Disclaimer: I own nothing pertaining to Harry Potter, and precious little of this plot. This is my first attempt, and I need all the feedback I can get.

The pre-dawn quiet of Privet Drive was shattered by the scream of a wild haired boy in the smallest bedroom at number 4. Almost immediately, the sound was cut off, and silence reasserted itself.

In that room, the air shimmered, as a young woman slipped out of her invisibility cloak. The young woman sat on the bed, and tried to comfort the boy, holding him tightly, and gently rocking the distraught teen, until he quieted and slowly awoke.

Harry awoke to find himself in a warm embrace. The person holding him was obviously female, and, at first, he thought he was still asleep, but had somehow slipped from another terrible nightmare, into a wonderful dream. As he fully awoke, he heard a soft soprano whispering brokenly.

" Shhh, Harry. It's okay." Realizing it was not a dream, his body stiffened in embarrassment. Apparently the woman felt this, and released him, backing off enough for him to recognize the spiky pink hair of Nymphadora Tonks.

"Wotcher, Harry?" Tonks smiled weakly and handed Harry his glasses. As she came fully into focus, Harry was disturbed to see she was crying. Without thinking, Harry raised his hand, and gently wiped her tears away. Her head moved so his hand cupped her cheek, and her smile brightened.

"How do you do that?" she asked with a small chuckle. " I was trying to make you feel better, and you end up comforting me."

"I wouldn't worry about that," Harry started to blush, "you took the nightmare away completely. I thought I was in another type of dream when I woke up." By the end of the statement, the blush had reached a proper Gryffindor red.

Tonks rolled her eyes and laughed.

"Heaven help me, I'd forgotten what you lot were like at 15. Of course, it seems different with a few years perspective." A mischievous glint entered her eyes, "If I didn't know better from the others, I might have thought this was staged. It would be the kind of thing Sirius would pull."

At the mention of Sirius' name, both of their faces blanked. Harry shut his eyes, as tears started once again to stain his cheeks. Tonks hand flew to her mouth, and then she embraced Harry once again.

"I'm so sorry. My big mouth won't stay shut. Maybe I should leave?"

Harry returned the embrace, all awkwardness submerged by need.

"Please, don't go yet. You're the only one who's talked to me. He probably would have wanted to be remembered for his pranks. He would have been proud of me if I'd done exactly what you said. Unfortunately, I just can't do that. I'll prank people, but I won't play with their emotions, especially now that I can see what could happen."

Tonks squeezed a bit harder, and then released him. "Your way is less prone to get you hexed by the witches." She then cocked her head and studied his face. "In fact, if you act toward the girls at school the way you act toward me, you'll have them eating out of your hand."

Harry chuckled, "What, cry all over them, then blush when I get shown attention? Is that the trick? Is that why Cho was always either crying or getting jealous?"

Tonks laughed quietly, "No, trying to cheer someone else, and very gently I might add, when you are down. Then the quiet flirting, the kind of compliment a girl will believe." She paused, and shook her head. "You mean to tell me that you have only had one girlfriend?"

Harry looked a little stunned. "Well, I get in trouble a lot, I'm not really smart or handsome. In second year, everyone thought I was petrifying people. In forth year, they thought I was a glory hound. Last year, I was supposed to be mad and dangerous. Who would want to be my girlfriend?"

Tonks stared at him, her eyes goggled and her mouth gaping. "Harry, you must be joking. You've been a star seeker since your first year, you are famous and rich, and you are generous to a fault. Do you mean to tell me that no Griffyndor girl is brave enough, no Slytherin girl ambitious enough, no Ravenclaw girl smart enough, and no Hufflepuff girl willing to work hard enough to catch you?"

"Well, maybe some have tried, but I was just too thick to see." Harry started to look down, but then realized that he was looking at Tonks' rather tight T-shirt, and his head snapped back up. "Hermione says I am rather thick when it comes to girls."

"She may be right, but it still sounds a bit fishy to me." Her face then hardened. "Harry, I need to tell you about something, which is why I was in your room during your nightmare. I was waiting for you to wake up to give you this" Harry saw her pull a letter from her robe pocket. "I thought you might need someone with you when you read it."

Harry examined the letter, which had the Gringotts seal. He cautiously opened it and read:

Mr. Potter,

We would like to express our condolences on the death of your Godfather, Sirius Orion Black. His will reading will take place on June 30th, after which there will be a 60 day period to probate the will. The will will be executed on the 31st of August.

You are listed as Mr. Black's primary beneficiary, therefore, you or your appointed representative should be here at Gringott's London at 10:00A.M. on both dates.

Ragnot

"I don't want anything from Sirius." Harry muttered through a tear stained face.

Tonks squeezed his shoulders, "I know. Neither do I. But I think we owe it to him to at least hear what he wanted, and try to make sure it happens."

"I feel responsible for his death. How could I take anything?" Harry closed his eyes and started to shake.

Tonks grabbed his chin and lifted, "Look at me Harry, I was there too. There was no way you were responsible. It wasn't you being there that got him killed. It was a combination of Bellatrix Lestrange, her boss, Sirius' own cockiness, and a dangerous environment." By the end of her reassurances, she was staring into his eyes intently, and

Harry felt the emotion behind the words, as well as the meaning. All Harry could do was nod to her.

Her expression changed to her normal good cheer. "Please, go to the reading. Remus and I will both be there, but so will the Malfoys, as well as the Headmaster. We need all the allies we can get!"

Harry produced one of his lopsided smiles, and nodded, "Okay, I'll be there, if for no other reason than to prevent Malfoy from gloating."

By now, the sun had risen, and Harry went off about his morning routine, while Tonks took up position outside under her invisibility cloak, until she was relieved at 8:00 A.M.