Chapter 3 ~ In the Hands of Adam Sweetmeats
Adam and Hermione walked through a small foyer and into a waiting room that looked very much like a muggle dentist's waiting room. Several chairs lined the walls, there were the potted plants, tables with magazines stacked on them, a bathroom, water fountain and counter where the receptionist made appointments and signed patients in.
Several witches were seated in the chairs, reading magazines. They all looked up and stared at Hermione and Adam. At Hermione because she was a sad case and Adam because he was dressed in a lavender robe with pale yellow stars and wore a touch of make-up. A couple of witches screwed up their faces with distaste.
Adam scowled, hissed, crooked his fingers and showed his fangs at them, fully elongated. The witches' eyes widened, they paled and every one of them went back to their magazines, or pretended to.
"Bitches," Adam said under his breath as he walked Hermione to the counter.
"Hello Gladys darling," Adam gushed as the blonde witch leaned over the counter and they pressed their cheeks together on each side in pretend kisses.
"Hello Adam, and who do we have here?" Gladys asked, her brown eyes focusing on Hermione's bucked teeth for a moment as she smiled at the witch. She had certainly come to the right place. The denti-wizard would get her in the right quickly.
"This is Hermione Granger, my latest masterpiece-to-be, here for her ten-thirty," Adam replied.
Gladys looked down at the appointment book to confirm this. She found the entry and nodded.
"Very good. Miss Granger, please have a seat…the dentist will see you as soon as possible.
Hermione sat in the closest seat while Gladys and Adam talked animatedly.
"You know Adam, you really have to talk to Victor about his attitude when he comes here to get his teeth cleaned. He went red-eyed on Al and actually snapped at him last time. If he keeps it up, we aren't going to accept him as a patient here," Gladys said, her brow furrowed.
Adam sighed exaggeratedly.
"Victor is such a troll sometimes. Imagine him snarling at Al. I bet it's because he's jealous of the way I flirt with him, he's so delish. I will talk Victor, Gladys…don't worry," the Queen replied, his blue eyes flicking over the witches hair. "Darling, your roots are showing. You simply have to come down to the parlor and let me return you to full golden glory."
Gladys patted her hair self-consciously.
"I'll drop by and make an appointment next week," she said in a quiet voice.
"Good," the vampire said, giving her a bright smile. Now let me go join my little beauty queen."
Adam switched over and sat down next to Hermione, demurely. The witch looked rather scared.
"What's wrong? Don't tell me you're scared of dentists. Al doesn't bite. I do," the Queen said with a slightly wicked grin.
The witches around him all blanched again. Adam could hear their heart rates increase as well as the terrified rush of blood through their veins. They were all frightened. Good for them. They were lucky he didn't transform into a bat and drop guano on them, the wenches.
Adam and Hermione waited over an hour to be seen. The Denti-wizard seemed to run his practice based on the muggle premise of doctors everywhere, and that is his time is more valuable than that of his patients.
Finally, Gladys told the witch and vampire the dentist would see them now, buzzing the door and letting them in. They followed the witch down a hallway with doors on either side. Each door had a number on it.
"Here you go," Gladys said, opening door number 13, go right in and take the patient seat Miss Granger. Adam, there's a chair for you as well. Al will be in soon," she said.
Hermione walked into the office. Unlike the examination rooms of her parents, there was very little in this one. A number of small wands were mounted on a far wall and there was a sink, a few cabinets and cups. That was it. It looked rather spartan, but a denti-witch only really needed the appropriate wand to do his work.
Hermione took a seat in a muggle dentist's chair and Adam sat down on a small folding chair across from her, slightly frowning as he saw the witch's worried look. He was about to say something comforting to her when the door opened and Dr. Al Dente walked in.
Al was tall, with brown wavy hair, brown eyes and a set of perfect white teeth. He smiled at Adam.
"Adam, good to see you!" he said, taking the vampire's limp hand and kissing the back of it, making Adam titter.
"No wonder Victor wants to rip his throat out," Hermione thought.
Al appreciated Adam because the vampire brought him a lot of business. The amount of minions alone made him oodles of galleons. If he had to do a bit of flirting, he'd do it. The dentist turned to Hermione.
"Whoa!" he thought, but smiled at her, flashing his perfect choppers.
"Well, hello there, Miss…" he began.
"Granger. Hermione Granger. She is getting a makeover," Adam said, "But first those teeth need filing down."
Al cocked his head at the witch.
"Lean back Miss Granger and let me take a look," the denti-wizard said, fiddling with some levers so the chair dropped back suddenly, Hermione gasping in surprise. The wizard took a small silver angled mirror out of the pocket of his white lab coat.
"Say ah," he said.
Hermione opened her mouth, and Al examined her teeth, sticking the mirror here and there, his brow furrowed. After a minute or two he straightened.
"Your teeth are in wonderful condition. You've really got quite a nice set. Obviously you take very good care of them…very good care," Al said to her smiling, but wondering why she waited so long to fix them.
"Yes, well…my parents are dentists," Hermione replied in a low voice.
The wizard's eyebrows rose.
"They are? Pardon me for asking Miss Granger, but if your parents are dentists, why are your teeth in such a state? I would think they would have taken care of this a long time ago. Buck teeth are virtually non-existent in the wizarding world…at least the modern areas," the dentist said.
"Yes, but you see, my parents are muggle dentists," Hermione replied.
Al nodded understandingly.
Muggle dentists. That would explain a lot. They probably insisted that the witch use muggle methods to straighten her teeth and put her through years of retainers and other tortuous devices.
"I take it they don't approve of magical dentistry," the wizard said, walking over to the wall of mounted small wands and selecting one.
"No, they don't. They won't be happy about my doing this," Hermione said.
Al turned and walked back over to the witch and looked at her speculatively.
"You look a bit old to be letting your parents make your decisions for you," he commented. "Especially with something like this. It will be a vast improvement and painless. Everyone deserves to look their best," he said.
Adam nodded his head.
"Tell it, preacher," the vampire said enthusiastically.
"I am," Hermione admitted, "But listening to them is easier than arguing with them. They are going to be livid, but I've got to start doing what I think is best for me. This is the first step."
"You go, girl," Adam gushed as the denti-wizard nearly blinded her with his smile.
"Well, good for you young lady. Now, let's see about these teeth," he said, bending over her and pointing the small wand at her teeth.
Half an hour later Hermione and Adam left the dentist's office, a broad smile on Hermione's face. And what a lovely smile it was.
"It was so easy,"she said to Adam happily.
He nodded. The witch really did have an attractive smile. Fixing her teeth alone had done wonders.
"I hope you don't let your parents make you feel guilty," the vampire said, looping his arm in hers as they walked.
"I'll handle them," Hermione said, a little glint in her eye.
Getting her teeth fixed had been a very freeing act of rebellion for the witch. This was her mouth and her life. She had made a decision and was going to defend it. She wasn't a little girl any longer.
They headed back to the beauty shop. Victor was restocking the shampoos and conditioners they sold when the couple entered. He turned and looked at Hermione.
"Better," he said shortly, eyeing her appraisingly. "Before you looked as if you could open cans with your teeth."
"Victor!" Adam scolded, frowning at the blunt vampire. He turned to Hermione.
"I'm so sorry. Victor has NO manners," he said, pursing his lips.
Hermione smiled.
"That's all right, Adam. It's not the first time I've heard that said," the witch replied.
Draco Malfoy used to always tell her she was wanted in the kitchen by the house elves, and that they needed some industrial sized cans opened.
"Still," Adam said, still looking at his consort with narrowed eyes.
Victor shrugged and returned to stocking the shelves.
"Come with me…we're going to tackle that strip of brush you call an eyebrow and fix it permanently," Adam said, walking Hermione over to a bolted down swivel chair in front of a long mirror. There were two more chairs next to it.
"Sit here," Adam said, opening a drawer and taking out a stoppered vial then drawing his wand. He turned to her.
"Roll up your sleeve," he said to the witch.
Hermione automatically obeyed and watched as Adam stuck the tip of his wand against a vein, and the vial began to fill with blood. He stopped drawing when it was halfway full. From his place by the shelves, Victor's eyes turned red for a moment as he saw the crimson liquid filling the glass vial. He no longer drank human blood, but he couldn't help reacting when he saw the sweet elixir filling the tube. He recovered quickly however, and continued with his work.
Adam had never drunk human blood, so had no reaction to collecting it. He had tasted it however, due to his work as a beautician. He used his vampiric abilities as part of his treatment. Hermione looked at him.
"Why do you need my blood, Adam?" Hermione asked, privately wondering if this were some kind of payment.
"Well my dear, I need it so I can identify why your skin is so blotchy. By tasting your blood I can tell if you are consuming something that doesn't agree with your body. Skin problems are usually because of some kind of allergy."
Adam opened the vial and tipped a bit of blood into his mouth, his blue eyes glowing bright red as he did so. The vampire looked quite frightening for a moment as he smacked his lips exaggeratedly. He then took another small sip, tasting the blood again. His eyes returned to blue and he dumped the rest of the blood into the sink, turned on the faucet and let it swirl down the drain.
He looked at her.
"Greasy food. That's your demon," the vampire said with certainty. "It's causing blockages in some of your pores, resulting in the blotches on your skin. Cut back on greasy foods and your complexion will clear up, I guarantee you."
Hermione did eat a lot of greasy fatty foods. Sausages, fish and chips…pretty much everything fried. Well, baked was good. Adam didn't say she had to stop eating foods like that…just cut back. Well, she'd stop eating it at all for a while, at least until her skin cleared. She could do that.
"Thank you, Adam," she said.
"You're welcome," the vampire replied, eyeing her unibrow, then opening the drawer again and taking out a pair of gold tweezers. He held them up to her.
"These are perma-tweezes," he said to the witch. "Any hair I remove with them won't grow back. I don't use them with my regular customers because I want them to come back of course. But we must kill this beast," the Queen said, pushing Hermione back so he could gain access to her eyebrow. "Unfortunately, it's a bit painful since each follicle is cauterized closed as the hair is plucked out. Can you take a little pain or would you like me to but a body bind on you to hold you in place?"
"I think I can take it," Hermione said. "Pluck a hair and let's see."
"All right," Adam said, leaning over and plucking out a hair with the tweezers. Hermione felt a tiny sting, as if the tip of a red hot needle had been quickly touched to her skin. It wasn't too bad and subsided after a few seconds.
"It's all right," she said, "I think I can handle it."
Adam looked at her.
"Okay, but you have to stay still. I don't want to make any errors here, because they will be permanent," the vampire Queen said, biting his lower lip as he leaned over Hermione and went to work.
First Adam separated the unibrow into two evenly spaced bushy eyebrows. This took about half an hour as he was being very careful. He nodded as he looked at his handiwork.
"I think I am going to keep your brows a bit thick, but shape and arch them slightly. Thin brows don't have as much character. Thick brows are so much more expressive and natural looking," he said to Hermione, who didn't dare nod.
Adam worked on the witch a bit more, then finally stepped back.
"Perfect," he breathed, smiling at the witch and spinning her in the chair.
Hermione looked at her perfectly arched, thick brows. They looked just like her mother's when she had them done. The change was amazing.
"Wow," Hermione breathed.
She looked…well…pretty, except for the blotchy skin.
Adam stood behind her, but she couldn't see him in the mirror of course.
"Hermione Granger, you are a very lovely witch," he said, looking at her small full lips, amber eyes and now perfect eyebrows. "When your skin clears up, you won't even need make-up if you don't want to wear it. Personally, I'm not big on make-up. You can become a slave to it. I prefer the natural look…it is easier to keep up as well."
As Adam looked at the witch, he realized he had made a grievous error in the timetable. She didn't need three days work. His blue eyes drifted to her lank, damaged hair.
"You tried to straighten your hair, didn't you?" he asked her.
Hermione's hand went to the dry, brittle, lifeless locks on her head.
"Yes, I figured anything would be better than what it was," she said glumly.
Adam studied it.
"First, we have to revive it. You've knocked it out completely. We have to strip out the entire perm. Good thing you live in the magical world. If we were muggles, I'd have to hack it off and let it all grow back. But…we don't have to deal with that honey. Magic has the answer."
Adam walked down to the third beauty station, opened a lower cabinet and bent over, searching for a special shampoo and conditioner. As he searched, he felt Victor's eyes on him and smirked. His consort was so randy. Well, Adam was a very satisfying sexual partner and a true bottom. He was also affectionate, reciprocal and did things for Victor that Vashti would never do. Things the consort enjoyed immensely.
Victor grinned at his Queen and Adam shook his head, found what he was looking for and returned to Hermione. He'd handle Victor later.
He walked back to the witch, who was staring at herself in the mirror. Just the couple of changes improved her looks so dramatically. Her hair was still a fright, but her face…Hermione just couldn't get over it. Her lips actually met, and she had real eyebrows. Two of them.
Adam smiled at the witch's fascination with herself. He knew how she felt, and got a warm feeling in his undead heart. It was the kind of feeling one gets when they know they've done something good for another person. That was why he was a beautician. Because he loved to make people feel good about themselves, to bring out the beauty that lay within. Certainly he had clients that were all held together with makeup but he preferred the results like he was seeing with Hermione. He sighed happily.
"All right, stop admiring yourself. You are getting a swollen head already," he teased, swirling her around in the swivel chair and tilting it back so her neck settled in the scoop in the sink. He turned on the water, pulled out the sprayer and wet her hair expertly.
"First I am going to use this Restoration shampoo on this…this travesty," the Queen said. "It will restore it to its former glory. Then after conditioning it, I'll give it just a bit of a trim. Long hair is sexy. Curly long hair is divine," he said, tilting a bit of shampoo into his pale hand and working it into a lather.
Hermione felt a great tingling all over her scalp as the vampire worked his magic, her brittle hair developing body and regaining its curl. It fell in wet ringlets as Adam rinsed out the shampoo, then applied a jasmine scented conditioner.
"That smells wonderful," Hermione breathed as the floral scent reached her.
"Yes it does," Adam agreed. "I will send a couple of bottles home with you, and you can always purchase more."
"I'll do that," Hermione said, her eyes closed as Adam's fingers massaged the conditioner into her hair.
"This has to sit for about ten minutes, then I'll rinse it out," Adam said, sitting in the next chair down and whirling in it like a child for a few seconds. "Then we can make up your face. Some foundation, lipstick, eye make-up…"
"Er…Adam?" Hermione ventured, "Do we really have to do all the make-up? I mean the improvement is really fantastic…and to be honest, I don't want to be a glamour girl. I remember a housemate of mine, a transfer from America who arrived in her sixth year. She was very pretty, but she put on a lot of makeup each morning so she looked…well…perfect. She never let anyone see her without it. Well, she ran out of it one day…it was muggle makeup from America so would take a little while to replace, and although she was very pretty naturally…she looked terrible because she was always perfection. I don't want that to happen to me. I don't think I look bad this way. When my skin clears up, I'll be fine."
Adam looked at her.
"Well, you don't have to wear makeup if you don't want to, but there will be times a touch of it will be necessary, like when you start dating all the randy wizards that will be coming after you," the vampire said smiling. "I'll just give you some basic tips then."
"Thank you, Adam," Hermione said.
Adam studied her.
"You know, you can go back to Hogwarts tonight. You weren't as bad a case as I thought. I had planned to give you some body treatments as well for your skin, but since your problem is food-based, it won't be necessary. But you do need to wear robes that fit you. What you have on is way too big," the vampire said.
Hermione frowned a bit.
"Well, I wear them big because I have big boobs and hips," she said. "I'm short, so it makes me look…well fat," she confided to the vampire.
"Well, we'll take a look after I finish with your hair," Adam said.
Hm. It seemed the witch was caught up in the "skinny is better" line. Most women had a bit of meat on them like they should. Anorexic was not pretty in Adam's estimation. And he had a very good eye.
When the ten minutes were up, Adam rinsed out the conditioner and cast a slight drying spell. He then retrieved a pair of scissors and trimmed just the ends of her hair. It fell over her shoulders, curling and shining.
"Lovely," Adam breathed, spinning Hermione around to see herself. The witch gasped and brought her hand to the mass of curls tumbling down her shoulders. Her hair was really beautiful.
"Oh my gods. I never thought my hair would look like this," she said.
Adam looked at her hair approvingly.
"Honey, witches pay good money to have their hair charmed to get your kind of look. Keep it conditioned and brushed, and your hair will always look like that. No more perms or treatments. You aren't meant for straight hair. Use what the gods gave you, girl," the vampire said, lifting her hair and letting it fall wildly about her shoulders. That hair was going to drive some wizard wild beneath the sheets.
Adam let Hermione exclaim over her hair for a few more minutes, grinning broadly, then got back down to business. He wanted to see her figure.
"All right, stand up," he ordered, his hands on his hips. "Let's see what you're hiding under that blanket of fabric you call a robe."
Hermione stood up and self-consciously unbuttoned her robes, glancing over at Victor, who had finished stocking and was leaning against the shelves with his arms crossed over his chest, watching the two. The vampire had to admit the witch looked a thousand times better than when he first saw her this morning. She really was attractive for a human female. He'd bite her.
Hermione pulled off her robes and stood in front of Adam, whose blue eyes washed over her critically. She was wearing a white t-shirt and jeans underneath, which did fit her properly.
Adam whirled his forefinger.
"Turn around honey," he said.
Hermione did so.
"All right, turn back around," Adam said, one eyebrow arched as he looked at the witch.
He was quiet for a moment. Then he said, "Are you out of your mind? You are absolutely delicious! Why are you hiding your body? Wizards would walk into walls looking at you."
He shook his heads.
"It's always the ones that have it that don't flaunt it," he said disparagingly. "From now on sweetie, you are going to wear clothes that fit you and stop hiding from the world. You have a brain AND a body. It's time to let the world get a gander at it. I'm not saying dress like a slut. You can wear tasteful clothing that flatters your figure. First…put your robes back on."
Hermione did and Adam pulled out his wand again. He cast a spell and the robe tightened slightly, fitting Hermione perfectly. It hung as it should, but her female attributes were apparent. She looked very appealing.
"Now, that is how you are supposed to wear your robes honey. You know how to wear your clothes. Do you ever not wear robes?" Adam asked her, suspecting she didn't.
"No, I always wear robes in public," the witch admitted.
"Well you have to stop that," Adam said.
Hermione blinked at him. She really didn't have that many clothes. Only a couple of pairs of jeans and t-shirts. She didn't even own a dress or skirt. Not to mention shoes. But Adam soon got to the bottom of that, asking her to tell him everything in her wardrobe.
Victor listened and knew immediately Adam was going to have a fit. He believed very much in a large wardrobe.
"No dresses? No skirts or shoes? Oh no. Nonononono! That's never going to do, Hermione. Not at all. Since you aren't going to take the full makeover treatment. There's only one thing to do…go shopping. On me," Adam declared, grabbing the witch by her arm and dragging her out the door before she could say a word of protest.
Victor watched them go, shaking his head. The witch would have quite a selection of clothing by the time Adam got finished with her. The Queen had been the same way with him when he discovered Victor only had the one black suit on his back, the one he had been turned in. Taking Victor's measurements and using a go-between, Adam bought his consort a slew of suits and casual wear, all tailored to fit. Victor had to admit it was nice to be out of that suit. Six centuries was a long time to go without a wardrobe change. Now he had clothing for all four seasons, with color. He was quite pleased with his Queen and showed it. Kindness was a balm for every creature, living or undead.
Adam pulled Hermione into Twillfit and Tatting's, an upscale clothing shop. A tall, thin, white-haired and rather snooty looking witch with gray eyes approached them, looking at Hermione appraisingly. Nice hair, nice figure…now what she was with…dear gods.
"Good afternoon. Welcome to Twillfit and Tattings. How may I help you today?" the witch asked, directing her greeting to Hermione and ignoring the pale, gaudy, fat wizard beside her. Adam scowled. He knew when he was being snubbed.
"You can help us by getting your nose out of the air and showing us to a private room where we can select a complete wardrobe for this young lady," Adam said evenly, his eyes glowing slightly. "I am about to spend quite a few galleons in this shop and I would appreciate some consideration and respect before I take my business elsewhere, Missy," Adam said, placing his hands on his hips.
It took all the Queen's control not to flash his fangs at the woman. Some people just begged to have their throats ripped out.
The witch's eyes lit up at the promise of a large purchase.
"I am so sorry sir if I offended you. I just addressed the young lady because I thought she would be doing the purchasing," the witch said in a simpering voice.
Adam huffed up.
"Well you thought wrong, didn't you?" he sneered at her.
"Yes sir. I most certainly did," the witch responded, trying to keep her big commission from walking out of the door. "You have my very deepest apologies."
"Fine, now show us the room, please," Adam said, his arched brows still furrowed.
The woman led the way to the back of the store and a curtained doorway.
"Through here if you please," she said, pulling the curtain back and letting them enter.
It was a large circular room, ringed with mirrors. Several comfortably upholstered chairs were strategically placed around the room and there was a curtained dressing area and a couple of clothes horses to hang outfits on. A small table was set to the side. The witch pulled out her wand and flicked it at the table. A number of finger foods, a pitcher of pumpkin juice, and a bottle of chilled wine in a bucket of never-melting ice appeared. Glasses, napkins and tiny paper plates appeared as well.
Adam sat down in one of the upholstered chairs. Hermione started to sit, but the witch stopped her.
"Please remove your robes so I can take your measurements for the fitting of your chosen garments," she said.
Once again, Hermione removed her robes…and the witch looked at her curvaceous form appraisingly. She hoped this was not another witch who wanted slutwear.
"What type of clothing are you looking for?" she asked Hermione.
"Um, clothing that is comfortable, flattering and tasteful," she replied.
"What kind?" the witch inquired, dancing a jig inside that she would be able to outfit the witch in proper clothing.
"She needs everything. Casual wear, formal wear, pants, blouses, dresses…the works, honey…the works. Money is no object," Adam said as Hermione looked at him, her eyes wide as saucers.
"But Adam…"she started to protest. Twillfit and Tatting's was the most expensive clothing shop in Diagon Alley.
"Sugarcakes, let me run this show. I am the expert, I hold the cards. I promised you a free makeover. A new wardrobe falls nicely into that category. Let me handle the costs…you handle looking good," Adam said, smiling at the witch.
Adam felt great about this. He had more money than he knew what to do with gaining interest in Gringotts. More than likely whatever he spent on Hermione's wardrobe would be restored in a day or two from all the interest his account was collecting and not to mention his investments. Vashti's treasure trove had been worth millions and Adam shrewdly hired a solicitor to convert it all to galleons, selling off the gold, jewels and valuable items the Queen had collected over the centuries. She had taken her entire treasury with her when she fled her kingdom after her people rebelled and learned how to kill vampires.
The shopkeeper understood now. This witch was being made over. How lucky for her. But she didn't look like she needed much work at all…except maybe some coverage for her skin. But she was pretty enough. What beautiful hair she had.
"Very well. I think it will be best to start with the casual wear and work our way up," the witch said, approaching Hermione with the measuring tape and expertly taking her measurements, storing them in her head.
"You are quite a curvaceous little witch," she said to Hermione, smiling at her. "It will be a pleasure to dress you appropriately and sensibly. Of course, you will still be quite attractive to the menfolk."
Hermione blushed and the witch smiled. Still an innocent it seemed…although Hermione appeared a bit old to be blushing. Well there was probably a story behind the witch that would never be told. She finished measuring Hermione.
"Now, would you prefer to try the clothing on manually, or would you like to be dressed in each outfit magically?" the witch asked.
Hermione thought about this. Dressing and undressing would become old fast. Magically dressing would be much more expedient.
"Magically," Hermione replied.
"Very good," the witch replied, glad of Hermione's choice. The clothing could also be instantly fitted to her measurements this way with a simple session spell.
"I assume you have shoes," Adam said from the armchair. "She doesn't have a single pair of dress shoes. Only trainers."
The witch looked at Hermione with almost a horrified expression on her face.
"No shoes? That will never do. Yes, we have a wide selection…though she will have to start with a low heeled comfortable shoe, although she will look quite fetching in high-heels. She'll have to work her way up to them," the witch said, getting into her role and tapping one long, thin finger against her chin thoughtfully. Hermione was like a blank canvas. Then she realized something.
"My name is Clara," she said, belatedly introducing herself.
"Hermione Granger," Hermione said, smiling at the witch now. She had warmed up considerably from when they entered the store. Clara looked at Adam expectantly.
"Mr. Sweetmeats," Adam said, still miffed about the way he had been received.
Clara nodded and looked at Hermione.
"All right dear, let's get started," she said, smiling at the witch.
Three hours later a dazed Hermione exited Twillfit and Tatting's, Adam practically holding her up. The fitting seemed to go on forever, and the Queen purchased so many clothes and shoes, Hermione had no idea where she was going to put it all. She had actually swooned when Adam charged everything to his account and she heard the final sum. The witch was standing about five feet away when her legs buckled, but Adam was a vampire and could move with blinding speed. He heard the change in Hermione's body as he was paying for the items and quickly zipped to her, catching the witch and helping her to a chair. Clara's mouth dropped open when she saw how quickly the vampire moved, but she didn't say anything.
Adam made arrangements for the wardrobe to be shipped to Hogwarts. The house elves would take care of putting them away.
Now Adam led Hermione to a public apparition point.
"Let's get something to eat," he said, "You're starving."
As a vampire, Adam could tell the physical condition of humans. This ability helped the vampires select their victims. Humans in poor condition weren't very nourishing. Cognizant vampires liked healthy food. Minions would bite anything that moved. Adam saw that Hermione's blood sugar was low, which meant she needed to eat.
They apparated to Hogsmeade and had a late lunch at the Three Broomsticks, Adam's steak so rare that it was practically raw. Hermione had a nice low fat seafood bisque and a salad. That was all she could keep down. The day had been something else. Madame Rosmerta didn't even recognize Hermione at first until she spoke.
"Hermione?" Rosmerta said, amazed.
Hermione nodded.
"You look…look…wonderful!" the innkeeper said, looking her over. Her teeth were fixed, her unibrow gone, her hair was amazing and her robes fit her very flatteringly.
"Thank you," Hermione said, feeling a little out of sorts about the compliment.
Male patrons were also giving the witch the once over, their eyes sliding toward the pale and obviously gay wizard accompanying her.
Rosmerta showed them to a table, still amazed at how pretty the Spell Mistress looked. She had always felt rather sorry for Hermione when she would come to the inn and have a quiet meal alone, maybe a drink or two. No wizards would approach her at all. Well, that was definitely going to change now, if the witch looked like this. Good for her. Wait until those cackling old biddies she worked with got a load of her. They'd lay eggs.
After their meal, Adam walked Hermione to the apparition point.
"Well, Princess…here's where we part ways. Now don't let any of the wizards that hit on you sweep you off your feet. Make them work for it. Keep in mind that you have always been beautiful on the inside and they never saw it. They still won't. All they'll want is the pretty face and banging body. Treat yourself as if you're made of gold, Hermione. Remember to do that. You can go out with them, dance, have dinner…but don't give it up unless you really feel it in here," Adam said, pointing to his heart. "I made that mistake. I was so grateful for attention I gave it up to almost every wizard who approached me…but all they wanted was a quickie…not me. It's a painful thing to go through…being used like that and never being called again, or being ignored the next time you see them. Don't let that happen to you. Promise me, all right?" Adam said, his blue eyes worried as he looked at the witch. Already, there was a little improvement in her skin.
"I promise, Adam," Hermione said, hugging the vampire, "Thank you so much."
Adam's eyes clouded over for a moment, then he regained his composure.
"Now you go back to Hogwarts and knock them off their feet, Hermione Granger," he said to the witch. "You show them what real beauty is."
Hermione thanked Adam again, then disapparated.
The vampire stood there a moment. He felt wonderful.
"Adam, you've done a good thing girl," he said to himself. Then he disapparated back to Diagon Alley and Victor.
They had a totally free afternoon after all.
The Queen was sure they'd find something interesting to do to pass the time.
A crack of thunder announced the arrival of the new Hermione Granger outside the gates of Hogwarts. Filch, who was raking up a huge pile of fallen leaves on the grounds squinted at the sound, dropped his rake and walked to the top of the rise so he could see who was coming in. He was quite a distance away. All he could tell was that it was a woman and a short one. His rheumy eyes tried to focus. He couldn't make out her features but he could make out her shape…and this witch had a shape. He grinned lasciviously. It had been years since the squib could get it up but that didn't keep naughty thoughts from rising up through the cobwebs of his mind.
"Now there goes a real pip," he said to himself, watching Hermione walk toward the castle.
He stood there and waited until she entered then returned to his work. Damn, he'd have to talk to Snape about getting a few Gryffindors out here to help him. The Professor was always helpful in assigning detentions specifically to help the old caretaker out. Filch would throw in cleaning out the thestral stables as extra incentive to the Potions Master. The dark wizard liked nothing better than the idea of Gryffindors up to their elbows in thestral shit.
Hermione entered the castle. There were a few students walking through the main hall. Classes were over for the day, but it would be another hour or so before supper. They glanced at her, not recognizing the Spells Mistress at first and went about their business as she turned down the dungeon corridor. A group of Slytherin witches were walking up the corridor and saw her. A six-year's jaw dropped.
"Spell Mistress?" she said in an incredulous voice, "Is that you?"
Hermione stopped and smiled at the amazed witch.
"Yes it is," she replied.
All of the witches stopped and stared at her, their eyes washing over her hair, eyebrows, mouth and robes.
"Are you…wearing a glamour?" the witch asked her.
"No, I'm not. I just had a bit of a makeover," she said.
"More than a bit," another witch whispered to her friend. "She actually looks pretty, except for her skin…but even that looks better than usual."
Hermione opened her door, said good-bye to the staring students, then entered her rooms and closed the door behind her.
The Slytherin girls looked at each other.
"She looks a million times better. Who would have thought that's how she looked under all that ugly," one third year said as they all started up the hall.
"Looks like Trelawney is now the ugliest female staff member at Hogwarts," another witch said. "She's not going to like that."
The Slytherins all grinned. The Divination teacher was a lot of fun to watch when she got pissed off. Normally she would fume for a bit, glaring at whoever got her goat, the she would retire to the North Tower, get blasted on sherry, then return to start an argument, shored up by liquid courage. A few times she would attempt to duel and Albus stunned her and had her taken back to the North Tower to sleep it off.
The last few times she had performed, it was on their Head of House, Professor Snape. She came striding into the Great Hall through the student entrance, red-faced and staggering slightly as she marched up to the High Table and stood directly in front of Severus, who stopped eating and stared down at her scowling.
"I will nosh be ignored," she hiccupped, her hands on her hips for balance. "I demand you acknowledge me as your wo…wo…witch!"
Severus had pinched his nose and looked at Albus for help. The Headmaster's eyes twinkled back at him.
Severus looked at Sybil.
"You are not nor never will be my witch, Sybil. I want nothing to do with you…now stop embarrassing yourself," the Potions Master replied coldly, returning to his meal.
With surprising speed, Sybil drew out her wand and cast a love spell at the wizard, who dove to the side just in time. It hit the wall and ricocheted, hitting Professor Flitwick, who went all dreamy eyed as he looked at the skinny, bangled witch.
"Headmaster! I demand you do something about this now!" Severus bellowed from beneath the table, scrambling so the witch couldn't get a bead on him. Sybil's wand waved back and forth in an attempt to lock on to the Potions Master.
"Sybil. I must insist you stop this instant," Dumbledore said, grinning at the Potions Master's predicament.
The students were laughing openly. They never saw the dark wizard scrambling for his life before. This wasn't wise, but they weren't thinking of the repercussions at the moment.
Professor Flitwick hopped off his seat and made his way down to the end of the dais, hopped to the main floor and approached Sybil. She was so focused on getting Severus she didn't see the diminutive wizard until he clasped her around both legs.
"I love you, Sybil! Be mine!" the Charms Master declared passionately.
With her legs locked together, the inebriated witch couldn't keep her balance and toppled, the Charms Master landing on top of her legs and climbing up her body, then giving her a passionate kiss that turned the stomach of everyone in the Great Hall. A great groan went up.
"Albus, stop this, please!" Minerva implored, as the Headmaster stared at the scene in front of him, both bushy white eyebrows raised.
He pointed a finger at the couple. Sybil seemed to be getting quite involved in the kiss and wrapped her skinny arms around the wizard. Another deeper collective groan went up as students gagged and covered their eyes. Severus had returned to his seat and watched the scene without expression. He had seen horrible things before after all. Better Flitwick than him.
"Finite!" Albus said, and suddenly the couple froze, their lips still locked as cognizance returned to them. Flitwick blanched as Sybil turned colors.
"Get off me you little troll!" she gasped pushing the Charms Master off her bony body.
"I…I…beg your pardon, Sybil. I have no idea what came over me," the Professor said, flushing.
Filius was mortified. He didn't find the Divination teacher the least bit attractive…and if his wife found out about this…good gods!
All right. That was a rather extreme example of Sybil's antics, but hopefully she would do something equally entertaining when she got a gander at the Spells Mistress. It was common knowledge she targeted the young witch at every turn, making fun of her looks. Well, she wouldn't be able to do that now. So maybe she'd get more physical.
The Slytherins grinned.
They could only hope.
Everyone was in the Great Hall, Albus, the staff and the student body. The only one absent was Hermione.
"She's probably passionately involved with a spells book," Sybil quipped, the other witches tittering.
Albus glowered at the Divinations teacher. Sybil really had a nasty streak when it came to Hermione. Hopefully he'd be there to see her reaction to the witch's makeover.
Severus was busily tucking away a Salisbury steak, mashed potatoes and peas, trying to get out of the Great Hall as soon as possible. He was involved in brewing a potion and so arrived late. He scowled as he ate and glared at the students just for the entertainment value. He didn't notice Hermione wasn't in attendance. He didn't pay attention to things like that.
Suddenly the staff door opened and Hermione walked in. She wasn't wearing robes, having decided to take Adam's advice. She still felt fat, but trusted the vampire's opinion. She wore a pair of cream colored slacks, and a brown and white print blouse and brown patent leather shoes. She had also put on a bit of cover-up for her blotches. Feeling self-conscious, she walked over to her seat and sat down, ordering her food. Severus paused as the scent of jasmine washed over him. One of the few things he liked.
The entire hall went silent, everyone staring at the witch in shock and amazement. Sybil turned several shades of red as her large eyes swept over the now very attractive witch. What was worse, she didn't seem to have on a lick of makeup.
"Is that the Spells Mistress? Where's her unibrow and buck teeth?" the students whispered to each other as a salad appeared in front of Hermione.
Minerva was the first to speak.
"Hermione! What have you done to yourself?" the Transfiguration teacher asked her.
"Well, I won a makeover at the Love Bites beauty shop. They fixed me up," she replied.
Marcus Delaluci stared at the witch incredulously, his violet eyes washing over her curves and hair.
"I'll say," he said to himself.
It was like a miracle. A basilisk turning into a Veela. Marcus unconsciously ran his fingers through his blonde hair.
"They cast a glamour on you didn't they?" sneered Sybil, her brows drawn together.
Hermione scowled back at her.
"Actually, this is all me, Sybil with the exception of a little cover-up on my face until my skin clears," Hermione replied, "I have an allergy to fatty foods."
Sybil's scowl got blacker. This was all Hermione? Damn it. The witch was very attractive and curvaceous.
"You look like you need to lose a few pounds," the Divination teacher said disparagingly, trying to find something about the witch to criticize.
"I don't think so, Sybil," Flitwick piped up. "Most wizards like a witch with meat on her bones."
Sybil glowered at the Charms teacher, and Filius realized his mistake. Sybil was practically all bones wrapped in gauzy fabrics.
"Spells Mistress, you look amazing," Albus Dumbledore beamed at her, "You've always been a lovely witch inside…now your outside reflects that inner beauty. How wonderful for you."
"Thank you, Headmaster," Hermione said.
"Yes, you certainly are a looker now," Marcus agreed, waggling his eyebrows at the witch. "You should go out and celebrate your new look. I'd be happy to escort you."
The wizard was wasting no time. Marcus knew Hermione had little experience with wizards, being that none would come near her before. She was ripe for the pickings. Sybil looked as if she were going to explode as she heard the wizard hit on Hermione. This was awful.
Severus looked at the witch speculatively. It had finally happened. Obviously Hermione's mind had turned from things knowledgeable to things carnal. It probably wouldn't be long until some shallow, handsome wizard had her flat on her back and her heels in the air. Ah well, at least she wasn't loaded down with make-up and guilty of false advertising. He hoped this new look wouldn't distract her from her work on the Mark too much. It was important. It figured this would happen right when the Headmaster assigned him to help the witch. He hated to work with people whose minds were not on their work. Well, he'd make it clear to the Spells Mistress that he expected her to be focused and not waste his time.
He'd heard Marcus hit on the witch. The DA teacher was the randiest male at Hogwarts, and known as a witch's man. Tall, built, blonde-haired and ruggedly handsome, not to mention violet-eyed, the wizard got more pussy than a wizard could shake a broom at. Hermione would probably be another conquest.
Everyone expected Hermione to accept Marcus' offer to escort her out, but the witch looked at him rather coolly.
"I don't think so, Mr. Delaluci," she said evenly, "At least not tonight. But I'll keep your offer in mind, and if I decide I want to go out and have some company, perhaps I'll let you know."
Marcus was a gorgeous wizard, but he never gave her a second look before. Adam's words came back to Hermione as she looked at the smiling, confident wizard. He seemed so certain she would jump at the chance to go out with him. If anyone was going to do any jumping, it was going to be Marcus, not her.
The wizard looked taken aback. She was turning him down? The saucy little chit.
"All right, Hermione," he replied smiling outwardly, but he wore quite a black scowl inside.
At the end of the table, Severus smirked slightly at the Spells Mistress' shooting down of the wizarding world's Don Juan. Maybe she wasn't a complete loss. The Potions Master couldn't stand the smug wizard and was pleased that the man was publicly refused. He should have asked her in private, but no…his ego was too big. Good for the bastard.
Sybil and the other witches looked at Hermione incredulously. She turned down a date? Hermione? Who had never been out with a wizard at all? Obviously, her makeover made her even more stuck on herself. Now she had beauty and brains. The female staff with the exception of Minerva, all frowned at the witch, who ignored them and finished eating her salad. She drank down her pumpkin juice and excused herself, walking confidently from the Great Hall, though her stomach was in knots at being the center of attention. Once outside the Great Hall, the witch slumped against the wall and took a deep breath. That had been something else.
Then she smiled. Things were going to change for her…change for the better. She had faced the school, next…she had to face her parents.
The witch pushed off the wall and headed for her rooms. She felt elated but very, very tired. She was going to get some rest and tomorrow apparate to London and show her parents her new look.
She knew what kind of reception she was going to get, and was ready for it.
That night, Hermione had a dream about Harry. She hadn't written him in ages. The-boy-who-lived now lived in America, taking the position of DA teacher at the Salem School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. He had wanted a change and a new beginning and believed he would find it in another country.
In the dream a great mist surrounded Hermione. She was new and improved, her hair curling, her teeth straight and her eyebrows separated and arched. She was facing Harry and looking directly at him, but he was calling her as if he couldn't see her standing right in front of him.
"Hermione? Hermione, where are you?" the wizard called.
"I'm here, right here Harry!" she shouted at him, but he continued to look around for her.
"Harry, here I am!" she called.
Finally, the wizard's green eyes fell on her somberly.
"You're not the Hermione I know," he said with a sneer and stalked off into the mist, leaving her alone.
Hermione woke up, panting.
"What the hell did that mean?" the witch said to herself.
Hermione had no idea that her deepest fears about her new look were manifesting in her subconscious. She was afraid that those she loved would no longer see her as herself, but as this new witch, her looks overshadowing who she really was. The witch wasn't secure enough to realize that although this might be true for the casual acquaintance, those who loved her would always see beyond her appearance.
She looked at the clock. It was twenty to six. Hermione rolled out of bed to go take a shower and have an early breakfast. The witch didn't feel like being ogled this morning by staff and students. It was going to take a bit of time to get used to being looked at in a positive manner…she was so used to being talked about and made fun of behind her back. She needed to ease her way into the new perceptions about her. No matter how she looked at it, it wasn't going to be easy. She was used to being focused on for her intelligence, but not for her looks.
After her shower, Hermione put on a simple pair of jeans and a blue pull-over sweater. She tied back her curling hair into a pony-tail. Her skin was already noticeably less blotchy, so she passed on the cover-up. She pulled on her white trainers and headed out to breakfast. She was half-way up the dungeon corridor when Severus exited his rooms, also headed for an early breakfast. He saw the witch walking ahead of him, his dark eyes narrowing as he cut his stride so he wouldn't catch up to her. If he did, he'd risk a conversation being started and he had no wish for conversation, particularly this early in the morning.
As he watched Hermione walk, Severus found he definitely preferred her in robes. Her clothing, while not too tight was still a bit distracting. It definitely lent a more…carnal aspect to the witch which was lacking before. He scowled.
Hermione was a witch, and witches all wanted to be perceived as attractive. Up to this point, the Spells Mistress had sort of been his counterpoint. He was perceived as the most unattractive wizard at Hogwarts and Hermione the most unattractive witch. If he gave two flying fucks, Severus could have done a few things to make himself more attractive, but why bother? This way, he was left alone…just how he liked it. Besides, he was comfortable with how he looked, dark, dangerous…unapproachable. It was just the message he wanted to give. Everyone understood this, everyone but that psycho, Sybil Trelawney.
Albus had strictly forbidden Severus to hex, obliviate or slip Sybil any potions.
"Sometimes we have to live with our mistakes," the Headmaster said, nodding his head sagely as the Potions Master glowered at him.
Severus then tried to use the incident as an excuse not to attend any more staff parties…but Albus refused that as well citing all staff had to participate in such functions to keep employee morale up. Severus pointed out that since the incident with Sybil, his morale was practically non-existent. But the Headmaster wouldn't budge on the issue.
Severus suspected the old wizard simply enjoyed watching him go through trial after trial with the deluded witch. There was nothing about her the Professor found the slightest bit interesting or arousing. First, she was an idiot and a fraud, two things Severus despised. Secondly, she was too tall and too blasted skinny. He had no idea how he didn't come up injured by all her sharp joints. Again the wizard shuddered as he turned into the main hall. He'd have to stop thinking about Sybil if he wanted to keep his breakfast down.
He entered the Great Hall to find Hermione seated and waiting for her breakfast. With a billow of robes he took his own seat and ordered his meal. They sat there silently waiting for their meals to appear. Severus couldn't help but notice Hermione made no attempt to greet him this morning. That was distinctly out of character for the witch. He never answered her greetings but had become accustomed to them just the same.
Their meals arrived. Severus was surprised to see there was no big greasy sausage on the witch's plate. She had scrambled eggs, toast and jam and one thin slice of lean ham. Not that he was ever really interested in what Hermione ate, but watching her sink those buck teeth into the sausage casing used to give him the heebie jeebies from time to time, and his legs would reflexively clench together. It might have been interesting to watch her consume the sausage now that her teeth were fixed.
Suddenly the double doors opened and Sybil walked in, all gauze, bangles and glare as she looked up at the dais and saw Severus and Hermione sitting there eating. They were almost at opposite ends of the High Table, but still…they were there together. Her Potions Master and that succubus-in-the-making.
She mounted the dais and walked slowly past Severus, letting her finger trail across his shoulder seductively.
"Good morning, Severus," she purred.
"Blast it, woman! How many times do I have to tell you NOT to touch me!" the Potions Master bellowed.
Hermione was startled by the wizard yelling and dropped the eggs she was about to bring to her mouth. Sybil looked quite unaffected by his screaming at her.
"Misplaced aggression," she said to herself, and scowled as she approached Hermione.
The witch looked very good and was dressed quite casually, her curly hair drawn back in a rather fetching pony-tail and her clothing accentuating every curve. The Potions Master had to notice how curvy the young witch was. Sybil sat down in her seat and ordered breakfast, then she looked at Hermione for a moment before addressing her in her hollow "seer" voice, which heralded a prediction.
"Hermione Granger, I see you in the next few months pregnant and abandoned after a lewd and lustful night with a dark wizard," Sybil intoned. "He will be one of many, many wizards you have taken to your bed of naughtiness."
"My…my bed of naughtiness?" Hermione replied, bursting into laughter at the very idea.
"Do not laugh, witch…you'll only anger the Fates!" Sybil said, her hollow voice taking on an edge.
Hermione gulped down her laughter long enough to ask Sybil who the dark wizard was. For a moment, Severus was tempted to say to both witches, "Me."
Hermione would have been shocked but Sybil would have gone into conniptions of wrath. He would have enjoyed seeing it. But the Potions Master said nothing. Instead he slowed his eating. This was relatively entertaining.
"I cannot see who he is, but he is of unsuitable character…of course," the witch said, making her voice rise and fall. "The lowest of the low. Despicable."
Hermione leveled her eyes at the witch.
"Sybil, why do you dislike me so much? What have I ever done to you?" Hermione asked the Divination teacher.
Hell, that went back to her third year at Hogwarts when she dropped divination in front of the entire class. Even then Sybil was jealous of the witch's intelligence. Sybil was one of those witches who was dissatisfied with everything about her life, feeling her own accomplishments and person were overshadowed unfairly by others. When Hermione returned to Hogwarts, her unattractiveness was like a balm to the witch. An innocent target for her bitterness. Putting Hermione down was Sybil's favorite pastime…it kept the witch's negative features at the fore, rather than her brilliance. In other words, Sybil felt able to take the witch down a peg in other's eyes, and it made her feel powerful and important to be able to do so. Hermione had no one to defend her from the teacher, although one would have thought Minerva would do or say something instead of remaining silent, or tittering along with the others.
Minerva, for all her sharpness and bite, was considered an old spinster, though she was the lover of Albus Dumbledore for more than thirty years. They never married because that would make the witch the target of Albus' enemies. She had cared deeply for Hermione when she was in her charge, but she was a grown witch now, and had to deal with life for herself. Plus, Minerva as strong as she appeared, wanted to be accepted and part of the clique. Standing up for Hermione would most likely get her ostracized from the other staff members, and her own shortcomings become fodder for their mean-spirited comments. No one wanted to be without friends, after all…even friends as flighty and gossipy as Sybil and the rest of the staff.
Sybil leveled her large eyes at Hermione, and adjusted her glasses.
"You think too much of yourself, that's why. Not having to teach classes. Piling up honor after honor. Getting public recognition for your work. You make others look bad," the witch sneered, "That's why I don't like you. You're a show-off."
Severus looked over at Sybil. The jealous, covetous old bitch. He shook his head, hoping Hermione would show some backbone and light into the witch.
Hermione stared at Sybil.
"I am not a show-off, Sybil. I simply do the work I was trained to do and do it well. I can't teach Spell Creation to Hogwarts students. It is a university course and every student has to be licensed to participate. As far as the honors go, that can't be helped if I am successful with the work I do. I don't understand how you think my success in some way affects you or makes you look bad. It has nothing to do with you, Sybil. You are a Divinations teacher…you shouldn't feel any way about my Spells work," Hermione said, frowning at the witch. "I work in order to bring extra income to Hogwarts, income that allows our school to keep giving our students a quality education as well as pay your salary. Not to mention to find solutions to the magical problems that plague the wizarding world. How can you be jealous about that? This isn't about personal glory or gain, Sybil. It is my life's work. I studied very hard to work in this field."
Sybil frowned at her.
"I don't care. To me you are and will always be a pompous, ugly little show-off," the witch sniffed.
"And you will always be a fraud," Hermione spat back, angry now. "A bangled, scrawny, delusional fraud who has nothing but jealousy boiling inside you. You'll never be happy, Sybil until you accept life on its own terms and realize it doesn't work the way you think it should."
Sybil's mouth went into a round "O" at the younger witch's comment.
"How…how dare you speak to me in such a manner!" Sybil said indignantly. But Hermione wasn't finished yet. She wanted to hurt the witch.
"The perfect example of how delusional you are is sitting right at the end of this table," the witch continued.
Severus, who had been lifting a spoonful of oatmeal to his mouth, froze.
"You think just because of one drunken tryst, the Professor belongs to you, even though he's told you publicly and I imagine privately that he wants NOTHING to do with you. Instead of accepting him at his word, you constantly plague him, try to cast love spells on him and generally make a pain in the ass of yourself, not to mention subject the rest of us to your mad delusions. You refuse to see the truth right in front of your face, Sybil. How do you expect me to take anything you say to me seriously? I've worked on myself Sybil, you need to do the same…inside. Find some peace for gods' sake and stop blaming everyone else for your shortcomings!"
Hermione pushed her plate away, rose and started walking swiftly from the dais, her back turned toward Sybil. She didn't see the witch draw her wand.
But Severus did.
Her eyes glittering madly, Sybil rose and started to cast a truly unforgivable curse. Severus' eyes widened and he drew out his own wand, startling Hermione who turned around to see Sybil standing up, her face contorted with hatred.
"Take this, you little bitch!" the witch screamed, pointing her wand at Hermione.
"Cruc…"
That was as far as she got.
"Expelliamus!" Severus shouted, blasting Sybil across the dais and into the wall, just as several students entered.
Hermione hugged herself, trembling. Sybil had been about to cast the Cruciatus curse on her.
And Professor Snape had saved her.
The wizard pocketed his wand, stood up and walked down the dais to the fallen witch, checking her vitals. She was still alive. He picked up her wand.
Well, Hermione had effectively solved his Sybil Trelawney problem. The witch was out of Hogwarts and destined for Azkaban. It was her own fault. He looked at Hermione.
"Go get Poppy and Albus," Severus said to the witch.
Hermione nodded and hurried out of the Great Hall and to the nearest floo. She couldn't believe what had just happened. The witch had tried to really, physically hurt her.
What a morning this turned out to be.
A/N: Wow. Sybil went off the deep end, but Severus came to the rescue. Whew. Please review.