A/N: Thanks again to my wonderful Beta, Ru, who makes this all possible and gets back to me swiftly.
Also, I am so sorry that it has taken over 2 weeks to get this chapter up. I've been going back and forth between school and home and I haven't had the chance to edit and post this chapter, I'm REALLY sorry to everyone that has been waiting.
Chapter 10: Change Is A Good Thing
1The next day Hermione went down to the common room and found Harry and Morgan asleep in each other's arms in front of the fire. She wasn't sure how she felt about this latest revelation, but just had to smile at the sight of them; they did look cute together. Deciding that she didn't want to wake them, Hermione made her way down to the Great Hall for breakfast without Morgan and Harry. While walking alone in the corridors she started to realize how much she missed Ron. At the same time, however, she was miffed at him for being such a prat. She decided that if she ever saw Ron alive again she would hex him into oblivion.
When she entered the Great Hall, Hermione found that all of her teachers, including Professor Snape, were eating breakfast. Since it wasn't the school year the teachers sat on both sides of the table. Hermione walked up and took a seat in between Severus and Albus.
"Good morning Miss Granger, did you sleep well?" The Headmaster was as cheery as usual.
"Yes I did, thank you," Hermione answered politely before taking a sip of pumpkin juice.
"Where are Mister Potter and Miss Draven?" Severus asked.
"They are both still asleep. They must have fallen asleep in front of the fire last night, and they looked so cute sleeping together that I didn't have the heart to wake them." Severus growled. He didn't like the idea of Potter having his paws all over his ward. Albus picked up on Severus' discomfort.
"Relax, dear boy, I doubt that their relationship has reached that point yet, nor do I think it will anytime soon." Hermione couldn't help but utter a small giggle. Severus just glared at her. She just smiled back at him.
"Please don't say anything to Morgan or Harry," Hermione said to Severus "I know that you wouldn't approve of any relationship that they might have, but Morgan has just lost her whole family and Harry knows what that is like. I'm really glad that she has someone to talk to and I think that it's good for Harry too." Severus just nodded indicating that he understood what she meant and would try to keep his thoughts to himself.
The rest of breakfast was taken with idle conversation. The teachers began leaving as soon as they were finished with their meal but Dumbledore, as per usual, waited until the last person was finished eating before leaving he table. By the time Hermione had finished her breakfast Morgan and Harry had still not yet made an appearance. Dumbledore had told her that they could go down to the kitchens when they got hungry. Hermione nodded as she turned to leave Severus spoke to her.
"We need to meet to discuss the wedding arrangements, Hermione. I will expect you in my office at three-thirty, please tell Morgana that she is to meet myself and the Headmaster in his office at two." Hermione nodded in agreement and left the hall for Gryffindor tower.
When Hermione got back to the tower she was surprised to see that Harry and Morgan were still asleep in front of the fire. Rather than let them sleep, Hermione decided to wake them up.
"HEY LOVEBIRDS!" She yelled, jolting the two awake.
"Jeez 'Mione, it's too early." Harry said, not fully awake.
"It's after nine and breakfast is already over and you two are still asleep." Hermione started poking Harry with her wand. "I debated on whether or not I should wake you up, you really looked cute sleeping together like that, but knowing you Harry, you haven't finished your summer homework yet." Morgan and Harry both sat up and turned a bright shade of red when Hermione told them they looked cute together. "Come on, Professor Dumbledore said that you can get something to eat from the kitchens."
For the rest of the morning Harry did his homework while Hermione lent Morgan her copy of Hogwarts: A History. Hermione was intent on teaching Morgan as much as she could about Hogwarts and the students before the term started. Morgan was eager to learn, but suspected in the back of her head that Hermione was using the lesson as a diversion tactic so that she wouldn't have to think about her upcoming wedding. Since it was a gorgeous day, the three decided to have a picnic lunch down by the lake. Conversation during the outing consisted of decidedly muggle topics. Morgan really didn't like the idea of having to wear robes over her muggle clothing. Hermione reassured her that it wasn't that bad and that she would get used to it. All throughout their lunch Harry and Morgan had been flirting with each other. Hermione had tried to ignore it, but found it to be too difficult.
"Would you two just hurry up and snog already!" The pair in front of her turned bright red. "It's obvious that you like each other and the sexual tension between you two is making me sick. Besides Harry, she's got to meet with Severus and Albus in half an hour and when she comes back she's probably going to look like a Snape." With that said, Hermione stood up and made the trek to Gryffindor tower. She turned around when she got to the castle door and was pleased to see her two friends snogging.
Harry returned to the tower alone not long after Hermione. He found her sitting in the common room with a book in her lap.
"Dare I ask what you are reading?" he asked, announcing his presence.
"I'm reading anything I can find on wizard's weddings. I can't marry Severus the muggle way even if I wanted to," she said, sighing as she closed the book.
"You mean you don't want a muggle wedding?"
"No, why would I?"
"I just thought that all girls plan their dream wedding when they are young," Harry admitted sheepishly.
"This is hardly going to be my dream wedding. As much as I want the princess dress and a man that will sweep me off my feet, I know that that is just impossible. I want my marriage to be as peaceful as possible, so there is no point in broaching a subject that is only going to anger Severus, it's just not worth it to me." Hermione's eyes had gotten a little misty as she spoke.
"I understand, 'Mione, but I still think that you deserve your dream wedding."
Morgan said the password confidently and strode into the Headmaster's office. She was nervous because she was pretty sure that the two men that were waiting for her were about to put the glamour on her. She ran through her head all the possibilities of what she would look like; all of them included Severus' nose. She mentally shook herself, there was no way he'd be that cruel, and knocked on the door to Albus' inner office. The door swept open and she walked in with her head held high.
"Hello Morgana," Albus greeted. "Have you been enjoying yourself here?" Albus was sitting behind his desk and Severus was off to the side.
"Yes sir," Morgan replied.
"Do you know what we will be doing here today?" Albus asked cautiously.
"I suppose, sir, that you will be placing the glamour on me and changing my name," She answered.
"Very good! That is exactly what we will be doing. Severus has prepared the glamour potion, and after you take it, we will give you a new name." Albus smiled at the girl.
"Enough of the pleasantries Albus. While you may be able to carry on like this all day, I have a meeting with my fiancé at three and I do not wish to be late."
"Very well Severus, you may administer the potion." Albus said as he motioned for Morgan to sit down.
Once in her seat Severus handed Morgan a vile of the potion. On instinct she sniffed it. It smelled like the cotton candy and fried dough that Morgan had once had when her family visited an American theme park. Morgan downed the contents of the vial in one quick gulp. She gagged immediately as the taste hit her. It was something awful; something vile and bitter mixed with fresh blood. "Couldn't you have done something about the taste?" Morgan coughed out.
"No," was Severus' only reply. "Now sit up, I need to look at you if I am going to do this right."
Morgan obeyed. Severus had pointed his wand at her and begun murmuring something in Latin. Immediately Morgan could feel her features start to change. As Albus looked on he saw the girl's face take on a more oval shape, her thin lips became slightly fuller, and her nose became smaller and sharper. Her eyes took on a more almond shape and changed from her natural honey-brown to a cool steel gray. Lastly her hair grew from a shoulder length straw-blonde to a lower back length jet-black that was sleek and shiny. When she looked in the mirror, Morgan couldn't believe what she saw.
"Wow," she gasped. "I look beautiful." Morgan had never really thought of herself as beautiful or even pretty, so she was simply stunned when she saw her reflection.
"You look very much like my sister," Severus said.
"Well, now that that is done we must give you a new name." Albus announced, smiling at the girl.
"Can I pick it out?" Morgan asked hopefully.
"No, if we are to pass you off as a Snape then you not only have to look like one, but you must be named like one. Normally I wouldn't care for such things, but my sister loved all the Snape family traditions and if you were her daughter she would have named you accordingly. Now let me see." Severus paused, deep in thought. After what seemed like forever he continued "Vesper Calida Snape."
"I like it, it's pretty," Vesper smiled.
"It suits you quite well," Albus said.
"What do you mean?" she asked.
"The Headmaster is referring to the meaning of the name. Vesper is the evening star and Calida is Latin, as is Vesper, and it means eager. In Latin your name reads as 'eager evening star.' So you see, it does suit you quite well and it does fit the tradition."
"Wow. Thank you, I've never had anyone call me a 'star' before." Vesper was blushing.
"I am very sorry to hear that," Albus said.
"So, how does the name fit the tradition?" Vesper inquired.
"In each generation, when permitted, there was be one female born into the family that is given a name that begins with a 'v' and one male that is given a name that begins with an 's'. My father's name was Summanus, and since he was an only child he named me Severus and my sister Viviane. Now, we have other things to discuss."
They spent the next hour discussing Vesper's new identity. Severus taught her everything she would need to know about the Snape family. He and Albus had cooked up the story that Vesper had survived the accident that killed Severus' sister. Severus didn't know about her because his sister was exiled from the family and Vesper didn't receive a Hogwarts letter because she is a squib. He had only just found out about her when he found a letter from a muggle hospital while going through a box of his mother's things. Every detail that was crucial for the story to be believed was gone over repeatedly. When they were all convinced that they had their story straight Vesper was allowed to leave.
Hermione sat on the floor outside of Severus' door. He was late and she had already been waiting for him for over twenty minutes. The only reason Hermione had any patience left was because she knew that he was probably held up in the meeting with the Headmaster and Morgan. An hour and a half is not much time to go over the aspects of your new life.
"How long have you been waiting?" Hermione looked up to see Severus standing in front of her.
"Just over twenty minutes." Hermione replied, getting to her feet.
"Forgive me for being so late, I just wanted to make sure that Vesper had every detail of the story she will be telling memorized." Hermione looked at him quizzically when he said 'Vesper'. Severus seemed to pick up on her confusion and said, "Morgana Draven is now known as Vesper Calida Snape."
"Oh, well, it's a beautiful name and the meaning is somewhat accurate." Severus smiled at her when she indicated that she knew what the meaning of the name was.
"It fits he even more now that the glamour has been cast."
"Will I be able to recognize her?" Hermione suddenly asked.
"Yes and no. She looks nothing like you have ever seen before, but because you have had such a strong relationship with her you will get the feeling that you know her from somewhere when you first lay eyes on her."
"Severus, thank you for doing this for her. You don't have to, yet you are extending yourself and your goodwill to her anyway." Hermione smiled at him, then stood on her tiptoes and kissed him on the cheek, "It means so much to me."
"Then I should tell you that I am not doing it for her, I am doing it for you. This marriage is going to be very hard on you and when things get tough you are going to need a good friend to be able to talk to about all the silly things you girls talk about. I figured that it is the least I can do for you since you are going to be married to me for quite a long time." He looked deep into her eyes.
"Thank you Severus. That is the sweetest thing anyone has ever done for me." Hermione leaned forward as if to kiss him, but Severus pulled away.
"I believe that we have a wedding to plan."
The two sat down in Severus' office and made themselves comfortable. Severus made the two of them tea and they began to discuss their upcoming nuptials. Each had a very different idea of what the wedding should be like. Hermione really wanted a muggle ceremony, and Severus was totally against that idea, opting for the traditional wizarding ceremony instead. Just when it looked like neither was going to cave, Hermione started crying.
"Oh, Hermione, do not cry. If the circumstances were different I wouldn't object to a muggle ceremony, but with both the Ministry and the Dark Lord breathing down our necks we have to keep things strictly within this world."
"I know that," Hermione said between sobs, "but this may be the only wedding I get to have and I want my dream wedding."
"Then why don't we do both," he suggested.
"Both?" Hermione questioned, her tears starting to dry out.
"Yes. We will have the official wizarding ceremony and then after we can have a private muggle ceremony for your friends and family."
"You'd really do that for me?" Hermione looked up at him.
"Of course I would. If we are going to be married then I want to start the marriage off with a happy bride."
"Thank you Severus!" Hermione shrieked as she threw herself on to his lap. She pulled him into a big hug and then kissed him after she pulled back.
Severus sat there stunned as Hermione pressed her lips to his. He had never had a girl willingly kiss him out of the blue before. Slowly he came to his senses and returned her kiss. He then deepened it by drawing her tongue into his mouth. It felt divine, but Severus knew he had to end it and reluctantly he did so.
"What's wrong?" Hermione asked.
"We can not do this yet. Albus trusts me and until we are married I do not want to do anything that might break his trust in me." He paused, "Do you understand?"
"Yes Severus, I understand. For a moment there I was afraid that I did something wrong."
"Hermione," he said, lightly grasping her chin so that she was looking into his eyes, "I may not have much experience, but your kiss is exquisite." He placed a feather light kiss on her lips, then one on her brow.
Reluctantly the broke apart and continued with their wedding plans. It was decided that Severus would plan their official ceremony and Hermione would plan the muggle ceremony that would follow. They had both agreed that the ceremonies were to be small in size. Severus had told Hermione that she could plan the most extravagant wedding and he would pay for it so long as the guest list was small and it wasn't held in a muggle church. Before they parted ways for the day they decided on the date. On October 31st, Halloween, they would officially be married.
hp-lover-fifi: Thanks you so much. I am honored.
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dom-berg: Thank you Dom. I hope you like this chapter as much as you liked the others.
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Artemis MoonClaw: It is, but things will get happy again.
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Sammy Riddle Voldemort's Baby: Happier times are on the way and thank you for wishing my luck!
Magictwinkle: I hope I didn't keep you waiting too long.
lacey weasley: Thank you so much! I'm really honored that you check mine first. I'm also glad that you like the idea of a muggle third party. Sorry to keep you waiting so long and for making you think I have forgotten my fans, I love you all so much and I'd never forget you!
Gwen: OOPS! I wrote two versions of this chapter and the part about Severus' sister having magical kids that didn't go to Hogwarts was in the first version that I scrapped. I think that I've gone back and fixed it on all three sites. Thank you for pointing that out.
Jami: Thank you for your review. I'm really glad that people like Morgana/Vesper and her inclusion to the story.
Spiderwebs11: Thank you so much! I'm relieved that you think Dumbledore is in character. I knew that Snape wouldn't be, but I was hoping that I would get most every one else in character.
Kate: Thank you, I'm glad you like the story line!
Droxy: Thank you. I'm glad that you called it a back round chapter because that it basically what it is. I hope that it worked at that point in the story.
fresh8: Here's the update you wanted.
Maela: I'm sorry I confused you. As I said before, the part about Viviane's 2 kids were from my first, and scrapped, draft of the chapter. Sadly both my beta and I missed this mistake, but I went through and fixed it on all three sites.
A/N: You guys are going to have to wait for the next chapter, but I hope to have it up soon.