Okay, I've had this thought in my head forever and I've finally decided to write it out. I'm kinda really sick right now, like delirious and everything so I hope this is as good as it sounds in my head.

Disclaimer: Nothing is mine, all characters and setting belong to J.K.Rowling, don't sue me all I have is a water bottle, a half empty box of tissues, and a dollar to buy a bagel before school on Monday.


Hogwarts, for the most part, was a memorable place a friendships, heartbreaks, trust, loyalty, betrayal, courage, dignity, and hope. It was the place where young witches and wizards left their childhood and became adults, a place where they all figured out where they belonged. This was the place where everyone had at one point in their lives considered to be their 'home'. Which is why so many students had been shocked to find that their Head Girl Hermione Granger who seemed to love the castle more than anyone else had not returned to finish her seventh year.

Harry Potter and Ron Weasly had spent their summer frantically trying find their best friend, the young lady who completed their trio. Even after being assured by the older members of The Order, including Dumbledore himself, they continued to send her owl after owl, all of which returned with the letter still tightly clutched in their beak. Refusing to give up they tried tracking charms and locating spells, doing so much research that their efforts were sure to make Hermione glow with joy if she had been their to witness it. When they arrived at school for the first time without her they turned to the Restricted Section of the library for answers. It wasn't until Dumbledore had told them that she had some family matters to attend to and that she would be returning shortly did they stop, of course the threat of expulsion may have effected their decision a bit.

Hermione's Head Girl position was passed onto Ron Weasly's baby sister and the apple of The Boy Who Lived eyes, Ginny Weasly who had skipped her sixth year after recieving perfect O.W.L.s scores and taking a few summer courses with a private teacher. Her tutoring job was appointed to none other than Draco Malfoy who now had the highest ranking scores in his year besides Ginny and loved to watch students squirm at his harsh tone. Even the bed she once slept in had been given away to Mary, a witch who had moved over from America during the summer. Somehow everything fell into place and it began to feel almost as if the very memory of Hermione Granger was being erased, which may be why everyone was a bit startled when she walked through the doors dripping wet on that stormy fall evening.

Halloween Eve the entire school body was eating dinner at their respective tables. They chattered on about a particularly hard essay Professor Snape had assigned, dates for the upcoming Halloween Ball, last minute items they had to pick up the next day in Hogsmeade before sunset came and the celebration began, rumors of Pansy and Blaise having sexual intercourse on Professor McGonagall's desk, and of course the next Quidditch game. A climaxing storm outside made itself known by shuddering the windows and occasionally lighting up the candlelighted room.

Just as the majority of them had gotten halfway through their first serving the large, heavy doors at the back of the Great Hall slowly creaked open. In walked a soaking wet, shivering Hermione Granger dragging a particularly heavy trunk behind her. Suddenly the hall become noticeably quieter, until the room became so silent a pin being dropped would echo throughout the entire castle. As if to add to the effect a great flash of lightning illuminated the entire room, temporarily blinding its occupiers.

Perhaps it was the intensity of the lightning or maybe it was the loudness of the rolling thunder that quickly followed that woke everyone from their shock. A tsunami wave of whispered flooded the hall as curious students attempted to figure out who that was, why she was there, and what had happened. Ron and Harry jumped from their seat and raced to their thought-to-be-lost best friend, embracing her in a suffocating bear hug which she did not return.

"Hermione?" Harry questioned gently as he let go and inched away. Her eyes were dark and seemed to have no end, completely unfocused with large pupils and dark rings around them with soft pink edges, as if she had spent many sleepless nights crying.

The flushed, bushy haired girl replied, "Yes?"

Timidly, Harry took a step closer to his friend and reached out a hand to cover her own icy, raw hand, "Are you alright?"

A haunting smile appeared on her face while her eyes continued to have no focus point, as if they were looking straight through the boys, "I'm still alive aren't I?"

For that moment in time everything froze, leaving the boys to their racing minds. Occupied in their own train of thought full of questions of what happened to their Hermione they failed to recognize the sounds of foot steps and swishing robes as the Headmaster and Deputy Headmistress approached their newly arrived star student.

"Miss Granger, we hadn't expected you so early." Dumbledore told her, "I hope that next time you will send an owl ahead of time to aware us of your arrival so we will be prepared."

Hermione's only response was the slight nod of her head.

The Head of her house was quick to conjure up some towels for Hermione and wrap them around her shoulders in a fretting mother type of a way.

Slowly walking to the Hospotal Wing with her student's trunk hoovering after her above the many heads of curious students she called to Hermione, "Come child, lets get you out of those clothes before you catch something awful causing you to fall even farther behind." Everyone who had heard her words were clearly thinking some form of, 'As if Hermione Granger could fall behind.'

The remaining of the Trio watched as its third member walked away without making a single sound, only turning back around to acknowledge Dumbledore as her asked her to report to his office first thing in the morning, apparently he had to discuss many things of critical nature with her.


The disgusting scent of bleach and other cleaners caused Hermione's head to spin. She wandered down a hall with linoleum floors and many heavy wooden oak doors.

"Mum!" she cried out, frustrated and confused, she felt like a lost child searching for the comforting arms of her mother. "Mama where are you!"

Frantically she opened the doors to find empty beds or sickly people with wires attached to them. Anyone she begged for help walked right passed her.

In tears she found the end of the hallway and chose to go left rather than right. At the first door there was a card that said 'Jaine Bethany Granger'. She tried several times to push the door in but failed at every attempt, finally she collapsed in exhaustion and as she leaned back against the door sobbing it opened, letting Hermione's head hit the cold floor hard.

All Hermione could do was blink. The air seemed stale and dead. There was no light at all, the blinds on the windows were shut, cutting off any sunlight as it tried desperately to get in through the cracks of the blinds. If there was one thing Hermione knew about her mother it was that she hated anything but natural light, something she had passed onto Hermione. At home Jaine always left the curtains opened so the natural sunlight would mix with lamps which made every room in the Granger residence light up with a happy sparkle.

Licking her lips Hermione stood up and switched on the lights, immediately she wished she hadn't because what she saw was sure to traumatize her for life. Over a still body was a single white sheet.

Slowly Hermione staggered to the bed. With careful hands she gently pulled the sheet down to her mothers waist, once again instantly regretting her actions. Jaine's once ivory skin had turned a horrible hue, so pale you could see through in. Her brown eyes frozen open, the once honey colored iris had turned such a dark brown it was almost black. Hermione reached for her beloved mother's hand only to find it limp and freezing cold.

There was no pulse to be found. In a panicking fear she checked every spot she knew had a pulse, her wrist, her neck, even her thumb . . . . .nothing, not a beat. Then she realized that her mother's chest wasn't moving in that up and down motion that had always chased away her fears and lulled her to sleep as a child. Hermione's head snapped up to look at the machines that were suppose to be monitoring her mother, they had all gone flat, no indication of her mother still living could be found.

She screamed.


Hermione woke up to find herself sitting straight up in her bed in the Infirmary, choking and sobbing hysterically.

Immediately Madame Pomfery came rushing to her aid, checking her vitals and pouring her an icy glass of water from the pitcher on the night table next to her then thrusting it in her hand.

"Is there something wrong?" the nurse asked, "Are you in any pain? Do you have the chills? Feeling faint? Is there a fever coming on? Are you going to be ill?"

Hermione looked around. Everything had an eerie resemblance to the hospital in her dreams, the white sheets, her flower print gown, the smell of bleach. But it was what over powered those things that kept her from breaking down, the chirping birds that sang the early morning's sound, the scent of mud mixed with the smell of rain, the vase of brightly colored daises in the blue vase set on the table next to her.

"No," Hermione sputtered out, "I just had a dream that's all, just a nightmare."

The nurse frowned, "Would you like me to get a Dreamless Sleep potion? You look so pale, and the circles under you ey-"

"Thank you but that won't be necessary. I'm fine, it was just a dream." she stated, reassuring herself more than Madame Pomfery, "I understand that Professor Dumbledore would like to speak with me. Do you know if he's in his office at the moment?"

"Why yes he is, he has been expecting you." she told Hermione as she stood up and looked around for her clothing, "But why don't you stay for a bit? Surely whatever he has to say can wait a few hours more. You look awfully weary. I take it that you not taking your mothe- "

"Where are my clothes!" Hermione practically shouted, "Professor Dumbledore said that what he must speak to me about is of dire importance!"

Shocked by Hermione's outburst and tone of voice Madame Pomfrey handed Hermione a set of Hermione's freshly clean, dry uniform and closed the curtain around her bed to give Hermione privacy from wandering eyes such as Snape's who had been watching her the entire time.


With her head up high Hermione marched down the hallways full of students and teachers who were making last minute Halloween preparations. Everywhere she went their judging eyes followed her. Ignoring them she made her way to the gargoyle and gave the password, Fluffernutter, and preceded up the stairs to the Headmaster's office.

"Miss Granger, please do take a seat." Dumbledore instructed her, motioning to a comfy, overstuffed armchair.

"You asked to see me?"

"Yes." was the short answer provided by her superior who then offered her one of his favorite treats, "Lemon Drop?"

Politely Hermione took one of the brightly wrapped candies, not helping but to think that sometimes her professor was a bit daft.

"Professor, I do not mean to seem rude but if we could please get along to the matters of which you wish to speak of , I have many assignments that I have missed and hope to start on as soon as possible."

"Do not worry Miss Granger, I have talked to your professors and they have agreed that you need not complete your missed work for which you have been excused for, though you may complete them later if you need to boost your grade up a bit but I see that highly unlikely." Dumbledore spoke with a smile as Hermione's face lite up by his compliment, "We are waiting for the rest of whom the issue I must speak of is in attendance, in the meantime would you like a cup of tea?"

Hermione nodded her head even though she would had much rather a large mug of black coffee or espresso at the moment, "Yes that would be lovely Headmaster."

Just as Dumbledore summoned a House Elf the door creaked open.

"Serveus, I see that you have finally decided to show up, would you join Miss Granger and myself in a cup of tea?"

"I am afraid I do not have time for your little tea parties Headmaster, I have essays to grade and know I must make some potions for Madame Pomfery, it seems her stock is running rather low." Snape icily responded, eyeing Hermione with great interest, his eyes seemed to ask 'Why are you here as well?'.

Sternly the elderly professor told Snape to take a seat in an armchair that Hermione was sure hadn't been there a moment ago.

The awkward silence was enough to make Hermione want to giggle as she watched Dumbledore who stared at Snape who glared back at the headmaster. Nothing could be heard but the definite sound of the many clocks ticking to the same second and the occasional whisper of the portraits.

"Blinky has brought you tea sirs and miss," a tiny creature with large ears stated as she place a large tea tray on a table that Hermione swore on her eyes and ears had definitely had not been there just a minute ago. "Would sirs are miss be needing anythings else? Blinky is sure she has seen some cake in the kitchens, she could bring miss some if it makes her happy."

Hermione shook her head and wondered if she was that obvious or if House Elves, like other creatures, could sense the feelings of humans.

"That will bee all Blinky, though if you could find Minerva and tell her to please hurry along." Dumbledore told Blinky in a kind tone.

"Of course sir!" spoke Blinky before she vanished with a loud SNAP!

As their staring contest continued Hermione fixed her tea, quite frankly afraid of what the Headmaster wanted to talk to her about with Professor McGonagall and Professor Snape there. Would they hold her back because of her absent? Was it something to with The Order? Were they going to take her out of her Advanced Transfiguration and Advanced Potions classes? Did something happen to her father?

Professor Snape's voice broke her thoughts which had been building a wall around her, closing her up in her mind, "That's a very interesting combination Miss Granger?"

"Excuse me?" Hermione asked, unsure of what the professor was speaking of.

"Your tea," he explained motioning with his own cup, "you have a very intresting combination. I have never seen anyone drink tea with sugar, honey, basil, an orange slice, and a slice of lemon."

She looked from his silver cup of plain tea to hers with a floating lemon slice and an orange curl hanging there to float. Never before had she questioned the way she made her tea, it was the way her mother took it and the way her mother's mother took it, the only difference was the orange Hermione added because she liked to eat it after sucking on the warm lemon once she finished her tea, something sweet to get rid of the sour taste. Now of course she could never suck on a lemon in from of her teachers and headmaster but it was from a force of habit that made Hermione add the fruit to her cup.

"Now that we are all here and settled I'd like to discuss the issue of the teacher/student relationship that is taking place. I have arranged for the wedding to be held tomorrow during the Halloween Ball, all who attended the ceremony -"

At this point Hermione had caught on, she was still thinking about when McGonagall had entered and how she had failed to notice it previously, "What!"

"When you marry Snape my dear, it will be during the Halloween Ball so there could be some privacy. You may invite whoever you please as long as they behave. I shall be the one to marry you of course. Now afterwards you have the choice of-"

"I don't understand." Hermione told the Headmaster, cutting off his words and spilling her tea cup.

"It's perfectly legal my dear, I was qualified to bond witches and wuzards togeher in matrimony many years ago."

Hermione jumped up, "Let me get this straight. I come home after spending an extended summer trying to keep my family together and return to find that I'm being forced to marry my Potions Professor with no notice?"

Now it was Serveus' turn to speak "You have choices Miss Granger, let me remind you that Draco Malfoy and that obese one that always follows after him petitioned for your hand in marriage as well, what was name? It sounded like some sort of sea creature, . . . lobbe, no . . . crab. . . yes that's it, Crabbe."

"Petitioned?"

"My dear didn't you receive our owls?" Minerva asked calmly.

Hermione once again shook her head.

Dumbledore sighed.

Minerva tilted her head to the side thoughtfully like a cat.

Serveus pinched the bridge of his nose.

"We're getting married." he stated, being the first one to finally speak, "Let her do the decision making and send an owl to my office with the details, I have papers to grade."

With that said the greasy haired potions master hurried out of the room like a criminal fleeing a crime scene, with his black robes flowing behind him.

To Hermione's surprise the chair he had once sat on vanished to thin air.

"Professors I spent my summer abroad with my parents, I did not come in contact with any owls, well not any letter baring ones anyway." She put in as an after though.

Dumbledore took control of the conversation, "Over the summer, around the end of July the Ministry passed the Marriage Law which states that any Muggleborn must marry a Pureblood two months after his or her 18th birthday. The purpose of this was to keep Purebloods from inbreeding because it was producing suibs and other, more tragic birth defects, simply mixing new blood into the pool."

"But Professor my birthday was mid-September, doesn't that mean we still have until mid-November? Couldn't we find someone more. . . . age appropriate?"

"No Miss Granger, the year which you used a Time Turner for hours at a time have added months to your age, we received petition a shortly after the law was passed, they did already give us a bit more time because of your situation. After discussing it with your parents we decided that your best chance was to marry Professor Snape rather than a death eater who could, well I shall spare you the details." Dumbledore said after receiving a glare from Hermione's Transfiguration professor that would have killed him several times if looks could kill, "Your father signed off on the marriage bond on September 19th, your actual birth date if I am correct."

"So what your saying is that I am being forced to marry a disgusting, greasy haired git twice my age and my father has agreed to it?"

"Basically yes." Professor Dumbledore blandly replied.

"Child you must understand, your best hope of having a normal life is with Serveus. He doesn't care what you pursue. Professor Snape will keep you safe from harm, no one will dare to bother you with one of Voldermort's most trusted men as your husband. Also, he is quite wealthy and will surely be able to spend some of it on the best childcare in the wizarding world for your child, you can carry it for nine months and never see it again if that is what you wish. We could even have you put to sleep so you never need to go through that pain."

Hermione was completely appalled. The head of her respectable house was not only talking about her having her other professors child which implies that the two of them would be having sexual intercourse but she was assuring her that she could have nothing to do with the child!

"Child?" Hermione's voice became small and cracked.

"Yes Hermione, the main purpose of the Marriage Law is to repopulate the wizarding world," the Headmaster explained, "it requires you to have one pregnancy by the first year, a child produced by the second, and a second child produced by the fifth year."

"A pregnancy by the first but a child by the second?" Hermione questioned.

"Miscarriages," Professor McGonagall offered the answer, "or if you're onlya few months pregnant by the first anniversary."

"Oh," was all Hermione could say as her mind dragged her back to how her mother had a miscarriage when she was 11, right before she left for Hogwarts and how she had hated so see her mother wandering around the house in her baby pink robe sobbing over every diaper or rubber duck and how she hated leaving her in such a distressed state. Then again, to her fourth year in Hogwarts, when returned home asking for her baby sister but only getting shaking head and tearing eyes as an answer, Adelpha Hermione Granger had only lived for six and a half minutes before her lungs refused to take oxygen.

"Now about the ceremony I trust you are familiar with it?" Dumbledore asked.

Herimone nodded recalling a book she once read, while planning her cousin's wedding she became fascinated with different types of ceremonies from a variation of cultures, the wizarding culture being one of them of course.

"Now after the ceremony would you like to have a private celebration . . . . . . . . "

For what seemed like hours and probably was they went through plenty of planning for the first upcoming celebration of marriage that was to take place on Hogwarts' grounds in decades. Hermione had left most of the decisions up to Minerva who had never had her own wedding and was thrilled to turn this into the fairytale princess wedding she had never had.

As they parted their separate ways, Dumbledore to inform the staff of the new preparations and begin to set up the wedding, McGonagall to inform Serveus of the plans and make sure his quarters were 'suitable for a woman' as well as to unpack Hermione's belongings, and Hermione to tell the remaining of the trio and the others on her list to invite of her plans and to bathe in the prefects' bathroom before McGonagall escorted her to a separate room to 'help' her prepare for the ceremony, Hermione couldn't help but think of the events leading up to this, wonder how the boys were going to handle this, and hope that her life with Serveus would work out well enough even though it was clear that neither of them wanted it.


So what did you guys think? This is kinda a chapter I just had to get out of the way, it was kinda boring and definetlt not my best work but there wasn't much to write about.

Its also kinda my first fic so I'd like some criticism or something.

Please review, be nice a write me nice reviews and I'll update very soon, be nice and write me bad reviews and I'll simply remove the fic.

Also, because I only started writing this I do not have a beta, if anyone wants to be my beta I will be very grateful, please message me.

Thank You

-Jacci