Thank-you for your reviews! If you see any grammatical errors please PM me or review to let me know and I'll try to change them.
Please stay with me, I know a lot of you don't want Ron and Hermione to get married, and neither do I, but just wait and it will work out! I have a great storyline coming soon but in these first few chapters I just need to set the scene.
Penmora Zenith; I only had Hermione appear like Lavender in front of Ron so he thinks that she is still in love with him. Thanks I appreciate your reviews :D
Chapter Three – The Potions Professor
Severus Snape walked up the stone steps and into Hogwarts school. He brushed the snow off his robes and let snowflakes fall onto the rug that decorated the entrance foyer.
"...did you hear?" A first year Ravenclaw asked his friend as they rounded the corner into the entrance foyer.
"About the Ministry? Yeah I did. I heard many of the seventh years are effected including Hermione Granger." The girl answered. Neither were watching where the were going and walked head-on into the dreaded potions professor.
"Watch where you are going you pair of dunderheads!" Shouted the angry professor as he tried to brush down his smart black robes.
"Sorry Sir." The pair chimed and looked sideways at each other trying not to giggle at being told off.
"Detention. The both of you, for careless disregard. You won't be laughing tomorrow evening when you spend three hours in detention with me." A dark smirk danced across his thin, hard lips.
"But..." The boy began but was quickly cut off by an icy glare from his Professor.
"Fifty points from Ravenclaw for insolence. Do you understand me?" Snape snapped and when the pair muttered 'yes' he spun on his heel and disappeared around the corner with a flourish and swish of his robes.
Severus carried on down the corridor and descended down the grand staircases until he reached his classroom. He stalked into the classroom, locking and warding the door behind him. Severus gracefully sank into his chair and opened the drawer that contained the Daily Prophet. The dreaded article lay open in front of him. He knew it had been coming. Only three days ago he had been summoned by Voldemort. At the meeting the dreadful snake-like man had revealed to the Death Eaters that he had the Ministry in his pocket and that, under his orders, they were bringing in the marriage law. Severus couldn't see the sense in bringing in the law, but Voldemort saw it as another way to get rid of weak muggle-borns. The way the law had been set out meant that the Ministry (and therefore Voldemort) had the power to decide who each person would marry. Voldemort was planning on having as many important muggle-borns as possible married into a Voldemort supporting family so that Voldemort had full control over them. There were many young muggle-born wizards and witches that were in high powered jobs such as Jayne Jades -the Minister For Magic's deputy- and Kellan O'Pierre -the Minister for Healing Potions- and if Voldemort had control over these people he could find out the Ministry's best kept secrets and even perhaps the Order's if he was lucky. However, there was one muggle-born in particular he had his eye on. One muggle-born he wanted to control more than any of them. The one muggle-born that was Harry Potter's best friend. Miss Hermione Granger. Voldemort wanted Granger married into the Malfoy family; the most powerful and well-connected Death Eater family. As per Voldemort's command, Draco Malfoy was to marry Hermione Granger. Lucius, Draco's father, had tried to contest the plan because he didn't want muggle blood dirtying his pure bloodline. Voldemort had told him that the girl wouldn't dirty his bloodline because as soon as the pair were married he would take Granger as his hostage and use her to get to Potter.
Where Voldemort got his twisted ideas from Severus would never know. Snape believed that Voldemort's plan was a dreadful one, not that he'd ever let him know that. Voldemort was causing a lot of uproar just to get to one girl and eventually one boy. What made Severus even more angry was that he would be affected by this law. Voldemort had told them that each one of his followers was to marry a muggle-born witch or wizard. This meant that within two months Snape would be married to a witch he had never seen before. A witch that would think he was evil and on the side of the dark when really he was on the side of the light and spying for Dumbledore.
Dumbledore, Snape thought suddenly. He hadn't informed the man of Voldemort's plan. Obviously Dumbledore already knew about the law but what he didn't know was that Voldemort had ordered it's passing. Snape sprang from his chair, opened the door with a flick of his wand and stalked out of the classroom down the passage way towards Dumbledore's office.
Severus arrived at the wall where the staircase would appear after he said the password.
"Marshmallows." Snape growled. Trust Dumbledore to pick a password as stupid as 'marshmallows'.
Snape took the stairs two at a time. He smiled slightly at the fact that he still could move with that much ease. Without knocking, he opened the heavy oak door and strode in. He was surprised to see the 'Golden Trio' gathered around the fireplace with Dumbledore.
"Severus, my boy, you are a just in time." Dumbledore said. "We are about to leave but we can talk on the way."
"It is extremely important." Severus stressed, ignoring the three near the fire.
"And so is this. We have some good news. Miss Granger and Mr Weasley are to be married this evening." Dumbledore said, his eyes twinkling.
Severus shot a glance at Hermione and Ron, trying to cover up the surprise he felt. The boy was stupidly grinning whilst Hermione looked as if she was struggling not to cry. Whether it was out of sadness or happiness Severus didn't know.
"Congratulations." Severus said icily. He turned back to Dumbledore. "Sir. It is of the utmost importance, I need you to talk in private."
"Severus, we will talk in the morning." Dumbledore said and started for the fire.
"No." Severus snarled grabbing Dumbledore by the shoulder. Harry stood up straight and drew his wand at Snape, Hermione stared intently at her potions professor and Ron was too slow to realise anything had happened.
"Harry, put your wand away. You three go ahead to The Burrow, I will meet you there in a couple of minutes. Very well Severus, we will talk." Dumbledore said handing Harry the pot of floo-powder and shooing them into the fire.
"I'll be quick." Dumbledore told them as they disappeared into a flurry of green flames and ash.
"Albus it is extremely important." Severus said.
"Very well. However, I do not appreciate be handled in such a way Severus." Dumbledore chastised softly. Snape inclined his head, that was about as much of an apology as Snape could muster up.
"What is it you wish to tell me?" Dumbledore asked, moving over to his chair.
"I haven't had the time to tell you before but three days ago I was summoned." Snape started and walked over to the window to stare out at the quickly darkening sky.
"I saw you leave but I guessed it wasn't important as you didn't come and see me afterwards. But it appears I was mistaken." Dumbledore told him.
"Yes. At the meeting Voldemort told us that he had forced Scrimgoeur into bringing in this new law. The marriage law." Severus explained.
"So Voldemort is behind this? I thought as much. The Ministry are bad but they are not as twisted enough to bring in this law."
Severus nodded and carried on telling Dumbledore how Voldemort's plan was to marry off important and powerful muggle-borns to his followers and that way he would have control over a high proportion of the Ministry.
"Why does he only want to marry his followers to muggle borns? Surely most of them would be opposed to this as they are pure-blood? And aren't there just as many important pure-bloods as muggle-borns?" Dumbledore asked.
"He thinks that once he has finished with the muggle-borns he can dispose of them. He believes that they are more expendable than half-bloods or pure-blood wizards." Severus snarled.
Dumbledore shook his head. He stood up from his chair and Severus turned away from the window to watch the man walk to the fireplace.
"Where are you going?" Snape asked.
"To the Weasley's. Hermione and Ron are asking their permission to marry before this law comes in." Dumbledore said.
"Hermione can't marry the Weasley boy." Severus said suddenly. Dumbledore put the floo-powder pot down.
"Why not?" Dumbledore asked, his eyes narrowed into slits.
"She is the main reason Voldemort has brought in this law. He plans to have her married to Draco Malfoy and use her to get to Potter." Severus told Dumbledore.
"Then it is better that she is married to Weasley. He won't be able to marry her off then." Dumbledore said to Severus.
"No it won't be better. Voldemort will find a way to fulfil his plans and he would take great pleasure in having Potter's other best-friend killed."
"I still think the marriage is for the best. This way Hermione is inaccessible to Malfoy."
"Only until Voldemort has Weasley killed. Then she will be stuck in a marriage with Draco Malfoy as Voldemort's prisoner. "
"We can protect them. If you are summoned again tell Tom that Hermione has been married to Ron Weasley. Perhaps then he will realise that this law is a nonsensical idea." Dumbledore said and walked over to the fireplace, picking up a handful of floo-powder on the way.
"Tell Voldemort?" Severus repeated. Surely Dumbledore realised that it would be the death of the Weasley boy.
"Yes." Dumbledore told him with a stern face.
"Albus you underestimate Voldemort. He will have the boy killed." Severus snarled.
"No, Severus, I believe you underestimate me." Dumbledore said and disappeared in a flutter of emerald green flames, leaving a bitter Severus staring at the empty fireplace.
Please read and review! xx