AN: This is the one of two stories that have taken most of my attention recently. Originally I was going to wait till they were complete to start posting, but these are long stories and I'm impatient. So, I'll be posting this story and my first foray into the Star Wars universe at the same time. My plan is to post new chapters for both stories every two weeks on Sunday. As always, I look forward to reviews both positive and constructive as long as they are constructive, and not simply negative and insulting. I'm posting all of Year 1 today to give people an idea of what this story might be like. Currently half way through Year 5, roughly 70 chapters deep, so buckle up for a long story, and take note that Year 1 is rather short compared to some of the later years where I expand a lot. I hope everyone enjoys the story.
Summary
Tonks and Harry had a close bond before their worlds changed and they were separated. Dora continued on with the life she was always meant to have while Harry went to his muggle relatives. Meanwhile, Harry has grown up neglected and abused with the Dursleys and is eager to escape into the magical world. When tragedy strikes, and old memories surface, she is determined to salvage what remains of her family. What happens when a simple letter reveals to Harry the family he didn't even know he had?
Chapter 1 (Prologue)
(July 31st, 1981)
"Andy, have you seen Harry?"
Andromeda Tonks turned and smiled at Lily Potter who was walking out of the kitchen of their small cottage.
"Dora's got him out in the yard. Remus and Ted are supervising," Andy replied.
Lily smiled. "I swear, Harry loves Dora more than damn near anyone."
"Not more than me," Sirius replied with a playful pout, walking with James over to them. "My young cousin is amazing," Sirius said with his hands raised at Andromeda's playful glare, "but I'm definitely my godson's favorite person."
James snorted, though he and Lily both loved how much Sirius had taken to being Harry's godfather. Other than maybe Remus, they honestly didn't think they could have chosen better.
"Dora always loves it when she gets to see Harry," Andy said with a smile. "I swear she's asked me a dozen times if Harry can be her little brother."
"That's so sweet," Lily cooed. "Harry couldn't ask for a better big sister either."
Andy smiled in pride, and the four adults peeked out the window to see a young black haired toddler laughing as a pink haired girl ran around with him on her shoulders. Her smile widened as she heard the familiar click of a camera and glanced over to see a completely unrepentant Lily with a camera grinning.
"That's another keeper," she said and Andy laughed knowing Lily thought all of them were keepers.
**HP**
(October 31st, 1981)
Andromeda felt tears flowing freely as she hugged her crying daughter. They had just gotten the news about the Potters.
To know that the Dark Lord was gone was truly a blessing, but hearing that it had been at the cost of James and Lily's lives was anything but. Dora was taking it hard, knowing that her Uncle James and Aunt Lily were gone.
They might not have been blood, but they had been the closest thing that Dora had, what with Ted's family all being gone and Andy's family being what they were. The only bright side they had was knowing that Harry had somehow survived, and somehow caused the Dark Lord to disappear.
The rest of the wizarding world might be celebrating, but Andy, Ted, and Dora were mourning the loss of those they held dear.
**HP**
(November 2nd, 1981)
Andromeda couldn't believe what she had been told, couldn't believe what was being reported.
Sirius Black was a traitor. Sirius Black had betrayed Lily and James. Sirius Black had killed Peter Pettigrew and thirteen muggles before being peacefully taken by the Aurors and thrown into Azkaban.
She couldn't believe it. It made no sense. Sirius hated their family and everything they stood for. James and Lily, and James's parents, when they had been alive, and herself, Ted, and Nymphadora had been Sirius's family. She had seen how much he loved James, Lily, and Harry. She didn't think anyone could have faked that.
Yet.
He had been the Secret Keeper. Everyone close to the Potters knew that, and their deaths meant that Sirius really must have betrayed them. He must have sold them out, and if he was still alive and being tracked by Peter Pettigrew of all people, then he must have done it willingly.
She couldn't believe it. She didn't want to believe it.
He had to have been lying about everything for as long as she'd known him going against the family values. He must have pretended to show such care for the Potters, for her, and for her family. It stung her to the core, making her wonder about every interaction and everything she believed.
The letter in her hands hadn't helped her increasingly depressing mood.
Andromeda,
While I understand and appreciate your desire to take in young Harry, the Ministry and I have decided that his care will be given to Lily's sister, his only remaining blood family. While this might come as a surprise to you, we believe it in his best interest.
Lily Potter sacrificed herself to save her son from Voldemort, and that sacrifice created a powerful magical protection on Harry. With many of the Dark Lord's followers still at large, the Ministry and I felt he needed to be protected, and Lily's protection will continue to protect Harry while he lives with his blood relatives. In addition, with his new fame in the magical world, it is important to protect him from even the best meaning of our kind. It is important that Harry grow up as normal a boy as he can be, so I must ask that you do not try and contact him until he has re-entered our world when he goes to Hogwarts. I'm sure, by that time, he will be more than happy to meet people who were such good friends of his family and hear all the stories you will be able to tell.
I'm sure this is not what you wanted to hear, but I believe, and the Ministry agrees, that it is in his best interest. Please don't hesitate to reach out to me for anything you might need.
As always, your servant,
Albus Dumbledore
"Mum, when is Harry going to come live with us?" a soft voice asked, and Andy sadly turned to look at her daughter, who's hair had only recently returned to her favored spiky pink when she'd been told that her parents were going to try and obtain custody of Harry.
She glanced at her husband, who knew what letter she had in her hand. She subtly shook her head, and Ted's face fell slightly, before he glanced at their daughter sadly. She was going to take it worse than they were . . . and that was before Andy had to tell her that they couldn't even see or contact Harry for another ten years.
She could see Albus's point, and she also understood why the Ministry would place an orphan with blood relatives, but on the other hand, anyone who knew Lily Potter, knew she wasn't very close to her sister, and to not allow the Potter's closest friends to even contact Harry seemed cruel. She couldn't help but wince knowing that this would hit Remus Lupin extremely hard.
"I'm sorry, Dora," Ted said, taking the lead. "I'm afraid Harry won't be coming to live with us."
"What?! Why?!" Dora exclaimed, her hair color changing from pink to red and then to blue. "Why isn't Harry coming to live with us? Where is he going to live?" she was pouting, and tears were already starting to pool.
"I'm sorry, honey," Andy said, approaching and pulling her daughter into a hug. "The Ministry has decided that he should live with Lily's sister. They're Harry's family by blood, and he's protected there. He's safe."
"But he'd be safe with us!" Dora protested. "We could protect him, couldn't we? Besides, the bad man is gone, isn't he? Harry got rid of him!"
"The bad man is gone," Andy confirmed, "but other bad men and women that worked with him are still around, and your father and I would do the best we could, but the Ministry believes Harry to be completely safe with his other family."
Dora slumped, and Andy sighed, pulling her into another hug.
"Can we at least see him?" Dora asked sadly.
Andy closed her eyes and took a breath, glancing at her husband and seeing the surprised, angered, and sad emotions all flash across his face, obviously having read her reaction and figured out what Albus had told them.
"I'm sorry, honey," Andy said again, watching Dora's face become even more heartbroken. "His new family are muggles, and for his safety, he's going to live as a muggle until he goes off to Hogwarts. Until then, we aren't to contact him."
"But why?!" Dora nearly screamed. "That's not fair!"
"I know, sweetie," Andy said pulling her close, as her daughter broke down sobbing about the loss of not only those she considered her aunt and uncle, but now the loss of a boy that at minimum was her favorite cousin, but whom she loved like the little brother she never had. "Someday, you'll see him again. I know it."
Dora sniffed. "You really think so?" she asked hesitantly.
"I know so," Andy responded firmly. "As soon as Harry's back in the wizarding world, we can even send him a letter and try and reintroduce ourselves to him."
"He won't remember us?" Dora asked sadly, and Andy sighed.
"Probably not, honey," Andy admitted, "but hopefully he'll want to hear about his parents through us and we can try and make up for lost time."
**HP**
(~10 Years later)
Tonks sighed in relief and happiness as she walked out of the Great Hall. She had just completed her Transfiguration NEWT and was thus now officially done with her NEWTs. She was only a short week away from being done with Hogwarts forever!
Merlin, was that a nice thought.
She had certainly enjoyed her time at Hogwarts, as most people did, but NEWTs had a way of making students feel ready to leave and start their lives. It hadn't helped that this whole past year she had been doing an apprentice program with the Auror department, which only stacked on the amount of work she would do.
The program was worth it though. Assuming she passed all her NEWTs with at least an Exceeds, she was guaranteed a spot in Auror Training thanks to her efforts while being mentored by Alastor Moody. Mad-Eye wasn't an active duty Auror anymore, but he still helped out with trainees and mentorship, passing on his decades of experience to try and keep the Aurors ready.
It certainly helped that she wasn't too worried about her NEWTs. Defense and Transfiguration both came fairly easy to her, and while the NEWTs lived up to their name, she hadn't felt any worry. Her mother was exceptional at Potions, and while Tonks wasn't up to her level, she was still competent enough to pull off Exceeds, even at Snape's standards, which meant she was towing the line for an Outstanding NEWT. It also helped that one of her good friends, Penny Haywood, was a potions prodigy, so when she needed help, she found it. Muggle Studies wasn't a problem, especially with her dad being muggleborn. Honestly, the only two classes she wasn't completely sure on were Herbology and Divination. The former she was sure she still had an E, and the latter honestly didn't matter, but she was sure she at least managed an E there as well.
The time for worrying was gone. Now was the time to relax, especially since her relaxation time would be nearly non-existent when she got into Auror Training in a month.
The rest of the day passed pleasantly, with her spending some time with her friends that were also graduating: Tulip Karasu, Penny Haywood, Barnaby Lee, and Chiara Lobosca. She even managed to spend some time with Skye Parkin and Erica Rath who spent as much time on their brooms as they had ever done in classes.
Just as they were all getting ready to head for the Great Hall to celebrate the end of their NEWTs, Tonks saw Professor Sprout and Professor McGonagall approaching.
Tonks and her friends exchanged glances, wondering what could be up. She glanced at Tulip most of all, knowing just what kind of pranks Tulip might have done to celebrate the end of her time at Hogwarts, but even she looked confused.
"Good evening, Professors," Penny said, speaking for their group.
"Good evening, Miss Haywood," Professor McGonagall responded, before the two Professors turned to look at her. "Miss Tonks, would you come with us?"
Tonks frowned. "Umm, of course, Professor."
She glanced at her friends in confusion, but followed the two Professors back to McGonagall's office where they had her take a seat.
"What's going on, Professors?" Tonks asked, starting to feel more and more concerned as the two Professors exchanged sad glances.
"I'm sorry to be the one to tell this to you, but I'm afraid your parents passed away this morning," McGonagall said softly, and Tonks felt her heart constrict, disbelief on her face.
"W-w-what?" Tonks stuttered out and Professor Sprout put a comforting hand on her shoulder.
"I'm sorry," McGonagall said sadly, and Tonks could see the tears in her eyes. "Both of them caught dragon pox, and they weren't able to beat it.."
Tonks couldn't believe it. The shock gave way to deep pain and she started sobbing hard, Professor Sprout pulling her into a hug, and just letting her cry.
Why did this keep happening to her? Why was her family always being taken from her?
**HP**
Her friends tried to help her, and to an extent, some of them were able to provide some comfort, but at the same time, she needed to work on funeral arrangements, which the Professors were helping her with, while her friends were getting ready for their future careers, and many of them wouldn't have time to be there for her within a week or two.
Skye and Erika had both already received offers for professional quidditch teams and would be heading off to quidditch camps. Her best friend, Charlie, was taking a job at a dragon reserve in Romania, his dream job, and thus needed to prepare to move out of the country in only a few weeks. Tulip, while a friend, wasn't likely to really check in on her. It wasn't her style. it didn't really matter though. Tulip, like Barnaby, was taking some time to travel Europe, like many wealthy purebloods did, before she started a career. Chiara and Penny were the two most likely to check in on her, but Penny had already been picked up for a Potions Mistress Apprenticeship in America, and she knew Chiara was preparing to go to a muggle university.
Tonks was one of the few who knew her friend, Chiara, was a werewolf, and while her friend wanted to be a healer, she knew she'd never be hired with the way the wizarding world was currently, so she had already determined she'd try to become a muggle nurse or doctor so that she could still help people, which meant her friend had a ton of studying to do before she'd be able to cope with the schooling she was about to enter. Her friend's situation had always made her angry. You would be hard pressed to find a person more caring than her friend, and it always infuriated her that she was being punished for something she couldn't control, something that had affected her since she was a little girl. Regardless, Chiara had bigger problems, and Tonks didn't want to add to them.
Nearly all of her friends were leaving for the foreseeable future, and honestly, as much as she wanted to have someone around, she also really wanted to be alone.
She had no idea what she was going to do. She was supposed to start Auror training, and she figured she still would, but the concept of having to figure out her parents estate, pay their bills, care for herself and everything else that went into being an adult while trying to survive one of the most rigorous training programs in the wizarding world seemed like so much . . . too much.
Everything just seemed like too much.
**HP**
The funeral was rather simple, held only a few days after her graduation from Hogwarts. Having it so soon made it so all of her friends could attend before they all disappeared in the wind. Some of her parents' friends and colleagues showed, in addition to Tonks's friends and almost all the Hogwarts Professors. It was simple because while her father as a Healer and her mother as a Potions Mistress at an Apothecary had made a comfortable living, they certainly hadn't been rolling in it, so Tonks had done what she could to make sure her parents were buried together and had a nice headstone, but more than that had been beyond her abilities.
The Reading of the Will was done only a few days after that, and unsurprisingly, Tonks had been left with everything, her parents home and all their gold but after funeral costs and paying all of her parents bills for the month, there wasn't much left. An Auror's pay was quite good, but it didn't mean she'd be able to easily afford her parents lifestyle with just her own income, and she was only paid a pittance until she completed the first six months of training, something which had nearly a ninety percent fail rate, and she was going to be hard pressed to afford her parents home. Some years, nobody made it through the first six months, so assuming she'd start making money after six months was a gamble. Even after six months, she didn't think she'd be able to afford her parents' home, not on a Trainee's salary. She wouldn't be able to possibly afford it until maybe her second year of training, but more likely when she qualified after her third year . . . assuming she made it that far in that timeframe.
As much as it pained her to think about it, but she was questioning whether she wanted to afford her parents home. It wasn't the first home they'd had, but her parents had been in it for the past seven years, and it did have many great memories, but that was part of the issue. The memories. Could she live there, knowing every room would constantly remind her of her parents and what she had lost? She could easily sell the home and even most of her parents possessions, at least that which she didn't want to keep, which would take care of nearly all her financial responsibilities except taking care of herself, and then she'd have a decent amount of gold to help her get a flat that she could afford until she started getting real pay when she became an Auror. And she would become an Auror.
She really wished she had someone she could talk to about this.
Tonks sighed. She did technically have people she could talk to about this. Professors' Sprout, McGonagall, Flitwick, and Dumbledore had all told her to write to them anytime for any reason. She knew at least Charlie, Penny, and Chiara would want to hear from her, and would offer advice, but none of them seemed right. She knew why, even if she hated to admit it.
They weren't her parents. They weren't family.
Feeling tears leak from her eyes, she once again succumbed to the sadness that had been overwhelming her for the past several weeks since her world had collapsed around her. She was so wrapped up in her misery that she didn't even hear the front door of her home open and close as someone entered.
"Still feeling sorry for yourself, I see," a gruff voice said, and Tonks looked up to see Mad-Eye Moody looking at her. "Can't even be bothered to practice constant vigilance."
With a clearer mind, she would have recognized the sorrow in his eyes, and seen through his words, but at that moment, she wasn't exactly clear headed.
"Fuck you," Tonks spat, and to her surprise Moody grinned.
"That's more like what I want to see," Moody replied. "Ted and 'Dromeda were some of the finest people I knew, and they will be missed, but they wouldn't have wanted you to shut down."
Tonks sighed. "I know . . . " she muttered with a sniffle.
Moody nodded. "Good. Then I expect you at my place tomorrow."
Tonks frowned. "Auror training doesn't begin for another two weeks."
"What makes you think that you're ready for Auror training?" Moody responded gruffly. "You've got talent, but if you really want to make it through, you need some work. You're going to be competing against people who have attempted this program multiple times, people who take a few years to study and learn before attempting this program. You're young and even worse, you're inexperienced."
Tonks blanched at the criticism. She knew that many in Auror training were older than her, but she felt confident in her abilities, and she had spent the last year interning with the Auror department. Shouldn't that be enough?
She glanced at him to see that he was very serious, and she realized he was doing this so that she would have the best chance of actually making it through Auror training on her first time, and she felt gratitude rise up.
"Yes, sir," she responded.
"If you really want to survive Auror training, you're also going to have to lose as many of your distractions as you can," Moody advised her. "Don't let sentimentality affect your performance."
Tonks nodded slowly, wondering if Moody knew he was giving her the advice she sought.
"Understood," she responded.
Moody nodded and scowled. "I expect you there bright and early, cadet."
"Yes, sir!" Tonks replied, a hint of eagerness finding its way into her tone for the first time in several weeks.
Moody turned and walked out, his leg clunking on the floor and as he walked. She watched as he left and apparated away.
She glanced around her parents place, really noticing how she hadn't done a good job of keeping up with the housecleaning, and also knowing that it would be a lot of work for her to do so, especially since she never had really mastered the household spells like her mum had.
Finally, coming to a decision, she went and took a shower, got dressed and then apparated to Diagon Alley. The first thing she did was find a realtor to put her parents home up for sale, while also asking the realtor to look for a small flat for herself. Maybe someday she'd be ready for a house, but for now, she wasn't ready, and she knew it.
The realtor honestly ended up being able to fulfill all of Tonks's problems. The firm she worked for was more than happy to buy the house for a fair price themselves so that they could sell it at their own pace and without Tonks's approval, and the realtor had time to show her around to a variety of flats, one of which she ended up liking, especially since it wasn't far from the Ministry. She knew she wasn't getting as much for the home as it was probably worth, but she just didn't want to deal with this for what could be months or more . . . and she really did need the money.
Once an agreement was made, one which she had vetted by a Gringotts goblin, she signed over the deed to her parents home, agreeing to move out of the home just before she started Auror training, which gave her time to figure out what of her parents furniture and things that she wanted to keep.
It had been hard to sell her parents home, but she felt like she made the right decision for herself and for her future. Now the next hard part, which would help her make another step on the road to recovery was to look through her parents' stuff, but she didn't need to do that all right now. For now, she'd made a big step, and she would just enjoy that.
**HP**
She had thought Moody was pushing her hard, and he certainly was, but she realized he wasn't joking about her not having been ready two weeks prior because the Auror instructors were ruthless. If she hadn't had Moody helping her, and been assigned as her mentor, she might not have survived the first week, let alone be midway through her second month, and she was one of the few that still remained.
On one hand, it was extremely challenging, pushing her almost to her limits every single day, but the work was a wonderful distraction from the loneliness at home, and the work itself was incredible. So far, she loved everything that she was doing in training, even the hellish workouts that they were forced to do each morning. They hadn't covered any advanced defensive magic yet, but she assumed that was because the Auror department only wanted to teach that magic to people it was sure would become full fledged Aurors. They were working on dueling techniques each day, discussing the history of the Aurors and history of the Dark Arts, working on Occlumency, and learning Magical Law.
They'd started with twelve people in their class, and by the end of the first month, they were down to four, including her. One was an American, named Garrett, who was really just on an exchange program. Granted, if he hadn't been able to keep up, he would have been dropped, but having completed a large portion of Auror training with the American's, he was more than up to the task. On the other hand, it meant that of the four of them left, only three might possibly become British Aurors. One was a girl, named Kelly, a couple years older than her, and who, like many of those that had already failed out, had been a member of the Magical Law Enforcement Patrol, and was an active member of the Hitwizards, and was trying to move departments. Though, unlike the rest who had either been dismissed back to the MLEP, or who had not been part of the MLEP and had been offered jobs there, she was still around, and was likely to make it. The last was actually a classmate of hers, though not a boy she knew well, a boy named Talbott Winger, though she wasn't sure he was going to survive much longer. He was quite talented, but his quiet demeanor combined with his general dislike of working with others was hindering his efforts in Auror training.
Of the eight who had been dropped already, Three were guys in their early twenties, all on their second or third attempts to join the Aurors. Branson, Arnold, Tucker had all been sent back to their jobs in the MLEP. One had been a guy named Josh, who was in his mid-twenties and had been bouncing around jobs for a while before deciding to try to be an Auror. Tonks felt that the guy had the maturity, but hadn't been pushing himself hard in his education, and that's where he'd fallen short during the training. He had taken a job in the MLEP, and perhaps would try again in a future year. Three of the remaining four had been girls in their early twenties in situations similar to Branson, Arnold, and Tucker. Their names were Stacey, Jacqueline, and Nicole, and the last had been a woman in her early thirties who'd just decided she wanted a career change and had shot for the Aurors before eventually deciding that she wanted some experience in the DMLE before trying again for Auror training, and had dropped. Tonks had at least taken solace in that none of them seemed to hold anything against her, from what little she had interacted with them since, so whether she survived Auror training or not, she had a few contacts in the MLEP and in the Department of Magical Law as a whole.
Tonks sighed as she got home, plopping down onto her couch unceremoniously. She'd been spending a fair amount of time after lessons in the Auror's library, trying to study ahead and prepare herself for what was to come. How much she was working wasn't exactly healthy, but she knew that it was really only for six months before things would slow down a bit and then she'd try to find a more balanced approach to life.
She glanced around her small apartment. Over the past two months, she really had come to think of it as home. It wasn't as warm as her parent's home . . . not yet, but it was getting there. In the two weeks before starting Auror training, she'd donated or sold off all of her parent's furniture, minus what she kept for her apartment. Then she'd moved through the rest of the possessions over the course of the last two months. Now all she had left were legal documents, letters that her mother or father had kept, and other such memorabilia.
Going through all of the paperwork was trying, but sometimes it was enjoyable. The legal documents weren't much fun, since most of them were out of date or null now that she'd sold most of her parents' items. The rest of it though could be enjoyable. Letters they'd saved from people they cared about, sometimes with photographs, other times with little anecdotes that her mother or father had written on the letters to help them remember. There were photo albums, showing some of the better times of her childhood. She was almost completely done with the paperwork and photo albums too. Only one small box remained, and she wasn't even sure why it had been separated from all of the other paperwork.
Despite her fatigue, curiosity was filling her, not to mention an eagerness to know that she'd finally finished going through her parent's personal items, so she summoned the box to her and removed the top. Inside was one letter and a small photo album. Leaving the letter for now, she opened the little booklet and gasped seeing the first picture.
It was her and Harry, not long after he'd been born. She was holding him curiously, with a bright smile on her face, and his eyes were open and he was giggling while she used her metamorphmagus abilities to amuse the small baby. She smiled softly. She didn't think of Harry all the time anymore, but she still thought of him every now and then, and she always wondered why her mom and dad never seemed to mention him, and she had never really understood why he'd disappeared from their lives. She had really missed him in that first year or so after the attack on their place and the year or so after, but not long after that, she'd gone to Hogwarts.
She continued to look through the little booklet, smiling at all the photos, realizing the entire album was dedicated to her and her family's close relationship to the Potters. She and Harry were in every photo, but every now and then, there would be a photo with her mum or dad or with Uncle James and Aunt Lily. They all looked so happy, and she felt a fist close over her heart.
Finally, she made her way through the album and then turned to the letter. She realized it was from Professor Dumbledore, and wondered why it belonged with Harry's photo album, but as she read through it, she started to understand exactly why this had been hidden away, and she remembered the conversation they'd had when she'd first been told Harry wouldn't be living with them. She hadn't understood at the time, and even now, she didn't fully, but this letter reminded her of the promises they had made. Her mum had probably hidden it away so that it wasn't a constant reminder of their departed friends and family, and of the little boy they'd loved and lost. Looking at the letter though, it made Tonks wonder if her mum and dad had been counting down the days until Harry rejoined the magical world, until they could write him a letter and hope he'd be interested in reopening a relationship.
It was rather startling to think, but perhaps Tonks did have family. It was a little boy who probably didn't remember her, and probably had a family that loved him, but maybe, just maybe he might be interested in reconnecting to his previous family and to adding her into his family. She smiled, hope rising in her for a moment, and thought about it. September first was still a few weeks away, but it wasn't that far away. She could think about what she wanted to say, when she wanted to send it, but she was sure that she would regret it if she didn't try and reach out.
It might be a few weeks away, but Tonks had something new to look forward to. She might have lost all of her family, but now she was going to try and get one of them back!
