Disclaimer: Don't own anything, except for a couple of OC coming later and a pair of All Stars that won't be featured in this story.
I'm not planning on writing about every day in Tonks' life, just episodes of it, corresponding to important moments of her life.
Summer 1979.
She was sulking. In her room. Because she was grounded. Because she had a tantrum, a big one. And she had made that thing she wasn't allowed to make. But it was not fair! They could forbid her to do it all they wanted, it was not as if she could control it!
And now she had to stay in her room, by herself, while everybody was downstairs having fun.
Her hair was fire red and she could feel that funny prickling under her skin. It came every time she was angry. And if she had to tell the truth, she was angry a lot lately.
From downstairs came the loud sound of her favourite cousin's laughter. That only made her sit furiously on her bed, legs and arms crossed.
This isn't fair!
A moment later, there was the sound of heavy steps coming up the stairs. It was probably Mummy, coming in to tell her off again. Well, she wasn't going to listen. Life was very unfair and she was very angry and no one was taking her seriously.
Someone knocked her door. That was odd. Mummy never knocked, her mother would just enter, even though she hated being interrupted like that.
"What?" she snapped at the closed door.
"Open up!"
Her heart gave a funny jump, but she wasn't going to give up that easily. She was stubborn.
"Go away!" she screamed to her favourite cousin.
"Come on, Nymphadora!" there was a hint of amusement in her cousin's voice. The fact that he used that awful name did nothing to improve her temper.
"Don't. Call. Me. THAT!"
The windows of the small room, covered with Muggle stickers, the balloon-shaped lamp and the many action figures on the shelf on the wall started trembling. She scowled but realized this wasn't going to help her situation.
Calm down, she heard a voice in her head that very much resembled Mummy's.
It was easier to say it than to do it. It took her a lot of concentration and many deep breaths, just as Mum had told her; finally she managed it: the small figures on the shelf were quiet again, and the windows did not tremble any more.
The person outside must have heard the rattling too, for a long moment no sound came from the other side of the door. She thought maybe the person had gone, but after a long silence he spoke.
"Can I come in now?"
Her heart gave a funny jolt but she did not want her emotion to show.
"If you must," she said with all the contempt an six-year-old could muster.
The door opened and her favourite cousin came in, grinning at her.
"Hello there!"
"Wotcher," she said with a flat voice, still frowning.
He sat beside her on the bed and put his arm around her tiny shoulders.
"I like it when your hair is red," he said, taking a lock in his fingers. "But I think pink makes you look so much prettier."
She chuckled, she could not help herself.
"Really?"
"Yup. Sirius-ly."
She chuckled again.
"You have a really cool name, Sirius."
"Nah, is not such a great thing."
"Yeah, it is, you can joke with your name!" She looked at him, eyes sparkling.
"You could joke with yours too," he said.
"I couldn't," she frowned again. "Not the sort of jokes I like anyways. People make fun at it, that's what happens! It's the ugliest name ever. Ever and ever!"
Sirius sat her on his knees.
"Are you going to tell me what's the story with your name?"
She looked at him, her jaw locked. Despite the red hair, that gesture made her look so much like her mother and himself. Even though he seemed to be taking her seriously, Nymphadora could tell he was about to grin and he was fighting not to.
"I won't use it anymore."
"You won't use it any more," he said thoughtfully. "And now, what should I call you?"
The girl reflected in silence.
"How about Miranda?" she finally asked.
"Miranda? Ugh, no! It's sissy!"
"It's not!"
"It's too!"
"It's not!"
"It's too!" Sirius said. "Besides, you don't look like Miranda at all."
She remained quiet for yet a longer moment, concentrating hard.
"Ringo, then," she prompted.
"You want to be named after one of the Beatles?" he said with a bark-like laugh. "Do you know Ringo is a man's name?"
The girl chuckled, she could not help it. Sirius' laugh was always so contagious.
"It's nice…" she added defensively.
"Maybe, but not on you."
"Then-"
"Then," Sirius interrupted her, "why don't you think of doing something with the name you already have?"
"But I don't like it!"
"I know you don't, but I'm afraid you'll have to live with it. You will be Nymphadora Andromeda Tonks always. It would be better if you try to work something out of those names."
She looked at his cousin, deep in thought and frowning slightly. Her hair changed slowly from red to deep blue and started curling in the tips.
"Would you call me Tonks?" she asked in a whisper.
"Tonks?"
"Yeah!" she started babbling really fast. "Dad's friends call him that, and I think it sounds so cool, and my name is Tonks too, so I might be called like that, right? Like sometimes people call you Black, people could call me Tonks, right?"
She looked at him wide-eyed, waiting for the verdict.
"Right..." Sirius said slowly, raising one eyebrow.
"Right, then!" her smile was broad and her hair was turning pink now. "From now on, I want everybody to call me Tonks. Miss Tonks!"
Sirius looked at her, laughing softly.
"Sounds fair enough to me, Miss Tonks."
She gave a small cry of glee. "I like how it sounds when you say it." Then, as an afterthought, she asked, "can I ride with you on your motorcycle, then?"
Sirius rolled her eyes at her.
"Your mum said you can't and you better stop trying to make me take you without her knowing it!"
"Pleeeeease?"
"No."
She frowned at him, arms crossed. He chuckled.
"I wanted to ask you something, by the way."
"What?" she snapped.
"Have you always been able to Stun your dad?"
She looked at him, he was trying to sound serious, but she could see a smile badly hidden on the corners of his mouth.
"Stun?"
"Stun, that thing you did that made him pass out."
"Oh." She felt herself blush. "I can make it for a while now. But I don't know how. When I am angry at them and they try to calm me down I just… don't know. They can't come near me. Mummy gets really angry when I do it, and she tells me I have to control myself."
That was the reason she was grounded. She had wanted to go with Sirius on his motorcycle and her mum had said no. She had been so angry she'd done that thing, Stun, and her dad had been knocked out. So, she had been sent to her room. She was sure he would be all right, he always was, but still...
"She is right, you know", Sirius said, pulling her now long and pink hair playfully.
"I know." Mum was not angry with her often and usually they had a lot of fun together. But sometimes… sometimes Tonks wished she was older so she could do all the stuff older people did.
"Can I tell you a secret?" Sirius said after a moment.
"Sure!"
"I can Stun people too," he winked at her.
"Really?" she looked at him in admiration; she knew her cousin was the coolest ever.
"Yup. But I use my wand. And you know what? When you grow up, and get yours, and get to school, you will learn to do it properly."
"Like, on purpose?"
"Yes. But you will have to use it carefully, you know."
"Yeah, I know," she said smugly, "only on bad people, right?"
"Exactly."
"And when I grow up would you let me ride your motorcycle?" she asked with an impish smile.
Sirius gave a deep mocking sigh.
"All right, all right!"
"Bangin'!" she cried.
"Now, would you come with me downstairs? It is really boring without you."
"I'm grounded" she said, frowning again.
"You're not."
"Am too!"
"Nope." Sirius winked at her again. "I talked to your mum, your punishment is over."
She jumped and hugged her favourite cousin.
"You're the best, Sirius."
"I know, Miss Tonks."
AN: I want to thank my amazing betas PottedLilies and my brother. She's not only precise and patient with my grammar catastrophes, she's also the fastest beta in this part of the galaxy. My bro on the other hand, was my first beta ever and Atticus is all his.
After more than a year of writing this fic, I'm planing on check on every chapter, add a few things, take out some others, maybe make some of them longer. Thanks a lot for your support. Cheers!