Disclaimer: All rights to the characters of HP belong to J.K. Rowling and the book companies.
Chapter Two: Leaving Privet Drive
"What did I tell you about your friends boy," roars Uncle Vernon covering Harry's face and glasses in spittle from his mouth.
"That you did not want to see them in Little Whinging," answers Harry calmly.
"That is right and I hear one of those disgusting friends of yours showed up in the park," howls Uncle Vernon with a demonic gleam dancing in his tiny eyes.
"Vernon keep your voice down the neighbors might hear," screeches Aunt Petunia.
"Yes I know but since you did not see him, by following your rules he never appeared," responds Harry without hesitation.
"Don't get cheeky with me boy," thunders Uncle Vernon as he sprays Harry with more spittle. "What was he doing there?"
Harry begins to think back to the park and giggles despite trying not to as he remembers what happened to Dudley and his friends when Moody showed up. Harry's small giggle finally pushes Vernon Dursley over the edge as Harry doubles over in pain from his Uncle's meaty fist being planted firmly in his stomach. Harry feels many more punches as he realizes Uncle Vernon is not the only one punching him but Dudley is laying down his own wrath too. Harry quickly checks his pocket only to find his last line of defense missing. Harry frantically looks around for his wand and notices it has been thrown to the ground out of his immediate reach.
Tonks realizes a large amount of time has passed since Harry's Uncle had stopped screaming at Harry, but she knows silence is of the utmost importance. Tonks slides into the front foyer stealthily and closes the door without making a single sound; she continues to slink down the hall catlike past the kitchen door towards the living room. Tonks walks into the living room and sees the beating Harry is being subjected to causing a sharp intake of breath. The noise alerts the Dursleys to the appearance of a newcomer within their home. Tonks catches movement out of the corner of her left eye and instinctively ducks as the small glass trinket whizzes past where her head had been seconds before. Tonks pivots on her left foot spinning around to face Aunt Petunia with her wand held ready for the next object Aunt Petunia may throw at her. The trinket never comes as Tonks feels a large mass collide into the side of her body bringing them both down to the ground. Tonks hits the floor hard causing her wand to fly from her hand before Dudley comes down on top of her with his beached whale weight crushing the breath from her lungs.
Uncle Vernon lets out a bellow of laughter at the failed attempt of his nephew's rescuer. He draws Harry in closer to him than he should since he is still suspending his nephew off the ground in his one meaty hand. Harry sees his one chance at retribution and swings his left fist out with all his might like a wild tiger just placed into captivity. Harry's fist catches his Uncle's jaw, snapping Vernon's head to the side in a whip like action. At the exact moment of contact Harry knows it is now all or nothing against his Uncle, the fight he has been preparing himself for his entire life was now upon him. Harry continues to punch, kick, claw, and bite his way free of his Uncle's iron grasp but Vernon refuses to let go of Harry. Harry sees the mad glint in his beady little eyes but continues his desperate rampage against his Uncle until he feels a large fist colliding with his face snapping his head back with a horrible crunching sound. Harry's glasses fall to the floor into two separate pieces and Harry barely hears the banshee scream from Tonks's lips. Harry knows he had also heard two strangely distinct yet familiar pops. But can not clear his vision of the spotted lights which have recently decided to take up residence, nor can he figure out why he has not received a second punch from his Uncle yet. Seconds trickle by before the lights decide to clear from his vision enough for Harry to see what is going on, Harry sees his Uncle's pale face with a wand pressed hard against his temple by Fred or was it George Weasley.
"If I was you Dursley," Fred starts to say.
"I would let your nephew go," George continues as if the words still came from a single mind.
"Before we decide to," carries on Fred.
"Finish what Hagrid started on Dudley," maintains George.
"On you Uncle Piggy," finishes Fred.
Harry is always amazed at how the twins can complete each other's thoughts. Uncle Vernon lets go of Harry with lightning quick like reflexes at the mention of someone turning him into a pig. Harry lands on his feet and collects his wand, so he can go about repairing his glasses for the tenth time.
"Hey Tubby would you be so kind as to remove your beached whale self off of the pretty lady," orders George to a very frightened Dudley, who complies immediately at the implied threat in George's voice if he chose not to. Once Harry has made repairs to his glasses and places them back on, he notices his Aunt Petunia has wholly forgotten the glass trinket she is still clutching in her hand to throw. The trinket slips from her trembling hand and smashes to smithereens on the wood floor startling her out of her reverie. Tonks heaves herself up off the floor feeling flatter than she had ever wanted to in her entire life and swearing she would never date any man that compares in size to Dudley. She looks over at Fred and George Weasley speculating on why they all of a sudden appeared within the Dursley's home when Harry asks the million dollar question for her.
"What are you two doing here?" asks Harry in a very confused tone.
"As our financial benefactor we came to help you out of your current predicament," answers George nonchalantly.
"I see that, but how did you know I was in trouble," questions Harry even more puzzled than before.
"Ingenious of you to ask us Harry, while we were still in school causing mass mischief and mayhem, we placed a spell on your glasses to ensure if they ever got broken we would immediately know and come to your rescue," states Fred confidently. "But enough of why we showed up, I think it is time for you to leave this hovel and go into hiding for a while. We will take care of gathering you stuff into your trunk and taking it with us along with taking care of Hedwig while you are in hiding."
George pulls a small chest like box from within his robes and hands it to Harry. "This is how we will contact you and for you to contact us or anyone else for that matter, we will deliver the messages for you. We will need to talk about some items of key concern later so keep it close to you. You remember the vanishing closet on the first floor at Hogwarts," Harry nods, "It works exactly like it, when you place a letter in your box it will appear in ours," finishes George of his explanation on how to use the box.
"All right I understand how the box works even though I have not received any letters recently but forget about that I think the main problem is where am I supposed to hide out at because I'm not staying at, 12 Grimmauld Place," remarks Harry.
"Uh right you are Harry. Let's see, um I guess Fred and I had not thought about where yet," confesses George.
"Ah ha," bellows Uncle Vernon coming out of his stupor. "You are not going anywhere boy and get that blasted thing out of my face. I know Harry can not use magic outside of school, so do not try to scare me with this nonsense."
"You are right Uncle Piggy," stops Fred long enough for Uncle Vernon to register the insult directed at him causing his face to begin its purple transformation once more. "Harry can not use magic outside of school since he is an underage wizard."
"Except Fred and I are neither underage nor in school, we are fully trained and capable wizards," finishes George in an icy tone lifting his wand menacingly causing all the color to drain from Uncle Vernon's face.
"George over look my Uncle for one second and tell me where I am supposed to go hide out at," says Harry as his voice begins to rise. "If you tell me the Burrow I am going to start blasting."
"Merlin no Harry, the Burrows the last place we think you should hide out at but you see we did not exactly have any ideas on a safe location," confesses Fred as he continues to ramble on with George adding comments. A giant lump begins to form in the pit of Harry's stomach at the prospect of being stuck with the Dursleys for the rest of the summer that he barely catches Tonks's whisper of, I'll hide Harry.
"What! Fred, George shut up!" thunders Harry as the lump becomes butterflies at the prospect of leaving with Tonks. "What did you say Tonks?"
"Nothing Harry I was just mumbling a stupid idea," whispers Tonks.
"No I want to hear your idea, please tell me," pleads Harry.
"I just thought that I might know of a place where you could hide out at, but it is probably a bad idea," says Tonks not believing in her own abilities.
"No, I think it is a wonderful idea Tonks," encourages Harry at the possibility of spending more time with one of his last links to Sirius.
"I think she is right Harry," begins Fred but stops at the look Harry gives him. "Then again I am probably wrong," reverses Fred as he thinks the look Harry just gave him makes his mother's saber-toothed tiger look when he is in trouble seem like a small lovable kitten in comparison.
"I agree with Harry," pipes in George not wanting to get the look Fred just received seeing how it reminded him of a dragon. "Now Tonks do not go telling anyone where you hide him unless Harry specifically tells you to and at least not for the first week."
"Okay," answers a flustered Tonks at Harry's response to her suggestion.
"Now hold up, there is no way he is going to be leaving this house with some girl," bellows Uncle Vernon as he puffs himself up with Aunt Petunia and Dudley attempting to hide themselves behind him as Fred and George turn on the Dursleys as a single entity.
"That is fine Uncle, but I can not guarantee I will not drop one of Aunt Petunia's whipped cream and sugared violets puddings when the owner of Grunnings is here. Or blow up Aunt Marge due to her obscene and always obnoxious comments about my parents when she stays. Then again if you let me leave and I was not here you would not have to worry about any of these items of concern happening," coerces Harry in an honest tone. Harry watches Uncle Vernon as his face screws up real tight in concentration to the point you can almost see the gears grinding behind those cold hateful eyes. Tonks acquires the impression that for Vernon Dursley to think this hard requires so much effort it would cause anyone else a migraine. Vernon rolls around the idea in his fat head, if he cares more about not letting his non-Dursleyish nephew Harry have what he wants or to have the little pest out of his house forever, so no more embarrassing accidents happen to his family or with his job's dinner meetings. After several minutes pass by and lots of perspiration, Vernon comes up with an idea.
"Only on one condition you little whelp," snarls Uncle Vernon feeling like the hunter that just became the prey.
"Name it," says Harry at once.
"You do not ever come back here unless you have been invited," demands Uncle Vernon with maniac laughter at the full proof terms of his agreement.
"Done," answers Harry without hesitation. "Fred, George would you two be so kind as to get my school things and Hedwig before you go?" Harry sticks his arm out to Tonks in a gentlemanly gesture. "Shall we go my lady?"
Tonks looks down at Harry's arm in surprise at his manners before she tenderly wraps her arm around his saying, "Why yes kind sir."
Fred and George snicker behind them as they follow the cute couple in their opinion to the door, before nicking upstairs to quickly gather up all of Harry's things for departure. Harry and Tonks leave the Dursleys walking arm in arm while admiring the beauty of the night sky together. They walk for a block together looking like a young couple out for a nightly stroll before sidestepping into a dark alley.
"Now Harry I am going to apparate the two of us over to a friend's house from work to use her fireplace. We will take the Floo Network over to the Leaky Cauldron and catch a cab from there to our destination," Tonks informs Harry of her well organized plan with confidence. Harry nods his head in understanding of her plan with a sense of gratitude towards her for helping him. Tonks embraces Harry in a hug crushing his head to her breasts causing Harry to begin feeling slightly light-headed prior to apparating away. Harry does not even notice the discomfort of apparating as he is being pushed harder into Tonks's warm body. When they reapparate Tonks realizes her close proximity to Harry causing her to immediately step back feeling really embarrassed with the whole situation. Without Tonks pressing up against him anymore, Harry loses his balance causing him to fall to the ground.
"I am so sorry Harry," Tonks apologizes as she helps him back to his feet. "I felt embarrassed with you being so close, I should have had you hold onto my hand. It is just my dad always hugged me as a kid when we would do a Side-Along-Apparition."
"It is not a problem Tonks," says Harry as he brushes himself off feeling very happy that she had gone on a childhood memory instead of thinking about the situation rationally before acting. Harry begins pondering why Tonks seems so flustered over such a trivial mistake in his opinion but before he decides to ask her about it, she is heading up the front stairs towards the door. Tonks opens the door and the two of them proceed inside to the fireplace. They each take turns using the Floo Network to get over to the Leaky Cauldron, after brushing the soot off themselves Tonks ushers Harry past the bar patrons towards the door hoping nobody recognizes Harry. She finds her task difficult since Hagrid is drunk and begins calling for her and her friend to join him in a drink drawing unnecessary attention to them. Tonks is relieved to see Harry has enough sense to continue moving towards the exit instead of stopping to say hi to Hagrid. Harry keeps his head down trying not to be noticeable amongst such a large crowd of intoxicated people.
Outside Tonks hails a cab while Harry stands transfixed at the change the city goes through at night. Harry figures it has to be some time after ten o'clock at night; the city is a giant spectacle of lights causing it almost to seem like it is day. Harry looks around in complete wonderment wishing for time to stand still due to the fact of never being allowed to go outside in London at night by either the Dursleys or Cornelius Fudge in his third year. Tonks finally calls for him to get in the awaiting cab forcing Harry back to reality. Harry hops into the cab and glues his face to the window taking in the different shops the city has to offer that they pass on their way to Tonks's hideout. The cab ride only lasts for about fifteen minutes leaving Harry feeling reluctant to get out and wanting to see more of the city. Harry's reluctance to leave the cab does not last long as he follows Tonks down the street admiring how her butt wiggles as she walks in her jeans. Harry begins to understand why at school they all wear robes to avoid the distraction. Three blocks later Tonks stops in front of an apartment building with a brick front and gestures for Harry to enter.
Tonks leads Harry up to the third floor and down the hall to apartment 310. She opens the door with a key from her pocket and lets Harry in first before stepping through the door and locking it behind her. Tonks turns on a light and silently curses at herself for not cleaning up the place in the last two weeks, then again she had not been expecting to have any company over since she was not currently seeing anyone. Harry looks around at the comfortable yet messy living room in front of him thinking Aunt Petunia would have had a temper tantrum if her living room ever looked like this. The room reminds Harry of his own bedroom back at Privet Drive with all the clothes and possessions scattered carelessly about. Tonks begins cleaning off the couch and surrounding area to give Harry a place to sleep.
"I'm sorry Harry about the mess, it is just I have not gotten around to cleaning anything up since that night at the Department of Mysteries when Sirius died," says Tonks going immediately quiet. "If I had told Sirius to stay behind he would still be here with us. It is entirely my fault Harry," sobs Tonks as she collapses to her knees with tears rolling down her face.
"No Tonks," whispers Harry as he moves forward to embrace her in a comforting hug. "Sirius's death is not your fault; he was dueling as if it was a game in front of the curtain of death. Besides if I would have remembered the mirror Sirius had given me, none of that night's events would have ever happened."
"It is not your fault either Harry, you had a lot on your mind with school," consoles Tonks. The two stay up until about three o'clock in the morning discussing Sirius and what Tonks had learned from him about himself and Harry's parents while they were in school. The conversation finally ends when sleep claims them within each other's embrace.