Authors Note: I am posting two chapters at once because i love you guys so be sure you read 69 before coming here! Thanks and as always plz review!
Freddie stepped out of the record store, blinking in the bright sunlight. She checked her watch. It was close to noon so she decided to get some lunch before heading to the Apothecary.
She ate at a little shop simply called The Bistro. She had a BLT and a salad, sitting outside at a small table so she could enjoy the sunlight. She was finishing off her salad when she heard a familiar voice on the street. She looked up to see Geck walking with Richard Perkins and two other Ravenclaw boys.
They hadn't spotted her yet but if they kept walking this way they would for sure. She stood quickly, wishing her cloak had a hood, and started up the street. She glanced behind her and saw that Geck had his wand out. She'd been spotted.
She walked faster, reaching into her pocket as she did so. She took a sharp turn down a side street, popped the cork on the vial in her hand, and quickly downed the Invisibility Potion. She hid her bags behind a dumpster and flattened herself against the wall as Geck came running down the alley with his wand out.
"Dammit! Where'd she go?" Geck said as his friends came around the corner. He kicked over a few large boxes, even looked inside the dumpster.
"She probably Disapparated, Geck," Perkins said, shaking his head. "Come on. You don't really wanna start trouble with Gray, do you?"
"Outside of Hogwarts, without Professor Bastard for her to hide behind? You bet your arse I do," Geck said, glowering.
"Daniel's gone, Geck, and Dumbledore doesn't think Gray had anything to do with it. If he did, she wouldn't still be at Hogwarts."
"Just cuz there's no proof," Geck said, shaking his head. "You don't know her, she's a Slytherin. She's conniving, evil, just like the rest of them. Her parents were Death Eaters, you know? They're in Azkaban and she should be too!"
"I dunno, Geck," Perkins said doubtfully.
"She knows something, Ricky, she knows something about Daniel, I know she does. If she didn't kill him she knows who did," he growled. "She has to..."
"Well she's gone now," Perkins said. "Come on, let's get something to eat. I'm starving."
Geck looked around the alley once more before following his friends back out onto the street. Freddie stayed against the wall a moment longer, then exhaled slowly. She no longer wanted to visit the Apothecary. She didn't want to risk running into Geck again. She'd defend herself if she had to, but she didn't want to fight. She didn't want to hurt anyone. She gathered her bags from behind the dumpster and Disapparated.
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That evening Freddie decided she would try her hand at cooking something other than soup. She'd gone to the Muggle grocery store and gotten a ham, potatoes, beans and rolls. She put the ham in the oven as soon as she got home. She didn't quite understand the controls on the electric over and Snape wasn't home to ask for help. Still after fiddling with it a bit she thought she had it right.
She sat at the kitchen table with the bag of potatoes. She opened her magical cookbook and found the section on peeling potatoes using magic. She pulled out her wand and after a bit of trial and error she soon had the potatoes peeling themselves.
The ham would take several hours, according to the recipe, so she left the peeled potatoes in the sink with some water. She went upstairs to get her record player so she could listen to her new records. She decided to put on one of her new outfits – a short black sundress with spaghetti straps. It was lightweight cotton material and very comfortable. It had a wide neckline that showed off some of her chest but not too much. It scooped even lower in the back, exposing the skin to about midway down her back.
This would be a comfortable outfit for brewing potions in this hot weather, she thought as she carried the record player downstairs.
She set up the player on the kitchen table and put on the Nirvana vinyl to listen to. She danced around the kitchen for a bit, putting up the rest of the groceries she'd gotten. Then she sat at the table with her new potions book and made a list of ingredients she'd need to get at the Apothecary. She had decided to go back after dinner and Apparate directly there, figuring she was less likely to run into Geck that way.
When she finished her list, she began to dice the potatoes with her wand. She found the action somewhat satisfying, slicing the potatoes over and over again until they were in one inch cubes. She got a large pot from the cabinet under the sink and put the potatoes in it. She filled it with water and put it on the stove.
She was standing at the stove, waiting for the potatoes to boil when Snape Apparated directly into the kitchen. She expected him to stride off to his room but he just stood there, drinking in the sight of her in the little black dress.
"Hello," she said finally and his eyes flicked to her face.
"We need to talk," he said.
"I have a ham in the oven."
"We need to talk," he repeated, approaching her. "About the other night."
Freddie sighed and turned to face him.
"We don't have to. I know what you're going to say."
"Oh you do, do you?"
"You're going to say it was a mistake, it can't happen again, blah blah blah. I know," she said, turning back to the stove.
He grabbed her arm and pulled her around to face him. His dark eyes seemed to stare into her soul, his nostrils flared as he exhaled slowly.
"What do you want from me, Winifred?" he asked, his voice soft but strained. He still had his hand on her arm, but it didn't hurt. She glanced down at his hand, then looked back up at him.
"I'm not quite sure how to answer that," she said truthfully. He met her eyes, his gaze unwavering. With his free hand he brushed her hair back off of her shoulder. He touched her face gently caressing her cheek with his thumb. She felt her face flush and he smirked slightly. He trailed his thumb down her face and brushed it across her lips, making her gasp softly.
"Is this what you want?" he murmured.
Unable to speak, Freddie nodded. He stared at her a moment longer, then lowered his head and kissed her.
She gasped into the kiss, not expecting it to actually happen. It started soft then quickly grew rougher as he deepened the kiss. He grabbed both her arms, pulling her to him possessively. She grasped his shirt reflexively, unable to think clearly as his tongue explored her mouth.
He withdrew slowly and she let out a whimper. He smirked into the kiss and nipped her bottom lip before pulling away. He didn't turn away, didn't run, but still held her tightly.
"That is what you want, is it not? More of that?" he asked, his voice a low growl.
"Uh-huh," she said, feeling light-headed.
"Hmm," he said, pressing her back against the counter. "You care for me, little girl, I can accept that. Can you accept that your feelings are unrequited? Can you accept that I will never love you?"
The words stung a bit. She looked up at him, confused.
"What-" she swallowed heavily, her body responding to the kiss, to being pinned against the counter by his body. "What are you proposing then?"
"There's no denying the...physical attraction, as much as I have tried to," he said in a low voice. He moved his hand up her arm to touch her face again, stroking her jaw with one finger.
"So a- ah," she gasped as his finger traced her lower lip. "A physical relationship? Is that what you're suggesting?"
His eyes darkened and he got a hungry look in his eyes. He moved his mouth close to her ear to whisper, his breath hot on her skin.
"What I am suggesting, Miss Gray, is that I use you...in the way you so desperately want me to use you, only on my terms. Do you understand?" he murmured.
Freddie swallowed again and bit her lower lip as his lips traced the curve of her ear.
"I think so," she whispered.
"You think so? Does that mean you consent? Do you consent to being used, by me? To being a distraction, for me, a source of pleasure only?"
"Yes," she whimpered. "Yes, that's – that's what I want."
Is that what I want? But as he moved his mouth from her ear to claim her lips again, the answer was a resounding yes!
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