Prologue: An Unexpected Surprise
The Hogwarts Express pulled into King's Cross Station with its usual blend of steam and noise. Harry Potter stepped off the train, his trunk dragging behind him and Hedwig's cage in his other hand. He said his goodbyes to Ron and Hermione, both of them promising to write regularly and his heart sank as he headed towards the exit, readying himself for the familiar, disdainful faces of the Dursleys. Instead, he was met with an unexpected sight—a young woman with vibrant pink hair waving enthusiastically at him.
"Harry! Over here!" she called.
Confused, Harry looked around, half-expecting this to be some kind of mistake, but she was beckoning him over, grinning mischievously. Slightly bewildered, he glanced around again in case he'd missed something and by the time he looked back, she was next to him.
"Harry Potter, I presume?" she said, her voice cheerful and slightly irreverent.
Harry blinked, taken aback. "Er, yes. And you are?"
The woman winked. "Call me Tonks. I'm a cousin of Snuffles." She added meaningfully, sweeping her eyes across the emptying platform before going on, "We should talk somewhere less conspicuous."
Still bemused and wondering who 'Snuffles' was, Harry followed Tonks to a quieter corner of the station, away from prying eyes and curious ears.
'What's going on? Who's Snuffles? Who are you?' He demanded when she finally stopped and he caught up.
It was her turn to look confused, 'Didn't you get the letter?' She lowered her voice to a whisper, 'From Sirius… with that daft little owl?'
Harry nodded, 'Yeah, it didn't say anything about you though or S-'
'Don't mention his name,' Tonks interrupted, 'We're calling him Snuffles if we have to talk about him in public.'
Harry was a bit taken aback, 'Wait, so you're his-'
Tonks rolled her eyes, 'Yes, his cousin. I'm here to take you to him. It's all agreed that you won't be staying with the Dursleys this summer.'
Harry felt sudden hope ignite in his chest, rekindling after the crushing disappointment that had followed Pettigrew's escape. The idea that he might be able to start a life with Sirius, with his Godfather…
'H- How?' He stuttered, 'He's still on the run, the Ministry are after him. It was in the Daily Prophet.'
Tonks held up a hand and shushed him, 'All in good time, Harry, he's safe and we've found something that will work. Dumbledore's pulled some strings in the background and found a loophole. But Snuffles will be able to explain better than I can. I'm just here to get you to him.'
Harry realised his heart was racing, this changed everything. No Dursleys, Sirius was safe and he was going to spend the summer with him.
'But the letter…' he frowned, it hadn't mentioned this, 'It didn't say anything about this or you.'
It was Tonks' turn to frown, 'It didn't? That useless…' She sighed, and looked at the hope slowly changing to suspicion on his face.
'Harry,' she began earnestly, 'I promise you that I am here to look after you and take you to your Godfather, to somewhere you belong. I know you don't know me and have no reason to, but please trust me.'
She finished and gazed at him, biting her a lip a little, 'I can contact Dumbled-'
Hope won out over suspicion in Harry's heart, 'When do we go?' He asked eagerly. He didn't really care about the other details yet.
Tonks grinned and took hold of Hedwig's cage, turning towards the exit, 'We're already on our way,' she told him over her shoulder.