Freddie had set the alarm on her watch to wake up early the next morning, long before anyone else in her dorm. She dressed in her school robes and took a moment to sit on her bed and braid her blonde hair in one long braid down her back. She put her gifts for Snape into her school bag carefully and quietly left her Common Room.

She felt clever and sneaky and altogether pleased with herself as she walked down the corridor to Snape's office. She planned to leave her gifts on his desk and be back in her Common Room long before he woke.

She undid the enchantment that locked his office and pushed the door open slowly. It was dark within the room and she used her wand to nonverbally light a few candles, giving her just enough light to see by. She took the tea set from her bag and placed it on his desk. It was wrapped in plain brown paper and, after thinking a moment, she conjured a small black bow to go on top.

Next, she carefully removed the dozen black roses she'd stolen from the greenhouse yesterday. She'd placed a stasis spell on them at the time but they were already beginning to look not as fresh as they had when she'd first cut them. She conjured a simple glass vase and put them in it, arranging them carefully. She put the tip of her wand to the vase and whispered "Augementi" so that it filled with water.

Finally, she pulled the last item from her bag – a single white lily she had been extra careful with. She'd put as many protective enchantments as she could think of on the delicate little flower and it still appeared freshly picked. She arranged it carefully among the black roses until she was satisfied it was perfect. She stood back to admire her work – the pure white lily stood in stark contrast against the sea of black roses. She picked up her bag and turned to go.

"What are you doing?" asked a gruff voice and she jumped slightly. She turned to see Snape standing in the now-open door that led into his quarters. His hair was mussed from sleep. He wore a long-sleeved white sleep shirt with the top two buttons undone and she could see part of his muscled chest. Her eyes wandered down to the matching bottoms he wore and her heart stopped, then began to race – she could see the outline of what appeared to be his semi-hard cock.

"Answer me, Miss Gray," he said. His voice was stern but sounded smooth as honey to her ears.

"What?" she asked, biting her lip slightly as she forced her gaze to his face.

"Why are you sneaking around my office at 5 in the morning?" he asked impatiently, crossing his arms.

"Oh, I- uh – um-"

"Did someone slip you a Babbling Beverage?" he sneered.

Freddie shook her head. Get a grip! She told herself mentally.

"N- Happy birthday," she said weakly, pointing to his desk.

He scoffed loudly, then turned on his heel and went back into his room. He left the door open. Freddie stood there, hesitating, not sure if she should stay or go...or go in.

She desperately wanted to know what the inside of his quarters looked like, almost as much as she desperately wanted to see more of what she had just spotted in his pants.

Biting her lip still she took two steps closer to Snape's room and peeked inside, but didn't go in. She gasped softly at what she saw. The room was lit by the same green glow as the window in her dorm, only better. Three walls of his room looked out under the lake, from ceiling to floor.

Snape was standing at a large four post bed in the corner of the room, his back to her as he pulled on a black terrycloth robe. Freddie looked around the room quickly, trying to commit it to memory, before stepping back out to wait.

His bed was in the corner and much like her own it had dark curtains that could be drawn around it. Near the door there had been a black leather couch with a green blanket draped across the back. There was a table in front of the couch, loaded down with books, a stack of newspapers, and a few empty cups. The whole room had smelled like him.

When Snape stepped out again he had a black robe over his pajamas, the sash tied around his waist. Much to her disappointment, the robe now covered the intriguing bulge in his pants.

"I told you I do not celebrate birthdays," he said, sitting down at his desk.

"I know," Freddie said as she sat down cautiously. "I just...I wanted to do something nice for you. You've been so-" she started to say 'nice' but thought better of it. "-You've been helping me a lot recently and I just...wanted to sort of thank you, I guess. I was just going to leave them and go back to my Common Room. I didn't mean to wake you up."

"You did not," he said and his eyes fell on the flowers in front of him. His face seemed to soften slightly, or maybe it was a trick of the dim light. "I was having trouble sleeping," he said softly.

"I'm sorry," Freddie said quietly and he looked up at her quickly, as if he'd forgotten she was there.

"Shall I open this now or wait until you scurry off back to your dorm?" he asked with a small smirk.

"You can open it now if you want to," she said, feeling her cheeks grow warm. "Or I can leave, if you prefer."

"I'm up now," he said and began to unwrap the brown paper. Freddie bit her lip anxiously as he removed the tea set and placed it on his desk. He looked at it, tracing the sliver pattern with one finger.

"...Thank you," he said quietly, his voice strained.

"You're welcome. ...If it makes you feel better, you could pretend it's a belated Christmas gift? I owe you one anyway," she said, pulling Hemlock from her pocket and fiddling with him in her lap.

"Hm. Would you like some tea? May as well put it to good use," he said.

"Yes, please," Freddie said, trying not to sound too eager. She was pleased he liked his gift and wanted to use it. She smiled to herself as he summoned Noelle and she grew Hemlock to his full size in her lap and gave him a squeeze.

"Good morning, Master Snape," Noelle said as she appeared. "Mistress Gray."

"Good morning," Freddie greeted.

"I have a new tea set, Noelle," Snape said to the elf. "I think we will drink brew number 47."

"Yes Master Snape," Noelle said with a slight bow before disappearing with a crack, along with the tea set.

"Number 47?" Freddie asked curiously. "Just how many blends of tea have you created?"

"At least 47," he said with a small smirk.

Freddie chuckled and fiddled with her kneazle's ears. She was glad he seemed to be in a better mood today. She wondered what had caused his pissy mood yesterday but she wasn't stupid enough to bring it up and ruin it.

They didn't talk as they waited on Noelle to return with the tea. Snape organized some papers on his desk, a sleepy look on his face that Freddie found all too adorable. Noelle returned with the tea set on a silver tray and Freddie was surprised to see the pot was glowing green.

"Is a beautiful set, Master Snape," Noelle said as she placed the tray on his desk. "The glass glows when a hot liquid is inside."

"Apparently," Snape said. "Thank you, Noelle, that will be all."

"Yes sir," the elf said, then disappeared with a crack.

Snape picked up the teapot and poured tea into both cups. As the tea filled the cups they began to glow as well. Freddie leaned forward and took the steaming tea cup. She looked at the dark red brew inside and sniffed it curiously. She took a sip, weighing the flavor on her tongue, trying to figure out what herbs it could be. She knew he liked it when she identified his blends.

"Hibiscus?" she asked and he cracked a small smile and nodded. "And lemon?"

"Correct, Miss Gray," he said before taking a sip of his tea. "...How would you like to have a duel this evening?"

"With you?" she asked, surprised.

"I see no one else here."

"Why?"

"You have made remarkable progress on your nonverbal spells. It is an opportunity to put your skills to the test and for me to practice as well. Do you accept?"

"Of course," she said with a grin. "And don't think I'm going to go easy on you cuz it's your birthday."

He looked at her over his teacup, his eyebrow quirked.

"You do not stand a chance, little girl."

A shiver went through her and Freddie smiled before taking another drink of tea. She loved it when he called her that. Snape continued to watch her, an intense look in his dark eyes. She felt herself grow warm under his gaze. She wondered, not for the first time, what he was thinking.

Almost like he wants to hex me...or fuck me, she thought and swallowed heavily.

"I'm going to check on my potion," she said, tucking Hemlock under her arm as she stood.

"You do that," he said and sipped his tea as he watched her walk away.

#

Freddie worked on the Chelidonium Miniscula for a while, sipping her tea as she worked. When she finished her cup she went back out into Snape's office to refill it. He wasn't at his desk but the teapot was still there. She refilled her cup and it began to glow again. She glanced to the bookcase that concealed Snape's quarters. She assumed he was in there, probably getting dressed for the day. He'd taken his cup of tea with him. She spared a moment to fantasize about what he could be doing on the other side of the door. She smiled to herself and went back to her work.

Her potion was finished within an hour. The finished product was golden yellow in color. She extinguished the fire beneath the cauldron and cleaned up her workstation.

"Time for breakfast," Snape said, appearing in the doorway fully dressed.

"I finished my potion," she said, turning to look at him. "And my tea."

"Congratulations," he said dryly.

"What should I do with the potion?"

"Bottle it and leave it on the table," he said. "Then come down to breakfast."

"Yes sir," she said obediently.

Freddie sat alone at breakfast as usual. She picked at her food disinterestedly, thinking more about her upcoming duel with Snape. She acted cocky but her nonverbal spells were still limited. Snape was a grown wizard, a former Death Eater. He knew more spells, hexes, curses...Dark magic she could only dream of.

He wouldn't hurt her, of course. She knew that.

But what if I accidentally hurt him? She thought anxiously. What if we're dueling and I lose control of my magic again?

The bell rang and Freddie sighed softly. She got up from the table and glanced towards the Ravenclaw table.

I wish Daniel were here to give me some advice, she thought morosely. She grabbed her bag and headed towards the dungeons for Potions class. As she clambered down the stairs she tried to imagine what Daniel would say if he were here. He probably wouldn't like the idea of her dueling with Snape. But of course he knew she'd do it anyway. Then it was like she could hear Daniel's voice in her head. 'Well he's a grown man. He can take care of himself. You're not going to hurt him. But if he hurts you, I'll hex him into next week!'

Freddie smiled slightly to herself as she entered the classroom and took her seat.

Throughout the class, Freddie continued to think about the duel. She wished she had more time to practice. She had a break before lunch, she could practice then, but she wasn't sure where she could go. There were too many breakable objects in the Brewing Lab. Too many people in her dorm or Common Room.

Maybe somewhere outside, she thought. ...I wish Daniel were here. He'd help me practice.

When the bell rang at the end of class, Freddie lingered until her classmates were gone. She approached Snape's desk with an air of false confidence.

"So," she said, leaning across his desk. "What time do you want to duel?"

He looked up at her, an interesting gleam in his dark eyes.

"Be here after my last class ends this afternoon."

"5 o'clock?"

"5:30," he said decisively.

"You need time to warm up?" she teased and he scoffed at her. "How long has it been since you dueled? You're so old, you might need time to practice."

His eyes darkened, sending a shiver through her.

"You will regret being so cocky, Miss Gray," he said in a low voice and she bit her bottom lip. They shared an intense look, then he stood and she fought the urge to shrink away from him. "Go to class, Winifred, or you will be late. I will see you at 5:30."

"Yes sir," she said with a small smirk, then turned to go. As she walked away she heard him exhale sharply. She glanced back at him to see him watching her still. She smiled. "See you at 5:30."