Saturday morning Freddie got up a little later than usual. She got dressed in an almost too short black skirt, a white button up top, and her Slytherin necktie to show house price for the upcoming Quidditch match. She headed down to breakfast where Amelia had saved her a seat. The entire table was decked out in silver and green.
"Hey Freddie!" Amelia said brightly as she sat down. "You going to the match or working on a secret potion?"
"It's not a secret. We're working on an antidote for the Invisibility Potion that just came out this month. But," she said, taking a bite of toast. "I'm actually going to the match. Professor Snape is...escorting me down."
She glanced at the staff table where he sat, talking with Dumbledore.
"Still protecting you?"
"He thinks he is," she said, rolling her eyes. "He thinks Ravenclaw might be out for blood after we whip their arses on the Quidditch pitch. They think it's my fault Geck got banned and now they're gonna lose."
"They were gonna lose anyway," Amelia said.
"I'll toast to that," Freddie said, raising her goblet.
They finished eating breakfast and some students started leaving the hall to head down to the Quidditch pitch. Freddie was finishing off her juice when Snape tapped her on the shoulder.
"Miss Gray," he said, then continued walking. Taking this to mean she should follow him, she put down her cup and hurried after him. She caught up with him in the Entrance Hall. He glanced over her briefly.
"Are you ready for the match?" he asked.
"Yep. You?"
"Let's go," he said and she followed him out of the castle.
They talked potions on their way down to the pitch, discussing the antidote they'd been experimenting with. They'd had three failures last night before he'd called it quits for the night and sent her to bed.
"Perhaps we should add the demiguise fur before the plangentine," she said as they walked. "I think adding it too close to the snakeweed caused our rather explosive failure last night."
"I agree. If we start with the demiguise fur and wait to add the snakeweed until after it stews a bit, we should be able to add wartizome to negate the combustible effects," he said. "Theoretically."
"Theoretically," she agreed. "It almost makes me wish we were working on that instead of going to a Quidditch match...almost."
"Do not worry, Miss Gray. We have plenty of time – and a few more mistakes ahead of us no doubt."
"Not that much time," she pointed out. "Less than a month before the end of term and I have to go home for the summer."
"That is unfortunate," he said. "But there is a chance we will accomplish our goal before the end of term."
"If we don't are you going to keep working on it without me?" she asked and he gave her a look. "Of course you are. You know I could keep working on it too. My uncle has let me brew potions in the kitchen before."
"You are free to do as you wish," Snape said dismissively. "Hopefully you do now blow yourself and your family up in the process."
She scoffed at him.
"Bet you'll be pissed when I figure it out before you," she teased.
"Oh when you do?" he sneered. "Awfully confident for an amateur potioneer such as yourself."
"Oh amateur?" she said, rounding on him as they approached the stands. "Would you waste your time with me if I were an amateur?"
He paused.
"I have no response to that," he admitted.
"Uh-huh," she said, grinning up at him. "I'll see you after the match?"
"No such luck. I am sitting with you," he said, following her into the stands.
"Lucky me," she said under her breath.
"Did you say something, Miss Gray?" he said as he followed her to a seat.
"Nope," she replied cheerfully as he sat down next to her. "You know, this is only going to make them gossip more about you?"
"Let them talk," he said dismissively. "I am here to watch the match."
"Then why aren't you sitting with the teachers?" she teased.
"I am supporting Slytherin House," he said and then leaned his head close to whisper to her. "Besides...Dumbledore wants me to keep an eye on you."
She made a disgusted face at him and Snape chuckled as he straightened up.
"Watch the match, Miss Gray," he said. "We have a potion to work on afterwards."