Come What May

Chapter 17

The night of the ball arrived before Hermione knew it. She was freshly bathed and applying makeup in the bathroom, a towel wrapped around her. As she examined her hair, Hermione struggled with deciding how to style it. She finally chose to pin it up into an elegant bun, and affixed the hair piece she had arranged at the back of her head. As she moved into the bedroom, the witch dropped her towel in the bathroom and opened the trunk. Hermione slipped on a white lace thong that she bought specifically to wear underneath her gown.

As she turned towards the wardrobe, Severus walked into the bedroom. They both froze, the witch's eyes growing, and his falling to her naked breasts. His gaze lingered for a second longer, before Hermione reached her hands up and covered them, stepping towards the wardrobe.

Severus stepped into the room fully, closing the door without breaking eye contact with the witch. Hermione turned, pressing her back against the furniture, watching her husband make his way towards her. The sleeves to his white shirt were rolled up, revealing his strong forearms. Hermione realized he must have been working in his study as he only wore his sleeves up when he was brewing a potion. Severus' hair was tousled and thick, falling behind his shoulders onto his back. He stepped further into her space, his body so close that the buttons on his shirt pressed against her hands. Hermione bit her lip, her back flat against the wardrobe.

"Excuse me," Severus whispered, reaching behind the witch to open the door. She hopped out of the way, watching as her husband removed a set of dress robes, and turned to make his way into the bathroom.

Letting out a sigh, Hermione felt her cheeks grow warm at the thought of him looking at her breasts and enjoying the view.

In fact, Severus did. As he hung his dress robes on the back of the bathroom door, he pressed his palm against the surface to brace himself. Between his legs, he was being told to act... His pants were tented, Hermione's breasts still fresh in his head. The wizard got into the shower, the cold water beating against his skin. Even as he washed his body, Severus could hardly stand from the throbbing of his cock. He thought of all the things that disgusted him, but there was nothing that could override the image of Hermione standing in front of the wardrobe in her white thong.

Hermione reached into the wardrobe, removing her dress. She hung it on the cathedral window-like opening on the bed, examining it once again. It was perfect... The simple vintage dress had been exactly what she was looking for, a chance encounter at a shop in Hogsmeade. A few hours of work and imagination had resulted in the costume of her dreams. Hermione removed it from the hanger, stepping into it carefully. It felt heavier on that she had remembered. She pulled it onto her shoulders, giving extra caution as to not disturb the embroidery.

As she was stepping into a pair of white suede pumps, Hermione heard the bathroom door open. Severus emerged and Hermione felt the breath rush out from between her lips. Her husband was dressed in a pair of black trousers, black shining dress shoes and a white tuxedo shirt. Beneath a black velvet jacket that fell to his knees, Severus wore a matching black vest and bow tie.

Hermione continued to look over her shoulder, her dress half-on. Severus walked over to the witch, lifting the fabric onto her. He reached down to button the fabric up to the middle of her back. The dress had a long train and Severus was careful not to step on it as he moved away.

"What are you supposed to be?" He asked her, watching her as she pulled the back of her skirts behind her to turn to him.

"Gaea... Also known as Mother Earth." Hermione grinned and felt her cheeks grow warm when she noticed Severus studying her dress. The gown was a light blue with a deep V neckline and plunging back. The bodice was tight and stopped at her waist to flow out into a large tulle skirt and long train. Hermione adjusted the sleeves, which billowed out to come back to elastic at her wrists. What excited the witch the most was the ornate embroidered flowers that covered the dress from the neck and then began to fade and scatter at her hips.