The Triangle by AprilGrey
A/N: This is part of a challenge posted on WIKTT: The story HAS to start where Snape IS married – to someone other than Hermione. The story HAS to end where Snape and Hermione are together.
It all belongs to Rowling, except what you don't recognize.
She was a study in perfection: her violet eyes were framed by raven black hair and she was tall and willowy. Severus Snape was always shocked that such depravity could be contained in such a lovely vessel. As a fellow Death Eater, he had witnessed what she could do and her sang froid regarding her actions. Her father was a Death Eater and had made sure she had received the mark way earlier than any other initiate. Snape poured himself another whiskey. Here's to Fiona; Queen of the Damned and his damnable wife!
Voldemort had spent two years attempting to impregnate her with no success. It seemed that the new body he had was incapable of producing an heir. He decided that a suitable place for his cast-off would be Snape. He had commanded that they wed immediately and he expected a child to be produced within a year or he would know the reason why. The ceremony was held on October 31st during a dark revel. The marriage was consummated in front of all 450 Death Eaters in attendance. Snape was most grateful that he knew the right spells to allow him to carry it off with such a large audience. And, having given such performances since her early teens, his wife also gave the crowd quite a show.
"Severus, it's time. The ovulation charm says 'now' so get off that skinny arse of yours and get in here. I need to have some good news to tell our Dark Lord."
"Yes, Fiona." Snape carefully kept the internal sigh from his voice. Fiona made no bones about it, business was business and getting pregnant was the sole reason for any physical intimacies between them. She didn't make things easy. Then again, even if she had tried to make things easy, he'd still have seen through the act. Snape cast a contraceptus spell over his loins, insuring that no seed of his would ever reach her ripe ovum. He sincerely hoped that after a year or two of this hell, Voldemort would decided that Fiona was infertile and perhaps he'd be spared her further attentions.
When he entered the hotel bedroom, she was already naked, on her stomach with some pillows lifting up her bottom. "Let's do it this way, I don't want to have to look at your face." She said this smoothly, without enmity.
Snape didn't bother getting undressed further than to slip off his shoes and undo his trousers. Another spell and he was ready. He spent the time thinking about potions formulas. And then, just as he was about to climax, she came to mind: Hermione. He hoped that he would be able to keep this humiliating marriage a secret from the staff and students at Hogwarts. He didn't want to see her hurt; he didn't want to see the look on her face if this travesty ever were to come to light.
"You know what your problem is, Snape? No bloody sense of humor. Neither one of us has a choice in this, you should just lighten up." She was holding her legs in the air, trying to ensure that the blanks Snape had just shot would do their job. He almost laughed at that. Except it was so damned pathetic.
&&&
"Hermione, we have to talk."
"What is it, Harry?"
Potter cast a silencing spell over their section of the library. "I just came from a meeting of the Order of the Phoenix. I'm not supposed to be telling you this. In fact, I don't know how to tell you this. I don't want you to be hurt." Harry took Hermione's hand.
She went pale. "Oh no, it's not Severus? Is he all right?"
Harry paused, trying to think of a less Gryffindor way of telling her than just spitting it out. "Hermione, look, I know that he promised to secretly marry you once you'd graduated, but I don't think it's going to happen."
"Harry? What is it?"
"Voldemort forced him into an arranged marriage with a Death Eater. Snape wanted to keep it a secret from everyone, but she's insisting on living with him here at Hogwart's. Dumbledore's managed to buy some time by saying they need to remodel his dungeon, when in fact we need to set up wards so she can't do any spying. Still, she'll be here by the end of the week."
Harry held the weeping Hermione in his arms. He rested his chin on her head as she sobbed out her agony. After a few minutes, she pulled back. In a tone that sent shivers down his spine, Hermione said, "Well, we'll have to see about this. Thanks, Harry. Leave me now, I need to do some research."
Hermione Granger could be very scary at times.
&&&
"Uh, hullo? And who might you be? I'm afraid my husband isn't in right now, but you're free to wait for him." Fiona had been thoroughly threatened to maintain a professional demeanor while at Hogwarts. She would do nothing to risk his role as a spy for Voldemort.
Hermione smiled in spite of her dismay that the "other woman" looked to be a year or two her junior. "Why no, Mrs. Snape. I'm actually here to see you. I'm part of the ad hoc welcoming committee. I have a basket of goodies here especially for you. There are some sweets from Honeydukes, bottles of butterbeer from the Three Broomsticks and some books to keep you entertained."
Fiona studied the girl before her. She was already bored to death living in this stupid pile of stone. She gave a rare, shy smile. "Well, do come in then. I'll make us some tea."
&&&
"Err, Miss Granger? Please stay behind after class." Snape attempted to sound menacing, but it didn't quite come out right.
Hermione walked into Snape's office. She felt so comfortable there, like it was a second home to her. She sat down and waited quietly.
"Um, Miss Granger. I, umm, Hermione?" Snape stood up and paced nervously. He'd hadn't spoken to her directly for a couple of weeks, but he couldn't remember why; something about Voldemort and some arrangement. Whenever he tried to think about it, the details would slide away. He wondered if they had had a row. He had proposed marriage back in September on her eighteen birthday and she had accepted, so why were they estranged? Well, he loved her too much to allow the problem -- whatever it was -- to continue. He would, of course, immediately apologize and start anew.
"I found these books in my rooms this morning, and just on an off chance, I wondered if you knew how they got there. It looks like it might be part of some muggle studies course."
He handed her a basket of books:
Women Hating by Andrea Dworkin
The Vagina Monologues by Eve Ensler
The Female Eunuch by Germaine Greer
The Second Sex by Simone de Beauvoir
Underneath the books was a thin volume; The Fidelius/Forget-me Charm: Your Quick and Easy Way to a No-fault Wizards Divorce by Nodo Legal Publishers.
Hermione shook her head, "Never saw them before."
Her cinnamon eyes were a bit too innocent, he thought, but he wasn't going to let it cause more trouble between them. He had some fences to mend. Severus stepped closer to her. He took her chin in hand and raised her face to him. He kissed her gently. "Let's never quarrel again. I'm sorry."
Hermione smiled and then returned the kiss, feeling his arms slip around her and another part of him pressing on her belly. She sighed contently. She really enjoyed being a Secret Keeper.
&&&&
A/N: My thanks to Idamae, author of "The Fortress Within" and Anna, author of "Last Tango in Paris" whose works have inspired this short-short.
I might be taking this story down real soon because it has been pointed out to me that it is Anna's version of the Fidelius Charm which includes the disappearance from memory of the person or persons involved.
My thanks to Lady Animosity and Rouge Glow-worm for bringing this problem to my attention.
From the Harry Potter Lexicon:
Complex and powerful charm that hides a person or persons completely; their location is known only to their designated "Secret Keeper."
Used to try to protect Lily and James Potter from Voldemort. "An immensely complex spell involving the magical concealment of a secret inside a single, living soul. The information is hidden inside the chosen person, or Secret-Keeper, and is henceforth impossible to find -- unless, of course, the Secret-Keeper chooses to divulge it. As long as the Secret-Keeper refused to speak, You-Know-Who could search the village where Lily and James were staying for years and never find them, not even if he had his nose pressed against their sitting room window!" Unfortunately, Peter Pettigrew was chosen as Secret-Keeper, and he betrayed James and Lily (PAPlease Read and Review