#
Freddie took the copy of Moste Potente Potions that Snape had given her out of her bag and began to flip through it eagerly. He wanted her to pick a potion, for them to brew together! She had to pinch herself to make sure she wasn't dreaming.
She made her decision quickly, settling on the Ignipellos Poison, a brew that made the drinker feel as if they were being buried alive. It would only take two hours to brew. She gathered the ingredients quickly then went back out into Snape's office where he was eating a steak. There was a milkshake waiting for her and she smiled, glad that she wouldn't have to force herself to eat.
"Want to know what potion I picked?" she asked, sitting down in her chair and picking up the milkshake.
"What potion did you pick, Winifred?" he asked, cutting a piece of stead delicately.
"Ignipellos," she replied with a mischievous grin. He paused briefly and smirked.
"Fun," he drawled before taking a bite.
"I thought it might be."
Freddie took a long drink of her milkshake, surprised to find that this one was cherry flavored. It was just as good as the chocolate.
"Maybe if I hadn't skipped lunch I would've won our duel," she said thoughtfully.
"You never stood a chance," he scoffed.
"Maybe not. What spell did you hit me with at the end?"
"Ah. Levicorpus," he said, a small smile playing on his lips. "Another of my own invention. It only works nonverbally."
"That is so freaking cool!" she declared.
"Thank you."
"What other spells have you invented?"
"If you are lucky, someday I may teach you more of them."
"Well then I hope I am lucky," she said, leaning across his desk. "How's your steak? It smells good."
"Not as good as at the Silver Serpent," he said, cutting off another small piece. He paused a moment, then extended his fork across the desk, offering her a bite. Freddie smiled slightly and met his dark eyes as she leaned across the table and took a bite off his fork.
She leaned back in her seat, chewing thoughtfully. She thought she saw his pupils dilate but his eyes were so dark she couldn't be sure.
"It's good – but not as good as the Silver Serpent," she agreed.
He inclined his head and cut himself another bite of steak. Freddie smiled when she noted he didn't wipe his fork first. Not scared of my germs anymore? She thought silently, still smiling.
"What?" he asked.
"Hm? Oh. I was wondering if you'd invented any potions like you have spells?"
"Of course."
"Why haven't you written a book?"
"The crews I invented are...not exactly suitable for the public," he answered slowly.
"Poisons?" she asked and he gave a slight nod. "Can we brew one of them?"
"We are already brewing a poison."
"Yeah but it's a boring one."
"Causing someone to feel as if their skin is on fire is 'boring'?"
"Compared to something new, something no one in the world has brewed but you? Yes."
"Not tonight," he said, pushing back from his desk, having finished his steak. "Are you ready?"
"Yes sir," she said, putting her empty glass on his desk and following him into the lab.
#
They spent the next few hours working on the potion together. They started out preparing the first of the ingredients together, then fell into a comfortable routine where she prepared the ingredients and handed them to him, or added them herself under his direction.
The last hour the potion had to be left to simmer over low heat. They cleaned up the workstation together then stepped back out into his office. The dishes from their dinner were gone and there was a bottle of scotch on his desk with a red bow on it.
"Dumbledore," Freddie said and Snape nodded.
"Drinking scotch alone on my birthday," he said, sitting down at his desk. "No surprise there."
"You don't have to drink alone if you don't want to," she said softly. He looked up at her, his expression unreadable.
"It's nearly curfew. You should go back to your dormitory."
"Maybe I should," she agreed, approaching her chair. "But do I have to?"
He continued to look at her silently for a long moment. Finally he indicated the chair in front of his desk. Thrilled, Freddie sat down.
Snape raised his wand and two empty glasses appeared on his desk. He opened the bottle of scotch and poured himself a drink. He hesitated briefly before pouring her a small amount and pushing the glass towards her.
Freddie picked up the glass and sniffed it, but didn't take a drink. She was remembering the last time she'd drunk alcohol with Snape.
"I promised you I'd never drink again. Not after last time," she said, swirling the liquid in the cup.
"Actually, you promised me you would never disobey me again. We are not in Knockturn Alley and you will not get drunk off a small amount of scotch, or at least, you shouldn't."
Freddie smiled slightly and took a small sip. It had a strong, woody taste, sort of peppery. She wasn't sure if she cared for it but it was one of the only things she'd drunk recently that the flavor wasn't tainted by her grief.
"You actually like this?" she asked and he smirked at her.
"It is an acquired taste," he said.
They drank silently for a minute, with Freddie taking small sips, still not sure if she liked it.
"Did you celebrate birthdays when you were a kid? Or have you always hated them?" she asked curiously.
He shrugged slightly and was silent a moment, a pensive look on his face.
"When I was younger, before I started school, my mother would take me out back to her garden on my birthday and let me practice spells with her wand," he said after a moment.
"Even though you were underage?" she asked, surprised.
"The Trace is not as advanced as the Ministry of Magic would have you believe," he said with a small, twisted smile. He took another long drink of his scotch. "By the time I entered my first year at Hogwarts I knew more curses and hexes than most seventh years."
"Wow," she said, impressed. When she noticed he'd finished his drink she leaned across his desk to pour him another. He inclined his head in silent thanks.
"What about during your school years? Did you celebrate your birthday with your classmates?"
"No," he scoffed, then his face softened slightly. "For a while I had a friend who would gift me things every year – cookies and things she had baked, or books."
She? Freddie thought, feeling a small prickle of jealousy, though she knew it was irrational. Could that be the friend Noelle said he had lost?
Freddie had a burning desire to ask what had happened to her, but she knew when to keep her mouth shut. Instead she sipped her scotch, hoping he would keep talking. He did.
"I think I stopped celebrating altogether around 5th year," he continued reflectively. "Tensions were even tighter between Houses than they are now and..."
He trailed off, staring into his drink a long moment before taking a sip.
"She wasn't a Slytherin?" Freddie prodded quietly.
"Gryffindor," he answered with a grimace, surprising her. He looked up suddenly, shaking his head slightly as if to clear it. "What about you? How do you celebrate your birthdays, Winifred? Cake and balloons?"
He said this last bit with a sneer but she just chuckled.
"I'm not sure I ever did as a child," she admitted. "I don't remember ever celebrating with my parents. They were so busy with their work for the Dark Lord, I'm sure my having a birthday party would have been tremendously inconvenient for them." She rolled her eyes. "With my Uncle Cecil and Aunt Millicent I had a cake every year at least, but really it was just an excuse for them to host another dinner party. I was sent to my room on my 9th birthday when I accidentally exploded the gravy boat all over their friend Mr Malfoy."
Snape showed a glimmer of recognition at the name, or so she thought.
"Accidentally?" he quipped, smirking slightly.
"It was!" she protested with a grin. "They sent me to bed without giving me any of my own damn birthday cake. Anubis snuck me a piece later though."
"Your house elf?"
"Yeah – well, my uncle's house elf."
"What about now that you're in school? Your birthday is in February, is it not?"
"Yeah," she said, pleased that he remembered. "Daniel always plans something fun for my birthday. A game of Quidditch, a snowball fight, sneaking out after hours to explore the castle."
He quirked his eyebrow and Freddie gave him an innocent grin. Her grin faded when she realized this would be her first birthday in six years without Daniel.
"Maybe he'll be back by then," she said softly to herself, swirling the little bit of amber liquid left in her glass. She looked up to see Snape watching her, his expression unreadable. "...Do you think he'll turn up?"
"...I do not know," he said quietly.
Freddie sighed softly and slumped slightly in her chair. Without thinking she pulled Hemlock from her pocket and gave the small kneazle an anxious squeeze.
"I wish I could talk to him," she sighed, fiddling with Hemlock's lion-like tail.
"You could write him letters," Snape suggested.
"Hm?" she said, looking up at him.
"You could write him letters," he repeated.
"If I can't find him, if a team of Ministry officials can't find him, what makes you think an owl could?"
"I didn't mean send them," he said, sounding briefly annoyed. He took a drink of scotch and softened his tone before continuing. "Just the act of writing them may, ah, make you feel better."
What are you a psychiatrist now? She thought silently but didn't say aloud. He was trying to help, after all. She considered his suggestion a minute.
"What would I do with them?" she asked.
"Keep them," he said with a shrug. "Or burn them. That's what I did but I knew that my friend was-"
He broke off suddenly, realizing what he had said. He stood up and turned away from her, looking at the fire in the hearth, drink in his hand.
"Sorry," Freddie said, so quiet it was almost inaudible. It didn't take a genius to figure out that he'd been going to say 'dead'. Snape jerked his head then finished off his drink.
"I'm going to bed. Take care of the potion then I suggest you do the same."
"Yes sir. Shall I vanish it?"
He paused and looked at her, a smile twisting across his lips.
"Unless you feel like testing it?"
"On myself? No thanks," she chuckled, standing up and finished off her drink. She walked around the desk but didn't go into the Brewing Lab.
"You're going to bed?" she asked, looking up at him.
"Yes," he said somewhat cautiously. "So should you."
Screw it, she thought and hugged him quickly.
"Happy birthday, Severus," she said, releasing him and scurrying towards the lab. "Goodnight!"
She didn't look back at him or even look up from the cauldron until she heard his door slam shut. She chuckled to herself, then vanished the potion before leaving his office and heading to her dorm.