Freddie dove headfirst into brewing the potion as soon as she reached the Brewing Room. She focused on her work, forgetting about everything else. She didn't even hear the lunch bell ring and was surprised when Snape appeared in the doorway.
"You've been busy," he commented, leaning against the door frame.
"What?" Freddie looked up from her cauldron, her hair in a sloppy ponytail. She'd shed her outer robes and sweater to work more comfortably in the small, warm room, leaving her in her schoolgirl skirt and white shirt. "What are you doing here?"
"It's my office," he reminded her. "And it's lunch time. You should go eat before your Charms class."
"Ugh. Can't I just stay here? I was thinking maybe I could set up another cauldron, get started on the Polyjuice, see how well I can manage two things at once."
She didn't want to go to lunch and she damn sure didn't want to go to Charms. She didn't want to see Daniel or worse Daniel and Heather. Not when she could be doing this.
"Go," Snape said, waving his wand to place a stasis spell on her cauldron. "Eat. And don't forget you have detention this evening."
"Sometimes I hate you," Freddie sighed, pulling her robes back on.
"I don't need you to like me. I just need you to do as I say and try not to be an idiot."
Freddie scoffed and gathered her things.
"I do though. Most of the time," she said, brushing past him into the office.
"Listen to me or like me?" he asked sardonically, following her out.
"Both," she said simply, looking back at him with a smile.
"This is why I had to give you detention," he said, walking out after her into the hallway.
"Because I might like you?" she asked, smiling at him.
"No, because I do not do 'favoritism' among students. Slipping out on class is wrong and you deserve to be punished."
"I don't disagree with that. I only wish I hadn't gotten caught," she muttered, thinking to herself that she'd be sneakier next time. "Are you following me?"
"No," he scoffed. "I am going to eat lunch, same as you. I missed breakfast this morning."
"Ah, so that's what's wrong with you. You're always in an extra bad mood when you skip breakfast."
"I-" he paused a moment on the stairs before continuing. "You are not wrong."
"That's why you have me detention."
"That is not why-"
"Breakfast is the most important meal of the day," she quipped as they entered the Great Hall together.
"Go eat with your friend," he said irritably, his eyes scanning the Ravenclaw table. "And where is Mr Byrd?"
Freddie jerked her thumb at the Gryffindor table where she couldn't not see Daniel with his arm around Heather.
"See you in detention," she muttered, going to sit with her classmates at the Slytherin Table.
Freddie finished lunch and headed to Charms class. Daniel caught up with her on the stairs, having kissed Heather's cheek before they parted ways.
"I thought you were done with the Wolfsbane?" he asked. "Why'd you leave Transfiguration early?"
"We're working on something else now – well, I am. Snape's gonna let me brew complicated potions on my own, to test my abilities."
"Like what?" he asked, intrigued.
"Felix Felicis."
"Who's that?"
"It's a potion, dummy, not a person."
"Never heard of it."
"That's cause you failed your OWLs."
"I didn't fail," he protested. "I just didn't get Outstanding like you, Potions Princess."
Freddie smiled smugly.
"Felix Felicis is known as the lucky potion. 'Liquid luck'. Anyone who drinks it will be successful at anything they attempt. It's illegal to use it for any organized competitive events."
"Oh man, you've got to hook me up with some of that!" he said eagerly.
"It takes 6 months to brew, it's even more complicated than the Wolfsbane I think. Besides," she said with a smirk. "Seems to me you don't need a potion to 'get lucky'."
His ears turned red and Freddie laughed.
"It's still new, ya know, we haven't done anything yet," he whispered. "She's my first real girlfriend. We haven't even kissed yet! I mean not really not like with tongue."
"Spare me the details," she said dryly.
"You sound like Snape," he teased. "Besides, you're my best friend. Who else am I supposed to talk to?"
"One of your guy friends? Geck? Perkins?" she suggested.
"I can't talk to those guys, they'll take the mickey out of me! Besides, Heather's important. You're the one I talk to about important stuff," he said earnestly.
"But I don't wanna listen to you talk about snogging – ugh," she said, shaking her head.
"I've listened to you fawn over Snape," he whispered. "For at least the last three years."
"I do not fawn over anyone, Daniel Byrd," she huffed. "I'm not some doe-eyed first year."
"Alright, fine. But when you and him start snogging in broom cupboards, you're gonna want to talk to me about it."
"That has about as much chance of happening as the Chudley Cannons do of winning this years Quidditch League," she snorted. "Besides – he gave me detention."
"What? For what?"
"I wasn't exactly supposed to leave McGonagall's class this morning. He found me out."
"What a tosser!" he declared and Freddie laughed as they entered Flitwick's classroom and sat down together.
#
Freddie had another free period after Charms and she was happy to return to her potion. She stopped by her dorm and changed first, donning a pair of blue jeans and a thin black sweater that wouldn't be too hot and let her move more freely.
She took her books with her down to Snape's office so she could do her homework if she got the chance. She found the Felix Felicis exactly as she'd left it. She removed the stasis spell Snape had placed and resumed her work.
As she worked, she wondered again how difficult it might be to brew two potions at once. Snape hadn't exactly said no to the idea. As her potion brewed, Freddie picked up the book Snape had left for her – Moste Potente Potions – which contained the recipe for the Felix Felicis. She flipped through it until she found the Polyjuice Potion and read over the recipe carefully.
She shook her head. It would be too difficult to start it right now. At this point the Felix Felicis required too much of her focus for her to start the Polyjuice.
"Maybe next week, when it has to simmer for three days," she said aloud to herself. "Maybe something less complicated to start with..."
Freddie sat on a stool and flipped through the book, keeping a close eye on her cauldron as she did. She scanned the recipes of at least a dozen complex brews before coming across the Noxious Potion. It was a straightforward potion that would knock out anyone who smelled it for at least 5 minutes. It took 24 hours to brew and the most complicated part was not getting knocked out by the fumes when it was complete.
Freddie tended to her Felix Felicis first, grinding occamy eggshells and adding them to the brew. She stirred it a few times then increased the flames beneath the cauldron with her wand.
She rolled up her sleeves and dragged a second pewter cauldron next to the Felix Felicis and set it up. She gathered the ingredients she would need to start with and began to prepare them.
#
Freddie was humming to herself, flitting between the two cauldrons, adding ingredients, stirring both brews periodically when she heard the door to Snape's office open.
"Hey there," she said brightly as Snape entered the room. She went to her workstation and rapidly chopped some murtlap tentacles, then quickly added them to the Felix Felicis.
"You cannot keep skipping meals and hiding out in the dungeon all day to avoid your friend," Snape said, watching her work.
"I'm not avoiding anything," she said, mildly annoyed. "I'm going to dinner as soon as I reach a stopping point."
"Dinner is nearly over. It's almost 7 o'clock."
"No, that can't be right," Freddie said and checked her watch. She gasped. "I must have been absorbed in my work."
"Hm. Noelle," Snape said loudly.
Freddie opened her mouth in confusion but before she could ask there was a crack and a house elf wearing a pink towel fashioned into a dress appeared. She had large, bright blue eyes that reminded Freddie of a mooncalf.
"Yes Master Snape?" the elf asked, hands clasped behind her back.
"Miss Gray missed dinner, Noelle, can you bring her something from the kitchens?"
"Oh yes sir, Master Snape," the elf said, her ears flapping excitedly. She disappeared with a crack.
"Finish your work so you can eat and serve your detention," Snape said sternly.
"Yes sir," she said obediently. "Can you hand me the-"
She looked up but Snape was gone, back out into his office. Freddie grabbed the angelica and added it to the Felix Felicis. She re-checked the recipes for both potions before nodding to herself. She placed a stasis spell on both cauldrons and cleaned up a bit before stepping out into Snape's office.
He was sitting at his desk, grading papers. Freddie sat in her chair across from him just in time for Noelle to reappear with a large plate of food.
"Is this acceptable, Miss Gray?" Noelle asked, placing the plate on the desk in front of her.
"Yes, that's more than I could possibly eat. Thank you – Noelle, was it?"
"Yes Miss. Would you like pumpkin juice or tea? Whatever you is wanting."
"Tea, please."
"I will take a cup also, Noelle," Snape said, without looking up.
"Yes, Master Snape."
Noelle snapped her fingers and a plate appeared with a pot of steaming tea and two cups.
"Cream and sugars, Mistress Gray?" Noelle asked.
"Yes please."
Noelle snapped again and a pitcher of cream and a bowl of sugar appeared on the tray. Freddie started to fix her tea. The elf poured a cup for Snape and handed it to him.
"That will be all," Snape said, taking the cup.
"Yes, Master Snape."
"Thank you," Freddie said quickly, right as the elf disappeared. She spooned sugar into her tea and looked at Snape. "Would it kill you to be nice?"
"What?" he asked irritably. "I got you dinner. I could have let you go to bed hungry."
"Not to me – although that would be nice, too. To Noelle."
"It's a house elf," he said, sipping his tea.
"She's a living creature. You could say 'thank you'. You won't drop dead."
"You might, if you keep over-sugaring that tea," he said, reaching out and taking the spoon from her.
"What? I like sugar in my tea," she protested.
"It's more sugar than tea at this point," he scoffed.
Freddie shrugged and added milk to her tea.
"What am I doing for my detention?" she asked, cutting up one of the pork chops that Noelle had brought.
"You are going through the ingredient cupboards and sorting out the expired and unusable ingredients and disposing of them."
"That's it?" she asked through a mouthful of pork chop and potatoes. He gave her a withering look.
"Here and in the Potions classroom."
Freddie finished chewing and swallowed before speaking.
"That's fine," she said with a shrug. "I would've done that without it being a punishment."
"I could have you write lines instead," he said coolly.
"No, please, anything but that," she said dramatically.
She saw Snape crack the briefest of smiles and she let out a 'ha!' before digging back into her meal.
"You are a very difficult person, Miss Gray," he said before taking a sip of his tea.
"I'm a joy to teach and you like me," she said, shoveling a spoonful of potatoes into her mouth.
"Pushing it, Miss Gray," he warned.
"Mm. What are you doing? More first year essays?"
"Third year essays on antidotes to common poisons," he answered. "It's giving me a headache."
"I could help," she offered.
"You can help by finishing your dinner and your detention."
"Yes sir," she said with just a hint of a mocking tone.
She finished her meal quickly and Snape summoned Noelle to clear the leftovers and dishes away.
"Shall I start here or in the Potions classroom?" Freddie asked.
"Whatever suits you," he said indifferently.
"You're not going to supervise me? Make sure I do it right?"
"You will do it," he said simply. "You know there will be repercussions if you do not."
Freddie nodded and headed down to the Potions classroom, her imagination running wild with the possibility of what 'repercussions' disobeying Snape might hold in store for her. She wasn't paying attention and bumped into Maggie and Christine in the hallway.
"Sorry," Maggie said. "Hey Freddie, where are you off to?"
"Potions classroom. I'm serving a detention for Professor Snape."
"You?" Christine asked in disbelief.
"What did you do?" Maggie asked.
"Yeah you're Potions Princess!"
"Not today," Freddie said. "Today I'm the Potions scut monkey."
"Seriously, what did you do?" Maggie asked.
"I skipped a class and he found out," she said with a shrug. "It's no big deal. I'm cleaning out the ingredients cabinet."
"Better you than me. Later Freddie," Maggie said.
"Later."
Author's Note: Happy New Year everyone - especially Tinkerbell, my favorite reader cuz shes the only one who reviews! lol Seriously I dont know who you are but you're my new favorite person, your reviews really boost my mood! Thank you! And thank you to the readers who read but don't review - but you'd be alot cooler if you did. 😎