Summary: Hermione, the adamant.

A/N Many thanks to AmortentiaInMyVeins for the great beta work and suggestions.

Okay, maybe we're moving a little fast here with them planning a marriage, but they intend to have a long engagement, so…

Now we need to figure out what to do about the Death Eaters!

Thanks for reading and your support.

Chapter 11

Severus, Hermione, and Albus all sat together in the headmaster's office. The couple had just settled themselves in front of Dumbledore, looking at him to start the conversation.

"Your little excursion with your doppelgänger through the school made a big mess for me, Severus," Albus chided.

He continued as he glared at them reprovingly. "We had to make up a story about Polyjuice and a cousin I know you don't have visiting and you both playing a prank on the students."

Severus shrugged. "Honestly, Headmaster, I don't care what you did to explain it. After the previous two weeks, we all needed to let off some steam."

Dumbledore spluttered before scowling at his minion. He was obviously unused to push-back from the younger wizard. He cleared his throat.

"Anyway, now that you are back to yourself and Hermione is awake, we can plan our trap for the Death Eaters," Albus said.

"Albus," Hermione interrupted, "I'm not sure I like you using Severus to flush out the Death Eaters."

"None of us like it, Hermione," Albus answered, "but we have no choice."

Hermione narrowed her eyes at Dumbledore. "There's always a choice, Albus. What exactly do you have in mind?"

"You must contact Bellatrix Lestrange, Severus. She has taken over the Death Eaters. Lucius has turned against her and has told me everything that she is doing. Her main goal is to see you dead at her feet."

"So, I just Owl her, and then what?" Severus asked with a sneer.

"Arrange a meeting. Tell her you want to join her."

"She is not stupid, Albus. She will know it's a trap."

"Indeed, she will, so she will come prepared. She wants all her Death Eaters to see how powerful she is. She will not miss out on this opportunity to have all of them there to see your demise."

"So, you're just going to throw Severus to the wolves?" Hermione demanded.

Severus took Hermione's hand and held it, trying to calm her down.

"Of course not, Hermione," Albus consoled her.

At that moment, the door opened, and Harry Potter stepped in. The first thing he noted was Hermione and Severus holding hands. Hermione looked over at Harry and gave him a huge grin.

"Harry!" she exclaimed and got up to give him a hug.

Harry received it stiffly. Hermione pulled back.

"Whatever is the matter?" she asked him curiously.

"I'll talk to you about it later," Harry said and brushed past her, taking her original seat, effectively separating Hermione and Severus. Hermione pulled up another chair alongside Harry and sat down again.

"What did I miss?" Harry asked Dumbledore.

"Not much. I have explained that Severus is to contact Bellatrix and set up a meeting," Albus explained.

"That's where I come in," Harry interrupted. "I'll have Aurors hiding in the woods where you meet. It will be an effective ambush. Lestrange won't know what hit her."

"And everyone will give up easily and no one will get hurt," Severus said caustically.

"I expect injuries," Harry interjected, "but we should prevail."

"That will remain to be seen," Severus said caustically.

"I really don't like this plan," Hermione interrupted. "You've left Severus to be a sitting duck."

"He will be fine," Albus said. "He is used to fighting Death Eaters, and now that he's well again, he will be a formidable opponent."

"I will go with him," Hermione stated, with no room for argument.

The three men looked at her as if she had lost her head.

"No," Severus said.

"You can't," Harry said.

"I don't think that would be wise," Albus said.

Hermione narrowed her eyes at the three of them. "Wise or not, it is what will happen."

Albus gave her a fatherly look. "Hermione, you do not need to prove yourself. You have always been more than essential in our fight."

Hermione got to the edge of her seat. "This has nothing to do with proving myself. You don't care whether Severus lives or dies in this. I have a vested interest in his survival. I will stand by his side, or you can figure out some other way to worm out Bellatrix and her Death Eaters."

"Hermione," Severus said sharply, "you cannot do this."

"Why not?"

Severus looked past Harry and into the eyes of the woman he loved. "I will not have you hurt," he said simply.

"What if you get hurt? What am I to do then?"

"Hermione, please, drop this now."

Hermione sat back in her chair. "We will discuss this later," she said in a tone that left no question as to the fact that they would be discussing this and discussing it at length.

"All right," Dumbledore said, "let's get started on this plan. Set the meeting for three days from now, Severus." Turning to Harry, he continued. "Will that give you enough time to coordinate your end of this?"

Harry nodded.

"We will meet tomorrow to discuss the finalization of everything," Dumbledore said and gave the three younger people a nod.

They filed out of his office and Hermione felt a hand on her elbow, guiding her quickly down the stairwell.

"I need to have a word with you," Harry whispered tersely into her ear.

She looked over at him with concern but nodded her head.

"I'll meet you in your room, Severus," she told him as she was pulled away by Harry.

Harry led her to the first empty classroom they came to and closed the door behind him.

"Would you like to explain what's going on with you and Snape?" Harry demanded as he scowled at her.

"Harry…"

"Don't try to deny that something's going on. I saw you holding hands with him, and you wouldn't normally demand to be by his side."

"Harry," Hermione continued, slightly ruffled at his demanding tone. "I wasn't going to deny anything. Severus and I have fallen in love. We are engaged to be married."

Harry looked as if he was about to blow a gasket.

"You're going to marry that greasy git?"

Hermione narrowed her gaze at Harry. "Look, I have never said anything about the people you have chosen to date, or to marry."

"That's because Ginny and I are perfect for one another."

"That may be, but Cho Chang was not! I kept my mouth shut and let you make your own decisions. You have no right to come in here and judge my relationship with Severus when you know nothing about it."

"I know it didn't exist three weeks ago when we had lunch together! Aren't you taking this a bit fast?"

Hermione sighed and looked to the ground. "Normally, I would agree with you. However, Severus and I have been attracted to each other for a while but hadn't acknowledged it to one another until quite recently."

"Hermione, attraction does not a marriage make!"

"Harry, I understand that. Things have happened with Severus. I can't go into them, but they have made us both realize that we love each other very much. Look, we're not getting married tomorrow. We are establishing a commitment."

"He is nasty, Hermione. How can you stand it? And how can you stand to touch him?"

Hermione angrily looked at Harry.

"That's low, Harry. You should be ashamed of yourself!"

He shrugged. "The git is foul."

Hermione realized that Harry would never approve of her relationship with Severus. There had been too much bad blood between the two of them. She tried anyway.

"Harry, he helped you defeat Voldemort. He's different from the person he shows everyone. Can't you be happy for me?"

Harry stiffened. "No, I can't. Not when I know that you will eventually be miserable. He doesn't know the first thing about being a good man, or a good husband. He will bring you heartache, and I won't watch him do it."

"Harry, what are you saying?"

"I can't involve myself with you if you are going to marry him, Hermione. I won't watch you fall apart."

Hermione felt anger fill her. "You've got a lot of nerve, Harry Potter. I have stood by you no matter what has happened. You are like a brother to me, yet you act like this? You give me ultimatums. That's fine for you, being able to go home to your loving wife every night while I'm left alone here."

"If this is a matter of being lonely, I'm sure Ron—"

"Don't talk to me about Ron!" Hermione demanded heatedly as she pointed a finger in Harry's face. "That ended a long time ago for good reasons. We are perfectly happy as friends, but that's as far as that relationship will ever go. I love Severus Snape, and I will marry him. If you want to end our friendship over it, then so be it."

Harry looked at Hermione sadly. "It's not that I want to end our friendship, Hermione. I just don't want to see you hurt."

"Well, that's a sentiment I can understand," Hermione huffed finally, some of her anger abating. "But Harry, you need to let me make my own decisions. When have you known me to jump into something blindly?"

"Until this moment, I have never known you to do such a thing."

"Then why would I start now? I know things have happened quickly, but this is the right thing for me to do. Harry, I have loved him for a long time now, this is just a natural progression of that love."

"Hermione, I swear, if he doesn't treat you right; I don't care how powerful he is. I'll kill him."

Hermione smiled at him. "I don't think you'll need to do that, Harry. He will respect me. We have already discussed his temper."

"Are you sure about this?" Harry asked.

Hermione nodded her head. "I am, Harry."

Shaking his head, Harry gave Hermione a hug. "I'm sorry I wigged out. I just want you to be happy."

"Then let me live my life, you prat!" Hermione chided him.

Harry turned, and they walked out to the Apparition point together. Harry looked back to her.

"If you need me, you know where to find me," Harry offered.

"Me too!" Hermione said and watched as he popped away.

oooOOOooo

Hermione entered Severus' room after knocking. She found him staring out of his window. She went up to him and waited for him to turn to her. She was not looking forward to the argument that was bound to come about her joining him in the Death Eater sting.

"So, it's over then?" Severus asked blandly.

Hermione's eyebrows knit together. "What's over?"

Severus turned and looked at her caustically. "You and me."

"What?"

"I saw how angry Potter was. What did he say to you? You can't marry him, Hermione, he's a greasy bat. He'll yell and scream at you and treat you like crap. You would be stupid to spend the rest of your life with him."

Hermione looked Severus in the eyes. "Something like that."

Severus turned back to the window. "I appreciate what little time we had together."

Hermione placed a hand on his arm. "You think I'm that fickle that a few negative words from Harry Potter would send me on my way?"

"Isn't that why you're here? You're going to let me down gently."

Hermione snickered. Severus scowled. "It's not funny," he muttered.

Hermione struggled to turn Severus toward her. He was refusing to budge, and she was tugging at him.

"Oh, for Merlin's sake, would you please look at me?"

"Why, so you can tell me that it's over?"

"Severus Snape, why on earth would you think that I would let Harry Potter influence a decision I have already made?"

Severus finally turned and looked at his fiancée. "You mean you aren't going to break off our engagement?"

Hermione placed her hands around Severus' face. "Of course not, Mister Insecurity. If I had been uncertain about my love for you, I would have never agreed to marry you."

"You're not going to leave me?" His question was laced with uncertainty.

"Oh, Severus… no, no, I'm not going to leave you." She pulled him to her and kissed him softly. "I love you, you idiot. I'm not going to give that up just because Harry Potter's knickers are in a twist. What do you take me for?"

"A beautiful woman who can do much better for herself."

"I want you, not somebody else. I have already told you that I love you for you. That includes the negative along with the positive."

"You should listen to your friend. I will only hurt you."

"I will inevitably hurt you, too. That won't negate the love and joy that we can bring to one another. Severus, please, stop this. I love you. Never doubt that," she implored.

Severus pulled Hermione to him and buried his head in her neck. His arms drew her in, and he hugged her furiously. "You should run now before it's too late."

"It already is too late, you giant git. I've already lost my heart to you. Now stop feeling sorry for yourself and accept the fact that you're stuck with me."

He pulled his head away from her neck and looked lovingly into her eyes. "My beautiful Hermione, you are my world."

He kissed her then. Merlin, he was amazing. Hermione never wanted to let him go. She backed away from his mouth and pulled him into an embrace.

"Severus, you never need to worry about my affection for you. I will always love you."

Severus tightened his embrace on her.

"We need to discuss my coming with you when you trap Bellatrix," Hermione said, not wanting to break the moment, but knowing that he would not be as angry now as he could be.

Severus stiffened. "No, love, you cannot be there. It's too dangerous."

Hermione reluctantly pulled herself away from Severus.

"I won't let you do this alone. Albus doesn't care what happens to you, but if you were to be hurt, I would never forgive myself."

"Hermione, I would never forgive myself if you were to get hurt. You will wait here."

"No."

"No?"

"I will not wait here like a helpless maiden from some fairy tale novel, awaiting her beloved to return from slaying a dragon or some other horrid thing. I will be by your side. That is where I belong."

Severus' lips thinned and his eyes narrowed at her. He took a deep breath before speaking.

"It is too dangerous," he said finally.

"Then you shouldn't do it either."

Severus laughed. "I have no choice."

Hermione looked at Severus crossly. "Of course, you have a choice! Just tell the old geezer no. What is he going to do? Fire you?"

"I have promised him my help until this war is over. Even though Voldemort is dead, the war has not ended. I am not one to break a promise, Hermione."

"Even if that promise brings danger and possible death?"

"That is my life. It has been for years. You know that!" Severus began to pace and run his hand through his hair. "You need to understand, I will not turn again from my responsibility. I lost sight of it once and became a Death Eater. I will not lose my soul again just to be safe, no matter how happy I am in my life."

Hermione stopped him and pulled him into a hug. She pulled back and caressed his cheek.

"That's one of the many reasons why I love you, Severus, but I can be just as loyal as you. I signed up to fight in this war until the end also. You can't keep me from doing my part, Severus."

"Can't you do your part in some other way?"

"No!" Hermione said plaintively. "I can't. Severus, please don't be angry. I have to be with you. I need to know that you're safe."

Severus looked Hermione over. "I usually admire your determination, but right now I just want you to agree with me."

He gave her an exasperated look before leaning in and kissing her lightly.

"I don't like this, Hermione, but I know I can't keep you from participating in it. If anything happens to you, I will never forgive you for it."

Hermione smiled. "The same goes for you," she said before she was lost in his kiss again.