FicWad

Before I forget - actually, I had forgotten - I should answer the reviews from the last chapter:

Zevrillion: Thank you.
onaprilthird: A case of too much information, if I do say so myself.
wolfe3: In all honesty, I'd prefer more than just what you rated the chapter, but thank you.
REALITYBENDER: Try HeatherSinclair. She can write really well, as can Mrriddler and apocalypso. My heroes. Fantastic.
gods_son: A little presumptuous, aren't you, having a penname like 'God's son'? Also, I didn't know Harry was a girl, nor did I know she had a son. Try getting your facts straight. Once you're perfect, then you can talk.
DavidMPotter: A much nicer coment than gods_son, thank you.
whatareyouevensaying: I find that one is a lot more critical of their own work than another's, but thank you nonetheless.
c3markh: I'm glad you're enjoying the story, and I hope 'Mister Pretend-Jesus' doesn't rub off on you.

I have no idea when the next chapter will be out, but I work on my stories as much as possible.

----------

Harry walked into the kitchen of the flat to find Lily wearing her appropriated white bathrobe. Her hair remained tousled and frizzy, and she turned to him, looking tired but ultimately very satisfied. She embraced him, and for a few moments, his mouth was heavily involved in a passionate kiss. When they broke, Lily enjoyed the stunned expression Harry wore for a few seconds.

"Breakfast?" she asked innocently.

"Sure," Harry said in a higher pitch than normal. Lily giggled quietly as she broke a few more eggs.

"So what's on the agenda today?" Harry asked nonchalantly.

"More studying, more training, and a little trip later on."

"Sounds like fun," Harry grumbled.

"Well, just wait until we duel. You'll be begging for the studying."

Harry and Lily ate their respective omelettes in a flurry of taunts, jibes, and minor hexes as the pair playfully one-upped each other. Lily had, for some strange reason, poured a dollop of ketchup on her omelette. Harry stared at her.

"What?" she asked, noticing his expression.

"Do you really need so much ketchup?" he asked. Lily just shrugged.

"Da was a soldier in the Second World War," she explained. "And you know what they say about soldiers and ketchup."

"Actually, no I don't," Harry said.

"Oh?" Lily grinned. "Then I guess you can't tell me how the saying goes. Anyways, Mum and Da both loved their ketchup. One particularly hot summer, I remember having iced ketchup to drink." Harry shook his head in amusement.

"Aunt Petunia never touched the stuff," he recalled. "I never could figure out why."

Lily's grin widened. "Well, Petunia always was the freak of the family, wasn't she?"

Harry laughed at that.

-----

Harry grit his teeth in pain. Though they were using training wands that Lily had plucked from her trunk, the effects were still very painful. He glared at his opponents - all three of her. He pointed his wand at the centre one.

"Reducto!" the beam shot harmlessly through his mother's image. Harry tried again, to the illusion's right. "Reducto/!" Again, the pulse of red light flew into Lily's chest, and there was a crash of something behind it. Lily smirked and shot a purple beam at him, immediately followed by a red beam. Harry deflected the purple curse, but the red curse hit him in the gut and he slumped over unconscious. Lily dispelled her /Geminus clones and pointed her training wand at Harry.

"Ennervate!" Lily sighed, and for the third time, Harry sat up, cursing. "Get it through your head!"

"I know, I know," Harry mumbled. "Keep cursing until they're down."

"This isn't golf," Lily said seriously. "You don't watch your curse and see if it hits its target, this is life and death! Well, half-life and death, anyway. Don't worry about hurting me. These wands don't break bones, they don't kill or maim or even bruise! It's just pain, and a stunner."

"Can we try again?" Harry asked.

"Alright. Please, please, please do it right this time." She walked back towards the fireplace, grabbed her real wand from the mantle, repaired the vase that Harry had broken with his curse, and got back into position, tossing her wand to the floor in the hallway.

"Crentailus! Evindio! Duotrium!" Two curses flew towards Harry, the third went to the ground in front of him should he try to duck. To Lily's surprise and glee, Harry jumped over the two curses spinning, and fired two Fragmenting Charms at her. The hot pink beams went wide, but an unnoticed blue jinx hit her shoulder, causing pain. Lily smiled fiercely. "Graius Corpus!" The false body burning curse flew towards Harry, but he rolled and had Lily against the wall by her collar, wand digging into her throat.

"Yes!" she shrieked. "Yes, yes, yes! We have progress!"

Harry looked at her concerned as he lowered her from the wall. Any thoughts Harry would have liked to have had were thrown out the window as he received another smouldering kiss. She grunted as her shoulder ached, and went to retrieve her wand.

"Always, always, use any advantage you have!" she said happily as she waved the wand over her shoulder.

"Where did you learn these things, Lily?" he asked her curiously.

"Department of Mysteries," she replied nonchalantly.

"What?" Harry asked incredulously.

"Oh," she said. "I guess I didn't mention it. I used to be an Unspeakable," she grinned madly, as she usually did when she was telling a joke. "Though I don't like to talk about it." Harry just snorted.

"Well, you've read for three hours, made a fantastic lunch - thank you very much by the way - and finally won a duel against me after five days of duelling. Now I want to see some old friends."

Harry became concerned. "Who?"

Lily grinned again. "No, not him. Rommie Tonks."

"What do you mean, 'no, not him'?" asked Harry confused.

Lily frowned. "You really have missed out on a lot, haven't you? Never mind, then."

Harry, still confused, merely nodded uncertainly.

"Anyway," Lily continued. "We're having supper over there, and -"

"Wait a minute," Harry interrupted. "Tonks? There's an Order member with that name." He lowered his voice to a whisper. "Nymphadora."

"You're not afraid to say 'Voldemort', but when it comes to 'Nymphadora'." Lily grinned. "Besides, Nymmie's a dear; she won't tell anyone, even if she is there. She held you when you were a baby. Your first word was 'Nymphadora'. To mine, your father's and her chagrin. It was her seventh birthday party. October 25th, 1981. A week before..." her voice trailed off.

"Oh," Harry echoed.

"Anyway," Lily replied on a happier note. "We're not expected there for another three or so hours." Her voice turned husky. "I can think of something fun to do with three hours..." She walked up to him with a sultry smile, and gave him yet another passionate kiss. She then pushed away from him, an unseen navy towel in her hands. "I'll try to leave you some hot water," she said, her grin audible.

-----

The corner of Grosvenor Way and The King's Walk in London was a quiet place, especially these days. The unusual mist that hung in the air tended to keep everyone indoors. Lily and Harry, hands together, Apparated into the neighbourhood beside a peculiar blue box. Lily wore a black dress that had Harry on edge, while Harry wore the suit and trenchcoat combination. Lily smiled warmly.

"Goodness, how things have changed," Lily said smiling. She pointed to a reasonably sized house farther down on The King's Walk. It was a two storey house painted a cobalt blue with white trim, with a very classy Audi parked out front. A brief walk to the beautiful house was quiet, mostly crows and pigeons cawing, the smell of home cooking drifting out of a couple houses and a few shouts of 'Lucy, stop that!'. Harry found the doorbell to the house and pressed it. An odd noise sounded inside the house, like three gongs going off one after the other. A heart-shaped face appeared at the door and it opened. Happy pink eyes appraised him before looking at his mother.

"Aunt Lily!" she shouted, and Lily was enveloped in an almost Molly Weasley-esque hug. She was released after a few moments, and grinning, turned to Harry. "Wotcher, Harry!" Tonks gestured inwards and Lily stepped inside. The interior of the Tonks estate wasn't very glamorous, but it was homey and warm. Unlike the Black Ancestral Home, the Tonks Estate was vibrant and colourful. Awards from years long past still decorated a trophy case along one of the walls of the living room, some for soccer, others for basketball, and even a golf trophy or two.

Tonks studied Harry and grinned. "Most of those are mine, but the golf one's are me dad's. Hold on." Tonks turned. "MUM! DA!" she hollered. "AUNT LILY'S HERE WITH HARRY!" Harry nervously tapped on Tonks' shoulder, she turned to him.

"You won't tell the Order, will you?" he asked worriedly. Tonks laughed.

"Nah," she said smiling. "They're all gung-ho because we have a new spy. Er - it's Ginny, you know. Utter nonsense, I say. Anywho, Dumbledore's all smiles and butterflies while he's using a 15 year old, so I say, 'why do we need you if we've got someone younger and better looking?'" Tonks grinned. "Honestly though, you look good. Muggle clothes really suit you." Harry blushed.

"Thanks."

"No, I mean it," Tonks said seriously. "You look really good."

"Now, now," Lily said light-heartedly. "No hitting on my son just yet." Tonks blushed and turned away as Lily grinned ferally. 'That's my job,' she mouthed at him. Her grin immediately morphed into a regular smile when footsteps were heard descending from above.

"Rommie!" she squealed and ran towards the staircase. Harry merely shook his head in amusement. Yet another attractive woman descended the stairs gracefully, wearing a conservative black jumper and dress. Upon reaching the bottom stair, the redhead was embraced in a big hug. Andromeda Tonks was her namesake, the beautiful chained maiden to be sacrificed for her mother's crimes. Dirty blond and blue-eyed, Andromeda stood a rough 5'5. Unlike the mythical version however, this Andromeda escaped and married a Muggle-born wizard, Ted Tonks. Ted was a jolly man, about 5 years Andromeda's junior. He was in his late fourties, his brown hair just beginning to abandon him. He was slightly fat, adding to the trouble of fitting into a suit which had seen better days, but that only enhanced his benevolent appearance. While the two women reacquainted themselves, Ted shook Harry's hand.

"Haven't seen you in donkey's ages," the man said proudly. "You've really grown into yourself."

"Er - thank you," said Harry nervously. The fact that he had no idea what to call the man only added to his nervousness.

"Call me Ted," he said smiling, as if reading Harry's mind. He went off to talk with his wife and Lily. Tonks beckoned him over to one of the two leather couches. She sat down beside him.

"Dumbledore told us that you ran off for an 'unknown reason'," Tonks said. "Snape was the one who told us it was your mum."

"I particularly liked the orders to Stun me and bring me back to him," Harry spat.

"Now don't get all hissy at me," Tonks said defensively. "It's not my fault he wants to get his claws into you."

"You're right," Harry said. "Sorry."

"Not that I wouldn't mind getting my claws into you," Tonks said grinning.

"That brings a whole other side to Dumbledore," Harry said smirking. "One that I particularly don't want to... 'go in to' right now." Tonks snickered, impressed at Harry's lack of a blush.

"Okay, no more gay jokes," Lily interrupted cheerily. "Time to eat."

-----

After a fantastic dinner, Harry was officially stuffed. The meal was almost like the opening feast at Hogwarts, what with all sorts of foods, laughter from around the table creating a warm and inviting atmosphere. Harry had since lost his hesitation and was actively involved in conversation with the elder Tonkses. Lily and Tonks were discussing the engaging young man. Suddenly, there was a large bang outside. Harry's chair flew back and hit the wall as he stood up, wand out and eyes blazing. Lily nodded. Just as I taught, good boy.

She gracefully drew her own wand, and looked at the Tonkses. Andromeda and Tonks had yanked their wands out too, while Ted was fumbling through his clothes to draw his. Harry walked over to the window in the drawing room and peeked through the Venetian blinds. A house a few doors down was blazing, the fiery orange brightening the sky. Another loud bang accompanied a burst of flame and the neighbouring house to the the one already in flames exploded, plaster and wood and metal clattering onto the pavement. Harry ran to the door and threw it open, not noticing his vampiric strength shattering the door, nor its components coming to the floor. Outside, six or so Death Eater converged on the next house, and two systematically sealed its exits as the other four or five threw fireballs at it. It too exploded in a blaze of glory. Harry could now hear the screams of its occupants as they were cooked alive.

They finally noticed him as he stood on the porch, merely observing.

"Hello, Muggle!" they gleefully called. "How about some fun?" A lance of blue electricity that was the Lightning Curse flew towards him. Just in time, a slab of steel popped into existence in front of him, blocking the curse. The steel crackled as the electricity danced in patterns across its surface. Harry just smirked.

"You missed, you inbred sack of owl shit!" A scream of rage sounded before a familiar cackle echoed in the night.

"Well, hello, my dear Hawwy," said the voice of Bellatrix Lestrange in that infuriatingly condescending voice. "Have you come to hewp the paw witto Muggos?"

"Sure," he said shrugging. "Why not. Oh, and I guess I'll kill you while I'm at it." A laugh that could only be described as insane tried to coax him into attacking blindly.

"Isn't that what you said when I killed the shaggy mutt? No, I think it I more likely that I shall kill you. I don't know how you escaped from my Lord's clutches, but you will pay!"

"You and what army?" Harry asked ferally.

"Allow me to introduce my army," Bellatrix cackled. "Your Ministry's Aurors!" A small force consisting of about fourty people came into existence behind her, all wearing the red robes of Aurors. Tonks scowled as she noticed some of the faces. Harry scowled too, recognising Angelina Johnson and Alicia Spinnet, his former Quidditch teammates, and Darius Flynn, a popular former Ravenclaw. "It's a new mind control spell," continued Bellatrix. "Do you like it? The Dark Lord created it himself."

"Of course he did," Harry smirked. "And here was Voldemort, telling me he had no time for menial tasks."

"How dare you befoul the name of the Dark Lord with your dirty lips!"

"You know," Tonks offered grinning, "I'll clean your lips off for you..." She was promptly elbowed by her mother.

"It's easy," grinned Lily. "Just string the words together in the right order."

"Shut up, Mudblood!" shrieked Bellatrix. Ted growled, but Lily didn't take offence.

"Absolutely anything you say," scoffed Lily.

"Do you want to die sooner?" asked Bellatrix curiously.

"Didn't you know, you insane skank?" Lily laughed. "I'm already dead!" Bellatrix lost her temper.

"Avada Kedavra!" she screeched. A green lance of light speared Lily, who grimaced for a moment and threw the curse back at her. The Tonks family looked on, stunned and Harry grinned as Bellatrix jumped out of the way. A slab of pavement disintegrated where she was once standing. A second green blast, identical to the first was emitted from the wand in the insane woman's hand, and for the second time in a row, the sickly green curse was matched by the emerald green of Lily's eyes. She smirked as the curse lanced back to hit one of the Death Eaters head-on. Their white mask split down the middle as their body fell to Earth.

"It seems that deflecting fatal curses is genetic," Harry quipped. Tonks snorted.

"Enough of this!" Bellatrix howled. "Exterminate them!"

"Exterminate!" echoed the enthralled Aurors. Lily looked back at Tonks.

"You know how on some days you feel like breaking a few skulls when you get in to work?" Lily asked lightly.

"Yes," nodded Tonks. Harry and Lily smirked at the same time.

"Now's your chance," they said simultaneously.