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Chapter 3

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Tonks watched, mesmerised, as Snape's robes settled back down. "He certainly has a flair for the dramatic," she admired. Interrupting her thoughts, Snape gestured for the two of them to sit down. Tonks yawned and stretched out, kicking her feet up on the other seat. Snape sat across from her, closed his eyes and rubbed his temples with his fingers. The gesture did not escape her notice.

"Does he always whinge like that? Droning on and on at the meetings?" she asked, "I thought I would get the collywobbles hearing his voice, but instead I just got bored."

Snape looked into her eyes. "The Dark Lord likes to...ruminate on certain themes," he replied affirmatively. "But do not think it ever wise to let your guard down around him."

"And what was that swishing sound I kept hearing?" she enquired.

"That was Nagini. The snake he feeds from," he answered, looking down and rubbing his temples again.

"Oh." She paused a moment. "Ew! Creepy! That thing kept circling around you? How big is it?"

"She is nearly as long as this train," he answered matter-of-factly. "So, I take it you experienced no difficulty hearing then," he concluded, a bored tone in his voice.

"No, very clear, these extendible ears," she confirmed, patting the pocket she'd stored them in. "I'd better tell Molly to confiscate them all before the kids hear too much."

"Indeed," Severus scowled. "Last thing we need..."

"Is some bloody meddlesome kids getting into things they ought not get into, eh?" she smirked.

Snape looked up at her with narrowed eyes.

"Sound familiar?" she teased, giving him an impish grin and tapping his thigh playfully with one of her feet. "You used to say that to me all the time when I was at Hogwarts, nosing around your private stores."

Severus stared at Tonks for a long moment and considered her. "Yes, you always had a nose for trouble," he hissed.

At that Tonks folded her arms and sniggered playfully, "Me? Have a nose for trouble? I can only imagine what trouble a conk like yours got into as a kid!"

But he was not amused.

"We are not here to reminisce our childhoods," he sneered, standing up suddenly. "It is clear you were able to hear with the extendible ears. I shall prepare my report and bid you a good night."

Tonks felt terrible. She didn't know Snape was so sensitive about...his nose? His childhood? She couldn't be sure.

"Wait," she beckoned softly. "I, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to offend you. Won't you stay?"

In truth, Snape was more embarrassed than angry. He hated when anyone mentioned his nose. And sitting on the Hogwarts Express was bringing back horrible memories of his childhood. Tonks wasn't terrible company, and all he had to look forward to was an empty bed and a cold dungeon. But he was not about to let her know that.

"Stay? And do what?" he asked, eyeing her suspiciously. "And why are you being so friendly?" he thought to himself.

"Well, you could give me an Occlumency lesson," she shrugged.

There was something about Severus Snape that intrigued Tonks. Was it his extreme intelligence? His pitch black eyes and swirling black robes? The brooding exterior, with a hint of deep sadness? Or was it his steadfast refusal to play along with the game like everyone else? She wasn't sure. But if there was one thing she was sure of, it was that there was more behind the exterior he projected than most people gave him credit for. "Still waters run deep," she thought to herself.

Snape sat down resignedly and sighed, rubbing his temples again. Getting summoned by the Dark Lord always gave him a headache. Even meetings as dull as the one tonight created tension for him. "Tonks might be annoying," he thought, "but I could do with the distraction for a while."

Tonks sat down next to him and placed a tentative hand on his shoulder. "We, we don't have to," she gestured softly. "But I, I," she hesitated, "I just don't want to go home yet. Am I such horrible company?"

Normally, Severus would have scoffed at such a blatant attempt at...niceness? Friendship? Was she fishing for a compliment? But the stress, and the warmth of her hand against him further melted some of his resolve.

"Very well," he conceded, turning to look at her. But as he looked up he flinched, startled by her proximity. In all the years he'd known her, not once had he ever gotten this close to her. Of course, she was a child then-but not now. Now she was almost pretty, even if her hair was a horrendously fake blond and she wore muggle combat boots and her nose du jour was a tad too small. She smelled good, he noted. Fresh, like the dew on the late summer grass. But then he remembered she'd been crouching outside the castle-where there probably was dewy grass.

Tonks found herself mesmerized by his contemplative gaze and close proximity. It aroused her. His pale skin seemed to glow and his eyes sparkled in the flicker of the dimly lit candles. Did he just sniff her? Or was it her imagination. She gasped unconsciously, smiled shyly and edged in a wee bit closer until their legs were touching.

Severus held his breath for a moment. "Is she...coming on to me?" he questioned himself.

He opened his mouth to say something, then closed it when nothing came out.

"I need a drink," she whispered. Somehow her statement increased the tension between them instead of diminishing it. The silence in the car was deafening.

Tonks cleared her throat and pulled out her wand to conjure a bottle of sparkling cider and two glasses.

Thinking quickly, Snape glided the glasses out of her hand and placed them on the floor. "It will ruin your concentration," he instructed softly, "that is, if you intend to attempt blocking me with your mind." "How convenient," he smiled inside, "to have such an excuse to see just what this girl is playing at."

"Oh yeah, the Occlumency lesson," she sighed. "Well, for afterwards then?"

"If you feel up to it," he condescended, pulling away from her and standing up in a sweeping motion. But Tonks detected (or hoped she detected) a hint of promise and desire behind the mocking tone and change of body posture. She felt the loss of his body heat and a pang of longing for him to be near her again.

"You must look into my eyes, and rid yourself of emotion," he instructed, gently raising her chin with one long finger. "When I enter your mind, try and resist me. If you can resist me with your mind, you will not need your wand."

Tonks nodded in understanding, but found herself under his command, yielding to his gaze instead of resisting it. Two seconds later he muttered, "Legilimens." A stream of memories came forth, taking her by surprise. Tonks looking in the mirror and crying at having green hair...accidentally blowing up her nose 3 sizes to large...being called 'Nympho' by her teenage cousin Sirius...

Snape immediately stopped, startled at seeing a teenage Sirius. "Were you trying to stop me?" he asked, his voice faltering.

"I made myself calm, like you instructed," she answered, puzzled at the look on his face. "You, you brought up some unpleasant memories, but by no means the worst."

"Ok, good," he tried to cover up. "This time, try to feed me memories. Try to throw me off the unpleasant ones." He hoped he wouldn't see Sirius' face again and repeated, "Legilimens!"

Another stream of memories came flooding in, but these were much different. He saw...himself, looming large in the classroom...Tonks gazing up at him in the Great Hall while he was chewing...and again, himself, laughing in the stands at a Quidditch match, caught up in the game...

"Very amusing," he smirked, "but clearly effective."

"Ta!" she perked up.

"You learn quickly," he continued. "You have greater control of your mind than I would have thought."

Tonks took that for a very high compliment.

"I had no idea you watched me so much when you were at school," he continued, more to himself than to her. In truth, he hadn't thought anyone paid much attention to him when they weren't required to. Further, he never really thought about how he appeared to his students, except when he was trying to intimidate them.

Tonks blushed and turned away, crouching down for the cider on the floor. "Er, yeah. Say, how's about that drink then?"

Snape exhaled a slight laugh, but didn't say no.

She popped the top of the bottle and began to pour. "You know, a lot of kids really hated and feared you back then. But I never did," she began chattering nervously. She took a large gulp of the cider while handing the other glass to him. He took it absentmindedly and sipped.

They immediately both began to feel a bit more relaxed. Tonks sat back down, tossed her robe onto the seat and pushed up her sleeves. "Nice warming spell," she complimented him. "It's toasty in here."

Severus felt a little warm too, untied his robe and tossed it gracefully on the seat. Sitting down across from her, he absentmindedly loosened the collar on his shirt and tossed his hair out of his face. There was something about Tonks, about their interactions this evening alone in the car, which made him feel inexplicably mentally at ease this particular evening. He took another sip and then held the glass loosely in his fingertips, swirling the contents around.

"Shall we try again?" he offered, a little less formally.

"Yeah, all right then," she smiled. "Let's see what else you find, eh?"

"What else I find, indeed," he thought, but reprimanded her nonetheless. "Your goal is to keep me from extracting thoughts and feelings you do not want me to see. Do not forget that."

"Of course!" Tonks retorted huffily. "Fine. Just you see. No rooting around for unpleasantries for you!"

Without warning, Severus put down his glass and muttered "Legilimens!" again. He immediately felt the boozy effects of the cider she'd drunken as her mind opened up. He saw flashes...her mother folding socks with her wand while Tonks tried to imitate unsuccessfully...dropping a bottle in the potions lab...crying as a kneazle is taken away from her... all memories of frustration. But suddenly Snape felt a shift in her mood as she began to take control. He saw...himself again, she was watching him with fascination during a detention, as he sat grading papers...then himself almost in slow motion, as he gazed into the distance while tracing his mouth with his fingers...followed by himself swooping out of the kitchen after an Order meeting...then, here, on the train, lazily unbuttoning his own shirt. Snape concentrated harder, probing to understand why he was finding himself so intently under her gaze. It puzzled him, and aroused him at the same time.

He pulled out of her mind, and shifted in his seat to hide the erection that was suddenly growing to his own surprise. Thinking quickly, he picked up the glass and drew deeply from it without fully sitting up.

"So, tell me," she asked playfully, detecting a note of discomfort on his part. "What happens if you try to see inside my mind and you come up with thoughts instead of memories? Can you tell the difference?"

Snape sat up again and considered her question-considering both the obvious and unspoken shades of meaning.

"Naturally," he answered somewhat authoritatively. "Your memories are attached to a set of reactive emotions. They are resolute. Your thoughts come from generative emotions. They will appear less well-formed, but will have a tentative emotional quality to them." He took another few sips. "They are more yielding to outside intrusion."

Tonks noticed their glasses were empty and refilled them. "So, if I'm trying to hide something, for example, that memory might ironically be tapped first unless I calm myself to act like I don't care. But if I have a new fear or desire, you will see them taking form in my mind, along with the strength of feeling attached to it in wavering amounts? And you could push aside the ideas in my mind to get to hard and fast memories?"

"Something like that," he confirmed, considering the question more deeply.

"Can I try it on you? To see what it's like?" she asked hopefully.

"No," he countered quickly. "At least, not like this," he added a little less harshly, and gestured at himself, now sitting back, his glass nearly empty again and his shirt unbuttoned a little further.

Tonks refilled their glasses once more and let out a small burp. It surprised her, and she giggled, realising she was starting to feel tipsy. When she looked up she saw Severus, slightly slit-eyed and soft, and felt a strong warm sensation between her legs. He was...smiling absently at her? Amused by her burp? His face was slightly flushed, his black hair messily cascading over his cheeks and down to his shoulders. His face also seemed softer in this lighting, his body slowly relaxing. His shirt at least seemed to be getting looser. She could see some of the impossibly pale skin on his chest. He unconsciously fanned the back of his neck and undid another button. The car was getting warmer.

"I assume you practise Occlumency at Death Eater meetings," she stated thoughtfully. "But, why worry now? I mean, it's only me here. It's an exercise"

Snape traced a finger over his lips and Tonks was aroused by the familiar gesture. "There are things you shouldn't know," he explained in a haunting voice. "If you see them, I cannot protect you."

Tonks frowned in understanding and regarded Snape with some empathy. Here was a man, lonely and isolated by all standards from those around him. Tonks had trials and tribulations like everyone else, but nothing so horrifying or dangerous that it needed protecting from someone else. She wondered if he in fact ever let his guard down.

She leaned forward and placed a hand on his shoulder. "I'm sorry to hear that," she whispered truthfully. But when she made to remove her hand, she lost her balance and slid forward off the seat and onto the floor with a thump.

She laughed as Snape regarded her. He closed his eyes and shook his head, then drawled, "Still so clumsy, Tonks. How did you ever become an Auror?"

Tonks shrugged her shoulders and laughed again. "Where there's a will, there's a way, Sev. I'm not always that clumsy you know."

Snape cleared his throat. "Sev?" he repeated mockingly.

"Ok, then. Sev-er-us. Better?" she toyed, then smiled wantonly.

Snape looked down at her and found himself drawn to her cleavage. She was small chested, but her shirt clung to her in a flattering way he had not noticed earlier. "Are you going to remain on the floor?" he asked, in a baritone drawl that surprised himself as much as her.

"Actually, it's kind of nice down here," she retorted. The seat is cool against my neck. Come join me." She tapped her palm on the floor next to her.

Against his better judgment, Snape slid down on the floor and leaned against the edge of the seat, draping his hair on the leather cushion. The leather did indeed feel cool against the skin on his neck. He stretched out his long legs and took another sip of cider.

Tonks took his chin in her hand gently turned his face to hers. Surprisingly, he did not flinch. "So, let's try it again," she asked suggestively. "Come inside me now." This time, there was little question to her meaning. She couldn't know for certain about him, but she knew now for sure what was on her own mind.

Severus looked at her intently and raised an eyebrow. What would he find? And, did he want to find it? She was growing inebriated, there was no question-she seemed a happy, playful, pretty tipsy girl, with shiny long blond hair and the cutest button nose. He blinked and felt her gaze upon him. He did not need to read her mind to feel a growing sexual tension in the air. Here on the floor, it felt more intimate sitting next to her. He considered their close proximity with growing pleasure, and shifted. He bent one leg to get a better angle and leaned into her. She sensed he was going to kiss her. But instead, without warning he whispered "Legilimens" once more. Another flood of images came speeding forth. First, him, alone in the Potions lab, bending over to pick up a cauldron from the floor...then strolling through the corridors at Hogwarts, hair and robes billowing...looking happy, on Diagon Alley outside the apothecary...watching himself snogging and groping a dark-haired woman on the patio of the Leaky Cauldron...on the Hogwarts Express, fanning his neck and suggestively unbuttoning his shirt... then hazy, leaning in to kiss someone, eyes closed, lips parted...He began seeing memory-inspired thoughts. Sexual energy coming at him-or was he looking for it? Tonks watching him swoop at her, then she was lying on her bed at Hogwarts with her hand between her legs and her knickers at her ankles...Snape once again snogging the dark-haired woman, then Tonks in what must be her flat using her wand in a most unconventional way...finally, himself giving an Order report, then sitting on a chair while she straddled him and flicked her tongue on his neck.

Snape stopped and looked up, touching his neck with his fingertips. Tonks was leaning into him, breathing heavily with hooded lids. Her lips were moist and slightly parted, mere inches from his face. A palpable sexual charge ran between them both. They panted in unison. She'd allowed him to see her raw desire, and now it coursed through her even more strongly.

He looked at her squarely, his own lips parted and numb. He had not just probed her mind. He'd danced with it, accepting its invitation. He stood up, unconcerned of his obvious erection, and extended a hand.

She took his hand and he raised her up and into him. "I may be necessarily guarded," he spoke in a husky voice, pressing his cock into her hip, "but I am still a man."

They pulled frantically into one another and kissed passionately, falling within seconds back down to the floor in a mad scramble of tongues and limbs.

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