Authors note: Updates are normally on Fridays and Mondays but they might be a bit late sometimes. Chapter 2 is coming Monday because I couldn't wait to post this!
I'm blind so if I describe something visual really weirdly just let me know. Also, I don't have a Beta so sorry for any errors.
This story is also posted on AO3. Same title, the username is nevaehMP.
May 2003
"Hey, James, do you reckon I could use your computer?" Sirius asked as soon as James had opened the front door.
"Uh, yeah, sure," said James uncertainly, glancing over at his friend. "Why?"
"Just because," Sirius said dismissively. "Now, where is it?"
James lead Sirius to his dad's office, where the computer sat. Sirius eagerly plopped into the chair and started typing furiously on the keyboard.
"Um... Sirius, what are you doing?" James asked, looking over at his friend, who was still on the computer, now reading the screen eagerly. "I thought your parents are like, super rich. There's no way they don't have a computer."
"Hi, Jamie, why are you in my office?" Fleamont, James father, asked from the doorway. He had evidently just gotten home from work.
"Sirius wanted to use the computer. Why can't you just use the one at yours, anyway?"
"God, James, I'm just checking my emails. But if you have to know, I've been banned from using the one at home," Sirius said, looking away from the computer screen. "Ever since Mum found me reading that last email Andromeda sent me, she's flipped and absolutely banned me indefinitely."
James was just about to ask who the hell Andromeda was when there was another knock on the front door and James could hear his mother Euphemia greeting Remus.
"James and Sirius are in Fleamont's office, no idea why, but they're just through that door."
"Sirius is using the computer," James heard his father tell Euphemia.
Remus pushed the office door open and stepped inside, glancing around.
"Why does Sirius need to use your computer? I thought he had one at his place?"
"Oh, he does," James grinned wickedly at Remus. "But he's chatting to some chick called Andromeda, and apparently his mum doesn't approve."
Sirius scowled over at James and Remus. "Andromeda isn't my secret girlfriend, if you were wondering, that's just weird." Sirius knew that at least James was wondering that.
"Strange name, isn't it," Remus commented, "Andromeda."
In fairness, all of Sirius family had rather odd names. His parents were named Walburga and Orion, his brother was called Regulus, and his cousins were Bellatrix, Andromeda, and Narcissa. That's right, Andromeda was Sirius' cousin. His favourite cousin, if he were honest. Apparently, she had seen how damned toxic the whole family were and went off to marry her boyfriend right out of high school, which made his aunt and uncle really mad and basically disown their daughter. Now, nobody could even mention Andromeda.
Sirius thought it was quite a double standard, really. Because Bellatrix had done the same not two years before Andromeda, and Sirius had just attended his eighteen year old cousin Narcissa's wedding to Lucius Malfoy. Narcissa was Andromeda's younger sister, however his mother had told him that Bella and Cissa had married people who were to the families liking, which was basically code for rich enough to impress them. Sirius thought it was awesome that Andy hadn't ended up married to some rich snob like Lucius Malfoy. Had Sirius mentioned that? He really didn't like Lucius Malfoy.
Anyway, Andy had married Ted Tonks and had figured out Sirius' email address, James did say it wasn't very creative, and they had been talking. She was his favourite cousin, after all.
Sirius glanced up, finally finished reading whatever it was he was reading. "Andromeda is my cousin, like, the one who was basically disowned for not marrying some idiot like Lucius Malfoy?"
"Oh yeah, I remember you telling me about that," Remus said. "She was your favourite cousin, right?"
"Yeah, and Moony, you've got a date!"
"What?" Remus exclaimed.
"Well, it's gonna take a while to get it set up, and it has to be you because James is too busy staring at Lily Evans' hair. Her name is," Sirius glanced at the screen. What sort of name was that? What was his cousin thinking? If he ever met her he would have to shorten it. "Her name is Nym."
"Why would I want to go on a date with some girl called Nym?" Remus asked. "Do you even know her? And what kind of name's Nym anyway?"
"I do not stare at Lily Evans hair!" James exclaimed. "And what date? Why does Remus get a date and I don't!"
"Just come over hear, James and read this email."
James obediently an slightly curiously, came over to stand behind Sirius, peering over his shoulder as he read.
Hi, Sirius,
I hope you're doing okay, Cissa's wedding wasn't toopainful, and that you're having fun at school. You mentioned your friends in your last email so I hope they're doing okay as well. James and Remus, right?
How are you?
I hope Aunt Walburga hasn't killed you for talking to me yet. I know how awful she can be sometimes.
Ted says hi, by the way.
Anyway, I had the baby! She's beautiful and amazing and you probably don't want to read my ramblings, sorry. She has light brown hair and I'm slightly disappointed she already has the signature grey eyes of the Black's, although it really is a nice colour.
She was born on 11 May and her name is Nymphadora Andromeda Tonks, though Ted's already started calling her Dora. She's only a week old, I told him no nicknames but he isn't listening to me.
I'm so happy, Sirius. I wish you could meet her. Maybe we can set something up? I really shouldn't be encouraging you to lie to your parents but I really want to see you. It's been ages!
Love your favourite cousin and resident disappointment of the Black family,
Andromeda Tonks
PS: Yes, I signed my last name on purpose.
"No, Sirius," said James, exasperated. "It's not Nym, it's Dora. Didn't you read the whole email?" he pointed to the screen. "How do you even pronounce that name, anyway?" he traced the letters with his finger. "Your cousin is mad."
"Why's Sirius cousin mad?" Remus asked from the other side of the room where he was leaning against the wall. "And who the hell are Nym and Dora?"
"Sirius cousin Andromeda is mad because she named her daughter... wait for it..." he glanced at the screen again and tried to sound it out. "Nym-pha-dora."
"Wait, Nymphadora?" Remus walked across the small office to stand next to James and read over Sirius' shoulder. When his eyes reached the signature he sighed. "What's the date?"
"The sixteenth, I think," said Sirius.
"You're trying to set me up with a five day old baby?"
"No," said Sirius. "I just wanted to freak you out a bit. But I promise, you'll go on a date with that kid someday, I just have a feeling!"
Remus sighed. Sirius' so called feelings were rarely ever right and often landed them in trouble and in detention.
"And what's with Andy, anyway?" Sirius said suddenly, after about thirty seconds of silence. "There are already way to many long and complicated names in this stupid family. Nymphadora. If I ever have a kid, I'm naming her like, Faith or something normal. Mia, maybe."
"I think Nymphadora's actually quite a pretty name, it's just long," said Remus. "Where'd you get Faith from? And Mia"
"I dunno, I was thinking about your mum. And why not Mia?"
"What? My mum's name is Hope, you do know that, right?" Remus sighed. Sometimes, he really didn't understand Sirius, even if he'd known him for almost two years now.
"Yeah, course I knew that," said Sirius defensively. "But Faith and Hope are often tossed around together, you know?"
"Yeah, I guess," said James.
"So hears to my daughter who doesn't exist yet, Faith Mia Black!"
"You know he's ridiculous, right James?"
"Yeah he is a bit, isn't he."
They'd went off to James' bedroom, Euphemia had bought them snacks and lemonade, and they'd talked about Lily Evans, Peter, the weird guy who'd been trying to hang around with them since last year and still hadn't given up, and the fact that everyone of them hated homework.
An angry Walburga Black had called the Potter's around eight that night, demanding to know where Sirius was, and Euphemia had told her he'd be home in the next half hour.
"Hey James, do you think you could do something weird for me?" Sirius asked suddenly, just as he was about to leave.
"Yeah?"
"Could you print Andromeda's email? I just remembered Mum and Dad have my password and can read it, they'll probably delete it. So can you print it and just keep it, maybe under the loose floorboard under your bed or something, just so I can maybe look at it again if Mum deletes it?"
James nodded. He did, actually, have a loose floorboard under his bed. He hid all sorts of things there all in a box. They were sentimental things he didn't want people knowing he still kept, pictures, letters, things like that.
His friend hesitated before pulling a slightly crumpled white envelope out of his pocket. "Could you hide this, to? It's just pictures, Mum tried to through them all out and I managed to get most of them back."
James grinned and took the envelope from Sirius. He understood how awful Sirius' mother could be, he'd met her on several occasions and she hadn't exactly been the most kind person James had ever met. So after both Sirius, and Remus a little while later, had gone home, James went back into the computer room, and printed Andromeda's email to Sirius. He folded it carefully, and hid both it and the envelope in the very bottom of the box under the loose floorboard.
Soon, James forgot about the email and pictures. Sirius never asked to see them or anything and he stopped adding to the box when he realised nobody cared if he hung photos of his friends around his room, and that it wasn't silly to do so. He forgot all about Andromeda, Sirius' favourite cousin because he stopped mentioning her entirely after a while. He didn't remember, not at all. So it didn't jog his memory when his new colleague, Nymphadora Tonks told him about her parents, Andromeda and Ted.
Sirius eventually forgot his email password and had to create a new account. He'd never had the best memory. He couldn't remember Andromeda's email address off the top of his head, and he had no way to figure out what it was, so he didn't email her and they lost touch. Andromeda just assumed her little cousin had been told two many bad things about her from his parents and her sisters and simply didn't want to email her. He certainly left the emails she tried to send him unread.
Remus, the same as James did, forgot all about Sirius' favourite cousin and the baby with the pretty but extremely long name, and the fact that Sirius had tried to set him up with a five day old baby.
Nymphadora Tonks grew up hearing stories of her mothers family, her big sister Bella and her younger sister Cissa and her cousin Regulus and her favourite cousin Sirius but whenever she asked when she'd get to meet them, and why she hadn't yet, and what they were doing now, Andromeda would shake her head and change the subject, a sad look on her face. Eventually, Dora realised she didn't talk to her family so she didn't ask about them again. She eventually learned all about them from her dad, and when she was older her mother sat her down and told her that her family, the Black's, weren't the best people and she never bought the Black's up again.
Sirius feelings were often wrong, but they were sometimes right, like when he told James he and Lily would eventually get together not long after he'd turned sixteen. Sirius had insisted Remus would go on a date with his baby cousin, even if he had been joking when he'd said he had a feeling. This was one of the times when Sirius was right.
"But I promise, you'll go on a date with that kid someday, I just have a feeling!"
