Stress Relief

Here ya go! I went to post this earlier, having made my final changes to it, when (insert some of your own swear words here, cos I\'m not going to repeat what I said) winword told me that it had a fatal error (insert some more here) and I had to bloody do it all over again! GRRRRR! Anyway, enjoy, and check my notes at the bottom!


WHO’S AFRAID OF THE BIG, BLACK DOG?

Snape planned on slipping out the door early the next morning, hoping not to have to face any of the residents of 12 Grimmauld Place. He was certain the yelling from Tonks’ room had been heard through out the house the previous night, despite that no one except Bill had come to see what was going on. However, as he slinked passed the lounge door, he heard Sirius’ crisp tone, “Buggered that one up, didn’t you, Snivellus!”
“Keep your nose out of it, you ignorant little twit!” Snape snapped in return, pausing in the doorframe.
“I think you should be the one worried about keeping your proboscis out of things – it’s a bloody miracle you haven’t put someone’s eye out with that monstrosity!”
“SIRIUS!” Molly’s voice came taut and high pitched. Snape stepped further into the room to see Molly frozen by the sofa, a towel she had been folding clutched so tightly in her hands that her knuckles had turned white.
“Oh, but don’t worry, Sevvy, Tonks didn’t have to sleep in an empty bed last night.” Sirius smiled smugly at the looming wizard.
“You.. you…! I’m going to bloody kill you!” Snape growled, approaching Sirius menacingly.
“Will you two just stop it!” Molly exploded, dropping her towel and stalking across the room to the two wizards. The pair seemed absolutely oblivious to her.
“Go on, then! I’d like to see you fucking try it!” Sirius rebutted, jumping to his feet, his eyes narrowing to tiny slits.
“I’d say we could take this outside, but, well, I guess that’s out of the question,” Snape taunted, as they circled each other.
“JUST STOP IT!” Molly screamed, but it was too late. Sirius took the first shot, catching Snape in the gut, winding him. Snape didn’t hesitate long though, before his own punch hit Sirius square in the face, a decidedly nasty crunch echoed through the room.
“Grab him, Remus!”
“Bill! I need a hand!”
“Tonks, get out of it!”
When all the yelling settled back down, Snape found Sirius struggling to free himself from Bill and Remus’ grips, his nose dripping blood all over the carpet. Snape stopped struggling, and found his own wrists tentatively released. He glanced at his captives briefly. To his left stood Arthur Weasley. However, to his right stood Tonks herself. Her hair was no longer pink, now long and a dull, unhealthy brown.
“Sirius! That is enough!” Arthur growled, pulling out his wand and pointing it at the struggling man as he thrashed wildly, blood flying.
Sirius, having caught sight of the wand, stopped in his tracks. Snape glanced again at Tonks, but she had her arms crossed, and was staring at the floor.
“Now,” Arthur growled, “that is it! The two of you are driving my poor wife crazy! We all know exactly what your problem is!” Snape caught Tonks’ head fall further. The rest of the room turned to look at her and she sniffed and ran from the room.
“Oh, dear!” Molly gasped, darting out the room after
The others refocused on Arthur. “I suggest you find a better way of dealing with your … problem before you drive that poor girl mad. One more harsh word, one more punch, even a sideways glance and I will go straight to Dumbledore – no excuses. Merlin, you are grown men, not a couple of school kids!”
Snape had to ask – he couldn’t stop himself. He knew he was overstepping Arthur’s rules, but he had no choice. “What did you mean, she..didn’t…”
“I’d love to say I did, but not this time. I believe,” Sirius glanced at Arthur, trying to keep his voice polite, not wanting to wind him up any further, “Bill here is the man you need to talk to.”
Snape couldn’t hide his surprise. Sure, he’d been in Tonks’ room when he’d left, but surely not..
“I think perhaps we need a word,” Bill spoke slowly, as if this was something he had hoped would not have to be done. Snape nodded curtly, and turned from the room, Bill following close behind. Arthur Weasley stared at his son’s back, his mouth agape.

Snape led Bill up to his own room. Bill closed the door quietly behind them, the lock clicking softly, before he turned to Snape.
“I think you’d better take a seat,” Bill said quietly, sitting him self down on the edge of the unmade bed. Snape slipped into the desk chair, his heart sinking further. It was true. Tonks had slept with Bill last night.
“Severus,” Bill said in a strangely gruff voice, “before you go jumping to any conclusions, hear me out. For starters, I did not have sex or anything of the sort with Nymphadora last night.” Snape looked up, his heart skipping a little. “In fact, what I’ve got to tell you is sort of embarrassing really.”
“Go on,” Snape said, his entire attention focused on Bill’s words.
“Tonks… Tonks okay, uh…” Bill stuttered trying to find an appropriate place to start, his usual confidence evading him. “Back when I was at Hogwarts, before you started teaching there of course, I.. I was in seventh year, Tonks had just started her third year. Quiet girl she was, as I’m sure you remember, kept to herself, she didn’t have a lot of friends really. Well, a few of my mates had started chasing after her, absolutely obsessed with her they were. I wondered what on earth the big deal was – she certainly wasn’t the usual type they went after. That’s when they told me she was a metamorphagus, and being seventeen, you can imagine the possibilities I thought of. So I asked her out, and she agreed…” Bill relayed the story of his encounter with Tonks, skipping the worst details, but portraying enough that Snape got the gist of what had happened. His face flushed with anger.
“It wasn’t until several years later that I realised what I’d done to her, mate, and I was sorry. So very sorry. I’ve apologised to her on many occasions, but I hate to say it, I wasn’t the only one. Tonks is used to being used, Severus. It hardly comes as a surprise that Sirius found it so easy to convince her that you were only doing the same.”
Bill gave Snape a curious glance, silently questioning his intentions.
“That is not my intention at all! How dare you! I…” Snape’s voice dropped, as if he were afraid someone else would hear him, “I love her.”
“Glad to here it, mate. But I think your going to find it a tough road to travel.”
“Where do I start?” Snape asked with a sigh, determined not to let Tonks go so easily.
“Wish I could tell you, but…if I knew that myself I would’ve travelled it already.” Bill moved to the door, his hand resting on the doorknob as he turned back to Snape. “Just one thing, take care of her, or Sirius won’t be the only one you have to deal with.” Bill left the room.
Snape didn’t know whether to feel relieved or not. At least now he knew what was bothering Tonks, but he couldn’t find any easy solution, and no potion was going to sort out this mess.


Amethyst - hope this lived up to your expectations! Thanks for the review!
Bogan - oh, don\'t worry, snapey will be a very happy boy by the time I\'m finished with him!
gx-Silver - and Tonks\'ll get her fair share too! Thanks for the review.
Jun - ohhh :) thank you!
Jaelyss - Okay, I admit it, I\'m an angst addict! Thanks!
Alana - Would\'ve made life so much easier if she had just listened, huh? Thanks for the luck for varsity - I think I might need it. I\'m not in the US either - I\'m stuck down here at the ends of the earth (otherwise known as New Zealand) freezing my arse off. This probably explains my surge of fics recently - it\'s too cold to move from the heater, which is right by my computer!
Tybalt - We women are rather confusing creatures, aren\'t we? Thanks for the review!