Tonks Residence, Reading, 7/1/1995, 07:38
Harry was shaken awake much earlier than he would have liked and squinted blearily at the person doing the shaking.
"Good morning sleeping beauty. It's time for you to get up and break a sweat," Tonks chirped, sounding far too cheerful for this early in the morning.
"A-alright, give me a minute," Harry said groggily as he reached for the nightstand to grab his glasses and slid them over his nose.
"Why are you putting those broken glasses on, they don't have any lenses?" Tonks snorted.
"What?!" Harry demanded as he took them off and was surprised when he discovered they were nothing more than empty frames.
"So I've been wearing these since I woke up yesterday?" Harry asked dumbly.
"Yeah, I was wondering why you were wearing them last night, you looked ridiculous," Tonks said as she threw him a pair of athletic shorts and a tank top
"What the hell? How is it that I can see just fine then?" Harry demanded as he got out of bed and quickly pulled on the bright green shorts she had given him, noticing that they came down below his knees and felt quite comfortable.
"How should I know, I'm an auror, not a healer," Tonks said as she dug inside the bag she had slung over her shoulder.
"Point taken," Harry sighed figuring he would bring it up with Ted at Breakfast.
"I brought you some running shoes by the way," Tonks said as she tossed him a pair of black cross-trainers that landed on the floor in front of him.
"Thanks, so where are we running?" Harry asked as he tied the string on his shorts.
"Around the block, this is a muggle neighbourhood so nobody will recognise you here," Tonks explained sneaking glances at him as he pulled on some socks and then slipped his shoes on.
"No one in the magical world would recognise me anyway," Harry pointed out as he stood up and pulled the matching green tank over his head.
"True, You've gotten a bit bigger and your scar is hard to make out now," Tonks agreed, her eyes changing colours as she watched him get dressed.
"A bit! I must have put on fifty pounds since the first task!" Harry exclaimed.
"Forty-eight," Tonks corrected.
"I was close, are you ready?" Harry asked in exasperation as he finished lacing up his trainers.
"Yep, come on then," Tonks said as she led him out of the room.
"So how did the meeting go last night?" Harry asked finally starting to feel comfortable walking on his longer legs.
"Pointless, Snape didn't show up and Dumbledore rushed off as soon as the meeting ended. Sirius was in a pretty foul mood about that," Tonks sighed as she pushed open the front door.
The street reminded him a lot of Privet Drive, the houses were all very similar in design though the lots were spaced a bit wider and from what Harry could tell, they all had pretty large backyards or gardens.
Tonks stretched a bit, and Harry couldn't help running his eyes over her. She was wearing pink athletic shorts that came down to the middle of her thighs showing off a good bit of leg, her skin had a nice tan to it and contrasted nicely with her shorts. She wore a pair of running shoes similar to his and a black athletic shirt that fit her very tightly and ended just below her breasts showing off her tight stomach.
"Alright, since you're new to this, we are only taking three laps around the neighbourhood. That should be a little over a mile," Tonks said pulling him from his observations.
"I'm not new to running. We ran ten laps around the pitch before every quidditch practice," Harry snorted as he went through the stretches he remembered from physical education in primary school.
"In that case, try and keep up," Tonks challenged before she began running down the street.
Harry took off after her, running a little clumsily as he adjusted to his longer stride. He quickly closed the distance between them, idly noticing that her hair was longer today. She had it put up in a ponytail that came down to her shoulders.
"H-how did your hair get longer?" Harry asked when he caught up to her so they were running side by side.
"I'm a metamorphmagus," Tonks replied as they passed a small play park.
"I meant to ask you last night, what's a metamorphmagus?" Harry asked curiously as the road made a turn to the left.
"A metamorphmagus is a shapeshifter. I can change my physical appearance at will," Tonks explained.
"Like hair and eye colour and stuff?" Harry asked.
"Yes, as well as my soft tissue," Tonks added.
"Soft tissue?" Harry asked.
"I can make certain parts of my body alter their shape at will, non-muscular like my nose and ears. I can even grow shorter or taller, though not much either way, the ability doesn't work on my skeletal structure," Tonks elaborated her, face starting to get covered in a thin sheen of sweat.
"That could be useful," Harry admitted as he pondered the possibilities and idly wondered if her breasts counted as soft tissue.
"Oh it's dead useful for my line of work, but makes it almost impossible to find a decent bloke," Tonks scowled as they passed a milkman carrying empty bottles back to his truck.
"Oh," Harry said not sure how to respond.
"Yeah, they all want me to turn into someone else, it's bloody maddening," Tonks ranted.
"Can you take the form of s-someone else?" Harry asked curiously.
"No, I can mimic them pretty closely but it's almost impossible to look exactly like somebody else," Tonks panted.
"It's n-not a very c-common ability, is it?" Harry panted out as they completed the first lap.
"No i-it's not, The ability runs in the Black family but I'm the first metamorphmagus born in over a century," Tonks explained her breathing becoming pretty laboured now.
After that, both of them ran in silence, trying to conserve oxygen as they completed two more laps around the neighbourhood.
By the time they had completed the third lap both of them were dripping in sweat and panting heavily.
"G-go get cleaned up, I have to run some errands but I'll be by after lunch to take you to the alley," Tonks said when they stepped back into the house.
"O-okay, I'll see you this afternoon," Harry said before he made his way up the stairs heading for the tiny bathroom near the bedroom he had been staying in.
Harry quickly washed away the sweat and grime accumulated from a week without showering due to the events of the third task. He had always liked how a hot shower felt after a good run. He figured that he could probably get used to a morning jog, especially if he got to check Tonks out in her running shorts.
'Where did that come from?' Harry wondered as he rinsed the shampoo out of his hair.
Harry had been noticing girls for the last few years but he had always pushed those thoughts to the back of his mind and had never leered at them like he was doing with Tonks earlier. Granted the Hogwarts robes covered everything so it was hard to tell what their figure looked like anyway. He supposed on some level he shouldn't be ogling her as their new living situation made them sort of like siblings.
'Crap that made it even hotter!' Harry berated himself as he began to wash his body.
Harry stayed lost in his thoughts as he finished washing, trying to keep those thoughts from straying to his running partner.
A few minutes later Harry turned the water off and quickly dried off, taking time to admire his reflection in the mirror before looking around for his clothes.
Groaning, Harry realized he hadn't grabbed any fresh clothes before starting his shower. Wrapping his towel around his waist, Harry darted across the hallway and into his room.
Once inside, Harry grabbed a pair of black cargo shorts and a plain white tee shirt from the pile of clothes Andi had bought him yesterday. Harry couldn't help but smile at the fact that he was putting on clothes that actually fit him for a change.
'Knock'
'Knock'
"Come in," Harry called as he looked up from pulling on his socks.
"Good morning, Harry," Andromeda said cheerfully as she pushed open the door.
"Good morning, Andi," Harry said as he slipped on his trainers
"How did your run go," Andi asked standing in the doorway dressed in her nightgown and fluffy house slippers.
"Great, we ran three laps around the neighbourhood," Harry said as he laced up his trainers.
"Excellent, come on down to the kitchen and I'll fix you some breakfast," Andromeda said before turning and heading out of the room.
"Okay," Harry said hurrying to catch up to her as she made her way down the stairs.
"Do you like French toast?" Andromeda asked as they entered the kitchen.
"Sure, do you need any help?" Harry asked.
"No, I can have it thrown together pretty quickly," Andromeda assured him as she took out a carton of eggs and a loaf of bread.
"If you're sure, I'm pretty good in the kitchen" Harry offered.
"Well you can set the table for me, Ted should be down in a bit," Andi said thoughtfully.
"No problem," Harry said as he got the plates and utensils out of the cabinets.
"Juice and syrup are in the fridge, dear," Andy said distractedly as she started cooking the first slices of toast.
Harry found the pitcher of orange juice and the syrup and was just setting it on the table when Ted walked in dressed for work in his lime-green healer's robes.
"She's already got you doing her bidding, has she?" Ted chuckled as he took a seat at the table.
"Unlike my lazy husband, Harry offered to help," Andromeda quipped.
"Andi my love, you know I'm a disaster in the kitchen," Ted sighed good-naturedly.
"Believe me I know. You've passed that trait down to our daughter as well... I swear Nymphadora could burn water," Andromeda said, muttering the last part to herself.
"So how are you feeling, Harry," Ted asked turning back to Harry.
"Great, but I noticed this morning that I don't need my glasses anymore," Harry said in a questioning tone.
"Really, that is very unusual," Ted said thoughtfully.
"I didn't notice my glasses were missing their lenses until Tonks pointed it out," Harry admitted.
"To be honest, your case is unique. Andi told me what you said last night, that you believe there was a piece of foreign soul embedded in your scar?" Ted said in a questioning tone.
"That is what I was told," Harry said quietly.
"It does make sense. I was getting some very strange readings around your scar, the magical signature did not match yours and it seems to be lessening as the days go by. I honestly did not know what to make of it," Ted explained.
"Do you think that would have affected my eyesight though?" Harry asked as Andi set plates loaded with French toast in front of him and Ted.
"It's possible but this isn't my area of expertise. Soul magic is a very specialized field, particularly in healing, so I would have to get a second opinion on the matter," Ted answered as he drizzled syrup over his French toast.
"Oh," Harry said as he accepted the bottle Ted offered him and poured some over his own breakfast.
"There is an eye healer in the alley, why don't you go by there today and have her give you a check-up?" Ted suggested as Andi took a seat across from him.
"Is she any good?" Andromeda asked as she cut a piece of French toast with the side of her fork.
"Oh, Healer Peep is a very skilled eye healer. She decided to open her own practice rather than work for Mungo's," Ted assured her.
"I might as well, I've never actually been to an eye doctor before," Harry said thoughtfully.
"Good. Nymphadora will be back around one so that should give me enough time to set you up an appointment for this afternoon," Ted said before he went to grab some more French toast only to get his hand slapped away from the platter by Andromeda.
"You are on a diet, Edward," Andromeda said firmly.
"Andi, surely you wouldn't deny your own husband some of your wonderful cooking," Ted said dramatically.
"I would, if you are still hungry I can fix you some grapefruit," Andromeda offered.
"See what happens when you get married?" Ted sighed looking longingly at the plate of French toast.
"I am only looking out for you, dear. If you keep putting on weight, you'll look like Horace Slughorn," Andromeda said in a soothing tone.
"Fine, I'll get my own grapefruit," Ted grumbled as he went over to the fridge.
"Don't mind him, the hospital requires all of their employees to get a biannual physical. Healer Macavoy determined that he was getting a bit on the heavy side and suggested he go on a diet," Andromeda explained, sounding amused.
"That woman has had it out for me for years," Ted sighed as he came back to the table with half of a grapefruit and a spoon.
"Saturday morning Ted gets a normal breakfast if he has stuck to his diet all week," Andromeda continued.
"It sounds like a reward but it's really not, it's more like a cruel taunt of what I can't eat anymore," Ted said shooting his wife a piteous look.
"In that case, I suppose I can cut out that other reward later tonight," Andromeda said innocently.
"Don't be hasty dear," Ted said his face flushing in embarrassment.
"Then no more whining about your diet," Andi said a smirk playing on her lips.
"Yes dear," Ted chuckled as he took a bite of grapefruit.
"I have to get ready for work," Andromeda said as she put the last two pieces of French toast on Harry's plate.
"Eat up mate, you need all the calories you can get right now," Ted said good-naturedly.
"Okay but I feel kind of bad eating it in front of you," Harry said.
"Don't worry about it, I just like getting the wife riled up," Ted waved him off.
Harry ate in silence while Ted picked at his grapefruit, making a face every time he took a bite.
Twenty minutes later Andi came back into the kitchen and tossed something in Harry's direction which he caught on reflex. Looking at what was in his hand, he realised it was his vault key and quickly slipped it into his shorts pocket.
"Harry dear, never let someone use your vault key. The goblins see that as permission from the vault holder and will not investigate any theft that occurs as a result," Andi said in a serious tone.
"O-okay, the only reason she had it was to do my school shopping while I went to the world cup last summer," Harry explained.
"It's fine dear, I highly doubt Molly would steal from you but you shouldn't make a habit of lending your vault key out," Andi explained before picking up a briefcase from behind the books on the sideboard.
"Alright lad we have to head to work, are you going to be okay by yourself for a few hours," Ted asked as he picked up his healer's bag.
"Yeah, I'll be fine," Harry assured them.
"Okay, don't leave the property line, and try not to burn down the house," Andromeda instructed.
"Of course, I'll probably just watch the Telly," Harry said.
"I'll send you an owl with the time of your appointment though I will try to schedule it for after three," Ted said as he led Andi towards the back door.
"Be careful in the alley," Andi called over her shoulder as they walked through the door, shutting it behind them.
Harry sat there for a minute before he decided to take care of the dishes real quick. It wasn't near as much of a chore when he chose to do them. He had them cleaned in a few minutes time before wandering into the sitting room to relax until Tonks came by to take him to the alley.
The rest of the morning passed rather quickly, Harry sat on the couch in the sitting room watching Saturday morning cartoons, enjoying having free reign of the telly, something he rarely ever had living with his relatives.
He was distracted from SWAT Kats when he heard the tapping of an owl on the window. Harry quickly let the little barn owl in and removed the scroll it had tied to its leg.
The owl took flight as soon as he removed the scroll and flew out the open window. Unfurling the scroll Harry found a short missive in hardly legible writing.
Harry,
I have set you an appointment for a quarter after three with Healer Peep. Her office is located at ninety-two Diagon Alley though Dora already knows where it is.
Good luck,
Ted
Harry rolled the slip of parchment up and slipped it into his pocket, checking the clock he saw it was already five minutes until one.
The show had just ended and the credits finished cycling, he shut the telly off as what seemed like the hundredth preview for Batman Forever came on.
Harry got up and made his way to the kitchen grabbing a fizzy drink from the fridge as the backdoor was flung open and Tonks stepped inside. Today she was wearing a tight-fitting pink shirt, black skirt and knee-high dragonhide boots.
"Oi, don't drink all of my drinks," Tonks exclaimed.
"This is the first one I've had," Harry exclaimed as popped the top on the can.
"Good, they are for when I come over for a visit," Tonks said in the tone of a toddler telling another toddler not to play with her toys.
"Riiiight, are you ready to go?" Harry asked before taking a deep drink from the can.
"Yeah, have you had lunch yet?" Tonks asked.
"No, I figured I would get something at the Leaky Cauldron," Harry shrugged.
"To hell with that, they have the exact same menu as Hogwarts does. Why would you want to go there?" Tonks exclaimed.
"I like their steak and kidney pie, where do you want to go?" Harry asked as he chugged the rest of his drink.
'BURRRP!''
"That was a pretty good one," Tonks said sounding impressed.
"Thanks," Harry replied as he tossed the can into the bin.
"As for where I want to go, I thought we could have American food," Tonks suggested.
"What kind," Harry asked warily hearing horror stories of them eating pig's feet and calf testicles in primary school.
"KFC, I love fried chicken, there is also a fun story that goes with the restaurant," Tonks said, a grin playing on her lips.
"What story?" Harry asked slightly intrigued.
"Once upon a time, there was a man named Colonel Sanders who was in charge of a great chicken army. He and his troops would go from town to town collecting herbs and spices for the ultimate recipe, the dish that would change the world. Little did his soldiers know that the recipe they were collecting the spices for was a poultry dish, fried chicken to be exact."
"It was on a dark night in a little place called Kentucky. After a successful raid of a tiny coal town nearby, they had collected the eleventh and final ingredient that the colonel needed. His men were celebrating with hen and feed and were caught completely off guard when the colonel showed up at their coop *um* barracks. He had a deranged look in his eye and strolled towards them holding a meat cleaver, with a growling stomach and murder on his mind."
"Only one of the chickens survived the night, a little chick named Nugget who had been accompanying his mother to the chicken party. He escaped and was able to spread the word about what happened. Sadly Little Chicken Nugget fell victim to the man who owned the farm he lived on, a man named Ronald McDonald," Tonks recited in a very dramatic voice one would use for a three-year-old's storytime.
"Where on earth did you hear that garbage?" Harry demanded incredulously.
"The Quibbler. They did a running segment on evil conspiracies behind American fast-food restaurants.
"Hmmm, I don't think that story is accurate but I am definitely hungry after hearing that," Harry said as he followed Tonks outside.
"You should have heard their explanation for a place called Jack in the Box," Tonks shuddered.
"Not sure I want to," Harry admitted as Tonks reached out and took his hand before twisting on the spot, the last thing he comprehended before he felt like he was being squeezed through a tight rubber tube was an audible 'crack' sound echoing around the Tonks' back garden.
71 Tottenham Court Rd, London, 7/1/1995,12:59
Harry and Tonks appeared near a pair of rubbish bins, Harry immediately doubled over gasping for breath and trying to stop himself from vomiting.
"What... was... that?!" Harry exclaimed punctuating each word with a heaving breath.
"Apparition, it takes a bit of getting used to," Tonks shrugged as she scanned the area for threats.
"A little warning would have been nice," Harry growled.
"Oh quit whining and let's go get some lunch," Tonks said her hand still holding his as she practically dragged him towards the back of the restaurant, the smell of fried chicken heavy in the air.
"The food isn't going anywhere," Harry exclaimed.
"I am starving to death, Tonks exclaimed as she pushed open the door and they both stepped into the air-conditioned restaurant.
Twenty minutes later the two of them were making their way towards the Leaky cauldron, slurping on their fountain drinks as they walked.
"I love that place," Tonks sighed happily.
"I still can't believe you ate an entire eight-piece family meal by yourself," Harry exclaimed in disbelief.
"I still can't believe you went to a place famous for fried chicken and ordered a sandwich," Tonks rebutted before letting out a loud burp, earning her a disapproving look from two elderly ladies that they passed.
"It was made out of chicken and it came with fries and coleslaw," Harry shrugged as they crossed the street.
"The mighty double is still not fried chicken," Tonks argued.
"Fine. If we ever go back, I'll order fried chicken," Harry sighed as they weaved between people walking up the pavement.
"Good, now besides your wand, is there anything else you need to do in the alley?" Tonks asked, thankfully dropping the chicken debate.
"I have an appointment with the eye healer at three fifteen and I need to go to Gringotts," Harry said as they turned down the street that led to the Leaky Cauldron.
"Alright, we have about two and a half hours before we have to be at the healer's office, so we'll get your wand first," Tonks said after a moment's thought.
"I don't have any gold on me, as far as I know, my trunk is still at Hogwarts," Harry argued.
"Dumbledore should be having it sent over today," Tonks replied.
"That doesn't help me now," Harry snorted.
"I'll cover your wand, you can pay me back when we go to the bank," Tonks shrugged as she tossed him a leather money sack filled with jingling coins.
"Are you sure?" Harry asked in surprise as he saw the pub's entrance three stores down.
"I know you're good for it and I know where you live, I'll get my money back one way or the other," Tonks smirked as she pulled him into a side alley.
"What are we doing?" Harry asked a bit alarmed when her wand was pointing at his face.
"I have to transfigure your face so nobody recognizes you," Tonks said a split second before she cast a spell over him.
Harry's face felt a bit tingly as the spell took effect, it felt similar to the feeling of one of his limbs falling asleep before the feeling faded.
"That should do it let's get going," Tonks said as she dragged him back onto the street.
"I can walk you know, quit dragging me around," Harry grumbled as they passed a window and he saw his reflection.
He now had close-cut blondish-brown hair, blueish-green eyes, and a copperish skin tone, making his barely visible scar even harder to make out. That combined with the changes he had undergone since the third task, made it almost impossible for him to recognise himself.
"I have a bit of a knack for glamour Transfiguration," Tonks beamed when she caught him checking out his own reflection.
"Yeah, the only thing I recognise is my nose," Harry admitted as he held the door open for Tonks to step inside.
"Good, then no one else will recognize you either," Tonks nodded approvingly.
Tonks led them through the pub, neither of them getting a second glance from the pub's patrons as they crossed the pub and stepped out the back. They came to a stop next to the overflowing rubbish bins and stood in front of the ancient-looking brick wall.
"Alright, stay with me. If you wander off, I swear I will put you over my knee," Tonks warned as she tapped the pattern in the brick wall with her wand.
Harry blushed when he realised what she meant but pushed that aside as the archway began forming in the wall.
"Sure," Harry muttered as they made a beeline for the wand shop which was on the other side of the alley. Harry passed a shop near Ollivander's with a large sign that had a drawing of an eye with long lashes, underneath it read Peep's Precision Eyecare.
"That's the eye healer's shop," Tonks said, unnecessarily in his opinion.
"I know," Harry chuckled.
"And here is the wand shop," Tonks continued as she threw open the door and gestured for him to go in.
"Aren't you coming too?" Harry asked.
"Nope, that bloke gives me the creeps," Tonks said before pushing him through the doorway.
Harry scowled at Tonks who was now leaning against the side of the door before approaching the counter.
"How can I help you, sir?" A voice asked from directly behind him making him jump, though not nearly as bad as when he was eleven.
"My wand was destroyed recently and I need a replacement," Harry said after turning to face the ancient wandmaker, feeling a bit uncomfortable under the gaze of his large silvery eyes.
"Ah, Mister Potter it is good to see you again. I had heard... well never mind. In what way was your old wand destroyed?" Ollivander asked as he stepped behind the counter forcing Harry to turn to keep him in sight.
"My wand connected with someone else's wand, there was this strange beam of golden light and our wands sort of locked together. My opponent sent a burst of magic through the connection and my wand literally exploded in my hand," Harry explained showing Ollivander the scars on his palm.
"And did this other wand happen to share the same core as your own?" Ollivander asked shrewdly as he eyed the scars on Harry's palm.
"Yes, you told me on my first visit that his wand was made from the feather of the same Pheonix that my wand was made from," Harry said, not grasping the connection until now.
"I see. I believe what you experienced was the brother wand effect," Ollivander nodded with a thoughtful look on his ancient face.
"So it's happened before?" Harry asked in surprise.
"Yes, though it is a very rare occurrence and you have a better chance of being struck by a meteorite than meeting another wizard with a core from the same animal as your own," Ollivander chuckled.
"So can I buy a new wand?" Harry asked nervously.
"Of course, but we have to go through the same process as last time though you should be able to tell just by holding a wand if it is compatible with you," Ollivander said as he began pulling wand boxes off of the shelf behind him.
"Will my new wand be similar to my old one?" Harry asked as the magical tape began the measure strange distances on his body.
"Most unlikely, just because your last wand was from a certain creature doesn't mean you have an affinity with the entire species, you were merely compatible with that one creature, but to prove my point here is the maple and phoenix feather wand you tried last time," Olivander said ss he opened a box presenting a beautifully crafted wand for him to try.
While Harry grabbed the offered wand, Ollivander flicked his own causing the magical tape to roll itself up and float to the counter beside the wandmaker.
Harry was surprised he could feel something that he couldn't put into words, but the best way he would describe it was distrust. The wand felt cold towards him and he quickly set it back in its box hoping to avoid the same destruction he'd caused on his last visit here.
"You felt it, didn't you?" Ollivander said as he put the lid on the box and opened another.
"Yes, the wand felt distrustful of me," Harry said as he accepted the next wand that Ollivander offered him.
"Walnut and dragon heartstring, ten inches and rather snappy," Ollivander said.
This wand felt strange and he could tell as soon as his skin touched the wood, that this was not the wand for him. It almost felt like two magnets pushing against the same poles, his magic did not seem to want this wand.
"Definitely not," Harry said putting the wand back in the box.
"Not surprising really," Ollivander muttered before handing him another.
And so the process went on for the better part of an hour. Harry was starting to wonder why wands weren't crafted for a specific person instead of going through this nonsense.
"This one is almost brand new, I just got in a shipment from the dragon reserves. Ebony eleven and three-quarters with the heart string of a particularly vicious Hungarian horntail. She passed on due to complications from being transported from Scotland to Romania last November," Ollivander said, offering Harry the polished dark wand.
"You mean this is from the dragon in the Tri-Wizard tournament?" Harry exclaimed as he slowly reached his hand out to take the wand.
"Yes, the handlers gave her too much sedative potion on the trip back. By the time they arrived in Romania, it was too late to save her," Ollivander said sadly.
Harry wrapped his hand around the handle of the wand and felt that familiar feeling of warmth radiating through his body. He could feel his chest swell with happiness and bright green sparks shot out of the wand tip.
"I believe we have found a match," Ollivander chuckled as he began boxing up the wands Harry had already tried.
"I faced this dragon in the tournament," Harry muttered as he looked and the dark wand in awe.
"Yes, I read about that in the paper, and it does help your connection to your wand, having faced the creature before," Ollivander said as he pulled a wand holster off of one of the display racks on the counter and tossed it to Harry.
"How much do I owe you?" Harry asked as he dug the money pouch Tonks had given him out of his pocket.
"Seven galleons. The holster is on the house, I don't get many repeat customers, you know," Ollivander said and waited patiently for him to dig the money out of the pouch.
"May that wand serve you well, Mister Potter," Ollivander said as Harry slipped the holster on his forearm and holstered his new wand.
"Thank you for your help, Mister Ollivander," Harry said before stepping outside to find Tonks licking an ice cream cone as she watched people walk by.
"All set?" Tonks asked handing him a cone.
"Yep, thanks for the cone," Harry said gratefully as he took a bite.
"Wasn't sure what flavour you liked but figured I couldn't go wrong with chocolate," Tonks said as they walked side by side towards Gringotts.
"Yeah chocolates fine," Harry assured her between licking his cone.
"I'm glad. You weren't in there as long as I thought you would be," Tonks said distractedly, her eyes scanning the street as they walked.
"I found a match much quicker than last time. We had better hurry in the bank, I only have about thirty minutes before my appointment," Harry commented after checking his watch.
"Not a problem, goblins are always in a hurry," Tonks assured him.
Tonks was right, they were in and out of Gringotts in under fifteen minutes. Harry even had time to exchange some galleons for pounds. Seeing as he was living in a muggle neighbourhood, he thought it was a good idea to have some muggle currency on him.
"While you're at the eye healer, I need to run down the street for a bit," Tonks said as the stepped off of the marble steps and began walking back toward the South side of the alley.
"Alright, here's your gold back," Harry said as he replaced the money he had spent in her pouch before handing it to her.
"Thanks, if you get out before I come back, try to stay put. I don't want to chase you all over the alley," Tonks instructed as they neared the eye healer's shop.
"I won't. The last thing I want is someone to find out I'm here," Harry said seriously.
"Really?" Tonks asked in surprise.
"Yeah, I kind of like the fact that everyone thinks I snuffed it," Harry muttered.
"Don't like to be stared at?" Tonks asked looking amused.
"No I hate it, nobody seems to notice me and it's a welcome change," Harry admitted.
"Ah the woes of being a celebrity," Tonks sighed dramatically.
"I probably wouldn't mind the fame if I weren't put on a pedestal for surviving the same curse that killed both of my parents that same night," Harry scowled.
"Oh," Tonks said looking at a loss for words.
"We're here, by the way", Harry said as they passed ninety Diagon Alley.
"Alright go on in, I won't be long," Tonks said as she waited there as Harry walked to the door of the shop and pulled it open.
"Hurry back," Harry said over his shoulder as he pulled the door open, hearing the chiming of bells.
Harry stepped into a small room with leather couches and a coffee table loaded with magazines.
"Can I help you?" An older woman with steel-grey hair asked from a desk next to a door leading further into the building.
"I have an appointment for a quarter after three," Harry said nervously.
"Ah, you must be Mister John Tonks?" the woman said, giving him a questioning look.
"Yes ma'am," Harry said politely.
"Go ahead and take a seat, dear. Jenny will be with you shortly," the receptionist said as she wrote something on a clipboard.
"Thank you," Harry said before taking a seat and picking up a Quidditch Quarterly flipping through it somewhat nervously as he waited to be called back.
Ten minutes later he was pulled from his thoughts when the receptionist cleared her throat, catching his attention.
"Healer Peep will see you now, just step through that door," the receptionist said in a kind tone as she gestured to the door to her left.
"Thank you, Missus Smith," Harry said reading her name tag as he crossed the room and pushed open the door.
Inside the other room was a fairly large infirmary room with a muggled-style dentist chair off to one side of the room.
There was plain white tile on the floors. and beige drywall on the walls and ceiling. The place had a very muggle feel to it and even had long florescent lights on the ceiling as well as a medical-style stainless steel sink on the wall.
There was an eye chart on the door and several medical appliances that Harry believed were commonly used by muggle optometrists. The only thing that hinted that this was a magical healer was the glass-paned wooden cabinet filled with vials of various potions.
"Mister Potter?" A woman in her mid-thirties with her blond hair put up in a tight bun asked from a doorway to his right.
"Y-yes?" Harry asked slightly surprised.
The woman was a bit heavy set and stood about five-two if he were to guess. She had a kind face and a comforting smile that seemed to ease his apprehension about her knowing his true identity.
"Ted had to give me your real name for your medical records which I am sad to say are horribly lacking. Have you ever gotten your immunisations for dragon pox, Cerebrumous, and Spattergroit?" Healer Peep asked
"No, not unless I got them at Hogwarts," Harry admitted.
"No, you were supposed to have received the immunisations before you started Hogwarts," Healer Peep explained as she read through his file.
"Oh," Harry said dumbly.
"Well no matter, I'll pass the word along and Ted can take care of that. Now, I am Healer Jenny Peep but feel free to call me Jenny," Healer Peep said as she gestured to the chair for Harry to take a seat.
"Did Mister Tonks explain what happened?" Harry asked as he got comfortable in the chair.
"Yes, he said you were hit by a dark curse and your eyesight seemed to have improved significantly," Jenny said as she took out her wand
"I need to run some diagnostic spells over your eyes, You might feel some tingling but this is much quicker than using the muggle equipment," Jenny said gently.
"Okay," Harry nodded and watched as she began running her wand over his eyes.
Harry's eyes itched and his vision came in and out of focus but other than that it was a relatively painless experience.
"Your vision could still improve, It looks to be about 20/40 but I can give you a regimen of potions that should bring it to 20/20 within the next month," Jenny said after making notes in his file.
"What about the sudden improvement in my vision?" Harry asked curiously.
"That I cannot say, I do not understand the magic at play here. There is a fading residue from very dark magic centred around that scar on your forehead. That magic may have been affecting your optic nerve or there could be other factors due to the nature of the magic that was contained in your scar," Jenny answered, looking up from her clipboard.
"But it's gone now?" Harry asked worriedly.
"Yes dear, it is definitely gone, the residue is fading and will continue to fade over time," Jenny assured him.
"That's a relief," Harry muttered.
"I would like to schedule a follow-up visit towards the end of August. Let me get your potions squared away, and then you should be good to go," Healer Peep said as she pulled a small wooden box from the potions cabinet and scribbled something on a sheet of parchment.
"Your office looks very... muggle," Harry said thoughtfully.
"My father is an optometrist, I actually picked this particular building to rent so that I could hook it up to the power grid. Sometimes the muggle instruments pick up things the spells do not," Jenny said as she finished scribbling on the parchment.
"So all I have to do is take these?" Harry asked as he took the box of potions.
"Yes, take one dose before breakfast every morning, The instructions are written on the parchment," Jenny confirmed as she led him back into the lobby.
"How much do I owe you?" Harry asked.
"Ten galleons but we will send the bill to your guardians," Jenny assured him.
"Thank you, Jenny," Harry said gratefully as he made his way to the door.
"Take care, Mister Potter," Jenny said warmly as he stepped out of the shop.
Twenty minutes later Harry sat on a bench in front of the shop waiting for Tonks to come back. Idly he noticed the auror presence in the alley had increased they were patrolling in sets of two and seemed to be walking a specific path around the alley.
"Are you new to the alley?" Asked a somewhat familiar voice to his right.
"No, I've been here quite a bit," Harry said as he turned to look at the blond girl who had taken a seat beside him on the bench.
"Well, I've never seen you here before," the girl pointed out.
"Maybe you have, I just looked different," Harry said as he looked the girl in the eye.
"So who are you then?" The girl asked curiously.
"Telling you that would defeat the point of wearing a disguise," Harry smirked.
"Fine, then I won't tell you my name," the girl rebutted sulkily.
"I already know your name is Hannah," Harry chuckled.
"Ugh, just tell me your name already," Hannah huffed.
"I can't, so why are you here?" Harry asked curiously.
"I shouldn't tell you," Hannah muttered.
"I'll tell you who I am when we get to school," Harry offered.
"Fine, Healer Peep is my aunt. I am meeting her to go to dinner after she closes up," Hannah explained.
Before Harry could say anything else, he saw Tonks walking his way with a big paper sack clutched in her arms.
"Done already?" Tonks asked when she spotted Harry.
"Yep, Healer Peep gave me some potions to take every morning but my eyes are fine," Harry said as he got up his box of potions still clutched in his hands.
"You were Auntie Amy's security at the third task," Hannah said looking at Tonks.
"That's me, who are you?" Tonks asked.
"Hannah Abbott, do you know who he really is?" Hannah asked hopefully.
"Of course, this is Gilderoy Lockhart," Tonks said in a serious tone.
"I am not," Harry said looking horrified.
"Alright, Miss Abbott, we have to get going," Tonks said grinning at Harry.
"See you at school, Abbott," Harry said as he got up following Tonks towards the Leaky Cauldron.
"Goodbye, Gilderoy," Hannah called after him a grin playing on her lips.
"I told you to wait for me, not pick up birds," Tonks huffed once they were out of earshot.
"She came up to me," Harry protested.
"You must have caught her interest," Tonks said shooting him an amused look.
"We don't really get along, she was one of the Puffs wearing the 'Potter Stinks' badges last year," Harry said in annoyance.
"Well she is definitely interested in you," Tonks said as she scanned the street for anything unusual.
"Because I'm in disguise, she was a right bitch last year," Harry muttered.
"I guess you'll find out when school starts back," Tonks shrugged.
"Whatever, can we get out of here?" Harry asked.
"Yeah, I want to drop these potion ingredients off," Tonks nodded
"Potion ingredients?" Harry asked.
"Mum gave me a list," Tonks explained as they stepped into the pub and quickly walked out the other side into muggle London.
"Aren't we going to floo or something?" Harry asked as he followed Tonks down the street.
"We don't have the house hooked up to the floo network and you can't apparate with these ingredients," Tonks explained.
"So we're taking the train?" Harry asked.
"Yep, might pick up some dinner on the way," Tonks said thoughtfully.
"Where?" Harry asked as they made it to the tube station.
"Pizza, do you want to hear what the Quibbler said about the origins of Dominos and the Noid pizza freshness conspiracy?" Tonks grinned as they boarded a train and found seats.
'The Quibbler must be run by a complete nutter,' Harry thought to himself as Tonks started her story and the train began to move.