Disclaimer - This story is based on characters and situations created and owned by JK Rowling, various publishers including but not limited to Bloomsbury Books, Scholastic Books and Raincoast Books, and Warner Bros., Inc. No money is being made and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended.
Authors Notes:
This chapter is dedicated to 'Jaquelyne Hawkins'. She was instrumental in cutting out my writers block.
Sorry for the long delay. Had some RL problems with which I won't bore you. Yet if you want to know about them, please see my LiveJournal. The link is on my Authors Page under Homepage. Please read Important Notice below.
Chapter 6 – Of Predictions and Truths
Monday morning arrived the same as usual but Harry woke up feeling extremely refreshed. The memories of the previous day were still fresh in his mind and the rather pleasant dreams the night before had made him a drastically cheerful person. He finished his morning rituals and went down to greet his family. He carefully kept his face expressionless so that his emotions would not be disclosed to the others.
After a light snack in the morning and a meal in the afternoon, Harry could be once again seen sitting on the blanket in the Dursleys lawn while Phoebe sat curled up next to him. The cat had taken an immense liking to him and whenever Harry was outside, the cat would be there next to him almost immediately. She was letting out contended purrs as he caressed her soft back. Every now and then he would scratch her behind the ears earning soft meows of happiness from her.
His mind wandered aimlessly as he could not think of anything to do. This summer was so far the most boring of his life. While the others had him doing the chores for his relatives, this one had him spend the time all alone, with only Hedwig and recently Phoebe for company. Due to the OWL exams that had taken place during the previous school year, he did not even have any homework to do. He only hoped that his training would start soon or else poor Tom would have to do nothing to harm him. He would just die of boredom.
He looked down at the cat to see that she was resting quietly. He gently shook her and called her name to wake her up.
"Phoebe. Get up girl."
She opened her eyes and meowed in, what he assumed to be, a reproachful tone for waking her out of her peaceful slumber.
"Why don't you head home, sweetheart? I have to write some letters. We'll meet again soon. I promise."
She cast a last sad glance at him and then scurried away. He let out a deep sigh at his boring life and went inside the house straight up to his room. He still had to write replies to the letters send to him by his friends. He wondered if he should write a letter to the Order but decided against it since someone or the other was coming to meet him everyday. So now he just had to write two letters, one to Ron and the other to Ginny.
The letter to Ron was fairly simple. He just wrote a quick note thanking him for the letter and saying that he was fine and the Dursleys were leaving him on his own. He didn't have to write to Hermione since she was traveling and it would be very difficult to send her a letter at this time. He now came across a very difficult hurdle. He knew that a reply to Ginny's letter would be difficult. But he understood really how much difficult it would be to phrase it only when he had written 7 different messages and scraped them as unsatisfactory.
Finally he decided to write a nice and small note that covered all the main points but was also satisfactory enough to convey his gratification.
Dear Ginny,
First of all, I am very glad you wrote to me. I consider you as much a friend as Ron and Hermione. You don't know how much your friendship means to me. Last year, you were the only one keeping me in line and who stood up to face my stubbornness and I can't thank you enough for that.
Your family and friends are the only people left for me in this world now. I have lost Sirius but I know all of you will be there for me. I know I should not feel guilty. I also know that this wasn't my fault but rather Voldemort and Bellatrix are to be blamed for it. I realize all of it. Its just that he was my Godfather, Ginny, and however hard I try to forget him, I just can't do that. He was a connection to my parents that I've now lost.
But, I think that has given me a motive, an incentive, a purpose to defeat that bastard once and for all. I will have to face him one day and I will surely try to give him hell. I just want to stand up to him and give him twice the damage he has given me. I know I won't be alone since I have such worthy friends and you don't know how grateful I am.
I think that with time, I will get over the loss, but for now, the pain and nightmares are my only companions and I will deal with them. Somewhere in my heart I know that things will get better and the days will change for the better.
Say Hello from me to everyone and also tell them that I am fine and the Dursleys are treating me well, err... not bad actually. They don't know how to treat me well.
Thanks again for writing to me and continue doing so.
Your friend,
Harry.
He read the letter once again. It was not the most eloquently written, but at the same time expressive enough to carry his feelings. This was the first time he had written about Sirius and he felt that somehow, writing it just confirmed the fact. There was no way of denial now. He felt tears forming in his eyes again and wiped them furiously with the sleeve of his shirt. He wouldn't cry now. There was no time or importance for such trivialities. All that was important now was his future and that of the world.. If the fate of the world was residing on his shoulders, then so be it. He would take every step necessary to complete the task set for him by destiny.
He sealed both the letters without another thought. and looked toward his companion Carrying the letters in his hand, he silently walked up to Hedwig who was waiting in anticipation to carry them. He caressed her soft snowy feathers and tied the letters to the offered leg. After instructing her to carry them to Ron and Ginny, he watched as she flew out in the afternoon sky. He then went and rested on his bed, thinking about all the various ways in which he would like to kill Voldemort and his Death Eaters.
Harry didn't know how easily he succumbed to sleep thinking about all the different ways of killing all the Death Eaters and Tom himself. He was brought out of his peaceful slumber by the hooting of an owl. He sleepily opened his eyes to see a dark brown owl sitting on his desk with several letters tied to its leg. He waited for a moment till his vision cleared and then went up to the owl and removed its burden. As soon as the letters were removed, the owl turned and flew out of the window without a wayward glance.
Harry looked at the pile and saw that all were addressed to him and were having the official Ministry seal engraved in the wax. Counting them he looked surprised to see five letters addressed to him from the Ministry. He opened the first one and saw that it was from Cornelius Fudge, the Minister of Magic. He read the letter quickly to control his growing curiosity.
Dear Mr. Potter,
As we had discussed the recent events a couple of days ago and the conditions stated thereafter, I had a discussion with Ms. Amelia Bones, Head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, Mrs. Mafalda Hopkirk, Improper Use of Magic Office and Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore, Headmaster of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, Member of International Confederation of Wizards and Chief Warlock of the Wizengamot, about the various terms.
I am pleased to inform you that the discussions were very successful and the conditions approved without any resistance. The above mentioned departments will be sending a confirmation letter regarding the various terms and you may receive all the letters together.
I would also like to assure you Mr. Potter that all necessary steps are being taken to curb the advances of You-Know-Who and the Ministry is taking every step to ensure the safety of the people.
The letter to Miss Tonks will be delivered by the end of the day. Sent herewith is the letter explaining her new tasks. I would also like to tell you that these will be in accordance with your requirements.
Wishing you well,
Cornelius Oswald Fudge,
Minister of Magic.
Harry smiled at the letter. Fudge was taking the necessary steps now. All left now was convincing the people not to remove him from office. He opened the second letter and saw that it was from Mafalda Hopkirk.
Dear Mr. Potter,
After having a discussion with Cornelius Fudge, the Minister of Magic and Albus Dumbledore, Headmaster of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, and receiving their consent, we have come to the decision that you are to be exempted from the Restriction of Underage Magic, due to recent events concerning the rise of You-Know-Who. The exemption is valid from the time you receive this letter and till it is revoked or you become of age when you will not be needing an exemption, whichever is first.
I would also like to remind you that proper discretion be applied while using magic in front of others as people will not know about your exemption and may not react well, saying this is blatant favouritism. We are aware that this is not the case but certain people may not take this in an understanding manner and may resort to ridiculing you and the Ministry. This is in accordance with the suggestion of Headmaster Dumbledore.
With Best Wishes,
Hoping you are well,
Mafalda Hopkirk,
Improper Use of Magic Office.
After reading the second letter, Harry started doing a dance around the small room waving his hands in an insane manner before finally coming to rest besides the pile of letters on the table. He took the third letter in his hand and saw that it was from Amelia Bones.
Dear Mr. Potter,
After having a discussion with Cornelius Fudge, the Minister of Magic and Albus Dumbledore, Headmaster of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, and receiving their consent, we have come to decisions regarding the various matters discussed.
Firstly, I would like to congratulate you on the removal of your lifetime ban from Quidditch. I would like to see you continue the legacy we are so fond of watching.
Secondly, from the current school year, all Educational Decrees issued last year by Ms. Dolores Umbridge, Former Undersecretary to the Minister of Magic, are hereby declared null and void. We would like to see the school function properly again.
Thirdly, charges are pressed against Ms. Dolores Umbridge, Former Undersecretary to the Minister of Magic, for the use of Blood Quills and the threat and attempt to use an Unforgivable Curse, here the Cruciatus Curse, on another individual and in this case, on a minor. Be assured that a trial under Veritaserum will be held and no leniency will be taking place in giving a rational verdict.
Lastly, you are also granted permission to learn how to apparate and requested to give an apparition test to receive your license, so that certain problems arising while apparating can be avoided. The information that you have the license, as you may be aware, will be kept a secret, as suggested by Headmaster Dumbledore.
My best wishes on your future.
Amelia Bones,
Head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement.
This letter prompted a rather longer dancing spree from Harry than the previous one. He opened the next letter and saw that it was from Professor Dumbledore.
Dear Harry,
I requested the Minister that this letter be sent with the rest so that you may receive all at once. As you may have already read, all the matters you discussed with Cornelius have been taken care of. I will like to suggest you that discretion be applied whenever necessary while using the services.
I would also like to congratulate you on your successful way of dealing with the Minister. You have made him realize his mistakes and approve your decisions and requirements in a very effective manner. There is also one more matter that I would like to discuss with you but this medium may not be the best, so I will leave it to the time when we meet next. I hope you will discuss the relevant issues with Miss Tonks when you meet her.
All the Best for your training. Take care Harry.
Yours Truly,
Albus Dumbledore.
The Headmaster's letter conveyed the same advice of following caution as the previous two had mentioned. He wondered briefly what other matter Dumbledore wanted to discuss with him, but couldn't find a reasonable answer. He shrugged it off deciding that the Headmaster would talk with him about it the next time they meet.
He took the last letter and saw that this one was addressed to Miss Nymphadora Tonks, To Be Delivered by Mr. Harry Potter. Harry marveled at the thoughtfulness of Fudge. That man really knew the ins and outs of politics. He hadn't expected such a formal letter, but nevertheless, this was much better. After reading the address, he wanted to open the letter but thought that he should let Tonks open it, after all, it was addressed to her. The only thing wrong with the letter was the fact that it had her full name written on it.
Now he only had to wait till Tonks arrived, which he reasoned, and knew without an iota of doubt, would happen before the day ended.
It was almost time for the Ministry departments to end their work for the day, only half an hour left and Tonks was sitting at her desk working furiously to complete the report on one of the Death Eater trials, all the while cursing her desk job. The report was required first thing in the morning tomorrow and she would have to complete it before she could go home. She was just giving the final touches, her quill dancing fervently on the parchment, before filing it away when her senior auror Kingsley Shacklebolt strode in her office and called out her name.
"Tonks, I have a letter for you." he said in his deep baritone voice.
"Just a minute, Shack. Just let me finish this thing." she said her eyes still on her work, while gesturing him to sit.
About two minutes later, she had finally completed the report and with a flick of her wand, it was filed and settled in the filing cabinet. She heaved a sigh of relief and then turned her attention to the waiting auror. She frowned when she saw the apprehensive expression on her colleague's face.
"What is it Shack? Anything serious?"
"I don't exactly know, Tonks. Just got this letter for you. Its from the Minister. Written: To Be Delivered Urgently." he said passing her the said letter.
Tonks took the letter and opened it with growing anxiety. It was not always that someone received an urgent letter from the Minister. What did Fudge want from me now, and that too Urgently, she wondered. She opened the Ministry seal and started reading the letter.
Auror Nymphadora Tonks,
This letter is addressed to notify you that your current position as an Auror in the Ministry of Magic has been revoked due to some unaccountable reasons. The Ministry has found your services unsatisfactory according to our requirements as stated under Section 29 D Sub-Section IV. You are hereby requested to clear all matters with the Ministry. It is imperative that you do not to resume your work from the next day of receiving this notice.
Failure to comply with this notice will result in legal action to be taken against you under a full Wizengamot jury. Any objections with this notice could be brought to the notice of the Minister of Magic, Mr. Cornelius Fudge or Miss Amelia Bones, Head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, only after two weeks passing from the date of receipt. Until that time you are prohibited from taking any steps against this notice.
Yours Sincerely,
Cornelius Oswald Fudge,
Minister of Magic.
To say that the metamorphmagus was floored would not have been far from the truth. She reread the letter and continued to stare at it as if she were a muggle and had seen a ghost. Kingsley took one look at her open mouth and astounded features and rightly came to the conclusion that whatever was in the letter was outright terrible for her to act like this. Not being able to bear the suspensive silence anymore, he decided to bring her out of her reverie.
"Err... Tonks. Not to be prying or anything, but what the hell is written in that 'Urgent' letter?" He asked, his deep voice laden with concern.
The effect was instantaneous as he had expected and he was successful in breaking her out of her shocked state.
"Oh, nothing much. Fudge sacked me. Here, take a look at this." She said while handing him the letter.
Surprised, he took the letter and read it quickly and looked up to see her deep in thoughts again. Even he couldn't believe it. Even though she was clumsy, there was no reason according to him due to which she would be dismissed from her job. Even if by some means she had done something wrong, which she definitely hadn't, it was customary to obtain opinions and reports from senior aurors and her co-aurors about the circumstances, which had not occurred. Kingsley was not sure, but he definitely thought something seriously wrong with the letter, or rather with the Minister of Magic.
During this time, Tonks was deep in thought regarding the events of the previous day. She recalled the so called prediction Harry had made and for a fleeting second thought that he had made a real prediction. But the more she thought, the more she felt that there was more to it than met the eye. She thought that this was probably a prank Harry had played on her just to tease her. Well, if this is indeed a prank, then I am going to make it absolutely clear to him the consequences of this prank, she thought. But internally she prayed that this should indeed be a prank, because if it wasn't then she was basically jobless now.
She took the letter back from Kingsley, folded it neatly and started clearing up her things from her table. About halfway through, she heard his voice again.
"How are you taking this so calmly? And what are you going to do about this?"
"Dunno. I think whatever this letter says is not the complete truth. Its just the tip of the iceberg, so to speak."
"Then what will you do now?"
"I'll have to see if I can get the rest of the iceberg out of the water from someone who is holding it."
"And do you know who is holding this iceberg?"
"Yes."
"May I know who?"
"Oh Shack, you ask too many questions. But I'll tell you anyway." She said and continued her work without giving the answer.
"I am waiting." He said with a growl of frustration when she didn't answer him immediately.
"Its Harry Potter." She replied simply, with a small smile on her face.
"Harry Potter? But how on earth did he get the Minister to sack you? And why too?" He asked, shock written all over his place.
"That's what I am going to find out." She said as she finished her work and made her way out of the office.
"Maybe Dumbledore knows more about this." he said walking besides her.
"I don't think so, Shack. But like I said, I am going to find out."
They had reached the Ministry apparition point by now. She was just about to apparate away to her flat when she turned around to face him faster than he thought was humanly possible. This time she had a furious look on her face. Kingsley wondered what had happened to change her mood so drastically in a matter of seconds. But one look at her told him to keep his mouth shut. The answer he wanted came out by itself.
"Wait a minute!" She cried suddenly. "He used my name. My full bloody name. Oh I am so going to kill him."
With that she turned around again and was gone with a soft pop. Murmuring to himself about idiotic Ministers and stupid aurors, Kingsley too apparated away to his home.
Tonks apparated to her apartment along with her things still in a furious mood and dumped them in a pile on her bed. After a shower and a quick dinner, she got dressed and decided to head over to Harry's Summer Resort to get more information on the notice she had received earlier. She couldn't let go the feeling whether she believed it or not that Harry was at the root of all this mess. She apparated away again with a soft pop and appeared in an empty alley near the Dursleys home. Looking around to see if anyone was watching, she started towards her intended destination. Unknown even to her, her mood had changed to being happy again by the very thought of seeing him one more time.
It was a really hot summer evening that day as Harry waited for Tonks to come. He was currently sitting in the Dursleys living room going over some of the magazines that they had subscribed. Not that they read them anyway. They just purchased them so that their guests and neighbours would be impressed of their good tastes. It didn't matter to them that they wasted much money on buying such things but not reading them. Oh well, its their money. Who am I to question its use? He thought.
The Dursleys had left earlier since they had been invited for dinner to some friends place. His uncle had come home earlier than usual and everyone, except Harry that is, in the house had a look of excitement on their face. He remembered the pleasant conversation he had with his uncle just before they were about to leave. At that time, Harry was sitting in his room going over his textbook which happened to be none other than 'History of Magic'. He actually found the book quite interesting. He reasoned that this was probably because two reasons; one – He was bored, and two – Binns wasn't droning about it.
He heard the pounding of large feet on the steps and looked up just in time to see the door to his room open as his uncle dressed in a formal suit entered inside. He cast one distasteful look around the room and finally levelled his gaze on Harry. Harry, for his part, was looking at his uncle with a tremendously bored expression on his face, which seemed to infuriate the bulky man.
"Listen here boy. We, that is to say, me, your aunt and your cousin have been invited to a friends place for dinner. You are, of course, not invited. Your aunt has taken much effort to make sandwiches for you." Harry had to snort at this, but he quickly changed it into a cough. Much Effort, he thought dryly. "They are placed on the dining table and you are to eat them. Do you understand? We do not want those freaks to come banging into our home saying we did not feed you. We will be returning a little late. While we are gone, you are not to touch anything, and I repeat, anything in the house. If we find out after coming back that you have damaged our property, then we'll have to deal with you in the proper way. Do you understand this boy?" He asked in what he thought to be an intimidating voice.
"Perfectly." Was the only response Harry could manage in amusement without downright laughing in his uncles face.
The trio had left five minutes later and Harry was left alone in the house, not that he minded of course. He was once again pleased with his fate. If Tonks were to come now, they had the house to themselves. It would be perfect so that he could explain to her all the things about his plan. Hopefully, his training would begin from tomorrow.
Harry had finished the sandwiches his aunt had prepared for him with much effort some time ago and was currently lounging on a sofa in the living room reading one of the car magazines. He was very astonished at the different models that were shown, each as attractive, if not more, than the others. He really wanted to drive some of those beauties but internally he knew that they could never be compared to his Firebolt. No doubt they were beautiful, and costly too, but he could never feel the same way he did whenever he was airborne. The thrill and the exhilaration that he felt while on his broom was insurmountable. He was able to reach speeds the cars could never dream of.
And most importantly, cars could not fly; unless of course magic was involved. This promptly made him remember his monumental journey from King Cross station to Hogwarts with his best friend Ron in the flying Ford Anglia owned by Mr. Weasley, Ron's dad. The car was now roaming freely somewhere in the Forbidden Forest.
The sound of the doorbell ringing brought him out of his thoughts as he went to open the door, his wand in his hand as always. Oh, he even had his wand with him when he had to answer the call of nature. He cautiously looked to the peep-hole to find an attractive woman with bubblegum pink hair. One would think she would change it to normal looking when she was out on the streets, but to no avail.
Harry opened the door with his wand pointed at her and backed inside the house, his eyes taking in her every movement waiting for her reaction. She just gave him a heart-stopping smile and followed inside, closing the door behind her. She was wearing a faded blue jeans and her trademark Weird Sisters T-Shirt. When she saw the wand still pointed at her, she changed her hair colour rapidly through a cycle before bringing it to rest on the previous one.
Harry had to smile at her way of confirming her identity. It was very... Tonks. And that explained everything. Always.
He relaxed and tucked his wand inside his jeans pocket as he beckoned her inside. Once inside the living room, they made themselves comfortable on the sofa, almost in the same manner as they had at Mrs. Figg's house.
"How come no one's at home?" Tonks asked immediately.
"Oh, they have gone for dinner to a friends place. Leaving me here of course."
"Is this a coincidence or you planned even this to happen?" She asked evenly.
Harry gave her one of his loop-sided grin that made her heart melt and answered in a overly dramatic tone.
"You give me too much credit, dear Nymphadora." He said, stretching her name. "Can a worthless person as myself be capable of such an accomplishment?"
"Don't call me that, Harry. If you do once again, I swear I'll..." She began to say furiously, while internally she marvelled how beautiful it sounded when he said it, when she was cut off by him.
"Castrate me? What will you do to me, dear Nymphadora?" He asked with amusement.
"Please Harry." She pleaded. "I don't like it."
"But I do." He said with such a straight face that she didn't have to use Veritaserum to know that he was telling the truth.
"What's in a name? That which we call a Rose by any other word would smell as sweet." He continued and she felt she could no longer argue with him when he had said this. Her heart went out to him and she couldn't stop the redness from creeping to her cheeks. Sweet Merlin, he is going to kill me with his lovely mannerisms, she thought. Harry, on the other hand, was wondering what possessed him to say that.
"Yes, well, I don't like it. That is, I didn't use to like it. I mean, its not that I don't like it, its just that I don't like it. I mean, what kind of name is Nymphadora. Its big and not good. I mean, its good but its not that good. It could have been more good but no. My mum had to name me..."
"Tonks, you are not making any sense." Harry cut off her rambling. "Anyway, since you have come here, does this mean that you have effectively lost your job?" He asked smirking.
Tonks relaxed slightly with the change of subject. She didn't know how she would have continued when he was sitting in front of her, a small smile playing on his lips, watching her intently. Wait a minute, watching me intently! Why on earth is he watching me? She thought and hoped that it was in a good way. But her thoughts now turned towards the purpose she had come here for.
"Of course, Harry. When the Boy-Who-Lived puts his mind to something, is it possible that it wouldn't happen as per his wishes? One question that can be asked is that 'How' you managed to pull this off. It maybe the most appropriate but I think at this point it is irrelevant. The question that now remains is 'Why' you did it."
"Oh! And how can you be so sure that I did it? Surely I am not the Minister of Magic."
"That is what I am saying Harry. I don't know how you did it. As I said earlier, it is irrelevant now that it has already happened. If you want, you can tell me how you did it, but I would really like to know the reason why you did it? I don't think I have done anything against you that made you take away my job, have I?"
Harry saw that she was keeping a straight and impassive face but her eyes, who had managed to betray her, were shining with tears. Harry felt awful that he had caused pain to her, but then reasoned that this was for the better. She would be receiving a high salary and hopefully a job that she would enjoy. And he would be getting invaluable training which would save his arse some day or the other. A little sorrow would be forgotten in a few minutes when the matter was cleared.
"Tonks, do you remember what I told you yesterday?" At her nod, he continued. "This is the same thing I was talking about. Now, firstly I would like to tell you that it is true that you have lost your job but you have gained another instead."
Now Tonks was surprised. Of all the things she expected him to say, she never expected to hear this. What another job was he talking about? And what if she didn't like it? Many questions were forming in her mind but all of them stopped when he resumed speaking again.
"I spoke with Dumbledore in the beginning of the holidays. As we know, Voldemort has come out in the open now and it is only a matter of time before he starts attacking. According to Snape, he is currently a little unwell but he will be better sooner than we can be happy with. And as he is my biggest fan, the Headmaster and I, are sure that he will attack me.
Now you, being an Order member, may already know that a prophecy has been made regarding the fate of this world. It speaks about the one who can vanquish Voldemort. What you do not know is what it says. The contents are to be kept a secret according to Professor Dumbledore and as of now, only two people know it in entirety; Dumbledore and me. The prophecy cannot be described to you as I said before but I can tell you a gist of it. It says that only one person on this entire earth can 'vanquish the Dark Lord'. And it isn't Dumbledore. No prizes for guessing who. Ain't I the luckiest bloke in the universe?
As for how I did what I did, I took help from Fudge in return of supporting his government. He has taken care of a number of things for me while I and Professor Dumbledore take care of making sure he stays as Minister in exchange. You will want to know why am I supporting him and you may even have guessed it. If the Ministry falls, we can surely expect a large scale attack from Tom on it or a Death Eater or one of the Dark sympathizers to be elected as the Minister of Magic. I have discussed this all with the Headmaster and he in turn with Fudge. While I may not like him, he is our only hope of maintaining control. Already the people are way too much against him.. If we too stand up against him, the community will surely be doomed. Supporting him will actually do us some good and even get us more time to increase our defences. I am happy that at least something good is coming due to the fame of this bloody scar.
The Headmaster believes, and I believe him, that Fudge has had a change of heart. He has definitely forgone his greed for his position. He knows the predicament in which he is currently. He will have to take active decisions against Voldemort and his followers and this is going to be very risky. But he is willing to take the responsibility where no one else can, or in my opinion will. As I said earlier, he is our only hope of maintaining control."
Tonks was listening to his speech intently. She regretted how someone she liked so much had to face all this. She marvelled how much maturity he was showing at this young age. The weight of the prophecy was already on his shoulders. Since the time she had known about Harry, she knew that one day he would yield much power. His deeds at young age certainly promised this. Only two wizards could be powerful enough to kill Voldemort, Dumbledore and Harry. And if Dumbledore couldn't do it, then it would not take a genius to know who could. She even understood the political situation he was getting into, even though he hated his fame. The explanation definitely answered the how in her mind. The only question was why. She only hoped that she could be of some help to him.
"And how does me losing my job help you or anything for that matter?" she asked somewhat hopefully.
"Oh God, don't you see? You are the key to the puzzle. You are my Queen, err... I mean the Queen as in the Queen of a chessboard." He corrected immediately, turning a little red. He failed to see a similar colour on the cheeks of his companion. "I have got a letter for you from Fudge. Its addressed to you so I did not open it. You were dismissed because you couldn't do what you have to by continuing to work there. And we didn't want everyone to know you are involved. That's why I told Fudge to sack you. This way, we can fake that you were sacked and take you out of the picture but you will actually be training me and also being my bodyguard. There are also some other plans, but they are for the future.
I have got permission from Fudge, Amelia Bones and Mafalda Hopkirk to practice magic. All of these people know about the situation and Dumbledore has talked with them. The only problem was getting you without arousing suspicions. And I think I have managed that." He said with a confident smirk.
"Merlin, Harry! You planned all this. And here I was thinking that you were an innocent fifteen year old kid with not a care in the world."
"Circumstances have changed me Tonks. And having a Dark Lord plotting to kill you every day of your life certainly doesn't help." He replied honestly.
Silence reigned the room after this statement and no one knew how to break the ice. Tonks knew Harry was hurting after Sirius' death. Now with the prophecy hanging over his head, she didn't know if he could find happiness in his life again. One thing she knew was that she was determined to help him in any way she could.
"I'll bring the letter." Harry said suddenly and went up to his room and returned after a few moments with an official letter similar to the one she had received earlier. She saw that once again her complete name was written on it but she let it go for the moment. She opened it hastily to read what was written inside.
Miss Nymphadora Tonks,
Your status as an auror which was earlier revoked has been updated considering the present circumstances. You are hereby reappointed as an employee of the Ministry of Magic in the Unspeakable Department, Grade A. You already know the importance and confidentiality involved in such a position and are hereby prevented from revealing your position or Ministry information to any individuals except those related to your assignments.
The main advantages of your renewed status are the increase in salary and the secrecy of your status, which will only be known to a few select individuals. As you may have already guessed, you will be working incognito. Your assignment begins from tomorrow itself. Your current assignment is working with one, Mr. Harry James Potter, by his explicit request, as a trainer-cum-bodyguard and ensuring that he is well trained and protected. We expect nothing but the best from you.
Give my regards to Mr. Potter.
Yours Sincerely,
Cornelius Fudge,
Minister of Magic.
Reading the letter from the Minister of Magic cleared all her remaining doubts. Not that she had really doubted him in the first place, but a written confirmation of what Harry had told her was enough to silence her uncertainty. She looked up at him and saw that he was smiling at her again. Please don't do that, she pleaded internally. She handed him the letter which he read quickly and gave a self-satisfied smirk.
"So?" She asked.
"So what?"
"When do we start?"
"As soon as we can. Quantocius Quantotius."
"Okay then. I think we can begin tomorrow itself. I'll leave now. Expect me some time around ten, Okay?"
"What? So soon? You came just now."
"Harry, I've been here for almost two hours. And if I don't leave now, I won't get enough sleep. And I won't be able to wake up early tomorrow. And we won't be able to start early. And then..."
"Yeah. Yeah. I get your point. But promise me we'll get started early."
"I promise. See you tomorrow."
"Good-bye."
After giving Harry a quick hug and a kiss on the cheek, Tonks apparated away leaving behind a very excited Boy-Who-Would-Learn-To-Kick-Some-Ass.
In the dimly lit dining room of a cold castle, Lord Voldemort was sitting tapping his fingers impatiently on the exquisitely decorated wooden table. At last when he could no longer control it, he gave an enraged hiss and called out his servant.
"Wormtail."
In less than a fifteen seconds, a mousy looking thing, err... person entered the room and bowed deeply.
"Why hasn't my Pizza arrived yet?" the Dark Lord hissed again.
"My Lord, I have no idea. I will go and look at it immediately."
"No you fool. Stay here."
With that he took his wand out from his robes and uttered a very horrible curse at the mousy person, a curse that no human should be subjected to, the Crustaceous Curse.
"Crusteo." The Dark Lord screamed.
The effect was instantaneous. The mousy person was immediately transformed to a crust similar to that of a pizza. Voldemort then levitated it and placed it on a huge plate. He took some onions, tomatoes, cheese and other other such things required for a pizza and placed them as the toppings. He then proceeded to cut it in six equal pieces. He took one piece in his hand, dipped it in sauce and gave it an experimental bite. A very cruel, yet satisfied smile soon formed on his lips.
"Ah, I never knew Wormtail Pizza would taste so excellent. Pity I had only one of him."
He then continued to relish the remaining of 'Wormtail Pizza'.
Authors Notes:
1) I had originally written quite a bit of Tonks angst in this, but I couldn't take it myself so I scrapped and rewrote it. This is much better in my opinion. This was the main reason for the delay.
2) Thanks to Himanshu for Beta-reading this chapter.
3) 31 Reviews. I am overwhelmed. Thanks to everyone who has reviewed. I cannot thank each and everyone by name, unless you have a question or point out a mistake, but I would like to say that I read each and every one of them and every single review makes me increasingly happy. So keep reviewing
4) Thanks to Dragonmaster for pointing out the fact about Tonks' dad. I knew that he was a wizard but I probably missed it while writing Due to your minute observation I've been able to correct it.
5) Oh yeah. You see that little button below on the left. Just click on that and tell me what you think.
6) Important Notice: No, I am not discontinuing this story. I just wanted to inform you that, I will be posting spoilers and polls on my LiveJournal. The address in on my Authors Page in the Homepage link. The polls will be to ask readers opinion on various aspects of the story I would like to incorporate. The same will be asked here, but spoilers and fragments from the story can only be read on my LiveJournal. I would like to advice those who want to, can read them there and even leave comments.
7) Lastly, I know that you are not dumb, else you wouldn't have been reading my story, but the last part of this chapter was meant to be as a joke. I read some story where an author had written Voldemort used the Crustaceous Curse on Harry. Don't know if the author was making 'Harry Pizza', but I have surely made 'Wormtail Pizza'. Warning: Highly toxic. Please refrain from consuming.
8) Constructive Criticism is always welcome. Please Read and Review. Remember, your reviews keep the story alive.
9) Quantocius Quantotius : As Quickly As Possible (Latin).