I do not own Harry Potter, the Wizarding World, or any canon characters.

The Family that Chooses You

Chapter 75 – Exercise and "Restraint"

"Wotcher Harry!"

"Good morning," Harry replied with a smile. He would have been surprised by Tonks' sudden arrival if he did not hear the noise, she made coming through the Floo down the hall from the kitchen. The main Floo fireplace was in what Sirius called the greeting room and she had knocked over something loud and heavy as she came through. Her cursing was a lot like Alicia's when the Chaser's filter was off. "Have you eaten breakfast yet?"

"Not yet," Tonks said eagerly, flopping onto a chair at the table. "I'll be happy with whatever's left though if you don't mind."

"Not at all, I was about to make one last omelet." Harry poured beaten egg into the pan and swirled it slowly, letting the egg mixture thin out and cook slowly. "I'll just make a super big one and we can split it. How does that sound?"

"Wonderful." Tonks smiled as she watched him cook. "You're really good at that."

Harry smiled shyly. "Lots of practice. Plus you and Mrs. Tonks and Sirius are nice to cook for. I like cooking for you."

Tonks smothered a frown at his last statement. "Well, if heaping you with praise means you feed me then I'll do it a lot, you wonderful chef person you. Also don't call mum Aunt Tonks. She'd rather you call her Andromeda like you call Sirius by his name."

Harry poured chopped cooked onion and potato and ham into the middle of the omelet and started to roll the egg. "I guess I can do that. She's so…formal looking though. I feel kinda weird calling her by her first name. It feels disrespectful."

Sirius came walking into the kitchen. "You should have seen her growing up. She was easily the least formal of her sisters. Had a rebellious streak to her, like me. Guess that's why we get along so well." He sat at the table and smiled at the plate that already sat there waiting for him. "This looks great, thanks Harry." He sliced open his smaller omelet and dug in.

"Why don't you feel bad calling this one by his name?" Tonks asked in a teasing tone.

Harry looked thoughtful. "I guess it's because all year last year most people did, though they always said Sirius Black."

"Plus I don't act as formal as Andi does," Sirius said with a full mouth. "Don't look the part either." He made a show of showing off his unkempt black hair.

"Don't act the part either," Tonks said with false disgust. "Talking with your mouth full. For shame."

"Don't give me that. The first time I met you, you filled your mouth with frosting, inflated your cheeks, and spat it all over the place."

Tonks' face went bright red. "I was a child!"

"You still are," Sirius grinned.

Harry snickered as he served Tonks half of the omelet. "I'm used to people talking with their mouths full. Some people at school do that." He thought about his best male friend. "Some more than others."

"Like I said, children," Tonks sniffed. She ate eagerly. "Not even mum can make eggs like this. I might have to pop by more often."

"What does bring you by this early by the way?" Sirius asked. "Not that I mind of course."

"Oh right. Well I wanted to offer my services as an Auror in training to Harry here. Mum mentioned that Harry could benefit from regular exercise and some physical therapy things. So I'm going to train him up and get him healthy. Might even teach him some self-defense and tips like that."

"How'd Andi figure that? I thought you said your Medi-Witch's name was Bell," Sirius said to Harry.

"Medi-Witch Bell works with mum a lot," Tonks explained. "Mum's her mentor and they collab on things. Oh wait, here's a formal letter thing in case you had a problem with it." She handed a scrap of parchment to Sirius.

He took one look at it and snorted. "Somehow I don't think the words 'Deal with it, Sirius' is especially formal. Anyways, I don't have a problem with it really." He looked at Harry. "You're a bit scrawny and some exercise will do you some good."

Harry looked a little offended. "I've exercised before. I'm on the House Quidditch Team."

"And that's great but it's different kinds of exercise. We can build up some muscle, get your stamina up, and everyone should know some basic dueling and self-defense." Tonks winked. "Besides, see it this way. I've been trained by some of the best Aurors. You're getting tangential training that others can't get. So that makes you even luckier. Plus my training will help you with Quidditch and other things too."

"Really?" Harry looked intrigued. "How?"

"Better physical shape will help you on the broom. Same with improved reflexes. Improved stamina will help with that and more." She waggled her eyebrows. "Not to mention you looking good for the ladies."

Harry flushed. "I'm, well, I can sort of wait on the last part but the first part sounds good. Whatever I need to do to get healthier right?"

"Precisely. Don't worry Harry. I'll take good care of you." She looked at Sirius. "You want to join us, old man?"

Sirius glared at her. "I've got a lot to do for now and I'm not an old man. Your mother and father and I are almost the same age."

"And hey don't get me wrong, they're older too but you are an old man, old man."

"Stop that. I'm not an old man. Harry, am I an old man?"

Harry slowly chewed his food. "You have a…weathered…look about you."

"Thank you, Harry." Sirius looked at Tonks with a measured stare. "See? I'm not an old man. I'm weathered."

"You know what else looks weathered? Statues of old men."

"I'm going to revoke your ward access."

-0-

Tonks changed into work-out clothes while waiting for Harry to do the same. She lounged in a couch in the sitting room, comfortable in shorts and T-shirt with the sleeves ripped off. Her eyebrows went up when Harry walked into the room. "A practice jersey and some giant shorts? Those are your work-out clothes?"

Harry grinned weakly. "They're my best ones right now."

Tonks felt bad, seeing his embarrassment. She berated herself as she rose from the couch. "Sorry, I forget sometimes everyone's different for exercise clothes. I prefer very light clothes." She threw a pinch of Floo powder into the fireplace. "Alright, let's go, my protégé!"

Harry stepped out of the Floo at the other end and looked around. He was momentarily confused to see a large park in front of them. The fireplace looked like it was built in a meadow.

"Welcome to FireFall Woods," Tonks said. "It's a very large natural area for outdoor training. We have indoor gyms too of course but I thought you'd like a bit of fresh air and outdoors after spending all that time in Grimmauld."

Harry breathed deep of the clean fresh air. "It's really nice."

"I'm glad you think so. Let's start off with a run. Follow me!"

Tonks set off on an easy jog and was heartened to see Harry following her closely. She kept it going for a long while, pacing herself and keeping a close eye on Harry. As they finished the first part of the run, she was mildly impressed that Harry kept up with her. He was breathing hard but he had not bowed out or made any complaints.

"Not bad Harry, not bad at all!" Tonks' tone was bright as she praised the gasping teen. She watched him keel over onto the hard ground. "I honestly expected you to fall over sooner."

Harry chuckled in between gasps. "Used to running a lot on the Quidditch team," he said wearily but with a smile. Captain was mad for them."

"Huh, well that's good then. Alright, let's do some stretches and go over some other exercises."

After going through a set of exercises, Tonks led Harry back to the Floo point at a much slower pace. When they got there, she smiled proudly at a very exhausted Harry. "I'm proud of you Harry. I put you through a standard first day for Auror trainees and you did great."

"Really?"

"Sure did. Most trainees puke all over the place and more than a few barely finish the course. You interested in joining the corp?"

Harry thought for a moment. "I don't think so. I mean, being an Auror sounds cool don't get me wrong. But I don't know if I'm cut out for it."

"Well you're not yet of course, but there's nothing wrong with wanting to do something else. Have you thought about it yet? A future profession?" She smiled at his head shake. "You got plenty of time still before you decide. You're what, a fourth year? Now's a good time to think of options. How you do on O.W.L.s next year can really determine your prospects."

"That makes sense. Have you always wanted to be an Auror?"

"As soon as I heard of them. I always wanted to be a bad-ass Dark Wizard catcher and protector of others." Her cheeks went slightly pink. "Aurors are some of the best of the best. You have to know your stuff and be a good duelist and all sorts of things. Mum always said I was a bit of an overachiever."

"Nothing wrong with that," Harry said seriously. "Some of my friends are super studious and want to be the best."

Tonks was glad Harry did not tease her. So many people, especially her old classmates, used to mock her for wanting to be an Auror. It was nice to be believed in. "Question for you Harry. Why'd you just follow along with me today?"

"What do you mean?"

"I mean, you've been awfully amenable to everything. Most blokes your age would have told me to piss off if I suggested exercising during the summer holidays."

"Oh. Well, you said this was for my own good. And I've been trying to take steps into helping myself get better. I never got to exercise regularly during the summer, aside from doing chores outside."

"And do you usually listen to older girls without question?" She gave him a look full of arched eyebrows and a suggestive twinkle to her eye.

He flushed and laughed. "Sort of. Three of my closest friends at school are older than me. They…took really good care of me, still do really. I got used to listening to them and doing what they suggest. You're a little like them actually. You and Angelina are really athletic and you seem kind. So I feel like I can trust you. Sirius said I can trust you and your mum too."

Tonks felt touched. "I'm happy to hear that. I want you to know you can ask me anything, okay? I'm really glad Sirius is back in regular life and society and look forward to getting to be family with my cousin again." She reached out and ruffled Harry's messy hair. "And getting to know you of course."

Harry grinned. "Same!"

Tonks decided she liked seeing Harry smile. She wanted to ask him more questions but decided to wait. He's only starting to open up a little. She could wait. "Alright, let's head back to Grimmauld. We did some good work today and don't want to ruin things by doing too much."

-0-

Over the next few weeks Harry settled into a new routine. A few times a week Tonks would come over in the morning and take him out to FireFalls for exercise and training. He got used to the physical exertion and was enjoying himself more and more. The next time they went, Tonks had bought him new shorts and T-shirts in red and black. He had been especially grateful for the new sportswear and made sure to make her extra food whenever possible.

Days he did not exercise with her, he spent most of the time cleaning Grimmauld Place. He, Sirius, and Kreacher would work on a room and make sure all the dark magic was sealed away and removed before cleaning it top to bottom. Sometimes others came to help. Remus came sometimes, as well as Andromeda. One day the Weasleys came and they helped clean a lot, as well as giving Harry time to hang out with his friends.

Evenings were cozy. Sirius would tell Harry stories and answer questions about his parents or Wizarding culture in general. Sometimes they would chat in the kitchen while Harry made things. Other times they sat in the sitting room or the library. Harry really enjoyed those times the most. It gave him a connection that he desperately craved, one that he missed from knowing nothing about James and Lily.

Tonks and Andromeda and Ted would visit for dinner often, giving Harry the opportunity to get to know them more. The company helped Sirius as much as it did Harry, giving them a chance to interact with others and to share stories. Harry had yet to be comfortable enough to divulge anything of his time with the Dursleys, but he found himself trusting his new family a little more with each passing day.

-0-

"Okay, I think we've gotten you in a decent shape," Tonks said one day after their run. "You're looking a lot less shrimpy these days."

"I wasn't shrimpy," Harry protested with a laugh.

"You're right. I've eaten shrimps with better physique than yours, but I digress," Tonks smirked. "I think now's a good time to start improving your dueling and spell-work."

Harry hesitated for a moment. "Not that I don't appreciate the effort you're giving me, but do I…have to? I don't really want to get into dueling and don't like the idea of hurting people."

"I can respect that," Tonks replied seriously. "But, I think you should know how to defend yourself. You don't have to get into formal dueling or anything like that, but knowing self-defense and how to defend your friends and loved ones is still important. Anyone with a wand can cast nasty spells and not everyone is going to be as civilized as you."

"That makes sense," Harry admitted.

"I won't push you into doing anything you don't want to, but how about at least learning the basics? Besides, you might find that you like friendly duels. It's kinda like more exercises. Helps you get better at spellcasting in general, gets the blood pumping, that sort of thing."

"I'll give it a shot," Harry said.

"Brilliant! Now, when it comes to dueling, there are many different ways to approach it. We're taught two ways at the academy. One: if you have a deeper pocket of spells, you can outwit your opponent. Especially if you know spells they don't so they don't know how to react. The major drawback is, it takes time to build that bank of spells. The second way which I'm a big fan of is to pick a few spells and get really good at them. The better you can cast a spell, the less effort it takes, the faster you are, and you can then apply the spells in different ways."

Harry nodded thoughtfully. "That's easier for someone like me who doesn't know many spells at all, at least for dueling."

"Exactly. Knowledge of other spells comes later and honestly, if you know like fifteen spells but are crap at them, you'll get your butt kicked by someone who can cast only two spells but they cast them really well."

"So hone the basics then before you try to be fancy?"

"You catch on fast. That's good! Now for me, I think four spells are essential and will always be useful." Tonks waved her wand, summoning a blackboard and chalk. At her wand's gestures, the chalk began to write on the board. "First, Shield Charm. It's your basic defense charm and if you cast it strong enough, you can block all moderate level spells. You can also change the shape of the shield to give yourself more options. Second, the Stunning Jinx. A knocked out magical can't fight back. It's fast to cast and a good distractor spell. Even low-level stuns can cause some numbness, killing reflexes. You might not knock someone out with one, but they build up.

"Third, Bludgeoning Hexes are a personal favorite. They are fast and can hit hard. You manage to ring someone's bell with one and they will be disoriented. A distracted magical is one less likely to beat you. You can knock the wind out of them, break a bone if need be, and knock them out with one too. Finally, the Severing Charm. With enough force, you can really cause some damage with this. Everyone freaks out at the sight of blood and sometimes a small cut can be a really big distraction. Besides the obvious ways you can use it."

Harry gulped a little at the last statement. "That doesn't sound pleasant."

"Sorry Harry, just being honest with you. But if you get these spells down, you'll be able to react to most situations."

He nodded reluctantly. "I mean, just learning the spell doesn't mean I have to use it, right? If I can recognize it, then I'll have a better time against it. But I guess it'll be good that I still know them."

"Exactly. Seriously, you got a good mindset about all this."

"Hermione and Alicia really like to talk about theory and I guess I absorbed some," he laughed. "Are these spells above my level?"

"Not impossibly so, maybe a year or two at most. You might have a little difficulty now but you have me here to teach you. You can't possibly fail!"

Harry smiled. "I like how confident you are."

"Hey, I was trained by two of the best Aurors to ever be in the corp. Therefore, I am one of the best trained and that means tangentially, you'll be one of the best trained too."

"I'm not sure that's how it works."

"Enough yapping. Let's get casting!"

As much as Harry was nervous about learning these kinds of spells, he did come to enjoy learning them and practicing with Tonks over the next few days. She was strict but thorough. Carefully showing Harry the wand motions and teaching him the incantations. She showed him the effects of each spell on conjured targets and walked him through the motions carefully. After he got comfortable with casting the spells, she did simulated exercises with him. She made targets fly about him to improve his aim, sent things flying at him to help him better his shield.

One day she took him to an indoor facility and she grinned at him. "Alright! Let's do some practice dueling and see if you can cast under pressure."

"Are you sure about this?" he asked nervously.

"Sure as sure. We'll be fine. The practice dueling ring has plenty of enchantments to keep us safe and I know what I'm doing. I also trained you pretty well and therefore, you know what you're doing. This is just a friendly test to see what you can do. Don't worry Harry, I'll take it easy on you." She flexed her arm and held her wand ready. "Let's see what you got!"

-0-

"MERLIN'S BALLS!" Sirius exclaimed as he walked into the sitting room. His eyes opened wide and he dropped the stack of parchment he was holding. "What happened?!"

Tonks and Harry had just come through the Floo leaning on each other. Tonks had a visible limp and a swollen knee. Harry had a black eye and a deep scratch on his chin. They both looked beaten and slightly ragged, covered in bruises.

"We uh, had a practice duel," Tonks muttered with bright red cheeks.

"A practice duel?!" Sirius yelled as he rushed over. He helped the two to a couch. "Who did you two duel to look like this?"

"Each other," Harry said.

"It got a little out of hand," Tonks admitted.

"A little out of hand?!"

"Really old man, you repeating everything just shows how old you are."

Sirius glared at Tonks, making her blush harder. "Oh real smart. First you get into a duel that obviously went wrong because you both look like this. Then you want to make things worse by pissing me off."

"It didn't go completely wrong," Harry stammered. "We just got…a little carried away."

"Yeah, just a bit. Harry's really good actually. You'd be proud of him."

"Don't change the subject," Sirius scolded. "Come on, I'm taking you both to St Mungo's."

Tonks waved her hands wildly. "No wait, mum's working today and she will shred me to itty bits if we go in like this. I know basic first aid. Do you have a kit? I'll fix us up right as rain and mum won't know."

Sirius growled. "Fine, but I'm sending Andi an owl right now and asking her to come over after she leaves work to make sure you both are fixed. Especially this defective part," he thumped her forehead.

"Hey! Don't hit an injured woman!"

"I'm smacking my idiot cousin! Let me go find that kit." Sirius stomped out of the room, grumbling and cursing.

Harry called out, "Kreacher, do you mind coming to see me please?"

Kreacher appeared with a pop and his large eyes rolled with alarm. "Master Harry! What happened?!"

"Just some…too vigorous exercise. We'll be fine, don't worry. Do you mind popping to my room and bringing me a brown satchel that's in my trunk? I'm a bit too sore to go right now. It's about the size of a medium pouch and it's wrapped in a cord."

The words had barely left Harry's mouth when Kreacher popped and disappeared. After only a moment he popped back, holding the healer's kit that Alicia made for Harry the prior summer.

"Thank you Kreacher," Harry said with a smile. "Please don't worry, we'll be okay now. Thanks to you."

Kreacher dithered for a moment, looking very concerned, before he nodded and popped away.

Harry opened the pouch and showed the contents to Tonks and she sighed with relief. "Oh perfect," she said as she took out the Dittany vial and the bruise cream vial. "Let's get you fixed up first."

"I think you're hurting more," Harry began.

"Me? Nah. I'm used to these injuries. I'm dead clumsy if you haven't noticed. Besides, you're my responsibility which, I'm sorry to say, I did a bad job taking care of you today." She looked very embarrassed and remorseful. "Sorry, by the way. I really got into it. You're really good, legit not trying to butter you up."

Harry flushed as he sat still, feeling her rub the cream around his eye and dabbing at his scrapes with the Dittany. "I got carried away too. I shouldn't have."

"Even a practice duel is still a duel, Harry. Don't make a habit of holding back because when you're in a bad situation, you don't want to hold back."

He sighed. "That makes sense."

"Do..do you still want to exercise and practice with me?" Tonks asked with an uncharacteristically small voice, her hair turning into a dark brown.

"Oh yeah I do! Just…maybe not duel with each other for a while? I really like exercising with you and learning how to cast spells from you."

Tonks felt a huge wave of relief. "You still trust me?"

Harry nodded. "I can tell that you mean well, even during the duel. You care about me…I think." It was his turn for his voice to be soft and unsure. "You care…right?"

Tonks smiled and her hair turned bright pink. "I sure do! I like you a lot Harry. You're like a little brother that I've always wanted. You've gotten so much better at…well everything since we met and I want to keep hanging out with you and stuff."

Harry grinned happily. "I'd like that a lot too. Thank you." He shyly opened his arms.

Tonks pulled him into a hard embrace, gratified at his gesture and ecstatic that he did not stiffen like the first time they met. "Awesome! And uh, it was super cool of you to stick up for me against Sirius. You could have put all the blame on me."

"I'd think I'd be a bad little brother if I did that."

Tonks laughed. "From what my friends have told me, sibs do that to each other all the time."

"Oh, well I don't want to," Harry said stoutly.

Tonks hugged Harry tightly. "I'm glad. I'll try not to do the same to you."

The Floo flared and Andromeda stomped through the flames. She still wore her Healer's robes and she stared right at Tonks. "Nymphadora Tonks! What did you do?!"

Tonks gulped. "Any chance you can help me against mum?" she pleaded with Harry.

Harry gulped too. "I'll try."

-0-0-0-

Guest - Thank you. I want Kreacher to be more than just a foil background character. Not necessarily a main character, but still feels like a good one.

Monto242 - You're environment and the people you interact with really can impact how you are. Remember when diary Riddle made Harry's scar bleed and took his soul piece back? That's what I was alluding to in the last chapter with the drop in Dark Magic. I don't blame you if you don't remember, I forgot how long winded I am and how many chapters there are haha.

Imaginer.012 - Thank you for the kind words for both the story and otherwise. I'm glad it tempts you to want to read it. I had a better day yesterday after the kind words and despite today not being so great, I know you all are enjoying my writing and that helps a lot.

Alynn2018 - Thank you so much. I love the name Andromeda and Tonks is such a fun character. I really want them to shine in this story and make them be more than what they were in the canon books.

yogibears - I'm glad to hear that I helped your week. Here's to hopefully a good week for the both of us.

alix33 - I'm glad. You've been here for a while and am happy to see you continue to enjoy yourself.

Urgwew - I made that line as a throwaway joke for the reader to enjoy the connotations of. I don't think even Andromeda knows he is an animagus, but maybe she does, I have yet to decide. Samantha definitely does not know. I just thought people would enjoy the joke. I am trying to make Sirius feel real as well. He obviously will have a lot to overcome after being in Azkaban for so long so I want him to have his own personality and eventual character growth.

DJ Oden - It is a story for the moment and not a specific relationship story.

Qhaq - Thank you. I really want to try and make sure all my chapters have a place and maintain my quality for them.

Hidden Circumstance - It's something I've been carefully thinking about as well and I hope you enjoy it too.