Chapter 27: Relationships

After a brief explanation to Ginny, we ride the Knight Bus into London and pass through the Leaky Cauldron, drawing a small amount of attention.

"Harry!" I get engulfed in a hug as we pass through the entrance to Diagon Alley. There's only one extremely tall woman enjoys squeezing my head to her chest... That I've met anyway.

"Tonksie." I use one arm to hug her before she pulls away. The 7 foot tall Amazonian morph is my handy work. Muscular with dark hair – I named her 'Diana'. Tonks was initially uncertain about the idea, but once we worked out the finishing touches, she took my advice of using it to intimidate people when she needs to. Another guise for her 'Auror forms'. The fact that she's also drop-dead gorgeous is just a bonus. "Shack." I smile at the tall man, dwarfed by 'Diana'.

"Mr Potter." He offers me a nod.

"Wotcher, 'Mione, Hed." She sweeps the pair into a hug too. "And Ginny!" She almost bounces on the spot when she sees the redhead.

"Hey, Tonks."

"You've grown so much!" Tonks scrutinizes the girl in front of her.

"You've met before?" Hermione asks. Luckily the shoppers seem to be minding their own business.

"Yeah, back when me 'n Charlie were mates, I used to go to the Burrow sometimes." Tonks explains.

"And then you stabbed a fork into his leg." I mutter loudly.

"That's what that scar is?" Ginny bites her lip as Tonks grins smugly.

"What're you lot doin' 'ere anyway?" Tonks asks us. "Naked sleepover at ours?" She smiles lecherously.

"Hermione needs a dress for this year, Hedwig asked for one too." I explain before Ginny faints from her blush.

"Oh." Tonks pouts. "Just us three then." She sighs dramatically.

"We'd best get going, leave you to guard the Alley." I motion to the crowd, Tonks bends down and plants a kiss on my cheek. "See ya around, Shack. Probably somewhere dangerous." He smiles good naturedly in return.

"How about this one, Harry?" Hedwig asks for what seems to be the 50th time.

"Oh yeah, it's beautiful." I say through closed eyes. I did watch the first 20 or so, but then I found this comfy chair to relax in, linking my fingers and resting them in my lap.

"I think it makes my boobs look good, but it's a bit tight." I crack one eye open to see Hedwig turning on the spot with Ginny giving the strapless pink dress a critical eye.

"I thought you've already tried that one on." I lean forward onto my knees.

"What? It's not even similar." She huffs. "The trim at the bottom couldn't be more different." Of course it couldn't.

"Silly me." I mumble, leaning back in the chair again.

"Come on, We're done." Hedwig kicks my foot as she and Hermione leave the fitting rooms.

"About time." I grumble, patting the elder man's shoulder that has been keeping me company. "Good luck with the Missus, Henry." I nod to the woman surrounded by shoes.

"I'll be lucky if we make it out of here with less than 10 new pairs! Hah!" He starts to laugh rambunctiously.

"Which did you decide on?" I ask as we head to the front.

"It was a close call, but this one was too cute not to pick." Hedwig proudly holds up a black dress with a silver stripe down the side. I'm sure there are countless things that make it different to the multitude of other black dresses. Hermione has gone with the blue. 23 galleons lighter, we cross the road for ice cream.

"Are we just going to ignore those people watching us from across the room?" Hedwig asks before slipping her lips around the ice lolly.

"Probably just goons from the Prophet." I say. "Don't pay them any mind unless they pull out a camera."

"They actually follow you around?" Ginny asks, taking a sneaky glance across the parlour.

"Yep. Caught me with no trousers once."

"I saw that one." She bites her lip to hold the laugh.

"I had a few polite letters sent to me after they published that one." I begin to finish off my cone.

"I told him to take them up on the requests – Models get paid nicely AND you're the boy who lived." Hedwig nudges my ribs.

"I'd prefer not to be oggled any more than I already am, thanks." I laugh. "I don't think the life of a model is for me after Hogwarts."

"After Hogwarts? What is your plan?" Hermione prompts. "You've never really talked about it." I lean back in the booth and fold my arms, considering the question.

"I'm not sure really. I'd love to travel the world looking for lost magic. Be remember like Newt Scamander, but for ancient magic. Make contact with long lost or hidden magical civilisations, learn their history and how they can shape magic – the feats they can perform. I'd love to go to Egypt, look around the tombs or have a dig around in Pompeii, Travel through the Amazon too. Maybe write a book to teach people and, knowing me, be chased, attacked, imprisoned and a whole host of other things in my pursuit of knowledge." I finish with a smirk.

"Modest goals." Hedwig adds. I jog her hand, forcing the lolly into her mouth. She smirks and pushes it deeper herself.

"Of course you've not got a gag reflex." I pinch the bridge of my nose.

"Found out a few days ago. Tonks said you'd enjoy it, but I'm not sure what she meant." Hedwig says innocently, but she knows. Hermione almost chokes on her ice cream.

"Hi, Tonks!" Hedwig wraps herself around Tonks after she gets home that night. "Ergh, you smell like old socks!" She wipes her now sweaty hands on Tonks' robes.

"Had to chase a guy through Knockturn Alley." She lets out a deep breath. "Good stamina."

"Catch him?" I ask as she press a chaste kiss to my lips on her way to our bedroom.

"Tripping jinx, face planted." She smirks. "I'll take a shower." She grimaces as she sniffs herself whilst she strips her sweaty clothes off. I turn my attention away from the Rubik's cube whilst I watch "Diana's" sweaty muscles ripple. "Enjoying the show?" She puts her hand on her hip. I exchange a look with Hedwig.

"Yep." We chorus. Tonks rolls her eyes.

"Bloody pervs."

"Have fun!" Hedwig calls out.

"Ahhh." Tonks drops down onto my lap wearing nought but a towel and her pink haired form. "Never underestimate a good shower." She snakes one arm behind my neck and takes a fistful of my shirt, pulling me towards her for a kiss. "Harry?" She rests her forehead against mine.

"Mmm?"

"What are we?" She asks.

"In an existential way?"

No." She laughs. "I mean me and you." Hedwig clears her throat. "And Hedwig. Get over here." Hedwig drops her magazine and settles on the other arm of the chair. They smile at each other.

"You saved me popping that question." I squeeze Tonks' thigh. "I was going to ask a few seconds after you did, but there we go." I exhale slowly. "How do we do this? I guess I'll go first." I drum my fingers for a moment. "There's a part of my ability that lets me get a read on people. I was 11 when I found out about it as I shook hands with Albus for the first time. I don't use it much because I really have to focus to get it to 'activate' – It's one of the only voluntary things I can do with my ability, but that's only to get it to turn on straight away. If I stay in contact for a few seconds then it starts up and happens anyway."

"Unless it's me." Hedwig chimes in.

"Exactly." I nod. "So then I met this strange, beautiful and clumsy metamorph that loved to hug me, I had this part of my ability start to switch on again, but rather than dusty old Albus, I had the happiest person on the planet to give me a daily dose of it." Tonks smiles and kisses me again. "And, even though we're separated when I'm at school, being here with you makes up for it all. I know what love feels like to you, when we lay in bed in the mornings I can feel it flowing through you as you smile and kiss me, but it's a bit harder to understand my own feelings. Despite that, I can say with certainty – I love you." Her violet eyes widen a tiny bit and a beautiful smile spreads over her face as she tears up. The violet fades into a bright green, much like my own, as she swiftly moves forward to capture my lips.

"Harry!" Kiss kiss. "I-" Kiss. "-love-" Kiss. "-you-" Kiss. "-too!" She sinks down onto my lap as she hugs me tightly.

"Awh!" Hedwig claps excitedly.

"I've wanted to tell you since your first year, but I couldn't bring myself to do it." Tonks pulls back, still smiling widely. "You were so young, but only to look at. Your eyes and the way you walked kinda creeped me out a bit, but you were so funny and charming. Those little off-handed compliments every time you saw me that you didn't even think about." She laughs affectionately. "When we were sitting on the carriage after Christmas, I just wanted to grab your cute little face and kiss you." She accentuates this point with another kiss. "And now you're a hot piece of man meat, I can." She turns to Hedwig. "And then you came along as a squishy and less brooding version of Harry... with some 'Tonks' chucked in too." She smirks.

"Oh, thanks." I say dryly.

"You know it's true." Hedwig pats my arm in a placating manner.

"Doesn't mean I have to like it. Although it probably has something to do with being my familiar."

"Why's that?"

"Well, you were 'my owl', so it was ingrained within you to help me, perhaps your magic thought the best way to achieve this was to be another … happy thing to touch?" I smile. "I can't really describe it."

"I'm all too happy for you to touch me." Hedwig leans down to kiss me. Sometimes it pays to be Harry Potter.

"Wait, so it's a loop?" Tonks pipes up, now sporting the same hair as Hedwig. "You're happy because we're happy, and we're happy because you're happy?"

"A loop that I want to continue to feed." She smiles back at me as I gently squeeze her hand. They settle their heads on my shoulders.

"Scrimgeour told me that I'm to be an interior guard at Hogwarts this year. He didn't state it aloud, but I think it's because I can blend in." She sighs.

"Or the students that remember you will respond better? You'd still be a brilliant Auror without being a metamorph." I press a kiss to her temple.

"Does this change anything? I mean … are we together?" She lifts her head to look at me.

"Would it change anything if we were?" Hedwig asks, lacing her fingers with mine.

"It would be one of the most narcissistic things possible – Me falling for my familiar, or something akin to a clone." I laugh. "I'm willing to give it a go if we carry on as normal. I think this has built up to a 'thing' without a label, so I don't see why we would suddenly do anything different."

"Well I'm shattered." Tonks says, now a perfect duplicate of Hedwig.

"Off to bed?" I look at both of them in turn, They nods sleepily. I stand up, lifting them both easily.

"We can have some fun with being lifted some day." Tonks whispers into my ear huskily. Wolf strength. Thanks, Sirius. "Can you sleep with us?" It's been years since I've tried sleeping with my powers on. I lay the matching girls on the bed. For them?

"I can try."

A/N: I'm not great at this sort of thing, let me know what you think. The World Cup is on it's way. It'll either be chapter 28 or 29, depending on if something else comes up.

Harry, as is his destiny, will get a bit whacked during the riot, i'm sure. Enjoy!