In the Shadows Chapter 4, a harry potter fanfic

Tonks was silent for the majority of the walk until Dumbledore chose to speak to her.

"I can see there is more to those gloves than I first thought. I also heard a tale that Harry received a very powerful kiss from a very attractive young woman at Platform 9 ¾ before he left for Hogwarts" he said with his eye twinkling.

"Yes, from me. What can I say professor; I can't help but like him. He's a great young man who would make a fine boyfriend for anyone" she replied.

"Yet I know he has only ever had one young lady whom he thought it worth to try and court, and I know that ended in disaster also" Dumbledore retorted.

"If you have an objection about how Harry feels about me or me about him then do me the adult curtesy of saying it plainly" Tonks snapped.

"You misunderstand me, Tonks. Who Harry choses to share that aspect of his life with will be between him and the lady in question. Indeed, it may be you in the end who pulls him from the precipice he has walked to edge of" Dumbledore made his opinion plain.

"What do you mean?" Tonks asked.

"I said I believe Harry's dark side is presenting itself, that much is true. However despite all those that care for him, he is missing that special one on one relationship that binds him to his sanity and happiness. I believe that he has found that link in you; and that you return the affections" Dumbledore explained.

"We are here" he said, recognising the tapestry.

"Well Tonks, think of what Harry needs. And be honest, the room only responds to honest need, not selfish wants" Dumbledore warned.

'I need a place to help Harry heal himself of all his injuries, emotional and physical. I need somewhere that is safe and comfortable for him' Tonks thought.

A large oak door with a brass handle appeared. Tonks grabbed the door thinking one final requirement, the most important of all. A place that Harry could be loved. All her needs were played out upon seeing the room.

A large room with a double bed adorned with silk linen and a curtain occupied one end. One side had stands and floating platforms for the various devices that Harry had hooked onto him to be placed. There was also a sofa, loveseat and a roaring fire. As well as a fully stocked medical supply cabinet. Most importantly of all, it was decorated with images of all of Harry's friends and favourite things.

"Well done Tonks, this is perfect" Dumbledore smiled as he inspected the room.

"Amazing indeed, I wish I had one of these" both Tonks and Dumbledore spun around and saw Sub Zero and Hanzo leaning insolently on the door frame.

"How did you two get here?" she asked.

"We came on that delightful train of yours. However I think it's only important that we are here, I hear strange goings on have been happening" Sub Zero said, eyeing the band aid on Dumbledore's forehead.

"Fine, if you two want to make yourselves useful, go and help Madam Pomfrey escort Harry down here please, he needs protection til we get him here" Tonks instructed.

"Very well, but one condition: tell me if you see a charming lady with a brooch made of ice would you. I would like to make a more proper introduction" Sub Zero said as he left to go and help, Hanzo following.

"I believe I saw Madam Hooch wearing a brooch that looked as if it was made of ice" Dumbledore mentioned, following them so to show them where the Infirmary was.

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Madam Pomfrey had prepared Harry as best she could to move him; all she needed now was an escort because she had no idea where this 'Room of Requirement' was. She was tapping her foot impatiently when Dumbledore appeared with two very strange looking men. After assuring the nurse they were friends and here to help, they got moving.

"So, are you two Aurors?" Madam Pomfrey asked.

"Nope, we're not even Wizards" Sub Zero answered with a grin.

"Then how on Earth did you get in here?" the nurse was amazed.

"It is what we do" Sub Zero answered cryptically.

A loud clang heralded the entrance of Peeves the poltergeist, Hogwarts most annoying Ghost in residence and trouble maker extraordinaire. Idol of Fred and George, and conversely, Peeves respected them for all the mischief they had caused in their time. Madam Pomfrey was shouting abuse at the ghost trying to get him to go away. Peeves only laughed, but then he stopped.

"No, you can't be here, it is impossible" Peeves pointed a shaking finger at Hanzo.

A ghost sees the world very differently: to Peeves, all the humans in Hogwarts appear as slightly dull but coloured forms that he can easily identify. However if one were to see through Peeves' eyes now, they would see that Hanzo is not human. His form was made of fire, with ghastly red eyes in a skulls head looking back at Peeves.

"No, Peeves wished never to see you again, how are you here?" Peeves had shrunk to the floor now, trembling as Hanzo advanced on him.

"Be gone" Hanzo's low grating voice was like a knife through Peeves' nonexistent heart.

"AAAAAAGGGHHHHH" the frightened ghost flew away, screaming blue murder to the halls as he went.

"He won't be a bother for a while now, let us continue" Hanzo muttered and continued walking.

Madam Pomfrey gave a questioning look to Sub Zero who only shrugged in response. It was not his place to tell Hanzo's story to anyone, not even Tonks, his goddaughter. Though Sub Zero knew the time would come when Hanzo could no longer remain silent, it would do no good to press the issue…

…He still had the scar from when he pushed the issue.

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Hermione was in the common room with Ginny, they were both studying for their Charms class. Ron was with Luna by the lake skipping stones. Other students were also milling around doing various things such as study or wizards chess. Some couples were even snuggling on the couches. Hermione felt a little depressed. She felt very strongly for Ginny but, she didn't want to bring any trouble down on the younger girl's head.

"You're worried about something. What is it?" Hermione swore that Ginny had a form of ESP; the red head knew what she was thinking nearly all the time.

"Well, I'm not getting anywhere with this Charms homework and neither are you. To be honest I wouldn't mind just having a cuddle, but…" Hermione trailed off.

"But what?" Ginny asked, smiling a little.

"I'm afraid" she answered simply.

"Of what?" Ginny knew she'd have to prod Hermione along to get to the bottom of this.

"Of them, hurting you. I know none of them would have a go at you physically. You're too well known as a powerful witch for them to do that. But, not all hurts have to be physical" Hermione was still dancing around the reason.

"For the smartest girl in Hogwarts, you are awfully forgetful sometimes" Ginny smiled and much to Hermione's shock, slid onto her lap.

"What was it Hanzo said to Harry when he saw us? Love is a matter of soul. It's about how we feel about each other and no one else" Ginny smiled.

Ginny leaned in and kissed Hermione very softly on the lips. A gasp washed across the common room at Ginny's bold actions. Hermione on the other hand had frozen stiff, but the tenderness of the kiss soon melted her and she wrapped her arms around Ginny's waist.

"Alright you lot, quit gawking, this isn't a peep show" a recently returned Ron called out.

"Mate we, ah, had no idea your sister was on the other side of the fence" Seamus said, trying to keep Ron's glare from killing him.

"I missed the time when that it became your business" Ron retorted.

Seamus shrunk lower into his seat, as did most of the blokes. Ginny however groaned in embarrassment at her brother's antics while Hermione chuckled. It was sweet, in an annoying kind of way.

The girls in the common room began gossiping amongst themselves. No doubt Hermione would be on the receiving end of many, many questions from the likes of Lavender, and Parvarti. Ginny would most likely not be questioned since she was known for being a bit fierce when she's confronted with a personal matter.

"How's Harry?" Ginny asked, sliding back off Hermione, laying her head in her lap.

"He's safe now, Tonks and Hanzo are with him" Ron said, sitting in a chair opposite them.

"Hanzo's here?" Hermione was a little surprised.

"So is Sub Zero, but he's, otherwise occupied" Ron said with a chuckle.

"Doing what?" Ginny knew Sub Zero was a very, basic person.

"You'll never believe this: but I think he's trying to romance Madam Hooch" Ron said with a laugh.

"That sounds like an interesting experiment" Hermione looked a bit amused.

"I think that's what Tonks said, but she was a bit distracted at the time" Ron had an unusually thoughtful look on his face.

"You think there is more to them than that kiss at the train station don't you?" Ginny asked.

"Come on, you saw her in the Infirmary. I didn't see any of us listening to his heart and crying like that" Ron said.

"Yeah, that's true" Ginny admitted.

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-------The Subconscious Mind of Harry Potter------

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Harry opened his eyes and saw a tall figure in a white robe and a white mask. Harry stood up and dusted off his pants and adjusted his glasses.

"Who are you?" Harry asked.

The figure said nothing and held out a playing card. The Ace of Hearts. Harry took the card and looked it over. Nothing special. Just a plain old playing card that one might find in any deck of cards.

"What the hell does this mean?" Harry asked.

"Turn around" the figure replied.

"Why?" Harry seemed a little nervous.

"Turn around" was all the figure would say.

"Why should I?" Harry yelled hotly.

"If you are a true Gryffindor, you will turn around" this time the figure said something different.

Harry stood fast for a while, not wanting to turn around. He stared at the hooded figure for what seemed like hours, but he was unmoving. Like a statue he simply stood with an impassive facial expression, eyes covered by the hood.

"Okay, fine, I will turn around" Harry said and summoning up all his courage, he turned. Only to come face to face with himself.

Only this version of him looked healthy, and very, carefree. This served only to confuse the already frazzled Harry as his double smirked and shook his head.

"This is what happens when you suppress your feelings lad, they surface in a most inappropriate and inopportune manner later" the other Harry said.

"What do you mean, I don't suppress my feelings, I'm told in my forth and fifth years I was rather vocal about them" Harry retorted, feeling a bit silly to be yelling at himself.

"No, that was you letting off steam, there is a small difference. That was misplaced frustration. What you try to suppress is all the dark, cruel and mean thoughts that most normal people have" Other Harry explained.

"No, those are the kind of thoughts people like Voldermort have-" Harry was cut off by his doppelganger.

"And people like Mr. and Mrs. Weasley, Lupin, Ron, Hermione, Ginny and, even our beloved Tonks" Other Harry made a face.

"None of them think it would be fun to murder innocent people" Harry snarled, fists clenched.

"True, Voldermort thinks in a very extreme way. But do you honestly believe it's wrong to feel like you want to just deck a bloke. It doesn't make you evil, only human" Other Harry was idly examining his nails now.

"If I let my darker nature out, it would be dangerous" Harry whispered.

"Only if you let it get as strong as it is now. There is a great power locked inside you, lad. If you harness it, it will give you the power to do anything you want. Defeat Voldermort, take over the god damned world if you want" Other Harry saw a flash of brief excitement cross Harry's face.

"No, I would never do anything like that, only unfeeling people like Voldermort do that" Harry shook his head to clear his thoughts.

"Must I explain this further? For all his evil deeds, Voldermort is only one side of the coin of human nature. Albus Dumbledore would be the other side" Other Harry was getting a bit frustrated himself

"Dumbledore has never killed anyone" Harry claimed.

"This is true, to a certain degree. Dumbledore has hinted that he knew Tom Riddle when he was a school boy, and I bet he suspected that Tom was up to no good. Yet he did nothing" Other Harry now got right in Harry's face.

"How many people do you think would have never died if he had just set the Aurors on him, hmm? Or more to the point, how many people have died due to that inaction? You said it to Dumbledore in such eloquent words 'The only thing worse than the deeds of evil men is the inaction of good men' or words to that effect. You are right, although your target was Draco, it should have been Dumbledore" Other Harry was now so close that Harry could see the red eyes.

"You're Voldermort aren't you?" Harry jumped immediately to the conclusion that this was the Dark Lord's latest way to send him over the deep end.

"Oh no, I am far worse than that. I am the culmination of every bad dream, bad and evil thought and every dark desire that you have, and yet suppress. Your greatest fear is not fear itself, but rather fear of yourself or the dark side of your nature" Other Harry made his true purpose known.

"You're me?" Harry asked incredulously.

"No, I am part of you, just as tall, white and boring over there is" Other Harry said, pointing to the man who gave Harry the Ace of Hearts.

"Here, place this card back to back with the one you have now" Other Harry, now smoking a cigar, threw him a card: the Ace of Spades.

Harry held both the cards and looked at them. One black and one red, one a heart, the other not quite a heart, but the same shape almost. Much like the two standing either side of him. It seemed like Other Harry had said his piece and now it was the white robed man's turn.

"Light and dark are polar opposites, young man. Without one you cannot have the other. Good and evil aren't sides you must chose to follow, but sides you must balance out in your life. Evil people like Voldermort are the result of an imbalance in of those scales, likewise Dumbledore is also a result of imbalance" he held up a set of scales to prove his point.

Harry took these words to heart and, as instructed placed the cards together, back to back. The result was for him to be seized by energy and have his two cryptic speakers dissolve into dust and be sucked into the cards, which then also dissolved. Then Harry was hit with a jolt like none he'd felt before and he was thrown several feet backwards, landing at the feet of another person.

"Oh Merlin please not another riddle spewing vision" Harry groaned.

"Well, not riddle spewing at any rate" a jovial voice that Harry thought long gone sailed in his ears.

"Sirius!" Harry cried, clambering to his feet.

"In the, ectoplasm I think this stuff is called" he said with a grin.

"Oh God Sirius it's so good to see you again" Harry cried, throwing his arms around him.

"Come on lad, we both know I'm not, alive. And if you don't starting bucking up, you won't be for much longer" Sirius said, none the less returning the hug.

"I don't deserve to live after getting you killed, and if I die then my dark side cannot hurt anyone" Harry sobbed.

"Harry, I'm gonna say this only once. It was not your fault. All people do stupid shit sometimes, and you did, let us not make light of that, but, I still also chose to go and throw my arse into the fire at the Ministry. I died doing what I swore an oath to do, to protect you" Sirius had dislodged Harry and given him a firm shake.

"But, still, I felt that dark power in my trying to take me over. I fight for the light Sirius, how can I do that with darkness in me like that?" Harry asked.

"Harry, fighting for light is a huge misnomer. Because the instant you choose to fight, for good or for evil, people will die and people will get hurt. You can only fight knowing your cause is just, but that doesn't make it any easier to fight" Sirius explained.

"I don't understand, but you know I'd die to protect my friends" Harry said, shaking his head.

"Nor should you have to. As for that other part, well, it is very easy in life to find something to die for Harry; the hard part of life is finding something worth living for" Sirius spoke such wise words, Harry wondered if it was really him.

"Something worth, living for" Harry repeated.

"Yes, I also happen to know that you and my favourite cousin are shall we simply say, emotionally and spiritually intertwined" Sirius said with a cheeky grin.

"Oh, uh yeah" Harry suddenly found the ground very interesting.

"The love of another on that level is paradoxically worth both living and dying for, Harry. But please, don't leave her. Because as her cousin, if you break her heart I will be obliged by honour to kill you" Sirius said in mock threatening fashion.

"I would never hurt her" Harry yelled defiantly.

"Well lad, she's sitting with you, hoping you're not. So get out of here, wake up and prove to her that it'll take a bigger shock than that to take you from her" Sirius, now with a mile wide grin, stood orating with his arms flailing dramatically.

"Okay" Harry answered.

"Good lad. Lily and James would be proud as anything with you. Goodbye Harry, it is my hope you shall not see me again until you are a frail old man with a ton of kids and grandkids etcetera, etcetera" Sirius gave a final flourish with his arms and disappeared.

"Goodbye Sirius" Harry paused for a moment, feeling as if a weight had been taken off his shoulders; then he looked up, seeing Tonks' stricken face.

"Tonks, I'm coming back" Harry said and jumped, arms outstretched.

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-------The Room of Requirement------

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Tonks sat looking at Harry; the rapid movement of his eyes telling her he was experiencing something. Rubbing her tired eyes, Tonks went over to a bench, requiring up some water and a hot pot of tea. Behind her, Harry noiselessly opened his eyes. Despite feeling sore, he got up out of bed quietly. Tonks was standing in front of the bench, looking hunched over.

'Something worth living for, damn right' Harry thought and crept up behind her.

Tonks was still looking down into the cup of untouched tea when she felt a pair of arms wrap themselves around her waist and hug her tightly. A head also came to rest on her back. Shocked, she tried to turn but instead ended up tripping over, bringing both her and Harry to the floor.

"Harry?" she asked disbelievingly, placing a trembling hand on his cheek.

"Yeah, sadder but wiser and sore and sorry" he answered with a weak grin.

Tonks could scarcely believe it. Not two hours ago he was lying in a bed, his heartbeat barely present. Now here he was, atop her on the floor, his heart beating so strong she could feel it as if it were her own heart, although she suspected that it too was beating fast. Giving it no further thought, Tonks pulled Harry into a bone crushing hug, sitting up as she grabbed him.

"Don't you ever frighten me like that again, or I'll kill you" she sniffed, smiling however.

"Sirius said something like that to me when I was, indisposed" Harry whispered.

"What?" Tonks drew back and searched Harry's face for signs of a joke or mild dementia.

"Well, I may as well start from the beginning…" Harry then spent the better part of two hours explaining.

Tonks sat, riveted as Harry told of his bizarre mental encounters. When he finished explaining the part with Sirius, Tonks theorised what she thought had happened. It was Tonks' belief that what Harry saw was indeed Sirius, or indeed an image of him based on all that Harry knew, thought and experienced with Sirius. Through the familiar image of Sirius it was probably Harry's common sense finally getting through to him.

"Yeah, he finally did" Harry looked a little forlorn still.

"Harry you're not still blaming yourself for his death are you, it wasn't–" Harry held up his hand, to cut Tonks off.

"No, it isn't my fault, but the fact is I acted foolishly, and Sirius only came because he acted the same, we were both fools, Tonks. So, while I didn't actually kill him, I set in motion the chain of events that did" Harry explained his new found reasoning.

"Well, as my dad is known to say, shit happens, but the quicker you build a bridge, the quicker you'll get over it" Tonks gently caressed Harry's hair.

"Yeah, say, did you get your present?" Harry asked, smiling broadly now.

"Yes I did, thank you Harry. It was…I can't even express in words how much I love them" Tonks smiled a smile that Harry would kill for.

Taking Sirius's words into serious consideration, Harry leaned in and kissed Tonks again, only this time, both parties knew how to proceed. The Room of Requirement knew their needs, and the floor beneath them changed from hard wood to a soft mattress with a silk sheet.

Neither of them noticed however; Tonks and Harry were to busy with each other. Guided by the patient and more experienced Tonks, Harry soon learnt how to really kiss. Slowly he dragged his lips across hers, the friction causing them to swell. Tonks groaned into Harry's mouth and gently flicked her tongue across his lips.

Harry had never done that with Cho, and as a result he opened his mouth to gasp. With a salacious smirk, Tonks gently slid her tongue into his mouth, gently rubbing the top of Harry's with her own. The poor boy was in Seventh Heaven and his eyes had rolled back a little, still having enough bodily control to run his fingers through Tonks' hair.

Unbeknownst to either of them, Hanzo was sitting in the corner, meditating. He'd watched them both with an unpassionate expression. One memory fragment that had stood out thanks to a photo supplied by Sub Zero was what the pair had done to her first boyfriend, a less than honourable young man.

He had tried to make Tonks fellate him, but she got very scared and refused. He tried more forcibly, but thanks to her spending too much time with Hanzo as a child, she'd picked up some of his Hapkido and managed to escape, feeling somewhat distraught. Hanzo got wind of it and after a few strong drinks with Sub Zero, they found out his name. They then proceeded to kidnap him.

The next day Tonks found a Polaroid on her door: Hanzo and Sub Zero had mummified him from shoulder to toe in gaffer tape, used a rope to hang him upside down from a tree. A small note mentioned they'd forced him to deep throat a six inch rubber cock and then taped his mouth shut and hung a sign beneath him that said "How do YOU like it?" while they stood below him, grinning insolently into the camera.

Hanzo doubted such an action would be required with young Harry, but still, one would want to be assured of his worthiness. Teleporting himself out of the Room of Requirement, Hanzo took to guarding the door from other students and teachers.