Thanks as always go to my beta, Ru. This chapter has been edited on August 15, 2004.
Chapter 6: Forever Is A Long Time
Hermione spent the rest of the morning in the confines of the library looking through all of her choices. At about 12:30 Harry came back. So, instead of calling on Dobby for tea, Hermione went out to the kitchen to get it herself. She decided that since Harry was back before the others, she would ask him for advice. Hermione wasn't dumb, and she knew that if she ask Ron for his opinion, he would just demand that she marry him.
"Hi, Harry," Hermione said as she stepped into the kitchen.
"Hermione, I thought you wanted to be left alone until dinner."
"I did, but I got lonely after an hour. Besides, I could really use your advice."
"Of course, 'Mione, anything you need." Hermione looked at him. It didn't take a genius to figure out that Harry somehow knew something about her situation. Hermione was a little relieved. She was pretty nervous about telling Harry and Ron, and since they knew, it was one less thing she had to worry about.
Hermione led Harry into the library and promptly sat on the floor behind two piles of petitions, the ones that she had opened, and the ones that she had not.
"Jeez, how many are there?" Harry asked as he looked at the two large piles.
"Fifty-seven."
"You counted them all?" Harry was stunned that she knew the number and how large the number was.
"Well, there were twenty-five when I started counting this morning. There have been owls flying in and out of here ever since." As if to illustrate her point, a Ministry owl flew in and dropped a petition in Hermione's lap. Hermione just looked at it and then nonchalantly threw it on top of the pile that was waiting to be opened.
"Do you want me to help you open all of these?" Harry asked.
"That would be lovely. So far I've only gotten through about thirty of them."
"It takes you that long to read their name?"
"I can't identify Death Eaters by name like you can, and each of the petitions comes with a contract, and each contract is different."
"Ok, so how about we go through them and eliminate the Death Eaters first. After that we can look through all of the contracts that don't are left." Harry flashed a smile that let Hermione know that he was proud of himself. Hermione wasn't ready to tell him what Snape had revealed to her in there conversation earlier in the day. Then again, Snape did say that he would protect her and whomever she chose. Hermione decided not to dwell on it too much, she just gave Harry a nod and went to work.
"One from Draco Malfoy, and... one from Lucius Malfoy?"
"What?" Harry snapped his head up when Harry mentioned Lucius' name. "He can't petition for you, he's married."
"Harry, if you had bothered to read the article in the Prophet this morning you would have seen the components of the law, and you would know that married purebloods are allowed to petition for a muggle born."
"That is beyond wrong."
"I agree, but there really isn't anything I can do about it except not choose them." Hermione sighed.
The two went about their task of weeding through Hermione's petitions. By 4:00 they had gone through nearly all of the petitions and Hermione had begun reading some of the Death Eater names that Harry had eliminated.
"Draco Malfoy, Vincent Crabe, Gregory Goyle, Blaize Zambini, Marcus Flint, Victor Krum, Joshua Lanchaster, Martin St. Fyr?(A/N: It's pronounced Saint Fear) Harry, just because most of them are Slytherins it doesn't mean that they are Death Eaters too."
"I know that Hermione, but I know that Krum is a Death Eater and all of those Slytherins have parents that are Death Eaters. They might as well be Death Eaters too."
"Ok, but that leaves me with very few choices, and out of those, Ron is the only one even close to my age."
"So marry Ron then. Gods Hermione, if you knew that he was an option why didn't you just agree to marry him and save us the trouble." Harry rolled his eyes as he spoke.
"Because Harry, it's obvious that Voldemort wants me. If it wasn't obvious enough by the fact that seventy-five percent of my petitions came from Death Eaters, both Professor Dumbledore and Professor Snape told me so. Snape even said that Voldemort has put a hit on anyone's petition I accept that isn't a Death Eater. Plus Lucius Malfoy has been dying to get his hands on me and will not doubt kill Ron in a blink of an eye if I were to accept his petition. Ron wouldn't stand a chance."
"So marry me then."
"Harry, I can't marry you because you are not a pureblood. Besides, that would make things way too easy for Voldemort."
"So who are you going to marry?" Hermione and Harry were staring intensely at one another. Neither was willing to break eye contact. Hermione used this lull in conversation to take deep breaths and calm herself down.
"I really only have one good option."
"Who?"
"Professor Snape," Hermione barely whispered his name. She closed her eyes and braced herself for the explosion that would no doubt come from her friend. She waited for a few moments before realizing that there wasn't one coming. Harry waited until Hermione was looking at him again before he spoke.
"I'm really glad you realize that, 'Mione. I may not really like the guy, and Ron may hate him, but he probably is the only person that can keep Malfoy away from you." Hermione was stunned at Harry's admission. Upon seeing the look on his friend's face, he was quick to add, "I love you, Hermione. You've been both a best friend and a sister to me. There is no way that I would want anything bad to happen to you, and I'd do anything to keep you safe, even if it means playing nice with Snape." Hermione just smiled and then launched herself into Harry's arms.
"Well, here it is," she said after she de-tangled herself from Harry's arms and picked up the solitary petition that had been placed to the side. "I guess I should sign it."
"Wait. Did you read the contract first?"
"Of course I did Harry. Come on, you know me. Did you really think I would just go off and sign it before reading it?"
"Well, no. But I just wanted to make sure that he wasn't trying to pull something over on you." Harry flashed her a sheepish grin.
"Don't worry, he isn't. Now help me burn the rest of these. Just make sure you don't burn Ron's. I'd like to give it back to him and tell him why I couldn't even consider it."
"I think he knows, 'Mione. We were listening outside the Order meeting. The silencing spell broke when Morgan left the room."
"I figured as much."
"Yeah, well, Ron heard the whole thing Snape said about Malfoy tearing him to bits if you chose to marry him. It honestly didn't even phase him. I told him to go to bed and forget about it, but I think he waited until I was asleep and then wrote out the petition and contract for you."
The two went to work burning the remaining petitions. Harry had wanted to throw them all in at once and be done with it. Hermione said she agreed with him, but reminded him that the number of petitions she received would make that impossible, stating that if they were to do that the house would likely catch on fire or fill with smoke. Harry relented, and by the time the last petition had been destroyed it was time for dinner. Morgan had tentatively knocked on the door and announced that they needed to go wash up. Harry left the room quickly so that Morgan and Hermione could talk.
"What is going on, Hermione? I wanted to show you all the cool stuff I got at Diagon Alley, but Molly said that you needed to be left alone. Is it anything I need to worry about?"
"No, Morgan," Hermione said as she patted the seat next to her, indicating that Morgan should sit down. "It's nothing to worry about. I'm just getting married."
"What! How is that nothing to worry about? You haven't even finished school yet, how are you supposed to get married?"
"It's this stupid new law that was passed. Let me think of how I can explain it to you so that you would understand. I know! Remember how you told me about those cliques at your school?"
"Yeah."
"It's kind of like that. The purebloods, which would be the jocks, only socialize with other purebloods. They only marry other purebloods and after a while they start to unintentionally interbreed. Sometimes the result is what we call squibs, children without magical powers that are born to magical parents. Muggle borns would be like geeks. The purebloods don't like us and it used to be severely looked down upon if one of them married one of us. However, it has been proven that if the two groups breed, there is an almost zero percent chance that a squib will be born. And because the magical population has been declining, the Ministry of Magic, which is like Parliament, has passed a law that forces muggle borns to marry purebloods. It's an awful thing, but at least the muggle borns are allowed to choose who they marry." Hermione decided to leave out the part about Voldemort passing this law in order to control the muggle borns. She based that decision on the fact that Voldemort also wanted her in his corner, and after what he did to Morgan's family, she couldn't bear to tell her.
"So, have you chosen?"
"Yes, I've decided to marry Professor Snape."
"Why, Hermione? He's like, wicked older than you."
"I know that Morgan. Look, there is more to the story than I can tell you right now. Just pleased don't say anything. I am going to make the announcement after dinner, and I could really use your support."
"If you want my support, you've got my support, and I promise I won't say anything. Now, let's go eat."
Dinner was abnormally quiet. Everyone knew what would happen after dinner, and most of them were acting like it was the end of the world. The usual dinner group, Tonks, Remus, Harry, and the Weasleys, minus Percy, and now Morgan and Hermione were all there. Minerva had joined the group for dinner, as well as Albus and Severus. The mood was almost somber. Morgan found it quite interesting considering there was a wedding announcement that was going to follow dinner. Morgan knew that there was a lot about the magical world that she didn't know about, but she found it hard to believe that wizards and witches treated impending weddings like muggles treated funerals. Thinking back on what Morgan had said to Hermione, she realized she shouldn't have been so rude. Severus was very kind and she owed him everything. She shouldn't have made the comment about his age, and she decided that she would apologize to Hermione after dinner.
"So, Harry tells me that you guys really ride around on broomsticks. I thought that was some sort of cliché." Morgan decided to break the ice knowing full well that she would come off like an idiot.
"Yeah, sometimes," Ginny said. "Hermione doesn't, she hates flying. We actually don't really use it for travel that much because we can floo or apparate. We have to fly brooms in order to play Quidditch."
"What's Quidditch?"
Harry and Ron both opened their mouths to speak but Hermione quickly cut them off. "Ask them after dinner. Once they get started talking about Quidditch they never stop."
"If you would like, Morgana, I will allow Mister Potter to take you flying when, and only when, we get to Hogwarts," Severus spoke up.
"Really?" Excitement flashed in the girl's eyes.
"Yes, as long as Mister Potter doesn't go to fast or try any of the moves he uses while playing Quidditch."
"Thank you, Severus. That would be wonderful."
The table once again dipped into an uncomfortable silence. Before long the table had been cleared and everyone sat with a cup of tea in front of them. Albus decided that he would have to get the ball rolling.
"Hermione, I'm afraid that the time has come to give us your decision."
"Yes, Headmaster," Hermione said, producing the two petitions and a quill. "I've thought long and hard about what I was going to do. I've decided that the only thing I can do is what is best for everyone. That being the case," she turned to Ron, "I'm so sorry Ron, but I couldn't even consider your petition because of the danger that it would but you in. So I'm giving it back to you. I want you to know that I appreciate the fact that you were willing to do this for me, but I can not allow you to." She handed him his petition. Ron took it and bolted from the table. He didn't want anyone to see him cry. Hermione just sighed as she watched him go and to the quill into her hand, signing the remaining petition. "I have decided that it would be best for everyone involved if I were to marry Professor Snape." As soon as she had finished signing her name, the contract disappeared with a soft pop.
Severus was shocked. He thought that surely she would accept his offer to protect the suitor she chose. He never imagined that that suitor would be him.
"Professor..." Hermione began.
"Severus," he corrected. "If we are going to be married then you will have to address me as Severus, just as I will address you as Hermione.
"Severus, before we go any further with this engagement I would like to see my parents. If that could be arranged."
"I see no problem with that. In fact, I can take you to see them now if you like." Hermione just nodded her head. "We will have to apparate. Molly, please watch Morgana while we are away. I don't expect that we will be gone too long, but you never know."
"Of course Severus. Now you two have a nice time and say hello to Holly and Jason for me." Severus simply nodded, then took Hermione by the hand and led her outside where they apparated away into the night.