Prompt – Youve come out ready for an event and I swear I can normally speak but you've rendered me momentarily speechless.
Harry Potter fiddled with his cufflinks, loosened the tie around his neck and ran his hands through his hair for the umpteenth time.
"Gin, you nearly ready?" he called.
"Be right down," she called in reply.
He checked his reflection, ignoring the mirror's flirtation. This was a big deal for Ginny, her first Holyhead Harpies end of year dinner, and he knew she was up for the Rookie of the Year award.
She had mentioned the dinner about a month ago, but it was only this past week that she begun to realise it was a huge deal, that the press would be there and she needed to make 'An Effort'.
So she'd called in the big guns – her sisters-in-law. Fleur, Angelina and Hermione had gone shopping with her to find the perfect dress and shoes and they, along with Audrey, had left not ten minutes ago, helping her dress and with her hair and make-up.
"Okay, here I come," she announced, and he turned as she came down the stairs at Grimmauld Place.
His mouth dropped open as she glided towards him, taking in the beauty that was his Ginny.
"Are you okay?" she asked, when he said nothing.
He hadn't seen her dressed in black since the dark days after the battle, when the funerals commenced. But boy, had she made up for it now!
Thin straps on her shoulders – he couldn't wait to peel them off her later – lead down to a low cut dress that shaped her slim toned body to perfection. Off set with high heels, a necklace he'd given her when she made the Harpies, and her hair...wait, her hair!
"Do you like it?" she asked selfconsciously, her hand coming up to touch the back. " I thought it was time for a change."
Her long hair had been shorn into a trendy pixie cut. It accentuated her slim neck and made her look more womanly.
"Harry?" she encouraged, concerned.
He shook his head. " I'm speechless, " he admitted in awe, and she flushed happily. " I'm with the most beautiful woman in the world. Pinch me, I must be dreaming!"
She did so, and he jumped.
"Ow," he complained, rubbing his hand.
"You asked me to," she smirked.
" You are freakishly strong," he grumbled.
"Not so speechless now," she grinned.
He cupped her face between his hands. "You are absolutely stunning and I am the luckiest man in the world."
"It's the dress, the makeup," she said, shaking her head. " This isn't really me."
"It's a great dress," he conceded, " and your make-up looks nice...but you, Gin, you own tonight, all right? Now let's go get you that Rookie of the Year award, have a nice meal, then I can bring you home and rip that dress off you," he growled.
He went to get her wrap, and she checked her reflection in the mirror one last time.
"Totally worth every galleon I paid for the dress," she told her reflection.