Chapter Two
Looking back on it, Nymphadora Tonks realised that was where it all started—the moment she agreed to spend the night in Bill's dormitory. She'd been right, at least; the rumours about her and Bill overshadowed any question her morphing abilities might have raised, but what she didn't foresee was how the two would merge.
At breakfast the next day, a Seventh Year she vaguely recognized came up to her, a jaunty smile playing across his lips. Instead of setting her at ease, his smile only made her even more nervous than she already was. Yesterday's questions and taunts had been enough; she didn't need anyone else butting in.
"Nymphadora Tonks, right?" the boy asked, taking a seat beside her and draping his arm over her shoulders. 'Dora flinched, both because of her name and his arm, and immediately shrugged the offending limb off.
"It's 'Dora," she muttered through gritted teeth. "The only people who call me Nymphadora are the ones with a death wish."
The boy laughed, as if she were joking. She realised he was so daft that the chances of that were more than probable. "I heard you spent the night with Bill Weasley last night. A charmer, isn't he?"
'Dora frowned slightly and glanced around for help from anyone, but everyone else seemed to be engrossed in their own conversation, with the occasional glances thrown her way that let her know they were talking about her.
The boy must have interpreted her lack of response as a yes, because he once again tried to drape his arm over her shoulders, although this time 'Dora was eager enough to get to the bottom of all this that she let him.
"I'll make you a deal," he said in a lower voice, glancing around to evidently make sure no one was listening. "Raya—she's in your dorm, right? She told me you can transform to look like her—like anyone, right?"
Again, she didn't answer; inwardly, however, she was boiling with rage at that backstabbing dormmate of hers.
"I'll give you twenty galleons if you morph into the girl of my choosing and spend the night in my dorm."
And then 'Dora realised what he was hinting at. Too shocked to speak, she gaped at him as if he'd grown a second head. Remembering suddenly that he still had his arm around her, and jerked out of his grip and stood up so fast she nearly knocked the bench over.
"No!" she exclaimed, disgusted. "What d'ya think I am, some bloody—"
And then it hit her. Of course he did. She'd stayed the night with Bill Weasley. The whole school probably thought they'd stayed up all night going at it like rabid bunnies.
Merlin, she was stupid.
And to throw her morphing abilities into the mix—of course. Every bloke in the school would think of that before the day was out.
She'd officially been reduced to a sex toy. A virginal sex toy, but still a sex toy.
Hot, angry tears prickled in the back of her eyeballs, and it was all she could do to get from Gryffindor table to—well, anywhere, she didn't care at that point in time, just as long as it was anywhere but the Great Hall.
By the time she reached the main stairs, she was nearly blind through her tears and her face felt hot. Her skin crawled where the boy had had his arm around her shoulders, and all she could concentrate on was the amount of hot water she was going to be using to wash the filth away.
That was when she ran head-on into the root of all her problems.
"'Dora?"
She looked up only to see a blur of red hair and a blob that might've been a face, but she didn't have to see him to recognize his voice.
"Get out of my way, Bill," she muttered venomously, trying to push past him, but damn that boy for having so much bloody strength!
"What's wrong?" he insisted, setting his hand on her shoulder and holding on tightly. It wasn't enough to bruise, but she knew the skin would be red when he let go. She wasn't helping much either, struggling like she was. "For the love of Merlin, calm down! Are they teasing you again, is that what's going on? Because I swear, I'm going to kick Percy's arse—"
"No!" she exclaimed, trying against to wrench free. "It's not him, it's you!"
At this confession Bill finally dropped his arm, and 'Dora took a step back so she was outside of his reach. "Whatd'ya mean, it's me?" Bill asked, frowning. "Do they think you and I…?"
"Of course they do!" 'Dora snapped, so angry she was trembling. "The entire school now thinks we were up the entire night shagging! And to top it off, because everyone knows what I can do, people are looking at me funny and this—this arse came up to me and told me he'd give me twenty galleons if I turned into anyone he wanted and—and had sex with him!"
Instead of the disgusted reaction she'd been expected, Bill merely watched her, as if he were thinking something through. She opened her mouth to ask what the hell was wrong with him, but he got there before she could.
"Y'know, I didn't think of that."
Her mouth dropped open.
"What? You—you pig!"
"Wait," Bill said suddenly, holding up his hand just as she was about to storm off. Against her better judgment, 'Dora waited, crossing her arms over her chest tightly.
"I didn't mean it like that," he said in a measured voice. "I meant that I didn't think of the fact that people would jump to that sort of conclusion—that you'd change and…" He left the sentence unfinished. "It was stupid of me to overlook that, and I apologise."
Taken aback, 'Dora opened and closed her mouth several times before finding the words to form a sentence.
"So—now what?"
Bill leaned back against the railing of the staircase, blowing a strand of long red hair out of his eyes. "So I'm thinking, why does it matter? So what if a few dumbarses think we had sex? What's it going to hurt? Your reputation? 'Dora, from the moment this whole mess started, your reputation was ruined. On top of this, people are going to start to suspect you, think you change to look like other people to get what you want. It was bound to happen, and unfortunately this is just a side effect."
'Dora swallowed hard and blinked. "But—what can I—how can I fix it?"
Bill shrugged. "I don't think there is a way to fix it. But one thing you can do is ignore it. Things'll die down eventually, they always do, and until then you just have to keep your chin up and try not to kill someone."
His attempt at humour wasn't enough to make her laugh, but the corner of her mouth did turn upwards slightly. "So either way, I'm screwed, is that what you're saying?"
Bill nodded. "Yep. But the good news is, you're welcome to spend the night with me any time you want—in a platonic way, of course."
"Of course," Tonks mumbled, glancing over her shoulder at the doors that led into the Great Hall, torn between hitting something and sobbing.
That day was one of the worst Nymphadora Tonks had experienced in her life. The few friends she had pretended to be sympathetic, but she knew it was only a front. She received three more propositions from boys in various houses, and each one was met with a frigid stare and two of 'Dora's favourite fingers.
By the time lessons and dinner were over, 'Dora felt as if she were going to fall to pieces at any moment. Trembling, she avoided the Common Room that night and went directly up to her empty dormitory, where she found Raya Neelson kneeling before her trunk, sifting through the contents.
"Raya!" 'Dora exclaimed, rushing to pull the girl away from her personal belongings. "What the hell—"
"You are such a whore!" Raya shouted, and it was then when 'Dora noticed she was crying. "Don't deny it, I saw you with your filthy little paws all over Brad!"
Brad? Who the hell was Brad?
Raya must have seen the look on 'Dora's face, because she balled her hands up into fists and took a step closer to her.
"At breakfast today, I saw you talking to him, letting him touch you—and one of the Weasley twins told me what he said to you! He offered you twenty galleons if you'd have sex with him, didn't he?"
'Dora's mouth dropped open, but when she went to stutter out a reply, Raya cut her off.
"Where's the money then?" Raya demanded, throwing a text book she'd been holding back into 'Dora's trunk. "Where'd you put it? If you're going to—going to do that with my boyfriend, I swear—!"
Tears were streaming down Raya's face, and 'Dora just started at her in confusion.
"I didn't—" she started, but Raya just shook her head.
"Don't lie to me," she snapped bitterly. "If you'd do it with Bill for nothing, then why refuse money? Everyone says you and Bill spent the night together, and someone even said they heard you moaning like some—some two-pence whore!"
Raya raised her wand, and for one terrifying moment 'Dora thought she was going to jinx her. When everything she owned flew into her trunk in a messy heap, followed by the trunk lid slamming shut, however, she almost wished Raya had cursed her instead.
"You're not allowed in here anymore," Raya growled. "Everyone agrees. Go sleep in someone else's bed, you worthless cunt."
Stunned, 'Dora had no words to formulate a reply, much less a defence. She felt lightheaded and short of breath, but when her trunk slid out of the dormitory with help from Raya's wand, she had little choice but to follow. After she nearly tripped over herself to leave the room, the heavy door slammed shut behind her, leaving 'Dora feeling completely alone in the middle of the Gryffindor girls corridor.
