𝐨𝐮𝐭𝐜𝐚𝐬𝐭𝐬 | l. lovegood

iii

𝐓𝐇𝐄𝐑𝐄 𝐖𝐄𝐑𝐄 𝐒𝐎𝐌𝐄 𝐓𝐇𝐈𝐍𝐆𝐒 that Dorothea Tonks didn't understand about the family that she was born into. For instance, how come she wasn't allowed to visit her aunt and uncle's house? How come her cousin, Draco Malfoy, pretends that she doesn't exist when they see each other in the halls at Hogwarts? Why was her mother's picture blasted off the Black family tapestry? Why wasn't she allowed to see the portrait of her Great-Aunt Walburga Black?

One of the first things that Sirius had told her when she arrived at Grimmauld Place for the summer was to never pull back the curtain covering up Walburga's portrait. Several times over the last few weeks, the woman in the portrait would scream and shout about the filth that was in her house whenever someone made a disturbance. Dorothea had done her best to abide by this rule, but curiosity was starting to get the better of her.

The other kids were hanging out in the drawing room. The adults were talking downstairs in the kitchen. Dorothea was left all on her own, and after reading The Girl With the Silver Eyes for the second time, she decided she'd just take a quick peek at the mysterious aunt.

Dorothea reached a shaky hand out and gripped the curtain. She slowly pulled it back, and the woman's eyes narrowed at her.

"H-Hi," Dorothea said quietly. "I-I'm a Black too...Well, partially a Black. I think you're my aunt? C-Cause my mum is Sirius's cousin, so that means she was your niece."

"Is that so?" Walburga asked, raising a brow. "And who might your mum be? Who are you?"

"I'm Dorothea Tonks. My mum is Andro–"

"FILTHY MUDBLOOD LOVING BLOOD TRAITOR!" Walburga screeched.

Dorothea jumped at the sudden loudness and covered her ears with her hands as Walburga continued to yell. She could feel the floor vibrating beneath her as someone ran up the stairs behind her. A moment later, Sirius was yanking the curtain closed and shouting at his mother to shut up. He sighed heavily and looked down at Dorothea.

"S-Sorry," Dorothea whispered, bringing her hands down.

Sirius's gaze softened at the scared look in his baby cousin's eyes. He sighed again. "It's alright, Thea." He put a gentle hand on her back and led her downstairs. "I know you're getting restless, and I know you want to meet every member of the family, but you have to understand that some of them want nothing to do with you."

"Like Uncle Lucy?" Dorothea frowned a little when Sirius nodded. "Auntie Cissa's nice...B-But I think she only tolerates me. Draco ignores me completely."

They walked into the kitchen, which smelled of freshly baked chocolate chip cookies. Dorothea sat down next to her father, Ted Tonks, at the table. Andromeda was sitting across from them, and Tonks was on the other side of their dad. Molly was placing a second batch of cookies into the oven, and Sirius went to the fridge to get something to drink.

"Are you all packed for school?" Andromeda asked as Dorothea leaned her head into her hand, the other drawing patterns on the smooth wood of the table.

Dorothea nodded. She'd been counting down the days until her return to Hogwarts ever since August arrived. Tonks and Remus had escorted her to Diagon Alley to get her supplies the previous day, and she wasted no time packing the moment she got back to Grimmauld Place.

But as excited as she was about the upcoming school year, she couldn't help but worry.

Hufflepuff lost an important member last year during the Triwizard Tournament, and while Dorothea didn't know Cedric Diggory that well, he was still someone that she looked up to as he was an older member of the house.