I'm sorry that it's been so long since my last update, but life has been keeping me really busy lately with a few family situations and a bout of writers block. I'm back though with another chapter and I thank you for your patience. This chapter is a bit of a filler, but there's some important information in it. I also tried to give some insight into Harry and Minerva's friendship.
For those of you who are also reading my other stories, I will have updates for them by Sunday. I promise I'm not discontinuing any of them.
AN: From this point on I will only refer to Grimmauld's Place as Black Manor so hopefully no one will get too confused. Also, if didn't mention it before, Andromeda represented Harry during his trial for underage magic instead of Dumbledore, so they already know each other.
Chapter 6
Poppy came by early as usual to check on Harry and reapply the salves and bandages to his injuries. He was still on restriction from using magic, but she promised him that it would end tomorrow. After practically begging the healer, she did give him permission to go on a light jog though that was the only exercise she was willing to let him do. He took the small concession as a victory, relishing in the thought of getting his body active, even if it was only for little bit. She also let him know that his injuries should be fully healed within another two days before returning back to Hogwarts.
After that, Harry and Minerva adjourned to the kitchen to eat the meal Winky had prepared for them, the latter bringing the study guide she had been putting together and some parchment to write letters with her. While they ate, they exchanged small talk, keeping the subjects light for the moment, though they knew there were some serious matters that they still had to discuss. Mainly, the two friends enjoyed the ability to once again converse freely with each other.
As they finished up their meal, all three of Harry's house-elves appeared in front of them, looking as if they had something to say.
Harry decided he needed to get something out first though, still feeling guilty about his treatment of them. "Before you guys tell me why you came here, I want to once again apologize for the way I have treated you. I promised that you would be my friends, my family, yet I have done a poor job of keeping that promise. I will try to do better in the future, starting with bonding Kreacher to me as family." Harry turned to face said elf specifically. "If you would like that of course?"
Kreacher thought about the offer seriously for a moment. "Kreacher has realized that Mistress Black was wrong about her beliefs. Master has shown that he is much stronger than any pureblood Kreacher has ever met. Kreacher also likes the way that Master treats Kreacher, Dobby, and Winky with respect. Kreacher now knows that Master Harry is right and that purebloods are not superior. Kreacher would like to be bonded to Master Harry as family."
Harry immediately did the ritual, causing Kreacher to change like Winky and Dobby did. He became stronger, healthier, and taller. Harry also gave Kreacher the same conditions that he gave Winky.
"Thank you, Master Harry," Kreacher replied thankfully.
"You're welcome. Now, what did you guys have to tell me?" Harry asked curiously.
"We have finished cleaning up Black Manor and were wondering what you wanted us to do next," Dobby informed his master.
"That's great," Harry exclaimed before scratching his chin as another thought popped into his head. "Well now that it's clean, it will have to be furnished and decorated. As my first attempt to treat the three of you better, I will give you full authority to decorate it. I believe that I can trust your judgement with this, and my vault will be at your full disposal. I only ask that the master bedroom be decorated more to my style. Just try to make everything warm and inviting while also stately like a manor is supposed to be."
"Thank you, Master Harry," Winky replied excitedly.
"We promise that it will be decorated in a way that is worthy of you, Master Harry," Kreacher added before all three elves popped away to work on their next project.
"I wonder how it will all turn out," Minerva mused having never heard of someone giving house-elves creative license to design a house.
Harry shrugged, unworried. "We'll find out in a few days but I'm sure everything will turn out just fine."
Minerva shook her head at his casual attitude, an amusing smile on her lips. "Only you would see nothing odd about giving house-elves carte blanch in redecorating your entire house."
"Well I figure that since they spend so much time cleaning them, they should know how to decorate them. Besides, do you really want me to figure out how to design any room besides my own? It'd likely become a disaster," Harry laughed lightly.
She laughed with him. "Indeed. While you have many talents, I don't believe home designing is one of them, not after the 'incident' with the ROR."
He mock-pouted at her. "Oi! It was an honest mistake and you promised never to bring it up again."
She laughed even more. "Don't pout Harry. Everyone has something they aren't good at."
"What aren't you good at then?" he asked, a curious smirk on his face.
"Never you mind that," Minerva replied quickly. Then, before Harry could complain anymore, Minerva cleared her throat and became serious once more. "Anyway, there are some more important things we need to talk about. First, is the training I plan on putting you through for the remainder of the summer." Minerva handed him the study guide before continuing. "This, along with my tutoring, will help you review so you will be able to take your N.E.W.T.s in DADA and Transfiguration."
Harry ran a hand through his hair in confusion. "But I just took my O.W.L.s and haven't even got my scores back. How do you know I'll be able to pass the N.E.W.T.s this summer?" Harry asked incredulously.
Minerva pierced him with one of her signature stern glares for a moment. "Harry, you and I both know that you passed those subjects with flying colors. Besides, don't you realize that I have been teaching you material above N.E.W.T. level since the second term of this past school year?"
Harry gave her a sheepish look. "Um, no I didn't."
She shook her head in exasperation. "Conjuration on the level you're capable of is not taught in school. The Defensive spells we've gone over are close to mastery level work. The only thing you really need to work on is the theory, but it shouldn't take you too long to understand. Trust me, you will have no problem taking the tests, and passing them will give you more free time while you're in school." Minerva pointed out before elaborating on the other training she would be giving him. "Now, once Poppy clears you for full practice, I will be intensifying your training. If you can fight off eighteen death eaters and survive, then you can handle it. To devise a proper training schedule, I will need to see a memory of the night of both raids, but we will be starting as soon as possible."
"I… I'll also show you the Battle in the Ministry, though you probably won't like my actions during it or the second raid," Harry warily agreed, looking down for a moment. "I kind of let my anger influence my actions."
Her expression softened a bit at his downcast tone. "I promise I won't get angry at you, but I want to see first-hand how you respond in a real-world situation." She quickly moved on from that depressing subject, hoping that the next one would cheer him up. "I'll also be teaching you the Animagus transformation, though we will be using the method I used, not the Ministry's bastardized version of it. It will only take one full moon night to complete which isn't until the thirtieth of the month."
Harry let out a chuckle at her derisive tone when she mentioned the Ministry before responding. "Wicked. I wonder what kind of animal I'll be," he said excitedly, showing his age for once. "Maybe I'll be a really big cat, like a panther or something."
Minerva smiled at him in amusement. "Boys," she teased, "always thinking that something big means it's better." Harry mock-glared at her, but she ignored him. "Never realizing that being small can help you get into more places than they think." Then her tone turned mysterious. "Though, I have to admit that being bigger has it's uses."
Harry gave her a confused look that only grew in size as Minerva transformed into a much larger version of the tabby cat form than he was used too. She stayed like that for a few minutes so Harry could examine her properly before morphing first into the form he was accustomed to and then back into a human. "How did you do that and why is this the first time I'm seeing it?" Harry asked when he found his voice.
Minerva smirked at him before launching into an explanation using her lecture tone. "It's one of the benefits of being a natural animagus. You will have the ability to make your animal form larger or smaller, though it takes practice to figure it out. You will gain the fully enhanced senses of your animal that can be used whether in animal or human form. You also will be able to use some magic while an animal, though nothing too complex." Then she pulled out her wand. "Before I explain what will happen during the ritual, I need to confirm that you are indeed a natural animagus."
She waved her wand in a complex pattern, whispering a chant in Latin. After about a minute, Harry glowed green. "As expected, you are a natural animagus."
He had a broad smile at that news. "Wicked!"
Minerva couldn't help but smile with him. "Wicked indeed. Now the ritual that you will go through is fairly simple. The transformation will occur on the night of a full moon. Seven days before that, you will have to take a potion that will cause you to experience dreams about your animal every night. This will help you to learn more about your animal before you become it. Then, on the seventh night, you will take another potion that will put you into a trance before forcing you to transform. For twelve hours, you will be stuck in your animal form to give you time to become accustomed to it. After that, you will just have to practice until you master it."
"Sounds easy enough," Harry agreed.
"It is. I will have to write a letter to my friend Matthew to ask him for the potions. He's the one who helped me discover my animagus form," Minerva stated as she pulled a piece of parchment out. "I might even ask him to be here for the transformation. If that's alright with you?"
He shrugged in response. "I trust your judgement. If you trust him then it's fine."
She nodded before writing a quick note. "I also need to write to Samena to ask her to come here as well as Andromeda."
"I was thinking last night, and I believe I should write to my friends. I don't really know what their reactions might be, but they need to know that Dumbledore can't be trusted, though I'll only be able to go into a little detail. Depending on how they respond, I'll try and set up a meeting with them so I can tell them everything that's been going on."
"That's a good idea," she agreed before expressing her concern. "But Harry, try not to get too discouraged if they don't react in the way you hope they will."
"I'll try not to," Harry replied.
The two lapsed into silence as they composed their letters. Minerva tried to include as much information in her letters possible without mentioning Harry's name so that her friends would be able to detect the urgency in her words. After only a moment's hesitation, Harry decided to write to the Weasley twins along with Hermione, Ron, Ginny, Neville, and Luna. Fred and George have always been pretty supportive of him and they defended him during the times that most of the school turned their backs on him. Minerva, who had finished before him since she had less people to write to, read over his letters when he asked if they were okay. She only had to make a couple of adjustments to them for clarity.
When it was time to send the letters out, Hedwig and Minerva's eagle owl named Athena appeared in front of their respective masters. "I think we should send Hedwig with the letters for Samena and Matthew and send Athena with the others," Minerva suggested. "Hedwig is definitely the stronger flyer of the two and it will likely take a few days to find the two of them and deliver their replies. In addition, it might be best if an unrecognizable owl goes to your friends to prevent anyone from suspecting that the letters came from you."
Harry saw the wisdom in her words and quickly acquiesced to her request. They made sure to give both owls plenty of snacks and water before they sent them on their way, wishing them luck on their journeys.
- H.M. –
After breakfast both of them took a light jog around the property, with Minerva giving him a full tour of the property. It was a cottage style home made of tan stone with brown wood trim. The lawn was neatly trimmed and there was a wide stone path that led from the outdoor patio into the forest. They only jogged for about half an hour, Minerva making sure Harry didn't push himself too har. Once they got cleaned up, they spent the rest of the day in the library. Harry gave Minerva the requested memories so she could watch them and develop a training plan for him while he started studying for his N.E. .
When Minerva finished watching his memories, she got his attention. "You did well during the first raid and the battle at the Ministry. I know you might feel that you let your anger control you after Sirius's death when you dueled Bellatrix, but that isn't the case. She is a ruthless witch who didn't hesitate to try and kill you. If you had been lenient with her, she would have done so. That doesn't make you a bad person."
"But I wanted to kill her?" Harry protested.
Minerva grabbed his right hand in hers and squeezed it softly. "Yes, but you didn't enjoy it. That makes you different from her and those who think like her." Harry nodded in understanding after a moment, accepting her explanation. When the moment was over, she focused him back on his studies as she came up with a training plan for him.
They took a break for lunch, sitting outside on Minerva's patio table to enjoy the nice weather outside. After they ate, she told him about her plans for his training, which included elemental abilities. Watching his performance during the second raid convinced her that he might possess the rare ability.
"Wait, you're saying that I might be an elemental?" Harry asked in surprise. "What does that mean exactly?"
"I am and it means that you have the ability to control one of the four elements without the need of a wand," Minerva explained. "It's not something that many people can do and unlike most magical talents, it is not passed down through the bloodline. Instead, only those with a certain amount of power – mental and magical – are capable of it. There are very few people that have this ability. Dumbledore and Riddle are both elementals able to control water and fire respectively. I'm one of the even rarer people able to control more than one element – fire and earth."
To demonstrate this, Minerva stood up and snapped her fingers, causing a small fire to appear above her thumb and index finger. Instead of burning her, she was able to control its movements. She moved it around her hand for a moment, showing her absolute command of the fire. Then she enlarged it until it formed a shield in front of her. Next, she extinguished the flame and looked around until she found a large boulder on the property, lifting it up ten feet in the air. She lifted another and proceeded to juggle them for a moment before lowering them to the ground gently. To finish off her demonstration, she caused the very ground around them to shake, though not too hard that it would cause the earth to split.
Harry was looking at his friend in awe when she was done. "I don't think I tell you how amazing you are often enough," he stated seriously, turning his gaze to the boulders Minerva had been juggling in the air. His compliment caused a slight blush to color Minerva's cheeks unexpectedly, something she hoped he wouldn't notice. Harry, oblivious to his friend's slight dilemma, continued talking, giving her time to quickly regain her composure. "Since you can control two elements, does it mean that you are stronger than Dumbledore and Riddle?"
"Naturally, yes, though I'm sure both of them have used certain rituals to bolster their strength," Minerva replied. "It doesn't mean that if I were to face them, I would automatically be able to win, but it does give me an edge."
"That makes sense, I guess. After all, it takes a lot more than power to win a battle," Harry noted. "So, what makes you think that I'm an elemental?"
"The fact that you were able to use and control those advanced air and fire spells after very little practice," Minerva explained. "Usually it takes more than the few days you had to master them, which suggests that they simply come naturally to you because they are the elements you have control over. We will have to wait until Poppy clears you for magic use tomorrow to test that theory, however."
Harry couldn't wait.
- H.M. –
At dinner, they received replies from Harry's friends and Andromeda. The latter agreed to come over tomorrow for dinner with Tonks in tow. As for Harry's friends, he was a bit surprised by how much they believed in him. Luna and Neville, who had no prior loyalty to the headmaster anyway, took him at his word. They trusted Harry fully and didn't believe that he would make a decision like this unless he had a really good reason for it. Hermione it seems had been doing some thinking of her own and had come to the conclusion that Dumbledore did not have Harry's best interests in mind and was hiding something really important from her friend. She also promised that she was on his side, not the headmaster's. Ron and Ginny, while wary about going against Dumbledore seeing as their family was very loyal to his cause, decided to back Harry instead. They believed that something was suspicious about the whole situation. Plus, Harry was the one who had actually taught them how to survive and protected them, not Dumbledore. Even Fred and George didn't hesitate to support Harry, though it didn't surprise Harry as much. Those two were naturally rebels who went by their own moral code.
"Well it seems that they're all on board," Harry spoke up once he had finished reading all of the letters. "Now we just have to figure out a way for all of us to meet up."
Minerva had that figured out. "What if they come here? It's a secure location and only those who I personally give access to know where it is. I'm sure the twins can come up with an excuse to get their younger siblings out of the house for a few hours," she suggested.
"Are you sure?" he asked, wanting to be certain she was okay with it. After spending time here, he realized that this place was Minerva's personal sanctuary from the world.
"I wouldn't have suggested it if I wasn't," she replied calmly.
"Alright then, I'll write them in the morning to let them know. We can probably meet on Friday during lunch. That should give them enough time to make some plans," Harry stated.
"I'll make them portkeys to get them here and back, though they should probably all leave from the same place, so I only have to make one return destination," Minerva added.
Harry looked at her with a mischievous smirk. "Making a portkey without authorization from the Ministry, huh? You really are a bit of a rebel, aren't you?"
Minerva swatted his arm for his comment. "I expect you to keep that knowledge to yourself. Can't have my students finding out. It would ruin my reputation and encourage the troublemakers," she said in mock-seriousness, knowing that he would never tell anyone about it anyway.
"Don't worry, your secret is safe with me," Harry promised before a grateful expression formed on his face. "Thanks for doing all this and going through all this trouble for me Minerva."
"That's what friends are for Harry," Minerva stated.
The two of them stayed up a bit longer to write the replies to Harry's friends before retiring for bed, Harry taking another Dreamless sleep potion. They would send the letters off in the morning so that Athena would have time to hunt and rest.
- H.M. –
The next morning, Harry and Minerva took another light jog an hour before Poppy was set to arrive. This time, she took him down the stone path from her patio which led to a river. There was a small seating area surrounding a fire pit on the bank and they sat down to catch their breaths for a moment.
"I'm come here often when I need to think. In fact, I was coming back from here when you arrived," Minerva admitted, gesturing for Harry to sit down.
He sat beside her as he took in the calming atmosphere. "I can see why. It's so peaceful out here." Then he turned to face her with a sly smirk, though he didn't immediately speak.
"What's that look for?" she asked, wary about what was going in his mind. She knew that look meant either he had a crazy idea or a thought that was going to test her patience.
Harry shrugged nonchalantly, though his smirk remained. "I was just wondering how many others you've brought back here or am I just really special." He laughed hard, gripping his injured side, at the flabbergasted expression on her face, an expression very few people could get from her.
"Harry James Potter!" she shouted in outrage. Her cheeks were inflamed, though she couldn't tell if it was from anger or embarrassment. The truth was she hadn't brought anyone out here before except… Cal. She wasn't going to admit that to Harry, however.
Harry took a moment to regain his composure. "Sorry but I couldn't help it. You should see the look on your face." At Minerva's stern glare he straightened up, becoming serious. "I didn't really mean anything by it," he apologized sincerely. "I do appreciate you showing me your personal oasis. I can tell it means a lot to you."
Her glare softened at his genuine tone. "Yes, well please refrain from making such comments in the future. I… I know that we're friends, but I'm still also your teacher and there's a certain boundary we shouldn't cross, even when joking." She waited until he looked properly chastised before giving him a soft smile. "But yes, you are special, if it makes you feel any better." Harry smiled back at her before they both turned to face the river.
They sat in silence for a few minutes, enjoying the scenery, before they headed back up to the house. Minerva also showed him the medium-sized training room that was on the second floor before they both went to take showers in their respective bathrooms.
Poppy arrived about ten minutes after the two had finished getting dressed. After checking him over, she gave Harry permission to use magic again, something he was obviously excited about. He was still told to take it easy, but the bruises on his back were fully healed. All he had to wait for was his leg and abdomen now.
With that good news, Harry and Minerva spent the day studying and working on magic. At breakfast, they sent the letters off with Athena before moving to the library. There, they spent the first half of the day going over the study guide. Minerva also had him make copies of the memories from Voldemort and his two raids, though this time they separated them out into to different sections. This way they could show people only as much as they wanted them to see. It took him about half an hour before he had a several vials filled with the memories. Minerva made sure to label and cap all of them and placed them in an unbreakable box for safe keeping.
Then, after lunch, they went into the training room. First, Minerva had him throw all of the spells he knew at a target that recorded his accuracy and power. He shot each spell three times before moving on to the next one. Harry was happy with his results, seeing how much his hard work over the years was paying off. Minerva was also impressed, especially since he cast almost all of them silently, something she verbally expressed to him.
When he was done, they took a short break as Minerva explained how he would discover if he was an elemental. "To determine if you're an elemental, you'll have to try to recreate simple air and fire spells without your wand. First, you will cast the spells, one at a time, and hold them so you can study them. You'll have to fully examine the element, see how it feels and responds to you. When you think you've analyzed them enough and while still holding them with your wand, you'll have to try and copy that effect in your other hand. If you can manage it, then it proves that you're an elemental."
"Okay I think I understand how to do it. I'll try the fire one first," Harry said after he contemplated her words. They sat there for half an hour longer, eating some snacks and drinking the water that Winky had brought them.
When he was ready, Harry got into a meditative pose and cast a small flame from his wand. As Minerva had instructed him, he examined the fire on the tip of his wand as he tried to figure out how to recreate it. It took him several minutes before he was comfortable enough to start trying to do it in his other hand. He took a deep breath to compose himself before carefully willing his magic to gather in his hand. Then he pushed it to form fire, his mind focused on what the fire from his wand felt like. After ten minutes had passed, a small flame appeared from his hand.
"Brilliant," Harry exclaimed, causing himself to lose his concentration and his flame to go out. He tried to do it again, this time managing to call up the fire in five minutes.
"Well done Harry. Now try the air this time," Minerva said proudly.
Harry nodded before using his wand to cast a weaker version of the wind slash spell, containing it in a small area above his wand. He went through the same process, though this took him a bit longer since the wind was a bit harder to examine. When he finally started trying to recreate it, it took him about fifteen minutes to get it. He did it again, calling up the wind in about seven minutes before turning to face Minerva.
She gave him a proud smile and clapped her hands together. "It's official, you are a double elemental in fire and wind. Now you'll just have to practice it until you can call it up with little thought and bend it to move according to your will." Harry stood up and was about to start practicing then and there, but Minerva stopped him with her hand on his arm. "I think you've done enough magic for the day. Andromeda and Tonks should be here soon anyway, and you need to freshen up before dinner." Harry reluctantly agreed with her, knowing from her tone that she wouldn't budge on this.
She sent him off to his room and then went into the kitchen to check with Winky who was getting everything ready for the Tonks women's visit.
- H.M. –
Their guests for the evening arrived at a quarter to seven via the floo in the living room. Harry and Minerva, who had been sitting on the sofa in front of the fireplace to wait for them, stood up to greet them.
"Min, it's good to see you," Andromeda said, pulling the woman into a warm hug. "I've wondered why I haven't seen you in over a week, but now I understand." Not many people knew this, but the two of them had become close after Minerva helped Andromeda when she had run away from her family before the start of her last school year. Then, when her husband, Ted Tonks had been killed by a dark wizard, Minerva had helped her get back onto her feet, even taking care of Tonks when necessary. They had been good friends ever since and saw each other often, especially during the summer.
"It's good to see you as well, Andy," Minerva replied. "As you can see, I've been a bit busy lately. It's a quite a long story."
"I can imagine," Andromeda agreed.
While the two witches talked, Harry turned to greet Tonks who he had grown close to since last summer when he was at Grimmauld Place. Instead of ignoring him like most of the other Order members, she had actually taken the time to get to know him, helping him come out of his shell with Sirius's help and teaching him some Auror fighting tactics.
"Hey Dora. Thanks for coming," Harry said.
"Wotcher Harry. So, this is where you've been hiding out then?
"Actually, I've only been here since... the night of the first of this month, I think. I'll explain everything else in a moment though," Harry replied. "How have you been?"
"Alright, all things considered," Tonks said, the sadness in her tone causing Harry to nod in mutual commiseration. "You know the Order's been losing their minds trying to find you."
"I can imagine. I suppose I should send the old man a letter to tell him to stop looking for me," Harry remarked, though he was reluctant to do so. "I'm sorry I didn't write to tell you about technically running away."
"It's okay Harry," Tonks replied.
Before they could say anything else, Minerva and Andromeda joined them. "Harry it's good to see you as well," Andromeda said as she pulled him into short hug.
"It's good to see you as well Mrs. Tonks," Harry replied with a smile.
Andromeda shook her head at him in exasperation. "How many times do I have to tell you to call me Andy? We are friends after all?" Andromeda was the one who had represented him during his sham of a trial at the Ministry. In fact, by the time Dumbledore arrived in the courtroom, Harry had already been declared innocent. They had been friends ever since, with her giving him advice whenever he asked her for help.
Harry chuckled lightly. "Yes, we are friends, Andy," he agreed.
Minerva also gave Tonks a hug before leading them all to the kitchen where Winky had a delicious meal set out on the table. After thanking the house-elf and causing her to blush, they filled up their plates and started to eat.
The conversation started out with safe topics as they ate their meal. Andromeda and Dora discussed their work and how things were going in that area, throwing in a few funny stories that had happened recently. Harry and Minerva shared the discovery of his fire and air elemental abilities as well as the news that Black Manor was being fixed up and decorated by Harry's house-elves. The Tonks women were impressed with the former and amused with the latter, making Harry promise to show them around the place when it was done.
Once the dinner was eaten, they went into the library to discuss the reason for the meeting. Winky brought them some chocolate cake to enjoy, hoping that it would make it easier for them to talk about the difficult subject.
"Thank you, Winky," Harry said before the elf could leave. He managed to catch on to what she was trying to do.
"You're welcome, Master," Winky replied humbly before popping away.
They were seated at the table, the Tonks women on one side and Harry and Minerva on the other. The pensieve and box of memories were set on the edge of the table so that everyone had a clear view of each other. After a moment of silence so that everyone could taste the delicious cake, Minerva started up the conversation.
"Thank you both for coming on such short notice, but there are quite a few things that we need to tell you about."
"I have to admit that your letter had me a bit worried Minerva," Andromeda said, allowing her concern to be displayed on her face.
"I doubt what we have to tell you will assuage any of those worries, but as our friends it is something you need to know," Minerva replied. Then she looked at Harry, gesturing for him to begin the story.
Harry took a deep breath to calm himself before speaking. "I'll start with what happened the night that… that Sirius was killed. After Voldemort escaped from the Ministry, Dumbledore sent me to his office, making me wait there for him to get back because he wanted to talk to me." Harry then described the conversation that followed, including the prophecy, causing the Tonks women to gasp in outrage. Minerva managed to control her emotions only slightly better than them.
"So, after idiotically hiding this information from you all of these years, he decided that then was the best time to tell you? Right after you had just lost you godfather?" Andromeda asked rhetorically, anger coloring her words. Harry nodded in response.
Tonks hair was bright red in fury. "That old manipulative goat. I hope his stuff is so damaged it can't be fixed!" She didn't realize how true that was. Dumbledore had been unsuccessfully trying to fix his things since that night.
Once the two witches had calmed down some, Harry continued the story, describing the dreams that he had and their affect on him. Shamefully, he admitted to pushing everyone away and the argument that he had with Minerva on the night of the Leaving feast. He described how he was able sneak off the Hogwarts Express with the help of Dobby and Winky and his meeting at Gringotts.
"You are Lord Potter-Black now then?" Andromeda asked.
"Technically I'm only Lord Black," Harry clarified. "For some reason I had two magical guardians for the lines – Dumbledore and Black. While Sirius was able to emancipate me, I was only able to claim the Black line. I didn't think about it too hard since I was able to get my freedom anyway."
Andromeda had a confused look. "That's odd. I'll have to look further into it, but that's a matter for another day."
Harry nodded in agreement before continuing. "I was actually going to ask the two of you if you would like to be brought back into the family, though you'll have to tell me how to do so."
A tear fell down Andromeda's face at his words. "I would like that very much. All you have to do is say, 'I, Lord Black, do hereby bring, our names, back into the Black family with all rights, privileges, and protections so forth, so mote it be.' We will glow white to signify that we were accepted."
Harry did as Andromeda instructed him and both women glowed white to show that he was successful. After giving everyone a moment to regain their composure, he continued telling his story. He explained how he started to spy on Voldemort through the connection they share and his discovery of the first raid.
Tonks almost jumped from her chair as a realization hit her. "You're the Hooded Stranger?" Harry nodded in response. "But that means you're the one who faced…" Tonks trailed off for a moment. "What were you thinking going to fight eighteen death eaters on your own!"
"I'll get to that in a moment, though you probably won't like my answer," Harry answered sadly. After a moment of pause, he told them about his idea to probe the presence in his head where his scar was and the result of that. He described his first trip through Voldemort's memories and the revelation that the monster had not only made multiple horcruxes but also that one of them was residing inside of him. The Tonks witches had matching looks of horror on their faces at his revelation. Then, ready to be done with the story, he told them how depressed he'd gotten. He admitted that he decided to go fight so many enemies on his own because he was practically suicidal and didn't want to live any longer. He described how close he got to dying before the thought of all of his friends made him realize that he couldn't do this to them, and he managed to apparate to Minerva.
Minerva took up the story at that point, telling them about the condition he was in when he arrived here. She listed all of his injuries and explained how Poppy had been taking care of him since then. She ended with a summarization of everything that had happened in the last few days and the plans they had come up with so far, including their notes about possible locations for other horcruxes.
Both Tonks women had tears falling down their faces at the unfairness of Harry's life. Andromeda was the one who spoke up first, her voice full of compassion. "I'm so sorry that you have to deal with all of this, as if your life wasn't hard enough."
Harry gave her a small, woeful smile. "It's not your fault. Having friends like you make it more bearable."
Tonks however had risen to her feet, her hair a fiery red to express the anger coursing through her entire being. "No, it's Dumbledore's fault! That bloody bastard knew that thing was inside of your head and he did nothing to get it out of you!" she shouted as she realized the implications of Dumbledore's actions regarding Harry. "He tried to make sure your life was miserable enough that you would be willing to sacrifice it! I doubt he even tried to get it out! In his arrogance, he probably believed that if he couldn't find a way then no one else could."
Harry nodded in agreement. "Which is exactly why he can no longer be trusted and why we are unofficially breaking from his side and trying to recruit others to help us."
"Well, you definitely have our support," Andromeda declared.
"Yeah, anything you need, you just ask, and we got your back," Tonks added. "And despite what you may expect, neither one of us see you as a monster just because you have a piece of him inside of you."
"Yes, the fact that you have been able to stop him from taking control of you for all these years is a testament of your strength as well as the purity of your heart," Andromeda stated.
"Thank you both," Harry replied, a bit overwhelmed. A single tear rolled down his cheek, causing Minerva to squeeze his hand gently, something he appreciated.
"Have you started looking for a way to remove the horcrux?" Andromeda asked after another pause for Harry to regain his composure.
"I've written to my friend Samena. If anyone can figure it out or knows where to look for the answer, it's her," Minerva answered. "Now we just have to wait for her to respond."
Andromeda nodded in recognition. "Ah yes your friend who studies arcane magic. Well is there anything that we can start working on then?"
"There is something that I need from both of you at the moment," Harry spoke up. "Andy I'm going to have to announce my ascent to lordship and take up my seat soon. I was hoping that you would become my proxy for it."
Andromeda smiled mischievously at that. "I would be happy to do so. I'll also teach you more about politics and the laws just in case you need to use that knowledge. As for becoming your proxy, it will have to happen at the next meeting which is on the fifth of next month, though I will have to verify that for you. Don't worry about it though because I will make sure that you're more than prepared for it."
Harry thanked her before turning to Tonks. "As for you Dora, I need you to set up a meeting with your boss."
"Consider it done," Tonks declared. "Do you have a specific day you want to meet with her?"
Harry scratched his chin in thought. "Umm… preferably on Friday for dinner if she's available." Tonks promised to get it set up when she went into work tomorrow. "There's one more thing. I want you to try and sound out some of the younger Order members to see if it's possible to convert them to our side."
"No problem," Tonks replied.
After they finalized some plans, Andromeda and Tonks flooed back home with the promise that they would be back over tomorrow evening after work.
