Princess Sunburst

In the time since learning that her daughter was no longer of this world Andromeda Tonks kept her grandson close. She didn’t want to lose her grandson the way she did her daughter and son-in-law. Teddy was the last remaining link that the former Black had to her daughter. And, thus far, neither Harry nor Apollonia showed up to see their godson, which was curious as Andromeda would have thought that their pair cared about what happened to Teddy. She was just showing Teddy pictures of his mother when there was a knock on the door. Upon setting the album aside, Andromeda took Teddy and went to see who was at the door, where two sets of emerald eyes greeted her. “Hello, Andromeda,” the female pair said.

It appears as if I spoke too soon, Andromeda mused. Remus and Nymphadora seemed to have picked the right people for the job. Not only were Harry and Apollonia the last connections to Remus and Nymphadora respectively – with Apollonia having a connection to Teddy’s great aunt and cousin as well – but they were dedicated to watching over the boy. “Mr. Potter, Ms. Snape, I thought I might see you here some time soon. Come in, you two; we can talk inside. I’m sure Teddy would like to see his godparents.”

As Andromeda led the savior of the Wizarding World and his recently-discovered twin sister—Teddy’s godparents—into the house, she couldn’t help but wonder what this was about. Harry and Apollonia seemed to be in quite a hurry. “Andromeda,” Harry said, “we were hoping to talk to you about what happened during the battle. Not much information was given, and I thought you might want to know the circumstances in which your daughter was killed.”

When Mr. Potter mentioned Nymphadora, Andromeda’s mind drifted to all the happy times in which she and Ted had with their daughter. She’s never going to have that, Andromeda thought sadly. It will be Mr. Potter and Ms. Snape that have that pleasure. Andromeda looked at the savior of the Wizarding World. “It was my older sister who killed my daughter, Mr. Potter. I think I know enough. Bella was insane when it came to the Pureblood ideologies that were forced down upon us. Cissy might have picked up those ideologies as well, but I never could. It’s why all of this happened to the Black family.”

A shot of recognition crossed Harry’s face. “Cissy – Narcissa saved my life, you know. She was the one ordered to check if I was dead and, to protect her son, she lied for me.”

“She kept me from facing Voldemort,” Apollonia piped up.

“At least one sister was able to redeem herself,” Andromeda said. “At least Cissy finally has her priorities straight. Following Lucius is what caused her son to get wrapped up in all of this. You —” Andromeda pointed a finger at Apollonia “— must have had quite an impact on my sister and nephew for them to suddenly align themselves with your brother.”

“I suppose I’m like a daughter to her,” Apollonia said.

“Lucky you then, I suppose,” Andromeda said as she returned to the sitting room and set her grandson down in his cot. “I thought for sure that both of my sisters had been lost to the darkness. It seems, Ms. Snape, that you have proved me wrong. My younger sister actually does have a heart.” It was a complete shock to learn that Narcissa actually cared about something other than herself; for Cissy to care about her son and Apollonia enough that she was willing to defy the monster she served for over two decades. And that might mean that she and Cissy could reconcile as the last remnants of the Ancient and Noble House of Black.

“I was the common denominator in it,” Andromeda heard the young girl mutter softly. “I knew Dora from when I was five, and it turned out that my father asked Narcissa and Lucius —” she spat out the latter as if it were a curse world, to which Andromeda was happy about; she was not the only one to hate Lucius for what happened to her family “— to watch over me during the summers between my first and sixth years. When Dora found out that the student she was to contact was the same girl whom she babysat during one of her detentions—and also happened to be friends with her cousin—it became apparent that I was the best way for her son to connect with the family she never knew.”

Harry stared at his sister. “You were that close to her?”

“Closer than it appeared,” Apollonia admitted in a quiet voice. “I was able to forge a connection to her in my childhood, during a time in which she was still in Hogwarts. Only one other person had such a connection to her and that was Charlie Weasley.”

“Charlie was close to her?” Harry asked.

As Andromeda actually recalled this, she answered the young man’s query. “I believe he was,” Andromeda recalled. “In some of my daughter’s letters, there was mentioning of the oldest two Weasley boys, particularly that of – what was his name? – Charlie?” Harry and Apollonia nodded. “Yes, well, it is possible that you are right, Ms. Snape; that the young Weasley was close to my daughter. One cannot say for sure if this was truly the case.”

Silence overwhelmed the group, the next few minutes passing like that before Harry said something. “Will you be okay, Mrs. Tonks? You know, now that your daughter and son-in-law are gone?”

Andromeda stared at the emerald-eyed young man, unsure of what to say. Was she really okay? Was it possible for her to survive the loss of her family? Ted and Nymphadora were both gone, the latter being killed by her estranged sister. Surviving such a loss might not even be possible. “I do not know, Mr. Potter. It was my daughter, after all. Saying goodbye to her will not be an easy task. Perhaps as difficult as it would be with Ted.”

“You are not alone in this,” Apollonia said.

“Yes, we cared about Tonks too,” Harry said.

“The fact that you two are here proves that,” Andromeda assured the siblings. It gave Andromeda a little comfort to know that she was not the only one upset over what happened; Mr. Potter and Ms. Snape had an invested interest in this, seeing as Teddy was their godson.

***

As far as Harry was concerned, it appeared as if Andromeda Tonks was putting on a brave face for the sake of this meeting. Her daughter’s death seemed to do a number on the older woman; she did not have much family as it was. If the stories were to be believed—and he knew all too well that they were—the only family that Andromeda had for the past two decades was her husband and daughter. She was cut off from her sisters and cousins after marrying for love. And, now that three of the four were dead—with the fourth on trial for her actions during the war—Andromeda was on her own. Harry elbowed his sister. “She doesn’t seem too good, does she?” he asked in a voice that was barely above a whisper.

“The war affected her more than anyone,” she noted.

Harry definitely agreed with her on that point. Andromeda seemed to have been affected by Voldemort just as much as he was; he lost just as many people as he did. And, with all that this woman had lost, it occurred to the formerly-prophesized young man that it might be best if Teddy was raised by his grandmother. “It might be better if Teddy stayed here,” Harry told his sister.

“It’s the last connection she has to her dead daughter,” Apollonia agreed. “Actually, it’s the same with me; I saw Dora once when I was five years old. After that, it was about eleven—nearing on twelve—years before Dumbledore set up the meeting that led to me reconnecting with her.”

“How many people knew that you met?” Harry questioned.

“Dumbledore, Dad, Bill, Charlie, and Dora,” Apollonia replied. “And, the only reason that the latter three even knew of my existence is because of a detention they incurred from my father.”

Harry stared at his sister, unable to believe some of the things he was hearing. The more he spoke with his sister, the more he learned that Snape was not exactly the bastard he thought he was. Somewhere, buried beneath the harsh exterior, beneath the mask that Severus Snape projected, was the man’s heart. Apollonia had been the reason he did everything. The only connection he had to Mum. In viewing Snape’s memories just before the confrontation with Voldemort, it become apparent that everything Snape did was for his daughter – and indirectly Harry as well, simply because they were siblings. All of it was done because of Lily Potter, because Severus Snape would forever love his childhood friend; his only true friend.

Viewing Snape’s memories also allowed Harry to understand why it was so important for Andromeda to have Teddy around; the turquoise-haired infant—a metamophagus like his mother—was the last connection that the disowned Black sister had to her broken family. So, it might be best if Teddy were to stay here. “It might be smarter to let Andromeda raise Teddy,” Harry suggested. “Aside from the fact that we already have a lot on our plates for the next few months, it might be therapeutic for Andromeda to raise him.”

“It would be easier for her,” Apollonia nodded.

“What are you two talking about?” Andromeda asked.

Harry looked at the middle Black sister, the pain of her loss evident on her face. “Apollonia and I were just discussing what would be best for Teddy. For each of us, we have a lot to deal with in the coming weeks. So, it occurred to us that perhaps it might be best for you to raise Teddy,” Harry answered. “Neither Apollonia nor I are capable of doing so at the moment.”

“You are the godparents though,” Andromeda reminded them.

“That’s true,” Harry admitted. “But, in this case, I think it might be best if Teddy were to live here with you.” It was not that the siblings didn’t want Teddy around. No, it was more along the lines of the fact that the boy’s grandmother needed him around more than they did. Harry and Apollonia would be around to help Andromeda when it was needed, but the orphaned metamorphagus would be raised primarily by his maternal grandmother.

Apollonia seemed to be reading his mind, as she voiced those thoughts. “You won’t be alone in this, Andromeda. Harry and I will support you in any way we can. As you said, Teddy is our godson. We cannot simply abandon the boy, nor do we have any intention of that. It should also give Teddy a more stable environment in which to live; Harry plans on fighting Dark Wizards —” how does she know that? Harry wondered. The only ones who ever knew that Harry planned on becoming an Auror—chasing Dark Wizards for the rest of his life, as it was something he was good at: the only true constant in his life—were those whom he was close to during his years at Hogwarts: Ron, Hermione, Ginny, Neville, and Luna. “— and I’ve been starting to consider doing as my father did before me and getting my Potions Mastery. Neither one of us will be able to take care of Teddy to the point that we should. But, we are going to help you raise Teddy into someone that Remus and Dora could be proud of,” Apollonia assured the older woman.

“I’m sure he would,” Andromeda said.

“We thought we should come and tell you that,” Harry explained. Even though this decision was done in the spur of the moment. Neither one of us initially planned on doing this when we first came over here. We had a completely different goal when coming here. “And, we wanted to come see how you were doing since the announcement of Nymphadora’s death.” It was strange being able to say the metamorphagus’s name without hearing her yell about using her full name. It was something that Harry would not fully be used to. People he cared about were gone, only one of which was Nymphadora Tonks-Lupin.

“I will see you at the funerals then,” Andromeda replied.

The siblings nodded. “Agreed.”

With that, Harry and Apollonia apparated back to the Burrow, which was devoid of life at the moment. “That was not to be expected,” Harry announced when they returned.

“How could we have known that Andromeda would be so upset by Dora’s death though?” Apollonia pointed out. “It was impossible to predict what was going to happen because of the war.”

“I guess,” Harry shrugged. The war brought changes to the Wizarding World that no one ever thought would ever occur. Since Tom Marvolo Riddle came into existence on December 31st 1926—some seventy-one years ago—nothing in this world was ever the same. Even the Muggle World was affected by everything that happened. “Now, is there anything else that needs to happen right now, before the rest of the Weasleys get back?”

“Maybe a couple things,” Apollonia replied.

“Like what?” Harry wondered.

“Well…” Apollonia reached into her pocket and pulled out a small item. “…Harry, I’m sure you remember that infamous item of my father’s in which you inadvertently took at the beginning of sixth year.” Harry nodded, knowing all too well that his sister was right. He remembered that perfectly. “Yeah; well, Dad being a half-blood Prince has a lot to do with what I’m about to tell you. My grandmother was a Prince who was disowned from the family for marrying a Muggle.” Knew that. “This morning when I went to speak with the goblins, I was informed of a fact that no one ever thought to inform me of.”

“What was that?” Harry asked.

“Edwin Prince,” she said, “was my great-uncle, a man who never thought to acknowledge his younger sister because of her unsuitable marriage. He had a son and three granddaughters before dying in the early eighties; Christophe, Morgan, Delaney, and Zara respectively. All four died two years ago, but not before Zara Prince did something that I’ll never be able to thank her for; something that I want you to know about.”

Harry stared at his sister, wondering why she was telling him this. What was the reason she had for telling him any of this? “Apollonia, what are you trying to say here?” he asked.

Apollonia held out her hand, palm facing up. A silver ring sat there, as if it was glaring at him. “Zara Prince was two years above us, the twins’ year. During our first year, right around Christmas, Zara asked her father to welcome me and my father back into the family; as head of the Prince family, only he was able to do it. With their deaths, as well as my father’s, that title passed directly over to me. My cousins made quite sure of that.”

My sister is the Head of the Prince family? Harry could think of only one possible reason for his sister to mention any of this to him. Sirius left all his money to Harry, but he was not sure of the Head of the Black House. His godfather was disowned from the family, meaning that it was not clear as to who had such a title. “And, that makes you what?”

“Lady Prince,” Apollonia muttered.

“The war cost you family as well then,” Harry mused. “That’s why it was so important for you to find me then, because I was the only family you had left. But, why tell me?”

Apollonia glared at her brother. “Because there are only a few people that I can ever begin to trust with information like this; you, Hermione, Bill, George, and Fleur. Andromeda, Narcissa, and Draco might even make that list, though I can’t be sure of that quite yet.”

It was the last three names that caused a trigger with Harry, for all three were Blacks, Draco through his mother. While Andromeda was disowned for marrying a muggle-born, Narcissa and Draco were not. And, Harry was beginning to understand the reason his sister told this story. “Invite Andromeda back into the family,” Harry realized all of a sudden. “Turn the Black family into something that Sirius would have been proud of.”

“Exactly!” Apollonia exclaimed.

“Yeah, but I don’t know who has control of the family,” Harry informed her. “How are we supposed to do that for Andromeda if we don’t know who has control of the family?”

“It’s not Draco,” Apollonia said.

Harry stared at his sister, only half paying attention to what she was saying. It did not exactly sink in as to what his sister was saying. Instead, Harry was busy thinking about Sirius, a man whom Harry only ever spent about two months with, at least knowingly. Whether he spent any time with his godfather in the fifteen months before Voldemort came after him, Harry really didn’t know. Harry looked at his sister again. “Huh?”

“It’s not Draco,” his sister repeated. “If Draco was Lord Black, he would have been gloating to you about that fact. It’s not him; I’m sure of that. And, when I saw the genealogy reports, I was sure. Harry, you’re related to your godfather. That can only mean that you got the title of Lord Black. Only you have the power to welcome Andromeda back into the Black family.”

“Is that why you want me to go to Gringotts?” Harry asked.

“Part of the reason,” his sister admitted.

“I’ll get around to it,” Harry told her.

“Well, I wouldn’t take too long if I were you, Harry,” Apollonia informed her brother. “It should probably be done within the next month. Your stunt at Gringotts caused the goblins to start collapsing some of the vaults. It’s why we need to go through the Evans vault together, and figure out what goes with each of us. And, you might want to do that with the Black and Slytherin vaults the way I am with the Prince and Ravenclaw vaults.”

“I get it, Apollonia,” Harry said.

“Good,” she replied.

Harry and Apollonia talked for a few more minutes before she left to avoid Ron’s wrath. Although Ron had not gotten back, it seemed as if Apollonia did not want to risk a confrontation with him. And, rightly so. It was almost simultaneously in which his sister left and Ron arrived back at the Burrow. It made Harry wish that May 11th would come sooner rather than later, so that Ron would discover the truth. After the Malfoy trials occurred, Ron would finally understand that Apollonia was telling the truth; Harry and Apollonia might then be able to spend time with one another around the Weasleys, instead of only meeting in secret.