A/N Three chapters, all above 4,000 words in 1 week I'm on a roll with this story, remember to review.
"Yeah I'll just be a minute," Harry told Ron as he walked into the bathroom they shared.
"Okay but hurry up you know how mom hates it if your late to breakfast," Ron replied, a small mocking note unintentionally entered his voice.
"Fine!" Harry called back, but Ron was already halfway down the stairs. "Greedy bastard," Harry muttered to himself.
"Dobby!" Harry called in a loud whisper.
"You want Dobby Master?" the little elf asked from behind Harry.
"Damn it!" Harry exclaimed, "I thought I told you to stop popping in behind me; you damn near gave me a heart attack."
"Dobby bad…" the elf said while looking rather longingly at the wall, almost as if he wanted to punish himself but was too scared to.
"Dobby if you don't stop looking at that wall I'm going to make you a part of it," Harry threatened. After nearly three years of owning Dobby Harry was beginning to think the elf had left over masochist issues from his time with the Malfoys.
"Yes, sir," Dobby replied remorsefully, he had gotten lectures on the subject of self punishments before. It wasn't that Harry cared all that much about what the elf did in his free time but he would occasionally injure himself to the point where it affected his work.
"Did you talk to Arthur?" Harry asked eagerly.
"Master Summerby says he needs 100 galleons to get the Portkey," Dobby said nervously.
"Bloody extortionist!" Harry muttered to himself, "I should've used Percy he's too smart to skim of the top."
"Is Master Summerby stealing?" Dobby asked clearly outraged that anyone would dare to do that to the 'Great' Harry Potter.
"Yes, but I'll be damned if I can prove it, little bastard will probably use 75 to get the Portkey made, and pocket the rest. 125 pounds isn't that bad of a haul for an Auror trainee, they make next to nothing," normally Harry would've laughed off the extra expense but in the last two days he had become more frugal then he ever dreamed of being.
"Should Dobby tell Master Harry's bee that he's a dirty thief?" Dobby asked politely.
"No I need that Portkey ," Harry replied depressed, "get the money out of the bag in my trunk, and make sure he puts the note on her desk otherwise it's all just a waste of money."
"Yes, sir," Dobby said proudly, it wasn't often that a wizard entrusted his purse to a house elf.
"Oh Dobby before you pop out did you get those files I asked for?" Harry didn't really need the papers but they would make his job easier.
"Yes Master, I left it in the secret file in your trunk, like you told Dobby to do," the elf replied happily.
"Excellent Dobby, and do remember to be here at nine, it wouldn't do for me to be late."
"Yes Master Harry," Dobby said before popping out of the room.
Harry desperately wanted to check the file Dobby had put in his trunk, but he knew that if he waited much longer someone would come looking. He went to breakfast instead all the while cursing the Weasleys and their inborn ability to ruin everything.
"Just in time Harry dear, your plate was getting cold," Mrs. Weasley said when he waked in. "Yeah she was about to organize a search party," Ron teased through a mouthful of eggs.
"Well here now," Harry replied feeling distinctly uncomfortable with all the attention being shown to his late arrival. "That the Prophet?" Harry asked Mr. Weasley in an attempt to change the subject.
"Oh Arthur I wish you wouldn't read that rag," Mrs. Weasley nagged.
"I know, I know," Mr. Weasley replied uncomfortably , "but where else do you except me to get the news? The Quibbler?"
"Mind if I borrow the front page, I haven't got my subscription since I arrived," Harry said cutting of any further protests from Mrs. Weasley.
"You subscribe to that?" Ron asked horrified.
"Well where else was I supposed to get the news? The Quibbler?" Harry mimicked as Mr. Weasley handed him the front page, "it's not like my friends were keeping me informed."
Ron just grunted, while Hermione had the decency to look mildly embarrassed.
'Percy's not worth the money,' was the first thought that crossed Harry's mind when he read the headline.
Puck elected to leadership of Conservatives
In an upset victory over establishment favorite Lord Downey, Harold Puck emerged victorious last night. This is a defining moment for the Conservative Association who are expected to accept Minister Fudge's offer to becoming the junior member of the Government Coalition after the Whig's recent defection. Lord Downey and a sizeable number of delegates were reported to have walked out of the convention in disgust.
Although Lord Downey was not available for comment a spokesperson for the peer called the leadership vote "a hostile takeover by Fudge's Federalist, which signals the end of the Conservatives as an independent entity."
Mr. Puck for his part was cautiously optimistic about a possibility of entering government. "I feel that the policies of my party and those of the Government are very compatible," said Puck.
When asked what his primary demand would be in any coalition, he indicated that educational reform would be his first priority. "We need to take back education from over the hill old men and put it back where it belongs, in the hands of the people," said Puck
Downey for his part has issued a call for a new convention to take place in early September. Our readers might remember Downey from an instance several years ago when a trade delegation he was leading, was expelled from Mysore for involvement in a illegal duel that resulted in the death of the Maharajah's nephew. This instance and his subsequent dismissal from the Government earned him the popular nickname 'Dismal Downey.'
'Well Percy couldn't have been more wrong about that prediction if he tried for a fucking year,' Harry thought to himself before taking a bite of toast. But it did raise the rather interesting question which he had been contemplating for months, which political party should he back.
Dumbledore wasn't an option neither was Fudge or Malfoy, which basically left Downey as the only candidate that actually had some respect. The only problem was that Downey had just lost a lot of his pull, but at the same time that could be turned to Harry's advantage. Downey after all would be desperate to win seats in the next general election, as new parties tended to collapse easily.
Harry supposed the question really did come down to Downey himself, it didn't matter what endorsements he had, if Downey fucked up he would lose. Downey himself was as far as Harry could see a good speaker who was forever cursed with facing legendary ones, like Malfoy, or Dumbledore. Though as far as Harry could see he was easily a match for Fudge, so although not ideal Downey would do as a public face.
As far as Policies went Downey been attacked as Far too conservative by Dumbledore's party, which meant he was to the right of Karl Marx. Though he had also been attacked as far too liberal by Malfoy, which meant he was to the left of Hitler. To Harry he looked center right, but one never could tell who had hidden agendas when it came to Wizarding politics.
His Auror file didn't exactly help Harry usage him one way or the other either. During the last war he had been in the Foot Guards, the only regiment of the standing British Army. Which could mean he fought against Voldemort or it could mean absolutely nothing. The Foot Guards had a bad reputation during the last war as their officer's were mainly aristocrats and the enlisted mainly purebloods.
According to his Auror file after leaving the Army at the end of the war, Downey had read law at a small practice. He had apparently stayed their until he inherited his peerage, and the rest was just a long list of appointments which shed no light on his views. Currently he was a Colonel of his county militia regiment, which was common among the aristocracy. Harry himself had inherited a captaincy in the Wiltshire Militia from his father, or so his lawyer had told him.
'Well not much more I can do at a distance,' Harry thought to himself, silently resolving to get in contact with Downey as soon as he could.
The rest of the day proceeded exactly like most of those days in Grimmauld. He and the Weasleys divided up a list of rooms and they all proceeded to clean them. Harry had gotten in the habit of just telling Dobby to do his work, and ended up using the rest of his time to do things at least halfway productive. Today he used that time to go over the files for the meeting tonight, if anything went wrong if he was even one iota off perfect all his plans could collapse.
"Bloody hell!" Ron exclaimed as he entered the room, "how do you always get it so clean?"
"The Dursleys are a rather tidy lot," Harry said moving the files he had been reading so there titles wouldn't be visible.
"Still," Ron said being uncharacteristically observant, "not a speck of dust."
Harry just shrugged and made a mental note to tell Dobby to be less thorough in the future. "So what was it that you wanted mate?" Harry asked eager to get Ron out of the room.
"Oh right, mom says it's time for dinner," he replied.
"Okay I'll be right down," Harry said standing up, "What?" he asked as Ron looked like he wanted to say something.
"Nothing," the Weasley muttered before walking out.
'Bloody mental,' Harry thought to himself though he was far to careful to just come out and say it. The rest of the day continued in a normal and thoroughly boring fashion. Harry pretended that Mrs. Weasley ridiculously thick gravy was delicious, and Hermione pretended to ignore Ron's table manners or lack thereof.
Harry spent the rest of the night anxiously glancing at the clock in a vain attempt to settle his nerves. So many things could go wrong in the meeting that had it been anyone else Harry wouldn't have tried, but the gain undeniably outweighed the risk.
Finally when it was time to head to bed Harry couldn't help but thank whatever spirits watched over him. He still had to listen to Ron drone on for about thirty minutes but that was thankfully ended when dobby popped in behind the red head and cast some house elf variant of a sleeping charm.
"Thank god, much longer and I would've done it myself," Harry said clearly annoyed even though Dobby was if anything early.
"Dobby's sorry Master Harry," Dobby replied pathetically, and for a moment Harry felt a small spasm of guilt but suppressed it.
"Do you have the Portkey?" Harry asked forestalling any request from Dobby to be punished.
"Yes Master Bee says the password is-" Dobby began
"Don't say it you idiot," Harry interjected angrily.
"Dobby sorry, Master Bee wrote it down," the House elf said handing Harry a small slip of paper.
"What the hell is wrong with that man!" Harry said angrily once he had read the rather ludicrous password.
"Master Bee's a thief!" Dobby explained recalling there conversation from earlier.
"Well besides the usual," Harry said with a snort, "is the way clear?" he asked.
"Yes Dobby put no notice charm on the dishes so Mrs. Wheezy would go," the elf said preening a little.
"Damn good, are you sure the Portkey will work?" Harry asked looking at what appeared to be the program for an opera. Dobby nodded and Harry sighed, "for 100 galleons it better, fucking work."
Harry quickly picked up the files and threw on a large hoody before making his way out of the room and down the stairs. He had to hide behind a horse statue at one point to avoid Hermione apparently coming back from a shower. Despite that interruption he managed to make it out the door before anyone got in the way of his escape.
From there it was about a twenty minute walk to King's Cross station and his meeting with Tonks.
It had been years since Tonks had last been in the station and it was bringing back more painful memories then she thought she could cope with. She could still remember her dad pushing her baggage cart past Platform 4 arguing with her mom about which way to go. She could still see him standing on Platform 9 threatening to disembowel her first boyfriend in graphic detail, well her mom was yelling at him not to make a scene.
The more Tonks thought about it the more she realized that her parents had fought… a lot…. But she also knew that no matter what, they had loved each other. If nothing else had told her that then the look on Andromeda's face when she was told that Ted was dead would've done the job.
Andromeda had been paralyzed from the neck down by the bullet, which was luckily a treatable condition in the Wizarding world. But even so she seemed listless and her eyes always had a sort of distant look in them. Tonks had stayed in her mother's room for three days before she couldn't take it anymore and had gone back to work. As bad as burying her dad had been Tonks couldn't help but think that it was even worse to have her mother still alive but to depressed to even acknowledge her own daughters presence.
When Tonks had arrived back at work around noon that day she had found a letter from someone claiming to have information on her parents killer. Her first reaction had been to immediately take the note to the Auror who was looking into the case. But she had decided against it, after five years on the force she knew not to trust the Muggle Affairs division with sharp objects much less a real murder
So she had decided to come herself as the note had instructed anyways, but that didn't mean she was alone. Kingsley was lurking behind a newspaper across the platform, and Hestia Jones was eating a bagel in a bakery about 50 feet away.
Even this late in the night there were still dozens of muggles scattered throughout the station so it wasn't easy to pick the contact out of the crowd. Usually it was simple to do, wizards being known for their inability to dress like proper muggles, but this one was proving illusive.
Harry had spotted Tonks about ten minutes ago, but he had held off approaching until he could see where her back up was. So far he had spotted Kingsley who was engrossed in an article about the New Labour manifesto. There was also a plump witch who's name he couldn't remember eating a bagel. Which meant either he was missing something or Tonks had brought less security then he imagined.
'One way to find out,' Harry thought to himself as began to amble in Tonks general direction, occasionally stopping to look at a bulletin board or a list of trains stuck to the walls at intervals. He made sure to keep his head down as he approached, with any luck his hood would block out most of his facial features.
"Got the time?" He asked a passerby when he felt Kingsley's eyes on his back.
"Nine thirty-six," said a younger man in what he must've thought was a stylish sports jacket.
"Thanks," Harry replied confident that the little exchange had convinced Kingsley that he was just a muggle. He had been way to far away for his voice to be recognized and something as simple as exchanging a few words with a passing muggle wouldn't have occurred to most wizards.
A few feet at a time Harry inched towards Tonks, maybe his caution was ridiculous, maybe she would try to talk first, but maybe Kingsley would tackle him before he could even open his mouth. There was no way of telling so he resolved to be cautious. Finally after what was according to his watch 7 minutes of carefully planned aimless wandering he was within 12 feet of Tonks, and she had barley spared him a glance.
"Excuse me ma'am my band is playing this Saturday," Harry said as he began to hand her the Portkey, which looked at first glace like ay random flyer.
"Huh, oh sure," Tonks replied reaching for it, "have we met you sound famile-"
"Snazzlefrazz!" Harry interrupted just as her hand touched the paper.
"Wh-," Tonks began to ask but Harry wasn't listening as he had already felt the distinctive tug behind his navel. A swirl of colors engulfed the pair and Harry felt Tonks bumping into him buffeted by the wind. Any words she might've said were swept away in the deafening noise.
Finally Harry felt the sweet embrace of ground beneath his feet, and realized that this was the first time he managed to stay upright when using a Portkey. His moment of triumph abruptly ended when an irate Auror tackled him to the ground.
"STOP RESISTING!" Tonks yelled as she proceeded to him beat the living shit out of him.
"I WILL BUT STOP HITTING ME!" Harry yelled back moving his arms up to block his face.
"STOP RESISTING!" Tonks repeated, following up her demand with a swift hit to his jaw.
"I'M NOT RESISTING I'M BLOCKING!" Harry screamed as he deflected a hit that was aimed straight for his nose.
"WELL STOP DOING THAT!" Tonks answered bringing her knee into contact with Harry's stomach.
"Tonks'," Harry said hoarsely the wind having been knocked out of him, "it's me."
"STOP RESIS-," all of a sudden she stopped, "Harry?"
"Yeah…" Harry wheezed still not fully recovered, "what the fuck is wrong with you?"
"What's wrong with me?" Tonks asked stunned, "you just tried to kidnap me maybe that has something to do with it," she said making sure to keep him pinned to the ground.
"Yeah but I wasn't even resisting," Harry said stunned by the brutality of it all.
"Do you know what you just fucked up?" Tonks asked angrily.
"Nothing, I'm the one who you were supposed to meet," Harry explained
"Your crush on me is fascinating Potter but I was in the middle of a murder investigation!"
"What crush?" Harry asked confused. "I was the one who sent you the letter."
"WHY THE HELL WOULD YOU DO THAT!" Tonks yelled.
"I thought the letter was pretty self-explanatory," Harry replied rubbing his jaw, "should I have used smaller words."
"What could you possibly know about my dad's murder?" Tonks asked angrily.
"I think you broke my jaw," Harry said rubbing his mouth gingerly.
"DEAL WITH IT PUSSY!" Tonks yelled before slapping him.
"HOLD THE FUCK ON!" Harry yelled back, "Jesus Christ, if you'd given me a second I would've showed you," He said reaching into his hoody pocket. "Here's a surveillance file on Lucius Malfoy," Harry explained handing her the file, "flip to page 33."
"I can't see shit," Tonks said getting off of Harry so she could reach her wand, "Lumos, where the fuck are we anyways?"
"Regent's Park," Harry answered, blinking as he was momentarily blinded by the light. He had originally planned to have this meeting in La Maison, but his finances what they were, reserving a room at the expensive restaurant was out of the question.
"Subject entered Twilfit & Tattings, proceeded to bathroom, left soon afterwards." Tonks read from the page, "Well that's a great help!"
"Two entries below that," Harry replied annoyed.
"This is an Auror report!" Tonks exclaimed, "how the hell did you get an Auror report?"
"Read now, ask questions later," Harry dodged the question weakly.
"Vagrant looking muggle, Tameside!" Tonks said shocked, "that's less then a 10 miles from where the attack happened.
"I know flip the page, they have a photo of the muggle," Harry told her, "Now what I'm handing you is the GMP report, take a look at the CCTV photo."
"They match!" She said angrily.
"I know, unfortunately muggle surveillance won't be enough in any court-" Harry began.
"We have to show Dumbledore then," Tonks replied eagerly.
"I'm afraid Dumbledore already knows-" Harry tried to speak again but was violently cut off.
"What the hell makes you think that," Tonks' voice had a note of steel in it, almost as if she would refuse to believe that no matter what the evidence was.
"Look at the name in the report," Harry explained.
"Auror Captain… Humphrey Clive, but he's in the Order," she said stunned.
"Precisely, Dumbledore must have gone through that whole report with a fine toothed comb, and when your parents died he would've had to have remembered it-"
"You don't know that!" Tonks said fiercely.
"That's what I did," Harry answered, "so your choices are, that he knows and has done nothing, or that he's grossly incompetent."
"What would you know about Harry? Your just a kid!" Tonks replied defensively.
"Just a kid am I? Who pieced all this shit together? Who managed to steal highly classified files from the Auror department? Who's faced Voldemort more time me or him? Tonks I'm young your right, but I've done more then all the Order combined!" Harry said fiercely. 'should I ask her?' Harry thought to himself nervously, the night hadn't exactly gone as planned for him. 'Not like I have a choice at this point,' Harry thought making his decision.
"I can win this war! But I can't do it with Dumbledore he's too old for this new way of fighting. So Tonks I came here tonight to ask you, Tonks…Will you help me win this war, or will you help Dumbledore lose it.
"Harry…" Tonks began searching for the right words, "your still young, you don't understand how the world works yo-"
"When I was 11 I faced Voldemort. I looked him in the eye, and he offered me more power then I ever dreamed of. he told me that the world and everyone in it would be mine… all I had to do was bow to him… I turned him down Tonks, I didn't want power like that." Harry said so convincingly that he almost believed himself. 'biblical reference might have been a bit much, but it damn sure sounded impressive,' Harry thought as Tonks began to answer.
"There's more to this then being noble that Harry… I admire you, I admire what you did but-"
"When I was 12 I fought and killed a basilisk, and when I was 13 cast a Patronus Charm so powerful half of the Azkaban Guard ran from me. Then just a few months ago when I was 14, I fought Voldemort himself, and I fought him to a standstill. And when he decided that I was too much for him to face alone, I escaped him and every single Death Eater! And well I was making my escape, fighting 30 of the best duelist in our world, I had enough time to bring back my friend's dead body with me!"
"What you did was spectacular…legendary even…" Tonks said her voice unsteady. "But there are hundreds of people in this country who can fight…We don't need a fighter Harry…We need a leader."
"I'm fifteen now…I've known since I was 11 that he would be back, and I've spent the last four years preparing. I have a mole in damn near every department in the ministry," that was a gross exaggeration but Tonks didn't need to know that. "That night you saved me from the Dementor I was coming back from a meeting with one of Madame Bones' secretaries. He thinks I'm the right man to win this war… Those files I gave you… I was given them by an Auror who thinks I'm the right man to win this war."
"That Portkey we took, the one Kingsley is still trying to trace right now, it was one hundred percent legal. That's right Tonks I can get a Portkey made and Dumbledore can't what does that say about my influence?" Harry asked, conveniently leaving out the part where he had to bribe a guy to do it.
"Harry…you're a prodigy, I'd be an idiot to deny it but Dumbledore knows what he's doing-" she began.
"Like he knew what he was doing last time? You know when he had to wait for a fucking baby to his job for him?" Harry asked sarcastically.
"You don't know what it was like!" Tonks said angrily
"Your right Tonks I have no idea what it's like to be beaten over and over and over again. If you join me now you won't know what it's like either." Harry said forcefully.
"Harry, I'm sorry but I can't have this conversation right now." Tonks said getting up off the ground and preparing to leave.
"Fine Tonks, takes these files," He said handing her he papers, "and go to Dumbledore and show him everything I've shown you. And after he's seen all the evidence look him in the eye and say to him 'what are you going to do about it'. If you like his answer, then you'll never have to hear from me again…But if he says what we both know he's going to say…Well you know where to find me."
"Thank you," Tonks said with tears in her eyes before she disapparated with a small pop.
"I could've used a ride," Harry muttered to himself as he tried to find a way out of the park. Two trains and nearly six hours later Harry arrived thoroughly tired and defeated on the porch of Number 12 Grimmauld. 'Best get it over with' Harry thought to himself, as he pushed open the door to see a deserted hallway. Slowly he began to walk towards the stairs, 'maybe Tonks didn't tell Dumbledore I gave her the files,' Harry thought hopefully. She hadn't taken his offer but at least she hadn't ratted him out.
"Harry," a female voice called softly when he walked passed the first floor drawing room.
"Yes, Tonks?" Harry asked looking into the room, his heart beating wildly in his chest.
"You were right," she said in a small voice.
Harry smiled as he had just gotten his first true convert, and he knew then that it would not be his last.
A/N alright next up, Hogwarts express, and with any luck we can finally introduce Daphne. As always please drop a review.