Warrior Mage - Chapter 9
First Classes and Something for the Gossips
Harry's first class the next day was with the Ravenclaw and Gryffindor sixth years - with Ron, Hermione and Daniella, who had been sorted into Gryffindor the previous night.
"So what are we supposed to call you?" Dean asked at the beginning of the lesson.
"Harry - just like you've called me for the past five years."
"Not Professor Potter?" One of the Ravenclaws asked.
"Definitely not." Harry shuddered.
"So Harry, are you ever going to tell us what this is about?" Hermione asked, grinning widely.
"Now that you bring it up, why don't you explain - after all, you do know."
"Harry, that's mean." Leona said, walking in.
"Mean? After everything you put me through over the summer, teasing 'Mione's mean?" Harry spluttered. Ron, Hermione and Daniella sniggered, knowing what Harry was talking about and who the intruder was.
"Right - everyone, my name is Leona, and I'm a Warrior. I'm Harry's trainer."
"I'm a Warrior too - that's what this lesson is about - teaching you the truth about Warriors and teaching you to defend yourselves against them." Harry said, seamlessly taking over from where Leona had left off.
"Hey Harry - are there any demonstrations in this course?"
"Of course." Harry said, grinning as Leona groaned.
"And I suppose the headmaster, in his infinite wisdom, decided that it would be me against you?"
"Yeah, that's about it."
"Oh great - and when are they scheduled for?"
"Today." Harry smirked. Ron, Hermione and Daniella exchanged grins, having seen a duel between them before.
"Oh man. Somebody up there hates me." Leona sighed.
"Come on, Lee. It's not that bad."
"You're not the one getting your ass kicked, are you?"
"Well, you never know."
"Oh I do."
"Hey Lee, look on the bright side - you'll have a lot of chances to beat him." Daniella said.
"Oh joy - hey, wait a minute - your parents are fully trained Warriors too - how about they demonstrate with him!"
"He's your student." Daniella reminded her.
"All right! Let's get this over and done with." Harry nodded, his robes changing to his sparring robes in the blink of an eye. Leona did the same, pulling her bow and her sword from thin air. Harry pulled two of his own swords. Looking around, he came to a decision. With a flick of his hand, the room doubled in size, and all of the students were sat around the edges of the room.
"You ready?"
"Naturally." They were about to start when Tonks came in, tripping over and landing in Harry's arms. He set her back on her feet, smiling and shaking his head.
"Hey Harry - ooh, are you two about to duel? Can I watch?" Tonks said, grinning widely.
"Sure, why not. Grab a seat."
"Thanks - so, what rules have you decided on?"
"Anything goes. Weapons and magic." Harry replied. Tonks winced, feeling sorry for Leona, who looked as if she was preparing to be led to her death.
"Rather you than me, Lee." She said.
"Right, can we get on with it already?" Harry muttered impatiently.
It began moments later. Leona brought her sword to clash with his, moving away from the other one. Harry put one sword away, pulling a small dagger instead. He threw it just to the side of her head, so that it skimmed past her ear, making many girls in the class scream. Leona nodded briefly at him, understanding the message - no major blood or injuries. She pulled her bow and shot it, realising too late that she had just sent a poisoned arrow directly at his nether regions. His eyebrows rose as he dodged it.
"You want to watch where you're aiming those darts." He smirked.
"Yeah - otherwise I might have a lot of explaining to do to your girlfriend."
"Oh don't worry about me." Harry said sarcastically.
"I won't." Harry rolled his eyes, catching her with a levitation charm. As she flew up in the air, her sword found the shoulder of Harry's shirt and ripped the sleeve off. There were gasps from the class, but the blade hadn't made contact with any skin. She cut the other sleeve off on the way down, smiling sweetly at Harry. Harry ducked, anticipating the swipe of her sword, and instead of Leona landing a blow, she landed on her backside as he pulled her legs from underneath her. She jumped to her feet, shooting an arrow at him as she did so. He hissed in pain as the poisoned tip sunk into his hip. Ignoring it, he shot a volley of different spells at her, lunging with his sword as well. Everyone's eyes grew large as Harry won the duel hands down, with Lee knocked unconscious. There was silence as he revived her.
"And here I was thinking you might let me win for once." She joked as he healed a nasty cut on her cheek.
"And what would be the point of that?" Harry asked.
"Well, I might get away with a bit of dignity."
"I don't think you did too badly. I really don't appreciate being used a pin cushion though." The class winced as a whole when he yanked the arrow from his hip, and one girl fainted upon seeing the blood on it.
"Here - I thought you were going to sharpen them."
"Nah - they hurt more blunt, don't you think?"
"I don't think, I know." Harry said, revealing the wound, which looked as if it had got quite a healthy dose of poison. Tonks gasped and paled. Harry merely shrugged, putting his hand over the wound and removing the poison. The wound remained open, unable to be healed immediately as an after-affect of the poison. After a moment, he dressed the wound with some cotton wool. Still no one said a word.
"Good duel." He said, nodding to Lee. "Did I get you anywhere else?"
"Hmm - I don't think so. Nothing major anyway - a few bruises. Gem prefers healing me anyway - you don't give lectures, she does. I swear, she enjoys telling me off."
"Yeah, that sounds about right."
"Hmm - right I have to get going. If you happen to see Simba before I do, can you tell him that it's Bradley Marsh."
"Why doesn't that surprise me? Yeah, I'll tell him. Say hi to everyone for me, won't you? Tell Arian that I'll be there to speak to him in a few days."
"Will do. Take care. Call if you need anyone to demonstrate on."
"Don't worry, I will."
"See ya." Leona disappeared, finally bringing the class out of their stupor. There was tumultuous applause, and Harry smiled slightly.
"Did that arrow hurt, Sir?" A Ravenclaw asked.
"It's Harry, and yes, it was rather painful."
"Are your duels always that... violent?" Neville squeaked.
"That wasn't violent." Harry assured him. "Now, the moral of this story is never to duel with a Warrior unless there is absolutely no other choice."
"But you did it."
"I am a Warrior. Besides, I've been training for over a year. And believe me, Leona is a slave driver. In the first few weeks of training, I got my ass kicked more times than I care to remember."
"Who are Simba and Arian?"
"Simba is the Warrior Mage and Arian is Lee's brother. Gem is her sister - a healer, for those of you who hadn't figured it out already."
"Are there Warriors serving You-Know-Who?"
"Yes. As much as I hate to admit it, there are some Warriors who have forgotten the old ways."
"The old ways?"
"Warriors are supposed to protect the innocent. We get our bad rep because we have no mercy for those who have wronged us. However, no Warrior who respects the old ways will harm an innocent."
"You mean... you'd kill people."
"Not if I could help it. But if it comes down to it, I would do. Between the life of a murderer and my own life, there's only one choice, I'm afraid. However, there are punishments much worse than death." The class nodded their understanding - they all knew that they were at war, and that Harry was right at the centre of it. It was only natural that he had grown into this attitude.
"But if you killed someone, wouldn't that mean that you were guilty and another Warrior would kill you?" Dean asked.
"No - look, if you were faced with one of Voldemort's Deatheaters, and they were holding you at wandpoint, about to kill you. Would you say killing them was murder or self-defence?"
"Self defence."
"Right, so say that same Deatheater had murdered your family. Is it unfair to expect them to be punished? Killing people isn't a good punishment - you're more likely to be hurt by it than they are, but we are at war, and in war there are very few options. Hopefully, none of you will ever be put in that position."
"Have you been?" The question was so quiet that it could have been missed had the class not been silent.
"Yes." Harry replied, unfazed. "In the summer, Voldemort sent Deatheaters after me. Among them was one Deatheater that I had rather a grudge against. Peter Pettigrew was my parents secret-keeper. He betrayed them to Voldemort. It was him that helped Voldemort regain his body - he was also indebted to me after I saved his life when my godfather wanted to commit the murder he was imprisoned for. When I found him, I had two options - I could have killed him. He had killed my parents, he had let Sirius take the blame, and he had given Voldemort his body back. All very good reasons to kill the traitor. But when it came to it, it all seemed pointless. Rather than killing him, I gave him to the Dementors. Had Sirius still been alive, he would have been pardoned. As it is, it's too late. Still, my conscience is clear and Voldemort has considerably less followers."
"What happened to the others?"
"I believe they had their powers bound - they will live their lives as the Muggles they hate so much."
"Is that worse than death?"
"For them it is - Voldemort's most loyal followers tend to be pure-bloods. They rely heavily on magic, and see Muggles as dirty. Being made one is the worst punishment for them - they have never lived without magic and without it, they are helpless. Do you think their Master will help them? Voldemort wouldn't bat an eyelid - he has interest in only what benefits him, and powerless followers are as much use to him as Muggles are - if they are lucky, he will take pity on them and kill them." The bell rang loudly in the silence.
"Homework - everyone write down what they know about Warriors. No more than two rolls of parchment - Daniella, you're excused from this. Please wait behind for a moment, though." Everyone filed out, murmuring about the lesson.
"What is it, Harry?" Daniella asked, flinching slightly at the pain in her friend's eyes.
"I was wondering if you'd be interested in starting training early?"
"Are you kidding? I'd love to - are you going to ask Rhiannon?"
"Yeah - it'll be mostly Simba teaching you, but in class you'll be working on training - that way it's constructive for you."
"Great! I can't believe the Warrior Mage will be teaching us! This is so cool - Hermione is going to be sooo jealous."
"Yeah, well you might want to keep it quiet - it's up to you, but... well, you know..."
"Good idea - but won't people notice that I'm getting different work?"
"I doubt it - and if they ask, all you need to say is that you're working on a special project as you know most things about Warriors, with your parents being Warriors."
"Right - when's my first lesson?"
"Umm... well, Simba's quite busy just now - I'll sort it out with him and let you know, ok?"
"Sure."
Tonks put her arms around Harry as Daniella walked out. He rested her head on hers, and she heard him sigh softly.
"You were really good." She murmured. "They responded to what you were saying."
"I shouldn't have to say it though - they shouldn't have to deal with whether or not it's right to kill someone in a war situation."
"Harry, you can't do anything about that. You can't take everything on. Besides, if you don't tell it like it is, who will?"
"I don't know."
"Harry, you know as well as I do that the world is not a nice place - they need to learn that things aren't just black and white. There are more important lessons than what they teach in the regular curriculum - you are filling that gap. They need to know what they are facing. You're doing the right thing."
"Thanks." Harry whispered, kissing her softly. Tonks smiled up at him.
"I'm so proud of you." She whispered, kissing his lips. "Their faces when you pulled that arrow from your hip - I thought they were all going to faint."
"Thank Merlin only one person did." Harry said, his usual good humour seeping back into his voice. "When's your first class?"
"After lunch. When's your next class?"
"Same. Then I'm finished for the day - tomorrow I've got one lesson and a DA meeting."
"Can I come?"
"Sure - you are the Defence teacher, after all."
"Great - by the way, feel free to drop into my classes at any point - I still think it would have been fun to 'teach' you Defence."
"Maybe I will." Harry said.
"So - what are you doing between now and lunchtime?"
"Teaching you ancient Elvish."
"Huh?"
"Have you forgotten already?"
"It would seem so - refresh my memory?"
"In the summer you asked if I would teach you ancient Elvish - do you still want to learn it?"
"Oh yeah! Of course."
"Right." For the next two and a bit hours, Harry began to teach Tonks the basics of ancient Elvish, in between kisses.
Harry soon grew accustomed to teaching. He found that he enjoyed it, and the students liked him because his lessons were a break from the usual theory-practice rule of the other subjects. Of course there were still those who disliked him, but in general, those people were too scared of him to give him hassle. Meanwhile, Tonks was getting more and more adept at ancient Elvish, and Harry was used to finding random notes anywhere and everywhere. His students asked him time and time again who sent the notes, and what they said. Everytime, Harry would just smile and shake his head.
"Harry? Are you busy?" Lee asked. Harry glanced around the class, who were practicing deflecting curses with strong shields.
"Kind of. Is it important?"
"Yeah. You're needed in Lesea." The class had stopped practicing now, and were watching and listening to the exchange with interest.
"Now?"
"Uh huh - sorry, you know I wouldn't ask if it wasn't urgent."
"Give me a second." Harry replied. "Hermione - I will be gone for five minutes at the most. If Tonks can't come through, you're in charge. If I come back and no one's doing what they should be, there will be trouble." Harry nodded to Hermione before vanishing into thin air.
"Tonks, are you busy?" Harry asked.
"Nope, why? I thought you had a class just now."
"I do - can you cover it for me for five minutes or so? I need to get to Lesea."
"Sure, what's going on?"
"I don't know, but I doubt that it's good. The class are practicing their shields."
"Right. Shields I can do. Good luck, sweetie."
"Hmm - see you in a few minutes." Harry Tripped to Lesea after giving Tonks a brief kiss. While passing through the wards, he found that two Warriors with the Dark Mark had tried to get through, along with two Deatheaters. Perhaps that was what this was all about.
"Simba, I'm so glad Leona found you - I hope you weren't too busy?" Adam said, looking immensely relieved.
"I was actually in the middle of teaching a class. I'm in rather a hurry to get back, so if you don't mind, I'd like to know why I was so desperately needed."
"Well, the Warriors have found out about the wards - you see..."
"Two Warriors have gone and haven't returned, yes?"
"Yes. How...?"
"The wards. So their families are panicking and you have no idea what to do?"
"Exactly." Adam said. Simba clenched his jaw, wondering where the Minister's common sense had gone.
"Give me ten minutes and I'll be right with you." He Tripped to Leona's home to calm down for a few minutes before going to soothe a few frayed nerves before they destroyed the city.
"You look rather... strained." Arian commented.
"Yeah - tell me, if two families were going berserk, what would you do?"
"Try and calm them down - reassure them."
"Great - that's what I'd do too, but apparently the Minister had to call me away in the middle of a class just to sort it out!"
"Ah. So that's it. The families of the missing Warriors?"
"Yeah. Honestly. I'd better sort it out so that I can get back to class."
"Have fun, won't you? Oh! Simba, I've got that package that you asked me to pick up for you - do you want it now?" Simba's eyes lit up as he grinned widely.
"Give me half an hour to sort this mess out and I'll get it afterwards, yeah?"
"Sure." Arian agreed, watching Simba stroll out of the room and out of the house. He had wondered what it was that Harry had wanted him to pick up that was obviously so important to him. It seemed a rather small, insignificant box to him.
Simba had relatively little trouble explaining the situation to the families of the Warriors who had turned. Both families were deeply shocked and upset by the revelation that their children had willingly joined the ranks of a monster. While they obviously shared the common dislike for humans, as far as they were concerned, what Voldemort was doing was unforgivable. Nothing gave anyone the right to kill innocents. Simba had offered the hope that they were excluded from the killing sprees, but when they asked him his opinion on the matter, he told them that he severely doubted it. It had been painful when they thanked him for his honesty and that he had taken the time to speak to them. He had nodded and left soon after, leaving the respective families to grieve for the children that they had lost to the Dark side. Harry wondered how many more families Voldemort would tear apart without another thought.
He was not in the best mood when he returned to the Tides' house, but he cheered up at the thought of the package that awaited him.
"Hey - I was just about to send out the search party." Arian joked, holding the small package, which was wrapped neatly in brown paper. He handed it to Simba, who took it eagerly, carefully unwrapping it as if it were highly delicate and precious.
"What is it?" Arian asked curiously.
"Take a look." Simba replied, handing him a small box which looked to be made out of beautifully carved glass.
"Very nice." He said.
"Look inside." Simba prompted. Carefully opening the box, Arian gasped at what he found - the most beautiful ring, made of platinum and with a small but incredibly beautiful and flawless diamond set into it. Arian thought that it was possibly the most perfect thing he had ever seen.
"Is... is it what I think it is?" He whispered.
"Yeah." Simba said, shifting slightly in his seat. "What d'you think?"
"Harry, she'll love it. When are you going to ask her?"
"Dunno - when the time's right, I guess."
"When you finally pluck up the courage then?"
"Something like that. God, I've been face to face with Voldemort more times than I care to remember yet I'm terrified of doing this one little thing."
"Pretty big little thing." Arian said. "Look, Harry, it's obvious that you love her and that she loves you. She'll say yes, I know she will."
"Thanks." Simba said, smiling gratefully at the other man.
"Not a word to anyone." He cautioned him.
"Of course not. Let me know how it goes." Arian said, faking insult.
"Good. Thanks Arian, I owe you big time."
"You've already paid me several times over." Arian replied softly, watching his friend and his leader disappear from sight. "More than you'll ever know." He murmured.
Harry appeared right in front of the class, still disguised as the Mage. Seeing the classes wide eyes, he muttered a curse.
"Tonks, can I have a word, please?"
"My Lord Mage." Daniella, Ron and Hermione said, nodding respectfully at him. Everyone else just stared.
"Hey. Harry should be back in a minute or so."
"Who are you?" Seamus asked blankly.
"Simba Tide. I believe you've met my cousin Leona?"
"Harry's trainer? Yeah. So are you going to be duelling Harry? Do we get to see him kick your butt?" The four who knew his status as Mage sniggered - though Tonks was sniggering for a slightly different reason than the other three.
"What's funny?"
"I'm the Warrior Mage, Mr Finnegan." Some members of the class, mostly Ravenclaws, gasped.
"And that would mean...?"
"It means, Seamus, that Simba is basically unbeatable." Ron smirked.
"Not unbeatable, Ron - just... incredibly difficult to beat."
"Has anyone beaten you so far?"
"Er... no."
"My point."
"Have you fought Harry?"
"Yes."
"And you won?"
"Yes - it was a rather interesting duel, but Harry came out of it significantly worse than I did. Oh and Dani? Tomorrow at eight - tell Rhia, will you?"
"Sure." Daniella said, smiling as everyone turned to stare at her, including Ron and Hermione.
"What was all that about?"
"Do you know him?"
"Of course I know him - my parents are Warriors. He's practically royalty."
"What did you call him?"
"My Lord Mage - it's his title. A sign of respect."
"Like 'Sir'?"
"Yeah."
"Is he important?"
"Yeah - the Mage is the most powerful and most influential Warrior. He's in charge of most things. Mage's are quite rare - they only appear every millennia, or something. They're very highly respected."
"So what - he's in charge of everything?"
"Most things. The majority of Warriors would follow him to the grave, should he ask it."
"Geez, imagine the responsibility!"
"Yeah, but wouldn't it be cool to be so powerful that everyone respects you?"
"Power does not grant you respect, Dean. Actions gain respect, and the right attitude - Simba is revered for the simple fact that he is enormously powerful, but respect comes from what he has achieved." Harry said, appearing before his class. He went to the door and opened it.
"Hey Sim, thanks."
"No problem." They heard the reply. Harry came back into class, smiling calmly.
"Sorry about that - had to go to Lesea. You may pack up and go five minutes early."
"Harry? Do you know the Mage well?"
"Fairly - I did share a room with him for almost a year."
"You did?"
"Yeah - while training with Lee, I stayed with her family - Simba is her cousin."
"Is he nice?"
"He's not someone I'd be in a hurry to cross, but yeah, if you show him respect, he'll show you respect."
"He's friendly - sort of like a big brother." Daniella chipped in. Harry smiled warmly at her.
"I'm sure he'd appreciate you saying so." He said. "I thought I told you all that you could leave? What are you doing still here?"
"Can you tell us more about the Mage next lesson, Sir?"
"Sure - I might even let him take over the class next period - maybe a duel between him and Lee, or Arian. I'll see what I can do."
"Cool. Why don't you duel him?"
"Because I'm not that stupid." Harry smirked.
"Is it true that when he duelled you, he injured you pretty badly?"
"He said that? Actually, I came out of it black and blue - how do you think I got good? I learnt from the best."
"I thought Leona was your trainer?"
"She was - but Simba helped out occasionally. When he had the time. Now GO already! Shoo, I have another class to get ready and you lot have left me a nice mess to tidy up."
"Sorry Sir." Several people said apologetically.
Harry cleaned the room up in a second, simply sending everything back to its place with a wave of his hand. Then he sat behind his desk, neatly printing a note in Elvish. In it, he asked Tonks to meet him in his office at six o'clock that night, and to dress smartly. He imagined that the note would baffle her, and that she would pester him no end until he told her where they were going. He smiled in anticipation. Despite the dread that she would refuse, he was actually quite excited.
Sure enough, during his next class, the Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff seventh years, a note appeared on his desk, again written in Elvish.
"Sir, a piece of parchment covered in weird drawings just popped onto your desk." One of his students said, now relatively used to strange happenings in Harry's classroom.
"Thanks." He said, picking up the parchment. The class watched as his eyes flicked across it, as if reading some message. He began to smile, making many of the girls sigh. Harry Potter had become the object of many of their affections, despite his supposedly being younger than them. They had also fallen into the habit of calling him 'Sir', like many of his other classes.
"Who's it from, Sir?"
"A friend."
"What is it? A message?"
"Possibly. Or it may be an ongoing game of pictionary." The Muggle-borns of the class laughed, while everyone else looked puzzled.
"If it's pictionary, Sir, you're friend is atrocious at drawing."
"Hmm." Harry smiled fondly.
Tonks was rather irritated by the time her last class came around - Harry had replied to her note with a simple, three-worded response: wait and see. If there was one thing Tonks hated above all others, it was waiting. It just wasn't in her character to be patient, something of which Harry was more than well aware. By the end of class, she was more than ready to leave, and was one of the first out of the door, much to the surprise of her class.
She was sitting in Harry's office waiting for him when he arrived, smiling widely as he kissed her.
"How was your day, sweetie?" He asked.
"Bloody awful - you know I hate waiting." Tonks pouted.
"Aww, never mind. You'll find out soon enough."
"Will you tell me if I ask nicely?" She asked, putting her hands on his chest. Harry smiled, noticing that she had reverted to her natural form, as she always did when they were alone.
"Not going to work."
"Huh. What about bribery, will that work?"
"Depends on the bribe."
"If you don't tell me, I'm not coming to your room for three weeks."
"Is that right?" Harry asked, kissing her neck. "Well it's a surprise. You're going to have to wait."
"Ugh. I hate you so much, Harry Potter."
"Well I love you." Harry said, kissing her again. She groaned, knowing that he had won again - just like he always did. But damn, if she had to lose to someone, she was sure that she wanted to lose to him. He smiled at her, his eyes dancing with happiness. She snaked her arms around him, bringing his mouth to hers. Even when he was being an insufferable git, he was her insufferable git.
"Hmm - I have to go and get ready. I'll see you later."
"Six, here." He reminded her.
"I know. I can't wait to see what you've got up your sleeve this time."
"Well you're going to have to - now go, before I steal you away and decide that you're not going anywhere."
"Is that a promise?"
"Love, if you want to go, you have three seconds to leave." With a cheeky grin, Tonks left his office and headed to her rooms. Harry sat back in his chair, wanting desperately to Trip to her room, but knowing that if he did so, they'd never make it to the island.
Instead, he headed up to the Gryffindor Tower, feeling the need for some normality for once in his life. He sat in his favourite chair by the fire, surprising some of the younger students, and much to the delight of the Creevey's.
"Harry! What are you doing here?" Ron asked, coming down from the dorms to see what all the noise was about.
"I miss this place - and my friends." Harry said truthfully.
"We missed you too - it's different now you're our teacher."
"Yeah."
"Can't you ask Dumbledore if you can go back to being a student?"
"And do what? I've passed my NEWT's once already - no point in doing them again."
"I s'pose. And you are a really good teacher."
"Thanks Ron."
"Er... you know how I've been made Quidditch captain?" Harry nodded, smiling when he remembered McGonagall telling him.
"Well... I was wondering whether you'd help train our new seeker - I mean, you're busy and everything, you don't have to."
"Ron, you're right when you say I'm busy, but of course I want to help. Is it allowed?"
"Yeah - 'Mione's been checking it out since I thought of it - that way you could still fly and everything."
"Ron, thanks. I have a proposition for you too - Hermione and Ginny can join too, of course."
"Join what?"
"The Marauder's of course - I might be a teacher but that doesn't mean I can't have fun."
"Of course I'll be a Marauder. I'd love too - not sure about 'Mione though - you know how she loves her rules."
"Ron, I swear, she's a Marauder at heart - I mean, for someone who knows the rulebook back to front, she's bent and broken just about every one with us in the past few years."
"Talking about me?" Hermione asked, smiling widely. "I was wondering how long it would be before you made your way here." She grinned as he got up and hugged her. As far as he was concerned, she was his sister and he had missed her.
"Oy, put her down, otherwise your girlfriend will get jealous."
"Hmm. If you say so." Harry smirked. "Although right at this moment she's about ready to curse me."
"Sounds interesting." Ginny said.
"Perfect - now I can ask you both. How would you like to become Marauders?" Both girls looked stunned for a moment, before grinning widely.
"We'd love to." They answered in unison.
"Told you so." Harry said to Ron, whose jaw had all but fallen to the ground.
At half past five, Harry left the Gryffindor Common Room to get ready. His nervousness had increased ten-fold, and even Ron had noticed that something wasn't right. That was the reason that he turned up at Harry's office ten minutes before six, to find his best friend dressed smartly, looking as if he was about to be taken to his death.
"Harry? What's going on?"
"I think I'm going to throw up." Harry groaned.
"Why?"
"I'm taking Tonks out tonight."
"Oh. Bit late for a first date, is it not?"
"It's not a first date, Ron."
"Then..." He trailed off as Harry took the box from his pocket and opened it. For the second time that night, Ron's jaw hung loose.
"I see that is a reasonable excuse for nerves." He muttered, picking up the box and staring at the ring.
"What d'you think?"
"I can't believe this. I had no idea it was this serious."
"Neither did I, to begin with." Harry said softly, looking at the ring.
"She'll say yes, Harry. I'm sure of it."
"Thanks mate. You'd better go - dinner's about to be served and it's going to look suspicious if you're here when she shows up."
"Ok. Good luck - by the way, we have Defence first tomorrow."
"Right." Harry nodded, smiling at his friend. Ron grinned and shook his head lightly.
"Just relax mate. I'll see you tomorrow."
"Hmm."
"She'll say yes, I know it."
Harry only had to wait another five minutes before Tonks knocked on his door, looking stunning.
"Are you going to tell me where we're going?" She asked shyly.
"You look gorgeous." Harry murmured, kissing her.
"So do you." Tonks blushed. Harry smiled and took her hand.
"Close your eyes." He whispered in her ear, taking her hand. She did so, her breath catching as she felt him Trip.
"You can open them again." He murmured, his arms around her waist and his chin resting on her shoulder. Tonks gasped as she took in the beautiful sunset and the beach.
"Where are we?"
"The Caribbean."
"That's specific."
"Umm... well they haven't named this island."
"Why not?"
"Because... well, it's only just been discovered."
"Oh."
"Do you want to eat?"
"Yeah - what's on the menu?"
"Whatever you want - Dobby fixed it so that we could order whatever we wanted."
"Great." Tonks smiled as they reached a blanket spread out on the white sand.
"You certainly know how to make a girl feel special." She said.
"That's the point." He replied, his smile melting her.
"So - who else is on this island?"
"Absolutely no one - it's warded against intruders. It's all ours."
"Just us?" Tonks asked, a grin spreading across her face.
"Yeah. Is that a problem?" He was joking, and Tonks shook her head vigorously, blushing slightly.
"Good. Are we going to eat?"
"Yeah." A picnic basket appeared in front of them, filled with all kinds of different foods.
"Strawberries for desert." Tonks smiled.
"And champagne."
"Should you be drinking?"
"Should you?"
"Good point. Maybe just a little - so what's the big occasion?"
"Does there have to be one?"
"Well no - but..."
"Would you rather I hadn't?"
"No." Tonks admitted. She leant against him as he pulled out a plate of spaghetti carbonara. Tonks giggled, remembering the first time she had tasted Harry's cooking.
"You cooked this the first time you cooked for us."
"I know." He replied, twirling some onto a fork. "And as I remember, only Remus was willing to eat it."
"We ate it in the end."
"You did."
"I had such a crush on you then."
"Huh?" Harry was thrown by the turn in the conversation, but listened anyway.
"You were so cute - you scared me half to death when you collapsed on me though."
"I know. I'm sorry about that."
"Just don't do it again." Harry nodded as he offered her the fork.
"Thanks." Tonks said, taking some of the spaghetti. Harry was watching her intently, his green eyes thoughtful. They ate in companionable silence for a while, content to be in each other's company. Tonks soon became aware of Harry's rather uneasy state, and began to get worried.
"Harry, what's wrong?" She asked, biting her lip - a habit she had acquired from him.
"Nothing. I'm fine." Harry said, smiling at her. He was slowly beginning to relax, but she was still sure that there was something he wasn't telling her.
"You sure? You seem a little preoccupied."
"I've got a few things on my mind." Harry admitted.
"Can I help?"
"Hmm, as a matter of fact you can." Harry said. Tonks watched, bewildered, as he knelt in front of her, his hand going into his pocket.
"Harry, what...?" Tonks trailed off as Harry pulled a box from his pocket, opening it slightly shakily.
"Will you marry me?" He asked. Tonks' hands flew to her mouth in astonishment. Whatever she had been expecting, it wasn't that.
"Tonks?" Harry now looked extremely worried as tears welled in her eyes.
"I'd love to." She whispered, tears running down her face. Harry's eyes betrayed his uncertainty, while they also looked hopeful.
"You will?"
"Of course I will." Tonks grinned, watching as Harry's face broke into the most open and honest smile she had ever seen on his face. He opened the box and slipped the ring onto her finger.
"It's beautiful." She murmured, her tears slowly ceasing.
"I love you."
"I love you too."
"I'm going to be Mrs Potter."
"Yeah - Nymphadora Tonks Potter."
"Tonks Potter."
"Very nice."
"How long have you been planning this?"
"I had the ring made a while ago - Arian picked it up for me and gave it to me today."
"Wow. You got it made for me?"
"Yeah - you do like it, don't you? I could get you a different one if you wanted."
"I'd like to see you try, Mr Potter. Stop worrying, it's a beautiful ring."
"Ok." Harry said, kissing her.
Harry and Tonks didn't return to Hogwarts until very late that night, and Tonks wasn't even awake. She had fallen asleep in his arms on the beach, and Harry was grateful that he could Trip directly to his room in Hogwarts - otherwise, he was sure that there would have been uproar. He lay beside her in bed and went to sleep, feeling more content than he had done in a long time.
Waking up late, Tonks never made it to the Great Hall for breakfast, though Harry did. From the Gryffindor table, Ron was giving him worried looks. Harry returned them with a mournful one, making Ron's face fall in disbelief and horror. When a smile broke out over Harry's face, his eyes grew before narrowing. Harry gave him a tiny nod, making his best friend grin like a Cheshire cat.
"What's going on?" Hermione demanded. Everyone else was too sleepy to notice, or to care.
Ron was still grinning when he got to Defence. Tonks was in the classroom, humming happily to herself and smiling every bit as widely as Ron was. Unnoticed, mainly due to his state of invisibility, Harry sat at the back of the class, grinning like an idiot.
"Tonks!" Hermione was the first one to spot the engagement ring, unsurprisingly. Frankly, Harry would have been disappointed had she not been the one to spot it first.
"Is that an engagement ring?" Lavender squeaked.
"Of course it is - when did he propose?" Hermione asked, rushing to the front of the class and examined the ring.
"Oh Tonks, it's fabulous!" Several other girls, Parvati, Lavender and Daniella included, followed Hermione and inspected the ring.
"Who is he and does he have any brothers?" Parvati moaned enviously.
"Was it romantic?" Lavender asked.
"Uh huh." Tonks grinned. Hermione looked ecstatic.
"Sit - I want every detail, and as my friend, you will tell me everything."
"No need to get bossy, Hermione. I guess Defence can be postponed for this morning - you'll all have to catch up next lesson."
"Tell us!" The girls cried.
"Ok, ok. Well first, he picked me up last night, and apparated me to a Caribbean island."
"Ooh - which one?"
"Umm... he said that it had only just been discovered. It didn't have a name."
"So it was just you two alone?"
"Yeah - there was a picnic all set up on the beach and everything." The girls sighed collectively, while all the males in the groaned.
"We had just finished eating when he went down on one knee."
"Aww!"
"I knew you would say yes." Ron smirked. "Told him so too."
"You knew?!" Hermione and Tonks squealed. Ron gulped.
"Er..."
"You knew and you didn't tell me?" Hermione asked.
"Well..."
"Does Harry know?" Ron, Hermione, Daniella and Tonks exchanged glances.
"Yeah, Harry knows." Harry said, becoming visible again. Tonks looked over at him, not surprised in the slightest.
You want to tell them? He asked, his voice in her mind making her jump slightly. She nodded, looking hopeful.
Why not? They'll find out soon enough anyway. Tonks grinned and crossed the room, reaching up to pull his lips towards hers.
"Devious." He muttered as they parted. "Very devious."
"Harry? Harry's your fiancé?" Parvati asked, looking both amazed and upset.
"Yep."
"Wait - how long have you two been together?" Lavender asked, looking utterly dismayed - Hogwarts' most eligible bachelor apparently wasn't a bachelor at all.
"Er...that would depend on whether we count time spent in Lesea - if you do, I guess we've been together about nine months to a year - if not, just over two months."
"That's quite a short time to decide that you want to spend the rest of your life with someone."
"It's long enough." Harry replied, smiling at his fiancee.
"Yeah, but till death do you part? That's a big commitment." Harry's smile froze in place, his eyes blazing. Tonks reached out to him, taking a hold of his hands and pressing the scars to her lips.
"Don't even think it, Harry. You'll get through this, and I'll be right there beside you." Harry leant in to kiss her softly.
"Thanks." He murmured.
"You're welcome." Tonks said, resting her head against her chest and glaring at Parvati, who had said it.
"Sorry Harry, I didn't mean to upset you." She said, looking worried.
"No problem. You just hit a nerve."
"No kidding." Ron muttered, glaring at Parvati as well.
"Well I'm very happy for you both." Hermione said, giving Harry and Tonks a hug.
"Thanks 'Mione." Harry said.
"No problem."
"I have to go - I have seventh year Ravenclaws and Slytherins next. I'll see you at lunch."
"Yeah - what fun, I get to do battle with more of your admirers."
"And you win every time." Harry grinned, "Oh, and we had better go to Lesea - otherwise we'll never hear the end of it."
"Oh I know - Remus! We have to tell Remus!"
"And Molly - no doubt she'd love to help. We'll do that tonight."
"Hmm - not quite what I was planning." Tonks replied, her eyes dancing.
Good job we have all the time in the world then, isn't it? He smirked.
"Most definitely. Especially knowing you." Tonks grinned at him and he groaned.
"Tonks, honey. I have to get to class and you are not helping me." Tonks pouted, putting a hand to his neck, where the locket hung.
"Time out?" She whispered.
Come to my classroom as soon as you're finished here - then time out. He told her. She was getting used to his voice in her mind - it was comforting, soothing. And it was incredibly sexy. She groaned quietly, he was driving her mad.
"If you don't stop that, we're going to give your students quite a show. I have to go. My classroom - as soon as you're done here." He whispered, his lips close to her ear. She bit her lip and nodded, half glad and half upset when he disappeared.
"Ugh - Tonks, can't you keep the mushy stuff for when you're alone?" Ron asked, looking faintly ill. He was the only one. Every one else was either flushed or left slightly dazed.
"Oh man. I have to get out of here." Dean said, fleeing the class. Seamus followed suit, while Tonks watched them go in amusement.
"Something I said?"
"More like that little show that you and Harry had going." Hermione said.
"How much would you pay to be a fly on the wall during their honeymoon?" Lavender whispered to Parvati.
"Tell me about it - but that is not going to wait until the honeymoon."
"I know. She is so lucky."
"Yeah."
The class couldn't pass quickly enough, as far as both Harry and Tonks were concerned. As soon as the bell rang, she pulled on her invisibility cloak and ran to Harry's classroom.
At last! I thought that lesson was never going to end! He told her, while kissing her hungrily and reaching up for his locket. Soon they were in the familiar surroundings of his hidden estate, sitting in the living room as he muttered the spell to keep Leona out. Tonks' eyes were practically glowing.
"All sealed?"
"Uh huh. Now, what was it you were saying about plans?"
"Hmm." Was Tonks' only reply as she set about showing him exactly what she had planned.
Harry watched Tonks sleep peacefully, her head on his chest. She was perfect, he thought, the most beautiful and loving person he had ever met. He thought back to their conversation about soul mates. He had been doubtful about the whole idea when they had talked about it, but now...
By the time Harry's class was filing in, Harry and Tonks were talking quietly. A few snatches of the conversation were heard:
"Arian? In class? Are you sure" Tonks said.
"Yeah - will you keep these guys busy for a few minutes?"
"How long are you going to spend in Lesea?"
"An hour or two - it depends on what's happening."
"Be careful, yeah?"
"Of course." Harry turned to the class, smiling widely.
"I will be gone for the first few minutes of the lesson - Tonks will be keeping an eye on you. Look over what we did last lesson. If you have any questions, Tonks should be able to answer them." With that, he disappeared, leaving many confused students behind him.
"How does he do that, Professor? I thought apparating was impossible within Hogwarts' grounds."
"He doesn't apparate - it's called Tripping. The Warrior form of apparition. More complicated."
"Does that mean that any Warriors can get in here?"
"Actually, Simba has put up his own wards around the school to stop that - only certain Warriors are keyed in to them - others have to travel here just like any other Wizards." Leona said, popping up from nowhere.
"Why can't Harry just travel like ordinary Wizards? I mean, why don't the wards exclude all Tripping?"
"Because," Tonks said patiently, "For those of you who haven't noticed, Simba, Harry and Leona spend a lot of time between here and Lesea - it is both more practical and safer for them to Trip. Besides, it is the quickest method of travel, and god-forbid something happens, it means that we have a back-up."
"Tonks, where's Harry?" Leona asked, not being able to sense him in the immediate vicinity.
"He's gone to fetch your brother." Tonks replied. Leona nodded, smiling. She gasped as the ring on Tonks' finger caught the light, sparkling brightly.
"Oh my goodness! When did this happen?" She asked, grabbing her hand. The class was paying close attention, wondering who their Defence Professor was engaged to.
"Last night."
"I knew something was going on! I can't believe he never told me!"
"Ron knew - so did Arian."
"I am going to kill my brother!" Leona cried, inspecting the ring. "It's gorgeous."
"May we see it?" One of the girls asked. Tonks held out her hand proudly, grinning widely.
"So what did your students think?"
"Well Ron knew, Hermione was really excited, Daniella couldn't stop grinning and the rest of the girls looked as if they wanted to strangle me. At least they did after they found out who my fiance was."
"I'll bet - so who have you told?"
"Apart from my class, no one."
"Rhia, you know who Tonks is marrying, don't you?" Leona asked.
"Yep - and I can tell you that it's going to break a few hearts."
"Oops." Tonks said, looking rather unconcerned.
"Who is it?"
"You'll see." Leona smirked.
"Hey Lee." Harry and Arian said from the door. Cho sat up straighter, smiling seductively.
"Arian - you knew about this?" Lee demanded, holding up Tonks' hand so that the ring caught the light.
"I was sworn to secrecy." Arian said hurriedly, looking wary of his youngest sister.
"And why was that?" Lee went on, shifting her gaze to Harry.
"Lee, you are so bad at pretending to be angry." He replied, a smile tugging at his lips.
"That was acting?" Arian asked, dismayed.
"Yeah - your little sister does that every so often. Can't you tell?"
"No. He never has been able to." Lee grinned, giving her student a hug.
"I'm so pleased for you." She said.
"Thanks."
"So, what's on the agenda for today? Who's duelling who?"
"Well, as I'm in a good mood, I might duel both of you." Harry said.
"Both of them?" Cho asked, looking pale.
"Yeah - it can actually be an advantage to have two opponents - and I don't mean that if you're faced with two opponents that it's going to be easier, I'm just saying that it's never impossible."
"Great - Arian, a word." Lee said, faking a glare at Tonks.
"This is all your fault." She accused. Tonks grinned, exchanging glances with Harry.
"Good." She replied.
"I take it you want to stick around?" Harry asked.
"Of course - by the way, didn't you say that Arian was a soldier?"
"Yeah - one of the best." Harry replied, watching Lee and Arian discuss battle tactics.
"You're mental." Tonks said, shaking her head in disbelief.
"Oh look, I think they're ready. Rhia, you're the ref."
"Sure - go easy on them, Harry."
"No - give it your best shot." Lee said. Harry nodded, knowing that these duels were as much for his benefit as they were for his classes.
The duel that ensued was fast and furious, with Harry dodging everything and anything that the other two threw at him. After a few minutes of just dodging, he began moving slightly, ducking so that their attacks went over his head and causing the other to dodge the attack from their ally. For once, it wasn't Harry that was skewered by Leona's blunt poison arrows - he had jumped out of the way, causing it to drive into Arian's shoulder.
"Argh! Lee, when was the last time you sharpened these arrows?"
"Er..."
"She likes to keep them blunt so that they hurt more - just sharp enough to break skin, but blunt enough that they have to have a lot of power behind them to do so. Just wait till the poison kicks in." Harry said helpfully.
"Poison?"
"Sorry Arian - I always use poisoned arrows - it's one of the few things that seem to be useful against Harry."
"But poison?"
"Guys?" Harry asked, one sword pointing at each of them.
"Damn."
"Ok, you win."
"Right - come here Arian." Harry yanked the arrow out of the older man's shoulder.
"OWW!" He yowled, jumping away from Harry.
"You're lucky - believe me, it hurts worse when she's closer. Do you want me to heal it or are you going to wait and get Gem to heal it?" Arian shuddered, imagining the lecture he would get from his younger sister.
"Would you do it, please?"
"No problem. It'll sting a bit."
"Yeah, I know." Harry muttered something, making a patch of Arian's robes disappear so that he could reach the wound. Soon all the poison had been extracted, leaving a small wound to close on it's own.
"It'll close up pretty soon." He informed him.
"Thanks. Good duel. You didn't even have to use a spell."
"Actually I did." Harry murmured, grinning slightly as he fixed the robes.
"You did?"
"Yep." Harry said. He didn't elaborate, but Arian was beginning to realise just what spell it had been.
"Nice - very sneaky." He said, inclining his head as a mark of his respect. He knew that this was the Mage, whether he looked like Simba or not, and the Mage deserved his respect.
"Well done, honey. At least you didn't get another arrow wound this time."
"I take it Lee's got you several times with that then?"
"Yeah." Harry grimaced.
"Poor baby." Tonks said, kissing him softly. Harry turned to receive the kiss on the lips, deepening it slightly.
"All right you two, enough already - save it for the honeymoon." Lee said, watching as the class stared in astonishment.
"Yeah, right." Arian snorted.
"Arian." Harry and Tonks warned in unison.
"Sorry." Lee turned to see Cho fleeing from the room in tears. Harry looked slightly uncomfortable, while Rhia rolled her eyes.
"Don't mind her, Harry." One Ravenclaw girl said, "She's just upset that she didn't hang on to you."
"Right." Harry said. He felt as if he ought to go after her. He looked over at Tonks, who was looking rather concerned.
"I'll go and speak to her." He said softly. Tonks nodded, knowing that Cho posed no threat to her and Harry's relationship - he had been there, done that.
"Keep me posted, ok?"
"Sure." Harry said quietly, kissing Tonks softly.
"Everyone, homework for next day is an essay on how to use the number of opponents as an advantage. No more than four rolls of parchment, and no less than three." The class groaned, but Harry wasn't there to hear it.
Harry focused on trying to place his ex-girlfriend. In Hogwarts, it wasn't an easy task. After a few minutes, he managed to locate her.
"You have got to be joking." He muttered, realising that she was hiding out in the girls bathroom - in Moaning Myrtle's bathroom. Fading into invisibility, he jogged up there, hoping that Moaning Myrtle wouldn't hold him up for too long.
"Who are you?" Myrtle demanded as he walked into the girls bathroom.
"Don't you recognise me Myrtle?"
"Harry? Is that you? You look so...mature!"
"Thanks Myrtle." Harry chuckled.
"You didn't come and see me last year."
"I'm sorry Myrtle - I was... er... in a rather bad mood with everyone and everything last year - I would have insulted you, I'm sure."
"I don't mind you insulting me, Harry." Myrtle said, giggling softly.
"Er... right. Look, Myrtle. Not that I don't want to talk to you or anything, but has Cho been in here?"
"Cho? Pretty girl, about so high, dark hair?"
"That's her." Harry said.
"Haven't seen her." Myrtle lied.
"Myrtle. The truth."
"The end cubicle - is she your girlfriend?"
"No." Harry said softly.
"Oh!" Myrtle brightened so considerably that Harry didn't have the heart to tell her that he was engaged to someone else. He walked to the end cubicle, pushing it open gently to find Cho sitting on the floor, her knees pulled up to her chest, tears streaming silently down her face.
"What are you doing here?" She asked in what would be a venomous voice, had she had the energy or the inclination to make it so.
"I came to see what's wrong with you."
"Why?"
"Why? Well... look, Cho, I can't pretend that I still like you in that way, but... well, I'm your teacher, and I... I kinda hoped that we were still friends." Cho sobbed quietly, resting her head against his chest. He awkwardly patted her back, remembering the last time he had done so - just before they kissed.
"I'm being stupid." She said. "I know I am, but... seeing you... I fell in love with you."
"Oh Cho. You have no idea how happy I would have been to hear that a year ago."
"But not now."
"I'm sorry. We wouldn't have worked out anyway."
"Why?"
"Because you were uncomfortable because of what happened with Cedric, we hardly know each other and, well... nothing is ever really what it seems with me."
"Why are you marrying her?"
"Because I love her." Harry said.
"You do?"
"More than anything. She's probably also the only woman in the world that could put up with everything that comes with me."
"Oh. Then I guess... congratulations."
"Thanks Cho."
"When's the wedding?"
"No idea - I just proposed last night. We haven't had time to discuss anything like that yet."
"Oh. Why didn't you talk about it last night?"
"Umm..." Harry fidgeted, and Cho immediately figured out the reason - she wasn't a Ravenclaw for nothing. "We... kinda got... sidetracked." He said eventually, blushing slightly.
"I can't believe you're still only sixteen." Cho said.
"I'm not - I'm somewhere around twenty-five."
"Oh. That certainly explains a lot. I'm glad you're happy."
"Thank you." Cho nodded, giving him a peck on the cheek. She walked out, pausing at the door as Harry called out to her:
"You'd better find out the homework from one of your friends."
"Yes Sir." Cho laughed.
You're getting married?!" Myrtle screeched.
"Yeah." Harry winced.
"How could you? How could you lead me on like that? Out, out. OUT!" Harry Tripped out of the bathroom, landing back in his classroom.
"What happened? You look pale." Tonks said, clearly concerned.
"Moaning Myrtle."
"What about her?"
"Apparently I 'led her on'. She wasn't happy."
"Ah." Tonks said, understandingly. A smile tugged at her lips as she put her hands on Harry's shoulders and began to rub.
"How did things go with Cho?"
"I think everything's ok."
"You're sure?"
"Yeah. I was just worried about her - I guess she's stronger than I gave her credit for."
"Uh huh." Tonks said. She didn't see Cho pass the door, smiling slightly. Harry did, but he said nothing.
"Come on, honey. Let's go and get some lunch."
"You just want to show off your ring some more."
"And my fiance."
"Whatever you say, love."
"Hmm. I can't wait to be Mrs Potter."
"Let's go get some lunch - if we don't go now, we're not going to get to go."
"Ok." Tonks said, smiling innocently.
Rumours flew around the hall faster than ever before - only a few people knew the truth, and those people were currently in hysterics over some of the blatantly ridiculous rumours.
"They... they think... that Tonks... oh, that's priceless!"
"No, no, no. The best one is the one with Snape - I mean, ewww!"
"Tell me about it."
"I don't know, Filch was quite a surprise - there's something very wrong with the imaginations of the gossips in this school."
"Hey, we resent that!" Lavender said, with Parvati nodding her agreement.
"You two didn't start any of these by any chance, did you?"
"Just the ones about Tonks and a younger guy - which are, by the way, perfectly true."
"No they're not." Ron said.
"What? There's no way that Tonks is under sixteen."
"No - she's twenty one. But Harry is twenty five."
"What? And how did he miraculously gain nine years?"
"Time difference." Hermione said. "For every hour that passes here, a day passes in Lesea - though that doesn't account for nine years - I'm sure Harry has some trick or other up his sleeve."
"Right. Well how many people in this place know that?"
"I suppose."
"Mind you, it does explain the differences. I bet he's fantastic in bed!"
"LAVENDER BROWN!" Hermione shrieked. Her cheeks were tinted pink, but whether it was through anger or something else, no one knew.
When Harry and Tonks walked into the room hand-in-hand and oblivious to everyone as they chatted to each other, everyone fell silent. The ring glittering on her hand was plain for everyone to see, and if their joined hands and close proximity were anything to go by, Harry was her fiance. No one knew who started the clapping, but pretty soon, everyone bar a few Slytherins were on their feet and applauding the two youngest Professors. Many of the girls were envious of Tonks, while they adored Harry. Many of the guys wanted to be Harry.
"Oh damn." Harry muttered, going slightly red as everyone applauded them.
"Half of the girls look like the world is ending." Tonks grinned.
"It is - Malfoy's actually smiling."
"What? Now that is scary."
"Yeah, I'd say so."
"You do realise that now we're going to get about ten thousand letters asking for exclusives on our wedding plans?"
"Oh no."
"Oh yes. Not to mention the fact that they're all going to want interviews and wedding pictures, etcetera."
"Is this supposed to be reassuring me?"
"I don't think so - it's scaring the life out of me."
"We'll manage." Harry assured her.
"We always do."
Everyone talked about Harry and Tonks for the rest of that night - many were shocked at the pairing, while others said they had suspected it all along. Harry and Tonks travelled to Lesea after dinner, wasting no time in telling the Tides. Everyone had been overjoyed about it, and had congratulated them. While Serena, Gem and Lee dragged Tonks away to talk wedding dresses and other arrangements, both Arians sat with Harry, telling him that he'd be driven to distraction with wedding plans before long.
Remus grinned widely as Harry and Tonks told him their news. He had suspected that Harry would propose at some point, although he was mildly surprised at how quickly he had. Still, he knew that there was more to their relationship that met the eye - Tonks had been the one to help him through his guilt over Sirius' death, and, though most people didn't see it, Tonks was happier and more relaxed than she ever had been. He also knew that time wasn't a factor for them - for all he knew, they could have been together for the equivalent of years.
Molly, as predicted, was delighted that Harry had proposed. She immediately began muttering things about colour schemes, and bridesmaid dresses and such. Harry was beginning to realise that this was all he would get until the wedding. He found that he didn't care – as long as Tonks was there, everything would be worth it. Arthur had smiled warmly and congratulated them both, saving Harry from the girl talk.
The next stop was Tonks' parents' house. Harry was slightly nervous at this - these people would be his in-laws and he had never even met them before! Tonks smiled up at him, her eyes glowing with happiness.
"Don't worry - you'll be fine. You'll have to excuse the mess."
"Are you kidding? I'd rather it was messy than pristine and spotless - look at the Dursley's."
"Fair point. They'll love you, I promise."
"Hmm." Harry remembered Sirius talking about Tonks' parents - Andromeda, Tonks' mother, had been his favourite cousin. Her father, Ted, was a Muggle-born.
"What are you thinking?" Tonks asked quietly.
"Just remembering what Sirius told me about your mother."
"Oh?" Tonks looked interested now, and they sat down on the doorstep.
"Yeah - we were looking at that old family tree - you know the 'most ancient and noble house of Black', or some such rubbish. I asked why he wasn't on it - one of the few history lessons that I enjoyed. He told me about running away, and how your mother had been removed from it because she married a Muggle-born. Your mother was his favourite cousin."
"I remember growing up, mum would tell me about all the crazy things that Sirius had done - she loved him to bits. I think she always knew deep down that he was innocent. She knew your parents, too."
"She did?"
"Yeah - what with James being so close to Sirius, and with Lily and James being practically inseparable. I remember when you were born - I was only a kid at the time, but I remember mum telling me that Lily had had a little boy - I saw you. You were asleep in the crib, and I just stared at you. You were adorable."
"Was I?"
"Yeah - everyone thought so. They loved you more than anything. Even a seven-year old could see it. Even then, I loved you to bits."
"Thanks Nymphie." Harry said, kissing her softly.
"Only you could ever get away with that." She replied, sighing contentedly.
"I love you so much." Harry murmured into her hair - now as jet black as his own.
"I know. I love you too. Come on, let's go and tell mum and dad." Tonks pulled him up and pushed open the door.
"Mum? Dad?" She called.
"Nymphadora? Is that you?" A woman's voice called.
"Yeah - there's someone I'd like you to meet. Where are you?"
"In the kitchen, sweetie."
"Is dad in?"
"Yeah - we're just having dinner." Tonks grabbed Harry's hand and moved through the house, following the delicious smells.
"Nymphadora! We haven't seen you in ages!" The woman said. Harry was immediately struck by the woman's resemblance to Sirius - they shared the same eyes and the same hair.
"Oh, hello. Aren't you going to introduce us, honey?"
"Mum, daddy, this is Harry. My fiance." The effect of these words was enormous - Andromeda shrieked and rushed to engulf her daughter in a hug.
"Harry...?" Ted asked.
"Harry Potter." Harry said, slipping into what Tonks had dubbed 'Simba mode'. It was the easiest way to talk to people he didn't know when he was in the Warrior Mage frame of mind.
"Really? Good gracious, Harry. We haven't seen you since you were around two months old. Needless to say, you've changed a bit." Ted laughed. Harry found himself warming to his future father-in-law.
"We've kept up with your press, of course." Andromeda grinned.
"You and everyone else in Britain." Harry replied wryly.
"It's not very... reliable, is it?"
"No." Harry laughed warmly, his green eyes twinkling happily.
"You two will stay for something to eat, won't you?"
"Why not?" Tonks said happily.
"Perfect - so, Harry, are the rumours true?"
"It depends on which rumour you've heard." Harry said warily.
"The one's about you being a Warrior."
"Oh those - yes, that's true."
"Fascinating. Is it true that the sky in the Warrior city is green?"
"Green?" Harry asked, looking bewildered. "No, the sky in Lesea is the same as the sky here - apart from in certain places, where it can be pretty much any colour - like the Northern lights, I guess."
"Ah." Ted said, looking intrigued. Harry suspected that Ted was as obsessed with Warriors as Arthur Weasley was with Muggles.
"What about their hierarchy? Is it true that there's one man in charge of it all?"
"The Mage is very powerful, yes. He holds a lot of sway, but he's not in charge of everything, as such. He oversees the running of Lesea, and is responsible for pretty much everything, but the Minister is in charge of most day-to-day decisions."
"Very nice man." Tonks said. "Not stuck up at all - very modest."
"You've met him?" Ted now looked delighted, and Tonks exchanged amused looks with Harry.
"Yeah - Harry took me and Remus to Lesea before the start of term. You remember Remus, don't you? Sirius' best friend." Harry watched as pain flashed in Andromeda's eyes. He could sympathise.
"Yes, of course. How is he?"
"He's fine."
"Good. Now, Harry, I hope you like casserole. Nothing fancy, I'm afraid."
"That's lovely, thank you Mrs Tonks." Harry said.
"Please, call me Andromeda - or Andy."
"Ok."
"Harry's just pleased that he doesn't have to cook." Tonks said happily, smirking at her boyfriend.
"You cook?" Andy asked, rather surprised - she remembered both James' and Sirius' horrific attempts at cooking.
"He's a brilliant cook - Molly's been relegated to second place. His spaghetti carbonara is delicious."
"Kiss-ass." Harry muttered under his breath. Tonks smiled at him.
"I thought you preferred the pecan pie?"
"Oh yeah - mum, you have to try his pecan pie - it's incredible."
"Yes, we must." Andy smiled, catching her husband's eye - neither had seen Tonks as bright and bubbly and as truly happy in a long time.
"So, Harry, how is life as a teacher?"
"Busy." Harry said. "It's certainly challenging."
"Your mother and father would be so proud." Andy sighed, her eyes misty. Harry ducked his head slightly.
"Thanks."
"So, what rumours haven't we heard that you seemed so cautious about?" Ted teased.
"Oh, the students have come up with much more interesting rumours about Tonks." He laughed. "Did you hear the one about you and a certain Potions Professor?" Tonks paled and began looking nauseous.
"They didn't. Please tell me that no one actually thought that I was with Snivellus?"
"Oh they did - that was one of my favourites. Oh yes, and something about Argus Filch? Not sure what that was about."
"Harry! You're lying!"
"Would I?" Harry asked, pasting a mock-injured look onto his face.
"Yes." Tonks snorted.
"It's true, I swear. Of course, there were other rumours too..."
"Like?"
"Well, slightly more accurate, but more... outrageous."
"Hmm - interesting. I might have to hear more about this later."
Harry and Tonks spent most of the rest of the night with Tonks' parents, chatting about everything - the wedding, the Warrior world, what was going on in Hogwarts, and the past. Eventually, at around midnight, they Tripped back to Hogwarts.