When Tonks finally left the library, she realized it was very dark outside. She had less than half an hour to be in her common room before Filch started patrolling the corridors. However there was something else she had to do and she was willing to risk detention for it.

She ran as far as she could all the way up into the Owlery. It was empty. Being extremely careful not to trip on the dirt and droppings that covered the stone floor, she stood next to one of the windows. Taking a piece of parchment and a quill from her bag, she scribbled hastily:

Mum, I know what Sirius did. I know we are related to Bellatrix Lestrange and Narcissa Malfoy. I can't believe you kept that from me. I've read it all on old newspapers but I want to know your version. - Dora.

She tied the note to a school owl's leg and let it go. She had done what she had to do.

The next morning Tonks looked anxiously at the flow of owls entering the great hall during breakfast, trying to recognise one of the school owls approaching her, or their family owl, among the sea of feathers and letters. Nothing came.

Mentally cursing her mother, she started attacking the cereal in front of her, trying to avoid everybody else's gaze.

"Are you all right?"

Of course Atticus would notice that something was going on. She thought somehow annoyed.

"Fine," she muttered.

"I didn't see you yesterday, after you went to the library...?" he asked tentatively.

"Yeah, I went to bed early."

"How come?"

"Just tired."

Atticus looked at her for a long moment, as if trying to decide if he should interrogate her any further or just leave it that way.

"You're all right, then?" he finally asked.

"I'm fine, At," Tonks now raised her head from her cereal to stare at him. He did look concerned and she felt a stroke of guilt. It was not his fault anyways.

"I was just waiting for an owl..."

"That owl?" Atticus said, pointing at one last owl, flying directly at Tonks.

Smiling broadly, she raised her forearm and the bird posed on it. A tiny roll of parchment was carefully tied up in its leg. Tonks took it eagerly and tucked it her pocket. Even if she and Atticus were close friends, there were some things that she did not want to share with him at all.

He looked puzzled, but he kept quiet nonetheless.

She finished her breakfast in a hurry and without waiting for anybody she stood up and ran outside the hall.

Where to go to have some privacy? she considered, looking at the flow of students climbing up the stairs to go to classes.

Hastily she entered the closest girls bathroom. Two seventh year girls were giggling at something one of them was showing the other and completely ignored Tonks, who entered a cubicle.

Andromeda Tonks' note was very brief.

Tonight, after midnight, in the fireplace of your common room. You have to be alone. Do not talk about this with anybody. Love, Mum.

Tonks had no idea how did she manage to get through all her classes after reading her mother's note. As a matter of fact, she did not succeed in any of the tasks the teachers sent her that day. The most abysmal of her mistakes had being melting her cauldron during potions right in front of Professor Snape and spilling the contents on his robes. As a consequence she had lost Hufflepuff twenty points and had earned a week of detentions, not to mention the humiliating remarks he had made for the duration of what was left of the class.

Now it was finally the time. As a matter of fact, her mother was late.

Half an hour past midnight, Tonks sat on an empty common room, looking intently at the flames, trying to distinguish the familiar features of her mum.

Finally... was that her? A head was now clearly visible through the flames. Andromeda was smiling at her daughter but she looked concerned nonetheless.

"Mum!" she cried.

"Not so loud, Nymphadora," she hushed her. "You're going to wake up the whole castle."

"Sorry," she said.

Both of them remained silent for a moment.

"Your letter surprised me," her mother finally said. "I though you did not want to know about what happened back then."

"Well... I didn't. But then... somebody told me something. A girl, from Slytherin. She seemed to know a lot about us... about the Blacks I mean. So I hated that she knew more than I did, and I went to do some research."

"And now you have questions." Andromeda finished.

"Just one... actually." Tonks whispered.

"Yes?"

"Why are you different from them?"

Her mother looked a bit confused a bit her lip, as if struggling with ideas difficult to express.

"I haven't thought about it in a while," she said softly. "Why?... I guess you could say I was always different. From my sisters, I mean."

"How so?"

"You see, Narcissa, she was the prettiest from us three. She was so beautiful you just had to turn your head and look at her. And Bella... she was all fun when we were little, but she was also very fond of family histories and tradition, and she got quite attached to the oldest members of our family, the ones convinced that all that pure-blood rubbish was right. And she wanted to do something about it. She hadn't even came of age and she was already talking about blood purification in the wizarding community, it was terrible."

"And you?"

"Me?" Andromeda chuckled softly. "I was into different things: Quidditch, making friends, always joking around..."

"You?" Tonks asked incredulously.

"Yes, me. Is it so hard to believe from your old mum?"

"Yeah, it is," Tonks answered firmly.

"Anyway," her mother continued, "there were a couple of incidents involving them, especially Bella, being nasty to people I considered my friends. Muggleborns. On those occasions I had serious fights with them, and even got Howlers from my mum telling me I had to listen to my sisters. It was all rubbish!"

"And then?"

"And then, after school, I went to live on my own. I got a job and rented a small flat near Diagon Alley. And I met your dad."

Tonks smiled.

"My mum got furious. No, far worse than that. She said she didn't want to see me again... at least, that's what... what Sirius told me."

The mention of her cousin, after so many years, made her startle.

"I never took dad to my parent's house," Andromeda continued hastily, "so all I know from that on is what I heard from others. And that's it," she smiled at her daughter. "Did I answer your question?"

She nodded.

"I guess... it's a matter of choice, right?" Tonks murmured thoughtfully. "You have to choose what you want to turn into."

Andromeda beamed at her daughter.

"That is exactly what this is about, Dora."

Updated AN: This is a new version of this chapter and it is not absurdly short any more. I never felt comfortable with writing such a short piece anyway.

Thanks a lot to all reviewers, the 'old' and the 'new' ones. I am glad you still like this tale.

AN: Again, again, and again, heaps of thanks and free Honeydukes Finest for my wonderful beta PottedLilies.

I'd like to thank the people who took some time to leave a review: felixlee14, Tina101, So this is real life, kourtni, and shadowofnothing14... and of course PL for the last minute mistake-spotting (:

Cheers!