So this is the end of the One Man Army story. Or is it?

Chapter 50. The Wedding

His hands reached up and cupped her breast as he nuzzled into her sex. His tongue making works of art on her clit as she writhed beneath him. She reached behind her head to grasp at the sturdy wooden headboard of their suite in Hog's Head Inn. Whoever said that the bride and groom could not spend the night before the wedding together was sincerely incorrect.

The world flashed white as she struggled to maintain composure. She was safe, comfortable, but she had not been allowed to let herself come completely undone before. She wasn't sure she knew how. There was no war, no sneaking about, only love and burning hot lust. She bit down hard on her lip, letting out a soft whimper as she neared her release. With another twist of his tongue and knead of his hand, she tipped over the edge. Her sex throbbed and swelled.

Hermione could feel the heat of her own flesh as Severus grazed it with his palm, slowly kissing a trail up her torso. He captured her mouth with his, pressing his form into her so that his hardened member would brush up against her pulsing nub. That had been her second orgasm of the evening and it was time for his. He thrust into her as she arched her back against the mattress, gripping the sheets in her trance.

Every heave of his cock inside of her sent a wave of pleasure over her. She pulled on his hair, begging him to get closer, to envelope her. He smelt of spices and potions and sweat. She wanted all of it. All of him. He breathed with her, matching her passion with every beat. She felt herself climbing to her peak for the third time that evening, every nerve firing on end.

"Come for me, Hermione," he whispered in her ear, sending the perfect jolt to set her over the edge. She dug her nails into his neck as she tensed then relaxed, riding out her pleasure. Before she could completely recover, Severus hastened his pace, feeling her spasm against his cock. Her cries encouraged him as he fucked her through her frenzy. He followed soon after, spilling into her with a few final pumps.

He collapsed in the space beside her before Hermione curled into him. Their sweaty sticky and cooled by the overhead fan. With a flick of his wand, he summoned two glasses of water. In the heat of the summer, Hermione was tempted to simply pour it over herself, but she stuck to drinking it instead. Severus pressed a soft kiss to the top of her head and moaned in contentment.

"Goodnight, for now, my love," Severus whispered. The quiet was a nice change from their normal evenings, but they were acutely aware that they would have to return to their lives shortly. While Annabelle was fast asleep in the adjoining room, she was known to wake up at three o'clock every morning, and it was nearing two o'clock. The couple only had another hour to fit in where they could possibly sleep before returning to parenthood. But Hermione couldn't sleep. Images of their future flashed behind her eyes. Their wedding, their honeymoon. A new home, Annabelle's life. So much to look forward to and so little time to waste. Sleeping could wait.

-x-

Hermione couldn't believe the reflection staring back at her. Her curls softly framed her face, the majority expertly tied back with a cascade of flowers throughout. Her brown eyes popped with the whisp of mascara and liner that Ginny had been perfecting weeks before the wedding. Her dress was dreamy, with a lightly draped skirt and lace bodice with flowing sleeves that cinched at her wrists. She had seen it in a muggle magazine and her mother insisted on a traditional white dress for her daughter's wedding.

She thought it would have been tougher, confessing to her parents that she had fallen in love with a teacher and gotten pregnant in the middle of a war. A war that she had seemingly neglected to mention to them. All the anger seemed to disappear from their faces when they saw their granddaughter. Her soft and pudgy cheeks, big brown eyes, and a mess of dark curls. There wasn't a heart around that didn't melt as soon as they saw her.

Today Annabelle was drowning in dusty rose tulle with a massive bow at the back. Jean had no problem whisking away her daughter and granddaughter on a long dress-shopping day as soon as she heard the news of the wedding. Hermione's father warmed up far slower to his new son-in-law who was closer in age to him than his daughter by a handful of years. Hermione's parents had waited until they were settled in their careers before having her, quite unlike their daughter. Though Severus was plenty settled. With the proximity in age came an odd sort of bonding between her father and future husband that Hermione had not been a fan of, but at least her father smiled now when he spoke with her.

On the day of their wedding, nothing of that mattered. Her parents were there, watching fondly as their only daughter became a bride. Her friends, the Weasleys, Lovegoods, and all the professors at Hogwarts were in attendance. It seemed to be the wedding of the year, being the first post-war event for people to attend. The dark shadow cast over the wizarding world had lifted.

"Hermione," her mother's voice summoned. The bride spun on her heel, making the skirt of the dress swish against her feet. Jean was beaming up at her, hands clasped in front of her mouth. She wore a simple floral dress cut at the knee with a cream shawl draped over her shoulders. "You are a vision," she whispered.

Hermione pulled her mother into an embrace, biting her lip to keep from crying. Her father approached from behind, in a simple black suit, and placed his hand on her mother's shoulder. "Both my girls look magnificent."

"Oh hush, Brian," her mother brushed him off with a wave of her hand. "It is all about our Hermione today."

Hermione's stomach churned in knots as she thought about what was coming for her. A room full of friends and family watching her get married to her own Professor. A professor who had very recently had a close brush with death and who was the father of her child. She wondered what they would all be thinking, she wondered about the judgements. Would they whisper as she walked down the aisle? Would they say it to her face?

Her mother cupped Hermione's cheeks in her hands. "I am so proud of you," her mother asserted, releasing the tears Hermione had worked so hard to hold back. "You are so capable, so kind, so brilliant. You do so much for so many people and here you are, finally enjoying something for yourself, and you're crying." Hermione buried herself in her mother's arms. "You are an incredible mother to Belle and now you get to have a partner to share in that joy equally for the rest of your life."

"If that's what you want," her father chimed in. Hermione chuckled, wiping the tears from her eyes and whispering a quick spell to clean away the makeup stains on her mother's dress.

Ginny huffed as she stormed over to her friend. "After all that work and you cry it off!"

-x-

Walking down the aisle to Severus seemed to go by in a blur. He stood at the end, stoic and in crisp black wizarding robes. Ginny stood opposite him, holding her elaborate bouquet, and beaming at her. Hermione didn't even remember seeing who was where in the seats as she fixated on the space in front of her. As she passed her bouquet off to Ginny, she caught a glimpse of the crowd, the familiarity of all the faces looking back at her calmed her. Hermione noted her mother and father beaming up at her, Harry and Ronald right at the front. The Weasley's were all crammed in a row together, missing two. She turned to Severus who reached out for her hands and nodded before they began their vows.

"We are gathered here today to witness the marriage and binding ceremony of two faithful souls." The officiant repeated the words from Fleur and Bill's wedding. "They come together in front of their friends and their family to commit to their love of one another. To acknowledge the long road it took for them to get to where they are in security and peace. To make the promise to be with one another no matter what happens."

"Do you, Hermione Jean Granger, take Severus Tobias Snape, to be your lawfully wedded husband, to have and to cherish, from this day forward?"

"I do." With a flick of the officiant's wand, a silver stream of magic laced itself around Severus and Hermione's clasped hands.

"And do you also agree to this bond of magic, tying you both together from this day forward?"

"I do," Hermione eagerly agreed, the magic turning a faint pink with her words.

"And do you, Severus Tobias Snape, take Hermione Jean Ganger, to be your lawfully wedded wife, to have and to cherish, from this day forward?"

"I do," his deep tone send a shiver down Hermione's spine. Severus grinned down at her, their eyes never breaking contact.

"And do you also agree to this bond of magic, tying you both together from this day forward?"

"I do." The magic flickered brighter, turning red, leaving light marks on their wrists and over their hands.

"I now pronounce you husband and wife, witch and wizard, bonded for life. You may now seal these vows with a kiss." Severus and Hermione met with a brush of their lips, keeping the gesture chaste yet lingering. The twine of magic sparkled the dissipated, lighting the room briefly before their vow was complete.

An array of photos were taken before they arrived at the hall for their reception. They ate first, as the couple was starving. Annabelle had fallen asleep in her basket beside the table, a bubble of silence cast around her. The guests came up to visit them one by one, giving the couple well wishes and compliments. Hermione had never felt so much love from so many people, except perhaps after the war. But that was mostly directed at Harry.

The hall was decorated with floating lanterns, cascading roses, and candles on every table. The tables held all the witches and wizards left in the world. Hermione's parents were sat with the Weasley's, Arthur bombarding the muggles with questions about their lives no doubt. Ronald seemed to be staring off solemnly as Ginny and Harry giggled away. She felt bad for her friend. He was alone, his last love lost in the war. Hermione wondered if he was truly lonely, or was just waiting for someone else to get up for a second helping of the buffet before he did. Or perhaps he was waiting for the cake to be put out. He and Lavender had been broken up a while before she died, he knew that Hermione had well and truly moved on. But he was alone at a wedding and that could get to some people.

All her thoughts of sympathy washed away when he stood up and marched over to the buffet, piling on another plate of food. Oh well. Hermione grinned at the interaction, pleased that her friends were finally allowed to be happy after all this time.

Hermione's parents came to visit pulling her daughter and son-in-law into a feverous hug. "Thank you so much for agreeing to include the muggle vows in your wedding. It meant so much to your father and me to hear the same words we spoke to each other."

"Of course, I would have included them whether you had asked or not. It is a part of me that I want to have at my wedding. I am a witch, but I was a muggle first." Hermione remarked, knowing that it would ease her mother's controlling nature.

Then came Draco, a lovely woman on his arm with light brown waves and a big smile. She wore a light blue chiffon dress with a satin ribbon around her waist a small and delicate sleeves that fluttered just past her pale shoulders. Hermione recognized her, for a second, but couldn't quite place her so she didn't mention it as she looked up at the couple.

"This is Tessa," Draco announced, encouraging Tessa forward a bit. She had been almost hiding behind Draco, though quite subtly. Her eyes were glassy, as though she was holding back from crying. Hermione had never thought of herself to invoke fear in others, though she imagined she was quite capable of it. Perhaps Draco had told her a horror story or two about Hermione's passionate nature.

"Nice to meet you," Tessa said, smiling shyly.

"You sound just like Hermione," Severus said offhand, rising to shake the woman's hand. Hermione did the same, looking at the girl a little closer.

"You look very familiar," Hermione finally added, hoping that maybe Tess could provide the answer Hermione was missing. Instead, the girl shook her head.

"Actually-" Tessa started.

"She must have one of those faces," Draco interrupted with a shrug. Hermione furrowed her brow. She was about Hermione's age, if not slightly older, so if she had gone to Hogwarts, surely Hermione would have recognized her the moment she saw her. There was something about her that wasn't obviously familiar but she had surely met her before. The witch's brown eyes were nearly identical to some she had seen many times before.

"Must have," Severus chimed in, snaking his hand around Hermione's waist and pulling her in. The witch glanced over at Draco who was smiling at her fondly. It appeared he'd quite gotten over his crush and moved on as he held Tessa's hand snuggly within his own. While it stung a bit, knowing that one less wizard had feelings for her, she knew that the only romantic attention she really needed would come from her husband.

Her husband.

Hermione and Severus were married. Hermione and Severus Snape. Hermione Snape. The Snape's. They would live together. She could wake up to his face for the rest of her life. They would have more children. Beautiful children who would grow up to be wonderful witches or wizards. Annabelle could have siblings. Hermione knew she wanted at least one more so Annabelle wouldn't be an only child. They would all go to Hogwarts. Would Severus still be a professor? What would it be like having your father be the potion's professor or the DADA teacher? There could certainly be a joke there if Annabelle and her siblings' father was the Defense professor.

"Wait-" Hermione whispered, a flash of a memory blinding her from her thoughts. She remembered a bright, blinding green strike before she was whisked away. She recalled looking back at the ground where she had been. A body lying on the ground. It was a woman. She had light brown curls and a soft smile. Just like...

"Tessa," Severus breathed, the two of them obviously coming to the same conclusion. "You're Tessa Dolohov."

"So, you remember," the girl bowed her head.

"You stepped in front of the killing curse," Severus recounted. "You died."

"Well actually," Tessa held out her hand, the ring that Draco had given Hermione adorned the girl's pointer finger. "Draco gave this to me. Just before. It stopped the curse from killing me."

Hermione wracked her brain to remember what she had done with the ring after the war, but she couldn't. Did she give it back to him? "Was that the plan all along? How did you get it anyway? I had it all through the war, through everything. It kept me safe."

"It was my mother's ring, actually," Draco chimed in. "When Mother noticed I'd given mine away, she gave me hers for protection. But when we had all those plans to save you from Voldemort," Hermione winced at the name. Quickly shaking it off as she knew the taboo had been lifted when the wizard had died. "I wasn't sure it would work. If I would make it in time. I met Tessa-"

"Because I was brought along to the meetings, once I'd found my parents," Tessa interject. "It was a bit of a shock to me, that da- Severus had been right about my parents. That they were dark wizards."

"And she said that no one deserved to die, no matter who her parents were. So she-"

"So I inserted myself, came on the run to kidnap you, make sure you were safe. Draco gave me the ring so when I stepped in front of the killing curse, I wouldn't die."

"What we didn't know is that her glamour would fail when she was hit," Draco's tone dropped. "If any of the Dark wizards had seen her true form, they wouldn't have accepted her. She looked nothing like her father."

"You look so different from the witch I met in that bookshop," Severus reminisced.

"That would be the glamour," Tess said, motioning to her face.

"You saved my life," Hermione spoke softly. Rushing out from around the table, she threw her arms around the witch and pulled her into a hug. "How can I ever repay you," the bride begged. Tessa hesitated at first, before returning the embrace. Comfort washed over Hermione, feeling the warmth of someone she knew and could trust.

"I'm sure you'll think of something," Tessa joked, leaning back.

The remainder of the reception was a blast. Hermione danced with her friends until, what felt like, dawn. While Severus wasn't much of a dancer, he humoured her to a couple of slow dances where he wouldn't have to move much. He had very nearly died on her, so it was the least she could do but let him rest a bit at his own wedding. They took plenty more photos and even asked for a pizza to be brought out around 1 in the morning.

Fleur and Bill offered to take Annabelle while Severus and Hermione went on their tropical honeymoon, but Hermione couldn't stand the thought of leaving her with anyone else after missing so much of her infancy. Watching Severus hold their daughter as they waved goodbye to their friends and family warmed Hermione's heart to the point of tears.

"I love you," Hermione proclaimed.

"I love you," Severus replied, leaning around to kiss her cheek and whisper in her ear, "Mrs Snape."

-x-

A very pregnant Hermione watched as her daughter swung wildly high in the air, the young girl's black curls blowing in the wind. Severus was pushing his daughter, one hand poised over his wand to ensure he could catch her if she fell, watching her intently. Hermione was lounging in their garden, her swollen feet resting on the wicker coffee table they had brought outside for the first nice day of the year. It was March and surprisingly warm outside for this time of year. The sun had beat out the gloomy clouds of London.

The Snape's had moved next door to her family home and enrolled their daughter in year 1 of muggle primary school. Hermione was determined to give her child a proper muggle education before she was sent off to Hogwarts, no matter how much Belle protested. Reception had gone well and Belle had made plenty of friends who would frequently come over to play, much to Severus' dismay. They hid their magic, per Belle's request, as to not seem like the weird family or make her the odd child out.

Hermione was due any day now, already past her due date by three days, but she didn't mind it. With this pregnancy, Hermione relished every moment she had. She purchased a new crib and decorated the nursery with woodland creatures and local foliage. She had bought new clothes and stocked the closet. They had gone to all the muggle parenting classes to learn how to raise a newborn. They spent hours reading to Annabelle and the baby so that they would bond even before her baby sister was born.

Even though there would be a 4 year age gap between the two, Annabelle was impatiently awaiting the birth of her sister. She had already decided what they would do together every day for the first month of the baby's life. She would learn how to change a nappy and help with the feeding once she was a bit older. Annabelle was determined to help pick out her sister's outfits every day so that she would match, even though Annabelle would be at school and the baby at home.

The couple was thrilled to see how much benign excitement had come into their lives after the war. It seemed that their biggest concern was whether or not to get Annabelle a kitten for her birthday in November. A far cry from the fears of death and the end of the wizarding world.

Severus had gone back to work at Hogwarts once it had been rebuilt and Hermione worked for the ministry. She had only started once Annabelle started in school, but had been on maternity leave since the beginning of the month to prepare for the new arrival. Hermione had never seen herself as the stay-at-home mother type, as her mother had never been. But the more she spent time with her daughter, waiting for the next to arrive, the more she considered how much she had missed being at work. How much she had missed being at war.

A pang zapped through her back and she breathed through it. Another contraction. She had been having them on and off since the night before, but they had relaxed in the morning after her tea. Hermione adjusted herself in her chair, sending herself into another contraction. That couldn't have been more than a minute apart, she clenched her jaw through the discomfort.

"Severus!" She called out, rubbing her back as she stood up. The wizard halted their daughter on the swing, throwing her over his shoulder and rushing over to his wife.

"More contractions?" He asked, letting a giggling Annabelle down off his back.

"Yes, and closer together, oh!" Another one hit her, about the same time in between as the last too. She cast a tempus charm to count the time in between. It took 1 minute and 4 seconds before the next one came.

"Should we go now?" Severus asked, petting her shoulder.

"Yes, I'll call mum," Hermione said, rubbing her lower back as she waddled into the house. She summoned the phone with a flick of her wand and dialled her mother.

"I'm on my way," Jean answered the phone, not even bothering to let Hermione speak. Within minutes, and about a contraction and a half later, Jean bust through the door with a pile of magazines in hand. "Off you two go, I've got Belle." The young girl ran to her grandmother, slamming into her legs for a hug.

Severus returned from the nursery with their hospital bag in arm. He strode over to Hermione and grasped her arm before apparating them off to the hospital.

Tessa Eileen Snape was born at 3:30 on the nose on March 23, 2002.

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