Fathers Daughter

Part 1: Chapter 2

A bit past Two the next afternoon, Andromeda peeked out her window for the 77th time in the last fifteen minutes. She would never have admitted it out loud, but she was desperately eager to see if Eleanor showed up with the child. And also, very interested in what the child would look like. Andromeda still half believed that this was all some kind of cruel prank on her...Eleanor might not be a Black by birth, but she had enough Black in her family tree to be just like them, especially when it came to blood purity; Andromeda kept reminding herself of that. And if that wasn't enough, Eleanor's mother had been a Greengrass.

Not to mention that Eleanor had been living with Augustus for decades and was fanatically devoted to him. Andromeda remembered how all her relatives and many of the other purebloods constantly deferred to Augustus, some even calling him "Lord". Many of the pureblood families were in awe of him to the present day, but behind the scenes due to his being wanted by the Ministry. Andromeda knew he was quite a powerful wizard, and very adept at the dark arts. When Andromeda was young and still part of the family, he and Eleanor would often visit. But Augustus had always seemed quiet and withdrawn to her, more brooding and melancholy than evil. Nothing like Voldermort had been.

The sound of a car door shutting pulled Andromeda out of her memories. She almost made a dash to the window to get an early glimpse of the child when she heard an excited, young voice outside, but was able to control herself. She would be calm, and answer the door properly. She waited just around the corner from the door until the bell rang. Taking a deep breath, her chin slightly raised, she opened the door.

Eleanor stood on her porch once more. She was holding the hand of a girl who appeared to be around eleven or twelve.

"Good afternoon, Eleanor." Andromeda's greeting was again cool, but formal and polite.

"Andromeda." Eleanor's return greeting was the same, but not quite as cool. She still seemed a bit timid and hesitant. "May I introduce you to Arabella? Arabella, this is my cousin...Mrs. Tonks." Andromeda bristled a little at the way Eleanor seemed to have a difficult time saying "Tonks". Eleanor, always a Black by blood if not by name. But then, technically so was Andromeda.

Up to then, Andromeda had held Eleanor's gaze, almost afraid to look at the child. Now, she moved her eyes over and down a bit, and couldn't stifle the gasp that escaped her when she did. It was as if Andromeda were looking straight into the face of...

"Bella," she breathed, barely audible. Collecting herself, she regained some of her composure and said, "I am happy to meet you, Arabella." Andromeda could barely hold it together as she continued to stare at Arabella. Yes, this was most assuredly Bella's child. Any lingering doubts Andromeda might have had were gone. Arabella looked almost identical to how Bellatrix had looked when she was Arabella's age. Arabella's hair was darker, and not quite as curly. Also, her eyes were slightly different in both color and shape. But everything else about her...

Arabella smile up at her, the bright, innocent smile of a happy and cultured child. "I'm very pleased to meet you, Mrs. Tonks," she said, dropping a cute little curtsy to Andromeda. She didn't have any hesitation in how she said the name. Andromeda wondered how much of her background Eleanor and Augustus had revealed to her. But her voice—oh, even her voice!

Tears welled up in Andromeda's eyes. Here before her stood Bella...not Bellatrix as Andromeda last remembered her, an insane, fanatical, murderous fiend who had taken Nymphadora away from her. But her big sister Bella. Bella from her childhood.

"May we come in, Andromeda?" Eleanor asked after several moments. Her voice was soft. Andromeda realized that they were still standing on her front porch. "Yes, of course! Forgive me. Please, come in!" She stood aside as they entered.