A Meeting of the Minds
Disclaimer: Everything here belongs to J.K. Rowling.
A Meeting of the Minds
Professor Severus Snape thought himself a man of his words. It was not so much of his honour that he had never broken a promise; it was more of the fact that since he had only made a precious few of them throughout his lifetime, the probability of him keeping them all was rather high. Even so, his promises were never without weight, and even more so if it was an oath. He had promised Albus his unwavering loyalty, and he became one of Dumbledore's most trusted ally. He had pledged his service to the Dark Lord, and, well, that was a different case. He also made an oath to Mel all those years ago, giving her his word that he would never marry, not unless she was the bride.
Severus had swore at Albus after the old man had calmly repeated to him the plan he had offered Hermione earlier. Unsurprised, Dumbledore was not discouraged by his Potions master's reaction. He had continued his eye-twinkling campaign on a scowling Severus, and repeated the mantra that the arrangement was really necessary for their battle against Voldemort. Severus was a smart enough man to see that but nevertheless, his honour was dangerously close to being compromised, and that made him furious. Dumbledore was aware of his relationship with Mel, was he not? Hell, he was even the matchmaker! He had told Albus during a weak moment after Mel disappeared that he would never find another woman like her. Albus knew about his vow to remain unmarried, yet he still proposed a union between Miss Granger and himself.
Albus finally cracked when he spoke of Mel. Severus could hear the clipped tones replacing the lightness in the headmaster's voice as his eyes turned cold, "I'm sorry, Severus, for your loss, as I told you 13 years ago. And since then, I've constantly advised you to let go of the past. I'm telling you the same thing right now: Let Mel go." Dumbledore paused, and continued in a softer tone, "You never know, you might be happy with Miss Granger."
Severus paced the headmaster's office, snarling like a caged werewolf, "Fine! I don't care. I'll marry that…that head of brown grass! But only because I will not allow the Dark Lord to gain any advantages over us through the girl. And, a warning, Dumbledore," Severus raged as he paused at Albus' desk, "Do not expect me to love her."
There was no response to the comment from the headmaster. For a moment, Severus actually believed that Dumbledore was speechless. Unfortunately, it was not to be. The twinkling eyes returned with full force. "That's fine, my dear boy, as long as you promise to behave with Miss Granger. No snark comments and the like. Play nice, won't you?"
Severus gruffed.
"Promise?"
Severus gruffed again.
"Excellent! I'll inform Miss Granger and we'll make arrangements, shall we?"
Severus snarled and swept out of Dumbledore's office.
Severus frowned as his introspections came to an abrupt halt. The door to his private chambers had opened and there could only be one person apart from himself who could have done that. He spared a glance for the hourglass standing on his desk. As usual, his wife was punctual. It had become an unspoken arrangement between them for her to return to the dungeons 15 minutes before curfew, and for him to leave the chambers before she awoke in the morning. And it was also by mutual agreement that they avoided each other as much as possible during the day.
From the moment she entered the room, their interaction adhered strictly to the nightly routine. Hermione readied herself for bed while Severus gulped down some fire whiskey before stripping down to his boxers. Half an hour later, they would be in bed, carrying out the duty due to each other as husband and wife. It was a horribly impersonal affair that could never end soon enough for both of them.
Later, as Snape lay sleeping, Hermione debated with herself as to whether she should talk to him about the direction their marriage was heading. She had wanted to do that weeks ago, but he had been so cold and unfeeling towards her. Hermione had hoped that their relationship would improve with time, but she was sorely disappointed. Still, she did not blame her husband too much. She was just as much at fault for not making an effort. Tomorrow, she promised herself. Tomorrow, we'll talk. We'll talk and I'll tell him.
Satisfied with her decision, Hermione closed her eyes and surrendered to the darkness.