"Dying?" Tonks said.
"Dying. I can't show any weakness, Nymphadora. You must know that. If Tom thought for one moment that I wasn't healthy and capable of defending the school, he would attack in an instant," Albus said.
"You need me to be you," Tonks said slowly, understanding what was being requested of her.
"Only sometimes," Albus said. "Most days I wake up and I feel fine. But there are other days…" he trailed off, casting a look at Professor McGonagall. "Other days I am not so fine."
"What about polyjuice potion?" Tonks asked. "Why go through all this trouble to create a new potion?"
"We simply don't have the time and the resources to have a continuous supply of polyjuice potion ready at all times," Professor Dumbledore told her. "The potion Severus has developed is quite brilliant. He was able to use only simple ingredients, as I requested. He can brew a full month's worth in just under an hour."
Tonks stared at her hands for a moment.
"Tonks?" she heard Albus ask her gently, "I'm sure you have other questions."
She raised her head, and could feel tears forming in her eyes. "You're dying?" she asked.
He nodded at her. "Nymphadora, I am one hundred and forty-seven years old. My body is slowly shutting down. There is nothing to be done," he said softly.
"What happens if you die?" She felt a slight tingle in her spine as she asked that question. "Would you need me to be you until the war is over?"
Professor Dumbledore shook his head. "I would not ask that of you, Nymphadora," he said. Tonks didn't even notice that he had reverted back to calling her 'Nymphadora."
"If I die, the students will be told I am sick. Professor McGonagall is ready to take my place, and fight in my stead," he said, giving Professor McGonagall a smile.
Tonks noticed that Professor McGonagall was fighting back tears as well.
Tonks finally felt ready to discuss practical matters. "How will I know if you need me?" she asked.
"What I feel would be best, and you have every right to stay no, is that you stay at Hogwarts. You may stay with Severus, if you wish, or if you'd rather, we could find a room for you," Albus told her.
Tonks opened her eyes in surprise. Considering how against he was their relationship last year, Tonks would never believe that he would actually suggest that she and Severus live together.
"Severus and I will discuss that," she said softly, but then a thought entered her mind. "But that would leave Remus alone at Headquarters. I couldn't do that to him."
"Remus will be going on a great deal more missions for the Order. He will not be living at Headquarters for much of the time," Albus told her.
"I see," Tonks said, fiddling with her hands.
"Assuming that you will accept the assignment, I would ask that we spend a great deal of time together over the next few days. You will need to learn some of my history and my mannerisms," Albus said. It was obvious from the tone in his voice, that he did not want any pity.
"I accept," Tonks said simply. Tonks saw Professor Dumbledore let out his breath.
"Thank you, Nymphadora," he said. "Needless to say, this must be kept quiet. I want no one in the Order to know. No one outside of this room should be informed of our plan."
"I can understand that," Tonks said, trying to sound cheerful.
Professor Dumbledore stood up suddenly. "That is all for tonight. If you could so kindly be in my office right after breakfast tomorrow."
Tonks stood up as well. "Of course. Tomorrow." Tonks turned and followed Severus out of the Headmaster's Office.
Severus and Tonks walked through the corridors in silence. When they stopped in front of his door, Severus turned and looked at her. "Filch, for some reason changed the password for my door without my authorization. The new password is bezoar."
"A stone from the goat's stomach?" Tonks asked in surprise.
"I wanted the new password to be completely different from the last," he admitted. He then whispered the password and the door opened.
Tonks bounded in. "You cleaned!" she said, stating the obvious.
Severus smiled and wrapped his arms around her from behind. "I cleaned."
Tonks turned around and faced him. "How long have you known?" she asked sadly.
"Four months, I beleive" Severus said. "He mentioned the potion in passing three months ago. Only when school was finished for the year did he tell me how important it would be to complete this potion."
They walked hand in hand to the small couch. "So I'll be the Headmaster. I kinda like the idea of having so much power over you," she giggled.
"You would," Severus said sarcastically.
Tonks took a deep breath. "What about what Albus suggested. Me staying here?" Tonks asked quietly.
"I think it's a good idea," Severus said, "I like the idea of you being here with me."
Tonks settled herself in his arms. "So do I."
88888
The next morning, Tonks woke up with a start. She moved her hand over; Severus wasn't there. "What time is it?" she called out, still very groggy. She had been working the evening shifts for the past month. It was far too early to start her day.
"Dora, it's already eight o'clock," Severus said. Tonks looked him over. He was dressed in his typical teaching outfit. "Breakfast is served in fifteen minutes."
Tonks groaned. "Not hungry," she said, throwing the bedspread over her head to block the light out.
Severus sat on the bed, and took the covers off of her head. "Up," he said, stroking her back.
Tonks sighed. "Keep that up, and I'll force you to get back in bed with me," she giggled.
"Another time, my love," he said, keeping a straight face.
"Damn," she said under her breath. Without warning, she jumped out of bed. "Happy?"
"Very," he told her, smiling slightly, his eyes roaming her body.
Tonks suddenly became very aware that she was naked. Quickly, she grabbed her clothes and started getting dressed. "I'm going to floo home and change there," she told him, giving him a quick kiss. "I'll see you later."
88888
Tonks sat in an uncomfortable chair, balancing a small writing desk on her lap. She looked expectantly at Professor Dumbledore, while sucking on the tip of the quill in her hand.
He was pacing. "It is hard, you know. I'm trying to figure out the essentials of my life. But right now, every moment seems essential," Albus said more to himself than to her.
"First you need to know my full name. Professor Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore," he said.
"Brian?" Tonks asked, surprised.
"A very good friend of my father's," Albus said softly. Tonks wrote as quickly as she could.
"I was born in Eighteen Fifty in Hogsmeade," Albus continued. "My parents were both Professors here at Hogwarts. My father taught Ancient Runes and my mother taught Potions. I actually grew up here in these very halls.
"I've been married…" he paused for a moment, thinking, "Twice. First, at age twenty, when I was an irrational young man, to an equally irrational woman. But she was beautiful," Albus smiled, remembering her face. "After ten years, we realized we couldn't possibly spend the rest of our lives together, so we released each other from our vows.
"Thirty years later, I married again. I thought I would have much better judgment at age sixty. I was wrong," he smiled at Tonks, over his half-moon spectacles. "That marriage lasted fifteen years."
"You never thought about getting married again?" Tonks asked interestedly.
Albus looked down at his desk. "Our needs and wants are very complicated, Nymphadora," he said gently. Tonks could tell he was holding something back, but she refused to push the subject.
"I started teaching at Hogwarts when I was forty-five. I see you're doing the math in your head. I've been employed by Hogwarts for one hundred and two years," he said happily.
Tonks let out a long whistle. Those were numbers that she couldn't even contemplate.
"I first taught Arthimancy, for I believe forty years. Then I taught Transfiguration. In Nineteen Seventy, I was promoted to Headmaster."
Tonks was couldn't seem to keep up. She was learning more about Professor Dumbledore in an hour than she had learned in her seven years at Hogwarts.
"That is enough detail for today, I believe," Albus told her. He stood up and brought out a robe. "This one of my older robes. Please go and change into it."
Tonks simply slipped the robe over her head, and starting undress underneath is. Once her own clothes were off, she walked to Professor Dumbledore and studied him. She started to memorize details of his face. Today she would try to master his face. Tomorrow, his hands.
Scrunching her nose, she changed one detail at a time on her own face. First, her hair, which had been spiked and light blue, turned into a snow white, falling down to her waist. Her button nose became long and crooked.
"Even more crooked, my dear. You are being too generous. This nose has been broken seven times," Albus said, his eyes laughing.
Tonks complied, and changed the whole shape of her face in one swoop. Gently, she reached out her hands and felt the position of his cheekbones; she didn't think she had that quite right. Finally satisified, she moved on, and could feel her skin starting to wrinkle.
Tonks groaned, ready to try to add facial hair. She hated facial hair. Whenever she impersonated a man, she always left him clean-shaven. It took a few moments, but she was able to duplicate his long white beard.
Last, but not least, were his eyes. How would she ever do his eyes justice? They were a very light blue, and they could show so much emotion. Tonks must have stared in Professor Dumbledore's eyes for five minutes before she even attempted to morph them.
He looked over the finished face. Tonks wished he would say something. Quickly, she shook her head, and changed back to herself. Closing her eyes, and concentrating very hard, she morphed her face to match Dumbeldore's in one try.
Tonks ran to a mirror, and was pleased with the results. Professor Dumbledore was staring back at her.
"My dear, including you and Nata, I've know five metamorphs in my life. You have more talent at such a young age than any of them did," he told her.
"And Nata will be more talented than me, If I have anything to say about it," Tonks announced proudly.
Just then, the stairs could be heard outside of his office. Tonks quickly morphed back to herself. She grabbed her clothes off of the floor. "Go change upstairs," Professor Dumbledore said quickly.
Tonks nodded and ran up the small set of stairs. No one could see the landing from the office below. She changed as quickly as she could, and made it downstairs before Professor Dumbledore allowed the guest in his office.
It was Professor Flitwick. "Tonks!" he squeaked excitedly. "And how are you on this fine day?"
"I'm good," she said happily. Professor Flitwick was the Head of Ravenclaw, her House at Hogwarts.
"Still changing you hair color every time a question is asked?" he said cheekily.
Tonks started laughing. Her hair color changing had become the makings of Hogwarts legend. During her sixth year, before he was Severus to her, and just mean ol' Professor Snape, he had taken away house points for coming to class with purple hair. At the time, he said it was distracting. So that day, every single time he asked a question to a student, she changed her hair color, just to annoy him. Tonks ended up losing her House forty points and getting two weeks worth of detention. But it had been worth it at the time, just to make him mad.
"Nah, I'd like to think I've matured since then," Tonks giggled.
"You're still a Dark Wizard catcher, I hope," Flitwick said kindly. In her seventh year, he spent hours tutoring her so that her Charms N.E.W.T was high enough. She ended up with an O.
"Of course. But right now, there's only one Dark Wizard I'd like to catch," she said seriously.
"Don't we all?" Flitwick sighed.
"You'll have to excuse us, Nymphadora, we have some business to discuss," Albus said gently. "Same time tomorrow?"
"Works for me," Tonks said, practically skipping out of the Headmaster's Office. It was only ten o'clock and she had the rest of the day to herself. She decided that this was the best assignment ever.