Updated version! Part two after three bif fat 'Insert's. Have fun and have a look at the A/N.
Ino Yamanaka had always thought that her life had turned most chaotic the moment that she formally entered ANBU. Of course she had been proven wrong just the moment after. A memory she didn't particularly want to relive or retell. In her opinion that day should always be shrouded in darkness to never see the light of day again. It was quite embarrassing, even Anko had said that much. Naruto still laughed about that occurrence. He had been there that day, not yet the Head of the department but close enough to attend an initiation. He had nearly spilled the story to Sakura once. Ino had been able to drag him away just as he was reaching a critical point. The day after she had forbidden him to ever drink sake again or everyone in ANBU would catch wind of a few side stories his childhood provided. So he just smirked now and then when he remembered. Anko had once told her that he had marked the day in his calendar. And that there were photos. Hopefully not.
She had been proven wrong a second time when she had turned eighteen. Her mothers kitchen clock had barely scrapped past the marking that signaled midnight when the old hag had thrust her out of her bed and planned her wedding. Why she had done that Ino didn't know and she wasn't sure if she wanted to know in the first place. Shikamaru had voiced that maybe her mother just wanted to secure the future of the clan. That was the most plausible reasoning she had heard that day. So Ino had told her mother, that heck they weren't the only ones carrying the name Yamanaka and that she would find a husband once she felt ready for it, not when her mom wanted her to.
After that her life felt settled.
The third time she was proven wrong when the paintings in Grimmauld Place started screeching in the highest pitched voices she had heard in her lifetime, yelling and shouting and crying all over the place and even more of them started shortly after. It was like watching a domino fall on top of another. A chain reaction was taking place and suddenly Ino felt like she was twelve all over again and Sakura was beaten down right in front of her with Naruto and Sasuke lying unconscious in the background, concealed under the huge roots of a tree. Stupified. Without reason. Not back than – because it was a gruesome scene – but now, when she had learned and learned and learned how to act in such a situation, when Captain Fox – moments before drowsily checking his papers – had told her to get her act together and put on her fucking mask and ignore those bloody idiots who had appeared in the corridors.
Ino felt stupid. Like those recruits who had no idea what being ANBU truly meant. Like those kids in the academy who wanted to become Shinobi for the fun of it. Like her mother on her eighteenth birthday.
"Shit."
A thought turned word spurred on her body and she just moved. Flitted over to the table, picking up her uniform, racing through the house, watching all of them with interest and annoyance at the same time. Now she felt whole once more. Everything felt right again. And Ino noticed how much carrying that mask meant. It gave her the strength that an ordinary Kunoichi didn't have. It gave her the mindset that she desperately needed to survive the day.
It gave her a reason to live through the day.
It scared her.
What would happen once she had to let it go? If she had to live the life of a normal Shinobi, without a mask to hide behind. Without a mask to patch up her broken soul. To hold her together. How had she lived before all of this. How had she not been paralyzed in the face of day and chaos.
Dove felt restless as she skidded to a stop behind Fox, her cloak clinging uncomfortably to her neck, a strand of platinum blond hair tickling the side of her ear.
"You're late" Fox said pulling her near him. It wasn't like he was scolding her though. His voice was near silent, a whisper beneath the loudness of the house. People were rushing by, cloaks swishing, the cracks of apparition and disapparition just outside the front door. The clinking of cups, mugs and plates came from the kitchen.
"I'm sorry." Dove answered, unsure what else to say. The Captain was the pure image of an ANBU agent at this moment. He stood silent and tall and all traces of his usual character had vanished long ago. One of his hands was positioned on the wall just beside his left leg, probably covering a seal he had placed there after he had arrived down here.
Shikamaru passed by them, gazing at Dove from the corner of his eye. Hanabi followed him oblivious to their presence. She wasn't used to looking out for ANBU, especially not in environment like this one. So neither of them pointed out to her what she had missed. She would learn sooner or later, with or without their influence.
"Stand proud." Fox whispered to her, ripping her from her thoughts. Shikamaru smirked as he left the hallway, Hanabi looking curious as to why he did so.
"It happens to the best of us." The Captain continued, soothing the nagging voice in the back of her mind. Reassurance helped. It gave strength and confidence. It made her body move on its own into a straighter position, made her muscles tense and relax at the same time. It made her heart pulse steadier.
And Dove knew that Fox had slipped into Sage Mode, the Nature Chakra around him reacting to it. Her reacting to it.
It seemed like the world breathed in and out. She had felt this once before, back during the war when he had used himself as a converter for Kurama's Chakra. It was a weird feeling. So powerful and devastating yet so calming and pulsating and alive.
As if you were one with everything around you. She could just imagine how it must feel to be an actual Sage; feeling the earth move and breath with every fiber of your being.
Dove smiled under her mask. She felt better than she had the past week. Last nights sleep and now Nature Chakra helped to take her metabolism up a step. 'Feeling like uprooting a tree' some called it. Others described it as 'being alive'.
But Dove knew that Fox didn't do it for her. Not at all.
He tried to dig into the feelings of the house and its occupants, trying to figure out what had happened before the others would answer their questions. It was a form of information gathering she wasn't capable of. Would never be. Her methods were way cruder, but also more informative , more outgoing, more knowledgeable. Sadly it was just as dangerous as Sage Mode if she couldn't control it. He would turn to stone, she would loose her mind. Quite literally.
"Thanks."
"Sure." He leaned back into the wall, nearly melting into the shadows, just like Shikamaru could. "They are settling down."
He took a quick look at her and pointed down the hallway. "You stay here. I'll see what all of this is about. Be mindful of the kids. They are about to peek a quick look from upstairs."
He knew she had already noticed them but a heads-up was always good.
The twins were only about a year younger than Dove, and already adults in their society, but that didn't hinder her to look at them like they were children. An adult wasn't an adult until he couldn't provide for himself. Back home Genin already earned their own money through job salaries so it was logical to see them in a different light than a normal civilian. Here they were adults as soon as they hit the age of seventeen. Never having worked a single day in their lives. It was plain ridiculous in her opinion.
Bravery is not to live a life but to sustain it. Lesson number one her father had taught her. It was one of the things that every Shinobi – no every person in the Elemental Nations – had heard at least once, no matter how old or established.
It didn't apply here. Different culture. Different society.
Dove missed her home.
Everything she had learned about people seemed re-defined. Nothing held the same value as it had in Konoha. It was weird. That being said by a Shinobi must mean something. They had been taught how to live in a new and different – mostly hostile – environment, but nothing of this caliber. The idea of a different realm; dimension; world so apart of her own hadn't even crossed her mind until she had been handed the scroll treasuring all possible information. It rearranged her view of the whole world. Strange. Really strange.
Her mind caught up with her body movements when Fox left her side to slip down the corridor. She leaned back, watching the children atop the stairs from her position beside a bad-smelling thing that looked like it was made from somethings leg or arm. The young woman with the pink hair – Tonks, she reminded herself – rushed by, probably in a haste not to arrive late and nearly knocked the thing into her, had it not been for a quick hand catching it. Tonks stopped for a second, looking at it with and incredulous gaze, as if she had expected it to smack into the wall and fall to the ground. Which it probably had, if Dove hadn't intervened. The woman pushed on, walking into the kitchen and closing the door behind her, aware of the watchful eyes on the second floor.
"I wonder what all of this is about." The boy – Ron – said.
The twins arrived.
"Let's find out."
"I'd say."
They had something in their hands, dangling it down until it reached the bottom of the hallway, hanging just above ground level.
"They'll notice if we listen! Professor Moody always does." The bushy haired girl – Hermione – voiced her concern.
"Who cares! This could be important. Didn't you see the two of them?" Ron interrupted her.
"Hanabi and..." He trailed off.
"What's the blokes name anyway?" Twin number one asked.
"Shady shady." Twin number two joked.
Dove grimaced. If only they knew what a good description of Shikamaru they had found . She smiled. Worth telling Fox later on. It was kind of funny now that she thought about it.
"You know..." Number two said.
"Yeah." Number one supplied.
Ron frowned. "What are you two on about?"
"Tonks sure is a lot more graceful these days."
"You're right." Ginny nodded. "Didn't knock over the umbrella stand in days."
They all grimaced, remembering the screaming painting.
.
.
Nymphadora Tonks found herself weirded out.
If she had to describe herself she'd say she was clumsier than most but hat lotsa heart to make up for it. She was an Auror, and mighty proud of the fact that she'd passed the test at such a young age. Being a metamorphmagus helped surviving the boring days at the office. Having someone like Moody as a trainer was just a bonus.
She was often laughed at because she ran into things, knocked something over, fell flat on her face or tripped over her own two feet. It was nothing new to her.
But lately...
She was sure something as wrong. Not with her per se but with the old Black house in general. It was spooky like a haunted villa, dirty and broken like wreckage. And this damn umbrella stand...
It hadn't been knocked over. The ultimate source of her concerns. It was so strange seeing it standing after was sure it should have fallen down. Tonks had been in a hurry. She had been running late for the meeting after a few mis-happenings at home and walked – stumbled more the like – as fast as she could. She had expected it to happen really. There wasn't a day over at the Headquarters when she didn't run into it.
But that wasn't quite true anymore. Tonks hadn't had to pick it up for days now. The first time was when Fox had held it in position after she tripped on the carpet. She was grateful. Causing a scene in front of the guards and representatives would have been embarrassing. And since that moment it was like the thing was charmed to stay upright. Tonks was pretty sure that they were behind it. She had heard Moody talk about them. Liking to stay in the shadows, hidden from the public operating from there. Again, she was grateful to be spared the repeated joking and laughing from the others. It did get annoying from time to time as she just as much knew that she was clumsy. There was no need for the others to remind her of her embarrassing tendencies.
Looking back to the corner were the umbrella stand was positioned, she had to squint her eyes to see anything in the darkness at all. Just as she was about to turn around a flash of white caught her attention. The other one – what was it? Dove? - raised two fingers in a fleeting greeting, before slipping back into the shadows, out of Tonks perception.
She huffed.
Those guards surely were strange.
What sense made it for them to help her? A foreigner in their eyes.
But they were also plenty nice. She had found herself blush the first time Fox had talked to her, helped her back to her feet by holding her hand. He was a good guy, somewhere behind that mask and cloak of his.
She didn't know much of the others. They were professionals, all right.
Tonks hadn't seen Dove too many times, only during the meetings with the Order, really. Shikamaru and Hanabi were the only ones she knew the names of. The only one's whose faces she had seen, too.
Shikamaru had struck her as lazy at first sight. She had to reevaluate that opinion as soon as he'd spoken. He was clever, had a bright mind. His attitude could only be described as 'neutral'. He didn't talk too much, but when he did it was only the necessary stuff.
Tonks thought they had chosen well for the position of mediator. The guy listened, was attentive, was clever. He thought before he talked. He hadn't blown up at either of them, not matter how unfriendly any of them had been. That was more than she expected, thinking of those people. She hadn't known of them before. Never even heard of them. It was … another strangeness in the world.
Tonks grinned.
And to think that muggles said wizards didn't exist. What would they say once they saw those strangers in their lands? Probably thought they had hallucinations or the like.
Upon entering the kitchen of Grimmauld Place she noticed the tense atmosphere. Most of the others sat rigid, stressed, some pale. Obviously they knew why they had been called. Tonks didn't. Dumbledore had only sent out the invitation but no further explanation of the situation at hand. She had also passed some people on their way out, so she guessed he had already sent some people out with instructions of action.
As soon as she sat down Moody rapped his staff on the hardboard floor, getting everyone to focus their attention on him.
"Arthur, if you would." It was only now that Tonks noticed how ruffled Mr. Weasley looked. His sparse hair was in a disarray and his glasses were sitting crookedly on his nose. His face was a blotchy red, as if he had sprinted several blocks.
"I was in the office when I heard the news. Harry has been attacked by Dementors."
Sirius jumped from his place, angry scowl on his face. "What?"
Moody stared at him with his blue eye wildly spinning until it settled on the last Black. "Potter is fine. He cast a Patronus Charm before they could get to him. But a Muggle was with him at that point in time, so the ministry - idiots that they are - expelled him from Hogwarts. Dumbledore is speaking with them as we talk. Potter will be allowed back to Hogwarts in no time."
"We need to get him! It's obviously to dangerous there." Sirious argued, only held back by one of Remus' hands on his arm. "Dementors! Who was responsible for tonights shift!"
"Dung was." Tonks supplied from her seat next to him.
The whole room exploded into conversations and Moody had a hard time shutting everyone up. Several minutes after the outburst the room had quietet enough for him to speak up once more.
"Arabella Figg has taken Potter back to his relative's house, where he is safe for the time being. Dumbledore wants us to arrange a guard that will bring the boy to the headquarters. We will be going by broom so those that don't excel in flying should stay here. Black, no you can't go. Molly, Arthur, Dumbledore wants you to stay here, too. Any volunteers?"
Several hands shot up in the air. Moody was about to call them out when Nara interrupted him with a cough.
"Do you really think you can just appear on his doorstep this late and take him with you without any problems? Your ministry seems suspicious of him enough as it is and has all eyes and ears trained on him."
"What do you want us to do? Wait?" Sirius barked at him, rage and anger twisting his face.
Shikamaru nodded. "Yes. Formulate a plan during the wait. Don't act too rash." He twisted his fingers a bit, interlinking them in the end. "You should also think about an idea to get his relatives away for the destined day. They shouldn't be in the house when you pick him up, they would only draw attention."
"But what if he is attacked while he's there? What if something else happens?"
"Then we shall provide a guard that can protect him." Shikamaru told him and the other wizards. "I'm not sure if you trust us enough yet, so you may choose who will go." The last sentence was directed at Mad-Eye, who nodded in approval. Tonks could already see that the two of them would get along splendidly in the future.
"You mean to say," Snape sneered at the Shinobi, "that we endanger Potter more than necessary by letting him stay were he is. That we endanger one of us by guarding him?"
Nara shrugged, not the least troubled by Severus' words. "How would you do it, Professor? Charge in and break him out? I'd be careful with that mindset, Snape. Something like that is too much trouble to be worth."
Moody smirked that creepy smirk of his, gnarled lip twisting the scars on his face. "Mr. Nara here is one of the heads of the Strategic Unit of his home. He would know best how to act. Now, Nara, who would you like to see keeping watch-out?"
Shikamaru interlinked his fingers, thinking about the question. It wasn't an easy choice to make, since he couldn't judge the wizards quite yet. He hadn't seen any of them in action, so their fighting potential was open for discussion. His answer wasn't what they had expected but maybe it was the best he could have offered.
"Tonks." he indicated the young Auror. "She's a shape-shifter, her father's a muggle-born. She is the one that could blend in the easiest."
Tonks was flabbergasted. She hadn't expected to be chosen for the task. She thought he would qualify Remus or Hestia or Emmeline, but not her. She was clumsy, she was pretty much unexperienced. But what a chance it was. A chance she would take.
"But," he started anew, "I would advice for Captain Fox to go with her. It would give him the chance to experience first hand how you work. He could set up traps and seals around the whole perimeter to keep everything in check - the way we do it. Also, he might get the chance to see Mr. Potter before he arrives here."
The murmuring around the table started again but this time Moody didn't stop them as he was too far in thoughts himself. The possibilities, oh the possibilities! Not only would the Black Ops agent learn from Tonks, she would get the chance to learn from him. Gain experience, watch him work, see him in action with her own eyes. That was, if he didn't keep to invisibility and shadows as he did here in the Headquarters. Which he probably would, given the nature of those ANBU operatives.
"Those traps wouldn't put Harry in danger, would they?"
Sirius looked downright miserable asking that. Shikamaru shook his head. "No, they will prevent anything dangerous from happening as long as they are triggered. But the Captain had years of experience setting traps, so that shouldn't be a problem."
If only they knew he was talking about those aweful - or awesome, depending on the person asked - childhood pranks around the village. But training, was training, no matter how gained.
"Then I vote for this idea." Sirius smiled, happy now, as Harry's safety was ensured. Most of the wizards around the table agreed with him, with the sole exception of Severus Snape who didn't comment on it or gave any signal as to what he thought about it.
Tonks grinned from ear to ear, knowing that the next days would be awesome.
.
.
She was wrong. Fox could have told her even before they had departed, but he chose not to. Instead, he had murmured a quiet good-bye to Shikamaru, nodded to Hanabi and fist-bumbed with Dove on his way out. He knew how those things went. They were the most boring days you could spent. Some people relished in reconaissance, but he wasn't one of them. He just wasn't patient enough to wait out days and days and days doing plain nothing, because he couldn't give his position away. Fox would have loved for Shikamaru to send Hanabi, but he couldn't send her alone. That would've ment sending two of them on their way and that wasn't acceptable.
He sighed behind his mask, tired already even though they hadn't spend that much time in hiding yet. Tonks was awefully cheerful for a professional - he had to remind himself that without the mask on he wasn't that different - but he could put up with that. It was a distraction at least. And he finally had a reason to get out of Grimmault Place. The moulding carpet was torture for his sensitive nose. He seriously had to wonder if Kiba - or any Inuzuka for that matter - would loose their sense of smell the moment they entered that place. Probably.
Pushing his mind back to the task at hand, he thought of the biological mechanics of a metamorphmagus. Tonks was one - perfectly displayed by hair ever changing style of hair. He just wondered how that worked exactly. He had watched her change from her peppy usual self into one grumpy old lady just hours prior. It was weird. But it reminded him of the old palor tricks he had used to bring Jiraya to teach him. Hadn't he turned into a girl. And that sure as hell was a physical change as well, not just an illusion. He had never really thought about that again, not after never using after the war again. It was a childish trick, really. He could see why Sakura would beat him up for it, especially for showing how it worked to Konohamaru. The kid was just that, after all, a kid. How stupid the two of them had been back then. Teenager in body, boy in mind, always playing pranks everywhere.
He looked to the right, seeing Tonks staring over his shoulder with scrunched eyebrows. Oh, right, she could make out where exactly he was seated at. Fox hadn't let his little illusion fade into nonexistence. It was still hovering over him making everyone unable to focus on him. The others could, they were Shinobi after all, Moody probably could with that cursed eye of his. Tonks? Never. She didn't know what to look for, never having encountered something like this. It was a peculiar phenomenon, trying to stare at something and it just blurred out of your sight, to not refocus any time soon. It irritated most people, and that made it all the better. If people were irritated they didn't even try to focus anymore. And so the mechanics of his technique worked hand in hand with the human psyche. He loved it.
She huffed, crossing her arms over her chest, pretending not to glance at him from time to time.
Currently, they were sitting in the park, just a little ways down from where Potter lived. Tonks had placed herself with her feet propped on the table in front of her, looking for all the world like some punk wanting to cause trouble. Fox had thought that all wizards dressed weirdly in their own way but Tonks' dresscode was so screaming 'rebellious muggle teenager' that it had cracked his facade for but a moment.
He was leaning against a tree just to her left, letting the flecks of sun and his minimal illusion do their work. Nobody short of knowing him there would notice him. It was a neat technique if he said so himself. His eyes were either on his companion or the little booklet he had brought. It described the mechanics behind apparition and deapparition, a theme he found more than just a bit interesting. He had read it twice before but hadn't taken notes up till now and thought it a great activity while passing time.
Not that he hadn't set all the traps Shikamaru had adviced him too. Not that he didn't have an eye on Potter's house. Of course Fox had dispatched a clone before relaxing. It just felt great to be out of that gloomy house. Even if it would last for only a few minutes - he knew how fast things could turn sour. Another clone of his had dispersed himself only minutes prior, giving Fox and the other one important information regarding the surrounding area. He now had not only a map but also overall profiles of neighbours and the like. He probably wouldn't need any of them but it was always better to be prepared than to be sorry afterwards.
All in all they hadn't been here for a long time. Half an hour to be exact.
For the protocol: It was August the second, roughly eleven in the evening and mosquitos were the least of their troubles. Harry Potter had been attacked about one and a half hours ago on his way home to Number Four Privet Drive with his - as wizards say - muggle cousin. Arabella Figg had taken care of him after the attack and the boy was currently safe inside the house of his relatives. What exactly he was doing - that was anybody's guess.
Sirius had written him a letter just before they had gone out, and now they were here. Waiting. The Captain could probably stand outside the house looking into the window without anyone noticing, but he would rather not leave Tonks here by herself. He had watched her many times coming and going. Not because he had any romantic interest in her - he was on a mission, please - but because she had tripped over her own two feet about five times the first hour. He had never met anyone who was that clumsy, not counting eight-year-old Konohamaru falling over his too-long scarf. He found it weird how she could be in such a executive position in her ministry. That would be like a Jounin always cutting himself with a kunai once he threw it. It was an impossibility. But here she stood - or sat. He had heard Moody talking to Lupin about her recruitment. How she had made a total fool of herself in everything but charmswork and stealth. It made her interesting. She was an enigma. And she was a highly valued member of the Order of the Phoenix - not that they didn't have many non-highly valued members.
He studied her for another moment before returning to his book. If he could get the finer principles behind apparition -
"Look, an owl." Tonks then pointed out, an arm raised to indicate a white speck against the star-stewn night-sky. "Might be Harry's. I heard his was a Snowy Owl."
Fox didn't focus much longer on the owl itself as on the path it took. Some gears in his mind turned suddenly, ideas connecting. "Wizards have their own methods for flying."
Tonks head snapped to his form, now fully visible. She nodded. "Yeah, sure. Brooms and the like."
He gave off an angry huff and calculated a bit in his head. "My seals are only for ground-travel. I'll have to change their structural layout."
The Auror of course didn't understand all of his murmuring but enough that he hadn't taken in the air-travel. "Can I watch?" she asked.
He didn't give any indication to having heard her but sat at the table instead. She put her feet on the ground and slid over to him, watching him unfurl a little paper scroll he had taken out of the folds of his uniform.
"Whatever you do after this," he warned," don't try to copy me. Only sealing masters are able to create or change seals without another masters supervision."
His forefinger brushed over the intricate design, searching for the parts of the seal were he would have to start, all the while pushing his chakra in minuscule quanitites into the dried ink. The seal started glowing ad pulsing like it was a living thing, the small letters and object in it moving to an unknown rythm. Tonks stared at it like hypnotized, never having seen anything like this. But Fox was focused the whole time, staring at a specific part of the layout, waiting for it to erase itself. If that wouldn't work he would have to draw a whole knew seal up, breaking the other apart before he could activate it. That would leave Potter without protecting - he didn't want that.
But he wasn't a novice in the art of sealing anymore. He had been, years prior when the old hermit had shown him the easiest of seals, never intending for him to actually study the art. But it was in his blood, wasn't it? Handed down through generations and generations and generations. It was right there. And of course it also came from his father's side, a genius in his own right. Fox couldn't deny it even if he wanted to. It flowed through his veines together with his Shinobi heritage. To deny it would mean to deny himself. To deny his parents and his ancestors.
It took him mere moments to find the structure he had to take down. He took a brush from his inner coat pockets, smearing it with some prepared ink-blood-mix. It took all of six strokes to redirect the seals attention not only to the earth but also to the sky. It was easy to change the layout. Oh so easy. If anyone would have told that to him when he was still a kid. Sheesh. How much he had grown up in the years since then.
Tonks was mesmerized by the skills he portrayed. Of course there was only so much she could understand without asking for the information, but what she could, she took in. She would relay it to Moody sometime soon. He probably wanted to know all the details of their little mission anyway.
The ink on the paper stopped moving, stopped glowing after a few seconds, a pulse of some kind spreading out from it, through her, making her tingle. She had never felt anything like it before. It didn't hurt, but it didn't tickle. It was pure awareness. She couldn't describe it any better. And it was gone before she could ponder about it much longer. Her gaze drifted over to Fox, taking in his relaxed posture on the bench, plain visible to all the world, not caring if anyone would see him.
"Now we wait," he said. And waiting they did.
Nothing happened that night, only for the Snowy Owl to leave sometime after its appearance. None of them spoke a word, Tonks wanted to - he could see that - but she didn't find anything to talk about in the first place. She grew restless with the hour until she fell asleep sometime during the early morning hours. Her head would've hit the wooden table in front of them hadn't he catched her, pulling her into his side. As an ANBU he normally wasn't this touchy feely but she was his responsibility for now. He would probably dump her at Grimmauld Place during the day so she could catch some sleep in a real bed. Sleeping while sitting was taxing on the body and she would grow a stiff neck over a short period of time. He didn't want that, of course.
He watched the sun rise over rows of houses, shrouding him and her in a genjutsu. It wouldn't do to be seen by mere civilians.
As the morning progressed he saw people leave there houses, obviously going to work. A car drove off from Number Four, waved good-bye by a rather frail looking lady. Frail in the sense that she was way too thin with a quite long neck. She was bony, but maybe that lay in her genes. The lady moved back into the house, progressing with her daily live. Nobody else left the house for the next hours. Fox stretched and his charge was roused.
Tonks yawned, stretching herself and sitting upright. She smiled when she noticed how close the two of them were, a little blush spreading over her nose. She moved over to the other end of the table, getting up after relacing her shoes.
"What now?" she asked, twiddling her fingers.
Fox didn't say anything. He just got up himself watching the street. His clone had dispelled to show him the departure of Vernon Dursley about ten minutes ago, having finished his night watch. He stared at her for a moment, thinking about todays plans. He had come up with an idea to get Potter's family away from the house for a few hours in three days time, in the evening.
He handed a little piece of paper over to her, waiting for her assessment. She snorted as soon as she caught sight of the headline.
"All-England Best Kept Suburban Lawn Competition. That for real?" she chuckled, staring at it all the while.
"The information about the Dursley's point out that they are very...dainty."
"Sure, big guy. That's just hilarious, though. You sure they'll believe this?"
He turned away from her. "We can only try."
She nodded, watching him. "Sure, sure." She looked at her watch. "I'll go and get this thing done, have to ask dad 'bout some advice though. No idea how a proper muggle letter looks like. You okay here?" Tonks looked up. He had vanished. She sighed, huffing a bit. "Yeah yeah. See ya later!"
The crack of apparition sounded through the park. And Fox was alone with his thoughts.
.
.
If Harry hadn't been so focused on the house appearing in his vision he might have noticed Moody looking to their right, nodding at the shadows. But as it was, his sight was fixed at Number twelve.
Dove thought the boy looked pretty confused with the whole situation, openly gaping at the newly materialized house. Well, she thought, he isn't anyting else than a boy, no matter what Dumbledore has to say. He was scrawnier than she had imagined, with tousled black hair and round glasses. He looked so small between the adults that Dove wanted to wince. That was Harry Potter? The boy that had defeated Voldmort on many occasions? She didn't dare believe it. It seemed like an outright lie to her mind. He was so easy to read. She saw right through him. What was Dumbledore thinking? Sure, he had never really told them much about the boy but the information she had gathered, the pages and pages of data the headmaster had sent over to Tsunade said more than enough about the on-goings in this world.
If Potter had been a Shinobi he would have been killed by now. He walked sloppily, his shoes making such a noise. His clothes rustles louder than the whole forrest surrounding Konoha. That's what her heightened and trained senses perceived, though. For the wizards it was probably as normal as morning coffee.
Dove shook her head, getting rid of any stray thoughts. She would stay out tonight, watching if any Death Eaters or other potential threats entered the surrounding area. Fox had given her that order before going back to his paperwork. He wouldn't return to Hogsmeade that night, having sent a summon with a note to tell Raven and Slug as much. They wouldn't have worried anyway but it was always better to know what was going on.
Also, another meeting had been called for this evening, most members having had arrived in the late afternoon. Dumbledore would be there as well, so it was bound to be interesting. Fox would listen in on it with Shikamaru, while Hanabi was tasked to mingling with the other kids - with explicit orders not to blow up at them no matter what they said or did.
"Come on, hurry." Dove heard Moody growl at Potter, all the while prodding him in the back. The group started walking up the worn stone steps, only waiting for a short time as Lupin unlocked the door. The trudged inside, Lupin carrying the trunk and Tonks the cage. Moody released the light he had caught inside the Deluminator and closed the door shut behind him. Dove huffed, having noticed the flicker of amusement in Moody's face. The old bastard probably knew that Dove would be cold and miserable in a few minutes due to an unexpected downpour. Stupid wizards.
.
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The first thing that Fox noticed about the boy were his too big clothes. They made him look smaller than he actually was and reminded the Captain uncomfortably of his own childhood. As far as he knew, though, the relatives Potter lived with had enough money to buy him some decent clothes. But obviously they didn't. The shirt was about thrice his size and soaked. The other wizards were too, now that he looked at them. The boys pants were only held up by his belt which had some additional holes punched in them. Not his, too.
Fox found it weird that the boy appeared a bit fuzzy and hazy as if he was standing behind a wall of water. He felt him without any problems. No such interference. The confusion was lifted when Moody rapped Potter hard over the head with his wand and Fox felt a wave of magic wash over the boy. The shimmer around him died and he was in plain sight. An illusion had been placed over him. Clever. Probably Moody's work.
The Ex-Auror then illuminated the whole hallway with a simple flick of his wand, Fox having closed his eyes to prevent momentary blindness. When he opened them again he saw Potter glance around the area curiosly. He studied the boys appearance one more finding him even more insignificant then before. He didn't want to judge him too soon but he surely didn't look like much. Bit shorter than average, thin and without a natural tan to compensate. Something about him reminded Fox of a young Sasuke, but he couldn't figure out what it was.
The ANBU Captain could hear Mrs. Weasley before he saw her bursting from the kitchen at the far end of the hallway. She was obiously happy to see Potter, beaming at him in welcome and hugging him as hard as she could upon seeing him.
It's lovely to see you. Fox heard her whisper to the boy, before she told him that he should eat more.
His eyes followed the wizards as they walked over to the kitchen, interested in the news that Dumbledore had to share with them. He then switched back over to Potter who made to folow them but was held back by Mrs. Weasley. It was obvious that the kid didn't want to wait outside while the adults talked business. Fox had to say that he saw a bit of himself in Harry that moment. Would he be wearing orange and yelling about the unfair circumstance that is. As it was the boy soon followed Molly's orders, walking up the stairs being led by the portly woman.
Fox didn't follow the two of them. He slipped down the hallway instead, hidden in shadow until he reached the kitchen door, waiting for Shikamaru to meet him there.
.
.
Shikamaru hadn't been aware of Potter's presence until they crossed ways. The young wizard seemed confused as to who he was but didn't say anything, just looking at Mrs. Weasley for information. The woman just waved him along, smiling at Shikamaru as he passed them. She still didn't like the idea of anyone so young as them being sent over but she hadn't complained about it, knowing it wouldn't get her anywhere. He was glad about that too, as she scarily reminded him of his own mother from time to time.
So he only nodded at her himself, not saying anything.
He passed the shrunken house-elf heads and the troll-legged umbrella stand, bypassing moth-eaten curtains to finally come to a stop in front of Fox. The man had his arm casually crossed in front of his chest, his white mask glinting in the wavering lights from the gas lamps.
"Let's go." he said with a nod, pushing the kitchen door open and entering with the ANBU operative in tow. A whole lot of wizards had gathered there, even more than this afternoon. He saw Lupin and Snape amongst them, as well as Tonks who watched his entry with curiosity in her eyes, hoping to catch a glimpse at the Captain. She had been strangely fascinated with him and Dove since both of them had rescued her from falling over the third or fourth time and had taken particular interest in Fox from the moment they had been chosen to play tag-team in Little Whinging. He actually wanted to snicker at that. It was such a stupid reason to be so interested in them. He didn't mind though, since it wasn't his problem and Fox and Dove would know how to handle the situation. They had to do so back home several times after all.
The kitchen was packed to the brim with witches and wizards for the second time that week. Pretty much all the order member had assembled. That might've been due to the presence of one Mr. Albus Dumbledore who had arrived a few minutes prior. Important matters were open for discussion, that's all Shikamaru knew. Probably the guarding schedule and something more.
He settled down in a chair with Fox standing behind him. The Captain's shoulders shook just enough for him to perceive. He was shaking with laughter. Shikamaru didn't want to know why. His day had been slow-going and strenuous and all he wanted to do was sleep tight without any additional weight on his shoulders. He was actually glad that the meeting wouldn't take to long. How he could tell? Well, Dumbledore was here. And it seemed the good professor didn't like the house much more than any of the others, spending only as much time here as he had to.
He was also interested in young Potter. Hopefully Hanabi could tell him more about the boy as Fox hadn't been able to tell him anything since he hadn't seen him at any time during his side-mission and Sirius had been reluctant to tell him much. Black got siriously depressive talking about his god-son, too, and soon drifted of to his adventures with Remus and James - Potter's late father.
Shikamaru sighed, listening to Dumbledore talk.
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Hanabi glared at the wall that separated her room from the next. The unknown voice got louder by the minute and it was giving her a splitting headache. She could guess who it belonged to, remembering all those talks about one Harry Potter. So it had to be this 'saviour' or whatever they called him. She didn't really care.
What she cared about however was the urge to just kick her neighbours door in and punch him straight in the face. Whatever she needed to do for him to shut up. You see, it went like this. First there's a flurry of voices right outside her own door in the hallway. Then there was a pause and she had thought it was over. And then the yelling started. Something about a solved riddle and those dementors and a stone belonging to some philosophers. Hanabi thought she might have misunderstood the conversation what with walls between her and the others but since she could understand the rest pretty well, she opted for translation mistakes on her part. She also caught the words 'dragons' and 'sphinxes', meaning to ask someone about that later. She knew what dragons were, of course, who didn't. But the others . . . she was curious to the mythological monsters of this world.
Hanabi sighed loudly when it quieted over once again. But she wasn't too sure if this was the end of it. She didn't want to use her Byakugan. She could, no problem, but her sister had told her that she shouldn't use it to invade others privacy, because that was just plain rude. Hanabi was rude most of the time - she knew that, of course - which was unbefitting of a Hyuga of her standing, not meaning that she'd change that anytime soon. That's who she was, unlike Hinata who was the quiet and often shy one.
She sat back against the wall, leafing through the book Shikamaru had given her to read. He had brought it from back home, a work depicting the greatest heroes of all elemental nations, their best known techniques and moves and how they (or most of them, really) had died. She knew some of those names from her times in the academy and through other history books. People like the Kage or Sannin were probably the most widely known people around anyway, so she skipped their entries. She could always come back to it later on. Actually, she liked the book more than she had thought she would. It described everything quite detailed, be it persona or weaponry, technique or feat. Hanabi was amazed how some of the legends had started out. Young boys or girls just a bit older or younger than her, most of them growing up without a familiy or during war-time. Orphans, hopeless warriors, some of them citizens, as the book wasn't only limited to Shinobi. All of them had done things anyone else thought impossible. It was truly inspiring for her, as it should be for everyone.
"AARGH!"
The yell came from the room beside hers, accompanied by two loud cracks and the twittering of a bird. So the noise started. Again. With a sigh that sounded more like a hiss she got up from the bed and walked with determined steps to the door, ripping it open. She was suprised that she didn't find Shikamaru or one of the ANBU agents waiting in front of it, listening in to the conversation. Not that they would need to, of course. They were likely to have other methods of listening in. Who she did cross, though, was Ginny. The youngest Weasley was nearly skipping to her brother's door, obviously excited to meet Potter even before school started. Ginny stepped over a flesh-coloured string, something Hanabi had heard was part of a mechanism called an 'Extendable Ear'. It was obvious what it was used for, given its name. The girl then opened the door, not having noticed Hanabi at all - which was curious as she seemed the most perceptive of the bunch - and stepped into the room. Hanabi slipped in before she could close the door again and watched the scene unfold infront of her eyes.
"Oh, hello, Harry!" Ginny said, directing Hanabi's attention to the bespectacled boy standing in the middle of the room. He was ... not what she expected. At all. If that was the Harry Potter she had heard about so much than this world wouldn't stand any chance. She had thought about some lean, tall guy, slighty muscled and ... well ... anything but this. The guy looked like a useless version of Konohamaru. Just that Konohamaru seemed at least a bit cool and reliable. Not that she'd ever tell him that. That boy was useless in his own rights.
Potter - she wouldn't call him Harry - hadn't even noticed her enter. Instead continued his argument with the twins and the others. One of them soon closed the door that Ginny had left open to secure the privacy. They talked about Snape, about Bill and some girl called Fleur - whatever name that was. They then settled on the beds.
"Charlie's in the Order, too, but he's still in Romania. Dumbledore wants as many foreign wizards brought in as possible," twin number one said. Twin number two brightened at his remark, holding his fore-finger up in the air.
"Not only wizards, mate! Harry, you wouldn't know yet, would you," he grinned, happy to dish out new information. "Dumbledore sent for some unconventional help! You wouldn't believe who he invited here!"
"Who?", Harry asked.
"Some mighty suspicious people, mate," Ron answered. "Of course you don't see them most of the time, but when you do ... there is this girl -"
"Who's right here," Hanabi interrupted, not liking how the guy described her and told Potter what he knew. She wasn't a thing. She wouldn't tolerate his actions like he might thought she would. She moved away from the wall, positioning herself in his line of sight. Potter sprung from the bed, his wand directed at her head. He scowled deeply and motioned for her to speak up.
"Who are you?"
"Hanabi," Granger said, moving to his side, pushing his wand down. "No worries, Harry. Professor Dumbledore trusts them."
"Still you do not trust me," Hanabi countered, her eyes the whole time trained on Potter. "Even though I haven't given you anything to worry about."
"You're bloody scary!" Ron argued, having stood up from the bed, too. "And we got no idea what you are."
"Tch," she huffed. "I already told you, the professor will tell you as soon as he deems it necessary. I'm not allowed to relay information. Ask Shikamaru if you're oh so curious."
She could literally see his blood starting to boil as he turned beet red in an instant. Ron clenched his fists and prepared to yell something else but Granger held him back, one hand expended into the air right infront of his chest in a 'no fight' gesture. It was obvious that she was the peacemaker of the group. And the bookworm, as Hanabi had noticed in the weeks prior. You'd find the brunette reading a book or another when she didn't have to clean various rooms of the house.
"My name's Hanabi Hyuga, and I, personally, was sent here for study purposes, nothing else."
George lent forward, arms bent on his knees. "But you and that Shikamaru-guy aren't the only ones here, right. I heard Lupin mention something like this."
Hanabi shot him a glare. "You mean you listened in on a secret conversation!"
His brother shrugged. "Call it whatever you'd like. Fact is-"
"That there are others-"
"That come from where you are from," they finished together.
She balled her fists and narrowed her eyes. "None of your business!"
"It sure is!" Ron interrupted, his face now as red as his hair. "If you're dangerous then we should know!"
Hanabi seethed, holding back the urge to hit him square in the face. "And I thought only your ministry was full of stupid people, but it seems my information was wrong! You're just as ignorant and idiotic as they are. That's why we didn't want to come in the first place!" she shot at him, putting as much venom into her voice as she managed.
"The ministry?" Harry asked, ignoring her rage induced rant. He had lowered his wand, tucking it back into his jeans. But as much information as he wanted, he instantly ssaw that he wouldn't get it out of her. Hanabi had her arms crossed in front of her chest, obviously to restain herself. Ron, of course, was oblivious to that situation.
"'We', huh? Who's 'we', now? You, that lazy bloke and who else?"
"Like I said," she hissed, "ask Shikamaru, or if you can wait - which I seriously doubt by now - for Dumbledore to tell you. I'm neither allowed nor willed to tell you anything else, other than the information I've already provided."
"But you got so much more to tell us, don't you?" Fred strode up to her, slinging one arm around her shoulders. "An accomplished young lady such as you -"
"- surely has more information she wants to share with gentlemen such as -"
"- us," Fred and George finished together.
"No," she hissed through gritted teath.
Ginny elbowed her way past her brothers. "Will you let her be, now. If she doesn't want to tell us, then bloody let her go!"
Hanabi stared at the girl, not knowing why she would help her in a situation such as this. She must be just as curious as her brothers about her and the others. But Ginny only pushed her brothers back to the beds and guided her out of the room, closing the door behind them.
She whispered. "You need to excuse my brothers. They are such a bother sometimes, they just don't know when to stop. Ron especcially. Hermione usually has him under her reigns, but she seems to be stressed out with the situation with Harry as it is, so she couldn't interfere."
Hanabi nodded, not giving a verbal answer. She uncrossed the arms in front of her chest and turned to go to her room. Ginny neither followed her, nor did she ask where she was going. When the red-head opened the door, to re-enter the room, all Hanabi heard was "And what's with those creepy eyes?". To say it nearly made her go in there again wasn't an understatement.
.
.
After Fred, George and Ginny had left the room to follow Mrs. Weasley to the kitchen for dinner, Harry was left alone with Ron and Hermione. Both of them were watching him apprehensively, as though they feared he would start shouting again now that everyone else had gone. The sight of them looking so nervous made him feel slightly ashamed.
"Look..." he muttered, but Ron shook his head, and Hermione said quietly, "We knew you'd be angry, Harry, we really don't blame you, but you've got to understand, we did try to persuade Dumbledore -"
"Yeah, I know," Harry said shortly.
He cast around for a topic that didn't involve his headmaster, because the very thought of Dumbledore made Harry's insides burn with anger again.
"So, what's with this Hanabi?" he asked.
Hermione looked delighted to talk to him about something else while Ron stubbornly sat down on one bed. "Oh, Harry!" she said, "We don't really know anything at all, just what we've caught when Sirius and the others thought we weren't listening."
"Which is about nothing," Ron mumbled. Hermione nodded, agreeing with that statement. "Yeah, Ron's right. They never say much, you see. Just that they are here to help. We don't know who they are, but we're pretty sure that it doesn't only involve Hanabi and Shikamaru. You see, Hanabi is Ginny's age, so we believe here claims about being here only for studying seem legit. Shikamaru - you'll probably see him during dinner - he's about the twins age, give or take. He looks like a nice guy -"
"If you see him at all, that is. Bloody guy is sleeping all day long or sitting and talking with the adults, " Ron interupted her again, waving his hands in front of him. "Can't see what how he would be able to help us."
"Ron!" Hermione admonished him. "Don't talk like that, you don't know him."
"Don't want to know him," he grumbled, a scowl settling on his face. He then got up, obviously finished with the talking. "C'mon, I'm starving."
He led the way out of the dorr and on to the landing, but before they could descend the stairs -
"Hold it!" Ron breathed, flinging an arm out to stop Harry and Hermione walking any further. "They're still in the hall, we might be able to hear something."
They didn't. Even though Harry and Ron leaned across the banisters, and Fred and George tried to listen in on them with their Extendable Ears, they didn't catch anything of interest. Harry briefly saw Snape's greasy head, moving from one end of the hallway to the other, but nothing else.
They heard the front door open, then close and Ron told him how Snape never ate at the Headquarters - Thank God - before they walked down the stairs, bypassing a row of house-elf heads on the wall. While Mrs. Weasley informed them about the location of dinner, Harry saw something move out of the corner of his eye. Just as Tonks walked pass the umbrella stand, something black and white seemed to flash by. It seemed trying to catch the umbrella stand but decided against it during the last moment, and the thing crashed down with a huge clattering, accompanying it.
"Tonks!" cried Mrs. Weasley in exasperation, turning to look behind her.
Hermione, who stood to his left, looked surprised. "She didn't knock it over in days."
"I'm sorry!" wailed Tonks, who wasn't lying flat on the floor, like he had expected her to, but was standing beside the umbrella stand. "It's that stupid thing, I swear, I've only tripped over it once when -"
But the rest ofer her words were drowned by horrible, ear-splitting, blood-curdling screech.
Harry saw the portray of an old woman, drooling, her eyes rollin, the yellowing skin of her face stretched taut as she screamed. The noise awoke the other portrays along the hall, making them scream too. Remus and Molly tried to hide the woman behind the curtains that framed her picture again, but they wouldn't budge. Instead, she yelled obscenities at them, brandishing her claw-like hands.
That was until Sirius came rushing into the hallway, managing - together with Lupin - to force the curtains close again. Her screeches died and an echoing silence fell.
Sirius turned to face Harry, not even a small smile on his face. "Hello, Harry," he said grimly, "I see you've met my mother."
.
.
Fox watched them move away to the kitchen, his ears still ringing from the high-pitched noises. He had to say that he had never seen anything like this before. Of course, the moving pictures and paintings had first been introduced to him when Shikamaru had dumped one of the wizards newspapers at him, but he didn't know that they could also talk.
How would it be to talk to your deceased loved ones? Wouldn't that just hurt more than help? He didn't really want to know.
Fox looked at the curtains one last time before picking up the umbrella stand and putting it at its desired place. Maybe he should just glew it to the ground, so that he didn't have to catch it all the time.
Not this time.
The Captain was fast, for sure, but he couldn't have caught the stand and Tonks all in one go. Not without being noticed. And since that thing was just that, a thing, he decided to rather catch the young Auror, least she hurt herself while colliding with the ground. What with her luck and all.
Maybe he should have caught the stand instead.
Fox heaved a sigh, listening to the chattering that came from the kitchen.
What else is there in the magical world?
A/N:
Only 3000 more words, but that's were it ends. Sorry, if you expected more than that.
So I've been looking at the rev's and stat's and what-not. Looks like my absense left me with a third of the original readers. At least there are still some of you interested in this piece of work. Thank's very much for the head-ups and your reviews. And sorry that it took so long again. I suck, I just know it.
Regards
Taka