Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter or anything what you can recognize from the books. I do however own the plot of this story but I don't have profits because of it unless you count improving my English as a profit.
Preview: Harry has problems. So does Hermione.
So read, enjoy and review (because I love to read your criticism and as long as you are logged in or I have your email I'm answering to your questions).
Dedicated to sarah_rose76646 for whacking my head. I hope that you will enjoy that - I did when I was writing it (few months ago).
Chapter eleven: The Issue with Foot-wear.
If Harry had hope that Snape would get bored quickly and will apply for the position of Potion Master in Auror training then by the Friday before Hermione's twentieth birthday his hope had died a very painful death. Actually it was dying slowly for last two weeks.
Snape, away from pressure of spying and teaching, acted almost like a kid on sugar high. By first Monday of September Hermione gave him clean bill of health and allowed him to get out, which he did, and quite often on that.
From Narcissa, Harry learned that Snape was often visitor in the kindergarten, evenings he spent with Neville wearing poor Neville down to persuade him to apply for Potion Mastery exams. Between supervising walks with kids from kindergarten he frequently baby-sat Teddy, Magnolia and Duncan, brewed potions for kindergarten and together with Neville were restocking Hogwarts' potions supply. Another meeting with Harry's curriculum for Potions lessons had ended with its complete rewrite. In the meantime he took Harry's suggestion to heart and started writing a first year book for Potions, altering mistakes, explaining why certain actions were better than the others.
So in the end Snape could be summed up as anything but not by the word bored. By 17th September, Friday, part of Harry had admitted defeat and he came back home with book concerning the subjects on all three exams for Potions Mastery. He didn't had a chance to leaf through them because Snape together with Kreacher were in the middle of preparing Hermione's birthday party. Harry almost forgot about them under all stress he was under for last two and half of a week. Thankfully Snape had reminded him, though in not too kind way.
"I hope that you have a present for Miss Granger, Harry," was how he was greeted when he walked into the kitchen on Friday afternoon.
Harry's mouth dropped. He forgot about Hermione's birthday.
"Change clothes, eat a sandwich and hurry before the shops get closed. I'm not letting you in without a proper present," Snape said briskly and he hurried to the stove.
Harry took Snape's advice to heart and after twenty minutes he was out. He hardly managed to get into the car when into the car jumped balding blonde man with blue eyes.
"On a second thought, heavens knows what you might buy for her on your own, a book probably," the man said.
"She likes books," Harry mumbled.
"She isn't a student anymore," polyjuiced Snape sighed. "She is a woman," he said in tone which indicated that Harry never knew about it. "Just shut up and listen," he added quickly and pushed a compact cassette into the player and turned the radio on.
Harry turned the engine and a song started playing:
To really love a woman,
To understand her,
You've got to know her deep inside
Hear every thought,
See every dream,
And give her wings when she wants to fly
Then when you find yourself lying helpless in her arms,
You know you really love a woman
When you love a woman,
You tell her that she's really wanted
When you love a woman,
You tell her that she's the one
She needs somebody, to tell her that it's gonna last forever
So tell me have you ever really...really, really ever loved a woman
To really love a woman,
Let her hold you,
Till you know how she needs to be touched
You've got to breathe her, really taste her
Till you can feel her in your blood
And when you see your unborn children in her eyes
You know you really love a woman
When you love a woman,
You tell her that she's really wanted
When you love a woman,
You tell her that she's the one
She needs somebody, to tell her that you'll always be together
So tell me have you ever really...really, really ever loved a woman
You've got to give her some faith,
Hold her tight, a little tenderness
You've got to treat her right
She will be there for you taking good care of you
You really gotta love your woman
And when you find yourself lying helpless in her arms,
You know you really love a woman
When you love a woman,
You tell her that she's really wanted
When you love a woman,
You tell her that she's the one
She needs somebody, to tell her that it's gonna last forever
So tell me have you ever really...really, really ever loved a woman
"I never took you for romantic type," Harry mumbled when the song had finished as they reached Charing Cross Road.
"Pardon me for using VHS," Snape muttered. "I have about twenty years old hole in association with Muggle culture. Plus I like Marlon Brando, so did Lily. On the other hand asking Ms Granger to tag along to video store resulted in buying many, many movies which should make you feel lucky that most wizards avoid Muggle culture like plague otherwise you will have an opinion of a man going soft. Saccharine of some of them nearly finished me off… But you have to give the director that the cast was masterfully picked, that kid who played Don Juan DeMarco was quite good, I bet that we are going to hear more about him in the future."
"I'm not betting with you on anything again," Harry sighed.
Shopping with Snape polyjuiced as a normal man nearly finished Harry off. In the end Snape frowned over every gift Harry picked for Hermione and finally dragged him out from Diagon Alley into Muggle London without buying anything.
Half of hour later Harry blessed invention of credit cards for wizards living in closure to Muggles and cursed to hell and back humming Snape who at some point of time started singing the song he made Harry listen in the car in the middle of jewellery shop to which he dragged poor Harry.
"Your father seems very excited about the shopping," commented the shopkeeper.
"He isn't my father," Harry muttered. "He is my slightly demented uncle. Watched too many girl movies."
"So what you are looking for exactly?" asked the man.
"Something which says 'I know that you are a woman and should be treated as such but I'm not going to marry you kind'," Harry sighed.
"Yet?" the man chuckled.
"Maybe ever, I don't know," Harry sighed. "It's a birthday present for my very close friend. We know each other for ages and someone," he motioned with his head at Snape who started dancing with an old lady in the middle of the shop to the song Harry heard in the car, "told me that considering our age I should start to treat her like a woman not librarian."
"Bookworm," the man said curiously. "Hardest to please. Not big fans of heavy jewellery but they enjoy subtle things. Not engagement so rings aren't the best options. Necklaces perhaps, or earnings?"
"She enjoys white gold jewellery," Harry sighed.
"Birthday so nice idea would be a birthstone," the man said more to himself than to Harry. "How does she look like?"
"Like…" Harry started. "A woman?" he mumbled. "Normally I guess."
"I was asking for face, hair, eyes, things like that, though the fact if she is fat or tiny might be important a bit," the man shook his head.
"She has long brown hair," Harry said pensively. "A bit bushy if she doesn't curl them or straighten them and she rarely does. Her eyes are brown. Not to big nose, not too small, just the right kind of nose. Rosy cheeks when it gets cold but she isn't very tanned. Her smile…"
"Are you sure that you don't want to buy engagement ring?" the man interrupted him.
"I'm sure," Harry immediately sobered. "Just as you said before, something nice but not overwhelming."
"Many social occasions?" the man asked.
"Not too many but several during a year," Harry said.
"Then a complete would be good," the man said. "Not necessary a ring but a bracelet, necklace and earnings would do. What colour does she likes?"
Harry paused. Hermione often wore blue robes and clothes.
"As far as birthstones go I advice either sapphires or carnelian. Both look beautiful in white gold frames," the man said and he pointed at the transparent cabinet behind his own back.
"Uncle Sev!" Harry called. "You might stop making a show from yourself and offer some advice."
Snape thanked the lady for dance and hurried to the counter.
"I suggest sapphires," Snape said. "Red stones would look better on a woman with your hair colour."
The man pulled out from the cabinet several necklaces and earnings, after a moment he also added bracelets and rings.
Harry spotted a beautiful set with all four kinds of jewellery. It was tempting, very tempting.
"We will take this set," he said before he lost his nerve.
"With the ring?" the man asked slyly.
"No," Harry suddenly lost his nerve. "Yes," he mumbled. "I don't know," he sighed finally.
"We will take it," Snape stated calmly. "If you will lost your nerve now you can give it to her for Christmas."
"That would cost twenty thousand pounds," the man said.
"Sure," Harry nodded. "You are accepting credit cards?"
He felt uneasy as he get back into the car. The jewellery was packed into separate boxes and it was burning holes in his pockets, the most burning was the ring in left pocket of his trousers.
"What now?" he asked nervously.
"What are her favourite flowers?" Snape asked simply.
"Freesias," Harry answered instantly. "She also likes lilies of the valley. She had three of them fixed in her hair on her graduation from training."
"Average example of conjuring," Snape muttered. "Will save you some money."
"You are planning something, aren't you?" Harry asked slightly irritated.
"Nothing too big," Snape shrugged. "But I suggested to few people who know her …" Harry started to feel alarmed, "Just few people…"
"How much exactly?" Harry asked quickly.
"The Malfoys and the rest of people from kindergarten. Ms Lovegood and Mr Houseboard, your cousin, not much," Snape shrugged. "Don't look so relieved, you are going to dance."
"Dance?" Harry mumbled.
"Dance," Snape repeated. "She likes to dance and I'm preparing a party which might put Yule Ball at Hogwarts into a shame, all of them."
"Parties?" Harry sighed. "I wasn't aware that before Yule Ball in our fourth year there was another ones."
"It was annual tradition, Harry," Snape said. "Up until the year when Alice and Frank Longbottom had lost their sanity in the attack. There were also Halloween Balls, a bit smaller and less official than the ones on Yule."
"Why they didn't take place anymore?" Harry asked.
"Isn't it obvious?" Snape asked sourly.
Harry blushed, it was obvious.
"I don't know how," he mumbled. "Last time Parvati was leading me like a dog on a leash."
"Don't worry," Snape chuckled. "You will get the best teacher I know."
"Whom?" Harry asked.
"Your godfather," Snape answered simply.
"It's not funny," Harry huffed.
"I think that I don't need to explain the concept of pensieve to you, do I?" Snape said sternly. "This time you will have my consent and my company in that. You will learn how to dance from a master. If there is one good thing which my younger self would admit when it come to your godfather is that he was the best dancer at Hogwarts."
"Really?" Harry asked.
"Really. Now we need to deceive the lady while we are hiding her presents and ensure that she won't come to watch your lessons," Snape quipped.
"That's a good question," Harry snorted. "Where I should put it so she won't see it until her birthday?" he asked.
"Old Chinese proverb says 'the darkest spot is always under the lamp'. I believe that one of her drawers should do nicely. Just don't put it in plain view, personally I suggest the drawer with jumpers. I will distract her and you are going to hide it," Snape answered simply.
Being on the run was easier than evading Hermione, Harry observed during the dinner. He tried to leave her sight seven times and every single one of them she came looking for him. Finally salvation came in form of Houseboard who dropped by and busied Hermione with the asking for advice. Harry excused himself with mountains of essays he needed to correct and left as quickly as possible.
He took small detour through Teddy's room where his godson and Duncan were playing under Dudley's watchful eye. He used the same excuse and asked Dudley to put Teddy to bed if he wouldn't finish before it was bedtime for the boys.
Snape was in his room, Regulus's old bedroom which he found suitable to his taste even if by now he could pick any other bedroom. He was standing over pensive with a small smile tugging at his lips.
"Good you decided to join," Snape commented. "In you go, I will join you in a moment."
Harry experienced, now familiar, feeling of falling into a pensieve. He was in Great Hall decorated for Yule Ball. He glanced around, looking for Snape, he found him, at least younger version, leaning against the wall, eyes fixed on a red head in billowing green dress and her partner, dressed in terrible turquoise robes.
"Clashing, aren't they?" Snape asked from Harry's left. "Don't worry you will not need to burn your eyes out after watching that, unless you want to look at it from their perspective. But business first and pleasure later. Look closer to the right."
"Pink and purple?" Harry asked.
"What I said about colours in the shop?" Snape snorted. "Do you see flamenco dancer?"
"The one in red dress and with red flowers in her hair?" Harry asked as he spotted her.
She was truly beautiful. Her long, curly, jet-black hair were pulled in a lousy knot with two rich, red flowers twined into it. Her scarlet dress was billowing around her as she was dancing and she was dancing like it was the only thing she did in her life.
Snape snapped his fingers in front of his eyes as he snorted, "Focus, you are here to learn, not to stare."
"Who is she?" Harry asked curiously as he turned to look at the older man.
"You mean that you didn't recognise her?" Snape asked.
"No," Harry shook his head.
"Come to think about it what a good dress does it to a woman," Snape muttered, more to himself than to Harry. "Let's get closer. Maybe then you will recognise her."
They got closer to the dancer, they were standing hardly five feet away from her. She looked in their direction and that's when Harry recognised her. There was only one woman he knew who could have violet eyes which were sparkling with mirth.
"That's Mirzam?" Harry mumbled to Snape.
"In all her Spanish glory," Snape nodded.
"She was Spanish?" Harry turned to look at the older man.
"Verascez isn't common surname in United Kingdom, Harry. It isn't very common surname in Spain either but young Mirzam Verascez, eleventh year old one at least, was talking with slightly Spanish accent when she was talking passionately about something. As she grew up it rarely resurfaced but if you really pissed her off her temperament got the better of her," Snape explained. "Ah, here comes the Master."
Harry followed Snape's glance to the man dressed in black suit, it wasn't normal suit or tail-coat. On the top of his head was flat hat.
"What's he wearing?" Harry asked.
"Typical official Spanish clothes for a man," Snape explained. "Short jacket. Long sash instead of a belt. And the hat."
"Who is he?" Harry asked curiously.
"Take a closer look," Snape sighed.
Longish jet-black hair were pulled back and held by a black ribbon. Spanish moustaches looked great but Harry couldn't guess whom the man was. He seemed familiar and that's the only thing Harry was sure.
"Tu padrino," Snape muttered.
"Pardon?" Harry mumbled.
"Spanish," Snape explained. "Tu means your, padrino means godfather."
"You know Spanish?" Harry asked curiously.
"Por supuesto, usted niño ignorante," Snape answered. "Mi Prince abuela era medio española, medio italiana. Digo el español y el italiano con soltura. Ella era un profesor muy bueno y paciente."
The only thing which Harry really understood from what Snape said was Prince and ignorante.
"Je parle aussi le français couramment, parce que mon autre grand-mère était demi-française," Snape continued. "Ich lernte Deutsch, weil ich vermutete, dass mein deutscher Lieferant von Kraut mich beschwindelte. Моя дружба с Каркароффом позволила мне изучать русский язык, который я говорю весьма хорошее рассмотрение, что я никогда не был в России," Snape continued switching the languages with great ease.
"I didn't understand a word," Harry sighed.
"Naturalmente você não fez!. Ensino várias línguas não fez o currículo de Hogwarts há tempos," Snape said.
"Is it Spanish?" Harry asked curiously.
"Portuguese," Snape corrected him. "Spanish, French, German and Russian."
"How many languages you speak?" Harry asked in awe.
"Fluently – four: Spanish, Italian, French and German. Very good in Portuguese. Good in Russian. I used to read in Hebrew when I was younger, courtesy to your madrina who was my partner in Ancient Runes project in our sixth year. She was very fluent linguist," Snape sighed. "El último que él alguna vez la vio, ella se reía de él, andando abajo la calle. Su pelo volaba como un loco alrededor de su cara y ella sonreía tan alegremente. Lamentaré matarla hasta el día muero," he added softly.
"Puedo tener este baile?" Sirius asked cheerfully as he got closer to Mirzam.
"Si," she answered.
"What did he said?" Harry asked.
"He said: peudo tener este baile," Snape said.
"In English?" Harry sighed.
"He asked her to dance with him," Snape explained. "Go ahead and watch them dance."
Snape left for a while and Harry watched them dance to a slow songs. Sirius was looking at Mirzam as if she was the only woman on earth.
"Usted es la mujer más hermosa que alguna vez vi. Su pelo parece al ala de cuervos. Sus ojos son el par más asombroso de lirios que alguna vez vi en mi vida. Yo podría gastar una vida que baila con usted," Sirius said softly.
Harry understood nothing. Great, in a moment when he was allowed to watch his godfather and his girlfriend they just had to talk in a language he didn't know.
When Snape came back he made Harry follow their dance over and over until Harry stopped stepping on his shoes.
"Tango will be tomorrow," Snape said when it was time to retire to bed.
"Thank you for teaching me," Harry gave him small smile.
"Nunca antes no enseñado un ignorante como usted. Pero alguien tiene que andar en los zapatos de su padrino en aquella materia y enseñarle como bailar," Snape sighed. "Buenas noches."
"Goodnight," Harry answered.
He went to his bedroom and fell asleep within two minutes.
He woke up in the middle of a ballroom to his utmost shock.
"Venga, Harry. Le enseñaré como bailar el Tango," said Mirzam, who was suddenly kneeling by his side. She was wearing the same dress she wore in Snape's memory from the ball.
"I understood Harry and Tango," Harry said sheepishly.
"I will teach you how to dance Tango," Mirzam said with a small smile. "You are hopeless, you know."
"Tell me about it," he sighed as she pulled him into standing position. "What means: Usted es la mujer más hermosa que alguna vez vi. Su pelo parece al ala de cuervos. Sus ojos son el par más asombroso de lirios que alguna vez vi en mi vida. Yo podría gastar una vida que baila con usted," he asked, knowing that he lost accents on the words.
"It was a compliment about my hair and eyes," Mirzam giggled. "And a threat that he would spend a lifetime at dancing with me."
"I never know that Sirius knew Spanish," Harry admitted.
"He spoke French fluently before I meet him," Mirzam said. "And since I was able to insult Black family back into Middle Ages in Spanish he made his goal to learn Spanish too. He was smart but incredibly lazy when it came to learning something new."
"How is he now?" Harry asked curiously. "I didn't saw him for few weeks."
"Right now he is having a good laugh," Mirzam said with a smile. "Severus put him in a good mood. Actually this dancing lesson was his idea if you want to know. Even in afterlife he wants to beat Snape."
"Then why he isn't here?" Harry asked.
"He is a man," Mirzam snickered. "Men don't dance with each other. Besides you need to know how to hold a woman while you dance."
So they danced. After stepping on Mirzam's shoes several times he just started to follow her movements and listen to her advices.
If he was sincere with himself he was having great fun with her. Part of him regretted that she wasn't part of his life. Maybe if Mirzam was alive and Sirius was free he wouldn't make a fool of himself at Yule Ball and would actually have fun. Mirzam would teach him how to dance and Sirius would teach him how to compliment a woman.
Would Hermione expect compliments during the dance?
"How I can compliment a woman without making a fool of myself?" he asked suddenly.
"There is a one grand rule," he heard a chuckled behind his back and as he turned in this direction he saw grinning Sirius. "Speak the truth and let your heart chose the words for you."
"If you want to impress her you might use a foreign language as long as she knows it," Mirzam added.
"I suggest French, magnet for girls. Language of love," Sirius snickered.
"Vous êtes beaux. You are beautiful," Mirzam said. "Plain and older than time itself but still works."
"Vos yeux brillent comme les diamants," Sirius added. "Your eyes shine like diamonds. "Good compliment to her dancing skills would be: je veux danser avec vous pour toujours."
"But most important, be yourself," Mirzam added. "Dance but don't count your footsteps, let the music carry you. Be natural."
"Easy for you to say," Harry mumbled. "You danced for ages."
"Just listen to the lady, Harry," Sirius chuckled.
So he danced … and danced … and danced … and danced. The urge to dance was so strong that he danced his way to the bathroom and later to the kitchen. He managed to stop himself from dancing when Hermione came down the stairs, she wasn't supposed to know anything about party.
Luckily Hermione didn't stay long, Narcissa came and hauled her to Malfoy Manor, supposedly to help in rearranging the manor but she gave Snape a wink and that's when Harry knew that getting Hermione out of the house was his idea.
As soon as Hermione was out Snape hauled Harry and Dudley to the ballroom. Teddy and Duncan crawled around them as the three of them started quarrelling about arranging the ballroom to look presentable. Main issue between Snape and Dudley was the tables and where they were supposed to stand. When they started quarrelling about the colours of table-clothes Harry retreated with the boys to the kitchen.
Snape and Kreacher were mostly done with food for the party, cake included but Harry knew what Hermione loved. He tried it last year because the recipe for it sounded delicious and he prepared it for small dinner they had together last year.
Strawberry sherbet with vodka ice cubes. After Kreacher and Harry peeled off the leafs and stems Teddy and Duncan happily smashed strawberries into tiny pieces, of course Harry needed to make sure that most of strawberries were properly squashed before he was done with it. But when he finished he happily noted that it looked as amazing as it was last year.
After mountains of strawberry sherbet were moved to the ballroom (under statis charm because he didn't want it to melt before the party) bickering duo were done with arranging the tables. The design of the ballroom had Harry gapping for two minutes straight.
Formerly dusty room was practically sparkling. All silver was polished so well that he could use it instead of a mirror and the chandelier looked amazing.
"Are these real diamonds?" he asked nervously as he pointed at the chandelier.
"Zirconium," Snape shook his head. "Cheaper but looks like diamonds."
"Looks stunning," Harry whispered. "You've done great job here."
"What about you?" Dudley asked.
Harry pointed at the table and added, "Not for kids, alcoholic. I saved some normal sherbet for them too."
"Time for dancing lessons," Snape stated.
H. G.
Hermione felt a bit uncomfortable. Her birthday was tomorrow but in so far she hadn't witnessed any preparations for the party. Last year Harry prepared small dinner for both of them but even if he tried his best to make a surprise from it she still found out before he seated her at the table. This year, nothing.
Even at Hogwarts Harry and Ron were very easy to read when it came to her birthday and Christmas presents. She always knew beforehand without much of an effort what they bought for her and she wasn't nosy, they were hopeless with hiding places. This year, nothing.
But maybe she was just being irrational. Harry was so busy that he probably forgot about her birthday and he will have an epiphany tomorrow morning. In a way it was cute if a bit irritating. Logically Harry was allowed to forget, he was working so hard for last few weeks that even a total ignorant would see how thin Harry got in a matter of two weeks. He ate, quite a lot for himself, more than he used to eat at Hogwarts but he was moving around constantly.
Teddy, classes, kindergarten, homework to correct, potions to make. She was blessing the fact that correcting homework required from Harry sitting on his bum for a while. Potions were made under Snape's watchful eye but even then Harry was bouncing all around the kitchen. Sometimes watching Snape's horrified expression was funny because when they were preparing Dreamless Sleep Potion – very delicate and time-consuming potion – Harry kept bouncing between the cauldron and Teddy.
Focus Hermione, listen to Narcissa, her rational side suggested.
"I'm worried about Holly and Theresa Hawthorn," Narcissa said. "Their living arrangements are terrible. It bothers me greatly, Hermione. They are Muggle-borns. Their father had died in a car crash shortly before they were born, their mother had died in childbirth and that grandmother of theirs."
"What about her?" Hermione asked.
"Alzheimer I think, she was fine four years ago when the court had released the girls into her care but now … Merlin," Narcissa shook her head. "They eat in the kindergarten and they come to it only because it's around the corner. I visited them yesterday. They sleep in a bathtub and that woman … I checked twice, she is their grandmother but she thinks that they aren't her granddaughters."
"Do they have another living relatives?" Hermione asked in concern.
"She is the last one," Narcissa sighed. "I don't know what to do. I shouldn't try to separate a family but on the other hand finding a proper family for the girls would be beneficent to their future."
"Would you like to have a tea tomorrow, at Grimmauld Place?" Hermione asked suddenly.
If Harry didn't want to spend her birthday with her she would find her own guests.
"I would love to, Hermione," Narcissa said kindly. "But tomorrow I'm terribly busy. I need to check upon the girls and then Lucius and I are going out for a promised dinner with the Parkinsons. Draco promised to help the Abbots in renovation. I'm terribly sorry but we won't be able to make it."
"That's no problem," Hermione answered with the straightest face she could muster.
Well, there were other people who wouldn't mind spending time with her.
Three hours later she felt positively awful. Houseboard was leaving to Paris in the evening for a conference tomorrow, Luna was going with him and both of them wouldn't be able to make it. Hannah indeed had problem with the house, she even showed Hermione the dreadful hole in the roof. Neville was going to be very busy with potting new shipment of herbs, something which couldn't wait. Other people from kindergarten were busy with various things, all of them were incredibly important to them even if they seemed plainly ridiculous to her.
It was going to be great birthday, she snorted as she plopped on her bed. Harry was acting as if he was suffering from amnesia. Snape was busy with himself, Dudley who during last two weeks spent more time at Grimmauld Place than in his own flat suddenly needed to talk with his landlord about problems with the toilet. Plainly ridiculous.
But the worse thing from all was Harry's present. Oh yes, she found it. Mr Smart had put it under her pillow and she couldn't resist taking a peek.
'How to make yourself look sexy so all men are going to run after you?' If she didn't love him as much as she did she would have hexed him into Australia for that present. After recovering from first shock she came to conclusion that it was a joke and Harry finally learned how to keep things from her. So she cast several revealing charms but the book remained the same.
At least Teddy was himself, she sighed. She was in really foul mood.
Her mother used to say that the best medicament for bad mood was a shopping trip or a new hairdo. Shopping was out of question, she had the key to Harry's vault but she refused to buy herself a gift from Harry's money. Though she spotted a pair of wonderful shoes on Bond Street… High-heels in her favourite kind of blue, she tried them on last week when she was shopping with Snape. She needed a pair of plain black shoes but when she saw the blue one she couldn't resist. But when it come to paying for shoes rational Hermione put the high-heels aside and paid for what she come for even if girl Hermione was trying to persuade her to buy them.
It wasn't that the high-heels wouldn't be great, they would be great if she had matching dress for them and just looking and the price of it was making her head spin. Besides, rationally where she would go dressed up like that. Theatre – maybe. Some Ministry gala – possibly. They were clothes for a occasions and she rationally decided to not care about it.
Hairdresser and maybe beautician then. She could spoil herself for once at reasonable price.
H. B.
It was hard to not notice Hermione's new hairdo but to not spoil the surprise tomorrow Harry ignored it the best to his ability. But softly curled chin long hair and curly fringe looked amazing on Hermione's head. Plus there was something on her face which suggested that Hermione had meet a beautician because … just because, his gut told him.
The fact that Hermione tried to get his attention didn't went unnoticed either. She was playing with her hair, practically begging him to say something.
"Do I look well?" she asked playfully.
"You look great," Harry said truthfully and immediately added. "This shirt was made for you, Hermione."
His compliment had meet small frown in return. An expectant look had settled on Snape who was busy at feeding Teddy with Broccoli.
"Blue colour matches you perfectly," Snape said without looking at Hermione.
Bad move, Harry could play dumb but Snape with his past of a spy could not. That statement had earned even deeper frown.
"I know," Harry said cheerfully. "You have new eyeliner. I bet that's new."
Hermione groaned. She finished dinner with them before she retired to the library to study.
Wasting no time Harry went to his dancing lessons.
Last story posted before March - I have lots of exams on my head and lets face it bronchit takes fun out of everything (and yeah I'm a looser who ended on antibiotics just before New Year's Eve and we all know that antibiotics = no alcohol for you). Though this story might be facing a major rewrite once I have some free time left for me (which won't happen before I will pass all of my exams).