Updated 07-13-24 for grammatical fixes, story corrections, and just general upkeep.

Hello, Harry.

I'm sorry this is getting to you so late. I have been out of our rooms from sunup to sundown. My father insisted I learn to surf like a pro in three days. I am so sore I can hardly move, but I have had a blast. I think you would like surfing; it's a bit like riding a broom.

I have also spoken to my parents, and we will be back home the day before your hearing, so you can be sure I'll be there. IN FACT, they've permitted you to stay the night before the hearing so we will be able to go. My dad said that if you're good enough, they just might decide to keep you, so I'll warn you now that my mother is an even bigger hugger than I am.

I would, of course, love to come with you when you come to France and show you around. There are so many beautiful places I want to show you, especially the beach. The local beach to our resort is, shall we say, "clothing frowned upon." I would love to take you there, if for no other reason than I'm pretty sure your head would explode. but the view of the ocean is fantastic

I met a girl there today, a few years older than us, named Fleur Delacour. Guess what? She's a witch! We had a blast. After the sun went down, she and her mother invited us to their château (her father is chief deputy under the French Minister of Magic). I was able to show my parents actual magic, and Madame Delacour and Fleur showed them what fully qualified witches can do.

Although Fleur and her mother and little sister are what's known as Leela, they have this aura that makes most men's brains go all funny. So if you never meet them, I'll try not to hold anything against you.

They are all very pretty.

I'm meeting Fleur tomorrow, and she'll be taking me to the French version of Diagon Alley for a day of "shopping." she has insisted on paying so that I can't say now when she tries to stuff me into whatever ridiculous outfit she had in mind. but it should be good fun.

I'm very excited to see you soon!

With love,

Hermione Granger

Harry folded the letter back up, put it on his desk, and stroked the KS for the delivery. "Go on to bed, Hedwig. I'll write to her in a few days." The owl quickly fluttered to her perch and hid her face under her wing. "Smaragain?" The snake opened her eyes, but he did not speak. "I've been wondering how you are so young?"

"what do you mean, morsel?"

"Well, through our bond, you, your energy ,your mind that connection that we both feel, you feel young.

"ahhh, yes I suppose that would seem odd."

my mind has been this way since birth. I know not if it's a characteristic of all basilisk or if it is something that my father did to ease communication. I have never met another of my kind. I have no idea if my species is normally as mad as a cockatrice. as for how I remained so for a thousand years?... I was in my father's service for 70 years. when Salazar left the howarts four, he left me there deep in a magical sleep tied to a stasis charm.fueled by the very wards of hogwarts. he left me there to await being woken by his true heir to purge those from the school he saw as unfit. I was as the dead since then until a young man woke me up. shortly after that, my mind mottled over, and the broken one did something to me. I could not think for myself or act for myself. it was like that until your presence shattered what spell I was under. this is why I was so desperate to bond with you just in case when you left my presence, I would revert. and my worries were well founded by the time I retrieved my father's chalice for you. I could feel myself slipping back under whatever was wrong with me. so my mind personality and experience is only 150 or so even if I am actually much older than a species as long lived as mine is quite young."

"But...if you were seventy when you were put into stasis, how are you so big, once you were under stasis.especially one powered by hogwarts you shouldn't grow right? youde have no food to fuel the growth. not unless basilisks can feed on ambient magic."

smara then made that skating sound like rocks bouncing off ice. (the sound of Smaras laughter still unnerved him.)

"I am not this large through normal means. my father developed a process that would greatly enhance the natural growth cycle of any creature.it is detailed in a book in my father's, personal library ...I shall need to take you there when we are back at the school."

and Hermione, I go to an ancient hidden and long-lost library full of personal handwritten books by one of the founders of Hogwarts and possibly other lost or forgetten knowledge

she'd kill me."

"Be that as it may young one. the day grows long, and it is time for you to get ready for this dinner with your cousin. you have only been jabbering about it all week."

"A fine point, Smaragain."

With that, Harry climbed into his new truck. It was supposed to be a library, but he only had enough books for three shelves, so he figured he'd use it as a closet in the meantime. He grabbed some pressed and folded robes and his Hogwarts uniform shirt and slacks—both black—and then a sweater vest trimmed with gold and crimson. They were, after all, the nicest clothes he had. He had to restrain himself from smacking himself for not thinking about buying clothes that actually fit him yesterday. Clothes and dress shoes in hand, he climbed out of his trunk only to stop midway out. His aunt and uncle were standing there, their eyes wide. Uncle Vernon very rapidly turned a very violent shade of puce.

"WHAT DID I SAY ABOUT YOU DOONG THIS UNNATURALNESS IN MY HOUSE HOW DAR!--"

Aunt Petunia had flown around and clamped her husband's mouth shut. "Out! I will not have it! Every time you two have it out, the neighbors look more and more curious. With any luck, we'll be rid of him in a week. Until then, you WILL behave yourselves! Both of you!"

She turns quickly to face Harry as Vernon lumbers off down the hall.

"How long will this dinner take? Vernon has a very important potential client coming for dinner. If he arranges a deal, he could face a promotion as well as a substantial commission, and we can't have this dinner ruined by any unexpected disturbances."

Harry sits and listens as his aunt explains. "Well, I don't know how long it will last. Andromeda seemed to like me, so I don't think she'd have any problem with me staying late. I know. Don't mind if you wouldn't come back here if I had a choice." Harry glances in the direction his uncle disappeared in.

"It's four now," his aunt said. "When will Mr. Tonks be around to pick you up? The masons will be here at six."

"Oh no. Mr. Tonks will be here at 6 as well."

Aunt Petunia stiffens now, even as she was about to start berating the boy, but it hits her that the Masons had made plans after Harry, so it wasn't his fault. She was trying to keep the peace right now, so she couldn't outright blame him, no matter whose fault it was or not.

"WAIT," said Harry. "This might benefit you all."

"Vernon walked in, having passed by and gotten everything ready for the night. 'Explain,' the walrus said through squinted eyes and gritted teeth.

"Well, Mr. Tonks is a lawyer," explained Harry calmly. "If I leave at the same time your clients get here, then you can explain to them, after a brief introduction, that I'm your nephew. I'll introduce Mr. Tonks, and mention that we were going to dinner for the junior law society. Mr. Tonks can give them a business card. The Masons will be impressed, and I'll be out of your hair for the evening. That sounds perfect, right?"

Vernon, Harry thought, looked rather impressed by this impromptu plan.

"Well, alright then. That sounds like a good plan. But you better dress properly, boy. I've seen the getups your lot wear."

Harry smiled. "That's the thing, Mr. Tonks doesn't wear robes unless he's in front of the Wizengamot." At the nonplussed looks his aunt and uncle had, Harry explained. "Our magical society's governing and judicial body."

"YOUR LOT IN GOVERNMENT. Oh, that explains so much. No wonder this country is going to the dogs."

"Err... right. Well, he doesn't wear robes, so he won't show up in them. But if I'm in the Junior Law Society, then it could be explained that I'm the reigning judge for the night and that I liked the outfit, so I just wanted to wear it out. I'm a kid; we do weird things, so they won't think much of it."

Vernon stood deep in thought for a minute and then nodded. "That might work well. Good. We'll go with that then."

So, I was two hours late when the Masons arrived and at first looked askance at Carrie's odd outfit until it was explained that he was, in fact, headed to a meeting and dinner with the junior law society.

With the arrival of Mr. Tonks and a short discussion with Masons, there was an exchange of business cards and a hasty farewell. Saw Harry and Mr. Tonks.

Out of the house and after some quick wand work, the masons hadn't a second thought about the fact that no other car had been in the car park before they left. A short apparition trip later that barely bothered Harry at all, and they arrived at the Tonks house. He could hear semi-loud music from inside that grew louder when Ted opened the door and walked in.

"I'm back!"

"Oh, good. That took longer than expected."

"Yes, well, Harry's aunt and uncle had guests, so we had to do a bit of a hat trick to get out of there. You're looking at the newest member of the Junior Law Society!" he says as he claps Harry on the shoulder.

"Granted, I did buy some books yesterday on Wizarding law, so I guess you could say we didn't lie. I'm just the only member. Everyone had a good chuckle at that one."

"Well, come on. Come in. Dinner is almost ready—in another 45 minutes or so. And I guess you're staying late to avoid any trouble with your uncle's dinner. Ted has mentioned how the man is with you." Andromeda said this with a face that said she was wholly unimpressed with his relatives. She turned and yelled, "NYMPHADORA! HURRY DOWN! YOUR COUSIN HAS ARRIVED!!"

Quick footsteps were heard as well as several loud thumps and a rather loud expletive that made the older woman drop her worried look and scowl instead. Then a young girl tripped down the stairs but managed to catch herself before she tumbled. "Damn! That Dorlish is trying to kill me, Mum. I know it. He had me changing my height so much this week I can't find my footing no matter what. My brain either thinks my feet are too small or too short. That wonder is going to be the death of me, just you wait." The young woman then seemed to notice Harry as she stopped mid-rant. "Wotcher, Harry!" the girl smiled and she stuck out her hand to shake his, and he was about to reciprocate the gesture but then he noticed the girl, Nymphadora's eyes were cycling through every color of the rainbow before settling on green with a bright red corona around the iris. "Wow!!! How do I learn to do that?!"

"Hah!" she laughs solidly for a moment.

"Sorry, Harry, I'm afraid I can't do that. I'm a metamorphmagus, which means I was born with the ability to change my appearance at will. I received perfect scores in Concealment and Disguise during my Auror exams. It was my great stealth that nearly got me caught, though. I'm incredibly clumsy, as you just heard from my walking."

"It's great to meet you, Nymphadora—AAAHH!" Harry had to jump and dodge four or five times as she jumped into trying to hex him. It surprised her when he was not only able to avoid and dodge her spells but that he did so in a way that got him closer to her, and he was able to snatch her wand from her hand and point his at her. And then the second heart attack came as a snake crept down Harry's sleeve and hissed at her. The red-orange eyes of the snake seemed to glow slightly in the semi-dark room.

"Sorry, Harry, no offense. It's a reflex. I do it to everyone except" —she points to Andromeda— "her, who calls me by that name. It's Tonks, please, just Tonks."

The snake and Harry share a look, and it slithers back up his sleeve and pokes out of his collar.

"Why don't you like your name?" Harry returns her wand.

" You wouldn't like your name either if your fool of a mother named you nymphadora."

"Nymphadora! There is nothing wrong with your name. Nymphadora is a perfectly lovely name, and it's a family tradition to name our children after the stars and constellations. Let me also note that Harry has black blood, and it's a fine tradition."

Harry smiled at the mention of a family tradition. "Sirius, Andromeda, Nymphadora, Arcturus. I like it, although I must say I'm with Tibks on this one. Nymphadora is a tad ridiculous." The older woman scowled at him. "I thought introducing you to her might be a bad thing. I can see a fast friendship already forming." She then smiled brightly at the young children. "It's good you two get along. My daughter has been deprived of familial companionship for too long.

My cousin Sirius and I were inseparable as children, even as young adults, until...

" She hung her head and turned away.

"You've mentioned this Sirius Black a couple of times now, I think. What happened to him?"

"She stopped in her path and, turning, said, "That Harry is a conversation for another time. I'll check on dinner. Dora, would you entertain Harry for a bit? Maybe show him some of your advanced defense books?" And she turned this time with a smirk, "Or take him to the backyard and show him just how good a duelist you are. Harry, you can do magic here; it won't register too much ambient magic for the Trace to function correctly."

Thus, everyone separated. Tonks led Harry to the backyard.

"So Harry, have you ever been in a duel?"

"Err... no, I'm only just now going into the second year."

Tonks shrugs. "It doesn't really matter. Her hair cycles through different colors and then shrinks to shorter than his while being a wild sky blue. Do you know the Stinging Hex, Harry?" At his nod, she smiles and backs away. "Perfect. Now, the point of a duel is normally to incapacitate your opponent in some way, but I think we'll stick with a five-point system: one point per spell contact. Now, since you're just an itsy-bitsy firsty, I'll go easy on you. You only have to hit me three times, and I have to hit you five times. Only non-harmful spells from you, please, Harry. I don't want to have my mum patch either of us up because you sent out a Diffindo or something. Are you ready?"

Harry gets a serious look on his face and nods slowly.

"Good, first we raise up a wand to cover our faces, hand touching the center of your breastbone, straight-backed. Good, just like that. And then, flare your hand out and to the back." Harry does this.

perfect

1.

2.

3.

ictus. ictus. ictus.

Harry dodged each of her spells, dodged back the way he came, lunged, and jumped toward Tonks. While in the air, he sent a "Petrificus Totalus!" which struck her right in the chest. She froze as her arms and legs snapped straight, and she fell straight back.

Harry walked up. "I would send those stinging hexes at you, but that might be overkill. Finite incantatem." Harry sends the spell at her, unfreezing her.

"No fair!" I didn't expect you to know that one—that's a third-year spell at least, and Hogwarts doesn't teach it!

"Yeah," Harry chuckles. "I have a friend who likes to read ahead. She used it on another kid who was trying to stop us from leaving the common room last year." At her incredulous look, Harry quickly explained why that had happened.

"Well, round two then?"

Of course, though, I don't think I'll be able to surprise you this time."

And it was true. Harry, while able to duck and dodge very well, just didn't have the experience to catch Tonks without tricks. He was down three days in ten minutes. As Harry lay in the grass, breathing hard, a question popped into his head.

"Tonks?"

"Yes, Harry?" she said from beside him.

"You said a word earlier that I don't know, "aurora," what is that?

"Oh, that's my job. Well, I will be after I get the probee phase out of the way.

An Auror, Harry, is a Dark wizard catcher. We go after the big-name criminals and the dangerous operations, while the everyday stuff like Apparating without a license or shoplifting is handled by the Magical Law Enforcement Patrol. The Aurors are the best of the best. They have to be, outside of having the the second highest standards for Hogwarts graduates. They also require three to four extra years of education and training after graduation to even earn the title. I'm currently starting the third core of the training program since I was accepted right out of Hogwarts.

"That sounds amazing. Maybe I can get in. Sounds like the kind of thing that would help me if Voldemort's ghost keeps popping up."

"You could definitely have the right instincts for fighting. How's your potions grade?"

Harry squints and wrinkles his nose, causing Tonks to laugh.

"It would be much better if Snape didn't consistently grade me two to three places lower than I probably should be."

Tonks sits up at that, alarmed. "Do you have proof of that, Harry? I know Snape's a biased"

ass As much as any student of Hogwarts. But saying he purposely sabotages your grades is a big accusation.

"Of course I don't have any proof. If I did, I would have submitted it to Dumbledore."

"Kids! Dinner!"

"I am not a child, Mother!"

Andromeda smiles at her daughter.

"Of course you are a child. Daughters never grow up. They remain three years old with pigtails and skinned knees forever. Now come along before I send your food to Charlie. I'm sure he could do with it far more than you anyway."

And so, dinner was had. The conversation was light and cheerful once Harry finished retelling the story of his first year, which sent the Tonks family into a near-apoplectic rage—except for Tonks, who almost seemed jealous.

After dinner was eaten and dessert was devoured, and the stories of youth and people past were over, Ted gestured for Harry to follow him into his home office.

As Harry sat at the fine mahogany desk, he glanced about the cozy room. The office was decorated in steel grays and quiet greens. A few unknown plants decorated the tops of the various bookshelves that were filled with what Harry believed to be law reference books. The desk itself was sparsely decorated with only a green placemat with what seemed to be a gold ink pot and a stand with two fine eagle feather quills, a favorite of Harry as well.

"So, we are in the home stretch, as the Americans would say. Your hearing is next Friday, and so far, it appears that Dumbledore is none the wiser about our schemes. With any luck, Mr. Potter, we can catch him wholly unawares."

I don't think that he will miss the hearing, but where Dumbledore is concerned, the more wrong-footed we can make him, the better it will possibly be for us, the less time he has to prepare a defense for his actions and inactions and their consequences on your life.

To that end, I have arranged for you to meet with two well-respected members of the Wizengamot, both leaders of their respective factions. They will undoubtedly have others from their factions in their meetings as well. You, Harry, are about to rub elbows with some of the most important people in the country. To be precise, this Sunday, you'll be meeting with Madam Longbottom, who leads the fourth largest faction in the Wizengamot, "the marginal progressives." Great name, right? It's technically a sub-faction of the number two spot led by Dumbledore, which he simply calls "the light." Rather pompous way of saying everything he does is right, just, and in no way harmful to anyone.

The other person is Cyrus Greengrass, who leads "the centrists and traditionalists, some of whom are blood supremacists, a bit bigoted, and most of whom just care about preserving wizarding traditions in a changing world. A noble goal that I largely agree with in principle, even if most centrists only care about their bottom lines. They are the reason that muggle "artifacts" get banned and restricted, like paper or ballpoint pens. Wouldn't want the quill and parchment sales to decrease after all." Ted rolls his eyes, "So, Madam Augusta Longbottom and Cyrus Greengrass, I believe you know their grandson and daughter, respectively."

"Err...Yeah, Neville is in Gryffindor with me, and Daphne Greengrass is a Slytherin. Why would her dad...why would any of these important people want to help me?"

"Can you not think of a single reason, Harry? Not one?"

Harry sits and thinks for a few minutes but can't come up with any answer that makes logical sense.

"No, sir. I can't. I simply don't know either of them very well, so I can't say I can predict why their families act in any way."

Okay, Harry, let me explain. It's quite simple, really: political capital. Simply put, if they help you, you will be more inclined to help them later on. You, Harry, do not come from an irrelevant family or lineage. You are in line to receive not one but two of the largest fortunes in the nation, built over a millennia: the Potter family fortune and the Black family fortune, which has been frozen ever since the last Lord Black, Orion, passed some seven years ago. It should have gone to Sirius, but he will most likely never see the light of day again, so the Black fortune was put into contest by Lucius Malfoy, who thought that the fortune should go to his son and thus his family. But then something happened, and I guess the family seal rejected his son. They tried Andromeda and even Tonks then. They eventually gave up and went to Sirius to sort it out. I'm his lawyer, so I was brought along as well. With a lot of half-mad ranting, he was able to tell us that he named you his successor the day after you were born. It made sense: there was a war on, and Lucius was on the other side. If Sirius was killed, then the fortune would fund the very people he was fighting against at the time. Anyway...

"So, these people are just trying to -"

"Harry, stop!"

The two sat silently for a minute before Ted continued.

"I said the reason was simple, but that's the most obvious reason and most likely the reason for Cyrus's interest. But don't hold that against him. Politics is a delicate and precise balancing act; currying favors is a simple part of it that you will understand the benefits of when you are older and have cooled that hot head of your son. Don't write Cyrus off as a bad person either. He's an ass, yes, and a blood supremacist in some ways, but he cares more for Wizarding culture and tradition than who your parents are. The man sees wizards as superior, but he doesn't even necessarily hate Muggles either. In fact, he invests heavily in Muggle businesses. Now, Madam Longbottom, however, has other motivations for helping you aside from the usual tit-for-tat. The Potters and Longbottoms have been aligned for the past seven generations. Her main focus is helping you in the reinvigoration of that partnership, both politically and economically. You see, aside from the political partnership, your grandfather's grandfather set up a business deal with the Longbottoms."

Your family is land-rich. You have tracts of land. I don't know how much in Somerset, but potters are better potioneers than planters, and the Longbottoms have no land but generally have a very green thumb. They put the two together and started Potters Pots and Potions, an apothecary in Diagon Alley that closed after your grandfather's death. James had no interest in potions, and the war prevented him from organizing the sale of the business or restructuring it to be run by others. After the death of your parents, the family properties went into lockdown, and the business fell apart anyway. The building is still empty. You probably passed it a few times. It is number 94 Diagon Alley.

But there is also another reason these people want to help you, one which I can't believe you can't think of. Care to guess?"

"I don't know, perhaps it's because I'm an orphan."

"You're close, Harry," Ted smiles, though somewhat sadly.

"You're the boy who lived, the boy who seemingly rescued us all from that terrible creature known as Lord Voldemort. You're the boy that everyone in this nation feels that they owe something to, and if taking you away from a situation that you not only don't like but is physically harming you... honestly, Cyrus Greengrass might be a more staunch supporter of getting you out of here than Augusta. He hates child abusers, and legislation that helps children is the only time she will always vote for a bill to pass."

So, your meeting with Augustus is on Sunday and with Cyrus on Tuesday. I want you to come over on Monday night. My wife will show you how to conduct yourself like a proper little lord in training. Does that sound good? Any questions?

"No, I think you covered everything."

"Good. In the meantime," Mr. Tonks hefts a large book from under his desk, shrinks it, and tosses it to Harry, who catches it easily and gently. "I want you to read this tomorrow—a book on proper etiquette for traditional Wizarding events. This will also teach you how to behave before the Wizengamot. Now," with a quick Tempus Charm, Ted checks the time, "it is close to ten, so I think we should get you back home."

Harry stands and precedes Ted out of the office, and to his surprise, Tonks and Andromeda are standing there waiting. Andromeda approaches first.

"It was lovely to have you over, Harry, despite how your aunt and uncle brought you up. I can tell that Lily, especially, would be quite proud of how you behave. You remind me a lot of her. It's not just her eyes; you have her inner nature as well. I would like it if you came over more often now. There is one friend of your father who remains free and unfettered—Remus Lupin. I'll look him up and see if he has a desire to see you after so long. I'm sure he does, but Remus tends to stay away from others, especially after your parents' deaths."

Tonks ran up, then, seemingly unable to contain herself any longer—or maybe she was just bored—she threw her arms around Harry in a tight hug. "It was great meeting you, Harry. I hope to see you again before you go back to school. And be warned, now with the mongrel locked up and unable to perform his godfatherly duties next summer, you are taking me on several dates. Someone has to show you how to please a woman for when you turn up in the dating pool!"

Harry blushed at the mention of dating but met Tonks's eyes that were alight with mischief and nodded. "Sounds good, NYMPHADORA!" With that, Harry, laughing, ran out of the house under a hail of stinging hexes, still managing to dodge every single one. Ted, laughing, followed him out in a hurry, and a few seconds later, a slight crack of apparition was heard. The two women looked at each other, smiled, and began laughing.

It was close to two hours later, and Harry lay in his bed, replaying the night's events. Harry, smiling, drifted off to an easy sleep.