Twenty-Four

Hours to Live

by

Heather Sinclair

Spoilers: Order of the Phoenix

Pairings: H/Tonks

Rating: R requires the presence of a Parent or Guardian
This story is specifically designed to be viewed by adults and therefore may be unsuitable for minors under 17. This story contains one or more of the following: graphic violence, explicit sexual activity, or

crude indecent language.

Disclaimer: This story, and any content relating to the Harry Potter franchise is not authorized by J.K. Rowling, or Scholastic Press. I own my computer ... Can I have Harry and Tonks instead?

Chapter One

Justin Finch-Fletchley

December 24, 1996

12:00 a.m.

Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry

Gryffindor Tower Common Room

 

Harry Potter stared at the iridescent flames of the magically enhanced fire for the third hour straight while nursing the last dregs of warm butterbeer from the bottle that hung limply between his fingers. He was alone, truly alone, for the first time in his life, and had been so since the beginning of winter holidays.

His former friends, Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger, were off doing Merlin knows what for a little over a week. From the spattering of conversation he had overheard, here and there, everyone would be spending their holidays with family. Considering what had been happening since the end of his fifth year in regards to Voldemort and the ongoing war, he couldn't blame them. It's where he would be if he had any surviving family.

Dumbledore had almost insisted he spend his time in reconciliation with his friends, but Harry knew it was for the best that he distance himself and did so at every available turn for the last six months.  He turned away from them and the teachers of Hogwarts. He turned away from the members of the Order of the Phoenix in their attempt to corral their activities at keeping him safe and secure over the summer.

Harry spent all available time walking the streets of Little Whinging, at all hours, to stay away from his aunt, uncle, and cousin, almost daring Voldemort to pop up from the bushes and yell Avada Kedavra, just so it would all be over with once and for all.

At first, they would try to convince him to go home, to talk to somebody about his loss, about Sirius' death, about the near death of his friends at the hands of numerous Death Eaters, but he would have nothing of it. They tried pleading. They tried bribery. They tried threats. But nothing would sway him from the path he had chosen.

His only agreement before the beginning of term was to continue with his sixth year at Hogwarts on the condition that he would be left alone, otherwise he would find a way to escape and leave them to their own devices. Dumbledore reluctantly acquiesced in hopes that being surrounded by his friends and other students would eventually work Harry out of whatever he needed to get through.

Ron, Hermione, Ginny, and Neville all tried their best to talk him up either by friendly banter or downright yelling at him, but he ignored them to the best of his abilities, never saying a word in response. In fact the only time they actually heard him speak was to answer questions put to him by Professors regarding schoolwork.

There was no Quidditch. There was no D.A. There were no chess games with Ron, or late night study sessions with Hermione. There was only Harry seeped in his quiet introspection and self imposed misery in front of the fire on the beginning of Christmas Eve.

That is until a loud crack alerted him to the presence of the one individual in all of Hogwarts that respected his decision.

"Harry Potter, Sir. The headmaster requests your appearance in his office, Sir. It is a matter of great importance, he said."

Harry looked at the sad eyes of Dobby the house-elf and nodded. One more look at the fire and he finished off the remains of his bottle, tossing it to the bin beside the armchair. He stood and made his was across the quiet common room and out the portrait hole.

12:13a.m.

Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry-Scotland

Headmaster's Office

 

When he stepped off the revolving steps that led to the headmaster's office Harry noticed the door was open and Albus Dumbledore sat at his desk speaking to someone in the armchair across from him.

"Harry," the headmaster said with an even tone. "Please come in and be seated."

He did as he was told and said nothing in between. The person sitting in the armchair beside him was ex-Auror and former member of the Order of the Phoenix, Nymphadora Tonks. She was dressed, neck to toe, in black. Even the shade of her skin was considerably darker and her hair was as black as Harry's.

He gave her a look over and saw her staring back at him with a nondescript look on her face.

"Harry, Miss Tonks has come to us with disturbing news this night."

Harry blinked and said nothing. He had known Dumbledore well enough to know he would either tell him what the news was, or hide it from him, tauntingly, as he did every other time in his life. So he waited.

"Still being stoic boy, are we, Harry?" baited Tonks.

Harry ignored the bitter jibe as he had all the others from everyone close to him for the last six months; instead, he chose to stare at Dumbledore.

"Miss Tonks, in her quest to hunt down the Death Eater responsible for the death of your godfather, has learned of a plot to murder twenty-four people over the next twenty-four hours."

While this peaked Harry's interest he did not let it show on his face.

"One will die at the stroke of each hour until either they are stopped or everyone is dead."

Harry blinked and exhaled slightly.

Tonks leaned into the side of his face, so close that he could feel her breath. "Are you listening, Harry, or do you just not care?"

He turned his face to his accuser. "People die," he said dryly.

Her eyes narrowed and a small condescending smile came to her face. "Interested in knowing who?" She held up a sheet of parchment. "Got all the names right here."

He looked down at the parchment and back up to her face, then to Dumbledore's. He blinked once more and stood up to leave. As he did, the door closed and locked itself. Harry already had experience with Dumbledore's will-to-be-heard from last June and knew that he was trapped until he either heard them or waited them out. He chose to wait it out and returned to his chair, turning it to face the green flames of the fire.

"Harry," Dumbledore said. "Your name is on the list."

His eyes lit to the colorful phoenix that perched on a stand behind Dumbledore's desk. "What time?"

"Twelve a.m.," answered Tonks. "You're the last one."

Harry nodded with finality. "Good. Then it's all over with."

Dumbledore's face went grim. "We do not have time to bandy words or smother ourselves in your misery, Harry. I am asking you to help save the remainder of the people on that list."

Harry turned to him. "Like I told you during the summer, Sir, I'm done with the saving-people-thing. Isn't that what all of you wanted in the first place ... for me to sit idly by until I'm graduated, then throw me at Voldemort, and hope for the best?"

Neither Tonks nor Dumbledore said anything.

"Oops, I guess someone's going to mess up your schedule."

 Dumbledore set aside the accusation. "All of your friends are on the list as well, Harry."

He searched Dumbledore's face for any sign of deceit, not that he would ever find any, and then turned to Tonks, grabbing the list from her hand. His eyes trailed down the names, finding anybody he ever cared for, ending with Ron and Hermione just before his own name.

01:00  Justin Finch-Fletchley

02:00 Terry Boot

03:00 Anthony Goldstein

04:00 Ernie Macmillan

05:00 Hannah Abbott

06:00 Susan Bones

07:00 Parvati Patil

08:00 Cho Chang

09:00 Minerva McGonagall

10:00 Nymphadora Tonks

11:00 Alastor Moody

12:00 p.m. Rubeus Hagrid

01:00 Luna Lovegood

02:00 Neville Longbottom

03:00 Arthur Weasley

04:00 Molly Weasley

05:00 George Weasley

06:00 Fred Weasley

07:00 Ginny Weasley

08:00 Remus Lupin

09:00 Albus Dumbledore

10:00 Ron Weasley

11:00 Hermione Granger

12:00  a.m. Harry Potter

 

 

It didn't work ... nothing he ever did ever worked.  Six months of turning away from everything that made him happy resulted in a death sentence for everyone that made his life worth living. He was sure if Malfoy reported to his Death Eater cronies that he had broken all ties with the people closest to him then they would be left alone, that they would only come after him. But it didn't work.

Now their lives were in danger and they hated him. Could my life get any worse?

"We don't have time to waste," said Tonks. "Are you with us or not?"

 

Harry's face screwed up with anger. "I'm with you."

"Great," she said with some relief. "Now we know why certain members were chosen, but what's up with the first eight?"

He scanned the names. "Shouldn't we get these people to safety?"

Dumbledore nodded. "They are being gathered as we speak, and taken to a single location for their protection, Harry." He looked at Tonks. "Do you know about the first eight on the list?"

Harry shrugged his shoulders. "The first six were in the D.A. last year and stopped Malfoy, Crabbe, and Goyle from attacking me on the train from Hogwarts."

Dumbledore smiled, briefly. "That would explain their condition when they arrived at Kings Cross. And the other two?"

"Parvati went to the Yule Ball with me in fourth year and Cho and I were ... I don't know what we were, last year. I escorted her to Hogsmeade one time and she was in D.A. We liked each other for a while. I guess that makes her good enough to make the list."

Dumbledore nodded. "The rest are self-explanatory."

"What about Tonks? They shouldn't know about her."

She grimaced. "I was at Kings Cross when we threatened your Muggles. We must have been seen by Narcissa Malfoy or something."

An idea came to Harry. "Get Malfoy. He's bound to know what they're planning. A little Veritaserum and he should be spilling his guts."

"Mr. Malfoy has turned up missing from his home along with his mother," said Dumbledore.

A small whoosh of flames and Harry noticed Remus Lupin's face appear in the fireplace. "Albus, we've accounted for all but two people on the list."

A look of concern covered Dumbledore's face. "Who?"

"Hannah Abbott and Cho Chang."

"Very well. Try your best to locate them, Remus."

Harry moved so Remus could see him better. "Ask Ernie Macmillan. He might know about Hannah."

Remus turned his head. "Hello, Harry. Talking to us again, I see."

A scowl found it way onto Harry's face. "It's an emergency."

The head-shaped flame nodded. "Yes it is. We'll be sending the children through first, Albus."

With that, Remus disappeared.

"They're coming here?" asked Harry.

"Can you think of a safer place?" asked Tonks.

"Harry, would you mind returning to Gryffindor Tower and bring back that wonderful map of yours? I am sure Alastor would feel much more comfortable knowing who is wandering the halls of Hogwarts."

Harry nodded. "Sure."

"Tonks, go with him."

She looked at the headmaster. "I'm not yours to order around anymore, Dumbledore."

His eyebrows lifted slightly. "How thoughtless of me. Tonks, if you aren't doing anything for the next twenty or so minuets ..."

"Oh, shut it. I'll go."

"I don't need an escort," Harry complained.

She stood with him. "Yes you do, you're marked for death, just like everyone in this room."

 

12:37 a.m.

Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry-Scotland

Gryffindor Tower Boys Dormitory

"You might want to change into something dark. Makes it harder for the bad guys to see you," suggested Tonks as they entered the room.

Harry didn't think twice about pulling off his plain white t-shirt and tossing it on his bed before he pulled a black one out of a drawer and slipped it over his head. His jeans were already black as well as the trainers he was currently wearing. A quick search through his trunk resulted in the Marauders Map, which Harry activated immediately.

"I solemnly swear I am up to no good."

Tonks tiptoed and looked over his shoulder. "Cor blimey, Harry! Everyone's on that bit of parchment."

He nodded. "Just making sure the coast is clear before we move on."

"Looks like Dumbledore's got them in the Great Hall in time. We better get going before he locks the doors."

He looked back down at his trunk and pulled out his invisibility cloak. "This might come in useful."

Harry dumped the contents of his school bag in the trunk and stuffed the cloak inside along with a few other items along with a winter cloak then they rushed out.

12:55 a.m.

Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry

The Great Hall

The two of them jumped the last few steps off of the marble staircase and turned to see Mad Eye Moody standing at the doors to the Great Hall with a cross look on his face.

"Took you two long enough," he growled. "Thought we'd have to lock you out."

Tonks brushed passed him as his magical eye seemed to be going crazy trying to look in all directions at once. "Oh, shut up you bloody tosser."

When Harry entered the Great Hall he noticed all eyes were on him, and they were not very happy at the moment. He steeled himself and turned back around to Moody. "Here," he said while pulling the Marauders map out and handed it to him. "Dumbledore said you might like to borrow this."

Harry watched Moody's good eye centered on the map and then his magical eye followed and stopped. "Indeed I might, boy."

"Don't call me boy," Harry responded.

 Moody's head moved up and he centered his good eye on Harry while his other resumed its spinning. "Feeling a little cocky now that you're back in the game again, Potter?"

Harry reached for the old parchment. "If you don't want the map I can always take it back."

Moody snapped it away, grinning, which stretched his scarred face. "I'll hold onto it all the same, Potter."

"Fine. Just don't call me boy."

He turned back around to find Hermione standing inches away from him. The look on her face was stern and not at all pleased. He figured out that she was somewhat mad at him when her palm came flashing out and landed square on his face with a resounding smack that echoed once in the vastness of the almost empty Hall.

Harry covered the stinging of his face with his free hand and stared back down at his displeased friend.

"That's for being a prat and ignoring all of your friends for the whole term," she snapped and then slapped him again on the other cheek. "And that's for making me worry that you were going to leave us behind, and do something stupid in the process, for the last six months."

 He dropped his school bag as she moved forward and Harry almost jumped back until he realized that she was throwing her arms around him, squeezing the life out of him. "And this is because I love you, you stupid boy. Don't ever do that to us again, or I'll curse you into oblivion," she whispered into his ear.

He saw Ron standing behind her rolling his eyes in semi-disgust. "I'm not hugging you."

"Good," replied Harry, smiling for the first time in almost half a year.

He looked around at the gathered group. They didn't seem as forgiving. Hagrid stood unflinchingly to the side, a few feet away with his heavy crossbow by his side.

"Glad to be rid of us, Potter?"

Harry swiveled to the opposite side where Ernie Macmillan stood with clenched fists. "What?"

"They told us it was because we helped you on the train last year, cursing Malfoy. Now Hannah and Cho get to die because the professors couldn't find them in time."

He looked around and saw that it was true. Two of the list were missing and most likely will be dead come breakfast. "Don't be stupid. They'll find them in time."

Ernie stepped closer and pushed Harry back a few steps. "It's your fault, Potter."

"That will be enough, Mr. Macmillan," said Dumbledore. "It is almost time."

Justin Finch-Fletchley stood nervous, next to Dumbledore as he was first on the list, and couldn't think of a safer place on the face of the planet. The headmaster looked at his twelve-handed watch and his eyes came up at the stroke of one o'clock. Everyone looked around and saw that a thousand Death Eaters did not drop from the sky and kill Justin with Unforgivable Curses. Then with a collective sigh they relaxed.

"I see our precautions have prevented Justin's death. Minerva, if you and Remus would be so kind as to continue your search for Miss Chang and Miss Abbott I would be most appreciative."

The tense feeling dropped out of Harry's shoulders and he also sighed with some relief. That was until Ernie Macmillan gave him one final shove before storming off. He stumbled and tried to regain his footing, but not before staggering headlong into Hagrid who tried his best to catch him.

The loud twang of the heavy crossbow sang throughout the Great Hall as the bolt flew from the inset where it had rested in preparation of battle. The bolt whizzed through the air narrowly missing several students who instinctively stopped in response ... all except for Justin Finch-Fletchley who didn't even have time to scream before he received the business end through the left side of his mouth that he had opened in horror. The pointed end drove out of the back of his head splattering Dumbledore with a mixture of gray gore and blood across his violet robes.

Justin fell on his knees to the ground, his eyes closed and opened in a violent spasm before rolling up into his head. They all watched as his dead body fell limply to the floor, and blood, so dark it was almost black, pooled around his head.

The stunned horror of the scene was over and reality set in to all of the occupants of the Great Hall. Susan Bones was the first to utter a high-pitched scream followed thereafter by almost all of the students.

Harry's eyes lit upon the headmaster who looked at his watch once more to see the many arms complete their movement to 1:01 a.m.