Chapter 3: Breakfast and Intent

Fawkes flamed Sirius back to Grimmauld to wait for Remus to get off work after they were done with their appraisal. Exiting the chamber, they decided to go get some breakfast in the great hall as it was almost 9 am.

Before exiting the bathroom, he asked Amelia a question that was bothering him, "How come you didn't arrest Sirius."

Amelia's face darkened, "Albus showed me the memories last year, as did Remus. Fudge wouldn't do anything. While I can't get him justice, the least I can do is look the other way to make sure that an innocent man isn't murdered all because Lucius Malfoy is convinced that his son will be Lord Black if Sirius is out of the way. Even if that isn't the case My Lord." The older woman by just over a decade finished with a tease.

He merely rolled his eyes as Tonks chuckled at his expression. "Quiet Ms. Black."

Tonks face turned green literally as Andromeda gaped at him in shock as did Ted realizing what he meant, "IT'S TONKS!" Dora nearly deafened him.

He gave her a wicked smile, "Well House Tonks will be a cadet branch of the Black's after I reinstate your mother and make sure she is given the proper dowry a member of House Black deserves."

Andromeda pulled him into a hug. While she never regretted marrying her husband, she did regret losing her family. Harry was doing something that few ancient houses did, by adding her back into the family he was proclaiming that the previous lords had made an error. It was basically as if he was spitting on the face of Orion Black.

"It's still Tonks," Dora grumbled.

"Not in formal situations my dear, then it will be Nymphadora Black at least until you marry and take your husband's last name. Legally you will still be known as Nymphadora Tonks but most of society will probably start calling you Ms. Black or even Heiress Black."

"Don't care, still Tonks." She pouted, which earned her an amused smile from Harry and Amelia, while Ted looked on proudly at his child.

"Don't care what you call yourself V, as long as you're happy about it." He said as they arrived at the great hall.

Tonks was really liking spending time with her fellow metamorph. The last day had been the most exciting she had in a long time. Not since her days looking for the Hogwarts Vaults had she been so amused. Harry seemed to have found more secrets about the school than she and her friends ever had.

She could also admit that out of all the names that she had been called that she really liked the simple V. The way he said as if he had known her forever and that she was a good friend helped her like the simple yet effective nickname, even if she would forever hate what the initial spelled out.

He decided to sit down at the Gryffindor table, Tonks decided to join him since it was her day off, while Amelia and Albus had gone to the high table. Kingsley, the Tonks, and the Weasleys had already left for home and work. He fixed himself a plate loaded with potatoes, eggs, sausage, bacon, and toast. He also poured himself a nice glass of pumpkin juice.

"Harry is that you?" He looked up to see that Hermione was asking him that question.

He swallowed the mouthful of potatoes, "Yep the goblet pulled my ass back from the future."

"Can I have your attention please?" Harry looked up to see Albus standing at the head table.

"Much speculation has been going on to what happened to Mr. Potter last night." Everyone perked up at that eager to hear what was going on.

"It seems that when the goblet was first used, it was for a tournament of adults. The initial age bracket was 24 and over. Mr. Potter not being of age was forcibly ripped from his timeline and brought to this one at the starting age. Legally he is a non-consenting time traveler."

People seemed to be whispering, but the headmaster ignored them and continued, "The timeline he came from no longer exists, so he will not be damaging the fabric of space and time. As such the Goblet has been destroyed by the ministry so this never happens again."

"That's not fair! It means that he knows what the tasks are!" A Hufflepuff student yelled, causing some of the student body to nod.

"Mr. Potter has just been ripped from his home, his life, and his family. Tell me how would you feel about that? He will never see them again, at least not the versions he knew. Do you think he cares about some silly contest?" Amelia near yelled at the idiot that was making her house look bad.

Some of the students were looking down in shame.

Dumbledore coughed loudly to get the student's attention, "It matters not about the tasks, the goblet in its wisdom has seen fit to remove the whole tournament from Mr. Potter's mind. He remembers he was in the tournament but nothing after that."

Some of the students nodded in acceptance, while some looked skeptical.

"Mr. Potter would you like to say a few words."

He shrugged and stood up with some people looking at his now short hair with silver laced into it in confusion, "I guess I'll say it wasn't my idea to bring back a tournament that has a higher death count than it does winners. Well done, Ministry. "He finished sarcastically giving a golf clap.

Amelia held back a smirk. Tonks did no such thing as she loudly laughed.

"Also, Amelia, do you mind setting up my O.W.L.S and N.E.W.T.S for me."

Amelia let out a chuckle, "Fine, exams usually take place in December."

He mock saluted her as his hair turned into a long and wavy, colored blue and silver.

She shook her head at his antics, "I'll be registering that for you. Partial or Full.

"Full. Can you register my Animagus form also?" She looked at him in question before he shifted into a large grey Dire wolf, she sighed but nodded as people were staring at him.

Reverting to his human, form. "Thanks." He said returning to his seat as the muggleborn and some of the half-bloods looked at him in confusion. The Purebloods and other half-bloods looked at him in surprise at his abilities. He also Amelia going back to her glaring at Nott, he seemed to be sweating bullets.

"What did she mean Harry?" Hermione asked.

He looked at her noticing Katie looking at him curiously as well. Fred, George, and Ron were looking at him in wonder.

"I'm a Metamorphmagus like V here." He pointed his thumb at Dora. She waved at Hermione.

"What's a Metamorphmagus and why didn't you tell us before."

"A Metamorph is a shapeshifter, very rare, we're the only two in Europe. He didn't know until he was 17?" Tonks said between mouthfuls looking at him to make sure she got that right, he nodded to her before she continued with her description, "There are two types full and partials. Partials can usually change their hair and such. Mostly cosmetic changes. Full like me and Hero over here can change everything, skin, hair, body, skeletal, even gender."

"Hero." He asked incredulously.

She gave him a pointed look, "I just saw that Basilisk you killed."

He stared at her for a minute, "Touché V, Touché." He then shoveled some more eggs and potatoes into his mouth.

"Wait, does that mean you can turn into a blue wolf?" Katie bounced with excitement.

Grinning at her he once more got up and shifted into his Animagus form, but the fur started turning every color of the rainbow before settling on blue. Shifting back, he bowed to her before he once again took his seat.

"What's the future like." Ron blurted out; the twins seemed to be eager to know as well.

He let out a sigh, "Like every other day Ron, I had a job like an adult."

"What did you do?" Katie asked.

"I'm a Hit-Wizard." The table stared at him, at least the ones that knew what the job entailed.

"A Hit-Wizard?" Hermione had never heard the term before.

"We hunt targets and take them out or bring them in, it depends on their crimes." He said shoveling more food into his.

She looked at him in horror, "Y-you K-killed People?"

He let out a sigh, "Not if I could bring them in, unfortunately, murderers and rapists usually don't want to be caught."

She seemed to be in a state of shock.

Dora chimed in, "It has to be done, muggle police sometimes have to kill also. Hit-Wizards only go after the worst of the worst, unlike Aurors."

"Less paperwork too," Harry muttered causing Tonks to slap him on the shoulder.

"It's not my fault it's true V. I tried being an Auror at first but there was way too much paperwork." He shuddered.

"Why is he calling you V, Tonks."

"It's the initial for her middle name George."

"What's your middle name, Tonks?" Fred asked.

Tonks smiled at him as if he was an adorable puppy, "That's classified."

Fred went to question it before Harry interrupted, "It really is, she had it redacted. The only reason I know is her parents told me."

Hermione seemed to break out of her stupor at the thought of her best friend killing people, "Why would her parents tell you?"

"Because they are like my parents in the future." Just as he said that he spotted a sad but wonderous sight, his owl Hedwig flying into the great hall, he hadn't seen her in 7 years. She had died when he escaped Privet Drive the last time.

He had to use his Occlumency not to start crying.

"Were you with Tonks, was it? In the future." Hermione managed to get out with a degree of hurt, she had liked Harry since he saved her from the troll. Not that her crush mattered anymore, he was almost 10 years her senior.

Tonks looked down sadly, "No, she died in an accident before I turned 18. She's Padfoot's cousin, we all became good friends in the future." He wrapped his arm around his fellow metamorph. He was taking comfort in his sorrow over her future and the death of Hedwig, while she was taking comfort at the thought that she died.

The mood around the table turned into one of silence and somberness.

"Wait! Padfoot?" Fred and George had been wondering who the marauders were since they were little firsties.

Harry squeezed Tonks one more time getting a smile from her. "I'll tell you all about them later, deal?" He got a nod from them.

"I'd also like to talk to you about funding for your shop." They leaned forward eagerly, "I'll give you 2 thousand galleons to start with if I get made an equal owner, say 33 percent that way we can each have 33 percent. The last one percent can be used for charity or something."

Fred and George looked at each other before turning back towards him, "Deal!" They spoke in unison.

"Oh, dear god," Katie muttered looking terrified at the prospect of fully funded pranksters, glancing around the room she saw that those that were listening in also looked to be in varying stages of horror.

Hedwig landed right in front of him she seemed to regard him for a moment before giving a hoot. He let out a sad chuckle at her approval, feeding her a strip of bacon.

"What's wrong?" Tonks nudged him.

"Hedwig here died when I was 17." He whispered to her.

He slowly stroked her head, as did Tonks. Zephyr slid down next to Hedwig. Hedwig tapped her head against Zephyrs as if she was giving her approval at what she now considered her nephew. All because Harry considered Hedwig like a sister and Zephyr like his own child.

The table seemed to finally notice his snake as they recoiled in fear.

He shook his head at the stigma that was attached to snakes, "Don't worry Zephyr won't hurt you unless you hurt me or those I care about." Tonks reached forwards and scratched under Zephyr's chin causing him to wag his tail in what looked like pleasure. Oddly enough this reaction seemed to remove most of the fear from those that were watching.

"Are you going dark!" Ron near yelled, food flinging from his mouth.

Harry and Tonks looked at him in disgust at his table manners, Fred and George just seemed to slide further away to avoid being regarded as if they were associated with him.

"How does having a snake as a familiar make me dark Ronald?"

Ron looked at him as if he was stupid, "Everyone knows that! You shouldn't be using dark magic to even speak to him."

Now it was Harry's turn to look at him as if he was so stupid, "For your information Ronald until Voldemort," The table flinched, "Parselmouths were mostly concentrated healers, it's only here in Britain that there is a stigma attached to speaking parseltongue."

He took a drink of pumpkin juice, "Magic is all about intent after all, by saying I'm evil just because I utilize a gift that I was born with is directly insulting me. Besides without that gift, Ginny would have died in the chamber." Ron looked down in shame, even if he felt Harry was being unfair.

"Ron all it is, is another language. The difference is it can't be taught, and it's a magical language."

"Obviously it's magical, but what does it mean to be a magical language?" Hermione inquired.

He paused realizing he had the whole table and even the other tables captivated, including the high table, "Well, if I cast in Parseltongue it is innately stronger, it's what makes it so terrifying. It is also used very effectively in healing, me and Zephyr have removed dozens of bloodline maledictions, which we will probably have to do again."

He heard a loud noise as two females stood up at the Slytherin table they vaguely looked familiar, they were looking at him in shock. They quickly made their way over to him.

"Is it true!" The older one near demanded.

"Is what true?" He asked confused.

"Can you remove bloodline maledictions?" She said impatiently, with an underlining hint of hope.

He merely nodded.

"Please help my sister, I'll do anything." The older one near begged him as the younger one, a first-year was tugging at her sister to try to get her attention.

He tried to recall who this was before it clicked that it was the ice queen of Slytherin Daphne Greengrass.

He knew that she didn't expect charity and would refuse it out of pride, her family was one of the sacred 28 and believed in fulfilling debts. He noticed that Albus and Snape were watching on in what he thought was curiosity.

"50 galleons donated to the hospital wing."

Looking at him in surprise, "Done, when can you do it." She knew that he was only listing a price to satisfy her pride, even if her family would empty their vaults to keep her sister alive.

"Now." He stood up and faced the young girl.

"What's your name?"

"Astoria Greengrass." She replied timidly.

He gave her a smile that seemed to make her feel slightly more comfortable.

He turned towards Tonks who was watching the proceedings. "Hey, can you stand behind me just in case."

She frowned at him, "Is what happened last night going to happen?"

"It might I'm not sure how strong it is, your mum's was pretty strong, but then again I was forcibly time traveled and was tired after a long day."

He looked back to Astoria, "Now Ms. Greengrass, this shouldn't hurt but it might feel slightly uncomfortable. It should feel as if a weight you didn't know was there, was removed." She nodded to him while her older sister looked to be on the verge of tears at the long curse that had ruled her sister's life being removed.

"Zephyr." Zephyr flew towards him and coiled around his right arm and bit down causing him to wince. "Now grab my hands and don't let go until I do, can you do that for me."

She nodded at him as she grasped his hands. He started chanting in Parseltongue as his hands glowed goldenly. Unlike the night before this curse was deeper than any, he had ever come across. He knew that it was going to take everything he had to eradicate it. He was not going to let a little girl suffer if he could help it.

Minutes passed as a bead of sweat dripped from his brow. The chanting was getting more and more intense until finally, the golden glow appeared on Astoria. Suddenly a glob of black was ripped from the pores of her skin and screamed as it died, not unlike a Horcrux. Whoever had made this curse tied it with soul magic. They must have damned themselves all for the sake of destroying future enemies, too bad they fucked with Harry Potter.

As he let go, he staggered back into the arms of Tonks. He noticed Astoria looking at him in gratitude as was her older sister, tears pouring down their faces.

"I got you, Hero." Tonks whispered to him.

He felt his consciousness fading as he knew he was again going to pass out. Before he did, he turned towards Ron who was gaping, "Intent, it's all intent."

By passing out he missed the speech Dumbledore gave about how it was your actions that defined who you were and not what you might do. That day for the first time in too long Parseltongue was looked at as a gift rather than a dark ability. But most of all that day Harry James Potter-Black saved a young girl from a future riddled with pain, he saved her from an early demise, and that's all that mattered to him.