Hermia nodded, surprised at how quickly he lit up at her mention of knowing Mr. Darrow. The acquaintance wasn't a novel one for her, she knew plenty of people. Alistair had just been one of several Hufflepuffs two years her senior. "I won't pretend to know him well, but we had classes together for three years and shared a common room. He was rather shy, but always kind." Remembering she was speaking to an artist, she adjusted her description. "He has rather striking eyes, but I remember them always looking away. And his curls, I find them fascinating. Oh, I hope he still has them, it would be a shame if he'd cut them." It felt horribly awkward to comment on the looks of a living person like this to a stranger, but Hermia assumed the artist wouldn't take offense.

"I would be honored," Hermia responded automatically. She would love to see a painting where she had the opportunity to discuss it with the artist, but the invitation was unexpected. She couldn't accept invitations from a gentleman without her parent's permission, it was unseemly, especially for a girl of age but not yet out. She couldn't explain this to her new artist friend, of course. Hopefully, he was aware of such limitations if he was spending any time in polite society. "With the approval of my parents, of course. I would very much like to see how you capture him."

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