"Would you like some tea?" Snape asked as he sat down on the black leather couch in his quarters.
"Sure," she said, looking around his room. "...Is there somewhere I could get cleaned up? I have clean clothes in my bag but I could really use a quick shower. I didn't even realize how messy I was from my duel, I should've changed before I went to see Dumbledore."
"Through there," he said with a nod, indicating a door she hadn't noticed before. It was hidden in the shadows of the one stone wall, down from the entrance to his office.
"Thanks. I'll be quick," she promised.
The bathroom was small and unremarkable, consisting only of a toilet, sink, and a small tub with a shower. She showered quickly, using Snape's soap that smelled faintly of black tea. He'd gotten a package of the soap in France when they'd gone there for her Potions Championship. Once she was clean she searched through her bag for clothes, settling on cotton shorts and a t-shirt that she usually slept in when she spent the night at work. She didn't bother putting her boots back on, just shoved them into her bag. She'd put them back on before she left, for now she just wanted to be comfortable.
When she came out Snape was still on the couch but he had his glowing tea set on the coffee table in front of him and was sipping from a cup. When he saw her emerge he leaned forward to pour her a cup.
"Thank you," she said, accepting the cup as she sat down beside him with one leg tucked beneath her.
"So," he said as he leaned back against the couch. "Tell me about your duel with Miss Leroux. Did you win?"
"I did," she said proudly. "It's the first time I've ever won a duel – but then it was my first time dueling someone other than you."
Snape smirked slightly and took a sip of his tea.
"How did she do?"
"She's quite skilled, but she needs to work on some things. ...Would you like to see?" she offered, dropping her Occlumency and opening her mind to him.
Freddie relaxed against the back of the couch as Snape slipped easily into her mind. He found the memory of her bowing to Ada in the Shrieking Shack and they both watched the memory play out from there. He didn't comment but she could tell he was impressed a few times – not just with her but with Ada as well. Especially when the girl had tricked her, pretending to dust herself off then hitting Freddie with two nonverbal spells in a row. But he was proud of how quick she had reacted in canceling the spells and she felt a rush of affection for her seep through their mental link. Freddie smiled to herself and set her cup aside so she could lay her head in his lap. She shivered pleasantly as he began to absently stroke her hair, still studying the memory of her duel.
When he saw her hit Ada with the Tongue-Tying Curse Snape chuckled softly.
"That is one way to teach nonverbal spells. Perhaps that is how I should have taught you," he said, lightly brushing his thumb across her lips. The action sent a rush of heat rolling through her abdomen and she gasped softly. Lust clouded her brain and Snape chuckled again. He moved his hand away from her mouth and drew the memory back to the forefront of her mind using Legilimency.
She closed her eyes as he began to stroke her hair again. He was focused on her memory of the duel but Freddie was far from focused. She was completely relaxed, enjoying the closeness she had been missing for so many months. The physical contact of laying in his lap, the simple, affectionate action of him stroking her hair – and the mental closeness of sharing her mind with him. It was a level of intimacy that was unique to them. She didn't have to hide anything from him as he watched her duel, every thought, feeling, and emotion she had was open to him.
His own thoughts were still closed to her, but she could feel his shield slowly weakening the longer they stayed connected. She could feel his emotions slipping through and hear his reaction as he watched Ada hit her with the Conjunctivitis Curse.
Oof, he thought with a grimace. You should have seen that coming, you should have been using your Legilimency. No, the Oculus Potion won't do you any good, foolish girl. Before Freddie could explain or defend her actions she was watching herself hone in on Ada's location by listening, then she'd used her Legilimency.
Yes! Said Snape's voice in her head approvingly. There you go. Good girl, you've got her.
Freddie flushed slightly at his praise and she felt herself grow warm at the words 'good girl', something he sometimes called her when they were intimate. She'd always liked it for some reason.
She felt his strong rush of pride and affection as he watched her anticipate the Disarming Spell using her Legilimency and how she'd used his trick to withstand the spell without letting go of her wand. She felt quite pleased with herself as well.
"Why didn't you use Legilimency on Miss Leroux from the beginning?" Snape asked aloud after he watched Freddie disarm Ada at the end of their battle. "You would have had an even greater advantage."
"I know," she answered, without even opening her eyes. He was still running his fingers through her hair, making her scalp tingle. "I wanted to teach her the advantage of nonverbal spells first. I thought throwing Legilimency in the mix might have been a bit much. Once I'm confident in her nonverbal abilities I'll try to help her with Legilimency and to improve upon her Occlumency too."
"You are going to duel with her again?"
"Mm. I promised to help her as much as I can before she leaves at the end of term."
"What about work?"
"I'll train with Ada after work, whenever I have time. Maybe I'll actually take my days off," she said with a faint smile. "I know I need the practice, too. You're the only person I've ever dueled with and we haven't done that in a while."
"Perhaps we should," he said thoughtfully. He stopped stroking her hair and rested his hand against her scalp instead. "There is still much that I could teach you."
"Like what?" she asked curiously, opening her eyes to look up at him. He didn't respond but looked pensive for a moment.
"Did you work with Miss Leroux on anything else?" he inquired.
"I tried to teach her the Patronus Charm, but I didn't have much time before I was due to meet Dumbledore."
Show me, he said silently, nudging her mind gently for the memory. She brought up the image of sitting down on the dusty floor with Ada, then relaxed again on his lap as Snape perused her thoughts. He seemed almost bored at Ada's feeble attempts to produce a Patronus, but when the girls began discussing him Freddie felt his interest pique.
She was a bit embarrassed by the discussion and she started to unconsciously block him from the memory. He pushed back slightly and she felt his fingers tighten just a little in her hair. She knew if she really wanted to she could hide the memory from him or even change it, but it was easier to just let him see it. He knew how she felt about him, after all. It wasn't anything she hadn't said to him before.
Snape did scoff slightly when he heard Freddie tell Ada that his being 'snarky and rude' was a defense mechanism, something to protect himself from people getting too close to him. She felt his body stiffen and she could sense his annoyance through their mental link...but then Freddie was telling Ada how brave he was, that he was selfless and strong and a good man. She could feel the self-doubt flicker through his mind before he could conceal it from her.
Everything I said was true, she told him silently. You are a good man. You're incredibly brave for doing what you do.
He didn't respond but she could feel his hesitancy. So she pushed the rest of the memory at him, focusing on what she'd felt when Ada asked 'You love him very much, don't you?'. She let him see her answer before repeating it aloud.
"More than anything," she told him, sitting up so she could look at him directly. His dark eyes flicked away from hers so she put a hand on his cheek, tilting his face back so he was forced to look her in the eyes. "I love you more than anything," she said softly but firmly. "You are a good man, Severus, and I love you more than anyone or anything else in the world."
Then she kissed him, wanting him to understand, wanting to reassure him. She loved him, she didn't care about anything else. Not the Dark Lord or the danger that they both were in, that the world was in. She loved him and nothing else mattered.