubensmettel!" I cry – this is a spell that gives him temporary boils: yet he waves it off with a shield charm, then shouts:
"Frendud!" – to make me go insane, but Hermione has stepped in with her shield – which is miles more powerful than Malfoy's, (his wobbled and almost gave way).
It carries on with:
Spell – him, shield – us
Spell – us, shield (weak) – him and the rejects
For a long while, until we don't put up a shield; instead Hermione screams the spell she learnt last month (brainy girl was reading 7th year textbooks and found a spell that sends the spell the opponent is trying to send back at them) of:
"Ledriddeno!" so Malfoy begins dancing around like a ballerina: new look for him, I really wish that I have a camera so I could document the event. He is dancing and asking the gimps for help, but neither of them can; instead all they do is end up knocking him out with "Stupefy" a spell that they thought would stop the dancing.
"Well Well, what do we have here?" Snape says softly, venom injected into every syllable of the sentence and Crabbe and Goyle look up at him, whilst myself and Hermione breathe deeply from overexertion.
"Nothing, sir," I reply as politely as I can to that slimeball – those insults the Mauraders said to him (via the parchment) back in third I can still remember, and everytime I do, I get a smile on my lips.
"Something funny? Well unfortunately, I witnessed the events that Mr Malfoy's own friends knocked him out, not you two so count yourselves lucky!" he says and I gasp that he isn't going to pin the blame onto us: then I realise there must have been another witness somewhere – someone on our side.
Hermione and I grab our bags and begin to sneak off whilst Snape awakens Malfoy and stops him dancing, but Snape says:
"Not you Mr Potter, wait for me, the headmaster wishes to speak with you," DAMN!
Hermione gives me an apologetic smile but rushes off to see Lavender and Parvati who are standing just over the way and they begin having a huge girly chat.
The Slytherins go on their way, then Snape turns around and stalks off into the castle, robes billowing like royalty behind him and I trudge on after him, wondering what Dumbledore wishes to speak with me about: could it be linked to the Order? That he has decided that I can join the ranks and fight?
We make our way to his office, and Snape gives the password ("Fried Eggs" – those fondant sweets that look like fried eggs but are just so delicious! I climb up the stairs, as Snape motions for me to, but he then stalks off in the direction he came – he isn't coming up!
YES! Just realised that I get to miss some of potions – life really is looking up at the minute! I reach the door and knock – I hear a call of "Come in Harry," echo from inside. Twist open the ring on the door, and walk in – what is Dora doing here? I guess that I have forgiven her because now I see her face, I don't feel a single drop of anger towards her, only saturated love! I look her in the eyes, and see the same emotions I am feeling mirrored back: Dumbledore moves in my peripheral vision and I blink and look away – did he see it?
"Ahh Harry, we were waiting for you to arrive – please take a seat," Dumbledore says to me, motioning to the chair in front of the desk.
"Sir what's this all about?" I ask – does he know about me and Dora or is it something completely unrelated: like because she is the newest member to the Order, maybe she could be training me up!
"All will be explained in due course Harry. Right, I have a proposition for you: dear Nymphadora – sorry Tonks (she shot him a huge glare that would have turned even the sun to ice) – has already agreed to it, dependant on your agreeance also," Dumbledore says – oohhh, I think it could be to join the Order!
"Sir?" I ask – he needs to bloody get on with it! I think he senses that I am desperate to know what it is.
"Well, yesterday Tonks here was attacked by a gang of Death Eaters," he begins and I gasp audibly in horror that she had to deal with that, especially when she was angry with me.
"I'm fine: Remus, Sirius and Dumbledore here came to help me out and we had a victory: no unmasked Death Eaters but we managed to fight them off," she reassures me, and I slightly relax, knowing she wasn't alone.
"Anyway, we wish to do some surveillance in the north of France because I have intelligence that Voldemort is beginning to build his army publicly and may be planning on announcing his return so what I want is for you two to go and investigate if you will – only for maximum a week. I have cleared it Harry that I would say to Dolores Umbridge that you are going to Beauxbatons for the week to visit the school there and practise your French – I have spoken to Madam Maxine and she is perfectly willing to corroborate this story. Tonks here will teach you some French, to help your cover, and what I want is for you two to find the hideout of the Death Eaters because they moved to northern france to be outside of our jurisdiction: also it is harder for myself to track them abroad. So what do you say?"
Oh my god. I get to go and be like an Order member for a week, with my girlfriend, in sunny France (well it's winter almost so it's not going to be warm, but it'll be warmer than here).
"Sir absolutely yes!" I almost shout, when I realise he is waiting for a response. "But sir, how did she buy it?" I add on because why on earth is Umbridge going to let me out of school.
"I persuaded her because I mentioned the fact that you could be a prizewinner soon with your French – good luck Nym- Tonks because the fluency needs to be high – and that it would look great on her record that she had a student flourish under her belt as DADA teacher. Also, I mentioned the fact that Fleur Delacour will be staying here for a week, as part of an exchange programme between the TriWizard Tournament schools – barring Durmstrang because Karakroff has gone missing – and the champions. So you are able and willing to go," Dumbledore says, summarising the fact that I am going to France! In one sentence and I jump for joy: it's the first time I've ever been out of the country!
"thank you sir!" I exclaim and both Dora and Dumbledore look at me with smiles on their faces.
"Alright then Harry, go and pack for a week; Tonks go with him please and make sure he has suitable attire for a week in the coldness of France," Dumbledore asks and we head to the tower.
"Harry, I'm so so-" Dora begins but I cut her off.
"Dora we've already forgiven you, now you need to forgive yourself: you can apologise to Hermione if you want at lunch – because now, we are going to pack!" I say, running with Dora (hand in hand) to the dorm to pack!
Not to be pushy or anything but I have written a new story and not many people (like 10 in 2 chapters) have read it, would you mind? It's called
What doesn't kill us makes us stronger.
Just wondering: which do you prefer?
Story ends (happy or sad – pick) at end of 5th year, and I go into detail about pretty much every week
Or
I take the story past the school time, but end up skipping weeks at a time in 6th year (7th year on run so not really structured the same) but there is a guaranteed happy ending (or if you want, it could be turned nasty…ish)
Let me know, because I go on what you guys tell me, and I need to be planning the story (in a sense)
Review and tell me and also what you liked (if anything, if not tell me what) about this chapter
Vicky xx
