Disclaimer: Don't own it. Not at all. How sad is that?
"Ms. Granger!" Snape shouted in frustration. He wasn't one to be toyed with and her childish game was getting on his nerves, "Get on with it!"
"Such temper," Hermione muttered, more to herself than to anyone else, "Of course, yes, I'll marry you." She had always imagined saying those words in a moment of passion, to a man she loved. He didn't have to be on one knee, but she always assumed he would be in love with her and she with him. She was sensible, however, and didn't allow herself to dwell on what wouldn't be.
"Good." Was the only response that came from the man sitting across from her. He really had little else to say, could not think of anything for the life of him, except for a question that had been nagging at him since Dumbledore had first suggested he petition for the hand of Ms. Hermione Granger. "You explained why the elder Weasley's could not petition you, but what of the current bumble head that roams these halls? Or Mr. Potter for that matter?" The answer, he thought, could prove useful.
"They were never an option." She said simply, but with a disapproving glance for her husband-to-be, she extended her explanation. "Harry's dating Ginny. He would never want to leave her and I would never ask him to. And Ron, while pureblooded, isn't quite at the age where the law affects him. He's got a few months, and he should have his freedom until he absolutely has to give it up."
Snape nodded, once, quickly, barely noticeable. So she was playing noble, refusing to trap one of her best friends, simply because their lives could be better than her own, at least for a time. He wondered, briefly, how she felt that neither one seemed to be insisting that she marry them, but threw the thought out of his mind as soon as it entered. It shouldn't matter to him. It didn't matter to him. He had found a way to stay in the wizarding world without having to bound and gag a witch to have her marry him. He was a bit shocked, actually.
Hermione fidgeted in the chair she had sat in. Bloody thing, so uncomfortable, she thought to herself as she watched Snape think. She didn't have the upper hand in this anymore. She had given her decision and lost all hold she had had. She gave a second's thought to the fact that she could make his life miserable, become the nightmare of a bride she had always heard stories about. Demand that there be both a wizarding and a muggle ceremony. Insist on some outlandish outfit for him to wear. Throw a fit when the flowers weren't the exact shade of red she wanted. Unconsciously, she smiled a tiny evil smile, as she thought of Snape partaking in a Gryffindor themed wedding, all reds and golds.
"What are you thinking about?" The potions professor looked at the girl that would soon become his young wife. He normally had no care for what others thought, and really didn't care in this situation either, but that smile and the malicious joy in her eyes intrigued him.
"Nothing." She said quickly, realizing as he spoke that he could probably care less about how the wedding went. "Just trying to decide when the best time for a wedding would be. It has to be within two weeks after I sign your petition and return it to the Ministry. I only need a few days to get a dress and tell my family. We could do it by the end of the week." Get it over with, she thought. She had never been one to put things off and this was no exception. It was Monday now; she could be ready by Thursday.
"Friday then. That's fine with me. Anything else?" He had reverted back to his completely curt state, wanting her to leave so he could have a few moments of his day to himself before dinner. He had had classes that morning, met with Dumbledore in the early afternoon, and had spent the rest of his day either speaking to Hermione or grading papers, his mind on nothing but her impending answer.
"No." She stood to leave, smoothing her skirt of wrinkles and turning toward the door. She had owls to send and needed to speak to Dumbledore once more. He should know that the school wouldn't be losing its head girl.
Snape watched her leave. He took note of the way her skirt fell, shorter than it should have been, inches above the knee. Her sweater was tight, but the way she wore it lead one to believe that the tightness fell to a lack of time to think about sizes rather than an intent to make teenage boys unable to concentrate. There would be definite bonuses to marrying Hermione Granger, he thought before mentally slapping himself. She was twenty years his junior and probably disgusted by the thought of the clause in the law that stated they had to produce offspring within the first year and a half. He was a slightly evil man, reformed Death Eater and all, but even he had reservations about the more intimate parts of marriage with a girl not even out of school.
A/N: Thanks to all the wonderful reviews I've gotten. I hope this clears up any question any of you may have had about why, exactly, Harry and Ron were not options. Now, I make my humble apologies, asking to be forgiven for the lack of update. I won't make any excuses as to why I haven't, but I will remind that I am a senior in high school and that it is a very hectic time of life. Enjoy the story, reread, review and wait patiently. I promise the next update won't take nearly as long.