Obligatory Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or any character, story element or plot item originally published in the Harry Potter books or movies that I may refer to in this story. I'm merely playing in the sandbox.

Chapter 16

Harry eyed the interloper casually, measuring the potential threat. "May I help you?"

"Why are you still here?"

"I don't have anywhere else to go at the moment. I had a meeting with the Headmaster and my tutors are currently busy." Harry wasn't sure why he provided that much information, but he was pretty sure the last bit of the interchange with Dumbledore had confused him more than he realized. Man, I hope he's just joking.

"No one wants you here."

"I know." He shrugged casually. "You have all been fairly clear on that."

"We don't want a Dark Lord at Hogwarts. The one you supposedly took down did enough damage. I lost two uncles because of him."

Harry had nothing to say, so he didn't respond. As he watched, the redhead grew angrier.

"I said leave!"

Harry said nothing. He casually shifted his position to narrow his profile to the boy, then reached for his wand, just to be ready. For a brief moment, he ignored the ridiculousness of it and wondered if Ronald Weasley had put his name in. If someone wants me dead now, it's him. Let's see if he'd dumb enough.

"I am going to study, Weasley. I have things to do with my tutors when they are available."

"No, you're leaving this school. I have family here and you won't take anymore." Ron drew and began attacking. Harry simply shielded. The spells grew stronger and more powerful until finally he was casting blasting hexes. Unsure of how the spells may rebound off of a shield, he dodged most, trying to angle his shields to bounce them into the floor or ceiling. He knew what it would look like if he sent one back to the boy.

Soon, Flitwick and McGonagall were running down the hallway, casting spells to immobilize both boys. Harry blocked the ones going to him as well. "What is going on here?"

"Weasley wants me to leave. He was going to make me leave." Harry shifted out of a dueling position. "Based on his spell choice, I would gather that me in a body bag was fine with him."

"And all this?" McGonagall gestured to the corridor. Harry paid real attention to the devastation now and wondered how the repairs would be handled. The walls were pitted and fractured, the flooring devastated between shattered floorboard and scorch marks.

"He started with stunners, then escalated to more and more destructive spells." He gestured to the ground and ceiling. "Note the damage pattern. None behind him, none on him. All behind me or immediately in front of me."

Flitwick ran a careful eye over the hallway. "Minerva, he was shielding. I've seen this kind of damage before."

"You may check my... no." He looked right at McGonagall. "The Aurors may check my wand. Those were lethal level spells. I won't have you check the wand without an Auror to document. I am pressing charges." He had almost fallen back into habit, wanting to protect the Weasley parents. Then he remembered Molly's words.

"I am trustworthy, Mr. Potter." The tone was almost frosty, but the look on her face showed hurt.

"It has nothing to do with you, Professor. I remembered how his mother told me I was not wanted anymore. I have no need to protect them from his behavior. Please call the Aurors."

McGonagall nodded firmly, then turned to the headmaster's stairs. Soon, Dumbledore was down as well, following a pair of Aurors. The woman confused Harry as he was sure she had changed her hair color on seeing the hallway. Instead, he decided to focus on the tall dark-skinned man. He was in charge anyway from the questioning. Harry volunteered to undergo limited questioning with truth serum if his tutor approved the questions.

"No need, son. I agree with Professor Flitwick's determination. I do need to see your wand, though." The deep voiced man took his wand by the offered handle, then examined the last ten spells, all shielding of various types. He grinned. "Good choice of shield spells. Your teacher was good."

"Former Auror of another location and a man who has a Defense Mastery. I wanted to live through this Tournament."

"Why didn't you just step in and then out? We all wondered about this in the Corp."

"The rules require active participation to avoid that particular act."

The man nodded. "Good way to get a student killed. We're rooting for you. None of the Corp believed the accusations."

Something about that made him smile. "Thank you, sir." He walked up and shook his hand. "I do want to press charges against him, though. This was potentially deadly."

"I will file the paperwork to expel him from the school. I will also not repair this until fully documented." Dumbledore shook his head. "Ronald Weasley, you could have been a good wizard." The wizard sounded older. "I am amazed that you argued about dark wizards so much, then attacked someone so heinously."

"He wants to use Unforgivables!" Someone had freed him, or he had managed to overpower the spell.

"No, I don't. I really asked because I wondered if it was going to be on the exam or the OWLs. I'd forgotten I'm excused from the exams." Harry shook his head. "I've heard that those are pretty rough."

"They can be...of course, you already know."

"I..."

"I was notified. I won't tell you your scores, though I am impressed that you attempted Arithmancy."

"OWL level Arithmancy is mostly up to where I was in elementary school with some extra parts. It took me just a few months to catch up. I'm shocked Granger hasn't tried to take them early."

"We don't encourage it. I'd ask you not to encourage her, either. She already struggles in the classroom dealing with her peers. If she were to be with older students, I fear it would be a repeat of her first year."

"She and I barely talk, other than her obsession of figuring out my secrets."

Dumbledore nodded. "In some ways, you have grown into the actions of the older students. That maturity will serve you well in the future." He frowned. "I had hoped you would have a childhood." He took a deep breath. "Yet another thing that did not happen as planned."

"I understand, Headmaster. It's no big deal to me. I'm enjoying life more now."

Dumbledore nodded. "They will have to take a statement from you. Feel free to use my office, if you want, Auror Tonks."

"Thanks for not using the forbidden name, Headmaster."

"What, Nympha..."

"Sir." The voice went flat, and her hair shifted to black.

"Okay, that actually did happen. I thought it was from all the magic flying around earlier from him."

She smirked, then shifted her hair to short and some kind of pink. "It's my magic, not his. C'mon, kid, let's hear your side of it."

Harry nodded, then headed back up the stairs. He detailed a short version of what happened. He hadn't kept count of the spells but was informed that they could get a good count from his wand back at the lab. "The field spell does ten. The technicians in the lab can go back for months and will, documenting everything." She shook her head. "Wish we could have done that back in the eighties. We'd have more evidence against the Death Eaters."

"You can't be that old."

"Flatterer," She smirked. "No... I graduated a couple years ago... I remember you being a little Firstie, actually."

"Oh," he chuckled. "I think I'm taller now, finally."

"Yep..." She paused, then tapped the quill with her wand. They had recorded the chatter, but she said it didn't matter, they all did a bit of chatting during the interviews of victims. It was supposed to put people at ease. "Are you in contact with my cousin?"

"I... don't know a Tonks?"

The woman reached up and ruffled her hair, flushing a little. "Sorry, should have been more clear. I mean Sirius Black. I know he's your godfather."

"I... don't know what you mean?"

She smirked. "You're a terrible liar. Tell him Mum says she's grateful. He brought her back into the family and I know that hurt her when his mother cast her out."

"He disinherited the Malfoy's and..." He paused, unable to remember the other name.

"Bellatrix. I assume that's the name you were looking for?"

"Yeah."

"Real witch of a witch, if you catch my meaning."

"I think I do." Harry nodded. "I'll make sure he knows."

"Thanks. I'll ignore that you know. Mum and I both never could see him as a murderer."

"Almost. I saw him ready to finally kill Pettigrew, tot that anyone believes I saw him."

Tonks seemed to chew on the thought for a moment, along with her lips. "Animagus?"

"Yes?" He had started to stand, thinking that they were done. Her question made him sit quickly. "How?"

"It's a complaint in our department. It's hard to detect an Animagus. I personally suspect Skeeter's one. She's just too slippery."

Harry seemed to consider the idea for a moment, then had an idea. "I'll keep that in mind."

"Get out of here. Go prep for the Tournament or kiss a girl or something."

"No girl wants me, Tonks. They all view me like him." He paused. "Well, I have one friend here."

"Then go kiss her."

"I..." Tonks seemed to enjoy the deep flush he was experiencing now. "I see the family resemblance now."

He walked out to her laughter. As he got downstairs, he looked at the other auror, who was casting some kind of documentation spell on the hallway. There was a ghostly image of the pair of them, and he found that disturbing.

"Tonks is weird."

The man's deep voice carried a bit of laughter. "I know, kid, I know."

Harry went the other way, heading to a classroom to call for Winky. Down in the Chamber, he passed the message along to Sirius. Luna sat there and was watching carefully.

"How did you see her?"

"Ronald Weasley attacked me. Blew up half the corridor and was definitely trying to kill me." He shrugged. "He's expelled now."

The announcement brought the room to silence for a long moment. In typical manner, Luna broke the tension. "Why won't you look at me?"

"I... don't know how to explain that part."

Harry felt his face heat as she stared at him for a long moment. "Okay."

"Why are you so red?" Sirius grinned at him, then glanced at Luna.

"Shut up, Sirius." He walked into his bedroom and plopped on the bed. "I'm tired. I'm taking a nap. I think he threw a dozen Bombardas at me. Thank Moony for the shielding practice he put me through."

Minerva McGonagall entered the tower and all motion ceased. She had a look on her face that few had seen, but Ginny saw a bit of recognition on Hermione's face. "What happened now?

"Fred, George, come here, please."

Someone laughed. "Never mind, business as usual."

She glared at that particular corner, but no one seemed to catch her eye. As she cast a privacy spell around them, Ginny glanced over at Neville. "They haven't done anything lately."

"Nope, they're bored. Harry's been more interesting than that could be. That and they seem to be working on some project."

"Oh?"

"Yeah, saw them and that other guy, can't think of his name. Slipping into a classroom on the third floor. I keep forgetting it's there, but then I see the door when they come out."

"Some kind of concealment charms. Notice-me-not, likely. They used one at home to hide their room for a week before Mum caught on."

The spell ended and the twins walked away, any trace of their usual joviality missing. Soon, McGonagall approached her. "Ms. Weasley, may I have a moment?"

Confused, she stopped Neville as he started to rise. "Professor, if you don't mind, can Neville stay? I don't mind him hearing anything…and I haven't done anything lately worth a meeting with you."

The woman seemed indecisive for a moment, then nodded, casing another spell around them. The common room's noise suddenly vanished and Ginny glanced around. "It is a good spell. I can show you later, after class if you wish."

"It might be nice to do when the twins are blowing something up, so yes, please."

The pale attempt at humor failed to get a reaction. "I have some news. I suppose it will affect everyone soon, but…your brother Ronald attempted to attack someone in the corridor today. The attack was sufficient that he has been escorted out by Aurors."

Ginny sighed. "Has to be Harry or Draco."

"The former, I'm afraid."

"How's Harry?" Neville asked.

"Untouched, it appeared. His shields were apparently very good."

"Would have to be considering all that," Ginny waved idly out the window at the lake.

"I understand your meaning and agree."

"How bad was it, Professor?" Ginny asked. "Is he going to be expelled?"

"At the least. Mr. Potter is pressing charges." She was silent for a moment. "Considering the extent of the damage, I would have to."

Ginny shook her head. "Any chance of my Mum forgiving Harry is gone."

"I am sorry, Ms. Weasley."

Soon the noise was back and she left with a trunk that the twins had brought down. It floated out the portrait after her, then the door closed with a thud that felt a bit more final to Ginny.

A/N: So, a little late, not even sure what time it is. I was a bit surprised by the reaction to the last chapter. No response to Harry being a penguin if he went that route? Would you want to be a penguin? I'm on the fence mostly, but then I think about eating whole raw fish and I'm pretty much out.