CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
Little Dora
June 19th, 1978

"And where do you think you are going?" Her father's voice echoed through the parlour as he watched his daughter with her bagages in hands. "Daphne, are you..."

"No," she cut him off instantly. "I am not running away. It's summer," she pressed as he frowned, looking even more intrigued by her secret departure. "Look, I am of age and I was going to meet with a friend. That is all," she explained.

"Yes, you are of age but it does not allow you to come and go as you please, Daphne," he replied. "Although, I'm curious. Who is your friend?"

"Theodora," she answered with a soft smile. "A slytherin friend."

"Oh, right," he nodded his head with a hum and Daphne begged silently for him to let her go. "As long as you are back for the meeting he has organised, then I presume it is alright. Don't forget to send us an owl when you arrive. I'm sure Feather will follow you," he added, taking a step closer to wrap her in his arms.

"Of course, dad."

He kissed the side of her head before letting her walk through the door, she gave him one last wave before closing the door behind her and let out a sigh of relief. Freedom. Not forever, but for quite a time. Daphne was, in fact, not going to Theodora's house but to Andromeda's house.

Andromeda had recently contacted her and invited her to spend the last weeks of June with Ted Tonks and her daughter, Nymphadora. Daphne had pondered her cousin's invitation a lot before agreeing, she wanted to see her but found it quite risky. But again, if Bellatrix or someone else was really after Andromeda, then she would have been dead years ago and yet she remained perfectly happy and living near Cardiff.

In reality, Daphne was happy to finally step a foot out of the house. The first two weeks of June were a pure nightmare, it had been dinners on dinners, then charity balls. Daphne had enough. Besides, she had done all she could to erase James Potter from her mind, and playing wizarding chess with whoever she stumbled upon had been enough for now. But she feared she would switch to Firewhisky and Elf wine soon.

Finally reaching the end of her street, where she would be away from the crowd's eyes, she took a deep breath and focused on the name of the city her cousin lived in. For mere seconds, she glanced at the tattoo on her forearm that was no longer hidden and sighed heavily. Would her cousin accept her? Help her? Ban her? Perhaps, there was only one way to find out.

Daphne hated apparating, despite knowing how beneficial it was but it always left her nauseous and dizzy. She loathed even more side-apparating, it always made her throw up the second her feet would touch the ground. After a few seconds of composing herself, she looked around and grinned. Lavernock was truly beautiful, and the air was so refreshing. She could hear the waves crashing down on the sand, letting a sentiment of peacefulness settle into her. After minutes of looking for it, she finally found her cousin's house. It was rather modest, it had no neighbours around and she had acres of grass to herself. Salazar, she would kill to have this kind of life.

Knocking on the door, she swung herself on her feet as she waited for the door to open, "Oh, hello," a voice snapped her out of her thoughts as she looked up, locking eyes with a man. Ted, she presumed.

"Hello," she breathed out nervously. "I'm—"

"I know who you are," he cut her off with a chuckle. "Sorry if that came out rude. I'm Ted Tonks," Ted added, offering his hand.

Daphne hummed, shaking his hand rather firmly, "I'm Daphne Rosier. Nice to finally meet you, Ted."

"The pleasure is mutual," he smiled, stepping aside as he invited her to come in. "Andy talks about you constantly. Says you're part of the good ones. Rotten family, is it not?"

Part of the good ones. Oh dear, Andromeda...how disappointed she would be.

Sitting down on the chair, Daphne chuckled, "Quite the rotten one, yes," she told him quietly.

"You know," he started, rising on his feet as he went to the nearest shelf and grabbed a photo book. "Our little Dora is excited to meet someone from Andy's family..."

"Nymphadora, right?"

Ted laughed, "Merlin, don't use her full name or she will probably scream at the tops of her lungs," he warned softly. "She hates it...For some reasons, Andy wanted to stick to the whole constellation names, so we opted for Nymphadora. Funny enough, she hates it."

Daphne snorted, "I would hate it too. Why choose star names when you can have a nice, soft name!" She exclaimed as Ted agreed instantly. "I've always told my cousins it was ridiculous, I much prefer having Daphne as my name."

He sat down, handing her the photo book, "Daphne is grand," he replied as she thanked him. "Andy made this. She wants you to see it."

Daphne glanced at Ted as he gave her a nod, motioning for her to look through it. She didn't know why she thought it would be strange spending time with Ted but weirdly, she found herself enjoying it. All of a sudden, everything Andromeda had written in her letters about him made sense. He was, in fact, the most down to earth lad; he smiled way too much and had mesmerising blue eyes.

Opening the photo book, she read the title and recognised Andromeda's handwriting that her cousin had managed to keep neat as the years went by. Nymphadora Ted (Black) throughout the years. For a long moment, she stared at the baby picture and her lips twitched upward at the sight of it. Her fingers traced the face, the nose and the hair (which were hazel at the time). The more she turned the pages, the more she watched as Nymphadora turned into a small copycat of Andromeda and Ted, and how her hair went from hazel to black to blonde to purple.

"It is brilliant," she breathed out, reaching the last photograph that had been taken weeks before. Five years old Dora with purple hair. "She is perfect."

Ted hummed, "People tend to say that a lot," he answered. "Most said it because of her abilities."

"Well, that is a plus, I presume," she told him, then looked up. "But, she has more than that. I can feel it and sense it."

"Oh, she's quite feisty."

"Just like her mum, eh?" Daphne teased as the front door flew open, revealing little Dora and Andromeda.

Andromeda's eyes instantly fell on Daphne as she smirked, "It is awfully silent. Please, tell me Ted has offered you tea. Anything, really?"

Daphne snorted, "He offered me a photo book. Is it alright?"

Andromeda let out a grunt as Ted winced, making Daphne laugh despite the choked up feeling she got as soon as she locked eyes with her cousin. Parts of the good ones, she had said.

After a few minutes, she came back with a bottle of Firewhisky, and handed a glass to Daphne, "I'm sorry. We don't get a lot of guests."

"Nonsense," Daphne smiled. "I'm family, I don't care about all that. You could greet me in the worst conditions and I'll still be happy to see you, Andy."

There was something in Andromeda's eyes that made Daphne's heart skip a beat, "You're family, yes."

"Family! Family!" A little voice shouted from behind Ted's legs.

Daphne cocked her head to the side, smiling at Nymphadora, "Hello, little one. I'm Daphne."

"Go say hello, Dora. She's your cousin."

For some reasons, Daphne couldn't believe that Andromeda had managed to grow a full human while hiding herself from her family.

"Cousin?" Dora asked, almost unfamiliar with the term.
"The...the pretty one in the photos?" She then asked, her voice all shaky.

Ted was the first to hum, patting his daughter's head, "That's right, sweetheart. The one in the photos."

Dora stepped away from her father's legs and took a few seconds, watching her cousin. Daphne stared at her hair changed into a light brown colour, the same as hers. Andromeda looked at her, reassuring her that it was something normal for her to do.

"Look at you," she cooed softly, kneeling to be closer to her height. Daphne ran a hand through Dora's hair as she giggled. "You look pretty, Dora."

Dora only managed to blush, and turned her head to meet her parents, "I like her," she admitted with a soft breath. "I like Daphne!" She exclaimed a little louder.

"And, I like you."

Ted walked over to her, wrapped his arms around her and managed to sit her on his hip. He whispered a few words to him, making her laugh so softly and Daphne caught Andromeda looking lovingly at them. Good. She deserved it. All of it.

It wasn't long before Ted and Dora disappeared upstairs, leaving the two cousins alone. Somehow, it didn't feel as if they had lost years—it felt like they were back in those boring ballrooms, in their rich gowns as they laughed about some bizarre man who was flirting with half of the room. Or, when Daphne used to sleep at her cousins' and she would spend the night with Andromeda as she read her Muggle books. They were still there. Right where they left.

"I've missed you," Andy spoke first but Daphne couldn't really find the right words to say. I've missed you too, would be too pathetic. "I'm glad you could visit."

Daphne finally smiled, "I am very happy to see you," she breathed out, feeling her shoulders become lighter. She felt the need to speak. "And to meet your little one and your lovely husband. You're right, he does smile a lot."

She laughed and replied, "Tell me about it. There isn't a day where this man doesn't smile. He's too happy sometimes."

"I know...knew someone like that, too," Daphne replied instinctively because Ted made her think of him. James. "He would always find a reason to smile, to be happy. It was somehow draining," she chuckled. "But...it made me happy."

Andy hummed, pouring Daphne a glass, "People like this are meant to be kept close, Daphne."

"Didn't manage to," she croaked, feeling all choked up again. The lump in her throat was becoming too complicated to swallow, and she instantly chugged the whole glass. "I didn't...couldn't keep them close. I fucked up."

"We all do."

Daphne shook her head furiously, "Not like I did."

"Hey," she whispered gently, reaching for her hand and giving it a squeeze. "There's always light at the end of the tunnel," she spoke up, and Daphne couldn't help herself, she laughed.

"Muggle saying?" She queried as Andromeda hummed. "Quite like it."

She met her eyes and her heart sank. This feeling again. Guilt. So much guilt inside her. Daphne didn't want to lie, not anymore and she needed Andromeda to know. To know that she wasn't bad and the mark didn't mean a thing about her person...except that she was weak, weak for accepting her fate and fighting against it. But, she needed her to know.

"Mum and Dad are...they are good with me," she started softly, trying to find the right words. "They always have been. But...you know how they say the apple doesn't fall far from the tree? The tree is our family, the dark side of our family and I am...I am the apple, am I not? They turned me into someone bad and I just sat there, and said yes."

"What—"

But Daphne ignored and continued, "I don't want to lie anymore, Andy. It's exhausting. I've lost someone because of it, I don't want to lose you too...them," she said, referring to Ted and Dora. They were family. "Will you still love me?" She croaked, staring at her feet.

Andromeda cupped Daphne's face and offered a soft smile, almost maternal, "I will always love you, Daffy. You're not bad, you'll never be."

"I'm part of them," she whispered. "Part of the bad ones."

It took a long minute for Daphne to swallow back the tears and the guilt. Yes, she did feel guilty but did she really feel bad for protecting Evan? No, never. With a shaky breath, she met her cousin's eyes and could see the mix of emotions through them. Pain? Guilt? Shock? Disgust? She couldn't really say, but it did hurt either way.

"I don't want to be bad," Daphne said, justifying her actions. "I never wanted to, but it was either Evan or me...I would rather die than letting Evan become—" she stopped herself, feeling sick just by thinking of the word. What she was. "I would rather die."

"I know."

"I fucked up, Andy."

"You did, yes."

Daphne looked up at her, "Aren't you going to throw me out? I just told you that I am a Death Eater, I smiled at Dora, touched her hair and went close to her."

"Exactly," Andromeda stated. "You smiled at her. You're a good person, Daphne. I don't think you would ever raise a wand at me or Dora."

"I wouldn't, no," Daphne's answers were short and shaky. "I was in love, you know? He...we loved each other. I've always thought love was a strange concept, perhaps an impossible one. Mum and Dad are in love but it is nothing compared to what I experienced with him. He was good, a much better person than I am...and so caring, Andy. He was good to me."

"Why would you let go of him? Why did you let him walk away?"

Daphne smiled sadly, "Because I'm no good for him. I hurt and I take, I never give back and he needs someone that can give back. He needs a giver, which I'm not. I could be...in a few years, but I'll only be a mere souvenir and I'm okay with this," she explained, and she didn't think she had been that honest before. "But, I know that he will forever remain in my heart where he is meant to be. Is it bad? Bad that I will never stop loving him?"

"No, if you feel like the love you had—have is strong then perhaps his love for you will never die either," she admitted, moving to sit next to her and put a hand on her knee. "Who is he? You can tell me his name, I won't tell a soul."

Daphne blushed lightly, she never really got used to the fact that he was hers for a moment, "James...James Potter, that's his name."

Andromeda frowned, "Sirius' best friend?"

She winced, "That would be the one," she told her as she gasped softly. "For my defence, he came to me! Not the other way around, Andy."

Andromeda chuckled, putting her hands in surrender before shaking her head, "Who would have thought? You're in love with a bloody lion, and parts of the bad ones."

"The Hat considered putting me in Gryffindor at first," she admitted as Andy smirked. "But, he told me I matched my family's energy too well and was one of the cleverest people."

"Cheers," Andy spoke up, sipping on her drink. "I'm not worried about you, Daph. You are clever...I'm sure that you will manage to get yourself out of this mess," she added, rising on her feet. "You should go to bed. We will talk more tomorrow, eh?"

Daphne hummed wordlessly as she rose on her feet as well, she followed her cousin through the house and tried her best to hum or nod whenever Andromeda's voice would come to stop buzzing in her ears. Pushing a random door, she stepped aside letting Daphne go in and wished her a good night before closing the door. There. She was alone, in utter silence. Nothing around except for the loud crickets in the garden, and her own breathing.

Thankfully, she didn't struggle to find sleep this time. Instead, she slept throughout the whole night and stretched happily the next morning.

"Slept well?" Ted asked as he noticed Daphne walking towards them.

Daphne hummed, smiling softly, "I did. Thank you."

"Oh, you're awake!" Dora cheered loudly, running towards Daphne.

Daphne bent down immediately, took her in her arms and sat her on her lap as her back rested against the table, "Oh, hello you," she breathed out, tickling her tummy as Dora's laughs erupted in the room. "Oi, you're a noisy one, aren't you?"

"You don't tell," Ted said with a chuckle.

"We were meant to ask you something," Andromeda continued, sitting down in front of her as her head glanced between her cousin and daughter. "We would have asked earlier but given the circumstances, it was..."

"Complicated," Ted finished her sentence as she agreed with a nod.

Daphne frowned, a little nervous, "Well, do ask," she said with a small smile. "I'm all ears, aren't we Dora?"

"Yes, yes! All ears!"

Andromeda snorted, shaking her head as she met with Daphne's eyes, "We wanted to ask you if you wanted to be Dora's godmother."

"What?"

"Yeah, godmother," he repeated. "Andy thought there was no one better than you, so we saved you the title," he laughed.

"After all these years?" She croaked, feeling a wave of emotions washing over her. "Even after what I told you last night, Andy?"

"It doesn't matter, I already told you. You are good," she stated.

Did Ted know? By the look he gave her, he seemed to be aware of it or at least Andy had told him a few things, but he didn't care. Or at least didn't show it.

"I would love to," she whispered, her eyes shifting to the little one in her lap and her heart warmed. Godmother. She was her godmother. "I will do my best to protect her from them, but from me," she added.

"Oh, we know that," Ted replied, handing her a plate with eggs and bacon.

For the first time in years, Daphne spent time with her family. A real one...not a broken and rotten (like Ted had said) one. They would laugh at the table, go run after Dora into the garden, pick up flowers and show some spells to the little one. It was refreshing.

As she packed her clothes on her last day, Dora came to sit on her bed while her small legs swung into the air. For the whole week, she had kept her light brown hair, the same as Daphne's and now that she was leaving, her hair was blue. Was she feeling sad to see her leave? Daphne had kissed her head millions of times, promising she would come back because she had to. She couldn't leave her.

Nymphadora Tonks was the first reason that made Daphne reconsider her whole alliance to the Dark Lord; not James but little Dora.

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authors note, we love to see daphne spending some quality time with her family!! we all want happy daph!

also thank you for 32k reads and 1.7k votes!!! i love you all mwah