5th January 1988

"I would have thought Narcissa would take her," Andromeda said curtly, lips pressed together in a fine line. One of her hands was clenched tightly in her husband Ted's hand.

"Mr Malfoy did put up a decent claim," said Albus Dumbledore. He was resting easily in his chair, his fingers laced together on his lap and a look of absolute serenity in his eyes. "But it falls to me as Chief of the Wizagamot to make the final decision. I would like you to take her."

"We will," Andromeda said. "Of course we will. But, Albus... I don't believe that Cissa or Lucius will allow the Black heir under my care, no matter what the Wizagamot decides."

"I think when you meet the girl you will understand why you are the best fit," said Dumbledore. "She is far less like the rest of your family than you would imagine."

"Poor lamb," said Ted. "Alone in that big house with just Walburga and that awful house elf - what was his name again?"

"Kreacher," said Andromeda. "Oh, tell me that he doesn't have to come?"

"Walburga's will left it all to her heir, who happens to be in Azkaban," said Dumbledore. "The elf can stay in the house if that's what you want?"

"I don't want to see that little wrech," Andromeda's lips curled at the idea.

"In any case, blood wards activated the moment Walburga died. The only way into the Black family home is for the new master of the house to permit you entry."

"Let the place rot," Andromeda said. She rose to her feet, pulling her husband with her quickly. "Where is she Albus? I want to get out of here."

"She's right outside," Dumbledore rose with them. "She has been quite beside herself all morning, but she has been given a hot coco and some gentle words and has calmed down."

Andromeda hardly waited for him to finish before heading out of the door and into the hallway where a young girl, hardly seven years old, was sitting by herself. She had all of the trademark Black family features. The full dark hair, which fell in ringlets down her back, the deep set, heavy lidded grey eyes (red from crying) and full lips.

Upon hearing the door open, the girl was on her feet. She had the same impeccable posture that Andromeda had drilled into her since she could walk, shoulders back and head held high. Her hands were clasped behind her back, but there was a certain set to the little girl's jaw that made Andromeda falter. A certain air of Sirius about her which panged in Andromeda's chest.

"Hello Venus," Andromeda crossed to the little girl and knelt so that they were eye to eye.

"Who are you?" Venus demanded.

"I am your Cousin, Andromeda," said Andromeda. "I know today has been difficult for you and I'm very sorry about that. You're going to come and live with me and my husband Ted now, if that's okay with you?"

Venus regarded her for a moment.

"Can I have cake?" The little girl asked eventually.

Andromeda laughed. "All the cake you could want."

*

From the day Venus Black moved to live with her cousin Andromeda, she had a happy childhood. She found that living in the Tonks house was quite different to living in Grimmauld Place. She had hardly left the house for years as her Grandmother's health declined, so the major difference was meeting other's her age. Ted Tonks was insistent that they lead normal lives so, like her sister before her, Venus attended the local Muggle Primary School. She was a smiley girl, but her blue eyes always held a twinkle in them which made teachers not trust her and other students wary of her.

She met Nymphadora for the first time during the Easter holidays of 1988. Dora, as she insisted Venus was to call her, was already at Hogwarts in her fourth year. She was a Hufflepuff and was planning to be an auror. Venus thought she was the coolest person she had ever met. Dora immediately declared that she had always wanted a little sister and declared that Venus was going to make an excellent addition to Hufflepuff.

Venus too, had always longed for a sibling. She didn't want to be a Hufflepuff thought, not at first. It took a while until the gentle love of the Tonks family was able to remove some of the prejudices that Walburga had drummed into the young girl from the moment she got her hands on Venus. But she was only seven, still young and impressionable. Whilst the scars that Walburga had left her with (both physical and mental) would never truly fade, Andromeda was determined to try and love the girl enough to make them fade.

Every parents evening the Tonkses were told that Venus could be brilliant if she would apply herself, that if she stopped making mischief (such as swapping the salt and sugar shakers and hiding all of the chalk before lessons) that she would excel in every subject. Venus knew this as well, but every time they chastised her, she held her head low, but continued doing it anyway. She found a certain glee in causing chaos.

Andromeda saw Sirius in everything Venus did and it filled her with a warm nostalgia but also a pit of dread settled in her stomach as Venus grew. She was determined that Venus would not be led down the dark path that her father had chosen. That the world would not ring out everything that was good about this little girl the way it had done to Sirius.

"Pranks are fine," she told Venus after one of her pranks had gone badly and left another girl in her class with a broken arm. "But Venus, you can't ever hurt anyone."

Venus was as usual was hanging her head low, looking up at her mother.

"I know Aunty 'dromeda, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to." The sincerity in her voice quelled Andromeda's nerves.

*

In 1991 Dora graduated from Hogwarts. She had grown into an accomplished witch and was going into auror training straight out of school. Venus, who was not set to start school until the September of 1992, was almost unbearable in her excitement to start school by the time her sister graduated. Her accidental magic had started showing itself the previous year and her teachers were becoming more and more perplexed by the pranks she was able to pull, even if some of them were unintentional (for example the afternoon when they had all returned from lunch to find all of the classroom furniture on the roof of the building after Venus had a falling out with the teacher).

"Now Little Ve," Dora told her little sister. "You've got to be a bit more tactful about what you do in front of Muggles."

Venus giggled, whenever Dora told her off it always turned into more of a joke to Venus. "I know," Venus said. This was almost always her response, and it made Dora roll her eyes.

"You're going to be a terror at school," said Dora, "maybe you'll give the Weasley Twins a run for their money!"

Always one to try and get more information about Hogwarts, Venus pressed Dora until she told her tales of the Weasley Twins' exploits in school and Venus' own misbehaviour was forgotten.

As September 1992 drew closer, Ted and Andromeda continued to have the same discussion.

"We can't send her off to school without her knowing," Ted insisted as he shoved another letter that had arrived for Venus into the shoe box with the others. "She'll find out somehow and she'd prefer to know it from us!"

"I know, I know!" Andromeda replied, "but can't we let her be a little girl for a bit longer. She's lost enough as it is!"

"But she doesn't even know what it is, she's lost," pointed out Ted. "You know what that horrible Skeeter woman is like, you've seen what she's written about Harry Potter in the prophet. The moment she gets wind of the Black Heir being at school then it'll be all over the prophet. We can't hide her forever!"

Venus, of course, knew who her father was from Walburga. The girl didn't seem to care much about knowing more about him. Andromeda had always wondered if Walburga's opinion of her disowned son had changed after he had revealed himself to be a Death eater. Venus didn't seem to know much about him, so Andromeda suspected it had not.

"And Remus, she deserves to know," Ted shook the shoe box and rattled it around.

Remus Lupin had written to Venus at least once a year since Walburga had died. He normally sent a birthday card with a few coins stowed inside it, sometimes he sent a longer letter. He wrote to Andromeda once as well, expressing that he was sorry he hadn't been around to take Venus in, but that she was safest where she was.

So, in October 1991, the day that Venus turned eleven, her parents finally sat her down to explain what they could.

"So is he dead then?" Venus asked, eyeing Ted and Andromeda as if she had been waiting her whole life for this conversation.

"No," said Andromeda through pursed lips.

"What then?" Venus asked.

"We thought you might want to know some things before you headed off to Hogwarts," said Ted.

"Go on then," Venus flopped back in her chair and stifled a yawn as if she couldn't care less about what they were about to tell her. "Tell me all about him. Grandmother already did. I remember."

"We thought you may want to see some photographs," Andromeda pulled the shoe box towards her and rummaged to find the photograph she was looking for.

"I've seen photographs of him," Venus said.

"What do you know about your mother?" Andromeda asked sadly.

Venus shrugged, attempting to seem indifferent, but Andromeda knew her better than that.

Your mother was a dirty blood traitorus whore, the small nagging voice of Walburga Black said in her mind.

"Here she is." Andromeda placed a photograph of four people down on the table. It was, of course, a magical photograph. Remus Lupin, Sirius Black, Dorcas Medowes and Marlene McKinnon smiled up out of it, ignorant of the trouble that was to come. Andromeda pointed at Marlene and Venus looked closely at it.

"What's her name?" Venus asked.

"Marlene," said Ted.

"I met her a few times, she was lovely," offered Andromeda.

In the photograph Marlene was noticeably pregnant. It had been taken in September 1980, just a month before Venus had been born according to the date scrawled on the top of the photograph. Marlene was wrapped in Dorcas Medowes' arms and was beaming.

"Who are the other people?" Asked Venus.

"Dorcas Medowes, Remus Lupin and your father, Sirius Black," said Ted. Venus' eyes settled on Sirius. In the picture He was reclining on the sofa, his feet propped on Remus Lupin's lap.

Your father was an ungrateful son, Walburga's voice echoed in Venus' head again.

"He doesn't look that much like a murderer," said Venus vaigley, staring at the picture. "Did he kill Marlene?"

"No," Andromeda shook her head quickly. "He wouldn't..." she trailed off, unable to finish.

Venus didn't seem to notice this falter. "Were they married then?"

"No," said Ted.

"They were complicated people," Andromeda offered.

"He fought on the wrong side in the war," said Ted.

"The wrong side," Venus turned the words over bitterly in her mouth.

An ungrateful son, but a faithful servant to the Dark Lord , Walburga said proudly. Venus shivered slightly and did her best to ignore the words of her dead Grandmother as she so often did.

"Were you close?" asked Venus, doing her best to change the subject. Andromeda was slightly affronted at the matter of fact tone the girl was taking, but elected to answer the questions rather than focus on this.

"For some time we were," Andromeda said, "we were both disinherited from the family. The Noble and most Ancient house of Black is one of the oldest Pureblood families in the country. When I married Ted I never saw any of my family again, apart from Sirius." She smiled, for a moment forgetting about the man Sirius had become and remembering the boy he was, "He loved Muggle music. Every bone in his body was full of mischief."

Venus smiled and looked back down at the photograph. "Can I keep this?"

"Of course, it's yours!" Ted smiled.

"There are also some letters," Andromeda offered.

"From my parents?"

"No, from Remus Lupin, the other man in the photograph. He - uh - helped Sirius look after you after Marlene died," said Ted, pointing at Remus in the photograph. "He's sent you some birthday cards and some letters over the years. Here." He pushed the shoe box towards his daughter.

Venus seized it greedily and began rifling through. As well as Remus' letters, there were lots of photographs of Venus as a young baby and some pictures of Sirius and Marlene whilst at Hogwarts.

"You're still ours though Venus," Andromeda said as Venus turned the pictures over in her hands, "but if you want to write to Remus we'll understand."

Venus shrugged. "It was nice of him to send all of these," she said, gesturing at the cards. "But at the end of the day, I don't really know him."

Ted placed a hand on Venus' shoulder again. "It's up to you love. We won't push you to do anything."

Venus grinned at him. "Thanks. So can I keep all of this?"

Andromeda nodded. "If you have any other questions we'll be happy to answer them."