"Blimey, does he ever wash his hair?"

"Sod off Ron." Hermione barked crankily, nose buried in a book. "Of course he washes his hair. It's not greasy at all - just really, really black."

"Mi'ne?" Ron peered over her book quizzically. "How would you know that?" He was a bit put off by her swearing at him, but not too much. Lately she had been on edge, and who knew why?

"I touched it. And my name is not Minny." The page turned as she scrutinized the arithmancy text, memorizing number formations and equations.

"You touched his HAIR?" Ron's face had gone white, from either horror or jealousy, and his hair seemed at least two shades redder than normal.

"Yes, I needed it for a potion." Hermione glared slightly above the pages of her text. They did not need to know what potion Dumbledore had her brewing every time Snape was called away. Malfoy could not be trusted, for the sake of his father more than for being himself, and Hermione was oddly the only other student that Snape had not killed Dumbledore for suggesting. She had needed a stock of his hair to be able to add at any time, as it had to be added at the time of the brewing, and Snape could hardly owl her a lock from a Deatheater meeting. And since Snape had not been inclined to allow her the use of his lab, Hermione had been forced to turn her precious head girl walk in closet into a mini-lab of her own. She snickered softly, remembering the look on his face when she had asked for some of his hair. After some extended spluttering, he had cut his hair with his wand a good three inches and sent the remnants into four tiny bundles in her hand. He had stalked off, livid, swearing under his breath at Dumbledore as she discreetly carried the important ingredient up to her rooms. His hair had been soft, like feather down, she mused – and then promptly slapped herself inwardly for the unwanted thought.

"You touched his hair." Ron repeated, dumbfounded, and Hermione snapped her book closed.

"Yes, I did, now hand me a roll will you? I'm starved." Breakfast was hardly the time for such conversations, and she really did not want Ron noticing her blush.