When Tonks walked into Grimmauld Place later that evening, the children were just starting to clear the room and said hello briefly as they headed out. Aurora and Harry in particular looked keen to leave the room as quickly as possible. Once the door had closed behind them Tonks turned to Remus.
"What was that about?" she asked.
"Remus caught them snogging earlier," Sirius said.
Tonks chuckled. "Bound to happen eventually, I suppose."
"I think we need to keep a better eye on both of them," Molly said.
"Oh, come on, Mum. They were only snogging. And they haven't seen each other all summer," Bill said. "I would cut them a little slack. Wouldn't you agree, Remus?"
Remus nodded. "I don't expect any more trouble from either of them. Teenagers are merely opportunists after all."
"And what if they get another opportunity as you put it?" Molly asked.
"Then, as Aurora pointed out, you're not allotted much privacy in a house with 12 other people," Remus said.
"Learned that lesson the hard way didn't she?" Sirius chuckled.
"Doesn't her boyfriend have an invisibility cloak?" Tonks interjected. Remus and Sirius both glared at her.
"Why would you say that?" Remus asked.
"Because I like winding you up," she said taking a seat beside him. "I'm sure there's nothing to worry about."
"Except if I were fifteen with an invisibility cloak that's exactly what I would do," Sirius said. "Oh, my God. James did exactly that. We've gotta confiscate that cloak. Or camp outside her bedroom door at night."
Remus sighed and looked at Tonks. "Do you see the crazy you've just unleashed upon us?"
Eventually, the rest of the Order began to pile into the room. Dumbledore was the last to arrive. They covered all regular business, the goblins and their possible alliance with the Order, the unrest among the centaurs and werewolves.
"Tonks," Moody said at last, "did anything come of your hunch about Aurora?"
"Right. That," Tonks said. She looked to Dumbledore who was not present at the last meeting. "I had a thought that Aurora might not be a seer because she's so exceptionally good at being a seer and then some. So, I spent the day doing some research. And she's definitely a seer, but… She might be problematically good at it. I had to talk to a friend of a friend who's casual acquaintances with an Obliviator and I tumbled so far down this rabbit hole. Like, I hope Voldemort knows as little about divination as I do because it's not great if he does. "
"Why?" Remus asked.
"It's not unheard of for a seer to be as talented as Rory, but they are practically mythological in their rarity. They can predict the future, make sense of the present, use the past to predict the future like any normal seer, but it's near unheard of for seers to have other extrasensory perceptions. They can be more inclined towards ligilimency. They can be empathic, telepathic, even psychokinetic. And I read that 'a seer with these abilities is sure to manifest when great darkness is to present itself,'" Tonks said. "And if Aurora weren't clearly a seer, and if Voldemort wasn't so keen to get into the hall of prophecies, I might dismiss this all as a fairy tale. But I'm also taking into account that the majority of Aurora's predictions have had to do with Harry and with what's happening with Voldemort."
"You weren't lying about this not being great," Sirius said. "Dark Wizards love seers."
"Grindlewald was keen to enlist a seer to his cause," Dumbledore remarked.
"Having a seer like Aurora on Voldemort's team would not be great. The future is always changing because humans are unpredictable. But she's likely to take into account all of the unpredictability," Tonks said. "We've been worried about Harry and the prophecy. I'm not saying we shouldn't worry about him. But Aurora is going to be just as valuable, if not more valuable, to Voldemort as Harry is."
"You're sure of this?" Remus asked.
"Short of conferring with an actual seer on this? Yes," Tonks said.
"And if what you are positing is true, then what would you have us do?" Snape asked.
"Well, for starters, we'd have to clue her into this. I mean, nothing is more dangerous than a wizard wielding magic that they can't control. Aurora only has limited control over what she experiences," Tonks said.
"There is the danger that if we tell her, she'll tell Harry and that means it could inevitably get back to You-Know-Who," Arthur said.
"Is it more dangerous to let her think things are fine or to tell her what's happening?" Moody asked.
"You know I was thinking, seers run in families," Tonks said.
"There aren't any in ours," Sirius said.
"You're sure?" Tonks asked.
"I mean, as far as I know. Wasn't exactly close with my relatives," Sirius said.
"What about Theodosia's family?" Tonks asked. "The Goldfinches?"
Sirius shrugged. "I've no idea. I only met Theo's grandfather once before he passed and her brother and I avoided conversation whenever possible. She always said her family was a bit weird, so who knows what she meant by that."
"It might be worth looking into," Remus said. Tonks nodded in agreement. "In the meantime, I hate keeping something else from her, since that's gone over quite the last few weeks, but I think the danger from Voldemort is going to be greater than if it came from herself."
Tonks nodded. She didn't know that she agreed with keeping it from Aurora, but Remus was her father. It was up to him ultimately.
When the meeting was over, Tonks remained, still collecting her thoughts.
"You think I should tell her," Remus said, not moving from his seat beside her.
Tonks sighed. "I'm not going to tell you what you should or shouldn't do with your daughter."
"But you have an opinion," Remus said.
"I have an opinion on most things," Tonks said with a wink.
"Of course you do," he said.
"Regardless of what I think, you know what's best for your daughter. If you want to hold off telling her-."
"You think she's going to figure it out on her own," Remus said.
Again, she sighed. A little over a month now she'd known Remus and already he was able to read her remarkably well.
"I think she's just intuitive anyway. She's very intelligent in her own right. And she clearly takes it personally when she's not taken seriously," Tonks explained.
"Believe me, I know," Remus replied with a sigh. "I should tell her, shouldn't I?"
"I'm not going to tell you what to do with your child," Tonks said. "I only know what I would do as someone who is not her parent."
"Parent or not you do have some level of insight when it comes to matters like these," Remus said.
"Yes, but never when it's come to telling children that they might turn out to be a weapon in the hands of a Dark Wizard," Tonks said.
"As you pointed out, it might be more dangerous not to tell her," Remus said.
"Guess you'll have to decide on your own," Tonks said. "If we can keep Harry and Aurora safe, then what does it matter if Voldemort knows?"
Remus nodded in agreement, just as the children returned to the dining room.
"We'll talk later," he whispered.
Tonks nodded. It was fine by her because she didn't want to tell Remus what he should do with Aurora. Additionally, she wanted to have a chat with one of his daughter's friends, Neville Longbottom.
Tonks rose from her seat and met him at the door.
"Neville," Tonks said. She held out a hand to him. "I know we've been introduced in passing, but I wanted formally introduce myself to you."
"Oh, alright. Thanks," Neville said.
"I've only been an Auror for a year. First one there's been in about a decade," Tonks said.
"I heard the test is bloody hard," Neville said.
"It was," Tonks replied. "And both your parents were Aurors. You must be brilliant."
Neville shook his head. "No. I'm just barely passing my classes most of the time. I'm not nearly the wizard my dad was."
Tonks pouted. "I'm sure that's not true."
"It is. Ask anyone," Neville said.
"If I asked Aurora or Matilda that, would they agree?" Tonks asked.
Neville shrugged. "Maybe not. But they're my best friends so-."
"So they know you better than anyone," Tonks said.
"Or they pity me," Neville said.
Tonks was kind of irritated. Not with Neville, but with whoever had beaten his confidence down so badly that he hardly believed in himself.
"I haven't known Aurora for long," Tonks said, "but when she's spoken of you, she's always done it in the highest regard. She told me personally that if Harry Potter ever steps out of line, you're the one she's going to tell because you'll know how to deal with him. People don't talk about their friends like that if they pity them."
Neville flushed a bit. "All the same, never going to be anything like either of my parents."
"No one says you have to be," Tonks said. "But even if you're not an Auror or something, you can still make them proud. What do you want to do when you finish Hogwarts?"
Neville seemed embarrassed. "Well, I thought I might like to study herbology."
"Really?" Tonks asked. "It's a highly underrated field. Professor Sprout told me I might have a knack for it, but I didn't have the patience for plants. So I became an Auror. Herbology needs more patient people."
"Everyone thinks I should be in Hufflepuff," Neville said with a frown.
"Well, as a Hufflepuff, I want you to know that your house doesn't define you. And if I can be a Hufflepuff and an Auror, then you can be a herbologist and a Gryffindor. Nothing is mutually exclusive," Tonks said.
Neville nodded and she could almost swear that he seemed like he'd really taken the words to heart.
"Nobody knows what happened to my parents. I mean, Rory and Matilda do but… I'm not ready for everyone else to know," Neville said.
Tonks nodded. "My lips are sealed. Thanks for the chat."
"Thank you," Neville replied.
Tonks smiled and returned to her seat. Neville sat down next to Matilda and she immediately began rattling off something to him at rapid-fire speed. On the other side of Matilda were Aurora and Harry. They were chatting quietly together. Aurora was talking and it was clear that Harry was listening and absorbing every word she said. And the way he looked at her, it was as if there was no one else in the room but the two of them. It was sweet.
"I stand by my earlier assessment that they are quite cute together. Even if you did catch them snogging," Tonks said to Remus.
"I'm inclined to agree," he said. "And they were only snogging. Not much to be suspicious about there."
"Are you even capable of thinking about anything else when you're that age?" Tonks asked. "I mean, I wasn't."
"You're quite right," Remus said with a nod. "And I do trust her. At least I keep telling myself that I do. I did have a 'talk' with her after I found her."
Tonks gasped. "For the first time?"
"No," Remus said shaking his head. "She got her hands on my mother's old set of encyclopedias when she was seven and demanded a further explanation of where babies come from."
Tonks stifled a laugh. "What a handful she must've been."
"A handful she still is," Remus replied.
They both looked across the table. Aurora happened to look up, make eye contact with her father, and then looked away, her face going hot pink.
"When she started dating, I told her that I trust her to make responsible decisions. But I felt inclined to tell her that should she not make responsible decisions that I'm still here," Remus said.
Tonks smiled. "You're a good dad. I can tell."
"You can tell?" Remus asked with a laugh.
"Certainly," Tonks said. "Aurora is an angel. She's fifteen and shares genes with Sirius, so she's a brat, obviously." Remus laughed. "But she's brilliant."
Remus paused for a moment. "You should talk to her."
"About what?" Tonks asked.
"Things she would be hesitant to talk to her dad about," Remus said.
"Are you serious?" Tonks asked.
"Yes," Remus said. "She admires you quite a lot. And you are her favorite cousin."
"Well, her bar for favorite cousins is pretty low considering her only other cousin a Malfoy," Tonks said.
"But she likes you. And she's already been more forthcoming with you about Harry than she has been to me," Remus said.
Tonks thought for a moment. "Feels a bit like spying if I'm being honest."
"That's because it is spying," Remus said.
Tonks laughed. "I'm not sure I'm willing to let you take advantage of my relationship with your daughter that way."
"You don't have to tell me what she says," Remus said. "Just check in on her. She's only had me her whole life, and now she's got Sirius too. But she feels some sort of connection with you already. And I'll admit having an authoritative female presence in her life whom she trusts will do her good."
Tonks smiled. "You really are a good father. Aurora's lucky."
"I know," Remus said.
"Modest," Tonks said. "I see where Aurora gets it from."
Rory was not cleaning with Harry today. She expected that after her dad walked in on them making out the day before. It was so embarrassing that Rory had barely managed to get any words other than "Hello," "I love you," and "Goodnight" out to her dad since he'd walked in on them, and subsequently had "a talk" with her.
That was the most embarrassing part of it all. Because Rory was not ready to do anything of the sort with Harry. She felt it hardly needed talking about because it was not even on her agenda in the near future.
"There you are!"
Rory looked over to the door and Tonks stood there. Her hair was pink, as it had been the last several days. She thought purple made her look "peaky."
"Hi, Tonks," Hermione said. She, Matilda, and Ginny had been stuck in the study together today. Rory assumed it was because they were taking no chances on finding any other teenagers snogging.
"Aurora, mind coming with me for a bit?" Tonks asked.
She didn't need to ask twice. Rory needed a break from the dust and dirt. Rory followed Tonks from the room.
"Is this something to do with me and the Order again?" Rory asked, because why else would Tonks be talking to her.
"It's nothing serious," Tonks said, leading her into the library. She closed the door behind them and quickly waved her wand, likely putting the impediment charm on the door to prevent her friends from eavesdropping.
"Serious enough for you to not want the others to hear," Rory said.
Tonks flashed her a smile. "Well, first I must confess that talking to you was Remus's idea. He won't like me telling you it was, but where you're concerned I expect honesty is the best policy,"
"I appreciate that," Rory said with a nod. She appreciated the consideration.
"I was doing some research on seers and divination. You're so gifted it's almost unsettling," Tonks said.
"Tell me about it," Rory replied.
"I can actually," Tonks said. And then Tonks info-dumped onto Rory everything she'd learned the day before and the Order's fear that she could be even more dangerous than predicted in Voldemort's hands.
"So what am I supposed to do?" Rory asked.
"I really don't know. All I can promise is that we'll keep you safe in the interim," Tonks said.
Rory sighed. "I expect you want me to keep it from Harry."
"I don't see that as a realistic thing to ask you to do. How do you keep something like that from the person you trust the most?" Tonks asked.
Rory felt her body sag with relief. Finally, someone who understood how she felt.
"Thank you," Rory said.
"Of course," Tonks said. "You love Harry?"
"Of course I do," Rory said unhesitatingly. She felt like she spent most of every day thinking about Harry, or talking to Harry, or kissing him, or simply basking in his presence. He was like oxygen to her. She did not know how it was possible to live without him.
Tonks smiled. "Of course. And he seems like such a sweet boy."
"He is. He's the best," Rory said. A blush crept its way onto her cheeks. "I just feel safe with him. And happy. And he listens and respects me. And he can be a bit overprotective at times, but I think that's normal, right?"
"I think so," Tonks agreed.
Rory thought for a moment. "Did my dad ask you to talk to me about Harry too?"
Tonks nodded. "But he stipulated that I didn't have to tell him anything you told me. He wanted me to just make sure things were okay."
Rory sighed. "He's so obnoxious, but not obnoxious. Like, I guess it's fine that he worries because he is my dad, but also, I've got this under control. I'm not doing anything with Harry. Like when he found us yesterday, that was the most illicit thing we've ever done, and it was only kissing."
But then Rory had a thought. She remembered when they'd been in her dorm alone last term. Harry had been atop her and, yes, they had only kissed, but she knew that it could easily have turned into something more. That it might have if they hadn't been startled into thinking clearly. And every time since then, it had felt much the same.
"I dated around in Hogwarts," Tonks said. "But in sixth year, I started dating one of Molly's sons."
Rory gasped. "Bill?"
Tonks chuckled. "No. Charlie. The one in Romania."
"With the dragons," Rory said.
"But I was in love all the same. A year and a half we were together. We talked about getting married. And then he moved to Romania and Molly had to dump me for him," Tonks said.
Rory's jaw dropped. "He talked about marrying you and just bailed?"
"He did," Tonks said.
"But why? Are you trying to teach me a lesson about how love is fickle?" Rory asked.
"No. I think you're smart enough to know that when you fall in love so young it doesn't always last, but it's not wrong to want it to last. And sometimes it does," Tonks said. "But, as wonderful as he might seem, Harry Potter isn't perfect. Nor are you. And eventually, you're both going to realize that. The trick to making things last is knowing if you can put up with their imperfections."
"Well, no one ever tried to murder me before I dated Harry," Rory said. "Surely that counts as an imperfection."
Tonks gave her a weak smile, weak enough that Rory knew that it didn't count. It was the same sort of smile her grandfather had given her weeks ago when she was telling him all about Harry.
"You'll figure it all out on your own," Tonks said. "Your dad wanted me to talk to you, but I know that experience is the best teacher."
Rory nodded. "Thanks for chatting anyway. It's nice to talk to someone who isn't my dad about all this. Especially if you promise not to repeat it back to him."
Tonks nodded. "You've got it."
