a/n: this chapter is a bit longer than the others, and, in my opinion, a lot more interesting.
Characters and loose plot copyright JK Rowling : D
The Patronus in front of her barked, agitated. It had, Tonks realized, been very polite by respecting her privacy, but only to the point that she had shown no signs of answering to it. Poor thing, it had been waiting outside of her flat for ten minutes, at the least.
The monster of a dog that sat in front of her growled impatiently, its werewolf teeth gleaming with ivory light. It was his Patronus, she knew. But… why send for her this way? Something must be wrong. He was in the Order… oh, god… It barked again, and Tonks tried desperately to sober herself. The soothing sound and light gently emanating from the beast and drowning her bathroom did not help in her struggle.
"Yes?" she said, tentatively. It was then that she noticed a small note, gently tied with silver string, perched between the Patronus' front teeth. The poor thing looked exasperated.
Tonks reached out to fetch the note. As she tugged at the folded parchment, her little finger brushed the side of the werewolf's silvery, translucent mouth.
An immediate sensation overcame the young woman, stark naked behind the shower curtain that even still she clutched, making her quake. She felt love, love stronger than any kind and every kind she had ever known, searing her flesh, veins, and skin as it soared through her body. She trembled harder, barely noticing that she was crying out from the pain and ecstasy of it all. She saw his face in her mind's eye and shrieked in agony and joy as her body, mind, and soul hurtled through hell and heaven, coastering through everything she had ever lived.
The Patronus pulled away, Tonks having retrieved the note. As soon as she was no longer touching the beast, the feeling stopped short. Good Merlin, she thought, I've gone insane.
As if reading her thoughts, the Patronus looked at her apologetically. As soon as it had, it turned round, and barreled through the door, dissolving upon passing her bed.
"Good lord." Tonks breathed heavily, swaying back and forth, staring at the bubbles beneath her, fizzling by the shower drain.
The note, meanwhile, was growing steadily wetter. The inked initials on the front, N. T., were running and dyeing the silver ribbon black. Choosing to forget what she had just experienced and remember it later, when she had some time to think, she forced her jittery hands to help her open the letter. Her un-polished, chewed-down fingernails hastened to rip open the wax seal. As the parchment magically unfolded and replaced itself in Tonks' grasp, she recognized Dumbledore's hand.
The letter read,
Dear Nymphadora,
A Hogwarts student by the name of Katie Bell has been cursed by an ancient necklace that is believed to have been purchased from a store in Knockturn Alley called Borgin and Burkes. She is quite unwell and has been transferred to St. Mungo's upon Madame Pomfrey's orders. There is much to discuss and I would quite benefit from your attendance to an Order meeting tonight at headquarters. I trust and hope that Remus' Patronus reached you safely.
Quite yours, Albus Dumbledore
Damn, Tonks thought. This is horrible. And suddenly she realized that she was still standing in the shower, the water bouncing off her back. She reached around and turned the water off, toweled down, and dressed quickly. All the while she dreaded the meeting tonight, where she would have to face a gaggle of witches and wizards who cared about her and who tried desperately to pretend everything was quite dandy in her life.
But, worst of all, Tonks thought, as she sat gingerly on her bed after stubbing her toe on a nearby table, her head in her hands, I'll have to see him.