Alastor Moody was speaking in his most blood thirsty tone, "I want answers and I'll have 'em. The Headmaster says that Snape is taking advantage of Hermione. That he is hurting the girl, keeping her against her will. I want proof, with witnesses to that proof. Then I will have Snape before the Wizengomot for abuse of power, abuse of a minor - "
"She's not," Harry interrupted.
"What?" Moody growled.
"She's not a minor, she's of age. She used a Time-Turner, she over age actually," Harry explained.
"Well then for abuse of a spouse," Moody came back with satisfaction.
"If he is abusing any of those things, which I must say I doubt - " Remus Lupin joined in.
Moody didn't let him finish. "How can you doubt it? Albus Dumbledore practically spelled it out," Moody raged.
"Then why isn't he doing something about it?" Molly Weasley asked earnestly.
"I'm sure he's got his reasons," Moody said in a dismissive tone.
"Maybe, but, I don't want to persecute an innocent man. Or face Hermione if she is not being coerced. And frankly, I don't see her falling for any coercion. Maybe using coercion, but she was cleared of that," Ron chimed in.
"Cleared? What do you mean?" Arthur Weasley asked.
"The Headmaster had Hermione at Auror headquarters for questioning. He 'suggested' that she had used magical coercion on Professor Snape, to get him to marry her. He inferred that Hermione was taking advantage of Severus," Tonks answered.
"How ridiculous," Molly assessed.
"Oh for Merlin's sake Mum, it's Snape. Snape. What do you think he's doing with that sweet girl?" Bill Weasley asked.
"Well, I want facts before I'll be a party to any interference," Arthur proclaimed.
"You want proof. We'll get it. We'll floo call them, and you're all witnesses. Now be quiet! We want the element of surprise on our side, so we get the truth," Moody growled. He grabbed the floo powder and opened a connection with the Snape's fireplace.
Severus entered and sat beside Hermione on the couch. He had just seen Minerva out of his private office where they had been talking.
Hermione looked into his troubled face, and threaded her arm through his. Neither saw the flames in the fire turn green, nor did they notice all the heads floating in the flames.
"Hermione," Severus said seriously, "Minerva has left Albus."
"Oh, oh no. Why?" Hermione asked.
"Because he has begun to spread malicious accusations. I do not mind." Severus covered her hand that rested on his arm with his. "However, the rumours involve you as well. I am sure that you will be getting protective responses from all and sundry," he said sneeringly.
"Protective responses? Severus what has he done this time?" Hermione huffed in exasperation.
Severus stood and began pacing. "He is claiming that I coerced you, that I took advantage of you. That I have been using my position of authority to take advantage of you for a long time. That I... suffice it to say, the word paediophile features prominently in his - "
"Severus, he hasn't?"
"Worse actually. He has stopped just short of accusing me of using force, but he's left it open for that conclusion to be drawn easily."
"Oh, Severus."
"I am sorry."
Hermione grasped his hands as he paced past and drew him down to sit with her again. "What have you to apologize for? You are the innocent victim in this. You are being falsely accused of... How could he? How could he tell such disgusting lies about you?" Hermione asked in indignation.
"Because people will be all too willing to believe it of me," Severus answered.
"No, Severus, no one would believe - "
"Would Moody?" Severus interrupted gently.
"Well... I... yes, actually, he might. But, he has a grudge against you. He hates you," Hermione reasoned.
"What about your friends? Potter and Weasley? Longbottom? Even if they could reason the truth, would they? Wouldn't they rather believe you to be my victim, then believe you are with me by choice?"
"I hate them all!" Hermione said passionately.
"Hermione," Severus said gently, reaching out an elegant hand and caressing her cheek, "do not. It is not the fault of those who will be taken in by Albus' lies." He brought his other hand up to cup her other cheek. "Had I refused you, as I should have, none of this - "
Hermione cut him off sharply. "What do you mean refuse me as you should have Severus?"
"Had I not bound you to me - "
"I initiated the binding," she snapped. Then more gently she reminded him, "You know it was me, you were there." She smiled.
"Yes, you initiated our binding, but if I had been unselfish and refused you - " his tone was self-depricating.
"If you recall, you did refuse me," she asserted.
"Nevertheless, in the end I did bind you to me I - "
"I offered myself to you as a bound concubine so that we could continue to live together. You were honourable and selfless. You offered yourself in return. You made me your wife, when I was willing to be your - "
"Hermione do not say that! You could never be that! How could you? You were an innocent. You are all that is good, you deserve so much more."
"I would have done it. I would have done anything so that we could continue to live together. I would have, Severus. I would have for you. I did not, I still don't, care what others think. You and I know the truth. That is all that matters. With our mission ending, Albus would have split us up, and I would have done anything to be able to continue to live with you, irregardless of the stigma."
"I would never have allowed it," he spat.
"I found that out when you bound yourself to me," she said patiently. "And again when we kissed for the first time after our binding. I think it was the most chaste pre-consummation kiss in history." An indulgent smile crossed her face briefly.
Severus didn't notice her expression. "I would not dishonour you. I did not remain chaste in my attentions long enough. I should have insisted that we wai - "
"You could not have insisted that we wait. We had to consummate the binding or it would not have been legal, and Albus could have still split us up." She smiled. "Besides we were both virgins," she teased.
"Hermione - "
"Yes, yes. You were not a virgin physically, but you were 'in a way' a virgin."
"You know - "
"Yes, I know, but believe me it counts. It counts for more then you can imagine. That I wasn't just a mindless - , well you know. You can't know how much it means to me to be the first woman you ever - "
"How utterly - "
"Yes, but you'll indulge my romantic ramblings," she said with a cheeky smile.
"You know I will," he whispered in quiet indulgence.
"Then I shall indulge you because flowery wording is unnecessary. I am honoured that I was your first..."
"...and last," he added for her. "You are my last in all ways."
"Damn straight! As I was saying, I am, unbelievably honoured. To be your first sexual experience with a woman that is more to you then simple sexual gratification."
"It is I who am honoured Hermione. However, I still sometimes consider that I should not have acted so selfishly as to - "
"Marry me?"
"As to selfishly marry you, yes."
"The spell I initiated was to bind me to you as a concubine. You had the chance to accept me as a nothing more then a slave, bound to serve you and your body for life. You could have accepted me as that, and given nothing in return. Instead you bound yourself to me in return, you married me. Marrying me was an honourable, selfless act Severus," she admonished.
"So you have said."
She gave him a happy knowing look. "Speaking of spells that I initiated - "
"You're - "
"I am."
Silence.
"Another instance of my - "
"Oh no! You will not even go there Severus Snape."
"Go there?"
"That's what I said, don't even go there."
"You are imitating James Adams' patterns of speech?"
"I'm not taking the bait, you won't change the subject on me Severus Snape. You gave me this precious gift and you will not regret it. I asked for it. I initiated the spell. I did not force you to accept, but - "
"I could have refused. I should have refused. Now is not the right time - "
"We can not wait for the right time. The right time may never come. We are both involved in a war Severus. A war. As much as I try not to think of it, because I would lose my mind; you could die Severus. I could lose you to this damn war. A fight that I know is important to who you are, and I respect that. Regardless of the fact that you have spent all these years, almost two decades, serving two masters. All of that aside, I know you must fight this fight. I will support you, even if it scares me to death. I can't lose you. You are everything to me. You are my best friend. You are my partner. You are my lover. You are my life. I asked you for this. I explained why I wanted to perform this spell, and you self-LESS-ly agreed, because you know how important it is to me. I can't ever tell you how much that means to me. Please Severus, don't let Albus prey on your over inflated guilt complex. I'd hoped that this is important to you too?"
Severus fell to his knees on the floor in front of Hermione. "It is," Severus whispered reverently. He raised one of her hands to his lips and kissed it. "How can I express ..." he trailed off questioningly.
"There is no need, I look into your eyes and I know." She smiled into his eyes. "Please, get up Severus, don't kneel - "
"Hermione," he raised his eyes to hers, yet he remained kneeling at her feet, "All that I want is what is best for you."
"I know that. If I asked you to walk barefoot over hot coals and broken glass, you would crawl on your stomach naked instead."
"Only for you," Severus answered seriously.
She laughed. "You would too, you imbecile."
"Hermione, if you believe this is what is best for you, then I will respect that. You are a strong and intelligent witch. I will not allow Albus to cause me to doubt our decisions again."
"Severus, they are just that; our decisions. No one else's." She pulled him up to sit with her.
"There is still the matter of what you will have to face after Albus' latest attempts to interfere with us."
"May I make a suggestion, that maybe you would like to follow as well?"
"Anything."
"Severus." Hermione raised her palm to his cheek and caressed it lovingly with her thumb. "I know you can play a part easily. You have been a brilliant spy for years. Maybe when we are out and about, we could pretend that we don't hear them, that we don't see them." She sighed. "I honestly wish it could be just us alone again, like it was last summer. Oh how I wish it. Four months alone with you is not enough."
"Hermione," he said scathingly, "four months of spending twenty-four hours a day together, and you didn't get sick of my temperament, my sarcasm, my - "
"If I had, would I have been desperate to find a way we could remain together when we were called back. Although..." she looked at him with a predatory expression, "...had I known of the fringe benefits of being bound to you, I would have said something earlier."
"Benefits?" he asked in his deep sardonic tone. "What possible benefits - "
She was melting into him. "Keep talking."
"I know you, ah, appreciate my voice. However, this is over-acting," he said derisively.
"Acting?" she asked offended. "I think not," her voice dropped and took on a sultry, suggestive tone as she said, "feel."
Hermione turned to face Severus and took his hand.
Only one of the people in the green flames could see what Hermione had done with Severus' hand between their bodies. At the sight, Moody's muscles relaxed in shock, and his magical eye dropped out. The seeker in Harry came to the fore. He caught the falling magical eye deftly before it could clatter to the floor and alert the pair on the other side of the floo connection to their presence.
Hermione moaned in pleasure.
Severus drew his hand back, and looked at it. His dark voice held awe, "My voice? My voice excites you this much?"
"Mmm, hmm." Hermione said in a voice filled with sensual promise. "And this is one of the fringe benefits of our binding I was talking about, feeling your hands on me," Hermione pressed herself into Severus. "Having your mouth on me... becoming one with you."
The people who had been watching and listening to the entire exchange between Severus and Hermione, now realised what Hermione had done with Severus' hand. They reacted to the obvious intimacy that Moody had seen up-close with his magical eye.
Arthur blushed furiously and turned away discretely.
Remus Lupin found something on the floor to be absolutely fascinating.
Tonks was grinning one of her cheekiest grins.
Harry... Harry hadn't seen the private exchange between the couple, he was distracted by the absolute disgust on Ron's face. Only Ron wasn't looking at Severus and Hermione anymore, he was looking at his mother. Molly, she seemed... enthralled by the intimacy she was witnessing. Whereas her other son, Bill was glowing bright red in fury.
When the shocked interlopers in the fireplace thought it safe to spy once again, Severus and Hermione were talking.
"If I had known what simply being held by you, being kissed by you was like, I would have initiated our binding sooner. You excite me Severus. I am always excited by you. Everything about you excites me."
"That is not possib - " he began snidely.
"Severus I am excited and challenged by you intellectually."
"Perhaps... yes, I can see that," he concurred.
"I am excited and fulfilled by you emotionally," she added. "And," she said in a low voice as she trailed her finger down Severus' long row of buttons, "I am excited and aroused by you... by your voice, your countenance, your style... amoungst many, many, other things," she said seductively. "I see you are not impervious to me either." She smiled knowingly.
"I should say not." He took a breath to help regain his self control. After a moment he put his lips to Hermione's ear. "My voice you say," he purred in his deepest timbre.
"Severus kiss me," she entreated.
Severus bent his head and captured Hermione's lips with his own. He did not linger, instead he moved and kissed her wrist; the touch of his lips caused Hermione to be flooded with all her affection for this dark wizard. He proceeded to place gentle kisses up the length of her arm, when he allowed his tongue to tease her inner elbow she inhaled abruptly in delight. The sensations of his warm lips on her skin was intoxicating. Severus lifted his head and drew her to him, enfolding her in his long black clad arms. He lay tiny feather-light kisses on the back and side of her neck. She turned in his arms and took his face in her hands. She caressed his high cheekbones with her thumbs and gazed into the black depths of his eyes.
"I love you Severus Snape," she said with her heart in her eyes, "I love you so much, in every way imaginable."
He took a breath that he was ashamed to note was less then steady, "Hermione," he breathed her name, but it was like a klaxon in the silence, "I - "
"Shhh. I know you love me Severus. You tell me in everything that you do. Words are not necessary." She smiled.
"And yet, I find myself unable to withhold them."
She held her breath in anticipation.
"I love you Hermione Snape," Severus said reverently.
'He said it,' she thought in wonder. 'He actually voiced his love for me. He said it.' She felt as if her heart had taken flight. She was now kissing him in earnest.
As Hermione began to undo Severus' buttons the flames in the fireplace abruptly lost their green tinge.
Arthur Weasley and Remus Lupin had closed the floo connection simultaneously.
"I think we've intruded enough," Remus said.
"Yes, we have! We should never have invaded their privacy." Arthur emphasised, "Never."
"You all heard everything. Now you know for yourselves," Harry Potter declared in voice intended to carry, "that neither of them is coercing the other."
"I don't understand, the Headmaster - " Moody began.
Remus spoke and cut the old Auror off, "Maybe this once the Headmaster has made a mistake."
"Albus Dumbledore doesn't make mistakes," Bill said.
"He has this time," a firm voice with a slight Scottish accent declared firmly.
"Minerva?" Arthur responded.
Minerva McGonagall stood just inside the room, her trunks resting on the floor near her feet.
"Minerva is everything okay?" Molly asked solicitously.
"I have just come from the Snape's. I can tell you with absolute certainty that their relationship is natural and good. There is not coercion, magical or otherwise. Neither has power over the other. They are equal in respect and love for each other." She refuted Albus' words.
"As we found out when Hermione was questioned at the Ministry," Tonks concurred. "They did their binding legalisation under Veritaserum in front of Madam Bones."
"So?" Moody growled.
Tonks responded in thorough exasperation, "They were both questioned about the use of undue influence or coercion, either magical or otherwise. They both answered no, under independent Ministry Certified Veritaserum. There can be no doubt. There was never any coercion in their relationship."
"Why didn't you say so sooner girl?" Moody barked.
"Because it should be their private business. I had hoped it wouldn't be necessary to expose it," she said pointedly.
Moody just harumphed.
Severus drew back and looked into Hermione's eyes. "You are, you are pregnant with my child? I am going to be a father?"
"You are," she answered tensely. "I know you did it for me. Because I asked you to... because I initiated it, the fertility spell that is. But, are you pleased? Do you want this as well, even a little?"
"I am... overwhelmed," he answered honestly.
"Good overwhelmed, or bad overwhelmed?" she asked, as a hint of insecurity crept into her voice.
"Good overwhelmed," he said decisively. He gave her one of his rare smiles.
Encouraged she admitted, "I'm a little scared."
"Regrets?"
"Never! Just a healthy fear of the unknown," she replied.
He laughed a deep rich sound that vibrated through her, pulling her in, until she laughed along with him. The tension in Hermione broke in the unexpected moment of shared joy.
Their moment was shattered by the arrival of James Adams at their door.
Hermione threw on a robe and went to the door. "James?" Hermione greeted him with a smile. "Come in, sit down."
James sat in a wing chair, Hermione and Severus took seats on the couch.
"I've just come from The Dark Lord," he said somewhat breathlessly.
"I was not summoned," Snape said challengingly.
"No, you see he suspects - "
"The Dark Lord suspects that my loyalties are not all his," Severus said grimly.
"Exactly. He will be summoning us all later this week, to test your loyalty," James supplied.
"Then I shall have to make him believe - " Snape began.
"Severus! You can't go back!" Hermione protested.
"Hermione," Severus said in a warning tone.
"Severus, no!" she reiterated.
"Hermione, you know that I must," Severus said sternly.
He turned to James. "Do you have an idea of what he will require of me?" Snape said in a disgusted tone.
"Er... well... he didn't say, in detail... really." James hedged.
"What precisely did he say?" Snape asked.
"Madam Snape, would you excuse us?" James asked politely.
"No. I want to know what Severus intends to face," she said vehemently.
"Professor Snape, please, I would be more comfortable relating this without your wife's presence," James beseeched.
"I am sure that you would. Be that as it may, I would tell her anything you say to me. Therefore, there is no need for the delay," Snape said with irritation.
"Let me think how to put it - "
"Just say what you know Adams, I - " Snape snarled.
He was cut off by Hermione, "We're all in this together. There's no need to search for pretty words, nothing can make this war more palatable. Delicate wording and euphemisms have no place here. They will only lead to misunderstandings, mistakes, and tragedy. Be straight with us. Please," Hermione said, in an attempt to appeal to James' American Muggle sensibilities.
"Okay, you asked for it. From what I can tell you need to supply information from Madam Snape that will be useful. Information that could only have come from her. It has to be practical, applicable, and of immediate value. Something that will actively help The Dark Lord. If you can't do this, if she hasn't given you any information, then you are to be considered a Mudblood lover, and a traitor to The Dark Lord. Madam Snape will be... she will be... it won't go well for her, and she'll be dead after it's over. You know what they do for sport. And to punish a traitor... from what I got it'll be a very long pain filled time before she is killed. If you are found to be a Mudblood lover and a traitor, they plan to make you witness the atrocities, the things they plan to do to her... then you will watch her death. Finally you'll be tortured and killed too. I'm sorry. If there is anyway I can help, anything I can do... maybe Madam Snape is right and you should just - "
"Just what? Do you think we can hide from The Dark Lord? Do you think we would even be safe here at Hogwarts?" Snape asked sneeringly.
"No, I s'pose not," James said thoughtfully. "But, I can't see walking into guaranteed, repeated vicious er... atrocities, torture, and death either."
Severus suppressed a cringe.
"I will just have to supply some useful information," Hermione said.
"Maybe if we ask old Dumbledore," James suggested.
"Ha!" Hermione scoffed. "No, I think we can do this ourselves."
"What Hermione is saying is that the Headmaster seems to have allowed his personal prejudices to interfere in his Order related decisions."
"Is he untrustworthy?" James asked.
"He never has been," Snape answered, "until recently. Now he's not so much untrustworthy as he seems to have a one track mind. Everything comes back to his need to separate," Severus took Hermione's hand in a rare show of public attachment, "us. Whenever any topic comes up he turns it into a plan to drive us apart. It is unlike him, However, it has been his behaviour of late. And when he twists the topic back around to us he..."
"...becomes a raving lunatic," Hermione finished.
"The Headmaster was angry that we took the initiative of marrying without asking him. This was not unexpected. It is his continued zeal on the subject that is unusual. He seems driven to separate us at any cost. This quest has been a detriment to his leadership in many ways."
"Hmm, and this is only about you two? And it's not his typical behaviour?" James asked.
"It is not a typical way for the Headmaster to deal with any situation," Severus answered.
"Yes, it's only when it concerns us, why?" Hermione added challengingly.
"When did he start acting this way?" James asked.
"A short while after we met you at your first Order meeting," Hermione answered.
"Hmmm," James became quiet and thoughtful. "I heard a rumour, at least I thought it was a rumour."
"What rumour?" Snape demanded.
"That he, your Headmaster, is under the influence of a new mind altering Dark spell," James answered.
"Where did you hear this?" Snape snapped.
"Narcissa Malfoy," James replied evenly.
"And how did you come to be Narcissa's confidant?" Snape asked suspiciously.
"I have been... romancing her. In order to get information. This just seemed so far fetched. I never thought anyone could get close enough to Dumbledore to pull it off. I thought it was all empty boasting," James said.
"What is this supposed spell meant to accomplish?" Snape queried with a sneer.
"It's supposed to release certain inhibitions in a controlled way. Once cast, the victims first flash of anger after being hit with the spell will become an obsession for them. It will take over their minds. They will spend most of their time concentrating on this anger, plotting revenge and the like. It will become all-consuming for them."
"Narcissa Malfoy told you that Albus has been cursed with this?" Hermione asked.
"Not in so many words, but essentially, yes," James said thoughtfully.
"I do not think that Albus is acting under any Dark Magic. I would know. Minerva would most assuredly know. Albus is, as you pointed out, impossible to get to," Severus said thoughtfully. "No, I do not think this spell has been cast on the Headmaster," Severus assessed.
"This is just Albus' true self surfacing. He has had the potential all along," Hermione added.
"Indeed," Severus concurred.
"But for the dark spell to work, the potential has to be present," James added. "So, if Dumbledore always had this potential - "
"Not just a potential," Hermione corrected. "Albus Dumbledore has a penchant. He has manipulated people at their expense, and at any cost to them, to aid his own ends. He's been doing this for decades," Hermione added heatedly.
"We should investigate this - " Severus began. He gasped mid-sentence and clutched his left forearm.
"I think he wants a word with you," James surmised solemnly.
"Severus, don't - "
"Hermione, I must," he insisted, as he rose to retrieve his Death Eater robes. Hermione followed him into the bedroom.
Hermione spoke as Severus dressed. "We haven't come up with something for you to tell him. You have to give him information. Severus you won't be safe if you don't," she implored.
"I shall do my best," Severus said tightly.
"Wait!" Hermione grabbed Severus face and made him look her in her tear filled eyes. "I will lure Harry into a trap for your Lord, Severus. Just like you suggested, Severus, I will lure Harry. Harry will trust me. I'll do it for you. I'll do it just as you suggested! I promise I will do it. For you Severus. I'll do anything you want. For you I will get Harry to go willingly into a trap... it will be so easy. He really does trust me to a fault. If Harry must die... for you... then so be it. Nothing is more important then what you want, Severus. Nothing. And I know you want Harry for your Lord. I will make sure that you have him, when, and where you want him."
Severus smirked at her incredible cleverness. What a memory she had given him to show The Dark Lord.
Severus tucked his Death Eater cloak and mask under his arm. "Wait here. I'll seal the floo and secure the chambers on my way out. Let no one in," He looked at her with an expression of grim determination, "no one. Not even if they seem friendly. You know what Polyjuice can do."
She smiled weakly at the reference.
"When I get back I will be able to let myself in," Severus said. "Wait for that alone."
"Yes, Severus," she whispered. "Severus!" She reached out for him. "Severus," was all she said, but the word held so much: a plea for his safe return; a declaration of her love; an expression of her need for him; and so much more."
He pulled her roughly to him, and kissed her fiercely. When he released her, he held her face in his hands. His penetrating gaze seem to be memorizing every detail of her face.
"Hermione, stay warded in here. I need to know you will be safe," he whispered.
"I will Severus, I will," she replied quietly.
He drew her to him a last time, and embraced her passionately. In his kiss she felt his love for her. She smiled bravely when he drew back and said, "I will see you soon."
She touched his cheek, "Severus."
He smiled back into her eyes and turned to leave. As he was securing the floo, he spoke to James, "I am warding Hermione in. I do not trust The Dark Lord. It seems that he will bide his time, but with him... one never knows. Please wait for me in my office and guard my wife. She, is a powerful, intelligent, Muggle-born witch. She is the embodiment of what we are fighting for. If you can keep her safe, you have accomplished a great feat in this war."
"And you love her. I will make sure your loved one is safe Severus," James said earnestly.
Severus scowled, and inclined his head.
"I will see you later," James assured him firmly.