She opened the door slowly and welcomed him when she saw him.

"Hello, Severus. Would you like to come in for just a minute before we depart for the Ball?"

Severus' breath caught when he saw her. There was no way that this was the know-it-all Gryffindor brat he had argued with viciously before the start of term, who had been his Potions student, whom he had taught and teased bitterly for seven long years. It simply was not possible. He raised his eyebrows.

Perhaps she has matured, he thought.

Hermione smiled at him and, especially, his choice of clothing. Severus noticed this and snapped at her, "What are you staring at?"

Hermione shook her head. "It's nice to know that some things will never change. Black again, Severus? Your closet must be terribly dull, honestly."

"Well, I also had deep Slytherin-green dress robes, but I wasn't sure what you would be wearing."

"Oh, I see. So we had to match?" she asked grinning. "I'm only teasing, Severus. That's something you'd know quite a lot about, isn't it?" She smiled kindly at him.

She has a nice smile, thought Severus.

Hermione had been trying to put on her necklace properly, unaware that Severus was watching her inently, but after many failed tries, she cried out in exasperation and gave up.

"Severus, I'm sorry, but I can't seem to get this to fasten. Could you please help me?" she asked, holding the necklace out to him.

He nodded and took it carefully. She turned around, her back to him, lifted the few stray hairs off of her neck that had fallen out of her updo, and waited patiently. Severus cleared his throat and slipped the necklace around her neck. He had to lean a little closer to be sure what he was doing; this clasp was indeed very difficult to hook. Hermione could feel his hot breath on the back of her neck. She felt as if she could collapse right there in his arms. Her perfume smelled very flowery, and Severus took in the lovely scent. When he had finally managed to get it clasped, he lingered there for a moment, and then cleared his throat once more.

"There," he said, stepping back.

Hermione smiled and turned around to face him. "Thank you."

He nodded. "You're welcome."

"Do I look all right?" she asked self-consciously, smoothing down her dress.

"Yes, you look very nice this evening," he answered truthfully, a bit embarrassed by his words.

Hermione's smile brightened at this remark, though, and she replied, "You look quite nice too. Shall we go?"

She went to open the door, but Severus was faster. He opened it so that she could walk through, which she slightly giggled as she did so, and after she had passed him he left as well, shutting the door behind him.

"Such the gentleman," he heard her mutter lightheartedly before he began to follow her down the hall.

A/N: Thanks to everyone who reviewed!

kimidragon- Also in response to your first posted review on 9-20-05: I like that Remus and Neville are back too! Remus has been one of my favorite characters ever since I first met him (so to speak) in the third book. And Neville is just so sweet.

zoe- It makes me feel so good when people say they can't wait until I update. Thanks!

KellyRoxton- I'm not sure if I conveyed his feelings well enough when he first saw her all fixed up, so I hope you enjoyed it. :) And also, you should see the dress in my mind. It is so, so, so pretty!

Again, sorry for all the mistakes in this chapter (yes, of course I checked for errors, but hey, nobody's perfect. And besides, I know you will find some anyway, so yeah. :)) and all previous ones.

Review, Please!