Freddie and Snape stayed at the diner for half an hour after they had finished eating, just waiting for the storm to pass. She sipped her soda and looked over her shoulder periodically to look out the window, but the rain was persistent.

"I do not think the storm is going to subside any time soon," Snape said finally, finishing his second glass of water.

"What are we going to do?" she asked, biting her lip worriedly.

"I will have to Apparate us there. We are closer than we were this morning...and if one of us gets splinched, we will just have to deal with it."

"Okay," she agreed. She had only ever splinched herself once before, when she was first learning. During her second Apparition lesson last year she had managed to Apparate alone for the first time, but she'd lost her pinky finger in the process. It had been alarming to say the least, but Wilkie Twycross, the Ministry official teaching the class, had it reattached in less than a minute. She wasn't thrilled with the possibility of it happening again, but she trusted Snape.

Snape paid for their food and led her out of the restaurant under his wand-turned-umbrella. The rain was still hammering down on the sidewalk and thunder rumbled overhead. They didn't walk far before Snape led her into a deserted alleyway. He took a breath and exhaled slowly before taking her hand.

"Don't try to Apparate, just let me lead," he instructed and she nodded in understanding. He took a deep breath, Freddie braced herself, and they Disapparated.

The Apparition took longer than any she had done before. Her lungs were screaming for air and when they finally appeared on a sunlit street she was gasping for breath. She felt like she was going to puke, something she hadn't done from Apparating in quite some time. Snape kept his hand on her arm and led her a few feet down the street to push her down on a bench.

"Put your head between your legs," he instructed, sitting down beside her.

She did as told and stayed like that until her stomach settled and she could breathe again. When she looked up she found they were in a wizarding city not unlike Diagon Alley. The sun was shining here and there were dozens of people out on the streets, none of whom paid any attention to their sudden appearance. All the shops she could see were in french, but she recognized one across the street from them as a wandmaker called Auberon's.

"Are you okay?" Snape asked her.

"Yeah, I'm fine now. Wha- where are we?"

"Sorseille," he answered. "One of the largest wizarding communities in France."

"Wow," she said, looking around in awe. Everyone around them was speaking french and the language sounded musical to her ears. She remembered suddenly that Ziggy was still in her bag. She opened it quickly, worried that he might have splinched, but when she looked in he was curled up on top of her record player asleep. He lifted his head at the sudden sunlight streaming into the bag and blinked at her. He stood up, stretched, and leapt out of the bag into her lap.

"Welcome to Sorseille, Ziggy," she said brightly, then looked to Snape. "So is this where the competition is?"

"Near here, yes. We have some time to kill before we have to check in. We could go shopping, if you like."

"Oo yes! Can we find a French Apothecary? They probably have all sorts of ingredients we can't find back home."

"You read my mind," he said with a smile, standing up from the bench. "Let's go."

They spent the rest of the afternoon going in and out of shops in Sorseille. They spent the most time in the Apothicaire which had all sorts of potion ingredients that were hard to find back home, and the Herboriste, a french herbalist with plants native to the area. Freddie thought they might part ways after that, but Snape seemed content to follow her in every store she wanted to go in. She was hoping she'd be able to slip away and find him a Christmas present, but she couldn't very well tell him that. She kept her eyes peeled for gift ideas, wondering if she'd have time later to come back without him. They were in a gift shop called Curiosité Par Madeleine when Freddie found a shelf of strange rocks that caught her eye. There were a dozen or so rocks, perfectly smooth. She picked one up, finding it fit perfectly in the palm of her hand. She gasped softly as the stone transformed in her hand, opening to reveal a perfect white lily made of quartz. She quickly closed her hand and it turned back into a simple stone. She looked around for Snape and saw that he was on the other side of the shop, not facing her. He hadn't seen it. There was a witch at the checkout counter, having a conversation rapid french with another customer.

There's no way I can buy this without him seeing, she thought, guarding her mind carefully. And I would need him to translate anyway, he speaks more french than I do...But this would be a perfect gift...

She tried to look casual but her heart was pounding in her chest as she silently slipped the rock into the pocket of her jeans. She prayed there wasn't an Anti-Theft Charm on it as she walked away from the shelf. She wandered over to where Snape stood examining a tray of soaps. She looked them over with him, not really interested, until she spotted a gift box of various french soaps in scents like rose, orange blossom, verbena, and lavender. It was neatly packaged with embossed gold and silver ribbon.

"Maybe I should get this for Amelia," she said, picking it up. "If I come back from France without a gift for her she'll kill me."

"Marseille is famous for the soap," he said. "This one smells like tea, see?"

She sniffed the bar of black soap he was holding and nodded.

"Oo that smells good," she said. "Are you going to get it?"

"I think so. Are you ready to go? We have to check in soon and get you registered."

"Yeah, I'm ready. Let's go!"

They paid for their purchases together and left the shop, with Ziggy trotting after them. When they were safely outside and the rock was still in her pocket, Freddie let out a sigh of relief.

"Don't worry," Snape said, putting a hand on her shoulder. "You will do fine. You can win this."

"Right," she said with a nod. "Of course. Where do we have to go?"

"There's an inn just outside of town where we are supposed to check in," he said, leading her down the sidewalk. "The competitors dinner will be held downstairs at 7 o'clock and we have to check in by 6."

"Will you be there?" she asked. "At the dinner thing?"

"Yes, along with the Potion Masters from the other schools."

"How many students are competing?"

"I'm not sure. It varies because there are not always students deemed worthy of competing. This is the first time Hogwarts has had a student entered in the Potions Championship since 1977."

"The year you won?"

"Indeed. There were six competitors that year."

"Did you make friends with any of them?"

"More...acquaintances," he said with a slight smile. "They were interesting to talk to and the dinner was..."

"Fun?"

"I suppose that is one word for it. I think you will enjoy it."

#

The sun was sinking lower in the sky as Snape led her down the road leading out of Sorseille. The village shops turned into houses and then the houses got fewer and far between until they came upon a three-story inn in front of a vast lake.

"Is this it?" Freddie asked, reading the sign post at the head of the driveway. "Auberge du Lac?"

"Yes. It means Inn of the Lake," he answered.

"Well that's not very clever."

He chuckled softly and nudged her down the path to the inn. Freddie's heart was pounding again as they approached the building. She was nervous and excited. She didn't know what to expect.

"I expect you to be on your best behavior," Snape said softly as they approached the building. "Be professional, polite, courteous."

"Of course," she said, surprised. "I know how to be good, Severus."

"And no more of that," he said. "For the next 24 hours I am Professor Snape, understand? It is the same as if we were in school. We are representing Hogwarts."

"Yes, Professor," she said, fighting the urge to roll her eyes.

Snape held the door open for her when they reached the inn and Freddie walked into the lobby with Ziggy right behind her. The room was lit by an elaborate chandelier hanging from the ceiling. There was a witch sitting at a desk and a man in periwinkle robes standing to the side who beamed when they entered.

"Bonjour! Welcome," he said in heavily accented English. "I am Raphael Benoit. I work for the Ministère des Affaires Magiques de la France and I'm one of the judges for the Wizarding Schools Potions Championship."

"Severus Snape," Snape said, stepping forward to shake his hand. "And this is Winifred Gray."

"Miss Gray," Benoit said. "Hogwarts, yes?"

"Yes sir," Freddie said, shaking his hand. "Nice to meet you, Monsieur Benoit."

"Enchanteé," he said. "You are the second contestant to check in. I have your badges here and Renee will get you your room keys."

"How many contestants are there, Monsieur?" Freddie asked curiously as he selected two badges from a box on the desk. The silver one had her name on it – Winifred Gray, Hogwarts. Snape's was similar only gold instead of silver.

"This year we have five, including yourself," Benoit answered as they pinned their badges on.

"Your rooms will be on the second floor," said the witch named Renee, handing Snape the keys. "The rooms are connected so that you may confer with your student – study and prep before the competition."

"We will have a dinner downstairs in one hour, through that door there," Benoit said, pointing to a set of double doors off to the right. "In the morning we will- oh! Another competitor."

The front door opened and two men walked in. Ziggy immediately retreated behind Freddie's legs and she looked down at him. His fur was standing on end and he was growling low in his throat. She had never seen him like this before but he was staring at the men who had entered.

The younger man looked to be about Freddie's age. He wore blood-red robes and a woolly cloak that she recognized as the Durmstrang uniform. He had dark hair and eyes and wore a surly expression on his face as he glanced around the room. The older of the two wore sleek silver furs. He was tall with long black hair and a goatee. He smiled when he saw them, revealing yellow teeth, but the smile didn't reach his blue eyes which seemed lifeless.

"Severus! My old friend, how good to see you," the older man said, coming forward to clasp Snape's arm. "How are you?"

"Igor," Snape acknowledged and Freddie looked up at him curiously. "What are you doing here?"

"Professor Aleksov fell ill just before the holiday so I am accompanying Andrei to the competition in his place," he said, clapping a hand on his student's back. The boy's expression soured further but the man had his eyes on Freddie. "And who do we have here?"

"This is Winifred Gray," Snape introduced. "Miss Gray this is Igor Karkaroff, Headmaster of the Durmstrang Institute."

"Nice to meet y-oh," Freddie said as Karkaroff took her hand and kissed it, looking up at her with his cold blue eyes.

"How absolutely lovely," he said with a wide smile. He held her hand for longer than she would have liked and when he finally released it Freddie couldn't help but take a step back. Ziggy came around, putting himself between her and Karkaroff. His fur was still puffed out and his tail was lashing angrily. Karkaroff looked down at the angry kneazle and laughed softly, a cold sound that gave Freddie goosebumps.

"Durmstrang?" said Benoit, interrupting the exchange, selecting their badges from the box when Karkaroff nodded.

"We can catch up later, Igor. Miss Gray and I need to get settled in," Snape said, sweeping Freddie towards the stairs.

Freddie followed him up the staircase without speaking, not wanting to risk being overheard. She had her suspicions about Karkaroff but she wanted him to confirm them.

"Old friend?" she asked once they'd reached the second floor landing. "Was he-?"

"Wait," Snape said and she fell silent while he unlocked one of the doors. "In here."

Freddie walked into the room and looked around while Snape closed the door. The walls were wood paneling, possibly old oak. The floor was made of the same wood and creaked under foot as she walked through the room. There was a nice queen sized bed that looked comfortable, a bedside table, a dresser, and a writing desk. The room was lit with a few candles and light streamed in from a window that looked out over the lake. One door led to a small bathroom, another led to an identical room that would be his. Snape put a Muffliato spell on the door and sat down on the edge of the bed.

"Yes, he was a Death Eater," he said with a sigh as she sank down next to him. "And a very, very bad person. I did not know that he would be here – I suspect he may be responsible for Aleksov falling ill, it is exactly the sort of thing he would do. I want you to be extremely careful around Karkaroff, and his student as well. Do not eat or drink anything they give you."

"You think he would poison me?" she asked, alarmed.

"I think he would poison all of the competitors if it meant his student would win," he said quietly. "He is ruthless and immoral. He is a very good actor – all smiles and politeness and fake cheerfulness – but he is a liar and a dangerous man."

"How did he get to be headmaster of Durmstrang?"

"We spoke before about Death Eaters who named others names to escape imprisonment? He is one of them. Despite numerous charges of sadistic torture of Muggles, he avoided Azkaban by giving a number of names, including my own."

"What?!" she yelped. "He- what? And then he comes in here acting like you two are best friends, like he didn't try to have you sent to prison?"

"Yes."

"Jeez...you really need better friends, Severus."

"I have you, don't I?" he asked with a wry smile. "And that's Professor Snape to you, Miss Gray, or sir."

"Yes sir," she said, pleased that he had called her his friend.

"Get settled in," he said, standing up from the bed. "And get changed for dinner. I will come retrieve you shortly."

"Okay," she said reluctantly. She sighed in disappointment as he went into the next room and closed the door behind him.

Freddie unpacked her bag while Ziggy explored the hotel room. She put all her books and potions kit on the desk. She thought about putting her clothes in the dresser but they were only supposed to be there for one night so she didn't bother. She got out her velvet dress and was putting it on when she found the gift in her pocket, the magic stone she'd stolen for Snape for Christmas. She stood in her jeans and bra with the lily in her hand, trying to figure out what to do with it. Finally she decided to put it back in the pocket of her jeans and leave it there. She took the jeans off and shoved them down into the bottom of her bag.

She put on her dress along with a clean pair of black lace panties. She knew they had to maintain professional boundaries but she figured even if there was a slim chance of something happening she'd be prepared. She got her honeysuckle essence from her potions kit and touched up the scent on her wrists and behind each ear. She went into the bathroom, dragging the desk chair along with her, and sat down to use the mirror to put on a little bit of makeup and to do her hair. She was still trying to figure out how to style her hair when Snape appeared in the bathroom door. He had gotten cleaned up and he was wearing jet black dress robes she'd never seen him in before. He had the golden name tag pinned to the front of his robes.

"Are you ready?" he asked, watching her in the mirror.

"I-my hair. I can't figure out what to do with it. I know it seems like a silly thing to worry about. It's stupid, I should just-"

"It's not stupid," he said, coming up behind her. He took the brush from the counter in front of her and started to brush her hair. Freddie got chills as he ran the brush through her hair, his fingers skimming the base of her neck when he gathered her hair in his hands to style it. She leaned back into his touch but he gave her hair a sharp tug.

"Straighten up," he said, his voice soft but firm. "I cannot work with you slouching."

"Yes sir," she said obediently, straightening up in the chair. She kept her head straight but watched him in the mirror. His face was soft as he worked, his eyes warm and brown as he twisted her hair to put it in a bun, the same way he'd done before her Animagus meeting at the Ministry. He'd said he used to do his mother's hair that way and she tried to imagine a younger Snape doing his mother's hair in the small bathroom of Spinner's End.

He finished the bun and smoothed a few strands of hair back from her face. His hands brushed her face, down her neck, and came to rest on her shoulders.

"There," he said softly, his mouth near her ear. "Now you are ready."

"You smell...really good," she said, inhaling deeply as the scent of his sandalwood aftershave washed over her.

"So do you," he murmured and delicately kissed the spot below her ear. She gasped sharply as heat rushed through her, but he pulled away. "Come along, Gray. We cannot be late for dinner."

"Alright," she said, reluctantly getting up. She dragged the chair out of the bathroom and back to the writing desk in her room. She got the silver badge with her name on it and pinned it to the front of her dress, then looked around for her boots she'd kicked off earlier. She knew she should probably wear heels with her dress, but she didn't want to have to walk in them. She used her wand to clean up her black leather boots and put them on. She shook the hem of her dress and it covered her boots at just the right length.

She got her purse so she could put her wand in it, but she hesitated. With the Undetectable Extension Charm on it her bag still had a lot of stuff in it. She wouldn't necessarily be able to grab her wand in a hurry if she needed to. With Snape's warnings about Karkaroff she thought she might need to have it handy.

Snape had been waiting by the door but he walked over to her and took her wand from her hand.

"What-?" she started to ask but he took her hand and she fell silent. He slid her wand tip-first into the right sleeve of her dress. The dress was tight enough to hold it in place, as long as she didn't wave her arm around wildly, and she would be able to pull it out of her sleeve with her dominant hand and potentially curse someone in an instant if she needed to.

"Thanks. ...How do I look?" she asked, biting her lower lip slightly. She could taste the cherry lip gloss she had put on so she immediately stopped doing that, not wanting to smear it.

"You look beautiful," he said quietly, his dark eyes smoldering in the dying light coming in through the window.

"Thank you," she said as her face grew warm under his lustful gaze. "You look nice too."

He didn't respond to her compliment but reached up to cup her cheek with one hand. She thought he might kiss her and suddenly she didn't care if her lip gloss got messed up. But he just brushed his thumb across her cheek once before letting his hand fall.

"Come," he said, walking over to the door again. "Let's go meet your competition."