Cho's Chic
Chapter 2
It was the pattern fitting for Lucius Malfoy's suit. Cho showed him into the cubicle, leaving him to get undressed with the help of his house elf whilst she went to fetch the suit. Lucius eyed the garments curiously as she entered with them over her arm. She had warned him that the first step involved making up the suit in calico. When he tried this on, it could be altered as necessary without ruining the good quality material for which he was being charged so much.
Cho held out the pale garments with all the seams on the outside, and helped him into them. "It doesn't look very good yet," she said, "but it's very important to get the fit right at this stage. The seams are on the outside so that I can pin it easily if I need to alter it. One advantage of making a mock-up first is that if you want any more made to the same style, I can do it from this, saving the first stage. It will also cost you less."
"Your sales technique is admirable, Miss Chang," observed Malfoy, "But perhaps we should just deal with this suit first if you don't mind."
Cho was about to apologise, but she looked at him surreptitiously, and he did not seem to be angry. In fact she was sure he was amused. She decided to risk a retort: "You can't blame a girl for trying, Mr Malfoy."
"Indeed not, Miss Chang. I think I paid you a compliment."
Cho walked around Lucius, eyeing him professionally from every angle. She was pleased with herself, the time spent on the initial measuring had been worthwhile, very few alterations would be needed. She opened her box of pins, and Lucius was very amused to see her putting a few in her mouth, pointed side outwards. He smiled at her, and this time there was no mistaking his emotion. "Well, is this your own way of doing things, or do all tailors walk around with their mouths bristling with sharp implements? Of course, there is the advantage that you can't talk at the same time, so I can say anything I like to you without fear of retribution."
She wanted to laugh, but could not. Her face turning red with the effort of keeping a straight face, she nipped and tucked with her pins, moving rapidly round the man. As she worked, she grew in confidence, and managed not to stick even one pin in her formidable customer. Working unseen behind him, she felt more able to appreciate his rear view. She admired his regular shape, and wished all her customers were so easy to fit - one of Cho's skills was the ability to tailor a garment to hide imperfect features and flatter good ones, and to even up a person's shape where the left and right sides were less than perfectly matched. In Malfoy's case this was not needed, he had wide shoulders tapering to his waist, and his buttocks were so inviting she wanted to cup them in her hands.
Cho stepped back round to Lucius' front, cast a last eye over him, then smiled and said she was finished. "I'll help you out of the suit, Mr Malfoy," she said. "I'm used to pins. If I let your house elf do it, he'll end up like a pincushion."
"Something you appear not to own, Miss Chang," he observed wryly. Cho first helped him off with the jacket. As she leaned over him to release a piece of cloth trapped by a stray pin, she noticed that his hair smelled faintly of camomile. As she stood behind him to ease him out of the jacket, she deliberately stroked the gold locks, while making it appear that she was merely moving his hair aside.
Next came the trousers. They would be much more difficult to remove than put on, as in obedience to his instructions, she had pinned them so close to his body that they resembled a second skin. However, Malfoy was very co-operative, and seemed to be trying to make it easy for her. Then, with one leg out, he stumbled against her. Cho felt herself falling, and grabbed Malfoy to keep herself upright. She found herself pressed against him with one hand gripping his shoulder. She felt for an instant that here was a very desirable man, and she did not want to move, in spite of the fact that pins were sticking into her hip and legs, but the next minute she sprang away from him, red-faced and apologetic.
"Don't worry, my dear," said Malfoy, "It's I who should apologise. Now, let's get these trousers off." They completed the operation without further mishap. Cho gathered up the calico suit, now bristling with pins, and after sneaking a last look at Malfoy's long, strong legs, she left the cubicle, instructing the house elf to go in and attend to his master. As she passed Alan, he gave her a knowing look, and winked at her. She stuck out her tongue at him. Alan replied by sticking out his own tongue, and making circles with it. Cho blushed, stifled a giggle, and took the calico suit to her workroom.
Malfoy, dressed, sauntered across to the counter, where he regarded Alan as if he were something unspeakable he had found on his shoe. His nostrils flared, and the proud head tilted back a fraction. He appeared to be considering whether it was worth the effort of addressing Cho's assistant when she reappeared. "I gather we are finished now?" he asked her.
"Yes, indeed, Mr Malfoy. I'll see you at your next appointment."
"Goodbye, Miss Chang." He inclined his aristocratic head at her, kicked his house elf roughly, and stepped out into Diagon Alley. Cho and Alan watched as the sun reflected off his hair, and sighed in unison.
"What a bastard," said Alan. He turned to Cho. "That man can certainly turn the charm on and off like a tap. He was nice as pie to you, but you should have seen the way he looked at me. But he's a drop dead gorgeous bastard."
"I know, isn't he?" said Cho.
Cho woke up suddenly in the middle of the night, wondering for a moment where she was, then realising she was at home in her own bed. Then she remembered what she had been dreaming about, and blushed in the dark, trying to cool her flaming face with cold hands left outside the covers. She had been with Lucius Malfoy, and she could still feel the dream fingers running over her, and his hardness as he pressed her to him, and the tingling of her own response.
I don't want to dream about this man, she thought. He's old enough to be my father, he's a Death Eater, and I still think about poor Cedric. They killed Harry's parents too. This is the man who tried to ruin Mr Weasley's career, and tried to undermine Dumbledore, and ruin Hogwarts forever. The man is evil, evil. He's not to be trusted. If he's nice to me today, he may change his mind any minute. Just be civil to him, take his money and run.
But I can't get him out of my head, and he has been nice to me so far. And he's devastatingly attractive. How can it hurt if it's just a fantasy?
Because, you silly girl, a man like that will have had experience with loads of women, and he'll be able to tell you like him. You're not smart enough to hide it from him. He'll use you, then dump you. If you were clever, you'd at least play hard to get. That way he won't get tired of you so quickly.
Face it, Cho, you'd just be a project for him. Maybe also a way to get back at Harry.
But I can't stop thinking about him…
Lucius arrived for the first fitting of the suit proper. Cho noted that he had tied back his sleek blond hair with a midnight blue velvet ribbon, exactly the shade of the suit fabric. She smiled at this, thinking, he's really very vain, then adding to herself, but he's right, it will look stunning with the suit.
When she went into the tiny cubicle with the suit, she realised that she no longer felt nervous in Malfoy's presence. It seemed quite natural to be dealing with the semi-naked man. Cho helped Lucius to dress, then stepped back a pace to admire her handiwork. She walked around her client, feeling very smug. The fit was perfect, the only thing she needed to do was check the length of the trousers and the sleeves. She dealt with the sleeves first, then asked Lucius what kind of footwear he was considering. "The length of the trousers will depend on the height of your heels. Would you like to see yourself first, Mr Malfoy? Please, come into the room and look in the mirror."
Lucius preened as he gazed at his reflection. Cho smiled at the evident satisfaction he displayed, and her stomach melted as she felt his almost magnetic attraction. The suit made him look even better, and she would not have believed that possible. The colour cast a blue reflection in his eyes, making them softer than their usual grey. Behind her, she could feel Alan's eyes watching the pair of them, and would not look at him.
Lucius turned to her. "May I congratulate you, Miss Chang. You've done a superb job. Now, the footwear. I think this suit deserves a new pair of boots. If it's no problem for you, I intend to go to Larsen & Schoen and get a pair now. I have in mind exactly what would complement the suit, and of course as they produce boots the magic way, I shall be able to return very shortly, and then you can adjust the length of the trousers."
When Malfoy had departed for the shoemaker's, Alan turned to Cho. "He fancies himself almost as much as you do," he said, a sparkle in his eyes. Then he looked serious for a moment. "Cho, my love, take care. He's dangerous. It would be too easy to fall for the charm - and if he asked me I'd have a hard time saying no - and forget the evil side of him. Never forget he's a Malfoy."
Alan had just finished speaking when the shop door opened, and in walked Harry Potter and Hermione Granger. Cho and Alan exchanged a glance of panic. Lucius Malfoy would be back shortly, and here was one of his greatest enemies. However, Cho recovered quickly, and smiled at her new potential customers. "Hello Harry, hello Hermione. I see you've come to look at my little shop."
Hermione smiled back at Cho. "Hello, Cho. Well, we heard about the shop, and everyone said that you're doing really well already, so we thought we'd take a look."
"It's Hermione's 21st birthday next month," said Harry. "She's having a party, and wants something really special to wear. Now, we know your stuff is hand made, so it's not cheap. I've offered to help Hermione pay for the dress if it's very expensive, and Ron will chip in too. It'll be our present to her."
Hermione smiled nervously. "I've never had a really posh frock," she said. "It would be wonderful to have something special." Cho realised that the usually supremely confident Hermione was self conscious about her appearance: give her a complicated problem, and she had no fear, but her vulnerable spot was her looks. She was attractive enough, but she knew she was no beauty. Cho said to her, "Hermione, it's my job to make my clients look their best. What kind of thing did you have in mind?"
The two young women began enthusiastically to discuss the details of dresses. Harry looked very bored, and unsure what to do. Alan regarded him with some amusement. "I think they'll be a while yet, Harry," he said, "Why don't you go and have a look round Diagon Alley, and come back in half an hour?" Gratefully, Harry took his advice. Cho gave Alan a brief smile: at least Harry was off the premises now, but she knew Hermione would likely still be there when Malfoy returned.
Sure enough, Malfoy re-entered the shop followed by his house elf, who was carrying a large parcel from Larsen & Schoen, as Hermione was looking through material swatches with Cho. Both Cho and Alan held their breath, waiting to see if fireworks would ensue. Hermione looked from Cho to Malfoy and back again. Her eyes narrowed, and her mouth set in a grim line. Malfoy raised his eyebrows slightly. "Ah, I see you have another customer. Good morning, Miss Granger," he said icily. Hermione was forced to reply in kind.
Cho made a quick decision. "Hermione, it will take a while for you to choose, and I don't want to hurry you. Would you like a cup of tisane? Alan will take you into the flat, and you can sit in a comfy chair, and look at the swatches at your leisure. The light's better in there too."
Hermione was ushered away by Alan, following her laden with the sample books. "Very smoothly done, Miss Chang," sneered Malfoy, his eyes hard. "Now, the boots." He swept into the cubicle, and after a few moments, the house elf shot out of the small space, obviously kicked viciously by Malfoy.