Yep. I'm really back. Updates are somewhat slow, but really, I don't think you care, so long as there is an update.
Wednesday. Meeting with the stylists. You will enjoy this, and the Malec treasure at the end, if you know what I'm talking about. Please review!
Hermione ruffled her hair. This was definitely an annoyance, being chosen for the Blood Clash. She was expected to look positively stellar no matter what. Each of her teachers stressed that, during the lead-up, there would be extra attention on all Muggle-borns and blood traitors whose names had been drawn, and even more on the Gryffindor tributes in general.
Hermione hated being the center of attention.
The breakfast meeting with the stylist team was half an hour away, in a private dining room on the second floor of the Leaky Cauldron. She had no idea what would be served, but she hoped the food was at least edible.
So, as Hermione made her way to this dining room, she mentally prepared herself for the scrutiny that was likely to follow. She did not know who the stylist would be – she only knew that Padma Patil had thoroughly enjoyed the stylist Alec had brought in the previous year.
As she sat down between Ginny and Seamus at the long, rectangular table, she folded her hands and waited. No one spoke until the door slammed open and an extravagantly-dressed man – obviously older than Alec and just a couple inches taller – entered, quite boisterously.
"So, these are the Gryffindor tributes they sent me, huh?" he said, slamming into a chair on Ginny's other side. "Magnus Bane, and the lovely quartet following me are Amara," a slim, incredibly tall girl with platinum hair streaked with blue, "Jacob," a muscular young man with a bronzed complexion, "Lisette," a relatively average girl with hot pink hair, "and Miles," a nondescript man with dark hair and piercing blue eyes. "My assistants."
Upon closer inspection, Hermione realized his pupils were vertical slits, like a cat's, and a strange shade of yellow. These were ringed by a line of sapphire blue shimmering eyeliner in a style vaguely reminiscent of ancient Egypt. His lips were painted a vibrant hue of neon blue, which framed his teeth quite strikingly. He wore a dark grey suit with a neon blue silk dress shirt underneath and well-shined sapphire-toned dress shoes.
"Are you done staring?" he asked politely.
"Sorry," was the chorus from all four Gryffindor students.
"It's fine," he told them, slamming a ring-decorated hand on the wooden table. A few platters of eggs, bacon, sausage, toast, and potatoes appeared, seemingly from out of nowhere.
"I didn't know Tom had hired house-elves," Hermione said, helping herself to a few spoonfuls of scrambled eggs and a few strips of bacon.
"He didn't. I summoned it."
Hermione's eyes went wide as she stared at Magnus Bane.
"Didn't think it was possible? Well, neither did Padma Patil. Want a coffee?"
"N-no, thanks."
"Well, all right. You should know that this year, with You-Know-Who's recent acquisition of the French and the northern governemnts, both Beauxbatons and Durmstrang will be sending two tributes – two girls from France, two boys from the north. They're being handled by some celebrity girl you guys probably know about. Her name's Fleur something-or-other."
"Fleur Delacour?" Ginny asked.
"Yeah, her. She's going to go with the expected. They expect elegance from the French and fur from the northerners. It's exactly what they'll see coming, so it's exactly what they'll get. My tactic, if you remember the pre-interview parade, is to take the best aspects of the house I'm working with and embody them in something deadly but beautiful. If you will recall the bronze and navy ravens I turned the Ravenclaw tributes into last year."
"It was quite a unique sight," Seamus said before taking a sip of his pumpkin juice.
"Well, with this house, the house of bravery, of red and gold, and of the lion, I was planning something to cause a stir among even the Death Eaters."
"Does it involve real, tamed lions?" Nigel asked.
"Yes, leading the self-designed, hand-crafted chariots I intend to use." He lifted a cup of tea to his lips. "Red and gold, as colors, suggest fire, as does the trait of bravery. Where I'm from, to be brave means you'll walk through anything for someone you care for and maintain your honor. Being brave is a treasured thing.
"Here, it seems that your dominant trait of bravery is being shoved aside, dismissed entirely. I find that troubling."
"Why?"
"Bravery is a great thing, although sometimes it causes stupidity. The world would not be the same without the brave ones standing up to their oppressors."
Hermione looked up at him. "I agree."
Ginny, Seamus, and Nigel looked at her like she was insane, but Magnus grinned. "Well, then, let's start with you."
Thus began the hours of stressful designing until lunch.
The rest of the day passed in a blur, leaving Hermione bewildered when she was shoved, unceremoniously, into a dressing room. Magnus, Lisette, and Amara stood between Hermione and Ginny, who had been shoved in through opposing doors. In Lisette's hand was a gold lamé gown and a gold-and-rubies crown, while Amara held a scarlet satin gown and a gold circlet with a ruby cabochon.
"Have a seat, girls. I need to go check on the boys. Hermione, you and Seamus will be sharing a chariot, while Ginny and Nigel will stand together. Are we clear?" Magnus said, waving his hands about. Both redhead and brunette nodded and took their seats.
Amara approached Hermione, laying the gown on a table and setting to work applying generous amounts of Sleek-Easy potion to her hair, while Lisette did the same on the other side of the room. Before long, four other young ladies joined the two.
"Hermione, this is Deborah," Amara said, gesturing to a petite blond, "and Elena," gesturing to a tall, willowy woman with strawberry blond hair. "They'll be helping me."
"Hi," Hermione said, breathless. "You're going to make me look good, aren't you?"
"We're going to make them remember you," Deborah said, setting up a pedicure station in front of Hermione. "Not like they don't already know who you are. Your reputation preceded you."
"Thanks."
A few hours later, Hermione stood, fidgeting with the soft red satin, in the chariot, Seamus at her side. Both had been given massive cloaks made of realistic (but assuredly fake) lion's fur to wear, that would trail behind them.
"Remember, Hermione," Magnus said, straightening the edge of the cloak. "Don't show fear."
"I refuse to show fear," Hermione replied. "Light it."
Oooooooh, what are we getting into? Just wait: it gets better.
Sincerely,
xHx