Andy,
I've done it, finally. I've left the family for good. Currently, I'm staying with the Potters, and I might stay here for Christmas too, but I don't want to over-use their hospitality. It is too important to me. Next summer, I'm going to buy my own apartment and stay there. Don't worry, I'll still come and visit you all the time, as you are my favorite cousin…and only, so I'm even more obligated. I also want to thank you and Ted for all of your kindness towards me. I'm currently in your debt.
Love
Siri
P.S. You should feel honored because I haven't been this 'Sirius' for a while. And, I know the joke is old, but I have fun listening to the people groan. Don't ask, I'm crazy.
Andy Tonks, formerly Andromeda Black, sighed in spite of her only cousin, Sirius. "Oh Siri, what did you do?" She asked herself, worriedly, "Well, you ran away from the nutters, that's what. Very smart, definitely. But, you may hurt yourself, and I don't want you to be hurt." She laughed. "Oh, I'm starting to stand like a mother! Of course, I have to practice!" She patted her currently flat stomach contently, and began her reply.
Siri,
Congratulations! You've finally left the nuthouse! I'm proud of you, that takes guts. Of course, you have your Gryffendor bravery. But, I have to say that I'm good, because I did too. I want you to know that you are always welcome with Ted and I, and you aren't in debt.
On the bright side, I had to go to the doctor today. You are probably thinking that I'm mental, and are wondering what good the doctor would be. You'll never guess what I was there for. I knew it, you didn't! I'll tell you…I'm pregnant! My daughter (Yes, I know it's a girl) will be coming in mid to late December. I'm so excited. You have to come and visit us during the break, to see my daughter.
Congrats again!
Love
Andy (And the baby)
P.S. You are right, the joke is terrible; please don't tell it to me ever again, but I'm sure Ted hasn't heard it, so you can tell him.
/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\
"Oh Andy, you lucky duck," Sirius said, laughing.
"What happened?" James asked.
"She's pregnant. If the Blacks found out, they'd murder her!" James smiled, and continued eating. "The baby is due sometime in December. It's a girl. I'm supposed to go visit her then, and I'm going to. Oh, I'm so excited! I'm going to be an uncle!"
"Sirius, I don't want to tell you when I'm going to be a father, I don't want to see what you do," James said, laughing.
"You won't know until it happens to you," Sirius said seriously.
"Whatever."
/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\
For the Christmas Break, James insisted that Sirius stay with him. No matter what he said, James would not let him stay at Hogwarts.
He had gotten weekly owls from Andy from July when he ran away to October, then owls every three days through November to the middle of December. They had learned the baby's due date, December 20th. Ever since she found out the date, Andy sent Sirius an owl every single day, sometimes twice.
"What happened with Andy yesterday?" James asked.
"She went out for lunch, then Ted got mad at her for using floo powder," Sirius said dully, "I think she only writes me because she's bored, that has the only reason."
"That's okay," Remus said, "At least she thinks about you."
"Oh yeah, who else does she have to think about?" Sirius asked sarcastically, "The Blacks will kill her, she sees her friends all the time, and Ted's parents don't know about magic."
"Will they ever find out?" Peter asked.
"Only if the baby is magical," Sirius said, "Which I hope she is. If she is, I'm going to be teaching her Quidditch, and which teachers to avoid, and pranks, and-"
James cut him off, "Sirius, you're doing it again. Shut up."
Sirius promptly shut his mouth.
/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\
While they were on the train going home, an owl was flying outside. "It's Andy's!" James said, noticing it first.
"Is the baby coming?" Sirius asked worriedly, "It's early! It can't be! No! I've got to apparate to St. Mungo's now!"
"Sirius! Shut up!" James and Remus said together. James took the letter opened it up and read it aloud.
Siri
"She calls you Siri? But we're not allowed to!" Remus asked.
"Shut up, we've been doing that forever," Sirius said, "Keep reading!"
I'm so bored. And I'm worried. I've been having cramps all day. I really don't want to wait anymore. Do you know that some muggles get themselves cut open and the doctors pull the baby out? I know it sounds gruesome, but I'm sick and tired of waiting. When are you coming to visit? Soon, I hope. You can bring James and Remus too. I'm ready to kill Ted. He's way too over-protective, and is always calling me from work, worried about me. Sometimes, I wish I could run away, like I did with the family, but Ted, and probably you too, will get every single type of authority to find me, then you'll both kill me, bring me back, let me have my baby, kill me again, and bring me back one last time, so we'll all be one happy family.
I'm sure that you're on the train, and were totally freaked out that the baby was coming ten days early. Don't worry, I won't do this again, but I was bored. If I do have to mail you suddenly again, then I'll just write the letter, and keep it in my drawer.
Love,
Andy
"Ooo, I'll kill her," Sirius said, "Getting me all worked up-"
"Shut up Siri," James said laughing.
"Don't you dare call me that again; ever," Sirius said in a deadly voice.
"Sorry! Sorry!" James said, "But, you didn't have to get all worked up about it."
/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\
On December 23rd, Andy's owl landed on the kitchen table for the second time that morning.
"Andy's owl is here!" James called up the stairs.
Sirius ran downstairs, and said, "But I just got one an hour ago."
"I know, but who knows with her."
"I guess."
Sirius opened it and read it silently, but anxiously.
Dear Sirius,
Ted Tonks here. I am writing in regards to Andy. I'm worried about her. The baby is late, and she is getting restless. Also, she is experiencing pains all day, while I am at work. I was wondering if you would spend sometime with her each day, just to calm her down. You would be able to bring your friends if you like. Thank you very much.
Sincerely,
Ted Tonks
"I see, I see," Sirius muttered to himself, "Yeah, I can do that."
"Do what?" James asked.
"Stay with Andy for the next few days, just while Ted is at work," Sirius said, "I'm going to go now, so I'll see you later."
"Bye mate," James said.
"You can come if you want," Sirius offered.
"Naw, I'll go over to Moony's. I'm sure Mrs. Lupin has missed me," James said sweetly.
Sirius snorted, "Oh yeah. Well, I'm off."
He used James' fireplace to get to Andy's house. "Hello?" He called, after gracefully stepping out of the floo powder.
"Hi?" Andy's voice said from another room, "Whose there?"
"Sirius." He walked towards her kitchen, where she was sitting over an ice cream sundae. "Peanut butter and syrup?"
"Yeah, with chocolate ice cream. I needed something new, and was craving both," Andy said, grinning.
Sirius grabbed a spoon and took a huge spoonful of her sundae. "Hmm, not that bad," He said, "I like it! Give me some more!"
They began to both eat the odd sundae, but half-way through, Andy spit it out, and angrily asked, "What is this? It's gross! Siri, why did you make me eat it?"
"I didn't!" Sirius cried, "You did it on your own free will!"
"I'm crazy," Andy said, then began to laugh.
"What's so funny?" He asked, with the spoon half-way to his mouth.
"You! I can't believe you like that! Chocolate, peanut butter and syrup, you are crazy! Only you would do that!"
"Stupid mood," Sirius muttered to himself, and continued eating the ice cream.
"So, why are you here anyway?"
"Is it a crime to visit my favorite cousin?"
"I'm your only cousin."
"Then it makes the visit that much more special."
"Joy to me." Andy was annoyed. "What is the real reason you came."
"Teddy dear is worried about you. He wants me to stay with you, because you always complain when he comes home from work."
"Well, what do you want to do?" Andy asked.
"I dunno, we should stay in the house."
"I have some muggle board games we can play, if you want."
"Fine. You know, you shouldn't have eaten that ice cream, you look really fat." He looked at her curiously.
"I'm pregnant, genius. Of course I'll be fat."
"Ah, I knew that."
They began playing Monopoly, but they ended up trying to race their pieces around the board, because Sirius couldn't understand the game.
"Come here, I'll make some lunch," Andy said, standing up and stretching.
"No! I'll do it! You don't want to over exert yourself!" Sirius cried and ran to the kitchen.
He served her a plate, that was filled with a brown and white lump. She looked at it disgustedly, and asked, "What is this?"
"Sandwich a la Sirius," He said proudly, "Try it, it's delicious."
"I'm sure." Nevertheless, she took a bite of the sandwich and said, "This is actually not half bad."
"Thanks," Sirius flashed her a charming smile.
That afternoon, they took a walk, where Andy told Sirius all of the different things they bought their baby. "And, her name is going to be Nymphadora. Nymphadora Sireena."
"Nice, very Black. The strangest name yet," Sirius said, "But seriously, what the heck is that name supposed to be?"
"Well, Ted and I decided on Nymphadora; it's a mix between Nymph, which is one of our good cousin's names, and Dora, after Ted's grandmother."
"Isn't Nymph's aunt, Aunt Elladora, the one who started beheading the house-elves, and hanging them up in the hall?"
"The very one. But, we just say we aren't related to her."
"Lovely. And, what about the middle name? Sireena. How do you even spell that?"
"S-I-R-E-E-N-A. And, it's kind of after you. Siri, plus a nuh."
"Cool, I feel so honored." He fluttered his eyelashes.
"Holy cow, we'd better get home," Andy said, glancing at her watch, "It's already four thirty. Ted gets home at about quarter to five."
The hurried home, and sat on the couch, talking about the baby's name further. Just as Andy predicted, Ted arrived home at four forty-five. "Hello! Andy? Sirius?"
"We're in the living room!" Sirius called back.
Ted entered the living room, and saw the cousins chatting excitedly. "What are you talking about?"
"The baby," Andy said happily.
"I'd better get going, supper is at five," Sirius said, standing up.
"Thank-you for coming over, Siri," Andy said, hugging him.
Ted shook his hand and said, "Thanks for looking after her."
"Not a problem. I'll come over tomorrow too. Is ten okay?" Sirius asked.
"Of course," Andy said, "See you then."
"Bye." Sirius flooed back to James' house, to find it empty. A note was on the kitchen table.
To Whomever is Reading This,
I'm over at Remus'. I'll be back at about 5 to 5. If I'm late, don't worry, Mrs. Lupin would have been giving me supper.
Love (To Mom and Dad, not Siri),
James
Sirius went up to his room, and flopped onto his bed. "I hate pregnant women."
"Now, why is that Sirius?" Mrs. Potter's voice asked from the door.
"They are too moody. Andy's mood would change like that-" He snapped his fingers. "-And it annoyed me so much!"
"How is she doing?"
"Pretty good. Ted said that she was cranky about staying in the house all day, so we snuck out. She was definitely happier."
"When is she due?"
"It's late. It was due on the 20th."
"Are you going over there tomorrow?"
"Yeah."
"Okay, just make sure you tell me, leave a note, or something, because I was worried sick! I had to contact the Lupins and ask James where you were."
Sirius gave her a genuine smile, full of happiness. "Thanks Mrs. Potter. You have no clue how much that means to me."
Mrs. Potter smiled and said, "Let's go down and eat. Harold won't be home until late, and James will probably stay at the Lupins."
Sirius followed the lady he considered a mom, and they ate a small supper. Mrs. Potter was interested about the baby, and Sirius told her almost everything Andy told him earlier that day.
/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\
"Hello? Andy? Where are you?" Sirius called into the house the next morning. He arrived at her house precisely at ten.
"I'm just in the bathroom, I'll be right out," Andy called.
Sirius made another chocolate, peanut butter and syrup sundae for himself, and began eating it. He laughed to himself, remembering James' reaction to the sundae last night. When he arrived home, both Mrs. Potter and Sirius were eating the strange sundaes. When James tasted some of his mother's, he spit it out, and asked what it was. He was completely disgusted when he heard what it was.
"I want to go shopping. I want to buy a baby pram," Andy said.
"Fine, let's go now."
They walked to the bus stop down the street, and took the bus downtown. After getting off the bus, they walked a couple blocks to a store called Baby's Treasures. "This looks like fun," Sirius said sarcastically.
"Don't worry, it will be." Andy walked into the pink and blue store.
"Hello, welcome to Baby's Treasures," A young, pretty, saleslady said, "Is there any thing I can help you find?"
"We're looking for a pram for a baby girl," Andy said, while Sirius surveyed the shop scowling.
"Well, if you come this way,"
The saleslady showed them many different styles of prams. "I never knew there were that many different types of prams," Sirius muttered to Andy.
"Oh yes, there are. You have no clue how many fathers ask that. Are you two having a boy or a girl?" The saleslady asked.
Andy turned bright red, while Sirius said, "Oh no, she's my cousin. I'm just looking after her until her husband gets home. I'm available."
He continued chatting her up, while Andy looked at the different prams.
An ear-piercing scream interrupted Sirius and the saleslady.
"What happened Andy?" Sirius cried, running to her.
"My water! It-it broke!"
"Oh my god." Sirius felt close to fainting.
"She needs to go to the hospital. There's one down the street," The saleslady said. Sirius picked her up and ran down the stairs of her apartment building, and down the street to the hospital.
He burst through the doors to the hospital and cried, "Help! Help! Her water broke!"
A nurse led him to the maternity ward. They got into a room, and a doctor came. "Okay, I need you to prop yourself up here, dear," She said to Andy. Andy nodded weakly and did as the doctor told her to.
"Call Ted," She whispered, "I want him here."
"Okay," Sirius said, "I'll be right back."
He went over to the payphone down the hall and looked up the number for Ted's work in the phonebook. He called, and the secretary said he was out for lunch. "Tell him to come to the hospital right away," Sirius said, "His wife is in labor."
He hung up on her and ran back to Andy. She was crying and the doctor was trying to calm her down.
"Andy, Andy, come on, you have to calm down, otherwise this baby won't come out," He soothed her.
"Is Ted coming?" Andy asked through tears.
"He will."
"Okay dear," The doctor said, "I need you to push. Will you hold her hand?"
"Sirius is the name," Sirius said, "I will."
"I just need you to try and keep her under control. It's going to hurt her a lot, so you need to be pretty tolerant for the pain. She'll be squeezing your hand." Sirius, being a clever one, put a numbing charm on his hand.
"Okay. Come Andy, just do what the doctor says, and Dora will be good," Sirius said.
"Okay, Andy, later, I'll need you to push as hard as you can. It'll hurt, but we need you to do this, because it'll get the baby out," The doctor said, "Make sure you breathe deeply. How are you related to Sirius?"
"He's-my-cousin," Andy gasped.
"Breathe slowly and deeply," The doctor said, "That's right, keep that up."
"Okay."
After twenty minutes, Andy was much calmer. The doctor said, "Okay, I think the baby's ready to come out. Make sure you keep your breathing steady, and push hard on three. One, two, three."
Andy pushed and pushed. Sirius was almost crying at the pain in his hand-even with the numbing charm-but couldn't even imagine the pain Andy was having. The tears were streaming down her face and her eyes were red. "It's okay Andy," He said calmly, "Just do what the doctor says."
Andy screamed loudly, causing Sirius to wince. The door burst open, and Ted was at the door, sweat dripping down his face. "Andy! It's okay, keep going!" He said, sitting next to her.
Andy's breathing became more steady. "Ready? Another push. One, two, three," The doctor counted.
Andy pushed.
This continued for an hour and a half. "Okay Andy, make this a big push, and this baby will be out," The doctor said, wiping sweat off her face, "On three. One, two, three, push!"
Andy gave another big push, and let out another loud scream.
"Good job Andy, she's out," The doctor said, smiling, "I'm going to clip the umbilical cord, then go clean her up.
Sirius, Ted, and Andy watched as the doctor took the new baby out of the room.
"Good job Ands," Ted said, giving her a kiss, "I'm so proud of you."
Andy just smiled.
"She's going to be pretty," Sirius said, grinning, "Just like her mother."
Andy smiled again, and her eyes flickered. "Tell her I love her. And, I love you both too. You three are all that I have," She whispered, then her eyes closed. Ted, who was holding Andy's hands, grew pale and looked scared.
"Sirius, can you feel a pulse?" He asked.
Sirius felt her neck and shook his head. Ted gulped as Sirius felt for a breath. "There is no air either," He whispered.
He walked towards the door, when it opened and the doctor came in, holding the baby. "Here she is," She said happily.
"Look at Andy," Sirius gasped, "What's wrong with her?"
The doctor gave Ted the baby, and looked at Andy. After a quick look over, she said, "I'm so sorry, but, she's gone. Having the baby took too much energy and power. She died."
Sirius felt the tears running down his face and saw the same on Ted. "But, the baby, she's okay?" Sirius asked hopefully.
"Yes, just fine," The doctor said, "And she was doing so well, I wonder what happened."
Ted squeezed the baby tightly.
"Do you have a name for her?" The doctor asked.
"Nymphadora Sireena Tonks," Sirius said, "They decided before." He added, noticing the doctor's disapproving look.
She looked at Ted for reassurance, and he nodded slowly, still hugging the baby tightly and letting the tears fall from his face.
"I'll go write up the birth certificate," The doctor said, "Sirius, will you please come with me and help me with the spelling; I've never heard that name."
Sirius nodded, and left the room, giving one last look to Ted, who was hugging his child for all it was worth, and holding Andy's hand tightly.
/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\
Ted stayed at the hospital for the night, in case something happened to Nymphadora. Sirius only left late, getting back to the Potter's at nine.
"Where were you, mate?" James asked.
Sirius answered quietly, "Andy had her baby." Then, tears filled his eyes and he ran to his room, locking the door.
"What was that?" James asked his father, who was reading a newspaper. Mrs. Potter was in the kitchen.
"I'm not sure," Mr. Potter said, looking over his paper at James and the open door, "But, something happened. Just leave him, and offer your support as his best friend."
James nodded, and walked up to his room, which was next door to Sirius'.
/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\
"Hi, I got here as soon as I could," Sirius said to Ted, who was sitting in the hall outside the baby room.
"Thanks," Ted said, "How are you holding up?"
"I'm okay, I guess," Sirius said, "But how are you?"
"I think I'm okay. Better than yesterday, at any rate."
"What did they do with-with the body?"
"They are preparing it for the funeral."
"And how is Nymphadora?"
"Fine. Surprisingly, they are letting her out today, but I think it may have something to do with Andy."
Sirius nodded. "Do you want some coffee or something?"
"Sure."
Sirius went upstairs to the cafeteria and bought two coffees. When he arrived back downstairs, Ted was talking to a young nurse, by the door to the baby room. "Doctor Jones said we could take her home. My mother is a doctor, and will stay with us for the time being," Ted said.
"Fine, I'll talk to Doctor Jones," The nurse said irritably.
"Excuse me, is there a problem?" Sirius asked.
"Well, this man wants to take a baby home," The nurse said, looking at Sirius with interest.
"And I'd like to take you home," Sirius said, amazed at his still easy-going attitude, "Maybe we can make a compromise."
"Sure," The nurse said, "You can take the baby home, and I get your number."
Sirius wrote down a fake number, as he didn't have a telephone, and they got to take the baby home.
At a red light, Ted turned to Sirius and said, "Andy and I hadn't decided on godparents, and we were actually thinking of not having any, but, because all of your help, I want to name you Nymphadora's godfather."
Sirius looked as if he was ready to cry. "Well-er-thanks. But, do you think I'm responsible enough?" Sirius asked uncertainly.
"You've already been a big part of Nymphadora's life," Ted said, "And I want that to continue."
To the surprise of both of them, Sirius hugged Ted and said, "Thank-you. Thank-you so much!"
/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\
Sirius entered the Potter mansion late again, but in a better mood than before.
"What's with the major mood change, Sirius?" James asked, "You are like Andy."
Sirius' face grew sad at the sound of his cousin, but then said, "I'm Nymphadora's godfather!"
"Nymphadora?" James asked.
"The baby. Nymphadora Sireena Tonks," Sirius said happily, "I'm off to bed."
/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\
Sirius had spent most of his time with Ted and Nymphadora. The Potters invited them to their mansion for Christmas. When they arrived at ten, James asked, "Where's Andy?"
Both Sirius and Ted looked depressed. "When is the funeral?" Mrs. Potter asked softly.
"The day before I go back," Sirius said, sounding down.
"Whose funeral?" James asked curiously.
"Andy's," Mrs. Potter said subdued, "She died giving birth, didn't she?" Ted nodded.
James figured it out, and hugged Sirius. "Well, let's not go along, acting down," Mrs. Potter said, still a little subdued, "She wouldn't want that, would she?" Both Ted and Sirius shook their heads. "I know. She was definitely up-beat, like Sirius here. Come here, let's open these presents."
James quickly ran to the tree, and hid the two presents for Andy; the one from his parents, and one from him.
"Come sit down, and we'll get started," He said happily.
/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\
The day before they went back to Hogwarts, Sirius, James, Ted, Nymphadora, Mr. and Mrs. Potter all attended Andy's funeral.
Sirius didn't attend the first couple days of class; Dumbledore had excused him.
/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\
"Hey Tonks," Sirius greeted Nymphadora on the first day of his summer break, "How are you?"
"Siri!" She cooed.
"I taught her that," Ted said, then his eyes clouded over, reminiscing.
Nymphadora smiled happily.
"How is she doing?" Sirius asked.
"Great. She's a ball of energy, quite a handful," Ted said, ruffling her hair.
Nymphadora looked annoyed and squeezed her eyes shut. Suddenly, her hair disappeared. "What the?" Ted exclaimed.
Sirius looked at her excitedly. "I think she's a metamorphagus," He said, thinking, "Those are definitely, the signs. But, I'd have to ask Mrs. Potter."
They flooed over to the Potter mansion, and Sirius called, "Hello? Is anyone here?"
"Why hello Sirius, Ted, Nymphadora," Mrs. Potter said, "How are you all doing."
"Just fine, Mrs. P," Sirius said, "We came here to get your opinion."
"Well, ask away."
"I think Tonks here is a metamorphagus," Sirius said, "When Ted ruffled her hair, she looked annoyed, and then her hair disappeared."
"Well, it may be her first signs of magic," Mrs. Potter said pensively, "But, keep an eye out for it, Ted. If more things like that happen, come over here, and I'll look over her. If we have to, we can take her to St. Mungo's."
"Er-what is a metamorphagus?" Ted asked.
Mrs. Potter smiled, "Oh, I'm so sorry, I should have said so. A metamorphagus is a witch or wizard who can change their appearance on their own free will. As she gets older, she'll have to get registered with the Ministry, and take a couple classes there, to help her control it. If she can't control it, then it'll change all the time, repeatedly."
"Okay," Ted said, "And are these metamorages normal?" Ted asked.
"Metamorphagui. They are rare, but not unknown. And, she'll be like everyone else her age, except she can look different without a wand, that's all," Mrs. Potter said.
"What if she isn't magical?" Ted asked.
"She will be. If she's a metamorphagus, that's magic in itself, and if she's not, then she's just shown her first sign of magic. Do you have anymore questions?"
"Er-no."
"I do," Sirius said, "Is James home?"
Mrs. Potter glanced at the clock, "No, but he should be soon. He's at the Ministry now, getting his apparating license."
"I need to do that too," Sirius said, "I can't forget. Will you tell him to come and see me later?"
"Of course dear."
"Thanks Mrs. P. Are you ready to go?"
"Yes, we are," Ted said, looking at his daughter in a new light.
"Let's go get some ice cream. We have to see if little Tonks likes chocolate, peanut butter, and syrup sundaes," Sirius said, "Diagon Alley," He said, stepping into the emerald green flames.
/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\
"Dad," A eight year old Nymphadora said.
"Yes?" Her father said, looking over the magical newspaper, tears threatening to fall.
"Can we go see Sirius today?"
"No sweetie."
"Tomorrow?"
"No. We won't be seeing Sirius for a while."
"Is he on a trip?"
"Sort of."
"When will we see him?"
"I'm not sure. Let's go have some ice cream."
"Okay!"
Ted sat the newspaper down, and walked over to the kitchen with Nymphadora, and made her an ice cream sundae, her favorite flavor.
That night, he tossed the newspaper into the trash bin, giving it one final look. The headline read:
Sirius Black Gets Life in Azkaban.
Under the headline was a picture of a man being taken away by five ministry officials. The man was laughing like a mad man.
/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\
A twenty-one year old Nymphadora Tonks threw out the newspaper as she entered the Ministry for the first day of her last year of Auror training.
"Filth," She muttered, "I'm related to filth." Her father had never told her that Sirius was her godfather.
"Hello Kingsley," She said, greeting her mentor.
"Mornin' Tonks," Kingsley said, in his deep voice, "Look, I'm sorry to say, but I'm not going to be with you anymore."
"What!" Nymphadora cried, "Why not?"
Kingsley grinned, "I've been put onto the top of the Black case. Terrible, isn't it?"
"Yeah," Nymphadora said. She never told anyone that she was related to Sirius Black, the famous mass murderer.
"Anyway, you are with Dawlish for your last year."
"Ah, the slave driver, I'm delighted."
"Dawlish doesn't like sarcasm."
"Thanks." She rolled her eyes.
"Just be good, and try to tone down the clumsiness."
Nymphadora squeezed her eyes shut, and changed her appearance to match Kingsley's. "Tonks! You're too clumsy! Tonks! Do you have any balance?"
"That's enough," Kingsley said, letting a smile appear on his face.
Nymphadora changed back to the bubble gum pink haired girl, and laughed, "Only to you, Shacklebolt, only to you."
She left to look for Dawlish.
/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\
Just under two years later, Nymphadora was sitting in the Headmaster's office at Hogwarts. Dumbledore had asked her to join a secret society fighting against Voldemort, who had just returned. She accepted, and he was in a back room, getting something. She had just directed her attention to one of the portraits of Phinneas Nigellus, her great-great-great-uncle or something like that.
"Tonks!" A voice cried, and before she could see who it was, someone had engulfed her into a hug, therefore she couldn't see who it was.
Pushing him off, she said, "Who are you?"
He had long, slightly matted, black hair, and dulled eyes, that were filling with tears.
"S-S-Sirius Black?" She stuttered.
"Yeah, it's me. God, I've missed you so much!"
"How do you know me?" Nymphadora asked, "Get away from me!"
"Sirius, sit down please," Dumbledore said, and Sirius did, "Nymphadora, you were correct, this is Sirius Black. Sirius, as you've guessed, it is Nymphadora Tonks."
"Oh my god, you've grown so much!" Sirius cried, and hugged her again.
Nymphadora stared at him. "But-you-Professor-what happened?"
Dumbledore, with the help of Sirius told Nymphadora the story of Sirius' unnecessary imprisonment. When they finished, Nymphadora sighed, "Wow. That's-wow. Geez, Dad would have loved to know you were innocent. He was so down after your imprisonment. But-"
"What happened to him?" Sirius asked.
"He died last year," Nymphadora said sadly, "He had cancer. I remember that when I was younger, he didn't believe that you were guilty. Said you were too close to Potter to betray him. To pure to be a Black. It's all because the name."
Sirius sighed, then said, "What is your favorite kind of ice cream?"
Nymphadora looked at him funnily. "Why?" She asked.
"I want to see if it's the same as it used to be, the same as mine. Chocolate, peanut butter, and syrup?"
"Yeah, how do you know?"
"I was the one who introduced it to you, and your mother to me." He smiled cheekily.
"We should go out for ice cream sometime then."
"I wish. I'm still illegal, remember?"
"Oh yeah-" Her Auror beeper beeped. She glanced at it, and groaned, "I have to go, Dawlish wants me."
"You're working for that?"
"Yeah. I used to be with Kingsley Shacklebolt, but he got assigned to your case. Now I'm under that loser."
"Sorry 'bout that. Maybe I should just go back to Azkaban."
"Yeah right. Anyway, I have to go, I'll see you soon, okay?"
"Of course Tonks."
She walked back to Hogsmeade, and apparated to the Auror headquarters. They had a meeting, but she wasn't paying attention. She was too absorbed in the conversation she just had with her long lost cousin.
/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\
Nymphadora sat in the kitchen of Number Twelve, Grimmauld Place, less than a year later. "Sirius, what did I do to deserve this? Remus? Harry? Any of us, really? Why did you have to go?"
Sirius had just fallen through the Death Veil at the Department of Mysteries. Nymphadora felt as if it was partially her fault, because she had been dueling Bellatrix Lestrange, her aunt, then got hurt, where Sirius took over. Bellatrix was the reason Sirius went through.
"Hey, Tonks," Remus Lupin, Sirius' best friend and her secret crush said, "Are you okay?"
"Yeah, I guess. But, I just got to know him, and apparently, he was close to my parents and me before."
"Yeah, he was. I remember when your mom was pregnant with you." Remus laughed. "Sirius was so worried about her. After your due date, he stayed with her while your dad was at work. He was there when you were born, and endured your mother's evil hand. Then-" He broke off.
Nymphadora cracked a small smile. "He told me my mom was crazy, as crazy as he was, and I am. But, what are you doing here Remus, not that you're welcome or anything."
"I was just going through some of my stuff, and I found this. It's a letter from Sirius, for you. I also have one for me and one for Harry. Do you want it?"
"Sure." She took the letter from Remus and went up to her room to read it.
Dear Nymphy, (I called you that when you were little, you looked murderous! Sorry, I just wanted to relive memories.)
Well, if you are reading this, I've kicked the bucket. Hopefully, I died trying to save someone, even more hopefully you, Harry, or Moony. If not you, it better not have been for Snape, otherwise I'll kill myself.
Anyway, now to the 'Sirius' stuff. I'm sorry for not being there for you, as it was my job as your godfather. I hope that you stay the same lovely lady you've become, and work hard. Go for your dreams, and never hold back. Become less clumsy, and you'll get the man of your dreams. (I think it's Moony. I see how you look at him. Don't worry, he looks at you the same way!)
So, as my final words, I want to say that I hope you live for a long time, but I wouldn't mind if you came and visited me and your mom early. Well, hopefully I see her, because I really miss her. No offence, but you'll probably never see how special and important our relationship was.
Take care of Harry for me, as your god-brother (Is there such a thing?) he is important to you, whether you know it or not. Give him lots of fun, and show him a good time, he deserves it after all he's been through.
Love,
Siri (But only you can call me that!)
