Ch. 16

It was the dinner hour; Lyra and Hermione were sitting on one side of the Gryffindor table with Harry Potter across from them, they were enjoying their dinner when Ron Weasley came into the Great Hall. This caused the Great Hall to become quiet; everyone had heard what he had said during the potions class to his best friend, everyone wanted to see what else he would do. No one had to wait long.

Ron stopped next to Harry, but glared at Hermione and her cousin Lyra, "I hope you're happy Hermione, because I have to spend time with Flich for the rest of the week! Does Snape make you feel like you have more power over me than you had before, you BITCH! Do you have a thing for Dark Wizards, I guess since your cousin got the most powerful of Dark Wizards, then you must have to have the next best thing, now didn't you?"

Harry stood up and glared at his once red headed friend, "What are you doing Ron? Hermione is our friend, why are you acting like this?"

"Do you know how long my mother has been planning my marriage with Hermione, ever since she heard about this MARRIAGE LAW! I was going to ask her once school had started, I didn't know that Snape would beat me to it. I had thought that since she was not so pretty to begin with, I thought I had some time to ask her. No; she had to be bent and go after Snape before school started and get him to marry her!"

Harry yelled, "Shut up Ron! Or you will lose more than Hermione as a friend, if you keep going with this."

Then Ron looked over at Lyra, "You; Hermione's wide hipped cousin, you look like a person that would give a man more than just one child at time, like your cousin would." Lyra gasped, she could not believe that he was ever a friend of Hermione's. He went on to say, "I would have seen about marrying you and Hermione at the same time with this Marriage Law, there does not seem to have any bounders with this law."

Severus Snape was stunned during the ordeal of the conversation that Ron was doing in front of the whole school; once he shook himself from the shock, he had gotten upon his feet and moved like a flash, and made his way to young Mr. Weasley. Once he had gotten to the young man, he placed his wand to the red head's neck. Then Albus Dumbledore and Minerva McGonagall were right next to him, making sure that Severus would not be doing something that he should not be doing.

"What are you going to do Snape? Defending your wife's honor, or your Dark Lord's wife's honor?" Once the whole Great Hall heard the words 'your Dark Lord's wife's honor', was what brought the whole student body come to life. "You didn't know," yelled Ron. "Hermione's cousin; who is the new student to this school, Lyra's married name is Lyra Riddle. Lord Voldemort's real name is Tom Riddle, Lyra's husband."

The Headmaster had enough and hit Ron with a Flame-Freezing Charm, which caused him to freeze from where he stood and it also caused him to stop talking. Albus had a cold look upon his face; he moved back to the head table, where he stood before the students of Hogwarts. He glanced over to where Hermione and Lyra were sitting, where he saw both girls hugging one another with deep sorrow upon their faces.

Albus spoke to the Great Hall, "This was not how I wanted you to find out about Lyra Granger-Riddle. Just before she was married; her and her cousin had written to me, about having her here at Hogwarts so the two cousins could spend some time with each other for their final year of school, while they still could. It was still before they found out that they were to marry. Lyra Granger lived in Northern Ireland and went to an all witches school and she was well known for her grades there, not as much as Hermione is here, but she is still smart. About four days before term had started; Lord Voldemort had kidnapped both Granger girls, while they were in Northern Ireland in Lyra's parent's home.

"They were taken from the dead of night; the muggles were not hurt during this outcome, for they were only there to take the girls away. The girls then woke up at one of the places that Voldemort lives and they were faced with a decision. They were to either get married or have harm come to those that they loved. So Lyra made a deal that she would marry the Dark Lord, as long as he would leave her family alone and that she would have no part in the war. Then he asked Hermione; out of all of his men, who would she marry? She asked for Professor Snape, for he was the only one that she would trust and so they were married.

"Lord Voldemort was the one who brought forth the Marriage Law and he thought that he would use it for his own means, but he did not count on falling in love with Lyra Granger. Through her talks with the Dark Lord, he is starting to see the error of his ways. He wants to bring peace to the Wizarding World. I will leave this for all of you to think about, thank you."

Minerva McGonagall whispered to the two girls, to where Severus Snape and Harry Potter could also hear, "Don't believe what you are hearing from Albus right now, he is trying to show people that he is control in all of this, when he is not. After dinner I will come down to the dungeons and you will also be there too Potter. We need a game plan."

Everyone gave a slight nod; to where they were the only ones that knew that had nodded, and the professors took Ron Weasley away from the dinner table and out into the Entrance Hall; where the Headmaster had also followed. Then the Great Hall was quiet once more, except a few people talking with one another. Harry reached over and held one of Hermione's hands with one of his own, and gave her a small smile, to let her know that he will still be by her side. She managed to give a teary smile back, as she held onto Lyra as she was fighting from falling apart in front of my others. Once all the students started heading for their common rooms; the three teenagers waited a bit until most had gone, they headed for the dungeons to Snape's portrait where Hermione gave the password and gotten into the potion master's chambers.

Once they had gotten into the living room; they saw young Tom Riddle in one of the chair and looked up as they came into the room, and saw a distraught Lyra before him. He had gotten to his feet and wrapped his arms around her, where she broke down by the weight of his touch. As he rubbed his arms up and down her body, trying to calm her down. He growled, "What happened Potter, what caused her to break down like this?"

Harry was not happy with the outcome in all that had happened, but he told Tom Riddle; the Dark Lord of the Wizarding World what had happened a few moments again in the Great Hall. "Let me see," ordered Tom as he moved closer to Harry and jumped into his head, where he saw everything and heard everything. From what words Ron Weasley had used to the Headmaster's speech in front of the student body; it was enough to make him sick, Albus made the whole thing into a personal war with him. Once he pulled away from Harry's mind, "Thanks Potter for being there for the girls, and sorry for just jumping into your head like that.

Harry was on his knees panting, "It's alright Tom, and I understand that you're angry for the right reasons at least."

Tom went back to Lyra and wrapped her in his arms and sat down next to the fireplace in one of the wingback chairs. He brought her very close to him, to where she had her head upon his shoulder, and had her legs over the side of the chair. This got her to breath in his fragrance, where she had started to calm down, just by smelling him. Tom had started to calm down himself, once he had her in his arms, sitting upon his lap. As he had one hand around her waist, he had the other hand within her hair, as he was petting her scalp to calm her more.

Hermione looked around; she had not seen Severus yet, nor Minerva for that matter. She really did not care about the Headmaster at that moment, since he caused her cousin's distress; she hoped that she would not see him for the rest of the night. Hermione really hated seeing Lyra like this, but at least Tom was there to help her; she never had once believed that she would think that way about the Dark Lord. When the two professors had finally made an appearance in the Snapes chambers, Minerva was in shock when she saw Lyra nearly asleep in Tom's arms upon his lap.

Minerva gasped, "My goodness; Tom, you really have changed?"

Tom smirked; not in an evil way like he has been known for, but in a kind thoughtful way. "Yes Minerva; I have changed, all thanks to this little creature that is in my arms."

"I'm not little," grumbled Lyra; who nearly had fallen asleep in Tom's arms.

Tom chuckled, "Whatever you say love."

Severus had helped Harry to get him upon his feet again, "What happened to you Potter?"

"I think I asked for it, when I agreed that I would watch out for Lyra and when Tom saw that she was upset and after I told him what had happened, he wanted to see for himself," Harry laughed, "Oh well, it's much better than him trying to get in my mind from greater distances than this."

Severus growled and looked over at Tom, "Did you really have to drain Potter as you went through his head? I would think you would have better control of yourself as you were looking for what you wanted to find out."

Tom sighed, "I'm sorry Severus; but I really had to find out what the prick said that caused my loving wife to be a shadow of her formal self. This is not what I want to see her; I love how she is alive when we talk, or whenever we are simply together but not like this. I want to see this red headed baboon gone, Snape!" Severus then knew how angry the Dark Lord really was; whenever he says his surname, and then he knew that he was angry and he would kill anyone at that moment if he could.

Lyra then moved one of her hands into his shirt; where she could feel his skin under her hand and nails, where she dug her five nails into his flesh. Tom had ended up hissing from the pain that she was conflicting upon him; he really did not care if she put in so much pain, as long as she was coming back to him soon. Then an idea came to him; he used Parseltongue to get a hold of Lyra, she still had her bracelet upon her wrist. It also had all the spells that he knew that would protect her from harm and death.

"Love, can you hear me? I don't want to lose you, come back to me love."

Lyra brought her head up and smiled up at him, "Why would you lose me, Tom?"

"Forget what that red headed fool was talking about, you and your cousin is much better than he would ever be. Will you have my hatchings love?"

She looked at him with a question like look; hatching, she thought then it had come to her, he was talking about children. He wanted to have children with her. "Really," she asked.

Severus and Hermione looked to Harry; who had a blush upon his face, Hermione asked, "What is he saying?"

Then Harry had blushed a deeper red color upon his face, "He kind of asked her if she would have his children?"

Severus asked, "That's not all that he said, was it?"

"No, but I value my life a lot before I say any more than what I have said."

Tom glanced over to where the two Snapes and Harry were standing; Tom gave one of his cold smirks, "Smart move Potter. As for what I have said Severus was to see if wife was still hearing me, even though she is wearing the translator upon her wrist, I wanted to see if she was really paying attention of what is truly being said while talking in Parseltongue."

Hermione smiled, "Did she give you an answer though?"

Lyra and Tom were smiling at one another. Lyra was the one who answered, "Hermione, would you be upset if you were to be aunt to Tom's children?"

"No; not really upset, why would you ask unless you're already pregnant?" Then she heard Severus gulped, who she openly glared at and then she faced Lyra. "Oh Merlin; you're pregnant, aren't you?"

She laughed, "Well Nuada was complaining to Tom; stating that he was surrounded by two pregnant women, who he had to live with during his time at the school."

This became dead silence within the room. Then Harry paled, "Oh God." With Minerva glared at the two other men in the room, "You got to be kidding."

Then Hermione screamed in happiness and jumped into Severus's arms and started kissing him all over his face. He responded with his arms holding Hermione to him and trying to get to her lips so he could snog her, so very soundly. With a round of happiness for the two couples in the room; the plans to end the war were in motion, and also bringing Dumbledore out of Headmaster's position at the school. Tom would use Lucius Malfoy's influence in the board of directors to do it, without violence.