Disclaimer: Nothing is mine.
Authors note: Here's another Harry chapter! Woohoo. So Tonk's has always seemed like a rash, and faithful kind of person, so that why what goes down goes down. Your comments are very appreciated I'm in the middle of writing BIG EVENT 1, like the pig plot event that goes down, and its exciting, be excited. Enjoy!
Harry paced, agitated, along the worn and creaking floors of Grimmuald Place. He knew he was being rash, but he had packed up and left, hoping that Ron and Hermione had the sense to stay behind and leave him alone. He was tired of worrying himself sick that they might get hurt, and now Dumbledore, the only person that Harry had thought was stronger than Voldemort, was gone. No one was safe. And he had to come up with a plan of action. He paced nervously, trying to figure out what his plan of attack would be. The most reasonable answer? Was to actually go back and get Hermione, because she would know what to do, but nothing. He knew that the Order of the Phoenix still met here, and they still met twice a month. So he just had to wait for them, so that he could tell them he was joining, no arguments, and that he was going to fight.
He sighed and turned, deciding on a whim to unpack his trunk. He didn't have anything else to do except wait, and the fidleus charm was still strong enough here that he could be safe. He rummaged through his trunk, and found his latest copy of Quidditch Weekly. As cooped up as he felt, there was nothing to do but wait.
Two day's later found him laying on the floor of one of the dusty rooms from sheer boredom, trying to figure out what the complex crown molding on the ceiling was supposed to actually be. Fat babies? Mandrakes? Cupids? Garden Gnomes? He squinted at them, almost laughing at the ridiculousness of the situation. He sure was helping the war effort here, sprawled, laughing at the ceiling.
"Harry, mate, I don't mean to be rude or anything, but what the hell are you doing?"
The familiar voice startled him, and he sat up, shoving his glasses back up his nose, as they'd slipped, and clambering to his feet. Ron and Hermione were standing in the doorway. Ron looked amused, and Hermione looked annoyed.
"What are you guys doing here? How'd you find me?"
"Honestly, Harry, it wasn't all that hard. Where else would you go? I am disappointed that you thought we couldn't be trusted to come along though." Hermione's mothering tone was familiar, he knew she wasn't that mad, more worried.
"It's not that-"
"That's what I told her mate, I knew you were just being all heroic and what. But still, come on, it took us about ten minutes to figure out where you were, I'm sure if we can you it You Know Who can." Ron came over, giving Harry a friendly slap across the back, and a big smile.
Harry looked at Hermione sheepishly, and she rolled her eyes, but came over and gave him a rib-crushing hug anyhow.
"So what's our plan?" Hermione glared at Ron as he asked, obviously not done being upset that they were missing school.
"Our plan is to get Harry back to Hogwarts! We can't even do magic outside school yet!" She sounded every bit as incredulous as Harry expected from her, and the familiarity of it all made him grin at her, which clearly annoyed her even more.
"Hermione. Come on. We have to save Dumbledore. Then, later, we can go back to school and you can fret about our NEWTs without distraction. But if Dumbledore's gone, don't you think that soon, Hogwarts will fall? Then the ministry? Come on, we have to do something. We're going to wait to see if the Order will help us, and if not, we're going to go get Dumbledore, so he can tell us how to kill Voldemort."
Ron seemed comforted by the fact that there was a plan at all, and Hermione seemed outraged that the plan involved dropping out of school but Harry decided that in the end he was glad that his friends had found him.
Predictably, the Order was split between people who needed a leader now with Dumbledore gone, and thought the whole Boy Who Lived/Chosen One thing sounded pretty appealing, and people who were in a snit about letting a 16 year old go off and try to find Voldemort on his own (though he argued he would have Hermione and Ron with him, so not alone).
Then of course there was worry because some rogue wizards from the continent were starting up trouble. The Auror department had come in to find the severed heads of two death eater's waiting for them, with a note that looked like it was written in blood about someone doing their jobs for them, and was signed by a single letter C.
Naturally, the ministry suspected either French aurors or maybe German aurors, but according to Mad Eye Moody, there was not magical signature, and so it had to be someone that wouldn't look out of place to sneak up on and manually decapitate the two low ranking death eaters.
And so there were a million reasons that Harry was forced to listen to about how he was being pigheaded and childish, and then about 30 people tried to convince him to go back to school and just twiddle his thumbs and wait for news.
It was all too much, and in the end, the meeting ended with no decisions, and Harry storming out of the meeting, seething and yelling curse words at the appalled and petty adults. He couldn't stand it when people told him to just hold on and not jump in. Didn't they understand? He was the only one who could kill Voldemort, it's not like he could just shrug and let that pass his mind, and go back to school and worry about potions class. The war was upon them and just because no one wanted to admit it, they weren't going to let him try to kill Voldemort.
Wasn't his war indeed. He needed to do something about it, and he needed to do it now. He made up his mind, and started a pile of things to put in his rucksack. He might need Hermione to teach him some kind of shrinking spell to get all this stuff to fit in there, but he thought she'd help, she was his best friend after all.
Ron came in, closing the door, his face slightly troubled.
"Harry. Hogwarts. The Death Eaters took it. I don't care what mum says, I'm coming with you. We've got to get Gin back. I think, I think Hermione is too. She just, you know her, she hates leaving."
Harry paused in his rummaging, and then sat next to his friend. "I know mate. Hogwarts? Is everyone ok?"
"Apparently, they're just keeping it on as a school or what not, I imagine they'll use the kids to try and get everyone on their side like threatening? Maybe? I don't know, I heard a lot of families are starting to go under ground."
Harry nodded, feeling sick to his stomach. He'd barely escaped, and maybe it was just a sinking feeling, but he had a feeling that if he had been in the school when it was taken he would have been killed along with anyone that had stood in the way.
The two boys sat there in silence for a few moments before Hermione slipped in, closing the door silently behind her. She hesitated for a moment then sat next to Harry, leaning his head on his shoulder.
"They aren't going to let you leave. We need to get out of here, and find somewhere else to work out of." Her voice was soft and tired, and she looked older than he remembered ever seeing a 16-year-old look. The toll that just walking out on all their teachers and classmates and futures was taking on her must be overwhelming.
He nodded, and got up, gently moving her off of his shoulder. He went back to his packing, but before long Hermione came over and smacked his hands away. She drew her wand, and pointed it at his rucksack. She began muttering spells, and then began neatly folding things and placing them inside. Ron and Harry watched in slight awe as she picked up his firebolt and tossed it into his bag where it shouldn't have fit.
She blushed when she noticed them staring and rolled her eyes, muttering hotly, "Honestly, does no one but me pay attention in charms?"
It was midnight before they were all packed, and they were trying to figure out a plan of escape, when a knock on the door to the room where Ron had been kipped paused their conversation. Tonks stuck her head in, a small smile on her lips, and then slipped in.
"Harry. Don't talk. I know what you're going to do. I have two things for you though." She held out her hand and whistled softly, and seemingly out of nowhere a little bright golden bird fluttered. Then it landed on her finger, and Hermione gasped. "Tonks, is that a snidget? You could get in huge trouble for having one!"
Tonks smiled crookedly, and shrugged. "This one's been in the family for more than a minute. But lately, he's been bringing me things from someone who might be able to help you. His name is Pip. Pip, this here is Harry, and I think your master wouldn't mind him getting the things you bring me? Ok? He's here to help."
She lifted her hand up when she addressed the small bird, no bigger than a humming bird, as if it understood her. The bird chirped quietly, and flitted over, landing on Ron's knee, preening itself slightly.
"They're magical, and really smart. They can get through almost any ward, and they're too fast to be caught by any ministry spy, and they're very loyal to whoever bred them." Tonk's tone was affectionate, but she held up her hand to stop the questions that Ron and Harry had, the moment they opened their mouths.
"I can't tell you who's on the other end. For one, I don't actually know, all I know is he's been helping me, and he or I guess she, can help you. But more importantly, the second thing, is that I'm about to do something very loud and noisy, so you lot can slip out the front door and apparate away."
With that, she turned around, and slipped back out of the room, before anyone could say anything.
"But. Wait. Get her to come back, Hermione, I can't apparate!" Harry was on his feet in a moment, slightly panicking.
"It's ok Harry. I- I can." Her blush was fiery while the two boys surveyed her in awe.
"Well I didn't want to be surprised when they taught us in the spring! So I practiced, and read up on it, and well, I went to Diagon Alley and I practiced there, where I wouldn't be breaking the trace. Come on, we don't have long."
Ron grinned and shook his head, following her, but not before carefully scooping up the small bird, and letting him hop onto Ron's shoulder. They were halfway down the stairs, carefully peering about making sure no one spotted them when there was a loud explosion and a scream from the kitchen. Harry grabbed his friends and pulled them out the door, across the street into the muggle park, where in the cloak of darkness, Hermione took a deep breath, and they all disappeared with a crack.