AN: Thanks for your reviews. Here you go again, but don't think you will get every day a new chapter. I try, but I can't promise. I think I will get up at least one chap every three days.
Chapter 4 The Visitor
He repeated his workout the next morning and achieved some more repeats with the weights. But this time he didn't start with the cycle, but he went running out of the house for half an hour.
After the breakfast he started the books about Animagi.
The theory sounded fairly complex to him and it took all his concentration to follow the text and the various diagrams.
While he was ok with transfiguration it was not his strength. That was DADA.
He had to work hard for it.
Harry was engrossed in the book as the bell rang.
As he knew his relatives were out again he got down to look who it was.
He opened the door with his hand on his wand.
As he saw, who it was he smiled and flung his arms around him.
"Moony! Come in!"
Remus seemed to be to shocked to say anything. He kept staring at the teenager in front of him.
"Harry?" he asked.
"The one and only." Harry replied grinning, "Why? Do you need glasses?"
That Remus pulled Remus out of his stupor and he punched Harry on his arm.
"Your new style suits you!" Remus said smiling.
"That have I heard before. Now come in and we can talk."
Remus followed Harry in his room.
"How are you?" asked Harry hesitating.
"It is hard." Remus sighed "But I was positively surprised to hear from you. I was partially worried about you. To hear from you lifted my spirits somewhat. And you?"
"It was hard for me to. I looked for help in drinking, you know?" Harry told quietly.
Remus looked aghast, "What? How and where?"
Harry grinned, "Well... magic is a fine thing. Back in Hogwarts I transfigured a sheet of parchment into an ID-Card which stated I was 18. And in the nights I sneaked past the guards and went into some pubs. I got never really drunk though. I only wanted to drink enough to ease the pain, not to get pissed."
He showed him the card and Remus was looking stunned at it.
"What did make you stop that habit?" Remus asked after a while.
"Well, I met a stranger who lost his wife and his daughter and was after the same solution as I. We began to talk and I realized that drinking was not helping me. Then I thought about what Sirius would want me to do. I think he would want us both to be happy and not wasting away. So I made my peace with him and decided to prepare for the fight. That I got my head washed shortly after that by a certain girl with a hot temper did only help too." Harry added grinning.
"Yes, I have heard about your encounter with Tonks. Congratulations, by the way." Remus said sincerely.
"Well, to say I was surprised would be an understatement." mused Harry, "I think, I still haven't realized it fully that I have now a girlfriend."
"Have you doubts?" Remus asked concerned.
"No!" Harry said with ferocity, "I know, Tonks is a really beautiful girl and it is not only that. We share the same wavelength and some experiences, too. I am also sure of my feelings of her now. No, I have no doubts."
"Good to hear, Harry. I wouldn't like it to see her hurt or you. She talked about you and her growing feelings for you since last summer."
"Really?"
"Yes, really." said Remus grinning, "She went on about what a nice, cute, strong and noble guy you were and so on."
"I never guessed." said Harry blushing.
"Yeah, Tonks is a little bit difficult. Outwardly she is a strange, extroverted and open girl... just a lot of fun. But we both know now there is more. She is uncertain and shy about her true feelings often and with you it was extreme. I mean, you are the boy who lived and you are younger than her. She never believed, that she had a chance for your heart." Remus said seriously, "I told her, that you are older in mind than in body and she should give it a try. But she was a little afraid of rejection. However, I am more surprised that you got so fast hooked with her."
"As I said, I am kind of surprised too. But I thought of Tonks as a nice girl before. I just never thought about a relationship with her. Then she suddenly told me, that she couldn't stand it to lose me and ... well my feelings went haywire. I also saw her this day in her true form for the first time and I was... already feeling something, I guess. But my biggest problem with girls was, that I didn't know, how they felt about me, my fame, the danger and all that comes with me. I knew, Tonks understood... all of it. I also knew how she felt and that gave me the confirmation I needed to open my heart to her. The rest is history, so to say."
"How did you know, how she felt?"
"I could sense it, Moony." he said seriously.
"If you say so. It doesn't really matter. All that matters is, that I have now two really happy friends that are in love with each other." said Remus happily.
Harry nodded beaming but then his face fell and he became more serious.
"It will be hard, to keep it a secret and if it is found out and I am sure that it will come to this, it will be harder to keep her safe." Harry sighed.
But then he smiled again, "I think, Sirius would have a field day with that little piece of information."
"Yes, he would teasing you both to no end and try to embarrass you every second." replied Remus smiling at the thought and then he grinned deviously, "Well. I will have to do that part then."
Harry kept unimpressed, "Try it and I will hex you to oblivion!" he said with a menacing voice and instantly an aura of power surrounded him and Remus looked taken aback.
He scrutinized the son of his friend.
"You have changed." He stated.
Harry shrugged, "A little bit."
"And how would you do that? I mean hexing me. You aren't allowed to perform magic out of school." Remus said grinning.
"So Tonks is keeping my secrets. That is nice to know." he said solemnly.
"What? What secrets?"
"Well for instance that I could hex you without reprimanding." Harry said grinning.
"Shall I prove it?" he asked and waved his wand threatening at the werewolf.
"No. I don't know why, but I believe you. But how?"
"That is for me to know and for you to find out." Harry said grinning.
"Just like Dumbledore." Remus sighed.
He shuddered as he saw how Harry's look changed from a mischievous smile to a threatening glare full of suppressed cold rage.
"I am no bit like that ... piece of... uhm... man." Harry growled.
"What did he do to you?" Remus asked intrigued.
"Well aside from keeping sending me here every summer, ignoring me, when I needed him the most, keeping my inheritance from me and keeping that fucking prophecy a secret from me? I don't know but I know it is not all."
Remus looked aghast, "He did what? He... he knows the prophecy?"
"Yes and now so do I. He was so kind to tell it to me, just after I lost Sirius, as if that wasn't enough that day. I paid it back to him and trashed his office though."
Remus eyes lit up in rage and a deep animally growl escaped his mouth.
Harry locked his eyes with him and said in a cold steely voice, "Leave him to me, Moony. That is between him and me. I will deal with him."
Remus was amazed at this teen, he had an aura of confidence around him what was new and it was laced with the power to fulfill that threat.
"Harry what happened to you? You are glowing with power. You know, you can trust me."
"Well, you are the best friend of my dad and my godfather and the last marauder. You may be right. But promise me, that you tell no one about it. Not even Tonks. I don't want to make her afraid of me or something."
"Your secret is safe with me. I swear it by the honor of the marauders."
"Thanks. Well, I was in the ministry the day as I had my encounter with Tonks. They made a test with me and found out, that my magic was kept under a block of dark magic. How it was placed there, that I don't know. I believe it is a consequence of the link with Voldemort. They removed it and now I have full access to my power."
"Why were you in the ministry, Harry?"
"Well, that is a secret I am not allowed to share. Sorry. But as I said to Tonks it is nothing bad."
"I trust you, Harry. Well, the day did you good, I would say. The haircut, the earring and that tattoo are looking cool. Sirius would be proud. I know I am."
"That tattoo?" Harry asked with a devious smile.
"What do you mean?"
"It is not the only one neither the most impressive."
"Show me!" Remus demanded eagerly.
Harry showed him his back.
"Wow. You are right. The tiger is the most impressive. I believe Tonks will be very happy to see them one day."
"Yes she was."
Remus groaned, "That leads to mental images I don't need, Harry."
"Hey, you asked for it. Besides we didn't do anything. I only showed her my back, just as I did now." Harry said grinning.
"Tell me, is my relocation to Sirius house planned this summer?"
"Yes, for a fact it is. Dumbledore intends to get you over there at August 1st. Is... is that alright with you?"
"Yes it is, Moony. I meant it as I said, that I made my peace with him. It is still hurting, but I am getting better. How about you?"
"Well, to talk with you is helping me a great deal, just as your little girlfriend promised. I didn't believe her but I think, I was wrong. To know, that you are ok is good. What you said about that what Padfoot would want us to do is nothing but right. I will keep that in mind. I think, I will become better soon. Thanks for that."
"I am glad that I could help."
"I was asked to greet you from your friends and Tonks, of course."
"Thanks. Greet them back for me and tell them not to worry about me. I am ok."
"That will please them. However, I have to leave you already. What will you do the rest of the day?"
"Now, I don't want to ruin the surprise." Harry said with twinkling eyes.
"What do you want to do, you little brat?"
"You will find out, I promise. You and Tonks I will tell it, when I am ready."
Remus nodded, "I hope that for you. If you will not, you are going to face our wrath."
"That is something to be scared about. I think, I would prefer a cup of tea with Snakeface before that." Harry said grinning.
"Well... It was nice to talk with you, Harry. Thanks."
"No problem. You know, I would ask you to be my guardian."
"What is keeping you?" Remus asked touched.
"It is not longer necessary." Harry shrugged.
"How is that?"
"That falls under the part of underage magic... you have to find out for yourself."
"Argh! Truly James son. Well... goodbye then."
"Bye and thanks for the visit. And tell nobody about my changed look. I want to see their faces." Harry demanded with a devious smile.
"I would never want to miss that, that you can be sure of." Remus replied grinning.
Remus disapparated with a crack.
He was pleased about this visit and it helped both of them.
He got however on a sadder note a short letter from Tonks. She told him, that she was going on an assignment for the next three weeks and would therefore not be able to visit him. She told him, how sorry she was about that and how much she missed him already.
But it enlightened his mood, that she was so happy, that they were a couple now and that she still couldn't really believe it. She said, her dreams became true. That warmed Harry's heart a great deal.
He wrote her back, that he was going to miss her too, but that she should not worry about it too much. They would meet again and he was looking forward to it. He told her that he was happy too about the relationship and that he also had problems to believe his luck. He also wrote to her, that she should be careful and look after herself and that he loved her.
The rest of the week flew by and he learned about Animagi all he could and then he studied his inner animals.
The royal eagle was an impressive creature. With a span width of over three meters he would be a big bird. As Clara said it was a magical creature. He was faster then normal eagles and could lift more than he should be able to. It was however not as much as a phoenix could.
But he decided to try the tiger first. He wanted to be able to accompany Remus during the full moon and help him so a little bit more to get over Sirius death.
It was also the more impressive creature. He looked like a normal Siberian Tiger... the biggest of all kinds. The difference was the color of his fur. It was dark gray nearly black with the common black stripes. From that came the name shadowtiger, because it vanished in the shadows easily.
It was also a highly magical creature. It was related to the mysticat and just like it, it could completely disappear and reappear at another location or stay disappeared. It wasn't invisible though... it was simply no longer there and nobody was able to explain it.
Well, he would find out if he mastered this form.
As he had read all about it he could, he started to try the transformation.
At the end of the week he was able to transform his hands into paws.
But then it was the day he had waited for. He would meet Rick again.
He decided to wear a similar outfit as the last time they met. This morning he didn't need to sneak past the guards. He putted a silencing spell on his room and disapparated after he donned his cloak.
He appeared next to the swing Rick was waiting the last time with a loud crack.
Rick sat on this swing again and he winced heavily from the sudden crack and fell from the swing shocked.
Harry removed his invisibility cloak and laughed but he helped him up.
"You now, it is not nice to laugh about his master. It is also illegal for you to apparate."
"Well, I read the laws as you told me and since I am of age, I only need the license for it."
"How convenient then, that I do have it already with me." Rick said grinning, "I wouldn't have guessed that you get it so fast though. I wanted to help you with it today. Here take it."
"Thanks. And now we go house hunting."
"How do we start?"
Harry grabbed Rick's arm with his right hand and pressed the tiger on his ring with his left hand and muttered: "Take me home to where I belong."
He felt the known feeling of pulling behind his navel and they were swirled away.
They landed in front of a big house which seemed to be more a manor.
They both stared in awe at the majestic house.
"Well, lets get in." said Harry with a shaking voice.
Rick could only nod.
Harry went to the huge double door and it opened for him magically.
They entered and stood now in a great entrance hall with a floor made of marble.
"Wow.... Someone here?" he yelled.
Three pops announced the arrival of his servants.
"Master Potter! You are back!" the elves stammered.
"Yes I am. That is a friend of mine and my mentor Rick Weller."
"Nice to meet you, Master Weller."
"So, how are you lot called and who is responsible for Phoenix Home?"
"That would be me, Minx. The other two are Jerad and Mela."
"Hi then. So, I have no much time today and I don't know when I will be back. How about you show us the most important places of this well kept house?" Harry asked nicely.
The elves beamed proudly and showed them the living room, the master suite, the study and the library. Alone for that they needed an hour.
"Thank you for the tour and that you kept that house in such a nice state. I try to be back soon, but I have to go to school yet. I intend to live in the next months maybe years at Phoenix home though and would like to have you all three staying with me there then. But you should keep this house clean too."
"That would be a pleasure, Master Potter."
"Well, Minx, would you show us that house then?"
"Master Potter, I ... I wanted to ask you something." Mela squirmed.
"Yes? How can I help you?"
"Well.. me... me and Jerad... we..."
"You are a couple?" Harry asked surprised.
Both house elves nodded.
"That is nice. What's the problem with it?"
"We wanted to ask you for permission to marry, Sir. And we wanted to ask you if we can have a baby?"
Harry looked stunned at this.
"Of course, we will not do it, if you don't want it." Mela said dejected.
"No! Sorry, I was a little bit shocked. Hey, you both are free elves aren't you? Why do you need my permission?"
"We work for you and if we marry and have a baby, Mela will be putted out of work for at least a half year." Jerad explained.
"You know what? I like the idea and of course you have my permission. And don't hold back, make as many babies as you want. We have enough room here and I am sure we will manage. Tell me, if it is too much work though. I think I could convince another one or two free elves to work for me. I forbid you both to work too hard! Understood?"
Both nodded.
"Then I wish you a happy marriage and holiday of course. I will tell Minx, when we will meet again. So long have fun!"
"Thanks, Master."
"Well, Minx, could you take us to the house please?"
They disappeared with a crack.
They arrived in front of a nice two-story house surrounded with a nice lawn, trees and bushes.
They could see Hogsmeade a mile away. The cottage was on a hill of some kind.
"It is nice here. Will the people of the Village see us?" Harry asked.
"Of course not. The whole property is heavily guarded by ancient magic. It is unplottable and not visible, except for people keyed to the wards. The same goes for apparition and portkeys. The only official entrance would be the floo network, but it is closed for security reasons." Minx explained.
"That is perfect for our needs." Rick said excited.
"How do I key someone to the wards?"
"Well, I will show you. Will you key Master Weller?"
"That was my intention."
"Then follow me."
Minx showed him the procedure for keying people to the wards and Harry applied it to Rick.
"Now would you show us the house?" Harry asked.
"Follow me, please!"
Minx led them into the house.
The moment they entered they heard a familiar song which busted their happiness. It was the phoenix song but slightly different than that from Fawkes.
A cobalt blue phoenix flew to Harry and landed on his shoulder. Then he rubbed his silvery
head at Harry's cheek and instantly Harry felt connected to the magnificent bird.
"Nice to meet you." Harry said smiling, "Now I know why this house is called Phoenix Home."
Rick grinned and looked in awe at the bird. He was cobalt blue and had silvery feather tips, silver tail feathers and a silverblue head.
"How is he called and to whom he belongs to?" Harry asked his elf.
"He is called Derion and he has just bonded to you."
"Derion. It is a nice name for a nice bird." Harry said impressed.
The bird chirped agreeing.
"And you live here, my friend?"
Again he chirped.
"Well, that is nice. You will stay here then, till I arrive from Hogwarts. It would be nice, if you could carry messages from Rick here to me if needed."
The bird trilled excited.
"You were lonely, weren't you?"
Now it trilled more sadly but sang his powerful song again to make them happy.
"So Minx, lead the way. I think, Rick will stay here from now on?"
Rick nodded.
"Fine. Show us the house."
The phoenix didn't leave Harry's shoulder once that day as Minx showed them the nice cottage.
"Harry, I have some things for you. Here is the codex of the Warlock. Read it and live after it. And here, that is a special book, which I made partly myself with the help of some Unspeakables."
Harry took it and read the title: "The Way of the Warlocks."
He opened it and scrolled through.
"They are empty."
"It is specially charmed. It will only show you, what it deems you are ready and responsible enough for. Every section that is accessible is listed in the contents list. They will appear and glow, if they are new. Tap the section you want to read with your wand and the sites will fill. They will clear if you are through, tap another one or close the book. Now take a look at the contents!"
He scrolled to the front of the book.
"There were listed: Battle magic – Background, The difference between dark and evil, Dueling – Tactics, Dueling – Movements, Dueling – Spells, How to increase your fitness, Advanced Apparition, Animagus"
Rick took a look too and whistled, "Advanced Apparition! It senses that you completed the normal Apparition already... and Animagus? You started on that too?"
"Well... kind of."
"I am impressed. Keep it up and you will be a Warlock in no time."
"Thanks. I am trying."
"So, tell me... how did it go with that girl?"
Harry blushed, "Well, we are a couple now."
Rick laughed loud, "I don't get it. You putted her sleeping on her guard and after what you told me she had to be pissed off."
"That she was, I can assure you." he groaned.
"And now you are a couple?"
"Well she washed my head about some things, and she was right about it. I apologized and then... she told me, that she don't want to loose me... that she liked me. In addition to that the empathy kicked in and I felt, what she felt. I considered my options and my feelings and now... I have a girlfriend. One that is on an assignment for the next two weeks though and further my guard, member of the Order and an auror as well." He added a little bit sadly.
"Nice choice. At least you know, that she can look after her self." Rick reassured him.
"That you got right." his eyes lit up again.
"Well then keep your studies up to par, that you have free time to visit her or let her visit you."
"How much can I tell her?"
"Well, give it some time. Get to know her, I mean really know her. If you trust her, you may tell her all you want. As auror she knows not to tell anyone about your status as Unspeakable and Warlock."
"I am an Unspeakable? I thought, I was independent?"
"As I said, kind of. You are now an Unspeakable in training. You will belong to them forever, at least until you retire, like me. But you are not under the order of the ministry and that is the difference. They may ask you, what you are working on and may ask for your help in an emergency. But I don't believe anyone will bother you, because all know what you have to do anyway. But you can ask them for help also. It's all in the Codex."
"Ok, with that I can live."
"So, what are your plans? What are you working on?" Rick asked.
"I tried to get my Occlumency running, mastered Apparition and work on the tiger, that I can help my friend Remus Lupin."
"That is noble. If you trust him, you may show him this form then."
"Thanks. I am reading the sixth year and seventh year books also. What do you reckon should I take for the NEWTS?"
"Well, DADA, charms, transfiguration and potions. I would recommend basic healing as subject but it is not for the NEWTS."
"Well that I will take then. I will drop all other classes to get my NEWTS as soon as possible."
"For our deal, acceptable is enough. But I know you will do better." Rick said reassuringly.
"I will try. I have yet to get my OWL's."
"They will come in the first days of August. "
"It's nice to know someone who knows what is going on." Harry said.
"Yeah. I reestablished some connections."
"Could you test my mind shields?" Harry asked.
"Well... Legilimens!"
Harry could feel the probing but he felt nothing got through.
"Your shields are strong. Clara was right, you have a knack for that. Let me a bit in your mind and try to mislead me. It is better, your opposite don't know that you can block him. Let him believe, he has seen your thoughts, then he will leave you alone."
"Okay. Give it a go!"
Again he felt the probing, he let him in and lured him to his outer layers of memories and thoughts. He felt, that he was looking for Tonks, but he planted false memories in his way and lured him from the lower layers away. He managed to keep him in his outer layer.
"Now throw me out!" Rick demanded.
Harry gave him a mental push, or so he thought. Rick was blown away and landed on the floor physically as well as was flung out of his mind.
"Well... that was amazing. You got it. You book should now be updated upon this. Now, I believe, you have to leave."
"You're right."
"The master is always right." Rick said chuckling.
"In your dreams." Harry responded.
"Well, if you arise no suspicion, you may visit all the time."
"I think, I will keep it at once a week until I go to Sirius house. Then I don't know."
"Alright. Bye then and be careful!"
"I will. Bye!"
He disapparated with a crack.
He trained hard, theoretically and physically. His book had now twice the entries as before.
He mastered now silent Apparition and got it down so fast, that it would be useful in a duel.
He also trained his mind further in Occlumency and basic Legilimancy. The first helped him a great deal in his studies as well as his Animagustransformation.
The organization of his mind helped him to memorize facts and understand them and it helped him with his visualization of his animal.
It also helped him to control his temper.
He learned a series of new powerful spells from his book, which would surely help him in his next meeting with Death-Eaters.
He had yet to start with his fire-element. But that he wanted to do with Rick.
On his weekly visits he began to train martial arts and weaponry with Rick.
As far he was passable with his sword. It seemed to support him in mastering that technique.
Tonks didn't had another watch over him and it was already 30Th July. That was sad but she had written him at least. In the letters they exchanged, they learned more about each other and for Harry was it, as he fell more in love with her with each letter he got.
He got a letter from Dumbledore too, where he was informed, that he would leave for Grimmauld Place at August 1st in the morning.
He dreaded the visit to Sirius house but on the other hand he wanted to see Moony and his friends again.
As he awoke on his birthday, he went at first to his workout, which showed already and after that he opened his presents.
He did study afterwards though, for him it was a day like all others except for the presents.
AN: Hi guys. I need your help! You know the two forms of Harry, right? The Shadowtiger and the Royal Eagle. I have a total blackout. I ask you for a marauder name of him which suits one or better both forms. I used Shadow or Talon in my other fics already and find it kind of boring now. So help, please!!!
I also modified this chap a bit to make the relationship between Harry and Tonks more plausible. I hope it worked.
bvzlk: Thanks for the hint with loose and lose. I try to remember it.