Number Twelve Grimmauld Place, London, 7/11/1995, 18:27
Harry sat down with the others in the basement kitchen of Grimmauld Place.
He was feeling a little subdued after the incident in the drawing room earlier this afternoon and his mind was whirring with thoughts about the locket. The fact that he had a piece of Voldemort's soul fall into his lap absolutely blew his mind.
How was it possible that out of all the wizarding households in Britain, he just happened to visit the one that had a piece of Voldemort's soul stored there? Was this some ridiculous coincidence or was something else at play?
Harry was pulled out of his thoughts when Fred and George entered the kitchen followed a second later by Ginny. The twins looked surprised to see him but greeted him as they took a seat at the table. Harry was a bit distracted when Ginny sat down in the seat beside him and smiled at him brightly, making his stomach feel like it was doing flips.
For some reason since he woke up from getting hit with that curse, his hormones were going crazy. He seemed to notice girls a lot more than he used to, he'd even caught himself checking out Hermione when he and Tonks had first arrived. It didn't help that Ginny was wearing muggle-style shorts and her bare thigh kept brushing against his leg while they waited for Missus Weasley to bring the food over.
"Are you okay, Harry?" Ginny asked in a soft tone, pulling him back to the present.
"Yeah, why do you ask?" Harry questioned, looking at her curiously.
"You just seem miles away," Ginny shrugged her cheeks turning the faintest pink when he made eye contact with her.
"I've h-had a strange day," Harry muttered as her leg pressed into his again.
"So how are you liking the Tonks family?" Fred asked while the other twin looked at Harry curiously.
"I like staying there. Andi and Ted are really good people," Harry admitted as Missus Weasley and various order members began bringing food over to the table
"I have to say, this is my first time meeting someone who has risen from the dead," George joked.
"Really, I've already done it twice so the novelty has worn off a bit," Harry shot back.
Before anyone could comment, the adults took a seat and Missus Weasley told everyone to, "dig in."
Besides Sirius, Mister and Missus Weasley, and Tonks, there was also some bloke named Sturgis Podmore who looked like his head was thatched in sandy-blonde hair. A dark-haired woman in her early thirties who was gossiping with Tonks and a bald black man with a huge gold earring that everyone called 'Shack.'
"So Harry, Tonks said you're going on vacation?" Hermione asked between bites of her salad.
"Yeah but all I know is it's an island owned by the Blacks," Harry shrugged shooting Sirius a curious look.
"You forgot to mention it's a tropical island," Sirius said, not elaborating further.
"Sounds lovely," Ginny sighed dreamily.
"Yeah, I hope I can go with you guys," Tonks muttered.
"You were cleared for leave by Madam Bones," Shack said from down the table.
"You're sure?" Tonks asked hopefully.
"Positive. That's why you've been getting the scrub detail all week," Shack chuckled.
"Too bad there won't be any birds on the beach," Sirius sighed.
"I guess we can always leer at Tonks," Harry said before he could stop himself, causing the Weasley twins to guffaw.
"You did enough leering at me this morning," Tonks exclaimed, causing Harry to blush crimson.
"What did he do this morning?" Hermione asked, shooting Harry a curious look.
"Walked into the bathroom when I was getting out of the shower," Tonks huffed irritably.
"I hate it when they do that," Ginny snorted, shooting Ron a pointed look.
"They put locks on the door for a reason, try using them," Ron shrugged unconcernedly.
"Harry dear, you should always knock before entering a bathroom, especially if there is a lady in the house," Missus Weasley said in a chastising tone.
"Yes Missus Weasley," Harry muttered ignoring the grin Tonks shot his way.
"What about Ron?" Ginny demanded.
"Of course dear. Ronald, you should knock as well, we're not that kind of pureblood after all," Missus Weasley chastised, causing Ron to sputter indignantly through a mouthful of potatoes.
"Molly," Arthur exclaimed looking like he was fighting to keep a straight face.
"He's been doing it for years dear, after a while you have to... wonder," Molly shrugged, though Harry thought he saw a mischievous gleam in her eye.
"I'm not doing it on purpose!" Ron exclaimed, looking horrified at the thought.
"Of course not, Ronnikins," George agreed patronizingly.
"It isn't like Ginny sings Do the Hippogriff at the top of her lungs," Fred continued with a snigger.
"Horribly off-key, I might add," George added.
"Every time she takes a shower," Fred grinned.
"Or bath," George sniggered.
"Yet at least once a week you walk in on little Gin-Gin," Fred continued.
Harry zoned out while the Weasley twins talked back and forth as a mental image of Ginny in the shower all soapy and wet came to the forefront of his mind before he shook his head to clear those thoughts.
"Something the matter Harry?" Ginny whispered in his ear sending a shiver down his spine.
"N-no... nothing," Harry stuttered out quickly before looking down at his plate.
"Really, you seem a bit... flustered," Ginny said in a tone of amusement.
"Just wondering what's wrong with your brother," Harry said distractedly as he glanced over to see Ron arguing with Fred and George his face so red it almost matched his hair.
"We've been wondering that for years," Ginny giggled before taking a bite of her steak and kidney pie.
Harry glanced over at Hermione and was surprised to see her watching him with a knowing smile on her face. Harry tuned out the talking going on around him and focused on his dinner. This was made somewhat difficult as Ginny kept brushing her leg against his under the table.
The rest of dinner passed with Harry trying to focus on his plate and wondering what was going on with him and why he felt so out of sorts around Ron's little sister.
"Alright Potter, it's time to get back to the house," Tonks said after dessert had been served and chatter started breaking out around the table.
After Harry had said his goodbyes and got a hug from Missus Weasley, Hermione and Ginny Harry followed Tonks out of the house.
"I think the Weasley girl has a thing for you," Tonks said as soon as they stepped out of the front door.
"Doesn't matter, she's my best mate's little sister," Harry said uncomfortably.
"Do you like her?" Tonks asked curiously.
"To be honest, I hadn't really noticed her before tonight," Harry confessed.
"But you noticed her tonight," Tonks smirked.
"Whatever just take me home," Harry scowled his face feeling warm all of a sudden.
"Fine, I was just trying to be helpful," Tonks sniggered as she took his hand and turned on the spot, dragging him through the suffocating rubber tube feeling, both of them disappearing with a soft 'pop.'
Tonks Residence, Reading, 7/12/1995, 11:49
Harry was in the middle of reading through his last year's charms text. He could only watch so much television before he became restless.
During the day he was usually alone as Ted and Andi would go to work and didn't come home until five or six in the evening. When he had first arrived here, Andi had asked him to stay around the house when they were at work. He could go out in the gardens and feed the ducks in the pond but she didn't want him wandering the streets when they weren't home. Harry honestly had no interest in going wandering anyway so this rule didn't bother him much.
Usually, during the day he would watch television in the mornings then after lunch, he would read or do his schoolwork in the garden. Today going into the garden wasn't an option as it had been raining all morning and showed no signs of letting up.
Harry had just turned to the chapter on the summoning charm when he heard the front door bang open. Getting up from his seat, Harry quickly made his way to the front door. He got there in time to see Tonks stumbling into the house, completely soaked to the bone.
"Wotcher Harry?" Tonks grunted as she took off her long coat and hung it on the hook by the door, scowling when she saw the puddle forming on the floor underneath it.
"Why are you soaking wet?" Harry exclaimed as he watched her wave her wand to dry off her clothes.
"I got stuck pulling a shift on the rock," Tonks scowled.
"You mean Azkaban?" Harry asked, remembering Sirius calling it that before.
"Yeah, you have to ride in this rickety fucking boat all the way from Wick across the North Sea!" Tonks ranted.
"And to think, I thought about becoming an auror," Harry snorted as Tonks kicked off her boots
Harry went into the kitchen and began opening a can of chicken noodle soup while Tonks continued to rant about riding across the North Sea in a storm.
Harry listened with half an ear as she told him she was going to get cleaned up before wandering off leaving him to finish cooking the soup.
Tonks came back into the kitchen ten minutes later dressed in a pair of purple pajamas and wearing bunny slippers. It looked like she had gotten a shower, though considering she came in sopping wet, it was hard to tell.
"Are you making me lunch?" Tonks asked hopefully as she took a seat at the dining room table.
"Yeah, it looks like you need it," Harry chuckled as he fixed her a large bowl of soup and brought it to the table.
"You have no idea," Tonks groaned appreciatively before she dipped her spoon into the soup and stirred it.
"I can imagine, I hate being around dementors," Harry said as he fixed himself a bowl of soup and took a seat across from her.
"Who doesn't? I got stuck watching the high-security floor. Twelve hours listening to my insane aunt screech about her master's return," Tonks said between spooning piping-hot soup into her mouth.
"Narcissa?" Harry asked in confusion.
"My other aunt, Bellatrix. Bellatrix Lestrange," Tonks scowled.
"Bellatrix Lestrange," Harry said with a far-off look in his eye as he remembered seeing her at the memory of Barty Crouch Junior's trial.
"That's why Andi looked so familiar," Harry said, more to himself than Tonks.
"What?!" Tonks snapped looking aggravated.
"When I first met your mum she reminded me of someone I had seen before, I just couldn't place who it was," Harry explained.
"And when have you ever seen Bellatrix LeStrange?" Tonks asked incredulously.
"I saw Barty Crouch Junior's trial in Dumbledore's pensieve. She was one of the death eaters arrested with him for attacking the Longbottoms," Harry answered, remembering the beautiful woman with heavily lidded eyes and long curly ebony hair.
"Well don't ever compare mum to her, especially if mum's within earshot," Tonks warned.
"Yeah, I suppose that would probably put her in a bad mood," Harry muttered.
"You have no idea," Tonks agreed.
"So what's up with the order?" Harry asked.
"Can't tell you that, top secret," Tonks smirked before lifting her bowl to her mouth and noisily slurping the broth from the bowl.
"So why are you here ruining my study time then?" Harry grumbled.
"Mum wants me over for dinner tonight. I figured I would catch a nap before she and Dad got home," Tonks shrugged.
"Figures, you wouldn't happen to know where I could practice my spell work at?" Harry asked hopefully.
"You can practice here as long as an adult is home though mum will wring your neck if she catches you," Tonks warned.
"Damn, I wanted to practice some of the spells from my defence book," Harry sighed.
"Definitely not. Some of those spells are very destructive," Tonks said flatly.
"I guess it will have to wait until we go to the island," Harry sighed.
"Yeah, it shouldn't be a problem there. The island doesn't fall under the jurisdiction of any ministry so you can do as much magic as you like," Tonks nodded.
They lapsed into silence for a bit before Tonks excused herself to go get a nap while Harry sat at the table lost in thought as he finished his lunch.
After a quick cleanup of the kitchen, Harry made his way back to his seat on the couch and picked up where he'd left off before Tonks had arrived.
Number Twelve Grimmauld Place, London, 7/15/1995, 03:18
Tonks was woken as a lynx patronus with the voice of Kingsley Shacklebolt appeared beside her bed.
"ATTACK ON AZKABAN, ALL AURORS REPORT TO WICK PRISONER TRANSPORT DOCKS NOW!"
Tonks rolled out of her bed and hastily got dressed before bolting out of her room and making her way to the ground floor.
"Get your game face on girl, this is going to be bad," Alastor Moody's voice called from the hallway to her left as he made his way to the stairs.
"What happened?" Tonks asked as she slowed her pace enough for Mad-Eye to catch up with her.
"Don't know. The guard house sent a distress call about twenty minutes ago," Moody grunted as they stepped out of the front door onto Grimmauld Square.
"I'll see you there, Mad-Eye," Tonks said as she prepared to apparate
"Just be careful, we have no idea what we're apparating into," Moody warned before he disappeared with a soft 'pop.'
Taking a deep breath to calm her nerves Tonks spun on the spot following into whatever hell awaited them on Azkaban Island.
Tonks Residence, Reading, 7/15/1995, 07:39
Harry was sitting at the Tonks family's breakfast table eating a wonderfully prepared omelette. Truthfully, Harry looked forward to Ted's cheat day as much as Ted did. Normally breakfast during the week was eggs and toast or the occasional porridge but every Saturday Andi would go all out on breakfast. This morning's Denver omelette was a fine example of how good she was in the kitchen.
"This is amazing, Andi," Harry praised between bites of his massive omelette.
"Why thank you, Harry. I got the recipe from a friend at the office," Andromeda said, giving Harry a beaming smile at the compliment.
"Though I suppose seconds are out of the question?" Ted asked with a look of amusement.
"Yes, you lost three pounds this week. I would hate for all the work you've put in to be in vain," Andromeda soothed.
"Cherish your metabolism, my boy," Ted said, giving Harry a wink when Andi rolled her eyes at him.
Harry chuckled at the couple's back and forth, this was a regular Saturday morning occurrence as well and he always found it very entertaining.
"I will. That's why I run every morning," Harry said before taking a big bite of his omelette.
"You actually don't need to do that anymore, your metabolism will have levelled out by now," Ted pointed out.
"It's the only exercise I get," Harry shrugged.
"We'll be leaving for the island on Monday, you should get plenty of exercise there," Andromeda assured him.
"I can run on the beach," Harry grinned, already looking forward to the change of scenery.
"And I can work on my tan," Andromeda continued, shooting Ted a wink.
"We can't get there soon enough," Ted said with a far-off look in his eye.
Before Harry could ask anything else there was a tap on the window signalling that the Daily Prophet owl had arrived. Andi quickly made her way over to the and retrieved the paper before retaking her seat at the table.
"Oh No, this is awful!" Andromeda exclaimed as soon as she unfurled the paper and read the headline.
"What is it, Andi?" Ted asked in alarm.
In answer, Andromeda flattened the paper on the table and Ted looked it over, paling when he saw the headline.
"Oh shit!" Ted exclaimed as he read the article his eyes moving back and forth rapidly.
"This is bad, very bad," Ted sighed when he had finished reading.
"What's wrong?" Harry asked feeling his stomach tighten at the look on the Tonks couple's faces.
Ted didn't answer in words, he just slid the paper over to Harry who tentatively spun it around so he could read. The words took a minute to sink in as he wasn't sure he could believe what he was reading.
Mass Breakout from Azkaban! Ten High-Security Prisoners Escaped!
The Ministry of Magic announced early this morning that there was a violent attack and a mass breakout on Azkaban Island Prison a little after three o'clock this morning. Speaking to reporters in his private office, Cornelius Fudge, Minister for Magic, confirmed that ten high-security prisoners escaped from the prison after a large force laid siege to the prison tower, killing seven guards and critically injuring another four. Minister Fudge has already informed the muggle prime minister, Mister John Major, about the dangerous nature of these individuals. 'We find ourselves, most unfortunately, in the same position we were in two and a half years ago when Sirius Black escaped custody, Thankfully he was innocent and harmed no one, but I fear that will not be the case this time around,' said Fudge last night. The head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, Amelia Bones spoke at a small press conference early this morning and also gave a short statement on behalf of her department, 'An escape of this magnitude suggests outside help, the aurors arriving on scene reported over two dozen men wearing black robes and bone-white masks suggesting that these men or women are trying to emulate the death eaters of the nineteen-seventies. We are, however, doing all we can to round up these criminals and beg the magical community to remain alert and cautious. On no account should any of these individuals be approached, a special floo call service has been set up, should anyone sight any of the individuals pictured below please call on this address and report it to our representatives so ministry aurors can handle the situation, thank you."' The prisoners who escaped this morning were the worst the prison held, every one of them serving consecutive life sentences for heinous crimes they committed during He-who-must-not-be-named's reign of terror. We at the Daily Prophet urge our readers to be cautious and stay safe and our thoughts and prayers go out to the families of the fallen guards from last night's attack.
Below the article was an individual picture for each of the escaped inmates, Harry immediately recognized three of them from the pensieve of Barty Crouch Junior's trial.
There was a picture of a female death eater that so strongly resembled Andromeda at the top of the list, underneath her picture were the words.
Bellatrix LeStrange, He-must-not-be-named's number one in command. LeStrange is responsible for the incapacitation of Frank and Alice Longbottom and numerous other crimes, WANTED and EXTREMELY DANGEROUS!
There were descriptions like this under each picture giving a summation of the death eater's rank and the crimes they were imprisoned for, each ending with the words 'WANTED and EXTREMELY DANGEROUS!''
Harry read the list trying to memorise their names and faces; Bellatrix LeStrange, Antonin Dolohov, Augustus Rookwood, Rabastan LeStrange, Rodolphus LeStrange, Herman Travers, Markus Mulciber II, Johan Jugson, Rupert Cromwell, and Devon Rosier.
Every single one of them looked like they wished whoever was photographing them nothing short of an agonizing death. Most of the death eaters were glaring at the camera except for Bellatrix who was smiling in a way that reminded Harry of a shark.
"I think we might be leaving for Black Island a few days earlier than I had planned," Ted said in a concerned voice as he looked at his wife's pale face.
"When do you want to leave?" Andromeda asked as she pushed her half-eaten breakfast away, having lost her appetite after reading the paper.
"I still have to complete my shift today so this evening after I get off," Ted said looking at his wife worriedly.
"That should give me time to make the arrangements," Andromeda said, looking pleased to have something to take her mind off of the news of her sister's escape.
Before anything else could be said, the backdoor banged open and Tonks stumbled in looking completely exhausted.
"Nymphadora what happened to you?" Andromeda exclaimed when she took in her daughter's dishevelled appearance.
"Bones called an all-hands on deck last night. I was part of the squadron on call to wrangle up what's left of the dementors," Tonks sighed as she slumped into the chair to Harry's right.
"What's left of the dementors?" Harry asked with a sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach.
"Most of them deserted the prison. They left with... with him," Tonks whispered, a haunted look crossing her features.
"You don't mean-
"I do. Voldemort was sighted last night by Shack's team," Tonks said, cutting off Harry's question.
"What happened?" Ted asked weakly.
"Shack and his team were the first on the scene. They took a portkey directly to Azkaban Island. When they arrived they got into a bit of a firefight with the death eaters as they were fleeing the island," Tonks answered as she gratefully accepted the coffee Andi offered her.
"I thought Azkaban was a fortress," Harry muttered, still finding it hard to believe this had happened.
"The death eaters hit the prison hard and they caught the guards completely by surprise. Voldemort blew a hole in the side of the tower, then his followers took the prisoners they were after. They were in and out in under twenty minutes" Tonks explained tiredly.
"How is the minister handling this?" Andromeda asked looking at her daughter worriedly.
"He's denying anything to do with Voldemort. He also forbade Bones from mentioning the sighting in the press conference this morning," Tonks huffed, the coffee seemed to be returning some of the colour to her cheeks.
"I never did like that man, even in school he was absolutely insufferable," Andromeda scowled.
"He was a Slytherin, what do you expect?" Ted pointed out and chuckled at the glare Andromeda shot his way.
"This is not the time to rile me up, husband," Andi warned though she shot Ted a grateful smile for his attempt to lighten the mood.
"Dora, would you mind staying here with Harry today?" Ted asked as he looked over at Tonks hopefully.
"Sure, Today was my last day before my vacation," Tonks shrugged.
"I don't need a babysitter," Harry said with no real heat.
If Harry were being honest with himself, he would feel better having someone there with him. Especially now that he knew that these monsters were on the loose.
"If it makes you feel better you can babysit me. I want pizza for lunch," Tonks joked.
"It's not that we don't think you can take care of yourself, Harry, but I would feel better if there was an adult here," Andromeda said, looking at Harry to convey the worry she was feeling.
"Alright," Harry nodded, earning himself a grateful smile from Andi.
"In that case, we had better get going," Ted said after checking the kitchen clock.
"Make sure she doesn't burn down the house and for God's sake, do not let her cook anything," Andi warned before giving Harry a tight hug.
"Don't worry, I'll do the cooking," Harry assured her.
"Good man, we'll be back around five try and have all of your stuff packed," Ted said before patting Harry on the back.
"Not a problem, I don't have all that many clothes," Harry admitted.
"Damn, I had planned on taking you clothes shopping tomorrow," Andi sighed as she released him from the hug.
"We can figure something out," Ted assured her with a reassuring smile.
"We will just have to do some shopping on one of the main islands," Andromeda said thoughtfully.
"Dora, get some rest. You look beat," Ted said as he kissed her on her forehead before leading Andi towards the door.
"Bye, I'll be ready by the time you're back," Tonks assured them both before yawning loudly.
"Try and stay out of trouble, Nymphadora," Andi said before closing the door behind her.
"I guess they really think I am babysitting you," Harry snorted.
"Whatever, I am going to catch up on my sleep. Could you wake me for lunch?" Tonks asked as she drained her coffee.
"Sure," Harry nodded as he began gathering up the breakfast dishes.
"Mum makes you do the dishes too?" Tonks asked in surprise.
"No, I always do them in the mornings," Harry shrugged.
"Suck up. Mum used to make me do the dishes after breakfast on summer hols," Tonks said with a shudder as if she was remembering a traumatic experience.
"My aunt and uncle used to make me do all the dishes, I also had to cook breakfast and do all the outside chores. Your mum and dad don't really ask me to do anything here," Harry shrugged.
"Well, there really aren't any outside chores. They have a kid that comes by and mows the front yard and mum won't let anyone touch her garden," Tonks said indicating out the window.
Tonks stayed in the kitchen talking with him while he made short work of the dishes, there really wasn't all that much and he was finished in a few minutes.
"Alright, I'm going to bed," Tonks yawned as she stood up from the table and stretched, Harry couldn't help but notice the tee shirt she was wearing rode up, showing hints of her well-toned stomach.
Harry went into the sitting room and took out his Defence textbook looking over some spells in the back that they had never covered in class.
'Just think, this time tomorrow I'll be on Black Island,' Harry thought as he read through the theory for the tendon-locking hex.
Las Americas International Airport, Dominican Republic, 7/16/1995, 09:49
Harry left the airport following the Tonks family out into the hot humid air. Originally they had planned to take a portkey directly to Black Island. Unfortunately, since they had decided to leave two days early the ministry couldn't have one made in time since it had to be approved by more than just the British ministry. Luckily, once they made it to the Dominican Republic, they could take the portkey Sirius had directly to the island.
"I am so glad to be off of that plane," Andi sighed as they waited for Ted to hail a cab.
"That was my first time on a plane," Harry admitted.
"Mine too," Sirius shrugged squinting as he tried to get used to the bright sunlight.
"Why don't we just take the portkey from here?" Tonks asked in confusion.
"I figured we could get Harry some clothes while we're here," Andromeda admitted as she watched Ted succeed in flagging down a taxi.
"Oh bother, I don't envy you," Tonks said, looking at Harry with a sympathetic grin.
'How bad could it be?' Harry thought optimistically as Ted flagged them over to a taxi to take them into the city.
Six hours later and Harry realized he had jinxed himself, the clothes shopping seemed to never end! He had learned a valuable lesson though, never go shopping with Andi.
"That wasn't so bad," Andi said cheerfully as she led the group out of the plaza into a small alley to take the portkey to the island.
"Mum, I love you but you are a nightmare to shop with," Tonks sighed.
"Hmph, I seem to remember that you used to love to go shopping with me," Andromeda huffed.
"Alright everyone grab a hold," Sirius said as he pulled a four-foot length of rope out of his pants pocket.
Everyone took hold and Harry could feel his excitement building as Sirius tapped the rope with his wand and said, "Vacation "
Harry felt the pull behind his navel before he was pulled into the disorienting blue vortex.
Black Island, 7/31/1995, 11:29
Harry awoke to the sounds of waves crashing on the beach not far away from their bungalow. The last two weeks had been amazing!
He had gotten a pretty impressive tan and spent his days out by the beach or on occasion, in the swimming hole deep that was in the shade of the jungle towards the interior of the island.
The island was fairly tiny maybe a mile across at its widest point. He had gone exploring the day after he arrived and discovered that there was a large pool of fresh water in the middle of the island. The water was as clear as glass and the pool was surrounded by massive palm trees, casting the area in cool shade.
There were also quite a few large snakes on the island, he had met a massive bushmaster near the swimming hole who was very friendly and would seek him out when he ventured into the jungle.
Harry had been shocked to learn that even with the horcrux gone, he could still speak parseltongue.
Harry was also pleased that he had his own bungalow, there were a dozen bungalows on the island, each with spacious sleeping quarters and a simple bathroom with a large bathtub. Out on the beach was a pavilion with a long table where they all gathered for meals.
Harry noticed that Ted and Andi seemed to be spending a lot of time going off on their own, though as Tonks rightly said, 'They're probably doing gross married people stuff.'
Harry spent most of his time with Sirius though Sirius would make regular trips to one of the bigger islands to get food and other supplies, leaving Harry to his own devices, which usually meant hanging out with Tonks.
Tonks seemed to love running around in a bikini and hadn't worn anything else since they arrived, much to Harry's delight.
Sirius had been sending and receiving regular communication with the order using massive birds of paradise that lived on the island. Harry felt sorry for them as they had to fly laterally across the Atlantic to reach London and then make the return trip after delivering their missives.
Throwing off his blankets, Harry stumbled his way to the bathroom to prepare for his morning run which was a much different experience with the ocean as a backdrop.
The best part of staying here was that he could use magic to his heart's content, he had been practising as much as he could from his defence and Transfiguration text and was pleased that he was picking up new spells much easier than he used to.
Pulling on his running shorts and lacing up his trainers, Harry walked out the door of his bungalow and began walking down the path to the beach. The bungalows were built on a hill overlooking the ocean, there were tall palms and lush vegetation all around the bungalows casting them in shade. Harry only had to walk a few hundred yards before he stepped onto the sandy beach the blue wave crashing on the shoreline not far away.
Stretching to loosen up his muscles he began to jog along the shoreline letting his mind wander as he gradually increased his pace breathing in the ocean air and enjoying the warm breeze blowing over him from the ocean.
"Bet you're going to miss this when we head back?" Tonks' voice cut into his thought, making him jerk his head to the right in surprise.
Tonks was running beside him, for how long, he had no idea. She was wearing her usual workout clothes this morning which consisted of very short black athletic shorts that were so tight-fitting that they looked like they had been painted on her, and a skimpy pink bikini top.
"I bet you're going to miss not being able to wear a bikini twenty-four-seven," Harry said pointedly not looking down at her bouncing... assets.
"It is freeing but I would give my neighbours a heart attack if I ran like this in Reading," Tonks shrugged.
Harry could understand that, he about fainted the first time she showed up for their morning run in a two-piece bathing costume.
"Oh before I forget, Happy Birthday," Tonks said, a warm smile playing on her lips.
"Is it really the thirty-first already?" Harry asked in surprise.
"Obviously or I wouldn't wish you a happy birthday," Tonks smirked.
"That sucks," Harry sighed as they passed Andi and Ted's Bungalow.
"What?!" Tonks asked in surprise.
"That means we leave in two days," Harry pointed out.
"Well yeah that kind of does suck but it's still your birthday," Tonks argued, panting slightly from the exertion.
"My birthday isn't a big deal," Harry admitted his own breathing becoming a bit laboured as the beach started to veer to the right.
"Well it should be," Tonks huffed.
"I've never really celebrated my birthday," Harry panted out as the shoreline continued to veer to the right
"Well mum is planning a big dinner tonight for your birthday, so be prepared," Tonks panted out as the shoreline straightened out so they could see the beachline all the way down the backside of the island.
"Awesome," Harry beamed.
"You're being sarcastic aren't you?" Tonks huffed.
"No, I love your mum's cooking," Harry admitted with a genuine smile.
"She'll probably make a cake," Tonks pointed out.
"I like cake," Harry grinned.
"But you don't celebrate your birthday," Tonks questioned.
"I never said I didn't want to celebrate my birthday," Harry explained with a scowl.
"Then why didn't-
"Because my relative pretended I didn't exist," Harry snapped before she could finish her question.
"Sorry, I probably should have known that," Tonks muttered.
"No worries I just hate thinking about them," Harry said as he looked away from her focusing on the horizon.
They both fell into an awkward silence partly because it was getting difficult to talk and run at the same time, but mostly because Tonks had no idea what to say to Harry's last comment.
From what she had found out from Harry and her own inquiries with Molly Weasley and her children, Tonks knew Harry's life with his aunt and uncle hadn't been pleasant, but never did she imagine they wouldn't even acknowledge Harry's birthday! Though the fact that he spent ten years in a boot cupboard should have tipped her off. She had even heard a story about him being locked in his room with bars placed on his windows during the summer after his first year!
This made her wonder what other ways they had wronged the boy, she highly doubted they ever did anything nice for him. Tonks still remembered how frail he looked when he returned after the third task of the tournament. If she hadn't already known his age she would have guessed he was twelve or thirteen just by his short stature and how thin he was.
Then when he had woken from the coma he was in and she had found out that his relatives had pretty much starved him for over a decade, Tonks had been furious. She couldn't believe Dumbledore had placed Harry with those people and not checked on his well-being. As far as she was concerned, the Dursley family got what they deserved.
'They're lucky that they're dead or I might kill them again,' Tonks thought savagely as she continued running.
Getting an idea of a surefire way to cheer him up, Tonks sped up a bit so that she was running in front of him.
'Maybe a bit of teasing will help take his mind off of his relatives,' Tonks thought to herself.
Tonks heard Harry's sharp intake of breath behind her and couldn't help feeling pleased with herself as they began their second circuit of the island.