Late August 1977
Potter Manor
"Sirius, dear! Your cousin Andromeda is here!" Euphemia called up the stairs.
Thumping was heard as Sirius ran down the stairs to the only member of his family (other than his brother) who he could tolerate.
"Andy," he exclaimed with a wide smile as he went over to hug her.
"Hello Sirius," she replied with a smile.
"Ted, looking spiffy," Sirius said with a wide grin as he greeted the older man.
"Your hair's so long Sirius," Andromeda commented as she fiddled with it.
"Sirius!" A small voice exclaimed.
"Is that little Dora?" Sirius exclaimed as the small girl flung herself into his arms. Her hair turned yellow as she did.
They both laughed as he spun her around. He set her down a looked at her.
"I love your hair," he whispered as he tucked a little behind her ear.
She giggled in response. She then turned her hair black to match Sirius's.
"Well now I like it even more!" He exclaimed.
"Sirius?" Andromeda called out to the Black boy, "could you take Dora upstairs? I need to speak with Euphemia."
Sirius nodded. He knew what was happening. Even though she was disowned for marrying Ted, she wasn't as removed from the family, more specifically Narcissa, than he was. He had left.
He hoisted little Dora up onto his shoulders and ran upstairs, but still making sure she was safe.
He was about to bring her up to his room, but then quickly realized that there were many sharp objects/things she could choke on and the same went for James' room, so that left only one.
"Who is it?" She asked through the door.
"Sirius and a friend," he called back, smiling a little bit.
"Who's the friend?" She asked.
"Someone you'll like," he replied.
He was met with silence.
"Promise," he said.
The door swung open and Thea was met with a smiling Sirius Black and no one beside him. Then she looked down and saw a small child.
"Who's child is that? Did you get someone pregnant?" Thea asked in a hushed tone.
Sirius burst out laughing.
"N-n-no! I didn't, I swear. This is Andy's kid, Nymphadora. But don't call her that, she hates it," Sirius explained as the little girl nodded at every word.
Thea smiled, she liked this girl. She was assertive and knew who she was, even at such a small age.
"Alright," she said kindly, "so, what would you like me to call you?"
"Dora will do," Tonks replied.
"Dora. Well, Dora, what do you like to do?" Thea asked as the two girls settled themselves on their bed.
"Well, I like to collect chocolate frog cards and I like to play swords with dad," Dora replied.
As she was listening, Thea patted next to her for Sirius to sit. He did. Thea pulled Dora onto her lap as the three of them enjoyed each other's company.
Thea leaned back, so Sirius had an arm around her and she was on top of his chest.
Nymphadora kept talking about her life and the things that she liked to do, the teenagers listening and savoring it. She held life in the palm of her hand. She could admire it and use it and sprinkle it. She did not know the horrors of the world.
Eventually, she became sleepy, but required a bedtime story. Thea didn't have any children's books, not even the Tales of Beetle and Bard, but she did have the muggle book that Peter gave her. She'd finished it long ago, but having declared it her favorite, reread it frequently.
Thea stroked Dora's hair as she slept.
"Do you remember what it was like at her age?" She asked Sirius in a hushed tone.
He hummed in response. He reached behind him to grab a hairband from Thea's bedside table and tied his hair into a bun. He settled down into a more comfortable position.
"I remember when I was her age. It was just me and James. We weren't allowed to be friends with the muggle children in the town, so we just had each other. I remember that we learned how to make paper airplanes with dad and James made one fly for real. It was when he was first showing signs of strong magic," Thea said softly, remembering the time well.
As Nymphadora slept, her hair shifted into its natural color. It was then that Sirius realized she was the splitting image of her mother.
"There was this one time with me and my brother. My parents had gone to one of their pureblood functions and we were too young to go. We ran downstairs the moment we heard them apparate and turned on the phonograph. They only had classical music, but there was this one where if you sped it up a bit, the saxophone became more upbeat. We danced in our socks the whole night," Sirius recounted with a soft chuckle.
"That sounds lovely," Thea said as she looked at Sirius a little bit.
"It was. And I guess that what makes it worse. Is that I had those times with my brother and now, well, you know," Sirius said sadly.
Thea burrowed deeper into his chest, carefully though, as to not wake Dora.
"You know, you're welcome to stay here your whole life," she whispered.
He smiled down at her and watched her eyes flutter closed, succumbing to sleep. He carefully shifted her body into a more comfortable position for him, as she was now putting her dead weight on him.
He noticed a shadow in the garden, but dismissed it as a woodland creature, they often roamed the grounds of Potter Manor.
He settled down and felt his eyes get heavier.
"Comfortable?" He heard his cousin say.
"Frightfully," he mumbled back.
"Sirius," she hissed.
He sat up quickly, waking up Thea with the sudden movement.
"What's going on?" she mumbled as she snuggled into him.
Instinctively, he put an arm over her shoulder.
"Nothing, go back to sleep," he whispered.
"No, something's going on. I can feel it," she said as she sat up carefully, "oh hello Andromeda."
"Hello Ophelia," Andromeda said kindly, "if you don't mind, I need to get Dora back."
"Yes, of course," Thea said quickly. Andromeda took out her wand and levitated the sleeping child into Ted's waiting arms.
"Thank you for taking care of her," Andromeda said with a smile before turning to Sirius.
"Write to Reg," she said sternly.
"Alright Andy," he grumbled.
"I mean it," she growled.
"I got it, Andy," he shot back.
She looked between the two and smiled before apparating away.
Thea collapsed onto the mattress.
"You can stay if you'd like," she mumbled lethargically.
"Can't," Sirius whispered.
He got up and went to the door, not before looking back, however.