33Author's Note: Hello beautiful people! I had an idea for a Harry/Tonks story so I thought I'd give it a shot. For those of you who read or have read my other story, I am not abandoning it. It's simply on a hiatus while I go back through and rewrite some things. In the meantime I'm proud to present "For Everything That Changes."
Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter.
A Broken Man and the Dawn
Hardships often prepare ordinary people for an extraordinary destiny-C.S. Lewis
Harry Potter sat on the floor of his room at the Leaky Cauldron, his back leaning against the bed. He had barely been back home for the summer before he grabbed the money his father had given him and left the house. It had still taken a few days before he decided to come to the pub. Until the idea entered his brain he had rapidly moved from one place to the next, never staying for more than a few hours at a time. Despite what anyone may say about him, he really wasn't running away. He knew perfectly well what it was he had to do and he was determined to do it. He was just doing his best to ensure that no one else died because of him.
It was because of him that Cedric Diggory died. Voldemort had only wanted Harry and if he hadn't been so noble and encouraged Cedric to take the Cup too then the older boy wouldn't have been with him. It was his fault that Sirius Black had died. Sirius had been like an older brother/uncle to Harry and if he hadn't gone to the Ministry after that stupid prophecy then Sirius and the others wouldn't have been there and Sirius wouldn't have gone through the Veil. It was his fault that Dumbledore had been killed. If Harry was more powerful or had just been brave enough to not follow Dumbledore's orders and fought with him then the Headmaster wouldn't have been defeated so easily.
The one death that tore at Harry more than any of the others was the death of his best mate Ronald Weasley. It happened the same night that Dumbledore was killed. Despite the Liquid Luck he had given to Ron, Hermione, and Ginny, it wasn't enough. Ron lost his life in the ensuing battle after Dumbledore's death. The Headmaster dying was hard enough for Harry but finding out that Ron had lost his life too nearly caused Harry to lose what little self-control he had left. It was at that moment that he decided that no one else would die because of him. He hadn't been home for more than a couple of days when he left his parents and younger sister with nothing more than a note, hoping against hope that they would understand.
He absentmindedly rubbed the scar on his forehead as he thought about what his next move would be. Everyone was rightfully surprised when Harry survived the Killing Curse with little more than a scar and they were even more surprised to find that James and Lily Potter were somehow alive. The whole thing had been a ruse orchestrated by James' parents. The elder Potters, knowing they weren't long for the world either way, offered to take care of Harry while James and Lily went into hiding, with the idea being that Voldemort wouldn't expect Harry to be with them. Peter Pettigrew told the Dark Lord this and sold out all of them as a result. As Dumbledore once explained to Harry, it was his grandmother's sacrifice and love for him that protected him from the Killing Curse. She died to save him and that protected him from Voldemort. An insistent knocking at the door suddenly caused Harry to break out of his thoughts.
"Go away," he said forcefully. He didn't really believe his words would have the desired effect and he pointed his wand at the source of the noise. No sooner had he done so than the door swung open, revealing a young woman with a heart shaped face, blue eyes, and shoulder length brown hair.
"Wotcher, Harry," Tonks told him, holding her hands up in a gesture of surrender. Harry wasn't that easily convinced however.
"What did you say about my aunt and uncle when you helped move me from their house?" He had to stay with his Uncle Vernon and Aunt Petunia at the beginning of the summer after Voldemort's return while his parents helped get the Order of the Phoenix set up again. Nymphadora Tonks had been one of the members sent to escort him to the Order's headquarters.
"I said that it was unnatural that they were so clean." She started to relax for only a moment before realizing that Harry still had his wand trained on her. "What, is that not good enough?"
"Nope," the teen responded, shaking his head. "You could've gotten that information anywhere. There were several people there that night." Tonks rolled her eyes. Harry had spent far too much time with Mad-Eye as far as she was concerned.
"Because," she began, changing her hair color to black and her eyes a shade of green to match his, "I see you." It was their way of saying "I love you" without actually saying the words and it was something that only Tonks herself would know. Harry softly snorted and lowered his wand, effectively giving her the green light to enter the room. In truth Harry had known beyond a shadow of a doubt that it was Tonks as soon as he saw her standing at the door but he didn't want to see anyone at the moment, even the girl he had a soft spot for. He was worried that she would try to make him return to his family and there was no way he was going back.
Tonks gently closed the door as she walked in and sat down beside the teen, sitting so close that their knees brushed. She changed her hair back to its natural brown but subconsciously left her eyes green, allowing her own emotions for the young man sitting beside her to pour through. Harry was one of the few outside of her immediate family to have the honor of seeing the real her. Hermione, Remus Lupin, and James and Lily Potter were the only other four with the same privilege but Harry was still the first one of them to see her like that. Even Harry's younger sister Rose hadn't seen the real Tonks yet.
"I'm not going back Tonks," Harry told her almost as soon as she sat down. To his surprise the young Auror simply nodded.
"I told everyone you'd be that way. Hermione thought that I might be able to convince you to come back but I knew that wouldn't even work. Odd isn't it, a girl you yourself admitted is practically your sister thinks that I can convince you of something more than she can."
"Normally she wouldn't be wrong either, but this is an exception. So is she in the Order now?"
"No the rule about being both of age and out of school still applies. We just let her sit in on the meetings because everyone knows that between her boyfriend, Fred and George, and myself, she's going to find out everything anyway. It's just easier this way. Look I understand that you don't want to come back but could you at least tell me why you left in the first place?"
"No one else is going to die because of me," Harry responded, so softly that she almost didn't hear him. Tonks gave a deep and painful sigh and turned to look at him.
"No one died because of you Harry."
"Yes they did. My grandparents, Cedric, Sirius, Dumbledore, Ron." Harry turned to look at her for the first time since she sat down and she was shocked at the look of intense pain on his face. It was such a stark contrast to when she first saw him two years ago.
Tonks was standing outside a Muggle house with Mad-Eye, Kingsley Shacklebolt, Remus, Sirius, and Harry's parents. The seven of them had been sent by Dumbledore to escort Harry to Grimmauld Place and Tonks was both nervous and excited at the prospect. As anxious as she was, she made sure to stay back until Mad-Eye told them it was all clear and then she was one of the first ones in the house. Everyone started looking around with interest, even the usually paranoid Moody. Tonks wasn't as interested in her surroundings though as much as she was in the current sole occupant. The last time she had seen Harry was at a dinner at Grimmald Place with Sirius, her parents, and the Potters before she started Hogwarts twelve years ago and she was anxious to see him again.
"Well it seems they've done well for themselves," Sirius said with distaste. He still didn't like how Vernon and Petunia had treated James and Lily all those years ago when Lily brought James to meet her parents.
"Yeah," Lily said softly as she looked around. It hurt her that there wasn't even a single picture of them anywhere in the house, which James didn't fail to notice. He pulled her into a hug and told her something but whatever it was was lost on Tonks as she made her way upstairs. She didn't realize that Lupin was following her until she tripped over what turned out to be a pair of shoes in the hall.
"Careful Tonks."
"Sorry Remus, I didn't see them. These Muggles are very clean aren't they? It's unnatural." The young woman turned back around to find a wand pointed directly at her heart.
"Who are you?" Harry asked in a cold voice. Though she knew she should be more unnerved by the wand being pointed at her, Tonks couldn't stop the smile that broke across her face.
"Calm down Harry," Lupin responded as he stepped into the light made by Tonks' wand, "you're among friends."
"Remus?" Harry asked, lowering his wand. Without warning he launched himself at the older man and pulled him into a fierce hug. Lupin returned it with a wide grin and then stepped back as Harry turned and looked at Tonks again.
"Wotcher Harry," she greeted, her smile still threatening to split her face.
"Do I know you?" Harry questioned, a confused look on his face.
"This is Nymphadora-"
"Don't call me Nymphadora!"
"-Tonks, who prefers to go by her surname."
"Why don't I start calling you Nymphadora and we'll see if you'd rather be called something else." Harry had to suppress a chuckle at her words. He already liked this girl.
"What are you doing here Remus?"
"We're here to take you to headquarters."
"Who's we?"
"Mad-Eye, Kingsley, Sirius, and your parents."
"Mum and Dad are here? Sirius is here?" Without waiting for an answer, Harry rushed around them and bounded down the stairs, Lupin and Tonks right behind him after exchanging amused looks. The teen reached Sirius first and nearly knocked his godfather over as he bowled into him, pinning the older man's arms to his sides as he hugged him.
"Hey kid, I'm happy to see you too but could you let me go? You're cutting off my wind." Harry let him go and backed up with a smile on his face.
"Did you bring me anything?" With a barking laugh Sirius reached in his pocket and pulled out a Chocolate Frog that he handed to the teen. Harry practically inhaled it and looked at the card. "Dumbledore again. That's the fifth one."
"I'll take it," Tonks offered, quickly shoving the card in her pocket and stepping back as Lily moved forward and embraced her son. James came up behind her and put his arms around the two, bringing about a silent but obviously emotional family reunion.
"Did they treat you alright son?" he asked Harry as they broke apart.
"Fine," Harry shrugged. "They didn't feed me more than they had to but I can deal with that." James and Lily shared a dark look and the redheaded woman addressed the teen for the first time.
"I'm sorry you had to stay here sweetheart."
"It's alright Mum, I understand. I would have been in serious danger until everything was ready and not even Voldemort would expect me to stay with my Muggle relatives that I didn't know about. Why didn't Rose have to stay here too though?" There was no malice or accusation in Harry's voice, just curiosity. It made Tonks realize that Harry wasn't a young boy of nearly fifteen years. Physically he was of course but mentally he was so much older than that. She guessed that being hunted by the most powerful Dark Wizard in history had that effect.
"Your sister's not in the same amount of danger you are Harry," James answered. "Voldemort has marked you as his equal and therefore his mortal enemy. He wants to kill you specifically and he'll never stop trying to until he's defeated for good."
"Comforting thought Dad. Hi Kingsley, Professor Moody." Kingsley greeted Harry warmly while Mad-Eye merely nodded at him.
"Right then," Sirius began, clapping his hands together, "on to cheerier topics. Got everything packed up and ready to go?"
"Not exactly. I was working on some of my homework and I've still got clothes thrown out. I'll go get it now, it shouldn't take long."
"I'll come with you," Tonks said, a little too enthusiastically. Harry looked at James and Sirius who both shrugged.
"Er, that's alright, I can get it."
"It'll be quicker with both of us."
"Alright, suit yourself." Harry turned and led the way back up to the room he had been staying in, Tonks following at his heels. She expected to see something that was at least somewhat hospitable and was shocked at the state of the room.
"Bloody fucking Muggles! They made you stay in here?!"
"Yeah it's Dudley's, my cousin's, spare bedroom apparently. He's got a lot of old and broken shit lying around, as you can see." His swearing caused Tonks to chuckle.
"You'd never say that in front of your parents would you?"
"Oh bloody hell no. Dad might laugh about it but Mum would really lay into me. She can be scary when she's angry."
"I can imagine. So I guess being the Boy-Who-Lived isn't quite as good as everyone expects it to be huh?"
"Not quite but I'm grateful for it," Harry responded as he started packing. "Mum and Dad just treat me like Harry and they never have given me preferential treatment over Rosie. Have you met her yet?"
"No I think your Mum and Dad are picking her up from her friend's tomorrow. You know Harry that'll go much faster if I do it." Without waiting for a response, Tonks waved her wand and sent everything of Harry's into his trunk. "Mum can make them fold up on their own but I can't. Ah well."
"Show off," Harry muttered as he attempted to close the lid. Tonks smirked and turned to the mirror.
"You know I like this color but I think it'll stand out too much in the dark don't you?" she asked as she looked at her long turquoise hair. She screwed up her face in concentration and her hair suddenly turned dark purple with black streaks. "There, that's better."
"How'd you do that?" Harry inquired, still struggling with his trunk.
"I'm a Metamorphmagus Harry, I can change my appearance at will."
"Can you teach me to do that?"
"Thinking about hiding that scar some huh? Unfortunately I can't help you. Metamorphmagi are born, not made."
"Well fuck," the raven-haired teen responded as he stood back up. Tonks laughed again for only a second before truly looking at Harry for the first time. He was already as tall as her, maybe even slightly taller, and his hair was down to his shoulders. He had more muscle definition than most other Wizards she knew and he seemed to be quite physically fit. He was the spitting image of his father except for those piercing green eyes that he shared with his mother. "You alright Tonks?"
"Huh? Oh yeah. C'mon, let's get going. I'll get your trunk."
"That's alright, I can get it." Harry bent down and picked up his trunk with relative ease. "Can you get my Firebolt?" he called over his shoulder.
"Uh, yeah sure." Tonks watched with astonishment as he walked out of the room, carrying the trunk as though it weighed no more than his school bag. When he told her he would take it himself, she just assumed that he meant he would drag it down. She never imagined that he would pick it up and set it on his shoulder with little more than a soft grunt. Shaking her head, the young Auror grabbed Harry's broom and rushed after him.
"There you two are," Sirius said when they came down, Tonks following behind Harry. "We thought maybe you were having a good snog." Tonks was grateful for the darkness of the house, since she could hide her blush, but Harry was apparently immune to his godfather's teasing.
"Ha ha, very funny Sirius. As much as I would like to think up a comeback, I'd much rather leave this place. Can we go now or are you hoping to get a goodbye kiss from my aunt?" James, Lily, Remus, and Tonks laughed at the look on Sirius' face before Mad-Eye brushed past them, muttering that he'd make that really happen if they didn't hurry up. James tapped Harry's trunk with his wand, sending it to Grimmauld Place, and led the way outside. Mad-Eye quickly went over the plan as everyone but Harry made their brooms materialize.
"There's the first signal," James said as green sparks shot into the air. Everyone mounted their brooms and waited on tether hooks for the red sparks that would indicate it was safe to leave. "There's the second one, everyone in the air." Eight brooms rose into the air in unison and took off in the general direction of Sirius' former home.
They had only been flying for a few minutes when Harry began darting around, apparently ecstatic to be back on his broom. Three voices scolded him with exacerbated cries of "Harry!", two voices laughed jovially, one voice threateningly growled "Potter," and Tonks silently watched with fascination. It was obvious that Harry had inherited James' flying ability and he was just as comfortable on a broom as he was on his feet. After making a hard right turn to avoid running into a clock tower, he looked over at her with mischievous laughter in his eyes and a satisfied grin on his face. In the back of her mind, Tonks decided then and there that she wanted to see that look on his face every day and that she would love to be the one to do it. Almost immediately she realized the ridiculousness of the thought and shook her head to clear her mind, focusing back on the task at hand.
"None of them died because of you Harry," Tonks told him as she came back to the present. She took his hand before continuing. "You didn't point your wand at them and use the Killing Curse." Harry only nodded and Tonks laid her head on his shoulder. It was an argument that they had been having for the past year in some form or another and she viewed it as a victory that he didn't outright dismiss her words. She rested her arm on her knee, bringing his with her, and watched herself as she interlaced their fingers.
Their friendship was a very complicated one. Though both were aware of the other's feelings, their relationship had remained simply platonic for the past two years for reasons that neither were sure of anymore. Everything they had said about why they shouldn't be together had become hollow with time and now the only real reason they could come up with was how the Order would react, which they both readily admitted was a terrible excuse. As it was now, they had physical contact with each other more than most of the rest of the Order was comfortable with but most attributed it to an older sister/younger brother relationship.
There had been several times over the past eighteen months where one or both of them would attempt to further the relationship but in the end their so-called "logic" had prevented anything. It had frustrated them both every time it happened but now they had settled into something they were both comfortable and happy with for the time being. Their relationship was more than just that of friends but they weren't romantically involved either.
They were just below the radar enough that only three people knew of their true feelings for each other: Hermione, her boyfriend, and Harry's younger sister Rose. Sirius also knew about it before his demise. With a sad smile Tonks thought back to when she found out just how much Sirius knew.
Tonks was sitting at the kitchen table at the Potter residence sipping her butterbeer, her gaze never leaving Harry and Hermione as she watched them interact. The younger Witch had just arrived a few minutes ago after spending Christmas morning with her family. Harry had been ecstatic to see her, running over to the poor girl as soon as she stepped out of the Floo, picking her up in an enormous hug, and spinning around with her. Hermione was apparently just as happy to see him, if her delightful squealing and laughter as he spun her was any indication. Now they were enthusiastically talking about the gifts they had given each other. Tonks saw with a pang that Hermione was already wearing the silver necklace that Harry had gotten her.
"Good looking kid isn't he?" Sirius asked as he sat down by her, his bottle of firewhiskey in his hand.
"Yeah I guess," came the absentminded response, Tonks' eyes never leaving the two friends.
"James' looks and Lily's brain, though you'd never know it with the way he usually acts."
"What do you mean?" Tonks asked, genuine curiosity in her voice.
"Hermione likes being top of her class and if she knew that she had competition, well we all agree that she'd probably have a heart attack. That or she'd try to kill Harry."
"Hmph, doesn't look like it."
"Jealousy never suited you very well Tonks."
"I-I don't know what you're talking about," the young woman sputtered, finally tearing her gaze away from the teens to look at her cousin. She fought a losing battle with the blush that threatened to show on her face.
"There's no need to get defensive, I won't say anything to anyone," her cousin responded with a wink. "There's no need to be jealous either. She sees him as a brother and he thinks of her as a sister."
"He's already got a sister." Tonks' response was short and slightly scornful, making Sirius smile.
"Yeah but Rosie's two years younger than him." Tonks snorted and Sirius smiled yet again. "You don't need to look at her like you're trying to set her on fire Tonks."
"I'm not! I'd just like to know what makes her so damn special."
"Wish he'd greet you like that?"
"Well I wouldn't object to it." The words were out of her mouth before Tonks realized what she was saying and they were as good as a confession to Sirius. Part of her was mortified at having this conversation with Sirius Black of all people but another part of her was happy to finally have someone to talk to about it. The man in question chuckled at her admission.
"Haha well what makes her so damn special, dear cousin of mine, is the circumstance. Harry's been wanting her and Ron to come over for Christmas since his second year at Hogwarts. She never was able to make it for some reason or another until this year, so that's why he's so excited about her being here. She's not the one he was talking about nonstop for the past week though. I never thought he would shut up about you coming over. He's even happier that you're here. He hasn't spent more time with you than anyone else for no reason."
"Yeah right, that's why she's wearing a silver necklace and I've just got this leather bracelet."
"You should know better than anyone that looks can be deceiving. Yes, Hermione's gift is more expensive but he put much more thought and effort into yours. He made that bracelet himself, said he wanted to get you a gift that was as unique as you are. It's not just a bracelet either, though I'll let him tell you about that later. I know he has at least one other thing for you and I'm sure he'll give it to you later too."
"So why didn't he give it to me with the bracelet?"
"He wanted to give you the opportunity to reject it without embarrassing him in front of everyone and he didn't want to risk embarrassing you. You know you should tell him how you feel."
"I-what's the point of telling him? Assuming he feels the same way about me-"
"He does."
"Assuming he feels the same way about me," Tonks continued, glaring at her cousin, "nothing can ever happen between us. He's fifteen years old Sirius! I'm six years older than he is!"
"That makes it interesting," Sirius responded with a shrug. "And you'll find as you get older that fewer and fewer people will make as big a deal about it. Besides we both know that Harry's not fifteen. Physically he is of course but mentally and emotionally he's so much more mature. You two may be more compatible than either of you realize. When'd your last relationship end?"
"What?!" Tonks was shocked that Sirius would ask her that particular question, especially now.
"Oh just answer the question. It's not like we haven't discussed it before."
"Fine. I broke up with my last boyfriend towards the end of May."
"And then you met Harry. When's the last time you went on a date?"
"Er, October I think?"
"And why didn't it work out?"
"He wanted me to be someone else for him and he was just too immature."
"And?" Tonks looked at Sirius with an incredible look on her face. She wasn't quite sure how he knew but she knew that he did. Somehow she knew that he wasn't just taking a wild guess. "And?"
"And because I kept comparing him to Harry. There are you happy?"
"Not as happy as I could be but satisfied for the time being. If you feel that strongly about the kid then you need to tell him Tonks. He deserves to know about it and I'm sure he'll surprise you." Without another word, Sirius rose from the table and went over to Harry, Hermione, and Ron, leaving Tonks sitting at the table pondering his words. It seemed that the young woman was on autopilot for the rest of the day, not paying much attention to anything until Harry approached her with a nervous yet determined look around eight o'clock that night.
"Tonks, could I get you to come with me for a minute? I have something to give you." Tonks looked at Sirius, who gave a short nod, and followed Harry out of the room. "I wasn't sure if you'd like the bracelet so I got you something else too."
"I like it a lot Harry," Tonks responded with a smile. After finding out that he had made it himself specially for her, she couldn't help but love it. She didn't care that the letters that spelled her name weren't very straight or that the leather slightly chafed against her skin, though she soon fixed that problem after putting it on. It touched her to know that he went to that much trouble for her.
"It's ok Tonks, you don't have to pretend. It won't hurt my feelings if you don't like it. I know the letters are crooked and the leather isn't very soft. I honestly thought I could do a better job of making it."
"Harry," Tonks cut him off firmly, taking his hand as she did, "I really do like it. It makes me happy." She lightly squeezed his hand to emphasize her point, causing him to smile widely.
"Well good, I was worried that you wouldn't. I had Sirius put a Shield Charm on it. I know your job can be dangerous at times and I want to protect you. Not that you can't protect yourself but every little bit helps right?" Tonks just smiled as he lightly blushed and continued following him to his room. He gave her what was obviously a picture frame covered in wrapping paper. Tonks' jaw dropped when she unwrapped the gift and she put her hand up to her mouth, laughter threatening to spill from her.
The picture he had given her was the one they had taken at his house the day before he left for Hogwarts. She watched as the photo version of herself stepped in front of Harry only for him to step in front of her and push her back behind him. She suddenly jumped on his back and they started laughing before smiling at the camera. It was the first picture they had ever taken together, though it definitely wasn't their last, and Tonks was touched that he considered it special enough to give her for Christmas.
"Thank you very much Harry," she told him, the tone of her voice letting him know just how grateful she was. She thought about Sirius' words from earlier and decided that he was right: Harry did deserve to know how she felt about him. Looking up, Tonks was met with the same look of intensity that she knew was on her own face. Harry's deep green eyes were boring into her with nothing but pure affection and she knew that there was no need to tell him something that he already knew. "Happy Christmas Harry," she said instead, kissing him on his cheek.
"Happy Christmas Tonks," the teen responded as she left the room.
"How's Rosie?" Harry suddenly asked, breaking Tonks out of her memories again.
"The girl's fit to be tied," she told him. "She's fucking furious at you and I don't blame her. I think she might try to kill you the next time she sees you."
"Sounds like something my sister would do."
"Yeah, Severus had to reassure her for an hour and a half the other day that he didn't know where you were but he'd do his best to find out or to at least make sure Voldemort doesn't."
"How's he dealing with everything?"
"As well as can be I guess. We all knew that Dumbledore was living on borrowed time but being asked to kill him in order to save Malfoy and keep his cover had to really take its toll on Severus. He's worried about you too you know."
"I can't put him or anyone else in danger Dora."
"Right because none of us ever put ourselves in danger Harry. What about you? You've put yourself in even more danger by coming to the Cauldron than anything else you could have done, short of walking into Malfoy Manor itself. Why the fuck did you come here? It's so stupid!"
"You're right, it is stupid. I'd have to be either stupid or crazy to come here when I can't even do magic yet. If Voldemort thinks the same thing then he won't waste his efforts looking here." Tonks opened her mouth to argue but closed it again when she realized that he did have a valid point. The reasoning was simple and elementary but sometimes it was the simplest solutions that were the best. "How did you find me by the way?"
"Tom had the ledger open and I happened to see your name written down when he turned his back. Next time you might want to use Polyjuice and give a false name Harry. So what was your plan, just stay here until your birthday and then set off after the Horcruxes?"
"Almost. I was planning on asking you and Hermione to come with me. I won't be able to do this by myself."
"Well at least you haven't fallen completely into insanity yet. Harry why don't you come back with me to the Order? Just long enough to let everyone know that you're alright and that you've got something important to do?"
"I can't Dora. They're just going to try to get me to come back home to my family so I can make them even more of a target."
"No they won't," came Tonks' confident response. Harry turned to look at her and she raised her head from his shoulder, looking at him with as much intensity as he was looking at her.
"What makes you so sure about that?"
"Because I won't let them."
"Why?"
"Because I see you." Without any other warning, she leaned up and pulled Harry into their first real kiss, her lips bruising his in her fervor.
Author's Note: I want to take a moment to point out that even though James and Lily are alive, everything that happened over the years, from the Sorcerer's Stone to Dumbledore's death, happened and usually as it exists in canon. Any divergences will be shown in flashbacks. This story will also progress very slowly in the present for the first eight to ten chapters. There's going to be a lot of flashbacks to show the evolution of Harry and Tonks' relationship as well as certain key elements that have changed and the present will move along very slowly each chapter, with anywhere from a few minutes to a few hours passing. Furthermore I know it may seem like Harry and Tonks got together very quickly, however they've known each other for two years and they're not actually together yet, as will be explained in a few chapters.