Author's note

I do not own anything in the Harry Potter universe for they all belong to JK Rowling. All I have done was borrow from her, and had a little fun with my ideas.

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Chapter 26

Hermione walked along the corridors of the castle, heading towards the direction of the Great Hall. It was the night in which all the students at Hogwarts would arrive. There would be a sorting hat ceremony, and the new school year would commence. This was also the night in which the headmaster would announce her marriage to Severus.

She was nervous and all so happy at the same time. Publicizing her marriage to everyone, would mean that everyone would know about her relationship with the man she loved. Loved indeed, but then, how would the other people judge their marriage? Severus projected himself as a man to fear, and surely a lot of people did fear him. He never did seem like the loving type to anyone, much less a man with a heart. Only a few people had seen the softer side of Severus, one of them being his wife. He truly was a man with a big heart as she had seen over the weeks. Sacrificing and giving a lot to her. People would probably think that her marriage was a sham of sorts. Nonetheless, she knew the truth. She and Severus were madly in love with each other. They were soul mates, and were happily married. It wasn't going to matter what other people thought, she told herself. She knew the truth and that was all that mattered.

Hermione paused for a moment before opening the door to enter the Great Hall. She mentally readied herself for what was to come. Controlling her emotions, and pushing all nervousness aside. After, she then pushed the door open and entered the hall.

The Great Hall was filled with students all seated in their house seats. All of them were cheerfully chatting away with their fellow housemates, catching up on their lives, gossip, or chatted about whatever they did over the past summer. As Hermione walked towards her seat at the Gryffindor table, she noticed that there were a faces that caught her attention. Some smiled at her and others were surprised to see her return. Everyone knew who she was of course. Hermione Granger—part of the Golden Trio, infamous friend of Harry Potter.

There were even faces of disgust when she passed by. Most of them from the Gryffindor table. Hermione knew all too well why. All because of Ron. They saw her as the bitch and the person that ripped out the boy's heart into shreds. Boy mind you, not man. She never saw Ron as a man. They pitied him, and sided with his story. They never heard her side of the story. They never asked for it, and Hermione didn't even bother to explain to them what truly happened. She didn't feel like her life depended on it, unlike Ron. Always wanting, or rather even needing to be in the center of attention. She shook her head, and held her head high. If they only knew the truth.

"Hermione!?" Harry exclaimed in question. Very surprised to see her, despite the look of confusion on his face. One red head that sat next to him, and another that sat across from him turned their heads in her direction. "Oh my God, it is you!" Harry said as he took one good look at her while she sat down.

"Hello Harry," as she took her seat across from him. She then turned her head and gave a small smile to Ginny. "Hello to you too." Hermione kept her hands to her sides. She didn't want to place them on the table. Everyone would be able to see her rings, most especially her engagement ring. With a big diamond on top of it, it really wasn't that difficult to miss. The news could wait till later.

"Dumbledore said that you might not come back anymore," Ginny told her. Or was it a question?

Hermione shrugged. "Yes, well things happened." She then got a quick arrogant glance from Ron. Who by the way, was seated a little too close to Lavender Brown.

"Hey Mione," he greeted her as he draped an arm over Lavender's shoulders and pulled her close to him. his plan obviously was to make Hermione jealous.

"Ron," Hermione plainly said, forcing a smile across her lips. She looked at Lavender. Utterly not surprised to see her seem to swoon all over Ron. Hermione couldn't help but think that both of them looked good together. They were very similar to each other in a lot of ways. She gave a single nod to Lavender.

"Hermione, why didn't you tell us Ron here was such a great kisser?" she questioned, with a very flirtatious look on her face as she looked at Ron for a moment.

"I wouldn't know," Hermione said.

"Oh c'mon now Mione, don't deny it," Ron stated. He then planted a small kiss on Lavender's cheek, and wiggled his brows up and down as he looked at Hermione again.

"Well, well, well," a voice sneered from behind Hermione. "If it isn't the little Mudblood. A lot of us thought you wouldn't be coming back Granger."

Hermione knew the voice all too well. She turned her head, and found herself looking up at none other than Draco Malfoy. He was towering over her. "I didn't know you would miss me as well Malfoy. I never thought you had a heart to begin with," she sneered back at him.

Draco then snorted. "You wish Granger." He quickly examined Hermione, and noticed the rings on her left ring finger. "Who the fuck did you marry Granger?" he asked questioned strongly, with a hint of shock in his voice. It was also loud enough for a number of people to hear a few feet away.

Hermione heard a number of gasps around her. Ginny's head snapped down to look at the rings. Harry's mouth just opened and hung, not knowing what to say. Ron looked very shocked and angry. The color on his face turning slightly red.

"It obviously can't be Weasel because he can't afford a rock like that," Draco continued. "Now we all know what happened to you. Got knocked up and had to get married. So who's the unlucky bastard?"

"What the bloody hell is he talking about Hermione?" Ron asked with anger as he roughly too his arm off Lavender's shoulders. The ferret face had to be joking or very mistaken. She couldn't be married!

Hermione ignored Ron's question and decided to play things calmly. She raised her left hand up to her own face and then up to Draco for a moment, and then onto the table for everyone to see. "Sorry Malfoy, wrong assumptions, but yes I am married, and happily if I must say so myself," Hermione beamed as she looked at the rings on her finger. All the while, she thought about Severus.

"Why didn't you tell any of us?" Harry finally spoke. His voice sounded somewhat saddened and shock. There was not a single bit of anger in it.

"I didn't see the reason why I had to Harry," she shrugged.

"You're joking right Hermione?" Ron questioned.

Hermione shook her head in reply.

"Who the bloody hell did you marry?!" he questioned loudly enough for every in the Great Hall to hear. He stood up lsightl bending towards her, his chest heaving and his face already very bright red in color. Suddenly, everyone in the hall fell silent. All the students in the hall heard it, and dropped all the conversations and turned their attention to Ron. They could also see Hermione. Was he talking about her? If so, then no doubt, the castle would once again gossip about Hermione as they did not long ago. Who did she marry?

Hermione groaned and rolled her eyes. Ron was acting like a child again for the nth time. She wasn't surprised a single bit, but quite annoyed to say the least. "I am married Ron," she snapped at him. "Live with it!"

"Are there any problems?" a smooth silky voice asked.

Hermione turned to see Severus standing next to Draco. His arms crossed over his chest, and his brows raised in question. Next to him, Remus stood silently, looking at Ron, with a concerned look on his face. He was right, he could clearly see Ron's obsession in the boy's eyes, and so could Severus. Both professors were watching the entire incident from the head table, and then decided it was best to approach the situation when Ron shouted out his question for everyone to hear.

"Nothing sir," Malfoy answered. "We were just discussing the news regarding this Mudblood's marriage." He glanced at Hermione with a disgusted look, but that glance was short lived. Malfoy gulped with he felt his Head House's wand against his throat, and the anger burning in his eyes. Mostly everyone around the hall was very much surprised to see their Potions Master pull his wand out towards Draco Malfoy.

"Don't you dare try to call my wife that name again," he hissed into the Draco's ear, just for him alone to hear. "And if you do anything else to hurt or harm her in anyway, I will hex you into next oblivion. You wouldn't know if your crap came out of your arse or mouth. Is that understood boy?"

"Yes sir," Draco gulped. His wife? He married the Mudblood? Since when? If his father found out? If the Dark Lord found out? So many questions were rattling through Draco's head at the moment. And at the same time, he was fearful about the threat he just received. He knew Snape wasn't joking a single bit. He knew he wasn't the type the joke. Of all questions though… Why?!

"That's enough Severus," Remus said as he gently placed his hand on the dark man's shoulder. "Minerva should be coming in any moment with the new students, and the ceremony will begin."

Severus quickly stood up straight, and tucked his wand back into his pocket. All the while, he still gave Draco a deadly glare, as he watched the boy cower back to his seat at the Slythrin table. He then held his hand out to Hermione.

Hermione gladly took his hand, as he pulled her to stand up. Again people around the hall questioned to themselves why their Potions Master was acting a little odd, and weird. Before Hermione knew it, she felt Severus mouth claiming hers. She couldn't do anything but just melt into the kiss.

All the students gasped in the hall. Right in front of them, the dungeon bat, the greasy git, the evil and snarky Professor Snape was snogging Hermione Granger. She was married to him?! Then a single thud was heard. No doubt, Neville Longbottom had fainted and fell to the ground.

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