A/N: Okay, so it's a little late... don't hold it against me, I had a helluva time with this chapter. As always, reviews, comments, constructive criticism is welcome. Or just click the purple button and say hi!

rockstar-101, thanks for the continued encouragement... that's why I answered your question! Hope I didn't spoil it for you.

fireboltcrazed - yay, a new reviewer! Thanks for the praise and suggestions (keep 'em coming!) About Kate... very perceptive;)

Disclaimer: Not JK, don't own anything you recognize... just bits of the plot and a handful of characters:p

Chapter Ten: Sick Jokes & Strange Coincidence

There were moments in Sirius' life that made him wonder about the cosmic plan that had been laid out for him in the stars above. Like his namesake, shining up in the sky, he'd come to realize he was a part of something bigger and more complicated than the sum of its luminescent parts. The way things fit together in his life, overlapped, and came around again – the war, the Order, his friendship with Remus – made him wonder, at times, just what kind of sick joke was being played on him, but at other times – times when he thought he was alone, doomed, cursed – he thanked the heavens for strange coincidence. He had been mired in the former most of his life, but when a lovely young petite brunette with dazzling eyes and an infectious smile, walked into the kitchen at number twelve Grimmauld Place the night of the full moon, he couldn't help but thank Merlin for the latter.

The last time he'd seen Nymphadora Tonks, she'd been a rambunctious eight-year-old. His "baby cousin", as he lovingly referred to her, had been celebrating her birthday dressed up in a fluffy pink frock her mother (his cousin Andromeda) had lovingly picked out for her; a dress she obviously hated. He remembered that she'd pouted all through the cutting of the cake, tugging at the frilly neck and pulling at the puffy layers that ballooned out and almost swallowed her whole as she sat sulking on the patio of his cousin's modest home. He also remembered – vividly – when the dress was whipped off in a fit of mischievous glee, dragged through the freshly-cut grass and thrown into the mud among the rose bushes in the large garden, while little 'Dora ran around semi-nude but deliriously happy. That little girl had her first taste of freedom at the age of eight, and he couldn't help but think that somehow, a tiny part of her remembered and cherished the feeling. They were kindred spirits, not only because they were family, but also because he could see that tiny part of the girl still present in the woman. The woman that stood before him and looked just like he imagined that little girl would grow up to be.

It was odd to see her all grown up, a perfect balance of Andromeda and Ted, intelligent, accomplished (still very talkative) and an Auror, no less. It gave Sirius the kind of joy he hadn't felt in years to hug her, hear about his favourite cousin, and see her eyes light up and shine with tears as she told him how happy it made her to know he wasn't guilty. They'd sat and talked for hours in the corner of the long table in the kitchen, oblivious to the comings and goings of the Weasleys, Granger or occasional Order member who came to call. That night, nothing else mattered to Sirius but Dora, the child he'd loved with all his heart, the woman who was quickly capturing it again.

The next night, Tonks (as she insisted everyone, including him, call her) joined him and his house guests for dinner, and quickly became a hit with the Weasley children with her unusual talent, especially the girls, who were both very impressed by the fact that she was a Metamorphagus and an Auror. When the meal was over and the rest of the brood went off to bed, Tonks sat and listened as he attempted to put the last fourteen years into words. He tried to fill her in on as much as his voice (and his mind) would allow of the past few years, but he found that words could not express his years in Azkaban and he was relieved of that. Though he'd managed to speak to Remus a few times about his stint there, he had no desire to open up to anyone else. He feared that if he pulled the lid off his emotions he would find a bottomless well and he would drown in the horrid memories of that place. As much as he knew he needed to deal with the emotions he'd hidden for over a decade, he couldn't fathom where to start. Moreover, he didn't want to drag those memories into the light; it was hard enough dealing with the memories living back home had dredged up and wading through the memories of his father. Along with worrying about his best friend's son, he couldn't deal with any more. It was all too much for one man.

Sirius missed his childhood friend during those nights, though he missed Moony a little less having Tonks there to talk to. Still, when it came time to sleep, after downing half a bottle of firewhiskey in an attempt to dull his senses, he would look over at the empty bed, a single they'd conjured and placed along the wall of his bedroom where his chest of drawers had always been (having reluctantly given up the guest room on the second floor to Arthur and Molly and forced to bunk back in his old room), and he would fight sleep, knowing that his mind would eventually betray him and slip back to Azkaban and Moony wouldn't be there to shake him awake when the Dementors drew near in his dreams.

He was relieved when three nights later, after every Weasley had gone to bed and Tonks stayed to keep him company for a while, Remus and his daughter came through the bedroom door, even though they both looked like they shouldn't be traveling. Moony was back. At least now he could finally get some sleep.

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Considering that she'd been trapped in the old, dark house for weeks, scraping dried doxy dung out of the corners and breathing in years of dirty, sooty dust, Sophie was glad to be back in London. The whole time they were away, she'd worried that something would happen. She didn't know why – or what, for that matter – but ever since stepping into that house she'd had a bad feeling and she found the bad feeling had followed her home. She'd been convinced it was the house itself, or something dark inside it, living unseen in the walls or a cupboard they'd yet to clean out, but now she knew better. It was intuition, stronger in her because of her lycan instincts. It was as if she could smell a storm coming, the feeling made clear to her during the full moon. The tide was shifting and something bad was about to happen, though she didn't know what or when.

She knew, from the way Kate looked the next morning, that she had felt it, too, though like her father, who was too caught up in other worries to pay attention to his animal instincts, Kate was too preoccupied with thoughts of Belenus to realize what her instincts were trying to tell her.

Sophie found it frustrating that the only two people who could feel what she was feeling couldn't understand their emotions. It made her wonder if being born that way made her that different, if she was the only one of their kind that understood what her instincts were trying to tell her. She thought about contacting Corcoran or his wife, but thought better of it, knowing that, though he hid it well, the leader of the pack that she'd called home for the better part of a year secretly resented her abilities. And given the conversation she overheard the morning after the full moon between Kate and her father, she was fairly certain the old man, if he felt the storm coming, wouldn't be all that concerned.

Sophie decided to keep what she'd been feeling to herself that very morning, after taking in her father's grim appearance. He'd looked worse than ever. Though basically uninjured, he was obviously sore, and his pale face made him look so much older than his thirty-five years. It was heartbreaking, but she did her best to hide her emotions from him. She didn't want him knowing just how alarmed she'd been by his appearance, and she didn't want to give him yet another thing to worry over. She loved him too much to cause him any more grief.

They slipped into headquarters quietly, both feeling under the weather and hoping that they were late enough to avoid their housemates, Sophie secretly praying the twins weren't sneaking about the house in an attempt to collect samples for their newest venture. None of her friends had ever seen her looking ill after a full moon. She was a genius at hiding her pain (and injuries) and never looked as bad as she did now. She didn't want them to think any less of her, or worse, pity her. She didn't think she could take it.

Sophie and her father slipped up the stairs arm-in-arm (more for her father's benefit than hers), a rucksack slung over each of their shoulders. She was still living on the second floor in a small guest room across the hall from Ginny and Hermione, but her father had moved up to the fourth into Sirius' old bedroom. When her father tried to stop on the second landing, she resisted and insisted she walk him up to his room. She was surprised and a little disappointed at how quickly he relented. It meant he wasn't well.

As they approached the door, they both became aware of a soft muffle of two distinct voices, one male and the other female. Her first thought was that Sirius was listening to the wireless but when her father stiffened and pulled her away from the door, she realized just what he thought.

"You don't think – " she whispered, finding it hard to believe that Sirius Black would have a woman in his room. Where would he find one?

Her father gave her a look that said that was exactly what he thought.

"Who?" she asked. A list of the females in the house went through her mind. It was disturbing on all counts.

"Let's go back dow –" her father whispered but was startled by the sudden opening of the bedroom door.

"Moony!" Sirius stood before them, his arms outstretched, a lopsided smile on his face. "You're back!"

He gently pulled her father into the room, dragging her in inadvertently. Her father flinched a little and Sirius, who seemed a bit inebriated, immediately let go of his arm.

"Sorry," he mumbled.

He was still sober enough to realize her father was still smarting from the transformation. His eyes flicked over Sophie quickly, as if trying to assess her condition as well.

"Wotcher," came a voice from deep inside the room.

Sophie, still holding her father's arm, turned her head to see a petite pink-haired woman sitting by the fireplace, her legs crossed, a set of exploding snap cards laid out on the floor in front of her.

Her father didn't say a word but looked at the woman curioiusly, then turned his amber eyes on Sirius, silently saying more to his friend, though what exactly, Sophie could only guess.

Sirius smiled knowingly. "You'll never guess who this is, Remus," he said as he walked over to the woman and helped her up, then pulled her back towards them. "This, Remus," he said excitedly, "is my baby cousin, Nymphadora Tonks. 'Dora," he went on, turning his attention to the bright-haired woman, "this is Remus Lupin and his daughter Sophie."

The woman gave a bright smile and held out her hand, which her father took, and shook it gently. "Call me Tonks," she said, then cocked her head to the side and nearly jumped in enthusiasm. "I remember you," she said eagerly, "you came with Sirius to my house for Christmas one time."

Her father gave a pained smile and nodded. "Yes, that's right," he said, his voice sounding very weary.

Tonks then turned her attention to Sophie, holding her hand out again. Sophie took it reluctantly and was surprised when the woman pulled her into a hug.

"So great to meet you," she enthused, her breath smelling faintly of firewhiskey. "I never knew my cousin's mate here had a daughter."

Sirius snickered. "Neither did he," he said a little under his breath.

Tonks caught the words and gave Sirius a curious look.

Sophie just stood there at a loss for what to say. Ordinarily, she would have been much more friendly, but she was still feeling the aftereffects of transformation and her father was much worse for the wear. Neither one of them were exactly in a social mood. She looked at her father for a sign of how to handle the situation but he looked just as much at a loss as she felt. Thankfully, Tonks was perceptive enough to realize that it was time for her to go.

"Why don't we finish up our game tomorrow night," she suggested to Sirius, who looked at her blankly for a moment before his fuzzy brain kicked into gear and he agreed.

"Good idea," he said, moving away to clear up the cards with a flick of his wand, "you can join us for dinner again, if you can."

Tonks gathered her bag, which lay propped up against the wall by the door, and pulled the strap over her head to settle on a shoulder. "Can't make dinner," she said, "I'm on duty 'til nine. But I'll take you up on the game. I promised to kick your arse, after all."

The bright-haired woman grinned at her cousin, bid them both goodnight, her eyes lingering on Remus a moment longer. Sirius swept her from the room to escort her down to the front door, leaving Sophie to help her father settle into bed.

"Stop fussing over me," he grumbled a moment later as she adjusted his pillows, "I'll be fine. You should rest. The trip looks like it's taken a lot out of you."

Sophie couldn't argue, and conceded, giving him a kiss on the cheek before leaving the room and making her way downstairs. She was tired, feeling weak from a combination of the transformation, not eating a proper meal for the past two days and traveling by train most of the day. Her knees felt like they were about to give and she hoped, as she made her way to the second landing, that they would hold out until she got to her room.

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Sirius led Tonks to the front door, carefully steering his clumsy cousin around the ill-placed troll's leg umbrella stand (which she'd battled with each time she had visited so far).

"Is your friend alright?" she asked, whispering, "He looks rather sickly."

"He'll be fine," he whispered back, deciding it was best to be upfront, "he just needs time to recover from the full moon."

Tonks eyes widened and she seemed to understand. Moody, who'd recruited her (along with another Auror), had warned her that there were werewolves in the Order, something the ex-Auror felt he had to do. Though Sirius didn't agree, he understood Moody's intention. Too many wizards, dark or not, were very weary of dark creatures, particularly werewolves. He waited tensely for her reaction.

"Poor man," she said sympathetically, "he doesn't deserve it."

Sirius, who could sense her sincerity, gave Tonks a big bear hug, squeezing her between his arms the way he used to when she was a child.

She giggled, trapped in his embrace, and gave him a peck on the cheek. "See you tomorrow, cousin," she whispered before slipping out the front door.

Sirius loved the sound of those words. He hadn't heard them for years, spoken by her mother, who had been the only member of the Black family he ever felt any real connection to. A strange feeling coursed through him but he was well aware of what it was. Now that he had been reunited with his baby cousin, and Moony was back, things didn't look so dire – at least not in the comfortable little fuzzy niche in his mind that was the result of a few shots of firewhiskey, a hug from family and the familiar face of a childhood pal. He was aware that it was only temporary, that the direness of the situation would be back tomorrow, but at the moment, it seemed so far away, trapped behind a veil of contentment.

As he stepped up to the second landing he stopped, watching as Sophie slowly picked her way down the stairs as if trying to avoid stepping on some invisible obstacle. It was then that he realized her odd behaviour was something more. Sophie, stepping onto the landing from the last step down, suddenly grabbed the railing, her knees buckling under her. Sirius sprinted up the last few steps and caught her before she hit the floor.

She immediately flinched from his touch, struggling to stand upright and gain her composure, her reddening cheeks giving her away.

"Sorry," she mumbled, "just clumsy, I guess."

Sirius knew it was more than that. Stubborn gits, he thought, annoyed by Remus and his daughter's obstinacy. They were obviously unfit to travel, so why did they rush back? The questionable judgement of his own health was completely in Remus' character, he just thought that maybe Sophie had a bit more sense.

"You must be knackered," he commented as casually as he could. If shewas anything like her father, she would be sensitive about her current state.

She nodded. "Long day," she said, moving to pick up her rucksack, which had dropped and spilled some of its contents to the floor when she fell.

Sirius helped her gather her things from the landing, stuffing a tee shirt and a hairbrush into the sack, as she hastily shoved in the rest. Then she thanked him again and ran off around the corner to her room. Sirius was left to ponder her odd behaviour a little more thoroughly, that is, until Molly poked her head out into the corridor and distracted him with questions. "Everything's fine," he assured her and she quietly went back to bed.

He turned and began his ascent to the fourth floor. It was then, as he stepped off the landing, that he spotted a letter, lying slightly crumpled on the floor. It had a stamp on the corner, indicating it was muggle post, and a postmark from London dated a few weeks earlier. It was addressed to Sophie, large childlike block writing spelling out her name in the front. Suddenly curious, he bent down and picked it up, but rather than return it, which he considered briefly, he slipped it into his pocket and continued up the stairs.

Laying in bed a few minutes later, Remus fast asleep in his own bed by the door, Sirius pulled the letter out of its envelope, unfolded it carefully and laid it out on his chest. He knew it was none of his business, that the contents of a random letter to his friend's daughter shouldn't have made him so curious, but the fact that Sophie had led him around London a few nights before like she'd lived there all her life, had him wondering just how she knew the city Remus himself had confessed to avoiding for over a decade. They lived isolated, just outside a small village, with no ties to London that Remus had mentioned. He knew he shouldn't read it, that it was a violation of Sophie's privacy, but he was still Sirius Black. In school, he wouldn't have hesitated to read a letter found out in the open, and he had, many times, finding out things about his friends and classmates he never would have known – maybe shouldn't have known – had it not been for his lack of propriety.

Fingering the thin sheet of paper momentarily, he picked the letter up and began to read.

Hello there, baby!

You will NEVER guess where I am. London! I'm actually here! If you've spoken to Kate I guess you already know and this letter (muggle style – nice, eh?) won't come as such a surprise. (If you haven't, check on her, will you?)

Sophie, I had to leave the pack. I just couldn't take living under that hypocrite's thumb anymore. Actually, he banished me. Can you believe it? That old bastard Corcoran actually banished me. It's not like I wasn't expecting it but still. He thinks he's Merlin himself or something but really he's just a bitter old man. If you heard how he speaks about you and your father, how you're both clinging to a society that would rather see you dead... like I said, bastard. You were right to leave when you did. Forget about him. I know I will.

Sophie, you have to come visit. I've found a room to let in this flat with a bunch of students. My room's tiny but I love it! When you come you can bunk with me. The bed's small but you're a slip of a thing and I remember how you like to cuddle. We can visit that garden you love. I haven't been there without you, not since the night I 'proposed'. Remember that? That night was fucking brilliant! You need to have a night like that again. You need to visit. Come. Please.

You mustn't send your reply by owl. I'm living with muggles and it would just be strange. Send your letter by muggle post. I'll be waiting for your reply.

Missing you,

Bel

P. S. Don't tell Kate I told you what happened. It's a bit of a scandal and she's torn about the whole thing. I hate that she's suffering but she has to come to terms with the truth about Corcoran. Let me know how she is. Thanks, baby.

Sirius rolled his eyes as he read, wondering if Remus knew who this Bel was. The mention of Kate, who he remembered vividly (and disliked from memory), and the nasty reference to Corcoran, who he'd never met but disliked on principal, told him that Bel, whoever he was, was most likely a werewolf. He was curious to know just how close Remus had gotten to the woman he'd rescued all those years ago. It seemed close enough to still be a part of his life, at least according to the letter. Remus hadn't mentioned her name once since Sirius landed on his doorstep a month ago. The more Sirius thought about it, the more curious he became.

Looking over at his mate's sleeping form, his face buried under the covers, Sirius couldn't help but feel a twinge of guilt. He'd read the letter and now he knew things he was almost sure Remus didn't. There was also an odd feeling that Sirius couldn't quite place, until he read the third paragraph over again and realized what it was. Whoever this Bel person was, Sirius didn't like him. He was much too forward, sounded cocky and Sirius was sure that his mate wouldn't approve. Though the part about the proposal sounded sketchy, Sirius wasn't sure if he should be worried on his friend's behalf. Sophie was much too young to get married and if all the bloke could afford was a room in a flat, there was no way he would be able to provide for his friend's daughter. Sirius felt indignant on his mate's behalf as well, and vowed, as he folded up the letter and hid it in an old book placed it under his bed, that he would get to the bottom of the situation before Moony got wind. He owed Remus, and keeping him from unnecessary worries was the least he could do.

Okay, a bit of an odd chapter for me... I rewrote it, like, three times and had to stop from doing it again. Hope it doesn't show...

The next chapter has more Order members popping up and Sophie finally attending her first meeting. Harry will also be entering the scene very soon and Sirius will get his answers... unless I change my mind and come up with something completely different;p