Chapter 6

Snape did not slow his pace as he all but flew down to the dungeons and Hermione had to sprint to keep up with him. Once they reached his classroom, the door burst open and the moment she was inside it slammed loudly behind her. The dark wizard waved his hand and the room was locked and silenced, however the young witch did not have time to dwell on this impressive display of wandless wordless magic because the next moment he was in front of her, his face full of cold fury.

"What the hell, do you think you are doing, Miss Granger?"

Hermione gave him a puzzled look, "I…" she started, "I told Harry about our engagement. I did not think it was a secret."

The next moment she felt his hand grab her shoulder as he pushed her non too gently onto a chair, "Are you counting me as a fool, Miss Granger or a blind idiot?" he hissed and Hermione could again see a vein pulsing in his temple. His dark eyes glittered dangerously and she felt herself being trapped by his gaze as a prey in front of a cobra. "You were embracing him!" he spat in her face, "in broad daylight, in the middle of Hogwarts!"

His accusatory words snapped her out of her stupor. She felt confusion rising in her mixed with irritation, "He's my friend," she cried out, "I was upset and he comforted me. What's wrong with that?"

For a second she thought Snape might hit her but then he took a deep breath and pinched the bridge of his nose, "For Merlin's sake, Miss Granger, please tell me that Professor McGonagall told you about wizarding courting customs or at least gave you a bloody book?"

Hermione's mind clicked and she paled. Indeed, McGonagall had mentioned this and it was also in one of the books that Narcissa had given her. The young girl even laughed when she read about this tradition deeming it too archaic to be taken seriously.

The book claimed that once a witch was engaged she had to keep herself completely pure until the wedding night avoiding any physical contact with opposite sex with an exception of blood relatives and her fiancé. After a marriage was consummated the rules relaxed and did not apply at all after a birth of the first child.

"But this is medieval!" she exclaimed outraged. "It's the end of the twenties century, there could be no reason to follow such practices."

Snape gave her a contemptuous look, "And the wizarding world is a shining beacon of forward thinking and enlightenment," he did not bother to hide his sarcasm. "Give it up, Miss Granger, you are a muggle-born witch, you couldn't have not noticed how conservative this world is. Wizarding marriage ritual still uses blood magic because we are too scared to change it in case it would affect magical abilities of our off-springs."

The young witch looked at him with wide eyes. Though she read about the tradition in Narcissa's books, the reasons behind it were complete news to her. Seeing her confused face, Snape rolled his eyes and continued with his explanation easily falling into his usual lecturing mode.

"The wedding ceremony," the dark wizard spoke in his professorial tone, "is set to tunnel the couple's natural powers towards each other in order to form a marital bond that is sealed during a consummation, thus creating a foundation for conception of children. The engagement period, which usually lasts between three and nine months, is used for a bride and a groom to tune their magic to each other. Therefore it is paramount that the magical aura of a witch is as pure as possible."

"Why only a witch?" Hermione asked trying to ignore her flaming cheeks.

This time Snape looked genuinely puzzled, "Because it is a witch who will carry a child and ultimately determine his or her power."

Hermione forgot all about her embarrassment and just started at him, "You mean," she started, "that it's a woman who determines whether a child is magical or not?"

Snape waved his hand dismissively, "It's not that simplistic. Of course, both parents contribute towards whether a child is magical or not, the rules of genetics are the same for both muggles and wizards. Close relatives or families that have cross-bread too often are more likely to produce children with birth defects be it physical deformities or lack of magical abilities and both parties are at fault. However, if a child is magical, the level of natural power depends on a mother much more than a father. That's why most of the magically powerful half-bloods born to families with one muggle parent have witch-mother and muggle father, not the other way around."

Hermione contemplated his words for a moment. She had never heard about this and her mind was rushing to process the information and analyse potential implications. "Professor, I still don't understand how me being with another male could possibly contaminate my aura." she asked carefully.

Snape's face hardened as his lips thinned. However, he seemed to hold his temper in check this time as he spoke again, "Being in physical contact with another male provides a chance for a witch to foster affections, however fleeting and even subconscious, to someone other than her intended. This could lead to her being sexually out-of-tune or unresponsive to her husband and in turn create problems with conception or produce a magically weak child. That's why love and lust potions make a significant part of fertility tonics."

Hermione looked at him horrified. "Oh, God," she whispered… "I never knew this. So that's how…" Snape did not let her continue.

"I have no intentions of drugging you, Miss Granger," his words were clipped, and his face turned into a blank mask. "First of all, I am not planning on having any children in the near future and secondly…" he paused and Hermione looked at him expectantly. The black eyes glimmered and this time his gaze locked with hers and held. Almost against her will, Hermione felt herself being drawn into the black depth, it was like he was pulling her in, hypnotizing her, forcing her so submit to his will.

The room around her faded into nothingness and then she could feel his gaze travel ever so slowly down to her lips, making her want to part them and lick sudden dryness. She caught herself doing just that when his eyes moved lower caressing her neck and then stopping consecutively on her breasts, her belly before slowly sliding down her legs.

When he finally made his way back to her eyes, Hermione felt as if the chilly air of the dungeon suddenly turned into a sauna as her body burnt with need she had never felt in her life.

Then he spoke, his voice - pure velvet, "Trust me, witch, I would not need to use potions to make you want me." Just as suddenly as this onslaught began, his eyes released her and he turned away from her.

"And until that time you will make sure to keep waggling tongues at bay and behave as you ought to as my bride."

Such quick change of topic unsettled her greatly. Her body was still thumping and she struggled to regain her control. "But I am always with Harry and Ron," Hermione whispered hating her breathy voice.

His lips twisted into a scowl and the young witch regretted ever mentioning their names. "Then I suggest you make sure that you are not alone with them."

Before she could object he spoke again, "Might I remind you, Miss Granger," his drawl made her tows curl, "that it was you who wanted to marry me. How do muggles say it? I've made my own bed and I now I have to lie in it?" He coked his head and surveyed her with a calculating look. "For you it means not spending any time alone with any male unless you have a female accompanying you. You will not hug, hold hands or even touch another man or boy, not in class or outside of it. Do I make myself clear?"

Hermione felt tears brimming in her eyes but she refused to let them fall. Not wanting him to hear her, no doubt, quivering voice, she simply nodded.

Seemed to be satisfied with that Snape took a step back and waved his hand at the door, "You are dismissed Miss Granger."

She fled without another word.

xxx

Hermione spent the rest of the evening cooped up in her dorm. She knew she was being weak but she could not force herself to face other students. She felt that her life had completely spiraled out of control. And she had no one else to blame but herself, though the tiny petulant voice inside her head, told her that Dumbledore with his twisting meddling and Snape with his cruel indifference were certainly not helping the situation.

The worst of it all was that she was not sure what to do now. Cancelling the wedding was not an option, so the only choice left was to proceed with it. And it looked like Narcissa Malfoy was one person who was able and willing to help her.

Hermione's thoughts were interrupted when a familiar voice called to her from behind the curtains around her bed.

"Hermione, you've missed dinner." Ginny said, "I brought you a sandwich and I am not leaving until you eat it."

Sighing resignedly, Hermione opened the curtains and saw the redhead standing by her bed.

"Thanks, Ginny," she muttered taking a plate of food from the younger girl's hands.

"No worries, Hermione," her friend sat down next to her. For a second she just watched Hermione eat and then cast a quick silencing spell around them. "Harry is very worried about you," she said quietly. "He wanted me to tell you that he'd be waiting for you in the common room once everybody had gone to bed."

At this Hermione almost chocked on her food. Her face must have betrayed her unease because Ginny gave up any pretense, "Look, Hermione, I tried to be patient and not bug you with questions, but I can't do it anymore. What's going on?" she asked her face turning anxious. "And don't tell me that nothing is happening. I know you and you've been acting all weird in the last couple of weeks. Most people would not notice, I mean you do your homework and you are still top of the class, but it's different from before. It's like you all over sudden have lost real interest in your studies and instead are spending most of the time thinking about something else."

She gave Hermione an imploring look but seeing as the older girl did not say anything, sighed, "Come on, Hermione, even if you were able to deny this until today, I can tell that something is happening and that Harry knows. He's rubbish at hiding his emotions and I can tell that he's worried and concerned about you."

Hermione inwardly groaned. She knew that Ginny was right. Harry could never hide his worries very well and, of course, not from Ginny, who was tuned to him like a muggle radar to an incoming rocket. And at the end it did not really matter if Ginny found out today, tomorrow or next week. It would happen soon enough and Hermione might just tell her now since she was going to need Ginny's help anyway.

So with a deep sign Hermione proceeded to tell Ginny about her upcoming marriage with the same level of detail as she did to Harry but she also added an abridged version of her earlier conversation with Snape and that she now had to somehow figure out a way to comply with the wizarding courting customs.

To her surprise, Ginny took it all rather well. Of course, she gasped when Hermione named Snape as her future husband but she did not interrupt and when it came to his demand of not being alone with any male, she simply nodded. Hermione was again reminded that while being poor, the Weasleys were an old pureblood family and Ginny was brought up in the wizarding world all her life instead of being thrust there only six years ago.

When Hermione was finished with her story, both girls fell quiet until Ginny asked her first question, "So I presume you have not told Ron yet?"

The thought of it made Hermione emit a truly pitiful groan and Ginny chuckled, "I take it as a "no"," she sobered quickly, "you know you need to do it as soon as possible, don't you?" and when the older girl nodded, continued, "I understand that you are not keen but it would be better if you tell him yourself than if he reads it in the Daily Prophet. And I think it would come out today or tomorrow. Snape is too prominent figure for the information not to get out and you, yourself, are famous enough being a muggle-born best friend of Harry Potter."

"I know, Ginny," Hermione muttered, "I'll try and talk to him tonight, when everybody goes to bed if you don't mind accompanying me." She frowned feeling ridiculous at having to have an escort.

Ginny just smiled understandingly, "Look, I know it must be strange for you. From what I understand muggles don't have such customs. But it's completely normal in our world. So look at it this way: for now, I will chaperone you, and when I am getting married, you'll do the same for me and we will be even. Plus I would solely enjoy spending time with you and," her eyes danced mischievously, "as a payment, I would demand that you'll take me gown shopping."

Hermione could not contain her laughter, for some reason she felt infinitely better now, knowing that she had Ginny's support and that she had a solution to at least one of her issues such as having a female with her when she was hanging out with the boys.

"Of course," she said, "it'll be great to have you around to help me choose a dress."

"Great," Ginny smiled enthusiastically, "where are you planning to go, Hogsmeade or Diagon Alley?"

Hermione's smile fell, it was decision time: should she follow Narcissa's advice or ignore it? For a second she was tempted to tell Ginny about the visit from the Malfoy matriarch but at the end held her tongue. The young Gryffindor was more than comfortable telling her friends about herself but she did not want to bring Snape into this anymore than she had to. So instead she decided to rely on her gut feeling, "Actually," she said pushing her worries to the back of her head, "I was planning to go to Paris. I was told that there is a boutique there belonging to Mônsenior Duval."

She stopped when Ginny's eyes became like little sources, "Hermione, but this is really expensive," she said, "I mean, this is where old pureblood families order their clothes."

Hermione felt herself blush, "Well, Snape is apparently one of them," she said deciding that since she had read it in the book, it could not have been a real secret, "Snape is the heir to the Prince family. He has the title and the money and he told me to charge everything to his account. So I guess he could afford this."

If possible Ginny looked even more excited than when they were simply discussing wedding dresses, "And you'll take me with you?" she asked hopefully.

"Well, of course," Hermione said, "If Professor McGonagall agrees to take me, I am sure she would not mind if you came along too?"

Her words caused a rather enthusiastic response as the younger girl squealed and gave Hermione a tight hug. The next moment the redhead bounced off the bed, "Come on, let's go and see that brother of mine."

As she marched out of the dorm with Hermione in tow, the latter felt so much better about the upcoming conversation.

Hi. Here is another chapter. It took a lot longer than I expected. I had it almost finished but then decided to add an explanation behind Snape's demand. Not sure if it's good… so let me know.