Chapter 68: In Which We Explore the Drs Granger

Monday was almost over. Snape and Hermione had gone from the Black property, officially called Alhana's Haven, to Harry's and found that he did indeed own it now. Kreacher was able to tell him that the property had been one of Walburga's favourite places, it was given to her by her Great Uncle Sirius at her wedding, and she had named her first born in his honour. Thus it was now Harry's, and he was quite interested in seeing the place, never having known it existed before.

They had returned with Harry, Ginny, the kids, a picnic dinner packed by Kreacher, and spent the evening there.

Later that night, when they were comfortably snuggled under light blankets, Snape asked his question again, "So, really, what is it with your parents and weddings?"

Hermione lay there quietly, but he could feel her tense.

"Better yet, what is it with you, your parents, and weddings?"

"I think I made them like this." Her voice was small, and she snuggled further into his arms.

"It's not your fault if they act like a wedding is a personal affront."

"No, not just weddings, all of it, I think they became so extreme because of me."

"Why? What could you have done…?"

He didn't get a chance to finish before she was answering, "They hated the idea of the Horcrux Hunt. They couldn't understand why we needed to go, or why it was important. They didn't think they were targets and refused to move or do anything to protect themselves. We were in the middle of a huge row, an impossible row, and they tossed down an ultimatum: if I left for the hunt, I was to never come back.

"I went up to my room, thought long and hard. When I went back down, I told them I'd stay, but I needed to talk to Ron and Harry first. They were relieved, so they let me go. I went back to the Hogwarts Library and read everything I could on memory modification charms.

"When I came home, I used the Imperius on them. Then I had them help me to remove every memory that could identify them as my parents. By the time I was done, I had two huge bottles filled with any and all of their memories including me. Then I oblivated them and remade them into Wendell and Monica Wilkins.

"Then I kept them in the house, imperiused, waiting while I set it up for them to move. I got them packed, on the plane, and out of England, all the while they had no idea who I was. For one last added layer of protection, I removed those memories as well when they were boarding the plane.

"A year later, I found them, put the memories back, and eventually they forgave me, and we got on again, but ever since there's been no moderation in them.

"They used to be classic third way liberals. They could be overbearing, but it didn't happen all that often. They worked for the NHS, but also spent a few afternoons a week in a private clinic for extra money. Now they think private medical care is evil. They believed in recycling being good to the environment, but we still went on skiing vacations. Now, between the carbon footprint involved in the travelling to a ski slope, or the potential damage to the ecosystem by swishing over it, there are no more skiing vacations. My mom was an old school feminist, and she had good reason to be one, dental school for a woman in the early seventies wasn't a picnic. Now she sees oppression everywhere, even in innocent things. She almost bit Harry's head off when he called her Mrs Granger. Monica and Wendell were radicals, and radicals they've stayed.

"The Robert Granger I grew up with, he would have walked me down the aisle. He wouldn't have said a peep about our wedding being in a church. He wouldn't have been thrilled with the political implications of 'giving me away,' but escorting me to my future, especially with my mum, would have been just fine.

"I changed them, and a lot of the time these days, I'm not sure it was a good thing."

Snape's voice was soft and soothing. "And if they had died?"

"I know. I survived Ron's death because there was literally nothing else I could have done to save him. If they had been killed because I just left them unprotected on their own…"

"They would have been. After the Ministry fell, your parents and the Dursleys were on top of the Wanted Muggle lists. Your parent's home was watched, and when it became clear that they didn't just go off on a holiday, further searching was done, but all your neighbours could tell us was the moving lorry had been there in the middle of July. You saved them."

"Sort of, Robert and Jean I grew up with are shadows, glimmers, in these two current people."

Severus held her tighter. He kissed her ear. "You didn't know it would happen."

"No, but that doesn't absolve me of guilt. I stole their free will in the name of keeping them safe."

"Did they understand the danger?"

"They would have had to have believed it was real to understand it."

"Would you have pulled them out of a burning building?"

"Yes."

"Pushed them out of the way of an oncoming car?"

"In a heartbeat."

"How is this different?"

"I wouldn't have had to mind rape them to get them out of a burning building or out of the way of an oncoming car."

Snape didn't have a response to that. He just held her closer, and kissed her forehead. After a few cuddlesome moments he asked, "So, what happens now?"

She sighed. "Go on with the wedding and our lives, and hope they behave themselves. I know one thing; I won't be sitting them anywhere near Percy. That's an ugly argument about women's rights waiting to happen."

They lay quietly in bed, sleep nowhere nearby.

Snape spoke again, his voice soft in the dark, "Maybe they're emulating you."

"Huh?"

"You showed them an example of putting everything on the line for what you believed in, maybe they respect that, maybe they're walking in your footsteps."

"If that's so, maybe they should have looked a little closer at what putting everything on the line cost me."

"Well, it's not like they're in danger of being killed by an angry mob of free market dentists. There's a bit less risk for them."

She tried to laugh at his joke, but couldn't quite do it. "If they were going to emulate me, I'd rather they went for my good qualities."

"Certainty is a good quality."

"I wasn't certain. I was a self-righteous prat."

Snape realized the verbal corner he had talked himself into. He kissed her deeply to avoid having to answer. She kissed him back.

"Your resounding denial of my self-righteous-pratness is noted."

"Someone made it very clear to me not all that long ago that she did not want to be lied to."

"Oh, God, speaking of self-righteous-pratness. Thanks for not tossing me out of the house when I did that. I guess you could say I'm still working on that aspect of my personality. It comes out less than it used to, though."

He kissed her deeply once again, stroking his palm from her hair to her hip. "I knew you weren't perfect when I signed on for this. I can deal with you being self-righteous. I imagine it will give me some good opportunities for teasing you."

She smiled at him, kissed him, placing her hand on his chest. Hermione slid her leg along his, wrapping it over his hip.

"So you like to tease me, huh?"

His hand slid the hem of her nightgown above her hip and then rested softly on her bum. "Oh, yes. I intended to spend many happy years teasing you." He gave her a quick pinch.

She made a sound somewhere between a squeal and a laugh and drew her hand down his chest. He inhaled sharply when she found her target. "Can you stand to be teased back?"

"I think stand is the operative word there." He grinned and kissed her deeply and then lightly on her eyelids. "And I can do it as long as you want me to."