At Dumbledore's blunt statement, I turned my head slightly to the side and awkwardly whistled, pretending sudden fascination with a random shelf of trinkets on the headmaster's wall. Fawkes let out a soft trill of amusement from my shoulder, clearly sensing my discomfort.
Madam Bones stared at the headmaster, momentarily dumbfounded. Her mouth opened slightly as she processed the revelation, then snapped shut with a sharp click. Her eyes narrowed as she glared at Dumbledore in disbelief.
"Headmaster, are you telling me that students are allowed to just blatantly come and go from the grounds as they please?" she demanded sharply. Her tone made it clear she considered the idea ridiculous. "That is an absolute security nightmare!"
Dumbledore's smile didn't falter at her reaction. If anything, his eyes just twinkled more brightly with amused mischief.
"No, Amelia," he assured her gently, calmly lacing his fingers together on his desk. "Only Mr. Sitri and his close companions-his friends and family-have permission to leave. And that is simply because I trust Harry implicitly to be responsible about it. Besides, according to the official rules established from the Triwizard Tournament itself, champions such as Harry are actually allowed considerable freedom of movement. He may come and go as he pleases during this tournament." Dumbledore's smile widened slightly as he added casually, "Though I will admit, the rules regarding whether or not he may take other students with him are somewhat... ambiguous, to say the least."
He glanced pointedly in my direction, and I quickly coughed awkwardly. Madam Bones turned her attention sharply back to me, her eyebrow arching upward skeptically.
"It was just for the weekend," I explained, raising my hands defensively. "I promise, Madam Bones, I'm not planning to vanish every weekend. I just..." I paused, trying to think of the right way to say it. "I just needed to get away for a bit."
And had to get my new peerage members adjusted. Went unsaid.
Her expression softened slightly at my honesty.
I didn't particularly care much for the Ministry of Magic. From everything I'd seen and heard since arriving in Britain, it was a failing government, barely held together by nepotism, incompetence, and blatant corruption. But even so, it was clear Madam Bones at least genuinely cared about my safety. That counted for something. I think.
"Thank you again for taking this so seriously, Madam Bones," I said sincerely, meeting her gaze. "I do appreciate your concern."
She relaxed just a fraction, her expression softening. "Just please be cautious, Mr. Sitri. For your own sake."
"I will," I promised, meaning it.
Before anyone else could speak, there was a soft knock at Dumbledore's office door. I turned my head slightly, sensing two magical signatures outside, patiently waiting. A faint smile curled my lips as I instantly recognized one of them. A brand-new member of my peerage who I'd grown more familiar with over the past weekend.
The door opened smoothly, and Narcissa Black strode gracefully into the room, head held proudly, her posture confident and regal as if she owned the entire castle. Already, a weekend away from her toxic husband clearly had already done her a world of good. She carried herself with renewed strength, confidence, and an elegant poise that demanded respect. Her platinum blonde hair shone softly in the warm light, framing that stunningly beautiful face I'd grown rather fond of in such a short time.
Our eyes met briefly, and she gave me a subtle, playful wink that sent a pleasant warmth through me.
Standing just behind Narcissa was another witch, this one much younger, with vibrant bubblegum-pink hair framing a beautiful, heart-shaped face. She wore simple Auror robes, but even beneath the standard clothing, I could see she was undeniably attractive, her figure slender but still softly curved in all the right places.
However, for some reason, this pink-haired witch was casting distinctly distrustful glances at Narcissa, carefully watching her every movement. She seemed so distracted by observing Narcissa suspiciously that she completely forgot to watch her own feet. Her shoe caught awkwardly on the rug as she entered, causing her to stumble forward suddenly.
"Oh, bloody hell-!" she gasped sharply, her eyes widening in surprise as she started falling straight toward me.
Reacting instantly, I stepped forward, opening my arms smoothly to catch her before she could hit the ground. Her soft, slender body tumbled directly into my chest. Instinctively, my arms wrapped securely around her petite waist to steady her, holding her gently but firmly against me.
"Hello there," I said with a small smirk, looking down at the adorably clumsy slightly older witch in my arms. "You alright?" she was in her mid 20s, probably graduated Hogwarts a few years ago.
She blinked up at me, clearly startled, cheeks flushing a bright shade of pink that nearly matched her vibrant hair. Our eyes locked together for a brief moment, and to my astonishment, her vivid pink locks suddenly began shifting colors rapidly-cycling through shades of violet, blue, orange, and then settling back to pink again.
Well, that was an interesting ability.
"I'm-I'm fine, thanks," she stammered, embarrassed. Her large, expressive eyes darted away nervously as she quickly righted herself, stepping carefully out of my embrace. She glanced awkwardly at Madam Bones.
Madam Bones sighed deeply, pinching the bridge of her nose. "Really, Tonks?" she muttered dryly, exasperation clear in her voice. "Way to make a great first impression on your new charge."
The younger witch cringed, shooting her superior an apologetic look. "Sorry, ma'am."
Madam Bones shook her head lightly, clearly used to the younger woman's clumsiness by now. She turned back toward me, gesturing toward the embarrassed pink-haired Auror.
"Mr. Sitri, allow me to introduce Auror Nymphadora Tonks," she said clearly. "She is a fully trained and highly capable Auror and has been specifically assigned as your personal guard here at Hogwarts. Given the circumstances, it was decided you needed someone close by who could protect you from any further attempts on your life..."
I hated how that made sense from an outside perspective.
"Please just call me Tonks," the pink-haired witch quickly chimed in, giving me an awkward but hopeful smile. "I really can't stand my first name."
"Tonks, then," I said easily, returning her smile warmly. "It's nice to meet you."
"You too," she replied, cheeks still slightly flushed.
Madam Bones finally seemed to notice Narcissa fully, and immediately her entire demeanor changed. Her eyes narrowed sharply, turning even icier and more suspicious than the look Tonks had been giving Narcissa earlier.
I felt a sudden powerful urge to step forward and defend Narcissa. But I quickly pushed down the impulse. The close relationship between Narcissa and me was supposed to stay secret for now. Although it probably wouldn't last very long when other students eventually saw us spending time together. As a brand new member of my peerage, with her magic still needing to settle for years to come, she would need to be spending at least an hour a day around me.
Madam Bones crossed her arms beneath her considerable chest and spoke in a clipped, hostile tone. "Forgive me, but I'd very much like to know what the wife of Lucius Malfoy is doing here, Headmaster." The sheer venom in her voice when she said the name "Malfoy" was palpable. Clearly, Amelia Bones held nothing but hatred for the Malfoy family. It wasn't exactly surprising, given Lucius's past as a Death Eater.
Narcissa, however, was completely unfazed by Madam Bones's hostility. She lifted her chin confidently. "I am no longer that bastard's wife, Amelia," she announced clearly, voice firm and unwavering. "As of yesterday, I have officially filed for divorce from Lucius Malfoy. My legal representative is Ted Tonks, and he's currently handling all necessary proceedings."
At that, Madam Bones immediately turned toward the young pink-haired Auror beside me, her expression utterly astonished. "Is that true, Nymphadora? Why wasn't something this significant reported to me immediately?"
Tonks flinched slightly at the use of her first name, shifting uncomfortably from one foot to another. "I'm really sorry, boss," she admitted awkwardly. "Mum specifically told me to keep quiet about it. She said it was Black family business and shouldn't be made public yet."
Madam Bones huffed sharply, clearly irritated, but she didn't press the issue further. Instead, she turned back toward Narcissa, still wary but at least slightly less hostile than before.
Tonks, though, stepped forward a bit, eyeing Narcissa cautiously. "I just want it clearly understood, I still don't entirely trust her yet. You know how miserable my mum has been most of her life? Having both her younger sisters turn out to be complete monsters took a toll."
I felt Narcissa tense subtly at the mention of her sisters, Bellatrix and Andromeda, but her voice was calm as she responded. "You must understand, Nymphadora," she said gently but clearly, "I was trapped under an old-world marriage contract and essentially lived as Lucius's slave. My... ex-husband forbade me from ever speaking to my sister Andromeda again, or from ever associating with you-my own niece." Narcissa paused, eyes lingering on Tonks thoughtfully. "You certainly have an interesting hairstyle, and your fashion choices are quite... unique," she said carefully, lips curling into a gentle smirk. "But I sincerely hope we'll get to know each other better now."
Tonks blinked in surprise, her guarded expression wavering slightly as she met Narcissa's genuine gaze. Her hair flashed briefly from pink to orange, betraying her emotions, but she didn't reply right away.
In the brief silence that followed, Dumbledore spoke up cheerfully from behind his desk, his eyes twinkling with genuine delight. "Ah, it's always good when family works things out, isn't it?" he commented warmly.
Fawkes chirped happily from my shoulder, clearly agreeing, and I absently reached up to gently stroke the phoenix's feathers again.
Madam Bones sighed softly, giving Narcissa a look that held at least some sympathy now. "I honestly wasn't aware those archaic marriage contracts were still in use. I'm...sorry to hear that you went through that, Narcissa."
Narcissa inclined her head respectfully in acknowledgment, and I felt a brief surge of pride for how composed she was being in such an uncomfortable situation.
Tonks cleared her throat awkwardly, turning slightly pink again before speaking up nervously. "Just don't expect me to suddenly get along with your son Draco, though," she warned Narcissa. "I met that little bastard briefly when he was 16, during his first year at Hogwarts. Even then, he was an arrogant, entitled brat, and I can't imagine he's improved with age."
He has not...
Narcissa's eyes instantly hardened at the mention of Draco, her voice becoming icy cold in a way I'd rarely heard from her. "Let me make one thing very clear, Nymphadora," she said slowly and clearly, her gaze unwavering. "I no longer have a son."
Tonks's eyes widened, visibly startled by Narcissa's cold declaration. Beside her, Madam Bones also looked taken aback, eyebrows shooting upward in shock.
I quietly glanced toward Narcissa, subtly offering her a sympathetic look. She caught my gaze and gave me a small, grateful smile in return.
Sensing the sudden tension in the room, Dumbledore cleared his throat gently, breaking the uncomfortable silence. "On a slightly brighter note," he announced cheerfully, "Miss Narcissa Black has made a rather interesting proposal to me-one I was very pleased to accept. She has volunteered to become Hogwarts's new Assistant Professor of Defense Against the Dark Arts." The headmaster continued with a mild chuckle, clearly trying to find a polite way to phrase his next words. "You see, even though the school year is still young, I've come to realize our current Defense professor, Gilderoy Lockhart... er..." He paused awkwardly, struggling to find a diplomatic way to admit he'd hired an incompetent fraud. "Professor Lockhart could perhaps use a bit more... assistance."
I had to bite back a grin. Yes, it was a shame The Wizarding World didn't have a thing for stand-up comedy, because Lockhart would have been so rich otherwise. The guy came to this school with half of the female students thirsting after him, and yet it only took a handful of lessons for them all to realize he was a complete and utter fraud. If he had any thoughts of getting laid this year with any of those young women, those had been thoroughly dashed at this point.
Amelia Bones, however, simply nodded sternly at the old man, muttering something quietly under her breath about getting letters from Susan complaining about that class not meeting expectations. She turned sternly to Narcissa again. "If you're to take this role, Miss Black, you'd best do it well," Madam Bones warned firmly.
Narcissa smiled confidently, lifting her chin with pride. "Of course," she replied smoothly, her voice brimming with genuine assurance. "I do hold a mastery-level certification in Defense Against the Dark Arts, after all."
Tonks let out a soft whistle of appreciation, visibly impressed. "Blimey, even I couldn't manage that," she admitted freely. "The practical exams were bloody brutal!"
I chuckled lightly at her candid honesty. The bubbly Auror was definitely nothing like what I'd imagined an elite magical police officer to be. Narcissa gave her niece a faint smile.
Dumbledore clapped his hands together cheerfully, clearly satisfied that tensions were now easing. "Well, I'm quite confident things will proceed smoothly from here," he announced brightly. "Harry, I'd ask that you do your best to welcome Auror Tonks and Miss Black as they settle into their new roles here at Hogwarts."
I glanced briefly at Tonks, who gave me a shy smile, and then at Narcissa, whose eyes twinkled mischievously as she subtly winked at me again. "Of course, Headmaster," I agreed easily. "I'll do whatever I can to make them both feel at home."
Auror Nymphadora Tonks gave me an amused, playful look after I spoke up. She placed her hands lightly on her hips and tilted her head at me. "Oh, I'm absolutely sure you'll do whatever it takes to make us feel at home," she said teasingly, clearly placing an emphasis on those words. "You know, there's quite a few rumors swirling around the British Wizarding World right now. Some people claim the famous Boy Who Lived has already started himself a proper harem here at Hogwarts." She shot a deliberately exaggerated glance toward Narcissa while wiggling her eyebrows playfully. "Watch yourself, Auntie. According to the gossip mill, beautiful single witches seem to be falling left and right for our young hero here."
