Chapter 19

No Tea for Me

Hermione woke up early the next morning to someone gently shaking her. Pulling away, she tried to bury herself in her pillow, but whoever was shaking her refused to let up. Groaning loudly, she rolled over intending to rid herself of the nuisance that was bothering her and return to the sweet caress of sleep, when she felt herself suddenly being thrown off the bed onto the floor. "Wakey, wakey 'Mione!"

Hermione groaned in pain and glared up at her former best friend as he grinned at her from the edge of her bed. "Ugh, what time is it?" she demanded, closing her eyes as she debated whether or not it was worth getting expelled to hex the infuriating smirk off his face.

"Time to wake up sleepyhead," he replied. Bounding from the bed he grabbed the bag he had left on the dresser on the way in and tossed it towards his comatose friend. It landed on her stomach with just enough force to incite a small grunt in response, "Hurry up and get ready, we'll meet you in the training room to set up your disguise." Leaving the room Harry shook his head, assuming the grunt and the gym bag hurled at his head meant that she would be down soon and made his downstairs to set his own disguise.

He had already finished his disguise by the time he heard Tonks and Hermione coming down the stairs, so he headed towards the kitchen in hopes of finding a pre-workout snack. Opening the door he found Remus staring bleary-eyed at a bowl of oatmeal, carefully watching each spoonful as if it were taking all his concentration to avoid spilling his breakfast. "Morning Moony!" he said cheerfully, slapping his guardian on the back as he walked in and causing his oatmeal to splash all over his robes. He couldn't help but laugh as the werewolf quietly growled at him, "I thought Padfoot was supposed to be the cranky one," Harry said cheekily, grabbing an apple as he sat next to his guardian.

"We were all the cranky one," Remus grumbled quietly in response, "'cept Lil of course, she was always an early bird."

Harry smiled, always happy to learn something new about his mother, "So then, what's got the big grumpy wolf up with the sun this morning?"

Remus took a long swig of tea before replying, "Dumbledore wanted to meet this morning," he said with a grimace as he put his cup down.

Harry looked at him in confusion. He thought there was supposed to be an Order meeting this evening, why would Dumbledore need to meet with Moony this morning if they were having another meeting later? Unable to think up an answer to his question himself, he asked Remus.

"You know how he is," Moony replied with a shrug, "I guess he has something he doesn't want to talk about in front of the rest of the Order." He looked up, noticing the grimace on Harry's face, "Don't worry pup, I doubt it has anything to do with you. I told Dumbledore I wasn't getting in the middle and that if he wanted information he could speak to you himself."

"Thanks Remus," Harry replied, giving his guardian a grateful look. He knew how difficult it was for Remus to defy the old man. More than just being the Leader of the Light, he had given Remus the best years of his life by allowing him to go to Hogwarts when no other headmaster would have even considered it. Despite all of his failings Remus respected him, looked up to him even. And yet he had taken Harry's side at almost every opportunity. "So what do you think he wants?"

"I'm not sure," Remus said with a shrug, "but it probably has something to do with the werewolves. We've heard rumors that Greyback has been gathering a large number of followers and thrown in with Voldemort. If I had to guess, I would say that Dumbledore probably wants me to try to find out whether or not it's true and to try to convince as may of them as possible to stay neutral."

Harry nodded thoughtfully as his guardian spoke. It seemed like the sort of mission that Dumbledore would entrust to Remus and with Greyback coming out of hiding it would be essential for them to cut off his supply of new recruits. "You don't think that may be a little... dangerous?" he asked. He knew Remus was capable of defending himself, but if he went to the werewolves he could end up walking right into an ambush with no backup.

"Don't worry pup, I'll be alright," Remus said with a tired smile, "I've been doing this since you were in diapers."

Harry sighed in resignation, knowing that there wasn't anything he could do to change Remus' mind. He would just have to trust him to make it home safe. They ate in silence until Harry heard the door to the training room open and quickly made his way towards the front door. Tonks was already halfway down the hall when he left the kitchen, wearing the same black shorts and pink top that she had on their first day together as she tied her hair up into a loose ponytail. Despite his guilt at ogling his guardians girlfriend, he couldn't help himself. He didn't even look up as the door to the training room opened again, his eyes glued to Tonks' backside as her hips swayed from side to side.

The sound of someone clearing their throat broke him from his trance and he turned to find Tonks looking at him, a mischievous grin on her face. He looked back and forth between the two Tonks' for a second before he realized what had happened. He turned back to the real Tonks just in time to see her open her mouth, "Her-mphm," was all she got out before his hand shot forward, covering her mouth and muffling whatever no doubt embarrassing thing she had been about to say. His head quickly turned towards his best friend, but she hadn't seemed to notice as she turned the corner leading to the front door. Breathing a sigh of relief as Hermione walked out of sight, he removed his hand from Tonks mouth.

"You saw nothing," he said, making his voice as threatening as he could manage.

Laughing, she reach up and pinched his cheek before walking around him, "Aww, aren't you adorable when you try to be all scary."

Realizing he had made a mistake Harry changed tactics, "Seriously Tonks, please don't," he pleaded, following after her as she made her way to the front door, "Tonks! C'mon Tonks..."

OoOoO

A few hours later Harry was back in the kitchen of Grimmauld Place, cooking lunch and throwing dirty glances at Tonks while they waited for Remus to return from his meeting. While she had yet to tell his best friend that he had been ogling her behind her back, she had dropped enough hints for someone with even a fraction of Hermione's intelligence to figure out that something was up.

"It's such a bummer that Susan had to leave, don't you think Hermione?" Tonks asked, a wide grin on her face, "Harry aren't you just bummed out?"

"Oh there are definitely others that I would prefer to have left instead," he replied, the scowl he directed towards the metamorph leaving little doubt as to who his comment was directed towards.

"Harry!" Hermione exclaimed, "That was completely uncalled for." Harry's scowled at his best friend. Uncalled for? Tonks had spent the last four hours teasing him about perving on his best friend after he had all but begged her not to. If anyone deserved to have some bitter, sarcastic comments directed their way it was her. Of course he couldn't tell Hermione that. Not only would it make things weird between them, but she and Ron had just started dating and he didn't want to be the guy that hit on his best mate's girl.

"Yeah Harry, no need to be such an ass," Tonks said with a grin, knowing that he couldn't respond without letting Hermione know what he was hiding. He grumbled a few impolite words under his breath in response, though apparently not quietly enough.

"What exactly are you so embarrassed about?" Hermione asked in a huff, apparently tired of his evasiveness. "Did Tonks –"

she cut off as the kitchen door opened and Remus strode into the room.

"Oh Moony, thank Merlin you're back," he sighed in relief, praising his guardians good timing as he quickly served everyone's lunch. It wasn't quite finished yet, but it had cooked for long enough to prevent anyone from getting sick and he was hoping Hermione might forget the entire thing if he could just distract her for a little while. "We should eat quick, I heard from Neville that a lot of the shops are closing earlier these days, wouldn't want to have to go back," he said before he quickly began shoveling food into his mouth.

Remus looked at him funny as he attacked the food on his plate with a ferocity that would have impressed even Ron, "What's up with him?" he asked looking at Hermione.

She shrugged in response, "I don't know, Tonks has been teasing him about something all morning," she explained, still a little miffed that he wouldn't tell her anything, "I assume it has something to do with a girl, but since neither of them will say I can only guess."

"Oh, that sounds like fun," Tonks squealed, dropping her fork in her excitement, "let's do that!"

Hermione looked at her quizzically, "Let's do what?" she asked.

"Guess!" Tonks exclaimed cheerfully, her food forgotten as she quickly pulled Hermione's away so that she had her undivided attention. "You guess and I'll let you know if you're right."

Hermione seemed to consider her offer for a moment as Harry tried desperately to protest. Sadly his previous plan of 'eat really fast so that you don't have to answer questions' had backfired on him as his mouth was too full to object. "Alright," she said, "so am I right –"

"Hang on!" Harry exclaimed quickly as he managed to swallow the rest of the food in his mouth, "This isn't fair!"

"Hmm, he has a point there Dora," Remus agreed. Harry beamed at him, once again thankful that he had returned when he did. "I think we should put it to a vote. All those in favor of putting a halt to this game, raise your right hand and say 'aye!'"

Harry immediately raised his right hand, shouting "Aye!" a little louder than was strictly necessary. Unfortunately he was the only one.

"All those opposed?" asked Remus, raising his right hand along with both the girls. "And the nays have it," he said, shooting Harry an apologetic glance. Harry scowled at him in return, wondering why he had been so relieved when the old Marauder had walked in the door. "Alright, to make it fair you only get three questions, one for each of us that voted in your favor." Harry considered arguing, but decided to return to his lunch instead. After all, a three question limit was better than nothing.

"So, was I right when I assumed it was about a girl?" Hermione asked, to which Tonks nodded and gave a long, drawn out 'mmhmmm'. Harry sighed dramatically. He supposed he deserved this for teasing Hermione about her and Ron last night, he just hoped it didn't make things awkward between them. "Knowing Harry he wouldn't have shared anything willingly, so I assume you found out by accident?" Tonks nodded again, confirming her guess. Hermione turned to him, smiling mischievously, "Huh, I guess I was wrong last night. Maybe you were speaking from experience when you suggested that Ron and I get comfortable snogging in a broom closet."

Harry almost choked on his tongue, "What?" he asked, his voice cracking despite his best efforts.

Hermione grinned at him, smirking like the cat that had caught the canary, "It's pretty obvious Harry. I kind of had my suspicions after the party, I'm just a little surprised you were too embarrassed to tell me. Sure, it's a little embarrassing that Tonks walked in on you two, but it's not like it's that big a deal."

Harry racked his brain, trying to figure out what in Merlin's name she was talking about, "What do you mean us two?"

"You and Susan of course," Hermione said, "Tonks did walk in on the two of you snogging, didn't she?"

Harry slowly shook his head, torn between relief that she had been wrong and confusion as to why she thought he had been snogging Susan. Sure they had kissed, but it had only been the one time at his birthday party and Tonks definitely hadn't walked in on them.

"Ooohh, sorry Hermione," Tonks said, laughing loudly at the surprised look on the younger witch's face, "no such luck."

"Really?" asked Hermione, her expression flickering too fast to read, "Well if you didn't walk in on him and Susan, what is he so embarrassed about?"

Tonks opened her mouth to explain, but luckily Remus came to his rescue, "Sorry girls, but I think that's enough gossiping on Harry's love life. He'll tell you when he's ready," prompting Harry to flash him a look of gratitude, once again thankful for his guardians presence. "Besides, we need to get going if we're going to get all your shopping done before all the stores close."

OoOoO

Harry walked alongside Remus, thankful that he had already finished most of his own school shopping as they made their way towards their last stop, Madam Malkins, so that Hermione could get new robes. In front of them Hermione was grilling Tonks on the contents of some of the books she had bought and what the preferred reading order was, going so far as to ask which chapters of which books should be read first. Meanwhile Harry found himself watching the other shoppers, noticing the harried looks that he'd missed the last time he was in the alley. Despite the fact that it was only a little past five the alley had almost cleared out. The few that remained all moved about in groups, avoiding conversation with anyone that wasn't part of their tight knit circle. Most refused to so much as look anyone else in the eye.

Harry looked up at his guardian as a small family scurried past, the parents hurrying their young children along as they avoided looking at anyone or anything that might attract attention towards them. "Was it this bad last time?" he asked as Remus gave the passing couple a quick glance before returning his gaze to the alley, searching for possible threats.

"Worse," he replied, his eyes fixed on a pair of scruffily dressed men coming out of Knockturn Alley as they began walking in the same direction as them. The two didn't seem to pay even the slightest bit of attention to them however, stopping at the cafe beside Ollivanders. "You-Know-Who has hardly even resumed his reign of terror. Six months from now this will seem like a bustling crowd." Harry looked around the sparsely populated alley, finding it hard to imagine that Diagon Alley, once the bustling center of Wizarding Britain, could so easily turn into what was essentially a ghost town.

They soon arrived at Madam Malkins, but no sooner had they walked in the door than they heard a familiar voice echoing from the fitting area at the back of the shop, "Watch those pins woman! Do you have any idea who I am?" They rounded a rack of dress robes to find Madam Malkin calmly apologizing to Draco Malfoy as she fitted him for his school robes.

"I'm terribly sorry young sir. We're done now, would you like to take a look?" Malfoy growled something at her under his breath but moved towards the mirror and examined himself. He stood there for a few moments before the seamstress disturbed his thoughts, "How do they feel, sir? Too tight, too loose?"

Malfoy stared into the mirror for another moment before responding, "I suppose they'll have to do, won't they," he sneered at the seamstress, "I'll take four more sets in your finest material as well."

"Of course," Madam Malkin replied, bobbing her head as she helped Malfoy out of his new robe before heading towards the front to package it up. Her eyes lit up as she noticed another group of potential customers waiting, "I'll be right with all of you," she said before hurrying to the front, her heels clicking as she rushed to make sure her new clients didn't leave without buying anything.

Harry however hardly paid her any mind, his attention focused on Malfoy as his held a hushed conversation with his mother, "... not a child Mother. I'm perfectly capable of shopping on my own." He strained his hearing, but Narcissa's reply was to faint for him to hear. Luckily Draco didn't seem to have the same amount of discretion, his voice easily overheard, "As if anyone in Knockturn Alley would dare lay a finger on me. You heard father, it is my task to –" he cut off as the sounds of Madam Malkins heels clicked towards them.

"Here is the first set Mr Malfoy. I will need to order the material for the rest, so they won't be ready until the day after tomorrow," she said, handing a package to him before subtly steering him towards the door. Malfoy allowed himself to be ushered out, hardly sparing a sneer for the unrecognized group waiting near the door.

Harry waited until the door had closed and Tonks had distracted Madam Malkin before moving to follow him, however he was stopped abruptly as Moony put a hand on his shoulder.

"What do you think you're doing?" Remus hissed quietly as Madam Malkin led the girls towards the back of the shop.

Harry tried to pull his arm away, but the werewolf had a firm grip on him, "I'm going to follow him, see what he is up to. You heard him Moony, he's planning something and I plan on finding out what that is."

"Don't be stupid Harry. Do you really think you could just stroll down Knockturn Alley unnoticed? Even with your disguise, you would have every thug and pickpocket eyeing you from your second step."

"Well what do you want me to do?" he asked, watching Malfoy through the window as he strolled down the alley, "We've went over this, I'm not going to just stand aside because it might be dangerous."

"What I want is for you to stay here. I'll follow him, see what the little prick is planning."

"I'll come with you," Harry replied, once again moving towards the door.

Remus put on a hand on his chest, stopping him in his tracks, "No, I'll draw less attention on my own," he said, "If I'm not back by the time you're done head home, I'll meet you there."

"But–"

"No buts," he replied, his tone brooking no argument. "This is as much for my safety as it is for yours. I'll be much more inconspicuous on my own."

Harry scowled at his guardian, but realized that he made a good point. While he had only been down Knockturn Alley the one time, it hadn't seemed like the sort of place that an average looking teenager would blend in. "Fine. But if anything happens to you..." he left his words hanging, unsure how he would react to yet another person he cared about being hurt.

"Don't worry pup, I'll be fine," Moony said giving him an affectionate pat on the arm before pointing to the fitting room at the back. "Now, you better get back there before they're done. If you're lucky maybe Dora will convince Hermione to buy a nice pair of workout shorts."

Harry blushed, "But – How did you–"

"Dora told me," Remus replied, a wide grin on his face. "I should get going, I'll see you three at home," he said before heading out the door, moving quickly down the Alley to catch his target.

Harry moved to the fitting room, torn between disappointment and relief as he found his best friend trying on a simple Hogwarts robe. Tonks grinned at him as she saw the conflicting emotions battling on his face, a grin that quickly disappeared as she realized he was alone. "Where's Remus?" she whispered, careful to keep her voice low enough that the seamstress wouldn't overhear.

"Following Malfoy," he replied, quickly giving her an overview of what had happened in the other room. He couldn't help but notice the look of concern across her face as he told her where her boyfriend had gone. "He'll be fine Tonksie," he said, trying to reassure her.

She gave him a thin smile in return, "Of course he will," she said, schooling her face into an unreadable mask. Still, he could see that she was worried, the normal carefree Tonks he was used to seeing at home having vanished.

Half an hour later they were walking down the deserted alley towards the apparation point, Hermione's new robes having been shrunk and stuffed in her pocket with the rest of her school supplies. He couldn't help but feel tense, the silence of the alley weighing down on him, making the hairs on the back of his neck stand on end. He kept his hand on the wand in his pocket, noticing Tonks and Hermione both doing the same. It wasn't until they came into view of Ollivander's and saw more people that he began to relax, recognizing the pair sitting at the cafe beside the old wandmakers as the same pair that hadn't looked at them twice earlier. They had been joined by a middle-aged couple at some point, the four of them sitting around a table, shoulders hunched as they darted glances around the alley, searching for hidden dangers. He looked further down the street, seeing a trio of women gossiping. Harry felt his shoulders tense once again as his eyes darted back and forth between the two groups. Something about them wasn't right, but he couldn't quite put his finger on what.

They had almost pulled even with the first group when it hit him. All four of them were sitting with a cup of tea in front of them, but since they had come into view not a single one had taken a sip or even touched their cup. He pulled his wand from his pocket, about to warn the others when the shop in front of him exploded.

A/N- Well, sorry for the long break. I don't really have an excuse, other than I had a little writer's block. So what does everyone think? I was trying to show Harry and Hermione's friendship and kind of bring her into the group, but she isn't quite as easy going as the others(and isn't supposed to be).

Also I'm still up in the air about Tonks' animagus form and marauder name, so any suggestions would be welcome. She is a mammal with four feet and a tail and I'm going with the assumption that you can't be a magical animal, so keep that in mind. Honestly just the name suggestions would probably be most helpful.

Finally if anyone is interested in Betaing, I could use someone to bounce ideas off of, so PM me if you're interested.