Chapter 5 – 5th July 1988

The next morning, Harry awoke to some more voices, but they seemed to be coming from outside the healing room.

Not that he minded, he was more pleased that all the signs pointed to who Harley Evans was when he recognized the name.

Harry remembered what form he had in the picture, but it was only in black and white. Even funnier, he couldn't even ask anyone what color his hair and eyes would be.

Still, it would have been more fun to experiment for once in his life.

Harry leaned over the edge of the bed retrieve his glasses, but suddenly he recalled… he never put them back on when he awoke in the Time Room or in this room yesterday.

He thought maybe one of the Unspeakables or even Andromeda placed them on him when he woke up. But when his hand checked around his eyes, his glasses weren't there!

His eyesight must have improved when his Metamorphagus abilities were unlocked. It still shocked Harry to think he could even hypothesize that.

His hand mirror was still on his bedside table, so he picked it up for a quick look; All that remained of his glasses was a red outline on his cheeks and the bridge of his nose.

As far as Harry could remember, he'd needed glasses, but he had to admit, he didn't look half as bad without them.

As Harry leaned up in the bed, he was able to pick up on the conversation.

The first voice he heard was that of a man with a cheerful, pleasing tone of voice, not unlike the man who used to pull him on a toboggan as a baby.

"I'm telling you, Andi, let him sleep," insisted the man. "You know how teenagers are in the morning…"

"And I'm telling you, Ted, he should be up by now," retorted the voice of Andromeda. "He's had more than enough sleep for the last week and a half!"

Harry's eyes shot up to the clock upon the wall. It was seven o'clock in the morning and he was feeling more refreshed than ever he felt in his life.

Harry needed hear no more of the knitting going on outside the healing room door.

"It's open," he called.

An awkward silence filled the air for about half a minute before the door slowly clicked open again. Andi was standing in the doorway, with a man Harry seemed to recognize.

A semi-bearded man with a slightly rotund belly was standing on Andromeda's left, but his hair was gray instead of fair.

It was the same Ted Tonks that used to pull Harry through the back garden. Ted's blue eyes were aglow at the sight of him, but he only kept one foot in the room.

"Can this be the same Harry Potter I used to pull my daughter along with in the back garden?" He gasped.

"Ted…" Andromeda reprimanded, shaking her head. "He won't remember…"

"Can this be the same Ted Tonks who used to have some yellower strands of hair?" Harry teased, cracking a smile. "A bit more Hufflepuff worthy, if you ask me?"

Ted blushed slightly, but he finally broke from his wife's restraint and stepped over, gently stroking Harry's face.

"Look at you!" He gasped. "You look…"

Harry shook his head, as he received the same comment about his looks for the umpteenth time. But he said nothing because he wanted Ted to have his moment.

Ted ruffled Harry's hair a bit, but his eyes were still aglow, the disbelieving kind this time.

"But you're here… and you're not here…" Ted began, suddenly at a loss for words. "You're fourteen, fifteen… and you're seven, eight… how can this be?"

"That's what I'd like to know," Andromeda insisted, stepping up bedside. "Professor Dumbledore only told us the short of what you told the Unspeakables."

Harry felt the change in Andromeda's eyes as they went from kind to a piercing stare. The plate of breakfast she slipped him only helped a little, even though it was just as simple, some eggs with bangers and mash.

She also handed him his morning potions glass, but this time, they appeared to be mixed in merely pumpkin juice.

"Do you think maybe we could discuss the memories first?" Harry requested. "Maybe save the rest for when I'm out of here? Because someone appears to be missing from your family circle, if you know what I mean… She won't want to miss any of the larger picture."

Andromeda deflated, for she knew who Harry was referring to, as opposed to her husband, who presented her with a curious glance. But he was quick to back away; when he saw the look in her eyes, he must have got it.

Ted mouthed something, like he was mentally beating himself for his mistake.

"Go on," he finished.

Harry downed his potions, before explaining to them how his memories of them and their daughter resurfaced after he left the parting. After promising he'd explain that later, he described each of the memories she had, down to the last detail. In between each one, he took a few bites of his breakfast.

But when he recited the last couple of lines of the final memory, he noticed Andromeda gently stroking her chin with her index and middle finger, clicking her tongue and smiling coyly.

Ted, however, did not seem to work out what she was implying, at least not until she nudged him a bit.

"Blimey…" Ted whispered.

Andromeda grabbed her husband by the sleeve and dragged him back towards the door. This was turning out to be quite a short reunion, Harry felt.

"Wait, what's the hurry?" He queried.

"Go ahead and finish your breakfast, dear," Andromeda requested impishly. "You'll be out of this room when lunch comes, roundabout one o'clock. I would do some more revising, if I were you…"

"You'll want something to pass the time," Ted added.

At the end of his last sentence, his wife yanked him out of the room. By now, though, Harry was beginning to get a little embarrassed seeing his supposed new guardians acting like children.

It had taken about half an hour to explain all the memories to Ted and Andromeda, so Harry had five hours left before he could get out of bed.

Harry decided it would be best to brush his teeth before getting more revising in. He suddenly recalled that Andromeda had his toothbrush and cup, but over his shoulder, he saw them materialize on his bedside table.

Harry shook his head; he shouldn't have been surprised by that.

After brushing, Harry returned to the same revising mode he took to last night. But doing it and knowing what would come after would be more difficult. He could hardly wait to get out of bed after being in one for a week and a half.

But even more so, Harry couldn't wait to see the look on the face of his old metamorphagus playmate.

It would have been more considerate of him to ask about her and her father last night. Still, he wouldn't have gotten to see the shocks on their faces that soon.

Harry had to admit, he was feeling a lot more playful and devilish than he was for most of his life. If this was the case, the horcrux must have done quite a number upon his head before.

He couldn't commit one hour to each subject, so Harry had to cram twenty minutes for the other nine subjects he was taking. Going through each of these seemed to be much easier than he thought; either for already knowing the material or the shorter timeframe.

As Harry wrapped up his Potions review, the clock on the wall finally struck one. He slammed the book closed, threw his duvet off, and stretched his legs over the bed. But just before his feet hit the floor, a pair of mildly middle-aged hands grabbed them.

They were Andromeda's, who seemed to reenter the room faster than before. Or she ran when she saw his jump.

"Careful, dear," she warned. "Don't rush your way out of bed. Try and take this a bit easier."

In the past, Harry would have been inclined to protest. But judging by how he took to Andromeda's motherly concern, he acquiesced.

He placed one foot on the floor after the other, but when he looked down at them, he noticed something draped across his leg; it was a pair of caramel brown pajama bottoms that seemed to fit him much better than what he usually wore to sleep.

"You're wearing a pair of Ted's pajamas," Andromeda explained. "You didn't have very much, so I shrunk them a bit for you."

Harry missed her expression as he admired the first set of properly fitting clothes he'd ever worn outside of Hogwarts.

"We'll be going shopping for you tomorrow," she promised. "Right now, it's time for lunch. I washed and mended the uniform you came in before giving you your potions. You can wear some of Ted's old clothes for now…"

She handed him a folded stack of clothes that, from the colors of them, had to be at least ten years old:

A pair of folded mute green cargo bottoms, a pair of black canvas high top trainers, and a mustard yellow t shirt with black ringers, reading Wimborne Wasps on the front in black and white, with a little wasp silhouette printed in the top right corner.

"Ted must have worn these once he was out of Hogwarts?" Harry suggested.

Andromeda nodded, leading him behind a dressing screen in the corner of the room.

"Change," she ordered.

As she stepped out of view, Harry put his new clothes on, which too were a couple of sizes too large for him, initially. But once each garment was completely on, it began to shrink until it fit his frame perfectly.

Once Harry came out from behind the screen, Andromeda gave him a nod of approval.

"Lovely," she commented. "Now come along to the dining room, dear, lunch is on its way."

"What are we having?" Harry queried. "More fish and chips? Sandwiches?"

"Today, we're bringing pizza in," Andromeda replied, shaking her head. "I've found that takeaway was one of the best muggle conveniences Ted introduced me to… what do you like on yours?"

"Honestly, I don't know," Harry replied. "I've rarely ever had any. Most of the time, my relatives made me do all the cooking for them."

Andromeda looked as if she didn't like the sound of this. That must have been why she gently, but firmly pulled Harry out of the healing room. He followed her into a short corridor painted in a pale chartreuse, with five white doors lining it.

Upon the first door on the left hung a wooden sign, crudely carved with the words,

TONKS' ROOM – DO NOT ENTER WITHOUT PERMISSION (This means you, Mum!)

Harry thought he heard muffled, but loud rock music blaring from that room, but he had no time to stop for a closer listen.

At the left end was a flight of stairs down to the living room, which was still carpeted in brown yarn, just as Harry remembered it.

At the bottom, the dining and living rooms were a single unit, with the same yellow orange chenille sofa and matching armchairs. The television set was paneled with Formica, the cable system haphazardly resting at the top, beside the antenna.

Ted was seated at the head of a walnut dining set, motioning for Harry and Andromeda to join him. Andromeda sat to Ted's right and Harry was about to sit on the left.

"Harry, why don't you sit at the other head?" He offered. "This meal is in your honour, after all."

"Really?" Harry gasped with a slight chuckle. "Hadn't noticed."

"You sit down," Andromeda instructed, pulling out the chair for him. "I will go and retrieve she who's missing, alright?"

Harry gave a slightly embarrassed smile as he sat at the other end of the table. When Andromeda headed back up the stairs and was out of sight, Harry turned back to Ted, raising an eyebrow.

"I suppose the missing person wouldn't happen to have a keep out sign upon her door?" he whispered loudly.

Ted chuckled and lowered his head, which Harry counted as a nod, before they heard a knock upon the front door.

"That'll be the pizza," Ted realized. "Help me, will you, son?"

Harry didn't need to say anything, as he joined Ted at the front door, gathering three different pizza boxes, some paper plates, and two side orders of chips. As they laid their hot delivery upon the dining room table, they heard Andromeda's voice arguing with a semi-raspy whine bawling down the stairs.

"Nymphadora!" Andromeda commanded. "Come downstairs for lunch, your father's waiting."

"Don't call me Nymphadora, Mum!" the voice cried. "Or by my middle name!"

"What have I told you before, dear?" Andromeda insisted. "It's a perfectly lovely name. I know it, your father knows it, and someone else here does as well."

"Oh really?" the girl retorted with sarcasm. "And who might that be?"

"Why don't you see for yourself, dear?" Andromeda suggested.

When Andromeda reached the bottom of the stairs, a girl about Harry's age tripped on the last one behind her. She had a heart-shaped face, a pair of dark, twinkling violet eyes, and a long mop of spiky, bubblegum pink hair.

This was, undoubtedly, the same Nymphadora Tonks which Harry remembered before.

This time, however, she was wearing jeans torn at the knees, socks missing the large toes, a choker necklace, and a ringer t-shirt cut off at the navel.

When Harry noticed how much she had grown in nearly fifteen years, his hair turned red instead of his skin, with his fringe falling on his face.

At the sight of this, Tonks' eyes widened, and she promptly ran towards Harry, trying not to slip in just her socks, seizing him in an airtight Hermione hug.

"How about some air?" Harry choked.

When Tonks released him, she turned back towards her mother, who seemed rather pleased with her first reaction.

"Mum, why didn't you tell me you found me another metamorph?" She cried out in joy.

"A mother's got a right to surprise her daughter," Andromeda replied with superiority. "Besides, I think you ought to look a little closer at this one… I did ask if I should prepare for your wedding, sometime ago, if that helps…"

At first, Tonks looked like she didn't know what her mother was talking about, but when she glanced into the boy's eyes, it seemed to become clear for her. But he did not seem to notice which color his hair switched back to.

"H-ha-Harry?" Tonks stuttered with a wisp of breath. "Harry Potter?"

"The one and only," Harry grinned, holding out triumphant arms.

"But…" Tonks kept stuttering as she backed away. "But… how are you a… and you're supposed to be…"

"A metamorhpagus… and seven or eight…" He finished as he rose before her. "I know. Why don't you have a seat, then you and your parents can hear the whole thing?"

She glanced up at him, almost a full head taller than her, before nodding dumbly. He pulled out the seat next to her, motioning for her to sit there. Even as she took the seat, she couldn't eliminate her stare at the boy she used to babysit.

"Now, how about we discuss this over lunch?" he joked before another orange goblet slid his way.

"And potions," Andromeda added adamantly.

As Ted opened the first pizza box, Harry downed his next dose of potions before taking a slice of Neapolitan.

In between chews, he told the three Tonks family members the whole story of his arrival in their time; from his capture in the graveyard, to saving Cedric, to witnessing Voldemort's return, the collision of an unforgivable with his newly invented spell, meeting his parents in the parting, discovering horcruxes, and concluding with remembering them before waking up in the Time Room with his new metamorphagus abilities.

By the time he was finished, the Neapolitan pie had been completed, but Harry was the only one who finished any slices.

For the Tonkses, their slices remained half-eaten. All three of them were staring at Harry with the expected eyes, in utter disbelief that those were just some of his exploits.

Ted was busy stroking Andromeda's hand, but their daughter looked frozen, with her eyes tearing like a couple of amethyst orbs.

"Nymphadora…" Andromeda called, clapping her hands to no reply.

"Dora…" Ted repeated, with similar results.

"Nym…" he began.

But Tonks seemed to snap out of her daze before he could finish.

"He's… n-n-not dead?" she gasped. "And h-h-he sent you back from 1995? H-h-he made you remember me? And what did you just call me?"

"Just… Nym," Harry replied. "Not your whole name… he's still out there… we sent me back in time… and the memories must have come back once that thing was out of my head."

Her parents didn't seem to mind at first when she knocked her paper plate and pizza crust to the floor, jumped into his lap, wrapping her arms around him like she used to, never letting go.

Harry couldn't tell whether her tears were of sorrow or joy, but they were as obnoxiously loud as he'd ever heard before softening to a more whispery sound.

When Ted and Andromeda finally unfroze, they shared another glance with each other. The kind that Harry knew meant they'd need to deliberate this whole thing alone. They did notice the paper plates on the floor, which Andromeda leaned down to pick them up with a slight groan.

"Kids…" she called.

Almost immediately, Harry and Tonks' heads whipped in her direction.

"I think we've got the whole story straight," she suggested. "Nymphadora, why don't you head upstairs, help Harry settle in… You've got the room next to Nymphadora's dear, it's usually our guest room."

"Sure Mum," Tonks replied, with a watery glare.

She grabbed Harry's hand tightly and pulled him in the direction of the stairs. But he glanced back at Ted, Andromeda, and the unopened pizza boxes.

"We'll call you back down for dinner later," Ted promised. "Then we can finish these; one vegetarian, the other meat lovers."

As he wiped Harry's crumbs off the table, Harry glanced back at Tonks, who eased her pull as he got closer to her up the stairs.

He smiled again at the sign upon her door, which she seemed to notice as she opened the one next to it.

The room wasn't the most interesting interior Harry had slept in; it was covered in white faux crocodile wallpaper, its floors were a hardwood mahogany, with a yarn rug in the center, underneath the double bed against the wall.

It was about the same size as his old bedroom at the Dursleys' house, but in much better taste; at least there was no horrid peach paint on the walls.

"I know it's not the greatest bedroom around," Tonks admitted. "But you can redecorate it however you'd like."

"Brilliant," Harry exhaled, taking a seat on the edge of the bed.

He was tempted by the idea of personalization, but this wasn't the time for it. Tonks gently sat next to him with a curious expression.

"So…" she began. "Why do you think Mum and Dad really sent us up?"

"Knowing adults, they're probably talking about something they want to keep from us," Harry suggested.

"That's how things have been between me and Professor Dumbledore… He was always keeping important stuff away from me… and it was just starting to let up."

"Never mind," Tonks dismissed, after a slight sniff. "I wanted to tell you before… that thing you called me…"

"Nym?" Harry recalled.

"Yeah, Nym," she repeated. "I like that name… Could you call me that? But only you can call me that… Like how only my dad can call me Dora."

"Sure," Harry replied after a beat, and after his hair turned red.

Nym smiled with a stifled giggle, which Harry found pleasing. Especially when she nervously placed her hand on his knee. But as soon as she did, she lowered her head a bit.

"What?" Harry queried. "What is it?"

"It's like you were remolded into this," she whispered, running a hand through his hair. "You don't know how much everyone else would kill for someone like that… But I do…"

"Hey, it's okay," Harry softly reassured her.

He'd never felt confident in his ability with girls before, but something suddenly felt different. He took Nym's hand in his, but he let out a loud grunt as she quickly wrapped him in a gentler 'Hermione' hug.

"I really missed you," she cried.

"I missed you too," he replied, holding her back.

They held each other in their second embrace in fourteen, well technically seven years. Once they felt their tears dissipate, they spent the next few hours making each other laugh by changing forms, not sensing the time go by until they heard Ted's voice calling.

"Harry, Dora, dinner's on the table!"

Nym huffed over the moment bring ruined, But Harry stood up with a gentle, but slightly tearful laugh. He held out his hand for hers, which she gleefully took, as the two adolescents headed out the door and down the stairs, eager to get to know each other over a meal.

A meal which promised Harry a bit more freedom in his new life.