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Yuletide Blessing in Disguise	By : Gandalfs-Beard Category: Harry Potter > Het - Male/Female > Harry/Hermione Views: 122892 -:- Recommendations : 1 -:- Currently Reading : 8
Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or any related properties--all rights belong to Rowling. Nor do I make any money from the production of this work.

Chapter List
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The Guardian

Professor McGonagall departed from the headmaster’s office feeling disconcerted, not to mention perplexed, anxious, and more than a bit angry as well. After Nymphadora Tonks had been briefed on her task, Dumbledore and McGonagall had spoken at length; but her more discomfiting emotions were tempered by a measure of thankfulness that Dumbledore had confided in her, and no small measure of relief that Dumbledore was taking Harry Potter’s safety and well-being seriously.
McGonagall was also very pleased that things were coming along very nicely for Harry - better even than she had hoped for, in fact, when she had taken matters into her own hands regarding Harry’s partner for the Yule Ball. It had been the nudge that Potter and Granger had both needed to see that what they were looking for had been right in front of them the whole time.
McGonagall also couldn’t help thinking that Potter was better off for being a bit closer to Granger now, than when he had gravitated more towards Weasley. Weasley’s lackadaisical attitude towards schoolwork had been a bit of a bad influence on Potter, who - with the right motivation - generally showed more aptitude and inclination to learn than Weasley.
And now Potter, who had always been quite prodigious with his wandwork, was taking his study of magical theory more seriously as well - which would hopefully prove advantageous in surviving the dark trials he still faced ahead of him. And Granger had found that which she had been yearning for so long, something a bit more than books and “just friends” could provide - someone who truly respected her intellect and put her emotional needs ahead of certain others.
But McGonagall was still quite shaken by some of Dumbledore’s revelations - not the least of which was Severus Snape’s role in things. And she was also startled to learn that Sirius Black was in fact innocent, and that Peter Pettigrew had been the traitor all along - Wormtail as Barty Crouch Junior had referred to him last night.
But most importantly, Voldemort’s obsession with Potter made much more sense now, as did Dumbledore’s otherwise dubious decision to place Potter with the sister of his mother. But the lengths the self appointed “Dark Lord” had taken to remain on this side of the veil were truly horrifying, and the implications that they held for Potter’s apparent connection to Voldemort chilled her to the marrow.
McGonagall was determined to make every effort to help Dumbledore discover some means of ridding Potter of that disturbing link. Her thoughts turned again to Potter’s budding relationship with Granger, which seemed even more important than ever now...

~o0o~
“Er... Hi?” Harry peered at the girl in Gryffindor robes, perplexed.
“Do we know you?” asked Hermione, wondering if she was a sixth or seventh year practicing Advanced Transfiguration to disguise herself. “I don’t remember seeing you before.”
“Sorry,” said the pink haired girl as she sat down at the table, “I didn’t know you weren’t expecting me. Dumbledore didn’t say. I’m Tonks - Auror Tonks... but I’ll be undercover as a Teacher’s Assistant who’s just returned to Hogwarts after a few years - in trainin’ to be a Professor. ”
“Er... Excuse me for saying so, but aren’t you a bit young to be an Auror?” Hermione inquired, looking a bit skeptical.
Tonks chuckled. “That’s what everyone says. I’m older than I look. My seventh year ended just before your first - I’m twenty one - twenty two in January. ... And I was actually a Hufflepuff, but bein’ a Gryffindor will make it easier to hang out a bit with you two sometimes, and shadow you between classes and when you’re doin’ your own thing...”
“Wait, why would you be following us around?” asked Harry, frowning in suspicion. “We’re not in trouble with the Ministry are we?”
“Well, it’s more on Dumbledore’s orders really - Madam Bones is letting him ‘borrow’ me - sort of a joint operation I suppose. I’m your protection detail Harry, now that we know You-Know-‘Oo is back and tried to infiltrate Hogwarts to get at you. And because Hermione’s your girlfriend, she’s under protection too.”
“Oh!” Harry’s eyebrows shot up in surprise, and he glanced at Hermione.
A protection detail was the last thing he had expected. Harry supposed that Dumbledore had decided not to take any more chances after all of the trouble that seemed to find him every year. He wasn’t sure how he felt about having someone following him around all the time, invading his and Hermione’s privacy.
Tonks seemed to understand the look on his face, because her eyes darted around the Great Hall to make sure no-one was listening - and fortunately it was largely empty except for a couple of Ravenclaw stragglers on the other side of the Hall - then she leaned forward and whispered conspiratorially.
“Don’t mind me too much, Harry, I’ll stay outta your hair as much as possible. And you should know, I’m Sirius’s cousin - well, second cousin... or first cousin once removed, or somethin’ like that - I can’t really keep that sorta thing straight past first cousins. My mum is actually Sirius’s first cousin.
“Anyway, the upshot is that Sirius managed t’chat with Dumbledore via floo apparently, sometime late last night - I reckon ‘e must be staying somewhere that Dumbledore knows about - and Sirius is on board with this. The Ministry can’t know about that, for obvious reasons, him bein’ a fugitive an’ all still - not enough proof to get them off his back yet until Pettigrew actually shows his face. But I’ve been getting some letters from Sirius since the summer, and I know the truth, Harry.”
“You actually believe him then?” Harry was surprised, but he felt some relief, and a bit of excitement as well to know that not everyone believed that Sirius was a mass-murdering maniac.
“Course I do!” said Tonks, sounding a bit wounded. “He was my favourite cousin when I was a kid - more like an uncle to me really. I never believed ‘e did it. I’ve always thought it was some sort of frame-up! He was the only one on the Black side of the family besides Mum who hated all that pureblood rubbish - my dad’s a muggleborn, see. So Sirius used to come over every once in a while to visit.”
The more Harry listened, the more he liked Tonks. There was just something about Tonks which made him trust her; he supposed that in a way, she was more or less family, seeing as Sirius was his godfather.
“Anyway,” Tonks continued, “seein’ as I’ll be hanging out with you a bit, and I’m undercover, you probably should call me Dora instead o’ Tonks I suppose. The professors and the other Aurors know me of course, but it’s best not to let anyone else know ‘oo I really am, just in case.”
“Won’t some of the older students remember you though?” asked Hermione, looking slightly skeptical as she peered at Dora’s pink hair. “Especially the Hufflepuffs fifth year and older.”
“Doubtful,” Dora replied, “I ‘ad longer hair and I didn’t colour it back then. I’m a metamorphmagus and I can change it whenever I like...”
Harry’s jaw dropped.
“Oh,” gasped Hermione, “Harry’s one too... at least we think he might be...”
“All I’ve really done is change my hair a bit - without a wand,” said Harry, his excitement growing at meeting another metamorphmagus. “Once before Hogwarts - before I even knew I was a wizard, and once last night, just before the Yule Ball. ... I didn’t even know I could. It doesn’t usually look as short and neat as it does right now.”
“Blimey!” Dora’s eyes boggled slightly. “That’s amazing! We’re really rare. There’s only a couple others in the Auror Corps, and maybe only half a dozen more in all o’ Britain as far as I know. So let me see then...”
Harry concentrated really hard, trying to remember how it felt as he scrunched up his face, but nothing happened. He began to wonder if it had been a fluke.
“Don’t try so ‘ard,” said Dora, who could see Harry straining to make it happen. “Willpower is important, but it only works if you just kind of let it happen instead o’ forcin’ it, if you know what I mean. It’s sorta in-between - so just picture it in your mind and relax a bit while you focus on it. Let your other thoughts just sorta swim around it instead o’ tryin’ to push them away.”
Relaxing had never really been Harry’s strong suit. But then he remembered his anti-Dementor training, and reckoned it might be a bit like that, thinking about something happy at the same time. Flying on his Firebolt - the sense of freedom when he was in the air - and kissing Hermione - letting everything go as he lost himself in her - popped into his mind while he pictured his hair going back to normal, and to his surprise, he felt his hair reverting back to its usual unruly state.
Dora grinned. “Wicked! That’s it Harry! You really are a Metamorphmagus! ... I can help train you up a bit, if you’d like.”
“Yeah!” said Harry eagerly, “I’d really like that! That would be brilliant!”
Dora suddenly peered around the Great Hall again, looking a bit anxious, but she relaxed when it appeared that the few Ravenclaws hadn’t noticed a thing.
“Alright then,” she said quietly. “But maybe just keep it to yourself for now. It’s probably best not to let too many people know you’re a Metamorphmagus. Change your hair back for now, and let it gradually go back to normal a little bit each day.”
Harry looked puzzled for a moment, then it hit him. “Oh!”
Hermione nodded, having come to the same conclusion. “Of course Harry! You’ll have an advantage that Voldemort and his followers won’t know about.”
“Yeah, and also anyone shady at the Ministry too for that matter,” Dora muttered. There’s some ‘oo are in bed with suspicious folk like Warlock Malfoy. I ‘eard from Shacklebolt this morning that the Minister was cutting him off, but there’s still some others. I also talked to Mad Eye just now while I was lookin’ for you two...”
“You mean Professor Moody?” asked Harry.
“How is he doing?” Hermione chimed in.
“Yeah,” Dora chuckled. “That’s him. He’ll be alright in a few days - a bit malnourished is about the worst of it. Anyway, he thinks someone at the Ministry instigated the Triwiz just to get at you to begin with, Harry. He reckons someone else probably entered your name as well as Crouch Junior.”
“What? But that’s mad!” said Harry. “Why would anyone do that?
“If it’s someone at the Ministry who’s in league with Mr Malfoy, who knows how far they’d go, Harry?” said Hermione, looking very worried. “It could even be Ludo Bagman for all we know. He could have been bribed. ... He does gamble an awful lot, and if he owes a lot of money, he’d probably jump at the chance to get you in the tournament and sabotage you for a payday.”
“Of course!” Harry groaned; he should have known it wasn’t over. “So I’m not out of the woods yet! Whoever it is will probably make the tasks even harder for me...”
“Well, don’t worry too much Harry,” Dora reassured him. “If I know Mad Eye, he’ll be taking over your training once he’s recuperated. We’ll get you through this - we’ve all got your back. He wants to meet you when you get a chance - maybe tomorrow after he’s had some proper rest and been fed up a bit.”
“Good!” said Harry, scowling now. “Because I’ll need it if I’ve got two lots of people after me.”
Hermione frowned; Harry clearly needed a distraction. “Just forget about it for now, Harry. Let’s just try and enjoy the rest of the holidays before we start thinking about that. Why don’t we go for a walk, like you suggested earlier.”
“Yeah, alright Hermione,” Harry sighed. “Sounds like a plan. So, er... I suppose you’re going to be following us, Dora?”
Dora half-smirked, eyeing Harry and Hermione perceptively.
“Don’t worry. I’ll keep my distance - you’ll still be able to get up to, things. I won’t by spyin’ on you - I’ll just be nearby scoutin’ around, watching your backs and keeping an eye out for trouble. If anything, I’ll make sure nobody else disturbs you.”
Harry’s brain whirred, considering the advantages of having a secret guardian; if it had to be anyone, he was glad that Dumbledore had picked the one Auror who was practically family to shadow him and Hermione.
“That sounds... alright, actually,” said Harry, giving Dora a wry smile.
“Right then, I’ll let you be off to do your own thing for now then,” said Dora, “... Oh! Before I forget, there’s just one more piece o’ business to get out of the way. Your class schedule will be changing a bit, Harry - you’ll be in all the same classes as Hermione now, to make it easier to watch out for you both. Sorry about that, Harry - I know it’s a bit more work for you - it was all McGonagall’s idea.”
Harry was slightly shocked. That meant he’d be taking Runes and Arithmancy now with Hermione. Though Harry had to concede that it just made sense to keep him and Hermione together. And it wasn’t like he hadn’t already been kicking himself for not choosing more challenging classes to begin with. At least he wouldn’t have to put up with Trelawney always predicting his imminent demise, as Hermione had ditched Divination last year.
After taking their leave of Dora, Harry and Hermione trudged for a bit through the snow, deep in thought as they made their way to find a spot away from the other students who were braving the cold to have snowball fights and build snowmen. They headed towards the outskirts of the Forbidden Forest near the lake, hand in hand.
Finally Hermione broke the silence.
“I know it’s all a lot to take in Harry,” she said earnestly. “And if you’re worried about being a year and a half behind the rest of the fourth years in Runes and Arithmancy, don’t be. I’m sure Professor McGonagall will explain the situation to Professor Babbling and Professor Vector. And I’ll help you loads to try and catch up, I promise.”
“Honestly, I’m not too fussed,” said Harry. “You know it’s been bothering me lately that I hadn’t picked more challenging electives, after all. But yeah... I will need your help - especially in Arithmancy. I wasn’t awful in Maths in primary school, but I wasn’t great either. ... It was a bit rough for me to tell you the truth.
“I’ve more been thinking about Dora. She’s Sirius’s cousin - that means she’s more or less family to me, and I know the Weasleys have always treated me like family, but... er...”
“...you’ve always wanted a real family - one which really belonged to you,” said Hermione gently, finishing Harry’s sentence for him as she gave his hand a comforting squeeze. “But you’re feeling a bit guilty because you think it might offend the Weasleys somehow.”
“Yeah... Yeah, I think that’s it, Hermione,” said Harry, sounding slightly rueful. “It sounds a bit silly when you say it out loud, but I guess that is how I’m feeling. I mean... I know they’re not really going to mind - it’s not like they’d know how I feel inside anyway. But I’d know, and there’s just... I felt some sort of connection to Dora which isn’t quite the same as I have with the Weasleys, more like how I feel about Sirius I suppose. And I’m not entirely sure why, considering I’ve just met her.”
“Meeting another Metamorphmagus who can help you figure out your power might have something to do with it as well, Harry,” Hermione suggested. “There really aren’t that many after all.”
Harry nodded. “Yeah, there’s a bit of that too. Thanks for helping me sort that out Hermione.”
Then Harry peered out across the lake from under the canopy of a copse of pines and knew they had found the perfect spot. The bed of pine needles on the ground was largely free of snow excepting near the lake and a few patches which had blown in.
A thick layer of ice stretched out across the surface of the lake, breaking up in the distance as the edges neared the centre, the ripples of the water shimmering slightly in the pearly grey reflection of the clouds above. And the mountains across the lake reared like glittering glaciers against the sky, the base hidden by the snow-covered woods on the other side.
“It’s beautiful,” Hermione murmured.
Harry and Hermione sat cross legged next to each other on the bed of pine needles, Hermione’s arm curled around his waist, his arm draped across her shoulders as they admired the spectacular view. Hermione let out a contented sigh, and eventually Harry’s lips met hers. The kiss was somehow deep and passionate yet gentle, echoing the ambiance of the peaceful setting, and time seemed to stop as the world stilled around them.
They had no idea how long they sat like that, arms around one another, their kisses warming them to the core. But it must have been awhile, because when they were finally ready to return to the castle, very few students were left outside as they traipsed back up the hill through the powdery drifts broken at intervals by deep furrows and trails of footprints. Harry caught a flash of pink hair not too far in the distance and grinned.
AN:
@ BdwMedic: Thanks again! :-)
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Yuletide Blessing in Disguise