Freddie stayed sitting on the edge of her bed, looking at the mess on the floor around her. She'd emptied half her trunk yesterday looking for something to wear to the Ministry and she hadn't bothered to put it all back. Cleaning didn't seem all that important right now but she thought if she could find a tank top – and manage to put it on – that it would be easier to put the Bruise Cream on her shoulder when Amelia got back.

She spied a black tank top among the mess that she was pretty sure was clean. It was too far to reach even if she could lean over, but she couldn't lean over, she couldn't even stand. She got her wand from the bedside table with her good arm and tried to put it in her left hand. Her fingers were stiff and wouldn't close around it. She thought they might be a little swollen too.

She held her wand in her non-dominant hand and looked at it. It felt weird. Unnatural. She wasn't sure it would work, but figured it couldn't hurt to try. She pointed her wand awkwardly at the tank top.

"Accio," she said. The end of her wand sparked, then the shirt shot up, hit the ceiling, and came crashing down even further away than before.

Well that was stupid, she thought. Maybe I could take just a little more potion. Just enough that I can change my shirt. Amelia will come back with the Bone Knit Brew and then I won't have to worry about injuring myself further because it'll be healed.

She had almost made up her mind to do it when she heard the door to the dormitory open and it startled her so much that she dropped her wand.

"Dammit," she said aloud as it rolled away, definitely out of reach. Ziggy appeared seemingly out of nowhere and chased her wand across the floor.

"Miss Gray?" said Snape's voice, surprising her even more. Amelia hadn't been gone that long.

"What are you doing here?" she asked and a moment later he came around the curtain. "I just need a potion."

"First that beast of yours was scratching on my office door," he said, motioning to Ziggy but his eyes were on her bruised shoulder, his expression dark and unreadable. "Then I ran into Miss Avery in the corridor. By the time she stammered out a coherent sentence I knew you were in trouble."

"I'm fine," Freddie insisted.

"Clearly," he said, crossing the distance between them. She quickly pulled away, wincing as she did, and pulled the pajama top back up over her shoulder so he couldn't see. He looked annoyed.

"Where's Amelia?" she asked.

"Outside the door," he said. "Ensuring that no one else comes in. Now, show me."

His voice was low and commanding, with a hint of a dangerous tone that made it clear she shouldn't disobey or argue. Scowling she pulled the fabric away from her shoulder so he could see.

"Don't touch it," she said quickly in a small voice.

"I am not going to touch it," he said with a hint of impatience. "It was like this when you woke up?"

"Yeah. I couldn't even sit up without a pain potion."

"And it still hurts?"

"Not as bad," she said evasively. He gave her a stern look and she relented. He was here now, she might as well let him help. "It's throbbing. I didn't take a full dose because I didn't want to mask the pain and maybe make it worse. It's not dislocated and – well it can't be broken, can it? I was fine last night. Well not fine but it wasn't like this."

He didn't answer her question but took out his wand and held it a few inches above her arm, muttering a soft spell that would tell him the damage. He moved it along her shoulder, down her arm, all the way to her fingers, then put it away.

"You have a fracture of your scapula – the bone in your shoulder," he explained.

"I know what a scapula is," she said, affronted. "And I know that I need a Bone Knit Brew or some Skele-Gro to treat it, like I said."

"You need to go to the Hospital Wing."

"No. That defeats the whole purpose of sending Amelia to your office. If I wanted to go to the Hospital Wing, I would already be there."

"Madam Pomfrey disapproves of me dosing students without her supervision."

"You wouldn't be dosing me with anything, I'd be dosing myself. Just give me the bottle," she said impatiently. She didn't know how long Amelia could keep anyone from entering the dormitory and she didn't want any of her classmates to see her like this – not just injured but with her shirt half off in front of Snape. He didn't seem concerned about that but he looked doubtful about not sending her to the nurse.

"Besides," Freddie said with a grin, reaching for the bottle on the nightstand. "You've already treated me. She'd be able to tell and she wouldn't be pleased, would she?"

He scowled at her and snatched the bottle from her hand. He looked like he wanted to snap at her, maybe yell, but he didn't.

"You are impossible," he said. "I didn't bring a potion with me, you'll have to come to my office."

"But I told Amelia to tell you-"

"I was halfway here already, following your cat, when I ran into Miss Avery. I wasn't going back. I thought I could convince you to go to the Hospital Wing."

She thought about making a smug retort, but stopped herself. She didn't want to push it. Of course he knew what she was thinking anyway and he scowled again.

"Take this," he said, giving the pain potion back to her. "Enough that you can get dressed and come to my office."

"Fine," she said agreeably. "Can you hand me my wand before you go?"

He picked up her wand from where Ziggy was rolling it between his paws, watching sparks shoot out the end, and handed it to her.

"I will be outside," he said stiffly.

"Not necessary," she insisted. "I don't need an escort to your office. It's bad enough everyone probably already knows I'm injured and that you're in here."

He raised an eyebrow, then inclined his head.

"If you're not in my office in ten minutes I'm sending Madam Pomfrey after you," he threatened, then left.

Freddie took a quick sip of Pain-Relieving Potion and it was working its magic when Amelia slipped back into the room.

"Did he fix you?" she asked, peeking around the curtains.

"Not quite. I still have to go to his office," she said dryly. "I have to get changed, I'm not walking down there in my pajamas. He said it was okay to take more of the Pain-Relieving Potion."

"He was already on his way down here when I found him. He was following Ziggy," she said, looking wondrously at the kneazle. "I didn't even notice Ziggy was gone. I guess he went to find help?"

"He's a really brilliant creature," Freddie said fondly, though she was thinking if he was just a little more brilliant the kneazle might have brought her the potion she needed without all the fanfare. He gave her a look like he could read her mind, then he puffed up proudly and started grooming his paws. Freddie smiled and shook her head slightly, then started picking through the clothes on the floor looking for something to wear.

"So you're going down there?" Amelia asked.

"Yep," she said, being careful of her shoulder as she bent down to pick up her tank top. It didn't hurt at the moment but she didn't want to risk it.

"Do you, uh, want me to come with you?" she offered hesitantly. Freddie knew she was just being nice, that she was trying hard not to sound terrified of a trip to Snape's office, and she smiled reassuringly.

"No, I'll be fine," she promised. "You're off the hook. I'll plan on meeting up with you at lunch? You still have to tell me about your date with Dalton yesterday."

"Yeah, definitely," Amelia said brightly. "I'll see you at lunch. I think I'm gonna go down and watch Quidditch practice while I work on my essay for Flitwick."

"How can you concentrate on your homework when your ogling your Beater on his broomstick?" Freddie teased lightly. Now that she wasn't hurting so bad she was in a much better mood.

"Well the essay really isn't due til Wednesday..." she said with a sly grin. "Later Freddie."

"Later."

When Amelia left Freddie used her wand to get dressed in jeans and a tank top. She knew she might get cold but she didn't want to try putting a sweater on right now so she shoved a sweater in her purse and slipped it over her good shoulder. Her swollen shoulder looked even worse in a tank top so she fastened her cloak around her neck before heading out.

When she reached Snape's office a short while later she found him leaning against his desk, arms crossed, waiting for her.

"There you are," he said. "I was about to go and fetch the nurse to find you."

The edge was gone from his voice and his face was more mildly concerned than annoyed.

"You were not," she said, smiling slightly and dropped her purse onto the floor next to her usual chair. Ziggy had followed her in and he sat down next to her bag, looking up at her curiously.

"I thought about it."

"You wouldn't."

"I might have," he said quietly, taking a step towards her. She felt a rush of heat through her abdomen as he approached, but he stopped short. He pulled out his wand and silently put the wards up on his door. She looked up at him questioningly as he put his wand away, but he stepped back and picked up a bottle off his desk.

"Your Bone-Knit Brew," he said, handing it to her. "I suppose I don't need to tell you the dosing requirements."

"I can handle it," she said, heading for the Brewing Lab to get a measuring cup. "You won't get in trouble with Madam Pomfrey."

"Only if your little friend lets something slip."

"Amelia?" she said, coming back out with the cup. "She won't. She's too scared of you – and of me too sometimes, I think."

"Of you?" he said with a smirk. "Who would be scared of you?"

"Lots of people," she said dismissively, sinking into her chair. "I can be very intimidating. Just ask your classes I've helped teach."

"Oh really? From what I've seen you are far more patient with them than I am and you answer their questions, no matter how idiotic they may be."

"Well we can't all be you," she said, uncorking the bottle of Bone-Knit Brew. She measured out eight ounces and she noticed Snape stayed standing, watching her carefully. She downed the potion quickly, fighting the urge to gag at the bitter taste. She saw him smirk again and she made a face.

"Yuck," she said, putting the empty cup on his desk. "You'd think with all the centuries of potion developments we could make medicinal brews that don't taste so...yuck."

"Would you like some tea to help cut the aftertaste?" he offered, walking back around his desk to sit down.

"Definitely."

They didn't speak much while he called for Noelle and they waited for her to bring tea. Freddie could feel a stinging/burning pain in her shoulder that she knew meant the potion was working. It was uncomfortable, even with the Pain-Relieving Potion on board.

Snape didn't speak while he poured her a cup of tea but she had a feeling he wanted to say something. He pushed the cup towards her and waited until after she'd taken a sip to finally say something.

"I am sorry about your shoulder," he said slowly.

"Why are you sorry?" she asked, surprised. "It's not your fault. I fell."

"I might have made it worse," he admitted quietly. An image flashed through her mind of him tying her wrists to the headboard and she felt his guilt.

"No," she said quickly, shaking her head. "It didn't even hurt until I woke up this morning. And it didn't hurt at all during...well, that."

A hint of a smile crossed his face and she felt his relief.

"Are you sure?" he asked.

"Yes. It definitely wasn't your fault. It was a bad fall and then I transformed a few more times after that, that probably made it worse."

"Maybe," he agreed. "To be safe you probably should not attempt to shift into your Animagus form for the next 24 hours while your shoulder heals... or engage in any other strenuous activities."

"I think I can handle the first part. The latter isn't really up to me, is it?" she said with a flirtatious smile.

"I will not let you get hurt," he promised. "I won't let you so much as stir a cauldron."

"What? I can stir a cauldron, come on. Do we have a potion to brew?" she asked eagerly. "I need to meet Amelia for lunch, but I'm free for the next few hours."

"We are not brewing a potion today. Drink your tea," he said with a soft chuckle. "You can help me grade the essays that I did not finish last night, if you wish to be useful."

"Not as fun as brewing potions, but okay," she agreed, taking a sip of her tea. It was a familiar blend she'd had a couple of times before. It was sweet, with flavors of spearmint and honeysuckle, and it did a good job of erasing the bitter flavor of the potion from her mouth.

"How does your shoulder feel now?" he asked after a few minutes.

"It hurts a bit," she admitted. "But it's not so bad and it's a different pain than before. Stinging instead of throbbing – I know, that means the potion is working."

"That's right. I have a Bruise Cream that will help with the swelling and discoloration," he said, opening a drawer on his desk and pulling out a small jar of salve. "I can...apply it for you, if you like, before we start on the essays."

"I think I would like that," she said, setting her teacup down so she could unfasten her cloak and let it fall from her shoulders. "I think I'd like that very much..."