Severus Snape threw open his chamber door and stumbled in, grabbing
at his desk to keep from falling to the ground. He had just come from a
meeting with the Dark Lord and he was not in the best of shape. Snape
grimaced as he dragged himself around the desk so he could collapse into
the chair. The pain would not fade for several hours, as he well knew.
The Dark Lord had an extensive knowledge of Dark curses other than the
Cruciatus that could cause extreme amounts of pain. The Dark Lord had been
very angry with his Death Eaters over the past few months and he wasn't shy
about expressing that anger.
Snape winced as a twinge of pain flared up his leg. At least the Dark Lord's displeasure with his spy at Hogwarts wasn't as severe as with the others. The Wizarding World at large was still unaware that the Dark Lord had retrieved his Death Eaters from Azkhaban shortly after the debacle at the Ministry of Magic. All the rescued Death Eaters had been suffering Voldemort's displeasure daily while he considered his next move. He had been most displeased that they had allowed the orb containing the recording of the prophecy to be broken and not hear a single word.
Snape had merely suffered the Dark Lord's displeasure out of a fit of pique. Since Dumbledore was now the only person known to have heard the prophecy in its entirety, he'd ordered Snape to find out what it had said. Voldemort had been irritated with how close-lipped Dumbledore was being and had taken out his frustration on Snape.
Now, however, all the Death Eaters were subject to their master's wrath. Sometime in the last day, Harry Potter had been moved from his relatives safety to an undisclosed location. And no one seemed to know where he had gone. Snape had asked Dumbledore point blank about the precautions taken for Potter's safety and had been astounded when the headmaster had admitted his ignorance.
"I left the arrangements for Harry to someone else and there are only two people are privy to the details. Strangely enough, Severus, I am not one of those two people," Dumbledore had said. Snape had been dumbfounded with disbelief, so Dumbledore had explained. "I felt it was safer if I minimized the people who knew where he was, so I asked a person to undertake the security independent of me. I have full confidence in that person's ability to protect Harry from whatever may come his way."
"Who," Severus had demanded.
"Ah, Severus," Dumbledore had said with a twinkle in his blue eyes, "that would be telling."
As frustrated as that comment had made Snape, it had an even greater impact on the Dark Lord when he'd repeated the gist of the conversation to him. Voldemort had flown into a high rage that had ended abruptly when a cold gleam had entered his slitted red eyes. That gleam scared Snape more than any of the painful curses his master flung his way. It meant that Voldemort was plotting something and if he was true to form, it would involve death and destruction.
Snape sighed as he felt the pains subside to a bearable ache. He needed to report this to the headmaster so he could warn the boy's guardian about the danger. Not that Snape would shed any tears if Potter came to the inevitable bad end that awaited him, but he owed the boy the wizard debt his father had incurred and the headmaster wanted the boy alive. That was enough for Snape.
* * * *
Albus Dumbledore watched as the door to his office closed behind the limping form of Severus Snape. The news Snape had brought was unpleasant, but hardly unexpected. It was unlike Voldemort to show much patience or restraint, so an episode of violence on the public was overdue. However, Albus did take a certain measure of smug satisfaction in hoodwinking Voldemort with Harry's summer residence. It had not been an easy decision to trust Remus with sole responsibility for Harry's safety. After all, Albus had watched over the boy for years and while Harry's life hadn't been everything he'd hoped for, at least he'd been safe at the Dursley's.
Albus took a deep, calming breath and tried to ease his worries. Remus Lupin was one of the small group of people that Albus knew he could trust with Harry's safety. He would die before allowing Harry to come to harm. Harry was the last family that Remus had left now that Sirius had passed away.
Albus rose wearily from his desk to walk across the room to one of the small tables that littered his office. These tables had once been covered in shiny, mysterious objects that Albus had collected over his lifetime. Most were not very useful anymore, having been replaced by more efficient artifacts and spells, but they were irreplaceable parts of Albus' life. Harry had destroyed most of them the night of Sirius' death and the explanation of the prophecy, but a few had survived the night. A fact which Albus was very grateful for, since it was one of these devices that allowed him to monitor Harry's condition at Privet Drive. It was one Albus had never been able to divine the purpose of without someone willingly donating their blood to it. Needless to say, he had never asked anyone to volunteer their blood. It had been activated by accident at the end of Harry's second year at Hogwarts when he had let a few drops of blood fall from his robes into the device after the episode in the Chamber of Secrets.
That summer it had lit up when Harry returned to the Dursley's, so Albus surmised that the interaction of Harry with the various warding spells placed around the area had caused the device to spontaneously activate. Albus had been astonished and when he'd touched the device, he'd found himself feeling what Harry did: sadness, loneliness, a sense of abandonment. It hadn't surprised him that Harry felt that way. Especially considering the way the Dursley's treated him, but it was different to feel what Harry did instead of just knowing it intellectually. It made the pain he faced daily much more visceral and real to the headmaster. He had been relieved when Harry had fled Privet Drive for Diagon Alley and had asked several of his old friends there to keep an eye out for him.
Albus had spent most of that summer playing with the artifact and researching it. Apparently the device was called a hemoteleson and had been developed hundreds of years ago to watch over loved ones and spy on your enemies. They were all thought to have been destroyed in the fall of the great Wizarding empire of Elbonia, which had flourished over a thousand years ago. Dumbledore had found this one among Grindelwald's personal effects after he had defeated him and it had piqued his interest. The Ministry of Germany had been more than willing to allow Dumbledore what he had liked of Grindelwald's possessions as a reward, since their country had suffered greatly in the prior war, both in the wizarding and muggle worlds.
Dumbledore had returned to England to take up the role of Transfiguration professor at Hogwarts once again and the device was safely stored in his vault. It wasn't until several years later, when he had assumed the duties of headmaster, that the hemoteleson had reemerged along with the other trinkets that had littered his office. It had sat unnoticed on a corner table until Harry's blood had fallen into it.
Albus touched the rim of the bowl that comprised the center of the device and winced as his mind was assaulted by the stored memories of Harry's most recent stay at the Dursley's. The pain and anguish Harry had felt last summer over the death of Cedric Diggory had been compounded with Sirius' demise in the Department of Mysteries this year. Also mixed in was a heady batch of unreasoning anger, directed mainly at Albus himself. He winced as the waves of hatred and anger washed through him, but he was unprepared for what came next like a pearl buried amidst coal. A single ray of hope and joy that Harry's heart hadn't seemed to have ever known in his life. Freedom.
* * *
Harry opened one eye cautiously as the world came to a stop around him. His hands were white and bloodless where they gripped the leather seat of the car in a death hold. He turned his head slowly, ever so slowly to check if Hedwig had survived the ride intact and was relieved to see that she was staring back at him with concern. He managed a weak smile that he was sure looked out of place, since his face was predominantly shades of pale white and green. The car shifting as the front doors opened and Remus and Tonks climbed out made Harry clutch the seat tighter and swallow what was trying to escape his stomach.
The seat in front of him bent forward and Tonks worried face came into view. "Harry, are you alright," she asked, concern written deeply on her face. Harry managed a weak nod and bent his concentration on removing his fingers from where they'd dug themselves into the seat to keep him stable during the trip. Tonks looked unconvinced, but said nothing. Instead, she reached in and gently lifted Hedwig's cage out of the way. "We've arrived at the house, Harry. Whenever you think you can get up, we'll go inside."
"I think I'll be alright," Harry replied in a hoarse whisper. "As soon as the world stops spinning."
Tonks gave a weary, but honest smile. "Remus does tend to drive a little fast, I know. I'm almost afraid to ask what kind of charms he and Arthur managed to work into it before Molly found out. He's never been much on a broomstick, or so I've always been told, so he makes up for that by driving fast."
"That wasn't just driving fast," Harry said with a shaky smile, his voice still a hoarse whisper. "I don't think my Firebolt could've gone that fast in clear weather. Besides, it's not just the speed. It's the way he played chicken in traffic."
"How do you play a bird," Tonks asked, confused.
"Chicken is also the name of a game some muggles play," Harry replied with a small chuckle. He'd actually managed to free one of his hands from the seat and was slowly working the other loose. "Two people go running at each other as fast as they can. First one to skive off is the loser."
"What happens if they hit each other," Tonks asked.
"They get hurt," Harry said, amused at the shock on her face. "I heard on the news once that the muggles were having problems with cars playing chicken on the highways. I wonder if it was just Professor Lupin."
"I doubt he gets around that much, Harry," Tonks replied as she offered Harry her hand. Since he'd finally managed to unclench his other hand, he grasped Tonks' hand and let her pull him out of the car.
Once he was out, Harry felt his legs almost give under him, forcing him to lean against the car until the feeling came back to his legs. He took the opportunity to look around and was pleasantly surprised by the view. They were obviously high up in the mountains, which explained those ridiculously curved switchback roads they'd driven to get here. Harry felt his gorge rise as he even tried to remember the ride up, so he concentrated on his surroundings. A large, two story house stood nearby, the bright shutters thrown open. It was a very well-kept house and it made Harry pause. Every time he'd seen Professor Lupin, he'd been dressed in threadbare robes or ragged muggle clothes. As a werewolf, he'd had a difficult time finding work and was chronically short of work, so where did he get the money for the upkeep on a house like this?
"Come on, Harry," Tonks said, lifting Hedwig's cage off the roof of the car and starting into the house. "Remus has already taken your trunk inside and I'm sure he'll want to show the place off. He's very proud of it."
Harry lurched after her and asked, "Umm, Tonks? I don't want to be rude or anything, but how can Professor Lupin afford a place like this? I mean, he has a lot of trouble getting work because he's a werewolf, right?"
"That's alright, Harry," Tonks replied reassuringly. "It does seem a bit odd doesn't it? Remus barely has two galleons to rub together and lives in a posh place like this, right? Well, as I understand it, this house belonged to Remus' grandmother. His parents never really cared to live out here in the country, always preferred living in London I suppose, so he only saw this place when he visited his grandmother.
"Remus inherited the house when his grandmother died, just after he got out of Hogwarts and she left a bunch off money in trust for the upkeep of the house. But Remus can't touch that money directly, not according to the will. Funds for the upkeep and keeping the house stocked in food can be drawn monthly."
"Who draws the money then, if Professor Lupin doesn't," Harry asked as they crossed the threshold into the house.
"That be me, Master Harry Potter," a high-pitched voice piped suddenly, causing Harry to jump and draw his wand. He relaxed as the unmistakable form of a house elf moved around the corner to stand in front of them. "I is taking care of house for Master Remus just like Mistress told me to. Master Remus is having problems with money so Mistress give money to Dippy to take care of Master Remus. Very important work, that is."
"Umm, right," Harry replied, putting his wand away. "So you're the one that takes care of the house then, Dippy?"
"Yes, I is," Dippy replied giving Harry a once over that reminded him of Mrs. Weasley. She shook her head and said, "Master Harry is needing a good feeding. Dobby was right that horrible Dursley's is not treating Harry Potter good."
"You know Dobby," Harry asked, torn between a sudden nervousness and amusement.
"Oh yes, Dobby is Dippy's cousin," Dippy replied, nodding her head vigorously. "He is always talking about Harry Potter when he is coming here to see Dippy. Now, Dippy is not saying she agrees with Dobby always. Dobby is not normal for house-elf. He is always wanted to be free. But it okay, since Dobby is family. Dippy just tell him Dippy is happy working for Master Remus. But Dobby is telling Dippy that Harry Potter lives with Bad Muggles and bad things happen to Harry Potter at school. Dobby is also saying that Harry Potter does not eat enough good food or get enough sleep and Dippy sees Dobby was right. So, Master Harry Potter will eat all the food Dippy gives him and take naps if Harry Potter cannot sleep at night. Does Harry Potter understand?"
Harry gulped and nodded. Dippy seeing this nodded to Tonks and with a crack, disappeared. Harry wiped his suddenly sweaty forehead and gave Tonks a rueful smile. "I swear, she's a house-elf version of Mrs. Weasley."
Tonks laughed at that and her appearance shimmered for a moment until her face was the spitting image of Mrs. Weasley. "I don't know, Harry," she said. "I think I make a better Mrs. Weasley, don't you?"
Harry laughed loudly and stopped, amazed despite himself. It felt like it had been forever since he'd really laughed. Not a bitter laugh, not a sarcastic laugh, but a deep belly laugh because he found something truly amusing. Rather than look too closely at the reasons he'd had not to laugh, Harry began to look around the house. The front door had opened on a small hallway which lead into a rather nice living room. There were large overstuffed couches and chairs scattered around the room with low coffee tables strategically placed. Framed photographs covered the walls, some were smiling and waving at Harry. He recognized several pictures as being his parents, including one which must have been taken at their wedding. Harry stared at that photo for a moment before Tonks came up behind him, putting her hand on his shoulder.
"They would have been very proud of you, Harry," Tonks said softly.
Harry nodded. He didn't speak for a few moments, just stared at the picture as his father dragged his mother into a deep kiss and he could see Sirius, Professor Lupin and several others in the background making motions as if cat-calling. "Did you ever know my parents, Tonks," he asked when he felt he could trust his voice again.
"Yes, Harry, I did," she replied. "I'm about twelve years younger than Sirius, so I can't say I knew them well, but I met them on several occasions. They were wonderful people, Harry, and I know they loved you."
"Could . Could you tell me about them? About how you met them and stuff," Harry asked.
"Of course, Harry," Tonks replied as she pulled Harry gently over to one of the couches and made him sit down. "I guess I have to start by talking about Sirius, if that's okay, Harry?" At Harry's nod, she continued, "Sirius was one of the few members of the family that accepted my mother marrying a muggle. Most of them, including Sirius' esteemed mother had disowned her and refused to have anything to do with me. When Sirius ran away from home, he came to stay with us for a few weeks until he got the money to move out on his own. I was a little girl at the time, but Sirius spent a lot of time with me when he was on holidays from then on. That's when I first met James.
"He and Sirius were quite the pair. They seemed to be nearly inseparable, like they were part of each other. Rather like Fred and George Weasley when I think about it, only much more incorrigible. They were always plotting some kind of mischief. I didn't meet Lily until after they'd all graduated. From what I understood, James and Lily had been . well . they kind of didn't like each other for a long time."
"I know," Harry said in a tight voice, his eyes staring steadily at the floor. The images he'd seen in Snape's penseive running in front of his mind's eye.
"Well," Tonks continued, slightly nonplussed. "Sometime in their last year they managed to get past their dislike and realize that they really liked each other. James brought her over with Sirius a few times after they got out of school and she was very nice to me. I liked Lily a lot. She was very sweet and very smart. One of the smartest witches I've ever known and I'm not just talking about book smarts. Oh she got good grades and was a prefect and even Head Girl in her day, but she understood people. She could look at someone and look past the front they put on for the world to the real person beyond. She's one of the few people who ever called Severus Snape a friend and boy did that cause some arguments between her and James."
"My parents . did they argue a lot," Harry asked.
"I wouldn't say they argued a lot," Tonks demurred, "but they definitely had . umm . strong opinions and personalities. And those personalities clashed sometimes. A lot like Ron and Hermione actually." Tonks stopped for a moment as a thoughtful look crossed her face. She shook her head and continued, "Even when they argued, though, you knew they loved each other. They were one of the best couples I've ever met, Harry, and when you came along they didn't even argue as much. I think having a child made James grow up a bit more. Err . not that James was childish . not at all ."
"That's okay, Tonks," Harry said, looking up and over at her with a strained smile on his face. "You don't have to make excuses for my father. I know he wasn't as perfect as all the stories I heard about him led me to believe."
"I see," Tonks said slowly. "Well, as I said, Lily and I hit it off. I think she sort of thought of me as the little sister she never had. Not that she'd had a good experience with sisters, considering how she always talked about Petunia and all. I was thrilled when she asked me to be the flower girl in her wedding. I was older then, getting ready for my first year at Hogwarts even. They got married in June that year and it was wonderful. It was a big church and there were flowers everywhere. I'd have to say it was the most beautiful wedding I've ever seen in my life. Even Remus looked wonderful in his tuxedo ."
Tonks trailed off and Harry gave her a sharp look. He thought he smelled a rat or at least a mouse. A small grin worked its way across his face and he said softly, "He really isn't taking good care of himself, you know."
"Oh, I know, Harry, and I keep trying to get him to eat better and get more sleep but that infuriating man just doesn't listen ." Tonks trailed off looking at Harry, her eyes wide as she realized she may have given away more than she wanted to.
Harry just smiled back. "You know, Tonks, I think what he really needs is someone to look after him. Someone to make him take better care of himself. I wonder who would be up for that kind of thing? Hmm?"
Tonks blushed and stammered incoherently for a few moments before regaining her composure. She gave Harry a pleading look and said, "Please don't say anything to him, Harry. It's been hard enough getting him to accept me as a colleague when he still remembers me as a little girl. Merlin only knows how he would react if he knew how much I cared about him. So please don't say anything, Harry. Harry, are you listening? What are you looking at."
Tonks trailed off as a chill ran up her spine. Harry was staring over her shoulder with a chagrined expression on his face. That could only mean one thing. Slowly, ever so slowly, she turned around to look where Harry was. A feeling of dread grew in the pit of her stomach as she saw Remus standing there staring at the two of them, shock written across his face.
"Oh my," Tonks said the blood draining from her face.
* * *
Ron Weasley sat at the dinner table in stunned silence. He cleared his throat and asked, "Excuse me, Dad, but what did you just say?"
"I said that I talked to Dumbledore about Harry today," Arthur Weasley said as he began to stock his plate with dinner.
"Well, what did he say, Dad," Ginny piped up from across the table. Everyone was listening intently, all thoughts of dinner set aside for the moment.
"Well, he said that someone he trusted was taking care of Harry for the rest of the summer," Arthur replied. He looked up from his plate and saw that the entire table was staring at him anxiously. He cleared his throat nervously and continued, "Well, of course, I asked who and where he was taking Harry, but Dumbledore said that not even he knew where Harry would be staying. He entrusted him to two very responsible people, people who could protect Harry. I protested that we could've taken Harry and protected him just fine, but Dumbledore said that Voldemort knew that Harry was fond of us and that he'd stayed here before and would be watching the Burrow."
"He's right, you know," Bill said from the other end of the table. All the heads swiveled, in unison, to look at him. He continued, looking slightly unnerved at the attention, "Well, Malfoy and Pettigrew are sure to have known Harry stayed here for a couple of summers. Even if Malfoy is in Azkhaban for now, he won't stay there long and Pettigrew is still with their master. You know he'll be spilling his guts about Harry whenever he can. It makes sense that Dumbledore would want him somewhere hidden."
"I just hope we get to have a birthday party for him," Ginny said quietly. "He needs to be around people who care for him. Losing Sirius really hurt him."
Ron looked at Ginny strangely for a moment, his gaze oddly calculating. Finally he said, "Gin's right. Harry's real broken up over Sirius and after the year he had . well, I don't think he's handling it all too well. Say, Dad, did Dumbledore say anything about the ban Umbridge put o him playing Quidditch? The Ministry isn't really going to hold that against him are they?"
"Unfortunately, it looks like they might, Ron," Arthur replied. "As foul a woman as Umbridge is, she had a lot of friends at the Ministry and even though Fudge has had to announce the reality of You-Know-Who's return and confess that Harry isn't a disturbed lunatic, not everyone cares much for Harry. I've heard a lot of people talking about him and they talk like Fudge talks about him, Ron. They feel that he's trying to buck the system and want to make an example of him. Dumbledore said he would see what he could do, but even he doesn't have nearly as much influence at the Ministry as he used to."
"If they don't let Harry play Quidditch," Ginny said angrily, "then they're as bad as that horrible woman. And she tried to kill Harry."
"What are you talking about, Ginny," Arthur asked confusion on his face.
"Hermione told me that Umbridge admitted to sending the Dementors after Harry last summer when they went into the Forbidden Forest," Ginny said, her voice dripping with hatred for the former professor. "And she tried to use the Cruciatus Curse on him to make him tell her where Sirius was, but the centaurs showed up before she actually cast it."
"She did what!" Molly Weasley exclaimed, her expression of horror mirrored around the table.
"Ginny, are you sure about this," Arthur asked carefully.
"That's what Hermione told me," Ginny replied.
"I think I'd better have a talk with Hermione," Arthur said calmly, his eyes glinting with suppressed anger. "If this is true and we can prove it, well, let's just say it will shake things up at the Ministry. And they've needed shaking up for a while now."
With the understanding that he would be doing something about this news, the family returned to their dinner, although it was one of the quietest they'd had in a long time. After dinner was over, the table cleared and the dishes were washing themselves in the sink, Ron and Ginny went upstairs to talk. They wound up in Ron's room, where Ginny tried not to be blinded by the glowing orange posters that lit the room even with no light on.
"What do you think Harry's doing right now, Ron," Ginny asked as they sat down.
"Probably moping around feeling miserable," Ron replied. "Either that or yelling his head off at someone and making them miserable. That's what he did most of this year."
"And you call yourself his friend, Ronal Weasley," Ginny said as she stood up in a huff. At times like this, the resemblance to her mother was remarkable. "How can you say such horrible things about Harry. Especially when he's lost Sirius." Ginny's anger evaporated and she flopped down with tears glimmering in her eyes.
"I don't mean anything by it, Gin," Ron replied soothingly. "I'm his friend and I always try to be honest with him. He can be a prat sometimes you know, a great big one at times."
"And so can you, Ron," Ginny fired back. "I just wish he were here, where I .where we could keep our eyes on him."
Ron smiled a little as her he caught his sister's Freudian slip(although he didn't think about it that way. Ron was convinced a Freudian slip was some kind of naughty woman's underwear). He knew that Ginny was still harboring strong feelings for Harry, she had just gotten better at hiding them. All right, he thought, time for step one of the grand master plan. Merlin, I'm starting to sound like Fred and George.
"Hey, Gin, are you really going out with Dean Thomas," Ron asked in an apparent non-sequitor.
"Not that it's any of your business, Ron, but no," Ginny replied huffily. "He asked, but I really don't feel anything like that for him, so I told him no."
"Hey, relax, Gin," Ron said appeasingly. "I didn't mean anything by it, honestly. I was just asking. You're my sister and I'd like to know these things before they get thrown in my face by Hermione like Michael Corner was."
"Yeah, sure, Ron," Ginny replied disbelievingly. "The only time you ask about my personal life is when you want to interfere with it."
"No, I was just wondering why you said you were going out with him on the train when you haven't been owling anyone this summer," Ron replied.
"Well . I ." Ginny stammered. "I . just wanted . well . you know, Harry was there and ."
"And you didn't want to look like a dope because Corner had run off with Cho Chang," Ron filled in with a knowing look. "Especially not in front of Harry."
Ginny blushed and tried to stammer out a denial, but the truth was written in the Weasley red that had crept up to her ears. Finally she gave in and admitted to it. "I don't want to look pathetic, but I still like him, Ron. Not that he'd ever notice me," she said bitterly.
Ron leaned over and wrapped an arm around his younger sister. Looking down at her, he said, "Give him time, Gin, he's been through a lot. Now that he's finally over Cho, you might have a chance as long as you play it pretty cool. I'll even help if you want."
Ginny giggled at that. "Honestly, Ron, your help? You've never even gotten a date on your own. Harry had to ask Parvati to ask Padma to go to the Yule Ball with you two years ago. You're going to help me?"
"Well, I figure Hermione could help out too," Ron admitted. "After all, she seems to know all about everything else, maybe she knows a way to get Harry."
"Hmm, I like the sound of that," Ginny said, a slight giggle in her voice, "get Harry. I think I could get used to thinking about that."
To be continued.
Well, it took me almost two months, but here's part three. Sorry about the delay, but I've been in a bit of a slump recently. It always seems to work that way with my writing, so bear with me please. I'm sure everyone has realized by now that this is not only an H/G fic it's also a Lupin/Tonks, a R/Hr and eventually a Neville/Luna fic. I'm a hopeless romantic, but I have to admit that I don't like people getting their happiness easily. They have to work for it in my fics. I would like to thank all my reviewers for their encouragement and constructive criticism. It really does help. Honest. Especially since I don't have a pre-reader. Well, let's hope part four comes out faster than the last few.
Hitobashira Walsh29@hotmail.com
Snape winced as a twinge of pain flared up his leg. At least the Dark Lord's displeasure with his spy at Hogwarts wasn't as severe as with the others. The Wizarding World at large was still unaware that the Dark Lord had retrieved his Death Eaters from Azkhaban shortly after the debacle at the Ministry of Magic. All the rescued Death Eaters had been suffering Voldemort's displeasure daily while he considered his next move. He had been most displeased that they had allowed the orb containing the recording of the prophecy to be broken and not hear a single word.
Snape had merely suffered the Dark Lord's displeasure out of a fit of pique. Since Dumbledore was now the only person known to have heard the prophecy in its entirety, he'd ordered Snape to find out what it had said. Voldemort had been irritated with how close-lipped Dumbledore was being and had taken out his frustration on Snape.
Now, however, all the Death Eaters were subject to their master's wrath. Sometime in the last day, Harry Potter had been moved from his relatives safety to an undisclosed location. And no one seemed to know where he had gone. Snape had asked Dumbledore point blank about the precautions taken for Potter's safety and had been astounded when the headmaster had admitted his ignorance.
"I left the arrangements for Harry to someone else and there are only two people are privy to the details. Strangely enough, Severus, I am not one of those two people," Dumbledore had said. Snape had been dumbfounded with disbelief, so Dumbledore had explained. "I felt it was safer if I minimized the people who knew where he was, so I asked a person to undertake the security independent of me. I have full confidence in that person's ability to protect Harry from whatever may come his way."
"Who," Severus had demanded.
"Ah, Severus," Dumbledore had said with a twinkle in his blue eyes, "that would be telling."
As frustrated as that comment had made Snape, it had an even greater impact on the Dark Lord when he'd repeated the gist of the conversation to him. Voldemort had flown into a high rage that had ended abruptly when a cold gleam had entered his slitted red eyes. That gleam scared Snape more than any of the painful curses his master flung his way. It meant that Voldemort was plotting something and if he was true to form, it would involve death and destruction.
Snape sighed as he felt the pains subside to a bearable ache. He needed to report this to the headmaster so he could warn the boy's guardian about the danger. Not that Snape would shed any tears if Potter came to the inevitable bad end that awaited him, but he owed the boy the wizard debt his father had incurred and the headmaster wanted the boy alive. That was enough for Snape.
* * * *
Albus Dumbledore watched as the door to his office closed behind the limping form of Severus Snape. The news Snape had brought was unpleasant, but hardly unexpected. It was unlike Voldemort to show much patience or restraint, so an episode of violence on the public was overdue. However, Albus did take a certain measure of smug satisfaction in hoodwinking Voldemort with Harry's summer residence. It had not been an easy decision to trust Remus with sole responsibility for Harry's safety. After all, Albus had watched over the boy for years and while Harry's life hadn't been everything he'd hoped for, at least he'd been safe at the Dursley's.
Albus took a deep, calming breath and tried to ease his worries. Remus Lupin was one of the small group of people that Albus knew he could trust with Harry's safety. He would die before allowing Harry to come to harm. Harry was the last family that Remus had left now that Sirius had passed away.
Albus rose wearily from his desk to walk across the room to one of the small tables that littered his office. These tables had once been covered in shiny, mysterious objects that Albus had collected over his lifetime. Most were not very useful anymore, having been replaced by more efficient artifacts and spells, but they were irreplaceable parts of Albus' life. Harry had destroyed most of them the night of Sirius' death and the explanation of the prophecy, but a few had survived the night. A fact which Albus was very grateful for, since it was one of these devices that allowed him to monitor Harry's condition at Privet Drive. It was one Albus had never been able to divine the purpose of without someone willingly donating their blood to it. Needless to say, he had never asked anyone to volunteer their blood. It had been activated by accident at the end of Harry's second year at Hogwarts when he had let a few drops of blood fall from his robes into the device after the episode in the Chamber of Secrets.
That summer it had lit up when Harry returned to the Dursley's, so Albus surmised that the interaction of Harry with the various warding spells placed around the area had caused the device to spontaneously activate. Albus had been astonished and when he'd touched the device, he'd found himself feeling what Harry did: sadness, loneliness, a sense of abandonment. It hadn't surprised him that Harry felt that way. Especially considering the way the Dursley's treated him, but it was different to feel what Harry did instead of just knowing it intellectually. It made the pain he faced daily much more visceral and real to the headmaster. He had been relieved when Harry had fled Privet Drive for Diagon Alley and had asked several of his old friends there to keep an eye out for him.
Albus had spent most of that summer playing with the artifact and researching it. Apparently the device was called a hemoteleson and had been developed hundreds of years ago to watch over loved ones and spy on your enemies. They were all thought to have been destroyed in the fall of the great Wizarding empire of Elbonia, which had flourished over a thousand years ago. Dumbledore had found this one among Grindelwald's personal effects after he had defeated him and it had piqued his interest. The Ministry of Germany had been more than willing to allow Dumbledore what he had liked of Grindelwald's possessions as a reward, since their country had suffered greatly in the prior war, both in the wizarding and muggle worlds.
Dumbledore had returned to England to take up the role of Transfiguration professor at Hogwarts once again and the device was safely stored in his vault. It wasn't until several years later, when he had assumed the duties of headmaster, that the hemoteleson had reemerged along with the other trinkets that had littered his office. It had sat unnoticed on a corner table until Harry's blood had fallen into it.
Albus touched the rim of the bowl that comprised the center of the device and winced as his mind was assaulted by the stored memories of Harry's most recent stay at the Dursley's. The pain and anguish Harry had felt last summer over the death of Cedric Diggory had been compounded with Sirius' demise in the Department of Mysteries this year. Also mixed in was a heady batch of unreasoning anger, directed mainly at Albus himself. He winced as the waves of hatred and anger washed through him, but he was unprepared for what came next like a pearl buried amidst coal. A single ray of hope and joy that Harry's heart hadn't seemed to have ever known in his life. Freedom.
* * *
Harry opened one eye cautiously as the world came to a stop around him. His hands were white and bloodless where they gripped the leather seat of the car in a death hold. He turned his head slowly, ever so slowly to check if Hedwig had survived the ride intact and was relieved to see that she was staring back at him with concern. He managed a weak smile that he was sure looked out of place, since his face was predominantly shades of pale white and green. The car shifting as the front doors opened and Remus and Tonks climbed out made Harry clutch the seat tighter and swallow what was trying to escape his stomach.
The seat in front of him bent forward and Tonks worried face came into view. "Harry, are you alright," she asked, concern written deeply on her face. Harry managed a weak nod and bent his concentration on removing his fingers from where they'd dug themselves into the seat to keep him stable during the trip. Tonks looked unconvinced, but said nothing. Instead, she reached in and gently lifted Hedwig's cage out of the way. "We've arrived at the house, Harry. Whenever you think you can get up, we'll go inside."
"I think I'll be alright," Harry replied in a hoarse whisper. "As soon as the world stops spinning."
Tonks gave a weary, but honest smile. "Remus does tend to drive a little fast, I know. I'm almost afraid to ask what kind of charms he and Arthur managed to work into it before Molly found out. He's never been much on a broomstick, or so I've always been told, so he makes up for that by driving fast."
"That wasn't just driving fast," Harry said with a shaky smile, his voice still a hoarse whisper. "I don't think my Firebolt could've gone that fast in clear weather. Besides, it's not just the speed. It's the way he played chicken in traffic."
"How do you play a bird," Tonks asked, confused.
"Chicken is also the name of a game some muggles play," Harry replied with a small chuckle. He'd actually managed to free one of his hands from the seat and was slowly working the other loose. "Two people go running at each other as fast as they can. First one to skive off is the loser."
"What happens if they hit each other," Tonks asked.
"They get hurt," Harry said, amused at the shock on her face. "I heard on the news once that the muggles were having problems with cars playing chicken on the highways. I wonder if it was just Professor Lupin."
"I doubt he gets around that much, Harry," Tonks replied as she offered Harry her hand. Since he'd finally managed to unclench his other hand, he grasped Tonks' hand and let her pull him out of the car.
Once he was out, Harry felt his legs almost give under him, forcing him to lean against the car until the feeling came back to his legs. He took the opportunity to look around and was pleasantly surprised by the view. They were obviously high up in the mountains, which explained those ridiculously curved switchback roads they'd driven to get here. Harry felt his gorge rise as he even tried to remember the ride up, so he concentrated on his surroundings. A large, two story house stood nearby, the bright shutters thrown open. It was a very well-kept house and it made Harry pause. Every time he'd seen Professor Lupin, he'd been dressed in threadbare robes or ragged muggle clothes. As a werewolf, he'd had a difficult time finding work and was chronically short of work, so where did he get the money for the upkeep on a house like this?
"Come on, Harry," Tonks said, lifting Hedwig's cage off the roof of the car and starting into the house. "Remus has already taken your trunk inside and I'm sure he'll want to show the place off. He's very proud of it."
Harry lurched after her and asked, "Umm, Tonks? I don't want to be rude or anything, but how can Professor Lupin afford a place like this? I mean, he has a lot of trouble getting work because he's a werewolf, right?"
"That's alright, Harry," Tonks replied reassuringly. "It does seem a bit odd doesn't it? Remus barely has two galleons to rub together and lives in a posh place like this, right? Well, as I understand it, this house belonged to Remus' grandmother. His parents never really cared to live out here in the country, always preferred living in London I suppose, so he only saw this place when he visited his grandmother.
"Remus inherited the house when his grandmother died, just after he got out of Hogwarts and she left a bunch off money in trust for the upkeep of the house. But Remus can't touch that money directly, not according to the will. Funds for the upkeep and keeping the house stocked in food can be drawn monthly."
"Who draws the money then, if Professor Lupin doesn't," Harry asked as they crossed the threshold into the house.
"That be me, Master Harry Potter," a high-pitched voice piped suddenly, causing Harry to jump and draw his wand. He relaxed as the unmistakable form of a house elf moved around the corner to stand in front of them. "I is taking care of house for Master Remus just like Mistress told me to. Master Remus is having problems with money so Mistress give money to Dippy to take care of Master Remus. Very important work, that is."
"Umm, right," Harry replied, putting his wand away. "So you're the one that takes care of the house then, Dippy?"
"Yes, I is," Dippy replied giving Harry a once over that reminded him of Mrs. Weasley. She shook her head and said, "Master Harry is needing a good feeding. Dobby was right that horrible Dursley's is not treating Harry Potter good."
"You know Dobby," Harry asked, torn between a sudden nervousness and amusement.
"Oh yes, Dobby is Dippy's cousin," Dippy replied, nodding her head vigorously. "He is always talking about Harry Potter when he is coming here to see Dippy. Now, Dippy is not saying she agrees with Dobby always. Dobby is not normal for house-elf. He is always wanted to be free. But it okay, since Dobby is family. Dippy just tell him Dippy is happy working for Master Remus. But Dobby is telling Dippy that Harry Potter lives with Bad Muggles and bad things happen to Harry Potter at school. Dobby is also saying that Harry Potter does not eat enough good food or get enough sleep and Dippy sees Dobby was right. So, Master Harry Potter will eat all the food Dippy gives him and take naps if Harry Potter cannot sleep at night. Does Harry Potter understand?"
Harry gulped and nodded. Dippy seeing this nodded to Tonks and with a crack, disappeared. Harry wiped his suddenly sweaty forehead and gave Tonks a rueful smile. "I swear, she's a house-elf version of Mrs. Weasley."
Tonks laughed at that and her appearance shimmered for a moment until her face was the spitting image of Mrs. Weasley. "I don't know, Harry," she said. "I think I make a better Mrs. Weasley, don't you?"
Harry laughed loudly and stopped, amazed despite himself. It felt like it had been forever since he'd really laughed. Not a bitter laugh, not a sarcastic laugh, but a deep belly laugh because he found something truly amusing. Rather than look too closely at the reasons he'd had not to laugh, Harry began to look around the house. The front door had opened on a small hallway which lead into a rather nice living room. There were large overstuffed couches and chairs scattered around the room with low coffee tables strategically placed. Framed photographs covered the walls, some were smiling and waving at Harry. He recognized several pictures as being his parents, including one which must have been taken at their wedding. Harry stared at that photo for a moment before Tonks came up behind him, putting her hand on his shoulder.
"They would have been very proud of you, Harry," Tonks said softly.
Harry nodded. He didn't speak for a few moments, just stared at the picture as his father dragged his mother into a deep kiss and he could see Sirius, Professor Lupin and several others in the background making motions as if cat-calling. "Did you ever know my parents, Tonks," he asked when he felt he could trust his voice again.
"Yes, Harry, I did," she replied. "I'm about twelve years younger than Sirius, so I can't say I knew them well, but I met them on several occasions. They were wonderful people, Harry, and I know they loved you."
"Could . Could you tell me about them? About how you met them and stuff," Harry asked.
"Of course, Harry," Tonks replied as she pulled Harry gently over to one of the couches and made him sit down. "I guess I have to start by talking about Sirius, if that's okay, Harry?" At Harry's nod, she continued, "Sirius was one of the few members of the family that accepted my mother marrying a muggle. Most of them, including Sirius' esteemed mother had disowned her and refused to have anything to do with me. When Sirius ran away from home, he came to stay with us for a few weeks until he got the money to move out on his own. I was a little girl at the time, but Sirius spent a lot of time with me when he was on holidays from then on. That's when I first met James.
"He and Sirius were quite the pair. They seemed to be nearly inseparable, like they were part of each other. Rather like Fred and George Weasley when I think about it, only much more incorrigible. They were always plotting some kind of mischief. I didn't meet Lily until after they'd all graduated. From what I understood, James and Lily had been . well . they kind of didn't like each other for a long time."
"I know," Harry said in a tight voice, his eyes staring steadily at the floor. The images he'd seen in Snape's penseive running in front of his mind's eye.
"Well," Tonks continued, slightly nonplussed. "Sometime in their last year they managed to get past their dislike and realize that they really liked each other. James brought her over with Sirius a few times after they got out of school and she was very nice to me. I liked Lily a lot. She was very sweet and very smart. One of the smartest witches I've ever known and I'm not just talking about book smarts. Oh she got good grades and was a prefect and even Head Girl in her day, but she understood people. She could look at someone and look past the front they put on for the world to the real person beyond. She's one of the few people who ever called Severus Snape a friend and boy did that cause some arguments between her and James."
"My parents . did they argue a lot," Harry asked.
"I wouldn't say they argued a lot," Tonks demurred, "but they definitely had . umm . strong opinions and personalities. And those personalities clashed sometimes. A lot like Ron and Hermione actually." Tonks stopped for a moment as a thoughtful look crossed her face. She shook her head and continued, "Even when they argued, though, you knew they loved each other. They were one of the best couples I've ever met, Harry, and when you came along they didn't even argue as much. I think having a child made James grow up a bit more. Err . not that James was childish . not at all ."
"That's okay, Tonks," Harry said, looking up and over at her with a strained smile on his face. "You don't have to make excuses for my father. I know he wasn't as perfect as all the stories I heard about him led me to believe."
"I see," Tonks said slowly. "Well, as I said, Lily and I hit it off. I think she sort of thought of me as the little sister she never had. Not that she'd had a good experience with sisters, considering how she always talked about Petunia and all. I was thrilled when she asked me to be the flower girl in her wedding. I was older then, getting ready for my first year at Hogwarts even. They got married in June that year and it was wonderful. It was a big church and there were flowers everywhere. I'd have to say it was the most beautiful wedding I've ever seen in my life. Even Remus looked wonderful in his tuxedo ."
Tonks trailed off and Harry gave her a sharp look. He thought he smelled a rat or at least a mouse. A small grin worked its way across his face and he said softly, "He really isn't taking good care of himself, you know."
"Oh, I know, Harry, and I keep trying to get him to eat better and get more sleep but that infuriating man just doesn't listen ." Tonks trailed off looking at Harry, her eyes wide as she realized she may have given away more than she wanted to.
Harry just smiled back. "You know, Tonks, I think what he really needs is someone to look after him. Someone to make him take better care of himself. I wonder who would be up for that kind of thing? Hmm?"
Tonks blushed and stammered incoherently for a few moments before regaining her composure. She gave Harry a pleading look and said, "Please don't say anything to him, Harry. It's been hard enough getting him to accept me as a colleague when he still remembers me as a little girl. Merlin only knows how he would react if he knew how much I cared about him. So please don't say anything, Harry. Harry, are you listening? What are you looking at."
Tonks trailed off as a chill ran up her spine. Harry was staring over her shoulder with a chagrined expression on his face. That could only mean one thing. Slowly, ever so slowly, she turned around to look where Harry was. A feeling of dread grew in the pit of her stomach as she saw Remus standing there staring at the two of them, shock written across his face.
"Oh my," Tonks said the blood draining from her face.
* * *
Ron Weasley sat at the dinner table in stunned silence. He cleared his throat and asked, "Excuse me, Dad, but what did you just say?"
"I said that I talked to Dumbledore about Harry today," Arthur Weasley said as he began to stock his plate with dinner.
"Well, what did he say, Dad," Ginny piped up from across the table. Everyone was listening intently, all thoughts of dinner set aside for the moment.
"Well, he said that someone he trusted was taking care of Harry for the rest of the summer," Arthur replied. He looked up from his plate and saw that the entire table was staring at him anxiously. He cleared his throat nervously and continued, "Well, of course, I asked who and where he was taking Harry, but Dumbledore said that not even he knew where Harry would be staying. He entrusted him to two very responsible people, people who could protect Harry. I protested that we could've taken Harry and protected him just fine, but Dumbledore said that Voldemort knew that Harry was fond of us and that he'd stayed here before and would be watching the Burrow."
"He's right, you know," Bill said from the other end of the table. All the heads swiveled, in unison, to look at him. He continued, looking slightly unnerved at the attention, "Well, Malfoy and Pettigrew are sure to have known Harry stayed here for a couple of summers. Even if Malfoy is in Azkhaban for now, he won't stay there long and Pettigrew is still with their master. You know he'll be spilling his guts about Harry whenever he can. It makes sense that Dumbledore would want him somewhere hidden."
"I just hope we get to have a birthday party for him," Ginny said quietly. "He needs to be around people who care for him. Losing Sirius really hurt him."
Ron looked at Ginny strangely for a moment, his gaze oddly calculating. Finally he said, "Gin's right. Harry's real broken up over Sirius and after the year he had . well, I don't think he's handling it all too well. Say, Dad, did Dumbledore say anything about the ban Umbridge put o him playing Quidditch? The Ministry isn't really going to hold that against him are they?"
"Unfortunately, it looks like they might, Ron," Arthur replied. "As foul a woman as Umbridge is, she had a lot of friends at the Ministry and even though Fudge has had to announce the reality of You-Know-Who's return and confess that Harry isn't a disturbed lunatic, not everyone cares much for Harry. I've heard a lot of people talking about him and they talk like Fudge talks about him, Ron. They feel that he's trying to buck the system and want to make an example of him. Dumbledore said he would see what he could do, but even he doesn't have nearly as much influence at the Ministry as he used to."
"If they don't let Harry play Quidditch," Ginny said angrily, "then they're as bad as that horrible woman. And she tried to kill Harry."
"What are you talking about, Ginny," Arthur asked confusion on his face.
"Hermione told me that Umbridge admitted to sending the Dementors after Harry last summer when they went into the Forbidden Forest," Ginny said, her voice dripping with hatred for the former professor. "And she tried to use the Cruciatus Curse on him to make him tell her where Sirius was, but the centaurs showed up before she actually cast it."
"She did what!" Molly Weasley exclaimed, her expression of horror mirrored around the table.
"Ginny, are you sure about this," Arthur asked carefully.
"That's what Hermione told me," Ginny replied.
"I think I'd better have a talk with Hermione," Arthur said calmly, his eyes glinting with suppressed anger. "If this is true and we can prove it, well, let's just say it will shake things up at the Ministry. And they've needed shaking up for a while now."
With the understanding that he would be doing something about this news, the family returned to their dinner, although it was one of the quietest they'd had in a long time. After dinner was over, the table cleared and the dishes were washing themselves in the sink, Ron and Ginny went upstairs to talk. They wound up in Ron's room, where Ginny tried not to be blinded by the glowing orange posters that lit the room even with no light on.
"What do you think Harry's doing right now, Ron," Ginny asked as they sat down.
"Probably moping around feeling miserable," Ron replied. "Either that or yelling his head off at someone and making them miserable. That's what he did most of this year."
"And you call yourself his friend, Ronal Weasley," Ginny said as she stood up in a huff. At times like this, the resemblance to her mother was remarkable. "How can you say such horrible things about Harry. Especially when he's lost Sirius." Ginny's anger evaporated and she flopped down with tears glimmering in her eyes.
"I don't mean anything by it, Gin," Ron replied soothingly. "I'm his friend and I always try to be honest with him. He can be a prat sometimes you know, a great big one at times."
"And so can you, Ron," Ginny fired back. "I just wish he were here, where I .where we could keep our eyes on him."
Ron smiled a little as her he caught his sister's Freudian slip(although he didn't think about it that way. Ron was convinced a Freudian slip was some kind of naughty woman's underwear). He knew that Ginny was still harboring strong feelings for Harry, she had just gotten better at hiding them. All right, he thought, time for step one of the grand master plan. Merlin, I'm starting to sound like Fred and George.
"Hey, Gin, are you really going out with Dean Thomas," Ron asked in an apparent non-sequitor.
"Not that it's any of your business, Ron, but no," Ginny replied huffily. "He asked, but I really don't feel anything like that for him, so I told him no."
"Hey, relax, Gin," Ron said appeasingly. "I didn't mean anything by it, honestly. I was just asking. You're my sister and I'd like to know these things before they get thrown in my face by Hermione like Michael Corner was."
"Yeah, sure, Ron," Ginny replied disbelievingly. "The only time you ask about my personal life is when you want to interfere with it."
"No, I was just wondering why you said you were going out with him on the train when you haven't been owling anyone this summer," Ron replied.
"Well . I ." Ginny stammered. "I . just wanted . well . you know, Harry was there and ."
"And you didn't want to look like a dope because Corner had run off with Cho Chang," Ron filled in with a knowing look. "Especially not in front of Harry."
Ginny blushed and tried to stammer out a denial, but the truth was written in the Weasley red that had crept up to her ears. Finally she gave in and admitted to it. "I don't want to look pathetic, but I still like him, Ron. Not that he'd ever notice me," she said bitterly.
Ron leaned over and wrapped an arm around his younger sister. Looking down at her, he said, "Give him time, Gin, he's been through a lot. Now that he's finally over Cho, you might have a chance as long as you play it pretty cool. I'll even help if you want."
Ginny giggled at that. "Honestly, Ron, your help? You've never even gotten a date on your own. Harry had to ask Parvati to ask Padma to go to the Yule Ball with you two years ago. You're going to help me?"
"Well, I figure Hermione could help out too," Ron admitted. "After all, she seems to know all about everything else, maybe she knows a way to get Harry."
"Hmm, I like the sound of that," Ginny said, a slight giggle in her voice, "get Harry. I think I could get used to thinking about that."
To be continued.
Well, it took me almost two months, but here's part three. Sorry about the delay, but I've been in a bit of a slump recently. It always seems to work that way with my writing, so bear with me please. I'm sure everyone has realized by now that this is not only an H/G fic it's also a Lupin/Tonks, a R/Hr and eventually a Neville/Luna fic. I'm a hopeless romantic, but I have to admit that I don't like people getting their happiness easily. They have to work for it in my fics. I would like to thank all my reviewers for their encouragement and constructive criticism. It really does help. Honest. Especially since I don't have a pre-reader. Well, let's hope part four comes out faster than the last few.
Hitobashira Walsh29@hotmail.com