Four days later I had been poked, prodded, plucked, pampered, powdered and petted to perfection. My skin was smooth and my nails were round and immaculate, and we were enjoying our last few hours at the beautiful resort before the dance later that evening.
I sat back in an oversized Jacuzzi with a cool crisp glass of Prosecco clutched in my hand, smiled at my two friends.
"So then Aims." Hermione said, putting her glass down on the marble surface behind her. And looking like she meant business. I raised my eyebrows at her and smirked.
"Whoa!" Said Ginny, sitting up. "You look so much like..." She stopped suddenly. And I had an idea what she was going to say.
"Ginny babes. If you two are going to talk to me about this, then now is the best time to do it. I'm okay. I can talk at the moment because I'm relaxed. Thank you for this weekend, it really has helped." I said. Hermione nodded.
"You're welcome." She said.
"So" I said, "Who do I look like?" I asked Ginny, pulling the same face as before. She looked nervously at Hermione, who nodded, and then back at me.
"Snape. The old Snape, you know that face he used to do. You just, it was exactly the same." She said, smiling sadly. I grinned.
"Ah well. So, you two obviously have questions. I'm serious. I'm okay. If you're going to ask me. Do it now." I replied, taking a sip of the drink. The gentle heat of it travelled down my throat and I briefly closed my eyes in pleasure. Whether because of the hot water, the Jasmine and White Tea scented air, or the alcohol. I wanted to talk about Severus. I had been thinking about him a lot whilst I had been at the hotel. I regretted getting angry. I should have just spoken to him. But what is done is done.
"Well." Hermione began. "What happened? I think that should be the first question."
I took a deep breath in and looked at them. "I told him we couldn't..." I said, flapping my hand that wasn't holding the drink slightly. "We, we could have been caught before and it just put things into perspective. I don't want to hurt him. Or his career." I said, not sure who I was trying to convince. I took another calming sip and the bubbles tickled the back of my throat. I looked to see Hermione looking at me curiously. "Next question?"
"Why did you decide so suddenly?" Ginny asked. Looking at me with one raised eyebrow.
"Yeah." Hermione added. "You'd only just been talking about spending Christmas with him?"
"I don't know. I just... I don't know. And his reaction." I looked down, losing confidence and scrunched my eyes shut at the memory of his blood on the cold stone floor of the Astronomy tower.
"What reaction?" Ginny asked, looking at me inquisitively. I looked back up at them, drinking another small sip of the fabulous drink, my confidence raising slightly.
"He, well he just turned. So quickly, going straight from, well, whatever he was to me, back to teacher in the blink of an eye. How was it so easy for him?" I asked my friends, looking at them imploringly.
"Amy. He was probably hurt." Hermione said softly, and Ginny shot her a frown.
"That wouldn't give reason for him to be rude." The redhead quipped. Which I immediately argued against.
"Oh no, no Gin. He wasn't rude. I just... I know I hurt him. But I didn't want to risk his career. But he just turned cold straight away. The only sign that he wasn't perfectly fine was the blood." I said, making both of my friends immediately look at me in what could only be described as concern.
"What blood?" Hermione asked, brown eyes burning into my own.
"Well, he was holding the railing of the Astronomy tower as it all happened. And I mean he must of really been holding it, because I think he cut his hand. There was blood on the metal, and the floor when he left. But his eyes... They just looked so, cold again."
"Merlin Amy." Ginny exclaimed, taking a good swig of her own drink, making me do the same. "He actually cut himself on the railing up there? He must really have had a tight grip on it then. It's not as if it's sharp. Maybe he wasn't as composed as you believe him to be."
"You think?" Hermione said, a hint of sarcasm evident in her voice. I smiled at my two friends as they glared playfully at each other.
"Well." I said, finishing my drink and resting my head against the soft pad behind it. "It's done now. I don't know what I'll do for Christmas. I'll probably still stay at Hogwarts. I'll be able to explore a bit more of the grounds or... Something. I don't know."
"You know you don't have to right. Mum and Dad would be more than happy to have you at home for Christmas." Hermione said.
"Yeah, or you could stay with us if you fancied?" Ginny added, and I smiled gratefully at them both.
"Thank you. I do appreciate it, really. I just think I'd prefer to stay this year. Keep things quiet, if that makes sense?" I said gently. Ginny just watched me as Hermione nodded.
"Of course it makes sense. Just don't think I won't be writing every five minutes to check on you." I laughed happily at Hermione, who's eyes were alight with some emotion I couldn't put my finger on.
"Well. Come on girls. We have to be out of here in an hour." Ginny said, standing up and stepping out of the heavenly water. She wrapped a large white, fluffy robe around herself before holding my own open for me as I also, reluctantly, stepped from the warm water, allowing her to envelop me in the cream, equally fluffy fabric.
With a deep breath, and one last look at the heavenly personal spa, I put on the towel slippers, and headed to the shower.
***
I sat at the dressing table in the bathroom, applying my make-up by hand, when Rebecca came in. Looking stunning in a deep purple, figure hugging dress. Her black hair brought back into a tight styled bun. She looked like a goddess. Eyes illuminated my dark make up, and I couldn't help but stare as she walked over to brush her teeth at the sink.
"Woah Ms. Slytherin. Where'd all that come from?" I asked playfully, causing her to glare at me.
"Very funny." She replied, the sound muffled by her toothbrush. When she was finished, she turned to me as I packed my make-up away. "You know you have a wand to do that with right? You look amazing though."
"Yeah I know. I just prefer to do it by hand. I had time. And thanks Becks. But look at you!" I said, wolf-whistling at her as she followed me back into the extremely untidy dorm room.
"Oh this old thing?" She said playfully, putting on her silver strappy shoes, as I put on my gorgeous red ones. I smiled down at the dress. I hoped he would be here tonight. Ginny had, in a surprise to me, disappeared to the Ministry upon our return. Coming back around an hour later, clutching a piece of paper and running over to me and Hermione in the common room.
I looked down at said piece of paper, now in my hand, and smiled.
Miss Ginny Weasley, in response to your enquiry.
I apologise I could not have given this response in person, but we are currently very busy and I barely had five minutes to write this as it is.
Under the Act of Workplace Romance, Relationship, and Liaison, or AWL, such a circumstance, in an educational environment, tends to have much stricter limitations. But the rules are as follows.
A member of Faculty may become romantically involved with a co-worker ONLY if given permission by the establishments director. And ONLY if all parties are of age and fully consensual.
A member of Faculty may become romantically involved with a Student ONLY if given permission by the establishments director. And ONLY if all parties are of age and fully consensual.
A member of the Student body may become romantically involved with another such, ONLY if all parties are of age and fully consensual. The establishment director's permission is not required under such circumstances, however they retain power to request the relationship be terminated if it is found to be harmful to one or all parties education status.
On a less formal note Miss Weasley, I am not going to ask why you requested this information. I can only give my advice on the matter. (As from now this is Kingsley, a family friend, not the MoM writing.) I hope you, or whoever this information is for, will choose wisely. You, and the friends I have met of yours, are talented, and have a bright future in our world, please do not let relationships get in the way of your potential, you can worry about all that later.
I wish you and your wonderful family, Miss Granger and Miss Baxter the best. And any other new friends of yours I have not had the chance to meet yet. I shall see you on Christmas Eve, as your generous parents have invited me for Christmas.
Signed, Kingsley Shaklebolt.
Minister Of Magic.
Huffing quietly to myself, I carefully folded the paper and tucking it in my dress, along with my wand. "Ready?" A voice said behind me, and I jumped slightly as I turned to face Hermione.
"Yeah." I smiled, glancing over her green dress. "Did I miss the memo to dress like a Slytherin? First Becks, now you." I asked playfully, smirking at her. She laughed at me, before gently moving the skirt of the dress.
"No. I like green. And you know what Rebecca's like. I'm surprised she's not in Slytherin to be honest. With her level of sarcastic humour."
"Yeah well." I replied, checking my reflection one last time in the mirror. "Shall we go?"
"Of course." Hermione grinned at me, also giving her reflection one last check. "Lets go have some fun."