Disclaimer: I in no way shape or form own any of the Harry Potter characters or settings.

A/N: Here it is, chapter 3 is finally up! But there is one thing I should tell you, it's going to take another long while for me to get chapter 4 up because of school and life and stuff. But you don't have to worry about chapter 4 until you've read this one, so I'll stop now so you can read it.

Back at Number 4 Privet Drive, Harry had eaten some chocolate and was now taking a hot bath while Tonks mixed a fresh batch of 'Pick-Me-Up Potion'.

It was almost dinner time and Snape would be arriving soon to give Harry his Occlumancy lesson. Sure it was a risk but Harry was safest at the Dursleys. It had been Dumbledore who had gotten Fudge to allow a special permit, but even if it hadn't been Dumbledore, Fudge (who was on the brink of being overthrown by the wizard population) was doing everything possible to try and stay in office.

Besides the location, the way Snape conducted the lessons was different, Snape still preformed Leglimency on Harry but he also put him through exercises similar to those of Muggle yoga to help him clear his mind before and after each lesson.

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Upon finishing his bath, Harry toweled off and headed to his room thinking about the Occlumancy lesson he still had to endure before crawling into bed. As he entered his room wearing only a towel, he was slightly embarrassed to see Tonks looking back at him from a corner of his room where she was mixing a cauldron of potion.

Harry felt himself getting red, this was bound to happen sooner or later, I only have wished that someone would have warn me that it would happen today he thought.

Tonks had turned a slightly lighter shade of pink than her hair as she put a lid on the cauldron and left the room thinking, what an awkward moment that was.

Harry quickly dressed and ran a comb through his hair (which he knew was pointless) as he caught sight of the time being displayed by the clock near his bed, it read six-forty-five, he had only fifteen minutes to eat supper and tidy his room a bit before Snape arrived. He could hear the cauldron in the corner bubbling and hissing as it simmered suspended over a green flame, and after checking that it wouldn't boil over Harry headed down to supper.

The Dursleys and Tonks were already seated and eating when Harry entered the kitchen, he took his seat, loaded his plate with chicken and peas and began to eat. The silence at the table was unbearable to Harry, no one ever talked at meals unless to ask for the potatoes or something of that nature. But other than that the only noises ever heard were that of chewing and the occasional 'gulp'

It was enough having to all sit at the same table, but to act like a family and ask each other how their day was would have been surreal. So Harry let his memory wonder back to the meals at Number 12 Grimmauld Place, they were happy memories filled with laughter and good times. A while passed before Harry thought to check the time and almost choked on his chicken when he did, it was seven-fifteen.

Oh, No! Professor Snape would have arrived by now and is probably quit sore about having to wait, thought Harry.

Harry politely excused himself from the table and raced upstairs, not wanting to let go of the happy memories of Grimmauld Place, it took Harry a moment to realize something was terribly wrong, Snape wasn't there. This was worrisome to Harry because unless there was something extremely urgent that needed to be done for the order Snape would never miss a lesson.

But what could this urgency be? Thought Harry.

Just then Hedwig flew through the open bedroom window and landed on top of her cage, she stuck out her leg and hooted loudly for Harry to untie the parchment that was fastened there. Practically tearing the poor owl's leg off, Harry snatched the parchment accidentally ripping it in the process. After slowly unfastening the rest of the parchment from Hedwig's leg she gave him a "serves you right" hoot and flew back into the night sky. Harry held the two pieces of parchment together and read;

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Dear Harry,
There will be no lesson tonight, do the exercises on your own. I can say no more for fear that this owl might be intercepted.

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That's all it said, Harry turned the torn pieces of parchment over but there was nothing else written, he didn't have to guess who had sent it, it was obviously from Snape, for him to sign it would've been too risky. Harry thought it better that Tonks should know about this, so after binding the letter back together with some Spell-O-Tape he went back downstairs to the kitchen. As Harry entered the kitchen the silence that had seemed so deafening at dinner now seemed to swallow him completely. Aunt Petunia was at the sink washing the night's dishes. Dudley who still hadn't moved from the table had his beady eyes glued to the television, as did Tonks, even though she had had a Muggle father television still fascinated her. (This Petunia was grateful for because the first time Tonks offered to help with the dishes she broke three plates, a bowl, and almost gave Uncle Vernon a very close shave with a steak knife.) Tonks was the first to notice Harry, her face showing deep concern as her eyes fell on the letter in his hands. Getting up from her place next to Dudley, Tonks took the letter from Harry and her face relaxed as she read what Snape had written.

"At least no one seems to be in any immediate danger", she said as she folded the letter and stuffed it into her jean pocket, and signaled to Harry to follow her upstairs.

Once up in Harry's room; "I'm going back to Head Quarters, just so we're a little more in the know." Tonks said, then she Dissapparated with a POP.

"What's going on in here?" Uncle Vernon's big purple face was peering around the door frame; Harry could detect hints of fear in his expression. Another advantage of having Tonks around –besides having a non-Muggle to talk to- was that she scared the pants off Uncle Vernon.

"Where is that punky w-w- THING?" Spat Uncle Vernon, his huge frame now filled most of the doorway.

"She's not a 'THING', Harry spat back, his blood starting to boil, "She's a person, you know, just like YOU and ME".

Harry clamped his hand over his mouth but it was too late the words had slipped out. Vernon stood perplexed for a moment, a moment in which a thousand thoughts ran through Harry's head. Thoughts like RUN-TONKS-BURROW-ESCAPE-and GRIMMAULD PLACE

Harry stared at his uncle, his mind still racing like a freight train without brakes waiting for what Uncle Vernon might do. But then Harry noticed something, Uncle Vernon was no longer looking right at him but at a spot just beyond his right shoulder. Harry turned to see what had caught his uncle's attention and was just in time to see the cauldron of 'Pick-Me-Up Potion' boil over; the lid clattered to the floor followed by sloshes of foamy purple potion.

Harry had completely forgotten about the cauldron and now it was making a mess and Tonks could be gone awhile. There was no way Harry would risk doing under-age magic especially not after what happened last time, but what was he to do, more purple foam was bubbling over the rim. Harry only had to think a minute before seizing the water pitcher on his bedside table.

Maybe the Muggle way will work, thought Harry as he doused the fire.

BANG

WIZ

Green sparks flew everywhere, apparently Harry was wrong, the Muggle way was definitely the wrong way.

At that moment Tonks Apparated back into Harry's room, she pointed her wand at the fire;

"Finite Incantatem", and the fire went out.

The color drained from Uncle Vernon's face at the appearance of Tonks, his eyes bugged out as he backed out the door, never once taking his eyes off the punky haired witch. Usually Harry would have been rolling on the floor with laughter at the sight of his bug eyed, white faced uncle. But right now Harry felt like doing anything but laughing, the 'Pick-Me-Up Potion' had long ago worn off and though the chocolate had helped a little Harry was feeling depressed once more.

Tonks could see Harry was tired, so after having him do a few calming exercises she filled a glass with some of the potion that had not ended up on the floor and handed it to Harry.

Harry drank the potion in slow gulps, he felt better, sleepy. He crawled into bed still fully clothed and fell into a peaceful sleep.

It was raining when Harry awoke the next morning but he didn't care. Today was his birthday and nothing was going to ruin it, not even his own bad mood. He quickly changed out of the clothes from the day before and put on a fresh T-shirt and jeans. Tonks had left a glass of 'Pick-Me-Up Potion' on his bed side table which he now drank happily.

When Harry reached the bottom of the stairs the Dursleys were gathered around the television.

"Your friend left early this morning", said Uncle Vernon without looking away from the screen.

Confused, Harry headed back to his room and on the way checked his watch to see that it was almost one in the afternoon.

Tonks would never leave without telling me, could something have happened that she couldn't tell me?

Did it have something to do with Snape's letter?

All these questions and no one to answer them, Harry thought with a sigh.

And then as if he wasn't already upset, Harry had another upsetting thought, the thought that something was in fact going to ruin his birthday.

Harry reached his room and stood in the doorway staring into the room but not really seeing anything. There were no owls waiting with presents from his friends, no birthday cards, no nothing. This was turning out to be a very un-happy birthday indeed. But then Harry noticed something in the middle of the floor, it was his wand.

"Now what in Merlin's beard is my wand doing on the floor", Harry asked himself.

As soon as he picked it up he knew the answer, a familiar pulling sensation from behind his navel and everything began to swirl. Harry's fingers automatically tightened their grip around his wand as it pulled him to some unknown destination. His wand had in fact been turned into a Portakey.

A/N: Sorry for the cliffhanger ending but if I get lots of reviews I'll try to get up the next chapter quicker so REVIEW!