Women were very good at lying. Just as Ninja Squirrels always landed safely after falling from great heights, it was part of their instinct. In the blink of an eye, she had made a plan.
Talking about Freud on a date—certain words coming from a girl's mouth would not make her seem learned, but would instead make her date feel it was inappropriate. So in the "blink of an eye," Pomona changed the subject. Even discussing discrimination was more civilized than discussing cats urinating everywhere during heat.
Women dressed for two reasons: first, to hide their flaws, such as belly fat; second, to highlight their strengths, such as a pretty collarbone.
Women beautified themselves so their dates would focus all their attention on them. Yet there was more than one woman competing for attention in the restaurant. If her date looked at another woman, the civilized thing to do was toss down her napkin and leave.
The less civilized approach was to stomp hard on his foot. That was more appropriate for married couples or lovers who had been together for a long time. High heels were beautiful and made women seem more alluring, but being stepped on by one did not feel wonderful. Right now, Severus was staring at Gianluca and Monica's table.
She did not want to step on his foot. The squirrel had made a perfect plan; whether she could land safely depended on her own luck.
Likewise, when a woman lied, whether a man bought it also depended on luck. Severus appeared to have bought it. James and Harry truly deserved the title of "Snape hatred magnets." Wherever Harry appeared, with almost no exceptions, Severus would glare at him with a death stare.
That was the conclusion Hufflepuff's children had reached. It worked every time. At