Disclaimer: Too lazy to think up a better title.
Big Sister Tonks
It was only a few minutes till his first class of the day and Harry was completely lost. Not an unusual event, it was only the second day of classes after all and he had woken up early to do a bit of exploring.
"Need some help?" A perky voice asked.
Harry turned to find a voluptuous pink haired girl with a prefect badge on her substantial bosom.
"I'm trying to find the charms classroom," Harry replied.
"Come on," the prefect said with a grin, "I'll take you there."
Harry followed the girl through a maze of empty corridors before she deposited him in front of his classroom.
"Here we are," the prefect announced. "And with plenty of time before your class starts."
"Thank you," Harry said gratefully.
"No thanks necessary," the pink haired prefect said cheerfully. She turned and began walking down the hall. "We are family after all."
"Wait," Harry called out desperately. "What do you mean, family?"
Tonks' heart melted at the look of hope on the boy's face. "Your grand mum and my grand dad were brother and sister, makes us cousins."
"I didn't know I had cousins aside from the . . ." his mouth closed with a snap. "Do I have any other family at Hogwarts?"
"Probably loads," Tonks agreed. "Don't know that you have any closer related then I am . . . well, you've got one that's as close as I am. His mum's my aunty."
"Who is it?" Harry asked eagerly.
"Draco Malfoy," Tonks said flatly. "Myself, I pretend we're not related."
"Yeah," Harry agreed with a look of disgust on his face.
"But the two of us can still be," Tonks added quickly. "Well, if you want."
"Thanks cousin . . . uh . . ."
"Just call me Tonks," the girl advised. "I'll tell you my embarrassing first name later."
"Okay, Cousin Tonks," Harry said with a bright smile. And so the world changed.
IIIIIIIIII
Several eyes turned to watch as the entrance to the Hufflepuff dorms opened to admit two first year students.
"There's one," Hannah said.
"Right," Susan agreed. The two firstys marched over the the prefect.
"What is it?" The older girl asked.
"Harry Potter's been standing outside the entrance of the Common Room for a while," Susan announced.
"What's he want?"
"We didn't . . ."
"We were too shy to ask," Hannah supplied.
"Alright then," the girl sighed. She walked to the entrance and soon found the boy. "Something I can do for you?" The sixth year Hufflepuff girl's Prefect asked neutrally.
"Is my cousin in there?" Harry asked nervously. "I was hoping that I could talk with her about some things . . . if she's not busy."
"Oh," the Prefect gave the boy a warm smile. "I didn't realize that you had a cousin in Hufflepuff. Who is it?"
"Tonks," Harry replied, "she's a Prefect."
"Yes, I know." She led the young boy into the common room and sat him down on one of the chairs. "Wait here, I think she's in her dorm right now."
"Okay," Harry agreed.
The Prefect darted up the stairs to find her pink haired senior.
"You never told me that Harry Potter was your cousin," she accused playfully.
"You never asked," Tonks replied. "Besides, boy's probably related to half the school."
"Not closely," she said with a mock pout. "Well, your cousin is waiting downstairs for you. Looks important."
"Why didn't you say so before," Tonks growled as she stalked out of the room.
"Cause you didn't ask," the girl replied smugly.
Tonks muttered a few unrepeatable phrases under her breath as she crossed the Common Room to Harry's chair.
"Harry," Tonks squealed. "You came to visit me."
"I didn't know who else to talk to," Harry said with a blush. "I was hoping . . ."
"You come to me for anything," Tonks ordered. "Now then, what seems to be the trouble?"
"It's Professor Snape," Harry said hesitantly.
"What about him?"
"Is he always like that?" Harry asked slowly.
Tonks squatted bring herself to the boy's eye level. "Like what, what did he do?"
"Well . . . he asked me a bunch of questions about ingredients the first class and called me a celebrity, then he took points off when I didn't know the answers."
"All the while acting like a big snotty bat?"
Harry laughed. "Yeah."
"Well, he usually isn't quite that bad, but he's always like that. Worse to Gryffindors than anyone else."
Harry seemed to think it over for a minute. "So what should I do?"
"What do you want to do?" Tonks countered. "I can file a complaint if you want."
"Will that do any good?"
"Never has before," Tonks replied. "I suppose we could go to the Prophet if things get real bad."
"What's the Prophet?"
"Newspaper, we could crucify him in the court of public opinion. Might want to hold off on that one," she advised.
"Yeah," Harry agreed.
"Whatever you end up doing, be sure not to slack off on your potions studies." Tonks giggled. "Can you imagine the look that would be on the greasy bat's face after you get an 'O' on your NEWTs potion?"
Harry laughed. "He'd hate it."
"Despise it," Tonks agreed.
"Thanks, Cousin Tonks." Harry sighed. "It was nice to have someone to talk to."
"You be sure to come to me if the slimy bat gets worse, okay."
"Okay," Harry agreed.
"And be sure to visit for other reasons too, okay?"
"Okay," Harry agreed.
"Now then, do you have anything you need to go to?"
Harry shook his head.
"Then we're going to do something fun together," Tonks continued. "Let's go."
"Like what?" Harry asked.
"You know how to sneak into the kitchens?" Tonks replied with a grin.
IIIIIIIIII
After the troll announcement, Harry and Ron sensibly started to follow the rest of their classmates back to Gryffindor tower.
A thought occurred just before they left the Great Hall causing Harry's eyes to widene in horror. "Ron." He turned to his friend.
"What?"
"Hermione doesn't know about the troll," Harry said quickly. "We have to go save her."
"Yeah," Ron agreed. The boy looked a little sick at the prospect of facing a full grown mountain troll.
"Come on," Harry hissed. He rushed over to the other side of the Great Hall. "Cousin Tonks," he yelled.
Tonks turned and grinned down at Harry. "Supposed to go to your own dorms, but I guess we can make an exception."
"Hermione doesn't know about the troll," Harry reported breathlessly. "We have to save her."
"Damn it." Tonks' hair cycled through several colors. "You know where she is?"
"Yeah," Harry agreed.
"Gonna go track down one of the Gryffindors," Tonks yelled to her fellow Prefects. "If I'm not back soon, come get me." Upon seeing their thumbs up, she turned back to the two boys. "Where is she?" Tonks demanded.
"Crying in one the girl's toilets," Harry replied quickly.
"Which one," Tonks barked. "Hurry, Harry."
"I don't know how to describe it," Harry said helplessly. "Ron?"
"Sorry, mate."
"But you know how to get there, right?"
"Yeah," Harry agreed.
"You." Tonks pointed at Ron. "Join the Hufflepuffs."
"But . . ."
"Now," Tonks said sharply. "Or so help me I'll make you wish you met that damned troll instead of me."
Ron muttered something inaudible before walking away.
"Come on, Harry," Tonks said urgently, "sooner we find her, sooner we can get somewhere safe."
"Right," Harry agreed.
"You don't happen to know any hexes that will work on a troll, do you?" Tonks said suddenly.
"No," Harry said miserably.
"We'll fix that later," Tonks assured the boy. "For now . . ." she pursed her lips. "The incantation is 'Oleum' and . . . do you know what a reverse flick is?"
"Yes," Harry replied.
"Well it's that followed by pointing at whatever you want to hit," Tonks lectured. "It's a lubrication charm and it's normally used for . . ." she blushed. "Well, that's not important. Important thing is the fact that it's really easy to cast."
"Okay." Harry tried the spell and was rewarded by a spray of oil hitting the wall.
"Good," Tonks assured the boy. "If we see the troll, I want you to cast that charm on the ground and run away . . . uh, be sure to cast it behind you."
"What'll that do?"
"Hopefully make the bugger slip and give you time to get away," Tonks explained.
"What about you?"
"I do know several hexes that might work against a troll," Tonks replied confidently. Key word, might. She was really hoping that she'd never have to find out.
"I think this is the place," Harry announced.
"Come on then."
"Go into the girl's toilet?" Harry asked nervously.
"I'm not leaving you out here alone," Tonks replied simply. "Okay?"
"Okay," Harry agreed.
The soft sound of a young girl crying immediately informed them that they were in the right place.
"Are you in here, Hermione?" Harry asked.
"Go away," Hermione sobbed.
"We have to get out of here," Harry said quickly. "There's a troll in the castle."
The sound of quiet cursing drew both children's attention to the older girl as she closed the door and hit it with a number of locking charms.
"What is it?" Harry asked.
"Quiet," Tonks whispered. "Troll in the hall." She glanced down at her charges. "Stay behind me and hope it doesn't hear us."
The door shook from a violent blow and the stench of troll began to permeate the room.
"Looks like we didn't hope hard enough," Tonks said in resignation. The door shook from another blow. "And it looks like my spells aren't going to hold up much longer." The future Auror braced herself for what she knew was coming.
Another blow was enough to splinter the door and overcome the charms, the only thing that had stood between them and the Troll was gone.
"I'll try to get him away from the door," Tonks said with as much calm as she could muster. "I want the two of you to make a break for it, understand?"
"Yes," Harry agreed. "We understand."
"Ready?" Tonks flung a sick yellow curse at the Troll's eyes. "Go, run." The room lit up with flashes of spell fire as she threw every curse she knew at the massive beast.
"Come on." Harry grabbed Hermione by the wrist and ran towards the door.
A muffled "Damn it." Caused Harry to look over his shoulder, and his heart stopped when he saw his cousin laying on the ground.
"GO," Harry screamed at Hermione as he pushed the girl through the door. "RUN." Harry turned and flung himself at the Troll.
Hermione's legs burned from exertion as she ran down the hall way and into her head of house.
"Why aren't you in your dormitories?" Minerva demanded.
"Troll in the castle," Hermione wheezed. "Harry's still there."
"Stay here," Minerva ordered. She sprinted down the hall way in the direction that Hermione had come from.
Her heart almost stopped when she saw the ruined door and the Transfiguration Mistress cautiously approached.
"And another thing," she heard a girl's voice shout. "When I tell you to bloody run, I expect you to bloody run."
Minerva stepped into the doorway to the scene of one of the Hufflepuff prefects scolding 'the-boy-who-lived' next to the rapidly cooling corpse of a large troll.
"What's going on here?" Minerva
"Professor McGonagall," Tonks said respectfully.
"Why are you not in your Dormitories?" Minerva asked sharply.
"Came out to retrieve one of your firsty girls," Tonks explained. "Wasn't at the meal, so she didn't know about the Troll."
"And why is Mr. Potter with you?" Minerva asked calmly.
"He's the one that told me about her," Tonks replied. "Didn't know the castle well enough to give me directions so I brought him along."
"I see."
"Is Hermione alright?" Harry asked softly.
"She did not appear to be injured when I last saw her," Minerva agreed.
"Is there anything else you'd like to know, Professor?" Tonks asked.
"Not at this time," Minerva said.
"Then if you'll excuse us, Professor McGonagall. My cousin and I have to get back to our discussion about how he ignored my order to run in favor of attacking a full grown troll," Tonks said sweetly. "Don't we, Harry?"
"You were on the ground," Harry mumbled stubbornly. He stared down at his shoes. "You're the only family I have left, I couldn't let it hurt you."
Minerva let out her breath. "Don't be too hard on him then," she requested. It didn't appear as if any rules had been broken. Indeed, both students had shown remarkable judgement aside from Mr. Potter's apparent attempt on the troll in defense of his cousin's life. As for that, it appeared that both students wished to treat it as a family matter. "Gryffindors are supposed to be brave, after all."
"Yes, Professor and Hufflepuffs are loyal." Tonks tried to muss up her cousin's hair. "He was certainly both, pity he wasn't Ravenclaw smart too." She favored him with a proud smile that Harry returned. "Wipe that grin off your face," Tonks said cheerfully. "I'm not done being mad at you."
"Wait here," Minerva ordered. "I'm going to go collect Ms. Granger, I'll be back shortly."
"Yes, Professor," Tonks agreed.
When Minerva returned with the missing girl a few minutes later, she was amused to find that the Hufflepuff Prefect had finished scolding her cousin and was currently engaged in cleaning him.
"Hold still," Tonks ordered. She wiped another bit of invisible dirt off his chin with her handkerchief.
Hermione stepped out from behind her Head of House and gave an awkward curtsy. "Thank you for rescuing me, Prefect," she said formally.
"Thank Harry," the Prefect said with a grin. "He's the one that told me about you, and he's the one that brought me here."
"I couldn't let the troll get you," Harry said with a blush.
"Thank you, Harry." Hermione gave the boy a curious look.
"Let's get you two back with the other Gryffindors," Minerva said calmly. A sudden thought took her. "Unless I have another stray lamb wandering about."
"Got another one of yours in the Hufflepuff dorms, Professor," Tonks said absently.
"Ron was with me when we got Tonks," Harry explained. "She told him to go with the Hufflepuffs and had me go with her."
"Didn't want to bring either one of them," Tonks commented. "Figured one was easier to keep an eye on then two."
"Good thinking, Ms. Tonks. Now then, let's collect Mr. Weasley and get you all back to your rooms."
As he two children trailed behind the Professor and the Prefect on the way to the Hufflepuff dorms, Hermione decided to ask the question that had been bothering her since she'd found out that Harry had led the Prefect to her.
"Harry, can I ask you a question?" Hermione whispered.
"What is it?" Harry whispered back.
"Why did you come save me?" Hermione asked.
"Why wouldn't I?"
"I . . . I thought you hated me." The girl's face twisted up. "Because I'm such a know it all and . . . and . . ."
"I don't hate you," Harry said firmly.
"Oh." Hermione mulled it over for a few minutes. "Still, I never expected you to risk yourself like that for me. Thank you Harry, and I'm sorry I didn't believe you were with Prefect Tonks because you wanted to rescue me."
Harry shot her an incredulous look. "Why else would I have been out of the Common Room when there was a troll running about?"
"When I saw you with Prefect Tonks, I thought she'd caught you sneaking around the halls," Hermione admitted.
"I . . . I guess that's fair," Harry admitted. He held out his hand. "Friends?"
"What?" Hermione stared down at his hand in shock.
"Would you like to be friends?" He almost panicked when he noticed the girl had tears in her eyes.
"I would like that very much," Hermione agreed, taking his hand.
Tonks cleared her throat loudly before turning to face the two children. She and the Professor had stayed out of it, content to let the children work through things without outside interference.
"Wait here," Tonks advised the group. "I'll be back with your lost lamb in two shakes."
"Alright," Minerva agreed. She looked down at her students. "Exactly why weren't you in the Great Hall, Ms. Granger?"
"Um . . ." Hermione glanced at Harry. "I . . ."
"We said some horrible things to her, Professor," Harry interjected. "It was all my fault."
"Harry didn't . . ." She closed her mouth with a snap. "I mean . . ."
Minerva sighed. "Just know that my office door is always open and I'm happy to discuss your problems," she announced. "Both of you."
"Yes, Professor."
Tonks arrived a few minutes later with a nervous looking Ron Weasley in tow.
"And that's all three, don't know of any other strays."
"Thank you, Ms. Tonks." Minerva looked down at her student. "I trust that Hufflepuff House treated you well?"
Ron jumped as if he'd been stung and quickly turned to face Hermione. "Sorry I said such nasty things about you," Ron said without being prompted. "I was a right git and what I did was a dis . . . uh . . . it made the house look bad because I'm in it."
"Apology accepted," Hermione said with a sniff. She took a step away from the boy, the fact that this took her closer to Tonks was just a coincidence. She looked up at the older girl with wide worshiping eyes. "Do you think you could teach me those curses you used on the troll?" She asked hopefully.
"Sure thing," Tonks agreed. "Was planning to teach Harry anyway, one more won't be too difficult."
"Let's get you three back to Gryffindor," Minerva said. "Care to accompany me, Prefect Tonks?"
"Be delighted to, Professor."
"Hey, Harry," Ron whispered.
"What is it, Ron?"
"Don't mess with the puffs," Ron advised, "bloody scary."
"Huh?"
"They got real angry after I told them why Hermione wasn't in the Great Hall," Ron explained. The boy shuddered. "Told me if I didn't apologize." He shuddered. "Just, just don't mess with the Puffs, okay?"
After a few minutes of walking and light conversation, Tonks and Minerva saw the children safely back in Gryffindor tower.
"Please wait a moment, Ms. Tonks," Minerva requested firmly. "I'd like to let a couple of my Prefects know that I expect them in my office for a discussion on why they didn't notice that three of mine were missing."
"Of course, Professor," Tonks agreed happily. Minerva disappeared and returned a few minutes later.
"Walk with me, Prefect," Minerva said as they turned away from the entrance to the Gryffindor Common Room.
"Yes, Professor," Tonks agreed.
"What punishment did you decide upon for young Mr. Potter?" Minerva asked the Prefect.
"Two months of detention with me. I gave him week and he asked for more time," Tonks grinned at the Professor. "Gonna be a heartbreaker when he gets older."
"Planning to give him a bit of extra instruction?" Minerva asked carefully.
"Every Black comes to Hogwarts knowing a number of nasty curses," Tonks agreed. "Mum made sure I wasn't an exception and I'm going to do the same for Harry."
"Come to me after you've taught him the ones you know," Minerva ordered.
"Professor?"
"I'd wager that I've picked up a few tricks that might be useful for a future Auror," Minerva said with a smile. "Would have made subduing the troll easier anyway."
"Yes, Professor," Tonks agreed happily.
IIIIIIIIII
All was as it should be in the Hufflepuff Common Room the next night The students were studying, the fire was roaring, and our favorite Hufflepuff Prefect had just settled down after making her rounds.
"Your boyfriend's waiting for you outside you despicable cradle robber," a Hufflepuff seventh year called out to Tonks as he walked into the Common Room.
"Get 'em young and train 'em up right," one of the other girls said approvingly. "That's what mum always said."
"He's family," Tonks replied with a grin. "And since I'm not a pureblood, that means he's off limits."
"Your dastardly deed foiled before it even had a chance," another Puff sighed. "This is why nobody takes us seriously, all our dastardly plans have glaring flaws like that."
"Just means we have to work harder at it," Tonks replied. "And if there's one thing we're not afraid of in this house it's . . ."
"Badgers."
"Pigeons."
"Very small rocks."
"Right," Tonks agreed as she stepped out of the room. She found her cousin standing outside with the girl they'd rescued from the troll.
"Good afternoon, Cousin Tonks," Harry said formally.
"Hey, Harry and . . . Hermione, right?"
"Yes, Prefect Tonks," Hermione agreed. "Um . . ."
"Hermione has something she would like to ask you." Harry nudged the girl gently.
"What can I do for you?"
"Can I have detention with you too?" Hermione asked hopefully, her eyes shining with hero worship.
"Huh?" Nothing in her years as a prefect had prepared her for this. "You want detention?" She asked cautiously.
"If it's with you," Hermione agreed.
Tonks sighed, "fine. You can have detention with me. Anything else?"
"Can we start early?" Harry asked with a shy smile.
"I guess there's nothing I needed to do for the next hour," Tonks said after a moment of thought. "But it takes the fun out of things if you two like detention."
"Sorry," Harry said looking anything but.
Tonks spent the next couple hours running the children through drill after drill until both of them were about to collapse in exhaustion.
"Still want to have detention?" Tonks asked Hermione with a smirk as she escorted the two first years back to their dorms.
"Yes, Prefect Tonks," Hermione agreed with a sleepy yawn.
"Then I suppose you two won't mind if I make tomorrow twice as hard," Tonks mused.
"You're doing it for our benefit, why would we mind?" Harry said with Hermione echoing her agreement a few moments later.
The tone of perfect honesty in their voices caused Tonks to sigh in exasperation. It wasn't any fun if your victims asked you to tighten the thumbscrews. After depositing her charges safely back in Gryffindor tower, Tonks made a stop in the hospital wing on her way back to the Hufflepuff Dorms.
"Is something wrong, child?" Madame Pomfrey asked when she came in.
"Not with me," Tonks said. "Um, I was wondering if you've had a chance to do a check up on my cousin?"
"I wasn't aware that you had any family attending," Poppy said with a raised eyebrow.
"Probably half a dozen with how close most pureblood families are," Tonks said with a grin. "But I was talking about Harry Potter."
"I see," Poppy said neutrally.
"Because if you haven't checked him, I was hoping that you would," Tonks continued. "Seeing how he's a bit scrawny for his age." Tonks paused to think for a moment. "Oh, I'm giving him and Hermione granger some extra lessons and could you please make sure that there isn't anything I should watch out for?"
"When are you giving them these lessons?" Poppy asked.
"After classes," Tonks replied. "As detention, Professor McGonagall knows."
"Bring them around tomorrow before you start and I'll have a look at them," Poppy said.
"Thank you, Madame Pomfrey."
"Just doing my job, Ms. Tonks."
Wanting nothing more then to collapse into bed after a hard day's work, Tonks left the hospital wing. She got back to her dorm to find a pair of eager first years waiting by the entrance. "What can I do for you two?" She asked.
"Um," the blond turned and gave her friend a look.
"Could you introduce us to Harry Potter?" The red head asked hopefully.
"Fine," Tonks sighed. "Might be a good idea to introduce yourselves to me first."
"I'm Susan Bones," the redhead introduced herself. "And this is my friend, Hannah Abbot."
"Did . . ." Hannah stammered. "Did you really tear a mountain troll apart with your bare hands?"
Both girls looked up at the prefect with starry eyes as they waited for her response.
IIIIIIIIII
Hannah and Susan were waiting with Tonks when the two Gryffindors arrived for their detention the next night.
"Harry, Hermione, I'd like you to meet a couple of my first years," Tonks introduced the children. "The one on the left is Hannah and the one on the right is Susan."
"Pleased to meet you," Susan said. She looked over at her friend after a few moments. "Hannah's shy," she explained, giving the girl a nudge.
"Pleased to meet you," Hannah said with a deep red blush.
"The pleasure is all mine," Harry said, mimicking a character in one of the movies he'd seen through a crack in the door of his cupboard.
"Hello," Hermione said shyly.
"Would you like to be friends?" Susan asked hopefully.
"We'd like that very much," Hermione said happily. "Right, Harry?"
"Yeah," Harry agreed.
"Come on, you two," Tonks said, taking her charges by the hand. "We've got to get going if we're going to start your detention on time."
"Bye Susan, bye Hannah," Harry waved with his free hand.
"Can they have detention with us too?" Hermione asked hopefully. The magic world was even better then she'd hoped it would be. Here she was, not even half way through the first semester and she already had three friends. Granted, she'd had a bit of a rough start but things were looking up.
"They haven't asked," Tonks said simply. She looked down at the two confused Hufflepuff first years. "I'll explain later." She turned and began walking down the hall way.
Hermione was the first one to notice something was up. "This isn't they way we went last night, is it, Tonks?"
"Nope, we're making a little detour before we start our lessons," Tonks said. "I arranged for Madame Pomfrey to have a look at you two."
"Why'd you do that?" Hermione questioned.
"Always a good idea to consult a healer before you start doing something strenuous," Tonks advised.
"Oh." Hermione nodded in understanding. "I see."
The physical was fairly straight forward thought Madame Pomfrey did have one complaint when it came to Harry's health.
"Mr. Potter's diet hasn't been the best and that could have caused a few problems in the future. As it is, there's nothing a few potions can't fix." Madame Pomfrey walked to her cabinet and began removing bottles. "Be sure he drinks one of these every night."
"What do you mean by poor diet?" Tonks demanded as she took the bottles. Her heart stopped as she considered what that could mean.
"It's fairly common in children that grew up with muggles," Madame Pomfrey sighed. "Over indulgent parents letting their children eat nothing but junk food. Children need vegetables, pity so many parents don't understand that."
"Oh." Tonks relaxed. "I understand, I'll make sure he has a better diet while he's at Hogwarts. What about Hermione?"
"Ms. Granger is in excellent health, I noted a few things that could turn into long term problems in her file to look into later, but there's nothing you need worry about now. Your extra lessons can proceed as planned."
"Thank you, Madame Pomfrey."
"It's nothing I wouldn't have done in the next few weeks anyway." Poppy grinned. "Though I won't say it wasn't nice to get a bit of work done early for once."
"I bet." Tonks giggled. "Have a good evening then."
"You as well, Ms. Tonks."
Tonks gave them a light workout that night. Having pressed them to their limits the night before, she was content to give them a light workout before hustling them off to bed.
Tonks entered the Hufflepuff Common Room and was immediately set upon by two excited first years.
"Did you have a good study session, Tonks?" Susan asked eagerly.
"Surprised to see that you two are still up," Tonks said to the two girls.
"We were waiting for you," Susan announced. "Hannah didn't want to go to sleep without saying goodnight."
The other girl just blushed and muttered something incomprehensible.
"Glad you decided to cause I've got something to ask the two of you." Tonks squatted down to eye level. "Hermione asked me if you two could join the detentions and I told her that I didn't mind. So if the two of you want to join the three of us then you're welcome to."
The shining looks in their eyes was answer enough and the two girls joined the 'Detention Session' the next night.
IIIIIIIIII
Tonks woke up with a grin, it was Christmas day, her favorite time of the year. She threw on her robes and headed out of her dormitories and into the Great Hall for breakfast.
"Hey there, kiddo," Tonks said with a happy grin as she walked up to the Gryffindor table.
"Hello, Cousin Tonks," Harry said brightly. "Merry Christmas."
"And to you too," she replied as she dumped a package, crudely wrapped with the sports section of a newspaper, into his lap. "Hope you like it."
"I hope you like this too," Harry said shyly. In his hand was a small package wrapped in bubblegum pink paper. "Hermione and Professor McGonagall helped me pick it out."
"Budge over," Tonks ordered. She settled herself next to the boy. "Now open it up."
Harry opened the paper to find a long grey scarf which unrolled to reveal a pair of glasses. "Wow," Harry enthused. He immediately switched out his old glasses and threw the scarf around his neck. "Thank you, Tonks."
"No fair." Tonks pouted. "You were supposed to look all disappointed so I could give you, your other present."
"Why would I be disappointed?" Harry asked in confusion. "This has been the best christmas ever."
"Glad you think so," Tonks sighed. "But I'm still disappointed that you ruined all my fun." She pulled a small cube that looked to be about the same size and shape of a six sided playing die out of her pocket and opened it, then opened it again, and again until it was half the size of Harry's trunk. "Here you go, dead useful these things are."
"What is it?" Harry asked curiously.
"Fold box," Tonks replied. "It'll carry anything you can fit in it, also charmed so that you can't loose it without working at it."
"Thank you, Tonks." Harry stared at her, not knowing how to react.
"We're family," Tonks said softly. She pulled him into a hug. Tonks didn't like the way the boy stiffened when she put her arms around him, it was filed away with the other signs she'd observed, signs that were painting a picture she didn't like. "Had to spend my bonus on something, figured it might as well be stuff for us."
"Bonus?"
"I didn't tell you?" Tonks exclaimed. "I'm getting hired right after graduation, got accepted to first class this summer and I'm not even gonna have to wait till my NEWT results come in before I go."
"Congratulations," Harry cheered.
"Thanks, I'm just glad that being a metamorph finally paid off. Director Bones said that she'd be damned if she couldn't find a use for someone that could change their appearance without using a charm or potion."
"That's great," Harry said. "Now open the present we got you," he demanded.
"I remember when you were a polite little firsty," Tonks sighed dramatically. "Now you've been led astray by the wicked elements in the castle." She eagerly ripped open the package, then let out a low whistle when she saw what he'd given her. With trembling hands she reached into the box and pulled out a gleaming gold pocket watch.
"The watchmaker said it would help protect you from most mid level curses and that would help you with your balance." He grinned up at her.
"Brat," Tonks said playfully.
"And if you hit the button on the side, it lets you know if there's anyone hiding within fifty meters of you. There's loads more things it does, but those were the only things I remember."
"How'd you get this?" Tonks demanded. "These things are worth a fortune and there's supposed to be a two year waiting list."
"I'm Harry Potter," he pointed out. "The watchmaker insisted on putting this together for me after I told him it was for my Auror cousin."
"I just told you I got accepted into a class five minutes ago," Tonks exclaimed. She got a sudden suspicion. "Or did you do something to help my application?"
"Why would I?" Harry asked in confusion. "You're great, there's no way they weren't gonna hire you."
"Most perspective Aurors spend anywhere from three to five years after graduation before they get accepted into one of the academy," Tonks pointed out. "I know I told you that."
"And I know that they'd put you in the first class they could because you're great," Harry retorted. "And Hermione agrees."
"Guess I can't argue with that," Tonks exclaimed. "Come on."
"Where are we going?" Harry asked.
"To the Hufflepuff Common Room," Tonks announced.
"Am I allowed in there?"
"I'd like to find one of them that's willing to tell me off for being loyal to my cousin by allowing him in with us," Tonks replied with a grin.
IIIIIIIIII
Filch glared down at the three students he'd caught lurking around the halls.
"First years out after curfew?" The caretaker said in delight. "Wait till . . ."
"They're with me," Tonks said loudly. "Sorry about that, Mr. Filch. I didn't mean to leave them like that."
"With you?" The caretaker asked dumbly.
"Detention," Tonks agreed. "Discipline needs to be grown, I can't expect them to learn it on their own."
"Exactly," Filch agreed in delight. "What are you making them do?"
"Mostly spell practice and exercise," Tonks replied. "But they've recently done something to annoy me." She favored the nervous children with a stern look. "So I'm going to have to think of something really unpleasant to make them understand just how annoyed I am."
"I'll leave you to it then," Filch said with a grin.
"Thank you, Mr. Filch." Tonks kept her eyes on the children.
"We can explain," Hermione said after the caretaker had left. "We would have told you earlier but we promised that we'd keep quiet."
"I don't like having to shade the truth to cover for you three," Tonks said flatly. "Weasley."
"Yes, ma'am?" Ron asked nervously.
"Speak," she commanded.
"Hagrid had a dragon," Ron said quickly. "We just gave it to my brother Charlie."
"Back to your dorms, Weasley," Tonks barked.
Ron didn't need to be told twice, he turned and was down the hall in a flash.
"Rescuing dragons, huh?" Tonks asked with a grin.
"I'm sorry I didn't tell you," Harry said glumly.
"Bugger that," Tonks laughed. "I don't need to know everything that happens in your life, that's why it's called your life and not mine. No, you have a completely different reason to be sorry."
"What's that?" Harry asked, almost afraid to hear the answer.
"You should be sorry you got caught," Tonks replied. "And if your aren't, you will be. You WILL be." She pasted a sinister look on her face that caused both children to dissolve into giggles. "You think the mustache was a bit too much?" Tonks sighed. "What have we learned?"
"If we're going to break the rules, don't get caught," Hermione suggested.
"Right," Tonks agreed. "And what do you think I'm going to teach you?"
"How to not get caught?" Harry asked.
"Absolutely," Tonks agreed. "Now get to bed, both of you."
IIIIIIIIII
Harry's eyes widened in shock as the pieces all fell into place. It stood to reason that with Dumbledore gone, Snape was going to make his try for the stone tonight.
"Come on," he barked. "We gotta go tell Tonks what's happening." With that said, Harry took off in a dead run towards the Hufflepuff dormitories.
"Now what?" Ron asked. "Door's shut, how are we gonna get her?"
"Wait here," Harry ordered. He stepped in closer to whisper the password. "I'll be right back." Ignoring the redhead's shocked look, Harry darted into the Common Room. Luck was with him in that Susan and Hannah were both sitting on one of the room's large fluffy couches.
"What's wrong?" Susan asked, seeing his manner.
"I need you to go get my cousin," Harry said. "Quickly."
"Tonks isn't here right now," Susan said.
"I think she's down at the Quidditch Pitch," Hannah added.
Harry sagged. "Thank you." He turned to walk back into the hall, not noticing that the two girls had chosen to follow him out. What was he going to do, by the time he found Tonks it might be too late for her to stop Snape's theft of the stone.
"Harry?" Susan said softly. "What's wrong?"
The boy straightened out, suddenly knowing what he had to do. "Go find my cousin," Harry ordered. "Tell her that Snape is going after the Philosopher's stone and that I'm going to try to stop him or . . . or slow him down till she can get there."
"Bloody hell," Ron said softly. "Tell her that we're going to try to stop him," he corrected. "Right, Hermione?"
"Right," Hermione sighed. "Just hurry."
"Come on, Hannah," Susan said. "The sooner we find Tonks the better."
"Good luck," Hannah said with a blush before rushing to catch up with her best friend.
It took the two Hufflepuffs five precious minutes to find Tonks and two more to explain the situation.
IIIIIIIIII
Hermione smiled as the answer came to her. "Close your eyes," she yelled. "I'm going to use the flashbang charm Tonks taught us yesterday."
IIIIIIIIII
"Professor McGonagall," Tonks bellowed, seeing the old woman down the hall.
"What trouble has Mr. Potter managed to get himself in now?" The old woman asked with a smile.
"He's convinced that someone is going to make an attempt to steal the Philosopher's Stone and he's gone to stop them," Tonks reported quickly. "I was on my way to get him."
"Relax," Minerva said with a smile. "The children are safe."
Tonks relaxed a bit at the Professor's assurance. "How do you figure that?" Dumbledore had warned to avoid the corridor if you did not wish to face certain death and barmy or not, the old man didn't usually joke about things like that.
"They shouldn't be able to get past the lock," Minerva assured the nervous Prefect." The old woman smiled. "The charm work on it is such that even I would have some difficulty."
"Um, Harry and the others have already gotten past it at least once," Hannah volunteered.
"They . . . what is on the other side?" Minerva demanded.
"A three headed dog," the girl squeaked.
"God damn it," Minerva growled. "Ms. Abbott," Minerva barked.
"Yes, Professor?"
"Go get Filius . . . Professor Flitwick and have him meet us outside the dog's room," she ordered. "Use those exact words."
"Yes, Professor," Hannah agreed quickly. "Professor Flitwick is to meet you outside the dog's room."
"Ms. Bones," Minerva said.
"Yes, Professor?"
"Go to Madame Pomfrey and tell her the same," Minerva ordered.
"Yes, Professor," Susan agreed.
"Run," Minerva snapped, sending the two girls off. "Ms. Tonks."
"I'm going with you," Tonks said firmly. "It's a family matter."
"I . . . come along," Minerva said softly. "I have a spare dragon hide vest that should fit you."
The two women darted into Minerva's rooms and Tonks was shocked to see the normally neat Professor tearing apart the room in an effort to get everything together quickly.
"Put this on," Minerva ordered, thrusting the vest into Tonk's arms. "It'll provide some protection."
"Yes, Professor," Tonks agreed as she slipped it on.
The met the rest of the rescue party at the entrance to the 'dog's room.'
"Mind taking point, Filius?" Minerva ordered politely.
"Not at all, Minerva."
"Behind me, Ms. Tonks," Minerva said firmly. "Poppy, take the rear."
"Yes, Professor," Tonks agreed.
Filius took a deep breath, eased open the door, and was nearly bowled over by a hysterical Hermione.
"Tonks," the girl sobbed.
The Prefect squatted down and wrapped the girl in a comforting hug."Tell me what happened," she said softly.
IIIIIIIIII
Harry woke up to someone softly snoring and he looked over to find his cousin sleeping in a chair next to his bed. Feeling warmer and safer the he could ever recall feeling in his life, he wormed his hand out from under the covers to hold Tonks' before drifting back to sleep.
His next awakening wasn't nearly as pleasant as Tonks was awake to greet him and spent the next three hours scolding him and doing her best to drive into his head why going after experienced Dark Lords was such a bad idea for a first year student.
"I'm sorry," Harry said glumly as the lecture wound down. "But I couldn't let Voldemort get the stone."
"I know," Tonks sighed. She reached up and mussed his hair. "And I'm proud of you. Just try not to make a habit of it, okay?"
"Okay," Harry agreed with a smile, basking in the sensation of having someone that cared about him.
IIIIIIIIII
"Bout time they gave us a bloody pass," Tonks grumbled as she signed out of the Academy. While her classmates when out to stuff their faces with forbidden sugary delights, Nymphadora was on her way to find out why Harry hadn't replied to any of her letters.
It didn't take her long to find the address Harry had given her before leaving school and the door was answered by a thoroughly unpleasant man that looked to be porously close to a coronary.
"I'm looking for Harry Potter," she said politely.
"No one by that name here," Vernon growled, damned freaks. "Now get off my land before I call the police.
Tonks jammed her foot in the door to keep the man from slamming it. "Where's Harry?" She demanded.
"I don't know what you're . . ." Vernon began.
"You tell me where he is right bloody now," Tonks interrupted. Something about this whole situation smelled to her newly developing instincts.
Vernon grabbed the uppity girl's collar with one meaty fist and pulled her close. "Listen here you little tart," he growled. "This is my house and . . ." A sharp pain in his elbow reflexively caused him to release his captive, another in his knee sent him howling to the ground.
"No," Tonks hissed, "you listen here you fat tub of lard. You either tell me where Harry is or I'll beat you to a bloody pulp." She punctuated her threat with a boot to the ribs.
"Upstairs," Vernon whimpered, "door with all the locks."
Tonks turned away from the fallen man and sprinted up the stairs. Her wand made quick work of the locks on the door and she burst in, fearing the worst.
"Tonks?" Harry said in shock.
"You okay, Harry?" Tonks demanded. She stepped in and gave the boy a quick pat down to check for injuries, frowning a bit whenever a sharp intake of breath revealed another bruised area.
"I'm fine," Harry assured his cousin.
"I didn't get any letters from you," Tonks explained as she wrapped the boy in a hug. "Worried me half to death."
"I didn't get any from you either," Harry replied. "Or anyone else."
"Glad to see that you're in one piece," Tonks said affectionately. "You want to stay here?" Tonks asked. Not that it mattered, she had no intention of leaving him in this hole.
"No," Harry said.
"Pack up everything you want to take with you then, we're leaving."
"Okay, Tonks." The grin on Harry's face threatened to split his face, this had the makings of the best summer ever.
A quick blasting charm provided an exit for Hedwig and a quick shrinking charm made Harry's trunk more manageable. Taking her cousin by the hand, Tonks led Harry outside and sat him down on the curb. "Wait out here for a bit," she ordered. "I need to take care of something inside before we go."
"Alright, Tonks," Harry agreed.
She put up a quick silencing charm as she walked back into the house. Vernon had managed to crawl to the phone while she was otherwise occupied and he was frantically working the dial to get the police.
"None of that," Tonks said as she summoned the receiver out of the wall.
"What do you want with me?" Vernon asked fearfully.
"Just wanted to have a little discussion about why Harry has so many bruises," Tonks replied calmly. Her left hand disappeared into her pocket and emerged with what Vernon first thought to be a leather insole. "Just between you, and me."
IIIIIIIIII
Dumbledore frowned as several of his instruments began acting in ways they never had before but as they didn't indicate that their target was in any danger, he soon put the matter out of his mind and got back to more important matters. It was a mistake he'd soon come to regret.
IIIIIIIIII
Tonks emerged from the house a few minutes later and took a firm hold of Harry's Hand.
"This isn't going to be very fun," she warned. "Just take a deep breath and close your eyes."
"Okay," Harry agreed.
"On the count of three. One, two . . ." they both disappeared with a pop. "You okay, Harry?" Tonks asked.
Harry bent over and for a few minutes, it looked as if he were going to empty his stomach onto the floor. "I'm okay," Harry agreed. "Just feel a little strange."
"It gets better after you've done it a few times," Tonks said soothingly. "And it's no so bad when you're with someone that's more experienced.
"What's that on your pants?" Harry asked curiously, focusing on something to take his mind off the sensation in his stomach.
"Nothing to worry about," Tonks dodged the question. "Scourgify." She watched in satisfaction as Vernon's blood and tooth fragments disappeared. "Okay, now?"
"Yes, cousin Tonks."
"Come on." Tonks led the boy down a dizzying array of halls and across one large office bay before coming to a nervous halt in front of an open doorway.
IIIIIIIIII
Amelia looked up when someone knocked on her door frame. "Enter."
"Um, Auror Trainee Nymphadora Tonks, ma'am." Tonks shuffled nervously in the doorway.
"I know," Amelia said blandly. "What can I do for you, Trainee Tonks?"
"Uh . . . you said at . . . when you gave your speech at the opening ceremony, you said that your door was always open if we had a problem."
"I also said it had better be bloody good or I'd make you pray for death," Amelia agreed in the same bland tone.
"Uh . . ." Tonks bit her lower lip, then glanced at something outside the office. "This is pretty important."
"Close the door and come in then," Amelia suggested. She waited a few uncomfortable seconds before looking back up from her paperwork. "Out with it."
"Uh . . . it's a family matter, ma'am."
"Does that mean that you're not going to tell me anything?" Amelia asked neutrally.
"No, ma'am," Tonks said quickly, "just trying to explain."
"Continue then."
"Yes, ma'am. Uh . . . the thing is ma'am, I don't have a lot of family I'm willing to . . . not on mum's side anyway, the Blacks are . . . that is to say . . ."
"I get the picture," Amelia said dryly. "Get to the point."
"Well, one of my cousins on my mum's side . . . one of the good ones, er . . . the only good one. Well, the thing is he's staying with family from the other side, from his mum's side, they're not related to me."
"I told you to get to the point," Amelia prompted.
"I got worried when he didn't reply to any of my letters so I went to see if anything was wrong on my first pass," Tonks said quickly. "I got to his residence and was met by a thoroughly unpleasant man. The man denied knowing my cousin and tried to assault me. I put the man on the ground and then threatened to . . . uh . . . I mean, persuaded him to tell me where my cousin is. I found my cousin locked in a small room on the second floor. A quick examination revealed several minor injuries and . . . uh, I'd like my pass to be extended to take him to St. Mungos to make sure I didn't miss anything after this meeting if that's possible."
"Very possible," Amelia said with a grin, "was that all? You wanted permission to stay out to take your cousin to the hospital?"
"Afraid there's more, ma'am."
"On with it then." Amelia sighed, it looked like it was going to be one of those days.
"There isn't anyone else that can take care of him, ma'am," Tonks said quickly. "Mum and I aren't speaking at the moment. Even if we were, she and da are in America promoting their new book and I'm . . . I threw the contact information in the fire so I don't know how to get in touch with them."
"What a mess," Amelia groaned. "Where is your cousin now?"
"Waiting outside, ma'am."
"Call him in," Amelia ordered.
Tonks disappeared and returned a few minutes with a scruffy young boy clad in rags.
"Good afternoon," Amelia said gently, "my name is Amelia Bones. You can call me Amelia, what's your . . . bloody hell, he can't be."
"Madame Bones," Tonks began nervously, "meet my cousin, Harry Potter."
AN: Yes, I stole the fold box from Robert Heinlein's book 'The Glory Road.' Always remember that it's full of rocks. It gets a bit thin in places and that's because I couldn't think of anything meaningful and I didn't want to put in useless filler. Typos by Innortal
AN02: I just discovered a massive folder filled with private messages from and a few other places so if you've sent me a message in the last six or so months (looks like the earliest dates) and I haven't replied, sorry about that. Working on fixing the problem right now.
And now for some Omake/loose scenes
Omake: Mother
"If not making a career as an Auror, what does your mother expect you to do?"
"I think she expects me to run off with some bloke she hates to have a barely legitimate daughter," Tonks replied. "Judging from her example anyway."
"Barely legitimate?"
"Born a week and a half after the wedding," Tonks said absently.
Omake: IA
"The Chief Warlock has filed a complaint against you for excessive force," Amelia explained. "I'm afraid I have to ask you a few questions."
"Yes, Madame Bones." Tonks looked lost. "Why is he doing this, I thought Dumbledore was supposed to be good?"
"It's politics," Amelia replied. "He wants Harry back with the Dursley family for some reason. He's hoping to push me into withdrawing my objections to that course of action."
"How is this going to do that?"
"The easiest way to protect you is to give in to his demands," Amelia answered bluntly. "If I choose to throw you to the wolves, he sweeps in and makes the point that 'the-boy-who-lived' can't be left in the care of a disbarred and dishonored Auror."
"I understand boss," Tonks said glumly.
"Now then, what spell did you use to soften Harry's uncle up?" Amelia asked.
"Didn't use a spell, ma'am."
"Oh?" Amelia perked up. "What did you use then?"
Tonks reached into the left side of her robe and pulled out a long piece of leather. "Used a sap, ma'am."
"Is it enchanted in anyway?" Amelia asked intently.
"Not yet, ma'am."
"Then we can close the investigation right now," Amelia said happily.
"Huh?"
"You used no magic whatsoever," Amelia explained. "Our use of force procedures don't cover non-magical items and techniques."
"So, Harry's safe?"
"Harry's safe," Amelia confirmed. "And I didn't know they were still teaching you to use those things at the academy, thought they'd stopped after Moody retired."
"They aren't teaching it at the academy, my granddad taught me. He was a constable till he retired a few years ago."
"What are they teaching in the close combat class then?"
"Retreat to a safe distance and try to engage in a magical duel," Tonks said unhappily, "I got extra duty for asking how to keep from getting hexed in the back during the retreat part."
"I see." It was plain to see that the woman was not happy. "It looks as if I'm going to have to take a closer interest in our training curriculum."
Omake: Meeting
Tonks glared across the table at the Dursleys. "You ever lay a finger on Harry, you ever even come near him again and I'll beat you to death."
"You can't just . . ." the Solicitor blustered.
"Shut up," Tonks interrupted. She turned back to Vernon and fixed him with a glare that would have done her boss proud. "You hear me, you fat tub of lard?"
"I . . . we hear you," Vernon squeaked.
Omake: Third Year
"How's your Patronus," Amelia asked as the young Auror walked into her office.
"Could be better," Tonks admitted. "What's up, boss?"
"Your cousin was attacked by Dementors," Amelia said gently.
"What . . . but . . . I just put him on the train," the Auror looked lost. "Is he?"
"He's fine," Amelia assured the younger woman. "Just a little shook up."
Tonks let out the breath she'd been holding. "Permission to get a few hours to visit him?"
"Denied," Amelia replied. "New assignment."
"Yes, boss," Tonks said with a look of disappointment on her face.
"Cheer up, you'll like this one." Amelia slid a file across her desk. "It is the position of the Minister that Dementors are the best and most cost effective way of securing Hogwarts from Sirius Black, it's my position that a team of Aurors would work better. We compromised by agreeing to send a liaison from my office to coordinate things."
"Yes, boss," Tonks agreed happily.
"Officially that's all you're going to do, unofficially I want you there to keep the children safe from Fudge's folly and to keep an eye on that cousin of yours."
"Sure bet he's at the center of whatever's happening," Tonks agreed. "Happy to be of service, boss."
Some notes and Omake by Ben Russell-Gough
"So, Dora, you been to see your little boyfriend?" Megan Perks yelled out, causing chuckles and wolf-whistles to echo around the Hufflepuff common room.
"Megs, for the thousandth bloody time, he's my cousin! As well as being six years younger than me! How sick is that?"
"Dora, healthy wizards and witches can live for eleven or twelve decades," Violet Parkinson remarked without looking up from her DADA text. "In that context, six years isn't /that/ much difference." The pureblood young woman continued, either unaware of or uncaring of Tonks' bright red face and violently cycling hair colors. "Add that you are both of the Black line and are both half-bloods. I'm pretty sure that a match would be seen as the ideal way for the house to get a full-blood heir without putting it under the control of another house like the Malfoys or Lestranges."
Things will really hot up after Tonks takes charge of Harry in the Y1/Y2 summer. Remember that she is a trainee auror, so she won't have /much/ time at home. This means that Harry will instead be hanging out in the magical world with other light-aligned half- and purebloods, especially those with noble
backgrounds like Andromeda. A closer friendship with Neville? Strained relationship with the Weasleys (the Blacks are a 'dark' family and given Molly and Ron's sometimes very judgemental attitudes about blood heritage, this could cause some trouble). The practical upshot of this is that, by Y3, Harry will probably know a lot about the wizarding world and be quite savvy about politics (mabye due to Andromeda's tutoring him in his role as the future Lord Potter).
Possibly you could see Harry developing a fairly normal social life. Instead of having a pair of super-close friends and being only acquainances with everyone else, he might end up having several close friends (Hermione, Neville and Luna) friendships with many others like Susan Bones, Ron and Ginny and a wide range of contacts, both those of his generation and those of his parents.
"Harry, I'd like to meet some friends of mine," Andromeda said. "I believe you already know Aemelia Bones and her neice Susan?" Harry smiled and shook hands with the formidable-looking head of the DMLE. He turned to Susan and shook her hand with a smile. Much to his shock, Susan winked at him coquettishly. Harry blushed and almost didn't hear Aunt Andy introduce the Diggory family.
As Harry rejoined Tonks, the currently royal blue-haired cadet Auror leaned over to whisper in his ear. "Harry, I have only one thing to say: Watch out. I think that Director Bones and mum are plotting a betrothal contract!" Tonks couldn't help but laugh at the way her oh-so-easy to tease cousin seemed to
start to hyperventilate.
This is VERY interesting and potentially a very good story.
It would be nice to see this turned into a full-length story, but even just a multi-shot summary of how different Harry's life would be with Tonks would be interesting. Suggested Name: "Harry Potter and The Girl With A Hundred Faces".
I don't think that we would necessarily have to see Harry's canon first year experiences and friendships lost. If anything, having a Hufflepuff role model might make Harry be even closer to Ron and Hermione. That said, Ron being so willing to let Harry and Tonks rescue Hermione would probably mean that there wouldn't be the classic 'trio', just Harry being friends with Hermione and Ron
with them being civil to each other for their mutual friend.
I can honestly say that I doubt that Dumbledore would be able to keep Harry with the Dursleys. All it will take is for Aemelia to present Tonks' pensive memory in the Wizegmont and all hell will break loose. The fact that Harry was being abused (if mostly hands-off neglect, as in canon) and that he has a half-blood adult witch (of the Black line no less!) cousin would make it an open-and-shut case.
It would be up to the author to decide whether or not Harry has metamorphomagic of his own (and to what degree).
Naturally, Tonks would be Harry's 'big sister' and role model (more mischievous Harry?). Having a Hufflepuff personality type as a role model might radically change CoS. Harry might be more aware of Ginny's problems... Luna's too, depending on how the scene was written.
~*~*~*~
The wraithlike blonde Ravenclaw sat down on the floor outside of Gryffindor Tower and wept. Never, not even when her ma died, had she felt so utterly alone.
"Hello there," said a masculine voice from overhead. "What seems to be the matter?"
Luna looked up into a pair of startling green eyes framed by Muggle-style corrective lenses and the scruffiest, most uncontrollable-looking black hair she had ever seen. Luna tried to suck down her sobs and stagger to her feet. "I'm sorry," she mumbled. "I'll head back to Ravenclaw Tower." The girl would have fled if a hand did not gently but unbreakably close around her upper arm. "P... Please let me go," she murmured. What was he going to do to her?
"Not until you tell me what's wrong."
"Nothing! Nothing's wrong! Please, I don't want trouble, just let me...!"
"You don't cry your heart out on the other side of the castle from your dorms for 'nothing'!" The hand released her. "Come on, what's wrong? Mabybe I can help!"
Luna blinked away her tears and took a good look at the second-year Gryffindor. Suddenly, her eyes clear, she suddenly realised /who/ had suddenly walked into her life. The girl's mouth dropped open. 'Ginny will be /so/ jealous!' she whispered in the deepest depths of her mind.
"Harry?" A bushy-brown-haired female second-year Gryffindor had appeared at the portrait entrance. "What's going on? Oh! Who's this?"
"I was just going to find out, Hermione," Harry Potter replied. "She was in tears by the Portrait Door."
Hermione walked over and smiled in an attempt at reassurance. "You poor thing? Are you homesick? Do you want us to get Professor Flitwick or one of the Ravenclaw prefects?"
"NO!" Luna's loud, terrified response startled both Gryffindors! "No! They'll just make fun of me! Please, I just need someone who'll listen to me and not be mean to me! It's been so horrible!"
Whew... don't know where that came from!
Omake by meteoricshipyards
"Hermione, did you know that you can bounce certain spells off of shiny surfaces like suits of armor," Harry asked as they entered the Great Hall.
"No. . . ." Anything else she was going to say was interrupted as several tables broke out in laughter. She followed the children's eyes to see Draco sitting with a "Kick Me" sign on his back. She looked at Harry who was trying to look innocent.