Hermione- Severus Severus-1960 Remus-1960
Seraphina- Remus Hermione-1979 Seraphina-1972
"All witches between the ages of 17 and 35 must marry.
Eligible suitors are Pureblood wizards between the ages of 30 and 60.
Marriages must take place within 6 months of the law taking effect.
Within the first 2 years of marriage, an heir must be produced.
All marriages must be approved by the Department of Magical Marriages."
Headmaster Dumbledore read the article to the others around the table. Ponoma's jaw dropped, Filius let out a squeak of anger, Severus looked bored as usual, and Minerva was outraged. "Albus, this cannot be happening!" she exclaimed. Albus looked saddened when he answered. "Unfortunately, my dear. It already has. The law has passed and will go into effect one month from now. Is this Tom's doing?" he asked Severus.
Severus shook his head vehemently. "I think it must be. Although he did not share this plan with me." Filius, always the first to think rationally asked, "What would he benefit from this?" He was looking to Albus but it was Severus who answered. "Control." he whispered in his silky voice. "In Pureblood society, a married witch is little more than cattle. Essentially, she is her husband's property. Forced to dress, behave, live the way he wants her to. Even reproduce when he says. If this is indeed the Dark Lord's idea and he finds a way to control who marries, he can have power over witches important to our cause...including Miss Granger, Miss Tonks, and..." "Your sister." Minerva interrupted. "Indeed." Severus replied. "We need to get these witches married or protected before the law takes effect. They must either marry a member of the Order or go into hiding. Now then, next week, we will go over new professors for next year." With that, he dismissed his teachers.
Severus had just sat down in his study, with a glass of brandy, when a knock came at the door. His wards showed that Albus and Minerva were outside. He flicked his wand, opening the door, "Enter." They entered, sitting on the small couch in front of him. "To what do I owe the pleasure?" he asked irritably. "I've received an owl from Andromeda. It seems Nymphadora has decided to move to the States to attend the Auror Academy there. We do not have to worry about her, she will be safe in the United States. Have you spoken to your sister?" Minerva said all this in a rush. "She will be here shortly. Minerva, I shall tell you what Albus already knows. Several weeks ago, as my sister was on her way home from class, she was attacked. Violated and left for dead." Minerva gasped, a hand flying up to cover her mouth.
"As soon as she was able to leave her classes, she caught a Portkey here. Actually..." Severus said, casting a quick time charm. "She should be here any minute. I'd best go down and get her." With that, Severus stood, vanishing his glass. Albus and Minerva trailed out behind him. They quickly climbed the stairs to the main floor. Crossing the floor, they stopped when the large doors opened. Hagrid came in, holding a suitcase in his left hand. A young woman came in behind him. Upon seeing Severus, her face lit up. Severus hurried across the hall to greet her.
When they reached each other, the girl threw her arms around him. Severus held her for a moment before releasing her, tucking her under his arm. He looked at Hagrid, "Thank you for walking her up." Hagrid handed the suitcase to Severus, "Not a problem at all, Professor." Turning to the girl, he held out a large hand. "You'll come visit me for tea soon?" She laid her hand in his, "Wouldn't miss it for the world. Thank you." Hagrid nodded and left, heading back to his hut. Albus cleared his throat. "Albus, Minerva, this is my sister Seraphina. Seraphina, this is Headmaster Dumbledore, and Professor Mcgonagall."
Seraphina looked like she wanted to step forward to greet them, but couldn't bear to leave the safety of her brother's arm. She settled for a smile. "Professor, it's lovely to meet you. Headmaster, thank you for allowing me to come stay here." she said softly. "Of course, my dear." the Headmaster's eyes twinkled. "You must be tired from your journey. We shall take our leave of you. Perhaps you will join us for breakfast?" Albus offered his arm to Minerva, and sweeping up her skirts, she followed him down the hall. Severus turned back to Seraphina. "Come this way. I'd like for you to go see Madame Pomfrey." To his surprise, Seraphina shook her head. "No, Sev. It's been a long day and I'm ready to go to bed. How many people know about this?" she asked him, her voice low. "Seraphina, please. We will see her quickly, then we will go to bed. I will explain everything tomorrow." At Severus' insistence, she reluctantly followed him down the hall to the hospital wing.
Severus pushed open the door, and at the same moment, Madame Pomfrey opened her office door. "Ah Severus, who do we have here?" "Poppy, this is my sister Seraphina." The woman greeted the young girl who was half standing behind Severus. She gestured for Seraphina to lay on the cot. Seraphina stepped away from her brother and did so. Madame Pomfrey waved her wand around her. "I'm just running some quick diagnosis spells." she explained. Seraphina nodded and relaxed, until she heard the mediwitch mutter, "Oh dear." under her breath. The witch gestured to Severus but before he could answer, Seraphina spoke up. "What is it?" her voice was quiet. Madame Pomfrey sighed, "I'm sorry, dear. You are pregnant." Severus was by Seraphina's side before she could say anything. Her face fell and tears welled up in her eyes. Holding out his hand, he helped her from the bed. "Thank you, Poppy. I will speak with you tomorrow." Severus said quietly, before sweeping out of the room, his little sister holding his hand tightly.
He pulled her out the door, and down the hallway. They silently made their way to the dungeons. Upon reaching the portrait that his rooms hid behind, he stopped. Making sure that Seraphina was listening, he spoke the password. "Lily." Seraphina nodded, silently following him inside. He led her down the hall to her room, putting her bags on the bed. The room had pale walls, a dark four poster bed sat against the far wall. There was a matching wardrobe, desk, and several bookshelves.
Seraphina smiled at the simple room, knowing her brother's looked the same. "Would you like some help unpacking?" he asked. Seraphina shook her head. "Tea before bed. I'd like to talk to you about something." Seraphina nodded and Severus left the room, the door ajar. Seraphina opened her suitcase and pulling her wand from her sleeve, she waved it. Her belongings flew out of the case and into the proper places. Her clothing organized themselves in the wardrobe and her shoes lined up neatly on the floor. That done, she turned to the smaller case that held her potions, ingredients, and books. Slowly, she put the many books on the shelves. She set the potions case on her desk for storage until she made a place in Severus' lab. Once finished, she sat on the edge of the bed. Tears filled her eyes once she realized what Poppy's examination had found. They spilled over her cheeks, and onto her shirt. She sat there crying for a long time, before a knock came at the door. "Come in." she said softly, her voice breaking. Severus entered, a tray in his hands. Seeing the state of his sister, he set the tray down on the desk.
He walked to the bed, and sat next to her. Facing her, he opened his arms. Seraphina leaned into him, her tears soaking the front of his shirt. He held her silently. Finally, she calmed down, and sat up. Her eyes were red and her face was blotchy. Severus simply said, "I love you." Seraphina smiled slightly, just a quirk of her lips. "Love you too." Severus stood, "Go clean up. I'll have fresh tea ready in the sitting room when you're ready." He took the tray off the desk and left the room. Seraphina stood as well, crossing the room to the wardrobe. She grabbed out some clean clothes and exited the room, going down the hall to the bathroom. She turned on the hot water and took a shower. Stepping out, she dried her hair with a quick spell. She dressed quickly, pulling on shorts and a sweater to sleep in. She went into the sitting room and curled up in the large armchair. Severus came in, carrying another tray that held tea and some biscuits. He sat it down and grabbed the throw blanket off the back of the couch. He draped it over Seraphina and then handed her a cup of tea. She held it in both hands, warming them. She took a sip, and sighed. Severus took his own cup and sat on the edge of the couch, facing her.
He sat quietly, watching her for a few minutes. When he didn't say anything, Seraphina opened her mouth to speak. "What now?" she asked softly, taking another sip. Knowing what she was referring to, Severus shrugged. "We will figure it out. Everything is going to be okay." he reassured her. Changing the subject, "What did you need to speak to me about?" Seraphina asked, meeting his gaze. Severus simply handed her the article that Albus had been reading earlier that day. Seraphina read it quickly, a frown forming before she reached the end.
"This is You Know Who's doing?" Seraphina guessed. Severus nodded, "Albus believes so. In doing this, the Dark Lord will gain control over any unmarried witch. If this is his doing, he can control which witch marries which wizard. He can take the few witches in the Order and marry them off to his followers, taking their knowledge and putting their lives in immediate danger." "How many unmarried, eligible witches are in the Order right now?" Seraphina asked.
Severus looked pained when he answered, "Nymphadora Tonks, Hermione Granger, and you. Although Miss Tonks will be leaving to the United States in a few days." "I'm assuming Albus has a plan of some sort." Seraphina said matter of factly, drinking the rest of her tea. "He intends for you and Miss Granger to marry a member of the Order." Severus answered. Seraphina's mouth dropped open, "That's his genius plan? Marry us off. He can't stop it?" Severus shook his head, "It's already gone through. Even Albus doesn't have that much influence. He intends for the marriages to happen soon, within a fortnight." "Why so soon?" "He does not want to risk waiting too close to the law going into effect. He is afraid the Dark Lord will try to fight it already. We must get the two of you protected before that happens."
Seraphina simply nodded, at a loss for words. Seeing that his sister was done talking, Severus offered more information. "The only wizards in the Order that are both believable and eligible are myself, Remus Lupin, and Sirius Black." Seraphina could hear the anger in his voice when he said Black's name. "Which would be your choice?" she asked. "Depending on whether Miss Granger will marry Lupin or Black, the other is who you must marry." Seraphina nearly laughed at her brother's expression at what she said next. "You do know that Miss Granger is going to want to marry you, right? From what you have told me in letters, Miss Granger is close to Harry Potter. Assuming this is true, she must see Lupin and Black as family, as Potter does. That would be like marrying her uncle." Seraphina said to her brother's discomfort. Severus glared at her, "Why on earth would Miss Granger pick me over either of those men? Even if she does see them as family." "Why wouldn't she? Miss Granger is obviously one of your best students. She has to be intelligent and she looks rather wise for someone her age. She would be lucky to have someone that she can connect with on an intellectual level. Now, you didn't say which man you would choose." Seraphina finished, not giving Severus time to speak. "I'd rather you not have to marry anyone at all. This is a rather desperate situation, the Dark Lord must need information. However, for your protection, you must marry one. I would prefer Lupin. Black is heartless and we would never ask that of you."
Severus told her this quickly, as if it pained him to do so. Seeing her yawn, Severus took the cup from her hand and helped her from the chair. "Get some rest. We'll talk more in the morning." Seraphina, too tired to fight, hugged her brother and went to bed. She threw herself upon the bed, and fell asleep atop the blankets. Severus cleaned up the kitchen and checked on his sister. He covered her and closed the door behind him. Seraphina woke a while later, and cast a quick Tempus. Seeing the time she rolled over, trying to get back to sleep. After tossing and turning for an hour, she got up and went to her brother's room. His door stood ajar, but he was nowhere to be seen. Listening carefully, she heard a noise in the lab. She slipped in quietly, careful to not disturb him at his potion making. Of course, he heard her come in. "Can't sleep?" he asked her. She shook her head, "Obviously, you couldn't either." She crossed the room. Taking a hair tie off her wrist, she tied up her long hair. Severus handed her an apron from the bench beside him. She slipped it on, and stepped up to the table beside him. An empty cauldron stood before her and Severus told her that he was working on Wolfsbane. Seraphina nodded, going to the ingredient storage and getting the items she needed. Taking out her wand, she lit a fire beneath the cauldron and set to work, preparing the ingredients. They worked side by side for hours. Seraphina set the potion to simmer, and helped Severus as he prepared potions for the hospital wing. It was early morning, before Severus began cleaning up and putting things away. "Come, let's try to get a few hours of sleep before we must wake."
Seraphina took his offered hand and he walked her back to her room. She crawled under the blankets, and fell asleep. A few hours later, she was awake again.
She got dressed for the day, and headed down the hallway. She pulled a book from the bookshelf and curling up, began to read. That is where Severus found her, an hour later. Her head was buried in a potions text, and she didn't hear him come in. Seraphina looked up when he cleared his throat. "Albus would like us to join him for breakfast." he informed her. She found a book mark on the coffee table and stuck it in her book. Her shoes dangled from Severus's fingers, taking them she pulled them on and thanked him. They left the rooms together, the portrait sealing the door behind them. Remembering his password from the night before, Seraphina looked at Severus. "Lily?" she whispered, a question in the name. She saw his jaw tighten as he clenched his teeth. "Always." he simply replied. They walked the rest of the way to the Headmaster's office silently.
Approaching the Griffin statue, Severus muttered the password, "Fizzing Whizbees." Seraphina stifled a laugh, as the stairs appeared, taking them to the office door. Severus knocked and waited for Albus to answer. Albus and Minerva sat at the small breakfast table, clearly waiting for them. Seraphina and Severus joined them. He poured her a glass of juice. Seraphina was delighted to find that Albus had ordered apple juice for her, obviously remembering her hatred for pumpkin juice. At Albus' insistence, she served herself. Minerva, Severus, and then Albus, all filled their plates as well.
Minerva spoke, " Severus, did you take Seraphina to see Poppy last night?" Severus had just taken a drink so he nodded. He glanced at Seraphina and she barely inclined her head to him. Taking this as assent, he told his fellow professors what Madame Pomfrey had said. They were speechless. Minerva, recovered first, she laid her hand on top of Seraphina's. "I'm sorry, dear." she said in her thick Scottish brogue. Seraphina whispered thank you and looked back at her plate. They could see that she didn't want to speak about it any longer. Severus spoke, "I spoke to Seraphina last night about the marriage law. What are our next steps, Albus?" "We will have to call a meeting of the Order. They must be inform quickly before any of Tom's followers come forward, trying to claim Miss Granger or Miss Snape here." Albus answered. "I will be calling a meeting later today. Seraphina, do you feel comfortable leaving the castle or shall we call the Order here?" he asked. Seraphina looked embarrassed when she answered, "Is it possible to meet here?" Albus nodded, "Of course. I will send word of the time once I speak to everyone." They finished breakfast quietly and Severus and Seraphina took their leave.