"So, where do you think she'll end up?"

Andromeda sent the laundry into the drawers with a final flick before turning to face her husband with a raised eyebrow. He was sitting on the bed, watching. As usual.

"Oh, hi, Andromeda. You're doing a good job. Do you need any help?" she said in a mocking tone.

"You'd just shuffle me out of the way and redo my bits anyway," Ted protested.

Andromeda rolled her eyes at him but didn't deny it. In her defence; there was nothing more satisfying than seeing clothes fly about neatly to their place without having to do anything than direct it. Kind of like that 'Mary Poppins' show that Ted insisted they watch. Andromeda idly wondered if the whole thing was inspired by a Muggle witnessing similar magic to hers.

"We agreed, I am responsible for the kitchen clean up and you do the bedroom."

"You and your incessant need to have things sparkle," she teased.

"Hey, it's just hygienic."

Andromeda placed her hands on her hips. "With literal sparkles?"

Ted's face broke out into that boyish grin that she liked so much.

"Well, I have to add a little flair, you know."

"Yes, I do," she murdered, sitting next to him and trailing her nails lightly down his arm.

He shivered in an extremely satisfying way but pulled his arm back.

"Seriously, what House to you think she'll be in?" Ted repeated his earlier question (and unfortunately not looking like he was in any mood to progress what she had just tried to start).

With a sigh, Andromeda leaned herself against her husband.

"I thought we said that it didn't matter?"

"It doesn't," Ted replied quickly. "Of course, it doesn't. But it doesn't stop me wondering about it."

Andromeda hummed in agreement. He was correct and it was perfectly natural to wonder where your child would end up. Especially in a family like theirs. Sure, hers technically had the 'tradition' of going into Slytherin but that wasn't exactly a given considering that she definitely hadn't brought up Dora the way she had been. And then of course you had Ted who had no family history at Hogwarts and even then his family was all over the place when it came to character traits in her opinion (though none of them had what she would call ambition or cunning - she honestly didn't think a Tonks was capable of either of those). And then mix in Dora's own personality and you got an impressive mix of character traits. A House wasnt exactly practically ordained like some families.

"I know which one she'll be in," Andromeda said confidently.

She knew her daughter, after all. It was fairly obvious where she'd end up. Not difficult at all.

"Oh yeah?"

"Yes."

Husband and wife stared at each other without blinking, neither wanting to back down.

"Care for a little wager then?" Ted asked in a challenging tone.

Oh, she always enjoyed their little wagers. They were always good fun and nothing was at stake except the other person's pride and their hands for performing a massage. And of course the complete right to gloating. They were both horrible gloaters.

"Obviously, she replied in a tone that implied you would be silly to think that she'd do anything else.

So, where then?" he asked with an expectant look on his face.

"I say Gryffindor," she replied in an 'isn't it obvious tone'.

"Really?"

Ted's eyebrows shot up into his hairline at that pronouncement. Andromeda didn't know why he was even surprised by this. It was quite obvious to her that Gryffindor suited Dora best.

"Well, yes," she replied in a matter-of-fact tone and counted off the reasons on her fingers. "She's definitely brave and daring, confidant-"

"That's not just a Gryffindor trait," Ted protested.

Andromeda gave him a look and he settled back down, a sheepish look on his face. She continued as if she hadn't been interrupted, "- adventurous because of her daring. Not to mention courageous."

"That's the same thing a brave," Ted complained, folding his arm and not looking too convinced.

"Well, what are your thoughts on the matter, hmm? What House do you think she'll be in?"

"Ravenclaw," he replied promptly without any hesitation.

Another raised eyebrow from her.

"Really?"

"Obviously."

"And why is that?"

"Huh?" her husband gave her a confused look, like he hadn't thought that far ahead.

She tutted. Typical. "Reasons, Ted. Explain your reasoning."

"Well, er..."

Andromeda knew she shouldn't be glad that he was faltering but when it came to matters like this it just proved that she was right. And she was okay with that.

"Uh huh."

"Well, she is smart!"

She stared at him. Yes, she was not going to deny that her daughter was smart (a little lacking in the common sense department but yes, she was intelligent) and could be quite witty - though Andromeda would say that was more cheek than anything else.

"You just want her to go into your old House."

"Obviously," Ted told her. "Don't you want her to go into yours?"

"Not in the current climate," she responded without hesitation. "Not with all Slytherins being thought of as 'evil'," she added bitterly.

It was all Lord Voldemort's fault. He twisted having cunning and ambition into something evil and dirty. Dora would not survive in there at all, not with being a half-blood of a disgraced Black. No, she definitely should not be going there.

"But Gryffindor?" Ted said incredulously. "Really?"

She gave him a look.

"Right," he muttered. "Gryffindor. So, usual rules?"

"Usual rules," she agreed.

Dora chose this moment to poke her head around the door and noticed her parents sitting there. Immediately assuming an innocent pose, she smiled broadly at them.

"What are you talking about?" she asked brightly, entering the kitchen and wrapping her arms around Ted.

Ted and Andromeda exchanged looks over their daughter's head. They couldn't let her know that they were betting on her life, could they now? Ted was going wide-eyed in his panic. Andromeda sighed. Sometimes it felt like she was the only one around here that knew how to control her emotions.

"Hogwarts," she said smoothly, it wasn't a lie after all.

"Oh," Dora responded quietly

She had been doing a lot of that recently, whenever they brought up Hogwarts. Usually, she was the one pestering them for stories of their Hogwarts days but not recently. She almost avoided the entire topic as a matter of fact.

Andromeda supposed that it was nerves. In less than three weeks they'd be sending their only child off on a train to just there (and her heart tried not to clench too hard at that fact) which was both exciting and nerve-wracking. She was sure that Dora was feeling ot more. She was the one going off seemingly by herself after all. She didnt even have any siblings to be there for her when she got there, not like she had.

"Thought much about it?" Ted asked gently, shifting slightly so there was a gap between him and Andromeda. "Sit here."

Dora slipped into place and leaned on Ted, a thoughtful look on her face.

"A bit," she answered honestly and then shook her head. "A lot."

"Anything in particular?" Andromeda asked, hoping that she would confide whatever was worrying her.

All she got was one of those annoying shrugs that Dora always used. She gave her a sharp look.

"Dorms," Dora told them. "What House I'll get into," she added quietly.

"You'll go where you're best suited," Andromeda tried to comfort her.

"But how does that work?" Dora pleaded.

"Ah, ah, ah," Ted said, shaking his head and a grin on his face. "You know it's tradition not to tell."

"But this family breaks tradition."

Andromeda chuckled. "Nice try."

Dora folded her arms in an exaggerated pout as Ted and Andromeda looked at each other in amusement. Apparently, she had thought that argument was watertight.

"You could go to Slytherin like your mother," Ted said, making Andromeda try hard not to roll her eyes (there was no way Nymphadora was a Snake).

"Or a Ravenclaw like your father," she threw her own thoughts in.

Like Ted said before, Nymphadora was smart and quick on the uptake. And she wouldn't be out of place with some of the stranger members of that House. Not that Andromeda would admit that because it obviously wasn't where their daughter was best suited.

"Or Gryffindor like Sirius," Dora said quietly.

The silence was almost instant as soon as that name left her daughter's mouth. The name that no one could mention because of the hurt and pain and anger it brought with it. The name that Andromeda wanted to scream at the Ministry to make them wake up and do something. But she couldn't. No one could. Andromeda blinked back her sudden tears and drew her daughter close to her.

"Or Gryffindor," she murmured quietly into Dora's now orange-brown hair as her heart broke a little (her daughter should not be nervous to mention her favourite cousin). "Just like Sirius."

"I don't think I'm brave enough."

"Nonsense," Andromeda dismissed, thankful that this was a topic she could respond appropriately to. You have plenty of guts. Too much guts."

She swore that she had never learned healing spells so quickly thanks to Dora and her hijinks. Sometimes? Okay, lots of the time) she wished that her daughter would exercise little more caution but at the same time she never wanted to quench her.

"I thought you said that was just me lacking common sense?" Dora said with a smile, her hair beginning to shift to a brighter colour again.

"Well, yes. But that's a crucial part of a Gryffindor."

She'd known enough of those to be sure of that. A pang went through her. Known a lot of Gryffindors. It was good to hear Dora laugh though, it was pure and free and infectious and Andromeda really hoped that the world didn't steal that from her.

"I thought you said Ravenclaws lacked common sense?" Dora reminded her.

"No, that's just your father," Andromeda replied easily, garnering an indignant squawk from her husband. "And Ravenclaws have no sense."

"Hey!" Ted protested, both females ignored him.

"Its how they come up with their theories," Andromeda continued. "Some of things they come up with could only be done by people who are insane."

Ted looked slightly mollified at that but frowned at the 'insane' comment.

"Are you saying that Slytherins and Hufflepuffs are the only ones with common sense?" he teased.

"Yes."

"I guess they're both off the table for me then," Dora joked.

"Definitely," Ted told her with a twinkle in his eye.

Andromeda glared at him. "You're trying to sway the results."

"I'm doing no such thing?"

"Um? What's going on?" Dora piped up.

"Nothing," her parents responded.

Dora gave them both a suspicious look.

"See!" Ted pointed his finger at Dora. "Curiosity is a Ravenclaw trait."

Andromeda rolled her eyes at him and chose to ignore that comment, instead focusing on distracting her daughter.

"It's perfectly natural for parents to wonder where their children are going to end up."

Dora didn't look like she was buying it. "But you two are being weird about it."

"No, we're not," Ted contradicted.

Andromeda sighed heavily in exasperation. She thought Ravenclaws were meant to be intelligent? That was going to make Dora even more suspicious.

Their daughter looked between the two of them and then released or own sigh and an eye roll.

"You're betting on what House I get into, aren't you?"

Now it was Andromeda's and Ted's turn to display innocent looks.

"Seriously?" she whined.

"Hey," Ted said, poking her on the nose. "That was practically a given."

Dora muttered something unintelligible that made Andromeda scold her. She may not have heard what she said but she did not like the tone.

"So, it really doesn't matter what House I end up in?" Dora checked again, wanting to make sure.

"Of course not!" Ted immediately said, holding her a bit tighter.

Andromeda moved around behind her husband and daughter and embraced them both, placing a kiss on top of Dora's head.

"No, we don't," she reassured her daughter. "You'll go wherever you fit."

Dora beamed up at her and snuggled further into Ted.

Then, Andromeda took a step back and arched an eyebrow, "Now, what were you up to before you came in?"

"Nothing."

Andromeda's eyes narrowed, knowing that a response that quick usually hid something. Dora shifted slightly and Ted looked on in amusement.

Dora's face fell briefly before a sheepish smile broke across her face.