Harry Potter, Heir of Gryffindor

Let the Training Begin

At 4:30 the next morning Harry's alarm sounded and he reached over to turn it off. Unfortunately, however, even though he had gotten a peaceful night's rest, he was lying too close to the edge of his bed and fell to the floor, securely entangled within his blanket and bedsheets. After struggling to free himself for almost a minute he stood up and turned off the alarm. Reaching for his glasses he looked out the window and saw that it was still dark. "Why did I get up so early?" he asked himself groggily. Then, remembering his conversation with Dumbledore the previous afternoon and the training schedule the headmaster had told him about, he groaned. It began today.

Walking over and turning on the overhead light Harry checked Hedwig's cage to see if she had returned home from her nightly hunt. She hadn't. He got dressed in his newest set of Dudley's hand-me-downs, put on his trainers, made his bed and sat down at his desk looking out the window at the seemingly deserted street below and waited. He knew that somewhere down below two members of the Order of the Phoenix were guarding the house and Privet Drive and that he would probably be safe waiting outside but didn't feel like waiting in the cool, damp predawn air of Little Whinging. So he waited for whomever it was that was going to be running with him to arrive. He thought about writing a letter to either Ron or Hermione but what would he tell them? 'Hi, guys, its 4:40 AM, the sun isn't up yet but I am.' He shook his head at the thought and chuckled softly to himself. No, that wouldn't be a very good idea because then they would start asking questions and he didn't want to lie to them. He couldn't tell them that he was receiving additional training because then they would ask about the restriction on the underage use of magic and he couldn't tell them that it had been lifted in his case. With that thought he wondered if the restriction had been lifted for Neville as well.

At 4:50 Hedwig returned from her hunt and soared through the open window with a fat field mouse clutched firmly in her beak. Five minutes later he saw a small burst of red sparks shooting up from somewhere down below. Taking that as his signal he stood up from his desk, closed the window and left the house as quietly as possible so as not to wake the Dursleys. As he was about to descend the steps he checked to make sure that he had his wand and wondered what Moody would think of his improvised leg holster?

As Harry left the house he heard an unfamiliar yet friendly voice say, "Morning, Potter."

Harry didn't know who it was or where they were hiding but he turned in the direction of the voice and said, "Good morning and thank you."

The disembodied voice gave a slight sniff, as if to clear its sinuses, then, in a tone that was a mixture of surprise and pleasure, said, "You're welcome, Harry. They are waiting for you at the end of the drive."

Harry nodded and said, "Thanks," before turning and walking down to the end of the drive.

When he reached the street he heard Remus' disembodied voice say, "Stop." Harry stopped and stood still. A moment later first Neville then Remus appeared before him. Neville was dressed in a navy blue jogging suit with white stripes down the legs and arms and Remus was dressed in a set of grey sweats. "We're going to have to get you some proper clothes, Harry," Remus said. "We'll do that this afternoon but these will do for now. We're going to take it easy this morning because neither of you has properly warmed up. So, we're just going to do a light jog around the neighborhood and down to the park. If either of you feels a cramp coming on please say something so we can stop. I will be teaching you some stretches later on that should help you become more limber and will help you with the rest of your training. For right now, however, just a light jog."

Half an hour later, as dawn was beginning to break over the horizon, Harry, Neville and Remus were jogging towards a thick stand of trees at the top of a low rise in one corner of a nearby park. Winding their way through these trees, following an unremarkable and almost invisable path, they soon found themselves in a small clearing that was effectively hidden from public view by its surroundings. As they entered the clearing Harry noticed that Kingsley, Tonks and Moody were standing around its perimeter casting a variety of spells. Harry guessed that they were putting the final touches on the muggle repelling charms.

A picnic table was set up in the center of the clearing near a small boulder and a medium sized hamper was resting on the table. After she finished casting a particularly complicated spell Tonks turned around and, upon seeing Remus, Harry and Neville making their way into the clearing, called out, "Wotcher, Harry?" as she quickly crossed the clearing and pulled him into a sisterly hug, her hair once again vibrantly pink.

Harry smiled and hugged her back. "I'm doing fine, Tonks," he said, smiling despite himself. Then, seeing the look of apprehension on Neville's face, said, "Tonks, I don't think you've met Neville Longbottom yet. Neville, this is Tonks. I would tell you her first name but it would probably get me hexed or cursed or worse."

Neville stepped forward and nervously extended his hand. "P-pleased to meet you," he said, his voice quavering slightly.

Tonks scowled at Harry as she firmly yet graciously shook Neville's hand. "And I'm pleased to meet you, Neville. Don't listen to Harry, though. I'm not really all that bad as long as you don't call me by my first name."

Neville smiled nervously. "Why's that," he asked.

Harry and Remus stifled their laughter and covered their mouths with their hands as they turned away. Tonks glared at them then turned back to Neville. "Never you mind, Neville." Then, as she turned to lead them to the picnic table she grumbled, "Why my mum ever gave me that name I'll never know."

Harry and Remus burst out laughing and had to lean on each other for support. Upon reaching the table Tonks opened the picnic basket, pulled out a sandwich and threw it at Harry and Remus who were still laughing at her discomfiture. "Hey!" Remus said, a smile still evident on his face and in his voice, "That's my breakfast you're throwing around you know?"

Tonks smiled innocently. "Why so it is. Here, do you want the rest of it?" she asked as she pulled another sandwich from the hamper.

"No, no, no," Remus said, throwing his hands up in surrender. "That's quite alright. I'll behave."

Tonks turned to Harry and, in a threatening tone of voice that could not be mistaken for anything other than the warning it was, said, "Harry?"

Harry quickly sobered himself but the mirth was still evident in his eyes and he could not stop smiling. "I'll behave," he said merrily.

"Good," Tonks said as she lay their breakfast out on the table.

When Kingsley and Mad-Eye Moody came over Harry introduced them to Neville. When Moody heard Neville's last name he looked Neville in the eye and said, in his usual gruff, gravely voice, "Longbottom, eh? Any relation to Frank and Alice?"

"Y-yes, sir," Neville said hesitantly. "They are my parents."

Moody's expression softened a bit. "And good people they are, too. I'm sorry about what happened to them, Neville." Harry could tell that something - perhaps the memory of what had happened to Neville's parents - was bothering the old auror. "We couldn't get there in time to save them and I'm sorry you had to witness it."

Neville looked hesitantly at the grizzled man before him and asked, "You knew my parents?"

"Aye," Moody nodded. "I knew them. Two of the best they were. I just hope that someday they will find a cure for them."

Neville smiled sadly. "Yes, sir. Thank you, sir. I do too."

As Moody sat down at the end of one of the benches he said, "Dumbledore told us that we would be having a second student, besides Potter here, but I had no idea it was going to be you; and to tell you the truth, Longbottom, I'm glad it is because of all of the people I know you two have more reason than most to want to fight Voldemort and his Death Eaters."

Neville squeaked slightly at Moody's casual use of Voldemort's name but quickly recovered. "Yes," Kingsley said, his deep, rich, baritone voice filling the clearing with a sense of belonging. "No matter what anyone tells you, Neville, your parents are good people. If you will let us we will teach both you and Harry to be Master Duelers. It will take time and you will have to relearn many of the things you thought you knew. The training will be difficult and you may question some of our techniques but it is for your own good. We want you to succeed."

Harry bristled slightly when Kingsley said that it was for their own good but let it pass. He knew that they had to learn to fight and if Kingsley, Tonks, Remus and Moody were willing to teach them then he was willing to put up with a little emotional discomfort.

After a light breakfast - which consisted of sandwiches, juice and milk - Remus, Tonks and Kingsley spent the next three hours teaching Harry and Neville the stretches they would need to practice on a daily basis to properly warm up for their exercises and training as well as a few basic ballet, gymnastics and tumbling moves and rolls. One of the first things they learned was how to fall without getting hurt. Most of it was relatively easy for Harry as he was fairly thin and light. Neville, however, had a more difficult time with parts of it. But Harry was surprised at how quickly his friend picked it up. There was no doubt about it, Neville was determined to fight.

After a short break and a light snack Moody called them over to where he was standing at one end of the clearing. "The first thing you have got to learn about dueling," he growled, "is how to hold your wand." Harry and Neville looked at the retired auror as if he had lost his mind. Moody noticed this and growled. "Don't they teach you this in school anymore?" he asked.

Harry and Neville shook their heads.

Moody grumbled, "First they don't teach you proper wand care, now they don't even teach you how to hold your wand properly! What is this world coming to! How are we going to win this war if they don't even teach the basics!

"Alright," he growled. "Wands out!"

Harry pulled his wand out of his leg holster. "Interesting," Moody commented. "I've seen better but it beats getting your buttocks blown off."

Neville fished around in the small backpack his gran had insisted he bring and pulled out a long, thin, black box. "New wand?" Moody asked.

Neville nodded. "Y-yes, sir. I was using my father's wand but it got broken in the Department of Mysteries. My gran took me in to Ollivander's yesterday so I could get my own."

Moody's expression changed to what Harry suspected was a smile and said, "Good. Proper dueling can only really be done with your own wand. Do you mind if I ask what's in it?"

"Holly with phoenix feather, eleven inches," Neville said proudly.

"Two holly and phoenix feathers, eh?" Moody chuckled. "This ought to be an interesting summer."

"Now, which is your wand hand?"

Harry and Neville both raised their right hands.

"All right," Moody growled, "palms up!"

Following Moody's example Harry and Neville lowered their arms, with their elbows bent at right angles and turned their hands so that their palms were facing up.

"Now lay your wand along the crease line that is formed when you bring your thumb across toward the center of your hand."

Once again following Moody's example the two future duelers lay their wands as instructed.

"Now close your hands around your wands and let them rest across the second pad of you index fingers."

Harry and Neville followed the old auror's instructions.

"Now I want to make sure you've got the grip right so I am going to be inspecting from time to time and I am going to be watching as you cast your spells. I know it might feel a bit uncomfortable at first but it is actually the best grip for casting most spells." As the old man hobbled forward Harry and Neville looked at each other nervously. "Don't worry, boys," Moody growled. "I'm not going to eat you. I just want to make sure you've got the grip right."

Moody went to Neville first and had him perform a series of wand movements then, after telling Neville to hold tight, tried to pull his wand out of his hand. When he was satisfied he walked to stand in front of Harry and had him repeat the actions. When he went to try and pull Harry's wand out of his hand, however, he stopped and growled. "LUPIN! TONKS! SHAKLEBOLT!" he bellowed. "GET OVER HERE!"

Harry looked up in surprise, not knowing what to think. When the others had gathered around Moody grabbed Harry's hand and demanded, "Where did you get this scar, Potter?"

Harry looked down and saw the words "I must not tell lies" clearly etched across the back of his hand. He immediately tried to hide it but knew that it was already too late. "I, um," he hesitated, "got it in detention."

"With who?" Moody demanded.

Harry looked at his hand for several seconds then, building his resolve, said, "Umbridge. But it's really nothing to worry about . . ."

"LIKE HELL IT'S NOTHING TO WORRY ABOUT!" Moody yelled. "THAT'S A BLOOD QUILL! THEY'VE BEEN ILLEGAL FOR ALMOST FIFTY YEARS!" Moody's face was bright red now and he was shaking with rage. "Ooooooo!" he fumed. "Fudge is going to pay for this one."

As Moody stalked off towards the center of the clearing, too angry to teach, Remus looked into Harry's eyes, a sad expression on his face. "I'm sorry, Harry. She shouldn't have done that, to you least of all. The use of a blood quill in any form of detention or torture is almost as unforgivable as using one of the Unforgivables."

Harry looked down at his shoes. "It's not like she didn't try," he said.

"WHAT!" Remus and Tonks exclaimed together.

Harry looked up. "I said it's not like she didn't try to use one of the Unforgivable curses."

"What happened?" Tonks demanded, her voice shrill and demanding.

Harry lowered his gaze and looked off to the side, remembering the night they were caught in Umbridge's office. "That night," Harry said, referring to the night of the battle in the Department of Mysteries, his voice numb, "we broke into her office to use her fireplace because I had had a vision of Sirius being held captive in that room with all the prophecies during the History exam. I wanted to talk to Sirius to see of he was all right, to see if it was true. But the only one in the kitchen at the time was Kreacher and he said that he was the only one there.

"When Umbridge and her goons caught us she wanted to know what we were doing and who I was talking to. When I wouldn't tell her she started talking to herself, debating as to whether or not she would be forgiven for using a particular curse. She never said what the curse was but I'm pretty sure it was one of the Unforgivables. I think she had made up her mind that she would be forgiven and was about to cast it when Hermione stopped her by telling her about some secret weapon that Dumbledore had hidden in the Forbidden Forest." Harry smirked as he recalled the centaurs' reactions to being called half-breeds and abominations. "I don't even want to think about which curse she would have used but I'm pretty sure it was one of the Unforgivables."

"Knowing Dolores Umbridge," Kingsley said, his voice tense with anger and loathing, "it was probably the Cruciatus Curse. How many witnesses were there to this event?" he asked.

Glancing over at Neville, who nodded his assent, Harry said, his voice still numb, "Including Hermione, Neville and myself there were twelve. But six of them were Slytherins and I don't think you are going to get anything out of them so, six."

"We shall see," Kingsley said, his rich voice rolling around the clearing. "That is no way to run a school and testimony such as this will surely seal their fates."

Harry groaned. "I won't have to testify will I?"

Remus shook his head. "No, you won't have to testify but you will have to give statements to representatives of the Wizengamot. They will take it from there."

Harry sighed and dropped his chin to his chest. "If that's all they want then okay. I know I wasn't the only one she used her quill on. I'm sure that if you ask around you can find any number of people - students - who would be willing to make statements."

"Oh, we will, Harry," Tonks seethed. "You can count on that. People can't learn anything in an atmosphere of fear. And if that's how Fudge wants to play then by the gods he's going to pay!"

Remus lifted Harry's chin up so that he was looking him in the eye and said, "It's nothing to be ashamed of, Harry. You did the best you could in a difficult situation. That's all anyone has a right to expect."

Harry smiled weakly. "Thanks," he said.

"That's right!" Tonks said her voice still seething but her expression softening. "And right now the best we can do is find out how much you boys know so we can get an idea as to what you already know and what you are going to have to learn."

With that, a nod from Kingsley, and an encouraging smile from Remus they spent the rest of the morning reviewing the curses, hexes, charms and transfiguration spells they already knew while Moody watched from the sidelines. Neville was slightly behind Harry but with his own wand and a determination born of a fierce desire to exact his revenge upon Bellatrix Lestrange for his parents' condition he was rapidly catching up.

When it came time to perform the Patronus Charm, Neville was only able to produce a small amount of silvery mist which was all most witches and wizards were capable of and which would do in a pinch. But when Harry's stag sprang from his wand Moody, Tonks and Kingsley were impressed. "Oh!" Tonks squealed. "I've never seen a full-fledged corporeal patronus before. You must be a very powerful wizard, Harry!"

Harry groaned. ""Yeah, right," he said sarcastically. "I may be powerful but I'm not very smart."

"That's why we're here, Harry," Remus said gently, "to help you learn so that you can use your power wisely."

After dropping Neville off at Mrs. Figg's so he could floo home through a series of hops Harry and Remus were walking along Privet Drive when Remus asked, "I'm just curious, Harry, what were you thinking about when you produced your patronus?"

Harry looked down at the sidewalk and remained silent for several strides as he tried to recall what he had been thinking about. Finally he said, "I don't know, Remus," he said. "I was just thinking and trying to remember what it felt like to be happy. The image that came to mind when I cast the charm was of Sirius laughing at his house last Christmas."

Remus put his arm around Harry's shoulders and looked over at the boy who was obviously still hurting. "Harry," he said, "I know neither of us is ready to talk about it yet but I want you to know that I think you have taken the first steps. Sirius would want to be remembered as the happy-go-lucky kid that he was and not as the desperate and lonely man who escaped from Azkaban only to be held prisoner in his own house."

As they were walking up the drive to number four Harry turned to Remus and asked, "Remus, could you tell me about the good times; the fun things you and Sirius and dad did while at Hogwarts?"

Remus smiled. "Yeah, sure. You had better go get cleaned up though because Tonks and I are taking you out to lunch in Diagon Alley. After that we are going to go shopping in London to see if we can't find you some decent clothes."

Harry smiled. And when they reached the house he bolted up the stairs and into his room. Less than a minute later, as Remus settled down to begin his review of the Muslim spiritual philosophy, Harry was in the bathroom and taking a shower.

Twenty minutes later, as Harry and Remus were approaching Mrs. Figg's house for the second time that day, Remus said, "Tonks will be meeting us at Fred and George's shop, Weasley's Wizarding Wheezes."

"How are we getting there?"

"Floo powder, of course," Remus said. When he heard Harry groan and saw the look of consternation on his face Remus chuckled. "Don't worry, Harry," he said, "Towards the end of the last war the Floo Network was almost completely shut down. People were afraid to use it. A lot of good people disappeared never to be seen again. To help alleviate some of those fears the network was broken down into several smaller, interconnecting networks with only a few public access fireplaces. They are in the process of reinstating that policy. Arabella's fireplace is currently only connected to Dumbledore's office, headquarters and ninety-three Diagon Alley so even if you mispronounce it or forget to say one of the words there is a pretty good chance you will get where you are going and you will be safe when you arrive."

Harry ran his fingers through his hair, relieved that he wouldn't wind up in Knockturn Alley again. "Okay," he said, quickly moving on to the next question in his mind. "So what's the address?"

"The full address," Remus began, "is Ninety-three Diagon Alley. But since Arabella's fireplace has such limited access we should be able to get away by just saying 'Diagon Alley.' I am going to go first because I want to be sure the coast is clear; but I don't think there should be any problems."

As they reached the stoop of Mrs. Figg's house the door flew open and two sets of arms reached out and pulled them into the dimly lit room. "Oh, thank goodness you arrived safely!" Mrs. Figg said as the door slammed shut behind them.

Harry immediately reached for and drew his wand. "Whoa! Slow down there, Harry. We're the good guys, remember?"

Remus, whose reflexes were quicker and whose eyes were able to more quickly adjusted to the diminished amounts of light, had also drawn his wand but wasn't casting any spells. Instead he growled softly as he surveyed the scene before him, taking in the two unexpected arrivals. "Password," he demanded.

The tall, slender man with longish red hair pulled back into a pony tail and sporting an earring with a fang dangling from it said, "Golden Phoenix."

Remus let out a sigh of relief. "What are you doing here, Bill, Dedalus?"

"Bad news, I'm afraid," Dedalus Diggle said nervously. "It would seem that our beloved Minister is more interested in holding onto power than defeating You-know-who. He has used his executive privilege to pardon Malfoy."

Harry gasped then groaned, "Why am I not surprised?"

"That's not the worst of it," Bill Weasley said solemnly. "There's nothing definite yet but the word on the street is that Malfoy is out to get you, Harry."

Harry groaned again. "So there goes lunch," he thought out loud.

"No," Bill said matter of factly. "Lunch is still on but instead of two armed guards you are going to have four. We know how important it is for you to have a relatively normal summer this year, Harry, so we are going to do everything we can to help you lead as normal a life as possible."

"Yeah, right," Harry grumbled sarcastically. "Most normal people don't have armed guards with them wherever they go because most normal people don't have the most evil dark lord of their time trying to kill them and all because of some stupid prediction a batty old fraud made sixteen years ago!"

Remus flinched then turned to face Harry. Resting his hands on Harry's shoulders he looked him in the eye. "You do understand why we have to do it, though?" he asked.

Harry hung his head and sighed. "Yes, I understand. I don't like it but I understand."

"Good," Bill said gently. "Listen, Harry. For what it's worth, I'm sorry it's you. You're a good kid and you don't deserve to have this kind of pressure on you. No one does. But I want you to know that I'm here for you."

"We're all here for you," Remus said, bending down to look up into Harry's eyes.

Harry smirked then weakly smiled at the man who was trying to cheer him up.

Breaking the silence that was beginning to hang in the air Mrs. Figg said, "Well, what are you waiting for? This young man needs something to eat. And from the looks of it he could use some new clothes as well."

"Right you are, Arabella," Bill said. I'll go first to make sure the coast is clear. Then Dedalus then Harry then Remus."

Harry smirked at Remus. "So much for your idea of you going first," he said.

Remus smiled and clapped Harry on the shoulder. "That's quite alright, Harry. Your safety always comes first."

Bill took a pinch of floo powder from the pot on the mantel of Mrs. Figg's fireplace, stepped in, threw the powder down and called out, "DIAGON ALLEY!"

Dedalus went next then Harry took a pinch of the green-grey powder, stepped into the fireplace, threw the powder down at his feet and yelled, "DIAGON ALLEY!"

He pulled his arms in as he began to spin through the limited network and two grates later felt himself being helped to his feet by four strong hands. "You don't like traveling by floo do you?" Bill asked, as a mischievous grin spread across his face.

"That evident, eh?" Harry asked as Remus stepped gracefully out of the fireplace behind him.

Bill laughed. "I've seen worse. Not many, but a few."

"Oi!" came a familiar voice from another room. "Who's there?""

Bill, Dedalus and Remus grabbed Harry and pushed him to the back, forming a human shield around him. "Shhh!" Bill hissed as one of the twins stepped into their back room laboratory. "Is Tonks here?" he whispered.

"Oh," the twin said, his voice suddenly softer. "Yeah. Just a minute; I'll go get her."

Harry peaked over Bill's shoulder. "What's going on?" he asked.

"Sorry, Harry," Bill whispered over his shoulder, "but unfortunately we can't be too careful."

Harry groaned.

Moments later Tonks rushed into the back room, said the password and pulled a faded red baseball cap out of her back pocket. Pushing her way through to Harry she flipped the hat open and pulled it down over his head. Her hair was bright, stoplight red and stood out at odd angles all over her head. Her shirt was a vibrant, metallic rainbow of colors that seemed to shift and change as she moved. It fit her nicely and adequately accented her feminine features without being overly flirtatious. Her slacks were a soft, faded shade of blue that reminded Harry of a light blue sky. They looked to be tight and form fitting but not too tight. Harry looked her over once and said, "Erm, looks nice, Tonks."

Tonks smiled. "That's the idea, Harry," she said in a business-like tone. "If they see me maybe they won't notice you."

Bill laughed. "Oh, I don't think we'll have to worry about that, Nymph."

Tonks glared up at the oldest Weasley boy. "Listen, buster," she growled, "just because I like you doesn't mean I won't hurt you."

Still laughing, Bill held his hands up in surrender. "Alright, alright," he chuckled. "You got to admit, though, that you are a sight to behold."

"Why thank you," Tonks said, smiling warmly at Harry.

As they made their way out of the back room and through the store, Bill led the way, his eyes continually scanning for hidden dangers. Harry was next, followed closely by Tonks and Remus as Dedalus brought up the rear. Harry glanced around the shop on their way through and was surprised at the variety of pranks the twins had developed. There were Canary Creams, Fake Wands, Portable Swamps, Skiving Snack Boxes and at least fifty other prank items the twins had developed. Harry was pleased to see that they had even developed their own line of fireworks - Weasley Whiz-Bangs.

Harry was also pleased to see that they were fairly busy. The shop was crowded with customers and while George and Lee Jordan were describing various products to the customers Fred was manning the till. Fred smiled and gave Harry a thumbs-up as they walked past the cash register but didn't say anything. Harry smiled and nodded as he mouthed, "Looks good. Congratulations."

Fred's smile grew even broader at that and Harry knew that he had struck the right chord.

Out on the street Bill stayed in front but Tonks moved up and linked arms with Harry and Remus moved up to walk on his other side while Dedalus stayed back to serve as Harry's rear guard. As they made their way down Diagon Alley, towards the Leaky Cauldron Harry noticed several aurors intermingled throughout the people going about their shopping. He recognized Kingsley standing outside Quality Quidditch Supplies talking to a young wizard in dark green robes. The auror looked up as they approached and, nodding his head, smiled. Remembering that both Kingsley and Tonks had been injured in the Department of Mysteries Harry leaned into Tonks and said, "Tonks?"

"Yes, Harry?" she asked, leaning in closer.

"Erm, how are you doing? I mean you and Kingsley were injured in that battle weren't you? I want to know how you are doing."

Tonks squeezed his arm and smiled warmly up at him. "You really do care don't you?" she asked

Harry nodded. "Mm hmm."

Tonks squeezed his arm again. "We're fine, Harry. It's part of the job you know. We don't like getting injured but that's the chance we take."

"I'm really sorry you got pulled into that mess," Harry said solemnly as they approached the wall separating Diagon Alley from the Leaky Cauldron.

As Bill tapped the bricks and the entrance revealed itself Tonks cooed into his ear, ""Don't worry about it, Harry. It's over and done with now. We're healed up and back in action. That's all that really matters."

"How does Kingsley feel about it?" he asked.

Tonks laughed as they stepped through the opening. "Kingsley is older and wiser than me by a long shot. I'm sure he feels the same. But you can talk to him about it tomorrow if you like."

Once inside the Leaky Cauldron they made their way to a dimly lit booth in the back corner which gave them the advantage of being able to watch both entrances while providing them with a clear view of most of the pub. Harry sat in the back of the booth, with his back to the wall, Tonks and Remus sitting on either side of him. Bill was next to Tonks and Dedalus sat next to Remus, leaving the front of the table open so they could watch the goings on in the pub. When Tom came over a few minutes later to take their order Harry, who had been instructed to keep his head down, said nothing and let Tonks order for him. "Oh, we'll just split a fish 'n' chips," she chirped. "I think he would like his own butterbeer, though." Tom chuckled and shook his head as he wrote down the order and muttered something about the poor kid letting a woman walk all over him.

A few minutes later, after their meals had arrived, Harry was in the middle of taking a bite when he suddenly found himself on the floor, trapped behind Tonks and Remus' legs with two other sets of legs obstructing his view of the pub. "Stay still and be quiet," Tonks hissed.

"I guess Gringott's is out then." Remus said darkly.

"Gringott's?" Bill asked.

""Yes, we've got to go into London to get Harry some new clothes."

"How much do you think you'll need?"

Tonks and Remus still had Harry pinned behind their lags. "Oh, I think three hundred Pounds ought to do it," Tonks said.

"Do you have your key?" Bill asked, nudging Harry with his foot.

Harry squirmed around a bit, reaching into the pocket of his oversized jeans, and produced the key to his vault. Handing it up between Tonks and Remus' legs, as they had scooted together to cover for Harry's sudden disappearance, Tonks reached down and took it, handing it to Bill. "There you go," she said sweetly, making it sound as though nothing was out of the ordinary.

"I'll just finish up here and go get your money then, shall I?"

"That's awfully gracious of you, Bill," Remus said calmly. "You really don't have to you know."

"Ah, it's no trouble at all," Bill said jovially, carrying on the act. "I'm almost finished anyway and I've still got half an hour before I have to be back at work."

A few minutes later, as Bill was getting up to leave, Remus and Tonks released Harry and made room for him on the bench. "What happened?" he asked as he climbed out from under the table and slid back up onto the bench.

"Malfoy," was Tonks' one word answer.

Twenty minutes later Bill was back with three hundred Pounds and Harry's key. "They're in Knockturn Alley," he whispered. "No surprise there but you may have to find an alternate way home. Give yourselves a couple of hours. I'll have the twins start checking for you every fifteen minutes to let you know if the coast is clear in an hour and a half. Wait in the bookstore next door. One of them will find you."

"Are you coming, Dedalus?" Remus asked as they stood up to leave.

Dedalus looked up nervously. "Oh, no. I'm sorry but I have to get back to work as well."

Remus softly chuckled at the man's nervousness but didn't say anything. Turning to Harry and Tonks he said, "You two wait outside. I'll go pay Tom and be out in a minute."

As they left the Leaky Cauldron and stepped out onto Charing Cross Road an elderly woman, who was walking by at the time, cast a disapproving glance at Tonks and spat, "Tart!"

Tonks pulled a face at the woman as she passed, which, coming as it did from Tonks, looked a lot like an extremely ugly gargoyle. Harry smirked. To his mind Tonks looked somewhat sexy but Harry knew, or at least thought he knew, that she had only dressed this way to draw attention to herself and away from him. "Er, Tonks," he asked, "if you don't mind me asking, where's your wand?"

Tonks looked at him and smiled. "You've never been in a knife fight have you?"

"Uh, no," Harry confessed. "Why?"

Tonks casually reached up as if to scratch the back of her neck then suddenly pulled her hand over her head, wand at the ready. "One of the first things you learn in auror training is all of the places a person can hide a wand. The next thing you learn is how to draw your wand from all of those places." As she carefully slid her wand back into it's hiding place she said, "There are times, when I'm on assignment, that the only reasonable place I can hide a wand is on my back. So, I've gotten pretty good at drawing from there. And this way I can use either hand so my opponent never knows which side the spell is going to be coming from."

"Are you ambidextrous?" Harry asked.

Tonks smiled mischievously and quickly nodded her head. "Mm hmm. One of the few."

Fifteen minutes later Remus, Tonks and Harry were walking into a sporting goods store where they spent the next half hour finding and buying a good pair of trainers that fit Harry comfortably and, with a little help, would last him a lifetime as well as several pair of sweats, several pair of socks and some jogging shorts. They easily spent half of his money in that one store alone.

Their next stop was a department store where they picked up three pair of loose fitting jeans, several t-shirts and several pair of pants. Tonks wanted him to buy a dress suit but reason prevailed and he wound up buying one pair of dress slacks and two dress shirts.

They still had a little money left when they reached the bookstore next to the Leaky Cauldron so, at Remus' insistence, they went to the Physical Fitness section and started looking through the books. Ten minutes later they were standing at the cash register buying two copies of one book on stretching and another on isometric exercises - one set for Harry and the other for Neville - when George walked in. "All clear," he whispered. "But Bill told me to stay with you until we reach the shop."

Dividing Harry's packages evenly amongst themselves, but only letting Harry carry the books in case they had to make a run for it, the two adults and two teenagers left the bookstore and reentered the Leaky Cauldron. Keeping his head down so as to avoid recognition Harry followed George through the pub, with Tonks at his side and Remus bringing up the rear. In Diagon Alley they walked as casually as they could through the throng but Harry could tell that everyone's senses were tuned for any signs of trouble. When they reached the entrance to the brightly painted Weasley's Wizarding Wheezes Fred opened the door for them and the four rushed in. They didn't stop until they were in the back room and even then they didn't say anything until the door was closed and George had cast a privacy charm on the entire room. "Whew!" George said at last, as he let out an explosion of air. "I never realized how intense it could get until Bill told us that it was a matter of life and death now that Malfoy is out. But don't you worry, Harry," he said reassuringly, "we're a part of the old crowd now and we are pretty much dedicated to keeping you safe."

Harry groaned as he took the cap off and handed it to Tonks then smiled weakly and sighed. "Yeah," he said softly. "Thanks. I guess I've got to get used to it. How are Ron and Ginny doing; and have you heard anything from Hermione?"

"Ginny's doing fine and the last we heard Hermione is doing fine as well. As for Ron . . . well, he's still got a bit of scaring on his arms, chest and back and he seems to be struggling with a bunch of memories that are not his own. It's almost like those brain things implanted their memories in his mind. It's scary really: He now knows more than the rest of us combined but he doesn't know how or why he knows it."

Harry looked down at his shoes. After chewing on his lower lip for several seconds he looked up at the ceiling and, obviously struggling to control his emotions, said, "Tell him I'm sorry; and tell him I'll write as soon as I can."

Tonks reached out and took hold of one of Harry's hands. Leading him over to a bench along the wall furthest from the door she sat him down then joined him on the bench. When Harry wouldn't look up she got down on her knees in front of him and looked up into his tear filled eyes. He immediately closed his eyes, wiping the tears with the sleeve of his shirt, and leaned back against the wall looking up at the ceiling. Tonks stood up and, gently resting her hands on his shoulders, pinned him to the wall. "Look at me, Harry," she said gently. When Harry refused she squeezed his shoulders a little tighter and pressed him harder against the wall so that his head would have to come down. "I said look at me, Harry," she said still gently but with a renewed sense of urgency in her voice.

When Harry opened his eyes and looked at Tonks her hair was a dark honey blond that hung loosely about her shoulders and her eyes were a soft, caring blue that reminded Harry of the deep, limpid pools of water he had seen in a magazine once as a child while waiting with Aunt Petunia and Dudley in a doctor's office for Uncle Vernon. Tonks smiled warmly. "This is me without all the tricks," she said. "I know it hurts, Harry and I know you feel guilty about it. I remember how I felt when I lost my first partner. I blamed myself for months and it almost tore me apart. I almost stopped being an auror because of it. I was so depressed that I couldn't even get out of bed for a week. It took me months to get over it. I still think about it every once in a while and it still hurts because a part of me still wants to blame myself for what happened in that raid. But we have to keep going, Harry. We can't give up just because we make a few mistakes.

"I know that doesn't sound very comforting but it's true. We all make choices and we all make mistakes and sometimes either we, or someone we love, gets hurt or killed. When that happens all we can do is try to learn from our mistakes and hope it never happens again."

Harry hung his head in silence for a minute then looked back up into Tonks' eyes. "Thank you," he whispered then stood up.

Tonks pulled him into a hug and whispered into his ear, "I know it's hard, Harry, but you'll do fine. Most of us have been through it before, Harry, and we'll always be here for you."

Harry nodded his head as Tonks released him and said, "Thanks."

Putting her arm around his waist Tonks led Harry back to the fireplace where Remus and George were waiting for them. They had shrunken most of the parcels and placed them all into two easy-to-manage bags. Remus mouthed a "Thank you" to Tonks as they approached and then turned to Harry. "It's getting late, Harry. I think we had better get back if we want to do any reading. And you've got to get an early start tomorrow so you might want get to bed before midnight tonight."

Harry smiled weakly and wondered how Remus knew about his sleeping habits but then he remembered that he was being watched by the Order and that they would probably be watching to see when he turned the lights off in his room. Surprisingly. He found that he didn't really mind all that much. True, it was a bit irritating but then again they were just doing their jobs. As he thought about this curious turn in his thinking he realized that sometime in the past few days he had resigned himself to the prophecy and accepted the fact that there were people out there who really did care about him.