Chapter 2 – Discoveries

It was a dimly lit room and a man sat a desk removing memories from his mind and was putting them into a pensive when the door to the room burst open and a man came running in looking worn and exhausted.

"Dumbledore," he said gasping for breath, "they broke the Fidelius charm and killed Lily and James. The house is rubble." Dumbledore's face drained and it took him a moment to be able to say anything. "What about Harry? Does he live?"

The man looked at Dumbledore and nodded. "He's with Hagrid at Godrics hollow. I don't know how he survived with naught but a small cut on his head, surely Voldemort would have wanted him dead?" the man asked confused.

Dumbledore thought for a moment before he spoke. "It grieves me that we lost two of our most important members tonight but I feel that this is the most significant event that will happen for years to come."

"There's more Dumbledore," the man said, "People are saying that he's gone, that Voldemort was killed when he tried to attack Harry. How could a baby have defeated him?"

"I do not know Frank, I will have to look into it, but I do not believe that Voldemort is dead, he has experimented with the dark arts and immortality so much that killing him is virtually impossible at this time. I do believe however that he has been vanquished for the time being but will one day resurface, we must be ready for it."

"Yes Dumbledore. This attack on the Potters, does it mean..." he paused not knowing how to say what he was thinking.

"I know what you're thinking Frank and the answer is yes, your son is not the prophesized one which should be some comfort at this time. Our fate now lies in the hands of a small, orphan boy. I must make the necessary arrangements." He twirled his cloak and vanished.

Harry woke feeling completely worn out. Had he just witnessed an event that happened just after his parents' death? It couldn't be real, because he didn't have the memory to dream about. But it seemed so vivid. He needed to write to Dumbledore and soon. After the other dream he had a few nights ago he was starting to think this was no coincidence. He heard a slight pop as he reached for his glasses and felt a heavy weight land on him, knocking the wind out of him. He put his glasses on and realized that Tonks had apparated right on top of him. She smiled brightly and said "Mornin' Harry, just thought I'd drop in and see how you are," he looked at her stunned. How could she be so cheerful in the morning? "So how are you?"

"Winded" Harry replied. She got off him and he rubbed his stomach.

"Yeah, sorry about that, never could apparate properly in the mornings." She didn't seem too sorry to Harry with her much too cheerful morning happiness. "You certainly make your presence felt," he said starting to see the funny side. Tonks started to giggle and Harry found her laughter contagious and started to laugh as well. When they had finished their little giggle Harry tried to get out of bed but still hadn't gotten all his energy back and he just fell to floor and hit his head on the bedside table. He heard Tonks shout his name and run over just before he blacked out.

He could hear a voice, a female voice that soothed him, that called his name. I wonder what this woman looks like Harry thought as he listened to her call his name. I bet she's pretty.

"Harry, Harry wake up."

He bolted upright and saw who it was that was calling his name. "Tonks? Was that you?"

She looked worried. "Was what me Harry? You've just woken up try and relax." Harry let his head fall back against his pillow still feeling a little dazed. "You've got a really nice voice," he said sleepily to Tonks. His eyelids felt heavy and he fell back to sleep.

Tonks wasn't even sure what had happened, one minute he was ok the next he collapsed and hit his head. She wanted to know what had caused Harry to collapse so suddenly. Deciding that waking him up wasn't the best idea she just sat on the side of his bed and ran one of her hands through his hair softly. His eyes started to open at her touch and the smile that was on his face told her that he liked what she was doing. "Harry, are you ok?" she asked feeling worried.

"Yeah I'm fine, just needed more sleep I guess." That wasn't true but he didn't feel like telling her about the dream right now. He realized that after both his unusual dreams that he felt physically drained. He'd tell her about it later. Tonks was relieved he was ok. She was tempted to owl Dumbledore to tell him what had happened but thought that Harry wouldn't have wanted that. Now that he was ok she decided to ask him what he wanted to do today.

"Can we go for a walk?" Harry asked. "I feel like going outside."

"Sure, but we can't stay out long or Dumbledore will go nuts. He's still not impressed with me for letting you find out I was watching you. I don't see why he's angry, must be an old man thing. " they both laughed and Harry couldn't help but think what Dumbledore would say if he had heard that comment.

It was a lovely summer's day and Harry and Tonks were lying on the grass in the park trying to make shapes with the clouds. "That one looks like a hippogriff" Harry said, "just with few extra legs." Tonks giggled. "If that's a hippogriff then I'm a house elf."

"Does that mean you have to do what I tell you?" Harry smiled suggestively and Tonks just smiled back. Is Harry flirting with me she thought? He's just trying to embarrass me, hell I've done it to him a bit too. But was I flirting as well? Confusion filled her brain but she was brought out of her thoughts when she heard the loud shouting of a group of boys who were heading their way. She and Harry sat up and saw Dudley Dursley flanked by his neighborhood thugs. "Great." Harry muttered.

"What are you doing out the house potter?" Dudley asked of Harry. "Shouldn't you be cleaning the floors?" Dudley and his friends laughed and Harry saw Tonks get angry and start to reach for her wand but Harry stopped her with a shake of his head. Dudley turned his head towards Tonks and just stared at her obviously finding her quite attractive. "See anything you like?" she asked making Dudley blush.

"Who are you?" he asked regaining his composure. Tonks was angry but wasn't going to let it get the better or her. She decided to play it cool.

"I'm Harry's girlfriend," she said snaking her arm around his waist. Harry couldn't believe what she had just said or why she had said it.

Dudley opened his mouth in shock, "there's no way she'd go out with you Potter you must have done something to her."

"Oh, he did something to me," she said as she started to nibble Harry's ear. He was feeling very uncomfortable but oddly happy at the same time. His thoughts were everywhere. Part of him was telling him that she shouldn't be doing this even if it was just to tease Dudley but the other was telling him that it was so right.

"Are you going to leave us alone?" Tonks asked Dudley in a part civil, part angry tone. Dudley had never been stood up to like this before and just stormed off. Tonks burst into a fit of hysterics but Harry didn't see the funny side. He was trying to come to terms with what had just happened. In some way he felt used. "Why did you do that?" he asked Tonks.

Tonks wasn't sure she could read his face properly but his eyes told her that he was confused. To be honest she didn't know why she had done it either. Part of her was able to just dismiss it as just teasing Dudley but the other was telling her to do it again because she wanted to. "I don't know" was all she could mange. Then fell an awkward silence and they both got up and walked back to Privet Drive. Harry sat down on the couch and Tonks sat beside him. After a while Tonks broke the silence. "I'm sorry Harry" she said. She didn't know what she was sorry for just that she was. Harry seemed to accept it and started to ask her more about being an Auror and how being able to change her appearance helped. Tonks made him laugh by changing her face to all different kinds of people with oddly shaped bodies that were very amusing.

Harry felt wiped out from all the talking and although it was only seven o'clock he fell asleep on the couch. Tonks deciding that it was about time she left was sorting out her things when Harry started tossing and turning in his sleep.

"Sirius…Sirius no, come back… don't leave."

Tears were coming down Harry's cheek as he slept and he kept muttering things. Tonks immediately knew he was dreaming about the night at the ministry. Not knowing what to do, she went over to Harry and decided to put him in his own bed. Picking him up, she took him to his bed and lay him down. She sat with him and he reached out in his sleep and took her hand in his. The gesture was odd but it seemed to stop his mumbling slightly. After a while she lay down next to him and put comforting hand on his shoulder which stopped the mumbling all together. She forgot completely about having to go to the order and was focused on Harry. She closed her eyes and drifted off into a pleasant sleep.

Both Harry and Tonks were opening their eyes at the same time. They were facing each other, Harry's hand in hers and her other hand wrapped around his waist. Before they were awake enough to realize how they were lying they were startled by a very loud, very angry voice.

"NYMPHADORA TONKS! WHAT ON EARTH IS GOING ON!"

Dumbledore's voice made Harry and Tonks sit bolt upright in shock. Harry was confused. He didn't realize Tonks had stayed, but was grateful that she had knowing that she must have been the reason his nightmare stopped halfway through.

"Uh oh" Tonks said seeing the fury in Dumbledore's eyes. "It's not what you think Dumbledore, I just fell asleep."

Dumbledore was still seething. "Where in your job description does it say 'sleep with the teenage boy you're supposed to be protecting'? When you didn't show up for the order meeting we all feared something bad had happened! Neglecting your responsibility is not something you should be doing right now!" both Harry and Tonks couldn't understand why Dumbledore was reacting so violently.

"Even if you did just 'fall asleep' that still begs the question why were you in the same bed anyway! Do I have to tell you why it is inappropriate for this kind of behaviour? A trained Auror such as your self should know better!"

Harry was furious that Dumbledore was blaming Tonks for the whole thing when all she'd done was try to help him. Harry got out of bed and stood to face Dumbledore.

"DON'T BLAME TONKS FOR WHAT HAPPENED! ALL SHE DID WAS TRY AND COMFORT ME WHEN SHE SAW I WAS HAVING A NIGHTMARE. SHE'S SHOWED MORE CONCERN FOR ME IN THREE DAYS THAN YOU HAVE IN FIVE YEARS!"

All Harry's anger over Sirius' death, being left out by the order and his friends was coming out in one burst and he could tell Dumbledore was completely taken aback. Seeing this only made Harry more determined to get everything out of his system.

"INNAPROPRIATE IS TELLING ME I'M THE ONLY ONE WHO CAN SAVE THE WORLD JUST AFTER I'VE LOST MY GODFATHER. INNAPROPRIATE IS JUMPING TO CONCLUSIONS BEOFRE ASKING FOR AN EXPLANATION. INNAPROPRIATE IS LEAVING ME OUT OF EVERYTHING GOING ON WITH VOLDEMORT WHEN YOU KNOW I HAVE EVERY RIGHT TO KNOW! SO YOU LEAVE TONKS ALONE OR YOU CAN FIGHT THIS WAR WITHOUT ME!"

Harry sat down to catch his breath and calm down as he stared at the floor, waiting for Dumbledore to speak. It was a short while and Harry looked into Dumbledore's face and saw that he was sorry for how he had reacted.

"Harry," he said calmly. "I apologise for my behaviour. I sometimes forgot how tough it is for you to be left out of the order business, but we have only done it because we cannot risk sending information via post, and as for shouting at Tonks I am also sorry. It is a stressful for time for me, I hope you understand and can forgive me?"

Harry simply nodded and wanted nothing more than to be left alone for a while but Dumbledore clearly had more to say. "This brings me to my original reason for being here," he said, the argument forgotten. "I came to tell you that you're going back to Grimuland Place; Today. Recent events that have transpired have led me to believe that you will be safer there."

"What events?" Harry asked.

"The wards surrounding the house have sustained some damage and we do not know how. Just damaging the wards would take a very powerful wizard, or," he said, "A large group of death eaters. This being so we have to act on the knowledge that Voldemort will breach the wards of this house soon."

Harry was confused and couldn't understand how Voldemort could be so close to getting him and he couldn't know about it. "But if he were getting close," Harry said, "wouldn't o sense it with my scar or have a vision or something?"

"From what Tonks has told me, it would seem that your recurring dream about Sirius' death isn't your bodies doing but Voldemort himself forcing you to relive the memory in an attempt to weaken you and keep you unaware of his plans."

That made sense Harry thought to himself but what bothered Harry was that Tonks had told Dumbledore about his nightmares. He thought they had built up a certain level of trust over the last few days and didn't expect her to report everything that was happening with him to the order. "You told him about my nightmares?" he said glaring at Tonks. "Is that why you've been so keen to keep an eye on me, so you can give more information to the order? I thought you actually wanted to help me and be my friend!" he said bitterly, angry at himself as much as her.

"Harry I only told Dumbledore because I was concerned for you, no one else knows I swear." He saw a tear run down her cheek. "I wouldn't do anything to hurt you Harry."

He could see the pain in her eyes and was sorry for shouting at her. He walked over to her and gave her a tight hug "Thank you," he whispered into her ear which seemed to cheer her up.

When they broke apart they both sore Dumbledore smile a genuine smile and he said "I shall be back shortly with a portkey to take us to Grimuland Place, just have your things ready," he apparated away with a small pop and Harry set to work packing his trunk while Tonks just sat there and watched.

"You didn't have to stick up for me like that" she said after a while. "I can defend myself you know," she said.

"I'm sure you can but the way Dumbledore jumped to the wrong conclusion really made me angry. Plus I kinda needed to get a few things off my chest," he smiled weakly and placed his invisibility cloak into his trunk.

"Harry, what did you mean when you said you were the only one who could save the world? Does this have something to do with the prophecy?" Oh no Harry thought. She didn't know the prophecy and I let it slip. He sighed and decided to be honest.

"Yes it was to do with the prophecy." He told her all he knew about the prophecy and how it said that neither could live while the other was alive. Somehow after hearing it once it didn't seem as bad as it first seemed to Harry. Well of course it was bad but he decided that not trying to fight it made it a whole lot easier to accept. Tonks, hearing it for the first time, broke into tears. "Hey don't cry," Harry said. "I'm the one who's gonna have to fight him and maybe die."

Tonks hit him in the arm, "Don't talk like that Harry! You won't die! You're a very powerful wizard." Harry could hear the sincerity in her words but doubted them anyway. "Let's not talk about it; I've got to finish packing." After a while Dumbledore arrived and they took the portkey to Grimuland place.

They arrived in the entrance hall and Tonks and Dumbledore headed for the kitchen but Harry was overwhelmed by the house. He hadn't been here since Sirius' death and seeing his house only brought back painful memories. How Sirius had been cooped up all year and not allowed out, how happy he was when Harry had come home for Christmas. There were so many things he wanted to say to his godfather but would never have the chance to. "Sirius…" he muttered as he collapsed to the floor and wept.

Tonks popped her head out of the kitchen door and saw Harry, "Oh no." she ran to him but he seemed to overcome by grief to notice. She sat down next to him and cradled him on the floor. Why him she thought to herself. He doesn't deserve this, he's so young. Considering the amount of pressure on him and everything he's been through she had to say that he coped well most of the time. Better than most people would she thought.

Harry's sobs started to stop when Ron and Hermione came out into the entrance hall. Hermione noticed Harry was crying straight away and ran over to him. Ron who was less observant just strolled over casually, "Hey mate, what you two doing on the floor?"

Hemione threw him a dirty look and Ron seemed to clock on to what was going on. "Ohh, I'm sorry Harry I didn't realize, are you ok?"

"Of course he's not ok!" Hermione snapped at Ron. Tonks could see that an argument between these two would not help Harry at the moment. "Why don't you two go and get Harry a glass of water while I take him up to his room?" she suggested. They consented grudgingly and Tonks walked Harry upstairs supporting his shoulders. "I'm sorry to do that to you again," he said apologetically. "Just so many memories here."

"Don't apologise Harry. You've got every right to cry. You cope admirably all of the time I think you're allowed a brief bout of tears now and again." She saw his eyes were red rimmed from crying but there she could also see a sense of longing, for someone to care for him all the time, to be there for him. She desperately wanted to be that person. Over the last few days she had learnt so much about this young man and found herself not only physically attracted to him but emotionally as well.

No she thought to herself, this isn't right, I'm an Auror I have to stay in control. She turned to walk out of the room but she felt something grab her hand. She turned, looked deep into Harry's emerald eyes and lost herself in their vastness.

"Don't go," he said in barely a whisper. Harry took both her hands in his and their heads moved closer together. After what seemed like a life time their lips met and for both of them it was moment of pure ecstasy. Their kiss was soft and gentle but fuelled by passion, their bodies pressed together as one. They didn't hear the door to the room open as Ron and Hermione walked in holding Harry's glass of water.