A/N: I had to post something, and as I really really need help, i figured that this would be the best way possible to do it. What you see is what I have of this chapter so far, but I have no idea exactly how to do things, the words just aren't coming, so if you have an idea and would like to contact me about it, please do so. i'm available at keely brannigan on aim, dreamsmithtress (at) yahoo.com, or you can email me at zarenya (at) earthlink.net
PS-A/N: hopefully this is better..I didn't really receive much help as I hoped :(
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"So, my dear, how are you enjoying your classes?" Dumbledore leaned back in his chair after offering Nymphadora Tonks a lemon drop, and folded his hands on his lap. "I've heard many comments that you have the most interesting lessons. I've even stopped in to see them a few times myself, I hope you don't mind."
Tonks tried to grin at him and say she didn't mind, but at the moment her lips were puckered too tightly for her to do anything from the drop she'd foolishly accepted yet again. Swallowing hard, the tartness faded soon enough and the sweet took over. Immediately she lifted her hands to her jaws and massaged them, glaring across the desk at the headmaster. "Do you memory charm me not to remember how bloody sour those things are or something?"
"But the sweet that comes after makes the tart that much more bearable, does it not?" Dumbledore retorted, and Tonks heaved a sigh, rolling her eyes.
"You know it does, otherwise you wouldn't be addicted to them, Dumbles." As soon as the nickname was out of her mouth, she froze and grimaced at him. "Dumbles-hootlookatthetime??" Tonks said hopefully, not believing she'd had the stupidity to let her pet name for the old man slip in front of him. /I'm going to be fired, going to be so fired. Stupi-/
"Its been a long time since anyone called me that. The last to do so was my grand-daughter."
/He's not mad?/ A sigh of utter relief escaped her lips and she sank down in the chair. "I wont do it again, headmaster. I'm sorry." She was still flushed with embarrassment.
"I don't mind, child. It brings back pleasant memories. Most people are too afraid of me to dare do it, even if they know I don't mind. I'd be honoured if you'd conti-" The flames of his fireplace turned green, and the next moment Kingsley Shacklebolt stepped through the floo. The look on his face kept Tonks from her usual exuberant greeting, and even Dumbledore was off-put by it, completely forgetting to make his usual offer of a lemon drop to the Order member."Kingsley." He said instead, nodding acknowledgment.
The tall black man got right to the point. Without sitting down, or even dusting off his robes, he said bluntly. "Its about Snape."
Tonks went deathly pale and no sooner had Kingsley finished his report than she was on her feet and headed from the castle, saying only that she had something to take care of.
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"I have been...informed...by a trusted member of my loyal followers that there is a spy within our ranks. I have suspected so for quite some time, but it appears that this person did his job so well, that he has been passing on information for years. I believe he thought that he would not face death because his skills were so valuable." Voldemort's eyes went round the circle of his closest followers, resting for a long moment on each one, except Lucius Malfoy. It was quite clear then just who the "informant" had been.
When his eyes had completed going round once, the bright red fell to his long fingers, and he studied them with seeming nonchalance as he called out. "Severus, come forth." His eyes never lifted, even as he called him forth, he expected loyalty in movement from the man.
Tonks swallowed hard./Oh, Merlin./ Her eyes darted across the circle to the greasy haired death-eater that had just been called forward to receive his punishment, and Tonks swallowed hard. A second later, as Severus began to step forward confidently, Malfoy stepped up beside him and laid a hand on his shoulder before turning and bowing low to Voldemort. "Milord, I have played the game of respect with this man for far too long, I beg a boon of you before you send him to his well deserved death."
Voldemort's slitted nostrils flared slightly as he looked at the blonde-haired aristocrat in front of him. Malfoy always had been one of his most fervent followers. With Severus gone, He truly would be his second in command. He could let the man have his fun. "What would this boon be, Lucius?"
Tonks inwardly smirked, but answered cooly. "Let that be a surprise gift to you, Milord. I can think of nothing else so fitting as this." Voldemort arched a brow and then waved a hand laconically.
"So be it." With his words, Lucius turned to Severus and almost lovingly pulled the mask from his face. As the potions masters black eyes, large hooked nose, and thin lips were revealed, the blonde laid a hand on one of severus' cheeks and whispered. "I always wanted to see what would happen..." then leaned in and pressed his lips to the greasy gits, in full view of everyone.
No sooner than Lucius lips had touched Severus' before the potions master jerked back and stared at Malfoy with wide disgusted eyes. "sonofa..." He breathed in shock and at the keyword, the emergency portkey Dumbledore had insisted Snape always wear activated and Severus disappeared in the blink of an eye.
With Severus now safe, Tonks used the moment of shock she knew would be working to her advantage, and turned towards Voldemort, childishly sticking out her tongue. "You're a prick. I always wanted to tell you that." Her keyphrase "tell you that" activated the portkey all aurors wore anymore, and as Voldemort stared, "Malfoy" disappeared to.
Immediately Voldemort reacted with the disappearances. His wand snapped into his hand, and he pointed it at Crabbe who was standing at his usual flanking place beside Malfoy. "What just happened here?" Voldemort hissed. "Were you in on this betrayal? Were you?" The stocky troll-like man shook his head dumbly, and a second later was writhing on the ground in the throes of a crucio cast by an enraged dark lord.
One wasn't enough though, and as none of them had the guts to apparate away, each one that was called that night fell under one of several dark curses from Voldemort, until none had the strength to get up.
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Snape was deposited in the middle of Dumbledore's office without ado, and the sheer disorientation of the unexpected trip made him rock back on his heels and almost go down. Luckily, Dumbledore, moving with a speed that the old should not naturally possess, moved from his position in the comfy chair behind his desk to beside Severus before they had a chance to blink twice. His hands came out, gripping the younger wizard by the arms, as he steadied him, and asked with concern. "Are you alright?" His eyes raked over every part of the Potions Masters body as he spoke.
Snape looked around, his expression one of confusion as he took into account where he was, and then what had happened. He didn't even hear Dumbledore's words as his brain was busy processing everything. Finally, just as the old wizard was about to summon Pomphrey, Severus spat out a word that shouldn't be said around anyone under the age of fifteen.
Dumbledore blinked, being caught off-guard.
The greasy-haired Potions Master sighed and, with more gentleness than most would give him credit for, shook off the Headmaster's grip and stepped back, giving himself some much needed space. He realised he had a job to do then, and though he had no real clue of where to explain what had just went on, he opened his mouth to begin.
Not one word had a chance to escape from his lips though, as the fireplace behind Dumbledore roared into green life, and Lucius Malfoy came stumbling out. Instantly Severus reacted, drawing his wand and pointing it at the pale-haired man. Dumbledore was just seconds later in leveling his own wand at the Death-Eater, confusion carefully masked.
Malfoy, for his part, seemed blithely unaware of the two wands pointed at him, as he stood up and ran his fingers through his hair before saying brightly, "Wotcher!" as he turned his attention to dusting off his robes.
/What the he-/ Snape thought, but he'd not even finished it before he'd used the intelligence necessary to do what he did, and put two and two together. "Tonks!" He spat out, rage filling him. "What the hell were you trying to do?!"
Nymphadora Tonks looked up from her task, noticed the long blonde hair hanging down, masking her face, and started violently. She had forgotten the fact that she was still in the guise of the Malfoy family patriarch. Shuddering, she put off thinking about what Severus had said long enough to scrunch up her face as she popped a more suitable (and to her, more eye pleasing) look into existence. Finally, with bright green hair, and matching eyes, along with a somewhat angled but definitely a female build, she turned her attention back to the Potions Master, scarcely even noting that Dumbledore was in the room as she allowed indignation to fill her.
"What was I trying to do? Don't you mean what DID I do? I saved your ass, git!" She returned scathingly, crossing her arms and adopting a pose that clearly said Bugger Off. Inwardly she seethed. She'd just SAVED his life, and this is how he reacted? /Stupid..stupid....MAN!/
"I didn't need saving, Nymphadora. I"m quite capable of taking care of myself." His eyes were as hard as obsidian, and he stalked forwards until he towered over her, and she had to lean her head back to look into his eyes. It was a well-used form of intimidation and he had no problem practicing it on her. She made him SO angry. How dare she put her life in danger like that? Attending a death-eater meeting?! She could have been killed! That thought formed a hard knot of sickness in his stomach, that fueled his rage even more. He opened his mouth to continue to berate her when she interrupted.
"Oh yes, Sevvie. Lemme guess, you were going to take on like 30 death-eaters, completely alone.. Do some kung-wizard-foo and whip all their asses, then personally kill the Greatest Bastard before returning heroically to Dumbledore's chambers without a scratch on you. Right?" She snorted, her skin darkening as her ire built.
He blinked. /Kung-wizard-foo? What the hell is that?/ Against his will, his lips twitched just a bit as he tried to imagine what it could be, eventually seeing Dumbledore going HAI-YA! and kicking out like that muggle karate star he'd heard about ages ago while waving his wand around. Quickly though, using his occulumency practices, he shoved the image aside to ponder it later and turned his attention back to the woman who was standing up to him when few would.. "I-.." /How the hell does she DO this?/ He mentally wondered as he searched for words to refute her claim while maintaining his dignity. "Of course I would not have been so foolish as to take on the Dark Lord, twit! But did you not honestly think that I have long since had plans for escaping when I became discovered?" There we go. He was big and bad. The all-knowing male. He would teach her a lesson. No one should ever doubt a Snape.
It was Tonks' turn to be taken aback at his words. Honestly, it hadn't occurred to her. All she knew was that Severus was in danger, and that had caused her to react. However, she was quick to shoot off a reply before she'd really even thought about what to say. "When someone you love is in danger, you don't necessarily think about stuff like that first, Sev!"
Silence fell in the room. Snape opened his mouth to say something, stopped, and closed it with an audible click.
Tonks gulped. She'd really stuck foot in this time. "Oi..." The metamorphmagus murmured, flushing bright red, as she cast about for something...anything...to say to get rid of the silence that had ensued. "and...and...I'm a big girl, git! Quite capable of taking care of myself, as I proved when I told the Dark Lord he was a prick and escaped alive!"
From across the room a chuckle sounded from Dumbledore. They both ignored it, and the Shhh!s that followed afterwards from various portraits of former headmasters and mistresses who wanted to be able to pay full attention to round two of beauty and the bat.
After an agonizing minute in which Nymphadora stared determinedly at her shoes, she heard a quiet- "say that again." from directly in front of her. Licking her lips, she muttered weakly, "I told the dark Lord he was a prick."
"That's not what I'm talking about, Tonks, and you know it." Snape returned, his eyes glued to her, feeling like all his muscles were knotted as he waited for confirmation of something he'd never expected to ever hear.
Her rage had long since faded, but frustration swiftly rose to take its place. Her eyes darted up to his, the vibrant green shifting to a stormy blue. /Why is he doing this?! Its obvious I didn't mean to say it yet, and what's the big deal, so I love him. What, he's never–Ohhh../ Well, that would fit. With how he acted and everything. It also took the wind out of her sails, although she said quite saucily. "So I love you! That's what I said, bugger! I love you, I adore you, when you kiss me I melt inside, the idea of you being hurt makes me want to throw-" Quickly she slapped a hand over her mouth as quite much more than she intended came out in a rush. /Well, bugger me sideways. Welcome to Tonks sticks her foot in it, part two!/
PS-A/N: hopefully this is better..I didn't really receive much help as I hoped :(
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"So, my dear, how are you enjoying your classes?" Dumbledore leaned back in his chair after offering Nymphadora Tonks a lemon drop, and folded his hands on his lap. "I've heard many comments that you have the most interesting lessons. I've even stopped in to see them a few times myself, I hope you don't mind."
Tonks tried to grin at him and say she didn't mind, but at the moment her lips were puckered too tightly for her to do anything from the drop she'd foolishly accepted yet again. Swallowing hard, the tartness faded soon enough and the sweet took over. Immediately she lifted her hands to her jaws and massaged them, glaring across the desk at the headmaster. "Do you memory charm me not to remember how bloody sour those things are or something?"
"But the sweet that comes after makes the tart that much more bearable, does it not?" Dumbledore retorted, and Tonks heaved a sigh, rolling her eyes.
"You know it does, otherwise you wouldn't be addicted to them, Dumbles." As soon as the nickname was out of her mouth, she froze and grimaced at him. "Dumbles-hootlookatthetime??" Tonks said hopefully, not believing she'd had the stupidity to let her pet name for the old man slip in front of him. /I'm going to be fired, going to be so fired. Stupi-/
"Its been a long time since anyone called me that. The last to do so was my grand-daughter."
/He's not mad?/ A sigh of utter relief escaped her lips and she sank down in the chair. "I wont do it again, headmaster. I'm sorry." She was still flushed with embarrassment.
"I don't mind, child. It brings back pleasant memories. Most people are too afraid of me to dare do it, even if they know I don't mind. I'd be honoured if you'd conti-" The flames of his fireplace turned green, and the next moment Kingsley Shacklebolt stepped through the floo. The look on his face kept Tonks from her usual exuberant greeting, and even Dumbledore was off-put by it, completely forgetting to make his usual offer of a lemon drop to the Order member."Kingsley." He said instead, nodding acknowledgment.
The tall black man got right to the point. Without sitting down, or even dusting off his robes, he said bluntly. "Its about Snape."
Tonks went deathly pale and no sooner had Kingsley finished his report than she was on her feet and headed from the castle, saying only that she had something to take care of.
1. -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
"I have been...informed...by a trusted member of my loyal followers that there is a spy within our ranks. I have suspected so for quite some time, but it appears that this person did his job so well, that he has been passing on information for years. I believe he thought that he would not face death because his skills were so valuable." Voldemort's eyes went round the circle of his closest followers, resting for a long moment on each one, except Lucius Malfoy. It was quite clear then just who the "informant" had been.
When his eyes had completed going round once, the bright red fell to his long fingers, and he studied them with seeming nonchalance as he called out. "Severus, come forth." His eyes never lifted, even as he called him forth, he expected loyalty in movement from the man.
Tonks swallowed hard./Oh, Merlin./ Her eyes darted across the circle to the greasy haired death-eater that had just been called forward to receive his punishment, and Tonks swallowed hard. A second later, as Severus began to step forward confidently, Malfoy stepped up beside him and laid a hand on his shoulder before turning and bowing low to Voldemort. "Milord, I have played the game of respect with this man for far too long, I beg a boon of you before you send him to his well deserved death."
Voldemort's slitted nostrils flared slightly as he looked at the blonde-haired aristocrat in front of him. Malfoy always had been one of his most fervent followers. With Severus gone, He truly would be his second in command. He could let the man have his fun. "What would this boon be, Lucius?"
Tonks inwardly smirked, but answered cooly. "Let that be a surprise gift to you, Milord. I can think of nothing else so fitting as this." Voldemort arched a brow and then waved a hand laconically.
"So be it." With his words, Lucius turned to Severus and almost lovingly pulled the mask from his face. As the potions masters black eyes, large hooked nose, and thin lips were revealed, the blonde laid a hand on one of severus' cheeks and whispered. "I always wanted to see what would happen..." then leaned in and pressed his lips to the greasy gits, in full view of everyone.
No sooner than Lucius lips had touched Severus' before the potions master jerked back and stared at Malfoy with wide disgusted eyes. "sonofa..." He breathed in shock and at the keyword, the emergency portkey Dumbledore had insisted Snape always wear activated and Severus disappeared in the blink of an eye.
With Severus now safe, Tonks used the moment of shock she knew would be working to her advantage, and turned towards Voldemort, childishly sticking out her tongue. "You're a prick. I always wanted to tell you that." Her keyphrase "tell you that" activated the portkey all aurors wore anymore, and as Voldemort stared, "Malfoy" disappeared to.
Immediately Voldemort reacted with the disappearances. His wand snapped into his hand, and he pointed it at Crabbe who was standing at his usual flanking place beside Malfoy. "What just happened here?" Voldemort hissed. "Were you in on this betrayal? Were you?" The stocky troll-like man shook his head dumbly, and a second later was writhing on the ground in the throes of a crucio cast by an enraged dark lord.
One wasn't enough though, and as none of them had the guts to apparate away, each one that was called that night fell under one of several dark curses from Voldemort, until none had the strength to get up.
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Snape was deposited in the middle of Dumbledore's office without ado, and the sheer disorientation of the unexpected trip made him rock back on his heels and almost go down. Luckily, Dumbledore, moving with a speed that the old should not naturally possess, moved from his position in the comfy chair behind his desk to beside Severus before they had a chance to blink twice. His hands came out, gripping the younger wizard by the arms, as he steadied him, and asked with concern. "Are you alright?" His eyes raked over every part of the Potions Masters body as he spoke.
Snape looked around, his expression one of confusion as he took into account where he was, and then what had happened. He didn't even hear Dumbledore's words as his brain was busy processing everything. Finally, just as the old wizard was about to summon Pomphrey, Severus spat out a word that shouldn't be said around anyone under the age of fifteen.
Dumbledore blinked, being caught off-guard.
The greasy-haired Potions Master sighed and, with more gentleness than most would give him credit for, shook off the Headmaster's grip and stepped back, giving himself some much needed space. He realised he had a job to do then, and though he had no real clue of where to explain what had just went on, he opened his mouth to begin.
Not one word had a chance to escape from his lips though, as the fireplace behind Dumbledore roared into green life, and Lucius Malfoy came stumbling out. Instantly Severus reacted, drawing his wand and pointing it at the pale-haired man. Dumbledore was just seconds later in leveling his own wand at the Death-Eater, confusion carefully masked.
Malfoy, for his part, seemed blithely unaware of the two wands pointed at him, as he stood up and ran his fingers through his hair before saying brightly, "Wotcher!" as he turned his attention to dusting off his robes.
/What the he-/ Snape thought, but he'd not even finished it before he'd used the intelligence necessary to do what he did, and put two and two together. "Tonks!" He spat out, rage filling him. "What the hell were you trying to do?!"
Nymphadora Tonks looked up from her task, noticed the long blonde hair hanging down, masking her face, and started violently. She had forgotten the fact that she was still in the guise of the Malfoy family patriarch. Shuddering, she put off thinking about what Severus had said long enough to scrunch up her face as she popped a more suitable (and to her, more eye pleasing) look into existence. Finally, with bright green hair, and matching eyes, along with a somewhat angled but definitely a female build, she turned her attention back to the Potions Master, scarcely even noting that Dumbledore was in the room as she allowed indignation to fill her.
"What was I trying to do? Don't you mean what DID I do? I saved your ass, git!" She returned scathingly, crossing her arms and adopting a pose that clearly said Bugger Off. Inwardly she seethed. She'd just SAVED his life, and this is how he reacted? /Stupid..stupid....MAN!/
"I didn't need saving, Nymphadora. I"m quite capable of taking care of myself." His eyes were as hard as obsidian, and he stalked forwards until he towered over her, and she had to lean her head back to look into his eyes. It was a well-used form of intimidation and he had no problem practicing it on her. She made him SO angry. How dare she put her life in danger like that? Attending a death-eater meeting?! She could have been killed! That thought formed a hard knot of sickness in his stomach, that fueled his rage even more. He opened his mouth to continue to berate her when she interrupted.
"Oh yes, Sevvie. Lemme guess, you were going to take on like 30 death-eaters, completely alone.. Do some kung-wizard-foo and whip all their asses, then personally kill the Greatest Bastard before returning heroically to Dumbledore's chambers without a scratch on you. Right?" She snorted, her skin darkening as her ire built.
He blinked. /Kung-wizard-foo? What the hell is that?/ Against his will, his lips twitched just a bit as he tried to imagine what it could be, eventually seeing Dumbledore going HAI-YA! and kicking out like that muggle karate star he'd heard about ages ago while waving his wand around. Quickly though, using his occulumency practices, he shoved the image aside to ponder it later and turned his attention back to the woman who was standing up to him when few would.. "I-.." /How the hell does she DO this?/ He mentally wondered as he searched for words to refute her claim while maintaining his dignity. "Of course I would not have been so foolish as to take on the Dark Lord, twit! But did you not honestly think that I have long since had plans for escaping when I became discovered?" There we go. He was big and bad. The all-knowing male. He would teach her a lesson. No one should ever doubt a Snape.
It was Tonks' turn to be taken aback at his words. Honestly, it hadn't occurred to her. All she knew was that Severus was in danger, and that had caused her to react. However, she was quick to shoot off a reply before she'd really even thought about what to say. "When someone you love is in danger, you don't necessarily think about stuff like that first, Sev!"
Silence fell in the room. Snape opened his mouth to say something, stopped, and closed it with an audible click.
Tonks gulped. She'd really stuck foot in this time. "Oi..." The metamorphmagus murmured, flushing bright red, as she cast about for something...anything...to say to get rid of the silence that had ensued. "and...and...I'm a big girl, git! Quite capable of taking care of myself, as I proved when I told the Dark Lord he was a prick and escaped alive!"
From across the room a chuckle sounded from Dumbledore. They both ignored it, and the Shhh!s that followed afterwards from various portraits of former headmasters and mistresses who wanted to be able to pay full attention to round two of beauty and the bat.
After an agonizing minute in which Nymphadora stared determinedly at her shoes, she heard a quiet- "say that again." from directly in front of her. Licking her lips, she muttered weakly, "I told the dark Lord he was a prick."
"That's not what I'm talking about, Tonks, and you know it." Snape returned, his eyes glued to her, feeling like all his muscles were knotted as he waited for confirmation of something he'd never expected to ever hear.
Her rage had long since faded, but frustration swiftly rose to take its place. Her eyes darted up to his, the vibrant green shifting to a stormy blue. /Why is he doing this?! Its obvious I didn't mean to say it yet, and what's the big deal, so I love him. What, he's never–Ohhh../ Well, that would fit. With how he acted and everything. It also took the wind out of her sails, although she said quite saucily. "So I love you! That's what I said, bugger! I love you, I adore you, when you kiss me I melt inside, the idea of you being hurt makes me want to throw-" Quickly she slapped a hand over her mouth as quite much more than she intended came out in a rush. /Well, bugger me sideways. Welcome to Tonks sticks her foot in it, part two!/