The battles had been fought, the war had been won. Voldemort's reign of terror had ended, so why was the Ministry of Magic still so ridiculous with their laws and prejudice? The most unheard of, controlling, life-altering law was passed two weeks ago,
and it changed the lives of everyone I know. The Ministry of Magic passed a marriage law requiring all witches or wizards between the ages of 17 and 30 to marry. Originally the law was for those between the ages of 17 and 50, but while the law couldn't
be stopped, the age bracket was drastically reduced. Yesterday was my wedding day. The thing about wizarding marriages is that there is no such luxury as divorce or annulment; a wizarding marriage is a marriage for life. The law states that the witch
or wizard of the age bracket must find a spouse and consummate the marriage. That's it. No regulated intercourse or child requirements, just a 'get married and live together for the rest of your lives'. When asked why the ministry wanted to pass this
law, they replied that "the wizarding population after two generations of war is at a dangerous low in wizarding Britain, so requiring marriage will help increase the population". While I do believe that there will be a few happy couples wanting to
start a family immediately, and a few 'oops' after forgetting a potion or charm, I highly doubt forcing people to get married will solve this 'low population number'. To be honest, I think they are forcing this generation to marry in order to fight
the loneliness and depression that is a result of losing numerous loved ones in war.
I married a man who fought and lost loved ones in both wars. He doesn't fit the age bracket, but all of my friends were happily paired off, and in a way we realized we needed each other so he agreed to marry me. It took some time to convince him, he being
a twenty year older werewolf and all, but we were friends during the war and have agreed to marry as friends and allow a more romantic attachment to develop. Originally I was told I could not marry a werewolf, but being part of the 'Golden Trio' does
have its perks from time to time.
So I, formerly known as Hermione Granger, married Remus Lupin yesterday. It was a small ceremony and to be honest, it was a lot of fun. Only our closest friends attended and everyone danced and drank and celebrated what could be. Even the wedding night
was fun, but it brought up a question this morning that I dreaded answering. Remus and I decided that in order for the marriage to work, we needed complete honesty with each other. So when he asked that dreaded question, I felt compelled to tell him
my darkest secret; a secret that only myself and one other, alive, knew about.
"So who was your first?" Remus inquired as we lay in bed. He brushed his fingers over my tangled hair.
When I didn't answer right away, he thought I was embarrassed so he answered first, "Mine was Matilda Birchwood. I was in my seventh year, and she was a Hufflepuff sixth year."
"Hmm." It was the only sound I could make as I tried to force a smile.
"It was Ron, wasn't it?" he guessed.
"No, I never slept with Ron… or Harry. Honestly I should count you as my first. I've only been with one other man and it was not… under usual circumstances."
Remus frowned as he moved to look at me more clearly "What do you mean?"
"I… please don't repeat what I'm about to say to anyone; not even Harry or Ron know. And please don't think less of him, because he was protecting me." After Remus' reluctant nod, she continued. "In my fifth year I was captured by death eaters."
His eyes grew, "what?!"
"I was stunned from behind and taken to a death eater revel." She took a deep breath but her voice still shook when she spoke, "It was terrifying. There were six girls, including myself. There were some adults I didn't know, that were pinned to the walls
and screaming in agony yet no sound escaped their lips because they had been silenced. A part of me was thankful for that. We were completely surrounded by the death eaters in their silver masks, and I knew that I was either going to die or wish that
I would. I didn't let myself cry though. Then they started using the cruciatus curse on us. I tried so hard not to scream but finally I couldn't hold it in anymore. The other girls… I could hear their cries and men's moans. Next thing I knew, one
of them was holding my arms, while another was unbuckling his belt and pinning my legs down. And then I realized there was hope, because I recognized who was pinning me down."
When Hermione glanced at Remus, his expression was a mixture of disgust and compassion. "Snape?"
I nodded. "There wasn't much time, but I knew he was trying to use occlumency on me. I threw thoughts to the front of my mind that I wanted him to answer. 'Blink once if you are going to try to get me out of here.' I could have cried when he blinked.
But then I realized what he would need to do in order to be able to get me out of there without too much suspicion. I realized that he would need to play his part of a death eater enjoying this. When he blinked again in the affirmative, I took a deep
breath to prepare myself for the inevitable. Then I spit in his face and told him 'do your worst, you filthy death eater.' It hurt, a lot, but after I started crying he cast a spell that took away most of the pain when no one was looking.
After it was over, he grabbed me and pulled me into his side. Some of the others wanted a go with me, but he pulled rank and explained how he 'wanted more fun before he was forced to return the mudblood to Dumbledore.' He apparated us to his house
where he healed me and held me as I cried. He apologized but I told him there was nothing to forgive, because he just did what he had to in order to get me out of there and him still be useful to the Order."
"You never told anyone that he raped you?"
"He didn't… It was…" Hermione sighed. While she had been raped, she didn't blame Severus… "Neither of us wanted that to happen, but he was forced to… to endure it in order to get me out of there alive and unbroken." A tear fell down Hermione's cheek.
"You didn't see those other girls. They weren't just raped, they were broken, and if Severus wasn't there, I would have ended up like them. For that I will be forever grateful to him."
The two just lay lost in thought. "I've seen you talking to him sometimes."
"Yes. We have an understanding between us. I like to consider him a friend now, but I don't know if he reciprocates that. We trust each other and keep each other's secrets. I think he feels that because he 'stole' my innocence and I still give him my
full trust, that he feels somewhat obligated to trust me as well. He doesn't believe how I can still trust him, so he tells me about some of the horrendous things he has done to prove what a horrible person he is and is shocked when I keep talking
to him and trusting him regardless."
"Why didn't you marry him?" If there was any bitterness in the question, Hermione couldn't detect it.
Hermione froze and looked up at Remus, "What?"
"Why didn't you marry him?"
Hermione frowned. To be honest the thought had never crossed her mind. "I have never thought of him like that."
Remus smiled, "And you thought of me like that before this?"
Hermione rolled her eyes, "There may have been a time or two in third year."
"Oh really? I didn't picture you for the schoolgirl crush type." Remus said with a smile as he poked her in the side. Hermione dodged the poke that tickled.
"Severus is just a friend. Neither one of us ever had, nor will we ever have any sort of romantic notion toward each other."
"Why wasn't he at the wedding?"
Hermione frowned, "I don't know. I did invite him. I'll have to ask him about that."
She noticed when Remus suddenly became unsure of himself, "So was last night okay though? I didn't hurt you or anything?"
Hermione smiled reassuringly, "No."
"Good"
"In fact, I wouldn't mind a repeat of last night."
Remus looked pleasantly surprised, "Oh really?" A smile spread across his face.
"Really really." Grinned Hermione. She laughed when Remus rolled above her.
0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0
A few days later found Hermione knocking on the dilapidated door of Spinner's End. When Severus opened the door he raised an eyebrow before standing back to allow her entrance. "Miss Granger."
"Mrs. Lupin actually. Or Hermione, Professor." Hermione smiled in greeting.
"You know very well that I am no longer a professor." Snape mumbled as he prepared some tea for them.
"Which is why I address you as Severus… unless you would like me to call you Mr. Snape?"
She smiled when he gave her a reproachful glare.
Once they were seated on the sofa and had their tea Snape spoke, "So how is the werewolf?"
"Remus is fine." Hermione bit her lip as she looked into her tea. "I told him."
Severus' tea cup froze in front of his lips. "What?"
Hermione sighed and put her tea on the table. "Remus and I have decided to be completely honest with each other. He asked me who I had been with, and I told him."
"I guess it's time I update my will again."
Hermione rolled her eyes "Remus is not going to kill you."
"I meant to take you out of it." Severus mumbled drinking his tea.
"He underst- wait, I'm in your will?" She couldn't stop the smile spreading across her face as she looked at him. Maybe he did consider her a friend as well.
Severus ignored her question, "So how much were you honest about?"
She sighed, "You should know me well enough by now, to know that I would not betray your confidence. He is now my husband, and I will tell him my secrets; my secrets, but I will not expose those which you have honored me with your trust. I understand
that that was our secret, but it was one that I needed to share with my husband."
Severus looked at her before nodding in acceptance.
"Speaking of my husband, why weren't you at our wedding?"
"It was a very small affair."
"Yes only a select few received invitations."
He raised an eyebrow at her like she had answered her own question.
"I invited you!" She said incredulously.
"You mentioned it in passing." Snape sniffed as he looked down at the tea in his hand before taking another sip.
"Severus, we didn't hand out invitations because we didn't want any media finding out about it. It was all by word of mouth. Is that really the only reason you didn't come? Because you didn't think I was actually inviting you?"
When he remained silent, Hermione let out a huff of frustration, "Well I wish you would have said something before the wedding."
He stood and grabbed a silver wrapped gift from a cabinet. "This is for you."
Hermione smiled in appreciation as she opened it. She gasped when she saw the silver photo album.
The Lupins
To look through the good memories if ever again there is a bad.
Hermione tried really hard to keep the tears that sprung to her eyes, in check. "You know Severus, if you ever showed even an ounce of this sentimentality to others you would have women lining up at your door."
His snort of laughter clearly told of his disbelief.
"It's true! This is one of the sweetest gifts I have received." He looked up at her as she grabbed his hand. "It's time you stop hiding. The war is finally over, Severus. You don't have to play two sides anymore. You need to let go of Lily and try living
again." She noticed his flinch wasn't as pronounced as it once was when the name Lily was mentioned.
"Severus, I consider you a friend. I think I know you well enough to know how you hide the genuine you. Let the snarky potions bastard go and trust in humanity enough to give them a second chance."
He frowned as he considered her words.
"Not everyone is as unforgiving or terrible as James or Lily."
"And not everyone is as forgiving or trustworthy as you."
Hermione smiled, "So allow yourself to discover the in-between."
She patted his hand as she stood. "I expect you at dinner sometime next week. Send me an owl once you pick the day." She smiled as she looked down at the gift, "And thank you for the album, Severus."
"You're welcome." He didn't say anything else as he walked her to the door.
She gave him a friendly kiss on the cheek, walked out his front door and disappeared with a smile and a pop.
0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0
The following Thursday, the Lupin's home was full of laughter and good food. Remus, Hermione, Harry, Ginny, Ron, Luna, Severus, Minerva, Bill, and Fleur were all seated around the table enjoying dinner and talking. Remus watched how Hermione and Severus
interacted together. He noticed how she always stood close to him or touched his arm if she spoke to him. Severus never touched her in return, but he also didn't seem uncomfortable with the contact or shy away from it. How had he never noticed how
close they acted?
He watched her interactions with her other male friends in the room, and while there were still touches here and there, or an arm thrown around shoulders, it was different from the way Hermione touched Severus. Later in the evening, when Severus silently
left the room when he thought no one would notice, Remus followed him. He had walked out to the back porch and was leaning against the railing.
"Remus." Severus greeted.
"Severus."
"Have you come to seek revenge?" Severus asked as he conjured up a bottle of Ogden's Finest along with two filled glasses.
"Should I?" Remus asked as he accepted the glass.
"I would not blame you." Severus took a sip with a second long look of haunted memories. "How that woman can even look at me…"
"And yet she offers you her friendship." Remus finished for him.
Severus nodded. "You have married one hell of a woman, Lupin."
"Are you jealous, Severus?" Remus asked as he turned to watch Snape's reaction.
"Not in the way you might think." In a very Snape-like gesture, Remus merely raised an eyebrow. "I am jealous that you have married someone like Hermione, not Hermione herself. I recently realized that no matter what I have done in the past, or
what stupid things I do in the future, I now know that Hermione will always be willing to offer her friendship. She genuinely cares about me, not the fucked up life I've lived. She is the only person I have ever met to be so genuine and forgiving."
"That sounds like you're jealous of my marrying Hermione herself."
"That is as far as the personal jealousy goes. I would have made a horrible husband to her. Every time I see her I get a glimpse of that night and a flash of guilt runs through me. She knows and continually shows how I'm still forgiven and that
she is healing, but I would never be able to be intimate with her and vice versa."
They both remained silent, occasionally taking sips of their drinks, for a few minutes.
"You know I don't think I've ever heard you share such personal thoughts, Severus."
"Yes well, I trust Hermione and she clearly trusts you."
"Hmm"
"Has she…" Severus didn't finish his sentence as he fiddled with the now empty glass in his hands.
"Has she what?"
"Has she had nightmares at all? I know that women who have gone through a traumatic experience will sometimes have night terrors after they are intimate again."
"No. She has not had nightmares since we have been married. That is not to say she won't have nightmares, but hell don't we all? We have gone through a war, two wars for some of us."
"Will you let me know if she does? I have developed a new potion that will help."
"What does it do?" Remus asked curious.
"It slowly removes the nightmares. The more the nightmares are dreamt, the more unclear they become. It only works on dreams with the emotion of fear. Very rarely a good dream with disappear as well."
"So it erases the bad memories?"
"No. It only releases a person from the nightmares of bad memories. It does not affect a person who is awake."
"That sounds like quite an amazing potion, Severus." Remus looked closer at the man, "Does it have a name?"
"It- not yet." He evaded.
"I think it does. What did you name it?"
"Lioness' Mercy."
"Hermione will appreciate the sentiment."
"What will I appreciate?" Hermione asked as she walked out onto the back porch and sat in Remus' lap. She gave him a chaste kiss and a smile to Severus. When neither answered, Hermione decided she didn't mind. She had a caring husband and amazing friends,
and for the moment it seemed like everyone was getting along well. The three began a conversation about the newest crazy invention George and Fred had created which drew the attention of others out from the house and soon everyone was enjoying each
other's company on the back patio. The ministry may be ridiculous with their laws, scars and bad-memories were prolific from war, but the here and now showed how the future could improve and bring healing.
AN: I woke up one morning and had this crazy plot being typed by my fingers before I was even fully awake. I have no idea what inspired this, but here it is. I don't know what more I could do with this, but I was just so amazed at how this story randomly came to me that I had to write it and post it. It's different than my other stories and thought it would be fun to put here to learn other's opinions about it. Please REVIEW! because I like to know people's opinions on different writing styles.