Author's Note: Thank you all for giving me such great reviews! The more yall do that, the more it makes me want to write and update! Especially when I get reviews within minutes of updating, it is truly wonderful and puts me in a great mood 😁 So I wont make yall wait til tomorrow for another update 😉
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Freddie had finished her homework and was flipping through a Potions book, looking for ideas, when someone came rushing into the room.
"Freddie, you're alive!"
"Hey, Amelia," Freddie said with a smile.
She marked her spot in the book and set it down as Amelia approached. She patted the bed, inviting the younger girl to sit down.
"My God, your face! You look, uh..."
"Like Hell?" Freddie finished with a smile. "I know. I'm okay, though."
"I heard what happened – everyone did! I can't believe it! He attacked you while you were naked?"
"Yeah. I almost don't believe it myself," she said softly. "We used to be friends..."
"Why did he attack you?"
"He thinks I killed Daniel," she said quietly and Amelia's eyes grew wide. "I didn't kill him, Amelia. I know you've never asked, but I didn't do it. He was...is my best friend."
"You don't know what happened to him?"
"No. I can't remember anything. We were hanging out, talking...then I was in the Hospital Wing."
"They think you're faking it."
"I guess," she said, shrugging uncomfortably. "I...everyone thinks he's dead, that I killed him, but... I don't think he's dead. I'd...I'd know if he were dead. I can't explain it."
"What do you think happened to him?"
"I don't know. I wish I did, but... Shouldn't you be in class?" she asked, wanting desperately to change the subject.
"Study period."
"Then shouldn't you be studying?" she asked curtly.
Amelia's face fell slightly and Freddie immediately regretted being short with her.
"You have any homework you want me to help with?" Freddie offered and Amelia's blue eyes brightened.
"I've got an essay I have to write for Care of Magical Creatures."
"What's the topic?"
"Hippogriffs."
"I can help with that," she said with a nod. "Get your things, we can work on it in here."
"Okay," she said happily. "Be right back."
Freddie smiled slightly as she rearranged her pillows again, making room for Amelia to sit next to her. She lit another lantern so they'd have more light to see by. When Amelia returned with her bag she kicked off her shoes and sat cross-legged on the bed next to Freddie.
"I've got a pretty good handle on it I think but if you can read over it when I'm done that'd really help," she said, pulling out her books.
"No problem. Do you like music?" she asked, getting up off the bed and going to her trunk to get the record player.
"Sure. I like Spellbound and Lorean d'Eath. He's pretty sexy, don't you think? Even though he's part vampire."
"Mm. Have you ever heard of the Eagles?" she asked, putting on the vinyl.
"No, are they new?"
"No," she chuckled. "They're an old Muggle band."
"You listen to Muggle music?" she asked incredulously.
"Give it a chance. I think you'll like it."
#
When the bell rang for dinner, Freddie was laying across her bed, reading Apothecary Now, while Amelia sat at the head of the bed flipping through a magazine. They'd finished her essay and were listening to Guns and Roses.
"Ooo Witch Weekly has a sex horoscope," Amelia said, laying across the bed to show Freddie her magazine. "Wanna know if you're gonna get laid?"
"I don't need a psychic to know the answer to that," Freddie snorted. "It's a big fat no."
"Let's see what the stars say, shall we? February 13th makes you...an Aquarius. It says 'After a long, hard, emotionally draining season, this weekend's astrological weather helps you come out of your shell and have some fun again. Go out, find someone sexy, and take them home to pound out all the stress," Amelia said, wiggling her eyebrows suggestively. Freddie made a face at her.
"You know that's all rubbish, right?" Freddie said, pushing the magazine away. Amelia giggled and sat back up.
"Mine says 'For the next month you have the opportunity to cement something special with a person who has all it takes to go the distance'. I wish," she said, closing the magazine with a wistful sigh.
"Do you not have a boyfriend?" Freddie asked, rolling over and closing her journal.
"Uh, no," Amelia said, rolling her eyes. "Don't you think you would know if I was dating?"
"Eh, I don't pay that much attention to students," she said. She realized she sounded like Snape and smiled, picking up Hemlock. "So, why don't you have a boyfriend? You're pretty, you could have your pick of the lot."
"You really think I'm pretty?" Amelia asked, blushing slightly as she tucked her curly brown hair behind her ear.
"Well yeah. Is there a boy you like? Maybe I could help you talk to him – although, people don't really like talking to me. I could threaten him, scare him into dating you," she joked.
"No, I'm good," she said with a laugh. "What about you? Any boy you're interested in?"
"Nah, only thing I'm interested in is Potions," she replied, tapping the copy of Apothecary Now she'd been reading.
"Figures," she chuckled. "You wanna go down to dinner? I'm starving."
"Me too, but Snape said I could come brew something after dinner so I'm going to head down there."
"But you said he said after dinner," she said, packing up her books.
"I like to keep him on his toes," she said with a wink. "Besides, sometimes he lets me eat dinner with him in his office."
"Ah. Well, here," she said, handing her a half-empty box of chocolates from her bag. "In case he starves you."
"Thanks," she said with a grin. "I'm gonna get changed – I've been wearing these clothes since yesterday."
"Alright, I'll see ya later. Thanks for helping with my homework."
"No problem," Freddie said, pulling the curtains around her bed then paused. "Hey Amelia?"
"Yeah?"
"You haven't been mixed up with any of these fights with Ravenclaw, have you?"
"Uhh..." she hesitated a moment. "Well I heard a Ravenclaw girl bad-mouthing you in the first floor bathroom earlier."
"What did you do?" she asked sharply.
"Hexed her mouth shut," she said. "Don't worry – I didn't get caught! I was in a stall, they didn't even see me."
"Avery," she sighed. "I don't need anyone fighting on my behalf. Stay out of trouble, okay?"
"Okay," Amelia agreed with a nod, then left the room.
Freddie took off her clothes from the night before. She put on clean underwear, a pair of black lace panties.
Just in case Amelia's horoscope thing is accurate, she thought with a chuckle.
She dressed in black slacks and a short sleeve black shirt with the top two buttons undone, showing off a moderate amount of cleavage. She grabbed Snape's cloak from her bedside table and fastened it around her neck. It dragged the ground a couple of inches on her so she used her wand to adjust it, then left her dorm, grabbing Hemlock and shoving him in her pocket on the way out.
She stepped out of the Common Room into the corridor...and found Snape leaning against the opposite wall.
"What are you doing?" Freddie asked, surprised.
"Waiting for you," he answered shortly.
"Why? I don't need a babysitter," she said, narrowing her eyes at him.
"Do you want to brew a potion or not?" he asked. Freddie didn't miss the slight note of tiredness in his voice.
Of course he's tired, he was up all night drinking and watching over me. He's probably exhausted, she realized.
"Yeah," she said. "Yeah, let's go."
He inclined his head and led the way down the hall.
"Did you get the mice?" she asked as they entered his office.
"Mice?" he repeated.
"To test my potion? You said we could."
He paused a moment before sinking down into his chair.
"I forgot," he admitted. "It has been a long day. I will get them tomorrow."
"I could go get-"
"No," he interrupted.
"But-"
"No, Miss Gray. Bottle your Saxum Brew and chose something else to brew tonight. We can test them tomorrow."
Freddie sighed softly and went into the lab. She bottled her potion from the night before then stepped back out into the office. The cot was gone and the door to Snape's quarters was open. Curious, she peeked inside to see him folding the green blanket and placing it on the leather couch.
"Do you have the Book of Potions?" she asked, lingering in the doorway.
"On my desk," he answered without looking up. Freddie watched him a moment longer as he took the pillow she'd slept on and tossed it on his bed.
She walked back out to his desk, found the book, and sat in her usual chair as she began to flip through it. Snape came out, closing the door to his quarters behind him. He sank back into his chair with an almost inaudible sigh. Freddie looked at him over the top of the book. The bags under his eyes were darker, more pronounced than before, and his face was even paler than usual.
"Are you okay?" she asked quietly.
"Mm. The Invigoration Draught I took this morning has worn off," he said, rubbing his face tiredly.
"Want me to get you another one?" she offered.
"No, I don't want to be up all night again."
"How about some tea? Or – here," she said, pulling the box of chocolates from her pocket. "Have some chocolate."
"Where did you get these?" he asked sharply, becoming more alert as he took the box from her.
"Amelia gave them to me. Amelia Avery," she said, confused. He pulled out his wand and waved it over the box. He opened it, broke one of the pieces in half, and sniffed it.
"It's not poisoned," Freddie said, rolling her eyes.
"You cannot be too careful," he said, popping the chocolate into his mouth then giving the box back to her.
"Amelia's a friend, not foe," she said, shaking her head.
"You believed Mr Gecker to be a friend also."
"Six months ago, maybe. Now...I think Amelia may be the only friend I have, besides you."
He looked up at her, eyebrows raised.
"Am I your friend?" he asked sardonically.
"Friend, teacher, fellow potioneer...savior," she said, shrugging. "You saved my life last night. You pulled me out of the water."
"I did."
"You saw me naked."
"I-" he paused a beat and she saw his face turn red for a brief second. "I was more focused on saving your life. Go – go brew a potion, Gray."
She grinned at him and stood, taking the book with her.
"Shut the door behind you," he said as she walked into the lab. "I have two of your housemates coming to serve detention after dinner."
"You're not going to be too hard on them, are you?" she asked, pausing in the doorway.
"Lines," he replied.
"My worst nightmare."
"You are a very unusual individual, Miss Gray. Get to work."
"Yes sir," she said, smirking at him as the door shut behind her.