CHAPTER 5
That was not all. The minute he touched he hair he saw the faint glow on his hand. And much to his dismay he looked on as the faint glow was replace by a now solid golden band. He didn't need an 'O' in N.E.W.T. to tell him that that was a marriage band.
He stood up as she opened her eyes. She strained her eyes to look through the dim lit room. She wanted to go back to her dream. She saw a Professor Snape frozen in shock. What was he doing in her bedroom? She looked around as it registered that technically it wasn't her bedroom. She sighed as she realized that she had overslept her stay. "Sorry professor, I will help myself out."
He didn't budge. He was still looking at his hand. She knew what he was looking at. She had hoped to face him the next day but looks like fate thought otherwise.
She looked at her hand expecting to find the same faint glow only to find a very much solid gold marriage band.
What was he going to do? Hex her? Challenge her to a duel? Avada kedavra her? The last option looked appealing. The one thing to favor was the fact that he didn't know that it was her mistake that led to their predicament. Maybe she could twist it a little. Oh Merlin! Maybe this is what married to Slytherin made her.
"Professor, thank you for letting me stay. I will be gone in a minute."
He didn't show any sign of hearing her. On an impulse, she put her hands on his shoulder to shake him to reality.
He just blinked from his finger to look at the dense eyes looking at him in anticipation.
"Professor, are you alright?"
Alright? Alright? He was anything but alright. He closed his eyes counting to ten. This couldn't be happening. This must be one of his nightmares. There was no way he could possibly be married.
"I'm…I'm…I'm MARRIED!"
She gulped down her fear. She had never seen him this angry since the war. Even then she managed, "Congratulations!"
He glared at her, "You do know something don't you?"
Of course she did but how on earth had he figured it out?
"Professor…I …"
"The inheritance, I got it because I have been registered as married, isn't it?"
Not knowing what other to say, she replied, "Yes, sir."
"Then why didn't you tell me before?"
"I thought you might have known. Who else could have registered it other than you? It's not like someone else used your anything."
That explained it. His hands balled in a fist as he remembered giving that old coot his ID.
Before she could say anything, she saw him literally race out of the room.
She was near the doorway when she heard him curse, "Bloody hell."
"Professor?" She turned to look at him near the fireplace.
"The Floo Network is disabled."
"WHAT? Why?"
"Some enchantment to the manor. I don't know. I have to get it out of here. I need to get to Albus."
"Does this mean we are struck together here tonight?"
"Apparently."
Just then they heard a 'pop' in the kitchen.
"So, what's in the kitchen?"
PRINCE MANOR – KITCHEN
Both of them walked in to find two house-elves just appearing in the kitchen.
Hermione was able to identity, one of them being Dobby, "Dobby?"
"Hello Mrs. Snape."
That's when the time became still for Snape.
"WHAT?!"
Hermione looked like she was ready to swallow herself.
"Mr and Mrs Snape. Reporting to duty, we are Dobby and Missy. We will be serving yours from now. We will be serving dinners in twenty minutes."
Snape ignored the elves, his sole attention on Hermione now, "Miss. Granger, do you have some explanations to do?"
"I…"
"Why…What…How…"
"Professor…"
"Is it Dumbledore's idea? Where you forced into this? How could you? Why would you?"
"Professor…"
"You…You…"
"PROFESSOR!" shunning the man once and for all.
"Professor, I'm as much as stunned as you are. We need to be patient to analyze what happened. Did you apply for marriage registration?"
He didn't but had the surest idea who would have done it.
"Professor, by applying for marriage registration you might have been open to getting married to anyone without your permission."
"That's absurd. Who would install such a system?"
Hermione coughed away her anxiety, "That's not the point."
"Why are you so calm? Did you apply for marriage registration?"
"I…" the question was on her now. There was no point hiding it from him anymore.
"Professor, I need to show you something. Take me to the pensieve."
AFTER THE PENSIEVE
"You?! You are responsible for our condition?!"
"Well! If you hadn't registered already, we wouldn't be in this condition!"
"I didn't…I…" damn Albus!
"Professor, all begone. I know we both hate this. There is no point in accusing each other."
"I don't care. Just get out of my house."
"Sorry, Professor Snape. This happens to be my house too now." Her arms crossed in challenge.
(TO BE CONTINUED)