| Details for The New Look |
| Summary: | Due to potions accident Lillian gets a new hair color. Augustin finds out first…along with the rest of his house. |
| Date: | 1938-09-05 |
| Location: | Kitchen Passage |
| Related: | — |
| Characters |
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"Safety's one of the first things they cover," Gus promises the young students. He nods at Ahnaliese approvingly. "Never hurts to have study buddies," he agrees. "Especially if they're Ravenclaws." He gives Artemis a sympathetic look and is about to respond when he hears a knock at the door. He goes over to see who it is. He steps through the painting, but doesn't quite close it behind him. "WHAT HAPPENED TO YOUR HAIR?!" comes the shocked shout. Y'all come running, now!
Lillian is standing outside the entrance to Hufflepuff common room looking distraught. Her usual sunny blonde hair is now a bright red and she looks close to tears. She lowers her head as Augustin boldly announces her problem to the whole common room. She blinks back tears and doesn't dare look up. "Potions accident…" Then the dam breaks and she starts crying turning away so they can't see it. Her shoulder shake and finally she regains enough control to elaborate. "I had a mishap in class and the teacher said it was likely permeate…if you want to break up with me I understand my father will likely kill me anyway..or at least creatively maim me." She sniffs and takes a deep breath trying to calm down.
Ahnaliese follows the rush to the door. Her height isn't much, but her stature allows her to easily wend her way up beside Augustin by partway through Lillian's story. Already Ahnaliese's lower lip presses up and her eyes look sad. If she looks about to say something, she doesn't yet. She looks ready to say a lot though.
The tears get him. "Oh, now," Gus says, gathering her into his arms. "There, there. Don't cry. I was just shocked is all." He rests his chin on the top of her head. "You make a smashing redhead, honestly. I — I like it. Just as much as the other color." He pats her back soothingly. "I won't break up with you. But the next time I burn my eyebrows off in a potions accident, you have to stick with me as well, eh?" he says with a little laugh in his voice. He must have heard something because he glances to the side and sees faces sticking through the opening to the common room. A red blush rises up in his cheeks.
Artemis turns curiously to the shout and once she snatches up her bag she makes her way to exit the common room. She leaves her books on the table, but she crosses the strap of her bag over to her opposite shoulder. Once in the kitchen passage she freezes, her eyes widening before she frowns. She eventually pipes up matter-of-factly, "Well, at least you didn't get /hurt/ right? It could have been a lot worse. You… didn't get hurt, right?"
Lillian turns her head when Augustin hugs her, her eyes widen with surprise and she gives him a weak smile. Though the comment about burned off eyebrows does get an amused look. "Thank you….I'm not sure if I like it yet or not the shock hasn't quite worn off yet. I promise to stick with you through any potion accidents of your own…" She smiles a bit more genuinely now the tears slowly going away. It is then that she sees the crowd watching them and turns pink with embarrassment. One question has her smiling bitterly. "Just my pride…and my hair." She takes another deep breath trying to keep her emotions under control.
"Yeah, it could have been worse," Ahnaliese agrees, deciding now is a good point to insert her intelligence into the situation as well. "If a bad transfiguration backfired," she says, thinking of what she's recently learned in Transfiguration class, "maybe all your hair would be falling out! And you'd be lucky if you didn't die from it."
With an air of finality, Ahnaliese adds, "You're just a permanent redhead now is all. And it's pretty, though I don't remember what it was like before."
Artemis' question makes Gus look rather alarmed for the second or two it takes until Lillian answers that she's alright. "Well, the hair is nice, and your pride will heal," he promises her, relieved that she's really okay. He grimaces at the thought Ahnaliese puts out there. "Going bald would be just awful!" he says.
Artemis offers a weak smile. "Red is a nice colour," she assures. "Remember all the colour changes last year when Peeves got hold of those exploding colour capsules?" She shakes her head and lets out a sigh. "Blue, green, purple…" She blows out a breath and then glances to Ahnaliese. "And then there's baldness," she murmurs with a wince.
Lillian blinks at Ahnaliese. "It can always get worse yes…but thankfully I'm not injured or bald." She turns around in Augustin's arms and shakes her head softly red curls bouncing. "Does it really look okay?" She asks still slightly insecure but the mention of last years dye disaster she giggles. "I remember that…there was a blonde boy in my house who always talked really bad about Gryffindors he wound up with bright Gryffindor red hair. At least mine is a more flattering shade of red." She seems to be recovering and hugs Augustin tightly. "Thank you."
Ahnaliese watches Lillian closely for a few moments, taking in her antics, and no doubt analyzing them. Someone yelps behind her, and Ahnaliese takes a step forward—apparently she took one back first, as the boy is suddenly accusing her of stepping on his stocking-clad foot.
"Sorry!" she murmurs. "It could have been worse," she thinks to say. It only earns her a glare this time and she looks suspiciously at Lillian, as something clicks. "You're that girl that sat with me in the compartment on the train! You didn't want to be set up with a boyfriend because you already had one!?"
"I do remember that!" Augustin says. "Wow, Lil… blue would not have been your color." He gently picks up a lock between his fingers and brings it closer to his face to peer at it. "This is a natural color, anyway. I've seen plenty of redheaded witches. You won't stand out." He hugs her back, and grins. He kind of freezes at Ahnaliese's comment, and looks back and forth between her and Lillian. "Ahhh…" he says. This would be why he wasn't sorted into Ravenclaw.
Artemis falls silent as she steps back, gripping the front of her strap in two hands. "I should probably head off before curfew hits. I needed a couple more books from the library," she says matter-of-factly. She glances to Ahnaliese. "Keep out of trouble, okay?" She gives her a smile, and then shift it over to Augustin and Lillian, offering them a wave.
Lillian winces at the mention of blue hair. She blushes as Augustin examines her hair and is about to comment when Ahnaliese pipes up. Lillian looks between Gus and the first year shaking her head. "No that was not the reason….We were not together at that point. I just did not think I wanted to be set up with someone…I would rather pick my own." She smiles playfully at Augustin and leans in to kiss his cheek.
This causes Ahnaliese to frown briefly, and elicit a rather unintelligent, "Oh." She didn't see that one. She glances after Artemis and says softly, too softly for her to hear, "Bye." When her eyes chase back to Lillian, she pauses a moment, and then turns.
The boy with the stocking feet makes way for Ahnaliese and her oxford booties. Others have already begun to wander off as well, more turning to the buffet table now. Perhaps a few admirers linger longer.
"Goodbye, little girl," Gus says solemnly, but with a twinkle in his eye, to Artemis as she leaves. He eyes Lillian. "Well… I guess it turned out lucky for me that a woman's prerogative is to change her mind, innit?" He takes Lillian's hand. "Come on, Lil. I'll walk you back to the dungeons. It's almost curfew."
Lillian laughs and raises an eyebrow at Augustin. "There went my plan to go dancing under the moonlight." She teases but allows him to lead her back to her common room without further protest. "Still I am really lucky you like red heads…"