Ch 53 A perfect Saturday

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It was the second Saturday in July, 2020, and there was nothing on anyone's schedule. Cleo bounced out of bed, did the charm that would undo her plaits, and looked over her selection of soap and shampoo. Cleo had four different scents for both her soap and her shampoo, all very slightly different, most of which were more maternal than one you would use for a young girl. This Saturday they had nothing on their schedule except spending time together, so she picked the most girly scents.

She bounced back into the bedroom, took off her bathrobe, and looked at the clothes she and Rose had picked out the day before. She put on the knickers, and picked up the bra. The bra was a newer one, all translucent white lace, that showed her chocolate skin under the bra, except for around the nipples. For some reason she never understood, you were supposed to cover the nipples. Those were what fed babies! As far as she was concerned you ought to show off that part of you, but Rose had been horrified at the thought.

Cleo wasn't really sure why you needed to be clothed all the time. Bodies were fun to look at. She really didn't mind being looked at, especially if some Magi would see her and think sex and babies and, well, she was happy being female.

Rose usually wanted to be rather fully covered up. She liked pretty dresses that showed she was female, but she wasn't much for showing skin.

Cleo put on the sleeveless blouse. You could see some of the bra. It had a slit neckline that drew your eye down to her bosom, and it was made of a cotton that was slightly translucent, all white with what Rose said was feminine detailing in the stitching. Cleo knew that she could never wear this blouse at the Malfoy Manson.

Cleo put on a colorful pair of crop trousers. She remembered Rose shaking her head when they purchased them, admitting that 'they are all Cleo.' There was a lot of decoration on them, but she had to admit there was a lot of her down there to cover. She put her wand in the wand pocket, a book with staff notation and a biro in one pocket, so she could write down musical arrangements, a couple of big practical handkerchiefs in the other pocket, along with a Swiss Auror Knife and another little note pad and another biro. She did the spells that minimized the pockets; she didn't care, but Rose would be upset if she didn't make the pockets look smaller.

Rose was just coming back from her shower. "Could you help plait my hair, Rose? It is just a perfect Saturday, and I want to feel pretty."

Rose pulled out some ribbon for Cleo's hair. "Two plaits or four, Cleo?"

Cleo pulled some hair to around to her front. "I like two little plaits bouncing in front!"

Rose used the spell to plait Cleo's hair, with two thinner plaits in front, one ribbon woven in each plait, and two big plaits in back, with two ribbons in each.

"Do you still want to put flowers at the ends?"

Cleo held the two smaller plaits in front of her and smiled.

Rose found the flowers they had picked the day before, and attached them with spells that kept the flowers from falling apart as Cleo bounced.

Rose liked clothes, and helping the girls who wanted help looking more put together. She had a fair selection of photographs of girls, showing what she did with everything from hair to undergarments to the styles that complimented a girl's figure to colors and textures. Rose felt very good about how she had helped every girl who asked her for help.

Then there was Cleopatra. There was nothing sophisticated or stylish about her. She was uniquely Cleopatra.

You could not really minimize Cleo either, any part of her. She did not look natural in understated clothes.

Rose contemplated her wardrobe. It sure was complicated being a teenage girl. Teenage boys had it easy. They didn't have to worry if their breasts were too big or too small, if they showed too much skin or not enough, if their clothes were too tight or not stylish. It helped if you knew what you wanted to project. That was the problem. She was an expert in helping other girls dress, but she was not sure what she wanted to project. To think that she wanted to look pretty for Scorpius, or for any boy but especially Scorpius, would imply that she wanted him to be more than a friend, and she liked it if she could be pretty for him but she really shouldn't feel that way.

How did she want to look? It didn't matter to anyone else, she guessed, but she did have to admit that it mattered what Scorpius thought, and it shouldn't because he was just her best friend and not a boyfriend, but he was a boy and … it was complicated. She had to admit that she would rather snog Scorpius than Percy, but that would change everything, and as long as he was going with that stupid Cassie …

Most of her bras were rather plain. You were not supposed to see them, anyway, but with a very light weight top you could. She knew, and had told many of the girls she had helped, that sexy underwear made you feel sexy even if no one else saw it. She wanted to feel at least a little bit girly and sexy today. She finally picked out a bra that did push her out some, a three-quarters bra instead of the full ones she usually wore, not plain white but with pretty decorations on it. The blouse was thin, and you could just see that the bra was decorated under the top, if the light was right. The blouse was a little strappy thing that showed the start of her breasts, something she almost never wore.

Why was she thinking of Scorpius? He was tall. Well, she was tall for a girl, but he was taller than she was, and he was going to be able to look down at her chest and see the bra and … see more of her and … why was it so complicated being a teenage girl.

The Gryffindor students who stayed at Hogwarts this summer walked down to breakfast together. There were smaller tables set up, and the group broke up and sat with friends, some with friends in different houses.

Albus and Scorpius were at a table that held six to eight, and as was increasingly common, Jesus and Ginny were sitting with them.

Albus arose and waved them over, and Cleo sighed happily. Albus was not the little boy she met three years ago. His body had matured, and he was beginning to get a beard. Cleo waved and wiggled, and a few of the boys leered at her. One look from Albus was enough to cause any boy who looked too hard at Cleo to quickly look away. Everyone at Hogwarts knew that Albus was the best dueler there, that he had defeated seventh year students, and they all knew of what people were calling the Battle of Hogsmeade as well.

Actually, everyone also knew how many Magi Cleo took out at the battle. None of the boys dared do more than look at her.

Rose sat next to Scorpius, but Albus stayed standing, as Cleo twirled around, her plaits flying. She stood in front of Albus, as he took one of the little plaits in hand and held the flower up to his nose. They hugged, Albus burying his face in Cleo's bosom, and then sat down.

Rose cleared her throat. "What are we doing today?"

Albus took a deep breath. "Nothing. Today is a perfect day for doing nothing."

"You cannot do nothing!" Rose huffed.

Jesus volunteered, "We all brought blankets so we could sit on the lawn and do nothing."

Ginny giggled, "Jesus and I are going to do nothing."

"I'd like to do nothing," Cleo moaned.

Scorpius looked down at his feet.

"What are you thinking, Scorpius Malfoy," Rose snapped.

Scorpius burst out in giggles, before getting out, "Nothing."

Scorpius found himself trying not to stare at Rose. She was pretty, but what she was wearing today was about as sexy and revealing as he had ever seen her wear. He wanted to compliment her on, on what? That she looked sexy? She would snap at him if he said anything like that. Rose had a beautiful shape, and she was showing it off, and he had no idea how to tell her. It was complicated being a teenage boy. You were supposed to notice, but not stare.

He was taller than Rose, and if they were standing chest to chest, chest, what a nice chest, if they were he was going to see much more of her than he usually could, and it was a pleasant thought, and embarrassing.

Boys were the ones who were supposed to take the initiative, but if you pushed too much you were in trouble, and if you did not say enough you were insensitive. Rose did not want to have a boyfriend, and there was probably no girl in the whole school who would enrage his father more if he dated her than Rose Granger-Weasley. But she was pretty, and his best friend. It was complicated.

The group was able to finish breakfast talking mostly about food, and how the weather was going to be perfect. When breakfast was finished the three couples arose and headed out of the castle. Scorpius and Rose were last, and they stood up looking as the other two couples put down their blankets.

Jesus sat down and Ginny slid between his legs. Jesus put his arms around Ginny's middle. Ginny was a small Chinese girl, but she wasn't flat, and Rose was sure that Jesus was feeling Ginny's breasts, and she was letting him, enjoying it even.

Nothing!

Cleo was on her side, her hips up in the air, looking very curvy. There was a little touching, but Cleo, who had a tendency to bounce at you, was really very quiet, she and Albus softly talked, or just looked at each other.

Nothing.

Scorpius put down the blanket and sat down. He motioned for her to sit down, and she did, a respectful distance away from him.

Scorpius did not say anything. Nothing.

"What are you thinking, Scorpius?"

"Nothing."

"You cannot think about nothing!"

"Jesus and Ginny. They are a power couple, both personally ambitious but also ambitious as a couple."

Rose glared at Scorpius. "So nothing is a euphuism for SEX. He is feeling her, and she is touching him."

Rose looked at herself and at Scorpius trying not to look at her, and wondered why she dressed in this rather skimpy and sexy outfit if she didn't want anyone, especially Scorpius, to look at her, and when she snapped at him she was, she was, what she was doing was sending very mixed signals so no matter what he said she could become upset and that was not fair and why was it so complicated being a teenage girl.

Scorpius wanted to look at Rose, and enjoy looking at her, and she was pretty and showing it. But anything he said could make her mad. Even staring at her could make her mad, but she wouldn't be happy if he never looked at her either. They could talk about almost anything except this, about her and him. Girls seemed to understand this boy/girl thing, but to Scorpius all girls, and especially Rose, were this great mystery. Why was their relationship so complicated?

They sat there, not saying anything for quite a while. Finally Rose wondered, "What is your mother like? She did not say anything when we were meeting. She just scowled like it was painful being there. She doesn't look healthy either."

Scorpius looked very sad. "I do not think she is happy or healthy. I do not think she loves anyone, including herself. She ought to be happy living in Malfoy Manor with more than enough help and money. I even think my father would like to love her, but she doesn't let anyone get close."

Scorpius had begun to tear up. "Grandmother loves me. Cleo does, as a sister, and we are friends with the Elves. I think my great-grandmothers love me too, in their own way, although Malfoy Manor is much more formal than your family. No one is very touchy. Even Grandmother Malfoy, when she hugs me, is doing it deliberately, stiff and formal, and not like your grandmother Weasley.

"I would like you to redecorate Malfoy Manor, but if I suggested it everyone except grandmother would crap a dragon. Great-grandmother Black is full of all that pure blood prejudice. I think there is a streak of meanness is great-grandmother Malfoy. It is not a happy house."

They sat looking at each other for some time, staring in each other's eyes. Eventually Rose took Scorpius's hand. "I'm just so sorry, Scorpius."

They lay down on the blankets, holding hands, not talking, for what seemed like a long time, doing nothing.

Rose did notice that Scorpius was looking at her, and she was pleased, and embarrassed, and he was as nice a boy as there was in the whole school, and handsome, and she wished they could talk about it.

Scorpius did notice Rose, and notice that she noticed him looking at her, and tried not to stare but, he wished he could because she was pretty, and his best friend, and he wished they could talk about it.

Minerva looked out over the Great Hall, contemplating her charges. It was hard enough trying to supervise young witches and wizards, but they were maturing a year or two earlier. At least the spells that strongly discouraged intercourse, and pretty much kept witches from becoming pregnant before they were sixteen, were holding. The trouble was all that young couples could do that was just short of intercourse.

Then there was the problem of the students eighth year and beyond, and the few but growing number of babies in that group of students. For years a pregnant witch was expected to quit school before having her baby, but that had changed. The first couple to have a baby while they were still at Hogwarts were Neville and Hanna, at least as far as Minerva knew. So far the students had babysat for each other, but she could see the day coming when she had to set up a nursery, or allow them to set up one.

She rarely had seventh year parents, but there had been a few. When there were younger parents they had worked with the older students to take care of babysitting. They had added a primary school for teachers, but so far none of her students had children old enough to go to the primary school.

It wasn't that Minerva did not like babies, or thought that there was anything wrong with being a married student, but Hogwarts was sure a more complicated place.

It would be easy to blame it all on Cleopatra, but her sexuality, as over the top as it was, both physically and what she projected, was still somehow as maternal as it was otherwise. Actually, more almost certainly had to do with what Bowman Flint was doing, except they had no proof that Bowman was doing anything. Harry knew more about the Pirate Witch Queen than he was saying, but she had no idea how much Harry knew. Minerva knew he was scared.

Mary Middy was pregnant when she graduated. Minerva though she wanted to get pregnant, unlike some of the witches. Maggie Middy wasn't pregnant. The Macmillan family wasn't much for scandal, and Minerva thought Maggie and Ernest Macmillan may have even waited until their wedding night.

The Robert twins needed watching. Bert was dating Carrie King, and Carrie was just too eager to become a mother. Cleo's scents didn't help. Nan was dating Macario Finnigan. Minerva was not supposed to know, but she thought Nan had been taking birth control potions. All four were in Gryffindor, so they saw Cleo often, even though they were older and were going into seventh year.

The sixth year couples she had to worry about included Morgan Davis and Violet Sprout.

There was a large group of fifth year couples she had to worry about, and they were too young. That included James Potter and Erica Lionheart, Daniel Tiger and Nancy Weasley, Merlin Middy and Sheryl Shook, Rudolphus Dearborn and Helena Rosier, among others.

Minerva transformedinto her Animagus, and her cat started to prowl the grounds. Bert was snogging Carrie, but at least his hands were not inside her bra. They had been caught at least once with hands inside the other's clothes. James Potter and Erica Lionheart were hugging and talking. That was about as innocent as you were going to get. Daniel Tiger and Nancy Weasley were just talking, although they were touching. Minerva though she probably had to worry more about the couples who were not outside.

Eventually she came up to Albus and Cleopatra. Cleo looked at her. "Hello, Professor McGonagall. I did not know you could turn into a cat."

Minerva tried to meow a questioning sound.

"Oh, I can see, in our four dimensions you are a cat, but beyond that you have to stay you to protect your memory. Animagus Transfigurations are hard because you cannot ever totally lose what you are, but you have to be what you are going to be in this world. You are pretty fuzzy, but I can see it is you."

Minerva the cat beat a hasty retreat. She was going to have to tell Cleopatra not to reveal her Animagus form to anyone.

Minerva asked Cleopatra and Albus to come to her office after dinner, but they reminded her they had the normal Saturday night prayer service, so they rescheduled for Sunday right after breakfast.

2021