How To Save a Life

Chapter Seven

Returning to Hell

Dumbledore had cast a strange spell on Harry and himself, and they both floated up towards the trap door. Fluffy hadn't barked at all at the presence of Dumbledore, much to Harry's enjoyment. With Tonks still tied up and thrown over his shoulder, they made their way up to the Hospital Wing. Upon seeing Harry, who must have been black and blue right now, along with the aches running through his body, Madam Promfrey ran past them. Setting Tonks down onto a bed, he flopped down in the one next to hers. A few minutes later, she came back with a small box that looked like a Muggle first aid kit.

Pulling out supplies, she cut the ropes off Tonks, then started healing the small cuts she had received. After Tonks was healed, she turned and started working on Harry.

'Mr. Potter, I would like to ask how you get yourself into these things, but I feel that it's better I not know.' Harry chuckled slightly, but looked over the matron's shoulder to see Tonks come to. He almost said something, but Tonks motioned for him to be quiet as she put the bottle of wine in the drawer next to her bed, the stretched, pretending to wake up.

'Oh...you're awake? Good. Put these on.' Poppy said, pulling a curtain around her bed. She turned and made a fierce swiping motion with her wand, causing any bruises he saw on himself to vanish. She tossed some P.J.'s at him, then pulled the curtain around Harry's bed.

'Hey Harry?' Tonks asked as he pushed the curtain away from himself.

'Yeah?'

'What did the stone look like?' She asked, sitting up. He pulled it out of his pocket. She 'oooh'd' at it. 'Can I see?' He tossed the little red stone at her.

'Voldemort doesn't like it as much anymore.' Tonks flinched slightly. 'I threw it at his head. Hit him right in the forehead.' They heard a wheezing laughter come from the doorway.

'I assume he didn't take that too well.' Came the voice of their headmaster.

'Not really. But it was funny...or at least it is now that that's over. I think I actually made him start bleeding.'

'I believe that that's the first time anyone has been able to draw blood from him. Well done Harry.' He said, grinning slightly. 'Now, I'm afraid that we must destroy the stone.' Harry stared at him, his mind reeling.

'But what about your Flamel? Won't he die?' Dumbledore smiled sadly.

'Yes. But he has enough elixir to last him long enough to get everything arranged and in order. After all, death is but the next adventure.' He said, holding out his hand to get the stone from Tonks. She sadly handed it over.

'Wait, Professor...can I come?' Harry said hesitantly. He didn't know why, but he felt the need to come with him. Tonks looked up at them both.

'I want to come too.'

'Can you walk, Miss Nymphadora?' Tonk scowled and started to get up, but then sat back down.

'Harry...come here.' He walked over to her, then she grabbed him by the shoulders and turned him around. She hopped on his back in a piggy back style.

'Yes, Professor, I believe I can get down there.' Harry's only reply was a grunt.

xXxXxXxXx

Somehow, they made it onto the grounds of the school without falling down the stairs. Dumbledore sat down the blood red stone in the grass, and started muttering, while making jabbing motions with his wand. Finally, he seemed satisfied and stood upright..

'Come. We need to get away before it explodes. I've upset it's balance.' Dumbledore said, swiftly walking away. There was a resounding crack, then a bright red light came out from the stone, before a loud explosion. Harry, forgetting about Tonks, walked over to the area. Where the stone once was, there was now nothing but red grass for about a five foot circle of it, a nearby tree's bark had turned red at the base. Blood red. The sight of it made Harry blanched slightly, realizing what could have happened had things gone bad with Voldemort.

Dumbledore turned and started to walk back to the school. Harry turned and followed him, all three lost deep in thought. Random thoughts crossed Harry's mind, as well as fear filled ones. Whatever curse Voldy-Quirrell had used on Tonks, it didn't look to friendly. Harry suppressed a shudder at the memory of her flailing around, screaming in pain. These pain filled thoughts carried him all the way up the staircases and into the infirmary. Harry walked up to Tonks' bed and let go, causing her to plop down, before plopping down on his own bed. Feeling a sudden rush of sleepiness, he was asleep before his head hit the pillow.

xXxXxXxXx

Harry slowly sat up, remembering waking up several times, but would instantly fall back to sleep. After shaking himself hard enough, Harry looked around, realizing that it was now night. As though on a cue, Dumbledore walked through the doors.

'Were you...waiting for me to wake up?' Harry asked, glancing down the hall leading away from the large room he was in. Harry saw, out of the corner of his eye, that Tonks was asleep still.

'No, but it was great timing on both parts. Mine for coming in at this time and you for waking up at that time. She's been through a great deal. The Cruciatus is indeed a horrible curse. I'm sorry that she was subjected to it.' He finished gravely, looking at Tonks. Harry got a strange feeling of Dumbledore picking up Harry's thoughts.

'I'm sorry to sound rude, because I know I will, but there's no way in hell I'm going back to the Dursley's. I was treated like a punching bag, and I won't go back. If Tonks would let me, I'd like to live with her.' Dumbledore frowned and sighed.

'I'm sorry Harry. I truly am. But I'm afraid you must stay with them. There's a blood protection spell placed upon their house. You'll be protected from Voldemort, since we now know he's still out there, and anyone else who wants to cause harm to you, as long as you can call that place home.'

'So lets go get a vial of blood from her, and I'll wear it like a necklace!' Harry said, getting up as though they should go do that now. Dumbledore studied him for a second before bursting out laughing.

'I see that there is a truth to the fact that children bring new ideas to life. I can see that you would enjoy that idea, but sadly, I'm afraid it does not work that way. You see, when Voldemort went to kill your mother, he gave her a choice. He told her to move and she might be spared. However, your mother gave up her life out of pure love, which saved you from being killed.' (QAN: Gag.) Harry made a face and resisted the urge to gag. He felt a wrenching feeling in his stomach when he realized that his mother gave her life to save him, but also realized that it was like it was a sappy romance drama. 'As long as you stay with your aunt, who has the same blood as Lily, you will be safe.' He said, then spotted a box of Bertie Bott's Every Flavor Bean. 'I see that you have many fans, and that Mr. Weasley spared you the task of opening your Chocolate Frogs.' He reached for a box of the magical jelly beans. 'In my youth, I had the misfortune of coming across a vomit flavored one. I think that I will try one more...ah this one looks safe.' Dumbledore popped it in his mouth and chewed for a seconds. 'Alas...Earwax.' He said, and Harry let a small laugh out. Dumbledore wished him 'Godspeed in healing' and goodnight, before walking from the room.

Over the next few days, Tonks and Harry both got better. Harry was allowed to leave, but Tonks had to stay. Harry actually only had to stay a night, but because Tonks was held under the curse for so long (Harry had thought it was only a moment or so, but had ended up being about a half minute because he stood in shock, as Tonks was so kind to nearly strangle him over.), compared to her size, weight and other factors that he didn't understand, she had to stay for about a week, taking various potions, but Harry had to admit, under a guilty conscience, that he enjoyed Tonks being on such a strong dose of pain potion.

'So, What were you saying?' He said, trying not to laugh. Harry, Ron, and Hermione had actually just walked into the room, but Harry could tell she'd just taken her pain potion.

'You know what Harry, I like you, but not in that special way.' She said, slurring slightly. 'I mean, when I kissed you in the common room, I was just doing to say that I'd kissed Harry Potter. Plus, I wanted some blackmail to hand over your head for the rest of your life.' Harry turned a color darker than Ron's hair, as his two comrades broke out in laughter. Tonks stared at them blankly.

'Hey Hermione...no...what's your name...hermioninny!' Ron fell off the chair he was sitting in laughter. 'I've been thinking,' Harry muttered to Ron, 'Did it hurt?' Ron fell over in renewed laughter. 'We need to spend more girl time together. Next time we go to Diagon Ally, lets go shopping a Gringotts! That's a safe place to shop. Safest place in the world I hear. Hey Jarotter! (Jeh-rotter), if ol' Voldy is after you, you should go live there!' Tonks slurred all of this, not missing a beat over Ron and Harry's laughter. Tonks paused for a second before looking a Ron. 'Hey Ron, has anyone told you what a nice butt you've got?' This time, Ron blushed while Hermione and Harry broke out laughing.

After a day, Tonks was off 'the heavy stuff' as she called it, and the same day she was released, with a note sent to Mrs. Tonks. Tonks fought tooth and nail against Madam Promfrey, but she insisted that a note was to be sent to Tonks' mother and was about to call Dumbledore when she growled and left the room. Hermione went in a frenzy when she realized they had finals in a week and went into study overdrive mode. Harry thought he did rather well on them, but wouldn't know until their Hogwarts letters came in.

Ron had apparently met Hagrid while searching for his school items, and was help around by him, while the rest of his family went elsewhere for the rest of their supplies. So they went to visit him occasionally. The first visit left Harry embarrassed.

'I heard you was comin' Harry. So, I sent off to some friends and got yeh some pictures of them. I know you'll be a thumpun' good wizard, once you're trained up a bit o' course.' He then went on about the story of when Harry was a kid and how he was carried to the Dursley's by Hagrid. Harry exited the hut about an hour later with a flushed face, and Tonks teasing him unmercifully. The next day found them boarding the Hogwarts Express. The ride was uninteresting until Malfoy strutted in.

'Well if it isn't the group of misfits.' Ron went to punch him, but was shot back with a punch in the stomach by Goyle. Ron landed on Harry, winding him for a second.

'Potter, how'd you get covered in trash? Throw it out the window with a nice loud 'good riddance.' Harry snapped. He charged Malfoy and grabbed him by the throat, while slamming him into the compartment across from their own.

'Get away if you ever want to see daylight or anything else ever again.' Harry growled out. A look of fear crossed Malfoy's face before he was thrown sideways and skidded down the hall slightly. Harry turned and walked back in the compartment and sat down after closing the door. With a bit of cheek, Harry grinned. 'He's not coming back.'

AN: This chapter is dedicated to the reviewer Mandy, because from personal experience, I know it hurts for her to think. Just a thought I'm tossing around, I think I'm going to skip the main events of book two and go to book three. I'm not doing it to hurry and get to the books I want to, I'm actually doing it because it's pointless. I won't be using horcruxes (sorry don't have time to spell check that one. You're all already going to kill me as it is.) Shoot me a PM or review about the idea if you want. I'm really not sure yet.