In case you were curious… I don't own any of this - characters and whatnot - it belongs to J.K. Rowling.
As soon as she arrived in headquarters and made her way to the area surrounding the kitchen, which is where most of the commotion was, she saw what could only be described as pandemonium. Witches and wizards were running back and forth shouting out ideas and possible locations they might find Harry. She was drawn back to what Harry had said about them caring for the real him, or the boy in the prophecy, and a sad smile found its way to her face. Pushing these thoughts aside, she quickly found Dumbledore in the sitting room, sitting with his pressed together in a ball of sorts, apparently lost in thought.
"Professor Dumbledore," she said softly, but it was enough to rouse the aged wizard out of his thoughts.
"Yes Ms. Tonks?" He replied, defeat showing in his voice, before looking up and seeing the awkward smile on her face.
"I have found and spoken with Harry" She told him lightly.
Dumbledore was immediately on his feet and made his way to the adjacent room, where he used his commanding voice and ordered for silence, before turning back to Tonks, who had followed.
"Where is he?" The old wizard inquired.
These three simple words had an amazing impact on the other occupants of the room. Molly Weasley, who had been crying, as well as some others, stopped the falling tears; a few people, such as Remus Lupin and Kingsley Shacklebolt had some color return to their faces, and a few who Tonks despised afterwards, said things such as 'Thank goodness, what would we have done if anything happened.' Tonks, after a few moments of silence, shocked everyone with her response.
"I can't tell you, sir."
By the look on their faces, this was obviously not the Order had expected to hear, and some members gave shouts of outrage. Dumbledore however, just calmly asked the question on everyone's mind.
"Why not Ms. Tonks?"
"Because I gave him my word sir; he is safe now and wants to go away for a while."
More protests could be heard before Dumbledore silenced them with his next statement. "I am afraid I can't allow that" he told her sternly.
"Well sir, I told him I would be back in 15 minutes, which leaves me about 10. He could leave after that time and I daresay you wouldn't find him – he did, after all, see you, Severus, and I searching for him earlier." She trailed off a moment before continuing. "He explained several things to me before I cam, some that others may be interested to hear – about some choices he made about a 'Wormtail.' He also mentioned a few other things a bit more personal, however, after arriving here a few minutes ago I think his thoughts are pretty accurate." Tonks finished off, glaring at several of the Order members.
"What do you propose? You are the one who spoke with him and knows what he is feeling." Dumbledore asked her calmly, though he was still looking at her intently.
"He feels as he should," she began, causing a few confused looks in her direction. She dismissed this and continued. "I would ask that you allow me to go with him, wherever that may be – he will go either way."
"Tonks," Dumbledore began quite sternly, "I am afraid that I can not allow you to accompany him, and furthermore, I insist you tell me where he is; it is imperative that he return to safety".
After hearing this, Tonks wore a mask of disappointment, but taking a deep breath and strengthening her resolve, she replied.
"Sir, I mean you no disrespect, but Harry told me you made, and admitted to, a mistake in the past concerning him, and I am sorry, but I will not tell you where he is."
She then took of a necklace, one that held a small medallion with a Phoenix engraving in the center, and handed it to Dumbledore, then continued speaking.
"You just made another mistake. I will let you know when we will return." And with that, she disappeared.
Her first stop was her flat, where she quickly gathered her clothes and broom and put it all in a large duffle bag, before apparating a few more places at random before returning to the train yard, and Harry.
When she arrived at the train yard Harry was mildly surprised to see her carrying a bag and broomstick with her, but before he had a chance to voice his surprise, she told him to mount his broom so they could get going. Harry, who had taken his broom out while she was gone, looked at her with bewilderment for a moment before mounting his broom and following her lead.
Since it was still late at night, they had a few hours before the sun would begin to rise. They used their time to their advantage, and finally, nearly 3 hours later, set down in a small wooded area just south of Scotland – hide in plain sight Tonks had said. As soon as they were on the ground, Harry began his questioning.
"What was that all about? Were you being followed?" He asked.
Tonks smiled slightly before speaking. "That was us getting away from Surrey, where some members of the Order are still searching for you. Whether or not we were being followed; I don't know, but better safe than sorry."
Tonks moved to sit on a patch of grass, and Harry followed her lead before speaking.
"And why are you carrying a bag with you?" He asked, honestly not realizing that she was going with him, wherever.
Tonks repositioned herself so she was facing Harry before speaking again.
"Harry, before I begin to tell you everything, will you let me finish - before asking questions?"
He nodded, and allowed her to continue.
"Ok, good. I have my bag with me because I am going to go with you, wherever that is. When I asked you to wait, I went to Order headquarters and told Dumbledore that I had found you and that you were planning to leave. He, of course, wanted to know where you were, but I refused to tell him. Then I asked him if I could go with you, to which he also refused."
She paused for a moment, but as Harry remained silent, she went on.
"I told him that you told me a few things, about some choices the two of you had made in the past – nothing personal - " she added after seeing his face tighten "I also told him you were tired of having your life lived for you. After that I mentioned that you told me a few more personal things that are yours alone to share, if and when you decide, but after arriving there, I thought your thoughts were pretty close to the truth; this is when he insisted to know your location. Finally, I told him that he had before, and was now making a mistake; I handed in my order medallion, which can be used to track and contact me, and left."
Harry was looking at her with a mixture of shock and awe, but this quickly changed to something akin to sadness as he thought about her quitting because of him. Tonks, after taking a moment to catch her breath, continued, hoping to stop Harry from falling into whatever sadness was threatening him.
"After I left headquarters, I went to my flat to grab a few things, apparated a few random places in case I was followed, met you again, and here we are." She finished brightly, and apparently pleased with her choice.
Inside, Harry was glad that she wanted to come with him, not only could she help him with the things he wanted to learn, but she was also great company – and after what she had just told him, he was pretty sure he could trust her. Tonks, however, was unsure about what Harry was feeling, so she was watching his face intently, looking for anything that would let her know what he was thinking, or how he felt.
"Why did you want to come?" Harry asked her bluntly, while also watching her closely.
Successfully startled by the abruptness of the question, and the look he was giving her, Tonks looked right back at him before answering.
"Harry," she said softly, "I don't doubt that you are right about how some people see you – the boy in the prophecy, but that is not how I see you. I like to think I see you for whom and what you really are, though I am still learning that. I chose to come with you for a few reasons; to help you – I assume you are leaving the country so you can learn and practice magic like you said, also, to help keep you safe – not because I think of you as the last hope we have left, and lastly, for good company. I think it would do well for you to have a friend around, and that is what I would like to be – a friend of yours."
Harry thought this seemed nice, and could tell she was honest and sincere in her story and plans, as well as her wish to become friends. The only x-factor was whether or not she would agree to help teach him what he planned on learning, and agree to his choice of destination. Still a little dumb-struck by all she had said and done, he merely nodded his head in agreement, to which she smiled in return; then spoke again.
"So, have you figured out where we are going yet?" She asked, nonchalantly.
"Well, I did some research, and thinking, and decided it would be best to stay clear of areas with a big concentration of magical people. I figure the less magical people around, the less chance there will be of me being recognized, or Voldemort and the Order figuring out where I am. I decided that Prague, or somewhere near there, in the Czech Republic, would be the best place, since most witches and wizards fled the area while it was under communist rule and have yet to return. Also, it is a pretty small country, so if for some reason we do need to move around, we shouldn't draw to much attention to ourselves. There are also a lot of tourists there year-round, so we won't look out of place. I was planning on flying there a little each night since I don't have a passport, and one would be needed at the border of the Czech Republic. If my calculations are right, we should be able to reach it in two nights of flying."
He paused for a moment before continuing, albeit very hesitantly.
"So – do you, uh, still want to go?" He asked hopefully.
"Yes, I do. I also think that another advantage of being there would be the news, or lack there of. Without you having daily reports of Voldemort, you should be able to concentrate fully, and stay focused, on your training."
Looking up, Harry noticed that the sun was just beginning to break into the horizon, reminding him of the long and eventful night that had just passed. It was quite a sight for him to see, the early morning sky, though he didn't have time to relish in the beauty many spoke of; he was interrupted by Tonks.
"Well, I say it's about time for breakfast, then we need to find a place to stay – what do you say Harry?"
Still slightly lost in the moment, he managed to get out, "Uh… yeah, breakfast…. That sounds good."
After the two of them had a quick breakfast, they found a small hotel, where they each got a room and rested for a while before they would head off that evening. Around 8 p.m. Tonks went to get Harry, and after he emerged, from his room the two of them made their way to the clearing they had arrived at that morning. Quickly discussing the best route to take, they flew off in the direction Holland, which they reached fairly quickly – all things considered. Stopping there for the evening, they quickly found a bus that would take them to Frankfurt, Germany. Harry only obliged after Tonks had conjured a crude passport for each of them, and the fact that, much as he loved flying, he was dead tired from it.
After purchasing tickets from Rotterdam to Frankfurt, they boarded the bus, and decided it would be best to try to get a little sleep, so in shifts of 2 hours, they slept, allowing for each of them one shift, and then a little time after to arrive. Arriving in Frankfurt, they spent the majority of the time just looking around, taking in the few sights and checking out the many shops near the train station Tonks drug him to, having been there previously, until it was nearing time to leave.
After a quick dinner they, once again, boarded a train to Dresden, where they would de-board and fly the rest of the way – mostly in fear of the off chance their bags could be search; their passports not looking at all official.
It was several hours later, when they arrived in Dresden and the sun had set not more than a few hours previously, and they mounted their brooms to fly over the border and into unknown territory. They arrived in the outskirts of Prague around 3 a.m., and decided they should head to center of the historic city to look for postings and advertisements offering houses to rent. After a long walk and several street cars later, they finally arrived in the center around 5 a.m. and stopped at a nearby exchange stand to switch currency – one of the items Tonks brought being a decent supply of British Pounds – got a quick breakfast, and began to search for a place to stay.
Barely 10 minutes into their search, they were approached by a thirty-something male, who asked if they needed a place to stay, and after answering 'yes', sent them to a local tourist company that specialized in renting homes to tourists. After speaking with the agent at the office, and a few phone calls later, they were on their way to a section of Prague not far from the center, where an elderly lady had offered use of an unused home. They were informed that the price would be named, and could be negotiated, when they arrived and met with the owner, so both were currently deep in thought of what an acceptable price would be to pay, based on the size of the home.
As soon as they arrived, most of these thoughts went out the window. The house, a white brick two-story home, was surrounded by a nearly 5 foot brick wall, with large shrubs adding another 2 or 3 feet to that height, making it virtually impossible to see onto the premises. A gate stood outside blocking entrance to the home, which would halt unwanted and unexpected visitors, and the lot was quite large, rather atypical of most homes in the area.
Once they were let in, they introduced themselves the woman that owned the home, Mrs. Petra Novotna, and exchanged pleasantries, then continued to the rear of the house so they could first have a view of the privacy they would be offered. The yard, nearly 75 feet long and 25 feet wide, was guarded much the same as the front, the same brick wall separating it from the lots around it, and similar, though slightly taller shrubs up against it. After thoroughly looking around the back, they headed inside and were shown the house.
The house was spacious, with a large living area and a kitchen with an adjoining breakfast area that allowed them a view of the back yard was located on the bottom floor. On the opposite side of the kitchen, across the living area, was a small office/study and a restroom under the stairs, something Harry silently said he wouldn't be using anytime soon. Upstairs were three bedrooms and a large bathroom, all furnished as was the lower floor. The largest bedroom was located directly at the end of the hall, and was obvious, without even seeing the other rooms, to be the master bedroom. It was furnished with a king-size wrought-iron bed, with ivory colored hangings pulled closed around it. An adjoining bathroom was found near the back left of the room, and had a shower & bath, as well as some hanging cabinets. The two smaller rooms were nearly identical, each wit ha twin-sized bed and a few furniture pieces; wardrobe, dresser, and nightstand. Located on the opposite side of the hallway was a large bathroom, much the same as the one located in the master bedroom, and a large storage closet just to the left of it.
After seeing the inside of the house in entirety, they went back downstairs to the living room to discuss the rent. After taking a seat, in which Mrs. Novotna offered each of them a cup of tea, which they appreciated and accepted, they began the discussion – Tonks, as usual, starting the conversation.
"Mrs. Novotna, this house seems perfect!" she said happily. "How much are you asking per month of rent?"
"I would like to ask for 30,000 Czech Korunnas per month for rent. That will be for rent, gas, electric, and phone. I know it is a lot, but this is a large house and is very private. Will this be ok for you?" She asked.
Tonks and Harry spoke quietly amongst themselves, and figured that 30,000 korunnas would be about 616 pounds a month, something they could handle, and would be easier once Harry sent away for some money from Gringotts, he was sure they could send him British notes. They quickly agreed to accept the offer, and made a deal.
"Mrs. Novotna, we really don't need any time to think about it, it is an excellent house and we think the offer is good also. Would it be possible to pay for one month now, and once month in a week or two?" Harry said.
"Of course" she said brightly "I will leave my phone number here with you, you can call me anytime if you need anything, and when you decide to pay for the next month, please call and I will arrange to come and pick it up."
Looking to Tonks, she mock-glared at him, and pulled out most of what was left of the money she brought with her and paid Mrs. Novotna.
"Thank you very much Mrs. Novotna." Tonks said. "We appreciate you allowing us to stay here and will call you within the next week or so to arrange the next payment."
"Oh, thank you, I will be going now, and I will leave your keys and a map of the area here" she said as she laid them down on the coffee table in front of the couch "and please call me if you need anything – Bye."
As soon as she was out of the gate, Harry and Tonks both heaved a sigh of relief, neither believing their luck at finding such a place as quick as they had, and with the privacy it offered. They both decided to take their things and put them in their respective rooms, and then clean up. While making their way Harry suggested to Tonks that she should take the master bedroom since he was used to sleeping in a small room and she was here for his benefit, as well as safety. She agreed, albeit reluctantly, and they each entered their room.
A few minutes after sorting through his bag and arranging his few possessions, he heard a crash from downstairs, and a mild yell from Tonks telling him that she was fin and not to worry. Knowing that she must have broken something, he left his room and made his way to the top of the stairs; looking down, he couldn't help but laugh at the sight he saw.
Tonks was currently attempting to untangle herself from what Harry thought must be the curtains from one of the large windows downstairs – only he couldn't see any of them missing. The floor around her was covered with soil from one of the potted plants that once stood just to the left of the base of the stairs, and she had a few leaves scattered on the floor around her and in her hair. Trying his best to talk through his much needed laughter, he was finally able to get something out.
"What happened?" He asked.
Tonks did her best to glare at him, but he was oblivious. Neither did she reply at once, but kept at her attempt to rid herself of the curtain, which now resembled a toga the way it was wrapped around her. Finally, Harry went down the stairs and helped her extract herself from the curtain. Once that was done, she used her wand to clean herself up from the rest of the mess, and Harry repeated his earlier question, while adding 'are you ok?"
"Of course I'm ok. Think happens to me all the time, you know. As for what happened, I was trying to open the window up there," She said while pointing to a window over Harry's shoulder. Turning, he saw it was at the top of the stairs. "Anyway, Anyway, I was going to open it, but it was stuck so I pulled harder, and when it finally came open I fell back and grabbed the curtain in my haste. Well, those came off, as you saw, and I spun around, lost my balance, and kinda fell down the stairs, where I knocked over the plant. Also where you decided you would be more help laughing at me instead of helping – I'll remember that" She finished, trying to sound serious and stern, but smiling nonetheless.
"Well, I'm glad you're ok; and thank you for that, that's the first time I've laughed in a long time".
The rest of the day passed quickly for Harry as it was spent mostly discussing what he had planned on learning during his stay. For the most part Tonks was in agreement and made very few suggestions or objections. One thing she told Harry that rattled him a little was that she was going to continue his Occlumency training, and hopefully have him well on his way by the time they returned. This had brought back some bad memories and brought forth some spite, as professor Snape, his hated potions master was supposed to teach him last year, though only managed to make Harry's scare ache continuously before finally kicking him, rather forcefully out of his office. This of course reminded him of his late god-father, who, if he had made more of an effort at the mind-blocking technique, would probably still be alive and well. On the other hand, he was relieved that he would be taught by someone he could trust; Tonks had been nothing but honest and trustworthy towards him so far.
That night Harry slept almost peacefully; he still had visions of Voldemort, but as the ministry had finally conceded the fact that he had returned, and he had no idea whether or not the visions were real, he ignored them as best he could. Harry had committed as many details as he could to memory, not to torture himself, but because he believed they shouldn't be forgotten – especially if they had happened. He had heard stories of Voldemort's first 'reign of terror', as it was dubbed, and noticed that few attacks were thought to be worthy of remembrance with the exception of his, and he had vowed that it would not be so this time; if he could help it.
Throughout the few weeks that school had been out, Harry had made many pacts and pledges with himself. He was steadfast in the belief that he was responsible for what was happening now and it was up to him to stop it – also due in no small part to the prophecy he had been informed of. He had vowed to learn as much as possible to help him survive; sure Dumbledore had hinted that his hidden power could be that of love, but even if this were true, that would hardly save him from the death eaters, and they would surely fight for their master. As best he could tell, once he mastered Occlumency, he would also need to master Legilimency, with love being something that Voldemort can't stand, he would need to trap Voldemort in his mind and focus on the love his mother had saved him with, as well as the love he both gave and received; he figured. Back to the problem, this would do nothing to help him against the death eaters, which is why he was planning on learning all he could – including the so-called 'Dark Arts'. Voldemort surely wouldn't expect that; precisely why he should learn it, and now he had Tonks to help him.
Ok just to let those few know, yes, this will eventually be a Harry/Tonks fic, though it won't happen right off, I think they need some time to develop a friendship first.
Also, this is the first time I have written anything (aside from reports and whatnot) since first grade, which has been about 18 or so years, so go easy on me, please.