Chapter 9

Last Week before School

Sirius had tried his best to get Harry out of his funk but he had been unresponsive to anything Sirius had said or tried since that day. It was like Harry was just going through the motions. He would get up in the morning, do his work out and then sit in the library and read or study.

He had, however, opened up a little to Ron, Hermione, Ginny and the Twins again. It was like he tried to drown himself in nothing just to keep himself distracted. Harry hadn't spoken much to either Sirius or Tonks outside of meals and training.

It was another seemingly normal day when Harry's attention was drawn by a large number of feets running up the staircase.

"Come on, Harry. Hogwarts letters arrived," Ron shouted. "We're waiting for you in the kitchen. We'll open them together."

"Alright. I'm coming."

Harry closed the book he had found on defensive magic and placed it back on the shelf where he had found it. Sirius had gotten Dobby to remove the worst books some time earlier that month so Harry had been given free reign to peruse and take anything that caught his fancy. He had already found a few that he had packed into his new trunk.

Harry made his way down to the kitchen and ran into Tonks who was leaning against the door.

"Hey…"

"Hey. I'm sorry for how I've been treating you. It's just… you remind me of him - he reminds me of you - you get what I mean. It's just a lot and it makes me miss him. I don't know how to handle it."

Tonks bit her lip and nodded. She hated how he looked like a heartbroken puppy. She had been waiting for a letter that never arrived. She wanted to write him as Jacque but she wasn't sure what to even put in a letter. The band Harry had gotten for Jacque felt like a chain weight around her heart, a chain that linked her to the misery she had caused by her lies and deceit. She had begun wearing it around her neck hidden away under her shirts, closer to her heart. She was thankful that Harry had ended up picking something long enough for her to do that. She idly ran a finger along the band before catching his eyes. Her fingers dropping down at the sight of him.

"If you really like him you should write."

"What's the point?" Harry sighed. "I'll be gone tucked nicely away at Hogwarts for most of the year. Let's face it. It was never meant to be anything. It's better if I just forget about it. Chuck it up as a summer romance gone wrong... just forget about it, Tonks. I blew it. Jacque will find someone else. He's beautiful and charming. He can do much better than me."

Tonks wanted to throttle him and make him understand that it wasn't a done thing, that the issue was not what he had said or done. Jacque was still very much interested in continuing whatever it was that they had. She was interested in it, as much as she might deny it.

"Do you always give up this easily? I - I don't know what happened between you two, but surely it can't be worse than the Triwizard Tournament."

"This is not the same."

"So you are more afraid of writing a letter than of a dragon?" The irony of her saying that sentence was not lost on Tonks, but she had been angry at herself for a week now and all she wanted to do was to grab Harry and shake some sense into him because she had been the one who messed up. Well, that or snog him senseless.

"The dragon couldn't crush me like that letter could."

"I'm pretty sure that the dragon could have also crushed you," she quipped and it said a lot about Harry that this drew a smile from him. The first smile in days.

"Harry, hurry up, there's a letter for you!"

"Coming! Looks like I have to get in there. But Tonks - Thank you, you have been a great friend."

Harry rushingly grabbed Tonks in a one-armed hug and squeezed her shoulders for a second. She breathed in deeply filling her head with a familiar scent, his scent. Her fingers twitched and her hands were stuck between touching his stomach or pulling him into a full hug - and then he was gone. Leaving her with a sense of loss and frustration. The hug had been awkward, rushed as if it physically hurt Harry to show any signs of affection for her. The contrast to when he was with Jacque wounded her more than she would ever be comfortable admitting.

Harry was handed a Hogwarts envelope from Hermione who looked at her own as if it was going to burn her alive.

"What's wrong?"

"Fifth year is the year they pick the prefects. What if I get it? What if I don't get it?"

"Relax Hermione," Harry chuckled. "You're getting it."

"You can't be sure about that!"

Harry looked around the table and saw the mirthful looks in Fred and George's eyes. Ginny was looking rather bored even if she was sending what she thought was subtle glances. He seriously hoped that she would stop doing that. She had been better this summer whenever she had spoken to him, almost normal. Ron was looking pale and clammy. He didn't honestly believe that he had a chance at being prefect, did he? He had the lowest grades out of all of them and got into no less trouble. Not that Ron was stupid, he was simply lazy. The only reason he had managed to pass so far was because Hermione had literally forced him to do his homework and study for his exams. Although admittedly, Harry had not done much better in the scheme of things but he was the winner of the Tri-Wizard Tournament. The only surviving winner, a thought betrayed him in his mind. Cedric won as well.

Harry shook his head and opened up his envelope. Inside was the normal booklist for the year.

"Only two new books. The Standard Book of Spells, Grade five by Miranda Goshawk, and Defensive Magical Theory, by Wilbert Slinkhard."

Harry turned over the envelope but there wasn't any prefect badge hiding anywhere. He supposed that Dean or Seamus had gotten it then. Neville was hardworking, but terribly shy. Probably Dean, since he put in more effort than Seamus and got decently good grades. Thinking about it Dean was the obvious -

A large squeal interrupted his thoughts and Harry's head snapped towards Hermione.

"I'm prefect!"

"Of course you are," Harry said. "Highest grades. Impeccable sense of duty and authority prone, well for the most part. There really wasn't -"

"Did you get it too?" she interrupted.

"I got it…" a disbelieving Ron said from across the table. "I got it?"

Harry, Fred and George all snapped their heads towards him. They shared an incredulous look but soon had to wince due to the booming sound of Mrs. Weasley's voice.

"Oh Ronald! I'm so proud of you. Another prefect in the family! Just like all my other sons."

"And what are we supposed to be?"

"Flubberworms?"

Harry chuckled at their comments. He looked at his friend, trying to understand what had made Professor McGonagall pick him. He couldn't see it. There was nothing about Ron which made him worthy of the badge. He just didn't measure up to it. This had got to be a joke.

"We thought you would have gotten it," Fred said.

"Must have broken too many rules," George continued.

"A few too many adventures."

"Couldn't let a fun guy like that become prefect."

"I suppose they couldn't," Harry said, trying to keep the bitterness out of his voice.

He firmly looked anywhere but at Ron. It just wasn't fair. Harry had done so much for the school. Fighting off a Dark Lord every other year. Killing a literal monster snake single handedly keeping the school from closing. Brought glory to the school. What the fuck did Ron do to deserve that badge?! Sure, he had been along for most of the way, but in the end it always came down to Harry. And during the previous year, Ron had done - nothing. Hermione might have been able to give him a run for his money in the second and third tasks, but she could probably pass her OWLs at this point. Other than that, no one from their year would have stood a chance, while Harry had not only survived, but against all odds, won the Tournament. Supposedly won eternal glory, but apparently that was not even enough to get a bloody badge.

"Give your book lists here," Mrs. Weasley said. "I'll go pick them all up for you."

Harry got pulled out of his musings. "Mrs. Weasley. I could do with a run in Diagon Alley myself. I need to stock up on potion ingredients and maybe get some new quills as well."

"Oh no, dear," Mrs. Weasley said hurriedly. "That is much too dangerous. It's better if I just go about buying everything by myself. No need to worry about that."

"Well then. I only need the new defence book. I already picked up the new charms book. Let me just go get some money for it."

"There's no need for that."

"I insist," Harry said forcefully. "I should have more than enough leftover from my last time at Gringotts."

It wasn't that he wanted to be difficult, but the key Mrs. Weasley had, had been deactivated and he didn't want to have that conversation with her. Not that he was suspecting her of stealing from him,but Sirius and Tonks had made it clear that you didn't give out your key to anyone, no matter how much you might trust them. You only gave a key to family and, after last year, Harry had long since stopped considering the Weasley's as family. They were closer to family friends, but there was a distinct line between them. Sirius and Tonks by extension was more family than the Weasleys were to him now. Maybe even Mrs Tonks considering what she had done for him.

Harry stalked up the stairs and grabbed his money pouch from his coat. He fished out ten galleons. That should be enough for him to get basic supplies plus a single book. He had let the control of his emotions go by the time he walked out of the door.

"That bad, huh?"

"Sirius!?" Harry schooled his expression again and even put on a fake smile.

"You don't have to pretend with me kid. Go give the coins to Mrs. Weasley and then let's have a talk. You look downright miserable at the moment. That is not a suggestion."

"Fine!"

Harry arrived back in the kitchen and heard the last of Ron's sentence.

"... maybe a broom? Not a new fancy one, but Cleansweep has this new model."

Harry put the coins down on the table and tried to leave again before being stopped but he felt Fred and George's arms across his shoulders.

"Don't let it get you down. Neither Fred or I got the badge. That went to Lee. Though we have no idea how he managed to finesse that, he's along for every bit of mischief we cause."

"Might have been because he hasn't been caught so often."

"That might be it. Still, don't let it get you down too much and don't take it out on Ron. I know he can be a git and last year didn't make it better, but remember it wasn't like he asked for it, okay? He did not give out the badges, the old battle axe does."

"I know," Harry exhaled loudly. "Look, Sirius wants to speak with me about something. I appreciate you guys trying to cheer me up."

"No problem, and if he becomes too much of a git like the one we don't mention. We could always just prank him."

"Put itching powder in his underwear."

"Change his hair colour to green."

"A little bit of burping concoction in his morning juice."

Harry snorted involuntarily at the mental imagery the twins were painting for him. "Thanks."

"As we said. It's really no problem. You're our secret investor after all."

"Maybe Dumbledore found out about that?"

"Can't have the new prefects funding a joke shop."

Harry shook his head and walked up the stairs. "I put ten galleons on the table. Tell your Mum there to pay for my stuff."

"Got it!"

With heavy footsteps, Harry made his way to Sirius's room. Fred and George had tried their best to cheer him up but it hadn't worked for long. He knew he should not fault Ron for getting the badge.

He knocked on Sirius's door and stepped inside.

"Don't get too comfortable. We are going to my favourite room in the house."

Harry looked confusedly at Sirius but followed him up another flight of stairs to the top of the house. There were only two doors on either side of the small hallway.

"I've never been up here."

"Master bedroom and my father's office. My office now, if I had any business beyond cleaning this pile of garbage. We're here to visit a friend."

"Who?"

Sirius opened the door to the master bedroom and Harry pinched his nose at the smell of animal hitting his face.

"Buckbeak?!"

"Screech!"

"So good to see you." Harry began caressing the feathers on his neck. "I didn't know you were still here. I thought you would be back in the Forbidden Forest."

"He's a fugitive just as myself," Sirius chuckled ruefully. "The last thing I want is someone from the Ministry stumbling across him at Hogwarts and remembering that he was due for the axe."

Harry heard the sound of something heavy being put down on the floor. Hay and feathers scattered all around them. He turned to see a bottle of fire-whisky with big opulent letters on it.

"This here is one of the better bottles in my father's collection. And when I say better, I mean it predates the Statute of Secrecy. You've ever had Firewhisky before?"

"Of course not. I'm fifteen?!"

"Not even after a Quidditch win?! The Twins seriously need to step up their game, not to mention the rest of Gryffindor. They have much to live up to if they want to follow in my footsteps!"

"Have you told them?"

"Nope. But it's not my fault that they aren't quick enough on the uptake to realize who me and Moony are then they don't deserve to know that they have been living alongside two of their heroes."

"You're just severely lacking entertainment."

"Guilty as charged. Still, you're not leaving here until you are at least tipsy."

"Why?"

"I told you. You're miserable and you won't talk to either me or Tonks about it, so, I'm bringing the big guns. Remember that story I told you about your mum?"

"Yeah… I'm not sure getting drunk is the answer."

"Never said it was."

"But -"

"I just said it will help you loosen up a bit. This stuff is great for unwinding."

Sirius opened the bottle and took a big swig of it before handing it over to Harry. He looked at it, weighing it slightly in his hand.

"Go on. There's a first time for everything."

Harry took a small sip from the bottle and coughed. He felt like his mouth was on fire and swallowing only moved the fire down his throat. It didn't help that both Sirius and Buckbeak were laughing at him as he spluttered.

"Fuck you… that's horrible."

"It is an acquired taste. If you're going to be such a kid about it then give it back here," Sirius goaded. "Or you could be a man and drink like a man."

Harry angrily pulled the bottle back from Sirius's grabby outstretched hands and took a bigger swig. This time he knew what to expect and didn't cough but he still belched flames when he burped.

"That's more like it. Now pass the bottle. Don't hog it all to yourself."

Sirius took another swig and handed the bottle back to Harry who drank a bit more. They switched between them a few more times before Sirius put the bottle down on the floor next to him.

"I think that's enough."

"I don't… sink…"

Harry almost fell forward when he reached for the bottle.

"Maybe I've given you a bit too much," Sirius groaned. "So, are you ready to tell me what is going on?"

"I - I don't - Ron does not deserve being prefect."

"And you deserved it more?"

"Yesh! No. I don't know but Ron doesn't deserve it."

"McGonagall and Dumbledore think he does."

"Dumbledore is shenile. McGonagall is so far up his butt she can't sheperate her own thoughts from his."

Sirius laughed out loud. "I suppose you have a point."

"I know it ishn't Ron's fault, I'm just so angry… I'm angry all the time…"

"You have been angry for longer than just today. It's not about Ron being prefect is it."

The door opened slowly and Sirius looked up to see Tonks's pink hair peaking out from the side of the doorframe. Buckbeak ruffled his wings and snapped his beak but otherwise chose to lie down.

"Don't shay that, Buckbeak. Sirius is right. It's not about Ron. He can have his stupid badge… I miss Jacque. I miss talking to him."

"Why don't you then?"

"What's the point, Sirius? I messed up and he obviously doesn't want to have anything to do with me. I managed to scare him away."

"What do you mean 'scare him away'?"

"As in I made him run out on me."

"Why would he do that?"

"Can you keep a shecret?"

"Of course, pup."

"I liked him… like him… I don't know anymore… like him as in like like him."

Sirius sat back and ran a hand through his hair. He looked up at the door and saw it had been closed again. He didn't know how much Tonks had heard.

"Is there something wrong with me?" Harry whispered.

"What?"

"Is there something wrong with me?"

"Why would you ask that?"

"Because - because I like Jacque."

"No, pup. There's nothing wrong with you. I don't care about that in the slightest. I just don't understand why you haven't written to him if you like him."

"Because he thinks I'm a naive little boy who doesn't know what love is - and he's right. I have no idea what love is."

"I don't understand…"

"He ran because he thought I was going to tell him I loved him. I was never going to do that."

Sirius took another swig at the bottle, mostly just to give him time to think. He had expected it to be about Jacque but he had not expected this sort of revelation. It certainly explained why his niece had freaked out. He offered the bottle to the slightly drunk Harry, who took another swig.

"What do you want?" Sirius asked.

"The prefect badge, for people to not think of me as a liar, Tom Riddle dead…" Harry flippantly waved his arms around before turning quiet and whispering. "I want Jacque…"

"Write him… if you like him as much as you are telling me then write him. Explain what really happened."

"I'm scared…"

"I know, pup. I know you are, but could you tell me without lying that you wouldn't regret it if you let him go like that. If you didn't at least try?"

"What if he tells me to fuck off?"

"Trust me when I tell you that he won't."

"How would you know? You've never met him."

"Call it a fatherly instinct. Don't look at me like this, I didn't know I had that in me either - Write him. You'll regret it if you don't."

"I will…" Harry yawned.

"You should probably sleep that off. Buckbeak?"

Buckbeak lifted his wing and Sirius pulled Harry up against the hippogriff and watched as he blanketed Harry under his feathers.

Sirius picked up the half-empty bottle and walked outside. He rested the bottle against Tonks's shoulder where she sat next to the door.

"You look like you need it."

"He told you everything, didn't he?"

"He did."

"I never meant for it to happen you know."

Tonks grabbed the bottle and took a deep draft from it, spluttering for air when she choked on it.

"I know. It's a messy situation. What do you want to do?"

"You really don't have a problem with it, do you?"

"Why would I? I don't care who you are into. I just want you both to be happy. And my parents would be glad that you decided to keep things in the family," Sirius joked, but Tonks ignored his attempt at humour.

"I'm seven years older than him. I had already left Hogwarts before he started. He's fifteen I'm twenty two, and that's even if he still wants to be with me if he knew the truth. What if he isn't attracted to me like this?"

"I don't know. I don't have the answers. It's something you'll have to figure out… together."

Tonks took another swig swirling the amber liquid around the bottle. "What should I do?"

"I don't know. I think he'll send you a letter. Take it from there. But take it slowly, he understands why you freaked out, but he blames himself. Maybe hold off telling him the truth for now, just be there for him. Keep an eye on him for me if you can. Harry is asleep now. I probably ended up giving him a bit too much of that stuff. Lily would have had my hide for getting her son drunk at the age of fifteen."

"Why did you?"

"Nothing like a little bit of alcohol to loosen tongues and get to the root of a problem. He needed to let loose and talk about it. If I have to get him drunk for that to happen then I'll get him drunk. I'll go run interference. Molly is probably arranging this huge party for Ron and Hermione. Could you keep an eye on him?"

"Buckbeak hates me."

"No, he doesn't. He's just grumpy about being locked up in here and he does not like it when you change your look near him."

"As long as he plays nice."

Sirius looked over his shoulder. "You'll play nice won't you? She likes Harry too."

"Squawk."

"I'm asking you to. You won't even feel her."

Buckbeak nodded his head but turned it away in annoyance.

"That should do it. I'm off. Don't do anything I couldn't explain to Lily. And keep the bottle, you look like you could use it."

Tonks got up on her feet. She watched as Sirius walked down the stairs before she turned around to look at Harry sleeping under Buckbeak's wing.

"Hey… do you mind?"

Buckbeak sent her an evil glare but lifted his wing up high either way. Tonks slowly moved forward and dropped herself down next to Harry. She idly ran her hand through his hair. She turned her head towards him slowly. She unconsciously licked her lips before kissing the scar on his forehead, then his temple and his cheek until she reached his lips. She hesitated for a second before putting her own lips on top of his.

"Squawk!"

"Alright, alright... Morgana - it was just a small kiss."

Tonks emptied the bottle in her hand. It probably wasn't a good idea getting drunk nor sleeping next to Harry but right now she needed to be close to him. She rested her head against his and felt her eyes close. The last thing she felt before falling asleep was Harry's arm wrapping itself around her waist, pulling her flush against his body.

Harry woke up with a sneeze and a small headache. He tried to scratch his nose with his free hand and found feathers rubbing against his face. He remembered drinking and talking to Sirius and then he had fallen asleep. Sirius must have put him up against Buckbeak. He noticed feeling something soft in his right hand and looked over only to find his face buried in something pink. Harry pulled away and felt a head fall down to rest on his shoulder. He squeezed with his hand eliciting a moan from the woman next to him. He quickly pulled his hand away making Buckbeak squawk in indignation.

"Sorry," Harry whispered hurriedly. "I'm sorry for waking you up."

His green eyes met amber ones and Harry held Buckbeak's gaze until the Hippogriff once more rested its head on the floor. The wing was still lifted up for Harry to leave though. Harry scratched the fur for a second before trying to move his arm without waking up the sleeping woman next to him. He had almost made it when he heard a sleepy voice.

"And…- where do you - yawn - think you're going?"

"Downstairs?"

Tonks blinked sleepily with her blue eyes before they focused on him. She felt his hand around her stomach and blushed before quickly getting up herself.

"It's not what it looks like?"

She knocked over the empty bottle and they both watched it roll for a bit before stopping.

"It looks like Sirius asked you to watch over me while I slept and then gave you the rest of the bottle."

"Okay, it is what it looks like. Sirius told me you talked about stuff?"

"Yeah. I should hate him for giving me this headache, but still he did the right thing. I'm feeling much lighter now."

"Can't have had too much if you aren't praying to the porcelain god."

"Excuse me?"

"Emptying your stomach. Filling up the bowl. Hosing at the disposing. Throwing up -"

"Enough," Harry groaned. "Did you have to paint such a vivid picture?"

"Yes." Tonks said brightly before grimacing herself. "Okay, maybe I shouldn't have finished the bottle myself. It's good stuff though. Way above what I could afford as a Junior Auror, probably cost more than what I earn in a year."

Harry idly touched his lips before shaking his head. "Do you know what time it is?"

"Nope. I pretty much fell asleep at the same time as you. I'd had the graveyard shift at the Ministry just gotten in when we talked downstairs. If my internal clock is right it should be somewhere around the afternoon," Tonks said and her stomach grumbled loudly. "Make that around dinner."

"They are going to have a party, aren't they?"

"Most likely. Do you blame them?"

"No… not anymore. If I need to blame anyone it should probably be Dumbledore. I'm seriously starting to question his judgement. You can't tell me that you think Ron would make a good prefect."

"Maybe it'll help him grow up?" Tonks suggested. "Maybe that's why he was picked to help him grow up a little."

"I guess that could be true. Anyway - I should just accept it for what it is and be happy for him. I'm not sure he deserves it but it's definitely something he has dreamed of for as long as he can remember."

"How would you know that?"

"He told me what he saw in the Mirror of Erised."

"What in Morgana's name is that?"

"It's a cursed mirror that shows your heart's deepest desire. Ron saw himself with the House cup in one hand and the Quidditch cup in the other. He was Prefect, Headboy and Quidditch Captain. His deepest desire is to be recognized and famous for something he did."

"Then why doesn't he study harder?"

"Beats me. I've stopped trying to figure out how Ron's mind works a long time ago. It would make perfect sense if he worked hard to obtain his dream but wizards aren't known for having common sense."

Harry and Tonks looked at each other for a moment before descending into laughter. Harry burped and a small flame escaped his lips making him look a little green in the face.

"Keep it in, trust me. You should go take a shower and brush your teeth. Drink two glasses of water if your stomach isn't too upset. It'll help clear your head but you'll probably still have a headache until tomorrow."

"Thanks. I'll do that -" Harry walked towards the door, half a foot over the doorstep. He turned his head and looked at Tonks. "I mean it. Thanks for always keeping an eye out for me and having my back. It means the world to me."

Tonks stood in silence and listened to his footsteps as he walked down the stairs. She released a breath she hadn't known she was holding. She felt a whack from a wing hitting her in the back.

"Oi! What gives?!"

Buckbeak sent her a knowing look before gently pushing her out towards the door.

"Fine… but I'm telling you. You and Sirius should keep your noses out of people's business. Even if you are right most of the time."

Harry felt refreshed by the time he stepped out of the shower. He threw on a pair of slacks and a shirt and made his way down to the kitchen. He wasn't surprised when he spotted a big banner saying Ron and Hermione, Gryffindor Prefects hanging across the table. Harry grabbed a nearby butterbeer from a bucket filled with ice and looked around for Sirius. He found him deep in talks with Moody and Kingsley on the other side of the room. It looked serious, so Harry instead decided to join Fred and George talking to what looked like a homeless person in the corner.

"... substance grade three. You know how hard it was to find these. Twenty.

"We both know that the Alley is filled with them. We could have gotten them ourselves."

"Shhh."

"Oh, Dung, meet our silent partner. Harry, Dung, Dung, Harry."

"Mundungus Fletcher at yer service."

"We are trying to buy a batch of venomous tentacula seeds for our Skiving Snack Boxes, but Dung here is charging overprice. Five galleons."

"You are trying to undercut me too much. Seventeen."

"Not even close to a fair price. Seven."

"You know people could be watching this going on."

"Mum's too busy with preparing for the party and everybody else is just talking in their own group."

"I could think of one eye. You wouldn't want watching this."

"He's got a point boys. Ten galleons take it or leave it," Mundungus said, looking over his shoulder at Moody.

"Deal."

Fred handed over the coins while George poured the seeds into his pocket. "Nice doing business with ya Dung. Come on, Fred. Let's hide these away before Mum catches us."

"Better you than me."

Harry watched in amusement as the Twins hurried off to hide their ill gotten gains. He jerked when he felt a cold bottle against his cheek.

"What was that all about?" Tonks asked.

"Illegal back alley deal - well, kitchen deal in this case. Venomous tentacula seeds."

"Did they get a good price at least?"

"Ten galleons for what looked like three handfuls?"

"Damn, they managed to get an honest dishonest price out of Dung."

"I might have pointed out that Mad-Eye could be watching."

Tonks giggled. It was a nice giggle Harry noticed.

"Good call - I suspect Mad-Eye is the only one who can control Dung. He's as slimy as they get but he hears stuff that nobody else in the Order even have a chance of hearing. He was the one who was supposed to be guarding you that night."

"What night?"

"The one with the Dementors. I have never seen Dumbledore so angry as that night. He looked about ready to skin him."

"Huh… I almost suspected that Dumbledore had allowed them to get to me. Another way for me to feel indebted to him."

"You really don't trust him, do you?"

"I did at first, but I've told you what my time at Hogwarts has been like. And even if he is not responsible for everything which has happened there, he should have sorted that out. Sirius should not owe his life to me, Hermione and her time turner. And it's not as if he trusted me in turn. I've been here almost a month and the most information I've gotten about what is going on is what the twins have managed to overhear with their ears. Something about a guard schedule."

"You weren't supposed to know about that," Tonks frowned.

"It's all we've been able to find out. Not really much to go on."

"You're talking about it as if you are going to be in the middle of all of this."

"Three times already. Three times I've faced Tom in one shade or another. I know I'm going to be in the middle of it. Dumbledore just doesn't trust me to handle it well enough. He'll spout some bullshit about how I should enjoy my childhood and that I shouldn't be burdened with such knowledge. He knows something about me, something he is not telling me. Dumbledore implied that much after my first encounter with Tom."

"Who's Tom?"

Harry opened his mouth to respond but was cut off by Mrs. Weasley's shouting.

"Congratulations, Ron and Hermione!"

Harry turned to see his friends walking into the kitchen. The feelings of jealousy he had had for Ron earlier in the day had vanished. He still wanted to help the twins make fun of him, especially since Ron walked around much like Harry remembered Percy had done in Harry's first year.

Ron quickly walked over to the brown package sitting on the table and ripped open the paper. To nobody's surprise a brand new Cleansweep Eleven sat on the table and Ron instantly began regaling to anyone that would listen about the broom's properties and how it was one of the best Keeper brooms on the market.

Hermione had instead walked over to Tonks and Harry.

"I borrowed Hedwig after you disappeared. I wanted to tell my parents. I hope that's okay?"

"It's fine," Harry waved his hand. "I'm sure they would be proud of you."

"I'm still surprised that it wasn't you."

"Fred and George were right. I must have broken too many rules or something. It doesn't bother me anymore. I had a good talk with Sirius about it. Helped me realise that I was just being a git about something Ron had no control over."

"That's -... incredibly mature of you."

"I have my moments."

"So, you're not mad?"

"What do you mean?"

"It's just you've been in a foul mood for a week or so. I thought maybe Dumbledore had told you beforehand. You didn't seem surprised when you didn't get the badge."

"Oh… that yeah… no. That was something else. Hopefully just a case of miscommunication."

"You know you can tell me anything, right?"

Harry noticed that Tonks had gotten oddly tense standing there next to him. He put a comforting hand on her shoulder and squeezed.

"That's alright. I'll be fine… When did you sent Hedwig out?"

"Before lunch. Why?"

"Nothing really. I just want to spend some time with her. You know how she is. If I don't give her enough attention, she will sulk."

"It's good to see you're finally beginning to learn about females," Tonks quipped.

"Ha… ha… If all it took to keep a girl happy was to bribe her with bacon there would be fewer arguments."

"Yeah yeah, Handsome. You keep trying."

Harry looked oddly at her but waved it off as nothing.

"I never got around to asking you, but who cut your hair?"

Harry panicked for a second and took a sip of his butterbeer.

"I cut it for him," Tonks broke in. "Because of my ability I have a good eye for fashion and hair."

"You wouldn't know it if you looked at your choice of clothes."

"Watch it, Potter, or I might slip the next time I have a sharp blade near your neck! I'll hex you too if you don't behave. I swear to god Sirius is a bad influence on you," Tonks said, her voice filled with mirth.

"Oh great Goddess Tonks. Please spare this lowly one."

"Yup, definitely Sirius's bad influence. Not that you are wrong about my divinity."

"Shall I worship the ground you walk on now?"

"On your knees, mortal!"

Hermione giggled at their antics before she was pulled off by Ginny. Harry and Tonks joined Sirius and Remus.

"I still remember when you got the badge, Moony. We were afraid you were going to stop being fun."

"I think that was Professor McGonagall's intention. I think she hoped that I would keep you in check. Not that I succeeded."

"Nope. I think instead we took it as more leeway to prank people."

"I think Lily did a better job at keeping you in check. She was able to just glare at James until he behaved. I was stuck making sure you didn't do something stupid - well, more stupid than usual."

"And what a burden it was for you too," Sirius said with mock-pity. "Must have been terrible for you."

"I don't know how you deal with him Harry."

"Mostly just tune him out until he behaves. Imagine him being Binns and it just comes naturally if you ever heard him rant about traitorous goblins," Harry quipped.

"Ha! Ha! Very funny, young man. You do know I could ground you until you have to leave."

"But you wouldn't do that to poor little me," Harry gave his best puppy eyes. "Also, maybe I'm not the one who should be punished." Harry's smile turned vindictive. "Remus, what do you think my Mum would do if she knew that Sirius had gotten me drunk?"

Remus chuckled for a moment until he realised Harry was being serious. "Please tell me you didn't."

"It was for his own good. He was being a moody git and he would talk to me."

"Sirius!"

"You'll never get me!"

Harry watched with tears of laughter in his eyes as Remus chased Sirius around the room trying to catch him. It only stopped when Sirius's head was stuck under Remus's arm and Sirius had been punished.

"Traitor!" Sirius hissed. "Just wait until I get my hands on you. You won't even see me coming."

"You do know that I have two attack dogs at my beck and call. I've outsourced my pranking."

"You're no fun," Sirius pouted.

"You do realise you are supposed to be the grown up, Padfoot."

The sound of two bottles breaking on the floor rang out in the room. All four of them turned around to see the awe filled faces of Fred and George. Tonks absentmindedly vanished the broken shards of glass and the spilled liquid.

"Looks like the game is up," Harry chuckled. "Gentlemen allow me to introduce Messers Moony and Padfoot."

"Professor Lupin is Moony?"

"Sirius is Padfoot?"

"Prongs was my father and Wormtail we don't talk about," Harry finished. "Gentlemen the second owners of your infamous map."

"A pleasure," Remus bowed. "You did some quality work with it as far as I heard. Minerva is none too pleased with you."

"Following tradition."

"Why didn't you tell us?"

Harry wasn't sure who the question was directed at. "You never asked." - "I wanted you to find out yourselves." - "I was hoping to forget it all together."

The three said in unison. Fred and George didn't know where to even begin questioning but as soon as the first question was asked the rest of the evening was spent hearing Sirius tell stories about their pranks and Remus explaining how to do half of them.

"Are you thinking what I am thinking?"

"They might just have found a solution to that without even trying."

"Back to testing?"

"You read my mind."

"We have unleashed something on Hogwarts and I'm not sure if that something will be great or terrible on Hogwarts," Remus said, looking after them.

"As long as they don't target Harry I don't really mind. There is nothing like a good prank to lift people's spirits."

"I'm so glad I'm not back at Hogwarts. They were already menaces back when they started. Now they are in their seventh year," Tonks shuddered.

"And they likely don't care too much about their grades either," Harry said thoughtfully.

"Why wouldn't they?" Remus asked.

"If I know them they're only going back to test their products. They want to open their own joke shop."

"Opening a shop isn't cheap," Tonks said.

"I gave them my Tri-Wizard winnings. Best decision I ever made."

"Damn… If you hadn't done that I would have invested. I tell you Remus. They are brilliant if they actually have the capital to get a shop they'll run Zonko's out of business within the year."

"That was very irresponsible of you, Harry. Your mother would not have approved. She was very conscious about money until she married your dad and realised how much your grandfather had made with his potion," Remus said solemnly before changing his tune. "Your Dad, however, would be just as annoyed as Sirius for not having gotten in on the action in time. It's always a good thing to help your friends achieve their dreams."

"Just don't tell Mrs. Weasley about where they got their money from," Tonks said mischievously.

"Spare me. I would go deaf from all the howlers she would send me," Harry groaned deeply. "No, I prefer being the silent partner behind their genius. I'm definitely going to make more than my money's worth once they get their shop going."

Harry left the party sometime before it tapered out and sat down at his desk rubbing his temples. The headache from earlier had returned. Sirius had promised him that it would be gone the following day, but that wasn't helpful now. Harry's new book was sitting on his table and along with a few ingredients for his potions kit. He had cracked it open and had already written off this year's teacher as being a wash. The book was completely useless. He would have to ask Tonks if she could recommend some good defence books for him instead.

He packed the different things away in his trunk and sat down with parchment and his pen in hand. He had spent the past week thinking about what he should write. He still had no clue. He spun the pen in his hand before putting against the parchment.

Dear Jacque

I don't even know where to start with this letter. I don't even know if I should apologize, but I am going to do that anyway. I'm sorry. I got caught up in the moment and I shouldn't have called you Love. You were right to freak out. The thing is I don't really know what love is.

My story is a lot sadder than most people realize. Everybody knows about how I supposedly defeated a dark lord as a baby. I don't know what happened that night, but I don't think that I was wandlessly smacking a dark Lord through my nursery, as funny as that image would be. What most people don't realize is that I lost both my parents in that attack as well. I've been alone for so long… and my relatives are not what you would call loving. I think you should know what it was like growing up for me…