A few hours later Freddie was in her office, working on potions for the hospital, when the flames in her fireplace turned green and Snape stepped out of the hearth.
"Severus," she greeted happily, rushing to turn down the music she was listening to on her record player. "What are you doing here?"
"Do I need an excuse to visit you at work?" he asked innocently, quickly embracing her before she hurried back to stir her cauldron.
"You've always had one before," she answered with a smile.
"What are you working on?" he asked curiously as he walked over to peer into her cauldron.
"Antidote for an Acromantula bite on the first floor," she replied. "It just came in. Healer Smethwyck said it was a juvenile Acromantula, fortunately."
"I don't think I've ever brewed this," he said, looking at the recipe on her workstation.
"I brewed it once a couple years ago. Surviving an Acromantula bite is rare enough that it's not something we keep in stock. Getting away from one after it's bitten you is next to impossible, but still people try to catch them," she said, shaking her head. "I don't know why."
"100 Galleons a pint for their venom is why. Some people are just that foolish. It takes a very skilled person to milk the venom of an Acromantula, most people die in the process."
"Have you ever tried?"
"No, because I am not an idiot," he said dryly. "I do not have a death wish."
Freddie grinned at him and fetched the concentrated Essence of Dittany from her workstation that she would need next. Snape strolled casually over to the other cauldron she had going which contained the last of this month's Wolfsbane Potion.
"Lupin hasn't been by to take his medicine yet?" he asked in a mocking tone.
"No, not until – hey! That's why you're here, isn't it? Cuz tonight's the full moon."
"I just want to be sure he's nowhere near you when the sun sets," he said, crossing his arms defensively.
"Hmph," she scoffed at him. "One would think you had no confidence in my potion-making abilities at all."
"You know very well that's not true."
"Remus has been here every evening to take his potion and he'll be here shortly. Even if he did stay after sunset – which he won't – I'd be perfectly safe."
"Remus?" he scoffed. "What, are you friends now?"
"No, not friends exactly. I'm just doing my job, doing what Dumbledore asked me to do," she reminded him. She hadn't told Snape that Lupin would always hang around for a few minutes after drinking his potion, sometimes longer than that. She'd offered him ginger tea to help with his nausea the last two times and even though her tea-brewing skills were far from perfection, Lupin never complained.
"That doesn't mean that I have to like it or that I trust him with you alone, especially on the night of a full moon," Snape said shortly.
"You're being ridiculous," she told him. "I'm not in danger from Remus or any other werewolf. I can just shift into my Animagus form."
"You can't outrun a werewolf, whether you have four legs or two."
"I wouldn't have to. An Animagus can't become a werewolf, not if they're transformed when they're bitten."
"I've never heard of that."
"It's true, Remus told me-"
"Oh well if Remus told you, it must be true," he sneered and she scowled at him. "I'm sure it is a lie, a way to get you to let your guard down around him."
"It's not a lie, Severus," she said, rolling her eyes. "He said the only reason Black and the others became Animagi was so they could be with him on the full moon and be safe. Werewolves are only a danger to humans, they're even more docile around other animals."
Snape's black eyes glittered coldly and he turned away from her. She thought he was going to leave but instead of going to the fireplace he went to sit on the couch, arms folded. She decided to ignore his negative attitude and continued working on her potion.
"Do you remember Nymphadora Tonks?" she asked after a minute.
"What?" he snapped.
"Nymphadora Tonks," she repeated. "She was a year ahead of me in school. The Metamorphmagus girl, she was in Hufflepuff."
"Mm," he grunted. "I remember."
"She's an Auror now apparently. I saw her with Dumbledore earlier outside of Hogsmeade."
"An Auror?" he scoffed lightly. "I would not have expected that."
"Was she a bad student?"
"She acted out a lot and spent a lot of time in detention, but her grades weren't terrible I suppose."
"Even her Potions grades?" Freddie asked with a smile knowing 'not terrible' from Snape meant 'good'.
"When she didn't knock her cauldron over by accident or cut her finger because she wasn't paying attention. What was she doing with Dumbledore?"
"I guess she's in the Order too. I'm patrolling the train with her tomorrow, we're riding all the way back to King's Cross Station."
"Hmm... Good," he said with a nod.
"Good?" she repeated, raising an eyebrow at him.
"Yes. It is a safe enough job for you. Nothing is going to happen on the train."
"Nothing is going to happen here either," she told him. "You don't have to stay."
"You want me to leave?"
"I didn't say that. I love spending time with you, Severus, I just... I don't want you to be mean to Lupin when he comes to get his potion."
"...I can be civil," he said quietly.
"Then I don't mind if you stay. In fact, I'd like you to."
"I could help you with your potion?" he offered, standing up from the couch.
"I'd like that, too," she said with a smile.
They were working on the potion together a short while later when her watch beeped at 5 o'clock. Snape was handing her the herbs he'd just prepared when there was a pop and Lupin appeared in her office beside the couch.
"Severus," he said, surprised but smiling. "It's good to see you. How are you?"
"Lupin," he grunted and Freddie gave him a look, reminding him of his promise to be civil. "I just stopped by to help Miss Gray with one of her potions."
"How kind of you," Lupin said, but not in a malicious way.
"Ready for your last dose, Remus?" Freddie asked, quickly getting the goblet from her workstation. "Severus, would you mind stirring the Acromantula antidote for me please?"
Snape nodded and silently took her place at the cauldron. He stirred the potion but kept his eyes on her as Freddie ladled the last of the Wolfsbane Potion into the goblet.
"Where's Ziggy?" Lupin asked curiously, looking around her office. Usually the kneazle would come running to Lupin as soon as he appeared, eager for the head scratches the werewolf seemed so good at.
"At home," Freddie answered, which was a lie. Ziggy was actually at Hogwarts, spending one last night with Crookshanks before the cat went home for the summer. But Lupin didn't need to know Freddie was spending her nights at Hogwarts.
"Here you are," she said as she handed the goblet over to Lupin. He didn't sit down on the couch this time but remained standing as he tried to drink the potion as quickly as he could. Snape smirked slightly at the disgusted look on Lupin's face in between sips.
Freddie noticed Lupin looked even worse than he had every other day this week. He appeared haggard, his face thin like he'd lost ten pounds in the last few days, and there were dark circles under his eyes that stood out in stark contrast to the ashen paleness of his face. She felt concerned for him. Despite what she had told Snape she was starting to consider Lupin somewhat of a friend. She wished there was something she could do to help.
"Thank you, Freddie," Lupin said wearily as he handed the drained goblet back to her.
"Are you alright? Do you need anything else?"
"No, the nausea is pretty much gone at this point. I'm just exhausted. Fortunately I'll be able to curl up somewhere and sleep tonight, thanks to your brilliant potion-making abilities," he said, smiling weakly at her. "You taught her well, Severus."
Snape inclined his head, saying nothing, pretending to be focused on the potion before him.
"Good luck tonight, Remus. I hope you get some rest," Freddie said as she took the goblet to the sink to clean it.
"Thank you so much, Freddie. I don't know what I would do without you. You're a lifesaver, seriously. Thank you," Lupin said gratefully.
"I've told you to stop all that. I'm just doing my job and I'm glad to help," she told him. "I'll see you in three weeks."
"See you then," he said and smiled at her one last time before Disapparating with a pop. Freddie was rinsing out the goblet when Snape's voice spoke from behind her.
"He likes you," he said in a low voice, startling her because she hadn't realized he was so close. She dropped the goblet in the sink and turned to face him.
"Not like that," she assured him. "He's just grateful I'm brewing the Wolfsbane for him so he doesn't turn into a blood-crazed monster. Wouldn't you be?"
"Mm," Snape responded, his dark eyes boring into hers.
"Are you jealous?" she teased lightly, then gasped as he grabbed her hips and pulled her body flush against his. He kissed her passionately, possessively, until her knees grew weak. He lifted her up and placed her on the counter, wedging himself between her legs, his lips still on hers. His kiss was hungry and demanding and Freddie wanted nothing more than to give herself over to him... It wasn't until they knocked over a jar of rat spleens that she remembered her work. She let out a muffled protest.
"I can't," she said remorsefully, breaking the kiss. "My potion – I have to finish it. It's really important, Severus. Someone could die otherwise."
Snape sighed and kissed her once more before pulling away. She slid off the workstation and adjusted her robes.
"I know," he said, brushing a strand of hair out of her face tenderly. "Your work is important. And I should be getting back to school anyway. I'll be late for the end-of-term feast and Albus' speech."
"You should hurry," she told him. "It's already after 5."
He nodded and kissed her forehead before walking over to the fireplace and grabbing a handful of floo powder.
"Will I see you later?" he asked, turning back to her.
"Of course," she said with a smile. "Just as soon as I'm finished here."
"Until then, Winifred," he said and tossed the floo powder into the hearth.
"I love you," she told him as he stepped into the green flames. He smiled at her before speaking his destination into the floo, then he was whisked away.