Chapter Two
"Welcome to my home Vanessa!" announced Sirius. His voice causing a painting at the end of the hall to start screaming insults which seemed to be directed at him.
"Who is that painting?" I asked in shock, "And why is it insulting you?"
"That, my dear, is my mother." He replied as he walked up to the painting, yelled at it himself then shut the curtains over it again, causing it to fall quiet. The noise attracted seemingly a whole horde of people from all over the house.
"Sirius! You're back!" cried a kindly looking woman I knew well as Mrs Weasley.
"Mrs Weasley!" I greeted excitedly as I rushed forward, "It is great to see you again."
"Oh, my dear Vanessa! I was just going to ask about you." She replied pulling me into a bone-crushing hug, "Albus told us all about your predicament and that you will be residing here with us. Am I right?"
"Of course." I replied. "Sirius here just saved Fred, George and I from a Death Eater attack at my home just now." I added, with a smile towards the man who then looked downwards almost bashfully. He seemed to very modest in regards to saving people's lives.
"Sirius, dear! How can I ever repay you!" she cried throwing her arms around the now shell-shocked man.
"By letting go, Molly! I can't breathe!" he gasped. She hurriedly stepped backward as Sirius held a hand on his chest, trying to regain his breath.
"Oh I'm sorry, Sirius!" cried Mrs. Weasley, she looked ready to throw her arms around him again when I stepped between them clasping Mrs. Weasley's hand.
"Do introduce me to everyone here." I looked around eagerly at the group of people who had gathered in the now crowded entrance hall.
"Oh yes dear! These are Ron's friends: Harry and Hermione." The two of them smiled and waved at me. She then turned to a woman with vivid pink hair holding hands with a man who had two curious looking scars running across his face that I immediately recognized as Remus Lupin, our Defence against the Dark Arts teacher in our fifth year.
"Professor Lupin!" I cried happily, he was my favourite teacher that year and I was sad to see him go. "How wonderful to see you again."
"Miss Ravensdale." He smiled warmly at me, holding out his hand to shake. "A pleasure to see you looking so well. It's a shame you have to be separated from your parents at a time like this."
"Oh I suppose, but it's not that bad, I'll get by." With that I shot a sidelong glance at Sirius and smiled. He looked shocked for a second but returned my smile, with an almost mischievous glint in his eyes.
"Well, we are all here to help you, Vanessa." The woman next to Lupin spoke up, grinning at me.
"This, Vanessa, is Nymphadora Tonks." Introduced Mrs. Weasley, "However she prefers to be called by her last name only. Isn't that right, Tonks?"
"Yes, Molly, you are correct." She replied with a nod. "It's nice to meet you Vanessa." She added turning back to me.
"Same here…Tonks." We both grinned at each other. I could tell we were going to be great friends.
After almost a month of living at 12 Grimmauld Place, I felt I was settling in nicely. Everyone is being so friendly to me, I thought with a grin as I sat on my window seat in my room, Especially Sirius…It was almost undeniable that he was attracted to me, I knew it, I could tell. There have been a number of times already where he has gone out of his way to accommodate my needs and wants. Every morning now, he gives me a hug and hands me a cup of coffee. The first time he did this, I was speechless and utterly embarrassed considering he hugged me in front of about twenty people. I don't know how he could have found out that that was my morning ritual with my parents; I narrowed my eyes suspiciously as I pondered this,
"It must have been Tonks!" I cried, jumping up from my seat and pacing my room, "She's the only one I mentioned that to and how I missed it." I continued, mumbling to myself. My first thought was to plot revenge and when I was about half way to my door I stopped short and shrugged my shoulders, Its not like I'm complaining, I suppose I owe her my thanks. I grinned as I opened my door and walked out to find her.
"Tonks!" two voices hissed in unison from behind the drapery in the sitting room. The woman with now violet hair spun around, wand drawn, eyes darting all over the room, searching for the source of the voice. She noticed a tuft of red hair from behind the drapery and relaxed instantly, pocketing her wand.
"Fred, George, my friends, what can I do for you?" she stated, standing with her arms crossed over her chest. Fred and George both stepped out from behind the drapes as if it were the most normal thing to be doing.
"Ah, Tonks, we have a little mission for you…" began Fred.
"This requires a little information gathering on your part." George finished. Tonks looked intrigued.
"What do you mean?'
"You have become pretty close with Vanessa lately we would assume." George stated.
"Yes, yes I have, we have become very good friends." She replied with a smile, "Why do you ask?"
"And would we also be correct in assuming that you were responsible for the hug and coffee she gets every morning?" Fred added with a raised eyebrow and a grin.
"You would be correct in assuming that." She replied with an equally large grin.
"So you have noticed that she has a thing for Sirius?"
"Well, not quite," she said thoughtfully, "She hasn't admitted it to me as such, but with Sirius, I think it is obvious that he…favours her." The three of them laughed uproariously.
"Herein lies your mission, Tonks." George proposed leaning closer towards her to whisper, "We need a confession of sorts from Vanessa as to how she feels about Sirius."
"And why would that be?" she asked sceptically.
"Why? So we can prank them until they admit it to each other of course!" they both responded in unison. The scepticism disappeared entirely from her face as she saw the merit in such an endeavour.
"I'm in!" she said firmly, shaking both Fred and George's hand.