MARRYING SNAPE- mypseudonym
All the usual disclaimers apply.
AN: This is the next to the last chapter of Marrying Snape; hope you've enjoyed it as much as I have.
Chapter 14
Merely a week after Hermione and Alex reaffirmed their engagement, all the shit hit the fan. Dumbledore's plan worked; by having everyone that the Dark Lord wanted to see dead concentrated in one place, they drew the enemy to them and had the power to force his hand. They also had the high ground, literally and strategically. The Dark Lord was coming. The news of his plans came to the castle gift wrapped in the form of Draco Malfoy. Finally able to free himself from the Dark Lord, he eagerly pledged his undying allegiance to Albus Dumbledore and all that he stood for, denouncing his father and the beliefs of the Death Eaters.
Draco was led to Dumbledore's office by armed guard after he had surrendered his wand. Dumbledore welcomed him into the fold, returned his wand, and assigned him to a battalion. It was the Headmaster's belief that Draco would do best under the authority of someone he could trust. It was with this belief in mind that Draco was assigned to a group commanded by Alex and Severus Snape.
Sadly, Draco didn't have the time to learn the army lingo, despite Alex and Severus' extra training sessions for him. He was killed by a Death Eater when he failed to react to the correct order, mere minutes into the battle.
The battle raged on, sparks flying through clouds of black smoke. Half of Hermione's airborne unit was used to levitate wounded from the battle field and transport them to safety. The others kept flying passes over the field, attempting to clear some of the smoke and find an enemy to kill. Her only loss in the war was Tine Marpold, who lost control of her horse in the crossfire and fell into the battlefield. Her Aethonon was rounded up and tied on the roof of Hogwarts.
On the field, each soldier in the light army had a personal portkey that, if their personalized password was spoken, would transport them into the newly expanded infirmary.
Ginny Weasley, a former member of Hermione's crew who has wounded in an accident before the war, was working triage in the Hospital Wing. She sorted the arriving witches and wizards into the different sections of the infirmary turned field hospital. Poppy and Tabitha bustled around healing and/or stabilizing people left and right. Sometimes, other patients would help them. Daisy and Jordan were safely ensconced in a fully equipped potions lab off the Hospital Wing. They were both well-versed in common healing potions and general potions lab technique. The most frequently used Potions they had memorized, but they had a book of recipes for some of the more complicated ones. Dobby the house elf was with them. Harry had asked his elf friend to stay with the children, protecting them and performing any magic that they needed.
The battle raged ceaselessly for three days before one side was declared the victor, while the other suffered overwhelming defeat. There were devastating losses on both sides. Finally, as the sun set on the third day of battle, so did the sun set on the Dark Lord's life. The victory was mildly anti-climactic in a way. For three days, the Light army pushed diligently through the Death Eaters, Dementors, giants, and other creatures, all while protecting their own leaders and soldiers. When they finally reached the Dark Lord, it only took a short duel before the man was overwhelmed. After a strong Stupefy, he fell dead to the ground with a dull thud. For a moment, the remains of the Light army just stood there, surrounded by fallen enemy and comrades. There was no thrill of victory, just ramped disbelief. After a few seconds that seemed like hours of staring at the place where the Dark Lord fell, they began to exterminate the wounded and disabled Death Eaters while collecting their own wounded and dead. No one was taking any chances this time, they were going to be absolutely sure that no Death Eater walked away from the war.
Hermione Granger took some time after the battle to speak encouraging words to each of her fighters. Now that the rush of battle had passed, they all felt the need for a clean body, full belly, and warm bed. The house elves prepared a celebratory feast that evening, which the solders dug into more from the excitement of having real food for the first time in three days rather than thrill in their victory.
Hermione however, wasn't very hungry. She grabbed a sandwich off of a tray and headed back outside. Ministry officials had arrived on the scene moments earlier and were overseeing the efforts of volunteers to identify each Death Eater's corpse before tossing it unceremoniously into the growing bonfire. The deceased from the Light Army were lying neatly in a tent across the grounds. They would all be collected by their survivors and buried honorably in the next few days. That would not suit the Death Eaters. They were to be burned. Hermione stood there until they were finished, eating her sandwich and murmuring a quick prayer for each of the deceased. Evil or not, they were still people, sometimes just people who made bad choices. Her contact with the Snape family had at least taught her that nothing is black and white. Life is about negotiating through the gray area and trying to keep your ass clean. That night, Hogwarts would fall asleep with nearly one thousand burning bodies to be its nightlight.
As Hermione sat on the steps just outside the front doors, she attempted to wrap her mind around all that had happened in the last 6 months. It had been October when the Marriage Law was passed, and April when the war ended, for good this time. Hermione's thoughts were interrupted when a young war veteran tapped her on the shoulder.
"Miss Granger, you are needed in the Hospital Wing immediately." The soldier said before returning to the feast. Suddenly, Hermione realized that she hadn't seen Alex, Maddy, Severus, Daisy, or Jordan since the battle began. Needless to say, Hermione sprinted to the Hospital Wing.
When she arrived, only slightly out of breath, Tabitha Weasley directed her to a bed where a tall, dark man stood over another tall, dark man. Hermione flicked away the tears coming down her dirt-streaked face when she noticed that it was Severus lying in the hospital bed. He looked horrible.
"Hermione, Alex. I'm going to die soon." He whispered.
"Don't say that Severus. They're trying to make you well. Don't give up on us." Alex said. Severus held up a bony hand to silence him.
"No, listen. I don't have much time and there's something important I must ask you. When I die, I want you two to adopt the kids. Raise them as your own, but tell them about me and Julia sometimes. Don't tell them the bad things, just let them know that once upon a time they had another mother and father that loved them very much, and who died to keep them safe." He whispered. "Promise me."
"I promise." Hermione whispered, barely holding back her tears.
"I promise." Alex said. His eyes met Hermione's for the first time in days. They were both dirty and tired. Their robes were ruined from the blood of others and some of their own, as if they'd ever wear those robes again anyway. They both had deep dark circles under their eyes from lack of sleep and a hazy look about them from the lack of good food. Poppy brought the children into the room just after Severus had made Hermione and Alex promise. They heard it all from their father just before he died. Hermione and Alex went with the children back down to their rooms. They got cleaned up and ready for bed, each of the children choosing to wear one of Severus' shirts. They all slept together in the master bedroom that night, because none of them wanted to be away from any of the others.
The next morning, Hermione and Alex were married in the Headmaster's office. Albus presided over the ceremony. Harry, Ron, Ginny, Tonks, Kingsley, and Remus were the only guests. It was a quiet ceremony that was very low-key and impromptu.
To celebrate their first full day of marriage, Hermione and Alex took the children to the Ministry where they filed to adopt all of them, even Quinn and Morgan who were missing in action at the moment. Before they left, Alex took the adoption papers to magical law enforcement and began the search for Quinn and Morgan. It was easily enough determined that they were not in Chile. The Auror in charge was able to find documents confirming the deaths of Alex's parents and suggesting that they children were in an orphanage somewhere in South America. A month later, Alex and Hermione made the trip to the offices in South America to pick up their children.
So many deaths made Alex more than happy to sell Snape Manor- if for no reason than that it was vastly too large for their situation. Yes, there were a lot of children to put in bedrooms, but they didn't want so many little ones running around where it would be difficult for an adult to find them. They bought a suitable house in Hogsmeade and decorated it to their liking, using many items from the old house. In August, four months after the end of the war, the Snape family moved into their new home. Hermione and Alex stood on the front lawn as the children ran into the house, seeking out their bedrooms.
"Well, Mrs. Snape, is this what you hoped for? You're eighteen years old, with a twenty year old husband and five kids." Alex asked.
"Six kids, and no, it's better." Hermione answered, resting a hand on her stomach. Alex looked at her in disbelief, before laughing, kissing her deeply, and carrying her into their new home.
AN: I know I know. It looks like the end, but there's an epilogue coming.