Warning Signs

Note: This story is in the process of being revamped. You will find that it is more detailed and I will possibly be adding more scenes. I have also deleted the chapters that have not been edited. Don\'t worry, they will be coming soon. And as for the sequel, Subtle Signs, after I finish this project I will work on adding further chapters. That being said, enjoy!

Legal Disclaimer: All characters featured in this fanfic belong to J.K. Rowling, Scholastic, etc. They are not mine and never will be. This is fan-fic only and will not be published in any way, shape, or form for profit.

Sexual Disclaimer: This story depicts a sexual relationship between Hermione Granger and Nymphadora Tonks. The NC-17 situations between Hermione and Tonks start in Chapter 4 (5 if you incluide the Prologue) which is titled \'The Thin Line Between Right and Wrong\'. If you are just looking for mindless femslash I am afraid you\'ve come to the wrong place. This story is drawn out and I plan on making it quite long with action, romance, drama, suspense, and more all in the mix. Please be advised that Hermione is a minor at sixteen and Tonks is 22 in this story. If this and a fem/fem pairing bothers you, do not read.

Language Disclaimer: There will be adult language depicted in this story. You\'ve been warned.

Author\'s Note: Enjoy the story, and PLEASE REVIEW, I like to hear thoughts on the matter. If you have any questions, comments, and/or suggestions please e-mail me at tonks98@hotmail.com Even if you\'d just like to chat about Tonks/Hermione or anything Harry Potter related it\'s cool to add me to your MSN Messenger, or Yahoo (tonks98) list. Well, again, I hope you enjoy the story. Happy reading!

Warning Signs
By Tonks Phillips

Prologue

When things change they get complicated. At first I thought this was a simple job and that I wouldn’t get attached. I thought I’d watch her grow up and feel nothing. That was what I was supposed to feel. Empty, hollow, devoid of emotion for her. But the problem was that I don’t. I feel things I shouldn’t for her. How could I not?

As soon as it came to the Ministry’s attention that Hermione Jane Granger had become best friends with Harry James Potter, I, Nymphadora Tonks, was immediately dispatched to watch over her, for the Ministry feared for her safety due to Lord Voldemort.

And so I have watched over her, for six long years now. I’ve protected her in every way, shape, and form. I must say that I care for Hermione more than I ever expected I would. I would gladly put my life on the line to ensure her safety, meaning I would die for her. Maybe one day I will…

Anyway, it started out as a routine assignment. It wasn’t supposed to be permanent, after all. I was sitting behind my desk, staring blankly at the reports laid out in front of me with little interest, when I heard an announcement over the paging intercom.

“Would Nymphadora Tonks please report to Cornelius Fudge’s office? Nymphadora Tonks to Cornelius Fudge’s office, thank you.”

I let out a heavy sigh, ignoring the questioning looks from my colleagues. I ran my fingers through my short, bubblegum pink colored hair and stood up with a nonchalant shrug, walking through several well-lit hallways until I reached Fudge‘s office. I knocked on the door, waiting patiently for a reply.

“It’s unlocked,” came a gruff voice from inside.

Fudge’s office was the exact opposite of my cubicle. Papers were stacked neatly on his desk, books placed alphabetically in a bookcase on dust-free shelves, and the upholstery was devoid of any stains. One day I hoped to have an office just like this one, but chances of a promotion were slim to none.

“Ah, Nymphadora Tonks, it’s good to see you,” said Fudge, his face beat-red as if he had just run a marathon. He always appeared cheery and jovial, thought I could easily see through his barriers. He was a nervous wreck and one of these days someone was going to crack him open over a frying pan and let the yolk spill out. I can’t say I’d be sorry to see it happen. Cornelius Fudge and I didn’t always see eye-to-eye, if you know what I mean.

I stared at him with hardly any emotion on my face. I had little tolerance for Fudge and his raving antics, he got on my nerves quite easily.. “Sir,” I said. “You requested my presence?”

With a flick of his wand, the door was closed. I raised my eyebrow and smoothed down the gray v-neck sweater I was wearing over an un-tucked button-up shirt, equipped with a plain black tie. I wondered what he was going to speak to me about that no one outside should overhear. I prayed that I wasn’t getting fired, but to my knowledge I had done nothing to put me in that position. Then again, this was Fudge.

Fudge cleared his throat. “It has recently come to my attention that Harry Potter has two new best friends. A Mr. Ronald Weasley and a Ms. Hermione Granger.”

I had to bite my lip to stop myself from groaning. This is what he was calling me in here for? To discuss the Boy-Who-Lived? Clearly Fudge was waiting for an immediate response, so I nodded my head and grunted acknowledgement.

He looked disappointed that I hadn‘t clued in to why he called me in here yet, but he merely waved his hand with that ridiculous smile on his face and continued. “Right. As we already have an Auror placed strategically among the students at Hogwarts Witchcraft and Wizardry to protect young Harry Potter from You-Know-Who, if he should attempt to strike, I think it is in our best interest for two other Auror’s to be assigned to Ronald Weasley and Hermione Granger.”

A babysitting mission? An Auror on a babysitting mission? Merlin’s beard, it was an outrage!

“Sir,” I objected, staring incredulously at him. “Isn’t it possible for one Auror to watch over the three of them on his or her own?”

Fudge smiled, sitting on the edge of his desk. “Pea soup?” he offered, gesturing towards a large pot of soup that was brewing over a warm fire amongst a very large fireplace to my right. I had been told several times that when Fudge was at the point of asking if his visitor wanted pea soup or not, it meant he was losing patience. I grinned inwardly at the thought that I was aggravating him, I so loved to do so.

I nervously fidgeted in my seat. “No thank you, sir.“

I did not want to be a babysitting for a child I did not even know. I didn’t want this assignment, I didn’t think it was wise to have three of the Ministry’s best Auror’s in one place when they could be here doing more important things. To me it was an atrocity, but I wouldn’t dare tell the Minister of Magic that, for fear of immediate termination.

“It’s true that all three could be watched over by one Auror, yes. But when the children are split up rather than together, well, I find it hard to believe that one Auror could be in three places at once when that happens, don’t you?”

One of my dark brown eyes twitched. “I… Yes, sir, that’s quite impossible, sir.”

I watched as he waltzed over to the fire and withdrew a ladle full of pea soup that he put to his lips. He slurped some of the liquid noisily into his mouth and chewed enthusiastically before swallowing. That was the moment that I decided I would go to the bathroom to puke after the meeting was through.

After a moment of noisy (and downright rude) slurping, he replaced the ladle back into the soup and clasped his hands together in front of his stomach. “So good, pea soup is, don’t you think so, Tonks?” But he didn’t wait for my reply. “Listen. All I need for you to do is simply disguise yourself as a student and watch over Hermione Granger. I want you to make sure that nothing happens to her, that‘s all. It is of the utmost importance that we keep these three children alive and safe from the Dark Lord’s clutches. Merlin only knows what he is planning right now. What we do know is it will involve Harry Potter, and anyone who becomes close to him could fall prey to his devious manipulation‘s. This also gives us an opportunity to perhaps encounter the Dark Lord face-to-face. He‘s believed to hardly be in a position to fend for himself, most especially against a tough Auror like you.”

I thought, you’re really laying it on thick, old man. I nodded my head. “Understood, sir.”

He smiled, clapping his hands. “Wonderful, Nymphadora. I hardly think you need to go overboard with a disguise, if at all. You are quite young enough looking to pass for a third or fourth year, though I think second year would be pushing it.”

I forced a smile upon my thin lips. “Thank you, sir.”

“I’ve arranged a meeting between Dumbledore and yourself. He is quite thrilled at the news of having my most faithful Auror’s watching over his students. Do not fret, Tonks, this situation will hardly be permanent. If you see no odd activity going on within the school, you will be allowed to have breaks. And you will still be summoned here to do your natural duties, of course.”

“Of course,” I said, finding all of this very overwhelming.

“So you accept?” he asked.

My first impulse was to say no, I do not, but instead I reluctantly nodded my head. “Sure.”

Fudge beamed happily, like a little boy who had just received everything he asked for and desired on Christmas morning. “Wonderful! You’ll start immediately.”

And I did. The next morning in fact. I watched Hermione grow up to be a brilliant, intelligent, witty teenager. With each year passing, she became even more beautiful through my eyes. I thought of her as an angel that I was to watch over and keep safe from harm. And times did come when I indeed was there to come to her rescue. But she wasn’t to know who I was. I had to be an average student in her eyes, and in no way blow my cover.

And I never did until matters became difficult. And that is when, against my will, I was forced to reveal myself and my intentions to Hermione herself, and the very sixteen-year-old that I had sworn to protect for the past six years turned my world upside down.