Chapter 18: Toothy Troubles

December 27, Tonks Residence

BAM!

A fashion magazine that Apolline gave to Tonks slammed into the telly with such force that it hit the switch at the right spot and changed the channel.

"Harry!" Tonks shouted when she saw her familiar throw the magazine. "You could have broken the Telly!"

The trainee auror snatched the remote from her familiar and turned off the television, and then faced her young friend. "What's up with you?"

"Stupid Jerry." Harry grumbled from the couch.

"Harry, you shouldn't get all worked up with some stupid cartoon." Tonks said, though for some reason her lips kept twitching into a smile. Harry really looked adorable when he was in a mood.

"This show is rubbish!" The young thief declared. "How come that stupid mouse always wins?"

"Harry..." Tonks sighed. They shouldn't have gotten cable, nobody watched them at home anyway, and her mum preferred watching at her own leisure by renting VHS tapes. It was her father, a cable man by profession, that installed the cable and both Tonks women were reluctant to have it removed when he passed on. Nobody had much use for over 300 cable channels, until Harry arrived.

"Cats aren't stupid! And that mouse should have been crushed!" Harry continued his rant. He didn't find the cartoon funny at all, and after watching episode after episode of poor Tom being beaten or losing to a small brown mouse with freakishly big ears, he had enough.

Planning for Pettigrew's capture, Harry thought that the cartoons could inspire him to catch the traitorous rat that betrayed his parents to Voldemort. To his irritation, the small brown mouse with big ears kept on winning, to the point that he wanted nothing more than to swat the mouse's head so hard that he would decapitate it.

"Come on." Tonks physically dragged Harry away from the couch and towards the front door. She felt irritation from Harry and knowing him, he'd likely break something that was hard to repair with magic. "You're spending too much time in front of the telly. Let's go out, get some ice cream. How does that sound?"

Harry nodded and let Tonks lead him towards the local ice parlor, his thoughts still on the stupid rat. "I'll never watch that show again."

"What do you want this time?" Tonks asked, swinging their intertwined hands as they walked down the sidewalk.

"Strawberry." Harry said quickly, his sour mood instantly vanishing at the prospect of ice cream. His thoughts about the cold sweet goodness vanished when a glint of something shiny caught his eye.

He looked around the neighborhood and spotted a middle aged couple getting out what looked like a very expensive car. The man checked his silver watch and Harry was immediately drawn to it. It glinted at the sun, teasing him, beckoning him.

A sharp tug brought him back and he looked up to see Tonks giving him a glare.

"Tonks, I'll just go to the loo..."

"No."

"I'll order for us!" Harry offered.

"No." Tonks said, tightening her grip on her familiar and forcing him inside the ice cream parlor. "I know what you're thinking. We're here to spend some time together before you get back, so please Harry? Let's make the most of it."

Harry stared at Tonk's face and the fancy silver watch that had diamond studs around its surface. I must be a Rolex. The young thief sighed and settled on an empty booth while Tonks sat beside him.

The trainee auror bit her lip while she looked at the menu while Harry played with the vase full of crayons normally offered to impatient kids eager for their ice cream.

"The things I do for you." Harry sighed. He gave a last look at the fancy, shiny watch that the man was wearing and forced himself to think that it was probably fake anyway.

"I appreciate it Harry." Tonks grinned and mussed up her familiar's hair.

Harry smiled at Tonks while he discreetly tucked into his pocket a piece of tissue that had Rolex man's car plate number and the address of the house he visited written on it. The watch looked genuine.

"What's so funny?" Tonks ask when she felt her familiar's emotions.

"I just realized how funny I looked getting all worried up with that cartoon show." Harry said.

"You were." Tonks laughed. "I understand though, sometime I feel sorry for Tom. And I can understand why you feel so strongly about it, being my Kit and all."

"I think we have to approach the counter to order." Harry said, still embarrassed about how he reacted earlier.

"Right." Tonks stood up. "You'll have a scoop of strawberry?"

"Make it two scoops." Harry said as he continued to draw a figure on the paper mat.

Tonks nodded and joined the short queue and waited her turn while she kept an eye out for Harry. He seemed to be occupied with the bunch of crayons, drawing something with a look of mischief and satisfaction on his face. A few minutes later she headed back with Harry's two scoop strawberry ice cream on a cup, and her own three scoop mango flavor with chocolate sprinkles.

She noticed Harry was still occupied and she leaned down to see what he was so busy drawing. Tonks smiled and shook her head and ignored the very graphic drawings of a crudely drawn brown mouse, decapitated or chopped in half with splashes of red that represented blood.

Tonks sighed and looked around the ice cream parlor, making sure that the booth behind them was vacant. It wouldn't do to have some curious kid look over Harry's shoulder and see the very violent and graphic images of ten ways to kill a mouse. But she had to hand it to Harry, he had a flair for violent drawings and she could almost feel the emotions in his crude and troubling artwork.

Harry admired the watch he has recently acquired as it glittered against the sun, feeling a great sense of accomplishment of having successfully completed his mission even with having such a narrow window of time. Sadly, it wasn't a Rolex like originally he thought, but some cheap watch with a weird name.

The door to the old man's study opened and the Master Alchemist walked in, a newspaper tucked under his arm and a coffee held in his other arm.

"Morning Harry." Nicholas Flamel yawned. He wasn't surprised anymore to see Harry in his private study, Nicholas and his wife were now used for their young 'grandson' to appear at random times during the day.

"Another successful heist?" Nicholas did not even bother to glance at the new watch, he had a growing collection of his own and settled in his comfortable, high back chair.

"Yeah." The young thief replied. "But I thought it was a Rolex, but it was just a cheap imitation. It has a weird name written on it."

"What is it?" Nicholas asked absently as he started reading the Daily Prophet.

Harry looked closer at the face of the watch and carelessly dropped it in front of the old man. "Patek Philippe. You can have it if you want."

Nicholas immediately dropped the paper and looked closer at watch in his desk. It had a silver coating, with a delicate design on its face. His expert eye could see that the hands were made from platinum, or something similar.

"Harry, you do know that this watch is more expensive than three Rolexes combined?"

"Really?" Harry raised a skeptical eyebrow and picked up the watch again and turning it in his hand and looking at it from different angles. It was even heavier than most watches in his collection. "It doesn't look like it. It's too plain for me, and I prefer Rolexes, they're the second best watches in the world."

"And what's the best?" Nicholas asked, a small smile on his face.

"Omega of course." Harry said immediately, throwing the older man a condescending look for not being as street smart as him. "They're what double O agents use."

The young thief left his 'study' oddly confused, leaving a laughing alchemist in his wake.

Gryffindor common room, December 28

The young cat spent several annoying minutes in front of the painting of the fat lady who tried to gain his attention by making irritating high pitch noises. He hadn't been inside the Gryffindor's common room and he didn't know the password either, and settled in front of the portrait to wait for Fred or George or some other Gryffindor that stayed during the break.

Harry had consulted the map, but he couldn't find the twins and guessed that they must be busy with their purchases in Hogsmeade.

"Come here you cuddly thing! Come to mommy!"

Kit eyed the fat lady with a glance, seriously tempted to scratch her to shreds. He wondered why he even considered giving the painting to Nicholas as a gift last Christmas, that thing was nuisance.

And when the young cat thought it couldn't get any worse, a painting of a woman in purple robes stepped inside the Fat lady's painting and joined her in trying to get Kit's attention.

"Oh isn't he an adorable little thing!"

"I told you Violet. I wonder who owns it?" The Fat lady mused. Both paintings of the women crouched down and tried to get Kit to face them.

"Coogie poo!"

"Meyyyow meow!"

"Suu weee!"

Kit eyed his front two paws as his claws slowly appeared. He flexed them against the stone floor and spared the two paintings a glance. As he experienced many times, not everything could always follow the plan, but the this was the most annoying wait he had ever endured.

"I wonder why it's just standing there?" Violet mused.

"It's obviously waiting for its master." The Fat lady replied. "But obviously its new to Hogwarts, and doesn't know where the pets' entrance is."

Kit's ears perked and his claws immediately retracted as he faced the painting. He eyed the fat lady expectantly, hoping that she would guide him to the entrance.

"Oh so you want to know?" The fat lady giggled when the cat nodded. "It's just around the..."

"YOWWWWL"

Kit was rudely picked up without warning by a strong pair of unfamiliar hands and he tried to scratch the assailant when he heard a familiar voice.

"And who is this?" Minerva McGonagall asked. Kit struggled from her strong grip, to no avail. The women in the paintings were so noisy that he hadn't even heard his transfiguration teacher's approach.

"It's a lost pet of a Gryffindor Deputy Headmistress." The painting of the fat lady answered dutifully while Violet curtsied. "It's obviously new to the school, and we were about to guide it to the pet entrance."

"Thank you." Minerva nodded at the guardian to the entrance of the Gryffindor common room. "I think I'll take it from here."

Minerva turned the stunned young cat to get a better look at him, and to Kit's horror the Deputy Headmistress rubbed her nose with his.

"Such a cute cat." Minerva said softly. "And your master obviously takes care of you."

Kit continued to stare at his strict transfiguration professor, still stunned at what happened. He snapped out of it after a moment and quickly looked around, hoping no one saw him getting nose rubbed by Minerva McGonagall.

A few seconds later, he realized that no one in Hogwarts knew about his animagus form, even the twins and he relaxed. McGonagall gently lowered him to the ground, and a moment later a large tabby cat with gray fur and black stripes stood in front of him.

It was McGonagall's animagus form and it was obviously trying to follow him.

"Mrooowrr..."

Kit observed his fellow animagus as it headed down the stairs. After three steps, McGonagall stopped, and stared expectantly at him, obviously she wanted him to follow her. Kit shrugged and followed his professor down the stairs, curious about a secret path for pets that led to the Gryffindor tower. If there was such an entrance to every common room, then Harry had another way to sneak into his classmates' dormitories.

A tail smacked into his face and he realized that he had stopped near a suit of armor and McGonagall was trying to get his attention. He glared at the tabby cat but received an even more intimidating glare in turn. He realized that even in her animagus form, Minerva McGonagall's glare was still as potent.

Trying to save his pride, Kit let out a small hiss but it came off more like a cough and dutifully followed his animagus professor towards the pet's passage.

Lavender Brown sat on one of the arm chairs near the fireplace while her best friend Parvati sat in the other on the other couch reading the latest muggle fashion magazine.

Usually the two Gryffindor girls wouldn't be able to sit at preferred chairs in the common room, but now that most of her house had left for the holidays, she used the opportunity to experience what only the seventh year girls used during the regular school days.

She glanced at the other end of the room near the bookcases, where the younger Weasley siblings were playing a game of chess. Nearby the strict Gryffindor prefect Percy Weasley watched his younger siblings while he wrote a letter to his girlfriend Penelope.

It looked like young Ginny was winning over her brother Ron, again. Ronald's face was scrunched up in concentration, determined not to lose for the third straight game.

A small painting of the forbidden forest, hanged near the ground opened, revealing a young black cat that warily stepped in and took a wary glance at its surroundings.

Lavender was tempted to approach the cat and pet it, but her friend Parvati beat her to it. The Indian girl knelt near the cat who bravely petted its head.

"Do you know whose pet this is?" Parvati asked. She tickled the cat behind the ears and smiled at feeling its soft fur under her palm.

"I haven't seen it before." Lavender replied. She knelt beside her friend and tickled the cat's chin. She tried to pick the animal up and bring it to the couch, but she was rudely warned by a strong hiss.

"Someone must have left it behind for the holidays." Parvati mumbled. Lavender tried her luck again to pick it up but was rebuffed by a swat of a paw.

"Ouch!" Lavender held her hand to her chest. "It doesn't look too friendly now."

"It's best to leave it alone." Parvati said.

Lavender nodded and followed her friend, giving one look at the cat that was now making its way to the boy's dorm.

"Let's go, I heard Oliver was going to start a snowball fight with the Puffs." Parvati said.

All thoughts of the cuddly cat vanished from Lavender thoughts at the prospect of seeing Oliver Wood. The two girls giggled their way out of the common room while the black cat disappeared among the shadows.

The cat quickly made its way to the second year dorm room and poked its head through the partially opened door of the dorm room. Confirming that no one was inside the room, he backed out and quickly transformed, eager to catch his prey. This was his first kidnapping, and he wanted to do it right despite the setbacks that he encountered earlier during the start of his mission.

Harry scanned the map, and once he spotted his target, he quietly entered the room, this time with his wand drawn.

At the foot of Ron Weasley's bed, a fat gray rat that looked to be losing its hairs as it slept soundly, half its body hidden among the thick crimson blankets. He made sure that his footsteps were light enough so as not to wake his prey, Harry closed the distance between them and pointed his wand straight at the rat.

"Stupefy."

The rat bounced from the bed from the power of the stunning curse and fell on the floor head first. Not taking any chances, Harry stunned it again as he was instructed repeatedly by both Julian and Nicholas and grabbed the rat by its tail.

"Incarcerous."

The thick ropes that flew from the tip of Harry's wand wasn't not effective as they loosely wrapped themselves around the small form of Wormtail. Julian said that stunning the rat twice was enough to transport it home, but Harry wanted to tie it securely, his experience with catching small bugs, frogs and critters to sell to his old schoolmates telling him that an animal with its legs tied up wouldn't get far in case it escaped during transport.

Obviously the Incarcerous spell wasn't applicable to small animals and Harry had to improvise. He dug into his pockets, looking for a rope or string to secure Wormtail, but he found something better.

Julian's study, Delacour Mansion

Fleur and Julian waited impatiently with Nicholas as the seconds ticked by. Harry estimated that the mission wouldn't take more than ten minutes, but it was already nearing half an hour. Something had to be wrong.

Fleur looked again at her watch, a gift from her betrothed and continued to pace the study, while her father and Nicholas sipped their drinks quietly. For once, her father was not drinking anything alcoholic, but strong black coffee. He wanted to be in his full mental health when dealing with a possible dark wizard being delivered to his home.

Nicholas and Julian agreed that it was better if Harry transported Wormtail directly into France, in case Harry was somehow detected, the British Ministry would have a harder time trying to trace back the culprit.

As an added precaution, Julian had brought a few of his friends along for backup, retired duelers that were now having a late breakfast in a nearby garden, and being entertained by his wife and his daughter Gabrielle.

Swish

Fleur felt something swipe the back of her long, silvery hair and she immediately turned around and saw Harry grinning at her.

"Harry!" Fleur hugged her betrothed while Julian and Nicholas stood up, anxious for news.

"Are you alright Harry?" Nicholas asked anxiously.

"How did it go?" Julian asked.

"I'm fine." Harry said while Fleur stood back and inspected him for signs of injuries. "I got him."

The three people in the room sighed with relief and waited for Harry to continue.

"I hit a few snags early in the mission but the rest went smoothly." Harry said.

"Is it secure?" Fleur asked.

"Very." Harry nodded and withdrew from the pocket of his robes a mass of grey fur and plastic.

"Merlin!" Nicholas gasped. "What in heaven's did you do to it?"

"I made sure it won't escape in case it woke up." Harry said, placing the rat on the desk.

"It certainly won't escape." Julian said. "You almost suffocated it to death."

"Like I said, I was just making sure." Harry crossed his arms. "The incarcerous spell won't work on the rat, so I had to improvise. And I avoided covering its mouth and nose."

"Well done Harry." Julian said. He looked at Nicholas. "The charm?"

Nicholas nodded and cast a charm on the animagus rat, making sure It wouldn't be able to see who it was talking to when it later transformed.

Julian was about to enervate the rat when the door to study burst open, and a tired looking Remus Lupin rushed in.

"Am I too late? How is Harry?" Remus asked immediately.

"Shouldn't you be in bed right now? I know Werewolf transformations are quite taxing on the body." Nicholas said.

"I want to be here for this." Remus said. He gave Harry a tired smile, and received a curt nod before the boy focused his attention again on the rat on the desk. Harry hadn't quite warmed up to the werewolf, preferring to consult and confide with the male figures in his life, Julian Delacour and Nicholas Flamel. But he did trust the old friend of his birth parents, to a point.

Remus gave a growl in his throat upon seeing the traitor responsible for the death of one his best friends, and the incarceration of the other.

"Calm yourself Remus." Nicholas warned, as Julian sent a strong enervate curse towards the animagus rat.

The rat immediately woke up and tried to struggle against its bindings, but due to the several wraps of scotch tape around its body, it only wiggled like a slug.

"You are caught, Peter Pettigrew." Julian said coldly. "We know the truth."

The rat squeaked and struggled harder, but a moment later it stilled, realizing its bindings were too tight and secure.

Julian petrified the rat except its head and spoke again. "Don't think of even trying to escape, I have placed wards around this room, and no one, man or beast, can leave without my permission. You cannot see them, but several wands are trained at you at the moment. I will remove your bindings, and once I remove the charm, you will transform back to yourself or I can force you to."

The rat squeaked once, and Julian began to remove the vast rolls of scotch tape wrapped around Peter Pettigrew. A few minutes later, where Fleur kept giving Harry amused looks for his thoroughness at using so much tape, Julian finally removed most of the clear plastic adhesive aside from the ones directly in contact with the rat.

Without mercy, and perhaps without realizing it at first, Julian removed the tape wrapped around the lower body of the rat. Julian paused, hearing the rat squeak as if its hair were being pulled out at the same time. He looked at the adhesive side of the tape and realized that that is what just happened.

He heard someone clearing a throat and saw that Harry was smiling, staring at what Julian was doing.

"Perhaps you would like to continue this?" Julian raised an eyebrow.

"My pleasure." Harry said immediately and took the place beside the table. Instead of Julian's quick method of removing the tape, the young thief started at a painful and excruciating slow pace. Remus stopped growling and looked like he was envious of the torture Harry was inflicting on his parents' betrayer.

"It does look like a naked mole rat, doesn't it?" Harry mused. Harry left the interrogation to Nicholas and Julian, while he and Fleur decided to report on his progress to Apolline.

"A disgusting fat, naked mole rat." Fleur shuddered, answering Harry's earlier question. "Why did you use the tape anyway?"

"I usually need it when I trade comics and action figures back at Surrey." Harry replied. "You know, selling back the packaging. Clients are very fussy about that, and you'll want to make sure you have a very sticky tape to secure the goods. It's a habit I guess."

"You've done well." Fleur said, hooking her arm around Harry's as they entered the garden. "What do you plan on doing now?"

"The old man told me that we need to plan to have my godfather freed from Azkaban, but before that secure enough Basilisk venom before the year ends." Harry said, eyeing the food spread on the table. "For now I think I need a break."

"I know of a good way to spend time." Fleur commented. She walked deeper into the gardens and gave Harry a glance. "Coming?"

Harry made the quickest sandwich in his life, and once it was wrapped in tissue, ran after Fleur.

Tonks Residence, January3

Andromeda Tonks appeared in a small pop in the backyard of her house, it had been a long day and she was looking forward to a nice hot bath. The days following the holidays were always a busy one, with wizards and witches trying to rush things after a weeklong vacation.

As a high level employee working for a wizarding realty firm that has close relations with Gringotts, Andromeda was spared most of the hard work but still received her fair share of headache inducing meetings with rude clients and paperwork.

The times were changing, with old wizarding houses and hectares of land now being sold by the pureblood families to earn more revenue upon the advice of the goblins. However, being that the purebloods' numbers were dwindling as more families began to accept marriages with half-bloods and even ordinary muggles, preferred buyers of their once proudly owned vast tracks of land were sorely lacking. The purebloods had no choice but to sell unwanted assets to the lesser halfbloods, or worse, mudbloods and their muggles relatives.

This poses a problem for the wizarding society elite, for a pureblood it would look bad to be seen dealing directly with what they considered to be inferior. That was where the company Andromeda worked for came into play, exploiting a market that only they possessed the expertise in dealing with. Some purebloods, hesitant to directly interact with people they deem inferior, hired the services of the firm to personally arrange deals with the mudblood/half-blood upstarts.

Andromeda is considered a valuable asset in the company, with her lineage as once a member of the Most Noble House of the Blacks, the pureblood customers had no qualms in dealing with her. And with her familiarity with muggles and their way of life courtesy of her late husband, she was among the few in the company that could handle almost every problem.

Almost.

Andromeda dropped her coat on top of the lamp and headed straight to the kitchen to fix herself a hot drink. Dealing with her sister Narcissa who arrived on their office that morning had not been pleasant. She tried to make the meeting short, but Narcissa obviously wanted to prolong her embarrassment, inserting snide comments here and there about her profession and her way of life.

Taking a sip from her tea, Andromeda added a dash of honey and headed to the living room where she heard the sound of the telly.

Thundercats are on the move, thundercats are loose...

Feel the magic, hear the roar, thundercats are loose...

thunder thunder thunder thunder cats!

thunder thunder thunder thunder cats!

Andromeda stopped at the sight in front of her, struggling not to laugh as to disturb the newest and youngest member of her little family. Ever since Ted passed on due to an unfortunate accident, the joyful vibe inside their house never remained the same. The Tonks women tried their best since then, but no matter how hard she and her dear Nymphadora tried to liven things up during the holidays, she knew things would never be the same.

Until the day a young kitten walked into their lives, the young cat was now regarded as part of the Tonks family, showered with love and comfort.

Andromeda smiled and raised her hands to her hips, and watched Kit who again was standing feet from the telly, with his tail twitching and ears perked up, showing he was very excited or pleased.

Thunder, thunder, thunder cats, Hoooo!

"Oh Kit." Andromeda sat on the couch and raised her tired legs on the coffee table. "Did Dora turn on the Telly for you again?"

The young cat spared Andromeda a quick glance before he returned to watching the latest thing in the telly that caught his interest.

Andromeda looked around for the remote of the telly, and a moment later she realized that it was between Kit's legs. Dora's familiar was too smart for his own good, and Andromeda sometimes wondered how smart Kit really is.

"Kit?" Andromeda knelt on the floor to reach for the remote only for the young cat to possessively move it closer to itself his body with his front legs, while giving her a threatening and admittedly cute hiss.

Smiling in amusement, Andromeda quickly flicked the wand holstered on her wrist sheath and levitated both an annoyed Kit and the remote to the couch.

"There." Andromeda nodded in satisfaction and sat herself beside the annoyed cat. "It isn't healthy to sit so close to the telly. Don't worry, I won't change the channel."

Kit seemed to accept what she said and settled down beside her, and permitted her hand to stroke the tufts of his black fur.

"You're just like my Ted." Andromeda smiled fondly. "He was just a big kid inside, still watching those silly shows."

A black tail smacked on top of Andromeda's arm and she found Kit giving her a glare with his narrowed green eyes. She chuckled and continued massaging Kit's soft fur near his head, making the young cat partially close his eyes in pleasure.

The two enjoyed the silence as they watched a new commercial, when a loud crash in the backyard signaled the arrival of Nymphadora Tonks. Both cat and human shared an amused look before Andromeda stood up to prepare dinner for her small family.

"Dora! What did you break now?" Andromeda asked, walking into the kitchen to open the back door for her daughter. The Metamorphmagus trainee auror gave her mother a quick hug before she dropped her bag and cloak messily on the floor.

"Nothing mum." Tonks grumbled, dusting a few blades of grass from her trainee auror robes. "It's that stupid lawn chair you just bought, it keeps getting in my way!"

Used to this type of argument regarding almost all the furniture in the house, Andromeda ignored her daughter's complaint and proceeded to prepare dinner for the three of them.

"Dear, please don't leave the telly on for Kit." Andromeda sighed. "I know he has you between his paws, but watching the telly all afternoon could potentially damage his eyes."

"Huh?" Tonks asked after swallowing a bite of bread. "What?"

"I found him this afternoon watching the Telly." Andromeda explained. "He couldn't possibly open the switch on and press the power button on the remote control, could he?"

"Kit's pretty smart." Tonks replied, looking at her familiar in the living room. "He could learn that eventually, from watching us."

"Yes, he's unnaturally smart, even for a familiar." Andromeda mused. The Tonks matriarch opened the fridge and paused, and saw boxes of what she could tell, were expensive chocolate from France and Switzerland. Puzzled, she grabbed one of the boxes and glanced at the packaging, and then looked up at her daughter who was busy making tea for the both of them.

"Where did you get this?"

Tonks looked up and her eyes widened seeing the chocolate madam Delacour gave her Kit.

"Uhhh..."

"And this is pretty expensive too." Andromeda continued. She opened the box revealing stacks of thin chocolate shaped like squares and found one stack almost empty. Andromeda eyed her daughter for a moment and smirked.

"Who gave this to you?"

"Uhhh..."

Andromeda waited patiently for her daughter to come up with an excuse, knowing full well for the reason of the boxes of chocolates on her fridge.

"Well?"

"I have a friend, he gave it to me." Dora said slowly, watching her mother's expression carefully.

"And who is this 'friend' of yours?" Andromeda asked, tapping her show on the floor. "A suitor perhaps?"

"Mum! I don't have a suitor!"

Andromeda laughed at seeing her daughter's face. "Relax dear, I was just making fun of you. You are so easy to tease. This friend of yours must think highly about you, giving you all these expensive chocolates."

"Yeah right. He doesn't even share." Tonks muttered under her breath.

"What was that?"

"Nothing mum." Tonks replied. "Kit still watching the telly?"

"He is." Andromeda nodded. "Why don't you get him from the couch, we're about to start dinner."

Tonks nodded and stood up from the kitchen and headed towards the living room, knowing full well how hard it was for her very unique familiar to relinquish his spot in the couch.

Mrooowrrr!

Kit yelped when he was suddenly plucked from the couch. He didn't even have time to sink his claws on the soft cushions before he found himself in the familiar arms of Tonks. The young cat flattened his ears in annoyance, the action was just picking in the show he was watching when he was rudely interrupted by Tonks.

"Mum! I'll freshen up first!" Tonks yelled as she headed up to her room, her familiar valiantly trying to get a last look at the Telly. That Cheetara sure was something...

"Okay dear! Hurry up!" Andromeda answered from the kitchen.

When Tonks reached her room, she closed the door and immediately placed Kit on her bed.

"Harry! Why are the chocolates that Madame Delacour gave you all stored inside my fridge? Mum found them!" Tonks asked.

Where a young cat was once sitting near the side of Tonk's queen sized bed now sat a young man, swinging his legs and seemingly unconcerned with what he had done.

"I remember you telling Apolline that you have a place to store up all those chocolates. I thought you were going to put them in your place at the Flamel's!" Tonks exclaimed. "Now she thinks I have some rich suitor giving me gifts!"

"The old man keeps eating my stash, so I figured the safest place was to hide them here." Harry shrugged. "No wonder he keeps on putting on weight... wait your mum thought you have a suitor?"

Tonks huffed at seeing Harry's amused expression. "Not funny Harry. I'm going for a quick shower, why don't you head down and annoy mum."

"Sure." Harry replied. He was about to leave the room and transform when he stopped and looked back at Tonks who had just removed her auror vest and trousers. "Hey Tonks?"

"Yeah Harry?"

"Could uhmm ... could you grow a tail with your Metamorphmagus skills?" Harry asked.

A moment later he ducked as a very sweaty shirt flew past the spot where his head was a moment ago. The young cat quickly ran down the stairs, before his familiar started throwing nasty curses that she had recently learned from Mad Eye Moody.

Auror Headquarters, Ministry of Magic, London

"You were considering retiring a year ago." Amelia Bones sipped her tea, watching the latest batch of auror trainees in their practical exams.

The auror trainees were split into two groups, the first group having distinguished themselves with their skills and talents and had attracted the attention of the senior aurors. They would soon be part of the elite Auror force, hunting dark wizards and witches for a living.

The second group, considered to be barely adequate in their skills, will be enlisted in Hitwizard force and serve as a security, patrolling the streets and looking out for petty crimes like illegal trade and theft.

"Aye." The veteran auror of the first war of the twentieth century nodded and sipped whiskey from his own flask.

"What changed your mind?" Amelia Bones asked. It would have been terrible if Mad eye retired this year, with Fudge seeking to reduce her department's budget by half.

Alastor was well known and supported by many in the Wizengamut for his actions throughout his career, and they continually rejected any laws proposed by Fudge and his political party trying to reduce the Department of Magical Law Enforcement's power.

"Mainly that kid." Moody said gruffly. His regular eye was looking at his boss, while his magical eye was looking at his apprentice. "She's got spunk and real talent. I thought Hogwarts education was going down the drain, but this little gem stumbled along. She'll be a powerful witch with some proper training"

Amelia looked on and spotted Nymphadora Tonks, dueling a fellow trainee.

"She reminds me of you, come to think of it, when you were a trainee." Moody added.

"High praise then." Amelia smiled. She'll be keeping a closer eye on that girl from now on. To earn Alastor Moody's praise, the girl had to have the guts to stomach the veteran auror's training. Movement at the other table caught her attention, and she noticed a black cat watching the trainees below in the exercise field, flicking its long black tail from left to right.

Moody noticed where she was looking, and upon seeing the cat, he immediately sent a curse towards it.

The young cat leaped out of the way and landed on the floor and immediately snarled at the veteran auror.

"Alastor!" Amelia yelped. "What in blazes?"

"Constant Vigilance!" Moody roared, making the other senior aurors on the other tables jump before he cackled with evil laughter.

"You haven't been here often enough." Moody explained, eyeing the cat who looked like it wanted to leap into his face and add a few more scars. "That cat there is my apprentice's familiar. She always takes him during her practical exercises."

"Why did you fire a curse at it?" Amelia asked, looking at the cat that still had its back arched and staring menacingly at Moody. Privately, she thought it looked cute. Maybe Susan should start visiting her again, she'd learn a few hexes and curses used by her auror force, and give some company to the young cat.

"It's a game we play." Moody explained. "Keeps him on his paws. He'll get revenge later, you'll see. Constant Vigilance!"

"Game?"

"First time I fired a curse on it, it got revenge by messing my wardrobe inside the locker." Moody said, looking not at the least angry. "You should have seen my coat, full of cat hairs that had me sneezing before I realized what he had done. And that cat stole my spare leg... I'm still looking for it."

Amelia tried to hide the smile forming on her face, it wouldn't do for the aurors to see their boss giggling like a school girl. "Someone stole your spare leg?"

"Aye." Moody grunted, both his eyes now on the cat. "Never figured out how he did it. Must have had help from Tonks. Smart one that cat... sneaky too. STUPEFY!"

The cat gracefully dodged the curse by hiding under a table, and a moment later the auror trainees could hear the evil laugh of the legendary auror, Mad Eye Moody.

Friday morning, Delacour Mansion, Paris, France

It was not an uncommon sight for the world famous and legendary Alchemist to be seen looting the Delacours' large pantry for a special slab of cheese or bread. Julian, an avid wine collector, made sure that his cheese collection was at par with his wine's, since he knew his wife's side of the family absolutely loved the delicacy during their parties.

The Master Alchemist shuffled past amused servants, having finished his 'raid' and headed back to the main fireplace to get to his own home.

"I swear Nicholas, you are picking up Harry's habits."

The master alchemist looked up and gathered his acquisitions tighter around his arms before he replied. Standing in front of him was his wife of many centuries, with her many times descendant Julian beside her.

"I'm nervous." Nicholas scowled. "You know how I react when I'm feeling like this."

"He'll be fine." Perenelle said gently. She eyed the various assortments in her husband's arms and narrowed her eyes. "Is my cooking not good enough for you?"

"Not at all!" Nicholas said quickly. "I suddenly had the craving for really good cheese, and Julian has a good collection."

Julian nodded and led the two to the private wing of the mansion where Harry usually appeared using his most unique skill. He had tried to convince Harry to appear in only one place when he felt like visiting Fleur and Gabrielle, since the young thief had the habit of appearing randomly around the private wing.

He listened to the elderly couple argue and quickly led them to his private study where his wife was giving Gabrielle history lessons.

"Harry!" Gabrielle chirped when the door opened.

"I'm afraid he's not yet back." Julian said. He smiled at seeing Gabrielle's face and fondly tapped her nose before he sat down.

Apolline greeted the Flamels who followed Julian and started to pour tea for her guests. "You arrived earlier than expected."

"You know how Nicky is... he can't stay in one spot when he's nervous." Perenelle sighed. "And to tell you the truth I can't help but worry as well."

"That's Harry for you." Julian said. "That boy, when he really wants something he really doesn't waste any time."

"Are you sure he will be immune to the Basilisk's gaze?" Apolline asked.

"I'm sure." Nicholas nodded. "I've met a few parseltongue speakers in my travels, and they have helped me in my research with Basilisk venom."

"And if Harry encounters any problems, he knows he can fade back here in case he needs us." Julian added. He looked at Nicholas and asked. "Have you learned anything about Harry's special way of nearly instantaneous transportation?"

"I have theories, but I still haven't made any breakthrough." Nicholas didn't look happy. "I've spent months analyzing every bit and recorded Harry's memories, but I still can't explain how he does it!"

"And we also discovered he can fade another living being with him." Perenelle added. "I thought his skill can only transport inanimate objects."

"How did it feel?" Apolline asked the much older woman. Perenelle had accidentally been transported with Harry when the young boy tried to escape her hug.

"It was... very pleasant." Perenelle said. "It was a feeling of weightlessness, a much better sensation than apparition or using a portkey."

"Maybe I'll ask Harry to accompany in shopping this summer." Apolline mused.

"Dear, have mercy on the boy." Julian said.

"What's wrong?" Apolline asked. "I don't take that long!"

"Four hours is relatively quick." Julian admitted. He knew a few women that could spend the whole day shopping. "But you know how quickly Harry gets bored. And when he's bored..."

The adults in the room grew silent, thinking of what a bored Harry would do inside a shopping mall. The silence was broken when Fleur came in, excited since Beauxbatons officially ended the classes for the term.

"Mama! Papa!" Fleur hugged her parents and kissed Perenelle on the cheek.

"Welcome back flower." Julian greeted his eldest. "Excited to start your vacation?"

The teenager nodded, and a radiant smile formed on her face at the prospect of weeks without school. "I am Papa. Has Harry arrived yet?"

"We're expecting him any moment now." Nicholas answered, looking at his watch.

The Delacours and the Flamels waited patiently for nearly half an hour, with Fleur playing with her younger sister when Harry finally arrived. His clothes were crumpled, and a few twigs and leaves were stuck to his messy hair.

"Goodness!" Perenelle saw the state of her young ward and immediately headed to him to check if he has any injuries. Gabrielle was about to run to her idol but her mother restrained her.

"Harry!" Gabrielle settled for greeting the young thief.

"Hey Gabby!" Harry greeted the young girl and looked at Penny.

"I'm fine." He said instantly, eager to get Penny to stop fussing over him. Unfortunately Perenelle was joined by Fleur and Apolline, both of whom were concerned about the young wizard.

"What happened to you Harry?" Fleur observed her future husband. His robes had scratches and tears while a few twigs were stuck in his messy hair.

"I just got sidetracked a bit." Harry replied, enduring the three females fussing over his condition. "I tell you, Salazar's secret chamber is one big mess."

"Were you successful with your mission?" Nicholas asked once he was sure Harry was not injured.

"Yeah." Harry replied. He placed a bundle wrapped in worn rags on the table and quickly sat down on his usual chair and snatched a biscuit from a plate.

"I did as you instructed." Harry said as he chewed on the biscuit. "After the Basilisk infused the blade with its venom, I covered the sword with rags to make sure it wouldn't cut me by accident."

Nicholas removed the rags and carefully held Gryffindor's sword in his hand.

"As of now..." He whispered. "This is the deadliest sword in existence."

"And the perfect weapon." Julian's eyes sparkled.

Hogwarts

Albus Dumbledore watched the Hogwarts Express' progress as it disappeared from sight, the plume of smoke from its engine showing how fast it actually accelerated compared to a normal train. Beside him, the other teachers patiently waited in their seats, each lost in their own thoughts.

Finally, Albus returned back to his seat and observed the faces of his professors. It had been a relatively quiet year, but much of his plans for young Harry had gone awry and he couldn't help but wonder if this trend will continue for the rest of the Boy-Who-Lived's stay in Hogwarts.

He brushed his thoughts of the boy aside and focused on matter at hand. As expected, his current Defense against the Dark Arts professor decided to retire this year, on grounds that he had a family emergency. Gilderoy didn't even bother to attend the end of the year staff meeting and the feast, and instead rushed to Hogsmeade, dragging along his two heavy trunks.

The headmaster wasn't really surprised. The curse that Tom gave on the position was powerful, it never even break during his downfall. Of course, the other teachers were very happy with Gilderoy's departure.

Snape wasn't wearing his usual sneer and showing his disdain for his colleagues, Albus figured that his potions professor and spy saw their value and competence compared to Lockhart.

He sat down on his high back chair, necessary for his back and it also served as a perch for his phoenix companion when the immortal bird felt like dropping by.

All of the staff knew the Headmaster's habit, and his first agenda was always on the most difficult topic.

"Minerva." Albus began the end of the year meeting.

"Do we still have Remus' most recent address?"

"Headmaster! I must protest!" Snape said immediately, realizing what the headmaster was planning.