Chapter 31. A Christmas Reunion
Some time had passed since our conversation with Coraline about which house she wanted to be in, and finally, Christmas had arrived. It's funny, really, how, based on snippets of memory from our past life, we recall that Christmas was often considered a less important holiday than New Year's. Of course, the main reason for this was the Soviet authorities' drive to eradicate religion. But now, on such an important holiday as Christmas, we had one major issue facing us.
Sirius Black. No matter how unreliable he might be, Coraline is still his daughter, and he, after all, is still our uncle. Which means, honestly, we ought to spend Christmas together. Why does the thought of this worry us so much? As it turns out, our initial suspicions were confirmed, and the girl's mother had just had a one-night fling with Sirius. At the time, he was simply seeking feminine comfort after another tough run-in with the Death Eaters. So, even if he hadn't been sent to prison, he almost certainly wouldn't have sought this woman out again—for all practical purposes, he knew nothing about her beyond her name. Therefore, if the girl ever wished to remember her late mother, there might be complications. And though we have our own suspicions about the somewhat unusual nature of the girl, we also understand that, even so, there's a very real chance she's spent ten years in this world, which has surely left its own mark. We would rather not see what kind of disaster that could potentially cause—especially since "transplants" are often more ruthless, and even though we try to be "good," we are, in some ways, proof of this ourselves, since we already have less than kind plans regarding the magical aristocracy of Britain, the Malfoys in particular. All in all, the thought of these two together worried us so much that we decided to invite people who could take most of the attention onto themselves.
Knock-knock—suddenly, a knock sounded through the house, jolting us from our thoughts.
"Are we expecting anyone?" Coraline asked in surprise, knowing full well that no one could drop by our place by accident.
"Yes. Some of our few normal relatives," we replied, before heading to the door. When we opened it, we were greeted by a group of three. Standing at the front were a beautiful, dark-eyed brunette and a smiling, green-eyed blond man with a slight paunch, full mustache, and beard. Behind them, peeking out with light curiosity, was a pretty teenage girl with pink hair and green eyes.
"Hello, I'm so glad you could come," we greeted them cheerfully through Andromeda—and we truly were glad, as their presence would help us avoid awkwardness.
"It would have been rude to refuse such an invitation. Besides, is there any better day for a family reunion than Christmas?" the man declared with a fatherly smile.
"Please, come in," not delaying our guests on the doorstep, we invited them inside, where Coraline peered out from around the corner.
"Sirius isn't here yet?" asked Andromeda Tonks, who was now looking nostalgically around the house's hallway.
"He sent an owl saying he'd be a bit late," Regulus replied.
"Coraline, come here," we called our sister, and when she approached, clearly shy, we decided it was proper to make introductions.
"Though we are relatives and this is our first time meeting, allow me to introduce ourselves," Regulus began. "I'm Vega Regulus Black, and these are my sisters—Vega Andromeda Black and Coraline Black."
"Sounds a little unfair when I'm the only one without a middle name," the girl pouted cutely, making our guests chuckle.
"Lovely to meet you. As you might already know, this lovely lady is your aunt Andromeda Tonks, and I am her delighted husband, Edward Tonks, and this adorable girl is our daughter Nymphadora," he said, placing a hand on Nymphadora's head—her hair instantly turned red, and she looked clearly displeased.
With the introductions and greetings done, our guests took off their coats, Kreacher carried in some treats they'd brought, and we all moved to the sitting room, where stood the Christmas tree so carefully decorated by us, a table set for seven—with most of the dishes, incidentally, made by us—as well as an ordinary Muggle television, which we'd personally asked the Headmaster to enchant so it would work even in such a magically saturated location.
"Times truly are changing…" Andromeda muttered, a little shocked, seeing something she had never imagined would appear in one of the most radical families' homes.
"As even the portrait of our ancestor, Phineas Nigellus Black, had to admit, the previous generations of the Blacks severely lacked flexibility of mind. In that respect, only you, Aunt, truly stand out for the better."
"Narcissa's not exactly doing badly either," the woman countered, though her smile betrayed her pleasure at our words.
"If you don't mind, let's not dwell on the Malfoys today; that topic's too gloomy for a celebration like this."
"Gloomy?" Andromeda raised an eyebrow, looking at Regulus.
"Are you sure you want to ruin your mood today?" we replied.
"No, perhaps I don't," she shook her head. "But I think we'll have things to discuss tomorrow."
"Of course," we agreed easily, "and after all, the house has more than enough rooms for everyone, so you're welcome to spend the night."
While one half of us chatted with Andromeda, the other was enjoying a lively conversation with the others. Ted and Nymphadora proved to be easygoing and cheerful. Especially Nymphadora: although she hadn't yet developed her Metamorphmagus abilities to their full potential—for improving physical capabilities and the like—she still inadvertently changed her appearance when her emotions shifted, but was nevertheless able to use her talent intentionally, pulling oddly funny faces for everyone's amusement.
And then, in a swirl of green flames from the tall fireplace, Sirius Black appeared, a Santa hat perched on his head, holding a large red sack slung awkwardly over his shoulder.
"Merry Christmas, everyone!" he cried with a delighted grin, stepping out of the hearth.
Immediately he was greeted by a friendly handshake from Ted and a warm hug from Andromeda. Even though they hadn't joined the Order of the Phoenix, their relationship with Sirius was still warm.
"You didn't hurry," Regulus quipped, shaking his hand.
"Well, I couldn't come empty-handed, could I?" Sirius flashed a white-toothed grin, setting down the evidently heavy sack, then sought out the girl standing hesitantly beside Nymphadora.
When their eyes met, the entryway fell quiet as Sirius, slowly and as if afraid to startle her, approached Coraline and knelt before her.
"Hello. You probably already know, but I'm your father," Sirius began, uncertainly.
"I know," the girl simply replied, looking at the man before her with complicated feelings, as if unsure what to do.
"I know I let you down, but if you'll let me, no matter how poor a father I may be, I'll do everything I can to make up for all you've been through."
"I…" Coraline opened her mouth as if to say something, then fell silent and glanced at us—which made everyone else's gaze shift to us as well.
Damn it, why do we feel like we're getting in the way of a child reuniting with her father? we grumbled mentally under all those eyes.
"Can I stay in this house?" the girl asked us.
"But why? You could live with me instead of in this gloomy house…" Sirius began.
"Shut up," the girl snapped, silencing him, all the while looking at us.
"You're a Black, so naturally the library will be open to you," we immediately realized what she wanted.
"Speaking of the library, we meant to say this later, but since it's come up…" Regulus turned to Andromeda. "Aunt Andromeda, our grandmother treated you unfairly, and as a Black, you and your family have a right to use the library as well."
"What's so good about that library? It's all dark magic anyway," Sirius grumbled.
"Thank you, that really means a lot to me, and Dory could use some broadening of her horizons, too," Andromeda replied gratefully, ignoring Sirius.
"So… what about me?" asked Sirius, looking at Coraline with puppy-dog eyes.
"I agree, but only if you promise not to get in the way of my studies," the girl replied magnanimously, after which she was swept up into the air with a joyful roar—startling Coraline, who squealed with surprise.
"Let me down—put me down, unreliable dad!" the girl shouted.
"I think they'll be just fine," Andromeda said with a smile.
"We think so too," we agreed.