Chapter 6: Departures and Conundrums. Part 5

Harry laughed at the hat's explanation. "So, you can disappear from the castle and no one would even bother to find out why?"

The Hat sighed, "Exactly. However, this type of thinking is common across the magical world. This is one of the reasons why most muggle-born and half-blood children fare so much better academically than their pureblood counter parts. Your friend, Ms. Granger, and your mother are fine examples of this. Remember Harry, never be complacent and let stones be left unturned; this only leads to a stagnant mind."

Harry winced slightly. He knew he was guilty of having a complacent attitude towards magic at times in the previous timeline. Horcrux or not, that is still not acceptable.

"I will try my best to make sure I don't fall into the same trap."

"Good, that's all I can ask of you. Now, to continue where we left off. Let's revise what we learnt about mind magic over the last week."

"Yes sir!"

Harry appeared a sub-urban house garden. Judging by the opulence, this area is filled with families who were well off. No one noticed how he suddenly appeared on the lawn. 'I know that Ted is a muggle-born, but to see a magical couple and their daughter live in the middle of a mundane neighborhood is quite weird.'

Harry remembered how Dobby threw a fit after his lesson with The Hat after he found out that he had nothing appropriate to wear for the dinner. Dobby took several measurements and popped away. Not even an hour later, Dobby appears with a pair of black shoes, light blue socks and a shirt, and a black jacket and pants.

He walked up to the door and noticed the doorbell and rang it. The door opened to reveal a tall lean man with a heady of mousy hair and a pleasant smile. Harry thought he recognized Nymphadora's nose on Ted. Ted held out a hand and Harry shook it firmly.

"Ah welcome Harry, please do come in."

"Thank you, Mr. Tonks."

Ted chuckled, "Call me Ted. I feel like you are asking for my dad when you call me that."

Harry grinned as he stepped inside. Ted led him to the living room. He said, "Please have a seat, let me call my wife and get us some tea."

Ted disappeared into another corner of the house and Harry looked around. The house was well organized, but it had a homely feel to it. It even had several mundane appliances like a television set. Several magical and non-magical pictures were scattered across the room of the three of them.

From the corner of his eyes, he saw a beautiful woman who bore an uncanny resemblance to Bellatrix Lestrange walk in. Except her eyes were a warm brown, her hair a lighter shade of brown and she did not have any signs of imprisonment from Azkaban.

"Hello Mrs. Tonks."

Andromeda smiled, "I am sure my husband asked you to call him Ted. Likewise, call me Andy or Andromeda."

Harry chuckled, "I feel like I have this same discussion whenever I meet an adult."

Andromeda laughed lightly and winked, "I am afraid to say you are going to have to repeat this routine quite a few times. We adults like to stick to our routines just a little too much."

She looked around and rolled her eyes. She whispered conspiratorially, "Though I know one adult who would prefer you to use their surname."

Harry had an inkling of an idea who it was, but he went along with it. He tilted his head to show his confusion and asked, "Who?"

Andromeda dramatically rolled her eyes, "My dearest daughter. You will see why soon."

As she finished her sentence, they heard a loud crash from the front door. Andromeda sighed and rolled her eyes. Then a grown woman proceeded to fall face first next to the entrance to the living room.

Andromeda sighed, "Oh dear Nymphadora, your clumsiness knows no bounds."

Nymphadora muffled out, "Stop calling me that mum! You know I hate it!"

Andromeda rolled her eyes and retorted, "Yes, yes you petulant child. Nymphadora it is quite rude to lie face first and talk to your mother like that, Nymphadora. Plus, it is rude to be yelling at your mother like that when we have a guest in the house, Nymphadora."

Nymphadora "Don't you dare call me Tonks" rose tentatively and saw Harry Potter sitting in the living room giving her a look of amusement. Her hair turned several shades of red before she scrambled to stand up. Only to trip on her feet and fall again before she even stood up.

Ted walked into the living room with a tray with a tea set and some biscuits. He placed the tray on the coffee table in front of Harry. He took one look at his daughter and chuckled, "You might want to get up slowly dear. Please do go take a shower before you join us, your Auror academy tends to work you like a mule."

Nymphadora "My parents make fun of me" Tonks huffed and stomped upstairs once she got up for the second time. Ted amusedly glanced at his wife and said, "Well Harry, why don't we have a cup of tea and get acquainted with each other?"

Harry, Andromeda, and Ted had a pleasant conversation. They mostly asked questions about Harry's school life and anything related to that. They intentionally refrained from any questions about his life with his relatives. When they were done, Andromeda took the tray away.

Ted's expression got a little serious. He started, "Well Harry, why don't we head to my office? I believe we have much to discuss there."

Harry nodded solemnly and followed Ted into his office. It was neatly organized, with bookshelves to his right and various cabinets to his left. Ted walked around his desk and sat on the comfortable work chair. Harry followed suit and sat down.

Ted explained, "Before we discuss anything, I think we need to sign a contract. Upon signing this contract, I will be unable to reveal anything unless you allow me to reveal this information. If you wish to hire my wife as your private healer, she can also be included in this contract. Only thing you need to do is to sign this parchment here and place your wand on the symbol in that parchment."

Harry inquired, "Would you mind if I read the contract quick."

"Of course."

The contract was simple. It was a two-page document that basically assures the confidentiality of the client, who in this case is Harry. The document underlines the penalties for breaking the contract and other related terms.

"Can you include your wife in the contract to act as my healer? I think I can trust your process based on the contract."

Ted nodded in agreement, "Let me go get my wife, give me a moment please."

Couple of minutes later, Ted returned with his wife. She had a slightly expectant look in her eyes in her otherwise calm demeanor. She quickly placed her finger at the symbol on the parchment.

Harry took a quill, dipped it in ink and signed the contract. He finalized it by placing the tip of his wand on the symbol in the parchment. The contract glowed in a dark shade of red and it flew into one of the drawers in the filing cabinets.

Harry's eyes widened as he stared the display of magic. He felt a faint connection between the three of them. Ted looked awfully proud at Harry's astonishment and Andromeda smiled lightly at her husband's antics.

"That, dear Harry is a work of my own invention. This is also why we are the best law firm in Magical Britain and why Ogden keeps me around."

Harry honestly said, "That was an amazing piece of magic. I clearly felt the magic forming the oath between us."

Ted and Andromeda's eyes widened. Andromeda quickly exclaimed, "That is an amazing ability Harry! Only a few wizards are even able to perceive magic the way you do at your age."

Harry scrunched his eyebrows and inquired, "Why is it so rare?"

Ted answered, "Let's put it this way, the only ones who were able to sense magic without training in the past century were Albus Dumbledore and Gellert Grindelwald. If I were to guess, You-know-who also possessed this ability. He was known to wield great amounts with tremendous control, and that requires a great deal of perception into magic."

Harry stilled; a chill crept down his back. Andromeda smiled sadly. She added, "This means nothing about who you are Harry. Your abilities do not decide who you are, your actions, thoughts and words decide who you are."

Harry's shoulders slumped slightly. He grumbled, "Still, not a great list of people to be with and people always fear things that are beyond them."

Andromeda placed a hand on his shoulder. He flinched slightly and he could tell that both the adults noted his flinch. Over the years he was more familiar to physical affection. Yet, old habits die hard.

Especially in a body that only experienced physical abuse not too long. Andromeda looked at her husband, almost pleadingly. Ted sighed, "Your tone suggests that you do not approve of everyone in the list including Dumbledore. Is there a reason to this?"

Harry nodded shakily. He then told his story, about his upbringing, about the various tortures inflicted on him, about how he did not even know much about his parents other than the dishonest image his relatives painted of them.

He spoke of how he received no help from anyone over time, he spoke of how he finally saw hope when he found out he was a wizard. He spoke of his time in Hogwarts, he spoke of all the dangers he faced in those halls. He revealed, much to the Horror of the Tonks couple, that Voldemort was still alive and how he faced him. How he faced a possessed man and how he killed him.

He recounted the tale of his second year. Dobby's attempts to stop his from returning to Hogwarts. The caged room. The Weasleys. The fraud, Lockhart. The petrification and how he was blamed. How his best friend was petrified and how the school finally realized that he was not responsible for the incidents.

The Chamber of Secrets and finally slaying the basilisk. His miraculous survival. Tom Marvolo Riddle. Employing Dobby. He spoke of his theories of Hogwarts and its disciplinary system or lack thereof for some. He spoke of Luna and her story of injustice.

Silence settled in the room when he finished his tale. Andromeda had tears streaming down her face. Ted looked calm, almost too calm. Despite his attempts to hide his feelings, Harry saw the familiar embers of anger. He felt the magic in the room compress slightly. Yet, it felt slightly cathartic, it felt like a release of a burden. He felt slightly lighter. Though he still held a greater burden, but his heart felt lighter.

Ted reached out to a cabinet a bottle of firewhiskey. He conjured two glasses for him and his wife. He poured the liquid into the two glasses and handed one to his wife, who absentmindedly took it from him.

"We should have done something sooner, Andy."

She did not reply. She kept sipping her alcohol absentmindedly. Ted suddenly looked like he aged several years. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. He let out, "I don't know what to do. We found who your guardian is, but that only led to another dead end. In fact, it would be better if you had never ended up with him."

Harry perked up. He asked tentatively, "Who is it?"

"Sirius Black. Your godfather. Your father's best friend. The one who led You-know-who to your house, the one who killed thirteen muggles and Peter Pettigrew."

Andromeda interjected, her voice slightly higher and louder than usual, "Sirius did not do any of that. You know that."

Ted was silent. He slowly spoke, "I would have no answer to you if I hadn't checked his trial files today. His files contained nothing, not a shred of evidence against him, no court documents. Hell, there were even redirection and mild compulsion charms that were placed on the files that expired not too long ago. This is a cover-up of the highest order, which means there are forces much more powerful at play."

Harry's heart tightened. "Is there anything we can do?"

Ted sighed, "We cannot do a thing. If we ask for a retrial, they are going to delay the process in the best-case scenario. In the worst case, Sirius is going to end up dead before the nightfall of the day we file for a retrial."

Harry slumped further in his chair.