The Pink Lion
They both looked up as they heard a knock on the door. �Come in!� Minerva called. The door opened and revealed a fourth year Gryfindor, wearing a ridiculous black veil. �What is it Miss Dashwood? Minerva asked.
�I�ve been send to see you by Professor Snape�, Elinor replied.
Minerva face turned into a very stern expression. �How do you mean send?�
Elinor clasped her hands behind her back. �I refused to take of my veil when he asked me to�.
Minerval looked at the student in front of her, not believing her eyes. Elinor Dashwood was a very bright, calm student. She never caused any trouble, she worked hard and her grades where excellent. And now she stood her, wearing a hideous veil and just being sent out of Snape�s lesson.
�Why are you wearing a veil�, she asked.
Suddenly Elinor looked a bit embarrassed. �I� I just had kind of an� an accident�.
Minerva felt she was beginning to lose her patient. �What kind of accident? Miss Dashwood, stop being so vague and tell me what happened!�
Knowing there was no way she was going to hide it any longer, Elinor drew a deep sign and pulled of her veil. Both Minerva and Albus gasped in shock. Elinor�s normally brown, shoulder- length hair now had a violent pink colour.
Minerva was the first to recover from her shock. Pointing at the chair in front of her desk she ordered: �sit!� Carefully Elinor sat down on the edge.
�I have one question�, Minerva said quietly, �why?�
Elinor found it impossible to meet her head of the House�s eye. �I wanted something different�, she muttered.
�Well, you certainly succeeded at that attempt�, Albus said pleasantly. He looked as he was thoroughly enjoying himself.
�Again, why?� Minerva asked.
A blush crept over Elinor�s face. �I�I� it�s just that�well�� she began to stammer.
�Does this have anything to do with to do with William Clark?� Minerva chipped in.
Elinor�s head snapped up. �How do you know that? Meanwhile Albus was looking at Minerval in amazement.
Minerva smiled wearily. �I just know�. �Well?� she added.
�I just wanted to impress him�, Elinor said softly. �But that�s not that easy since he is three years older then I am.
�Then why not pick a boy of your own age?� Minerva asked gently.
Elinor looked at her sceptically. �Professor, did you like fourteen year old boys, when you were fourteen?�
Despite herself, Minerva grinned. �All right, fair point. But still, someone as intelligent as you��
�Well, that�s exactly the whole point�, Elinor suddenly blurted out, �people only ever see me as a bookworm. I just wanted him to like me, but then I heard him say that he could never go out with a girl who had hair that had the colour of pepper and salt. So I decided to dye my hair. It wasn�t suppose to get pink, it was suppose to get auburn. I just wanted him to notice me and not just as a bookworm�.
She paused for a second. �Well, he won�t think I�m a bookworm anymore. Now I�m just a big, pink- headed moron. Plus I�ve lost Gryfindor 100 points in one go and to top it all, I�ve made the only person who can help me angry with me!�
�How so?� Albus asked confused.
�Professor Snape�, Elinor explained, �I need a potion to restore my normal hair colour. Professor Snape is the only person who can make that potion. And I don�t think he will be thrilled to do it�.
Minerva handed her the tartan tin and said in a reassuring voice: �have a biscuit and we�ll see how we sort this out�.
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