AN: Thank you guys for reading. I appreciate all of you. Remember this is just for fun.
Hermione stared at the man. Everyone had left them alone to talk, but Hermione didn't want to talk to him. No matter how ignorant and rude she was at their last meeting, he didn't have to be so mean. Hermione was glad, however, that she didn't put any effort into her appearance, as Snape didn't either.
"Let's not pretend, Headmaster."
"Very well Ms. Granger, let us gather our party. I have a portkey that will take us to the seaside. The ministry official will be waiting there."
Hermione went to get Mr. Weasley, Mrs. Weasley, Ron, Ginny, and 'Barry'. When they all had one finger on the empty pop can, they were transported to a beach. It was windy, overcast, and grim. Both Hermione and Snape thought it was perfect.
"Let's get on then," Snape gestured for the ministry officials to step forward.
The small portly man gestured for them to hold hands. They clasped their hands together in an awkward handshake as the man tied a blood red cord around their hands.
"Pull out your wands," He instructed.
"Do you, Severus Snape, swear to uphold, protect, revere, cherish, and love this woman until the day of your death?"
"I do."
"Do you also swear upon pain of death that no harm should ever come to Hermione Jean Granger?"
Hermione's eyes widened. This was not part of the regular marriage ceremony, and theirs was just bare-bones at that. She saw Snape's eyes flicker to 'Barry' with murder in his eyes.
"I so swear," He forced out.
A glowing stream emitted from his wand and wrapped along the rope. Hermione was asked to swear the same. She did, unemotionally, staring into the black emptiness that was her ex-professor's eyes. A similar stream emitted from her wand. Their hands glowed a bright yellow before the magic faded away.
Then the ceremony was over. The officiate apparated away with their marriage certificate in hand. Snape stood nearby looking annoyed as Hermione said goodbye to her friends.
"You be careful boys," she said to Harry and Ron, "Don't do anything stupid."
She hugged them fiercely, hopping that this was not the last time she would see them. She pulled back and smiled at them. Mrs. Weasley said something about having a private word with her. The boys nodded and walked a little ways away with Mr. Weasley, leaving Hermione alone with Ginny and her mother.
"You don't let him do anything to you that you don't want," Mrs. Weasley told her.
"Mrs. Weasley, I doubt he could ever touch me if I didn't want him too."
"You're right. You're a strong girl."
"Ginny," Hermione turned to the younger girl, "You stay safe for Harry. You don't do anything you don't have too. He'll come home if you're waiting for him."
Ginny nodded with tears in her eyes. She hugged them both fiercely and didn't want to let go. She heard movement from behind and some scuffling. When she turned around she saw Ron pointing his wand at Snape.
"You Murderer!" He screamed, "I swear if you touch her I will kill you myself."
Snape looked absolutely exasperated.
"Were you not listening, Weasley? Due to that ridiculous oath Ha—Barry— included in only my portion of the vows, I doubt I could even slap the girl if I tried."
He walked up to hermione and raised his hand in demonstration. He tried to bring it down upon her, but something like an invisible wall stopped her.
"I'm sorry Ron," Hermione sent a desperate look towards her lover.
Snape grabbed her by the arm.
"I love you, Hermione," Ron said.
"I lov—" Hermione started to say, but was interrupted by a twisting sensation followed by darkness.
When she came to, she was in a twin sized bed in a semi dark room. The walls were whitewashed, but the paint was old and peeling, that she could tell. There was no other furniture in the room, save for her trunk, which he must have picked up before they left the burrow.
The curtains were heavy and drawn, so she couldn't tell what time of day it was, but she didn't feel as if it had been too long. She moved to sit up but immediately felt a soreness that wasn't present before radiating from her left forearm. She winced, but continued getting up. She was still wearing her white dress but her shoes had been removed.
She walked across the small room and opened the door, which made a small creaking sound. There were stairs to her right. She eased herself down them, barely making a peep with her bare feet. She was at Snape's house, she knew that as soon as she set foot in his sitting room.
"Headmaster!" She called.
Her voice rung out into the empty air, quickly diminishing. She called again, and there was no response.
"Severus Snape!" She called.
It felt oddly forbidden to use his first name, but there was no answer, so she assumed he was out.
She ventured through a door way into a kitchen. It, like the rest of the house was old and peeling. The tile was dirty, but all the working surfaces were immaculate, if not worn. She walked over to the stove and tested a burner. It was electric, something that shocked her. Most wizards didn't know how to work electricity.
There was a teapot on a wooden cutting board that still had water in it. She opened in it and used lumos to inspect the water. It was clean. She put it on the back burner and inspected the cupboards, looking for tea. Any self-respecting Englishman had tea, wizard or no.
She found jars full of newt's eyes, rat's tails, bowtruckle's innards.
"Who stores potion ingredients in a kitchen?" She pondered aloud.
Finally she found two tins of tea stuffed among some containers of biscuits and crisps. It was surprisingly muggle. Just then she realized she didn't know if witches and wizards went to grocery stores. She deduced that she conjured most of their food, or had house elves do it for them.
The tea pot started to steam and she panicked, having forgotten to grab a mug. She found one in the cabinet by the sink and poured water over her tea leaves. She read the names of the biscuits on the shelf and settles on ginger snaps.
Hermione was about ten minutes in to spacing out when she heard the front door open. She whipped out her wand and moved just next to the entryway of the kitchen. Snape staggered in. He quickly regained his composure when he saw the tip of her wand just around the corner.
"Mrs. Snape, while your efforts to defend yourself are appreciated and under the circumstances the instinct is necessary, in here you should have no worries. No one can enter this house unless they are invited in, present company excluded."
The girl let out a sigh of relief and moved into the sitting room. Snape looked rather haggard as he removed his cloak and sat on an expensive looking chair in front of the fire place. She took the rickety looking chair to his right, it was the sturdier looking of the two other chairs. Snape lit the fire and turned to her.
"I suppose you'll be wanting new furniture."
"No, that wont be necessary. I don't want to impose on you. I seem to be missing a couple hours from my memory. I don't remember getting here." She stated.
"Mr. Weasley tried to make a grab for you when I apparated us away and you were splinched. I was called to the Dark Lord's side six hours ago, you were still asleep."
"Oh, it didn't feel like it had been that long," Hermione said to thin air.
Snape stood up and walked to the kitchen, and not knowing what to do, she followed. He filled the tea pot back up with tea and set it on the stove.
"Mrs. Snape, where are your parents?" He asked.
"Could you please not call me that?" She asked, "Call me Ms. Granger."
"No that is not your name."
"Hermione, then."
"I refuse."
Hermione let out a big sigh. This is what her life was going to be like until she died and she was not excited.
"You are avoiding my question."
"I obliviated
them," her lip began to quiver, "And I sent them away."
"You did a good job, when I looked, I found no trace. I doubt the Dark Lord would be able to find them if he expended all of his resources."
"Thank you," she whispered.
Hermione was taken back by his compliment. She assumed he was being tactful because he didn't want to deal with a crying girl, but she appreciated it none the less.
"I believe I have to set some ground rules, and you cannot break them, you are not at Hogwarts anymore. The punishment wont just be lines or detention."
"Do I have to call you Headmaster?" She asked.
"Mr. Snape is acceptable, though when we are at the school and there is company, Headmaster would be preferable. No more questions you petulant child. Let me speak. You have free range of the upstairs two bedrooms, bathroom, kitchen, and the library. You will not leave this property, whatsoever, without my accompaniment. In the library, there is a row of my journals, you may not touch them until your occlumency is at an acceptable level. I'm sure you figured out that it was my potions book Potter was using last year, and I hope that it is enough intellectual incentive. There are potion ingredients in the kitchen I would prefer you not to touch. They are expensive. In that dresser over there," he pointed to the corner of the room, "Are your basic potions, if you ever need them."
The water started boiling and he made his tea, grabbed some crisps, and walked into the sitting room.
"I am going to retire now. I recommend you take a sleeping draught so your sleep schedule isn't permanently messed up. There is a woman who brings groceries every Friday."
With that, he turned away. Hermione didn't know what to do, so after she washed her dishes and set them out to dry, she pulled a sleeping draught out and returned to her room. She rummaged through her trunk. She finally found her journal and wrote all the rules down verbatim.
I'm basically on house arrest. She thought.
She knew it was for her safety, but it didn't make it any less irritating. She lay down, focusing on her breathing. Snape had been right, she did so desperately want to read is journals now that she knew exactly how dangerous they were. They were in a war, and she would do anything to get the upper hand.
It turned out that she did not need the sleeping draught, with her thoughts turned to how Harry and Ron were doing, she drifted off to sleep.
Severus Snape was not a happy man. He was being forced to marry and live with that chit of a girl. Voldemort had told him he wanted her to be their new spy on the order. As if his life wasn't stressful enough.
He knew she wasn't ready to spy. She was too weak willed. But she would have to be, or Voldemort might lash out and kill him. Severus knew his self preservation skills were to good for that. He wasn't going to sleep for a long time, this he knew.
