Cavorting with Death

4

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§Parseltongue§ = Parseltongue

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Chapter 4

CwD

July 3rd, 1996

"You bloody idiot! You could've warned me before you did that. I thought my stomach was going to jump out of my throat!" Harry hissed as he tried not to fall on his backside.

They arrived in a narrow alley, outside a quiet and small neighbourhood. The streetlamps providing light to the now dark sky as evening began settling in. Thankfully, it didn't have the unnatural similarities to the muggle houses that he was used to seeing the majority of his life.

Some houses were joined together, some separate, some front gardens were well taken care of while others had the bare minimum done. If Harry knew one thing, it was the fact that it was a pretty normal neighbourhood. Well normal apart from the fact that a wizarding family lived on the end of the quiet little street and definitely more normal than Privet Drive.

"Would you stop being such a child. S'just like what happened back at the Dursleys. It's best to side-along apparate you when you're not paying attention. Less chance of you-" Tonks began, giggling at his misfortune.

"Yeah yeah, I know. Splinching." Harry ended with a grimace.

"I thought you said you couldn't apparate from the Alley." He asked with scowl as he patted himself down.

"I said you can't apparate into the Alley. Never said anything about apparating out, now come along. We've wasted enough time already." She tapped the non-existent watch on her wrist before pulling on his hand towards a house which was separated from the others. Not unnaturally so, but clear enough to a person that the people who resided there, enjoyed their privacy. Much like himself he mused.

It was during his thoughts that he realised that they were getting closer and closer to their destination and panic began to set.

"W-Wait Nym, m-maybe this isn't such a good idea. It's probably best we come another day don't you think? I-I'm sure Andi wouldn't mind waiting another day or week..." Harry began lamely as he rooted himself and her, so they stopped walking. He could feel his chest constrict in nerves and his stomach fill with butterflies.

"I swear to Morgana's tits Harry, if you don't come with me now, I'm going to put a sticking charm on your feet, and I will drag my mother out here instead. It's up to you. Personally, I wouldn't want to show a free, heartfelt performance between two people who haven't seen each other in more than 14 years to all my lovely neighbours. Usually, people pay for those types of events." She replied sarcastically.

Harry ran a hand through his hair, his new Head of House ring glinting from the light from the streetlamp. He gave a shaky sigh in response before nodding his head in defeat.

It's not that he didn't want to see Andromeda after all these years. That wasn't the case at all. He was just afraid that maybe she had changed. Maybe she wasn't the same person that took care of him all those years ago, that she probably moved on with her life and didn't need a person like him with so much baggage on his hands, barging in. He certainly didn't want to do this out in the open that's for sure.

Tonks sighed as she looked at his pale face and saw the turmoil. She could practically see the nerves and rightly so. His normally vibrant emerald eyes looked duller than usual. His lips were pressed in a thin line with a look of resignation on his face.