Upon hearing Draco say "begin," Hermione instantly tensed, her fingers gripping the armrests of the dressing chair tightly, her eyes fixed on him in the mirror.
Draco picked up the enchanted fine-toothed comb and gently combed through the small curls at the ends of her hair.
He moved so gently, as if afraid of hurting her.
Hermione looked at his serious profile, and her heartbeat became erratic without her realizing it. Her initial nervousness slowly turned into a strange sense of relief, and even the blush on her cheeks faded a little.
Draco picked up the silver-handled scissors again and first used his magical comb to straighten Hermione's shoulder-length hair.
His gaze repeatedly compared her face shape and the direction of her hair in the mirror, and the moment he cut her hair was swift and decisive.
With the first snip, fine, light golden-brown strands of hair floated to the ground, his technique showing no sign of awkwardness.
With each scissor movement, the dry ends of the hair were trimmed just right, and natural layers were created.
Hermione sat in front of the mirror, her fingertips still gripping the chair, initially only daring to glance at it out of the corner of her eye.
Seeing that he had cut steadily, she slowly raised her eyes to look directly into the mirror.
Watching her shoulder-length hair gradually shorten, she felt both nervous and curious.
Draco's light golden-brown hair gradually took on a new shape.
He carefully trimmed his original straight bangs with scissors and then parted them to the side with a comb, letting the loose strands fall naturally over his forehead, which unexpectedly flattered his face shape.
Mrs. Prim watched intently the whole time, her palms sweating, initially thinking of stepping forward to offer her a heads-up.
The more I looked, the more horrified I became, and my eyes widened.
Draco's technique is by no means that of a novice. His control over the hair layers, his prediction of the curl, and even his consideration of the hair color compatibility are all incredibly precise.
The angle of the scissors, the length of the trimming—every step conforms to the optimal styling logic, which is even more skillful than the senior stylists in her shop.
She quietly took out her notebook and quickly jotted down the details of his technique, afraid of missing even the slightest bit of the essence.
Just then, the wind chimes at the shop door tinkled, and two witches pushed open the door, calling out with smiles, " Mrs. Prim, we've come to buy a moisturizing Potions!"
Mrs. Prim snapped out of her daze, her professional instincts prompting her to immediately go to him. While deftly fetching the Potions and explaining its effects to the guest, she frequently glanced back in Draco's direction.
They were so quick with their hands and feet that they wanted to get things done immediately.
After paying, the customer noticed her absent-minded look, followed her gaze, and froze, forgetting to leave. He simply stood aside and watched curiously.
Before long, several more customers entered the store.
They were all drawn to Mrs. Prim's actions and the scene in front of the mirror, and stopped to watch.
When they realized it was Draco Malfoy cutting their hair, and he was carefully trimming a girl's hair, their surprise was palpable, and they whispered amongst themselves in hushed tones.
"Isn't that Young Master Malfoy? He actually knows how to cut hair?"
"My goodness, that's incredibly professional! Even better than the stylist I used to hire!"
"Who is that girl? Young Master Malfoy is so patient with people!"
The guests' eyes were filled with shock and curiosity, but they all tacitly lowered their voices.
They were afraid of disturbing the two people in front of the mirror.
Draco seemed oblivious to the commotion around him, his attention entirely focused on Hermione's hair.
After trimming the length, he took a light-colored hair dye Potions and carefully brushed it onto the hair with a magic brush.
The Potions melts upon contact with the skin, its light golden brown slowly fading into a warm, light brownish-red, gleaming with a soft caramel sheen under the warm lighting in the shop.
Then he used a magic curling iron to lightly curl the ends of his hair, without deliberately creating neat curls, just perming natural small waves.
This makes the hair fluffy and airy, and finally, a light spray of styling mist sets the hair in its natural state.
After he put down his tools, Hermione looked brand new in the mirror.
Medium-length hair, collarbone length, with light reddish-brown strands and natural layers.
Her side-parted, wispy hair framed her face.
Her wavy hair fell over her shoulders, completely shedding the naive and bookish look of her first year, yet retaining the firm intelligence in her eyes.
The store fell silent for a few seconds, then murmurs of surprise rose from the customers:
"She looks so beautiful! This hair color and hairstyle suit her perfectly!"
" Young Master Malfoy's cooking is superb; even Mrs. Prim's shop pales in comparison!"
"This isn't just a haircut, it's like magic!"
Crookshanks poked his head out of the cage, his eyes fixed on Hermione in the mirror, his tail swaying slightly, as if he recognized her as well.
Then it lowered its head and licked its paws, thinking to itself: Humans really do judge by appearance. This makes it look even better, and I won't embarrass the cat when I take it out in the future.
Mrs. Prim strode forward, her eyes filled with admiration and praise, and exclaimed sincerely:
"Young master's skills are truly outstanding! The layering of this hairstyle and the perfect match of the hair color are the most perfect I've ever seen. I've learned so much today!"
Draco's lips curled into a smug smile. He gently brushed a stray strand of hair from Hermione's shoulder, raised an eyebrow at her reflection in the mirror, and asked, "How is it, Miss Granger? Are you satisfied?"
"If you're satisfied, then I win."
Hermione stared at herself in the mirror, completely stunned. Though inwardly she was overjoyed, she stubbornly insisted, "It's... alright, barely passable."
"Isn't it beautiful?" a female customer couldn't help but interject, laughing as she spoke.
"Young lady, this hairstyle is absolutely gorgeous! Young Master Malfoy's skills are so excellent, you're so lucky!"
Another guest chimed in, "Yeah, it makes me want to get Young Master Malfoy to cut his hair!"
Mrs. Prim also jokingly remarked:
"Young Madam, don't be so stubborn. Young Master put so much effort into this look for you; it's a one-of-a-kind, perfect style. He definitely wins."
Hermione's cheeks flushed instantly. She glared at Draco but didn't say anything more.
Crookshanks in the cage yawned, curled back up on the cushion, and thought to himself: What's with the stubbornness? His eyes are already lit up. Human mouths are indeed the most unreliable.
Hermione stood in front of the vanity mirror, examining herself repeatedly, becoming more and more satisfied, and even the corners of her mouth couldn't help but turn up slightly.
It must be admitted that Draco's move was more stunning than any magical creation.
Before she could admire it for even a few seconds, the witches swarmed around her, grabbing Draco and pleading with him to do her hair too.
Hermione felt a sudden tightness in her chest upon seeing this.
Draco subtly shifted his body, effortlessly deflecting the crowd's pulls, his doting gaze sweeping lightly over Hermione:
"Excuse me, everyone, only the young mistress can have her affairs personally managed by this young master."
A collective sigh of regret immediately rose from the crowd.
Undeterred, someone half-jokingly exclaimed, "Then I can be a young mistress too!"