The End

The end has come; he was is sure of it. How could he suffer from such a foolish thing? The only answer is that the end must have come.

Severus Snape has fallen in love. What's more, the other party Snape considers to be more foolish than the feeling. How can he have let himself into this? The end must have come.

As he sits on his bed staring at the wall, images of her dancing earlier come to his mind. He begins to picture her dancing in the rain; he sees himself step outside and extend his hand to the girl dancing around, clothes wet and sticking to her skin. He imagines-

Snape tries to force himself to stop this madness. Surely the end has come. He had previously admitted to himself that it is the stronger "L" word that he feels for her. He knows he even fancies the idea of them being good for each other.

She's youthful, but not too much so; she's fun and playful… He doesn't remember ever liking company like that, maybe he should try it for once and see. She is joyous; maybe she would help when he was depressed; once she is around she sticks like glue -- that could help with his loneliness; and she is always hyper. Since he was opposite... maybe we could even each other out.

Snape asks himself why he yearned for company – her company. His mind answers without hesitation.

Love.

He closes his eyes and rubs his temples. Why does that feeling have to drop-in on him now? Couldn't it have waited ... until after he was dead, perhaps? ...No, he's glad it came. His head explodes with cries against this, yet within a few moments opposite thoughts occupy his mind. Snape decides that he must be insane. The end. It has most definitely arrived.

He snaps to attention when he hears his door open. Snape's ready to hex the intruder; he brings out his wand, and... The intruder turns out to be the one he had been thinking of. He lowers his wand.

He grunts at her questioningly, then proceeds to mentally berate himself for sounding so idiotic.

"Nice to see you too Snape," she chirps happily, ignoring the wand.

"What are you doing here?" he inquires, having pulled himself back together.

"Some of the other members wanted to have a private meeting, Dumbledore excluded. They told me to come and get you. I was about to just floo here when I realized that I hadn't seen your room before, and I've always wanted to see a spy's room..." She was rambling. How annoying, Snape thought. Then, Well, she is a woman, and decides that he'll just be quiet and put up with it. "So, I like it all in all. Especially considering it's your room!" she giggles. "Oh, terribly sorry if you weren't aware that I tend to rant."

"Quite alright," he answers off-handedly.

"It's tonight at eight over at Kingsley's. You coming?" she asks.

"Yes, I suppose so."

"What're you meditating on?" she queries innocently. "What's so important? You've seemed off since I dropped in. I mean – you haven't yelled at me once!" she chuckled softly and looked at him with huge (blue today) eyes. Snape feels his defenses falling. He had almost smiled at the girl.

"Nothing you need to concern yourself with," he tells her. There is a momentary uncomfortable silence.

"I like good evil acting guys," she blurts out. Snape stares at her. What in the...

"Pardon?" Can he have heard correctly?

"Just like you," she smiles. "I don't really know why I fancy you..." she looks smug asshe rants on. Snape can only gape at her. His brain has caught on: 'just like you'. He blinks when he realizes what she's done now.

"Is that so?" is all he can manage to come out with.

"Yes. Willing and up to try being with a girl like me?"

He frowns for a moment. He believes in the old fashion way of men beginning everything. Although, he doesn't have to ask now, which is a relief, so he decides to let her begin it. He sighs.

"Yes, Tonks, I do believe I am."

She immediately awards him with a tight embrace, but the second he relaxes into it, she starts to attack him by tickles.

"You'll be my end!" he half-shouts at her – to her amusement. As the tickle-attack calmsdown with his sudden surrender, he absently thinks of how things will be different now. So not only is Tonks his end, but she has just made his beginning. And Snape likes it.


Disclaimer: I don't own the order, Snape, Tonks, or anyone/anything else you recognize from the Harry Potter series. I make no money from this.