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Chapter 11

The next morning, Harry was awakened by some unpleasant sounds coming from the bathroom attached to his and Bella's bedroom. He looked at his watch, which showed that it was almost 7:00am. He then glanced beside him to find that Bella was not beside him. Getting out of bed to investigate, he tapped softly on the bathroom door.

"Bella?" he asked. "Are you alright?" More retching could be heard from inside the bathroom. Alarmed, Harry opened the door to see her bent over the toilet clutching her stomach. She had obviously been throwing up. Harry immediately rushed to her side to hold back her hair and gently rub her back until she was finished.

"Thanks." she said weakly after it seemed the last wave of nausea had subsided.

"Do you know what's wrong?" Harry asked her with concern. She shook her head and sighed.

"Not for sure. I think it may just be a stomach bug that's all." she managed a smile. "It's been happening these last few days." Harry was shocked.

"What? Why haven't I noticed it, then?" he asked.

"You normally sleep through it." Bella replied, shrugging. "Anyway, I feel fine now. Don't worry about me." she added at Harry's concerned face. Harry was about to protest, but she really did look okay now and thought it would be better not to push it. He nodded and kissed her forehead before following her downstairs.

"Is Ms. Black feeling well? " Dobby asked when both she and Harry entered the kitchen. Kreacher was there and scowled.

"Sharing a bed with the nasty little bloodtraitor has made my mistress ill, yes." Kreacher muttered. Dobby made a move to attack Kreacher, but Bella backhanded the house-elf first, sending him into the pantry.

"Don't you ever talk about him like that! That is an order!" she warned. Kreacher picked himself up and bowed graciously. It was obvious he had more respect for Bella than Harry.

"Yes, mistress. Kreacher apologizes." he said, still muttering under his breath about bloodtraitors and mudbloods. Bella sighed.

"Just go away, Kreacher." she snapped. Kreacher obeyed, leaving Harry, Bella and Dobby scowling after him. After he was out of the room, Bella shook her head. "Why do you keep him, Harry?" she asked with a disgusted look.

"He has nowhere else to go." Harry replied simply. "I have a feeling Tonks wouldn't take him even if I paid her to." he sighed. Bella laughed.

"I don't blame her. He's a nasty piece of work." she said darkly. Remembering that she still hadn't answered Dobby's question, her face softened and she turned to the other house elf. "Yes, Dobby. I'm fine. Thank you for your concern." she said kindly. Dobby bowed and smiled.

"It is an honour to serve someone who cares about Dobby's friend so deeply." he answered. Both Bella and Harry shook their heads in amusement.

"Dobby, why don't you take the day off? You've been doing such a good job with the mansion, take a break." Harry advised. The house elf jumped up and down in gratitude and beamed. He had been working very hard, trying to make up for Kreacher's lack of helpfulness. Harry knew the house-elf would be looking forward to spending the day knitting socks and hats.

"Thank you very much, Harry Potter! Harry Potter is very kind to Dobby!" he squeaked, running out of the kitchen happily. Harry looked over to Bella, who was staring spacily out the window. He put a hand on her shoulder, and she was snapped out of her trance.

"You sure you're okay?" Harry asked her. Bella just smiled and squeezed his hand before walking out of the kitchen. He frowned and called Dobby back into the room.

"Yes, Harry Potter?" he asked. Harry bent down and whispered so Bella wouldn't hear.

"Dobby, can you keep an eye on Bella for me? I'm worried about her." he confessed to the house elf. "You don't have to follow her around or anything, just let me know if you notice anything unusual about her. I have a feeling there's something important that she isn't telling me." Harry told Dobby.

"Of course, Harry Potter. Dobby will tell Harry Potter if there is something wrong with Ms. Black." Dobby replied. Harry nodded.

"Thanks Dobby." Harry sighed, watching the house elf leave the kitchen to knit some socks.

Harry spent the next couple of days watching Bella closely. She kept insisting she was healthy, but she kept getting sick in the mornings and whenever Harry pushed the issue with her, she would get defensive and walk away. It left Harry feeling very frustrated. Couldn't she see that he was worried about her? If there really was something wrong with her, he wouldn't be able to take her to St. Mungo's, because she was still wanted by the Ministry. Hary's unease began to grow.

"Harry, if you ask me one more time if I'm okay, I'm going to scream!" Bella snapped at him on one such night. Harry sighed with frustration. They had been arguing about this for the last twenty minutes and both of them were starting to lose their patience with the other.

"You do realize that I won't shut up because I love you, right?" he snapped back. Bella's shoulders slumped.

"Yes." she muttered reluctantly. "Sorry..." she muttered even more reluctantly. Harry smirked in amusement and took her into his arms without saying a word.

"What the hell did I just walk into here?" a voice came from the sitting room doorway. Harry and Bella immediately broke apart and gave Tonks a frightened look. Tonks looked stunned. Apparently, she was too flabbergasted to be angry.

"Tonks... er, I didn't hear you come in." Harry replied lamely. He was actually frightened of her reaction, and made a point to stay out of her strangling reach.

"Dobby let me in." she replied curtly. "Please tell me that you were acting out a play or something." Tonks said, desperately wanting to believe ANYTHING than what she thought was going on. Bella was the brave one and spoke first.

"Tonks, there's something we haven't told you." she said hesitantly. "Why don't you sit down?" Tonks glared murderously at her aunt, but reluctantly did as she was told. Harry took a step toward her and cleared his throat.

"Bella and I have been... together... for about six months now. Before you explode, you have to understand that neither of us expected this to happen, but..." Harry explained before Bella interjected.

"We fell in love. You can't fight love, Tonks." she whispered while Harry nodded in agreement. Tonks' face was very pale and she remained silent for a good solid minute. Harry was finding it difficult to breathe. He was sure she was going to flip out, but instead, Tonks did the last thing anyone would have expected her to do. She laughed! It started out as a very faint giggle, then slowly increased until she was bending over in hysterics, clutching her side. Harry tentatively touched her shoulder.

"Um, Tonks? Are you okay?" he asked. Great, Harry! Look what you did! You made her snap! his mind told him. Bella crossed her arms and looked at her niece incredulously.

"Why on earth are you laughing about this?" she asked in exasperation before throwing her hands up in the air. Tonks finally contained herself enough to give her an answer.

"Because I really don't know what else to do." she replied, taking a deep breath before shakily standing up. "Don't get me wrong. I still hate you, and I hate this!" she spat, motioning between Harry and Bella to get her point across. Bella's face fell.

"I'm sorry you feel that way. I've changed. I hope you see that someday." she said quietly.

"Oh please! Don't give me that crap about being a good person! The brand on your arm makes you a Death Eater, no matter how much you try to deny it!" Tonks laughed derisively.

"That brand means nothing to me! All it's given me is years of heartache and pain! I thank God every day that Sirius broke my marriage contract! If he hadn't, I'd still be Rudolphus' slave and I would never have known what love is supposed to be!" Bella retorted in desperation.

"YOU'RE A WHORE!" Tonks bellowed. "You're sleeping with a sixteen year old kid! That's not love!" she yelled. Harry immediately whipped out his wand and pointed it at Tonks.

"You call her that again and I'll obliterate you!" he threatened. "Who the hell are you to tell us what love is? Last I heard, you were still single!" he said hurtfully.

"Harry... don't! I can't stand here and watch you hurt my niece like that." Bella cried tearfully before exiting the room. Harry made a move to stop her from leaving, but the look on Tonks' face made him stay where he was. Tonks looked like she couldn't decide whether she wanted to yell or cry, so she settled for covering her face with her hands and shaking her head.

"I can't believe this." she muttered. "What the hell would posess you to do something like this?" she asked. Her hands were now shaking with suppressed anger, but at least she didn't attack Harry. Harry took that as a good sign, however dim it may be.

"Nothing posessed me." Harry replied. "I fell in love with her. Is that so hard to believe?"

"YES!" she finally exploded. "MY GOD! THIS IS UNBELIEVABLE! SHE'S OLD ENOUGH TO BE YOUR MOTHER! SHE KILLED YOUR GODFATHER!" she screamed, apparently no longer able to contain herself. Harry knew he wouldn't be able to say anything to calm her down, so he stayed silent and waited. Tonks looked as if she were about to hit him, but then collapsed into the nearest seat and gulped down a couple of deep breaths. It looked like it was taking all of her resolve not to kill someone. "I can't even talk about this anymore or I'm going to throw up." she finally said. Indeed, she did look very ill and Harry nodded. Anything to keep her calm right now was worth it, he decided.

"What did you come to see me for?" Harry asked. "Did something new come up in the Order?"

"Wha- oh... right." Tonks said. She was still feeling rather dazed from having to take in so much in such a short period of time. "Just more pointless arguments. More of Dumbledore refusing to listen to reason. More stress..." she sighed unhappily. She explained the exact details about the meeting. How she and Molly had disagreed about Harry as usual, and how Shacklebolt had stood up for her, but of course Dumbledore wouldn't listen to a word and continued to do things his way. When she finished, she looked even more downtrodden than when she had arrived.

"You know, have you taken a day off lately? You look like you need it." Harry commented. Tonks glared at him.

"Take a day off? Are you kidding? In case you haven't noticed being holed up all nice and cozy here with Bellatrix, You-Know-Who is gaining more power every day! Every day, there's another murder to investigate, another body to find. Yesterday, I had to remove the body of a little girl from her bedroom while having to pry her screaming mother off of her! She was killed by a Death Eater for being a squib! A LITTLE GIRL! Think about that for a second." she said bitterly.

Harry did think about it. It made him nauseous so he stopped. He had forgotten that Tonks saw this kind of horror every day. Clearing his throat, he decided a change of subject was in order. "You never told me what you did for New Year's." he said. Tonks seemed to appreciate the change of subject and sighed with relief.

"Oh, I just stayed with my parents for the night." she replied. "Nothing too extravagant, really. What did you do?" she asked. Harry remembered very vividly how he had spent his New Year's and his face went red. Tonks scowled. "Uggh... gross! Forget I asked. I don't want to know the details." she sighed, leaning back in her seat, shaking her head.

Harry and Tonks stayed in the sitting room, talking about mundane things. It seemed to be a relief to Tonks. Harry wasn't surprised. She had probably been involved in nothing but serious Auror matters for these past few months. She hadn't been lying when she told Harry that Voldemort was gaining power. Both he and Bella had been reading The Daily Prophet and every article was about another death or disappearance, another attack on muggle-borns from the Death Eaters. Bella had even complained that her brand was burning a few times to Harry that week. They both knew the wizarding world was in peril. Harry was suddenly reminded of his strongest weapon against Voldemort and decided to tell Tonks. He explained to her everything from the letter he received to meeting with Crawbeck. Tonks' mouth was hanging open stupidly by the time he was finished.

"Geez, Harry. Things never get dull with around, do they?" she said in disbelief. Harry sighed and nodded.

"No, but I wish they would sometimes." he replied.

"Should I tell the Order about this?" she asked. Harry understood her confusion. This could be a very important piece of information to them that could aid in destroying Voldemort for good. On the other hand, if Dumbledore got wind of this, there was no telling what he would do.

"I think you should tell Shacklebolt, Moody and Lupin. They won't leak anything to Dumbledore. Everyone else needs to be kept in the dark about this." Harry advised. Tonks looked thoughtful for a moment, then nodded.

"You're right. Dumbledore can't know. He's losing more and more of his sanity every day trying to control you. We can't be sure he'd do the right thing with this information." she agreed. Harry saw Dobby come into the room, wringing his hands nervously.

"What is it, Dobby?" Harry asked in concern. Dobby looked from Tonks to Harry, unsure if he should tell him with her in the room. "It's okay Dobby. You can say whatever it is in front of Tonks." Harry reassured him. The house-elf nodded.

"Harry Potter asked Dobby to watch Ms. Black for him and Dobby has just seen Ms. Black crying in the sleeping quarters. Dobby asked Ms. Black what was wrong, but she told Dobby to fetch Harry Potter. Ms. Black says she must speak with Harry Potter first before she tells Dobby." he said quickly. Harry's brow furrowed in worry. What on earth could be that important right now? He turned to Tonks, who shook her head.

"I'm not leaving until I know why you set your house-elf up to spy on your so-called girlfriend!" she said firmly. Harry debated the prospects in his head, and reluctantly sat down.

"I've been worried about her." Harry explained. "She's seemed sick these past few weeks." Tonks raised her eyebrows.

"Go on. What makes you think there's something wrong with her?" she asked, obviously interested. Harry explained all of her symptoms to Tonks, including the mood swings and vomiting. As he finished, Tonks looked down, thinking hard about what could be wrong with her, then her eyes widened and she clapped a hand to her mouth.

"What is it? You know what's wrong with her, don't you?" Harry exclaimed, sick with worry. If Tonks knew, her reaction wasn't the one he had wanted at all.

"God, Harry! You're such an idiot!" Tonks snapped. She then looked up at the ceiling, defeated. "That's it. I'm done. Strike me down right now God. I can't deal with this anymore." she muttered helplessly, looking almost close to tears.

"But-" Harry began. Tonks stood up, grabbed her purse and cloak before he could say more and headed into the foyer.

"I have to go, Harry. Go talk to her yourself." she said angrily before stalking out of the mansion. Harry stared after her for a few moments, then rushed upstairs to Bella. She was sitting on their bed, shaking from head to foot and crying. She gave Harry a frightened look when he walked into the room.

"Bella? What's wrong?" Harry asked, a pit of worry forming in his stomach. He put his arms around her and drew her close to him. Bella seemed unable to speak for a few moments, then took a shuddering breath.

"I'm late..." she whispered. Harry raised his eyebrows at her, then began to laugh.

"Late? Late for what?" he chuckled. "It's not like you can leave the mansion or anything." Bella shook her head, and tentatively stood up.

"No... Harry..." she faltered. When Harry continued to give her a blank stare, she began to cry again and gently placed a hand on her belly. "I'm late." she repeated, rubbing her belly.

"Wha- Oh..." Harry finally understood and his eyes widened in shock. Y- You're... you know..." he stammered. He could not say it out loud. It was too much of a frightening prospect to think about. Bella nodded and collapsed into Harry's arms in a fresh wave of tears. He held her close to him and placed his hand on her belly, unable to really take it all in.

"Shhh... it'll be okay." Harry whispered to her. He only said this to reassure her, for Harry was not sure at all whether this would turn out okay.

Once again, Harry's life was turned upside-down. This is scarier than anything I've ever dealt with before... he thought desperately.

Chapter 12

"What are we going to do, Harry?" Bella asked him helplessly. She had stopped shaking, but tears were still flowing from her eyes. In a daze, Harry shook his head.

"I- don't know..." Harry admitted. A baby? How on earth was he supposed to be a father? He was still a kid! Bella took a deep shuddering breath and stood up.

"You realize this changes everything, don't you?" Bella asked in a trembling voice. Harry numbly nodded. He put his head in his hands and exhaled heavily.

"I'm too young to be a father, Bella..." he muttered. Bella scowled and crossed her arms.

"And I'm too old to be a mother!" she snapped. "That doesn't change anything. We're going to be parents and there's nothing we can do to change that, so deal with it!" She then dissolved into tears again. Harry looked up and sighed.

"It'll be okay. We can handle this." Harry reasoned. "This may not be such a bad thing." Bella looked at him like he was some sort of martian, then actually let out a small smile.

"Maybe you're right." she agreed. "What about Tonks? She's not going to take this well at all."

"I think she already knows." Harry replied. He told her about how she had refused to leave until she knew what was going on and how he had told her that he had been worried about her and explained about the mood swings and vomiting. He left the part about Dobby spying on her out of the explanation. "Then she just stormed out of the mansion. She seemed really pissed off." he sighed. Bella frowned.

"Well, at least that saves us the trouble of dropping another bombshell on the poor woman." she said. She gently rubbed her belly again and sighed. "I guess we have to start preparing for a family now." Harry nodded.

"Yeah..." he replied. "Excited?" he asked her suddenly. Bella smiled faintly.

"Maybe a little." she admitted. Harry gave a small laugh.

"Me too." he said.

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Tonks stormed into her house and threw her cloak against the wall. Angrily kicking the door shut, she collapsed onto a chair in her living room.
"I can't believe this." she muttered. If she had been correct in her diagnosis of her aunt, and she was pretty sure that she was, she was going to have a cousin in about nine month's time. She just hoped Harry wouldn't end up being her uncle. That was just too disgusting to think about.

Tears started to blur her vision, but she angrily blinked them back. She wasn't a wuss. She reminded herself that she was an Auror. Aurors were not supposed to show emotion or lose their head in bad situations. She showered and put together a quick dinner. Just as she was about to put it on the table, she heard knocking on the door.

Immediately, she pulled out her wand and cautiously approached the door. She wasn't being paranoid. You couldn't be too careful these days. She peeked through the crack in the door and saw Remus Lupin, but she didn't open the door just yet. It could easily be a Death Eater using Polyjuice Potion.

"What's your name?" Tonks asked him cautiously.

"Moony." Remus answered without hesitation. Tonks smiled and breathed a sigh of relief before opening the door.

"Hello Remus. What brings you here so late?" she asked casually, leaning against the door frame.

"Molly's been worried about you. She asked me to see how you were." he replied calmly. Tonks scowled and sighed as she let Remus into the house.

"Molly isn't my mother. I'm a big girl. I can take care of myself!" she retorted. Remus gave her a quizzical look.

"Then why have you seemed so upset lately? I know your job isn't exactly a walk in the park but you've seemed more stressed than usual lately. Is there something going on that you're not telling anyone about?" he asked. Tonks wasn't a fool. She did the only thing she could do at that moment. She lied.

"Of course not. Why would there be?" she asked. When Remus didn't reply, she continued. "Remus, it really is just work. When Harry finally gets rid of You-Know-Who, I'm sure I'll be much more easy-going, but until then I just have to do my job the best I can." she reasoned. Remus raised his eyebrows.

"You seem to have a lot of confidence in Harry." he commented. "I do too, but you say that like you know for sure he'll win. Even I don't pretend to know that." Tonks fixed him with a cold stare.

"Is it so wrong to have faith, Remus?" she retorted. Remus shook his head.

"That's not what I meant..." he began but Tonks put her hands on her hips and scowled menacingly.

"Then what did you mean?" she snapped. Remus just shook his head and sighed.

"Nevermind." he said. Tonks looked towards the kitchen where her dinner was quickly becoming cold. She turned to Remus. "I've got dinner on the table. You want some?" she offered. Remus shrugged.

"I haven't eaten yet. If you're sure." he replied. Tonks just laughed weakly.

"Really. It's not a problem." she reassured him, getting out an extra plate and piling the extra food onto it before setting it on the table in front of the chair directly across from her. Remus sat down and slowly started his meal as Tonks took her own seat. She didn't touch her food right away yet, though. "Have you ever felt like the whole world was out to get you?" she suddenly blurted immaturely. Remus put down his fork and gave Tonks a quizzical look.

"I think we all do at some point in our lives. Is there something in particular you want to talk about?" he asked her with a piercing stare. Tonks secretly kicked herself for acting so childishly and shook her head.

"No. It was just..."

"Hypothetical?" Remus finished her sentence for her. She sighed and nodded, continuing to eat her supper. Remus cleared his throat after a minute or two. "Don't take this the wrong way, but you're a millionaire now. It looks to me like you haven't spent a knut of it." he gave Tonks a questioning glance. Tonks sighed and put down her knife.

"I just... haven't gotten around to it. I've been busy, that's all." she half-lied. The truth was, she still thought of it as Sirius' money, and she was just holding onto it until he returned. It was a ridiculous notion, she knew, but she couldn't shake the feeling. Remus' eyes softened sympathetically, which made Tonks scowl inwardly.

"I understand... I haven't spent much of mine, either." he admitted. They finished their meal in subdued silence, and Remus looked down at his watch and frowned. "I have to get home. It's nearly nightfall."

"Full moon?" she asked him casually. Remus looked up at her and nodded.

"Yeah. Thanks for the supper. I'll tell Molly to relax a little." he said with a half smile. Tonks grinned back.

"Anytime." she replied politely, showing him to the door. He walked outside and with one last backwards glance at her, he gracefully spun in a small circle and apparated on the spot. Tonks sighed and closed the door, making sure to recast all her security charms and spells.

She was again reminded of Harry and Bella and frowned, punching a rather substantial hole into her wall out of anger.

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"So I guess the famous Harry Potter... The Boy Who Lived... The Chosen One... knocked up a Death Eater, huh." Tonks spat scornfully at Harry. It was the next morning and Tonks just couldn't resist going back to the mansion to show her resentment towards the situation. Harry chucked a cockroach cluster at her.
"Well of course it sounds bad when you say it like that." he scowled.

"Where is she anyway?" Tonks asked, looking around as if expecting Bella to jump out of the walls and attack.

"Morning sickness." Harry replied. Tonks raised her eyebrows at him but said nothing. She sighed and leaned back in her chair.

"Actually, you've been taking this a lot better than we expected." Harry told her. Tonks gave Harry a frightening glare.

"Don't push it!" she warned menacingly. Just then, Bella walked into the sitting room, rubbing her belly and looking rather pale. Harry smiled when he saw her.

"How are you feeling?" he asked her. Bella sighed.

"Nauseous." she replied truthfully, sitting down as far away from Tonks as possible. She suddenly looked like she wanted to throw up again, but took a deep breath and the wave of neausea subsided.

"Have you thought of any names yet?" Tonks asked them in a rather sarcastic voice. Bella shot her a stern look.

"Why yes. If it's a girl, we're going to call her Nymphadora." Bella replied just as sarcastically. Tonks' fists closed angrily, but she unclenched them and managed a rather cold sneer.

"Moody, aren't we?" she retorted. Harry sighed and rubbed his temples.

"Will you both shut up for two seconds?" he said exasperatedly. Bella shot him a very angry look.

"I'm carrying your baby! You'd better start showing me some more respect! You don't care about either of us, do you?" she cried, bursting into tears and fleeing upstairs to their room. As soon as she was out of earshot, Tonks started laughing.

"Now that was funny." she chuckled. "Has she been that way the entire time?" Harry nodded reluctantly and sighed.

"Oh sure. It's funny as long as you don't live with her." he replied.

"Well it's your own fault!" Tonks snapped. Harry crossed his arms defensively.

"Has it ever crossed your mind that I might be excited about a baby?" he asked. This was partially true, but mostly it was just terrifying.

"Sure it has." she replied. "But you won't be so excited when it's crying in the middle of the night and you can't get it to go back to sleep." Tonks leaned back in her chair and yawned. She hadn't been getting much sleep lately.

"Fudge is still working you around the clock?" Harry asked, changing the subject purposely. Tonks allowed the change and nodded.

"As usual." she sighed heavily. "The rookies always get the graveyard shift." she shrugged. She looked down at her watch. Suddenly the fire turned green and Kingsley Shacklebolt's head appeared in the grate.

"There you are. I thought I'd find you here." Kingsley's voice boomed. Tonks rolled her eyes.

"What does that overweight bowling pin of a minister want now?" she snapped. Kingsley raised his eyebrows.

"Careful about what you say, Tonks. He's still our boss." he warned wisely. Tonks sighed and nodded.

"Unfortunately." she muttered. "What was so important that you couldn't wait for me at the office?" Kingsley shook his head sadly.

"We've just discovered an entire family dead in their home. Suspected Death Eater involvement. The parents in their bedroom, and four children in the basement." Tonks sighed again and shook her head.

"Ages?" she asked.

"Girl, age 3 and three boys, ages 5, 7, and 10. It looks like the cause of death for the children was the Cruciatus Curse and the Avada Kedavra Curse for the parents. We need you to help remove the bodies of the children." he answered professionally. Tonks' eyes clouded with sorrow, but she nodded.

"I'm on my way." she replied briskley, grabbing her purse and cloak. "Bye Harry." she said. Kingsley's head turned towards Harry.

"Ah, Harry. Terribly sorry about forgetting you. How are you?" he asked politely. Harry nodded in acknowledgement.

"Fine thanks." he replied vaguely. "It looks like the Auror Department have their hands full." he commented. Kingsley nodded grimly before his head disappeared from the grate. Tonks had already left the mansion. From the doorway, Bellatrix appeared with a faint smile playing across her lips.

"What is it?" Harry asked her, slightly confused. Bella just shook her head and walked into the room.

"I overheard you and Tonks talking... are you really excited about the baby?" she asked sceptically. Harry's eyes widened. He wasn't sure what to say.

"Well..." he began, thinking hard about his answer. "Yeah. I am." he finally decided. "Terrified... but excited." he grinned. Bella laughed.

"I guess that's a reasonable answer, considering the circumstances." she replied fairly. She covered her mouth to yawn. "I think I'm going to take a nap. I've been exhausted all the time lately." she sighed.

"Well, I guess that's normal." Harry replied, kissing her before watching her ascend the stairs to their bedroom. He smiled and grabbed his cloak. He hadn't taken his ferrari for a drive in a long while. He'd been so worried about Bella and didn't want to leave her alone for too long, but now that he knew she was in fact better than alright, he couldn't wait to brush the dust off the steering wheel and get back in the driver's seat.

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Dumbledore walked through the front doors of Gringotts Wizarding Bank. Every head in the vicinity turned towards him and the goblins all bowed respectfully. He ignored the awed stares of everyone and walked straight up to the counter where Slipknat happened to be working at.
"Ah, Mr. Dumbledore. How may I be of service?" the goblin bowed professionally. Dumbledore looked around suspiciously, then leaned closer to Slipknat and whispered so that no one else could hear him.

"I'm here to discuss some rather pressing matters and to confirm a few things. Could this be done privately?" he asked, his paranoid eyes darting from goblin to witch to wizard, as if daring them to try to confront him. Slipknat nodded.

"Of course Mr. Dumbledore. A private room will be prepared right away. Please wait just a few moments." Slipknat said obediantly, walking into the back hall to find a vacant room. Dumbledore wrung his hands nervously. Even the other people in the bank seemed to notice that he did not look as calm and collected as usual. His pointed hat was lopsided and tattered, his long, silvery hair was knotted in several places and flyaway, and his robes looked crinkled and worn. The deep shadows under his eyes were evidence that he had not had a chance to relax in quite some time. Finally, Slipknat reappeared and walked back up to the counter. "Mr. Dumbledore, a room has been reserved for you. Please follow me."

"Thank you." Dumbledore replied curtly, following the goblin down the hall to one of the rooms on either side. The room was marble, but instead of a large paladian window, podiums, and long pew-like benches, there were two poofy armchairs and a small slit of light that just barely qualified as a window. Torches on the walls made up for this lack of light. Dumbledore sat down in one of the chairs and twiddled his thumbs. Slipknat sat across from him.

"What is it that you would like to discuss?" Slipknat asked him calmly. Dumbledore cleared his throat and leaned closer to the goblin.

"I just wanted to confirm whether or not Harry Potter has questioned why I had the keys to his vaults and his mansions." Dumbledore said coldly. Slipknat shook his head.

"As far as we are aware, Mr. Potter has not come to us with that question. If you don't mind me asking, why would you be so concerned? Surely, you had proper authority to remove the keys from my posession?" he prodded. Dumbledore's misty blue eyes turned to a steely grey as they so often did whenever he was agitated or nervous.

"Of course." he replied cooly. "I simply took the keys because I thought it would be better to give them to him in person, rather than have him suffer through the legal system so soon after being forced to hear his godfather's last wishes through his will reading." This was partially true. Dumbledore did in fact want to give Harry the keys in person, but it wasn't to spare him heartache. Dumbledore knew that by giving Harry the keys in person, it would make him look more powerful and in control of the situation. If Harry thought that Dumbledore was in control, then he was likely to follow him and aid him in destroying Voldemort. Unfortunately, he didn't think he was welcome at Harry's new home and did not dare try and mend things just yet, for fear of sparking another argument and further damaging Harry's trust in him. Slipknat nodded.

"Yes, that is the reason why I allowed you to take possession of the keys in the first place." he agreed. "Under ordinary circumstances, Gringotts goblins would hold onto the keys until the rightful owner picked them up, but seeing as how you are such a respected member of the wizarding world and you have taken young Mr. Potter under your wing for many years, the bank saw fit to release the keys to you to pass on." Slipknat replied with a polite bow. Slipknat wasn't a fool. He knew Dumbledore was becoming more and more unstable with each passing day. The whole world knew it, yet without sufficient proof that he was a danger to the community, there was nothing anyone could do to stop the mighty Albus Dumbledore.

"I appreciate the compliment." Dumbledore replied politely. "It is getting late and I must attend to Hogwarts School matters. Thank you for seeing me on such short notice."

"It is our pleasure, Mr. Dumbledore. Good day." Slipknat bowed Dumbledore out of Gringotts. Once the old man was out of sight, Slipknat beckoned Crawbeck and Griphook to him. He briefly explained the encounter with Dumbledore.

"We have pledged our alliegance with Harry Potter." Crawbeck answered. "Therefore, we will notify him of this encounter. The goblins will not stay silent any longer." he announced.

Chapter 13

Six months passed and spring seemed to pass through summer all too quickly and spiral downward into late autumn. It was now early November, and with the approach of winter came the rapidly approaching birth of Harry and Bella's child. Harry had been so preoccupied with taking care of Bella and his baby that he often forgot his seventeenth birthday had passed that year.

"My back aches... my feet hurt... I look like a beached whale and this baby won't stop kicking me!" Bella groaned one night in bed. She grimaced with pain as her unborn child struck the side of the womb with their foot for the umpteenth time that evening. Harry sighed and shook his head before placing his book down and placing a hand over her belly.

"Is there anything I can do to make you more comfortable?" he asked kindly, sympathizing with her. He knew pregnancy and childbirth probably weren't the easiest things to go through. Bella shook her head.

"Not unless you can fast forward time about three and a half months." she snapped grouchily. Harry squeezed her hand before getting out of bed to get a glass of crushed ice for her from the kitchen. Despite how she complained, he knew she would love some crushed ice. She had woken him up enough times in the middle of the night asking for it.

"Cravings and mood swings..." Harry muttered exasperatedly. Honestly, he didn't mind but found it amusing to poke fun at her for such things when she happened to be in a good mood (which was rare lately). He rummaged around in the icebox and pulled out some ice cubes, then grabbed a strong kitchen knife and began breaking up the ice until it was nothing more than shavings and slush. He poured it into a cup and took it upstairs to Bella. She smiled warmly as he handed her the ice.

"How did you know?" she asked, beginning to eat the contents in the glass.

"I can read your mind." Harry joked. Bella gave him a stern look and nudged him huffily in the shoulder, but couldn't pretend to be cross for more than a few moments. She laughed and rested her head on his chest and yawned before drifting off to sleep. Harry gently took the empty glass from her hand and placed it on the bedside table. He kissed the top of her head before dozing off himself.

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"Albus, are you sure you're not losing it a little bit?" Remus asked the old man late that evening at Grimmauld Place. The latest Order meeting had ended, and everyone had left but Remus decided to stay a while longer to talk to Dumbledore. He happened to agree with Tonks that Harry should be allowed a place in the Order and that Albus was starting to fall apart at the seams. Dumbledore gave Remus a long cold stare.
"I'm quite sure my head is screwed on straight if that's what you're asking, Remus." he replied darkly. "Has Tonks been poisoning your mind with false ideas about me like she has been doing with everyone else?" Remus frowned.

"This has nothing to do with Tonks and you know it, Albus." he replied calmly. "Lately you've seemed... obsessed." he finished. Before Dumbledore had a chance to respond, Remus continued with an explanation. "You are very set on aiding Harry in the destruction of Voldemort, and that is a noble act, but recently I've begun to notice that you seem to think of Harry as more of a means to an end, rather than an end in himself. I want Voldemort to be gone for good too, but not at the risk of using Harry." Remus' speech enraged Dumbledore. Couldn't they see that he was working for the greater good? He slammed a shaking fist down on the dining room table.

"You... ALL of you... are delusional!" he spat. "It seems no one can see the greater good in this situation! Ridding the world of Voldemort is the most important thing right now and if that means that Harry will have to make a few sacrifices to save us all, then so be it! HE'S THE CHOSEN ONE! NO ONE CAN DEFEAT VOLDEMORT EXCEPT HIM!" he thundered. Remus' eyes grew narrow.

"Then why won't you let him into the Order?" he asked icily. Dumbledore's face paled. He had been caught. His shoulders slumped.

"Do you really want the truth, Remus?" he asked in a voice of mock reason.

"That is all I've ever wanted, Albus." Remus replied calmly. Dumbledore sighed and walked around the table to stand face to face with Remus.

"I won't allow Harry a place in the Order because he is not capable of weilding the kind of power I am." he said gravely. "Think about it for a moment, Remus. Suppose I let Harry into the Order; then what? Have everyone look to him for leadership instead of me? Oh no, that can't happen. You see, once Voldemort is gone, there will be room for a new, proper leader... Albus Dumbledore. I must admit, Harry is the key to stopping Voldemort, so I need him until then." he paused for a moment, allowing Remus to take in all this information.

"What you're saying is... you want Harry to help you defeat Voldemort so that you can take Voldemort's place. You won't allow Harry a place in the Order because you're afraid he will eventually overthrow your power, without taking into consideration that he is still only a seventeen year old boy. What will you do if this crooked plan actually succeeds and Harry tries to overthrow your power once you've taken Voldemort's place?" he asked coldly. His body was starting to go numb. He couldn't believe that the kind old man he had trusted all his life had been manipulating all of them all along. Dumbledore shook his head and clicked his tongue dissaprovingly.

"Remus, you say that like I plan to become the next Voldemort. I have no intention of stooping down to his level of treachery. In actuality, I want to take Voldemort's place to undo all of his wrongs. Think how much better of a leader I would make than him, Remus. As for dealing with Harry after the destruction of Voldemort; I hope it never comes to that, but what is one more insignificant life when we are talking about the greater good? In that situation, surely Harry's death at my hands would only be another noble act on the pathway of world unity." he finished his rather long speech, a maniacal glint in his eyes. Remus backed away from the crazy old lunatic, horrified at what he was hearing.

"You're insane!" Remus muttered furiously. "You've been lying to all of us all along! Tonks was right about you and I'm going to make sure the entire world knows what a fraud you are!" he yelled. Dumbledore just chuckled and took a menacing step towards the werewolf.

"Come now, Remus. You wouldn't betray the one person who supported you throughout your life. The one who protected you during your school days and offered you a job when no one else would because of what you are. Face it, Remus. You are indebted to me. You wouldn't turn your back on an old man, would you?" Dumbledore's kind face was marred by the steely grey of his eyes. His stare seemed to pierce through Remus like a sharpened spear.

"I owe you nothing. You destroyed that debt by threatening the life of my best friend's son. Goodnight Albus. Hopefully the healers in the mental health department of St. Mungo's will be able to provide you with the care you need." he said truthfully, turning to walk out of the room, but Dumbledore's cold voice stopped him.

"That is unfortunate. I had so hoped I wouldn't have to do this, but I can't let you destroy my wonderful plan for world peace. Goodbye Remus." Dumbledore said in a very strange, unattached voice. Before Remus knew what was happening, Dumbledore had his wand raised and was pointing it at Remus' chest.

"Avad-" he began.

"STUPEFY!" a woman's voice shouted. A jet of red light whizzed past Remus' head, ruffling his hair. The spell hit Dumbledore smack dab in between his eyes. The old man lowered his wand and crumpled to the ground in a heap. Remus whipped around to see Tonks with her wand raised, breathing heavily. She slowly brought down her shaking hand and walked towards Remus. "Are you alright?" she asked. Remus shook his head slightly to shake off his shock before responding.

"Yes, thanks to you barging in here when you did." he muttered, rubbing the back of his neck. "How did you know what was going on?" he asked her.

"I didn't." Tonks admitted. "I got about half-way down the block before remembering that I'd left my purse. When I came back to get it, I saw this idiot pointing his wand at you. That's when I pulled out my own wand and set things straight." she replied, unceremoniously kicking Dumbledore in the ribs. The old man groaned but didn't get up. Remus sighed.

"I can't believe he tried to kill me." he said, shaking his head. It seemed impossible that the greatest wizard who ever lived could attempt such an evil act. Remus himself was still having trouble absorbing it all in, even though he had witnessed it with his own eyes.

"I can believe it." Tonks replied darkly. When Remus gave her a quizzical look, Tonks explained about how Dumbledore had tried to break into her mind so many months ago. Remus' mouth was hanging open in disbelief when she had finished. Without waiting for a response, she pulled out a pair of handcuffs from within her robes and stepped over Dumbledore to arrest him, but Remus placed a hand on her arm to stop her. "What?" she asked.

"You're going to arrest him? I think he'd be better off at Saint Mungo's than Azkaban." Remus tried to reason. Despite his horrible actions, he was still Albus Dumbledore the greatest wizard who ever lived. Didn't he deserve some sort of mercy? Tonks scowled and pulled her arm out of Remus' grasp.

"Will you let me do my job?" she asked irritably. Remus raised in hands in a surrendering motion and stepped aside. Tonks raised her eyebrows. "Thank you." she sighed. As she was about to bend down to place the handcuffs on him, Dumbledore sprang to his feet, knocking Tonks to the ground.

"My dear Nymphadora." he said sourly. "Surely you didn't think a stunning charm would last for very long on me?" Tonks raised her wand and tried to cast a binding spell on the old man, but Dumbledore was quicker.

"Expelliarmus." he drawled lazily, with a flick of his wand. Tonks' wand sprang from her hand and threw itself neatly into Dumbledore's. Remus raised his wand as well, ready to defend Tonks since she was now weaponless, but Albus commanded Remus' wand to leave its owner as well. Dumbledore held his own wand at Tonks and Remus' throats, while twirling the other two in his left hand like batons. He chuckled.

"It seems you've both been outwitted by an old man. Pity, really." he mumbled more to himself than anyone else.

"Are you going to kill us or just toy with us like a cat?" Tonks spat bitterly. Dumbledore pondered this for a moment, then looked her straight in the eye. The insanity in the misty blue orbs staring at her made Tonks nauseous.

"Not quite. One death for the greater good could be explained away easily by someone such as myself, but two... well, that complicates things a bit. The story isn't as believable anymore. I will let you go about the rest of your lives on one condition." he was still twiddling the two wands in his hand. Tonks wanted desperately to slap them out.

"What condition?" Remus asked cautiously.

"Why, that you don't breathe a word of my plan for world peace to anyone of course." Dumbledore replied with surprise, as if he couldn't believe anyone could be so naive. Tonks screeched with laughter.

"HA! As if we'd ever let you get away with your delusional plan for... world peace did you say?" she yelled. She was shaking violently, both out of fear and anger. Dumbledore shook his head.

"Nymphadora, I'm looking out for your best interest." he said gravely. When Tonks shrieked even louder, he continued. "No one will believe you. Think about it for a moment. Who is going to take the word of a clumsy, rookie Auror and a werewolf? Especially against someone such as myself. I would hate to have to resort to endangering the lives of the people you love, but if it is to serve the greater justice, then it must be." Tonks' face paled. Two people immediately sprang to mind; her parents. She would rather take Dumbledore's plan to the grave than see them die. Only one person came into Remus' thoughts, but it was enough to keep him quiet as well. Dumbledore smiled, knowing he had won.

"Wonderful. I'm glad we settled things. It's getting rather late and I'm sure you're both looking forward to getting some well-deserved rest. Here are your wands and don't forget our little chat." he said pleasantly, ushering Tonks and Remus out of Number 12, Grimmauld Place. When they were outside, Tonks turned to Remus.

"We can't let him get away with this, even if he does think he's the good guy." she told him. Remus nodded.

"It's time we did something." he agreed. "But..." Tonks sighed. She didn't have to finish his sentence for him. She knew he was worried about who Dumbledore would be willing to kill to keep his secret.

"He's right, you know. No one will believe us if we reported him. Even if they did, I'd lose my job for letting him walk away." Tonks sighed, leaning heavily against the brick wall. "I'll make sure Harry knows about this. If Dumbledore wants Harry as a pawn, then we have to make sure Harry won't allow himself to be used as a pawn." Remus nodded, but then gave Tonks a strange look.

"Harry's barely left his home since Sirius' will reading, and that was over a year ago." Remus remarked. "As far as I know, you're the only one who's stayed in touch with him. What is he hiding?" It was a good thing it was pitch black out or Remus would have noticed Tonks' cheeks go red.

"He's just depressed Remus." Tonks lied. "He's not hiding anything." Remus nodded but didn't seem to believe her.

"I see. Well, tell him I wish him well. I think I'll let Kingsley and Mad-Eye in on what's happening as well." Remus told her. Tonks sighed and nodded her head before bidding Remus goodnight. She would see Harry right that minute. Something as important as this just couldn't wait.

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"Tonks, slow down! I can't understand a word you're saying." Harry said, looking at the babbling woman who looked panicked on his doorstep. He let her into the house and she sat down on the couch in the sitting room, her face very pale. She was taking deep breaths to try and calm herself. Harry sat down across from her and waited for her to speak.
"Sorry." she murmered, a little embarrassed. She ran her fingers through her short, bright pink hair looking extremely stressed. Harry leaned back and sighed heavily.

"That's alright. Now will you tell me why on earth you woke me up at three-thirty in the morning?" he asked, with his eyebrows raised. Tonks nodded and took another deep breath.

"Dumbledore can't be trusted, Harry." she said flatly. Harry sighed and rubbed his temples in annoyance.

"Tonks, I already knew that. Go home. I need to make sure Bella and the baby are okay." Harry snapped. Being prodded awake by Kreacher in the early hours of the morning had not put Harry in a very understanding mood. Tonks grabbed his arm and pulled him back down as he got up to leave.

"No, Harry. This is serious! He tried to kill Remus." she panted. Harry's eyes widenened and he stared at Tonks disbelievingly.

"Wha... wh- what?" he stammered, not being able to think of anything more intelligent to say. Finally, the cogs in his brain slowly started to turn again and he managed to speak more than a sentence fragment. "When did this happen?"

"Tonight, after the Order meeting." Tonks sighed. "I left my purse behind. When I came back to grab it, I saw Dumbledore with his wand pointed at Remus. He was using the Killing Curse incantation. I stunned him before he got the words out." she finished, sniffing only slightly before clearing her throat to cover up her emotion. Harry was thinking hard.

"But... why would he try to kill Lupin? It doesn't make sense." he muttered, trying to take it all in. Tonks explained to him about Dumbledore's crooked plan to use Harry to get rid of Voldemort so that Dumbledore could take his place. She also told him about his idea to kill Harry once he achieved world power in order to stop him from overthrowing his rule. She also told him about how she couldn't arrest him because no one would believe her and that he had threatened to kill her parents if she told anyone.

"But I had to tell you." she finished. "I had to let you know, because if you're aware of his plan to use you, then you'll have the knowledge to resist his manipulation. He can't kill You-Know-Who without you, Harry. Now our only problem is figuring out how to get rid of both You-Know-Who AND Dumbledore, so neither one of them gets power." Harry nodded. He didn't quite know what to say. He knew that Remus would most likely tell Kingsley and Mad-Eye, meaning that they would be on their side. He also knew he needed to warn the goblins, and give Crawbeck a chance to come up with a plan for his army. Luckily (or unluckily, whichever way you choose to look at it), Bella appeared in the doorway, saving Harry the need to respond. Her eyes were wide.

"Harry, this means you're in danger." she said quietly. Harry, despite his best efforts to be kind to his pregnant girlfriend, rolled his eyes.

"I've always been in danger, Bella." he sighed, ruffling his hair. "I thought you were still asleep." he added. Bella rubbed her large belly and scowled.

"The baby woke me up. Excuse me for being concerned!" she snapped irritably. Tonks gave an audible snort of laughter from the couch. Bella glared at her. "What?" she demanded. When Tonks didn't respond, Bella crossed her arms and frowned. "I'm sick of this! We've done nothing but fight since the day Harry called that family meeting, and I've done nothing wrong since the will reading! How much more do I have to do to prove to you that I'm not a Death Eater?" she shouted. Harry stood up and put a hand on her arm, trying to calm her.

"Bella, sit down. The baby..." Harry reminded her. He was always having to remind her about the baby whenever she got stressed out. Bella reluctantly sat down. To Harry's surprise, Tonks spoke up and for once, it wasn't to insult her aunt.

"You're right." she said simply. Harry and Bella both goggled at her. "This needs to be settled, but not until you prove your innocence. Guilty until proven innocent, after all." she growled menacingly. Bella's eyes narrowed.

"You know damn well I can't prove anything!" she yelled. "Isn't my word enough at this point?" Tonks bent over with sarcastic laughter.

"I think we both know the answer to that question." she spat bitterly. She pulled a vial of clear liquid out of her robe pocket, and brandished it in front of Bella. "Do you know what this is?"

"Veritaserum." Bella replied instantly. "I'm not a fool, Tonks." Tonks gave a crooked smile.

"Care to try some, then?" she asked. Bella looked down at her stomach and bit her lip. "What's wrong? Afraid of the truth?" Tonks asked with a smirk. Bella shot her a nasty look.

"I'm thinking about my baby, you idiot!" she snapped. Tonks rolled her eyes and threw the vial to Bella.

"It won't hurt your baby. I may hate you, but I'm not about to murder an innocent child for your misdeeds." Tonks replied cooly. With one look at Harry, who shrugged his shoulders helplessly, Bella opened the vial and gulped down what was inside. Tonks stood up and looked her aunt straight in the eye with a stare of pure hatred. "Did you mean to kill Sirius?" she asked.

"No." Bella replied simply. Harry gave Tonks a satisfied look, which she returned with a glare.

"Do you feel remorse for his death, knowing you didn't mean to kill him?" Tonks continued. Bella nodded.

"Yes." she replied. Tonks took a deep breath and continued her questioning.

"Did you marry Rudolphus Lestrange willingly?" she asked.

"No." Bella answered immediately. It continued on like this for quite some time, Tonks seemingly determined to find some trace of evil in the woman sitting in front of her, but every answer Bella gave just proved her innocence more and more. Defeated, Tonks slumped and sighed. She knew that her accusations had been false all along. She pulled out her wand and muttered the spell to reverse the effects of the potion.

"I'm sorry." she said through gritted teeth once Bella had come back to herself. "I guess I should trust Harry's judgement more." she sighed reluctantly, getting up. "Don't go thinking we're the perfect neice and aunt, alright?" she snapped. Bella gave a rather wry smile.

"The Black family has never been known for perfection." she replied. Despite herself, Tonks laughed. At least the woman had a sense of humour.

"I guess not." she said quietly.

"Being an Auror must have its perks, like being permitted to carry Veritaserum around in your pocket." she observed. Tonks nodded.

"Not that it was... legal... to use it on you." Tonks reminded her. Bella made a silent motion of zipping her mouth shut to say that she wouldn't tell anyone about Tonks' "misconduct". Tonks chuckled and nodded before standing up to leave. "Bye Harry... and Bellatrix." she added in an effort to try and get along with her. She still refused to call her Aunt Bellatrix, though. Bella smiled and nodded as Harry saw Tonks to the foyer.

"I'll let the goblins know about what's going on with Dumbledore." Harry told her. Tonks nodded.

"I figured you would." she agreed. On a different note, she added "Take care of your family, Harry." she said as she walked out of the mansion. "Oh and Remus wishes you well." she told him, suddenly reminded of his message. Harry laughed.

"I will. Tell him the same from me." Harry replied, closing the door. He went back into the sitting area to help Bella up and start breakfast. It was now 5:45am, and neither Harry nor Bella felt like going back to sleep.

Once again, Harry felt as though his life was being upheaved. This time, he wasn't sure if he would be successful...