Three For All
Chapter 5
By Kinsfire
The stories in this grouping have been abandoned by me, and will not be worked on again.
Three For All — Chapter V
Hermione caught up with Harry and stopped his progress. "Harry?" she asked quietly.
"A son, Hermione. I was going to have a son. I want to reach into Draco’s chest and pull out his lungs or something, but do it slowly. Tie him down and get him raped by a mountain troll. I hate him, Hermione. More than I ever have before, I hate him, and I want him dead." He stopped and looked her in the eyes. "Right now, at Draco, and because of him, I could easily cast a Crucio on him — no problems whatsoever. I hate him even more for teaching me how to hate that deeply."
"Don’t think I’m going to berate you, Harry. He knew, and according to Professor Snape, Draco was involved. I would have liked getting to know little Harry Jr.," she said sadly. "Harry, I need to be going to St. Mungo’s."
"I’m coming with you. I know she doesn’t want to see any men whatsoever, but maybe if she’s knows I’m there anyway, it will help her. I don’t have to see her, but if she knows I’m there …"
"I agree," she said. "Let’s go get the portkey."
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At St. Mungo’s, they quickly found where she was, and found all the Weasleys except Percy and the two still at Hogwarts there. There were also a handful of Aurors there. "Harry, dear!" Molly said. "Hermione! You didn’t need to come!"
"Yes we did," Harry said quietly. "I know I had to, at least. And Hermione did for the same reason."
Molly shook her head. "I just wish I knew — who did this and why? And who was the father — I understand she lost a baby?"
"Death Eaters probably captured her and then discovered she had a gold mine of information. I found out about it from Draco. He was a little indiscreet with information. Told me more than he expected to."
"I never expected her to be an unwed mother," Molly clucked. "I thought she was more careful than that."
"Contraception fails sometimes, Molly,." Harry said simply. She was the only one who noticed that it was the first time he'd referred to her as something other than Mrs. Weasley or Mum.
"I know, but still …"
"Lost respect for her, by chance? Maybe for the guy who made her pregnant?"
"Where was he?" Molly asked, puzzled. "She's an Auror. I'd think that, if the father cared, he'd have known she'd been missing for a week before she was found. Instead, we had to get the information from Albus through whatever means he got it." Molly was getting a little colour into her face. "And I'll have you know that I won't accept that attitude from you, Harry. You might be her friend, but that doesn't …."
"I'm also the father," he said quietly. "That uncaring bastard who abandoned her for a week was the one who told Dumbledore when one of her rapists told him." He looked at Molly. "Those bastards murdered my son, and I come here and listen to you complaining about the useless scum who fathered the child. The scum thanks you." He turned his back on her. "Hermione, would you head in and say hi for me? Tell her I'm here for her, no matter what. I still love her. End of statement." Hermione nodded and headed in.
He turned back to the Weasleys, studiously ignoring Molly, whose mouth was opening and closing like a fish. "Today was the Quidditch game with Slytherin, and Draco tried to throw me off by giving me some info about Tonks. A little too much, because I know he's involved directly in one way or another. By the way, you might want to know that Ginny took a Quidditch bat to the head, but she's doing just fine — she's probably up and walking, against Madame Pomfrey's orders. Draco, unfortunately, decided to have a heart to heart talk with the pitch when I caught the Snitch and won the game one-thousand-fifty points to zero."
Before anyone could say anything, Hermione came to the door. "Harry? Tonks would like to see you."
The was a gasp from Molly. "She hasn't even let a male Healer in to see her!" Harry snorted and entered the room.
"Harry?" came a small voice from the bed.
"If I thought you'd let me, Nymph, I'd climb in there with you and hug you," he said.
She answered by flipping the sheet back, and weakly patting the mattress. He gently lay down next to her, and gingerly hugged her. In response she pulled him close and began crying against his shoulder. "I'm sorry, Harry," she kept repeating.
"For what, Nymph? You had no control over it."
"But I … what they did to me … when you know, you won't want to be with me anymore."
He put his mouth near her ear. "Snape told me — he was apparently forced to be there. I know what was done, and most everyone who did it." He moved her chin so that she was looking in his eyes. "I'm afraid, Tonks. I'm afraid you'll want to push me away, thinking you're not worthy of being loved anymore." He kissed her tenderly. "If I have to morph into a woman and spend the rest of my life that way to be with you, my beautiful Nymph, then I will. I still love you. I gave you my heart in August, and it's still yours."
Tonks gasped and looked into Harry's eyes. "You would! You'd lock yourself into female form for me!"
"If that's what it take to prove I love you?" He shrugged as if it were the most obvious offer he could have made to her. "You and Hermione give me a reason to want to survive Moldie. If becoming a woman is the only way I can stay with you, then so be it. Take a hell of a lot of getting used to, but you're worth it. I love you."
Tonks teared up and threw her arms around Harry, sobbing quietly into his shoulder. A Healer stepped into the room, saw what was happening, and almost said something until she realized that Tonks was willingly holding Harry. She came over quietly. "Hello, Miss Tonks. Stupid question, but how are you feeling?"
"Actually, I'm feeling much better, now that Harry is here." She hugged him carefully, and then rolled on her back and took Hermione's hand. "She's doing a lot for me, too." She pulled Hermione down for a kiss, which Hermione returned tenderly.
"That's the most important thing — knowing that you are loved," the Healer said. "It'll be slow, but with people there for you, you'll heal." She turned to Harry and Hermione. "I hate to chase you from the room, but I need to examine her, and all it'll do is get you two angry, unfortunately."
"We'll be outside," Hermione said. They stepped from the room. closed the door, and Harry immediately pulled Hermione into a fierce hug. Crying into her shoulder, he said, "I want them dead so much! Look what they did to her! I want to kill Malfoy with my bare hands! But I can't let her see the rage I feel, because I don't want her to … she shouldn't think it's at her."
"Harry," she cooed in his ear. "I feel the same. I want revenge for how they hurt her. But we have to learn to eventually forgive. Ourselves for feeling this way, and them for doing it." At his suddenly look, she amended her comment. "Well, acceptance that they did it, and why. I don't think any of us will be able to forgive them."
Molly walked up to them. "Harry, I need to apologize to you. What I said was wrong. I'm just an old woman set in my ways, and I spoke without all the facts."
"Thank you," Harry said. "I won't lie to you — what you said hurt. Somehow or another we ended up together this summer, and I realized that I'd fallen in love with her. As is obvious, we've been intimate. I won't apologize for that, nor should she. We used contraception, but it failed." He looked her sharply in the eyes. "I'm hoping someday to reach a point where we can try again. Those bastards murdered my son, Molly. My son!" There were tears in his eyes.
"I understand," she said softly, enveloping him in a hug. "Talk to Arthur. I miscarried once, so there's some grounds for understanding there." She stepped back. Equally as quietly she asked, "It looks like Hermione is attracted to you as well, Harry. What … "
He interrupted with a smile. "It's a true three-way, Mum. I love them both, and they both love each other, and me, for some weird reason."
"Because you're sweet, caring, and damned sexy," Hermione said quietly. She opened her mouth to say more, but Albus Dumbledore walked up at the same time that the Healer stepped from the door. Harry stepped through the door.
"Please don't do anything to end up in Azkaban, Harry," Tonks said as he entered the room. "So, how's Molly taking the revelation of why you're here?"
"Like a woman who's been surprised, but loves the people involved. She'll deal with it. She'll try to smother you, you know." He leaned over and kissed her lips again, trying to put all the feeling he had for her into it.
"Oh my," Tonks said. "Has anyone ever told you, Mister Potter, that your lips should be registered as a lethal weapon?"
"Oh dear," he replied with a grin. "Does that mean I should stop kissing you? Don't want to run the risk, you know."
She put her arms around him. "Harry, I'm an Auror — I'm used to risks. Besides, weapons are only really dangerous when used improperly. You need training, and I think Hermione and I are just the ones to train you."
She shuddered. "I feel so … like I should have … "
"You look back on what happened and wonder if there was something else you could do. You think that 'If only I'd …' or 'I should have …' constantly."
She looked at him. "How did you … no, never mind, I know."
"The most important thing you need to know, beloved, is that I will be here for you. You are important enough to me that I will put my own problems on the back burner if you need me. Well, except for one very specific one, that is," he laughed softly.
"True," Tonks murmured. "Hermione might be high maintenance." The twinkle in her eyes told him that she knew full well who he was really referring to.
"Hey!" came a voice from the door. "I resemble that remark!" She came in and kissed Tonks again. Dumbledore came to the door as well, but out of sight of Tonks. "I am afraid that we shall need to return to the school shortly."
Harry looked up suddenly. "Professor? Can we make a quick stop in Diagon Alley, and then come back here? I just realized something." He looked to Hermione and said. "I'll be back in a few. You sit and snog for a bit, okay?" At their nods, he walked out to the headmaster and whispered his plans.
About twenty minutes later, Harry stepped through the door, looking very nervous. "What's wrong, Harry?" Tonks asked, worry evident on her face.
"I don't know how you'll take this, Tonks, but …." He reached into his bag and pulled out a small box and opened it. "I'm sixteen and have two years of school yet, but will you accept this ring as my promise to ask your hand in marriage when I'm through with Hogwarts?"
Her eyes went wide, and tears started to flow. "Harry, why? You don't need to do this just to …."
"Tonks, I wouldn't do it just to make you feel better. I'm sixteen. Maybe we'll fall out of love in the next two years, although I doubt that. That's why the promise ring. If your feelings don't change, and mine don't, then I fully intend to make you one of my wives." He heard Hermione gasp beside him. "Yeah, there's a second one here, angel, if you'll accept it." He focused on Tonks. "It's not pity, or a hope to make you feel better. It's a desire to spend a very long time living with you, loving with you, and maybe having a few babies to bounce on our knees. You are one of two people who gave me a reason to live, my beloved Nymph." He laughed. "See what you're doing to me, you gorgeous little minx? I'm getting poetic!"
"I'm gorgeous even bruised and battered?" she asked sadly.
He closed his eyes. "I don't have to look at you to see your beauty. It shines through your soul. They can never destroy that, Nymph." He opened his eyes again and kissed her again, before laughing. "I'm getting nervous here. What's your answer?"
Tonks heart was in her eyes. "Even knowing that I'm damaged goods, you want …?"
"Hey, if anyone's damaged goods, beautiful, it's your hopeful future fiancé," he laughed. "And you love me."
Tears were in her eyes again, but held up her left hand. She couldn't help but chuckle as he breathed a sigh of relief. She cried again as she felt the ring slide onto her finger, and then he kissed the ring. "I love you, Tonks," he whispered, "and we’ll get through this together."
He turned to Hermione. "The same goes for you, Hermione. Will you accept my ring as a promise, so that once we’re out of Hogwarts, the three of us can stand together and pledge to one another?"
"Harry, you are a nutter. A romantic nutter, but a nutter nonetheless. And I wouldn’t have you any other way. Yes, I will wear your ring, my beloved Harry." She cried as he slid the ring on her finger, insisting on the left hand as well.
He stood and walked to Professor Dumbledore. "I think we can go back to school now, Professor. I’ve done the important thing that needs doing. The woman I love can look at her hand and know that I’ve pledged that love to her."
Tonks smiled. "Send the others in, slowly, when you leave. Thank you, Harry."
"For what? For loving you? That’s like thanking me for breathing, beautiful. Loving you is as natural to me as breathing is, or making my heart beat."
"Yes, Harry, for loving me, especially right now." He smiled in response, and blew her a kiss, and then the headmaster and two students returned to Hogwarts.
Author Notes:
We see Tonks again, and Harry proves his feelings.