"She's an Auror too isn't she?" Hermione asked. "She was with Madam Bones that night."
"She was around that night," Remus concurred. As he finished speaking a little old lady came from the same corner limping.
"Hello Tonks," Remus said as the lady passed them. "What did you stumble over?"
Harry just looked confused. "But you said Tonks was the one with pink hair."
"Harry Potter meet..uh Tonks. Tonks this of course who you've been protecting all day Harry, Fleur, Gabrielle and Hermione," He smiled at Harry. "I would mention her first name but she'd hex me," Remus said. "by the way she's Sirius' cousin."
"But...who was the pink haired woman then?"
The old lady grinned a grin that defied the aged look of her face. "Well guv'nor," She said in a old voice. "Maybe you'll find out someday," Then she kept going past them.
Remus had an amused look on his face as he watched the old lady limp away but refused to say anything further.
They continued down the lane until the cottages started to thin out. At the end of a particular row of houses near the edge of town they could see a cottage sitting amongst overgrown waist high grass surrounded by a hedge that hadn't been kept in a while. Harry knew from the damaged top floor where he was. This is where it had happened; this is where his mother and father had died. He'd been expecting that was where they were headed but to be physically standing in front of the rusted gate and peering at the house left a lump in his throat. As he looked through the bars of the gate he found himself visualizing the green flash that must have happened in the window where the damage was located.
"My old room," He thought.
Hermione and Gabrielle came to Harry's side while Fleur reached her arms around him. "We are 'ere for you my 'usband," Fleur said softly. "You are not alone, and never will be again."
Harry swallowed and then nodded. His hand reached out for the rusted gate and as he touched it, a wooden sign rose out of the ground. Gold letters were written on it.
On this spot, on this night of 31 October 1981,
Lily and James Potter lost their lives.
Their son, Harry, remains the only wizard
ever to have survived the Killing Curse.
This house, invisible to Muggles, has been left
in its ruined state as a monument to the Potters
and as a reminder of the violence
that tore apart their family.
All around the words were written and carved initials along with messages from the people who had come to see the place the Boy-Who-Lived had survived. In very new everlasting ink someone had recently written the word TWICE next to 'Killing Curse'.
"They shouldn't have written on that sign," Hermione said. "It's..."
"I like it," Harry said as he traced someone's initials. "I think it's brilliant," He took Hermione's hand and explained. "This isn't the Ministry or some statue, these are real people who come to pay their respects to my parents. They weren't trying to deface the sign..."
"If you're sure," Hermione said. "It's your house."
Harry looked again at the cottage before repeating her words. "My house," He shook his head. "No, this was my parents' house and I might own it, but it will never be my house. It belongs to those people," He nodded to the sign filled with scribbles. "Today was about leaving the past and starting the future and this is part of that," He looked at Remus and the large black dog beside him. "Thank you," He said. "To both of you. This was exactly what I needed."
Remus pulled the young man into a hug. "You're welcome. Now I think we promised one last gift for one of your betrothed."
"This is Harry's day," Hermione said. "I don't need anything."
Remus looked at Padfoot and shrugged. "And to think we were going to introduce her to Bathilda Bagshot. Albus was positive she'd want to meet..."
"THE BATHILDA BAGSHOT!" Hermione exclaimed. "the one who wrote a History of Magic?"
Remus put a finger to his chin and pretended to think. "Yes, I do believe they are the one and the same."
"Why didn't you mention it earlier?" Hermione complained. "I would have dressed better...and...and...I could have brought my copy of her book. Do you think she'd sign it later?"
"Relax," Remus replied with a chuckle. "She is a very good friend of Albus and I'm sure she'd be glad to sign a book for you."
"And you're dressed just fine," Harry added. "Very beautiful."
Hermione smiled at her boyfriend. "Thank you," She said but it was obvious from the way her eyes were trying to encourage Remus to start walking that she wanted to meet Bathilda Bagshot.
Remus smirked to his canine companion. "I think she'd like that present after all."
The black dog rolled over on his back and pretended to be dead.
"I agree, I think the delay is killing her now," Remus said. He turned to the group. "We need to go this way," He started off down the street back the way they had came. "We'll be using her floo to get to the Ministry. It was convenient to how close it was to here," He'd only walked past several houses when he turned into a small gate.
"Bathilda Bagshot lived this close to the Potters?" Hermione asked as she looked back down the lane and could easily see the gate to the Potters' cottage.
Remus nodded. "A lot of witches and wizards live or have lived here," He replied. "You know of course that it's named after Godric Gryffindor himself. He was born here over a thousand years ago."
A thought of a ruby-hilted sword flashed through Harry's mind as he heard the name.
Remus knocked on the door and it was opened by the pink haired Auror.
"Wotcher Remus," She said.
"Got here while we were down the lane?" Remus asked.
"The Order is mostly gone now," Tonks replied. "Just a few of us left and we'll follow you out as you go."
"Bathilda in her study?"
"I'll show you the way," Tonks said and turned and limped ahead of them.
Fleur studied the Auror's limp as they followed her and finally realized. "Zat was you? You're Tonks."
As Tonks turned she changed appearances and before them stood the ancient old lady they had met earlier. Each of the four young people instantly reached for their wands.
"Easy," Remus said. "Tonks, you are going to get hexed like that."
"Oh, stealing my fun," Tonks complained as she shifted back into her pink haired appearance.
"You're...you're a metamorphmagus?" Hermione asked in surprise.
"Very good."
"Is that like an animagus?" Harry asked.
"No, not really. I can change my appearance and look like other people."
"Brilliant," Harry replied.
"Well guv'nor I heard you can do some pretty brilliant things with your wand," She said with a wink giving the double meaning.
Harry was about reply but then he felt a flash of annoyance from Fleur and Hermione who both moved between him and Tonks. Only then did he realize what Tonks had meant. He blushed profusely.
"Tonks, no teasing Harry like that or you might end up on the wrong end of three wands."
"Three?" She asked questioningly. "That was sort of what caused me to say it, I mean I read he was dating her," She nodded at Gabrielle, "but I saw him kissing all of them."
....
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