Freddie spent the rest of the night exploring the castle's hidden passages with Ziggy and Mrs Norris. They were almost caught by Filch once near the Gryffindor Tower at 4 am but Freddie was able to slip into the shadows and hide while Filch greeted Mrs Norris and asked her if she'd seen any students out of bed. Freddie couldn't communicate with Mrs Norris but Filch had always seemed to hold conversations with her that were a little more than one-sided. She guessed Mrs Norris hadn't ratted her out because Filch didn't even look her way and eventually continued on his way, leaving them free to continue their prowling.
It was after 5 in the morning when Freddie finally returned to her dorm by way of another secret cat-sized tunnel they'd found that went between the Slytherin Common Room and an unsuspecting space of brick in one of the dungeon corridors. She didn't shift back to her human form until she was sitting on her bed...that's when the guilt set in. She had disobeyed Snape's order. She should have been asleep hours ago. The Potions Championship was only three days away and she'd spent the entire night basically just goofing around. No studying, no brewing, just gallivanting around in her kneazle form.
She set the alarm on her watch for 7:30am, telling herself she didn't need more than a couple hours of sleep. I'll be fine, she thought as her head hit the pillow and she pulled the blanket up over herself. And I need to be more careful. I don't always make rational decisions in my Animagus form so no more goofing around. No more kneazle-Freddie until after I win this competition, she vowed to herself. With that in mind she let herself relax and drift off to sleep.
Freddie had to drag herself out of bed at 7:30. Any of the good feelings she'd had from the night before had vanished and been replaced by a combination of guilt and fatigue. She was physically and mentally exhausted from her night with Snape, as spectacular as it had been at the time, and also from the hours spent exploring the castle afterwards. She was thrilled to have found a whole new series of tunnels and hidden passageways, but it was eclipsed by the guilt and the bone-weary feeling she was suffering now.
She changed out of her dirty clothes from the night before and put on jeans and a wool sweater. Her muscles ached, especially around her thighs and pelvis, but she told herself she could handle it. It was nowhere near as bad as she'd felt her first weekend as an Animagus.
She left Ziggy sleeping on her pillow and left the dorm. She stopped on her way to Snape's office and retrieved her bag from where she'd hidden it behind the suit of armor. When she knocked on his office door Snape's voice told her to enter. She opened the door and walked in, trying not to look as exhausted as she felt, but of course he knew. He was sitting at his desk and his dark eyes looked her over, quiet and assessing. She felt another stab of guilt, thinking of how she'd spent the rest of her night.
"Hmm," Snape said and she knew that he had seen the images in her mind. His mouth was set in a thin line and she could practically feel the disapproval radiating off of him, but he didn't say anything about it. She sank into her chair in front of his desk, expecting a lecture, but all he did was call for Noelle to bring a pot of tea, Brew #23. He didn't speak while they waited for the house elf and Freddie stared at a spot on the floor, thinking that the silence just might be worse than a lecture.
When Noelle brought the tea Freddie sat forward to pour her own cup, but Snape slapped her hand away so he could do it instead. She figured that was a good sign. She didn't know why he liked to pour her tea for her but the only time he didn't do it was if he was mad at her.
"Drink this," he said, pushing the cup towards her. "Then get out your flashcards so we can go over them before breakfast."
"Yes sir," she said quietly.
The tea was the blend that helped with soreness and had a splash of Invigoration Draught in it and Freddie started to feel better almost immediately. They went through several pots of tea throughout the day and it kept Freddie going through the relentless studying and brewing. They had breakfast in the Great Hall and worked straight through lunch. They had dinner in his office so that Freddie could continue working on the Lung-Clearing Potion he'd assigned for her to brew. It was a complicated healing potion that was used to clear infection in the lungs. She wasn't sure how this potion might help her in the competition, but that had been the case with a lot of the brews he'd assigned her. She didn't mind so much because she knew she would likely be brewing Lung-Clearing Potions at St Mungo's in just a few months time.
She'd mostly picked at her food, more focused on the potion than eating. When she finished the potion and Snape gave her his nod of approval, she felt pleased with herself. Snape bottled the brew for her while Freddie wandered over to the workstation where she'd left her plate, realizing just how hungry she actually was. She sat on the stool and quickly devoured the rest of her chicken, potatoes, and green beans. She started to wash it down with a cup of tea that had long since grown cold but Snape stepped next to her, taking the cup from her before it reached her lips.
"Hey!" she protested as tea splashed onto her sweater.
"It is a little late for that particular blend," he explained. "Brew #23 has Invigoration Draught in it and it won't do for you to be up all night – again."
Freddie blushed and ducked her head in shame. He had yet to say anything about her being out all night in her Animagus form and it hung in the air now, creating a tension between them that she didn't like.
"I'm sorry," she muttered, staring down at her boots. "I didn't mean to – it was an accident that I-"
"I know," he said in an almost bored-sounding voice. "You do not make clear and rational decisions as an Animagus. But you feel guilty enough about it that I did not see a need to reprimand you."
"I'm not transforming again until after the competition," she swore. "And thank you..."
"Hmm. I will have Noelle bring us a different pot of tea," he said, walking out into his office with her tea cup. "Clear your workstation and clean out the cauldron. We are done for the night."
"Yes sir," she said obediently.
He'd left the bottle of Lung-Clearing Potion on the workstation for her to label. One of them would take it to Madam Pomfrey later for her to keep in stock in the Hospital Wing. She did the label first, writing out the name of the potion and the date it had been brewed in neat, clear writing, and affixed it to the bottle with a Sticking Charm. She was cleaning herbs from the tabletop – the unusable portion of osha roots, the flowers of the mullein plant she'd taken the stems from, and other leftover scraps – when she heard a knock on the door of Snape's outer office. She stuck her head through the door to look at Snape, her hands full of lungwort leaves she hadn't used.
"Who is that?" she asked. Snape was sitting at his desk with a glowing pot of fresh tea and he shrugged his shoulders.
"Enter," he called in the dangerous tone he usually reserved for Gryffindor students. Freddie quickly employed her Occlumency and a moment later she was really glad she did as Albus Dumbledore walked into the room. He was wearing red and green robes, Christmas colors, and he was smiling pleasantly.
"Good evening, Severus. Miss Gray," he said, his blue eyes twinkling as they found her in the doorway of the lab.
"Professor Dumbledore," she acknowledged in a tone that was polite, if not a little stiff. She glanced quickly at Snape. "I'm going to finish cleaning up these herbs, Professor Snape."
He inclined his head slightly and Freddie quickly darted back into the lab. She resumed cleaning but she was listening intently, wondering what brought the Headmaster down here so late.
"Albus," she heard Snape say in greeting. "What can I do for you?"
"Actually I was hoping to have a word with Miss Gray," he said and Freddie felt her heart sink. She quickly put away the herbs that they could still use and was coming out of the supply closet when Dumbledore stepped into the Brewing Lab. He seemed so out of place, too tall and too bright for the space somehow. He was still smiling as he looked around the room, walking over to the workstation like it was the most normal thing in the world.
"How are you, Miss Gray, how have you been?" he asked.
"Um, f-fine, sir. I'm just fine," she said. Her heart was pounding and she felt nervous, but she quickly clamped down on it.
"Excellent. Lung-Clearing Potion," he said, picking up the bottle from the workstation and reading the label. "You brewed this?"
"Yes sir," she said. "I've just finished it. I'm going to take it up to Madam Pomfrey later on."
"Miss Gray has been brewing many complex potions in preparation for the upcoming Potions Championship," Snape said smoothly, appearing in the doorway. "I send Madam Pomfrey the ones I think she could use...in fact most of the brews currently in stock at the Hospital Wing were brewed by Winifred."
"Excellent," Dumbledore said, looking pleased. "Poppy told me how grateful she was when Miss Gray brewed a remedy for Alexander Hunt when he had the Black Cat Flu in October."
"Yes, headmaster," Snape said slowly, no doubt remembering that Halloween. "I was away from the castle at the time and Miss Gray did very well in my absence."
"You must be very proud of her," Dumbledore said, his eyes on Freddie, his smile still in place. It was starting to make her uncomfortable.
"I am," Snape said softly. "She is without a doubt the most talented Potions student I have ever encountered."
Freddie's heart skipped a beat and she glanced at him, smiling. Snape's expression was unreadable except for a slight softness in his eyes. She wondered if Dumbledore could see it, too, and she quickly looked away.
"Excellent," Dumbledore said again. There was a brief silence and Freddie shifted awkwardly from one foot to the other. She wanted to leave, or wanted him to leave. She didn't like being in such a small space with both Snape and Dumbledore, it made her feel like she was suffocating.
"Would you like to join us for a cup of tea, headmaster? I just had Noelle bring a fresh pot," Snape offered and Freddie shot him a dark look from behind Dumbledore's back.
"That would be lovely," the headmaster said cheerily, putting the potion back down on the workstation. Freddie had to bite back a groan.
"Come, Miss Gray," Snape said to her. "You can finish cleaning later."
"I, uh, I need to wash my hands. I'll be with you in a moment," she said and scurried over to the sink as the two men left the lab. When they were gone she let out a breath she hadn't realized she'd been holding and turned on the water in the sink. Her mind was working quickly, trying to think of a way out of this situation, but there was none. She was working to keep her mental shield in place – she thought she could feel a threat at the edge of her consciousness but she didn't know if it was Snape or Dumbledore. She wasn't letting her guard down to find out.
She washed her hands as slowly as possible, trying to prolong the inevitable, but eventually she had to turn the water off. Dumbledore had said he wanted to talk to her and so far he hadn't said anything that seemed important enough for him to have made a special trip to the dungeons.
Dragging her feet slightly she left the lab to find Snape and Dumbledore sitting at his desk drinking tea. Snape had one of the glowing cups they'd been drinking from all day and Freddie's was waiting for her, empty. The headmaster had a plain white cup, mismatched from the glowing tea set that was incomplete.
Dumbledore was sitting in her usual chair and she felt a flicker of annoyance as she was forced to take the seat next to him. She felt awkward and stiff as she reached across the desk to take the cup of tea Snape had poured for her. She kept her back straight, not allowing herself to slouch in front of the headmaster, and took a sip of tea. She felt calmer within seconds and she recognized the blend. It was one of the lower numbers, like #6 or 7, and it was a calming evening brew.
"This is a gorgeous teakettle," the headmaster said conversationally. "It glows when the tea is hot?"
"Yes sir," Snape said.
"What a marvelous piece of magic. I've never seen anything like it."
"Thank you, sir. It was a gift," he said quietly, looking across the desk at Freddie. She felt her cheeks grow warm as the headmaster turned to look at her as well, his blue eyes sparkling in a knowing way.
"Severus always makes the best tea," Dumbledore said to her brightly and took another sip from his cup. "Is that rosemary I detect?"
"Lavender," Snape and Freddie said simultaneously. Their eyes met briefly across the desk and Freddie quickly looked away.
"Lavender, of course. It's wonderful," the headmaster said. "You truly are an artist when it comes to tea, Severus."
"Thank you, headmaster," Snape said, a little stiffly. Freddie had to hide her smile behind her teacup. He didn't take praise well. She suspected Dumbledore knew this as she saw his blue eyes twinkle in amusement.
"So, Miss Gray," Dumbledore said, turning his attention back to her. "The Potions Championship starts in three days."
It wasn't a question but she answered anyway because she didn't know what else to say.
"Yes sir."
"How do you feel? Confident? Excited? Nervous?"
"...All of the above," Freddie admitted with a slight nervous laugh. "Sir."
"She has been studying and practicing nonstop since the holidays began," Snape said from across the desk.
"And even before that," Freddie added. "Every waking minute that wasn't spent doing work for other classes I spent preparing for the competition."
"It's important to take breaks," Dumbledore told her. "So you do not get burnt out. Severus can be relentless."
Snape gave him a sour look but Freddie quickly came to his defense.
"Professor Snape is the best teacher I've ever had!" she insisted vehemently. She made herself calm her tone as she worried about offending the headmaster. "He only wants me to win- I want me to win. Even if he wasn't assigning me challenges and study work, I'd come up with it myself. I'm confident I can win." She didn't want Dumbledore to think she was arrogant so she added- "Pretty confident, anyway...I think I'm as ready as I can be."
"Good, good," he said approvingly. "You'll be representing Hogwarts and I expect you to reflect well on the school."
"Of course, sir," she said, surprised. "I'll- I'll do my best."
"I know you will," he assured her. "You know, Hogwarts has not been represented at the Wizarding Schools Potions Championship since Severus was in school."
Freddie glanced at Snape who was watching their exchange with a faint scowl, holding his teacup in both hands.
"He did the school proud and I know that you will as well," Dumbledore said, then drained the last of his tea. He put his empty cup down on the desk and stood. "I have to go now, I'm meeting a friend at Madam Rosmerta's for a nightcap. I just wanted to come by and wish you luck, Miss Gray. You're leaving in the morning?"
"Yes, sir," Snape said before she could answer. "Around sunrise."
"Wonderful. Well, Miss Gray..." Dumbledore extended his hand for her to shake and she did so dubiously, hoping he couldn't tell how bad her palms were sweating. "Best of luck to you. I'm proud to see how far you've come and I'm pleased you'll be representing Hogwarts. I know you'll do just fine."
"T-thank you, sir," she said and he finally let go of her hand.
"Goodnight Miss Gray. Severus," he said, nodding to him once more. "Safe travels."
"Thank you, headmaster," Snape responded.
Freddie held her breath until the headmaster was gone. When the door shut behind him she exhaled, feeling a rush of relief. Her hands were trembling slightly as she put down her teacup and Snape looked faintly amused.
"You can relax now," he drawled. "You survived."
"I thought I was going to pass out. Or pee myself," she said with a shaky laugh. "How did I do?"
"You looked nervous but no more so than any student talking to the headmaster," he answered. "And fortunately your Occlumency was flawless."
"Was that you trying to get in my head, or him?" she asked. "When I was in the lab washing my hands?"
"I was testing you," he confirmed and she relaxed a little more. "I was pleased. You did very well."
"Thanks," she said, smiling warmly. "I thought...I don't know." She laughed uneasily. "I thought maybe he'd noticed our absence last night. Or even that I was sneaking around after hours as a kneazle. I thought he might be mad."
"You would know if he was mad," he said. "It is not a pretty sight."
A shiver of unpleasantness ran through her but Snape gave her a reassuring smile. He poured her another cup of tea and Freddie shifted chairs to her usual spot. It bothered her that Dumbledore had sat in what she'd come to think of as her chair.
"He's the headmaster, Winifred, he can sit wherever he wants," Snape said.
"I didn't say anything. Did I say anything?" she said defensively, taking the cup.
"No, but I could tell," he chuckled. "You do know other people sit there? When I meet with other students."
"Yeah, yeah," she grumbled, waving her hand at him. She sipped her tea and let the calm wash over her again. Now that the headmaster was gone she could enjoy the effects of the brew even more.
"You probably should not have spoken so viciously when he called me 'relentless'," Snape told her after a moment.
"I couldn't help it," she said immediately, but she knew he was right. "I know, I know. But I'll always defend you, I always do. I can't help it."
"You need to think before you speak," he said quietly. "And not be so rash. Especially with so much on the line..."
He let that hang in the air a minute. She knew what he meant. Their relationship...but not just their relationship. His job, her status as a student, her enrollment in the competition even. Maybe even her future job at St Mungo's – it was unlikely anywhere would hire her without a commendation from Dumbledore. She nodded her head and sighed, duly chastised.
"He didn't seem upset at least," she said in a small voice. "Or suspicious."
"No," he agreed. "Not this time."
"I just wish he'd mind his own business. I'm not burnt out, I don't need to take more breaks. I'm fine. It's none of his business."
"It is his business, actually. He's the headmaster and you're still a student, at least for now."
"Hmm..."
They sipped their tea in silence for a while. Freddie had to tear her thoughts away from what might happen after she graduated and make herself focus on the Potions Championship.
"What do I wear?" she asked finally. Snape raised a questioning eyebrow, as her question seemed to come out of the blue. "During the competition."
"Ah," he said. "Your school uniform, since you'll be representing Hogwarts."
"I don't care about representing Hogwarts," she said without thinking. "I care about representing you. Of making you proud."
"I already am," he said softly, his eyes soft as he gazed across the desk at her. She felt warm inside and she smiled at him. "...You may want to bring a dress as well."
"What? For what?"
"I don't know if they still do it but in my year they host a dinner event the night before. A chance to get to know your competition."
"Ew, whyyy? They're the competition."
He didn't respond just smirked slightly and leaned back in his chair with his tea.
"What else do I need to bring?" she asked. "Anything else you haven't told me about?"
"You are allowed to bring 5 books with you into the competition area," he said with a shrug. "I have already selected them for you. You need only bring the copy of Zygmunt Budge's book that I gave you last year."
"What books did you pick?" she wanted to know. "Why didn't you discuss it with me? What if I disagree?"
His dark eyes flashed and he leaned forward.
"Which one of us has earned the title of Potions Master?" he asked pointedly, his voice low. "Which one of us has previously entered this competition and won?"
"Good point. Sorry," she said sheepishly.
"Mm-hmm," he said and took a sip from his cup. "If you must know, the books I have selected, other than the Book of Potions, are 1,000 Magical Herbs and Fungi, Identifying Brews, Moste Potente Potions, and Spells for Potioneers."
"Okay. Okay, good," she said with a nod. She'd read all of those, two of them in the last few weeks.
"Glad you approve," he drawled and she rolled her eyes.
"So that's it?" she asked. "What about my potions kit, do I get my potions kit?"
"One will be provided for you before the challenge, but you may pack one – I know you will, anyway."
"I like to be prepared," she said with a shrug.
"I know," he said with the faintest of smiles. "We will be gone for at least four days, possibly longer, so be sure you pack enough warm clothes."
"Possibly longer?" she echoed. "What does that mean?"
His smile widened and she tilted her head curiously, wondering at the smile.
"What?" she asked.
"There is a possibility we could spend Christmas together," he said in a confidential tone. "I cannot promise anything but if things go the way I want them to we will be able to spend Christmas together away from everything – away from Hogwarts, away from Dumbledore, away from anyone who knows us."
"Really?" she asked, breathless at the thought.
"No promises," he warned. "But it is what I want."
"I'd really like that," she said. She was trying not to let herself get too excited, trying not to get her hopes up. "Especially if I win. I'll want to celebrate."
"When you win," he said, leaning across the desk to cover her hand with his. "I believe that you can do this. I believe you will win. You have a skill that rivals my own at your age. You have the best of my knowledge in your head, I've taught you everything I know."
"About potions anyway," she said with a smile but she was feeling warm and fuzzy inside.
"Yes, about potions," he said with a slight chuckle. He squeezed her hand once before leaning back across the desk. "You can do this. You have more than adequately prepared for it. I don't know any other people who have memorized as many potions as you – most Masters could not even repeat the steps of brewing Amortentia without consulting a recipe."
"I- really?" she said, surprised. She hadn't known it was that impressive of a feat.
"Indeed. Your studies in Occlumency and Legilimency have strengthened your mind and your memory. It is no doubt easier for you to recall memories in more complete detail, is it not?"
"I guess so," she said. She hadn't really thought about it. "I've always memorized potions – usually healing potions. Before I had my Occlumency I used to repeat the steps of potions to help calm myself, if I felt like I might lose control of my magic."
"I remember," he said with a nod. "...Do you want more tea?"
"Maybe one more cup," she said, putting the teacup down so he could refill it. "Is there anything else I need to know before we leave tomorrow?"
"Hmm," he said and he looked pensive for a moment. "You are not allowed to bring any Invigoration Draughts, Concentration Brews, or any other mind-altering substances. I know that you know this, but it bears repeating. And I do not think you would, but don't get any ideas about brewing one while you are in the Enchanted Garden. The competitor from Durmstrang attempted that my year and he was immediately disqualified. The judges are always watching, even when you think they are not."
"Seriously? Was he a complete idiot?"
"I do not know, but you could hear his Potions Master shouting at him from inside the garden. I knew he'd been disqualified before I ever completed my task."
"What's it like?" she wanted to know. "Inside the garden?"
"It's..." He searched a moment for how best to describe it. "It's like the Room of Requirement. You never know what you might face. That is why I was so pleased to have the Room of Requirement to train you."
"...Where is the competition being held?" she asked, realizing he still had not told her. He didn't answer just gave her a mysterious smile. "Oh come on, Severus. Shouldn't I know? What if there are region-specific plants I need to know?"
"There will not be. The Enchanted Garden is just that – enchanted. It is bewitched so that plants from any climate may grow. That is why I have had you studying herbs and fungi that are not native to Europe."
"So it's not in Europe then?"
"I did not say that. I will tell you in the morning."
"Why?" she whined. "Why won't you tell me? Why do you have to be so frustrating?"
"I enjoy the element of surprise," he said, smirking.
"And you still won't tell me how we're getting there?"
"No," he said and looked at his watch. "You will find out in less than 12 hours. Speaking of which, you should go. You need to get some sleep before tomorrow and you still need to pack."
"I don't know if I can sleep," she told him. "Don't get me wrong, I'm exhausted. But I'm excited. Excited and nervous and curious, mostly about the challenge but also about what's going to happen in the morning."
"I can give you a Sleeping Draught," he said, rising from his chair. He went into the Brewing Lab and returned with a small bottle for her.
"Can we go over the flashcards one more time?" she asked, wanting to prolong their time together.
"We will have time to study them over the next two days," he assured her. She was still hesitant and he fixed her with a look that made her feel like he was looking into her soul. "...The sooner you go to sleep, the sooner it will be morning. Then we will be leaving and we won't be at Hogwarts anymore..."
She understood his point immediately and got to her feet. She reached to take the vial of Sleeping Draught from him but he caught her wrist and pulled her to him. Her heart began to pound again as he stared down at her, not speaking for what felt like hours. Then he touched her cheek and she leaned into his warm, calloused hand and closed her eyes. He ran his thumb across her lips then she felt him brush a feather-light kiss to her mouth. It was over too quickly and he stepped away, leaving her with the potion vial in her hand.
"Goodnight, Winifred," he said softly. "Get some sleep and meet me on the front steps at 6:30 in the morning."
"Yes sir," she said, running her tongue over her lips absently, wishing he would kiss her again. He watched her lick her lips with an intense, almost feral expression. Like a cat stalking a bird. Or maybe a wolf.
"Goodnight, Miss Gray," he said, even softer but with more force as he turned away from her finally.
"Goodnight," she said quickly, getting her bag. She headed for the door, her face warm. "Thanks...for the potion."
"You are welcome."
Freddie went straight back to her dormitory, realizing it was the earliest she had turned in all week. It was the first time she'd seen the couple of Slytherin students who'd remained for the holiday, outside of mealtimes. One was reading a book in an armchair in the Common Room, looking surly, as Freddie walked through. Another was stretched out on one of the couches, dozing. They were young students and both of them looked too small and too thin for their age. She wondered about them for a moment, wondered what had made them stay at the castle for the holiday. Did they not have family? Or were their families unbearable enough that they'd rather be here, alone, on Christmas?
She pushed thoughts of the lonely students out of her mind as she entered her dormitory. It had been totally empty the last few days, none of the girls her age had stayed. She liked having the dorm all to herself. She would've liked it more if she hadn't spent every waking moment elsewhere and had been able to enjoy the silence.
She went through her trunk, trying to decide what to take with her and what to leave. When she came across her purse with the Undetectable Extension Charm she'd placed on it, she decided to pack all of her things in that. It would be easier to carry than her trunk – less bulky and it wouldn't weigh much no matter what she put in it.
She started to choose outfits to pack for the next several days, then paused. She didn't know where they were going. What if it wasn't snowing wherever they were going, what if it was somewhere warm? She thought back to what Snape had told her. He had definitely said to pack 'warm' clothes.
"And a dress," she said aloud to herself. "For the weird 'meet your competition' dinner thing."
She was startled by the sound of something moving beneath her bed. She nearly jumped out of her skin, snatching out her wand – but it was only Ziggy, crawling out from beneath her bed with a dust bunny in his mouth.
"Jeez," she said, shoving her wand back in her pocket. "You scared me!"
He tilted his head at her, dropped his ball of dust, and meowed.
"You don't tell anyone I jumped like a scared first year and I won't tell anyone about you having a cobweb stuck in your whiskers," she said, squatting in front of him to clean his face off. He purred loudly which she took to mean he agreed. Or maybe he was just glad to see her.
"Whatever Severus has planned for tomorrow I hope he took you into account," she said as she got up, going back to her sorting. "We're going to be gone for several days and there's no way I'm leaving you behind for that long. I'll feel better if you're with me."
Ziggy purred louder and jumped into her open trunk, pawing curiously through clothes and parchments and textbooks.
"Get out of there," Freddie said, amused. "I've got to find a dress for this stupid dinner thing. I don't know why I have to meet these other kids. What if they're all horrible and mean? Or what if I actually like some of them, that might be even worse. ...What if they're better than me? Severus thinks I can win, but I don't know what those other students are like. Or what their teachers are like. What if one of them is even better than him? ...It's hard to imagine, but I guess maybe it could be true. Personally I think he's the greatest Potion Master that ever lived...but I might be a little biased."
Ziggy was still digging around her trunk, oblivious to her worries. She picked him up to get him out of the way and saw that he'd uncovered the box with her letters to Daniel. She set the kneazle aside and picked up the box, wondering if she should take it with her. She decided it couldn't hurt to take it and put it in her bag. On second thought she took it back out and set it on the bed. She wanted to write a letter to Daniel when she got finished packing, then she'd put the box back in her purse.
It was easy enough to decide on a dress to take with her. She only had one winter dress, the black velvet dress she'd worn to register her Animagus status at the Ministry. She figured out a few more outfits and made sure she had a clean school uniform before packing them away. She decided to bring her lingerie, since Snape had said there was a chance they might have some time alone after the competition. She packed her potions kit and several miscellaneous items. She packed about a dozen books, including Zygmunt Budge's Book of Potions. She wouldn't be able to bring them into the arena, save for Budge's book, but she thought she might want to study them beforehand.
When she couldn't think of anything else to add to her bag, she sat down on her bed and penned a letter to Daniel. She kept it short, telling him about the potions she'd brewed in the last few days and the books she'd read. She told him they were leaving in the morning but she didn't know where they were going or how they were going to get there. She put her musings about the other competitors into her letter. When she finished, she signed her name at the bottom and placed the journal in the silver box before dropping it into her bag.
"I guess that's it," she said to Ziggy who was batting the ball of dust around the dormitory. "I have to take this potion and go to sleep now. I need you to be here in the morning and not run off, okay Ziggy? We're leaving bright and early and I don't want to leave without you."
Ziggy leapt onto Christine's bed and dropped the dust ball onto her quilt. He looked at Freddie and blinked slowly. She hoped that meant he understood. She changed into her pajamas and got into bed before uncorking the Sleeping Draught. She took a swig from the vial and settled back on her pillow, ready to let her mind drift away.
She was almost asleep when a thought jolted her awake. She fought through the effects of the potion and sat up.
"Christmas!" she said loudly, causing Ziggy to look up at her. He was on Maggie's bed now. "Christmas, Ziggy! It's Christmas in five days and I've been so preoccupied with studying I haven't gotten Severus a present. And we might not even come back here before then! What am I going to do?"
The kneazle didn't have any answers. He turned away from her and sniffed curiously at Maggie's pillow before sticking his head underneath it, his bushy tail waving.
"Fat lot of help you are," she muttered, flopping back onto her pillows. She was wracking her brain, trying to think of a gift idea for Snape but he was a hard man to shop for even when she had time. And she had no time left. It's not like there was going to be a gift shop in the Enchanted Garden. She couldn't think anymore, the potion was overwhelming her brain. She sank into sleep, powerless to stop it.