Chapter 6 The Lioness' List
Hermione was sitting on the bed in Percy's old room, that had become her room when Harry moved into Ginny's room after the two wed a week ago. She had not complained to getting her own room, it meant she could read in silence and that Crookshanks had more room to occupy without being under foot. Though the cat was currently curled up on the bed, purring, next to Hermione as she softly stroked his orange fur.
It was great to finally have a moment to herself, away from everyone. Molly had spent the last couple of days offering advice and fretting about her. Harry and Ron had followed her around pestering her to find out which wizard she had chosen. Ginny kept asking her in a hushed voice if she was making the right decision. While, George and Arthur simply gave her sympathetic glances every time she encountered them. Now that it was Sunday, Hermione was thoroughly frustrated with the whole lot of them. So, when Molly began dinner, Arthur was out tinkering in his shed, and the rest were playing Quidditch in the orchard, Hermione had escaped up to the second floor.
At first she had attempted to write out her letter to the Ministry, telling of her choice, but the words just wouldn't come out. She sat at the desk for most of the afternoon staring at the blank parchment with a poised quill in her hand. Finally, Crookshanks had rescued her, coaxed her onto the bed into their currant positions.
"Do you think I'm making the right decision, Crookshanks?" Hermione whispered. Crookshanks lifted his squashed head and let out a load meow in reply. With a nod Hermione returned to her silent contemplation.
After a long moment she stood up and returned to the desk. She retrieved her quill, dipped it in the ink, and began her letter.
To: The Marriage and Family Department
I, Hermione Jean Granger, have chosen Severus Snape. We will need a Ministry Official on June 21st at 8:30 pm at the Burrow to officiate the marriage.
Hermione Granger
Short and to the point. Hermione was satisfied with the message and rolled the letter up, sealing it with her wand. She tucked the note in the desk drawer, where it would be safe until tomorrow when she sent it via owl to the Ministry. Then, she pulled out another sheet of parchment.
To do
1. Check amount in Gringotts Vault
Hermione began jotting down things that would need to be done in the next week.
2. Owl Severus
3. Another meeting with Severus
4. Find a place to live
She frowned at what she had written on the parchment. This was going to be a stressful list to complete. After a long moment of thought she added another note.
5. Find a job
Obviously, the Ministry was taking their time replying to her request for a job for a reason. Hermione assumed that they were not currently hiring or did not wish to have her employed there. She would just have to find a temporary position and resubmit her request down the road.
Hermione frowned as she turned her attention out the window. She could see a triumphant Ginny and Harry followed by a grumpy looking Ron and George headed towards the house, this meant that the game was over. It would not be long now before she was interrupted.
As if on cue, there was a knock at the door. "Hermione, Dear, would you come help me finish preparing dinner?" Molly's voice called out in her usual chipper tone.
"Yes," Hermione replied as she hide her list in the desk drawer and with a tap of her wand locked it. Then, she hurried down stairs after Mrs. Weasley into the kitchen.
"Dear, would you be so kind as to cut the potatoes." Hermione nodded at Molly's word and quickly pulled out her wand. With a wave of her wand she set the knife to work under her careful watch. A comfortable silence descended over the two as they worked at their tasks. Hermione looked at the mound of potatoes that the knife was slowly dicing through and sighed. At this rate she would be in the kitchen for a long time.
She heard the group that had been outside playing Quidditch make their way upstairs. They were loud as they talked happily between them. Hermione sighed, of course, they would all be happy none of them were being forced to marry someone against their will.
"So are you going to tell me, dear, if you've made a decision?" Mrs. Weasley asked breaking the silence between the two.
"I have but I thought I would announce my decision after dinner." Hermione informed as she waved her wand so that the knife would cut the potatoes faster.
Molly nodded. "That's a good idea, Dear. Don't have to repeat yourself then." Molly waved her wand so that a large knife began cutting carrots. "Have you put any thought into the ceremony?"
"A little," she answered Mrs. Weasley. "I thought we could have it here, next Sunday. I'm going to request it from the Ministry Official when I owl them my answer."
"That sounds wonderful. Us girls could make a trip to Diagon Alley to get you a set of new robes or a dress for the occasion," Molly suggested as she began waving her wand to set the table. "You'll need to make a list of people to invite."
"Just your family," Hermione replied quickly.
Molly was surprised. "Don't you have any friends from school or your childhood you wish to invite?"
"All my friends from school are already here and I've grown apart from my muggle friends." Hermione felt like a ball dropped into her stomach. "And I don't have my parents here…." she trailed off.
"Okay, Dear," Molly said in a motherly tone. "What time should the Ceremony be?"
"Just before sunset," Hermione answered quickly. There would be no need for the ceremony to be long if it was going to be dark soon.
"Very romantic," Molly commented dreamily. "Arthur and I were married at sunset, too." She waved her wand so that the potatoes that Hermione had finished cutting would be added to the large pot on the stove. "Shall we have dinner afterwards or just drinks?"
"Just drinks." Hermione figured she would be to nervous to eat but would need a few shots of firewhiskey to have the courage to take Severus Snape to bed.
"I'll arrange for Arthur to get some brandy, whiskey, and wine."
"That would be great." Hermione smiled reassuringly as she sat down at the table. She stared at the table, trying to clear her mind of all thoughts of impending doom.
"Don't be nervous, Dear." Molly murmured as she lay a reassuring hand on Hermione's shoulder.
"I'm trying not to be." Hermione smiled up at the older, motherly woman.
"I'm sorry you couldn't marry Ronald," Molly whispered with unshed tears in her eyes. "I had hoped that I could call you my daughter one day."
Hermione stood up and hugged the woman tightly. "You are just like a mother to me even if it's not by law."
Molly patted her cheek. "You are a sweetheart." She turned back to the stove and stirred the contents of the giant pot, the smell that drifted up from it was heavenly. "Is Ginny to be your bridesmaid?"
Hermione sighed, the moment was gone and the wedding was back on the main floor. "Of course."
"She'll need new robes or a dress then, too. I suppose Harry will give her money since the two are married now." Molly sighed. "I don't know why I let her talk me into letting her get married with a year left at school."
"It's better that they did." Hermione mumbled. It would have been worse for her to watch her best friends not get the chance to be married than for her to have to go through this.
"They will both be so busy this year, Ginny with her NEWTS and Harry with his Auror training." Molly sighed as she stirred the contents of the pot again. "Have you heard back from the Ministry yet about your application?"
"No." Hermione frowned deeply as Ginny walked into the room.
"What smells so good, mum?"
"Beef Stew," Molly answered, hugging her daughter. "How was the Quidditch game?"
"The Potters won," Ginny replied with a grin. "George and Ron are upstairs sulking."
"There's always next time." Molly said sweetly. "And dinner will be ready soon."
"Need any help?" Ginny offered.
"No, Hermione has been the perfect helper, you just fetch your father from the shed and the boys from upstairs. Then have everyone wash up so we can eat." Ginny went to get her family as Molly and Hermione finished preparing for dinner.
Twenty minutes later the Weasleys, the Potters, and Hermione were eating beef stew around the table. Hermione was concentrating on eating and trying to avoid the conversation.
"Hermione," Molly said from the other end of the table, "are you going to tell us your decision?"
"I thought that I would wait until everyone was done eating," Hermione mumbled softly. "Wouldn't want anyone to lose their appetite," she murmured to herself.
"Come on Hermione," Ron said with a mouth full of stew. "Tell us already." Small bits flew out of his mouth making Hermione cringe.
"Just let the cat out of the bag," Ginny encouraged from her seat next to Hermione.
"Just spit it out," Harry said with a reassuring smile.
Hermione took a deep breath. "Severus Snape."
The table went silent as everyone stared at Hermione. Ron stood up from his chair. "That Greasy Git?!" he spat angrily. "Of all the men that you could choose from and you pick him!"
"Ron, I didn't have a lot of options," Hermione whispered as she felt her temper flaring. "Half of my choices were Death Eaters."
"I get that you and I can't get married but of all the wizards I have to hand you over to it has to be that Git!"
"You are not 'handing me over' to anyone, I do not belong to you, Ronald!"
"You would have been mine if it wasn't for this bloody law!" Ron banged his fist on the table.
"I belong to no one!" Hermione stated angrily.
"No, now you belong to that Bloody Greasy Git!" Ron shouted at the top of his lungs.
"Ron, quite yelling and sit down," Ginny said in an authoritative tone. Ron sat down in his chair and crossed his arms bitterly.
"Hermione, I thought you were the smartest witch of our age but what made you think Snape was the right choice?" Harry asked softly.
Hermione could see his anger boiling right below the surface and knew she had to pick her words carefully. " He's a hero, Harry, and I can trust him."
"He's still in love with my mum," Harry whispered with a look of loathing.
"I don't expect him to love me, Harry, but I need to have the chance of being friends and having some one who is loyal, brave, intelligent, and honorable by my side. I know that he will help me fight against this law and in the meantime support me."
"You've already thought this all through," Harry remarked calmly.
"Yes, Harry."
"Mate, you can't be agreeing with her?" Ron asked Harry with a look of disgust.
"I may not agree with her but I have to support my best friend."
Ron glared at Harry for a moment before turning to Hermione. "I love you, Hermione, please choose anyone else." Ron stood up with a look of pleading in his eyes.
Hermione swallowed her fury and stood too. "You're one of the best friends I've ever had but I have to make the decisions that are best for me."
"Fine," Ron stormed out of the room and they hear him yelling back as he climbed the stairs. "Don't expect me to be at the bloody wedding or to pretend to be happy for you!" The door to his room slammed loudly after his words.
Hermione sat back down as another long silence feel on the table. Everyone was staring at her, wondering how she could have made this decision.
"Well, Dumbledore thought he needed to have his own family, thought it might help his disposition," Arthur admitted with a shrug.
"On the bright side, we'll now know what happens when a bookworm and a giant bat mate," George joked.
Molly glared at her son. "You just eat your dinner."
"Yes, ma'am." George resumed eating his stew with a smirk.
"Hermione, Dear, are you sure that this is the right decision?" Molly asked skeptically.
"Yes," Hermione stated simply as she pushed the remnants of her dinner away. "May I be excused? I'm suddenly not very hungry."
"Of course." Molly smiled reassuringly.
Hermione quickly escaped the table for the solitude of her room.
The next morning brought down pours of rain to the Burrow which did nothing to lighten Hermione's spirits. With a feeling of apprehension, she sent her note to the Ministry via Pigwidgeon. She hoped the little owl would return quickly so that Ron wouldn't know that she had borrowed him. The last thing she wanted right now was Ron yelling at her again. The silence between them she could stand, over the last few years she had grown accustomed to it when they had a falling out, it was the screaming match between the two of them that really bothered Hermione.
When the owl returned Hermione would let him rest for a few hours then send him with a message to Severus so the two could arrange another meeting. He deserved a warning as to what was expected Sunday evening. And the two needed to find a house or they would be living in the burrow or his despised house until they could get one. That thought alone was enough to spur Hermione into action. She would make it a priority on her list. Hermione sat down at the desk and looked at the list she had started the day before. She underlined buying a house several times and added a couple of exclamation points for good measure. There was a few other points she needed to add to the list.
6. Buy a dress (cheap)
She was going to run out of money quickly once she invested some in their house so the dress she bought would have to be inexpensive. The last thing she needed was to be asking Snape for money.
7. Buy an owl
If Ron stayed made at her then it would be difficult to keep using Pig. In the event that Ron caught her it would mean another row. That was definitely not the way to reconciliation. Eventually she needed to figure out how to fix things with Ron. Her limited social circle did not need to become any smaller.
8. Patch things up with Ron
Hermione sighed, this was becoming a long list for such a short time. With a frown she put the list in the desk drawer, closing and locking it, then stood up. She walked over to her old school trunk, that sat across from the bed, and opened the lid. The inside had an undetectable expansion charm on it so that all of her possessions would fit. She reached into the corner were her clothes were pilled and grabbed a pair of jeans. Hermione grabbed a t-shirt from the pile and tossed the two articles behind her onto the bed.
She changed out of her nightgown and into clean clothes before stepping in front of the small mirror behind the door. She frowned at her appearance then shook her head, brown bushy hair flying everywhere. Hermione pulled a hair tie off her wrist and quickly restrained her hair, the best she could.
As she did, something on her left arm caught her attention. On closer inspection Hermione realized that the concealment charm that she had place on her scar was wearing off. She could make out the M of the word Mudblood that Bellatrix had carved into her forearm. Hermione quickly retrieved her wand and with a quick incantation had it once more hidden. For a long moment she stared at her arm wishing that there was more she could do for the scar, a more permanent fix. "Add that to my list of things to do." Hermione muttered darkly to herself.
A knock on the door interrupted her and she quickly closed her trunk. She glanced over at the desk, making sure that her list was securely in the drawer, before she opened the door.
Molly stood on the threshold with a warm smile. "Hermione, Dear, come down stairs and have a spot of tea with Ginny and I so we can discuss the wedding."
"Alright." Hermione knew that there was no use in arguing with the woman, so reluctantly she followed Mrs. Weasley down to the living room where Ginny was already waiting. Ginny smiled sympathetically at Hermione as she offered her a cup of tea. Hermione declined it as she took a seat on the couch next to her friend. Molly sat down in a chair and conjured a quill and parchment. With a simple wave of her wand she enchanted the quill to take notes for her. "Alright, Sunday at sundown," Molly said in a business like tone.
"Yes," Hermione agreed.
"Ginny is going to be your maid of honor?" Molly asked as she checked the dictating quill.
"Right." Hermione smiled at Ginny, she was her only close female friend so it was only logical that she was the maid of honor.
"I wonder if Snape will have a best man." Ginny speculated aloud as she looked at Hermione for an answer.
Hermione shrugged, unsure of the answer. "I would have to ask."
"Who do you want to give you away, Dear?" Molly asked gently knowing that Hermione's father was not present to do the deed.
"I hadn't thought about it." Hermione confided with a sigh.
"I'm sure Dad would," Ginny offered.
Molly nodded. "Arthur would love that or one of the boys would be happy to, I'm sure."
"I'll think about it." Hermione managed a smile though she felt heartbroken that her own father would not be able to walk her down the aisle.
Molly sensed that Hermione did not want to talk about it. "Dress or robes?" she asked, changing the subject.
Hermione scowled, how could she explain to Molly that buying what was cheaper was what mattered. The Weasley's were use to living short on money but Hermione knew the older woman wanted this to be a fairy tale wedding, even though it was more of a nightmare. Price would not matter to the Molly even if it did to her. "I'm not sure," Hermione mumbled, "I'll just have to see what I find."
"I figured Wednesday we could go look for either in Diagon Alley."
"We could have a girls afternoon." Ginny smiled brightly at Hermione. She was obviously excited about the wedding even if the groom left something to be desired.
"Okay, Wednesday," Hermione agreed. That would give her the chance to separate from the two for a quick meeting with Severus. She could sneak away to the book store for an hour or so and the Weasley woman would not follow her in.
"I'm excited." Ginny beamed at the thought of the girls spending the day together.
"Mrs. Weasley as far as I'm concerned you can plan the rest of this wedding." Hermione mumbled to the red head woman.
"Are you sure, Dear? This is supposed to be your big day," Molly replied, looking fretful.
Hermione stood up. "I'm certain."
"But this is your big day," Molly argued.
"That may be but I think it would be better if you did all the rest of the planning. You have more experience with this, after all."
Mrs. Weasley smiled brightly. "Okay, Dear. Leave everything to me."
Hermione nodded with a smile. "Thank you." With a quick excuse she escaped the living room and retreated to her room. There she found Crookshanks sitting on the bed waiting for her. She scratched him behind the ears then sat down at the desk. Hermione pulled a blank piece of parchment towards her to write a letter to Severus. Though she had taken up calling him by his first name, Snape had not outwardly invited her to do so, which left Hermione with the dilemma of how to begin the letter. She absent-mindedly stroked her chin with the feather quill as she considered the options. Finally she decided that she would just start with 'Severus'. If the two were going to be married in less than a week, it seemed only fitting to call him by his first name.
Severus,
I have owled the Ministry to let them know that the wedding will be on Sunday evening. Wednesday I will be in Diagon Alley to do some shopping. I thought a meeting could be arranged to discuss things. How about at Flourish and Blotts at 1 o'clock?
Hermione
The note sounded reserved and distant which was the best approach Hermione could think of. She rolled up the letter and sealed it with her wand. Now all she had to do was send the letter and she could cross that off her list. "One thing down, a lot more to go."