AN: I do not own Harry Potter or the Wizarding World Universe.

Chapter 29

Harry leaned forward on his broom and felt the wind cut across his face as he sped up. Tonks was somewhere behind him as he cut through the thicket of trees near the boundary line of the Tonks property. They owned a lot more land than Harry expected. He barely pushed the broom to the left, and it banked hard. Tonks shot past his head.

He grinned as he cut back and pulled up hard on the broom's handle. His stomach felt like it was in his chest as he climbed faster. Not wanting to get in trouble for going above the trees, Harry cut left again and looked for his opponent.

Tonks was lower than him and looking behind her.

He rolled and dove quickly as she banked. Reaching out, he tapped her shoulder before rocketing forward on his broom.

The high-speed game of tag continued until Tonks called it quits.

"Potter, that was not bad at all. Are you sure you don't want to try out for Quidditch? You'd be brilliant at it."

Harry laughed. "I'd rather just fly around; it's much more fun, and I'm not targeted by the other Houses when it comes time for the matches."

"It's a criminal waste of your skill. It might just be the broom though," she teased.

"I'm not letting you borrow my broom. You'll break it with your weight," he shot back.

"Oi! I'll show you weight," she cried, but he was off. A red spell shot past him but far enough away that it wouldn't have hit.

He circled the house once, just to make sure she'd given up. After waiting a little longer, he landed and hopped off his broom. Tonks wasn't outside, but he'd learned not to trust what he saw. She was an Auror and used a charm to make herself camouflaged with the area around her. Tonks scared the life out of him one morning when she decided to wait outside the guest room under the Disillusionment Charm.

Harry carefully entered the house and looked around. Mrs. Tonks was in the kitchen, moving back and forth between the fridge and the cabinet. He glanced around the room until his eyes landed on the lit fireplace. Without waiting, he dropped to the floor and left his broom by the door to hide behind the couch.

"Drat!" Mrs. Tonks hissed in a voice that wasn't Andromeda Tonks' voice at all. "I'll get you, Potter!" Tonks yelled.

Harry dashed for the stairs.

"No spells in the house!" Mrs. Tonks yelled from downstairs, likely near the master bedroom.

Harry hadn't thought Mrs. Tonks was back yet, but the fire was lit. She must have just come home, and Tonks tried to take her place to fool him. One thing he'd learned about living with Tonks was to expect the unexpected.

"Nymphadora Tonks! You put that wand away," Harry heard as he cleared the last step. "Mister Potter! You get back down here," she called.

He skidded to a halt and glanced down the stairway. His wand was about ten feet away, but she'd given an order to get downstairs. He suppressed a shiver. At least she hadn't called him Evans. Abandoning his mad dash for his wand, he went back downstairs sheepishly. It was her house.

Mrs. Tonks stood in the middle of the spacious area and looked between a fidgeting Tonks and him at the stairs. She did not look amused. "You, young lady, should know better," she sighed and looked at Harry. "While you are a guest and I welcome you, please do not run through the house. Nymphadora knows what happens if she uses spells within the house. I realize both of your are playing, but please…" she said with a sigh.

Harry didn't think she was mad, more exasperated. He felt bad but didn't let Tonks out of his sight. She would and had jinxed him under the table before. His knee stung for an hour. "Sorry, ma'am," he apologized.

"Mum… he called me fat!"

Mrs. Tonks looked from Tonks to Harry and then back again. "Dear, you could use," she said with a shrug.

"Mum!" Tonks cried, not letting her mother finish the statement.

"What? I see how many of my puffs you eat."

"I'm a bloody Metamorphmagus; we don't get fat!"

"Well, it has to go somewhere. Maybe you're just hiding it somewhere else," Mrs. Tonks said reasonably. She peered at her daughter. "Your thighs and chest are getting a little bigger."

"Mum!"

Harry didn't know how he felt. Was this how a mother and daughter acted? It wasn't how Petunia acted with Dudley.

Mrs. Tonks turned to Harry. "I got another Purifying Potion. I apologize the last one wasn't well crafted. I haven't run into that problem with Potions for All Afflictions before. It may have been a bad batch, but I've been assured that this will work, and I got an official apology," she said with a frown.

Harry nodded. "Thank you."

Mrs. Tonks looked at him carefully. "This is for your acquaintance, correct?" she pressed.

"Yes, ma'am," he answered slowly.

"For it to work, you must be willing to enter the potion and water. You cannot order someone and expect the potion to work, do you understand?" she asked.

Harry grimaced and nodded. "Yes, thank you."

"Good, I'll prepare the tub… or would you like to watch? You might need to do this again someday," she said with a sour expression. He wasn't sure if she was upset that he would need to do it again or if it was something else.

"I'd like to watch… if you don't mind," he quickly added.

"I wouldn't have offered it had I not been willing. Now, Teddy will be home in a few hours. This is the best time to do it today unless you'd like to wait until tomorrow."

"No, now works."

Andromeda looked at her daughter who gave Harry a look that promised she would get him back for his comment. "When do you report for work?" she asked.

"Two hours," Tonks muttered. Harry noticed that her hair was pointy at the ends.

Andromeda nodded and waved her wand. Harry hadn't noticed that she had it out. "What would you like before you head in, dear?" she asked with a smile.

"I thought I was fat," Tonks huffed.

"You still need to eat… and don't be petulant. I expect that from someone Potter's age, not yours, dear."

Tonks rolled her eyes and shot a glare at Harry. He wasn't sure how he was brought into the question. "Just something easy," she finally answered with another deep sigh.

"I know just the thing. I'll be back down in a few," Mrs. Tonks said as she moved to the stairs. As she passed Harry, she whispered, "on your head be it for that comment. Dora does not forget nor does she forgive. Next time, don't draw attention to a witch's weight."

Harry grimaced. "I only said she'd flatten my broom if she got on it," he snorted.

Mrs. Tonks gave him a level look. "Maybe I should have let her hex you."

Harry fought a smirk. He might pay for it later, but Tonks' expression was great.

Andromeda prepared the copper bathtub with water from her wand. He asked if this was an inconvenience for Tonks. Harry hadn't realized that Tonk's room had its own bathroom. He was warned, with the threat of torture and a gruesome death, not to enter Tonks' room for any reason. There wasn't any reason for him to go in there, so he didn't.

Ten minutes later, Mrs. Tonks went downstairs to give Harry space. He took a deep breath. "Kreacher," he called. A moment later, the aged house-elf appeared.

"Master Potter," Kreacher grumbled and glared at the room. "He calls Kreacher to the blood traitor's home," he muttered darkly.

"Yes, I did. For a reason," Harry said as he carefully inspected the house-elf. Kreacher looked a little thinner than when he was with Harry. "First, was there really a vampire in the basement?" he asked.

Kreacher looked away and grumbled about protections mistress insisted on. Harry took that to be a yes. He shivered. "Second, I would like you to get in a Purifying Potion. It is not an order, but the reason why I would like you to is because of the amount of dark residue on me when I came here. I feel that you might be better and healthier if you removed that residue. Not only might it help, but I'm not sure if appearing anywhere with dark stains on you would reflect well on the House of Black… unless they were. Was your mistress visiting others with that on her?" he asked, more for his own curiosity than anything else.

Kreacher grumbled and muttered about blood traitors not understanding. "Mistress would not openly show her allegiance," he admitted. "There are potions and spells to conceal what is power."

Harry frowned. He should have expected it. "Would you consider entering a Purifying Potion?" he asked carefully.

Kreacher grumbled and muttered quietly to himself. At least Harry couldn't hear what was being said about him and the general world outside the dark house. He knew it had been a mistake to go, but at the same time, he'd learned a lot about the Blacks and other things that no one else had told him.

"Kreacher won't, Kreacher won't," the house-elf cried.

Harry took a deep breath. He nodded. "Alright, Kreacher. Thank you for thinking about it. Do you have anything for me?" he asked softly.

Kreacher gave him a baleful look. "Kreacher does not."

"Thank you, you may go now. I'm sorry to have bothered you," Harry sighed. Before he could blink, Kreacher was gone.

He went back downstairs and placed the potion on the kitchen counter. "Thank you for getting this. If you want, please feel free to use it for Tonks later," he said before heading over to the table.

Mrs. Tonks looked at him with a small frown. She spoke a few seconds later. "Sometimes… what we think is best for someone isn't what they think is best for them. The only thing we can do is give them the option to decide. Don't give up hope that they'll see you mean well and have good intentions."

Harry took a deep breath. He could see what she meant. "Could it eventually kill him?" he asked quietly.

Mrs. Tonks took a while to answer. He thought he had his answer when she spoke. "House-elves are a magic unto themselves. They do not conform to magical standards and understanding that we know. Wizards created house-elves… yet their magic is stronger and deeper than ours. They are linked to magic itself. The true answer to your question is that I do not know. Has he changed in the last three weeks since you arrived here?" she asked.

Harry closed his eyes. "Yes… and the change hasn't been a good one. It might have been that I asked him to come here, somewhere his mistress hated, that caused the strong reaction, but I don't know if that is all of it. Oh… and there was still a vampire in the basement… sorry about that," he said a little lamely.

Mrs. Tonks put her head against the fridge for some reason and took a deep, shuddering breath. She eventually looked up. "You do not know how glad I am that you are safe now. Please… for my heart more than anything else… please do not return to that place until you can truly claim it and rid it of all the darkness infesting the place. Even a boggart can be dangerous to someone who doesn't know how to protect themselves," she warned.

Harry felt his cheeks heat and looked at the far wall. Mrs. Tonks' made a little sound in her throat. "I see… well… do you know how to protect yourself now?" she questioned a little faintly.

"Riddikulus," he answered carefully. This witch was scary. She really knew everything and watched him like a hawk or… like the ruddy owl that didn't like any name he suggested.

"Who's ridiculous? I look damn good," Tonks huffed as she came out of her mother's bedroom in new robes. A smell of something flowery and overpowering hit his nose.

"Dora! Did you get into my perfumes again?" Mrs. Tonks snapped.

"I might have tripped."

Harry decided it was time to escape upstairs.

Tonks made good on her threat to get him back. As an Auror, she didn't work Monday through Friday but rather on a rotating schedule that her mentor and boss gave her. Sometimes, she went into the Ministry early in the morning and sometimes late at night. It made her a little cranky, and Harry thought he could understand her frustration. Her job also gave her access to a wide selection of charms, enchantments, curses, and hexes.

Harry woke on the floor to find that he was the size of Dudley or Vernon. Thankfully, the robes he'd fallen asleep in also grew and didn't rip. He laughed as he tried to get up, imagining he was Dudley or Vernon. His laughter brought a confused, tired Tonks and eventually her mother to look at him. Tears were coming down his face as he struggled to get up.

"I promise it is just a variation on the Engorgement Charm," Tonks told her mother.

Harry was laughing too hard to explain. His feet struggled to get any weight under him.

"Finite Incantatem," Mrs. Tonks said.

Nothing happened. That amused Harry even more. Not even a wand and magic could fix the two. Tonks said something and he started to shrink. It took him a moment to breathe.

They just stared at him. He choked out why it was so funny to him. Tonks got this funny look on her face and Mrs. Tonks put a hand over her eyes and shook her head.

"Well, now that you two have woken the house. I suppose we'll start breakfast."

Suddenly in a much better mood, Harry looked at her. "Can I help?"

Both witches frowned at him. If anyone had any doubts, their identical expressions would prove they were mother and daughter. "Is there something you'd like to make?" Mrs. Tonks asked carefully.

Harry shrugged. "I can help with just about anything. A Full-English, Black Pudding Fry-ups, Kippers, Scotch Pancakes were asked for a lot, uhh…." he said with a frown as he tried to remember. "Beans on toast, of course, oatmeal and fruit… although Dudley hates it. Scones take forever but are okay. Toasties are good too," he added.

"You can cook?" Tonks huffed. "I can't cook."

"All too true," Mrs. Tonks said with a grin that didn't meet her eyes. "I would love some help in the kitchen."

Harry nodded and noticed both of them looking at the bed. He winced and hoped his deception of sleeping with a bunch of books would make it seem like he'd fallen asleep studying. It was true, but not the whole truth.

"I'm going back to bed… bloody Potter wakes me up after only three hours of sleep," Tonks grumbled and made her way down the hall.

Harry ended up watching more than helping. Mrs. Tonks' control over her kitchen was impressive. She had a knife going, two pans on the hobs, and still talked to him at the same time.

"Is this like the Knitting Charm? You need to know exactly what to do and how to do it for your magic to accomplish the task?" he asked carefully as he watched the knife perfectly slice tomatoes in the middle.

"Very good," Mrs. Tonks praised as she flicked her wand. The pots switched places. "How do you know about a complex charm like that?"

"I met Fiona Merriweather… well, she met me, really. I think Professor Sprout asked her and the other Prefects to keep an eye on me. For a while, every time I turned around in the Common Room, one of them was watching me. There were a few others, like Diggory, but it also could have been because… well… fame. At least all that mess stopped pretty shortly after I got sorted into Hufflepuff. Apparently, The Boy-Who-Lived isn't that impressive in Hufflepuff," he snorted.

Mrs. Tonks raised her eyebrow at him. "What does The Boy-Who-Lived think?" she smirked.

"He thinks the entire thing is bloody stupid… er, sorry about the language," he apologized quickly. "Just… I mean… I was one. I'm not all that magically powerful. I can do the spells, charms, and all that, but they aren't as… you know… potent? As people like Granger and even Longbottom. I think it might have been a little stronger once… but that was it," he shrugged. It bothered him a little. No one wanted Voldemort chasing them, but the fact that he'd been… ignored for Longbottom didn't feel all that good.

Mrs. Tonks pursed her lips. "Dora felt the same way about your age. Being a Metamorphmagus means that her magic stayed in… flux is a good way to say it, for a long time. It wasn't until her fifth or sixth year that she started to do what she wanted with her wand. Not all young witches and wizards are in tune with their magic. It takes time and a connection with their wand in some cases. How often did you practice the spells? Not just read about them?"

Harry considered the question. The truth was, he held back from practicing in front of the others. He didn't want to stand out. "How much should I practice?"

Mrs. Tonks shook her head. "While it is about performing each spell, charm, or even hex and curse, it is also about understanding them. Your notes are like Dora's. Your mutual friend Fiona likely took Dora's ideas and added her own. You'll find your own way that makes sense to you, too. That's the beauty of learning and building off something else. It is also why you can't just read someone else's notes and get the same benefits. So much of what we do is connected to our own magic. Sure, it might help, but it might also hinder you. We are magical, Mister Potter. Everything we do shapes our magic in some way," she said with a grin.

Harry considered her statements. "Is… that why people say their families or houses are… better at certain types of magic? I know I've read that it is in the blood too."

Mrs. Tonks grimaced. She likely knew where he got the information. He didn't want to bring up her past if possible.

"It… is a complex subject," she answered slowly. "The simple answer is a Muggle concept of Nature and Nurture which isn't at all a simple subject. Muggle Psychology, or the study of the mind, and Sociology, the study of groups of people, are things that we share in common. Our minds might be different, but at the core of it, we are very similar.

The prevailing theory, amongst some of our kind anyway, is that there are traits that are passed along with blood. There is a growing study about Genes that a Muggle-born friend is looking into, but that is getting off track. Essentially, the blood is passed from father and mother to their children. There are plenty of examples of traits being passed down through families. Salazar Slytherin and his Parselmouth is a famous example. Although magic is involved there," she explained as she waved her wand.

One of the pots moved to the back burner and a new iron pan floated over to the hot stove. She flicked her wand and the tomatoes went onto the pan.

"Nature, what we pass on. The pure-bloods all want to ensure the sacred part of their histories and lines are kept away from any befouling by lesser magics. Muggle-borns. It isn't a new concept for nobles and peasants. There is even a study that finds the best traits to pass on.

Then you have Nurture. That is what you learn from the world around you as you grow older. What I see and think I understand is different than what you have seen in your shorter life. That doesn't just include magics or anything specific. I know what it means to be a mother, but you haven't had a child yet. Being a wizard, you will not know what it is like… well… not normally. There are things that could allow for that, but they aren't something we need to go into.

Nurture is also the environment you grow up in. The book you read, if it is the one or… ones that I'm thinking of," she said as her lips tightened, "then the focus is to keep a young mind in a particular mindset. Their parents would reinforce this. For example, Muggle-borns and the specific word that I asked you never to repeat. That is a word to reinforce a mindset… and a slur. It is about the meaning of the word and how it is used.

Those mindsets, behaviors, and every book that someone reads will shape their views on the world. Are there students at Hogwarts that you struggle to understand why they do something?" she asked.

Harry snorted. "The Weasley twins," he answered immediately.

Mrs. Tonks gave him a flat smile and looked to the ceiling, likely where her daughter was sleeping. "Yes… well, their idea of mischief is certainly unique. Yet, they maintain that they do it to provide the world with laughter. That is one example. My… cousin was like that as well. So was your father for a time. I am told he and his friend were… marauding around the school," she said with a faint snort. "I don't think a day went by that one or all of them were in trouble for something."

Harry frowned. "I hadn't realized that. I just have a photo album of my mum and dad from after Hogwarts. There are a few that might be their seventh year," he amended.

"Both remarkably gifted, as you will be, in time. Don't worry about the here and now. Yes, your magic might be a little weaker, but I suspect that will change as Dora's did. She's quite a sight with a wand now… I just wish she could learn to walk straight without falling over," Mrs. Tonks sighed dramatically.

Mr. Tonks came out of their bedroom, his nose sniffing the air. "Something smells wonderful. Good morning, dear. Good morning, Mister Potter," he greeted with a yawn.

"Good morning, sir."

"Did Dora do something this morning? I heard uncontrollable laughter," Mr. Tonks asked as he kissed his wife on the cheek.

"Ah… she blew up my body," he admitted. "Like engorged it." Mr. Tonks gave him a look that Harry interpreted as confusion. "I… well, I got stuck on my back, and my legs wouldn't support me. It… made me laugh because Vernon and Dudley… my uncle and cousin… are very overweight people… I just couldn't help but laugh thinking I was like them," he admitted.

Mr. Tonks' smirk told Harry that he understood. "I imagine the situation was quite amusing," he said in an even tone.

Mrs. Tonks gave Harry a flat look, but he didn't think she was upset with him. At least, he hoped she wasn't. Her angry face was not something he wanted to see again. She looked at the clock and frowned. "Dear, did you finish all your assignments for the holidays? I never asked, and you've got about two weeks before the start of term again," she continued as she turned to Harry.

"Yes, ma'am. I did. It was… well, not simple, but it's done."

"Good. Dora always kept it to the last minute. You never want to start a term off with low marks. How… about those Lockhart books?" she asked as she started to add generous helpings into plates for each of them.

"They are… interesting," he carefully said. In all honesty, they were dumb and boring. Lockhart kept talking about himself and didn't explain any spells, charms, or really anything related to defending himself from the dark creatures.

"Care to explain?" Mr. Tonks asked. He seemed genuinely interested.

"I read Travels with Trolls… because of last term with the troll. Also, Voyages with Vampires, too," he added, carefully not looking at Mrs. Tonks. He took a deep breath. "I… may have read a uh… book that focused on finding and… disposing of those creatures. What Lockhart wrote was… well, he might not be wrong… but you can't use sweets to lure a troll. Dungbombs, blood of about any creature but human is the most effective, and objects smellier than they are is the way to attract them. Strong sweets will only mildly interest them and certainly not Bertie Bott's Every Flavour Beans unless there is one that is dung flavored."

Mr. Tonks laughed. Mrs. Tonks did not. She gave Harry one of those looks that he associated with her, knowing exactly what he'd read or done and disapproved. In this case, she might be right.

"The vampire one too?"

Harry shook his head. "The bit about garlic is a bit of a misnomer. Yes, it does repel them, but it needs to be in bulk… like an entire storehouse full of the stuff. Vampires actually love it if a human eats a lot of garlic. It helps prevent blood clotting and makes it easier to, you know… drink their victim's blood."

Mr. Tonks scratched his chin with his index and thumb. "Huh… I suppose that makes sense. Why that specific reference?" he laughed.

"Well, Lockhart says that with his breath alone, he was able to ward off a vampire the first time. First, one or two cloves wouldn't do much, even if he ate it raw. I mean… again… it might if he were right up in the thing's face, but he said he was across the room from it. Later, he told a bunch of villagers to eat so much garlic that they sweat garlic. It might actually work," Harry admitted. "What I had trouble with was when he said the vampire's skin bubbled when it touched a villager."

"I'm going to stop you right there," Mrs. Tonks said a little firmly. "I think I know where you're going with this, but please remember that those things that you read are, without a doubt, the Dark Arts. Even if they are used on dark creatures, you need to be aware of the dangers, especially if you start talking about it at school. The last thing you need is to be labeled a dark wizard."

Harry nodded. "I guessed as much." He paused and looked at Mr. Tonks, who seemed unaffected by the nature of the talk. "There are a few other things. I mean… all of it is possible, from what little I know," he quickly said with a look at Mrs. Tonks. She gave him a look that he didn't think was a disapproving one.

"That's interesting to know," Mr. Tonks said without looking at his wife. "Are you going to read the other ones?"

Harry grimaced. "I have to, don't I? At least some time during the term. He wouldn't have told us to get them unless he planned on teaching from them."

Mrs. Tonks sighed and put her spoon down. "Do not get your hopes up. It might be best for you to strongly consider what he has to say… but also focus on your studies too. Not that I don't think he might be a wonderful professor," she added quickly.

Harry realized he was rubbing his forehead as he thought about what she'd said. Quirrell was a terrible professor. Not just for hosting Voldemort. The stuttering, Harry's headaches, the dark artefacts in his classroom, and Harry's final marks in the subject were proof enough for him. "Yeah," he muttered.

"Have you learned basic protection magic like Protego?" she asked.

Harry shook his head. "No, ma'am."

"The General Counter-Spell?"

He nodded. "In Charms, I saw it used outside class once. I… can do it after a few attempts," he admitted.

"It might be a good term to focus on a few of the basics. You're likely… at least somewhat ahead of your peers on the dark creature side of things," Mrs. Tonks said a little flatly. Harry fought not to wince. At least he didn't have those books in his trunk. "Spending extra time practicing practical defensive spells and charms will do wonders for your practicals."

"Any idea what you'd like to be when you graduate?" Mr. Tonks asked with a smile.

Harry was about to answer when something white flashed by the window, talons outstretched. Whatever she attacked vanished, but he heard the distinct sound of a pop near the window. Kreacher had made the same sound when he came and went. This one was louder. He turned to the Tonks. "Do… either of you have a house-elf?" he asked carefully.

They shook their head as he turned back to see an angry white owl circling the front lawn. She flew up and out of sight a moment later. "I don't think Kreacher would want to be here…" he said slowly. Turning back to Mrs. Tonks he glanced at Mr. Tonks. "Ma'am… does your uh… sister's house-elf come to drop things off for you?"

The Tonks' shared a look. "We do not interact with them out of… well… history. I am polite and miss my sister, but her husband does not like me," Mrs. Tonks answered carefully. "Why?"

"Well, Kreacher said their house-elf Dobby was trying to get in or do something at the… ah… place I stayed. He said the house-elf wasn't right in the head. I think my owl just attacked him unless… I don't know. Maybe not. It just makes sense. You said a while ago that a wizard couldn't Apparate into your property, but Kreacher did when I called for him."

Mr. Tonks sat back in his chair, a grim expression on his face. "A house-elf slipping past our wards? I hadn't considered that a thing. Their magic is different than ours, but they could be used to gather information," he said as he stood quickly and entered the office on the first floor. It was always locked, and Harry hadn't tried to get in.

"If you would, please explain more and… call Kreacher to verify. This is troubling if that is the case."