Freddie cleaned the dust and grime from a spot with her wand then the girls sat with their backs against the wall, discussing their duel and thinking of other spells that could be useful in a fight. Freddie's mouth felt dry and she wished she had something to drink. She didn't have anything in her bag, but she dug through it anyway looking for her potion's kit.

"What are you looking for?" Ada asked curiously.

"I'm thirsty. I thought I might have some mint in my bag that I could chew, that might help," she explained.

"Oh why didn't you say so," Ada said, standing up. "I'll be right back."

Then she Disapparated with a pop before Freddie could say anything. She set her bag aside and leaned back against the wall with a soft sigh. She was tired again, but her mind was busy thinking of things she could teach Ada. She didn't have long before she had to go meet Dumbledore at the castle. She wondered if she should tell the headmaster that Ada wanted to fight. She didn't want her friend to be put in any danger – sometimes she still thought of her as the small, scared 12 year old she'd been when they first met. But Ada seemed determined to help, just like she was.

I guess that's how Severus feels about me joining the Order, she thought, stretching her legs out in front of her. He doesn't want me to fight, he doesn't want me in any danger...even though I already am. The Dark Lord knows who I am. She grimaced slightly and pushed that thought from her mind. Maybe there's something Ada can do for the Order that won't put her in danger.

Ada reappeared in the middle of the room, holding two bottles of water. She handed one to Freddie and sat back down beside her.

"Where'd you go?" Freddie inquired as she unscrewed the top of the bottle.

"Back to Madam Rosmerta's. I told her we were exploring the mountains outside of town and needed something to drink. She told us to be careful."

"She's a sweetheart." Freddie took several gulps of water before speaking again. "I was thinking while you were gone – maybe I could teach you some spells instead of dueling again. I haven't got long before I'm due at the castle."

"Aw, but I wanted to duel again! I was doing well."

"Maybe some other time. Wouldn't you like to try something else? Like a Patronus Charm?"

"Oo yes!" Ada said, leaping to her feet. "I would like that very much!"

"You can sit back down," Freddie said with a chuckle. "You don't have to be standing to do it."

"Okay," Ada said and dropped back down. "But we can duel some other time? You promise?"

"Sure. You'll still be here a couple more weeks, right? I can come back whenever I don't have to work."

"Promise?"

"Je promets," Freddie assured her in french. "I need the practice, too."

"Okay good," she said with a grin. "So, for the Patronus Charm – I just need a happy memory, right?"

"That's right. Not just any happy memory, but a very strong one."

"Right. Okay." Ada was silent a moment, her face screwed up in concentration and her eyes closed. It was the same expression she wore when she was picturing something she'd read in a book and Freddie smiled slightly. Ada's eyes opened suddenly and she raised her wand.

"Ex- wait, you don't want me to do this nonverbally, do you?"

"No, it's fine. Master is verbally first, then worry about nonverbal."

"Okay... Expecto Patronum," Ada said clearly. A silvery substance shot from the tip of her wand, but didn't take form. It dissipated quickly and Ada's brow furrowed.

"Try again," Freddie encouraged, leaning back against the wall.

She watched as her friend attempted the charm over and over again, but the results were the same. After her tenth try she looked frustrated and took a deep breath, then exhaled slowly, calming herself. She tried once more with no luck and she sighed.

"I don't get it," Ada said, lowering her wand. "It is the same thing that happened when I tried years ago. Nothing but wisps. What if I cannot do it?"

"You can do it, Adalene. I felt the same way at first. It takes a while to get the hang of it," she said. She thought back to how frustrated she'd been when she first attempted the Patronus Charm and how deliberately unhelpful Snape had seemed. She had thought she wasn't capable of it either and he'd laughed at her. Freddie chuckled slightly at the memory.

"What's so funny?" Ada asked.

"Just remembering when I was first learning. I didn't think I could cast a corporeal Patronus. I read that – well you know it says if a Dark witch or wizard tries to cast one, they'll be consumed by maggots from their wand?"

"I read that."

"I thought that maybe that might happen to me," she said with a sheepish smile. "Severus laughed at me. Like, a deep belly laugh. I'd never heard him laugh like that before."

Ada chuckled and shook her head slightly.

"You're not a Dark witch, Freddie. I can't believe you thought that," she said and Freddie shrugged her shoulders. "...Can he cast one?"

"Severus? Yeah."

"What form does it take?"

"A doe," she answered, thinking of Snape's shining white Patronus. "She's gorgeous."

"Wow. I wouldn't have thought his would be a doe. I imagined it would be like a snake or a wolf or something."

"It's – he's complicated," Freddie said with a slight, sad smile. Lily's Patronus had been a doe and Snape's mimicked hers. It had never changed. "Somehow it suits him though."

"Hmm," Ada said with a thoughtful nod. "I guess he must be a good man then. He wouldn't be able to cast a Patronus if he wasn't."

"Did you have any doubts?" she asked, eyebrow raised.

"No, of course not. I trust your judgment, Freddie. It's just – well, he has always seemed a bit scary, to me anyway. He's very...intimidating."

"It's not just you," she chuckled and thought for a moment before continuing softly. "He...he keeps himself closed off from almost everyone. And he's snarky and rude to people sometimes – a lot of the time. I think it's his way of protecting himself. He's been through a lot in his life, more than you can possibly imagine... but he is a good man. There's so much I wish I could tell you that I can't, but trust me when I say he is good. Sometimes even he doesn't think he is, but he is. He is brave and selfless. He's strong – not just physically, but mentally. He is the strongest man I know..."

Ada listened to all this intently, rolling her wand between her fingers absently.

"You love him very much, don't you?" she asked quietly.

"More than anything," she responded without hesitation. "More than anyone or anything on the planet. Like...I don't know what I'd do if something happened to him."

She felt the strong emotions constricting her throat and she quickly drank some more water. All her worries from the night before started to creep back in, but she shut them down, lest she start crying on the floor of the Shrieking Shack. Ada seemed to understand and she smiled sadly.

"I wish I had someone I loved like that," she murmured wistfully. "And who loved me like that."

"You will someday," Freddie said and she had to clear her throat because her voice was still tight. "You have plenty of time."

Ada nodded slightly but didn't say anything just kept rolling her wand between her fingers.

"I know Severus seems rough, but he can be very sweet sometimes," Freddie reflected. "It took me a long time to get through his shell, but he's a wonderful man."

"I believe you," she said with a smile.

They were both quiet for a moment, then Ada raised her wand and started practicing the Patronus Charm again. Freddie watched silently, but really she was thinking about Snape and everything they had been through together. She wanted to go see him, but she was worried he wouldn't want her there. That he'd say he was busy and ask her to leave. She didn't think she could handle the rejection right now.

"This is hard," Ada said, lowering her wand after casting another dozen or more failed charms. "Snape didn't give you any tips or anything?"

"Not really," she said with an apologetic smile. "There aren't any tricks for this, unfortunately."

"Will you show me yours again? Your Patronus?"

Freddie nodded and drew her wand. It didn't take her long to select a memory – she thought of standing under the stars with Snape, the first time he told her he loved her. Then he had kissed her while a Muggle band played in the background...

"Expecto Patronum," she said softly, giving her wand a gentle flick.

Her shimmering kneazle Patronus sprang forth from her wand. Ada smiled when she saw it and they watched as the kneazle pounced around the room, looking for dementors, before disappearing, leaving the room feeling darker than before. After a moment Ada raised her wand and tried again.

"I do not know what I am doing wrong," she sighed a few minutes later. "All I need is a good, happy memory right?"

"Right, a really good memory. Like, the happiest you've ever been in your whole life."

"I do not know. I've thought of when I first found out I was a witch...my first day at Beauxbatons...being selected to come to Hogwarts for the Triwizard Tournament...the first day I met you..."

"Ada," Freddie murmured softly. She was touched that she was one of Ada's happiest memories.

"What do you think about when you cast yours?" she wanted to know and Freddie couldn't fight the blush that stained her cheeks.

"It's kind of personal," she said awkwardly.

"Snape?" Ada guessed and Freddie nodded.

"I was thinking of the first time he told me that he loved me...it took him a long time to say. He has a hard time saying it. He still does sometimes, but that just makes it all the more special to me when he does say it. ...I haven't always used that memory, but I think – yeah, all my Patronus Charm memories are of him."

"That's sweet," Ada said with a genuine smile. "Unfortunately it does not help me much."

"Just keep trying," she assured her. "You'll get it eventually. And once you do it the first time, it becomes much easier every time after that."

"Like sex?" Ada said cheekily, surprising her so much she let out a bark of laughter.

"I guess so. Wh-" Freddie was interrupted by the beeping of her watch, letting her know it was 7 o'clock. "Damn. We have to get back to the castle." She started to get to her feet. "Oh! You missed dinner, Ada. Someone will have noticed, won't they?"

"Don't worry about it," she said nonchalantly, brushing the dirt from her clothes as she stood. "I'll make up a lie – say that I fell asleep in the library or something."

"Won't you be hungry later? I shouldn't have kept you out so late. I'm sorry."

"Don't be sorry. There are snacks in the carriage. Besides, I had a lot of fun. And I learned a lot – I know what I need to work on before we duel again."

Freddie roused Ziggy from the bed upstairs, then led the way into the tunnel that led from the Shrieking Shack to Hogwarts. She'd forgotten how long the tunnel was and she started to worry she'd be late for her meeting with Dumbledore.

"So, you really had sex in this tunnel?" Ada asked as she followed her through the dark. "It's so cramped!"

"It opens up more towards the entrance," she said, grinning over her shoulder at her friend. "When we reach the end don't go out right away. The entrance is hidden beneath the Whomping Willow."

"That horrid tree that hits everyone?"

"That's the one. There's a secret spot on the trunk. If I go out in my kneazle form I can get to it and freeze the tree so you can come out without getting clobbered."

"I guess that was a pretty effective way to keep people away from the werewolf during the full moon. Leave it to Professor Dumbledore to come up with something clever like that."

When they finally reached the entrance, Freddie gave Ada her Beauxbatons robes she had stored in her bag. While Ada changed, she slipped into her kneazle form and went out to freeze the tree. She made sure no one was around before she pressed the knot, then she darted back into the tunnel only to find that Ada had disappeared.

"I used my Disillusionment Charm," said Ada's disembodied voice before she could start to panic. "So no one will see me go back to my carriage."

Freddie nodded her furry head and led the way out of the tunnel. Once they were a ways away from the tree she transformed back.

"I've got to go," she told Ada, checking her watch. "I'm going to be late."

"Are you meeting Snape?"

"Not exactly. I'll tell you about it later, if I can," she promised. "Are you okay walking back to your carriage by yourself?"

Ada scoffed and her invisible hand smacked Freddie's arm lightly.

"Yes, Winifred, I'll be fine. It's the Hogwarts grounds, what could possibly happen?"

Freddie thought briefly of Daniel, but nodded to Ada anyway. After all the Dark Lord wouldn't dare be so close to the castle now, would he? Not with Dumbledore on alert.

"Au revoir, mon ami," Freddie said to where she thought Ada was standing.

"Au revoir. See you soon I hope."