~~~Surprises~~~
Severus stormed down to his chambers after the fest had finished muttering darkly as he swooped through the halls and down the stair.
Severus growled as he paced in his rooms. How dare he, how dare the headmaster treat him with such blatant disrespect in front of his students. Had Dumbledore that little respect for him. And that after Albus had asked him to go and find the two wayward students.
"SEVERUS," Tonks shouted falling on her face as she flooed into Severus' rooms. She pushed herself up and sat on the floor pouting up at her husband. Severus rushed over to her and he noted that she was drenched from bright green spikes to her sandals.
"What's wrong?" he asked.
"I need your help," she stammered, "something's bursts."
"WHAT?" he demanded pulling her up from the floor.
"At home," she said, "the sink broke."
Severus grabbed her hand and they flooed to their London flat. Severus stumbled out and Tonks crashed into him from behind. Pushing him face first into five inches of water.
"Get up," he growled.
"Sorry," Tonks muttered as she hurried up and then helped her suddenly very wet husband up. The two of them waded through the apartment. He stopped as he entered the kitchen. It seemed as though someone had replaced the sink with a fountain. Water was bursting through a crack in the faucet.
"Shouldn't it have stopped by know," Tonks asked biting her lower lip.
"No," Severus said as he pulled out his wand and with a few spells fixed the fissure in the sink and cleaned up the water.
"How'd you do that?" Tonks asked.
"A few simple spells," Snape said, "didn't you try to fix it?"
"Yes," she said with a trembling lower lip, "but it made it worse."
"It's ok," Severus sighed and pulled his sopping wife close to him.
"No it's not," she muttered.
"Yes, it is no harm done," he said trying to sooth her.
"I can't do anything right," she mumbled.
"That is not true."
"Yes, it is."
"TONKS!" Severus snapped.
"Severus," Tonks said softly.
"Shut up and listen to me," Snape said sternly, "and listen good because I am not repeating it."
"Ok," came the whisper.
"You are not useless," he rested his head on hers, "trust me, Tonks."
"I do," she said, "but Severus…"
"Nymph," he firmly said leading her to their couch. He sat down with her and placed comforting arms around her, "you are not."
"Really?"
"Yes, you put up with me, don't you?"
"Yes," she shyly looked at him, "but that is not a difficult feat."
"Most people would beg to differ with you," he said, "you are good at what you do, so you have some trouble, all of us do."
"Really."
"Yes, even I blow up cauldrons from time to time."
"I knew that," she grinned.
"Not that often."
"Sure, Severus."
"Nymph," he said caressing her cheek with his hand, "where did this self-deprecating attitude come from."
"I was going over my auror paper work again," she grimaced, "then I tried to fix a dripping sink, and, well, you say how that went."
"Al right," Severus said, "are you feeling better?"
"Yes," she smiled and kissed his nose, "how was your day?"
Severus groaned, in the midst of the faucet emergency he had plainly forgotten everything that had happened. So he decided to change the topic.
"We should get out of these wet clothing, lest we catch a cold."
"Fine," Tonks sighed and she followed him to their bedroom.
"Sev," she said, "what happened?"
"What are you talking about?"
"Don't play coy with me," she scolded, "something happened tonight at Hogwarts, right?"
"Things are continuously happening at Hogwarts," Snape answered.
"Do I look like an idiot?" she asked.
"No, you look like a drowned lime, what with you hair all wet and the green clothing that you put on did not help."
"SEVERUS," Tonks cut him off mid sentence, "what happened?"
"Why are you asking if anything happened?"
"Because it obviously has you upset."
"You have me upset."
"Fine, then, just go back to Hogwarts, see if I care," she shouted at him, stormed from the room.
"Tonks!" Snape called after her. He followed her into the kitchen were she pulled a glass from the cupboard and poured herself a glass of water.
"Nymphadora," Severus said in a calmer tone of voice. She flinched and slammed the glass on the counter.
"Don't call me Nymphadora," she hissed turning to face her husband, "and forgive me for caring about what has you so fucking upset!"
"Tonks, I," Severus started, unsure what to say, "yes, something did happen and I am sorry that I took my anger out on you, you did not deserve that."
"Damn straight I didn't," she muttered. Then she turned to him, "are you going to tell me or not."
"I would rather not," Snape sighed, "I am however getting tired of headmaster Dumbledore."
"What happened, Severus," she sighed this was like pulling teeth.
"Misters Potter and Weasley arrived at Hogwarts via a flying Ford, and Albus was not please with my methods of dealing with the issue, and thanks to him they got off only a detention each, they flew into the whomping willow."
"Are they alright?" Tonks asked worried. She knew just how dangerous that tree was.
"Yes, they were fine, but that is not my point," Severus said, "were they anyone else they would have been expelled or at least in greater trouble."
"So that's what this is about," Tonks smiled, "Albus and his favorites, again, what's wrong Severus, jealous that someone could take your place?"
"What?" he demanded. Tonks smiled sweetly up at her lover.
"Afraid that you will no longer be Albus' favorite anymore."
"What are you blathering on about, woman?"
"Come on, Severus everyone knows that you have always been the headmaster's favorite student."
"That is not true," insisted Snape, "Potter, Black, Pettigrew and Lupin were."
"Ok."
"I have to get back to Hogwarts, I have a Slytherin meeting to attend," he said kissing her lips, "I love you Tonks."
"I know," she smiled, "I love you too."
That weekend Severus was sitting in his rooms correcting his "welcome back" quizzes. He had owled Tonks back last night when Engelbert tapped on his windows. He had forgotten some important things in London and his asked her to bring them to him. He was dimly aware of her shuffling about in their bedroom. Severus continued correcting until he heard a sharp single rap on the door, cursing he stood up and walked over to it and pulled it open.
"What are you doing here," he demanded once he saw the short, dark haired woman. She was dressed to the nines, and lifted a manicured hand to her face to feign distress.
"Is that anyway to greet your mother, Severus," she asked raising one delicate eyebrow.
"With you as my mother, yes.
Madame Snape pushed past her son inviting herself into his rooms. "Come with me, Severus, we need to talk about something."
"Yes, mother," snarled Severus as he followed her, "what do you want now?"
"You wound me," Esmerelda Snape said in a sticky, sweet voice, "Can't a mother visit her only child."
"Not you, mother."
To be continued…