Dreamily

Ted's family hadn't visited since the war had reached its final stages. The family was fearful of their safety, wanting the Muggles as uninvolved in the Wizarding War as possible as each side put up their last fights. When they arrived at the Tonks' house after years of being gone, Nymphadora hesitated behind her mother, unsure of her grandfather and uncle. She hadn't seen them in four years, at least not outside of photographs, and the eight-year-old wasn't sure about these men, who seemed more like fictional characters than relatives. It was a shyness that was uncommon for the little girl.

Ted lifted his daughter, taking her over to her family, reintroducing the little girl for her sake. In her modesty, her hair had gone brown, her cheeks tingeing pink in her embarrassment as her grandfather planted a kiss on her head, followed by her uncle.

After standing around unsure, orbiting her mother for comfort, the girl soon got over it, hair flashing pink before too long, pleased with how she was complimented for her ability, soon showing off for her Muggle relatives. Within the hour, as Andromeda set tea and biscuits out, Nymphadora had sat herself down between her grandpa and uncle, smiling up at them, talkative and elated. She liked these men, she decided. They fawned over her in a way her parents no longer did and didn't mind when she'd interrupt with some irrelevant story, eagerly awaiting what the child had to say.

It was later that evening, after dinner, as the girl and her mother sat outside, watching the sunset as Ted caught up with his family inside, that Nymphadora finally brought up something Andromeda had been dreading. Maybe she had mentioned Andromeda's family a few times, but only when she was much younger, when the Tonks were around more, reminding Nymphadora of the missing half of her family. Andromeda or Ted would always dismiss her family, changing the subject easily, the child not really picking up, mind flying between one thing and another easily.

However, this time was different. Nymphadora wasn't as young and naïve anymore, Andromeda supposed. She wouldn't be swayed away from the subject and besides, she had a right to know about the grandparents she'd never meet, the aunts who'd never shower her with presents and kisses.

Nymphadora turned her head, eyes squinting as she looked away from the sun to her mother. "Mom, what about your parents? Do you have siblings?"

Her mother looked at her, frowning slightly. She didn't really know where to start. She supposed, though, simply answering the girls questions would be enough, and she wouldn't go any further into it than she had to. "Yes, I have two sisters."

Nymphadora's mouth dropped open. "Really? I have aunts? What are their names?" She had turned to her mother in excitement, now full attention.

"Bellatrix and Narcissa." Andromeda said matter-of-factly. "Bella's older than me by two years, Narcissa younger by two."

"What do they look like?" Dora asked, trying to think if she'd ever seen a picture of them anywhere in the house.

"Like me, in a way." She thought for a moment. "Bella's got black hair though. Narcissa's blonde and blue-eyed. They're both very beautiful," Andromeda's mind then jumped to the Bellatrix she had seen recently. She chewed the inside of her cheek.

"Well why haven't I ever met them?" Nymphadora demanded, glaring at her mother. "They're witches like you, right?"

Andromeda nodded as she thought on the first question. She should be straight with her. Maybe she wouldn't completely get it, but then, maybe her daughter would surprise her and understand completely. Though, she wasn't sure she wanted Nymphadora to know how ugly her family was, the family her mother came from. As she thought this, Andromeda was seized with fear. What if her daughter completely rejected her once she knew? What if she related her mother to those horrible people she would have called grandma, grandpa, and auntie? She bit down on her lip.

"They…" Andromeda hesitated. "They aren't very happy with me, Nymphadora." Well that was to say the least. Nymphadora picked up on this, raising an eyebrow at her mother. "You know how your father's Muggle-born?" The girl nodded, rolling her eyes at this. Obviously. "Well, I'm a pure-blood. Both of my parents were magical, as were their parents, and their parent's parents. There's not a trace of Muggle in the entire Black family tree."

"So?" Nymphadora was becoming bored, not really grasping what it all really meant. She just wanted to know why she was missing out on family members.

"So they weren't very happy when I married a Muggle-born. It kind of ruins their so-called blood purity." Andromeda explained, but Nymphadora's brow knitted at this term. "They didn't want your father's blood, which they consider dirty and lesser to their own, mixing into the family. So they…" She hesitated, trying to find the right term. "Kicked me out of the family, if you will."

Dora raised her eyebrow at this. "Well you can't just kick someone out of their family." She said simply.

Andromeda smiled at this, reaching across and taking her daughter's hand. "Well, they did as much as they could." The smile then faded away and she looked her daughter in the eye. "My love, you'll probably never meet any of them. Not your aunts, not your grandparents. They hate me for what I did, marrying your father. And as such," Andromeda stood from her seat, kneeling down in front of her daughter, placing a hand on her cheek. "They'll reject you. You're what they feared. The blood of a Black mixing with a Muggle-born's." She feared what these words would do to Dora, but knew it had to be said for her to fully understand.

However, the little girl turned her head, looking at the sunset again for a moment, then faced her mother again. "That's ok. I got you and dad and grandpa and Uncle Jack. I don't need anyone else." She smiled, and Andromeda wrapped her arms around her daughter.

xx

Later that night, Andromeda crept back out on the patio, taking her seat under the stars. Ted lay asleep in their bed, Nymphadora in hers.

Andromeda sat looking at the stars, listening to the world around her. She'd wrapped herself in a thick blanket, but the winter air still chilled her, leaving her numb and dazed. As she stared off dreamily, gazing at the night sky, she couldn't help fantasizing a little bit.

Ted and Nymphadora had been added to the tapestry, earning their own little branches, attached to her still intact portrait. Her mother's and father's faces lit up as the three came for Christmas dinner, her father wrapping his arms around Dora while Ted kissed her mother's cheeks. Bellatrix and Narcissa came in then, hugging their sister, and then presenting Dora with their Christmas gifts to her, smiling as the little girl ripped away the wrappings. They were all happy to be together again, happy that everything had turned out the way it had. No one was disowned. No one was in Azkaban. No one hated another.

Andromeda ran her hands across her face, wishing the tears would stop.

-Reels