July passed quickly and Snape spent every night in Freddie's bed. The morning her school supply list came he woke her up by kissing her. Freddie blinked her eyes open sleepily and smiled at him.

"Good morning," she said, sitting up in bed.

"An owl brought this for you," he said, sitting down beside her and handing her the envelope.

"My school supply list? I guess I'll have to go to Diagon Alley."

She had avoided Diagon Alley ever since her near run in with Geck and the others. She'd taken to exploring the nearby Muggle towns, getting groceries, even clothes from there. She only went to Diagon Alley to go to the Apothecary and she was always cautious and quick about it. She couldn't help but feel a little nervous about going for her school supplies, knowing that everyone else had gotten their letters today and would probably be there.

"Do you want to go with me to get my things?" she asked.

"I do not think that would be the best idea," he answered slowly. "We should not be seen together outside of the castle. The town will be crawling with students."

"Oh. That's true," she said and laid her head on his shoulder with a soft sigh.

"What's wrong?" he asked, nuzzling her hair then kissing the top of her head.

"Mm. Just...I've been avoiding Diagon Alley. The last time I went I sort of ran into Geck – well, almost ran into him. He chased me down an alley and I hid."

He was silent a moment and she felt him in her mind, dredging up the memory and reviewing it. She didn't try to fight him, just let him see it. She felt his anger and annoyance towards Geck at being called 'Professor Bastard', rage at hearing how he wanted to confront Freddie.

"You should owl one of your friends to go with you," he said, withdrawing from her mind.

"I don't think he would try anything in broad daylight, not with the street full of people. Besides," she said. "I'm not scared of Geck, I'm not scared of anyone – except maybe you sometimes." She looked up at him with a playful grin. "I can take Geck if I have to, I just...don't want to have to."

"I know," he said, putting his arm around her and giving her a light squeeze. "You used to be friends."

"Yeah," she said softly.

A sadness washed over her as she began to think about Daniel again. Wondering for the millionth time what could have happened to him. Wondering if he would ever turn up. If she would ever find out what happened to him.

"You could invite Miss Burke to accompany you," he said. "Or one of your classmates."

"I'll be fine," she said, snuggling into his embrace. "I'll just make a quick trip. No big deal."

"Hm. I need to go to the castle today and work on lesson plans," he said, kissing the top of her head again. "Maybe I could meet you for lunch at the Silver Serpent, say 12 o'clock?"

"Seriously? Yeah, okay," she said happily. "...I guess I should get up and get dressed, huh?"

"Unless you want to walk around the shops naked," he teased.

"I don't think you want me to do that," she said, smirking as she started to climb out of bed. He grabbed her arm and pulled her back into bed. He kissed her passionately, then released her.

"Now you can get dressed," he said.

Freddie chuckled and rolled out of bed. She went over to her dresser and put on a clear pair of black underwear and bra, then she pulled on a pair of very short blue jean shorts and a black t-shirt that had a skull and roses on it, both of which she'd gotten from a Muggle shop.

"Cute," Snape said as she turned around and pulled her hair up into a ponytail. He sat on the edge of the bed and she walked over to him.

"You think I'm cute?" she asked, smiling down at him. He grabbed her and pulled her down on the bed again, rolling on top of her to kiss her.

"Very cute," he said. "You have a cute forehead." He kissed her forehead. "Cute eyes." He kissed her eyelids. "And a very cute nose." He kissed her nose.

"My nose is cute?" she asked, smirking up at him.

"Yes," he said, kissing her nose again. "It's turned up on the end, like a rattlesnake."

"Like a rattlesnake?" she repeated, laughing.

"It is not nice to laugh when someone gives you a compliment," he growled, giving her breast a hard squeeze through her shirt.

"Sorry," she said sheepishly.

"I have to go, my little rattlesnake," he said, kissing her one final time on the lips then getting up. "I have work to do."

"Okay. I'll see you for lunch," she said and he gave her a quick nod before Disapparating.

#

Freddie appeared on the street outside of the bookstore. She'd decided that should be her first stop. She blinked in the sunlight, looking around the busy street at all the people. Students with their family, their friends.

She thought back to last summer. She'd traveled to Diagon Alley via floo powder alone from her uncle's house and met up with Daniel outside the Leaky Cauldron. They'd spent the day together, purchased their school things, wandered in and out of shops together, had pizza for lunch. She sighed softly and turned to go into the bookstore, thinking she'd never have a friend like him again.

The bookstore was unusually crowded, even considering the school supply list had been released today. Freddie was thinking about coming back later when she heard someone mention the word Animagus.

"It isn't easy learning to become an Animagus but it's not impossible," said a booming female voice. "It took me nearly 3 years but I detailed my adventure in my new novel Addressing Animagi in the hope of helping others achieve their dream of transformation."

Freddie weaved her way through the crowd curiously to see a tall, thin woman with short spiky gray hair holding up a book.

"With my autobiography – and a bit of hard work – you too can do this," said the woman and with a leap she transformed into a red-tailed hawk, clutching the book in her claws. She flew around the bookstore causing the crowd to clap and cheer. The hawk circled low over the heads of the crowd before returning to her seat and becoming human once more.

"If you'd like a signed copy of Addressing Animagi, gather round, get in line. I have a limited number of copies available," the witch said.

Intrigued, Freddie quickly got in line. She found herself behind two blonde witches who looked to be in their mid-twenties. They were talking animatedly to each other.

"She's so cool!" one of them said.

"I hope I can be some sort of bird – can you imagine? Flying everywhere without a broom."

"Spying on cute boys," the other whispered with a giggle.

"Who is she?" Freddie asked them curiously.

"Her name's Hawkins," said one of the women.

"Patrice Hawkins," added her friend. "She's awesome."

"Hawkins and her Animagus is a hawk? Wonder if that's really her name," Freddie said dubiously.

When Freddie found herself in front of Miss Hawkins, she paid for a copy of the book.

"And who am I making this out to?" Hawkins asked, an elaborate peacock quill in hand.

"Freddie Gray," she answered. "Can I ask you a question?"

"Of course!"

"Is there any way to know what your Animagus form will be? Like did you know that you'd be a hawk?"

"It's said that the animal you transform into reflects your personality," she answered. "There's no way to know for sure, but most people find their Animagus form takes the shape as their Patronus, if they can cast one."

"Ah. I haven't quite mastered that yet," she admitted. "I was trying for a while but I got distracted. It may be time to take it back up."

"Good luck," Hawkins said, handing her the signed book.

"Thank you," Freddie said with a nod.

She skirted her way back through the crowd. She left the bookstore, deciding he'd get the rest of her books later, when it had cleared out a bit. She checked her supply list and decided to go ahead to Potage's Cauldron Shop to get the copper cauldron she would need for 7th year.