"I'm bored," complained seventeen year old Sirius Black, adjusting his tiny lacy hat, "And this hat is clashing with my sweater."
The pink haired little hair sitting next to him frowned.
"Tea parties aren't boring!" she said stubbornly, pouring him some more imaginary tea, "And you look pretty. Doesn't he, Mr. Lupin?"
Remus Lupin nodded his head gravely, almost making his own hat fall off.
"Quite right, Miss Tonks," he replied, making the little girl giggle, "Mr. Black looks dashing, and was quite churlish to say such a thing about your tea party."
Sirius rolled his eyes. He thought that inviting his best mate over to help him babysit his cousin would be of help, but it appeared that he was wrong. Moony was just as bad as her, putting up with her little games and even encouraging them. Well, it had gone far enough; if he had to sit through one more tea party, he was going to go absolutely stark raving mad.
"So sorry ladies," he stated, exaggeratedly tipping his hat, "But I'm going out. To the park, to be exact, as all this tea has filled me with energy, and if I stay here, I will burst. If you wish to come along, then feel free."
Tonks scowled, and then suddenly brightened.
"Can we go on the swings?" she asked, with the cutest pout a four year old could muster, "And in the sandbox?"
"Sure," Sirius replied quickly, willing to say anything to get away from the tea party, "And maybe if you're really good, we'll buy you an ice cream."
"Really?" Tonks beamed and turned to Remus, "Can we go, Mr. Lupin, can we, can we, pwease?"
The werewolf smiled at the little girl's enthusiasm, though he was a tad worried about how she would react while filled with sugar.
"Sure we can go, Miss Tonks," he laughed, "But you don't have to call me Mr. Lupin. Remus is just fine."
"Okay!" she giggled, taking Remus and Sirius by the hand and tugging them out the door. It was only a short walk to the park, and it was a great day to walk there, as it was sunny and warm. Once in the park, the little girl ran straight to the swings and pulled herself up.
"Push me!" she demanded, and Sirius began to comply. However, his attention was soon taken by a leggy blonde who was walking her dog. Finding this more fascinating than pushing his cousin, he quickly ran off after the girl, leaving Remus alone with Tonks.
"Why did Sirius leave?" she pouted, attempting to pump her chubby little legs while Remus pushed her, "Does he not like us?"
The boy sighed, trying to figure out how to explain without hurting her feelings.
"Well, sometimes boys like to be with girls their own age," he said slowly.
"Why?" Tonks demanded, giving up on pumping, "Don't you think I'm fun?"
"Of course!" Remus replied hastily, "But sometimes boys want to be with people their age so they can find out if they want to marry them."
It wasn't a great reason, but he didn't know how to tell a four year old that Sirius was out to find a good snog.
"Does that mean that you can't marry someone older than you?" the little girl asked, her face screwed up in concentration.
"No, not at all," the lad stated, pushing her higher.
The child beamed.
"Then I can marry you!" she said delightedly, not able to see the stunned look on Remus's face. With a squeal, she jumped off the swing, scraping her knee in the process. Her lip quivered, and she turned to the boy, who was regaining his composure.
"Kiss it better?" she whimpered, pointing to her owie. Obligingly, he walked over and quickly pressed his lips to it. The little girl giggled.
"You kissed me; now you have to maaaaarry me!" she sang, draping her arms around his neck, "Let's find Sirius and tell him!"
Tonks ran off to look for him, leaving a bewildered Remus behind. He had no idea why she decided to marry him or how she even thought that would work, but one thing was sure – If she told Sirius, he'd never hear the end of it. With that in mind, Remus decided to swear Tonks to secrecy, by whatever means necessary. But first he'd have to catch her. He sighed. This was not going to be just any day at the park.