AN: Thank you for your reviews and continued interest in this story. This is another long chapter for you. It wasn't supposed to be this long, but it kind of wrote itself. There are a few fluff moments between Harry and Minerva. I hope you enjoy. Also, I have the next chapter already written so it should be out within the next two days.


Chapter 7

After the meeting with the Tonks women, Harry and Minerva stayed up for a bit longer, talking about their next steps. After an hour had passed, Harry started yawning, signaling that they needed to get ready for sleep. They retired to their respective rooms soon after. Poppy came by once they had finished getting ready for bed to reapply the salves to Harry's leg and abdomen. He drunk the pain potion she gave him but refused to take the Dreamless sleep potion.

"I don't want to get addicted to it," Harry argued.

Poppy rolled her eyes at him. "Do you really think I would give it to you if I thought you were becoming addicted? The fact that you're refusing it right now proves you aren't."

"Harry, just listen to Poppy," Minerva requested. "You're not fully healed yet and you could use all the sleep you can get." She was worried he would be plagued by nightmares, especially after how he reacted to them recently.

Harry understood what she was worried about but shook his head in response. "No. I'm healed up enough. Besides, I have to face my dreams at some point." Harry's tone and expression were full of determination.

Poppy sighed, knowing that his look meant he wasn't going to change his mind. "Very well, I won't force you to take it, but I will leave it here in case you change your mind."

"Thank you, Poppy," Harry said gratefully. She left shortly after that, wishing them both a good night.

"I still think you're rushing yourself," Minerva remarked.

"I'm a Gryffindor Minerva. We're supposed to face our problems, not run from them," Harry pointed out. "I promise I won't try and deal with them on my own or push you away this time. I learned from mistakes, honest." He was serious too. His brush with death had scared him straight.

Minerva gave him a piercing stare for a minute before sighing in reluctance. "Fine, but I'm leaving both of our doors open and you're not allowed to put up a silencing charm."

"Deal."

- H.M. –

Harry went to sleep just fine soon after, having no problems whatsoever drifting off into the land of Morpheus. Staying there proved to be a problem however. The dream started off pleasantly with him flying on his Firebolt high in the air, surrounded by blue skies with the ground and his problems thousands of feet below him. It was so realistic that he could feel the wind whipping his face as he flew faster and faster.

Then, the sky filled with dark grey clouds, rain poured down, the wind became turbulent, and lightning lit up the sky. The thunder was deafening, making it hard for Harry to hear anything. To make things worse, he lost control of the broom as it zipped him toward an unknown destination. He could do nothing but hold on tightly as a reluctant passenger.

At first, everything was a blur, but soon enough the images became clear, though this didn't reassure Harry. As he flew by, he was assaulted with flashes of things he'd seen in his most recent nightmares. His friends being struck down mercilessly one by one. Their dead corpses looking at him with blame and anger in their eyes. Sirius and his parents calling him a traitor. Himself slaughtering his friends and many other innocent lives as he became a worse Dark Lord than Voldemort. Yet there was nothing he could do to stop it.

Outside of his dream world, he was tossing and turning in his bed, trying to escape from the horrible things he was being forced to watch. When he became too overwhelmed, he started screaming, a sound that reverberated throughout the house. It was full of pain and anguish. Minerva, who had already started stirring due to the atmosphere of unrest she'd unconsciously detected, practically jumped out of her bed upon hearing him, snatching her wand from under her pillow. She hurried to Harry's room, her wand drawn, ready to defend Harry from any threat.

What she saw as she stepped into the room broke her heart as she hurried to his side. Climbing on the bed, she quickly began to calm him down, soothing words and placations falling from her lips as she ran her fingers through his hair. It took several minutes, but eventually she had calmed him down enough to be able to pull him into her arms safely. She continued to stroke his hair as he fully woke up.

"Easy Harry, it's just me. You're safe," Minerva declared softly when she felt him stiffen up in her arms. "I know what you saw was bad, but it's over now."

Harry gently gripped her arm that was wrapped protectively across his chest as he spoke, his voice raspy from screaming. "I'm sorry for waking you up."

"Don't be. You have no control over it and no reason to apologize for it," Minerva replied. Then she called for Dobby to bring Harry some water to soothe his throat. She helped Harry sit up so he could drink it properly, steadying his hand when she saw it begin to shake. Harry sat the cup on his nightstand when he was finished before moving to sit beside Minerva.

"Do you want to talk about it?" she asked after a long moment of silence.

"It was like the rest of the nightmares I've been having since… since that night," Harry spoke after a bit of hesitation. "It's starts off good and then somehow I'm jumping through various scenes – all of which are bad. I see everyone I care about dying. I hear them blame me for their deaths or call me a monster. Then…" Harry faltered, unwilling to continue.

Minerva squeezed his hand reassuringly. "It's okay Harry. You can tell me."

"Then I see myself, except I have cruel red eyes. I'm forced to watch myself be a total monster, killing any and everyone who gets in my way. I have no mercy for anyone, including my friends… and you." Harry looked down in shame before concluding in a small voice. "That's what scares me the most.

Minerva grasped his chin and gently turned his face so she could look him in his eyes. "I see no monster in you because it's not who you are."

Harry was quick to protest. "But I do have a piece of one in me! What if it takes control of me? What if I can't fight it anymore?"

She shook her head at him determinedly. "You've fought it off for this long, even as a small child so I doubt it will be able to take control of you now. Also, you have your mother's protection helping you as well as me, so you're not doing this alone." When he tried to argue again, she cut him off before he could get started, her tone unyielding. "You are not a monster Harry James Potter. You are a good man with a huge heart who always tries to do the right thing, even if the reasons might be a bit misguided. The horcrux in your head is unable to change that because you are strong enough to fight off its attempts at influencing you. It might be inside of you, but it is not part of who you are as a person. Understood?"

He looked in her eyes, seeing the honesty and confidence she had in him. "Ok." He didn't know why she had so much faith in him but knew she was almost always right, so she had to be right about this. Still, his dreams felt so real making it hard to ignore them.

Her tone became softer, though it was still firm. "Besides, we are going to get that thing out of your head as soon as possible so you won't have to worry about it anymore. Once Samena writes us back, we can start working on it."

Harry nodded in reply before they lapsed into silence, both lost in their thoughts. After a few moments, he turned to face Minerva and was about to say something before he realized something – she wasn't wearing her glamour. This caused his words to die on his lips as he gazed at her in shock. She didn't notice him for several minutes as she was still lost in her thoughts.

It must be said that Harry's always found his professor and friend attractive. In fact, he's had a crush on her since his third year at Hogwarts. It wasn't just because of her looks though. He was even more drawn to her personality. While she's a stern and intimidating teacher, she is also very kind and fair. He knew for a fact that if you came to her office for help, she does not hesitate to give it to you, something he knows from personal experience. Besides being a good teacher, she is very independent and strong, and she won't hesitate to stand up for what's right, even if it puts her in danger. After being her friend since his fourth year, he's also learned that she has a sarcastic sense of humor, a great laugh, and a beautiful smile that lights up the room when she allows it to show. All in all, Minerva was a very attractive woman to him – inside and out.

The only two people who know this very embarrassing information are Sirius and Tonks, and he extracted a promise from them to never tell another soul, living or dead, the moment they got it out of him. They'd both kept it of course, though that didn't stop them from teasing him when nobody was around or paying attention to him. While the teasing aggravated him at times, he was glad they knew about it because he could talk to them when he was confused about his feelings or just needed to vent his frustrations about wanting someone whom he could never have.

At the present moment, he really wished Tonks was here for him to vent to, seeing as he was facing another dilemma in that area of his life. See, while he's known for sure since his fourth year that Minerva wore a glamour, he's never actually seen her with it off. She still looked like herself and he wouldn't have trouble recognizing her, but the age wrinkles and creases that usually lined her face were all gone, showing the youthfulness she possessed due to her magical strength. Instead, her skin was smooth and silky with a bit of a radiant tan glow from running outside in the sun on her property. Her hair had no gray in it, the ebony locks luxuriant, thick, and wavy. She didn't even have her hair pinned up so he could see how long her hair really was. Main point is, her beauty left him speechless, especially since he had no warning or time to prepare himself. I'm doomed.

Minerva sat lost in thought, oblivious to Harry's predicament for a few moments until she felt his eyes on her. She turned to face him and became worried by the strange look he had. "Is something wrong Harry?"

Harry shook himself to regain his composure enough to answer her. "Umm not really, it's just… you forgot to put your glamour back on." He was blushing a bit, though she didn't notice that.

"Oh," she exclaimed, her cheeks reddening as well. "How did you know I wore a glamour?" she asked in surprise. She thought she had done a good job of keeping that a secret.

"I figured it out in my fourth year after spending so much time with you," he admitted.

"I suppose this was bound to happen at some point due to us residing in the same house," she stated after getting over her shock. "Usually I keep the glamour off while I'm here since only a few people have access. I must have forgotten to put it back on when I rushed in here."

They sat in an awkward silence before Harry broke it a few minutes later, his voice full of nerves. "Umm, if you want to keep it off, you should. Just because I'm here doesn't mean you have to be inconvenienced in your own home. But if it makes you uncomfortable to have it off in front of me than put it back on. It won't bother me whether you wear it or not." Realizing he was rambling a bit, he stopped talking.

Minerva, after a moment of thought, decided to act on her impulse to keep the glamour off instead of keeping it on, even if it might seem a tad inappropriate. "Well, there's really no reason to put it back on. You've already seen me after all. Unless it makes you uncomfortable."

There were many feelings Minerva's natural form evoked within him, but anything resembling uncomfortableness was not it. The situation, yes, but the way she looked, no. "No, not at all," he replied quickly.

"Very well then," Minerva concluded.

There was another pause before Harry spoke up once more. "Thanks for helping me, but you should go get some sleep. I'll be fine now."

"Are you sure?" she asked in concern.

"Yeah, don't worry about me," he replied, trying to sound confident.

Minerva gave him one more look of concern before acquiescing. She walked out of the room, leaving the door open before going to her bed.

It took some time before she was able to go back to sleep, her mind on Harry's description of his nightmare. Harry decided not to try at all, remaining awake for the rest of the night.

- H.M. –

Tonks went in to work early to catch her boss, Amelia Bones, alone in her office before the shift change started and the day crew came in. She was thankful that Amelia's secretary hadn't even made it in yet as she went to knock twice on the door. The witch was a good worker but had a tendency to instigate rumors.

"Come in," Amelia called in her typical commanding tone.

"Wotcher Boss," Tonks greeted as she stepped into the room, closing the door behind her. "Mind if I have a quick word. It's about a sensitive matter."

Amelia looked up from her desk, her curiosity piqued. "Is it about work?"

Tonks shook her head. "No, but it's about the war."

"You have my attention. Sit down then," Amelia said, gesturing to the seat across from her. Tonks scanned the room with her wand for listening charms before warding it from eavesdropping, causing Amelia to raise her eyebrow. "This must be really important."

"It is," Tonks replied as she sat down. She took a calming breath before continuing. "First, I need to confess to you about my involvement in the Order of Phoenix. I know I shouldn't have joined without your permission, but I did it to help my cousin and Harry, not because I believe that Dumbledore is the greatest person in the world."

"I suspected as much, though I'm glad you aren't a blind follower of that man like too many others. I won't ask how many more of my aurors are involved with his club but thank you for telling me. I also understand your reasons for joining," Amelia said after giving Tonks a piercing stare. Tonks silently sighed in relief. "Did he make you take an oath of secrecy?"

"No," Tonks scoffed. "I can tell you everything you want to know, though there isn't as much to tell as you'd think. Dumbledore likes to play his cards close yet expects everyone to follow him obediently." Her tone was bitter at the mention of the headmaster, the pink shade of her hair darkening with her mood.

Amelia nodded in understanding. "Yes, he's always liked to hold all the cards for himself and disperse information when he deems it necessary," she said sarcastically. "But you can tell me all about that later. I believe you have something more urgent to tell me."

"Yes ma'am. I can't give you too many details at the moment, but a certain someone with very distinctive scar would like to meet with you, privately," Tonks informed her.

Amelia raised her eyebrows in surprise. "So, you are in touch with him then? I've heard rumors that he was missing yesterday."

"He's actually been MIA since the day the students went home but I saw him yesterday," Tonks explained. "The Order's been looking all over for him since he disappeared from the train, but I knew he wouldn't be found until he was ready. Just so happens that he was hiding in the last place anyone would think to look for him." Tonks smirked at the irony before continuing. "The old goat's been trying to keep it all hushed up, but I figured the rumor would get out soon enough."

"Interesting. I assume that he's finally had enough of Dumbledore's games then?" Amelia mused.

Tonks hair turned red. "That's an understatement. Bloody furious is more like it. He has more than enough reason to be too. That tosser completely screwed up his life." She took a deep breath to calm down, her emotions still high from the discussion last night. "I'll let him explain it all and more to you in person though. He's free to meet for dinner on Friday, though he's able to work with your schedule."

"Before I agree, I have one question," Amelia said after a moment. "Why does he want to talk to me?"

"Because he trusts me and my judgement, and he knows I trust you," Tonks replied simply.

"Very well. I'm not available on Friday, but I can meet with him Saturday evening at seven. You can bring him there," Amelia decided.

"I'll let him know," Tonks agreed.

"Now, tell me all about what Dumbledore's Order has been doing since its reformation."

- H.M. –

Meanwhile, Harry and Minerva were just finishing their morning jog. Minerva had noticed that Harry looked like he was lacking in sleep, but let it go for the moment. Even though he was now talking to her again, she didn't want to push him to hard, just yet. She wanted to give him time to deal with his nightmares on his own. However, if it went on for too long, she would step in.

Poppy also noticed his tiredness, but a look from Minerva stopped her from commenting on it. The healer did pull the witch to the side to talk privately when she was done checking him over. Once they were downstairs by the fireplace, Poppy turned to face her friend.

"He had a nightmare last night, didn't he?" Poppy guessed.

Minerva nodded. "Yes. I woke up when I heard him screaming and managed to calm him down. He described it to me afterwards, and I tried to reassure him, but I'm not sure how effective my words will be."

Poppy shook her head sadly. "While I wish he had given himself more time to recover, he was correct about having to face them. If he goes on for too long without adequate sleep, let me know and we'll try something else."

"That's what I was thinking as well," Minerva agreed.

Then Poppy got a mischievous expression on her face that made Minerva nervous. Her words only increased it. "I see that you aren't hiding yourself in front of him any longer."

Minerva blushed lightly. "I… I may have forgotten to put my glamour back on when I rushed to check on him. He was able to see that it wasn't on and I decided that since he'd already seen me, there was no reason to hide anymore." When Poppy smirked in amusement at her, she lightly slapped her friend's arm. "Don't you go getting any perverted ideas. I'm his professor and Head of House for Merlin's sake!" she cried indignantly.

"If you say so, though I'm sure Harry will have trouble seeing you as his professor while you're looking like that," Poppy replied before escaping through the floo.

Minerva stood there gobsmacked at her friend's words until Harry snapped her out of her daze to say that breakfast was ready.

After they finished eating, the two of them spent the day either practicing magic or studying for Harry's NEWTs. They made no mention of Minerva's lack of glamour, though Harry couldn't stop himself from sneaking peaks at her throughout the day when she wasn't paying attention.

The Tonks witches came over for dinner where Tonks described her meeting with Amelia and her agreement to meet Saturday evening. After dinner, Andromeda started teaching Harry about the Wizengamot and his duties and responsibilities as Lord Black. It was a bit boring to him, but she was a good and patient teacher who poked fun at some of the rules and traditions to keep him interested. They stayed at it for about two hours before calling it quits. After, Andromeda and Tonks pulled Minerva and Harry respectively to the side for small talk, both witches curious about why Minerva was in her natural form.

"I see you're not wearing your glamour. I wonder what caused that change," Andromeda asked once out of earshot of the other two.

Like with Poppy, Minerva blushed lightly in embarrassment. "I forgot to put it on when I went to help him with his nightmare last night. When he noticed it, I figured he'd already seen me so there was no point in continuing to hide."

Andromeda peered intently at her friend. "I know you've spent a lot of time together since you started mentoring him, but I didn't realize just how close you two were until seeing how you react to each other."

Minerva hesitated before answering. "He is a good friend," she admitted. "I've tried to keep it as a mentor-student relationship, but… it would be disrespectful to call him anything less than my friend."

"Well it's good that you two are so close or you'd never have been able to talk some sense into him. If not, he probably wouldn't have listened to you," Andromeda remarked.

Minerva nodded in agreement. "Yes, he can be quite stubborn when he gets his mind set on something. I tried to talk to him before he left school, but he was set in his decision to fight on his own. I'm just glad he was able to find me, so I had another chance to talk him out of it."

"Yes, it is interesting how he was able to apparate directly to you and to a place he's never been or had access to," Andromeda mused.

"He had access, though he didn't know that," Minerva clarified. "But I've never brought him here. I added his name after he disappeared. As for him apparating to me specifically… I've seen him do so many things thought impossible that I've stopped trying to explain it."

"True, though he had to be truly focused on you to be able to accomplish it," Andromeda pointed out calmly. She took note of the blush forming in Minerva's cheeks before continuing so the witch couldn't protest her words. "Either way, it's good that he's safe and listening to those who care about him once more."

"Yes, it is," Minerva agreed cautiously, trying to ignore the effect Andromeda's words had on her.

"I'll be back tomorrow same time. You try and get some rest," Andromeda said after a moment She wanted to ask more about Minerva's feelings for Harry but decided to leave it alone for now and continue to observe the two of them. Call her crazy but despite their big age difference, she could actually see them as a couple after seeing how they interacted with each other.

While Andromeda was taking the more subtle approach, Tonks was much blunter with her questions. Then again, she already knew about Harry's feelings, while Andromeda only had suspicions of Minerva's.

"So, what do you think now that you've really seen her?" she asked teasingly, laughing at the blush that immediately formed on his face. "That good, huh?"

"I… uh…" Harry spluttered before taking a deep breath to calm down. "Um… well I understand why she wears a glamour now. If not, none of the wizards would be able to focus on her lessons."

She laughed even harder at him. "You're probably right."

"I'm suddenly really grateful she suggested I take my NEWT for her class. I know I wouldn't be able to focus in her class after this," he admitted.

"You should tell her that," she suggested.

Harry looked at her like she was barmy. "Really? And how well do you think that would go over?"

Tonks shrugged. "Maybe she'll give you a shot."

"Or maybe she'll say we can't be friends anymore," Harry argued, his tone incredulous.

"I doubt she'll stop being your friend just like that," Tonks reasoned, giving him the 'you're being overdramatic' look. "She cares too much about you to do that to you and you know it."

Harry conceded that point at her look but still wasn't convinced it was a good idea. "I know but I don't want to make anything more awkward than things already are. She may have forgiven me for running away and distancing myself, but I still have a lot to make up for. And that's not even mentioning the fact that I'm basically living here with her for the summer as she trains me and helps me study. Do you know how weird things would get if I told her how I feel, and she rejects me? I don't want to make her uncomfortable in her own home."

Tonks sighed, knowing he wouldn't budge at the moment. "Maybe you're right, but I still think it's worth a shot."

"Why are you so determined to get me to tell Minerva how I feel, even though it's just an immature crush?" Harry asked seriously.

"Because excluding my mum, you and McG are the most important people in my life. I want you both to be happy and I think you could do that for each other," Tonks admitted. "Besides, you and I both know that what you feel for her is much more than a simple, immature crush."

The Tonks witches retired to their home soon after with promises to return for dinner the next night, leaving Harry and Minerva with some things to think about that would keep them up for another hour.

The next two days followed pretty much the same pattern. Harry and Minerva would jog around the property and through the forest in the morning before Poppy arrived to check on Harry's injuries. After breakfast, they would practice magic and physical exercises in the training room until it was time for lunch. Once the lunch break was over, they would go in the library to study NEWT material and possible horcrux locations until it was time for Andromeda and Tonks to join them for dinner. After dinner Harry and Andromeda would study politics for about two hours before the four of them would talk about all kinds of things until it was time for wrap things up.

They received replies from Harry's friends as well, with the twins asking if they could meet on Monday to give them a little more time to set up an excuse for their mother. They planned on saying that they wanted Ron and Ginny to help them set up the store, but the supplies wouldn't arrive until Monday. Harry and Minerva saw no problem with that and sent replies to everyone, scheduling the meeting for that day as well as giving them portkeys to bring them here when it was time. Harry also continued to have nightmares at night and Minerva comforted him every time, trying to reassure him as much as she could. She could see that they were badly affecting him and that he wasn't getting enough rest, but still hadn't figured out a way to help him just yet.

- H.M. –

During breakfast on Friday, after Poppy declared that Harry's physical injuries were fully healed, Hedwig arrived back from her journey.

"Hey girl, how are you doing?" Harry asked his familiar when she landed in front of him. "I missed you while you were gone." Hedwig hooted in appreciation, rubbing her head against his cheek affectionately.

Minerva smiled fondly at the two of them before turning to address the snowy owl. "Hedwig, may I have the letters you retrieved for me?" Hedwig gave Minerva a hoot of approval before holding out her leg with the letters tied to it. "Thank you for making such a long journey for us." The owl hooted in response before turning to Harry with an expectant look.

Harry laughed at her, knowing exactly what she wanted. "Yeah, yeah I know you want your bacon. Just give me a moment alright." He called for Winky to bring some bacon while Minerva opened up the letters, reading them as he played with his owl.

"Matthew will be here on the 23rd with the potion you'll need for the animagus transformation and plans on staying until the process is complete. Samena says she'll be able to make it here on the 16th once she's finished with a job she's working on." Minerva informed him when she had finished both letters.

"Good. At least we'll get some answers about this thing in my head then," Harry replied trying to think positively. "Also, I'm really looking forward to becoming an animagus."

"I can imagine so," Minerva remarked.

Before she could say anything else, another owl flew into the room and interrupted her. Hedwig barked angrily at the owl from her perch on Harry's shoulder, causing it crash into the table in fright.

"Leave the owl alone Hedwig. It's just doing its job," Harry exclaimed. When his owl gave him a blank look, he shook his head at her. "You know you're the only owl for me, but sometimes other birds have to make deliveries to me." Hedwig puffed up her feathers proudly, causing him to shake his head affectionately at her.

Minerva meanwhile removed the letter from the owl who quickly flew back out the window before Hedwig could get to it. "I believe these are your OWL results." She handed it to him and watched as he opened it up, excitement in her voice.

"Yep these are them," he confirmed before deciding to tease her a bit. He slowly opened the envelope and pulled out the parchment. Then he read through his results just as slowly, studying them for longer than necessary as he heard Minerva begin to tap her foot impatiently. Eventually that patience completely ran out.

"Well. Are you going to tell me how you did or not?" she exclaimed, drawing a laugh from Harry.

"Calm down woman! You can see them for yourself!" he said between laughs, handing the results to her. Minerva almost snatched it from his hand. "I wonder what people would think if they knew that the dignified Professor Minerva McGonagall was so impatient," he joked. Minerva swatted at him before turning back to read the paper in her hands. It said as follows:

Harry James Potter has received the following OWL scores:

Astronomy A
Care of Magical Creatures O
Charms O
Defense Against Dark Arts O+
Divination P
Herbology E
History of Magic A
Potions E
Transfiguration O+

"You did excellent Harry. I'm very proud of you," she declared happily, her eyes shining with pride.

Harry blushed at her praise. "Yeah well I had a brilliant teacher," he replied modestly.

"Nonsense. You put in the hard work necessary to earn these grades," she insisted. "Divination aside of course."

He laughed at the last part of her comment. "Yeah well I had no intention of taking that class again anyway. I'm actually surprised I didn't get a Troll." He glanced at them again for a moment. "It's also a good thing I'm not planning on being auror any longer or I'd be a bit disappointed by my Potions grade."

Minerva shook her head at that. "Honestly, the fact that you were able to do that well with Snape's less than adequate teaching is amazing in and of itself. Either way, now we can officially start working on scheduling a time for you to take your Transfiguration and Defense NEWTs."

"How are we going to do that without anyone finding out before I take them?" Harry asked curiously. He knew if Dumbledore found out somehow, the man would do everything he could to stop him from taking them.

Minerva thought about it for a few seconds. "I believe you should take them at the ICW office instead of the Ministry of Magic. That way no one can contest your results and the Ministry won't be involved at all. We should ask Amelia if she can help us with that when we see her tomorrow."

He nodded in agreement. "Alright sounds like a plan."

After that, they went into the training room to practice. Harry was getting better at his elemental powers and was able to call them up within a few seconds now, though he still had to concentrate pretty hard to do it. He could even control larger amounts of them. As for his other training, Minerva had him doing exercises and drills to make him even faster and more accurate with his casting. She was also working on his movement and observational skills to help him react instinctively and with little thought or hesitation. Though he felt like he wasn't getting better fast enough, Minerva informed him that he was improving quicker than he realized. She also let him spy on Voldemort before lunch since Poppy had declared him as fully healed. He didn't find anything specific but could tell the dark wizard was planning something. He would have probed harder but was concerned about getting caught, especially since Voldemort was on high alert after the two raids he'd foiled.

The rest of the day Minerva let Harry relax as a congratulations for his OWL results. She surprised him with his broom, which she confiscated from Umbridge, and they spent the hours until Andromeda and Tonks were to arrive in the skies. At dinner, both Tonks witches congratulated Harry as well when they heard the news. They also asked if they could be there when Samena and Matthew arrived and said they would be over for breakfast in the morning. Harry and Minerva agreed and soon after they left for the night.

- H.M. –

Tonks and Minerva's nights weren't over just yet though since they had an Order meeting to attend which was at the Weasley house. While both had every intention to quit and soon, they'd decided to wait until the right time and continue to gather as much information as they could until then.

They arrived separately to avoid any suspicion and greeted each other as if they hadn't just had dinner together. They greeted others+ as well before sitting down, both taking seats as far away from Dumbledore as possible without being obvious about it. Minerva was seated by Remus while Tonks had plopped down by Hestia. Remus gave his former professor a strange look for a moment, though she was oblivious to it. Ten minutes later, everyone had arrived and were seated, waiting for Dumbledore to start the meeting.

"Thank you all for coming," Dumbledore began. "I would like to start the meeting with updates on the search for Harry. Has anyone learned any new information or heard rumors about any possible sightings?"

Everyone except Snape shook their heads in response.

"Molly, has he tried to make any more contact with Ron and Ginny?" Dumbledore asked the mother of seven.

"No, they haven't received another letter since the first one. Neither has Hermione. They have no idea where he could have gone," Molly replied sadly. Arthur put his arm around her to comfort her.

"Remus, Nymphadora, has he tried to contact either of you?" Dumbledore inquired. Both shook their heads. Tonks hair was red at his use of her first name, but she was smirking internally at his cluelessness. Remus gave her the same strange look as Minerva but remained silent for the moment. He promised himself that he would speak to both witches before he left though.

Kingsley spoke up next. "There have been no reported sightings of Harry, but you should know that a rumor's been going around about him being missing in the Ministry. I believe some of the students noticed that he did not get off the train on the day the students got back. They must have mentioned it to their parents."

"That is unfortunate. We will have to do everything we can to keep this under wraps.?" Dumbledore cautioned. "Severus, have you heard anything?"

"No headmaster. The Dark Lord is unaware of Potter's absence," Snape replied, unconcernedly.

"Very well, at least he is still in the dark, though that will change if the public finds out about it," Dumbledore stated. "Continue to look for him everywhere you can." Dumbledore then asked about other Order matters with the meeting lasting for an hour longer.

When it was over, Tonks discretely pulled Hestia, Charlie, Bill, and Fleur, the newest Order member, to the side one-by-one and away from everyone else to talk to them.

First up was Bill and she made sure to put a privacy charm around them before she started talking. "I have to ask you a serious question and I need your honest answer?"

"What's the matter Tonks?" Bill asked in concern.

She took a deep breath. "I want to know how you feel about the way Dumbledore is running this war?"

"I wish that we were doing more sometimes, but I think Dumbledore knows what he's doing. After all, he's the reason we didn't lose the war last time and he beat Grindelwald so he's the best to lead the war this time," Bill responded. "Why are you asking?"

Tonks thought for a moment to come up with an excuse without revealing too much or looking suspicious. In the end, she decided to give a misleading answer. "I was just thinking that there's more we could be doing, but you're right. Dumbledore knows what he is doing." Technically not a lie but Bill didn't know the true meaning behind it.

She went to Charlie next who had a different response than his brother. "To be honest," I don't think he's doing enough. I've read up on what really happened during the first war and there were too many deaths that could have been prevented if he hadn't been so focused on trying to redeem the death eaters instead of saving innocent lives. I also think he holds back too much important information, leaving us in the dark far too often yet expecting our loyalty."

Tonks gave him a small smile. "I knew you were my best friend for a reason."

"Because I'm awesome," he replied, laughing at the blank look on her face. "Anyway, I guess you're asking me about this because you feel the same way?"

Tonks nodded. "I do. I can't tell you more about this right now but expect something in the mail soon about a new path for this war. Also, don't mention this to anyone else." Charlie nodded in acceptance.

Fleur was her next target. "Ze truth is zat I joined ze Order to 'elp 'arry after what he did for my family. But I don't like ze way Dumbledore seems to treat 'arry as if 'e's a weapon instead of a person. 'e says that 'arry has to be found but not zat 'e's concerned about 'ow 'e is doing. 'arry just lost 'is godfather and is probably 'aving a 'ard time coming to terms wiz it. Yet Dumbledore doesn't talk about zat," Fleur declared, a hint of anger in her voice.

Tonks let the Veela know that she appreciated her anger on Harry's behalf before telling her the same thing she told Charlie. Then she went to her last target – her fellow auror Hestia Jones – asking her the same question.

"I don't know if it's because he's getting old or he's spent too much of his life being told he's right all the time, but he shouldn't be leading this war," Hestia said bluntly. "He keeps most information to his self and seems to have some hidden agenda that he doesn't want us to find out about concerning Harry. Plus, he puts entirely too much trust in Snape who is still a death eater as far as I'm concerned. I was planning on quitting and telling Madame Bones about my involvement soon."

Tonks nodded in satisfaction. "I was going to suggest you do that anyway, though you should probably wait before you quit."

"What aren't you telling me Tonks?" Hestia asked suspiciously.

"I can't reveal too much right now, but I'll be in touch soon with more information," Tonks promised.

"Should I give the same message to Shack?"

Tonks shook her head sadly. "No. Unfortunately, I think he's to wrapped up with Dumbledore for that to be a good idea. He'll have to come to that decision on his own." They said their good-byes before Tonks walked over to where Minerva was waiting for her.

"How did it go?" Minerva asked quietly.

"Everyone except Bill is seeing the old goat for who he is," Tonks replied. She was about to say something else before Remus walked up to them.

"Could I talk with you two?" Remus asked firmly. He walked out of the house before they could respond to him, causing the two witches to look at each other in confusion.

"What do you think that's about?" Tonks asked as they followed after him a few seconds later.

Minerva pondered it until a sinking realization came to her. "He's a werewolf Dora. I believe he was able to smell Harry's scent on us." Tonks gasped in horror. "I can't believe I forgot about that."

"Bloody hell. Well I hope he'll let us explain ourselves before he runs to Dumbledore," Tonks remarked. Minerva nodded in agreement.

They found Remus waiting for them at the end of the Weasley walkway. He put up privacy wards around them before speaking. "As intelligent as the two of you are, I'm sure you've already figured out that I can smell Harry on you, so I'll let you explain why that is the case when neither of you have mentioned running in to him." His tone was no-nonsense as he looked at them expectantly.

"Before I say anything, you must take an oath of secrecy. You can't say anything we tell you to anyone, especially the headmaster," Minerva replied just as firmly. She and Tonks stared him down until he finally relented.

"Very well," Remus said before taking the oath.

When Minerva was satisfied with it, she said, "Harry is staying with me and has been since the first of the month. I won't tell you the whole story because it is his to tell, but he is safe and doing much better than he was when I found him."

"Why haven't you told Dumbledore and the Order this when we've been looking all over for him?" Remus asked, anger creeping into his tone.

"Because Dumbledore can't be trusted," Tonks declared bluntly. "We've learned things that prove he doesn't have Harry's best interests at heart."

"Yes," Minerva affirmed, "and we will no longer allow that man to continue to ruin his life."

"But it's Dumbledore," Remus protested. "He wouldn't hurt Harry intentionally."

Tonks scoffed at that while Minerva responded to him. "He has and if you think really hard about everything you know about Harry's life, you'll realize it as well. And that's not even including how he failed Sirius."

Remus went quiet at that. "Can I see him?" he asked after a moment.

"I'll have to ask him that," Minerva replied. "I'll make sure he writes to you with his answer."

Remus nodded in thanks before apparating away, a lot of questions on his mind.

"Well, that went well," Tonks remarked.

"Indeed, but I think it's time we leave before our luck runs out," Minerva suggested.

- H.M. –

Minerva told Harry, who had still been awake when she arrived, about how the Order meeting went. When she spoke about Remus, Harry was unsure how to respond to the man who hadn't put as much effort into getting to know him like Sirius did. To help him out, Minerva suggested that he send a letter to the man with the questions he had for him before agreeing to meet with him. With that settled, they both retired for bed.

Unfortunately, a few hours later, Harry was in the throes of a nightmare. As she had for the past few days, Minerva went to soothe him until he woke up from it. When he was calmed, they sat in silence for a moment before she spoke.

"Harry, you can't keep going on like this. You need to get some real sleep or you're going to cease being able to function," she stated.

Harry shrugged indifferently. "I'm used to having little sleep, so I'll be fine. I should probably start putting up privacy wards, so I'll stop waking you up though."

"No. You will not put up any wards and you aren't going to be okay if you continue on this path," Minerva argued sternly. "Everyone needs their sleep, even you."

"Well what do you want me to do? I don't know how to stop them from happening," Harry countered defensively.

Minerva sighed. "I know that Harry, but we have to do something because this isn't healthy."

They lapsed into silence, both trying to figure out what to do. Then an idea popped into Minerva's head, though she was reluctant to suggest it since it was highly inappropriate. She glanced at Harry, seeing the bags under his reddish eyes and the paleness of his skin. He was suffering and needed to sleep badly, but there was nothing else she could think of for the moment. With that in mind, she gathered up her Gryffindor courage and turned to face him.

"I have an idea. What if I… stay in here with you for the night?" she said cautiously. Harry looked at her like she was crazy, so she hurried to explain herself. "It's not a permanent solution, but I know that sometimes another's presence can help keep nightmares at bay or at least make them less traumatic." When Harry didn't respond, she was afraid she'd made him uncomfortable. "We don't have to do it if you don't want to. It was only a suggestion."

Harry shook himself out of his stupor at her words. While he knew this was risky due to his crush, he couldn't make himself do the right thing and say no. So instead he cautiously said, "Okay, let's try it. At least for now."

With the decision made they were still for an awkward moment before rearranging themselves in more comfortable positions. They kept some room between them to remain appropriate, but they were turned to face each other.

"Go to sleep Harry. I'll be right here if you need me," Minerva whispered. She reached out her hand to run it softly through his hair and after a few moments he drifted off. She stayed up a little longer, lost in her thoughts about everything that's happened over the past few weeks. Even with all the stuff about Dumbledore and horcruxes, what was concerning her most at the moment was her feelings about Harry. They were changing, intensifying, and she didn't know what to do about them or how to orient them back into much more appropriate realms.

I don't know what's going on, but I have to stop it before it gets too far.