Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, nor the characters that the lovely J.K. Rowling has created for us.
This is my first fanfiction. If you like it great, if you see a problem tell me, and if you hate it I respect that. Hope you like it.
"WHAT!?", Mrs. Weasley shrieked upon hearing Hermione's declaration.
"MISS GRANGER, I HAVE HAD IT UP TO HERE WITH-"
"SHUT UP SEVERUS!", Mrs. Weasley screamed. "You three have some explaining to do! Why did you not tell me or anyone in the family about this!?"
"Molly I want my own answers", Severus said pointedly to the Weasley matriarch.
"And you will get them Severus, but not before I get an explanation as to why I am just now hearing that the three of you have known for five years that you were destined to have soulmates and are just now telling anyone! I know Ginny and Lavender always said that they felt they found their soulmates in the two of you but I didn't believe they meant it literally. EXPLAIN NOW!"
"Mum, calm down. We honestly did have a very good reason not to say anything", Ron said, trying desperately to placid the very angry matriarch.
"Don't you dare tell me to calm down Ronald Weasley. You and I both know that true soulmates are rare in the Wizard World and are celebrated upon discovery. You three have kept that fact to yourselves when our world could have used some good news while we were rebuilding. Why haven't you said anything?"
"Well to begin with there were some rouge Death Eaters still at large", Harry said.
"And both Harry and I wanted to protect the girls while we were all out trying to capture them", Ron finished.
"I understand that you wanted to protect Lavender and Ginny, but that still doesn't answer the question as to why the five of you have kept silent for five years", Molly said still enraged.
"It's because of me", Hermione said with tears in her eyes. "Harry, Ron, Lavender, and Ginny didn't want to reveal the truth until my soulmate was found, and after five years I still haven't."
Molly seemed taken aback by the young girls answer. True she was still angry at the trio, but once she saw the tears running down the young girl's face she immediately became calm.
"Hermione dear, please help me understand how all this happened", Mrs Weasley said softly trying to comfort the distressed young woman whom she considered to be her adopted daughter.
Harry placing a comforting arm around Hermione decided to explain, "It was during the middle of the battle that Ron and I first felt the pool of our soulmates. As you remembered I rushed to the middle of the battle trying to protect Ginny from Bellatrix Lestrange, but you were able to get to her first. Ron's pull was earlier in the battle."
"You see", Harry continued, "it was pure chaos during the entire battle and the three of us were running around trying to find the remaining horcruxes and destroy them. After we had finished off the diadem I began concentrating on Voldemort's thoughts so we could find his snake and kill it. Voldemort's mental defensives were down and I was abled to see that he was in the Shrieking Shack along with Nagini. The three of us made our way to the Whomping Willow to go through the secret passage, right into the Shack. However before we made it we came across Greyback striking down Lavender and was mid-stroke into almost killing her." Molly gasped. She knew that the young girl had been attacked by Greyback but always believed that someone else had saved the young girl. "Once Ron saw what was happening-"
"I lost it Mum", Ron finished. "I immediately tore away from Harry and Hermione and just started throwing every curse I knew at the bastard. I don't know how I did it, but I found myself in a grapple against the beast and pointed my wand into his chest and screamed 'reducto' as loud as I could. The force of the spell blew a hole in the chest of that monster and he immediately dropped dead. After that I raced to Lavender and she was barely breathing." Ron said, tears pouring from his eyes at the memory of his wife. "Hermione was the one who kept her from death. Her and Harry had came over immediately after my battle with Greyback and Hermione began casting spells to try and save my Lavender. After she was done, I...I just couldn't leave her there. Harry and Hermione understood, they told me to take care of her while they went to the shack. That's where we parted ways. I carried Lavender back to the castle to find Madam Promfrey while Harry and Hermione went to take care of the snake. I almost lost my soulmate that night.", Ron finsihed, openingly crying at the memory of his beloved.
Molly was crying at this point. She had never known that her youngest son had been so close to losing the woman he was deeply in love with. The two of them had completed each other perfectly and the very thought of her son missing that brought on a new wave of tears.
Severus eyed the crying group. Though he was irritated at the fact that he was no where closer to finding a solution to his problem, he could not help but hold a small bit of respect for the youngest male Weasley. He had been curious as to how Greyback had been killed. No one had stepped forward to claim the small victory in killing one of the Dark Lord's most fearsome beasts and had to admire Weasley's silence. They all knew that if Weasley had claimed the victory over Greyback he would have had to admit Lavender's attack and from the young man declaration early he was determined to do everything in his power to protect his wife.
But Severus being the typical bastard that he was had no time for tears, only the information needed. Looking pointedly at a softly crying Hermione he drawled, "As much as I hate to ruin everyones trip down memory lane let's get back to the topic at hand. Miss Granger, how on earth does the three of you having a soulmate have anything to do with my problem?"
The tears in Hermione's eyes quickly dried and she could not help but glare at the man. "Fine", Hermione spat, "I will tell you. I'm sorry Ronald, I have to tell him about what happened to Lavender. You know I would never hurt her intentionally and I love her like a sister, don't you?" Ron gave an affirmative nod towards Hermione and quickly turned his head to glare at the Great Bat.
"Thank you, Ronald", Hermione said softly. "Now, since you are so determined to get your answers I'll explain why us having soulmates connects with my confrontation to Vane. As you know Lavender was attacked by Greyback. The bastard had been ruthless on his attack towards her and by the time we had found her she was far closer to death than we had thought. While under Madam Pomfrey care her heart stopped beating for a few minutes before she was brought back to life. Those few minutes were enough for her to receive a vision of sorts. Normally I don't believe in divination, but after what I had witnessed with Ronald's fight with that werewolf it would make even the biggest sceptics believe. Once Lavender awoke, she explained in private to the three of us and Ginny that she had been visited by Albus Dumbledore himself. She said that he was a messager of sorts and while she was in between life and death he began to explain to Lavender that the Fates had been watching all three of our destiny's closely since the moment we were all born. Apparently the three of us were unique. Not only were our life threads intertwine with our soulmates but the three of our threads were intwine together as well. He explained that usually such a phenomenon lead to destruction and war, however what made our situation different was that each strand had worked in perfect harmony with one another. "
"This is all very fascinating Miss Granger, but tell me, what does this have anything to do with Miss Vane?", Severus said impatiently.
"I'm getting there. So will you kindly be quiet?", Hermione said indignantly. Snape gave a short nod and Hermione continued with her tale. "Anyway, before I was so rudely interupted, Harry's, Ron's and my life threads were closely monitored by the very Fates themselves because of our unique connection. Apparently, all three noticed how deeply effected our lives were by that mad man and saw what sacrifices we would have to make to stop him. One of them being our very own soulmates."
Molly could not help but gasp. "Hermione, what are you saying?"
"I'm saying that if our lives had played out the way they were originally woven Lavender, Ginny, and whoever my soulmate is would be dead."
"How?" Molly could not help but ask.
"Dumbledore explained that when the three of us each became of age that would be the day our soulmates would be revealed. However, the Fates noticed a disturbance of sorts. It was not revealed to us how this would have happened, but once the three of us found our true soulmates Voldemort would find out as well and kill all three of them just to get to us. Dumbledore told Lavender that since the Fates had taken an interest in us and monitor our lives so closely that they became sympathetic to the future we would be left to live and broke the ultimate taboo and decided to interfere as a gift for our sacrifices. They rewove each of our lives and the lives of our soulmates and arranged it so that we would be aware of the bond and who our soulmate was at different times. He said that we were meant to know who are soulmate was when they were in dire distress and that we would run to their aid when needed. That was why Harry ran to Ginny when she was battling Bellatrix and Ron killed Greyback to save Lavender."
"This is all very fascinating, but tell again how does this relate to Miss Vane?", Severus drawled.
"I'm getting there, now shut up! Now, after Dumbledore explained why our soulmate meetings were delayed like they were he also sent back two messages that pertained to me. The first was that my soulmate would be delayed because whomever he was was apparently just as stubborn as I am."
"And we are all scared to find out who that maybe", Harry mumbled.
"And", Hermione stressed looking pointedly at Harry, "the moment Lavender was to awaken she would be faced with a vain opponent hell bent on taking her true love away and that the only way to defeat her opponent was to bury her past with me."
"This is all very interesting, but tell me again how does this have anything to do with my problem?", Severus asked.
"And everyone believes you're an intelligent man", Hermione mumbled. "Think about it Snape, Lavender was to face a 'Vain' opponent", Hermione said making sure to stress on the word 'vain'.
"You mean to tell me that the girl Dumbledore warned Miss Brown about was Romilda Vane herself?", Severus said incredulously.
"Give the man a prize", Hermione shouted. "Yes, during Lavender's few moments of death Dumbledore sent a warning about Vane and it came true. After the war the three of us were painted as war heros and Vane wanted in on the action. Since she failed at getting Harry with the love potion she charged after Ron without any restraint, but he turned her down telling her that his heart belonged to Lavender. Seeing that she couldn't get Ronald with Lavender in the way she went after her."
"What did that bitch do?" Mrs Weasley asked darkly.
"That little piece of work somehow found out that Lavender had been attacked by Greyback and used every insecurity she had againt her. The horrible truth was that Greyback did in fact bite Lavender and we were all afraid at that time that the curse had been transfered since it had only been two days after the full moon when the battle had taken place. Remus and Ronald had been counseling Lavender after her attack. Ron kept reassuring her that nothing would stop his love for her, while Remus talked about common fears about becoming a werewolf. She was doing great until Romilda came along and tore down every ounce of self esteem Lavender had built up. Lavender had come very close to giving Ronald up, until I walked in on the conversation. I immediately silenced the bitch and alerted Ron, Harry and Ginny to Romilda's unwanted presence. Poor Lavender's was in tears by the time I had walked in and started going into hysterics about how she was ruining Ron. It took a week of constant reassurance on Ron's part for for Lavender to believe that he really wanted a future with her."
"What happened with you and Miss Vane?", Severus asked now holding back his own anger towards the Vane girl's actions.
"Like before I challenged Romilda and won using the same strategy I did before, only this time I gave her some very specific orders, conditions and threats at the end of our battle. First, I ordered her to stay away from the Harry, Ron, Ginny, Lavender, and the entire Weasley family. I even told her to stay away from Remus, Tonks, and little Teddy as a just in case. She was also order not to reveal Lavender's attack as well. Then I made a few conditions about her man hunting skills telling her that she was no longer allowed to use love potion or spells to obtain a man and warned her that if she broke any order I gave her or did not abide by my conditions I would make my spell effects permenant. She has since done everything in her power to avoid myself, the Lupins, and the entire Weasley family."
"What strategy did you use against Miss Vane?", Severus asked.
"Yes, well, that's where the limited information comes in along with the limited advise. You see, during my first confrontation with Romilda as me as the victor an agreement had been struck. Gryffindor House was to remain silent about the duel as long as Vane never set her sights on any of the available men in our House and she was to focus all her attention to the men from the other Houses. As for me, I would remain tight lip on the spells that I had used on her as long as she didn't take any revenge out on me and she kept away from Harry which later turned to the entire Lupin and Weasley family. I can only challenge Romilda again if she were to cross any of the lines I've drawn for her and that includes protecting members from my house from her."
"So what you're telling Miss Granger, that I just wasted a great deal of my time on a rather long winded story to find out that the information you can give me about Miss Vane is useless!?" Snape all but shouted.
"You asked why Romilda Vane will not cross me and I told you! Did I not tell you in the beginning that my information would be limited!?" Hermione shouted back.
"Yes, you did", Severus said tightly. "Now Miss Granger, is there any useful information you can give me about how to rid myself of Miss Vane? One that doesn't require a long story."
"Listen Snape, I get that you're not happy with not knowing what spells scare Vane, but I can tell you how to get rid of her without going insane", Hermione replied.
"And how would I do that?", Severus question.
"It's very simple, you either find another object of affection for Vane to latch onto or find yourself a fiance." Hermione stated.
"WHAT!? You mean to tell me that I wasted all my time for two of the most simplest plans that any man with half a brain could construct!"
"Ah, but did the intelligent potion master with a full brain come up with those two simple ideas to begin with?" Hermione shot back at the irate professor.
"Miss Granger, I've changed my mind, I am going to kill you."
"Hold on one moment Snape and listen to what I have to say." Hermione shouted stopping the angry potion professor from rising. "Getting rid of Vane is not that easy. Those two plans, though simple they may sound are far from it. What you need to do is get enough people together to help you. And I don't mean have Malfoy set you up with a first class call girl and wave her under Vane's nose. Or find some idiot who is dumb enough to take her away. No, I mean you either need to find someone far better than you and stupid for that matter or you need to find someone you intend to marry. You also need to come up with a way to get Vane out of the country, that's the only way you will be able to work and I must say that whatever you choose your time will be limited. You need to choose a plan soon because that harpy won't stop until she has you or drives you insane and right now I can tell you're borderline."
"You have no idea", Severus drawled. "I will be taking my leave. Granger I will be in touch, so do not plan on leaving the country anytime soon."
"I won't professor. Oh, by the way, if it's alright with Molly I'll be here for the remainder of the day if you need me. No sense in you trying to track down where I live." Hermione said, smirking in the process.
"And why, Miss Granger, would I need to know this bit of information?"
"Just in case", Hermione said, now barely containing the smiling going across her face.
"Fine", Severus snapped. "Molly, may I use your floo? I don't trust apparating at this point in time."
"That will be fine Severus", Molly said.
"Thank you, Mrs. Weasley. Potter, Weasley, Granger." And with that the potions professor rose from the battered old table, walked to the open fireplace and flooed to Malfoy Manor.
"Mum, do you mind if Lavender and I stay for dinner?" Ron asked.
"And would you mind if my family came over for dinner as well?" Harry added.
"Why yes, you know you don't need to ask." Molly said, now confused at the turn of events. She noticed the cheshire like grins spreading across each of the three young adult's faces. 'Oh dear, what's going to happen now?'
Sorry it took so long. I wanted to make sure the explaination was clear and didn't confuse anyone. I know another cliffy. Sorry, please don't be mad. Thanks to all those who reviewed!