purity | harry potter

00. prologue

"Oh, hello Sirius, what might we have the pleasure?"

It had been a bright and bleary Sunday evening when Sirius Black knocked on the Tonks' mahogany door. The young mother asked the good looking young man, that she distinguished as her favorite cousin.

Andromeda had been seeing the young Sirius Black recently, ever since her youngest daughter, Cassiopeia, had been born eleven months earlier.

The boys smile spread across his face as he stepped into the dimly lit house. "How are you today, Andy? I just wanted to pay another visit to my dear cousin." As his words slipped from his mouth, his eye caught a patch of wild golden hair on the lounging room rug. With the large smile covering his face only showed how hard it was to contain his excitement. Sirius, at that time, had a uncontrollable attachment with the small child.

Funny enough, he despised her when he first heard that his cousin had, yet, another half blood baby. He couldn't believe that Andromeda had been just let go so easily. To run off with a muggle-born, then continue to defy the pure blood rules, and have not one, but two mixed children. He had been enraged, if not slightly inspired by his cousin. But the moment he had visited them—in secret of course—and saw the small smile that was owned by the brightest ray of sunshine in the Black lineage, his past thoughts changed. They hadn't disappeared, but shifted to a more understanding light. He knew exactly why she disobeyed the orders of the family. He knew exactly why Andromeda had left. He knew exactly why she married the muggle-born, Ted Tonks, despite the obvious disapproval from the rest of the family. He knew exactly why she decided to have a child with him. And he was undoubtedly grateful that she decided to have another.

Sirius and Cassiopeia were nearly inseparable. He happened to visit once every month, if not twice. He couldn't get enough of the freedom, now that he was able to grasp and not let loose. He was controlled for most of his life, and he knew then that he never wanted to go back.

Andromeda cleared her throat with the grace of a former, and most definitely, proper pure blood. "She's been waiting for you all day." The beautiful woman stepped aside for her younger cousin, a smile gracing her soft lips.

With no hesitation, Sirius giddily stepped beside the small brightness of a girl, and all but fell down to her side with his own held childishness. "Hello, Captain!" His greeting towards Cassiopeia brought the nearby mother to laughter as the larger man looked at the small child with a grin that held almost too much excitement.

Almost.

Seconds after Sirius took his spot next to her on the rug, the small child looked up at him, a toothless smile to match his own. But as quick as Sirius had gotten her attention, it was lost, and settled on a small plastic Quidditch quaffle.

Despite his newfound jealousy for the inanimate object, Sirius smiled at the small ball. He and James had found a small plastic set of a broom and a snitch soon after Sirius had mentioned his unconditional love for Cassiopeia to the other Marauders. The broom had gone to Cassiopeia, and the snitch to James' newborn son, Harry, for his birthday . Since James had his own history with snitches, and Sirius had miserably lost a game of Exploding Snap, it resulted in the first pick to go to James Potter. Sirius Black's best mate.

Breaking Sirius out of his daze, Cassiopeia reeled back, her small face scrunched up in what looked like a pout. With a confused look Sirius paused for a second. Due to her young age, her mood could change in a span of seconds. She also had an existing track record of crying every time Sirius took his attention off of her, so of course the young man had prepared to wipe away a wet face. But instead, Cassiopeia inhaled sharply and sneezed. The act causing her golden blonde hair to pointedly turn white, but it soon changed back to its original color.

The Metamorphmagus trait had been a surprise to the parents. Having two children of the same generation that possessed the trait had been rare enough, but two siblings that didn't share the same birth date was unheard of. To say that Nymphadora was upset at the fact would've been an understatement.

Sirius snorted a laugh. "For years to come, we must prepare for the next generation of Marauders. Terrorizing the professors and the students of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. To hell with the rest of the pricks!" Sirius expelled his pride.

"Language Sirius!"

A shout from the kitchen broke Sirius out of his excited stupor.

"Don't be stiff mum!" The mentioned oldest sibling screeched from over head, her feet creating a bang as she came down the stairs. "Sirius!"

Said man maneuvered to look in the direction of the clumsy girl with an expression of surprise. "Aha! Look at you, Tonksy!" Sirius all but jumped to his feet to grab the girl, a laugh bubbling out of his mouth.

The young girl relished in the attention, her wild blueberry hair swinging in her face as she grabbed Sirius' shirt.

It hadn't taken them long to start roughhousing. Since the two never had much of a relationship before Cassiopeia was born, they just recently found their shared love for Quidditch, which lead to every greeting becoming a brawl that never escalated.

"Your hair changes color every time I see you, girly." Sirius broke away from the grasp of the surprisingly feisty eight year old.

Nymphadora reeled back and her eyes narrowed in a playful manor. "You too! You use to have girl hair!" She cackled at her clever insult.

Sirius faux gasped at the blow to his ego. "You get over here, you little pig!" Sirius lunged at the girl as she snorted, her nose morphing into a snout.

As Nymphadora went to jump onto Sirius, a small force held her foot back. In her surprise she was tripped and hit her imitation nose on the carpet. Sirius had paused in shock as he had no time to register what happened, but as his eyes went down to the source, he had to bite back a bark of laughter. Cassiopeia was clawing at her sisters bare foot with a vice like grip, her small legs tangled in the fabric of Nymphadora's pant leg. She had gotten jealous of Sirius' attention directed towards someone other than herself.

"Cassie, get off! You're so annoying!"

Sirius nearly broke down crying as he peeled the toddler off of the screeching Nymphadora. "Oh the others are going to love you, Captain!" Sirius swooned, but abruptly stopped, a thought coming to mind at the mention of his best friends. "We're betting on you and young Harry, yeah? If you two have love at first sight, or completely hate each other. Two very polar opposites with James and Lily. James wants the last, says 'I think they'll be the Lily, and James of their generation'!" The rise of his imitating voice caused a giggle to leave Cassiopeia's mouth. "But aunty Lily wants nothing of the sort, she believes you two will fall helplessly in love. The second she sent James that look, of course, his mind sure did change quickly!" Sirius gabbed with a bark of a laugh. "Moony thinks differently, he thinks your going to be just like me! 'If I like it or not', he says. I really hope your not as bad as me. But if I find out about you bang-" Sirius rants absentmindedly.

"Sirius! She's a baby! Don't go filling her mind with things like that! She's at a very impressionable age right now! She already acts like you nonetheless!" Andromeda pops around the corner, tapping her foot, with her arms crossed, Nymphadora running past her mother and into the kitchen, her eyes wet and a pout on her face.

"Oops." Sirius smirks down at Cassiopeia.