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Chapter 8

Harry gave a weak smile at Bellatrix's answer and nodded. He suddenly realized that the silence was getting awkward and gently pulled his hand out from under hers.

"Well, I guess maybe we should go to bed and discuss this more in the morning." he said quietly, gazing into her eyes. Their deep, electric purple seemed to captivate him and he couldn't tear his own eyes away. Bellatrix suddenly broke the stare by lowering her head and nodding.

"I understand. After all, it's hard to think about being with someone so much older than you." she whispered. Harry's eyes widened and he immediately grabbed her hand again.

"No... that's not it! I don't care about that." he insisted. Bellatrix gave a slight grin, but he could tell that she didn't believe him.

"It is getting late, isn't it?" she sighed, slowly standing up and putting her novel back on one of the many shelves lining the walls. "Goodnight, Harry." she said.

"Goodnight." Harry replied, kissing her again before she left the study to go up to her room. Harry leaned back and sighed.

His head was spinning. This was the first time he had felt such strong feelings for another person. Cho Chang didn't even register on his radar compared to this. He had told Bellatrix that her age didn't matter to him and it was true, yet Harry couldn't shake the feeling that she didn't believe him, which made his heart ache. Harry was also confused. Would this lead to something more between them? He hoped so, but he knew that if they were to be together, it would cause terrible complications, especially with Tonks. She would be furious. She's still convinced that Bellatrix is evil, and Tonks was his friend. He didn't want to make her angry, either. After all, she was already under a lot of stress lately. His thoughts turned back to Bellatrix, and he tried to recapture that lingering feeling of adrenaline and happiness when he had kissed her. He decided that he would try and see if she wanted a relationship with him. These feelings were too strong to ignore and he had a feeling that he would live to regret it if he did.

Looking down at his watch, he saw that it was almost midnight. A soft tap showed him that Tonks was still at work and Dumbledore was at Hogwarts. Frowning, he wondered why Tonks would be working so late into the night and if Dumbledore had any idea of their agreement. He got up from his seat, stretched and headed off to his own room for the night, wondering what the next morning would bring.

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Sighing, Tonks rubbed her eyes and tried to focus on her paperwork, but it was impossible. She was exhausted and hadn't slept in forty-two hours. Her encounter with Dumbledore had shaken her and her work was the only place she felt safe right now. Kingsley Shacklebolt walked into her small office, and frowned at Tonks' unnerved demeaner.
"Tonks, go home and get some sleep." he advised. "You look like you need a break."

"I'm fine, Kingsley. Don't worry about me." Tonks replied, sighing heavily, massaging her temples with her index fingers. Kingsley raised an eyebrow unconvincingly.

"Are you sure you're alright? You look shaken. Did something happen to you?" he asked kindly. Tonks slammed her paperwork down on her desk and gave Shacklebolt a menacing stare.

"I said I'm fine!" she snapped. "Can you let me get back to my work or are you just going to stand there, distracting me?" Kingsley frowned and shook his head before walking out of the room, leaving Tonks even more agitated and distressed than before.

As Shacklebolt exited the office, Tonks put her head down on the desk, using her arms as a cushion and sighed heavily. She really was exhausted. Tonks yawned and closed her eyes for a short rest...

"Ms. Tonks!" Rufus Scrimguar, Head of the Auror Department shouted brusquely. Tonks was snapped out of her sleep immediately and jolted to attention.

"Y-Yes, sir?" she said, trying and failing to sound professional, seeing as how she had just been caught sleeping at her desk.

"I will not tolerate laziness! It's only 8:30 in the morning and you're already slacking off. Your shift starts in a half-hour! You are an Auror! Act like one!" he shouted before stalking out of the office.

"Yes, sir!" Tonks replied obediantly. She didn't bother to point out that she had worked late into the night and that was why she had fallen asleep. She knew excuses would only aggravate her superiors more. The second he was out of earshot, Tonks kicked the wastepaper bin by her chair, sending it careening into the wall, spilling the crumpled pieces of parchment inside. "Dammit!" she swore. She had slept here all night. She grabbed her purse and left the Ministry. Before she started her shift, she had to see Harry.

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"Dobby, could you do me a favour please?" Harry asked the house-elf when he went downstairs the next morning.
"Of course. Anything for Harry Potter." Dobby beamed, pausing his sweeping for a moment to listen to Harry's instructions.

"Thanks Dobby. Bellatrix is still asleep, so could you bring a breakfast tray up to her room for her?" Dobby gave Harry a quizzical look, but nodded all the same.

"It would be my pleasure, Harry Potter." he squeaked, bounding to the pantry to start breakfast right away. Harry went to the cemetary while waiting for Dobby to finish breakfast. It was now early December, with Christmas fast approaching. Three feet of snow covered nearly everything in sight, with more flakes falling from the sky. A fierce wind bit through Harry's cloak as it swished around his ankles in protest. He kneeled in front of Sirius' memoriam and reverantly placed one of Hedwig's feathers in one of the crevices in the stone so the wind wouldn't blow it away.

"I don't know if you can hear me where you are, but I need to talk to you anyway." he whispered to his dead godfather. "I don't know how you knew Bellatrix was innocent and I don't think I'll ever know, but a part of me thanks you for shattering her marriage contract." Harry sighed, absent-mindedly digging a small hole in the snow with his gloved thumb, and continued. "I really care about her. It's so strange, because a year ago, I would have killed her on sight, but now..." Harry paused for a moment, unsure of how to finish his sentence. "Now, after finding out about the contract and living with her for all these months, it's almost as if it was meant to happen, you know?" Suddenly, Harry realized that he could no longer feel his toes and stood up, shaking the snow from his hair. With one last look at his godfather's memoriam, Harry turned around and walked back towards the mansion.

When he got inside, Dobby was waiting for him in the foyer to take Harry's cloak for him. "Dobby, I know you like helping me and everything, but you're my friend, not my slave." Harry reminded him. Dobby's eyes filled with tears, but he blinked them back and shook his head before taking Harry's winter clothes and hanging them up neatly.

"Ah, Harry Potter is too kind to poor Dobby. Dobby enjoys serving such a kind master." he bowed politely. Harry knew it was no use trying to protest, so he just nodded and went upstairs to see Bellatrix. He nervously tried to flatten his unruly hair and knocked softly on her bedroom door.

"It's open, Harry." he heard Bellatrix say. He eased the heavy oak door open to see Bellatrix still lying in bed with her breakfast tray on her lap. There was no mistaking the way her eyes lit up this time when she saw him. She let out a radiant smile that made Harry's heart feel very light all of a sudden.

"Thank you for the breakfast." she said kindly, setting her finished tray aside and combing her fingers through her long black hair, trying to untangle it. Harry thought there was no need, though. She looked absolutely stunning to him at that moment. He smiled and sat down on the edge of her bed.

"It wasn't a problem. Dobby did all the work, actually." he admitted.

"Well, he told me that it was your idea, so thank you for thinking of me." she replied softly. Harry looked away for a moment to catch his breath. Just being around her made it hard for him to breathe. He slowly looked up and met her gaze before clearing his throat.

"Bellatrix... about last night." Harry began. Bellatrix shook her head and grabbed his hand to silence him.

"Harry, I already know what you're going to say." she replied. "That last night was a mistake. You should never have kissed me and I'm too old for you." her voice trailed off in a sad whisper. Harry sighed and shook his head, gently lifting her chin so that her eyes were level with his.

"Actually, I was going to say the exact opposite. I'm glad last night happened. I think I would have regretted it for the rest of my life if I hadn't kissed you, and age isn't a factor." he said firmly. Bellatrix bit her lip, looking unconvinced. Harry did the only thing he knew would convince her. He leaned forward and kissed her again. This kiss lasted quite a bit longer than the one that had happened last night, and when they broke apart, Bellatrix's eyes were wide and searching, unsure of what to think. Harry looked her straight in the eye.

"What more do I have to do to convince you?" he asked, exasperated. Bellatrix's lips curved into a faint smile and she shook her head.

"Nothing." she whispered. "I believe you."

Harry smiled and leaned forward to kiss her again, but Dobby appeared at the doorway. Both of them immediately moved away from each other, clearing their throats and rubbing the back of their necks awkwardly.

"Er... Dobby. What is it?" Harry asked, hoping that the house-elf hadn't been standing there too long. He wasn't ashamed to be with Bellatrix, but he wasn't sure if it was a good idea to reveal the truth about their relationship to anyone just yet. Bellatrix seemed to be thinking along the same lines, because she gave Harry an awkward, sideways glance.

"Ms. Nymphadora Tonks is in the foyer. She says it's urgent that she speak with you." Dobby squeaked. He wasn't stupid. Dobby knew what was going on between his master and Bellatrix, but chose to ignore it.

"She's not in trouble, is she?" Bellatrix asked with concern. Harry felt awful for her. She desperately wanted to protect her niece, but she knew she couldn't.

"I do not know, Ms. Black. She just said it was urgent and that she wished to speak with Harry Potter right away." he answered. Harry frowned. Did something imprtant come up in the Order?

"Thanks Dobby. I'll be right there." Harry told the house-elf. Dobby nodded and walked out of the room. Bellatrix looked at Harry pleadingly.

"You'll tell me if she's hurt, won't you?" Bellatrix asked him, worried. Harry sighed. This was a difficult question.

"I want to, but I'd betray her if I did." Harry said reluctantly. Bellatrix nodded, but looked upset.

"Of course. It's alright, Harry. I don't want her to hate you, too." she said. Harry gave her a sympathetic look and gently squeezed her hand before going down to the foyer. Tonks was there, looking very woebegone.

"You don't look good." Harry commented. "Is everything okay?" Tonks just frowned and leaned against the nearest wall.

"Sort of." she said. When Harry raised his eyebrows, she went on. "Dumbledore can't be trusted, Harry." she said firmly. Harry led her to the sitting room and sat on the couch opposite her.

"What do you mean?" Harry asked. He was confused. He knew Dumbledore didn't agree with what Harry was doing, but saying he can't be trusted was a bit of a stretch in his opinion.

"Yesterday, he called me to talk. At first I thought he had found out about me spying on the Order for you, but it turned out that McGonagal told him about my concerns for what he was doing. I told him the same thing I told him before; that I think he's going about things the wrong way and that I didn't care if it upset him or not." she paused to catch her breath. She had said all this rather fast.

"What happened then?" Harry asked. She seemed almost frightened. Harry had never known Tonks to be afraid of anything and it disturbed him.

"Well, he wasn't pleased, that's for sure." she replied. "Anyway, that wasn't what bugged me. When I turned my back to walk out of his office, he used Occlumency on me. I managed to shield my mind before he found our conversations, but the fact that he would break the law proves that he's not going to stop unless he gets what he wants." Tonks was breathing rather quickly, but otherwise stayed calm. Harry, however was furious!

"He did what?" he shouted, standing up. Tonks just sat there looking stunned. "He can't get away with that! Why didn't you arrest him?" Tonks frowned and stood up. She was a good 3 inches taller than Harry, so it wasn't hard for her to stand over him.

"Really! Arrest Albus Dumbledore? That's a laugh!" she shouted. "The man's invincible!" Harry was ready to flip out entirely.

"WE'RE STOPPING HIM! BOTH OF US!" Harry shouted murderously. The sky suddenly darkened and every window in the room shattered, raining down broken glass on both his and Tonks' heads. They both stood there, scratched and bleeding. Tonks whipped out her wand and pointed it at Harry.

"You've been using the Dark Arts!" she shouted venomously at him. Harry opened his mouth to protest. "Shut up! Don't lie to me!" she screeched. "Only someone skilled in the Dark Arts could have changed the weather and broken the glass like that! She's been teaching you all along, hasn't she? I knew it!"

"Tonks, just calm down for a second!" Harry shouted.

"Who's side are you on, Harry?" she screamed, still pointing her wand at Harry's throat.

"Yours and you know it! Bellatrix is, too!" Harry tried to explain, but Tonks threw back her head and laughed derisively.

"Yeah right!" she scoffed. Shoving her wand back into her belt, she stalked out of the sitting room, through the foyer, ready to leave the mansion. Harry chased after her, and grabbed her wrist to stop her from leaving. He needed to explain the entire thing to her. Curse his stupid anger, he thought. Tonks retaliated by wrenching his hand off her wrist and shoving him hard into the giant statue of her mother.

"Don't touch me!" she hissed before running down the mansion's drive and apparating. Harry rubbed his shoulder, panting in pain. He let her go. Picking himself up off the floor, Harry tried to sort things through in his head. Tonks wasn't a violent person, unless she was in battle. Why had she gotten physical with Harry? She had every right to be upset, but he never thought that she would go to such extremes.

"She's scared, Harry." Bellatrix said, standing on the stairs. Harry looked up at her.

"Were you there the whole time?" Harry asked, still massaging his bruised shoulder. Bellatrix shook her head.

"No, I only came down when I heard glass shattering. I heard the argument, but that's it." she explained, rushing down the stairs to help Harry to a seat in the kitchen.

"Thanks." Harry muttered when she helped him to a chair. "What does her being scared have anything to do with the way she freaked out like that?" he asked. Bellatrix sighed and sat down beside him.

"Aurors go through brutal training before they graduate into the Ministry." she answered. "It's like the muggle military... downright abusive at times. They're trained to mask emotions like sadness and fear and replace it with anger and hatred. It's not emotionally healthy, but what does the Ministry care? As long as it's efficient, that's all that matters to them." she spat bitterly. "Tonks is no different."

"Do you think she'll cool off after a bit?" he asked. He had known becoming an Auror was tough because you needed top grades in school, but he had never thought about what it took after you graduated from wizarding school.

"I'm sure of it. Despite what she's gone through, she's not a complete emotional wreck." Bellatrix smiled. She suddenly looked Harry up and down and frowned. "You're bleeding." she said with concern. She pulled her wand out of her robes and began healing his injuries, muttering incomprehensible words under her breath as she did so. Harry immediately felt the pain from his cuts subside.

"You know, Christmas is coming up and we still don't have a tree." Harry said, changing the subject. Bellatrix put her wand away and grinned.

"You're right. We'll have to change that." she replied.

Chapter 9

True to her word, Bellatrix went out the next day with Kreacher and Dobby to get a Christmas tree. Harry had wanted to come, but Bellatrix reminded him that the windows in the sitting room still needed to be repaired, and he was still sore from his fight with Tonks.

"Reparus Maximus." Harry said as he waved his wand. The shattered pieces of glass all over the room immediately fitted and fused back in place, warming up the room considerably, for a biting wind had been howling through the broken windows since the fight, making the entire mansion rather chilly. He set a fire in the grate, hoping to warm up the place.

Bored, Harry decided to practice the Dark Arts while Bellatrix was out. He got an ordinary spoon from the kitchen and used an animation charm on it. The spoon began to hop around mindlessly on the counter. Harry stood a few feet back and pointed his wand at the spoon.

"Crucio." he muttered. The spoon fell with a clatter and began to shake violently. The metal handle started to curve and bend under the curse. Harry pulled his wand away and the spoon began to hop around as mindlessly as before. He pointed his wand at it again. "Imperio." he said firmly. The spoon began to obey his every thought. It danced along the edges of the window above the counter, then twirled in a circle and clattered into the sink, where it began to wash itself in the soapy water Bellatrix had been using to soak the dinner plates earlier that morning. After drying itself with a nearby cloth, Harry made the spoon hop back onto the counter. He didn't really want to perform the last curse, but he knew he needed to become skilled at it if he had any hope of defeating Voldemort. He took a deep breath, pointed his wand at the spoon and... "Avada Kedavra." he announced.

A flash of green light erupted from his wand, striking the spoon. It immediately clattered to the counter, deanimated. Harry sighed and put the spoon back in the drawer. He leaned against the counter, deep in thought. Would his parents be proud of him right now? The Dark Arts had destroyed his family. His parents had fought viciously against it. What would they say if they knew their son was using the Dark Arts, even if it was for a noble reason like defeating Voldemort? Had Harry stooped as low as his arch-enemy without realizing it?

"Harry?" Bellatrix was standing in the doorway, looking at him with concern. "Are you alright?" she asked.

"I'm fine, Bella." Harry answered. Bellatrix smiled faintly at the use of her more personal name. "You got the tree?" he asked.

"Yes. Kreacher and Dobby are putting it up in the sitting room right now. I told them to wait for us to decorate it." she smiled. Harry nodded and walked over to wrap her into a tight hug.

"Are you sure you're alright, Harry?" she asked him once again, her electric purple eyes searching his emerald green ones. Harry just smiled and kissed her forehead before going to help Dobby and Kreacher with the tree.

Over the next couple of weeks, the mansion was brightened up considerably with holiday decorations. Harry had gone all out in honour of his and Bella's first Christmas together and every square inch of the mansion was covered with some sort of festive object. Garlands were wrapped around every bannister and mistletoe hung in every doorway (Harry and Bellatrix never passed up an opportunity to walk through a doorway together during those two weeks). Angels and Father Christmases stood in every possible corner and the massive tree in the sitting room truly was a wonder to see. The gothic old mansion looked almost... cheerful. Christmas Eve was peaceful and pleasant and Christmas day was wonderful. Harry almost forgot all about Voldemort and Dumbledore, choosing to just enjoy being happy with Bella.

"Harry?" Bellatrix asked softly on New Year's Eve. She was reading a book with her head resting on Harry's chest. Harry wrapped his arms around her.

"Mm?" he responded. It was late and Harry was completely content and at ease. He couldn't remember the last time he felt this calm and peaceful. It seemed Bella was a good influence for him, because he always felt calmer when he was with her.

"Do you love me?" she asked hesitantly. This was a very heavy question for Harry. He knew the answer, but had avoided saying it out loud for fear of finding out that her answer wouldn't be the same as his. She was gazing at him with a searching stare and Harry decided that now would be as good a time as any to give her a straight answer. He kissed the top of her head and drew her closer to him.

"Yes." he replied simply. Bella smiled and kissed him back.

"Me too." she whispered. Just then, Harry's watch gave off a faint chime. If it hadn't been so quiet, neither Bella nor Harry would have heard it. The arm with Harry's watch on it was placed gently around Bella's waist, so she glanced down at it, then looked back up at Harry. "It's midnight. Happy New Year, Harry." she said before slowly getting up to go upstairs to her room. Harry gently pulled her back, not wanting to end the night just yet. As if they could hear each other's thoughts, Harry and Bellatrix went up to Harry's room together.

Harry woke up the next morning to sunlight streaming through his window onto his face. He gave a slight groan and shielded his eyes before rolling over. Beside him lay Bella, sleeping soundly with the covers hiding the fact that she wasn't wearing anything. He gently reached over and brushed away a strand of hair that had fallen over her face. Harry's eyes were drawn to her face... she looked so beautiful. Harry gave a content sigh before sitting up and realizing that he was also "skyclad". He rubbed his eyes for a moment, every detail of what had happened between them last night came flooding back to him in an instant. A faint smile playing across his face at the memory, he slid out of bed and got dressed. He scribbled a quick note and placed it on the bedside table.

Bella,

I'll be downstairs making breakfast if you need me.

Love Harry.

Placing the note on the table and giving her a quick kiss on the forehead before heading downstairs, he met up with Dobby. The house-elf was cleaning an old painting of a forest in one of the main hallways.

"Good morning, Dobby." Harry yawned. "That painting looks good." he complimented him. Dobby bowed and smiled.

"Thank you, Harry Potter." he replied. Looking up at his master, he went very red all of a sudden. "This may be none of Dobby's business, Harry Potter, but... Ms. Black..." Harry saved the house-elf the trouble of having to finish what he was trying to say.

"It's alright, Dobby. Yes, we are." Harry answered. Dobby bowed again, this time his floppy ears brushing against the floor.

"I see. Harry Potter is in love. That pleases Dobby. Dobby wants the best for his master." Dobby replied happily. Harry smiled and shook his head, somewhat amused.

"Thanks Dobby, but will you stop calling me your master? You're my friend. I've told you about a hundred times." Harry said before heading to the kitchen to start some pancakes and bacon.

"Mmm... that smells good." Bella said cheerfully as Harry finished cooking and was setting the food on plates. There were four. One each for Harry, Bella, Dobby and Kreacher. She took her plate from Harry and sat down across the table from him.

"How did you sleep?" Harry asked her. It was a dumb question, because Harry knew perfectly well that neither of them had hardly slept at all last night. Bellatrix seemed to be thinking this, too because she gave Harry an amused look.

"Quite well. At least after..." she trailed off, poking absent-mindedly at her food. "Last night was nice." she finished. They both knew this was a massive understatement, but Harry nodded all the same.

"Yeah, it was." he agreed. He started to cut up his pancakes, feeling strangely at ease. He would have thought that talking to her would be awkward after sleeping with her, but he didn't feel at all embarrassed or nervous around her. It seemed Bella felt the same way, because she was acting perfectly normal as well.

"I assume the tattoo on your back represents your parents and Sirius?" she asked him, obviously remembering from when he had taken his shirt off. Harry nodded.

"Yeah." he answered, taking another bite of his breakfast. He looked up to see a shadow cross Bella's face. He swallowed and reached for her hand.

"You can't keep blaming yourself for what happened to Sirius." Harry told her. "It's not your fault he fell through that veil when you stunned him." he reassured her. Bella shook her head and blinked back tears.

"It doesn't matter. I still caused his death... and took so much away from so many people." she whispered.

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Tonks was staying at her parent's house for New Year's. They had been delighted to see her. Lately, she had been so consumed with her work that it didn't leave much time for family. She woke up feeling rather happy for the first time in a long time and went downstairs. It was just like she was a little girl again. Her mother was sitting in the living room, using her wand to knit what looked like a scarf, while her father read the muggle paper with a tea in his hand. Andromeda looked up and smiled at her daughter.
"Hey, honey. Happy New Year's." she said.

"Thanks mum." Tonks yawned, sitting down beside her mother to read The Daily Prophet. She looked over at her father's paper, which read Mayor To Decide Transportation Budget At Town Meeting. She shook her head, amused. Muggles, especially her father could be funny at times. "Interesting articles in there, dad?" she teased. Ted Tonks gave his daughter a stern look.

"I have to keep in touch with the muggle world, you know. It's hard with your mother around." he replied in a tone of mock indignation. Andromeda sighed and rolled her eyes and Tonks laughed. Andromeda suddenly looked her daughter up and down and frowned.

"Nymphadora, what on earth would possess you to keep your hair that ghastly shade of pink?" she sighed.

"What on earth would possess you to name me Nymphadora?" Tonks retorted. Acting as if her daughter hadn't said anything, Andromeda continued.

"I mean really, dear. It doesn't look ladylike... and those horrible grunge clothes! Do you want to attract people or scare them away?" her mother frowned. Tonks folded her arms defiantly and rolled her eyes.

"Mother! I'm twenty-three years old! I don't need you to pick out my clothes for me!" Tonks protested. This was a constant ongoing battle between them. Ted looked over the top of his newspaper to settle the matter.

"Honey, leave the poor girl alone. She's an adult now." Ted reasoned with his wife. He then looked to Tonks. "Now don't go thinking you don't need us anymore just because of that, young lady. You're still our baby girl." he warned. Tonks stood up and stalked out of the room. Sometimes she wondered if her parents realized she wasn't a toddler anymore.

"Where are you going, Nymphadora?" Andromeda called after her daughter.

"Work!" Tonks snapped, exasperated.

"But it's New Year's Day!" Ted protested. Tonks just walked out of the house and took a deep breath. She looked up at the cloudy sky and frowned.

"Why can't something go right for me?" she groaned.

Chapter 10

Over the next few months, Harry's life took a turn for the better. Dobby and Kreacher had finally cleaned every square inch of the vast mansion, which made the mansion look almost (but not quite) new again. He was sharing a bed with the woman he planned on spending the rest of his life with and he was becoming increasingly skilled with the Dark Arts. Tonks and Harry's friendship was still strained, but she was still keeping him updated on all the Order's meetings as she had promised him she would.

Today, Harry and Bella were sitting on the large porch of the mansion, reading. It was now the beginning of May and the weather had become quite beautiful and warm. It was a great improvement from being holed up in the study.

"The Ministry's still looking for me." Bella sighed, looking over her copy of The Daily Prophet. "Do you think they'd even bother to hear what I have to say before throwing me in Azkaban again?" she wondered aloud.

"Probably not." Harry admitted truthfully. "Anyway, I wouldn't let them find you so why are you worrying?" Bella just glared at him before refocusing her attention on her paper. Harry frowned. Lately, Bella seemed to be rather moody. She tended to lose her patience with him more quickly than she used to and became very snappish towards him without any warning or valid reason. Harry was worried about her, but whenever he would tell her this, she would smile and insist that she was fine, just feeling a little under the weather, that was all. He put down his book and stood up. "I'm going to visit Sirius' memoriam. I'll be back soon." he announced, bending down to kiss her before heading towards the cemetary. Bella just nodded.

Once Harry had taken the ten minute walk to his godfather's memoriam, he sat on the ground, thinking. His life had changed drastically over the past year. He went from living with the Dursleys to becoming a multi billionnaire and falling in love with the last woman anyone would have expected him to fall in love with. He was also using one of his closest friends to spy on The Order of the Phoenix, risking her job and freedom. Harry gave a weak chuckle when he referred to Tonks as his closest friend. Ron and Hermione had been his closest friends since first grade, but they had drifted apart after the will reading. Harry knew that things were just too different to go back now. The inseperable trio had seperated and moved on with their own lives. If it weren't for Bella, Harry would have felt very alone. Sighing, Harry stood up, stretching the kinks out of his knee. He briefly touched the stone memoriam for his godfather before turning back towards the mansion. A look at his watch told him that he had spent nearly two hours in thought.

"Hedwig arrived with a letter for you about a half-hour ago." Bella informed him once Harry got back inside. She was straightening the paintings in the foyer.

"Thanks Bella." Harry replied before ascending the staircase to the aviary. "Hey girl. Did you bring something for me?" Harry asked the snowy owl perched loftily on a tree branch. She hooted and flew down to Harry's shoulder, sticking out her leg for Harry to take the letter tied to it. Harry did so, but not before scolding his pet. "You know it wouldn't kill you to let Bella take my letters from you." Harry chuckled, stroking her head. Hedwig just gave him a severe stare, as if to say that her job was to deliver letters to him and only him. She took off into the branches of the aviary and Harry opened up the letter.

Dear Mr. Potter,

Please excuse the informality of this letter, but your presence is requested at Gringotts Wizarding Bank in Diagon Alley immediately. It would be best if you arrived as soon as possible after recieving this letter. Details will be explained there.

Yours Sincerely;

Crawbeck (Head Goblin)

Harry furrowed his brow in confusion. Why was he needed at Gringotts? Was there a problem with Sirius' will? Harry doubted it. If there was a problem, they wouldn't have waited almost an entire year to notify him. He went downstairs, his eyes scanning over the letter. Bella gave him a concerned look.

"Is something wrong?" she asked, putting a hand on his shoulder. Harry slowly shook his head.

"I'm not sure. Look at this." he told Bella, handing the letter to her. She scanned through the brief notification, frowning.

"That's strange." she muttered. "It seems urgent, but Gringotts usually sends very specific information in their letters. Something as vague as this just doesn't make sense." Bella was gazing at him with worried eyes. Harry put his arm around her.

"I think I should go. The letter does say to go to Gringotts right away." he reasoned. He wished she would stop looking at him like that. He hated it when she worried about him, which she did a lot.

"What if it's a trap?" Bella whispered. Harry sighed and stepped away from her slightly.

"Then I've got my wand with me, Bella. Relax." he replied reassuringly. Bella raised her eyebrows and crossed her arms defensively.

"If you're not back by tomorrow, I don't care if I'm a convicted criminal, I'm going after you." she threatened. Despite his best efforts, Harry broke out laughing. She was so funny when she tried to sound menacing. Living with him for so long must have softened her from her Death Eater days.

"I'm pretty sure I'll be back by then." Harry replied, still chuckling slightly. Bella just punched him in the arm before stalking off, muttering about the man she loved not taking her seriously. Grinning, he walked to the sitting room and grabbed the jar of Floo Powder off the mantelpiece. He carefully grabbed a handful of the powder and threw it into the fire. Immediately, bright green flames sprang up from the grate. "Diagon Alley!" Harry shouted very clearly before stepping into the flames and the familiar, nauseating feeling of being spun around and around very fast came over him. The whirring of the many wizarding fireplaces going past him made his stomach lurch, so he shut his eyes. Soon, he felt himself being thrown unceremoniously onto the floor of the Leaky Cauldron.

"Mr. Potter! My, I haven't seen you around Diagon Alley in quite a while! How have you been?" Tom greeted him with his usual toothy smile. Harry shook the soot out of his hair and stood up, brushing himself off.

"Er, I've been good Tom." Harry replied. For the first time in quite a while, he was able to say this truthfully. It felt good to be in love, he decided as he declined a drink from the old barman and walked out of the pub towards Gringotts. He would have loved to stay and chat with people for a bit, but the letter had sounded urgent and Harry's infamous curiosity had been peaked yet again. As he walked down the street, witches and wizards all around him stopped in their tracks and stared. After all, the entire wizarding world must have been wondering where on earth The Boy Who Lived had been these past ten months. His new, darker appearance must have also attracted attention. Harry ignored the stares and approached the front doors of Gringotts. As he walked through the entrance and headed towards the counter where Griphook was, again wondering whether he ever took the day off, Griphook looked up and bowed respectfully when he saw Harry approach.

"Ah, Mr. Potter. We've been expecting you. This is a matter of great importance, if you'll just follow me." Griphook drawled, beginning to lead Harry into the same long hallway he had walked down at Sirius' will reading. To Harry's surprise, Griphook also led him into the same room that had been used for Sirius' will reading.

Harry's eyes widened in shock. Every bench was filled by a row of goblins, and at the front of the room at the marble podium, was another goblin, who looked very important as all the other goblins seemed to show respect for him. As Harry walked towards the front of the room, all eyes were on him, and the goblins murmered and scrutinized him. Harry kept a tight hold on his wand, feeling rather uncomfortable. The goblin at the podium began to speak. "Welcome, Harry Potter. I am Crawbeck, Head Goblin of Gringotts and the British goblin community." he began. "We have many matters to discuss with you. Matters that are of imperative importance not only to us, but to the entire wizarding world as a unified whole."

"This sounds like it's going to be a long meeting." Harry observed. He was very confused and a little frightened but did not show it. "I have to be back before tomorrow morning, or my girlfriend will worry." he warned them. He wasn't stupid enough to tell them who his girlfriend was, but he figured if they were planning on hurting him, they should know that other people knew where he was and were expecting him back. Crawbeck nodded.

"I assure you this meeting will be over by nightfall. Your er... girlfriend need not worry." he replied in a tone of authority. Harry nodded cautiously.

"What is this about? Why do you need me?" Harry asked. He was getting frustrated at the lack of answers he was receiving. Crawbeck motioned for Harry to sit down and he did so, looking up at the goblin expectantly. Crawbeck cleared his throat and began a speech that had obviously been prepared.

"The Chosen One is finally within our midst." he announced. "As we all know, my very own wife and child were slaughtered at the hands of He Who Must Not Be Named and his followers just last week." Crawbeck's eyes glistened for a moment. He looked down at the floor in a moment of greivous silence before continuing. "The madness must stop! This war has gone on for far too long and taken far too many innocent lives! It is time for us to band together and end this war by defeating He Who Must Not Be Named once and for all!" Crawbeck paused as the goblins all shouted and cheered. "We cannot do this alone, however! With the help of the Chosen One, we will overthrow the evil of He Who Must Not Be Named for all eternity! I ask you this, Harry Potter; are you with us?"

Harry's jaw dropped. He had an entire army of goblins virtually at his command. Voldemort would surely never expect retaliation from the goblins. This could be just the thing that would stop him at last! The goblins were looking at Harry expectantly, waiting for his response. Without hesitation, Harry stood up and gave his answer. "Of course. If an army of goblins can't stop him, then nobody can!" Harry said fiercely. The goblins whooped and cheered and yelled out Harry's praises until Crawbeck held up his hand to silence them.

"It is truly an honour to fight alongside someone as noble and great as the Chosen One." Crawbeck bowed. "Of course we realize that you and only you are the key to the demise of He Who Must Not Be Named, but we feel that our assistance will aid you greatly. Thank you Harry Potter." The goblins all bowed to Harry and then filed out of the room, leaving only him and Crawbeck.

"What are your plans?" Harry asked. An army had to have battle strategies and combat preparations, he thought. Crawbeck gave Harry a rather crooked smile before laying maps out across a nearby table. He began to explain all the tactics he had worked out to him, often stopping to ask for his input. The whole process took several hours and finally, Crawbeck stood up and stretched.

"It is late and Gringotts must close for the night. If you ever need us, just call." Crawbeck said. Harry reached out to shake Crawbeck's hand and he looked at it with mingled awe and emotion before smiling and taking Harry's hand in his own. "Wizards and goblins shaking hands as equals. You are truly the saviour of the world, Harry Potter." Crawbeck beamed up at him. Harry shook his head.

"I don't think so. After all, I'm only human." Harry replied. Before walking out of the room to return home to Bella, he paused and looked back at Crawbeck. "I'm sorry to hear about your wife and child. I hope justice is served." Harry added sympathetically. A shadow crossed Crawbeck's eyes, but he merely nodded and thanked Harry for his sympathy.

When Harry got back to the mansion, it was very late. He quietly tiptoed to the upper levels and slowly eased open his and Bella's bedroom door. The room was dark, but Harry could just make out Bella's figure lying in the bed. Figuring she must be asleep and not wanting to wake her, Harry quietly undressed and climbed into his side of the bed for the night. Beside him, Bella stirred and rolled over to face him. She smiled and took his hand in hers. "Sorry. Did I wake you?" Harry whispered, stroking her hair.

"No. I was worried so I decided to wait for you." she replied. "What did Gringotts want you for?" she asked, shifting closer to him so that she could rest her head on his chest. Harry put his arm around her shoulder.

"I'll tell you in the morning." he yawned, pulling the covers up over both of them. "Goodnight Bella." he whispered, kissing the top of her head before drifting off to sleep...

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"This is ridiculous!" Tonks snapped. She was at another Order meeting and just like all the other meetings, this one was going nowhere. Dumbledore gave Tonks a very cold stare.
"Nymphadora, we are all aware of your concerns and as you can see, no one else here seems to share your concerns. Please sit down so we can move ahead with this meeting." Dumbledore said calmly. Tonks threw up her hands in frustration. How could this crazy old man still think that these meetings were important? As far as she was concerned, they were nothing but an excuse for people to argue over what should be done, when they could actually be out there, doing it!

"These meetings are a joke! What have we accomplished since re-establishing the Order of the Phoenix? It seems to me all we've done is sit around on our backsides, arguing with each other instead of doing anything productive... and stop calling me Nymphadora!" she added angrily. Only her parents were allowed to call her that. Her eyes were slowly starting to turn red again, but she stopped it before it got out of hand.

"Tonks, dear! What has gotten into you lately?" Mrs. Weasley admonished. "Since when have you doubted the Order?" She was gaping at Tonks as if she had grown three extra heads.

"I think Tonks has a point." Shacklebolt commented. "Have we come up with a plan for defeating You-Know-Who and his followers yet?" He looked around the room as everyone reluctantly shook their heads. Everyone was completely silent, except for Mundungus who was snoring loudly in the corner of the room.

"I am surprised that you would choose to agree with someone as young and inexperienced as Tonks, Kingsley." Dumbledore answered curtly. Tonks stood up, ready for a fight, but Kingsley gently pulled her back. He then fixed a hard stare on the old man.

"As her supervisor, I would have to strongly disagree with your perception of Tonks. She is one of the best Aurors the Ministry has in their employ at the moment and has shown bravery far beyond her years. I'm afraid I cannot let you insult my colleague that way." He said this in a very cold voice that made even Dumbledore shudder. Tonks folded her arms and gave Dumbledore a satisfied smirk. Maybe now the senile old bat would give her some recognition.

"I'm with Shacklebolt!" Moody growled, banging his wooden leg on the floor in protest. Molly scowled at him, but other people in the room started to murmer in agreement.

"Enough!" Dumbledore snapped rather sharply, tapping his fingers on the dining room table in irritation. He could see that he was losing control of the situation and it unnerved him. Tonks stood up, refusing to submit to his will.

"What about Harry?" Tonks asked him. Dumbledore raised his eyebrows, but otherwise did not show a particular emotion.

"What about him?" he replied. Tonks scowled and put her hands on the table to steady herself. She was shaking with anger and she still hadn't forgotten her last frightening encounter with Dumbledore.

"You know damn well what I mean! Five months ago, you were refusing to let him in the Order. I've asked you time and time again, during every single meeting whether you had changed your mind. Time and time again, you refused without giving a specific reason why! Saying that it's too dangerous for him isn't a valid reason. Everyone in this room knows that he can take care of himself. He's been doing so just fine for the last five months." Tonks paused, letting her words sink in. All eyes were on her. She took a deep breath and continued. "I'm asking you again. Will you allow Harry a place in the Order?" There was a long silence in which the Order members looked from Tonks to Dumbledore expectantly. Dumbledore seemed to be in deep thought, then looked up at Tonks.

"My answer still has not changed." he replied simply. Tonks shook her head and sighed. She hated the stubborn, pigheaded old coot standing in front of her.

"Then don't pretend to be looking out for Harry's best interests." she said coldly. Molly stood up angrily.

"Tonks! How can you say such horrid things? I always thought you were a good girl, but now I'm beginning to wonder." she scolded Tonks as if she were a toddler. Tonks rounded on Molly.

"First of all, I'm not here to gain popularity! Second of all, I am not a girl! I'm an adult! I think I've proven that I deserve to be treated like one!" she retorted.

"You are blind to the truth!" Molly yelled. Tonks' eyes really did glow red this time and Molly shrank into her chair, very frightened.

"No Molly. I've just begun to see the truth. You're the one who is still blind." she accused menacingly. Molly opened her mouth to reply, but could not think of anything to argue against her and shut it again, giving her a very dirty glare. The tension in the room could have been sliced with a knife. Finally, Dumbledore cleared his throat and stood up.

"I'm afraid it is late, and I'm sure we all have families to go home to, so I think we should end our meeting here for tonight. Thank you all for coming." he said graciously, but Tonks was no longer fooled by the old man's courteous mask. As everyone filed out of Number 12 Grimmauld Place, some avoiding Tonks and some patting her on the back, she walked straight over to Dumbledore and leaned very close to his ear.

"You don't fool me, Dumbledore." she hissed. "It's only a matter of time before the whole world sees you for the manipulative a*****e you are."

Without waiting for him to respond, Tonks spun on her heel and stalked out of the dingy old house, breathing hard. She leaned against a wall outside and sighed heavily. She tried to steady her breathing, but it wasn't much use. Suddenly, she felt a hand on her shoulder and jumped.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to scare you. Are you alright? You haven't seemed well lately." It was Remus Lupin. Thankful that it wasn't Molly or Albus, Tonks sighed with relief.

"Yeah... Just stress, that's all." she only half-lied. Remus nodded but kept his hand on her shoulder.

"Well, I hope things get better for you." he said politely.

"Thanks. I do too." Tonks admitted with a faint smile.