Of Knights And Nymphs, a harry potter fanfic

Of Knights and Nymphs

Childhood was a grand world of imagining for her, as it often is with many children of poorer means, when they are blessed with a set of parents who seem ever fixed in creating a fantasy land for their daughter. Perhaps that was why she was never afraid of him, even as a small child.

Her mother, Andromeda, had named her Nymphadora. It was unlikely that she glimpsed at the time just how loathsome such a name might get around adolescence, because when she was a girl, the one thing Andromeda loved about her family was their penchant for storybook names. All she had ever wanted, as a shy, dreamy-eyed Ravenclaw who spent her time reading and daydreaming, was to live up to her name, and in a way she did. If Andromeda's hidden beauty and rebellion got her thrown to the monsters, she had her Perseus there waiting to save her. Thus, she wanted her child to live up to a far happier name, and she named her after the carefree, frolicking Nymphs. And from the start, little Dora did indeed live up to the name.

Andromeda hung her child's bedroom with rainbow-dyed Indian scarves and prints of paintings by Brian Froud and Monet, while Ted bought his daughter second hand books with his meager paychecks, books brimming with tales of other lands, of unicorns and satyrs and faeries. Nymphadora drank it all in with childlike wonder and an aching imagination. She even felt like the mortal who was unfairly lacking in wings at times. The little girl wondered if she was only to shut her eyes for long enough, or if she sat in her closet often enough, she would be swept away to those places by a kindly spirit, away from London.

However, there was still the real magic she was raised with. Her happiest times were when her mum would take her out window shopping in Diagon Alley. Andromeda would have to cling tightly to her daughter's hand, lest she go off running after the woman with the cage full of faeries, or the boy with a Diricawl on his shoulder. But even if all Andromeda was able to do was take her little girl out for hot chocolate in the enchanted Alley, it would last in Dora's mind for weeks, as she studied her picture books and dressed her dolls in their shabby, cramped little flat.

The Christmas that Nymphadora was five years old, her mum's cousin had run away from his home that summer, and had no family to visit for Christmas. She talked about him with sad eyes, and Ted insisted that they have him and his best mate over for the holiday. Dora became quite excited, having heard plenty of stories about her mum and her cousins when they were young and nutty. She did not remember Sirius, as she was too young, but Sirius certainly remembered her.

"Nymphadoodle!" He cried when he arrived on their doorstep, picking her up off the floor and spinning her around. Dora giggled, completely comfortable with a relative she didn't really remember, whose longish black hair was hitting her in the face, "Holy Merlin, Andy! She's huge-a-mungo!"

Sirius set her back down on the floor so that he could hug her mum, and Dora looked at the doorway again, where another big boy was standing in the hall. She smiled, smoothing her green Christmas dress and waving a bit shyly. The older boy grinned, waving back at her, and Dora giggled.

"Remus!" Her father exclaimed, pulling him inside. Remus was wearing a rather old coat and Gryffindor scarf, and Dora noticed that he had scars on his face. She wondered where he'd gotten them. Talking with her parents, Remus seemed to notice her staring at them. But when he looked at her again, Nymphadora just smiled again.

"…And the beautiful muggle Princess found herself rescued from certain doom, by the brilliant wizard shoe-maker!" Sirius finished reading the bedtime story with a flourish, Dora sitting on his lap on the floor of her tiny, multi-colored bedroom. She giggled, setting the book aside and pulling out another one from her little shelf. Sirius laughed, "Pushy, aren't you?"

"Yup!" She grinned up at him, and the teenager sighed dramatically,

"Buggery, I can't say no to those huge gorgeous eyes," He lamented, mussing her short brown hair. From where he stood studying one of her faerie paintings, Remus turned his head, smirking,

"Good to know it's not only eligible Hogwarts females who have that effect on you," He noted, and Sirius scoffed,

"Really Moony, not in front of the impressionable young girl!" He protested, and Dora gave him a confused look,

"What do you mean?" She asked, and Remus coughed,

"Well Dora, your cousin here is ah," He glanced at the antique castle on her dresser, no doubt an heirloom of her mum's. Remus grinned again, "He is an eligible prince who cannot make up his mind on which princess he wants!"

"Oh, I see," Dora dissolved into giggles, and Sirius laughed along with her,

"And I see how it is," Sirius got up, setting Dora back on the floor, "I need more eggnog…you two go on picking on me behind my back. Traitors."

He left the room, after giving Remus a smack on the shoulder as he passed. Dora simply watched after him, sitting cross-legged on the floor, before looking up at Remus and holding out the book. The older boy looked back at her, a grin slowly working its way across his face. He sat down beside her, taking the book and opening it, as she picked up the stuffed dragon that was lying on the bed, wrapping her arms around it and readying herself to listen. Remus looked down at her, light brown hair falling in his eyes,

"I bought you that dragon, you know," He said softly, and Nymphadora looked up at him with wide eyes,

"You did?" She had had her dragon for as long as she could remember, which of course, was not that long. The little girl smiled though, knowing this could be a good story, "When?"

"You were three," He smiled down at her, "A whole bunch of us came to visit, and I brought you the baby dragon…"

"His name is Draggy," She informed him, quite seriously, "He was orphaned, and brought to me be a kind knight," Dora smiled, "You didn't slay the mum and daddy dragons though,"

"Of course I didn't," Remus assured her, very seriously. Dora giggled, and then bit her lip, reaching up and brushing his hair aside with he small hand, touching one of his scars under his eyes,

"Then, how did you get that?" She asked rather anxiously, "It looks like it hurt."

"Well," Remus said slowly, wrapping an arm around her and pointing out the faded cover of her storybook, where a dragon was guarding a pile of treasure, "The mum and dad dragons were quite sick," He explained, "And they couldn't help but cough fire while they talked. I could tell they had something important to say though, so I stayed to listen, while they told me to bring Draggy here to a good home," He smiled again, rather sadly, "I got a bit burnt, you see. But I brought him to you just the same,"

Slowly, Nymphadora smiled back up at him, "You are a very good knight," She decided, settling back down on the floor next to him, leaning against his side as he opened her storybook, and began to read to her. When Andromeda…Queen of her castle, mother of the Nymph Princess…poked her head into the tiny room, she saw Remus still reading aloud. His calming, smooth drone read clearly and slowly, even as Nymphadora had falling fast asleep against him, her small arms wrapped tightly around her stuffed dragon. The flat was a castle, for that night.

Author's Notes: Much as I enjoy some canon ships, I rarely enjoy writing them, simply because...everyone does. But sometimes, as in this case, original and unexpected inspiration pops up and I have to. Hope you enjoyed!