The Time of Change

by Olafr Harry Potter and associated milieu, characters, and situations are owned by J.K. Rowling and her licensees. This is a work of fan fiction, produced solely for enjoyment. No infringement of rights is intended.

Rating: PG-13

Last updated: 10 November, 2006

Author's Notes: At last, part 12, and the end of summer.

12. Summer's End

Dear Harry, Hermione, and Tonks,

We're holding a belated birthday party for Ginny tomorrow evening at 5 o'clock at the Burrow. As Ginny counts you all amongst her friends we'd very much like it if you would come and help us celebrate her fifteenth birthday.

RSVP.

Yours truly,

Molly Weasley

oOoOoOo

Dear Mrs Weasley,

Thank you very much for the invitation to Ginny's party tomorrow, and all three of us will be there with bells on!

Yours,

Harry Potter

oOoOoOo

"Are you ready to go, Harry?"

"Yeah, I think so." Harry pulled at the rather tight-fitting jumper he was wearing.

Tonks slapped his hand. "Don't! You'll pull it out of shape. It fits fine, Lover Boy."

Harry put on a mock pout. "But Tonks, it feels..."

"Tight? That's the idea, Harry. Don't worry about it, you'll get used to how it feels and it looks fantastic."

"It does?" he asked uncertainly. He turned to face the mirror next to his dresser and frowned into it.

"Yum," said Hermione as she came around the library shelves and walked up to hug Harry from behind. "You look good enough to eat."

"Really?" asked Harry, still unsure.

"Really. All the girls are going to be so jealous of me."

"And me!" added Tonks as she grabbed Harry's head in a kind of sideways headlock, mussing his hair.

"Yaargh!" cried Harry, wriggling out of the girls' grasp. Once free, he straightened up and faced them.

"Well now you need to straighten up again," said Hermione with some asperity in her voice which she softened with a smile. "Come here." She tugged on the bottom of his thin white V-neck jumper he wore, straightening it, then ran her fingers through his hair so it settled down into the neat spikiness it had been in before. "Really, Dora."

Tonks grinned broadly, looking Harry up and down. He wore tight blue jeans, tan leather shoes, and the white jumper that he wore as a shirt which clung to his torso and arms without appearing tight. She grinned as Hermione finished him off with a quick kiss.

"So, as I was saying, all ready to go?"

"How are we getting there? Portkey I suppose," he finished resignedly.

"Well, you don't have your Apparation under control yet, so it's that, the Floo, or the Knight Bus." Harry looked hopeful for a moment the shook his head.

"I guess you're right. Gossip would spread if we took the Knight Bus and I don't really want to get dirty going through the floo." He turned to Hermione. "Have I told you how wonderful you look?"

"Thank you," said Hermione with a modest smile. She wore a light summer dress with spaghetti strap shoulders that came to just above her knees. It was a tailored but unadorned bottle green silk which she had set off with simple necklace and earrings Harry had fashioned for her from some of his gold bullion which echoed the ring he had given her nicely. Black strappy flats finished the look.

Tonks, who was wearing light summer robes that looked very much like a Chamlys, a wide belt which holstered her wand and carried her coin purse, and brown leather sandals with straps that wrapped up her calves. Her hair was black and her skin olive, her eyes dark brown, and her nose Grecian for a look that Harry was sure was intended to be some kind of joke. Certainly Hermione had sniggered and whispered with her for a time in a way that made Harry wonder if, (a) boys weren't the topic of discussion, and (b) whether Hermione was channelling Lavender Brown.

"Where's your wand, Hermione?" asked Harry all of a sudden. He could not see it on her, and she was not carrying it.

Hermione smiled impishly at Harry and gently lifted the hem of her dress over her right leg, revealing shapely, toned thigh and, just as Harry's pulse was starting to accelerate, the hilt of her wand. She halted the raising of her hem at that point and smiled up at Harry, still stooped down. "Happy?"

Harry swallowed. "Err, yes, that's lovely," he said. "I mean, that's very good, very clever place for your wand." Smiling weakly, he breathed a slight sigh of relief when Hermione dropped her hem and straightened.

"Now, now, you can toy with Lover Boy later, Lover Girl. It's half past five and we need to go."

"We should let Mum and Dad know we're going," put in Hermione.

oOoOoOo

The portkey deposited the trio in the yard behind the Weasley home, only ten feet from a long table that was currently draped in white cloth and which bore an impressive amount of cutlery, plates, and other odds and ends.

"Harry! Hermione, Tonks!"

"Hiya, squirt," said Tonks as Harry and Hermione turned to face Ginny who was running to greet them. She had been standing in a group with what looked like about a dozen other students from Hogwarts, mostly in her year but also from Harry and Hermione's – Harry recognised Michael and Dean, plus Lavender and the Patils as well as some he knew less well.

"Thanks for coming," said Ginny, stopping instead of launching herself into a hug tackle. She looked Harry up and down. "Wow, you look great. What've you been doing?!" Laying her hand on his forearm, she turned to Hermione. "And you, Hermione!"

"It's all in the secret formula," said Tonks modestly. "Here you go!" She held out a garishly-wrapped box to Ginny.

"Oh, Tonks, Harry, Hermione," came Mrs Weasley's voice, "you're here. Harry, dear, Ron will be out in a moment, he's just getting changed." She placed an enormous platter of food on the table, crackers and dips and bits of cut up vegetables, then turned to retrieve another which had followed her out of the kitchen like a faithful puppy. "Bill, Charlie, would you come and help bring out some of the food please? Oh, Tonks, the gift table is over there; we'll do the opening after dinner." With that she was gone, corralling the eldest Weasley boys into the house.

"I'll see you later," Tonks murmured before slipping away as Ginny dragged Harry and Hermione over to the group to perform any needed introductions.

It wasn't long before Harry saw Ron coming out of the house. He eased himself out of the circle of people to greet him. Ron was wearing a knee-length tuning and sandals in deference to the still-hot late afternoon. The day had been quite hot, and even now, just before six o'clock, it was still very warm. Harry was feeling a little overheated in his pants and jumper, though Tonks had told him he'd be comfortable once the sun went down and anyway he should suck it up and bear it because it made him look great and wasn't that worth a little discomfort?

Harry was eager to greet Ron partly out of guilt – he had hardly talked to Ron this summer despite having ample opportunity. Somehow his studies and Hermione and Tonks had monopolised his attention and he had hardly noticed the time going by. "Hi, Ron," he said as Ron up to him.

"Hey, mate," said Ron with a grin on his face. "Looking good." He clapped him on the shoulder.

Harry craned his head exaggeratedly, looking up at his friend's even greater height. "Bloody hell, Ron, how much have you grown since end of term?"

"Almost an inch," he said proudly. He grinned down at Harry. "Speaking of which, has Tonks got you on some kind of body building potion?" He squeezed the shoulder he was holding. "I'm gonna have to keep Ginny on a leash around you."

Harry felt his smile freeze. "Er, mate, you do remember that Hermione and me...?"

Ron nodded, his smile growing even broader if possible. "Yeah, I know, mate. Thanks for letting me know you were gonna ask ahead of time like that, by the way. I know it didn't seem like it at the time but I really do appreciate not finding out after the fact, y'know?"

"So... you wouldn't be grinning if you hadn't hooked up with someone. Who is it?"

Grinning broadly, Ron said, "Lavender." He looked over Harry's head to his girlfriend who now stood in a circle that was mostly girls. The other boys were gradually drifting into another group, but Ron just grinned goofily over Harry's head.

"Get ahold of yourself, Ron, you'll drool on my hair or something."

Ron broke his gaze away from Lavender and stared down at Harry in shock. "What?"

"I have had Tonks as a live-in bodyguard all summer, Ron," said Harry with a grin. "I can't help it if she's rubbed off on me a bit."

"An' here I was thinking you'd be having a Sirius pity party." His grin vanished. "Err, oops, sorry Harry."

Harry shook his head. "It's okay, Ron. It's fine, really. I miss him, but I've accepted his loss and moved on. I'll see him again eventually and then I can tell him all the stories that he missed."

"You sure?"

Harry nodded, although his smile felt false. Saying what he had, had made it all fresh again for him. He clung to his own words, telling himself that it was true, beating back the muggle attitudes he had taken in all unknowing while growing up at the Dursleys'.

"You don't look like you believe it, mate, if you don't mind me sayin' so."

Now it was Harry's turn to stare in disbelief. "Who are you and what did you do with the real Ron?" he asked with narrowed eyes and a suspicious voice. He knew perfectly well it was Ron, but he could hardly believe what he had heard.

Ron snorted in amusement. "You aren't the only one who's done a bit of growing up, Harry," he said softly.

Harry gripped Ron's shoulder. "Great, isn't it?"

"I dunno 'bout that. Nothing's black and white any more."

"Well, well, will wonders never cease," came the mockingly amazed voice of Remus Lupin. "Did I hear Ronald Weasley say something mature?"

"Remus!" scolded Tonks, who was hanging on Remus' arm. "Be nice."

"You're quite right," said Remus Lupin, who stepped around from behind Harry and sketched a bow to a blushing Ron. "I do apologise, Mr Weasley. I did not mean to offend."

Ron just gaped at Lupin. "Ah, err, that's quite all right," he said after getting control of his jaw and bowing back.

"Come on, you," said Tonks. "I don't know how much you've had to drink but I think we need to get you away from impressionable teenagers for a while."

"Do you have somewhere in mind, Miss Tonks?"

Tonks smiled seductively. "How 'bout we make sure nobody's snuck into the shed over there to snog?" she said as she hauled him away.

A warm arm slipped its way around Harry's waist. It was Hermione. "Hello, Ron," she said. "I understand you're with Lavender now?"

"Hi, Hermione. Yeah. About a week now, it's been."

"I'm glad."

"Oi, Ron!" came Bill's raised voice from the other side of the table. "Feel like a friendly match?"

Ron looked up, grinning. "'Scuse me," he said as he turned and walked quickly towards his eldest brother. "You and what army are gonna beat me?" he called.

Bill grinned wolfishly and waved his wand, conjuring a chess set on the ground about four metres on a side – about half the size of McGonagall's effort in their first year. "Just me, little brother," taunted Bill as he walked to the black side. "I'll even let you have white."

"You're on!"

oOoOoOo

"Harry?"

"Oh, hi, Ginny. Having a good time?"

Ginny nodded. "Sure am. Thanks for coming."

Harry shrugged. "I forgot enough of your birthdays, Gin, and I'm sorry about that. There was no way I was going to miss this one."

Ginny laid her hand on his forearm. "Have I told you just how amazing you look?"

Harry stopped himself from frowning, and decided to play ignorant. "Thanks, Gin. So, how're things going with Dean? Have you been on many dates in the holidays?"

Ginny shook her head, her eyes wide, looking up at him. Alarms started going off in Harry's mind. "No, nothing like that. I only mentioned Dean to get Ron off my back on the train." Her hand moved slightly and she looked away.

Harry knew that Hermione was standing near the table talking with Luna, and he looked up casually to see if he could get help from that quarter. Luckily she was looking in his direction so he put on a desperate look and mouthed, 'Help!' Then he looked back to see that Ginny had rearranged her legs and was just looking back at him. He could see a dangerous amount of thigh.

Right then Hermione arrived with Neville and Luna in tow. "Harry, Luna was asking after you," she said. She sat next to him, on the other side from Ginny, and looped one arm about his waist. Harry relaxed into her embrace and smiled at Luna, thankful to Hermione for the distraction.

"I'm actually fine," he said to Luna. "The talk we had really helped me. Thank you, Luna."

"You said that in your letter to me," she said bluntly but somehow harmlessly. "But now I can see that you really are mostly fine."

"How did you go with the Snorkacks?"

Luna's expression became doleful. "Unfortunately there was no sign of any. It's really a shame. I prefer not to believe they really are extinct, though. After all, the Thylacine was found after almost sixty years without any sightings, so there's still hope."

"Oh? When was the last sighting? Of a Snorkack, I mean?" asked Hermione, an interested tone in her voice.

"1736. But they're ever so elusive. They might be hiding in plain sight."

oOoOoOo

"For she's a jolly good Weasley, for she's a jolly good Weasley, for she's a jolly good Weasley...! And so say all of us!"

A chorus of laughter rolled around the gathered crowd, faces lit by the bonfire that burned to one side. Harry grinned, enjoying the now pleasantly cool evening. Fred and George had led the final part of the birthday chorus in their inimitable style.

"And now!" "We present!" "Fireworks for our very favourite-" "-younger sister!" With that announcement, and a squealing whoosh of flame, a fireworks display began that ended with the words "Happy 15th Ginny" handing in the air over the Burrow.

Ginny launched a hug tackle at the twins. "Thank you, you two. You're simply awful but I do love you," she said happily.

Harry saw Mrs Weasley wipe a tear out of her eye as she stood to one side. Mr Weasley held her supportively, and Harry felt a curious mix of happiness, regret, and envy well up in him at the sight of this amazing family that had been his first real introduction to the magical world.

"Well, go on, cut the cake!" cried Ron. A round of laughter followed at Ron's infamously large appetite.

"Oh all right," said Ginny with a sharp voice but a happy smile. She brandished the knife threateningly at Ron before grinning at him then turning to cut the first slice.

A sensation of something odd filled Harry for a moment before he felt a light touch on his shoulder. "Ah, Harry," came Dumbledore's quiet voice. "How lovely to see you here. Would you be able to spare me a few minutes?"

Harry looked around to see Dumbledore standing at his shoulder smiling genially. "Of course, Professor. Lead the way."

The two walked together into the field on the far side of the bonfire. Dumbledore sketched overstuffed lounge chairs, facing each other, and flicked a privacy dome into existence. Harry had to suppress the reflex to use his own wand.

"How have your studies been going, my boy?" Dumbledore asked warmly. "I see that your use of magic is becoming more reflexive."

Harry grimaced. "I've managed to avoid using magic in public so far, Professor," he said. "To answer your question, the summer has been excellent. I'm learning a lot." He smiled briefly. "Thank you for the use of your books, they're a wonderful resource."

"And your Sight, Harry? Have you had any success with that?"

"Perhaps. I think I had a breakthrough yesterday."

"Oh?"

"Yes. Tell me, is Moody camped out in a fold-space bubble attached to the front of the house over the road from the Grangers?"

Dumbledore looked briefly astonished before smiling broadly. "You sensed it?"

Harry shook his head. "I saw it. I saw him. I saw... everything," he finished with a whisper. He caught Dumbledore's eyes. "It's in the back of my mind, now. I haven't tried to call it up since; I've been flat out trying to re-centre myself. I don't want to lose myself."

"Well, my boy. That is most excellent." Dumbledore reached into his robe and produced a rather ornately embroidered cloth bag with flap closure. "Lemon drop?"

Harry could not help but notice the magic lingering about the bag. "No thank you, Professor."

"Oh, well." He took one himself and stowed the bag away again, sucking on the yellow sweet contemplatively. "And how do you feel your Occlumency is going?"

"I have achieved a full-time shield," said Harry. "I haven't sensed Voldemort since I got it going, just after Snape's last visit."

"Professor Snape, Harry."

"Sorry. Professor Snape." Harry twisted his mouth as though he had eaten something bad.

"You haven't sensed him at all, you say?"

"No. Has he been... I mean, has Professor Snape reported that Voldemort has been trying to, er, reach me?"

Dumbledore nodded slowly, keeping Harry's gaze locked onto his own. "Do you mind if I attempt to penetrate your... shield?"

Harry shrugged. "If you like."

For a long time, Dumbledore sat silently, his wand pointed at Harry. Finally he said, "Legilimens!"

Nothing appeared to happen. After another moment, Harry asked, "Have you finished yet?"

With a heavy sigh, Dumbledore leaned back in his seat. He took another lemon drop for himself, his wordless offer of one to Harry once again being refused.

"I must say, Harry, that your Occlumency shields are very strong indeed. In fact, I have never felt the like. May I say, well done."

"Thank you, Professor."

"Do you think that you will need anything before school returns on the First?"

"I'd discussed with Nym, I mean Tonks, spending a few days before September First in Diagon Alley and then going to the Express from there."

"A most excellent idea, Harry. I assume you hope to meet with some of your friends there before returning to Hogwarts?"

"I admit that I'd like a few days of actual holiday, I think," replied Harry.

"Yes, that is most important. Alas, you have reached a delicate time in learning your Sight. I suggest you work as hard as you can to re-learn the spells of your first five years, now that have reached the critical point, as I was hoping you would."

"Ah."

"Still, it's important to actually have a rest before returning for the new year. One must have one's batteries recharged before plunging headlong into the turbulent waters of the school year, after all."

"I... I guess I'll have to wait and see."

"Excellent, Harry. So... was there anything you wanted to ask me?"

Harry nodded immediately. "Yes. What's Voldemort been up to this summer? There's been no mention in the press, and nothing much in the way of bad dreams except for the nights that Sna-- I mean, Professor Snape came for an Occlumency lesson." He grimaced before continuing. "I'm worried that he's planning something, and I haven't had any visions. Has Professor Snape...?"

Dumbledore shook his head slowly. "No, Harry, there has been nothing. Except that, Professor Snape reported that Tom was most vexed when you perfected your Occlumency."

"Oh. Well, I suppose that's good. No indications of what he's planning?"

"No. Tom is apparently still quite unwell following his attempted possession of you at the Ministry. The love you felt for your friends, and Sirius, hurt him most deeply. I feel that, for the first time, he fears you, Harry, and perhaps we will be granted a time of comparative peace while he gathers his strength."

"Oh, that's good. But... um, I won't ask for specifics, Professor, but I assume the Order is moving onto the offensive? Tracking down Death Eaters and putting them away?"

"We have weakened his forces greatly, Harry. Eleven of his most important Death Eaters were captured in the Ministry raid, and he must recoup before he can attack once more."

Harry frowned deeply. "Clauswitz says that a defensive war can't be won, Professor. We're going to have to go on the offensive some time."

"I believe you know the contents of the Prophecy, Harry."

"Yes, of course I do! But that's not the point! It's not Voldemort who's killing people, Professor! It's his bloody Death Eaters! They've got to be eliminated!"

"I assure you, Harry, that we have a plan for dealing with all of Tom's forces."

"I look forward to hearing about their capture or elimination, then, Headmaster." Harry jerked himself to his feet, unable to remain seated. "Thank you again for the use of Tonks and your books. If you'll excuse me?"

With that Harry strode away, back towards the bonfire, a magic-charged fingertip puncturing the privacy bubble which glowed blue-purple to his sight as he stalked away to search out Hermione or Tonks.

oOoOoOo

The next morning, Dumbledore sat in the mid-morning sunlight with his four Heads of House, the remains of breakfast spread across the table between them. The summer sun washed gently across the grey basalt paving, and Professor Sprout sat with her eyes closed, face turned towards the sun, a cup of tea gripped loosely in one hand.

"Summer here is so nice," said Professor Sprout. "So much gentler than in Spain, or even in Kent, really."

"Yes, the sun has real bite down there," said Flitwick. "I spent a summer in Gibraltar once, 1937 I think it was. I tell you, it was quite the experience."

"Personally, I prefer the indoors," drawled Professor Snape, his sallow complexion almost translucent in the sunlight. "Potion ingredients require coolness for preservation, and one becomes--"

"--well used to such a clime, yes, we know, Severus," interrupted Professor McGonagall.

"Hmph."

"That doesn't mean you can't take in some sun from time to time. You know as well as any how the body depends on sunlight," she continued.

"A simple potion deals with all such issues," muttered Snape surlily.

For a long moment, there was silence as the well-worn conversation wound to a close. Professor Dumbledore sat gazing out over the Forbidden Forest, smiling enigmatically to himself.

"So, Albus, shall we begin?" asked Professor McGonagall. "I believe we have passed sufficient time in conversation."

Dumbledore smiled gently as he looked over his half-moon glasses at McGonagall. "My dear Professor, am I so transparent?"

"Indubitably," she replied sternly, but she could not hold her expression and broke into a smile. Professor Sprout giggled.

"Ah, laughter, life's healing benison," he said. "Still, you have a point, Minerva. Let us begin." He settled back into his seat, his hands clasped before his mouth. "Before we being our usual topics, though, let me say that I visited Mr Potter yesterday." He lowered his hands, catching each of the others' eyes. "Harry has spent his time well this summer. Firstly, I feel that he has completed his Occlumency training for the time being. I tested his resistance and it was absolute. However... I believe Harry has achieved something unique."

"How so, Albus?" asked McGonagall before Snape could interject.

"He speaks of an Occlumency 'shield'," replied Dumbledore. "This is quite different from any concept of Occlumency that I am aware of. Nevertheless, probing him is like attempting to probe a block of stone. I could detect no sign of a mind at all."

"Hardly a surprise," snorted Snape.

"Severus," reproved Dumbledore. "I feel that young Harry has achieved something new, something remarkable. I think... yes. I shall set aside some time this year to discover what it is that he has done, and how it is that he has achieved what he has."

oOoOoOo

It was lunchtime on the 28th of August. Harry, Tonks, and the three Grangers were sitting around a picnic table which overlooked the sunny dell that contained their swimming hole. The bony remains of a chicken sat on a platter guarded by the end of a loaf of bread and a pair of mostly-empty salad bowls.

"Do you think we could leave this as it is?" asked Emma Granger somewhat wistfully. "It's been really lovely having our own swimming hole practically in our back yard."

"Yes, it has been nice," added Dan. "It's been a while since I've been this fit," he added with a trace of pride.

"You keep yourself fit enough, hun," replied Emma with a slight smirk. Dan returned her slightly naughty smile while Harry looked away and Hermione smiled wistfully.

"I think I'll go for a bit of a swim, maybe lie in the sun on the pontoon," said Harry awkwardly. With a glance at Hermione he stood, stepping over the bench. "If you'll excuse me," he said hurriedly and scurried off. Hermione smiled at her parents awkwardly then got up to follow him.

"Planning a bit of skinny dipping, are we?" put in Tonks, breaking the moment in her challenging way.

"Amongst other things," replied Emma without a trace of embarrassment.

"Oh. Well, I'm sorry to say that it probably wouldn't be safe; not for the moment at least."

"Oh? Why ever not?"

Splashing sounds came from the lake as Hermione crashed into the water at a flat run, drenching Harry who was wading cautiously towards deeper water. His retaliation caused her to shriek loudly before returning fire.

"Most magic isn't permanent, not without special preparation," said Tonks. "Most of the time it's enough to just cast a temporary spell; it doesn't matter if it eventually collapses or dissolves; usually we would've cancelled the spell before it runs out of puff, so to speak."

"So, expanding space or creating things out of nothing requires a certain amount of power per second, and when the power in casting is used up, the spell collapses, is that right?" asked Dan, his eyes gleaming. Tonks stared; she was used to Emma being the dominant party in conversations. A quick glance showed Emma smiling at him.

"Er, yes."

"So how do you do permanent things?" he asked. "We bought Hermione a trunk that's bigger on the inside than the outside, and it's guaranteed for a hundred years according to Mr Symonds."

"Well, to get a permanent effect, we actually need to set up the spell so that part of it is harvesting energy to sustain the main part of the spell, the part that's giving the effect. There's a particular way for each spell to do this. Usually, runes are used; a different set for each spell; the location, type, orientation, number, and size of the runes involved is determined using Arithmancy."

"Oh, Hermione was never able to really explain what Arithmancy was for. Thank you, Dora," said Emma.

"So the problem, then," said Dan, "is that you didn't plan to make the expansion permanent and so this place will eventually collapse in on itself."

Tonks smiled weakly. "Well, kind of. The actual problem is that I did the main attic space, while Harry did the lake and the rest of the 'outside' stuff here."

"What do you mean?"

"Every once in a while, someone has the knack of forcing spells into the correct, um, 'shape' is as good a word as any I suppose, so that they're permanent without having to use runes. It seems to be an unconscious thing, but they're able to control it. People like that are called Makers. Now--"

"Oh, I get it!" interrupted Dan. "Harry's bit is permanent, but yours isn't, and the only way from here to the house is through the attic bit. So if we're in here when your magic dissolves, we might be trapped here with no way to get back to the house."

"Err, well, I suppose that could happen, but it's not what I'm concerned about. The actual problem is that Harry's stuff is inside my stuff, and its base size is too tall for the attic. Physically speaking, this space we're in is occupying almost the entire end wall of the expanded attic space, but it's only a few inches thick, if that. The problem is that if my stuff dissolves, your attic might find itself asked to contain something much taller than itself, so there might be an explosion; at the very least, it'd tear part of your roof off."

"And from the way you're talking, Harry can't just overlay the original attic expansion."

"No, it doesn't work that way."

"Oh. Oh, well."

Tonks boggled at Dan Granger; despite his words, he was grinning like a lunatic. "Are you all right?" she asked after a moment.

"Oh yes; you explained it very clearly. Thanks, I'd been trying to work that out all summer."

Another shriek from the lake which drew their attention; Harry had Hermione draped over his shoulder and was wading out of the water. Smacking sounds floated on the air. "Harry James Potter, put me down this instant!"

"It's wonderful to see them play like that," said Emma with a warm smile. She traded a glance with Dan. "I wonder how much of that is indignation and how much simply because she wants to feel his bum?"

"Oh, I'm sure she wants to feel his bum," replied Tonks with a laugh. "I think the question is, how much she's hoping he'll retaliate."

Emma traded another glance with Dan, and Tonks felt herself flushing a little at its heat. "Oh, I'm sure she'd love for him to retaliate in kind. You notice she wore her g-string bikini today. I suspect she's becoming a little impatient with Harry, don't you think, dear?"

"I would think so," he said as he returned his wife's gaze.

"He certainly is a fine figure of a boy. That booster potion you've been giving him has certainly worked wonders, Dora. One would never accuse him of being skinny now."

"Pity it won't work if you don't have magic," said Dan regretfully.

"Harry's had to train hard all summer to get that result," said Tonks defensively. "If he hadn't, he'd still have bulked up but it'd be flabby."

"I suspect it's the effect of the body's magic reinforcing the other body systems," said Dan as he looked off into the distance. "That has to be part of the reason for wizard-kind's extended life spans."

"I actually don't know," said Tonks. "It sounds reasonable, though..."

oOoOoOo

"I can't believe we're back to school the day after tomorrow," said Harry as he lay on his bed in his room at the Leaky Cauldron. His hands were knit behind his head, his elbows splayed comfortably. "It seems such a long time since the end of term, but at the same time it's gone so quickly."

Hermione, who was sitting tailor-fashion on the bed by his knees, smiled down at him. "It's been a good summer though, hasn't it?"

"Good? Oh, no, not at all, it was bloody wonderful!" He grinned at Hermione's rather mixed expression and reached down to take her nearest hand. "I had wonderful company, I became even closer to my best friend, I feel fantastic, I learned a lot..." He squeezed her fingers. "And I have a wonderful girlfriend."

Hermione transferred Harry's hand to her other hand and laid her near hand on the side of his abdomen. "Thanks. My boyfriend is pretty wonderful, too."

"Anyone I know?"

She slapped the skin she had been caressing. "You goof!"

Harry sat up suddenly and smoothly and pulled her into an embrace. For several minutes they kissed before Hermione pulled back. "Just a moment," she said as she bounced off the bed and out his door. He was still sitting there, no longer bewildered but curious, when she returned. He was a little surprised when she closed and locked the door behind her.

"What do you have there?" he asked. In her hands were a bottle and a what looked like large-format paperback book about an inch thick.

Hermione smiled and walked over to the bed, remaining standing. "My mother lent me some books. She's quite impressed with you."

"Oh? What kind of books?"

"Mostly about intimacy."

"Intimacy? You can write a book about that? Isn't that kind of... cold?"

Shaking her head, Hermione replied, "Far from it. Mother told me that learning this kind of thing with Dad has helped keep them close."

Harry eyed the book; the spine was just visible. "Sensual massage?"

"Well, Mum gave me books about sex, too, and other things, but we haven't done anything like that and I'm not sure I'm really ready, we've really only kissed, and I thought it'd be nice to get more used to touching each other and maybe doing something a little exciting at the same time...?" asked Hermione in a single rushed breath, somewhat embarrassed. "We could read the book together, then try what we learn on each other." She placed the book face-up on the bed. A picture of a naked lady laying face-down on a towel with a pair of hands massaging her upper back graced the front cover. Harry smiled and nodded eagerly.

"Sure."