Behind The Lens

She was in search of a new model. Everyone thrown at her way did not strike anything to her to be her putty. Her canvas. Her inspiration. Hermione Granger, freelance photographer, was asked by a well-known fashion magazine called, Veela's Charm to do the front page cover and article photo for the magazine they are going to publish two months from now.

At first she didn't want the job because she doesn't do fashion photo shoots. She doesn't even care about fashion. Her forte is all about nature, everyday life and animals. But the price offered to her and the freedom of choosing her crew and models tempted her to accept it. It would do great on her portfolio she added.

So with her crew, Ronald 'Ron' Weasley and Harry Potter, both part-time models and longtime friend of Hermione, walked all over the vicinity to find the model. It was not easy for the trio, dubbed as 'The Golden Trio' for their combined talents in the art of photography, to look for a model. Hermione's passion did not make it easy for her to find the right person she needs. Sure she can appreciate beauty. She has her fair share of lovers before. Men and women, either gender is beautiful when she views them using her camera lens. But there is a specific beauty she needs for the magazine. A certain something that would fit the theme needed by the Veela's Charm. The theme of 'Thrall'.

At first she does not know what a Thrall is. She first thought it was a candy, like a lollipop or a mint. But Harry told her it doesn't sound like sweets. Ron agreed and gave his opinion that it sounded more of some heavy equipment. He instantly got a 'are you mad' look from Hermione from his view of what the topic is.

She has a month to find her model. Then two weeks to do the photo shoot and submit it to the magazine. The genius photographer finally found her challenge after a few years in the photography industry. Why a challenge? It's already been two weeks and the Golden Trio yet to find anyone fitting for the theme and knowing what a Thrall is. She was beginning to freak out and it was not a good sign to her friends.

Then as if the holy one, who is depends on what religion it is, pitied her and showed her a ray of sunshine in her midst of troubling clouded skies.

Ron and Harry decided to hang out with their respective lovers for the night and Hermione decided to take one of her simpler camera, silver Pentax MX-1, and hang around the park. With a grande size Salted Caramel Mocha latte placed by the table in front of her, a pad and pen by the side, and her eyes once again behind her camera lens, she began taking random photos of everything around her. Once she found the amount of photos she took was enough, she would lean back to her seat and check the photos.

Some are blurry. Some of them are too far. Deleting one by one, Hermione found nothing of interest within the new images in her camera's memory card.

As she deleted one by one, she regretted pressing the confirmation on the second to the last image.

It was an image of a row of trees, nothing that took her fancy at first. When the pop-up of deleting the said photo appear, she then noticed by the left hand corner a golden hue but due to reflex, she clicked the confirmation and the image was deleted. The last photo did not help as the image was not on the same place.

"Shite…" She whispered as she immediately looked up and search for the line of trees. Scanning carefully along the tree line, she found no golden streak among them.

With a dejected sigh, she slumped back and took her latte and took a long sip from the straw. She really thought she found her model. The golden hue was enough for her to take her attention from nature. Leaning forward, she took her pen and began scribbling the name of her theme.

Thrall.

She wondered over and over what is a thrall. She looked up the meaning but deep in her gut, she did not feel it was the real meaning she needed for her project.

A servant or a slave.

A mental servitude.

A state of submission.

Somehow she feels like it's not the meaning she is looking for.

"What is a thrall…" She mused rather loudly. The chilly night breeze passed her and she shivered upon contact. Hugging her coat closer to her body, she took a deep breath to contain her shivering.

But what she was expecting to inhale the scent of the cool breeze, she smelled a different scent. It was refreshing, like mountain falls mixed with blueberries-like scent. Following the said fragrance, she slowly turned to her right and found something she thought she would never find.

The golden hue.

A curtain of blonde hair.

Focusing on the figure, she nearly fell off her seat when she got a clear view of what she was looking at.

The blonde hair belongs to a young woman, dressed in a grey cardigan, grey blouse, black leggings and brown boots. Wrapped along her neck is a dark-grey scarf with one end hanging down her neck. The said blonde was seated few meters from her, reading a book quietly.

'Her!'

Packing up her pad and pen back to her sling bag and forgetting her drink, she dashed towards the said woman and hoped she could get her as the model.

When she was mere three feet from the blonde, she took a deep breath and gathered her courage to ask the said woman if she would agree to be her model. Clutching the strap of her bag, she took three steps to approach her soon-to-be model.

"Uhm… Excuse me…" She called out, hoping her voice was loud enough to catch the reading woman's attention but not too loud to cause any commotion in the quiet park.

Slowly, the book was lowered and Hermione has to suck a lungful of air. If the body was perfect to be a model, the face completed the perfection. She can't describe it properly but she could only sum it up as… "Beautiful…" she whispered.

"Oui?"

Hermione caught herself staring at blue eyes, looking back at her with curious expression, and she remembered that she called for the woman's attention. Exhaling the excess air she breathed in, her eyes averted its gaze from the blue ones of the blonde and she shyly scratched her jaw.

"Puis-je vous aider?" The blonde said in French smoothly.

Hermione realized that the blonde is French, or possibly only talking to her in French. Talking in sexy French is one of her fetish. Her face immediately felt hot and she can bet that she was not blushing.

She racked her brain for the small amount of French phrases she learned before and hopefully the blonde would understand her. "Parlez-vous anglais?" She asked if the blonde can speak in English. To her luck the blonde nodded, placing the book she was holding down to her lap.

"Ah yes. But not muc'. 'ow can I 'elp you mademoiselle?" The blonde asked with a gentle smile.

Hermione was thankful for the low lighting for she was not blushing madly. Forcing herself to cough and let her blush die down, she still did not look at the blonde directly. It was like if she does, she would turn to stone and be one of the park statues.

"Mademoiselle?"

The bushy-haired brunette shook her head to regain her composure. 'Be professional! Professional!' she chanted like a mantra. "I was wondering if by any chance… uhh… Are you a model?" 'Wrong statement Granger! Answering a question with a question.' her mind reprimanded her cowardice.

Slim brow rose up. "A model? A' no mademoiselle. I am not a model." The blonde answered, eyeing Hermione skeptically.

'C'mon Granger, make a save!' a mental figure of herself pushed her to ask the woman to be the model. Agreeing with her mental self, she was now calm enough to look back at the questioning look of the woman before her. "Then are you interested in being a model? I uh… I'm a photographer and.., uhh... I was hoping that you could be the one."

The blonde blinked a few times, having a look of processing what the brunette said.

When Hermione realized what she said, she took a step back and stuttered. 'Really? First time to see a blonde beauty and already asking her to be THE ONE? Remind me again why I'm in your head?' a mental image of herself, banging her head on a wall, mentally shouted. It did sounded like she's asking the woman to be her girlfriend instead of being her model. "Sorry I did not state that correctly." She rummaged through her bag and took one of her calling cards from her wallet and offered it to the blonde who skeptically accepted it. "I'm a freelance photographer and currently looking for a model. I saw you from one of my photos a few moments ago and was wondering if you would agree to be my model for one project?" She asked, now in her business-mode.

The blonde read the contents of the small white card and then looked at the photographer. Furrowing her brows, she tilted her head a bit to the right and stared at Hermione.

The brunette felt like she was being examined. Like one of those cats from the pet store and deciding to pick the cat or not. She mentally prayed, even her mental self, which the woman before her would agree to her request. Chocolate-colored eyes watched the blonde slowly look up to her after reading the short information in her business card. She watched her open book where with a lone piece of bookmarker and placed her business card on the said page before closing it. Fearing that the woman would not agree to her request, she panicked and told her that she would pay the woman a reasonable amount just to be her model. But the woman just smiled at her.

The blonde slowly stood up, holding her book in one hand, and approached Hermione. The brunette swallowed an invisible lump in her throat as she was left in awe at the woman she wanted to be her model. The clothes fitted her body perfectly. As if it was made for her and hers alone. Her long blonde hair swayed along the breeze that passed her by just gave her a shining aura effect. Her blue eyes, expressing both amused and guarded, stare at her while a smile slowly forming on her face.

"Mademoiselle Granger, I am pleased 'zat you 'ave asked me to be your model. But-" the French blonde traced off, approaching the photographer closer.

Hermione could smell the invigorating scent closer. Just the mere scent, smile and the way the blonde looked at her was enough for her to blush. But with her pride as a photographer, she stood on her spot and waited for the rejection. The photographer now sees her ideal model standing before her, towering her by a few inches.

"But I cannot accept such 'onor wi'zout knowing eac' o'zer first." The blonde smiled playfully.

Hermione watched the woman lean down to her, faces only inches apart, and a kiss was placed on her cheeks. All her composure broke down and her face now resembled a well-ripe tomato. The blonde pushed back with a Cheshire-like grin on her face.

"'ave a great nig't, mon amie."

With those simple goodbyes, the blonde left Hermione who was still too shock to react and follow her exiting the park. Once the brunette finally gathered her senses, it was too late and the blonde was nowhere in sight. With a deep sigh, she slumped her shoulders down with a sadden look on her face. "I didn't even get your name." She whispered.