Disclaimer: Not mine. Don't own, No money.
Epiphany
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Sometimes we don't even notice when love has been with us all along.
Prologue.
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March 1st 2004
The war had ended five years ago now. Many people died, wizard and muggle. It was hard for everyone; the pureblood supporters of he-who-still-cant-be-named were all locked away in Azkaban with sentences from 10 years to life.
Harry and Ron had gone on to become aurors for the ministry and much to their dismay, Hermione hadn't joined them. If they thought she studied relentlessly at school just to become an auror and continue the golden trio, they were very much mistaken. Instead she had completed her NEWTS from home during the summer and gone on to study her masters in Charms with minors in Arithmacy and Potions.
Once she had completed her studies, Minerva (who was the current headmistress) had then asked her when she visited her one day, to return to Hogwarts after the war and teach Charms in place of Professor Flitwick. Flitwick had died in the war, and substitute teachers had taken the class up till Hermione accepted the job. She had been working here for nearly a year now, and at 24 she was comfortable with her life, and she had still remained close friends with Harry and Ron, who were the closest things to brothers she had, as she was an only child and they visited her most weekends during term time, where they headed up to Hogsmeade for drinks and a chat. She had considered buying a little cottage in the Yorkshire dales, but had never gotten round to it, truth be told, she was rather enjoying the prospect of staying at Hogwarts during the summer, having that big library practically all to herself.
Now, just as it seemed her life was on track and she was comfortable with her job, the ministry had to go and rile everyone up again with this ridiculous law! Actually Hermione understood the reason they were bringing it into effect, many people had died in the war, and due to the after effects with aurors rounding up death eater groups for years afterwards, people had withdrawn themselves more from wizzarding society, some moving abroad, others staying indoors still afraid to go out for months, years after the war ended.
The expected post-war baby boom, had never happened, Hogwarts intakes in the next few years would be half the size of the year before. So the ministry, in all their wisdom had decided in able to boost the wizzarding population, they would introduce a marriage law, declaring that due to the number of deaths after the war and due to increasing numbers of pureblood squib births, pureblood and half bloods should petition for muggle born or half blood spouses, and that this applied to all witches and wizards between the ages of 18 and 60, (witches and wizards lived much longer than the average muggle, making 60 middle aged)). Pureblood marriages had been outlawed. The main purpose of the law was to increase the wizzarding population (by a stipulated minimum of two children per marriage) and significantly reduce any squibs born.
She knew that today would be when the law would be officially put into effect, the newspapers had given everyone fair warning, when the law was announced 3 months ago, initially there was an uproar, but people settled down after a few weeks, and instead accepted the inevitability. The wizgamot had at the time given an official date when the law would take effect, 1st March. Hermione supposed this was to allow witches and wizards who were currently engaged to have 3 months to get married before being subject to the law.
As soon as the papers mentioned the new law had, Harry and Ginny had immediately got engaged, and Ron had asked Hermione to marry him. She had declined, telling him they were better off as friends, the thought of sitting at home all day popping out children for Ronald Weasley, cooking, cleaning and darning his socks was not the life she wanted for herself, thank you very much.
Truth be told, she had been ignoring today hoping, that somehow it wouldn't happen. Hermione didn't want to leave Hogwarts and she supposed that any husband would expect her to quit her job and stay at home being a housewife.
Hermione made her way down to the great hall for breakfast, as expected, a flurry of owls arrived dropping of petitions for 7th year students. Hermione willed the owls near her to disappear as the each dropped a parchment onto, and into her breakfast.
Slowly she lifted each parchment up and inspected the name inside, Victor Krum? She has kind of expected this, they still kept in touch after their brief few dates when she was a teenager, but there was only so much Her-mon-ninny she could take before she called it off, Hermione put the parchment to the side and opened the others. Ron I cant take no for an answer, Weasley, put on top of Victors in the pile, another definite no. Augustus Bloom?? Wasn't that a 7th year Ravenclaw, definite no. Charlie Weasley, no, Hermione definitely did not want to become a Weasley, there were enough of them as it was. Several other names she had never heard of, all probably due to her status as a war hero were also discarded before she incendio'd the lot of them.
Hermione looked to her right to see Severus snorting
"Find something funny Severus?" she asked
"Only that you seem as pleased as me about this blasted law" he replied
She gave him a small smile, they had become friends somewhat since she had returned, and the formalness of 'Miss Granger' had been replaced with 'Hermione' since they were now colleagues. They could chat amicably, although most of the time Severus was his usual reserved, quiet self. He was still, after the war, fairly reclusive and insecure. Even at staff meetings, he would sit and listen, offer small amounts of advice, then head back to his rooms while the rest of the staff mingled and had drinks. There had been a few times they had discussed various articles or borrowed books from each other, but he definitely was never going to be the life and soul of the party.
Hermione left the great hall heading for her rooms to collect her class schedule, the marriage law weighing heavily on her mind. 6 months to find a prospective spouse that she would be magically bound to for life, she didn't want to be married, never mid to someone she didn't know. She wanted someone whom she would be able to hold a decent conversation with, someone who would let her stay at Hogwarts and teach, someone who at least had intelligence, respect and held some of the ideals that she did.
Hermione stopped suddenly and checked the time, classes didn't start for another half an hour, so she raced back down the stairs and started pounding on the door…
"so you see it's brilliant! I can stay here and teach and so can you, we both get along and I'm sure we wouldn't run out of things to talk about…." She continued
"Well I'd find it difficult to believe you could run out of conversation, more finding a way to stop your incessant chattering" He drolled sarcastically.
"Oh come on Severus, its perfect! Its logical, I cant think of anyone more perfect for me!"
Severus's eyebrows rose to his hairline at this comment
"We could even keep our individual quarters if you want. I know it would be a marriage entirely of convenience and I know it seems sudden, but I really don't want to be forced to marry some lame-brained idiot that wants me to sit at home cooking, cleaning and popping out children every year " she looked up at him pleadingly.
"You know, theres the wedding night as well, and we would have to .. . ." he enquired
"Yes that's, ok, Im sure we could manage, plus theres always lust potions if you need it, and imagine how intelligent any child or children of ours would be!" she said
"I need some time to think about this Hermione. Plus I would have to petition you as the man does the petitioning, I.. I will need to think about it, perhaps we could, erm meet on Friday and discuss this further? Once I have had time to think?"
"Ok Severus, I will come down on Friday after dinner" and with that he gave her a nod and a small smile and she left, closing his door behind her.
April 2004
After some long conversations Severus decided it was actually, a very logical choice. Neither of them wanted to be married off to some stranger and they both wanted to stay and teach at Hogwarts, they could get along well and had some interesting conversations. They had no illusions as to what the marriage entailed; she still thought of him as a sarcastic, hook nosed grump, and he still thought she was a bushy haired know-it-all. There was some attraction, but nothing that gave either of them butterflies, but at the very last, they could be friends. Severus had no idea how he would be a good father, supposing they did manage to conceive and Hermione did not want to be a mother immediately. The law stipulated 2 children within 10 years so she supposed that left plenty of time.
So, he sent her, as required, a proposal of marriage. Hermione had accepted his proposition and they had a quiet marriage ceremony by the lake, exchanging vows of friendship, trust and fidelity, all magically binding, which they were both happy to agree on.
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