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When they appeared on solid ground Freddie leaned against Snape, trying to steady herself. Instead she found herself on top of him on the ground. She looked down into his dark eyes and sucked in a breath, realizing their legs were tangled and she was laying on his chest.

"Get off me, Gray," he grunted, pushing her off and quickly getting to his feet.

She sat there a moment, trying to orient herself. She looked around and realized they were in a grassy field near Hogsmeade. Snape extended a hand to help her up and she took it gratefully. She brushed grass and dirt off her dress while he looked around.

"I must have overshot a little," he said. "Probably because you were leaning on me."

"Sorry," she said, rolling her eyes at him. "I was trying not to fall over."

"Well you failed," he said haughtily. "However, you did not puke on me. I thank you for that."

"You're welcome," she said sarcastically.

"We can walk the rest of the way back to the castle. Come," he said, taking her arm.

"You worried some Death Eater is going to jump out of the shadows and snatch me up?" she asked sardonically, noting his tight grip on her arm. He said nothing but relaxed his grip slightly.

"I could have taken that Yaxley fellow," she said practically. "I had my wand trained on him under the table the moment he approached me."

He glanced down at her.

"You have your wand?" he asked, looking her over.

"Of course," she said loftily, and pulled her dress aside to show him her wand strapped to her thigh. He quickly looked away. "I'd never go anywhere without my wand," she declared. "At least as long as I can help it."

"Good," he said shortly.

Freddie noticed he was walking slower than normal as they headed for the path that would lead them back to the castle. He didn't seem to be in any particular hurry. Could it be he's actually enjoying my company?

"Did you receive a birthday gift from your aunt and uncle?" he asked casually.

"No," she said, shaking her head. "Reckon they're still mad at me for the St Mungo's thing."

"Possibly."

"My 'fan club' as you call them, found out about my birthday. Amelia Avery gave me a large box of Honeydukes chocolates. A few others gave me sweets throughout the day. ...It's silly but I was still hoping for something from Daniel," she said softly.

"It is not silly," he said quietly, squeezing her arm.

They had just reached the dirt path and started up it when Freddie heard a loud explosion that made her jump. She whirled around, grabbing for her wand, just in time to see an explosion of color in the sky. Fireworks.

Then she heard another unusual noise – the sound of Snape laughing, loudly.

"What?" Freddie asked, unable to help but smile at the sound.

"I've never seen you jump like that," he said, trying to control his laughter. "That scared you, Gray?"

"Startled," she insisted. "Not scared."

"Same thing," he said, smiling. Freddie rolled her eyes at him and looked up at the sky as more fireworks went off.

"Why are they shooting fireworks?" she asked, craning her neck to look up at them. "It's not a holiday. Well, it's Valentine's Day tomorrow but no one shoots fireworks for that."

"Who knows?" Snape said. "Come – at least sit down so you don't get a crick in your neck."

She glanced at him to see him wave his wand and produce a gray quilt on the grass for her to sit in.

"Let's move off the path," he said, dragging the blanket away from the road and to a shadowy area near a building.

"Thanks," she said gratefully and plopped down on the blanket to watch the fireworks. Snape remained standing awkwardly for a minute before finally kneeling on the blanket next to her.

"Whoa, look at that one!" Freddie exclaimed as a firework exploded into a massive shower of golden stars.

"Mm-hm," Snape said absently. She looked at him discreetly from the corner of her eye and saw he was looking at her. She smiled to herself, feeling pleased.

The next burst of fireworks took the shape of a large hippogriff that flew over the rooftops of the village.

"Whoa!" Freddie said again in awe. She leaned farther back to watch the show until finally she just lay down on the blanket, her head next to Snape's thigh. The fireworks continued in an array of different colors and shapes. Freddie chuckled to herself as the sparks formed a blue dragon that shot a stream of orange sparks from its mouth.

"Daniel would love this," she said wistfully. "It's the sort of thing he would do for me for my birthday."

"I do not think Daniel is responsible for this," Snape said quietly.

"I know," she said softly, sadly. "He's gone."

She closed her eyes and swallowed the lump in her throat. She didn't open her eyes when she felt Snape's hand on her head, felt him start to stroke her long black hair gently. Small shivers went through her body with each motion of his hand. The fireworks were still exploding in the background, but Freddie still didn't open her eyes. She was worried if she did he would stop.

Eventually the noises stopped. She felt Snape's warm hand linger on her forehead just a moment before he withdrew it.

"Show's over, Winifred," he whispered softly.

She opened her eyes finally and saw Snape's glittering eyes looking down at her. His face seemed relaxed, his features softened under the light of the stars. All she could think was how badly she wanted him to kiss her and wondered if he felt the same.

"We should go," he said finally, getting to his feet then helping her up. "It's past curfew."

"Okay," she murmured in agreement.

He vanished the blanket and Freddie waited to see if he would take her by the arm again. He didn't. Slightly disappointed, she followed him as he started up the path. Still, she couldn't help but smile as her scalp was still tingling from his touch.

"Do you think I could learn Legilimency?" she asked as they approached the Hogwarts gate.

"Not from me," he answered immediately.

"What? Why not?"

"You are not digging around in my brain, nor I in yours."

"You already have dug around in mine," she pointed out.

"That was a life or death situation," he replied uncomfortably. "...I did not want to do it."

"It's okay. I know why you did it," she said with a shrug. "I forgive you."

"How reassuring," he said, his voice dripping with sarcasm. She smiled at him.

"You're welcome to infiltrate my mind any time you want," she said, winking at him. "I'm an open book."

"Your mind terrifies me," he drawled. "If you wish to learn Legilimency, there are several books I can loan you. You can practice on your weak-minded classmates. I doubt they'll even notice."

"Really?"

"As long as you do not tell anyone I told you to do it," he said with a faint smirk. "Try not to get caught. You should read up on Occlumency as well."

"Occlumency?"

"It is the ability to shield your mind from intruders. It goes hand-in-hand with Legilimency."

"Awesome."

"Meaning, Winifred, I will know if you attempt to use Legilimency on me," he warned.

"Okay, jeez. I wasn't gonna," she said, even though she had thought it would be cool.

"Hm," he grunted.

They crossed the castle grounds together and ascended the steps into the castle.

"Can I go back to work on my potion?" she asked as they entered the castle.

"My potion, you mean? Not tonight. It's nearly midnight already and you have classes tomorrow. I've kept you out long enough," he said, holding open the door to the dungeons. "We wouldn't want anyone to get the wrong idea."

"Yes sir," she said, smirking slightly at him.

She followed him down the corridor and stopped outside the entrance to the Common Room.

"Thank you for my birthday dinner, Severus," she said softly, smiling up at him.

He peered down at her and grimaced slightly.

"You want to hug me, don't you?" he asked, sounding pained.

Among other things, she thought and nodded her head.

He looked up and down the corridor quickly, then opened his arms. Thrilled, Freddie rushed into his embrace. She hugged him tight, pressing her body as close as she could. He returned her embrace, putting his arms around her for just a moment. When he released her his hands lingered, brushing against the bare skin of her back for just a moment before he let her go. A shiver went through her, causing goosebumps to break out on her skin as he pulled away. Her whole body flushed.

"Bed, Gray," he said gruffly. "I'll see you in the morning."

"Goodnight, Professor," she said, then turned away and went into her Common Room.

Freddie lay in her bed that night, feeling restless. She replayed the night, precious memories with Snape, over and over again in her head. With the curtains drawn around her bed and being as quiet as she possibly could she brought herself to climax repeatedly, recalling the feelings of his hands on her skin, and playing with her hair.

She lay there afterwards, basking in the afterglow, and reliving the night over again in her head.

There's no doubt he's attracted to me, she thought to herself, a smile playing on her lips. His actions tonight went far beyond anything he's done before. He's more than pushed the boundaries of the student-teacher relationship. The earrings, the dinner, staring at me, the way his touches lingered...I wouldn't be surprised if he was behind the fireworks as well. She sighed happily and rolled over, pulling the blanket over her sweaty body. So he's definitely attracted to me...but he's probably not going to make a move. He's too smart, too calculated for that. There's a line there he's not going to cross on his own. Not while I'm a student anyway. After next year, after I graduate, I might have a real shot at getting him into bed...but that doesn't mean I can't have fun with him in the meantime...

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