Even with Remus smoothing the path, living with Sirius was like staying with a formerly absentee father that had had no idea their child existed before but was eager to make up for the lost time (sort of like how she'd wished her godly parent would do). It was awkward at times, but she could tell that he really was trying his best. That was all she could ask of him, especially since he was still very young at heart. It was lucky that Heri wasn't one that needed a lot of looking after.
Sirius wasn't one for laying down the law, that was evident in the way he had told Heri that besides making sure she didn't kill herself she was free to do whatever she wanted.
"Provided that you tell me when you're off to visit your friends' places," Sirius had added.
He didn't even assign her any chores — Oona, their house-elf, didn't allow Heri to do anything beyond picking up her own room. The house was cleaned, the plants were tended to, the meals were prepared, everything was kept in a working manner, and all without any work on Heri's part. It took some time to get adjusted.
That was not to say that she was idle without her usual tasks. Sirius was all for going out and doing things, likely a result of being in prison for so long. The three of them hopped around both muggle and magical Britain, seeing shows at theatres and cinemas, eating out at nice restaurants, watching Quidditch games, visiting museums — the works. Heri could honestly say that she saw more of the world in those few months than she had her entire life before. Add on that she finally had the opportunity to hang out with her friends outside of school and it was like she had been transplanted into an entirely different life.
Of course, it wasn't all rainbows and butterflies. Sirius, for all his cluelessness, was well aware that he wasn't the best person to know how to take care of a young girl. He took it upon himself to bring in someone he believed to be extremely capable of child-rearing into the picture to act as 'the female influence that Heri needed.' Not that Heri wanted some woman she had never met before to play at being her mother or whatever. Thus entered Auntie Andromeda.
Now, Auntie Andromeda wasn't actually Heri's aunt. According to the genealogy tapestry the Black family kept in what was much like a trophy room, the older woman and Sirius were actually Heri's second cousins, Heri's grandmother being their great-aunt. In the case of Sirius, Heri had no qualms addressing him informally, but it somehow felt disrespectful to address the stately yet kind woman so familiarly. Since Andromeda was not only older than Heri's parents but had a daughter of her own that was older than Heri as well, 'Auntie' just felt natural.
As aforementioned, Auntie Andromeda was kind. She was even-tempered, soft-spoken, good-humoured, and had a gentle touch that put people at ease. Of course, many people described Heri that way as well, but there was no doubting that Heri wasn't one to mess about with. Such was the same with Andromeda Tonks.
Heri first met Auntie Andromeda after Sirius remembered that he had the power to disown and re-instate family members. He had gotten the most wickedly gleeful look on his face before he popped off to Gringotts'. He came home that evening mumbling about "bitches getting what they deserve." The next day, mid-breakfast, Auntie Andromeda came almost running out of the fireplace, still in her nightgown. She had pounced on Sirius and pelted him with kisses and exclamations of thanks. That had been the first and only time since then that Heri ever saw Auntie Andromeda looking anything but perfectly composed.
Auntie Andromeda was of the opinion that Heri was in need of instruction in the ways of ladies. Heri wasn't sure how the older woman came to that conclusion — she didn't know anything about Heri's stint as a neighbourhood hooligan and she had only ever met with Heri's mannerly front. It might have had something to do with the way Sirius more or less let Heri run wild though. Catching the two of them on the third floor, determining the trajectory Heri would have to jump if she wanted to land in the tree in the back garden likely sealed the deal. Since then, every visit from Auntie Andromeda included manner lessons.
On that day, in particular, Heri was being educated in proper conduct for tea parties. She blamed it all on Sirius.
Earlier that day, Heri had a fit of fancy and decided to make use of the abundance of dolls and stuffed animals Sirius had provided for her when decorating her room. She supposed that he hadn't really realised that Heri was a bit too grown for dollies and plushies, but they were the first toys since her babyhood that she had ever had and she loved them all the same. She hadn't done much with the beyond admiring them, but she was quite set on playing tea party with them that day.
Heri had dressed up a handful of her prettiest dolls and arranged them around a short table she had enlarged and transfigured from a miniature table she had gotten from the dollhouse Sirius had gotten for her. She had found an old tea set in the attic, and she thought they looked quite lovely spread out as they were on her little table. She had been chattering on to a china doll that she had seated in the guest of honour spot to her right when Sirius used his impeccable timing to walk in right then.
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