Chapter 22
Angelina intercepted Harry the next morning before he could sit down for breakfast. "Harry? Quidditch tryouts are later today, did you see the notice?"
Harry shot her a grin as he replied, "Must've missed it. But I'll be there, don't worry. We need a new Keeper, right?"
"Yes, and I hope we can find a few reserve Chasers as well. This is mine and Alicia's last year, and Katie will be having hers next year, so we need to have a good team lined up. Professor McGonagall wants to keep that trophy," Angelina told him.
"Sounds good to me," said Harry. "When do we have the pitch reserved?"
"From three to five today, so don't be late, Potter, or I'll be looking for a new Seeker as well!" Angelina gave him a wink and walked off.
"Oi, what did she want?" Ron called when Harry sat down next to Ginny and Hermione. Ron was sitting with Dean and Seamus a bit across from Ginny.
"Quidditch tryouts," Harry informed him. "You should try it, Ron." At that, Ginny poked him in the side with her elbow, and Harry gave her a smile. "You as well, Gin-Gin. Apparently she's setting up a reserve team."
From there the talk went onto Quidditch in general with everyone except Hermione participating. Near the end of breakfast, Professor Babbling walked up to the table.
"Congratulations, Mr. Potter," she told him.
"I passed?" Harry sounded surprised.
"Barely, but you had good enough marks that I'll accept you as a fifth year student," the teacher affirmed.
"Wow, that's great! Thanks!" Harry smiled wide, then turned to face Hermione and hugged her. "I passed, thanks to you!"
Hermione flushed all over as her crush pressed her close to him and couldn't even voice a reply.
–-
Following breakfast they returned to the Gryffindor tower and Harry went up to his room to inspect the condition of his broom. As he inspected it thoroughly he found a few small scratches and a couple of straws that were out of place so he decided to use his broom servicing kit on it.
He opened his trunk and started rummaging through it, only to find the three pairs of knickers lying there.
"Oh Merlin," he groaned. "What the hell do I do with these?"
"Do with what, mate?" Ron's voice came from the door. Quickly, Harry slammed his trunk shut.
"Nothing!"
"Eh? Okay then... anyway I was wondering, do you want to play some wizarding chess? We haven't really hung out much since the summer..."
"Yeah, sure Ron... but I'm going to fix up my broom a bit first. I'll come on down later though, okay?" Harry just wanted him out of there, now.
"Great, see you in a bit then," Ron said.
Harry waited until Ron took his wizarding chess set and left, then opened his trunk again. "Maybe I can just put them in the wash?" he wondered out loud. "No... someone'll see. Dammit, what do I do?"
Harry was startled when Dobby suddenly popped into place next to him. "Master Great Harry Potter Sir wants Dobby to remove the girlies thingies?"
"Dobby! Don't scare me like that!" Harry yelled out, then immediately in a softer tone added, "Can you take them to the wash and make sure they are returned to the right persons? This one is Tonks', that one is Hermione's, and the yellow ones belong to Luna, she's a Ravenclaw."
"Dobby knows Miss Luna, she is being nice to all Elveses. Miss Luna's belongings is taken by other Ravenclawses though," Dobby informed him.
Harry frowned. "Someone is stealing her stuff, Dobby?"
Dobby nodded a little sadly. "Ravenclaw girls is being bullies and is takings Miss Luna's shoes and clothes when Miss Luna is not in her dorm. We Elveses sometimes is finding them in Greenhouse or elsewhere."
"I see," Harry said, frowning. "Does Professor Flitwick know about this?"
"Dobby does not know," the House Elf said. "We Elveses is not allowed to tells student things to Professors except for Headmaster."
"And Dumbledore wouldn't care even if he knew," Harry grumbled. "Dobby, can you and the other Elves here collect her belongings and return them to her? And tell me if anyone else steals her stuff?"
Dobby nodded, "Dobby wills do," he said, and popped out. Then he popped back in, snapped his fingers, and the three knickers disappeared from Harry's trunk, before he popped out again.
"Well, that's one problem solved... a little late," Harry said out loud. He rummaged through his now less incriminating trunk contents for the broom cleaning kit, finally finding it.
"Huh... where is my dad's cloak?" he wondered out loud. Deciding to ask Hermione and Ron if they maybe borrowed it later, he started polishing his broom.
–-
A while later Harry was downstairs playing chess with Ron. Ron told him he hadn't seen his cloak anywhere when Harry asked after the first time Ron beat him. They were on their third game – another loss later – when Hermione came back in the Common Room, her hands occupied with balancing a tower of books she had borrowed from the library.
"I concede," Harry told Ron, turning his king over.
"Bloody useless you are," the chess piece chastised him, but Harry shrugged it off. He walked over to Hermione and took some books from her tower so her face was revealed.
"Oh! Thanks, Harry," Hermione said.
"No problem. Hey, do you maybe have my cloak?" Harry took some more books until they both were carrying about the same amount, then put his stack on an unoccupied table.
"Your cloak?" Hermione flushed and looked down. "Yes?"
"Oh, good!" Harry gave her a smile as he took the other stack from her. "I was afraid for a moment I left it at Gr– at our summer address."
"You... you don't mind me borrowing it?" Hermione looked surprised.
"Nah, I trust you," Harry said. "Why don't you bring that stack up? I'll guard the rest until you return."
"Thanks Harry!" 'I love you,' Hermione mentally added, going upstairs.
–-
Hermione returned for the other books, then she and Harry sat down at the same table working a bit on their Runes, she tutoring him. Hermione was just expanding on the use of Runes in wand crafting when the next interruption came, in the form of a professor.
"Har... Mr. Potter? Come with me, please," Tonks said, sounding a little distressed.
Harry looked around and found that nobody was paying that much attention to them. "What's this about, Nym?" he asked in a soft voice.
"Harry... we need to have a chat, in private," Tonks answered in the same soft voice.
"Can it wait? I have Quidditch tryouts in a bit," Harry said.
"No," Tonks raised her voice to normal levels again. "Come with me, Mr. Potter."
"You'd better go," Hermione prodded him.
"I'm coming," Harry agreed, standing up. "Thanks for the help," he said to Hermione before disappearing out of the portrait hole.
Hermione grabbed her papers and ran up the stairs to her dorm room, taking Harry's cloak. As quick as she could she ran out the portrait and to the DADA classroom. The corridor was empty when she got there, and she hid herself in the invisibility cloak before sneaking inside the classroom. Finding it empty, she moved over to Tonks' personal quarters and put her ear on the door. Hearing soft murmurs from inside, she opened the door just a little, and sneaked inside.
–-
Tonks looked up as her door seemed to open and close on its own accord, but only partially registered it. She and Harry were sitting on her bed, her hands folded in her lap as she stalled for time.
"Come on, Nym, what's this about? I told you, I have Quidditch later," Harry complained.
"Harry... do you love me? Really?" Tonks asked softly.
"Of course I do," Harry said. "Nym, look up, please."
Once she did, he hugged her to him. "I admit I was really surprised with how fast things went when you, well, rescued me from the Dursleys, but I know for a fact I fell in love with you. You never need to worry about that."
"Oh Harry!" Nym sobbed on his shoulder a bit.
"There, there," Harry tried his best to comfort her, not understanding why his girlfriend seemed to be upset.
"Why did you ask? Did I... did I do something wrong?" he softly asked as she seemed to find herself again.
"Hero... do you think we'll be together next year?" Tonks deflected.
"Of course!"
"And after that? And the year after that? Do you think... we can last?" Tonks didn't meet his eyes.
"Love... I'll be with you for as long as you'll have me," Harry said. He moved away a bit and took her hands in his. "Nym... what is this all about? Did... did someone find out about us?"
"Oh Harry... I... I messed up," Nym said softly.
"Messed up how? Tell me, please. I promise, whatever it is, I won't get mad."
"Harry... we've been making love for some time now, and..."
"Am I not good? Do you... do you want someone more experienced?" Harry sounded a bit pained.
"No, you goof!" Tonks looked up finally again. "Merlin, this is much harder than I thought it would be..."
"Don't... don't tell me you want to end it?" Harry nearly choked as he forced out the words.
"What? Never! Harry... I think I forgot to take the Potion on time," Tonks answered him.
"What potion? Are you ill?" Harry looked at her critically.
Across the room, their spy choked away a surprised exclamation of disbelief and she got up from the chair, getting closer to them.
"The contraceptive potion, Harry," Tonks clarified.
"Huh?"
"I went to Madam Pomfrey last night... and... oh screw it. Harry, I'm pregnant," Tonks blurted out.
Harry sat there, frozen.
"Don't you dare ask if it is yours, mister. Because it is. Oh Merlin... not only am I shagging one of my students, I managed to get knocked up by one... my life is over," Tonks rambled on.
Harry still sat silent.
"I understand if you're upset with me hero, but I didn't really plan this... not that I don't want to have a kid or three with you eventually, but I hoped to wait until you were out of Hogwarts... or had done the Dark Tosser in at least... not like this. Well? What the hell are you sitting there so silently for? Say something! Rage at me!" Tonks defiantly caught his eye.
Harry swallowed and scrambled to his feet. "I... I've got to go," he rambled and ran out the door.
"Harry! Don't you dare –" Tonks shouted after him, but he was gone. "Fuck," she said.
The door, which Harry had shut closed behind him, started to open again. Tonks nearly dove for her wand and yelled out, Stupefy!"
The magic beam collided with a cloaked form, and Tonks heard it crumple to the ground. She stepped over and removed to reveal Hermione.
"Perfect, just bloody perfect," Tonks complained. "The father of my unborn child runs away at the news and to make things even better, his psycho creeper was there to see it."
Tonks pulled Hermione's stunned form back in the room and sat down on her bed, beginning to cry.
Maybe five minutes later her door opened again and Harry stepped through.
"Tonks? Sorry I ran out, but –" Harry started saying.
"Aren't you running away? I know I fucked up, but I didn't mean to," Tonks cried bitterly.
Unnoticed by both, Hermione began to stir again.
"Oh... erm... I guess I messed up myself there," Harry said sheepishly. "Tonks... Nym..."
"What?!" Tonks looked up to glare at him.
Harry dropped to one knee and produced a box from his back pocket. "Nymphadora Drusilla Tonks, will you marry me?" he asked, flipping it open to reveal a simple but beautiful ring.
Before Tonks could answer, a bump from across the room was heard. Hermione had fainted and slammed her head against the wall.
A/N: I know, late and short. The reveal wouldn't let itself be written and on top of that I lost a first draft of this fic :/
Thanks to my fellow Magpie firefly81 for looking it over. You rock!
And because everyone was expecting someone to faint this chapter, well, here you go.