Chapter Four
AN: I am a terrible updater and can only blame illness and school for refusing to let me be, as well as praising to the heavens my wonderful reviewers. This is only my 2nd fanfic and I appreciate hearing what you think.
As Hermione and Harry stood close to releasing their flood of questions, Ron, who had and advantage over them with his ability to speak without necessarily engaging his brain stepped in first. "Hermione told you to be Scottish didn't she", he said.
Tonks simply laughed and said "Well I never thought I'd be forced back to school again", she pointed out before adding ruefully "at some points I actually believed I'd be barred from the grounds, so I have to keep myself entertained somehow"
Hermione had been standing poised throughout this entire exchange, not even attempting to disguise her impatience at this interlude and almost shouted now, to prevent the two going off on a tangent "What can you tell us Tonks, what's going on, we heard about the two battles this week and we want to know if everyone's all right and ... ", Tonks sighed.
"I assume you've heard about the three Aurors", at the business-like nods Tonks continued "Well Dung was injured quite badly and Dedalus' brother was killed compared to three Deatheater casualties and one injured". A moment of silence reigned over the classroom for a moment before Tonks continued hesitantly, "I've also been asked to warn you that Hagrid's off tonight for Durham as we've got reports of an imminent ambush from our sources. Just to let you know not to worry and .....", Tonks swallowed awkwardly as Harry glanced away to avoid the memories conjured up by the appearance of the Metamorphmagus".
Ron quickly leapt in to diffuse the situation, "So who will be covering Hagrid's lessons he asked", although it was a pointless question since Professor Grubbly-Plank must have been on permanent stand-by Harry was grateful and saw Hermione squeeze her boyfriends arm.
Tonks coughed, "Well actually", she said a faint flush rising to those currently marble cheeks as she stumbled over her words, in much the same way as she stumbled over everything else, "Charlie's going to cover the lessons". At this, Hermione's eyes had snapped to Tonk's and her eyebrows had raised, as Tonk's face grew redder and redder. Harry dismissed it out of hand since he was having more than enough trouble trying to understand the actions of one crazy girl, without trying to grasp the rest of them, he had learnt his lesson the previous year, if you want to understand a girl, ask another girl. He often saw Ron grabbing Ginny's arm in the common room when something was up with Hermione as the safest thing for everyone.
After a little further conversation the three left, Harry with a sense of doom moving off to Potions, Hermione to her Transfiguration class and Ron to Charms. As Harry briefly turned back to say Goodbye he saw Tonks viewing her reflection in a mirror before apparating.
When he had returned to Grimmauld Place after his few weeks with the Dursley's spent watching the news, his Aunt Petunia and the Daily Prophet and contemplating his Godfather's death he had been brought down to Earth. He was not the only one who suffered. Firstly there had been Tonks, who had arrived at his house without destroying a thing, her grief briefly lending her a dignity while the scars from her encounters with her Aunt healed. Then arriving at the house which Harry despised and yet felt a desperate connection to for his Godfather's sake Harry again saw Remus. Harry had been angry with the Werewolf for holding him back at the Department but could hardly bear to speak to him now. He had his suspicions at what the two men he knew so little about and yet knew so well had been though he couldn't speak of it. Not to the man who bore an air of melancholy, seeming to belong more to the past than to the here and now.