Harry Potter is not mine. This is a story from a fan.
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Ch 3 Tonks 3.
Tonks was still cursing the Umbrella stand while she sat down at the table. Her eyes went over to Molly and they narrowed a little. Molly was standing with her back to them so she hadn't seen the look Tonks had given her. When others started to rush into the kitchen she grabbed the books from the table and pulled them under it. With her wand in her hand, she tapped them and shrunk them. Under the table, she gave them to Sirius who gave her a nod of thanks.
"Tonks what are you doing back here" Molly asked her as she started to look through the cabinets. There was a tone in her voice, that, clearly told Tonks that she didn't want her there. Tonks didn't react and only looked at the table. She knew she could start to scream but she wanted to be here. She needed to be here if she wanted to know it all. "It is not like we can just put you in a room. Every room is full and there is only so much to eat".
The eyes of Tonks shot up at those words. She wanted to say something but the voice beside her took that chance away. "I think it is still my decision who can or can't stay in this house Molly," Sirius told her. His voice was low but there was an edge to it.
Tonks looked at him and after it at Molly, who started to turn red from anger. "Sirius, you know Albus told us".
"No, Molly." Sirius cut her off in the middle of her tirade. "I'm the head of this house and I, decide who can stay here. I have given Albus this house to use as a safe house. But I still decide who can stay here, or who can't. So Tonks can stay as long as she wants, If Albus has a Problem with it he can come to me".
"Sirius".
"No, Molly. She is part of the order and she can stay just like you and your kids can stay here as long as it's needed. And as soon as Harry gets here he can stay here too, in the room I give him".
"Albus told you he has to stay with Ron, in one room," Molly said as she pointed her finger at him.
Sirius just slammed his fist on the table and Molly rushed out. The kids were looking at him in awe and a little fear. "I think you better get to your rooms, "Sirius said as he looked at the kids. I will call you when I have a late dinner for all of you" Sirius told them.
They all left and he sat down with a deep sigh. "She has been here for almost two months now. When she got here she started to boss me around. At first, I didn't care but now she is driving me up the wall". He turned his eyes to Tonks as he pulled out the two shrunken books. "Remus and I have been looking into the things you said. I can't go to Gringotts so I can't find out if I'm Lord black".
"You are," Tonks told him.
"How do you know" he asked her.
"Easy, you have control of Kreacher," Tonks said with a smirk as if it was as clear as day. Sirius just looked at her but he just didn't get it. Tonks saw that he didn't get it and explained. "Kreacher has been the head elf of house black for, a very long time now. According to my mum, he was and will always be a pain in the ass. Now only the head of the house can order him around. You might not have the ring but he knows who is the real head of house. So start thinking of ordering him to keep everything that happens here a secret or you will get us all in trouble". Sirius looked at her with his mouth open. "Stop looking at me like that. I have been raised by Andromeda Black. She might have been kicked out of the family but she had all the lessons the Blacks had. So she knows all the laws, in and out. She taught them to me while she was becoming a lawyer herself. Now I do not know everything she knows but I know a lot. I know you can't ask for a trial because only a head of house can ask for it. Then again he can only ask it for a family member and not for himself. Another Lord could but who would for you".
Sirius might not like it if people were too blunt but at the moment he was glad with it. He thought about every Lord he knew who would do it for him. The first name he thought of was James. As Lord Potter, he would do it for him. But James was no longer with them. The only Potter, he could ask was Harry, but he wasn't a Lord. Arthur could do it. "Arthur, He is the Lord Weasley" Sirius said as he looked at Remus and Tonks with a little hope in his eyes.
Tonks wanted to say yes, but Remus was shaking his head. "No, darling" Remus started as he looked at Sirius. His eyes closed when he realized what he had said. Sirius was looking at Tonks in fear. Being gay was still a no-go in the magical world. "Tonks" Remus started.
Tonks held up her hands. "Hay, I don't care. But the red bullhorn upstairs will scream if she hears it, so keep it to yourselves". Both of them nodded. "But, what were you going to say".
Remus looked at Sirius as he placed his hand on his. "I don't think Arthur will help you. I know Molly is the one who only does what Albus says she has to do. But if we ask Arthur then it will be told to Molly and she will stop him when she tells Albus. Right after that Albus will put a stop to it, and you know it. He will do what Albus tells him and her and both of us know he will because Molly will demand it from him. When Tonks told us what you could do we found out that Albus didn't do what he could. Now it could have been because of the tournament, or something else. But he still, didn't do what he could have done for you". To tell you the truth I do not see a way to get a Lord to request a trial for you".
"Don't forget that it was a whole year before the shit with Voldemort started. In that year he could have done a lot for you" Tonks said making them look down at the table It was at that moment Sirius asked Tonks to get some Muggle Pizzas for the whole house. He wasn't planning on cooking. So Tonks left the house and was followed by Remus, who was going with her.
#*
Amelia had looked on as Tonks left the office. In her hand, she had the case file of Sirius Orion Black. Well, the only thing she had was the one page. No trial no investigation. No questioning. Nothing to tell her he was guilty. The thing she had found out by just looking at a couple of files from the ministry, told her Tonks was sitting in the middle of a Pixy nest. It could go every way and she would hate for it to go wrong. She knew Tonks had a good head on her shoulders. She also knew that her feelings were pointing her in the right direction. She only hoped that it would be nothing serious she would find.
"Amelia".
Amelia looked up and saw the last person she wanted to see "Delorus".
"I want you to arrest Harry Potter for lying about the minister".
Amelia gave a very deep sigh. "Delorus, on what ground should I arrest Mr Potter. If it is because he is lying about something, then tell me what he is lying about".
Delorus started to splutter. "He... He is telling everybody Voldemort is back. We all know he is lying because those who are dead can't come back".
Amelia pinched the bridge of her nose. "Delorus get out of my office. If I arrest every person who was telling a lie or lie to the minister. I have to arrest everyone, even the Minister himself. The only one I do not have to arrest is you". Delorus walked out of the office because she knew she was the only one who was, telling the truth. When Amelia closed the door behind her she mumbled. "Because you are too stupid to understand that you are being used by Lucius, BITCH".
When Amelia turned back to her desk she stopped. When she did she again looked at the door. "Why the hell, do you want me to arrest a kid". I think it is time for me, to have a very long talk, with Andromeda".
#*
Tonks walked back into the kitchen on Grimaldplace. She had a pile of pizzas in her hands when she walked back into the kitchen. When she placed them on the table they were almost snatched out of her hands. The Weasleys were always hungry and as she watched the youngest boy she almost threw up. She, herself could take a big bite because she could make her mouth twice as big. He could not and still tried to push a whole slice into his mouth, in one go. He could not chew anymore but he was still trying to get even more into it. Before she could take a bite herself her hunger had gone away and she looked over at Hermione. "Did you hear anything from Harry," she asked making Sirius and Remus look up at her.
The girl looked down and at first, she didn't answer her. After a couple of moments she did and told her that he had sent her another letter and had asked about the same thing. "So you told him?" Tonks asked. Hermione shook her head slowly. It was after another minute that she told her that the headmaster had asked her not to, so she didn't. Tonks could not believe her. "You didn't write him either". Ron just shrugged his shoulders, as he tried to stuff another slice of pizza into his mouth as he was still chewing the last slice.
She got up to her feet and walked out of the door. Sirius called her name after her but she just didn't listen. She walked out of the front garden and apparated away. On the corner of Privet Drive, she reappeared out of nothing. With her wand in her hand, while she hid it up her sleeve, she walked down the street looking at the houses. When she got to number four she saw the one person she didn't want to see, Mundungust Fletcher.
From her spot, she could see him sitting against a wall. He was either drunk or sleeping. The one thing he had to do, was what he was not doing. She walked up to him and looked up at the window with the bars. There was muffled screaming coming from the room. She could not really hear what Harry was saying but it was clear that he had a nightmare or something.
"THfonks WFat are foe foeing here".
"Shut up, you are drunk" She snapped. When she looked at Mundungust she could see him lifting a bottle to his lips. Before she knew what she was doing she kicked the bottle out of his hands. It took another hour before Mundungust was sober enough to have a normal conversation, sort off. "What is happening up there" she asked as she pointed at the bedroom of Harry.
Mundungust looked up. "Nothing much. He gets home makes dinner and goes to his room. After half an hour he gets down does the dishes and takes his own dinner up. Lays on his bed. After an hour or so he will start to scream. Mostly it will go on until he wakes up. So nothing much".
Tonks had been looking up at the window while she was listening to everything this lowlife piece of scum told her. Her feelings had been off when Albus said they could not do anything else. But that was nothing compared to the feeling she got now. "You go home I will be staying here". Tonks didn't wait as she started to walk around the house. Her feelings were getting out of control and she had to calm down. She wanted to do something but knew she wasn't allowed. So after a while, she sat down against a wall and placed a notice me not charm on herself as she waited for Remus who would take over from Mundungust.
#*
At ten in the morning, she sat in front of her mother with a cup of tea. Her eyes were closing every couple of minutes while she was fighting against the sleep. Just when her head was about to drop again, Amelia stepped out of the Floo. Tonks hadn't called her but her mum had asked her father to go get her. Her father Ted Tonks had used the excuse that she had forgotten her lunch. "Tonks, talk to me," Amelia said as she saw Tonks sitting there.
The eyes of Tonks opened up wide to wake herself up completely. She looked back at the table and rubbed the side of her head to get her thoughts straight. "I'm not sure mam, but he is in a bad way. He is having nightmares and he is paranoid, always looking over his shoulder ready for an attack".
Andromeda looked at her daughter and it was clear she didn't know what Nymphadora was talking about. She was looking for words but just didn't find any. "You are talking about Harry Potter aren't you". The head of Andromeda snapped to Amelia when she heard her saying it. Again her mouth went up and down but there were no words. "What have you found out and what are you feeling, because, I know you haven't been talking to Harry, not yet" Amelia asked as she sat down at the table next to Tonks.
"I just don't know" Tonks started. "He is being kept in the dark. Albus doesn't want anyone to talk to Harry Potter. He doesn't want anyone to send him any letters or anything. He keeps us around him to keep an eye on him but we are not allowed to talk. Last night I found out he has been having nightmares every night. He needs someone to talk to. If the stories are true. He has seen Voldemort and he has been battling him. On top of that, he also saw one of his classmates die in front of his own eyes".
"So he doesn't know about all the things Fudge together with Lucius are putting into the paper, all out of the name of the ministry," Andromeda told them when there was a moment of silence.
"WHAT" both Amelia and Tonks screamed.
Andromeda just stood and walked over to the paper box. She took out a couple of daily prophets and showed them to the two women. One by one she placed them on the table and opened them while she pointed out articles they had written about Potter. "One by one they all are saying that the Potter boy is nuts, crazy, attention-seeking, and what else they can think of. Rita Skeeter is really having a field day with it. The last one is the worst. That has been the one where she took to speculate that Harry might have been the one who killed Cedric Diggory. There are also some jabs at Albus but most are on Harry Potter".
Amelia grabbed the paper and took a closer look at the article. Her anger started to rise as she looked at the words that were standing right in front of her in the articles from Rita. Her fingers started to turn white as she grabbed the paper tighter and tighter. After a moment she slammed it down on the table. "This is unacceptable" she screamed. "Tonks you will keep on doing like you are doing now. If you have to, you can contact Harry but make sure you are working for me. None of the Order members can know that you are doing this. I will be dealing with the ministry. I have asked to question the boy, but Fudge and Albus are keeping me from it".
Tonks wanted to stand but was stopped by Amelia. "Not yet Tonks".
Andromeda could see that Amelia was thinking about something. When she took a little thing out of her pocket Andromeda could see, that it was a file. It was still small but it looked like a case file. Amelia tapped it with her wand. "This is the case file from Sirius, Orion, Black".
"No, that isn't right," Andromeda said as she took the file from the table. ".Where are all the papers? He had at least sixteen cases of murder, so there should be sixteen papers here of accusations for each murder. There aren't any. No arrest file, no trial file, no hearing files no dates. Not even a transfer file to Azkaban. The only thing I see here is they found him sitting on the ground saying my fault, my fault". Andromeda screamed as she flipped through the folder, turning the only page over and over. "What the hell are you doing there".
Amelia held up her hands in surrender. "Andromeda, I don't know, I was still in training back when that was all going on. When Tonks came to me I started to think. When the order was starting back up. I thought Albus knew about Sirius. He hasn't spoken a word about him from the moment he escaped. So I thought he knew more. Still, I had no, reason to ask him, so I went to look at the files. When I found these I realized the same thing you just did. So I wanted to ask Tonks if Sirius was there with the order. Now, I wanted to ask her later and then that bitch asked me about Harry. So I thought to do it now".
Andromeda dropped the folder back on the table and looked at her daughter. Tonks looked from her mother to Amelia. "Well, Sirius is there and I told him he could ask for a trial if he asked his head of house. Or when he was the Lord which he is. But to do that He had to have the ring or ask another Lord to do it for him".
Andromeda sat down on the chair. "He can't because he will be arrested when he goes to Gringotts. He can ask another Lord to do it for him, which they will not. He is gay and they are holding that against him. The only Lord he had was Charlus Potter. But the only Potter who would do it is Harry. but I do not think he will ask for the murderer of his parents, to get a hearing".
"I think he would," Tonks said. "He is his godfather, godfather oath and all". Tonks looked at the ceiling as she thought about how she could tell them. "I even think he knows him, I'm not clear yet but I think he met him at the end of Harry's third year. What I do know is, that Albus is keeping Harry Potter in the dark, but I do not know the reason why".
Amelia was looking at Tonks. Her mind was going all over the place and she needed to have all the connections before she could take the steps. "This is no longer your case. From now on we will be doing it together. I will handle the ministry side and you will be on the side of Harry. I want you, to find out anything you can about his home life, school years, and the people around him. This will have to be hush-hush, so, we will meet here, every day for tea. Andromeda can put the paperwork together while we do the leg work. Now if you can see an opportunity to talk to Harry alone, you take it".
Tonks nodded and got to her feet again. She left, the house of her parents and went back to Grimbould's place.
#*
"What are you thinking about Amelia" Andromeda asked her. "I know it does not sound good, but there isn't much to go on. If I had to make a case with this information I would not even know where to start".
"I'm not sure Andromeda," Amelia said. "But everything I hear about Harry Potter tells me there is more to his claim than we know. Albus is keeping Harry away from everybody" Amelia stopped and looked at her friend. "Did I tell you I asked Albus to get Harry to me,".
"No, you didn't," Andromeda told her. "But if your feelings and thoughts are right, Then we might have to go up against Albus and the ministry. It will be a whole can of Pixy shit we will have to work through". Amelia didn't respond and only nodded at her words.
#*
Tonks had been gathering stuff to take to the safe house. If, she would go through with this. Then she had, to make sure she could stay there. To do that she had to be early enough. Albus might not want her to but Sirius would. So she left in the afternoon, just to be sure she was there before the meeting. When she walked through the hallway she stumbled over the Umbrella stand. She cursed like a sailor and looked angry at Sirius, who had been, standing at the end of the hallway laughing at her.
"Are you planning to stay longer?" Sirius asked as he lifted her suitcase from the floor. Tonks just looked at him and gave him some puppy dog eyes. Sirius barked out a laugh and pointed up. "Second floor fourth one on the right". You will be with the others who are also staying up there. I would put you on the floor with me but we are still, cleaning that floor. Tonks nodded and went up to find the room.
Just before the meeting of the Order, she went down to the kitchen where the others were already waiting. Molly was at the counter preparing dinner. "Molly" Sirius started. "We have another guest staying with us. Tonks will be living here for as long as she needs to".
"I'm not sure if Albus will like that. We have to ask him before you take other people into the house". Molly hadn't looked up or around yet. So she didn't see the look Sirius was giving her. "You know that Albus has to give his approval" It was now that she did turn around and looked at Sirius.
Sirius had his fist bolted and was looking at her. "I'm the Lord of this house so she will be staying here. If Albus has a problem with it he might as well find another place to hold the meetings". Molly started to turn red but she didn't have time to respond. The moment she wanted to do it the portrait of Wulgebra Black started to scream. Sirius jumped up and rushed to the hallway screaming about an old hag.
"What the hell is that" Tonks screamed as she looked with wide eyes at the door Sirius had rushed through.
"That is the portrait of the mother of Sirius," Hermione told her. "Walburga Black she doesn't like Blodtraiters and Mudbloods like us. She is a dark witch". Tonks just looked at her with some kind of disbelief.
When Sirius walked back into the kitchen his eyes were full of fury, "I wish I could burn the painting of the old hag to ashes, she just can't stop screaming. I just hate her, I hated her when I was young and I still do".
Tonks looked around the table at the reaction of everyone. It was clear that they all had been through it before. For her, it was the first time. As the members started to drop in she took a clear look at all of them. If she would go on with her investigation she had to see who she could trust or not. Her mother and Amelia hadn't told her what she needed to find out. They didn't need to, because it was clear to her. She needed to find out if and how Voldemort had gotten back. Now that she had heard that Harry Potter had nightmares she believed him more. Still, it could be something else but she doubted it.
Her look went from person to person, as she needed to find out who she could trust. The first person her eyes landed on was Molly. Molly was the last one she could trust. Her heart might be in the right place but she was barking the instructions from Albus, she had seen and heard it herself. The way she ordered the kids to not respond to the letters from Harry told her enough. Sure Albus had suggested it but she took it over and made it an order. The next thing had been today when she told Sirius that Albus was the one who had to approve her staying in the house.
Her eyes went on and landed on Arthur. He was a good man, she knew him from the ministry. He was honest and would never hurt someone if he could help it, still, he did everything Molly told him. He just didn't want to fight with his wife and just nodded along to keep the peace in the family. She could trust him but not with this. If she told him, he would tell Molly and it would get back to Albus before she was done talking.
When she looked to the next she saw Kingsley. Mad-Eye wasn't there because he was watching Harry Potter. Kingsley was not the person who knew what she wanted to know. He was also there to tell Albus what was happening in the ministry. Mad-Eye she just didn't know. He would be on her side but he first wanted proof or he would not go with her. He was a lot like Amelia but then again she was trained by him. Why Amelia did trust her on this was something that gave her a headache but she would deal with it.
No her best bet would be Sirius and Remus. Mostly Remus and the kids. But with the kids, she had to be careful. She would take that by just asking questions about their school years. When she gazed at her other side she saw Minerva and Fillius. They were out of the question because they were too close to Albus. They might be trusted but a mistake was made in a second. They were twenty-four hours around Albus so, NO. Then there was still, one person sitting at the table. One Mundungust Fletcher, that would be a hell NO, for her. He was the last one she would trust with anything because he only thought about himself. While she looked at him she could see him slip a spoon from the table into his pocket. She was sure that there had been other ones that went before that spoon.
The last to walk into the kitchen before Albus was Severus Snape. He was smirking as he walked through the kitchen. It was clear that he had something that was important and they all had to hail his holyness. "Let's get right to it". Tonks snapped her head to the side and saw Albus standing in the doorway. It was right after it that Snape started to talk.
"Well, I have been to the meetings and I can tell you he is lying low for now. He is making plans, only we are not at liberty to know them yet. I did however find out that Peter has a special place at his side. He is the one who is responsible for his snake".
When Tonks heard the name Peter she had to think back. Peter was the one Sirius had killed. It was also a name she had heard through the hallways after the third year of Harry. It was another story the ministry had swapped under the carpet so to say. Her eyes found the eyes of Sirius and she could see that the last bit Severus had said was deliberate, he did it to hurt Sirius.
"While I was there, he did ask me to brew some pain relief potion and some Healing Potion. I'm not sure why but it could mean his return had taken a lot out of him".
"Or maybe Harry did hurt him like Albus had told us. He did fight him, didn't he" Tonks said as she looked Severus dead in the eye.
"Potter is a spoiled brat, he could not hit a barn with a tickling spell if he stood in front of it," Snape said as he placed his hands on the table.
Tonks stood and gazed right back at him. "I think he did and you are too hurt that he has done something you wanted to do. You wanted to be the hero but again you have to take a back seat to a little boy".
"Enough Tonks," Albus said.
"So, when he says something disgusting it is okay, but when you say something back you stop us," Tonks said as she looked at Albus.
Albus looked back at her but kept his mouth closed for a moment. The kids were upstairs so they didn't get anything from what was happening in the kitchen. He looked at all of them one after the other as he asked if they had something to report. Tonks wanted to say something about Harry but she stopped herself just in time. If she was right it was one of the things she had to keep to herself to help her boss.
"Sirius has allowed Tonks to stay here in a room," Molly said from her place at the counter.
Albus looked from Molly to Tonks and then to Sirius. Tonks could see him getting ready to say something. "If you are telling me that I can't let people stay here because you do not trust them. You can find another place for the order. I let the Weasleys stay here because you asked me. I let order members stay here for a night because you ask me. So I can also allow my own family to stay if I want to" Sirius told him before Albus could make a sound.
Tonks looked at it all, especially at Molly. If she was going to run to Albus every time something didn't go her way it could become a lot of fun. Albus was still thinking about what he could say and in the end, he only nodded. But his eyes told Tonks it was the last thing he wanted. So he wasn't only keeping Harry In the dark. He was also playing a role in the life of Sirius.
This was it again for this time.
See you all in the next chapter.
Gr Winmau