Disclaimer: J.K.Rowling owns everything, I don't. No copyright infringement is intended.
A/N: There seemed to be some confusion, so I just wanted to clarify that yes, the wedding scene in the previous chapter was another one of Hermione's dreams. At some point I'll go back and clarify that, but for now just take my word for it. Thanks!!
Chapter 13
It had been just moments ago that Hermione had not so innocently stumbled across her Professors' heated exchange, but as she stood in the doorway to Professor Snape's office, she was engulfed by the abrupt stillness that had taken over the room. She wasn't sure whether the awkward silence was a result of shock from her acceptance to marry so soon or fear that she had overheard too much of their private conversation, but as she saw Professor McGonagall's eyes dart about the room looking for a safe place to land, the intuitive student surmised that it was probably a little of both.
Under other circumstances she might have found the premise of their private conversation insulting, but at that moment, with her muscles still straining from the effects of a dark curse, she actually found it endearing to see the ranking officers of Hogwarts huddled together on her behalf. It was also quite empowering to know that, regardless of their desire to move up the wedding, it had ultimately been her choice to push forward immediately.
During the past few months Hermione had learned that it was one thing to have a plan -- even a great plan -- but even the best plans had obstacles to overcome. She had never really understood what he had meant, but her father would often say to her, "There really isn't much of a difference between obstacles and opportunities -- both of them will disrupt your plans. The trick is to figure out what you want most in this life and then stick to that."
Standing over her Professor and Lucius Malfoy, she had understood his words completely. While it was clear that she was being presented with an opportunity to cut and run, it was also clear that such a rash decision would be a precursor to a dangerous future. Hermione wasn't sure what she wanted out of life, but looking over her shoulder and running from shadows was not at the top of her list. No, this time she would choose the obstacle over the opportunity. She could still have a new life, away from the Ministry and the upcoming war -- she just had to stick as close as she could to her original plan. With that in mind, she decided put aside her frustrations at been forced into marriage, and stay to play the role of a Death Eater's wife.
"Well my dear, I think that is for the best."
Hermione head snapped up at the Headmaster's solemn words. For a moment she was afraid his rumored omniscience was true and he had found out about her plans to leave. Thankfully, before the telltale shock could register on her face, the occupants of the room sprung into action and she was able to mask her unfounded fear.
Amid a rush of tartan, Professor McGonagall was by her side with a comforting hand resting on her shoulder. "Hermione," she sighed and pulled the student into a motherly embrace, "I know that this has all been quite a shock to you, but the sooner this is taken care of the better off things will be."
With years of practice on her side, she spent not more than a moment checking her prize student for injuries. Satisfied of her findings, she thrust a piece of chocolate into Hermione's mouth and pushed her into a nearby chair. Initially Hermione felt like a child being coddled and pushed aside, but as she bit into the chocolate and allowed the sweet taste to warm her body and ease her shaking muscles, her insecurities diminished. With the air of someone who had seen many twists and turns in her life, the Professor then added, "You'll see, things will be back to normal before you know it."
Through a mouthful of chocolate Hermione replied, "Yes, well... while I still don't agree with how you went about this," this comment had been directed to the repentant looking Headmaster. "It does seem to be the only option I have left. Now the only question appears to be -- exactly when with this take place?"
"Right now." The terse comment was issued with the air of finality, and as Hermione spun around, Snape put up his hand as if to wave away her complaints. "As Minerva said, the sooner the better. I will be meeting with the Dark Lord tonight, and if we are already married by then, I will have a better chance of controlling the situation. If we are lucky I will be able to convince him that, regardless of the occurrences over the last few hours, my new wife will not be a threat to his plans of world domination." Under his breath, too low for the others to hear, he added, "Let's just hope that Lucius doesn't get to him first."
As Snape silently reflected on his concerns, Professor Dumbledore jumped in to add his own thoughts to the proposal. "That won't be a problem. I've already taken the liberty of initiating the process to obtain the necessary Ministry paperwork." Seeing his young charge's expression darken, he quickly added, "Rest assured child, it was only as a safeguard. All Marriage Certificates must be stamped by the Ministry prior to the actual wedding and are valid for one full year. I thought it best to get the paperwork in place well ahead of time to avoid any undue speculation by some of the more corrupt Ministry officials."
Hermione almost laughed at his well-planned explanation. With recent experiences fresh in her memory, she doubted that had been the real reason for obtaining the paperwork -- a useful bonus perhaps -- but not for a moment did she think it was his main objective. As she looked up to rebound with a scathing retort, she saw the old man's pained expression at her obvious lack of trust. The flicker was gone a moment later, but the realization that she had the ability to hurt such a powerful wizard was a shock to her. She was so caught off guard with her guilt, that she scarcely heard Professor McGonagall as she began to outline the details of the ceremony.
"... And I think we should utilize the room of requirement for the ceremony itself. It will give a bit more privacy than the Headmaster's office -- those old portraits do tend to gossip." With a light twinkle in her eye, the Head of Gryffindor had warmed to the idea of a quickly planned wedding. Hermione couldn't help but think that, regardless of the situation, little girls and elderly matrons seemed to love weddings. While her own mother had often described the need to attend them as a necessary familial responsibility, Hermione's happiest childhood memories were spent listening to her maternal grandmother recount every detail of every wedding she had ever attended. A slight smile crossed her lips as she thought of how her grandmother would have described this event. "How romantic," she would have said, "a dashing man risking his life for a beautiful maiden. What a lucky girl to be gifted with such a chivalrous husband."
Hermione's smile slowly faded as she realized that not one member of her family would be there to witness her nuptials. Although she should have been relieved that her family wouldn't have to witness her farce of a wedding, part of her still yearned for their unwavering support. As if attempting to sooth her strained emotions, Hermione's thoughts returned to her most recent dream. She knew that her dreams were just idle musings, wishful thinking in fact, but she was still more than willing to take comfort in the fact that in her dream, her parents had understood and supported her decision.
Noticing that the elderly couple was looking at her expectantly, Hermione replied with false bravado, "Well, it looks like you two have thought of everything."
"Well, not quite everything," said Professor Dumbledore. "As Chief Warlock of the Wizengamot, I am quite capable of officiating a magical weddings, and I would be truly honored to perform this ceremony."
Hermione glanced around the room, and not seeing any objection, she agreed to the request. Despite the uncertainty that she felt about the Headmaster, she couldn't help but warm up to the smile that crossed his face. Within seconds a frenzied excitement filled the air; but with the theoretical discussions over, the realization of her situation hit her. She was now moments away from actually being married under the Ministry's insipid law. As she quickly surveyed the now bustling room, she noticed that the only one of them to remain calm and collected was the groom. Never stirring from his seat in an atrocious wing back chair, he continuously swirled what looked to be a glass of brandy, and exuded an air of indifference to the upcoming nuptials.
It was then that the butterflies in her stomach took flight.
Hours before she was joyfully hatching plans to stave off her wedding for six months -- if not eternity. Now -- by her own choice -- she was about to become his wife. "With all of the responsibilities and none of the benefits," she thought ruefully. As her mind capriciously wandered through visions of a proper wedding night, she felt her face turn crimson. The images of being brought to ecstasy by an older, more experienced man soon mingled with visions of wild sexual abandon. Having not yet experienced either, her fantasies were limited to the descriptions she had only read about. With a sidelong glance at the man by her side, she wondered what new and exciting world of experiences he could have introduced to her -- if it weren't for his promise to the Headmaster that she would remain chaste.
Trying not to call attention to herself, she attempted to reign in her errant thoughts -- but failed miserably. Concentrating on the activities in the room was of no help as they were centered on the wedding that was about to take place. Feeling her blush deepen, she quickly looked away to intensely scrutinize an uninteresting chart of the medicinal properties of magical plants.
"Albus, once word gets out I'm sure the Ministry will expect a photograph for the Daily Prophet," commented Professor McGonagall. "Is there something you can do about that?"
"Perhaps, but we should have one taken just in case. We wouldn't want a fabricated photo to appear in its place," was the careful reply.
Keeping her face obscured from the other occupants of the room, and willing her blush to fade, Hermione attempted to determine the root of her odd reaction to the stoic Professor. Earlier she had thought about what it would be like to be married to the formidable Potions Master, but even after spending such a short time with him, she realized that her earlier musings had only scratched the surface.
If she were to be honest with herself, she had to admit that, while she had always respected his position in the school, she had an elevated respect for the man who had risked his life for her. When she saw her Professor fighting for her, she knew she couldn't just turn her back on him. He was putting his life on the line to help her, and her innate sense of justice required her to do the same. It was just difficult to come to terms with the fact that while recanting their situation, he deliberately downplayed her contribution. It was as if no matter what she said or did, she would always be a worthless Gryffindor. Although his lack of praise was legendary, she couldn't help but lament the dichotomy of the man before her. On the one hand he appeared to think very little of her, but on the other hand he had risked his own life to ensure her safety.
Without warning, Hermione was haunted by the physical reactions she had felt in his presence. As if on cue, her face renewed its tingle as she remembered his chat in the Ministry corridor, and despite the pain of Malfoy's curse, she thought of how there had been something exhilarating in the way he lightly caressed her hands and neck. The memory of his soft words of encouragement -- meant only for her ears -- brought a fresh shiver down her spine and pulled her from her introspection. With another embarrassing glance around the room, she wondered what her friends would say if they were privy to her recent thoughts -- she was sure they would think her mad.
Suddenly the memory of one childhood friend in particular sent a fresh batch of fluttering through her. For all her earlier grandstanding, there was still one important item that had yet to be resolved. She had to tell Ron about the wedding before he found out all the sordid details through the Hogwarts grapevine.
Trying to quell her guilt, Hermione called out to the room, "Excuse me Professors, but before we continue there is something I have to do."
Turning away from the Headmaster, Professor McGonagall focused her attention on the young woman. Although she had already determined that Hermione had received no injuries, she was certainly less than presentable looking in her current state. Looking at her as if through the lens of a camera, the Professor was dismayed by what she saw. Hermione's robes, like all student robes, were designed to hide the evidence of stains. However, not even the dark color and special treatment of the fabric could hide the results of her earlier attack. They were more than just rumpled and filthy; they were ripped and tattered in places, and caked with dirt and fermented potions supplies. Her face was also streaked with grime and her hair, always a bit disheveled, was covered with dust and looked positively wild.
After a moment of light tsking, Professor McGonagall replied, "Quite right, if you do end up on the front page of the newspaper you will need to look much more presentable. And of course, you should be wearing a suitable dress."
"Actually-" Hermione started as she put a defensive hand to smooth down her hair and clothes.
Ignoring her interruption, the older woman went on, "Don't look so worried, you are standing before two transfiguration professors after all. I'm sure we can arrange for something appropriate for the occasion."
While the thought of her ancient Headmaster and her matronly Head of House transfiguring an acceptable gown for her farce of a wedding was at the very least comical, she had another thought in mind. "Well, thank you, but I actually have a dress already picked out for the occasion."
From the corner of her eye she saw the Potions Master quirk his eyebrow in contempt. Disregarding his obvious presumption that, like all women, she had a wedding gown at the ready, she held her head high and brusquely explained. "It was my mother's Graduation dress. My parents found it last year while cleaning out my grandmother's flat, and I had the Hogwarts house elves put it into storage for my own graduation. It's one of the few things I still have from her and I thought that she would have appreciated being included -- even if it was in such a small way."
"Of course," said the older woman understandingly, "I think that would make your mother very happy."
"I thought I would take this opportunity to go back to my room, freshen up and change for the ceremony." Although she had been planning to use the time to talk to Ron, the quick assessment she made of her appearance added another task to her list. A bath was most definitely in order.
"Wonderful idea," the older woman said with a relieved sigh. She knew she could handle transfiguring a wedding gown, but she wasn't sure if there was a cleaning spell strong enough to take care of the rest of her appearance. "Oh, and we also need witnesses to complete the paperwork. Perhaps you would like to ask Miss Weasley and Mr. Potter, or perhaps even Mr. Weasley to-"
"NO!" The shout was out of her mouth before she could stop herself. Of all the bad ideas that she had heard in the past few days, this would had to be the worst. It was bad enough that she had to reject Ron's own marriage proposal, she couldn't even imagine his reaction to being asked to stand up for her at her wedding to Snape.
Noticing the shocked expressions on her Professors' faces, she quickly attempted to smooth over her overly enthusiastic response. "I just think that considering the circumstances surrounding this wedding, it would be much safer if my friends weren't openly involved."
"True, very true... perhaps Arthur and Molly could pop in," the Headmaster mused, "I'm sure they would be delighted-"
"I- I wouldn't want to pull them away from anything..." Hermione hastily interjected. If she could think of one thing worse than having Ron stand up for her, it would be his parents. She wasn't sure if they knew of his plans to propose to her, but if so, she wouldn't be able to stand the disapproval in their eyes. It just wasn't something she was ready to face. "Perhaps someone here on staff would be willing to drop by? In fact," she said as she turned to Professor McGonagall, "I would be honored if you would stand up for me."
"W- Well Miss Granger," the older woman stammered, "I would be delighted. Thank you for asking."
"Wonderful," The cheerful surprise on the other woman's face warmed Hermione's heart. With one more witness to find, she decided to leave that responsibility up to another. Slowly turning towards her apathetic fiancé, she casually questioned, "Professor Snape, I'm sure you don't need my help to find our second witness do you?" Although he hadn't moved a muscle in response to her comment, she could clearly still see a snarl begin to curl his upper lip.
Holding back a surprised chuckle, she made her excuses to return to her room. As she bolted from the office, she promised to be at the Room of Requirement in one hour. As the office door was closing, she heard her future husband dryly comment, "a woman who can get ready in an hour? I'll never live to see that happen."
Without even a backward glance, she ignored his sarcastic comment. At that moment her thoughts were focused on only one thing -- finding Ron Weasley.
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A/N: Sorry to all for the long wait between updates. I had a major case of writer's block and it was only thanks to the constant poking and prodding, a well-placed guilt trip, and finally a challenge from my wonderful beta NegativeNine that I started writing again. I would also like to give thanks to Shiv for some great advice on how to get back the desire to write. With all that being said, I've got a number of chapters in the pipeline now (including the much awaited wedding and Snape's visit with Voldemort!!) so updates should come much more quickly from now on.