Hello there, again! I appreciate your reviews so I would love if you would review. Also, please follow me if you want any of my new stories or chapters straight into your inbox!
Chapter 1
Tonks's POV
''Who wants to come and collect Harry Potter?''
In the dinghy, smelly basement of Number 21, Merlin street, where we were in hiding from Voldemort, who had started to kill people from the Order, though the Ministry dismissed their murders as ''accidents''. An old wizard called Alfred Humpleback had gladly offered to let us live in his basement (''If ya would excuse an ol' man, I can' rilly go 'round cleanin', can I? So, ya migh' find it a mite uncomfortable but ya'll excuse it, won' ya? If ya'll can cook, purty ladies, it'll be all fine!'' he had said).
I looked up from where I was seated, my legs crossed, my hair a dull brown with how bored I was. We had been talking about the day we'd go and collect Harry Potter and drop him at Headquarters, Number 12, Grimmauld Place, where my uncle Sirius had lived when he was young. I couldn't believe the day to collect him had already come. I had to go! I had to get out of this basement.
''I'll come!'' I offered, thrusting my arm up.
''Great!'' Remus exclaimed and a genuine smile graced his features. He pulled me up from the ground and made me stand next to him. Next Emmeline Vance, a tall woman with dark hair under a beautiful emerald green shawl, offered to come. She got up too. Then Alastor ''Mad-Eye'' Moody, who I was very close to. Mad-Eye was a lean man, with fluffy mists of greyish hair that had just started to grow from his almost fully bald head. He had one normal eye and one fake bright blue one that could see everything that was stuck into his empty socket. One of his legs was replaced with a metal stump that made him look altogether frightfully ghostly. Then Kingsley, black and bald, got up. Then Dedalus Diggle and Elphius Doge. Then the dark haired Hestia Jones.
Remus looked surprised. ''Well!'' he said finally. ''I wasn't expecting about seven people but the more the merrier!''
We weren't going to go immediately. We sat down and were about to continue our work when suddenly a large, majestic silver phoenix appeared with a piece slightly singed paper in its beak. Remus got up abruptly and took the paper from the Patronus, Dumbledore's probably. He read through and his eyebrows shot up. He turned to us, looking surprised.
''Change of plans,'' he said, lighting the paper on fire with his wand and watching as it shrivelled up into little black pieces. ''Harry, it seems from Dumbledore's letter, has, uh, done some underage magic. Apparently, some Dementors, all in good time!'' he exclaimed when our mouths opened for questions. ''Anyway, Dementors wandered in and were about to kiss Harry's cousin, Dudley. He did his Patronus, I thought him that, and they went. Thank goodness, Arabella Figg was close by and she brought Harry and his cousin back. Dung left, it seems, to buy or sell some bloody cauldrons. Now we have to go and pick him. But how? His family's deadly.''
I suddenly had an idea. ''What's their house like?'' I asked.
''Um, very clean. The lawn is the neatest ever!'' Remus replied.
''Aha!'' I exclaimed. ''We can send a letter using Muggle post saying they've won the, um, All-England Best Kept Lawn Competition and to come to the Prize giving right now with the letter!''
''Yes!'' Remus said, snatching a paper and starting to use his wand to make the words he was writing look typed. I sat down pleased with myself. Very soon, the letter was mailed. We put an Alarm charm on it so that when the Dursleys left with the letter, we'd know. After at least ten to fifteen minutes, a loud alarm blared.
''Come on!'' Remus shouted, waving his wand so the sound stopped.
We jumped up like released springs and raced to get our brooms. We carried them out of the basement and swung our legs over them as we shot to the sky. My pink spikes were suddenly purple, my face flushed. Remus was shouting directions at us. He flew to me, probably because I was youngest, and grabbed the handle.
''Do you think I can't fly?'' I shouted at him.
''No!'' he laughed. ''You're the youngest! We don't want you falling!''
I didn't believe that but what could I do? We landed swiftly onto the lawn. I tumbled onto the ground and was about to hit my head but Remus caught me just before. I got up huffily and started to brush off my clothes as Remus laughed.
''While all of you all are joking 'round, did you all think about how to get inside?'' Mad-Eye said gruffly.
''Ah, yes,'' Remus said quietly. He got up pleasantly and went over to the window near the front door which Harry had hid under. He easily stepped over the bush under the window and, with the use of his wand, proceeded to open it.
''Tonks!'' Mad-Eye said. ''Stand next to Remus!''
''Yessir,'' I returned and I took my place next to Remus.
''Emmeline! Em, you're at the edge, keep a lookout! Hestia, you're there-'' Mad-Eye started but he was interrupted by a loud, hoarse creak. Remus was standing next a wide open window, spinning his wand in his hand casually.
''Wow!'' I gushed.
Mad-Eye was the first to get in. The window was a bit small so he had to demonstrate the art of properly getting into the house without breaking anything (Insert eye roll). First he stood on the window sill and bent so he was clutching the top of the window. Then he lifted his feet off the sill and swung in, narrowly missing a small table with a decorative plate on it. Next was Remus. Then Emmeline. Then Elphius and Dedulus. Then Hestia. Finally Kingsley. Then me. I squared my shoulders and climbed onto the window sill. I held the top of the window and WHOO! I swung in. OH NO! I had forgotten about the decorative plate and table. CRASH! The plate fell to the ground, shattering immediately. The pieces flew. Remus caught my hand to pull me away from the mess of ceramic.
''I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to!'' I squeaked.
''No problem,'' Mad-Eye muttered, waving his wand with ''Reparo!''. The ceramic gathered together to form the plate and floated over to its table, where it landed gracefully.
Mad-Eye looked up and waved his wand casually. The lock on the door on a room on the staircase landing clicked and the door swung open. A tall boy, with messy black hair above a pale face, bright green eyes behind circle-framed glasses, and a slit of the famous lightning-bolt scar in between coal-coloured bangs, nervously came out, a wand cutched in his shaking hand.
''Lower your wand, boy, before you take someone's eye out,'' Mad-Eye growled.
''P-professor Moody?'' Harry Potter said uncertainly.
''Dunno so much about the 'professor','' Mad-Eye said. ''Never got 'round to much teaching, did I? Come down here, boy, we wanna see ya prop'ly.''
I could see that Harry looked uncertain. He had relaxed his grip on the Phoenix wand but not by much. Remus, judging by the amused expression on his tired face, was going to take over.
''It's alright, Harry. We've come to take you away,'' he said.
Harry's ears perked up. I instantly felt sorry for him. He must hate this place quite a bit to want to come to Grimmauld Place. I felt slightly guilty for hating Humpleback's basement. At least I lived with people I loved. I remembered what Lupin had said: ''The family's deadly''.
''Why are we all standing in the dark?'' I asked brightly. ''Lumos!''
My wand tip illuminated, giving us enough light for Harry to properly see us. He stared down, his lips quivering, his wand shaking. Lupin was smiling broadly.
''Oooh, he looks just like I thought he would!'' I exclaimed happily. ''Wotcher, Harry!''
''Yeah, I see what you mean, Remus,'' Kingsley said, with his reassuring smile. ''He looks exactly like James.''
''Except for the eyes,'' said someone's wheezy voice, probably Elphius. ''Lily's eyes.''
The introductions were started and finished, specks of conversation in the middle. I offered to help him pack his trunk. So up we went to his room. As soon as I entered it, I felt comfortable. Unlike the rest of the house, the room was messy, books strewn on the floor, unmade bed, clothes pel-mel in the trunk that lay in the middle of the room. On a desk there was an owl-cage, with owl droppings inside.
''This is better!'' I said.
He shrugged.
''I don't think violet's really my colour,'' I said, looking at my reflection in the mirror. ''It makes me look a bit peaky, don't you think?''
''Er-'' Harry said.
''Yeah, it does,'' I decided and scrunched my nose up. A few seconds later, my hair turned bubblegum pink.
Harry gaped. ''How'd you do that?'' he asked.
''I'm a Metamorphmagus,'' I told him, turning my head to look at my hairstyle from all directions. ''It means I can change my appearance at will. I was born one. I got top marks in Concealment and Disguise during Auror training without any study at all, it was great.''
''You're an Auror?'' Harry said, looking impressed.
''Yeah. Kingsley too. I'm dead clumsy. Did you hear me break that plate?'' I said, satisfied with my look.
I raised my wand and everything fell into the trunk messily. I helped bring the trunk down using my wand and down we went. Very soon, we were on our broomsticks, high up in the air.
Please review!
