"Piggly" denotes speech
'Wiggly' denotes thought
AN at bottom
Price of Redemption Chapter 5
Goddess' Gift…Dubya-Tee-Eff, Mate?
Elvin Realm
Harry was tired, tired and sore. He knew that it was a result of the long trip he had yesterday, but he didn't mind in the least. He set out to thank the Goddess for her mercy, and ended up becoming one of her followers. Not to mention he got to meet his girlfriend's sister and a dragon! Well, he'd seen dragons before, but this dragon wasn't out to fry him or beat the living crap outta him.
So the next day he took his potions and stayed in bed, the only thing that kept his inherent hate of hospitals at bay was the fact that Tonks wouldn't leave his side, and had even had a teary reunion of with the black sisters, which degenerated into a hug fest between everyone. Harry though, being the modest person he was, said he had done nothing, only what was right.
Tonks had smiled along with her aunts, each pair of eyes showing deep respect for the young man that was quickly worming his way into many peoples hearts. However, Harry's endurance reached its limit and he drifted into the land of dreams.
Seeing her love fast asleep, Tonks smiled and motioned for the other two women to follow her out. Tonks led them to the throne room, and the trio walked up to the to the reigning pair of elves, giving a bow of respect that wasn't needed, but was done anyway.
The Queen smiled, "Hello again, Tonks, and I have heard that congratulations are in order for the beginning of your courtship with Mr. Potter."
Tonks blushed, but it came with a widening of the nowadays ever-present smile on her face, "Thank you, Grandmother."
They five elves made small talk after a pair of servants brought out some chairs for the younger elves to sit on. Tonks decided now was the time to ask for the opinion of her grandparents on a matter that had been plaguing her mind since she had been assured Harry would survive.
"I don't know if you guys know or not, but Harry's birthday is the day after tomorrow, and I wanted to give him a smallish party to celebrate it," Tonks informed, "As you know, Harry has had little to know love in his life, and I think he would enjoy this show of affection greatly."
The King thought for a second, and nodded, "That's sounds like a capital idea, my dear!"
The Queen nodded, "But we must be careful not to overwork him, look at him today!"
The Black Sisters nodded as well, enjoying the idea of giving the young man they owed so much to a little thank you gift. The elves quickly set up plans for the party, and the King agreed to let Harry's closest friends along with some Order members come to the realm for a day of fun with Harry. Four of the elves were also thinking of the chaos that would ensue with Harry's transformation the day of his birth with mental smirks.
Tonks left the get together to go to Headquarters and inform Dumbledore of their plans. She knew a meeting would be happening around this time unless canceled by the grandfatherly old man.
Headquarters
Dumbledore smiled as he listened to Snape tell of the little action Voldemort was taking. The Dark Lord seemed scared of whatever force that had managed to enter his command post and rescue Harry. He continued to listen and looked around at the relieved smiles on the faces of the Order. One face, however, had a look of concern. Molly Weasley desperately wanted to see her surrogate son again, to make sure he was ok. Dumbledore smiled gently at her. This seemed to ease her a little bit, but he could still see the worry in her eyes as she returned the smile.
"That is good news indeed, Severus, thank you for it," Dumbledore said as the potions professor finished, "Now, I still haven't received word about Harry, though I doubt he is in any more danger."
"You would be correct then, Albus," said a rich female voice from the shadows, out of which stepped the tall and slender form of Tonks, "He is safe and sound, though we came close to losing him."
Kingsley moved aside for her to sit next to her and she nodded her thanks, "A team from the assassin guild went in at night with orders to retrieve Harry with the utmost care and extract him to a safe area for magical transport."
"They immediately brought him to the Palace infirmary for medical attention, but due to the amount of dark magic forced into his system, the Healers couldn't heal his wounds, and he continued to deteriorate until finally, his organs started to fail." She listed off as if talking to a superior officer in the MLE, but here her voice gave a quiver, "If it wasn't for the intervention of the Goddess Aura through one of her High Priests, we would have lost him."
"A priest, using a method usually used against dark entities, drained the dark energy from Harry, letting the Healers treat the wounds fully," She continued, "He is now resting in the infirmary as we speak, recovering his energy after a trip into the city."
Molly had silent tears running down her cheeks, but a relieved smile graced her face as she was hugged by her husband, whom was smiling widely. Remus was also smiling widely, happy the young man he would gladly call his own cub was safe and sound.
Dumbledore smiled, "Thank you for informing us of this Nymphradora, is there anything else?"
Tonks nodded and told them of the plan for his birthday, which the order members quickly agreed was a great idea. They hammered out the details, and Tonks decided to go talk to Harry's friends, who were all staying at Headquarters with their families for protection.
Ron was holding Hermione on his arms, listening to her yet again let out her emotions about Harry. They had gotten together after their friends capture, both seeking comfort in each others arms. Ginny sat in the other couch, writing another letter to Neville. They had been writing to each other quite often, and Ginny hoped that he would ask her out when they met on the Express.
They all looked up and saw Tonks enter the room. They jumped up, hoping to get more info on Harry then what they had. Tonks smiled at their worried faces, which at seeing her face, dissolved into relieved smiles.
"So Harry is alright, Tonks?" asked Hermione, holding Ron's hand tightly, though Tonks had yet to drop the small smile she had.
Tonks nodded, and gave a small laugh at Ron's shout of happiness. She then explained to them about where Harry was and her plan. They listened in and readily agreed to her plan. Tonks nodded and left them to their own devices, returning to the Elvin Realm to tell her family of the response by the invited parties.
The next day, Harry woke still sore, matter of fact, his body felt worse, but the Healer, knowing what was going to happen on his birthday, but ordered by the King to remain silent about it, told Harry to get more rest and take his potions to help his body recover.
Tonks walked in a few hours after Harry woke, grinning at the young man in the bed. He gave her a grin back, "Hey Nymph, where ya been?"
"Nowhere, T.B." she said, smirking at his mock indignation at the use of her nickname for him.
She called him T.B. every once in a while, which meant Teddy Bear, after the day she had remarked that he was like her teddy. She thought it fitting name for him. After all, he was a person someone could come to for support, whether silent or vocal, physical or mental, and he never complained about it. Those traits of his were just what a teddy was for. A person could have a teddy to hug when asleep, warding off bad dreams, or to confide their problems to without worry of them being repeated. 'It's a great nickname for him,' she thought, 'Besides, I let him call me Nymph, why shouldn't I get a special nickname for him."
Harry's look relaxed into a loving smile, that made Tonks melt inside. His lovely green eyes shined with the emotion he didn't even know, making her wonder that if she turned off the lights, would his beautiful shining eyes make the room light up? She liked to think they would. She sat next to him and gave him a kiss. When they separated, Harry asked her to tell him another story about the Elves, which she gladly did, launching into a story of a famous Paladin, who had led the Elves into victory in numerous battles across the realms.
Harry listened attentively all the while. He loved to listen to stories, which was better then reading them yourself. He also memorized the stories he could, hoping to one day sit at his child's bedside and retell these stories to them.
They continued this throughout the day, with Harry taking turns telling her stories of the funnier moments at Hogwarts, using a flare for drama that he hadn't known he had before in the telling of his stories. Tonks laughed and smiled along with him, sitting back and watching him move his arms and body, using body language along with vocal language to tell stories of hilarious moments or great matches for the Cup.
When Harry finally drifted off to sleep in the middle of one of her stories later that day, she leaned down and pulled the covers up to his chin, giving him a kiss as well. She loved to see the content smile on his face that had been absent in the past. She left to go to sleep, and check on the stashed present she had bought earlier that day.
Tonks woke early, like usual and left to get the party room ready for the guests who would be arriving in a few hours. She hummed a happy tune as she worked with the servants to get the room ready, glad to see everything coming together.
Around 11 am, the guests started arrive with the special port keys given to them earlier. Kingsley and some other MLE workers came, as did Mad-Eye. Dumbledore and the staff of Hogwarts came to see one of their best students turn 16. She laughed a little bit at the smile on Snape's face, which didn't look at all like he did when he taught her potions not too long ago. The Weasley's arrived next, the entire family gathered to see their 'brother's' birthday. The next to arrive were the black sisters and Tonks' Grandparents, who received a bow from everyone in the room.
At 11:30, Harry was helped down to the room. When he entered, he was shocked to see everyone. His friends rushed forwards to embrace him, gently of course, followed by the rest. Tonks frowned, he didn't look too good, he was pale, and seemed weaker then ever. She looked over to the healer who had helped him down, but she gave a small smile to her, causing Tonks' worries to subside a little, but not totally.
Molly Weasley rushed to hug him, resisting the urge to give him her normal strength hug for fear of hurting him. She was pleasantly surprised when Harry hugged her back hard, like a child seeking comfort from his mother. She hugged a little bit harder, and kissed the top of his head. Others gave smiles at this display of affection given by a mother to her 'son.'
All was going great, though Harry still looked weak, he made his rounds and had fun with his friends and surrogate family. Then noon hit, and Harry gasped. He staggered, his walking stick falling to the ground with a noisy clank. Others looked over to him alarmed, many rushing forward to help him, but stopped when a force kept them at bay.
"Harry!" yelled Tonks, desperately trying to get to her love, as he fell to the floor, gasping for breath and holding his chest, "HARRY!"
Then the whispers began, soft and soothing. The elves in the room immediately recognized the ancient language, a divine language.
The whispers described acts of Harry, the things he had done in his short 16 years of life. They spoke of pain, treachery and agony. They spoke of hope and happiness. The whispers rose in volume, till finally a single voice was heard.
"You gladly take on burdens that others shun, yet expect nothing in return, I find you worthy," said a strong male voice.
Another voice followed, male yet again, "You use force only when it is necessary, never using the power gifted to you by the Divine to your own ends, I find you worthy."
The final voice was that of a female, and was the loudest of all, "You sacrifice of yourself even when given the chance to escape, you show modesty and humility even when you have every right to show pride for what you have done, you use your power to benefit others freely and happily. Your only wish is that your parents and those that you consider family be proud of you. You have proclaimed yourself a servant of me, and carry my mark with pride, as I hold pride in you. I find you more then worthy."
The whispers picked up again, and a light formed around Harry, who was still gasping for breath. Light swirled around him and soon a tornado of light had formed, blocking Harry from view. Everyone but a few elves were confused and scared at what was happening, wondering if Harry would be alright.
Harry was scared and confused as he was lifted gently into the air by an invisible force. The voices had confused him, though he knew they were the Patron Deities of the Elves, but what was he worthy of?
He started to turn, as light started to shoot through his chest, causing him to spasm, but for some reason his clothes disappeared when the light did so. Pain shot through him, more pain then even he was accustomed to. His vision swam and he lost consciousness.
The light continued to shoot through his body, which was changing with each beam that hit it. Harry grew taller, filling out as more and more inches were added to his frame. His chest grew broader, his shoulders spreading apart. His face became more elegant, holding a carved look to it that would attract any girls attention. His legs grew muscular and lean. His ears elongated to the length a normal elf would have but his hair only lengthened to shoulder length and stayed the same messy he inherited from his father.
After a few more minutes, his naked body lowered to the ground, vastly changed from its previous, malnourished and weakened appearance.
"Wake young one, and may you enjoy our gift to you that you so richly deserve," said the voice of Aura.
Tonks was yelling out Harry's name, desperately trying to get a response from the pillar of light in front of her. Then the pillar exploded outwards, causing some to scream in fright. Shielding her eyes, Tonks looked back after a second, only to see a naked figure on his knees. He was slumped forward, and seemed to be coming to.
His ears were those of an elf, though, so it couldn't be Harry…it couldn't be. She slowly walked forward, and watched as the figure looked up, his handsome face showing confusion, and a bit of fear.
Then his eyes locked onto hers, and he calmed somewhat. Tonks gasped as she saw the vivid green eyes that only Harry could possess. They showed pain and torment, but also the hope he had for the future and the love he held for so much. It shocked her to the core, 'What is going on!'
A hand on her back made her look over her shoulder. Dumbledore looked at her with a smile, "Harry was a half-elf, Nymphradora, and he is vastly confused at the moment I dare say, so please, go help him understand."
Tonks was beyond shocked, but also a hope started to burn in her heart, 'If he's an elf now…that means we can be together forever!'
"Nymph…," said a deep voice, a voice that though changed greatly, could still be recognized as Harry Potter.
Tonks turned back to Harry, to see he had stood up and was looking at her in concern. Tonks gave a small laugh, Harry was doing exactly what one would expect of him, worrying about others before himself. She ran forward and embraced him, forgetting about his nakedness.
Harry returned the hug easily, noticing with shock that he was TALLER then Tonks now. He looked down, and his eyes grew wide, taking in the new him quickly, before something clicked in his mind. 'I'm naked…,' he thought slowly, then, 'GODDESS ABOVE, IM NAKED!'
He quickly check if Tonks her normal t-shirt and jeans on under her robe, and certain she did, immediately opened the front of the robes, and folded them around him as best he could, but he could still feel the draft on some of his…parts….from where the robe wouldn't close around him properly.
Tonks looked up shocked, then looked down, and blushed widely as she realized she was getting a great view of Harry's new…improvements…
Harry's slightly-tanned face was red as a tomato, but when he saw Tonks looking, he couldn't resist but lean in closer to her and whisper, "Like what you see Nymph? You seem to be…fixated…on something pretty hard."
Tonks swallowed, then looked up, showing her blush well, "Y-Yes…I like it a lot…"
Harry smiled, but then frowned, his blush still not disappearing, "Could you, um, do me a favor and conjure me a pair of fitting clothes?"
Tonks gave a nod, and wormed outta the robe she had ended up sharing with Harry. Harry quickly adjusted it quickly and was now where the smaller female garment as well as he could, glad it covered up his privates better then before. Tonks gave a few waves of her wand and said an incantation, and a pair of black pants and a black button up shirt appeared, which quickly went to Harry.
He put the pants on while hiding under the robe, and then handed the robe back to Tonks with a grateful smile. Tonks got a good look at his well toned chest now, and wanted to run her hands along it, but contented herself that she could do that later on, as well as get an explanation from Dumbledore on how he knew Harry was a Half-Elf. Harry put the shirt on, then looked around, as if just remembering that others were still there.
Many of the guests had confused looks, but some had amused expressions, some even openly chuckling. Harry's blush deepened as he saw Ginny and Hermione were covering their very red faces with their hands. But Harry's blush began to recede, deciding it wasn't so bad that he had been seen, it offered many teasing opportunities…then he laughed as he realized that his Nymph was rubbing off on him. He smiled, he didn't mind that at all.
Dumbledore walked forward, "Now that that embarrassing situation was solved, let me introduce u all to the new and improved Harry James Potter, who was, for those who didn't know, a half-elf, and had just underwent his change, though I'm certain Nymphradora will explain it better after this."
He looked over and smiled even wider as he saw Tonks with her arms around the waist of Harry, while his arm was across her shoulders, holding her closer, 'Ah, young love…the best magic of all.'
There was clapping, especially among the Elvin part of the group, who were not only celebrating his birthday now, but the addition of another elf to their society. Harry smiled modestly at the applause, but looked down at his Nymph's smile, and his smile grew wider. He grabbed hold of her and picked her up and gave a spin, laughing as he did so. Tonks laughed as well, happily looking down into his laughing face and shining eyes.
Others smiled too and gave cat calls. Fred and George were screaming out encouragement to Harry and congratulating him on landing him a fine looking woman. Ron was also yelling out his congratulations. Harry smiled, then looked over to the musicians sitting in the corner of the room, giving them a wink, which was returned by their leader. Soon music filled the room and Harry started to dance around Tonks, who watched his strange dance laughing, before she grabbed him and started a more sane dance.
Others joined them and this continued on late into the night, with Harry and Tonks going all over the dance floor, with Harry tiring out poor Tonks sometimes and taking out others to the dance floor, even having a hilarious dance with the twins, causing those around them to laugh heartily. Tonks sat there resting, watching as Harry's eyes sparkled and he laughed along with the twins in their crazy dance. This was the first time she had seen him like this, and she wished to see him like this more. She had to admit, she hadn't seen this turn of events coming, but she wasn't going to complain, not at all.
Harry continued to take others out onto the dance floor, though for one song he stepped out and actually grabbed a spare violin, with the permission of the musicians of course, and played a beautiful solo for everyone's benefit. He explained after his song that he had learned to play it using Dudley's old never used violin from his stint in the school band. Tonks had never heard him play it, though she knew he could, and she had to say, he was bloody good!
After that, he took Tonks out again, then took each of the Black Sisters out a number of dances, getting them to laugh freely with him. When the dancing finally ended, and the time for presents came, they all watched as Harry opened them with care. Books from order members and Hermione, posters from Ron, tricks from the Twins, sweets and other foodstuffs from the Weasley Matron (which Harry immediately took bite of, savoring the taste), more books from Bill and Charlie, and a set of nice Elvin robes from the King and Queen.
A medium box with holes cut into it from Hagrid was next, and when Harry cautiously opened, out came a black puppy. Harry looked at it for a second. It looked like Sirius's form would as a puppy. Harry gave a somewhat sad smile, "Hello little guy."
He picked up the puppy, which immediately started to lick his face, causing him to laugh. Harry looked at the collar, noticing that the little pup had no name and that it was a female. "We'll name you Mara." The puppy gave a yip, and Harry settled it onto his lap, where it laid down and started to doze, causing Harry to laugh again. He looked over at Hagrid and gave him a smile, which he returned readily.
One hand petting the puppy, the other reached out and pulled another present into range, this one from Dumbledore and McGonagall. He opened it with the care he had shown the other presents, and saw inside a pensive. He smiled widely, knowing this would come in handy, and smiled over at the two professors, whom returned it with their own. Seeing no more presents he set the puppy to his side and stood, only to have Tonks walk up to him, he looked at her, wondering what she was up to. She smiled and then reached forward and wrapped her arms around his neck, leaning forward she whispered into his ear, "I'll give you my present tonight, T.B."
Harry looked at her strangely, wondering what she meant, but shrugged, and after giving her a kiss, he reached down and picked up Mara, who as soon as she was in range of Tonks, began to lick her face. Everyone laughed and they all ate and laughed, telling stories, until finally, everyone had to leave.
The King walked up to Harry to shake his hand yet again, "Meet with me and some others tomorrow, and we'll explain to you all we know of Half-Elves, this way u can enjoy the rest of the night."
Harry nodded and after bidding everyone a good night, he left the room with Tonks at his side, but as he turned to the hall with the infirmary in it, he was guided further on.
"Err…I just missed my turn…," Harry said confusedly, but Tonks smiled and winked at him.
"Not tonight you didn't, I think its time I showed you my rooms…besides, my present is there," Tonks said with a strange look in her eyes.
Harry shrugged, "Ok, I just don't want any of the Healers angry at me for not showing up."
At their side, Mara was yipping and giving little barks, sniffing along the way as they made they're way slowly to Tonks' quarters.
"This was the best night of my life, confusing, but still the best." Harry said, pulling Tonks closer to him, enjoying how she fit him perfectly.
"Its about to get better," said Tonks, grinning up at Harry, who looked back and gave her his lopsided grin.
"I don't see how, but if you say it will, I'll believe you," he responded. They continued for a short distance until they reached her quarters, and entered with little Mara yipping after them, exploring the new set of rooms, which included a closet room, a bathroom, and Tonks' bed.
"Well, what do you think Harry?" Tonks asked, a little nervous about what Harry thought of her room.
Harry looked around, looking at the multitude of pink objects in the room. He had expected a more tomboyish room, but he really couldn't care, "Looks pink…very pink, but I like the feel of it, very comfy."
"I happen to like pink, T.B.," Tonks responded with a huff, which caused Harry to laugh and pull her closer.
"And I like whatever you like, to a certain degree, still gotta protect my masculinity you know, wouldn't want me to lose that would ya?" He soothed with another chuckle.
Tonks grinned, "Ok, enough flirting, time for your present." She walked over to her dresser and pulled out what looked like a jewelry box. She brought this over to her bed and laid it down in front of her. Opening it, she nervously withdrew a necklace with a intricate pattern in it. She held it up for Harry to see, and gave him a shaky smile.
"This is necklace is called the Lover's Embrace." she informed, "If worn by a person, it shows that he or she is pretty much taken and is in love with the wearer of its counterpart necklace."
She unclasped it and clasped it around her neck, letting settle comfortably. "I wanted to show you that I love you, Harry, with all my being, and will prove it to the world with this," She said with strong emotions going through her eyes.
Harry looked shocked for a second, then smiled a loving smile that blew Tonks' mind, its power making her weak. Harry's eyes glistened a bit and looked into the box and saw the counterpart necklace, which he gently grabbed and inspected.
"You don't have to put it…," Tonks tried to say, but she was gently interrupted with a mind numbing kiss. When Harry pulled away he smiled that same smile and clasped the necklace around his own neck.
"I will gladly wear this, and will forever wear this as a show of my love for you Nymph," He informed lovingly, gently caressing her face.
Tonks couldn't handle it anymore, she needed to kiss him! Hard! She threw herself at him, shocking him with her ferocity. He soon forgot to care however, as their passions grew. Harry couldn't resist the fierce elf female who continued to maul his mouth with her own, but he didn't really mind the heavy snogging.
The excitement of the day soon hit them, and they settled down into a sleeping position, with Tonks resting her head on Harry's chest, sighing contentedly, sometimes lightly kissing the naked chest underneath her, his shirt long gone. Mara reappeared by climbing up the bed and laying at Harry's side, opposite Tonks, giving a little puppy sigh as she settled in to sleep. Harry never slept more comfortable in his life.
AN: Ok, I have a valid excuse (kinda) for not updating so long, you see, my comp was taken away, so meh, but I've modified this chapter a bit, and am working on the next chapter.