CHAPTER TEN

Snape did not even bother to clean up the mess that Hermione made. He sat and tried to plan out the coming events.

After Draco and Hermione were married he would make sure her parents were safe and then returned to the muggle world after she became pregnant. He would of course have to find a way to keep her child out of the Dark Lord's hands if the prophecy did indeed mean the serpents were Draco and Hermione.

Maybe when the Dark Lord was defeated and Hermione was no longer Draco's wife he could help her raise the baby. He could raise the child as his own if she would let him. Maybe Hermione could even become a professor at Hogwarts and they could all live in the castle.

Part of him knew this was a foolish daydream as well as a very dangerous one. He quickly put it out of his thoughts and returned to Malfoy Manor where Draco would be receiving the news of his engagement.

"Where is mother? Is she ill?" Snape heard the younger Malfoy say from inside the living room. "She is not ill, just lying down. You should sit, Draco. Snape rounded the corner and saw Lucius and his son about to have a very unhappy discussion.

"Mind if I join?" Snape said. He did not wait for a reply but stood a short distance behind Lucius. "I would really prefer this to be between my son and I, Severus," Lucius said annoyed.

"Pretend like I am not here," Snape offered. "Someone better tell me what is going on!" Draco insisted. He was not used to waiting. "The Dark Lord is giving you a very important mission, Draco. One you cannot fail at," his father said.

"The last mission he gave me I failed…" Draco said quietly. "That may be true but he has great faith in you," Lucius said trying to comfort this son. Snape rolled his behind Lucius' back.

"What is the mission?" Draco said trying to sound like a proper solider. "See… It is really more of a reward than a mission…" Lucius started to say. "Out with it, Malfoy." Snape whispered to him.

"What kind of reward?" Draco perked up. "Our Dark Lord is giving you… a wife. A girl who will entirely be yours in every way," Lucius said trying to make things seem better than they were.

Draco almost seemed amused at the idea. "A wife? Why does he want to give me a wife? I am only seventeen," he asked. The older Malfoy stumbled with words so Snape stepped in and said, "Because it would please him to see you wed this particular girl."

"Well, who is she?" Malfoy said. This could be great fun for him or it could be an absolute nightmare. Neither man answered him and Draco began to get worried. "Is she ugly or something?" Draco asked.

"You know the girl already, Draco. She's in your class," Lucius said. "I've been through all of the good girls already! Whom am I supposed to marry?" Malfoy yelled.

"Hermione Granger," Snape said. The room was silent until Draco said, "You cannot be serious." When the two older men told him they were indeed serious he jumped up and broke the nearest vase next to him.

"I won't do it. I will not marry that awful cow!" Draco screamed looking for the next object to break. "Yes, Draco, you will," said a chilling voice. The Dark Lord had just entered the living room where Draco was having a fit.

All three men became instantly nervous and bowed their heads to him. "You will do what I tell you," the Dark Lord said just above a whisper.

"But my lord-" Draco started to say before Voldemort threw him across the room and into the wall with a great thud. He continued his torture until blood fell from Draco's mouth.

"When people ask of your engagement you will tell them of your secret love throughout the past seven years and how you can no longer hide it," Voldemort said taking his curse off Draco.

"You will give her a shiny ring, marry her and put your child in her. I will hear no more complaints about this, ever! Am I understood, Draco?" Voldemort screamed in his ear.

Draco could only nod in understanding which seemed to be enough for the Dark Lord who left the room just as quietly as he had entered it. "You will stay the weekend here, Draco. We have a few things to go over…" Lucius said helping his son stand back up.

After seeing the father and son retire upstairs Snape decided it would be best to head back to Hogwarts and take care of a few matters of his own.