The second chapter!

I've just noticed that these first chapters seems very rushed… it gets better!

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Chapter 2 Lying Liquorice

The following morning he awoke in his usual way, by his alarm clock. After a moment, he saw that there was an owl with the daily prophet tied to its leg waiting for him to wake up. He wondered for a moment why someone had sent him the daily prophet. He untied the paper from the owl's leg and it took off without payment. He wondered for another moment if this could be a trap of some kind but then he found a short note explaining that he was mentioned in the paper and therefore received this issue of the daily prophet free. The daily prophet had never sent him their paper before just because they had written about him after a moment he figured that they thought he was mad before and now that his name was cleared, they decided to send him the paper. He received a small shock when he saw Umbridge's face on the front of the paper.

Dolores Umbridge Sentenced to 3 years in Azkaban

Dolores Umbridge Ex Professor and Hogwarts High Inquisitor was yesterday sentenced to three years in Azkaban for the attempt of murder of Harry Potter. Last summer she ordered two dementors to kiss him, luckily the-boy-who-lived knows perfectly well how to deal with dark creatures such as dementors and managed to conjure a corporeal Patronus.

The article went on in very much the same way praising Harry Potter and condemning Umbridge. Harry smiled grimly and thought it a pity that there were no dementors in Azkaban anymore.

Hedwig hooted softly from her open cage she had a letter tied to one of her legs.

"Got me a letter? Good girl" He said and handed her an owl treat. Harry Potter was written across the envelope in Hermione's neat handwriting. He tore it open.

Congratulations Harry!

Ron got 7 owls too. Os in Potions and defence against the dark arts Es in transfiguration and charms As in Care of magical creatures, Astronomy and History of magic!
I got 11 Os! Can you believe it Harry eleven Os I'm so proud. It is some kind of school record! Ron is starting to get annoyed with me but I can't help it I'm so Happy. Hope to see you soon.

Take care, Love from

Hermione

He smiled widely, this was a dream come true for Hermione even more so then becoming a prefect. After all one girl in every house becomes a prefect every year but setting school records in a thousand year old school doesn't happen every year.

He heard a little tap on the window, not the tap made by an owl but a small stone. Tonks had taken the habit of throwing a small stone at his window every morning to tell him that she was on duty. He got dressed in the most discreet clothes Tonks bought him and got out.

"Why shouldn't I put my wand in my back pocket?" He asked her or at least the spot where he thought she stood. They had taken up on the habit of greeting each other in a way that made sure that they really where who they were supposed to be.

"Cause Mad Eye will se it and tell you of for it" She replied from nowhere.

"Hurry up I'm hungry" she told him and they were of for Mrs Figg's. She greeted them as usual and when they said good-bye. She said "Take care" which struck Harry as odd, more odd then usual anyway.

"What's up with her?" Harry asked Tonks as they walked away from Mrs Figg's house.

"Nothing, listen Harry. We have to go over too your place" She replied.

"Why?"

"Nothing, you'll know later" Tonks said in what was supposed to be a very firm voice. Harry found this rather funny since Tonks completely lacked the ability to be firm and serious.

"Yes, ma'am" He said with a grin.

"Stop grinning I can be very authoriatic if I want to" She said as serious as she could.

Harry burst out laughing.

"Stop laughing Harry or I'll hex you" She said irritably she kept her voice low so that she wouldn't be over heard.

"Sorry, but is 'authoriatic' really a word?" He said trying to fight down his laughter. He didn't have to fight it down for long, they had walked back to number 4 privet drive and on the lawn he could see his aunt and uncle staring at him.

"Who are you talking to boy?" His uncle said in a high-pitched voice.

"Get inside!" His aunt said quickly.

She didn't have to tell him because his uncle grabbed hold of his clothes and bulled him inside. His aunt closed as the door and shut the open kitchen window. Harry could feel Tonks put her hand on his shoulder, to show that she was there.

"Who were you talking to?" His uncle said through gritted teeth. He hated people that muttered to themselves and he hated people who talked to them selves even more, and those few who expected answers back should be put away for good.

He heard Tonks voice in his ear "It's okay you can tell them"

"Nymphadora Tonks" He said trying very hard to keep his face emotionless.

"Nymphadora Tonks" His uncle repeated in disbelief. Tonks kicked him in the shins, which caused him to hiss in pain Harry knew Tonks hated being called by her first name.

"Call the hospital now Petunia" He said he added "Barking mad" as though to provoke Harry.

"I'm not, Tonks is real" He said desperately as his aunt started to dial the number.

"Tell them he's raving and violent" He heard his uncle say to his aunt as she waited for the hospital to answer.

"I'm not violent" he said in a rather loud voice.

"Of course not" His uncle agreed to provoke Harry even further. He looked happier then Harry had ever seen him.

"Tell them to hurry up, Petunia" Vernon said "He might start destroying the house" Why did every one always think he was mad he thought bitterly. He decided to pull Tonks invisibility cloak of her but he didn't have to, she had already done it. He saw his uncle's face change colours so fast that it had to be magic. From Normal to red then to green and then back to red and then purple.

"WHAT ARE YOU DOING IN MY HOUSE?" Uncle Vernon yelled at Tonks. Before Tonks could make a sound, he continued.

"GET OUT! GET OUT! BOTH OF YOU!" He yelled spit flying from his mouth. Tonks look rather pale but managed to reply.

"Calm down sir"

"CALM DOWN SIR? GET OUT NOW!" Uncle Vernon bellowed at her.

"Obliviate" Tonks cried two times first pointing her wand at his uncle and then at his aunt. They both looked lost in their thoughts but were brought back to reality by Tonks.

"As I was saying, we'll just go up and pack and then we'll be off. I don't think you'll se Harry until next summer"

"Right" His uncle mumbled.

Tonks pulled Harry up the stairs to his room.

"We're leaving?" He asked her when she had closed the door.

"Yes, if you want to." She said starting to pack his belongings.

"Of course, I want to how…" He got interrupted by Tonks.

"Is this everything?" She asked him.

"Yeah, it's everything" He said after a short check.

"Hedwig you'll have to fly to Ron and Hermione" Tonks said and opened the window with a quick "Alohomora".

"Right, lets go" She said as she handed him an empty flower pot. When they both grabbed it, she tapped it with her wand. To Harry surprise he felt a familiar feeling of travelling by portkey and before he knew it he stood in the middle of diagon alley. He stumbled slightly but managed to keep standing, Tonks wasn't so lucky she stumbled over her own leg and fell down on the street; Harry smiled slightly and helped her up. Diagon alley was as full of people as ever even though it was raining. Wizards and Witches were running around shopping as usual though they all seem rather stressed and there didn't seem to be as much children as usual.

"People are scared" Tonks explained and pointed to several black robed wizards and witches. "Law enforcement and hit wizards all over the place most of us work at least 14 hours a day"

"Shouldn't people feel safe with all security?" Harry asked her.

"No, use your brain Harry. When they see the security everyone realises that there could be an attack any moment, otherwise they wouldn't need all these hit wizards and guards"

"We still got some time" Tonks said as she looked down on her watch "What do you want to do?"

"Let's hurry over to the Twins shop before we get soaked" Harry replied. He hadn't been there before but he'd gotten instructions so he found the way without to much trouble. Especially since they had a huge sign that said 'Weasley's Wizard Wheezes' which was enchanted so that it looked as if the sign itself tried to rip itself off it's hangings while the pole it was hanging on laughed at it's feeble attempts. It was very hard to miss it. They hurried inside and to Harry's great relief they weren't attacked by anything or turned into some animal. At first glance, their shop gave a very serious impression.

"Harry! Tonks! Hurry George" Fred yelled from behind the counter.

"We'll if it isn't the boy-who-lived-and-won-the-tri-wizard-tournament-and-gave…" Fred started.

"Nice to see you" Harry interrupted. He didn't want anyone more to know that he gave them a thousand galleons.

"Don't worry Harry; mum is okay with us having a joke shop. When she saw the place we were suddenly respectable business men" George said.

"So everyone knows" Harry asked them.

"How much money" Tonks asked curiously.

"A thousand galleons" Fred and George chorused.

"But don't worry about it Harry." Fred said

"No your mum's hero, believing in her sons when she wouldn't" George continued.

"Where did you get a thousand galleons? That's about how much money I make in a year" Tonks asked.

"Tri wizard winnings" Harry mumbled.

"So Harry tried our snack box yet?" Fred asked with a wicked grin.

"No, haven't had a chance." Harry replied.

"Well maybe then we can interest you in our latest addition to the 'Weasley's Wizard Wheezes', 'Lying Liquorice'" George said proudly and handed Harry a black box in the size of a matchbox.

'Causes the eater to tell lies, no matter what!' the text on the box said on one side, on the other it said 'Lying Liquorice'

"If you're tricky you can use it as Veritaserum" Fred whispered in his ear.

"Yeah but don't tell anyone or Fudge will have it banned" George continued.

"Thanks" Harry whispered "How much?"

"Don't be daft Harry you're a partner" Fred said

"You don't expect us to just take a thousand galleons and return nothing?" George said

"Well it was a gift" Harry muttered.

"A gift? You don't give away a thousand galleons to somebody as a gift" Fred said a bit irritated.

"You're a partner whether you like it our not Harry. Besides can you imagine the publicity" George said with a huge smile.

"Thanks" Harry said awkwardly "But don't expect me to take any responsibility I may turn out all responsible like you too"

"Us responsible!" George said in mock outrage.

"We'll get you for that dear partner" Fred added.

"It'll have to be later" Tonks said "We'll have to go now"

"Sheer luck Harry" George said grimly but with a smile.

"We'll I tend to get lucky in pressing situations" Harry replied.

"Se you later Harry" Fred said.

"Yeah bye!" Harry replied as he and Tonks went out side.

"So where are we going?" Harry asked Tonks, he knew he wouldn't get an answer, but he asked anyway.

"You'll see" She said and stirred him up Diagon alley to Fortescue's.

"Let's get inside" Tonks said and opened the door for Harry he was still carrying his trunk although Tonks had made it feather light so it wasn't much of a burden. It was very warm inside probably to sell more ice-cream he thought. Tonks made their way towards a table in the back and sat down. Harry waited patiently for some kind of answer for why they were in Fortescue's but Tonks would obviously not tell him anything.

"Want Ice-cream?" Harry asked.

"No, lets wait for a moment" Tonks said and Harry didn't even bother to ask why.

A few moments later he saw a tall beautiful silver blond woman enter closely followed by a young man with long red hair. It was Bill Weasley and Fleur Delacour. He looked over at Tonks and saw that she wasn't at all surprised to see them instead she beamed at them and waved them over. Fleur did not look up from the floor she was wearing a long black dress. Bill led her over to them and pulled out a chair for her on.

Harry nodded a hello to Bill.

"Hello Fleur" Harry said softly, he didn't think he could imagine what she was going through but then he realized that he too must have gone through something similar at the age of one and a mild version of it when Sirius had died. Harry cursed Voldemort and all his death eaters silently for doing this to her, nobody deserved this.

"Oh, 'ello 'arry" Fleur said forcing a smile.

"Yes, you already know Harry, this is Nymphadora…"

"Don't call me that, it's Tonks" Tonks said crossly to Bill. "Nice to meet you Fleur".

"Hi" Fleur replied weakly.

There was an uncomfortable silence.

"So, anyone wants Ice cream… on me, it's not every day you become a joke shop partner" Harry added in a desperate hope to raise the mood.

"You talked to the twins then?" Bill asked.

"Yeah we were a bit early" Tonks replied.

Harry looked down at Fleur she wasn't paying any attention to the conversation she just looked down at the table. Harry sighted and so did Bill.

Harry called the waiter over. For a short moment the waiter goggled at Harry's scar then he pulled himself together and asked "What will it be Mr Potter?"

"I'd like a 'chocolate and raspberry with chopped nuts'" Harry said and turned to Tonks.

"Oh, just some coffee for me" Tonks said.

"Fleur?" Harry asked softly.

"What… oh, nothing for me thanks" Fleur replied, Harry could see that she was very thin much thinner then she had been during the championship. He suspected that she had not eaten much since her family died.

"And you sir?" The waiter asked Bill.

"I think I'd like a 'chocolate and raspberry with chopped nuts' too" Bill said.

"Very well two 'chocolate and raspberry with chopped nuts' and one coffee?" the waiter asked.

"Make that three 'chocolate and raspberry with chopped nuts' Harry whispered to the waiter when no one was looking. He figured Fleur would probably eat if they pressed her a little; Tonks and Mrs Figg had done the same to him when he had felt like food didn't matter.

"As you wish" the waiter said and walked away.

It seemed as no one knew what too say, the Order was out of the question and the past summer was out of the question too due to Fleur. Finally, Bill broke the silence "So Harry got your OWLs yet?"

"Yeah looks as if I have a good chance in becoming an auror" Harry replied.

"That's great Harry" Bill said.

"Heard of Hermione?" Harry asked.

"No I don't even know what ickle Ron got, yet" Bill said jokingly.

"Ron got same as me more or less. Hermione got eleven Os" Harry said.

"She got eleven OWLs? I only got 9… mostly Es" Bill added proudly.

"No she got Eleven Os" Harry said.

"Eleven Os as in Outstanding?" Tonks asked raising her eyebrows.

"Impossible" Bill said.

"I know, but that is what she wrote" Harry said, they were interrupted as the Ice cream arrived.

"We only ordered two 'chocolate and raspberry with chopped nuts'" Bill said.

"No it's all right why don't you take the last one Fleur?" Harry asked her. At the sound of her name she looked up.

"What?" Fleur asked.

"Our Ice cream arrived" Harry explained softly somehow, he felt very close to Fleur he supposed it had something to do with being an orphan and grieving.

"Oh" She said and looked down on her Ice cream.

"This is great" Bill exclaimed. "They would make a success with this in Egypt"

"Yeah" Harry agreed, not that he had ever been to Egypt but this ice cream could make a success anywhere.

"Go on Fleur its great" Bill said.

Fleur sighted and took a bite.

"See" Bill said with a huge grin.

Once Fleur had taken her first bite she didn't stop until her plate was empty. She was obviously very hungry once she gave in to it. When all of them were done, Harry called the waiter over.

"Could I have the check please?" Harry asked him.

"Oh" The waiter looked very uncomfortable "It was on the house"

"Are you sure?" Harry asked.

"Yes, could I have your autograph for my son?" He asked very fast. Harry blushed. The waiter handed him a quill and a parchment. Harry wrote his name as neatly as he could on the parchment without taking to much time.

"Thanks" said the waiter and shook Harry's hand. Before Harry could reply, the waiter had walked away. Tonks and Bill hade huge grins on their faces Fleur also looked up at him but didn't smile.

"It's not funny!" Harry exclaimed a bit irritated.

"Sorry Harry" Bill said.

"Shall we get going?" Tonks asked them.

"Yeah, we're all ready." Bill said looking down at Fleur.

"Where are we going?" Fleur and Harry asked in unison.

"You'll see" Bill said.

"Grab this and hold on to your stuff" Tonks said and held out an old teddy bear.

Harry had just enough time to notice that Fleur too had a huge trunk next to her before he again that day felt a tug behind his navel and were off by portkey.

Harry managed not to fall when they landed he just stumbled slightly. Tonks of course fell to the ground again but she was the only one.

"Perfect" Tonks said angrily she had fallen in ha puddle of water and was all wet.

Harry couldn't help grinning.

"Very funny Harry" She snapped.

"Sorry" He apologized and helped her up. He looked around he hadn't noticed where they where until now Grimmauld Place right out side nr 12.

"You're a member of…" Harry begun but got interrupted by Tonks who stood on his foot.

"We need you to make sure this is Fleur, Harry" Tonks told him

"Why shouldn't I be ME" Fleur asked indignantly "Can't you tell who I am, Bill?"

"Of course I can but we better follow the procedure" Bill replied. Fleur was glaring at him and Tonks.

"Harry you know what to do?" Tonks asked him.

"Yeah, give me a moment" Harry said and concentrated very hard and tried to remember something that only Fleur could know.

"What did you say about me almost two years ago on Halloween?" Harry asked her.

Fleur looked surprised for a short moment.

"I said you were a little boy and too young to compete"

"Positive" Harry said.

"What do I always trip over in there?" Tonks asked Harry.

"The umbrella stand" Harry replied "more then anything else"

"And what does it look like" Tonks asked Bill.

"A trolls leg" Bill replied.

"Good" Tonks stated and handed an envelope to Fleur.

"The Ord…" Fleur begun but Bill and Tonks hushed her.

"Just follow the directions there" Bill said.

Fleur looked around confused for a moment "but where is…"

"Just focus on it" Tonks interrupted her. To Harry number 12 Grimmauld place was in plain sight after a short moment of focusing on what he had read in his letter that he had gotten the first time he came here. He looked at Fleur to see if she had noticed number 12 yet after a few seconds he saw her jaw drop.

"Let's get inside I'm freezing" Tonks said and walked up to the house she was carrying Hedwig's cage Harry followed her closely and a bit after him Fleur and Bill. The building was repainted and looked much nicer the lawn was mowed and the bushes pruned. When they reached the house, Tonks reach for the doorbell.

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