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Tonks looks like she knows something is up when you run up to her, feeling nervous and excited all at once. It's early in the morning, and the usually stream of students haven't crowded the entrance to the Great Hall yet.
“Tonks!” You call, a little breathless.
She smiles, eyes creasing in worry at the apprehensive look on your face. “Wotcher, what's going on?”
“I think I found the next clue,” you murmur quietly in case anyone hears you. You hush her when her eyes go wide, “and I need you to do me a favor.”
She grins at you, looking equally excited.
“Can you pretend to be me for today?” You ask, glancing around again. You pause when a third year passes the two of you before continuing. “I have to go to the Forbidden Forest—Charlie’s coming with me—and if Dumbledore finds out I’m sneaking out again he might actually expel me.”
“You want me to act like you for a whole day?” She asks.
You nod. “You might have to skip class—”
Tonks cuts you off mid-sentence. “I’d love to.”
You blink. “Well, um, thanks, but there’s more—”
She grabs you by the shoulders with the most serious face you’ve ever seen her muster. “You had me at I get to skip class.”
“Yeah, okay." You say, holding back a laugh. "I figured you’d be up for it. Rowan and Penny will help, Ben knows too. Just make it believable because I can’t afford to be caught. I’ll be back before the day is over.” You glance nervously at your watch. “I have to meet Charlie soon, but before I go—”
“(y/n)!” you hear Charlie call down the corridor.
“Blimey,” you mutter before directing your attention back to Tonks, “just remember to avoid talking to the professor’s, don’t act suspicious, try not to make trouble in my classes, and uh—”
“(y/n)!” Charlie calls, more pressing this time.
“—Merula, don’t talk to Merula because—” you’re abruptly interrupted when Charlie grabs you by the arm and starts pulling you away.
“We have to go.” He urges, and you turn to Tonks one last time before you disappear around the corner.
“Good luck!” You call out, just in time to catch her confused look.
Tonks watches the two disappear down the corridor. Don’t talk to Merula because what? she thinks before shrugging. She can handle Merula, she just needs to worry about everyone else.
The first class passes without any trouble. Rowan helps her keep cover, and Tonks just grunts when anyone addresses her, pretending to be focused on classwork. She’d never given it much thought, but your classes are considerably more challenging than hers.
As she’s walking down the hall, she spots Merula coming up to her. Ben lets out an unflattering squeal, and Tonks is about to confront her before remembering “don’t talk to Merula”, so she turns around very suddenly and walks fast the other way.
She misses the hurt look Merula gives her.
The day goes by relatively peacefully. Snape gives her a suspicious look as he passes her in the hallway, but Penny insists that's how he always is.
The only wrench in the whole plan is Merula.
When you'd told her to avoid Merula, she hadn’t counted on Merula being bloody everywhere.
When Tonks goes to bathroom, Merula is there. When Tonks is enjoying lunch in the Great Hall, Merula is there. When Tonks is talking to Tulip in the courtyard, trying to act inconspicuous, Merula is there.
She’d thought Merula was obsessed with you before, but this is taking it to a whole other level.
She glances up at the clock in the courtyard and sees they still have two more classes to go before the day is over. Tonks would sigh, but she doesn’t even have time to because Merula walks in with Ismelda and she has to bolt again.
You may have failed to mention that Merula is in the same Potion’s class, which is extremely awkward, because Tonks has to ignore her while sitting right next to her.
Merula tries to get her attention multiple, even resorting to pinching her arm under the table.
"Hey," Merula hisses, looking more and more disgruntled when Tonks stares steadily forward. Finally, when she's had enough, she gives Merula a withering look, surprised when Merula doesn’t retaliate. Instead, she almost looks hurt.
When Potions ends, she’s the first one out the door, and Merula doesn’t have the chance to get a word in otherwise.
She’s exiting your last class, charms, when Merula grabs her by the sleeve. She only has time to give Rowan a slightly panicked look before Merula is pulling the two of them into a secluded hallway.
“Why are you avoiding me?” She demands angrily.
“Uh—” Tonks begins, feeling very intelligent. She can’t exactly tell her: ‘I’m Tonks pretending to be (y/n) who is currently in the Forbidden Forest figuring out Jacob’s location.’ She settles with silence instead.
“Well?” Merula asks again, her hands clenched at her sides. “Why are you avoiding me?”
Tonks tells herself that the day is over, that mc will be returning very soon, and that this is the last thing she needs to do.
“Wasn’t potions interesting today? I thought Snape sounded slightly less dull than usual.” Tonks tries, but Merula just looks even angrier.
“You’re avoiding the question.” She says, almost shouting.
Tonks has to bite back a sarcastic really, and keeps on talking as if Merula never said anything. “His demonstration was impeccable, as per usual, although I thought he looked slimier than usual, but he’s always slimy.” Her voice falters when she sees the look on Merula’s face; she looks close to tears.
“Fine.” Merula spits viciously. “Be that way.” She starts storming away before turning around screeching, “you kissed me first!”
It’s at that moment that you choose to walk in, looking mildly panicked.
“What.” Tonks says, dumbfounded.
“What.” You say.
Merula glances from you, to Tonks who currently looks like you, and her face goes a ghostly white.
“What.”
“Merlin’s beard.” Penny wheezes as you and the rest of the group sit in the Three Broomsticks. You'd convinced Merula to sit with you, but it'd taken a lot of begging and a promise of endless butterbeer you'd be paying for.
Rowan is laughing too hard to form a comprehensible sentence, and Tulip, whose face has gone purple from lack of oxygen, isn’t doing much better.
“Okay, guys, you can stop laughing now.” You say, trying to sound annoyed but failing spectacularly.
They ignore you completely and Tulip grabs Tonks shirt, squeezing out, “do the face again.”
Tonks morphs her face into Merula’s before pulling it into an over-exaggerated look of horror, the whole table collapsing into a fit of laughter.
“Alright, guys.” You implore, but you can’t help joining in. Merula’s scowl is so deep you think it might be permanently etched onto her face.
“What happened after?” Andre asks, face lit up gleefully.
Tonks cuts you off before you can answer. “Merula goes running out the door, and then (y/n) goes running after her—” her face morphs into yours and she mimics “Merula, wait!”, before shifting back and doubling over.
Ben comfortingly pats you on the shoulder as the rest of the table guffaws. “Is she still mad?” He whispers over the cacophony.
You glance at Merula who has yet to say a word. She does flush, however, when Tonks imitates her again.
The look she gives you screams death and agony and suffering, but she’s holding your hand under the table, shoulder pressed against yours, and you can’t really be bothered.
“Nah,” you tell Ben, giving Merula’s hand a squeeze, “she’s okay.”
And you know it's true when she squeezes back.