Chapter 37
That night, Hermione was sitting on the staircase just above the front door, waiting on Harry's rescue party to return empty-handed.
Mrs Weasley had tried to force her to wait in Ron's room with him for Harry to arrive — after the older woman had finally decided to tell her, the twins, Ron, and Ginny that a group was going to pick Harry up that night, after the rescue party had already apparated away — but Hermione had already decided she was going to confront the leaders of the party for not making sure her boyfriend had been safe the past four days, instead of waiting for them to come tell her that they had lost Harry, because she honestly wasn't sure how long she would have to wait if she tried that route. And anyway, there was no way she was going to be forced into a room alone with the fellow fifth year redhead, even if she had decided to pretend she didn't know anything. So as soon as Mrs Weasley had told her and the others that the group was off to pick up Harry, she had immediately gone and planted herself on the stairs above the door to presumably wait on Harry's arrival, and pulled her wand out and pointed it at the redhead when the older woman had tried to make her move. So there she was, sitting there reading the book she'd brought along to pass the time, wondering how long it would be before the rescue party admitted defeat and returned.
She didn't have to wait long though, as she soon heard the bolts and locks clicking open, and the heavy door swung open. The nine witches and wizards of the rescue party stepped through, into the brightly lit entrance hall (Hermione had discovered some highly useful spells in a book in the Black library to increase the light from old-fashioned gas lamps, and with the twins help she had increased the intensity of most of the lights throughout the house to make the place brighter and more friendly and welcoming), as Hermione had refused to sit there in the dark while she was waiting on them.
Once they were all inside and the door was shut behind them once more, Hermione stood up, the creeks of the staircase as she did so causing them all to look up in her direction.
"Not find him?" she asked smugly once all their attentions were on her.
They all looked up at her in surprise, except Tonks, who looked at her shrewdly, like she could tell that the younger girl knew exactly where Harry actually was, and that she had known they weren't going to find him where they'd been looking. At the same time, Mrs Weasley came scurrying up from the kitchens, expecting to be able to pounce on Harry and drag him up to Ron's room and lock them in together.
"How could you—?" began Lupin, before Hermione cut him off.
"Because of course I know where my boyfriend is," she said haughtily. "And I've known he was missing from his relatives' house since thirty minutes after he left there, something you clearly didn't bother to check on in the four days since he was attacked and nearly killed — or kissed, I suppose.
"But we've been securely communicating ever since he was attacked, and so I also know that he is secure and well protected, and far happier than he will be here, with the exception of me not being there with him. Which means if you want to know where he is to bring him here, you have to tell me, and him, everything that's going on. I want us in on all of the meetings, since Harry's done far more to stop Voldemort over the past four years than all of you combined, defeating him three times since we started school, including out-dueling him a month ago, something I think only Dumbledore can claim he's ever matched. And Sirius would have been kissed by a hundred dementors thanks Snape if it hadn't been for Harry. So Harry deserves to know what's going on more than any of you, and I'd rather hear it first-hand than from Harry as soon he leaves the meetings. And Mrs Weasley's opinion over there be screwed, she's neither Harry's nor my legal guardian — if anyone is for Harry it's Sirius, and obviously my parents for me.
"And if you don't agree to my terms, Harry is more than capable of getting to his hearing and then the train platform by himself. And as for the Ministry hearing, you're going through all this trouble to get him here safely, without any of Voldemort's Death Eaters capturing or killing him on the way here, once he is here, and I'm sure on the way to the hearing as well, which means you have some kind of plan to guarantee he is rightfully declared not guilty and therefore returning to Hogwarts on September first, where you clearly want him. So I'm not worried about that even if he doesn't come here before the trial, because I know you won't leave him completely on his own at the trial out of spite to me for not telling you where he is — he's too important to you for that.
"So if you want his location to bring him here, promise me he and I will be allowed in all meetings from now until we go back to school on September first, and caught up on everything that has occurred and everything the Order's done to wage war on Voldemort and his Death Eaters since that fateful night in June when Harry brought back the report that he'd seen Voldemort regain a body with his own two eyes and defeated him in a duel to be able to bring that news and Cedric's dead body back to you."
"Absolutely not, young woman!" exclaimed the Matriarch from where she was lurking in the corner listening, since there was no Harry there for her to boss around like she'd been promised. "You are too young!"
At the same time Kingsley's deep voice said, "Ma'am — this is a matter of great urgency! Harry's safety cannot be left up to chance. You must tell us where he is!"
"Urgency?" scoffed Hermione scornfully. "You don't get to talk to me about urgency. It's been four days since he was attacked. You didn't check on his safety once in all that time, let alone bring him here. You left him at his abusive relatives' house for four entire days without even sending him a letter of encouragement and reassuring him that he did nothing wrong, and to hold in there and continue being brave until the best time for a rescue, and maybe send him some food along with since he's usually starved by his relatives, something I'm guessing you never bothered to find out either in the fourteen years he's been forced to live there. And yet you want to stand there and lecture me on urgency? I don't think so. And as far as his safety being left to chance goes, I honestly have more faith in his current safety than I would if he was here, given the fact that where he is now no one besides myself knows, and he wouldn't have to move at all, reducing the chance of him getting grabbed in transit."
Out of all the adults standing there in the hallway, only Lupin was beginning to guess where Harry probably was, being the only one of the present company to have ever been to Potter Manor. Sirius had as well, of course, having lived there after getting kicked out of this very house they were all currently standing in when his parents disowned him, but he wasn't with the group in the hallway at the moment, instead in the kitchen with some of the other members of the Order preparing for the night's meeting. But Lupin knew that if his guess was correct, not only was Harry just as safe or safer where he was than he would be at Grimmauld Place, but also that Harry and Hermione knew a lot more about Harry and his family and legacy than Dumbledore wanted Harry to know, or at least know at the moment — Dumbledore was very tight-lipped about whatever his plan was, and when he'd start letting Harry know things important to his life.
"If he's so secure, then why aren't you there?" shouted the Matriarch at Hermione, like she thought she had the muggleborn trapped.
"Because you won't let me out of this bloody house!" retorted Hermione, turning to glare at the redhead. "Else I damn well would be! While this place is actually halfway reasonable now thanks to my insistence on using magic to clean and de-dark artifact it, instead of doing it muggly like you kept trying to make us, this place is still nowhere near as nice as either my own home with my loving parents that you kidnapped me from, or the place Harry is living at right now — hell, I'd rather rent a room from the Leaky Cauldron and be able to visit Diagon Alley every day than live here, when it comes to it. Because I've been forced to clean like a slave the entire time I've been here against my will, and if you had had your way it would have been all muggle cleaning that would have taken the entire rest of the summer and we still wouldn't have been finished, despite the fact we're all bloody wizards here! And all for getting absolutely no information about the war against Voldemort in return!
"Now admittedly, like I said, I put my foot down on the muggle cleaning and insisted upon using magic, but the point still stands that you tried to make us all bloody clean a magical house like muggles despite knowing bloody well that the Trace can't be used here since there are adults around. Which means at best, it was an ill-advised stalling tactic, intended to keep us busy all summer so we would have no free time to get in trouble or something, while at its possible worst you were intentionally trying to hold us back in our learning and schooling by not giving us time to do our homework and practice magic before we go back to school in September.
"But all that aside, to answer your original question, if you'll let me just pop out for a leisurely stroll with my trunk tomorrow morning, I'll gladly be gone and with my boyfriend by nightfall."
She glared at the Matriarch defiantly for several seconds, before shifting her gaze to the rest of the witches and wizards there, to see if any of them would let her do exactly that.
Tonks looked like she wanted to squeal in excitement at Hermione standing up to all of the adults, but the rest of the crowd there looked much less pleased.
Finally, Lupin said, "Mad-Eye, Kingsley — if I could have a word in private with both of you?"
Mrs Weasley tried to follow the three of them, but Lupin refused to allow her to enter the drawing room Mad-Eye and Kingsley had entered, and threw up an Imperturbable Charm on the door as soon as he closed it behind him so she couldn't eavesdrop.
Turning to Mad-Eye and Kingsley, he said, "If we pretend to give her what she wants, but insist on one of us accompanying her for her protection, we can find out where she goes, and we'll know where Harry is. At which point we can determine the level of his security, and decide then whether or not to send a party tomorrow night to bring him here. She isn't going to tell us where Harry is, but she'll have no choice but to lead us to him."
"She's clearly a smart girl — Are you sure she'll fall for that?" asked Kingsley.
"It all comes down to whether she cares more about being with Harry than not revealing his location to us," answered Lupin.
"You taught her for a year — said she was the only one to ever figure out you were a werewolf. Do you really believe she won't be able to figure out a way to get to him without letting us know?" growled Mad-Eye.
"No, but if we want even a chance at figuring out where Harry is, I don't see any other choice, do you?" answered Lupin. "Miss Granger believes he's safe, and there's no threat or promise in the universe that can change her mind when she's positive she's right. And on that point, when she thinks she's right, at least to this extent, she usually is."
"Alright, then," said Kingsley gravely. "We try your plan and hope we get a lucky break. And if we don't, we're in no worse position than we are now."
Returning to the hallway outside where only Hermione and Mrs Weasley remained waiting, though about as far apart as they could possibly be and still be considered in the same general area, Mrs Weasley glaring at Hermione as Hermione sat calmly on the stairs reading her book again, Lupin cleared his throat to get Hermione's attention.
"Hermione, we have agreed to your request on one condition. You must allow one of us to go with you as security."
"Fine. But I'll only go with Tonks, who is after all, an active, qualified auror," replied Hermione.
At the exact same time, the Matriarch had shrieked, "Absolutely not! I completely forbid it!", but no one was paying her any attention any more.
Lupin sighed, glancing over at Mad-Eye and Kingsley, but he knew they didn't have a choice. It was rather doubtful that Tonks would tell them where Harry was, as in the few weeks since she'd met Hermione it seemed to him at least like her loyalties had probably switched to Hermione and Harry over the Order, but once again they really didn't have a choice. Anyway, he knew they could always have someone secretly following Hermione and Tonks, and still possibly get the information they needed.
"Deal," growled Mad-Eye, before Lupin could say it himself.
Hermione gave them a curt nod, before saying, "Then I will be ready to leave at eight o'clock tomorrow morning. I'll let Harry know to be expecting Tonks and I, and I'm off to bed."
And with that she turned and swept off up the stairs, leaving Lupin, Mad-Eye, Kingsley, and a fuming Mrs Weasley standing in the hallway. As soon as she was gone, Mrs Weasley opened her mouth to start yelling, but Mad-Eye cut her off.
"We have a plan to follow her and find out where Harry is staying, so we can bring him back here," he growled. "Harry will be safe in your care tomorrow night if the plan goes without a hitch."
He of course failed to mention that none of the three of them expected the plan to be anything but hitches, but that was something for tomorrow's Mad-Eye, Lupin, and Kingsley to inform her about. In the meantime, there was an Order meeting to get to, and a report from Snape to hear.
Hermione, meanwhile, had immediately gone up to her room, to house elf Harry about her upcoming change of dwelling. She jotted down a quick note saying she had been granted permission to join him, so she and Tonks would be arriving by house elf soon after eight o'clock the following morning, if he wanted to meet them when they arrived. After sending it off to Harry with the normal mail-delivery house elf who'd taken most of their letters back and forth for them over the previous four days, Hermione walked over next door to Tonks' room and planted herself on the older girl's bed, so she could tell her the plan when the older girl got back up there after the meeting and supper.
Down in the kitchen, as soon as Mad-Eye, Lupin, and Kingsley walked in, Sirius hurried over to them.
"The others won't say anything about the mission — Is Harry okay, did you get him?" he asked anxiously.
Mad-Eye led them off to the corner so no one would overhear, but it was Lupin who actually answered. "We're pretty sure Harry's fine, but things didn't go as planned. Hermione insists she knows where Harry is, and that he's completely safe, but all we know for sure is that he isn't at his relatives' house anymore. And Hermione won't tell us where he is, but we came to an arrangement that she will take Tonks with her to wherever Harry is tomorrow morning, and we'll have some people tailing them, as I don't trust Tonks to tell us where he is once she finds out, either. Though given the fact it is Hermione we're talking about, Mad-Eye and I have our doubts she'll be so easily duped, and has a plan of her own."
Sirius nodded his understanding, but as they began moving back towards the table, he held Lupin back for a second.
"Are you thinking what I'm thinking?" he asked under his breath.
"I think so — and if it's true, then Harry is safe," answered Lupin with a nod.
"Dumbledore won't be happy, though," said Sirius.
"We've already nearly had our ears shouted off by Mrs Weasley, and only avoided it by promising her that if everything goes perfectly, she'll still have Harry by tomorrow night," replied Lupin. "Dumbledore can't be any worse. Though all the same, I wouldrather not be in the room when whoever has to tell him does so."
Chapter 38
Once the meeting was over, Mrs Weasley stalked out of the kitchen to head upstairs to tell her children and Hermione that it was time to eat.
As soon as she opened the kitchen door, she nearly tripped over a pile of dungbombs, something she'd noticed kept showing up outside doors the Order was having meetings behind — she was going to have to have a word with Sirius about Kreacher trying to break all the Order members' necks by tripping them up with the hard, round balls under their feet. Arriving at the first floor, she found Ginny leaning casually against the railing, her hands yet again filthy despite the fact she hadn't had them cleaning since several hours before, another odd occurrence that seemed to keep happening.
"The meetings over, you can come down and have dinner now," she told her perfect daughter. "And Ginny, your hands are filthy, what have you been doing? Go and wash them before dinner, please."
Then she turned and continued up the stairs. Entering Ron and Harry's room a floor above, she repeated to her youngest son, "The meetings over, you can come down and have dinner now."
But as she turned to leave, Ron asked, "Where's Harry? You said he was coming tonight!"
"Tonight ended up not being the best opportunity — they're planning on trying again tomorrow night," she replied dismissively, before disappearing out of the room before Ron could ask her any more questions. The last thing she wanted to do was admit to anyone that they didn't actually know where Harry was, and that Hermione was leaving to join him wherever he was, even if she knew they would both be back at Grimmauld Place in her warm, motherly embrace by the following night.
On the third floor, she found the twins casually leaning against the railing looking down over the entrance hall where several Order members were leaving, and told them it was time for supper as well, the oddity that they were standing in almost exactly the same position as Ginny two floors below completely going over her head.
Arriving on the fourth floor — where she'd finally discovered Hermione had made her room right next to the room of eccentric auror who couldn't keep her hair in order, after having refused to share her perfect daughter's room on the first floor — she walked down the hall that the back of her mind grudgingly had to admit looked far nicer and more inviting than even the rest of the rooms that had been cleaned by magic, and knocked on the muggleborn's door. But as much as she knocked and tried to twist the knob (maybe even after casting a few very minor spells at it), the door remained firmly shut and locked, and Hermione never responded to anything she called through the door about supper being ready and that she could come back down now. Eventually, she gave up and headed back down to the kitchen, having supper to finish preparing for everyone.
As it was, Hermione never joined them for supper down in the kitchen that night. Wanting to avoid all of the adults until the very last minute the following morning, Hermione had called another one of Harry's house elves to bring her supper from Potter Manor, and she ate a delightful meal in peace in Tonks' room, without having to worry about anyone trying to ask her where Harry was.
Eventually, supper downstairs came to an end and everyone dissipated to their rooms or houses if they weren't staying at Grimmauld Place, and Tonks opened the door to her room, raising an eyebrow as she saw the bookworm sitting on her bed reading.
"Missed you at dinner," she said, walking over and sitting down next to the bushy-haired bookworm, who'd set her book down upon hearing Tonks open the door. "Kingsley told me I'm going with you tomorrow morning when you go to Harry's."
After a pause in which Hermione merely nodded, she added, "They're expecting me to tell them where you go, you know."
"No they're not," replied Hermione, shaking her head. "They might have asked you to tell them, I wouldn't know, but they don't actually expect you to tell them anything. They know I wouldn't have asked for you to be the security to go with me if I thought you'd snitch. My guess is they'll have someone tailing us to try to learn where Harry is since they don't expect you to actually tell them, but I already have a plan for that."
"And what makes you think I won't rat?" asked Tonks as she stretched out on her back next to Hermione. "I am an Order member, after all."
"Because you know me, and trust my opinion that if I say Harry's safe where he is, he's safe where he is," answered Hermione. "Because you could barely contain yourself when I told the adults off for never checking on Harry. And because I'm offering you the chance to stay with Harry and I for the rest of the summer instead of in this still depressing despite my best attempts place, and a bunch of gold if you need the extra incentive."
"Does Harry know you're offering all of this?" chuckled Tonks, looking up the bed at Hermione with a smirk. "Because while I've come to understand that your parents' profession makes quite a bit of money in the muggle world, that of course could be transferred over into the magical world, the lodgings you're offering definitely aren't yours, and I've a pretty good guess the gold isn't either."
"You know, that actually would have been a great idea now that you mention it," said Hermione thoughtfully. "Harry could have run to my parents house and no one, Order or Death Eater and Voldemort, would think to look for him there. But no, nothing I'm offering you is mine, and no, I haven't asked Harry, but I know my boyfriend, and I know he would gladly give you more than what I've said just because I've told him how much of friends you and I have become, and he trusts and would want to help anyone I've deemed trustworthy."
"I do have a job, and would like to keep up with what's going on in the Order, you know," replied Tonks.
"Getting to your job will be easier than here because you can apparate from inside instead of having to step outside to do so," answered Hermione. "And as for the Order, I seriously doubt they'll try to kick you out if you only show up for meetings, like Snape, Dumbledore, Professor McGonagall, and a whole long list of others. Your only problem is going to be them constantly bugging you about where you, Harry, and I are, which I don't know anything to do about."
"They'll do that even if I just go with you the once tomorrow morning," replied Tonks with sigh. "The fact I live with you and Harry won't increase or decrease the amount they will try to get me to tell where you guys are."
"Well, you can decide when we get there tomorrow if you want to live with us or return this room back here," said Hermione. "But as for the plan tomorrow, it's to not show up downstairs until right before eight o'clock to avoid as many people as we can, and then once we're outside, follow my lead and we'll be at Harry's place in no time without any Order members with us. And Harry will have breakfast waiting for us, so you don't have to worry about that."
Chapter 39
The following morning, Hermione and Tonks walked down the stairs together to the main entrance hall, two minutes before the grandfather clock that had shot bolts at anyone who walked by before they'd fixed it a week after Hermione had arrived, tolled eight times.
As planned, they had skipped breakfast to avoid having to spend any more time than absolutely necessary around any of the adults of Grimmauld Place, knowing they would be able to eat once they got to Potter Manor. Hermione had considered having one of Harry's house elves go ahead and take her trunk over to Potter Manor as well so she wouldn't have to roll it down the Grimmauld Place sidewalk with her, but she thought it might look suspicious that she didn't have her trunk with her, and someone might begin to have an idea of how she would be traveling, which could lead to an increased chance in someone guessing where Harry might be, something she wanted to avoid as best she could. So she floated her trunk down the stairs next to her, letting it land with a soft thud on the floor when they reached the entrance hall and the door to freedom.
Unsurprisingly, the Matriarch was there lying in wait on them, glaring at both Hermione and Tonks as they walked down the stairs. Lupin and Sirius were also there, looking much less like they might explode like a volcano at any moment.
"Stay safe, and Tonks, we'll be expecting a message from you letting us know you've made it safely as soon as you do arrive," said Lupin, giving Hermione a hug.
"Don't do anything I would, and tell Harry hi for me," added Sirius as he hugged her as well.
Then they undid the locks to the door, and Hermione and Tonks stepped out into the morning sunshine, the first time Hermione had been allowed outside since she'd been taken there weeks before.
As the two of them walked off down the street, Tonks muttered under her breath, "Hestia Jones in the park across from us, and Sturgis Podmore at the street corner ahead of us."
"Keeping walking, we'll get several streets away before we duck into an alleyway for our ride," muttered Hermione back.
They had been walking for about five minutes, when Hermione spotted an upcoming alleyway that she thought looked like it would work well, and slightly slowed their pace as she thought in her mind, Plinky, Tonks and I need a quick apparation to Potter Manor without being seen by the wizards tailing us, because I don't want them to know house elves are involved, at least not for sure. We're about to come up to an alleyway, please be waiting there for us, and as soon as we duck in we'll grab your hands and you take us out.
Trusting that the house elf had heard her, when they got up to the alley, Hermione grabbed Tonks' hand and quickly pulled the older girl into the alley, where they found Plinky waiting for them as Hermione had hoped. Hermione and Tonks each grabbed one of Plinky's outstretched hands, Hermione's other hand holding onto her trunk so it would come along for the ride as well, and a second later they were twisted into darkness.
Seeing their targets disappear around the corner into the alleyway, Hestia and Sturgis sprinted down the street to get an eye on them again as quickly as possible, but when they rounded the corner and could see down the alley, there was no one there despite it being a dead end.
"Think Tonks side-by apparated them?" asked Hestia.
"Don't know what else could have happened," replied Sturgis, as they both reluctantly turned and headed back towards Number Twelve to report that they'd lost the targets.
~HP~
Meanwhile, across the country, Hermione and Tonks landed in the entrance hall of Potter Manor.
Harry was standing there waiting for them, and as soon as they saw each other, he and Hermione rushed towards each other, hugging tightly and kissing.
"I've missed you so much," breathed Harry when they broke apart.
"Me too, Harry," whispered Hermione back, cupping his cheek in her hand. "It's been a really long three weeks without you."
So before they could start kissing again, and probably making out, Tonks cleared her throat where she stood on the other side of the room watching them and asked, "So where is this place? Oh, and by the way Harry, I'm Tonks, your godcousin. And your girlfriend offered to let me stay here for the rest of the summer — just thought you should know."
Finally letting Hermione go, Harry walked over to Tonks, saying, "Pleased to finally meet you. Hermione's told me all about you in our letters over the past few weeks. And this is Potter Manor, one of the several houses the goblins told me I own, and of course you're more than welcome to stay. Hermione and I would be delighted to have you here with us."
He held out his hand for her to shake, but she surprised him and closed the small gap between them instead, hugging him tightly.
When she let go and stepped back, Harry said, "Hermione told me you two were planning on skipping breakfast at Grimmauld this morning, so if you'd like to follow me, we can head to the kitchen for something to eat. And Hermione, a house elf will take your trunk to your room for you, and Tonks, you can send a house elf to Grimmauld, or anywhere else, to get your clothes and stuff."
As they were eating breakfast a little while later, Tonks looked over at Harry and said, "I've been wondering, since you've always had a full vault since you learned you were a wizard, and now you have all this, what did you do with your Triwizard winnings from last year?"
"At Hermione's suggestion, actually, I gave it to the twins to start their joke shop," answered Harry.
"All of it?" asked Tonks in surprise. "That was a lot of money."
Harry knew better than to ever let Ron hear what he was about to say, but he knew Tonks would understand how low his wealth was on the list of things that really mattered to him.
"It was a lot, but initially I felt too guilty about Cedric's death to want to keep it, but when I tried to give it to the Diggorys, they refused to take it, saying it was mine and that I had earned it. Then on the train ride back, the twins were telling Hermione and I about how Bagman had screwed them over on the bet they'd made on the World Cup since he was in trouble of his own with the goblins, and how they'd lost all their earnings because of it all, and Hermione had the brilliant idea of giving them the TriWizard gold since I didn't want it anyway.
"Because as bad as this is going to sound, it was pocket change compared to what's already in my school vault in Gringotts. And certainly never tell Ron that, as he would only be even more jealous of me than he already is with the wealth and fame he already knows I have, but it's true. I didn't have any particular use for a thousand galleons, and as much as the Weasley family could use that money — especially after spending nearly all of the seven hundred galleons they won two years ago on a trip to Egypt instead of on things like clothes, wands that chose the wizard for all their kids and not just Ron since his was broken, and schoolbooks, or saving it to have when they needed it — Mrs Weasley certainly would never accept it, and even if Mr Weasley was willing to accept it against his wife's preference, he'd have a hard time explaining how a thousand galleons suddenly showed up in their vault, so I'm sure he wouldn't have accepted it either, and anyway I had no way to ask. But what the twins are trying to do, even if Mrs Weasley disapproves, or maybe because she disapproves, is worth something. If they can use the money to make the world a little brighter, bring a few laughs into what's doubtlessly going to be dark times ahead, it's worth whatever amount of money."
Tonks chuckled lightly, shaking her head at him. "That was really kind of you — both of you," she said, reaching over and resting her hand lightly on Harry's arm. But after a second, she turned more serious, and asked slowly, "So just how much do you have in your vault? — If you don't mind me asking."
"A little over sixty-thousand galleons in the school vault alone," answered Harry. "The amount in the main family vault is only a little more since no one can actually use that much gold at one time anyway, but there's supposedly well over a hundred-thousand galleons worth of things like jewels, jewelry, and other artifacts in there as well — I can't actually visit it until I'm seventeen, so I haven't seen it myself yet. And then there's a massive amount of business, land, and house holdings in Potter Estate as well, that's worth way beyond that."
"Kind of makes me wish I was the one who'll be marrying you instead of Hermione," smirked Tonks with a slight shake of her head. "That, and of course the fact you're really cute and I'm pretty sure I've got a crush on you just from talking with your girlfriend about you over the past few weeks, even without having ever met you yet."
"Oh, Hermione and I aren't engaged!" exclaimed Harry, but Tonks cut him off.
"Oh, please. You two are clearly meant for each other," she waved off dismissively. "It's only a matter of time before you're together forever. I mean, you can't even go three weeks without seeing each other without practically making out as soon as you see each other again, and I'm pretty sure the only reason you didn't is because I interrupted you before you could get started."
Harry and Hermione both blushed at this, but couldn't deny her statement so they didn't say anything at all.
But after a second, Harry did say, "You know, if you do need any money —"
Tonks quickly cut him off. "Oh, no! No, I don't need anything! I mean, I don't have this opulent lifestyle except for the last remaining weeks of summer, but I'm far from lacking anything. My mum may have been disowned by the Blacks and not have access to any of that wealth, but she and dad are what I guess would be considered upper middle-class in the wizarding world, and while being an auror isn't the highest paying job of all time, I don't need anything more than I have."
She paused for a second, with a slightly contemplative look, before smirking, "Although, if you absolutely insisted on paying something for having personal auror private security for these few weeks, I wouldn't say no to a Firebolt — my Comet 260's starting to get outrun by all the newer brooms on the market."
"Absolutely!" smiled Harry. "Anyway, I need people to practice Quidditch with in the backyard over the remainder of the summer before Hermione and I go back, especially since I can't practice magic here because of the Trace — and I can't have any of my training partners on subpar brooms trying to keep up with my Firebolt."
"Actually — you can use magic here now," replied Tonks. "At least, whenever I'm here. I'm an of-age witch, which means as long as I'm in the house, the Trace won't work. But I still want to play Quidditch with you guys, and do all the flying I can."
~HP~
Once they had finished breakfast and talking, Harry led them both to the wing of the manor his bedroom was on, for them to pick out their own bedrooms. But first, he showed them his own bedroom he'd been sleeping in so they'd know where he was in comparison to all the other rooms.
Tonks had just stepped in to take a look around, when she pointed at a trunk sitting next to one of the dressers and said, "Um, Hermione? Isn't that your trunk?"
Hermione stepped into the room as well, and replied, "Sure looks like it," before turning to look at Harry with a raised eyebrow.
Harry threw up his hands in defense. "I didn't do it, or tell a house elf to do it."
"You did say a house elf would take her trunk to her room, though, when we first got here," smirked Tonks.
"Yeah, but I thought it would be taken to one of the rooms on either side of this one, and Hermione could move it elsewhere if she preferred a different room," defended Harry. "I didn't expect the house elf to bring it in here."
"It's fine, Harry," said Hermione walking over and resting her hand on his upper arm. "And if you're okay with it, and Tonks over there promises not to tease us too much if we do it, I'm okay with staying in here — but only if you're okay with it, too."
"I certainly enjoyed our two nights in the hospital wing after the third task," replied Harry. "So if you're sure…."
"I am," answered Hermione with a soft smile, leaning up to peck him on the lips.
"And I in no way whatsoever promise not to tease you two to no end," interjected Tonks from the other side of the room where she'd taken to exploring while they had their brief moment before she interrupted it.
"And here I thought you wanted a Firebolt from me," Harry retorted playfully, rolling his eyes at her.
"You're too nice to back out now," smirked Tonks in reply, walking back over to them and running her hand through Harry's slightly less woolly hair than it had been most of the year before, before playfully pouting, "You wouldn't deny a cute girl her gift, now would you?"
"You better be glad my girlfriend likes you," sighed Harry, shaking his head in mock exasperation. "Now come on, you need to pick out a room as well, and it's definitely not this one."
"Aww, but you look so cuddleable," teased Tonks as she led them out of the room.
She eventually found a room she liked — the one directly across from Harry and Hermione's to no one's surprise — and Harry and Hermione left her alone in there to tell one of the house elves where to go get her clothes from. Or more specifically, to go get her already packed trunk from Grimmauld Place, as even though she hadn't told Hermione about it, she had already packed her trunk since Hermione had promised her that Harry would be happy to have her stay.
~HP~
After a scrumptious lunch provided by Harry's house elves, Harry, Hermione, and Tonks had another one of his house elves apparate them to Diagon Alley.
Their first stop was at Quality Quidditch Supplies to buy Tonks and Hermione Firebolts. Hermione had insisted she didn't need a broom that fancy, or even a broom at all as she didn't really like flying, but Harry had insisted, promising her that she would like flying a lot better once she tried out a broom that wasn't a beat up school broom, and that even with a Firebolt she still didn't have to fly if she didn't want to, and anyway it was also kind of a backup to his own broom should it ever have an unfortunate encounter with a Willow of the Whomping variety like his Nimbus 2000 had. So Hermione grudgingly excepted it with minimal token complaining, and they headed over to Flourish and Blotts immediately afterward for her to load up on things more to her liking.
As none of them had any further shopping they needed to do in Diagon Alley that day, they soon headed back home, so Tonks and Hermione could try out their new brooms.
Tonks was of course quickly zooming all over the spacious grounds of Potter Manor, testing out the limits of the nicest, fastest broom she'd ever had the privilege of flying. Hermione, however, was much more reserved. But after flying for just a few minutes, she flew up next to where Harry was just sitting on his broom in midair watching both of the girls.
"I have to admit — this is much more enjoyable than it was in class first year," she said as she came to a stop next to him. "Still not my favorite thing in the world, but really not bad on a broom this nice."
"You can always just use it to fly up into the air to read," Harry smiled back. "But seriously, glad you like it. Flying's a lot of fun when you get used to it."
They continued to fly around for several more hours, Hermione even daring to begin pushing her boundaries after a while, until dusk was soon falling around them.
Harry and Hermione had just landed on the back porch of the Manor and were sharing a kiss, when Tonks flew up as well.
"I would kiss you thanks as well, Harry, but I figure your girlfriend wouldn't appreciate it," smirked Tonks as she landed next to them. "So instead I'll just have to give you a much more mundane hug."
Which she promptly did. After she had done so, the three of them headed back inside for supper, the end of the best day any of them had had in a while.