Disclaimer - All of these characters belong to the wonderful JK Rowling. I make no money from this. Promise.

Chapter Four – A Thank You

"Professor Snape!" Tonks said, feeling foolish.

"Severus," he said, noticing her pyjamas and allowing himself a small smile.

"Severus," Tonks repeated while thinking that he could make the phone book sound sexy.

He raised one eyebrow and asked, "May I come in? I would like to discuss tonight and our future plans."

"Of course," Tonks replied pointing to a chair and she settle on her bed. "But I warn you, we were celebrating downstairs and I had a bit too much to drink."

"Celebrating?"

"Yes! Bill and Fleur are going to get married!" Tonks shared eagerly.

"Married?"

Tonks giggled at that, his second one questions sentence in a row. "I think it's wonderful," Tonks said.

Severus looked away, "It seems like yesterday Bill was a first year. He started at Hogwarts just a year or two after I started teaching."

Tonks couldn't think of anything to say, so she stayed silent.

"Correct me if I'm wrong, but it was you as Celeste tonight?" Severus said, getting back on topic.

"Yes it was. How could you tell it was me?" Tonks asked curiously.

"I saw you stumble when you left the bar tonight," Severus said, sounding superior. "That, and your hair is an exact duplicate of Celeste's hair tonight."

At that, Tonks scrunched up her nose and changed her hair to burgundy spikes.

"You did a very good job tonight. Lucius needed help getting to his hiding place, which I volunteered to do. He mentioned you several times and that he was looking forward to 'seeing more of you' on Friday."

"He mentioned Celeste," Tonks said fiercely.

"Pardon?"

"He mentioned Celeste, he did not mention me, Tonks. Even though I'm playing the part of Celeste, I'm Tonks! He did not mention me!" Tonks replied angrily.

"I don't understand what you're trying to say, Tonks," Severus said simply.

"This is how I have to think about it. If I'm going to whore myself out to Lucius Malfoy, that's how it works. He will sleep with Celeste. Not me!"

Severus had never seen the witch so angry. "Peace, Tonks. And keep your voice down, we have to keep this quiet," he lectured.

Tonks found herself not able to meet his eyes. "I'm sorry," she whispered, "I didn't mean to yell."

"You may not believe me now, but I do have some idea what you're going through."

"I know," Tonks said, trying to put some warmth in her voice. But she couldn't understand why he was talking to her like she was a human being.

"Since you didn't sleep with him tonight, I'm assuming that you will next time you see him. How can I put this delicately?" Severus pondered.

"We're past delicate. Just say what you need to say," Tonks ordered.

Severus looked taken back. "Tonks, you have to make the sex with Malfoy exciting for him. If it's just another boring shag, he'll ditch you."

"Do you really think I didn't know that? Severus, I'm twenty-four years old. Sex still is exciting to me. Don't worry about that," she replied. "I need you to do one thing for me. I want to make him wait for Celeste on Friday. They didn't set a time."

"Why don't I try to invite myself along? I'll try to get him there by nine o'clock," Severus said after a moments though.

"Perfect, she'll get there around nine thirty. Severus, how long before he takes Celeste to a meeting, do you think?" Tonks asked.

"If all goes well, he will never take Celeste to a meeting," Severus started.

Tonks cut him off, "What do you mean? Isn't the whole point of this to get him to get Celeste in?"

"You didn't let me finish," Severus said sharply. "Tonks, his wife goes to a great deal of meetings. Even though he cheats on her, he holds her in high esteem. He would never insult Narcissa by bringing another woman to the meeting."

"Then how do I get in?" she asked quietly.

"Celeste will be brought in by one of Malfoy's friends. Usually Crabbe or Goyle."

"I see."

"Good," Severus got up and started pacing. "As for your question of time, I'm hoping sooner, rather than later. I fear discovery any day now."

"Why do you think he knows?" Tonks asked, mad at herself at wanting to know. It wasn't any of her business.

"I'm not sure. It could be just paranoia on my part. The Dark Lord has been probing my mind more often than usual. I think he begins to realize that I'm not letting him in my mind through occlumency. If he does realize that, he will wonder why I, his loyal servant, do not grant him full access to my mind. If he starts asking those questions, simply put, I'm dead."

Tonks looked at Severus in amazement. She had never heard him speak so much about his dual role before. She really had never thought about how dangerous the game he was playing really is.

"Thank you," Tonks said, not able to meet Severus' eye.

"For what," he asked sharply.

"You put your life on the line more than any of us. We wouldn't be nearly as prepared as we are without you. I'm simply thanking you for that," Tonks said slowly. To her embarassament, she tripped over a few of the words. Great, she thought to herself, now he'll think you're a bumbling idiot.

Tonks could see his eyes soften. "No one has ever thanked me before, not even Professor Dumbledore."

Now Tonks felt awkward. "Well, more people should, but I'm glad to be the first," God she felt tired.

He finally sat down again, but then noticed her trying to hide a yawn. "Well, that's everything, Tonks. I'll let you go to bed now," he said. He then proceeded to stand up just as quickly as he had sat down.

"Okay, I guess I'll see you on Friday, then," she said.

"You mean Celeste will see me on Friday," Severus corrected.

"Oh right. Of course!"

"One tip for you Tonks," Severus started. "If Celeste does sleep with him on Friday, she shouldn't stay the night,"

"That works for me!" she said brightly. And with that, Severus nodded to her and walked out of the room, closing the door firmly behind him.

"Well, that was interesting," Tonks said out loud. She went over the events of the evening. She felt that it had been one of the longest nights of her life.

Tonks picked up her wand off of the nightstand. She always felt reassured when the wand was in her hand. Even after thirteen years, she still loved looking at it. Not the most exciting wand in the world; it was made of walnut and the core was a tail feather of an owl. But to her, the wand was perfect.

When she was a first year, she was jealous of other student's wands. Kids who had dragon skin or unicorn hair, and all she had was an owl feather. When she discovered she was a metamorph, a year or two later, she understood why that wand had chosen her. The wand was solid, it was steady, while she was ever-changing. Tonks and her wand complimented each other perfectly.

Still feeling restless, she got up and walked to her mirror. She decided to do something she hadn't done in a long time; she went to her natural hair color and style. Sometimes she wondered what people's reaction would be if they knew she was a natural redhead. It wasn't a bright or dark read, but almost a strawberry blonde. She loved the color, but had never allowed anyone to se it in twelve years. "You'd be giving away too much information," she reassured herself. The style was nice too, parted in the middle and falling at her shoulders with a soft wave.

With a shock, she realized that the style was also Celeste's. Quickly, she changed her face and hair color to Celeste's and shuddered, thinking about everything she needed to do. She then went back to herself, but with a violet pixie cut. Tonks made a bargain with herself then, she would never be Celeste except when she had to be.

Feeling better, she was ready for bed. She blew out the candle by her nightstand and promptly fell asleep.