Don't quite know what happened last week but when I posted Chapter 30 (otherwise known as Volume 2 Chapter 1) something definitely went wrong... half of the chapter was missing. I only realised what had happened when I received quite a few reviews thinking I was taking this story off in the direction of a Harry/Tonks story! Fear not loyal readers, that ain't gonna happen.

So here - complete and unabridged - is the entire Chapter 30 - aka... (well I won't go into that again!)

Volume 2 Chapter 1 : Back on to the Merry-go-Round

It didn't feel like the start of a new school year to Harry, after all he was not going to journey to Hogwarts on the Hogwarts Express pulled by the great red steam-engine the Hogwarts Castle. Neither had he experienced the ritual panic as the Weasley family prepared for the departure to Kings Cross Station. One thing he didn't miss was the inevitable and predictable visit by Draco Malfoy and his two goons Crabbe and Goyle.

Instead of organised chaos Harry had been able to have a long lie in bed; enjoy a leisurely soak in Eleanor's larger than average bathtub followed by a huge breakfast. His morning had been rounded off by a quick glance at the Daily Prophet in which he read nothing very newsworthy at all!

Eleanor and Jenny had fussed over all of Harry's packing making sure he had everything and that it was all in tip-top condition. In fact the two women seemed to be worse than Dobby! Harry really appreciated everything Eleanor and Jenny had done for him both practically and emotionally; they had helped him heal more than just his physical wounds. Many hours had been spent trying to think of some way Harry could demonstrate his appreciation for all they had done. In the end it had been Ginny who suggested the perfect, if somewhat unorthodox, solution.

While working at the bottom of Eleanor's garden Harry had cut back an ancient honeysuckle that was intertwined with a huge rambling rose that together had covered a doorway in the south wall of the garden. Eleanor knew the door was there but since her late husband had tended that part of the garden alone, and it had been his sanctuary, she had allowed it to become overgrown and reclaimed by nature.

When he had first been told of the walled garden, Harry had been intrigued by it but also reluctant to disturb it. Eleanor on the other hand simply said she had enough of a problem maintaining the main garden, let alone worrying about another one. It was not sentimentality but basic common sense that had let it get in its present state.

Harry had determined therefore that he would create a new garden that both Eleanor and Jenny could enjoy and that he, along with Ginny and Neville, would create and maintain. It felt good to Harry to be able to plan a long-term project. At times Harry felt that his life expectancy was next-to-zero, but anytime he came close to voicing these dark and depressing thoughts, Ginny would, both vocally and physically, pounce on him until he gave in.

"It's hard to be depressed with a red-haired vixen sitting on your stomach, pinning you to the floor and tickling you to death!"

At least this was the sentiment Harry had expressed to Tonks when she asked him simply what the source was for his noticeably good mood these days. To his dismay and confusion however, Tonks looked worried, saddened almost at his revelation.

"What?" Harry queried.

"Eh?" Tonks response was neutral, giving nothing away.

"You know Ginny and I are together, right?" queried Harry, perplexed.

"As friends, sure, same as Ron and Hermione are your friends?" Tonks was still being evasive.

"Friends? No, more than just friends, much more. It'll be good to be able to be really together when I get back to school."

"Harry, listen. Ginny's a good kid but…" began Tonks. Harry looked at her with astonishment clearly written on his face.

"Tonks, Ginny's hardly a kid anymore and neither am I." Said Harry, a frown creasing his forehead.

Tonks blushed. Truth be told it was more than obvious to Tonks that Harry wasn't a kid anymore. They were sitting on a couple of garden chairs on the patio at the back of Hill House. Harry had been working hard on the garden all day, his black sleeveless t-shirt clung to his sweat-soaked body, his arms and legs showed definite evidence of the hours Harry had put in on Jenny's gym equipment and on weeding and clearing the walled garden.

"No. I know you're not a kid anymore Harry but you're still young." Said Tonks sadly before adding, "There's plenty of fish in the sea. Sorry. I'm not making myself very clear here." Tonks stood up, knocking her chair over in the process. Harry righted the chair as Tonks started pacing up and down. If Harry didn't know better he'd have guessed Tonks had some bad news she didn't want to impart.

Harry had had enough. He was determined to take greater control of his life and he was not going to allow this to continue. Standing up Harry stepped in front of Tonks and stopped her in her tracks; he held her upper arms in a surprisingly strong grip. "Just spit it out Tonks. What is it you are trying to say?"

Harry looked in her eyes and saw they were over-bright almost as though they had tears ready to be shed at a moment's notice.

"You and Ginny …" said Tonks.

"What about me and Ginny?" said Harry.

"You shouldn't … I mean you two mustn't …" stammered Tonks. Now Harry was really perplexed.

"What? Tonks?" But at that moment Jenny had arrived along with Dr. McGregor.

"Well look at my patient now! Where's the pale, sickly-looking kid gone?"

The arrival of Jenny and her Harry gave Tonks the ideal opportunity to get away from Harry's grip. She pushed his hands from her arms and turned to leave.

"Hello you two. Nice to see you but I was just about to leave. Sorry I can't stay!" and with that Tonks positively ran into the house.

"Tonks! Wait!" called Harry but it was too late, she'd gone.

Jenny and her 'Doc' as she'd come to call him sat on the patio chairs enjoying the evening sunshine. As she poured out two glasses of homemade lemonade from the jug on the table, Jenny asked Harry. "You two been arguing? I can't ever remember Tonks scooting off like that. She looked upset as well. Harry?"

Harry was still standing just as Tonks had left him. At the sound of his name he turned to Jenny. "Sorry? What did you say?"

"I asked if you two had been arguing? Have you?"

"Er? No. I don't think so." Said Harry, sitting back down and picking up his glass again.

"I can't get over how different Tonks looks from when I first met her." Said Doc McGregor.

"Mmm." Said Harry, still miles away, staring at – but not seeing – the glass in his hand.

"That's it!" said Jenny, taking the glass off Harry and forcing his attention back on her.

"Earth to Harry! Come in Harry."

"What?" he replied at last.

"I've been trying to talk to you and I might as well have addressed that brick wall! What was wrong with Tonks? She looked upset over something."

"I don't know. Why ask me? Ask her." Exclaimed Harry. He knew he was being rude but he couldn't help it. He stood up, gathered up the garden tools he'd been using, threw them in the wheelbarrow then trundled it down to the potting shed at the bottom of the garden. It was second nature to take care of the secateurs, pruning shears etc., that he'd been using but today his mind was elsewhere as he went through the routine of cleaning and storing away the tools.

What on earth did Tonks mean? Thought Harry. What was wrong with him and Ginny being together? He knew he'd been a prat to her in the past but it was different now. She was different but then again so was he.

Harry sat on the step into the shed and toed off his Wellington boots and put them under the potting bench. He picked up his trainers to put them on but checked inside first. Sure enough inside the left shoe was a large black spider.

"You must have no sense of smell if you can stand to be in there." Said Harry to the spider as he firmly but careful shook it out onto the shed floor. The spider made Harry think of Ron.

Ron would have run a mild at the sight of the spider Harry knew, but how was Ron going to react to the news that he and Ginny were a couple? Would he, like Tonks, try and keep them apart or would he approve?

As he walked back down the garden he recalled Ron's words again to Ginny on the train home. 'Choose someone better next time.' Would he consider Harry better? Or was he including Harry as another brother keeping an eye out for their little sister?

And what was up with Tonks?

Over the last week he'd caught her watching him a few times. Why? What was looking for? Or, what had he done – or not done – that had upset her? For clearly she was upset over something.

Women! Thought Harry. They were a different species as far as Harry was concerned. He needed a translator half the time to understand every single subtle meaning of their actions.

All that is, except for Ginny.

His understanding of Ginny seemed to be instinctual; almost as if she had become a part of himself for truly that was what she was. He could no more separate himself from her as he could cut off a leg.

Ginny.

His Ginny.

- o – O – o -

Harry was finishing off his breakfast sitting in the light airy and spacious kitchen of Hill House; he was overjoyed, as Doctor McGregor and Madam Pomfrey had finally approved hiss return to school. Lost once more in his thoughts of Ginny it took Harry a moment to realise someone had come silently in through the back door.

Seeing Tonks standing silently with a very grave expression on her face, Harry's good mood rapidly evaporated as he became alert, wary and guarded. He somehow expected Tonks to have a good at him almost as thought she knew what, or rather who, he was thinking about.

"Mornin' Harry." Stated Tonks bluntly.

"Tonks." Acknowledged Harry abruptly.

At that moment Eleanor and Jenny came down the stairs and into the kitchen but before either of them could say anything Tonks took control. "Eleanor, I need to have a word with you through in the sitting room." She said. "Now, if you please. You too Jenny."

Tonks brusque no-nonsense manner, quite unlike her usual persona, alarmed the two women but they complied without question and left the room.

Harry stood and made to follow but Tonks placed a hand on his chest. "No, Harry, you wait here."

"What's going on?" demanded Harry. "Why do you want me kept out of it? Tonks?" His voice had become louder, more insistent and strident.

"Not now, Harry." Affirmed Tonks glancing over her shoulder as she entered the sitting room and shut the door in Harry's face.

Harry put his ear to the door but heard nothing and realised a silencing charm had been used.

Harry was furious.

After all that happened this summer, after all he'd been through; they were still treating him like a child.

He was still angry when the door opened some ten minutes later and Tonks said, "You all packed and ready to go then Harry?" but her smile didn't reach her eyes.

"I reckon." Said Harry mechanically. "What were you talking about?"

"Just routine Order business." Said Eleanor as thought it was nothing for Harry to concern himself with.

"Right then, we're off. Want to get you settled while everyone's still in lessons. I know how much you detest being the centre of attention Harry." Tonks stated and Harry was forced to agree with her.

"Thanks once again for everything you've both done for me. I don't know what would have happened otherwise. I'll never forget it and I'll never be able to repay your kindness." Harry spoke as he walked to Eleanor and kissed her gently on the cheek.

Eleanor embraced him briefly and whispered in his ear "Now you just stay safe at Hogwarts and write to me you hear."

"I will, I promise." Said Harry as he gave her a smile.

Then it was Jenny's turn; she embraced Harry and handed him a small neatly wrapped package. "I think you might find that useful, I know I did." Said Jenny.

Not wanting to repeat his mistake of leaving a gift-wrapped and ignored (as he had done Sirius gift of the mirror last Christmas) Harry tore the wrapping off to reveal a book. It was an ordinary Muggle hardback book entitled 'Prevention and Management of Violence and Aggression' by Brian J. Delaney. "Thanks." Said Harry but his expression told Jenny he was confused by the gift.

"Harry, I had thought to give you one of the police issue self-defence books but I realised that they mostly dealt with confrontations where the other party had a fire-arm or such-like." Said Jenny. "This book is about defusing situations before they escalate into violence. It also teaches you how to control your own reactions to potentially dangerous situations and provocation."

"Oh, right. Well that will be useful, especially if Malfoy is around." Replied Harry. "Thanks very much Jenny, it's great." Harry gave her a quick peck on the cheek and then stooped to pick up Hedwig' s cage.

"It's no good Harry, I have to ask you. Why are you still wearing glasses when you don't need them any longer?" said Jenny with a puzzled look on her face.

"Well for two reasons really." Said Harry. "The first one is that as Tonks said I hate a fuss. I reckon that turning up late at the start of term is bad enough but being late and without glasses would attract more attention than I need." All three women nodded in understanding before Harry continued, "The second reason that it is an advantage that I don't want my enemies to be aware of. I think Mad-Eye would approve, don't you?"

The two professional law officers exchanged significant looks before Jenny replied, "Good thinking. Mad-Eye would be proud of you."

"Constant vigilance indeed." said Tonks as she levitated Harry's trunk out of the front door. She raised her wand.

Bang!

One violently purple, triple-decker Knight Bus appeared on the front drive of Hill House.

"Welcome to the …" began Stan Shunpike but on seeing Harry he said, "Oh, hello Neville!" with rather a stupid grin on his face.

"If you want to keep your job I'd stay silent if I were you." Threatened Tonks prodding Stan in the chest with her wand point.

"Keep your 'air on." Said Stan making no effort to help Harry and Tonks store Harry's trunk and Hedwig' s cage safely on the almost-empty bottom deck.

Taking a comfy-looking armchair, Tonks said in a quiet but authoritative voice "Hogwarts, as fast as you can and no stopping." While paying Stan their fares.

"Hold tight then." Said Stan and Harry just had time to raise a hand to wave goodbye to Eleanor before he fell back into a second armchair when Ernie put his foot down on the accelerator and shot the bus and its passengers to the road leading from Hogsmeade's Station to the village. As it stopped outside the school gates and Harry spotted the winged boars atop the gateposts he could hardly believe he was back here at last.