Chapter 9:
Hermione had met up with her friends after being released from the infirmary two days later and they continued on with their lives as if nothing had happened; Crabbe got detention with Filch for the rest of the month, Minerva and Severus were in teaching mode, The group was in to their studies more than ever and the wedding was in a week. Even if they never let it show, she still sat there in wonder as to what was going to happen that day. She had let Minerva have her ideas for the ceremony and she told her to go crazy and have fun but make it nice. She didn't talk to her professor about the situation it was just that simple. She only saw Severus in class and at meals so as not to cause confusion amongst her classmates. It was hard yes but she made due.
That week had flown by and no one knew where it went but now the day before the wedding, everyone was frantic, the girls were worried about their figures in the dresses Minerva had picked and the boys were worried about the girls worrying about their dresses. Hermione had gotten letters from both her parents and soon to be in-laws and they had all agreed that they were going to arrive the evening before so as to have a good family dinner before they all rested for the big day. Of course Hermione had no idea if Severus knew or not but she told them that the meal would be in her quarters and she would cook, it is the least she could do to keep the arguments to a minimum. And that night after her last class she decided that it was time to talk to Severus in a more personal level then student teacher conversations. She walked to his office in the dark dungeons and knocked on his door.
"Come in." she did and the first thing she noticed was her fiancé hiding behind a bunch of stacks she assumed were first year papers.
"Hello."
"Yes Miss Granger please come in and shut the door." She did as instructed and entered the room even farther. "Are you here about your dinner that you are holding for our parents?"
"Wow are you sure you are the potions master and not the divination instructor?" she smiled slightly.
"Ha-ha."
"Yes I thought I was quite humorous."
"So what are your plans?"
"I thought you and I could go greet everyone at the door and then continue to my quarters from there."
"Fair enough but you might have to do such things I have all of these that I must have graded by tomorrow."
"Would you like some help?"
"It would be much appreciated but I feel that it would lose its evil potion's master response if it were written in my fiancé's hand writing."
"Fine then I will take a stack, write on a separate parchment and then you don't have to grade as much and then you just have to put your grades on it."
Severus never looked at her as she spoke but he did show that he thought about it when his quill stopped writing. "Ok Miss Granger, take this stack here on the corner and go grade them in your quarters so that you may start dinner while you go."
"Very clever dear."
"I thought so."
Hermione grabbed the indicated stack and leaned in to give him a kiss, nothing to start trouble, but enough of one to get a small reaction. She smiled and walked out of the room without another word and headed to her quarters. She entered and set the papers on her coffee table. She had the elves bring her up the necessary ingredient earlier that day and so now all that she had to do was to throw it all together in a decent meal. Tonight's menu consisted of shrimp linguini, salad, cooked green beans, bread and for dessert she had chocolate lasagna.
As the shrimp and cooked with the cake layers she sat and graded the papers. About two and a half hours later, she had finished the grading and had devoted her attention to the dinner. Everyone would be arriving in about a half an hour; she wasn't frantic, and simply worried that she wasn't going to get done in time. She was icing the layers of the cake while the noodles, veggies and sauce heated and cooked. When she was done with that she tossed the salad and threw parts of the salad onto plates because she knew what her parents like on their salad but she was unsure what everyone else liked. She quickly set the table and threw the dishes on the table with two minutes to spare before everyone arrived. She took of her apron and headed out the door.
To her surprise everyone was already there, "Hello," she said as she approached the group of six. "I am terribly sorry; I hope you all weren't waiting long."
"Nonsense dear, we only just arrived moments ago." Odessa said as she hugged Hermione. She properly greeted everyone else and then they headed up to her rooms. They shortly arrived in front of her door where they were not greeted by the dragon guarding the door.
"Oh my gosh, not again," Hermione gasped.
"What is it dear?" her mother asked.
Hermione ignored her as she started searching the other paintings for the dragon. She finally spotted him talking with the fat lady. She ran up the flights of stairs almost not making it as the stairs decided to move. She approached the painting with a look of anger painted on her face.
"Mulchin, I thought I said I would be right back."
"Hello Miss Granger," Mulchin greeted.
"Why are you not at your painting?"
"I wanted to visit for I didn't know how long you were going to be gone."
"Can you please go back quickly, Dinner is getting cold."
"Oh well then in that case yes." Mulchin smiled at her as he left for his own painting.
Hermione ran down the stairs and arrived seconds before the dragon.
As he entered the frame he asked, "Password?"
"Gryffindor Courage." The painting swung to the side and she entered the room in a huff. She went straight to the table checking that the heat charm stayed on the food.
"Hermione where is Severus?" her father asked.
"He is on his way he had a lot of work to grade before dinner."
"Oh dear me, he could put that off till later couldn't he?"
"We are under strict orders that neither one of us are to touch anything school related from midnight tonight till after the honeymoon."
"And he can't do it after the honeymoon?"
"Oh Severus can be a pain in class but he does care that his students learn from their mistakes in their work. I think that he really cares for them and he wants to get the papers back to them as soon as possible."
"Let's not let that get back to my students Miss Granger." Severus was standing in the doorway leading to the bedroom. "I don't want my reputation to be smeared by the idea that I am a nice guy to my students."
"They are insufferable idiots I know." Hermione smirked.
"I take it you finished."
"Yes and amazingly still got Dinner on the table."
"And how bad was it."
"How do you teach those first years? They don't know anything."
"Ah, yes well they can't all be you dear," Severus approached her as he said this and kissed her.
"I resent that; they all should be like me."
"While your information was correct, yours was long, that was what made me want to start hexing students."
"Ok Severus please enlighten us all, would you rather have stupid answers or in-depth ones with all the right answers?" His father asked.
"The right answers." He positioned himself behind Hermione and wrapped his arms around her waist, "The length is only a pain when I have a hundred other's to grade." Hermione chuckled as he said this and she leaned into him.
"Shall we eat?" She asked looking at her guests.
Everyone nodded and dinner went off without a hitch, conversations drifted to Hermione's studies and the wedding tomorrow. When everyone was done, they all adjourned to the sitting room where they were sitting and drinking tea and laughing when they were interrupted by a flash of green.
"Hello Ginny."
"Hey Hermione, I have your package."
"Really? Come through I want to see it." Hermione jumped up from the couch and practically skipped to the fire place as she waited for Ginny to arrive. When the youngest Weasley popped though, Hermione couldn't help but squeal. "Come on Gin, let's go look, Mom Madam Snape will you join us in the bedroom?"
"So I take it we three men are not needed?"
"Severus? Don't you know that it is bad luck to see the bride before the wedding?"
"Oh well then I suppose that we are in big trouble," he chuckled.
"Ha-ha"
The four women entered the room where Hermione couldn't contain herself anymore. She jumped up and down squealing, "I am so excited."
"I can see that girl."
"Hermione dear you should slow down and relax before you pass out again." Her mother said.
Hermione instantly stopped her excitement, "yes mom."
"Wait I am confused, this has happened before."
"Yes actually, to Hermione's marriage to Goyle she jumped up and down so many times she eventually passed out cold until the next morning." Hermione's mother explained.
"A minor setback," Hermione retorted. "I want to see the dress. Please Ginny I can't take it anymore."
"OK miss bossy, here it is."
"Oh Gin you and your mother did a wonderful job. How can I repay you?"
"By not getting yourself into the type of marriage that you were in last time."
"I hope I can manage that one."
"Yes well, that and Mom wants to come and give you early wishes tomorrow."
"Done"
"Ok great."
"Umm, Ginny would she object to me giving her money?"
"Absolutely, you know mom, she will not hesitate to hex you if you do."
"Ok then I won't."
"Ok well I will allow you to get back to your evening so that we can all be well rested in the morning."
"Ok gin thanks." And with that the red head was gone.
"Hermione I raised you better then to allow such a simple payment for such a wonderful dress."
"Mother, I know you did, that's why I won't be paying her…. Dad will." Hermione smiled and left the room. The group went to their designated rooms about two hours later and there they all rested peacefully until the morning.