Old Sins, Long Shadows

La Dolce Vita

Note: Please excuse my Italian, I have visited the country a few times and try but I'm basically limited to one word sentences,  'how much?' and  'where's the loo?'

O love is the crooked thing,
There is nobody wise enough
To find out all that is in it,
For he would be thinking of love
Till the stars had run away
And the shadows eaten the moon.
Ah, penny, brown penny, brown penny,
One cannot begin it too soon.

"Brown Penny" by William Butler Yeats

~~~Rome~~~

The three hour flight to Rome was uneventful. Hermione slept most of the way thanks to that motion sickness potion Severus had given her. He had closed his eyes for awhile as well, so by the time the plane landed at Leonardo DaVinci airport the pair were rested.

Arriving at the St Regis Hotel, Hermione was stunned at its majesty. The sand-toned building stood five stories high with rows and rows of white framed windows across its wide face. White plaster reliefs in the style of ancient Rome set atop, encircling the grand hotel like a crown. A brochure Hermione had picked up at the airport read, 

'The St. Regis Rome has held court in the heart of the ancient city since it was founded in 1894.'

A well-dressed young man with a dazzling row of white teeth opened the car door. He extended his white-gloved hand to assist Hermione from the low backseat of the taxi. 

Another young man, clad in the same styled grey formal suit and top hat, retrieved their luggage while Severus paid the driver. Before getting in the taxi at the airport, Severus had transfigured their rucksack and carpet bag into two fine Italian leather suitcases so as to fit the profile of wealthy newlyweds on their honeymoon.

Tuxedoed doormen opened the grand double doors as the 'couple' walked through. A bellman, in a blue morning suit, received the luggage as they entered. 

Hermione gasped as the lobby opened up in front of her. Like some gilded palace hall, its marbled floor stretched out widely. White trimmed pale grey walls, hand-painted frescoes, rich velvet divans and crystal chandeliers enchanted all who entered. Even the ceiling was painted in a trompe-l'œi blue sky and fluffy clouds. Everything sparkled.

You could fit the whole of Hogwarts in here!

 She hadn't stayed in many hotels because most of her work had been mainly in and around Britain. Easy enough to pop back and forth home. Her first and only trip to Rome, at the beginning of this misadventure, included an overnight stay only because she had been exhausted chasing clues around the city. Her hotel was one of those Severus would call 'budget'.  She had never seen anything as magnificent, or opulent, as the St Regis,

Definitely gonna step up my game in the accommodations department.

Another tuxedoed man, tall with the blue-black hair of the region, greeted them from behind a long white marble desk.

"Buonasera, Signore e Signora."

His smile nearly blinded her. He could have been a movie star, such was his attractivity.

Severus spoke since Hermione seemed dumbstruck by the handsome Italian,

"Buonasera, il nome è Saint John."

In perfect English, with a sexy Italian accent, the man said,

"Ah, yes, your room is waiting. Do you wish a dinner reservation in our ristorante, Signor Saint John?"