I'm really sorry it's been so long since I updated but last week I had play
practice 'til almost midnight every night and then shows all weekend. Then
this week I had to catch up on all my homework and I've got 4 shows this
weekend. But besides that I couldn't figure out the details of the attack,
but I've got it sorted out anyway. Here's the next chapter. I'll try to
post the next one as soon as I can. Please read and review!
Harry sighed. Why did life have to be so difficult? It was finally Saturday again and he had arranged with Dumbledore to go visit Tonks. Hermione and Ron had offered to come too but Harry said he'd rather go alone, so they were making their own visit to her later on. He got dressed and was standing in front of the gargoyle that guarded Dumbledore's office by 7.
"Chocolate frogs." The gargoyle sprang aside and let him in. Harry knocked on the door to the office.
"Come in!" came Dumbledore's jovial voice.
Harry opened the door and discovered Dumbledore was standing there wearing purple pajamas with shooting stars on them. Harry stared for a second. "Er, Professor?"
"Ah, yes, Harry, I shall be ready directly. Allow me a moment to go and change. I didn't get up as early as I anticipated this morning. There's some breakfast for you on my desk." He went through the door that led to his living space.
Fawkes fluttered to Harry's shoulder and began to sing to him while Harry ate and waited for Dumbledore.
Dumbledore came back out.
"Professor, how are we getting to St. Mungos?"
"Hagrid has readied a pair of threstles for us. You never know who is monitoring the Floo network."
"What if some Muggle sees us?"
"That's the reason we are leaving so early. It should be dark enough that we go unseen. You've brought your cloak I trust?"
"Yes, sir." It wasn't his invisibility cloak, that would be virtually useless while flying, but an ordinary school cloak to keep him warm.
"Then we shall go meet Hagrid. He is waiting by his house for us." Fawkes returned to his perch and the Headmaster and his pupil made their way down through the school and across the grounds. Nearly no one was awake yet.
"Professor Dumbledore! 'Arry! 'ow are yeh 'Arry? 'aven't seen yeh fer a while." He enveloped both of them in a bone-crushing hug.
When he let go, the headmaster asked, "Are the threstles ready, Hagrid?"
"Yes, Professor. They're right over here on the other side of the house."
"Thank you, Hagrid. Will you fetch them?"
"Yes, Professor." Hagrid disappeared to fetch them.
"I daresay you still remember how to ride, Harry?"
"I don't think it's something I could forget if I wanted to."
Hagrid led one of the threstles to Dumbledore, and the other one to Harry. Harry watched Dumbledore put his leg over the threstle and climb on with ease; Dumbledore was a spry old man. Harry awkwardly tried to clamber onto the creature's back. He was a little taller this year but he still had a great deal of difficulty. In the end, Hagrid just picked Harry up by the scruff of his neck and dropped him on top of the beast. "Hang on tight, 'Arry!"
Dumbledore and Harry both took off and Hagrid called, "G'bye, Professor. G'bye, Harry!"
The ride past much the same as the only other time he'd ridden a threstle, only this time he went to St. Mungos. They left the threstles outside Purge and Dowse Ltd. It was early enough that there was hardly anyone about, and no one saw them land. Dumbledore spoke to the manikin in the window, requesting to see Nymphadora Tonks.
Once they were inside the hospital they went in search of Tonks, they found her quite easily.
"Wotcher, Harry! Good to see you." She tried to sit up but the effort seemed to exhaust her.
"Are you alright, Tonks?" asked Harry. Well, that was a stupid question. If she was alright, she wouldn't be there.
"Sure. I'll be good as new in a couple days." She gave a little grin.
Harry sat down in the chair beside the bed. "What happened?" He saw Tonks glance at Dumbledore. Harry could have sworn he saw Dumbledore nod.
The Headmaster said, "I'm going to see to a few of the other patients here. I'll be back soon."
Harry repeated his question, "What happened?"
"Well," and she told him. She ended by saying, "It's not the first attack of this war, Harry, and it's not going to be the last. There were no fatalities this time, but we might not be so lucky next time. We've already lost that Hufflepuff and my cousin."
Harry bit his lip. "I will kill Bellatrix Lestrange."
"That's not the way, Harry. I'd love to kill her too but . . . that's just lowering ourselves to their standards. We can't do that. Not until we've got no other choice. There will be a better way to deal with them but that's not it. You've learned to cope with the dead, now you've got to learn how to get along with the living. Harry, I'm sorry for the lot life's dealt you. My lot ain't pretty either. I thought Sirius had it bad, I thought Remus had it bad, but you take the cake. But all of us have gone on and we're going to keep going on and so will you. If you don't, the consequences . . .well, you know enough."
"I don't want to deal with this," he muttered, not expecting or wanting her to hear.
But she did. "Harry, none of us do. But we've got two choices. Turn a blind eye and deaf ear and ignore what's happening or do something about it. You don't seem like the kind of bloke to just ignore something like this."
"But isn't that what got Sirius killed? Me trying to play the hero," he said bitterly.
She sighed. "Kid, come sit here."
He would have taken offense at anyone else calling him 'kid'; he'd spent his summer trying to convince people he wasn't a kid and shouldn't be treated as one. Fred and George were right. Tonks was different. Even though she'd called him 'kid' she was speaking like he was an equal; and as far as he was concerned, he was. He moved and sat on the edge of the bed and she gripped his hand. "Sirius was always somewhat rash. He didn't like being cooped up in that house. You know what it feels like. He couldn't even leave in the safety of his animagus shape anymore. He loved you and would have done anything he could to save you. That's why he went. Just like you loved him. Like brothers, or a father and son. As far as I'm concerned, you're my cousin."
"Thanks, Tonks." He had an odd little family growing. He imagined a family portrait. Lupin would be his surrogate father, Mrs. Weasly his mother. Hermione his sister, Ron his brother. Dumbledore maybe a grandpa? And his cousin Tonks. She was better than Dudley. He wanted to laugh.
She patted his arm. "I heard you found a letter from Sirius. You don't have to tell me about it if you don't want to."
"Yeah." He didn't say anything for a minute. "The letter wasn't finished. It was from the day we went to the Department of Mysteries. He told me to listen to Mrs. Weasley. Told me he couldn't wait to teach me to drive his flying motorcycle. He started mentioning something about my aunt but the letter wasn't finished. I went to Professor Lupin later on this year and he explained."
Tonks was grinning a little.
"What?" he asked.
"I know how to drive the flying motorcycle."
"Really?"
"Yeah. Sirius showed me. I can show you sometime."
"That sounds great."
Dumbledore came back in, "It's time, Harry."
"All right. I'm coming." He stood up.
"Do me a favor, will ya?"
"Yeah. What?"
"Never send me another letter addressed 'Dora'."
Harry laughed. "Sure thing."
Harry sighed. Why did life have to be so difficult? It was finally Saturday again and he had arranged with Dumbledore to go visit Tonks. Hermione and Ron had offered to come too but Harry said he'd rather go alone, so they were making their own visit to her later on. He got dressed and was standing in front of the gargoyle that guarded Dumbledore's office by 7.
"Chocolate frogs." The gargoyle sprang aside and let him in. Harry knocked on the door to the office.
"Come in!" came Dumbledore's jovial voice.
Harry opened the door and discovered Dumbledore was standing there wearing purple pajamas with shooting stars on them. Harry stared for a second. "Er, Professor?"
"Ah, yes, Harry, I shall be ready directly. Allow me a moment to go and change. I didn't get up as early as I anticipated this morning. There's some breakfast for you on my desk." He went through the door that led to his living space.
Fawkes fluttered to Harry's shoulder and began to sing to him while Harry ate and waited for Dumbledore.
Dumbledore came back out.
"Professor, how are we getting to St. Mungos?"
"Hagrid has readied a pair of threstles for us. You never know who is monitoring the Floo network."
"What if some Muggle sees us?"
"That's the reason we are leaving so early. It should be dark enough that we go unseen. You've brought your cloak I trust?"
"Yes, sir." It wasn't his invisibility cloak, that would be virtually useless while flying, but an ordinary school cloak to keep him warm.
"Then we shall go meet Hagrid. He is waiting by his house for us." Fawkes returned to his perch and the Headmaster and his pupil made their way down through the school and across the grounds. Nearly no one was awake yet.
"Professor Dumbledore! 'Arry! 'ow are yeh 'Arry? 'aven't seen yeh fer a while." He enveloped both of them in a bone-crushing hug.
When he let go, the headmaster asked, "Are the threstles ready, Hagrid?"
"Yes, Professor. They're right over here on the other side of the house."
"Thank you, Hagrid. Will you fetch them?"
"Yes, Professor." Hagrid disappeared to fetch them.
"I daresay you still remember how to ride, Harry?"
"I don't think it's something I could forget if I wanted to."
Hagrid led one of the threstles to Dumbledore, and the other one to Harry. Harry watched Dumbledore put his leg over the threstle and climb on with ease; Dumbledore was a spry old man. Harry awkwardly tried to clamber onto the creature's back. He was a little taller this year but he still had a great deal of difficulty. In the end, Hagrid just picked Harry up by the scruff of his neck and dropped him on top of the beast. "Hang on tight, 'Arry!"
Dumbledore and Harry both took off and Hagrid called, "G'bye, Professor. G'bye, Harry!"
The ride past much the same as the only other time he'd ridden a threstle, only this time he went to St. Mungos. They left the threstles outside Purge and Dowse Ltd. It was early enough that there was hardly anyone about, and no one saw them land. Dumbledore spoke to the manikin in the window, requesting to see Nymphadora Tonks.
Once they were inside the hospital they went in search of Tonks, they found her quite easily.
"Wotcher, Harry! Good to see you." She tried to sit up but the effort seemed to exhaust her.
"Are you alright, Tonks?" asked Harry. Well, that was a stupid question. If she was alright, she wouldn't be there.
"Sure. I'll be good as new in a couple days." She gave a little grin.
Harry sat down in the chair beside the bed. "What happened?" He saw Tonks glance at Dumbledore. Harry could have sworn he saw Dumbledore nod.
The Headmaster said, "I'm going to see to a few of the other patients here. I'll be back soon."
Harry repeated his question, "What happened?"
"Well," and she told him. She ended by saying, "It's not the first attack of this war, Harry, and it's not going to be the last. There were no fatalities this time, but we might not be so lucky next time. We've already lost that Hufflepuff and my cousin."
Harry bit his lip. "I will kill Bellatrix Lestrange."
"That's not the way, Harry. I'd love to kill her too but . . . that's just lowering ourselves to their standards. We can't do that. Not until we've got no other choice. There will be a better way to deal with them but that's not it. You've learned to cope with the dead, now you've got to learn how to get along with the living. Harry, I'm sorry for the lot life's dealt you. My lot ain't pretty either. I thought Sirius had it bad, I thought Remus had it bad, but you take the cake. But all of us have gone on and we're going to keep going on and so will you. If you don't, the consequences . . .well, you know enough."
"I don't want to deal with this," he muttered, not expecting or wanting her to hear.
But she did. "Harry, none of us do. But we've got two choices. Turn a blind eye and deaf ear and ignore what's happening or do something about it. You don't seem like the kind of bloke to just ignore something like this."
"But isn't that what got Sirius killed? Me trying to play the hero," he said bitterly.
She sighed. "Kid, come sit here."
He would have taken offense at anyone else calling him 'kid'; he'd spent his summer trying to convince people he wasn't a kid and shouldn't be treated as one. Fred and George were right. Tonks was different. Even though she'd called him 'kid' she was speaking like he was an equal; and as far as he was concerned, he was. He moved and sat on the edge of the bed and she gripped his hand. "Sirius was always somewhat rash. He didn't like being cooped up in that house. You know what it feels like. He couldn't even leave in the safety of his animagus shape anymore. He loved you and would have done anything he could to save you. That's why he went. Just like you loved him. Like brothers, or a father and son. As far as I'm concerned, you're my cousin."
"Thanks, Tonks." He had an odd little family growing. He imagined a family portrait. Lupin would be his surrogate father, Mrs. Weasly his mother. Hermione his sister, Ron his brother. Dumbledore maybe a grandpa? And his cousin Tonks. She was better than Dudley. He wanted to laugh.
She patted his arm. "I heard you found a letter from Sirius. You don't have to tell me about it if you don't want to."
"Yeah." He didn't say anything for a minute. "The letter wasn't finished. It was from the day we went to the Department of Mysteries. He told me to listen to Mrs. Weasley. Told me he couldn't wait to teach me to drive his flying motorcycle. He started mentioning something about my aunt but the letter wasn't finished. I went to Professor Lupin later on this year and he explained."
Tonks was grinning a little.
"What?" he asked.
"I know how to drive the flying motorcycle."
"Really?"
"Yeah. Sirius showed me. I can show you sometime."
"That sounds great."
Dumbledore came back in, "It's time, Harry."
"All right. I'm coming." He stood up.
"Do me a favor, will ya?"
"Yeah. What?"
"Never send me another letter addressed 'Dora'."
Harry laughed. "Sure thing."