Disclaimer: See Prologue

A/N: For 4vr17Vi who asked for this one.

Lupin and Sirius laughed at the next one, handing it to Harry who missed the wink Sirius threw his friend and Lupin's subsequent almost blush and frown of disapproval.

It depicted Sirius dodging china that Harry thought were probably unique pieces or treasured gifts. It was the sort of thing that usually happened to his godfather.

What was interesting was the little girl with bright yellow hair, standing in the middle of the room and watching with a vague interest as though she did not know that she was the cause of this debacle. Yet none of the vases and display plates that must have belonged to her parents, landed near her.

"Is that…?"

"Yep," answered Sirius, guessing the question. "And when she comes round today, she will be teased mercilessly until my sides are sore."

1977

Sirius took his friend by the wrist and dragged him in. Personally, he understood Lupin's hesitance. The last time Remus had met his relatives, things had gone gradually from bad to worse.

"She's not at all like my mother. Andromeda's great."

Lupin made a noise that made it quite clear that he highly doubted it.

"Come on!"

And the door shut behind them, revealing what was actually a normal looking house. Alright, so a broom was propped up against the stairs but besides that, it could have belonged to a family of Muggles.

The walls were a comforting creamy contrast to the gothic entrance hall of the Black residence and Lupin's sounds of pleasant surprise resulted in a burst of laughter and an 'I told you so' from Sirius, alerting Andromeda Tonks to their presence.

She almost glided out of the kitchen with the grace that she had inherited from her mother. She brushed a fleck of dust off the mantelpiece and beamed at the two teenaged boys.

"You must be Remus," she said, extending her hand.

Lupin stared at her for a moment, wondering how she knew his name but he hurriedly took her hand so as not to seem impertinent.

She answered his question as quickly as though she had read his mind so clear was his facial expression.

"James and I have already met and you just don't look like a Peter."

"Thank your lucky stars," whispered Sirius. "I don't think you could pay me to look like Peter."

Andromeda either ignored this or failed to hear it. The latter, Lupin seriously doubted.

"I'm so glad he's brought someone a little more responsible with him. I was terrified he would have brought James and frankly Sirius, I really do dread to think. Thank you both for coming. I really appreciate it at such short notice but Ted's got a funeral to go to and obviously we can't take Dora."

Sirius nodded sagely echoing her tone in his noises of agreement whilst unashamedly allowing his mind to wander.

As if on cue, a girl who stood at about four foot, plodded down the stairs. Her black hair hung over her face and eyes black as Lupin's peered out from under her fringe.

"Nymphadora!" cried Andromeda, tired of her daughter's dark mood. "Change it immediately!"

Lupin failed to see exactly what was wrong with the girl. She looked perfectly normal to him, despite looking like an extra in a horror film.

Shockingly, and so quickly he almost missed it, Nymphadora changed her hair to a vivid red and Lupin stared in panic, wondering if perhaps this was all inside his head as neither Andromeda nor Sirius batted an eyelid.

"Er…?" he stammered.

Sirius turned to face him and grinned. "She's a metamorphagus."

"Right."

With a last kiss on the forehead and a stern command to 'Be good!', Andromeda Tonks swept out into the August morning, leaving her daughter to change her hair back to a dreary black in the exact shade of her eyes and glare up at the two young men before her.

Sirius padded off into the kitchen, leaving Lupin to participate in what appeared to be a stare-out. He was moderately afraid of this child. She looked at him as though he were scum, the way most of Sirius's family looked at him.

"So," he said eventually. "Nymphadora."

Her hair was the same angry red it had been a few moments earlier and Lupin was forced to plaster on a terrified smile and call for his friend.

"Sirius! She's er…she's done it again."

"What colour?"

Lupin now heard the sounds of the television in the background his outrage almost matched that of the little girl opposite him.

"Red. Really red."

"Right, back away slowly and maintain eye contact."

Lupin rolled his eyes and crouched down on the child's level. He took a deep breath and tried to avoid her glares as dark as her eyes.

"Shall I not call you that?"

She shook her head and Lupin smiled; at last! A breakthrough!

"What shall I call you then?"

She shrugged and Lupin tried to remember the shortening her mother had used. Dora!

"Right, okay Dora…can I call you Dora?"

She nodded and her hair changed to a lighter shade, almost an orange and her eyes were now hazel.

"You look very pretty," he told her. "You look like my mother right now actually."

Dora giggled and clamped a hand to her mouth. Her hair was tinged a distinct red and her eyes were taking on progressively darker tones.

"You don't like my mother? You've never met my mother!"

Dora bit her lip to stop the smile and Lupin understood.

"Ah, you don't like me." He stood at his full height and her eyes widened. "I'll make myself scare then."

And he left the door of the living room open, hoping she would eventually follow him through it. He collapsed beside Sirius on the sofa and waited for him to stand and offer to watch her for a while.

"Nah, she'll be fine," was his response to Lupin voicing his concerns.

"She doesn't like me and I think one of us should watch her. She's only four! She won't even speak to me Pads. If I tell a joke, she laughs for a bit and then tries to punish herself. It's like getting information out of a house-elf!"

Sirius was tempted to roll his eyes but realised that doing so would involve removing his eyes from the screen.

"She doesn't hate you Moony. She's just pissed off that her mother's left without her."

"Language!"

Sirius heaved himself out of the sofa and harrumphed as he stepped into the hallway, slamming the door behind him.

It was only when Lupin heard the smash of what turned out to be a unique, discontinued Royal Dalton vase, that he switched off the television and followed his friend into the hall.

He dodged several plates that were hovering behind Sirius like heat-seeking devices, to get to his camera which Sirius had flung on the coat stand.

Dora's hair was now a canary yellow that strangely suited her with bright green eyes that should have clashed horrifically. She even smiled at Lupin.

CLICK!

"Moony I mean it! When I get my hands on you I'll…I'll…I don't know what I'll do but you can bet it won't be ahhhhhh! Pleasant!"

Lupin shook with silent laughter and Dora joined him, her laughter now like bells as she watched her mother's best china commit what appeared to be a mass suicide by jumping off the walls and onto her cousin's head.

Her laughter calmed her and slowly the pieces of china drifted to the floor.

Sirius stood across the hall, breathing deeply and struggling for words.

"Next time Remus, I'm bringing James."