Age of Consent
(Otherwise known as: I Told You I Could Write This)
By Siriusly Amused
-
Chapter Nine
Recover
-
Tonks narrowed her eyes at her reflection in the mirror, daring it to change; however, her hair remained mousey brown and short. She breathed out an exasperated sigh, giving up on her hair for the time being and focusing instead on her facial features. No one other than her mum and dad knew about the subtle changes she did to her face to hide Bellatrix Lestrange's dark eyes, Sirius Black's canine grin and Narcissa Malfoy's pointed features and coloring. She hated that she looked so much like them, hated the fact that their genes coursed through her blood even though she didn't consider them family.
"Get a move on, Tonks! We're going to be late!" Madison exclaimed, suddenly appearing at Tonks' side. She leaned slightly over Tonk's shoulder to gaze into the mirror. "Ugh, I look a mess," she complained, wiping at the dark circles under her eyes. "Stupid Max and his 'I don't want to talk to you, Madison; leave me alone!'"
"I'm sure he was just feeling vulnerable," Tonks reasoned. She reached into her nearby trunk and took out a silk, yellow scarf, folding it into a headband and wrapping it around her hair.
"Tonks, he avoided me all day yesterday." Madison narrowed her eyes and placed her hands on her hips.
"Well maybe he was still feeling vulnerable yesterday as well?" Tonks suggested. She rummaged around her trunk until she found a pair of sunglasses to hide her crazy Aunt Bellatrix eyes.
"And yet he spent nearly the entire day with Charlie and Jal." Madison paused to wince apologetically at Tonks for bringing up the dreaded couple. Tonks waved her off and grabbed some lipstick to add color to her face. She was also pretty certain that Sirius had never worn lipstick, so the color would detract from his smile that she shared.
"AND I saw him studying with Bill in the library yesterday!" Madison continued angrily, throwing her hands above her head.
"Alright, he's avoiding you," Tonks consented. She grabbed her bag and strung it over her shoulder, linking arms with Madison as they left their room and navigated the tunnels to their common room. "But I'm sure he has his reasons," she continued. "Max is usually so sweet." Her face darkened slightly. "Unlike Charlie."
"Charlie's sweet," Madison said as they left their common room and entered the hallway, joining students on their way to class. "He's just oblivious," Madison went on. "Doesn't know what he has."
Tonks smiled slightly at her friend's compliment, and the two girls walked in a comfortable silence until they reached the Transfiguration classroom and saw Charlie, Max and Jal sitting at a table together. They stopped short, not used to their territory being invaded, then found a table at the front of the classroom. Moments later, Corey joined them, sitting next to Madison and smiling widely at her. Tonks smirked at her friend.
"Quiet, please," McGonagall stated firmly as she strode to the front of the classroom. "Miss Tonks, take those sunglasses off; you're indoors," she added.
Tonks felt herself blush as she took the sunglasses off; she didn't have to turn around in her seat to know that Charlie was looking at her; she could feel the burn of his gaze on her back. She ignored the sensation and focused instead on what McGonagall was saying.
"Now, some of you may remember that last week we talked about the theory behind mammal to object transfiguration and this week we'll be putting that into practice. You'll be breaking off into pairs and will take turns transfiguring the animal into goblets and back again." She was using her wand to place small, furry animals onto everyone's table. She placed a small squirrel in front of Madison and Corey, then looked at Tonks uncertainly. "Ah, Miss Tonks, you can pair up with," her eyes scanned the room to find another group of three to break up, "Mr. Jenkins," she finished.
Tonks gazed over her shoulder to see Max rise affably from his seat, sending Tonks his usual dorky grin. If he was still upset about them finding out about the whole tracking ordeal, he didn't show it.
"See ya," Tonks whispered to Madison and Corey as she grabbed her bag and made her way over to a table where McGonagall was handing a small rabbit to Max.
"Ladies first," Max greeted, waving a hand at the rabbit on the table.
Tonks smirked at him, letting her bag slip off her shoulder and land on a chair. "What's the matter, Max? Scared you won't be able to do it?" Tonks quipped.
Max grinned at her slyly. "Oh I can do it," he said.
"Yeah?"
"Yeah. Watch." He rolled up his sleeves and aimed his wand at the rabbit. Tonks noticed that his tie and collar were loose, and she caught a slight glimpse of the chain of his necklace, flashing brilliantly against his pale skin.
"There!" he exclaimed suddenly, drawing Tonks out of her staring. She glanced quickly at the table to see that the rabbit had successfully transfigured into a pristine, glass goblet. A few people at nearby tables who had either tin or copper goblets, some still with bushy tails, glared at Max enviously. "Beat that, Tonks!" Max said loudly, waving his wand to return the goblet to a rabbit.
"You are on, Maxxie-poo," Tonks teased, stepping closer to the table. She focused her attention on the rabbit, waved her wand properly and said the incantation, grinning when the rabbit fluidly transfigured into a glass goblet rimmed with gold. She grinned at Max.
"Bet you can't do it again," he said. His blue eyes were playful.
"Bet I can."
He waved his wand, and the goblet melted back into a rabbit. "Go on then."
Tonks was halfway through the incantation when she felt a playful jab to her side. She yelped in shock and her goblet ended up deformed with two long ears.
"Oh no fair!" she wailed, grabbing a hold of both of Max's hands to prohibit him from poking her again. He struggled slightly, grinning the whole time, until he managed to get one hand free from her grip; he started tickling her.
"Stop!" she shrieked through peals of laughter, and Max stopped, though it was probably due to McGonagall sending them a stern glare.
"Alright, alright; you win," Max said, waving his arm to turn Tonks' deformed goblet back into a rabbit. He leaned against the table and smiled at her, reminding her again about how casual and normal he was acting around her.
"So," Tonks said conversationally, her eyes staying focused on the rabbit to avoid looking at Max. "You seem better. It doesn't bother you anymore that we know about your necklace?"
"Nope," Max replied quickly. His voice was amicable, though Tonks noticed his stance had become slightly rigid. He turned away from her uncomfortably, as if he knew where she was heading with her conversation. He waved his wand and turned the rabbit back into a goblet to look busy.
"It's just that…Madison has some crazy notion that you're avoiding her."
Max didn't answer; he merely sighed, his shoulders rising and falling in a frustrated manner.
"Are you? You know, avoiding her?" Tonks prodded. Again, Max didn't answer; his eyes fixated on Madison several tables ahead of him.
"You are," Tonks answered for him, and Max looked away. Tonks took a step closer to him so that she could whisper. "Listen, Max, I know that you like her."
Max immediately turned to gaze at her with wide, shocked eyes, and Tonks even caught a slight glimpse of a pink tinge form at the base of his neck before fading back to the pristine white of his skin.
"You guys were obviously and obnoxiously cute last year," Tonks explained, rolling her eyes. "Even Charlie knows."
Max returned his intense stare to their table, his jaw tense.
"Anyway, I know you like her and probably care about what she thinks about you more than you do the rest of us, but I assure you, Max, she doesn't think any less of you!" Tonks continued in a hushed voice. "She doesn't care that the Ministry's…you know. And you shouldn't either!"
"It's not that," Max said quietly; so quietly that Tonks barely heard him. He was keeping his eyes fixed firmly on their table. "I'm avoiding her for a different reason."
"Which is?" Tonks pushed. She leaned over the table and dipped her head slightly, trying to force Max to look at her.
"I can't tell you."
"Max!" Tonks bristled. She could feel her indignation creeping up her spine, ready to break forth from her in a barrage of irritated complaints about how she was his friend and he could trust her and all that.
"We're in class," Max explained, looking at her with pleading eyes. "Someone might overhear."
"Oh. Right." Tonks eyes roved around the classroom; nearly everyone still looked preoccupied with what they were doing, but that didn't mean that no one was listening in. Her gaze caught Charlie's, and he grinned at her and waved happily. Distracted by her thoughts of Max, Tonks waved back nonchalantly, forgetting that she was currently upset with Charlie until Jal grabbed his wrist, directing him back to their table and reminding Tonks that her heart had recently been broken.
The bell rang, and there was suddenly a mass of commotion as everyone gathered their things. Tonks grabbed her bag and slung it on her shoulder before reaching out for their rabbit to return to McGonagall. Max fervently grabbed her wrist mid-reach. Her eyes suddenly locked with his, noting the fear and urgency that shone just behind their blue irises.
"Meet me in the library tonight after dinner. By the history section so no one will hear," he instructed quickly.
Tonks nodded.
Max released his grip and began to turn away to gather his things, but immediately turned towards her again, his hand latching onto her arm.
"Just you," he clarified.
"Alright," Tonks whispered softly; there was something in his demeanor that convinced Tonks that whatever he was dealing with was important and private, and she felt both pleased and slightly uncomfortable that he was willing to share it with her.
He swallowed and released her again, fidgeting nervously.
"You ready, Tonks?"
Tonks jumped, slightly taken aback to find Madison standing next to her. The brunette had her books clasped to her chest protectively, her eyes staring intently and sadly at Max.
Tonks quickly grabbed the rabbit, her face flushing in embarrassment, though she was uncertain of what exactly she was embarrassed about.
"Hi Max," Madison said softly.
Max nodded his head once. "Mad," he replied before slinging his schoolbag over his shoulder and quickly going to join Charlie and Jal at the door.
Madison huffed in frustration. "He's such an ass," she whispered under her breath, linking arms with Tonks and leading her to the front of the classroom.
Tonks bit her lip to keep from defending Max. She knew Madison was hurting more than she let on.
-
Bill's eyes scanned the Gryffindor table as he entered the Great Hall for lunch. Mick's sobering potion hadn't been perfect, and the burly boy had awoken on Sunday morning to find himself covered with boils. He had spent the entire day in the hospital wing and had yet to return; therefore, Bill had the unfortunate decision of either sitting by himself at the table, or with Charlie.
"Hey, Charlie," he greeted, shrugging his school bag off of his shoulders and settling into the seat across from his brother. The younger boy turned away from the girl he had been talking to and graced Bill with a jovial smile and greeting. The girl, however, glared at Bill for drawing Charlie's attention away. It was then that Bill recognized her as Charlie's new girlfriend; he had forgotten about her.
"Bill, you know Jal, right?" Charlie asked, indicating the pretty girl next to him.
Bill pushed whatever defensive feelings he felt on Tonks' behalf aside and smiled widely at the girl, offering his hand amicably across the table. "Of course. Your lady," Bill said. Jal cautiously shook hands with him.
"Charlie said that you want to be a curse breaker when you get older," she mentioned casually.
"Yeah. I mean, it's still early, but I'd like to, yeah."
She bit her lip nervously. "Do you really feel people up with your mind?" she asked.
Bill sent Charlie a glare which he hoped conveyed the sentiments of 'You're a bastard'. "My brother likes to exaggerate," he told the younger girl.
Jal cast her eyes downward, staring at her plate, embarrassed. "Oh," she said quietly. Charlie nudged her side playfully, earning a smile in return.
Bill rolled his eyes and tried to ignore the new couple's frequent attempts to touch each other, but that was easier said than done. He tried focusing entirely on his food, but he couldn't ignore the flirtations of his brother.
"You two are disgustingly cute," Bill said as he grabbed his food and bag and rose from his seat. "I'm going to eat somewhere else."
He was fairly certain that neither of them noticed his movements. He rolled his eyes, walked down the table and sat down at the first empty spot he came across.
"Hello, Bill."
He glanced up, shocked to find that he was sitting across from Kate.
"Hi," he stated awkwardly, feeling the blush rise to his cheeks. He hadn't seen or spoken to her since Saturday night. He had eventually fallen asleep just before dawn, and awoke a few hours later (to Mitch's panicked yells over finding himself covered with boils, but that was unimportant) and found her gone. She had left a note on his pillow, however, which read 'Thanks for the wonderful night!' and the innuendo of it caused something to stir in his lower abdomen. He didn't feel about her the same way as he had felt about Athena; he was actually somewhat scared of the petite blonde; he knew her reputation, and he didn't want to become attached because he was certain that she'd quickly move on.
"So," Kate said after a long silence. "There's a Hogsmeade weekend coming up."
"Yeah," Bill answered. His eyes caught a glimpse of movement from the Ravenclaw table; Athena was leaving it, smiling over her shoulder and waving goodbye to her friends. "I've got to go," Bill said at once, cutting off Kate, who had opened her mouth to say something more; probably to ask him to go to Hogsmeade with her.
He slung his school bag over his shoulder and quickened his pace to catch up with his friend. She startled slightly when he finally caught up to her.
"Bill!" she exclaimed in her shock upon noticing him at her side. They left the Great Hall, and Bill felt her stare intensify. "Are you alright?" she asked, noticing his discomfort.
He stopped and ran his hands through his hair; she turned to face him, a look of concern crossing her features.
"Yeah," Bill said at last, gazing up at the ceiling in an effort to calm himself. "It's just…I think Kate was trying to ask me to go to Hogsmeade with her."
"Most blokes your age would consider that a good thing," Athena quipped, her lips tugging into a smile for a moment before she furrowed her brow in confusion. "What's the matter? You seemed interested enough Saturday at the Quidditch game."
"Yeah, well that was before…"
"Before what?"
Bill bit his lip, unsure of whether or not he should tell her. Finally, he grabbed her wrist and led her over to a suit of armor, dipping his head and lowering his voice so no one would overhear.
"Saturday night Tonks was feeling pretty horrible. Over the Charlie thing, you know?"
Athena nodded, and Bill continued.
"So I took her up to my room to calm her down. And we sort of…fell asleep. In my bed. Together."
Athena's jaw dropped.
"Bill, she's twelve!"
"Thirteen," Bill corrected quickly without thinking. "It's November and her birthday's in October."
"…Still." Athena screwed her face up with disgust.
"Nothing happened!" Bill exclaimed defensively. "Honestly, we literally just slept on the same bed by accident." He decided to leave out the part about him wrapping an arm around the younger girl, and the fact that she was the first girl that he had spooned against. "And besides…" he prattled on, "two years…that's nothing, really."
Athena nodded. "Yeah, I know it's just that…she's still a bit young."
"Nothing happened!"
"Okay, I believe you!"
Bill inhaled deeply in an effort to calm down.
"Okay, so you and Tonks accidentally and innocently slept together. I fail to see what this has to do with Kate," Athena said at last.
"Well, we woke up in the middle of the night to Charlie coming into the room and asking Mick if I was in bed," Bill explained. "Tonks must have figured that Charlie would get defensive if he knew she was there, so she quickly changed into Kate."
"Oh."
"Yeah, well I'm not finished," Bill continued. "Charlie didn't stay long when he saw me and Kate together, but after that Tonks and I decided that it would be best to get her back to Hufflepuff. So I walked her down to the common room, and she insisted that she'd go back to Hufflepuff alone. And when I turned around again to go back to bed, I saw Kate curled up by the window; her roommates had kicked her out apparently. And I thought…Charlie might tell people that I had had Kate in my bed, so I decided to make it true."
Athena's jaw dropped. "William Weasley, you are a dog!"
"NOTHING HAPPENED!"
Athena immediately snapped her mouth shut, then smirked slightly. Bill ran an agitated hand through his hair.
"She just slept, and I mostly just stared at my bed curtains," he admitted. "But the thing is that I could feel her. Not in the normal physical sense, but in my weird sixth sense kind of way. And she felt…" He paused, trying to find words to describe it. "Intoxicating and yet…poisonous. A part of me wants to be with her, but I know it won't be a good relationship."
Athena's face softened, and she placed a comforting hand on Bill's arm. "You're still getting used to that freaky sixth sense of yours," she reasoned. "You could be wrong."
"I could be right," he retaliated softly.
She sighed, her hand running down his arm, leaving a trail of warmth as it came to interlock with his own hand. "You know what I think we should do?" she asked in a whisper, and Bill, for reasons unknown to him, felt something stir in the pit of his stomach.
"What?" he asked, his mouth going dry.
"I think we should skip History of Magic and go see Mick in the hospital wing. I hear the idiot's gone and covered himself in boils."
Bill chuckled, glancing down at his feet, red locks falling in front of his eyes. He looked up again, making eye contact with Athena and feeling strangely comforted.
"That sounds like an awesome plan," he said at last. "Yes, let's go." He draped an arm around her shoulders and lead her in the direction of the hospital wing.
-
"Psst, Tonks! Over here!"
Tonks stumbled slightly as she turned on her heel, her mousy brown hair falling into her eyes as she peered down a long row of long-forgotten history books. Max stood at the end of the row, the sun setting magnificently through a window behind him.
"Hey," she greeted softly, gracing him with a smile as she approached. She paused awkwardly once she had reached him, her hands fidgeting with the straps of her schoolbag. She liked Max, but wasn't as close to him as Charlie and Madison were, so she had to wonder why he was willing to share what must be a personal secret with her and not them. "So what's up?" she asked at last, hoping he wouldn't note the hint of anticipation in her voice.
Max bit his lower lip thoughtfully, as though he wasn't sure of where to begin.
"Do you know about Legilimency?" he asked at last.
Tonks stared at him blankly.
"I take that as a no," he continued, smiling shyly and gazing at her through his eye lashes. "Legilimency is…not really a spell, but…a form of magic? In which a witch or wizard is able to get feelings and memories out of someone else. Kind of like mind reading, but not really."
"Okaay," Tonks replied. "So…can you do Legilimency?" As impressed as Tonks was with the concept, she failed to see how this had anything to do with Madison.
"Sort of?" Max replied, running a frustrated hand through his hair. "Most vampires, not all, but most, have an ability to read minds that's much like Legilimency, only more exact and easier for us to do. Does that make sense?"
Tonks paused, then thought 'Yes.' Max continued to stare at her questioningly.
"Well, does it?" he asked.
"I said yes in my mind," Tonks replied, placing her hands on her hips. "Can you not read minds?"
"No, I can," Max assured. "But I tend not to. It's rude. There are times when someone is thinking something so strongly that I can't help but overhear, but I try not to."
"Okaay," Tonks said again. She blushed, wondering if Max had ever overheard her think of something embarrassing.
"Anyway, Saturday night, when you guys found out that the Ministry tracks me, I…I got scared. Vampires really aren't accepted into polite society, you know. My older sister was treated like shit when her Hogwarts friends found out about her being a vampire. She didn't tell them until her fifth year, see…"
"But we all knew from the start that you were a vampire!" Tonks argued.
"I know, I know!" He glanced down at his feet and ran a hand through his hair again. "And I know it was stupid of me, but I was afraid that if you guys knew that I'm being tracked, you'd pity me or think of me like a caged pup or something. And it was wrong of me, and I'm sorry, but I…I quickly read your minds to see what you guys thought of me." He gazed up at her apologetically, his face slightly pink.
Tonks thought back to that night and remembered the momentary feeling of disorientation, as though white noise flittered through her brain. She remembered Charlie standing next to her, shaking his head as if to clear it.
"You, Bill and Charlie all felt angry and indignant with the Ministry for treating me different. Because none of you view me as a freak," he continued, smiling slightly at her.
"And Madison?" Tonks asked, her mouth going dry.
Max breathed in deeply. "I couldn't read her," he said at last, very quietly.
Tonks furrowed her brow in confusion. "What, you mean, like, you didn't have the heart to read her or…?"
"No, I tried to read her, but I couldn't. I couldn't get into her mind; it's completely sealed off from me."
"So she has a strong mind?" Tonks asked. "Huh, I would have thought Bill would have the strongest mind out of us," she continued conversationally.
"It's not that either," Max interrupted. "It is possible for someone to block off their mind to a vampire, but it requires practice. There's no way Madison would know how to do it. Any other vampire would be able to read her like a book."
Tonks blinked, confused once again. "So what does it mean that you can't read her mind?"
Max was blushing as much as his vampirism would allow. "We have this thing in vampire culture. Kind of like an old wives' tale or a superstition or something. Basically…you…you can't read the thoughts of your…" he paused again, his face screwing with disgust, "soul mate."
The two stood silently for a moment, Tonks staring at Max with her jaw agape and Max wincing as if the truth hurt.
"You and Mad are soul mates!?" Tonks asked in an excited whisper. She suddenly realized why Max couldn't share this piece of info with Madison or Charlie; it would scare Madison, and Charlie would scoff at it.
"I think we might be," Max admitted; he looked slightly ill.
"You don't seem too happy about this," Tonks observed.
"I'm thirteen!" Max retaliated. "Most vampires don't find their soul mates until they're over one hundred, at least! My brother, Etienne, was three hundred and twelve!"
Tonks paused.
"You have a three hundred and twelve-year-old brother!?" she asked. She was finding out all sorts of stuff about Max.
Max didn't answer; he sighed and leaned wearily back against the window sill. "So that's why I'm avoiding her," he said quietly. "I'm scared."
Tonks came and stood beside him, taking his hand and resting her head on his shoulder. "I guess I can understand that," she replied. She wondered vaguely if she and Charlie were soul mates. For over a year, she had felt as if they were, but now he was with someone else, and she was left with nothing more than an intense pain in her chest and a lapse in her Metamorphmagus abilities.
"And there are other reasons for me to give her space," Max went on. "Like…I don't know if we'll end up together or not, but if we do, it'll be forever. I'd probably have to turn her. Into a vampire," he clarified once he noticed Tonks' confused look. "And I just want her to have a life of her own before that happens. I want her to have other boyfriends. So that when she chooses me…if she chooses me…it'll be because she didn't feel the same way about someone else."
"That's very sweet of you, Max," Tonks told him, squeezing his hand slightly.
"And I also kind of want to sleep around myself."
Tonks' head snapped up and she glared at him. "Typical male."
Max shrugged unapologetically.
"So, why did you decide to tell me all this?" Tonks asked.
"I dunno," he replied, glancing down at his feet. "It's too much for me to handle by myself?"
"You could have written a family member about it or something."
Max laughed sardonically. "My mother would be so delighted that she'd probably come right over here and demand that Mad and I get married on the spot. And that's the last thing I want right now. My older siblings either won't care or make fun of me."
Tonks nodded thoughtfully. "So do you feel better now that you've gotten it off of your chest?"
Max nodded. "Kind of, I guess."
They sat in silence for a few moments; then, Max stood, stretching his arms over his head. "Let's go sneak into the kitchens," he suggested. "I don't want to go back to the common room and face Jal; bitch stole my best friend."
Tonks smiled. "Mine too." She stood, stepping closer to Max and allowing him to throw an arm around her shoulders.
"Looks like we'll have to be each other's best friend for awhile," he said as they walked down the row of books. "Sorry you're stuck with me."
Tonks smiled up at him. "It's not so bad, really. Being stuck with you."
-
Kate was staring at him, and it was unnerving. He tried to keep his eyes focused on his potions essay, but the burn of her gaze was too much for him to handle, and he constantly found himself lifting his eyes to peer at her. She would always smile at him, a slow smile playing across her features suggestively as chewed the sugar quill in her hand. It was driving him mad, and he would have gotten up, gone to her and asked her to Hogsmeade if it wasn't for Charlie.
"Bill, where the fuck is everyone?" the younger Weasley said as he pulled a chair up to the table that Bill was sitting at. Charlie's lips were pink and slightly swollen; he obviously had been spending time with Jal.
"Mick's still in the hospital wing," Bill recounted. "Max felt like a third wheel between you and Jal, so he went to study in the library. And Tonks and Madison are probably in their common room."
Charlie remained silent for a few minutes, propping his chin in his hand as he thought about something.
"I hope Tonks is feeling better," he said at last. "Mad said that she had gotten sick or something at the party Saturday night. Maybe she didn't know the punch was spiked and drank too much?" The younger Weasley peered at Bill inquisitively, and Bill shrugged, a slightly guilty feeling creeping up the base of his spine.
"Anyway, I think she's feeling better today," Charlie continued. "Did you see her today?"
"Just in the halls and stuff," Bill mumbled. The truth was he was somewhat avoiding Tonks, the memory of Saturday night too fresh in his mind.
"She has an interesting look today," Charlie said. "And I don't mean, like, the sunglasses and lipstick, but…her face. She usually doesn't change her face on a daily basis, except for maybe her eye color."
Bill peered at his brother, scrutinizing him. Did Charlie not realize…?
"I didn't get a chance to talk to her today; Jal was distracting. But I kept staring at Tonks in class. Her facial features just seem so familiar, but at the same time, they look so unique. She really out did herself on that one. I should tell her that."
"Um, Charlie?"
"Yeah, Bill?"
"I think that's what Tonks really looks like," Bill paused. "Like, I think that's her real face. Hair too probably."
Charlie looked skeptical.
"What makes you say that?" he asked.
"Well besides the obvious fact that she looked like she was trying to hide her hair and face what with that scarf and the sunglasses and lipstick… That extra sense of magic around her was gone today."
"So what? Are you saying she lost her Metamorphmagus ability?"
Bill shrugged.
"Why would she lose it?"
Bill sighed. He had a good idea of why Tonks might have lost it, but he couldn't tell Charlie that. "Well if she was sick recently, maybe that's why? Remember when dad was sick that one time and could barely do simple spells?"
Charlie nodded thoughtfully. "You'd think she'd have it back by now."
"Yeah. You'd think that, wouldn't you?" Bill leaned back in his chair; Kate was still staring at him. "I'm going to go to the library," he announced suddenly.
-
Tonks and Max were just leaving the kitchen, laughing amicably amongst themselves when they suddenly ran into Bill. He gazed at her urgently, his arms crossed over his chest. Tonks' breath caught in her throat, and Max peered between the two of them, obviously noticing the awkward tension between them.
"Hey, Bill," Tonks said softly.
"Hey. Max, Charlie's looking for you in the common room," Bill announced, not taking his eyes off of Tonks.
"Oookaaay," Max said slowly. "I'll just walk Tonks back to her common room then be on my way."
"I'll walk Tonks back," Bill said suddenly.
"I can walk myself. It's just around the corner," Tonks shot back defensively.
"Fine. You can walk yourself and I'll follow you," Bill amended. It was clear that he wanted to talk to her alone. Tonks caught Max's eye, and his voice suddenly filled her head: 'I'll stay if you want me to.'
Tonks smiled sheepishly. "I'll be fine," she said out loud, unused to the nonverbal communication.
Max nodded and started walking away, though he gave Bill what looked like a warning glance before he did so.
"So what's up, Weasley?" Tonks asked, turning on her heel and heading in the direction of the Hufflepuff common room.
"I just want to make sure you're alright," Bill said at last.
"And why wouldn't I be?"
"Oh, I don't know. Maybe because Charlie's with some girl who isn't you? And maybe because your Metamorphmagus ability is currently gone. And you're trying to hide it."
Tonks stopped and turned to face Bill, her mouth agape. "How did you…?"
"I feel people up with my mind, remember? The magic around you and Max is usually strong, but right now you feel just the same as Madison."
Tonks rolled her eyes, then realized that she was still wearing her sunglasses and that Bill probably didn't see the gesture. "You are creepy, William," she said instead, continuing her trek down the corridor. "And don't worry about me; I'm fine."
Bill suddenly grabbed her arm, causing her to turn and face him once again. He reached out his hand and pushed her sunglasses to the top of her head so that he could see her eyes.
"Are you?" he asked, genuine concern in his voice. Tonks' defensive demeanor melted slightly.
"I will be," she said softly. "I promise."
Bill stared at her intensely for another moment, his grip on her arm still tight before he sighed and allowed her sunglasses to fall back to the bridge of her nose.
"Good," he said at last, relinquishing his hold. "Because my brother isn't worth it." He turned and began walking away, only to turn back around momentarily, a playful smirk on his lips. "Oh, by the way. Charlie likes your face."
-
Bill rounded the corner of the corridor, feeling slightly better after talking to Tonks; his high hopes suddenly came crashing down as he found Jal skulking about the corner, a sly smirk on his lips and one hand on her hip.
"Jal," Bill said, a bit shocked to find her. "Where did you come from?"
"Choir practice," Jal answered simply. "You seem really close to Tonks." She said it like an accusation.
"So?" Bill asked, shoving his hands into his pockets defensively.
Jal shrugged. "It's just weird when she's two years younger than you and you've got someone like Kate, who's crazy about you."
"Jal, Tonks is just a friend."
Jal rolled her dark eyes.
"Yeah, and Tonks like Charlie as a brother," she huffed. She sighed, her shoulders sagging as her eyes locked with Bill's. "Don't worry, Weasley. I'll keep your secret."
--
End Author's Note: Yay, this chapter's finally done! It was originally planned for this chapter to span through their Christmas holidays, but that would have made it insanely long, so I ended it sooner. Also, you may or may not have found a plethora of typos. I haven't proofread this a million times like I usually do for Age of Consent chapters, and my mind has been a bit frazzled due to the whole college ending thing. So if the quality of writing in this chapter is sub par, please forgive me. I thought about postponing updating it, but I'm really too excited.
Someone asked me in a review where I got the name Jal from. That person also asked if I was a Sci Fi fan. I'm not really a big Sci Fi fan (though I do like Star Wars). I got the name Jal from a British TV drama called Skins. (Any other Skins fans out there?) As a matter of fact, Max is partially based off of the Skins character Maxxie...lookswise that is. Skins Maxxie is actually gay, not a vampire, likes to party and occasionally gets stoned. But, yeah, when I was developing Max as a character, Maxxie's looks popped into my head once I decided to make him blonde. If any of you are curious to see the Max in my head, do a google image search on Mitch Hewer.
And now I'm off to bed.