Shampoo

Chapter Seven - Draco's Quest

Snape admired himself in the mirror. His robes today were silver-grey, which quite brought out the shine in his hair. He had actually gone to Diagon Alley and purchased new robes. Madame Malkin had nearly fainted at the sight of him and had gushed about his appearance while thrusting robe after robe at him for nearly an hour. He had to admit, there was something to this whole fashion idea. He had purchased six new robes in varying colors and patterns. He glared at his reflection when he noticed a hair out of place. He searched through the various bottles and jars on his dressing table and snatched up a spray bottle. A couple of squirts on the errant hair brought it back into perfect symmetry and he smiled jauntily.

Today, Snape would escort the Hogwarts brats to Hogsmeade, where Snape had a very important meeting set up. He checked his appearance one last time and sailed out.

Draco stormed up to Hermione in the hallway.

"Snape has got to be stopped," he said flatly. She blinked at him.

"Malfoy, you realize you're speaking to me in public? Like, human to human?"

"This is important!"

"Well, I'm not the one with the evil reputation to uphold. Just looking out for your own best interests, you know?"

"Can you be serious for a moment and listen to me?"

"All right. Snape. What's the problem, then?"

"He stole all my hair care products."

Hermione stared at him blankly.

"All of it! My shampoo, conditioner, spray, gel, shining agent, highlighting crème--what the hell will Snape do with highlighting crème, I ask you--are you listening?"

"Of course, Draco, it just... doesn't seem all that serious."

"Not serious?" he yelped. "Look at my hair! It's gone completely flat! And look! Dull as tarnished silver!"

She looked at him critically. His hair draped becomingly over his grey eyes and if it was any less gorgeous than normal, she couldn't tell it a whit.

"You're as dead sexy as ever and your hair is stunning. I think you're overreacting."

"You're just saying that to make me feel better," he said petulantly. "Feel it. Lifeless and stiff as Hagrid's beard!"

"I really don't think I should feel your hair right now," Hermione said and glanced around at their growing audience. Several Slytherins were starting at Draco as if he'd grown two heads and Ron, on Hermione's right, was goggling in sheer astonishment.

"Feel it!" Draco demanded.

Hermione shoved her hand into the silver blonde mass and sighed appreciatively. It felt like it always did--silky and soft as a newborn puppy's coat. She let her hand linger for a moment longer than necessary.

"Your hair is perfect, Draco. Now, snap out of it."

"He's got to be stopped. He confiscated my things with some trumped up excuse about checking them for contraband potion ingredients."

"Erm, Draco, why you talking to that Mudblood?" Montague asked, sidling near.

Draco scowled. "Because I need a plan and you guys suck at plans. Granger is going to help me get my supplies back."

"We can't go take them from Snape's quarters," Hermione said rationally. "He'll just take them back again."

"Then, what am I going to do? I can't go about looking like this!"

Hermione sighed. "Fine. Come with me to Hogsmeade. I'll come up with a plan on the way."

Ron and several Slytherins began to protest, but a venomous glare from Malfoy silenced them all.

"Do you have a better idea?" he snarled. The quiet was deafening. "I thought not."

With that, Draco grabbed Hermione's arm and they headed for Hogsmeade.

Their feet crunched in the snow as they tromped along the well-worn path.

"Well?" Draco asked.

"It's only been five minutes!"

"You're the genius. So what's the plan?"

Hermione rolled her eyes. Draco wasn't half as much fun when he wasn't snogging her madly.

"All right. I assume you know how to Apparate. Even though you haven't a license."

"Of course. A Malfoy always has an escape route close to hand."

"Because of the lovely company you keep, no doubt."

"Present company included."

"Touché."

"Do you have a plan, or not?"

"It's simple. We sneak away and Apparate to Diagon Alley. You buy your things and we return before anyone notices."

"You can Apparate, too?" Draco asked, seeming impressed.

"Yes. I learned at the Burrow. With Fred and George Apparating and Disapparating all over the place, there is no way the Ministry could spot underage magic."

"Very sneaky, Granger. I'm impressed."

Hermione blushed. Leave it to Draco to be impressed by something illegal. Still, with Harry's Voldemort situation, Hermione thought it prudent to learn every defense possible, including escape.

"So, is it a plan?"

"I would have thought of that myself. If I weren't so upset."

"Of course you would. You can go by yourself, if you wish."

"You can come with me. Maybe we can find something to tame your frizz."

"I hardly have any frizz!"

She endured Draco's speculative look and reasoned that if he could find fault with his own soft-as-silk lovely mane, hers probably looked a positive fright to him. She capitulated.

"Fine. You're the hair care expert. I'm in your hands."

"I rather like the sound of that."

So did Hermione.

They appeared near The Leaky Cauldron and made their way to the Apothecary. The proprietor looked up polishing bottles when they entered.

"Mr. Malfoy, what a pleasant surprise. And Miss... Granger...?" Her eyes flicked from one of them to the other in puzzlement. Hermione could practically hear her thoughts churning. Pureblood, Mudblood. Pureblood, Mudblood. She blinked. "Shouldn't you two be at school?"

"This is an emergency," Draco said. "Someone stole all my hair supplies."

The woman gasped. "Come right this way! Well, you know where everything is."

Draco marched to a rear corner of the store Hermione had never noticed before. The shopkeeper grabbed a basket and Draco threw bottles and jars into it. Hermione looked at some curiously. Many were obviously Muggle products. She was certain Draco did not know that and she didn't plan to enlighten him.

When he finished loading the basket, he looked at Hermione critically.

"Let's see. We'll try this, this... and this."

He added three products to his basket.

As he set his purchases on the counter, Hermione's eye was caught by a selection of lip glosses. She picked one out.

Draco tsked at her.

"That's far too orange for your skin tone," he said and reached for the display.

"Try this one." He held up a cinnamon-colored tube. She wrinkled her nose, but applied a bit and looked at him questioningly.

"It's flavored," she said and touched her lower lip with her tongue.

"The color isn't bad, though perhaps a bit dark. What's kind is it?"

"Hazelnut."

Draco shuddered. "That will never do. I despise nuts."

The shopkeeper watched them with eyes wide as plates.

Hermione eliminated it with a wave of her wand while Draco selected one the color of a pecan shell. She obediently smoothed it on.

"Well?" he asked.

"Butter Rum."

"Perfect. An excellent shade, also."

He tossed the tube onto the pile.

"All right. Wrap it up and put this on my mother's tab," Draco said imperiously. "I'll thank you not to mention we were here."

The shopkeeper nodded nervously and hurried to put everything into a handled bag with the name of the shop emblazoned on the front.

Outside, they Apparated back to Hogsmeade. The operation had taken less than twenty minutes.

They stood in a clump of snow-topped bushes behind The Hog's Head.

"Thanks for the plan. Let me taste that lip gloss, now."

Hermione leaned forward and let Draco taste the butter rum flavor lingeringly. His nose and lips were cold. When she opened her eyes, snow was beginning to fall in huge clumps.

"We should go. I'd invite you to The Three Broomsticks for a butterbeer, but I think you've quite horrified your Slytherin friends enough for one day."

She giggled suddenly and reached out to slide her thumb across Draco's lips.

"Definitely not your shade. Something more in a frost, I should say." She wiped the remains of her lip gloss from his slightly-smirking mouth. He grabbed her hand and nibbled on the tips of her cold fingertips, sending a jolt of electricity shooting down her spine.

They both started as the back door to The Hog's Head opened. Both ducked and peered through the branches at the man who shut the door and walked off through the snow, whistling a jaunty tune.

"Tell me that wasn't Snape," Draco said.

"Did you see what he was wearing? Silver robes? And his cape was trimmed in ermine? What's happened to him?"

"Have you ever heard him whistle?"

"Not even when he was torturing Harry or me. He looks positively... happy."

The figure disappeared into the swirling snow and the conspirators stepped from hiding. Hermione used her wand to change the logo on Draco's bag to read Honeydukes Sweetshop.

"Filch will check your bag, though. How will you explain all that?"

"Filch is an idiot. I won't need to."