Chapter One:
The New Member
"James? Lily?"
Sirius' head looked panicked from its spot in the fireplace. His jet black hair was mussed and dirty and his dark eyes were hazed from lack of sleep.
Lily squatted down next to him, baby Harry happily gurgling in her arms.
"What's the matter, Padfoot? You look terrible!"
His eyebrows scrunched together, his face the perfect example of an insulted man.
"Gee, thanks Lils. I feel real loved. I come for help and I get scorn."
The woman laughed quietly, red hair flying as she shook her head at her friend.
"Do you want to talk to James? He's just walked in from work."
Sirius hesitated, all signs of laughter gone from his face. He'd just remembered why he was there.
"Actually, could you both come over? I...I need help."
Something in his tone made the her face crumple in worry.
"What's wrong, Sirius?"
"I need help," he repeated, not giving anything away.
Lily nodded quietly before hurrying to collect her husband, all the while worrying over what could have caused the usually jovial man to look so frightened and bothered.
"James! Sirius is in trouble! Again."
The messy haired man thundered down the steps, smiling and picked up his son, twirling him around until he shrieked with laughter.
"Newest date have a husband? I told him to stop picking up woman at the Hog's Head. It never ends well."
"No," Lily laughed, "This seemed more, well..."
"Serious?" A black eyebrow raised in amusement.
"Yeah. I was trying to avoid the pun. No way around it, I suppose."
James smiled wryly.
"There never is. Come on, let's find someone to look after Harry and see what good old Padfoot has gotten himself into this time."
Ten minutes later, the couple found themselves standing in the sitting room of Sirius' small flat.
James frowned. "You've cleaned up, Padfoot."
Indeed, the tiny sitting room was usually overwhelmed with dirty clothes and magazines. Now, it was almost as tidy as Remus' place.
"Had to," Sirius explained as he plopped down heavily on the couch. "My cousin Andy and her husband are gone. Dead."
Lily gasped and reached out to take his hand in her's.
"I'm so sorry, Sirius. I know she was you favorite cousin, even if you didn't see her that often."
James nodded and looked at his friend sympathetically.
"Didn't they have a kid?" he asked.
Sirius nodded glumly, before taking a deep breath.
"I need help."
"Whatever you need, Padfoot. Funeral arrangements?"
He shook his head.
"Those are done. I did something that was kind of crazy. I don't regret it... I just..."
"Need help?" Lily volunteered, "I think we've covered that."
"Yeah," Sirius laughed tentatively, before sighing and running his fingers through his shaggy hair. Finally, he got up and walked to the back of the flat, crooking a finger at his guests to let them know that they were to follow him.
When they got to the guest bedroom, he tapped his index finger to his lips in a motion that meant for them to be quiet. Slowly, he pushed open the door.
There, lying in a sea of red fabric, was a little girl with bright pink hair that lay behind her, fanned put on the pillow. Her heart-shaped face was content with sleep, but leftover tear tracks made it seem morose and older than it really was.
James and Lily looked at each other in shock, turning their necks to stare back and forth between Sirius and the child. Lily shook her head clear and closed the door gently.
"Please tell me she's just staying the night," she pleaded, rubbing her temples to avoid the inevitable headache that was on its way. "You absolutely can not raise a five year old!"
Sirius hurriedly put a silencing charm on the doorway to stop Lily's distressed tones from waking his new roommate. He opened the door widely and sat down on the sofa, careful to place himself where he could still see the little girl.
"She's actually six."
Lily glared at him, and he shrugged.
"You're still only fourteen years older than her," she hissed.
James looked torn. "Are you sure about this, Sirius? This is a lot of responsibility, she isn't a puppy."
Sirius sighed. "I've already made my decision. Would you rather she went to my dear Auntie Bella?"
Lily slumped her shoulders in defeat, but before she could open her mouth to say anything, Sirius was on his feet, practically running to the spare room. The little girl was thrashing in her bed, her face tightened in fear. The Potters watched in worry as their friend sped into the room and sat on the edge of the bed. They looked on as he scooped the child onto his lap, murmuring something in her ear.
Lily's eyes widened. She was impressed, he'd handled that well.
Sirius returned to his guests and sat back down.
"What was that?" James asked.
The other man looked pained. "She was in the house when it happened. That would give anyone nightmares."
Lily nodded distractedly, staring at the open door where the girl slept. "Poor dear."
The three adults all sat there for a while, lost in there own thoughts. Finally, James broke the silence by asking cheerfully, "So, what's her name?"
Sirius grinned.
"Nymphadora, but I wouldn't call her that if you'd like your shins to remain un-kicked. Dora is fine."
James chuckled, glad that the atmosphere had changed, and that they'd moved to a lighter topic.
"Speaking from experience there, Padfoot."
"No," Sirius assured his friend, "But believe me, I was severely warned."
Lily smirked at the image his words brought to mind before asking the question that had been bothering her since she'd first laid eyes on Dora.
"Why is her hair pink?"
"She's a little girl," Sirius shrugged, "She likes pink."
That was good enough for James, but Lily was still slightly confused. She'd let it go for now, but if she found out that Sirius has charmed it that way for her, he'd be in deep trouble.
"She might be awake for dinner," Sirius offered, "If she is, I'll bring her over so you can meet her."
Lily smiled.
"That'll be perfect. I'll invite Remus over, too."
Lily and James flooed out of the flat one at a time. They were looking forward to meeting the new member of the Marauder Family.
I've had this one in my head for a while. Keep in mind in the following chapters, that Tonks won't be quite herself yet. She just lost her parents after all. If I continue it will probably end up being a fairly long story, but I'd like to hear what you guys think.
Next up...
A Family Dinner