Sirius nodded. "It wasn't really our fault though," he said grimly.

"I know," I told him. "But I really loved having all of you guys around and still do."

Remus sighed heavily, "Only two loyal out of six, well three out of seven if we included you Nymphadora."

I pulled a face at him while Sirius closed his eyes as if remembering something painful.

Feeling bad for them I quickly said, "I've got another couple of stories I remember." Too bad the topic wasn't exactly cheerful.

Sirius perked up. "What?" he asked eagerly like a puppy.

Date: 31st October 1981

"Ted, this really can't be a good idea," fretted Andromeda, tweaking Dora's black hair with orange and blood red tips.

Ted sighed; he knew he would have to go over this at least another few times. "She can't miss out on trick or treating, 'Dromeda. It wouldn't be right."

"But it's basically night and that's when Voldemort-" Andromeda hissed

"I know, but he has been lying low the last few weeks." Ted explained

"Halloween would be a perfect night for him to strike!"

"Come on, Annie. Why would he strike here?"

Andromeda threw her hands up in the air in frustration. "Why did he hit Chingford? Or Leyburn? To cause despair and destruction! It's not safe."

"I'll be with her, let her have some fun. Please," pleaded Ted softly.

Andromeda knew that she would say yes before Ted even responded to her comment. She knew it wasn't right to keep her child locked up but it was dangerous and she didn't want to lose anyone else.

"I'll be good, mummy, honest!" chirped Dora, swinging her plastic bag where she would but all her sweets.

Ted looked down at his all too innocent looking daughter. "Sirius and James gave you pranks to pull again, didn't they?" Ted said, trying to sound stern.

"Nuh-uh, Remus gave me them."

Her parents' eyebrows rose at that. Remus Lupin, the polite, shy, studious Marauder? Impossible.

Dora nodded her head furiously. "Sirius gave the stuff to James to give to Remus who gave them to me. See, Sirius didn't give me them!"

Ah the logic of eight year olds.

Muttering about inane cousins who shouldn't be allowed near impressionable children Andromeda shooed Ted and Dora to the front door. Dora tried to filch some sweets from the bowl on the table in the hall but Ted swatted her hand away, telling her that she'd get enough while trick or treating.

Andromeda smiled at father and daughter bantering with each other and has to grab a camera to picture this moment.

Dora, her face pale, eyes dark and donned in a white collared shirt and elaborate cape looks freakishly like a baby vampire. The fangs she decided to morph in for the evening just add to the kind of cute but scary look.

Ted had decided to wear his old Hogwarts hat (she thought she had chucked that out ages ago, where does he hide it?), and looks particularly ridiculous. The stupid grin doesn't help much.

"Be back before nine," was all Andromeda said to the pair, kissing Ted's cheek and neatening Dora's black skirt.

"Kay mummy!" says Dora happily, dragging her father out of the house.

The neighbourhood was more or less chaos at this time of year. No cars dared drive around for fear of running over some little child. Children seemed to travel in swarms. A particularly mean looking bunch of boys dressed as pirates pushed Dora out of their way.

'Thud' her bum made contact with the curb. Ted was about to tell them off but Dora's eyes flash black and chucked something from her pocket at them.

It was that slime stuff that was solid when you rolled it in your hand but gooey when left alone or chucked at someone as those boys discovered.

'Splat!'

The boys howled in fear, disgust and anger. They whirled around to see who did it but Ted had already dragged Dora onto the next house, both of them grinning like Cheshire cats.

"Trick or treat?" she repeated at every front door. Everyone had congratulated her on her costume and had a good chuckle at Ted.

After a good hour and a half of trick or treating, Dora and Ted returned to their home. It was a relatively normal Halloween night for once, which was odd. No Voldemort activity at all.

Obviously Remus noticed Sirius' rapidly darkening face and quickly exclaimed, "I do not remember ever encouraging your mischievous streak, Nymphadora."

I shoved him to the floor with a scowl on my face.

Sirius smiled at us and informed Remus, "You seem to have a faulty memory, mate. I can remember seeing you give her a 'bag of tricks' as you called it."

Remus look very affronted and tried to get up with some dignity from the floor. Pity, Sirius would let him and promptly cast a shoelace tying jinx which made him fall to the floor with a 'flump'.

I looked down interestingly at the fallen idiot. "Do I make that much noise when I fall?" I asked honestly.

Sirius cocked his head to one side and shook his head. I sighed in relief but he grinned.

"You usually make a lot more. By bringing all sorts of stuff down with you," he told me.

I huffed and made as if to shove him off the bed to but he leaned out of the way and grabbed my arms so that they were held out in front of me. Sirius just grinned evilly as I swore at him and tried to struggle out of his grip.

"Ah, ah, ah. It's not nice to shove people Nymmie. Don't you agree Remus?" Sirius said cheerfully.

I felt Remus come up behind me and chuckle. "Yes I agree. It's also not very ladylike to swear."

I wrinkled my nose. Honestly Remus must be denser than he looks if he thinks I would ever be ladylike!

Then the two men started to tickle me mercilessly. I squealed and kicked out at them but they didn't give up. Evil gits.

Remus gave up after a few minutes once I had started pleading and Sirius gave up once I felt tears at the corners of her eyes.

The latter smirked at me and wagged a finger at me, "That'll teach you to behave."

My only response was a rather rude hand gesture that my mum would have punished me for but it only made Sirius chuckle and Remus tut disapprovingly.