A/N: Hey! Thanks for all the great reviews. I feel so appreciated. blushes For reference to anybody just reading this, EnsignAbby is no longer my coauthor and hasn't been since chapter three. Anyway, on with the story.
Special thanks to my wonderful beta BadBugz.
Chapter 22: "Damn Bloody Fathers!"
By Order of
The Ministry of Magic
Of
Great Britain
Law 43,211,987:
The Muggleborn Marriage Act
It is hereby decreed that all muggleborn witches and wizards, directly or by second generation by one or both parents, are to be subject to the Marriage Contracts. In said Contracts, any pureblood witch or wizard of age 18 or the head of said witch or wizard's family, may petition for said muggleborn. Any muggleborn witch must be of age 20. Any muggleborn wizard must be of age 18.
Contracts must be answered within 24 hours of receiving. If only one contract is offered, the muggleborn must sign that contract. If more than one contract is received, the muggleborn must choose a petitioner and sign the contract. Any secondary contracts received after the first hour of the first are void. Once signed, the contract is binding and can not be rescinded unless there is a failure to meet a contract requirement.
Requirements:
1. All marriages must be conducted within one month of signing the contract. Marriage must be notarized by two witnesses
2. The marriage must produce two offspring, one boy and one girl. Failure to do so with in five years makes the Contract void, and the muggleborn is made available to the second, if any, available petitioner. If no secondary petitioner exists the muggleborn will return to list of availability.
3. Four hours of physical contact is required daily. The more intimate the contact the less time needed to fill the requirement. Failure to fill this requirement may result in extreme pain and possible death for the muggleborn party.
4. Intimate relations are required within 24 hours of marriage finalization. Failure to fulfill this requirement is subject to same consequence as offspring.
Failure to comply with any offered contract will result in confiscation of one's wand and immediate expulsion from the wizarding community.
Hermione sighed heavily. She had read the damn thing five times already. There was no way around it. She had already signed the contract. It was legalized. They wouldn't have to get married until after school was finished. They wouldn't have to do anything after....after the first night. But did she want to? That was her dilemma.
She still loved the seventeen year old Snape. Some of that did pass on to the present version, but it just wasn't the same. She was still attracted, true. But she just wasn't comfortable with him. She wasn't used to dealing with the surliness and dark attitude outside of the classroom. How was she supposed to marry and have the children of someone who hated her?
You could tell him who you are, a cruelly innocent voice in her head said. She mentally squashed that thought. She couldn't. It was too soon in her head. He had had twenty years to get used to being without her. She had only been without him for a matter of months. She couldn't tell him yet. I don't want him to marry me because of what we had in the past. That wasn't me. It was me pretending to be someone else, she thought.
But it was you. You only had a different name; you were still the same person he fell in love with, said the voice again.
Oh shut up. I don't need to listen to you. I won't tell him and that's final. Go away, she responded. She was relieved yet a little worried when her conscious didn't respond back.
With her heart set to face what her reality had become, she rolled up the parchment containing the offending law and put it in her desk drawer. She looked at the now closed drawer, contemplating what such a small thing like a piece of paper could do to her life. Shaking her head over the folly of government meddling, she left her rooms and headed to breakfast.
Snape was in a suprisingly good mood today. The coffee was decent. He didn't have any tests or essays to mark. There were no first year classes or Gryffindor-Slytherin classes today. Albus was absent from the breakfast table, so he was free from having to make small talk. All in all, it was a good start.
He was just finishing his scrambled eggs and second cup of coffee when the mail arrived. As no one ever sent him anything, he paid no attention to the owls swooping in from the rafters. So he was quite surprised when a tawny brown owl landed neatly in front of him. Frowning, he took the proffered letter. The frown deepened when he saw the Ministry seal in the blue wax. He popped the seal and began to read.
If anybody had looked, they would have seen their potions master turn very pale, then just as suddenly turn very red. He scowled as he reread the top paragraph. Damn bloody father! I kill him! How dare he do this to me? he snarled mentally. He squashed the Marriage announcement in one fist as he stood abruptly. Within seconds he was out of the hall, heading to Dumbledore's office.
"I'm sorry, Severus. There is nothing I can do. According to this, she is legally of age based on the use of a timeturner. The fact that she is a student and you a professor has no grounds either. By the time you are obliged to marry, she will have graduated and will no longer be a student. As to me pulling strings, this time I can not. While I did vote against this law, it passed and I alone can not revoke it. You are subject to this law through your father. She is subject based on her heritage. She signed the contract. It is final. Unless one of you dies or snaps your wand and leaves the wizarding community, you must marry. There is nothing that can be done," Dumbledore said, sadly. The twinkle was not present in his eyes as he looked at the abject horror on the younger man's face.
Severus ran a hand over his face in defeat. "I understand, Albus. You told me she had a choice. What I don't understand is why she chose me."
"Ah, well. I think she can explain better than I. Come in, my dear," he said. The door opened to admit a less than happy, but determined Hermione. Severus turned to give her a withering look. Normally, that particular amount of hatred would have made the student cringe and run away. But she was beyond intimidation from him. He could not make her change her mind, with a simple look. She nodded a greeting to the two professors and sat in the proffered chair next to Snape.
Dumbledore attempted a small comforting smile that fell flat. With a bland expression on his face he said, "Well, Miss Granger. Perhaps you could answer Professor Snape's question. Why did you choose him over the other petitioners?"
She noticed out of the corner of her eye that, Severus had turned to look at her sharply while she replied, "Well, he was the best out of the five. I did not wish to be anywhere near the first three, and the fourth was just way too old for me and I knew nothing about him."
Severus broke in and asked, "And who were the first three that you would choose me over them?"
She looked at him levelly and said, "Draco Malfoy, Gregory Goyle, and Vincent Crabbe."
"Oh, dear. Yes I can see why you would turn them down. Out of curiosity, was there any other reason for choosing Professor Snape?" Dumbledore said, attempting to look innocent, which made Snape suspicious.
She nodded thoughtfully, "Yes. I knew that with Malfoy, Crabbe, or Goyle I would just be another pawn until I had served my purpose and would most likely be putting the Order in danger. With Professor Snape, I believe I would be in relative safety. I would remain here most of the year. I would still be able to see Harry and Ron. Plus, I would be able to take up Professor McGonagall on her offer for a Transfiguration apprenticeship and your offer as assistant librarian. It just seemed like the most logical choice." She purposely ignored Snape's disgruntled look at the news of her job offers.
"You do realize that your decision requires you to be in my presence every day. To actually have physical contact," Severus sneered. He expected her to flinch or look away, and was surprised when she just stared at him coolly.
She felt her heart pang at the tone in his voice. She knew that was just the way he was now, but it still hurt. Outwardly she just said, "I do professor. I also realize that that can be accomplished while we sleep by just touching hands. I do not fear physical contact Professor."
The two men looked at her, one with grudging respect and a little bit of awed horror, and the other with humor, knowing just how much 'contact' she had had with the other in the past..
Two hours later, Hermione stood outside her parent's London town house. She was nervous. It was one thing to understand that by law she had to marry Severus. It was quite another to tell your parents that you were actually twenty according to your records and that you are now being forced by the government to marry a professor twenty years older than her. She steeled herself and opened the door, calling, "Mum, Dad, I'm home."
She turned the corner into the living room just in time to see her mother come out of the kitchen. "Hermione! What are you doing here? Shouldn't you be at school?" Alison Granger asked. She shared many features with her daughter, particularly the brown eyes and curly hair, though she had blonde hair versus Hermione's chocolate curls. They also shared the same smile. It looked like she had been baking as she was wearing an apron covered in flour and she had a smudge of flour on one cheek.
They embraced momentarily, before Hermione said, "I have special permission. I need to talk to you and Dad about something. Is he here?" She brushed the flour from her front good naturedly as they walked to the kitchen.
"He just went to the market to get some milk. I didn't have enough to finish the bread I'm making. Are you staying for dinner? When do you have to be back?" asked Mrs. Granger.
"I had hoped you would offer. I don't have to be back until curfew at nine o'clock," Hermione responded. They both turned to look at the living room entrance when they heard the front door close.
Brian Granger looked delightedly surprised to find his daughter home, but said, "Hello. What a surprise. Everything is well, I hope? You didn't get suspended or expelled or anything did you? Did that evil wizard fellow attack or something?"
At her parents' worried looks, she hastily reassured them that nothing like that had happened. Thinking quickly, she decided not to wait and just say what she had come to tell them. Taking a deep breath to calm her humming nerves, she said, "I, I'm getting married."
Hermione stared at her ceiling lost in thought. It could have been worse, she thought. They could have disowned me or something. I can't believe Dad. I never thought he would refuse to come to the wedding or even meet Severus. It is just not like him to deny everything without finding out all the facts first. At least Mum understands that I have no choice. She has always supported me in everything I did. I would have thought Dad would understand that I couldn't possibly give up the wizarding world. I just spent seven years learning everything I would need to survive outside the muggle world. I can't go back completely. It's too much a part of me. He's the one who convinced Mum that I should go to Hogwarts in the first place. I can't believe he refused. Damn bloody father! I'll just have to let Mum talk him around and hope for the best, I suppose.
Coming out of her reverie, she noticed the time and, seeing that it was ten past midnight, blew out the lamp. Rolling over to go to sleep, she sent a silent prayer to anyone listen for a sign that everything would be alright.
Severus looked up at the dark, foreboding mansion standing proudly on the top of a large hill. He had not been back here for years. Setting off, he curled his lip in disgust as memories overwhelmed him.
"We live in darkness, Severus," his father said, starting on one of his lectures that the eight-year-old Severus Snape had almost memorized. "Not reluctantly, but willingly. We thrive in the darkness that we cast ourselves in. Our heritage reminds us of that fact constantly. It is our duty, our privilege to support the Dark for the downfall of the Light. That is something you will learn before too long, boy. I hope that you are not totally worthless, that you will grow up to understand the power of the name Snape. Somehow, though, I suspect that my trust in you is in vain. You will never be a true Snape."
Shaking his head to clear his mind, he stopped in front of the door. He had been mindlessly strolling through his childhood home, no, house. It had never been home to him. He set a sneer on his face and opened the heavy door.
The room was dark. This was due to the heavy brocade drapes blocking the tiniest stream of sunlight from disturbing the blackness. You could barely make out the shapes of the furnishings. Not a thing moved. Only the sound of labored breathing broke the silence. It came as quite a shock to the occupant as the room was suddenly filled with a blinding white light. Once the room's occupant had adjusted to the abnormal light, he realized that it was the sun blazing through the now open curtains.
He wet his lips and attempted to gather breath to yell at who ever had presumed to disturb him in this manner. His efforts only resulted in causing a bone rattling coughing fit. When he could breathe again, he looked for the miscreant responsible. He scowled when he saw his son's lanky black figure standing halfway across the room. He sneered elegantly, a look which was mirrored, right down to the way the left upper lip curled disdainfully, by Severus.
Many years ago, it had been said that they had looked like twins at different ages, with the exception that the son was a foot taller due to his mother's genes. They had the same angular features and prominent nose. The black hair could have come from either parent but the utter straight and greasy look came from the father. To look at the two today, you might not even recognize them as family let alone father and son. The small shriveled form lying in the large bed, surrounded by luxurious black velvet and silk pillows with green and silver trim, hardly even looked human. His skin, that was visible outside of the voluminous black nightgown, was sagging and pasty, almost translucent. The snapping coal black eyes were bloodshot with fatigue and illness. Anyone could have heard the wheezing of his breath from the door.
As Severus glared at his father and long time enemy, the rumors were proven true. Octavias Snape was dying. Good riddance. It's about time. He's 173 after all. If only he had died before he got the idiotic idea I needed a wife, Severus thought. In his coldest voice, he said, "I hope you are happy. You have finally managed to find the one thing that could make my life more miserable, but that I can't back out of. What ever possessed you to think I would want a wife? Or children? I get enough of a headache teaching the rest of the world's brats, without my own. Well, you've been out to make my life a misery ever since Elizabeth died. You've finally succeeded. It's the only thing you ever succeeded at. I have one question. Why did you pick the Granger girl?"
Octavias laughed harshly as he responded, with just as much iciness as his son, "I could care less about what you wanted. I want this family to continue. The Snape family is older than the Malfoys, even. You are my only son. You must produce an heir. This is the only way. To answer your little question, she was the only one that fit my requirements. She is supposed to be intelligent. She is the proper age without too many ingrained ideas yet. Finally, she is a nice little piece of ass. I actually was trying to please you a bit. I thought she looked a lot like that mudblood you dated in school. I had hoped it would make you more open to the suggestion, but I guess not."
"She is my student," hissed Severus. He was positively seething at the presumptions of his father.
The old man waved a hand dismissively. "She is of age. If she is as intelligent as all the reports say, she will have no trouble passing the N.E.W.T.s and graduating before you are married. Stop fighting it and appreciate this gift of a pretty and intelligent female that those idiots at the ministry are handing to you. Enough! Get out of my sight and let me finish my rest that you so rudely interrupted," he commanded, flapping his hands at his son in a dismissing gesture.
Ingrained obedience to that voice made Severus turn and walk to the door. He paused with the door halfway open and turning to stare at his father with all the hate he had built up over the years of verbal and mental abuse, he said, "You may have forced your wishes upon me. But you have still lost. I will make sure you never have an heir. The Snape line will end with me. I guarantee it." Watching his father struggle to breathe in his rage, he sneered, "I hope it hurts. May you feel all the pain you have caused the world. Goodbye, Father." With those parting words, Severus Snape left the house of his father and never looked back.
Hermione sighed in regret. She had just finished her last class. The last time she would ever sit in this desk and listen to Professor McGonagall talk about the differences between a switching spell and a transplantation spell. The N.E.W.T.s started on Monday. She had two and a half days to prepare or do nothing as the case warranted. She honestly felt that she had no need to study. She had been ready for the N.E.W.T.s since January, which she had considering it was that time of year when she came back from the past.
She compromised by sitting in the empty classroom and thinking about all the things she had learned here. She was lost in her memories when her thoughts were interrupted by a loud "BANG!" and the sudden cries of a small child in distress.
Startled, she stood to investigate. She cautiously but quickly made her way to the front of the classroom. The crying got louder with each step closer to McGonagall's desk. She was only partially surprised to find a small child, about age 3, sitting on the floor behind the desk, tears pouring down her red chubby cheeks. She knelt in front of the girl and gently patted the girl's knee.
The girl stopped crying at the sudden touch. She peered blearily into Hermione's face as she wiped her runny nose on a sleeve. To Hermione's surprise the girl suddenly smiled and threw herself into Hermione's lap, squealing an enthusiastic, "Mommy!"
A/N: Surprise! Anyone who has read this cliché before will know where that came from. For anyone who hasn't: You will find out in the next chapter. Hehehe. Enjoy. Puh-leeeeeeeaaaaaze review!
