Chapter 22: In Which We Apply Body Art

Ginny rushed into Hermione's house. "Okay. Harry's got Molly. I just fed her, so I should have almost three free hours. Tell me all about it. What are you going to wear? Where are you going? I can't believe Snape dances."

Hermione smiled at her friend's excitement. "Calm down. Do you want a drink?" Ginny shook her head. "I don't know where we're going. I do know what I'm going to wear, but…well come up with me." She led Ginny to her room while filling her in on the good night kiss from Sunday and the letters that led up to today's date.

She pointed to two pieces of clothing on her bed. The top was a diamond shaped piece of hunter green silk. A fine silver chain attached to the top of the diamond and a larger chain connected the two points. Next to it was a pair of black leather pants. Low cut from the looks of it.

"You own leather pants?" Ginny's voice held a mix of surprise and admiration.

"Yes, I haven't worn them in five years…" Hermione gestured dismissively with her hands. "When I was in the States, I went dancing with the girls. One of them insisted that I'd look 'hot' in them. So I bought them. I wore them once. Danced with Xander, he seemed to agree about the hot thing, kissed him, and spent the night crying on his shoulder wishing I was still with Ron."

"With a history like that you want to wear them again?"

"You heard the 'hot' bit, right?"

"Go put them on, let me see." She could tell Ginny wasn't sure about this outfit.

A moment later Ginny was critically looking Hermione up and down. The pants were low rise and tight. The shirt, if it could be called that, was loose, allowing occasional glimpses of the sides of her breasts. "You're planning on having sex with him, then."

"Maybe I'm old fashioned, but I tend to think that if you don't want to have sex with the guy, you don't say yes to an invitation to spend the night gyrating against each other wearing skimpy clothing. It just seems kind of mean to get his hopes," she grinned, "and other things, up, if you don't intend to do anything about it."

"Are you sure you're ready?"

"I think so. It's funny, but talking with George helped to remind me how much I miss sex."

"What on earth did he say to you?" Ginny looked incredulous, then somewhat scandalized. "What did he do?"

"Nothing like that. He just reminded me very specifically that Ron would not have expected me to be celibate, and he certainly wouldn't have been on the shelf this long."

Ginny nodded as if to say, 'We've all been telling you that, glad it finally sunk in.' She gave the outfit another long appraising look. "In that case, I think it works. What do you need help with?"

"Body art. My whole back is naked, and I want something to spruce it up."

"Spruce it up?" Ginny was giggling.

"What would you call it?"

"Hell, I don't know. Turn around." She eyed Hermione's back. "Hair up or down?"

"Down."

"We've got the bottom third of your back to work with, then."

"I really liked the tattoo you designed for Harry. Something like that, but a bit more femme."

"He showed you my tattoo?"

"You're kidding, right? He showed everyone your tattoo. He thought it was the coolest bloody thing in the history of the universe."

"Good husband. It is the coolest bloody thing in the universe. What about his did you like best?"

"The knot work. It's very complex without being overly ornate." Ginny thought about what to do, looked at Hermione's back, and grabbed a piece of paper.

"How symbolic do you want to get?"

"What are you thinking?"

"A roughly triangle shaped knot, made of a red and gold serpent." She quickly sketched the idea.

"I like the idea, but I'm not sure how he is with tattooed snakes. He wore one for years, still has the scar in fact."

Ginny looked up quickly. "When did you see his Dark Mark?"

"Dinner," Hermione lied quickly. "His sleeve came open, and I saw it."

Ginny didn't look like she bought it, but decided to let it go when Hermione asked, "How about that shape, but instead of a snake, a green line and a gold line?"

"I can do that." She spent the next few minutes working on the sketch. "Well?"

Hermione looked at the artwork in front of her. Green and gold sinuously twined in a fist sized triangle. "It's lovely."

"You don't want this permanent, do you?"

"No, a day would be good, though."

"Turn around." Ginny spoke a few words, waved her wand over the sketch, and then did likewise over Hermione's back. It tickled a bit, and Hermione tried not squirm. In less than five minutes Hermione was looking at her now tattooed back in the mirror.

"It's perfect, Ginny."

"I'll say. If you want me to make it permanent, just come see me before it wears off. So tell me; when did you really see his Dark Mark? Is there a good story of a half-naked Snape you've been sitting on? There's no way his 'sleeve came open at dinner.'" Her eyes were warmly amused.

Hermione was very quiet for a moment, debating what to say. "I really can't tell you. I promised I wouldn't say anything about it. But he still has a scar, and he was very careful to keep it away from my view. I only saw it for a second. How about we pretend that I saw it tonight, and told you about it tomorrow?"

"Very curious. Less than two weeks with a spy and we've already got secrets. I won't pry, but you owe me a very juicy story for tomorrow."

"I promise, much vicarious goodness tomorrow."

"So, let's talk makeup and jewellery…"