AN: Thank you, as always, to everyone who has reviewed. It's always nice to be told it's going okay :)

Disclaimer: Unless something very strange has happened, I'm not JKR and I hold no rights to anything you recognise...

Chapter Four

Two weeks later -

Hermione pulled her coat a little tighter around herself as she walked down the street named Spinners End. It all looked so... ordinary. Not entirely certain why she had thought it wouldn't be ordinary, perhaps it was too many dinners and holidays spent in The Burrow, a house held together and held up by magic. She checked the slip of parchment Minerva had given her, and then squinted at the house numbers in the dazzling sunlight. This was it; the house on the very end. It looked exactly like every other house on the street, except, she noted with a stifled laugh, instead of brightly coloured flowers in terracotta pots gracing the front door step, there stood two rusted old cauldrons full of – she bent to examine them closer – herbs. Yes, this was the right place after all. Summoning all her Gryffindor courage, she produced the two ministry scrolls she had retrieved only an hour ago and knocked resolutely on the door.

She was quite surprised when she heard hurried foot steps approaching the door, which was pulled open to reveal one Severus Snape. She let her eyes slowly wander over his appearance, partially out of curiosity and partially to unnerve him. He was wrapped in a towel and quite obviously fresh from the shower, hair pushed back from his face and dripping tiny trails of water over his scarred shoulders and chest. She could see the livid snake bite scar on his neck but didn't allow her eyes to linger there for too long before bringing them up to meet his own. She was astounded to find that he didn't look angry. He did, however, shut the door.

"I know you're still there, Severus." She told the door. Silence. "There's no good pretending, I know you haven't walked away because I haven't heard your retreating footsteps." Silence. "Why don't you just let me in, before the neighbours start asking questions?" she wasn't entirely certain his neighbours would ask questions, nor whether it would bother him if they did. Silence. Hermione rolled her eyes. "Fine" she said in a louder voice, "I guess you have moved away after all, so I'll just have to speak up so you can hear me." Her voice grew louder still "I've brought the marriage contracts to be signed." "Did you hear me?" she was practically shouting now, "the marr-" the door opened, a hand reached out and dragged her over the threshold before slamming the door closed again. "There now, that wasn't so hard was it?" she said sweetly, at her normal volume.

Severus grunted and went back upstairs, presumably to get dressed. That left Hermione alone in the hall and slightly torn. Should she wait for him here at the bottom of the stairs where he had left her, like a little lost school girl? Should she venture forth through the door that stood open to her right and wait for him in there? She stuck her head round the door of the room as if this might help her decide. It did. She immediately moved through the door, turning all the way around. Every available wall space was covered in floor to ceiling book cases, and these bookcases were so packed with books, it looked like they were ready to explode. There were even books on the mantle above the fireplace. Now Hermione had another reason to marry him, there was no way she was passing up the opportunity to read all these books, and she was fairly certain there was no other way she would get access to them. She was just about to go in for a quick inspection, just to see what was there, when she heard footsteps on the stairs.

"Please come in, Miss Granger, make yourself at home." Severus was leaning against the door frame, arms folded across his chest. It seemed that he felt the need to make up for the amount of exposed skin she had seen, because now he was so covered the only bits she could see were his hands and face, his collar so high it very nearly covered his chin.

"Your sarcastic wit is, as ever, refreshing, Severus." She rejoined.

"Once again, I do not remember inviting you to use my first name." At least he wasn't openly snarling at her. She chose to ignore him and move on to business.

"I've brought you the copies of the marriage contract; the ministry requires us to sign them to confirm that we are engaged to be married." She held out the two identical scrolls, he didn't take them, didn't even look at them.

"We aren't engaged to be married. We never were engaged to be married, and unless you plan on using some form of as yet unknown mind control on me, because I assure you I can fight off all known forms quite effectively, we never will be engaged to be married. Good Day, Miss Granger, I trust you can find your own way out." He moved across the room and into what she assumed was the kitchen. She followed him, as quietly as possible. He flicked his wand at the kettle, which instantly boiled. He poured the hot water into a mug that stood ready on the side, to this he added 1 teaspoon of sugar, stirred the black coffee five times clockwise and, without so much as a glance, tossed the spoon to the side, into the sink.

"Do you do everything with so much regimented precision?" she asked, as if he had never dismissed her. She saw his shoulders tense, saw that tension travel all the way down his arms and out into the knuckles that turned even whiter against the edge of the black stone work surface.

"Merlin, grant me patience." He growled, as if to himself. He turned around to face her, drawing himself up to his full height, which, she had to admit, was considerably taller than herself. "Miss Granger, I do not seem to recall inviting you to join me in my kitchen. In fact, though I realise that subtlety is a concept completely beyond the grasp of a Gryffindor such as yourself, I do believe that I implied, by the words 'show yourself out', that you were to leave."

"But you haven't signed the contract."

"We covered this as well. I am not going to sign your bloody contract."

"Then, I'm not leaving." As if to enforce her point, she pulled out one of the chairs that stood around a table that looked as if it had never been used and sat herself down with a smile. "Anyway, it'll be nice to spend some time getting to know each other, I mean, you can't marry someone you know nothing about."

"I will give you one final chance, Miss Granger," He took a step towards her, his voice a menacing undertone, "leave my house this instant of your own free will or I will make you leave."

"No, you won't." She said confidently, still smiling serenely at him.

"Do you really want to test that theory?" He threatened, advancing another pace.

"I don't need to test it. You're not going to bodily remove me from your house. If you cared enough about the reaction of your neighbours not to allow me to stand on your door step shouting about marriage contracts, then you certainly care enough not to be seen forcing a small and defenceless young woman out of your house." She told him, using the same tone she had always used in class to answer his questions.

Severus considered this for a moment. His neighbours were certainly nosy enough to have come to their windows when she had started shouting. They were also interfering enough to do something stupid like call the muggle police if they saw him wrestling her out of his house. The last thing he needed was a load of muggles coming round and asking him questions.

"Anyway," she continued, "you want to sign the contract." That brought him out of his thoughts with a thunk.

"Do you just not listen? Or is your brain that logged with ever scrap of knowledge that you've ever dragged from the pages of a book that spoken word just can't be processed anymore?"

"Severus," she ignored him grinding his teeth as she once again used his first name, "look around. If you were truly going to embrace muggle life in two weeks time rather than even admit to being engaged to me, you would have gone by now. You would not have stayed here, where your presence is known to the ministry, where they can hound you for not obeying their law. Or, at very least, there would be some sign that you had begun making preparations to leave. You're just not a last minute kind of person, really, are you?"

"It may have escaped your notice, Miss Granger, but I still have "two and half months before marriage becomes a legal requirement."

"But, you are legally required to be engaged by the end of this month, so to take full advantage of those extra two months, you need this." She shoved a scroll across the table at him. If he could have set it on fire with nothing more than a stare it would have been a smouldering pile of ash before it had left her hand. He knew she was right. He had read the law thoroughly enough himself. Quickly he weighed his options in his mind. He could refuse to sign, thus effectively expelling himself from the wizarding world in just over two weeks. He could sign it and use the extra two months this brought him to better prepare himself for expulsion; perhaps moving some of his savings innocuously into a muggle bank account. Or he could sign it and marry her on the allotted date, thus binding himself to her, but also allowing him to stay in the wizarding world. Did he really want to be a muggle? He knew their way of life, his father had been one. He knew he could survive like that, but did he really want to? Was he really willing to sacrifice his potions, his magical books, and his wand, just to avoid marrying this woman? He needed more time to think this through. With a sigh his answer hit him. He unrolled the scroll of parchment.

I, Severus Tobias Snape, hereby confirm my engagement with intent to marry Miss Hermione Jean Granger on 28th day of the August of this year at 3pm.

"All you've got to dois sign and date. Then they go back to the ministry." She told him in a nice calming voice. "And then I'll go, I won't contact you until it's all over. I promise." She added, as if sensing that he needed more encouragement.

Severus summoned a quill and prepared to sign his life away, but something made him stop. "miss Granger," he began slowly, "why exactly are you so desperate that I should sign this contract, and in fact, marry you?"

Hermione had been hoping that he wouldn't ask that. She had even for a brief second thought she might have got away with it, until the quill had paused, less than an inch above the parchment and he had turned his dark eyes upon her. "I wouldn't say I was desperate." She told him evasively, not liking the ay his lips curled upwards in a sneer.

"Then why have you come here a mere two weeks after the law was passed? Why not wait until the last possible moment?" She held off answering as long as she could, turning her answer over and over in her mind trying to phrase it just right.

Finally she decided she had no choice but to dive straight in. "did you have more than one name on your list?" she asked in a resigned voice. He didn't respond so she pushed recklessly on, "On your list of compatible and ministry acceptable marriage partners, how many names were there? I guess that, just like on mine, there was only one. Now, what do you imagine will happen to me if you refuse to marry me? Do you think the ministry will just shrug its shoulders and leave me be?"

"They'd banish you too." Realisation dawned on him for the first time that his leaving would effect more than just himself. Hermione nodded, choosing, for now, not to mention the other possibility. "But surely, this would not be such a huge catastrophe for you, you are young, you are muggle born, you are still closely linked to the muggle world." he declared, his tongue working faster than his mind. He saw the flash of pain the crossed her eyes, and almost regretted his words.

"And so, it doesn't matter to you that, because of your selfish decision, I would be forced out of the world were I have friends, and people who love and care for me as I do them, out into a world that holds nothing for me? I have nothing in the muggle world, nothing. No friends, no family, no qualifications even, just like you." She wanted the slight tremble in her voice to be caused by anger, rage at him for being so uncaring and thoughtless, but part of it was still the spark of pain at the knowledge that everything she had once known, everything that tied her to the world before Hogwarts was effectively gone.

Severus didn't want to admit that she as right, that he had been selfish. He should have considered the further repercussions of his plan. He should have realised that if he only had one name on his list, then in all likelihood so did she. He didn't want her to realise that he knew what it was like to be part or a world and yet not part of it. With another resigned sigh, Severus lowered the quill the final half inch to the parchment and signed his name. He didn't look at Hermione as he rolled the scroll back up and pushed it back across the table towards her.

"Tha-"

"Don't" he cut across her, calling once more on his old reserves of bitterness, anger and hate. "Do not thank me, Miss Granger. For I have not given you anything. I have merely bought myself some more time. I may yet leave you to your fate, or worse." The ice in his voice caused her to shiver, but she nodded in understanding, picked up the scroll and, as good as her word, made her way silently out of his house, out of his street, and, when she finally apparated in a dark alley a few streets away, out of his town.

-#x#-

Severus was enjoying the return of his Hermione Granger free life. She had kept her promise; it was three weeks now since he had signed the marriage contract, and in that time he had not so much as heard her name. Admittedly, he was now facing the decision of whether he really was going to marry her, which he wasn't, no, absolutely not, he just hadn't quite got round to planning his new muggle way of life yet, but there was plenty of time.

Sipping his coffee as he stirred his cauldron, Severus knew that there was no rush; he still had just over seven weeks in which to make good his escape. He had also decided that if he was going to forever give up potions making, he might as well try to complete the final version of the potion he had been researching, there was no point in leaving unnecessary loose ends, after all.

Unfortunately for Severus, this morning in early July was not to pass quite as uninterrupted as the previous few weeks had. He had just sat down to record his observations on the potion when he felt his wards informing him that someone was trying to floo him. They would just have to try again later. Perhaps he could invent some sort of message talking device for the floo, like a muggle answering machine, after all, the ministry seemed to have gotten muggle telephones to work in their buildings. The wards shifted again, who ever it was clearly wanted to talk to him badly. Never mind, he was working, this was important. The wards shifted a third time. He couldn't work if he was to be repeatedly poked. Slamming his quill down , he stomped up the stairs and unwarded the floo, immediately Minerva McGonagall's head appeared. "Severus, I knew you were home." She said lightly, "you know you really shouldn't ignore people like that, you'll start people thinking you're antisocial." He didn't respond to her teasing.

"Was there something specific you wanted Minerva? Presumably something urgent from your incessant attempts to communicate with me?" he folded his arms across his chest even as he sank down to the ground, so as to easier speak with her.

"Yes, actually, there was. It's not life and death so don't worry, oh, Severus, do stop scowling, I just wanted to ask if you'd consider helping us make up our stock of potions for the hospital wing?"

"Why can't your Potions Professor do it?" Severus immediately responded, this had 'plans to interfere' written all over it.

"Of course I knew you'd be reluctant," Minerva heaved a dramatic sigh, "It's just that I'm quite loathe to interrupt Richard. He's working on his Masters, you know, he might even break your record. He's such an enthusiastic person too, he's adapted quite a few of your old recipes" she hadn't lied, she told herself. At no point had she actually lied. He had adapted the recipes, by turning them back into the original recipes. He was enthusiastic, and he was working on his masters, he even would break Severus' record if he completed his work in the next six months, she had just neglected to mention that there was not a snowballs chance in hell of him actually completing his work in that time.

She thought she heard Severus growl low in his throat, she knew he was very proud of being the youngest person to ever receive a Masters in Potions. She also knew that he couldn't stand the idea of anyone besting his own recipes. Of course, it helped that no one could ever say that Severus Snape was not competitive.

"So, you'd just want me to replenish the stocks for the hospital wing?" he asked after a moment,

"Absolutely, I mean, I completely understand if you feel you're not up to it anymore. You have been retired for a few years now; you must be a bit out of practice." For a second, Minerva thought she had crossed the line, convinced that she had just insulted him a little too much, she braced herself for the vocal explosion of rage and indignation.

"I most certainly am not out of practice. I could make those potions in my sleep, and make them better than any young upstart who doesn't know how to respect his elders." He told her, and she breathed a sigh of relief.

"You'll do it then? Oh, thank you Severus. I knew I could count on you, I'll arrange everything." Minerva beamed, but Severus had already risen from the floor and was walking out of the room, she thought she heard him muttering 'adapting my recipes indeed, I'll show him.'

-#x#-

Hermione couldn't honestly say that her last three weeks had been as relaxing as Severus'. She had succeeded in convincing him to sign the marriage contracts, but as he himself had pointed out, there was still every chance that he could just use the extra two months to completely vanish, thus leaving her own fate completely out of her control. She had to convince him that marrying her was his best option, and fast. The trouble was, how do you convince someone when you've promised not to contact them? She had been pondering this very question when Mrs Weasley had invited her to join them for dinner. She was still pondering it as she sat at the Weasley's kitchen table.

The conversation buzzed on around her, Harry, Ron and Mr Weasley discussing the upcoming Quidditch match, and Ginny, Lavender and Mrs Weasley all discussing Lavender's blooming pregnancy and all related topics. Hermione wasn't really listening; she was racking her mind for a way to talk to Severus without actually contacting him. She wondered, did it count as contact if she got someone else to pass on a message but not say it was from her? Come on, Hermione, you can do better that that, she scolded herself silently, what's the point in being the smartest witch of your age if you can't even figure out a simple problem like this?

She was eventually brought out of her reverie by Mrs Weasley's concerned face swimming in front of her vision. "Hermione, dear, are you quite alright?"

"Yes, yes," she said with a hurried smile, "I'm fine."

"I only ask, because I've been talking to you for the past five minutes and you haven't so much as blinked." Hermione's smile faltered slightly. Really? Had she really been that lost in her own thoughts?

"I'm sorry; I guess I'm just a bit preoccupied."

"That's quite alright, dear," Mrs Weasley smiled knowingly at her, "we understand that you're under a lot of pressure what with this law and things. I was just saying that Minerva was asking after you when I saw her yesterday, said something about some potions she needs help brewing, you know how her new teacher's not really up to the level Poppy has come to expect for her stocks. She thought it might also help take your mind off things, give you something else to think about?"

"Oh, yes, I suppose it might." Hermione said slowly. If Minerva wanted potions brewing, why hadn't she just asked Severus? Maybe she had asked Severus and he had refused, or, her mind unhelpfully supplied, maybe she couldn't get hold of him because he'd left the wizarding world forever. She took a deep breath, steadying her reeling mind. If Minerva had been unable to contact Severus, she would have mentioned it to Molly. She knew the situation, she would have said something. She knew the situation, maybe, just maybe, this was a plan. "Yes, what am I saying, of course I'll help Minerva."

"Lovely, I'll let her know, she said to just come up to the castle on Monday and she'll have everything sorted." Mrs Weasley smiled a little too much and went dived enthusiastically into the conversation, now whether purple was a suitable colour for a boy.

AN: I'm not entirely happy with the end of this chapter, but I've fiddled it and prodded it and poked it, even tried shaking it upside down and it just doesn't want to click for me, so I've reverted to my original draft. I have now written enough that I'm a chapter ahead of what I'm posting, so hopefully, baring anything truly horrendous happening (natural disasters effecting my internet – unlikely in England, the kids trying to eat my computer – slightly more likely but still not a major threat... that kind of thing) I should be able to maintain this almost daily posting schedule I seem to have set fallen into – and to think when I posted the first chapter I wasn't certain if I'd be able to post again for weeks, but hey, such is life. If I do encounter problems I will endeavour to give fair notice and not leave major gaps... Hugs and cookies, ForeverPandora