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.