Harry watched a variety of people come in and out before he turned to speak with Tonks again. "She had a message. Two, in fact, and I wasn't as cooperative as she would have liked." He relayed the messages to her in a dull tone. They didn't mean much to him in his present state, plus the woman had broken his legs. He wasn't her biggest fan.

She became suddenly aware of someone's arms slipping around her and stiffened; the dream was still so fresh that she, at first, paniced. Glancing over her shoulder, she relaxed, having seen it was only Sirius. Marcella turned in the bed to bed face him and buried her head in chest, her eyes still very much open.

"But they can. And they do." she whispered, looking up at him, her eyes bloodshot, dark circles forming beneath them. "They've done more damage than they'll ever know. Death would be a release from this hell." she murmured, her finger tips clinging at the collar around his neck.

She felt slightly affronted at his rant and pulled away slightly. "To you, maybe, but where I'm standing things look a lot different." After a moments hesistation, she looked up, "You know you shouldn't do that, right?" Despite what she'd said she scooted a little closer and buried herself back in him, absorbing his body heat.

"You talk too much," she mumbled, sounding half-asleep. She felt drowsy but wouldn't allow herself to slip back into a state where she could dream again. In an attempt to keep herself awake, she drew patterns on his chest with her fingers, her other hand drawing swirls on the small of his back. Softly, she sang under her breath, a tune she could remember her mother used to sing to her before she died. "A gentle breeze from hushabye mountain. Softly blows o'er lullaby bay. It fills the sails of boats that are waiting. Waiting to sail your worries away."

"From my mother." she replied simply, slapping him playfully on the left cheek, breaking into a smile to prevent herself from crying. She didn't need to come across any weaker than she already did. "You're much nicer when you're quiet." she grinned, a mischievious look in her eyes.

It was a sweet gesture but it felt so silly. She couldn't help but giggle as her face flushed. There was something about the whole situation that made her feel so young again, so innocent, so vulnerable to persuasion. "I can't pretend I couldn't get used to it but forever, I dunno, I'm not sure you could last that long."

She laughed. "Remus might've been onto something." she sniggered, bitting at her little finger in amusement. She was so relaxed that she found she didn't mind when Sirius rolled her over and kissed her. However, within a few sparce seconds the motion of him holding her down started to suffocate her and visions of what had happened began to appear before her eyes. In panic, she went to sit up and push him away, accidentally catching his bottom lip on her teeth as she did so, banging her head into his.

"You didn't hurt me." she mumbled as he re-lit the candles. Getting up on her knees she approached him carefully, touching his bleeding lip. "It's just. I felt trapped. I'm sorry," she apologised, knowing she'd ruined things once again. Taking hold of her robe, she ripped a piece off the end and dabbed it at his bloody lip. "I'm such a clutz," she giggled.

"You didn't hurt me," she reitterated, fingering his broken lip. "You hurt yourself." she laughed. Respecting his wishes, she pulled the sheet back over them and kissed his bottom lip lightly before snuggling back down, pretending to sleep.

Tonks' face set. 'Yes well, Bella never was the easiest to please.' Attempting a smile, she stood up. 'Well, I guess I should get to bed. I'll see you tomorrow Harry.' Turning quickly she left the infirmary, making it to her rooms as fast as she could. A look out at the grounds found Hagrid's Hut in darkness. Tonks shook her head and climbed into bed, trying not to replay the messages over again.

Her night was restless, filled with odd dreams. When she woke, her eyes were puffy. Yawning, she dressed and made her way to the great hall, already bustling with students. Today would be interesting at least, trying to teach a class. She bit her lip and reached for the coffee.

She remained laid still for the whole night, pretending to be asleep, watching Sirius' chest rise and fall. Eventually, the sun peeked through the curtains and birds sang, announcing the arrival of morning. Trying her best not to disturb him, she shifted and got up, slipping into the bathroom quietly.

When she emerged she was dressed in long navy robes, her hair tied back with small bits hanging down at the side. Grabbing several books, quills, ink bottles and her wand, she loaded up her satchel and went to the door, only looking back to check on Sirius, who still appeared sound asleep.

Dumbledore had arranged for her to have a classroom, given the fact that Sunny was occupying the hut. She quickly dumped her belongings in the Office adjacent to it and left to stroll through the coridoors, with no intention of going to breakfast.

She passed several students on her way; some greeted her fairly nicely, others were either snide or provocative. After deducting several points from Slytherin, she ducked and descended the stairs into the dungeons, breathing quieter so as to not be heard.

Standing outside his office, she took a deep breath before trying the door. Locked. "Alohamora!" she tried. Useless. Checking to see if any students were around, she cast, "Incendio!" and watched a whole burn in the door. Climbing through, she muttered "Reparo!" pointing her wand behind her and headed to his store cupboard. Once in there, she ran a finger along the shelves, looking. Her concentration was so focused that she wasn't watching where she put her finger, which was promptly bitten by a rat. Cursing, she jumped back and knocked over a box of empty glass vials.