When Hermione opened her eyes several hours later, she felt much better.
She thought back on the last twenty-four hours she had experienced, and
began to wonder about the past seventeen years of her mate. Hell, all I
wanted to do was to see how he was doing, see what he had become, she
thought. I wanted to then come home, sit down to dinner and tell him all
about my past, how we had changed the future together. Who knew I'd wind up
back where I started for good? she mused, looking at her much-older
husband. I'd forgotten how well he had aged, whispered a stray and naughty
thought, as she swept her eyes over his tall, lean body. Damn, what was I
thinking when I left?
"Severus?" she called to the man daydreaming out the window. Snape turned to her, a smile instantly taking possession of his face. The reached for each other as he stepped from the window to her side and he collapsed in relief on the edge of her bed; taking her into his arms. Gently, he pressed her to his chest and buried his lips in her hair.
"Hermione."
They sat quietly in each others arms for nearly a quarter of an hour. So wrapped up in each other, they didn't notice Madam Pomfrey leaving the Hospital Wing or hear her murmuring a charm to lock and ward it for them. Snape was mildly shaking, Hermione noticed. She pulled him back with her to lie on the bed. His weight on top of her was comforting and slightly arousing, as always, and he seemed to relax as their legs entwined easily out of habit. He began to lightly stroke her hair and once again buried his face in it, breathing deeply.
Softly, Hermione kissed his throat and secretly enjoyed his sharp intake of air in response. It's been seventeen years for him, she thought with shock, this will almost be like our first kiss to him. She smiled to herself and decided at that moment to allow him to guide their reunion. She nuzzled into his neck and chest, enjoying his scent and warmth. Even though she had only been away from her husband for less than a day, it was still a relief to hold him. And, unbidden, a small voice in the back of her mind whispered that *this* Snape, her dear old Professor Snape, was more her soul mate than the one she had left behind in the past. She blinked to clear her head of that odd thought and replaced it with the mantra - It doesn't matter, he will always be my husband.
Snape was lost in a whirlwind of emotions and memories. When Hermione began kissing his neck he was secretly grateful that Poppy had warned him against allowing her to overdo it. It was all he could do to keep himself from ripping off her hospital nightgown and his clothing and making love to her right there in the Hospital Wing - and to Hell with who might walk in on them. They were married after all. Except, Snape had been alone so long and had gone so many years without his wife or the comfort of another woman, that he felt a bit like a nervous teenager trying to steal his first kiss.
***
"And then I will say, I now pronounce you husband and wife," said Dumbledore, with a twinkling grin. "Unless you would prefer 'witch and wizard?'"
Hermione and Severus laughed. Thank the Gods that Dumbledore was making jokes, Severus thought. If I had to endure one more lecture about the seriousness of marriage and commitment from him, my parents or anyone else today, I think I would call the whole thing off and head to Las Vegas or Gretna Green. No, wait, Gretna Green is entirely too close to Hogwarts. Vegas it is, then. He snorted and answered the older wizard with a grin.
"We've been witches and wizards all our lives, Headmaster. Tomorrow will be our first day of being husband and wife. I think I'd prefer you called us that," he said, turning to his fiancée. "Hermione?"
"I agree. I can't wait until I can call myself your wife, Severus," Hermione said, brushing away a little tear and laughing. "Look at me! It's just a rehearsal and I'm already crying!"
Severus bent to her and brushed a slight kiss across her lips, causing Dumbledore and their guests to grin.
"Severus," the Headmaster said sternly. "If you attempt to kiss her tomorrow before I tell you that you may 'kiss the bride,' I just may not let you kiss her at all!"
The groom blushed and mumbled in agreement.
"Now, in all seriousness, you two. Tomorrow, you will say your vows just like you did tonight. You will be pronounced husband and wife and I will tell you, Severus, to kiss your bride. Do not, let me repeat -- do not simply attack each other like a pair of fumbling third-years. Also, bear in mind that there are many candles involved in this wedding ceremony and if you get too hot and steamy, you will find yourselves covered in wax and standing in the dark," said Dumbledore.
The guests and bridal couple laughed. Dumbledore, however, wasn't finished.
"Instead, when I say 'man and wife,' I want you to take a moment to really look at the person you have chosen to become your life partner," Dumbledore said as his eyes became serious. "I want you to look at each other and then kiss with all the amazement, gratitude, love and passion that are a true marriage. Make it a kiss that you will remember for all eternity, not for its fervor, but for its depth and emotion. Severus, take her breath away. Hermione, make him glad that you said yes. Remember, it is the first kiss of your new life together. Make it one you will never forget."
Hermione and Severus just looked at each other, eyes glowing softly.
"I think we can do that, sir," said Severus.
***
Snape sat up slightly in Hermione's arms and looked at her silently. He studied the face he had dreamed of for so long and carefully traced her features. When he reached her lips, she gently kissed his fingertips and looked up at him expectantly. Recalling Dumbledore's words of long ago, he lowered his mouth to hers. He kissed her - telling her in one gentle yet passionate kiss exactly how much he had missed her, how much he still wanted her, how he would never stop loving her and exactly how hard the years had been without her.
The kiss left them both breathless.
Hermione opened her eyes to look at Snape and realized the stoic and surly potions master had tears streaming down his face. She had never seen her husband tear up, much less cry - and seeing the older version crying, the one she knew as "bastard Snape," was even more disconcerting.
"Severus? Severus, please don't cry, I'm home now," she pleaded, completely at a loss for how to comfort him. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to do this to you. Please, don't be angry with me. Please stop crying."
Hermione drew him to lie with his head pillowed on her chest and let him cry himself out. The downpour of tears only lasted a few minutes, then he calmed and nuzzled into her. She began to smooth his hair with one hand and he grasped the other and held on as if she could again vanish.
"Why, Hermione?" he whispered. "Why did you have to leave? Even for a few minutes - Time travel is just so tricky that a brief visit just isn't worth attempting. I know you are an expert with a time-turner after your third year, love, but a multi-year jump for just a few minutes worth of spying - "
"I know, Severus," she sighed. "I wasn't thinking clearly. I just wanted to see you. See if we were still married. And -"
"And you needed to know if I had become a Death Eater."
"Yes."
"Hermione," he began, not knowing exactly how to say it. "If you hadn't left, I would never have joined Voldemort. I just didn't think I had anything else to live for."
She was silent and tears of regret ran down her cheeks. She was the cause of his flight to the Dark. If she had stayed home last night, everything might have turned out differently.
"I know that now."
"Why, Hermione?" he asked again, raising his head to look at her. "You were my student for six years, you were one of the few students who knew my past and about my being a spy. You knew I was a Death Eater before you went back to our past. What made confirmation so important that you would risk the timeline by coming here - especially when you were under medical orders from Poppy not to?"
Hermione squirmed under his intense gaze and hesitated.
"Hermione? I waited for you for seventeen years. I think I have a right to know why I was forced to. Why was confirming that I still became a Death Eater worth the risk? Make me understand."
After a long pause, Hermione took a deep breath and plunged ahead with her explanation.
"Because, Severus, I'd hoped that our marriage and our happiness had changed everything. Because I desperately did not want you to lose yourself - even for a few months or years - to the Dark and to Voldemort. Because I know how horrible and mean you became and I didn't want my laughing and gentle husband to become the bastard that I knew -"
She began to sob. Snape put away the pain she had caused with her words and pulled her to him. Rocking her gently and stoking her hair, he murmured words of apology, reassurance and love. She sniffed and pulled out of his embrace to look him in the eye once again. Slowly, she took his hand and lowered it to her stomach.
"And because I'm pregnant, Severus, and I was terrified that my baby's father might become a Death Eater."
"Severus?" she called to the man daydreaming out the window. Snape turned to her, a smile instantly taking possession of his face. The reached for each other as he stepped from the window to her side and he collapsed in relief on the edge of her bed; taking her into his arms. Gently, he pressed her to his chest and buried his lips in her hair.
"Hermione."
They sat quietly in each others arms for nearly a quarter of an hour. So wrapped up in each other, they didn't notice Madam Pomfrey leaving the Hospital Wing or hear her murmuring a charm to lock and ward it for them. Snape was mildly shaking, Hermione noticed. She pulled him back with her to lie on the bed. His weight on top of her was comforting and slightly arousing, as always, and he seemed to relax as their legs entwined easily out of habit. He began to lightly stroke her hair and once again buried his face in it, breathing deeply.
Softly, Hermione kissed his throat and secretly enjoyed his sharp intake of air in response. It's been seventeen years for him, she thought with shock, this will almost be like our first kiss to him. She smiled to herself and decided at that moment to allow him to guide their reunion. She nuzzled into his neck and chest, enjoying his scent and warmth. Even though she had only been away from her husband for less than a day, it was still a relief to hold him. And, unbidden, a small voice in the back of her mind whispered that *this* Snape, her dear old Professor Snape, was more her soul mate than the one she had left behind in the past. She blinked to clear her head of that odd thought and replaced it with the mantra - It doesn't matter, he will always be my husband.
Snape was lost in a whirlwind of emotions and memories. When Hermione began kissing his neck he was secretly grateful that Poppy had warned him against allowing her to overdo it. It was all he could do to keep himself from ripping off her hospital nightgown and his clothing and making love to her right there in the Hospital Wing - and to Hell with who might walk in on them. They were married after all. Except, Snape had been alone so long and had gone so many years without his wife or the comfort of another woman, that he felt a bit like a nervous teenager trying to steal his first kiss.
***
"And then I will say, I now pronounce you husband and wife," said Dumbledore, with a twinkling grin. "Unless you would prefer 'witch and wizard?'"
Hermione and Severus laughed. Thank the Gods that Dumbledore was making jokes, Severus thought. If I had to endure one more lecture about the seriousness of marriage and commitment from him, my parents or anyone else today, I think I would call the whole thing off and head to Las Vegas or Gretna Green. No, wait, Gretna Green is entirely too close to Hogwarts. Vegas it is, then. He snorted and answered the older wizard with a grin.
"We've been witches and wizards all our lives, Headmaster. Tomorrow will be our first day of being husband and wife. I think I'd prefer you called us that," he said, turning to his fiancée. "Hermione?"
"I agree. I can't wait until I can call myself your wife, Severus," Hermione said, brushing away a little tear and laughing. "Look at me! It's just a rehearsal and I'm already crying!"
Severus bent to her and brushed a slight kiss across her lips, causing Dumbledore and their guests to grin.
"Severus," the Headmaster said sternly. "If you attempt to kiss her tomorrow before I tell you that you may 'kiss the bride,' I just may not let you kiss her at all!"
The groom blushed and mumbled in agreement.
"Now, in all seriousness, you two. Tomorrow, you will say your vows just like you did tonight. You will be pronounced husband and wife and I will tell you, Severus, to kiss your bride. Do not, let me repeat -- do not simply attack each other like a pair of fumbling third-years. Also, bear in mind that there are many candles involved in this wedding ceremony and if you get too hot and steamy, you will find yourselves covered in wax and standing in the dark," said Dumbledore.
The guests and bridal couple laughed. Dumbledore, however, wasn't finished.
"Instead, when I say 'man and wife,' I want you to take a moment to really look at the person you have chosen to become your life partner," Dumbledore said as his eyes became serious. "I want you to look at each other and then kiss with all the amazement, gratitude, love and passion that are a true marriage. Make it a kiss that you will remember for all eternity, not for its fervor, but for its depth and emotion. Severus, take her breath away. Hermione, make him glad that you said yes. Remember, it is the first kiss of your new life together. Make it one you will never forget."
Hermione and Severus just looked at each other, eyes glowing softly.
"I think we can do that, sir," said Severus.
***
Snape sat up slightly in Hermione's arms and looked at her silently. He studied the face he had dreamed of for so long and carefully traced her features. When he reached her lips, she gently kissed his fingertips and looked up at him expectantly. Recalling Dumbledore's words of long ago, he lowered his mouth to hers. He kissed her - telling her in one gentle yet passionate kiss exactly how much he had missed her, how much he still wanted her, how he would never stop loving her and exactly how hard the years had been without her.
The kiss left them both breathless.
Hermione opened her eyes to look at Snape and realized the stoic and surly potions master had tears streaming down his face. She had never seen her husband tear up, much less cry - and seeing the older version crying, the one she knew as "bastard Snape," was even more disconcerting.
"Severus? Severus, please don't cry, I'm home now," she pleaded, completely at a loss for how to comfort him. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to do this to you. Please, don't be angry with me. Please stop crying."
Hermione drew him to lie with his head pillowed on her chest and let him cry himself out. The downpour of tears only lasted a few minutes, then he calmed and nuzzled into her. She began to smooth his hair with one hand and he grasped the other and held on as if she could again vanish.
"Why, Hermione?" he whispered. "Why did you have to leave? Even for a few minutes - Time travel is just so tricky that a brief visit just isn't worth attempting. I know you are an expert with a time-turner after your third year, love, but a multi-year jump for just a few minutes worth of spying - "
"I know, Severus," she sighed. "I wasn't thinking clearly. I just wanted to see you. See if we were still married. And -"
"And you needed to know if I had become a Death Eater."
"Yes."
"Hermione," he began, not knowing exactly how to say it. "If you hadn't left, I would never have joined Voldemort. I just didn't think I had anything else to live for."
She was silent and tears of regret ran down her cheeks. She was the cause of his flight to the Dark. If she had stayed home last night, everything might have turned out differently.
"I know that now."
"Why, Hermione?" he asked again, raising his head to look at her. "You were my student for six years, you were one of the few students who knew my past and about my being a spy. You knew I was a Death Eater before you went back to our past. What made confirmation so important that you would risk the timeline by coming here - especially when you were under medical orders from Poppy not to?"
Hermione squirmed under his intense gaze and hesitated.
"Hermione? I waited for you for seventeen years. I think I have a right to know why I was forced to. Why was confirming that I still became a Death Eater worth the risk? Make me understand."
After a long pause, Hermione took a deep breath and plunged ahead with her explanation.
"Because, Severus, I'd hoped that our marriage and our happiness had changed everything. Because I desperately did not want you to lose yourself - even for a few months or years - to the Dark and to Voldemort. Because I know how horrible and mean you became and I didn't want my laughing and gentle husband to become the bastard that I knew -"
She began to sob. Snape put away the pain she had caused with her words and pulled her to him. Rocking her gently and stoking her hair, he murmured words of apology, reassurance and love. She sniffed and pulled out of his embrace to look him in the eye once again. Slowly, she took his hand and lowered it to her stomach.
"And because I'm pregnant, Severus, and I was terrified that my baby's father might become a Death Eater."