Owls and Musings

Chapter 3

Esmerelda put the note back down on her dresser. He's taking me to a muggle restaurant? This ought to be interesting, she thought to herself, as she prepared for the meeting. Actually she probably could refer to this as a "Date", she supposed, although it had been awhile since she had been on one. Ministry researchers did not, as a rule, get out that often. If they did, it was for business meetings. Could this be considered a business meeting? No, she decided, she preferred "Date."

She rolled up her hair into a sleek twist at the back of her head, pinning it with some well placed charms, picked out some nice earrings and applied her makeup with a deft hand.

"Very nice, dearie," said her mirror as she checked herself over.

"Thank you," she said, "It's not too much? Perhaps a softer red on the lips?"

"No, go with your first instincts. They're always the best," the mirror declared.

She always kept a few clothes on hand for when she had to interact with muggles, especially when she and her quartet performed during the summer. Dropping her dressing gown on the bed, she chose a performance dress for this evening. A nice deep purple with black beading on the bodice and at the wrists, it was concert length and she paired it with black pumps that added a little to her height. A muggle winter cape completed her ensemble and she grabbed her portfolio of notes, a small gift she had picked up in her travels for Severus, and apparated to Diagon Alley.

+++

She almost did not recognize him, dressed in a muggle casual suit, and woolen winter coat. She did a quick twirl in front of him.

"Well, is it too fancy?" she queried.

He raised one eyebrow and eyed her outfit. "It will do." He offered her his arm and they headed out the front door of the tavern. He guided her on the short walk through the Christmas Eve snowfall to the restaurant he had chosen.

They were seated in a small private alcove near the fireplace and Esmerelda soon discovered that Severus had excellent taste in food and wine and let him order for the both of them.

As they waited for their dinner to arrive, she pulled out her comparisons and handed them to Severus to look over. She was gratified to see the interest in his face.

"As you can see, over the years there've been many substitutions made for several ingredients, and in some cases whole receipts have been omitted or added."

"Yes, yes. What is this notation here?" he asked, pointing to a mark next to an older potion. She leaned in to look and then leaned back in her chair, a decidedly Cheshire grin on her face.

"Ah, that - my friend - leads me to my other research project. Did you know that originally many of these potions had accompanying chants that were to be sung or hummed during the preparation?"

"You're serious?" He raised an eyebrow at her.

"Extremely. It was one of the reasons why I had embarked on the second research project this autumn." She dropped her grin as she went on. " I think the reason why the practice was discontinued over the centuries was due to problems if the practitioner was tone deaf."

"That would present a problem, especially if certain intervals were required."

"Precisely. But I'm still interested in trying out some of these older potions with the music and see what it does. Unfortunately, I don't have the time for practical applications so it may need to go on the back burner."

"No, don't drop this yet," he said looking down at the notes, a real grin lighting up his face. "Let me try some of these, conduct some experiments. I am NOT tone deaf," he added, to her amusement.

"Right, you're on. Here is the binder with a copy of the manuscript. Can you read medieval musical notation?"

"Actually, yes I can. Flitwick taught a course in it my seventh year. I may be a bit rusty in it, but I kept my notes." He grimaced at the unintentional pun. She chuckled with him and he was amazed at how it gave him a pleasant sensation down his spine. He put the notes and manuscript away as their dinner was served.

During pudding, she presented him with his gift.

"Esmerelda, this is unnecessary!" he protested.

"Oh lighten up. I discovered it during one of my trips this autumn and it screamed 'buy me for Severus' so, I did. I don't expect anything back," she said, waving a hand dismissively. "Besides, this dinner is present enough." She pushed the package closer to him. "Now, open it!"

He raised his eyebrows at her but reached for the package anyways. When the wrapping was off he discovered a potions kit, but one unlike any he had seen before.

"Where is this from?" he asked, opening it up and pulling bottles out to examine them.

"Do you like it? I discovered it in a wizard bazaar in Turkey. The ingredients are all those found only in that region of the world. There is a book that goes with it at the bottom. I went ahead and placed a translation charm on it."

Severus was amazed. Most Christmases he had no presents other than a yearly gift from Dumbledore, since he had started teaching. He was at a loss for words and therefore went for the simplest.

"Thank you, Esmerelda." He reached out and touched the hand that she had left on the table. A jolt of something akin to electricity shot up his fingers and he noticed that her hand jerked as well. He saw her blushing.

"I'm glad you like it," she murmured. All of a sudden the room felt very hot to her as she felt his gaze on her. She looked up and he caught her eyes with his as his fingers curled around hers. He slowly raised her hand up and placed a gentle kiss on her fingertips. Her breath caught in her throat and she was rapidly feeling the need to fan herself. He laid her hand back down on the table and she reached for her water glass hoping it would cool her down.

"Would you care to take a walk?" he asked, his voice low and mesmerizing. It sent thrills down her spine.

"I would love to!" That would do, she would let the snow cool her down. She let him help her with her cape and they headed out into the beautiful winter evening. There was no wind, and the snow still gently came down as they walked along the street towards a nearby park. Arm in arm they strolled along with other couples that were enjoying the fairy lights in the trees and the sounds of carolers floating in the air. Every now and then Severus would reach up with his free hand and dust the snow from her face.

She did not want the evening to end, but eventually they headed back towards the Leaky Cauldron.

Severus stopped before they had reached the entrance and she turned to him.

"Esmerelda, I need to let you know that this has been the most enjoyable Christmas Eve I have had in years," he told her quietly.

She shyly smiled up at him and impulsively stood on tiptoes to gently kiss his cheek. Now it was his turn to blush.

"I'm glad," she said simply. "I do, however, need to get back." She stepped away from him and started heading for the door. He kept pace with her as they entered the tavern and headed for the apparition point.

"You will let me know soon about your thoughts on my notes?" she asked.

"Of course. Most likely by New Years or the following week."

"Good." She had reached the apparition point.

"Severus, thank you for a marvelous evening. Happy Christmas!"

"Happy Christmas, Esmerelda," he told her and watched as she Disapparated, following shortly thereafter.