Experiencing a slight sense of deja vu, Cormac found himself at the front entrance to Pansy's Estate waiting to be let in. Holding a bouquet of pale pink peonies, Cormac paced, wondering exactly what Pansy had meant when she said she'd provide his costume. This is what I get for mocking Corner, he thought. Pansy is not one to do things halfway. Dear Merlin, what have I done?


The large doors opened slowly and he was met with the sight of Beren. The tall elf bowed low and beckoned to Cormac. "If Mr. McLaggen will follow me, please?"

He followed Beren with a slight sense of trepidation. It's just a costume, man, not a ball and chain. Relax.

They climbed up the two flights of stairs that Cormac remembered as the way to Pansy's bedroom suite, and he smiled, feeling uncharacteristically nervous. Beren bowed again and said, "Mistress bids you enter."

"Beren." Cormac nodded his thanks.

He opened the door and found Pansy standing in front of a full length mirror, looking at herself in the glass. She noticed him in the reflection and revolved on the spot, turning to face him.

"Well? What do you think?"

Scoffing mentally, Cormac thought, I'd wear a black tutu as long as I get to stand next to her and watch her in that all night.

She had charmed her hair straight, and it fell down her back in a black silk sheet, reflecting the candlelight in the room. She was wearing a cream coloured gown, fitted at the waist and showing a lot of bare shoulder and cleavage, and it was tied at the waist with a crisscrossed gold cord, emphasizing the curves above and below. Around one of her upper arms was a golden arm cuff in the shape of a serpent, and she had elaborate kohl eyeliner around her eyes, making her seem more regal than she was normally, if that were possible. The result was dramatic.

Remembering to breathe, he answered, "I think it's lovely. Cleopatra, is it?" He walked closer, smiling a predator-like smile, circling her to get the full effect and obviously enjoying what he saw. "You're even more beautiful than usual. And these, which pale in comparison to your beauty, are for you," he said, handing her the flowers. He quirked an eyebrow. "And for my costume?"

She smiled and gestured to the bed where a costume had been laid out, with several accessories lying next to it. The fabric was cream, and edged with heavy gold braid, and there was a circlet of leaves, along with a pair of sandals.

"There you are. Marc Anthony. I, for one, cannot wait to see you in it. She sat down on the small sofa adjacent to her bed and waited. "There's a bathroom just through there if you're shy, Or you can change right here. It's up to you."

Not too bad. Could have been much worse-with tights involved. Laughing, he loosened his tie and pulled it out of his shirt and laid it on the bed. "Modesty and shyness have never been an issue for me, love." He unbuttoned his shirt and slipped his arms out of the sleeves and tossed that on the bed as well. He kicked off his shoes and took off his socks and paused with his hand on his belt buckle and looked at Pansy. "Would you like to assist with this part?" he asked with an an eyebrow waggle. "Or are you the type who likes to watch?"

"If you put on your costume like a good boy, there'll be a reward at the end of the evening. And I'm not talking about a sack full of Every Flavor Beans," she said from her recumbent position on the couch. "Go on then. I'm watching."

Grinning lecherously and maintaining eye contact with Pansy, Cormac unbuckled his belt and pulled it slowly from the loops on his trousers and tossed it behind him. He unbuckled his trousers and pulled the zipper down, pausing. "I've got a surprise for you," he said, and let the trousers fall, exposing his Slytherin green boxers. "I don't know now, though. What do you think, love? Will the green show through the robe? Shall I go pantless in the name of Halloween?"

Pansy rose from her seat and crossed to the door, stopping with her hand on the handle. She looked at him though her lashes and replied, "I am, but you can do what you like."