Colors
They went to the kitchen, Sev showed Hippolyta the wood stove, explaining how it was used, also showing her the oven and the hearth where it burned.
"Wow... how cool, I love the deep red color of the embers, and how hot it is, it gives off very concentrated heat," she commented.
"Of course, because it is contained in a very small space, that's what it's all about."
Then he showed her how to use the washing-up soap and the scouring pads to scrub the cup and the saucepan where the milk had been heated.
"Your kitchen is even smaller than mine, in mine at least we have a table and two chairs to have breakfast there," said the girl.
"Yes, honey, this house is very small and humble, but it is enough for my Mum and me, and maybe it won't take long for me to be able to buy another one if I sell enough jewelry. With Lauren I made many sets like your Mum's, even gold and diamonds for the very rich ones."
"Yes, she already told me."
"And I've already sold the Forest insect and plant collections to Deborah's parents, and perhaps most of the cufflinks and gold pins," he continued. "I'm going to create a brand and register everything as original creations, it was Lauren's idea. I'll also put you as the author and you'll get paid too."
"Really...? That's great... Because my Mum told me this morning about the second-hand textbooks we lost for the bookstore and that yesterday you gave her Muggle money that you had haggled from the books you bought at Easter, and I'm worried about that too."
"Of course, honey. When I proposed the idea to the old man, I still didn't know that your Dad was the bookseller or how it would affect you."
"But don't worry, they're going to apply for the Ministry scholarship for me, and since they're only going to have to buy me my uniform, everything else will be left to them," she reassured him.
"Ugh… impossible… Your name can't appear next to your address at the Ministry. If the slut reads anyone at home who saw us together and knows you're with me, they can look your name up at the Ministry and find out where you live."
"No!"
"Yes, honey. You don't know how sorry I am, how much danger I've put you in," Sev apologized.
"It was me, Prince, making our Patronuses at the party and going to sleep together at home in front of everyone the next day."
"No, my love, it's me who must have thought of it. I accuse you of not knowing how to make plans and I'm a botcher myself. Don't worry, I know the amount of the scholarship, I'll give that money to your parents as if they had granted it to you."
"They won't want to take it," Hippolyta objected.
"Don't worry, I'll convince them. Explain to them tonight why they can't apply for it, so they don't do it in the next few days until I can talk to them calmly. Don't let your Mum, taking advantage of the fact that you won't be home tomorrow morning, do it."
"Okay, Prince, as soon as I get home I'll explain it to them."
"And don't tell them that I'm going to give them the money, tell them that we're going to pool it together as a family," he suggested.
"Great, that way it'll be easier for them to accept it."
"Okay, issue closed. Do you want to see the rest of the house?"
"Of course!" she exclaimed.
"Let's go to the bathroom."
Sev showed her the tiny bathroom.
"Ugh... it's even smaller than mine, you don't even have a big bathtub, you can't bathe lying down, only sitting up," the girl lamented.
"We never bathe, my love, we just take showers, but it's enough to keep us clean, we don't need anything else."
"You can bathe in my house."
"Of course... How do you heat the water in your house?" he asked.
"With a tank that is heated with magic."
"That's great. Then I'll take a bath, if your parents invite me."
"Of course Prince, do it. I'm sure you've never taken a bath with warm water in a bathtub."
"No, I haven't."
"How do you heat the water? I haven't seen a tank in the kitchen or here."
"It's heated by pipes that run through the hearth of the wood stove," explained Sev. "We turn on the stove and the fire heats the water that goes through the pipes."
"Well... well, for being without magic it's a very good idea... Because you can cook, heat the house and shower all with the same wood."
"Of course, the old Muggle things didn't have to be worse, they were designed to save money. When I have my own house I'll have install a wood stove like here to keep that system, although I'll also have a gas one for the summer and do quick things, not having to light the wood stove every time."
"Very good idea, of course. And when you live in Hogwarts?" she asked.
"At Hogwarts there is everything. I will have a fireplace, but no wood stove. In any case a stove to make tea, to be able to have breakfast in my house and all that."
"Of course, of course... You will have a home when I still have to live two more years in the Sly house. How will we do it?"
"You can sleep in my house whenever you want, even alone, there will be a room for you," he suggested. "And also be there even when I am not there, it will be the house of the two of us."
"And Lauren?"
"The same, of the three of us."
"Great," Hippolyta agreed.
"Let's go upstairs, I'll show you my room."
They left the bathroom and headed for the stairs, they climbed them up to Sev's room.
"And do you think the old man will want to build you such a big house for yourself?" she asked.
"If he doesn't build it for me, Minerva will. I'm going to make her second in September, I already told her yesterday morning and she happily accepted. Together with Deborah and maybe Alice."
"Three seconds?" surprised.
"Yes, honey, there's a lot of work, to share the work," he explained. "It was Lauren's suggestion too."
"Of course… Lauren is very smart…"
"Of course she is, I've learned a lot from her, you will too."
"I'm looking forward to seeing her on Saturday. Does your Mum know about Lauren?" the girl asked.
"Yes, she knows everything, she was the first to know, I already told her at Easter."
"Also that she wanted to become a spy?"
"No, not that, because I didn't find out until recently," answered Sev.
"Of course… And you haven't told her?"
"No, I haven't told her that. Why would I do it if she's not going to do it now? And if she wanted to do it even less."
"Of course, of course…"
They went into his bedroom.
"Oh…!" exclaimed Hipólita, sad. "With the two beds you hardly have any room, it's very small, you don't even have a desk to study…"
"But I study at the table in the living room. I never had a desk, I always did it there."
"Oh, really?"
"Of course, or lying on the bed," he said.
"Ugh… it's very sad… The only nice thing is the new bedspread, the one on the biggest bed, but you don't have any decorations, no lamp, no curtains on the window, and the paint is old, it makes me very sad."
They sat together on the big bed.
"Don't worry, honey, we'll fix it," Sev reassured her. "I'll ask the family for help to paint and decorate it, to Summon me nice things for the walls, two matching bedspreads and curtains."
"I already know who's going to help you paint it as soon as she learns Occlumency, so I'm sure she'll get the money from you. My Mum knows how to paint with magic, she's the one who wallpapers and paints my house when it's time."
"Wow... great... But in that case I'll also pay her to do it, apart from the scholarship money. We'll paint the whole house, also the living room, the kitchen and my Mum's room. You'll help me choose the colors, okay?"
"Okay, okay, I'll think it over and give you ideas, we'll also ask my Mum and yours," she suggested. "Do you like the bedspread? I do, navy blue and green, they're the colors of the sea."
"Yes, I do like it."
"Well, another quilt for the other bed and matching curtains, which the older ones can Summon you. To compensate for the fact that they are cold colours, the colour of the walls has to be warm but not too strong. It could be ochre, which is warm but light and makes a good contrast with the blue and green."
"I can imagine that, it will look great," he agreed.
"Yellow would also work, huh? But I don't think you would like it."
"No, no, too bright."
"Or very pale pink, but pink is for girls," Hippolyta objected.
"No, not pink."
"You'll have to go to a paint store to choose it, buy the smallest can they have and later my Mum will multiply it."
"Great."
"I'll ask my Uncle to Summon you bedside tables like mine, or do you like them in dark wood?" she asked.
"Well, yes, dark wood."
"That can be reduced and brought, and also lamps and everything."
"But I can only put one lamp, there is only one socket," Sev objected.
"But with a thief you can plug two lamps into the same socket."
"What is a thief?"
"A gadget that turns one socket into three," the girl explained.
"Oh…"
"And if the lamp's cable doesn't reach the socket, you put an extension cord, which is a long cable with a plug on both sides, that's how I have my desk lamp. My Uncle will also Summon you all that, it's his job."
"Of course…"
"You'll see how nice everything looks," she encouraged him. "The lampshades will be decorated with sea animals, shells, snails, starfish, jellyfish, seahorses, dolphins, fish, everything, like our beach towels and our parasol."
"Wow... a new idea for a jewelry collection."
"Of course! There are a thousand shapes and colors of seashells and snails, you'll see them when we go to the beach. Besides, I have a collection of them."
"Great," he agreed.
"What a great time we're going to have, what a great time, what a great time. When are we going to go?"
"Next week without fail, if it's not a weekday, on Saturday."
"Great. Have you bought a towel too?" she asked.
"No, I thought Valerie would Summon it for me."
"Well, don't worry, my Uncle will Summon it for you, just like ours, and another one for your Mum for your holidays with Lily's parents."
"Thank you very much, Hippolyta."
"You'll see how pretty they are, and unique, huh? They don't exist in the Muggle world."
"Wonderful. Your Uncle should also create his own brand, we'll put him in contact with Deborah's parents' manager and thus give him back a little of everything he's going to do for me."
"What is a manager?" she asked.
"Someone who handles the paperwork for businesses."
"Oh…"
"The day I go with you to the beach, I'll also sleep at your house so we can wake up whenever we want, your Mum already invited me last night," said Sev.
"Great."
"We bought sunscreen, and I bought some swimsuits. Do you want to see them? I'm warning you that they're very ugly."
"I know what boys' swimsuits look like, remember that I always go to the beach," said the girl. "They don't seem ugly to me, I'm sure they'll look great on you with how hot you are. I'm going to have to keep an eye on you so you don't go around flirting on the beach."
They laughed.
"Thanks, honey, I'm sure I won't flirt when I'm with you." He took the swimsuits out of the dresser and showed them to her. "Which one do you like best? To wear on the first day."
"I really like both. Black will look great on you, it's your color, but navy blue is also great, it's sailor-like, blue and white are sailor colors."
"Oh, really?"
"Of course, I have a strapless dress that I always wear to the beach, with blue and white stripes, sailor style," she explained.
"How cool."
"Buy yourself something like that on sale."
"Yes, I'm going to do it, also to go to the beach," he agreed. "It doesn't suit to go to the beach dressed in modern clothes like Valerie's."
"Well no, actually, all black and dark colors would be very hot. We have to walk a bit from where we Apparate to the beach, also carrying all the stuff, because we can't take it small and then engorge it there in case the Muggles see us do it."
"This whole hiding thing is a pain."
"Indeed."
"I'm also going to buy shorts," commented Sev.
"Of course, of course. And flip-flops, remember that."
"No, I don't want flip-flops. I bought some sandals, look." He took them out from under the dresser.
"I like them, they're more elegant dark than light," said Hippolyta.
Sev put them away and took out his trainers. "And trainers to go to work."
"Wooow… black, I want some like that. On Saturday we'll look for them in London."
"If we don't find them in London we'll come here next week to Cokeworth and I'll give them to you, they're very cheap on sale."
"Great. And if you already have trainers, what do you do with your boots?" she asked. "Change your boots already, man, get comfortable."
"You're absolutely right." He took off his boots and winter socks, took out some new summer ones from the dresser and changed his boots for the trainers, meanwhile he showed Hippolyta the underwear he had bought. "Look, speaking of striped clothes, I'm going to show you more things I've bought, prettier underwear."
"Wow… incredible… I would never have imagined you buying brightly colored clothes."
"Well, you see, I do."
"But because they can't be seen," she deduced.
"You know me well, little rascal. But you'll see them."
"Prince, get used to it, what suits you best is black and dark colors. They're your colors, because of your hair and your eyes and because they contrast so well with your white skin."
"But it makes me angry not to wear something bright sometimes," Sev lamented.
"Red would also suit you, red and black go very well together. I think these reds will look nice on you when you're tanned, not when you're still white. My Mum has a red bikini and it happens like that, it looks good on her when she gets tanned, until then it doesn't look nice on her."
"Oh…"
"You can also buy a red t-shirt for when you're more tanned, it will also look great on you, and in contrast with the rest of the black clothes it will be great," the girl suggested.
"True."
"See? You already have it, bright colors."
"And light blue like your eyes?" he asked.
"Also when you are tanned."
"And leaf green or grass green?"
"Same here, and yellow too," she replied. "Yellow looks great on a tanned person, and even better on you, in contrast to black."
"Ugh… I don't know… I don't really like yellow. Black and yellow are the Huffle colours."
"That's nonsense, Prince… Who dictates the House colours? My Mum is Sly and she likes everything red and brown."
"True. And Valerie loves violet."
"Didn't you see how cool the wasps turned out? And they're black and yellow."
"You're right," agreed Sev.
"You can wear any colour, black goes well with everything, like white."
"Sure. On Saturday afternoon I'm also going to go buy a suit to go to a classical music concert with Jack and his parents. What colour should I buy it in?"
"Black, black," replied Hippolyta. "You'll have to buy a shirt too."
"No, I already have shirts, a black one, a navy blue one and the white ones for the uniform."
"But the uniform shirts aren't suit shirts, Prince. Are the other ones you have suit shirts?"
"No, they're not either," he answered.
"Are you going to wear cufflinks?"
"Yes, I thought so."
"You have to wear a suit shirt to be able to wear cufflinks," she clarified. "Are you going to wear a tie too?"
"No, not a tie. What color should I buy the shirt?"
"White, white. Are you going to wear silver or gold cufflinks?"
"Silver," Sev answered.
"Better gold, huh? It contrasts much better with the white of the shirt."
"But I like silver better. It's not as ostentatious, it's Sly's color, Jack is going to wear silver ones too and Lauren a choker I made her out of silver and emeralds."
"Are you going to see Lauren at the concert?" the girl asked.
"That's our plan."
"Oh... Yes, she showed me the choker. Then it's better yes, go in silver like them. On Saturday I have permission until seven. Can I also go with you to buy the suit so I can see you wearing it since I'm not going to see you at the concert?"
"Of course you can, but I warn you that we're going to have to cross London by tube or bus," he said. "Where Valerie is taking us to buy clothes is not very close to the center, which is where Lauren is going to show us where to buy the suits."
"Wow… great, you better yet. I've never been on the tube or the double-decker bus, I really want to go."
"I've never been either. Lauren is going to be our guide, she knows the lines to get from one place to another, she says it's quite complicated."
"Great, great, something to do together for the first time," she said happily. "Let it be a long trip, better by bus, to see the city."
"She said that too."
"Sirius isn't going to go with you to the concert?"
"Well, we haven't proposed it, to be honest," Sev answered.
"Well, invite him, man, he has money and you already saw how he liked the music that Cecile played for us."
"Sure, I'll tell him, of course I will. And you? Do you want to come?"
"No, Prince. I'd need to buy a lot of things, suitable clothes, shoes, the entrance… I prefer that the money you spend on me is for necessary things. I'll go when I'm older and I earn my own living, we'll go to many concerts together. At this one you'll see Lauren, if you're with me you won't pay much attention to her."
"Thanks, honey."
"You're also going to have to buy shoes for the suit."
"Aren't the ones from the school uniform good enough for me?" he asked.
"No, Prince, some good dress shoes, new, just for the suit. They'll last you years, buy them that are loose in case your foot grows a little more."
"Ugh… Jack's going to have to lend me money."
"Well, you'll pay him back when you sell the jewelry," Hippolyta dismissed it. "Maybe he won't have to lend you anything, I'm sure Lauren will want to give you something in exchange for the choker, and Sirius for the cufflinks and the pin. They'll buy you the clothes, you'll see."
"Lauren is just going to accompany us there, I don't want her to see me wearing the outfit before the concert."
"Then let her buy you the modern clothes, she'll be very excited to see you later at school dressed in clothes she gave you."
"Of course... She bought me what I'm wearing, she gave it to me when I got back from Easter," Sev commented.
"The clothes you wore on May 15th."
"That's it."