Insufferable Attraction

SeverusxHermione

Rated NC-17

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or its characters from the franchise. That honor belongs to JK Rowling

Insufferable Attraction

Chapter 11

Luna sat on the boat as it floated along the dark waves, looking up at the great, imposing prison known as Azkaban. She could see a few Dementors that floating around the dark building, but otherwise didn't bother her or her companion taking her to the prison. Soon they reached the rocky shore of Azkaban Prison and the man in the boat told her that he would be waiting for her right there when she was finished with her visit. Thanking him, Luna climbed out of the boat and made her way up the rocky path to the building, the entrance being guarded by two guards that looked very intimidating. Of course being Luna, the light blonde witch smiled and greeted, "Good morning, sirs."

The two guards looked at the young witch before one of them replied gruffly, "Morning."

"What brings you here to Azkaban this dreary morning?" the other guard asked.

"I am here to visit and meet my fiancé," Luna answered easily.

The guards stared at her in surprise, in utter disbelief that this pretty little witch was engaged to someone in this horrible place and had yet to meet him it would seem. Recovering from their shock, one of them grabbed a nearby clipboard and quill while the other told her to write down her name, as well as the prisoner she would be visiting. Luna did so and upon handing the clipboard back while keeping the parchment she wrote on, she was also told to hand her wand over along with the parchment to the desk just inside, stating she would have it returned upon leave of her visit. Thanking the two wizards, Luna waited for them to open the large prison doors before entering, stopping by the desk as told to hand over her parchment and wand. Once that was done, another wizard instructed her to follow him down a dark corridor to a lift.

Once they reached the lift, he and Luna stepped into it and he closed the lift doors, tapping his wand on the side of it to take them up to the correct level she wished to visit. It wasn't long before they reached the correct level and Luna stepped off the lift. The wizard stepped off as well and said, "I will wait right here until the end of the visit. His cell is down this corridor, fourth cell to the left. You have fifteen minutes, should you wish to use it all."

Nodding, Luna walked down the corridor, passing the cells and the prisoners within until she stopped at the fourth one on the left. There, seated on a tattered old mattress and looking very much worse for wear, was her fiancé and future husband-to-be, Rabastan Lestrange. Giving him a small, yet kind smile, Luna greeted, "Hello."

Rabastan stared at Luna with a raised eyebrow for a moment before saying slowly in a gruff voice from disuse, "Hello."

"My name is Luna Lovegood. I don't know if you remember me much from the Battle of the Department Mysteries."

"Yes, you are the little blonde friend of Potter's. What brings you to this cruel place to visit me?"

"Well, I would first like to thank you for joining us in our battle against Lord Voldemort."

"You're…welcome." Rabastan hadn't been thanked for turning tail on the Death Eaters and joining the Light to fight against them. He had been pardoned for most of his crimes in joining Potter's forces after realizing that what the Dark Lord was fighting for was actually just power and immortality, all the while making it seem it was for Pureblood domination, something he rationally knew would just wipe Pureblood families out in the long-run. It wasn't moral and caused so many deaths; Rabastan didn't see a reason to add on any more.

Clearing his throat a bit, Rabastan asked, "Anything else?"

Luna looked to the side and noticed a small wooden stool. Taking it, she sat it in front of the cell and sat down, getting comfortable before speaking once again. "I'm not sure how much you know of what has been going on in the Ministry, but they have made a few changes, one of which is a new Act that the MLE has passed. It is called the Bloodline Restoration Act and was created to restore dying Pureblood family lines."

Rabastan's eyes, a dark brown color, widened in surprise before he blinked. Standing up from the uncomfortable bed he was occupying, he walked over to the cell door and stopped in front of Luna. Looking down at her he asked, "Are they suggesting my family be a part of this new Act?"

"Yes, the Lestrange family will be a participant in the B.R.A., with you to be the one being the active participant for the Lestrange family. This will be after you are released from here, of course."

"They do know I still have to serve another year here, right?"

"Yes, and they are willing to wait until you are."

"Are there other families participating in this…Bloodline Restoration Act?" There had to be, it couldn't be just his own family.

Nodding, Luna told him that two other families were participating, the Potters and the Princes. She had to explain that while there were no other Prince family members with the last name, there was one descendent left, that person being Severus Snape. Rabastan was surprised from the news before saying, "Severus would never participate."

The blonde witch smiled and replied, "But he already has. He was the first to be wed, and Harry and his chosen fiancé are going to be wed tomorrow."

"But Potter is not a Pureblood, and neither is Severus."

"Yes, when it came down to it, the Bloodline Restoration Act is simply to continue the dying bloodlines, rather than making sure they stay pure. And in Professor Snape's case, just making sure the Prince family blood still runs through his and Hermione's future children's' veins."

The Lestrange blinked in surprise at hearing that Severus had married Potter's Muggleborn friend. Whether that had been willingly or unwillingly, it was surprise. At least the girl was smart, even the Dark Lord could attest to that. He could only imagine Severus marrying someone that was at least an intellectual. But that wasn't what really concerned him at the moment. After hearing the young blonde tell him the Ministry was choosing women for them to marry, it made him wonder who was chosen for him.

Deciding to ask Luna this question, he asked, "If the Ministry is choosing our affianced, who is it that they have chosen for me to marry when I get out of prison?"

Luna smiled softly at him before answering, "Me."

Rabastan and Luna stared at each other in silence, letting the information sink in for the imprisoned wizard. As they stared at one another, Luna took the time to look at Rabastan's features hidden beneath dirt from his cell. With his dark hair and dark brown eyes, she actually found he had rather chiseled features, though it was obvious he had lost weight in his face and the prison garb he was wearing was hanging on his body. Even so, she found him to be very handsome and he had been nothing but kind to her thus far. She believed it would continue when he finally stepped foot from this horrible place. Rabastan too seemed to find Luna rather attractive with her soft smile, pale silvery eyes that sparkled like the stars at night, and soft feminine features. Her pale blonde hair hung in long, golden waves and was actually more blonde than the Malfoys without seeming completely yellow, something he found he liked rather much. And ever since she arrived, she had been nothing but kind to him. In fact, she was the first person to visit him since reentering Azkaban, the knowledge of which made him feel good to know that someone thought him worthy enough for a visit despite everything he had done in the past.

Giving what was probably his first smile in a long time, Rabastan asked somewhat bemused, "And it doesn't bother you that you will be marrying me? Someone with more sins than they can count and doesn't really deserve a chance to be a decent person?"

Luna reached through the bars of the cell door and took hold of his cold hand, giving it a gentle squeeze. "Everyone deserves a second chance to make things right or better themselves, no matter how much others believe that they don't. And I believe you deserve a chance as much as anyone else. Besides, if you are to be my husband one day, I would find it unfair to not get to know you and give you a chance despite this awkward circumstance."

Dark brown eyes looked into silvery ones before Rabastan said with a slight smirk, "You are a strange girl, Luna Lovegood. Even so, I find you intriguing."

Luna giggled at the man's statement, thinking to herself that many people thought that of her. Hearing footsteps approaching, Luna turned her head to see the wizard that brought her up walk towards her. He glared at Rabastan before saying, "Ms. Lovegood, your fifteen minutes are up. It is time for you to leave."

Nodding, Luna stood from her seat and gave Rabastan's hand another squeeze before saying, "Until next time, Rabastan."

Rabastan nodded and watched as the blonde witch walked away back towards the lift. As he watched her leave, a small smile appeared on his face. That Luna Lovegood intrigued him very much, especially extending kindness towards someone like him. He almost hated to admit it, but he looked forward to her next visit. Perhaps the best thing the Ministry could have ever done for him was pair him up with that young witch. She seemed to bring light to his dreary life at Azkaban Prison, and he needed some positive light in his life.

Harry met Hermione for lunch later that day, wanting to talk to her about how married life for her was so far, as well as to talk with her about his wedding the next day. They had decided to meet at the Leaky Cauldron, sitting at a table in the back away from view of the other patrons. That was fine with Hermione, as many people stared at her after reading about her arranged marriage to Severus in the Daily Prophet. With the two of them settled and having their orders taken, Harry started off their conversation.

"So how is it with Snape?" Harry asked conversationally. "I mean, going from his student to his wife and all."

"It's…okay. I mean, we don't really speak much, you know. Unless it is something important, of course," Hermione replied.

Nodding and taking a sip of Gillywater, Harry responded, "That's good, I suppose. I don't picture Snape to be one for talking much. Also, I know about the consummation you and him were made to do. How was that? He wasn't…rough with you, was he?"

Both Hermione and Harry blushed about the question. Harry, because he felt awkward even thinking about his former professor and his best friend doing such an act, let alone asking about it. But he wanted to make sure Hermione had been alright during the experience and no harm had come to her. If so, he wouldn't hesitate to familiarize the Potions Master with the tip of his wand. Hermione on the other hand blushed because Harry's question caused her to reminisce about her consummation with Severus. She recalled how gentle he had been, how patient he was. No, Severus had been very kind towards her during their consummation, making sure she wasn't uncomfortable in any way as much as possible.

Clearing her throat a bit Hermione replied, "N-No, he wasn't. He actually made sure it was as comfortable for me as possible, especially considering I was…you know."

Harry nodded in understanding, glad to hear that Snape had been gentle with the brunette. Moving the conversation away from Hermione's consummation, he then asked, "Anything interesting happen lately?"

"Well, yes actually. It turns out that…well, I'm a Lady now. I'm the new Lady Prince," Hermione said before taking a sip of her Butterbeer.

"Really? When did this happen?" Harry was truly astonished.

"Two days ago. Severus went to Gringotts upon my insisting to inquire about whether or not he was entitled to the Prince family fortune and such despite his mother's disownment. Turns out his grandfather, the deceased Lord Prince knew of him and wrote him into his will, stating he would be entitled all Prince family fortune, estates, etc. upon him becoming of age or marrying. All he had to do was accept his inheritance, and thus he became the new Lord Prince."

"And you a Lady because you are his wife."

"Yes, and the first Muggleborn Lady to the Prince family at that."

Harry was amazed that all of that had happened to his friend in just a matter of days. It was almost hard for him to imagine Hermione being a Lady, but he also knew she could handle it, so long as she didn't get overwhelmed. Thinking about what she said about Snape now being Lord Prince, it made him frown in confusion. Not at the fact Snape was now a Lord, but rather he hadn't become the new Lord Prince upon him coming of age and accepting his inheritance once he was.

Deciding to question this, Harry asked Hermione about that. Before Hermione could answer, their food arrived and they both dug into their food a bit. Once she had a good bite or two, Hermione went on to answer Harry's question. She explained to him that the reason Severus had accepted his inheritance so late was that he believed he wasn't entitled to it for years because his mother had been disowned. The other reason was that he had to take the Oath of Magical Inheritance. When asked what that was, Hermione told him that due to Severus' predecessor was no longer alive, he couldn't hand over his inheritance and thus had to take the oath to get it.

"So I'll have to take the Oath of Magical Inheritance when I marry Daphne to get my Potter inheritance?" Harry asked.

"Yes, that is correct," Hermione answered. "You will also have to sign the inheritance papers in your blood to get everything entitled to you."

Harry's green eyes were wide in wonder before he let out a long breath. There were still so many things he didn't understand about magic, but loved learning nonetheless. Smiling at the brunette he said, "Good thing I have you to give me a heads up about things, Hermione."

Giggling and rolling her eyes playfully, Hermione replied, "Some things never change, Harry."

The two of them laughed and continued to eat their food, laughing and talking as they did. As they did, Hermione couldn't help but think that them both being in the Bloodline Restoration Act brought them closer together, being able to rely on each other like they always have done. Harry was the brother she always wanted, and Hermione the sister Harry never had. It was easy for them to talk things out, no matter the circumstance. They would always have each other's backs and support each other, no matter what.

Daphne stood in front of the mirror in her wedding gown, having her final fitting before her wedding tomorrow. The dress was lovely and form fitting, very much in her style. Though the ceremony was going to take place in the Minister's office, she wanted to still look beautiful. That, and she hoped Harry liked the dress she picked out and thought her beautiful tomorrow.

Just thinking of that made the blonde blush slightly. She actually very much liked Harry and believed he would be a great spouse. They had gotten to know each other in the two weeks leading up to this wedding, and it made her wonder why she hadn't tried to get to know the wizard before back in school. He was so sweet and kind-hearted, and believed that even if they hadn't been brought together because of the MLE's Bloodline Restoration Act, any girl would be lucky to have him. And hopefully as time went on with them married, things would work out well for them.

Right when the seamstress finished her final adjustments, the door to the shop opened and Ginny Weasley stomped inside, a furious expression on her face. Stepping up to Daphne she hissed, "I can't believe you've taken Harry away from me."

Daphne rolled her eyes and replied, "Honestly Weasley, you and everyone know by this point that I didn't take Harry. The B.R.A. paired us up to be wed, nothing more."

"Yes, but he's mine! Harry will always be mine!"

"Actually Weaslette, he's mine. I'm his wife-to-be, and tomorrow I will officially be Mrs. Harry Potter. You will just have to sit back and stew, and there is nothing that you can do to change that."

Ginny's face turned bright red in anger before she let out an enraged scream and turned to leave the shop. Before she did Daphne called out, "One more thing, Weasley. Tell that oaf of a brother of yours to leave Hermione alone. She, as the Muggles say, dodged a major bullet with him and doesn't need his foolishness to ruin her life."

Daphne stared challengingly at the redhead, daring her to say otherwise before Ginny finally left in anger. Daphne sighed before turning to look back at herself in the mirror. Yes, she was ready for her wedding tomorrow. And hopefully what she said to the Weaslette got through her head. Though knowing the Weasley family, she would be too stubborn to accept it, and would most likely be a huge pain in the arse in the future.