Disclaimer: My poor trashbag got a rip in it, but I found a paper plate. Harry Potter does not belong to me. Cricket has released her hostages.

Harry Potter and the Strength of Three

Chapter 8, Leaving for Good.

"Hurry up and do something, Harry!" Ron yelled, dodging another saucer. A small drop of red had formed on his ear from where Petunia had landed a dish, and he reached up to rub it furiously as he shouted at Harry. Vernon Dursley hadn't moved since he had spotted his son, but his skin tone had gone completely white and back to purple in less than a minute. His son's face almost matched it in color as the two glared at each other. Harry wondered if Dudley would one day develop the throbbing vein on his forehead, just like his dad.

"Aunt Petunia!" Harry yelled, hands cupped around his mouth to amplify his voice. His aunt jumped mid-swing, and turned to face the new threat. Upon seeing Hermione she let loose a horrible cry and threw the dinner plate across the room. "Hermione!" Harry's shout was muffled as he pulled her backwards, causing the both of them to fall to the floor. He heard Dudley let loose a howl of pain, followed by the sound of the dish breaking and Petunia's cry as she realized what she had done.

An odd silence followed the outburst, broken only by the 'scritch, scritch' of the fan overhead. Hermione turned about atop him so that she was facing him, her body stretched across his. She propped her elbows on his chest, cupped her hands and rested her chin on top. "Is this how they react whenever one of us comes to visit?" Despite her grave face, Harry heard the humor in her tone.

"Oh, geroff you!" Harry grabbed her arms, laughing, and pushed her up. Hermione's legs slid to the sides as she rose so that she was straddling him.

"We don't have time for that," Dudley said from above them, laughter in his voice. "Lets hurry up and get out of here, yea?" Hermione blushed at this, jumped up and held a hand out to Harry.

"Oh no you don't!" Vernon bellowed as Hermione helped Harry to his feet. "You've been gone for nearly a week, boy, and its about time we had a talk!" Petunia made noises of agreement as she came to stand by her husband.

"Talk?" Dudley's voice was satin over steel, "you want to talk?" A chuckle escaped his lips, before his face darkened and he started yelling, spittle flying from his lips with each word. "The last time we tried to talk you called my girlfriend a whore! We will not talk!" His fists clenched spasmodically as he shouted, and Harry wondered if he was going to start swinging. He pulled Hermione by the hand, leading her to the door as he motioned Ron to do the same with the other. Ron stood where he was, eyes wide. He was still in a crouch.

"Don't take that tone with me boy!" Vernon raved, "I'm your father!" Petunia nodded in agreement.

"You're not my father!" Dudley said in a dangerous hiss. He brought a hand up to point at Harry. "The only person in this room I consider family, is him!" Petunia gasped, holding a hand to her chest. Vernon's mouth worked, grunts escaping now and then. Harry stared at his cousin open-mouthed, shock on his features. He didn't notice when Cricket jumped from his shoulder and ran from the room.

"Now Dudd..." Petunia began, before Vernon spoke over her tremulous voice.

"How dare you, boy!" Spittle flew from his lips, jowls quivering in rage. "We raised you.."

"You raised Harry too, didn't stop you from treating him like rubbi.." Vernon cut Dudley off, his face a thunderhead.

"He's a freak!" He bellowed, pointing the splintered table leg in Harry's direction. "Nothing but a burden! Costing us mone.."

"That's all you care about! Money!" Dudley raged, taking a few steps farther into the room. "That, and your image! Harry's a good guy!" Ron finally joined Harry and Hermione by the door, and tugged innefectually at Harry's sleeve.

"Abnormal!" Vernon bellowed, poking Dudley in the chest with one sausage like finger. "Unnatural! An aberration! He's nothing but a monster, and I want you to stay away from him!" Harry finally noticed Ron's tugging, and looked over to face his friend, his face a blank mask. Ron shuffled nervously from side to side, throwing furtive glances towards Harry's Uncle. Harry shrugged, and turned to face the scene before him. Ron sighed, and Hermione squeezed his hand.

"He's not a monster, you are!" Vernon stumbled back at this as though struck, and Dudley turned to face his mother. Seeing the three in the doorway, he flicked his fingers surreptitiously. His eyes looked....amused! Harry nodded, and the three turned and left the room, closing the door behind them. "And you!" Dudley could still be heard through the door. "He's your own flesh and blood! How could you treat your own sister's son like he was an animal!?"

"Let's go to my room," Harry said, voice flat, emotionless. "I need to grab some stuff." He led the his friends up the stairs, pulling Hermione by the hand. He didn't notice the worried glances the two gave each other behind his back. "I don't think I can come back after..." Hermione squeezed his hand again as he kicked open his door. Releasing her hand, he started gathering up his scattered clothes. Hedwig hooted from her perch atop her cage, but he ignored it. Holding an armful of clothing, he kicked his trunk open savagely and dumped them inside. He set about gathering scattered books, quills, and parchment. Hermione and Ron stood in the doorway, eyes wide and worried.

"You alright there, mate?" Ron asked softly, edging into the room. Harry glanced at him, but didn't speak. He threw a book at his trunk from across the room, it struck the lid and dropped inside. The cover wobbled back and forth before closing with a snap. Growling under his breath, Harry grabbed a fresh piece of parchment from his desk, a quill, and scribbled a note. He waved Hedwig over to his desk before speaking.

"Take Hedwig's cage down to the car please." His voice cracked, whether in sadness or anger his friends didn't know. "I'll be down in a second. Don't forget your own luggage, Ron." His two friends stood looking at him, and he snapped. "Hurry up!" Ron jumped, before striding across the room and picking up the dome shaped cage. He left the room without a backward glance. Hermione frowned at Harry, but he didn't notice as he wrote furiously on the parchment before him. Sighing, she turned and followed Ron.

To whom it may concern,

I am leaving this madhouse. Ron arrived safely this morning only to be attacked by my Aunt and Uncle. (Don't worry, Mrs. Weasley, the only injury he suffered was to his pride.) When we came to his rescue, I was demeaned and insulted worse than I have ever been. I refuse to stay here any longer.

We will be staying at one of Dudley's friend's houses. If this is not satisfactory, so be it. I don't know the address, so if you wish to find us I can't help you.

I will not return to Privet Drive ever again.

HP

After attaching the note to Hedwig's leg and sending the owl out the window, Harry drug his trunk to the desk. After kicking it open, he swept all the items into it in a jumbled mess. Striding quickly to his bed, he ripped the mattresses off and clumsily stood them up against the wall. Prying up the third floorboard from the wall, he reached his arm in and brought out several bundles. Old letters, pictures from school and his old books from years past. After dumping the items into his trunk, he had to sit on the lid to get it latched.

He drug the trunk across the room to his door, where he dropped it and turned to look at his room one more time. Not my room. Never mine. All of the furniture was old, rickety and scratched. Looking up, he saw the familiar water stains from the unrepaired roof. The paint was chipped and peeling in places on the walls. The closet door hung open, the latch long broken. The room was a stark contrast to the rest of the pristine home.

In a sudden fit of rage, Harry stode across the room and tipped over his dresser with a yell. It landed with a crash of splintered wood. Picking up the chair he had used while sitting at the folding table, he brought it crashing down atop his nightstand.

Crash!

"He's a monster!"

Crash!

"An aberration!"

Crash!

The nightstand nothing more than a pile of broken timber, Harry turned and threw the chair at the window with a scream. The crash and tinkle of breaking glass brought the shouting downstairs to a sudden stop, before it began again. Harry picked up his trunk and walked through the door. Setting it down once outside, he turned to his door and slammed it shut. Walking a few steps away, he turned and kicked the door with a yell of fury once, twice, three times. His foot crashed through the thin panelling and he fell to his back with a grunt of surprise and pain. Tearing his shoe from the door, he gave it one more disdainful glance before picking up his trunk again and thundering down the steps.

"Don't talk about Penny that way, you asshole!" Dudley's voice came to him at the bottom of the stairwell. He and his father stood in the living room now, Dudley nearly in the hallway leading to the front door. "She's a better person than you or your wife will ever be!" With that, he turned to face Harry, who was now nearly at his side. "C'mon Harry," he spat, turning towards the door. "Lets get out of here." He grabbed the other end of the trunk and the two began walking to the door.

"You!" Vernon yelled from behind them. Neither of the two teens turned to face him. "This is all your fault! Release my son from your freakish spell, you...you freak!" He sputtered in rage as the two boys reached the door. Dudley turned the handle and began to lead the way outside. "Should never have taken you in! Worthless! Just like your parents!"

Thud!

Harry dropped the trunk, whirling to face his uncle. Vernon still clutched the table leg in his hand, a bent nail glinting menacingly from the end as he swung it back and forth. Harry scrabbled at the waistband of his jeans, and ripped his wand from his pants with a snarl. He advanced upon his uncle. "My parents were better than you'll ever be, you quivering pile of lard." Harry hissed, still walking slowly closer. Vernon's eyes bulged in rage, and he began lumbering his way towards Harry. The floorboards shook slightly with each step he took.

"I should have done this long ago, boy." He snarled, bringing the splintered piece of wood above his head. Harry raised his wand, murder in his eyes, but turned to look behind him when someone took hold of his arm. Dudley stood behind him, fear in his eyes. He tugged on Harry's elbow, before his eyes widened in alarm and he raised a hand to point at his dad.

"Watc.." Whatever he was going to say dissipated as Tonks materialized in front of Vernon, wand raised and fury in her eyes.

"Expulie Mollis!" She screamed, jabbing her wand forward as if to stab Vernon. The last syllable of the spell was drowned out by the boom of the spell as swirling red and purple light shot from her wand like a gunshot. Vernon's swing stopped mid-strike as the light struck him in the chest, lifted him from his feet and shot him across the living room with such force that he crashed through the door into the kitchen. Blasting Curse.. Harry thought idly, as he watched his uncle land on the listed kitchen table, splintering the remaining three legs with a crash. Petunia screamed, running to her husband's side, babbling incoherently all the while. Light strength...

Tonks turned to face him, her anger melting away in an instant. "I heard what they said, Harry. Every word of it!" She jumped forward, stumbling slightly over the table leg Harry's Uncle had been holding, and wrapped her arms about him in a hug. "None of that is true." She whispered furiously, squeezing him tightly. "I..." She backed away slightly, holding Harry at arm's length, her hands on his bicep's. "Lots of people love you, Harry." With that, she released him and turned to the kitchen. She sent a stunner at Aunt Petunia, who slumped over the form of her comatose husband. Turning back to the bemused teens, she winked and disappeared as she flicked the hood of her cloak up.

Harry turned to face his cousin, and with a shrug, they picked up the trunk and left the house. Harry slammed the door behind him. Ron and Hermione stood talking quietly by the red car, but stopped suddenly when Harry and Dudley lifted the trunk into the boot. Dudley slammed the trunk with a snarl, before opening his door and snapping, "Lets go."

Hermione opened the other front door, and gave Harry a pointed look and a smile before climbing in. Remembering the ride over, Harry shook his head. He wasn't in the mood, despite how fun it had been. You liked it... With a start, Harry began walking to the door, but Ron ducked inside and slammed the door before he could get in. With a shrug and a confused shake of his head, Harry walked to the back door on Dudley's side and opened it. Glancing around one more time, he noticed that almost every neighbor in site was gawking at him, either from their porches, over their fences, or from their hedges. With a snarl, he scowled at each and every one in turn.

"What're you lookin at, ya damn Wankers!" With one last glare, he flopped into the seat with a sigh. He reached over to close the door only to be pushed farther into the car by some unseen force, as the door closed of its own accord. Tonks. No-one else noticed this, however, and Dudley drove quickly away from the house. He felt a warm hand grasp his, and covered a smile. Tonks breathed in his ear.

"You tell 'em, Harry." She whispered, giving his hand a squeeze. He gasped in surprise as he felt her raise her body and settle her weight across his lap, her legs on either side of him. He saw Hermione give him a confised glance, and smiled nervously at her in return. Tonks let go of his hand, and he felt both settle on his shoulders. He could feel her breath on his face. Something warm and moist pressed against his lips, and his eyes widened in surprise. She's kissing me! He felt his muscles tense at first, but soon gave into the kiss, raising his arms to wrap around the warm body in front of him as he closed his eyes. He felt a tongue flick across his lips, and opened them in invitation.

Tonks' tongue flicked inside of his mouth with an almost desperate haste, and he brought his own tongue to meet hers. They danced and darted about inside eachothers mouths quickly. She tasted like bubble gum, and the flavor made him think of the color pink. Their breath came in ragged pants, Harry's heart felt as if it were going to bur...

"Harry!" His eyes shot open as he heard Hermione's startled gasp. All three people in the front seat were looking at him, even Dudley. Ron's mouth was open, eyes wide in confusion. Dudley was making the choking sound again from earlier. Harry saw himself in the mirror, and groaned, pulling away from Tonks slightly. "Why in the world are you snogging thin air?" Hermione was blushing, her mouth open slightly. Her own breath came in quick pants. Seeing Ron swallow, turning slightly green, Harry suddenly grinned. Bringing Tonks to his mouth again, he slowly reached to the top of her head and pulled the hood of the invisibility cloak down to her neck, de-activating the charm. The effect was almost instantanious as she materialized.

"Bloody hell!" Ron yelled in surprise, as Dudley's choking desolved into full blown laughter. Ron joined him soon after, and the two sent cat-calls and whistles to the back seat. Harry thought he heard Hermione gasp in shock and 'harrumph', but his attention was on the woman before him. He kissed Tonks with twice the desperation she had from earlier, and she returned it in kind. All thoughts of Sirius, of Voldemort and his followers, of hateful relatives and his own parents disappeared from his mind. He thought only of the girl in his arms, of her hands on his shoulders, his arms around her back. He needed this. I deserve this... The car descended into silence, broken only by the sounds of their heavy breathing and Tonks little moans....

"Alright, alright!" Dudley laughed from the drivers seat, "enough already, get a room!" Ron began laughing at this as well, and Tonks pulled away from Harry. Her chest rose and fell in time with her quick breathing, her cheeks were flushed and her lips slightly swollen. The pupils of her pink eyes were dialated, a dazed look to them. Harry thought he probably looked about the same. He heard another 'harrumph' come from Hermione in the front seat, and he blushed, snapping from his daze. Tonks brought a finger to her lips as her breathing slowed.

"That was...nice.." She breathed, the dazed look leaving her eyes. She grinned, "real nice." Harry simply nodded, trying to control his own breathing. His eyes suddenly widened.

"Cricket!" He yelled, making Tonks jump in surprise. Dudley jerked the wheel of the car at the sound, and cursed as he swerved to miss an oncoming car. He sent a glare to the rear-view mirror. "She's back at the house! We have to go ge.." Tonks brought a finger to his lips, smiling softly. She raised hersalf and plopped into the seat beside him with a sigh, sending an evil smirk to Hermione as she did that Harry missed. Hermione was grinning triumphantly at Harry.

"Tonks is Cricket, Harry!" She crowed, pointing a finger at said pink haired girl. Tonks and Harry both gave her confused looks. Harry turned to Tonks with a look of surprise.

"You're an animagus?" He questioned, his face darkening slightly in anger. Tonks turned her look to him, before flashing Hermione a winning grin of her own.

"Of course not." She said simply. Hermione's jaw dropped in shock, and she made small sputtering noises in her throat. "I'm a Metamorphmagus, remember? We can't be animagi." With that, she reached beneath her cloak and brought her hand out to hold before Harry's face. Cricket sat upon her palm, and chirped excitedly at the site of Harry. The squirrel jumped from Tonks' hand and landed on Harry's shoulder, where it began rubbing it's head against his cheek softly.

"But...but..." Hermione sputtered, looking wide-eyed at Tonks, then at Cricket. "It bit me! And you're never around when Cricket is! Like last night, at the Party..." She looked pointedly at Tonks, clearly expecting an explanation. With a nervous look at Harry, Tonks sighed before speaking.

"Well...Cricket isn't just a squirrel.."

A/N HAH! I told you not to guess so quickly! Dances in glee. ...Ahem. Anyways, hope you liked this one. Sorry I didn't get it out earlier, but I was sleeping...long story. I just woke up at midnight. I was planning on writing the next party in this chapter, but I've got to get some more rest. I had a reeeaaally exhausting day..err...night at work yesterday. I started at 10pm, and got done at 7am. And I had woken up at 6:30 am that morning, so it was a really long day...night, whatever.

Bet no-one saw that coming, eh!? Muahahaha! Don't worry, Cricket's origins get explained first thing next chapter. Hopefully, I'll also get the next party over with, as I have some cool ideas for it running through my head, demanding attention. Only a couple to go before we're leaving this area behind, and going somewhere else....big surprise right before that happens.

I'm still looking for some beta readers, Ive gotten one reply from shadow84. I'll be sending all further chapters to him (and any others that wish to beta for me) first, before posting, from the next chapter on. So updates might take a little longer. Sorry. Thanks for offering to beta read, shadow84, I really appreciate it.

Big thanks to all those that added me to their alert and favorites lists, you guys rock!

Sorrow1 Although I can't promise to finish the story, (what if I died or something?), I do promise to continue writing it as long as I am able. Believe me, I enjoy writing it as much as you do reading it. I don't think Hermione and Tonks will be mending any fences any time soon, but I do plan on it happening sometime. I like the tension too much to just let it drop:P lol, don't worry, Cricket gets to eat next chapter. I'm glad you like the story and hope you continue reading:)

michelline Not soo evil, you didn't have to wait too long, right? lol. One more chapter and the mystery of Cricket is revealed...sort of. Thanks for the review!

snifflers unite hehe, and here I thought I had made a mistake in that chapter...hmm.. Don't worry, I have been a little cute in dropping hints, so your not totally wrong:P You'll get to see some 'confused Ron' action next chapter...along with drunk Ron:) Hope you liked this one!

shaz124 lol, Pig is a good owl, meany! j/k Sometimes I have to use the little bugger to add humor to a situation, I like torturing the poor little guy. I just made the hangover cure up on the fly, lol. Ive never actually drank it:P The hangovers I get arn't really that bad, I just feel reaaaly tired and sore. Glad you liked the car ride, heh, I liked it too. The chapter wasn't so bad after I sobered up and read through it again. Oh yeah, here. Hands Shaz his jaw You dropped this :)

Ann Sorry to hear that you don't like my Tonks:( Glad you like the story though:) In my experience, grown women, epecially jealous ones, can be just as immature and mean as any teenager, sometimes more so. She was exhasperated, and feeling threatened by Hermione's presence. Hope you've liked the rest of the chapters up to this point. Hey, maybe you'll end up liking Tonks after all? She kinda grows on ya.. Thanks for the review!

coolone007-2 Yep, Tonks' got a temper to her. Nothing more scary than a jealous woman, let me tell you. Hope this chapter answered a few questions:) After reading through the chapter I had to agree with you, it did advance the plot and make a lot more sense after my eyes cleared up and my headache went away. Thanks for the review, and I hope you liked this chapter too.

mjk306 :) Thanks.

kalee ....I don't know if that was a compliment or you saying that the chapter sucked, lol. I hope it was the former. OMGz! joo 5p34k 7h3 337! r0x0r 0wn463! hehe:)

JD22 I'm planning to cover Hermione's predicament next chapter. Glad you liked it, thanks for the review!

Drake Smythe I agree, hangovers suck. Glad you liked the chapter. Once the hangover left my system I reread it and liked it better, lol. Hope you like this one too, thanks for the review, and thanks for adding me to your favorites ;)

BferBear Muahahaha! You assumed WRONG! j/k Glad you like my story, thanks for the review and I hope you like this one.

Phew. Thanks everyone for reviewing. I should have another chapter out tomorrow..err...later today I mean.

Please review!