Harry Potter.

Chapter 1. – A new Friend

The rain hammered down on the slippery soil. Corpses and debris lay everywhere. The stink of charred flesh filled the air and men and woman lay as carrion for the crows. Amidst all this death two living figures faced off, wands drawn, determination etched into both their faces.

"You are a fool Dumbledore!" the black clad wizard shouted. "You are not powerful enough to kill me! I am not completely living therefore I can never be completely dead. You know that, or did the great Dumbledore, wisest wizard of his age, fail to see this fact?" His manic laughter filled the air mockingly.

"For me to win," Dumbledore said calmly, putting an abrupt end to the wizard's laughter, "death is not the only means to an end." Though he appeared calm, as his gaze wondered around the battle field his fury increased to a whole new level. He fixed his opponent with a stare that could scare death itself. "Grindewald!" he bellowed starting towards his enemy, "Yours is a fate worse than death!" Both wizards ran at each other and everything went black.

Harry Potter woke, startled from his dream, exhaustion swept over him and he fell out of bed and hit the floor hard. He tried to reach up for his glasses but found he hadn't the energy. His head was spinning and his whole body ached, the only part of him that wasn't hurting was his scar. He thought back to his dream, or what he assumed to be a dream, but to him it seemed so realistic. Dumbledore was there and so was another wizard who Dumbledore had called Grindewald. He knew Dumbledore had defeated Grindewald years and years ago but why would he dream about it? He was quite worried; it seemed too vivid to be an actual dream. Climbing back into bed Harry turned to his clock and realized it was only half two. This new dream had broken the cycle of his recurring dream. Every night he would be taken back to the night at the ministry and was forced to re-live watching Sirius fall through the veil after being hit in the chest by Bellatrix Lestrange.

The grief Harry had over Sirius' death had been festering inside him for 3 whole weeks. He had shrunk into himself so deep that his body was a mere shell containing a cheerless, dejected child. Why did all the people who actually cared for him have to die? Firstly his mum and dad were killed and now Sirius. The closer he got to having anything that resembled a family the more pain he received. He knew that bottling things up wasn't the best thing for him to do but who could he talk to? The Dursleys wouldn't care, hell they'd probably find the whole thing bloody hilarious and how could he possibly tell Ron and Hermione how he felt in a letter? Not to mention the fact that they'd hardly sent him any owls this summer at all, which made him even more reluctant to tell them anything. So, all summer, he had stayed within his room, only leaving when called down by aunt Petunia to do chores. No one noticed the silent tears that fell steadily from his bloodshot eyes when he saw a stray dog walk the past the front of the house. No one heard him cry himself to sleep at night knowing he would have to re-live the worst moment of his life over and over again. No one had suffered more loss at the hands of Lord Voldemort than this fifteen year old boy who was destined to save the world.

Harry was awoken the next morning by a strong ray of sunlight penetrating his curtains. The nice weather was far from reflective of Harry's mood. Hedwig cooed softly signaling that she was hungry. "O.K. girl, I'll get you something." Harry, not wanting to face his aunt and uncle this early in the morning decided to take a walk to the local shop figuring that the fresh air would do him good.

So he picked up what muggle money he had, snuck down the stairs quietly and made his way away from number four Privet Drive. He was walking down a road not far from Privet Drive when his eyes caught a very attractive looking blonde woman who seemed to be watching him. He ignored her and walked on towards the park where he sat down on a bench and tried to let himself relax. Not focusing on time he just watched as the people of Little Whinning went about their daily lives. One particular woman, the blonde one Harry had seen earlier seemed to walk past quite a lot. Suspicions rising, he felt on edge and focused his eyes on the woman trying to notice if anything seemed odd about her. As he was doing this, she tripped over on the curb and fell flat on her face. Without thinking, Harry ran over to help her up and she seemed startled when she saw who it was that was helping her. "Harry!" she said surprised, "I mean, Thank you." The voice was too familiar and Harry started to get angry. "Tonks?" he asked of the attractive blonde. She sighed and let her features return to normal. "Hiya Harry" she said accepting defeat, "I guess I'm always gonna be clumsy"

"You've been sent to watch me haven't you? Along with god knows how many other Aurors." Harry couldn't believe he hadn't been told that he was to be watched all summer. Left out of the loop again Harry, he thought to himself getting angrier every second.

"It's not like that" Tonks said seeing how angry Harry was, "I'm the only one here, I promise" He could tell she was telling the truth. "So what do we do now that I know you're here?" he asked not knowing what else to say. Tonks smiled at him happily, "We'll just have to make the most of it!"

"I guess" was all he could manage in reply. Tonks sensed his reluctance and decided that he was still upset about everything that had happened and that he should talk about it. "You know Harry, if you want to talk about Sirius we can."

"I don't want to talk about Sirius." He said quickly.

"You can't blame yourself Harry, Sirius died fighting, which was the way he wanted it to be. It was Bellatrix that killed him not you."

"NO! He died to protect me! I led him to his death! He's gone and there's nothing I can do!" Harry's throat constricted and tears ran down his face. Tonks put her arms around him and he sobbed into her chest. She was suddenly struck by how much tragedy this young man had been through and all she wanted was to hold him and tell him that things would be alright. So she did.

When Harry's tears stopped Tonks walked him back to the Dursleys' doing her best to engage Harry in conversation but after a while she realized he wasn't feeling too conversational. The Dursleys were out when they got there so Tonks walked Harry up to his room making sure he was ok.

"Harry, I've got to go now, if Dumbledore finds out I let you see me he won't be too happy, but I promise we'll talk again soon." He just looked at her and she could see the raw pain in his eyes, so much sorrow, and so much loss. Harry didn't have to say anything, Tonks could see the pleading in his eyes, and she could tell he wanted her to stay but she could sense his trepidation in asking her to do so.

Has he been through so much that he's afraid to ask for something he wants she thought to herself? Not only were his aunt and uncle treating him poorly but also Dumbledore for leaving him here for another summer. Well Dumbledore be dammed she thought, right now Harry needs someone to be with and if she could help him and make him feel better then she would. She turned to him and said "Actually Harry, I think I'll stay." His face lit up but he tried to hide it. "Dumbledore doesn't want a report for a few days, plus I don't like having to watch you in disguise all the time, I get kind of lonely." She wasn't about to embarrass him by telling him the real reason she was staying but the look on Harry's face told her he knew but he didn't mention it, he just smiled and asked, "you sure?" Tonks laughed at his sudden change of mood. In less than a few seconds he had gone from being sad and gloomy to producing a smile that could light up any room. "I did that" Tonks thought to herself happily.

"Of course I'm sure Harry. What girl could pass up the opportunity to be with Harry Potter alone, in his bedroom?" She winked suggestively making Harry go a deep shade of red. "I'm sorry the rooms sort of small," Harry said, but Tonks just smiled, pulled out her wand and with a few flicks the room was four times its normal size, with a sofa and fireplace. Harry shook his head in disbelief. "Is this ok?" Tonks asked gesturing around the room. "Well, I suppose it's a bit better" Harry said smiling.

They sat down and just talked about general things such as how Tonks became an Auror and how they both loved quidditch. Harry felt better than he had done in weeks and although the death of Sirius was always at the forefront of his mind he found talking about other things helped him cope. They talked for hours and Harry literally fell asleep on Tonks' shoulder. Not wanting to disturb his peaceful slumber she let herself doze off as well thinking she would wake up before it was time to get back to headquarters.

Tonks' eyes opened and she noticed it was pitch black outside; she checked her watch and gasped realizing she was over two hours late for her meeting with the order. Harry was still asleep and looked so peaceful. He looks so different like this she thought, not as burdened as he usually is. Almost compulsively she bent down and kissed his forehead before leaving.

Harry awoke on the sofa the next morning and was shocked at the length of time he had slept. Not only the length but at how he hadn't had one dream at all. He remembered falling asleep on Tonks shoulder and feeling, for the first time in his life, that he was safe. He let his mind wonder to how he had enjoyed his day with Tonks. She was the first adult who Harry had met that didn't treat him like a child, but actually enjoyed talking to him.

She can't be that old he thought to himself but then again she changed her appearance so often it was virtually impossible to tell. All Harry knew was that he had found a new friend and for that he was thankful. He could never imagine crying in front of Hermione or Ron, or anyone for that matter. He made a mental note to thank her for comforting him and being nice to him. Making his way over to his desk to get some owl treats for Hedwig he heard scraping at the window and saw a tawny barn owl there waiting for entrance into his room. He opened the window and pulled the letter off the owl's leg. He opened the parchment and realized the letter was from Tonks.

Dear Harry,

Sorry I didn't wake you up when I left, you looked so peaceful! Anyway, Dumbledore was mad that I was late for the order meeting and asked me why I was late and it just kind of slipped out. He wasn't best pleased but after criticising my poor stealth abilities conceded that seems as though you know I'm watching you that I might as well be able to spend more time with you in person! Now we both have some company! Anyway, I should be coming around not long after lunch I just have to get some things first. The order say hello and that you'll be able to leave Privet Drive not long after your birthday.

See you soon Harry!

Love Tonks.

Harry couldn't believe his luck. Not only was he leaving Privet Drive in just over a week but during that week he would get to see Tonks everyday and not be all by himself wallowing in self pity. Harry got ready and had breakfast before realising he had nothing to do. He didn't feel like doing homework and he didn't have any chores to do. The first few weeks he had been so grief stricken that he didn't need to find anything to do apart from sit on his bed all day staring at the floor.

Just as he was thinking what to do aunt Petunia walked into his room and gasped at its new size. "What the hell have you done boy!" she screamed, "You've used magic on my house haven't you?" Harry could see her face go redder by the second and found it quite funny.

"Now technically," he said smoothly, "I haven't done anything to this room. You should know that because I'm not allowed to use magic that I couldn't possibly have done this." Aunt Petunia was dumbstruck.

"Then how the hell did this happen!" she seethed.

Seeing the confused and angry look on her face Harry decided it wasn't best to wind her up so he said simply. "A friend did it. Because she's an adult she can legally use magic, I hope you don't mind."

Aunt Petunia was angrier than ever before but Harry could tell she was scared as well. "You have violated my house! You are not to let your friend anywhere near any other room, is that clear?"

"Crystal" Harry said as his aunt stormed out, slamming the door behind her. Harry was still wondering how he got off so lightly when he heard a loud pop and turned to see Tonks appear in his room and stumble over his trunk. He reached out and caught her around the waist before she fell over. Their eyes met for a brief second before Tonks muttered a quick thank you and Harry let go of her curvy waist reluctantly. If that's her real form then she's certainly got a lot going for her Harry thought to him self and smiled.

"Harry, you ok?" Tonks asked bringing Harry back to reality. "Oh, yeah." He said. I can't believe I was just thinking about Tonks' body he thought to himself. "So what do you want to do today?" he asked. Not that there was much to do but he needed to start some sort of conversation.

"Well," Tonks said, "I didn't mention it in the letter but Dumbledore said I could start teaching you some basic Auror theory and maybe some of the spells. If you want to that is."

"In this room, you've got to be kidding," Harry said. "Unless you plan on making it bigger than it already is. My aunt would love that." He smiled at the thought of aunt Petunia's face if she saw that the room had become even bigger.

"Of course I plan on making it bigger but not yet, it's just theory for a few days I'm afraid." Harry nodded accepting this knowing that soon he would get to do some magic. "You ready to start then?" she asked. He nodded again and they both walked over to the couch to sit down.

Harry suddenly remembered his mental note decided to thank Tonks now. "I didn't get to say thanks for yesterday," he said shyly, "for comforting me and listening. And for not treating me like a child like all other adults do." Tonks was surprised and slightly upset that Harry felt that he had to say thank you when someone showed him basic human kindness. She pulled him into a hug which surprised Harry, "Oh Harry you've had such a hard life, it was the least I could do."

She then held him an arms length away and got a good look at his face. Gone was the boy she had met at the start of fifth year. In less than a year he had grown into a young adult and she could see the man he would one day be. His shoulders were broader and though he was still thin he wasn't as gangly as he used to be. Of course his hair was still the same; untidy and unruly. In fact she found that this older Harry was turning into quite an attractive man. Bringing her mind back to where it should be she realised her hands were still on Harry's shoulder and were quite comfortable there. She pulled away quickly, rebuking herself for enjoying bodily contact with Harry. She just felt sorry for him because he was lonely and wanted to do her best to help him she told herself. "So, is there anything you want to ask me about being an Auror before we start?" she asked.

Harry tried to think of an intelligent question but settled for the one he really wanted to know the answer to. "What's it like?" Tonks laughed at his vagueness but proceeded to answer him.

"Well, at first its tough with all the training we have to do, and we hardly get to see anyone for about 2 years because our schedules are always so full but when you've done that your tutelage is taken on by a mentor who trains you as you work. Basically you're already an Auror but with someone to watch you so you don't screw up. But I always do, as you know I'm quite clumsy." She blushed but Harry just giggled at her ability to poke fun at herself. "Moody used to always take my slip-ups too seriously. Sometimes I'd make mistakes just to raise his blood pressure," she smiled mischievously and was about to continue when Harry interrupted her.

"Moody was your mentor?" she nodded. "So that's why you were always together last year when you went on missions?"

"Yep. This is my first assignment on my own."

"It must be weird working on your own. But at least you can make your own decisions. I wish I was allowed to make my own decisions." He said bitterly.

Tonks not wanting Harry to fall into a bad mood tried her best to make him feel better. "Don't let it get you down Harry, besides being able to make your own decisions is sometimes too much responsibility, so go easy on me Harry, you are my first." she winked suggestively and Harry blushed which made Tonks giggle. He's so cute when he blushes she thought. Harry couldn't believe Tonks could always make him blush like he did, usually he felt uncomfortable with girls but he never blushed. Must be the age difference he thought.

They carried on their conversation for a long time, Tonks telling Harry all about the Auror training and some of the missions she had been on. (Although she wasn't supposed to talk about them)

At around six o'clock both their stomachs were rumbling and Tonks suggested they go out for food until she realised that Harry wasn't really supposed to leave Privet Drive. With the Dursleys being out, Harry offered to cook for the two of them, which surprised Tonks until Harry explained that his aunt and uncle had made him cook their meals since he was about ten. She tried to hide a scowl but failed miserably. Tonks watched Harry he cooked their meal over the oven. "So the famous Harry Potter is not only the saviour of the wizarding world, but he can cook as well." She smiled but Harry through her a dirty look.

He laid their dinner on the table and they talked amicably as they ate. When they had finished Harry was about to get up and clean up but Tonks halted him and, with a flick of her wand, cleared everything away quite nicely. "You think you could stay hear permanently?" Harry asked impressed. Now it was Tonks' turn to blush and Harry had to hide his amusement at that.

Heading back upstairs Tonks slipped on the last step and fell backwards into Harry but luckily he was able to support her weight. His hands wrapped firmly around her waist and he could clearly smell the perfume on her neck and, for a brief second, was slightly intoxicated by it before pushing her back on her feet.

Tonks felt butterflies in her stomach as Harry's hands pressed against her stomach and she felt his warm breath on her neck. For a brief second she didn't want to move, all she wanted to do was stay like this forever, but she quickly dismissed such a possibility and forgot about it.

They talked on the sofa until they almost fell asleep, at which point Tonks said she had to get back to headquarters to report. Harry was disappointed that she had to go. "What is there to report?" he asked, "apart from me being your first" he smiled playfully as he received a small punch in his arm from Tonks. "I think I prefer the shy Harry" she said grinning. "I'll be back tomorrow. Try and get a good night's sleep."

"I slept well last night when I thought we were here together" he said without thinking. Tonks' cheeks went slightly pink before she said, "if I wouldn't have woken up, I think I would have to." She gave him one last look and left leaving Harry with a head full of complicated thoughts.