Disclaimer: Haven't we gone through this already? Say about, oh, 6 times already? Not mine, never was, never will be.

A/N: Sorry this revision took so long. Life keeps getting in the way. Grr. Anyway...lots of changes. Enjoy!

Hermione dragged her feet up the stairwell. As bad as the meeting with Dumbledore and Snape had been, she was sure that talking to Harry and Ron would be ten times worse. What she wouldn't give to go back to her rooms, curl up in her bed, and go to sleep.

She had reached the top of the stairs when she was met by a breathless pair. "Hermione!" Ron panted as he stooped to catch his breath. "Colin said that a ravenclaw boy saw you come down here."

"We were really worried about you Hermione. What happened?" asked Harry fixing Hermione with a concerned look.

Hermione glanced down the hallway. Classes had just let out and the halls were getting crowded with students. "Not here guys." she said, pulling them down the corridor and into an unused classroom.

She closed the door and cast a quick locking charm on it to prevent intruders and eavesdroppers. She slumped into a desk and waited for them to start asking their inevitable questions.

"What was in that letter 'Mione?" asked Harry gently. "Can we see it?"

"Oh! I forgot about that...I think I left it in Professor Snape's office." Hermione answered offhandedly.

"Snape's office? What were you doing there?" Ron asked. "Was it him you were going to kill? What happened Hermione!"

"Hold up a moment Ron. Let me say what I have to say, and then I promise you can ask all the questions you want." Hermione said, giving the boys a pleading look.

"I guess I should start with the Malfoy's proposal." Hemione began.

"That bloody ferret-" started Ron, but he closed his mouth with a stern look from Hermione.

"That's not the worst of it." Hermione said glumly.

"Meaning...." Harry started.

"Iarrieoohproffessornape." Hermione mumbled.

"Er...didn't quite catch that 'Mione." Harry said, craning his neck while trying to meet Hermione's eyes as she stared down at her feet.

She sighed dejectedly and said in a clearer voice "I said, I'm married to Professor Snape."

"Bloody hell! Tell me you're not serious. Please." Ron exclaimed, throwing Hermione a deserately pleading look.

Hermione just shook her head sullenly as she felt her eyes prick with the beginnings of tears, surprisingly for the first time today. She'd been so caught up in being angry that she hadn't a chance to get depressed.

"But Hermione...why? Why would Snape want to marry you? I mean, it's not as if he even likes you. Actually, I'm positive that he hates you as much as he hates the rest of us." Harry said, trying to make sense of the situation.

"Apparently, Dumbledore asked him to." she said, obviously angry at the white-bearded headmaster.

Ron's jaw dropped very noticibly. Harry seemed to be surprised as well, but he was doing a bit better at keeping it hidden.

"And Snape actually agreed to do it?!" Harry said, incredulous.

Hermione narrowed her eyes. "As far as I know, he had other...persuasion as well"

Ron clutched his stomach and looked rather green. "Good Merlin Hermione, please tell me that you're not talking about what I think you are."

Her eyebrows moved together in thought. "Depends on what you're thinking..."

"Ugh. I think I'm going to be sick. Snape getting...er...favors from you is more than I can really take." Ron groaned.

Harry blinked, catching onto Ron's train of thought and frowned. "Bloody perv."

Her eyes widened again. "What? Ohhhh no." She shook her head, her light brown hair flying in all directions. "My God, if he thinks that...he's got another thing coming. I was talking about You-Know-Who."

Harry leaned forward slightly. "Whats he got to do with this?"

Hermione sighed. "Not a clue. There wasn't really alot of talking going on during our get-together. All I know is that he made Snape put certain things in that damn contract."

Ron, who had sat down into a seat near Hermione, sat up staight. "Contract? What contract?"

"Our marriage contract." She said the word with disdain. "It's really a rather good read, though you might have guessed that from my...er...reaction in Charms."

"What was in it?" Harry asked softly.

"Well," Hermione sighed. "Some rules and obligations."

"Which are....?"

"I have to live with him, for starters." Hermione paused briefly, deciding to save the worst for last.

"I suppose there are worse things..." Harry said slowly during the silence.

"I also have to act like a the wife of a pureblood should, whatever that means." Hermione said flippantly, rushing through as fast as she could, as if it would be less painful if she did it quickly.

"And I have to have his baby."

"Bloody hell!" Harry cursed. Ron, on the other hand, stayed where he was sitting. Very still. If Hermione hadn't known better, she would have thought he had stopped breathing.

"Ron?" Hermione said in a small voice, glancing over at her red-headed friend. Had she done him permenant mental damage with her news?

"Tell me it's not magically binding. Please Hermione. I need to hear you say that." Ron finally said, looking rather pale under his bright hair.

"I..I'm not sure. It might have been. Why? What do you know?" Hermione said.

"It's just that...if it is...you'll be in a whole lot of trouble if you don't follow the contract."

"Trouble?" Hermione asked, wringing her hands.

"Magical contracts can have charms and curses tied into them. My dad's constantly going off about how a business deal'll go bad and leave a man dead from the sheer pain of the broken magical contract. He hates them. You just better hope it's not magical, 'Mione." he took Hermione's hand and squeezed it reassuringly.

Hermione smiled slightly at Ron in spite of his input. "Wouldn't matter anyway Ron. There's no way that I could possibly get away without fufilling it. Not with both the Ministry and Voldemorte against me."

"I just...have to be strong I suppose." Hermione said, more to herself than anyone else.

"How much time do you have until..well...you know." Harry asked.

"2 months." she answered, with a slightly shaky voice

"Hermione, don't worry. It'll be fine." Harry said, rubbing her back soothingly.

"Yeah Hermione. We're here for you." Ron agreed, still looking slightly sick.

Hermione gave a great big sniffle. "Thanks guys. I needed to hear that." She smiled at her two best friends. "What time is it?" she asked.

Ron checked his watch. "Almost dinner time."

Hermione sighed. "We need to go."

Snape watched languidly from the head table as the dream team entered the hall. The boys were standing on either side of Hermione protectively. The Weasley boy shot him a glare as they walked twords the Griffindor table. So she told them.

Just what he needed. Not only did he have a student for a bride, one that he could hardly stand being in a room alone with for 10 minutes without wanting to pull his hair out, but he also got extra quality time with those two.

Why couldn't things work out the way he wanted them to? Just this once? He didn't want a know-it-all Griffindor messing around in his private quarters. The whole point of them was to get away from Potter and his gang.

He couldn't even scare her into keeping away. From what he saw earlier in his office, she wasn't particularly afraid of him. Though that would probably make things easier in the end.

Ugh, he thought, pushing his mashed potatoes around on his plate distastefully, he was going to have to bed her, wasn't he? Every fiber in his being told him that this was wrong. Never, in 15 years of teaching, had he ever even entertained the idea of bedding one of his students. During the 7 years he spent teaching them, he had practically raised the brats.

He glanced down at the Griffindor table. Well at least she wasn't ugly. Not that she was drop-dead gorgeous, but she had definately filled out over the summer. Her hair was just as bushy as ever, though she had managed to tame it with a hair-tie in the back. Her best asset by far was her large honey brown eyes.

Snape pushed his plate away, his food was cold and he had lost his appetite. He pushed his chair out and left the table without a word to anyone. Walking swiftly down the aisle, he took care not to touch anyone. He stopped behind where Hermione was sitting and said silkily "If you are quite ready Miss Granger I believe it's time to go."

Hermione turned in her seat and replied "Yes sir." and got up from her place at the table. When Ron and Harry moved to get up with her she shook her head at them. "I'll see you at breakfast tommorrow okay?" she said, trying to reassure the boys. They nodded and sat back down.

Snape moved out of the great hall at an alarming pace and Hermione had to practically jog to keep up with him. After going through a maze of corridors and stairwells they stopped in front of a painting of a man with dark hair and the same shallow skin as Snape.

"Hello Stephanus." said Snape. "This is Hermione, she's to be allowed in whenever she wants, is that clear?"

The man in the portrait, Stephanus, eyed Hermione carefully before asking "Why?"

Snape raised an eyebrow at the painting. "Since when did that become your business? All you need do is open up when she asks and that'll be all." he said dangerously. Stephanus growled low and swung forward, letting them into a sitting room.

Hermione followed Snape further into the room. It had dark blue walls, lined with bookcases filled with every type of tome. Hermione even thought she had glimpsed a volume of Shakespeare among the masses of books. There was chocolate-colored leather couch and matching chair in the middle of the room. She took all this in, trying to resist walking over to the bookshelves and reading everything in site.

"Well, this is it. There's no kitchen, as you might've noticed, but I doubt that from the glazed look you seem to have acquired." Snape drawled, pulling her into the next room.

Hermione was slightly surprised by the sight of his bedroom. She had expected it to be, well, a whole lot greener. The walls were a cream color, and the large four-poster bed had a navy blue comforter with crisp white sheets. Apparently her surprise had shown on her face, because Snape seemed to be slightly amused by her reaction.

"I believe your stuff is in there Miss Granger." he indicated a low dresser.

"Hermione." she said as she went over to the dresser and extracted a pair of flannel pajamas.

"What was that?" Snape asked.

"Call me Hermione. You can't call me "Miss Granger" all the time if I'm supposted to be your wife. Where can I get changed?" Hermione said.

Snape indicated the door on her left and she disappeared behind it. Should he tell her to call him Severus? Did he want her to? He never got a chance to figure it out because Hermione reappeared, fully clad in her pj's.

"Well, if that's all, I'd like to go to bed. Where do I sleep?" she asked, leaning against the door slightly.

"There." Snape made a motion twords the bed.

Hermione blinked once, obviously becoming more uncomfortable by the second, and asked "Then you will be sleeping...?"

Snape raised an eyebrow amusedly at the girl. "I will be sleeping in my bed Mis- that is, Hermione."

Hermione opened her mouth and her hands made a refusing motion in front of her. "Oh no no no..." she said as she shook her head. "Isn't there a couch or something I could sleep on?"

"I'm afraid there's no way around this one. As I tend to get nighttime visits often, how would it look if my wife slept on the couch?" Snape replied icily.

"But, I, uh.." Hermione rambled. She sighed. "Alright then. Well I'm going to bed, I'm exausted."

"Somehow, with all that yelling earlier, I'm not surprised." Snape muttered as he removed his shoes and outer robes.

Hermione climbed into the bed as Snape went into the bathroom. She was a little surprised with him. It wasn't nearly as horrible as she thought it would be. Yesterday she loathed the idea of being in the same classroom as Snape, and now, she was about to share a bed with him. Strange how ironic fate can be.

She heard Snape leave the bathroom and she turned her back to him as she closed her eyes, pretending she was sleeping. She knew that he knew she was still asleep, but it made it easier. He got into the bed, and kept himself as far as he could from her without falling onto the floor.

Hermione closed her eyes and fell asleep, praying that tommorrow would be better.

A/N: Big changes with Harry and Ron. I like it alot better. Well...I guess that's it.

Lemme know whatcha think!