We amused ourselves with making scale patterns on my arms and cheeks for a few minutes. I found it great fun and it helps me improve my control over my morphing, the more practice with complicated stuff the easier it gets and the quicker I can do it.

"Can you do amphibious skin?" Remus asked curiously.

I shuddered and replied, "Never tried. Hate the feel of frogs."

"Really, Nymphadora. You change your nose into a pig snout regularly and skin into scales but you dislike rubbery skin?" Remus asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Hey, pig snout is always a winner and yes," I said, pulling a face.

Remus just rolled his eyes but couldn't hide that lovely chuckle of his.

"So, you didn't meet anyone new?" Sirius asked me.

"Not exactly..."

1st September 1984

"You should have seen Freda's face when I left," Jonathan joked.

The third year had actually deigned to come visit their carriage. He claimed it was because he wanted to make sure they had no bangers or anything like that but Dora new that he'd wanted to catch up. She hadn't seen him since he decided that he was all grown up.

"It's next year for her, right?" asked Sammie, Dora had to check if she still went by the nickname.

"Yes," Jonathan groaned theatrically. "And then she'll be able to torment me at home and school."

"As a little sister should," Davy assured him, he should know – he had two.

He'd found them only five minutes ago and had gratefully joined them. Apparently some older Ravenclaws had been giving him some bother.

"Well, I have one more year free of her."

"We'll help fill the gap this year," James assured him, Dora nodding along with a wide grin.

"And that's my cue to go back to my friends," the third-year Gryffindor announced. "See you. Good luck. Hope to see some of you in Gryffindor," he rhymed off before leaving.

"That was quick of him," Sammie observed.

"I think we scared him," Dora told her.

The four friends burst into giggles. It was good to all be back together again. Suddenly, Dora felt the overwhelming urge to pee.

"Need the loo," she announced as she stood up. "Anyone know where they are?"

"Two carriages down," Davy replied.

That far? She was practically bursting. She did a sort of quick shuffle down the carriages, probably looking like a right idiot but she didn't even want to think about risking an accident. That would be way too embarrassing and she'd never live it down. She'd probably never want to even set foot in Hogwarts which was almost unspeakable.

Thankfully, she made it to the toilets without anything drastic happening. Even better, there wasn't anyone in it so she didn't have to wait. Dora didn't think that she would manage that. Inside was quite small, only a little larger than its Muggle counterparts though it smelt a lot better. Advantages of a freshening charm, she supposed. She did her business quickly, not wanting to miss a minute more than she had to with her old friends, and was soon washing her hands and slipping out into the carriage again. There were a lot more people in the corridor now, some people standing in doorways; catching up with friends they hadn't managed to find at the start of the journey, some running back and forth like they couldn't sit still. She supposed that asking hundreds of kids to sit for several hours was asking for a bit much.

Moving a lot faster than she had been previously, Dora's usual grace (or lack of it) caught up with her. She crashed into someone with an audible 'THUD' and they both fell to the floor, rolling enough to bring someone else down with them.

"Ow!" a girl's voice whined.

"Sorry!" Dora exclaimed, getting onto her knees alongside the other girl who had just landed on her bum. "I'm so sorry!"

"It's okay," the girl who had been rolled into said graciously. "It was an accident."

"You should be!" the other girl exclaimed, picking herself up and dusting herself down as she faced away from them. "You got me all dirty."

Dora rolled her eyes at the less prissy girl and held out a hand, "Dora Tonks."

"Janet Bagman," the girl returned, shaking Dora's hand.

The other girl stiffened and twirled around to face them. "Did you say Tonks?"

Dora's heart sank as she recognised Pauline Macmillan from the Ministry Balls. She was one of the 'snobby children' ho she had never got on with. Actually, when they were younger Pauline was the one of the snobbiest which meant that Dora had wound her up the most – she made the loudest noise when she had been pranked. The girl hadn't got much better with age even though Dora had petered off her pranks (more due to the fact that mum had scolded her about them when she finally figured out who was responsible as opposed to Dora actually maturing).

"Yes," Dora replied carefully, maybe the girl wouldn't hold a grudge.

"Hmpf," Pauline said in a displeased tone, a sneer on her lips.

Or maybe pigs would fly. Janet looked between them, a confused expression on her face.

"What's wrong with Tonks?" she asked.

"Don't you know?" Pauline demanded in a superior tone.

Janet shook her head.

"There's nothing wrong with Tonks," Dora said loudly, attracting the attention of some of the other students.

"What's wrong with Tonks?" an older student asked.

"Nothing!"

"Everything," Pauline retorted. Dora glared at her as she picked herself up.

"Tonks sounds familiar," a Ravenclaw said to his friend.

"Wasn't there a big scandal?" his friend replied.

Pauline gave Dora a nasty grin and addressed their now small audience. "Tonks is the name of the person who a Black ran off with."

It didn't exactly give her the response she was obviously looking for.

"Oh yeah."

"That was big."

"Good for the Black – nasty family."

"It was a bit outrageous."

"A muggleborn, of all things."

"So romantic."

Pauline stomped her foot in displeasure as Dora grinned and blushed slightly. Her mum was pretty awesome. So was dad.

"Don't you know what that means?"

"Why don't you tell us, little firstie?

"Her mother is Andomeda Black. Sister of-"

There were gasps around them at the mention of mum's maiden name. Oh no. Mum and Sirius had mentioned how nasty their family was but had never went into any details.

"-Bellatrix Lestrange," another student finished, an odd look on their face.

"And cousin to Sirius Black," Pauline finished smugly. "My parents told me to warn me about her." She jabbed a finger in Dora's direction.

The atmosphere surrounding the students almost immediately changed. They went from admiring and impressed to mistrustful and angry. And it was directed at Dora. She gulped.

"The Lestranges killed mum's cousins!"

"Sirius Black was an awful man."

"Bellatrix is a pyscho."

"Maybe it runs in the family?" a Hufflepuff girl asked.

"Are you going to be a traitor too?" Someone else jibed.

Dora started backing away slowly, wanting to get away, but that didn't stop them.

"I bet she knows loads of dark stuff."

"Andromeda Black was still a Slytherin."

No, no, no. Dora wasn't any of those things. She wasn't anything like the Blacks.

"Going to cry for your family, half-Black?" Everyone laughed at that.

She ran the length of the carriage, tears welling up in her eyes as jeers and laughter filled her ears. Dora fell against the side of the carriage, only making the laughter grow louder. Pulling at the carriage door, she escaped to her own – not caring that the door slammed behind her. People in the corridor gave her odd looks but she didn't care, she kept her head down and made her way quickly to her compartment.

"What took you so long?" Sammie asked as Dora fell back into their compartment.

Damn these robes, she wasn't ever going to get used to walking around in them.

"Got a bit side tracked," Dora answered, rubbing at her face and hoping she didn't look upset.

"Well, that wasn't good," Sirius said after a minute or two of absolute silence.

I didn't exactly want to explain that I had actually glossed over a lot of what had happened on the train but by the knowing look that Remus was sending me I guess he knew. And probably knew exactly what I was glossing over. I blushed (and was sure my hair was matching) and looked away. Thankfully, Sirius hadn't seemed to pick up on it. Hopefully he just thought that my rushing through it was just me trying to get onto Hogwarts. He was very excited for my Sorting.

"I guess you made something on the train," he said slowly, a faint smirk on his lips.

Remus raised an eyebrow. "I don't think making an enemy counts."

Sirius waved his friend away, "Sure it does. It's still a new relationship."

"Padfoot-"

"Like, every hero needs a villain in their story-"

"I'm no hero," I told my cousin.

"In your own story you are."

I gave Sirius a doubtful look. I don't really think I'm main character material never mind the hero. Supporting character or sidekick I could do. I was good at being goofy making me perfect for the role.

"Back me up here, Moony!"

AN: Don't forget to review and check out my little companion piece to this 'Falling Into Place'. Would love to know what you think!