They reached Hermione's rooms by half past three, having finished a rather lovely lunch, and after finding Minerva a suitable dress for the evening. The older woman had taken the wolf's suggestion and ordered some additional clothing from the tailor; afterall, what she had packed in the bag retrieved from her captors had been limited to say the least.

Hermione had her arms full and indicated the door with a nod of her head. A sigil was carved into the wood but the edges were blurred with age and hard to make out. "This is the crest of some pack from the 1800s, I could have replaced it when I got assigned the quarters but I like the history."

Minerva stared at the door, not ready to open it yet. It was a momentous step, it turned being Hermione's mate from hypothetical, into dizzying reality. The wolf waited patiently, letting the witch build up her courage without saying anything. Then finally Minerva put out a hand, twisting the door knob and pushing it inwards.

The room was large; carpeted in a sumptuous dark blue, the walls were cream and the furniture was mahogany. The window was draped in fabric that matched the carpet. Minerva found her eyes drawn to the extremely large four poster bed; the sheets were pristine white but a blue comforter and pillows completed the look. Apart from the colour, it reminded her of the beds at Hogwarts and for the first time in ages, the recollection didn't hurt.

Hermione walked across the room and behind a glass partition to put her pile of paperwork down on a large desk. The sectioned off part of the room also contained a series of bookshelves, filled with mainly magical texts, and an odd Muggle contraption folded in the corner. She then walked over to a door behind the bed, "The dressing room and bathroom are through here."

Minerva followed, watching as Hermione hung the garment bag with the dress in it on a rail before she peeked into the well appointed bathroom. "Well this is certainly the nicest place I have stayed in quite a while."

The wolf laughed, "I'm always happy to accommodate you." She led the way back into the main room and over to a seating area by the window. Hermione sat on the sofa, casually sideways, leaning against the backrest and patted the other cushion. Minerva smoothed down her robe and sat next to the young witch a little stiffly.

Hermione looked at her for a while, reading her body language keenly. "Would you like a glass of wine perhaps, or something stronger?"

"Any whisky?"

The young witch chuckled, "I suppose that I should have guessed that." She walked over to a sideboard next to the main door, which had a kettle and other drink making facilities on it. From a cupboard she withdrew a decanter, pouring a measure of whisky for the woman and a glass of white wine from the fridge for herself.

She gently handed the tumbler over and sat down. "Now Minerva…" Hermione's tongue lingered over the syllables of her name in a way that the older woman found fascinating. "Can I level with you about something?"

"Mmmm?" Despite the casual cat-like nature of the reply, Minerva was suddenly tense.

"It's nothing bad. I just wanted to let you know that I have no intention of pressuring you into anything." Hermione deliberately let her gaze flicker over to the bed, knowing that astute green eyes would catch it, "I am extremely attracted to you and I think you know that, but there is no way that I would touch you without your consent."

"What about the mating requirement?"

"We have plenty of time for that. There's no massive rush but until we do mate, you wouldn't be able to go much further than the settlement." Hermione took a large sip of her wine, "But… Unless I am very much mistaken - and please, do correct me if I'm wrong - you are also attracted to me."

The wolf could hear the sudden spike in Minerva's heart rate and smell the flood of hormones that her words had prompted. The witch looked at her glass for a minute or two, before speaking, "Surely you own a mirror?"

Hermione raised an eyebrow, in question. Hardly daring to believe that the witch was flirting.

"Yes, my dear. I am attracted to you, I do have eyes after all." Minerva flushed a little, "It's also… Been a long time since I have been with anyone and even longer still since I was with a woman."

"I understand and I am happy to give you all the time you need." She drank the last of her wine and gently but decisively placed the glass down on the table. "How do you feel about afternoon naps?"

Minerva smirked, "In general or this afternoon in particular?"

"I'll settle for this afternoon. We can discuss all the other afternoons at a later date or even on a case by case basis."

"Yes, I would love a nap. On one condition however..." Hermione nodded agreement without even waiting for the stipulation. "You have to wear something to bed."

"I can live with that." Inwardly however, she was wondering what she should transfigure into suitable attire - she hadn't worn anything to sleep in since school.

The witch looked in the large mirror in the dressing room and surveyed her reflection with a critical eye. The dress that they had chosen for this evening was a mid-grey with a slightly purple tint; high cut but with a large keyhole of fabric missing that showed the hollow at the base of her throat and emphasised her decolletage, it was sleeveless and bound at her slender waist with a belt, before widening into a full skirt that came to mid calf.

Minerva walked to the door of the dressing room and looked into the main chamber of… What she supposed was now their quarters. A glance inwards showed her that Hermione was mostly dressed and the sight made her raise an appreciative but slightly surprised eyebrow. The young woman was wearing a formal French shirt with stiff double cuffs that she was folding back and pinning together with silver cufflinks; the garment was an almost identical shade to the dress that she herself wore and was tailored to fit feminine curves - something it did rather well in fact. The wolf straightened her tie before noticing her audience and sending a lopsided smile in the direction of the door, not quite able to read the Gryffindor's facial expression.

"Come here," asked Minerva, backing into the dressing room. Obediently, Hermione followed and stopped when the witch turned around to show that the back of her dress wasn't quite fastened all of the way, "Would you mind?"

Feeling a bit like a voyeur for staring at the pale flesh, Hermione gently obliged, making sure not to let her touch linger too long on bare and exposed skin. She did however lean in and gently brush her lips against Minerva's jaw, just below and to the side of her ear. "You look stunning." Then the wolf backed away a few feet.

"As do you." The witch turned around, "However…"

"Hmmmm?"

Hermione was a little startled when the witch reached up, and firm but gentle hands pulled her slowly closer by the bottom of her black tie. Then Minerva hooked her finger into the knot and tugged it free, "My father would have rather derisively referred to this, as a Schoolboy knot." The older woman removed the offending article and gave it a shake to remove any creases, placing it over her own shoulder for a moment, before unfolding Hermione's starched collar and then replacing the tie around her neck.

Deft fingers slipped the silk into place and began to cross the fabric over itself, "A half-Windsor knot always looks nice and it's formal enough for most occasions." The witch was talking to distract herself from the captivating feeling of Hermione's thundering pulse, and the way that the starched fabric brushed against her wrists. "And if your tie is plain or only slightly textured like this one, you should fold in a dimple when you fully tighten it, that draws the eye to the fabric and stops it looking flat. Like so." Finally she folded back down the collar, smoothing it gently with her fingers, and glanced up into chocolate eyes that were slightly darker than normal.

"Thank you," Hermione murmured softly, very conscious of their proximity.

Minerva couldn't help her reaction, she leant in closer and let her forehead rest against the younger woman's. Their breath mingled; she was very aware that they were close enough to kiss and was startled by how much she wanted to do so. She closed her eyes for a moment, just wanting to hold onto the feeling for a while.

Hermione lifted her hand to stroke a soft cheek with her thumb; as she did so, the stiff fabric of her shirt cuff gently scratched Minerva's chin and jaw in a contrasting sensation that made the older woman a little weak at the knees.

"You're taller with shoes on." The witch whispered, nervous beyond measure. One of her hands was resting on Hermione's hip, the other on the young woman's shoulder. She watched full lips curl into a broad smile in response, fixated by their perfection, and let her fingers slip into the girl's unbound hair, behind her neck. "May I kiss you?"

The wolf let out a faint whimper, then, "Yes please."

"Mmmmm, very polite," murmured Minerva with a small smirk as she closed the last remaining distance between them and for the first time, pressed her lips against Hermione's. Barely more than a brush at first, they accustomed themselves to the new sensation. The pressure gradually increased and lips parted, met and parted again, in a gentle exploration before slowly intensifying.

The two women clung to each other: learning the way that the other moved, inhaling the tiny gasps of pleasure and snatched breaths that escaped from otherwise occupied lips. When they parted it was with reluctance but they were both aware that not only was time flying past rapidly but that this was very soon in their relationship. They remained close, physically touching, until their breathing was back under control.

Hermione leaned back first and ran the pad of her thumb over Minerva's moist, slightly swollen bottom lip and thrilled inside when the older witch smiled radiantly at her touch. "I suppose I should say thank you now?" Her voice was soft, reverent almost, even as she teased.

"You really should, it's good manners afterall," the smile on Minerva's face was mirrored in her voice. Hermione leaned in for another kiss, only to find herself stopped by a gentle hand on the centre of her chest. "Don't we have to finish getting ready?"

The wolf pursed her lips with a groan and glanced at the clock. "Yeah we ought to." She stepped away from Minerva properly and smoothed her clothes and hair down, using the full length mirror on the back of the door.

The witch reapplied her lipstick with a shake of her head, this time casting a stasis charm on her make-up. Thankfully it had been something that the young woman had a drawer full of, because Minerva had certainly not come to Europe prepared for fancy black-tie dinners.

Hermione reappeared at her side carrying a small drawer that she had removed from the dresser, "Did you want any jewellery to go with that look?" The mahogany drawer was full of small boxes; some wooden, some cardboard or plastic and several items displayed under glass. "Most of these belonged to my mother and a few pieces I have been given over the years."

"Not a jewellery fan?"

"Not really, plus as I have to remove everything before shifting form - it can be a bit of a pain."

Minerva opened several boxes, taking care to be respectful and gentle with their contents. Her wolf might not have been particularly keen on jewellery but they were heirlooms and as such must have had sentimental value. She glanced at Hermione's outfit, "You're going to be wearing a black jacket with that I presume."

"Yes."

With a nod, the older woman chose one of the first boxes that she had opened, contained within was a simple teardrop shaped onyx pendant on a silver chain and matching earrings. She slipped the dangly earrings into her lobes with ease, despite the fact that it had been several years since she had last worn any. Hermione lifted the necklace from the box and put it around Minerva's neck, "How long do you want it?" She let the pendant dangle in the centre of the gap in the grey dress.

"A little higher perhaps?"

The younger witch obliged, "There?"

"Perfect."

Their eyes met in the mirror, "You are rather, aren't you?"

Minerva scoffed, "Hardly."

Hermione ignored the muttered word, instead running a calming hand down the side of the grey dress, from ribs to hip and back again. "Ready for this?"

"As I will ever be. Unless of course there is anything that you have forgotten to tell me?"

"I don't think so." Hermione went into the other room to grab her jacket and pulled it on carefully: tugging on her cuffs so that they hung slightly lower than the ends of her sleeves, revealing the silver cufflinks she had attached earlier. She fastened the top button of the jacket but left the bottom one. "Do I pass muster?"

Minerva looked her over assessingly, enjoying the way that the tailored suit enhanced the young woman's curves. Her chestnut mane had been somewhat tamed, flowing freely down her back and she was wearing minimal make-up. "You look amazing."

Hermione blushed herself silly this time. "Thanks. You're gorgeous and that colour really suits you by the way."

As they walked out of the room and into the castle proper, Minerva got a glimpse of the two of them in the mirror - they made a rather striking couple. "You look a bit like your wolf form - mostly black with the odd splash of colour." Hermione felt the corner of her lip lift into the smile that she seemed to be wearing more and more often since she had met the older witch, and she let the grin be her response to that rather adorable statement.

They had headed deep into the bowels of the castle by this point and there was one more thing that she probably could have mentioned earlier. "When we get into the antechamber to greet the Council, I am obligated to kneel until they tell me otherwise. You on the other hand, are not, and if you were to do so, it would be a somewhat premature and hollow gesture, given that we are yet to mate. I would, however, suggest a respectful nod or brief curtsey."

"I haven't curtseyed in a good half century or more."

Hermione laughed, "We're an old fashioned bunch."

"There's old fashioned my dear, and then there's positively antiquated." Minerva slipped her hand into the crook of Hermione's arm, "So if we're stepping back in time by a hundred years or more, we are presumably announced, enter the antechamber for a brief introduction and, or, interrogation - then move onto mingling with your peers over pre-dinner drinks?"

The wolf laughed, "Almost exactly like that, except that I will be announced because despite the fact that everyone will have been gossiping about us since yesterday and you are the de facto guest of honour, they will not acknowledge you until I formally introduce you."

Foot traffic increased as they turned into hallways that were more travelled. "How will I know which one is your father?"

"Third seat from the left, probably wearing a navy suit, striped shirt, red tie and a frown on his face." Hermione placed her free hand over the one Minerva had on her arm, squeezing gently. The fact that she took a deep breath before turning into another corridor didn't escape the notice of the older woman - they had reached the Council Chambers.

Authors Note: Thanks to Libby for the beta. Glad that you are all enjoying this, I'm enjoying the reviews and PMs