Severus and Hermione agreed to wear their teaching robes to the Ministry. They did not want to give the Ministry the satisfaction of having tried to put any effort into this ordeal. Severus was standing in the kitchen, his black robes and numerous buttons giving him his usual "do not approach" vibe.
"You look exceptionally tense," Hermione said as she adjusted her own robes.
"I do not like going out into public. I especially dislike going to the Ministry," He answered with a grimace.
"It should be fairly quick. We've even got an appointment time," She said, and he rolled his eyes. "I am assuming you'd like to keep the Professor Snape persona in public?"
He eyed her questioningly. "Meaning?"
"I'm not one for public displays of affection, but I am assuming you are even less so," She shrugged.
"You'd prefer I snog you in front of Kingsley Shacklebolt?" He asked dryly.
"No!" She squeaked, and then blushed, realizing how much of a scandal it would cause. "Well..."
He opened his mouth to respond, but they were interrupted by a knock came at the door. Severus glanced at the clock. "Minerva," He said.
Hermione answered the door and greeted the Headmistress. They stepped into the fireplace, and reappeared at the Ministry. Severus became astronomically more tense. His body language was stiff, and his eyes were flat. He was Occluding. Following Minerva through the crowded building, they found themselves standing outside one of the courtrooms. A couple, and their witness, stood ahead of them, and Hermione vaguely recognized them as Hogwarts students who had been several years ahead of her. She glanced at Snape, who was staring at the wall across from them without blinking. Minerva greeted the students, who were looking curiously at Severus. Hermione placed herself directly in his peripheral. The courtroom door opened, one couple she didn't recognize at all left with their witness trailing behind them. They did not look pleased to have been forced to marry, but she imagined that was probably a common response to this. After all, Hermione and Severus weren't pleased, though they had found comfort and enjoyment in one another over the last month and a half.
The former Hogwarts students walked into the courtroom in silence. Their witness followed. The doors shut behind them. Minerva looked at Hermione and said, "I cannot for the life of me remember their names." Hermione looked at Severus, who scowled. He clearly was not interested in small talk or in naming the students.
Still, her nature compelled her to try and ease his tension. "I hear you get to pick the band color of your wedding ring," She said to him. "I was rather hoping they'd make you wear a nice Gryffindor gold."
He looked at her out of the corner of his eye, and then snorted through his nose once. "Black it is," He said lowly.
She smirked at him. The tension in his posture had eased just slightly. Considering herself victorious, she turned back toward Minerva, who raised an eyebrow at her. The three were quiet until the doors reopened a couple minutes later. Hermione's eyes moved to the left hands of the couple, who appeared to have been relatively pleased with their match. One black band, one silver. Severus would be able to have black.
"I suppose this is it..." Hermione said. She paled a bit. Minerva entered first, giving them a moment.
He looked at her profile. "I suppose it is."
"Ready?" She met his dark eyes, which had softened. He wasn't occluding when he looked at her.
"No," He answered. "Are you?"
"No," She said. "Shall we then?"
He took a deep breath, his eyes flattened again, and then he extended a hand, letting her enter before him. The officiant ushered them to a table where they were instructed to sign on the appropriate lines. Then they pressed their thumbs into the ink pad and put their thumb prints under their signatures.
The officiant, an old man who looked very much disinterested in this entire ordeal and very much like he thoroughly disliked Severus, instructed them to stand facing each other. Minerva stood off to the side.
"Severus Snape," The officiant said, and Snape looked at him with a look of indifference, while the older man carefully avoided the dark eyed gaze. "Repeat after me: 'I call upon these persons here present...'"
He cocked an eyebrow in irritation and looked at Minerva. Then, his dark eyes settled on Hermione. A strange feeling bubbled in his stomach. "I call upon these persons here present..."
The officiant nodded. "'To witness that I, Severus Tobias Snape, do take you, Hermione Jean Granger...'"
Severus blinked, and she gave him a small encouraging smile. "To witness that I, Severus Tobias Snape, do take you, Hermione Jean Granger..."
The officiant nodded at Severus again. "'To be my lawfully wedded wife.'"
Severus repeated, "To be my lawfully wedded wife."
"Now, Hermione Granger, your turn..." The officiant said.
Severus hardly heard her repeat the phrases. He hated everything about this moment because it was so public. He was such a private man. He focused on her eyes, and she held his gaze, forcing him to steady himself.
"Now," The officiant said. "Your rings. You've picked colors, I am assuming?"
"How kind it was to be able to choose something In all of this," Severus snarled. Hermione snickered.
"Gold for me," She said. "Black for him."
"Extend your left hands," The officiant said. They did as they were instructed, and the older wizard grabbed Hermione's hand and placed it on top of Severus's, and Snape tensed. The officiant touched his hand to the top of Hermione's, closed his gray eyes, and then said, "By the power vested in me by the United Kingdom's Ministry of Magic, I now pronounce you husband and wife." The wedding bands appeared on their fingers, thin bands in gold and black. He looked at Snape in disgust. "You must seal the marriage with a kiss."
Severus' jaw clenched. He looked at her, leaned down, and quickly pressed a very chaste kiss against her mouth. They both pulled away quickly, giving no indication that they'd kissed previously. What they had, they wanted to keep theirs. For now, at least.
"Headmistress," The officiant said. "I require your signature."
Minerva signed the document, and then looked at him. "Do you remove his Admonitors? We were told abiding by this Marriage Law that the rest of his probation would be cancelled."
The man looked at Severus with such a look of disgust that Hermione physically recoiled for him, but Severus remained standing perfectly still. It was as if Snape hadn't even seen the look. "I would assume that would be something that is handled by the Aurors because he's a Death Eater."
"He was a Death Eater, and then he turned spy for us... Nearly thirty years ago," Hermione said snidely.
Severus looked at her. Struggling to contain a smirk, he realized that being married to this fierce hellcat might, at the very least, be incredibly entertaining for him as she seemed intent on verbally eviscerating anyone who insulted him.
"People don't take that Mark lightly, and neither should you, girl, if you know what's good for you," The man scowled.
Hermione had touched that very Mark of which he spoke with such tenderness that Severus had nearly cried and she'd seen the impact she'd had on him in that moment, and she'd seen only some of marks of his sacrifices in the war, both physical and emotional. "Forgive me, sir, but do you have any clue what this man has done? It's quite likely that you wouldn't be standing here today if he hadn't done what he did then."
"Harry Potter saved us."
Severus eyed Hermione. She was clearly miffed for her own sake at the fact she and Ron had been with Harry until the very end, yet it didn't appear as if Harry had had any help according to this man. Hermione was not selfish by any means, but she'd done more than a fair bit. His lip twitched. Minerva pursed her lips in a proud smirk, knowing full well Hermione was about to handle this man.
Hermione took a deep breath. "I've counted least ten times Severus Snape saved Harry Potter before that final showdown with Voldemort, so next time you want to open your mouth and let some ignorant nonsense fall out, think twice."
Snape flinched and then blinked. She'd counted that? His dark gaze rested on the Officiant for a moment. He, at least, had the good sense to look rattled. Severus swept from the room, following Hermione and Minerva.
"I need to get back to Hogwarts," Minerva said. "I'll see you both back there."
Hermione was extremely aggravated when they walked into the Auror Office. The young Auror at the front desk stood when he saw Snape.
Severus merely narrowed his eyes. "I have complied with the marriage law," He said and held up his left hand. "I was told in my original letter from the Ministry that compliance with the law would result in an early release from my probation." Severus pulled his sleeves up slightly to reveal the Admonitors.
The Auror looked from Snape and then to Hermione. "I'll need to contact the Minister."
Severus stared at him. "The date of this marriage has been public record for some time, yet you are somehow unprepared to follow through on your end?"
He scowled at Severus, and then disappeared down the hall. When he returned, he had another wizard with him, but it wasn't Kingsley.
"The Minister is tied up in a meeting at the moment," The new Auror stated. "Could we set up an appointment with him at another time?"
"No," Severus said lowly. He could feel his patience wearing thin.
"Surely in all of that Auror training, you learned how to remove Admonitors?" Hermione crossed her arms over her chest.
"Of course we know how," The new Auror said. "But releasing a probationer early is exceptional, and the Minister put those specific Admonitors on him. He's the only one that can take them off of him. They're unique."
"Is Harry Potter in today?" Hermione asked. Severus looked at her. "And/or Ron Weasley?"
"They are both in the office, yes," The first Auror answered, seeming confused by the question.
"Can you fetch them for me?" She asked.
"Might I ask why?"
Severus saw a muscle by her eye jump. He turned back to the Aurors, who both looked very young to the point where they might have only just finished training, and said, "I'd mind your tongue. You are speaking to the other third of the Golden Trio."
Hermione rolled her eyes when their faces paled. "Hermione Granger!" The second Auror squeaked. The first Auror disappeared and left the other stammering. "My apologies!"
Hermione said nothing, and in a moment, Harry and Ron reappeared. Weasley jumped at the sight of Severus, clearly not having expected him. Potter, to his credit, didn't.
"Professor," Harry said and nodded at Snape. "Hermione, What's going on?"
"We complied with the Marriage Law," Hermione said.
"As such," Severus said and held up his hands to display the Admonitors. "These should come off."
"Blimey," Ron said. "You two didn't take those off for him? You're lucky he still had them on, or he might've killed you."
"That's a matter for the Minister," The second Auror said. "They're a unique pair of Admonitors. They give him much more leeway than the usual pair."
"Where is the Minister then?" Harry asked.
"A meeting," The first answered and crossed his arms across his chest.
Harry's jaw set tight as he turned from Snape to the Auror. "You're doing this purposefully," Harry said lowly.
Ron frowned, and moved behind Harry. "You don't want to do this, mate."
"He shouldn't be given early release!" The first Auror said.
"He was on our side!" Hermione said, and Harry held up a hand. Snape was scowling.
"If he were a good wizard, he wouldn't end up in those," The Auror spat.
Severus moved forward between the Gryffindors. "You do realize that the Admonitors do not stop me from using Dark Magic, yes?" His eyes glittered dangerously. The first Auror gulped audibly. "Fetch the Minister before I lose my patience."
Ron said, "I'll get him," and moved back through the halls.
Severus remained standing perfectly still, towering over the young Aurors. Hermione moved up next to him. "You've French accents. Why are you working for the UK?" She asked.
"These two are on a new exchange program. Building magical camaraderie..." Harry muttered. Clearly, he didn't like the program. "So... err... Congratulations?" Harry said and looked at Hermione.
"Thank you," She said curtly, clearly not interested in talking about it further. Kingsley appeared after a couple minutes.
"Professor Snape, I apologize. I've been behind all day and lost track of time," He said. He pulled his wand from his robe. Touching his wand to both of Snape's wrists, the Admonitors dissolved instantly. "There you are."
Severus looked at his bare wrists for the first time in seven years, and then turned toward Hermione, who waved goodbye to her friends and Kingsley. It was getting rather late in the day, and she followed Severus from the Auror Office.
"I'm famished," She said as they stepped into the long hallway.
"Good," He said. "I have plans for dinner, if you would indulge me."
"You do?" She asked. "Why?"
"We were just married, or did you miss that?" He asked dryly and cocked an eyebrow. "It is certainly not how you envisioned it, and not at all what I envisioned for my life. Nevertheless, here we are. I do not intend to make this completely miserable for you, despite my general demeanor."
She laughed and said, "Happy wife, happy life..." He rolled his eyes, and then gestured down the hallway.