Part One

Harry didn't board the train and didn't have to worry about fabricating a lie as to why he couldn't come. He asked if Dumbledore could somehow let his friends know that he was safe and he'd see them the next term. He supposed it was cowardly and had guilt creep up on him when he realized that that was going to be the last chance his friends would have had to see him 'alive' and he was taking that chance away from them. Instead, Harry went back to the boy's Gryffindor dorms and got his things. The Headmaster had told him that someone was to pick him up and take him to a safe house. There, he would start his training.

As Harry walked towards Professor Dumbledore's office, he thought over what was going to happen. He was going to be a girl. He didn't ask if it was going to be permanent, but he suspected that it wasn't. Dumbledore wouldn't be that cruel. As he walked, he glanced at the enchanted portraits that were quietly staring back at him. His eyes found one of a girl, busy writing in a journal. She was too immersed in her writing to notice his staring. The quill stopped as she began to sigh wistfully. Then a small giggle escaped her lips and she started writing again.

Was he going to be like that? A giggling girl?

When Dumbledore had further explained the mechanics of the potions he was to take, he didn't say anything about his personality altering. So Harry suspected that he was still going to be 'Harry' in the inside.

After Harry uttered the password to the Gargoyle and entered Dumbledore's office, he saw that it was empty. Not sure what to do now, he let the levitation charm drop from his trunk and sat down on it.

He didn't wait long for Dumbledore. Harry turned around to get a good look at the person who was going to help him with his training.

He grinned when he saw Tonks trip over her feet and struggle to keep her composure in the serious situation.

The safe house, under fidelius, from the outside looked like a broken down shack in the middle of the countryside. As Harry walked towards the front steps, he couldn't help but raise his eyebrows in wonder as he spotted an endless sea of sheep. He walked as quickly as he could behind Tonks while she skipped through the property's large front yard. Dumbledore wasn't too far behind Harry, but would probably be closer if he hadn't been whistling merrily, as if he was in a stroll at the park.

As Harry stepped onto the porch, he instantly felt how much this place was warded. It felt like 10 pounds worth of weights were suddenly attached onto his ankles. He stepped the door that Tonks was currently holding open.

The inside of the 'shack' didn't seem to be a shack at all. It looked very large in the inside and was spotlessly clean. The furnishings in the place were plain. It was obvious that whoever had decorated didn't have a color scheme either. However, Harry noticed that everything he spotted in the living room, though plain, was something that he'd would probably definitely use in his stay there.

"I see Severus did a wonderful job with the location!" Dumbledore remarked jovially as he came in.

Harry felt a sudden burst of anger. "He knows?"

Dumbledore seemed surprised. "Who do you think is going to make the necessary potions?"

Harry ignored it. "How can you think he could be trusted with this, considering who he pals around with?"

"I'm sorry Harry. That was selfish of me, wasn't it? I should've explained things more carefully. Do you wish to have someone else brew it?" The old man asked, annoyance lacing his voice. "You must understand that there are only a handful of potion masters who have the skill to brew the potions you need and we'd have to make sure they'd be trustworthy enough to be one of the few who know your true whereabouts."

He, angry with the condensing tone that Dumbledore was using on him, glared angrily. He countered. "Do what you like. You control every aspect of my life already. Does forcing me to trust my life with a Death Eater really make much of a difference?"

Dumbledore didn't say a word, but he looked down at Harry with disappointment. Harry felt a twinge of resentment when he realized how incredible short he was compared to Dumbledore, who towered over almost everyone. And right now, it seemed to work at Harry's disadvantage.

Harry glared back at his headmaster as defiantly as he could until Tonks decided to interrupt. "Let's go find your room." She grabbed his shoulders and steered him away from the living room.

Dumbledore stopped her. "No, Ms. Tonks. I have to tell Mr. Potter something."

Harry grudgingly turned around with a glare but Dumbledore didn't seem to react to it. The headmaster peered at him seriously over his half-moon spectacles. The old man's voice began, soft yet stern. He didn't sound angry, but he did sound agitated and Harry realised he must have struck a cord with what he had just said.

"Harry, you have to start acting like an adult. I have told you repeatedly of how much I trust Professor Snape. If you don't have faith in him, have faith in me." The man paused. "And even if you can't do that, try thinking before you speak. You have agreed to take part of this plan and even though we are grateful for what you are sacrificing, you can't blame the world for all your troubles. It was your choice and you have until next week, when you're due to take your first potion, to change your mind. In the mean time, I will try looking at other alternatives." He glanced at Tonks as he opened the front door to leave.

Harry felt shock mixed with anger and resentment. Like, he was just spat on. There was a long silence until Tonks cleared her throat. "Let's look at the room, kay?"

"Alrighty Harry. Even though you might leave in a week, I can still teach you things you will still find in handy." Tonks pushed him onto a couch and went to the bookcase on the other side of the room and hummed as she searched for what she was looking for. She grabbed a book with a thick, red leather binding and plopped it onto his lap. Harry flinched at the weight. Tonks then went back and this time, had one with a dark brown binding. This one, if possible, was heavier.

At Harry's worried look, Tonks laughed. "Don't worry silly. You aren't going to need to read those! You will carry them on your head. We need to give you some grace!"

"Er, you don't exactly have that?" Harry remembered just earlier when Tonks tripped over her own two feet when they arrived.

Tonks rolled her eyes. She grabbed the two books from Harry's lap and placed them on her head and walked across the room with ease. She then relaxed her frame and the books fell onto the ground with a big noise.

"To be an auror you have to have a great sense of balance, and this was one way ol' Moody tortured me to get it."

Tonks grabbed Harry's arm and pulled him up to his feet when he still seemed unsure of what she wanted him to do.

"Keep your back straight." She instructed. "Take your shoulders back, keep your chin up…" Harry did as she said as best he could.

Tonks smiled. "Good. Now, it's important to try keeping your back straight whenever you can. Don't slouch. It relieves tension on your chest and this is a way to avoid future back problems.

"Now," She continued, "start walking straight ahead. And later, we'll put a few obstacles in your way."

That night, Harry ate burnt ham and watery mashed potatoes. "Perhaps I should cook next time?" Harry suggested.

Tonks laughed. "I've heard that so many times…"

Harry grinned back as he began to cut off the burnt pieces, well, the ones that were so burnt that they were inedible.

"So, have you really decided what you want to do Harry?"

Harry shrugged. "It almost doesn't seem worth it. I didn't ask many questions when Professor Dumbledore suggested it, since I knew that he wouldn't have suggested changing me into a girl if he wasn't desperate to get rid of old snake face. But you saw how he acted when he left. It's like, there's nothing to fight for."

"Hmmm…" Tonks drank her potatoes as she thought about it. "But this isn't about making Dumbledore happy. This is about destroying Voldemort. Ridding the world of evil and all that wash. And Harry, you have to realise that this is really just bigger than any of us…"

Harry frowned but said nothing. Then, "I don't feel like my sacrifice is getting appreciated. I don't get to be in on the planning, I don't know anything that will happen only until it does and I'm tired Tonks… him including Snape and not mentioning just shows how manipulative Dumbledore is."

Tonks rolled her eyes. "Oh, come on. Grow up Harry." Harry had never seen the auror so annoyed. "Dumbledore doesn't manipulate maliciously. Harry, this is MUCH BIGGER than Dumbledore and you. And perhaps Dumbledore seems to be the only one who is calling the shots, but who else has dared to step up and be the leader? There are only a handful of wizards who don't flinch at Voldemort's name and he is, as many peaople put it, 'the only wizard Voldemort has ever been afraid of'. Who else has organized a functional group? He might seem senile, Harry, but he knows a thing or two. You have to have faith in him, just like he asked. Otherwise, all this is causing unwanted trouble and it's wasting all of our time."

She then stood up and grabbed her plate. "I hope you make the right decision Harry." She placed the bowl in the small sink and walked away into another room.

Harry played around with his mashed potatoes as he thought it over.

Everyday Tonks taught him something new. She was teaching a lot of combative things since you can't really rely for magic to do everything for you. His knees were sore from throwing himself onto the floor when ducking from spells, and he really hated how Tonks didn't seem to give him a chance to recover. The fact that the wards practically made him much heavier didn't help either.

Then there were the runs she was starting to make him do. Which he didn't think was a smart thing since he should be hiding and not running around in the sheep-filled fields.

It was Friday and Harry was getting anxious for Dumbledore's visit. He still didn't know what to say. When someone who isn't exactly the picture of responsibility gives you a lecture on that very thing, you couldn't help but rethink your previous position on any matter.

Dumbledore did indeed arrive and this time, he was accompanied by Hogwart's resident Potions Master, Severus Snape. And to Harry, that was really just digging the knife deeper. Tonks gave him a warning look and Harry didn't bother saying hello to either of the professors and ignored their very presence.

Snape billowed his way towards the small kitchen table and took out a black, leather bag. From that, he took out three vials and set them on the table and finished with a pointed look at the Headmaster.

Dumbledore coughed. "Harry, you need to tell us your decision." Harry had planned to keep ignoring the man, but Tonks decided to kick his shin, and his scowl ruined the stoic and cold composure he was pulling for.

Harry huffed. "Whatever. I thought I was only taking only one potion today."

Dumbledore frowned and Snape snorted. "I think that his immaturity doesn't allow him to give a proper and simple answer, Albus. I really do insist you rethink this over. We can't have him doing things half-arsed, which, as I stated beforehand, is all we can expect from the imbecile."

Harry narrowed his eyes and was about to retort when Tonks kicked him again. He then turned on her and was about to give him a piece of his mind when he realized that she was looking at him angrily.

The green eyed boy felt a stab of guilt on his chest. He wasn't making things easier was he?

Tired, he nodded dejectedly. "Let's start administrating the potions. The faster the better."

Snape handed Harry a vile. "You must take a vile every seven minutes. You'll down it exactly when I tell you and you will take whatever I give. Even if you find the taste disgusting, do NOT spit it out."

Harry nodded and held the vile up to his face. The color of the dark green potion was extremely cool behind the glass.

"Take it… now!"

Harry woke up with a pain in his stomach. Tonks was right next to his bedside, dabbing a wet towel on his forehead.

"wha--" he cleared his throat, "What happened?" His voice was raspy.

"Well, after you took the last potion, you began screaming your voice hoarse. You then passed out on us. Gave us a real scare. Well, Dumbeldore and I… Snape didn't really say anything."

Harry snorted. "He was probably hoping for the worse and cheering my doom."

Tonks frowned. "No, no. Dumbledore wouldn't be happy with him if he had done anything to purposely hurt you. And if I learned one thing about Snape is that he does things grudgingly but willingly for Albus."

Harry shrugged. He then grabbed his chest. "Am I…?"

Tonks laughed. "No you silly goose. You aren't a girl yet. You still need to have three more weeks of potions administered. A whole menstrual cycle they say."

Harry cringed.