A/N: credits to the facebook page 'Voldemophobia: The Fear Of Having No Nose' for some parts in this chapter. And blame writer's block for the delay.
28. A Long Overdue Conversation
"Well, look at the bright side. Pettigrew got kissed. Probably his first."
Harry gave a dry chuckle. Out of all the crappy stuff he was having, he had to admit that it was indeed a good thing.
"Yeah, only if he confirmed my story first, it would almost be perfect."
"I don't think it would've made a difference." Andromeda commented. "Fudge would brush it off as a madman's daydreams or something."
"But if he confessed under Veritaserum-" Harry started to argue, but Andromeda shook her head.
"Then he would say that the Veritaserum was faulty and would just fire the ministry potion maker. He is a man who would kill hundreds without a second thought just to convince himself that he is right. He would go any lengths to prove you wrong."
Harry wanted to curse someone to oblivion, preferable Fudge or Voldemort. With his new extra power, he was sure he could destroy an incompetent wizard like Fudge within seconds. Voldemort... not so easy.
Which reminded him of something he had to do.
"Hey Sirius, can you anyone go to the Department of Mysteries? Or do you need a permission of some sort?"
"I'm not sure. Why do you ask?"
Harry felt a bit hesitant. He told both of them about his meeting with his parents. But he made it sound like he was shot with a curse that sent him to some sort of magical coma. Thankfully, they didn't pry. Now, he had to be a bit careful with his words.
"You know when I... um... met my parents, they asked me to take either of you to the Hall of Prophecies in the Department of Mysteries. So I was wondering if you could take me or would there be trouble..." he trailed off. Andromeda looked thoughtful, but Sirius looked slightly angry.
Before he could ask him about it, there was a loud knock on the door. Andromeda stood up with a slight frown and went to get it. Harry turned his attention back to Sirius.
"What's wrong, Sirius?" he asked curiously. Sirius scowled heavily.
"There was a prophecy in your name. James and Lily went to hiding for it. They must've been talking about it."
"A prophecy in my name? What did it say?" Harry asked warily. Sirius huffed in frustration.
"I don't know. But I'll guess it has something to do with Voldemort. I asked James and Lily to keep it to themselves." He said with a bit of regret. He was obviously thinking about when he turned down their offer to be the Secret Keeper.
"Hey Padfoot, I told you that they don't blame you, didn't I?" Sirius smiled at him.
"Yeah you did. Now let's see what's taking Meda so long."
They didn't have to, however, even get up because Andromeda came back right then. She was sniffing and her eyes were a bit red. That sent off an alarm in Harry because he never saw Andromeda crying. What was it?
"What's wrong Meda?" Sirius asked worriedly, getting up.
"Who was it?" Harry asked in a similar tone.
"That would be me."
...
Lucius Malfoy got up clumsily, fearing that he might fall down any second. Thankfully, his cane and his legs were able to carry him to the door. Hands shaking badly, he turned the serpent's head that gave access to his bedroom. He sank down to the bed and panted heavily.
Having his wand burned down and losing four Death Eaters in one night has only served to make the Dark Lord angrier than ever. Unfortunately, Lucius seemed to have become his personal practise dummy and as a result, Lucius was finding it quite difficult to walk properly for more than a few seconds at a go. Of course, the loss of that thrice damned diary might be a catalyst, but still, what could a mere diary mean to someone as powerful as the Dark Lord?
And the entire fault was of that Potter brat's. He was the root of all the sufferings of Lucius Malfoy. If his son wasn't so incompetent, he could have used him to get to Potter. But he didn't know how a Malfoy could have been so purely dumb.
Of course, Lucius could claim that Draco wasn't exactly his son, because Lucius was... erm... physically unfit to give birth to a child. He tried to convince Narcissa to get pregnant with his brother Aracus, but she refused downright. Aracus was just barely out of Durmstrang, and Narcissa didn't like him.
Desperate to have an heir, he kidnapped a random witch and had Aracus impregnate her. He was told that the girl was a gift for his graduation. She was put under the Imperius while she bore the child, unknown by anyone but him and Narcissa. After Draco's birth, the girl was killed and Draco was magically adopted by the couple. Narcissa, who didn't approve any part of the plan, was told that the girl simply had her memory erased, but in reality, Lucius couldn't afford anyone to get the little Malfoy secret by any means. Everyone knew Draco was Narcissa and Lucius' son, and the future heir to the Malfoy family, once Lucius died. Aracus wouldn't be the heir because he was already the heir of his mother's family.
Shaking the thoughts of not-really-his son, he tried to devise a plan to bring Potter down and make him pay for everything he had ever done. It was time to do some research.
...
"That would be me."
Both men turned towards the newcomer. She was wearing a black leather jacket with dark jeans and heavy black boots. She could be passed for Andromeda's twin without a doubt. The only difference was that this woman had a bubblegum pink hair whereas Andromeda's hair was dark brown and unlike Andromeda, she was smiling mischievously.
"Dora." Harry whispered. The newcomer's smile broadened and she promptly threw herself at him, her face changing back to normal as she enveloped Harry in a crushing embrace.
The moment was bittersweet. Both of them went through some of the toughest times of their lives without the other. They were separated when they needed each other the most. And now, after a whole year, they were back in each other's embrace and they never wanted to let go. Harry tried to tell her how much he had missed her through the hug, and she seemed to understand.
After what seemed like eternity, they let go, and unsurprisingly, Tonks was crying. Harry squeezed her hand in a reassuring gesture. He felt a bit teary himself. How could he not, given how much he missed her for twelve long months? In a corner of his mind he knew that he hadn't fully grasped the fact that she was really back and it simply wasn't a dream, but he could deal with it later, he decided. He would have time for that later on.
Sirius looked in wonder as the two communicated easily without any words spoken. It reminded him so much of James and Lily that he momentarily forgot that one of them was fifteen and the other was now a trained Auror of nineteen. He smiled widely as Tonks turned and spread her arms, advancing towards him.
"Hey Nymphie, missed ya." He said with a large grin and snickered as she lightly punched his kidney.
"Watch it Sirius, I know a lot of nasty curses now." She warned him playfully, and laughed as the mutt gulped dramatically.
"Ooh, Merlin save me from Auror Tonks!" he wailed and despite her laughter, she felt a jolt of pride at the title 'Auror Tonks'. Finally, her dreams came true.
"You better watch out, mutt." Andromeda said proudly, looking at her daughter with a large, watery smile.
"She didn't get trained by Mad-Eye, Harry did. Whom would you consider more skilled?" Sirius joked, and Harry had an odd feeling remembering that he was actually more powerful than Tonks.
"Oh, he is a legend there." Tonks said. "They have some jokes running about him at the Academy."
"Like what?" Harry asked curiously.
"One day a basilisk stared at Mad-Eye. Then the basilisk died."
Sirius let out a dog like bark as Harry and Andromeda chuckled with Tonks.
"Oh, don't tell anyone, but that was started by Lily."
"Are you ser- I mean, really?" Andromeda quickly corrected herself before she had to hear that 'sirius-serious' joke again.
"Yeah, she did. She might not have acted like one, but she was mischievous enough to put the Marauder's to shame. Of course, we didn't find that out before Prongs proposed to her."
Harry smiled widely at the mention of his mum. He had witnessed how mischievous she could be, after all.
After chatting lightly with the new Auror, Andromeda finally said, "Okay, we can talk to Dora later, now let her get back to her room and change into something more comfortable. Off you go, dear." She added with a smile at her daughter. It was clear that she terribly missed her daughter for the last year. Tonks grinned at her mum and skipped away towards the stairs, stumbling at the second step.
"Some things never change, huh?" Sirius said with a chuckle.
...
"Come in darling."
With a slightly uneasy smile, Harry entered the room. He hasn't entered this room for since she left, though she wouldn't mind if he had. It looked just like the way he remembered: messy and distinctly flashing her personality.
"Hey Dora, how have you been?" he asked as he sat down on a corner of her bed. Despite what he thought, this felt a little awkward to him. Tonks sat down right beside him, and though she put an arm around him, he could tell that she felt a bit of uneasiness too.
"How is it that we are being awkward?" she asked him, and that one question broke all the barriers between them and he gave her another warm hug which she returned gladly.
"So, care to tell me about your Third Task of the tournament? All I got was a note from mum saying that you won but had some injuries. Did you get your arse kicked?" she asked brightly and Harry flinched mentally.
"What can I say; I swear I died doing it." He replied back easily and Tonks laughed.
"I missed you so much, Harry." She said softly, with a burning sincerity in her voice. He squeezed her palm to tell her that he missed her too.
"You have no idea how hard it was without you to kick my bum." He informed her and she smirked.
"I see you have grown a great bum. What's the secret?" she teased him, slapping his butt playfully. Harry gave a yelp in surprise.
"Hey don't you ever change?" he asked, half embarrassed, half amused. She simply shook her head with a grin.
"So, how is it going?"
"Haven't you been getting the newspaper?" Harry asked darkly. He wasn't looking forward to what would come after he finished his tale.
"Nope. Wasn't allowed. Why? What happened?" she asked with concern.
"Let's start from the Third Task then." Harry said in a tired voice.
After twenty minutes, Tonks' head was spinning. She wanted to murder Fudge for everything he did. She wanted to cry her eyes out for what Harry had to endure. She wanted to snog him senseless for what he did to Voldemort. She also wanted to do a hell lot of other things, but she had to remain satisfied with just holding the poor boy tightly.
Wait, did she said she wanted to snog him?
Oh Merlin.
"Dora?" he called her softly.
"Hmm dear?"
"Do I disgust you?" he asked fearfully and Tonks was shocked.
"Why the hell would you disgust me?"
He looked like it caused him great deal of pain to admit it, but finally he got it out. "I killed someone."
"What? Who? When?" she asked, bewildered.
"In the graveyard. Riddle's followers. They had their backs turned and I shot them from... behind. I... can't give life to a simple bacteria, but I killed a couple of people within minutes. Does it make me a monster like... him?"
It was obvious that he kept that guilt in his chest for a long time. She pulled him closer and kissed him on the cheek. At the academy, she was told about the guilt when you kill for the first time. If you have a good mind, that guilt could be very powerful. And harmful.
"Listen to me. If you didn't kill them, they would've killed you. Which one do you prefer? Being dead or alive? Voldemort doesn't kill for self defence. He kills for the joy of it. You are nothing like him, sweetheart. You are a far better person than he could ever hope to be."
"But I hit them from behind." He said miserably. It was a cowardly thing to do.
"Well they should have thought of checking their behinds, shouldn't they? You had a chance and you took it. The Death Eaters wouldn't mind attacking you from behind, and I don't mean it the fun way." She added with a smirk and was satisfied to see the slight smile on his lips.
"Did you have to say that?" he accused her playfully.
"Why not? People do that all the time. You should try it sometimes. I heard it can be fun. Not with the Death Eaters, though."
"Yuck! Not an hour since you are back and you already start giving me images."
She winked at him. "Glad to be of service, good sir."
He just laughed a bit and shoved her shoulder playfully. She grinned, happy to have successfully diverted his thoughts from the guilt. As she rested her head on his shoulders, she began to go through the whole thing slowly. She was so overwhelmed the first time that she could barely focus on the details. No sooner than she started, what he said at first registered in her mind.
"Can you tell me a truth Harry?" she asked, heart beating fast in what she could comprehend.
"Sure, what is it?"
"You really died doing it, didn't you?"
Harry looked down. He didn't tell about his death to anyone, neither about the horcrux that was inside him. But if he wanted to tell someone, it was definitely the young Auror in front of him. Slowly, he nodded, not meeting her eyes. She was silent for a long time and he looked up to see her mouth hanging open. She was clearly in shock.
"Dora?" he called worriedly.
"Bu... but how? How did you survive again?" she managed to ask. He gave another sigh before answering.
"Remember how I told you about the horcruxes?"
She nodded.
"I was one of them."
She was now officially lost. Her precious Harry used to be a part of... that evil bastard?
"I don't... understand..."
"When his curse backfired at him all those years ago, he created a horcrux unintentionally. His soul was ripped and his body destroyed. So that part of soul became attached to the only living thing there."
"You."
"Yes, me."
"Okay, so what happened to it?"
"It acted as a leech, draining from my magic. Once Voldemort hit me with the Killing Curse in the graveyard, that horcrux was destroyed. I wanted to vomit when I learnt that an ugly baby was inside me all the time."
"An ugly baby inside you? Oh Merlin, it's true!" she suddenly said with a grin.
"What's true?" he asked confusedly.
"Well, I read a story where two guys shag and one guy gets pregnant. Hestia said it was the weirdest bullshit she ever heard, but there you go. You were almost a mum!"
Harry blushed tomato red and almost shouted, "I didn't shag a guy!"
"Good to know, neither did I." Came a voice and Harry groaned when he saw Sirius poking his head through the door. Harry groaned. Apparently, his loud proclamation attracted his attention.
"Sirius, go away!" Harry whined.
"So that you can shag a girl?" he quipped.
"Yeah." Dora answered for him. "Just so you know Harry here doesn't like it from behind."
Sirius went away, roaring in laughter. Tonks laughed at his beet red face.
"You done messing with me?" he grumbled and she smirked.
"Not yet." She whispered. Then she cupped his face with a mischievous grin and slowly pressed her lips against his.
Her lips were soft, warm and wonderful. He could taste her lip balm and he could taste... her. It was almost heaven. He kissed her back gently. Their lips moved in perfect rhythm.
Too soon for his liking, she broke away. He flushed when he realized what he was actually doing.
"Ooh. Someone likes doing that." She teased him. "You were amazing, by the way, been practising much?"
"Only for you luv." He shot back and to his immense surprise, she actually blushed a bit.
"Okay, now get that shit eating grin off your face or people would think we were really shagging. I hope you didn't practise that too?" she nudged him with a grin and he simply shook his head. She was impossible. And a top class kisser. Not that he had anything to compare with, but it couldn't be better, could it?
"Why did you do that, Dora?" he asked her quietly. Though he did enjoy it immensely, it wouldn't help at all when she would fall for another guy and Harry would be just a 'good friend' to her.
"Because I can." She said simply and Harry dropped the subject. He might have admitted to himself that he loved her, but he wasn't in a hurry to admit it to her. If he ever did it, that is.
They sat there silently for a couple of minutes while Tonks went through the details again, trying very hard not to dwell on exactly how wonderful Harry was as a kisser.
"Harry?"
"Hmm?"
"You said you told Voldemort about how you destroyed his diary, didn't you?"
"Yeah." He said with an evil grin. "Lucius Malfoy might lose a few limbs for that."
She chuckled before pressing on. "But now he knows that you now know about his horcruxes. You said that you know where the rest of them were, but what if he changes their locations now?"
Harry grinned at her question, thinking about his time back with his parents. Apparently, Lily had a great idea for her son.
"I am actually hoping that he would go to check on his horcruxes, Dora. Oh, it would be so much fun!"
Tonks looked warily at the giggling boy in front of her.
