Disclaimer: This story is based on characters and events from J.K. Rowling's wonderful Harry Potter books. I am writing this for my own enjoyment and hopefully for the enjoyment of readers. Anything you recognize belongs to JKR. The rest belongs to me.
Chapter 57: The New Black Sheep
James was rather silent during breakfast, thinking back to the previous night's discovery - if that's what it could be called. He wasn't even sure that the ring in the portrait of Godric Gryffindor was the same ring his father had given him. James bitterly recalled that the ring was now in the hands of Tom Riddle, having been stolen from him during the attack in the clearing at the end of his first year at Hogwarts.
Sirius noticed his friend's silent and brooding mood during breakfast but when he asked James what was bothering him James shook his head and continued to pick at his breakfast. Sirius opted to attack his own breakfast for the time being and pester James later about what was going on.
As Sirius was reaching for some syrup to pour onto his waffles, a heavy thud landed in front of him causing a dish of butter to slide off the edge of the table. After Sirius caught the dish, he was surprised to see that the owl in question was sitting in front of him, staring at him. Sirius hesitantly studied the owl, not recognizing it. Usually the only mail he received at school was in the form of a howler from one of his parents, usually his mother. To his surprise, the letter attached to the owl's leg was in a plain envelope, not red like a howler.
James, finally noticing the creature, asked Sirius, "Who's it from?"
Sirius shrugged his shoulders and untied the letter. The owl, happy that the recipient had finally freed it of its load, shot off from the table and flew out the nearest window. When Sirius opened the letter and started reading, his eyes widened in surprise at who had written him.
Dear cousin,
You are probably reading this letter shocked that I am writing to you. We've never been close. As a matter of fact, we never liked each other. We come from the same family - the Black family - and we were each brought up with the same values and traditions. (Sirius snorted.) That is why I was amazed that you blatantly rejected those values, despite the reaction of our family. I had been raised with that set of values and so that's what I believed for so long. I was happy with my life - I had the respect of our family, with you being the one exception. I had graduated with honors from Hogwarts and have been working in the Ministry for several months.
Why then, did my life suddenly have to get complicated? I met someone, and he is unlike anyone I've ever known. I was running an errand for the Ministry and had to travel through Muggle London. I ran into a spot of trouble with some Muggles who wanted to take my jewelry. Before I could fetch my wand a man suddenly appeared and chased the group of thieves away. He was wearing a funny looking uniform with a badge - part of some kind of Muggle law-enforcement group.
After he had chased the men away he came back to see if I was alright. He was a Muggle, so I knew I shouldn't have had anything to do with him, however he had the most mesmerizing blue eyes I'd ever seen. We struck up a conversation and before I knew it we were at a café eating lunch. Ever since then we've been spending all of our free time together. (Sirius furrowed his eyebrows, unsure of whether to be shocked at or dubious of his cousin's story).
You're probably wondering where the punch line is, but I'm afraid there is none. I fear I may be falling in love with Ted Tonks, a Muggle, and I don't know whether to be elated or frightened. I never wanted to know or care about any Muggles, having been raised that way. Now that I've met him and have spent time with him, I find that his way of life fascinates me. Despite his lack of a wand, I feel drawn to him in a way that seems magical. (Sirius rolled his eyes, wondering why his cousin had decided to gush about her love life to him.)
Now I'm faced with two dilemmas. The first is that Ted is unaware of my being a witch. He thinks I'm a Muggle, albeit a quirky one. I'm afraid to tell him. I'm scared that he will see me as a freak and look upon me the way I looked upon Muggles only a few months ago.
My other dilemma is the one I am the most fearful of - the family. That is why I am writing to you. My perceptions have been blown away so suddenly and I am in unfamiliar territory. You're the only other person who can understand my situation. You have openly rejected the family's ideas and yet despite their reaction you stand firm in your values. I can now see the courage it took for you to stand up to your father this past summer during that dinner and I now understand why you were placed into Gryffindor. You, cousin, have more courage than I ever gave you credit for. For the first time in my life I am envious of you and wonder how I can find a bit of the courage you have displayed.
This relationship with Ted is so new, but it feels wonderful. Cousin, I am not entirely certain why I'm writing this to you. I've never given you reason to like me. I suppose I need the opinion or support of someone who can understand. I am nowhere near ready to tell the rest of the family about Ted. I would fear for his safety and perhaps mine as well. Although we've never been on good terms, I feel that I can trust you to keep this from our family.
Sincerely,
Andromeda
P.S. I heard that you made the Gryffindor team and that you beat Slytherin in your first match. Although I may admire your bravery, that doesn't mean that I admire your Quidditch team. Rest assured that Slytherin will be victorious against Gryffindor next year!
Sirius smirked, shaking his head at that last comment. He sat back and tried to soak in what Andromeda had written. It was true that they had never particularly liked each other. She had soaked up the lies that the family had been feeding her since birth. When she was at Hogwarts she had always snubbed him, though not quite as obnoxiously as her little sister, Narcissa. Sirius always joked that Andromeda was his 'favorite cousin,' but only because she was the least offensive one out of the group.
Now, as he scanned the letter again, he wondered if Andromeda was truly changing her values or if she was involved in some minor rebellion or infatuation. If that was the case, if he wrote back to her and she went back to her old ways, then that could prove risky for him when he next met up with his family. On the other hand, Sirius didn't usually let danger stop him from voicing his opinion or helping those he felt needed his help. He decided to write back to Andromeda and see where this could lead. Perhaps he would gain an ally, someone he could call a 'family member' with pride and not disgust.
"Padfoot?"
Sirius looked up, surprised. He had been so focused on the letter he had forgotten James was still there. He tapped the letter and said, "It's from my cousin, Andromeda." Looking around to make sure no Slytherins were within hearing range he whispered, "She's rethinking her opinions about a lot of things, including Muggles. She wants advice since I happen to be the 'Black' sheep of the family." Sirius summarized Andromeda's description of Ted and how they met, as well as her dilemmas.
"Are you going to write back to her?" asked James.
"Yeah, I think so," replied Sirius. "If she's serious then I want to encourage her to do the right thing. If this leads to a long-term relationship or even marriage she's gonna need a lot of help to dodge the family. They won't take having a Muggle relation without putting up a fight."
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During History of Magic, Marlene was surprised when she noticed that Sirius was huddled over a parchment looking serious as he scribbled furiously. She wondered if it was possible for Sirius Black to be taking notes when normally he had his head down on the desk, snoring softly.
In actuality Sirius was composing a reply to Andromeda. He found it difficult to write to someone he had had no respect for in the past, but he wanted to give her a chance to do the right thing.
Andromeda,
I was shocked when I received your letter this morning. When the owl landed in front of me I thought I was about to receive my weekly howler from Mum.
My first reaction at your letter was disbelief. You, who have always looked down upon Muggles, have fallen in love with one? My next reaction was laughter. You have to appreciate the irony of the situation. You said it yourself - you had the perfect Pureblooded life and now you're faced with caring for a Muggle and seeking advice from a cousin you have always hated.
Stop rolling your eyes, cousin. This letter is not meant to mock you (not entirely, at least). You wanted my advice, so here it is - my advice is that you don't need my advice. It seems to me that you've already made up your mind about this Tonks fellow. You don't need me to tell you how to feel.
As far as the family goes, you have to decide if you want to live your life, or a life designed by them. If you follow their demands, will you be happy? You may feel safe, but will you be happy?
For the time being perhaps it's best you keep this relationship from the family. It sounds like you haven't known Tonks for long. If the family finds out now they will put a tremendous amount of pressure on you and may prevent you from getting to know him better. For the time being, enjoy dating the guy but don't get caught!
You dilemma about Tonks being clueless about your magic is a tricky one. You're well aware of the laws regarding Muggles knowing about our way of life. Don't tell him about it for now. If this relationship becomes serious (that is, if you're considering marriage), then you'll need to tell him. If he really cares about you, he'll understand.
You know as well as I do that if you continue this relationship with Tonks the family will turn their back on you. You will be disowned. I don't know if it matters to you, but if you choose to follow your heart then you will have one family member who respects you and who will accept you (that would be me if you're too thick to figure it out).
Sincerely,
Sirius
P.S. Slytherin's Quidditch team will never stand a chance as long as I'm on the Gryffindor team!
Sirius reread his letter to Andromeda and decided to run up to the owlery during lunch to mail it. For the time being, he realized that he had 15 minutes of History class left so he decided to make the best of it and lay his head down onto the desk for a quick snooze.
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The rest of the time before the Christmas holiday was spent in a frenzy to finish up assignments and prepare for exams. James, Sirius, and Peter stayed up late the last night before the final day of classes, trying to finish their History papers. Remus was blissfully asleep upstairs, having finished his paper a few weeks earlier. Sirius had noticed a change in James' demeanor lately and had not been able to find out what was bothering him.
At about 3 a.m., Sirius stood up and stretched, saying he wanted to go to the kitchens for a snack. After asking James for his invisibility cloak, James decided to accompany him, feeling the need for a break himself. He had another 6 inches of parchment to write but he knew he could get it done within a few hours if he had some nourishment courtesy of the house elves.
Once they were settled in the kitchen snacking on some pumpkin pasties, Sirius took the opportunity to grill James again about his quiet demeanor. "Are you ever going to tell me what's bothering you?" asked Sirius.
"Nothing's bothering me," said James.
"Bull," said Sirius. "Something's up and you're keeping it from me!"
James glanced at his friend and saw the irritated look Sirius was giving him. He shrugged his shoulders and said, "Look, it's probably nothing. I don't even know if it's real or if I'm imagining things."
Sirius looked confused and said, "What's probably nothing? Are you gonna elaborate?"
"You'll think I've gone mad," said James.
Sirius smirked and said, "Too late for that. You might as well spill."
After a moment James asked Sirius, "Do you remember back in first year? My dad had given me a ring."
Sirius thought for a moment before replying, "I remember you saying that Riddle had stolen a ring - is that the one?" James nodded. "What about it?"
"When my dad gave it to me he told me how it's been in the family for generations," said James.
"So?" asked Sirius. "Are you upset about Riddle stealing it, about it no longer being with the Potter family?"
"No….well yeah, I guess, but that's not what has been bothering me lately," replied James. "My History paper…I was reading about Godric Gryffindor, my subject. I came across a portrait of him in one of the books. What caught my eye was a ring he was wearing in the portrait. When I got a good look at it…Padfoot, it's the same ring that my dad gave me."
Sirius chuckled and said, "So you're telling me you had Godric Gryffindor's ring?" Seeing the look on James' face, he realized that James was serious. "Are you sure?"
"If it's not the same ring then it's one that looks exactly like it. It's identical to my dad's ring," said James.
"So you're saying that this ring which has been in your family for generations, originally belonged to Godric Gryffindor. Then," said Sirius, connecting the dots, "are you related to Gryffindor?"
James shook his head and shrugged. "It seems impossible. Dad never told me anything like that. Then again," said James, "after Dumbledore told me about my dad dying, he said that Voldemort might have killed him to get to the ring. Then Dumbledore told me that I come from a long line of powerful wizards."
Things were silent between the two boys as they tried to absorb the possibilities. Trying to lighten the mood, Sirius joked, "Or maybe that means you come from a long line of thieves who steal rings from the Gryffindor family." James rolled his eyes and Sirius asked, "So what are you gonna do?"
"When we go home for the holidays I'll ask Joseph. If he has my dad's memories then he should be able to tell me more about that ring," said James. He stood up, ready to return to the common room.
"Master James! Master Sirius!" cried one of the house elves. "Someone is coming!"
Not wanting to get caught after curfew, Sirius and James rushed to the corner of the kitchen and hid under the invisibility cloak. A moment later the door to the kitchen opened and Professor Dover strode in, wearing a red dressing gown. The house elves scurried over, offering her snacks and drinks. As she sat down to munch on an apple, the door to the kitchen opened again and Professor Dumbledore walked over to her.
"Professor Dumbledore!" exclaimed Professor Dover. "What are you doing in here at this time of the night…er, rather, morning?"
The headmaster smiled and said, "I had a craving for something sweet." He turned to the house elves and gave them a warm smile. "Perhaps some sherbet lemon drops? I've always had a fancy for them." The elves hurried to the pantry to find the headmaster his treat. He turned back to the DADA professor and asked, "And what, may I ask, are you doing in here so early?"
"I've been up late grading papers and I needed a midnight snack," smiled Professor Dover.
James and Sirius watched as they traded banter for several minutes. Finally, Dumbledore stood up and said, "I should return to bed. It is rather late to be roaming the halls." With a twinkle in his eye he glanced at the corner where James and Sirius stood camouflaged under the cloak. He turned back to the DADA professor and said, "Good night, Eileen."
James felt Sirius shaking next to him but waited until Professor Dover had left before whipping off the cloak and looking at his friend. Sirius was red from holding in his laughter. He collapsed onto the floor in hysterics while James stared at him, dumbfounded.
"Padfoot? What the hell is so funny?" asked James.
Sirius caught his breath enough to say, "Eileen!" before breaking out into more hysterics.
James shook his head and asked, "What's so funny about that? It's not an unusual name."
When Sirius' laughter slowed down, he managed to say, "Her name is Eileen Dover!"
It took a moment before James got the humor and he joined his friend's laughter. As they walked toward the kitchen's exit, Sirius said, "I wonder if she has a husband named Ben…"
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A/N: So…how many of you got the punch line at the end? (Sorry spanish gurl - that part probably couldn't translate well for you.)
What do you think about Andromeda's change of heart? You'll be seeing more of her later on.
Thanks to the latest reviewers: DreamAngel, sista7, spanish gurl, Anu, Nyscat, delpheena, Golden Phoenix, mystical cah, Mani12191, Alicia (x2), A New Reader, Hermione G. Potter, Jo Bob, Anonymous (x2), i <3 harry…, vikkala, and granger1191. Thanks everyone who got me over the 500 review mark!
Next chapter: The students head home for Christmas.