Chapter 9

Summary:

The Harry Potter 7th years are returning for their last year at school, with a little more than magic on their minds, such as the tremendous war between The Dark Lord and the Order. So it would strike the HP7Y's as odd when one of the Dark Lord's most faithful supporter's son shows up, pretending to have changed. Especially since Draco Malfoy had been expelled the year before, and had very narrowly murdered Albus Dumbledore. Even more surprising is the fact that Malfoy had seemed to take an odd interest in one of the biggest members of the Order. Hermione Granger.

Chapter Rating: K+

Summary of chapter: A little bit more Harry, lots of Ginny/Hermione, what really happened in the Pensieve, but still loads of mysteries.

Disclaimer: Ok, you're disclaimed. Way to break my heart, Harry Potter (books).

Last Chapter:

'Your ego could match Potter's, you know, Malfoy.' Blaise said, as if reading Draco's thoughts.

'Hate it or love it.' Draco said, joking.

A call from the living room startled him, and seemingly Blaise too.

'Drayyyyycccooo! You and Blaise please proceed to the living room, alright?' Narcissa said, taking a page out of Jime's book.

Draco stood up. 'What we waiting for, Zabini?' he asked.

'A sonorus spell, maybe, if Cissy could get any louder?' Blaise muttered.

'Hey, don't backtalk my mother, alright Zabini.' Draco warned.

'Loud and clear, Malfoy.' Blaise said. They walked off, wondering what the frazzled mothers would have to say this time.

'A magical creature similar to a phoenix, but with more foreboding qualities…Augerey! The Prophet thinks they're so clever.' Hermione snapped gleefully, filling in AUGEREY in bold on her crossword puzzle. A knock on the door jolted her out of the crossword. It was a tall, regal woman with Russian features.

'Hello?' Hermione ventured tentatively.

'Hi Hermione.' The voice said smoothly.

'He-hello.' Hermione said slowly.

'Relax, it's me, Tonks!' The woman said, ruining her perfect nose. Immediately, she was Tonks, all spiky bubblegum-pink hair and all. Hermione grinned.

'What's going on?'

'You've seen a pensieve, I'm sure, unlike Ginny, so, let's go, shall we?' Tonks asked, extending a still milky pale hand.

'Sorry.' Tonks said, and the hand became less slender, and became a very light brown. Hermione swung her legs off of the camp bed that she slept in and grasped Tonks' hand, pulling herself up.

'Where are you taking me?' Hermione said, adjusting to the foremost, most obvious question.

'To a pensieve.' Tonks answered evasively.

'Why were you dressed like Anastasia?' Hermione asked.

'Ana-who?' Tonks said. Hermione shook her head.

Wizards and witches were so culturally deprived.

'Never mind. I mean, why did you morph into a member of the ancient Russian Monarchy?' Asked Hermione.

'You know, practicing, got to keep in shape.' Tonks replied, taking a firm grip around Hermione's wrist.

Hermione gave up and followed Tonks, hopping over spellbooks and Ginny's favourite Weasley's Wizarding Wheezes goody-bags.

Tonks had released her hand, and was instead walking briskly onto the hallway, her hair going from pink to caramel, to purple, to mellow ebony.

'Yes, good to keep in shape.' Tonks repeated, her hair returning to its pink as Mrs. Weasley stepped up.

'Hello Tonks! Remus has been constantly asking about you, he seems to assume you'd dropped off the face of the earth, poor thing. Are you taking Hermione to, well, I'm sure you are! I suppose you've taken Ginny as well?' Mrs. Weasley asked, smiling expectantly at Tonks.

'Of course, Molly! Just drop me a note when you locate Harry, he stomped off at breakfast, I'll be back in a bit!' Tonks said, smiling animatedly while rushing off.

Hermione stopped dead in her tracks.

'Where are we going, why are we going there, and most importantly why are we going there so fast?' Hermione asked, now thoroughly irritated, in her most commanding voice.

'Because, Hermione, the faster we get there, the faster we finish.' Tonks explained condescendingly.

Hermione searched Tonks' face for a minute.

'Fair enough.' She replied grumpily.

'You know Hermione, if you did this a little more often, you might take off some of the weight on that big fat head of yours.' Tonks deadpanned.

Hermione's jaw dropped.

'Nymphadora Tonks—' she started, a hint of a flush in her cheeks.

'All right, enough with the name, only joking! Only joking!' Tonks flinched visibly.

Hermione gave a sort of laugh that was comprised of mostly 'Ha-ha,' before ambling down another flight of stairs.

She still hadn't gotten used to the twists and turns of the Weasley's home. It was very bright, as sun blazed in from behind patchwork curtains, accenting the colour as opposed to the shabbiness of the threadbare rug. Every she turned something magical happened, whether it was a painting screaming, a stray forkand knife doing the Macarena, or a moving photograph of some escaped convict.

She had never previously been to an all-magic household, she felt as though Hogwarts didn't count. You shouldn't mix work and fun.

She believed that strongly, and decided that that was probably the reason why she always had to do work before she did anything else.

Harry and Ron were timewasters. They never did anything when they were supposed to. Hermione mentally chided herself for insulting her friends, even if it was only to herself.

Her friends were her family. She would never turn her back on them. Not for anybody.

Tonks surprised her by stopping short, bringing a finger to her lips and clutching one of Hermione's hands.

'One.' Hermione's brain went haywire. Where was Tonks taking her?

'Two.' Tonks clutched the doorknob, pressing down on top of Hermione's hand. Hermione felt her muscles tense. This was a portkey.

'Three.' Tonks pushed the door open and Hermione felt the sensation of a hook being jerked behind her navel, as she saw a flash of bright light, and the world rush past in a buzz of lights and sounds.

This wasn't a portkey. It was a mediator of Proverbial Conquest.

'Absolutely not! I refuse to become a part of this! Don't you see, this is what they've been forcing us to do from the start!' Snapped someone who appeared to be a younger version of Harry's mother.

Ginny still was shaking. She had never been in a pensieve before, and even Hermione's encouraging words weren't helping.

It was terrifying, being sucked into a hole, where no one could hear you, where you were alone, but for two people.

And now, to hear Harry's mother talk as if she were still alive, it was amazing. Cruel, but amazing.

A boy who looked exactly like Harry, except fordifferent colouredeyes smirked wryly at the girl, about Ginny's age.

'Evans, Evans, Evans, when will you ever learn? They don't look you in the eye when you first get chucked in and say, "That, that Lily Evans is the person I'm going to recruit for the Order." Hell Evans, I'm not even sure they had an order that far back.' The boy said.

'Shut up, Potter. You act as if nothing every existed before you came to Hogwarts.' Lily Evans snapped.

'Well, it wasn't as important, was it, my darling, I didn't have you in my life, now did I?' The boy, Potter, James Potter, Ginny remembered suddenly, clucked a finger under Lily's chin.

The-junior-Harry's-mother said 'Ugh,' before pushing him off, instead pointing to an old, yellowing photograph.

'There's the first Order. Aboutthirty years ago.' Lily Evans sighed impatiently.

'Hey, that's Dumbledore! Wow Evans, are you that old, managed to snap a picture of Dumbledore?' James Potter said in awe.

'Of course it is, you idiot.' Snapped the girl. 'And that's Professor you designated failure.' She said haughtily.

'Why would I call you Professor, Evans? Darling, babycakes, pumpkin suits me fine.' James recovered quickly.

Ginny scoffed. Oh, ew.

She was starting to wonder what this had to do with anything but Harry's father being a total idiot when Tonks approached her.

'OK, watching Lily and James is not you're idea of fun, but this is how he saw it.' She said, shrugging as if to say, 'What can I do?'

Ginny focused her attention on the arguing to-be parents.

'Alright, Evans, I get that you don't want to join. I don't know why, but I get that you don't. But it's important. You-Know-Who is becoming stronger by the minute, and we need to fight back!' James said, sounding sincere.

'Like I'll be much help anyway.' Lily said resignedly.

'Shake?' Asked James, grinning broadly.

Lily laughed. 'If I so much as touched you willingly I'd be pregnant ten minutes later.' She said, turning her back on him.

'You'll see, Evans, you'll see.' James said.

Ginny quirked an eyebrow.

Huh?

'Don't worry Ginny, just wait, oh, have you seen Hermione?' Asked Tonks.

Ginny raised the other eyebrow.

'Where is Hermione?' Ginny asked.

'Erm, I think she ran into a cupboard. She did not want to watch "Harry's own parents!" consummate their love. Not like they did, this time, as I repeatedly told her.'

'Ugh Tonks.' Ginny said. 'Why am I watching this, anyway?'

'Go look over there, there, at that photograph. Not that one, there!'

Ginny glided over, feeling weighed down and sluggish.

It was a picture, dated 1981. What was so important about 1981? Her parents were 70s people after all. She bent down to examine it, knocking her arm on a dark table.

The dungeons, she thought. James Potter brought up the Order with Lily Evans in the dungeons? How pa-thetic.

She returned her attention to the photograph.

A blonde witch stared snootily up at her. Her look was definitely Malfoy-ish. She rolled her eyes and looked at the person next to it. The witch had brown hair, and was talking animatedly to the blond witch, without much response.

'They can't see you.' Tonks said simply.

'What's so important about this?' Asked Ginny.

'One second,' Tonks cleared her throat, 'Oy, Her-My-Oh-KNEE!'

Hermione stepped out from behind the teacher's desk, looking around furtively, making sure that Lily and James weren't snogging. They had retreated to the other corner of the room; Lily's back turned.

'That woman there, next to the brunette witch. Who is she?' Asked Ginny. Hermione's eyes opened to saucers.

'No, absolutely not, it can't be, oh my gosh!' Hermione squealed excitedly.

'Who is it?' Ginny asked, feeling stupid.

'It's Petunia Dursley! It's Harry's aunt! His guardian!'

Ginny's jaw dropped.

'But, Harry didn't, she's a witch?' Ginny asked, her thumb scraping the skin off of her lip.

'Of course not! Even more surprisingly, she's an undercover muggle! Petunia Dursley has worked for the Order for almost twenty years. She detests Harry, it's true, but she faithfully keeps guard of him, even though he has been virtually marked for death. Petunia Dursley is a secret-keeper. As long as Harry remains there, even without Dumbledore's charm, You-Know-Who will never be able to infiltrate the Dursleys', as long as Harry remains there, he is safe.' Tonks took a deep breath.

There was an awkward silence, Hermione was the first to break it.

'Oh my gosh! That's amazing! I can't believe it! Harry's aunt! A secret-keeper?' Hermione squealed again.

'Honestly, I've never heard anybody speak in Italics like Hermione.' Tonks said.

Ginny grinned.

What the hell were Italics?

Harry awoke abruptly, staring around, his eyes jolted open.

Where the hell was he?

He took one look at Lord Griswald of Mimbulus Mimbletonia and remembered.

He stretched his arms, feeling stiff and achy, having slept on a bed of old baby's clothes and twenty-three bottles of 'Stain Away'.

The room was dark, dimly lit by a completely circular glass window, like a porthole in a ship.

He stood up, almost dropping again, his calves stiffening, cramps taking them over.

He shook his foot to relieve his sensation of Pins and Needles, his foot apparently having fallen asleep with the rest of him.

He felt something thin drop out of the pockets of his oversized pajamas.

The book.

Belladonna Bones.

He felt around in the dark with his left hand, his right clutching the book.

He pulled on a ring, and the trapdoor opened.

He took a deep breath, protecting the book with his arms, and jumped.

'Bloody hell!' Ron yelled as he saw the huge lump of clothes and dust land on the floor.

Harry stood up, looking sheepish.

'Ok, first you rush off at breakfast, as if you'd been blasted, then you hide away for hours, mum almost died, and now you pop down out of the damn attic, spilling dust all over my floor! Honestly, you are mental, but I'd probably love to hear all about it.' Ron said.

'Ok, sure. But first, do you have any idea who ahm, Belladonna Bones is?' Harry asked, checking the book for reference.

'No, but what does that have to do with you?' Ron gestured to the grime on Harry's face.

'Ok, it all started when…' Harry began to speak, only to be cut off from a loud bang on the door.

A/N- I know, I know, too much mysteries, terrible cliffhanger, and I suck at writing Lily/James scenes, although they are super fun to read. Next chapter is the last one without Hogwarts, Ok! Review, review review!

Peaches,

Anya!