Harry Potter And The Summer Of Change
Missions

By Lord Dwar

Previous 'Home Again' Teasing And The Williams's The Department Of Mysteries Training Shopping Of History And Wills What A Wonderful Mess Teamwork Friction Potter Estate Votes And Defense Lost Childhood Protect Your Friends Company Missions Enemies Of The State I Would Do It Again Aftermath Goodbyes Next

Disclaimer: J K Rowling owns the rights and likenesses of all the characters in the Harry Potter series. This story is meant to add to the world she created. Any conflicts are accidental and they yield to her reality (canon).

This is a post-OOTP story during the summer before Harry’s Sixth Year. Very few items of HBP will be used.

Harry Potter And The Summer Of Change

15. Missions

                      With the whirling sound of rushing air in his ears, Harry watched them appear in the foyer his home. He looked around and smiled at Remus whose mouth was gaping. "Fun breaking a few rules isn’t it, Moony?"

                      Remus looked around in amazement with a hint of reminiscing. He slowly shuffled his feet over to the stair case and ran his hand around the carved bust of a griffin at the start of the railing. With a muffled voice, Remus spoke haltingly. "We broke this one day during the summer before our seventh year. Sirius split it in half with a sword from upstairs while he and James were messing around. Paul never forgave Sirius for that."

                      Harry listened intently as Remus shared the story. "Paul is still here, Remus. Would you like to talk to him now?"

                      "No, Harry," Remus said. "I can talk to him tomorrow. I’m not really sure he would welcome seeing me again. I never did any damage, but I was usually around when it happened. Been yelled at more times than I can remember by that elf. I miss those days, and my friends. Well, enough wallowing on your birthday."

"My birthday was yesterday, Remus," Harry corrected and waved off Remus’s concern. Once everyone was settled in the living room, Harry emptied his pockets onto the couch pulling out every present he had been given and piling them up. Hagrid’s was kept separate out of fear for the others. With child-like glee, Harry started ripping the wrappings off the items finding sweets and Chocolate Frog cards in a few packages and some Weasley products in others. True to his word, Hagrid’s present was a book about deadly beasts and creatures that Harry hoped wouldn’t be part of a practical learning experience.

"He’s not going to have us working with those things," Hermione asked hesitantly, "is he?"

"Your guess is as good as mine," Harry replied setting the restless book near the fireplace under a heavy log. "Might not hold it, but it’s the best I got for now."

Harry worked on opening Ginny’s present which ended up being a two part gift. One part consisted of a handmade card that didn’t sing while the other part was a racy booklet on "Things To Try In The Bedroom." As Harry turned bright red and hid the booklet away quickly, Tonks tackled him trying to find out what the gift was.

A quick wrestling match ensued as the audience looked on in interest. When Tonks pinned Harry’s shoulders to the ground, she saw the booklet peaking out of his pocket and snatched it away.

"Good thing Molly didn’t see this," Tonks said whistling softly. "Some good ideas in here."

"What is it, Tonks?" Hermione asked trying to catch sight of the title. Tonks held it out for all to see as Harry closed his eyes in embarrassment.

"Is she making you an offer, Harry?" Remus asked smirking cautiously.

"I hope not," Tonks stated decisively before planting a firm kiss on Harry’s lips. He responded immediately bringing his hands to rest on her hips and pulling her to him eagerly.

Hermione giggled, but Remus gave a confirming sigh. "That explains a lot."

After the kiss ended, Harry processed what had been said. "Explains what?"

Remus smiled knowingly. "The werewolf in me can smell things other people normally can’t. The last few weeks you have smelled strongly of Tonks, but I figured it was because you two lived in tight confines. I see that my initial thoughts were correct and my reasonings were not." Remus’s smile turned into something more often seen on one of the twins faces. "Older women, Harry? I never would have figured you were into that sort of thing."

"You make me sound ancient, Remus," Tonks pouted. "I am young enough to wear him out," she said pointing at Harry who was lying on the floor beneath her.

Remus’s smirk deepened even more as he looked to a shocked Harry. In a quick shifting of his weight, Harry pulled Tonks down and to the side freeing him from her dominance. "We will finish this later, Harry," Tonks threatened as she untangled her legs from her cloak.

Trying to save face, Harry looked at Tonks and raised his eyebrows. "I look forward to it, Nymphadora."

Remus was surprised to see her smile back and nod. "I am glad you found someone who can make you enjoy life, Harry. That is such an important accomplishment."

Harry smiled a truly honest smile before continuing with his remaining presents. Harry came to Minerva’s present and folded the paper back. The confusion on his face had Tonks leaning in to look at the title of the book. "Why would she give me, Professional Quidditch Techniques To Make The Team?"

Tonks joined Harry on the couch and wrapped her arm around him. "She is trying to tell you that you might have a future in professional Quidditch and should keep it in mind as you plan for a career after Hogwarts." Harry started to object and she could tell what his reason was going to be. "You hush about that. It will all be taken care of by then. If for some reason it isn’t, do not worry about it. You have to live your life your way or what is the point?"

Harry wanted to argue that his life wasn’t that easy, but the looks of agreement from Remus and Hermione told him he wouldn’t win the fight. Giving the book a chance, he flipped through it quickly looking at the chapter titles. "This has common moves and basic game plans as well as tips on getting scouted. There is even a section on tryouts and what they are looking for." Harry’s attention disappeared into the book as everyone looked on.

Tonks slowly reached up with her right hand and pulled the book from Harry’s grasp and carefully set it on the empty spot of cushion next to her. "It will be still here when you are done opening the last present, Harry. People are waiting you know."

Harry smirked and grabbed the last present, which was from Remus, and mumbled, "Yeah, impatiently at that." Harry was thanked for his comment by a playful smack to the back of his head.

Wrapping removed, Harry held in his hands a bottle of Ogden’s Finest. He looked at Remus questioning the present. "I didn’t know you were out of the Dursley’s when I got that. It is kind of a mute point now that you are living here though." Remus waved his hand in the direction of the cellar. "You have more than enough alcohol in this house to keep Hagrid in a stupor for decades. It was just something your father and us did on his sixteenth birthday." Remus laughed longingly as he remembered the events.

"Sirius may have wanted to seem like the perfect rogue, but he had problems handling his liquor that night. Come to think of it, the next day as well." Remus kept laughing as he replayed the images in his head. "He never forgave me for beating him in that drinking game. He was always a sore loser unless it was your father he lost to."

"Thank you, Remus," Harry said seriously. "It means a lot to me." Harry set the bottle to the side carefully and relaxed into the couch and Tonks. "You said something about remembering when you got here. What do you mean?"

Remus contemplated what to say to Harry before making his decision. "When your father died, Harry, I forgot about this place. Everything just disappeared from my mind. I knew right then that something had happened to them, because they were never apart during those days. No one was alone then. When I first saw you in your third year, I felt something stir in my memories. It wasn’t much, but it was there. Every time I saw you, it happened again.

"Sirius experienced the same thing when he saw you. We talked about it, but we were never able to figure out what it was. I take it that you found out about this place recently." At Harry’s nod, Remus smiled. "The feelings became stronger when I saw you, but the information was still blocked. The second you gave me access to here, everything came flooding back. Memories of this house and things that happened here suddenly appeared. Oh, the memories were amazing to have back."

"I am not sure what you mean," a confused Harry said.

"The spells that protect this house, your house," Remus tried to explain. "Are so very powerful and ancient that they must not only block the location of the house but memories of it as well. You feel that something is missing, but you have no idea where to start in trying to figure out what is missing."

Tonks hugged Harry tightly and whispered that it was late and they had work the next day. Harry stood and offered Remus a hug which was accepted gratefully. "Harry, you look tired and we have a lot of time to share stories. I will see you tomorrow."

"You will," Harry confirmed and looked to Tonks. "It might not be until night, but I will be here."

"Harry?" Hermione asked looking to Tonks. "Why won’t you be here in the morning?"

"I…" Harry debated what to say. "I do things during the weekdays. Please, do not ask me what I am doing. I can’t tell you."

Tonks gave Hermione a firm look stopping her from pressing for more answers. The group broke up and found their beds. Remus took one of the guest rooms further down the hall from the Grangers. With their door closed and charms in place, Tonks rubbed against Harry’s front slowly removing his clothes.

"Here is your birthday present, Harry Potter," Tonks said playfully stepping back from Harry. With a wave of her wand, a bow appeared around her neck. "Care to unwrap your present?"

Hormones controlling his movements, Harry pulled at the bow and it released. The ribbon streamed to the floor in fluid slow-motion. He reached up and kissed her fervently while tugging at her cloak. As it slipped from her shoulders, Harry’s hands fumbled with her pants. An eager tug removed the button and they fell to the floor in a pile revealing the nightie he had seen weeks earlier.

"I am all yours, Harry," Tonks cooed. "All yours to do as you wish." Harry swallowed and reached to her with trembling hands which stilled as they met skin.

Minutes later, Harry and Tonks fell on the bed with their bodies wrapped around themselves. The nightie lay on the floor where it had been thrown. Blankets were tossed aside with no concern as to where they landed. Moans and grunts sounded in the room as Harry tried to show Tonks how much he enjoyed being with her.

************************************

The morning arrived too early leaving Harry and Tonks with a quick breakfast and many unanswered questions to their guests. Hermione asked many of them, but spent most of her time watching Harry move about the house with a determination she had rarely seen in him. His eyes sparkled like they did before the trio did something profoundly stupid but justified at Hogwarts.

With a smirk to Hermione and Remus and a wave to David and Jane, Harry grabbed Tonks hand and Apparated away from Potter Estate and appeared in the team room. They entered the training room to find Cal listening to a heated discussion between Horace, Team Two, and a team Harry couldn’t place.

"For the love of Merlin, Jones," Horace snapped viciously. "I think that if Thor agrees with me then you would as well. You have never been one to toss about your opinions on administrative matters before."

"This has nothing to do with me, Horace!" A cloaked man yelled. "Hasn’t even been here a month yet and he is leading a team and going on a mission that has this level of importance."

"Exactly," Horace pointed out. "A mission which I am in charge of assigning not you. If you have such a problem with the arrangements, then I suggest you ask Ceps about it. I know you wanted to lead a team of your own, but you, Michael, and Taruse make a great team. You are effective and get the job done quite well. It would be foolish of me to break up a functioning team just to end up rebuilding two of them. I understand being subordinate to Michael is hard since he is so good at his job, but you have to see it from my view point."

"This is bull shit, Horace!" Jones continued yelling. "I wanted that spot. I think I deserved a chance to prove myself."

"Maybe so," Horace growled menacingly. "But I make the decisions here and I made them. Ceps is fitting in well and you would be hard pressed to defeat him if he was in the right frame of mind. Now, this conversation is over. Do not bring it up again. Team Five, you have your orders for the day. Stay safe and accomplish your mission."

Three people turned and started walking towards the door. Harry had seen Michael before during one of his tests, and Jones was easily identifiable with his shorter stature and square-ish shape. Harry felt tension coming from Tonks and readied himself in case anything happened. As the team approached, Jones broke from the ranks and made a direct path for Harry.

Not sure how to handle the situation, Harry reacted as though it was hostile. He drew his wand discretely and waited, poised, for an attack. Jones drew even with Harry and stared him down or rather up a handful of inches.

"Think you are hot shit, Praeceps?" Jones threatened as his left hand drifted into his cloak. "Watch yourself and don’t get my future team killed off when you fuck up. You got me?"

Harry thought fast on a response. He knew it had to be firm, but non-challenging or Jones would never leave him alone. Images of Draco’s offer and rejection spun in his head as Harry formulated his answer. "I am here to do my best and right now Horace thinks I can lead my team. I am sure that would change if I can’t do the job properly. Just do your bit and stay out of my way and things will be fine."

Harry watched Jones intently for any aggressive moves that would signal an attack. He saw Jones change his stance a little but nothing looked imminent. As Harry watched, Michael called Jones to him so they could leave. With a grunt, Jones turned slightly so he could walk past Harry and rejoin his group. When the angered man passed Harry, he gave him a punch to the stomach that doubled Harry over.

Harry felt the air leave his lungs quickly and started seeing white and black spots cloud his vision. More as reflex than a conscious thought, Harry launched a Repelling spell at Jones. Harry kept his footing as he heard a man land roughly a distance away as the clatter of a wooden object sounded on the floor or wall. Harry forced a deep breath into his lungs, ignoring the painful burning, followed by another.

As his sight returned, he saw Jones hurrying to his wand at least ten feet away. Harry Summoned the wand to him and leveled his at the furious man. With falsely assured steps, Harry advanced on Jones. When his wand had disappeared from the floor and flew through the air, Jones followed it. To his frustration and a fair amount of fear, he saw it land in Harry’s outstretched hand opposite his aimed wand.

"Fuck me," Jones mumbled through clinched teeth.

"Not my type, arse," Harry said as steadily as he could still fighting against his pained lungs. "They saw something in me that told them I can do this. It is not your decision so back off!"

Harry saw the reaction of the others in the room and most importantly the other two members of Team Five. No one had drawn a wand or did anything but watch the confrontation. Figuring that the current threat had passed, Harry dropped the captured wand on the floor and retreated slowly backwards to join Horace. Cal and Chamel followed his lead and soon joined them.

"Your mission is waiting, Team Five," Horace barked. "Get going and let us not have this sort of thing happen again. We do not have the time for this shite." Horace turned to Harry and pointed him and his team over to the classroom area leaving little question as to where and how fast he wanted them to get over there.

Harry was the last to make it to the destination since he kept one eye on Jones the whole time. Jones had retrieved his wand quickly, but left the room slowly and with a lot of muttering to his team members. Michael gave a slight, begrudging, shake of his head as he left the room and closed the door.

"Now that you have had your fun," Horace said. "We can begin the briefing for your mission today. This came from information that was "pulled" from our recent guests. We have a location of a possible meeting point or safe house. The intel may be old and outdated, but it is more than we had before. I am not going to sugar coat this, but obviously this isn’t he most reliable intel we have. The more seasoned teams have those missions, but I expect you to take this one seriously and accomplish it if it turns out to be viable."

Horace looked over the team before him. His harsh scowl shifted into a nasty smirk that any goblin would be proud of. "You are to go to this address and watch the second address." Horace handed Harry a slip of paper, which was looked at and passed to Tonks and Cal in turn, and a ring that had to be a portkey. "The ring is a portkey to our holding cells just in case. Monitor any and all people coming and going. If you see someone we should bring in, do it quickly and quietly. If things get fucked, unfuck them. If the tossers resist, kill them. We do not expect any big names to frequent this place since the info came from a low level guy, but you never know. This is your first real test, Ceps, do it right and you will get another chance. Mess it up, and you might only get your memory wiped. Go!"

Harry turned and led his team to their room. Hateful thoughts rolled in his head as he walked determinedly to the team room. Once they were reassembled, Harry focused on the task at hand. "I noticed that the place is in Knockturn Alley. How can we get in there unnoticed? Even if we become invisible that is a small alley and there are people moving about all the time."

"That is easy, Ceps," Tonks said waving her hand around. "Since Bones became Minister, there have been daily walk-throughs of the alley by aurors. She always wanted to let the seedier side know that we were aware of their activities, but Fudge always refused the requests. We just need to tag-along on the next patrol. The alley is as clear as it gets when word spreads the aurors are coming. We can pick out a good place to watch and then we wait for anyone to show up."

"On missions like this," Cal offered. "I usually find a long distance vantage point and watch for opposition or possible targets. Remember, I am good at ranged attacks not one-on-one like you two. I can Disillusion a broom and scout out a spot now while you figure out a plan if you like."

"Um, sure," Harry agreed not sure what else to say. "Sounds good to me." Harry watched Cal pull a broom from a cupboard on the back wall. With a tap, the broom disappeared followed by Cal doing the same to his cloak and fading from view. A soft crack signaled they were alone in the room. "Chamel, am I ready for this?"

"Ceps," Tonks began. "This is just like anything else you have done. You know how this works. We go, we watch, and most likely nothing will happen. But knowing your luck we will find the main Death Eater hideout or something like that."

With a chuckle, Harry nodded his agreement. "Yeah, Voldemort will probably stop by for tea and kill a few people for fun or half the city will go up in flames. So, we will most likely just watch an empty building and leave?"

"That is how it usually goes on these kinds of things." Tonks gave Harry a quick hug before giving turning on the invisibility feature of her cloak.

Harry did the same before Apparating to Diagon Alley. They walked to Knockturn Alley arriving right behind the team of aurors who moved into the alley without a word. Harry looked down the alley and saw people move inside or into other side streets. As the aurors moved passed their destination, Tonks pulled Harry into a small alcove on the other side of the street from the location. Harry followed Tonks’ lead and settled into as comfortable a position as possible. He looked up at the skinny three-story building that looked like it was once a business many years ago and now maintained the role of a rundown and deserted structure fitted in between a dingy pub and a burnt out home.

Harry checked the building and saw nothing that hinted at any recent movement or habitation. The cobwebs behind the dirty windows revealed nothing to the happenings inside. No smoke escaped the chimney and the filth on the stoop looked undisturbed. Harry’s previous anger at Horace’s constant belittling subsided leaving a mild weariness in its wake. As the sun fought against the heavy clouds and the dismal ambiance of the alley, Harry waited for something to happen. His wait carried on for hours.

After the second hour of nothing, Tonks put up an invisible Privacy spell so she could talk to Harry safely. Deciding on a plan, Tonks threw up an Obscuring spell so people couldn’t see what was going on behind it. The alcove was so small and shallow that Harry had to keep all of his activities confined to their protected space which wasn’t any larger than an oversized cupboard.

At her direction, Tonks showed Harry how to cast the Privacy Dome and Obscuring spell. With the morning effectively spent and a modest meal consumed in shifts, Tonks began the process of teaching Harry how to cast the Message spell that the Unspeakables used to communicate. When the spell was cast, it was visible for less than a second and traveled at a high rate of speed towards its recipient. Many hours were spent sending messages back and forth while Harry learned how to include what he wanted and nothing he didn’t. Some of his messages included embarrassing things that he didn’t want Tonks to know about, at least not yet.

It took Harry until half past three to master the spell well enough to send an update to Horace on their progress or lack thereof. Cal had been keeping Tonks updated on what he saw or rather didn’t see. As Tonks pointed out, the alley was especially quiet for some reason. Harry saw a few hags, and everyone who moved in the alley had dark cloaks wrapped around them.

As Harry sent Tonks a very teasing message, one from Cal came to him. "Two black cloaked people coming from the north. Something not right about them. Be careful." Harry looked to the north in time to see the pair come around a slight bend in the alley. He tapped Tonks’ leg and motioned to the pair as they walked down the alley giving no one a second look. Harry tensed and waited for something to happen.

The two people separated as they neared the building and stood on either side of it. Harry watched the taller of the two as he stood near the stoop looking at the ground. He checked on the second person who was leaning against the brick wall on the other side of the building near the burnt out neighboring structure. Harry looked back to the taller person and waited with his hand on his wand.

A stifled, "Shite" from Tonks caused Harry to check on her finding nothing wrong. "What is it?" Harry asked as he looked back to the taller person who was still standing near the stoop with his head down.

"The other one disappeared," Tonks muttered. "And we missed it. Where the bloody hell did she go?"

"She?" Harry asked as he looked at the brick wall where the person had been standing moments before. "Where the hell did they go?"

"Yes, she," Tonks said. "You could tell by her walk. Women walk differently than men. Haven’t you ever noticed that before?"

"Um," Harry mumbled before figuring that he might as well fess up. "To be honest, I always watched the women not the way they walked."

"Oh," Tonks sighed. "That is right you are a guy after all. I should have known better than to ask. But, yes, she was a woman. Her stride and body movement could only have been done by a woman and now she is Merlin knows where. We can’t lose the second one too."

Harry stared at the tall man who remained standing with his head down. Things stayed that way for a few minutes. Two Unspeakables watched a cloaked man stand in a dreary alley for minutes that drug on forever. When another cloaked man stumbled by and entered the pub, the tall man moved. He wandered over to the brick wall and leaned against it.

With Harry and Tonks watching, the man faded into the brick and disappeared. "Bloody hell," a surprised Harry said. "He just went into that wall."

"Just like Platform Nine and Three Quarters and the St. Mungo’s entrance," Tonks commented. "This is definitely not your run-of-the-mill hideouts. That spell is really hard to cast properly. People try it sometimes and the entrance comes and goes erratically or people often get stuck. Do you want to let Horace and Cal know about it?"

Before Harry could send off the update, a message from Cal relayed the fact that he saw both of them disappear. "Cal watched the first one disappear and wondered why we didn’t grab up the second one. Would have been nice of him to let us know before it was too late, eh?"

"There are two of us and we should have called who we were going to watch," Tonks told Harry. "That was my mistake since I didn’t tell you how we monitor people. You watch who you would fight should things go bad. Then you might know how the person moves and reacts to things before you need to attack them. Anyway, tell Horace that we have an important location and we need help if we are going to take it."

"Take it?" Harry asked confused as he sent off the message Tonks told him to send.

"Yes, take it," Tonks smirked keeping her eyes on the building. "Attack if you will. Makes for a much more fun day than just waiting and watching Dung’s friends wander about this dreadful place. Now, we just have to wait for Horace to respond and then we do what he wants."

"Great," Harry replied. "He will probably tell me that I failed worse than he expected and send me home."

"Oh, Ceps," Tonks said softly. "Horace is just trying to push you. He is really impressed by what you have done so far and it shows to those of us who have been around for awhile. You can’t see it yet, but he is very pleased with you. Give him some time and you will see it too."

Harry groaned as he waited with his wand in his hand. The pressure to succeed was weighing on him as he waited for the reply. A few battered old birds few overhead and settled on a broken sign hanging over the pub. Harry stared at the wall willing someone to come out so he could prove himself on a real mission.

The reply came with an order to capture one of the people but let the other go without seeing anything. Harry relayed the message to his team and waited. As a mass of afternoon clouds rolled in front of the sun, a special kind of darkness shadowed the alley. Harry watched as a person materialized out of the brick wall. The tall man had returned and moved back to his original spot near the stoop.

Harry started to stand, but Tonks held him back with a gentle touch of her hand. "Wait for it. If they came in a pair, most likely they will leave in a pair."

Harry settled himself and did as she asked and was rewarded with the woman appearing moments later. Both on their feet, Tonks removed the spells protecting their position and moved to the right side of the alley. Harry moved to the left side of the alley and cast the Silencing spell on his own feet to assure that he didn’t tip off the tall man he followed.

Harry and Tonks followed the pair most of the way to Diagon alley before they separated. The woman looked around before Apparating away leaving Harry’s man alone with Harry and Tonks on the ground and Cal watching from a nearby rooftop. Harry made his move and closed the distance between him and the man. In a flourish, Harry fired a Stunner followed by the Conligo Totalus binding spell.

The tall man toppled forward and cracked his head on the cobblestone path with considerable force. Harry ignored the sound of the man breaking at least one bone in his head and moved to drop the ring onto him. At a quick pace, Harry released the ring letting it fall on the man and whisk him away to an Unspeakable-controlled holding cell in the Ministry.

Harry started to stand up and relax from the tensions he had been saddled with until Tonks moved to him and kept him on pace to Diagon Alley. "Do not stop until we are completely clear of here. Monitors could be set up to watch the alley and offensive spells like that could have triggered them. The last thing we need is aurors flooding this alley looking for anyone with a wand. Questions are bad; you know this."

"Yes, sorry," Harry admitted as he thought through what she had said. They reached the main road and Tonks pulled Harry away from the Apparition point.

"That will be the first place they shut down when they get here if they come at all," Tonks informed him. No sooner had she finished talking when about ten aurors appeared near the Apparition point. Four stayed near there and spoke with everyone who passed by while the remaining went directly to Knockturn Alley with their wands drawn. "Just made it in time. They will shut the alley down while they search for anyone who had been hit by the spells."

"Wow, they are really quick at responding," Harry said watching the aurors move into Knockturn Alley."

"This is all Bones and her willingness to use the aurors the way they were meant to be used," Tonks commented proudly. "If I wasn’t doing this, I would be with them right now. That is why I joined up in the first place. I love excitement, but being around you gives me enough right now. You are an exciting person to spend time with, Ceps."

"One person’s excitement is another’s life threatening situation," Harry quipped. "Boring appeals to me you know."

"Yeah, until the second day when you have no idea what to do with yourself," Tonks challenged. "You live on excitement the same as me. Now, tell Cal to head back. We will follow in a few minutes. I want to hear what they find in the alley."

Harry sent the message off by directing it into a building first to hide the spell from the view of the busy alley. They moved nearer to the entrance of Knockturn Alley and listened in on the auror’s conversation.

"Detector picked up two offensive spells, a Stunner and Con Totalus."

"I found a little blood over here, but no body and no tracks near it."

"I saw no one."

"I checked the alley and the nearest person was a drunkard coming out the pub down the way."

"Forget this. Like anyone down here matters much."

"You never know who was down here, Simmons. It could have been a common criminal or a lost child. Sadly, we won’t know until someone reports them missing or their body turns up. Might as well do another walk-through since we are here. Let the others know, Simmons, since you can’t be bothered to give a damn."

"Gladly."

Tonks grabbed Harry’s arm and pulled him away. "Good, they found nothing to give them a lead, and they are going to sweep through the alley. Anyone who thought they saw something will forget it when the aurors show up. No reason to think about things that are best left ignored, eh?"

"Um, sure," Harry said in a non-committal way. He and Tonks moved into a darkened corner and Apparated back to the team room to find Cal waiting with his feet up and a cuppa in his hand.

"’Bout time you showed up," Cal called laughing a little. "That was good work, Ceps. You dropped him and had him gone before he could even try to get up."

"I, uh, hit him with a Stunner and the Totalus spell we worked on recently," Harry said hesitantly. "If he got up I would have been worried."

"Well," Cal began and thought on it before continuing. "That explains why he went down so hard. Good work. Want to stop by Hospital and see your handy work? There is no way he didn’t break something on that fall. He couldn’t catch himself, and he was a tall bugger."

"Ah, no thanks," Harry refused. "I heard the bones break when he landed. That was enough for me for today. All I know is that I didn’t break any bones for once, and I am happy about that."

Tonks smirked and laughed. "Small miracles, that. Time to check in with Horace and head home."

The team made their way to Horace’s office and found it empty. They went to Marcus’s and were greeted with both Marcus and Horace along with Team Five. The discussion was not pleasant in nature.

"That was a quality mission and you gave it to them to fuck up?" Jones yelled.

"Jones," Marcus attempted to calm the tone of the meeting. "That mission had the lowest chance of being something. Yours was much higher on the list of ending up as a real mission. You know how it works."

"This is bullshit," Jones continued as Michael sighed and sat in a chair against the far wall. He crossed his legs and folded his arms catching sight of Harry in the doorway. A subtle wave told Harry that he wasn’t part of the argument. "We have been looking for Carrows for years. We know he was involved in that disaster back in the eighties. I read the report on him."

"Be that as it may," Marcus replied. "We had no knowledge that he was going to be there nor for that fact did we know that anyone was going to be there. Second guessing this will only anger you more."

"We could have gotten both of them," Jones countered showing that he had little control over himself.

"Enough!" Horace snapped moving away from the wall behind Marcus’s desk. "Shut the fuck up, Jones. I have had enough of your childish behaviour. You are either an Unspeakable or some twat on the street. It is time for you to make the choice. Which is it?"

"What?" Jones asked more subdued than Harry had ever seen him before.

"I have had it with this petty shite," Horace bellowed. "You are a team member, or you are out. No more of this "it should have been me" rubbish. Three got the mission that turned out to be viable. They executed the mission as instructed. They only got one of them because I only asked for one of them. If we had more history of the team under Ceps, I would have asked them to get both. I decided that one for sure was better than missing both and revealing our knowledge of the location. I made the call and Three did the job."

Jones breathed heavily and it was obvious that he was still furious at what had happened. "Forget it then." Jones turned to leave the room and immediately saw Harry standing in the doorway flanked by Cal and Chamel. "Move, fucker."

Harry didn’t want to prolong the meeting with Jones so he moved aside letting him pass without a comment. As the tension wavered, Michael spoke up.

"He has been getting worse since the spot opened up. He figured it was his by rights and when you brought in Ceps he became completely unhinged. I feel that if we get into something for real, his state of mind as it is, he will kill only himself if we are lucky. A reassignment might give him a chance to reassess his goals but I doubt it. Taruse and I are in agreement on this."

Taruse nodded as he slipped his hands into his pockets. Horace looked to Marcus and waited. "I would love to remove him," Marcus said shaking his head. "But I can’t right now. We have work coming in on a daily basis right now and I need every team we have. Granted Jones is not at his best, but he has never allowed his over-aggressive tendencies to get in the way before. If you can work with him until this flurry of events is over, I will pull him then."

Michael wasn’t pleased with the answer, but he accepted it. "Michael," Horace stepped forward. "We are looking for a replacement already. It may take awhile, but we are searching. An auror or two show the makings of a good Operative, but I know you have your reservations with them. They aren’t your normal aurors at least. Give us some time, okay. If he wants to go down in a storm of spells, do not risk your lives to stop him. I hate to say it, but the job has gone to his head in a bad way."

Michael shook Horace’s hand and nodded to Marcus. As he and Taruse passed Harry, they paused. "Good job today, Ceps. Don’t let this drama get to you. He didn’t get like this overnight. Chamel, Cal, pleasure as always."

Harry watched the room empty of two and fill with his team. "Excellent work, Ceps," Marcus said. "Previous rantings aside, you did a superb job today, all of you. You got another Death Eater and confirmed one of their locations. I will assign Team One to continue the surveillance on the building. We might be able to get a few more Death Eaters off the streets before they shut down the location and move on."

"A successful first mission," Horace broke in far calmer than he had been before. "Acceptable work I must admit although, Ceps, must you damage them before you bring them in? The healers had to fix his broken ocular sockets, but they left nose at least. Now, you are cleared for the night. Be here tomorrow for a new mission or training. I am not sure what we will have so be ready for anything."

Harry and Tonks returned home and were in time for dinner with Remus and the Grangers. Hermione pressed Harry for more information but relented when he refused to answer certain questions. Harry helped Remus teach Hermione how to Apparate after they overcame her adherence to the laws by using her near death as motivation to learn the skill. Her progression was slow but methodical as only Hermione could manage. Her shields were also improving and showing promise.

************************************

Tuesday and Wednesday came and went with little excitement at home other than Harry finding out about Jules not liking Remus even more than her dislike for Tonks. Remus explained it away as her seeing him as a threat to Harry since he was a werewolf. Harry had a long, one-side conversation with Jules that left Harry tired and frustrated and Jules unchanged in her actions towards Remus. Begrudgingly, Harry accepted the fact that some things were just meant to be. Hermione and her parents seemed comfortable as they took to Potter Estate rather well. Harry’s only concern was how tired Hermione seemed to look in the mornings.

Work was more training as the other teams took on the missions that seemed promising. Most were fruitless wastes of time, but Team One managed to ferry away another Death Eater from the Knockturn location on Wednesday. The woman hadn’t been seen again but at least two unique people had been identified as frequent users of the location.

Thursday came and it was the day that Marcus chose to shutdown the Knockturn location completely. The briefing and planning session was something that Harry wanted to avoid. He hoped that Team Five wasn’t part of the mission since the rumour of Jones’s opinion of Ceps had spread quickly among the teams even before half of Tuesday had transpired. When Harry entered the training room, he sighed an anxious breath when he didn’t see Jones waiting in the room.

Harry picked out the shape that matched Thor’s and quickly figured out that the other two were the remaining members of Team Two, Robeen and Joslin. When everyone was seated, Marcus stood and clasped his hands together.

"It is a wonderful day today," Marcus announced. "We have Team One sitting on the house and they have counted at least two occupants inside the house that haven’t left through the front door. They have also checked the wards on the building and determined that there are Anti-Apparition and Portkey wards along with the standard detection and alarm ones. The entrance is a work of art though and must be breeched with sheer force to access the structure since we lack the passwords and insider to trigger it.

"We have selected Team Two for your consistency with these kinds of missions and Team Three since it was yours first and we would like to let you prove yourselves even more. I will let Horace handle the specifics of the mission. I will say this is a level Two or Three mission depending on the amount of resistance we encounter."

Horace moved forward and tapped the board at the front of the room revealing a map of the alley and the surrounding buildings. "When we arrive, Team Two will group to the south and Team Three will group to the north. We will wait for the aurors to sweep through and clear the streets before moving in. This is going to happen in thirty minutes so remember that. Everyone will be concealed until given the order to strike. We are hoping to catch at least one more person before attacking. Team One thinks there is a shift schedule at work here and the shift change happens shortly after the aurors move through. We figure that is because it reduces the number of people to see them come and go.

"Does anyone have concerns about this mission or the people they will be working with?" No one said a word giving Horace reason to smile. "Team Two will be the tip of the spear and Three will follow them in if needed. I may have Ceps help with the entry since he packs a punch with his spells. I am not giving you permission to enter the structure first, Ceps. Keep that in mind before you get carried away.

"A staffing notice pertinent to this mission, Gillian has been promoted to an operation specialist. As a four pip, she can and may change the orders I give to you now. Follow her orders as if I was yelling them in your ear myself. She has the most up-to-date picture of the situation. Most of what we know has come from them and their work in the last few days. I have full confidence in her as should you."

The team members nodded their acceptance of the information. Harry followed along since he had no clue why it was such a big deal. Horace outlined the approach and the suggested spells to use to breech the wards and entrance. The precise spell work to counter some of the wards was left to Team One, but Harry learned that the Reductor Curse and the Killing Curse were very effective at beating down wards. Many other spells could be deflected or redirected by the wards, but the Killing Curse couldn’t be altered at all and the Reductor Curse simply exploded on contact leaving nothing to be changed.

As Harry replayed the night at the Grangers in his mind, he could remember seeing and hearing muffled Reductor Curses now that he had an idea of what to look for. Horace gave them suggestions if things went one way or another. He told them to look out for witnesses or potential victims and to put up Obscuring Charms to keep spectators to a minimum. As the briefing came to a close, Harry started feeling the onset of the nerves he was so used to before Quidditch matches.

Portkeys marked with a "C" for the holding cells were on a table in the rear of the classroom area. Harry grabbed two and stowed them in his pocket. Seeing a chance to find a few minutes to himself to gain control of his stomach and wild thoughts, Harry drifted to the side of the room near the exit. With a few deep breaths and a focused effort on Occlumency, he worked on clearing his mind and concentrating on the task at hand. He reasoned that it was no different than earlier in the week when he had taken down the tall man. The only thing that was different was the build up of tension that was occurring prior to leaving on the mission.

While wrapped up in his thoughts, Harry felt a soft hand slide over his shoulders before settling in the small of his back for a few seconds before wandering on. Knowing that only one person in the room would have done it, Harry kept his eyes closed and enjoyed the sensations. Warm breath on his neck and ear told him that she was about to tell him something.

"You will be fine, Harry," Tonks whispered. "When this is all over, I promise a long soak in that wonderful tub of yours. I might even allow you to touch me if you are good."

"You mean I will be welcomed in your bath?"

"I was promising a bath with both of us, silly," Tonks purred. "What kind of person would I be to take a bath alone while you sulked in the corner? It is much more enjoyable to share a bath especially when you are involved. Oh the fun we will have…"

Harry found his mind more relaxed after a minute of whispering from Tonks than ten minutes of Occlumency on his own. The only side effect was the need to adjust himself to compensate for his shifted focus from danger to pleasure. Returning the favour, Harry leaned in and whispered in Tonks’ ear. "I will hold you to that promise, Nymphadora." Harry put extra effort into sounding as seductive as he could given his limited experience with the skill.

As Tonks removed her hand from the back of Harry’s neck, he opened his eyes and saw her looking at him. The twinkle in her eyes was different from the humour or teasing moods she often showed him. It was something different and he felt more than saw the difference. She directed her head towards the groups telling him that they were about to leave.

With a cleansing breath, Harry turned and strode towards Cal and Team Two. The teams formed and Apparated away one-by-one as not to alert anyone before it was needed. Harry, Tonks, and Cal moved among the busy crowds in Diagon Alley. Many children were out and running around leaving their parents to chase after them with frustrated calls of punishment or idle threats.

"What is going on?" Harry asked Tonks softly from a side street at least a good forty feet from the entrance to Knockturn Alley.

"Not sure," Tonks replied, "but most of them are younger so it isn’t Hogwarts’ letters. It might be family day or something like that. Bugger if it is."

Harry did his best to ignore the itch in his head that told him things could go terribly wrong if any of the Death Eaters got away. They could run into the Alley and kill a few kids before escaping. Those images left a taste so bitter in his mouth that Harry felt his magic swell up inside of him without the normal mental or emotional effort to achieve the same effect.

Stamping down on the horrible thoughts, Harry hurried between family groups to the mouth of Knockturn Alley in time to see a group of aurors disappear around the bend. Once Tonks and Cal joined him, Harry led them into the alley. The gloom of the street made the day seem even more foreboding as they walked slowly and silently to the same alcove they had used before.

Protections in place, Harry sent a message to Gillian telling her they were ready. Seconds later, he received a return message, "Waiting on the aurors to leave the alley before we do anything." Harry placed his hands on his team to signal that they weren’t ready to go yet. The minutes passed and Harry felt the anxiousness of earlier return with a vengeance. His mental efforts only held off the thoughts enough to prevent them from dominating his mood. A "Ready" message broke him out of his stupor.

"Be ready to go," Harry told his team as he prepared himself to launch repeated spells at the brick wall that was the doorway to the structure. Harry received a countdown message giving them one minute before they attacked. As the time ticked down, Harry’s mind slipped into a semi-numb state of alertness. With ten seconds left, a frantic "Hold" message reached him stalling the attack.

"What is going on?" Harry asked those who didn’t know. He only had to wait a few seconds longer before he saw the reason. Three black cloaked people strolled into the alley. One was the same woman that Harry had seen at the beginning of the week. He recognized the walk since he had replayed it in his mind a few times trying to see what Tonks had meant. She tapped him on the shoulder telling him she saw the same thing.

They watched as she leaned against the wall and disappeared as she had done before. The only difference was the fact that the other two took up positions on either side of the building in what would be considered a guarding posture. "Bollocks. If we attack now then we have to drop those two before we do anything else."

Seconds later, Harry received a new countdown order. "One minute, attack the one on the right before leveling the entrance. No holding back, this is a level three mission now. If your first spell misses, kill the guard without hesitation."

Harry sighed and relayed the message to his team. He selected his spell, a Stunner followed up immediately by the binding spell he used the last time. He figured that if the first one was blocked the second would slip through any defenses since it required a completely different shield spell to block. His third spell would have to be the Killing Curse since those were the orders. Harry hoped it wouldn’t be necessary.

The seconds passed and the assault began lighting the alley with an array of spells. Harry jumped forward and shot his combo at the man on the right. The man was ready for an attack somehow and blocked the Stunner, but the binding spell breeched his shield and dropped the Death Eater. Harry turned to fire at the brick wall in time to see the other guard fall victim to a Killing Curse from a member of Team Two.

Harry began the process of firing Reductor Curses, one right after another, as fast as he could. He didn’t notice Tonks Stun his Death Eater nor Summon the fallen wand away as he fell into a rhythm. Harry sent the spell repeatedly at the wall as a soft ethereal reverb sounded from somewhere. He let his magic take over as he repeated the thought in his head triggering the Reductor Curse to be sent.

Members of Team Two joined in the assault with their own spells. Two used the Reductor Curse while Harry noticed a steady stream of the twisted, sickly green light coming from another. As they fired continuously, Harry started seeing chunks of brick break away from the wall and fly in all directions. A fine rust coloured dust hung in the air as the light from the spells illuminated it.

Harry watched the particles swirl around as the spells changed the air pressure near the wall. He began to feel the ebb-and-flow sensation again and let it happen without resisting. A few minutes into the attack, the wall cracked under the magical force of the spells and fell inward. Harry let three spells travel into the building before Team Two had reached the hole and moved in.

When Harry stopped casting spells in time with his magical surges, his wand emitted a few sparks keeping up with the tide inside of him. He moved his team into a guard position near the opening and stayed there as they had been briefed to do earlier. The excitement of the situation left his senses heightened, but his nerves had calmed the same as they often did during a game of Quidditch.

A shout of help forced him into action again as he dove into the building ready to help the other team. When he rushed through the hanging cloud of debris, he was met with utter destruction inside the house. The far wall had a hole in it that a person could climb through and the furniture in the front room had been thrown backwards with such force that parts of it stuck out of the side and rear walls. The true destructive power of magic displayed itself for any witness.

Harry heard shouts and saw flashes up the stairwell on his right. He sprinted over a shattered crate and ducked under a hanging ceiling beam that had been severed. The floor above him creaked from the movement of the others. He bounded up the stairs taking them two at a time reaching the first landing halfway between levels. When Harry turned the corner, wand out, he saw a fallen Death Eater splayed out eagle, face down, on the stairs. Blood had pooled on the upper step and was running over the lip of the stair falling on the lower step in a steady drip into a ever-growing pool of red.

Leaping over the blood coated stairs completely, Harry landed on the top step only to slip on the plaster dust that had been exploded from the wall. As Harry fell to the floor, hard, a spell whizzed past his head and hit an undamaged chair leaving it in flames. He rolled to the side, out of the hallway, and into an adjoining room. A quick scan showed the room clear of people giving Harry a chance to regain his feet.

A deep breath stolen from the fast moving events, Harry moved out of the room and hurried towards the shouts and lights. The long corridor showed signs of increasing magical damage as he grew closer to the main fight. When the doorway was breeched, Harry found three Unspeakables battling five Death Eaters in a vicious battle. With a growl, Harry jumped into the fight firing the Bone spells at the black robed enemies.

It was easy for Harry to see that the Death Eaters in the room were skilled fighters. They moved to the far ends of the room to avoid deflected spells or getting in the way of others meant for someone else. Harry chose the nearest enemy and attacked. His opponent didn’t have an Unspeakable personally attacking him so the fight became a one-on-one fight for life.

Harry was glad that his guy didn’t use the Killing Curse, but the frequent Cruciatus Curses kept Harry moving or putting up his marble shield. After a series of Reductor, Stunner, Conligo, and both bone spells, Harry landed the Severing Ribbon spell and removed the man’s right hand. Harry tried to look away in time, but he saw the wand snap in half and three fingers fall to the floor trailed by a stream of blood.

More out of self preservation than anything, Harry Stunned the man to end the screaming. Swallowing the bile that was creeping up his throat, Harry took on the next target. The man was slower but very efficient with every spell he cast. Harry fired spells as fast as he could to overwhelm the man. As the volume of spells grew, the slower man couldn’t keep up and was struck with the Bone Breaking one to the left shoulder followed up by a Stunner.

The group of Death Eaters had been moving back as the fight advanced. Numbers against them, the Death Eaters started using more area spells and less target specific ones. An Unspeakable fell when his shield collapsed under the force of two spells at once from two of the more skilled Death Eaters. Harry slid over and took up the attacker his fallen ally had been fighting. Two Death Eaters ran for a doorway leaving the last one to fight off three Unspeakables alone.

Harry sent three consecutive Reductors at him while Robeen or Joslin sent Stunners. With the Death Eater effectively distracted, Thor ended the fight with a Killing Curse. Before the black cloak had even touched the ground, Thor was past him and moving after the others. Harry hesitated a second and saw Robeen or Joslin send off two messages before chasing after Thor. Harry went to follow them, but saw the doorway led to another stairwell. Thinking quickly, Harry retraced his steps and returned to the front stairs.

Jumping over the blood pool and fallen person again, Harry reached the bottom of the stairs. He heard shouting in the rear of the building and a few errant spells struck the hall across the way. Harry gave a quick look in the direction of the fight and saw the Death Eaters retreating towards him. Harry decided to wait for them to pass in front of him so he could hit them from the side. A thought of attacking from behind was stomped out of his mind when a Killing Curse struck the floor in the hallway and tore up a handful of boards and material from under the floor.

Harry continued taking quick looks to monitor their progress. He saw Thor send a Reductor Curse at the woman and missed by only a few inches but it caught her hood and sent it flying. Harry’s brain skipped a beat when he saw the long dark hair of Bellatrix Lestrange. Once he had regained thought, Harry realized that the battle had brought them into his hallway. His heart beating wildly and hands sweaty, Harry saw the edge of a black cloak and a foot step into his view from the stairway.

With a growl, Harry fired a series of Bone Shattering spells at the Death Eater. In a chance of terrible luck, the Death had moved beyond the doorway and the spells missed him and leveled the far wall instantly. Bellatrix held up her retreat as her partner fired two quick spells at Harry sending him for cover and allowing her to fallback to the alley exit.

Angry at himself, Harry ducked out into the hallway and continued his attack on the evil pair trying to escape. Harry ignored the man and focused on Bellatrix. He herded them down the hall and out of the destroyed entrance. A shout and a series of spells proved that Cal and Tonks were waiting. The man sent up a shield and moved away quickly before tucking his hand into his pocket and disappearing leaving Bellatrix alone to fight or flee.

Harry saw his window of revenge closing and he seized the chance to stop her. He dropped all offensive spells except for the Cruciatus Curse and he used it as aggressively as he could. Bellatrix backed up and away from Harry’s attacks as he ran from the building after her. The battle lit the alley as they traded Crucios. Team Two moved out of the building and held back from joining the battle since they were more likely to get hit than help in anyway.

Harry poured his magic into every spell he cast at the woman who had killed Sirius. A shout of pain and determination grew as he fought her. She always seemed to stay half a second ahead of his attack, but most of her return volleys were miss aimed because she had to dodge an attack. Harry advanced on her only to slip a little on a broken cobblestone from a missed spell.

The break in his attack was enough time to let Bellatrix land a quick Crucio and Apparate away saving her life and freedom. Harry felt the white hot knives strike at every nerve ending causing him to stumble. His anger and fury chased away the pain as his frustration boiled over at letting her get away.

"Fuck!" Harry yelled as he stared at where she had stood seconds before. "So fucking close and she gets away. God dammit!" Harry swung his fists in a half circle stopping them in front of himself before turning around. He saw Thor standing proud and dusting off his cloak while the other member of Team Two sent off a quick message before reentering the building. Three new people appeared in the street dressed in the same Unspeakable cloaks and spilt up. Two followed the man into the building while the third moved to Tonks and Cal who had just walked out of the alcove they had hidden themselves in.

"Chamel, Cal, Thor," a woman barked. "Two people to the south saw what happened and one to the north. Wipe their memories of these events and us. Ceps, get over here."

Harry assumed that the woman was Gillian since he had never met another female Unspeakable other than Tonks. He looked at Tonks and saw her give him a wide smile and nod reassuringly to him before hurrying up the street to find the witness. As Cal and Thor passed Harry, Cal told him he had done well and Thor clapped him firmly on the shoulder.

"Damn fine job, Ceps," Thor commented as he followed Cal in search of their witnesses.

Harry took a few breaths to calm his mind and body before he allowed himself to move at all. His magic was humming in his ears and he didn’t want to have an accident involving it when Gillian was going to talk to him. He took slow deliberate steps towards her as he calmed down as much as he could. The street was littered with evidence from the fight. The missed spells left large scorch marks on  the buildings and the street. Stones were loose, broken, or completely missing from the alley.

The broken sign above the pub had been obliterated and all that remained was the twisted hanger bent in every direction but the right one. A faint trail of smoke escaped the second floor window of the building as sounds from inside made their way through the shattered windows and holes in the walls. Harry took the last few steps and came to a rest in front of Gillian and looked up at her expectantly.

She seemed to debate something for a second before speaking. "Report."

Not sure what to say, Harry did what he did best; he started talking and thinking at the same time. "Bellatrix Lestrange and another man got away. One of our guys fell from two spells inside. One Death Eater was bleeding on the steps pretty badly, another was killed by the Killing Curse. I severed another’s hand and Stunned him, and then broke another’s shoulder and Stunned him as well. Then the two out here which," Harry looked around and saw they were gone, "are gone."

Gillian nodded before sending a message into the sky. "Excellent job, Ceps. Aside from going after Lestrange by yourself and getting injured, you did better than I expected."

"Injured?" Harry checked himself and saw nothing out of place or bleeding for once. "I am not injured."

"Unless you walk like your leg is four inches too short," Gillian said, "you are injured. Medical for you. We have things in hand here. Go, you earned it."

Harry started to argue but stopped himself before anything more than a few stutters left his lips. With a weary sigh, Harry Apparated back to the team room. His landing was terrible, because his hip gave out causing him to fall to the floor. "Bloody hell that didn’t work right." He ran his hands down to his hip and applied a little pressure. The shooting pain told him that he did need medical attention after all.

Gritting his teeth, Harry pushed himself over to the couch and pulled himself to his feet. "I will be damned if I don’t walk there myself."

************************************

Tonks found her witness and Obliviated the hag with nary a thought. She wanted to get back to Harry and make sure he was alright. ‘He is never careful when things like this happen. He could have a broken arm or leg and not know it.’ She turned around and hurried back find Harry.

Tonks reached the building in time to see Harry Apparate away and not looking happy. She rushed over to Gillian to see what was going on. The damage to the building was terminal, but the alley faired far better. As she dodged debris, Tonks was close enough to hear what Gillian said after Harry left.

"Silent Apparition? I thought they were pulling my leg." Gillian turned to come face-to-face with Tonks. "Chamel, as long as Joslin is alive and healable this was a superb mission. Six Death Eaters captured or killed is a victory for us all."

"Whatever," Tonks waved off the numbers without a thought. "Where did Ceps go? Was he alright?" Gillian settled back on her feet and made an odd sound. "Not now, Gillian."

"Fine, fine," Gillian replied. "Ceps had something wrong with his foot, leg, or hip. I do not know which, but I sent him to Medical either way. He did really well in there; he did even better out here. Did you see who he was fighting at the end? That was Lestrange and he seemed to hold his own pretty well until he slipped."

Tonks scanned the area before asking to be released from the scene so she could check on Harry. Gillian agreed after a little chiding and subtle hints. Tonks Apparated away as Gillian used her wand to clear the street of any loose wreckage that had been left in the alley.

She appeared in the team room and bolted into the hallway in time to see the doors to the medical wing close. Sprinting the length of the hallway to Medical, Tonks burst into the room to see Harry pushed down onto a bed by one of the healers.

"You again," he snapped. "One day you aren’t going to be so lucky and end up dead, Ceps. You know this right?"

"If you call my life luck," Harry countered, "you can have it. This isn’t even the worst of it. So, what is wrong with me this time?"

"Not knowing when to hold back," Tonks laughed as she moved to Harry’s bedside. "But you already knew that so I guess I have to give you something new that is wrong with you."

The healer moved his wand around Harry spending extra time on his left leg and hip. "Cracked femur, dislocated hip, bruising, and short-duration Cruciatus exposure. A rather varied selection of injuries this time. Now, hold still while I get the proper potions for you."

The healer moved away so Tonks moved in close. "You did a great job, Harry," she whispered. "I am so proud of you. You earned your bath tonight and then some. You get better so we can have some fun."

"I will try, Nymph," Harry said with a sigh. "I am tired of getting hurt all the time. Can’t I just stay safe for once?"

"As long as you do this job," Tonks smirked, "you will always be at risk. As long as you act the way you do, you will always get hurt." Tonks laughed at him as she said the last part and rubbed his head. "I can handle the injuries as long as you stay alive."

"I only hope I can as well," Harry joked as the healer returned to tend to him.

"Drink these," the healer ordered handing Harry three bottles and vials of varying sizes with different coloured mixtures in them. "The pain should subside in a few minutes and everything should start knitting itself back together. Tell me when you feel your bones starting to itch. That is when I have to cast some spells to make sure everything goes back together properly."

"Sounds fun," Harry said between drinks.

The doors swung open as a body floated through the air ahead of an Unspeakable. "Joslin is down," Robeen yelled. Two other healers ran from the back room and took over directing the body into a bed. There was a flurry of movement and orders as Joslin was cared for. Spells were cast and a few potions were gathered and poured down his throat. Harry watched them work and wondered how many times he had received the same kind of treatment over the years.

Speers spoke to Robeen loud enough for everyone to hear. "The combination of the spells overcame his shield and he collapsed, is that right?"

"Yeah," Robeen said. "That is what happened."

"So the spells went through his shield or were at least affected by it?" Robeen nodded. "Lucky for him that only one of the spells was meant to kill him. If both had been that way, he would have died there. One was a Stunner, albeit a dark Stunner, but the other was some form of the Organ Decay Curse that I haven’t seen before. We should be able to counter the effects in a few days. Give us an hour and I should be able to give you an accurate answer."

"Thank you," Robeen said before stepping back and letting his shoulders fall. He looked around the room after a few minutes. Upon seeing Harry and Tonks, he moved to join them. "You okay, Ceps?"

"I am fine," Harry replied getting a stern look from Tonks. "I am well enough, considering. I will be fine in a little while. I am sorry about Joslin; I should have tried harder."

Robeen laughed lightly before waving away the comment. "Any harder and the building would have collapsed in on us. I could feel your power as you hit the doorway, but that was nothing compared to you attacking Lestrange. Is there some history there that I don’t know about?"

Harry thought for a few seconds before replying. "I want that woman to suffer, but I would accept seeing her in prison."

"I would have guessed you wanted her dead," Robeen offered with a hint of humour to his voice. "Maybe next time, you will get to see her suffer or "in prison" at the end of it all. I know I wouldn’t mind seeing that. You did a wonderful job today. No matter what anyone says or suggests, you earned my respect and that of my team. If I didn’t know for a fact that Thor was straight, I would think he "liked" you or something the way he goes on about you. He values the ability to fight and win above all else. You keep showing us that you can do that."

"Thanks, Robeen," Harry answered. He took a deep breath as a sudden, odd feeling swept through him. "Ah, Chamel, I think that itching thing the healer was talking about is happening. I want it to stop as fast as possible so could you let them know please." Harry felt his magic surge up in response to the uncomfortable feelings racing through his bones. The urge to dig at his skin in an attempt reach his skeleton was nearly overpowering his mental control.

"How are you doing?" The healer asked.

"Make it stop," Harry requested.

The healer slowly waved her wand over Harry as it lit with a soft pink light. She moved methodically and precisely over every inch of Harry’s body. As the wand passed an area, the sensations lessened but didn’t go away completely. On the second pass, Harry felt the weird urges fade away. He sighed in relief and let his head sink into the pillow. "Thank Merlin that is over," Harry mumbled.

"It is as it should be now," the healer said before continuing. "You need to stay off your feet for a day or two. If you must move about, use a cane. The bones are healed but there was some soft tissue damage from the dislocation that needs as neutral a position as possible to heal correctly. Of your options, which do you chose?"

"Bollocks," Harry murmured. "Fine, the cane I guess, but it is under protest."

"Protest all you want as long as you use it," the healer answered. "I am only trying to help you. It will not be me with permanent joint damage in ten years if you disregard my orders. I can hold you here until tomorrow if you like that option better?" The healer smirked at Harry as he weighed his very limited options.

With a disgruntled sigh, Harry held his hand out for the cane. A Summoning spell later, Harry had a polished wooden cane in his hand and a victorious healer standing over his bed. "Glad you saw it my way, Ceps."

"Bully for you," Harry grunted as he tried to swing his feet off the bed. With Tonks’ assistance, Harry managed to stand even though his hip screamed in pain. "How long until the pain goes away?"

"I am surprised you stayed on your feet, actually," the shocked healer said. "Well, here is a pain potion that should get you through the worst of it. Remember to keep your weight off of it as much as possible."

Harry downed the potion and dropped the vial on the vacated bed. "I wish Joslin luck in getting better," Harry told Robeen.

"Luck has nothing to do with it, Ceps," the healer told him.

"All the same," Harry turned and aimed his laboured steps towards the door. Tonks walked with him and offered him support for his other side as he walked. Harry quickly learned how to manage the cane, Tonks, and walking. By the time he reached Marcus’s office, he was going at about half his normal walking speed.

Tonks knocked on the door and it opened revealing Cal, Thor, Gillian, and her team along with Marcus and Horace. They kept talking but each looked at the door in turn. Once Marcus finished hearing what had happened from their sides, he looked to Harry. "I would like to hear what happened in your words, Ceps." Harry gave his account as he took a seat in a vacant chair that seemed to be left open for a reason.

"As long as Joslin makes a full recovery," Horace prompted, "this will be a successful day. I congratulate all three teams on carrying out this important and potentially disastrous mission."

"I second that sentiment," Marcus followed up. "Superb job, all of you."

"I would like Ceps to receive extra acknowledgement for today," Gillian spoke up. "He made the whole thing work. He breeched the wall faster than we expected and he provided assistance when it was needed. Robeen told me that they were only just holding their own against the Death Eaters inside until Ceps arrived. He changed the tide and allowed us to achieve what we did with minimal loses or even the chance at loses. He proved himself to me today."

Harry accepted Gillian’s words but didn’t believe them. The years of his exposure to the Dursleys prevented him from taking the praise to heart. He looked around the room and found everyone looking at him. Horace broke the silence first.

"Injured again, I see. What you won’t do to get out of training." Horace smirked for a second before turning cold again. "Monday for Team Three. Should give Ceps enough time to heal up and get his beauty sleep."

The meeting broke up shortly after Marcus praised all of the teams again for their expert execution in achieving their goals. When Harry and Tonks started back to the team room so they could Apparate home, Horace followed them from a few feet behind. Once they entered the room, Horace closed the door behind them.

"You told us you didn’t have a vendetta to settle with Lestrange," Horace growled. "Today you showed me that you do have one and it could get in the way of our missions. Fortunately, no one was killed because of it, but we may not be so lucky tomorrow or the next time. I suggest you use your time off getting your head squared away and putting this behind you. I do not want you getting yourself killed or your team killed because you want her dead for what she did to someone you cared about. There are others here with bones to pick with that woman. You do not own exclusive rights to hating her."

Harry closed his mouth, tightly, as he stared Horace down. "Noted," Harry forced out not giving away anything. Horace watched him for a few seconds before giving him a sharp nod and left the room.

Tonks ran her hand behind Harry’s back and pulled his hood down. She looked into his eyes and watched the simmering anger settle then lessen. She smiled and kissed him softly. "Well done, Harry. You did brilliantly today. I owe you one bath for two at your request."

"I doubt we will be able to get home and up to our room without someone noticing. We might have to hold off on it until later."

Tonks nibbled on her lip seductively before pressing her body against his. She changed back to her normal appearance letting her breasts grow a little. "Just let me know, Harry." He groaned when Tonks moved away and grabbed his hand. "To home we go."

They Apparated away and reappeared in the foyer. Harry dropped Tonks’ hand and saw her shift back into the Tonks most people saw on a daily basis. Harry walked into the living room leaning heavily on his cane heading for the empty couch and ignoring the gasp from Hermione.

"Harry, what happened?" She demanded as expected.

"What?" Harry asked weakly. "Oh, this. Nothing much. Don’t worry about it. I will be fine by tomorrow. What did you do today?"

Hermione wanted to press the issue, but she saw Harry staring her down telling her to drop it. Huffing, Hermione told him. "I spent the morning reading and the afternoon trying to Apparate with Remus. I have almost got it and I am getting quieter every time."

"She is doing a wonderful job," Remus said watching Harry intently. "She will get it in a few days or less. Care to share your day with us?"

"Not now, Moony," Harry smiled his best mischief-laden smile. "Not now."

************************************

Friday and Saturday were spent with Harry watching and coaching Hermione in her attempts to Apparate and her shield work. Per the doctor’s and Tonks’ orders, Harry spent most of both days sitting in a chair or laying on a couch. On Sunday morning, Hedwig arrived during breakfast with a piece of parchment tied to her leg. Harry untied it and read what was written.

"We have a meeting with the goblins today to review their progress and key the wards to you three," Harry explained. "Hermione will be the only one to have the ability to add people since she is the only magical person in your family. Griphook said they will be finished with the wards tonight and we need to be at your house no later than six."

"We are going home, tonight?" Hermione asked surprised. "I figured it would take a few more days to finish them."

"Don’t you want to go home, honey?" David asked her.

"It is not that I don’t want to go home," Hermione told her parents. "It’s that I want to keep learning and practicing magic. I have learned so much in the last week. I can almost Apparate, and I can do shields that I didn’t even know about before I came here. Not to mention all the other spells I have worked on at night."

"You were supposed to be asleep when we went to bed," Jane scolded her daughter.

"Well," Hermione looked at the floor as she hung her head guiltily. "It is not every day that you get to practice magic like this. A little lost sleep was worth the knowledge." Hermione had raised her head as she spoke and looked more defiant at the end of telling her parents that she had traded sleep for learning magic.

"Nothing new there," Harry joked as he nipped into his pancakes and sausage.

"What do you mean, Harry?" Jane asked.

"Hermione is used to studying instead of sleeping," Harry answered getting a kick in the shins for his loose lips.

Her parents noticed the exchange and sighed as one. "Hermione," David spoke in a defeated way. "You haven’t changed one bit, have you?"

"No, daddy, I have not," Hermione responded holding her head high. "It should be no surprise to either of you."

The Grangers agreed that they weren’t really surprised, but they expressed disapproval in her methods of gaining the knowledge.

************************************

Night came as Harry prepared the portkey back to the Granger’s home. He smirked at Hermione as she watched him intently trying to figure out how to cast the difficult spell. He wiggled his eyebrows at her as he tapped the ring making it glow blue.

"You have to tell me how to do that," Hermione sternly told him.

"But it is against the law to make an unregistered portkey, Hermione," Harry prodded.

"Stuff the law," she uttered before covering her mouth with both hands in shock as she looked to her surprised parents.

Harry looked to Tonks and smirked. "I blame Ron for her attitude towards the law. I am as shocked as anyone at her behaviour." Harry laughed as Hermione recovered enough to smack him in the head.

"Both of you are bad influences on me," she said while laughing herself.

"You allow it to happen, dear," Jane offered joining in the humour of the situation.

"You corrupted the Grangers as well," Tonks mentioned to Harry as she smiled at both parents. "You are a bad boy."

"Going to punish him, Tonks?" Remus asked enjoying Harry’s shock at the suggestion being made.

"In the worst way, Remus," Tonks replied giving Harry a kiss and mussing his hair happily.

"Enough of having a go at me," Harry announced ending the fun at his expense. "Does this place make you childish or something?" Harry asked no one in particular while scanning the living room suspiciously.

"You do, Harry," Tonks answered keeping a straight face.

"Hey!" Harry exclaimed while everyone grabbed a hold of the portkey, and any belonging they had brought along, causing it to take them to the park near Hermione’s house.

They arrived behind some bushes and started the short walk to the home. Harry took the lead checking for any dangers. They arrived at the address and found the house missing.

"My house!" said a shocked Jane.

"I thought it survived the attack," David mentioned looking around for remains.

"It is there, Mr. and Mrs. Granger," called a bodiless voice. Harry spun his wand around looking for the source and saw Griphook appear in front of them holding his hands out for all to see. "I have the list of wards and spells that need setting on the chosen person. Who will it be?"

"Me," Hermione said hesitantly while stepping forward.

"Who will be casting the spells?" Griphook queried.

"If you don’t need any special training or experience," Harry said, "I will do it. Otherwise, Tonks or Remus should do it."

"You simply need to read what is on the parchment, Harry," Griphook smiled.

"If it is alright with you?" Harry asked the Grangers as one.

"That is fine, Harry," Hermione answered for the family.

Harry took the offered parchment and read the words while aiming his wand at Hermione. Smoky white, yellow, and light blue mist was emitted and encircled Hermione while Harry kept reading. As each sentence was completed, a mild burst of light would appear and fade into her. Everyone watched the process with eagerness and in the Grangers’ case a moderate amount of fear.

When he finished, Harry lowered his wand and held the parchment out to Hermione. "You should keep this in case you want to learn about all the wards."

"Ms. Granger," Griphook interrupted. "You must read the bottom portion of the parchment to accept the knowledge you have been granted. On the back are the instructions for permitting others access to your home. The business has the same protections but only muggles can enter without being affected. An emergency portkey has been placed in your office at the business and it will bring you here. The item is described on the parchment."

Hermione read through the document, and her jaw dropped as each protection was listed. The complexities of the wards were staggering as she reviewed the number of them and their incantations. The list was longer than her longest essay for McGonagall. She found the part she had to read and did so. She glowed for a second before returning to normal. "Wow! That was, I don’t know, amazing?"

"As it should be, Ms. Granger," another voice said. Harry saw Ragnok appear before him from out of no where.

"How many more people are going to appear?" Harry asked.

"There are no others" Ragnok answered. "Are there, Ms. Granger?"

"No, there aren’t," Hermione said with a smile. "I can see the house and it looks fine. The new door is different but I like it." Both of her parents wore looks of doubt on their faces. "Oh, let me help you out."

Harry tried to stop her from using magic, but Ragnok interrupted him. "Ms. Granger can do magic outside of the wards if it is related to the wards. It is an old law that is a carry over thanks to the pureblooded families. As a special thanks to you, Harry, we added in a ward to block the Ministry under aged magic sensors."

Hermione jumped in place before she read off the document and waved her wand around each of her parents’ heads in turn. After a couple minutes of recitation, both muggles looked surprised then relaxed.

"It is wonderful," Jane said.

"It is perfect," David added. "Amazing trick."

"I assure you that it is not a trick, Mr. Granger," Ragnok said. "What you saw or didn’t see was the expert application of Gringotts warding skills. Harry tasked us to protect your home, so we did. Ms. Granger must permit every single visitor access to your house now. Without her granting access, no one will be able to see it. Now that myself and Griphook are beyond the ward line, we can not see the house any longer. The activation of all wards was accomplished when Harry read the document and granted Ms. Granger the knowledge."

"It is very technical and confusing if you do not have an intimate understanding of the processes at work," Griphook explained further. "Fortunately, I only had to supervise the project and not execute the warding."

"Now that our business has been concluded," Ragnok continued, "we will be leaving you to your very safe home. Harry, I have this information for you to do with as you please." Ragnok handed Harry a scroll that was sealed and tightly bound.

"Thank you," a confused Harry said as he looked at the scroll before depositing it in his cloak. "And thank you for helping me out with this."

"It was our pleasure, Harry," Ragnok smirked. "Besides, you paid us quite well for our efforts here. Good evening to you all."

Griphook pulled out a galleon and when both goblins touched it, they disappeared instantly. Harry looked around getting a bad feeling. "Perhaps those going inside the house should do so and those not should leave."

Hearing the anxiousness in his voice, Hermione repeated the process she did for her parents to Harry, Tonks, and Remus. Seeing the house sitting safely in its lot, Harry urged everyone onto the lawn. "Right quick, please."

Once they had crossed the boundary and reach the front step, Harry looked at the street and waited. Tonks and Remus joined him as the Grangers stood behind them wondering what was going on. Harry looked for the cause of the unsettling feelings he was getting. A bit a movement down the street caught his eye and drew his full attention as well as his wand.

A figure moved down the street hiding in the shadows cast by the street lights in combination with the old trees. Harry waited, ready with a spell, and watched the figure grow nearer to the home. When he was within thirty feet, Harry saw the glint of something silver sticking out of the man’s cloak.

"Wormtail," Harry growled softly and started to move towards the person who betrayed everyone he could have betrayed just to save his own life. Tonks and Remus were the first to grab onto Harry and hold him back enough to give Hermione a chance to move in front of him.

"Harry," Hermione pleaded. "I know you want to get him, but not now please." Hermione pushed on Harry to back him into the house. The others followed her lead.

"I can catch him," Harry growled keeping his eyes on the advancing traitor.

"He never travels alone, Harry," Remus tried to reason. "Severus has said that at meetings. He doesn’t go anywhere alone."

"He is alone right now," Harry argued never removing his eyes from Wormtail. He fought against the group as they forced him closer to the open front door.

A sharp flash of pain struck Harry in the head dropping him to his knees and nearly upsetting the entire pile of people. Harry seethed against the pain and forced his magic and Occlumency to fight the crippling agony. His vision swam, but Wormtail was clear enough to be seen.

"Harry," Hermione whispered into his ear pointing down the block. "Look."

Harry gained some ground on the pain as Tonks rubbed his neck and back. He saw another figure that seemed to be floating down the street. It paid no heed to the light or darkness as he moved in and out of the shadows without hesitation.

"Wormtail," hissed the voice of everyone’s nightmares. "I fail to see the mudblood’s house as you promised."

Harry had stopped fighting the effort countering him once they stopped pushing him backwards. The entire group stood transfixed as they viewed the Dark Lord in person. Harry regained his footing and stood. In one fluid movement, he pulled Hermione and Tonks behind him. He took one step forward only to be pulled to a stop by Remus.

"The odds are not in our favour, Harry," Remus spoke softly. "We would need Dumbledore here before we could try anything. Please, let it go this time. Think of us. You might survive the fight but we wouldn’t."

Harry stilled in his resistance as the words registered in his mind. Horace’s constant barking about numbers and plans reminded him that his luck could run out at anytime, and his friends may not have enough to survive this time. He watched and waited as did everyone else.

"Masster," stuttered Wormtail. "It was here, I swear. This is the street we attacked before. It has to be here."

"You tipped our hand too early, Wormtail," Voldemort hissed vilely. "I sense magic at work here. So much effort for a few worthless muggles. What a waste of good magic. If Dumbledore wishes to expend his energy to save these, things, then who am I to lessen the number of them. We will add to his never-ending list. The old man will tire soon and then I shall be there to kill him. To squeeze the life from his failing body as those he tries to save watch their leader break. Oh the pleasure of that day will last me a lifetime."

"Ye…yes, Master" Wormtail said trying to hide his failure behind his master’s words of expected victory.

"Your failure has cost me the opportunity to hurt, Potter," Voldemort hissed. "Crucio!"

Wormtail writhed on the sidewalk as Voldemort tortured him. The failing screams and cries caused a smile to spread across the snake-like face of the Dark Lord. The curse was maintained as black cloaked people appeared with various sounds. They circled their leader as he punished one of their own. The cruelest man in the world released the spell and turned to his followers.

"Failure is an option that is no longer tolerated," Voldemort spoke softly causing frissons of fear to run down the spines of those protected by the wards. "I will take great pleasure in slowly killing those who fail me further. We will increase our numbers this week to replace those no longer worthy enough to serve me. To make my point, Crucio." At Voldemort’s command, Wormtail was struck by the Torture Curse again.

Harry could see enjoyment play across the face of his enemy. The screams faded quickly as Peter’s throat and voice gave out from the strain. The curse was held for minutes as the victim twisted upon himself. Harry could not find it in himself to feel pity for the person who sentenced his parents to their deaths, killed Cedric, or brought Voldemort back to life.

Ending the spell, Voldemort looked in the direction of the Grangers house. His eyes slid from one neighboring house to the other without pausing. "Impressive magic at work here. We have exposed ourselves enough for the evening. It has been enjoyable, but not as enjoyable as promised." Voldemort turned his gaze towards the broken man on the ground. "We begin our move next week. The magical world will fear me more than they ever have."

In a swirl of his cloak, Voldemort Apparated away, leaving his followers to follow his actions. Harry let out breath he had been holding in. "Wormtail is still there. We can get him if we are quick."

"No!" Tonks whispered holding Harry in place as movement appeared on the opposite side of the street. A cloaked figure advanced on Wormtail and came to a stop while standing above him.

"Pathetic effort, Pettigrew," said the man barely loud enough to hear.

"I…tried my…best, Severus," Wormtail whimpered.

Harry saw red as he nearly jumped out of the grasp of Remus and Tonks. "Let me get him, both of them." Tonks put her hand over his mouth to stop him from making any additional noise.

"Your constant failures are getting old," Snape sneered. "He will kill you next time."

"I brought him back to us," Wormtail argued weakly. "He knows I am a loyal follower."

"Loyalty only goes so far," Snape answered.

"You know all about that," Peter spoke from the ground as he tried moving his legs. "Don’t you Severus?"

"My loyalty is not in question and neither is my ability to serve. You should remember that before talking about things you do not understand."

"You have failed him lately," Peter pointed out. "Our Lord will kill you too."

"You would do well to keep your mouth shut, Wormtail." Snape pulled out something and dropped it on Wormtail. They both disappeared as one and the street was as empty as it had been minutes earlier.

Harry stopped all resistance and let himself be moved into the house. Once inside, with the doors closed and the windows checked, everyone gathered in the living room to sort out what they had seen. Harry was the first to assimilate the information and spent the remaining time watching the others.

When everyone seemed finished, Harry spoke up. "Thank you for stopping me. I would have risked us all to get Wormtail. I am glad you were there to stop me. At least we seem to be safe here. If Voldemort can’t find us or isn’t even willing to try, that is a good thing."

"That is what he looks like?" Hermione asked and Tonks agreed by nodding her head.

"Yep," Harry answered offhandedly. "Kind of off isn’t he. The missing nose and snake-like face kind of ruin the mystic doesn’t it?"

"How could you stand up to that," Remus asked introspectively. "How could you fight that?"

"Easy," Harry said rubbing his scar which had calmed the second Voldemort left. "I have no choice in the matter. I stand up, I fight, or he will kill me anyway. At least by fighting, I have a chance to win. Running or hiding will only make my suffering last longer."

"What did he do to that man?" David asked hesitantly.

"That was the Cruciatus Curse," Remus explained. "It gets you a life sentence in Azkaban for using it on someone. It hurts a lot."

"You have had it used on you?" Jane asked appalled.

"I haven’t, but I have heard about it," Remus said sadly.

"I have," Tonks answered. "Just once and it hurt more than I can explain."

"Harry has," a tearful Hermione said.

The Grangers gasped at the new bit of information they had learned about Harry. Everyone looked at Harry who sat peacefully on the couch between Tonks and Hermione. "It happens," Harry waved it off. "Been under it a couple times. It hurts, don’t get me wrong, but it isn’t fatal. Some sleep and a warm bath and you feel loads better."

"Master of understatements, isn’t he?" Tonks quipped. "I think it is time to get home."

Harry received extra long hugs from Jane and Hermione, and handshakes from David as Harry, Tonks, and Remus prepared to leave. Harry created a portkey home and smiled at his best friend as they portkeyed away. Appearing at home about an hour and a half after they left, the three looked at each other.

"I owe Harry something," Tonks said coyly. "If you will excuse us, Remus?" The couple made their way up the stairs and into their room closing the door behind them. Tonks pulled Harry into the bathroom and started to draw a bath.

"What do you have in mind, Nymph?" Harry asked quietly.

"I plan to share that bath with you, Harry," Tonks smirked and twitched her eyebrows. "And you will enjoy it."

Clothes were removed and the bath was enjoyed as Tonks and Harry moved as one into it. They rubbed, kissed, and touched each other. Tonks took the controlling position and slid down onto Harry slowly but with determination. She moaned at first before changing to muffled screams as she worked her way towards pleasure. Harry followed closely behind letting his hands roam her soapy body.

They both let out loud, satisfying sounds as they fell into each other and slid deeper into the water leaving only their heads above the surface. Harry ran his hand over her submerged body and played with her breasts a little before kissing her passionately.

"Thank you for thinking for me today, Nymphadora. I could have gotten all of us killed if you hadn’t stopped me."

"We are a team, Harry. I am there to help you when you need it or when you don’t know you need it. I will always be there if you let me."

"Thank you. I mean it." Harry and Tonks kissed each other softly and with as much emotion as they could. It was nearly ten o’clock before two wrinkled bodies crawled into bed and fell asleep in the other’s arms.

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