Little Remus didn't get to meet little Tonks this time.
The timing didn't work out, and besides, they weren't technically relatives yet.
Which was probably for the best—otherwise, when the two of them got together in the future, if Remus said something like, "I held you when you were a baby," it might kill the mood just a little.
In the end, Sirius and Regulus used the excuse of going to buy books in Diagon Alley, then used the Floo Network from the Leaky Cauldron to arrive at Tonks' home.
Their uncle Alphard, dressed in a Muggle leather jacket, was there too. Alphard was their mother's younger brother—the same eligible bachelor wizard who would one day leave Sirius a massive inheritance.
They say nephews take after their uncles, and it was true—just ask, the answer was always: handsome.
And Tonks—she was just too cute!
Looking at the future little Hufflepuff, Regulus, as her cousin-uncle, couldn't get enough of her.
Her chubby little face already showed hints of that sharp chin like her mum's, and her dark, shiny eyes sparkled like two black gemstones.
She had a bit of thin hair, sometimes a bright pink, sometimes turning a vivid yellow… The whole little person was soft and adorable, just like a living doll.
Regulus brought out the magical puppy plushie he'd prepared—it squeaked out preset playful phrases when squeezed, including one that said, "Beautiful lady, marry Mr. Puppy."
The two brothers tried everything to make her laugh, watching baby Tonks giggle as she changed her hair and eye color again and again.
Cousin Andromeda sat gently to the side, smiling as she watched her uncle and nephews gathered around her daughter, laughing together, completely content.
"Meda, how did you find out Nymphadora was a Metamorphmagus?" Uncle Alphard asked.
"When Nymphadora was just born, her hair was black. When it started changing color, it gave Ted and me quite a scare," Andromeda replied softly. "We actually thought someone had swapped our baby. It took me nearly half an hour to realize Nymphadora was a Metamorphmagus."
"The color of her hair reflects her mood and state. Right now, it's pink, which means she's really happy. But if she's hungry, it'll turn blue or purple," Andromeda's husband added from the side, his face full of love and laughter, clearly devoted to his wife and daughter.
Ted Tonks looked like an equally gentle person—very well matched with his cousin, Regulus thought.
But Regulus had to ask the pressing question—
"Cousin, are you really sure about naming her Nymphadora?"
"What's wrong with Nymphadora?" Andromeda asked, a little surprised, then smiled beautifully. "'Gift of the nymphs'—just like my Nymphadora."
Behind her, unseen by Andromeda, Ted Tonks quietly shook his head at Regulus with a helpless smile.
Alright then, cousin Tonks, that's as much as I can do for you.
…
Ted was undoubtedly a good husband. As soon as Tonks's hair turned purple, he immediately went off to change her diaper, leaving the room to the Black family.
"Even though Ted's a wizard, he prefers to change nappies the Muggle way," Andromeda said with a smile, waving her wand. A large teapot flew from the stove to the center of the table, followed by several teacups floating one after another from the cupboard, landing neatly in front of each guest.
"Uncle Alphard, Sirius, Reg, thank you all for finding time to come see Nymphadora," Andromeda said. "How… is everything at home?"
At that, Uncle Alphard crossed his arms and leaned back in his chair with the air of someone who had completely given up on the matter.
The gesture was smooth, stylish—enough said.
"It's alright," Sirius replied, surprisingly calm for once, his tone light. "Mum and Dad are the same as ever—haven't changed a bit. But things at home have been a lot more fun since Reg started school. This time, it was thanks to Reg that we managed to get out."
Regulus smiled silently, accepting the evaluating looks from his cousin and uncle with quiet grace.
"That's good," Andromeda smiled, though her eyes showed a trace of sadness. "It's just… Cissy's wedding. I won't be attending—she didn't send me an invitation."
"Meda, even if she had, would you really have wanted to go?"
Alphard said bluntly, not holding back.
"Did you forget what happened at Bellatrix's wedding? She clearly didn't love that Rodolphus—she only married him to fulfill the pure-blood family tradition. Right after the ceremony, she disappeared. I ran into her by accident—you'll never guess what she was doing—"
"What.."
"She was practicing Dark Magic on a house-elf," Uncle Alphard said with disgust. "She's absolutely mad. And I've never seen a family as cruel and cold as the Lestranges."
"But Cissy… she wouldn't do something like that… She's different…" Andromeda tried to defend her sister, but her voice trailed off, weak and uncertain.
"She really is different." Regulus, who had been quiet until now, suddenly spoke up. "I see Cousin Narcissa at school all the time—she really does like that Lucius Malfoy. Every time she talks about him, she gets this girlish look. Isn't that right, Sirius?"
"Yeah. Back when I was in first year, they were always together," Sirius admitted, pinching his nose.
"I got an invitation, but I don't plan on going. I've got nothing against Cissy, but I really don't like that Malfoy. His father, Abraxas—well—" Alphard paused, glancing quickly at the two underage boys at the table, "Let's just say that scandal could fuel gossip for a whole month… Hopefully Cissy's fiancé doesn't turn out like his dad."
...
Tsk tsk.
With minors present, the adult wizards chose their words carefully, but Regulus still caught a whole earful of wizard gossip:
Something about someone using soul projection to secretly enslave a bunch of Muggles… someone else trying to brew counterfeit Polyjuice Potion and ending up with cat ears and fox tails, currently being treated at St. Mungo's… another family's wife using Veritaserum to extract info about her husband's secret vault, escalating their domestic feud… and someone's lab exploding, reducing the entire estate to ash… and so on.
Gossip like that wasn't just entertaining and educational—it also served to warn young wizards not to mess around. Two birds, one stone.
"You two better be careful—not a word about trying dangerous magic on your own!" Alphard warned.
And Sirius and Regulus, the very two young wizards currently planning an extremely dangerous human transfiguration project, could only exchange looks and nod stiffly in agreement.
Before they left, Uncle Alphard pulled out a poorly wrapped little package.
"I was planning to wait until Siri—" he paused mid-sentence, "I'm heading to Sweden for the annual broom race and a bit of adventuring—so this is an early birthday present for you two."
Sirius thanked him and took the package, opening it. Inside were two small square mirrors. Sirius held them up to his eyes; his reflection stared back at him in reverse.
"These are two-way mirrors—there are only two. If you ever want to find each other, you can use the mirror to call the other person and talk," Alphard explained.
"That's brilliant! Thank you, Uncle Alphard!" Sirius said excitedly, passing one of the mirrors to Regulus.
Regulus froze.