A/N: Hello my lovelies. Now I don't have a huge amount to say at this end of the chapter, even though I'm writing it post writing the chapter – spoilers and all, I will keep shtum… except to say that my plot got out of hand as it is usually want to do (originally gonna be a one shot – then 5 chapters, then ten, now I'm capping at twenty) and I am able to completely blame the wonderful Miss Vine (TinkerVine le Fey).
Ok, so we have three scenes here from what I can recall and here is the contents:
Something a little lemony
Seeing an old friend
Fae shenanigans
Enjoy. Review. Follow. Favourite. Etc
Hermione lay over Severus with a contented smile on her face and soft lethargy in her limbs. With one arm draped across hiss middle, a leg curled around both of his and her head resting on his chest, listening to the still slowing down beat of his heart, she felt there would never be a happier moment in her life, as there never had been before. All her dreams and wishes had been answered; there was just one more thing she felt the need to do and that was to reassure her 'husband' of just how happy she was.
"I think you just sealed your fate as going down in history." Hermione stated contentedly.
"For…?" He asked leadingly.
"Being the best…" she turned her face into his chest and kissed right above his heart, "…professor…" she kissed again in the same spot, "…ever." She replied with a sigh of pure happiness and snuggled into the alabaster skin and contrasting black body hair of her love.
Severus smirked, out of her line of sight, enjoying the ministrations of her fingers as she gently pulled at his chest hair, completely fascinated.
"You know, I feel so completely privileged to be this close to you. It's as if I passed some secret test and got the password to the real you; all of you. Having you close to me, having you be mine, it feels like opening up a regular old wardrobe and discovering Narnia. You're a blessing to me Severus and I promise I will never take you for granted or expect more from you than you can give."
His arms tightened around her back and he pulled her up to face him; eyes misted with emotion and love shining from every facet of his expression. Severus has no idea what he had done to deserve such a witch in his arms after the mistakes of his past but in spite of the magic he determined to never let her go.
For Hermione's part she was in awe of everything she saw as she looked into the midnight ocean depths of his perpetual gaze. When he finally responded, she was thankful for being horizontal because it was a realistic fear that had she not been, she would've swooned.
"You are an incredible witch, Hermione and regardless of the magic which has bound us, it will be my honour to love you and be loved by you until my last breath. The Ministry, Minerva, your... friends; no one has the right or the ability to divide us if we stand together and let the world see how happy and in love we are as a couple."
It was Hermione's turn to be misty eyed now and she leaned in to kiss his beautiful lips; for his faith in her and his willingness to trust her with his heart. He stilled her descent, bringing a hand up to softly wipe away the single tear that escaped her at his heart-warming words. He even tried to be nice about Harry and Ron… well, nice for him… towards them.
"And you're… okay with that?" Hermione asked in barely a whisper, letting her insecurity show. "You don't mind everyone knowing our business and…"
"Ssssh…" he soothed before closing the space between them. His lips touched hers, gently at first and he was still somewhat surprised at how easily she opened up to him immediately; her tongue reaching for his as if it had a need all its own. He shuddered as her fingertips grazed down his bare sides; he was ticklish and as much as he was loathed to admit it, she'd found a way to manipulate his responses with her ministrations and his hips thrust upwards unbidden.
"Mmmm…" she hummed against his lips and repeated the delicate skim over his sensitive skin. His hips responded in the same way, jerking upward but he growled into the kiss with this second attack on his senses.
"Witch… desist." He demanded, his lips crushing harder against hers as he grabbed her hips to settle her more firmly against him; her legs splayed on either side of his own, their mouths never parting or stilling in their tango of tongues and need.
Hermione half listened, bringing her right hand up to the impressively turgid tower of flesh that was his cock, grasping it tightly at the base while her other hand continued to make him writhe as she caressed his side. She pulled away briefly from the kiss to reply.
"It feels like you enjoy it," she said cheekily, a smirk gracing her delicate feature.
His head fell back in bliss, his eyes followed suit rolling to the back of his skull as she finally did as he requested and moved her second hand from his side. Now both of her non-too-innocent hands concentrated on the throbbing flesh of his desperate, leaking, aching rod of manhood. Up and down, up and down she moved over and around him; adjusting pressure, noting his reactions and responses, learning his every movement, want and need.
She delighted and shivered at every grunt or groan she dragged out of him; she felt as if she was finally getting the approval she had wanted from him for eight years and even though it stung a little that it wasn't for academic achievement, when she felt his balls tighten and the croaked declaration that he was about to spill his arousal, the sting dissipated like am off-target spell into nothingness and she found she didn't much care. She was making him happy and that's what counted.
Hermione watched as Severus Snape, her Potions Master, the 'Bat of the Dungeons' as most of her peers called him, the 'Greasy Git' if you asked Harry or Ron, her husband, spilled his seed into her hand… back arched upward, gasping for air, hands digging into the flesh of her hips where there would no doubt be bruises by tomorrow, her name whispered on his lips and couldn't have been more content if she tried. If the rest of her life was filled with moments like this she would die happy.
She stroked his chest with her clean hand and whispered she'd be right back before popping to the en-suite to wash her hands off. She rarely trusted scourgify to do a good job of cleaning and after her year in a tent she was sick to death of it. Nothing beat soap and hot water in Hermione's mind… words her grandmother had told her a thousand times.
She returned to him moments later and cuddled into his side.
"Are you ready to face the Ministry, Kia?" He asked, stroking his hand down her side now in a repetition of her actions toward him. She wriggled a little and pushed her bum against him as he spooned her from behind.
"Just let me lie against you for ten more minutes. I don't want to go anywhere really." She murmured, closing her eyes and enjoying his body heat.
He buried his face in her soft, chestnut curls and inhaled her sweet fragrance, knowing he would defend keeping this moment and repeating it many times with his life.
…
It was almost three hours later that Severus Snape and his wife, Hermione Snape nee Granger, walked through the Leaky Cauldron bar, hand in hand, to the public floo and called out for the Ministry of Magic, disappearing in a flourish of emerald flames.
Just as it was in the pub, the Ministry employees and visitors whom were milling around the atrium for one reason or another all stared at Gryffindor's Golden Princess and the reclusive yet surly war-hero Potions Master spy as they strode at a leisurely pace toward the lifts.
Both seemed very content to the onlookers, secret smiles being cast sideways at each other and just as they entered an empty elevator carriage, those who craned their necks far enough would have been more stunned than if a 'stupefy' had been cast to see the black-robed wizard grab his student companion into a bracing grip and a swooping kiss.
The doors opened at sub-level three, the disembodied female voice announcing the departments housed on the floor – Magical Births, Deaths and Marriages was not one of them. The heavily engrossed couple parted a little abruptly at being caught by…
"Ah, Severus, I see you've picked up a stray…" came a familiar aristocratic drawl as their would-be voyeur stepped into the cubicle and pressed a button.
Both Severus's and Hermione's eyes snapped upward as the doors closed and settled on the ice blue gaze of Lucius Malfoy; his trademark sneer was as evident as every time Hermione had seen him before but there was something else in his face that she hadn't seen there before – amusement.
"Lucius, behave." Severus admonished simply. "You wouldn't want Miss Granger to rescind her testimony now, would you?"
"Merlin forbid, old friend. Although I hear that the young lady no longer goes by the name Granger. Have I been misinformed?"
Hermione's eyes widened in both shock that he knew and fear that if he knew, so did everyone else. A slew of headlines ran through her head:
She took a deep breath and shook the disturbing newspaper stories from her head before taking in the full image of Lucius Malfoy. He appeared much as he used to, back straight, long, straight, platinum blond hair loose and impossibly unkinked or out of place in any way. Hermione wanted to growl at that whilst simultaneously beg him for what his secret was.
Severus snickered as he skimmed her mind at that moment, praying her Gryffindorishness wouldn't cause a scene.
It wasn't hard to know what he snickered about and Hermione decided she would deal with her husband second; after getting rid of their haughty interruption.
"The young lady can speak for herself, Mr Malfoy." She began, determined to keep her cool. "Please don't presume that my husband must speak for me. I'm sure you're familiar with my ability to have my own voice. In fact wasn't it my voice that kept you from Azkaban?"
"You are correct as always, Mrs Snape," he inflected on her new name and brought her left hand to his lips. "Forgive my jesting, I beg of you. Old habits die hard, you know."
Hermione rolled her eyes at his old fashioned etiquette but nodded her head in an attempt to be magnanimous; regardless of his actions during the war, now he was a free man, albeit an 'every action being traced, recorded and monitored for ten year' kind of freedom, he was still rich, powerful and influential; not to mention a friend of Severus's. It wouldn't do to be in his bad books too often.
"Thank you for clearing that up for me, Mr Malfoy, I would hate for…"
"Lucius, please… If you are to be Lady Snape – or Prince, if Severus gets his finger out in reclaiming the estate of his maternal inheritance – then we should be on first name terms, surely."
Severus had rolled his eyes at the continued badgering about him claiming his inheritance but now he cleared his throat in the hopes of steering Hermione from having to politely decline if she wasn't ready. Lucius may be a friend but Severus knew him to be a complete bastard if he felt rejected at all.
"Lucius, I think that may be asking a little much so soon after the events of recent years. Perhaps after…"
"Severus, it's fine. Lucius and I can be… friendly. I'm sure it won't kill me and besides, he's your friend. If I expect you to make an effort with my friends, I should lead by example."
Lucius smirked at this, knowing exactly how Severus viewed Hermione's friends. Meanwhile Severus himself scoffed, also knowing that she had him over a barrel and she was doing so to prove a point to both of them.
"It seems I am outnumbered… but on your own head be it, both of you. Don't expect me to pick up the pieces when you come to blows over some inane piece of tradition."
"Do you really think me so immature that I can't hold my tongue Severus? I may be a Gryffindor but I'm probably the most sensible one since…" Hermione stopped as she was about to say Minerva and then smiled as she continued proudly, "…well, ever."
"She has a point, old friend. I believe the formidable former Miss Granger may be the perfect match for you if she can outsmart you in such amusing ways." Lucius agreed with her, smirking at his old comrade and fellow Slytherin.
Severus let out an exasperated sigh.
"I will not have you two ganging up on me. It's unnatural."
The lift shuddered to a halt, the announcement witch calling sub-level six – Births, Deaths and Marriages – and the doors glided open with a ding.
"Come, Hermione. We have an appointment with Miss Vine." His words were spoken with amusement but there was a definite edge to his tone making it obvious to both Hermione and Lucius that he was losing his patience with their banter.
Unable to help herself from winding up her husband; although Merlin forbid, she knew she'd probably pay for it later, she plastered on her brightest, most beaming smile and waved goodbye to Lucius as she was dragged down the corridor by her husband.
"Byeeeeeeeeeeee Lucius." She squealed like an excitable little girl before deciding she needed to act much more sophisticated, even if it was in mockery. "Do ask Narcissa to owl me to do lunch. It would be just daaaarling to see her again."
Lucius stood there as he watched his oldest and only free-from-Azkaban friend attempt to drag his smirking new muggleborn wife down the corridor. He chuckled at the spectacle they made, knowing they were a good match both intellectually and in humour. She had enough spirit to pull him from his sour moods or maybe even lessen them completely and he would ground her wild Gryffindor enthusiasm. It occurred to him that he held only affection for the wild-haired, open-hearted girl who had only last year been his opponent in a war he wished had never happened, led by a man who should never have been born.
The elevator doors closed on him and he decided that despite Hermione's suggestion that she and his wife 'doing lunch' had been in jest; he would suggest it to Narcissa all the same. It would be nice for Cissy to have a female friend who wasn't only interested in gossip and the latest haute couture fashions. Not to mention that if this marriage stuck, Severus and Hermione would be one hell of a power-couple when it came to changes in the Wizarding World – it would be good to have their ear at this early stage.
Most doors to Ministry offices were of the plain, black variety. They had no handle or outward distinction of any kind except for a name plate. Each Ministry office door had wards in place to only allow specific members of personnel to enter and both Severus and Hermione had seen several of these doors in their time for one reason or another. However, when they reached the door with the name plate for Apalapachia Vine, they were both at a loss for words.
The wood of both the double-width door and frame were carved into the shape of intertwined leaves with engraved, linking gold bands under each of the small circular windows – one in each door. Severus couldn't sense any wards either which seemed very odd, especially for a record-keeping department but he decided to think on it later as the issue at hand came to mind. With his right hand now wrapped around Hermione's waist, he rapped on the door thrice with his left.
They heard a rustling from the other side of the doors before with a gush of magic the two doors swung inward to reveal the strangest and most unprofessional room either of them had ever scene. It certainly couldn't be called an office. At least not by any standard definition.
All four corners of the room housed a thick tree trunk which grew upward into a richly charmed ceiling of impenetrable green foliage and an excessive maze of branches which ranged from thick and log-like to wispy little twigs and weaved through the overhead canopy. In some places, vines swooped in deep loops from one set of branches to another; in other areas there were dense collections of leaves cloistered together as if their very existence were dependant on their neighbour's closeness.
Severus hesitated to step inside the unusual room which appeared to have natural light flooding from above the false ceiling but Hermione walked forward without any sense of fear or trepidation.
'So Gryffindor,' he thought with a grumble but chose to follow her inside anyway; he had no intention of ever letting her out of his sight again if he could help it. He planned to ask her to move into his quarters at Hogwarts at the end of the day. That was of course if he could get her and Minerva to reach some sort of truce.
"Oh Severus, isn't it beautiful? It's like being in the rainforest or something." Hermione said in awe of her surroundings, a sappy smile on her face as she whirled around taking in the ambience.
"Thank you, Mrs Snape."
For the second time in thirty minutes, Hermione's head snapped up at the same time as her husbands and both sets of eyes landed on a young woman… she was not taller than twelve inches and wore a dress of woven leaves in a short a-line skirt and wrap around bodice that sat sleeveless below delicate features. Her sparkling emerald eyes drew shocked expressions to her face and her chocolate brown pixie cut hair had a thickened Mohican coif in the centre. The most startling element of her appearance however had to be her… wings.
Gossamer thin with a slight whiteness that made them appear translucent, they fluttered as she descended from a branch down to a pretty display of open golden flowers blooming from one of the vines at Hermione's eye-level.
"Miss Vine, I presume?
"Yes, Mr Snape. Lovely to meet you."
"I wondered why I didn't recognise your name from Hogwarts. By the looks of your… office… you are of the Gaian line, correct?"
"Right again, Mr Snape. I understand you're both here regarding the letter that was forwarded to you this morning?"
"Yes, we came as soon as we…"
"There is absolutely nothing you or anyone else can do to separate us, Miss Vine and if you try, I will have this entire department shut down and audited. I'll make sure there's so many questions regarding your…"
"Let the woman speak, Hermione." Snape said sternly, cutting off his wife before she got into full rant mode.
Hermione, furiously placed her hands on her hips, wincing at the bruising ache from her husband's roughness earlier and let out an unresigned sigh.
"Fine." She spat.
"Now, Miss Vine. What is all this about? The letter we received said something about unwillingness and illegality as well an attempt to dissolve the bond. Is that even possible? This bond was forged and insisted upon by magic itself. To go against it would…"
"Not to worry Mr Snape, Mrs Snape. That's why your case was directed to my office. I'm not sure what you know of the fae in general or the Gaian Order specifically but we are the keepers of earth magic and when cases such as this come up, where magic has acted outside of intention, it's my job to figure out why. I must apologise for the formality of the letter… typical Ministry bureaucracy, I'm afraid. It's intended to make sure you attend but as you can see, I'm much more informal."
Hermione's shoulders released a little and she took Severus's hand.
"Thank you for that explanation." She said to the little being in green. "I'm afraid my temper gets the better of me sometimes. It's a trait I get from my mother. I'm sorry for misjudging your intent."
"Never mind that. I'm sure your nerves must off the scale with everything that's been happening. Let's see now…" Miss Vine said as she pointed her hands at the ground and rose up two smooth, tree stumps out of the forest like floor. "Have a seat, have a seat. I'll be right back."
The fairy flitted away into the trees as Hermione looked at Severus with a strange calm in her eyes. He'd never seen such serenity there, even when she'd confessed her love or when they'd made love. The most peculiar part of the phenomenon was that he had a dreadful fear curling in the pit of his stomach and causing a lump in his throat which he was struggling to swallow.
It seemed Hermione had noticed as she brought a hand to his right cheek and a kiss to his left before whispering the most reassuring words he'd ever heard.
"I love you and no matter what happens, I will be by your side until the end of my days. Nothing she says can change that; nothing anybody can do or say will ever change that I am yours and you are mine as we're in this together. I don't care if the whole world turns against us; if Voldemort comes back; if there is a huge war between muggles and magicals; any hardship, any happiness; no matter what the trials and tribulations of the days, weeks, months and years to come, you have me and I am never letting go."
"Hermione…" Severus didn't know what to say. He was getting used to these declarations from her but this one seemed to blow him away.
"Ah… I'm sorry; I should've warned you… emotions feel heightened in here. It's the Gaian magic of the trees; they release a sort of gas which induces euphoria in most but strange fear-mongering hallucinations in others. It's completely natural of course but can take you be surprise if you aren't prepared for it. Now…" the fairy fluttered back into view, speaking a mile a minute and reminding Severus greatly of Hermione when she gets into one of her, what he liked to call, Ravenclaw modes.
She flittered down toward them and landed on Hermione's knees gracefully, holding two identical white calla lilies outstretched to her guests.
"Would you each take one of these in your left hand and enlarge it. It needs to be done by your magic for my magic to work the ritual. I have a good feeling about this one." She had an excitement in her voice that Hermione found infectious and her tummy churned with anticipation as she enlarged her lily and Snape did the same beside her.
"Ok, now this office isn't the extent of my domain, just the portal to it. The Gaian Forest is about three acres of enchanted lands and the path that leads through these two trees…" Miss Vine said, gesturing to the two far corners of the office, "…will take you there. You'll need the lilies to gather anything that calls out to you and when you return, we will read the collection on your combined efforts to see if I can recommend that the earth magic that bound you acted on your desires and not on behalf of another force."
"Divination…" Hermione asked through grinding teeth. "You're basing this on divination?"
She let out a sigh and resigned herself to participating in this silly ritual.
"Not that it really matters. I'm going to be with him no matter what your little divination journey says and if the Ministry does break the bond, I'll just marry him again. On purpose this time."
At these words, Severus leaned in and kissed his wife.
"I'm afraid it's not that simple Mrs Snape. A magical bond that is severed cannot be reformed. Once the magics are separated, the two will repel each other and be unable to mix… like oil and water."
"There has to be another way…" Hermione pleaded. "I can't risk anything that will take him away from me… ever."
"Hermione, if the worst happens with this divination then I promise I will find a way to break the repellent. I swear it to you. I love you, you're mine and nothing is separating us, remember, nothing."
"I love you too. I really do."
Severus could feel the desperation rolling off of his wife in waves as he pulled her into his arms and kissed her hair. This was unlike anything he had ever faced before and he was fearful himself but he knew he had to be strong for Hermione. After everything she'd sacrificed for him, after willingly giving herself to his sour and surly self, for turning his life into something worth living, he would be strong for her and he would find a way to provide the future they both wanted.
"Okay, okay… time to get started. Mrs Snape you go first. Just follow your heart and be true to yourself and the love you feel for Mr Snape here."
Hermione nodded and took a deep breath before giving Severus a kiss on the cheek and walking boldly, with her head held high, like a true Gryffindor into the unknown.
Severus watched Hermione walk away from him, barely able to release her from his embrace. The kiss she placed on his cheek felt like goodbye but felt the desperate need to ignore his instincts and she stepped through a shimmer of atmosphere between the two large trees.
"Okay, now you, Mr Snape. Good luck…"
Severus stepped forward, following Hermione's footsteps as he walked toward the shimmering wall. He found though that he couldn't pass through it. He tried three times before he began to panic and whirled around to snap at the fairy.
"What is the meaning of this…? Why can't I get through the portal?" He spat angrily.
"Please calm down Mr Snape. My apologies. I was caught up in the romance of her words and yours. This is your portal, over here." She flittered to a second path between the two right hand corner trees and gestured for him to pass through the shimmer. "It is imperative that the two of you do not work together but find each other and so you cannot enter at the same point of the forest."
"If I find you have led me and my astray, pixie, I will hunt you down."
"Understood, Mr Snape. Now hurry. You have until the next sunset." She responded, calmly; completely unruffled by his temper and threats.
"But I have classes in the… oh never mind."
With that he stepped forward and entered the shimmering portal to the Gaian Forest; with one thought on his mind – Hermione. He didn't trust that fairy and he didn't like this divination one little bit.
A/N: Well what did I tell you? The plot got out of control. The lemon was not planned; Lucius was not planned; the Office Forest and the upcoming adventure/journey into it was not planned. This is the last of the chapters that were posted on the Priestesses of H.I.S.S account and so it will now be continued and complete here rather than there.
Now for the big question. Do I continue with Good Vine or Bad Vine? Answers in the review section please.
Love and Blessings
Moon Out x