1 chaptered: Searching for a Change
Title: Searching for a Change; chapter 11 The Body
Words: circa 2600 (this chapter)
Rating: PG (this chapter)
Characers/Pairings: Snape/Tonks
Warnings: Started before Deathly Hallows and now totally disregards it!
Author's Notes: Thank you to my beta, the amazing jandjsalmon. All mistakes are mine, not hers.
Summary: (this chapter) Tonks and Snape visit the cemetery.
Previous chapters: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10
Snape watched as Tonks pulled her cloak tighter around her body as the bitter wind picked up. It wasn't winter, but it was cold and the temperature was dropping steadily. She was shivering beside him and automatically he reached out and pulled her to his side, wrapping his arm around her shoulder.
"Thank you," she whispered softly from beside him as they walked into the entrance of the cemetery. The cemetery was located near the edge of Diagon Alley. It was empty at first glance, just a plain field with tombstones jutting out of the ground. But it wasn't empty. There were people here - dead people, but still people. Snape felt like he could feel their presence.
"You know, you could have stayed home," Severus said not sparing her a glance as he looked around the cemetery. The atmosphere of the cemetery left an uneasy feeling in his body that he could feel in his bones. No one liked cemeteries.
"It's my case," she snapped, suddenly a bit testy.
Severus turned away, looking toward the edge of the cemetery, to hide the small smile that had formed on his lips. She was stubborn. For some reason he found her tenacity actually endearing. It surprised him he found so many things endearing about the young woman at his side.
The more time he spent with her, the more endearing he found her.
"Severus?" Tonks inquired quietly, breaking him from his reverie.
"Yes?"
"The gravesite is near the back."
He nodded briskly, guiding her deeper into the cemetery. He wished she had chosen to stay home. It would have been easier to break the rules by just digging up the grave than what she had in mind.
She had spent two hours getting permission from the Ministry of Magic to exhume the body before they could even come here. He wouldn't have bothered going through all the bureaucratic rubbish. A kidnapping and murder case was too important and working their way through the red tape and other formalities was just bothersome to Snape.
Tonks was still shivering beside him, clinging to him now. "You really should have stayed home," Snape informed her coldly.
"Stop saying that. It's my case," Tonks snapped again starting to pull away from him.
Snape pulled her tighter, gluing her to his side. "It is your case," he agreed. For a moment she was stiff, but then she relaxed against him.
"But I'm glad you came with me," Tonks whispered suddenly.
Snape stopped in his tracks, halting her too. Grabbing her shoulders, he turned her so she was directly in front of him.
"What?" she asked frowning. She looked worried.
He leaned down and kissed her forehead. "I wouldn't have let you do this alone, Tonks. I found you. This is as much my case as it is yours now. Though all the red tape was annoying, you're the lead on this."
Tonks smiled widely at him. "You've changed, Severus."
"I have?"
"You have," she repeated with a nod. She didn't seem to mind that he changed. In fact, she seemed pleased with the fact.
"How so?"
"You just have," she said happily before she leaned up and kissed his mouth chastely.
"That from the girl that was trying to get me undressed yesterday," Snape said gruffly. He suddenly wrapped his arms around her, pulling her body against his. The chaste kiss was almost annoying when she seemed to have wanted to shag him the day before. His mouth captured hers in a searing kiss. The moment he pulled her close her mouth opened slightly and he took full advantage by sliding his tongue inside to taste her.
Her hands moved up to rest on the back of his neck, pulling him down toward her. His hands drifted up to go on either side of her face to cup her face in his hands as his mouth slanted over hers again and again.
Abruptly he broke the kiss, pulling away from her.
"Severus," Tonks practically moaned. She was leaning up toward him, straining for another kiss, and pressing her breasts against his chest. He could feel her desire and for a moment contemplated kissing her again.
She was such a temptress.
Even in the midst of a cemetery in a bitter wind, she was a temptress.
Snape shook his head, dropping his arms from around her and taking a noticeable step away from her. "Come on, a dead body is waiting to be dug up."
She cleared the short distance in two steps, looking up at him with beautiful brown eyes full of desire, and wrapped her arms around his waist. "The body isn't going anywhere, Severus. We can easily go back to your place and then come back here and finish this."
"Do you hate the cemetery that much that you'd want to endure being at my place?"
"Shut up, Severus," she said before she leaned up on her tiptoes and kissed him hard, but quickly on the mouth. "I want you. You know I want you."
"But who says I want you?" he challenged, his voice lowering despite of him. His desire was actually quite clear in his voice and he was sure she could see it in his eyes, too. Tonks was too perception for her own good at times. But he didn't want to admit it so easily.
"You want me," Tonks whispered and leaned forward, kissing his neck softly. Her hands moved up his chest and wrapped around his neck. "You know you want me. We are two adults that want each other - what is wrong with that?"
"Nothing is wrong with that," Snape said, leaning down to kiss the top of her head. "But this is your case."
She frowned. She looked like a kid whose parents just said no to her. "Fine, have it your way. But Severus Snape, I will get you into bed sooner than you think."
Snape suppressed a smirk. She was a passionate, sexy temptress; almost irresistible but not quite. Snape stepped backward, practically glaring at her. It was hard to play the part of the uninterested man when she was so beautiful and willing. He could see the genuine desire in her eyes. She wasn't playing with him or acting. Her longing wasn't a lie.
He shrugged his shoulders. "You know, a body may wait, but can't what you want too?"
"Of course, but who wants to wait for that?" Tonks said with an impish.
"Come on," Snape said moving around her. "It's getting colder every moment we stall."
There was a long pause as Snape walked without her toward the back of the cemetery were Tonks had said the grave was. "I wasn't stalling!" her voice suddenly called from behind him, making him shake his head in amusement.
Fear was a nasty thing. She was obviously afraid of death and that extended to the body in the grave. But being the stubborn girl she is, she wouldn't admit it - not even to herself it seemed.
Snape had reached the back row of tombstones before Tonks caught up with him. She reached out and grabbed his hand. He could feel her shiver and had to resist the urge to once again pull her tightly to his side. He knew it would be encourage her particular way of stalling.
"There is it!" Tonks said, her voice breaking suddenly. Snape glanced down at her. Her brown eyes were wide and she was visually trembling. Following her hand he noticed she was pointing to the far corner. The tombstone she indicated was clearly one of the newest in the section of the cemetery. The gravestones surrounding the one marked "Leo Clare" were all covered with moss and the stone chipping away at the cold grey stone.
Snape tugged Tonks over to the gravestone and glanced at it. "In case someone comes by, do you have the paperwork?" he asked her.
After clearing her throat and patting the pocket of her robes, she said, "Yes."
Pulling his hand from hers he bent down on the ground in front of the tombstone. The name was etched into the stone with magic. Like the others surrounding it, the name was the one thing that would never be eroded away. Briefly Snape wondered why they didn't take the precaution to magically keep the rest of the tombstone from chipping away, too. It just seemed careless to Snape.
He glanced up at Tonks. She was shifting from side to side and foot to foot, looking uncomfortable. "I've never dug up a body before. Not even for a case," she whispered.
For a moment he wanted to wrap his arms around her and just hold her, but he didn't. Instead he skimmed his fingers across the grass covered dirt and sighed heavily. She was trying so hard to be strong, but after all this it was practically impossible for her. She had been kidnapped, threatened, and now had to dig up a dead body. Even an Auror didn't face those things in a matter of a few days.
"I suppose we can just use magic. No point trying to do it the Muggle way," he replied softly. A bead of dread was rolling down his spine, making it hard for his voice to carry. He couldn't seem to be as strong as she was determined to be. In fact, he felt like he was showing his weakness more than she was. But the idea of digging up a dead, rotting body sickened him. The dead should be left in a peace was his opinion on things. But to keep Tonks safe he had to put Mia and Leo away in Azkaban for Craig's murder and only this body would prove them right.
With a heavy sigh he glanced up at Tonks again. She had pulled her cloak as tightly as she could around her body and wasn't staring at the grave or tombstone. She was staring at Snape with an unwavering and sad gaze.
Standing up, Snape brushed off his pant legs and reached for her. Quickly, she slid into his arms. He embraced her tightly. "It'll be okay," he whispered without much thought. Kissing her on the top of the head, he released her. He blinked, surprised by his own gesture. He had never done that before - he had never wanted to do that before. But with Tonks, he was different. "Come on. The sooner we get this done the sooner we can forget about it."
Tonks nodded, still clinging to him with her head on his shoulder. "I know. I know." Pulling back she said, "Let's get this over with," in a voice stronger than she was really feeling. For a moment, Snape admired her.
Snape pulled out his wand, he nodded toward at Tonks. "Ready?"
"Ready," she said in a firm voice.
He waved his wand in the direction of the mound. For a moment nothing happened, and then the earth shook and the ground exploded before them. The dirt and grass flew upward into the air and Snape instinctively moved to place his body between Tonks and the flying debris. He pulled Tonks toward him, and she ducked her head against his chest after kissing the place on his neck she could reach without straining. A brown casket followed in the air. Leaving a large hole in the ground, the casket flew over to rest ten feet away from the hole on the other side.
Once the explosion settled down, Snape looked down at Tonks. "You all right?"
"I'm fine," Tonks said, moving backward. She smiled up at him softly. "Thank you."
"For what?" he asked, his voice a bit colder than he intended. He wasn't sure he was used to gratitude from someone. Most people just saw him as a pariah and someone to be ignored, or occasionally deal with accordingly. He couldn't help his voice from being a bit icy toward her.
"For protecting me," she informed him still smiling.
"I wasn't protecting you," Snape said, turning away, his face repressing the sudden urge to blush.
"Sure you weren't," Tonks said sarcastically as he walked toward the casket.
He reached the casket and was about ready to open the lid with his magic when he noticed Tonks hadn't followed him. Turning around he saw she was still in the same place he left her. "Tonks, are you coming?"
She nodded. "Yeah," but she didn't move.
With a sigh he walked back over to her and stopped in front of her. "What's wrong? You're an Auror. You deal with this stuff all the time."
She shook her head fervently and arched her eyebrow toward him. "I do not. I don't deal with dead bodies all the time! I really don't."
With a sigh, he gave into the urge to pull her against his chest again. He stroked his hand down her back before he began to stroke her hair softly. "It's okay."
"It's not okay!" Tonks said. Her body was shaking. "We are disturbing a dead body. The dead should be able to rest in peace."
"I know," he murmured, "I know. But we have to do this. The sooner we do this the sooner Craig can go back to resting in peace."
"It's not fair."
"Life isn't fair… Why should death be?"
He was surprised when she jerked away from him, her eyes filled with tears for the departed as she glared at him. "What? Do you have to be so cold?"
"I'm not being cold; I'm being honest."
"And there's a difference?"
"Yes," he said curtly before turning away and heading back toward the casket.
He barely had taken three steps when she reached out and stopped him. "I'm sorry. This all… bothers me. I have respect for the dead. It just isn't right… disturbing them."
"You're right, they shouldn't be disturbed," Snape agreed with a sigh. "But Mia and Leo could come after you until this is solved. And I, for one, am not going to leave this case alone when you could - no, are in danger."
Tonks' glare softened. She moved forward to where Snape was and wrapped her arms around his waist, pulling him close. "Thank you, Severus."
"For what?" he asked, warming but still cold.
"For wanting to protect me."
"I don't-" Snape started to argue, but he stopped, shaking his head. He wasn't going to lie. "Come on. Let's just examine this body."
The pair walked to the casket and Tonks opened the lid, revealing the body. It was unmistakable Craig Clare. The proof of Mia and Leo's deception and crime was lying right in front of them and clear as day. The polyjuice potion had long worn off to leave the body of Craig Clare decaying in the linen-lined casket. Magic hadn't preserved his body, of course, no one used magic to perverse bodies anymore. It was seen as taboo and frowned upon. "Leave them be," is what Snape had heard people say often enough when someone mentioned using magic. The body looked old and withered, making Snape's stomach roll at the sight. The stench of death was heavy in the air. Tonks looked downright afraid as she stood beside him, staring at the face of Craig Clare.
"Well, it's Craig Clare all right," Tonks whispered, "Now we can put Mia and Leo in Azkaban for murder."
"Well, we do have to prove why it's Craig and not Leo first," Severus pointed out.
Tonks sighed and moved closer to Severus, draping her arm around his waist. "We can do it. Together."
Words: circa 2600 (this chapter)
Rating: PG (this chapter)
Characers/Pairings: Snape/Tonks
Warnings: Started before Deathly Hallows and now totally disregards it!
Author's Notes: Thank you to my beta, the amazing jandjsalmon. All mistakes are mine, not hers.
Summary: (this chapter) Tonks and Snape visit the cemetery.
Previous chapters: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10
Snape watched as Tonks pulled her cloak tighter around her body as the bitter wind picked up. It wasn't winter, but it was cold and the temperature was dropping steadily. She was shivering beside him and automatically he reached out and pulled her to his side, wrapping his arm around her shoulder.
"Thank you," she whispered softly from beside him as they walked into the entrance of the cemetery. The cemetery was located near the edge of Diagon Alley. It was empty at first glance, just a plain field with tombstones jutting out of the ground. But it wasn't empty. There were people here - dead people, but still people. Snape felt like he could feel their presence.
"You know, you could have stayed home," Severus said not sparing her a glance as he looked around the cemetery. The atmosphere of the cemetery left an uneasy feeling in his body that he could feel in his bones. No one liked cemeteries.
"It's my case," she snapped, suddenly a bit testy.
Severus turned away, looking toward the edge of the cemetery, to hide the small smile that had formed on his lips. She was stubborn. For some reason he found her tenacity actually endearing. It surprised him he found so many things endearing about the young woman at his side.
The more time he spent with her, the more endearing he found her.
"Severus?" Tonks inquired quietly, breaking him from his reverie.
"Yes?"
"The gravesite is near the back."
He nodded briskly, guiding her deeper into the cemetery. He wished she had chosen to stay home. It would have been easier to break the rules by just digging up the grave than what she had in mind.
She had spent two hours getting permission from the Ministry of Magic to exhume the body before they could even come here. He wouldn't have bothered going through all the bureaucratic rubbish. A kidnapping and murder case was too important and working their way through the red tape and other formalities was just bothersome to Snape.
Tonks was still shivering beside him, clinging to him now. "You really should have stayed home," Snape informed her coldly.
"Stop saying that. It's my case," Tonks snapped again starting to pull away from him.
Snape pulled her tighter, gluing her to his side. "It is your case," he agreed. For a moment she was stiff, but then she relaxed against him.
"But I'm glad you came with me," Tonks whispered suddenly.
Snape stopped in his tracks, halting her too. Grabbing her shoulders, he turned her so she was directly in front of him.
"What?" she asked frowning. She looked worried.
He leaned down and kissed her forehead. "I wouldn't have let you do this alone, Tonks. I found you. This is as much my case as it is yours now. Though all the red tape was annoying, you're the lead on this."
Tonks smiled widely at him. "You've changed, Severus."
"I have?"
"You have," she repeated with a nod. She didn't seem to mind that he changed. In fact, she seemed pleased with the fact.
"How so?"
"You just have," she said happily before she leaned up and kissed his mouth chastely.
"That from the girl that was trying to get me undressed yesterday," Snape said gruffly. He suddenly wrapped his arms around her, pulling her body against his. The chaste kiss was almost annoying when she seemed to have wanted to shag him the day before. His mouth captured hers in a searing kiss. The moment he pulled her close her mouth opened slightly and he took full advantage by sliding his tongue inside to taste her.
Her hands moved up to rest on the back of his neck, pulling him down toward her. His hands drifted up to go on either side of her face to cup her face in his hands as his mouth slanted over hers again and again.
Abruptly he broke the kiss, pulling away from her.
"Severus," Tonks practically moaned. She was leaning up toward him, straining for another kiss, and pressing her breasts against his chest. He could feel her desire and for a moment contemplated kissing her again.
She was such a temptress.
Even in the midst of a cemetery in a bitter wind, she was a temptress.
Snape shook his head, dropping his arms from around her and taking a noticeable step away from her. "Come on, a dead body is waiting to be dug up."
She cleared the short distance in two steps, looking up at him with beautiful brown eyes full of desire, and wrapped her arms around his waist. "The body isn't going anywhere, Severus. We can easily go back to your place and then come back here and finish this."
"Do you hate the cemetery that much that you'd want to endure being at my place?"
"Shut up, Severus," she said before she leaned up on her tiptoes and kissed him hard, but quickly on the mouth. "I want you. You know I want you."
"But who says I want you?" he challenged, his voice lowering despite of him. His desire was actually quite clear in his voice and he was sure she could see it in his eyes, too. Tonks was too perception for her own good at times. But he didn't want to admit it so easily.
"You want me," Tonks whispered and leaned forward, kissing his neck softly. Her hands moved up his chest and wrapped around his neck. "You know you want me. We are two adults that want each other - what is wrong with that?"
"Nothing is wrong with that," Snape said, leaning down to kiss the top of her head. "But this is your case."
She frowned. She looked like a kid whose parents just said no to her. "Fine, have it your way. But Severus Snape, I will get you into bed sooner than you think."
Snape suppressed a smirk. She was a passionate, sexy temptress; almost irresistible but not quite. Snape stepped backward, practically glaring at her. It was hard to play the part of the uninterested man when she was so beautiful and willing. He could see the genuine desire in her eyes. She wasn't playing with him or acting. Her longing wasn't a lie.
He shrugged his shoulders. "You know, a body may wait, but can't what you want too?"
"Of course, but who wants to wait for that?" Tonks said with an impish.
"Come on," Snape said moving around her. "It's getting colder every moment we stall."
There was a long pause as Snape walked without her toward the back of the cemetery were Tonks had said the grave was. "I wasn't stalling!" her voice suddenly called from behind him, making him shake his head in amusement.
Fear was a nasty thing. She was obviously afraid of death and that extended to the body in the grave. But being the stubborn girl she is, she wouldn't admit it - not even to herself it seemed.
Snape had reached the back row of tombstones before Tonks caught up with him. She reached out and grabbed his hand. He could feel her shiver and had to resist the urge to once again pull her tightly to his side. He knew it would be encourage her particular way of stalling.
"There is it!" Tonks said, her voice breaking suddenly. Snape glanced down at her. Her brown eyes were wide and she was visually trembling. Following her hand he noticed she was pointing to the far corner. The tombstone she indicated was clearly one of the newest in the section of the cemetery. The gravestones surrounding the one marked "Leo Clare" were all covered with moss and the stone chipping away at the cold grey stone.
Snape tugged Tonks over to the gravestone and glanced at it. "In case someone comes by, do you have the paperwork?" he asked her.
After clearing her throat and patting the pocket of her robes, she said, "Yes."
Pulling his hand from hers he bent down on the ground in front of the tombstone. The name was etched into the stone with magic. Like the others surrounding it, the name was the one thing that would never be eroded away. Briefly Snape wondered why they didn't take the precaution to magically keep the rest of the tombstone from chipping away, too. It just seemed careless to Snape.
He glanced up at Tonks. She was shifting from side to side and foot to foot, looking uncomfortable. "I've never dug up a body before. Not even for a case," she whispered.
For a moment he wanted to wrap his arms around her and just hold her, but he didn't. Instead he skimmed his fingers across the grass covered dirt and sighed heavily. She was trying so hard to be strong, but after all this it was practically impossible for her. She had been kidnapped, threatened, and now had to dig up a dead body. Even an Auror didn't face those things in a matter of a few days.
"I suppose we can just use magic. No point trying to do it the Muggle way," he replied softly. A bead of dread was rolling down his spine, making it hard for his voice to carry. He couldn't seem to be as strong as she was determined to be. In fact, he felt like he was showing his weakness more than she was. But the idea of digging up a dead, rotting body sickened him. The dead should be left in a peace was his opinion on things. But to keep Tonks safe he had to put Mia and Leo away in Azkaban for Craig's murder and only this body would prove them right.
With a heavy sigh he glanced up at Tonks again. She had pulled her cloak as tightly as she could around her body and wasn't staring at the grave or tombstone. She was staring at Snape with an unwavering and sad gaze.
Standing up, Snape brushed off his pant legs and reached for her. Quickly, she slid into his arms. He embraced her tightly. "It'll be okay," he whispered without much thought. Kissing her on the top of the head, he released her. He blinked, surprised by his own gesture. He had never done that before - he had never wanted to do that before. But with Tonks, he was different. "Come on. The sooner we get this done the sooner we can forget about it."
Tonks nodded, still clinging to him with her head on his shoulder. "I know. I know." Pulling back she said, "Let's get this over with," in a voice stronger than she was really feeling. For a moment, Snape admired her.
Snape pulled out his wand, he nodded toward at Tonks. "Ready?"
"Ready," she said in a firm voice.
He waved his wand in the direction of the mound. For a moment nothing happened, and then the earth shook and the ground exploded before them. The dirt and grass flew upward into the air and Snape instinctively moved to place his body between Tonks and the flying debris. He pulled Tonks toward him, and she ducked her head against his chest after kissing the place on his neck she could reach without straining. A brown casket followed in the air. Leaving a large hole in the ground, the casket flew over to rest ten feet away from the hole on the other side.
Once the explosion settled down, Snape looked down at Tonks. "You all right?"
"I'm fine," Tonks said, moving backward. She smiled up at him softly. "Thank you."
"For what?" he asked, his voice a bit colder than he intended. He wasn't sure he was used to gratitude from someone. Most people just saw him as a pariah and someone to be ignored, or occasionally deal with accordingly. He couldn't help his voice from being a bit icy toward her.
"For protecting me," she informed him still smiling.
"I wasn't protecting you," Snape said, turning away, his face repressing the sudden urge to blush.
"Sure you weren't," Tonks said sarcastically as he walked toward the casket.
He reached the casket and was about ready to open the lid with his magic when he noticed Tonks hadn't followed him. Turning around he saw she was still in the same place he left her. "Tonks, are you coming?"
She nodded. "Yeah," but she didn't move.
With a sigh he walked back over to her and stopped in front of her. "What's wrong? You're an Auror. You deal with this stuff all the time."
She shook her head fervently and arched her eyebrow toward him. "I do not. I don't deal with dead bodies all the time! I really don't."
With a sigh, he gave into the urge to pull her against his chest again. He stroked his hand down her back before he began to stroke her hair softly. "It's okay."
"It's not okay!" Tonks said. Her body was shaking. "We are disturbing a dead body. The dead should be able to rest in peace."
"I know," he murmured, "I know. But we have to do this. The sooner we do this the sooner Craig can go back to resting in peace."
"It's not fair."
"Life isn't fair… Why should death be?"
He was surprised when she jerked away from him, her eyes filled with tears for the departed as she glared at him. "What? Do you have to be so cold?"
"I'm not being cold; I'm being honest."
"And there's a difference?"
"Yes," he said curtly before turning away and heading back toward the casket.
He barely had taken three steps when she reached out and stopped him. "I'm sorry. This all… bothers me. I have respect for the dead. It just isn't right… disturbing them."
"You're right, they shouldn't be disturbed," Snape agreed with a sigh. "But Mia and Leo could come after you until this is solved. And I, for one, am not going to leave this case alone when you could - no, are in danger."
Tonks' glare softened. She moved forward to where Snape was and wrapped her arms around his waist, pulling him close. "Thank you, Severus."
"For what?" he asked, warming but still cold.
"For wanting to protect me."
"I don't-" Snape started to argue, but he stopped, shaking his head. He wasn't going to lie. "Come on. Let's just examine this body."
The pair walked to the casket and Tonks opened the lid, revealing the body. It was unmistakable Craig Clare. The proof of Mia and Leo's deception and crime was lying right in front of them and clear as day. The polyjuice potion had long worn off to leave the body of Craig Clare decaying in the linen-lined casket. Magic hadn't preserved his body, of course, no one used magic to perverse bodies anymore. It was seen as taboo and frowned upon. "Leave them be," is what Snape had heard people say often enough when someone mentioned using magic. The body looked old and withered, making Snape's stomach roll at the sight. The stench of death was heavy in the air. Tonks looked downright afraid as she stood beside him, staring at the face of Craig Clare.
"Well, it's Craig Clare all right," Tonks whispered, "Now we can put Mia and Leo in Azkaban for murder."
"Well, we do have to prove why it's Craig and not Leo first," Severus pointed out.
Tonks sighed and moved closer to Severus, draping her arm around his waist. "We can do it. Together."