Mysterious Hearts

~~~Journeys~~~

"Two hundred points, Albus, each," Severus said incredulously, his voice raising with each word, "for what, walking that fine line between bravery and stupidity, that you Gryffindors are so bloody fond of."

"Severus," Minerva gasped at his rudeness.

"What they did was very brave, Severus," Albus said trying to be patient.

"Try very stupid, headmaster," Severus scoffed.

"Severus…"

"They went in a hole with Lockhart," Severus ranted, "Speaking of frauds…."

"Severus, if you are finished I have some business to attend to."

"Very well, headmaster," Severus said robes swishing behind him as he vacated the office.  Once he was gone Albus placed his head in his hands, he was getting too old for this.

Severus stalked down to his office and made sure he had everything to floo home.  Tonks was in the living room with some magazines when he arrived.  He dropped on to the couch besides her and kissed her cheek.

"Hey," she said.

"Hey."

"Want to talk about it?"

"Talk about what," he pretended that nothing was wrong, sometimes is shocked him how well he and Tonks knew each other.

"What ever it is that is wrong," she sighed, "unlike some of us I am not a mind reader."   

"Very well. I am once again irritated at the way that Albus handles Harry Potter."

"What happened?"

"Potter and Weasley decided to find the chamber of secrets and took Lockhart with them and Albus rewarded them with two hundred points apiece."

"It seems as though they did a brave thing."

"There is a fine line between bravery and stupidity, Nymph," Snape told her echoing his earlier words to Dumbledore, "one that Gryffindors delight in crossing."

"And what about Slytherins?"

"Slytherins don't get anywhere near that line, we are neither stupid nor brave."

"You must be the exception to prove that rule."

"What are you reading," asked Snape quickly to change the subject.  Tonks hid a sly smile.

"Travel guides."

"Whatever for?"

"Our honeymoon."

"Haven't we already had one?"

"Yes."

"Then…"

"Its our second honeymoon, Severus, don't you remember our conversation about doing this as much as possible."

"Yes, I do recall that conversation," he said, "What did you have in mind, Nymph?"

"A cruise," she smiled, "a non-wizard cruse."

Severus rose his eyebrow at her, "why a non-wizard cruse?"

"I don't want to have to share you, plus we never know who we are going to meet."

"Good point."

"So are you taking me to dinner tonight?"

"Pardon, Nymph?"

"I thought we could go to dinner and then have a 'quiet' evening at home."

"I suppose that you already have the restaurant picked out."

"Yes, now go and change."  Severus glowered halfheartedly at his wife before showering and changing his clothes.  He took Tonks to a nice muggle restaurant in London, where she told him her plans for their vacation.  She wanted to take a cruise in the Caribbean.

"Tell me once again, WHY, we have to fly there, in a plane?" Severus muttered in the cab on the way to the airport.

"Because Severus, both Dante and Chloe are muggles," Tonks grinned, "better not tell your mother that we are traveling with muggles."

"She'd have a massive coronary."

"Well in that case can I tell her?"

"Tonks," Chloe called as she and her boyfriend Dante entered the gate where their plane would be loading. 

"Hey Chloe," Tonks embraced her friend.  She grabbed Severus' hand as she felt him listing away from the crowd, "Severus, this is Chloe's boyfriend Dante."

"Please to meet you," Severus said eyeing the other man.  Dante was as tall as he was, but nowhere near as thin as him.  Dante had very short blond hair, and he gripped Severus hand tightly.

"Nice to meet you too."

The boarding call came shortly and Tonks hugged her father before loading the plane, "I send you a postcard."

"Severus you take the aisle seat," Tonks said getting after stowing her bag.

"Alright," Severus said and Tonks slipped into the row of seats.  She smiled when she sat next to Chloe.  She buckled up and smiled as Severus sat down next to her.  After he fastened his seat belt she took his hand and leaned over and whispered in his ear.

"It won't be that bad Severus," she said. 

"Are you sure?" came the hesitant question.

"I have done this a lot Severus," Tonks added, "besides if you don't like it we'll find a different way to come home."

"Alright."

Tonks nodded off about an hour into the flight.  Severus shook here awake when the plane jolted. 

"What?" she asked not removing her head from his shoulder.

"The plane jostled," Snape hissed.

"Turbulence," Tonks said.

"What?"

"Patches of instable air, something like that it happens all the time."

"WHAT!"

"Don't worry Severus, it is perfectly safe," Chloe said looking at them, "it happens all the time."

"I don't like it," Snape said as he tightly gripped the arm rests as they hit another small patch of turbulence.  After the early bouts of turbulence the rest of the plane ride was smooth.  Severus found himself relaxing and enjoying the flight, until the plane began its descent in Florida.  Severus' fingers tightened around Tonk's hand and he gripped on for dear life until the plane stopped moving.   

They waited for an hour at the baggage claim for Severus' luggage.  After scaring the airport official, they were told that his luggage had been lost and it would be returned to the Heathrow Airport.  Then they hurried to their hotel for the night and the next morning boarded the cruise ship.  Tonks turned to her husband was a smug glint in her eye, "Severus."

"Yes, Nymph?"

"You have been on a boat before, right?"

"Yes," came the growl through clenched teeth.

The two couples spent a lot of time together and the same amount apart on the boat.  This morning Tonks and Chloe had taken a trip to the spa. 

"Now, I have to locate my husband," Tonks grinned. 

"That shouldn't be too hard, Tonks," Chloe put in, "he sticks out with that outfit."

"I am so glad that we got pictures of him this morning," the young with giggled, "blackmail purposes."

"I've got to meet Dante for lunch," Chloe said before they parted ways, "good luck with the search."

"Thanks, and have fun," Tonks smiled suggestively.  It seemed that Chloe was right, Severus was not that hard to find.  In fact he stuck out like a sore thumb.  Tonks made her way down to where he was, watching with a smile.

Severus was dressed in the most horrendously lime green Hawaiian shirt that you could find; it clashed with his neon pink Bermuda shorts.  But nothing completed the outfit like the black sandals with matching knee high socks.  Snape growled as he lowered down into the chair he grabbed the tube of zinc oxide and applied a rather generous amount to his hawkish nose.  He had already slathered his body with SPF 35.

Severus shot daggers at the giggling cruse goers.  His wife had picked out the shirt and it was most definitely not his fault that the airlines had lost his luggage and he had to buy clothing in the gift store on the boat.

Snape barely nodded as Tonks sat down beside him.  She leaned over and kissed his cheek, "hey."

"Nymph," Severus said.

"Having fun?"

"I could be worse."

"I suppose that's the best I'll get from you isn't it?" Tonks rolled her eyes.

"Have you seen what I am wearing?!" Snape hissed, "and all my sun blocking potions were in my luggage, I have to use muggle stuff."

"Lets get something to eat and drink," Tonks said pulling him up, "would want you to get ornery due to dehydration."

"Alright."

"By the way Severus, the clothes aren't that bad, you don't really stick out."

Upon their return Severus things were waiting for them at the airport, they had been to Italy and back.  Tonks returned to work and begin her auror training anew with Mad-eye and Severus spent long days in his lab making up for missed time.

To be continued…