The shyness that spread over her face came with a rosy blush nipping at its heels, spreading color over the pale witch's face. She could hardly believe the audacity of Benedict, at least they were in the empty quiet of his family's shop. It could have been far worse if he'd teased her, or asked such unpleasantry in the middle of the Great Hall for all to hear. Millie looked away, hardly able to meet his eyes without enduring the mortal struggle not to laugh.
"My cat does have all the right parts, yes," Millie said, swallowing what might have started into a chuckle. Part of her actually wanted to let herself laugh, and it might only be the impolite subject of discussion that kept her head on straight. "I don't believe I've mistaken him for a her all these years. But then I am a young lady, and what chance would I have had to make such an in-depth study of..."
Male anatomy?
She couldn't bring herself to say the words, and when Millie's hand rose toward her throat, it came up all the way to her mouth. Hand pressed hard to her lips made a small circle of pale as her face turned crimson around it. The young witch was stuck fast, unable to even turn away from Benedict —though what use would that have been?— to wear her shame in private. At least the stubborn threat of laughter had gone away, as embarrassment swept in to fill the awkward space.
"Don't make me say such things, Mr. Hunter!" Millie squeaked through at last, hardly daring to take her hand too far away from her mouth. No wonder girls her age couldn't be trusted around boys without supervision, and it was then that the young witch recalled her housekeeper was still somewhere in the store. Nowhere in sight, her eyes told her loudly, and she found it difficult to decide whether that bode well or ill for her.
The thought was sobering, however, and it helped Millie regain her composure again. At least some of the way. There was still the matter of Houstonia's behavior to reckon, and now it demanded resolution. If she left the store without at least an inkling of one, Mum was sure to have questions when Mrs. Moore told her about the encounter. "I'm not sure about his eating habits, actually. At Hogwarts, he didn't always eat from his dish every day. Come to think of it, it was only ever filled when he begged me, and he isn't doing that now."
Millie hoped that was enough to work out the source of her pet's idleness, and without another lapse into naughtiness.
"My cat does have all the right parts, yes," Millie said, swallowing what might have started into a chuckle. Part of her actually wanted to let herself laugh, and it might only be the impolite subject of discussion that kept her head on straight. "I don't believe I've mistaken him for a her all these years. But then I am a young lady, and what chance would I have had to make such an in-depth study of..."
Male anatomy?
She couldn't bring herself to say the words, and when Millie's hand rose toward her throat, it came up all the way to her mouth. Hand pressed hard to her lips made a small circle of pale as her face turned crimson around it. The young witch was stuck fast, unable to even turn away from Benedict —though what use would that have been?— to wear her shame in private. At least the stubborn threat of laughter had gone away, as embarrassment swept in to fill the awkward space.
"Don't make me say such things, Mr. Hunter!" Millie squeaked through at last, hardly daring to take her hand too far away from her mouth. No wonder girls her age couldn't be trusted around boys without supervision, and it was then that the young witch recalled her housekeeper was still somewhere in the store. Nowhere in sight, her eyes told her loudly, and she found it difficult to decide whether that bode well or ill for her.
The thought was sobering, however, and it helped Millie regain her composure again. At least some of the way. There was still the matter of Houstonia's behavior to reckon, and now it demanded resolution. If she left the store without at least an inkling of one, Mum was sure to have questions when Mrs. Moore told her about the encounter. "I'm not sure about his eating habits, actually. At Hogwarts, he didn't always eat from his dish every day. Come to think of it, it was only ever filled when he begged me, and he isn't doing that now."
Millie hoped that was enough to work out the source of her pet's idleness, and without another lapse into naughtiness.
![[Image: uHwnE8q.png]](https://i.imgur.com/uHwnE8q.png)