Remembering Us

A manicured finger trailed across a table, leaving letters in its wake.

If one looked at it, they would see the word APT. It wasn't quite a word, however. No, it was someone's initials. That someone? Andromeda Persephone Tonks.

The house elves had obviously been slacking off here. And then she remembered- there were no house elves. Just her and Ted. It wasn't supposed to be that way, heavens no, but that was just how it turned out. It had been the easiest escape...

-flashback-

She was seventeen, and he was fifteen.

Everything had started innocently enough. Just her and Sirius, being cousins, lounging in his living room while avoiding the hexes placed upon various items around them. There were slight grins upon the lips of both of them, induced by some comment expressed previously.

That had been the moment. She had traced his smile with her eyes, the perfect curve of his aristocratic lips, and then her eyes had trailed upward to intake his nose, shaped like that of an ancient god between his defined cheekbones. Two storm-colored eyes had been peering at her through neatly mussed ebony hair (and 'neatly mussed' describes the artfulway in which it was styled to the desired imperfection) and everything about him just... there. With her.

She had realized it then. She was in love with her cousin. Her younger cousin by at least two and a half years, though she could never remember exactly.

Everything about him... the way his mischevious grin brought light to his eyes, the way his lean body was sprawled over the black upholstered sofa in that nonchalant way, it was perfect... her mind began wandering.

"Andie?"

"Hm?" uttered the young woman.

There was a short silence, and then he asked, "Have you ever thought about our lineage, really? We aren't so much 'pure' as 'recycled'."

A short laugh escaped from her lips. "True." She couldn't really think of anything more to add.

And then he had rised and snuggled onto the loveseat next to her, not bothering to keep any form of distance between them. "Andie?"

"Yes, Sirius?"

"Would it be wrong for us to get married?"

She would have laughed at him, had he not seemed so serious. Instead, she tilted her face to look at him. Their noses were inches apart, and she reached to brush a lock of hair from his eyes. "I dunno. I've heard weird things can happen when you... you know, recycle too closely on the family tree."

Brows furrowing, the boy scowled. "But I love you, Andie. I really do."

They both fell silent. More often than not, the boy was a rebellious, mischevious sort with a disposition for trouble and she was quiet and thoughtful. While together, however, the duo tended to often just bask in the moment without uttering any words. It was one of their 'cousin times', where what they would have said if speaking hung in the silence without a need to be said.

He had kissed her then.

She had pulled away.

-end flashback-

Putting her palm against her bulging tummy, Andromeda closed her eyes. The baby was kicking again. Well over eight months pregnant at age eighteen was quite a miserable situation, and the mother-to-be desperately longed for the child to come soon. Leaning against the table, she wondered where Ted was and why he wasn't bringing her chocolate.

Then he was there, bright grin on his face below twinkling brown eyes. "Wotcher, Drommie," came the greeting.

"Ted, could you get me..."

"Chocolate? Right-o."

Then he was gone again. She'd have to remember to thank him for being such a good husband later.

She wondered what kind of a husband Sirius would have made.

-flashback-

Sirius owled her once after that, simply to request they meet up in Diagon Alley before school. They had, but it had been awkward, and both had left to join their own friends shortly after.

School had started, Hogwarts offering all the homework and Quidditch that it always did, and both became involved in their schedules.

Oh, but she thought of him. His raven hair, falling elegantly across his silver optics, and everything else about him...

Oftentimes, she caught herself gazing at him from across the Great Hall. Sometimes, he'd wink back. Others, they would both turn away after a moment's eye conversation.

She loved him.

She was confused.

Then had come the night. Andromeda had been patrolling- prefect duties- and Sirius was out being Sirius.

The prefect had run into him, almost falling onto the stone floor herself and sending him back a foot, but he quickly recovered and had his wand raised, a faint light eminating from the tip.

"Andie?"

"Sirius? It's late."

"I could say the same to you."

"I'm a prefect."

"I'm a boy."

She had poked him in the ribcage then, just hard enough to hurt but soft enough to be playful. "Be careful or I'll deduct points, Siri." A grin played at her lips.

"Your hair looks good straight. Magic?"

"Stop changing the subject. You should go to bed."

"Don't think I will."

"Don't make me drag you there."

"... was that a promise?"

"Sirius!"

Their voices had risen and anyone on that story could probably hear them. Noting this, Andie whispered, "Please just go to bed. I don't want you to get in trouble."

"Don't think I will," came the response.

Rolling her eyes, the elder muttered, "Then come on. We need to talk, anyways."

Behind a tapestry in a small nook, they sat by eachother and began talking. It was three in the morning before they fell asleep there, her face pressed against his shoulder and his arm around her.

When she had awoken, he was sleeping, looking so peaceful that she didn't wish to disturb him. Snuggling against his body, she pressed her lips to his, and apparently he was not as asleep a she had thought because he kissed her back. His tounge had sought entrance to her mouth, and her lips parted, allowing him to taste her. Seemingly, he liked that, and their tounges battled for dominance as they kissed. Running her hands through his hair, and then allowing one to trail down his spine gently, she had felt like he would never be away from her...

Neither one of them knew how it happened, but soon clothes were removed and they lay there next to eachother, drawing each other's souls through their eyes, passion thick in the air.

And then he was on her. As he entered her, she gasped slightly, and then they both fell into rhythm, panting and sweating and moaning as their experience progressed, and then he eventually rolled off and lay next to her.

They were both silent. It was one of their times. However, she couldn't stop herself, she simply declared, "I love you, Sirius."

She had broken the fragile silence, stated aloud what was supposed to be inferred... Though she half expected him to be angry at her for doing so, Sirius drawing her to himself and pressing his mouth over hers was his reply.

-end flashback-

"Andromeda, 'ere's yer chocolate, love," offered Theodore Tonks, holding out some of Honeydukes's best fudge. Taking it, she pulled back the foil and took a bite, closing her eyes.

Yes, this satisfied the craving.

"Thanks, dear," she murmured after swallowing the first bite and pecking him on the lips. "Just what I needed."

A grin crossed his face. "Anythin' for you."

Smiling, she put her arms over his shoulders. He ran a hand through her tawny locks. "I'm tired..."

"Then go ter bed, dear. 'Sok, yer pregnant, yeh know," he replied, gesturing towards the nearby stairs. "I kin get dinner from some muggle place."

Ah, just like the dear man.

-flashback-

"Sirius?"

"Mmfh."

"What if I'm pregnant?"

"You aren't."

"And if I am?"

A grin crossed the boy's face, which was inches from her own. "Well, then we'll get married, of course."

They were both sprawled on the floor of his dormitory, a couple of books around them (she was 'helping him study') and an empty bottle of firewhiskey lying nearby. Even though there was a slight chance of having a child within her, Andromeda had finished half of the bottle herself- wizarding drinks aren't quite like muggle ones when it comes to pregnancy.

"Okay. Hey, hand over another bottle..."

And soon, they were both drunk out of their minds.

-end flashback-

The woman wandered up the stairs. It was hard, being pregnant and all, but the thought of the bed was motivation enough... Ouch. The baby was kicking again, and hard. She wondered if this was any indicator of how it would behave later in life, and really hoped it wasn't.

Her mother used to talk about how she had kicked a lot before being born 'and look at how you've turned out, you disgraceful child'. Maybe she was disgraceful. Sirius had been, too...

Collapsing to the bed, she pressed a palm against her forehead. Everything was whirling, and she felt sickly nauseated. It soon passed, though.

"I don' wanna bother yeh, miss, but kin I getcha anythin' before I go out 'n get sommor chocolate?" came Ted's voice from the doorway.

"No, thanks, Ted. I'll just sleep now."

"A'ight."

She had always thought that that boy had a great disposition...

-flashback-

Vomiting. Nausea. fatigue. She ticked off her symptoms mentally. And then it clicked.

"Sirius? I think I'm pregnant."

"No, you aren't," he had responded, eyebrows raised. "Pregnant women are..." he gestured around his midriff. She shook her head.

"I am."

"But your mum wanted you to marry-"

"Lucius, yes."

"Then she's going to be-"

"Mad, yes."

"And you'll probably be-"

"In trouble, yes."

"Oh well... I'm going to help you, then. It's our child, after all."

He had gone to the library, a great feat for him, and researched children being inbreds. He had later met her in their nook, the one they had so recently yet so long ago made love in, and showed her a book.

"What's that?" she had asked, raising an eyebrow as he opened the heavy volume across their laps.

"Wizard Breeding by Nymphadora Applebee. Apparently she knew something about inbreeding, and if this child is mine..."

His eyes scanned the page he had turned to briefly, and then he pointed to a section of the text.

'Inborn wizards often possess certain qualities that distinguish them from half-wizards or wizards far enough from one another in genetics that they are unaffected. Among these are Metamorphmagis, which are the least common, Seers, children with Fairy-like magics, and though it hasn't been proven, children who can read minds. The fact that the child is inbred will not affect it in any negative way...'

"Oh, well that's a relief."

"So... we're going to be married and have a very gifted child..."

"No, we aren't."

"Why not?"

"I'll be forced to marry him anyways."

"What?"

"We were arranged. As small children. So long as I'm in my parents' house..."

"It's not fair. I'd marry you, Andie!" he exclaimed, taking her hand. Her grey eyes welled up when she saw how set he was on marrying her.

"Oh, Sirius, I don't want to marry him, I just can't control some things..."

"But I actually love you... I don't want you to marry him. Anyone but that bast-- oh, Andie, don't cry."

He had taken her in his arms, holding her close and kissing her hair. "It's okay, Andie. You'll be okay. We'll get you out of this, I promise."

-end flashback-

Oh, and they had gotten her out of it, she mused. Apparently, the night she had stumbled back to the Ravenclaw common room after a large dose of firewhiskey with Sirius, she had suggested to a certain housemate by the name of Ted Tonks that they should shag.

And they had.

This was only found out later, though, but as the plan unfolded, it seemed like it would work. She had written the letter, told her parents she'd gotten knocked up by a muggleborn, and the marriage plans to Lucius Malfoy had dissipated.

At the same time, she found herself with no choice but to tell Ted about her pregnancy. She could never marry Sirius, especially now that without a family, she couldn't marry the likes of him. She didn't want to put him in the same situation as herself...

-flashback-

"I love you, Andie! I want to raise my child. Please. Don't do this to me," he had cried, an edge of agony in his voice.

"I... I have to, Sirius. I just have to. I'm sorry..."

Tears streamed down both of their faces. "But Andie... I..."

"I love you too, Sirius. But I have to do this. I don't want you to be hurt by my bad choices..."

"So you're saying it was a mistake? I never wanted anything as much as I wanted us to be... together..." his voice cracked on the last syllable. "I guess you never felt the same..."

"Sirius! I love you more than anyone. That's why I have to do this! Can't you see? I don't want you getting hurt!"

"You hurt me more than anything else ever could," he replied. Then he was gone.

-end flashback-

Her eyes opened. She hadn't realized that she'd been dreaming about the last time she had ever seen Sirius, but apparently, she had dozed off and her mind had continued running.

She stood, and then she realized it. The baby was coming. And it was coming soon.

"Ted!" shrieked the woman, hoping she had been asleep long enough for him to get home.

"Yes dear?" came his voice from downstairs.

"It's coming!"

"What is?"

"The baby!"

He had come, then, and held her while apparating them both to St. Mungo's.

Twelve hours and a lot of pain later, Andromeda gave one final push and a baby emerged into the world, beginning to cry immediately. As the healers cleaned the child, Ted held Andromeda's hand gently.

"We 'ave our baby."

"Yeah," she panted, exhausted, a smile curling her lips upwards. A plump healer who appeared to be in her mid-sixties bustled back into the room, holding a pink blanket.

"She's a she!" the woman declared, offering the baby to its mother. Andromeda reached out to take the child and then looked down into its dark eyes, which peered upwards from its round, pink head.

"Oh, she's beautiful," sighed Andromeda.

"Tha's righ' she is, jus' like 'er mum!" Ted cooed to the blanket. His wife smiled, and the baby simply stared up at them in wonder with her blue-glazed eyes.

"What're you going to name her?" questioned the healer, smiling tenderly.

Andromeda then noticed how the baby's hair had just gone from a black tint to a reddish brown. Sirius's voice read the passage about inbred wizards in her mind, and she replied, "Nymphadora." Ted wouldn't mind, she knew. He was easygoing.

The new mother gazed upon her child as the healer and her husband conversed. The baby blinked up at her sleepily, her button nose flaring slightly at the nostrils as she looked upon her mother.

"Honey, you want to hold our daughter?"

Ted took Nymphadora, tenderly whispering into the blanket, and the healer bustled off.

"You know, dear, it's about dinner time and you haven't eaten a thing all day... why don't you go out and grab a bite? I can wait here," suggested the woman.

"Yeh sure?"

"Positive."

"A'ight... 'ere's our baby, then... I'll be back soon, a'ight?"

She nodded, looking down at the baby once again placed in her arms. "Bye, dear."

After a moment of watching the baby's nose change sizes and then back to the cute little button she had originally had, Andromeda heard someone approach her bedside.

"She's a cutie," she heard a rather familiar voice.

Looking up, surprised, she asked, "What are you doing here, Sirius? It's late..."

He looked down at her. "I got an owl to come see our daughter. It's summer vacation and all, you know."

"So the healers know?"

"Obviously."

"Want to hold her?" asked Andromeda, holding the baby out so that he didn't really get a choice.

He looked down into the blanket. "What did you name her?"

"Nymphadora," she replied. He snorted.

"Nice name."

She frowned. "I thought you might like it... I had you in mind when I named her. That book of yours, too. It was right, you know, about the Metamorphmagi thing."

Nodding, he held the child back towards its mother, and she took the bundle once again, feeling the child's warmth against herself.

"Where's Ted?"

"Getting something to eat."

"I wouldn't leave you if I were him, you know."

"Yes, Sirius, I know," she sighed, as though regretting something.

Sitting on the bed, he said softly, "I need to go now... goodbye, Andie."

"Bye, Sirius."

"You're beautiful."

"I'm married and I just had a child, Sirius."

"You're still beautiful. You always are." He bent and brushed his lips against hers.

"Bye, Sirius."

He kissed her again. "I don't want to go..."

"You need to."

For a third time, his lips pressed against hers, and this time she kissed him back. His tounge parted her lips, and he stretched out next to her, little Nymphadora lying on the other side of her mum, having fallen asleep.

After a bit, Andromeda pushed him away. "Oh, Sirius, we can't..."

He nodded. "I know. I was just coming to say goodbye and see my daughter, just one time..."

The boy got up and walked to the doorway, turning back when he got there. "I love you, Andromeda... your daughter is gorgeous."

"She's not mine, Sirius... she's ours." After a moment's pause, Andromeda continued, "I love you, too."