Freddie didn't think that she would fall asleep. She spent hours just laying there, a feeling of blissfulness reverberating through her as she lay in his embrace. She planned to just lay there until morning, then try to slip away before he woke up. She knew if he woke up and found her in his bed – even though he'd technically invited her – he would probably not be happy. She liked to imagine that he would wake up, kiss her, make love to her...but given past experience, he was more likely to panic and yell at her to get out.
But at some point she did doze off. She didn't mean to but she did and when she did she had a dream she was being constricted by a boa constrictor. She woke with a gasp and opened her eyes to see the smiling picture of Lily.
She forced her body to relax when she realized Snape was still asleep. His face was nuzzled against her head, his warm breath tickling her ear every time he exhaled a soft snore.
Freddie smiled but her smile faded when she realized she was a little too relaxed – she needed to pee. Carefully she tried to extricate herself from Snape's limbs but the moment she moved he tightened his grip on her and burrowed his face in her hair, letting out a soft sigh before he resumed snoring.
His arm was around her neck now and she couldn't quite take a breath. On top of that her bladder felt like it was about to burst. She took a shallow breath and tried to move again, but his grip was firm.
Okay, I have to get up. I'm going to pee myself or pass out. Maybe both. That would be mortifying.
She cleared her throat and, after struggling a moment, finally wrenched herself free of his vice-like grip. She regretted having to do so and regretted it even more when his eyes flew open.
"Wha- Winifred?" he gasped.
"I have to pee," she said softly, feeling her cheeks grow warm. She turned away from the shocked, confused expression on his face and quickly scurried from the room. As she hurried down the hall she heard the sound of a bottle shattering against the wall. She grimaced.
He probably threw the Pain-Relieving Potion against the wall, she thought as she went into the bathroom.
She quickly relieved herself and sighed. She paused to look at her reflection in the mirror. Her black hair was mussed, sticking up at odd angles. She smoothed it down. There was a slight red mark on her neck from Snape's grip. She smiled and chuckled slightly. She noticed the top button of her pajama top was undone.
Did he do that? She wondered as she re-buttoned it. Surely I'd remember if he fondled me.
She took a deep breath before leaving the bathroom, not sure what she was about to walk into. She walked back down the hall to find Snape's door back on its hinges and locked.
My wand is in there, she realized. I left it on the nightstand. And my boots are in there.
"Severus?" she said softly, knocking on the door. "I left my wand..."
She waited a minute but he didn't answer. She sighed softly. I guess I don't need my wand right now, she thought. She checked her watch. It was 6 a.m. She didn't know how long she'd slept but was definitely still tired.
She walked barefoot back to her room. She left the door open a bit, in case he decided he wanted to talk.
Unlikely, she thought with a snort as she lay down on her bed and picked up Hemlock. She sighed and hugged the kneazle to her chest. It was nowhere near as good as having Snape holding her. She pulled the blanket over herself and sighed again.
Well, she thought drowsily. At least he's alive. If he's throwing things and he fixed the door, he's fine. I can get some sleep.
When she woke a few hours later, the sun was streaming through the window. She blinked away the sleepiness and saw her wand laying on her nightstand, next to the picture of her and Daniel. She sat up and looked around. Her boots were on the floor, next to her bed.
Freddie got up and went down the hall to Snape's room. She didn't knock but pressed her ear to the door. She heard nothing. There was no light under the door. He was either asleep or he wasn't in there. She'd never known him to sleep so late in the morning, so she assumed the room was empty.
She headed downstairs, sort of hoping she would find him in the sitting room or kitchen. He wasn't there. She even checked the cellar. He definitely wasn't home. Avoiding me again, she thought. She sighed and headed back to the kitchen to find some breakfast.
#
Snape came home late that evening. Freddie was in the sitting room when he Apparated. She'd spent the afternoon cleaning in there, getting dust from every nook and cranny in the room. She'd found a spare sheet in a closet upstairs and draped it across the threadbare sofa. She used a Color-Changing Charm to turn it black. She thought it looked better that way.
She was stretched out on the couch, reading, when he appeared. His face registered no emotion when he saw her, but he took a few steps towards her. She sat up and he handed her an envelope.
"Dumbledore," he said shortly.
Curious, she opened it to find a glittering object inside. She dumped it into the palm of her hand.
"My Gringotts key," she said, surprised. "How did he-"
She looked up, but Snape was gone.
The next morning Freddie got up early and got dressed to go to Diagon Alley. It was a hot day so she put on shorts and a tank top, along with the cloak Snape had given her months ago. She went downstairs first, just in case Snape was home she wanted to tell him where she was going. But, of course, he wasn't home. She thought about leaving him a note but decided not to. He probably wouldn't even be home before she got back.
When she Apparated in Diagon Alley, the street was bustling. It was a beautiful Saturday morning. The sun was shining, it was warm but not uncomfortably so. Freddie sighed contentedly and headed into Gringotts to withdraw some money.
She spent the morning wandering around Diagon Alley. She bought some new clothes, since most of her wardrobe had been left behind at Gray Manor. She spent the most time in the bookstore, buying several new books to read including a recently-released book of new healing potions.
She was walking towards the Apothecary, browsing through the textbook when she heard music. She closed the book and followed her ears to a music store she'd never noticed before. She didn't recognize the music that was blaring through the small building as she walked in, but she liked it. The singer had a guttural, husky voice and the lyrics she could understand seemed like nonsense but still she liked the music.
There were a few kids in the store but she didn't recognize any of them. Hufflepuffs maybe or Gryffindors, she thought as she began to browse the records. Some of them are young, too young for Hogwarts.
She browsed the wizarding bands, selecting a few records to buy. One was a band called Weeping Werewolves. The cover art had a picture of a full moon overshadowing the figure of a wolf, his mouth open in a mournful howl. She'd never heard of them, but was intrigued by the idea of werewolves in a band.
She had wandered over to the Muggle section and was flipping through records when a bright-eyed young witch appeared beside her.
"Hi there! Can I help you find anything?" she asked cheerfully.
"Uh, yeah – what's the band that's playing?"
"Oh that's Nirvana! They're American but they're blowing up worldwide. They're good, yeah?"
"Yeah," Freddie agreed. "I like the singer's voice, it's sort of gravelly."
"That's Kurt Cobain, their lead singer. Here's their album," she said, picking up a vinyl. The cover art was a naked baby boy swimming under water with a piece of green paper in front of him.
American currency, she thought. She recognized it from Gringotts. The album was titled Nevermind.
"It's their second album," the witch told her. "Their first was called Blew, but trust me this is the one you want."
"Alright," Freddie agreed, following her to the counter with her other purchases.
"Weeping Werewolves, huh?" the girl said as she rang her up. "They're good. A little emo."
"Emo?" Freddie repeated.
"Yeah, you know, emo. Emocore. It's a style of rock, kinda like punk but with more complex emotional subjects. Emotional hardcore."
"Ah. Are they really werewolves?"
"Yep. They're all young folks who were bitten as kids except their drummer he's like 40 something. He goes by the name Bloodmoon."
"Cool," Freddie said as she paid for her records. That's when she noticed the witch's name tag – Danielle.
"Your name's Danielle?"
"Yeah, Danielle Ryan. Why?"
"Just curious," she lied. "My name's Freddie."
"Nice to meet you, Freddie. Sort of an odd name for a girl – no offense," she added quickly.
"None taken," Freddie assured her. "It's short for Winifred, but I only let one person call me that."
"Cool. 'Freddie'. I like it," Danielle said, smiling. "Well Freddie, I hope to see you around."
"Definitely. Thanks for your help," she said, taking her bag.
