MARRYING SNAPE- mypseudonym
Disclaimer: Any character you recognize isn't mine.
AN: Here's Chapter 6. It's a little shorter than some of the others, but Chapter 7 will make it up to you.
Chapter 6
As soon as Hermione and Alex entered the living room, Morgan toddled over to Hermione and held up his arms to be lifted. Quinnie was sitting in her father's lap. Daisy sat with her mother and grandmother while Jordan lurked in the corner by his grandfather.
"Mother, Father, this is Hermione." Alex introduced her. He released her arm and took a step away from her.
"Hello cherie (dear), my name is Annick. Please don't call me Mrs. Snape, it makes me feel old." The white haired woman said, coming near to embrace Hermione.
"Call me Charles, Hermione. We're so glad you could join us this weekend. I trust Alex will find a way to make sure you have a good time." The old patriarch of the Snape family said from his arm chair.
"Qu'est-ce que tu penses de la fille, mon fils?" Annick asked (What do you think of the girl, my son?) Hermione suddenly realized that she hadn't told Alex she could speak French.
"Trés bien, Maman. Elle est belle, amusante, sympa, intelligente…" (Very well, Mother. She is beautiful, funny, nice, intelligent…) he responded.
"Elle est sportive aussi." (She's athletic also.) Severus added from his chair, remembering her run.
"Et aussi, elle parle français." (And also, she speaks French.) Hermione added. Alex looked at her, shocked and turned beet red. He blushed at the floor. Severus' eyebrows shot up into his forehead. Annick looked absolutely delighted and kissed Hermione on the forehead. Charles laughed heartily from his chair while Julia grinned.
"You've been using that as your own secret code against us for so long. Well now it has backfired on you." Charles chuckled. Julia laughed silently while some of the children giggled.
"Finalement, une fille après mon coeur." (Finally, a girl after my own heart.) Annick beamed, pulling Hermione over to the couch to sit with her, Julia, and Daisy. They sat all together, holding private and small group conversations for a few minutes before Julia suggested they all move to the dining room. Following her suggestion, they all stood and moved through the French doors into a comfortable dining room lined with windows.
Hermione was privately delighted when Alex pulled out her chair for her before sitting down beside her. Jordan sat down on her other side and Quinn sat beside him. Severus and his father sat at the two heads of the table. Dinner was delicious, as good as the company. She and Alex chatted away and laughed a lot. Hermione found a moment to whisper to Jordan that she thought he could be a fine medi-wizard some day and squeeze his hand under the table. Alex was right, the boy was delighted. He gave Hermione a big smile and a hug. Severus looked mildly shocked at the seemingly unexplained behavior of his son. After dessert, Alex asked Hermione if she'd like to go for a walk in the garden. She accepted, of course. The two set off hand-in-hand for the rose garden.
Two hours later, Hermione and Alex were lying on their backs in a clearing and staring up at the stars. They were beginning to form a bond and their body language showed it. They rested side by side, as close together and they could get, their hands clasped firmly between them. They sat in complete silence, but neither of them felt the need to break the comfortable silence.
"What are you doing?" Quinn asked, peering down at them.
""We're looking at the stars, Quinnie. Would you like to join us?" Hermione asked. Quinn quickly sat down on Hermione's free side and looked up at the sky. Hermione put her free hand on the little girl's back, silently joining her to their group.
"Aunt Hermiminie, what are stars?" she asked.
"Stars are giant balls of gas and fire that are far far away." She explained. Quinn looked at her.
"Like torches?" she asked.
"Like great big giant torches far far far away." Alex said.
"Is that why they're so small?" she asked.
"Yes." Hermione responded.
"That's really cool." Quinn said. She scooted down and laid back, curling into Hermione. It wasn't long before the little girl was asleep.
"Alex, I think Quinn is asleep." Hermione whispered after a while.
"Okay, I suppose we should go inside anyway, it's getting late." He said. He stood and gathered Quinn against his chest. Hermione stood up and they walked to the house. They put Quinnie in bed in the room she shared with Daisy. As they left, they saw Severus walking down the hallway carrying Daisy. "She must have fallen asleep in the library again." Alex whispered, gently leading Hermione down the hall with a hand on the small of her back. Hermione was yawning herself, so Alex took her back to the rose room.
"Goodnight, Hermione. I'll see you in the morning." He said slowly, obviously deliberating on something.
"Sleep well, Alex." She responded. He kissed her hand and left her at her door. Hermione felt her heart melt a little. Hermione entered her room and leaned heavily against her closed door. Eventually, she recovered a little and went to bed.
AN: That's Chapter 6. Chapter 7 is HUGE, it may take me two days to type up. To show you, this chapter is 2.5 pages in my notebook. Chapter 7 is 8.5 pages long in the same notebook. This is Friday evening, while Chapter 7 is all day Saturday. It should be up tomorrow, though. I'm probably going to start typing it as soon as I post this chapter.