Note: Sorry my posting of the story has been slower. I just joined college and I'm trying to get things done there and here. I hope your not too mad.
Also thank you so much to the people who favorite and review my story. I really didn't think people would find this interesting. I'm happy that it is considered interesting! It makes me happy :3
Chapter 8
The seasons came and went. There was close to a foot and a half of snow on the ground, and the castle was mostly vacant because of the holidays. All of the kids that remained in the school were children who either couldn't go home because their parents were gone elsewhere for the vacation, or they didn't want to go home. She, on the other hand, had no home to go even if she had wanted to go home.
The students who decided to stay behind during the vacations were taken to a small village near the school called Hogsmeade. It was said to be historic and fun, but because each student needed a signature from a parental guardian of some sort, she was yet again, out of luck. She didn't mind though, she never didn't like field trips. She had more important things to do at the school then oogle some sweets in a candy shop, or test some prank magical items that explode in people's faces or love potions to make someone fall in love with you. She didn't want that at all.
She wandered the halls, looking at the portraits, greeting them as she walked by. She enjoyed talking to the portraits but after a while their conversations began to get boring. They didn't have much to say because they didn't experience much with their inability to travel. She was half tempted to go and talk to Snape when a dark figure appeared behind her, it's shadow casting over her. She whirled around shocked, not expecting to see the grey haired headmaster.
"Ah, Ellenyx Fairbourne. How are you?" He smiled at her, his kind eyes sparkling behind his half-moon glasses.
"Ah, Albus Dumbledore," She squeaked. "G-good, how are you s-sir?"
"I'm doing fair so far." He smiled. "Are you enjoying your vacation?" He questioned.
"For the most part. It gets kind of boring though with no one to talk to." She admitted.
"No friends stayed behind for you to talk to?" He looked at her surprised, starting to walk, heading through the halls. She followed him, glad that she had another human to talk to. Hermione had gone home to her family, Ron had stayed behind with Harry and were at Hogsmeade enjoying their time off with window shopping.
"I don't have many friends sir." She looked at her feet as she walked, kicking a pebble that had been dragged in down the hall. "Lately, most of the others have seen fit to call me names. I don't know whether to take offense to them or not though." She explained. "I don't know what they mean."
"Hmm, name calling?" He looked off down the hall, his eyes misty as he mused over it. "Which names are they?"
"Well," She blinked, thinking hard on it. "A Mudblood, and a Squib? They sound stupid to be perfectly honest." She cocked an eyebrow, wanting to snicker at the sound of them.
"Ah yes, they are indeed names to be offended by. Although none of them are true." He looked at her. "A Mudblood is a witch or wizard born to Muggle parents. None magical parents, if you don't know what a Muggle is yet." She nodded, looking at him, her forehead crinkled. "And a Squib is a Muggle born to magical parents. Which I'm sure, you're not." He stopped, causing her to come to an abrupt stop.
"I'm not sure sir," She bit her lip, thinking on it. She hadn't used her wand at all for the entire time she was there. Most of the time she either spent unconcious during her classes or was excused from them because of her lack in ability to use magic. She'd gotten her wand the same night she found the letter that stated she'd be watched by Albus Dumbledore. It came with the letter, said it was hers but it hadn't worked for her yet. "I haven't used magic since I got here sir, I haven't even tried." She admitted.
"No Magic? None at all?" He seemed like he was becoming more and more curious with her.
"None, except for potions, but that's about it."
"Well, that could possibly be a problem, seeing how you are at a school for young wizards and witches, but that is a problem best dealt with later. I have come to tell you that I have taken the liberty in finding you a job." He smiled. Her jaw dropped a bit, her eyes wide.
"A-a Job sir? Where?" She wasn't sure if it was good or bad for him to have found a job for her. And where she'd be working was another thing.
"Hogsmeade, a new tavern that opened up. I hear that they are hurting for barmaids and I instantly thought of you." He flashed her a look. "Of course, you don't have to take it. It will be a good source of income for you to be able to afford next year's books, clothes and you'll be right in Hogsmeade, so whatever else your heart desires." His smile stretched farther. "You'll find that your work clothes are upstairs on your bed if you wish to work there. Because of your job curfew will not apply to you, so I will tell Severus not to deduct points from Slytherin if you are found out and about after midnight."
"Will I have to be escorted back and forth?" She was confused, expecting her to need to be escorted by at least on professor. She didn't mind the thought of having someone to talk to and walk with while she was heading to and from work, but interrupting the teachers busy schedule just to walk her to a bar day after day seemed unfair to the professor.
"No, when you work nights you will be escorted by Hagrid." Her face warped at that.
"Sir, I'm sorry but, I don't think I can let Hagrid escort me back, I have a-"
"Phobia against Giants." He finished for her. "I know, I was told." She bit her lip, frowning, feeling kind of ashamed. "It's nothing you should be ashamed of Nyx, we all have our fears, but I hear that while free, and in the dark you'll spend less time noticing them." He smiled, winking. "How are you sleeping, by the way?" He started walking again.
"Sleeping?" She looked at him confused as she followed, being sure to keep up to him. Although he was old, his pace was rather brisk.
"Yes, I heard that you were waking up rather depressed and tired," He stared off ahead of him as he walked.
"Well, I don't exactly have the best sleep." She admitted, running her fingers through her red hair. "I…well…could really use a potion or a magical spell to help me sleep." She trailed off, thinking about the Amare Somnium potion, and young Severus. Her cheeks turned a slight red as she thought about him, feeling depressed that she'd never see him again. If only she could…
"Sometimes the best dreams aren't remembered when we awaken. Even without dreams though the best sleep is the deepest sleep." He mused. "Oh, here's something for you," He stopped and slid his hand deep inside his pocket. Coming to a stop she watched as he almost slid his arm into his pocket before pulling out a small box. "Here, Happy Christmas." He smiled. "You'll find that, even the smallest sound can wake you from a deep sleep." Turning he made his way back up the way they came. She thumbed the small box in her hand, turning it over and over again.
"Thank-" She turned around but he was gone. Biting her lip a bit she made her way down the hall again, looking down at the box. This was the first time she'd ever gotten a present. It was shocking to hold it in her hand, and she felt stupid for not thanking him before he left. I'll do it the next time I see him. She thought as she headed for the stairs. She was excited to have a job. Back before she entered Hogwarts she was working for nearly 6 dollars an hour under the table at a local restaurant. It wasn't much, but it was still more money coming in than what a child babysitting for a few hours. And it got her out of the house and for the most part kept her fed.
Entering the girls dormitory she spotted on her bed an amazing barmaid outfit. It had a tank top style shirt that had frill on the shoulders, a high neck with a cravat in which the high collared shirt tucked down over it, the Cravat holding the place of a tie. The tank top was a button up until it got just below the breasts where it turned into a normal shirt. A couple strips of fabric hung from the sides to be tied around the waist into a bow on the back. Towards the bottom it came down into two points where the shirt would open up if it were a button up shirt, looking like the back of a Sparrow tailed tail-coat. With it came a skirt that was frilly with trims of lace at the bottom of it. It was a short skirt, coming down to her fingertips as she let her arms rest as her sides. What set her off a bit was the garter belt and the thigh high stockings that were white with lace at the top and Mary Jane styled shoes.
There was even an apron and a name tag with her name on it written in fancy Dark Blue lettering. Next to the outfit was a letter with neat hand writing on it. Placing her present on the bed next to her work clothes she lifted the letter, reading it.
Dear Ellenyx Fairbourne,
We have heard from Headmaster Albus Dumbledore that you are living here at Hogwarts,
Your vacations are full of pacing the corridors,
And your school days spent talking to teachers, more in particular, Severus Snape.
Feeling horrible for your misfortune –talking to Severus all the time-
I have offered you a job at my new Tavern here in Hogsmeade.
You will be offered full benefits and free meals when needed,
During the school day,
You will not be asked to work midnights unless you feel you want to take them on.
If you accept this job offer, please get dressed into your barmaid outfit –Albus will give it to you-
And come on down.
I have included a small map of Hogsmeade with the location of the Tavern.
You are looking for The Dancing Dragon.
I hope to see you very soon.
~Aeriellus Liechstrum
She felt herself smile and turned the page over. On the other side was a map of where she was, and the small tavern. Placing the map and letter back on the bed she grabbed the bottom of her shirt and hiked it up, tossing it onto the bed followed by her skirt, socks and shoes. The shirt was made out of a thin silky feeling material and slid down smoothly as she put it on. It seemed almost as it if it was tailored perfectly to her body, but the only thing she didn't appreciate was the breast space of the shirt. It made them look bigger and more full, and her breasts were big enough as it is, she didn't need them popping out. Grabbing the Garter belt she grimaced a bit then slid into it, pulling it up around her waist. There were straps attached to it where she could hook her stockings to so they wouldn't fall down.
"I guess it's considerate." She commented out loud. Sliding the stockings on she pulled them up and clipped them to the garter, feeling oddly like a stripper. Shuttering she quickly slid into the short skirt and shoes. Grabbing her apron she tied it around her waist and threw her present into one of the large pockets. The lump where it made an imprint in it disappeared almost instantly, making her double check to make sure it didn't fall out, but when she stretched the pocket open, there it was, snug and safe amongst the confines of cloth.
Grabbing her map and letter she headed out of the dorm-room and headed for the door. As she reached for the doorknob it opened and in came a familiar figure which slammed to a halt the moment he saw her.
"Well well well, if it isn't Nox." The sneering blonde snickered, standing in her way.
"Malfoy." She stiffened up.
"You look…" He stopped, looking down at her clothes, his eyes stopping for a minute or two on her breasts, his eyebrows raising. "Like a slave." He added.
"It's called a job Malfoy, something honest, hardworking people with a back bone have to endure. I mean, we can't have daddy pay for everything for our entire lives can we?" she responded with a sneer of her own.
"A job? You call dressing in an apron a job?" He laughed, cocking an eyebrow.
"Someone has to cut the lunch meat." She smiled at him.
"You're right, someone has to serve me." He replied with a twisted snicker. Rolling her eyes she shifted, crossing her arms.
"Will giving you a blow job get you off my ass for the rest of my time here?" He stared at her shocked, his jaw dropping. "Because I'm willing to snog your bobby if you'll stop treating me like crap. I've done nothing to deserve your abuse, and I don't appreciate it."
"Wash your hair and I'll treat you better." He added sarcastically. Snarling she grabbed him and slammed him against the wall. Forcing her hand into his collar bone she grabbed a fistful of her hair and shoved it against his face, grinding it into his cheek, lips and nose.
"SMELL IT!" She shrieked. "FEEL IT! DOES IT FEEL FILTHY TO YOU YOU LIMP DICKED LITTLE BASTARD!" He started shaking, a look of horror on his face as he pinched his eyes closed tightly. All he could feel was her knuckles grinding his lips against his teeth as her silky hair grazed across his cheek and neck. The smell of something sweet filling his nostrils as his nose was bent to the side from the force of her hand. Letting go she stepped back. Panicking he slid away from her and made his way back out the door, running as fast as he could. She stared at the floor as the sound of his footsteps faded. That was great. She'd lost her cool and ended up fighting with someone. If she could have been expelled she was sure that would win her ticket number one that year.
Rubbing her forehead she turned and headed out the door. She had a migraine. Great, another token for a great day. She got a job, punched Malfoy in the face and now was going to be starting a job in a noisy bar with a migraine. She moved quickly, not wanting anymore confrontation from any other student that stayed behind. She headed for the door, wrapping her robes around her; she slipped out into the snow. Pulling her long red hair into a bun she moved quickly through the snow towards Hogsmeade. Pulling the map open she saw a red line draw itself across the map, winding through the streets, showing her the quickest path to the Tavern. Her name hovered over where she was currently and moved as she did.
Entering the town she looked around. Quite a few students were there shopping. Not wanting to be spotted she pulled the hood up on her robes and continued looking around for the Tavern. She spotted Ron and Hermione outside of one of the buildings, standing by the door, and wondered what they were doing. Hermione was supposed to be at home with her parents, wasn't she? Shrugging it off she pressed on.
The Dancing Dragon was located on the far end of the town. It was a big building with very ritzy looking signs around it. She was almost too nervous to enter, but something in the back of her mind –or behind her- gave her a shove in through the door. Everyone stopped as she came in, staring at her. Carefully she pulled down the hood, looking around nervously. An old man came around the counter with a kind smile and rested his hand on her shoulders.
"Ellenyx, right?" He smiled. She nodded slowly. "Good, good, I was hoping you'd come. Come on in dear, come on in and I'll set you right to work. You've had experience in the past, yes?" He looked at her. Again she nodded. "Good, Albus told me you were an excellent listener, very good at hearing mumbles. Of course I would be too if I had to talk to Severus for prolonged hours at a time." He laughed. She smiled, trying not to giggle. "He recommended you to me because you have a knack for handling angry people calmly and diligently."
"Another skill I learned from talking to the professor I'm afraid." She replied, nodding. He laughed loudly, a few other people who over heard them laughing as well.
"Good, good, perfect skill for handling drunks." He took her behind the counter and gave her the tour. "This is the liquor cabinet, all of the drinks are named with these tags below," He pointed to little name tags under the bottle of liquor. "We don't do anything too fancy with them, here's a list of mixed drinks, of course most of the time our customers ask for plan drinks, but things like Bloody Baron's, Sobbing Sailors, or Moaning Maidens are listed here, what they're made with, how to make them, so on and so forth. This is also a restaurant, and sometimes people bring their families in. This area right here is the bar, the family section is right through that door." He leaned over the bar, pointing at a fancy looking door. "Sometimes you'll be required to wait on families in that section and customers in the bar. We usually don't have any more than two or three barmaids working at a time. You can offer to show them prices of their drinks or give them menu cards if they don't know what they want.
"These are the menus for the food." He pulled up a ritzy looking menu with deliciously prepared foods. "All you have to do is fill out their order, write the table number, bring it over here," He walked over to slot in the wall just big enough to slide a small suit case through. "Slip in the ticket, wait a few minutes and then it'll be done. Like this," He grabs a ticket and writes on it. Leaning over his shoulder she sees that he's writing a very undetailed meal ticket. A cold turkey sandwich and a handful of French fries. Smiling he turned and slid the ticket in. She watched in wonder. After a minute a plate slid out with his name on it. She smiled as he took it and popped a French fry in his mouth. "It's very useful." He smiled. "Oh! Don't be surprised if you see some of your professors in here. Sometimes they enjoy a drink. Well, I'm going to let you at it, you'll know when your shift ends, one of the girls will tell you." Turning he walked by her and carried his plate off into the next room, leaving her to figure out where to begin.
The door opened, a light airy jingling bell alerting he of a new customer. She smiled at the man who just came in. A barmaid with short blonde hair walked over to him and showed him to a table. She seemed to be the only one working in that section of the bar. A couple seconds later the door opened again and in came an older woman. She had a long drawn face with wrinkles but kind eyes. Walking around the bar counter she greeted the woman with a courteous bow and a bright smile.
"Hello ma'am, welcome to the Dancing Dragon, my name is Ellenyx and I'll be your barmaid for today." She found herself repeating a typical greeting from the restaurant she worked in back home. "If you'll follow me I'll show you to your table." She turned and headed for a nice table towards the back, knowing that back home a lot of the older people wanted to look out the window. Not sure if wizards or witches were the same she went on instinct.
"Thank you deary, this is a wonderful spot." She commented, sitting down slowly, smiling at her.
"Can I interest you in a meal or would you just like a drink for today?" She pulled a the pad of meal tickets out that the owner used to show her how they worked and got ready to write it down.
"Oh just a brandy will do dear." She smiled. "It's cold outside and a nice brandy will warm me up nicely." She looked up with a twinkle in her eyes. Smiling Nyx nodded and wrote it down.
"One brandy coming up. I'll be back in a minute." Turning she quickly headed to the bar and looked for the cups. On the second shelf behind the counter was collection of glasses and under each glass was a list of what drinks it was used for. Grabbing a Brandy glass she filled it and brought it back to the old lady. "Here you go ma'am" She smiled, the woman took it, patting her arm gently as she sipped at it.
"Thank you dear." Turning a man at a table called her over. Heading over Nyx smiled and bowed lightly.
"Can I help you sir?" She greeted.
"I asked for another drink about 10 minutes ago. The lady took my glass and hasn't come back." He explained, seeming rather ticked off.
"I'm sorry sir, what was it you ordered?"
"A whiskey, is that so damn hard to get?" He snapped.
"No sir, I'm sorry for the inconvenience, I'll get it for you in just a second." Turning she started for the bar and grabbed the glass for the whiskey. Another customer came in and waited to be seated as she brought the angry man's drink to him. "One second sir," She said to the man who'd just come in, then turned and smiled at the one she gave the whiskey to. "Here you go sir, if you'd like a refill just flag me down."
"Thanks." He replied, taking his drink. Turning she walked over and greeted the man who'd just come in the same way she greeted the old woman.
"Welcome to the Dancing Dragon sir, my name is Ellenyx and I'll be your barmaid for this evening. Please follow me." Turning she led the man to another spot in the bar and removed her pad of meal tickets. She waited for the man to sit down before she asked him what he wanted. "Can I interest you in a meal or just a drink this afternoon?" She smiled.
"A meal would be nice." He replied with a stern face. Nodding she quickly turned and grabbed a menu from behind the bar, making her way back to him. She placed it in front of him just as a family came in through the door.
"I'll give you a couple minutes to decide, sir, I'll be right back." All he did was nod. Turning she went to the family and bowed. "Welcome to the Dancing Dragon, my name is Ellenyx and I'll be your barmaid for this evening. Please follow me to the family section." She turned and headed towards the back. She grabbed four menu's on the way back and waited for the family to sit down before handing them their menus. "Can I get you anything to drink while you're waiting?" She looked at them pulling out her pad. The mother of the group nodded and looked up.
"Yes, can I have one Oolong tea, two pumpkin juices and a coffee?" Nyx wrote it down and nodded, smiling.
"Of course, I'll be back in a few minutes to see if you're ready to order." Nodding the mother went back to her menu. Nyx looked around and saw that there was no other barmaid waiting on tables. Heading back to the man with the menu in the bar she took down his order and returned with his food a few minutes later before checking on the family in the family room. As time went on, she soon found herself taking care of every table in the house the other barmaid that had been there being empty. By the time it was time to close –which was well after her shift- she was horridly exhausted and could barely stand.
Plopping down on a chair after the doors were locked up she let her head fall back. She had worked well past the time she was assigned and wasn't sure what to do with her tips. She'd received almost 10 Galleons and she wasn't sure if she was allowed to keep them or not, so instead she put all of the money into the cash register, locked it up and headed out after putting the chairs up and cleaning the floors.
She left the bar about 2 in the morning and made her way back to the castle. The night air was freezing, and the streets were dark, people asleep or not home because of the holidays. Rubbing her hands, she began to feel this tickle up her spine as if she were being followed. Not feeling safe she began to walk briskly. Behind her the sound of the snow crunching caused her to break out in a full run, slipping a bit as she rounded corners. She'd managed to stay on her feet for the most part, but when she got within eye sight of the castle she stepped wrong and slid to the ground. Behind her laughter rang out in the darkness.
"Scared Nox?" She stopped, a rush of embarrassment flushed over her, but worst of all, anger.
"What the hell are you doing sneaking up on me you little rich ba-"
"Watch, your tongue, girl." A deeper voice interrupted her. Turning, she saw standing beside the short blonde haired boy was a taller man with long bleach blonde platinum hair, slicked back in dark robes with a cane. He was gorgeous.
"What are you doing here, Malfoy." She rephrased, pushing herself to her knees, looking at him.
"This is the girl you were talking about, Draco?" the older man questioned. Draco nodded, snickering.
"This is her." He replied. Walking over the man kneeled down in front of her and grabbed a handful of her hair, dragging his hand down it as if he were testing to see how filthy it was.
"You're right Draco, she's quite filthy." He replied, looking deep into her eyes. His cocky smile started vanishing the longer he stared into her eyes, finding it hard not to feel trapped in them. "What…did you say your name was?" He whispered.
"I didn't say what my name was sir, if you want to know my name then you can ask your son who seems to be very inclined to talk about me." She replied. "He's a rather abusive person by the way, you should really ground him."
"Abusive?" His eyebrows bounced at the word, his nose inches from hers. She nodded, noticing how close he was.
"I was right, wasn't I?" She whispered, smiling as she looked down at his lips.
"About what?" he pulled his hand back from her hair.
"Your family has no sense of personal space. Your son gets this close to me when he insults me." She leaned forward, returning her eyes to his, stopping when the tips of their noses touched. "Do you know how painful it is being told you were a disgusting varmint two inches from your face sir?" She whispered, her warm breath grazing across his lips and chin. He kept his eyes on hers, the only thing changing on him was the speed at which his breath came and left and his fast paced heart. Pulling away he forced a faint snicker, looking down at her. "Well if your son isn't going to introduce us. My name is Ellenyx Fairbourne." She replied, forcing herself to be as polite as she could, her knuckles and legs which were resting in the snow starting to freeze.
"Lucius Malfoy." He replied stiffly. He didn't have much of a comeback for her question, and so far she could tell that even though they seemed different, they were very much the same. The only difference was Lucius knew when to keep his mouth shut and not to argue. "Come on Draco, we need to get you back to the school." He walked by her, not offering to help her up or even addressing her anymore. She could tell that this was his way of brushing her off. His way of saying he was better than her. She sat there as Malfoy followed his father off into the dark, starting to shiver from the cold. It was a good three or four minutes before she pushed herself up, running her fingers through her hair. She noticed that it smelt different. Grabbing it she pushed it to her nose. The scent was a mixture of her shampoo and a leather like smell. Grimacing she dropped her hair back down so it hung to her hips and started walking again. She'd have to take a shower when she got back to get the smell out.
She got to the castle at about 2:30 and headed up to the dorm room. Grabbing her pj's and towel she headed back down to the bathrooms. She was exhausted but she didn't mind. She didn't have to be to work the next morning until the afternoon. Hanging her clothes up on the hooks by the showers she stripped, placing her work clothes into a bag to be brought back to the room when she was finished. Climbing in she turned the water on and smiled as she allowed the water to warm up against her legs and hips. Turning she got the back of her hair wet, submerging a little longer than shoulder length down in water. A loud hissing noise made her jump as the smell of burnt hair filled the room. Gasping she whirled around and shut the shower off.
Jumping out of the shower she grabbed her towel and quickly dried her hair off as quick as she could. Looking in the mirror she pulled her hair over her shoulder. Where it had come in contact with the water shriveled and melted together. Her eyes started watering as she looked at the thick, disgusting ball of melted fibers.
"No," She cried. "No not my hair!" She shrieked. Her hair was one of her favorite features. Because it was soft and silky looking. Her top favorite were her eyes. She always kept her hair long because when it was short she felt she looked like a mutant. It made her look shorter in her eyes. It must have been some potion, or hex that he put on her. She tried to untangle it to fix it but it was too melted together. "Those assholes." She sobbed, hiding her face in the palm of her hands. What was she going to do? She couldn't untangle the mess, or wash it out without making it worse, and becoming bald was one of her fears.
She began pacing the floor, crying. A tear hit a strand of hair, making it crinkle. Crying out she pulled her hair back and wiped at her eyes. What was she going to do? She doubted there was anyone who could negate that potions effects…
Snape. She stopped. He was known as the potions master, if he couldn't negate it he could at least help her grow her hair back after the necessary shaving. Grabbing her Pjs she grabbed her clothes and headed down the hall, her bare feet slapping against the stone as she walked briskly. She trudged through the snow as she made her way over to the section of the building with the potions room, praying he'd be in there. Her legs and feet froze almost instantly on contact with the frozen substance but she ignored it, trying to keep her crying quite so as not to attract any attention.
Stopping outside the potions room, her toes red, her thighs white from the cold bite of the air, she knocked on the door. "Please, answer." She cried, adjusting her shorts and shirt. No one answered. "Please!" She knocked again, crying harder. Still no one answered. "Snape!" She cried out, the potion in her hair starting to burn her scalp as the melting snowflakes that landed in her hair activated its burning properties. Turning she made a run down the hall, running the corridors, hoping she'd come across him, she even checked his potions room. He was nowhere to be found. Stopping she leaned against the wall crying. Her shoulders and back were burning, her heart fluttering with panic as her hair and skin slowly fried and popped. Letting her legs sit out straight she wailed, the pain worse than the potion that exploded in her face. A light lit the hallway about 9 feet from her, coming up on her.
"Miss Fairbourne?" Snape questioned, his forehead crinkled. He looked down on the crying girl, wondering why she was there, until she smelled it. The smell of burning hair, and flesh. Looking up, her eyes red from crying and her cheeks wet she whimpered.
"I need you. It's burning my head." She cried. He wasn't sure what she was talking about until he focused on the frayed melted hair. Rushing forward he grabbed her arm and her stuff, walking her down the hallway.
"How long have you had it in your hair?" He questioned unlocking his classroom door.
"About an hour sir." She cried, itching her head to get rid of some of the irritation.
"Sit," he pointed a wand at a chair, bringing it over for her to sit with her back to his teachers chair. She obeyed and sat in the chair. Sitting he pulled himself up right behind her and grabbed the now hard, crumbling burnt hair. It had the texture of melted, burnt plastic and smelt no better. "I've seen this potion before." He commented, pulling his hands back. "It's simply called the hair burning potion. It was meant to defend yourself against large hair covered animals long enough to devise plans or to kill them." He explained. "It was banned for animal use because of how inhumane it is. To use it on a person is a form of torture." He turned and lit his Bunsen burner. "Who did this, and I want the truth." He looked at her sternly, turning her chair around so she could see how serious he was being.
"I…I can't tell." She whispered. Leaning forward her cupped her face looking deep into her eyes.
"Miss Fairbourne, it is against the rules to use Veritaserum on a student but I will if I must. This is the second form of torture you've endured since coming to Hogwarts. Tell me." He demanded. She looked into his eyes, her heart pounding. All she could see when she looked into those eyes were the eyes of the sweet boy by the water. Looking down she inhaled deeply and let it back out, her breath blowing his hair back a bit.
"It was Draco Malfoy who blew my potion up in my face, and it was Lucius Malfoy who put the potion in my hair sir." She admitted. He didn't move or respond for at least a minute or two before he slowly let go, sitting back.
"Mister Malfoy and his father." He mused, sounding a bit amused, but there was something else in his voice that she couldn't quite put her finger on. "Why would Lucius Malfoy do something like this, he's not a child, Miss Fairbourne." He replied, looking at her as if he didn't believe her.
"Because he's all about making his little girl happy I suppose." She shot back, her jaw tight. "He didn't seem much higher on the maturity level than his son did. He's a gutless coward with no sense of personal space." She muttered.
"Yes, I can't disagree with that." He turned and began to throw things into the cauldron he placed over the burner, mixing it very carefully. "You're a smart girl Miss Fairbourne." He commented after a few minutes of silence as he looked over his potion.
"Why do you say that sir?" She sniffled, still very upset over her hair as she picked at the burnt skin on her shoulders.
"You came to me instead of trying to wash it out of your hair or fix it on your own." He turned the burner off and stood up. Walking over to a large golden bowl with a long hook styled faucet on it. Bringing it over he placed it on his desk and sat back down. "Alright," Pulling a pair of gloves out of his desk he pulled the chair over so it was right in between his legs. Bewitching the bowl and faucet so it'd float he put a glass beaker into the solution. "Tilt your head back. It'll be just like going to a hair salon." He informed her. Nodding she leaned back as far as she could. When it wasn't proving that easy with the sort of chair she was in he had her stand up and turn the chair around, laying back so that her head was on his lap. "This potion doesn't smell the greatest." He replied. "But it will do the trick." Carefully he poured the potion over her hair. A heavy vinegar smell with a hint of ammonia filled the room, making her wince.
"You weren't kidding about the smell." She groaned.
"No," He poured more into her hair and began massaging it in. His fingers worked their way into her hair, to her roots. She could feel the pieces of hair give way a bit. Closing her eyes, she focused on his gentle touch. She never imagined that someone like him would be so good with his hands. He even beat the ladies at the hair salons.
"You're really good at this." She commented.
"Good at what?" he reached down, working his fingers into the melted ball of hair.
"Washing someone's hair." She replied. He hesitated a second, not sure if that was an insult towards him or not.
"Really?" He continued working.
"Yeah, the people at the Salon back at home weren't even this good. This was always my favorite part." He didn't say anything. "Not that I did it to myself to get my hair washed." She quickly added.
"I sincerely hope not. For a moment I actually pitied you seeing you on the floor crying." He mused, working the knot out of her hair with skilled fingers. "Like your hair is your life line or something."
"It basically is sir." She replied. He paid close attention to his work, but listened to her. "People say a lot of mean things to people who are different. If they find a flaw in you, they'll point it out and mount it up in front of the entire school. Like if you're tall they call you a troll. Or if you're thin they call you anorexic. If your eyes are too close together they call you cross eyes, or if your teeth are too big or a little crooked they say your buck toothed or snaggle tooth. If your legs are too thin they say you're bow legged. And if your hair has a natural shine to it-"
"They say it's filthy, or greasy." He interrupted realizing that half of the stuff she'd gone through was identical to him. "Miss Fairbourne, I want the truth from now on when I ask you about your bullies, do you understand me?" He demanded. She bit her lip, her forehead crinkling, not sure if she should say yes or no. She had no choice, she couldn't tell him no, he was a teacher and an adult.
"Yes sir."
"The day you came to me wet, that was a result of bullying, wasn't it?" He asked, getting half of the melted knot undone.
"Yes sir." She whispered.
"What caused the black eye?"
"Draco chucked a rock at me in Hagrid's class."
"What caused the bruise on your chest and neck?"
"Draco was playing around with the Quidditch equipment and whipped the Quaffle at me."
"Whose underwear was that hanging outside of my office window?"
"Those were mine sir. Draco stole them during my shower, because I have no pants here and don't know how to use a broom, he put them up there and told me if I wanted them back I'd either have to fly or go and ask you for them back. I was too nervous to do either of them so I left them there." She explained, blushing.
"I got caught with those." He looked at her sternly. Tilting her head back enough to see the look on her face she shot him an apologetic look in return.
"I'm sorry sir. You didn't get in trouble did you?"
"Minerva came in asking why I took fifty Gryffindor points and saw me holding them. I almost lost my job when I told her that they weren't mine. That they were a student's instead." She grimaced.
"I am so sorry! I didn't mean for something like that. How did you ever explain it to her?"
"How? I told her the truth. I was sitting at my chair when a pair of panties fell by my window, getting stuck on the edge of the glass. I was retrieving them when you showed up, trying to find out who it was throwing their panties at my room. I was going to take away 100 points from whichever house did it. She eventually left. Close your eyes." She listened, closing her eyes. Turning the faucet on he began to rinse the potion out of her hair, but wasn't all that was stripped from her hair. All of the fiery red slid with the water down into the drain, followed by blonde, leaving her hair black. "That's not supposed to happen." He muttered.
"What? What happened?" She panicked a bit, keeping her eyes closed.
"Your hair turned black." He replied. She sighed with relief.
"Oh, don't worry about that sir, it's my natural hair color." She smiled. "I was starting to get sick of it actually. Dyed it because my foster mother hates people with black hair for some odd reason. Said it's so dirty looking. Then she'd ramble on about Native American's and the Chinese. She was a racist old bat." Finishing rinsing her hair he pushed the bowl away from himself, it floating off back into its original spot. She sat up and felt her hair. It was no longer tangled, but she couldn't really feel the damage because of how wet it was. As if to read her mind, he waved his wand with a single flick of the wrist, her hair drying almost instantly. Where it had melted was frizzy and destroyed.
"You'll have to get that cut." He replied.
"I suppose so," She ran her fingers through it. "Can you do it for me?" She looked back at him, turning in her seat a bit. He looked at her shocked, his eyebrows furrowing. She wanted him to cut her hair?
"I'm the Potions Master, Miss Fairbourne, not a barber." Turning he began to bottle up the remains of his newly brewed potion.
"I know sir, but I don't want to be teased by the other students tomorrow. Especially not Malfoy." She protested.
"There are no classes tomorrow so you won't have to worry." He countered, bottling the last of the potion up.
"Please sir, nothing hurts more than being laughed at by the entire school." She whispered, her eyes connecting with his. He hesitated, remembering all of the times he'd gotten angry and stuffed himself into the deepest darkest part of the castle when he was teased by even just a small handful of students. He imagined what it would have been like getting the same treatment every single day, over and over again. Teased and taunted and humiliated over little things day in and day out. Sighing he rubbed his forehead, not believing that a student was actually sitting in his office, half naked, asking him to cut their hair. Not just a student, a female student. One old enough to be a 5th year.
"Fine." He grumbled. Smiling she turned allowing him full access to her hair. He eyed it. It was so long, he didn't know what to do with it. Grabbing a flip switch razor –usually used to gut Bingo Belly Butterflies open for their eggs- he grabbed her hair, bunching it together. He looked where most of the damage began –about halfway between the bottom of her shoulder blades and the top of her shoulders. Placing the razor to her hair he cut it all off, her hair falling down and over her shoulders. Her breath caught in her throat at the sound of the strands being severed. Wrapping a ribbon around one end he placed the long ponytail of hair on his desk. "How do you want it styled?" he questioned, looking at her hair, noting that it'd have to be layered to get all of the damage out.
"I don't know, I've never had short hair before." She replied, running her fingers through it. It wasn't really short, but it was shorter than she'd ever had it. "how about you decide?" She looked back at him.
"How am I supposed to decide what hair you want?" he shot at her, getting a bit irritated with having the fate of her head be put in his hands.
"I don't know; think of what kind of hair you'd like to see on a girl. One that you think is sexy." She smiled innocently. He stared at her, his mouth hanging open a bit. He didn't know how to respond to that and he knew that she didn't know exactly what she was saying. But he didn't leave room to argue. If he was going to get her fixed up and out of his room he'd have to finish what he started. He browsed a few of his favorites in his head. He liked the long hair look. Long and bouncing, full, beautiful and waving, but with the length of her hair, her hair wouldn't be able to do that. So he'd have to go with a shorter look.
Reaching forward he started layering her hair, the top layer coming down about the tips of her ears. It had a slightly spiked look to it when messed up. Fixing up her bangs he cut them so that they swept over to the left side of her face. He tried his hardest not to mess up, and by the time she was finished, she looked like a completely different person. Even though most of her hair kept the shoulder blade length, the rest of it was no more than a half a food long. The whole thing took maybe an hour to do, and by the time he applied the finishing touches, he noticed she'd gone awfully quiet. A soft growling noise came from her, making his forehead crinkle in curiosity.
Slowly he turned the chair around, spinning his wand, he examined her face. Her eyes were closed, her mouth hanging open just a bit. She was snoring. Snorting he sat back, his arms crossing. He stared at her as she slept on, not moving, her head not even bobbing up and down. "Ten points from Slytherin for not being conscious enough to rate my handy work." He commented, watching her as she slept for a bit.
"mm, s-sorry…" She muttered, the corners of her lips twitching a bit. Standing he grabbed her things and hauled her up into his arms. She was rather light for being her height and size. Walking around his desk he made his way for the dorm rooms. Carrying her like a baby. Moaning lightly in her sleep, she cuddled into his chest, her face finding its way into the nape of his neck. He felt his heart speed up, for what he didn't know –which irritated him a bit. "I love you…" she muttered again. "Marry me…your…robes…are…so…black." He rolled his eyes heading up the stairs with her.
"You're too cheeky for your own good." Opening the door to the Slytherin common room he headed inside and laid her on her bed, covering her in her blankets. Before retreating he took a good long look at her face, noting it's features in the moonlight. She was a beautiful girl. That was one thing he couldn't deny. She was a beautiful girl. Turning he made his way for the door, but behind him, the soft stirring of the girl stopped him.
"Goodnight sir." She whispered. Looking back at her he noted the soft violet through half lidded eyes, sparkling in the moon.
"Goodnight, Miss Fairbourne." He replied.
"Please sir, call me Nyx?" she fought to keep her eyes open, her eye lashes fluttering in her attempt. He hesitated then rephrased his words.
"Goodnight, Nyx." Her name tasted like sugar and lemons on his tongue as he said it. Smiling she gave in to the dancing of her heavy eyes, falling asleep again. Turning he made his way out of the commonroom, heading back to his class to clean up the mess of hair he'd left in a pile by his desk. The images of the girls sleeping face, and her helpless sobbing playing through his mind.
I need you, sir.
I need you…
"Yes…" He whispered as he grabbed the ribbon bound ponytail from his desk, just below it off in the corner of his desk a small picture of a woman with short, layered bobbed hair smiled at him, hugging a young man with a large crooked nose and greasy hair. He picked it up, looking at it, the woman now looking just like Ellenyx. "you need me, just like I needed you…Emilie."