Chapter 4 - Metamorphmagi
The next morning, Harry awoke with stabbing hunger pains and a blinding headache. He slid out of bed, and walked unsteadily to the door. Over the last few years, he had become used to eating every day, so not eating for 24 hours really took a toll on his body. He reached for the door, before remembering the events of last night. Vernon yelling at him, and worse, his confinement to his room. He had probably been locked in. Sure enough, when he tried the door, it wouldn't budge.
Harry muttered miserably, and went to the floorboards where he had stashed all his food. Thank Merlin for Ginny. He bit into a meat pie and sighed happily. It was still warm. There must be some charms on it to keep it fresh over a week later.
Finishing up the pie, Harry put the rest of the food back. Not knowing how long it would be until his aunt brought some food or let him out of his room, he thought it was best to stretch out the amount of food he had. He flopped back onto his bed, stared at the ceiling, and allowed his thoughts to wonder freely. He must have fallen asleep because the next thing he knew, it was 11 o'clock.
Harry sat up, went to the window and stared outside. He had just wondered where the Order member watching him was when he heard a pop behind him. Hand reaching for his wand, he whirled around.
"Wotcher, Harry!"
Harry breathed a sigh of relief as the woman's hair turned form bright orange, to a shocking purple.
"Nice boxers."
Glancing down Harry realized he hadn't got dressed yet. Blushing a shade of red that could rival the Weasley's hair, he reached for some clothes.
"Hi Tonks," he mumbled.
"Aww, don't get dressed on my account! I wouldn't want to stop you from sitting around in you boxers all day!"
Harry's face because redder. Tonks laughed and sat down comfortably on Harry's bed.
"I heard you got locked in your room, so I thought you could use someone to talk to. Technically I'm not supposed to be here, but how better to protect you than when I'm sitting right next to you?"
Finally fully clothed, Harry smiled. "Thanks. Err.I'd offer you a drink, but well, I don't have any."
"OH! Right," Tonks said, "that reminds me. Here. Food and some pumpkin juice. Charmed, so it won't spoil. Dumbledore thinks your aunt and uncle will take care of you and feed you properly, but I'm not convinced."
"Thanks!" said Harry ecstatically. "Ginny sent me some food, but I wasn't sure how long it would last."
"Ginny eh? I heard you and Miss Weasley were getting pretty close last year." Tonks teased. "Does Harry have a girlfriend?"
"NO!" said Harry quickly. "We're just friends. Ron and Hermione are always together, so I end up hanging out with Ginny. She's a really good friend though. But not a girlfriend. Just a friend. That's a girl."
"You're rambling Harry. Admit it, you do like her."
"Maybe just a little," he mumbled blushing. He didn't know what it was about her, but Tonks was really quite easy to talk to. He would never have admitted to liking Ginny that quickly if it had been Ron or Hermione.
"OH! I knew it!" she cried. "Aww, our little Harry's all grown up!"
"I'm not little," he protested.
"Sure Kid," she grinned, ruffling his hair. "Anyway, I think she likes you too," she whispered conspiringly. Harry rolled his eyes but didn't say anything. He found he didn't mind so much when Tonks called him Kid. But if anyone else did, they had better watch out.
"Alright, Nym," he said smirking, "so how bout you? Any guys in your life? Besides me of course."
Tonks stuck her tongue out at him, but didn't protest the name. "Well, I've been seeing this one guy for about 2 months. He's an Auror."
"Ooh!" teased Harry, his eyes twinkling. "Is it serious?"
"Er.yes.sort of. We've been pretty close."
Harry raised an eyebrow and Tonks blushed. "Um.Right," she stuttered. "So how have you been? Nightmares or anything, Kid?"
Harry frowned. He didn't like talking about his nightmares to anyone. His frown softened when he saw how worried Tonks looked. It was nice to have someone care about him.
When he didn't say anything, Tonks continued, "I know you still have them. I saw you thrashing around a few nights ago. Dumbledore doesn't know though. He thinks they all stopped after you started learning Occlumency. If you want to talk about it, I won't tell him unless you want to."
He glanced up and nodded. Staring into her eyes, he realized she was telling the truth. He also realized that she was looking at him strangely. He blushed and looked down. "Sorry, just checking if you were lying." "Not that I don't trust you or anything," he added hastily. "But I wouldn't put anything past Dumbledore."
Harry stared at his hands and began telling Tonks about his nightmare. His voice broke when he reached the part about Dylan dying, and he couldn't continue. He looked up, he eyes full of suppressed tears, and saw Tonks staring at him horrified.
"You see that every night?" she asked aghast.
"No," he said. "Only some nights. That was the only one since I got home." Tonks reached over and pulled him into a hug. She sat there stroking his hair, as if trying to comfort a small child.
Finally, Harry decided that this had become too serious, so he sat up, brushed away his tears and made a face. Suddenly, his hair was an electric blue. Tonks stared at him and fell off the bed in shock.
"You.you.your HAIR!" she squeaked from the floor. Harry started laughing. Tonks, while secretly pleased he seemed so happy, mock glared at him. "Mr. Potter! WHY is your hair blue??"
"Why, Nym," he said winking, "I though you would recognize a Metamorphmagus."
"You're a Metamorphmagus?" she asked still staring at his hair.
"Yup!" he said proudly. "Although I'm not as good as you. I can only change my hair. You won't believe how long it took for me to control it."
"How did you figure it out?" she asked amazed.
"Well, you know, not cutting my hair for the last 6 years was a clue. Ginny was the one who figured it out actually."
"Wow," she said reaching out to touch his hair. "Wow."
"Please don't tell Dumbledore," said Harry anxiously. "I'd rather he didn't know about what I can do."
"Of course," she said looking at him curiously. "I wasn't going to tell him I spoke to you today. Why don't you want Dumbledore to know though? About this, and your dreams?"
So Harry explained the Occlumency to her, and his reasons for not trusting Dumbledore.
"So, you do know how to block people from reading your mind? Dumbledore told to Order that you hadn't been able to learn it, so he just settled for you not getting the visions."
Harry snorted. "Yeah, I do. It's not that difficult once you get the basics. And I still get visions. But only the ones Voldemort isn't aware he's sending me."
"Wow. You're just full of surprises aren't you, Kiddo?"
Harry nodded silently. He wondered why he was telling her all these things. He wasn't generally a trusting person anymore, but something about her made him want to tell her things. Besides, he had used Legilimency and found out she wasn't lying. She was starting to become the older sister he never had.
The pair talked late into the afternoon. Harry was glad she had come; he needed someone to talk to. All too soon, she got up saying her shift was over, and she had to get back. Harry nodded and stood up as well.
"Will you come back some time?" he asked.
"Of course kiddo. Next time I get guard duty."
Harry smiled. "Oh, do you know if Sirius is back at the Headquarters yet? I wanted to write to him but I wasn't sure if he was on a mission."
Tonks looked at him oddly. "Yeah, he's been there since you got off school. Been talking to Ginny a lot too."
"Oh," said Harry looking slightly disappointed. Why hadn't Sirius written? "Wait, the Weasley's are there?"
"Yup! Been there since school finished. They were worried the Burrow would be attacked."
Harry looked guilty. Because of him, the Weasley's wouldn't be able to live in their house this summer.
"Don't you dare feel guilty. It's not just because of you. The Weasley's are a prominent family and have always shown their support for Dumbledore."
Harry nodded, feeling slightly better, but couldn't shake off the feeling that the Weasley's were in danger because of him.
"Hermione's there too. I was surprised you weren't, but I suspect that is because Dumbledore believes Voldemort can read your mind."
"Oh," Harry nodded. "That's okay, this is the last summer I'll have to stay here anyway. Uh, before you go can I ask you to cast a silencing charm around my room so I don't wake the Dursley's up?"
"Already done, Kid."
Harry grinned. "Thanks. I'll see you later, Nymphet."
"Sure thing, Kid. My next shift is in two day."
"Bye" said Harry, enveloped Tonks in a hug. "Thanks for everything," he whispered.
"My pleasure," Tonks whispered back. "I've enjoyed talking to you."
They stepped apart and with a final wave, Tonks was gone.
Harry sighed and sat down on the bed. Only now did he realize that Tonks had gone an entire afternoon without tripping over anything. Although there wasn't much to trip over in his room. And they had been sitting most of the time. That probably explained it then. He got up again and sat down at his desk. He hadn't written a single letter, except for a thank you note to Ginny, all summer.
Well Ron was the easiest. They hadn't had a proper conversation since he and Hermione had started dating, but they still talked sometimes.
Ron,
Hey, how are you? Busy with Hermione I bet!
I'm alright here, the Muggles aren't too bad,
and I've got plenty of homework to keep me
busy. I guess I'll get it done before I'm allowed
to go to the Order Headquarters. Hermione will
be pleased. Say hello to the rest of your family
for me.
Your friend,
Harry.
Short, but it'll do. Hermione next. He wrote pretty much the same thing, making sure to emphasize that he was doing his homework. He was stuck at the Dursley's. They couldn't expect very news-y letters. Only Ginny and Sirius were left. He thought of writing to Tonks, but decided not to, since she was coming back soon. He started a letter to Sirius, leaving Ginny for last.
Sirius,
How are you? Are you staying at Headquarters?
I'm fine, the Muggles are not too bad. Can't wait
to come to Headquarters though. How is it,
by the way? Get all the creatures and things out
yet? My scar's been fine, hasn't bothered me at
all. I guess that Occlumency worked. What's been
going on in the Wizarding World recently? I can't
get the Daily Prophet because too many owls would
attract the Muggles attention. And what they print
is all lies anyway. So, I should go now, I'm working
on a particularly nasty potions essay. Say hello to
Remus for me.
--Harry.
'Liar,' he thought to himself. But he didn't trust Sirius not to tell Dumbledore what he told him. He loved his godfather dearly, but sometimes, he told Dumbledore a little too much. Now Ginny. He was quite worried about her, after the kidnapping.
Dear Angel,
How are you? If you ever need anyone to talk
to, I'm here you know. I'm okay here, the
Muggles aren't too bad. Annoying, but you
can't expect too much. I can't wait to go to
the Headquarters and see you again. How's
Ron treating you? He's not being too much
of a Git, is he?
Don't tell anyone, but Tonks came and visited
me, while she was on Guard Duty. She's great.
If you don't want to talk to me, you could talk to
her, I'm sure she would listen. Anyway, it's getting
late, so I'm going to go. Write back, so I don't
die of boredom here!
Keep smiling Gin,
Love,
Harry.
He tied all the letters to Hedwig, who hooted at him and took off towards Grimmuald Place. Finally, he turned to the trunk he had found yesterday. He walked over and touched it. It felt like it recognized him, and swung open. He peered inside wondering what his mother stored in the Dursley's attic.
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A/N: I really liked writing this chapter. I love Tonks. This isn't going to be Harry/Tonks though. She's more of a big sister to him. She's not telling Dumbledore because she understands why Harry's mad, so she's not going to tell him unless Harry is in danger or something. Also, do you think Harry's acting OOC?
Wow, I'm getting reviews! Thank you people!!
athenakitty - James is an Unspeakable, so he goes away a LOT. Sirius is an Auror, so he's usually home. Harry's gotten used to Sirius so he calls him Daddy. They (James and Sirius) look pretty similar to a baby I'd imagine.
Fiery Pheonix - Sorry, but all my chapters have been pretty short so far. I'm working on making them longer. Thanks though! And yes, I agree. Harry would be such a hottie if he got some clothes that fit.
Ms.Marvel - Yes, the baby died =( But like I said, I may do a spin-off kind of thing where it lives. I've got some ideas for it.
The next morning, Harry awoke with stabbing hunger pains and a blinding headache. He slid out of bed, and walked unsteadily to the door. Over the last few years, he had become used to eating every day, so not eating for 24 hours really took a toll on his body. He reached for the door, before remembering the events of last night. Vernon yelling at him, and worse, his confinement to his room. He had probably been locked in. Sure enough, when he tried the door, it wouldn't budge.
Harry muttered miserably, and went to the floorboards where he had stashed all his food. Thank Merlin for Ginny. He bit into a meat pie and sighed happily. It was still warm. There must be some charms on it to keep it fresh over a week later.
Finishing up the pie, Harry put the rest of the food back. Not knowing how long it would be until his aunt brought some food or let him out of his room, he thought it was best to stretch out the amount of food he had. He flopped back onto his bed, stared at the ceiling, and allowed his thoughts to wonder freely. He must have fallen asleep because the next thing he knew, it was 11 o'clock.
Harry sat up, went to the window and stared outside. He had just wondered where the Order member watching him was when he heard a pop behind him. Hand reaching for his wand, he whirled around.
"Wotcher, Harry!"
Harry breathed a sigh of relief as the woman's hair turned form bright orange, to a shocking purple.
"Nice boxers."
Glancing down Harry realized he hadn't got dressed yet. Blushing a shade of red that could rival the Weasley's hair, he reached for some clothes.
"Hi Tonks," he mumbled.
"Aww, don't get dressed on my account! I wouldn't want to stop you from sitting around in you boxers all day!"
Harry's face because redder. Tonks laughed and sat down comfortably on Harry's bed.
"I heard you got locked in your room, so I thought you could use someone to talk to. Technically I'm not supposed to be here, but how better to protect you than when I'm sitting right next to you?"
Finally fully clothed, Harry smiled. "Thanks. Err.I'd offer you a drink, but well, I don't have any."
"OH! Right," Tonks said, "that reminds me. Here. Food and some pumpkin juice. Charmed, so it won't spoil. Dumbledore thinks your aunt and uncle will take care of you and feed you properly, but I'm not convinced."
"Thanks!" said Harry ecstatically. "Ginny sent me some food, but I wasn't sure how long it would last."
"Ginny eh? I heard you and Miss Weasley were getting pretty close last year." Tonks teased. "Does Harry have a girlfriend?"
"NO!" said Harry quickly. "We're just friends. Ron and Hermione are always together, so I end up hanging out with Ginny. She's a really good friend though. But not a girlfriend. Just a friend. That's a girl."
"You're rambling Harry. Admit it, you do like her."
"Maybe just a little," he mumbled blushing. He didn't know what it was about her, but Tonks was really quite easy to talk to. He would never have admitted to liking Ginny that quickly if it had been Ron or Hermione.
"OH! I knew it!" she cried. "Aww, our little Harry's all grown up!"
"I'm not little," he protested.
"Sure Kid," she grinned, ruffling his hair. "Anyway, I think she likes you too," she whispered conspiringly. Harry rolled his eyes but didn't say anything. He found he didn't mind so much when Tonks called him Kid. But if anyone else did, they had better watch out.
"Alright, Nym," he said smirking, "so how bout you? Any guys in your life? Besides me of course."
Tonks stuck her tongue out at him, but didn't protest the name. "Well, I've been seeing this one guy for about 2 months. He's an Auror."
"Ooh!" teased Harry, his eyes twinkling. "Is it serious?"
"Er.yes.sort of. We've been pretty close."
Harry raised an eyebrow and Tonks blushed. "Um.Right," she stuttered. "So how have you been? Nightmares or anything, Kid?"
Harry frowned. He didn't like talking about his nightmares to anyone. His frown softened when he saw how worried Tonks looked. It was nice to have someone care about him.
When he didn't say anything, Tonks continued, "I know you still have them. I saw you thrashing around a few nights ago. Dumbledore doesn't know though. He thinks they all stopped after you started learning Occlumency. If you want to talk about it, I won't tell him unless you want to."
He glanced up and nodded. Staring into her eyes, he realized she was telling the truth. He also realized that she was looking at him strangely. He blushed and looked down. "Sorry, just checking if you were lying." "Not that I don't trust you or anything," he added hastily. "But I wouldn't put anything past Dumbledore."
Harry stared at his hands and began telling Tonks about his nightmare. His voice broke when he reached the part about Dylan dying, and he couldn't continue. He looked up, he eyes full of suppressed tears, and saw Tonks staring at him horrified.
"You see that every night?" she asked aghast.
"No," he said. "Only some nights. That was the only one since I got home." Tonks reached over and pulled him into a hug. She sat there stroking his hair, as if trying to comfort a small child.
Finally, Harry decided that this had become too serious, so he sat up, brushed away his tears and made a face. Suddenly, his hair was an electric blue. Tonks stared at him and fell off the bed in shock.
"You.you.your HAIR!" she squeaked from the floor. Harry started laughing. Tonks, while secretly pleased he seemed so happy, mock glared at him. "Mr. Potter! WHY is your hair blue??"
"Why, Nym," he said winking, "I though you would recognize a Metamorphmagus."
"You're a Metamorphmagus?" she asked still staring at his hair.
"Yup!" he said proudly. "Although I'm not as good as you. I can only change my hair. You won't believe how long it took for me to control it."
"How did you figure it out?" she asked amazed.
"Well, you know, not cutting my hair for the last 6 years was a clue. Ginny was the one who figured it out actually."
"Wow," she said reaching out to touch his hair. "Wow."
"Please don't tell Dumbledore," said Harry anxiously. "I'd rather he didn't know about what I can do."
"Of course," she said looking at him curiously. "I wasn't going to tell him I spoke to you today. Why don't you want Dumbledore to know though? About this, and your dreams?"
So Harry explained the Occlumency to her, and his reasons for not trusting Dumbledore.
"So, you do know how to block people from reading your mind? Dumbledore told to Order that you hadn't been able to learn it, so he just settled for you not getting the visions."
Harry snorted. "Yeah, I do. It's not that difficult once you get the basics. And I still get visions. But only the ones Voldemort isn't aware he's sending me."
"Wow. You're just full of surprises aren't you, Kiddo?"
Harry nodded silently. He wondered why he was telling her all these things. He wasn't generally a trusting person anymore, but something about her made him want to tell her things. Besides, he had used Legilimency and found out she wasn't lying. She was starting to become the older sister he never had.
The pair talked late into the afternoon. Harry was glad she had come; he needed someone to talk to. All too soon, she got up saying her shift was over, and she had to get back. Harry nodded and stood up as well.
"Will you come back some time?" he asked.
"Of course kiddo. Next time I get guard duty."
Harry smiled. "Oh, do you know if Sirius is back at the Headquarters yet? I wanted to write to him but I wasn't sure if he was on a mission."
Tonks looked at him oddly. "Yeah, he's been there since you got off school. Been talking to Ginny a lot too."
"Oh," said Harry looking slightly disappointed. Why hadn't Sirius written? "Wait, the Weasley's are there?"
"Yup! Been there since school finished. They were worried the Burrow would be attacked."
Harry looked guilty. Because of him, the Weasley's wouldn't be able to live in their house this summer.
"Don't you dare feel guilty. It's not just because of you. The Weasley's are a prominent family and have always shown their support for Dumbledore."
Harry nodded, feeling slightly better, but couldn't shake off the feeling that the Weasley's were in danger because of him.
"Hermione's there too. I was surprised you weren't, but I suspect that is because Dumbledore believes Voldemort can read your mind."
"Oh," Harry nodded. "That's okay, this is the last summer I'll have to stay here anyway. Uh, before you go can I ask you to cast a silencing charm around my room so I don't wake the Dursley's up?"
"Already done, Kid."
Harry grinned. "Thanks. I'll see you later, Nymphet."
"Sure thing, Kid. My next shift is in two day."
"Bye" said Harry, enveloped Tonks in a hug. "Thanks for everything," he whispered.
"My pleasure," Tonks whispered back. "I've enjoyed talking to you."
They stepped apart and with a final wave, Tonks was gone.
Harry sighed and sat down on the bed. Only now did he realize that Tonks had gone an entire afternoon without tripping over anything. Although there wasn't much to trip over in his room. And they had been sitting most of the time. That probably explained it then. He got up again and sat down at his desk. He hadn't written a single letter, except for a thank you note to Ginny, all summer.
Well Ron was the easiest. They hadn't had a proper conversation since he and Hermione had started dating, but they still talked sometimes.
Ron,
Hey, how are you? Busy with Hermione I bet!
I'm alright here, the Muggles aren't too bad,
and I've got plenty of homework to keep me
busy. I guess I'll get it done before I'm allowed
to go to the Order Headquarters. Hermione will
be pleased. Say hello to the rest of your family
for me.
Your friend,
Harry.
Short, but it'll do. Hermione next. He wrote pretty much the same thing, making sure to emphasize that he was doing his homework. He was stuck at the Dursley's. They couldn't expect very news-y letters. Only Ginny and Sirius were left. He thought of writing to Tonks, but decided not to, since she was coming back soon. He started a letter to Sirius, leaving Ginny for last.
Sirius,
How are you? Are you staying at Headquarters?
I'm fine, the Muggles are not too bad. Can't wait
to come to Headquarters though. How is it,
by the way? Get all the creatures and things out
yet? My scar's been fine, hasn't bothered me at
all. I guess that Occlumency worked. What's been
going on in the Wizarding World recently? I can't
get the Daily Prophet because too many owls would
attract the Muggles attention. And what they print
is all lies anyway. So, I should go now, I'm working
on a particularly nasty potions essay. Say hello to
Remus for me.
--Harry.
'Liar,' he thought to himself. But he didn't trust Sirius not to tell Dumbledore what he told him. He loved his godfather dearly, but sometimes, he told Dumbledore a little too much. Now Ginny. He was quite worried about her, after the kidnapping.
Dear Angel,
How are you? If you ever need anyone to talk
to, I'm here you know. I'm okay here, the
Muggles aren't too bad. Annoying, but you
can't expect too much. I can't wait to go to
the Headquarters and see you again. How's
Ron treating you? He's not being too much
of a Git, is he?
Don't tell anyone, but Tonks came and visited
me, while she was on Guard Duty. She's great.
If you don't want to talk to me, you could talk to
her, I'm sure she would listen. Anyway, it's getting
late, so I'm going to go. Write back, so I don't
die of boredom here!
Keep smiling Gin,
Love,
Harry.
He tied all the letters to Hedwig, who hooted at him and took off towards Grimmuald Place. Finally, he turned to the trunk he had found yesterday. He walked over and touched it. It felt like it recognized him, and swung open. He peered inside wondering what his mother stored in the Dursley's attic.
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A/N: I really liked writing this chapter. I love Tonks. This isn't going to be Harry/Tonks though. She's more of a big sister to him. She's not telling Dumbledore because she understands why Harry's mad, so she's not going to tell him unless Harry is in danger or something. Also, do you think Harry's acting OOC?
Wow, I'm getting reviews! Thank you people!!
athenakitty - James is an Unspeakable, so he goes away a LOT. Sirius is an Auror, so he's usually home. Harry's gotten used to Sirius so he calls him Daddy. They (James and Sirius) look pretty similar to a baby I'd imagine.
Fiery Pheonix - Sorry, but all my chapters have been pretty short so far. I'm working on making them longer. Thanks though! And yes, I agree. Harry would be such a hottie if he got some clothes that fit.
Ms.Marvel - Yes, the baby died =( But like I said, I may do a spin-off kind of thing where it lives. I've got some ideas for it.