Author's note: Hey this on goes out to Prowlingkitkat because even if she had some criticisms and manage to phrase them nicely enough. just so you all know, i plan on taking my time with Draco and Hermione because i hate a fan fictions that make them get to gether in like.. seconds. like betrothal Hermione is really a pureblood fics where they're like.. ok nothing we can do lets love each and have babies after like three minutes... :) anyway, this is for you Prowlingkitkat.
Chapter 18 – Concerning Wedding Gifts
"You gave them a what?" demanded Sprout.
Snape had to fight the urge to laugh at the look of abhorrence of lost innocence or something equally duffery.
"A suite of rooms for their own usage." Dumbledore replied.
They were in the middle of yet another elite faculty meeting, sitting around the table. As usual there was the ever present bowl of Dumbledore's latest favorite sweet: skittles-a muggle thing, apparently. Flitwick, however, seemed to be the only one indulging.
"But why?" demanded the Herbology professor.
"For goodness sake, Pomona," Mc Gonagall said primly. "They're a married couple! It is customary to give them a matrimonial gift of some sort."
"From their parents" Sprout insisted. "And definitely not like this. Not a suite of rooms for sure."
"Well in this case, that would be their heads of house. Their parents don't know about this and neither can they be told about any of it. Severus and Minerva have decided." Dumbledore concluded. "And why not a suite of rooms?"
"Well," the professor said. "You don't suppose that encourages promiscuity?"
At this point Snape couldn't contain himself. He snorted quietly. Only Dumbledore heard this and he smiled amusedly at the potions master for it.
Flitwick cocked his head to one side.
"You don't think they'll yield to the advantage of marriage?" he asked, popping a few more skittles into his mouth.
Snape spoke out for the first time.
"I thought that we have made it clear that they are not suddenly consumed with feelings of affection towards each other." He said in as sour a tone as he could manage. Truly, he was amused with the whole situation. Mc Gonagall looked so uncomfortable talking about such things; Flitwick was incarnadined from his toes to his forehead and this was the first time Snape had ever seen Sprout with some form of backbone against the headmaster.
"Indeed we have concluded thus." Dumbledore said agreeably. He plucked a green skittle from the bunch. "And so?"
"Well then, that should be enough to assure everyone that nothing improper is happening." Mc Gonagall said, picking up on Snape's thoughts immediately. "And should something happen it can hardly be deemed improper, after all, they are married."
"And CHILDREN!" Sprout exploded.
Snape was about to reply to her. (scathingly of course) but he was surprised.
"If this is the basis of all of your problems, Pomona," Mc Gonagall cut in coldly. "Then rest assured that Severus and I are to handle this. We are their heads of house and informed you of this arrangement only as a formality. You have no say in the matter. What we do and what we refrain from doing is completely our choice."
"Surely we can not award them as such?" Sprout countered.
At this point, Filius, Severus and Dumbledore all sat back to watch the cat fight, like any group of males.
"Award them?" Demanded the Transfiguration teacher. "They have already surpassed our greatest expectations of them."
"I had no idea our expectations were so low."
Snape had to commend Sprout for that comment. He had not idea that Pomona had so much venom in her.
"Perhaps you have never had any children, Pomona." Mc Gonagall went on ignoring her barb. "But doing so whilst still attending classes is an ominous prospect for any witch. That Master and Madame Malfoy have decided to face their responsibilities instead for ridding themselves of a child is quite remarkable." She paused. "and doing so without any genuine affection for each other makes this feat ever more admirable. They have behaved as adults and I think that it is high time we begin treating them as such."
Filius considered this for a moment.
"She has a point, Pomona." He said slowly. He grabbed another handful of skittles. "I really don't understand why you are being so difficult about this. Certainly Minerva and Severus know their students better than we do?"
"You as well will turn against me, Filius?" asked sprout pitifully.
The charms professor shrugged his shoulders.
"I just don't understand why we must continually focus our time on Draco and Hermione Malfoy." He said. "There are surely other matters to discuss."
Snape saw Sprout open her mouth again and decided that some silencing was in order. He did feel that the faculty had meddles enough in his Godson's affairs. It was beginning to get a tad awkward.
"Sprout was the one who insisted that we discuss such a matter again." He said with as much disdain towards the Herbology professor as he could muster. "I think that the time has come to just let sleeping dogs lie."
His tones were frigid and silky. He managed to address her with enough contempt to make her cringe, not a difficult task, for an expert puppeteer like Severus Snape. She had become increasingly annoying as she ranted and raved about true love and propriety. Honestly, the woman had no practicality sometimes.
"Yes, Pomona, are you quite satisfied?" Dumbledore spoke up for the first time in almost an hour.
Sprout who finally looked properly chastised at having to have been addressed by the headmaster.
"Yes, sir."