Act XXV
121. Undamaged
He turned the full force of his bright green eyes onto me. "You must be Ilsa; I'm Harry Potter. You look remarkably undamaged for spending over a month with Professor Snape."
"I'm not sure what the fuck you mean by that, but Severus would never hurt me," I all but snarled. Who did they think they were, insinuating such a thing?
Harry and Ginny shared a look that I couldn't decipher.
"You said something about tea, Potter?" Severus placed himself firmly between the couple and I.
"It's your lucky day."
"Fools wait for a lucky day. The Buddha," I growled.
122. Tea
Tea: that beautiful British ritual the magic of which I still did not quite understand. Fascinated, I watched Ginny warm the teapot and measure the leaves with graceful, capable movements.
Harry was talking about a mile a minute.
"So after you lot were rounded up after the battle, Kingsley couldn't find out for a bit where you'd been taken. It was chaos; I'm sure you understand. For weeks we couldn't make heads or tails of anything. During that time, the Marriage Law got passed in a pile of standard paperwork." Harry shook his head angrily, accepting a steaming teacup from Ginny.
123. School Work
"I've never seen such sloppy work in my life," he lamented.
Severus sneered, "I could dig out some of your old essays, if you like."
Harry laughed richly. "Well, then the law was passed and Cumberpatch had a title… what was it again? Something pompous. They had enacted a secrecy act, of course, and we couldn't get anyone to talk to us."
"Enough excuses; I'm not interested in why you didn't come to break me out. Honestly, Potter. I want to know what's been done to dissolve it."
My teacup faltered. Oh, God. He wanted to be free of me.
124. Desire
I had done it to myself, after all. The second noble truth warned us: Desire and attachment are the causes of dissatisfaction and suffering. I had let myself become attached to Severus and began to desire him desperately. I dropped my eyes to the carpet, and my fingertip traced the edge of the delicate teacup.
The realization that I was completely fucked was painful.
"Would you like a biscuit, Ilsa?" Ginny was beaming at me.
"Thanks," I murmured.
She kept grinning, "So, how did you two meet?"
"Oh, for fucks sake," Severus hissed. "She was abducted and forced."
125. Law
"What does the law actually say?" I asked, curious.
"I just got my hands on it yesterday." Harry unrolled a parchment.
Marriage Law
For the improvement of the racial sensibilities of Death Eaters,
formerly in the service of He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named.
Forthwith: eligible Death Eaters to be paired with a Muggle (male or female as fits the wizard's own tastes) of marriageable age (eighteen to fifty) for a period specified on a case-by-case basis. Muggles will be attached to their benefactor by a proximity charm for insurance of maximum contact. Wizards will be monitored through a wand trace for the duration.
A shot of tequila and a jar of salsa for my sassy beta, renaid, who is waiting in the wings, cheering me on.
What are Severus's motives, do you think?