15

Chapter 14 Slytherin Ties

As November came to an end and December began, the anticipation of Christmas (and especially Christmas Break) grew thick in the air. The mood in the castle was considerably lighter than it had been leading up the Quidditch game. Unfortunately, that mood didn't seen to affect the teachers, as the students' workload only increased.

Four days after Sirius's birthday, Harry found himself in the library on a Saturday afternoon. He'd spent the morning working on homework in the common room, but James and Sirius had decided just after lunch that the time for homework was over and it was time to have fun. Harry would have persuaded them to go outside, but since mid-November the skies had been perpetually grey and not a day went by that it didn't rain at least a little. So they were stuck inside, and bored Marauders was a recipe for chaos. Unfortunately, Harry still had a lot of work to catch up on. So he left and came to the only place that guaranteed peace and quiet: the library.

Harry had been in the library for a little over an hour, struggling to get his Defense essay on dementors finished. He unwillingly found himself engrossed in Creatures of the Damned, which, while informative, also featured full color illustrations and graphic descriptions of every horrible creature that preyed on humans, from werewolves and vampires to hags, inferi, dementors and lethifolds. Plus an array of others Harry hadn't even heard of before opening the book.

Suddenly someone cleared their throat nearby. Harry jumped violently, his wand out and a spell already on his lips.

"Jumpy, are we? You wouldn't be researching something illegal, would you?" a voice drawled.

"Dammit, Regulus. Don't do that!" Harry exclaimed, trying to slow his racing heart. He sank heavily back into his chair, breathing hard.

Regulus just smirked and took the chair across from him. "Since when were you so easy to spook?"

Harry wordlessly lifted the book he'd been reading so Regulus could read the title.

Regulus snorted. "So, what? You thought I was a vampire? What are you reading that for anyway? That's some nasty stuff."

"It's assigned reading for my DADA essay," Harry answered. "About creatures that prey on humans. Not the flesh, mind you, but the mind and soul."

"Fascinating," Regulus drawled.

"What are you doing in the library on such a pleasant Saturday afternoon?" The sarcasm was heavy, and a sudden clap of thunder outside punctuated his words further. Rain beat upon the windows, echoing in the quiet library.

Regulus muttered something Harry didn't quite hear and opened one of his books. Upside-down.

Harry raised an eyebrow. "Sorry, Reg. I didn't quite catch that."

Regulus scowled at the nickname. "I told you not to call me that."

"And I've told you to call me Harry. It seems we're both stubborn. But answer the question."

Regulus scowled again. "My housemates are still furious that we lost to Gryffindor. Naturally, I'm the perfect target for their ire. Because I 'should have caught it sooner' or I 'should have let Perkins get it and not go for the hollow victory'."

Harry frowned. "That's complete bull. This may not mean much, coming from a Gryffindor, as you put it, but I think you made a spectacular catch. One of the best I've seen, and I've seen professionals play."

"I lost," Regulus stated flatly.

"Your team lost," Harry corrected. "But you caught the snitch, which is a win in my book, and you ended the game on your own terms, instead of letting Gryffindor completely destroy you."

Regulus scoffed. "Hardly. If it weren't for my bastard brother and his bloody bludger, we would have won"

"Language," Harry scolded lightly. "And as far as I know, Sirius isn't a bastard, or your mum wouldn't have made him the heir—even if she does have a very low opinion of him at the moment," he added darkly, thinking of the letter Sirius had received the day before his birthday.

Regulus narrowed his eyes. "You know I didn't mean it that way."

Harry shrugged. "I know," he said easily. "My point is, it doesn't matter what they say about you. What matters is whether or not you did your best. If you're beating yourself up because you didn't give it your all, then by all means keep sulking. But it sure looked to me like you were doing your best."

Regulus frowned and rubbed his arm, the one Sirius had broken with his bludger. "It's still his fault we lost," he muttered bitterly.

"Then let's get back at him for it. I've been meaning to anyway for being so heartless as to hurt his baby brother anyway. I'll prank him on your behalf, and you won't even owe me for it. In fact, I will take great enjoyment in doing so."

"You know, for a Gryffindor you can be pretty Slytherin when you want to be."

Harry shrugged. "So I've been told. The hat actually wanted to put me there at first, you know."

"You? In Slytherin?" Regulus smirked. "You might be sneaky, but you wouldn't last a day in the dungeons."

"I could, too," Harry protested. "I'm practically an expert at dealing with slimy snakes."

"By hexing them," Regulus pointed out without ire. "I bet you wouldn't even last ten minutes at the Slytherin table without committing a social faux pas."

"You're on. I don't have any money, but I hear Slytherins like to bet favors."

"Deal. Two favors, no questions asked, from the loser to the winner."

"Pranks on Sirius are free and don't count as your favors. And, just so we're clear," Harry began, "sitting at the Slytherin table itself doesn't count."

Regulus pouted a little. "Damn. I thought I'd get you with that one."

Harry grinned. "I can be a little Slytherin when I want to be."

"Fine. I expect to see you at the Slytherin table one day soon. You know, before that infamous Gryffindor courage runs out," Regulus answered with a smirk.

Harry grinned back. "So, you're here to avoid your housemates. Did you plan on reading upside-down all afternoon, or were you going to do homework?"

Regulus flushed a little at realizing the book he held was still upside-down and immediately righted it. "I've got homework."

Harry nodded and then they both returned to their respective assignments. After a while, Harry noticed Regulus was struggling with his transfiguration and offered to help. Somewhat to his surprise, Regulus accepted. So Harry walked him through the theory of Gamp's Law and even connected it to the muggle concept of the conservation of mass.

By dinnertime, both had (finally) finished their assignments. Harry gladly returned Creatures of the Damned to Madame Pince and hoped he didn't have nightmares about succubi and lethifolds. Regulus gruffly thanked Harry for his help, then hurried out of the library. Harry smiled a little and called a farewell before heading down to the Great Hall.

His walk was uneventful until he reached the grand staircase. Then suddenly said staircase turned into a slide. Harry yelped as his feet slipped out from under him and he slid down what used to be a staircase. When he reached the bottom and found himself surrounded by several smirking faces, he groaned. The Marauders had pulled him into a prank war, and somehow, they'd even convinced Tonks to join.

Harry's surrogate sister smirked at him as he struggled to his feet—she'd done something to his shoes as well, it seemed.

"Traitor," Harry muttered, not quite hiding his smile. She'd seemed somewhat withdrawn the last few weeks or so; it was good to see her fooling around again.

Tonks grinned in reply. "It's been too long since we had a proper duel. And since your mates wanted to prank you, who was I to pass up on a perfect opportunity?" She smirked at him, her eyes glinting in that way that sent chills down his spine. "But since I don't want you getting into trouble—"

"Since when did you care if I ended up in detention?" he grumbled good-naturedly.

"—I'll issue a formal challenge." She continued as if Harry hadn't spoken. "Harrison Carter, I challenge you to a prank duel after dinner. You are not allowed a second."

"I accept. And you're not allowed a second, either."

"Can I bring witnesses? A cheering squad? A referee?" Tonks asked with a playful pout.

"Yeah! I wanna watch!" piped up James, sliding neatly beside Harry and easily getting to his feet. For the second time since Harry reached the bottom. Sirius was just behind him, followed by Peter. Remus had stayed nearby and rolled his eyes, an indulgent smile on his face.

Suddenly there was a feminine shriek and the group at the bottom of the stairs moved just in time to avoid being bowled over like ninepins by Lily as she came hurtling down the slide. She was quickly followed by the rest of her roommates, though Marlene whooped in excitement instead of shrieking.

"Lily! So glad you could join us. I was just about to teach these boys a lesson. Care to watch?" Tonks asked with a grin.

Lily raised an eyebrow. "I hope you weren't planning to do it in the corridor."

"Goodness, no. I have a special place in mind."

"Can we wait until after dinner though? I'm starving," James whined.

"Me, too," Sirius said dramatically. "In fact, I'm so hungry I might…just…faint…" Sirius trailed off and pretended to swoon.

He obviously expected Tonks to catch him. Her lips twitched and she stepped gracefully aside. Sirius crashed to the floor with a grunt. His eyes flew open and he looked up in betrayal.

"Joselyn…why?"

Tonks rolled her eyes. "Get up, Black, or I'll turn you blue. I'll leave it up to your imagination how."

Sirius looked in equal parts excited and terrified, but he immediately got to his feet. Laughing, the rest of the Marauders followed him in, with the girls just behind them.

After dinner, Tonks and Harry led the way toward the Room of Requirement. However, with a grin, they blindfolded their respective roommates once they reached the fifth floor.

"Hey! What's the big idea?" James complained.

"You would cause unmitigated chaos if you knew where we were heading. Or you might burst from excitement. So really, this is for your own good," Harry said frankly.

"At least one of you has common sense," Lily muttered. "But why do we have to be blindfolded, too?"

"Just to make things fair," Tonks said. Lily grumbled but conceded the point.

Moments later, they reached the Room of Requirement. Harry grinned and paced in front of the empty wall three times, concentrating on a wide area he and Tonks could duel, without putting the others in the line of fire. The huge double doors appeared a moment later with a grating sound, and Harry and Tonks escorted their friends inside before removing the blindfolds.

"Whoa." James turned in a slow circle, taking in the huge empty field with a sort of dugout off to one side. "Where are we?"

"That's for us to know," Harry began.

"And you to never find out," Tonks finished with a grin.

"So what exactly are we doing here?" Marlene asked. "Not that this isn't cool and all."

"Oh, Harry and I were going to have a duel to see who's better," Tonks explained with a grin. "And if they feel brave enough, the other boys might give it a go, too."

"That dugout over there is for you guys to watch from and not get hit by stray spells," Harry added.

"Lily, would you like to play referee? This one," Tonks gave Harry a pointed look, "likes to cheat."

Lily grinned. "Sure. Rules?"

"Only prank spells and shield spells. Nothing to cause physical harm. And no cheap shots. All magic."

Harry pouted playfully, then continued. "And the duel is over either when one of us is no longer able to cast spells or thirty minutes pass. If the time limit passes, the person who got hit the most is the loser."

Lily looked between the two of them for a moment. "Do you do this often?"

Tonks and Harry grinned at each other. "Once a week at least," Harry said.

"It used to be a free-for-all," Tonks continued, "but eventually we realized someone might actually get hurt. So we set some basic guidelines just in case."

"Fair enough. Everyone to the dugout, then," Lily directed. They all went, then she counted it off.

"Ready? Three. Two. One. Begin!" she exclaimed, then chaos took over.

Immediately Harry and Tonks were throwing spells at each other, bright flashes of light nearly blinding the eight spectators. After a few moments, Peter took up commentating, with brief interruptions from the others.

"And Harry's hit! Those are some big rabbit ears! But he's fast to retaliate! Joselyn was too slow to dodge that one. Gold feathers look good on her. And now we have trip jinxes and color-changing spells flying. I'm glad we're not out there in the thick of this!"

"I'd totally beat them both!" James declared.

"I'd like to see you try," Remus replied.

The duel continued. It was clear the two were pretty evenly matched. While Harry's repertoire of spells wasn't quite as large as Tonks's, he made up for it by putting what he did know to creative use. He chained spells together so Tonks wouldn't have time to mount an offense, because when she got going, she was nearly unstoppable. She had received formal training and knew well that the best defense was a good offense.

Eventually Harry realized he couldn't land hardly any hits directly on Tonks. So he started casting on the environment. He conjured water with the Aguamenti charm and formed a puddle, then iced it over when Tonks slipped in it. She wobbled but kept her feet, broke free, and retaliated in kind. Harry barely avoided a thin sheet of ice and a cushioning charm on the floor at his feet. But that moment of distraction put Harry in the line of another of Tonks's spells. It hit him straight on and turned him a lurid shade of orange. Antlers also sprouted from his head, which sent James into peals of laughter.

Harry got his revenge, though. He repeated Tonks's trick, while casting spells just to either side of her to keep her off-balance. Then he cast jelly-legs and a tickling hex and a tripping jinx. The combination sent Tonks crashing to the ground, which he'd enchanted with a sticking charm. Tonks got caught in it when she tried to catch herself. He cast another tickling hex, since she'd just dodged the last one, and Tonks was incapacitated—laughing helplessly on the ground, wet, covered with scraps of multicolored confetti, her hands stuck to the floor, her legs twitching uncontrollably.

"And Harry wins!" Lily declared, looking both shocked and impressed.

"That. Was. Brilliant," James exclaimed as the spectators burst from the dugout to join Harry and Tonks.

"Wait!" Harry called—too late. All the spells that had missed the two combatants had left their mark on the ground. In addition to scorch marks and gouges in the grass, there were patches in various colors, puddles, piles of feathers and confetti, and much more all over the field they'd dueled on.

James slipped on ice into a puddle of water, which had been hit with a coloring charm. So he and his robes were now dyed green. Peter sunk into a patch of ground under a softening charm, with an effect similar to sinking into a large, overstuffed chair. Sirius tripped over James and got equally wet and green. Remus tripped over Peter and fell on top of him. The softened ground all but swallowed both of them up.

The girls fared a little better. Alice accidentally brushed a rock that had sprouted feathers, and as an aftereffect she did, too. Marlene's shoes turned a lurid pink from stepping in a patch of pink grass. Mary and Lily were a little more careful and avoided the obvious danger spots. But when they reached Tonks, who was still stuck to the ground, they also got stuck.

Harry sighed at the chorus of yelps as each of his friends accidentally fell prey to the aftermath of the duel. Then he cancelled the spells on Tonks and helped her up. With a thought, the Room cancelled the rest of the jinxes and the field returned to normal, which freed Peter and Remus. James and Sirius were still green, though.

"Are we even now?" Harry asked Tonks with a grin.

"For now. I will be demanding a rematch, though," she replied, also grinning.

"I wouldn't have it any other way," Harry replied.

Monday morning Harry noticed an unusual amount of excitement from James and Sirius, and anxiety from Remus and Peter. Uneasily, he remembered that while he had spent most of the weekend in the library studying (their end-of-term exams were coming up quickly), the four Marauders had spent it in the common room, probably plotting. And considering Remus's anxiety, and the sideways looks he kept giving Harry, Harry had the uneasy feeling that they'd planned a prank he would not approve of.

"All right. What did you do?" Harry finally asked at breakfast.

Sirius grinned widely. "Just watch the snakes and prepare to be entertained," he supplied.

Harry raised both eyebrows, but Sirius either ignored or didn't see the warning in his eyes.

Suddenly Remus leaned over uneasily to whisper in Harry's ear. "I don't know what with, but they spiked the Slytherins' drinks, and probably their food as well. I tried to talk them out of it, but they wouldn't listen," Remus murmured, shamefaced.

"Then you're exempt from my retribution prank, if I think they deserve it. Pete?" Harry asked. "Did you have anything to do with this?"

Peter opened his mouth, closed it, then regretfully nodded. "I think I accidentally gave them the idea," he admitted quietly.

"Depending on what it is, you might be exempt, too."

"What are you going to do?" Sirius demanded. "Undo it all?"

Harry considered for a moment. It was probably too late for that. Then he remembered the bet he'd made with Regulus and came up with an even better idea. "No. I'm going to prove a point. And hopefully win a bet," he added.

"Wait!" James tried to grab Harry's arm when he stood up. "Don't—"

"Don't what?" Harry then started determinedly toward the Slytherin table.

"Wait! You're not—you're not actually going over there?" Peter asked fearfully.

"What are you going to do?" Sirius demanded again.

"Prove a point," Harry repeated. Then he turned his back and headed straight for where he'd spotted Regulus and Severus sitting. The entire Great Hall followed his progress with wide eyes and unhinged jaws. Harry ignored all of them.

"Good morning, Mr. Black. Mr. Snape," Harry said with a formal nod when he reached his destination.

"I didn't think you'd actually do it," Regulus said in disbelief. Severus just stared.

"What are you doing here?" one of the younger Slytherins demanded. Probably fourth year, Harry decided.

"Eating breakfast. And I wouldn't eat that if I were you," Harry added casually as another student raised a forkful of eggs to his mouth.

"Why not?" Severus demanded.

"My friends did something to it. But I had no part in it. In fact, I highly disapprove. Oh, that goes for the drinks, too," Harry added as Regulus was about to take a sip from his goblet. Regulus stared at it for a moment, then immediately put it down. Harry noted with some pride that many other students within hearing were eying their food dubiously, and some were passing the warning on to their friends. Even the older years were being cautious. One seventh year deliberately pushed his full plate away from himself, got up, and left. Unfortunately, not everyone was willing to listen. At least a dozen fifth-through-seventh years sneered at Harry, then took a deliberate bite of whatever was on their plate.

"If it's spiked," Regulus asked after a moment, "why are you eating it?"

Harry swallowed his mouthful of kippers on toast and put down his fork. "To make a point," he replied simply—only his voice cracked. Like it used to do when he was thirteen. Regulus and Severus burst into surprised laughter as Harry sighed in resignation. He rubbed his hand over his chin, grimacing as he felt the beginnings of acne that hadn't been there ten minutes ago. "Oh, I am so going to kill them," he muttered.

"You did do it to yourself, you know," Severus pointed out.

"Be glad they didn't add a shrinking solution to it as well. You can't really afford to be any smaller," Regulus added, snickering.

"Only the fact that Remus wasn't involved in this either reassures me that there isn't," Harry muttered. His voice cracked again, and it was much higher pitched. Harry bit back a groan and turned to Severus. "You wouldn't happen to know a cure for this, would you?"

"Wash your face every night and the acne will go away eventually. But you'll just have to wait for your voice to find its new pitch," Severus drawled, smirking. Harry did groan this time.

"Let's go to the kitchens," Regulus said after a moment. "I'm starving."

Severus nodded in agreement and the two of them got to their feet.

Regulus paused, then sighed heavily. "I guess I owe you two, Harrison."

Harry grinned. "I'll use them wisely." His voice cracked again and he was left alone, his friends' laughter echoing in his ears. Up and down the Slytherin table, others were leaving their plates untouched. Sadly, some of the more unlucky ones who had already started eating before Harry arrived were starting to show the same symptoms, as were those who had deliberately ignored the warning. Resigning himself to a day of miserable, repeated puberty, Harry finished off his kippers and pumpkin juice, figuring the worst was already upon him.

He should have known better.

By the end of first period, Harry's voice successfully and effortlessly reached the upper registers. He sounded like a first year. A first year girl. And it still cracked embarrassingly every few sentences. The acne hadn't spread, but it hurt and it looked horrific. Harry glared at the culprits as they left their first class together.

"Why'd you prank yourself?" Peter asked. "You knew it had been tampered with."

"To prove a point," Harry ground out. James tried to look guilty; Sirius looked pissed. Thanks to Harry's intervention, only a small percentage of Slytherin house had been affected by the prank, and his intended targets—Regulus and Severus—had escaped unscathed.

"Why'd you even go to the Slytherin table?"

"To warn them, of course. And to win a bet," Harry added.

"From who?" Sirius demanded.

"Your brother, as a matter of fact. And I won."

Sirius stared at Harry like he'd grown a second head. Harry ignored him in favor of Professor Flitwick's charms lecture.

As the day wore on, the effects of the prank became clear. It wasn't just a combination of symptoms that looked like puberty. Somehow, they'd found a spell or potion or a combination of the two that literally recreated puberty—for boys and girls. At the same time. Harry's mood took a turn for the worse, and in addition to the acne and other symptoms, Harry's lower back was inexplicably sore. By midafternoon, the acne started to spread until it all but covered his face with painful sores.

Of course, all that Harry could deal with. Yes, he was uncomfortable, and highly annoyed at his friends on principle. But the worst part was the jokes made at his expense. Harry could take it (though not particularly well) from the general populace. And they all had plenty to say. Especially when word inevitably spread that Harry had knowingly become victim to the prank. But when the same jokes and off-color comments came from his friends, it was quite a lot worse.

Remus and Peter weren't bad. Peter did laugh at a lot of Sirius's comments, but he didn't make any of his own. Remus grew more and more concerned as the day went on that Harry would finally snap and kept his distance. James, on the other hand, seemed to genuinely believe that he was being funny when he poked at the sores all over Harry's face and offhandedly said he looked like mincemeat. But Sirius took it too far.

Already pissed with Harry for ruining his prank, he took every opportunity to poke fun at him. Telling Harry he looked like he was covered in love bites and asking if he enjoyed being turned into mincemeat by greedy birds was the least offensive thing Sirius said. Sirius took all of James's almost-funny comments and turned them into dirty jokes and innuendoes, all at Harry's expense. By dinnertime, Harry had had enough.

"Oy, Harrison! Here comes another bird to take a bite out of you. Are you sure you're not secretly a masochist in love—"

"Shut up!" Harry slammed his hands down on the table. Sirius stopped short, looking both surprised and triumphant.

"Harry—"

"Yes, I perfectly well know I did this to myself. I know I look like a bloody mess. But you bloody well don't have to make it worse!" Harry growled. "Yes, I can take a prank. But this is not a prank! Is anyone even laughing besides you, Sirius? Does anyone besides you and James think this is funny? Because I sure as hell don't."

"Um…sorry?" James offered, but he'd clearly been on the verge of laughter at Sirius's comment. Remus was scowling at the pair of them, his face essentially saying, I told you so. Peter looked uncomfortable. Students up and down the table were all either staring in fascination or looking away awkwardly.

"Are you, James? Are you really?" Harry demanded, turning on him. "How would you like it if you were in my position? Would you be laughing along while your best friend made suggestive jokes and inappropriate comments about you?"

James opened his mouth, then closed it, looking uncomfortable. Harry scoffed loudly.

"I thought so. You and Sirius deliberately went behind my back for this, because you knew what I'd have to say about it. Because this sure as hell isn't funny. And it sure as hell is not a prank." Harry fixed James and Sirius both with a piercing glare that made them both shrink back a little.

"Let me clarify something for you," he started coldly. "A prank is something that everyone can laugh along with, including the person being pranked. But what you did, what you were trying to do, is not pranking. It's victimizing. It's bullying. Picking on someone just because you can, singling them out because there's something about them you don't like, or you're just in a bad mood and want a target to vent on. That's called bullying." Harry narrowed his eyes further. "And if this is how you treat a supposed friend, I can only imagine how cruel you would have been if Severus had been caught by this prank. Or Merlin forbid your own brother, Sirius!"

Silence followed for a long moment. James looked genuinely regretful. Sirius looked a little shamefaced, but with a touch of resentment.

"Sorry," Sirius finally said. James couldn't seem to manage to speak at all.

Harry scoffed again. "Sure, you'll apologize to me. But what about all the other people you insulted? All the others who were affected by the prank? Are you going to apologize to them? Of course not, because they're nothing to you, aren't they? They're just targets to you, aren't they? Nameless victims, or, Merlin forbid, deserving just because of the color of their robes! Good for a laugh, but nothing else, right? Well, I've got a newsflash for you, Sirius. People aren't here for your entertainment!"

Harry didn't remember standing, but he was on his feet. He was also shouting. Every eye was on him. And he didn't care.

"How would you like it if someone targeted you just because you're wearing red and gold? Or because your clothes are too big? Or you have a stupid scar on your forehead? Just because you're different?"

Sirius paled and shrank away.

"Harry—"

"How would you feel if you were always singled out and picked on, beaten up and beaten down every day, while people who should have helped just stood by and watched? How would you like to be the victim? How would you feel then?"

"Harry!"

"It feels horrible, is what it is!" Harry screamed in frustration. "You feel hopeless. Alone. Worthless. Freakish!"

Lily suddenly flinched and looked away.

"Harry James—!"

Harry blinked. The world faded from red back to normal.

"That's enough." Tonks's hand closed tightly on Harry's wrist, squeezing painfully. "They get it."

Harry nodded slowly, then turned to look at his friends. Remus and Peter looked thoroughly ashamed, even though they had taken no part in the prank. James's eyes were down and his shoulders were slumped. He'd taken the verbal lashing without protest. Sirius, on the other hand, was hunched in on himself and was staring at Harry openmouthed, pale, and—trembling?

Harry made himself take a deep breath, then he exhaled harshly. "This had damn well better have worn off by tomorrow morning, or so help you will dearly regret it if you don't already. And next time, for Merlin's sake, stop and think about how you would feel if the prank you're planning was pulled on you. And stop being cruel about it, as if the prank itself wasn't enough already," he finished dangerously.

"Enough," Tonks said again, firmly. "Let's go." She pulled on Harry's wrist and dragged him out of the Great Hall.

She pulled him down one of the first-floor corridors where they wouldn't be disturbed, then she turned to face him, hands on her hips, her hair turning red.

"You may have made some good points, but that does not mean you had the right to shout at them. You will apologize for losing your temper. I don't care what that potion may have done, but if you can throw off the imperious curse you can resist a juvenile mood-altering potion. Understand?"

Harry nodded mutely, suddenly feeling very acutely the seven years' age difference between him and Tonks. She stared him down with fire in her eyes, and he knew she was deadly serious. Then she held out her hand for his wand. Harry sputtered, starting to protest, but she cut him off.

"There will be no revenge prank. Period. You shouting at them was punishment enough. You'll get it back tomorrow morning."

Harry nodded sullenly and handed over the wand, but not without muttering profanities under his breath. Tonks raised an eyebrow as she took it and stowed it away.

"Obviously they put the whole package into that potion, or whatever it was. You're moodier than you ever were, even at Headquarters before your fifth year. And that's saying something."

Harry didn't reply for a long moment, then he sighed and rubbed a hand over his face. Already the raised sores were fading and the pain was nearly gone.

"Are you calm enough to be reasonable now?"

Harry nodded. In the wake of his temper tantrum, other emotions were pooling in his stomach. First was guilt, for so thoroughly dressing down his friends when they really didn't deserve it. But then the realization that the two people he'd yelled at weren't just his friends—they were the younger versions of his father and godfather. And Harry realized that two people he had always looked up to and had heard so many good things about were…bullies. They were just like his cousin Dudley. And Harry couldn't help but wonder, if he was his true self here, and not connected to anyone, if he would have been one of their victims.

"What's got you thinking so hard now?" Tonks asked with a hint of teasing. Harry looked down.

"They really were bullies, just like I saw in Snape's pensieve," he said softly. His voice cracked, but not because of the potions.

Tonks bumped his shoulder. "Your emotions really are out of whack, aren't they?" she said matter-of-factly. "That potion really did a number on you. Why don't you go up to bed? I'll have a few words with them before they get too far."

Harry nodded and turned to go. Then he turned back and smiled faintly. "Thanks, Tonks," he said softly.

"That's Joselyn to you," she said with a grin. "Go on. Dream sweet dreams of revenge. Just don't plan to act on any of them," she added playfully.

Harry rolled his eyes, then headed up the grand staircase and made his way toward Gryffindor tower.