I arrived in Diagon Alley and dusted off my robes.
I sighed and headed down the narrow cobblestone street toward Madam Malkin's
Robes for all Occasions. I disliked shopping and avoided it at all costs,
especially clothes shopping. Sales people made me nervous. Whenever I didn't
want their help they were always there, asking, "Can I help you?" every five
minutes. If I actually did need help they were no where to be found.
I pushed open the door to Madam Malkin's and the tiny bells fastened to the
door tinkled loudly.
"Oh, no," I said. I had wanted to make a stealthy entrance so that I could look around a bit without being noticed. The large shop looked rather empty as well, which meant that a sales person would be accosting me any moment now...
"Can I help you?"
I jumped and turned around. A short, squat woman with gray hair pulled back in a loose gray bun was smiling up at me. Well, she looks nice enough, I thought.
"Er, yes. I'm looking for some new dress robes."
"Oh! Splendid!" The little woman said, clasping her hands together. "Come back here and we'll get your measurements, dear."
She led me back to the second part of the shop. It was a large room with black velvet curtained fitting rooms lining the sides. In the middle were a few step stools and a table with needles, thread, and rolls of measuring tape on it. The back wall was a massive shelving unit with every color and type of fabric imagineable. On the front wall next to the large open doorway were a few ancient mirrors.
"Come here and stand on this stool dear, and we'll get you measured."
Madam Malkin picked up a quill and some parchment, then tapped a roll of measuring tape with her wand. It flew up into the air and began to measure me in not only the usual places, but rather unusual ones as well, such as the distance from my left pinky finger to the top of my eyelid.
"Well, then, that's done with," Madam Malkin said and tapped the roll of measuring tape again to make it stop. It shuddered and fell to the floor. "Now, what would you like?"
"Er, well, I want something sort of flowy," I said cautiously. "and loose, but not too loose. Maybe fitted at the waist," I said, and Madam Malkin nodded, taking some notes on her piece of parchment. "I want the sleeves long, and maybe belled out at the bottoms, but not too much, I don't want to look like I've got enormous hands."
"Perfect!" Madam Malkin said. "How about something like this?" She showed me a sketch that she had quickly drawn on the parchment.
"Yes, that's exactly what I was thinking of," I said, in awe.
"And, what color, dear?"
"Well, what color do you think would be best?"
"Hmm," Madam Malkin said as she walked around me in circles with her hand on the side of her face. "Red!" She exclaimed after nearly two minutes.
"Red?"
"Yes, bright red, but not too bright, dear," she added, seeing the apprehensive look on my face. "Like this," she said, pulling some vibrant red satin material off the back wall. "It's very rich, but exciting as well. I think it will look splendid against your lovely dark hair, dear."
"Thank you, it's beautiful."
Madam Malkin smiled. "I'll get this made up for you. It should be ready in an hour."
"Thank you," I said again and headed out toward the bustling street.
After killing some time at Florean Fortescue's Ice Cream Parlor and Flourish and Blotts I went back to Madam Malkin's.
"Oh, your dress robes are ready dear," said Madam Malkin excitedly. "and they are quite lovely, if I do say so myself. Come try them on."
I stepped into one of the curtained rooms and held the robes up. They really were quite pretty, I just hoped that Aunt Agnes wouldn't send me back for getting such a "provocative" color.
"Oh! You look pretty as a picture!" Madam Malkin said as I came out of the dressing room. "Here, have a look in the mirror."
I looked into the large mirror on the front wall and was suprised to see that I did look, well, almost pretty.
"The color is beautiful on you, dear, and look how mature it makes you look! Oh, excuse me," she said as the loud tinkling of the door bells signaled another customer.
I did a few turns in my new dress robes in front of the mirror. Vain as a peacock, said the little voice.
"Oh, shut up, I deserve to vain for once," I muttered.
"Just a moment," said Madam Malkin to the customer. "I've got your robes back here, Severus."
Severus? I must be hearing things, or it is a different Severus, I thought to myself.
How many people named Severus can there be? Said that pesky little voice.
Madam Malkin came into the back room, humming to herself as she took a brown package off of one of the shelves.
"I really think you should try them on, Severus. Just to be sure that they fit," she called back to him.
"That's really not necessary," said a familiar voice from the other room. Professor Snape walked into the room. "They always fit, Madam Malkin," he said, then stopped. He looked at me with an unreadable expression on his face, as his expressions often were.
"Miss Cockerham," he finally said. "Good afternoon."
"Good afternoon, Professor," I said quietly.
"Oh, this young lady is a student of yours, is she Severus? Doesn't she look splendid in that red?"
"Er," Snape mumbled, clearly uncomfortable with the question. "Yes," he said.
"Thank you," I mumbled, looking down at my feet.
"I should be going," Snape said quickly.
"Alright, alright," Madam Malkin said as the left the room. "If you insist on not trying them on..." I heard her say.
I ran into the dressing room and quickly changed back into my normal robes. I could feel my face getting hot. The bells tinkled again. It was safe to come out.
"I'll wrap this up for you," Madam Malkin said as I handed her the robes.
I paid and thanked her profusely, then practically ran out of the shop. I was very anxious to get home. Professor Snape, of all people, had seen me when I was at my most vulnerable, in dress robes. As if I wouldn't have been embarrassed enough to see him after all of the events of last year and the incident with the handkerchief, and now he had seen me in vixen-red robes. What would he think of me?
"Oh, no," I said. I had wanted to make a stealthy entrance so that I could look around a bit without being noticed. The large shop looked rather empty as well, which meant that a sales person would be accosting me any moment now...
"Can I help you?"
I jumped and turned around. A short, squat woman with gray hair pulled back in a loose gray bun was smiling up at me. Well, she looks nice enough, I thought.
"Er, yes. I'm looking for some new dress robes."
"Oh! Splendid!" The little woman said, clasping her hands together. "Come back here and we'll get your measurements, dear."
She led me back to the second part of the shop. It was a large room with black velvet curtained fitting rooms lining the sides. In the middle were a few step stools and a table with needles, thread, and rolls of measuring tape on it. The back wall was a massive shelving unit with every color and type of fabric imagineable. On the front wall next to the large open doorway were a few ancient mirrors.
"Come here and stand on this stool dear, and we'll get you measured."
Madam Malkin picked up a quill and some parchment, then tapped a roll of measuring tape with her wand. It flew up into the air and began to measure me in not only the usual places, but rather unusual ones as well, such as the distance from my left pinky finger to the top of my eyelid.
"Well, then, that's done with," Madam Malkin said and tapped the roll of measuring tape again to make it stop. It shuddered and fell to the floor. "Now, what would you like?"
"Er, well, I want something sort of flowy," I said cautiously. "and loose, but not too loose. Maybe fitted at the waist," I said, and Madam Malkin nodded, taking some notes on her piece of parchment. "I want the sleeves long, and maybe belled out at the bottoms, but not too much, I don't want to look like I've got enormous hands."
"Perfect!" Madam Malkin said. "How about something like this?" She showed me a sketch that she had quickly drawn on the parchment.
"Yes, that's exactly what I was thinking of," I said, in awe.
"And, what color, dear?"
"Well, what color do you think would be best?"
"Hmm," Madam Malkin said as she walked around me in circles with her hand on the side of her face. "Red!" She exclaimed after nearly two minutes.
"Red?"
"Yes, bright red, but not too bright, dear," she added, seeing the apprehensive look on my face. "Like this," she said, pulling some vibrant red satin material off the back wall. "It's very rich, but exciting as well. I think it will look splendid against your lovely dark hair, dear."
"Thank you, it's beautiful."
Madam Malkin smiled. "I'll get this made up for you. It should be ready in an hour."
"Thank you," I said again and headed out toward the bustling street.
After killing some time at Florean Fortescue's Ice Cream Parlor and Flourish and Blotts I went back to Madam Malkin's.
"Oh, your dress robes are ready dear," said Madam Malkin excitedly. "and they are quite lovely, if I do say so myself. Come try them on."
I stepped into one of the curtained rooms and held the robes up. They really were quite pretty, I just hoped that Aunt Agnes wouldn't send me back for getting such a "provocative" color.
"Oh! You look pretty as a picture!" Madam Malkin said as I came out of the dressing room. "Here, have a look in the mirror."
I looked into the large mirror on the front wall and was suprised to see that I did look, well, almost pretty.
"The color is beautiful on you, dear, and look how mature it makes you look! Oh, excuse me," she said as the loud tinkling of the door bells signaled another customer.
I did a few turns in my new dress robes in front of the mirror. Vain as a peacock, said the little voice.
"Oh, shut up, I deserve to vain for once," I muttered.
"Just a moment," said Madam Malkin to the customer. "I've got your robes back here, Severus."
Severus? I must be hearing things, or it is a different Severus, I thought to myself.
How many people named Severus can there be? Said that pesky little voice.
Madam Malkin came into the back room, humming to herself as she took a brown package off of one of the shelves.
"I really think you should try them on, Severus. Just to be sure that they fit," she called back to him.
"That's really not necessary," said a familiar voice from the other room. Professor Snape walked into the room. "They always fit, Madam Malkin," he said, then stopped. He looked at me with an unreadable expression on his face, as his expressions often were.
"Miss Cockerham," he finally said. "Good afternoon."
"Good afternoon, Professor," I said quietly.
"Oh, this young lady is a student of yours, is she Severus? Doesn't she look splendid in that red?"
"Er," Snape mumbled, clearly uncomfortable with the question. "Yes," he said.
"Thank you," I mumbled, looking down at my feet.
"I should be going," Snape said quickly.
"Alright, alright," Madam Malkin said as the left the room. "If you insist on not trying them on..." I heard her say.
I ran into the dressing room and quickly changed back into my normal robes. I could feel my face getting hot. The bells tinkled again. It was safe to come out.
"I'll wrap this up for you," Madam Malkin said as I handed her the robes.
I paid and thanked her profusely, then practically ran out of the shop. I was very anxious to get home. Professor Snape, of all people, had seen me when I was at my most vulnerable, in dress robes. As if I wouldn't have been embarrassed enough to see him after all of the events of last year and the incident with the handkerchief, and now he had seen me in vixen-red robes. What would he think of me?