As Freddie walked Ada back to where the Beauxbatons carriage was parked she couldn't help but worry. Being this close to the Forbidden Forest at night it was almost impossible not to think of what had happened to Daniel...and what could have happened to Ada, had they not found her. What if she had decided to go into the forest instead? Anything could have happened to her and no one would even know she was missing until morning.

"Tu as l'air inquiet, Winifred," Ada said softly, studying her face as they walked.

"Well of course I'm worried. It's a time to be worried," Freddie responded, trying to clear her face. She hadn't even been trying to hide her emotions from her friend.

"You don't have to worry about me, Freddie. I can take care of myself," she assured her.

"Oh? And what would you have done if Severus and I hadn't found you tonight? You dropped your wand."

Ada's face flushed scarlet but she recovered quickly.

"I would have gotten it back. I did not expect the tree to move so quickly, I didn't know it could sense me through my Disillusionment Charm. I should not have screamed when it slapped me and I should not have dropped my wand. I was going to get it back, then I saw someone coming across the grounds and I knew I had to be still – I didn't know it was you."

Freddie shook her head slightly and sighed. She didn't know what to say. She'd certainly gotten into her fair share of trouble in school, but still...she couldn't help but worry about Ada.

"I suppose it's still hard for me to see you as anything more than the frightened 12-year-old who couldn't do a basic cleaning spell during the Potions Championship."

"That was years ago, Freddie. I'm not that person anymore," Ada assured her. "I can handle myself."

"Well...your Disillusionment Charm was pretty impressive," she admitted. "But that doesn't mean you can lose sight of your surroundings. You must always be careful, always assume that someone can see you or hear you or sense you. Constant vigilance – something Dumbledore said to me earlier."

"I know. I will be more careful in the future – not that I'm planning on sneaking out again," she added hastily. "I promised I wouldn't. Besides...your Professor Snape scares me!"

"Good," Freddie said with a chuckle. They were approaching the Beauxbatons carriage now and the girls slowed to a stop.

"I have to reapply my Disillusionment Charm now so I can slip back in without anyone seeing me."

"Alright. Bon soir, Adalene. I'll see you in the morning."

"Bon soir," Ada repeated as she disappeared.

Freddie waited silently in the shadows until she saw the door to the carriage creak slowly open, then shut. Satisfied that Ada was safely inside Freddie quickly shifted back into her Animagus form and took off in the direction she had seen Snape go. She found his scent trail near the Whomping Willow and followed it until she finally found him on the far side of the Quidditch pitch near the wall.

"Is Miss Leroux back where she belongs?" Snape asked as she transformed again and fell into step beside him.

"Yes sir. I didn't leave until I saw the carriage door close."

"Good," he said, his lips pressed into a thin line. She knew he was still upset and she couldn't help feeling guilty. "She should never have been out here."

"I know," Freddie said miserably.

"She could have been seriously injured – or worse."

"I know."

"If she had been any other student-"

"I know," Freddie repeated with a groan. "I'm sorry. Really sorry, Severus, and she is too. I'm certain she won't do anything like this again. She promised me – pinkie promised, so you know she really means it."

"A pinkie promise?" he repeated with an expression she couldn't quite read.

"Yeah, it's like the Muggle version of an Unbreakable Vow only, well, no one dies. Ada taught me about them last time-"

"I know what a pinkie promise is," he said quietly.

For just a moment Freddie caught a glimpse of a memory in her mind – a young Severus linking fingers with a young red-headed girl she knew to be Lily Evans, no older than 10, both whispering the words 'I promise'. It was gone just as quick but the memory had caught her off guard because she hadn't even realized their minds were linked again. Snape didn't say anything and Freddie wasn't even sure he knew she'd seen the memory.

"Thank you, Severus," she said quietly, slipping her hand in his. "For not turning Ada in to Madame Maxime or Dumbledore."

"I'm still not convinced I shouldn't tell Dumbledore," he said hesitantly, but he didn't pull his hand away.

"Don't do that," Freddie pleaded, squeezing his hand. "No harm was done, really. She's back where she's supposed to be and she won't do it again. They won't even be here much longer. I don't want her to get in trouble, especially with Dumbledore, especially when he's thinking of involving her with the Order."

"You don't want her involved in the Order in the first place," he pointed out.

"No, but it's her decision. She's an adult and if she wants to fight back then of course she should."

"She couldn't even fight back against the Whomping Willow," he scoffed. "If that is the future of the Order of the Phoenix then we are all doomed."

"Hey!" she said, smacking his arm with her free hand. "She made a mistake, that's all. It's happened to all of us. Besides, I think she probably would have been fine if we hadn't come along."

"Perhaps," he said noncommittally. "But she needs practice. A lot of practice."

"We're having another practice duel tomorrow. It's my day off and I promised her I'd help her – as long as she doesn't sneak out at night again."

"What about the Wolfsbane Potion?"

"I'm going into the office to start it tomorrow evening. That's alright, isn't it?" She knew it was but after years of studying under him she couldn't help but ask for confirmation. Snape glanced up at the waning moon, studying it, then nodded his agreement.

They had reached the spot where the wall met the Great Lake and they turned to follow the shoreline back towards the castle, their hands still clasped together. The silence that fell between them was a comfortable one and Freddie knew he was no longer upset with her. As they got closer to the castle Freddie heard a loud splash from out across the water. Her free hand flew to her wand but she relaxed as she saw it was only the giant squid resting in the shallows of the lake. She started to let go of Snape's hand to walk over but he held tight and followed her down to the edge of the water.

"Hey Inky," she said, using the nickname she and Daniel had bestowed upon the giant squid when they were children. "Long time no see. How are you?"

The squid blinked its giant eye at her then slapped the water with one large tentacle. Freddie chuckled, thinking he was just saying hello, but then saw he had caught a large fish with the tip of his tentacle. She watched curiously as fish and tentacle disappeared beneath the water again, being pushed into Inky's beak. The squid seemed to shudder happily then relaxed into the water again, waiting for another fish to swim by.

They stood at the edge of the shore watching the giant squid for several minutes. The bright moon was reflecting off the gentle waves, making the water almost sparkle. Freddie thought she could hear the faint distorted sound of the mermaids singing beneath the lake, an almost eerie sound that she had always enjoyed from her bed in the Slytherin dormitory. She leaned against Snape, feeling peaceful and almost drowsy, and he put his arm and cloak around her. He kissed the top of her head and rested his chin on there for a moment.

A soft clearing of a throat interrupted them and Snape immediately dropped his arm. Freddie's face flushed as they turned to face Dumbledore.

"Lovely evening, is it not?" the headmaster commented, his blue eyes twinkling with mirth. "I just wanted to let you know I had returned. You can return to the castle now."

"Thank you, headmaster," Snape said stiffly.

"All's well, I trust?" Dumbledore asked.

"A quiet evening," Snape confirmed, much to her relief.

"Excellent."

Freddie was dying to know whether or not he had found a suitable place for headquarters but with a quick glance from Snape she knew better than to ask.

"I believe my mission was a success as well," Dumbledore said with a smile, as if he could sense her burning curiosity. She couldn't help but grin at him then and nodded her head slightly.

"Goodnight, headmaster," Snape said, inclining his head before turning back towards the castle.

"Goodnight Professor Dumbledore," Freddie added and quickly followed him. When they were a few yards way she glanced back over her shoulder curiously to see that Dumbledore was now crouched down by the lake. He appeared to be talking to the giant squid.

"Didn't hear him coming that time, did you?" she teased Snape lightly, relieved that this time she was not the only one who was caught off guard. He scowled slightly at her.

"He can move quite stealthily when he needs to," he muttered and Freddie smiled.

"Thank you for not telling him about Ada," she said as they approached the castle.

"You owe me, little girl," he said, his voice almost a purr. "And that's a debt I intend to collect."