The Courage to Love
By Rurple101
CHAPTER 1
"Changes"
Hermione Granger was just sitting down in the Great Hall when she heard a wail from behind her. Lavender Brown came and sat down next to her, sobbing heartily.
"Lavender, whatever is the matter?" Ginny asked who was sitting opposite them.
"T-th-there is a n-new marriage law!" Lavender choked out. She thrust a piece of parchment which she had been grasping onto and shoved it under their noses.
Hermione put her book down and picked up the parchment and read it aloud;
To Miss Lavender Brown
Due to the recent marriage law, all females under the age of twenty this year are politely forced to marry a spouse of the candidates below. This is due to the previous war and there is a risk of the magical community dying out. You may chose who you wish to be your lawfully wedded husband.
Kind Regards
Louisa Lettings
List of candidates:
Draco Malfoy (Pure-Blood)
Neville Longbottom (Pure-Blood)
Gregory Goyle (Pure-Blood)
Vincent Crabbe (Pure-Blood)
Hermione started at the piece of parchment before she said "That is utterly stupid!"
"That's what I thought" Lavender sobbed. "I don't get it, I'm Pureblood. I'm safe, aren't I?"
Hermione turned slowly to her. "Safe?"
"Well…" Lavender said, blushing as she saw the intense gaze on Hermione's face. "I thought the law was originally going to be for Muggle-borns. Makes sense, don't you think?"
Hermione considered this. Lavender and Ginny waited.
"I suppose so." Hermione said and threw the letter away. "What a load of old rubbish! That's just…rubbish!"
"I'd be careful Hermione "Ginny said. "I got one the other day. Luckily Harry was on the list and he asked me before I'd un-folded the letter."
"Lucky you!" Lavender spat.
"Neville isn't bad" Hermione said, lightening the tone. "Better choosing someone you know rather than three arrogant Slytherins."
"You're right. I shall ask Neville." And with that, she got up and walked down the table to where Neville sat alone eating his cornflakes.
Hermione went back to her book. She had not received such a letter. She didn't want to either, she hoped that after all the effort of helping Ron and Harry defeat Voldermort, she would of thought that she would be let off.
It was unfair but she used that to cover her nerves.
She had Potions now and got up and walked down the familiar steps to the dungeons. She was the first to arrive and waited patiently outside the door to Dungeon Five where they normally had their classes.
But just as she was thinking about what choices she would receive if she got a letter, the door opened and her professor, Severus Snape stepped out into the corridor and studied her.
"Why are you lurking outside my classroom, Miss Granger?" he asked, in his deep monotone voice. Hermione looked at him.
Since last summer, her Professor had changed a lot. She had returned to the Shack and gasped when she had realized he was still fighting a pulse. She had summoned Madam Pomfrey to her and helped her cure him.
It had been very tense and he took over a week to wake up. She had stayed near his bedside during that time and waited for him to wake up. He had been confused and looked very vulnerable when he came to. It had been early morning and Hermione had stayed with him, reading in the chair beside his bed. He had spotted her and asked where he was.
She smiled kindly at him and explained that he had almost died. He'd been bitter and returned to his snarky self instantly and seemed to used his best form of defence; attack. Sneering at her, he had told her to get back to Gryffindor Tower. But for a flicker of a moment she could remember the timid smile he had given her when he thought she wasn't looking. Since then, he had returned but seemed, more relaxed and run down.
He was still the bat of the dungeons who everyone hated but seemed, oh so gentle when speaking to her. He looked like a frail old man to her who seemed harmless, despite being branded with the Dark Mark.
"I was not lurking, as you put it Professor" she said, smiling slightly. "I was merely waiting for my Potions class to begin, but alas I am always early."
Despite what had happened, she always felt safe and guarded when she was with her (she would never tell anyone) favourite professor. She had always admired and respected him so.
"You sound like Professor Dumbledore" he said dryly and she chuckled. "It happens, Sir when you spend a lot of time with your professors as I have done."
She thought she could see a smile tugging at the edges of his mouth but decided it was just him fighting his feelings, as he always had. Despite being the 'Gryffindor Princess' and 'Insurable know-it-all' she could tell he respected her as much as he respected her.
"Ah" he said, and at once his walls were up and he was back to his traditionally self. "The dunderheads are arriving."
He went back into the dungeon and closed the door. Hermione stood waiting for Harry and Ron to join her.
"- yeah, so I figured that if I asked her, she could be fine. Who cares if I'm not on her list? She'd be married, wouldn't she?" Ron was saying to Harry. Harry spotted her and winked, telling her that he wasn't really listening to him.
Since the end of the war, she and Ron had started dating but they both agreed it felt wrong, like they were brother and sister. There were no hard feelings. Hermione knew who they were talking about.
"Lavender has already asked someone on her list Ronald" she said as they stopped beside her. "Sorry. She was crying over it at Lunch."
"Damm" he said. "Nobody has asked me to be their spouse. Have you gotton your letter yet Hermione?"
"No" she said. "I'm scared of what it will tell me. I'm silently hoping-" but she was cut off as the dungeon door opened and everyone went quiet.
"Inside" drawled their professor and the class filed in quickly.
Hermione was last in line and Snape leaned towards her and muttered in her ear "Professor Dumbledore wishes you to be in his office after dinner, Miss Granger".
"Thank you Professor" she whispered back and slipped past him into the classroom. Satisfied, Snape closed the door which echoed throughout the dungeon.
"Today-" he called above the sound of everyone putting their school bags down and their books out. "- we will start making the Elixir to Induce Euphoria. But first, who can tell me what this potion actually does."
No one spoke. Until…
WHOOSH! Hermione's hand shot upwards.
Severus inwardly rolled his eyes. Of course, only Hermione Granger would know what the contents of his brain meant. The other students probably didn't know what class he was teaching half the time. But his attitude towards the Brains of the Golden Trio had softened over the past months and he treated her with slightly more respect than the other Gryffindors.
"Yes Miss Granger?" he said, meeting her eyes.
"The Elixir to Induce Euphoria is a sunshine-yellow potion that induces a sense of irrational happiness upon the drinker." She said, as if she had read straight from her copy of Advanced potion Making which she had closed on her desktop.
"Very good. Five points to Gryffindor. What are the side effects?"
Hermione's insides erupted with happiness. Snape had never awarded points for her answers. She wondered if she ought to 'push her luck'.
"Nobody?"
This time Snape was gobsmacked if Hermione couldn't answer. Or maybe she was trying not to show off?
"Miss Granger?"
"Excessive singing and nose-tweaking are possible side-effects. But if you are adding a sprig of peppermint to the potion during preparation then that helps to counterbalance these." Hermione literally trilled.
"Another five points to Gryffindor. Now-" he went to the blackboard and waved his wand at it. Instructions appeared.
"You have the remainder of this lesson. If you have brewed it successfully, then next lesson we shall test the results on a willing volunteer."
The whole class shuddered, well except Harry, Ron and Hermione. Neville, even after all these years was still petrified by his Potions teacher.
"Mr Longbottom" Severus said "- Do you know what the main ingredients for this potion are?"
But the whole class, including Snape was shocked when he said clearly "Yes, Sir, the ingredients for the potion include Shrivelfig, Porcupine quills, castor beans, and Wormwood."
Severus seemed to compose himself extremely well for he studied Longbottom carefully before saying through tight lips "Yes. Ten points to Gryffindor."
The class gasped and Neville beamed to himself. Lavender Brown, who was sitting next to him, Hermione saw, grasped his hand from under his caldron. Snape did not notice this however and sat down at his desk. There was pause and then everyone got up and started getting the ingredients and equipment from the store cupboard.
To nobody's surprise, Hermione was the very first to complete her potion and once more it was immaculate. Professor Snape, on his routine walk around the dungeon nodded his head once when she looked at him as he looked into her caldron. She smiled and bottled her potion. She then spent the rest of the lesson helping Ron with his potion.
Harry had of course done this potion before with Snape's old textbook and remembered what to do.
Snape knew that when Hermione had said to add a spring of peppermint, that they had learned that from him and felt quite proud of her.
At the end of the lesson and everyone was emptying the classroom, Hermione was the last to leave again, Snape looked up from his marking and said "Remember, after dinner Miss Granger."
"Yes sir" she said and smiled brightly at him before she turned and left the classroom. Severus sighed heavily and put his head in his hands. He wasn't really still used to Hermione's always so happy look when she saw him. He didn't understand it at all.
He was dreading the meeting between Hermione, Dumbledore and himself after dinner.
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