Sirius pointed his finger at me accusingly. "There is another memory!"

"Doesn't mean I want to talk about it!"

Instantly, I realised my mistake.

"So, you admit it!"

I sighed and punched the bridge of my nose, suddenly feeling tired.

"Okay, I'll tell you the story but you have to promise me not to laugh," I told them, arms crossed defensively across my chest.

Then I uncrossed them because there was going to be enough talk of that. Argh. This was a bad idea. I just know this was not going to end up well at all.

Remus and Sirius looked at each other and I didn't know what to make of that look. It was a mixture between concern, amusement, worry and curiosity. Fantastic. Just fantastic.

"We promise," Sirius said, Remus echoing him.

I gave them the stink eye. "Yeah, that doesn't fill me with much confidence."

None of this was making me feel good at all.

"Actually, you know what? It's not an important memory or anything," I said quickly. "No need for you to hear it."

"Aw, come on, Tonks!" Sirius complained. "I want to hear all that I missed."

Which was a valid point for every memory except for this one. No one knew this one. Well, except for mum but that was because she caught me - nope, don't want to think about it too much. It was embarrassing.

"You would have missed this anyway because there is no way you would have been a part of this."

Sirius frowned at that and crosses his arms like a spoilt child.

"Oh, fine," I gave in.

Maybe it wouldn't be that bad. Oh, who was I kidding? But Sirius was not going to leave me alone about it, I just knew it.

"No laughing!" I reiterated, wagging a finger in Sirius' face.

"I said I wouldn't! What do you want to do, swear an Unbreakable Vow?"

"Actually-"

"No one is swearing an Unbreakable Vow," Remus said firmly. "Especially over an involuntary reaction."

"You're still not inspiring a lot of confidence here."

"Nymphadora."

"Don't call me that. I've told you."

I had absolutely no patience for that right now. Not when my body was too busy trying to figure out where the best place to bury itself was when this stupid memory came out.

"You are both going to be quiet, no interruptions and no discussing it afterwards, okay?"

We were going to get in and then get out. No one would get hurt and we could get on with our lives. It was that simple. If they let it be.


Dora made sure that no one was going to disturb her as she went into the bathroom. Not hard when there was only three people in the house (she shuddered to think what the Weasleys went through in the mornings) but it was always good to make sure. She knew that suddenly everyone needed to go to the bathroom when she wanted a shower. Every. Single. Time.

And she really needed to not be disturbed. It didn't look like she was going to. Dad was working and mum was also doing work, though she was doing it from home. Beauty of being a solicitor apparently - you could do paperwork anywhere. As long as it was away from her mum always said. There had been a one too many accidents involving Dora and tripping and sticky or staining substances with the paperwork. Either way, she probably wasn't going to come up here any time soon.

The bathroom door got locked with a soft 'click'. Good. Perfect even. Dora looked around and frowned. Just one problem with her grand plan. The bathroom didn't have a full-length mirror. Hmm. There was one on the cabinet above the sink but she could only see her head in it (and just about at that). That wouldn't work for what she wanted to do. Not at all.

Aha! There was the stool she used to use when she was small. Well, when she was tiny. Her parents had got it so she could reach the sink. Well, now she could use it to reach the mirror. Hopefully.

And, yes, she could. Huh, she really had grown a lot since she had last used it. Perfect. Yep. Her whole upper body was in the mirror. Well, her chest anyway and that was all she needed. Well, not everything she needed.

Dora looked at herself in the mirror and frowned. That was not what she wanted to see. Oh, it wasn't about hair colour or wye colour or face shape or nose shape or anything to do with her Metamorphmagus abilities. Not this time anyway. She wasn't standing close enough to the mirror for that. No. Today was something that her abilities could not change. Or, well, they could. Technically. But not on the real her. Wait, that made it sound like she morphed bits of herself out of plastic. Her natural form. Yes, her abilities didn't change things on her natural form. They were temporary. Long lasting sometimes (and getting longer the more she practiced!) but still very much temporary. Which kind of sucked. For somethings anyway.

She turned slightly and gave her reflection a critical look. Maybe you could see just a little? No, no you couldn't. Very wishful thinking on her part. Was it? She pushed her chest out. Yep. Wishful thinking.

When was it going to happen? She was thirteen years old. Puberty was supposed to happen now, right? Thirteen meant she was a teenager! Not some sort of little child anymore. So, she shouldn't still be looking like one.

She ran her hands over her chest and frowned. Still very, very flat. Well, not very flat but basically flat. Yes, she was talking about boobs. Her boobs. Or her lack of them to be exact. Because there was definitely nothing there of note and she wanted some, dammit! She wanted to wear a bra instead of some silly vest (that always seemed to have that silly little bow in the middle of the neckline - thanks mum) and wanted to have something to prove that she was more mature. Pulling the neck of her shirt out she peered down at her chest. Why wouldn't they grow?

"Nymphadora?" she heard mum call up the stairs.

"Don't call me that!"

Of course, mum didn't listen and just called up again.

"Nymphadora!"

With an eye roll and a sigh, she straightened her shirt and went down the stairs.

"Coming!"


Silence, there was absolutely silence when I had finished my story. That was most definitely a first. What was also a first was the fact that Sirius wasn't trying to tease me or make a joke. Remus wasn't even preventing him! I wasn't sure if that was a good thing or not.

"Thank you for sharing that with us, Nymphadora," Remus said politely, his cheeks faintly red. "Isn't that right Sirius?"

My cousin nodded vigorously and Remus gave him a warning look before he released his hand.

"I know if I was a Metamorphmagus at thirteen I definitely would have given myself a bigger - glmpf!"

Thankfully, Remus had put his hand over Sirius' mouth before he could finish that sentence. Even though it was kind of funny. And awkward. And cringey.

I got that he was trying to make me feel better but it was actually making me feel more embarrassed. Way more embarrassed.

"Why don't we just move on?" I suggested. "There's still plenty left of my Hogwarts years."