A/N: Le GASP! What is this? An update when promised? :P
Thank you guys so much for the reviews! (And for not giving up on me... *sheepish*) Um, as a warning...*even more sheepishly* there is some fluff*ahem*fangirling ... later in the chapter... *hides*
But meh, I'm really too lazy to write my own disclaimer. Remus?
Remus: *Edging slowly away from me* Um, she doesn't own Harry Potter. Can I go now?
Me: NO. HUGS TIME! *glomps Remus*
Remus: AGHH! HELP!
~tee hee~
The first month of school passed without much incident. James' hoof changed back to a hand after four days of torture, which caused all the Marauders to sigh with relief. It was looking like the year would actually be rather uneventful.
One morning in October, though, things changed. Sirius was startled out of his wits when a great grey owl landed in front of him, a letter clamped in its beak. Wondering who could be writing to him, he hesitantly accepted the letter. The owl snatched a piece of bacon from his plate and took off before Sirius could react.
"OI!" he yelled at its retreating silhouette. "That's my breakfast!" Several people sitting near him gave him sympathetic looks; it wasn't the first time an owl had stolen an unwitting student's food.
Muttering curses, Sirius tore open the envelope and let out a whoop when he recognized Ted's handwriting:
Sirius,
It's a girl! Andromeda went into labor at around nine o'clock last night and finally gave birth at one in the morning. My brains must have been addled when I agreed to name our daughter (I have the biggest grin now that I've written that- our daughter!) Nymphadora. She has quite the set of lungs on her, and I'm sure Andromeda and I will have many sleepless nights to look forward to in the future.
We had a bit of a fright when Dora's face changed right before our eyes- one moment, she's got huge blue eyes and the most adorable little button nose, the next her eyes are orange and her nose is sprouting thick hairs! The Healers were completely at a loss for a while, too, but after an hour or so of panic, Healer Asclepius four the answer: Dora's a Metamorphmagus! Apparently when she's older, she'll be able to control her power so she can change her appearance at will, but for now, she apparently just changes her appearance based on what she sees. (Andromeda says Nymphadora is a special name for a special baby. I still say she's gone mad.)
I've included some photographs... I just wish I knew what they'll look like when you see them!
Andromeda sends her love and says she hopes we'll be able to see you over the holidays. I can't promise you'll receive much attention, though. Dora's barely a few hours old and she's already a handful!
Yours,
Ted
Sirius looked back in the envelope and found two photographs. One was labeled Nymphadora Tonks, 16 October 1973. Sirius stared at it. There was a wrinkly little... thing... wrapped in a pink blanket that clashed horribly with its bright red, slightly pointy head. As he watched, the baby opened her eyes, which were an unnerving shade of violet. He had no idea how Ted could call her 'adorable'. Babies were supposed to be cute, not all squishy and gross.
The other photograph showed the Tonks family: Ted with his arm around Andromeda, beaming with pride; Andromeda, her hair tangled and her face shining with sweat but smiling widely; Nymphadora, her hair changing from black to sandy brown, held in her mother's arms, still bawling.
Sirius' lips twitched up in a wistful smile. Ted and Andromeda looked so... happy. Like a family.
Shaking the thoughts from his head, he rummaged in his bag for a crumpled quill and a bit of parchment.
Ted, Andromeda,
Congratulations! Dora looks so
Sirius paused, debating whether or not he should pen his honest opinion and risk upsetting them.
adorable! That's so amazing that she can change her appearance- I can only imagine what sort of things I would do...
Remus nibbled absently at his toast before setting it down to cover a massive yawn. Next to him, Liz was nodding off, her head dipping dangerously closer to him.
"I'm telling you, Remus, just eat something. It'll wake you up," James urged, nudging Remus' plate closer.
"Not hungry," Remus muttered, trying to ignore how his stomach flipped when Liz's head fell on his shoulder. Not wanting to meet James' anxious gaze, Remus glanced around the Great Hall for something to look at. Several feet along the table, Sirius was busily scribbling something on a piece of parchment. Remus frowned when Sirius stood and glanced at him, seeming to casually tuck a strand of hair behind his ear before tugging once on his earlobe.
Several weeks ago, James had decided they needed a way to communicate without tipping anybody off that the Marauders were still together and came up with several signals. Sirius wanted to meet in the dorm.
"Sirius wants to talk to us," Remus said quietly as Sirius walked past them without a glance.
James nodded and elbowed Peter. "Move it, you. You've had more than enough to eat."
Peter gave him a hurt look but got up anyway.
Remus prodded Liz gently in the side. "Come on, let's go," he said.
Liz yawned and pushed her bangs out of her face. "I'm coming..." She sat semi-upright but made no move to stand.
James huffed impatiently and ducked under the table, crawling out the other side and hauling her up by her armpits. "Come on," he said.
Liz shook him off and rubbed at her eyes. "I am."
"Honestly, I don't get why you're so tired," James continued as they made their way out of the Great Hall. I know it was an FLP thing last night, but you weren't going berserk inside the SS like Moony was, and he's certainly not about ready to fall asleep standing up."
Remus winced. He really didn't like to be reminded of that, for one, but he also wished James was a bit subtler with his 'codespeak'.
"Up late the night before," Liz muttered. "Reading."
"You might want to avoid that next time," Remus said quietly.
Liz gave him the stink-eye. "I know."
When they finally reached the boys' dorm, Sirius was sitting impatiently on his bed. "About damn time," he said once Peter shut the door behind them.
"What's going on?" James asked.
Sirius grinned broadly and held up a photograph. "Andromeda had her baby this morning! This is my new cousin, Nymphadora."
Remus' jaw dropped. "Her hair is changing colors!"
"Thought you were going to comment on her name," Sirius said, shrugging. "Her hair's changing color because-"
"Is she a Metamorphmagus?" Remus asked, peering more closely at the picture. "They're supposed to be extremely rare!"
"How d'you know that word?" Sirius demanded, looking nettled.
"I read, Sirius." Remus shook his head in disbelief. "That is just so... wow..."
James elbowed Remus out of the way, though not as forcefully as he would have normally. He, Liz, and Peter crowded around the photograph. James wrinkled his nose. "Why's it all funny-looking?"
Liz sighed. "Babies aren't born all cute and huggable. They've usually got oddly-shaped heads like that for a while, you know. Mum says my head was really narrow when I was born."
"Narrow heads for narrow minds," James teased. Liz swatted him.
"Oh, shut up." But she was getting a sappy look as she examined the photo. "Aww, she's just so cute."
Remus really couldn't see what was so cute about the squashed baby. Maybe it was just a girl thing, going all gaga over babies-
"She's adorable," Peter said, his expression mirroring Liz's.
On the other hand, maybe it wasn't a girl thing. Remus smiled to himself, watching as little Nymphadora waved a tiny fist at the camera.
The first Hogsmeade weekend seemed to come out of nowhere. Liz had gotten so caught up in schoolwork, especially Charms, that the days had started becoming little more than a blurry memory. Despite that, though, she woke early Halloween morning and got dressed, despite the fact that breakfast wasn't for another half-hour. Sure, she and the boys had been to Hogsmeade before, but this would be their first official visit as third years. They had the whole trip planned out: Their first stop would be Zonko's, where they would spend an hour, then they would go to Dervish and Banges for another hour before heading to the Three Broomsticks for lunch. After lunch, it would be off to Honeydukes', where Peter and Melissa planned to meet up for the rest of the visit, then Liz, James, and Remus would explore the various places they had yet to see.
Liz felt a small pang when she remembered Sirius wouldn't be able to come with them, but it was entirely possible that they might run into him at the Three Broomsticks or Zonko's- actually, almost anywhere in the village. If she was being entirely honest with herself, she was actually hoping she and Remus would be able to ditch James sometime later... maybe take a walk around Hogsmeade together... look in the various lesser-known shops...
She jerked out of her increasingly improbable daydream when her dorm mates began stirring. Her cheeks burning, Liz hurriedly left the room to wake the boys.
"Come on, guys, it's Hogsmeade weekend!" she yelled, throwing the door wide. James hurled a pillow at her without even lifting his head. Liz caught it and tossed it back. "Nice Chaser skills, but I think you might want to save that for the Quidditch Pitch."
James sat up and reached for his glasses. "I dunno why you're so excited- I mean, it's not like we haven't been to Hogsmeade before."
"Yeah, but this will be the first time we'll be able to walk around without worrying someone might realize we weren't supposed to be there," Liz countered, going over to Peter's bed and shaking him. "Come on, Pete, Hogsmeade! You've got a date with Melissa and you should look your best." She grinned when Peter's eyes immediately opened. He was terrible at faking sleep.
"I do, don't I?" he said, smiling bashfully as his face reddened. Liz grinned and punched him lightly in the shoulder.
"That's right. Hurry up and get dressed," she added to the room in general. "I want to eat before we leave."
Liz paced impatiently in front of the fire as she waited for the boys to come downstairs. Sirius left first, giving her a tiny nod as he passed. Liz sighed, reminding herself for what felt like the thousandth time that things would go back to normal next year. When the rest of the Marauders arrived, Liz felt her heart beginning to speed up. Remus looked like he always did, but seeing him after her daydream... Liz mentally smacked herself.
Her heart certainly didn't calm down when Remus grinned at her. "I guess you're excited?"
"Duh!" Liz motioned for them to move faster, turning so Remus couldn't see her furious blush.
The Three Broomsticks was crowded with overly-excited students, the majority of them third years who were relishing in their first Hogsmeade visit. James finished off his tankard of butterbeer, slamming it down on the table.
"Good stuff," he declared, wiping his mouth.
Remus frowned and used a napkin to mop up the butterbeer that had splashed out of his own tankard. "Was slamming your tankard really necessary?"
"Nope." James grinned and ran his fingers through his hair, glancing behind him to Lily's table. She and Sarah and Victoria were chatting happily, occasionally bursting into giggles. Several days ago, he'd overheard them planning to visit the Three Broomsticks at noon. Of course, that meant the Marauders would have to do the same.
"Are you planning on actually talking to her?" Peter asked, swallowing the last bite of his sandwich.
"Of course I am," James said out of reflex. In truth, though, he had no idea what he would say if he were to try talking to Lily. Everything he'd tried so far just seemed to make her mad at him.
"Maybe if you didn't act like such an ass, she'd be willing to talk to you," Liz said. James frowned at her.
"And you think you're qualified to give me relationship advice?" He demanded. Liz turned pink and glanced down at the table. James winced, but he wasn't about to take back what he'd said. He stood suddenly.
"What're you doing?" Peter asked. James didn't answer. He squared his shoulders and began moving to Lily's table, already planning on what he would say. Hey, Evans, I was wondering if you'd like to go to Honeydukes' with me?
He never got the chance to speak. Two steps away from his chair, he was thrown to the floor as a massive explosion issued in the street.
A/N: Ooh, cliffie! Muahaha. Feel free to shoot me. Um, but if anyone gets why I picked October 16th for Tonks' birthday... FREE HUGS! ~or cookies if you prefer cookies because I can totally do cookies~ Also, YAY DRAMATIC IRONY. :3
Anyway, next chapter, expect explosions and things! Feel free to guess what's going on... You'll just have to wait to find out, though! ;) Don't worry, it's only until Saturday. So GO READ THE POTTERMORE UPDATE WHILE YOU WAIT. *shoos everyone off*
Until next time,
-Dndchk