Twenty-year-old Remus John Lupin let out a small yawn into the palm of his hand as he blindly strode up the stone steps to the Tonks family home. It was the day after his transformation and he was exhausted. Honestly, his legs felt like dead weight, as if the tiredness had settled into his very bones. Several new scars lined his chest and forearms, not to mention a particularly nasty one on the side of his left cheek. He'd come here to meet Sirius for a pint. Padfoot had stopped by earlier to visit his cousin so he told Remus to 'stop being such a cagey bastard' and that he might as well do the same.
Remus liked Andromeda from what he knew of her and the few times he's met her in his lifetime. She is one of the few good eggs out of an evil bunch. She may be very prim and proper with a sort of dead sense of humor but she's polite and is actually a good candidate for decent conversation. Her husband, Ted Tonks, is loud, boisterous and quite entertaining when he's had a bit of liquor in him. It'd be the truth to say that he and his wife are polar opposites. Remus merely finds it amusing.
He casually rapped on the door with his knuckles and took a step back. Several moments later, it whipped open and for a moment, he was confused. There was no one there… Until he looked down and saw a girl no more than seven years old with a head of hair that was bubble-gum-pink.
"Hello there," Remus said with a soft smile, shoving away his initial surprise. That's right. Ted and Andromeda have a daughter, he'd forgotten. He could recall Sirius mentioning her metamorphmagus abilities as well. Strange how he has never met her before.
"Wotcher!" The girl shot him a huge toothy smile, her brown eyes shimmering in the afternoon light. "Who're you? Oh, I know who you must be!" She squealed excitedly and lunged for Remus, grabbing his hand and yanking him inside of the house with the strength of a middle-aged man. She shut the door behind her. "You're Remus, aren't you? Why, of course you are! Sirius talks about you all the time, y'know. It's always 'Remus' this or 'Remus' that. He talks a lot about people named James and Peter, too. But I don't think you're either of them. No, you don't LOOK like a James or a Peter. You look like a REMUS. So you are Remus, then, right? Aren't you?" The girl asked excitedly, her smile brightening if that were possible.
Remus was honestly shocked that she hadn't taken a moment to catch her breath. He was beginning to see the family resemblance between this child and Sirius quite well. Now he had to bite back a laugh. He simply gave a nod of the head and grinned. "You're quite right, little one. My name is Remus Lupin. And you are?"
"Hah, I knew it. I could call you 'Mr. Lupin,' but you look much too young for that. I'll call you Remus, if you don't mind. And you can call me Tonks," she said bluntly, cheerfully.
Remus felt a light chuckle rumble in his chest. "You may call me whatever you'd like," he assured. He didn't have any experience with children but this one was growing on him. However, Lupin suddenly raised an eyebrow in confusion. "Um, yes, I assumed that would be your last name… But what's your-"
"Nymphadora! You didn't tell me we had a guest," Ted Tonks said happily while entering through the doorway that connected to the living room.
"Don't call me that!" She growled, pink hair blossoming into flames of red. "It's just 'Tonks', Dad!" She whined pitifully, the red fading after a moment and returning to pink. Albeit a slightly darker shade.
Ted shot her a smirk but said nothing. "I see you've met Dorie, here. Who prefers to use our sirname. Though I'm not exactly sure why." He laughed.
"You would too if your fool mother named you Nymphadora." She muttered under her breath, so lowly that only Remus could hear.
"Sirius and Andy popped out for a bit to Diagon Alley. Won't be long, I'm sure. Come take a seat in the other room. I'll go and make some tea," he said while motioning for Remus to follow.
"That sounds lovely, Ted. But I, er, well, I don't—" he stuttered. Remus is the friendliest type of man when given the chance. But even after all these years of being 'taken in' by Padfoot, Prongs, Lily and Wormtail, not to mention most of their family members, he still finds it difficult to accept kindness and good hospitality. He's been branded a freak and a monster throughout most of his life. It's hard to allow himself to socialize, to feel comfortable in another's home…
Suddenly, a small hand was tightly holding onto his. Blue eyes once again glanced downward to peer into the face of young Nymphadora Tonks who was frowning slightly, brown eyes soft. "Please come in, Remus. Daddy makes super yummy tea. He even puts a bit of lemon and honey in it. I'll show you my chocolate frog card collection, too! 'Cause that's what friends do. And I've decided that you're going to be my friend whether you like it or not." Her huge grin returned, though her eyes were still pleading.
Lupin stared for a moment before allowing himself to smile. How is it that this child can find it within herself to look past his scars? How is she not afraid of him? Such a strange girl.
"Well, Nymphadora, I suppose I could stay for a bit if that's the case. You've made me an offer that I can't refuse."
He called her Nymphadora.
And she, oddly enough, didn't mind.