Marauders - Always - Part One

My Parents Were Rebels

Tonks slammed into Sirius before he'd fully comprehended she was running toward him across the room. He let out a oommph as he was jolted backwards from the impact and looked down at her in surprise. "Nypmhadora?"

"Hi Sirius!" she squealed, arms wrapped snug around his waist.

He petted her hot pink hair awkwardly as Remus came 'round the corner from the hallway. "How long's she been here?"

"Longer than I have," Remus answered.

"What?" Sirius looked confused.

"She showed up while Peter was home and he left her here alone," Remus said, eyebrow raised, "To go out with Oni Lamm."

Sirius's eyes darted down to the seven year old wrapped around his middle. "He left her here alone?" he repeated.

Tonks looked up, "I was doing a secret mission, but I don't have to keep any thing secret from you and Remus."

Remus's lips pursed with disapproval at the idea of the secret mission and Sirius raised an eyebrow. "What sort of secret mission?"

"I was guarding Peter's room from bad guys!" she said, "They said the flat could be attacked any moment and I had to be a real good secret agent and keep the baddies from getting in his room and protect the flat!" She paused, letting go of Sirius's waist, looked at her fingers, then held them up, "So I did my nails. Look. Pink."

Sirius stared at the nails. "Very pretty," he said. Then he looked up at Remus, "What the fffff--" he looked at Tonks, then back to Remus, "-- fireflies were they thinking?"

Remus shrugged and shook his head.

"Don't they know she's far too much like me to be left alone?" Sirius demanded.

"Not to mention seven," Remus supplied.

"Yeah, not to mention," Sirius growled.

"I think they were lying about my secret mission, though," Tonks said. Sirius had to bite back the urge to say "no shit" and only just managed to suppress it. Tonks went on, "I went to Peter's room to see what I was guarding and there wasn't a single thing there worth guarding at all. Well, except for some book that Regulus didn't like but --"

"Regulus?" Sirius interrupted.

"She got into our room, too," Remus explained. "She was carrying the portrait around when I got home."

"The portrait's awake?" Sirius asked, and he rushed to the hallway.

"He's very nice," Tonks said. "I like Regulus. He told me about Maryrose!" She was hurrying after Sirius, practically skipping in her excitement to go and talk with Regulus's portrait again.

Sirius walked up to the portrait, but it was still and dull, just pencil on paper again. Tonks stared at it, "Heyyy," she said, frowning, "How come he's not moving?"

Sirius sighed.

Remus stood in the doorway, hands gripping the frame of it, putting the majority of his weight on the wood for support. "Not sentient?" he asked.

"No," Sirius said. He looked at Tonks. "So he talked with you, did he?"

"Yeah," she nodded. "He said he knew a girl called Maryrose Jenkins that was like me. A metamorphmagus. She wore her hair teal and could change into anything or anyone she wanted!"

Sirius nodded, "Yeah, she could." He was frustrated his brother hadn't stayed sentient for him and wondered where he'd gone and why he'd been awake for only a short time.

"Have you really met a unicorn?"

"What?" Sirius asked, shaking off his pondering about Regulus.

Tonks pointed to the wedding photo.