Severus was not a man who outwardly expressed his nervous energy. He couldn't even begin to count the number of times he stared death in the face without flinching. Yet, after the strain of keeping himself together at Mr. Treed's office he rapidly found himself falling apart at the Manor.
His feet carried him back and forth across the sitting room. He was pacing so hard and fast he didn't even notice Eakey's ears twitching from the doorway. He rolled the wedding band – his wedding band – in the palm of his hand, a piece of him wondering what would happen if he just slipped it onto his ring finger.
The other part of was scared – yes, scared – to realize he would most likely be condemning himself to staring at a left hand and a left arm both with humiliating marks of devotion to causes that had spiraled out of control.
His mind was running in circles, all leading to the same conclusion.
She didn't deserve to be tied to him, so he had to give her freedom.
He took a deep breath and dropped into his armchair, waiting for her return.
At five minutes to three he glanced up at the clock hand that was bouncing between at the Burrow and Stuck with a Dunderhead – Save Me. A smirk flickered over his face at the image of Hermione trapped between Ron and Harry. As it swung to Traveling he schooled his face into the much practiced sneer of disdain and prepared to meet his wife.
No, Miss Granger – get it through your head, Severus, before she arrives.
He could hear her footsteps coming up the stairs and leaned back, crossing his arms across his body and waiting.
"Severus," Hermione greeted, unclasping her coat and turning to drape it on the back of her chair. "Did you have a profitable outing with Draco? Shall I call Eakey for the tea?"
"Oh yes," Severus said, drawing his words out. "It was a most profitable experience, Miss Granger."
Her body stilled, and he could see her back stiffen.
"As I informed you almost two months ago, Severus, I would prefer to be addressed as Lady Snape, Professor Snape, or Hermione, should you feel so inclined."
"Miss Granger, this charade is over, and it would behoove you to vacate my home within the next twenty-four hours. Mr. Treed is awaiting your signature on the legal documents at his office. One of the house elves can pack for you, if you wish to leave now."
"I'm not leaving at all, Severus," she answered, turning around to face him.
"You misunderstand me. I am not asking if you wish to leave, I'm telling you to do so."
"And I'm refusing," Hermione countered, "and you know you can't force me."
"I was a Death Eater…there are many ways to force you to do as I wish."
Hermione clenched her fists. "I will not voluntarily unbind myself from you, Severus Snape. You have two choices; either complete the bonding and then break it yourself, or wait another year and have the bonding magic forced into you and then break the bond. But, and listen closely here, I will not walk away from this marriage."
"This isn't a marriage, it's a sham. It's a travesty of justice where you and Minerva concocted a reason to make my life a living hell."
"Your life was a living hell when you were running through the jungle as an ocelot, scared shitless that an Auror was going to discover your secret and murder you before you had a chance to be cleared. Your life was a living hell when you had to crawl on the floor and kiss the hem of Voldemort's robe – "
"Exactly, and what makes you feel your presence in my life is any more welcome than the Dark Lord's was?"
"I don't know, Severus. How often did you sleep in his bed at night?"
Touché, Hermione, Touché…
"This is not a discussion, I am giving you an ultimatum, unbind yourself now," he stated with an air of superiority developed from his years teaching dunderheads.
Slowly Hermione sank into her armchair, crossing her arms to mirror her husband's posture. She sat in silence for a moment, before responding.
"No. I will not. If I walk out that door you will remain alone for the rest of your life."
"And be happier for it."
"Hardly," she snorted.
"Either way my happiness is not your concern."
"Actually," she said, a smile crossing her face, "18 months ago I made it my concern."
Sweet Heaven, she's beautiful when she smiles. Focus, Severus, focus.
"I don't want this arranged marriage."
"Why? Because it was forced upon you? Arranged marriages have been common since the beginning of time, and are still common in the Wizarding world."
"It's not based on love."
"A pensieve of you proclaiming a marriage should be based on love will garner a few thousand galleons on eBay!"
"E-bay?" Severus was temporarily stymied for a moment.
"Besides," Hermione barreled on, "Ron, Pansy, Ginny, and Draco all found love in the arranged marriage. Not to mention others throughout history that have fallen in love with their spouses after the wedding. It's not uncommon at all. I'm not going to allow you to throw us away out of misplaced pride."
Get tough, Severus, force her away.
"It's not marriage I want to avoid, it's marriage to you. You, the bushy-haired, buck-toothed know-it-all with Gryffindor manners and misplaced Hufflepuff loyalty. You and your despicable friends were the bane of my existence for six long years and I refuse to torment myself further by remaining bound to you."
"Pansy, of all people, warned me of this," Hermione mused. "She said I should use a Dikos Mou Archontas binding and not give you a choice."
"I don't have a choice, foolish girl."
"Ah, but you do," she replied, as if she wasn't processing his cruel remarks. "You can commit to me and then break the bond yourself. Once we are bound as equals, either one of us can be make the choice to be free."
"I have no desire to be tied to a bloody self-sacrificing martyr, for any length of time."
"Then, Severus, I believe we are at an impasse. I am going to the lab to work," she rose from her chair and headed for the door. "I don't feel like tea at the moment."
"Do NOT walk away from me!" He said, raising his voice as he moved to follow her. "I am SPEAKING to you!"
"You are shouting at me," she answered over her shoulder, not even bothering to look back as she continued to her haven. A few more steps and she could focus on something besides the angry wizard trailing her. "I will not stand being shouted at."
"You'll stand for whatever I dish out, you insufferable child."
"I'm a grown woman, and your wife, and if you want to change that I suggest you do it yourself, you bloody great WANKER!" Frustration took hold as she briefly lost control of herself.
In another part of the Wizarding world, a roaring fire did little to dispel the summer evening chill as the blonde wizard held his red-headed mate and their child in his arms.
"Do you think she'll be okay?" Ginny asked softly.
Draco's eyes closed briefly. "She's a tough one, but truthfully? He's going to push her as far as he can. We can only pray she won't break before he realizes how she feels."
"I'm scared."
"Me too, Love, me too."
At the Manor, Hermione passed through the wards to her lab and felt Severus following her into the room, his heavy boots stomping behind her.
"Leave me be, Severus, I refuse to fight with you anymore. I've stated my position," her voice echoing the weariness inside her.
"I will not be dismissed like an errant schoolboy."
She raised her face to look him in the eye, concern for him showing, although he steadfastly refused to acknowledge that.
"I'm sorry for what I said, Severus, can you please give me a few hours of peace and we can discuss this at dinner?"
"No, you can pack your belongings and leave this night. You will not remain in this house a moment longer, if you know what is good for you. Surely the Malfoys can provide a place to stay until your precious Headmistress has a new room ready at Hogwarts. Perhaps she can even arrange for a conjugal visit from Potter."
"I am not unbinding myself from you. Insults and threats will not work on me. Besides, we both know I'm your best chance of ridding yourself of the Dark Mark."
"Is that what you think will happen, you stupid, ignorant witch? That I love you? And that I'll confess my adoration and magically our hearts will bond and the Mark will leave?"
Breathe, Hermione, breathe. He's angry, he's hurt, but he never would have forgiven himself if you hadn't pushed him, and he would have lost everything in the process. You are strong, Hermione, you are prepared to listen to him.
"Say what you need to say, Severus, but you will not change my mind."
Fine, Hermione, you want me to say things to push you back to your freedom? This hurts me so much more than it hurts you.
"You are nothing but a money-grubbing harlot, who sold herself to gain an advantageous position."
"I'm a virgin, who has an income of my own from Malfoy Enterprises, not to mention the profits from the Cruor Vitcus potion, and I was one of only seven recipients of the Order of Merlin, First Class after Voldemort died," she countered. "Bonding to you did not, as you put it, gain me an advantageous position that I would not otherwise have had."
"And with all that going for you, you still felt the need to ruin my life."
"Severus, if I truly thought I was ruining your life, I would take off my ring immediately. But I'm not. And we have twelve months more to figure this out, it doesn't have to be done tonight," she silently pleaded with him to stop and think.
"You lied to me about our bonding."
"I never said we had a Dikos Mou Archontas bond."
"You never corrected my impression that we didn't."
"You never directly asked."
She's beautiful and she is gaining a Slytherin edge.
"How very un-Gryffindor of you," he said in the most derogatory manner possible, a true acting feat considering how enthralled he really was with his wife and the sensitivity she had shown in the last year. There were plenty of students he had humiliated and offended in the last two decades who would have jumped at the chance to bond with him and get retribution, even without the temptation of money and a title. She had given him everything he could possibly have wanted, and the most perfect few months of his life. She had exchanged herself for his freedom.
"For God's sake, Severus, our whole lives are not defined by our House affiliations at Hogwarts!" Her voice interrupted his thoughts and sent him over the edge of reason – he had to get her away from him now or his resolve was going to break and he would condemn her to a life with a – what was it Draco said – a dozy codger
"WHY CAN'T YOU GET IT THROUGH YOUR HEAD, YOU GORMLESS COW! I DON'T WANT YOU HERE! NOT IN MY BED! NOT IN MY HOME! NOT IN MY LIFE!"
He came to your bed last night. He showed you affection this morning. Breathe, Hermione, just breathe. He's angry, he's hurt, and rightly so.
"Severus," she lowered her eyes to stare at her hands that were cramping from how tightly she was holding onto her work table. "Please, can't we talk about this tomorrow, when we are both rested and calm? Please."
"I want you gone, Miss Granger, and I never want to lay eyes on you again," he snarled, quickly turning away and stalking out of the lab so she couldn't see his reaction to her broken sobs.
She slowly sank to the floor behind her work table, leaning up against the ingredients shelf. Hermione buried her head on her knees and wept for what felt like hours, before dragging her weary body up to prepare a potion that no one at Snape Manor had needed in quite a while.
Eakey stood inside Hermione's bedroom. Though the door was tightly shut, because of his magical ties to the family the timber and stone did nothing to drown out the sounds of Mistress and Master's fighting. The house elf and the familiar stared at the hope chest at the foot of the bed, heads cocked to one side, Eakey's gnarled hand gently stroking the back of the black kitten.
The magic in the house was volatile. The evil that had pervaded the Manor for so long wasn't there, but an air of sadness threatened the security of his family.
He had known that it would be a struggle to wait out his prickly Master, but he could never fully understand Wizard pride. The boughs on the hope chest were glowing, they had wrapped themselves around each other, intertwining and clinging as if they were lifelines.
Eakey's ears twitched as the magical wind blew strongly, ripping off all the leaves and tiny leaf buds, leaving only two bare twigs. Yet the two twigs clutched each other like hands from each tree that simply wouldn't let go.
The hope chest knew only the hearts of those involved.
A/N: First, let me clear something up, that I apparently haven't made clear enough in the story, and that is important. Severus HAD to bond to someone. He was considered a Deatheater under the law up until Chapter 12, when the Ministry Witch returns his wand (thanks to Mr. Treed's unfailing and never-tiring work on his behalf). Hermione was his best offer (Draco would have had the say), she decided to marry him not knowing of his title/land/etc. She married him to protect him from the unsavory witches who would have loved to use the Dikos Mou Archontas bond, and force him to be an unequal partner in his marriage. Most people don't like our dear Severus, and while we may not like the situation he is in, it really was for his own good. The idea of a bondsman/Redeemer is an ancient one, and is used in cultures today. And, like in our story, there are those with unsavory intentions and those who cling for the right reasons, even in the face of rejection.
Second...this story is finished, and mostly betaed. Expect to see Chapter 16 (Fifteen Minutes) and Chapter 17 (Ever After: For Now, the Epilouge) within the next week.
Many tanks to my beta, my darling, my brain: Drakien!