A/N: SPOV


"What the bloody hell was that!?" Those words stopped him in mid-stride.

Salazar's Snake, I make one attempt to apologize and she takes the opportunity to yell at me. He thought to himself, knowing that she wasn't done yet. He pursed his lips and sighed a calming breath; this insufferable woman was getting his blood boiling and she wasn't done yet. The twice-damned Gryffindors never could just let someone else have the last word.

"First you insult my self control, then you insult Remus which is actually understandable since you two are always going at it, but then you call ME flea ridden, insult the name I choose to go by and then in some twisted turn decide to top it off by pointing out my name means that I am a 'gift to the nymphs'!"

As Tonk's regurgitation of the evening came forth, Severus was ready to turn and face her, to tell her off once and for all. He was usually good with his peripheral vision and his proximity charms, but his concentration was off.

As he spun around to face her, she was already there, her eyes narrowed in a calculating fashion. He had to back his head away from hers, the distance was too close for anything but an intimate dialogue, something that he couldn't ever see having with her. Her face conveyed anger, but he also saw that it held great passion. Of course, her current passion was to lay out a diatribe against him. His lips were pressed shut in frustration.

His eyes went to look at the rest of her features. Her nose was pert, and belonged on a face that he could only now see in his memory. The eyes were clear yet fierce; not the shade of green that he was haunted with as he saw Harry. And the hair was darkening once again.

He stepped backward, and mentally kicked himself for giving up the inches, as he took another calming breath. He lost composure in his face, and was having to work harder than usual to return it to the blank setting that he has relied upon for years. This witch is more maddening than anyone else I have ever met.

"If you wish for me to call you by the dry and clinical name of 'Tonks', so be it. As for my past, Remus was the least troublesome member of James' little gang of miscreants. I shall endeavor to treat him civilly if he can do the same. Merlin knows how many times he tried to get James and Sirius to quit pestering me; likewise, I had always brewed the Wolfsbane Potion for him whenever requested.

"As for the flea-ridden remark, such infestations are highly contagious. Preventive care should always be..." Severus paused for a beat. "That comment was inappropriate. I do occasionally become a bit verbose when I feel unnecessarily needled. As for your familiar name, it was my attempt to apologize. I find your name quite lovely."

As Severus studied her, he realized that she didn't mention the collar comment. He filed that away for later. The shade of her hair was, once again, Lily-red. He didn't even realize that he had stepped forward to regain the ground he had given up earlier.

"As for my earlier remarks concerning your lack of self-control over your metamorph abilities, I shall only ask you once to refrain from turning your hair red. Go brown, purple, black... turn into a bloody rainbow for all I care." He only now realized how close he was to her, his nose was less than an inch away from hers, and her scent filled his nostrils. It was soft and feminine, something that brought out an ache within him. He let his eyes meet hers, and allowed himself to feel something that he has been denying himself for over a decade.

"If you ever need someone to help you control your emotions, send me an owl. The basics of Occlumency might be beneficial, along with other types of training." Severus was about to turn away, but paused. He knew she would want the last word.

"Was there anything else you wished to say, Auror Tonks?"