Chapter 9

Everyone sat in the dining room, listening to Dumbledore's speech. Everyone except Tonks, Kingsley and Arthur Weasley who had to help a bit at the Ministry. The front door opened and Kingsley and Arthur walked through, looked around and walked into the dining room. There was so sign of Tonks. It was late, and Snape was walking towards the door, glaring at the two twins staring at him over the banister.

"Agh!"

"MUDBLOODS! FILTH! IN MY HOUSE!" The portrait echoed all over the house. Tonks, from where she was, didn't notice Remus and Sirius pull the curtains together and raise their eyebrows at her before walking away.

Tonks stood up from the arms. "Uh. . . Severus. . . sorry about that. This stupid umbrella stand. I mean, why do you put one there anyway?"

Severus froaned at her, ignoring how cold his arms felt now she had taken her hands off of them. "Goodnight Miss. Tonks." He opened the door, and left.

"Idiot," Bill mumbled from behind her. Tonks smiled.

"Hey. You really don't like him do you?" she asked.

"No. Oi! Remus!" Bill walked off to talk to the werewolf.

- -

Tonks rested her head on the table, exhausted from her work. She sensed someone sit next to her. "Okay Nymph?" They asked.

"Uh huh. . ." Tonks looked up to see who it was. "Oh, hey Charlie. And it's Tonks now."

"Sorry," Charlie said. "Heard you and a certain Potions Professor were getting pretty cosy."

"I tripped over. I'm gonna go to bed. Night."

"Night Tonks." Tonks walked up to her own room. On the way she looked through the open doors.Hermione and Ginny were on the floor writing letters. Ron was playing Wizards Chess with one of the twins, while the other watched. Bill was on Ron's bed, reading.

Tonks thought for a moment.

Did anyone truly know the true extent of the danger? She, herself, did not. Mad-Eye certainly did, and was keeping it to himself. She fell asleep onto the covers, and was woken in the morning by an owl.She was instructed to tell her boss she was ill, and sleep. She had a late night shift that night, with none other, but Severus Snape. Oh yay.