Harry Potter and the Tails of Change

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the Harry Potter characters, nor do I own any of the settings that JKR created in Harry's world.  Any resemblance to anyone; living, dead, or imagined, is purely coincidental, and not intended on my part.

A/N: This is a work of fiction, and I have altered reality from how JKR wrote things.  First off, Nymphadora Tonks is a 6th year when Harry is in his first.  Second, this story starts off in the summer between Harry's third and fourth years, so he has met Sirius, and knows he's innocent.  Third, I'm having Harry be just a wee bit more intelligent, and have something more of a backbone by this time in his life.  This story may include relations between two consenting females, so if that doesn't float your boat, you have been warned here, and can take appropriate action.
Chapter 3: Of Wolf and Fox

	Harry woke, not remembering exactly when he'd fallen asleep, but there was a noise coming from the downstairs portion of his relative’s house.  He gathered up his glasses and checked the date before cursing, to himself, “Someone must not have noticed that there was someone home and decided to break in.”

	He then slipped out of his bed and stretched, still in the clothing he'd fallen asleep in.  He then got out his wand and snuck out of his room and peered downstairs, trying to see if it was a robber or a Wizard.  Hearing a feminine voice curse a blue streak as a 'Clunk' announced the meeting of someone's foot with a door jam, Harry smiled to himself, “Wonder why Tonks is here, now?”  He then spoke in a clear, quiet voice, “Wotcher?”

	Tonks let loose with another stream of educational curse words before shaking her head, “Wotcher, Harry.  Was coming to see you, something's come up.”  She then stopped attempting to be stealthy and sat at the dining room table, “Come, sit down, and we can talk.”

	At the Trainee Auror's words Harry's blood went cold, “Something happened to Sirius??”  He then entered the dining room and sat opposite the young Witch, “What's up, Tonks?  Something must be really bad for you to break from your standing orders.”

	The young woman nodded as she watched Harry sit down, “Well, first off, to get your mind off the most obvious reason, Padfoot is still at large, and quite safe.”  She let herself chuckle as she watched the relief spread across the young Wizard's face, “The bad news is that we're going to have to pack you up right now and get you to somewhere safe.”  She then paused and looked into Harry's deep green eyes before continuing, “The wards here are going to fail shortly, and I'm surprised they haven't already...”

	Harry looked at Tonks with a mixture of fear and surprise, “Why, what could happen to cause them to do that?”

	Tonks sighed, “This isn't easy, Harry.  We just learned that your Aunt and Uncle were murdered this morning, on their way out to the theatre.  Your cousin might not survive either.”

	The young Wizard's jaw dropped in surprise, “M-m-murdered?  Why?  Who would have done that?”

	The Trainee Auror shrugged her shoulders, “Don't know.  Some Muggle Terrorist group is claiming responsibility.  They claim that your Uncle's company is responsible for a lot of nasty things and they were taking him out as a 'message' to those who would act like he did.”

	Harry shook his head, dumb-struck, hen looked at Tonks, “They sure it was Muggles that did the deed?  There are some elements of our society who wouldn't think twice about killing them, and I do know at least one Death Eater who knows my relative's name.”

	Tonks blinked at this, then blanched, “I'll tell Moody, he'll know whom else to ask.”  She then looked at Harry, “You ready to leave?”

	The young Wizard nodded and smiled, “I never fully unpacked my trunk, just in case I had to scamper or hide the stuff.  All my homework's done too, gonna surprise Hermione when she reads my next letter.”  He then looked at Tonks, “Where're we headed, Tonks?”

	The young Witch smiled, “We've a secure house set up, one under Fidelius Charm, as well as nearly every other ward and charm that we could get set up.”  She then led Harry upstairs, “Let's get your stuff, and then we can portkey to the arrival spot and I can cue you into the wards and the Secret.”

	Harry nodded, as he made sure that he did indeed have all the things that he wanted to keep, checking under the loose floorboard under his bed.  He then felt a tingle and looked at Tonks, “Let's get the hell out of here, I think I just felt the Wards here drop.”

	Tonks nodded, and then produced a small hoop, “Grab hold, Harry.”  She then drew her wand and tapped the hoop, saying, “Portus!”

	Harry felt as if a fishing hook were attached to his navel and then the world seemed to twist into dimensions that weren't normally viewable.

	Appearing at the other end, Harry finds himself sprawling, Tonks landing atop him in a slightly compromising position.  He blushes fiercely as he extricates himself and offers her a hand up, neither of them noticing a small flash of magic when their hands touch. “Sorry about that, Tonks.  First time doing that, but it seems portkeys hate me the same way the Floo does.”

	Tonks smiled as she allowed Harry to help her up, “Not your fault, Harry.  Glad to know someone else who doesn't get along with those two transportation systems.”  She then straightened her cloak, brushing the dust off it before producing a piece of paper and handing it to Harry.

	Harry looked a little oddly at the piece of paper, which read, “Nymphadora Tonks lives at 69 Wyndham Lane,” He then looked at Tonks with a question visible in his eyes.

	Chuckling, Tonks says, “You got that committed to memory?”  At Harry's nod she smiled, “Then tell me what you see when you look at the property in front of us.”

	Still looking puzzled, Harry looked at the property in front of him and was surprised to see a rather stately looking house seem to grow from the ground, though the first thought when he sees it completely was that it reminded him of the few furtive glances he'd had of the movie his cousin was watching called 'The Addams Family'.  He then looked at Tonks, “Your place?”

	Tonks nodded, “Part of what my mum managed to keep, despite being disowned by her family for marrying a Muggle.”  She then gestured to the wrought iron gate, “Shall we go inside?”

	Harry smiled and then pressed open the half of the gate closer to him, then waited for Tonks to come through, then closed and fastened the gate, that action causing a spark, signifying that the main wards were active.  He then gazed around at the property, the sense of oddness only magnifying with each thing he noticed.  And that was saying something, seeing as this was a very Magical house, though in a different way than the Burrow, “Must have been interesting, growing up here.”

	The young Witch nodded as she led Harry into the house, “Aye it was.  Mum gave this place to me when I graduated from Hogwarts.  She and dad moved to another property, as they said they no longer needed all the space that was here.”  She then shrugged, “I'm just glad we were able to secure this place well enough to bring you here, Harry.”  She then pointed to the right, “Your rooms are over that way, along with your own bathroom.”  Pointing to the left, “I'm over on this side, for the time being.”

	Nodding, Harry smiled then, greatly daring, kissed Tonks on her cheek, “Thanks, Tonks.  You're the best.  I'll go unload my stuff and get about settling in.”  He then headed back to where his rooms were, grateful that Tonks couldn't see his blush for his daring.  Needless to say, he also missed Tonks' staring after him, a gob smacked look on her face.

	Sometime later a house elf popped into Harry's room, startling the young Wizard.  The elf giggled then said, “Mistress is telling Vilma that you is needed in the dining hall for dinner.”

	Harry nodded, “Thanks, Vilma.  Could you lead me there?  I need to learn how to navigate this house.”

	The house elf curtseyed and smiled, “Vilma would be glad to help kind Wizard.”  The elf then looked at Harry and said, “You is friend of Dobby, sir?”

	Nodding, Harry smiled, “Aye.  You know Dobby, Vilma?”

	Vilma bobbed her head energetically, “I is glad you is releasing Dobby from the Malfoys.  Dobby now needs a House to belong to, or else Dobby is gonna be losing his magic.”

	Harry blinked, and then started thinking, “Would you know if I could be the House that Dobby is bound to?  Something tells me I will need a dedicated elf when I reach my majority.”

	The house elf bounced on her toes as she began leading Harry to the dining room, “I is thinking your House be quite respectable enough for Dobby, good sir.  I is going to be asking Dobby when I is seeing Dobby again.”

	Laughing as he enters the dining room, Harry smiles when he sees a small round table for two set up, Tonks already seated, he smiles at the pretty Auror Trainee before sitting down across from her and surveying what's on the table already.

	The table seemed to have a little bit of everything that he liked, as well as a few dishes he didn't recognize, but thought they might be something Tonks had encountered out of school.  Harry looked at Tonks and tilted his head, “Am I right in guessing that no one else will be joining us any time soon?”

	Tonks nodded, “Albus thought it best to keep those who know where you are to absolute minimum.  It's just me, Moody, Lupin, Albus, and you that know this house is here.  Uncle Sirius knew, but thanks to the Fidelius, he doesn't any more.”  She then looked at Harry; “I hope you don't mind being alone with me, Harry.”

	Harry laughed, shaking his head no, “Hardly, Tonks.”  The images running through his head less than innocent, remembering the one time that the Twins had pranked the young witch, causing her to have to streak to her House, which was halfway across the school from where the prefects showers were.  He had innocently stumbled across the scene, under his Invisibility Cloak, when he was wandering the halls past curfew.

	He had taken pity on the young woman, seeing her state of agitation, and had left his school cloak where she could find it easily.  He did, however, keep an eye on her on her way to the Hufflepuff common room, watching her back just in case someone tried to cause her trouble.

	When Tonks had returned his school cloak the next day, saying she'd 'found it in the halls', Harry had smiled at her and said, “I'm glad it was where it was, and thank you,” so quietly only the young witch could hear him.

	Tonks had blushed, prettily, her hair shifting color between the 'normal' bubblegum pink and a red so deep that it made the Weasley's look pale.

	Over the next year and a half, until Tonks graduated, Harry's second year, she and Harry had a good relationship, helping each other out when the opportunity arose.  Both Ron and Hermione were a bit surprised, but Hermione was ecstatic when Harry was able to share some of the things Tonks showed him from 6th and 7th years, both of them helping Tonks out revising for her exams and the older witch helping them understand things that were stymying them.

	Harry smiled again at Tonks, “Shall we dig in?  We can leave the discussion until we're both fed well enough that we're not competing with our stomachs to be heard.”

	Tonks nodded, smiling as she looked at the young wizard in front of her, “He's definitely quite handsome, in a young way.  Though his eyes definitely are older than they should be.  He has seen more in his short life than most adult Aurors, and has stayed both Light and Sane throughout it all, even with his rotten relatives and Voldemort’s' followers mucking his life up.”

	As they ate and traded glances, both Harry and Tonks had similar thoughts running through their heads, mostly along the lines of: I wonder what they're thinking?  And: I wonder if they're thinking about me.

	When they had finished up their desserts, Harry got up and went around the table to help Tonks up, smiling at her.  When their hands connected a bright golden glow surrounded both of them, a 'snap' of air heard as the magic took hold of them for a brief moment, laying traces of a powerful bond, based on magic, souls, and hearts.

	Harry recovered first, shaking his head as he tried to come back to reality from where the magic had taken him.  He looks at Tonks, his eyes wide in surprise, meeting her own startled look, and says, “What the bloody blue blazes was that?  Why do I feel the need to hold you close?  Why do I feel your magic twining with mine?”

	Tonks looks up at Harry, bewildered for just a moment at the new sensations, then shakes her head, “Something almost unheard of happened, Harry.  When you touched me, a Magical Bond formed.  I think I need to talk to Albus about this.”

	The young Wizard looked at Tonks, “Why?  What do you think happened?”

	The young Witch shook her head, “I don't want to speculate.  But if I'm right, you'll come into your inheritance now, instead of at seventeen.” She gets up and strides over to the fireplace, all evidence of clumsiness gone, she then grabs a pinch of Floo Powder and, casting it into the flames, says, “Headmaster's Quarters.”

	Hundreds of klicks away a rather aged Wizard is settling down after having his dinner.  He glances at his fireplace when it announces an incoming call, “Yes, Nymphadora?”  Smiling as the young Witch scowled briefly at him.

	Tonks' head looked at the Headmaster briefly then said, “Albus, could you do me a great favor, and check the Records Room, please?”

	Dumbledore looked a little surprised by this request, “Why, Nymphadora?”

	The Trainee Auror looked imploringly at her former Headmaster, “Because something unusual happened when Harry and I touched our hands.  I want to be certain I'm reading the signs correctly before I take a step that isn’t required.”

	Albus' eyes widened at this news, then checked his own records, a copy of the ones in the Ministry, and shook his head, muttering, “This makes things a bit odd.”  He then looks at Tonks' image, “Nymphadora, according to my records, you and young Harry are Married...  What it says here is that this type of Bond hasn't occurred since the Founders.”

	Tonks' image goes pale, “I'm married to Harry?  Not that I mind, but this is quite sudden.”  She then looks at Albus, “Anything else you can tell me, Albus?”

	The old Wizard shook his head, resignedly, “Nothing, except that it appears as though there might be another Witch involved in the Bond, but her name hasn't appeared yet.”  He then looks at Tonks and says, “You and Harry are going to have to come to terms with what this Bond means.”  He stroked his beard, “You will probably be able to use some, if not all, of his Gifts, and visa versa.  And your Magic will be boosted, if you can complete the Bond...”

	The young Witch's eyes widened at this news then shook her head, “Thanks, Albus.  And thanks for the info.”

	Albus smiled as they image in his fireplace faded away, contemplating what this meant, as well as the reality that he suspected who the third in the bond would be.

	Back at 69 Wyndham Lane, Tonks got to her feet, shaking her head, then looks back at Harry, “Sit down, Harry.  The news I have to tell you isn't going to be easy.”  She led the young man into the living room, settling him on a large, overstuffed, couch, sitting beside him and looking in his eyes, a stray thought crossing her mind, “You could get lost in those eyes, easily.”

	Harry looks at Tonks, his hands going to her knees, trying to show that he's ready to listen to what she's got to say, the contact bringing a strange peace of mind to him, as if her presence was a balm for what was bothering him.

	Tonks smiled at the gesture, a corner of her mind gaining a similar peace, she then said, “I asked Albus to look something up in the Records, to verify what I suspected.”  She then sighed and put her hands over his, “According to the Records, which are Magically updated, we're married.”

	The young Wizard looks startled, then sighed, “Of course we are.  When has my life ever been 'normal' or simple?  What does this mean for me, and for us?”

	The Trainee Auror grinned at the 'us', “Well, first off, it means you're now officially considered an adult, and your Inheritance should be coming to you shortly.”  She then raised a hand to caress his cheek, “It also means that I now have to teach you about what a Metamorphmagus is, and how to shift your appearance.  And you get to teach me any Gifts you have.”

	Harry nods, and then tilts his head, “How is this going to change things?  I mean, I just turned fourteen.  What is required to finalize the bond?”  He looks into Tonks' eyes, “Is there anything else that you can tell me?”

	Tonks nods, “First off, to cement the bond, we need to consummate our marriage, but if what Albus told me is true, there is another Witch involved in this Bond, so we may be able to hold off on that aspect until she is revealed to us.”

	Harry blushed at the caress, then looked, briefly, at his hands, then with a tilt of his head, he studies Tonks' face, “Does this mean I also get to see the 'real' you?”  He then raises his hand to caress her cheek, “And I think you'll also be teaching me about yourself, won't you?”  The connection that's starting between their minds allows him to show her just how much he does care for her, and that he would never betray her.

	The two were startled apart by the appearance of Hedwig, who swooped in and landed on the table in front of the couch.  The Snowy Owl then presented her leg, where a rather thick letter was attached.

	Harry smiled and offered his familiar a few Owl Treats as he retrieved the letter, “Thanks, girl.”  He then slit open the band that secured it, which bore the Gringotts' seal.  He then blinked as a bluish green aura settled over him as he unrolled the parchment.

Dear Lord Potter

	We at Gringotts wish to congratulate you on your successful Bonding and Marriage.  You may now access your Family Vault, and the monies stored in your Trust Vault have already been transferred to said Vault.  We require your presence shortly to hear the reading of your parent's will, which we found in the Vault.

	We also wish to speak to you about your True Inheritance and will be providing a Heritage Scroll to determine if you truly are the Heir to the Vaults that just recently reactivated.

Yours in Fellowship,
Ragnok, Chief Goblin at Gringotts, London

	Harry looked at Tonks in surprise, “What's this mean?”

	Tonks looked at the letter, her eyebrows rising to meet her hairline, “Harry … It looks as if you might have more titles than you know about.  I would suggest scheduling the reading as soon as possible, so as not to offend the Goblins.”

	The young Wizard nodded, then getting out a piece of parchment. Scrawling a response to Ragnok, stating his desire to meet at the earliest convenient time.  He then looked to Hedwig, “Hedwig, do you mind taking this message to Ragnok, at Gringotts?  You don't have to wait for a response.”

	The Snowy Owl hooted and took the letter and made her way gracefully out of the house.

	Harry sighed, then looks at Tonks, “Now, back to the other conversation.”  He looks down at his hands, “Despite how badly I was treated, growing up, one of the lessons that did stick with me, from my Muggle upbringing, is that in a relationship, it is the woman who chooses when things happen, when it comes to her body.  Being a horny teen, I would very much like to see you naked, as yourself, and learn how to be the best partner I can be for you.  But, I am willing to wait, and have several dates, before anything serious happens.”  He then looks up into Tonks' eyes, “Just seeing you as yourself is enough for me, right now, if that's all you're ready for.

	Tonks smiles as she listens to Harry, blushing when he gets to the 'horny teen' part, then gazes back into his eyes as he finishes talking, “Merlin, Harry, whomever imparted that lesson to you made you serious boyfriend material.  Most males, in my experience, try to push for things to happen before both parties are ready.”  She then closes her eyes, briefly, her features slowly blurring until they shift back to her natural self; her hair lengthening until it reaches her ass, the color of her hair shifting to a natural strawberry blonde, her facial features gaining an edge of the beauty that is present in her aunt, her shirt tightening significantly as her bosom swells, her eyes shifting in color until they're a soft violet in color, and finally her figure becomes more hourglass in shape, the work out that she undergoes during her training definitely adding beauty to her already attractive figure.

	Opening her eyes, she gazes at Harry, then smiles as she notices his blush, “This is the natural me, Harry.”

	Harry smiles, then, embracing his inner Gryffindor, gets up and approaches Tonks, “You are an amazing woman, 'Dora, and I find myself awed that I get to spend the rest of my life with you.”  He then sits next to her, “I think that I can understand why you chose to hide behind a facade, hiding what you really look like.”

	The young Auror smiles as Harry sits next to her, “Between the idiots that only wanted to be my friend for who I could look like, the jealous girls who wanted my figure, and the fact that certain aspects of this figure don't lend themselves to covert Auror work, I tend to change what I look like.  When I interned, briefly, with Moody, he saw through my act, and complimented me on getting folks to underestimate me.”  She then grinned, “He even suggested that I exaggerate certain aspects when I'm in the public, as the populous will generally only look at the surface, never guessing that by being clumsy I'm usually more able to see things normal folks might miss.”

	The young Wizard nods, “I'm guessing that one thing you need to notice is anything you can use to enhance your 'image' as a klutz, which in turn would make you more aware of hiding places for ambushes.”

	Tonks smiles, then, gently turning Harry's head so she can look into his eyes, she bends forward and kisses him, passionately, on the lips, her hands moving to play with his hair, internally smiling as she feels the passion returned, both physically and through the growing bond between them.  After breaking the kiss, holding it as long as she could, she murmurs, “I do think we should consummate our bonding before you return to Hogwarts, but I also want to see about having a few 'safe' dates before then, so that we can get to know more about each other, and possibly get a hint who might be the third in our group.”

	Harry nods, after his eyes clear from the befuddlement that the intense kiss brought to him, “I think that's an awesome idea, 'Dora.”  He then tilts his head, “You don't mind me calling you 'Dora, do you?  It just came to me, after I realized your last name isn't really 'Tonks' any more, though I won't require you to change your name, unless there's a Tradition associated with it.”

	The young Auror shakes her head no, “It's what I like my partners to call me, and I've seen you that way since you helped me out after the Twins pranked me in your first year.”

	The young Wizard smiles, “I'm honored you see me that way.”  He then blushes, badly, “I'll also admit that that episode helped me when I was attempting to learn how to produce a Patronus, last year.”

	'Dora tilts her head, “I had heard you could produce a corporeal Patronus, which is an awesome feat for someone of any age, but that it was strong enough to drive every Dementor that was at Hogwarts scurrying back to their posts at Azkaban.”

	Harry looks up at 'Dora, “I hadn't heard that tid-bit.”  He then points his wand off to the right, before exclaiming, “Expecto Patronum,” and grinning when a huge white Stag leapt from his wand and came to stand next to 'Dora, where it pranced around briefly, as if looking for trouble, before coming over to the couple and nosing at both their hands.

	The young Auror blinks at the size and solidity of the patronus, then is more amazed when she is actually able to pet the representation of Harry's happy thoughts, “Harry, once again you amaze me.  Only one in a Thousand Wizards are able to get this much definition in their patronus, and I wouldn't be too surprised to learn that as your core grows in strength, that your patronus couldn't become solid enough to carry a rider.”

	The young Wizard blinks at this news, before petting 'Prongs' on the muzzle, “One more thing that makes me special, awesome.”  He then looks to 'Dora, “I'm going to write my friends, and let them know some of what's going on, if that's okay?”  He then grins, “Plus, I would like for you to look over my homework, especially my Transfiguration, as it'll allow me to begin enumerating the Gifts that I know that I have … at least before Gringotts does their tests.”

	'Dora blinks, then shakes her head, “What naughtiness have you been up to, Husband?”

	Harry grins, cheekily, “Look at the extra credit report for a hint, and add in the fact that I want Remus, or 'Moony' as he's also known, to come help me finalize the report, and you should be able to deduce what I've been up to, this summer.”

	'Dora grins, then shakes her head, “Go write your friends, Harry, we'll continue talking later.”

~~ Please R&R ~~

A/N 1: A note for those with questions on how some Animagus seem to have only one form:  Those who go through with it properly supervised will have two forms, such as Prof McGonagall, but those who are trying to do it on their own, especially if they are in danger of getting in detention and mis-timing steps, such as the Marauders and Rita Skeeter, are more likely to only find out the one that's 'easier' for them to assume.  I'm also going to do another slight AU bit and have a special charm be the reason that the flames for the properly prepared potions to be simmered down at the right time.  Harry got lucky in that it's easy to do that with the stove in the Dursley's house.

A/N 2: So far I've only envisioned Harry's Animagus forms, though the species and size of the second one isn't set in stone.  Suggestions for Ron, Hermione, Ginny, Fred, and George are welcome.  Might also sneak Luna and Neville in there.  Name for the new group of mischief-makers is also welcome … though if they are all canids in one of their forms, I'm partial to 'The Pack'. ^_^

Possible Pairings: RW / DG, NL / HG, GiW / LL, FW / AS, GeW / KB  ((Suggestions of a triad between HP, NT, & ?? ))