WLTM

Hermione was waiting outside Val’s office, having been told there was already a customer in there. She had closed the shop and ran home quickly to change. She wanted to make a good impression and she didn’t know if they would need photographs and such. She had emptied her bottle of Sleekeazy’s hair potion and her long locks were wavy and lustrous. She had pulled on her favourite black jeans and a pale pink blouse covered with tiny flowers, applied a little lip-gloss and a spray of perfume, and then ran back down the street to apparate into the centre of town.



She lifted a magazine and flicked through it. It was Teenwitch, full of photographs of the latatest Quidditch players posing with no tops on and flexing their muscles and cheesy grins to the camera. Hermione laughed and put it down again.



The door to Val’s office opened and Hermione looked up. The small lady was standing in the doorway, holding it open for her customer to leave. She saw Hermione sitting there and smiled at her.



‘You’re next, come on…’ she waved her forward as the man left the room.



Severus looked at her in horror, his face burning with embarrassment. He turned to Val, his jaw clenched tightly.



‘I suggest you consider the privacy of your clientele, Ms Passiflora.’ he snapped at her, ‘ I have no wish to share my private life with my employee and yet…. It would appear she now knows everything.’



He glared, first at Val and then at Hermione. Without a word, he turned on his heal and walked down the corridor and Hermione and Val stared after him in shock.



‘Oh gods. He will be insufferable tomorrow.’ Hermione murmured.



Val looked at her a little then patted her shoulder.



‘Let’s not think on it, my dear. Now, you’re young and very pretty, so lets find you someone to share your life with.’





****



Hermione sat with her legs curled beneath her and re-read her copy of Valentine Passiflora’s form. It consisted of a list of attributes she was looking for in her soul mate and ranged from ‘Incredibly Handsome’ to ‘Useful around the house’. She ran through her checklist slowly.



‘Intelligent’ – This was imperative. She couldn’t stand boring conversations.



‘Kind / Selfless’ – Hermione hated selfish people but admired compassion.



‘Fun’ – She liked to have a giggle now and then.



‘Not too handsome but not butt-ugly’ – Hermione didn’t really mind about looks, she was no oil painting herself.



‘Able to take control in the bedroom’ – Hermione blushed but agreed she needed guidance. Her experience was limited to a fumble with Viktor and a quick roll with Ron and he had come before she had taken her knickers off.



‘Risk taker’ – She needed someone who would keep her on her toes.



‘Willing to commit’ – Hermione still wanted the works and she wasn’t going to put out for less than love.



‘Wants children’ – Hermione wasn’t broody yet, but she wanted the option for later.



She read through her list again and nodded before placing it on the coffee table.



Her mind drifted back to Severus and she wondered how he was feeling. She had never considered his private life before; the subject had never come up. But he was obviously looking for love, the same as she was. Hermione felt bad for him, he had been so embarrassed. She pondered for a while. Should she pretend it hadn’t happened? Or mention it and tell him not to be embarrassed? She shook her head and grabbed her glass of wine. She would worry about it in the morning.





****



Severus was drunk, his eyes unfocussed as he stare into his fireplace. He was contemplating not going into the shop tomorrow, but he had a complicated batch of potions to brew for St Mungo’s that he couldn’t put off.



Damn it. Why? All he wanted to was a little company, some pleasant conversation and perhaps, if things went well, a longer term arrangement at the end of it. It had taken him ages to pluck up the courage to go for his appointment. He had cancelled two previously. Typical that he couldn’t even do that in private and Granger was where she had no right to be.



Why had she been there, anyway? She was smart, intelligent, pretty (especially so when she had her hair loose, like today, he mused) and at times, she was a delightfully amusing witch. Why she was still single, he couldn’t fathom.



He brooded on it a while longer, until he fell asleep in his chair and started to snore.







*****



This is probably a slow burner... no lemons for a while yet....