"Mister Potter, would you mind staying after class?" Professor McGonagall asked sternly.
It took Tonks a moment to remember that Professor McGonagall was speaking to her. She looked up guiltily. "Yes, Professor," she said finally.
Hermione gave Tonks a look. "Are you in trouble?" she asked softly.
"I don't think so," Tonks whispered back. It was only the second day that she was posing as Harry, and she was already exhausted. Luckily it was almost lunchtime. Tonks was planning on going straight up to the dorm, and taking a nap.
When class was dismissed, Tonks walked towards the front of the classroom. To her surprise, Ron, Hermione and Neville all stayed in the classroom with her.
Professor McGonagall crossed her arms over her chest. "Harry can talk to you all later," she told the group.
"But-" Ron started.
"No buts."
"We'll see you at lunch, Harry," Hermione said under her breath.
When the door closed, Professor McGonagall sat down behind her desk.
"How's Harry?" Tonks blurted out.
"Remus said he's better. He's still not sure what curses where used. But he woke up for a few hours. He's not able to talk yet, so we don't know who attacked him. Has anyone threatened you at all?" Professor McGonagall asked.
"Not yet," Tonks said cheerfully. "I'll let you know if I am."
"Please do. Two Aurors will be following Harry from now on. Hopefully, they won't be too noticeable," Professor McGonagall said.
"I don't need any protection," Tonks said.
"I know you don't. But we would all feel more comfortable if Harry had protection. Currently, you are Harry. Therefore…"
Tonks threw up her hands. "I understand, Professor!" she said smiling.
"You better run along to lunch," Professor McGonagall said.
Tonks nodded and started walking towards the common room, not the Great Hall. She muttered the password to the Fat Lady and the door swung open.
Ron, Hermione, Ginny, Neville and a girl with blonde wavy hair were standing in front of her.
"Hi," Tonks said uneasily.
"Something's happened," Hermione said quickly.
"Let's go to the Room of Requirement to talk," Ron said.
"Okay," Tonks said slowly. What was the Room of Requirement?
Tonks turned around and went through the portrait entrance once more.
"Lead the way," Neville said. Tonks shared a look with him and Tonks instantly knew that they knew she wasn't Harry. Worse yet, she decided they thought she was the enemy.
Tonks was in a dilemma. She knew she shouldn't reveal herself. She started walking slowly. She racked her brain for the Room of Requirement. Could that possibly be the Come and Go Room? She had discovered that room her seventh year, and it had come in very handy finding private time with her then boyfriend.
She decided to take the chance instead of walking in circles. Tonks made it there and walked back and forth in front of the pear. She noticed that the group seemed to share a look.
The door opened and Tonks walked inside and started to sit down on one of the chairs that she had thought of.
Before she knew it, Tonks felt invisible ropes tightening around her body. "Great," she muttered softly. Her wand fell to the floor.
Everyone had their wands out, pointing at her chest.
"Peace," Tonks said, smiling.
"Who are you?" Neville said confidently.
"Do me a favor and cast finite on my throat, please," Tonks asked pleasantly.
"Why should we do anything for you?" Ginny asked.
Tonks morphed her face from Harry's back into her own. "Because I'm on your side," she told them.
"Tonks?" Hermione asked.
"Wotcher," Tonks said.
"Why do you have Harry's voice?" she asked suspiciously. "Metamorphs can't copy peoples voices."
"How can you be sure about that?" Tonks asked.
"Because I read all about them when I met one," Hermione replied, lowering her wand slightly.
"It's a potion. Cast finite on my throat," Tonks said.
Hermione pointed her wand at Tonks throat and said the incantation.
"Thank you," Tonks said, speaking now in her real voice. The ropes disappeared and Tonks fell to the ground.
"Where's Harry?" Neville asked worriedly.
Tonks took a moment and morphed back to her own body. The uniform she had been wearing became much too big for her.
"Harry's at Headquarters. He was beat up yesterday. I'm taking his place until he gets better," Tonks told the group.
"Will he be okay?" Ginny asked quickly.
Tonks gave Ginny a guilty look. "He should be fine. Hopefully, he'll be back within a week. Until then, please consider me Harry," Tonks said.
"Were you Harry yesterday?" Ginny asked, looking down at her feet.
"Yes."
"Oh," Ginny said in an unnaturally high voice.
Tonks gave them more specifics, such as how often she would need to rest and needing help to remember the class schedule. Hermione then thought of something that Tonks hadn't even considered.
"What about homework?" she asked suddenly.
"What about it?" Tonks asked. "It's been eight years, but I'm sure not much has changed."
"The professors will realize that it's not Harry's handwriting," Hermione said matter-of-factly.
Tonks raised her eyebrows up in surprise. "Good point," Tonks said softly.
"Pretend to hurt your hand," the blonde girl said dreamily. "Then you'd have to write with your other hand, and no one would notice."
"Good idea, Luna," Ron said. "But if his hand is hurt, wouldn't Madam Pomfrey be able to fix it in a second?"
Luna waved her hand. "I'm sure Neville knows of a plant that would leave a mark for a week."
Neville looked embarrassed to be put on the spot. He thought for a moment. "A Chokia Cubius Nationus would make your hand swell up for a week or two. You would just have to come with me to the Greenhouse. It's in the restricted plant section."
"I'm not getting bitten by anything," Tonks announced.
"But Tonks-"
Tonks raised her hand, and made it swell up to twice its normal size. "We'll pretend I had a visit to the Greenhouse."
The group continued to discuss a few more details, and then Hermione announced it was almost time for class.
Tonks started to walk away, but a voice stopped her.
"Tonks?" Ginny asked in a small voice.
The door of the Come-and-Go room shut in front of them. Tonks looked back at Ginny.
"Why didn't you stop me?"
"I tried," Tonks said. "Look, Ginny, I'm really sorry. I wasn't supposed to tell anyone about this. Not even his friends."
"Neville said he knew you weren't Harry the first time he saw you coming into Potions," Ginny said.
"I thought I did an okay job," Tonks said.
"You did, but Neville seems to know what's going on in Harry's mind. It's…complicated," Ginny said.
"So…" Tonks said, "Was I as good as a kisser as Harry?"
Ginny blushed. Her cheeks almost matched the color of her hair. "I should have realized! Harry usually has a bit of stubble by nighttime. You didn't have any."
"I hate morphing facial hair," Tonks sighed.
"You do look like him, though," Ginny admitted. "There's just one thing, Tonks."
"What else should I know about?" Tonks asked.
"They don't know."
"Who doesn't know? Your friends?" Tonks asked, confused. "Your friends don't know that you and Harry are together?"
Ginny shook her head sadly.
"Why in the world not?" Tonks asked, open-mouthed.
"Harry's just going through a lot right now. It would bring up a lot of questions if people knew," Ginny said.
"I bet Ron and Hermione would love to know you two were a pair," Tonks said.
"Maybe soon," Ginny said. "Just not yet."
The warning bell rang, meaning they only had five minutes to get to class. Tonks had History of Magic next. She never thought she would have to face Professor Binns again. She'd be asleep in five minutes.
Tonks took a quick sip of the potion, and felt her vocal chords constrict. "Let's go," she said in Harry's voice.
She walked Ginny to her Muggle Studies class and headed towards the History classroom.
"Potter!" an angry voice shouted behind her.
Tonks spun around and placed her hand on Harry's wand, which she had been using.
Three Slytherins were walking very quickly towards her.
"I don't know how you managed to survive, Potter," the largest one said.
"Next time you won't be so lucky," a tall, slender one muttered.
Tonks looked all three in the eyes and started memorizing their faces. She wanted to give an accurate description to Professor McGonagall.
"Everything okay here?" a casual voice said. Tonks looked around and saw Jevin Newark, an Auror just a few years older than her, appear. He must be assigned to protect Harry.
"Yes, sir," Tonks said brightly, and walked quickly to the History of Magic classroom.
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Tonks didn't realize it at the time, but telling Harry's friends was a lifesaver. She was able to tell them when she was tiring. Then they would make excuses for her. Ron ran the quidditch practices that week. Tonks knew that if anyone saw her fly they would immediately realize that she wasn't Harry.
Hermione helped her with the homework. Tonks realized that she had forgotten a great deal since she left Hogwarts.
She informed Professor McGonagall that three Slytherins had threatened her. The next day, Professor McGonagall told her that Severus would be keeping a close eye on them.
Overall, she really enjoyed her week as Harry. It was fun pretending to be a student again. There was only one thing that upset her.
Severus.
He had no idea that she was Harry. And the way Severus would look at her as Harry made her skin crawl. It was a mixture of loathing and disgust. She hoped never to see that look on his face again when this week was over.
During the Potions class, Severus hovered around Tonks' table, making her so nervous that she melted a cauldron. That was worth ten points plus a threat of detention. Luckily, Hermione started whispering every instruction twice, so that Tonks didn't mess up again.
Sooner than she could have imagined it, her week as Harry was over. She and Harry met secretly at the tallest tower to switch places.
She went as herself. Harry was standing with Remus. Harry looked better than she expected him to. He still had a black eye. His was a little darker than the black eye Tonks had been sporting.
"Thanks, Tonks," Harry said softly. He started walking down the stairs, and Tonks noticed that he was limping slightly.
"Oi!" Tonks called after him. Harry looked up expectantly. "I haven't been limping, mate. You might want to say you had a fall somewhere."
Harry nodded and continued to walk down the stairs.
Tonks turned to Remus and gave him a grin. "As much as I'll miss doing homework again, I'm glad that I get to be me again."
"I can't even imagine going back to Hogwarts again as a student," Remus laughed.
Then Tonks broached the subject most on her mind. "So…how's that pretty witch I saw you with after the last meeting?" she asked quickly.
To her surprise, Remus actually blushed. "Remus Lupin, are you blushing?"
Remus cleared his throat. "No, of course not. Dani's fine, thanks."
"She seemed nice," Tonks said conversationally. It was taking all her effort not to try to find out every little detail about her.
Remus nodded.
"She's pretty too. How did she…" Tonks trailed off, realizing that it was none of her business.
"Become a werewolf?" Remus asked lightly.
"Yes. Sorry. I know it's not my place," Tonks said.
"It's fine, Tonks. Her ex-husband actually gave her the bite," Remus said.
"Really?" Tonks asked.
"She was married at fourteen in India. Her husband was bitten during a trip to Britain, and bit her the next full moon. She was only seventeen. He left her then to live in the wilderness. Dani decided she wanted to have somewhat of a normal life. So they divorced and she moved here to be with her sister," Remus said.
"Fourteen?" Tonks asked. "That's insane!"
"Women get married that early all the time in India. It's not uncommon," Remus said.
"I would not have made a good wife when I was fourteen," Tonks laughed.
"But I bet you'll make a good wife soon, won't you Tonks?" Remus laughed.
Tonks blushed and stared at the floor. "Maybe," she said softly.
Remus laughed even harder at her embarrassment. He then grabbed his broom.
"You didn't fly all the way here, did you?" Tonks asked in horror.
Remus shook his head. "We took a threstal. Then flew up here. I'm just going to fly to Hogsmeade and apparate back to London."
Tonks looked at her friend and gave him a big hug. "Thank you for taking care of Harry."
Remus patted her back. "Take care," he said softly.
She gave him a smile and Remus mounted his broom and was on his way.