Thanks to Shikamaru4headcaptain for the 900th review. I'm getting excited at the thought of the next mark. Thanks for your support guys! And look, this story crossed the 100,000 word landmark. Woot!

33. A Trip to Hogwarts

"YOU DID WHAT?"

"ARE YOU FUCKING KIDDING ME?"

"ARE YOU SERIOUS?"

Sirius was about to make another joke about it, but a death glare from Andromeda convinced him otherwise. It would've been amusing to watch if not for the two angry Tonks women flanking each side of Sirius.

"Well, it worked." He said meekly, trying not to look at any of the three others. Maybe this wasn't the best idea he ever had. But hey, a victory is a victory!

"YOU BREAK INTO GRINGOTTS AND STEAL RIGHT UNDER THOSE GOBLINS' NOSES-"

"YOU AMBUSH A DEATH EATER ALONE IN KNOCKTURN ALLEY-"

"We didn't have to go inside Knockturn Alley." He mumbled and predictably, it was ignored.

"SO MANY THINGS COULD HAVE WENT WRONG-"

"YOU COULD'VE BEEN KILLED!"

"OKAY I GET IT!" Harry roared to get their attention. Of course he was already the centre of their attention; he just had to get himself heard. As they paused for a moment, he took the opportunity before they started again.

"Look, I know that it was very reckless and potentially dangerous and I understand that I could've been killed several times over. But look at me! I'm safe and unscathed, and I got the horcrux. Not to mention that Rodolphus Lestrange is dead and we can track his brother. Doesn't that count for anything? Don't answer that, it was a rhetorical question. All I'm saying is that I'm sorry that I did all that without telling you anything, but if I had another chance, I wouldn't do anything different."

Andromeda's face softened, but she didn't look happy.

"Harry I am very happy and proud of you for what you did, but you have to understand that we just lost some people we loved. What if everything did not go perfectly? Do you think Dora could take it if something happened to you? I might not have expressed myself that well, but I love you like my own son. Do you think I could bear it if you went the same way as..."

Her voice broke at this point and Harry immediately reached over and hugged her, feeling very guilty. Now that he thought of it, what if something happened to Susan? Could he live with the knowledge that he led her to something and she was...

"I'm sorry Andromeda. It's just... I couldn't just sit around and watch you two grieving. I felt like I had to do something, and this was the best plan I had. I admit I never considered the possibility that something could go wrong in that way." He paused a bit shamefully but after a moment he carried on.

"The thing is I don't have the luxury of staying safe at home. Every day I waste is another day Voldemort can use to gain followers and cause more death and destruction. I won't be able to live with myself if I knew that someone I know died and I could have prevented."

There was a heavy silence that followed this grim reminder of the immense weight of the prophecy that rested on his shoulders. Finally Sirius spoke out.

"We know that Harry. But you have to keep in mind that we all care about you way too much. I won't hide it. I am glad that you decided to do something instead of moping around. It sounds harsh, but the hard truth is that you are right and we have little time to properly grieve for our losses." He knew Andromeda might give him an earful later, but he needed to say this.

"I wholeheartedly support your actions, but I just wish you asked our help. You know I wouldn't turn down an offer for an adventure, but I would make sure that it was safer and that all possible precautions were taken. You are marked by Voldemort, but it wouldn't do us any good if you are killed by an angry goblin or anything. We have to keep you safe so that you can kill Voldemort and we can all live in peace. No pressure on you, of course." He finished with a wink and despite the grim mood, Harry grinned.

"Good to know I am so useful, Padfoot."

...

She hesitated to enter the room. She knew Harry would understand why she couldn't come out of her room or talk with anyone, but she was afraid that Harry had changed his mind about having a girlfriend who doesn't talk with him for weeks. She knew she wouldn't be happy dating with a guy like that. She could've let him comfort her, as it nearly always worked, but she felt she needed to mourn for daddy in private.

It was a good thing that her assignment from the Auror Department was to protect Harry, though she didn't do much of protecting while he stole from Gringotts and finished off a Death Eater in process. If she had to attend office like the other Aurors, she would be fired within a day because she didn't think her face was properly dry for a few days. If she was sent to a mission she would've been dead ten times over because her sensory system was blunt like a tree trunk.

Pushing those thoughts aside, she knocked on his door lightly. When he didn't respond, she pushed the door and found that it was open. Taking a deep breath, she entered.

She released the breath when she saw him. He was laying flat on his stomach, asleep. After all those shouting, he is bound to be tired.

She found that she liked watching him sleep. Peaceful and relaxed, his face tugged at her heart and she felt a great affection for the boy in front of her. She didn't want to wake him up, so she decided to come back later, but a letter in is desk caught her eye.

She knew that she wasn't supposed to read his letter without his permission but she couldn't resist picking up the piece of parchment.

Dear Harry,

How did they take the news? I hope you didn't get into much trouble for it. Can you make sure Auntie doesn't know about my involvement in this? It sounds selfish, but I don't fancy being told off by her. Not to mention that we would have to tell her all about horcruxes. Just try to convince Tonks' mum won't you?

How are you holding up? I'm okay, but sometimes I remember that I was responsible for someone's death and I feel like throwing up. I know that he deserved to die and all, but it's still hard to think about. Even writing about it is making me sick. I wonder if it ever goes away.

Is Tonks talking to you? I know you are pretty upset at her blocking you out, but don't be hard on her, I guess she was really close to her dad and you know her better than I do. Just be patient for a while and she will eventually understand what she is doing.

That reminds me, I broke up with Dean. Poor guy looked quite relieved. I guess when you told me about Tonks, I realized that I was doing almost the same thing to Dean. He was decent enough that he didn't break it off himself while I was down. I told him that I couldn't give him the attention that he deserved and that if he was still interested, we could try again later.

Auntie said that I am actually looking better than before. I guess finally 'doing something' was good for me. If you are up for it, come over and visit some time. Sam will be happy to see someone other than me and auntie.

Love from

Susan

Carefully, she folded the parchment like it was before and tried to stop the whimper. It was clear that she had hurt Harry, badly. And she wondered if he would forgive her. She had been selfish and didn't bother about other people. Now she came to think of it, she wasn't the only one with a loss. Susan lost both of her parents. Though daddy was her favourite, she didn't think that she would be able to bear if mum was...

Feeling the sudden need to be alone, she ran away from the room... or at least tried to.

Her clumsiness took over and she tripped on the carpet and fell with a loud crash.

Harry woke up with a start at the sound and instinctively reached for his wand. What he saw was a bit surprising, but not threatening. A red haired Tonks was sprawled on the floor, cursing under her breath.

"How'd you become an Auror with two left legs like those?" he asked and she sighed loudly.

"You up?" she asked from the floor, attempting to get up to a sitting position.

"Hard to stay asleep with that racket you just made." He pointed out.

"Sorry about that." She said quietly.

Stifling a yawn, he climbed down from the bed and sat beside her on the floor.

"Hey."

She looked at him and managed a small smile.

"Hi yourself."

"How have you been, Dora?"

She closed her eyes, wondering what she should answer.

"I don't know. Okay I guess."

"You sure about that?" he asked, looking intently at her.

She wanted to say yes, but her body betrayed her. Without warning, she leaned on him and broke into sobs. He wrapped his arms around her and held her quietly, rubbing circles on her back. He let her cry for a few minutes, watching her hair changing slowly from a dull blue to a comfortable violet.

"I'm so sorry baby." She said with a sniff after a while.

"For what?"

"For... for everything." She tried to strengthen her voice a bit because she needed to say this. "I'm sorry for ignoring you and everyone else for the last few weeks. I know I shouldn't have done that, but it's just that I couldn't..." she trailed off, her voice threatening to break again.

No one said anything for a while and then Harry started quietly.

"I wish you would let me comfort you. I understand that you had to mourn alone, I really do. We all need some time alone. But when you didn't even look at me for weeks I started to think that I was not important enough to you. I'll be honest with you Dora, I didn't like that feeling at all. I know that you were reluctant to start our... relationship, whatever the hell it is, but I didn't want to be just another guy in your life. I mean-"

"You were never just another guy, Harry. Not in my life or anywhere else. You are always special to me, sweetheart." She beamed at him and he managed a small smile too. Then she turned a bit grim. "I know I haven't been an ideal girlfriend and I wouldn't have anything to say if you dumped my arse. I just want you to know that no matter what, I... I love you." She said the last part quietly, afraid that he would really dump him.

Instead, he gently put a hand in her cheek, gently moving her face to face his own. Then he leaned forward and kissed her softly. It wasn't deep, but it was sweet.

"I love you too Dora." He whispered once he pulled off.

When she snuggled in to him, his arm holding her close, she wondered how the hell she ever managed to get someone as good as him.

...

"Still got your bag?" she asked and he checked his back.

"Yeah. Let's go."

They were standing near Honeydukes, hidden from general view. Looking around to make sure that no one was following them, Harry threw the Invisibility Cloak over the two of them. Tonks put silencing charms on their feet and gave him thumbs up.

Sneaking into Hogwarts was pretty easy. With help of the Marauders' Map, they made their way to the Room of Requirement without a single incident. Well, not counting Tonks slapping Harry's bum playfully once.

Perhaps it was the magic of the Room, or simply a natural occurrence, Harry couldn't remember exactly where in the room the diadem was. It took quite a good deal of time to find the horcrux. Once he saw it, he levitated the diadem to the bag where he was carrying the other horcruxes. It took some more time to locate the entrance of the room, but finally they were heading down to Myrtle's bathroom to the Chamber of Secrets.

Tonks nearly had a heart attack when she saw the dead basilisk. If it wasn't so smelly down here, she would've snogged him senseless.

"Finish it quickly so that we can go home and I will show you how to properly use your tongue in action."

"You minx."

"You bet!"

Laughing at his crazy girlfriend, Harry poured the ring, the cup, the locket and the diadem on the floor. Immediately, the air around them became colder and had a sinister feeling to it. Pulling out two fangs from the basilisk, he handed one to Dora and held the other one firmly.

"It will try to distract you and even control you, so better stab it as soon as you are near it. Okay?"

She nodded resolutely and with a deep breath she went forward, stabbed the tiara and the cup and fell to her knees. The energy backlash from the two destroyed horcruxes knocked all air out of her lungs.

"Dora, you okay?" he knelt beside her, looking worriedly at her hair which has turned white.

"Been better." She mumbled, standing up gingerly. "Can you please finish this quickly?" she pleaded.

Nodding, he went towards the locket and hissed 'Open' in parseltongue.

"Hello Harry Potter. I see your life and it is now-"

"Save the emotional speech!" he yelled before driving the fang in the locket.

"Someone screams like a bitch." Tonks commented, once the loud noise was over.

"We all know that Riddle's a bitch. These were parts of him."

The ring was easily destroyed, but Harry was careful not to damage the Resurrection Stone that his parents described to him. He picked the small stone up and put it inside his pocket, making a note to deposit it in his vault the next time he visited Gringotts.

"Just the snake left now, huh?" she said, once they flew out of the Chamber by the school brooms they 'borrowed' on their way.

"Yeah. Then he can die and rot in hell where he belongs to." He said with venom.

He still hadn't figured out how he was going to kill Voldemort. A head on duel was out of the question. He knew even Dumbledore would be hard pressed to defeat Riddle in a duel, and he was nowhere near that level. Maybe he would reach there after thirty more years, but he couldn't afford to wait for that long and watch Voldemort tearing more families apart.

So how the hell would he do that? Or was he actually destined to die in Voldemort's hand like his parents? He didn't like to think that way, but sometimes things would become so hopeless that he had to consider the option where he wouldn't come out as the victorious.

Voldemort would definitely go after the ones that helped him. Susan, Andromeda. Sirius, Jennifer, Neville... Dora. He wouldn't miss the fact that Dora was more than just a friend of Harry. Voldemort could capture Harry and make him watch as he tortured all those were close to him.

Don't think about that! He reprimanded his mind and concentrated on the tunnel leading to Honeydukes, Dora holding his hand and walking along.

I have to kill him. To protect them. To protect everyone else. For mum and dad.

"Something on your mind?" Tonks asked, once the Invisibility Cloak was stowed away in his pocket.

"Not really. Why?"

"How about we grab some butterbeer at the Three Broomstick?" she suggested. "I need a drink or two after all that excitement."

"Sure, why not."

They were surprised to see someone in the bar. He was wearing muggle clothing and Harry didn't recognize him at first.

"He looks kinda familiar. Wait, EDWARD!"

Edward turned at Tonks' shout and beamed brightly.

"Tonksie and Harry! Het you've grown a lot." He commented at Harry, who was still staring at him.

"So have you. What have you been doing?" he exclaimed.

Edward Becker grinned. He was used to this sort of reactions nowadays. Once he graduated with Tonks and Hestia, he looked for a job that would suit him. Being a muggleborn and an average student, he sat idle for three months, living on his savings. As his life was going downhill, he broke up with Hestia, not wanting to drag her to his misery. Then one day someone suggested him to join the army. The person meant it as a joke, but the idea stuck. Of course, he couldn't join the British Army because he couldn't wake up before 8am even if his life depended on him, but he had an idea about what to do with his life.

"Working out a bit for my work. Magic helped, of course, but I live mostly a muggle life now. So, what are you doing here Auror Tonks?" he tried to divert the attention away from him and it worked... for a while.

"...so now we are basically enjoying our time as long as it is still enjoyable. So exactly what do you do, Ed?" she asked him with narrowed eyes, daring him to change the topic again.

"Hey why so serious?" he said uneasily, inching away from her. When she continued to glare, he sighed and pulled out a card from his pocket.

"Here, visit me in a few weeks, I'll explain. I can't talk here."

"You better have a good explanation mate, she doesn't look happy." Harry commented, looking warily at a scowling Tonks.

"And I had to bear those looks all throughout school." He sighed exasperatedly.

...

The man looked at the figure in fear, wondering who on earth had the balls to take down four Death Eaters singlehandedly. True, they were all new recruits, but that didn't mean they were totally untrained. The figure pulled off the hood and was revealed to be a woman.

A bloody woman took out four of us?

With a lazy flick of her wand, his right leg was broken and he screamed in pain.

"Do you know who led the Ministry raid?" she asked him coldly but he didn't answer.

Another flick and the bones in his left hand were shattered.

"Last chance. Do you know who led the raid at the Ministry?"

"No... I didn't... join then..."

"You shouldn't have joined ever."

She looked on as the man breathed his last, his neck broken. He was young. He could've chosen the other way. But he chose to ne a Death Eater. She wouldn't show any mercy.

Andromeda Tonks wasn't feeling very merciful nowadays.

A/N: review please!