Hermione sat on the edge of her bed, her feet nudging the soft tissue that protruded from the top of the brightly colored bag. She had spent the last month cutting out things from magazines, creating a scrapbook of ideas. She had even skipped her last date with Severus to go with Ginny to one of her 'friends' houses. Hermione didn't know when Ginny had made friends with the daughter of the most famous wizarding designer; but she was very glad she had.
The woman made the most beautiful lingerie.
It made avoiding Severus almost…fun. She could hardly wait to see his face on their wedding night. It was easy to picture the slow way his lips would curve into a smile as his eyes met hers, while her hands were more agreeably occupied with undoing her robe. Or the way his hand would cup her jaw as he kissed her – making everything else in the room go away.
The very notion made her toes tingle.
Knock, knock.
"Hermione." A deep, drawling voice echoed though the walls. "You said five minutes."
"Uh." Hastily looking around, Hermione eyed the walls of dress patterns, drawings and material samples from Madam Bronwyn; which sharply contrasted the samples Luna had been sending her from her travels. "Just a second."
Changing quickly, Hermione smoothed the wrinkles on the light green dress out, snatching the large sun hat from off the back of a chair before opening the door a crack; slipping through only to shut it just as fast as she came through it.
"What are you up too?" Severus asked, offering up his hand before they descended.
"Studying, that's all." she chirped, giving his hand a squeeze. "My room is a compete mess as a result of it."
"Strange," Came his reply, "Here I believed you to have already obtained two perfect scores."
At this, she snorted. "Liar. You made a promise, remember. Thou shalt not tell thy fiancé her scores too early, or face thy fiancé's mighty wrath."
"I tremble at the thought." Severus growled, making her laughter echo throughout the castle as they made their way to Hogsmeade.
/
"So, have you decided yet?" Ginny asked, flipping through pages of the scrap book. "On a dress style I mean, I figured my advice on skipping the wedding and eloping went unheard."
"That might work for you, but I," Hermione glanced up from her study notes, "-want the big, white wedding in an oversized church yard with hundreds of guests."
"You're joking." Ginny muttered, scrunching up her nose at the idea.
"Yes, sort of." Hermione admitted. "I told Severus I wanted a big wedding, with all our friends and family – when it is only going to be those who truly matter. I'm not in the spotlight anymore, I don't need to have the whole world validate our love."
"Just the whole hospital." Ginny teased, ducking out of the way of a flying pillow. "So, dresses. What style are you going with? I think the mermaid style would look brilliant on your figure."
"Except they only come in neon colours." Hermione winced, shaking her head. "No thank you, I would take Luna's princess butterfly gown over a flashy mermaid gown any day."
Ginny made no attempt to hide her enthusiasm. "So that leaves my idea, Madam's idea and Luna's. Thank Merlin. I was worried you were going to favor Fleur's idea."
"Miss Granger, are you-"
As his voice drawled, the girls clambered to hide the evidence of their preparations while failing to contain their giggles.
"She's sick!" Ginny called out. "Terrible cold, try again in an hour or so – should be better by then."
"Ginny Weasley, you can't just tell lies." Hermione chided softly, moving for the door.
"Oh yeah, says the girl who pretended she was out buying books when she was being fitting for a sexy corset." Ginny hissed, and the curly haired brainiac went silent.
"So sick, cough, Ginny's northing meh." Hermione held her nose as she talked, making a voice she knew he wouldn't believe.
There was a long pause, a faint sigh, then, "I shall see you in Potions, Miss Granger, and do not be late."