Knocks You Down

Harry was enjoying himself far more than he cared to admit to himself considering that his godfather was going to die soon. However for the time being the sun was shining and Tonks was sitting across from him in a little outside café in Diagon Alley. He had a roast beef sandwich on his plate and a tall glass of ice water sitting in front of him about half consumed each and was already feeling full. "So what made you agree to take me out anyways Tonks, I'm sure you have better things to do than sit around with me all day." Harry asked while setting his fork on his plate, finished with the meal.

Tonks shook her head and looked out over Diagon Alley, the hustle of the place was absolutely amazing and intriguing to Harry who hadn't gotten a chance to ever just sit and observe. He loved the way the kids were running in and out of peoples legs and driving their parents absolutely insane. He was thankful however that none of the children seemed to be wearing the muggle leashes he had seen when out and about Privet Drive. "I don't really want to talk about me Harry." She said so quietly he almost didn't hear her.

Disgruntled Harry took a closer look at Tonks and noticed for the first time the bags under her eyes, the yellow tinge to her skin and the brown hair she was sporting today instead of her normal bubbly pink or purple. "Wotcher Tonks…. If you need to talk I know I may not be your preferred friend but I am your friend." Harry said while looking down at the table. He had never been good with girls, even Hermione who was one of his best friends thought he was quite bad with women in general.

He had tried not to take friendship with girls so personal since he knew that he hardly said the right things but then again; Hermione had stuck by his side more closely than Ron had recently and that support meant a great deal to him. The same was sort of true for Tonks. They had started being friendly during the summer though he couldn't honestly say he was close to her. Come to think of it now that the school year was pretty much over, considering he was going back, they might get to spend a bit more time together.

"Thanks Harry, I appreciate it really, but you obviously have more problems than me and don't need a sob story about the latest bloke I had to knee in the bits." She said, albeit this time with at least a small grin on her face. Harry raised his eyebrow and then got up slowly, stretching as he did and trying to find a magical clothing shop that wasn't completely packed. "You know Tonks, I don't have a style and I'm not sure exactly what image I should be trying to go for. I'm normally just a jeans and tshirt kind of guy." Harry said, eyes still scanning the alley before they went to his lunch mate.

"Well you're in luck mate; I know just the place to take you and just what to make you wear." Tonks said evilly while walking off towards a less crowded section of Diagon. This was the newer addition to the alley, made for younger witches and wizards and still picking up business it seemed. He walked with her and kept his eyes on the surroundings just in case anyone in dark robes and a mask decided to show up. They made it to the front of a wizards clothing shop. It was named simply enough with a nondescript sign outside pronouncing "OH!"

His face must have shown the mistrust that Harry was feeling because Tonks slapped him on the shoulder and gave him a look that clearly said she knew exactly what she was doing. They entered the shop and with much trepidation Harry put his fashion into the willing hands of Nymphadora Tonks. He coached his face not to blush after 45 minutes of wolf whistling and approving noises from Tonks but after a few hours Harry was feeling more like a piece of meat than a man.

She relented with one final approving glance then ripped the tags off of his current outfit. "That looks perfect for today, now I just have to figure out what to do with your hair and you could be on the cover of Witch Weekly, not that you probably won't be anyways Harry but all the same." She rambled as they walked towards the counter with a voucher from Gringotts showing he was certainly worth more than he could ever purchase.

Harry looked down at what he was wearing; they had gone through so many clothes that he needed to make sure he wasn't wearing pink or violet. Two colors that he had battled Tonks to make sure they stayed out of his wardrobe. He supposed he did look rather sharp in the dark denim jeans he was wearing, the black button up shirt with gray pinstripes had been a pick of his and the white sneakers looked classy but not overly dressed.

Catching sight of himself in a mirror by the register Harry did a quick double take. He didn't look like the boy he had known himself to be only 24 hours ago. He was tall and not so lanky anymore. His hair had gotten long and hung down to his shoulders looking a bit like a mane. He shook his head and settled the stuff down a bit and then caught a glimpse of Tonks handing over Harry's vault number and signature to the man behind the counter who looked at Harry with something akin to incredulity.

Harry was slightly interested himself since Tonks had forbid him to comment about the amount of clothes she was leaving in the keep pile. The total tally ended up being 7 pairs of shoes, 3 dragon hide boots and 4 pairs of sneakers, 21 button up shirts in different styles and designs and 30 something pairs of jeans and slacks. That didn't even count the undershirts, boxers and socks that Tonks had also had to approve much to Harry's embarrassment.

Not paying attention to the total because of how happy Tonks looked with all the bags surrounding her Harry pushed her out of the shop and let her shrink the bags so they fit comfortably in their pockets. "Ok Tonks it's your turn for a bit of shopping on me. You helped me out and now it's my turn to sit down in front of a dressing room and drool at appropriate selections." Looking apt to argue Harry just started moving off in the direction he figured a shop would be down when Tonks heaved a great my life is so hard sigh and jerked on his arm. "Not that way Harry, the good shop is just across from the one we just left."

The shop he was looking at was covered in violent colors to Tonks liking and was appropriately titled "AHH". He allowed Tonks a moment of girly frivolity that he was definitely not accustomed to seeing out of her as she squealed and pulled him towards the shop by his hand. He smiled and enjoyed the moment until he was sat quite forcefully down in front of 3 full length mirrors and a dressing room and left to fend for himself. Several women came by and gave him the full once over. It scared Harry.

He attributed it to the change in clothes and looked worriedly at the door Tonks had disappeared behind. Just as he was starting to get ogled by yet another woman in the store Tonks stepped out in knee high boots a mini-skirt and a very sheer top. Harry gulped as Tonks spun for the mirrors and then looked over at Harry and raised her eyebrow. "It looks great Tonks. Definitely in the keep pile…." Was all Harry could think to say before she spun and returned to the dressing room.

Though Harry didn't know it he had just been publicly claimed and he was quite happy sitting there and watching the parade of different outfits now that women weren't looking at him as if he were the only man on the planet. All in total Tonks didn't do the damage to his account that Harry had but she did get a fair bit of new clothes, some of them concealed in packages before Harry ever got to look at them.

They picked through a few more stores getting towels and new linens for the beds. Harry was tired but had thoroughly relaxed from all the issues that had brought him down. As they walked back into the house though Harry hurried forward to his godfathers room only to see the door cracked and Remus cuddled asleep behind Sirius who's chest was rising and falling rhythmically; soothing even Harry's paranoid mind for the moment.

He and Tonks went about putting towels in the various bathrooms and then walked to the room they had agreed to share. The full beds were soon stripped of the old sheets and sported Harry's choice of grey sheets with a black down comforter and Tonks pick of light pink sheets with a white down comforter. They had also gotten new bedding for Remus and Sirius but Harry hesitated before waking them. "I think they could use the rest…. What do you think, give it to them tomorrow yea?" Harry asked Tonks.

"I think that sounds like a great idea Harry. Do you think you can cook up dinner? I'm quite famished" She replied while fluffing up the new pillows they had gotten. Harry had to admit they had gone on quite the spending spree but with turning this place livable and finally getting a wardrobe that fitted him Harry was happy and considered the galleons well spent. Dinner was a simple affair of baked chicken smothered in mushroom sauce over rice. Quick easy and with very little clean up as Harry described to Tonks while she stood in the kitchen and observed his skills in that traditionally male banned territory.

"Right Tonks, ready for bed, I'm wiped and who knows what time the goblins will be here tomorrow to see me and Sirius." Harry said while rising up from the table where they had been sitting in comfortable silence. Tonks nodded and started for the stairs while replying, "I think they wanted to see me to for some reason." Harry retreated to the loo to change giving Tonks a bit of privacy in their room but when he walked in he had to forcibly remind his jaw NOT to drop at the dark haired beauty sitting up in bed. "Is this you then Tonks?" Harry couldn't stop himself, startled into near rudeness by her appearance.

Someone achingly familiar yet quite different looked up at him from the magazine spread across her legs. She looked almost scared as she nodded her head and Harry realized he must look like a complete ass just staring at her from the door in his boxers and a white muscle shirt. "I'm sorry Tonks, it's just this may be the only time in my life a woman as beautiful as you is sitting in my bedroom and I need to remember this." Harry said, trying to sound slightly nonchalant.

He trotted to his bed and pulled the comforter up and over himself in a smooth motion, attempting to hide the bulge rising in his boxers. Tonks smiled at him blew a kiss across the two feet or so in between their beds and extinguished her wand after setting the magazine on the bedside table. "Well goodnite to you to Mr. Potter" She said playfully to Harry in the dark. Harry on the other hand was feeling far from sleepy at this point and was stuck staring into the darkness toward her for what felt to him like hours.

AN: Hope you like this chapter, I'm attempting not to rush the relationship along because I want it to seem natural and not forced or noncannon. And YESH we will be able to tell how old he and Sirius both are because goblins are awesome like that. R&R! (I'm off to read other Harry/Tonks, Harry/Bella fics)