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7. The Hell where people are hung upside down and skinned alive

Nymphadora Tonks was a first class Auror. She had paid her dues, being one of the last accepted to go into Auror Academy. She had been a very studious student, while at Hogwarts. The only reason she didn't make head girl was because she wanted to dedicate her time to learning, and turned Headmaster Dumbledore down, when the badge arrived with her book list prior to her seventh year. The point was that Tonks knew that power came from knowledge so she sought out knowledge. She did this not for personal gain reasons, or asperations to be the first Dark Lady, but because one of the most important part of her life had been taken away from her when she was just barely six years old.

Every night, when she went to bed, she would close her eyes and instant see those emerald green eyes. He was her little prince. She would play with him and he would make her laugh. She would play with him and she would make him laugh. They would look at each other and he would grab her nose from inside the crib. She even developed her greeting from him because he couldn't pronounce 'What's up,' and it always ended up sounding like Wotcher.

Tonks was heading up the stairs thinking about what had happened in just two days time, and to be honest with herself, if he wanted sex, she would willingly give it to him. There wasn't a question of age or legality. Even now, and year after being reunited with him, he still made her laugh, want to cut up and more than anything to see that smile on his face.

With each step that she took, a different question presented itself to her. There were some questions that she could answer, some that she could not find any answers, and some answers that she desperately wanted to avoid at all costs. When it came down to it, she missed her Uncle James and Aunt Lily, but what happened to their bodies? Being a part of the Order of the Phoenix, she knew beyond a shadow of doubt that had they survived, the would have had Harry with them. There was no funeral. Mum and dad had told her that they would not morn this, and that her prince had survived with only a scar.

Another step and another question came, what happened to the golden trio? Harry, Ron and Hermione had been friends since their first year at Hogwarts. They were inseparable. Of course, year before last, Harry had been in a bit of a rage, but who wouldn't be when they watched a friend die before them. There has to be more to this then simple greed. There's something that has been overlooked and she would figure it out eventually.

Finally she made it to the bathroom door. She took a deep breath, trying to compose herself and shake the previous thoughts that brought her to this door. Harry needed her. She knew than and was prepared to make sure that she could be there for him. She knocked quickly on the door.

"Come in, it's open." She heard, and quickly entered the bathroom, to find Harry rinsing off his face.

"You Okay, Harry?"

"Yeah, it's just a lot to take in, that the people I cared about the most wanted to do such horrible things. Sort of puts one off from trusting people." He said, resignedly.

"Listen, Harry, I can give you a witches oath to both my loyalty and intentions if that will make it up to you. I've loved you as a little boy, and one of my most special little friends when you were small, and I'm finding myself having those feelings carry over to the man that you are becoming. You're cunning, and clever, brave and a true friend to those who need it. It's a surprise that it didn't take the sorting hat days to placing you in a house, because you have the dominate characteristics for all four houses prevalent in you. You're a good person, Harry Potter. Sometimes bad people try to take advantage of good people, much like Molly was trying to do with you and to some extent, I suspect, just as she succeeded with Arthur."

"It was a toss up." Harry said quietly.

"Wotcher, Harry?"

"The hat wanted me in Slytherin, I asked for Gryffindor. I've had to hide my intelligence since I was seven and got a terrible beating for bringing home better marks than Dudley. My loyalties to my friends, however, was so strong because in Surrey, I wasn't allowed the opportunities to make friends as Dudley would always chase whomever took interest." Harry composed himself for a moment, noticing that Nymmy was about to say something. "Nymmy, I love the little girl who used to play with me, and drag me everywhere. I am so happy I got those memories back. Obviously, I find you attractive, but I think we're going at it a bit fast..."

"Harry, look..."

"No, please let me finish. It's been two days and we've been in two compromising situations were I've been rather firm in my display of affection and intent. I want more. I need to get to know you better. We've lost so much with my parents dying, not only in not having them around, but because of that we lost each other. Be it the friendship that we had and would have had or much more." He looked at her and saw tears fall from her eyes. He didn't want her sad. It made her more so to see it and had to think of a way to quell it right now and quick. "Nymmy, while I would love to continue what we've been doing, what I'd really like to say is that I want to back off of the physical, for now, and have you meet me in the middle. I'd really like to kiss you right now." He finally said, walking up to her.

Harry brushed the tears from her cheeks, and looked deep into her pained violet eyes. He wrapped his arms around her and tilted his head slightly, kissing her with all the love that he found that he had for this woman. He felt her hands snake around him and return the kiss with a sincerity and fervor. They lost track of time until there was a knock on the door causing the two to separate.

"We'll be out in a moment." Tonks said, quickly, not hearing a response, she allowed a couple of minutes to pass by before kissing Harry one more time briefly on the lips. She then grabbed his hand and dragged him back down stairs.

"Mr. and Mrs. Tonks," Harry said, trying to get there attention and having gained that continued, "I'd like to request your blessing to court your daughter."

For a moment, they said nothing. The smiles that quickly came to their faces however, showed that they had expected this, and only after a day of being there. Andromeda knew that there was much more significance to the relationship. This would be a bonding of two very old families. One firmly locked on the path of the light, and one whom until recently had been firming locked on a much darker path.

"Harry, I think I speak for both Ted and myself when I say that would would be honored to have you court Nymphadora." She said, cheekily.

Nymphadora Tonks was beeming. She couldn't be more happy with the situation at all, and the squee that erupted from her was proof positive.

"Nymmy, we have to go to the DMLE, and then St. Mungo's. Mr. and Mrs. Tonks, if what Neville wrote me is correct, you may have a couple more friends waking up soon, but we have to be quick about it.

"Harry?" Ted said, quickly.

"Sir?"

"When you're finished, we expect you to come home and tell us what's going on." He said rather firmly.

"Yes sir." He said, with a lop-sided grin. Grabbing Nymmy's hand, the left out the front door and with a soft pop, the new couple was gone.
Ottery St Catchpole - Lovegood Residence

Luna Lovegood was not having a very good day. She started her day in the normal dreamy fashion as she always did. That quickly ended when the Daily Prophet landed on her page. Once she finished the article that every single witch and wizard old enough to read and interpret had also read at about the same time, that dreamy state was gone, and gone for good. Her plans for Ronald laid in waste and his life, forfeit. He had betrayed two friends over the course of the of the past year and took part in a plot to kill her very first friend, Harry James Potter.

Luna Lovegood had to make sure that Harry was going to be Okay. She needed to make him understand that she would always be his friend. She stood up quickly and slammed down the newspaper. Walking through her home, she quickly made it to her room, and once through the door, she grabbed a roll of parment, and a black quill.

Sitting in her room now, lost in thought she was trying to compose herself. She would draft a letter, but she didn't want it to be hasty or knee-jerk. She had to make him understand that she valued his friendship more than anything else in the world. They were kindred spirits and he never judged her. He always stood up for her even when everyone called her Loony Lovegood, she had always been Luna to one Harry James Potter.

He could see the thestrals and that was a good sign. Maybe if Harry could see them, then, he would be able to further pull back to curtain and see who had been pulling the strings. She could only hope, and with that hope she took to drafting her letter.

Ministry of Magic - Department of Magical Law inforcement

Harry Potter was decided nervous and that was putting it mildly. He had promised himself that he wouldn't need the aid of the Ministry. They problem with those types of problems came when he didn't have the resources to manage what he had planned.

He knew that his Patronus was a powerful one. The problem still lie in the duration that the spell needed to be cast. The intensity of emotion needed, and quite frankly, he wanted to make sure that there were enough people there so that if it did work to any extent that they could collaborate with others who could produce the charm.

"Mr. Potter?" The secretary said, only to get his attention, and once it was attained; continued, "Director Bones will see you now."

He stood up and walked through the door, still hand in hand with Nymmy. Once in the door he recognized her immediately as Amelia Bones, Susan Bones aunt. They were motioned to the two chairs facing her desk, and quickly took their seats.

"How can I help you two, today, Mr. Potter?" She said, looking down and frowning slightly and the interwoven hands. Harry reached into his pants pocket, retrieving the letter from Neville, and handed to the Director.

He watched her very closely and noticed the surprised reaction that she gave when she obviously had gotten to the Patronus, mentioned in the letter. When she had finished, she looked up at Harry, and then at Auror Tonks.

"Auror Tonks, would you please advise Nancy to gather all Aurors capable of producing a corporeal Patronus to meet us immediately at the long term spell damage ward at St. Mungo within the next 30 minutes."

"Of course, Madame Bones." Tonks said, and quickly left the room.

"Mr. Potter, what is the nature of your relationship with Ms. Tonks?"

"I've only just got permission from her parents to court her, today, Director, why do you ask?"

"I've known your family for a long time. Your father worked for me as an Auror prior to what happened. I was just hoping to satisfy an old woman's curiosity."

"Well then, I'm sure that you know the nature of what our relationship was prior to me getting this scar."

"Indeed I do. Couldn't separate that girl from you with any amount of force." She said, with a bark of laughter.

"I've only just remembered any of that, and we're going to take things slow."

At that moment, Nymphadora Tonks came back into the room. "Director, they're mobile and ready when you are."

Still in Ottery St. Catchpole

Arthur Weasley was a man bereft of hope. He sat at the dinner table, with a bottle of Ogden's Fire whiskey. He had just poured his fifth glass for the morning when the Daily Prophet had arrived. Looking over the article about the evenings events proved to be a rather painful and earth-shattering experience. He loved his wife and had loved her for over thirty years.

The love that he had for his wife was shattered when he heard those words that she spoke. Avada Kedavra. It was something that, as far as Arthur knew, could not be taken back. It was unforgivable. It took the life of another person, ripping free the soul from the body in an instance. It had done more than that last night. It ripped the soul from Henry, and ripped the will to live with her actions from Arthur Weasley.

Once more, Arthur had to learn of the plan that his wife and daughter had come up with to regain the family wealth in Genevra marrying and then murdering Harry after his victory over you-know-who. That plan was fruitless and brought shame to the Weasley clan. They would forever be looked at, now, as traitors in the wizarding world.

He had sat at the table watching the sun come up from the sky thinking about all of this. The things that bugged him now were simple. Where did Bill, Charlie, Percy, Fred and George stand on this? Where were there loyalties?

Arthur loved Harry like a son. He was a good boy with a good heart and honorable intentions. He had been so happy to hear that he was dating his daughter, and hoped that things would work out and he would be a son. He had been wrong, was Arthur's final thought as his grabbed the glass of fire whiskey, tilted it down his throat, and promptly passed out.

St. Mungo's Hospital - Spell Damage - Long Term Care Ward

"Neville, good to see you again, mate." Harry said cheerfully.

"Glad you got my letter. I didn't expect for you to bring so many people with you, however."

"Well, I figured a bit of overkill, especially where your parents were concerned could only be a good thing."

"Hello." Gilderoy Lockhart, walked up to the two boys cheerfully, sticking out his hand. Harry looked at the man with a scowl on his face. Point his finger at the man, again a stunner flew out, knocking the simpleton out cold. With a flick of Harry's wrist, the man was levitated to his bed and safely tucked in.

"Harry, how'd you do that?"

"Dunno... willpower, maybe. I just thought of the spell that I wanted to do and let magic take care of the rest."

Harry and Neville walked over to where his parents laid quietly in bed. Turning to Neville, Harry could see the absolute hope and despair in his eyes, and knew that this time something other than the norm had to happen.

"Director Bones, let work on Neville's mum first." He said, and at which point, a contingent of twenty Aurors surrounded the bed. "Also, please make sure that you have some that are posted outside the ward as well as the entrance to the hospital. We don't need any surprises."

"Good call, Mr. Potter, however I'm already ahead of you, and since these are my friends, I will be assisting, as well. Wands at the ready." She said, firmly.

Harry sat there waiting, and then at that moment caught a glimpse of Nymmy. He thought only of her and at that moment, things in the wizarding world would change forever.

"Expecto Patronum" they all shouted in unison, and the room was bathed in a brilliant white light.

The various patroni converged together and then surrounded Alice Longbottom. At first nothing happened. It was rather disappointing, really. However, slowly - very very slowly a small smile crept along her face. This was followed by rapid eye movement from behind closed lids and then her eyes popped wide open.

The comical thing that took Harry completely by surprise was that she stretched, yawned and then looked around the room in no small wonder. Looking around the room she saw faces that both looked familiar and not, but when she saw Neville, she cried tears of joy. Rushed him and enveloped him in a bone crushing hug that rivaled Molly Weasley.

"You overslept a bit, mum." Neville said, tears pouring from his face, freely.

"S'pose I did at that. Let's work on your dad, and then get home." Alice said with sheer determination.

Within the hour Frank Longbottom, as well as the others who had suffered from Cruciatus exposure were awake and lively. Harry enveloped Nymmy in his arms and gave her a sweet and gentle kiss, before he turned and attempted to exit the door. He was stopped, of course, by Amelia Bones.

"Mr. Potter, I can't thank you enough for all the help that you have provided us today."

"Madame Bones, with all due respect, Neville has always been one of my good friends, and I know from experience what it is like to be without parents. It's the least that I could have done."

Little Hagleton - Riddle Manor - much later that evening.

Tom Marvolo Riddle had never been happy a day of his life. He had spent his life in utter hell. The orphanage was a most unkind place, and the torture that he had received there had been an education of sorts. That torture had only paled, once attending Hogwarts and being placed in Slytherin house as a half-blood.

'Only power and those too weak to seek it.' He thought to himself. 'Where do I come up with this crap?'

Tom's happy day was about to change when a copy of the Daily Prophet arrived. It changed to a very happy day when he learned of the betrayal that young Harry was now facing. No friends, no one loved him. It was perfect. It could possibly make up for some of the abysmal failures that he had had now for the past six years. He was still quite upset with the Malfoy brood, and Severus would have to be dealt with for killing Albus.

That had been his job. His revenge had been stripped from him. He assigned it to the Malfoy brat because he knew the boy to be incompetent like his father, and coupled with the fact that he was of Black decent only solidified that his failure would be another nail in the pureblood coffin. Oh how he loathed those inbred incompetent cousin fuckers. He placed them under the cruciatus curse each and every opportunity that he got.

He felt anger. He felt malice, and while this was something that he usually felt, that wasn't what was disturbing him at the time. The point of parliamentary procedure at this time was that the feelings were foreign. They were not his own. They were from Harry Potter, and what worried him at this point was that the link that he shared with Harry Potter and had for the past 15 years was that now he was on the receiving end of pain. The anger that welled up inside of him needed a place to be vented, and it was visited upon himself, Lord Voldemort. I am Lord Voldemort! I am the most powerful wizard ever to have been born, he thought, before he fell to his knees in excruciating pain.

'Tom?' he heard from the back of his mind but realized that it was not a question that he was asking himself. 'It's just my mind playing tricks on me', he thought. It happens all the time, he tried to convince himself, but failed miserably.

'Mrs. Riddle, can little Tommy come out and play?' Tom heard now clearly, and recognized the voice instantly as belonging to Harry Potter.

'I must confess that I am rather puzzled as to how you accomplished this Harry. You're growing into your power now. You may very well prove to be a worthy adversary.'

'Tom?'

'Yes Harry?'

'I'm not touching you.'

'Quite correct, Harry.'

'Tom?'

'Yes, Harry?'

'I'm not touching you.'

'You've already stated as such.'

'Tom?'

'Yes, Mr. Potter?!'

'I'm not touching you.' Harry finally thought to Tom, before forcing the connection closed.