A/N: Okay, I was up until the early hours of the morning writing this, but it was worth it. Yes I know that strictly speaking, this would never happen, but it's fanfiction - anything can happen...
I had originally intended for this to be a oneshot, but now I think I'll make multiple chapters. But tell me what you think. Should I continue?
Enjoy.
Managing Mischief's Consequences
THE COMPLETE AND UTTER BASTARD!'
He cursed, nearly screaming. His words echoing through the decaying halls of Number 12.
'HOW DARE HE!
THE NERVE!
THE SCUM!
THE COMPLETE AND UTTER SCUM!
WHEN I GET MY HANDS ON HIM, HE'LL WISH HE SPENT TWELVE YEARS IN AZKABAN!'
'Sirius, please. It's…it's really not that bad.' She offered.
'NOT THAT BAD?' he shrieked.
'NOT THAT BAD?
HAVE YOU SEEN YOURSELF LATELY?
HOW CAN YOU DEFEND HIM AFTER WHAT HE'S DONE?'
'Sirius please. You know him, he didn't mean to.'
'DIDN'T MEAN TO WHAT?
DIDN'T MEAN TO LEAVE YOU?
DIDN'T MEAN TO BREAK YOUR HEART?
OR DIDN'T MEAN TO KNOCK YOU UP?
WHICH ONE IS IT TONKS? YOU TELL ME?'
'Sirius. You need to calm down.' She said a little more forcefully now.
'NO. I WILL NOT CALM DOWN NYMPHADORA!
HOW CAN I?
MY BEST FRIEND KNOCKED UP MY COUSIN, WHO'S THRITEEN YEARS HIS JUNIOR, AND NOW HE'S RUN AWAY!
HOW COULD HE?
MARK MY WORDS NYMPHADORA, HE WILL RUE THE DAY HE DIDN'T KEEP HIS FILTHY PAWS TO HIMSELF.
I WILL MAKE HIM PAY.'
'DON'T call me Nymphadora, Sirius.' She warned
'Yes, I know what he did was wrong and stupid and that he deserves everything you have in mind for him and more. But at the end of the day, you're not the one who's pregnant with his child. He didn't walk out your door and break your heart. He broke mine. And now I have to deal with the consequences.' She finished, somewhat resigned.
As she spoke, not only could he see the sadness in her eyes, he could also sense the hopelessness in her voice. Somehow, seeing his baby cousin, his strong, independent, Auror, baby cousin, so defeated caused his anger to dissolve away into almost nothingness. Almost.
'And I'll be right by your side, all the way.' He moved over to her and wrapped his arms around her in a brotherly hug. A gesture he had intended to be comforting, but she broke down in tears nonetheless, clutching his arms.
'I WANT TO HATE HIM!' she wailed 'I WANT TO HATE HIM SO MUCH! But no matter how hard I try, I just can't bring myself to. Sirius, in spite of everything he's done, I still love him. It's like I can't stop loving him. And the thing is, I don't want to.' She had collapsed into her cousin's chest and although she had stopped howling, she was still crying. 'You know him better than I do Sirius, in all your years of friendship, everything you've been through together, did you ever think he could do something like this? Something so selfish and cruel? '
'Honestly? No.' he answered simply as he sat her down on the old moth eaten lounge and took the seat next to her.
'He was always the quietest, seemed to always have his head in a book and it was like there was no question he couldn't answer. He was the good one, the polite one, the one that made you wonder "why on earth he was friends with Sirius Black". But when he was up to something, it was beautiful. He poured his heart and soul into it, there was nothing he couldn't do, a troublemaker to the core. The only difference was he knew how to not get caught, and I'll admit that that's something James and I never quite got the hang of.' Sirius smiled slightly at the memories before continuing.
'But he was always loyal, always there. He was quietly courageous, and considering everything he's been through, he's one of the bravest people I've ever known.' He sighed. 'So no. I would never have thought that Remus Lupin would ever run away like a coward.'
She nodded sadly at this, taking in what he had just said and slowly dried the tears from eyes with her sleeve. Glancing up at her cousin, through the haggard and gaunt face, she could see hints of the man he use to be, and in some senses still was. Warm, affectionate and loyal, she hadn't ever looked at him this way before. All the times she, Remus and Sirius had spent in the dank kitchen of Number 12 Grimmauld Place, she had only ever seen him as a loud, somewhat vulgar, womanizing, thirty-something, wanted criminal. How she had ever grown to care about him she didn't know, but now, she was kind of glad she had. She couldn't help but smile.
'You know.' She said aloud, interrupting the silence, 'I'd never of imagined Sirius Black adopting the role of a father figure.' He grinned at her comment.
'I don't really see myself as the "father figure", more like the irresistibly handsome, sometimes slightly drunk, but undeniably cool uncle that everyone loves.' She couldn't help it, she laughed.
'Undoubtedly.' She agreed. After all, who needed a depressing, old werewolf when you had someone like Sirius around?
'And just think of the possibilities.' He told her, smiling somewhat smugly. 'When the baby's born, you could call him Sirius, after yours truly of course.'
'But what if he's a girl, Sherlock?' she asked him, eyebrows raised questioningly and his smile slipped momentarily, before growing wider than before.
'Than call her Sirius. Either way it works quite well. And you've got to admit, it's catchy.' She laughed again while listening to him reciting his name over and over again as if trying to convince her.
'No matter how many times you say it, somehow I don't think I'll be calling my baby "Sirius", Sirius.'
'Sure, you may say that now.' He told her fairly disbelievingly. 'But mark my words Nymphadora, in nine months time, you'll of changed your tune.' At this she burst out laughing, and although you'd never get her to admit it, she was actually contemplating the name in her head. Sirius, Sirius…He's right, it is catchy. Sirius…Sirius…
'Don't call me Nymphadora.' She told him once more, but his time, her heart wasn't quite in it. It was more like a force of habit rather than an actual admonishment. After all, part of her couldn't believe that in such a short space of time they'd gone from screaming and swearing revenge, to holding their sides with laughter at the prospect of future baby names. The other part was glad they had.
'To be honest, I don't care what the baby gets named, as long as it's not Nymphadora.' She shuddered slightly at the thought of her child enduring the name as well.
'See, Sirius is still a very viable option.' He smirked and she pushed him a little.
'I'm serious.' She told him.
'I'm Sirius.' He corrected her and she rolled her eyes, but laughed all the same.
'You know,' he started, his laughter gone, his voice quiet. 'When you told me about you and Remus, I was so happy for both of you, and when you told me you were expecting a baby, I almost couldn't contain my joy. I remember thinking that you would make such a good mum…and that he would make such a good dad.'
'That's what I thought too.' She added 'I still don't understand why he left.'
'Fear,' Sirius answered, regardless of whether the question was rhetorical or not. 'I think. He always has been a self-sacrificing prat. But I also think that he's so unused to being anything but hated, that he doesn't quite know what to do when that's not a person's reaction, that and the fact that the idea of having a family has always seemed impossible to him, he thinks he's protecting you from what he is, claiming that it's for your own benefit, yours and the baby's, that he stays out of your life. I don't think he's ever known anything better.' Although what he'd just said was profound, Tonks thought she heard him mutter something that sounded a lot like 'idiot' under his breath.
'Don't you dare make me feel sorry for him.' she warned, her voice sharp. 'I might still love him, but that doesn't mean I don't want to hex his balls off right now. And besides,' she pouted slightly, 'that's just stupid.' Sirius just nodded in agreement, and the two of them smiled again.
They sat in a comfortable silence for a little while, just enjoying each other's company, before Sirius felt the need to say something and began to recite his name over an over once more, in different tones and voices, with different accents, Tonks barely lasted a few minutes before she was laughing again, and her laughter was infectious because within moments, Sirius was clutching his sides as well.
But their moment of amusement ended the instant they heard a quiet knock on the door.
Her breath caught in her throat. She knew that knock. She'd know it anywhere. And so, apparently, did Sirius.
His face flashed with fury, his eyes glowed red.
'I'LL KILL HIM!' he screeched once more, leaping off the lounge and thundering to the front door.
'I'LL KILL HIM!'