Hannah's mother greeted her with a warm hug, which she happily returned.
"I'm so happy to see you, sweetheart!" she murmured, standing back and holding her at arm's length. "You look very well, and so beautiful! Have you said goodbye to your friends yet? Shall we return home?"
Hannah nodded, holding onto her trunk a bit more tightly as she prepared for Apparition. While well past the point of feeling ill from it, she still needed to mentally prepare herself.
No sooner than they Disapparated into their manor than Hannah found herself accosted by her younger siblings. Five year old Emma and six year old Thomas (Tommy) grabbed onto her waist and legs respectively.
"You're back!" Emma squealed.
"Hanny, you're back!" Tommy repeated.
Emma glared at him, placing her hands on her hips. "I just said that, Tommy!"
"So?" he demanded, adorably repeating the gesture.
"So! I just said that!" Emma repeated, stomping her foot and then, to Hannah's surprise, pulling into another hug. "I missed you, Hanny! Don't leave again!"
Mrs. Rowle sighed, but Hannah could see her trying very hard not to smile.
A similar variation of this exchange occurred whenever Hannah returned home from school. While amusing, it never failed to bring a smile to her face.
"Emma, Tommy," she said in her kind, yet firm, voice, "please let your sister catch her breath!"
They gave her extra hugs before letting go. Not that they moved very far from her.
"We missed you." Emma's tone was soft, but almost accusatory. "A lot!"
"A very lot!" Tommy agreed. "Don't leave again!"
Hannah knelt down, feeling herself melt entirely. "Oh, I missed you too," she answered, then reached out hug them again.
They readily accepted her hugs.
Hinky, one of their house elves, appeared as soon as she let them go.
"Miss Hannah is home!" the elf squealed, with her usual enthusiasm. "Is Miss Hannah wanting something to eat? Or drink?"
"Thank you, Hinky," Hannah's mother answered, with her usual kindness and good nature towards her childhood house elf. "Hannah, dear, I expect you didn't have lunch yet?" She glanced at Hannah, who nodded. "Hinky, kindly prepare us both a light meal. Be sure so include of all of her favorites. And a pot of tea for both of us," she added. As the house elf was about to go, Mrs. Rowle raised a hand. "As I would like to chat with her privately, kindly take Emma and Thomas with you, and keep them occupied."
"Yes, ma'am!" the elf answered with jubilation.
Hannah's younger siblings followed Hinky without complaint, and her mother took her hand and guided her to the sitting room.
"Are you well?" she asked, studying her daughter. Frowning a bit, she added, "You look rather paler than usual, my dear."
"Oh, I expect I'm just rather tired. The dance was last night, and we stayed up rather late afterwards," Hannah admitted, taking a seat on the soft sofa. With a smile, she added, "I see Emma still loves pink."
Mrs. Rowle laughed. "Oh, yes. The stubborn child won't wear any color except pink. I'm just relieved that I can charm her robes to turn pink every morning." She reached out to Hannah, then held her close, and Hannah happily nestled into her mother's arms. "You went through a similar phase, around her age," her mother murmured, "but it was purple."
Hannah giggled. "It's still my favorite color, Mum."
"Don't I know it!" her mum returned, with another laugh.
Hannah closed her eyes for a bit, just happy to be near her mother, and to be home.
"I see your waist is becoming quite small! Your corsets aren't bothering you, are they?" Mrs. Rowle pressed, now gently straightening some stray hairs on her face.
Her own mother, Hannah knew, had begun her waist training with a larger waist than Hannah's twenty-four inches. When the corsetiere had measured her, she'd announced to her mother's mother (although Hannah's mother had overheard it) that, at twenty-seven inches, her waist was one of the largest she'd ever seen in a girl so young from a pure blood family.
"It was due to my love of sweets," her mother had explained. "I was hardly surprised by the assessment, although I was certainly mortified to have her tell my mother. Of course, my mother didn't take me down more than the standard two inches in the beginning, but even that was larger than most of my roommates' starting point. I worked very hard to get my waist to twenty-one inches during my first year, and was still able to eat sweets." Then, she'd laughed. "Just not as many, of course!"
Hannah's own waist, when corseted, was an inch smaller than her mother's had been at her age. She knew this.
She also knew that her mother had slept corseted after she had reached twenty-three inches. She'd sleep two inches looser than her daytime measurement, which had been a bit difficult at first, but she quickly grew used to it-and soon loved it.
Hannah managed not to sigh. Twenty inches was small, and yet...
"No, they're lovely, and they feel lovely," Hannah reassured her. "It's only..."
Hannah trailed off, hesitant to say more just yet.
"Only what?" her mum pressed. At Hannah's further hesitation, she gently lifted her chin so she was looking her mum in the eye. "Come, dearest. If there's something troubling you, I can't help you if you won't tell me."
Hannah nodded. "Aside from the muggle borns, I am the only one who doesn't sleep laced. I haven't made much progress, Mama. I made it to twenty inches in early October, but I'm still at that measurement. At the dance, especially, I could see that my waist was among the largest of my peers. I felt rather humiliated," she admitted. "And some of the older girls were so tiny. I worry I will never get that small," she added, with a slight tremor in her voice.
Her mum, once more, pulled her into a good, long hug. "Oh, honey. You will, I promise. I have been speaking with your father, and I was going to wait until he came home to tell you, and now's a good a time as any."
Hope surged in Hannah. "He's changed his mind?"
Mrs. Rowle laughed. "You know how stubborn he can be. Mark wouldn't call it that. But, in essence, yes. Now," she added, quickly, "he wants to-what's the muggle term?-ah yes, give you an examination, take your vitals, that sort of thing. If he's convinced that your health is all that it should be, he plans to allow you to begin to sleep corseted. Which means, honey, that you'll want to take a nice long nap before he returns. I don't want him to see you looking pale and tired and immediately say no."
"I promise," Hannah agreed. She'd been hoping to rest before dinner, anyway. "But if he says yes, we'll have the corsets made soon?"
"If he says yes tonight, I promise, we'll return to Madam Barnatte's first thing tomorrow for you. Now, your father wants you to wear lighter ones to bed. He doesn't want them to be any longer or more restrictive than necessary, but you can be sure they will be overbust." Mrs. Rowle made a slight face at that, and Hannah knew why. Her mum didn't consider those to be proper corsets, because they didn't support the breasts. And if your breasts weren't supported at all times, they would surely slump over time. "You'll begin wearing them three inches looser than your day ones."
"Three inches!" Hannah interjected, sure the horror showed in her voice.
Her mother held up a hand. "Only for the first week, my love, and I rather think it's a good idea. Adjusting to sleeping corseted is a trial for nearly everyone, and the extra inch may make all the difference. After a week, you can begin sleeping at two and a half inches, and if you are sleeping well, you may sleep at the standard two inches looser than your daytime measurements."
"That sounds all right," Hannah had to admit. "Most girls sleep two inches looser."
"That is the recommendation, regardless of age," Mrs. Rowle agreed. "There's a bit more. While you're here, we will monitor your health carefully. Your father, especially, but I will as well. If you experience any discomfort, beyond the initial seasoning, you must let us know." She studied her daughter. "A small waist is not worth having your health suffer, sweetheart."
Hannah nodded. She'd heard variations of this throughout her life. Her grandmother had been pushed to achieve a small waist-although not to the extent of some of her peers-and she had been determined that Hannah's mother would have a far easier time with it. Suffering for beauty was simply not an option in the Rowle household, and the fact that Hannah's muggle father was a doctor meant that Hannah had been forbidden to lace even a quarter of an inch past her comfort level.
Which had its drawbacks. After all, while nearly all of her roommates were below twenty inches, and a couple below eighteen, she remained at twenty.
Far from her mother's current seventeen, and further still from her sixteen upon her marriage.
Still, if she was now going to be allowed to sleep corseted, then there was more reason to hope.
"I will, Mama, I promise," she answered.
Her mother gave her another hug, and then Hinky appeared with more food than she could possibly eat.
Afterwards, Hannah felt rather full and even more tired than before. She was all too happy to allow her mother to undress her and unlace her, even if she could have managed on her own. Once she was clad only in her ankle-length chemist, her mum even tucked her into bed and carded her hair while she fell asleep. A few hours later, she rose, feeling very refreshed.
Hannah laced herself up again to twenty inches, happy to have the supportive garment hugging and supporting her frame once more, and then donned a new pair of casual robes. Her other ones were gone, no doubt removed from her room to be laundered.
Hannah's father returned just before dinner, perhaps an hour after she'd awoken. After the customary hug and small talk about how her lessons were going, Hannah's younger siblings promptly grabbed his attention. She didn't really mind. They all listened as Emma and Tommy talked about their afternoon-which had consisted of a great deal of coloring and playing games with Hinky, although she couldn't join them in playing dress up-and how happy they were that "Hanny" was back home.
Unfortunately, as they were still young, they didn't quite understand that she would return to school in about two weeks.
Her father kept rather a close eye on Hannah as she ate. Even knowing about what he and her mother had discussed, it still made her rather nervous. As though, if she didn't eat enough or looked at all ill at ease, not only would she not be allowed to wear night corset, but she might be forbidden to wear day ones as well.
After dinner, they watched a bit of television, and then Hannah joined her parents in putting her younger siblings to bed. Such a task might be relegated to house elves in other families, but it was as much a treat for her parents as for her siblings.
As well as Hannah, when she had been young enough to want to hear stories read to her.
Once her brother and sister were tucked into their separate beds in their shared room (they insisted on it, and were too young to need separate rooms), Hannah's mother and father had her join them in the sitting room.
"I suppose your mother has already told you about our decision regarding night corsets," her father began, and at Hannah's nod, he gave a slight smile. "I am still concerned about the long term effects on your health, but I realize that I may be rather prejudiced. After all, as your mother has told me on many occasions, women have worn corsets of sorts for hundreds of years, and the human race has continued." He chuckled a bit. "Moreover, Eladora and her sisters have worn corsets with remarkably small waists without any noticeable problems regarding their health."
"And," her mother put in, with a smile, "we both began a full year before Hannah, and sleeping in them from nearly the beginning."
Her father squeezed his wife's hand. "You are quite right. So, my dear Hannah, I would like to hear your thoughts about this, especially having been away at school."
Hannah could have hugged him in gratitude. She realized just how much he loved her, how much he was trying to understand, and to do what was right for everyone. His hesitation was, after all, not because he was cruel or wanted her to be ugly and unhappy, but because he wanted her to be happy, healthy, and comfortable.
A hundred years ago, fathers either participated or turned a blind eye as most mothers laced-or had older siblings or house elves lace-unhappy daughters to nearly unconsciousness for the pursuit of a twelve or thirteen inch waist. Such a life had to be agony for the daughters, who knew that even the smallest act of resistance would mean further tightening into a hellish-and yes, Hannah imagined that if Hell was real, it consisted in part of charmed punishment corsets-punishment corset for days on end.
Times had changed, thank Merlin. Still, for some, there was the implicit or explicit demand to lace tighter, if only to achieve a certain measurement.
Then, of course, there was still the expectation of reaching eighteen inches by your seventeenth birthday. As a half blood, Hannah knew she had to be below that.
Hannah spoke slowly, wishing to be entirely truthful. Her father deserved it.
"When I started, I was of two minds," she began. "I wished to become smaller faster, but I also rather relished being able to unlace for the night. My corset feels wonderful, Dad, but it can be nice to be able to curl up in bed and not feel any restriction on my body. I do miss the hug, though...
"After a few weeks, I rather felt increasingly left out, and left behind. My roommates were becoming smaller faster, and besides, they loved their night corsets. Not being allowed to lace..." Hannah searched her mind for the right words, and felt her mother's arm around her frame. "I understood why, but I wished that I could. At least sometimes," she finally said. "I want to try sleeping in a corset, the way my roommates do."
Her father's face was sympathetic, and his arm joined her mother's over her frame.
"I understand, honey," he told her. "As your mother has no doubt told you, I would like to perform a full physical before giving my consent for you to sleep laced."
"Yes, Papa. Can you do so tonight?"
"Certainly, sweetheart," he answered, with a smile.
Hannah disrobed from her robes, carefully laying them across a chair. Then, still wearing her corset, her father places some muggle devices on her skin. One, he wrapped around her arm, which he squeezed even tighter than her corset, but not to the point of causing her pain. After a few seconds, the grip released. Then, he had her take several deep breaths. He had her open her mouth, then checked her vision, and then the insides of her ears. She had no idea what this had to do with the size of her waist, but Hannah knew her father was very thorough. Then, he bade her unlace her corset, and even remove her chemise. He performed the same muggle tests on her.
Finally, he beckoned for Hannah to stand on a muggle scale, which doubled as a way to measure her height. Upon seeing the numbers, he smiled.
"Everything looks very good, Hannah," he said, rather softly. "You may dress now."
Hannah was glad to hear this. It was indecent, she knew, to be so close to naked around a member of the opposite sex-even if it was her father. A girl nearly fourteen years of old ought to be dressed at all times. Even when they went down for breakfast, they covered their nightgowns with dressing gowns.
"Yes, everything looks very good," he praised, as he reviewed his notes. "Your vitals are excellent, and your breathing is good even within the corset. Moreover, your height and weight is precisely where it should be for your age, honey. Your health could not be better, Hannah."
Hannah beamed, as did her mother. "Then, Papa, may I please, please begin to sleep in a corset?"
Her mother chuckled, and her father merely smiled in an affectionate manner. "You may. I believe that it will not be injurious to your health, sweetheart, but we must begin very slowly. While your body adjusts to sleeping compressed, I believe the compression should be rather less. Two inches looser is the standard, is that right?" At Hannah's nod, he added, "For the first week, I would prefer you sleep three inches looser."
It was rather a good thing that Hannah had already been warned of this, because she likely would have protested at this new.
"That seems fair," Hannah agreed. "And after that, if I am sleeping well?"
She knew the answer from what her mother had told her earlier, but wanted to make sure her father's mind hadn't changed.
"Then, two and a half inches for a week. If all is still well, you may lace at night two inches looser than your daytime measurements," her father continued, and Hannah imagined he must speak to his muggle patients in the same clear, gentle manner. At her elation, he smiled, but added, "But you must promise me that you will always listen to your body, and not push yourself. If you are uncomfortable, you are to loosen or unlace entirely. Daytime or at night. I also want you to pay attention that you are not eating less. You must not neglect your health, Hannah," he told her.
"I promise, Papa!" she happily agreed.
"Then, we have an understanding. I know that you and your mother are eager to begin, so I suppose you will visit Madam Bernette tomorrow to be fitted?" he asked, glancing at Hannah, and then at her mother.
"Madam Barnatte, Adam," her mother gently corrected. "And yes, we shall, if you would like?"
Hannah nodded eagerly.
Soon afterwards, she prepared for bed. Her mother helped her unlace and prepared her bath, which wasn't needed, but still appreciated. Hannah relaxed in the bath until the water grew lukewarm before brushing her hair and teeth, and tucking herself into bed.
As Hannah rested in her bed, not quite tired enough to fall asleep, the memory of her early days of wearing a corset made itself fresh in her mind.
She always knew, having seen her mother's figure, that this was what traditional witches wore around their frames. She had first glimpsed her mother's corset around the age of five, and with childish candor, asked what it was.
But it wasn't until Hannah was around eight that her mother explained everything to her. That was when she had become pregnant for the first time since carrying Hannah. Hannah's mother and father gave her an abbreviated version of "the talk," and later, Hannah's mother had taken her into her bedroom to give her the other talk. The talk about how most witches, beginning as teenagers, wore an undergarment called a "corset" over their frames, to support their breasts and make their waists smaller.
"Muggles wore this as well, until about fifty or so years ago," Eladora had explained, taking out a spare one and showing it to Hannah. "Your father said it was, in part, due to the need for steel in the first muggle war. But muggle fashions change far more often than ours do. In any event, my love, we still wear them, and in a few years, so will you."
Hannah recalled fingering this strange undergarment, which felt both stiff (from the steel, she supposed) and flexible in her hands. She wondered what it would be like to put around her waist.
"Does it hurt?" she'd asked.
Her mother had shaken her head. "Only if it doesn't fit well, or you pull it too tightly. If you wear it correctly, it feels like a hug!"
Hannah had smiled. She loved being hugged. "Can I start now?"
But her mother had laughed and shaken her head. "No, honey. Not until you begin to develop breasts. Like mine, you see? If you wore it before then, you would look very, very strange!"
So Hannah had waited, perhaps a bit impatiently at times, until the morning after she had come home from her second year of school, and her mother had given her a long hug and asked if she was ready to begin wearing a corset.
Hannah had, of course, been jubilant.
She had felt very grown up when they went to Madam Barnatte's for her to be measured. Her mother even paid extra for her two beginner corsets (which would close at twenty inches) to be ready in three days, as opposed to the standard week. Her other corsets, which would close at eighteen inches, would be ready in two weeks. Hannah had hoped to need the smaller ones by then, but quickly saw that it would take far longer than that.
While rather stiff, her corset felt lovely on her, much like the promised hug. Her mother would not let her stay laced for more than a few hours at a time, in the beginning, because Hannah had to grow used to the constriction. And she must be used to that before she could learn how to eat with less room in her stomach.
Slowly, the hours increased from three a day to the entire day, and by the time she left for school, Hannah's waist was twenty-one inches.
Except, after it reached the twenty mark, it remained there. Probably because she was only laced during the day. Even if she tried to get to nineteen and three questions, she found herself out of breath, and had to loosen the corset back to twenty.
But now, she thought as sleep claimed her, she might finally get below the twenty inch mark.
The next morning, Hannah awoke to her mother's hand carding her hair, her standard (and Hannah's favorite) way of waking her up.
Hannah smiled, opened her eyes, and close them again. "Just a few more minutes," she murmured.
She could hear her mother's laughter as her fingers continued to card her hair. "Of this, or rest?"
"Both," Hannah answered, yawning.
The bed shifted as her mother joined her. Hannah could smell her rose scented shampoo and conditioner.
The carding continued, and Hannah felt herself fall back asleep.
When she rose again, her mother was still beside her.
"Ready to get up, sleepyhead?" she asked, in a teasing manner.
"I suppose." Hannah sat up, and her mother pulled her into a hug. "We'll still go to Madam's today?"
"As soon as we dress and have breakfast," her mother promised. "Shall I lace you up?"
"Please."
She could self lace, of course, but only did so enough to keep from losing the skill. There was something about being laced in by others that made the experience much more pleasant than when she did it on her own. Her roommates did a lovely job of making her corset just tight enough to give her a good strong hug, but Hannah had been looking forward to going home, when her mother would take over that role.
They ate first (her father had long since left for the hospital where he worked as a heart doctor), and then Hannah and her mother returned to her room. Hannah exchanged her nightgown for a long chemise, then gripped at the lacing bar, something Hogwarts lacked.
"Twenty inches, then?" Eladora asked, once she fastened the corset onto her frame.
"Yes, please."
"Very well. Take a deep breath, now."
Hannah obeyed. The day corset, a lovely sky blue with splashes of embroidered flowers along the top, bottom, sides, and smaller amounts in the middle, was set to close at eighteen inches, but it would be some time before it closed. Perfect not so long, now.
The pressure began around her frame, and Hannah smiled. By the time her mother tied off the laces, Hannah would find herself wrapped in a warm hug, more tight and intimate than a human hug could be. For now, though, the pressure was steady, tightening until Hannah could make out her breasts heaving, just a bit. Then, as the final inch condensed her twenty-four inch frame into twenty, her mother slowed down, allowing Hannah's body to adapt and enjoy it. The final inch took about five minutes to achieve, with the pressure increasing very, very gradually.
Then, the laces were tied off, and Hannah let go of the bar. She gauged how she felt, and determined that it was a good hug, and she could breathe freely. She smiled at her mother, who smiled back and gave her a hug.
Hannah studied herself in the mirror as she put in her daily robes. It was a bit of a letdown from wearing dress robes, but that couldn't be helped. When she was an adult and married, Hannah determined, she would wear those robes every day, and own dozens, perhaps as many as a hundred. Her grandmother owned more than one for every day of the year, and her mother nearly as many.
Well, she might not be wearing silk, but the cotton was fine, and lined with flannel for extra warmth. She applied the Warming charm afterwards (everyone knew that the Ministry couldn't really detect underage magic in a house with adult witches or wizards), and felt a delicious warmth spread from her chemise to her corset to her robes. Hannah sighed with pleasure, and her mother smiled in approval.
"Don't forget your cloak," Eladora reminded her.
Hannah removed the lovely purple cloak from the hook on her door, and performed a heating charm on that. When she placed it over her shoulders, Hannah felt her eyes close with pleasure.
"Oh, that feels lovely," she murmured.
"And you look lovely," her mother answered, pulling her close. "Come, let's be off."
They had visited Madam Barnatte's on two occasions. The first had been for Hannah to be measured for day corsets-four in all, with two closing at twenty inches, and two at eighteen-and the second to pick them up. Madam had been very thorough both times, measuring twice, and triple checking the appropriate lengths, boning, and styles. Hannah's frame was slightly longer than average, only by an inch and a half, but still long enough that a custom fit was not simply recommended, but required for a proper fit.
Hannah and her mother had been very pleased with the results. Not only were they lovely and well made, they were rather comfortable with the first wear, and increasingly so with each additional one. Hannah had heard the phrase "fit like a glove" before, but hadn't quite understood how it applied until she wore her corset on the third day.
She hadn't wanted to take it off after the recommended three hours, even though it was just for lunch, and her mother had promised that she could lace up again in an hour and a half, once her food settled.
"There are other corsetieres, and good ones at that, and the Barnatte women have been in business since women wore stays," her mother had told her.
Hannah could easily see why. She'd only met the current Madam Barnatte, but her kind, understanding manner and her corsets made visits to her shop enjoyable.
Not to mention how good she had been to Sarah and Elizabeth at Hogsmeade.
While waiting to be seen, one oddity occurred to her, and she hoped the proprietress would not mind if Hannah asked it.
"Welcome!" the tiny waisted corsetiere greeted, once it was their turn.
Her manner was so friendly that Hannah half expected her to hug them.
She did not, but she did beam widely as she curtsied. "And how mine I be of service today, Mrs. and Miss Rowle?"
"We're here to order two sleep corsets for Hannah, as well as two day ones that close at sixteen inches," Mrs. Rowle explained, smiling.
Sixteen inches? But that had been her mother's wedding measurement! She, Hannah, was not yet under twenty inches!
But, personally, her mother was thinking ahead. It was possible that Hannah could get below eighteen by the end of term, wearing corsets all the time, and corsets sold in sizes of two inches.
"But of course! Now, I have her starting measurements, but as they are from nearly six months ago, I expect that they have changed a bit," Madam explained.
"I expected as much. I will remain here while you take Hannah to be fitted," Mrs. Rowle explained, with a genuine smile. "Take as much time as you need."
"Very good. If you will follow me, then, my dear..."
Hannah happily rose from her seat on one of the couches, and followed the older woman into the familiar measuring area.
Once Hannah's cloak and robes were off and hanging safely on two sturdy hooks on a wall, the witch began to measure her.
"Once a young lady has been corseted for awhile, even only during daytime hours, I prefer to take her measurements with her corset on as well as off," she explained, beginning the process. "This also allows me to determine if there is anything that needs to be fixed within the corset. Not so much as errors in the workmanship, but something that needs altering because it doesn't quite fit. Ten years ago, a poor girl could barely sit down because the front kept digging into her. She was oh so stoic, and assumed that this was how they were supposed to fit!" Madam shook her head, and jotted down some notes with a quill on a hovering piece of parchment. "You would not believe her relief when I fixed it, that very day, and she could sit with ease. Her frame was a bit shorter than the standard, which caused the initial problem, and you can be sure I checked and checked again that all of her future corsets fit her perfectly in all areas."
Madam finished with the first round of measuring, and began again. "But everything seems to be well suited to your frame, Hannah. How does it feel? Do you ever notice any jabs or poking? Any stiffness?"
Hannah shook her head, but realized that the woman could not see her. "No, ma'am. Everything fits lovely. Really, I almost hate to take my corsets off to sleep."
"Soon, you'll simply be exchanging them for another pair! Now, I have spoken to your mother via the floo connection, and she wants to begin you with light ones for sleep." Madam had Hannah turn around, and began to untie the bow, then loosen and finally remove the corset. "Rest assured that you will not lose any growth in doing this, only, it will acclimate your body to sleeping in a corset, and you should soon find that you will be able to lace smaller during the day. Do you have any questions about this?"
"Yes, I was wondering why others don't do this?" she asked, cautiously. "If there's no ground lost?"
"Most girls and women prefer the presence of the additional pressures around their waist at all times," Madam explained. "Then, as there's little difference between most day corsets and night ones, women who prefer to count their galleons purchase sets for daily wear and, when they become smaller, use those for night wear."
"I understand." Hannah paused, then plunged ahead. "May I ask you a question about-about your shop?"
Madam, who had finished taking the measurements, gestured for Hannah to start with her arms raised so she could lace her back up.
"Of course. Just a moment..."
Hannah obliged. The corsetiere did not lace her quite as well as her mother, opting to apply slow and steady pressure throughout, but it was still a pleasant experience. Hannah pulled on her robes and cloak as she spoke.
"Now, then. What did you wish to ask me?" Madam prompted, smiling.
"Well, I noticed that your shop doesn't display your work. Neither do. I was just wondering-why is that?" Hannah asked, finishing with a shrug.
She must not have noticed this on their earlier visits, over the summer. Little wonder. Hannah recalled being filled with both excitement and nerves at finally being considered old enough to wear a corset, to train her waist, that the appearance of the store had little lasting memory on her.
Madam laughed, then gestured for her to have a seat.
"You're quite astute!" she praised, "In the early days of tight lacing, just after we began to use metal eyelets, my great great great great grandmother did just that. There are nearly endless designs, and only slightly less back then. She wanted to showcase her expertise, and for a while, it was quite a success.
"The problem was that certain designs work better for certain frames, and people don't always see their body in the way it is," Madam continued. "Additionally, there were some very ambitious mothers who wished to have their daughters develop in a certain way, such as reduce the width of their hips, which can be painful enough even when done gradually. Such clientele was the minority, but it caused such visible pain and the loss of long-term revenue that we initially limited such displays to traditional figures, and then removed them entirely. The end result is that daughters and their mothers trust our guidance for the best corsets for developing their figures safely and comfortably," Madam concluded.
Hannah took a moment to ponder this, then she smiled. "I hadn't realized there were so many differences in corsets."
Madam chuckled. "Oh, quite so! Muggles and muggle born mothers are often quite astonished that I don't simply try to squeeze their daughters into the same shape. Some girls have wider hips, others larger breasts, and some larger and smaller frames. The waist does become smaller if you train consistently-yours went from twenty-four and a half to twenty-four over six months, which is quite good considering you didn't yet wear them at night-but a corset merely moves flesh around, rather than Vanishing it. I always held the belief that a good corset emphasizes the curves of your frame, rather than serving as a bully." She laughed again. "Well! I've gone on long enough! Goodness knows, I could talk about corsetry all day, and keep you and your dear mother from enjoying your Christmas holidays! Now, I will tell all of this to your mother, but as you're here...they will be ready in four days, and you will receive a Floo communication that day. We'll see you sorted out and ready to begin the new year with lovely new corsets, and well seasoned, too. How does that sound?"
"Lovely!" Hannah beamed. "Although I rather think my mother was ambitious with ordering sixteen inch ones. I don't expect to obtain anything close to that for years!"
"Hmm." Madam studied her measurements. "Well, it generally takes a year to lose every inch once you manage eighteen, and I do believe you will be there by the end of the year. You're fourteen, aren't you? Yes. You may be at sixteen before you are sixteen. And, of course, you can hardly train below eighteen with an eighteen inch corset!" she laughed.
Hannah smiled, as much out of hope as out of amusement at the truth behind her statement.
A sixteen inch waist by the time she turned sixteen!
And, just perhaps, fifteen inches before she finished at school.
Hannah kept herself occupied while she waited. There was a lot of homework to do, her siblings wanted her to play with them whenever she had a spare moments, and of course, she spent plenty of quality time with her mother. Hannah was learning how to knit, sew, and do embroidery with magic-she had learned by hand ages ago-and it was both challenging and highly enjoyable.
These were also skills that were imperative to know when she married, whether it be a pure blood, half blood, or muggle born. (Unlike her mother, Hannah could not imagine herself marrying a muggle!)
She saw her father at dinner and in the evenings. Hannah used to wonder why he worked at all, since the Rowle family (her mother had kept her maiden name upon marriage) was extremely wealthy. But her father loved his work, and loved helping people, even if he worked very long hours.
On the fifth day of her Christmas holidays, and two days before Christmas Eve, the promised floo call from Madam Barnatte came. Mrs. Rowle left Hinky in charge of Emma and Tommy, and then they whisked off to her shop.
"Now, if there are any problems when you try them on, please don't hesitate to tell me," Madam told Hannah, once she was clad only in her chemise. This time, her mother was also there, as much to be an additional pair of eyes as...well, as a mother.
"I will," Hannah promised, glancing at the first pair.
It was not quite as decorative as her daily ones. There were embroidered decorations, but the background was a white cotton. She supposed that this was better for sleeping in.
When Madam placed it on Hannah's frame, she saw that it was a bit shorter than her daily corsets. Rather than ending at the bottom of her hips, it stopped just below the top.
"Madam? My day ones are a bit longer," Hannah noted.
"This gives you more ease of room. And, don't forget, you requested the overbust model, so you will be grateful for the extra room below," Madam said, with a knowing smile. She fastened the last of the clasps, then pulled the chemise straight underneath, and up a bit around her sleeves. "Move your arms up...good. That's enough room?"
"Yes, it's plenty," Hannah assured her.
The corsetiere began making other tucks and pulls, finally bidding her to hold her arms up high.
"As your day waist is twenty, I shall lace you to twenty-three. That will be only a one inch reduction, so it may feel rather loose, but your body and mind can do strange things when you are asleep. I rather think that everyone should sleep at a one inch reduction for the first few days, as your body adjusts. Now, are you ready?" At Hannah's nod, she moved behind her, and pulled.
Used to twenty inches, twenty-three felt loose, and the additional light fabric and smaller amount of boning made Hannah feel, once Madam had tied off the laces, as though she was hardly compressed at all. Still, this would only be for a week, and then she could go tighter. Besides, if her day waist diminished, so would her night one.
"How does it feel, Miss Rowle?" Madam asked.
"To be honest, not very tight at all."
The woman nodded, and even Hannah's mother seemed to be hiding a smile.
"Good. Better a bit loose than two tight. Now, you ought to put this one at least a half an hour before you go to bed, to give yourself plenty of time to adjust to it. If you need anything else, do not hesitate. I close for Christmas, but am open all other days except Sunday." She helped Hannah unlace, and when she relaced her day corset, the difference was quite present.
Not in a bad way, just that Hannah was very much aware of the compression on her frame.
Her mother laced her in that evening, and remained with her throughout the night. It was a good thing, too, because Hannah found it far harder to sleep than she would have expected. Her mother finally had her turn over on her stomach, and rubbed her shoulders until she found herself drifting off.
Then, suddenly, she was awake and unable to breathe, until her mother once more came to the rescue, holding Hannah and soothing her until she had her breath back. She even offered to unlace her, but Hannah shook her head vigorously.
The next morning, Hannah woke up having felt that she hadn't slept very well.
Her father noticed, and decided to do another physical exam-with her mother there, of course.
"I understand that you had some difficulties with sleeping last night," he said, after checking her breathing, blood pressure, and so on. "Your numbers are normal, so I am not concerned about your physical health. Are you sure that you want to continue, though?"
"Yes, Papa," she insisted. "I know I had some issues last night, but Mama says it's only temporary."
"It is," her mother put in. "It takes nearly all girls a few days to adjust. Perhaps as long as a week. Hannah will be sleeping normally before long."
Her father nodded, then studied Hannah. She was sure the tiredness showed in her face.
"Well, I would like you to rest for a bit, entirely unlaced, before putting on your day corset," he determined.
Hannah was happy to comply, and allowed her mother to tuck her back into bed, where she remained until nearly noon.
When she found, upon rising and then dressing, that she could lace comfortably to nineteen and three quarters inches, the discomfort felt worth it.
"That's wondering, honey!" her mother told her, when Hannah proudly showed her the measurement from her wand. She gave her a long hug. Upon releasing her, she added, "It will become easier to sleep laced after a couple of days, you'll see."
Hannah approached the nighttime hours with more wariness than the night before. Her new corset might be three inches looser than her daytime one, but it still felt rather stiff, and she didn't look forward to waking up and feeling unable to breathe.
"I'll be with you, the whole night," Mrs. Rowle promised, once they were in bed together.
"Hold me, Mama?" Hannah asked, in rather a small voice.
"Of course," she answered, and wrapped her arms around Hannah's frame.
Hannah did wake up in the middle of the night, gasping for breath, but thanks to her mother's calming murmurs, regained it quickly and soon fell asleep.
Her measurement was still nineteen and three quarters the next morning, but Hannah felt in better spirits. She felt that she had slept much better, and didn't need to rest during the day.
The third evening and following day easier still, and on the night following the Christmas festivities, Hannah slept as well as she had before lacing up.
In fact, perhaps even better. It was a lovely feeling, as Dora had said, to wake up being hugged by your corset.
Nor did things become more difficult once her parents first allowed a two and a half reduction, and two days before return, two inches.
Hannah even got her waist down to nineteen and a quarter inches the day before the train would take her back to school.
Author's note:
Hannah's story is pretty much resolved, at least for the time being. However, if there's enough interest, I may add another chapter at a future point.
Next up: Sarah returns home for Christmas, prepared for a dreadful holiday and only her fellow muggle born best friend for company.
As always, if you're enjoying this fic (or have ideas for future chapters), I'd love to hear from you!