A/N: Ten points to Cherriebaby for knowing that the Severus cliché was that his alcoholic drink of choice when stressed is brandy.
Five points to the following people for correctly guessing what made Hermione sick: Firepanther, RE16, Cassiopeja, EstalOne11, StarsLover, hermione21, Natsuyori, Amber Stag, and ...
To everyone else who made a guess I would like to say: she is NOT pregnant...yet. If you wish to check, the cause can be found in chapter 22 under the third requirement of the Marriage Law. If you don't want to or would rather just read, the answer will be in the first scene.
I realize that the past few chaps have had problems with scene separation. has been screwing up my formatting again. I think I have fixed it but if it continues please tell me and I will try again.
Anyway, here it is and thanks to everyone who made my reviewer mark hit 300. I love you all.
Wonderful thanks to my very special beta BadBugz.
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Chapter 27: Crazy Little Thing Called Love
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Severus was in the middle of grading a bunch of third years' essays, pointedly trying to ignore the recurring thoughts of his past and the fact that it seemed to come back and haunt him in the present form of Hermione Granger, when a voice called to him from the fireplace behind him. He turned to find the worried face of Poppy Pomfrey staring at him amid the flames. He raised an inquiring eyebrow and asked, "What it is now? Students trying to experiment and need and antidote? Who is it this time?"
Poppy just frowned deeper and said, "It is Hermione. She collapsed during her class and..." She paused because she no longer had an audience, Severus having already left the room before she said 'class.'
Two minutes later, Severus turned the corner to the hospital wing, robes swirling behind him in his haste to reach his wife. The moment Poppy had said Hermione had collapsed, he had felt any anger at her dissipate into the sudden fear that had over taken him. Despite what his brain had been telling him, he had become very fond of Hermione. And even the knowledge that she had lied to him for the last six months about living in the past, the fact that she was Elizabeth only served to strengthen his feelings.
Mind numb with worry, he entered the ward. As he saw her unconscious form, he stopped in his tracks next to the bed. She was so pale. Her face was contorted in to a look of extreme pain that unconsciousness had let her escape. At that moment she was beautiful in everyway yet it hurt him to look at her.
In an subconscious gesture he raised one hand as if to caress her cheek, but at the last moment the fear of hurting her in some unknown way stopped him. He started at a noise of rustling cloth and looked up to see Madame Pomfrey approaching him.
She still looked worried as she gestured for him to sit on the next cot over. She sat also and said, "I honestly don't know what it wrong with her, Severus. The students say she was fine for the first half of the lesson, then suddenly went pale and passed out. I tried everything I can think of. Ennervate didn't help. She has woken a couple times only to moan as if in great pain then pass out again. She can't stay conscious long enough to tell me what hurts or why either. I tried giving her pain relief potions. She had already taken one dose today for a back ache earlier. It was the strongest I had. Nothing short of the Cruciatus Curse would stop it from working. I just don't understand. I thought maybe the potion was defective or something that is why I called you, plus she is your wife. Do you know if she hurt herself? Was anything wrong earlier that you know about?"
He listened to this and at the mention of a back ache and the question of anything being wrong, he suddenly knew. A grim look of anger crossed his face, much to Poppy's surprise. In a forced sort of voice he replied, "It is the Ministry." At the mediwitch's confused look he elaborated, "The marriage law requires four hours physical contact between the married couple. Less or no contact results in extreme pain for the muggleborn party, since those idiots believe it would be the muggleborn who would refuse contact. Hermione did not get the four hours contact. We ...we argued and I did not join her ...in bed, as usual. She has been more than twenty four hours out of my presence and therefore the pain has increased exponentially with each passing hour. Only physical contact with me will relieve her pain. Damn stupid idea of Fudge's or some other idiot pureblood. I will take her back to our rooms. So we...er...she can be more comfortable."
Madame Pomfrey was looking at him in a disbelieving fashion, though he knew that she didn't disbelieve him, only that the Ministry would be so cruel as to exact such a punishment. She didn't protest as he rose and approached the bed holding his wife once more. For a brief moment he seemed to hesitate as he reached down to lift her in his arms.
As his hand slid behind her shoulders and under her knees, her eyes flew open and she let out an involuntary cry of relief. As he straightened with her in his arms, she shuddered as if crying, though no tears escaped her eyes. She stared into his face, pain written in every feature. She blinked slowly and as she reopened her eyes, a single tear coursed down her cheek as she whispered, "Severus. It hurts. Make it stop hurting. Please, Severus."
That plaintive wish struck home in his heart and he wished nothing more than to rid her life from any pain she may have ever felt. He had her that voice ask for him to 'make it stop' once before. Only this time, he could actually do something about it. With that in mind he swiftly carried her out of the ward to the safety and privacy of their quarters.
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As they entered the bedroom, he contemplated what it was that he was going to do. The walk spent in his arms seemed to have relieved her of the worst of the pain. The shuddering had reduced itself to the occasional fit instead of constant shivers. She had clung to him convulsively as if her life depended on it, which it may have if it had gone on any longer.
It was obvious that merely keeping in contact as they had been while sleeping would not fix it this time. The shuddering while reduced still happened at regular intervals and her eyes were still glazed in pain. She still seemed beyond coherent speech other than the occasional whispered "It hurts."
Knowing what had to be done and wanting to be prepared, he moved to lay her down on the bed. But when he removed his hands from her, she cried out in pain and instantly reverted to the constant shivering, so severe that it looked like convulsions. Unable to stand the sight he sat on the bed and held her shaking body to his chest until she calmed.
Without releasing her, he awkwardly maneuvered them both into a lying position similar to the way they slept except, she was now facing him. While the pain was still evident in her face, she stared knowingly back at him, surprised at his tender concerned look. She sighed heavily in relief as he gently began to rub her back. She leaned into the caress in a silent plea for more.
To his own surprise he found that his other hand was casually running up and down her thigh seductively, but when the edge of pain seemed to leave her at this, he continued. All of a sudden he felt shy, which was something he hadn't felt in years. His voice broke uncharacteristically when he muttered, "Is this better?"
She tried to smile, but it seemed to hurt her so she stopped and muttered back, "yes...but ...not ....enough."
He looked at her for a long moment. She looked better. Her skin was no longer chalk white, but had regained its rosy glow, though that could just have been the firelight. Her eyes were no longer glazed over and when she looked at him, it was the Eliz...er...Hermione that he knew, not a pain crazed woman. But the pain was still there, lurking in the background. Ready to rear its ugly head the minute he left her side.
He knew that if this continued any longer, things would go much farther than a little seductive caressing. He wondered if he had enough potion to make this work, then suddenly realized that he wouldn't need a potion to make her attractive to him. He loved her and she needed him in every sense.
He peered into her eyes once more and found that behind the pain, there was a well of love that threatened to overwhelm him. The next moment, he found himself kissing her and being kissed in a way that set his nerves on fire. He had experienced this feeling in twenty years. As they came up for air before coming together once more, he realized that he knew that this was the final proof that Hermione was Elizabeth, because only she had ever kissed him like that.
Several passionate caress and kiss filled minutes later, found both of them in only their underclothes, having no idea how they got in that state without releasing each other. Severus' every nerve was highly aware of every inch where her silky skin met his. He knew that if he kissed her again there was no going back, that it was all or nothing. He leaned back from her, with out relinquishing all contact, to her protestations. He looked at her face and in a voice thick with emotion that sent pleasurable shivers down her spine, said, "Hermione, do you want this? Because if we continue, I won't be able to st..." But he never got to finish, since Hermione had grabbed him around his neck and pulled him into a heart stopping kiss. In no uncertain terms, she assured him that she wanted everything he could give her.
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Severus woke to the startling sight of two brown eyes staring him straight in the face. He suppressed the urge to jump out of bed, as he realized that it was just Hermione. He gave her a confused frown as she continued to watch him with a little half smile on her lips.
Abruptly he was overtaken with how beautiful she looked this morning. Her hair was tousled fetchingly across the pillow, as the sun glinted off the highlights. Her skin was creamy and smooth, unblemished by the somewhat rough kisses he had placed on her face and neck the previous night. But mostly he noticed her eyes; clear of the pain that had haunted them yesterday, now only a distant memory.
When he gave a tentative smile back, hers turned into a grin, and she said, "Good Morning."
But his 'good morning' reply, seemed to get lost on the way from his brain to his mouth which instead asked, "Do you love me?"
She blinked in surprise for a moment before grinning wider and saying, "Yes."
A flood of warmth filled him until he felt as though he would explode. All his fears of the last twenty years of making himself vulnerable fled in the path of the love he felt for this woman right now. Absently he lifted a hand to caress her cheek as he replied silkily, "I love you too...Hermione," before giving her a kiss that she would never forget.
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In the following days, Severus often found himself thinking about Hermione. He just couldn't get her off his mind. His thoughts kept drifting back to the passion filled night and the sound of her voice so confidently affirming she loved him. These thoughts tended to put him in a much better mood than usual during his classes.
It did not escape his students notice either. They especially noticed when Mathew Babcock's cauldron exploded for the fifth time that year, and Snape only took off fifteen points with no detention. While this new side of the potions master astounded them, none cared to comment in fear of bringing back the old Snape.
His radical new behavior and less surly attitude was not lost on his colleagues either. His new found humanity seemed to confuse Professors Sprout and Flitwick, while McGonagall, Pomfrey and Dumbledore fought to hide knowing smiles.
Hermione noticed the changes as well, but chose to ignore the reactions of the other staff members. They all knew his past and therefore how she felt about him, but if they wanted to know more they would just have to ask, because she wasn't going to volunteer the information. If Severus being in love made him a nicer person, she was the last one to complain.
It's actually kind of cute, to see him this way, she thought as she watched him stare into space over his plate of eggs and toast. As the owls appeared to deliver the morning mail, she reached over and put a hand on his knee. He gave a startled jump as he came out of his thoughts and started to frown, before seeing that it was her and giving an imperceptible smile instead. She smiled back and said, "The mails here. I wonder what's in the Prophet today. More idiots being elected into the Ministry, I wonder? If there is one more article exalting that moron Fudge, I'm canceling the subscription." Severus just rolled his eyes in agreement.
The tawny brow owl landed neatly between the pitcher of coffee and the jar of orange marmalade, offering the rolled up Daily Prophet to Hermione. She took and placed the requisite number of knuts in its leg pouch. As the owl took off, she unrolled the paper and stared in horror at the front page
After several moments, she recovered enough to flip to the enclosed story. When she gasped out loud Severus turned to her and said, "What is this time?"
She turned to him, a stricken look in her eyes. She blinked at him and whispered, "They're dead."
He looked at her in confusion and when she didn't specify who had died, he took the paper out of her hands and read:
Muggleborn Suicides: Five dead
Tragedy has struck this past month, writes Marissa Scribbler. Arrilla Remler, 21, Natalie Crustlor, 20, Belinda Mudwallop, 23, Stirina Spooner, 20, and Falawen Wenchester, 20, has been reported dead. Official investigations have proven the deaths to be suicides by poisoning and drowning. The funerals were limited to family and close friends.
While the loss of ones so young, have hit the community hard, we must look beyond the pain, and ask ourselves why this had to happen. The answer lies in the connections between the girls. The only similarities besides age and being of muggle parentage, is that all five were or were going to be married under the recently enacted and highly controversial Muggleborn Marriage Act.
This law required anyone of muggleborn descent to forcibly marry any witch or wizard of all wizarding descent who petitions them. There are several requirements to the law including the productions of one male and one female child within five years. The law also requires direct physical contact on threat of extreme even deadly pain.
Further interviews with friends and family have provided much evidence that the Marriage Act may be responsible for the suicides. All five of the girls have been outwardly against the Law and were known to be unhappy with their new and future husbands, who were complete strangers to them.
Belinda Mudwallop and Stirina Spooner, both married, were reported to have gone into a deep depression just before their weddings. Contact with family became infrequent. Marcus Muller, Belinda's father, commented that, "She just stopped calling. We got no visits, no call in the fire, not even a letter. One minute she was there, the next zip...nothing."
The obvious connections between the law and the suicides have caused several groups in the community to protest this possibly hazardous law. Mother to seven and wife to Ministry worker, Arthur Weasley, Molly Weasley commented, "This law is an abomination. It is the exploitation of human beings to breed like cattle. I'm all for purebloods and muggleborns marrying, but love and children should never be under the jurisdiction of the Ministry."
In response to the out cry of protest, the Minister of Magic, Cornelius Fudge, has called a hearing to discuss the Marriage Act. Anyone who wishes to attend may do so at noon in two weeks on Tuesday, November 17 in Courtroom 7 at the Ministry of Magic.
Severus looked up from the article, and looked at his wife. She still looked a little shocked, but a steely look had come over her features as well. Answering the unspoken question in his eyes, she said, "I want to go."
He gazed at her piercingly, trying to perceive her motive for want to go, but couldn't decipher it from her mind. Finally he just nodded in agreement. At the very least it should prove interesting.
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"Minister, are you saying that the so called pureblooded families are superior to muggleborns of first or second generation?" asked Hermione. She was currently standing at a podium facing the entire Wizengamot. She was oblivious to the murmur of voices behind her. She was solely focused on the ruddy purple face of the Minister of Magic.
He blustered and turned a darker shade of plum as he fought to comment without yelling, "Not what meant at all. I was only saying that as the smaller group it should be the wizarding family that gets to choose the intended partner. That no way implies inferiority." He glared back at her, knowing that it was not a strong enough argument.
Hermione was also getting angry. She was tired of this round about that the arguments had been taking. Fudge was just too pompous and big headed to admit that he was wrong in passing the law in the first place. Determined to bring this to an end and win she made a final argument, "It is implied by the way the law was written. The muggleborn can not choose unless more than one applicant is given. The muggleborn is punished by pain if there is failure to have physical contact. If this law were fair both parties would have to agree to the marriage. The punishment would include both or would not exist at all. Many people have or will be forced to marry someone they don't know or possibly hate. There would be no escaping them. You would either die, get punished by pain, or live in the constant shadow of a marriage they don't want, with a husband or wife they didn't want, and children they did not choose to have. It is taking away all human rights to choose who to love or how to live. I realize that I am a lucky one. I found happiness in my marriage, but in the beginning neither of us were happy. I was being forced to marry my former teacher. He was forced by the will of his father to marry a former student. We protested to each other. We begged a way out, but none came. I found love, but those Arrilla Remler, Natalie Crustlo, Belinda Mudwallop, Stirina Spooner, and Falawen Wenchester chose to die rather than live with a man they didn't love. This law is wrong. You know it, I know it and everyone else her knows it. You know what you have to do, so do it." As she finished the crowd seated behind her let out a almighty roar of approval.
Sitting in her seat next to Severus, she blushed when she noticed that all the purple robed figures seated on the tiers behind Fudge and everyone else were on their feet and applauding her.
The Minister was still an eye smarting shade of magenta as the gathered crowd returned to their seats. With a withering look at Hermione, he barked, "Having heard all the arguments the Wizengamot will retire for deliberation." With that said, the purple robed officials filed from the room.
A tension filled half hour later, they filed back in and took their former seats. Hermione stared at Fudge for some hint of what had been decided, but he was stony faced and unreadable. After a moment, he raised his gavel and with two sharp raps said, "We have reached a decision." He paused as the room fell silent in anticipations. Hermione had a death grip on Severus hand, which he returned.
"In light of the evidence and arguments provided, it is the Wizengamot's decision that the Muggleborn Marriage Act, Law 43,211,987, is to be repealed. All marriages and contracts are hereby void. Any couples that wish to remain married must reregister with the Marriage Records and Registry. Any couple married under the Marriage Act must present themselves to the Registry to have the Contact Bond removed. Dismissed," he finished, with a bang of his gavel.
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Later that day, Severus and Hermione found themselves seated in front of the fire in their quarters. As they had so often found themselves as of late, they were snuggled together at one end of the couch, her head on his shoulder and his arm around her. They sat in silence, lost in individual thoughts.
Finally Severus spoke, "What do you want to do?" She pulled back a bit so as to be able to look at his face. At her you-should-know-the-answer-to-that-one look, he said, "I realize that I love you and that you said you love me, but are you sure? And I don't just mean do you love me the way you loved me as Elizabeth. We proved that the other night. I need to know that this isn't just some overgrown crush you possibly had on me from school. I need to know that this will last, because I lost you once and I would hate to have gotten you back, just to find out you don't love me and lose you again. I need proof that it will work."
"I..." she stuttered. For a moment she was lost as to what she could do to prove that she truly loved him. It was one thing for her to know that they would live happily ever after and have seven children, but with out little Elizabeth here to give testimony and her open dislike of divination, he wasn't likely to believe that she knew the future. Then it hit her; the rose.
She smiled and stood. Carefully she removed the white rose from its place on the mantle. Severus made a slight move as if to stop her but halted as turned to him. For a second the blossom remained white, before suddenly turning a deep red. Holding the rose in both hands she sat on the couch again, facing Severus. Her love for him was echoed by the rose, and showed in her eyes, as she said, "You gave me this rose the day you declared that you loved me. The only difference between now and then is my name. It turned this color once before too. You told me the darker the red the stronger the love. This is as dark as it can get. I love you with all my heart Severus Snape. But if this is not enough proof, this should be. Give me your hand."
Severus obediently held out his hand, palm up. Taking a deep breath, she placed the rose in his large palm and then covered it with her own. For a half a second she thought it wasn't going to work. But then suddenly the red began to fade from the petals as they turned a bright shimmering gold. Severus just stared at their rose entwined hands.
After a couple minutes, he seemed to return to reality as he breathed, "What does it mean? I've never seen it turn gold." He looked at her for an explanation.
She smiled at him and explained, "I saw it turn gold once. It only happened when we both held it at the same time, like when we were kissing or something. I looked it up once, back then, but for some reason, I felt that it was wrong to tell you. Probably because I knew I was going to have to leave and didn't want to make it worse than it already was. I'm rambling aren't I?" Smiling ruefully she continued, "It means we're soul mates. The color gold when applied to an emotions spell means purity or true love. It would only show gold if held by two people who were destined to love each other. It was because of this that I chose you despite everything against it. I love you and no other. So, while I would love to get rid of this Contact Bond, because we might someday like to spend a night apart, under no circumstances, am I getting out of this marriage."
For few seconds he didn't reply, only stared at the still gold rose in their clasped hands. Slowly a smile crept across his face. He raised his head and their eyes locked He leaned forward and softly kissed her and whispered against her lips, "Deal."
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A/N: Hey! So there it is. The rose finally made a reappearance. He knows now.
So I finally got my website up and running. I see that some of you have been visiting my pics page. Thanks. From now on anyone wanting to see the pics of the dresses must go to the website. I will not be emailing them to anyone anymore. I kept missing people. It was too hard to keep track. Anyway the site is www(dot)geocities(dot)com(slash)barqhorse(slash)index(dot)html. Talk to y'all later. Please review as always.
