12 Chapter 12: Crazy Competition

Harry waited while Nicholas Flamel paced his study, deep in thought. For once the young thief did not bother to even try and disturb the old man, since he knew from the master alchemist's face that the situation he was in was serious.

"Harry..." Nicky stopped pacing and looked at the boy sitting in his study. "How much do you know about Voldemort?"

"He's the Dark Lord that murdered my parents." Harry replied. "According to Hermione, he was the most powerful wizard in modern times, right next to Dumbledore."

"But do you know the man's history?" Nicholas asked. He stared at the books in his private shelf and frowned when he realized that he did not have the book he was looking for.

"Nothing..." Harry replied. "Is this related to the freaky girl named Tom?"

"Harry, Voldemort's true name is Tom Marvolo Riddle." Nicholas said seriously.

"Marlboro Riddle?" Harry asked.

"Marvolo Riddle." Nicholas corrected. "If what you are telling me is true, then he must have found a way to possess that girl."

"Are you serious?" Harry replied, shocked evident in his face. He thought that something was weird about the girl, but this piece of news completely blew him away.

"Very." The old man said grimly. "Only a few wizards know about his past, and I can count them on one hand. Tom Riddle is a half-blood. His mother was Merope Gaunt, the last direct pureblood descendant of Salazar Slytherin."

"He called me a descendant!" Harry remembered his earlier conversation with the freaky girl. "He said that I was a parseltongue."

"You speak Parseltongue?" Nicholas asked, shock evident in his voice. "Why didn't you tell me earlier?"

"I didn't know, alright?" Harry replied. "I just realized I was speaking Parseltongue when Tom pointed it out to me. And he told me I was safe from that humongous Basilisk since I was a descendant of Slytherin."

"Harry... did you look at the Basilisk's eyes?" Nicholas whispered.

"Yeah... they were big yellow eyes, like a lizard's." Harry said. "Tom called her Georgina."

"And he told you that he was going to cleanse the school?" Nicholas asked.

"That's what he said... he was going to clean it of filth." The young thief replied. He watched the old man pull a book from his shelf and handed it to him.

"How does Hogwarts, a History help?" Harry asked as he stared at the book he recognized as Hermione's favorite reading material.

"Fifty years ago... Tom Riddle opened the Chamber of Secrets. A young girl died, but the entrance to the chamber has never been opened." Nicholas said. He waved his hand, and the book in Harry's lap opened to the appropriate chapter.

Harry read a short paragraph on Hogwarts' myths and looked at the old man. "You think he's going to open it again? Is that what he means by getting rid of the filth? By... killing muggleborns?"

"That's the most logical conclusion." Nicholas said. "Though the one thing that puzzles me is how Voldemort managed to possess the girl?"

"Maybe she's under the Imperius curse?" Harry suggested.

"No... The Imperius curse does not have that much power," Nicholas replied. "Harry, this is serious business we're dealing with here, I want you to be very careful."

"I promise." Harry replied. "Tom... he invited me to meet him in the second year girl's bathroom at the Halloween feast. She... I mean he wanted to discuss something with me."

"Don't go Harry." Nicholas warned the young boy. "Tom might be up to something. I don't want you to be exposed to such dangers."

"But this could be the opportunity to find the entrance to the Chamber of Secrets!" Harry argued."Besides, I can escape whenever I want. And like Tom said, I'm safe from the Basilisk's gaze."

Nicholas was hesitant as he looked at the young boy. "Even If I tell you not to go, you'd still do it, wouldn't you?"

"Of course." Harry grinned. He had stumbled upon another mission, and an exciting one at that.

"Fine... the Halloween Feast will be one week from now, right?" Nicholas asked. When Harry nodded in confirmation he continued, "I want you to find out the identity of the girl Tom Riddle is possessing. No matter how powerful Voldemort is... he can't possibly maintain continuous control of the girl, or risk leaving his memories on the host."

"Okay." Harry nodded.

"Be careful, Harry." Nicholas warned again.

"I'll be fine..." Harry said. He looked at the old man and smiled. "You're acting like Aunt Penny."

"Don't tell her that, you little scamp." Nicholas grumbled.

"Alright." Harry grinned as he suddenly remembered the package rolled up in his feet. He picked it up on the floor and rolled it open. "Could you hang this in my room?"

********************

Harry whistled a tune as he walked with his two friends. They had just finished Potions and were eager to spend the weekend relaxing. He was blissfully unaware that Hermione and Padma were giving him the silent treatment, to the two girls' irritation.

It had been three days since Padma and Hermione had decided to punish Harry for continually refusing to tell them where he'd been disappearing off to for hours at a time. Unfortunately the silent treatment had not been working, since Harry by nature did not speak much.

"You want some?" Harry fished out of his pockets a bag of chocolates and offered it to his friends.

Hermione and Padma ignored the offered gift though they were tempted when they saw that this was not just a pack of chocolate frogs. When the two girls did not reply, Harry shrugged and popped a piece in his mouth and continued walking to their favorite spot under the tree, with a small smile on his face.

Hermione looked at her friend and sighed and exchanged glances with Padma. Their plan was not working, and they were the ones who were growing impatient with their friend's relaxed nature. It was not bothering him that they had not spoken a word with him outside of the classroom, and he even looked happy with it.

"That's it!" Hermione slammed her book shut and confronted the young boy who was lying on the grass looking at the clouds overhead. Padma followed her friends' actions and sat upright beside her fellow Ravenclaw.

"Hmm?" Harry asked absently. He continued staring at the clouds and grinned when he noticed that one particular cloud looked like Franz, the sorting hat.

"Why don't you tell us where you keep disappearing to?" Hermione said. "Harry, we are your friends aren't we?"

Harry snapped out of his daze and looked at the two girls. "What are you on about?"

Hermione made an impatient sound in the back of her throat and Padma shook her head.

"You don't trust us Harry, and we are supposed to be your friends." Padma said softly.

"You are my friends." Harry said as he sat up.

"Then why don't you tell us where you keep disappearing into?" Hermione asked. "And don't tell me you just slept in an empty classroom, that excuse only worked last year."

Hermione's words made Harry remember his earlier conversation with Fleur about trust and wondered why these girls keep bringing up the subject. He realized that he was not paying as much attention to his friends in Hogwarts because of his busy schedule with Julian and at the Tonks residence.

"Sorry Hermione, Padma." Harry said. "I realize that I'm not acting like a good friend huh?"

Hermione smiled softly. "You are a good friend Harry, it's just that sometimes your mind's not completely there when we talk to you. And then you keep disappearing for hours at a time, and it's just frustrating for us not to know where you are."

"I've been practicing..." Harry said, thinking of a quick reason.

"Practicing?" Padma asked.

"Yeah..." Harry nodded. "Our Defense class is rubbish, that's why I'm doing some independent study of my own. "

Hermione opened her mouth to argue but she was interrupted by Harry.

"Admit it Hermione, Lockhart's not much of a teacher." Harry replied. Ever since the first class, Lockhart had only picked girls to help him reenact the scenes from his book for fear that the boys will copy the Boy-Who-Lived's example.

"Fine... you could have told us that Harry. You didn't have to sneak behind our backs." Hermione said. Although the lessons were entertaining enough, she realized that they had not been learning much about Defense against the Dark Arts. "Can we join you?"

"Sure..." Harry said, relieved that his latest excuse had worked.

*******************

"You're late." Tom scowled impatiently as she tapped her foot.

"Sorry." The masked thief said. "Dumbledore's speech took too long."

At the mention of the Headmaster's name, the little girl scowled. "No matter, follow me."

Harry warily moved closer to the girl and he heard her speak to a sink.

"Open." The girl hissed and Harry leapt back when the sinks in the middle of the bathroom started to move.

"This is the entrance to the chamber of Secrets... and the lair of Georgina." The girl said proudly. "Stairs."

A series of steps emerged from the walls and Harry peered through the gloom.

"Come, we have much to do, and little time to do it." Harry warily followed the girl down the stairs, lighting his wand against the darkness. He moved closer to the girl, and noticed the edge of a small book peeking out from her pockets, with the name of Tom Marvolo Riddle written at the top right corner of the diary. Harry wondered if this book could help the old man and decided to use the opportunity of the enclosed space.

"Watch where you step fool!" The girl hissed. She almost stumbled down the slippery steps when the young thief bumped into her.

Harry looked on in amazement at the large underground cave beneath Hogwarts. Bones of dead animals littered the dam floor, and the young thief swore he saw the skeletal remains of a few centaurs.

"Welcome, descendant, to the chamber of Secrets." The girl swept her arm around the large underground cave.

"Nice," Harry said simply as he looked around. A series of statues of snakes lined the sides of the chamber, while a large head was carved in the face of a large rock.

"Salazar Slytherin..." Harry whispered.

"Yes." The girl said as she gazed at the carved face of her ancestor "Impressive, isn't it?"

"Yeah." Harry nodded.

"Now, before you help me cleanse Hogwarts of the unworthy, I need to know that I can trust you." The girl turned around to face the masked thief. "Remove your mask so that I can see the face of my descendant."

"No." Harry stepped back. His wand slid to his hand when he saw the girl drew hers.

"No?" Tom sneered. "You must obey me, young one... or I shall be forced to take action against you."

Harry kept silent as he moved slowly away from the creepy possessed Weasley girl. Tom scowled and fired a series of low level curses to bind him.

Harry ducked and dived from the curses, firing a few of his own. Tom absently deflected them and her young face contorted with anger. "You dare!"

Tom decided to use more power, but he felt his control on the girl loosen. Such was the cost of using magic while he was not fully in control, and decided to fish the book in her pockets to use the power of the diary to take control once more.

Harry noticed the girl's actions and he held out the small book. "Looking for this?"

"Give it back!" The girl hissed as she struggled to remain in control. "Accio!"

Harry felt the book begin to slip from his grasp and with superior reflexes snatched it back. "Protego!"

The shield charm blocked the summoning charm and the girl screamed in frustration. Tom Riddle's grip on the girl slipped and she crumpled to the ground, unconscious.

Harry sighed in relief and decided his nest course of action. He levitated the unconscious girl in front of him back to the second year lavatory.

"Close." Harry hissed at the tap and the entrance to the Chamber sealed itself once more. Harry wondered what to do with the girl, and decided to just leave him on the floor after making sure she was breathing.

He eyed the book in his hands and vanished back to his headquarters. He had to give this to the old man right away.

**********************

November 1, Nicholas Flamel's Private study

"Something's not right with this diary." Nicholas frowned as he dropped the quill. "It's sentient and it's not supposed to do that."

"I thought it was just a magical diary... maybe a spell book." Harry said. "That's why I nicked it from tom Riddle."

"It is very magical." Nicholas said. "It has a strong compulsion charm for the user to write on it... I don't like this."

"What's wrong Nicky." Penny asked in concern. "Something's troubling you."

"I have my suspicions about this diary... but I need to be sure." Nicholas said. He looked at the diary for a moment and looked at the young thief. "Harry, are you up for another mission?"

"Sure." Harry said immediately. "Is it difficult?"

"Very..." Nicholas said. "I need you to get something from Albus' private library."

"But that's located in Dumbledore's office." The young thief remembered the old man's earlier warning. "You said there are many monitoring charms in his office."

"I said that... but that's the challenge." Nicholas Flamel said. "I think you're the only wizard that is capable of accomplishing this task."

"It's going to take some planning." Harry mused as he formulated possible plans.

"It's difficult to do it alone..."Nicky agreed. "You need some inside help. Don't forget, Dumbledore can apparated within Hogwarts. You need a distraction."

"I can do it alone." Harry insisted though he considered the old man's suggestions.

"What about your friends?" Nicholas asked. "They can help you."

"I'm not sure..." The young thief said. "They might not be up for this."

Nicholas exchanged glances with his wife and sighed. This was what Penny brought last night before they went to sleep. Young Harry had trouble trusting the people around him.

"Don't underestimate your friends Harry." Penny said softly. "They are not just tools you can take advantage off... there's more to friendship than that."

Harry nodded and he remembered the times he spent with Hermione and Padma. They willingly shared their notes on History of Magic with him and helped him in potions without expecting anything at all. He looked at Penny and the old man and nodded. "I'll consider it Penny."

"Good." Nicholas said in approval. A burst of fire in his fireplace caught his attention and he looked up to see Julian removing the dust and ashes that attached to his robes.

"You need to clean the old Fireplace, Nicholas." Julian said. He looked up and smiled when he saw his future son-in-law seating on top of the side table. "I was hoping to catch you here Harry."

"What brings you here Julian?" Penny asked as she stood up and hugged her 'great grandson'.

"Apolline wanted to ask if you wanted to visit us for Fleur's birthday." Julian said as he hugged his ancestor back.

"Why not..." Penny said after a moment. "It's going to be a private affair, isn't it?"

"Of course." Julian said, knowing Perenelle Flamel valued her privacy. "Of course Apolline's relatives will be coming."

"That's fine." Penny smiled. "Now you need to talk to Harry?"

Julian nodded and ruffled the young boy's hair as he sat on the open chair. "Fleur has some problems in school. Harry, I was wondering if you would consent to allowing your betrothal to my daughter to become public."

"Why?" Harry asked.

"Her Veela powers are maturing... and she's attracting unwanted advances from her male classmates. She's getting irritated with it, and by announcing her betrothal, these boys will back off."

"Hmmm..." Harry thought for a moment. Sooner or later, his betrothal will become public, and he decided that he doesn't have any problem with it. "Sure, go ahead."

"Harry, with the release of this news to the press, you will be subject to more attention than you are used to." Penny said. "Are you prepared for that?"

"It's going to come out sooner or later." Harry shrugged. "I don't really care what people think of it."

"Thank you Harry." Julian smiled. "Now... can you please return the paintings you have decided to hand in our home? Whenever we remove the paintings, hours later we find them back hanging in our bedroom. My wife and I... we miss our privacy."

Harry grinned. "Do you surrender?"

"I surrender." Julian admitted defeat. A week without sex was a horrible experience. There were even smaller paintings in their private bathroom, creating havoc with his wife during the mornings.

********************

The young thief studied the stone Gargoyle for a moment, admiring its wicked looking stone wings. He knew a password was required to make it move aside and he was eager to see the magic that made it possible. He was wary though... the young thief knew that casting detection charms on the gargoyle will immediately alert the Headmaster.

He heard footsteps in the distance and immediately moved to the shadows, curious to see who was still up this late at night.

"Hurry up... I want these crates ready for the celebration." A voice said.

"They're a bit heavy Forge." Another voice replied. "I should have carried the sweets."

"Check if the path is clear Gred."

"I'm on it.... I solemnly swear that I am up to no good."

"All clear?"

"Hang on..." Fred Weasley's eyes widened in shock. "George... we're not alone... look!"

"Bloody Hell!" George Weasley said as he looked over his twin's shoulder. "Is that... is that..."

Fred looked around the corridor and looked back at the map. "Prongs junior... who could that be..."

He looked at his twin and nodded and dropped the crate of butterbeer and bags of sweets on the floor.

Harry looked on curiously wondering what these two were up to. They were looking at an old piece of parchment when suddenly they both dropped the goods in their arms and started walking near him. He knew they couldn't see him as they walked past him when they suddenly turned around and lunged towards him.

The young thief was caught in surprise as his cloak was quickly removed from his person and found two grinning twins looking at him.

"An honor to meet you... Prongs junior." Twin one said.

"How... how did you find me?" Harry asked in shock.

"It is a secret... and we will tell you, if you tell us who you are." Twin two said. "I like the mask by the way, Prongs junior."

"I agree... perhaps we should have one too." Twin one replied.

"Is it related to that parchment?" Harry asked warily.

"He's a sharp one... he is really related to the great marauders Fred." George Weasley said.

The sound of footsteps was heard around the corner and the twins immediately grabbed their goods. Fred Weasley looked at the young thief and smiled. "Follow us Prongs junior."

Harry picked up his cloak and followed the twins who jogged down the corridor away from the footsteps and headed towards one of their hidden hangouts.

Harry followed the Weasley Twins and found them stowing their loot in the corner. It looked to be an abandoned storage room and he noticed that a few old couches and a table in the center.

"Make yourself comfortable." George said in a friendly tone. "We were very curious about you... and tried to look for you since last year."

"You were looking for me?" Harry asked. He sat down on the opposite couch and looked back at the two twins who were eagerly looking at him.

"Yeah... we first saw you on the roof on the train last year... when you stole those prefect badges." Fred Weasley said. "I'm sure it was you and nice work by the way."

Harry grinned under his mask. It was rare to have his missions complimented like that.

"And then... you were the one that stole the sorting hat right? That was the best prank we have ever seen. You really are a marauder." George added.

"I can neither confirm nor deny your suspicions." Harry said, remembering a line from the movie he recently watched. The Weasley twins snickered and beamed at the young thief.

"Now... that we have finally met... allow us to introduce ourselves." George said."I'm George Weasley, the handsome twin."

"And I'm Fred, the sexy Twin."

Harry laughed and shook both hands. "Why did you call me Prongs junior?"

"We'll tell you... but first... you have to tell us who you are." Fred Weasley said.

Harry looked at the twins for a moment. "You have to promise you won't tell anyone."

"Prankster's honor." Fred Weasley said solemnly and his twin nodded in agreement.

Harry removed his mask and removed the glasses from his robes and put it on.

"Merlin!" Fred and George Weasley exclaimed at the same time and Harry laughed when he saw the shocked look on their faces.

"Hi, I'm Harry Potter." The young thief said. "Now... tell me more about the map."

*****************

"Are you fine Ginny?" Ron Weasley asked in concern.

"I'm fine..." The youngest Weasley said as her quill breezed past the parchment. "Have you seen my diary?"

"Diary?" Ron asked.

"The one that I've been writing in all summer!" Ginny snapped as she stopped writing. "It's missing!"

He watched in his younger sister wondering what was wrong with her. Her roommates also noticed her sudden change in demeanor these past few days, she was always irritable, ever since the Halloween feast. What was worse, she found herself looking at the older Gryffindor girls with appreciation whenever they showered every morning.

"You can always get a new one." Ron said as he watched his younger sister finish her assignment in record speed.

"No! This diary's special!" Ginny insisted.

"Forget it Ronald." The young girl said finally. "I'll check if my roommates have taken it by mistake. They're so messy and irresponsible with their things!"

"And you're not messy? Ginny, you should see your room at home." Ron pointed out. "It's even messier than mine."

"Well I've changed." The young girl said to her brother. She noticed that the Gryffindor chasers had just entered the common room, tired from their practice. "I'm taking a quick shower."

"You just had one this afternoon." Ron looked at his younger sister with concern. "Are you sure you're alright Ginny?"

"I'm fine." Ginny said as she gathered her books and finished assignments, leaving her roommates struggling to finish theirs in time for tomorrow. The transfiguration assignment was ridiculously easy and it only took her five minutes to write down the required length for the essay.

***************

Harry was busy making his own sandwich when Hermione and Padma sat down beside him. He looked up and saw their sleepy faces.

"Hey guys." Harry greeted the two girls. "Rough night?"

"Not really." Hermione yawned. "I just slept late since I couldn't stop reading the books Padma lent me."

"That's nice" Harry said. He observed his omelet sandwich, and satisfied that it was done properly he began to wrap it in towel paper.

"You're not eating with us?" Padma asked.

"Yeah... I have some business to attend to." Harry replied. He was about to stand up when a flock of owls descended from the windows to deliver the daily wizard newspaper to those who had subscribed.

Hermione absently gave the bird the payment as she removed the roll of paper from the Owl's leg, her concentration on her breakfast. Suddenly the noise in the great hall grew louder as students started reacting from reading the front page of the daily prophet.

Hermione was about to take a bite of sausage when she dropped her fork and it clattered on the table.

"Hermione?" Padma looked at her friend with worry. She followed her roommate's gaze and her eyes widened in shock.

"Harry! You're... you're betrothed!?" Padma exclaimed. Other students started looking at the Boy-Who-Lived and even some pointed at him.

Harry had been expecting the news of his betrothal to turn public and nodded, though he was a bit surprised at the reaction of the students.

"What is the meaning of this?" Hermione hissed.

"It's a common practice for traditional Pureblood families Hermione..." Padma said after she finally regained her composure. "These Families use the betrothal contracts to form alliances with other families."

"This is barbaric!" Hermione fumed. "Can anything be done about this?"

"You can't get away from a betrothal, Hermione... It's a magical binding contract." Padma said. She looked at Harry and gave him a sad smile. "I never thought that the Potters followed the old ways."

Hermione speared her sausage and chewed her food furiously, obviously in a bad mood. "The wizarding world is horrible... the society is so backwards!"

Padma did not choose to reply, she knew that Hermione was in a bad mood. It only got worse when Michael Corner sat down to join them.

"Hey Harry..." Michael sat down beside his roommate. "Why didn't you tell me you were betrothed to an older French girl? Good job by the way!"

"Good Job?" Hermione asked. "Harry's being forced to marry a girl he barely knows!"

"So?" Michael shrugged. "He's getting betrothed to one of the Delacour daughters. They're rich, and rumors say they're Veela. I say Harry's lucky."

"Veela?" Hermione gasped. "Oh Harry! Be careful! Veela are known to use their charms to entrance males! They cannot be trusted!"

Harry frowned at this. Fleur was not bad, and he never even experienced an ounce of charm from Fleur or her mother. "When I stayed with the Delacours last summer, I never experienced the Veela charm from Fleur and Apolline."

"Fleur?" Hermione narrowed her eyes.

"That's her name." Harry said. "She's quite nice, she even plays with me."

"She plays with you?" Michael leaned forward, eager to hear more.

Harry nodded. "Sometimes we play for hours on the bed... it's the best spot."

"On the... bed?" Hermione said weakly.

"Yep." Harry said. "But Fleur usually quits after an hour or so... I think I tire her out. Anyway, I have to go, business calls."

Hermione, Padma and Michael looked on as Harry headed out of the great hall, not at the least perturbed as hundreds of students looked at him.

***************************

Smooch!

Harry sighed. He wiped his cheek after Fleur planted another kiss on his face. The Delacour heiress ignored her future husband's protests and smiled as she greeted her relatives that arrived through the floo.

"Why do you keep on doing that?" Harry grumbled.

"It is my right." Fleur said, beaming at her future husband.

"You look happy." Harry observed.

"I am." Fleur said. "You cannot imagine the relief I felt when I saw all those boy's faces after the news of our betrothal reached the school. How did your friends take the news?"

"Hermione was mad." Harry said. "She thought the concept of betrothal was... barbaric."

"Do you think it is?" Fleur asked.

"No..." Harry said as he looked at the older girl. "I like your family. And if being betrothed means living here with you... it's really nice."

"Merci Harry" Fleur grinned. She leaned down and kissed her future husband while he was distracted by the arrival of a giant cake.

"Fleur!" Harry complained. He immediately wiped his cheek again and glared at his future wife. He heard laughing and noticed Apolline and Julian looking at the two of them from the opposite end of the room.

Harry frowned at Julian and raised an eyebrow and the Frenchman immediately shut up when he saw his future son-in-law looking at a particularly large painting of his grandmother.

The young thief smiled in satisfaction when he saw Julian's reaction and endured Fleur's kisses better as they continued to receive guests flooing in from the main fireplace.

**************

"Who owns that cute little thing?" Emmelline Vance asked her fellow auror. Hestia Jones looked at the cat sitting a few benches down watching the duel between a young Auror Cadet and a senior auror.

The young black cat sat upright, its ears perked up as its head followed the exchange of spell fire between the young woman and the senior auror. Its black tail twitched ever so often in excitement as it observed the movements of the two duelists closely.

"I think it belongs to that girl." Hestia said. "He looks adorable!"

"Let's seat beside him. I think he's friendly enough." Emmelline suggested. The two female aurors discreetly moved behind the young cat and sat between it.

Kit was fascinated with the duel with Tonks and the Auror trainer. He realized that he still had a long way to go to reach that level, despite the training Julian and the old man had been giving him. Still, he realized that he knew quite a lot of spells that the combatants were using and understood the strategy both were using.

The auror trainer was very good from what he could tell. The man, even though his mobility was compromised because of his peg leg, used his surrounding too great effect and used a variety of shields and conjured objects to defend himself. The auror trainer seemed to know where Tonks always was even though she attempted to run circles around him, trying to attack his blind spot. Either the man was a seer or he had eyes in the back of his head... maybe both.

Tonks tended to attack head on and used her speed and agility to avoid the spells from her opponents. She needs more work in spacial awareness though, because he noticed that the Auror trainer was subtly moving his opponent into the corner of the dueling chamber and into a trap.

Kit's tail flicked in excitement as the auror trainer suddenly launched a barrage of stunning and blasting curses, increasing his rate of spell fire. Tonks was caught off guard and her shield buckled under the onslaught until it shattered as a particularly strong blasting curse hit it. In a moment Kit's 'owner' was beaten as her wand flew away from her.

"Good match Trainee." The man said as he hobbled forward towards the exit. "I like your attitude. I'll take you in under my wing."

Tonks smiled brightly and Kit could practically feel joy and happiness bubbling from her. He was rudely interrupted from his observation as he was plucked up from his seat by a female auror.

"Oh look Em! It has green eyes!" Hestia said. She struggled to hold on to the struggling young cat who obviously didn't like being handled that way.

"It smells good too... like strawberries." Em said as she smelled the young cat's fur.

Hestia began to tickle the young cat and it snarled and hissed, obviously annoyed at the sensation.

Mrooowwrr!

Kit retracted his claws and scratched the woman's hands, but she was wearing thick leather gloves. Their hands were unfamiliar and he could feel his ribs stressed as he was hugged too tight.

Tonks immediately felt distress from her pet and she narrowed her eyes when she saw Kit being manhandled by a pair of witches who were eagerly tickling her poor pet to death. She immediately ran towards the observer's seats.

"Leave him alone!" Tonks shouted. "He doesn't like that!"

The two aurors stopped and immediately let go of the young cat. Kit jumped from the wooden bench and ran between her legs and Tonks stared at disapproval at the two aurors.

"Sorry... couldn't resist. He was just too cute." Hestia Jones grinned at the auror trainee.

"Nice duel with Mad eye though, I think you impressed him." Emmelline said, trying to sooth the irritated young woman.

Tonks' demeanor did not change despite compliments and she scooped up Kit who was hiding between her legs.

"Don't touch Kit ever again." Tonks warned the two women, not caring if they ranked higher than her in rank.

"Okay..." Hestia replied. "He's just a pet, and we mean no harm."

"He's my familiar." Tonks said. She stroked Kit behind the ears and the young cat closed its eyes in pleasure.

"I see... the relationship between a familiar and its companion is very intimate." Emmelline said. She felt bad for her earlier actions... no wonder the young cat furiously tried to escape them.

"Have you registered him as your familiar?" Emmelline asked. "I have a friend that works in the bonds and contracts department... It will formalize the bond between you and check the compatibility with one another."

"I haven't really checked it with that department." Tonks admitted. "Though there are signs that we have formed a familiar bond with one another."

Kit's ears perked up and he listened in to the conversation. He noticed that the two women were looking at him and he snarled at them, annoyed still at their earlier actions.

"I'll guide you there to avoid the red tape." Emmelline offered. "Consider it as an apology for doing that to your familiar."

"Will it take long?" Tonks asked. "I have to get home soon."

"Just a few minutes." Emmelline smiled. "So are we good?"

Tonks smiled after a moment. "We're good, though I think Kit is still mad at you two."

"Why did you name him Kit?" Hestia asked.

"I found him at the carriage compartment in the Hogwarts express last year." Tonks smiled at the memory. "He was a young kitten then... so I called him Kit for short. He's gotten bigger now."

"That's interesting... you developed a bond with him it such a short time." Emmelline observed as she led the young trainee through the ministry building.

"How long does a bond form between a familiar and its companion?" Tonks asked.

"It usually takes years." Emmelline replied. "I heard that it took Albus Dumbledore five decades to form a bond with his familiar."

"Kit's special." Tonks said fondly.

"Have you heard the news yet?" Hestia asked. "I just read from the newspaper that Harry Potter is betrothed to some daughter of a rich family in France."

"Really?" Tonks asked, surprised. "My mum knew Harry Potter's dad back in Hogwarts. Never figured them to practice the old customs... after all, he married Lily Evans. I'm happy my mum decided not to follow the old traditions."

"Who is your mum?" Hestia asked.

"Her name's Andromeda Tonks nee Black. I'm Tonks." The Metamorphagus said.

"You're the daughter of the eldest Black sister that broke away from Britain's most prominent dark family." Emmelline said. "That caused quite a stir while I was in school."

"I'm Emmelline Vance by the way, and this is my partner Hestia Jones." Emmelline said.

"Are you related to Gwenog Jones?" Tonks asked the blonde haired auror. "I'm a Harpies supporter."

"She's my older sister." Hestia grinned.

"Here we are." Emmelline said. She pushed the door open to the department and ushered in Tonks through the offices.

"Hey Edward." Emmelline greeted a wizard wearing brown robes. "I need a little favor."

"Anything for you Em." The wizard smiled. "Are we still on for Friday?"

"Sure." Emmelline said. "I have a friend here who needs to have her cat registered as her familiar."

"Familiar eh?" Edwards asked. "That's pretty rare. Put the cat on the table and I'll check him."

"Will it hurt Kit?" Tonks asked. "He's still a young cat..."

"It won't hurt him." Edward assured the young woman."Let's check him first if he's magical."

Edward waved his wand and Kit stiffened up and looked at his paw as his whole body glowed a bright yellow.

"He's magical alright... very magical." Edward said. "That's no ordinary housecat... and he's even more magical than a Kneazle... where did you find him Miss..."

"Call me Tonks." The young woman replied. "I found Kit sleeping in the baggage compartment."

"He could be an undiscovered breed of a magical cat." Edward mused. "Do you mind if we borrow him for a few nights? Just to observe him of course."

"Absolutely not." Tonks frowned. "I just want to get confirmation that Kit's my familiar and have him registered, if possible."

Edward's face fell with disappointment. "I see... I'll just check the compatibility for Familiars then."

"How do you determine if a magical pet is a familiar or not?" Hestia asked.

"It's all in the color of both master and pet." Edward explained. "If both owner and pet glowed the same color, or at least near to it, chances are that the wizard or the witch just found his or her familiar. Of course familiar bonds don't start right away... it takes years of friendship and trust between master and pet."

Edwards began to wave his wand in a complicated zigzag pattern and Kit's eyes followed the tip of the wand that glowed yellow.

Suddenly he glowed bright red and he looked up and noticed that Tonks was also glowing the same color.

"I'll be..." Edwards whispered. "Congratulations Tonks... you're the seventeenth witch or wizard in recorded history to form a familiar bond."

"Hear that Kit?" Tonks asked in excitement.

Meow.

Tonks squealed in delight and hugged her familiar, while Hestia and Emmelline offered the trainee auror congratulatory pats on the back.

********************

"You must go home at once!"

"Gaah! What are you doing here?!" Michael Corner looked at the house elf that suddenly appeared at the foot of his bed.

"Dobby came to warn you sir... grave danger in Hogwarts." The house elf said.

"What are you talking about?" Michael asked.

"A plot... there is an evil plot to harm you sir!" Dobby bounced on the bed. "You must return home!"

"Why would anyone want to harm me?" Michael asked.

"You defeated the Dark Lord Sir!" Dobby said. "His servants seek to harm you!"

"You think... I'm Harry Potter?" Michael sighed in relief. "I'm not him... he is on that bed."

"Dobby apologizes!" The House Elf vanished and reappeared on the other bed. Michael immediately dropped the book from his lap and listened to what the house elf was saying.

"Harry Potter must return home!"

"Great Harry Potter Sir?"

Michael Corner opened his curtains and found the house elf staring at the empty bed of Harry Potter.

*************