Disclaimer: The paper plate makes a good frizbee, but the squirrel won't catch it. Harry Potter belongs to J. K. Rowling. Cricket is hungry.
Harry Potter and the Strength of Three
Chapter 9, Party Animal
"What do you mean," Harry asked, as he reached up and brought the squirrel down from his shoulder. He held it up in front of his face, squinting as though he could see anything strange. "Not just a squirrel? Looks like one to me." He brought a finger up to stroke between its ears as he looked over at Tonks questioningly.
"Cricket," Tonks wrinkled her nose at this, "as she refuses to answer to any thing else since you gave her that awful name.." Harry smiled. "Anyway, Cricket...is my bonded." Seeing Harry's confused look, she elaborated. "My familiar?" Hearing Hermione gasp, she turned her attention to the front seat, and spoke hurriedly. "Yes, I know it's illegal, but it was Dumbledore's idea, and he was sure to pick a willing animal. If I was going to be Harry's personal bodyguard, I would need to keep an eye on him at all times. I can't follow him everywhere, you know. That's where Cricket comes in." Hermione was scowling, and Tonks frowned in response. "I said it wasn't my idea!"
"So.....what's wrong with it?" Harry asked, looking back and forth between the glaring girls. "What's it mean, anyway?" Hermione turned her glare to Harry, who flinched. "Don't look at me like that! I didn't do anything." Hermione huffed, before looking pointedly at Tonks and sniffing. Harry swallowed.
"Bonding with an animal," Hermione began, taking on a lecturing tone. Harry almost groaned in response, wondering if she was going to start quoting Hogwarts: A History. "Is done with a variation of the Imperious Curse." She shuddered at this, before looking back at Harry. Her glare had disappeared as she spoke, and now her eyes shone with trepidation. "Only it's permanent. It's so powerful that it borders on possession." She turned back to Tonks, the glare returning. "I refuse to believe that Dumbledore would condone such a thing." Harry shuddered, remembering when Voldemort had possessed him a little over a month ago. Pain so great he wished he was dead, his jaw moving against his will as Voldemort spoke through his mouth. Harry looked back and forth between Cricket and Tonks in horror. Tonks had tears forming in her eyes.
"We didn't do it that way, Harry!" She said desperately, her voice thick with emotion. She reached her hand towards his, but Harry jerked it away as though burned. Tears fell from her eyes. "You think Dumbledore would allow something like that? Of course not! Cricket is doing this of her own free will, we didn't use the curse!" A sob escaped her lips, and her words came in hurried gasps. She placed her hand on Harry's shoulder, ignored his flinch, and squeezed tightly. "Dumbledore did something, I'm not sure what, but he said the squirrel was smarter now. He asked her if she would do this! Our bond isn't even that deep, the most I can do is hear through her ears and see through her eyes, that's all! And we can communicate...sort of, but nothing bad! I swear it!" With each word, Harry slowly relaxed his tense muscles. He could hear the truth in her voice, and she was right, Dumbledore would never allow such a thing. But still....
"So..." Harry began, looking at Tonks sadly. "The only reason Cricket wants to be with me is to spy for you?" He turned his gaze upon the squirrel, and raised a finger to stroke gently across its fur. "I thought she was my friend..."
"But she does like you, Harry! She told me... you feed her peanuts! See," Tonks put her hand beneath her cloak, and brought out a package of peanuts, the same kind Harry had been feeding to Cricket. "She even made me get some..." Tonks smiled crookedly through her tears at Harry and held out the bag of nuts. Her hand shook slightly. "She gets mad when I tell her to leave you, if I need her to watch something else when I'm with you." Harry smiled at this, took the bag of peanuts and offered one to cricket from the open package. Tonks wiped her eyes and laughed. "The little fur ball got mad at me when I told her I couldn't translate for her. She wanted you to know that she likes it when you scratch behind her ears, but the chocolate made her feel sick." Harry turned to Tonks, smiled, and put an arm around her shoulders.
"I believe you, Tonks." She sighed, before twining her fingers with the hand on her shoulder. Hermione was making sputtering noises in the front seat, looking dubiously at Cricket.
"But..but, it bit me!" She whipped her head towards Tonks as the pink haired girl burst out laughing.
"Well...you did tackle Harry earlier that night. She's a little protective, you know." Hermione sniffed, before turning to face the front with a 'hmmph.' Ron turned to look at her curiously.
"You tackled Harry?" Dudley burst out laughing again, Tonks and Harry following suite. Hermione stared stonily at the road, a blush creeping up her cheeks. She punched Dudley in the arm.
"Long story Ron," Harry said between chuckles, "long story." After a moment of silence, Harry leaned forward and placed a firm hand on Ron's shoulder. "Anyways, Ron, this is Dudley, my cousin. Dudley, Ron Weasley, my best mate." The two exchanged hellos and the car fell into silence again. After a few moments, Harry spoke again. "Anything been going on? You know, with Voldemort?" Ron and Hermione flinched, but Harry was pleased to see that Tonks didn't. He squeezed her hand, smiling warmly as she squeezed back. She kissed me... Ron let out a gusty sigh from the front seat, digging around in his pockets as he did so. He handed Harry a piece of parchment.
"That's from the daily prophet this morning." He explained quietly, sighing again. "Mum almost wouldn't let me come after seeing that, she only agreed after dad talked to her." Harry looked curiously at the newspaper clipping. He stiffened at the headline, and Tonks pulled back slightly to read the article with him.
Azkaban Emptied Overnight!
Dementors missing!
Early this morning, as Hit Wizards Joan Wimbleton and Dan Biccle were overseeing a standard prisoner transfer
from Ministry holding cells to Azkaban Island, they came to a startling, and horrifying discovery. Azkaban prison,
where all of the wizarding world's most dangerous criminals are held, had somehow been emptied completely overnight.
"It was creepy," said Dan Biccle, shocked. "Everyone gone. Every prisoner, guard and dementor....gone."
Rumors and speculation abound in every corner, as wizards and witches alike discuss this startling development. Albus
Dumbledore, Headmaster of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, insists that this is the work of You-Know-Who.
Cornelius Fudge, Minister of Magic, refutes these claims.
"If You-Know-Who was the one to empty Azkaban, why would he have taken the guards? Why would he have bothered
freeing all of the prisoners? Not every man and woman that was in Azkaban was a Death Eater. The Ministry will get
to the bottom of this, let me assure you."
Despite the Ministry's claims, this reporter can't help but feel a little doubt. Maybe Dumbledore is right, and the
Dementor's have joined sides with He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named. But Fudge's words hold a grain of truth as well.
Where are the guards, the men and women that oversee the Dementors? Where are the prisoners that were
never Death Eaters?
I have a bad feeling we may find out all too soon.
Field Correspondent, Melanie Stickler
Harry's hand clenched spasmodically as he finished reading the article, his eyes narrowed in anger. "Fudge is a bloody git." Tonks murmured agreement as she pried his fingers from the clipping to finish reading it. Dudley glanced over his shoulder, frowning in confusion.
"Fudge?" He asked, as he pulled to the side of the road and turned off the ignition. Harry looked out the window and saw the familiar door of Maggie's Cafe. "Who's Fudge, and why's he a git?" He popped open his door as he spoke, and the others followed suite. Tonks hurriedly stuffed the parchment into her cloak before pulling her hood back up. She disappeared from view, and Harry felt her warmth leave his side as the door opened and she left. Sighing, he brought Cricket up to his shoulder again and scooted across the seat to get out.
"Cornelius Fudge is our esteemed Minister of Magic." Harry explained in a mock high-strung voice. It changed to a snarl with his next words. "He's a damn fool, is what he is, cares more for his position than he does for the wizarding world." He looked pointedly at Dudley as he stood, a steely glint in his eye. "There was a massive break-out at Azkaban Prison last night. Every single person that was there is now missing." Dudley's eyes widened in shock at this, and Harry nodded. "Lets eat."
Harry looked around curiously as the four walked to the door, and picked Cricket from his shoulder. He held her out in front of him. "Tonks?" He whispered, as Ron held the door for him. "Can you take Cricket? I don't think she'd be allowed in there..." He heard a soft chuckle as Cricket suddenly levitated from his hand, before disappearing completely. Harry entered the cafe, holding the door open a little longer than necessary until he felt a cloak brush against him. Turning, he spotted Dudley sitting in his usual booth, Hermione at his side. She was laughing at something he had said, holding a hand to her mouth to cover her smile. Ron sat opposite them, facing away from Harry. He felt someone prod him from behind, but a glance over his shoulder showed him an empty space. A soft giggle floated to his ears.
Harry took a seat next to Ron as Susan came to their table. She smiled warmly at the boys, but gave Hermione a cold stare, seeing as she was sitting next to her daughter's boyfriend. Hermione shifted nervously in her seat before Dudley spoke up. "Mrs. McMartin." He intoned, pointing first at Ron then at Hermione. "These are friends of Harry's, from his school, Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger." Susan's cold glare disappeared at this, and she held her hand out to Hermione.
"Nice to meet you, Hermione." She said with a warm smile lighting up her features. "Penny said she met you last night."
"Oh!" Hermione exclaimed, taking the offered hand and shaking it briskly. "You must be Penny's mum." Susan nodded, before turning to Ron and smiling. Ron grinned back, blushing as his stomach growled loudly from the smells permeating the air. Susan chuckled, turning to Harry.
"The usual, I suppose?" Harry nodded, and she turned to Dudley as she scribbled on her notepad. "Wheat toast?" Dudley grinned and nodded, and Susan scribbled some more before turning to Hermione. "What about you, dear?" She said with a smile.
"Umm...what are they having?" She asked nervously, fidgeting with the napkin on the table in front of her.
"Sausage, eggs, toast and Orange Juice" She winked at Harry. "....of course." Harry blushed and looked down at his napkin. Hermione nodded, indicating she'd have the same, and Susan turned a questioning gaze on Ron. "Mr. Weasley?" Harry elbowed Ron in the ribs after a few moments, and he jumped. He had been staring at the pen Susan was using.
"Ouch...what?" Harry flicked his fingers towards their waitress. "Oh, right! I'll have the same, only pumpkin juice instead." Seeing Susan's frown, Harry elbowed Ron again.
"It's something they drink where he comes from, sounds gross really..." He said nervously. Ron turned a glare on him, opened his mouth to speak before Harry cut him off. "Orange Juice is fine...right Ron?" Mrs. McMartin was mouthing 'pumpkin juice' under her breath with a slightly disgusted look on her face.
"Erm...yeah, Orange Juice would be great." Susan smiled once more before leaving the table in a swish of clothing. "Whats wrong with pumpkin juice, Harry? You like it too.."
"Muggles Ron," Harry hissed through clenched teeth. "They don't have pumpkin juice."
"No pumpkin juice!" Ron exclaimed, horror struck. "That's just not right!" He turned his attention back to the table for a few moments, before turning to Hermione. "You never did tell me why you were here." Harry toned the conversation out, letting his mind drift as he pulled out his cigarettes. Lighting one up, he gave a sigh as he expelled the smoke above their heads. It formed in a cloud, drifting and dissipating slowly in the still air. He felt a hand settle on his shoulder and jerked his gaze to the left. Ron was listening intently to Hermione, both hands clasped on the table in front of him. Harry felt a warm breath on his ear, and smelled peanut butter and flowers. Smiling, he brought his own hand up to cover Tonks'; she must have been sitting in the booth behind him.
"What if someone sits on you?" He whispered, barely moving his lips. He heard a soft chuckle near his ear, and shivered as the now-familiar chills went down his spine.
"They won't," he heard her whisper in response as she gave his shoulder a squeeze. "I cast a light muggle repellant charm on my seat."
"So that's how you do it," he whispered, turning his attention to the table before him. His smile turned to a frown as he turned his head again. "Tonks?"
"Hmm?"
"Why didn't you know about the Azkaban Break-out before you saw the article? You are an Auror, after all. Surely the Ministry...or the Order at least, would have told you something?" He turned his attention back to the table so as not to seem like he was staring at Ron. He heard Tonks sigh again, and it was a few moments before she spoke.
"I was with you the whole time, Harry." She whispered, squeezing his shoulder again. "And...well..I'm not an Auror anymore." Harry stiffened in his seat, and she continued quickly. "I had to resign. I couldn't be an Auror if I was going to be your bodyguard, right? Besides, I didn't like working for the Ministry anyways..."
"But...what about money?" Harry whispered in response. "I know the Order doesn't pay its members." Tonks sighed again, sliding her hand out from underneath Harry's.
"Don't worry about it, Harry." She breathed, "I've got enough money to last me a while." Harry remembered borrowing the money from her for his new clothes, and her simple act of kindness suddenly seemed like a much greater sacrifice.
"Thanks, Tonks." He whispered to the air in front of him. "I really like having you for a bodyguard." He felt a hand settle on his shoulder again, giving it a gentle squeeze in response as Susan came bustling to their table, tray in hand. She set the meals in front of each person before leaving. Harry ate a little, before poking and prodding at his eggs. He didn't feel very hungry.
"You gonna eat that, Harry?" Ron asked. Harry turned and looked at his friend, who was staring at Harry's food with a lusty gleam in his eye. Chuckling, Harry slid his plate over to his friend, pushing Ron's empty plate aside in the process.
"Nah, you go ahead." Dudley was staring at Ron, a look of awe on his face. Ron shoveled three bites into his mouth before noticing, and he gave Dudley a questioning look.
"Wha?" He mumbled around his full mouth. A few eggs dribbled down his front, and he wiped them away in annoyance. Dudley simply laughed quietly, before turning back to his own half-eaten plate. Harry stuck another cigarette between his teeth, and Ron turned to him. "Ou shmoe?" He pointed his fork at Harry's smoke, who nodded in response, expelling a cloud of smoke above his head. Ron stared at him a moment longer, before turning back to his plate, shrugging.
When everyone was finished, Harry left a generous tip and said he would pick up the tab. Ron protested, of course, but agreed when Harry asked him how he was going to pay for muggle food with wizarding money. The four left the cafe and piled back into the car, Hermione opting to sit in the back with Harry this time, who ended up sitting in the middle as Tonks invisible form climbed over him to sit on his other side. Hermione grasped his hand in hers almost immediately, entwining her fingers with his. Harry almost gasped as he felt Tonks do the same with his other hand. This might get interesting...
"I'm sorry you guys had to see that this morning..." Dudley said softly as he started the car. "And I'm sorry they tried to kill you." He looked sheepishly at Ron as he said this, who chuckled deeply and slapped Harry's cousin on the back.
"Don't worry about it, mate. Seeing you lay into them the way you did was worth it!" Dudley burst into laughter at this as well, before turning around in his seat and smirking at Harry.
"I'll admit, it did feel kinda good to do that." Harry laughed along with the other two boys. Hermione was rubbing circles with her thumb. "Anyways, where do you guys wanna go? I told Zack I'd help him with some stuff today. You can come back there if you want."
"Could you drop us off at the park?" Harry asked, before jumping and turning wide eyes on his cousin. "You sure Zack will be alright with me and Ron staying there? I can pay rent...or something."
"I'm sure it'll be fine, Harry. If you're around as much as you were at mum and dad's, he might not even notice you're there!" They all laughed at this, and Dudley turned the car around and started driving towards the park. Once they arrived, Harry hurriedly detached his hands from the girls at his sides, blushing. He felt a familiar weight settle on his shoulder, and turned to see Cricket materialize from beneath Tonks' hand. Smiling, he dug the bag of peanuts out of his pocket as he stepped from the car.
"Tonks?" He whispered, hearing her murmur in response, he continued "If we unload our luggage, would you mind shrinking it for us?" He handed a peanut up to Cricket, who chirped softly in thanks.
"Sure, Harry." The disembodied voice responded, and Harry walked to the back of the car. Dudley popped the boot, hearing the conversation between the two, and the trunk lid rose in response. Harry stepped aside, and watched in fascination as each individual piece of luggage in the trunk shrank to hand-sized items with each spell Tonks murmured. He noticed a bright orange rucksack and smiled knowingly, thinking about the Chudley Cannons posters in Ron's room at the Burrow. When Tonks was finished, he reached into the trunk and scooped up all the items, handing Ron the little orange bag before stuffing his own trunk and Hedwig's cage into his pocket.
"Thanks." He said, before closing the trunk and walking to Dudley's window. "See you later, mate. I should be able to find the place." Dudley smiled and nodded, before driving quickly away. Harry turned to face his friends. "This is where I've spent most of my time this summer." He explained, leading the way into the park. Hermione grasped his hand again, and Ron gave the two strange looks as they strolled along. "It's nice and peaceful....helps me relax, you know?" Hermione squeezed his hand in response as Ron grumbled quietly under his breath. Harry led them along slowly, his face lighting up with each step he took. By the time they reached the tree, it felt as thought the morning's troubles were long behind him. "And this," he said, letting go of Hermione's hand so he could spread his arms in a grand gesture, "is My Tree." Hermione looked at him curiously as he led them to the nailed on boards.
"Your tree?" She laughed, following him up the steps as he scampered up into the leaves.
"Yep, mine." Harry intoned grandly, before pointing at a carving he had done a few days before. "See? Harry's Tree." Ron laughed as Hermione shook her head, and the three took seats within the nook. It seemed much smaller with three people in it, but it was still comfortable. Harry sighed as he pulled out his pack of cigarette's, leaning his head against the rough bark behind him.
"What's this?" Hermione asked, pulling Harry's old backpack closer to where she sat.
"Oh, I forgot that here yesterday," Harry explained, taking hold of the backpack himself and opening it. "You'll like this." He chuckled, handing her the three books Moody had given him at the station. Her eyes widened in shock.
"But...but, Harry! These books are restricted..." She began flipping through the pages of the curses book anyway, and Harry laughed.
"Yeah, but Mad-Eye gave 'em to me, so its ok." Hermione didn't seem to hear him, as she was already engrossed in the text.
The three spent the day in the tree, Harry and Ron discussing Quidditch while Harry fed peanuts to Cricket. Hermione would join the conversation once in a while, only to talk about the books, not Quidditch. At one point, Ron asked Harry if he could try a cigarette, but gave it back to Harry with a wide-eyed grimace as he coughed and choked. Harry laughed, Hermione scowled, and everything seemed right in the world for a few moments.
All too soon, the sun was setting, giving the surrounding leaves a surreal glow. Harry took the books back from Hermione, promising to let her read them later, and stuffed them back in his bag, along with his shrunken trunk and Hedwig's cage. Cricket refused to stay in the tree again, although Harry was not surprised this time. Leaving the tree behind them, Harry led his friends out of the park and down the sidewalk towards Zack's house. Hermione once again held his hand as they walked, while Ron shot them strange looks from the corner of his eye. Harry hadn't been paying very much attention the day before when Dudley had led the way to Penny's. Soon enough, after only two wrong turns and a little back-tracking, they reached Zack's driveway. Already people milled about the front of the house, around the fire and by their cars.
"What's with all the people?" Ron asked nervously, glancing about at the milling crowd's as the three climbed the steps to the house.
"Oh!" Harry exclaimed, slapping his hand to his forehead. "There's a party here tonight." Seeing Ron jump slightly, he laughed. "Don't worry; I'm sure you'll like it." He led the way through the people in the large living room, who writhed and bounced in time to the music that pulsed from the large speakers. Seeing Dudley standing at the bar, he made a beeline for it, holding tightly to Hermione's hand as he went. Dudley's eyes lit up as he saw them, and he smiled.
"Where's Penny?" Harry asked. Dudley grimaced, before running his hand through his hair with a sigh.
"She can't go out on Saturday nights." He explained, holding up the bottle of brown liquor from the night before with a mischievous look in his eyes. "Give it another go?" Harry hesitated for a moment, before nodding his head. "She goes to church on Sunday mornings, you know? So Susan don't let her out." He tossed some ice in a glass as he spoke, and Harry noticed that a half-empty glass already sat on the bar. With an expert flick of his wrist, Dudley spun the cap off the bottle and tipped it up, pouring some of the brown liquid over the ice. Some coke followed soon after, and he stuck a straw in the works with a flourish. Harry took the glass, stirring the contents slowly as he leaned against the bar.
"Where's Ron?" He asked Hermione, who turned and scanned the crowd along with him. Seeing a shock of orange hair, Harry held his hand above his head and beckoned his friend over. Ron's cheeks were flushed, and Harry saw several giggling girls behind him. With a smirk, Harry turned and nodded to Dudley, holding his glass up. "Mix another for Ron, eh?" With a flurry of spinning bottles and tinkling ice, Dudley soon had another drink mixed, and held it out to Harry's blushing friend.
"They...like red hair." Ron mumbled, taking the offered drink. Dudley guffawed and picked up his own, drinking quickly. Ron gave the glass a questioning look, and turned to Harry. "What's this?" Harry scratched his head, before turning to Dudley again.
"Captain Coke. Don't forget to mix it this time, yea?" He burst into another round of laughter as he turned to Hermione. There he goes again! Bloody git winks too much... Harry clinked his glass with Ron's, before tipping it to his mouth. The mixture still burned slightly, but not nearly as bad as it had the night before. He felt a warm, pleasant sensation spread from his stomach as he swallowed.
"Hey, this is pretty good," Ron exclaimed, looking from the glass to Dudley. "Thanks!" Dudley nodded, looking curiously at Hermione.
"Sex on the beach?" Dudley asked, with a perfectly straight face. Ron choked on his drink, coughing, and shot wide-eyed glances between the two. Hermione blushed furiously, turning wide-eyed as well. Harry glared at his cousin. "...It's a drink." Dudley mumbled, holding his hands up as if to ward off a blow. "Jeez, I forgot you guys aren't used to this." Not waiting for a response, he reached under the bar and withdrew a glass slightly larger than the three boys. Turning around, he began picking up a multitude of bottles from the shelving. Harry turned his attention back to the other people in the room, taking another drink from his glass. Looking over, he was surprised to see that Ron had already finished his, and was attempting to mix a new one himself. Shrugging, he turned and walked behind the bar, opened the fridge and grabbed a coke.
Ron had poured Captain Morgan into his glass until it was a little over half full, and was smacking his lips in anticipation. With a dubious look, Harry popped the top on the soda and poured it into the glass. Ron swirled the contents around three times before bringing it to his mouth and gulping until the glass was empty. Harry looked on in awe as he brought the glass back down, setting it on the bar with a gusty sigh.
"This stuff is great!" Ron exclaimed, as he picked up the bottle and examined it. Harry gave his own half-full glass a dubious glance before shrugging and returning to his stool. Ron mixed himself another drink, humming happily under his breath. Dudley set a glass of milky pink liquid in front of Hermione, grinning.
"One Sex on the Beach, milady." He gave Hermione a mock bow, and Harry scowled before he could stop himself. Hermione picked up the glass, sniffed it and took a drink. She set the glass back down with a smile after taking a few swallows.
"That's good," she said, hiding a grin at Harry's scowl. "Tastes kind of like coconut." Dudley smiled, before turning a wide-eyed look on Ron, who was now drinking directly from the bottle of Captain Morgan.
"Jeesus!" He exclaimed, ripping the bottle from Ron's grasp. Ron scowled in response, his cheeks flushed. "Take it easy there, mate." Dudley laughed, setting the bottle back on the shelving behind him. "You'll be out before you get the chance to party!" With another booming laugh, Dudley reached into the fridge and handed Harry and Ron each a beer. Harry's friend twisted the cap off and took a swig, but gave the dark bottles above the bar looks of longing.
"I'll be right back," Harry said, as he stood from his stool. "I need a smoke." Nodding at his friends, he slowly meandered his way through the groups of dancing people to the door. Like the night before, several girls pointed and giggled at the sight of Cricket. Grinning, Harry reached a hand up and patted the squirrel on the head as he reached the door. "I should carry you around more often, bud." Rifling through his pockets, Harry found his pack of cigarettes and pulled one out. The night air was crisp and cool, and a soft breeze fluttered his silver and black locks about his head. Sitting down on the porch with a sigh, he leaned his arms against the step behind him and looked at the sky. Stars twinkled at him around the few scudding clouds, and he found himself automatically searching out constellations from astronomy class.
Inevitably, his thoughts turned to Voldemort. The Death Eaters in Azkaban had been freed. The dementors had defected. It was only a matter of time before the horror began. War... And only he could stop it.
"Knut for your thoughts?" He brought his head down with a smile, but wasn't surprised to see no-one. He felt Tonks settle herself on the step below him, resting her arms on his knees.
"Nothing happy, I'm afraid." He sighed, sliding forward and resting his hands on her invisible shoulders. "Voldemort, Death Eaters, Dementors, Azkaban....death. Seems its all I can think about lately." He let out another gusty sigh, expelling a great cloud of smoke as he did so. "That, and why I have gray hair..." Tonks chuckled at this, and he felt her shift about to get more comfortable before she spoke.
"You know, it really doesn't look bad. You don't look old or anything, and it's more of a platinum silvery color than gray." He could feel her fingers rub small circles about his kneecap. The two sat in silence long enough for Harry to smoke another cigarette. Tonks continued playing with his kneecaps, and Harry was surprised to find that he didn't want her to stop. "It's not fair, you know." She said suddenly.
"What?" He asked. Tonks let out a gusty sigh of her own, and Harry felt her arms shift. He could see her in his minds eye, spreading her arms as if to encompass the whole world.
"This." She stated, "everything, you shouldn't have the burdens you do, Harry. You should be able to live a normal life." Harry squeezed her shoulders tightly before pushing her forward slightly and standing. He spun to face the doorway into the house, but turned his head to speak over his shoulder as he did so.
"I'm over it." He stated emotionlessly, before striding through the door and into the house. He heard a roaring chant as he walked into the living room, and turned to see a large group of people standing in a circle. Curious, he walked closer, the words becoming clearer the closer he got.
"RED, RED, RED!" They chanted, and Harry saw what looked like a pair of legs sticking straight up in the center of the crowd. Grinning crookedly at a few girls, he managed to wheedle his way to the front row, only to stop and stare in complete shock. Ron Weasley hung suspended upside down from Dudley and Zack's grips on his waist, face redder than Harry had ever seen it. He had the small hose from the keg tap in his mouth, the valve pressed with his thumb, and Harry could see his throat working furiously. Several girls stood opposite Harry, giggling and pointing appreciatively at Ron. Despite himself, Harry laughed, and took up the chant, raising his beer bottle over his head. "RED, RED, RED!"
Moments later, the chanting stopped as Dudley and Zack lowered Ron's feet back to the floor, where he stood swaying dangerously for a few moments before he shook his head. He threw his hand in the air and let loose a great whooping yell, and the circle of people took it up. Seeing Harry, Ron smiled goofily and stumbled over to him. To Harry's surprise, Ron grabbed him up in a hug and squeezed tightly, lifting Harry from his feet.
"Theesh' mungles are great!" He exclaimed, setting Harry back on his feet and slapping his back furiously. Harry whinced slightly from the pounding, but couldn't help but snicker at Ron's enthusiasm. "Wher've you been? I's lookin all over for'y!" Instead of answering, Harry nodded his head towards the group of girls who were still pointing and giggling at his friend. Ron looked over at them as well, before turning to Harry and grinning. "They like m'hair!" With that, he turned and stumbled his way over to the girls.
Harry shook his head and chuckled, before making his way over to the bar. Hermione was still seated on one of the stools, the same dark haired guy from the night before seated next to her. He had his hand on her thigh. Sodding bastard! Trying not to scowl, Harry walked behind the bar and grabbed another beer from the fridge, before turning and leaning on it to examine the two. Neither noticed he was there. Hermione's cheeks were flushed, and her head seemed to sway slightly of its own accord. Three empty shot glasses were arrayed in front of her, upside down on the bar. She stared at them through glassy eyes. As Harry watched, the man leaned towards her to whisper something in her ear. Hermione seemed to snap from her trance in an instant, and turned to face the man with a disgusted look on her face.
Smack!
The dark haired man rocked back in his seat from the slap, and Harry couldn't help but burst out laughing. Both turned to face him, Hermione with wide eyes and the man with a scowl. Harry's laughter broke off suddenly as the man raised his fist...towards Hermione. Without even thinking, Harry rushed forward and smashed his near-empty bottle into the side of the man's head with as much force as he could. It made a hollow bonk noise as it struck. Cricket chattered loudly in surprise, bouncing about on his shoulder. The dark haired man dropped like a dead weight, landing on the floor with a thump, unmoving. Harry stared dubiously at the unbroken bottle in his hand, and with a shrug he downed the rest of its contents. Hermione looked back and forth at the man on the floor and Harry as he walked around the bar to her side. He set the bottle on the bar with a tink, twisted the cap off the full one, and held his hand out to his friend.
"Milady?" He intoned in a deep voice, bowing. Hermione gave the crumpled heap on the floor one last look before taking Harry's hand, smiling goofily. Harry led her across the room towards the loveseat. He sat down with a deep sigh, and turned to face his friend on the small couch. "And the shining hero again saves the day!" They both burst out laughing at this, before Harry sobered and looked at his drunken friend curiously. "How are you getting back home? Is your friend here again tonight?" Hermione looked away quickly, her arms hugging herself about the chest. "Hermione?" Her shoulders shook softly, and Harry cautiously raised a hand and set it on her shoulder. His eyes widened as Hermione threw herself into his arms, sobbing uncontrollably. "Sshhh..." He whispered, rubbing circles on her back with his hands. "What's wrong?"
"O-oh Harry!" She sobbed, her entire body shaking in his arms. "It's horrible!" Harry held her nervously as she cried, rubbing her back affectionately. After a few moments, Hermione pulled away and wiped her eyes. "My....my parents h-hate me!"
A/N BAH! That took a bit longer than I thought it would. I wrote half of it yesterday, got tired and took a nap. But the nap lasted longer than I thought it would. Gah. Anyways, hope you liked this one. Two chapters to go I think and we're outa here, and away to grimmauld. Hope I did an ok job with Cricket.
Huge thanks to my beta readers, Shadow Dragon12, and Nymph23 for their excellent job in slogging through this chapter and fixing my horrible mistakes. Thanks a lot!
I was planning on finishing this party and explaining Hermione's problem in this chapter...but...you know. I got tired and stuff. It seems that 5-6000 words is my max per chap. This chapter is still slightly longer than all my other ones, running about 7000.
On a side note, I've come across a couple very good fics that you mihgt want to check out. Harry Potter and the Daughter of Darkness By Ri-kun, a fic that is definitly AU, but still good, and The Human Condition By C.K. Talons, a post-hogwarts fic that is extremely well written and interesting. Features Angry!Harry. Be sure to check them out, and tell them Narishma sent you:)
Me262 A heat stroke!? You gonna be alright? Mud is great. I have heard of the Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy...several people have recommended it to me when I've been looking for a good read. Unfortunatly, I've never gotten around to it:( I'll stop by the library this weekend and see if they got it, wrote myself a note and everything:P Yep, Car rides like that are great...but usually I've been in the country when it happens, lol.
Nymph23 Evil? EVIL!? Bow down to me, Cricket commands it! Thanks for offering to beta...of course, by now you should have gotten my email and stuff.
shaz124 Yep, I had fun writing about that! And Harry's room had it coming.... I'm glad you see everything the same as I do. Also...if, in your own mind, your death was a fact waiting to happen sooner rather than later...well, I'd be doing my damndest to LIVE while I could...know what I mean? I'll have Harry lusting after his girls for a while yet...but soon enough he'll begin to think. Thanks for your review. Reading your intelligent thoughts always gets me thinking.
JD22 Thanks! Hope you like this one too.
RS106 hehe, yeah:)
mjk306 Thank you, thank you. Be sure to check out the stories I reccomended above.
yellowpages Wow. Thanks for the great review! Sent my link to everyone in your year? Cool! Hope my explanation of Cricket wasn't too bad. I'm assuming that a few of the reviews after yours are some of your mates? Thanks for reccommending me!:)
OI ....Oi! j/k Thanks for the review, and I hope I can keep it up:P
chriswarren876 I've got all kinds of captain in me! Why..at times I find myself posing as though I am the captain! lol. The reason why Hermione was at the party gets explained next, as I agree with you...normally whe would never go to a party. But, as you'll soon find out, she had good reason. She definitly doesn't agree with Harry smoking, but doesn't want to push him away by nagging. Don't worry about being wrong about Cricket...everyone was! I really hope my explanation wasn't too bad though. THanks for the review, and I hope you liked this one too:)
John Wilburn As you've probably found out, I ended up going T/H/Hr. Maybe I should go back and take the question out of my A/N, lol. Anyways, thanks for the review.
ANDTORR Glad you like it! putting it up at ??? I think edited your review or something. Anyways, hope you liked this one too:)
Drake Smythe Wireless networks really suck sometimes. Harry should be seeing even more action in the coming chapters;) Glad you like it and I hope you keep liking it:P
coolone007-2 hehe, don't worry. I'm sure everyone thought Tonks was Cricket. I wrote it that way on purpose:P Hermione was definitly pissed, but shes a clever one. Getting mad at him is only going to push him away at this point, so shes playing it cool. Tonks does a little better job of it though. Hope you liked this chapter too.
Well, that should be everyone. Hope y'all liked it, and PLEASE REVIEW! hehe