Disclaimer: Not mine. You should know that by now since this the third chapter of this story. If not, you should really start reading everything on the page. You may learn something. Something may be written up here one day that could change your entire way of thinking, but you would miss it if you just went straight to the story. Be responsible, read those disclaimers!

A/N: This story is AU in case you haven't noticed quite yet. I don't know if Albus will make an appearance. He might since I love the meddling old man. Besides, this is my fic. I can play God and bring people back from the dead if I want after all. Maybe I'll have Sirius come back from the dead and elope with Hermione! HAHAHAHAHA (evil laughing). Just kidding people, just kidding, put down the heavy objects and step away from the kitchen knives. No characters will be harmed in this story. Though….. I have pictured Hermione as the kind of person to throw things when upset. Perhaps someone will get it with a kitchen plate.

Chapter Three: Letters

"I did it. Last night, I really did it." Hermione told Minerva with no preamble as she took a seat beside the older witch at breakfast. "I did it, I really did." She picked up, and then set down her cup of tea without even taking a sip.

"What did you do that has you all ruffled up this morning, Hermione?" Minerva questioned, looking at the younger woman beside her. Hermione was practically jumping out of her seat.

"You'd say I'm a rational person, wouldn't you Minerva?" Hermione asked, looking at Minerva, her eyes a little on the wild side.

"Aye, too rational at times if you ask me. You always have to pick everything apart. I remember an incident last year when they stopped making you favorite quill ink. It took you five months just to choose a new one, five months." Minerva stated, looking at Hermione. "It's just ink for Merlin's sake."

"Exactly. Always rational. That's why I don't know why I did what I did. This is very out of character for me. Very out of character." Hermione's knee started bouncing and she began worrying her bottom lip.

"What did you do, if you don't mind me asking?" Minerva asked, wondering what kind of trouble the poor girl thought she got herself into.

"I sent it in. I don't know what compelled me to go up to get an owl last night, but I did. And now that the stupid questionnaire is gone, I can't stop thinking about it. What if I filled something out wrong? What if what I think I want is not really what I think I want?" Hermione questioned, her voice rising with each passing minute. "I didn't even research it for bloody sake!" Hermione was now having a fit at the Head Table in the Great Hall. Minerva watched as her face changed every shade of red before reversing to a pasty pale white.

"Breath Hermione," Minerva whispered, rubbing a reassuring hand on the younger woman's back while looking about to make sure they weren't drawing too much attention to themselves.

"I can't breath. What have I done? Oh my God, what have I done?" Hermione set her head on the table and worked on breathing.

"Things like this usually happen this way."

"Things. Like this?" Hermione shrieked. "This was a horrible, and now irreversible mistake! This doesn't just get called a 'thing'."

"Fate then, my dear. You are ready for this, even if you do not realize it yourself. Fate has taken the worry from your hands." Minerva supplied, hoping that it would calm the young woman down.

"I don't believe in fate." Hermione almost snarled. "I'll have to write them, this afternoon, and ask to be taken out of the system." She said, gaining a bit of hope.

"I'm afraid you can't do that. Once you're in the system, that's where you stay."

"But… but…" Hermione gapped, for once in her life, not knowing what to say.

"What is it that you're really afraid of?" Minerva asked, taking a sip of her tea while waiting for Hermione to answer.

"It's just that…" Hermione sat up in her seat and looked around the Great Hall. No one was looking her way, but for some reason she felt like all eyes were on her. "Minerva," she sighed. "I'm afraid, that when that owl comes back with a response, that it won't have anyone in it for me."

"Hermione," Minerva cried, wrapping an arm around the younger woman. "It's very uncommon for someone to not have a match. It's just the problem of finding one with a high enough rating that you would be willing to settle down with."

"Really?"

"Really." Minerva glanced down the table before scooting closer to Hermione. "In fact, there is one person that I know of that has been on the list at the YLC for the past ten years. He refuses to send a letter of intent to any woman that doesn't score a ninety-five or higher. Ninety-five! Can you believe that?" Minerva asked with a snort. "That's unheard of, that's what it is. That poor boy is going to be single forever if you ask me."

"Ninety-five. Really. That doesn't sound like a bad idea," Hermione replied. She could feel her stomach settling back where it belonged. "So, if I made the same such promise to myself, it could take years, or perhaps my entire lifetime in order to find someone."

"Precisely," Minerva huffed in response. "Why you would want to wait that long, is beyond me."

"Well, this person you know has the right idea. Why get married if it's not to someone that is perfect for you." Hermione said, taking a calm sip of her morning tea. "I couldn't picture being forever married to someone that talked only of Quidditch day in and day out. I want someone that would be able to talk about topics that interest me. To be able to hold a conversation with someone that has more than two brain cells."

"Really?" Minerva questioned. "You did say that you are looking for a man, correct?"

"Minerva!" Hermione laughed, pretending to be scandalized.

"Well, if you ever do find a man that is rated ninety-five or higher, you must marry him on the spot."

"Deal." Hermione replied. She grinned, knowing that it would be like a snowball's chance in hell of there being someone perfectly made for her out there. She wouldn't have to worry about a thing.

The two women held up their tea cups and toasted to the impossible perfect man.

Severus glared at the crimson letter lying innocently on his desk. He knew all to well what the letter would read, it was after all the end of the month. No doubt, it would once again state the obvious, that there was no woman out there in the Wizarding World that was a close enough match for him.

Sure there were witches out there with scores in the seventies or eighties. Any smart man would have taken any one of them by now. But after reading their answers, he resolved himself to only choosing the best. It wasn't because he thought he deserved the best, no, it was because he couldn't see passing the rest of his life with someone that he would rather kill than love.

As it was Severus was getting so fed up with the single life, that he was tempted to just accept any witch that had a score above a ten. Someone at least was better than no one. He hated the idea of dieing alone. At least a wife would see it as her duty to watch him die. Hopefully a decent one would watch him that is.

With a sigh he grabbed the letter off his desk and decided to once again read the depressing words that would be written inside.

Yenta's Livery Company


"A Happy Marriage is an Arranged Marriage!"

Greetings, Severus Snape;

Congratulations! It is with great pleasure that we would like to inform you that you have a match, within 98 (+0.05 and -0.05).

Enclosed is a response card. Please check the appropriate box indicating if you would like the results from your match's questionnaire, or if you would like to proceed with the submission of a letter of intent. If you decide to send a letter of intent, at anytime, please send the letter along with any gifts (i.e. jewelry, flowers, and small tokens) to the return address and they will be forwarded to your match.

Again, congratulations. We at The Yenta's Livery Company wish you and your match the happiest of futures.

Yours truly,
Jessica Thornton-Ffalkes-Jones
Vice-President, Carlisle Office

Severus froze.

He couldn't believe what his eyes had just read. It had to be miswritten, it had to be. Perhaps it was a joke. But no one knew he was enrolled in the YLC, save for Minerva and Albus of course, and they would never think to forge a letter such as this. Hopefully they would never sink that low.

This was impossible. All these years, and finally, someone with over ninety-five percent match. Hell, she had a ninety-eight. He didn't know what to do. He'd never been in this situation before.

He had to sit down. He couldn't think about something this life altering while standing up.

This was almost too much to handle. The perfect woman for him was right here in his hand. All he had to do was fill out a little postcard and send it back.

Severus dug around his desk and pulled out his quill and ink jar. With a slightly trembling hand, he checked off the box next to 'Will Send Letter of Intent'. By the date on the post card, he was given seven days to send a personalized reply to the YLC, or they would send the lucky lady a generalized one.

Severus leaned back in his chair and wondered what he would do next. What kind of letter should he send the woman? Should he be old fashioned and send a ring for her to wear until a date for the wedding was arranged?

A wedding. The thought of having a wedding hit him like a ton of bricks. He was going to get married. He was going to have a wife.

The thought put a small smile on the Potions Master's face.

Three days later found a giddy Hermione Granger beating the pulp out of Minerva's door.

"Merlin's beard," cursed Minerva as she swung open the door and glared at whoever it was that had the nerve to interrupt her reading. Was it really so much to ask, to be able to sit down and dead a book without an interruption?

Minerva raised an eyebrow at Hermione, waiting for an excuse. But, alas, the only response she got was incoherent talking that was so fast she was still processing the 'hello' part. Minerva cringed as Hermione's pitch just got higher and higher. The reason behind her behavior no doubt had to do with the papers she held in her waving hands.

"Get in her child and out of the hall before someone sees you like this. It's unsightly," Minerva said with a roll of her eyes. Honestly, what was going on around the castle lately? It had people with brains acting like complete lunatics.

Hermione pushed the papers at Minerva as she all but flounced into the room. Minerva took them, shut the door, and watched what was clearly a woman in love dancing around her sitting room.

"He's perfect, Minerva!" Hermione exclaimed. "I think I may be in love. Isn't that crazy? Me! With a man I have never met." She giggled and then plopped down on the couch right in front of the fire.

"You received his questionnaire answers I see," Minerva hummed, reading over the pages.

"But that's not the best part." Hermione said with a wicked smile.

"There's more?" Minerva asked, sitting back down in her chair.

"I got this just after I received the responses," Hermione said, handing the older witch a crimson envelope from the pocket of her robes. "I wanted to show you before I made a final decision."

Minerva took the standard stationary from the YLC out of the envelope and read over the lines of what was clearly a letter of intent. There was a second page attached, having a list of days and times that the gentleman was available to have a wedding. There were also spaces where Hermione would have to enter the information of where she would like the wedding to take place.

"My, my, my." Minerva clucked. "Seems like you have a suitor, Hermione." She looked up at the young woman, and her face was all but beaming.

"There's more." Hermione added, withdrawing a small box from her robe pocket.

There wasn't a woman alive that didn't recognize a box like that. Only jewelry came in delicate blue velvet boxes like that. Expensive jewelry according to the name on the lid of said box.

Minerva couldn't help but be impressed.

"There aren't a lot of wizards out there Hermione that still see it as necessary to send a ring along with a letter of intent." She took the small box to peer inside. "He is quite the gentleman."

"Isn't it beautiful?" Hermione questioned, never having seen a ring that shiny before in her life.

Inside the box was an engagement ring that had Minerva sighing in female appreciation for its beauty. It was forged from platinum and held one large emerald as the center stone and two large diamonds on each side. It wasn't too large, yet it wasn't too small. Minerva could really see the ring being happily placed on Hermione's finger.

"It's stunning," Minerva said, handing the box back to Hermione

"I'm thinking of putting it on and choosing a date," Hermione replied quite simply. "The winter holidays are coming up after all in two weeks. I could choose a time then, giving me plenty of time to sort things out before the second term begins."

"Two weeks? There's plenty to do in just two weeks."

"But it's perfect, don't you think?" Hermione asked, opening the box and gazing at the ring once again. "I loved reading his responses, Minerva. You were right; it was like I had known him all my life and something inside just seemed to click."

"I'm so happy for you," Minerva replied, batting away a stray tear that threatened to escape. She was just so happy to see Hermione so happy.

Minerva watched as Hermione plucked the ring from the safety of the box.

Hermione slid it onto the third finger of her left hand. She gazed down at it as the magic in the ring sparked and sizzled, causing the ring to adjust to her finger. Hermione could feel a wave of warmth flush over her and she couldn't help but smile.

She was going to have a husband. She was going to be a wife.

Hermione glanced up at her office door after there was a brief knock at it. Needless to say she was rather shocked to see Severus standing there. She set her quill down, folded her hands in her lap, and beckoned him to enter.

"What brings you here Severus? I don't think I've ever had the pleasure of having you grace my office." She said with a smile. Hermione couldn't believe it took close to three years to get the man to start coming out of his shell. "Care for some tea?"

"I won't be long," Severus replied, taking a seat on the opposite side of her desk. He had a sudden pang of guilt. Part of him wished that it would have been her that would have been his match. But he was a logical man and he couldn't ignore the numbers that said this mystery woman was perfect for him.

Severus saw her eyes narrow on him, no doubt wondering why he was here.

"I'm here to discuss young Mr. Anderson." Severus stated rather simply, crossing his legs and relaxing back in his chair.

Hermione couldn't help but look at his legs. Being that he always wore proper Wizarding robes, it was a shock to see the outline of how truly long his legs were when he crossed them like that.

"Shouldn't you be discussing that with Minerva?" Hermione questioned, seeing as how the matron was Head of Gryffindor after all and not herself.

"I have." Severus stated. "It's your field of expertise that will be needed in order to help Mr. Anderson."

"Why? What has he done?" Hermione asked, unable to keep the twinge out of her voice that told him she really didn't want to know if it was something bad.. "I'm not child minding for you. You give out detentions, you man them yourself."

"Sadly, it's not about detentions. It's about his atypical ability at charms. Particularly jinxes."

"Really?" Hermione grinned, getting a bit of hope. She knew Mr. Anderson was at the top of his class, and knew he had a special knack for jinxes. "What did he do?"

"He perfected a jinx, while in my class, that involved singing."

"How many people were affected?" Hermione asked,

"Twelve." Severus grumbled. He ran a hand over his face; the idiotic lyrics were still stuck in his head.

"The Twelve Days of Christmas?" Hermione giggled.

"It wasn't funny when they couldn't stop. It just kept repeating and repeating and repeating. It appears that Mr. Anderson saw fit to leave the spell in tacked for twelve hours."

"Wow," Hermione sighed. "That must have taken time. Not only to perform twelve different jinxes on his classmates, but then to pull them off while in your class," she couldn't suppress the smile that began beaming on her face. "You have to admit he's good if he could get something past you."

"Too right Professor Granger," Severus replied. "That is why I spoke with Minerva about disciplining him, and she suggested that we find a more suitable work schedule for him to attend to. It is clear that he has too much free time if he's using it to make musicals out of my class."

Hermione leaned back in her seat and thought over the idea.

"I think I could plan out a more rigorous schedule that won't give him the time to play jokes in your class."

"Perfect."

"Also, Severus, seeing as how this all came about in your class, perhaps you would like to introduce him to the use of Charms in Potion making."

"What?" Severus all but growled. He had wanted to get off with little or no responsibility on this matter.

"Didn't you read the last Potions Weekly?"

"Of course." He snorted. "But you're suggesting taking a student and performing possibly dangerous Potions with him that have a high chance of exploding while using Charms on them. I for one do not want to be killed by a student. I don't know about you."

"I could assist. I've always wanted to try it anyways. This way I get to try out Charm work in Potion making. You get to try some new Potions that require possible Charm usage with them, and Mr. Anderson will be buried up to his eyeballs in homework and research that he will never act out of line in your class again."

Hermione waited several long heart beats, watching as Severus thought over her proposal.

"When shall we begin?" Severus asked, knowing that when she got that look in her eye she would keep after him until he caved.

"We could test a few during the Holidays." Hermione stated, going to her drawer and digging out a notebook. "I've already put together a list of Potions that I would like to try while incorporating the use of Charms."

Severus quirked an eyebrow at the young witch as he grabbed the overstuffed notebook from her right hand. He looked at her for a second longer than usual. It almost appeared that she was trying to hide her left hand from him.

He shook the idea out of his head as he flipped through the first several pages.

"We should start with some of the Healing Potions. At least that way if we succeed, Madame Pomfrey will benefit from the results."

"Sounds wonderful." Hermione replied with a smile. She couldn't believe that they were going to work side by side like real colleagues. She wanted to do a victory dance. Here she was, going to do new Potion studies with her ex-Professor.

"I'll take the pleasure of informing Mr. Anderson," Severus said with an evil smirk. He rose, still looking at the notebook.

"Have a Happy Christmas, Severus." Hermione called at his back.

"Oh, I will," Severus replied, exiting her office.

Three more days, Severus thought, tucking the notebook under his arm as he exited her office. Three more days and he would meet his wife. Three more days until he would be a husband. It was going to be a happy Christmas indeed.

A/N: I do have the next chapter written. It is being edited for the first time. So hopefully in a day or two the next chapter will be up.

Cheers!