The next morning, Harry and Ron overheard that Sirius was reported to be in London by the Daily Prophet, and that Sturgis Podmore had been sentenced to six months in Azkaban, for trespassing at the Ministry of Magic. But while both news had come as a blow for the Order, it was the tip-off on Sirius that really did it for Harry. He gathered the trio and Tonks in an empty classroom in order to discuss these events.

"I don't really care about Podmore," Harry said, fuming. Then he looked at Tonks, who was sitting on a desk to the right, and sighed. "How are you going to stay here and report back to the Ministry? They're expecting you to be hunting Sirius, remember?"

Ron and Hermione looked at each other in a nervous manner, and then at Tonks. She stared at the ground for a while before saying, "It's not that I just have to report in. Rufus Scrimgeour will be giving us all a debriefing, and then I'll likely be assigned to scout various areas of interest."

"Like London," said Hermione. Tonks nodded.

"Wait," said Ron, taking a seat in the desk beside Hermione's. "Does this mean you're leaving? Can't you stay longer?"

Tonks shook her head. "I don't see how that's possible. If anything, Scrimgeour would be more confident in our own backyard; and because he's so desperate to make himself shine as Head Auror, he'll probably partner me up on my search for Sirius."

Harry could see Ron and Hermione looking at him in a hesitant manner, but he didn't care. Right now, he felt a rush of fury at the thought of Lucius Malfoy's tip-off inadvertently taking away Tonks.

"So, yeah," said Tonks, glancing at Harry. "It was fun while it lasted. Guess I'll have to use my exit plan way sooner than I thought."

"But why can't Scrimgeour use the other Aurors instead?" Harry asked. "It makes more sense to keep you abroad, doesn't it?"

Tonks shrugged. "That tip-off was a pretty strong one, though. Scrimgeour's convinced that I'm no longer needed overseas. The more hands on deck around here, the better his chances of catching our deranged mass-murderer."

"And you're a Metamorphmagus," said Hermione, nodding. "I doubt that Scrimgeour would let such talents go to waste."

"Exactly," said Tonks. "He's convinced that Sirius has got the one-up on our Cloaks, Disillusionment Charms, and Transfiguration disguises. He believes that there's some powerful Dark Arts at work here that makes a simple Revelio look like child's play. But a Metamorphmagus is a different story when it comes to concealment."

Ron scratched his head. "What about Polyjuice Potion? Does he think Sirius can beat that too?"

"Probably," said Tonks, "but it's not as natural as Metamorphosing yourself. Scrimgeour's also thinking along the lines of Gringotts security when it comes to Sirius constantly outwitting us."

"Gringotts security?" Hermione asked. Tonks nodded.

"Ever heard of the Thief's Downfall? It's this special waterfall the goblins have which can wash away enchantments and magical concealment. Scrimgeour hasn't ruled out the possibility of Sirius using something similar, and on a smaller scale. Maybe like a spray bottle or a spell."

Ron and Hermione looked amazed, but Harry didn't care.

"See?" said Hermione, with a slight scowl on her face. "This is why the world would be a much better place if we could all just get along. Imagine if Gringotts shared those defences with the Ministry of Magic. We wouldn't have to worry about infiltrations and Imperius Curses!"

"Come off it," said Ron, snorting. "This isn't your woolly hats and S.P.E.W. The goblins would demand wand-bearing rights before they even consider sharing the good stuff. And it's not like they're willing to share much anyway."

Hermione opened her mouth to speak (or rather, argue) but was interrupted by Tonks.

"Yep, and it doesn't take a genius to see why a goblin with a legally-owned wand would be a bad idea," said Tonks. "Bet it'll be all sunshine and rainbows when they decide to take us on, huh?"

"Maybe she thinks the goblins will bend over backwards because we're nice to them?" Ron said. Hermione lowered her gaze to the floor.

"I'm not ignorant, you know. I do read over my History of Magic."

The topic was soon brought back to the Thief's Downfall, which Tonks said she could pass without worry. This was due to a Metamorphmagus's appearance being whatever they were at the moment, as opposed to using Transfiguration or Polyjuice Potion.

"And here I thought you had a true form or something," Ron said. Tonks snorted.

"Yeah, I've heard that before."

There was a moment of silence before Tonks brought the topic back to Head Auror Scrimgeour. No matter what, Scrimgeour was determined to have a Metamorphmagus advantage over the ever-elusive Sirius Black.

"Don't look so sad," Tonks told Harry. He was sitting with his elbow on the desk, and his cheek on his lfist. "It's not like you're all alone here or anything. These two aren't going anywhere."

But Tonks's words did little to comfort Harry. He remained quiet throughout the rest of the morning, and got through Quidditch practice without speaking much with the team.

"Wish I could smash Malfoy with a Bludger," Harry told Ron at lunch hour, as they climbed the sloping lawns under a light drizzle. "His whole family's a waste of space."

"You could always ask for Chaser," Ron said, looking hopeful. "I mean, it would be nice to have you scoring goals, for a change."

Harry agreed. And when they got into a discussion over who was going to play Seeker, Ron said that Ginny would have to do it no matter what.

"And that's not all," said Harry, feeling a surge of vindictiveness. "Suppose I should buy the whole team Cleansweep Elevens as well. It would help close the gap on those Nimbuses."

"Er, don't you think that's going a bit too far?" Ron asked. "How many are you going to buy? Six?"

Harry opted for seven, just to be safe. He calculated that it would end up costing him a thousand and fifty Galleons. Ron gawked at him.

"Blimey, that's mental!"

"The Malfoys did it with far more expensive brooms," Harry said. He pushed open the castle doors and turned right to head for the Great Hall. "All I'm doing is levelling the playing field."

Ron snorted. "Says the bloke with a Firebolt."

"Nah, I think I'll fly the Cleansweep as Chaser. That ought to shut those stinking Slytherins up for good."

When they sat down at the Gryffindor table and ran the idea with Ginny, she looked at Harry as if he'd lost his mind. Ginny tried to lecture Harry on keeping calm and not splurging his gold, but Harry couldn't care less. All he wanted was to see Draco Malfoy and his fellow Slytherins suffer.

"I'm with Ginny on this one," said Hermione, sitting between Harry and Ginny. Then she lowered her voice to a whisper. "You're so upset at Tonks leaving that you're not even thinking straight!"

Ginny nodded. "Don't waste your money on us, Harry. Save it for when it counts."

"This does count!" said Harry, trying hard not to raise his voice too much. "Look at him," – he nodded in the direction of Malfoy – "sitting there all full of it! You hear the rubbish he's been saying about Dumbledore's time being up?"

"Malfoy's all talk, as usual," said Hermione. "Even you know better than to worry over that."

Harry clenched his fist and frowned. "Don't care. I'm buying those Cleansweeps no matter what."

"What's this about Cleansweeps?" George asked, as he sat down beside Ron opposite Harry. "Montague been running his mouth again? I swear that git's been going on and on about how this'll be their year."

"Where's Fred?" Hermione asked, with a narrow-eyed suspicious look. "Not testing certain products on certain students, I hope?"

George placed his hand on his chest in an offended manner. "Hermione Prefect Granger, how could you think that of your fellow housemate?"

"Is he, or is he not?" Hermione asked in a demanding tone. "Harry, this concerns you too, you know!"

Harry rolled his eyes and asked if Fred was testing those Skiving Snackboxes on other students. George looked hesitant for a moment before conceding that Fred was guilty as charged.

"Snitch," said Ron. He snorted with laughter into his goblet of pumpkin fizz. "Watch me tell him how you ended up being a tell-tale."

George ignored Ron, and looked at Hermione. "He said to tell you, though. Knew it would rile you up."

"Oh, really?" Hermione pushed back her chair. "I suppose it's time I wrote to your mother, then!"

Ginny, Ron, and George all looked horrified.

"Hang on just a moment," said George. "Would it help if I passed on some news from our dearest Maia Leroux? I got her near the Owlery, and she said that Mrs Norris was tailing us."

"And?" said Hermione, looking as if she was about to stand up. "Filch always sets his cat to sniff out misdeeds. That's nothing new."

George lowered his voice to a whisper. "Nah, get this ... Filch showed up soon and demanded to know whether we were helping Harry send orders for Dungbombs."

"What nonsense?" said Hermione. "Stop distracting me from my prefect duties!"

But the longer they discussed it, the more it seemed that Filch was targeting Harry, for whatever reason. And when the trio later met up with Tonks on the grounds, she took it one step further and said that Harry was being watched.

"Or at least, your mail is," Tonks said. "I've been following Umbridge for some time and overheard her talking with Filch. That Dungbomb tip-off was just an excuse to intercept your owls, though he jumped the gun instead of waiting for you to show up."

Again, Harry couldn't shake the wave of sadness that washed over him as he looked at Tonks. She spotted his expression and went silent for a few seconds, before responding.

"Still with the long face, huh?" Tonks said. "I'd be more worried about myself, if I were you."

Harry said nothing. He couldn't believe that Tonks was about to leave.

"But why are they checking Harry's mail in the first place?" Ron asked.

"Simple," said Tonks. "Umbridge suspects that Harry might contact Sirius at some point. She'd definitely want to gain more fame by apprehending public enemy number one."

Hermione frowned. "They should be focusing on Voldemort and his Death Eaters, not an innocent man!"

"I agree," said Tonks. "But there's no point in trying to understand Fudge and friends. It's only a matter of time until the public sees the truth."

They continued discussing the Ministry of Magic for a while until splitting up. Hermione returned to the library to finish her homework, Ron set off for the Quidditch stadium to join Katie for some practice, and Harry decided to join Tonks for a walk.

"There's no need to look so sad," said Tonks, as they walked past the lake. "Personally, I'd rather spend my time here than go on some silly hunt for my cousin."

Harry sighed. "I really wish you could stay."

"I know," said Tonks. "But since that's not possible, I can give you some goals to work towards in the meantime. Keep you nice and busy until Christmas."

The prospect of seeing Tonks again brought a smile to Harry. He accepted the offer and ended up getting a list of tasks which Tonks would like him to accomplish over the next three months.

"Just remember what I said," said Tonks, as they returned to the castle. "It's important that you keep your head on your shoulders this year. Umbridge isn't here for jokes and small talk, after all."

Harry felt a slight, stabbing feeling in his chest. He felt like repeating what he'd said about wanting Tonks to stay, but decided against it. Perhaps it was better to just suck it up and hang in there until December.

On Sunday morning, Tonks left under the ruse of her parents wanting to take her away from wizarding Britain. She had enough paperwork and explanations to fool even the likes of Dolores Umbridge, with none beyond the Order of the Phoenix being any the wiser.

But it wasn't all smooth sailing from here. Tonks's departure sparked a renewed effort from many students, especially the Slytherins, to have a go at Harry. Malfoy was particularly vocal about Harry being so unbalanced that it scared away his new friend so soon, though he admitted that Maia Leroux had lasted longer than he'd expected. Harry, however, ignored the laughter and focused on getting through his homework.

"I think this is a great idea," said Hermione, when she read through Tonks's list. She was sitting on an armchair in the empty common room at lunch hour, with Harry and Ron sharing a couch near the fireplace. "But you know what would make this even better?"

"Some food would be nice," said Ron. Hermione ignored him.

"I think we should take this approach and apply it to a larger group." She looked straight at Harry. "Imagine if you could teach us practical Defence in preparation for our O.W.L.s.! We could do it right under Umbridge's nose!"

Ron sat up straight in his seat. "That's a pretty good idea, actually. What do you say, Harry?"

"No thanks."

Hermione and Ron looked stunned.

"W - what?" Hermione blinked. "But, Harry –"

"I've already got Quidditch, Tonks, prefect duties, and classes keeping me busy," Harry said, feeling his frustrations rise at Hermione's insistence. "Don't have time to play teacher as well, sorry."

Hermione opened her mouth to speak but was told to leave it, by Ron. But while the topic of Harry's tuition came to a halt, a more insidious one opened up later that day.

"What a load of rubbish!" Ron said, tearing apart the letter he'd just received from Percy. "As if I'd sink to his level!"

Although Hermione tried to conceal her look of admiration, Harry could tell that she was impressed. Ron had no intention of following Percy's advice on taking Harry's place as prefect.

"I wonder what he meant about big changes coming soon, though?" Harry said, scratching the side of his hair. "Hope it doesn't mean Malfoy was right about Dumbledore ..."

The answer to Harry's question came the following morning, when Professor Umbridge was promoted to High Inquisitor, by Fudge himself. She immediately set off for her round of inspections, though Harry and his classmates had to wait until Divination to see the High Inquisitor in action.

"Good afternoon, Professor Trelawney," said Professor Umbridge, after climbing through the trapdoor. Her smile was as wide as ever. "You received my note, I trust? Giving the time and date of your inspection?"

Professor Trelawney gave a curt nod and turned her back on Professor Umbridge. It was clear that this inspection was both unwelcome and unsettling, with Professor Trelawney steadily crumbling under pressure in today's dream-interpretation class. Harry (and many others) was certain that she would be getting the sack soon enough.

"You know," Harry said to Ron after class, while walking down the seventh-floor corridor, "Trelawney might be annoying with her deadly predictions, but she doesn't deserve to get kicked out."

Ron agreed. "This is just the start, though. Imagine if Umbridge changes most of the staff table to gits like Percy."

"I think I'd rather leave," said Harry. "Sirius can teach me at home, then."

"Teach us, you mean," said Ron. "Hermione can stay if she wants to."

It wasn't long until Harry regretted his words, however, as the mere thought of spending time with Sirius sent a jolt of longing through Harry's chest. He could picture it now, even while walking – he was sitting at a desk at Grimmauld Place; Sirius was standing near a cosy fireplace, demonstrating a few spells, and Tonks was standing nearby, trying to correct Sirius. In fact, Harry went all out and threw in Mr and Mrs Tonks as well, making it an even bigger family to learn from.

"Er, you all right there?" Ron asked. "You didn't take one of Fred and George's daydreaming stuff, did you?"

"Nah, I'm fine," said Harry. "Might as well get Umbridge's class over with already."

By some miracle, Harry managed to survive not only his second Defence Against the Dark Arts class, but his next few ones, too. He was determined to follow Tonks's advice as best he could, and refused to give Professor Umbridge the satisfaction of reprimanding him.

At the same time, however, Hermione asked Harry again if he wished to teach Defence Against the Dark Arts in private. Harry rejected the idea in favour of his other pursuits, and ignored Hermione's accusations of him being selfish and stubborn. He couldn't care less about babysitting the rest of the students and their marks.

Nothing much happened as September faded into a frosty October. Harry carried on with his myriad of homework and prefect duties as usual, and kept up his Chaser practice as well. Angelina had come up with the idea of fooling the Slytherins into thinking that Harry was set to switch positions, and was pleased to see Graham Montague and his team spying on as many of their sessions as possible. Too bad for them, Harry had chosen to stick with Seeker.

On the first Saturday of the month, the Hogsmeade trip came and went as usual. Harry spent much of the morning practising Shield Charms and studying the Blasting Curse with Ron and Hermione, and part of the afternoon wandering around Hogsmeade itself. And while Hermione (and even Ron, to a lesser extent) remained disappointed over Harry's refusal to start a dedicated Defence Against the Dark Arts group, she said little about the matter that day.

The rest of the month passed without much incident, unless you counted Professor Umbridge's inspections, Professor Trelawney being put on probation, and Harry receiving an anonymous letter from Sirius one afternoon. Sirius's untidy dark head then appeared in the common-room fireplace that night, and said that Tonks had warned him about Professor Umbridge's spying.

"How is she, by the way?" Harry asked, while Ron and Hermione remained on the lookout for other students. "Tonks, I mean."

Sirius smiled. "All right, I guess. I was thinking of heading out and having a quick duel, you know."

"Don't be absurd!" said Hermione, cupping her mouth. "Dumbledore would never allow you to do something so foolish, and neither will we!"

Ron looked hesitant for a moment. "Er, are you sure this call's safe?"

"Positive," said Sirius. Then he looked at Harry in a hopeful manner. "But never mind that. Just think how much fun it would be if I showed up, duelled Tonks, and quickly left. I'm sick and tired of being trapped in here!"

"We know that," said Hermione, kneeling down on the hearthrug. She pulled Crookshanks back to stop him from singeing his whiskers in the fire, as he tried to put his face close to Sirius's. "But that would cause the Ministry to swarm the place with patrols. You'd be killed on sight!"

Sirius turned his attention to Harry again. But Hermione seemed to know what he was thinking.

"Don't even bother," she said. "Comparing Harry to yourself isn't going to work. He won't even consider teaching us proper Defence Against the Dark Arts, which we're in desperate need of."

Harry rolled his eyes at this topic, and hardly took offence when Sirius expressed his disappointment. He did, however, feel the urge to lash out once Sirius brought James Potter into the conversation as well.

"I'm just saying," said Sirius, when Harry threatened to walk away. "Your father and I wouldn't've lain down and taken orders from an old hag like Umbridge. You ought to give this group a try."

The was a short pause in which Crookshanks, mewing, tried to paw Sirius's head, Ron was fiddling with a hole in the hearthrug, and Hermione looked at Harry in an 'I told you so' way. Harry tightened his lips.

"I'd rather practise my own spells, thanks."

"Well, OK," said Sirius, while Hermione looked disheartened. "No rush, I guess. Just remember that Voldemort and the Death Eaters would prefer a weakened society."

They sat chatting about all manner of things over the next few minutes, though Sirius was hesitant to discuss too much about the Order. In the meantime, however, Harry felt annoyed at having to accommodate the rest of his year (and more). Why was the onus on him to accommodate the Hufflepuffs and Ravenclaws too, who had turned their backs on Harry numerous times before?

Might as well teach the Gryffindors only, Harry thought, but not all of us.

But then he thought of Cedric, Tonks, and Cho, and felt guilty over excluding Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw as a whole. In fact, Harry wasn't sure what he wanted to do at this point. So he left for his dormitory and got settled in for the night.

He really wished Tonks hadn't left.