Harry deftly stepped out of the floo, following Madame Bones advice and found that he didn't end up on the floor, which he felt was a good thing as quite a number of people were milling about. Sirius looked up from his copy of the paper. "So come on pup, tell us, how did it go," he asked.
Harry shrugged. "I told her a lot of what went on, we made some plans, but I think I'm going to have to testify later if anyone has questions."
Dumbledore nodded. "Yes Harry, if Amelia is making this information as public as possible, then you will likely be asked to speak as many of the Death Eaters will have family to take up their seats."
Harry took a moment to absorb that before he remembered. "Oh Sirius, I hope you don't mind, I invited Narcissa Malfoy to come by tomorrow at noon."
"Cissy," Sirius sputtered. "What in the devil would she want."
"I don't know, but she seemed worried about something, I figured the least I could do is hear her out, maybe she knows something about Voldemort that we don't, I mean he was likely staying in their home," Harry guessed.
"Just be careful pup, she's clever," Sirius warned as while he didn't like the idea of inviting any Malfoy into his home, it was something that Harry had agreed to and he wanted to allow Harry to make his own decisions. "I'll make sure to give you some privacy to talk."
"I uh, would actually like you to be there. I don't really know her that well, or at all really, and you are her cousin," Harry asked.
Sirius paused for a moment, then smiled as he was happy that Harry was including him in his life. "I wouldn't miss it pup," he gave his answer as Harry sighed.
"Man am I hungry though, that veritaserum really gives you an appetite," he grumbled as he rubbed his stomach.
"Go on ahead, I wanted to ask Tonks a few things," Sirius said as he waved Harry on. When the teen had disappeared into the kitchen, Sirius rounded on his cousin. "Alright spill, what's going on that he either didn't tell me or didn't think to."
Tonks who stepped back at the intensity Sirius was giving off. "Well, he told Amelia about all the times he's dealt with You-Know-Who, which is way more than anyone I'd ever heard of and living. Then she asked him to get her into the Chamber of Secrets when he goes back to Hogwarts to make sure there aren't any more basilisks. Merlin's beard a basilisk, he fought a bloody giant basilisk with a sword," Tonks said as she flopped into a chair.
"Yeah, not too happy about that story," Sirius growled. "What else?"
"Well she decided that what he knew about You-Know-Who was enough but she likely will want to talk to him about anything else, then she uh, questioned our relationship," Tonks blushed deciding that hiding her emotions from Sirius or Dumbledore would be a bad decision and pointless.
"And, what has she decided to do about it," Albus asked curiously, being much older his last relationship being decades ago.
"Well uh, she made me his official "bodyguard" to explain why I'm hanging around him," Tonks explained. "So I think if he still wants to keep me around, I'll likely end up at Hogwarts with him, unless that is going to be a problem headmaster," she checked with him as he ultimately decided who entered the school.
"None at all Nymphadora," Albus replied. "I am actually relieved he will have someone more capable than just his friends looking out for him, they tend to do a better job of helping him get into more mischief than they do at keeping him out of it."
"Also she basically warned me, that while Harry is untouchable right now, at least for anyone who would try to say bad things about him, I am not, and that I would need to be careful about others who would wish to be in my position," Tonks said. "She didn't seem to mind that he's um, underage, but she also said she didn't want to do anything to sour a working relationship with him."
"Oh right, yeah, he is underage," Sirius snapped his fingers as he remembered that Harry wasn't as old as he thought he was. "Gets a little mixed up in here," he tapped his head. "What with him looking so much like his father, and on account of no child should have ever gone through the things he has," Sirius added on.
Tonks nodded as she gripped her arms. "Yeah, no kidding, even if the You-Know-Who stuff was the extent of it, that's still be too much for me."
Albus smirked. "So will you be requesting a married suite or just a side room in Minerva's office when you reside in Hogwarts," he teased.
"Oh no," Tonks groaned as she quickly got out of the chair and fled into the kitchen. She didn't want to deal with any embarrassing comments that the Headmaster or her cousin could come up with. Entered the room to find that Harry had sat down to eat along with most of the occupants and was fielding questions.
She could tell by the twitches of his facial muscles that he was getting frustrated, as most people reacted the same way unless they were trained not to. With a flick of her wand Ron's chair slid over and she pulled a chair into the now vacant space and sat in it, effectively walling Harry off from the others. As Harry smiled weakly at Tonks for helping him get out of being asked questions.
"So mate what's the plan then," Ron asked his friend. "Game of chess, going flying?"
"I don't really know," Harry shrugged then looked at his friends' crestfallen face. "Sorry, I'm just so used to doing chores around this time that I don't really know what to do with myself at the moment."
"Good," Hermione said as she came into the room carrying a pile of books that looked to be stacked dangerously high. "Then we can get our homework out of the way, we only have ten more weeks before the new year starts, and I don't want to get behind."
"Bloo-, I mean, seriously, ten weeks before we have to do this and you want to waste an entire day doing homework," Ron balked.
Hermione rolled her eyes at how dismissive Ron was being towards his education but knew he would eventually get it done. Harry looked at the stack of books and then nodded. "Yeah sure, I don't really have my trunk it's still at, well," Harry looked at his relatives.
"Nonsense, we can go get it, I think that the DMLE should have cleaned up the bodies by now," Tonks waved her hand dismissively. "We can also use it as a chance to get you a change of clothes and all that rubbish."
"Um," Dudley raised his hand. "I kind of need to grab a few things as well." He cautiously inserted himself into the discussion.
"Yes, this fr-, house doesn't have any of our things," Vernon said, stopping himself from insulting the building on the chance that it too could do things to him.
"Well, let's get the Headmaster to make a portkey back then, that'll be faster and easier than apparating and I'll take a guess and say that your house isn't connected to the Floo Network," Tonks nodded as the group left the kitchen.
"Mate, I'll come with," Ron offered. "You know just in case any more death eaters show up," he puffed out his chest as well as he could.
Harry chuckled. "Honestly, I'm just going to get a change of clothes and my school trunk, it's going to be a few boring minutes."
Ron rolled his head before sitting back down. "Well, you know, just if you needed back up."
"We'll be fine Ronald, you'd just be standing around doing nothing and right now I think you have bigger concerns," Tonks said cheekily.
Ron tilted his head in confusion before he felt a looming presence next to him. "Since Harry is going to get his school stuff, we can use this time to set up a plan on how we do our homework," Hermione began formulating a schedule for homework.
He turned his head quickly to find Harry, aiming big puppy dog eyes at his friend, begging for salvation. "Please, you're me mate, mate."
"Nah," Harry grinned before quickly ducking out of the room to avoid the biscuit Ron tossed at his head. In getting one last jab at his friend he missed the whispered conversation that Sirius and Albus were having.
"I can't have any kids Albus, why shouldn't I," Sirius said finally as the group approached. "What's all this then?"
"Need to get a few necessities, change of clothes, toiletries, so on," Tonks shrugged. "And figured a portkey would be easier."
"Quite right," Albus said eager to avoid the continued conversation he was having with Sirius about Harry's future. "Portus," he said as he tapped a roll of parchment he had with his wand. "Well you all know the drill then," he chuckled as they were whisked away back to Little Whinging.
The party landed in a pile on the grass, all except for Dumbledore, who managed to make every movement of his graceful, belying his age. The group picked themselves off of the Dursley's lawn which was now devoid of bodies, but certain markers remained. "Uh sir, what's that over there?" Harry asked as he pointed to a glowing outline.
"That's an outline of where the wanker's body was," Tonks smiled knowing that the DMLE collected Lord Voldemort's corpse and would likely vote to make that spot a national landmark. "Going to be the most famous rosebush in all of Britain soon enough," she joked.
"Stop right there," a voice shouted from behind them, before that unseen person let out a yelp as a spell impacted them dead center of the chest.
"Oh, terribly sorry about that Milburn," Albus said as he lowered his wand, the Headmaster was no slouch in combat and even through the invisibility cloak the auror was wearing, Dumbledore could see him clearly.
"Oh good, it's just you headmaster," Milburn sighed in relief, recognizing the elderly wizard for who he was. "What brings you here," he ask as he floated off the ground, his body frozen in place.
"Just bringing young Mr. Potter to collect some of his belongings," Albus answered as he began to converse with the former student.
"Well let's get a move on," Tonks ushered the Dursley's and Harry into the house. "Harry go upstairs and get your clothes and other things you need, where's your trunk?"
"In the cupboard under the stairs," he said as he and Dudley bounded up the stairs, followed by Petunia, leaving only Tonks and Vernon on the first floor.
With the cupboard only a few feet from the door it took no time for her to get to it and a simple unlocking charm opened the door, she reached in and grabbed the luggage case but paused as she saw some words scratched into the wood on the back wall. "Harry's Room," Tonks muttered. "What the fuck," she said as she stood up out of the cupboard. "Oi, Durlsey, what's this mean, Harry's Room," she asked. "This some kind of sick joke?"
Vernon tugged at his collar knowing that he would need to choose his next few words carefully, but also knowing that they could get him to tell the truth if what Harry had said about this potion he was given was true. "It might have, been a place, where he was raised until he got his letter to that school," he quietly whispered.
For a moment nothing happened, then Tonks' hair began to rapidly cycle through colors. "What in the ever loving, what do you mean," she said as she pulled out her wand and pointed it at Vernon. "This is where he was raised?"
"We kept the boy under the stairs until we were aware that they could find him there," Vernon whimpered.
"Why, what did he ever do to you," Tonks snarled.
"He existed," Vernon admitted.
Letting out a muffled scream of frustration through her pursed lips. "Of all the mind bogglingly stupid, pig head, bloody retarded things you could have done, you kept him in a cupboard. What the hell is wrong with you?"
"Well we," Vernon tried to answer.
"Do you know what people will do to you if this gets out, especially now," Tonks shoved Vernon backwards. "It would have been bad enough before they would have taken Harry away from you and wiped your memories of his existence, but now, they might try to send you through the Veil for that."
"What's the," Vernon asked.
"Or they might give you to the dementors, not even telling what Cousin Siri would do if he knew how you treated Harry, it might actually be a mercy to just kill you where you," Tonks ranted.
"Nym," Harry called out to Tonks.
Stop stopped her raving and turned to look behind her and could see that Petunia was hugging Dudley tightly to her while the three looked at how Tonks had her wand pressed to Vernon's throat. "Hare," she tried to said before he cut her off.
"You saw the cupboard then," he asked.
Tonks nodded in response.
"Well, let's go, I have my stuff," Harry said as he raised a bag, grabbed his trunk and walked out the door.
"Harry wait," Tonks said as she chased after him outside. She caught him easily because he had only taken a few steps. "Wait, what the hell was that," she demanded.
"My life, now let's go, we have to get back to Grimmauld Place before they start to worry," he sternly said. "Headmaster, we have our things," Harry called out to Dumbledore.
"What, oh no mister, you can't just not talk about this," Tonks said as she grabbed his arm.
"Not here, not now," Harry hissed as he shook her off. "Later, away from everyone."
Dumbledore kindly freed the auror before making another portkey and taking the group back to Grimmauld Place, where the Dursleys fled deeper inside the home and Harry started walking up the stairs, Tonks following him closely.
Sirius watched the strange behavior before turning to the Headmaster. "What the hell happened there," he asked.
Dumbledore shrugged. "They were only in the house for a few minutes Sirius, I think you'd need to talk to them to find out what went on in there."
"Harry," Tonks said as she shut the door to their room. Not even mentally touching on the idea that this was their shared room now. "Okay, we're alone, no one is listening," she said as she directed him to the bed and sat them both down. "What the hell did I see?"
"My life," Harry answered.
"Don't try and get cute with me," Tonks warned. "I mean it, what was that?" She noticed Harry's hesitation before she sighed and pulled him closer. "This isn't Auror Tonks trying to get evidence. This is Nym, your girlfriend, and I just want to make you feel better," she quietly said as she gently stroked his arm. "First thing about a relationship, we can't lie to each other, we need to be able to be honest about our feelings."
Harry shook his head. "I just, never told anyone about this." He whispered. "It's all I knew growing up, the anger, the yelling, the cupboard."
Instead of interjecting Tonks remained quiet while Harry spilled his guts about how he was raised.
"For years I wondered what I was doing wrong, how Dudley got everything and I never got anything. It was, I didn't even know my name until I was almost 4 years old Nym," Harry's breathing started to hitch. "I didn't know anything about myself, I was just this freak who lived in a cupboard under some stairs."
Tonks held Harry tightly as his body became wracked with sobs. "Shh, shh, it's okay let it out."
"I stopped, crying years ago," he whimpered as tears streaked down his cheeks. "I didn't cry anymore, not in front of other people."
"No one ever stops crying they just get better at holding it all in," Tonks tilted herself so she could kiss the top of Harry's head. "And if you need to cry, I'll be there for you. No problems, no questions."
"Thanks Nym," Harry sniffed as he rested his head on her shoulder. "It hurts," he admitted, clutching his chest. "Why does it hurt, it hasn't hurt for years, why now?"
"Because," Tonks whispered. "Now you know what love is, and your able to put it into feelings what you lacked."
"That's what love feels like," Harry asked quietly.
"I think so," Tonks answered earnestly.
"I think I like love, I think I like being loved."
"Yeah, it's pretty great," Tonks chuckled as she laid backwards with Harry following her onto the mattress. "So, what do you want to do then?"
"Well I like what we're doing right now," Harry answered. "Can we keep doing that," he asked hopefully.
"Aww, you're just a big cuddlebug aren't you," Tonk smirked as she rolled onto her side and pulled Harry's body close to her. "Okay, we can stay like this for a little while longer."
That little while became a few hours as the two napped on the bed. When they next arose, it was well into the evening and the couple found themselves being snickered at by the red headed menaces, while Molly looked ready to implode but managed to keep her mouth shut as the pair sat down at the table and plates of food were passed over. "So what did we miss," Tonks asked as Harry dug into his food.
"It was bloody horrible," Ron groaned as he flexed his hand. "She made me do homework for hours mate, hours," he whined as looked at an all too smug Hermione.
"Besides the slacker committee," Tonks stuck her tongue out at Sirius who replied in kind. "Did anything useful or interesting get accomplished?"
"I might have found where an old sect of Grindlewald's forces may have staged out of," Mad-Eye said.
"Huh, that's interesting," Tonks bobbed her head.
"Yes, it's a decrepit old building, called a Rumbelow's," he said.
"I uh, think that's just an old muggle electronic store that's closing down," Hermione interjected.
"Aye, that's just what they want you to think," Mad-Eye waved his fork at the brunette.
"Okay then, anything less crazy," Tonks added another stipulation.
"I have the letters for this year, to give out," Minerva stated. "I was planning on giving them this morning, when everyone was here, but it seems that Mr. Potter needed to spend some time in bed first," she smiled at the couple.
Most of the table was looking at McGonagall as if she had just grown three heads, even Alastor discretely waved his wand to check for any compulsions or disguises. Fred leaned over to George. "Did she just tease Harrikins?" he asked.
"I think so," George answered.
"I want off this wild ride."
"It took some careful consideration for this," McGonagall said as she sipped her tea.
"I made prefect," Hermione happily cheered as she bounced in her seat. "I didn't think I would."
"Really, you of all people," Ron rolled his eyes. "What a shock, I mean what's next, I made prefect," his teasing died out as he looked at the shiny badge that came out of his letter. "Wait, I made prefect?"
"Ron," Hermione questioned as she looked at the badge.
"Oh Ronniekins," Fred lamented as he faked passing out, placing the back of his hand on his forehead, before falling onto his twin. Unfortunately, George was doing the same thing and the two collided in a loud bonk before hitting the floor.
Through their chuckles, George sat up on his elbows. "Where did we go so wrong with you? Were we not bad enough influences on you?"
Molly whacked her twin sons on the head with a spoon. "That's a good thing you miscreants," she hissed before rounding on her youngest son and hugging him. "I'm so proud of you Ronald."
The redhead shrugged as he looked at Harry, who simply smiled. "Good for you mate, I think a bit of responsibility will do wonders for you."
"Uh professor, why me and not you know," Ron nudged his head over at Harry. "I mean, not that I'm not grateful but he did just you know, hrrk," he drew a finger across his throat. "You-Know-Who."
"Yes, I could see how you might think that, but I realized something, Mr. Potter, does not care for accolades or glory, and I think he'll be getting enough attention this year and for many to come as it is and does not need the pressures of being prefect placed on him as well."
"That's really nice of you, thanks," Harry said in between bites.
"What's all the hubbub," Sirius said as he smiled upon entering the kitchen, followed by Dumbledore.
"Ron and I made prefect," Hermione shouted as she showed off the badge.
"Well congratulations," Sirius replied as he ruffled the teen's hair. "Now, what's on the agenda for the week," he asked wanting to know what would be going on in his home, for the first time in a while having people to interact with meant he really liked being involved.
"Besides the meeting I have tomorrow," Harry said. "Not much, hey Hermione, aren't your parents going to come down and join us?"
"Why would they Harry, they're at home," Hermione questioned.
Harry paused for a moment to process. "But all of you were brought here for safety right," he looked to the adults in the room who nodded. "So why didn't your parents come with you?"
Hermione opened her mouth to answer and had to stop as she did realize how strange it was that only she came if the threat of the Death Eaters was so great that herself and the Weasleys had to take shelter behind a fidelius and the powerful wards of a dark and ancient house. "I, don't know," Hermione slowly stated.
"What do you mean you don't know?" Harry questioned.
"Well they," Hermione pointed to the adults in the room. "Showed up in the middle of the night and said I needed to come with them for safety."
"Oh my god," Harry exclaimed. "Do your parents even know that you're here?!"
"Of course, I wrote them a letter," Hermione huffed as if she would do something so inconsiderate as forgetting to tell her parents that she's staying with a friend.
"And they know about Volde-, Tom and all that?"
"Well not exactly," Hermione blushed as she realized she never told them the full details of the situation, that she was in hiding because the threat of attack from people wanting to kill her best friend.
Harry loudly slammed his head into the table and groaned. "Well since Tom and all his friends are dead, then everyone can go home, no need for all this now is there?"
The rooms occupants shared glances as the idea hadn't really sunken in yet and in the case of those aware of the Horcrux situation, they knew that the fight wasn't truly over yet. "I uh, think we should stay here," Minerva nervously said. "Who knows what elements have yet to surface, it's better to play it safe in these uncertain times rather than believe ourselves untouchable."
Mad-Eye nodded in genuine agreement with the statement. "All the Death Eaters from the attack were marked, we don't know how many sympathizers the Dark Lord had that didn't take the mark or had yet to."
"Like Quirrel," Harry sighed as he recalled his first defense professor's hidden allegiance. "I guess that makes sense," Harry mumbled as he in a strange way just wanted everyone to go home so he could pretend that his life wasn't going to be even stranger than it was.
Tonks reached over and rubbed Harry's back gently. "Don't get too down, at least the hard part is done right?"
Harry smirked a bit at the memory of Tom having his soul sucked out. "Yeah, at least the Dark Wanker's dead now."
"Well mister," Hermione said as she set aside her lunch. "We have some homework to do."
"Might as well," Harry shrugged as he pulled his head off the table. "Should do potions first, otherwise Snape is going to… right." Harry cringed as he recalled that Snape was one of the deceased from the attack.
"Yes, Severus," Minerva said wistfully. "Not only do we need to find a qualified professor for Defense Against the Dark Arts, but now we need a Potion's Master as well," she set down her tea cup and stood up from the table. "I better go speak to Albus, no sense waiting any longer than we have to." The remaining students shared some glances.
"Thank Merlin, we no longer have that greasy dungeon bat as a professor," Ron happily stated.
"Ronald," Hermione gasped at the casual dismissal of someone who had died. "We may not have liked him but he was still a person."
"So, the bloody git was attacking Harry all the same, I say he got what was coming to him," Ron countered.
Harry sat up a bit. "Ron, he was an ass to me for no reason, but he was there to help me."
"Says who," Ron shot back.
"Nymphadora and the fact that he was a member of the order, do you really think Dumbledore, Sirius or Mad-Eye would let him in here if he wasn't loyal to stopping Voldemort," Harry questioned firmly, staring down his friend.
Facing his angry friend, Ron flinched, be it not used to hearing Harry speak with such authority or if it was because his friend's rare anger was directed at him, he looked down at his lap and apologized. "I'm gonna go, somewhere," Ron quietly said as he got up from his seat and left the room.
Slumping into his seat Harry was already exhausted. "Dammit," he swore as he stared at the ceiling. "I didn't mean to speak to him like that, I just," Harry looked at the occupants. "I really didn't, it's just. Snape was a bastard, but over the years, he's done what he could to keep me out of the really dangerous trouble. With the broomstick in first year, to getting us away from Moony. I don't like the guy but he at least didn't want me dead." Harry shook his head. "I don't even know what I'm saying anymore."
Sirius stood up and walked over to Harry. "It's fine, Snivel- Severus, was a hard person to understand. We, as in your father and I, were practically his enemies. His past made him who he is, as much as ours make us, but despite how much we loathed each other, he looked out for you when he could, so I think it's just you burying the hatchet."
Harry smiled as he felt Sirius wrap him in a tight hug. "Yeah, I don't think I'll ever like the guy, but I can't exactly hate him either."
"That's pretty mature Harry," Tonks informed her boyfriend. "Alright, enough of the mushy stuff, let's go do something to raise the spirits, not literally though," she giggled as she ran out of the room to go find something fun to do.
"You really do know how to pick them," Sirius teased.
"Oh ha ha," Harry shoved his godfather off of him.
"I mean it, your dad was smitten the day he met your mother," Sirius shouted at Harry as he left the room. "I just hope this has a happier ending," he silently prayed as the door shut to the kitchen.