Chapter Fourteen – First Class, Order of Merlin
"Fuck you, Malfoy," Tonks spat.
"My, my feisty tonight, aren't we?" Malfoy chuckled. "That's something I always liked about you, Celeste. You were quite…wild."
Tonks looked at him in disbelief. Her first thought was that he had lost his mind. She showed him last year that Celeste had been her. Tonks was not even morphed as Celeste, she was herself.
Malfoy slid his hands up her side. His hand caressed her midsection, right where her broken rib was. She winced and he seemed to get more excited, seeing her in pain.
Tonks quickly tried to take stock in her surroundings. It didn't look good. She was bound to the tree. Even if she could get loose, she wouldn't be able to run or apparate away, because of her injuries. She couldn't scream for help, because that would bring more Death Eaters, and it looked like they were after her.
Malfoy sat on a tree stump in front of her. "I had a lot of time to think about you in prison, my dear," he said softly. "You made an excellent spy, Celeste."
She thought for a moment. Malfoy truly seemed to think he was talking to Celeste, not Tonks.
"I know," she said finally. He slapped her across the face.
"You dirty slut," he said quietly. "You were fucking me, but the entire time you were working behind my back."
Tonks laughed, simply because she knew it would infuriate him. "That's right."
"So how did you get Snape to give you fake Veritaserum?" Malfoy asked. "Did you fuck him too? Gods know that Snape will lap up any female attention lavished on him. The pathetic fool."
Tonks started to yell at him but held back just in time. Malfoy stood up and pressed his weight against her. She couldn't stop from crying out in pain.
He was breathing on her neck. "You like that don't you…" He was almost crushing her against the tree. She could feel his hardness against her leg.
"I know you're hurt," he whispered. "Beg me to stop and I'll consider it."
Tonks spit right in his face. "I don't beg," she snarled.
He smiled, as he wiped her spit off of his face with his arm. "I knew you wouldn't," he said, almost sounding pleased.
Malfoy took a step back and took out the wand he was carrying, which Tonks noticed was her own. He must have picked it up when she had fallen to the ground. He gave it a wave, and the ropes were released.
Tonks fell straight to the ground. She felt tears stinging her eyes. Her body was in agony. She tried to get herself off of the ground, but had no success.
Malfoy jumped on top of her, pinning her to the ground. His hands fumbled with the buttons on her jeans. "One last time, Celeste," he said quietly. "Then you die."
She didn't have the energy or strength to struggle. He pushed her jeans and her underwear down to her knees. Tonks tried in vain to push him off of her. She was much too weak. Tonks tried to prepare herself for the enevitiable. Quickly, she morphed her eyes to a dark blue to prevent pregnancy.
"Keep struggling, Celeste," he whispered in her ear. "It makes it that much more exciting."
Suddenly, he kissed her fiercely. Tonks realized she had a chance to defend herself. She bit his lip as hard as she could. He lifted his head, and Tonks pushed him off of her when he hesitated.
Malfoy jumped up, looking angry. Even though he was off of her, she still didn't have the strength to stand. As he pointed his wand at her, he wiped his hand across his mouth and looked at his hand. Tonks was pleased to see blood streaked across his face.
His eyes were furious. "Very well," he said intensely. "You die now."
Tonks saw the tip of her wand glowing green. She refused to close her eyes. She wanted to face death with them open.
"Avada Kedavra!"
Lucius Malfoy froze, and suddenly toppled over. Tonks blinked in amazement. She wasn't dead. She looked out past where Malfoy had been standing.
There was Severus, wand out, looking angrier than Tonks had ever seen him.
"Severus!" Tonks cried. He ran to her quickly, saw the state she was in and swore under his breath.
"Did he- He didn't…" Severus said, gently pulling up her underwear, followed by her jeans, buttoning each button carefully.
Tonks shook her head. The tears she had been holding back just started flowing.
"Can you stand?" Severus asked quietly, holding her to him.
"No," Tonks whimpered.
Suddenly there was a voice out in the forest. "I just saw an Unforgivable!" the voice cried.
Tonks looked quickly out into the distance. There were two or three Aurors running towards them.
"Go!" Tonks ordered frantically.
"I can't leave you, Dora," Severus said.
"You must!" Tonks whispered. "You'll be arrested if you're seen here. I'll find you at Hogwarts."
Severus looked agonized. He looked at the Aurors who were getting closer.
"Please!" Tonks begged.
Severus stood up and whispered, "I love you." With a resounding crack he was gone.
Calvin Wong and Kingsley sprinted to her. "Who was that?" Calvin barked. "Who performed the Unforgivable?"
"I did," Tonks said, pointing to Lucius Malfoy's body.
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It seemed like ages before she was taken to the Ministry. Tonks couldn't apparate or ride a broom, so she was put in a stretcher, and carried between two brooms. She was given a few healing charms, which made her feel much better. She still knew she would need to go to the Hospital Wing as soon as she made it to Hogwarts.
But first, there was the paperwork. Tonks begged them to let her fill out the paperwork tomorrow, but they insisted it be filled out now. She glanced at the clock on the wall. It was already four o'clock in the morning.
Tonks had just filled out another form when Cornelius Fudge came up to her, looking delighted. "First Class Order of Merlin!" he said, rubbing his hands together.
"I don't want anything," Tonks said, concentrating on writing.
"My dear, you've killed a much wanted Death Eater. We need to show the public that we're committed to defeating you-know-who," Fudge said eagerly. "I think a big ceremony would be just the ticket."
"Do that and you'll give the Death Eaters more of a reason to come after me," Tonks hissed. Did the man have no common sense?
Fudge just shook his head and walked away. "I'll let you know when the ceremony is, my dear," he called over his shoulder.
"I won't be there!" Tonks shouted back. She winced from having straightened up. She needed to get to Hogwarts as soon as she could. She was sure Madame Pomfrey would get her mended in just a moment.
"There!" Tonks cried, having finished the last form. "I'm leaving, if anyone cares!"
Tonks stood up gingerly, and walked slowly outside of the Magic of Ministry Office. She had another dilemma. She had no way of getting to Headquarters. She couldn't apparate, and she couldn't floo there, not when there were so many people in the Ministry.
Finally, she stuck out her wand arm. The Knight Bus appeared a moment later.
"Welcome to the Knight Bus," the conductor started.
"Just help me on," Tonks said quickly, interrupting Stan.
"My, aren't you in a temper," Stan said.
"You have no idea."
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She wasn't sure why she was surprised to see Severus waiting there for her at the entrance. The moment he saw the Knight Bus stop, he ran on board. Tonks shook her head. Luckily there were no other passengers on board to see them.
"Can you walk?" he asked quietly when he reached her.
"Not far," she admitted. She already felt better, just seeing his face, and knowing that he was fine.
Gently, he picked her up off of her seat.
"Ahem," Stan said.
"Do you have eleven sickles on you?" Tonks asked softly. She didn't have any money with her. Stan was about to throw her off when he noticed how injured she was.
Severus stopped, and put one hand in his pocket, balancing her with his other arm. Quickly, he handed Stan a Galleon and walked towards the door.
"Don't choo want your change?" Stan asked.
"Keep it," Severus told him, walking down the steps carefully.
Tonks finally felt safe, being carried in his arms. As they entered the school, she asked, "How'd you know I would be on the Knight Bus?"
"I could tell you were in too much pain to apparate, Dora," Severus told her. "And you couldn't floo to Headquarters from St. Mungos."
"I wasn't at St. Mungos," Tonks admitted.
"Then where were you?" Severus asked worriedly. "It's been three hours since I left you."
"Paperwork," Tonks said, burying her face in his neck. She could feel his day old stubble on his check.
"They made you fill out paperwork?" Severus asked. "Why? You're hurt!"
"They gave me some healing charms. I just wanted to get it over with. I can't tell you the amount of paperwork that has to be filled out when an Auror uses an Unforgivable," Tonks said quietly.
To her relief, they entered the hospital wing. Madam Pomfrey was waiting for her. Severus gently placed her on a hospital bed. The Mediwitch went straight to work.
An hour later, Tonks was feeling much better, though she was still tired. She looked at her pocket watch. It was close to six o'clock in the morning.
"Severus?" she asked. Tonks was lying on her side, facing the window. She wasn't even sure if Severus was in the room with her.
"I'm here, Dora," Severus said, patting her shoulder. Tonks winced, and moved herself so that she was lying on her back.
She looked into his eyes. They were such a dark gray that they almost looked black at times. "Thank you for saving my life," she said quietly.
Severus sat on the edge of the bed, careful not to cause her any pain. "You're welcome," he said, stroking her cheek.
"I'm sorry you had to kill," she told him.
He sighed, and took her hands. "Dora, I will do anything and everything to make sure we live through this," he said seriously.
"I know you will," she said softly. But then a horrible thought hit her. "I have to talk to Draco before the morning post arrives!" she said, slowly sitting up.
"Dora, you can barely move," Severus said, trying to get her to lie down.
"I have to talk to Draco!" Tonks shouted. "I'm not going to have him learn that his father was killed from the paper!"
"I'll tell him," Severus said quietly.
Tonks shook her head. "No," she said, tears prickling her eyes. "The Daily Prophet will be all over this. He needs to hear it from me."
"We could tell him together," Severus said finally.
"That won't work," Tonks said frustratedly. "He can't associate us together."
"Dora…" Severus trailed off.
"What's the Ravenclaw password?" Tonks asked.
"Pardon?" Severus asked.
"I know teachers have the password to every House. What's Ravenclaws?" Tonks demanded. She sat up, and slowly stood up. She looked down. She was wearing a simple nightgown with a Hogwarts Crest on the front. He seemed to realize she wasn't going to back down. He helped her get dressed in the clothes she had worn the previous evening.
When she was dressed, he gently picked her up to carry her. "You won't be able to walk that far," he told her.
He walked her to the West Wing and stopped in front of a painting that had a very old man playing chess.
"Gorgon," he told the painting. As the painting opened, Severus put her down. She took a step into her old Common Room. She was pleased that it hadn't changed at all. A few of the older students were already up studying, and looked at Professor Snape interestedly through the doorway.
Tonks took tiny steps towards a chair that looked towards the boy's staircase. She would see Draco as he tried to leave for breakfast. As she settled herself into the chair, Severus nodded to her and walked away from the West Wing.
A half an hour later, Draco walked down the steps by himself. He looked surprised when he saw her sitting there.
"Tonks?" he asked quietly.
Tonks nodded. She took a deep breath, and tried to prepare herself for the conversation that was coming.
"We need to talk."