Tonks nodded. "Right, 15. Point is I can't even let myself think about him that way, Hermione. I feel like a cradle-robber," Tonks said raising her eyebrows.
"Feel, not would feel?" Hermione asked with a bit of a wry grin. Tonks cursed softly and leaned back her hair staying bright orange.
"Fine. Feel. So maybe I have thought about it," Tonks muttered.
Harry's eyes widened. "You have? When? Why does nobody tell me anything?!"
"I'm supposed to tell a 14 year old that I started valuing his opinions more than my boss?" Tonks asked cocking her head at him. "Or that he was giving me more respect than anyone outside my parents? Or that you were literally the first non-asexual male to treat me like a normal person and not like a sex doll?"
"But…you were…I was…"
"I think you broke him, Tonks," Hermione said. She shook her head and lightly patted Harry's cheek again. "Don't worry, Harry, just us talk now. Whenever you reboot, you can rejoin the conversation."
"Look, Hermione, I'm flattered that you think we'd fit well but my point still stands. Sure, the age won't mean a thing in a few years, but right now I feel like a pervert for even thinking it. Bloody hell, I drank two bottles of tequila when I finally admitted it the other week!"
"Alcohol is never the answer," Hermione said. She paused and blushed a bit. "Well, okay sometimes alcohol is the answer but not a long term one. You know, I've looked this up, Tonks. While it's not largely practiced it's still considered acceptable and legal to get married as young as 12 in the wizarding world. In fact, the most recent case of this was just five years ago in a suburb of Westminster."
"What?!" Tonks asked with wide eyes.
"I know, I was rather shocked myself. But that's beside the point. Like I said originally, nothing has to happen yet. I just wanted to put it onto the table."
"Hermione, I'm not an idiot. Harry is surrounded by beautiful girls who would jump at the chance if he showed any interest in them at all. I'd put a lot of galleons on Tracey being willing to share Daphne and even if she doesn't then Luna is likely going to end up entangled with you two soon instead. Barring either of them, the castle is full of eligible young women more appropriate than me. There is no possible way that Harry is still going to be available by the time I feel comfortable entertaining anything with him," Tonks finished with a sad smile. Her hair had shifted to a darker blue.
"Besides Luna and Daphne, Tonks, there's not really anyone in the castle I'd even think about dating…" Harry said quietly. He finally seemed to have gotten his wits back and he shrugged. "Some of them are nice enough but most either see me as The-Boy-Who-Lived or just the guy with the awesome hobby. I'm really only 'Harry' to a few people. You were one of the first in that group along with Hermione and Neville."
Tonks leaned back and drew her feet up. "What about Daphne, Tracey and Luna? They think of you that way too, Harry."
"I barely spoke to Luna before last year. Daphne and Tracey, I didn't become friends with until halfway through Second Year. I met you before I met any of them. You were my friend before them and you made a pretty bad situation a lot more fun and interesting just by staying positive and distracting me. It…made an impression," Harry said. He was blushing as bad as a Weasley and couldn't look at either girl.
"I...hadn't realized that," Tonks said. Her hair had changed to a dark brown and a lock of it dropped in front of her face as she shifted positions. She held up a hand to scowl at it. "Stupid hair. I hate my natural color." She concentrated for a moment and it shifted back to pink.
"Tonks, Harry," Hermione said softly, "I'm not trying to play matchmaker or be your pimp." Hermione paused and rolled her eyes at her weak attempt at lightening the mood. Humor was not her strong point. "This is a very unusual situation and I'm just trying to do the best I can to make things easier for everyone. I'm…not very good at social situations – though I am improving. I truly think you two could be happy together. You're both very good compliments to each other. Harry is far more mature than his years would indicate and Tonks – please don't be offended as I mean this as nicely as possible – you are not quite as mature as your age would suggest. Harry is introspective and likes to plan – "
"I do?" Harry muttered frowning.
"Well just because your plans tend to fall horribly apart rather quickly, it certainly doesn't discount the fact that you do make your plans before attempting most actions," Hermione retorted with a smirk. Harry opened his mouth to refute that but ended up sighing and nodding his assent.
"Anyway, Harry likes to plan and you are somewhat impulsive."
"I plan," Tonks muttered sounding much like Harry had just done with his comment. The three paused for a moment as they realized that and then all of them snorted. "I really do try and plan things though."
"Is that your first instinct or have you had to train yourself to do it?" Hermione asked. Tonks considered for a minute before conceding the point.
"Hermione," Harry said softly. "I'm not a guru on relationships by any means but I don't think you can just talk someone into a one. It's not supposed to work that way."
Tonks shook her head and held a up a hand before Hermione could say anything. "That's not what she's doing, Harry." Her hair flashed through a few colors before settling back on pink. "She's trying to talk me into accepting that neither of you would feel like I was taking advantage of you." She stood up and her hair shifted back to her natural brown, lengthening to lie just above her shoulders. "I need to think for a bit." Tonks gave them a smile and heading towards the back of the house.
"Tonks," Harry called. She stopped and looked back over her shoulders at him questioningly. "Promise me you aren't going to go and drink, Nymphadora?" he asked no hint of teasing or sarcasm in his tone.
Tonks gently shook her head smiling wanly. "Promise, Harry. I'll talk to you guys in a bit. Let me know when the others get here."
As Tonks walked around the corner of the hallway she noticed Shiva leaning against the wall with her arms crossed. "How much of that conversation did you overhear?"
Shiva shrugged. "Nearly all of it. For what it's worth, I agree with Hermione. You are well suited for Harry and he'd be good for you. I teased him about it for a while, but I noticed after a bit that when he wasn't thinking of her he was thinking of you. It's been that way for a long time. He leans on the other girls around him a lot, but he defaults to you two when things hit the fan."
"He's fourteen," Tonks said. It came out sounding like a plea instead of a rebuttal.
"And thanks to how he was raised he's mentally been an adult since before he left single digits, Dora," Shiva sighed and pushed off the wall. "I'm not trying to tell you what to do any more than those teens are. I'm just saying, don't discount the possibility."
"You're two years older than me, Shiva," Tonks said wrapping her arms around herself. "It'd almost be like he was dating you."
"Now that is bullshite," Shiva walked past Tonks and squeezed her shoulder. "There's a quote by a Muggle writer, Twain something, 'Age is an issue of mind over matter. If you don't mind, it doesn't matter.' Think about it, Dora."
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