Sometimes he still expected to see her wearing her Hogwarts uniform.
Crisp white button down shirt, red and gold tie, little skirt, grey knee socks and polished Mary Janes and all. The first few months of the Academy it threw him off to see her in jeans constantly. He had gotten used to that now, however this was still quite unexpected.
Silky, flowy red material clung to her entire upper body and flared at her hips, a slit running up the side giving him a glimpse of tawny thigh.
Realizing that his eyes had lingered a second too long he looked up to her face hastily. Red lipstick, glowy skin. One dainty hand clutching the straps of her dress to her chest to keep them from slipping, the other fumbling with her earring.
Harry gulped. He had seen Hermione in a gown maybe a handful of times but never had a dress looked this good on her. Not even the periwinkle one for the Yule Ball, and he hadn't even recognized her then.
"I didn't think my hair would take this long! Oh, Harry, I'm late to my graduation!" she groaned in distress.
Harry cleared his throat.
"Um, can I help?" he asked hesitantly.
"Can you please secure my straps?" she turned, exposing her tan back. He cleared his throat again and stepped forward, taking the straps of the dress into his sweaty hands. Hermione reached up to lift her shiny hair away from her neck. He almost groaned.
The vulnerable stretch of skin of the back of her neck and the smell of sweet caramel wafting off of it was taunting him as he fumbled with the straps. His knuckles grazed her back and he couldn't help himself. Securing the strap, he lightly ran the back of his fingers up her back along the line of her spine.
It was probably the softest thing he had felt in months.
It was definitely not the first time he noticed Hermione like this. He was a man, after all, and Hermione was a beautiful woman. He was guilty of a few dreams and fantasies during his Hogwarts years. When both of them had gotten in relationships with different people, he had forced himself to stop noticing her at moments like these. However few and far between they were.
A jolt of electricity, flew up his stomach when he realized that he didn't actually have to be indifferent anymore. Hermione was single, and so was he.
"Is everything alright?" Hermione asked, gazing at him from over her shoulder and effectively waking him up from his thoughts.
"Of course. Are you ready?" he asked, stepping away. She hummed and bent down to put on her heels and Harry started walking towards the Floo.
She came up behind him held onto his arm as they stepped into the Floo.
"You look lovely." he told her just as they were swept away by green flames.