He found her standing in long line with official papers in her hand and biting her bottom lip.
"You didn't have to come here alone you know," he said by ways of hello.
She didn't immediately look at him, instead she rested her eyes on the three people in front of her. After reaching the window one woman sent up red and blue sparks with a large whoop of joy. Hermione snorted. Even if the Ministry pushed her into a loveless marriage it was still a marriage. One that needed respect even while they were annulling it.
She turned to look at the man beside her, fully looking at him. He was stiff in his black robes with a scowl on his face looking like he wanted to be anywhere but here. His dark eyes staring straight ahead, surveying the room and determined to look anywhere but at her.
"I had to come alone. It would have felt... awkward... to bring you." she said by ways of apology. She's glad he came none the less.
"Was it so bad?"
"No, I would probably would have made the same choice. I thought that I planned it out and thought of everything. Don't get me wrong, I knew there wasn't going to be any romance" he snorted at that. "And I counted on us living two very separate lives, I thought if I had enough work and the occasional chocolate bar... I could live with it. Forgive me?"
He started picking at lint at his sleeves, his cuffs crisp. She recognized the stalling tactic. "There is nothing to forgive. You... " he stopped. They had numerous conversations about this topic earlier, there wasn't anything else to add. He summed it up instead. "For all of your Gryffindor bravery, you were still young and naive. One might say sheltered," he said while raising his eye brow.
She winced slightly, "Yes, yes I was that. I thought it would work if I tried hard enough. But really what we had was..."
"Foolhardy?"
"No, it was..." she couldn't quite put her finger on all the silly fights, lonely nights, and various areas that were on the "Off Subject List". She rolled her eyes, "Well it was what it was."
The silence stretched between them, both deep in their personal memories. "Next!" cried the Ministry official who stamped the annulment papers. The woman in front of them was blubbering with quiet sobs racking her body but she was smiling. Severus couldn't tell if her tears were of joy or sadness.
"Will you miss any of it?"
She sighed. "Must we do this? Can't I just sign the papers and never speak of this again?"
"Hermione, I would like to know... I don't want to repeat the same mistakes."
"Severus..." She cupped his cheek and looked up into his eyes. He looked down at her warm honey eyes, so very sweet even when they were a little misty. He chided himself inwardly. He was supposed to be the one to offer her the comfort, not the other way around. "You won't"
He nodded and pulled away from her embrace. Now was not the time for that sort of thing. She snorted again, and shook her head.
"We'll still be friends of course." She added, turning back to the decreasing line.
"Of course..."
"What does that mean?"
"It means Witch, that after two people know each other, Biblically, it's hard to be friends when they're gone."
"Ha, one thing you need to know about me, Snape, is that I don't give up easily."
Sneering, "Oh and what do you call this? Annulments are giving up."
"You weren't opposed to the idea when I brought it up." she said tartly.
"Hermione. Stop. I told you before that this is your choice and your choice alone. I don't want to bias you. But I also do not want you to rush into this foolishly. There will be consequences to this; more than your schedule will change. Things will not remain the way they ar-"
"I know that!" she waved him off. His damn conscious was getting the better of him again.
"Next!"
"Hermione. I don't want you to have regrets."
"Serverus Tobias Snape! Ron's petition was the mistake, wasting four years of my life in that that sham of a marriage is what I regret! I should never have chosen him over you." Her voice was rising and those behind them were following the conversation with interest. "Please... I want more Sunday lectures instead of wet and muddy practices! I want to curl up next to you and steal the latest Potion Journal instead of the scandalous article in Witch's Weekly. I want to create a new potion to benefit the wizarding world instead of solving some red head's nappie rash! And as soon as I can sign that paper I'm going to have it. And I want you to kiss me! I wanted to since Mortimour Dicen's lecture!"
"Hermione." his voice caressed her name like a lover, "are you quite finished?" He wouldn't look at her, instead turned scowled at those behind them. She looked at Severus, his eyes were blank, resigned. She reached out for his arm. Needing him, wanting him.
"Mrs. Weasly?" the toady asked while presenting her with a pen.
"Yes... No." she stammered. She looked over at the official. "It's Ms. Granger. Mrs, Wealsy was my mother in law." She added her signature and in a flash of light it was official.
She felt strong arms envelope her from behind. His face snuggled into her hair, his breath warm on her neck. "One thousand, four hundred and eighty nine days." he whispered.
She turned to him, confused.
He cupped her chin and gently caressed her lips with the pad of his thumb. "I waited that long to kiss you" Opening her eyes, she saw his dark obsidian eyes smoldering, looking at her with a passion and intensity she never saw from anyone else before. Smiling , she reached up and pulled his head down for deep, fully legal, kiss.
Propitiatory and respectability be damned.