Chapter 29
Front Page of the Daily Prophet
"The living room is just through here" Hermione said showing her neighbours inside Number 83 "Please sit down, there is some Swiss roll to go round and I've got the kettle on."
"Let me help you with that Hermione" Lisa said and followed Hermione into the kitchen.
"Hmm I never would have pegged the Snapes to be such butterfly enthusiasts" Mr Spong said examining Hermione's hastily bewitched bookshelves.
Inside the kitchen Lisa McKeith was helping Hermione prepare the tea "Thanks for hosting this evening's meeting Hermione."
"Oh it was the least I could do" Hermione brushed off "You and Rodney have hosted the group at least three times, it's definitely my turn" she laughed "Do you take sugar?"
"Ugh no" Lisa said in disgust.
Hermione looked at Lisa confused at the strength of her refusal.
Lisa giggled "Sorry, I used to date this guy Paul who worked in the café on Baker Street. He's moved away now but he was a little short sighted and always used to put salt in my tea by accident."
Hermione chuckled.
"Thing was cause he worked in the café, that's where we hung out a lot and it was kind of difficult to say no, plus he was a little sensitive" Lisa explained.
"So Rodney wasn't you're first boyfriend?"
"God no" Lisa exclaimed "I knew him from around but I never would have dated him when we were younger, he too much of a scoundrel back then. There was Rupert with the Doctor Who obsession; Barney liked team showers even though he didn't play football and Kevin with the excess saliva."
Hermione shuddered "Oh no."
Lisa shrugged "Well I suppose you have to kiss a few frogs before you get your prince. What about you, dated any stinkers?"
"Umm well there was this one boy Cormac" Hermione said "But we never really dated, we just went to a party together."
"One of the advantages of marrying young I guess. Cormac though, you do like fellas with funny names don't you?" Lisa mused "What is Severus – is it Gaelic or somethin?"
"Latin actually" Hermione corrected and lifted up the tray of teas "His background is a little old fashioned, very old fashioned really."
"Oh don't I know it, I remember 'im as a little kid" Lisa chuckled "Goodness the clothes he used to wear."
Hermione put down the tray in surprise "You knew Severus as a child?"
"Oh yeah we all went to King Edward's" Lisa replied casually "Bit of a funny boy, Rodney used to tease 'im a bit actually."
"Oh no" Hermione said in horror
"Yeah like I said Rodney was quite the rascal in his youth" Lisa said "I'm surprised he was ok with you inviting us over actually."
"So was I."
Hermione felt her stomach sink as she slowly turned round to see her husband standing in the kitchen doorway.
"I thought you were having drinks with Professor Slughorn" she said meekly.
"Clearly" Severus said looking a Lisa then towards the living room where the neighbours chatted amongst themselves.
"I think I better take these through to the others" Lisa said obviously uncomfortable at the atmosphere and picked up the tray making sure to close the kitchen door on her way out.
"Is Professor Slughorn all right?" Hermione said in a transparent attempt to take control of the conversation.
"He has gout" Severus said bluntly taking off his cloak and hanging it on a chair "Why are there a group of twittering simpletons in the front room?"
"Well we're sorting the petitions to save Mill Brook Common before we present them to the council."
"And that needs to be done in my house?" he said raising a dark eyebrow.
"Yes it does. The McKeiths, Mrs Platt and everyone else has hosted meetings so now it's my turn" Hermione said firmly.
"And it's wise to have a mob of muggles in a magical household?" Severus said sceptically.
"I've taken all the necessary precautions" Hermione argued "Look I didn't know you didn't like Rodney McKeith but that was a long time ago and he's really nice…"
"Excuse me" Severus' tone quickly turned from gentle chiding to something more severe.
"His wife Lisa just told me that he used to tease you at school, but like I said it…"
"I fail to see how that is any of your business."
"It is when you're my husband and his wife is my friend" Hermione argued "I just don't want you to carry this childhood antipathy like you did with the marauders. It's not healthy and it can't make you happy."
"And who are you to lecture me about childhood antipathy?"
"Excuse me" Hermione said indignantly "The only thing you know about my childhood was my Potion's performance. You've never asked about anything else."
"I don't need to. It's as plain as day" Severus snidely "An awkward insecure know it all. You still loathe Lavender Weasley with the same passion as those muggle girls who must have teased you at primary school."
Hermione slapped him.
Severus grabbed the back of her neck and pulled her forwards in a bruising kiss. For a second Hermione pushed against his chest before sinking into the kiss. She moaned as he kissed along her jaw.
"Send the idiots home" he muttered.
Hermione eventually pushed him away "I can't" she said regretfully and rested her forehead against his "Go and tinker with potions in the basement. We can finish this later."
Severus smirked at her order and gave her a quick intense kiss before exiting for the basement.
-oOoOo-
"Violet Ledbetter" Hermione said later snuggling into the blankets and turning to face the side of Severus' head.
"Hmm?" Severus questioned from his post-coital haze.
"The girl who used to bully me in primary school" Hermione explained "She used to dip my hair in glue during arts and crafts and call me Gross Granger"
Severus snorted "Witty."
"Well she was eight" Hermione reasoned "We shouldn't expect Wordsworth."
Severus rolled on his side to face her.
Hermione sighed "I'm sorry. I didn't know you knew Rodney and I don't think I'd be very happy if you invited Violet Ledbetter round for tea."
"Apology accepted."
Hermione smiled "I really do think he's grown up a lot though. He's a very nice man compared to when you were children and he used to…" she trailed off.
"Stop fishing" Severus scolded.
"Sorry" Hermione said feeling a little disheartened and rolled over to go to sleep.
The sound of drunken revellers could be heard in the distance and Hermione assumed that Ye Olde Mitre must have called time for the night.
Severus' arm came across and rested heavily on her side as he pulled her closer "Like you said it was a long time ago."
Hermione gave a small sigh and several stretched out seconds went by before she whispered "Sometimes I wish I knew you."
-oOoOo-
Hermione awoke in an empty bed the next morning. She had only a brief moment to wonder where Severus was before she noticed the time on the bedside clock causing her to utter a word that would make Mrs Weasley blush.
Panicking that she was going to be late Hermione ran across the hall to her room to change for the Ministry whilst running a rickety comb through her tangled hair.
As she thundered down stairs she saw Severus walking towards the bottom holding a copy of the Daily Prophet.
"Is the kettle on?" she asked "I don't have time for breakfast but I could really use a coffee."
Severus pulled her back by her elbow as she ran past him to the kitchen. "I think you need to see this" he said solemnly and handed her the newspaper.
Hermione looked at the front page to see a picture of herself, Ron, Harry and Ginny at the Potters wedding. The four friends were standing outside the church dressed up and smiling and waving at the photographer. She then read the headline with horror.
Harry Potter Wife & Sidekick in Illegal Contraception Conspiracy
War hero Hermione Snape nee Granger, 19 and Ginerva Potter, 17, wife of the Boy who Lived have been discovered at the centre of an illegal plot by the Daily Prophet's undercover reporter Detective X. As we can exclusively report Mrs Potter and Mrs Snape have been involved in an illegal contraception ring along with two other women, Narcissa Malfoy, 44, and Luna Longbottom, 18.
It is thought Mrs Snape supplies the group with toxic potions obtained by her connections made as Head of Werewolf Support Services at the Ministry of Magic whilst Mrs Potter uses her husband's society influence to peddle the poisons. The use of contraception was outlawed in the controversial Magical Marriage & Procreation Act 1998 and it is unknown how many other women may be involved in this criminal conspiracy.
We at the Daily Prophet think that just because you know Harry Potter doesn't mean you can disregard the law and we urge the Ministry to bring them to justice. With pregnancy rates' failing to meet quarterly targets Minister Bones surely has a duty to…
Severus snatched the paper away from her "Where are they?"
"Wh..what?" Hermione stuttered
"Quick we don't have much time" he said "Where did you hide it?"
"At the bottom of my wardrobe" she said immediately
There was a pounding at the door. "Auror department. Open up."
Severus grabbed her shoulders and turned her face back to his "Destroy the evidence then apparate to Hogwarts. I'll delay them" he whispered.
Hermione nodded
"Go"
She ran up the stairs hearing more pounding at the front door. She burst through her bedroom door and wrenched open the wardrobe door ploughing through all the junk that had amassed at the bottom to find the pill boxes.
Hermione could hear muffled voices downstairs. Her fingers started to fumble in her panic and she almost dropped the boxes when she finally found them.
Now all she had to do was vanish them and… Hermione's heart dropped, her wand was lying on the kitchen table downstairs. She turned helplessly to her bedroom door where John Dawlish stood.
"Hermione Snape you are under arrest for breach of the Magical Marriage and Procreation Act."
-oOoOo-
The cells in the lowest levels of the Ministry of Magic were poorly maintained, there was little light and the occasional scurrying could be heard which made Hermione think there might be mice down here. Hermione wondered whether it was a deliberate strategy to lower prisoner's moral so they could be tried more easily or they didn't want to spend gold making the detention area nicer for people who were on their way to Azkaban.
"It was Narcissa Malfoy" Ginny said darkly sitting on the wooden bench attached to the side of the cell.
Hermione continued pacing and sighed "We don't know that."
"Well I don't see her here" Ginny gestured wildly "They arrested you, me and Luna yet Mrs Malfoy remains suspiciously absent. What a coincidence."
"The Daily Prophet made it sound as though we were overheard" Luna pointed out. After a three hour wait since their arrest she was now lying on the floor staring up at the dripping ceiling "I think I may have forgotten to use a muffliato charm recently."
Ginny and Hermione shared a guilty look as they too recalled their own carelessness.
Ginny leaned back against the wall and put her hands against her forehead and groaned "I wish Harry was here."
"He will be soon" Luna reassured her "Mrs Longbottom told me she'd owl the training camp in Turku when the aurors were putting me in the body binding curse."
"They're probably waiting for a portkey" Hermione added. Her husband's whereabouts meanwhile remained a mystery.
The lift at the end of the corridor clanged to a halt and footsteps could be heard running down the stone flags.
"Luna" a very dishevelled and out of breath Rolf Scamander exclaimed as he appeared at the bars "Are you ok? I came as soon as I heard"
Luna got up instantly and rushed to the bars, Hermione thought she could see the pair holding hands but it was hard to tell with Luna's back in the way "I'm fine" she said "Thank you for coming."
"I would have got here sooner" Rolf said apologetically "But I only got back from Namibia half an hour ago and they don't get the Daily Prophet" then looking around he frowned "Where's Neville? I'd have thought he might turn up."
"On a training mission in Finland. They also don't get the Daily Prophet" Ginny said icily.
Rolf ignored her "What happened? I thought you said it wasn't technically illegal."
Ginny and Hermione shared a look.
"We thought it wasn't" Luna replied "But they've still arrested us for dealing and possession of illegal substances and locked us in here. Then they went away and now we still don't know what's going on."
The lift at the end of the corridor clanged open again and moments later a very out of breath Harry and Neville ran up to the bars of the cell. Rolf and Luna stepped apart quickly.
"We got…here…soon…as we could" Harry panted resting his hands on his knees as Ginny leapt up from the bench to greet him. Hermione noticed Neville giving Rolf a very cold look.
"Thank Merlin I was so worried" Ginny said giving a watery smile.
"You were worried?" Harry chuckled before turning much more serious "This is ridiculous, they can't keep you here like this. It's not like you did anything illegal."
Hermione rolled her eyes, 'so much for a secret pact' she thought.
"What are you doing here?" Neville asked abruptly of Rolf.
"Supporting Luna" Rolf said equally coldly.
There was an uncomfortable silence as Rolf and Neville glared at each other and Luna looked as though she wished the floor would swallow her whole.
There was another clang of the lift and Hermione went to the bars to look out and see who it was. She sighed in relief as she saw Severus and Kingsley Shacklebolt striding quickly down the corridor. When they arrived at the cell they were greeted by many questions.
"What's going on?" Hermione asked.
"This is outrageous, they haven't broken the law" Rolf stated.
"You can't just lock people up" Harry said.
"Are we going to Azkaban?" Luna asked serenely.
"Narcissa Malfoy made a deal with you didn't she?" Ginny accused.
Kingsley waved his wand at the cell door and it clicked open. Ginny ran out and hugged Harry hard. Luna and Hermione stepped out a little more tentatively.
"You are not going to Azkaban" Kingsley said.
"But…" Hermione said sensing this was not the end of it.
"The Minister is determined to publicly prosecute you."
"He blames you for the low rise in birth rates" Severus added grimly.
"But that's ridiculous, how can four women affect the national birth rates" Harry protested.
"The Daily Prophet suggested there may be more women involved" Severus replied "So Bones is using Hermione and the others a public scapegoat for why his policies are failing."
"He can't do that!" Rolf exclaimed.
"Well there has been some debate about that" Kingsley said "Severus and Mrs Malfoy have been arguing in the Minister's office for the past few hours with several Ministry and Wizengamot members about whether you have actually broken the law. It has been decided to hold a public enquiry on the matter and place you under house arrest until a verdict is reached."
"A trial that does not follow the rules of a trial" Hermione muttered darkly.
"Precisely" Severus agreed.
"I agree it's not the best of circumstances" Kingsley agreed "But Bones was determined to throw all in Azkaban and you will still get proper trial if the enquiry rules against you. I think this might be the best we could hope for."
"As for Mrs Malfoy" Kingsley continued "Aurors searched Malfoy Manor thoroughly and were not able to find any evidence of contraceptives and thus we have no evidence to arrest her, unless you would like to make a statement Mrs Potter?"
"No I'm good" Ginny said quickly looking a little surprised.
'Of course it made sense' Hermione thought 'There must be hundreds of excellent hiding places in Malfoy Manor' and she once again cursed her own stupidity for not hiding the pill boxes magically.
"The enquiry will take place in two weeks on Tuesday" Kingsley informed them "You will need to collect your formal letters of invitation now before you are magically confined to your homes."
There was a little grumbling and sighs of resignation before the party left the cells and walked towards the lift. Hermione started to walk along but Severus tugged her back by her robe sleeve. He held her to him and kissed her forehead.
"It will all be ok" he whispered and Hermione wondered when she had become the pessimistic one in their relationship.
Thanks you for all your lovely reviews so far, please let me know what you think of this chapter.
One more chapter and an epilogue to go!
