Counting the Days

Chapter 6

(Tonks\' Point of View)

I think it was the pain that woke me. The aching through every inch of my body, most ll all at my neck. I open my eyes and take him in as he lay beside me, asleep. Without his glasses he seems so innocent, but now I know better.

Beneath the misunderstood teenager exterior that he shows to everyone beats the heart of a savage animal. A beast that, given the opportunity, will claim what is his with a bestial vengeance.

With slow and deliberate movements I made my way to the loo. Every muscle in my body was aching, and it made me stop every few feet to gather myself to move on a bit more. The sight at the mirror made me wince. I trailed my fingers over the perfect set of teeth marks at the junction between my neck and shoulder. A smattering of dried blood made it apparent where Harry\'s canine teeth had broken through the skin. The rest of the area was decorated with a deep purple bruise.

My hair was a complete mess, even by my standards and there was a deep throbbing ache between my legs from last night\'s assault. I shouldn\'t call it an assault; after all, I was a very willing participant. The hot bath I ran and soaked in until I had turned into a prune helped me cope with the muscle aches and I was actually able to walk without stumbling every few feet.

Leaving a note with Harry I Apparated to my flat only long enough to find some clothes, and come back. It really wouldn\'t look good to have Harry attacked on my shift. Well, I guess they\'re all my shifts now, aren\'t they? The turtleneck of the sleeveless midriff would hide the wound well enough until I could find something to heal it over, and the gray carpenter pants were good to lounge around. I grabbed an extra set of robes, just in case and Disapparated to the drawing room so as not to freak Harry out with the loud cracking sound of travel.

\"Tonks?\"

I eeeped slightly and turned around to the sound of Harry\'s voice. \"Bugger! Don\'t scare me like that, Harry.\"

The smile on his face transferred to mine. \"Couldn\'t resist.\"

He stepped into me and hugged me lightly, brushing his face in my hair. \"I woke up and you weren\'t there.\"

I dropped my extra clothes and closed my eyes to his warmth. \"Had to pop back to the flat for some clothes. I can\'t stay in your bed and have you shag me senseless all day, can I.\"

His warm breath cascaded across my neck and sent shivers down my spine. \"I can\'t think of anything better I\'d rather do at the moment.\"

I took a breath and pushed away from him. \"Harry, as much as I want to, I can\'t ... at least not right now.\"

His brows furrowed. \"Are you alright? I didn\'t hurt you?\"

My smile turned wistful. \"Nothing that I didn\'t want. And it hurts in a good way.\"

Now he was concerned. \"Where?\"

I wasn\'t about to let him play healer-maid. \"Harry, I\'m an Auror. I\'ve had worse and got it in a much less fun way. Now drop it and lets get some breakfast.\"

He bit at his lip for a moment and then bent over to retrieve my clothes.

\"Thanks,\" I said and leaned in to kiss him lightly on the lips. \"Thanks for being concerned.\"

He set them on a table by the hallway and took my hand as he led the way down to the basement kitchen. I was about to set about to make breakfast, but he stopped me.

\"I can cook.\"

\"Really, Harry, I\'m not an invalid.\"

He smiled. \"Never said you were, but I really can cook and you could probably use the rest. And besides, I want to do something for you.\"

I judged his face for a moment. \"Okay, but I\'ll get the pumpkin juice.\"

He grinned at me. \"Deal.\"

We sat quietly eating for a few minutes before he caught me staring at his unruly hair. The only thing I wanted to do was to run my fingers through it and pull him across the table for a kiss, but he thought something else.

\"I can\'t ever do anything with it. I\'d get it cut, but it would only grow back by morning.\"

I almost dropped my fork. \"Really?\"

He nodded

\"I knew it!\" I almost yelled triumphantly.

\"What?\"

\"I knew you couldn\'t be that ... uh ... gifted.\"

Harry was completely confused. \"Its just breakfast, but thanks.\"

It was my turn to laugh out loud. \"Not the food you goof, your\" I looked down as if I could see through the table, \"equipment.\"

A wry smile spilt over my face and I think he got the implication.

\"Oh ... um ... what do you mean by gifted?\'

This time I did drop my fork, and covered my face. \"Harry have you ever ... I mean has it ... oh bugger. Have you always been that big?\"

He shrugged his shoulders. \"Don\'t know, never really had the subject come up ... so to speak.\"

His face was reddening.

\"How about your hair. Did you always want your hair as long as it is ... do you ever get it cut ... does it ever change unless you want it to?\"

\"Erm, yes, no, and no.\"

\"Come on.\" I grabbed his hand and pulled him out of the room and upstairs to the first mirror I could find, which was hanging in the main hallway and placed him in front of it.

I tiptoed so I could see over his shoulder. \"Look at your hair, Harry. I mean really look at it. Memorize every curl and every misplaced shoot-off.\"

\"What are you up to, Tonks?\"

\"Just do it.\"

I watched as his eyes covered every inch and it looked like he had followed my directions.

\"Now I want you to change the color of your hair.\"

His eyes found mine in the mirror. \"What?\"

\"Close your eyes and concentrate, Harry. Change the color.\"

He followed my directions and looked like he was thinking about it.

\"Harder, Harry. You have to really want it.\"

Seconds later I could see his black hair lightening. I turned my mouth to his ear and bit him lightly on the lobe, whispering, \"So, how long have you known you were a Metamorphmagus?\"

His lids snapped open and he dropped his jaw at the sight in the mirror. \"Bloody hell!\"

I almost giggled. \"I guess that means not long?\"

He brushed his hand through the newly colored flaming red mess on top of his head. \"I didn\'t ...\"

\"You didn\'t know what to look for. I saw the signs.\" I grinned wryly. \"The changes I\'ve noticed have been mostly involuntary but wanted, none-the-less.\"

The day ultimately came to head off to Kings Cross Station and the inevitable trip to Hogwarts. I was torn between my duty to protect the one person who has a chance in Hades to defeat the Dark Lord and running in mad terror at having to wear school robes once more.

\"Quit fidgeting, Tonks,\" admonished Hermione as the trio, plus one, approached the barrier between platforms 9 and 10. \"You don\'t even have to put on the robes until we reach Hogwarts.\"

I grimaced and shot back, \"Adara, call me Adara, or you\'ll blow this cover before I even have a chance to put on the bleedin\' robes.\"

Hermione looked properly chastised. \"Oops.\"

Harry took my hand in his and gave me a soothing smile. \"You\'ll be fine. I\'ll be right here.\"

The dragonflies buzzing around in my stomach calmed considerably. Some Auror I am! I\'m the one who\'s supposed to do the calming bit. And now here\'s my charge reversing the roles. I squeezed his hand in response and we stepped through the barrier to be greeted by the large red engine I had seen so many times in my travels to the wizarding school of my youth.

Harry looked down at his watch. \"This must be a new record. We\'re twenty minutes early.\"

\"Were off to the prefect\'s car,\" Ron informed. \"Be back about thirty minutes after the train leaves station.\"

Hermione shook her head. \"How in the world did Professor Dumbledore let you keep your prefect badge after last year\'s dismal performance I\'ll never know.\"

Ron straightened his hold on Pigwidgeon\'s cage. \"It\'s all about charisma, Hermione. Weasley charm always wins in the end.\"

Hermione rolled her eyes and took off in the general direction of the front car while Harry, Ginny and I boarded a few cars back. Upon finding a suitable vestibule we stowed our trunks and Harry and I watched as Ginny went off to find her newest boyfriend, leaving my newest boyfriend and me alone.

Harry turned into me with a distinct look of a seventeen year old with an enraged hormone problem.

I looked from side to side with a bit of confusion on my face. \"What? Right here, where anyone could walk in on us.\"

His grin turned to a frown.

\"Tell you what, Loverboy. Once the feast is over, I know of a little place on the fifth floor of Gryffindor Tower. Bit of a broom closet, but there are a lot of linens about to make ourselves comfortable with.\"

His frown slid upward, into a grin, once more.

\"Until then,\" I whispered as I took hold of his shirt and pulled him closer, \"maybe I\'ll give you a little taste of what\'s to come.\"

I know I more than lost track of the time, because when we came up for air there was a little gathering standing outside the door of our vestibule. The burning on my face and ears was evident from the expressions of the onlookers and the ever-obvious note of comment from Harry.

\"Oh … erm …\"

The door slid open and I noticed a pudgy looking boy push his way through. \"Mind, Harry?\"

My boyfriend smiled in his embarrassment. \"All right there, Neville.\"

Ah, the Longbottom boy!

\"Fine Harry, you?\"

Harry shifted around to a better seated position. \"Erm … fine.\"

I she she stain of lipstick on Harry\'s mouth and made to wipe it away much to the amusement of the onlookers.

\"Show\'s over, you lot. Piss off!\" I shot at them.

Neville stowed his trunk and turned back around as Harry and I adjusted our clothes.

\"Hi, I\'m Neville Longbottom,\" he announced as he held his hand out.

I smiled back and returned his shake. \"Adavansvans.\"

\"Pleased to meet you,\" he replied.

Harry jumped to with the prearranged story. \"Adara lives near me in Little Winging. Moved here over the summer from Hong Kong.\"

Neville\'s eyebrows furrowed. \"Never heard of a transfer student coming to Hogwarts before.\"

I shrugged. \"First time for everything, I suppose.\"

I tried to look as nonchalant as possible; going so far as to look at my boots and sling one foot up on the window ledge and wipe at a scuffmark with a lick of thumb to tongue. Hey, I never claimed to be some springtime innocent maiden or something. I figure it would go with my image if I were to get in a scrape or two … or at least not look so strange.

Neville eyes were fixed in a look of strange interest at my actions. \"So you two fancy each other, eh?\"

\"Till something better comes along,\" I said with a little mirth.

Harry rolled his eyes. \"A day without me would be pure torture and you know it.\"

A new voice interjected into their conversation and I was even caught off guard by the littlest Malfoy bastard. \"I know every day I see you is pure torture, Potty-breath.\"

Harry\'s shoulders tensed. \"Annoying me a little early this year, Malfoy? The train\'s not even off yet.\"

The teen Slytherin edged further into the compartment. \"Never too soon to rid the world of your filth.\"

He eyed me up and down with a condescending stare. \"Another Mudblood, Potter?\"

Harry made to stand up and defend my honor, and I let him, but I also had the sense of mind to position myself between them.

\"Take it back, Malfoy,\" Harry said through gritted teeth.

Two of Malfoy\'s goons moved into looming posture behind.

\"Look, Harry,\" I observed. \"He\'s brought playmates.\"

\"Crabbe and Goyle, Adara. They\'re a matching pair,\" Harry mentioned.

Malfoy raised his pointed finger and came close touching my nose with it if I had not backed away an inch or so.

\"You\'d do yourself a favor to distance yourself from Potter. People that hang around him tend to die.\"

I didn\'t have to restrain Harry because Neville already had a hold of him. I took advantage of the situation and grabbed Malfoy\'s extended finger, twisting it in an unnatural position making him assume an equally unnatural position in order to prevent it from breaking.

I worked his hand behind his back and slammed him up against the wall hard enough to shake the adjacent windows and then leaned into him so he could hear me very clearly.

\"I know about you, Malfoy. I know about your family and I also know about how you threatened Harry last June.\" I waited for a second to let it sink in. \"The next time you point that finger in my face I would expect you to to regret it\'s return journey, \'cause I\'ll be taking it as a souvenir.\"

Out of the corner of my eye I caught Crabbe and Goyle in a red-faced state at being held back by the pointed wands of Harry and Neville.

\"Oh, and one other thing,\" I added in a hushed voice. \"Unless you want everyone in Hogwarts and Rita Skeeter as well to know about your little love tryst between you and your goons I\'d stay well clear of us this year.\"

I could see his eyes widen.

\"You shouldn\'t go around snogging in the middle of the street, Malfoy.\"

His teeth were grinding, but not enough to prevent him from whispering. \"If that gets out, you\'re dead.\"

That was the last little incentive I needed. With a just a little more pressure on his finger there was an audible snap in the compartment followed by a yelp of pain.