The Time of Change

4. An Unexpected Day

Harry Potter sat nervously before his magical picture window, watching the street outside for signs of Hermione's arrival. All was quiet. There had been a number of commuters departing earlier, but it was now almost 8:30am and except for old Mrs. Johnson at Number 9 fussing over her topiary there was no sign of life.

Looking away for a moment, Harry checked once again that the bunch of daisies he had conjured was still where he had left it. Harry had planned to give the flowers to Hermione when she got here, but now he was having second thoughts. He decided to put them in a vase on her bedside table instead.

Getting up, Harry grabbed the flowers and hurried over to Hermione's bed. With a gesture of his wand and a muttered 'Conjurus!' he conjured a large, cut crystal vase. Another gesture and word, and the vase was half-filled with water. Finally, after trimming the stems with a severing curse, he placed the flowers in the vase. He stepped back and smiled at the result. Much better.

The now-familiar tingling of the proximity ward caused him to spin in place, facing towards the open dormer window. The names Alastor Moody and Hermione Jane Granger floated into his consciousness just as the grizzled old Auror appeared in mid-air near the window on a broomstick, Hermione clinging on behind him with her eyes closed. Moody obligingly brought them in for a gentle landing at the edge of the practice space nearest Hermione's bedroom area as Harry padded forward to meet them.

As her feet made contact with the floor, Hermione's eyes opened and she looked around quickly, searching for... 'Harry!' she cried, jumping off the end of the broom and tackling him in a hug. Harry caught her, his arms around her waist, and held her to him.

'Hermione,' he murmured into her ear. He had memorised a little speech but it left him, overwhelmed as he was with happiness at seeing his best friend again. After a long moment the two stepped back.

'You're looking good, Harry' she said.

'So are you,' he blurted. He could not believe how she had changed in a few short weeks. She was slightly tan, and her face appeared to have sharpened somewhat, perhaps losing the last of her baby-fat. All Harry knew was that she now looked more like a woman than a girl, though he could not say what it was exactly about her that made him feel that way. The most obvious thing that was different was her hair, which was now cut so that while full it tapered to nothing at about the nape of her neck.

'It's great to see you,' said Harry at last. 'Thank you for coming.'

'It's great to see you too,' said Hermione sincerely. She leaned forward and pecked him on the cheek then let him go. She stepped back from him a little and looked him up and down. 'Wow, Harry,' she said admiringly, 'you've grown. You've filled out, too.' She hesitantly reached out to lay a hand on his upper chest where Tonks' stern exercise regime had made its effects most obvious.

'Above the waist only!' sang Tonks teasingly. The two teens jumped apart, flushing. Tonks stepped forward and caught up Hermione in a hug. 'Wotcher, Hermione!'

'Hello, Tonks,' replied Hermione happily.

'Well, that was quite a hello you gave lover-boy here,' said Tonks teasingly. 'Do I get one too?'

Hermione's eyes opened wide in shocked surprise but Harry snickered. 'Only if you're very nice to Hermione, Nymph,' he said with a teasing smile. Tonks grinned and leaned forward to kiss Hermione on the cheek.

'Welcome, Hermione,' she said. 'Do you like our humble home?' She stepped back and gestured around.

Hermione looked from Harry to Tonks somewhat wild-eyed and he could almost see her decide to shelve the matter until later. She then looked around at the huge room for the first time, smiling. 'Nice expansion charm,' she said to Tonks.

'It's all lover-boy's work,' she said. 'I just cracked the whip.' Hermione looked around again, more slowly.

'Lucky you,' she said to Harry. 'You've obviously been able to avoid the Ministry detection charms and get some practice.'

'Don't worry, Hermione,' said Tonks, 'you'll get plenty of practice too. Lover boy here needs a variety of opponents.'

'You're sick of being beaten, you mean,' put in Harry confidently, smiling. 'I'm sure Tonks'll let you do some of the set up work at your place, too,' he said to Hermione.

'Oh, Tonks, can I?'

'Of course! I'm sure Harry will appreciate the break. Stupefy!'

The red jet of the stunning curse shot from Tonks' casually-held wand and slammed into Harry's leg. It bounced off and spent its energy on Hermione's bed. 'Hey!' he shouted. 'Watch it! You might hit Hermione!'

'What was that?' asked Hermione.

'It's an advanced shield spell,' said Tonks. 'They teach it in Aurors' Academy. I'm training Harry to carry spells like that unconsciously.'

'I think you'd better teach it to Hermione, too,' said Harry. 'Or one time when you try and catch me without a shield she'll get caught in a ricochet.'

'Sure thing. Hermione? It goes like this...'

* * *

Hermione had unpacked her clothes and effects while Tonks sat on her bed and periodically called out instructions to a sweating Harry. Now that she was done unpacking, Hermione watched in amazement as Harry trembled in a handstand and proceeded to do a kind of upside-down push up. He nearly lost his balance, the trembling from the strain forcing him to move his legs about and arch his back surprisingly, but eventually he had his arms straight again, swaying only slightly.

'Stupefy!' muttered Tonks. The stunner bounced harmlessly off Harry and was absorbed by the wall. 'I tell you, the kid's just unnatural sometimes,' she continued as she watched Harry balancing inverted, not noticeably affected by the stun shot.

'What do you mean?' asked Hermione sotto voce.

'His balance. Sure he's building up his strength faster than I expected, but his balance is just unbelievable.'

'He's always been like that,' Hermione said. 'I saw him stand on his broom to catch the snitch in one match in our first year.' She smirked, then added, 'He can't seem to stay upright in the Floo or after a portkey, though.'

A silence fell as they watched Harry complete his second 'push up', then his third, again nearly falling but managing to recover each time.

'Tonks?' asked Hermione at length. 'Do you mind if I ask...?' She fell silent.

'Ask about what?' prompted Tonks when it became apparent that Hermione would not continue on her own.

'About you and Harry?'

Tonks looked seriously at Hermione. She saw worry and perhaps a little jealousy in the younger girl's face, hidden behind a façade of friendly interest. She gestured at the cheerful arrangement of daisies in their vase on the bedside table. Hermione followed her gesture then looked back, a question in her eyes. 'Harry's idea,' said Tonks. Hermione continued to look at her uncertainly while Tonks grew a little frustrated at the younger girl's apparent lack of perception.

'The short of it is, you've got nothing to worry about,' she said to Hermione. 'It'll take a while to explain the whole story, but I'm quite sure Harry sees me more as a kind of big sister than any kind of romantic interest.'

Hermione looked relieved. 'Oh, good,' she breathed. She then blushed and glanced at Tonks to check her reaction.

Tonks smiled at her and shook her head. Placing a hand on Hermione's forearm, she said, 'There's a lot more to the story than that, of course, and some of it's not really what you're gonna expect. I'll tell you the full story when Snape comes tonight for Harry's Occlumency lesson.'

'Thank you, Tonks,' she said gratefully.

The elder girl nodded and muttered something inaudible. A stun bolt came from the wand whose tip was concealed between her fingers and Hermione slumped bonelessly onto the bed. With a sigh, Tonks waved her wand over Hermione and muttered, 'Enervate.' Hermione's eyes blinked open. Tonks watched the play of expressions as confusion was rapidly washed away by chagrin, then determination reigned. Wordlessly Hermione plucked her wand from her waistband and cast the body shield charm over herself again. Tonks smiled reassuringly and tested her shield again with a stunner. It reflected satisfactorily.

'Don't worry, Hermione, it takes a while to remember to keep it up. I've been working on Harry for a week now and I still get him sometimes. So, did you bring exercise clothes? If you're gonna be Harry's girl--'

'I'm not Harry's girl!' put in Hermione. Tonks' joking expression faded a little, making Hermione feel bad. 'I'm sorry, I just...'

Tonks waved her hand in denial. 'It's okay, Hermione, don't worry about it. I'm a big girl.' Smiling to show that there were no hard feelings, Tonks went on, 'So? Got something to sweat in?'

Hermione shook her head. 'I'll transfigure something. What would you suggest?'

'Shorts and tee-shirt if you want to be practical; leotard and crop top if you wanna play with his head,' said Tonks with a wicked grin. Hermione looked briefly shocked before developing a matching grin. She pulled out some cutoff jeans and a tee-shirt, transfigured them into running shorts and a half-length tank top, and closed the curtains on her bed to get changed. Finished, she swung easily off the bed. Tonks nodded appreciatively at the outfit. 'Very nice. Now, let's start with some basic callisthenics...'

* * *

Hermione had chosen not to participate in the 'learn to love potions' sessions that Harry was taking with Tonks, which now occupied the time between his morning exercise session and lunchtime. Instead she chose to occupy herself with the resources of their small but interesting library. Sitting at the library table and taking notes, she was surprised to be interrupted by an owl. It was from Hogwarts, a brown barn owl with the school's crest on one wing. Curious, she removed the letter and opened it. Golden sparks floated briefly as she broke the wax seal.

Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry

Albus Dumbledore, Headmaster

29 July, 1996

Dear Miss Granger,

I trust you are well and have arrived safely. I apologise for bothering you so soon after your arrival, but I neglected to tell you something that you need to know.

It is very important that you try not to tell Harry that something is difficult or 'not possible' before he attempts it. Harry is capable of a number of things that are not possible to the average witch or wizard but I feel he lacks the confidence in his own abilities to successfully attempt something he knows he should not be able to perform. Only if he finds it is impossible should you say why this was so. For example, Harry did not know that it is impossible to conjure noble metals so he attempted it anyway. He did not succeed, and subsequently learned of the alchemical rule of noble metals. This was an example of failure, but there have been many successes to counterbalance it. For example, he did not know that most wizards take many years to learn to conjure truly durable objects, so he learned to do it that way practically at his first attempt. The chair you are no doubt sitting in and the table you are reading this at were both conjured by Harry, not transfigured.

It is my sincere hope that Harry will learn that many barriers of magic use do not apply to him so that he can succeed in spite of the established body of knowledge, which he needs to know not so that he knows how to do something but what is done when a spell is cast and the effects of that spell. I tell you this now so that you can choose how to help Harry without misunderstanding what may at first seem nonsensical suggested courses of study.

Finally, please do not interfere with Professor Snape's tutoring of Harry in the fine art of Occlumency unless his interactions with Harry become overly negative. This activity is part of a plan to encourage Harry to develop his magical senses somewhat earlier than would normally be the case. I do plan to inform Harry of the full nature of his gift, but I am hoping that discussion can be deferred until Harry has learned to use his senses so he can see for himself instead of simply having to accept my word.

I hasten to point out that I do not believe that Harry's development of his powers in this area are an essential part of his ability to defeat Voldemort when the time comes. However they will make it easier for him to survive any incidental attacks, and will help with his self-confidence by ensuring that he does not suffer through the 'pause' in magical ability that most possessors of direct magic senses experience. (This pause is caused by a growing conflict between what the affected person is told, and what they sense as the senses develop to the point of conscious realisation.)

It may be that the best approach is to simply show Harry this letter. He has previously proclaimed that he simply wants to be ordinary, but, alas, I fear that will not be possible for young Harry. He is extraordinary, and I sincerely hope that he will eventually come to relish in that, no shrink from it.

I discovered to my cost at the end of last term that, contrary to my previous hopes, I am not an expert on Harry Potter. I will therefore have to depend on you for that, Miss Granger. You are, so far as I can tell, his closest friend and the person he trusts the most. You are almost certainly the person who understands him the best. (I fear that Mr. Weasley's relationship with Harry is both shallower and less close than yours.) I therefore depend on you to decide the best course. I have attached a brief note to Harry which you may hold back or give to him as you decide is best.

Yours sincerely,

Albus Dumbledore

The attached letter was brief.

Dear Harry,

Every generation there are born a few - a very few - witches and wizards who can sense magic directly. These people are sometimes known as Magi. Magi are not as a group more powerful than their peers, but being able to 'see' what they are doing rather than working blindly as most magic users do, they can exert much finer control over the application of their magic than the ordinary witch or wizard which can give the appearance of increased power.

I believe that you, Harry, are a Magus. The course of study I suggested to you was designed to encourage your ability to consciously use these senses. This is also one of the objectives of your Occlumency lessons: In addition to teaching you how to shield your mind, it is my hope that the pressure of learning to do this efficiently will force you to develop your senses earlier and, as a result of that, learn to use them more naturally.

I encourage you to direct any questions you might have about this to me, and I will be happy to attempt to answer them for you.

Yours sincerely,

Albus Dumbledore.

Stunned, Hermione stared at the pages for a long time before filing them away in her journal. She looked up to see Harry frowning at a cauldron while Tonks said something encouraging to him. Then understanding passed across his face, and Tonks was slapping him on the shoulder. Hermione smiled as she watched for a minute longer, before getting up and stepping to the bookshelves, starting the process of cataloguing the available books.

* * *

Hermione was deep in a book when Harry sat down in a chair next to her. She looked up almost immediately and smiled warmly at him. 'What are you reading?' asked Harry.

She bit her lip and said, 'I'm reading about the various special gifts that Wizarding society recognises.' At Harry's slightly puzzled glance, she added, 'Like Savants and Metamorphmagi.'

'Like Tonks.'

'Yes.' She glanced up and saw that the potions materials had been cleared. 'Are you done with potions for today?'

'Yes.' He smiled. 'I would never've believed that I could enjoy potions, Hermione, but Tonks makes it easy to understand.' Harry's enthusiasm came through, surprising Hermione.

'Perhaps I'll join you starting tomorrow,' she said. 'I can do potions well enough, but I don't actually enjoy them.' He smiled in response.

'I'm sure you'll enjoy it.' He sat forward, preparing to stand. 'It's time for lunch. D'you want something to eat?'

'Mmm,' agreed Hermione. Harry stood and held out his hand to help her up. Hermione smiled and took his hand. Standing, she said, 'Thank you, Harry.'

They were standing very close together, and neither teen seemed to want to move. They were startled out of their reverie by a call from Tonks. 'Come on you two, do you want to eat or what?' Harry and Hermione jerked apart, blushed, and glanced at each other, before Harry half-bowed and gestured to Hermione in an 'after you' motion. Hermione smiled and Harry followed her over to the kitchen table.

Lunch was ham cut from a leg, crumbly cheese, slices of crusty bread and a salad of leaves, carrot, tomato, and a few odd ingredients such as marinated olives and artichoke hearts. When Harry questioned these last - 'What are these, Tonks?' - she explained that her father's mother had been Italian and she felt like having that kind of lunch today. Dubious at first, Harry soon found that he liked the creamy astringency of the marinated artichoke hearts and the sharp flavour of the cheese. Hermione, it turned out, was much more cosmopolitan than Harry and had already experienced these foods at her parents' house.

When all three had been reduced to picking at stray crumbs of cheese, Tonks cleared the table and said, 'Harry, what do you have planned for this afternoon's studies?'

Harry took a final sip of chilled pumpkin juice and said, 'Snape's coming tonight. I want to concentrate on meditation. Later on, would some accuracy, speed, and power drills be okay?'

'Sure, that's fine. Hermione, how about you?'

Hermione appeared surprised. 'You don't have a fixed study timetable?'

Tonks shook her head. 'The scheme I outlined before is just a guideline we use. I used to make suggestions early on, but Harry usually knows what he wants to do now.' She grinned at Hermione, adding, 'Now that you're here we'll be fitting you into the program. Assuming you want that instead of doing your own thing of course.'

'Yes please,' said Hermione. 'I'm sure I'll want to study different things to Harry but I want to spend as much time as possible practising. And after last time I think I had better do some physical training too.'

Tonks started to reply to Hermione but paused before turning to Harry, who was grinning at Hermione's eager response. 'Harry, why don't you go and do your meditation? I'm going to spend some time with lover-girl here and find out where she thinks she's weak and we'll maybe do a few drills.'

Harry nodded. 'Sure thing. You'll be okay for a little while, Hermione?'

'Of course, Harry.'

With a nod, Harry retreated to his bedroom area and conjured a large ottoman before settling himself on it. Hermione watched him as he gestured a few times with his wand and set it down. He met her eyes and smiled at her before closing them and shutting out the outside world.

Hermione jerked in surprise as Tonks laid a hand on her shoulder. 'Come sit with me in the lounge,' said the older girl before leading the way over to the circle of chairs and the couch before the fireplace. The fireplace was currently dark, the day being pleasantly warm. 'You don't have to worry about Harry, he's set up a silenced area so we don't disturb him.' Nodding silently, Hermione followed and settled down at one end of the couch. Tonks settled into the other end, crossing her legs and folding her feet comfortably beneath herself, leaning up against the end of the couch facing Hermione.

'There's a few things you should understand about how we've been living here over the last few weeks,' said Tonks without preamble. 'I've really been working to let Harry relax and work through the loss of Sirius, but to tell you the truth I'm a little disturbed at how quickly he seems to have adjusted.' She made a throwing away motion with her hand, as though tossing the subject away. 'First, though, you've no doubt noticed the layout in here.'

Hermione squinched her brows together, looking around and nodding. Looking between the two visible bed areas, she said uncertainly, 'You and Harry don't seem to have bothered with privacy. Why didn't you put up normal rooms and so on?'

Tonks nodded confirmation. 'It's complicated. Um... firstly, so you know where I'm coming from, by the time you've finished Auror training you're not really body conscious any more if you were to start with. There's no time for it, and the training strips away that kind of stuff.

'Harry needs someone to open up to. Someone he can trust not to spill his confidences, someone who'll be on his side, but also someone who isn't romantically involved with him. I think that to get Harry to open up to me, he has to be comfortable, really comfortable with me. He admires Dumbledore - or at least he used to - but he didn't share all his problems with him. He's an authority figure. You and Ron are his closest friends but he doesn't seem to share the really deep stuff with you, and he doesn't want to bother you with some stuff because I reckon he doesn't want to impose on you. So I decided to try being an accepting big sister to him. Stronger than him in some ways, comforting and comfortable without any heavy emotional baggage.' She looked at Hermione who nodded, still a little uncertain.

'I think it's been working, too,' she went on with a little pride in her voice. 'He lets me comfort him when he's feeling down. I've been trying to teach him about flirting and teasing, too, and he seems to be getting that lesson. I've been teaching him not to be shy with me by not being shy with him, and that seems to be working too.' She giggled for a moment in recollection.

'What?' prompted Hermione.

Tonks smirked. 'I'll tell you about last time Snape visited in a moment. Anyway, he doesn't seem to react to me in a sexual way, either, despite opportunity and teasing.' Tonks smiled at Hermione's shocked face, and added, 'At a guess I'd say you'll be pretty happy with that, lover-girl. I wouldn't have minded if it'd happened, but I reckon he's saving himself for someone. Maybe it's you.'

Hermione held up her hands, blushing a little and shaking her head in protest. 'No, no, I don't think that's the case....' She trailed off, unable to continue.

Shrugging, Tonks waited while Hermione took in her speech, giving her an opportunity to ask questions. She watched the younger girl's expression as embarrassed shock faded and understanding began to dawn. 'I see you're getting it,' said Tonks at last. 'But let me spell it out for you. Harry no longer seems to attach any particular importance to seeing me nude, and he doesn't seem to mind me seeing him either. Last time Snape came, by the time he was done Harry was so tired I had to bathe him and put him to bed, and when he started yelling for Sirius in his sleep half an hour later he needed skin to skin contact to calm him down.' Tonks smirked, adding, 'That morning was the time I really tested the sexual side of things, too, and he passed with flying colours. As I said, I wouldn't have said no if he had wanted to, but he didn't, and he even managed to react well to my teasing.

'You need to understand, Hermione, that he's a little brother to me. I love him to bits and I really don't want to see him hurt. There's nothing in our relationship to compete with you-and-him.'

'How many times do I have to tell you there's no me-and-him?' asked Hermione, exasperated. Tonks just smiled. After a moment Hermione settled down, and began to think about what Tonks had told her. 'I think I see,' she said. 'You didn't want walls so that Harry didn't feel closed in and so you could react to his needs, and you've worked to reduce his shyness so that he didn't feel uncomfortable with the compromises the open-plan layout involves?'

Tonks nodded, smiling. 'You could treat him the same way if you want, but I think you might find it awkward; I know Harry would. That's part of the reason your "bedroom" isn't visible from Harry's.'

It was Hermione's turn to nod. 'The comfortable-with-nudity thing won't work between Harry and I unless we're lovers or in a sister-brother relationship.' She looked at Tonks apologetically, seriously. 'I don't think I'm ready for that, Tonks.... For either of them.' She blushed ferociously.

'Keep your options open,' said Tonks with a wicked smirk. Hermione's blush deepened and Tonks finally pulled Hermione into a hug. 'I wanted to have this talk with you is so that you don't get all bent outta shape if I jump into his bed to comfort him if he's having nightmares,' she said. 'I'm absolutely sure the poor boy's never been loved before, not really, and I'm not gonna stop comforting him just because you're here.' Tonks' eyes twinkled. 'Of course, if you want to help out with the comforting thing I wouldn't object, it's just holding him to reassure him in his sleep, but I'll understand if you don't.'

'The relationship angle,' said Hermione, her expression somewhat unhappy.

'Well, not quite like you think, lover girl. I'm absolutely sure that even if you turned up in his bed, naked, nothing would happen until you told him explicitly that it's okay.'

Hermione goggled at Tonks. 'Really?' she asked in disbelief.

Tonks nodded, solemn for once. 'I told you I tested him. He's got all the right attitudes, he's just way too shy and doesn't know how to have fun. No, no, it's just that if you do take to comforting him you might find that it's hard to go back to sleeping alone.'

'Oh,' said Hermione, still looking at the floor, a small, sheepish smile on her face.

'Plus he's very impressively built,' added Tonks mischievously. 'You might find discovering that for yourself embarrassing, lover girl.'

Hermione blushed once again, a deep cherry-pink, but she looked up and her eyes sparkled mischievously. 'What did Harry call you? Nymph? I must say I think you live up to your name,' she said, finishing with a grin.

'Well done!' said Tonks, applauding lightly. The two girls shared a giggle.

'So, how did you find out?' asked Hermione, still giggly as she leaned closer to Tonks conspiratorially.

'Well, it was the night I told you about earlier, the last time Snape came...'

* * *

An orange-pink presence coloured the right side of Harry's world and a touch on his shoulder brought him out of his meditation. A peaceful feeling pervaded his being despite being jerked out of the meditative state, and he glanced up happily at the person who had brought him out of it.

'Hermione?' he said uncertainly.

'Are you ready for some drills?' she asked him. 'It's three o'clock, Nymph said it's time to start.'

Harry raised his eyebrows at Hermione's use of that name. 'You two had a good talk, then?'

Hermione nodded happily, then leaned forward to hug Harry about the shoulders. 'Harry, I'm so glad she's been here for you. I wish I could have come here earlier.'

A shadow passed across Harry's eyes. 'I'm sure your parents missed you too,' he said.

'You're very important to me, too,' she said softly. 'Harry, will you let me help you like Tonks has?'

'What?' asked Harry in confusion.

'You're my best friend, Harry, and I want to be able to comfort you and help you.'

Harry frowned, still confused, and he searched for meaning in Hermione's eyes. 'I still don't understand, 'Mione,' he said. 'I'm just a stupid guy, you'll have to spell it out for me.'

Hermione's eyes flashed. 'You're not stupid, Harry Potter! You. Are. Not. Stupid! You're smart and brave and handsome and I trust you absolutely. You've saved my life, you've protected me from a thousand dangers, you've helped me when I needed it and you've accepted my help when you needed it. You are such a good teacher your students substantially outperform the national average. You are constant and steadfast and... and...'

'You're my best friend too, Hermione,' said Harry softly. He leaned forward to cup her cheek with his hand. She leaned into his hand and smiled brilliantly at him, and his heart skipped a beat. He felt her lean towards him and he leaned forward to meet her, resting her forehead against hers. He felt a burst of closeness to this girl but was surprised when Hermione took his head in her hands and kissed his forehead. Hermione held him to her briefly before letting go. She sat back and watched his reaction.

Harry could not help but smile happily. 'I'd like to give you something,' he said. 'May I make you a ring?'

'Make?' asked Hermione, surprised.

Harry nodded. 'Make. A friendship ring.' He pulled one of the small gold bars Moody had acquired for him from his pocket and laid it in the palm of his off hand. He then took his wand and concentrated. Settling himself, he breathed deeply and calmed himself, visualising the design he wanted. Feeling his happiness and the depth of his friendship with Hermione and visualising it flowing towards his wand, he reverently he moved the wand in the prescribed pattern and muttered 'Sigil Patronii Conjurus!' under his breath. In response, there formed on the palm of his hand a gold ring. The band was two bands of gold formed into a flat twist. At one point the twist stopped and was replaced by a small flat area which bore a quartered coat of arms. He took the now-smaller gold ingot and slid it into his shirt pocket, then took the ring between his fingers. He held it out to Hermione. 'This is a sign of my respect and love,' he said. 'Wear it as a reminder of our friendship.' His words had a slightly sing-song nature to them, as though he was quoting something.

She held out her right hand, ring finger prominent. 'Put it on me, Harry.' Drawing a deep breath, Harry slid it onto her finger. It fit perfectly. As it slid home, Harry kissed her fingers and the ring. Hermione hugged him tightly.

Loud clapping interrupted them. 'Nice one, lover boy,' said Tonks loudly. 'Did you two want to spend the afternoon canoodling or are we going to do some drills?'

Both teens blushed furiously. Harry met Hermione's eyes and understanding flashed between them. 'Hmm,' he said. 'Difficult choice,' he said with a mischievous grin.

'Tricky,' agreed Hermione, who also could not help but smile.

'Drill?' he prompted.

'Drill,' she agreed. Hermione stood up and, retaining Harry's hand, assisted him out of the chair. He stumbled a little as he stood up. 'Aww, has poor Hawwy's leg gone to sleep?' she teased. He grinned at her, did a deep knee bend and shook the leg to get blood circulating, then nodded.

* * *

Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry

Albus Dumbledore, Headmaster

29 July, 1996

Dear Mr. Potter,

Thank you for your letter of 25 July in which you question your mark for your Defence Against the Dark Arts OWL. I agree that you appear to have a worthwhile case to support an appeal for contestation of your mark, and as your head of House it will be my pleasure to assist you in the conduct of this appeal. I have sent notification the appeal to the relevant Ministry personnel and will keep you advised of its progress.

In the meantime, I remind you that your NEWT course selections are due by Monday, 5 August. On this basis of your appeal and my personal knowledge of your capabilities I can assure you of entry into the NEWT Preparation Defence Against the Dark Arts program if you should choose to request it regardless of your OWL grade.

I look forward to receiving your NEWT course requests.

Yours sincerely,

Minerva McGonagall

Head of House, Gryffindor; Deputy Headmistress, Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry

Harry put the letter down on the kitchen table to one side of the ruins of his evening meal, and sighed. He picked up an apricot from the fruit bowl and inspected it minutely.

'Something wrong, Harry?' asked Hermione from her seat beside him.

Turning his head to face her, he said, 'It's good news, really. It's from McGonagall. She's handling my DADA appeal and has assured me that if I apply for the NEWT DADA course I'll be admitted even if the appeal fails'

'That is good news, isn't it? So what's wrong? Something's bothering you.'

He shrugged. 'I just...' He put the apricot down and frowned at the tabletop. 'I guess I feel guilty. She put in a lot of extra work pushing me to do well in potions, and I didn't achieve a high enough mark to guarantee acceptance. Snape has to consider all applicants, but he's only actually required to accept students with an "O" mark. If I apply he'll probably laugh himself silly, the spiteful git, and knowing McGonagall she'll try and get me admitted anyway because she's pledged to try and make sure I make it into Auror Academy.'

Tonks put down her knife heavily. It rattled noisily on the table. 'Harry, you're being self-centred again,' she said. 'Why don't you just write a letter to Professor McGonagall thanking her for her assistance on the DADA appeal and, while you're at it, tell her about this thing you're having about the Ministry? Then let her make up her own mind? If you don't tell her she might waste effort as you suggest, but if you do tell her she can decide for herself. Right?!'

Harry shrank from Tonks, then blushed and nodded. 'Yes, Nymph,' he said. Taking the apricot he stood abruptly and stepped quickly over to the library where he jotted a quick note. A couple of minutes later Hedwig was on her way to Hogwarts, flying in the wake of the earlier messenger owl. Hermione kept quiet during the whole time, but when Harry returned to the table she put her arm around his waist and hugged him supportively.

'Have you thought about what courses you're going to apply for, Harry?' asked Hermione after a moment. 'We have to choose at least five courses, and may do up to seven.'

Smiling weakly at her, Harry said, 'I suppose you're planning to do Charms, Potions, DADA, Transfiguration, Herbology, Runes, and Arithmancy?'

'Yes,' said Hermione with a smile. 'So, at a guess you'll be doing Charms, DADA, Transfiguration, Potions, Herbology, and Creatures? Will you be adding on a seventh course from the vocational units?'

Harry shook his head. 'It seems a waste to do Creatures at the NEWT level,' he said. 'I've got to think of how I'm going to defeat Riddle... er, sorry, Voldemort. Everything I do needs to be aimed at that.'

Hermione looked at him worriedly. 'But what about after you defeat him? What then? Surely you'll need a proper set of NEWTs then?'

'I'll deal with that then,' said Harry glumly. 'If I survive, I'll have plenty of time and money to try and figure out what I want to do. Other than find a wife and rebuild the Clan Potter, of course,' he said with a ghost of a smile.

* * *

In the Headmaster's Office at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, Albus Dumbledore sat working on paperwork as a fire burned cheerily in the office's fireplace holding off the mild chill of the mid-summer Scottish night. Suddenly he paused, put aside his quill, and looked up at the door. 'Come in, Minerva,' he said even though there had been no knock.

The door opened, and Minerva McGonagall stepped inside. Waiting until she had closed the door, Dumbledore asked, 'And what can I do for you this fine evening?'

'Mr. Potter has written to me.'

Dumbledore looked over his half-moon spectacles, a worried expression on his face. 'Ah? Please, do take a seat,' he said, gesturing to the chairs in front of his desk.

'We may have a problem,' said McGonagall. 'I gather that his disillusionment with the Ministry has reached the point of no return. He writes that he no longer wishes to become an Auror, and asks my advice for courses that would maximise his likelihood of, er...' She quickly donned her reading glasses and read from a piece of parchment, 'Of defeating "that murderer Riddle."' She put away the note in her robes and deftly removed her glasses. 'I assume he refers to He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named.'

'Oh, dear,' said Dumbledore. 'The simplest way of giving Harry the training he needs to avoid incidental attacks was by training him as an Auror. You are sure of this?'

'Obviously I can only be guided by what he writes, but you know how Mr. Potter has been treated by the Minister and his supporters.'

'Yes, yes, quite so.' Dumbledore steepled his fingers and composed his features as he thought. A knocking at the door interrupted his ruminations. 'Come in, Severus, and please take a seat. We were just discussing young Harry. How did the Occlumency session go?'

Severus Snape entered the office and sat primly in the remaining armchair in front of Dumbledore's desk. 'Poorly,' he said by way of reply to the Headmaster. The other two saw that despite appearing outwardly normal, Snape was deeply exhausted.

'Oh?' said Dumbledore. 'How so?'

'The boy has grown in strength in his mediation technique but was distracted by the presence of the Granger girl. I was able to gain access after only an hour,' he sneered. 'There was no sign of the boy's senses showing him the way to a truly efficient shield but the power of his brute-force technique is surprising.'

'I see no problem so far, Severus,' said Dumbledore.

Holding himself rigidly, Snape continued. 'He has no concept of a quiescent shield. If he is not actively protecting his mind, it is wide open. However, it is what happened near the end of our session that was "poorly,"' he said. 'In an attempt to encourage him, I pointed out what would happen if he were to face the Dark Lord with such weak shield. He reacted with no emotional control. Seeing that no further work was possible, I left.'

Dumbledore looked at Snape askance. 'I somehow feel that--Yes, Alastor?' he asked the suddenly-green flames of his fireplace.

'Got a message from Tonks for you,' said the green head of Alastor Moody.

'Go ahead,' said Dumbledore tiredly.

'Message begins: Tell Dumbledore that if Snape does anything like that again I won't hold Harry back, I'll help him. I hope he's happy, he's probably just undone three weeks of work. Message ends.'

'Thank you, Alastor. Was there anything else?'

'No, that's all. Out.'

The flames burned orange-red again, and Dumbledore looked at both Snape and McGonagall for a long moment. Noticing that McGonagall was about to take Snape to task, Dumbledore cut her off. 'Thank you both for coming to me this evening,' he said. 'We will discuss this further in the morning.'

'But Headmaster, what are we going to do about...' McGonagall drifted to a stop as Dumbledore held up his hand.

'I need to think on this. Please do me the favour of allowing me to contemplate our options overnight. We will discuss this in the morning. Goodnight, Minerva, Severus.'

After the door closed behind the two Heads of house, Dumbledore got up from behind his desk and sank into one of the comfortable wing-back chairs by his fireplace. Fawkes the phoenix glided over and sat in the suddenly old and tired man's lap, crooning softly.

* * *

In the near-total dark of the attic of 4 Privet Drive, Surrey, Tonks rose from the impromptu meditation session that had followed her brief message to Moody and wandered over to Harry's bed. The oversized tee-shirt she wore, inspired by Hermione's choice of sleepwear, seemed to glow whitely in the moonlight which glanced in one of the windows. She sat on the edge of the bed where Hermione, also dressed in her underwear and an oversized tee-shirt, held a now-sleeping Harry. 'How is he?' asked Tonks quietly.

'He's asleep,' murmured Hermione. 'What did Snape say to him to do this?'

'Described a scenario in which He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named got wind of your relationship from Harry's weak little head and promptly and personally tortured, raped, and murdered you and your parents, all in the name of inspiring Harry to greater efforts,' snarled Tonks. 'And he did it so nicely, too.' Hermione stilled in outrage, struggling to keep from lashing out with Harry in her arms.

'S'okay, 'Mione,' came Harry's tired voice. Hermione and Tonks looked down to see Harry looking back up at them.

'I'm sorry, Harry, I didn't mean to wake you,' said Tonks contritely.

Harry turned to release himself a little from Hermione's embrace and put one hand on Tonks' arm. 'He had to do it,' he said. 'It's the only way he....' Harry closed his eyes and continued, 'I got a glimpse... I think I finally understand what he's talking about.' He yawned again. 'What he said, it'd never happen, 'Mione isn't defenceless an' the Order guards her parents. Besides, it's not like 'Mione 'n me 're really in a relationship.' He didn't notice Hermione's breath catch at his tired statement.

Tonks sighed deeply, the last of her anger washing out of her with her breath. 'Are you okay, Harry?' she asked as she glanced at Hermione in brief concern.

He nodded. 'Comfortable... warm. Don't leave, please.' She shared another glance with Hermione. Harry was being uncharacteristically open. Hermione nodded at Tonks' silent enquiry and slid into bed next to Harry. She adjusted her nightshirt and lay down even as Tonks slid into the bed on Harry's other side. Harry squirmed in simple, unconscious delight as Tonks hugged him lightly from behind and then he was fully asleep, as limp as a rag doll.

For a long time Hermione lay there, listening to Harry's breathing and the quiet almost-sounds that Tonks made. For some reason she could not sleep. Perhaps it was the feeling of another person's body warmth that kept her awake, perhaps the subtle movement of the bed as one of the others moved in their sleep. She wanted to read a little before sleep as she always did and she was a little annoyed that she could not... but at length she realised that she was not annoyed, she was comfortable and happy. My, what an unexpected day, was her last thought as she faded out to sleep.