FLASH.
"...What? Did you want to give me a shoulder rub? You looked a bit put out at being anywhere near me." Harry sniped, crossing his arms.
FLASH.
"Because if you lay a single finger on me, I swear to Merlin and all of his descendants, I'll curse you so badly that muggle doctors won't ever be able to fix you." Harry said, voice growing dangerously quiet.
FLASH.
Vernon gaped like a fish for a moment before sharing a strange look with Dudley. Before either could reply, however, Forte moved. The snake lifted his head to peer in the Dursleys' general direction, his tongue flicking out a few times before he let out a low hiss. "The 'smaller' one - and I use the term lightly - reeks."
"Yeah, that's Dudley. He does that." Harry agreed.
FLASH.
He could feel his heartbeat start increasing as they took effect. No one was sending him to a larger version of the Dursleys' house. He wasn't going to be stuffed in an overgrown cupboard by this fool of a man.
"Minister. One thing, if I may." Harry said.
Fudge turned to stare at Harry as if he had suddenly grown a second head. The surprise was quickly replaced by a glare, however, and the Minister smiled gravely at him. "But of course... Muggles and their 'last requests,' is it? Go on, then. What is it?"
"You won't take me alive."
FLASH.
"You're the reason I'm alive." Harry answered, softly. "You're the one who put the idea of spell altering into my mind."
FLASH.
Harry quickly got to his feet, pressing his back up against Dumbledore's.
"Hello, Albus."
"Ah, Harry! Good of you to make it."
"Shall we?"
"Let's."
FLASH!
oOoOoOoOoOoOo
Harry groaned, clutching at his head as he sat up. Groping blindly for his glasses, he only faintly registered how dark the room still was. Swinging his legs over the side of his bed, he put on some slippers and decided to leave Terry's annoyingly-loud snoring behind.
What the devil had that bizarre dream been about? Harry had been having a number of them lately. And, for almost a week now, something had been clouding them. A dark shadow that moved in and out, blocking the view of things. Whatever it was, it was monsterously large. Harry put it all off to having too many sweets at dinner. As he flopped down onto the long sofa by the fireplace in the common room, he made a mental note to eat healthier from that point on.
oOoOoOoOoOoOo
Harry was awakened several hours later. Not by another strange dream, however. This time, the sounds of a heated argument woke him up. He immediately recognized Tonks' voice. He had heard her get riled up on more than one occasion and felt sorry for whatever poor slob was on the receiving end of her ire.
"...ll NOT do any such thing! Now get away before I send Fred and George after you!"
"What's the big deal? It was just a friendly little kiss!"
/Kiss?/ Harry thought, mind suddenly racing. That voice was irritatingly familiar...
"What's the big deal! I'm not some random floozy who'll let every bloke in the area snog with her!"
"It wasn't even on the lips, though!"
"That isn't the bloody POINT!"
"Yes, it IS!"
"It is not! Now get the hell out of my way!"
"Make me!"
"What did you say?" Tonks hissed.
"I said MAKE me!"
"Oh, I'll make you, alright!" Growled the girl. "I'll make you take a trip to the damn hospital wing if you don't move!"
"You wouldn't do that."
"Oh yeah?"
"Yeah! And what's more, I think you're getting all worked up over something insignificant!"
"You KISSED me!"
"Yeah. So? No reason to get your knickers twisted."
"'So?'! I don't let people just up and kiss me, you little twit!"
"C'mon, you liked it."
"WHAT!"
"Admit it! You didn't pull away!"
"I was too shocked to! It's not every day some guy I don't even like just sneaks up from behind me and kisses me!"
"Suuuure, Tonks... C'mon. You an' me, after breakfast, can find some nice, quiet spot and..."
Terry Boot never got to finish his sentence. Not caring about magic for the moment, Tonks pulled back a fist and sent it flying directly into his nose. Obviously surprised by the girl's aggression, Terry toppled over onto his backside, both hands coming up to his face as he cried out.
"You... you hit me!" He said, sniffling to try and keep more blood from dripping from the injury.
"I gave you fair warning to move." Tonks said, ice in her voice.
"You... you stupid, ugly, tomboyish--"
"Cruento!" Harry roared, moving swiftly from laying down to leaping over the back of the sofa and hexing Terry before he could finish his insult.
There was a pause, all too brief, before Terry went wide-eyed and began screaming at the top of his lungs. Harry glared down at him, venom in his eyes, before turning to Tonks. "Morning."
Tonks blinked, looking from a pajama-clad Harry to a shrieking Terry. "What did you do to him?"
"Illusion. Makes him think he's covered in blood. Rational thought tends to shoot out the window when you're all red, I'd assume. And before you ask, I read about it. This is the first time I've ever used it. Perfectly harmless."
"Guess it works." Tonks commented.
"Guess so. Finite." Harry said, waving his wand to remove the spell from Terry, who instantly went quiet again. Before the fallen boy could speak again, Harry growled, "You'd do well to watch your tongue, Terry. It'll get you in deep one of these days."
"My hero." Tonks said, rolling her eyes.
"Hey, you got to punch him. I wanted a go." Harry said, defensively.
"Oh, very well. I'll let you off this time, Mr. Potter. Now off with you. It's almost nine and you're still in your pajamas." Tonks said, swatting Harry on the arm as he passed by her to go change.
"Yes, dear!" He called as he climbed the stairs. Seconds later, he let out a surprised yelp as Tonks' hex hit him square in the buttocks.
oOoOoOoOoOoOo
"Terry's lucky I didn't do worse." Harry growled later as the trio made their way down to lunch. "Bad enough he went running to Flitwick. He cost his own blasted house points, the little snitch!"
"You did make him think he was covered in blood." Tonks pointed out.
"Shut up." Harry groused, crossing his arms. "I'll cover him with the real stuff next time."
"Oh, don't be silly." Tonks said, waving a dismissive hand Harry's way. "You're too sweet to hurt anyone."
"Oh, that's just grand. Harry Potter, Boy Who Mewled."
Tonks snorted. Then, seeing the sour expression on Harry's face, asked, "It really bothers you that much?"
"Yes!" Harry exclaimed, sighing in frustration. "Did you think I've been acting this whole time!"
"Well! Sometimes it's hard to tell with you..." Tonks said, defensively.
"I don't kid around when you're involved. Not like that." Harry said, suddenly quiet.
"What do you think, Leon?" Tonks asked, looking over her shoulder at her long-haired friend. "Think it's tough to tell when Harry's acting an' when he isn't?"
"I think," Solieyu said, "that no one should be subjected to thinking they're covered in blood."
Picking up pace, Solieyu passed between his friends and continued to the main stairway. Blinking, Harry and Tonks looked to one another.
"What got into him?" Harry asked.
"Dunno. Maybe he didn't sleep well?" Suggested Tonks.
"He never sleeps. At least, as far as I've seen." Grumbled Harry. "I swear, if it takes me all year, I'll figure out what's up with him."
"Yeah, he seems kinda irritable today. Wanna go catch up and find out why?"
"Sure."
"You know I'll be diving behind you if he starts hurling spells our way, right?"
"Oh, sure. Now you want me to be your knight in shining armor."
"Why would it be any other way? Come on!"
oOoOoOoOoOoOo
"I love the rain." Harry commented that evening as he and Tonks arrived in his secret tower. As the afternoon had passed, a dreariness floated in, eventually giving way to a downpour. Given that Terry had practically been stalking Harry and Tonks for the whole of the day after that morning's events, Harry was eager to get away from it all for awhile.
He had invited Solieyu up with them in case he ever needed a place to sit and think. But the dark-haired boy had turned him down, saying that he needed to head to the hospital wing on the account that he was feeling slightly ill. Indeed, he had looked a little grey. Harry had thought about following him, but a sudden crash of thunder changed his mind. He still had almost six full years at Hogwarts to get through. He could afford to have some free time that didn't involve sneaking about.
"So I've heard." Tonks replied, rolling her eyes. She walked up behind Harry, who was half-in and half-out, the front half of his body getting positively drenched. His head was tilted up and he had his eyes closed, soaking in the weather in more ways than one.
"I'm not hefting you off to Madam Pomfrey if you get sick." Tonks murmured after getting bored watching Harry imitate a statue.
Harry looked over his shoulder at Tonks, grinning crookedly. "Oh? Well, then... Does that meanyou'll be nursing me back to health should I get sick?"
Tonks snorted. "Can you picture me dressed up like that old harpy?"
"I can." Harry said.
"Hmph. Some friend you are."
Harry chuckled, turning and walking towards Tonks. "Oh, don't pout. You know I was kidding..."
Tonks turned her nose up and sniffed dramatically. "Do I, now?"
"Yup. What's more, you know I was kidding and you think the idea is positively hilarious." Harry stated.
"... Well, alright. I guess me in that get-up would be kinda funny. But definitely not 'hilarious,' Potter." Tonks said, scowling at Harry.
Harry took his wand out and dried himself magically, a shiver running up his back as he finished. Once he was, he stepped up beside Tonks and gazed back out at the rain. "Calming, isn't it?"
"When it's just rain, it is." Tonks said, shifting her weight so she could lean into Harry's side. "I don't much care for thunder."
Looking aside at her, Harry licked his lips, then tentatively asked, "What about lightning?"
A smile formed on Tonks' face, though she kept her head low enough so as not to show Harry. "Oh, it's alright, I guess."
"Just alright?" Harry asked. There was a slight squeak to his voice.
Tonks bit her lower lip to keep herself from laughing aloud. Clearing her throat once she was sure that she wouldn't crack up, she continued, "Yeah. I mean, lightning's very dangerous, you know."
"Uh... yeah, I guess it is..." Harry said, frowning as he thought back to the end of his first year.
Tilting her head enough to catch his expression, Tonks shut her eyes and murmured, "Though there is something mesmerizing about it... very mysterious, too."
Harry blinked, looking at Tonks again. She was openly grinning at him now. A few coherent thoughts later and Harry made a face. "Don't DO that!"
"Don't do what?" Tonks asked, making her eyes as big and innocent as she could.
"Don't do... whatever the hell THAT was!" Harry sputtered, indignantly.
"Don't make you worry, you mean?" Tonks asked, smiling again.
"Worry? Who's worried?" Harry huffed.
"Yooou are, Mr. Potter." Tonks said, prodding him in the arm.
"Am not."
"Are too.
"Am not."
"Are too."
"Am not."
"Are too. And as a woman, I'm naturally always right. So you can't argue anymore!" Tonks stated.
"That's the most absurd thing you've ever said." Harry declared.
"'Course it isn't." Tonks said. "I've said things loads stranger than that."
"Name one." Challenged Harry.
Thinking, Tonks eventually replied, "What about that time I asked Snape if the Festering Fungus Potion could be used on toenails?"
"That was just gross. Not absurd." Harry said, raising an eyebrow.
"Okay, well... What about the time I asked him if you could blow real bubbles with the Bubbling Boil-Remover?"
"That was random. Still not absurd."
"Oh, come on! You aren't being very fair, y'know." Tonks said, her lower lip jutting out.
Smirking, Harry peered over at her and said, "I know."
"Oh, don't you smirk at me, Harry Potter." Tonks said, narrowing her eyes.
"And whyever not?" Asked Harry.
"Because I know all the spots you're most ticklish in!" Tonks cried, lunging at Harry. For his part, Harry let out a frantic squeak as he was pounced to the ground. This was followed by an equally-frantic pleading for Tonks not to tickle him. And this, of course, simply gave way to hysterical giggling.
oOoOoOoOoOoOo
A few days later, Harry was just entering the library when he was grabbed about the arms and dragged back into the hall. He began to protest, but was stopped when he saw who his makeshift attackers were. Fred and George Weasley, looking distinctly unlike themselves. For one thing, they weren't smiling at all. Indeed, both of them looked rather troubled.
"Harry," Fred began, his voice low, "We've got a favor to ask."
"Remember us mentioning how our dear little sister seemed to be a bit wound-up?" George continued.
Without waiting for Harry to nod, Fred went on, "She seems to've gotten worse. She's been mentioning being unable to recall what she's done at certain points in the day. It's only been the last few days or so, but it's enough to worry us. She just sniped us out of the library and..."
"...we thought we'd send you in, since you so conveniently showed up like that." Finished George as his brother took a gulp of air.
Processing this bit of information, Harry asked, "Why me? Why not take her to Madam Pomfrey? She knows what she's doing."
"Because Ginny fancies you." George murmured, nudging Harry, who lit up like a Christmas tree.
"I...I beg your pardon?" He sputtered once he found his voice again.
"S'true!" Fred said. "Past summer, she just would not shut up about you. She threatened to hex Ronnie's pink bits off if he kept being a complete git to you and your friends."
"Delightful." Harry said, blandly.
"Utterly." Agreed George. "Look, please? Just go in and try talking to her? I'm sure she'd do anything you ask her to. Just mind whose sister you're talking to."
"Yeah. You're both too young to be thinking about that kinda stuff, anyway." Fred added.
Sputtering once more, Harry asked, "And just what do you think I'd ask of a girl I barely even know?!"
"That's the spirit!" Fred declared, slapping Harry on the back. "Now get in there and find out what the hell is wrong with our ickle sister!"
And, before he could utter a word of protest, he was grabbed by his shoulders, spun around, and shoved into the library. The twins closed the doors behind him, using enough force to cause everyone in the immediate area to look over at Harry, annoyance written on their faces. From somewhere at the far end of the library, Harry even thought he heard Madam Pince utter a loud 'SHH!'
Spotting Ginny, who looked much worse than she had last Harry saw her, he tentatively walked towards her. She had three large books set out before her and seemed to be working on an essay of some sort. Her brows were close together and she seemed like she was getting increasingly frustrated as she read.
Licking his lips and feeling more than a little nervous, Harry stopped on the other side of the table she was at and cleared his throat. After a moment of no response, he tried again. This time, Ginny slammed her quill down onto her parchment and growled out, "What IS it! Honestly, why don't you two just leave me al--"
She had turned to glare up at who she assumed were her older brothers, come back to bother her some more. Harry couldn't remember seeing someone's face go from pure annoyance to a mixture of embarassment and astonishment so quickly. She was wide-eyed as she stared up at him, her mouth slightly open.
"Uh... hi?" Harry offered, smiling feebly.
"H...Ha..." Ginny began.
"Harry, yeah..." Said Harry, feeling his own cheeks heat up slightly. To call the situation awkward was an understatement. He would have to do something to Fred and George to get them for putting him in such a situation. "Um... look... are you, uh... are you alright?"
"Alright...?" Ginny echoed, still looking shocked at who was speaking to her.
"Yeah... I mean, Fred and George seem to think something's bothering you. I'm not saying I agree with them or anything, but... Well... You do look a bit frazzled, if you don't mind my saying so..." Harry said, head tilting to one side. "I'm not really good at it or anything, but I can listen if you need someone to talk to. Just don't go hoping for worldly advice. I'm awful with it. But... you know... Tonks says I -listen- really well. That has to count for something, doesn't it?"
Harry knew he was babbling. He clamped his mouth shut to force himself to stop, glaring down at the table in frustration.
Ginny was silent for a few moments and seemed about to reply when Harry was grabbed roughly by his right ear. Letting out a surprised squawk as he was tugged to his feet, Harry looked over his shoulder, wild-eyed, and saw a pair of hard-blue eyes glaring back at him.
"Tonks!" Harry croaked. "What's going on? What's wrong? Would you please let go of my ear!"
Tonks did so, but continued glaring at Harry, occasionally having to brush one of her light-blue strands of hair away from her eyes.
"What is it? What's wrong?" Harry asked, turning to face his friend while rubbing at his poor ear.
"Nothing." Tonks gritted out. "Nothing at ALL."
And with that, the bluenette turned and practically stomped her way out of the library. Harry stared after her, shaking his head slowly. "I'll never understand women." He muttered to himself. Turning back towards Ginny, he shrugged weakly and said, "Sorry. I dunno what's wrong with Tonks today... She wasn't upset last time I saw her..."
Ginny was looking at him strangely, as if trying to figure out some profound detail about him. Then, something seemed to pass across her eyes and she blushed, staring down at her homework again. "I... I should go... I'll be late for dinner as is..."
Well, it was a complete sentence. That had to count for something. But as he watched Ginny quickly pack her things, Harry slid down in his chair and sighed. The day just wasn't turning out how he was hoping it would. One girl was inexplicably mad at him over something... and another was too shy to even get out a full sentence without stumbling over her words.
Harry rubbed at his left eye, feeling a sudden pressure behind it. It was the telltale sign that a bad headache was in the making. Weighing his options, Harry decided that he could skip a meal. He needed to go somewhere peaceful to try warding away the potential migraine that seemed to want to form. Slowly getting to his feet again, Harry shuffled his way out of the library to make the trek back to Ravenclaw Tower.
oOoOoOoOoOoOo
It was a few hours later, sometime around 9, that Solieyu returned to the second-years' dorm room. Harry was on his bed, stretched out with a pillow covering his eyes. Hearing the door open and close, he sleepily asked, "Who is it?"
"Me." Solieyu replied, simply. "You weren't down at dinner."
"Got a headache." Harry said. "Last thing I wanted was to be in a crowd of noisy people."
"Ahh. You wouldn't happen to have any idea why Tonks looked as if she could rampage through London, would you?" Asked Solieyu, sitting on the edge of Harry's bed.
Groaning, Harry shook his head. "No idea. I got forced into talking to Ginny Weasley by the twins earlier. I didn't exactly do a good job. But it didn't help that Tonks snuck up on me and more or less yanked me to my feet by my ear. She looked ticked about something, but she wouldn't say what. Then she said absolutely nothing was wrong and away she went."
"Mm." Said Solieyu, closing his eyes in thought.
"Any theories, Leon?" Harry asked, blowing out a slow sigh. "I don't remember saying or doing anything to trigger her wrath..."
"...I think she might be jealous."
"Come again?"
"Look at it from her perspective. She found you in the library, sitting and talking with a girl that she doesn't really know. That couldn't have looked good."
"So she's jealous that I was stumbling over my words, trying to figure out what's wrong with Ginny? I wouldn't have even noticed if the twins hadn't dragged me into the hall, told me to talk to her, then shoved me inside." Harry grumped.
"Yes, but Tonks wasn't there for that part, was she?"
"No, but she knows that Ginny is Fred and George's younger sister. And she knows that they think something's wrong with her! And while I'm going, what was up with you a few days ago when I hexed that twit Terry?" Harry asked, peeking an eye out from under the pillow to shoot Solieyu a glare.
"That's neither here nor there." Solieyu stated. "We're discussing Tonks. What I said is in the past, and there is where I plan to keep it."
Harry glared harder. "You know... You're a right bloody work of art, you are."
"What do you mean?"
"I mean," Harry said, sitting up and trying not to groan as light flooded his eyes again, "That you don't exactly act normal all the time, either. So you can't really talk to me about other people acting weird..."
"I've explained all of that before, Harry." Said Solieyu, looking off to the right. "I'm not a healthy person."
"Yeah... I'll bet." Harry said, fixing his friend with a penetrating gaze. "I don't buy that, though. I wish you'd just tell us what's going on, Leon. It isn't like we're going to suddenly stop being your friends, you know."
"Harry... There are some things that a person just doesn't talk about. Can I trust you to leave this alone until I'm ready to explain things myself?" Solieyu asked.
"...I suppose. You do plan to explain, eventually?"
"Eventually." Solieyu said, nodding slowly. "Eventually, Harry. When I've come to terms with it myself. Anyway, you shouldn't be out after hours. You're going to lose us house points if you keep following me at night."
Harry opened his mouth, clearly about to ask Solieyu just how he knew that he had been following him, but he never got the chance. Solieyu had stood and was not standing over in the doorway.
"Talk to Tonks, Harry. I... don't think this is entirely your fault" Solieyu said, looking slightly uncomfortable.
"What do you mean?" Harry asked, his train of thought derailed.
"Ah... Well... We are entering 'that' age. I'm sure it's the same for the girls as well." Solieyu said, making a face.
"I don't follow."
Rolling his eyes, Solieyu stared at Harry. "Are you a Ravenclaw or not? Puberty, Harry. I'm talking about puberty!"
"Well what's that got to... ...Oh. ...Ohhhh. Oh, ew. Ew and why? Ew and why?"
With a shrug, Solieyu started out. "I've no clue. But it might be worth taking into consideration. I'll see you later, Harry."
"Yeah..." Harry said, making a face of his own as Solieyu pulled the door closed. Briefly pondering why the human body was so annoying and hideous, Harry slumped back down and stuffed the pillow back over his eyes. If anything, his headache seemed twice as bad as before. It was going to be a long damn night.
oOoOoOoOoOoOo
Author's Notes: Before anyone gets a shotgun or something, lemme state up front - no, Harry isn't a Seer in this. No, that stuff wasn't real. Yes, pieces of it may get thrown into a situation at some point in the future. I particularly like the line about Dudley and reeking. So don't get all worked up over stuff I don't really plan to include. Lines may stay the same, but situations tend to change depending on my mood at the time.
Now then. We got an interesting encounter with Terry - which DOES have a purpose, I might add, aside from making him look like an even bigger loony than he did in PSR - a nice, rainy bit between Harry and Tonks, Leon acting strangely, Ginny acting strangely, and Tonks acting strangely. Strange chapter, isn't it?
I hope the formatting works properly this time. I'm not all that big on the centered oOoOo-things, but it's better than a strangely formatted fic. Now if I could just deal with where I'D like to break my paragraph lines and stuff. Blar.
The next week or so may prove a little slow as far as writing goes. The new anime season has started, see. Ahh, spring. Checking out raw episodes, I've already found six new series I'll probably keep up with, to say nothing of the handful still going. But no new games are coming out until the end of the month, so aside from staring at subtitles for too long, I have all the time in the world to write. If my muses and the anti-writer's block spray allow it, of course.
Plus I have that Zim fic going. So I'll probably complete chapter 2 of it before starting chapter 7 of this. I hope you guys enjoy having a chapter early. I figured I owed it to you guys after chapter 5 taking bloody forever to get put up. I really am sorry about that. Next time... uh... I dunno. Harry's going to confront Tonks and wind up in a fairly compromising position in front of most of the school. That's right, ladies and gentlemen, puberty has officially set in on our gang. And guess who gets her first stumble?