The Squib and the Werewolf (book 2)

74. A Black Reunion

Remus and Tonks's relationship advanced very quickly, and in no time at all, they were engaged.
Raya thought they were rushing into things, but since she had pushed them together in the first place, she knew she had no right to judge how fast they wanted to move their relationship along.
Since their wedding was eminent, the two families would need to come together to get to know each other. The Tonks, Black, and Lupin families would need to get along, for the sake of the future.
Raya decided to host the event, since she had the largest house. And she wanted to be on home soil when she confronted Andromeda for her past actions.

When the day arrived, Remus escourted Tonks and her family to the Potter Manor where Raya and Jamie were waiting.
"It's good to see you" said Tonks, as she stepped inside the mansion.
"You too Tonks, or should I say Nymphadora" smiled Raya.
"Eugh, just because my parents are here, it doesn't mean you have to call me by my real name. Please stick to Tonks" begged Tonks.
"Alright, I will"
"Thanks".

"Is Sophia not here?" Asked Tonks.
"No, Molly is babysitting tonight. I didn't want to push Sophia on Molly, when she has enough on her plate, preparing for Bill and Fleur's wedding. But Molly insisted that she took Sophia tonight, so that we could all talk uninterrupted" answered Raya.
"That was kind of her. I see it's not an adults only event though" replied Tonks, as she smiled and pointed at Jamie.
Raya spun around and saw Jamie lingering in the doorway that lead into the dining room.
"I wanted him here tonight, to meet his extended family" admitted Raya, as she gestured for Jamie to come over.

"Good evening" said Andromeda politely, as her and Ted stepped inside.
"Hello Andy" replied Raya coldly.
Raya then placed one arm around Jamie, and introduced him to the two people he didn't know, for he had already met Tonks many times.
"Jamie, this is your father's cousin; Andromeda. She's Bellatrix and Narcissa's sister. And this is her husband Ted. They are Tonks's parents" continued Raya.
"I would prefer it if you didn't lump me in with my sisters, when introducing me" admitted Andromeda.
"It is a pleasure to meet you both" said Jamie.
"The feeling is mutual" replied Andromeda.

"Why don't we head into the dining room?" Suggested Remus.
"Good idea" agreed Raya, before leading the way into the next room.
Everyone then took their seats at the table, as Raya served the food.
"So, me and Remus were thinking about just having a small service. Nothing big or fancy. Only the people in this room will be there, and Sophia of course. She will be a beautiful flower girl" informed Tonks.
"I'm sure it will be a lovely ceremony, no matter how big it is" replied Raya.

"Will you be my Maid of Honour?" Asked Tonks.
"Of course" answered Raya.
"Thank you" replied Tonks.
"Jamie, will you be my best man?" Remus asked Jamie.
"I'd love too" grinned Jamie.
"That's all sorted then" smiled Remus.
Raya took her seat opposite Andromeda, and began thinking of how best to confront her.
"So, Andy, isn't it funny that you left your family to avoid being forced to marry someone you are related to, and your daughter ends up marrying someone she's related to" Raya said smugly.
"Raya" hissed Remus, who was not impressed with his sister's attitude.

"Dora and Remus are not related by blood, so I see no problem with them marrying" informed Ted.
"They might not share blood, but legally they are related. My husband was your wife's cousin" reminded Raya.
"Dora is marrying her second cousin's wife's brother. Her and Remus are not exactly closely related" countered Ted.
"Maybe not. But it is a very Black thing to do. Marry family members. Maybe that's why Andy was placed in Slytherin and not Gryffindor like Sirius. She still shares many Black family traits, and she has clearly passed them onto her daughter".

Andromeda sighed, "This has nothing to do with Dora, so can you just leave her out of this. It is me you are angry with me. Just say what you have to say, so that we can move on, for the sake of Remus and Dora".
"Mum, why are you angry at her?" Asked Jamie curiously.
"Because, after your father was wrongly imprisoned, I asked everyone I could think of for help. I thought that Sirius's favourite cousin would have my back. But she turned on him, the moment everyone started calling him a traitor. And that meant that she wanted nothing to do with me or you" revealed Raya.

"I was no longer a Black at the time, remember, because my family disowned me. I turned my back on everyone in the family. And the whole wizarding world believed that Sirius was a traitor, so why would I have believed any differently back then?" Questioned Andromeda.
"Sirius idolised you! You were his favourite cousin. The one Black family member, who he didn't think was twisted and evil. You and him were close, so you should have known that he was not guilty of the crimes he was accused of. Because you knew who he really was. But even if he wasn't innocent, you didn't need to turn your back on me. I was down on my knees, begging for help, and you turned me away. I had no money and no one to support me, yet you still refused to have anything to do with me or my son, who had done nothing wrong. He was your own flesh and blood, and you abandoned him!" snapped Raya.

"I am sorry, O.K. I shouldn't have treated you and him like that. But back then I really thought Sirius was a traitor. And I didn't want people to associate me with the rest of my family. My own sister had gone to Azkaban for torturing the Longbottoms. Everyone thought the people in the Black family were evil. I couldn't be seen to be associating with traitors, because it would put my new family at risk. Which is why I didn't try and help you. I had to put my daughter's needs first" explained Andromeda.
"Even when Sirius's name was cleared, you still made no attempt to contact me. Several people wrote to me to apologise for their actions. But you never did. Why?" Questioned Raya.
"I guess I was too embarrassed, and I didn't want to face up to what I had done" answered Andromeda.

"Look, we all made mistakes in the past. Even I thought that Sirius was guilty, and I was his best friend. So, can we please all put what happened, behind us, and look to the future. I love Nymphadora Tonks, and nothing is going to stop me from marrying her. But I would really like it if my old family and my new family were not at odds with each other. I want everyone to get along. So, please, for me, can you move on from this?" Begged Remus.
"You know I would do anything for you Remy" sighed Raya.
"So, you will put aside your differences with Andromeda, and stop all this fighting?" Asked Remus.

Raya looked away from Remus and back to Andromeda.
"Alright, I'm not very good at apologies. But I am sorry Andy for lashing out. This was supposed to be an enjoyable family get together, and I turned it into an opportunity where I could confront you. So, I am sorry" apologised Raya.
"And I'm sorry for how I treated you all those years ago" replied Andromeda.
"Apology accepted" informed Raya.
"Now that that's done, let's get back to planning my wedding" announced Remus.

"You know, just once, I would like it if we could have a normal quiet family gathering" whispered Jamie.
"No you don't. Deep down you love the chaos, and I know it" replied Raya.
"You're right. I do enjoy it... But still, it would be nice if we could be like everyone else, just for one night" admitted Jamie.
"We will never be like everyone else. And that's what makes our family special".