Ever since they had arrived here almost a week ago, Harry had shifted through so many emotions that no one, in their right mind, would have survived the way he had. It was like, in her honest opinion, an emotion reader had split in two and gave both halves to Harry's brain. She had seen this many times in the past few days, even more so now.
What was it, she wondered, that caused her to analyze these feelings, these emotions. Her sense, however small, had all but left her. She had decided, then and there, to confront him.
The next day, Christmas Eve, she sat down with Harry and smiled. Harry grew nervous when she continued to look, as if reaching for his soul and finding a large, open canvas that was hers to paint to her will. She smiled and turned to Harry, who was looking at her in something, akin, to understanding.
"Harry" she began nervously, "We need to speak about what is going on with you, with this entire situation now that the truth is known."
Wrong thing to say, she realized, as he stood up and made to exit the door. She silently drew her wand and forced the door closed. Harry spun around and began to draw his wand, in defense, so she disarmed him quickly.
"I know the situation is not to your liking, Harry, but I believe you need to speak about this. This week alone, you've come close to two mental breakdowns. That's very serious to your health."
He just stood there, in apparent ignorance. She growled, her heart aching as she realized he wasn't going to start. Tears flowed, silently down her face as she tried to regain him, his silence tearing at her soul. "Harry",she whispered. He turned his head and she said, "I... I'm only saying this because, well, I love you, Harry. It's something I come to realize this week, though I knew I liked you before. I need you, I need us... to talk about this."
He turned his body about to walk out the door, a soft sob come from him. She gasped, as if realizing the problem for the first time. She walked over, affectionately hugging him to her. A feeling of electricity run through her, even as the tears ran onto her shoulder.
She soothed his fears, calmed him and sat them down. "Now, I hate to say it, but there's only one way you're getting out of this, you know."
He nodded. She rubbed his back and smiled at the feeling she received from the simple motion. He opened his mouth and began speaking.
"The other day, you... said something that confused me. You said that my power was... love Tonks. How in the world can love, something so foreign and unknown to me... defeat Voldemort? I mean, I've never been... loved. I've kissed, yah, but that was... er... I mean... her heart wasn't in it. She... hated me because of something that happened, I guess. So, when you said that, I figured that you, or Dumbledore, must have been crazy.
What kind of idiot tells someone the only way to defeat Voldemort is to love. Then, there's the fact that I don't know how to love. I only know how to be, tolerant. To be... in the background. If it was a matter of... love... then he'd be deep fried, baked and placed on an open fire before I was even born.
Then, coming here for Christmas, getting you that necklace, which I'm glad you like but, I still don't understand how it affected you so badly. Dumbledore doesn't know that I know about my inheritance, by the way. He doesn't have any idea that I know everything.
Everything, including that Narcissa Black isn't the heir of the Black fortune, like she things. I found that I'm the last, Tonks, of the Potter's and the only heir of Sirius. I mean, no offense, that's a pretty hard job there."
She looked at the person she had come to hold in deep affection and ran her hand through his hair. "Harry" she breathed, he looked up. She smiled at him, hoping to convey some of the raw emotion she was feeling at the moment.
He saw it, she realized with a gasp as his eyes lit up in a sudden anticipation, or he was steadying himself for a rejection. She sighed and said, "I meant what I said, Harry. I love you. Let me teach you about love."
With that, she tilted her head and kissed him. Not the wet, sloppy kiss that he got from Cho, but a soft, searching kiss that was conveying her deepest hearts desires.
He kissed back, inexpertly at first, but with a renewed confidence as she ushered him on. It was deep, as if the two of them were being turned into a single unit. The air around them had thickened, the power in the air had grown considerably.
A silvery-green light, remarkably like Slytherin colors, had surrounded them. The silver, coming off of Harry, the green Tonks. It was, as if at the time, they were merging, complimenting the other in their endeavor She was, Tonks would reflect later that night, as if she were sharing not only her physical self, but her magical essence, her life force.
She broke apart and let out a gasp, excitement etched on her face. Harry was smiling at the look on her face, happy in the knowledge that he put that there, and sad at the fact that he may not always be able too.
It wasn't as if Tonks didn't know what was going on, though. She was an auror, she knew this, and decided to let that fact be known to Harry.
She sat him down, now that the moment of confession had passed and smiled. "Harry, before we go any further in this, whatever we have, know that I am an auror for a reason. Yes, I am a metamorphmagus but that's not the only thing the ministry look at. I can protect myself, if that's what you are worried about."
She saw him sigh, perfectly content to stay like they were. He looked at her and leaned forward slightly, kissing her again, tentatively, passionately. She knowingly felt the affect that he was having, in her most sacred area. She blushed, at the same time, feeling her effect on him.
As the hours passed, the new day came. They awoke that morning to a wonderful smell, the smell of ham, and turkey, and other traditional foods that came about on the most special of days. Tonks watched, as Harry got up, not as excited as before, but she went back to sleep.
Again the time passes, an hour at best, and she is shaken. Awake at the sudden jar, she smiles as he stands there, with a wonderful looking breakfast fit for a queen. She sits herself up, with a blush. "Hey" she said softly as he places the tray over her defined lap and kisses, questioningly, her moist lips.
"You do realize, that yesterday at this time, you'd have freaked out just doing that?"
"I... didn't say this yesterday, Tonks because... I'm not sure yet but...I think I may love you too. Not... understanding this feeling... I can't tell you if what I feel is accurate. But, I... pray... that it is. I've felt this way since, I think about... half between fifth year.
I, know without a shadow of a doubt, that if what I'm feeling IS love then, I'd... appreciate any help you can give me."
Smiling, Tonks said, "First, by admitting that, you've gained the right to call me Nymphadora."
Harry couldn't help that he smiled, but he did. The light that reflected in her eyes by that simple notion was enough to let Tonks know that it had worked. She gasped as he stood and kissed her, softly, and said, "I'd be happy to, Nymphadora."
A perfectly content Nymphadora Tonks smiled and kissed him back.
