A/N:
Hello my lovelies! Yes, I have made it to the next chapter pretty quickly,
and I hope to be able to do that more often. I had all last Sunday to
write, but got the idea to read 'The Da Vinci Code' instead. Very gripping
indeed, but not very good if you need to write. Nevertheless, I managed to
write 1 chapter during the weekend, although it's not the three I had
anticipated.
This chapter, as you will notice, is a bit more light hearted. I won't
spoil any more. Enjoy!
* * *
The following morning, Harry woke up to an annoying beeping sound, that seemed to resonate through his head. His sleep had once again stacked been with numerous nightmares, and it took Harry a while to figure out that the annoying sound was coming from his alarm clock. Moaning, he turned over in his bed and lazily stretched his arm out, letting his hand land forcefully on top of the alarm.
With the noise out of the way, Harry could now start wondering why in the world he had set his alarm at 6:30 AM. He didn't wake up that early when he was at Hogwarts, let alone during his holidays. And then he remembered the conversation he'd had with Dumbledore.
Tonks would be here soon for his first combat training. He had already lingered in bed for too long, it was time to get up.
As he swung his legs over the side of his bed, he reached for his glasses. Putting them on, he looked across the room at his messy wardrobe. Clothes were scattered both inside and one the ground around it.
'Great,' he though, 'what am I supposed to wear? All the Muggle clothes I own are about 8 sizes too big. But even if they weren't, I still don't have any clothes to work out in.'
With a sight, Harry dove into his wardrobe, determined to unearth something he could wear.
In the end, he settled for a pair of brown shorts, held up with a belt of course, and a t-shirt with 5 boys and the words 'Take That' on it. The boys in the photo all looked into the camera with an air of smugness and arrogance. Harry particularly disliked the smaller boy with the baby-face in the middle, who was pointing to the camera.
The shirt looked like it hadn't been worn a lot, and Harry wondered why Dudley had owned a shirt with 5 boys on it.
Looking at the time, he couldn't give that particular subject any more thought and, feeling slightly embarrassed, he decided to wear the shirt inside out. If it hadn't been the only shirt without holes in it, Harry wouldn't have worn it at all.
After putting on his trainers, Harry saw that he only had 5 more minutes left. He made his way downstairs and into the kitchen, where he wondered what he would be able to make and eat for breakfast in a couple of minutes.
Rummaging through the refrigerator, Harry decided to try one of Aunt Petunia's new favourites; Break-Go. Secretly wondering what kind of person would come up with a name like that, he read the label.
iBREAK-GO!
The new breakfast sensation you can drink on the go! Break-Go contains yoghurt, wheat, grains and pieces of real summer fruit, and tastes wonderfully like oranges. Break-Go provides the energy needed for school, work or exercise, and is high in added vitamins. One bottle of Break-Go contains all the vitamins according to advised daily intake./i
Deciding that didn't sound too bad, Harry unscrewed the cap and made his way outside to wait for Tonks to show up. Enjoying the cool morning air, he leaned against the front door and watched the sun rise over Little Whinging as he took the first swig from the bottle in his hand.
YEGH! Harry struggled to swallow the mouthful of liquid, if that's what you could call it. It had the consistency of... yes... of what. With a lack of a better description, Harry thought the breakfast drink had the consistency of grainy porridge with lumps. For some reason, several seeds and grains seemed to have decided they didn't want to be swallowed, and had nestled themselves smugly between Harry's teeth. And added to that, the orange taste was awfully artificial, and in no way reminded Harry of real oranges.
Trying to pick the seeds from his teeth, Harry made his way to the rubbish bin to get rid of the mostly full bottle. He should have known better than to trust a breakfast you can drink. And all those added vitamins couldn't be all good either.
As he tossed the bottle in the bin, he heard a crack behind him, followed by a now familiar "Wotcher, Harry!".
Harry turned to face Nymphadora Tonks, who now had pitch-black hair, pulled tightly back in a ponytail, with a smile, that was quickly wiped off his face.
'Er, Harry, not to be a pain or anything, but you've got something in your teeth. Actually, you have quite a lot in your teeth. What did you do?'
Harry mumbled something no one that couldn't speak 'Harry-mumble' would be able to understand. Tonks just pointed her wand at Harry's mouth and said 'scourgify'.
Harry felt the seeds disappear from his teeth, but as he opened his mouth to say thanks, a couple of large soap bubbles came out instead.
Tonks giggled at the sight. 'Sorry Harry, I told you I was never any good at those household spells. Don't worry, it will clear up anytime now.'
'Nice to see you too, Nymph,' Harry said, grinning.
'Oh, boy,' Tonks replied, with more amusement than annoyance in her voice, you have just earned yourself 20 push-ups!'
'Sorry Tonks, couldn't resist,' Harry sniggered. 'So, what exactly are we going to do? Dumbledore told me something about martial arts.'
'You're right, Harry. That'll definitely be part of the program. However, we'll also be improving your physical condition overall, and we'll be doing some kickboxing as well. So, what do you say we get started? We'll kick off with a 7 kilometre run.'
'7 Kilometres?' Harry gulped. 'But surely, er, that's not safe. You know, I'll be outside, unprotected, an easy target for Voldemort and his Death Eaters.' Harry searched frantically for reasons to get out of this run. He could handle exercise, but he hated running with a passion.
'Oh, you big baby!' Tonks laughed. 'Seven K is nothing. Besides, you can't tell me you've remained inside since you returned from Hogwarts. Surely you'll have noticed the guards that are stationed around the neighbourhood. We've got guards placed all over the route this morning, I'll be Disillusioning you, and you have a fully qualified, brave Auror as your personal bodyguard.'
'Who?' Harry asked with a grin.
'Okay, that just bought you another 30 push-ups,' was Tonks' only answer. 'Now get moving.'
As Harry started stretching, he felt a tap on his head, and a familiar trickle down his back, and he knew Tonks had Disillusioned him. Of course he had noticed the guards. He hadn't actually seen any wizards, but it seemed that wizards weren't the only things watching Harry. Mr Tibbles, one of Mrs Figg's cats, followed him everywhere he went, and there were some strange-looking birds in the trees since he had returned from school. Accepting his fate, Harry started to run.
* * * Harry had never been happier to see Privet Drive in his life. His legs felt like they were on fire, his trainers were definitely too small, and he had to keep hoisting his shorts up. When they approached number 4 however, Tonks seemed to have no inclination to stop.
'T-Tonks,' Harry panted, 'surely this was 7 k. Why aren't we going back?'
Tonks, in reply, just smiled knowingly and kept on running. Reluctantly, but having no choice in the matter, Harry followed.
After a short while, Tonks slowed down and turned to a house with a bright purple door. At last, Harry knew where they were going, although he didn't understand it.
After ringing the bell, the door opened to display a Mrs Figg who seemed to be bouncing off the walls. 'Hello there, I was wondering when you would get here. Come in, come in. I've got tea and sandwiches ready, hope you worked up an appetite. Harry love, look at you. You look like your head is about to explode. That strange need for exercise these days, I'll never quite understand it, I fear. Come here, sit down, have a cuppa. Did you enjoy your run?'
Harry made no objections to being ushered into a comfortable chair by Mrs Figg, and he immediately started devouring the bacon and egg sandwiches that were placed on the coffee table to his right.
It was only after a couple of sandwiches and 3 cups of tea that Harry took time to notice the distinct smell of cats, and wondered why they were at Mrs Figg's house.
Questioningly, he looked across the room to Tonks, who was talking to Mrs Figg in a hushed voice. The sight of Tonks slightly startled Harry. She didn't look in the least bit tired, when Harry felt like he was probably drenched in sweat and still quite red in the face. If anything, Tonks looked quite refreshed.
Apparently feeling his gaze, Tonks looked at Harry and answered the questions that he had only asked in his head. 'Mrs Figg has been kind enough to allow us to train in one of her rooms. We knew there wouldn't be any room at your aunt and uncle's house. And we didn't want to rent anything that had a lot of Muggles around either. And to answer that question that's written all over your face, I enjoy running. Auror training doesn't mean only magical work; you need to be physically fit as well. The boot camp we have to undergo is quite heavy, and a 7k run really is nothing to me. I think I'm addicted to the fix of adrenalin I get from exercise. Don't worry, Harry, it'll get easier. Next week you'll already feel the difference, and be able to complete the run with much more ease. Now, it looks like you've cleaned out that whole plate of sandwiches, so I reckon you won't object to getting on with our work?'
As Tonks started towards the stairs, Harry just looked at her, stunned. It was eerie to be with a person that seemed to be able to read other so well. That must come in quite handy as an Auror. Auror training sounded even harder than Harry had anticipated, but he thought it would be worth it. Fighting the bad guys-.
Tonks calling out his name snapped Harry from his reverie. He got up and walked out the door, only to double back. Shyly, he addressed Mrs Figg. 'Er-thanks for the sandwiches. And for letting us use your room. And, er-,' Harry hesitated but continued as he got an encouraging look from Mrs Figg. 'Well, thanks for your help last summer. With the Dementors and the trial and everything. I never really had a chance to thank you properly, so, thanks.'
'It's my pleasure, Harry, no need to thank me. Now, you don't wanna keep Tonks waiting, do you?' And with that, she walked into the kitchen.
The rest of the morning consisted of a lot of mat exercises for flexibility and strength, the basics of martial arts and kickboxing, and of course, the promised push-ups.
Harry had pleaded with Tonks for mercy, but she was relentless and had made him do every last of the 50 push-ups.
At midday, Tonks dropped Harry off at his own house so he could have lunch before Lupin came over. After they had said goodbye, Tonks doubled back and said: "I'm going to get you some new work-out clothes, Harry.'
Before Harry could open his mouth to refuse the offer, she continued. 'Don't try to argue with me Harry. I don't know what those Muggles have been thinking, but you need some proper clothes to wear. No! I won't hear anything else about it. Just consider it an early birthday present.'
And after glancing around repeatedly, Tonks crouched behind a bush, and disappeared before Harry could say anything.
As Harry turned inside, lost in thought about what Tonks had just said, he bumped into his cousin. In all honesty, he hadn't seen a lot of his cousin, besides when he had entered his mind. Since he'd returned, Uncle Vernon had adopted a policy of trying to pretend Harry didn't exist, and Dudley had mercifully followed his example.
Now, however, Dudley could hardly pretend Harry wasn't there. After all, they had made bodily contact. Instead, Dudley shot Harry a look of disgust that didn't seem rooted in his normal dislike of Harry.
'What are you doing wearing that t-shirt, you moron!'Dudley bellowed.
Harry glanced down, to see that even though he had turned the shirt inside out, the photo and text were still quite visible.
'It was one of the 'new' things your mother left in my wardrobe for my return,' Harry answered defiantly.
'She had no right to give you that shirt. It's mine, give it to me!' And Dudley grabbed the shirt, pulling it over Harry's head.
Harry could do nothing but look at his cousin, completely flabbergasted. Why would that shirt cause such an emotion with Dudley? Dudley's voice had trembled, but Harry didn't understand with what. It had, however, sounded like a more genuine tremble that the one Dudley used when he didn't get what he wanted.
Then Harry watched his cousin waddling his way up the stairs, positively hugging the t-shirt. And although Harry wasn't quite sure, he though he heard Dudley mutter: 'Why, boys? Why did you do that to us?'
Not knowing what to think or do, Harry also made his way up the stairs to take a shower and change before Remus would arrive.
* * *
At exactly 1 PM, the doorbell rang, and Harry opened the door. Smiling, he greeted Remus, and offered to go upstairs for the spell study.
Remus was carrying a big stack of books, and Harry lifted some of his load. Together, they made his way to Harry's room, that he had cleaned up a bit for the occasion.
The two dropped the stacks of books on Harry's bed, and took a seat.
'So, Harry, I heard your training with Tonks was pretty successful. 50 Additional push-ups, I wonder what you said to deserve that,' Remus said with a wink.
For 5 minutes, Harry related everything he and Tonks had done during the morning. After he had finished, he turned his attention to the books on his bed. 'Well Remus, you don't seem to be wasting any time. You know, I'm not Hermione. I'm not that fast with books. But let's just take a look at what we have here.'
And Harry started examining the titles of the books: "Advanced defence spells for the wizard at war" "Attacking defensively: a guide to defence against the Dark Arts" "Forgotten spells and hexes: Surprise your opponents" "Tickle charms and hurling hexes: How to win a pranking duel" "Disarming spells taken to the next level" "The theory of Shield Charms" "All you ever wanted to know about the Unforgivables, but were afraid to ask" And, finally, "A Dummie's Guide to Defense Against the Dark Arts"
Harry ogled Remus suspiciously. 'What's the meaning of this? Dumbledore said I needed to learn advanced stuff, and you bring me a Dummies Guide, and a book on pranking duels?'
Remus just smiled at Harry and answered. 'I decided it would be best if you learned a whole range of charms and spells. Don't worry; I've brought you more than enough advanced stuff as well. So, if you have no more questions, let's get cracking. I say we should probably start with the Dummies Guide. It has some very clarifying instructions, and is quite entertaining to read.'
For the rest of the afternoon, Harry and Remus busied themselves with studying. Harry made notes as Remus explained certain aspects of spells Harry had never known existed. Apparently, spells could be fortified by focusing emotions while casting it. He learned a whole bunch of other useful stuff; as well he couldn't wait to share with his friends.
That night, Harry had his first sleep without nightmares in a long time.
* * *
Over the next couple of weeks, things progressed in much the same way as that first day. Of course, Harry also had Occlumency lessons with Dumbledore. He found that closing his mind to intruders had actually become a bit easier than it had last year. With a feeling of dread, he wondered if Snape had actually managed to teach him something.
Harry thought his better control of Occlumency had more to do with his increased ability to concentrate. Part of his training with Tonks entailed studying the philosophy behind some of the martial arts, in order to understand the movements. A main part of those studies was meditation and focus. As he became better at meditation, focusing his mind, and visualizing, he suspected he also became better at Occlumency.
Tonks had kept her word, and bought Harry some new work-out clothes. He had been less happy with the regular clothes she had bought him. Not that they didn't look good or anything, but it felt too much like charity. For some reason, Harry didn't like the feeling of being indebted to his friends. For the first time, he understood how Ron must have been feeling at times.
Of course, he hadn't shown these sentiments to Tonks. She had been positively beaming when she handed Harry the bags of clothes, and her eyes shone with anticipation. Besides 3 pairs of shorts, 5 T-shirts, a sweat suit and new trainers, she had also bought him 2 pairs of jeans, a pair of black dress pants, 3 dress shirts and a jumper. Harry was grateful, even though he felt uncomfortable with his friend spending so much money on him. He reckoned he should just look at it like a birthday present, and be done with it. Of course, he thanked Tonks profusely, and she in her turn, had made him do a little fashion show.
His studies with Remus were also going well. Together, they had worked through 4 books, and Harry had managed to study the books on prank duels on his own. He couldn't wait to show it to the twins. Surely they would have a field day with some of the spells mentioned in the book. The hurling hexes in the title were very effective to distract your opponent for a few second, and were definitely one of Harry's favourites. However, the best charm he had discovered in the book was the Jelly Charm. The incantation, blubberius, was simple enough, and turned the opponents body to jelly for at least 5 minutes. Of course the whole person wasn't actually turned to jelly, but they would just 'melt' like a pudding, and would be incapable of lifting their arms, legs or heads.
When Remus and Harry weren't studying new spells, they would be talking about different things. After a week or so, Harry had found the courage to ask Lupin about what he had seen in Snape's pensieve. The explanation had put most of Harry's mind at ease. Of course there was no real justification to the taunt, but Harry understood where his father and Sirius had come from. Lupin had used the relationship (if that's what one would want to call it) between Harry and Draco. They had been arch-enemies from the moment they had set eyes on each other. It had been the same with Snape and the Marauders. Harry knew that if Draco hadn't been a teacher's pet, Ron and him might have tried something on him as well. But Snape had been a much easier target than Draco.
Harry understood the motivation of the bullying, but he still didn't really like it. However, he had more important things to think about.
He snapped out of his reverie, as it was getting dark outside. Once more, he wondered if he would ever get out of the house. Harry hadn't spoken to his aunt since their first conversation in the holidays, and his cousin and uncle were still denying Harry's existence. Like so many other nights, Harry gazed out the window for any news about when he would be leaving.
This time, however, he actually saw and owl heading for his window. Harry knew it was too much to hope for. The owl would probably be carrying just another letter from his friends, and not a one-way ticket out of Privet Drive.
As the owl closed in, Harry saw something strange. The owl wasn't only carrying a letter; it was also carrying something that looked an awful lot like a tennis ball.
As the owl entered his room, he dropped the tennis ball onto Harry's bed. Harry could now see that he had mistaken Ron's owl for a tennis ball. The tiny owl looked positively exhausted.
He opened the letter the large owl had been carrying first.
iDear Harry, I shouldn't say anything, because Ron wanted to be the bearer of good news, but I just wanted to let you know you're getting out of there soon. Very soon. Before your birthday. I can't wait to see you.
Love, Hermione,/i
Harry's heart leaped. Before his birthday. But his birthday was in 2 days. That hardly seemed possible. Surely Hermione must have made a mistake. He rushed over to Pig and freed him from Ron's letter.
iHey mate!
Mum's finally been able to convince Dumbledore. He couldn't take the heat from mum anymore, and so you're coming. She insisted you'd need to be here on your birthday, called it your Sweet 16 and all that mushy stuff. Be ready for people to pick you up tomorrow!
See ya, Ron,/i
Harry felt like his heart was going to jump out of his chest. He really was getting out of there. He could hardly wait.
* * * A/N: Now ain't that a treat. 2 Chapters on practically the same day. I hope you don't mind I've given Harry some character traits of my own (an innate hate of drink breakfasts, artificial orange flavour and running). I'd like to thank Mr Robbie Williams to inspire the thing about Take That. Please R&R, I'd really be much obliged!
For those of you who don't know Take That: which era are you from? More explanation will come in a later chapter. I guess a lot of Americans and younger kids enknew that if Draco wasn't.wouldn't know them. But that doesn't matter, they're British, and as I'm sticking to mostly canon, I refuse to back down. Muwahahaha!!
As some of you enquired: No, I'm not setting up a gay-storyline for our ickle Diddykins. Sorry to burst your bubble, but it is clear from the memories in chapter 1 that Dudley is in fact very straight. That doesn't mean that guys can't be big fans of boybands either.
* * *
The following morning, Harry woke up to an annoying beeping sound, that seemed to resonate through his head. His sleep had once again stacked been with numerous nightmares, and it took Harry a while to figure out that the annoying sound was coming from his alarm clock. Moaning, he turned over in his bed and lazily stretched his arm out, letting his hand land forcefully on top of the alarm.
With the noise out of the way, Harry could now start wondering why in the world he had set his alarm at 6:30 AM. He didn't wake up that early when he was at Hogwarts, let alone during his holidays. And then he remembered the conversation he'd had with Dumbledore.
Tonks would be here soon for his first combat training. He had already lingered in bed for too long, it was time to get up.
As he swung his legs over the side of his bed, he reached for his glasses. Putting them on, he looked across the room at his messy wardrobe. Clothes were scattered both inside and one the ground around it.
'Great,' he though, 'what am I supposed to wear? All the Muggle clothes I own are about 8 sizes too big. But even if they weren't, I still don't have any clothes to work out in.'
With a sight, Harry dove into his wardrobe, determined to unearth something he could wear.
In the end, he settled for a pair of brown shorts, held up with a belt of course, and a t-shirt with 5 boys and the words 'Take That' on it. The boys in the photo all looked into the camera with an air of smugness and arrogance. Harry particularly disliked the smaller boy with the baby-face in the middle, who was pointing to the camera.
The shirt looked like it hadn't been worn a lot, and Harry wondered why Dudley had owned a shirt with 5 boys on it.
Looking at the time, he couldn't give that particular subject any more thought and, feeling slightly embarrassed, he decided to wear the shirt inside out. If it hadn't been the only shirt without holes in it, Harry wouldn't have worn it at all.
After putting on his trainers, Harry saw that he only had 5 more minutes left. He made his way downstairs and into the kitchen, where he wondered what he would be able to make and eat for breakfast in a couple of minutes.
Rummaging through the refrigerator, Harry decided to try one of Aunt Petunia's new favourites; Break-Go. Secretly wondering what kind of person would come up with a name like that, he read the label.
iBREAK-GO!
The new breakfast sensation you can drink on the go! Break-Go contains yoghurt, wheat, grains and pieces of real summer fruit, and tastes wonderfully like oranges. Break-Go provides the energy needed for school, work or exercise, and is high in added vitamins. One bottle of Break-Go contains all the vitamins according to advised daily intake./i
Deciding that didn't sound too bad, Harry unscrewed the cap and made his way outside to wait for Tonks to show up. Enjoying the cool morning air, he leaned against the front door and watched the sun rise over Little Whinging as he took the first swig from the bottle in his hand.
YEGH! Harry struggled to swallow the mouthful of liquid, if that's what you could call it. It had the consistency of... yes... of what. With a lack of a better description, Harry thought the breakfast drink had the consistency of grainy porridge with lumps. For some reason, several seeds and grains seemed to have decided they didn't want to be swallowed, and had nestled themselves smugly between Harry's teeth. And added to that, the orange taste was awfully artificial, and in no way reminded Harry of real oranges.
Trying to pick the seeds from his teeth, Harry made his way to the rubbish bin to get rid of the mostly full bottle. He should have known better than to trust a breakfast you can drink. And all those added vitamins couldn't be all good either.
As he tossed the bottle in the bin, he heard a crack behind him, followed by a now familiar "Wotcher, Harry!".
Harry turned to face Nymphadora Tonks, who now had pitch-black hair, pulled tightly back in a ponytail, with a smile, that was quickly wiped off his face.
'Er, Harry, not to be a pain or anything, but you've got something in your teeth. Actually, you have quite a lot in your teeth. What did you do?'
Harry mumbled something no one that couldn't speak 'Harry-mumble' would be able to understand. Tonks just pointed her wand at Harry's mouth and said 'scourgify'.
Harry felt the seeds disappear from his teeth, but as he opened his mouth to say thanks, a couple of large soap bubbles came out instead.
Tonks giggled at the sight. 'Sorry Harry, I told you I was never any good at those household spells. Don't worry, it will clear up anytime now.'
'Nice to see you too, Nymph,' Harry said, grinning.
'Oh, boy,' Tonks replied, with more amusement than annoyance in her voice, you have just earned yourself 20 push-ups!'
'Sorry Tonks, couldn't resist,' Harry sniggered. 'So, what exactly are we going to do? Dumbledore told me something about martial arts.'
'You're right, Harry. That'll definitely be part of the program. However, we'll also be improving your physical condition overall, and we'll be doing some kickboxing as well. So, what do you say we get started? We'll kick off with a 7 kilometre run.'
'7 Kilometres?' Harry gulped. 'But surely, er, that's not safe. You know, I'll be outside, unprotected, an easy target for Voldemort and his Death Eaters.' Harry searched frantically for reasons to get out of this run. He could handle exercise, but he hated running with a passion.
'Oh, you big baby!' Tonks laughed. 'Seven K is nothing. Besides, you can't tell me you've remained inside since you returned from Hogwarts. Surely you'll have noticed the guards that are stationed around the neighbourhood. We've got guards placed all over the route this morning, I'll be Disillusioning you, and you have a fully qualified, brave Auror as your personal bodyguard.'
'Who?' Harry asked with a grin.
'Okay, that just bought you another 30 push-ups,' was Tonks' only answer. 'Now get moving.'
As Harry started stretching, he felt a tap on his head, and a familiar trickle down his back, and he knew Tonks had Disillusioned him. Of course he had noticed the guards. He hadn't actually seen any wizards, but it seemed that wizards weren't the only things watching Harry. Mr Tibbles, one of Mrs Figg's cats, followed him everywhere he went, and there were some strange-looking birds in the trees since he had returned from school. Accepting his fate, Harry started to run.
* * * Harry had never been happier to see Privet Drive in his life. His legs felt like they were on fire, his trainers were definitely too small, and he had to keep hoisting his shorts up. When they approached number 4 however, Tonks seemed to have no inclination to stop.
'T-Tonks,' Harry panted, 'surely this was 7 k. Why aren't we going back?'
Tonks, in reply, just smiled knowingly and kept on running. Reluctantly, but having no choice in the matter, Harry followed.
After a short while, Tonks slowed down and turned to a house with a bright purple door. At last, Harry knew where they were going, although he didn't understand it.
After ringing the bell, the door opened to display a Mrs Figg who seemed to be bouncing off the walls. 'Hello there, I was wondering when you would get here. Come in, come in. I've got tea and sandwiches ready, hope you worked up an appetite. Harry love, look at you. You look like your head is about to explode. That strange need for exercise these days, I'll never quite understand it, I fear. Come here, sit down, have a cuppa. Did you enjoy your run?'
Harry made no objections to being ushered into a comfortable chair by Mrs Figg, and he immediately started devouring the bacon and egg sandwiches that were placed on the coffee table to his right.
It was only after a couple of sandwiches and 3 cups of tea that Harry took time to notice the distinct smell of cats, and wondered why they were at Mrs Figg's house.
Questioningly, he looked across the room to Tonks, who was talking to Mrs Figg in a hushed voice. The sight of Tonks slightly startled Harry. She didn't look in the least bit tired, when Harry felt like he was probably drenched in sweat and still quite red in the face. If anything, Tonks looked quite refreshed.
Apparently feeling his gaze, Tonks looked at Harry and answered the questions that he had only asked in his head. 'Mrs Figg has been kind enough to allow us to train in one of her rooms. We knew there wouldn't be any room at your aunt and uncle's house. And we didn't want to rent anything that had a lot of Muggles around either. And to answer that question that's written all over your face, I enjoy running. Auror training doesn't mean only magical work; you need to be physically fit as well. The boot camp we have to undergo is quite heavy, and a 7k run really is nothing to me. I think I'm addicted to the fix of adrenalin I get from exercise. Don't worry, Harry, it'll get easier. Next week you'll already feel the difference, and be able to complete the run with much more ease. Now, it looks like you've cleaned out that whole plate of sandwiches, so I reckon you won't object to getting on with our work?'
As Tonks started towards the stairs, Harry just looked at her, stunned. It was eerie to be with a person that seemed to be able to read other so well. That must come in quite handy as an Auror. Auror training sounded even harder than Harry had anticipated, but he thought it would be worth it. Fighting the bad guys-.
Tonks calling out his name snapped Harry from his reverie. He got up and walked out the door, only to double back. Shyly, he addressed Mrs Figg. 'Er-thanks for the sandwiches. And for letting us use your room. And, er-,' Harry hesitated but continued as he got an encouraging look from Mrs Figg. 'Well, thanks for your help last summer. With the Dementors and the trial and everything. I never really had a chance to thank you properly, so, thanks.'
'It's my pleasure, Harry, no need to thank me. Now, you don't wanna keep Tonks waiting, do you?' And with that, she walked into the kitchen.
The rest of the morning consisted of a lot of mat exercises for flexibility and strength, the basics of martial arts and kickboxing, and of course, the promised push-ups.
Harry had pleaded with Tonks for mercy, but she was relentless and had made him do every last of the 50 push-ups.
At midday, Tonks dropped Harry off at his own house so he could have lunch before Lupin came over. After they had said goodbye, Tonks doubled back and said: "I'm going to get you some new work-out clothes, Harry.'
Before Harry could open his mouth to refuse the offer, she continued. 'Don't try to argue with me Harry. I don't know what those Muggles have been thinking, but you need some proper clothes to wear. No! I won't hear anything else about it. Just consider it an early birthday present.'
And after glancing around repeatedly, Tonks crouched behind a bush, and disappeared before Harry could say anything.
As Harry turned inside, lost in thought about what Tonks had just said, he bumped into his cousin. In all honesty, he hadn't seen a lot of his cousin, besides when he had entered his mind. Since he'd returned, Uncle Vernon had adopted a policy of trying to pretend Harry didn't exist, and Dudley had mercifully followed his example.
Now, however, Dudley could hardly pretend Harry wasn't there. After all, they had made bodily contact. Instead, Dudley shot Harry a look of disgust that didn't seem rooted in his normal dislike of Harry.
'What are you doing wearing that t-shirt, you moron!'Dudley bellowed.
Harry glanced down, to see that even though he had turned the shirt inside out, the photo and text were still quite visible.
'It was one of the 'new' things your mother left in my wardrobe for my return,' Harry answered defiantly.
'She had no right to give you that shirt. It's mine, give it to me!' And Dudley grabbed the shirt, pulling it over Harry's head.
Harry could do nothing but look at his cousin, completely flabbergasted. Why would that shirt cause such an emotion with Dudley? Dudley's voice had trembled, but Harry didn't understand with what. It had, however, sounded like a more genuine tremble that the one Dudley used when he didn't get what he wanted.
Then Harry watched his cousin waddling his way up the stairs, positively hugging the t-shirt. And although Harry wasn't quite sure, he though he heard Dudley mutter: 'Why, boys? Why did you do that to us?'
Not knowing what to think or do, Harry also made his way up the stairs to take a shower and change before Remus would arrive.
* * *
At exactly 1 PM, the doorbell rang, and Harry opened the door. Smiling, he greeted Remus, and offered to go upstairs for the spell study.
Remus was carrying a big stack of books, and Harry lifted some of his load. Together, they made his way to Harry's room, that he had cleaned up a bit for the occasion.
The two dropped the stacks of books on Harry's bed, and took a seat.
'So, Harry, I heard your training with Tonks was pretty successful. 50 Additional push-ups, I wonder what you said to deserve that,' Remus said with a wink.
For 5 minutes, Harry related everything he and Tonks had done during the morning. After he had finished, he turned his attention to the books on his bed. 'Well Remus, you don't seem to be wasting any time. You know, I'm not Hermione. I'm not that fast with books. But let's just take a look at what we have here.'
And Harry started examining the titles of the books: "Advanced defence spells for the wizard at war" "Attacking defensively: a guide to defence against the Dark Arts" "Forgotten spells and hexes: Surprise your opponents" "Tickle charms and hurling hexes: How to win a pranking duel" "Disarming spells taken to the next level" "The theory of Shield Charms" "All you ever wanted to know about the Unforgivables, but were afraid to ask" And, finally, "A Dummie's Guide to Defense Against the Dark Arts"
Harry ogled Remus suspiciously. 'What's the meaning of this? Dumbledore said I needed to learn advanced stuff, and you bring me a Dummies Guide, and a book on pranking duels?'
Remus just smiled at Harry and answered. 'I decided it would be best if you learned a whole range of charms and spells. Don't worry; I've brought you more than enough advanced stuff as well. So, if you have no more questions, let's get cracking. I say we should probably start with the Dummies Guide. It has some very clarifying instructions, and is quite entertaining to read.'
For the rest of the afternoon, Harry and Remus busied themselves with studying. Harry made notes as Remus explained certain aspects of spells Harry had never known existed. Apparently, spells could be fortified by focusing emotions while casting it. He learned a whole bunch of other useful stuff; as well he couldn't wait to share with his friends.
That night, Harry had his first sleep without nightmares in a long time.
* * *
Over the next couple of weeks, things progressed in much the same way as that first day. Of course, Harry also had Occlumency lessons with Dumbledore. He found that closing his mind to intruders had actually become a bit easier than it had last year. With a feeling of dread, he wondered if Snape had actually managed to teach him something.
Harry thought his better control of Occlumency had more to do with his increased ability to concentrate. Part of his training with Tonks entailed studying the philosophy behind some of the martial arts, in order to understand the movements. A main part of those studies was meditation and focus. As he became better at meditation, focusing his mind, and visualizing, he suspected he also became better at Occlumency.
Tonks had kept her word, and bought Harry some new work-out clothes. He had been less happy with the regular clothes she had bought him. Not that they didn't look good or anything, but it felt too much like charity. For some reason, Harry didn't like the feeling of being indebted to his friends. For the first time, he understood how Ron must have been feeling at times.
Of course, he hadn't shown these sentiments to Tonks. She had been positively beaming when she handed Harry the bags of clothes, and her eyes shone with anticipation. Besides 3 pairs of shorts, 5 T-shirts, a sweat suit and new trainers, she had also bought him 2 pairs of jeans, a pair of black dress pants, 3 dress shirts and a jumper. Harry was grateful, even though he felt uncomfortable with his friend spending so much money on him. He reckoned he should just look at it like a birthday present, and be done with it. Of course, he thanked Tonks profusely, and she in her turn, had made him do a little fashion show.
His studies with Remus were also going well. Together, they had worked through 4 books, and Harry had managed to study the books on prank duels on his own. He couldn't wait to show it to the twins. Surely they would have a field day with some of the spells mentioned in the book. The hurling hexes in the title were very effective to distract your opponent for a few second, and were definitely one of Harry's favourites. However, the best charm he had discovered in the book was the Jelly Charm. The incantation, blubberius, was simple enough, and turned the opponents body to jelly for at least 5 minutes. Of course the whole person wasn't actually turned to jelly, but they would just 'melt' like a pudding, and would be incapable of lifting their arms, legs or heads.
When Remus and Harry weren't studying new spells, they would be talking about different things. After a week or so, Harry had found the courage to ask Lupin about what he had seen in Snape's pensieve. The explanation had put most of Harry's mind at ease. Of course there was no real justification to the taunt, but Harry understood where his father and Sirius had come from. Lupin had used the relationship (if that's what one would want to call it) between Harry and Draco. They had been arch-enemies from the moment they had set eyes on each other. It had been the same with Snape and the Marauders. Harry knew that if Draco hadn't been a teacher's pet, Ron and him might have tried something on him as well. But Snape had been a much easier target than Draco.
Harry understood the motivation of the bullying, but he still didn't really like it. However, he had more important things to think about.
He snapped out of his reverie, as it was getting dark outside. Once more, he wondered if he would ever get out of the house. Harry hadn't spoken to his aunt since their first conversation in the holidays, and his cousin and uncle were still denying Harry's existence. Like so many other nights, Harry gazed out the window for any news about when he would be leaving.
This time, however, he actually saw and owl heading for his window. Harry knew it was too much to hope for. The owl would probably be carrying just another letter from his friends, and not a one-way ticket out of Privet Drive.
As the owl closed in, Harry saw something strange. The owl wasn't only carrying a letter; it was also carrying something that looked an awful lot like a tennis ball.
As the owl entered his room, he dropped the tennis ball onto Harry's bed. Harry could now see that he had mistaken Ron's owl for a tennis ball. The tiny owl looked positively exhausted.
He opened the letter the large owl had been carrying first.
iDear Harry, I shouldn't say anything, because Ron wanted to be the bearer of good news, but I just wanted to let you know you're getting out of there soon. Very soon. Before your birthday. I can't wait to see you.
Love, Hermione,/i
Harry's heart leaped. Before his birthday. But his birthday was in 2 days. That hardly seemed possible. Surely Hermione must have made a mistake. He rushed over to Pig and freed him from Ron's letter.
iHey mate!
Mum's finally been able to convince Dumbledore. He couldn't take the heat from mum anymore, and so you're coming. She insisted you'd need to be here on your birthday, called it your Sweet 16 and all that mushy stuff. Be ready for people to pick you up tomorrow!
See ya, Ron,/i
Harry felt like his heart was going to jump out of his chest. He really was getting out of there. He could hardly wait.
* * * A/N: Now ain't that a treat. 2 Chapters on practically the same day. I hope you don't mind I've given Harry some character traits of my own (an innate hate of drink breakfasts, artificial orange flavour and running). I'd like to thank Mr Robbie Williams to inspire the thing about Take That. Please R&R, I'd really be much obliged!
For those of you who don't know Take That: which era are you from? More explanation will come in a later chapter. I guess a lot of Americans and younger kids enknew that if Draco wasn't.wouldn't know them. But that doesn't matter, they're British, and as I'm sticking to mostly canon, I refuse to back down. Muwahahaha!!
As some of you enquired: No, I'm not setting up a gay-storyline for our ickle Diddykins. Sorry to burst your bubble, but it is clear from the memories in chapter 1 that Dudley is in fact very straight. That doesn't mean that guys can't be big fans of boybands either.