Disclaimer: I do not own anything related to Harry Potter. If I did I would be a far richer man. And I'd be a woman. I also don't own Star Trek.
Reviews are appreciated but certainly not required.
AN: This chapter was/is a beast. There was no decent spot to split it so you get one almost twice as long as usual this week. Enjoy!
I've taken some liberties on the arrangement of St. Mungo's. After rereading that segment of the book it didn't quite fit what I needed so I swapped some furniture and doors around.
There's some language warning in this chapter. Not a huge amount but there is some swearing towards the end that – coupled with the sheer volume of innuendo in this chapter – probably pushes my T rating boundary a tad.
Chapter 6: A Very Harry Potter Christmas
Dora woke the morning after what would later become known as 'The Great Order Blowout' with a mane of bushy brunette hair a few inches in front of her eyes. Blinking in confusion she remained perfectly still trying to get her brain awake enough to process the information her gaze was feeding her.
She failed repeatedly.
Why is Hermione in my bed? Why is she sleeping on my chest? Dora tried to run through the events of last night. After Dumbledore had left, the majority of the Order had filed out as well, ostensibly because they had business but really because Sirius wouldn't stop glaring at most of them for refusing to say anything during Dumbledore's attempted obliviation. Personally she'd considered it a bit harsh – things had escalated rather quickly so she really couldn't blame them for being caught flat footed and freezing. After dinner the remaining household had retired to bed. She distinctly remembered falling asleep alone. She'd have probably worn more than just a long T-shirt and knickers if someone had joined her…Meaning Hermione had gotten up in the middle of the night and decided to slither in to cuddle up.
Slowly, the corners of her mouth lifted as a decidedly fun plot popped into her head. Still riding the high of dreamland, Dora shifted her head enough to see just past the mass of hair to the girl resting on her breasts. Holding in a chuckle Dora concentrated for a moment and began alternatively expanding said pillows so that Hermione's head started to rock between Dora's left and right sides. An annoyed grumble issued forth from the teen as Dora left both breasts at comic book levels with Hermione sandwiched between them. Hermione grumbled louder only to be followed a moment later by a squeak of surprise. The brunette sat up so fast she literally fell onto her back. As she picked herself back up to a seated position the scowl on her face was so delightfully adorable that Dora couldn't help but shake her head and chuckle. "Sleep well, Hermione?"
"That was not funny."
"Yeah, actually it was pretty funny," Dora replied waggling her eyebrows and enlarging her breasts even more before letting them shrink back down to normal. "You're the one who decided my chest was a great pillow. You have to bear the consequences!" Hermione's glare set Dora's chuckles off again. "Any particular reason you ended up in my bed?"
Hermione glanced to the third bed in the room, currently pushed against the wall and full with a lightly snoring redhead. Reaching over to the table, Hermione grabbed her wand and cast a small privacy charm around herself and Dora.
Dora's laughter petered off and she squinted up at Hermione. Pushing up to lean on her arms she scanned the other girl with a small shake of her head. "I really am a horrible influence on you…magic outside of school?"
"It's safe. Did you know that the Trace is simply a fancy word for monitoring charms around Muggle neighborhoods without adult witches and wizards residing in them? I was quite perturbed by the implications when Professor McGonagall explained it to me. I find it highly unlikely that many magical families follow the rules and prevent their children from learning or practicing magic before school. No wonder they start ahead of Muggleborns…" Hermione sighed and nodded. "And, yes, yes you are a horrible influence. I used to think Harry and Ron were bad…I had no idea. Since I met you I've been pranking teachers – with meaner and meaner methods – I've told off my Head of House, I've tricked, yelled at and manipulated my headmaster!"
"And pulled a wand on him," Dora murmured frowning. "I never really thanked you for that yesterday…So, yeah, thanks, Hermione. Really, I honestly am not sure what I would have done if you guys hadn't stood up to defend me."
"You're welcome." Hermione grimaced and shook her head. "This year has not been kind to any of us it seems."
"No, it hasn't. Why have you helped me so much anyway? I'm practically twisting you against your entire nature with every new idea I bring up it seems." Dora asked.
A small smile flashed across Hermione's mouth though it didn't quite reach her eyes. "Because you are good for him." Dora didn't need to ask to know who she was talking about and a pang of guilt rang inside her chest. She silently uttered a brief prayer that Hermione would cut off there and she could remain blissfully ignorant of anything deeper – a hope that was immediately dashed by the brunette's next words. "You are better for him than I am. Better than I was. Harry's opened up to you in a matter of weeks when I wasn't even friends with him for months at the start. He feels for you and you for him and despite the…well the clash of your boisterous nature and his quiet solitude somehow you fit together."
Dora sat up fully and shook her head slowly back and forth. "Hermione, Harry and I – "
"Stop," Hermione commanded holding up a hand. "Stop denying it and stop fighting it. I know from experience it doesn't work and it doesn't go away and you're only going to make things worse in the long run by ignoring it. You like him, admit it and get over yourself. He likes you as well even if he's not particularly good at expressing it."
Dora swallowed hard and tried to keep her hair from flipped through a rainbow of colors. Hermione did have a romantic interest in Harry. And now apparently she'd mucked that up with her meddling. Perfect. Absolutely perfect. "Okay, maybe, maybe, I like him. But…Merlin, Hermione, you've been his friend for ages! You have every right to say something to him before I bother throwing my hat in. For all I know, you were supposed to get with him before I blundered into things!" The guilt sprang up and started gnawing on her. She'd been able to fix some things so far, but how much else had she broken in the process?
Hermione's smile widened ever so slightly and she reached out to pat Dora's leg. "No, I waited too long and he has rarely looked at me as he looks at you. Perhaps if things had been different or if I had been a bit braver when I had the chance, but now the time has passed. I've made my peace with it."
"It doesn't seem right…" Dora muttered trailing off as she stared into the distance.
"Well if it makes you feel better, there is always the chance you'll crash and burn and leave me behind to pick up the pieces of his heart," Hermione commented smirking and waving her hand dismissively. "It is statistically unlikely that school sweethearts turn into married couples later in life." She paused and snorted, "Well, normally at least. Like everything else, the rules do seem a bit odd for magicals."
"You're like a freaking saint woman," Dora said rubbing her forehead. "I'll consider it. So back to the sleeping thing, why did you end up cuddling with me?"
Hermione's face flushed red and she glanced over to Ginny briefly. "Ah. That. You uh, didn't quite notice it last night, but Ginny was giving both of us exceptionally annoyed looks throughout the evening. So I ended up deciding it would be safer to sleep together. You were already asleep otherwise I would have consulted you first."
Dora raised her eyebrows and turned to look at the redhead two beds over. "What, you think she'd attack us in our sleep?"
"Oh no, not at all!" Hermione hastened to reply holding up her hands in defense. "But the girl did grow up with Fred and George and I would certainly not put it past her to channel them both and prank us six ways to Sunday if she sees a reasonable opportunity."
"Why?"
Hermione snorted again and rubbed her forehead. "For someone extremely intelligent you can be a bit single-minded, Dora. You are stealing her man and I have betrayed her to help you by bringing you here."
"You…betrayed her," Dora said slowly. She needed tea or coffee in order to follow this conversation.
"I tried to help her get closer to Harry over the summer," Hermione commented with a shrug. "I gave her some advice which she has taken to heart while simultaneously completely ignoring the entire point."
Dora stayed quiet for several seconds before throwing up her hands and shaking her head. "You're going to have to explain this one."
Hermione laughed and nodded. "Sure. Ginny is in love with the Boy Who Lived. Her savior, her White Knight, the slayer of the basilisk and vanquisher of possessing ghosts. The problem is she knows next to nothing about Harry Potter the boy and she doesn't quite get that there is actually a difference. I advised her to start talking to him and try to expand her friend circle; hopefully she could then speak with him as a person and not as an idol. She talks perfectly fine with him now, but she still sees him as a hero first and person second. That's why I don't mind you pursuing him as you have that inverted."
Dora blinked in confusion before eventually flopping back down onto the bed. "I'd kinda forgotten for a bit just how bloody confusing being a teenager could be!"
"Tell me about it! I hate hormones."
"Agreed." Looking up at Hermione, Dora cocked a thumb at Ginny. "So we need to watch out for prank jinxes from the spurned fangirl despite her not actually dating the boy?"
Hermione shrugged. "Maybe. I just figured it was better to be safe than sorry." She paused and winced guiltily. "Also, it's quite drafty in this house and Sirius forgot to get us that extra blanket before we turned in. I haven't managed to conjure those just yet."
Dora looked from Hermione's shift night-dress and the missing blanket on the brunette's bed over to the nice, cozy quilt tossed all over her own. She let out a small groan which turned into a low laugh. "And people say I'm crafty." Lifting the edge of the blanket she beckoned the other girl back under the covers and Hermione happily jumped forward to reenter the warmth with a contented sigh. "I repeat, I am a horrible influence on you."
An hour or two later after a shower and wonderful breakfast, the members of the Black household were happily chatting away in the kitchen trying to determine the plan for the day. Dora noted with a pleased smile that everyone seemed to be in good spirits despite the drama the night before. Harry had even lost the bags under his eyes and while the occasional glare from Ginny was difficult to miss the others had all welcomed her into the house. They were just about to clean the place settings when the teenagers were surprised by the kitchen door flying open and Mad-Eye Moody stomping into the room.
Dora gulped at the sight of the wildly spinning blue eye and piercing stare directed at her. Her old mentor wasn't holding his wand yet which was a plus. Even if it was only a small one…
"So, you're the crafty little teenager that managed to work her way around a Fidelius, eh?" Moody gruffed. "Well let's see you girl. Sirius may vouch for you, but I for one make my own decisions."
Dora nodded and stood being careful to keep her movements slow and her hands wide. Moody wasn't quite as bad as people liked to make him seem, but until he was certain you were a friend he could be quite loose with his spells and attitude. "Hello, Professor Moody. The others have told me a bit about you. It's nice to finally meet."
Moody snorted and shook his head as his good eye scanned her from foot to head. "Never did get around to teaching much so you can drop the Professor. I understand you and Granger tricked the location out of Dumbledore using intentions as the baseline?"
"Uh…" That was a good question…
"That's correct, Sir," Hermione chimed in. "It was mostly my plan. That it actually worked is…"
"Dangerous," Moody finished nodding. "I'll have to get Weasley out here to add some wards around the property. Make sure to prevent any uninvited guests from coming to the party and regretting it if they do. Good job pointing out a potential weak point in the defenses, Granger, Kirk." He turned back to Dora and held her gaze. "Now, what was so important that you couldn't wait until the start of next term and felt it worth subverting some of the strongest magic we know?"
Dora felt her face heat up and she made no effort to prevent her hair from changing to a flame red. "My friend was hurting. I have few good friends and I wasn't going to let him just sit here wallowing in self-hatred," she said glaring at Moody.
Harry held up a hand. "Uh, I wasn't 'wallowing in self-hatred'. I was reflecting on current problems and how I could be better."
Ron laughed and clapped his friend on the back. "Mate, you were wallowing. Even I know that and I have a…a um…Hermione what did you call it? Poorly developed emotion something or other?"
"Poorly developed emotional recognition and empathic response," Hermione responded in a monotone while arching an eyebrow.
"That! I have that, even I knew you were wallowing, Harry!"
Ginny rolled her eyes and lightly slapped her brother on the back of his head. "That's not something to brag about, Ron."
Moody had remained quiet and held Dora's gaze throughout the entire exchange. Apparently finding the right amount of truth and annoyance in her eyes, he nodded and shifted to address the room. "Alright, joke's over. Grab your wands and get ready. Now that he's stabilized and fully out of danger, we're heading to the St. Mungo's to visit Arthur." He was forced to cut off as the Weasleys erupted in shouts of joy. Allowing them a few moments to celebrate, Moody continued. "Seeing as we can't get Ministry vehicles, I, Hestia, Andromeda and the twins will be apparating the group in. Fred, George, you will be taking your sister and brother. Hestia will take Granger, Potter is with Andromeda and Kirk is with me."
Dora blinked up at him as the others stood from the table and started she shuffle towards the door. She moved on autopilot forcing her hair back to a neutral tone and steeling her nerves for interacting with Mu-Andromeda. The regular guards from last time had probably been too uncomfortable to come back so soon after the blowup. She was actually surprised that Hestia had consented to come, but then Hestia tended to be in the background a bit often. Too often really…Oh well, at least Tonks wasn't one of the escorts. Dora figured she should be able to deal with one of her 'family' members, but not two at once. Not yet at least.
Waving goodbye to Sirius they all filed up to the entranceway and greeted Hestia and Andromeda. It took under a minute to get everyone sorted out and bundled off to St. Mungo's. As the hospital materialized around her Dora pushed down the nausea; Side-Along really was awful. They had already started towards the stairs when she realized that Andromeda had fallen into place near her.
"So, a metamorphmagus? My daughter has the ability as well. Have you had any issues adjusting? I can recommend good books that seemed to help her as well as arrange a face-to-face meeting if you desire. She is quite busy these days, but she seemed extremely excited when telling me about you last night. I'm certain we could move some things around to get you two some time alone."
Yes, because that was exactly what Dora wanted. Time alone with her past self. Time alone with the one person in this world most likely to recognize her. Time alone with a constant reminder that this wasn't quite home and that home was forever lost. Sure. Swell idea. "I'll take the books. If she has time we can chat, but I've been figuring out a ton on my own so she doesn't have to rearrange anything just to see me." I was lazy with personal stuff. Hell, I didn't even do the dishes for a week! I won't go out of my way to switch my schedule if 'Dora Kirk' isn't interested. I…hope…Oh who am I kidding, I'm screwed.
"Then I will get those over to you immediately," Andromeda replied with an easy smile as they stepped out of the stairs and into the injuries ward.
Arthur's room was almost exactly as she remembered it from the first go-round; even right down to his horrible usage of stitches. She'd only heard about the stitches originally. To actually see their attempts at amateur sewing…Dora had a hard time deciding whether to bang her head against the wall or slap Arthur silly. Actual stitches done by someone who knew what they were doing would've worked wonders for his wound. The man's poor attempts at explanation coupled with the Healer's incompetence led to a horrific mess that probably set Healer usage of Muggle techniques back by a decade at least.
What made the whole thing worse was that Dora – eh, Tonks – could've done it herself if anyone had bothered to consult with her. Any of the Aurors could've. It was all part of their basic training. Being fluent with field medicine using Muggle means was important if they were caught injured with a bad case of magical exhaustion.
After the initial pleasantries, the exchange quickly turned into something extremely personal for the Weasleys and Dora quietly slipped out of the room to wait in the hallway. She wasn't extremely surprised when Hermione joined her less than a minute later, but both were a bit taken aback when Harry too slipped outside. He eyed the surprise written on the girls' faces and shrugged. "Don't look at me like that. I may be an honorary brother, but I'm not exactly part of the family. Let's just walk down a bit and give them some space."
Dora shrugged and led the way up the corridor. As they passed Andromeda she quietly fell into line behind the trio. Dora had never quite gotten along with her mother, but that was something she'd always admired about the woman. Andromeda Tonks had a remarkable ability to remain close enough to assist despite allowing you enough space to feel like you were given privacy. It was a skill Dora'd never managed to quite pickup for personal use even if she could do a passable imitation when tailing someone.
Rule Number 95: When following someone it doesn't matter if you're obvious. It only matters if you're close enough for them to care that you're going in the same direction.
She managed to subtly steer the small group into the direction of the Spell Damage ward without too much trouble. While they were in the area Dora could at least try to do some minor good deeds. Broderick Bode might never actually recover from his ordeal with whatever had happened in the Department of Mysteries, but she could at least save him from being killed via plant. It was easy enough to wander into the room, lean a bit too close to the Devil's Snare clipping while the Healer was close by and expose the evil little flora for what it was. A bit of feigned relief and annoyance later…and Bode was saved and the small group was wandering on further down the ward, no mess no fuss.
"I won a smile award! See, that's my face! Do I still smile like that? I think I do, but I feel like this is something I need to practice to get just right," a melodious voice commented drifting out of an open door just in front of them.
"Practicing a smile?" Dora muttered. "That must be some extreme spell damage there…"
Harry just groaned and wiped a hand down his face. "That would be Lockhart…Out of all the rooms to wander near how do we wind up at Lockhart?"
"Well I for one am rather intrigued. I've heard about the damage Ron's wand did to him and after his horrific showings as a teacher, his stolen good deeds and his atrocious attempt on your life…The man deserves exactly what he got and I for one want to see it firsthand!" Hermione commented.
The brunette strode past Dora and straight into the room with the ex-Defense professor leaving a quietly chuckling Andromeda behind and a thoroughly bewildered Dora to watch. Harry stepped up next to her shaking his head. "We've created a monster, Dora. Corrupted Hermione is scary when she's protective."
"You have no idea," she murmured. "I want to hear about him stealing good deeds and trying to kill you by the way. Apparently we've skipped that story." Along with god knows what else. Like what the hell happened at the end of their third year to drive away hundreds of Dementors and free Sirius from certain death twice.
"Tell you when we get back," Harry replied. The two walked into the room as the Healer walked out smiling to each of them. Apparently Lockhart didn't have many visitors if the Healer didn't even ask for their names. Or he had so many that she didn't even bother anymore. Both were probably decent possibilities. Dora found herself holding in a stomach chortling laugh at the bright smile spread over Hermione's face.
"Yes, Lockhart that's right, wiping your own behind is great progress!" Hermione crowed.
Dora lost her battle with the laughter though she did at least manage to restrict it to a small giggle. Harry for his part simply blinked and turned around to march right back outside. "Yes it is! The nice Healer Woman says that I should be able to brush my teeth in another few months!" Lockhart said nodding vigorously. Hermione just smiled back at him with her huge grin firmly plastered on her face. Dora's giggle got louder and she reached over to grab her friend's arm pulling her out of the room. "Goodbye! Visit again! I'll sign my picture for it when I remember how to write!"
They had barely gotten the door closed before Dora laughed hard enough to bend over and clutch her sides. She took a few moments to let it out and recenter herself before turning on a smug Hermione. "Keep smiling like that and you'll steal his Best Smile prize from him."
"Hermione, Dora, can we please keep going? I'd prefer not to watch Lockhart make even more of a fool of himself," Harry asked rolling his eyes.
"Coming," both girls recited turning to him and waving him on.
They had gone a short ways down the corridor before again coming to a stop though this time no one was laughing. Inside the room just ahead of them were Neville and Madam Augusta Longbottom. Both were sitting next to two beds, each occupied. Neville was smiling softly at the woman on the bed next to him as she reverently handed him a small bubblegum wrapper while the man near Augusta barely moved at all and only seemed to babble incoherently every few seconds.
Dora couldn't look away from the scene. She knew exactly what it was; Neville's parents, Frank and Alice, had been attacked shortly after Harry's family. Dora had been old enough at the time that she just barely remembered meeting the two. They had been lively and lovely. Now they were so broken that they were permanent residents of Mungo's. And to further complicate matters, Alice still seemed to somewhat recognize Neville. Dora's heart about broke watching that. She couldn't decide what was worse; Harry's dead parents or Neville's living ones. Both had pain in their lives, but Neville's was a constant reminder that despite still eating and breathing, neither of his parents were truly with them any longer; if they hadn't been healed by now there wasn't much chance of that situation changing. At least Harry had some closure.
"Hello there," Augusta commented standing from her vigil over her son and coming to speak with the small group. "Mr. Potter, it's a pleasure to see you outside of that courtroom. Come to visit Arthur I assume?"
Harry gave a demure nod in reply. "Yes, Ma'am. He's talking with his family so we left to give what comfort we could to some of the others in this wing."
"That's very kind of you, dear. Neville will be along shortly. Alice does this every time. She only has one more to give him now. And you two are…?"
Hermione stepped forward and gave a small curtsy. "Hermione Granger, Ma'am. I'm – "
"Ah, yes, it's nice to finally put a name to the face. Neville has spoken quite extensively about your help with his homework; especially this year. Would this be Miss Kirk then?"
Dora nodded. "Yes, Madam Longbottom. I'm sorry for your loss and I'm humbled by the strength you both show here."
Augusta smiled and nodded at that as Neville finally left his mother's side and came to stand with them. He looked distinctly uncomfortable though that shifted into surprise as Hermione moved forward and wrapped him into a powerful hug. Dora couldn't hear what she whispered to him, but as they pulled apart he was smiling softly at them even if it held a tinge of sorrow in it. "I know you guys knew about my parents, but it's different seeing it firsthand. Thank you for stopping by." The trio nodded and he continued. "I heard about Mr. Weasley getting hurt. Is he alright?"
"He'll be fine in a week or two," Harry said. "The bite was pretty bad and it has some sort of curse on it, but they are healing it. It's just slow going."
"That's good. I'm glad he'll be alright." Everyone murmured their agreement at that. "We have to go. It was nice seeing you guys. If you want to stay you can." Neville was halfway out the door when he stopped and turned back to them with small lopsided grin. "If Mum tries to give you a candy wrapper don't let her see you throw it out."
As he and his grandmother left, Dora turned to the other two and glanced back to Frank and Alice. "A few minutes with them you think?"
Hermione and Harry immediately nodded. "I think they deserve it," Harry murmured. The three friends walked into the hospital room and sat down to talk with some of the heroes from the last Blood War.
That the heroes couldn't talk back made no difference.
After the group returned from the hospital most of the Weasleys retired to the either the kitchen or their rooms. Harry, Hermione and Dora were left alone in the library with Sirius ostensibly updating him on how things went.
In reality it seemed far more like a welcoming party for one to Dora.
"And then I told Remus to drop the newt into the loo! You should've seen the look on Flitwick's face when he found that mess the next day!" Sirius finished slapping his hands on his thighs laughing. "Oh, that poor man! We originally intended for McGonagall to be the one to find it but they swapped routes. James thought it worked out even better that way in the end!"
Dora chuckled. It really had been an inspired idea…It was almost a shame she couldn't use a variation of that on Umbridge. Anything more would probably end up killing the woman and that wasn't quite on the table just yet. Rapidly nearing the table, certainly, but not quite on it. Dora mentally took a step back and frowned at herself. She was ex-Auror, she was supposed to be an idealist. When had it become acceptable to contemplate becoming judge, jury and executioner? She had been taught to protect people; to not cast her own opinion into the mix of any one specific job. Granted the toad was a monster; Umbridge was almost more evil than Malfoy in her own way - she gleefully tortured children while hiding behind the cloak of law...but Dora would have to be careful and watch herself. It was only a hop skip and jump down a slippery slope if she started down that path without carefully considering all other options.
"So what was your best one yet?" Sirius asked smirking at her.
Pushing back her doubts, Dora focused on the here-and-now and smirked right back crossing her arms and leaning back into the couch. "A true mistress of the trade never tells her secrets."
Harry snorted. "You're just upset that Hermione and Neville turned out to have a better idea than you did."
Hermione buried her head further into her book. It did little to hide the blush that rose up to cover her entire face.
Sirius' eyebrows rose and he looked between all three teens with a huge smile. "This I have to hear."
"Ton Tongue Toffee combined with a bit of a modification and some flies makes for a very unhappy toad," Harry replies with a grin.
Sirius burst out laughing again before reaching over to pat Dora's shoulder. "Don't worry, sweetheart, I doubt anyone will be able to top that for some time. We'll work on improving your repertoire. Stick with me Miss Kirk and we'll get you to the genius' level!"
Dora shook her head and rolled her eyes at her cousin's antics. It was…strangely comforting to be so accepted by him. He barely even knew her and she already seemed to have not only a place in his house, but a place in his circle of friends. That was – it meant more to her than she'd ever willing admit outside of her head. Having at least some semblance of her family back was, well it was downright priceless.
"As much fun as this is, Harry and I need to retire for the evening," she commenting with a small sigh at leaving the good company behind. Though I'll be alone with other good company. Handsome good company at – no! Bad Dora!
"Ooooh?" Sirius asked grinning. "Do I need to teach you two locking and silencing charms? Or…" he paused dramatically and leaned back bringing his hands to his cheeks in a mock gasp, "a contraceptive charm?"
Harry's mouth dropped open and Dora let out a groan. "Yeah, I walked right into that one. I'm teaching him Occlumency. We figure it might help with preventing whatever vision he had from happening again."
Sirius sobered within moments and narrowed his gaze. "That's…not a bad idea. I have a bit of a hard time believing you're good enough to actually teach him though."
Dora shrugged. "I'm probably not, but if I can at least give him the basics then it's something right? From what Mrs. Gwenog said it's always better to start with someone you trust as your partner."
Sirius nodded and shifted his gaze to Harry. "You both realize if she has any skill at all you'll probably be spending a fair amount of time in each others' memories?"
Harry nodded. "I'm okay with that. I'll do practically anything to avoid feeling my teeth sinking into another friend."
Sirius sighed and crossed his arms as he leaned back. "I can understand that feeling. Remus was always like that too when he remembered bits and pieces of being the wolf. I wish I could help you myself, Harry. I'm excellent with Occlumency – had to be growing up a Black – but my head is not a place you want to risk wandering around in right now. I may joke around about a lot of things, but I'm not going to joke about something like this. You don't need to accidentally see Azkaban or Godric's Hollow or any of the things I remember from the war. I'll give you two pointers if you want it once you get started, but I won't be an active participant here."
Sirius paused and rubbed his chin. "You know…I could ask Andi to help…She should've gotten the same training before she walked away. She probably gave it to Tonks too. At least Tonks is close to you guys in age and…"
"I'm really okay with this, Sirius," Harry said softly shaking his head. "Mrs. Tonks seems nice and Tonks is a lot of fun, but I haven't really spent time with either." Dora managed to hold back her snicker at that comment though it was a close thing. "I trust Dora and if we end up needing more help then I want to at least get a decent baseline with her first to make sure that no one else sees things I don't want them to. I'd do it with Hermione, but she hasn't learned it yet so it's a moot point."
Hermione put down her book and nodded. "I wish I had now, and I've already owl-ordered copies of the best books on the subject. I imagine it will take some time to master the skills though. I won't be having sessions with Dora until after we're reasonably confident that Harry has progressed enough to work on his own."
Sirius whistled. "You three don't play around. Ron doing it as well?"
Harry shrugged. "I mentioned it to him last night. He said it sounded like a lot of work and he'd consider trying it for an hour or two a week after Hermione could give him the condensed version. It's…honestly a bit more than I had expected from him so I'm counting it as win."
"If he thinks I'm going to go rooting around in his Quidditch and food obsessed brain, that boy is in for a rude awakening," Hermione muttered.
"Right, and on that note, Harry, my bed awaits," Dora commented standing and bowing with a flourish and wink to Sirius. Groans from Hermione and Harry were her answer though her target did get up and shuffle towards the door. Peals of laughter followed them both out as they made their way up to the girls' room. Silently thanking the luck god that Ginny was elsewhere, Dora sent a quick locking and privacy charm at the door to ensure that they wouldn't be disturbed for a few hours.
"Alright, now sit down on the bed. This is probably going to literally knock you on your arse the first few times so might as well get comfortable first," she said gesturing to the bed. Harry nodded and hopped up looking at her with an intent sparkle in his gaze. Dora swallowed hard at that image before she sat down across from him and gently lifted her wand to point between them. "Okay, now first things first. I'm going to gently test to see if you have any natural boundaries. It's going to be a bit uncomfortable, but I'm not going to push so this shouldn't be too bad."
He nodded and a whispered legilimens later saw her pushing her consciousness at Harry. His defenses were – for lack of a better work – utter shite. She had barely started to push into him before large holes opened to welcome her into his mind. Pulling back Dora sighed and shook her head.
"That bad?"
"Well it could be worse…" She grimaced at his skeptical glare and backpedaled. "Yeah, you're pretty bad. I can work with this though. It's sort of what we expected anyway right? We knew you needed to shore up your mental defenses. Alright, think of a wall."
Harry frowned. "Brick or stone?"
That sent Dora chuckling. "Anything, mate. Brick, stone, steel, crystal, some fancy made-up alloy. Anything as long as it's strong to you. The image is just a focus for your mind to wrap its defenses around. Your magic and your will reinforce it. The wall is just a framework to build the layers onto."
"Huh," Harry murmured. He closed his eyes and his features scrunched up for nearly a minute before he relaxed slightly and opened his eyes a sliver. "Try again?"
"Legilimens," Dora said again locking gazes. This time most of the holes had been patched over though there were still a few obvious weak points. She pulled back again and smiled at him. "Much better, Harry. This time imagine it as a giant sphere instead of a wall. If I can fly over or under your defenses it won't matter much how strong the wall itself is right?"
"That makes sense…I don't know how well I'll be able to imagine a walled dome though…can I try to make it something else?"
"Sure. Remember this is just the framework. You can build whatever fortified structure you want as long as long you think it's something no one can get into without a fight."
Harry quirked his mouth to the side for several long moments before smiling and nodding to her. "Got it. Again."
Dora smirked and raised her eyebrows. "Alright Mr. Confident, this time I'm actually going to try pushing into your mind. Keep me out."
"I'm waiting, Professor," he replied with an answering taunting grin. Flashes of herself in a saucy teacher's robe sauntering towards Harry seated at a desk flitted unbidden across her mind. Shaking her head and using her powers to prevent the blush from rising Dora simply lifted her wand and sent the spell at him again.
This time almost all of the holes had mostly closed. They weren't quite sealed, but it was remarkably good progress for a first lesson. Except for one hole at the very center of his defense. Mentally sighing, Dora dove for that. She knew he'd most likely latched onto Hogwarts as his template – most Muggleborns learning Occlumency did. And like most of them he'd forgotten that he had to bar the Entrance Doors in his mental picture. She flew down and waltzed into his memories.
The first set was initially rather disconcerting. Dora found herself seated on the Quidditch pitch amidst screams and shouts and whizzing competitors. Shaking her head to try and focus better, she found herself staring up at Harry in what had to be one of his first few Quidditch games. She saw him fly by her at top speed and she could only whistle at the skill level a simple 11 year old was displaying.
The scene had barely started before it shifted and she was confronted with the sound of running water. Dora's blush came roaring back in full force as she was confronted with the backside of an older Harry in the locker room showers. "Wonder if the girls actually do soap each other up like Angelina was saying," the memory-voice of George floated into the scene.
"Nah, they're just messing with you," Memory Harry replied. He sighed and turned his gaze into the stream, "Shame though…it'd be an awesome thing if they did…"
Dora hurriedly pushed that memory fragment away. It was bad enough she was having naughty thoughts. She didn't need Harry's to be displayed as well. She was just about to pull back when the memories shifted into something…darker.
Frowning, Dora pushed slightly and the fragment resolved into a pint size version of Harry. He couldn't have been more than five or six and his arm was locked firmly in the meaty grip of the large walrus that was Vernon Dursley's paw. "Please, Uncle Vernon, I don't know what happened!"
"If I've told you once I've told you a thousand times! NO FREAKISHNESS IN MY HOUSE! There will be no supper for you boy! Not today and not tomorrow either! A bit of hunger will teach you not to wave your ABNORMALITY around in front of decent folk!" The walrus shouted, his face turning puce.
"Please, I haven't eaten since this morning! And it's dark in there. Please, Uncle Vernon!" Memory-Harry begged.
"Dora," the familiar dulcet tone of her friend snapped her out of her horrified trace. With a mighty shove, Dora pulled herself out of Harry's mind hard enough for the both of them to wind up sprawled onto the mattress.
Breathing heavily and shaking slightly Dora wrapped her arms around herself and shook her head. "I think that's enough for today…" A child…He'd been a bloody, fucking child! Dumbledore promised us he had monitoring charms on the kid since he was a baby. He'd promised us that he'd always been able to tell if Harry was in true danger…I'll kill that old man if I find out he knew about this and ignored it!
"Dora, it's okay," Harry commented quietly as he laid a hand on her shoulder.
Dora scowled and vigorously shook her head. "In no universe, in no time is that okay, Harry. They had no right to do that to you! They had…they should be…You are never going back there!" she spat. "I don't care what anyone else says, if I have to bloody kidnap you this summer I am keeping you away from those…demon-spawn!" She turned and locked gazes with him momentarily reeling back at the emotion showing in his eyes. Harry wasn't ashamed like she'd expected. He wasn't scared or defensive. He was…he was smiling!
"I didn't want you to know, Dora. But I'm sort of glad that you do. It's…nice to see someone else getting angry about it. I used to think they were right; that I was a freak. You know, for thinking that they were wrong to lock me up like that. If three members of my family thought that it was okay to do that then maybe it was you know?" He shrugged and reached out to take her hand. "I still think like that sometimes when things get bad. I know it's stupid, but it's how I was raised. So…it's nice to have you seething mad like that. Thanks, Dora. You're a better friend than I deserve."
Dora growled at the injustice in the world for a brief moment before shifting forward and pulling Harry into a hug that rivaled Hermione's in strength. "You deserve far better than me, Harry Potter. Don't you ever think otherwise."
They only had to wait another two days before Dumbledore arrived once again at Grimmauld Place. The visit likely would have started off far easier had the Headmaster deigned to actually knock instead of ring the bell. Even the second time around Dora couldn't tell if he was being legitimately forgetful or if it was an intentionally petty slight to remind everyone just who had the power. As much as she wanted to contribute it to the latter…she was willing to concede that it might actually just be Dumbledore getting old.
Either way, it led to the same result. "I really don't see why you leave that horrible portrait up, Sirius," Harry sighed as he stood from the couch with Walburga Black's screeching echoing through the hallways.
"Told you, pup. It has a permanent sticking charm on it. I can't get rid of it!"
Harry shrugged and walked towards the door. "Then just take down the entire wall instead."
Dora and Sirius looked at each other for a good three seconds before bursting out laughing at the simple solution to a frustrating annoyance. Hermione just rolled her eyes and waved Harry off. "Go deal with the Headmaster, Harry. I'll help the old dog learn some architectural principles so we don't bring the house down around us trying to exorcise a vitriolic ghost portrait."
"Thanks, Hermione, you're a real friend," Harry commented with a grin.
As he walked out to greet their guest Dora managed to tag him with a discreet listening charm just before the door closed. She gestured for the others in the room to come closer and turned up the receiving end of the spell. Sirius, Hermione and Ron all crowded around the table in the library room and waited while Harry and Dumbledore exchanged somewhat cool though pleasant greetings.
"Why are we listening in on this?" Ron asked. "I thought Professor Dumbledore's note said he wanted a private consultation."
Hermione raised her eyebrows at the redhead. "Do you trust him still? After everything that has happened in the past few weeks and months? His errors in judgment are piling up too high to ignore, Ron."
Ron shifted uncomfortably. "Well, yeah I mean, okay so he's a bit barmier than usual. But it's still Dumbledore. He's not evil. We don't need to go around spying on him."
"Says the one who's been attempting to spy on Order meetings for months," Sirius chuckled. "Shush kiddies. We're getting to the juicy bits!"
"Harry, I feel it is of the utmost importance that you endeavor to learn Occlumency as soon as possible," the soft tone of the Headmaster wafted from Dora's wand. She snorted in amusement. He was behind the game.
"Really?"
Apparently the sarcasm laced in the response was completely lost on the Headmaster as when Dumbledore continued he sounded like he was in full on teaching mode. "Yes. I realize that this is yet another addition to an already strenuous course load, but it is of the utmost importance, my boy. Occlumency is a Mind Art dedicated to shielding oneself from outside influences, primarily mind reading through Legilimency. They are sister arts."
"I assume you have a teacher in mind for this then." Harry's amused tone was apparent to the entire room.
And yet again, it was entirely lost on Dumbledore. "Professor Snape will be tutoring you in this subject, Harry."
Dora's mouth dropped open and she lifted her gaze to peer at the others. She'd known that Dumbledore had assigned someone to tutor him originally and that he hadn't taken well to the lessons, but she'd never gotten the name. Snape teaching a boy he despised Occlumency?! What the hell was the old man thinking? He had to have gone insane. It was the only explanation that fit the facts. If she'd still been an Auror she'd have gone to Amelia and asked for a full mental eval on Dumbledore.
"Sirius had mentioned that Mrs. Tonks was good at it. And Tonks. I'd imagine Moody is an expert. Any particular reason you are choosing the man who hates me to teach me something that is supposed to be dealt with between two people who trust each other?" Harry asked. Dora could just picture the flippant wave of his hand and how it hid the shiver of rage running up her friend.
"Harry, I assure you, Professor Snape is the best Occlumens available besides myself."
"And you can't teach me because…oh that's right I forgot, you aren't speaking or looking at me this year. I think this is the longest conversation we've had since the Triwizard Tournament. Would you have even done this much if you hadn't tried to Obliviate one of my best friends a few days ago?"
The heavy sigh that came over the charm was almost enough to convince Dora she'd been too hard on the old man. Almost. "Harry, I do what I do to protect you. I have only ever held your best interests at heart."
"And yet you keep me in the dark and consistently let me and the people around me get hurt year after year. Ron, Ginny, Hermione, Sirius, Cedric, Dora…I've nearly died for four years straight. Five if you count the Dementors that got through when your 'guard' left this summer. Professor, please don't try to justify all of your actions as being on my account. It makes it seem like you're either incompetent or have been leading me by the nose through one dangerous situation after another. Neither option really bodes well for the future now that Voldemort is back."
Dora felt like cheering. She'd finally succeeded in helping Harry stand up for himself. It was all she could do to beam with pride and let her hair shift to a bright gold. Hermione was wearing a similar smile though both Ron and Sirius' expressions had darkened as they contemplated what Harry had brought up. "Harry, I…"
"Don't. I don't know if you attempting to groom me for some fight or if you are just ignorant of the things that go on in the castle or at the Dursleys, Headmaster. Either way, it doesn't look good. So please, don't try to justify your actions as being for me." The pause was long enough that all three eavesdroppers started to wonder if the charm had broken. Finally Harry sighed and continued. "I am not a pawn and I have responsibility for my own life and actions – as some of my friends keep trying to drill into my head. You could use the same advice it seems, take responsibility for your choices, Headmaster. You want Snape to teach me Occlumency, fine. I'll try it for a single lesson. If he's willing to put his hatred aside and actually teach I'll come back for more. For some reason I rather doubt that I'll have to clear my schedule."
Another long pause followed before a chair scraped across the floor and a rustle drifted over the charm. Dumbledore's quiet, sorrow-filled voice followed shortly afterward. "I am sorry you feel this way, Harry. I can't say it's not justified to some degree. I will endeavor to take a hard look at some of my past actions. I can assure you in the meantime that Professor Snape will handle himself professionally. These lessons are truly important. Expect a note from him the first week of the new term."
As Dumbledore walked out, Harry couldn't seem to resist a parting shot. "If they are so important Professor then why are we waiting for another week-and-a-half to start them?"
There was no answer and the door to the house opened and closed shortly after. A tired looking Harry walked into the library a minute later. He plopped down on the couch between Hermione and Dora and rubbed his forehead. Dora patted his leg. "You did well."
"I agree," Hermione commented. "Your logic was sound and your compromise was agreeable. I feel it will be rather enjoyable to hear about the upcoming lesson if you make decent progress with Dora's tutoring beforehand."
"That's what I was thinking," Harry said nodding. "Maybe I'll get lucky and knock him on his arse when he tries to mind rape me." He paused and eyed the group. "You know you guys could've just asked me before setting a listening charm. I pretty much expected it at this point, but still…"
Hermione grimaced and nodded. "Sorry, it just seemed like you'd think we were spying on you when it was the Headmaster...We should have asked."
Ron smirked and slapped a hand on his thigh. "Stop worrying about old news and worry about the future! You give it to Snape, Harry! Surprise the greasy old bat and show him what happens when he tries to pick a fight!"
Sirius scowled deeper and crossed his arms leaning back into his chair. "I should've banned him from the house…both of them…"
"Sirius?" Harry asked raising his head and gazing at his godfather. Dora looked between the two of them several times before the connection clicked and she gasped. Only one thing would get Sirius that upset at something so stereotypically Dumbledore. Snape's reaction to damaging events...or more specifically Snape's lack of reaction. Her hair lost all its color and flared white briefly before she twisted and hugged Harry as tight as she could. "Err…what am I missing?"
"Snape hates you," she mumbled into his shoulder.
"How is this a surprise?" Ron asked.
Dora shook her head and continued softly. "If he saw what I've been seeing he'd brush it off. He'd ignore it or say you deserved it. He'd treat it like it was nothing."
"I know," Harry replied as he wrapped an arm around her shoulders and pulled her tighter against him. "I told you how much I appreciate your understanding Dora. I wouldn't ever expect something like that from Snape. It's not a big deal."
"It is, Harry," Sirius said, his voice so low it was almost too quiet to hear. "I saw enough of the Dursleys that night before your third year. I can guess at what your friend has seen that has her so upset. They tried to get you to suppress your magic didn't they?"
Harry nodded and Dora just squeezed him tighter. "Have you heard of an Obscurus, pup?" Sirius asked. From the corner of her eye Dora saw Hermione hang her head and carefully place both hands in her lap. The brunette had obviously worked out enough of Harry's past from their reactions to the Occlumency sessions lately. That she'd held her peace in respect for Harry's feelings on the matter was no surprise.
It was somewhat surprisingly, Ron who answered Sirius first. "I thought those were a myth. Something parents told their kids to scare them at night."
Dora shook her head. "Not a myth. A really powerful one almost broke the Statute of Secrecy in America a few decades back. Harry, when kids suppress their magic due to abuse and neglect it morphs into something…dark and dangerous. It lashes out on its own and destroys everything around it before eventually killing the child too." The room was quiet for several long seconds before Dora continued. "Snape should never be the first choice into your head because no one should ever belittle what you avoided through sheer small-minded, cruel, stubbornness. If you'd been even slightly less defiant or determined as a kid, you could've destroyed that entire city block when things eventually came to a head. And he'd bowl right over that probably just saying that you 'deserved it for being arrogant like your father'." Harry was quiet though the racing of his heart against her ear was enough for Dora to know she'd gotten her message across.
"I'm certainly not going to be one to defend the Headmaster anymore," Hermione said slowly. "But what if he honestly didn't realize…just how bad it apparently has been…" Dora wanted to let Harry go so she could hug the other girl and whisper about how a preteen couldn't be expected to find signs of abuse that even trained adults kept missing year after year. She just couldn't bring herself to slide away from Harry's arm yet.
Sirius sighed. "It's possible I suppose, but by this point he knows enough that he should be thinking twice about choosing Snape. Too much has happened and too much has slipped through cracks. Dumbledore is too distracted to care about details it seems. He's taken on too much and it's showing in what he's dropping by the wayside. We all need to make sure to take what he says with a grain of salt now. I'll talk with Andi, Minerva, Arthur, Shack and Moody and pass on the message. You kids try and relax okay. It's Christmas in a few days."
"Yeah, yeah it is," Harry murmured.
"Merry Christmas!" Dora awoke to Harry's shout and a banging on their bedroom door. Normally she'd be the first up on Christmas morning, but with things being as they were it hadn't seemed worth setting an alarm for.
"Go away! Some of us are trying to get our beauty sleep in here!" she shouted back making no move to change positions.
The laugh from beyond the door gave evidence to Harry's opinion of her remark. "Says the metamorph. Get dressed, Dora, I have a present for you and it's on a timetable!"
"It's probably food. I bet he cooked breakfast for us all," Ginny mumbled sitting up and stretching. "I call first shower afterwards. Never miss Harry's breakfasts if you have a choice. They're to die for. He could put any house elf out of business."
Dora frowned, barely stopping herself from rebuking the redhead. It wasn't Ginny's fault that she had no idea where Harry's cooking skills were learned. Or how many burns he'd received to earn them as a child.
"You've woken half the house, Harry," Hermione called out with a yawn. "We're on our way down."
Dora spent the next few minutes quickly running through her morning routine with the other two while trying to figure out what Harry's 'gift' could possibly be. She doubted it was food, they'd have smelled it by now if he'd gotten breakfast ready. But what else could possibly have a timer component? It wasn't a spellbook or an enchantment. Any enchantment that only lasted for a few hours was basically pointless as a gift. Maybe he'd gotten her a short term conjured pony? Nah, that was stupid – she wasn't a pony type of girl.
Still trying to puzzle out the mystery, Dora waltzed into the living room and stopped midstep. Her younger…older…other self was leaning against the armchair and chatting the morning away with Harry. A sinking feeling hit Dora as she desperately started to pray that Harry hadn't done what she was beginning to suspect. That sinking quickly became a lead weight as she noticed a bow tied in Tonks' hair. "Shite," she muttered.
The terrible twosome finally noticed Dora's arrival and turned to smile at her with identical grins. Harry struck a pose and proudly flung his arms out towards Tonks. "Tada! Merry Christmas, Dora! I got you a fully trained metamorph eager to help you learn finer control points for the next three hours!"
"Don't I make a wonderful present?" Tonks asked holding herself in a regal stance with head held high. She reached up to fluff the bow and smirked. "Harry thought the bow was too much, but I think the effect would be totally lost without it."
She's not wrong. It definitely makes the joke feel complete and it certainly – stop mentally complimenting the bow! Dora shook her head and forced a smile. "Aww, you shouldn't have, Harry." Really, really, shouldn't have. This is going to be soooo much fun…She turned to Tonks and swapped through a few hair colors and styles in rapid succession before ending on a two-tone bob. "The bow is definitely a nice touch, especially considering you're standing next to the tree. Though concerning the actual lessons, I think you'll be a bit surprised with what I can do already, Ms. Tonks."
Tonks grimaced and hurriedly waved her hand. "Ms. Tonks is my mother. It's just Tonks. Any friend of Harry and Sirius is a friend of mine. I'll admit, I'm impressed by the dual color. I didn't actually think that was possible. But there is a lot more to being a metamorph than just hair and colors. I can't promise to have you swapping bodies in a flash by the end of the morning, but I can definitely get you to noses." She punctuated her statement with a grin and a morph to a pig's nose.
Dora raised her eyebrows and grinned back. Maybe she could have a bit of fun with this. "Impressive pig. But can you do snorkack?" She morphed her nose and mouth out into an approximation of Luna's drawings of a snorkack. The tiny muzzle looked more like a hedgehog than she'd intended but it wasn't too bad considering she was working from the sketches of the imagination of a girl slightly odder than the norm.
"Someone's been reading too much of the Quibbler I see," Tonks remarked. She shifted to a horse's maw and gave a short whinny before smirking. The expression looked highly comical on the still present muzzle.
"More like hung out with the secondary editor." Dora morphed her ears into miniature elephant ones and playfully flapped them. "I listen well when she talks. Girl's got some strange views, but she's right more often than not."
"You are good. It took me until I hit eighteen before I could go cross-species. Word to the wise," Tonks said dropping her morph back into human and nodding towards Dora, "don't take it further than two specific body parts at a time with non-human stuff. Anything more and the magic starts going all funky and you could wind up caught halfway. Being a metamorphmagus doesn't automatically translate into being an animagus unfortunately."
Dora briefly shuddered in sync with Tonks. The memory of that disastrous visit to St. Mungo's would never leave her nightmares. The only small comfort was that none of her friends had been able to recognize it was her during that incident. "Good to know. Thanks for the tip."
"Anytime. So it's not often you find two metamorphs in the same country and somewhat similar ages. I'm looking forward to this! I actually get to teach the next generation!"
Dora swallowed hard. Maybe she should play it down a bit to make Tonks feel better? No, that wouldn't go over well. Harry and Hermione had probably already made it well known how good Dora was at basic shape changing. Maybe she could let Tonks 'teach' her a few tricks to holding morphs while sleeping instead? That seemed a reasonable compromise.
"So I hear you morphed into McG when tricking Dumbledore," Tonks stated. "Can you do that again for me now? I'd like to gauge where you are finesse wise on human to human transformations."
"And on that note, I'll leave you women to it while make breakfast," Harry said with a wave.
He was barely out of the room before Dora had morphed into McGonagall again. Her morning lounging clothes didn't fit the taller frame at all leading to a rather comical impression of the stern teacher. "Shouldn't you be in detention, Miss Tonks? Mr. Filch was quite adamant that the exploding toilet was your handiwork." She was rather proud of the Scottish lilt. It had taken a long time for Dora to get that hint of an accent right.
"Oh that is priceless!" Tonks exclaimed clapping. "I see why Dumbledore was fooled. Good speed too. You paid far more attention to your ability training than I did apparently. I'm starting to wonder just who's the teacher here." She waggled her eyebrows and chuckled.
Dora let the morph go and shrugged. She started glancing sheepishly around the room in an effort to avoid staring at Tonks. "I got a lot of help with the McGonagall one from Hermione. She helped me iron out the details. It's not really a form I wanted to forget partway through. She's probably already going to kill me when I get back."
Tonks laughed. "Nope. Minerva was super impressed that you both not only got her spot-on, but also managed to bypass the Fidelius. She was talking with Flitwick about submitting both your names for an Order of Merlin Third Class award once the thing with You Know Who is finished. I'm sure she'll pretend to be pissed, but don't believe it for a second. You earned an ally with that stunt."
Dora cocked her head to the side and her mouth dropped open slightly. That was certainly outside any betting pool she'd been in on. "Um…okay. Wow. Okay…"
"So what questions do you have? There's gotta something you can't do well. Teens have hormones raging after all. It plays hell with your powers right? I know I tore more than one shirt when I woke up to find my breasts had swelled four sizes. Then there was the time I fell asleep in class and woke up with hair that would make Rapunzel green with envy! Thank god it was Binns; managed to fix that one before anyone noticed."
Dora snorted. She'd forgotten about the Great Bazooka Incidents. "I've snapped a few bras. Haven't had to buy new shirts thankfully. I'm low enough on funds as it is."
Tonks nodded. "Ah bras. Gladrags can really help you there with their autoadjusting ones. What's your natural size? I'll grab you a pair. The trick with it is to only slowly expand your chest so the bra can adjust. Don't let Harry push you to balloon them for a laugh. I mean, sure balloon them for a laugh, but just make sure you do it slowly enough for the bra to keep up instead of zero to 100."
"Harry doesn't seem interested in large breasts." Dora resolutely maintained her normal color and refused to allow a blush to spread. "And I'm a 32C in base."
"32C, roger. I'm 34 so I might even be able to lend you one of the new ones I just got. As long as you don't mind the sexy red lacy types." Tonks' smirk widened and Dora sensed a 'witty' taunt the size of a lorry barreling full speed towards her. "After all, if Harry isn't going to see it anytime soon you could always show it off to Hermione." Dora felt her face heat up at that comment. Forget the lorry that was a bloody train. "That girl's just as cute as our resident hero and she seems almost as into you as he is."
"I am not getting involved with Hermione," Dora muttered. "Things are complicated enough as it is. My love life is going to stay perfectly solitary. At least for this year."
"Well in that case I can teach you to do this thing with your finger that'll leave you panting and cross-eyed in no time." Dora resisted the urge to run and hide though it was a close enough battle that her legs actually twitched. God had she ever been this bad?!
Clearing her throat Dora swallowed her escalating reply in favor of shifting things into a different direction. One far less focused on sex. "Speaking of beds, could you give me a few pointers on maintaining morphs while sleeping? It's a bit annoying having to readjust everything when I wake up every day."
Tonks nodded. "Sure I can do that. A good deal of it is mental ordering. Occlumency helps some though it's really just the meditation exercises that are important there. The rest of it involves some tricks of the trade. Or my tricks of the trade I guess. I have no idea what other metamorphmagi use. No one ever really thought to write that one down which is stupid if you ask me."
The following three hours were surprisingly enjoyable for Dora. Tonks' jokes and teasing were unending, but it served to loosen Dora up considerably. This year had been so stressful she'd forgotten why she loved to be the feisty wild card so much. It gave everyone an outlet and helped channel attention away from her. People didn't really laugh at the jokester. They laughed at the people the jokester pointed out and the psychological sleight of hand was subtle, but effective. Tonks was simply put: fun.
They spent most of the remaining time Tonks had free imparting interesting tidbits and advice. Dora did her best to slow her grasp of the 'new' information to a believable level. It had mixed success and by the end she knew she'd gone a bit too far too fast. She just hadn't felt right fully hiding her true abilities from Tonks.
"You know, I should really be suspicious of your level of skill coupled with your age," Tonks commented as she pushed up from the sofa and stretched. Dora blinked rapidly and futilely searched for something to say. "To be perfectly frank, Dora, I don't really care if you're exactly who you say you are." That stopped Dora's thought processes cold and she could only stare at Tonks.
Tonks for her part walked closer and laid a soft hand on Dora's shoulder before smiling. "You're doing good for those teens. You and Hermione showed up and had Harry downstairs in under an hour. She's finally bucking her authority worship, he's showing some backbone. Ron is willing to go against his mother and Ginny has finally realized she has some competition for the position of Potter Girlfriend."
Dora risked a small smile at that. "Still not dating him. And I'm not trying to do all that…It's just sort of, happening."
Tonks' eyebrows rose. "Yeah, you keep trying to convince yourself of that sweetie. Look, they trust you. The other day I watched five teenagers and a convict stand between you and the most powerful, most respected wizard of our age. That's good enough for me." Her hand squeezed ever so slightly and Dora got the implied threat with minimal assistance. "But if it turns out you're trying to hurt or subvert those kids I swear to Merlin, Morgana, God and Goddess I will not rest until I find out exactly who you are, where you come from and who trained you. Then I'll personally end you and any cohorts. Deal?"
Dora reached up and slowly removed Tonks' hand. Staring up into her double's assertive eyes was probably the most surreal moment in her entire life. "We both want to protect them. We're just doing it in different ways." She paused and shrugged, the smile that spread across her lips was quickly echoed on Tonks'. "I really do appreciate those tips. The ones on getting around shifting while having a nightmare are sheer gold. If you have time I'd be open to doing this more every once in awhile." It wasn't even a lie. She'd forgotten about how some of the better Auror coping methods applied equally well to metamorphmagi.
"I'd like that too," Tonks replied. She gathered her small bag and started towards the door with a wave. "Take care yourself until then, Dora. Let me know if there are any developments on the relationship front or if you need me to show you that finger thing!"
The rest of the day passed relatively without incident. Sirius even deigned to let Molly Weasley into the house in order to celebrate it. How Arthur had managed to convince his wife to behave Dora had no clue, but it worked. Mostly. Well enough at least. Molly steadfastly refused to look at or speak to her and she was quite curt with Sirius, but she held her tongue. It was honestly more than Dora had thought the matriarch capable of. Molly meant well, she just never really seemed to think before speaking. It was the same problem with her youngest son…
Dora groaned as Ron launched into another long winded explanation about the benefits of his new chess set over his old one. The only difference she had seen what that this one was colored bright orange to match the Cannons. She'd quietly conferred with the twins and they had readily agreed.
"We're trying to keep our spending to a minimum until the shop opens," George murmured. "Didn't seem quite right to stiff the family completely though so we hit on recoloring our old set."
"Redid the battle chants and war cries too we did," Fred commented. "He'll love when the pawns start singing the team motto just prior to the first move."
Dora snickered at that. "I'm not sure what's more amusing – that you two are so cheap or that that is basically the perfect gift for Ron."
Fred shrugged and smirked. "Ron's expanding his interests a bit this year. You've been hanging out with Harry and Hermione too much to notice, but he's actually buckling down on his studies."
"Uh huh, I'll believe that when I see it," Dora said with raised eyebrows.
"Well, by buckling down, we really just mean he's actually doing his homework before asking for Hermione's help with it. Baby steps," George shrugged. "He's also stopped insulted Slytherins. Did you see him at the last DA meeting before the hols? He was actually complimenting Daphne's form and helping Tracey to improve her aim."
Dora's mouth fell open as she stared between the twins. "You're taking the mickey out of me."
Harry plopped onto the couch beside her and laughed. "They're not. I took Neville's bludgeoner to the chest because I was too busy staring in shock at him."
"Wow…I need to pay better attention to our friends…" Dora murmured. She cast another critical gaze at Ron. The redhead seemed to be wrapping up his impassioned speech and met Dora's eyes with a wide grin. She couldn't help the small answering smile. Maybe she could make a man out of the kid.
"So how'd the lesson go this morning?" the question from beside her had Dora shaking her head and refocusing.
"Sorry? Come again?"
Harry chuckled and pointed to her hair. "I asked how the lesson went. Did Tonks have anything that could help you at all? Or is one metamorph's methods too different to apply to another? We weren't quite sure one way or the other."
Dora shook her head and smiled. "No, she helped. I already have a decent grasp of most of the basics, but she showed me a few tricks that can help in a pinch. Thanks for arranging that, Harry."
He shrugged and ran a hand through his hair. "I know you kind of seemed to be avoiding her a bit, but I figured if you just both sat down together for a bit the awkwardness and shyness would melt away."
"You were right. I think I was probably just intimidated by her a tad. No more avoiding. Tonks is fun." Dora nearly patted herself on the back for saying that with a straight face. That she was willing to admit Luna was probably right and she was more 'Dora' than 'Tonks' at this point did nothing to stop the comments from being hilariously self-flattering. Ah, if only more people in the room could get the joke!
"Speak of the devil," George said before he stood with a loud clap and huge grin. Tonks had just walked into the large living room with Hestia beside her and a slightly less grumpy than usual Moody stomping in behind them. "Everyone has arrived! Welcome to the Black Family Christmas friends, family and guests!"
Sirius laughed and shook his head. "Shouldn't that be my line?"
"Ah but our delightful host has been far too busy prepping this celebration to bother prepping a speech, so my brother and I have graciously stepped up to take the burden."
Fred stood and spread his arms. "This year has been difficult for everyone to varying degrees so we thought that a bit of levity, love and fun would be what we all needed right now! So in the spirit of Christmas we are unveiling one of our newest inventions. It's called the Mistletoe Snares!"
Dora's eyebrows rose as George waved his wand and three floating bouquets of mistletoe surged into the room hovering around seemingly at random for a few moments before coming to rest over several pairs of attendees throughout the room. One settled over Ginny and Moody – which immediately brought a smirk to Dora's face. She knew Moody well enough to know he'd secretly have a good laugh about that.
Rule Number 91: If you have a chance to relax and enjoy yourself…take it.
The second bough settled above Hermione and Tonks of all people. Hermione glared up at the plant before rolling her eyes while Tonks just chuckled. It came as no surprise when the third bundle wound up floating accusingly over her own head between her and Harry.
George cleared his throat and waited until he had everyone's attention before speaking. "The Snares are enchanted – like everything we do. It's a simple enough jinx. You can't leave the area of the Snare until you kiss your partner." His grin widened and he nodded towards his sister. "Ginevra, my dear sweet little sister, if you would be so kind as to demonstrate."
Ginny arched her eyebrows at her brother and made a show of fingering her wand for a long moment before rolling her eyes and standing with a heavy sigh. "Totally getting you back for this George."
"We fully expect that," Fred commented. "Also, this is totally worth it."
Molly scowled and looked ready to erupt before Hestia laid a hand on her shoulder and leaned down to whisper in her ear. Molly's scowl deepened though she held her peace and continued to glare at her twin sons.
Moody for his part also seemed to be in on the joke as he barked out a laugh and cast his magical eye's gaze towards the mistletoe. "Decent spellwork boys. Get together with me later and we'll see if we can't make it excellent. Let's get this over with, Weasley."
Ginny crossed her arms and gave an exaggerated huff. "Wow, just what every girl wants to hear before they kiss a man." Rolling her shoulders back she stretched up and lightly brushed her lips across Moody's cheek before striking a defiant look towards her brothers who just flashed her a large thumbs up.
Dora joined in the roomful of chuckling at that. George bowed to his sister and continued the speech. "Of course, what type of kiss is up for interpretation. No need to break up couples or make things awkward due to little pranks."
Sirius smirked and turned to his relative. "Cousin? I do believe you are up."
Tonks' answering grin promised danger and Dora had to hold her laughter. She knew how she would likely react to such an obvious taunt. The only real answer was to up the game.
Tonks did not disappoint. She twisted to Hermione, briefly holding the brunette's gaze and seeking permission. Apparently she found it because the next moment Hermione and Tonks' lips were locked together. Gasps sounded throughout the room and Dora saw Harry's eyes widen slightly. For her part Hermione certainly didn't seem to be adverse to it as one hand actually twitched upwards towards Tonks' waist before they broke the kiss. It had maybe lasted for five seconds, but that was enough to leave Hermione flushed red and sinking back into the couch in an unsuccessful attempt to hide while Tonks just smirked and leaned against the wall with arms crossed. She caught Dora's eye and raised an eyebrow in challenge.
Dora twisted to Harry and curled her lip in amusement. "Feel like playing it up?"
Harry laughed and nodded. "That seems to be the name of the game doesn't it. Fair warning, I don't exactly have experience here."
"Eh, just follow my lead, wonder boy." Dora placed one hand on either side of Harry's face and leant down to capture his lips with hers. A barely felt gasp on his part saw his mouth open just enough for her to slip her tongue in to do battle with his own. Harry hadn't been lying when he said he was inexperienced. Previously that would have been a surprise, but now that she knew more about the young man it made perfect sense. His lack of experience was more than made up for via enthusiasm. He leaned forward battling for control of the kiss. Dora let out a low moan as Harry pushed her back just enough to wrap an arm around her waist and pull her flush against him. She let him take the lead and felt him lean her against the couch's armrest. He was strong and safe and amazing and…Dora felt her mind drift to wonderful places of what could be if she could just let go and…
Rearing back, Dora clamped down on those thoughts with a knife edge. Their lips parted and Dora shook her head, casting her eyes down towards the couch, swallowing hard. She couldn't afford to get involved. Not with anyone. Especially not with Harry. She would only hurt him. She was lying to him at every step and when it got out – because it would, she'd have to tell him eventually – he was going to hate her and anything she did to get closer to him now would only serve to drive that wedge in deeper later.
Harry laid a hand on her leg and squeezed softly. Dora's hand reached out and – quite against all of her higher brain functions' screaming denials – squeezed his back.
The days following Christmas were some of the most difficult that Dora could remember. The relatively small quarters of Grimmauld place didn't leave her much room to hide from Harry. Not that she found herself particularly wanting to do so. Nor was she willing to considering how fangs of jealously bared whenever she walked away only to find that Ginny had latched onto him by the time she returned. If she'd ever doubted Hermione and the twins' assessment previously she didn't anymore. The redhead's determination was impressive even if it didn't seem to process for Harry that she was interested in him.
Hermione had started to shy slightly away from both Harry and Dora since Christmas as well. It was almost comical watching how the brunette jumped and hurried to apologize any time their hands brushed in the bathroom. Dora had taken Tonks up on the offer of the lacy red bra and it'd almost caused Hermione to have a coronary when she'd shown it off. Dora would've had far more fun teasing her friend about her apparent newly realized attraction to witches if she could get her own love life in shape.
My own lack of life live. Lack. I can't have a love life. I can't. I won't. Not until I've made sure everyone survives this school year. Then I can fall into his arms and – NO then I can explain why I did what I did and accept my just punishment. Yes, my punishment. Hmm, I wonder what his hands would feel like cupping my red bot-STOP IT DORA! She scowled and violently shook her head trying unsuccessfully to rid it of the naughty images.
"Doxy fly too close?" Hermione asked parting Dora's sudden curtain of hair hiding her face. The other girl's searching gaze and questing fingers sent new images of Hermione giving Harry pointers on the best technique to administer Dora's 'punishment'.
"Nope, nope, I got it. I'm good. Nothing to worry about here. I'm fine here. How are you?" Dora babbled out. Oh great now I'm mixing my pop culture metaphors I'm so flustered. This had to end. She had to do something. She needed to go for a run. Or to train. Or to destroy some dummies. Or to get laid. Or to – BAD DORA! "I just need some water. Be right back!"
She was halfway down the stairs to the kitchen when she stopped short and nearly fell the rest of the way down. The sight she'd just skipped merrily past would've been worth a few bruises and was more than enough to send any lingering stray thoughts running to the recesses of her mind.
"Hey, Dora," Sirius said waving with one hand as he layered spackle on the wall with the other. "Careful when you head to the side room off the kitchen. I gave Kreacher a bigger lair so he could have somewhere to put mother. That section is warded to hell and back with silencing charms, but better safe than sorry."
"You…you actually took down the entire wall…" Dora could only goggle at the exposed beams on half of the central wall near the entranceway.
"Yup. Remus helped me tear it down this morning. Tonks was helping me put it back up, but it became more dangerous than I expected letting her near the tools. My cousin is deadly with a hammer. I saw my life flash before my eyes!" She could understand that. She made it a rule to keep anything remotely related to home improvement away from her flat. There was no need to tempt fate. "So she's down in the basement. You know I forgot we had a basement? Apparently Kreacher unsealed it as 'thanks' for not burning mother's portrait to ash. He looked pretty disappointed when there wasn't a ravenous beast inside waiting to eat me."
Dora finally managed to wrap her mind around the conversation and somewhat restarted her mouth. "So uh, what is down there?"
"Old training room. They built it for Regulus when he joined – when he chose his side. Kreacher moved a few trinkets down there this morning. Some old things Reg had and some horribly gaudy jewelry. Feel free to explore if you want."
"Sure. Thanks." She bypassed the kitchen and headed to the new door off the kitchen. The stairs to the basement were hewn from rock and seemed strong enough to support an ox. The room itself practically reeked of magical protection wards. This place could've been used for a fallout shelter. "Bloody hell…"
"Agreed," Tonks commented waving hello. "Talk about your serious training room. Pun unintended for once. This one room probably cost more than the entire house."
"You can say that again." Dora cast a critical eye around the room. She saw the pile of items that Sirius had mentioned sitting in a small shrine in the corner of the room with a heavy locket lovingly placed on the top but much of the rest of the room was bare. It was the enchantments layered into the walls that were the real treasure. "This would work…"
"Need to blow off some steam?"
"You could…say that I suppose," Dora agreed shrugging.
Tonks just smirked and jutted her chin at the stairs. "Ah, trying to avoid jumping a certain boy perhaps? Or a certain girl? Or both? Or were you looking to jump me? I know I'm pretty much irresistible but I like to get to know someone a bit before I go for a roll in the sack with them. Just saying."
Dora groaned. She did not remember being that bad. "Look do you want to duel or not? Cause I really need to throw some spells around before I start to scream."
Tonks laughed and gestured to her workout attire. "I'm way ahead of you. Housework is dangerous. And frustrating. And frustratingly dangerous." She paused and tapped her foot for a second before shrugging. "Ground rules: nothing that'll leave permanent marks, nothing will actually hurt beyond bruises and nothing that will cause anyone else to come running."
"Deal."
Dora quickly stripped to her sports bra and shorts and launched into several rounds of practice duels with Tonks. It was…supremely odd to say the least and not something she would ever have consented to do prior to a few days ago. As it stood once the initial discomfort was surpassed there was actually a great deal of learning taking place – on both sides it seemed.
Watching how Tonks jumped around the room and dodged the spells Dora sent to her brought to light a bit of her own fighting style she'd never consciously realized she used. Whenever Tonks moved to actually start a round, her muscles grew slightly more pronounced, her curves lessened, her hair shortened and stayed flat, her breasts shrank. The more Dora noticed it the more she realized that she did the same thing. It was so natural she couldn't tell if it was a general metamorphmagus thing or if it was just something she'd just started unconsciously doing years ago during Auror training.
Either way, if definitely helped. They were faster and more nimble than if nothing had been altered and their centers of balance seemed a bit easier to maintain. It still wasn't perfect as evidenced by the bruises and welts each ended up receiving by the end of the session, but it was impressive all the same.
"We should find more metamorphagi to fight against," Dora panted as she fought to catch her breath after they'd called it quits. "That was a workout."
"It was indeed," Tonks murmured. Her mouth quirked to the side as she looked at Dora out of the corner of her eye. The thoughtful expression vanished almost as quickly as it had come up and Tonks stretched her arms high. "You're pretty good for your age. That Defense Association you and the others run is doing a bang up job."
"Yeah well we have to with the Umbitch present," Dora sighed. She could worry about Tonks being suspicious later. "I'm going to have to get rid of her soon before she decides to step up her game. She's gotta know there is no way that parents will stand to have her in the school after this year ends. The grades alone from anyone not in the DA will be enough to form a lynch mob. She's working with limited time and she's just barely smart enough to realize it."
Tonks shrugged. "I think you give the Toad too much credit there, Dora. Alright I have to head in for my shift. If I don't see you again before term starts keep in touch. And be careful not to bite off more than you can chew."
Dora tossed a salute to Tonks as the latter walked up the stairs. She chuckled at the irony of events. Who would've thought she'd end up being friends with a different version of herself? It had only been a few months since she'd had her accident and already she was different enough from the woman that just walked up the stairs to honestly be comfortable thinking of Tonks as an alternate instead of as herself. The difference was subtle, but it was clear as day. "Luna is going to have a field day with this stuff when I get back to school."
Grabbing the rest of her clothes, Dora quickly climbed the stairs and hopped in the shower. The warm water soothed her aching muscles and she stretched with a languid sigh. That workout had really helped loosen her up. She'd almost forgotten how good it felt to get in a good sparring session with a skilled opponent. With any luck the DA group would be giving her a run for her money by the end of the year as well. She had just gotten dressed and was still toweling off her hair when she walked down the stairs and ran smack into Harry coming out of one of the side rooms.
"Ow, sorry, Harry," Dora muttered rubbing her forehead to get the sting out of it.
Harry idly massaged his own and smiled back at her. "One of the hazards of being friends with a klutz is getting used to random bruises. Can we talk for a minute?" he asked gesturing back towards the room he'd just left.
Dora shuffled her feet and her hand nearly lost its grip on the towel, but she recovered quickly enough to cover the movement. "Sure. Fair warning, I promised to help Hermione with dinner in a bit."
"Okay. I'll be quick."
When they were inside and the door was closed again Harry awkwardly shifted his weight from foot to foot and nodded towards her hair. "Can't you shift slightly to get it dry again? How come you towel it?"
Dora blinked at him in momentary confusion before chuckling. "Sadly it's not that easy. I could just use a regular spell to dry it I suppose, but it always seemed a bit of a waste of effort. I kind of like drying my hair the normal way. It's…a time to think I guess."
Harry nodded. She idly wondered if he had heard a word she'd said. She probably wouldn't have in his position. Especially not if he was still somewhat damp from the shower…with all those glorious glistening droplets of water beading over his blazing green eyes and…and she was completely screwed if he planned what she half expected. Totally and completely screwed.
"So it's New Year's in like two hours," he commented running a hand through his hair.
"Yeah, it is." Please don't ask. Please don't ask. Please don't ask.
"I've been thinking about this for a while," Harry continued. "And um when you knocked on the door here the other week it kind of cemented a lot of things for me. I mean, I've always known you and Hermione care about how I feel and stuff, but I don't think I quite realized just how much until the other day. And it…it feels good to know that I'm not alone in that way."
Dora swallowed hard. "You're not alone, Harry. Not while we're still breathing."
"I know. But that's not what I meant by that. I meant – oh bugger I am screwing this up to hell and back. I meant I'm not alone in having strong feelings and that I'd run to snap you out of a bad place like you did me and that I want to be able to do that and not feel guilty not that I feel guilty but I mean I want it to be legitimate and oh here I go doing it again and I'm completely babbling so I'm just going to shut up for a moment and try to get back on track." Harry stopped his rambling and took a deep breath letting it out slowly. Dora couldn't help the small ghost of a smile that flitted onto her lips at his wandering words. He was so adorable when he was awkward. "Dora Kirk, I'd be honored if you would go on a date with me. I know we can't do much until we get back to Hogwarts, but I would like to kiss you again without the mistletoe excuse."
Two sides went to all out war within her. One army had 'Duty', 'Age', 'Complicated' and 'Bad Fucking Idea' emblazoned on their tunics. The second front chanted 'Amazing Man', 'Caring', 'Sweet and Considerate' and 'Sexy as Hell'. The spells flew, the swords clashed, the war cries rang through her mind.
She was frozen long enough that Harry managed to grab his Gryffindor courage by the horns and stepped forward, gently laying a hand on her waist and another on her back as he leaned down. His head paused a bare millimeter above her lips and the cannons of her heart's army blasted out their staccato blasts. He dipped down to close the distance before the battle was decided and his enticing lips met her own.
The kiss was just as wonderful as the Christmas one had been. She hesitated a moment before pushing her head up to latch onto him like a dying woman. There was no tongue to this like before, simply the earnest efforts of a young man trying to make himself heard to the young woman he sought. The warmth of his hand on her side begged her on and Dora could only feel that instant of bliss as Harry tried to push all of his feelings through his lips and into hers. The moment was almost perfect.
Then the first army in her head rallied and brought forth their largest spell yet: 'Liar'. This isn't fair to him.
Dora pulled back and twisted away to face the door. The towel fell to the floor as she wrapped her arms around herself. "I'm sorry. I can't. I just…I'm only going to hurt you and I can't." Without waiting to see his face or hear the reply she knew would be coming Dora fled.
She ran to Buckbeak's room and swiftly cast a wandless locking charm at the door behind her. Shuffling forward to collapse against the hippogriff's side she let out a watery laugh at the irony of the situation. She'd come to this house and found Harry in just this specific position. And now here she was, one of the last few nights at Grimmauld Place and she was looking to be one hiding out with an overgrown horse-bird. "Some awesome meddler I am huh, wings? I find the perfect boy and I can't be with him."
The snort of derision from Buckbeak sounded far too much like a rebuke for her liking. She lifted her head from her hands and glared at him. "Don't you start. I can't! It's going to be worse if I do! He'll break! I'll break!"
Buckbeak huffed and shifted enough that one wing reached back and smacked the back of her head. "Ow! That hurt!" Her complaints were met with a second smack. "Will you stop that! I'm trying to cry in peace here! You should be a good pet and commiserate with me!" Buckbeak just snorted.
"Stupid hippogriff," she muttered and settled back against his side. "I just…I've lost everyone, Feathers. I can't let him in. If I let him I'll have to tell him sooner rather than later. I'll want to tell him. I need to be able to keep this a secret until the year is over. Until I know I saved them. Until I know I stopped it. Until I know I meant something! I can't…I can't risk the future because I can't keep my mitts off a boy!"
The soft trill above her and nudge against her shoulder did little to comfort her. "Charlie and Harry were the only two males my age who never asked me to be perfect for them. And Harry isn't my age! Because I'm – I'm – bloody fuck I don't even know what age I am anymore!" Luna was right. If talking and dueling with Tonks had taught her anything it was that she really wasn't that woman anymore. She was Dora.
Was that enough? Was it enough to make a difference? Was it enough to tip the scales?
"I…If I step aside Hermione will be there. He'll be happy." There was that nudge on her shoulder again. Bloody bird. "I can be okay with that. I can. I can…be…Fuck…I want to be selfish!"
Dora hung her head in her hands and kept it there for a long time trying to stop thinking entirely. This wasn't something that should be thought and puzzled and turned over again and again. It was too complicated to keep twisting. She needed to do something. One way or the other, this battle needed to be settled tonight. Either she was a time tossed woman saving a friend or she was a selfish bitch with memories of a bad future trying to save her boyfriend who'd probably hate her in a few months.
She heard a distant gong sound before she finally came to a decision and the armies in her mind laid down their arms to shake over the mutual agreement.
Standing she turned to Buckbeak. The cocked head and wide eyes from the hippogriff met rolling human eyes. "Thanks for letting me sit with you. I still think you're pushy and mean. But thanks." A chuff was her only answer and the gong sounded again. Nodding to the magical beast, Dora ran across to the door and took the stairs two at a time. She paid enough attention to make sure she didn't trip and break her neck but was quietly counting the clock's chimes.
She tore around the bend of the living room at the eleventh ring and cast her eyes in a flash survey of the room. Finally, she sighted in on her target and she sprinted forward. A bewildered and thoroughly confused Harry Potter stared up at her as Dora leaped over the chair in her way. She balled her hands into fists in his shirt and dragged him to his feet. She had a brief glimpse of slightly puffy red eyes before the final twelfth chime started to issue forth. Yanking him forward, Dora crushed her body against his and shifted heights just enough to smash her lips against his.
He was still for a long moment and the ringing was dying away before he reacted. But react he did. Strong hands radiating safety and warmth circled her and pulled her in even tighter against his chest. The moan that escaped her was joined by his own and she felt a surge of joy and passion spread through her entire body from the places he touched.
This would hurt later, but she'd always lived for the moment before. And she'd live for the moment now. Voldemort, Bellatrix, Dumbledore, Molly, Tonks, none of them mattered. She was going to be selfish for as long as she could.
Pulling back slightly, Dora blinked away the sheen over her eyes and stared into the brilliant green orbs across from her. "I'm sorry for running. I would love to go on a date with you and kiss you again, Harry Potter."
AN: Much thanks to RhysThornbery for his beta assistance on this.
For clarification purposes in case the text wasn't clear enough, Fred, George, Ginny, Moody and Hestia all knew beforehand who the first couple under the mistletoe would be and how they'd get out from under it.
\/\/\/\/
Mad-Eye's Rules For Successfully Reaching Retirement:
Rule Number 95: When following someone it doesn't matter if you're obvious. It only matters if you're close enough for them to care that you're going in the same direction.
Rule Number 91: If you have a chance to relax and enjoy yourself…take it.
\/\/\/\/
Fic Recommendation: "Intended" by LeQuin. This is a Harry/Hermione fic, mostly canon background set post Hogwarts. Harry loves Hermione, but thinks she's happy with Ron so he says nothing. Meanwhile, Ron's laziness takes center-stage and his mooching shenanigans lead to some fireworks during a very nonstandard wedding. It's a long oneshot and definitely not your typical standard of these sorts of fics!
Author Rec: "FenrisWinter". He's relatively new but his stories show a good deal of promise. Werewolf!Harry stories are a dime a dozen. Werewolf!Hermione stories on the other hand…well those you don't see much of at all.
