Chapter 4
Harry sat up and looked from Dumbledore, who was wide eyed, to Tonks, who looked like she was trying not to giggle at the expression on Dumbledore's face. They all sat in silence for a moment wile Harry tried to process this new information. 'So,' Harry finely asked. 'How powerful am I? And what skills will I have?'
'Well,' Dumbledore said thoughtfully. 'As far as raw magical power goes I have never met your rival. Not in me, not in Tom, no one. I do not hesitate to say this, Harry. You are, or rather will be when the magic you are amassing, merges with your core, the most magically powerful wizard on the planet. The only way anyone has any sort of advantage over you is by knowledge and experience. And with one of the skills that are to be unlocked knowledge should come a lot more easily for you I imagine.'
While Harry thought that bit through Dumbledore conjured a tea set and biscuits with a wave of his wand and passed them around to Tonks and Harry.
'What of the skills?' Harry asked hesitantly. He was having a hard time getting his mind around the fact that he was going to be more powerful then Voldemort, let alone Dumbledore or anyone else.
'Well the first gift I saw is even found amongst muggles. In fact you even know a muggle-born witch with this gift. It is commonly known as a photographic memory. I believe that Miss Granger was born with this gift unlocked. It will allow you to absorb and recall information quite easily. Be it from a book or from lectures in class. This should help you a lot with your study.' Dumbledore said calmly in between sipping his tea.
'That is a very useful gift, Harry.' Tonks said cheekily 'With the brains you'll get maybe you can ask the sorting hat if it would transfer you to ravenclaw' she laughed at the look that flashed across his face, and Dumbledore smiled.
Harry scowled at her, and then with a smirk that would not have looked out of place had it been Snape's face calmly said 'Actually the hat said I would have done well in slytherin.' He smiled toothily as Tonks mouth clamped shut with no retort and Dumbledore laughed outright.
'It also seems your magic is working on unlocking a rather rare gift called Pure Sight. Now it will require quite a bit of study and practice to become proficient in it. This gift allows one to see magical signatures. Be it from a person, magical item, or used and active spells. Such as spells cast recently in an area or wards, such as the protective wards around here or the wards at Hogwarts.' continued the headmaster after his laughter had died down
'That should be neat. Like I could see invisibility cloaks and such?' Harry asked as he was thinking now that could be very useful indeed.
'Yes, Harry. Along with people under disillusionment charms. You will not be able to see detail of a person using such things, they will appear as a mass of color signaling what type of magic is being used, but you will be able to see there location and movement.' Dumbledore said while Harry nodded still in thought.
Dumbledore gave a quick glance to Tonks and then back to Harry. A sly smile spread across his old face. 'And lastly, I believe Nymphadora here will want to be a big part in your metamorphmagus training.' This was met with stunned silence as both Harry's and Tonks eyes snapped on to him.
It took about one full minute for what Dumbledore had just said to sink into there heads. Then with a screech and flash Tonks was out of her seat and rushing across the room at Harry. She was about half way there when she tripped over her own feet, flew gracefully through the air, landed right on top of Harry, who had fell back onto the bed, and started to squeeze the life out of him all the while screaming how wonderful it was.
'Tonks... can't... breathe... need... air...' Harry gasped out. Tonks pulled back slightly loosening her grip on him but not letting go. He saw that a huge smile was on her face
'Oh I'm sorry Harry. It's just that this is so wonderful, I mean it's terrific. You have no idea...' Her words had faded out as she stared into his vivid green eyes. Harry was staring back into her sky blue ones. They just gazed at each other for what felt like an eternity. It hit them both at the same time that there faces were less then 3 inches away from each other and they still held there arms around the other, but neither made a move to let go. They started drifting closer. Tonks wet her lips in anticipation, as did Harry. They closed there eyes. When there lips were less then a centimeter away from there goal, they heard a loud AHHEM of someone clearing there throat. They sprung away from one another so fast they both fell off the bed. Harry on one side and Tonks on the other. They both got up from the floor blushing red; Tonks made her way to the chair by Harry's desk while Harry sat on the far side of the bed. And Dumbledore still sat in his chair looking highly amused.
'Well it certainly seems I have left you two with quite a bit to talk about' said Dumbledore as he pulled out his pocket watch to check the time.' Well I must be going. I have other matters to attend to. Harry I think it would be wise to wait until after you have come into your full power to purchase your new wand. That way when a wand does choose you it will know your full potential. I will stop by in a few days to see how you are doing and answer any questions you might have. Good day, Nymphadora. Good day, Harry.' After Tonks and Harry had mumbled good bye the headmaster apparated out of Number 4 Privet Dive.
An awkward silence filled the room after the headmaster had left. Neither looked the other in the eye for a full five minutes. It was just starting to get unbearable then Tonks brightened.
'Well what are we waiting for?' She asked, looking Harry right in the eyes and gave him a wink 'Lets go shopping!'
'Dumbledore said I should wait to get my wand'
'Yeah I heard what he said, Harry. But he didn't say we couldn't get you cloths and books now did he? Hurry up and finish getting dressed, It's almost lunch and I am getting hungry. We can pick something up to eat on the way to the train station since you can't apparate yet. We should get there about 1:30 if we leave soon. Then we can shop and eat dinner at the Leakey Cauldron on our way home.'
Harry beamed and got dressed. After stopping at a small fish and chip stand on the way to the train station, they made it to the Diagon Ally just as it hit 2:00. First stop was Gringotts, where Harry took out more money then he had ever carried at one time before even exchanging some for muggle money. Tonks was impressed with the huge mounds of galleons, sickles, and knuts. Harry could have sworn that the amount in his vault had more then doubled since his fist visit there. When he had asked the goblin that had escorted them to his vault about this he starting going on and on about interest rates and investments and such things Harry had no clue about. Tonks took it all in though, as it turned out investment was a bit of a hobby of hers, she was always good with numbers and was the top Arithmancy student in her year.
Next stop was Madam Malkin's where Harry suffered through an hour and a half of Tonks and Madam Malkin measuring him and telling him to try on 300 different outfits. In the end though, Harry walked out happy. He had a whole new wardrobe, both wizard and muggle. He had cloths that fit, felt nice and were HIS! His brand new cloths, not his Cousins old hand me downs. Harry walked with his head held high dressed in an outfit Tonks picked out for him. Tall black dragon hide boots with silver buckles, Black jeans and a belt with a white T-shirt that was so tight it looked like it was painted on. When Tonks saw Harry step out of the dressing room in that outfit she had to clench her jaw to stop from drooling. She had already known in her mind she wanted him, be it lust or love she didn't know yet. But when she saw his cut muscles ripple under the tight fabric of his T-shirt she didn't care. Even before that, the seven years difference in age really didn't matter to her. On his birthday, just a few short weeks away, he would turn 16, he would be the age of legal consent, and if he wanted her, she would gladly have him.
Harry had been watching Tonks ever since they had left privet drive. He had seen her watching him on more then one occasion. Not having much experience with girls, let alone a woman like Tonks. Harry was not sure what to make of it at first so he just kept watching. Through out the day he noticed that she kept finding reasons to touch him. While they walk and chatted about nothing, exchanging jokes and small flirtatious remarks she would brush up to him and lay a hand on his arm or shoulder. If they were sitting down, like on the train ride to London, she would always put a hand on his knee and lean toward him while they talked. It was unnerving to him at first. Never having physical contact wile growing up unless it was to cause pain, he wasn't used to this type of contact. But after awhile he found himself enjoying it, even returning the gestures. He remembered reading in some book he should not have been reading that these were signs of affection and even physical attraction.
He found himself thinking about Tonks a lot while they went about there day. He rather liked the way she was over protective of him and kept the crowds away with a raised wand when people recognized and tried to approach him. It was even kind of funny when she sent a death glare at a 14 year old girl who had enough guts to ask him for his autograph and kissed him on the cheek when he found himself unable to say no to the puppy dog eyes she was giving him. He thought about the kiss they almost shared back in his bed at privet drive. He could be honest with himself, He fancied Tonks, she was a very beautiful woman. He couldn't say if he loved her or not because he had too little experience with that emotion. The age difference didn't mean anything to him, but he wasn't sure what she thought about it. Sure she was showing all the signs that she liked him but he had to be positive. So Harry came up with a plan. It was simple and to the point. After the next shop he would take her to Florean Fortescue's, get one large banana split to share and ask her.
The next stop was called Logan's Luggage, They sold trunks. Harry needed a new trunk now. He didn't burn his old one but just with the amount of cloths he bought would fill it and leave no room for anything else. And he was damn sure not going to leave anything at the Dursleys. Never the less he wanted a simple trunk, nothing outrages. So after talking it over with Tonks and Mr. Logan they found the perfect trunk to suit his needs. It was a three compartment trunk. The first compartment was used to hold your books and things of that nature. It was charmed to be ten times bigger on the inside then the outside. The second compartment was the same as the first but this one was used to hold cloths. The third compartment held a small studio flat, a 25' x 25' room. One corner was closed off and held a small bathroom. Another corner held a small kitchen-et. It had a small stove and fridge, a small sink and dish ware enough for four people. Another corner held a queen size four poster bed. The last corner held a small study area with a nice roll top desk and a few book shelves on the wall. In the middle sat a love seat and two plush arm chairs around a small coffee table. It was the perfect place to escape a busy common room if he wanted time to himself. But what really sold Harry on this trunk were a few extra charms that were added to it. Besides the standard protective charms that were on it to resist damage, weather and miner spells. The whole trunk was password protected and only recognized the owners' voice unless another person was keyed into it by the owner. Each compartment could be set to its own password. With a word the whole trunk would shrink down to about the size of a pack of stick matches. There was no need to use a wand or key for this trunk. With the trunk only having two compartments to hold things a neat little charm was added so when you opened the trunk what ever you needed to get out was always on top.
So, happy with his new trunk, Tonks helped him put the cloths they had bought into it. Harry said the password to shrink his trunk, 'Down Boy'. (He was in a silly mood when he picked it and he could always change it later) put it in his pocket, Made a very bold move and took hold of Tonks hand and said 'Why don't we get some ice cream Tonks? Do you like banana splits?'
Tonks was surprised when Harry grabbed her hand but she made no attempt to let go of it. As he led her toward Florence Fortescue's her mind was working in over time. She was a little worried about getting into any kind of relationship with Harry. She knew it couldn't be a casual friendship with benefits kind of thing. Harry was the type of man that would fall in love once and once only. If Harry let her into his heart and she let him into hers there would be no turning back. And that is what scared Tonks. She had dated many guys in her time at Hogwarts and out, and in those relationships is when her metamorphmagus ability came as a handicap. She would date a guy for a few months and just when she would start to get close to someone it would happen. It always happened. At some point or another they would start to slide in small comments. Things like her having longer hair, her being taller or shorter, bigger tits, wider hips, different eyes. It was limitless. Everything they wanted her to change would make her less then who she was and more of what they wanted her to be. She was scared Harry might be like that, like every other guy she had gone out with. That's why she was so happy to find out he was, or was going to be, a metamorphmagus. She had never met another one, and another metamorphmagus would know what it was like to have people want to change them and would not want her to change.
Harry was thinking along the same lines as Tonks was while they walked. He knew he liked her, but there was the fact that he didn't know her all that well. She didn't know him all that well and that is what scarred him the most about the conversation he was going to try and have with her. She was showing all the signs on liking him from what little he knew of woman. But did she like HIM? Or did she like 'The-Boy-Who-Lived'? Could she see past the scar on his forehead or was she blinded by it? He did not know the answers to these questions but he fully intended to find out before going into anything more then friendship with her.
Harry led her to a table and after helping her up when she missed her seat trying to sit down, went to get the ice cream. Harry came back and sat across from her at the stall and put a big banana split between them.
'What did you get for yourself?' Tonks asked as she eyed the huge boat of ice cream
'Oh, I thought this would be big enough for the two of us' Harry said with a frown setting two spoons down on the table.
Tonks laughed 'that's good because I was wondering how I was going to eat all that.'
They traded small talk and slight flirts for a few minutes until Harry finely built up the nerve to start up the conversation he was both dreading and awaiting.
'Can I ask you something, Tonks?' he said not looking into her eyes
'Sure, Harry. You can ask me anything.' She was wondering why Harry all the sudden seemed to nervous, he had loosened up around her as the day went on and seemed to be relaxed up until this point.
'OK... umm... d... do you... err... like me, Tonks? You know as in... umm... more then friends? I mean... I know we don't know each other that well, Bu.. But we have bean flirting back and forth all day. From what little I know about woman it seems your showing interest in me. I understand if you don't and I was reading into it wrong, I just have to know for sure.'
Harry finely looked into her eyes and Tonks saw them begging that the answer was yes and dreading if it was, it would be for the wrong reasons. She looked into his eyes for a few more moments then slowly whispered 'Yes, Harry. I think I do like you, more then just a friend.'
Harry took a small bite of ice cream and nodded his head. He thought about it a moment. He looked up and smiled at her. He liked the idea that she saw him as someone that could be more then just a friend. Now he just needed to know why she liked him.
'Why, Tonks? I mean don't get me wrong because I like the fact that you feel that way about me. To be honest I think I might like you too. You're a beautiful woman, Tonks. You could have any guy you want. I'm nothing special. What could you possibly see in me?
'Oh, Harry.' Tonks said with a sigh 'Guys don't see me. All a guy sees when they look at me is someone that can look however he wants her to look. They don't see the true me. As you see me now is my base form. This is how I was born to look, Well my hair was brown but that was to boring. More importantly this is how I choose to look. Every guy I have been with didn't seem to realize that. That's why I was so happy when Dumbledore said you would be a metamorphmagus. I have never met another one. I was starting to like you even before then, I though maybe if you knew what it was like to be a metamorphmagus and by some grace of god something were to happen between us, then you wouldn't ask me to change.
'I like you Harry, for being who you are. Your very hansom, even before the changes your magic made to your body I thought you were hansom. You're very brave; you're loyal to a fault to those lucky enough to have you call them friends or family. Your smart, funny and you have an effect on everyone around you that makes them feel special; unless they are into dark magic then when you're around they feel threatened or even scared. I like you Harry, Just Harry.' She saw him smile and he beamed at her as she said the last part.
'I don't see how any guy could ask you to change Tonks, I would never ask you to change, whether I'm a metamorphmagus or not. Your perfect just the way you are' Harry smiled and Tonks blushed a little. 'I do kinda know what you mean though. I haven't been with any girls before. Because you can't really count, Cho now can you? I mean she only wanted me as a link to Cedric. All the girls around don't really see me for me. They have had a image of The-Boy-Who-Lived burned into there heads by the Daily Prophet and history books for a full decade before I even known that the wizarding world existed' Harry said, he took another bite of ice cream then said 'They are all either to blinded by this scar on my head or to intimidated by it to get close enough to get to know me.'
They talked more along those lines until they finished there ice cream, then Tonks said 'OK, Harry. Why don't we take our time with this? I think I like you and you think you like me, But nothing can really happen between us until after your birthday. The age difference might not mean anything to either of us but if the ministry found out something was going on before you are 16 then I could go to Azkaban for corruption of a minor. Let's just see what happens with our feelings till then. Get to know each other better. How does that sound to you Harry?'
Harry thought about that for a few minutes and realized it would be for the best 'I think your right Tonks. Merlin knows you don't need to get on the bad side of the Ministry, and we really should get to know each other better before we decide on any kind of relationship' Harry looked at her and smiled. He then looked out the window and saw that the crowd of people that had been in Diagon Ally all day was starting to thin out. 'It's starting to get late Tonks we should really get going if we want to get some books before Flourish and Blott's closes.'
They only had time to pick out a few books before it was closing. Tonks helped him choose some books on Metamorphmagus and Occlumency. He found a few books on Pure Sight and that was all the time they had. Tonks told him they could pick up some more when they came back for his wand. They then made there way back to the Leakey Cauldron and had a nice dinner.
They chatted all though dinner and the train ride back to Little Whinging. After Tonks Hexed Vernon for a comment about not having 'Freakish Whores' in his house they made there way back up to Harry's room. They talked for awhile longer about anything that came up. Harry had found out Tonks was living at Grimmauld Place, she had had a small flat in London but she moved out when Sirius said she could stay there rent free. He had to talk Tonks out of going down stairs and locking the Dursleys into the cupboard after he had told her what it was like growing up with them. After awhile they had both grown tired Tonks apparated out to get some cloths and things she would need while staying at Privet Drive. When she got back Harry was already asleep so she found a broken quill and transfigured it into a small bed set along side Harry's and went to sleep her self.
No one expected the blast of magic that came from Harry about 5am that morning.
