She only rubbed her chin with her finger, knowing this was the most likely spot to have some ink and with that, and carrying her cup of tea, she was focused on not tripping.
"Miss Granger," she heard and looked up, the tea in her cup almost spilling over. Mrs Callaghan, standing on Snape's side of the garden, standing close in front of him, her back probably touching his chest.
"Hello," she said carefully. "Mrs Callaghan, Snape." It was rude. She knew it was rude but what title to use? Mister Snape sounded awful. Professor Snape was simply wrong. Snape would have to do, as it had done in the past and he had never seemed to mind.
"Is it true?" Mrs Callaghan asked.
"Is what true?" she asked, knowing that this wasn't good. Aideen. She had to focus on Aideen. Not on Mrs Callaghan and certainly not on the way that Snape looked like. In a jumper which was a bit on the tight side and showed the contours of his flat stomach and his chest. Not focusing on that.
"That there might be the possibility for him to get his magic back," she answered.
"Severus?" Aideen sounded terribly shy in that moment. It wasn't right. She could answer them but...she was there for her friend. Not for Snape. She would have to keep this as simple and as non-committal as she could.
"I don't know yet," she replied honestly. Well, she didn't. According to Ron, the book had found but was now somewhere deep in the guts of the Ministry.
"How much of a possibility is it?" Mrs Callaghan wouldn't stop. Why didn't she stop?
"I really don't know," she shook her head.
"Severus, do you...but..." Aideen stammered and Snape looked at her briefly, then at herself.
It was odd — he wore the same expression that Aideen had earlier. But she had rubbed on her chin even if she had left in a hurry and hadn't looked in the mirror, there couldn't be a stain now. Again, she bit her tongue otherwise she knew she would snap and demand what they stared at in her face. Then, his eyes, which she looked at, seemed to change and there was a twitch at the corner's of his mouth.
"I don't think we have to worry about me getting anything magical if Granger is in charge," he said suddenly and the twitch grew. It was almost as if he wanted to smirk but didn't allow himself to and that was it for Hermione. She couldn't bite her tongue anymore. Not even if she did it literally. There was something and he was extraordinarily entertained by whatever it was.
"What?" she snapped. "What is it?"
"Oh dear, Miss Granger, what happened to you?" Mrs Callaghan asked, concernedly.
"What?"
"I suppose I can count myself lucky that I have all my limbs and hair on my body," drawled Snape, an amused edge to his voice.
"What?" she asked again. "Aideen, what is it?" she turned to her.
"This isn't on purpose then? I was wondering what..." she giggled softly.
"Granger, did you apparate here?" asked Snape and she turned around very quickly, the tea in her cup actually spilling, to look at him.
"Of course I did, but..." she hadn't wanted to tell Aideen. Merlin knew how she would react to that.
"Are you familiar with the concept of Splinching?" he actually smirked now. It wasn't, by any means, the evil smirk she had seen thousands of times at school. It was an almost kind smirk. Like he was having a blast at her expense but that he wasn't actually making fun of her — if that made sense. In a way it did and in a way, it did not. No malice in the making fun of her.
Her mind reeled though. Had she splinched herself? But she had checked. Yes, she had been distracted and probably not quite determined enough but her arms were there. Five fingers on each hand and when she wriggled her toes, there were five as well. Two legs. A stomach, two breasts. It was all there. She wriggled her nose and bit her lips and that was there as well.
Face. Eyebrows. Ron had left half an eyebrow behind back when they had learned. She put the tea cup (which was only half full by now) on the small wall that separated her and Aideen from Snape and Mrs Callaghan and brought her hands up to her eyebrows. No, they were there.
"Lashes," said Snape with something that could be constructed as glee in his voice.
"Lashes?"
Aideen sniggered behind her. "I thought that you had pulled them out on purpose. Or maybe had trouble with a lighter when trying to smoke."
Hermione gasped. She had no lashes anymore. She had forgot her lashes. Well, they had just stayed behind. Her eyelashes. Was that even possible?
"They will grow back," the glee was gone from Snape's voice and was replaced by gruffness. "In case you won't find them anymore, which is usually unlikely."
.
It was a sight worth remembering. Granger without eyelashes. In all honesty it did look a little ill, as if she had a strange disease. But he had expected the way she had reacted to this — as if it was the worst thing in the world. Left behind eyelashes were the smallest matter. Back in the days when he had...spied...and when he had been too distracted to focus entirely on the apparation, or when he had been in so much pain that he hadn't been able to concentrate, eyelashes were simply left behind. They grew back. There was a potion which would speed it up — dabbed on the eyelids before going to sleep. It wasn't difficult at all to brew.
His mind remembered. His heart didn't want to but his mind had a mind of its own. And his mouth seemed to be connected to his mind — not to his heart.
"You make a solution from coffee beans and hops. A third coffee beans, two thirds hops with just enough water to cover all of it. And for heaven's sake use a copper cauldron. It should brew for about two hours, then you use the solution and put the same amount of murtlap essence in. You let that boil. And I do mean boil, not simmer, not stew, boil. You have to stir every five minutes twenty-seven times, clockwise. Stir five times. Twenty-five minutes. Understood?" He couldn't stop himself. It just poured out of him and Granger seemed rather surprised by that. He didn't even dare to look at Aideen or Eleanor — he didn't want to know what they know thought of him but...it had just come out of his mouth. He didn't know why, he didn't understand.
"Dab it on your eyelids and then close the eyes otherwise it will burn terribly. It's best to cover it with cotton wool pads or balls and keep those on." He had to stop now. This was him, helping Granger. Making it better for her and he didn't understand why and judging by the expression on her face, she didn't understand either.
65. The Transition of Language
There are very good reasons for supposing that language proper as it exists everywhere today, i.e., in the form of sentences composed of words, was preceded by a simpler stage in which there were neither distinct word-elements nor explicit predication. This simpler stage, where speech is confined to the utterance of unanalysed and uncompounded sentence-words, is passed through by the child and is also exemplified by certain forms of Indian signalling. We attempted to show in a schematic way under what general social and environmental conditions, and in the service of what social needs, the transition took place from the animal cry to this primitive form of human speech. In giving this genetic account we were regarding language from the social rather than from the individual standpoint. Yet we were forced to recognise that the evolution of speech from the cry must have been dependent on a much larger development, as a result of which man's simpler and more instinctive modes of behaviour as an arboreal animal were broken down under stress of new conditions, and replaced by more complex and varied behaviour.
(De Laguna, 1927)
September, 21th, 1999
From: Hermione Granger
To: Severus Snape
Subject: Thank you
Snape,
thank you so much for the potions recipe. It worked and the morning after, I had all my lashes back! This is truly amazing, thank you for telling me.
Thank you again.
Hermione Granger.
.
September 30th, 1999
From Hermione Granger
To: Draco Malfoy
Subject: Help?
Draco,
I have no idea if you can or want to access your email but if that doesn't work, I will have to owl you. This is of some importance, really. I could get the book which includes the curse which was put on Snape. It wasn't easy, to be honest, but Percy Weasley can be easily distracted. One would think that he was more on his guard these days and that he wasn't in charge of that. Anyway, I really want to ask for your help. I hope we can work together to get your godfather his magic back.
Best,
Hermione
.
September 30th, 1999
From: Hermione Granger
To: Aideen Callaghan
Subject: I'm sorry
Dear Aideen,
I hope everything's fine. I won't be able to come over next Saturday as planned because my prof heaped loads and loads of work on us and I need to get started on it. Could we meet the week after? I'm sure my workload will have lessened until then. Let me know if that works for you, please.
Love,
Hermione.
.
October 1st, 1999
From: Aideen Callaghan
To: Hermione Granger
Subject: RE: I'm sorry
Hermione,
It's fine, I'm terribly busy as well and Severus has taken to explaining me and Gran about potions which is very, very exciting but of course neither of us can brew any. He hasn't said yet if the potions work for Muggles, could you tell me? And if that works, is there a potion which makes the hair on my legs go away for good?
Love, Aideen
.
October 2nd, 1999
Owl from Hermione Granger to Draco Malfoy
Malfoy,
I emailed you but I suppose you can't check them anymore. I wonder if you'd like to help me undoing the curse on your godfather. I think there might possibly be a way.
Hermione Granger
.
October 2nd, 1999
From: Hermione Granger
To: Aideen Callaghan
Subject: RE:RE: I'm sorry
Dear Aideen,
yes, there is such a potion indeed and I think it might work on you but you'd do have to ask Snape again — he is the potions expert. I could make some for you and bring it over next time I'm there or send an owl, if you like.
Love,
Hermione
.
October 3rd, 1999
From Severus Snape
To: Hermione Granger
Subject: Are you absolutely out of your mind?
Scratch that subject-line, I know you are. How can you tell Aideen about the hair-vanishing solution? We are already pushing the boundaries of the Statue of Secrecy and Aideen still has to speak in front of the Wizengamot, and you bring her more and more magical things. No potion, Granger.
.
October 3rd, 1999
From: Hermione Granger
To: Severus Snape
Subject: No, I'm completely in my mind
Snape,
this potion is absolutely safe and you know it. She would only use it once and I doubt she would brag to her friends about it. Aideen is not like that, but you obviously don't trust her to keep your (and my) secret. It is just hair-vanishing cream. Not solution, just cream. Put it on, lose your hair forever. It's the dream of every Muggle woman. And I will give it to her.
.
October 3rd, 1999
From Severus Snape
To: Hermione Granger
Subject: Are you absolutely out of your mind?
You can't give it to her.
.
October 3rd, 1999
From: Hermione Granger
To: Severus Snape
Subject: No, I'm completely in my mind
Watch me, Snape. I'll be there on Saturday.
.
October 5th, 1999
Owl from Draco Malfoy to Hermione Granger.
I will come to Grimmauld Place on Monday at twelve.
.
October 8th, 1999
From Severus Snape
To: Hermione Granger
Subject: Are you absolutely out of your mind?
I can't believe you did this. This will make things dangerous for her. I hope you know that.
.
October 8th, 1999
From: Hermione Granger
To: Severus Snape
Subject: No, I'm completely in my mind
Snape,
seriously? Her legs are hair-free now. It's not much, is it? And it will certainly not get her into danger. She will speak in front of the Wizengamot only about the thing about Andromeda Tonks. I bet those old bastards have other things to do than to think about Aideen's legs. Trust her, for heaven's sake.
.
October 8th, 1999
From Severus Snape
To: Hermione Granger
Subject: Are you absolutely out of your mind?
Ever heard of Legilimency?
.
October 8th, 1999
From: Hermione Granger
To: Severus Snape
Subject: No, I'm completely in my mind
Snape,
of course I have heard of Legilimency but hair-free cream? If anyone's in for anything, it's me, not you, not her. I gave it to her after all. End of story.
.
October 8th, 1999
From Severus Snape
To: Hermione Granger
Subject: Are you absolutely out of your mind?
Fine.
.
October 11th, 1999
Owl from Draco Malfoy to Severus Snape
Uncle Severus,
I just wanted to check in to see if you're alright and happy. I am working on restoring the Malfoy name in the Wizarding World and Father is not truly helping the matter at all. Not at all. He has taken to seeing some random Muggle woman because he got it into his head that he needs another child because I might be insane. He hasn't told this woman, whom I never met, by the way, that he is a Wizard but woos her. The ink on the divorce paper of my parents isn't even dry yet. He is obsessed with that woman but I haven't seen her yet, so I don't know if she honestly feels something for him as well or if it's only one of his mad ideas. He hasn't even told me, it was the house elf.
Oh, and I have talked to Granger briefly when I was in London the other day and she was truly gushing about you. My, my Uncle Severus. I think someone has a crush on you.
Best,
your godson, Draco.
.
October 12th, 1999
Owl from Severus Snape to Draco Malfoy
Draco,
your father is seeing a Muggle woman? Well, that is certainly an interesting development but I would just wait and see what is happening. I don't think your father and a Muggle would work and it is maybe just a phase that needs to run through.
Aideen sends her best.
Severus.
.
October 17th, 1999
Owl from Draco Malfoy to Hermione Granger
Granger,
I think I might have found the missing link. You don't only need to insert words and movement into the counter-curse but also a certain type of chanting. This is an old curse, remember that and back in Merlin's day, they would chant, rather than speak and the language was probably more melodious in itself. However, one of the books I consulted says that it could have devastating effects on both the caster and the receiver of the counter-curse. I don't know how you can find out the correct chant though.
