Chapter 2: Diagon Alley
Amanda woke suddenly, feeling a strange sensation of heat coming from the left side of her head. Looking to the source of the heat, she saw Harry with a pained expression on his face. After reaching out to feel the waves of heat radiating off of him, she panicked. No one should be that hot… he needs help…
Tonks was sitting at the kitchen table drinking a steaming mug of coffee when Amanda burst in, clad only in the bathing suit she was wearing the day before. Ignoring Tonks's raised eyebrow she pulled the other woman into the room she had slept in, pressing Tonks's hand to Harry's forehead. Tonks cast a cooling charm on him and conjured a bowl of cold water and a cloth. The women set to work to cool Harry's disturbingly high fever.
After a few moments with the wet cloth on his head, Harry's pained expression softened and his eyes flickered open. "Um… hello." He said, sitting upright and observing the worried stares from Amanda and Tonks.
Both women started asking questions at once, trying to determine if he was ok. He started laughing, earning him murderous glares. "Calm down, I'm fine." He said, standing up and letting the blanket fall to the floor, revealing a pair of swimming trunks.
"Fine?" Amanda demanded, "You were burning up! I've never felt a fever that high!" She still looked livid.
"Good morning to you too…" Harry said, stifling a yawn.
"Good morning? I'd still be asleep if your head hadn't decided to turn into the sun!" Amanda turned and her expression softened, Harry and Tonks both knew she wasn't really mad, though she was a very convincing actress. After a moment she turned back and placed the back of her hand on Harry's head. "How… You're not warm at all!"
"Yeah, it's a side effect of a dream I've been having since last Christmas. Nothing serious." Harry glanced at Tonks, "and I don't think it's Voldemort-related, he wouldn't ever be found in that place…" His eyes closed and he smiled. "It's too peaceful and beautiful for him."
Tonks didn't look satisfied but didn't say anything about it. After ushering the teenagers into the kitchen, she tried her hand at cooking and sat down, pouring some tea for them and another cup of coffee for herself.
"So, Harry, how did your test go?" Tonks asked, sipping the dark brown liquid.
"Great! I did well on the short-distance test; I missed the target location by three feet. The long-distance test was better. I didn't understand anything they were saying, but the people at Gringotts of Paris were nice." He smiled as Tonks's eyes bulged.
Amanda smiled into her tea, she heard about his test as they were on the beach. Tonks passed them their Hogwarts letters, raising her eyebrow again at Amanda. Amanda read over the booklist while Harry gaped at the badge that had fallen out. He recognized it at once, having been lectured by the three people that had worn it before him. Tonks and Amanda moved their eyes between the badge and Harry. Harry read the note that came with it.
Dear Mr. Potter,
Due to this being your final year and the fact that you've been on the Gryffindor Quidditch team each year you've been in attendance at Hogwarts, with the exception of most of your fifth year, I have decided to make you Quidditch captain.
I am afraid, however, that you will most likely be sharing the captaincy with Mr. Weasley, due to your Occlumency and Legilimency training with Professor Dumbledore. I am sure that as Gryffindor Co-captains, you will win the cup once again. I have become rather attached to seeing it in my office.
Professor M. McGonagall,
Deputy Headmistress,
Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry
Harry picked up the badge and studied it closely. He and Ron were Co-captains? It wasn't so hard to believe, Ron's game had improved vastly, and Harry had been on the Quidditch team longer than most people ever dreamed of without thinking of going pro. Tonks and Amanda both hugged and congratulated him.
"Good, now I know I'll get a spot on the team." Amanda laughed. Harry raised his eyebrow as if to dare her to think that.
"Well," Tonks said, almost bursting with laughter, "You did sleep with one of the captains last night." Both teenagers lost control of their mouths as their bottom jaws nearly hit the floor and they both turned bright red. Both of them began to stutter and protest, but Tonks silenced them with a wave of her wand. "I don't want to know any of the gory details." She said as she stood to check on the food.
The gray skies prevented Harry and Amanda from lying on the beach, but flying was still an option. Amanda wouldn't be getting on the Quidditch team based on her friendship with Harry, after all.
Harry had transfigured a melon into a Quaffle so they could practice. It wasn't the same without anything they could use as goals, or other Chasers for her to practice teamwork with, or even a half-competent Keeper, but Harry could tell that she was good. She had told him that she was a Chaser on her old team for two years, and it wasn't exactly hard to understand why. A little under two hours into the practice they had to go back inside. Normally they would have played through the rain, but it soaked through their skin and chilled them to the bone.
Remus and Tonks were at the table when they returned with their brooms over their shoulders and their clothing sagging from the weight of the water collected on them. "Having fun?" Remus asked as Harry cast drying and warming charms.
"Of course, who doesn't love being frozen in the rain while soaring around at ninety miles per hour?" Amanda asked, now fully dry and moderately warm.
Remus chuckled and Tonks snorted into her tea. "Lets hope you like being frozen in the rain while walking around." Tonks told them. "Remus and I will be busy with work for the Order for the rest of the month so we need to go to get your school things today."
Remus nodded and reached into his robes, pulling out two keys. "Your funds have been transferred to a vault in London, Amanda. All of the money your parents had was transferred to me to give to you when you come of age, but I see no harm in doing so now." He gave her one of the keys. "And Harry, your vault key arrived earlier. Your new vault is on the lower levels, in the high security section." He gave Harry the other key.
Harry pocketed his key in the unlikely event that he would need it. Amanda, however, stared at hers with tears welling up in her eyes. Everyone knew she hated to cry in front of them, and that she was trying as hard as possible to keep her tears in check. Tonks and Remus attempted to comfort and console her, but Harry silently asked them to leave and they obeyed.
"Amanda?" he asked tentatively. She looked up to meet his gaze, the tears still prickling behind her eyes. "Are you going to be ok?"
She glanced back down at the table, and after a moment met his emerald stare again. "Yes, I think so." She said, her voice cracking.
"I know what you must be going through." Harry replied, moving a chair beside hers. "Like I told you the other day, the pain never really goes away." He sighed, he was no good at this sort of thing, but he was the only one she would talk to about it. She wasn't as comfortable talking to Remus, even though he was her mother's favorite cousin, and Tonks still had her parents. Harry was always around and had lost more than most people in his seventeen years.
"I never really knew my parents, since I was only a baby when they died. In some ways I envy you. You knew your family, and had a chance to be loved." He paused, trying to find the right words. "It's not right that someone can lose everything like that. I wish you still had your family, I really do. The only advice I can offer is for you to remember the good times you had. Even the bad times can offer some comfort." He sighed again and looked down.
"Have I told you what happens if I get too close to a Dementor?" He asked, looking up at her again. She shook her head, not trusting her voice. "I hear my mum screaming… begging Voldemort not to kill me, to kill her instead. Sometimes I can hear my dad telling my mum to take me and run, that he would try to hold Voldemort off." Tears prickled at Harry's eyes now, and fell freely from Amanda's.
"Oh, Harry… I…" she lost the ability to speak, torn by the grief they had both experienced in their lives. She broke into violent sobs and laid her head on Harry's shoulder, wrapping her arms around his chest. Harry returned the hug and let her cry into his shirt.
Some time later they broke apart, Amanda's tears had finally stopped. "I'm sorry, Harry. Please don't judge me by this." She wiped her cheeks and stared at the wet spot on Harry's shirt.
"Don't apologize, Mandy, it's natural. I'm honored that you would actually cry on my shoulder. I'm afraid that I wouldn't be able to do that if I had to." He said, lightly rubbing her back.
"Thanks." She said, standing. "Lets go see what kind of trouble Remus and Tonks are getting into."
The rain had not reached London by the time everyone made it to Diagon Alley, though the gray clouds were nearly twice as dark. After a stop at Gringotts, Tonks and Remus ushered them into Flourish and Blotts to take care of the majority of their purchases.
As they browsed around in the Defense Against the Dark Arts section, a familiar voice from a neighboring section permeated the ear, soon followed by another familiar voice. Harry stopped suddenly, listening to the conversation playing out.
"…N.E.W.T.s are important! You need to study as much as possible!" An exasperated female said.
"If I can borrow your notes this year, I will. I almost failed my exams last year because of that!" her male companion said.
"If you would learn to take notes of your own you wouldn't have that problem." She retorted.
Harry couldn't take it anymore; he knew that if left alone, they would continue for hours. Poking his head around the corner, he cleared his throat. "Come on, Hermione, you can't expect miracles from that prat." Ron and Hermione jumped, causing Harry to laugh loudly.
Amanda, hearing the laughter, wandered over to Harry. "What could possibly be so funny, Potter?" Harry jumped as well.
"Karma, mate." Ron said, smiling and walking to his best friend and clapping him on the shoulder. "Who's your friend?"
Harry pulled Amanda into Ron and Hermione's view. "This is Amanda, I've mentioned her in my letters, Ron, did you even read them?" He asked, laughing. "Ron, Hermione, this is Amanda White. Amanda, meet Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger."
Ron and Hermione said hello before Ron berated Harry about their Quidditch Co-captaincy, asking about positions they needed to fill and people that needed replacing.
"I think I've found someone to fill Katie's shoes, Ron." Harry said as they gathered the books they would need for their N.E.W.T. classes. Amanda's ears suddenly became extra sensitive. "Amanda's an excellent Chaser. I'm not exactly great as a Keeper, but I'm fairly certain that she could get the Quaffle past you."
Amanda blushed lightly from beside them. "What was that this morning about having to try out like everyone else?" She teased, poking Harry in the ribs.
"What Tonks said this morning made me change my mind…" Amanda's face rivaled Ron's hair. Harry couldn't help himself and exploded with laughter.
"HARRY! How dare you mention that! I can only imagine what Remus and Tonks thought!" she put her face in her hands and shook her head.
"Oh, come on, I was just kidding, but that doesn't change the fact that you're an excellent Chaser. And yes, you still need to try out." Harry ignored the confused looks from Ron and Hermione and tried to get Amanda to stop hiding.
"What are you two on about?" Ron asked in his usual tactless way. Hermione elbowed him.
Tonks, Remus, and Molly had been staying close enough to keep an eye on the group, but far enough away to give them a bit of privacy. Tonks, however, had heard what they were talking about and couldn't resist commenting. Walking closer to them with a wicked grin plastered to her head, Harry knew he was in trouble.
"Amanda, why are you blushing? If I were you, I'd be shouting it from a rooftop." Amanda looked up and glared at the pink haired witch. "I mean, not everyone can sleep with the Boy-who-lived." Tonks's evil grin returned when Ron dropped his books and Hermione glared at Harry. Molly and Remus appeared to have heard Tonks's comment. Mrs. Weasley looked at Harry disapprovingly, but Remus came to the rescue.
"Now, Dora, they just fell asleep on the couch, don't embarrass them." His goddaughter smiled at him and stopped blushing.
"That's right, Tonks. We just fell asleep watching TV." Harry replied, Amanda shot him a grateful look.
"That doesn't change the fact that you were half naked when you woke up." Amanda's blush returned.
"It was hot last night! We came in from the beach and stayed in our bathing suits!" she half shouted.
Tonks silenced her with a wave of her wand again and laughed. "No gory details, we agreed on that this morning." Mrs. Weasley obviously disliked Tonks teasing them, but seeing Harry try not to laugh made it worth it.
Amanda shot a murderous glare at Harry, wordlessly demanding why he wasn't helping her. Ron was close to rolling in the floor from laughter, and Hermione was still glaring at Harry, as if she was demanding to know exactly what happened. Harry was turning red from the war being waged inside of him, and it looked as if laughter would win the battle. Mrs. Weasley was smiling weakly at Harry, hoping that he could finally move on and live, rather than feel needless guilt over Ginny. Remus was chuckling lightly, his arm around Tonks, who was imitating Ron, nearly rolling in the floor.
The whole situation was a breath of fresh air for Harry. Having a bit of fun with his best friends, even if it did mean that he suffered some embarrassment. Amanda, who was shy when she first met someone, was nearly in tears until Harry whispered something in her ear that brought her out of her shell. She started laughing with the others and her blush faded. Almost nothing could ruin the mood.
Almost.
A scoff from behind the group signaled the unwanted presence of Draco Malfoy. The crowd turned to face him. "Well, well, well, Saint Potter has added another member to his fan club. How disgusting." His eyes traveled over Amanda's body from head to toe, lingering in certain places longer than they should. "What would possess someone like you to bed Potter?" he demanded in his drawling voice. "When there are clearly more deserving people."
Amanda felt humiliated by his wandering eyes, crossing her arms over her chest she felt a surge of hatred. "I hope you aren't talking about yourself. I've met hags that wouldn't be that desperate." Hermione snorted, Amanda knew how to hit Draco where it hurt.
Harry and Ron both had their hands over their wands, waiting for Malfoy to try something. Malfoy's hand was reaching for his own wand, but stopped when his mother's hand landed on his shoulder.
"Now, Draco, don't antagonize these people. Honestly, boy, did your father and I teach you nothing?" Narcissa Malfoy pulled her son in front of her. "Their pet wolf over there may bite."
Lupin's face remained expressionless, it was clear that he had heard thing like that before. Tonks, however, flared with anger. "He's not the one you should worry about, Narcissa."
Mrs. Malfoy turned to Tonks. "You're Andromeda's brat, aren't you? Pathetic blood traitor had to go and marry a mudblood. You're not fit to speak my name."
Harry turned to his friends and signaled that they should move on. Everyone else turned as well. "Running away, Potter? Doesn't surprise me, you're good at that. You don't even try to stand up and protect anyone, do you?" Malfoy spat at Harry's retreating back. Harry stopped in his tracks.
"Tell your friend Voldemort that he won't live much longer." Harry said coldly before continuing to walk again.
Remus, Tonks, and Molly, sensing the tension in the air, told the four students to go to Weasleys Wizarding Wheezes while they picked up the rest of the supplies on the booklists. Harry and Amanda handed Remus and Tonks their moneybags, Hermione handed hers to Mrs. Weasley. Ron didn't have one to hand over, as his mum had already liberated it from him. Harry kept a few Galleons in case he wanted to buy some things from Fred and George.
The Weasley twins had done an excellent job in remodeling their store. The entire place was like a practical joke. Trick steps like the staircases at Hogwarts, moving display cases, and (possibly just for Ron) a working model of an Acromantula that dropped from the ceiling in front of the group and walked toward them. Ron squeaked and paled, preparing to take a step backward.
"What's wrong? Is ickle Ronnie scared of a harmless little spider?" Fred called from behind them.
Harry snorted. "Ron, you've faced bigger spiders than this. Remember Aragog?" Ron shuddered. "You can't tell me you didn't have fun running from an army of giant spiders! It was one of the highlights of our second year!"
"Remind me to hex Hagrid for that. Follow the spiders… he's mental!"
"Oi, Harry, any suggestions on what we could do to torment you like this?" George asked, coming from the opposite direction of his twin.
"Unless you've got a Dementor nearby, no." George chuckled at this.
Hermione and Amanda each confronted a twin. Angry shouts like "Don't you dare torture Harry with a Dementor!" and "You know what those things do to Harry!" rang through the shop.
"Calm down, ladies." Fred said, backing into a corner under Amanda's glare. "You've got yourself a feisty one, Harry."
"You too, Ron. I never thought Hermy could be so frightening." George agreed.
Harry slapped his forehead while Ron beamed at his girlfriend with pride.
After a few hours of being subjected to the Twins' new products, their guardians returned to look for them. After saying their goodbyes, Harry, Amanda, Remus, and Tonks departed for the seaside cottage.