Sorry for the long wait. I usually try to balance updating, but I was at the end of one of my Fullmetal Alchemist stories, so that kind of consumed everything else. Thanks for all the feedback for the last chapter, I really appreciate it!

Dobby's Polka-Dotted Sock

Chapter Eighteen:

Girl-Trip

"This looks ridiculous," Leila announced to the group, and stuck her tongue out at the reflection of Harry in the mirror before her, as he was busy trying to stifle his laughter.

"I don't know what to tell you, Leila," Sirius defended, "That's the type of thing my relatives had in their closets for fancy occasions."

"How old were your relatives?" She shot back, and this time Remus was the one laughing, though Sirius didn't look offended in the least.

"Point taken," he admitted. They left her to disentangle herself from the mass of fabric calling itself a dress robe. Leila didn't even know why she needed such a thing, anyway. Hogwarts had never required formal wear before, so what made this year any different?

Sirius and Remus knew, but they were keeping tight-lipped about it as it was supposed to be a surprise. Needless to say, she and Harry were nearly going mad with impatience. Would it really hurt just to tell them?

"You know, I'd been meaning to call in on Andromeda," Sirius was saying to Remus when she joined them in the living room. "Her little girl's all grown up now. Maybe Nymphy will know what's actually in fashion for these things."

"She might," Remus agreed.

OoO

Sirius took Leila with him to call on the one cousin who actually wished to speak with him. Harry was staying behind, as he still had homework to complete, which Leila had rubbed in as much as possible. She felt she understood perhaps why Hermione always finished her homework as early as possible.

The Tonks' home was decent-sized, with a pond in the front yard. Sirius rang the bell and the door was opened shortly by a young woman a few years her senior, with shoulder-length brown hair and Sirius' gray eyes. She supposed it was a family trait.

"You must be Nymphadora," Sirius said, "It's been awhile."

"Yeah," Nymphadora Tonks agreed, though her smile seemed more like a grimace in reaction to her name. Leila couldn't blame her, it sounded like a rather unfortunate choice.

They were led into the front room, where a woman with slightly darker hair and more of Sirius' features stood from an armchair to greet them.

"Sirius," she said warmly, and allowed her cousin to embrace her. She then turned and shook Leila's hand. "You have no idea how happy I am to see this day."

"I won't try to imagine it; I'm too busy being glad to see you again." The plan was for Nymphadora to take Leila to Diagon Alley to look for the dreaded dress robe while Sirius and Andromeda caught up, so Leila followed her shopping companion through the fireplace to the Leakey Cauldron. Nymphadora was standing up from the floor when Leila stepped through, obviously having crashed upon entry.

"Can never get that right," the older girl was muttering as she brushed herself off.

"Should we get going?" Leila asked.

"Yeah, but first thing's first; you should check for your money. Sometimes it can fall out in the Floo."

"Oh right," Leila replied, checking for and finding the little purse Sirius had given her in her front pocket.

"It's important to keep track of your money. Always put them in either a front pants pocket or an inside coat pocket." She nodded at the advice, then remembered the fright they had had when Harry had lost his wand.

"Should I put my wand in a front pocket, too?" She asked, pulling it out of the back pocket she usually kept it in. Nymphadora paused, then grinned as she nodded.

"If you don't have a holster, then yes. Good thinking. This might be more fun than I thought, sort-of-cousin-of-mine." Leila then watched in surprise and a little bit of awe as the older girl's hair shortened and turned a bright, bubblegum pink before her very eyes. "I'm a Metamorphagous; means I can change my appearance at will. Useful for when I visit my mum."

"Well, that's handy I suppose," Leila said after a moment.

"Sure is. The name's Tonks, Auror-in-Training."

"Leila Potter, fourth-year at Hogwarts."

OoO

Madam Malkin seemed almost overjoyed at the fact she had a customer who needed something other than a school uniform.

"I'm not sure why the school's requiring dress robes, but I won't question it," the woman said, retrieving a tape measure. Leila stood, arms held out to either side, on a stool when she thought of something.

"Hey Tonks, you're going to be an Auror. You know what's going on at the school this year, don't you?" But the older one only grinned from her seat.

"Nice try, but my lips are sealed. If my cousin isn't going to tell you, who am I to ruin the surprise?" She only laughed when Leila pouted.

"I think a deep blue, navy, might look best. It's a shame you don't have those green eyes, I could really do something with that. But hazel will look fine with the blue." Madam Malkin left to look for fabric in the back room, but Tonks was still there to see the look on Leila's face.

"Ouch," the older girl offered.

"Must be nice being a Metamorphagous," Leila said as she stepped down from the stool, only to sit on it instead. "You'd look good in anything."

"If I wanted," Tonks agreed. "But I wouldn't want to be a scrawny, flat-chested, half-blind teenage boy. And I don't think you want to be, either."

She tried to stay sullen and moody, she really did; but this comment from a young woman she had just gotten to know still managed to make her lips twitch into a smile. Then a snort escaped. And finally she was laughing, and Tonks was laughing with her.

OoO

"How's the essay coming?" she asked sweetly, but Harry saw through her ruse and only grumbled. "That's a shame."

"Like you care," he accused and she only smiled in return. "How was your girl-trip or whatever?"

"Actually, fun. Tonks' is great. She said if I ever have to escape from you, Sirius, and Remus, then I can crash on the couch in her apartment."

"Sounds great," he replied, obviously still grumpy due to the essay. She gave a rather exaggerated smile, and pretended not to notice the hopeful glance he shot her.

"You want some help on that?"

"Yes, please," he said gratefully, moving over on the couch to give her room.

"Ugh, History of Magic," Leila said, looking at the parchment. "Ok, I think there was something in chapter six about this. If not, we can check the index."

"Good idea," he said and they got to work. Harry had only read a few lines on the page before he said, "Hey Leila?"

"Yeah, Harry?"

"If you went to live on Tonks' couch, I'd miss you."

"I'd miss you, too."

OoO

This was perhaps the most shocking Start of Term Feast she had ever witnessed. Some crazy old man who looked like a walking horror film was the new Defense professor, Quidditch was cancelled, only to be replaced by something called a Tri-Wizard Tournament, and they would be hosting students from foreign wizarding schools. There were foreign wizarding schools?

"What do you reckon?" Harry asked their group of friends as they all headed for the Gryffindor Common Room.

"That this is going to be a great educational opportunity," Hermione started.

"That the Tournament sounds bloody brilliant," Ron offered.

"That they've really pulled out all the stops to make this year crazier than all the rest," Leila put her two cents in.

"Yeah, me too," he replied. "I can't help but feel a little nervous though. I'm not sure why."

"Don't worry about it, mate," Ron said, putting a hand on his friend's shoulder. "This is Dumbledore. If he thought the Tournament was bad news, he wouldn't be having it, would he?"

"I guess not," Harry said.

"And they've added all sorts of rules and safety precautions, so it'll be nothing like the old Tournaments," Hermione added, confident as ever in authority.

"That's true."

"I don't know, I just think it'll be nice to see some other people run around on adventures for once," Leila said. "Just don't volunteer for anything, and you've got nothing to worry about."

They had reached the Common Room and it was time for the boys and girls to separate.

"You're all right," Harry finally said. "I guess this year really will just be fun, huh?"

"That's the spirit," Hermione said. "Now we should all turn in, since classes still do start tomorrow."

"Ugh, you see Harry? Nothing's different," Ron said, and Hermione crossed her arms in annoyance.

"Well I'm just saying we should all get some rest so—"

"Ok then, good night guys," Leila said, taking Hermione by the arm and heading for the girls' staircase, Harry doing likewise with Ron.

"G'night."

Well, next will be the arrival of the Beauxbatons and Durmstrang students, and then the start of the Tournament. Thanks so much for the feedback on the last few chapters, I really appreciate. Hope you enjoyed this one, and please review!