Disclaimer: I own nothing except the squirrel.

Harry Potter and the Strength of Three

Chapter 4: Invitations

The following morning Harry awoke feeling stiff and sore. Apparently, Tonks' healing charms left something to be desired. He didn't mind though, instead he concentrated on the pain, forced himself to feel it. That's what you get when you leave your wand at home. Moron. Groaning softly, he rose from the bed and slipped his glasses on his nose. They were a little crooked, so with a frustrated sigh, he took them back off, and set about trying to bend them back into shape. After a few minutes of bending and putting the glasses back over his ears, they eventually came to a resemblance of their former shape. He looked up at the sound of tapping on his window.

"Hedwig!" He cried happily, pains and deformed glasses melting from his thoughts. Limping over to the window, he opened it with a grunt, allowing Hedwig to swoop in and land on his table. "Hey there, old girl. Have any trouble?" Hedwig hooted negatively, nipping his finger affectionately as he untied the parchments from her legs. Setting the unread letters on the table, he grabbed her dish and brought it to the bathroom, bringing it back filled to the brim with fresh cool water. Opening the box of owl treats beside the cage, he dumped a few in the other bowl. Hedwig flapped over from her perch on the table to begin drinking the water when he was finished.

Harry,

Glad to hear you are well. A mutual friend informed us of her discovery. Sorry we didn't tell you. Happy to hear you took the information in stride. Don't worry about sending a letter every three days anymore if you do not wish it. Neon can affirm your continued good health. Do not mention your shadow to anyone, whether by writing or word. Have a good summer, we may be seeing you soon.

The Order

Harry frowned over the letter in his hands. Did they mean he was getting out of the Dursleys? Maybe he could go to the Burrow! But somehow, memories of stuffed House Elf heads and snake embossed door handles made him think differently. If they wanted him to go to Headquarters, they'd have to do without him. He wasn't ready to face the home of Sirius so soon. They should know that.

The remaining letter was addressed to him in a loopy hand that Harry knew well. Albus Dumbledore. Grimacing, he set the letter from his Headmaster aside, deciding to read it later. No letter from Ron, Hermione, or anyone else.

Sighing, he stood from the desk and made his way to the bathroom. He showered quickly and left the house just as fast, setting out on his customary morning stroll into Greater Winging. When he got to Maggie's he was surprised to see Dudley sitting in his booth, calmly sipping some tea.

"Morning Dud," Harry yawned. "What's up?" A bruise darkened the area of his jawline, making Harry squirm guiltily. Dudley smiled over his teacup.

"Mornin' Harry. Surprised to see you looking so spry. That girl....Tonks?" Harry nodded. "She must have done a pretty good job. I can't even tell you got in a fight." Harry grinned and nodded at this, looking around for Susan as he did so. She was waiting on a table a few away from his booth.

"Yea, Tonks is great. She's an Auror, you know.." Dudley coughed at this, choking on his tea. "What? You allright?" Harry asked, surprised.

"Keep it down, will ya?" He said quietly, shooting furtive glances towards the old man who was once again watching football on the telly above the bar. He was only a few feet away from the two, and Harry cringed. "Don't want just anyone hearing that stuff, do ya?" Harry nodded to his cousin, beaming at Susan as she walked to the table.

"Good morning, Harry dear." She said warmly, stifling a yawn of her own. "Let me guess, Sausage, eggs and toast, with some Orange juice?" She grinned at Harry's nod, turning to Dudley. "How about you Dudley, want some breakfast now that he's here?" Harry looked over his cousin at this. He was waiting for me to get here before ordering?

"Yes please." Dudley flashed the waitress a grin. "I'll take the same as Harry, only whole grain toast instead of white." Yuck, whole grain bread! Harry shuddered involuntarily, causing Dudley to laugh openly. "Hey, its healthy, you know? I gotta keep in shape for my training." Susan smiled one last time before walking to the kitchen.

"You waited for me to get here before ordering?" Harry asked. "Why? It wouldn't have mattered to me." Dudley shrugged, declining the cigarette Harry offered, pulling out his own pack instead. This is getting expensive. Harry thought. I have to get to Daigon Alley somehow, exchange a few galleons.

"I didn't mind," Dudley intoned, breathing tobacco smoke into his lungs and exhaling it in a cloud above their heads. "I needed to talk to you anyways." Harry looked questioningly at his cousin, nodding for him to continue. "I went and talked to Penny last night....thanks for telling me she wanted to talk, by the way." He smiled at Harry. "Anyway, I went and talked to Penny last night, and we made up." His smile stretched wider, causing his cheeks to dimple slightly in response.

"That's great! Good for you, I'm sure she's a nice girl, Dud." Susan brought their food and set off to another table. Harry started eating with gusto, he was ravenous! Dudley chuckled at his cousin's fervor, and tucked in himself.

"You see," he said between mouthfulls, "I wanted to ask you a favor." Harry nodded around his glass of Orange Juice. "Theres a party tomorrow night, I want you to come." Seeing the question in Harry's eyes, he elaborated. "I want Penny to meet you. To show her that my whole family isn't rotten, you know? You'll come, won't you?"

"Sure. I've never been to a party though." Harry stated, swallowing, before correcting himself. "Outside of school, anyways. What's it like?" Dudley choked at this, coughing violently while looked at Harry through wide eyes. The old man at the bar turned to look at the two curiously, before shrugging and turning back to the TV.

"Never been to a party!?" Dudley squeaked incredulously, before clearing his throat and looking around, embarrassed. "How could you have never been to a party?" He still stared at his cousin as though wondering what cave Harry had been living in. Harry grimaced, before scowling at his cousin.

"I go to a boarding school, yea?" He said, half snarling. "And its not as though I have any friends around here to party with." You made sure of that. The unspoken comment hung in the air, and Dudley sighed, looking apologetic.

"Right..." He cleared his throat. "Sorry about that. Anyway, you'll love it! Zack, that's my friend, he throws a party every Friday of the week. I never miss it." He grinned at Harry. "You've never been drunk then have you?" Harry scowled again, causing Dudley to break into fits of laughter. "S-sorry, heh. You don't know what you're missing. You have to go, now. I'll drag you along by your collar if I have to." He smirked, and Harry wondered if he would really do that. Probably. Harry laughed, pushing aside his empty plate and digging out a smoke, he lit it.

"Ok, ok. I'll go, don't get your knickers in a twist." He laughed. "Every Friday, you said? Do a lot of people usually go?"

"Oh yea, lots." Dudley gushed, clearly looking forward to bringing Harry. "The last party had over a hundred people!" Harry choked at this, coughing smoke into his cousins face who waved it aside with a grimace. "I'm serious! Maybe I can even introduce you to some girls, eh?" He said this with a wink.

"Just as long as none of their names end with 'Parkinson'." Harry intoned, looking his cousin over carefully. Should I go? Harry wondered. It would be a good way to take his mind off things, besides, it sounded like fun. "What time does it start?"

"Around nine, but I'll take you over there before that, probably around seven or so. That way I can introduce you to Zack and a few other people before it gets too crowded. You'll like Zack, he's a good guy. Works at Grunnings, like dad." Dudley grimaced, before shrugging it off and continuing. "Only lower in the food chain, you know? He works on the line." Harry nodded. "You'll like Penny too, she's great. Just be sure to keep your hands to yourself!" Laughing together, the two stood up to leave. Harry left twice his normal tip, to make up for the day before. He felt bad for not leaving one. Dudley stopped him at the door as they left.

"I'm gonna go to Penny's. Wanna meet at your tree tomorrow around six o'clock?" He asked, before frowning. "I don't want to go home to get you, you know?"

"Sure, that'll be fine." Harry nodded, slapping Dudley on the back before turning to go. "I don't want to go there either." He began walking to the park, smoking a cigarette as he hitched the pack on his back. He thought about the party he would be going to. Dudley made it sound fun, that was for sure. But Harry couldn't help but let a worry line cross his brow, something was bothering him. Catching sight of a tear in his jeans, he grimaced, stopping.

He couldn't go to a party! He looked like a bum, all his clothes were way too big and looked as though a dog had been chewing on them. Digging out his wallet, he slowly counted his money. He had enough for about two more days of peanuts and breakfast, but not nearly enough to buy any new clothes. Stuffing the wallet back in his jeans pocket, he continued the trek to the park, before stopping once again, hitting himself in the forehead with the palm of his hand.

Of course! Glancing around, Harry quickly turned into an alley. He walked halfway in before spinning around. "Tonks?" He whispered, eyes darting around warily.

Nothing.

"C'mon Tonks, I know you're there." He said a little louder. Still nothing. Frowning, he started feeling around with his hands, grasping at the air about him. "Take the cloak off, Tonks, I need your help with something." He heard an unmistakable giggle, and turned to the sound, reaching out he groped at the air, coming into contact with something warm. Smirking in triumph, he grabbed it, hearing a gasp of shock. He registered something soft and warm before his hand was batted away. Soft. Warm....round. Harry gulped, blushing to the roots of his hair. "Oops, m'sorry 'bout that." He mumbled, looking down as he shuffled his feet nervously. "Can you take the cloak off now, please?" Soft. Harry gulped, reddening even more. He pulled at the collar of his shirt, suddenly feeling uncomfortably warm.

With a swish, Tonk's scowling face was revealed as she lowered the hood of the invisibility cloak. She was blushing too, Harry noticed. "I'm supposed to be invisible, you know." She said, looking away and reddening fit for a Weasley. "You can't just call me out whenever you want, what if a muggle saw?" Harry pouted at her, sticking out his bottom lip. She swatted at him, and they both laughed. "Quit that, you! Now, what do you need?"

"Can you do me a favor? You hear what Dudley said about that party?" At Tonks' nod, he continued. "Well, you see, I don't really want to go dressed like a bum, you know? And I hardly have any muggle pounds left." He looked hopefully at Tonks, who was frowning slightly. "Could you take me to Daigon Alley, to Gringotts?" Tonks was shaking her head before he even finished, and Harry scowled. "Why not?"

"Think about it Harry." She admonished, looking him in the eye. "Daigon Alley? Too dangerous." Seeing Harry's scowl, she sighed, patting him on the shoulder. "I tell you what, how 'bout I borrow you some money, and you pay me back?" Harry beamed at her happily, wrapping her in a hug before whooping in joy. "I'll take that as a yes then?" Tonks said, laughing. Reaching into a pouch tied to her belt, a look of concentration flashed across her electric pink eyes before she withdrew her hand and held a wad of bills out to Harry. "Here, that should be enough. You can pay me back when you get the chance, yea?" Harry nodded happily, taking the money and stuffing it in his wallet.

"Thanks, Tonks. You're a life-saver." Tonks smiled once more, before flicking the hood of the cloak back up, disappearing as the invisibility charm activated. Whistling happily, Harry set off towards the park once more. This party sounds like a good idea.

Cricket was waiting at the tree again when he reached the top, and Harry scooped him up in his hands. "Hey there, buddy! Sorry I was such a git yesterday. Here, how 'bout a peanut?" Cricket chirped happy agreement as Harry sat down, scampering onto his usual spot on Harry's left shoulder. Harry laughed as he tore open the new bag of nuts, handing one up to Cricket as he spoke. "You know, Dudley's not such a bad guy. It's too bad he wasn't always like this, I might have actually enjoyed spending my summers here." The squirrel chattered happily, chomping on the peanut and dropping crumbs onto Harry's shoulder. He had taken to having long, one-sided conversations with his little friend as he sat in the tree, between studying and taking notes in his notepad. Explaining his worry's about Voldemort, his friends, and his plans for the future DA meetings. It felt good to get the worries off his chest, even if the little guy couldn't talk back. Harry had the strange feeling that the furry creature understood what he said.

The next morning instead of walking to Greater Winging, Harry instead walked towards downtown Little Winging. He remembered seeing several clothing stores in the past as Vernon took him to and from King's Cross. It was a long walk, but Harry was used to it by now and reached a promising looking shop by eleven in the morning. A posh looking man in a suit and tie sniffed insultingly at the sight of him, and came forward with a half formed question before Harry cut him off.

"Hold on one second." Harry drawled, as he reached in his pocket and pulled out his wallet. The butler looking man sniffed insultingly again, but waited without speaking. Counting the money, Harry realized Tonks had given him enough for probably one set of new clothes, shoes and all. Smiling happily, he nodded to the man.

"Can I help you?" The man asked, the unspoken 'sir' obvious as he looked Harry up and down.

"No." The man jerked back at Harry's tone, sniffing indignantly again. Maybe he has a cold. "I think I'll help myself, thank you." With that, Harry shuffled further into the store, glancing curiously at displays as he went. Deciding that black was a neutral enough color, and one he looked good in, he decided on a pair of black jeans, along with a black long-sleeved shirt. A pair of black trainers and socks joined the clothing as he brought it to the counter. The man at the door sniffed again as Harry left, and he snickered. Should ask him if he needs a tissue, heh.

Looking up and down the sidewalk to see if he was alone, Harry glanced around himself curiously. "Thanks again, Tonks." He whispered, smiling.

"No problem Harry." Said a disembodied voice very close to his ear. Harry jumped, shocked.

"Merlin, Tonks. Don't do that!" He heard a snicker as he began walking, the plastic bag with his purchases swinging freely as he went. Scowling towards the sound of more snickering, he picked up his pace.

"Can I ask you something Harry?" Tonks said from his other side, causing him to jump and scowl again. He nodded, not stopping. "What happened to your hair?"

Harry sighed, running a hand through the offending locks in question before frowning towards the voice. "I don't know. I woke up one morning and it looked like this." He pointed at his head. Tonks said nothing as they continued down the street.

When he got to the house, both of his elder relative's cars were gone. Opening the door, Harry hesitated before turning around. Whispering from the corner of his mouth. "No one's home, if you want to you can come in." No-one answered, so shrugging, Harry went inside and closed the door. Taking the steps two at a time to his room, he flung open the door, plopping onto his bed with a sigh. Smiling at the thought of the party later on, he jumped back up and brought the bag into the bathroom, not bothering to close the door behind him. Looking into the mirror, he grimaced, pulling at the gray locks sprinkled throughout the black before running a hand through the works, frustrated.

"It doesn't look bad, you know." Harry jumped and squawked indignantly as Tonks face materialized behind him in the mirror. "Makes you look older, more dignified." She smirked. Harry spun around, holding a hand to his chest, wide-eyed. "Goes nice with the beard, you know."

"What are you doing in here?" He squeaked, blushing. "I'm about to take a shower!" This made him wonder where else Tonks had hidden beneath the cloak, and he reddened even more. Tonks snickered, holding a hand to her lips. Her hair was still pink, as were her eyes. Pink is cute.

"You're the one who invited me in," she laughed. "And its not like I would stay in here as you showered." Her face turned pink, blending in with her hair. Soft. Harry blushed even brighter, pointing to the door while tapping his foot. Tonk's put a pouting look on her face, but snickered Slytherin-like as she left. Harry closed the door behind her.

"Jeesus." He muttered to himself, before turning on the tap and splashing some water on his face to cool it. Harry returned to his room fifteen minutes later, showered, shaved and dressed in his new clothes. He felt much less self-conscious dressed in clothes that fit. Tonks was standing at his table as he entered, the invisibility cloak shining in silvery waves down to her ankles. Harry wondered if his own cloak looked as elegent when it was visible. A tiny owl was sitting in the palm of her hand, hooting as she coo'ed affectionately at it. "Pig!" Harry cried gleefully, bounding to the side of Tonks and reaching out to pluck the little bird from her hand, she stuck her tounge out at Harry before turning to sit on the edge of his bed with a huff. Harry hurriedly untied the letter from its leg, dumping it into Hedwig's cage when he was finished. The large snowy owl in question hooted outrage from atop her cage, looking askance at the tiny owl as it jumped into her water dish. Harry laughed again before sitting at the desk. "Don't worry girl, I'll get you some new water after Pig leaves."

Harry,

How's it goin, mate? Sorry to hear about the way the muggles are treating you, but I'm not surprised. They've always been gits and always will be. Harry snickered at this, and Tonks stood from her perch on the bed to read over his shoulder. I'm glad they're arguing among themselves, they deserve it. Maybe you'll get lucky and they'll kill each other off. Be careful around your cousin. If he went to Hogwarts I'm sure he'd be a Slytherin. Harry blinked at this before realizing that Ron couldn't know that he and Dudley had reconciled. Don't let the neighbors get to you either. If I were you, I'd scowl like Snape at the lot of them until they were afraid to leave their houses. At least then, you wouldn't have to put up with them sneering at you, eh? Maybe you can get Mad-Eye to come down and do it for you. And I know what you mean by second hand clothes, I'm a Weasly, remember? Harry shivered as he felt Tonks' breath tickle along his ear as she leaned in closer to read. She smelled like peanut butter and flowers. An odd combination that was not unpleasent.

What did you mean by gray hair? You mean, like an old man, that kind of gray? Don't worry, I won't tell anyone.

Have you heard from Hermione since the train? I sent her an Owl my first day back, but she hasn't written me.

I've got some bloody GREAT news for you, mate! Mum asked Dumbledore if you could come up before your birthday this year, and he said you could. Isn't that great? We're staying at Grimmauld Place again, and we'll be by to pick you up on the 26th. So all you have to do is hold out for a little over a week, and you can escape from the muggles! Write me back, ok? I told Pig to wait for a reply.

Ron

Harry set the letter down with a sigh, turning to Tonks who put a hand on his shoulder with a gentle smile. Kicking open his trunk (he didn't even bother trying to open it normally anymore) he grabbed a fresh piece of parchment. Plopping himself back into the chair, he wrote his reply to Ron.

Ron,

Believe it or not, I don't think I have spoken a single word to my Aunt or Uncle since I returned home. Vernon bellered at me a few times, and Aunt Petunia scowls every morning, but I haven't had to talk to them once, so its not so bad. I haven't eaten a single meal here either, instead I go to a nice cafe a few miles away.

Guess what? Dudley's not such a bad guy anymore. We're actually getting along allright now. He didn't mention getting saved from the bullies, deciding that his pride was better off without mentioning it. He's not getting along with his mum and dad anymore, so we have something in common.

I don't let the neighbors bother me, I've gotten used to it now. Although seeing Moody walking up and down the street growling at them would be fun. I haven't heard from Hermione either. You don't think something happened do you? Maybe she already left on vacation with her parents.

Yes, I mean gray hair like an old man. Its all over. I bet if you look at the back of my head you'd think I was an old man. I have no idea where it came from, or why it turned gray. I don't like it.

I'm sorry to say that I can't accept your invitation to stay. Don't freak out! I'm just not ready to go to Sirius' place after...what happened. I have another idea, though. Think your mum would let you come and stay with me for a while? It'd be nice to have another friendly face about besides Dudley, Cricket, and my pink shadow. Tonks scuffed him on the arm at this, chuckling softly. I know you probably won't want to stay here with my horrible relatives, but we'd hardly be here anyways. I only stay here when I'm sleeping and stuff.

Reply soon.

Harry

Blowing softly on the ink to dry it, Harry waved at Tonks to grab Pig, who arched her brow at him but collected the bird nonetheless. Rolling up the letter, Harry attached it to the tiny owls leg and threw him out the window like a baseball. The bird dropped a few feet before finding purchase with his wings, flying off haphazardly into the sunshine. Tonks punched him in the shoulder again.

"Poor little owl, you're mean, you know that?" She scowled at him. Harry shrugged, smiling before heading downstairs, backpack in tow. At the door he turned when Tonks' cleared her throat, holding his wand out to him with a condescending look on her face. Grinning sheepishly, he took it and waited for her to disappear before opening the door and starting out towards the park.

Climbing into The Tree once he arrived, Harry wondered briefly if Tonks followed him up. Remembering the encounter in the alley, he decided not to wave his arms about to find out, instead opening his pack with a blush. Cricket came scampering up the tree to sit on his knee, a pleading look on his face. Chuckling, Harry reached into the backpack and pulled out a half eaten candybar, handing a piece to the squirrel. "Almost time for the party, little friend." Lighting up a cigarette, Harry leaned back against the tree to wait for Dudley, handing Cricket a piece of chocolate now and then as he scratched lightly behind its ears. I wonder what time it is.

"Tonks, you there?" Harry asked, looking about his small nook. He didn't think Tonks was up there with him, but then again, he hadn't been expecting her in the bathroom earlier either. Cricket jumped at the sound of his voice, before setting to work on another piece of chocolate. Leaning over the side of the depression, Harry gazed at the ground below. "Tonks?" He whispered loudly.

No answer.

Sighing, Harry settled back to wait. Dudley would come when it was time to go, knowing what time it was made no difference.

A/N I didn't have to work today, so I wrote this instead. It feels weird to be writing at two in the afternoon instead of two in the morning, heh. Originally I was going to have this chapter cover the party as well, but a lot of stuff is going to happen at that time so I decided to split it up. I'll probably have that chapter posted by tonight, but I'm gonna take a break for a while, I need a nap. This is the first chapter I've posted that I cleaned up first, hope you liked it. Thanks to all the new people who added me to their favorites and alert list.

Edit: 10/12/2004 I re-read this chapter again and changed a few things, adding details here and there while correcting a few mistakes. I apologize to those that have already read it. Also, I wrote an entirely new Prologue, cause I didn't like the original one at all.

coolone007-2 I'm gonna check out your stories later today, I'll tell you what I think. I'm glad you like my update's so far, heh. I can't promise to keep this up though.

Avestia Thanks!

Shaz124 I'm glad you like it. I always thought Dudley suddenly becoming friendly was a bit odd myself. Originally I didn't have Penny or Susan in the story. Susan came to me first, actually, and even then she was only a waitress. When I got to the part where Dudley apologizes, Penny just popped into my head and started beating on my brain with a Beater's bat. Mrs. Susan McMartin became Penny's mum in my mind as soon as Dudley walked in the cafe. Don't worry about my direction too much, I have a full year of Hogwarts planned out along with the summer I'm writing now, and hopefully a sequel sometime in the future.

As always, Please Review!