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Freddie's watch beeped at 6 o'clock the next morning and she was instantly awake. She threw the covers off and jumped out of bed, ready to get a move on. She stripped off her green silk pajamas and shoved them into her bag.
"Ziggy!" she called loudly as she got the outfit she had picked out last night. "Ziggy, you better be here, we have to leave in half an hour!"
There was a 'mrrrow?' from the foot of her bed and Ziggy poked his head out of her trunk that she'd left open.
"What are you doing in there? Never mind, I'm just glad you're here! I've got to get dressed."
She pulled on her black fleece-lined leggings, the warmest pair she owned. She covered a long-sleeved black turtleneck with her thickest wool sweater, which was green. She wrapped her Slytherin scarf around her neck. She'd decided last night to dress as warmly as possible in case they had to walk anywhere, even if it was just to the gate. She zipped up her dragonhide jacket and put her fur-lined cloak on over it. She put her wand in one pocket and a pair of black earmuffs in another. She shoved her feet into her boots then stood beside her bed, looking around, worried she was forgetting something. Wand, books, clothes, dress, potion kit... Her eyes fell on Daniel's record player that was sitting next to her trunk.
Get a move on, Miss Gray, said Snape's voice in her head. I am waiting.
On my way, she responded. He didn't say anything else but she couldn't tell if he was gone. She made a split-second decision to take the record player. She didn't want to leave it behind. She put it in her bag with no discernible change in the weight of the purse. She slung it over one shoulder and called to Ziggy.
"You ready?" she asked the kneazle. "Got everything you need – favorite toy, ball of dust?"
He did not look amused at her teasing but looked towards his food dish.
"I've got your food," she promised. "Let's go."
She left the dormitory with Ziggy right on her heels. The Common Room was empty, the fires died down low. At 6 am during the holiday she imagined the whole castle was empty. There was no noise but the sound of her own footsteps echoing off the stone as she walked hurriedly down the corridor. Then up the stairs, through the Entrance Hall, and out onto the Hogwarts grounds where she found Snape waiting for her with a suitcase and two broomsticks.
"Good morning," he said, a faint smile playing on his lips as he held a broomstick out to her.
"Wh-?" She took the broomstick and realized it wasn't just any broomstick, it was her broomstick, her Moonsweeper. "We're flying?"
"Yes. As I said, it's too far to Apparate. And I strongly dislike traveling by Portkey. I thought you would find this more...fun," he said but she saw a glimmer of uncertainty cross his face.
"I love flying!" she said enthusiastically and Snape looked reassured. She hadn't been on her broomstick since she and Amelia had flown to Hogsmeade.
"Does he fly?" he asked, his eyes fixed on Ziggy who had raced into the nearest snowdrift.
"Better than some quidditch players I know," she chuckled. "Come on Zigzag!"
She mounted her broomstick and Ziggy zoomed over and leapt onto the stick in front of her. Snape raised an eyebrow but didn't comment.
"You have everything?" he asked her, putting on leg over his broom. "Your Book of Potions? Your uniform? Your dress?"
"Yes, yes, and yes," she said, patting the bag at her side.
"You know you could be arrested for that," he said, but he was smirking. "For having a unlicensed Undetectable Extension Charm."
"I'll just say I bought it this way, secondhand," she said dismissively. "Besides, you're just jealous you don't have one." Snape had a suitcase that was attached to the end of his broom. "I could put your case in here if you want. There's plenty of room."
"Let's just get moving," he said and kicked off from the ground. She hastened to follow him, rising higher and higher into the air as he did. It was cold and a little cloudy, but at least it wasn't actively snowing.
"Do you have everything?" she called to him. "The other books and...whatever else you need?"
"I have been packed since yesterday morning," he replied. "Follow me and don't deviate from the course. We'll be avoiding Muggle towns and cities where we can, and using a Disillusionment Charm to hide when we cannot."
"I'm with you," she said with a nod. She was flying right next to him, just two feet away so that they could hear each other talk without having to shout so much. "How did you know this was my broomstick?"
"I've seen you fly on it."
"What? When?"
"I watched the Quidditch tryouts your second year."
"Really? I didn't see you. I didn't think you watched Quidditch tryouts," she said curiously. There was no reason for him to watch Quidditch tryouts, the Quidditch captains chose the teams.
"You were good," he said, evading her question. "You are a good flier and you would have made a fair Beater."
"I'm better than 'fair'," she scoffed. "When I play Quidditch with Daniel-" She broke off, feeling for a moment like she'd been sucker-punched. When was the last time she'd played a friendly game of Quidditch? Not since he'd disappeared. She tried to shake it off. "...I would have made a fantastic Beater if Maxwell wasn't such a sexist pig."
"Mm. Unfortunately I cannot make them put girls on the Quidditch team, I can only offer my opinion."
"Why? Would you have made him pick me if you could?"
He didn't answer and Freddie smiled. She was impressed that he even remembered her quidditch tryouts. She thought he'd never really noticed her before last year. She heard him mutter something but couldn't make it out over the wind.
"What'd you say?" she called out to him.
"Nothing," he answered. "Maxwell was a good captain. He led Slytherin to victory every year he was captain."
"Yeah, even without me on the team," Freddie agreed, grinning. "He was a good captain, even if he was a pig."
"Most teenage boys are pigs."
"What do you think of Marcus Flint?" she asked him. "Think he'll maintain the standard?"
"I hope so," he answered. "I'm not giving the Quidditch cup to Minerva – or anyone else for that matter."
AUTHOR'S NOTE: Hey all! Just wanted to let you know that I have officially finished typing this entire story. I still have about 100 pages to edit but I'll be posting chapters as frequently as I can, hopefully 1 or 2 a day, but I'm not always near my laptop and the mobile app keeps crashing when I try to post a chapter using it :(
Also I got a review last night from someone who thinks I have "too many sex scenes". I mean, this story is rated M for a reason and I was honestly worried I didn't have enough of those scenes. Idk why you are still reading if you don't like the way I write. You could just skip those scenes I guess.
If anyone has any positive reviews I could really use them bc stuff like this makes me wonder why I even bother.