The color drained from Hermione's face and her eyes bulged. "What?" she squeaked.
"My gods, if I've taught you anything over the years, I would've at least hoped you could distinguish sarcasm from sincerity by now." He drawled with a classic roll of the eyes. Snape lifted his hands from hers and folded them in front of him.
Hermione let out a breath and felt her blood pressure go back to normal. "Oh, thank the gods." She said as she withdrew her hand.
"No, I find arranged marriages detestable, and considering I'll have to marry you, I'd rather kiss a mountain troll." He sneered.
Hermione scowled. "You're no prize either."
He ignored her comment and explained, "Our pairing was an accident. I had only a few precious minutes to change that list, not enough time to make the individual matches myself, so I just used a spell to have the Gryffindor and Slytherin of Hogwarts matched-it would protect the Gryffindor students from being engaged to any Death Eaters, but since I am-as Dumbledore said earlier-Head of Slytherin House…you understand."
Hermione sighed heavily and tried not to let her head swim with anxiety. 'I would have been better off with the Death Eaters.' She thought miserably.
He saw that she wasn't going to say anything, and continued. "I've risked my neck to save you and your troublesome friends-again-and I think it's time that you start acting a little more grateful."
"What do you mean?" Hermione asked, slightly defensive.
"I can protect you from dangers that you are not even aware of. The Death Eaters will not suspect anything if appearances are kept up whenever we see them." He stated casually; much too casually for Hermione's tastes.
"We're going to see them?"
Snape leaned forward. "No, they're coming to see us."
"I'm going to be sick." Hermione declared once she set foot back in her dorm.
"Why? Where'd you go?" Ginny asked, looking up from a wedding magazine. Ginny was still too young to be married, but she thought the whole thing to be just as exciting as the other girls had.
"I was called down to Snape's dungeon."
"So what happened?"
"Well, we decided that I am definitely not wearing pink to the wedding ceremony." Hermione said listlessly as she flopped down on her bed and pulled a pillow over her face.
"What? Hermione, come out of there and tell me what happened!" Ginny demanded as she pulled the pillow away and made Hermione sit up.
"The Marriage Law is an unbreakable contract. The list was never read out loud before last night and once the words are spoken, the parties are bound completely. Snape and I are going to get married right along with everyone else, there's no way out."
"Oh my gods, I can't believe the Ministry would do that!"
"It wasn't the Ministry, it was Snape." Hermione said.
"What? He made them say your name with his? That cheat! I'll go owl my father right now, maybe he can make them bend the rule for you-just the tiniest bit, I mean there has to be a way to save you from that-"
"There's no way out, Ginny."
"But, maybe they would-"
"You know they won't. You're babbling, you only babble when you panic, and you only panic when you feel helpless. This is my helpless situation, not yours. Let me deal with it the way I want."
Ginny knew what Hermione was saying was true, that's why they were such good friends. Hermione was always honest-almost to a fault. With great effort, Ginny took a deep breath and let it out slowly, trying to calm herself for Hermione.
"Ok. How are you going to deal with this helpless situation of yours, then?"
Hermione shrugged and sighed, her eyes wandering the room, seeming to be looking for inspiration. "Well…sneaking out of our dorm and into Hogsmeade to get drunk seems like a pretty good idea right now."
A week went by with no communication between Hermione and Snape. Life went on as usual, and Hermione could almost forget about the whole situation-she went to class, she wrote her essays, she did her homework. Nothing around the school had changed-until she set foot in her dorm room.
Ginny, Lavender and Parvati had scattered the floor with newspaper clippings, magazines, advertisement posters and design sheets on weddings. The sight would snap Hermione back to the present, reminding her that she had to get on with her planning as well.
The wedding ceremony was in three weeks, and she hadn't so much as chosen a color for her wedding dress.
"Come on, Hermione. Today's the day we're all leaving school to go shopping-you need to get it done sometime." Lavender urged her. "I know you don't want to marry Snape, but you have to at least try to find something to look forward to."
"Lavender's right, you should just come with us, it'll be fun. We'll eat lunch, go shopping, you know, a girls' day out." Said Ginny.
Through much more convincing, Hermione took up her bag and followed her friends through Hogsmeade. While they giggled and gossiped, Hermione tailed after them, wishing for the whole thing to just be a horrible nightmare.
Wizard wedding dresses were different from Muggle ones, which Hermione found to be very interesting. While Muggle wedding dresses came in all kinds of different styles and lengths, wizard-wedding dresses were much simpler.
In the Muggle world they would be described as "slip dresses" because the material was almost sheer and very delicate to the touch. The dresses all had v-necks and thin straps that crossed in the back. All wizard-wedding dresses were like this, the only differences being in size and color.
Parvati chose a lovely mint green dress and matching shoes, while Lavender decided on a dress in a most beautiful shade of sky blue. Hermione would have chosen a jet-black funera dress to match her mood, but Ginny insisted she try on several dresses of different colors.
Yellow made her look washed out, green made her look sick and she hated pink-all that was left was a pretty violet dress. It fit perfectly, looked lovely on her and wasn't too expensive-Parvati, Lavender and Ginny forced Hermione to buy it, though she would've sooner set it on fire.
The dresses had presented the largest obstacle for the girls, and after they had the dresses, everything else was simple. Flowers, jewelry, makeup, Hermione didn't care; she just wanted to get away from the whole thing.
She considered running away, but she had nowhere else to go. She still hadn't told her parents about the whole thing. They wouldn't understand anyway. As Muggles, arranged marriages were thought of as something one would read in a romance novel, not something that could actually happen to their daughter. What would they make of Snape?
'Yes, mum and dad, I'd like to introduce to you my fiancé who was assigned to me by the magical government. He's always been a mean bastard, he was in league with the most evil wizard of the age, and he's as old as you-Professor Snape!'
She wasn't even in the habit of calling him by his first name; to her, "professor" was his first name. Then again, maybe it wasn't such a bad thing if they remained so aloof to each other.
She would have to move into his quarters, but they could live as roommates and maybe things wouldn't be as bad as she thought. He'd already assured her that she could finish her education and continue her life as planned, save for this one arrangement.
It might not be so bad, she had reasoned. Snape's grumpy, but at least he won't hurt me.
The consolation the thought gave her was small, but it was enough to keep her from crying, at least for one night.
"Caw! Caw!"
Hermione heard a distant bird calling, but kept her eyes shut. It was Saturday morning, she wanted to sleep in. Shopping all around Hogsmeade the day before had worn her out a little bit, she needed more rest than usual.
She shifted on her bed and rolled onto her back. A light weight settled on her stomach and she finally opened her eyes. Snape's raven was perched on her, a note in his beak. Hermione reached and took the note. "Thank you." She said to it.
The raven flew out the window, and Hermione watched it, impressed by how fast he was. Gone in a flash, she was sure he was back with Snape already.
Looking to the note he had sent, Hermione read:
'Miss Granger, I have been informed that you and several other Gryffindor went into Hogsmeade yesterday to purchase things for the wedding ceremony. I am curious to see the wedding dress you have chosen. As for me, I am crafting a charm for the wedding day, which is now only two weeks away. Please come by my office tonight-on time, if you can manage it-at 9:00 for tea. S.S.'
Hermione sighed and put the note into a shoebox, along with the first note he had sent her. He wanted to see the dress, which for any other man would be understandable-but for Snape?
Why would he care what she wore? It wasn't like he actually cared about the wedding, he had said it himself, "Considering I'll have to marry you, I'd rather kiss a mountain troll."
Hermione got ready to meet with Harry and Ron to see what they had gotten for their brides-to-be. She was curious to see what the men of the wizarding world were supposed to present to the women on the wedding day. She was on a level akin to Harry in her ignorance of such things.
So much she didn't understand of the wizarding world, but she'd have to learn soon enough…
"Hermione, feels like we haven't seen you in ages!" Ron greeted her warmly at their table in the Great Hall. Ron and Harry gave her a quick hug and she felt her worries slip away.
"Well, we've all been busy, haven't we?" she asked.
"Don't get me started! I had to drag Harry all over London and Diagon Alley the other day to help him get something for Jessica."
"Well, sorry, but I don't feel ready to get married just yet." Harry said testily.
"Why not? Jessica's really pretty, and she's lucky to have you, mate." Ron said playfully.
"That's not it, it's just…this whole thing is a bit strange, don't you think?" Harry asked.
Hermione knew the truth behind all the parings on the Ministry's list, but kept quiet. It would just upset Harry and Ron to know that Snape had tampered with the list-consequently assigning himself to her.
"A bit strange, Harry? I think it's bloody ridiculous! Hermione's stuck with Snape! I mean, that's got to be a mistake if I've ever heard one! But of course the Ministry won't change it, too much pride. They'd turn us on into birds before admitting they were wrong." Ron spat.
"I don't see how Hermione's deal is any better than a death sentence," Harry agreed.
"He's a mean bastard, but Snape said he'd let me continue my education here and then into whatever field I choose. It probably won't be as bad as we think, but I don't want to talk about it anymore." Hermione said tiredly.
She didn't want to be anywhere near Snape at all, but there was no need to spend their whole afternoon bad-mouthing him. She was with her friends now and she just wanted to forget.
"Oh, he's brewed a potion to bewitch her to his side," Ron smiled.
"We've lost her!" Harry laughed.
"Oh, you two! Just show me what you got while you were suffering through the shops, will you?" she asked.
After seeing Ron and Harry's wedding gifts, Hermione was impressed. With the inheritance Harry's parents had left him, he was able to afford a beautiful pink diamond bracelet for Jessica. She was adopted by Muggle parents, the Swansites, so she and Harry already had something in common-except of course for the fact that she actually liked her adopted family. A pretty and playful Hufflepuff, she had always liked Harry but they had never gotten a chance to date.
He had met with Jessica earlier in the day and they had discussed what to get her. Harry reported to them that she'd wanted something simple, but Ron had told Hermione in private that after Harry met with Jessica, he'd been adamant to splurge on the diamonds.
"I think he's become a bit happier with the pairings now that he and Jessica have talked. He may have been worried that she was after his money and fame-thankfully, she isn't. Jessica is sweet as a bunny!" Ron had told her as they walked to Mythology together.
"Come on, Ron, show me what you've gotten Gabby." Hermione urged him quietly.
"Alright, alright, here." He said, pulling a small box out of his pocket.
Hermione took the box and opened it to reveal a silver ring with a single emerald in the center. "Ron, it's-"
"Cheap, I know," he said, taking back the box and putting it in his pocket. "But it's the best I could do. I'll have to work over the summer in Fred and George's shop to pay it off."
"No, Ron, it's beautiful, Gabby's going to love it."
"Really?"
"Really, I mean it. Now, come on, we're going to be late."
"Right."
Ron and Hermione quickly filed into the classroom along with the other students.
The end of her magic lessons did not ease the stress of the day, as she recalled the letter from Snape asking her to come once again to his private office. She went back to her dorm and was dragged into the wedding plans by her friends, who were now more nervous than excited.
She couldn't blame them; marriage was a life changing experience, not a one-night event like the Yule Ball. Hermione watched as Lavender paced up and down the room erratically, muttering under her breath. Parvati was tearing through magazines looking for ideas on how to do her hair and makeup, her hands subtly shaking as she did.
Their anxiety was nothing compared to hers, however, as they were looking forward to the wedding day while Hermione was dreading it.
She was jealous of all her friends; they got to marry boys their own age, many of whom were kind and handsome, while she was stuck with a grumpy ex-teacher.
"Life sucks." Was a colorful phrase she remembered hearing on television whenever she stayed with her parents in the Muggle world, and it certainly applied here.
Carefully, she knocked three times on the heavy dungeon door. Her rapping on the door seemed to echo across the whole school, Hermione winced as the thunderous banging was amplified by the corridors of Hogwarts.
Snape yanked the door open-his pale face and hands seeming to float in the black space of his office. "Miss Granger, right on time. Please come in." he stepped aside and waved his wand, the office lit up-a single source of light illuminated from the ceiling.
"Thank you sir." She said quietly as she shuffled into his office.
Snape gestured for her to sit before his desk and he sat on the other side; a magical tea service moved toward her and she took a cup with a few biscuits.
Chocolate, cherry and cinnamon treats? I would've expected beetle shells and frog eyes! If he keeps food like this maybe we can learn to get along. Hermione thought to herself with a nervous laugh.
"You wanted to see me, Professor?"
"Yes, I just thought that before we marry," Hermione inwardly shuddered at the word, "Perhaps it would be a good idea to discuss a few things first."
"Like what, sir?"
"Like that, for example. If we are to wed, I would prefer it if you called me by my name."
Hermione moistened her lips and said, "Severus." The name sounded strange, she'd never bothered to think much of her teachers' first names-save for Gilderoy Lockhart, of course.
"Hermione." He said in turn. "It will take some getting used to, but I'm sure it will become easier."
Hermione frowned slightly. "Anything else?"
"Would you mind telling me the color of the dress you chose yesterday afternoon?"
"It's a darker shade-deep violet, almost burgundy, actually. Why do you ask?" She was surprised that Snape was so interested in the wedding ceremony, specifically the dress.
"It is customary for the groom to wear something to correspond in color to the bride; I just wanted to know ahead of time so that I could find something to match." Snape studied her closely. Hermione had knotted her hands together in her lap, and she was shifting in her chair, her eyes never meeting his.
"Are you afraid?"
"What?"
"Are you afraid of the wedding? Or perhaps your fear is a bit more…personal."
Hermione swallowed, her throat felt dry. "Sir?"
Snape rolled his eyes, "Miss Granger, are you afraid of me?"
The question had never been put to her so directly, but somehow his blunt way of asking was easier to answer. "No, I have never feared you."
"Then why are you so worried?"
"Because this whole thing was just thrown at me!" she burst out. "One moment I had plans for college and a career, the next I find out that I'll be forced to marry a man I barely know! How would you react?!" she demanded angrily.
"I believe you saw my reaction in the Headmaster's office the night the announcement was made." He said calmly.
She hated him for his calm demeanor. Hermione settled back down into her chair.
"You must remember that you are not alone in this, Hermione. I wasn't expecting to be made the groom of a student, having to share my life with a woman/child such as you. However, we cannot change this, we must accept it and learn to make it work any way we can."
"Easy for you to say, you're a pureblood. Families like yours have had arranged marriages for generations, but this is all new to me."
Snape eyed her for a long moment before speaking. "You're right. The Ministry did throw this responsibility on you and all the rest of the Hogwarts students. It's unfair and too drastic a way to remedy the problems that have been created; but there is nothing we can do, Hermione."
"I hate this." She said miserably. "It's like we're pawns on a wizard chessboard."
Snape smirked, "An interesting metaphor, Miss Granger. Your fears are understandable, but perhaps you and I can come to some sort of arrangement to make it easier."
"What do you mean…Severus?" she asked, carefully using his name.
"Well, to become more familiar with each other, I think it would be a good idea to meet here in my office to get to know one another. We can chat-and not just about the wedding."
Hermione sighed and raised her teacup, clinking it against his. "Alright by me."
The next visit in Snape's office was not a pleasant one. They had come to the subject of her parents, and he ordered her to go to London immediately and inform them of what was happening.
They had argued back and forth-but Snape had years more experience than she, and Hermione had no choice but to relent to him.
Hermione was on the train to London the next morning. It was the most difficult thing she'd ever done, telling her parents of the Ministry's law and her betrothal to Snape. They'd been angry, disgusted, scared and even a little jealous that they'd been left out of so much of her life.
It hadn't been easy, but she had convinced them that it was for the best. The dangers that the magical world presented were much decreased by having Snape as her husband.
She explained to them the unexpected circumstances surrounding their pairing, and given them a promise that she would come straight to them if Snape ever did anything to upset her.
By the end of the day, Hermione had been exhausted emotionally and physically, and no less worried about the wedding day, which was now less than a week away.
Hermione went back to school the next morning, promising her parents to come back should anything make her uncomfortable. The scarlet train sped back to Hogwarts, faster towards the wedding.
She trudged up the stairs, heading back to her dorm. All the girls were off preparing for the nuptials or in class, but the room was still occupied.
"How did it go?"
Hermione jumped and turned to find Severus lounging by the window. "What are you doing in here?"
"I was waiting for you. I just wanted to know if I have your parents' blessing or not."
"Their blessing?"
"Isn't that what Muggle parents require of the groom? Permission to marry their daughter?" he asked.
Hermione grinned. "Not since the late 1800s."
Severus frowned. "I was alive in the late 1800s."
His statement wiped the smile right off her face, "What?"
Severus moved to the door and went into the hallway. He moved to close the door behind him, but before he shut it, he said, "I was only joking."
Hermione felt stunned. Severus Snape made a joke? She must be rubbing off on him!
XOXOXOXOXOXOX
The girls all bathed in scented oils and were attended to by the house elves of Hogwarts. Hermione slipped into her dress and knelt in front of a full-length mirror. The brides and grooms were kept in separate sides of the great ceremonial building. Somewhere, Snape was preparing for the wedding as well.
She avoided her own gaze and tried to ignore the tightening panic in her chest. The other girls were all happy, looking forward not only to the ceremony, but also to the much-anticipated wedding night.
She shuddered to think about going to bed with Snape. He had never once mentioned anything about that to her, but they both knew what would naturally follow the wedding ceremony. She didn't know what he was expecting of her tonight-she blushed scarlet and fought the urge to run every time she thought of it.
She couldn't run, the Ministry would find her. Snape would be hurt only because she would've made him look like a fool in front of so many people. Hermione didn't want to hurt him, after their meetings she had to admit that he wasn't all bad.
"Miss Hermione Granger!"
She turned to see Dobby running up to greet her. "Hello Dobby."
"You is looking so pretty today, miss."
"Thank you Dobby, you look very nice yourself. I didn't know the elves would be at the ceremony too."
"Oh, yes miss! Elves is always going to their masters' weddings. We elves serve Hogwarts, Dumbledore said we could come."
"That's wonderful Dobby."
She looked for a moment into the smiling elf's eyes, but just as quickly looked away. She wanted to reach out and just hug him, have someone give her the extra strength to get through with the ceremony without crying.
Several female elves had been let in to help the brides with their hair and makeup; a few of them had come to Hermione's aid when she couldn't quite manage her eyeliner. After a few minutes of brush strokes and careful application of color, the elves had given Hermione sultry eyes and shining hair.
She looked into the mirror and saw herself as a woman, but still felt very much like a child. Dobby came back and stood in front of her, his eyes locking with hers in the reflection.
"You look very pretty miss Granger, but you is the saddest bride Dobby has ever seen."
