It was several weeks before the lightning storm came that Freddie needed to complete the Animagus process. It had rained a few times and even snowed once, but there was no lightning until midway through November. It was a Friday and the sky had been dark and cloudy all day. Freddie felt on edge throughout all her classes. She just knew it was going to storm later and that there would be lightning. The hairs on her arms were standing on end and periodically she felt her heart racing like she was running when she was just sitting in class. It was midway through dinner when the sky broke and rain poured from the heavens beyond the windows of the Great Hall. There was a rumble of thunder and she felt a surge of excitement. Freddie immediately looked to the staff table and Snape caught her eye, nodding almost imperceptibly. She didn't need Legilimency to get the message – after dinner. He had gone out with her every morning and night for the last two weeks while she did her enchantment. She knew he wanted to be there with her tonight to ensure everything went well.
Now that it was almost time, Freddie felt a stab of anxiety. She quickly looked away from the staff table and stared out the nearest window. What if something went wrong? Or what if her Animagus form wasn't a kneazle? Just because her patronus was a kneazle didn't mean her animagus form would be. Dumbledore had told her that sometimes the form a patronus takes can change depending on emotions like love. What if her Patronus was only a kneazle because it was something she associated with Snape? The stuffed kneazle Hemlock he'd given her for Christmas while she was in St Mungo's, which was currently on her bed in the dorm.
"You okay Freddie?" Amelia said from beside her, distracting her from her thoughts. "You look a little pale."
"I'm fine," she assured her friend, then nodded to the window. "There's going to be lightning. A lightning storm."
"Yeah so w- oh! Your Animagus thing?" she whispered.
"Yep," she said with a smile. "Professor Snape will go out with me after dinner to ensure everything goes well."
"I hope it does."
"You'll come visit me in St Mungo's if I end up covered in fur and meowing for the rest of my life?" Freddie asked jokingly.
"Of course I would. But that's not going to happen," Amelia said with a sly look towards the staff table. "He wouldn't let anything happen to you."
Freddie 'hmmed' but didn't say anything. She picked at the ham on her plate, but didn't eat it. Just a moment ago she'd been starving, shoveling food in her face, but she wasn't hungry anymore. She was too excited and yeah a little bit nervous, too. She'd been joking with Amelia but there was a chance that something would go wrong. There was always a chance and this wasn't just a potion, it was complicated magic. If it was just a potion, she wouldn't be nearly so worried.
Freddie lingered in the Great Hall until Snape finished eating and she saw him leave. She waited a few minutes, teetering on the edge of her seat, then stood. She slung her bag over her shoulder and Ziggy darted out from under the table where he'd been trolling for scraps.
"Catch you later," Freddie said to Amelia.
"Good luck," she said giving her a thumbs up.
Freddie walked through the entrance hall, wondering if Snape had already gone outside. She was about to step out into the rain when Snape appeared behind her, snagging the back of her jacket.
"Let's wait a bit longer," he said, steering her towards the dungeons.
"Why?" she asked reluctantly, looking back over her shoulder.
"Wait for dinner to be over and the halls to clear. We'll go after curfew, when we won't risk having an audience."
"No one's going to be out in that," she said. "What if the storm stops by then?"
"It's not going to stop," he assured her, nudging her down the stairs ahead of him.
"How do you know? What if it does? I've been waiting for this for weeks!"
"You need to relax," he said, leading her towards his office. "You are much more likely to make mistakes when you're on edge and this is something you do not want to risk making a mistake on."
Freddie didn't reply until they were in his office with the door shut. Ziggy trotted over to the fireplace and stretched out in what had quickly become his favorite spot whenever they were working.
"I don't want to make a mistake," Freddie said, collapsing into her chair in front of Snape's desk. "I'm just..."
"Nervous?" he asked.
"Excited," she said. "And yeah, alright, a little nervous too. You forget I've seen the failed effects of this spell firsthand. Remember the woman who was in the Janus Thickey Ward with me?"
"The one who could only bark?"
"Yeah. What if I end up barking or meowing, covered in fur? God, Severus, what if I end up with a permanent tail?"
She looked across the desk at him, expecting him to say something reassuring. Instead she found him smiling and it looked back he was fighting back laughter.
"It's not funny, Severus!" she said, frowning and crossing her arms.
"It is a little funny," he said, smirking. "A tail?"
She stood up with a huff, thinking maybe she should just do this without him.
"Sit," he insisted. "Sit. I'm sorry. Here." He opened one of his desk drawers and pulled out a bottle of scotch. He conjured two glasses and poured her a small amount. "Drink this and relax."
"I should probably keep a clear head," she said doubtfully, sitting back down.
"You need something to take the edge of. You'll be fine by the time we go back out."
She reached across the desk reluctantly and took the glass. She took a sip and the amber liquid burned her throat on the way down. She slouched down into her seat with a sigh.
"Why are you doing this if you are so worried?" he asked, leaning back with his own glass.
"Because I want to," she said, surprised that he would even ask. "Because I can."
"There are plenty of things you 'can' do that you should not," he said, swirling the liquid in his glass before taking a deep drink. "You could jump off a cliff, drink poison, walk around the forest naked..."
"You'd like that, wouldn't you?" she asked, smiling in spite of herself.
"I like making you smile," he said with a slight chuckle. He took another drink. "It's going to be fine, Winifred. You are brilliant and a very capable witch."
She felt warmth spread through her and she was silent a moment, staring into her cup.
"The thing is...if it was just something like a complicated potion, I'd believe you. I wouldn't give it a second thought. I'd be totally confident. But it's magic and my magic can be...unwieldy, you know? And from what I've read there's parts that are going to hurt and there's a part where if I feel any fear at all it can go horribly wrong. If it hurts too badly I might lash out without meaning to. And how can I know that I won't feel any fear?"
Snape considered this a moment before answering.
"I think the best thing you can do is to be as relaxed as possible beforehand. I would offer you a Calming Draught but-"
"It might have unknown effects when combined with the Animagus mixture," she finished. "I know."
"Yes. So, enjoy your drink. And try not to think about what could go wrong. I will be there and I will make sure that nothing bad happens to you."