I still don't own HP. No significant changes to this chapter.

Chapter Two

For what felt like years, but in reality was mere seconds, Hermione stared dumbfounded at the parchment. She looked up at the ministry officials, oblivious to her parents confusion, and burst out, "Are you bloody kidding me?"

"Hermione," Her mom said, "language."

The look of shock on Patrick Jergens face did not dissipate when he solemnly began to speak. "I know that this probably comes as a complete shock to you-."

"Darn straight." Hermione snapped.

The minister continued, giving the brightest witch of her age a stern look. "But this cannot be changed. Mr. Snape will receive a letter sometime tomorrow, and the two of you will be expected to see a ministry appointed counselor this Friday, at noon."

"And if I have other plans for Friday?" Hermione asked, eyebrow raising up in defiance.

"Then you will have to cancel them Ms. Granger." Patrick said.

"The breaking of this law is punishable with a lifetime sentence in Azkaban." Mr. Fletcher supplied.

Jean and Richard may have been muggles, but Hermione had told them about the Dementor guarded wizard prison called Azkaban. "Isn't that a bit harsh?" Richard ground out.

"Mr. and Mrs. Granger, the wizarding race is, for the lack of a better phrase, dying out. In the last fifty years, several wars have ripped through our populations, and our numbers are dwindling. The ministry has decided that this is the best course of action, to ensure our peoples survival."

Hermione seemed to be in a daze, and her mother couldn't help but notice. "That's an awful lot of pressure to put on the people of your nation, enforcing it as such." A frown marred Jeans face, which brought Hermione out of her daze, because her mother never frowned. "I understand your reasonings, but I do not think that it's right."

Hermione couldn't resist the temptation to smile, proud to have learned compassion from her mother. Mrs. Hermione Jean Snape… it was a difficult thing to wrap her head around. Professor Snape was a great man, snarky conniving git that he may be, he was great man. But he had been her potions professor for six years, and would have been for seven had the war not escalated, and her, Ron, and Harry having to go on the run. Hermione had been one of the few who had not needed to accept Headmistress McGonagalls offer to come in for an 'eighth' year at Hogwarts. She fondly remembers Harry and Ron laughing at her for studying for her N.E.W.T.s while on the run, one of the last good nights they had before Malfoy Manor had been when she got her results from the sent in tests. Severus was an esteemed member of the Order of the Phoenix, or at least he had been before the fiasco at the Astronomy tower, which also threw a wrench into him being Dumbledore's confidante. Select people however, knew that he had given his heart to Lily Evans years ago, and she was worried that he wouldn't be able to love her due to him already loving Harry's mum. She was lost in her thoughts when the ministry officials stood, and Patrick Jergens held out his hand for her to shake. "It was a pleasure meeting you Ms. Granger."

She stood to shake his hand, "It's a pleasure to meet you as well Minister."

"Please call me Patrick," he said as she moved to show them out.

"As long as you call me Hermione sir."

The group that came with the minister exited and apparated away, only two, who were wearing different robes, who Hermione guessed to be bodyguards waited for the minister who had stopped in the doorway to turn to her. "Don't forget the meeting, this Friday, at noon!" He told her softly, before walking to the bodyguards and apparating away.

Hermione tried to get back into her book as her parents watched television, but before too long she was standing up to make her exit. "Night mum, night dad." She drifted up the stairs and into her room, where she changed into her pajamas and lay on her bed, staring up at the lavender lace canopy. Mrs. Hermione Snape. Mr. and Mrs. Severus Snape. Hermione Snape. Hermione didn't know when she fell asleep, but the next thing she knew there was a soft light coming in through her window. Had it been a dream? She asked herself, before moving over to her desk. She decided to write Ron and Harry, to see if they had received a visit as well.

Harry,

I don't know whether or not I believe it happened, so for the most part I am just curious. By any chance were you greeted by an assortment of ministry wizards either late last night or sometime early this morning? Since I do not know whether or not you are at the burrow or at your flat in London, so I will also be owling Ron.

If this did indeed happen, I think it would be a good idea if we all met up. I hope to hear from you soon.

Hermione

She went to write her letter to Ron, and only hesitated for a moment. They hadn't spoken much since they broke up, even though it had been an amicable split.

Ron,

I don't know if Harry is at the Burrow or at his flat in London, so I'm writing to both of you about a peculiar visit that I got last night from a small contingency of Ministry Officials. I was hoping you could tell me whether or not you received a similar visit.

Hermione

She folded the parchments, and sealed them with a wax set that she had gotten during her visit to Diagon Alley before she left to find her parents in Australia. Coincidentally, that was the same trip that she had gotten her owl Apollo on, wanting to have a way to contact Harry and Ron if she had needed help. That and since she had taken her N.E.W.T.s and effectively graduated from Hogwarts, she needed to be able to speak with future employers. So far she had sent the wizarding equivalent of a resume out to several places including the Ministry, she fancied the idea of being an unspeakable, and Hogwarts. She held the letters out to Apollo, "Hey boy, take these to Harry and Ron." He flew out of her open window.

Hermione waited by tidying up her room, replacing books on her shelves, and before too long, she heard a light tapping on her window. She let Hedwig in, and took the letter off of her outstretched leg, giving her a treat before she flew away. Hermione waited until she was no longer visible before sitting on her bed and opening the letter.

Hermione,

I too received a visit from the ministry, and I also sent a letter to Ron as well. Ron said Molly suggested we all meet up at the Burrow at ten. (I'm sending this at 8:30) I would ask you who your blood chose, but I figure that the great reveal should be done when we are all together.

See you soon,

Harry

As if on que of her finishing the letter, Hermione heard her mother call for her. "Hermione, breakfast is ready!"

"Coming mum." She called back, before exiting her room and walking down the stairs, and making her way into the kitchen to her chair by her father. "Morning dad."

He gave her a light kiss on her forehead, "morning sweetheart."

As they began to eat Hermione looked between her parents, "do either of you care if I meet Harry and Ron at the Burrow around ten?" She asked, before taking another bite of her toast.

Her mother smiled at her over her tea. "Of course not sweetie, are you guys meeting up to talk about the visit last night?"

Hermione nodded. "Yeah, I sent them a letter as soon as I got up, asking if it was a dream. We're all meeting there so we can reveal our 'intended'." She said, "I had been worried for a moment that it was something I had made up."

Richard smiled at her. "Of course it wasn't sweetheart, even your goofy mind couldn't make something like that up." He took a sip of his coffee. "By the way, who is this Snape person?"

Hermione's face darkened a bit. "During our first five years at Hogwarts he was our Potions professor, and during our sixth year he was our Defense Against the Dark Arts Professor."

Jean wiggled her eyebrows at her daughter. "Did you want to get jiggy with him in the dungeons?"

Rolling her eyes Hermione stood up. "On that note, I doth depart." She kissed her mothers forehead, and hugged her father. "I'll be back later." She walked out of the house, and waved at the neighbor across the street who was mowing their lawn. She walked down towards the convenient store a couple of blocks away, and went to walk around the back. When she made sure that there weren't any muggles watching, she spun on the spot, and apparated right outside of the fence that surrounded the Burrow.

Hermione enjoyed looking at the scenery as she walked slowly up to the door. The door was jerked open as soon as she knocked, and Molly pulled her into a tight hug. "Hermione my dear, you'll be staying for lunch?"

"Of course Molly." She replied sitting down at the ominously solemn table. "Who would like to go first?"

Harry's lips twitched as Molly bustled around in the kitchen, charming the breakfast dishes to wash themselves, and the scrub brushes to clean the floor. Seeing that nobody else felt inclined to start he began. "Well, you can imagine the reception that they got at my place, knocking on my door at midnight. I yanked the door open and they got a wand in their face."

"Of course, they would expect nothing else from you."

Harry mock glared, before bursting into a goofy grin he had probably learned from Sirius. "I completely refused, until they told me about the lifetime sentence in Azkaban. Even then, I was very reluctant, but thankfully when my blood dripped on the paper, it spelled Ginny's name."

Ginny sat down beside him and gave him a soft kiss on his cheek, before turning to Hermione. "You know how I've waited for him, and when we were together for those months during my fifth year I couldn't have been happier. I didn't want to pressure him about getting back together after the war, so despite the fact I don't agree with the consequences, this law is somewhat of a godsend."

Hermione smiled back at her. "I told you that all you had to do was be yourself." She turned to Ron, "So, who did you get? Tell me that it wasn't Millicent Bulstrode!"

The skin around Ron's lips turned a bit green. "No it wasn't, thank heavens, not from her lack of trying of course. I got Lavender Brown."

Hermione smiled again, the Slytherin had been trying very hard to get Ron to date her after the final battle. Harry turned to her, and the smile dropped off of her face. "So, 'Mione.. who did you get?"

She looked down at her hands and grimaced, and in a quiet but firm voice replied. "Apparently, the person that my heart desires is.." She let her voice drop, because despite the fact that she knew he was a good man now, they knew that he hasn't always been.

Harry reached a hand across the table to cover hers. "Come on Hermy-own-ninny, it can't be that bad."

She looked up and met his emerald orbs. "Yes it bloody well could."

"Who?" Harry asked, giving her hand a comforting squeeze.

"Severus Snape." She quietly replied, looking down again as the people sitting around the table gasped.


"Thank you Pipsy, have fun on your day off tomorrow." The usually dour man said to the little house elf that had just placed his food on the table in front of him.

There was a light tapping on the window, and Pipsy rushed to get it. "I'll gets it sirs. Please enjoy your breakfast."

Severus Snape disliked having a house elf, he thought they were for people too lazy to clean up after themselves. But she had been his mothers, and when she had passed, the elf had cried until he agreed to keep her. His deal was that she would take one day off and galleon a week. When she set a large padded envelope on the table in front of him, he gave her a quiet, "Thank you." He groaned when he turned the letter over and saw the seal with the letters M.o.M. around it in calligraphic letters. Breaking the seal with a long finger, he lifted his cup and took a sip of orange juice with his other hand. He pulled the thick packet out of the envelope, and when he read the first paragraph, he spit his drink across the table.

"Is the orange juice tasting okays sir?" Pipsy asked, worried that he had spit it out because it had gone bad.

"Yes Pipsy, it's fine. Just this letter…"

"May I be so bold as to ask whats in the letter sir?"

Severus felt the urge to swallow the large lump that had instantaneously appeared in his throat. "It appears.. it appears that I am to be married."

Pipsy wrung her hands together. "That is joyous news sir. Shalls I get you a glass of fire-whiskey to celebrate?" He nodded and closed his eyes, bringing forth a picture of the red haired 'goddess' that had ensnared his senses since the age of seven. "Heres you go sir." She said, handing him a slightly steaming glass of fire-whiskey. "So who will be my misses sir?"

Red hair suddenly turned to brown as the image of Lily Evans morphed into the brightest witch of her age. "Hermione Granger."

~Finite Incantantem