Chapter 8 The Pair's Proceedings
It had been a long couple of days for Hermione. The remainder of Wednesday afternoon had been spent trying to find herself a wedding dress and a bridesmaid dress for Ginny. Thursday was spent in the midst of the want ads from the daily prophet, sending her resume (with her wonderful new owl, Finley) for any position she seemed qualified to perform. Hermione had, also, sent a letter and a copy of her resume to Professor McGonagall, in the hope that if nothing else she could have a job that would be close to her new home in Hogsmeade. Friday, was spent reorganizing and sorting through her belongings. Making a pile of things that she no longer needed such as old school uniforms that did not fit and books that were no longer of use or that she did not plan to reread. There was also a pile of rubbish like broken quills, scraps of parchment, and dried out inkwells. Her belongings she wanted to keep were packed meticulously into her trunk so that it would be ready to leave with her Sunday night. She, also, spent a great deal of the evening trying to make amends with Ron though nothing seem to soothe his anger at her and she was finally forced to give up. The only thing that made her feel better on Friday night was that Harry promised to walk her down the aisle, even though he was not fond of the idea of giving her away to Snape. Saturday, Hermione was at Molly's disposal, while the house and garden were prepped for the wedding. Hermione could not understand why the house had to be cleaned top to bottom since the ceremony would take place in the garden but she did as she was told. Ginny was forced to help and spent the day sullen and unapproachable because the boys played Quidditch in the orchard, where Molly deemed they would not undo any of the girl's hard work. By the time that Molly had let the two girls go to bed Saturday night, it was sometime early Sunday morning. Being exhausted, Hermione laid down in bed with Crookshanks, hoping to sort her thoughts before tomorrow but almost instantly she was asleep.
Hermione awoke Sunday sometime after noon, to Ginny banging on the door to Percy's old room. "Hermione, you have to get up now, or you'll never be ready by tonight."
She opened her eyes and sat up as if woken from a nightmare, she was drenched in sweat and breathing heavily. "I'm up!" She yelled back through the door as she felt her heart race in her chest.
"Mum wants you in the kitchen in your dressing gown in ten minutes!" Ginny yelled then she retreated down stairs, most likely to the kitchen.
Hermione groaned as she felt the sudden urge to be to sick. There was no reason to feel nervous about any of this, but here she sat in bed, having an anxiety attack. "I'm going to need a calming draught," Hermione whispered to herself as she slowly got of bed, afraid a sudden movement would cause her to be sick. She crossed the room and deliberately dropped to her knees by her trunk. With a quick summoning spell she had the tiny vial in her hands and pulled the stopper out of the mouth. In one gulp, Hermione drained the bottle and instantly her heart stopped racing, the nausea disappeared, and she felt relaxed. Now, she could handle anything that was thrown her way today, at least as long as the potion's effects lasted, which would be about eight hours. Then, hopefully this wedding would be over and she would be downing a few drinks which would work the same as the calming draught.
Hermione vanished the empty vial and changed out of her pajamas into her large, fuzzy robe. It was old and worn to the point that the red robe began to look pink in places but it smelled like home to Hermione thus she was unable to part with it. She slide on the matching slippers before she proceeded down stairs.
Hermione was surprised to find the kitchen empty and breakfast waiting for her on the table. She sat down but couldn't eat more than a few bites of the large Weasley breakfast that Molly had prepared her. Hermione did manage to drink all of the orange juice and coffee that had been left on the table for her.
"You better eat, Dear!" Rang out the voice of Molly as she entered the kitchen. "It's going to be a while before you get the chance to eat again!"
Molly, of course, was right and within a hour Hermione wished that she had made more of an effort to eat. The two Weasley women and Hermione spent the afternoon in a whirlwind, preparing themselves for the wedding. Hermione was bathed and groomed by the other two, all the while she protested that she could do this herself. She had her messy hair styled back into a bun though a couple of hairs escaped, framing her face. Ginny insisted upon doing her makeup for her even though Hermione couldn't see the point of it.
"You'll look beautiful." Ginny stated as she pushed Hermione's hands out of her way.
"This is pointless. Have you forgot who I'm marrying?" Hermione said in exasperation.
Molly frowned at the girl seated before her daughter's mirror. "One day you'll look back on this day and be happy that you listened to us. You only get one wedding in the wizarding world."
Hermione sighed, she was getting no where with her arguments. Neither woman would listen and was only focused on the goals at hand, which seemed to be to make Hermione look like she was a real bride. There was nothing she could do but throw in the towel and go along with the other two women.
Severus paced McGonagall's office pausing every few moments to check the large clock behind the headmistress' desk before resuming his movement. Professor McGonagall sat quietly at her desk watching the man before her in silence for a long time, listening to the soft ticking of the clock over her shoulder. Finally, she could take it no more and spoke, "Are you trying to wear a hole in the floor?"
Snape let out a horrible rasping laugh. "If I haven't worn one in this floor in the last seventeen years, I never will."
The Headmistress frowned. "I wish you would take a seat. I don't see what you have to be nervous about."
An unintentional sigh escaped his lips. "I am not nervous, I am merely occupying myself until we leave."
"That is a lie."
Severus glared at Minerva as he took a seat before her desk, but remained silent. He looked around the room at all of the empty portraits on the wall, not a single former headmaster was present today, making the room feel empty and forgotten. He slouched back in his chair, comfortable in the knowledge that only the current Headmistress would see him.
"There, now how about a drink?" McGonagall smiled as she summoned two glasses and a bottle of brandy. Snape raised a silent eyebrow but accepted the glass of alcohol that was handed to him. Minerva raised her glass in a silent toast then the two drank deeply from their cups. "Better?"
"Yes." Severus rasped as he reached across the desk and poured himself another glass.
"Better not have too much before the ceremony." McGonagall warned as she poured herself a small glass.
Snape laughed softly, "Two drinks will not cause me to become inebriated."
"I am not worried that you will arrive drunk to your own wedding, but I do believe you owe Hermione the courtesy of being sober."
"If the girl really is the brightest witch of her age then she will already be drunk when I arrive." Severus muttered darkly before he drained his snifter.
Minerva ignored the comment, waving her wand to vanish the drinks as she stood. "We might as well be on our way. I'm sure that there is something that we can do to assist."
Severus glanced at the clock, it was ten minutes to seven. "We have time still before we must arrive," he rasped, annoyed.
"Don't be rude," Minerva stated with a frown as she rounded the side of her desk. "We will not be that early." She extended out a hand to her fellow Professor. When he merely raised an eyebrow at her she said, "I figured we could disapparate together so I would not have to lift the wards on my office." Severus glared darkly at the Headmistress but stood, taking her hand. With a flash of robes the two were gone, leaving nothing but an empty office behind.
It was just before sun set and the Wealsey garden was abuzz with activity. Arthur was setting up a few chairs on either side of an aisle while Fred was adding magically lit candles to the trees and shrubs. Ron was complaining softly under his breath as he caught the few gnomes that had managed to sneak back into the garden and throw them back over the fence. Headmistress McGonagall was adding beautiful white flowers and small illuminated candles to the arch. The group was presided over by Molly, who stood with her fist on her hips and a frown on her lips, silently inspected the progress.
All of this Hermione could see through the window of Percy's room. She stood in her dressing gown waiting for the time when Molly would come up and tell her it was time. It was close to eight o'clock now and it was just a matter of waiting for the Ministry Official to arrive.
"Would you stop staring out the window already, it's all you've done the last forty five minutes." Ginny sighed from behind Hermione.
"Just watching your mum in action." Hermione retorted without taking her eyes off the scene.
Ginny put her hand on Hermione's shoulder. "You can do that any time. How about a few minutes with your best friend before you become a married woman."
"That's not by choice."
Ginny rolled her eyes and pulled Hermione away from the window and over to the bed. The two sat shoulder to shoulder in their dressing gowns, silent for a long moment. Then, Ginny pulled a flask from the pocket of her robe. "I thought you might want a sip of courage," she stated shaking the flask so that the contents swished about inside.
Hermione smiled and took the flask from her friend. After taking a large swig of the firewhisky she passed the flask back. "I did need that." A warm feeling filled her stomach and spread outward, casting away the nerves that had begun to grip her chest.
"You're not the only smart witch around here."
Hermione laughed, the first real smile of the day showing on her face. "I never doubted that you are a brilliant witch."
The two lapsed into silence as they passed the flask back and forth until it was empty then Ginny stowed it away in her pocket.
"Mum is kind of happy you're getting married, even if it's to Snape." Hermione raised an eyebrow in question to the other girl. "She thought that you would string Ron along for the next ten years then never marry him or any other ,am for that matter."
"She really thinks I'm that cruel?" Hermione could not believe that the elder Weasley witch thought so little of her.
"No, mum knew that your career would always come first." Ginny stated simply.
There was a loud knock at the door. "Girls! Get dressed, you have ten minutes to be in the kitchen."
Hermione sighed as she stood. "I guess this is it." She said as she pulled off the dressing gown and set it aside. Ginny helped her into the lovely knee-length cream and black lace dress. As she adjusted the long sleeves she felt the concealment charm fade on her arm and she could just make out the scars under the black lace. There was no use placing another spell on the disfigured flesh for the wedding dress prevented such charms from being used while wearing it. With another deep sigh, she put on the pair of black heels that Ginny had insisted that she pair with the dress.
Beside her Ginny had put on a knee length, royal blue, off the shoulder dress. It was made of silk and the fitted dress hugged her in all the right places. She then slipped on the matching blue shoes to finish off her look.
"You look stunning." Hermione said as she picked up her dressing gown and folded it.
"You look beautiful, too."
"I feel a little ridiculous showing up to this sham wedding wearing a wedding dress." Hermione stated as placed the dressing gown in her trunk before closing it. With a quick locking and shrinking spells she was slipping the trunk into the pocket of the dress.
Ginny was shaking her head. "This isn't a sham, it's the only wedding you're going to have in this life. One day you'll look back and be glad that mum and I forced you to wear such a beautiful dress instead of robes."
"We better get going," Hermione said as she glanced out the window to find that the Weasley's were taking seats in the waiting chairs.
The two witches hurried down the stairs to the kitchen to find Molly and Harry waiting. Molly silently assessed the two and made a few adjustments on hair and dresses before nodding. "Alright, everyone is in position outside so I'll go take a seat. Fred will start the music in a few minutes then Ginny can walk out first followed by you two."
The three noiselessly agreed as Molly left, leaving the door to the kitchen open. They could hear the soft rumble of voices floating in from the garden but they remained silent. If the wedding did not start in the next couple of minutes then Hermione would need to start pacing to keep her thoughts from racing.
Then the music started.
Instantly, Hermione felt her heart rate speed up and her mouth suddenly went dry. She had the strong urge to turn tail and run.
"Breathe." Ginny whispered then she was out the door in a flash of blue.
Harry stepped forward and offered his hand to Hermione. She took it and the two of them faced the open door together.
"Ready?" Harry whispered as he smiled at Hermione.
"As I'll ever be." Hermione sighed.
"Then put a smile on," Hermione glared up at him. "At least do it for Mrs. Weasley, she's worked hard on this." Harry insisted as he adjusted the collar of his black dress robes.
"We better go." Hermione mumbled as she pulled Harry forward out the door.
The two walked out into the garden and turned to face the ceremony. The sun was low in the sky painting it in soft oranges and purples and giving a soft light to the garden. Waiting at the end of the aisle was an elegant arch with Ginny, Professor McGonagall, a small wizard who looked familiar and Severus standing before it. On either side of the aisle sat Ron, Molly, Arthur, Fred, and to her surprise Hagrid, who she smiled at as she passed. When they reached the front of the aisle the two faced each other and Hermione hugged Harry.
"Everything is going to be fine." Harry whispered into her ear.
Hermione nodded her head as she pulled away and turned towards the man that she was to marry. She paused to assess him as she was sure he was considering her. He wore a set of high necked black dress robes, most likely to hide the scars Hermione was sure were on his neck. His hair appeared to be clean and wash tucked behind his ears so that she had a full view of his face. His striking dark eyes were focused on her and he reached out a hand to her. She accepted it and the two faced each other before the short, tufty-haired Ministry Official.
"Ladies and Gentlemen, we are gathered here today to unite this wizard and this witch together under the Matrimony and Procreation Law." The Officiate said in a singsong voice as he smiled at the two. "From this day forth these two shall be bonded together in all aspects of life…."
Hermione let her attention wander away from the man speaking as she examined the man across from her once more. While his complexion was pale, he appeared to be healthy. He wore the same disapproving look that he always had in potions class as he focused on the officiate. When he noticed her staring he raised a questioning eye brow. Hermione ever so slightly shrugged her shoulders and turned back to the Ministry wizard.
"Do you, Severus Tobias Snape take Hermione Jean Granger to be your lawfully wedded wife. To live with and support. To bear and raise children with. And to follow all aspects of the Matrimony and Procreation Law with for as long as you both shall live."
"I do." Severus rasped as Hermione glanced over at him again, meeting his gaze.
"Do you, Hermione Jean Granger take Severus Tobias Snape to be your lawfully wedded wife. To live with and support. To bear and raise children with. And to follow all aspects of the Matrimony and Procreation Law with for as long as you both shall live."
For a long moment, Hermione stared at the man that she had picked, out of all the other possibilities. "I do."
"Then I, now, declare you husband and wife, bonded for as long as you both shall live." The short wizard waved his wand sending a shower of silver stars over them.
Hermione felt herself being pulled forward and then she realized that she still had to kiss this man. She swallowed nervously as she closed her eyes then his lips meet hers. They were surprisingly soft and warm against her own and after a brief moment they were gone. And strangely she wanted nothing more than to have him do it again.
Reluctantly, she opened her eyes and faced the man before her, for just a moment she thought she saw a smile on his face. Then the two turned to face the Weasley family and Hagrid.
"Congratulations!" Molly exclaimed as she jumped up from her seat and rushed forward to hug Hermione.
The Officiate cleared his throat behind them. "I just need this one form signed then I'll need to be on my way. Lots to do." The now married couple turned to face the wizard who already had the document and a quill ready. He handed the quill and parchment to Severus who then took a moment to read it before signing his name. He passed it to Hermione, who then read the paper. It was a contract under the law stating the two would be held accountable for following the law or face criminal charges. Hermione frowned but signed her name knowing it was useless to point out she had followed the law to this point. Once her name was complete the parchment rolled closed and sealed it's self. The Officiate took the scroll and bid the two a good night before he disapparated.
"Let's get to the fun part of the party now," Fred said loudly as he began to pass out glasses of firewhisky. Hermione accepted hers with a polite thank you, Severus on the other hand took a glass without a word.
Molly was beaming at the two. " Professor McGonagall how about a toast to the bride and groom."
At first, McGonagall seemed to be at a loss for words but then she smiled at the two. "'Happiness is not having what you want, but wanting what you have'." She nodded at the bride and then the groom.
"Wonderful advice!" Hagrid cheered as everyone downed their drinks.
"Time for the first dance!" Molly sang out as she took the glasses from Hermione and Snape's hands. He quirked an eyebrow in question to her but she could only shrug.
"I think we'll pass." Severus stated as appraised Molly.
"Nonsense," Molly asserted. With a wave of her wand soft music filled the air. She waved it again and all the chairs moved in front of the hedge creating plenty of space in the middle of the garden.
Severus stood motionless staring at the eldest Weasley witch with his arms crossed in contempt.
"Ginny, dance with me?" Harry asked his wife. She accepted his out stretched hand and the two of them began to whirl around the garden together.
Hermione could see Ron sneaking back into the house with a bottle of firewhisky in his hands. She wanted to follow him but right now was not a good time with Molly so focused on her and Severus.
"Let's dance Arthur." Molly insisted as she took her husband by the arm.
Fred approached the two, where they still stood by the arch. "Well Professor, the way I see it, you can either dance with your lovely wife or I can." He extended his hand to Hermione.
She smiled brightly at Fred and reached out her hand to him. Before she could take it, Snape closed his hand around hers and was leading her around the Weasley. "I think I shall dance with my wife." Severus said coldly.
The next thing Hermione knew was that she was being twirled around the garden by her former potions professor, now husband. "You only wanted to dance with me so that I didn't dance with Fred." Hermione murmured darkly to Severus shoulder.
He pulled her slightly closer, forcing her to look up into his face so it was not smashed into his shoulder. "Of course." He sneered.
"When are you going to start acting like we were all on the same side?"
Severus cocked a brow at her, "When are the Weasley's going to learn not to meddle? Besides this whole dance is a little ridiculous considering our situation."
Hermione rolled her eyes as she pulled herself away from Severus. "I need another drink."
"You're going to need a lot more than one before we leave."
She glared at him as she approached Fred who had transfigured a chair into a table and set up a wide selection of drinks. "Give me something good, and strong."
Fred handed her a glass of clear liquid and smirked. "Bottoms up."
"What is it?" Hermione asked examining the contents. It was hard to see now that it was almost completely dark outside and there was very little light given from the floating candles.
"Good and strong." Fred laughed as he downed a shot himself.
Hermione drank it all in a single gulp and almost choked. It felt like solid ice was sliding down her throat into her stomach. She must have made a horrible face because Fred roared with laughter. Hermione quickly picked up the bottle of firewhisky and downed a large gulp which helped to thaw her insides.
"Careful mixing your drinks like that," warned a voice behind her. Hermione turned to see Professor McGonagall standing over her shoulder. "That's a good way to lose control quicker than you planned."
"Yes, ma'am."
"You are no longer my student and I am here as your husband's friend, I think you could call me Minerva."
"Okay…Minerva." Hermione murmured awkwardly.
The older woman smiled as she shooed Fred away from the table leaving the two alone. "I thought we could talk professionally for just a moment, though."
"Yes, Professor."
Minerva gave a small smile to Hermione for a moment. "I received your letter."
"You don't have to beat around the bush," Hermione interrupted. "You can just tell me 'no' and we can get back to the… uh… party."
"If you are going to be on my staff, you will not interrupt me, again." McGonagall warned sharply.
"So your going to hire me?"
"I am still in need of a Muggle Studies Professor if you are interested in the job."
"I only studied it for one year and never got my O.W.L. or N.E.W.T. for it." Hermione was confused, maybe all the alcohol she had this evening was catching up to her.
"While that is true, you were also raised by Muggles so you know more about the subject than any wizard who has taken the class." McGonagall was smiling again. "Will you at least consider it."
"I'll take it." Hermione exclaimed. "Is there a way I can have Professor Burbage's notes and course information."
"Of course, I'll arrange to have it sent to you so that you can prepare yourself for the year."
"Thank you."
Minerva looked very critically at Hermione for a long moment. "This is just for the next school year, while I see about finding a another teacher with more experience."
"Of course." Hermione said with a smile. Inside she was beaming, she had a job, at least for the next nine months while she hunted for something else.
"Well I must be off, enjoy the rest of your evening," the Headmistress stated as she was on her way.
Hermione wanted to find Harry and Ginny to tell them the good news but Severus caught her first.
"Let's go," he rasped as he rubbed his throat.
"I have to talk to Harry and Ginny first," Hermione insisted.
"Talk to them another time, Hermione." The way he sneered her name made her want to punch him in his oversized nose.
"I have to at least fetch my things," Hermione stated as she crossed her arms.
"Already been taken care of," Snape said in a whisper as he leaned in close. "Finley has already been sent on his way with your cat in tow."
"Finely can not possible carry Crookshanks."
"He can with help from my owl and the cat is sedated."
"What about my trunk?"
"I thought it was in your pocket."
Hermione felt her temper flaring, wondering if he had read her thoughts.
Severus leaned in close so that his lips were almost touching her ear and whispered, "it does not take legilimency to figure that out." He sent goose bumps up and down her spine and along her arms. Severus took a set back. "Now, away we go."
"Fine, let's go." Hermione said turning and leading the way out of the garden.