I don't own anything, J.K Rowling does.

WARNING: Mature themes brought up so if you are less than 18 and/or easily triggered by mature content DO NOT READ THIS STORY. You have been warned.

A/N: And I am back. I am so sorry for the long wait. Thanks for all the positive feedback I got on the previous chapters. Each review, follow and like makes me smile. I am very happy that so many of you like my story. The next chapter will be out tomorrow and will include a bit of drama. Without further ado. Let's jump into it.

Have an excellent time reading. J1974

Chapter 23

A few days later

An owl soared through the room and crashed onto the sofa where Hermione and Severus were reading. She was reading A Guide For First Time Expecting Mothers while he was reading Little Remedies and useful Spells For Pregnant Witches. Both of their heads jerked up from their books and looked at the bird staring at them from the end of the couch.

"Pigwidgeon! What are you doing here?" Hermione asked the tiny owl as she extended her arm for the owl to come closer.

Pigwidgeon flew to her arm and presented its right paw to Hermione. She reached for the small bit of paper dangling from it and untied it from its paw. As soon as she did so, the owl flew straight out of the window and into the forest out of sight. She unrolled it and began reading the message wrote on it.

Hey Mione,

Fred's funeral's tomorrow. 9 a.m.

Ron

P.S: Of course, Severus can come.

The post scriptum at the end of the letter seemed to have been written by someone else as the first part of the letter was quite messy and tainted with blotches of ink while the post scriptum was neat and more refined. The fact that the person had said that Severus could come and not Snape confirmed her first idea.

She handed the note to Severus who had put his book down and was now looking at her and at the note she was holding.

"What is it darling?" he asked nodding at the note she held into her hands

"Ron, he wrote to us about Fred's funeral, he invited us to attend. I have to go. They basically adopted and took care of me when I had to Obliviate my parents before the war. I owe them so much Sev. He was like a brother to me. I remember that when I came to them, I was so emotionally broken. He stayed with me for the whole first week taking turns with George to tend to the jokes shop. I don't think I can go alone Sev, I feel too weak to face that alone. Although the Weasleys will be here, I don't want to burden them more than I already did. Could you come with me? Please" Hermione said looking at Severus

"Come here love." Severus said taking her into a loving embrace calming the sobbing witch. "Of course, I'll come. That goes without saying, I am going to be your husband and by becoming so, I will always be there for you and our little one."

"Thanks love" Hermione said before kissing him. "I'll just thank them for the invite and confirm our presence."

She summoned a piece of parchment and a quill before writing neatly an answer on it.

Dear family Weasley,

We have received your invitation to Fred's funeral. We will of course be there for I have always considered him to be like a brother to me.

We will both be coming by our own means.

Our deepest sympathy.

Hermione Jean Granger and Severus Snape

When she was finished, she waved the piece of paper in the air to dry to ink and prevent it from blotching. She then handed it to Severus who signed it before calling Tweedle and sending it off with a gentle pat on the head, the note dangling from its paw.

"Let's go darling, we have to meet Candice and Sofia. We have to begin and prepare the ceremony." Severus said putting the books they were reading away on the shelves of the mahogany bookshelves.

They both Apparated away and landed in a byway from the Savoy. Severus had opted for a black muggle suit and Hermione wore the blue dress they had bought in Diagon Alley. They saw the two wedding planners waiting in front of the hotel. Hermione hugged Sofia and simply shook hands with Candice while Severus shook hands with both women. The two wedding planners led the couple to a comfortable suit they had reserved for their meeting.

It was modern and classy. A large table was in the center of the room and could easily accommodate eight persons. Only four chairs were around the table along with a tray full of tea things. Severus pulled the chair out for Hermione and waited for her to be seated before sitting himself on the chair on her immediate left. The two wedding planners where sitting opposite them and began their presentation.

"So today, we are just here to look into the venues and how you would like to have them decorated." Sofia began

"You expressed the wish to have the wedding ceremony and reception at Prince's Manor. We thought about it all and came up with something else. We thought about having the ceremony at Prince's Manor and the reception could be held in Prince's gardens. As it will be august, it won't be too cold and the mineral grove will be perfect for your first dance." Candice explained showing pictures of the different places she was talking about.

The photos they showed to the couple was a composition of their own. They had taken photos from the grove and imagined what it could look like with a little decoration before figuring it on the photos with the help of a Fictionatis spells mostly used in children fairytales.

The mineral grove was a circular clearing in the middle of the woods. A large round tiled floor was in the center, the wedding planners had imagined a large tent right above it with a bewitched ceiling looking just like Hogwarts' one. Around the tent would be the 30 tables to accommodate the 300 guests of the reception. Each table had white chairs with green bows behind each of them and gold and red wild flowers making floral arrangement which went up the chandeliers that would light the tables.

"It's beautiful" Hermione whispered, Severus only nodded in agreement, but Hermione understood that he too loved it.

"I am very happy that the both of you like it. For the reception, we have a hard time deciding where to do it. Only two rooms can be expanded to accommodate the 600 guests that will attend the ceremony. There is the ball room and the state dinning room." Sofia said showing two more Fictionatised photos.

The first one was what Hermione assumed to be the ball room. It was a room nearly as big as Hogwarts Great Hall. An arched stair was above the entry way. A long green and gold carpet stretched from the bottom of it and to the end of the room where two white seats where facing a small podium. The large windows opened up onto the Prince's garden and to where the cocktail would be given. The chairs where the guests would be seated, left and right from the path where white and had little red and black bows behind them.

The second one was the dinning room. It was a large circular room. The double French doors were opening onto the houses main stairs and the windows overlooked the garden. The same green and gold carpeting did a path leading to the center of the room where their chairs were. The guests would be seated around them into two semi-circles.

"What room o you prefer darling?" Severus asked.

"I really like the ball room. The stairs are so impressive and the view on the garden looks breathtaking. Furthermore, the guests will be able to go directly from the ceremony to the cocktail which will be very pleasant." Hermione said looking at Severus

"Ballroom it is then." He said to the two wedding planners.

"Perfect. Well I think we went over what we had to go over. If you two have any question you can ask them now, if not, then I believe we will see ourselves in two weeks to discuss the guests list and also the groom's and bridal's parties." Candice said putting away the photos inside her binder before shrinking it.

"There is something both of you should know. We are pregnant with our first child and as I will be in my fifth month, I will begin to be a tiny bit tired and not really able to stand for extremely long periods of time. If it could be possible to take that into account, my feet will be forever grateful." Hermione said taking Severus' hand in her own and intertwining her fingers with his.

"Congratulations to the both of you! I am so happy for you" Sofia exclaimed "And of course that can be held into account. We are here to make your life easier. We are here so that you don't have to worry about anything else on the big day and that you can enjoy your day fully."

Severus then rose to his feet and pulled Hermione's chair a little to let her do the same. They shook hands with the wedding planners and left the Savoy.

"Love. I have to buy a robe for Fred's burial. I don't think the robe we bought a few days ago will fit me right now." Hermione said her fingers intertwined with his.

"No problem darling, I really love to go for little walks from time to time so it would be my pleasure to go accompany you." Severus said squeezing Hermione's hand slightly.

They both walked through the streets of London, along the Thames most of the time and talked about the wedding. Hermione was very impressed by all the work the two women had done in this such short amount of time and she was sure the ceremony and reception would be perfect.

They arrived at the leaky cauldron and Severus instinctively put some space in between them.

"I don't care darling, I don't care about what people think. What matters the most is that I love you and you love me. They can go and screw themselves if they don't like it." Hermione said taking his hand in her own and entangling their fingers together.

"Are you sure darling?" Severus asked and when Hermione nodded, he tightened his grip slightly on her hand and walked inside the pub.

They passed the front door and immediately everything went silent as every pair of eyes began looking at them. The walked through the pub and towards the back door leading to Diagon Alley, their hands still joined as they made their way through the murmur of the crowd.

"It's Snape and the Granger girl" An old woman sitting at the bar whispered to her neighbor, an old and ragged clothed man.

"The brightest witch of the century as they say. Sounds more like 'the sluttiest witch of the century' to me. That's how she got those good grades of hers. Sleeps with the teachers to get them. I would rather sleep with a troll than with the greasy git." A boy slightly older than Hermione said. It took all her will power not to turn on her heals and curse him into the next millennium.

As they reached the back door, some resumed their conversations while others bantered away on the couple. Severus took his wand out and tapped the bricks on the wall. The wall split itself and formed the familiar archway leading to Diagon Alley.

"Let's go to Madam Malkin's Herms" Severus said leading her to the shop. As they walked passed a few persons, they saw the looks everyone was giving them. They were looks of disgust and hatred. Even if Harry had explained in his interview with the Prophet that Severus Snape was in fact a double agent, people still saw him as Voldemort's right hand.

"Mr Snape, miss Granger, first I would like you to know you will always be welcomed her at Madam Molkin's Robes for all Occasions. Now if you would follow me to a private dressing room." A small plump witch said extending the arm towards the huge wooden staircase leading to the Private dressing rooms. She was wearing an apron and a small pin cushion on her left wrist; her wand was sticking out of her bun of white hair and a pair of glass was resting on her forehead.

They climbed the flight of stairs and when they had arrived to the private salon, they found a cup of Champagne and a Pumpkin juice waiting for them on a small table next to a large sofa. Severus took the Champagne flute in one of his hand and handed Hermione the Pumpkin Juice filled one before taking a sip.

"How may I help you?" Madam Malkin asked politely "I have noted the fitting for your wedding dress for the 18th May. I do hope I didn't make any mistake." She continued with a worried tone.

"No Madam Malkin, you didn't make any mistakes. We are actually here to buy a new set of robes for a funeral. A friend of ours died last week during the battle of Hogwarts and his funeral is tomorrow. I don't have any appropriate robes for the ceremony. So here we are." Hermione said her voice tainted with clear sadness.

Severus placed his Champagne down and went closer to her taking her in his arms to comfort her.

"I am very sorry for your loss. I will go and find a few robes for you Miss Granger to try on. You can just wait for me right here and I'll be back with a few of our best models." The witch said before opening the door and closing it back on her.

"Severus why? Why did he have to die? Why did they all had to die?" Hermione said sobbing into his chest. "They had so much more things to live for. I don't know how George will do without Fred. They were always together, did everything together. It's so unfair to Molly and Arthur. I hate them. I hate the people that hurt them."

"I know darling. Life doesn't seem fair. But that is the way life is. Some people die, other stay. But you have to be strong. For Lupin, for Tonks, for Fred, for Lavender, for Colin and for the little one you are carrying. Alright Hermione, you have to be strong. I know fully well how hard it is, believe me I do. But we need to stay strong for them and their families my love." Severus said looking down at Hermione who was still in his arms. His fingers going through the curls of her tamed hairs.

"I'm sorry. I think the hormones are starting to kick in and everything is multiplied by a thousand. I must look like a proper mess." Hermione said rubbing the tears from her eyes smudging her make up.

"No worries my beautiful fiancée, no worries." He replied

That's when a small knock was heard on the door. The witch came back inside the room with at least a good dozen of bags containing the robes. They were levitating above the ground and with a flick of her wand, the witch made them hang on the rails next to the fitting cubicle.

She opened them one by one and Hermione observed each one touching the fabrics and decors of the dress, placing them in front of her before looking at Severus who either nodded or shook his head.

Only two robes remained from the twelve chosen by the witch. Hermione took the first one and went to the cubicle which was delimited by two curtains which closed by themselves as soon as someone was inside the cabin.

The first robe was made of black silk and lace. The top was of the finest black lace Hermione had ever seen. It was see-through in the back, bot not in the front where black silk hid the breast and stomach. The skirt was made of the same silk and had a thin layer of lace above it. A matching hat with a small black veil was fitted with it.

The second robe was more modern and made out of cotton. The fabric looked like it had been wrapped around the hips and pinned in place. The dress was knee-length and was closed by a set of buttons in the back of the robe, which began at the waist and finished in the collar of the dress.

"Both of them are beautiful, but I think I'll stick with the first one. I like the lace and the hat that goes with it better. What do you think Sev?" Hermione said as she looked in the mirror in front of her which reflected her in the second robe.

"Although you look beautiful in both robes, I think that the first one is more appropriate for the occasion." Severus replied looking at his future wife.

"Then the first one it is. Would you like me to have them fitted to you? It would only need a matter of minutes" the little witch said already taking her measuring tape out of her apron.

"I think it would be for the best. I think they might be a little long. Maybe if we could shorten it by a few inches it would be perfect." Hermione replied while going into the cabin and putting the other dress back on.

Twenty minutes later, they got out of Madam Molkin's and headed back towards the Leaky Cauldron. They made a stop at an ice cream parlor and Severus offered a sorbet to Hermione who was becoming quite hungry. They then returned to the leaky cauldron and Disapparated back to the woods cabin.

"What a day my love, what a day. I can't wait for you to be my wife. You have no idea how much I love you." Severus said placing a soft kiss on Hermione's lips. She wanted more though, she needed more. Her bloody hormones had kicked in and she was getting more and more excited as her mind imagined what could happen if she deepened the kiss.

"Sev, please. I need you now. If you don't take me now I might die." She said in between kisses.

"I'm here darling. Tell me what you need and I'll give it to you." He replied soothing her by rubbing her back slowly.

"You my love. I need you. I need to feel you inside of me. I need you to make love to me." Hermione said trying to unbutton his muggle suit.

The vest had already been discarded to a corner of the living room and his shirt was already half opened when Hermione felt his hands go under her hips and lift her up from the ground. Instinctively, she wrapped her legs around his waist as he began plundering her mouth. The bulge she felt as he got them upstairs and into their room confirmed that he wanted her as much as she wanted him.

He placed her softly on the bed and began undoing the light blue dress slowly. Each time her skin was revealed for him, he bent slowly to it and kissed it. She began squirming under him as her hands entangled themselves in his hair. When the blue dress was down past her hips, he removed her bra and began sucking her tits lightly twisting the one left unattended in between his fingers.

"Please, Sev, I need this" Hermione pleaded. She was on the brink of tears at this point as the tension in her body was becoming painful. Without a second of hesitation, he vanished the dress and her undergarment before placing his mouth around her pleasure center.

"Severus fuck me already will you." Hermione said as she felt her juice leaking abundantly from her. He lapped at her a few times, never quite touching her clit and she had to grasp the sheet as the tension in her body was rising under her lover's ministration. Her hips were moving and rubbing on Severus' face trying to alleviate her discomfort.

The second he touched her clit with the bridge of his nose, he felt her juice come rapidly out of her as she came. When her body stopped convulsing, he went back up her body kissing all of her weak spots before placing his lips on hers. She moaned softly as she tasted herself on her fiancé's lips. Slowly he began removing the rest of his clothes and let her enjoy the view. When he was down to his boxers, Hermione saw his length through it and pulled herself up capturing his lips in a passion filled kiss as she began massaging his erection slowly from the base to the head. Severus head fell to her shoulder as his cock hardened further.

She removed his boxers and Severus held her in his arms repositioning her to the headboard of the bed. She wrapped her legs around him and he placed his length right on her entrance. She impaled herself on it her hands and legs wrapped around him as she held him into a tight embrace. Quickly, moans and grunts of pleasure escaped their mouths and Severus felt her inner walls tighten.

"Come for me my little witch. Let me feel you come around me." Severus said as he grasped her hips and began pushing harder into her.

"Sev… I love you please fuck me harder." Hermione said her hips meeting with his thrusts.

Severus sped up his thrusts and a few second later felt himself spill inside of her as she came with an almighty grown. Her inner walls milking him. It took a few minutes for Severus to recover but soon enough he felt himself going soft and slipped out of her.

She was already asleep and he curled up next to her pulling the covers against them before joining her into a peaceful slumber.