Wine comes in at the mouth
And love comes in at the eye;
That's all we shall know for truth
Before we grow old and die.
I lift the glass to my mouth,
I look at you, and I sigh.
W. B. Yeats, A Drinking Song
ssSss
The day had come at last for Hermione Granger to be wed. She planted her feet on the plush carpet and wriggled her bare toes. Today she was a girl in the pink-and-white bedroom of her adolescence. Tomorrow she would be somebody's wife.
She stretched her arms above her head and shook her mane of brown curls. It was a beautiful day. There would be sunshine and blue skies for Padma's wedding; there would be a balmy August evening for hers, with a full moon and a star-strewn sky. The tears were gone, and she was full of hope.
ssSss
The atmosphere in the Patils' house was one of good-humoured chaos. Parvati had brought little baby Aidan with her, and he was doted on by everyone. Hermione had never seen such a beautiful baby; she wondered idly what her children would look like. She tried to picture a little boy who looked like Theo, but she just couldn't imagine it.
Padma was the very essence of calm. Hermione peered at her friend as she adjusted the waist of her lilac gown.
"How can you be so calm?" she asked. "I'll be in a complete state later on."
Padma smiled at her in the mirror and put down her lipstick. "Ginny and I will be there to keep you from freaking out. And if we don't manage it, I'm sure a bottle of champagne will do the trick."
Hermione sat next to Padma in front of her dressing table. "You look happy," she said, glancing at the radiant face beside hers in the mirror.
Parvati giggled behind them. "She'll be even happier tomorrow morning. D'you reckon Dean'll be any good?"
Padma looked smug. "I already know he'll be good."
Hermione gave a gasp. "Already?"
"Oooh!" Parvati said, grinning. "Sampled the goods already, have you?"
"Seriously?" Hermione asked. "You've already slept with him?"
Padma shrugged. "Try before you buy and all that!"
"Try before you buy what?" Mrs Patil asked, opening the door.
Padma's jaw dropped. She frantically scanned the cluttered dressing table. "This perfume!" she replied, grabbing a bottle. Hermione and Parvati guffawed.
Half an hour later, Padma was fully robed and ready to go. Hermione crossed the room and hugged her.
"You look stunning, Padma," she whispered. "I hope you'll both be very happy."
Padma beamed at her. "Thanks, Hermione. I'm really going to miss you. I don't know what I would have done without you these past few years."
Hermione was close to tears again. Padma had been the best friend she'd ever had, with the exceptions of Harry and Ron. "It's only one year, and then I'll be back."
They hugged again, and Hermione went downstairs, leaving Padma to have a final word with her twin sister.
The town hall in which Padma and Dean were to be wed was small and quaint. It looked pretty, decorated from one end to the other with bunches of white and purple flowers. But the flowers were put to shame by the extravagant dress of the Patil family. Wearing an attractive mixture of colourful robes and saris, they made quite a picture.
On the other side sat Dean's immediate family. Being a Muggle-born, he couldn't invite many of his relations, but a huge Hogwarts turn-out helped to fill his side of the hall. Theo had been forced to decline the invitation, as he and Hermione were not supposed to see one another until their own wedding.
Hermione waved excitedly at people she hadn't seen for many years: Seamus Finnegan, Lavender Brown, Ernie Macmillan, Angelina Johnson and there, right at the back with his wife, sat Ron. Their eyes met, and he gave her a small smile. She nodded in return and wondered whether or not he would turn up for her wedding that night when, as if in answer to her unspoken question, he gave her a huge grin and a thumbs-up. Suddenly, she felt as though a huge weight had been lifted off her shoulders. She returned his grin and thought everything was going to be just fine. Ron, sitting with his pretty, blond wife, would be her friend once more. The day seemed suddenly brighter.
The weather was beautiful, the hall looked beautiful, the guests looked beautiful, but nothing was nearly as beautiful as Padma Patil as she walked up the aisle to meet her husband.
ssSss
Severus Snape frowned as he fastened his cuff links. If there was one thing he detested more than Gryffindors, it was weddings. Gryffindor weddings were, therefore, excruciating. He had no doubt that boy-wonder Potter would be there, along with the entire compliment of Weasleys. Charming. He needed a nice, stiff brandy.
He'd just picked up the crystal decanter when there was a loud crack, and Moe appeared before him.
"Excuse me, Master Severus, sir, but Mistress Cordelia is wanting to see you in her room," she said.
"Tell her I'll be there in a moment," he replied, replacing the crystal stopper in the decanter with a sigh.
When he reached her bedroom, he found Cordelia standing before her mirror, experimenting with her hair. She had not yet changed into her robes and was wrapped in a dressing gown.
"Severus! Thank you for coming so quickly. I'm in rather a fix," she explained, looking strained. "I'd completely forgotten that it's tradition to present Hermione with a family heirloom." She crossed to a chest of drawers beside the mirror and extracted a silver box from within. "This pendant dates from the sixteenth century and was presented to me on my own wedding day. As I have no daughters, it must pass to Hermione."
He took the silver box from her and looked inside. The pendant was a large, heavy emerald set in overworked gold. It was obviously extremely valuable, but he didn't imagine it was the type of necklace a young woman would desire, if given the choice.
"Why are you giving it to me?"
She looked at him as if he were a child. "Because I'd like you to present it to Hermione."
He frowned. "After the wedding?"
"No, Severus," she said, looking annoyed. "Now."
"You expect me to travel to Hermione Granger's house and present her with this necklace?" he asked, incredulous. "Surely that's your domain?"
She glanced at the slender golden watch on her wrist. "Severus, I've not the time. I've yet to have my hair done."
"Ask Moe to deliver it."
"I can't spare Moe right now; I need her to help with my hair."
He pinched the bridge of his nose in frustration. His wife could be selfish to the point of obnoxiousness sometimes. "I'll ask Draco to do it. He's Theo's best man."
"Not Draco!" she exclaimed. "Tradition dictates it has to be a family member."
"Lance, then," he said through gritted teeth.
"She doesn't know Lance! Besides, he's bound to say something inappropriate and frighten the poor girl away."
He would not give in. "This is ludicrous, Cordelia! I'm not about to call unannounced on a former student who is in all probability even busier than you are. This is an errand for a woman."
She glared at him.
He glared back.
All of a sudden, she changed her strategy, and he knew the battle was lost.
"Please, Severus. Please!" she begged. "I'm the one who's made all the arrangements for the wedding, and I've been so busy that this little detail just slipped my mind."
"Cordelia," he said with as much patience as he could muster, "it is inappropriate."
"Nonsense! It's not every day my only child gets married," she said, her eyes glistening with tears. "My only son! Please, Severus …"
He could not bear it when she behaved like this.
"Fine!" he spat, storming from the room. He could sense Cordelia's satisfied smirk behind him.
"Her address is written in my notebook!" she called cheerily after him as he descended the stairs.
He found the notebook in the sitting room and quickly flicked to the required page, his jaw clenched. Once he'd memorised Hermione's address, he left the house, banging the door behind him, and Apparated to the destination.
When he opened his eyes, he found he was standing before a neat row of large, detached houses opposite a leafy park. Number four was in front of him. It was a handsome, Tudor-fronted house with a well-kept, mature garden. The Grangers had indeed done well for themselves, he thought, but this was not even the tip of the iceberg when compared to the vast wealth of the Mill family.
There were no cars parked in the driveway, and as he rapped upon the door he knew a moment of hope: maybe there would be nobody at home.
His hopes were dashed mere seconds later when the door was flung open by a smiling Ginny Weasley. Her smile quickly disappeared as they regarded one another in surprise.
"Well," Ginny managed eventually. "You're clearly not Hermione's godmother."
"Very well-deduced, Miss Weasley," he sneered.
"Mrs Potter, actually," she snapped.
"Forgive me. I'd forgotten that particular misfortune had befallen you," he said with a smirk
She looked angry for a moment, but then she grinned and began to laugh.
"Do I amuse you, Mrs Potter?"
"You do, actually," she said, still smiling. "I'm glad to see you haven't changed."
She gestured for him to come in, and he crossed the threshold, wishing he was anywhere but here. He felt guilty for having given reign to his sarcastic tongue; Ginny had always been an excellent student.
"I see congratulations are in order," he said quietly in an effort to compensate.
She looked bewildered. "What do you mean?"
"You are with child?"
Her hand flew protectively to her still-flat stomach. "We've hardly told anyone! How did you know?" she whispered.
"You're a Gryffindor," he said simply. "It's written all over your face."
She remained silent, looking at him in astonishment.
"Might I speak with Miss Granger?" he asked, amused at her reaction.
She nodded, glancing at the silver box in his hand. "She's upstairs: first door on the left."
He began to climb the stairs and then hesitated. "Is she decent?" he asked, turning to Ginny once more.
"If by decent you mean dressed, then, yes, she is. She's already in her wedding gown." She turned and walked into the kitchen, where he could hear her whispering to Padma Patil.
He climbed the steps and found the door to his left ajar. With a gentle tap of his knuckles, he pushed it open.
Hermione Granger was standing in front of a full-length mirror, her back to him. When she heard the door open, she looked over her shoulder.
Severus's first reaction was one of complete shock. The girl's dress was – well – completely wanton. The line of the material scooped so low at the back as to be positively indecent; one could practically see her derriere. A well-shaped derriere, he had to admit, but still, it was shameless.
She turned to meet his shocked gaze, and as he took in the sight of her perfect makeup and the gentle wisps of hair that had escaped from the elegant twist at the back of her head, he realised that she didn't look wanton; she looked beautiful. Surely this could not be the same Hermione Granger that had driven him to distraction with her endless, irritating questions at Hogwarts? The person who stood before him was an undeniably attractive young woman.
She gasped, and her hands flew to her throat in a fit of self-consciousness.
"What on earth are you doing here?" she stammered, looking frantically about her.
"That's beside the point!" he said, trying to regain his composure. "What are you thinking, Miss Granger? You can't possibly marry a wizard in a dress like that. It's … well …"
"I had no intention of letting anyone see the back of this dress," she said, her cheeks colouring. She snatched a cape from her bed and fastened it to her shoulders with trembling fingers. "Nobody was supposed to see it – except my husband. Will this do?" she asked angrily, showing him the back of her cape.
He nodded, uncharacteristically lost for words. The bare skin of her back was now hidden, but she still looked more beautiful than she ever had before.
"Have you come to try to talk me out of marrying Theo again?"
"No, Miss Granger," he answered. "The time for that has long since passed."
"Well?" she asked, her gaze travelling to the silver box in his hand.
"Forgive my intrusion, but Cordelia asked that I present you with a Mill heirloom. It is a family tradition, by all accounts," he explained.
He crossed the room and handed her the box.
"Why didn't Cordelia bring it herself?" she asked, taking it from him.
He was annoyed at his wife for having let down her daughter-in-law before she had even married her son. "She was otherwise engaged," he said, his lips pressed together in a line. "Hair arrangements and so on."
"I see," said Hermione. She opened the box and extracted the pendant, holding it up to the light. She smirked. "It's rather Slytherin."
"It's rather hideous," he added.
A small smile tugged at the corner of his mouth, and their eyes met in a brief and unexpected moment of camaraderie. They were both, after all, relatively new additions to the Mill family.
"Would you do the honours?" she asked, holding the necklace out to him.
"The honours?" he asked, confused.
"I mean would you mind doing the clasp," she said, turning her back to him.
He accepted the dangling pendant from her fingers and took a step towards her, feeling nervous and foolish. He placed the chain around her neck and, making a great effort not to allow his fingertips to brush against her skin, he secured the clasp at the back of her neck, trying to banish the still-fresh image of her bare back from his mind. His fingers shook as the scent of her perfume washed over him.
They both looked at the reflection of the necklace in the mirror.
"It doesn't look so bad once it's on," she said, tilting her head to the side.
He gave her a curt nod. "It does not detract from your gown."
She turned to face him. "Thank you."
"You're welcome. I'll leave you to your preparations." He turned to leave the room, anxious to escape her suddenly disturbing presence.
"Actually," she said, making him stop. "Maybe I could ask a favour …" She reached for a wooden box on her dressing table. "Would you mind giving our wedding rings to Draco? It would save me having to ask Ginny to do it when we get to the barge."
Merlin, was he nothing but a courier to these women? He took the box from her outstretched hand. "Certainly, Miss Granger."
He'd almost reached the door when a moment of curiosity made him open the box. When he saw the rings inside, he whirled to face her.
"Are these Goblin-wrought rings?" he asked. He'd seen a ring like this before. He'd hoped never to see one again. "Tell me they are not, Miss Granger."
"Yes," she answered. "They are. They're Goblin-wrought."
His eyes narrowed, and he looked at her with mounting incredulity. "Do you mean to tell me that you've decided to take a vow of fidelity?"
"Yes, we have. I don't see why it's any of your business."
"Have you any idea what you're doing?" he hissed. He'd known she was naïve, but not so stupid as this.
"We want to commit to making this marriage work."
"You don't need to adopt such powerful, ancient charms in order to commit to each other. Miss Granger, where is the intelligence for which you are so renowned? Have you completely lost your mind?"
She put her hands on her hips. "We've decided to take a vow of fidelity. The rings will activate if one of us is ever unfaithful. I thought it was quite sweet."
"Sweet?" he asked, his mouth curled in a sneer. "Do you know what happens when the rings are activated?"
"You feel it."
"Yes, you feel it! It burns, Miss Granger. It burns, and there's nothing you can do to stop it. Once that ring is placed upon your finger, you cannot remove it unless your marriage vows are magically reversed or one of you dies. It will burn with great intensity until the act of infidelity is over," he finished.
She bravely held his glare. "Neither one of us intends being unfaithful."
He pursed his lips. She was the very essence of naivety. "I knew a woman who entered into such foolish vows. Like you, she was carried away by romantic notions of what her marriage would be. I watched her cry every time her bastard of a husband gave cause for her wedding ring to burn, Miss Granger. Why would you subject yourself to such a fate?"
"I would hope that Theo, or I for that matter, would have the decency to divorce before taking up with somebody else, Professor Snape. If our marriage fails, we'll behave like mature adults and have our vows magically reversed."
He looked at her upturned face, so earnest and innocent. How could such a clever girl be so, so stupid? "Miss Granger, you are a fool."
Her eyes filled. "You've come all the way here to call me a fool? On my wedding day?"
He held her gaze for a moment and was sorry; he hadn't come here with any intention of upsetting her. She had saved his life, and all he could ever do was argue with her. Battling his dislike of physical contact, he reached out and lifted her chin with his finger.
"I know you are not a fool. I will leave before I cause further upset." He withdrew his finger from beneath her chin and walked to the door, pocketing the Goblin-wrought rings as he went. "I hope you and Theo will prove my worries to be without foundation, Miss Granger. And if it's any consolation …" He paused, already regretting what he was about to say. "You look very … lovely."
She stared at him. "I … Thank you,' she managed.
He closed the door behind him and made for the stairs. He needed that brandy.
ssSss
Hermione Granger stood before Theodore Nott, moments away from becoming his wife. He smiled at her, and she felt her heart soar.
He was handsome in his black wedding robes, and she could tell he liked her wedding gown. But even as she stood before him, in front of all their guests, she remembered her conversation with Severus Snape. Could he be right? Were they doing the wrong thing by opting for the fidelity vow? No. Snape was wrong. If their marriage did not work out, they would file for divorce and have the vows reversed. It was simple. And besides, they would make this marriage work; she was sure of it. Theo would not have wanted the fidelity vow unless he had every intention of upholding it.
She allowed her gaze to drift over the people gathered on the open deck of the barge. It was a beautiful evening: the stars were beginning to emerge through the dusk, and the lights of the London Eye glittered in the background. She could not imagine a more romantic setting for a wedding.
The little wizard from the Department of Births and Marriages who was conducting the ceremony reached for her hand, and she entwined her fingers with Theo's as they committed to each of their vows, the minister tapping his wand against their hands every time a vow was spoken.
When they had completed their binding, Draco came forward with the rings and gave her a wink as he presented them to the minister. They slid the rings onto each other's fingers and prepared for the final vows. Hermione could feel the powerful magic emanating from the Goblin-wrought ring and, for the first time, she blanched at what she was about to do. The tiny wizard held his wand over the rings and muttered the incantation for the fidelity vow.
"Theodore Nott. Do you commit yourself fully to this final vow?"
"I commit myself," Theo replied.
The minister tapped both their rings, and they glowed with an intense white light. Hermione felt a burning sensation on her finger, and panic suddenly rose within her.
"Hermione Granger," the minister continued. "Do you commit yourself fully to this final vow?"
Every pair of eyes in the room was upon her as her finger tingled. She looked at the minister, looked at Theodore, and finally she looked out at the crowd, where her gaze fell upon the austere figure of Severus Snape. She could hear her heart pounding in her ears.
"I commit myself," she replied, tearing her gaze away from her former professor and back to Theo.
The minister tapped their rings once more, and the white light faded along with the burning. She smiled hesitantly at Theo, and he beamed in return.
"I now pronounce you man and wife," the minister said. "You may kiss the bride."
They shared their first kiss as a married couple, and a loud cheer went up from their guests. There was an ear-splitting wolf-whistle from George Weasley. Hermione giggled.
Theo grinned at her. "My wife," he whispered into her ear.
"My husband," she whispered back with a sense of great relief. It was done. There would be no more conjecture. For better or worse, it was done. They turned and made their way to their well-wishers as man and wife.
ssSss
Hermione was completely and utterly drained. It was only ten o'clock, but she'd had her fill of mingling with the guests. It was almost time for them to change and leave for the airport, and she'd already bade her mother and father an emotional farewell. She looked at them over her shoulder as she walked away; they seemed to be enjoying themselves – they were talking to Arthur Weasley, who was interrogating them about the workings of microwave ovens.
She was stopped by Padma, who flung her arms around Hermione's neck.
"You were a lovely bridesmaid and an even lovelier bride," her friend said.
"You were the loveliest bride I've ever seen," Hermione countered, blinking back yet another bought of tears.
"I'm crying now. Sorry,' Padma muttered into Hermione's hair.
'That's okay. So am I."
"Will we be alright?" Padma asked.
"Of course we will," Hermione replied. "Aren't we always?"
Dean coughed and then peeled his wife away from Hermione with a roll of his eyes. "We've only been married nine hours and you're in tears already?"
Padma laughed and gave Hermione a final hug.
As Hermione made her way to the upper deck, she bumped into Neville.
"Neville, I'm so sorry we won't be there for your wedding."
"That's okay. It's only going to be a small affair anyway – I want Mum and Dad to be there, and Merlin only knows what they'll do!"
Hermione smiled at him affectionately. "I hope you'll be very happy with Hannah, and I just know you'll be a great professor."
"Thanks, Hermione," he said, giving her a hug. "Look us up when you get back. And …" he looked at her uncertainly.
"And, what?"
He dropped his voice to a whisper. "If you should come across Luna on your travels, tell her … Tell her I had no choice," he finished, looking troubled.
"Don't you think you'll be happy with Hannah, Neville?"
He looked across the crowded boat to where his fiancée chatted with Susan Bones. He smiled. "I hope we'll be happy. Don't get me wrong, Hermione; I won't be sitting around pining for Luna – I just want her to know. That's all."
Hermione nodded, and with a pat on the arm, she left him and climbed the stairs. At the top she found Harry and Ron, each of them puffing away at a cigar. When they saw her, they immediately hid them behind their backs. She put her hands on her hips.
"Cigars?" she said, trying not to smile. "Have you any idea how bad they are for you?"
Harry and Ron exchanged an anxious glance.
Hermione laughed. "I'll let your wives worry about it." She turned to Ron and felt suddenly shy. "Hello, Ron. I'm really glad you came."
Ron handed Harry his cigar and pulled her into a tight hug. "Ah, Herms," he said. "Of course I came. It's all water under the bridge, eh?"
She started to cry again; she couldn't help it. Harry handed her a handkerchief and flashed her a beaming smile. She knew he'd waited a long time to see his two best friends reconciled.
She dabbed at her eyes. "Ronald Weasley. Don't you remember what happened the last time you called me 'Herms'?"
"I still have the scars," he said, grinning. "I'm glad you married Theo – I'm twenty Galleons richer for it." He punched Harry on the arm.
Hermione smiled. "I met Rose downstairs – she's really lovely. Where on earth did you find her?"
"She worked in a shop in Ottery St. Catchpole," he explained. "Fred and George both fancied her and used to show her card tricks. A few months into Auror training, George dragged me down to the village to take a look at her, and the rest is history! She wasn't too impressed when she found out that they'd been using real magic to do all the card tricks, though."
"Your Dad must have been thrilled when you married a Muggle," she added.
Ron chuckled. "He's had her poor father plagued with questions about toasters and kettles. He's obsessed with Muggle kitchens."
Hermione promised to visit them both on her return and made her way to Theo, who was deep in discussion with his uncle Lance. She waited patiently by the gangway, not wanting to interrupt them. After a moment, she turned to find Severus Snape at her side. She managed a smile, worried about what he might say.
"I wanted to congratulate you," he said.
She examined his face, but he seemed genuine. "Thank you. Aren't you going to welcome me to the family?"
He gave a wry laugh. "I would if I felt in any position to do so. You'll soon find that you and I will never be anywhere but on the very periphery of the Mill family. We'll be tolerated, but never properly admitted. "
She glanced at Theo and Lance. They did appear to be a very close family. She returned her gaze to Severus Snape and extended her right hand.
"Truce?" she asked.
He hesitated for a second and then took her hand in his. "Truce," he agreed with a small smile.
Her gaze moved to the champagne flute in his hand. "Have you had a lot to drink?" she asked, surprised by his geniality.
He arched an eyebrow. "I should take points from Gryffindor for such cheek, Miss …"
She cocked her head to the side. "So, what do you call me now?"
"Mrs Nott?" he asked.
She laughed. "I don't think so. How about Hermione?"
He regarded her for a moment, and she wished she could tell what he was thinking. "Hermione it is," he said.
She smiled. He'd never called her anything other than 'Miss Granger' before, and she found she rather liked the sound of her name on his lips.
"Do I get to call you Dad?" she asked, trying to look serious.
He grunted. "Absolutely not!"
She laughed. "I didn't think so."
"But you may call me Severus," he added. "If you wish."
For some reason she found this olive branch from the man whose life she had saved more touching than anything anyone else had said to her all evening. "Severus," she said, battling tears again.
Luckily, she was saved by her husband, who took her by the hand. "We really need to go if we're going to make it to Heathrow on time," he announced.
She nodded and smiled up at him.
Theo extended his hand to Severus. "Goodbye, Severus," he said, and they shook.
"Goodbye, Theo," Severus replied and then moved his gaze to her again. "Goodbye, Hermione."
She smiled at him one more time and then, arm in arm with her spouse, she descended the gangway and departed for her honeymoon. An entire year would pass before she set eyes on Severus Snape again.
ssSss
Severus watched Theo and Hermione walk along the gangway, admiring the way her satin cape moved in the warm breeze. In many ways, he supposed his stepson was a lucky man.
He lifted his glass to his mouth and sighed. Try as he might, he could not rid his traitorous mind of the image of Hermione Granger in her backless dress.
ssSss
A/N: So, there we are. The deed is done, and the backless wedding dress has made quite an impression on our favourite professor. The next chapter, which should be up on Friday, takes place a year after the wedding, on Hermione and Theo's return from their honeymoon.
Thank you all, again, for your support and reviews. I do make an effort to respond to every review, although sometimes it takes longer than usual when RL gets in the way. But please do keep the reviews coming. They are a joy. They feed me and make me edit faster. ;)
More soon, LB x