Snape was surprised to see a group of five Aurors waiting for them outside the hospital room. Harry quickly explained that they were tagging along to ensure Snape's safety. Once again, Snape realized some wizards might feel that he was more responsible than Harry for Voldemort's demise. Harry replaced Hermione in supporting his weight on his left while Draco slipped under Snape's right arm to support him on that side. All the while Snape was protesting that he was not an invalid. Ginny gave him a warning hiss and he fell silent. Fine, let them carry him if they wanted, he thought, so long as they got him and his Hermione back to Hogwarts, safe and sound.

Turning to look back at Hermione, he said, "Stay behind me Hermione, I want you safe." Hermione just smiled and gave him a mock salute which caused him to grind his teeth in frustration. That Ginny was becoming a bad influence on his little Hermione.

Mr. Weasley arrived and with one of the Aurors, took up position in front. With one Auror on each side and two Auror's bringing up the rear, the small crowd started down the hall. Ginny and Hermione were walking directly behind Snape, when Hermione reached up and ran her fingers through his hair sending a tingle down his spine. He heard her tell Ginny she had done an excellent job, much better than she'd ever been able to do. Snape briefly wondered when she'd ever had the opportunity to cut someone's hair.

They exited the building and quickly stowed him inside a black sedan that was larger inside than it appeared outside. Hermione climbed over Draco's lap and forced him to scoot over so she could sit next to Snape. Harry just smiled and slid further down the seat to allow them ample room. Snape put his arm around her and buried his face in her hair inhaling the scent of her shampoo. She intertwined her fingers with his on her shoulder and with her free hand took hold of his other hand.

Snape sighed and leaned back enjoying the feel of Hermione pressed up against him. He drifted off to sleep and was startled when he woke up and realized he was already in the Hospital Wing at Hogwarts. He was lying in bed with the blankets pulled up around his chest. He looked over to his right and saw the robe he had been wearing draped over one of the chairs. He heard a small sigh on his left and turning his head saw that Hermione was lying on the expanded bed, just out of his reach. The bed had been curtained off allowing them some privacy. He reached over, intending to pull Hermione into his arms when heard, "Nuh, uh, uh." Madam Pomfrey pulled the curtain aside as she and Ginny approached the bed. "I said she could lie next to you, but no touching!"

Ginny smiled apologetically at him as Hermione awakened and slid off the bed, causing it to shrink back to normal size. Snape smiled as he took in her disheveled look; even upon waking she was gorgeous. Hermione sheepishly smoothed down her hair and then reached out to stroke his smooth face. Grabbing her hand in his, he turned her hand so he could plant small kisses in the palm of her hand. This action did not go unnoticed by Madam Pomfrey and she wondered at such a change in this normally gruff man. Whatever it was, she decided, it was an improvement.

Hermione stepped outside the curtain and let Madam Pomfrey, along with Nurse Ginny, poke and prod Snape until they felt satisfied that he was in good health. Madam Pomfrey watched him drink his second round of the treatment and accepted the empty vial back from him. "You've done well, Nurse Ginny," she commented eliciting a huge grin from the red-head. "Another week of treatment and I think he can released to rest in his chambers."

Snape moaned aloud, causing Madam Pomfrey to turn and look at him. "I'm getting married next week, Poppy." He paused thinking to himself that he never thought he'd hear that phrase come out of his mouth, and then quickly continued, "I was hoping to get out of here before then so I can be of help to Hermione." He quickly added, "With wedding arrangements, of course."

Outside the curtain Hermione smiled at how he was whining to be able to get out of the hospital to "help" her. Surely he knew what kind of "help" she wanted and then blushed at the thought; glad to see no one was around to see her blush so profusely or read her mind.

Madam Pomfrey was shaking her head. "Sorry Severus, you can barely walk on your own as it is. You want to be strong enough for your wedding don't you?" She asked and then blushed at what he might interpret her meaning to be.

Snape ignored Ginny's smirk and just nodded his head in defeat.

Madam Pomfrey pulled open the curtain to allow Hermione back into the curtained area, avoiding her eye, in case the young woman had just heard the embarrassing question she had asked her young man. Closing the curtain behind her, Madam Pomfrey retreated to her office. Snape opened his arms and Hermione immediately crossed over to him and allowed him to pull her into a comforting hug. Ginny said something about going to grab something from the kitchens for them to eat, since they missed lunch, and quietly closed the curtain behind her.

"After what I've been through," Snape muttered, "I should be allowed to rest with you in your chambers."

Hermione pulled back slightly and with a wicked grin said, "If you were in my chambers, you wouldn't get any rest."

He moaned and she climbed on the bed to straddle his lap when Madam Pomfrey's disembodied voice called from a distance, "No, No, acceptable distance, please!"

Hermione slid back to the floor and Snape scowled at the unseen voice. Hermione giggled and began placing kisses all over his face. He reached out to pull her closer when she quickly stepped back out of his reach.

"Do you want Madam Pomfrey to throw me out of the ward?" Hermione whispered; her eyes twinkling with unbridled merriment.

"If I only had my wand…" he growled.

Hermione laughed and pulled up a chair so she could sit next to his bed. She took his left hand and placed it against her cheek.

Ginny entered and pulling up a chair on the other side of his bed, proceeded to pass out sandwiches, ordering Snape to eat his. Hermione looked worriedly at him, wondering if he had been refusing to eat. Snape quickly unwrapped and began eating the sandwich which tasted like egg salad, in an effort to keep her from worrying. Ginny passed around bottles of cold milk and they ate in comfortable silence. After they were done, Ginny waved her wand and the evidence of their meal disappeared.

Almost ignoring his presence, Ginny pulled out a catalog she had obviously looked at many times, as the pages seemed to be bent and slightly worn. She placed the book on his legs like he was a table and while both girls hovered over the book, Hermione began turning the pages. From the pictures, Snape could tell it was a catalog of Wedding dresses. He watched and listened to their animated discussion with a smirk. He never could understand why women loved the idea of dressing up. He preferred his heavy teaching robes more than anything else; however, even he knew he couldn't get married in his teaching robes.

After Hermione had sent him the message globe, with the startling kiss, Snape utilized Tippy to contact Molly and elicit the matronly woman to assist with robes and such. Before departing St Mungo's that morning, Tippy had assured him that Molly already had everything well in hand. Dress robes were already ordered for himself, Harry and Ron. With the Ministry's cheap budget, he'd already stepped in and supplemented to the wedding fund from his inheritance. The large amount he donated barely put a ding in the amount that was stored in his vault. That may be another reason why Kingsley was so willing to go along with Snape's plan...the Ministry would get all the credit without actually paying for the entire event.

Snape was most pleased about the fact that he had been able to arrange for the women to receive custom gowns at one of the leading robe makers in Hogsmeade. He couldn't think of a better use of his inheritance, than to give Hermione the wedding she deserved.

Snape dragged his thoughts back to the two women, when he realized they were each trying to choose a gown from the magazine that the ministry had provided them. Those cheap bastards, he thought angrily. He took a deep breath and fought the urge to rip the catalog to shreds...

"You can put that catalog away, ladies; I have already arranged and paid for both of you and Ms. Gabrielle, to receive custom-made gowns from Lady Diva's Dress Shop. Molly Weasley has been a most useful ally in my scheming."

"Mom helped you arrange for gowns...since yesterday? You really mean it...for me and Gabrielle too?" Ginny asked incredulously.

"Of course" he replied, sneering at the catalog she still held in her hand. Stealing a page out of Draco's playbook he added, "I can't have my best girls wearing an inferior gown from a catalog on their special day."

Tears started streaming down Ginny's face and Snape closed his eyes. Please not again, he thought. Hermione sat on the edge of his bed and leaned forward to place a soft kiss on his lips. "Thank you, Severus; you never cease to amaze me."

He opened her eyes and his voice husky from the effect her kiss had on him said, "Your happiness is worth every galleon."

Ginny wiped her eyes and thanking him profusely, while ticking off the things that still had to be done. Pulling back slightly from Hermione, Snape rolled his eyes and said, "You don't understand, everything is taken care of. Your mother is handling everything. Everything from your clothes to your hair and makeup has been arranged, even the guys dress robes, so take it easy…" He paused for emphasis and continued, "The only thing you girls have to do is relax and keep being your beautiful selves." Feeling his pillow slipping from behind his back, he looked at Hermione and added, "Well there is something else you can do for me."

Hermione moaned and reached her hand out towards his groin. Horrified Snape intercepted her hand while nodding towards Ginny as if to indicate they weren't alone.

"Please…" Ginny said sniffling as she stood up and stowed the catalog in her robes, I'm not three."

Red faced, Snape stammered, "I meant adjust my pillow, it's starting to slip a little."

Hermione laughed and began adjusting his pillows behind him as Ginny left closing the curtain behind her. As Hermione reached over him adjusting his pillows, Snape buried his face in her chest enjoying the feel of her firm breasts on his face. He quickly slipped both hands under her sweater and cupped her breasts in his hands. She froze and her breath quickened, "Damn, Severus, I want you inside me so badly," she whispered against his hair. He smiled at the reaction he was receiving from his touch. Using his thumb and forefinger, he teased her right nipple through the silky material of her bra, as she quietly moaned in pleasure.

"No touching!" the disembodied voice yelled and Hermione quickly pulled away from him and sat back down into her chair. It took both of them a minute to regain their composures. Snape sat up a little straighter to hide the bulge that had begun to grow in his midsection.

Damn Madam Pomfrey! Damn Hogwarts! He thought and then his breathing became more ragged when he thought, if they'd still been at St Mungo's, he could've shagged the hell out of her and no one would have stopped him. No, no, he would have stopped himself, he reasoned, he was not going to ravage Hermione...at least not until their wedding night. He looked over at her and saw her face was flushed and she was attempting to control her breathing. He felt his cock stirring again when it occurred to him, she might be the one doing the ravishing on their wedding night.

To Snape, the next two days seemed to drag by. Hermione stopped by every day but she could never stay long. Madam Pomfrey had insisted on Ginny taking the week off to prepare for her wedding, as she felt she was more than capable of looking after one patient. Between the two of them, Molly and Ginny kept Hermione constantly busy. When Hermione was able to slip away, she would sit on the edge of his bed and read articles from all the newspapers regarding their upcoming nuptials.

Three days before their wedding, Madam Pomfrey began allowing Hermione to take Snape on short strolls around the castle. She would usually take his arm and lead him out onto the terrace, where he could look out over Hogwarts' grounds and breathe in the fresh air.

Later that day, Hermione was reading him an article Rita Skeeter had written and was close to tears. She fumed and sputtered, as she pointed to the article. There was a picture of a lovely princess and an ugly toad. "She said I bounce around from one love interest to another and will throw you away the moment someone more attractive comes along. She likened me to a lovely princess and you a toad." Snape closed his eyes in dread. He had been waiting for someone to bring that to Hermione's attention. It wasn't the first time in his life someone had referred to him as an ugly toad. He braced himself for what was coming...she was going to admit that was all true and she was only marrying him out of obligation...because of the stupid Marriage Law.

"That Bitch!" Hermione hissed, startling Snape out of the pity party he was silently having in his mind. "Why all of the stupid, ignorant..." Pacing back and forth she didn't notice Snape's eyes fly open in surprise, when she continued, "Why you are the sexiest, most attractive man that I have ever known, not to mention the way you make me feel when you hold me." She continued ranting as if he wasn't even in the room, "Ginny could have told her I've had a crush on you ever since you shielded me from Professor Lupin after he became a werewolf." Snape remembered that night vividly. He had shielded Harry, Ron and Hermione because they were his students; it was his duty to protect them. "Shit! I would have had your baby that night. I use to sign my name Mrs. Hermione Snape whenever Ginny and I would pass notes in Configuration, and I use to..." She giggled, stopping near his bed and turning to finish the story, looked at his shocked face and realized she'd just inadvertently told him her deepest secrets about him.

"Go on...I'd love to hear the rest." He said breathlessly. Hermione looked as if she wished the ground would open up and swallow her. She turned to flee but he reached out and grabbed her arm pulling her into an embrace. Madam Pomfrey was in another part of the castle so he pulled a struggling Hermione onto his lap whispering assurances that everything was okay and he was actually shocked and flattered. Humiliated, she leaned her head against his shoulder and whispered; "I'm so embarrassed."

He was still trying to get over the fact that she had once thought about having his baby. Damn, it sent chills up and down his spine. She'd calmed down, absentmindedly playing with the collar to his gown and said, "Did you ever think that way about me?"

Snape froze at the implication, "I'm not a Pedophile, Hermione...I don't lust after little girls."

She slapped him on the arm, "You know what I meant. Was there ever a time when you thought I was… pretty?"

He sighed thinking he might as well tell her, "The night of the Triwizard Tournament."

He stopped to collect his thoughts.

"And...?" she prodded.

Sharing his past was so difficult for him but he knew she needed to hear it. "I had purchased a dress robe because I thought I might get a chance to meet someone who would look past...hell, who am I kidding...I was hoping I'd finally get laid." Hermione looked up at him and smiled at his scowling face. She buried her head against his shoulder and encouraged him to continue. "I was coming out of the Great Hall and I saw this lovely vision of an angel from behind. She was wearing a light purple dress."

Hermione gasped, "That was me."

"Yes, that was you…but I didn't know it at the time. When I realized, I felt so dirty." At her confused look, he added, "I'd already undressed you and made love to you in my mind before you turned around and I saw that it was a student – it was you. Well I wanted to scrub my mind out with soap. I went outside and checked all the buggy's to make sure no one was snogging outside...if I wasn't getting any...neither were they."

Hermione laughed and he shook her gently, "its not funny Hermione. I felt like a dirty, old man thinking those thoughts about you, little Hermione."

"Little Hermione! I was already fifteen and a half when the Tri-Wizard Ball was held."

"Yes, and still way too young for the kind of thoughts I was having..." He admitted embarrassedly.

"Was that the only time you thought I was pretty?" Hermione asked shyly, still toying with his the collar of his gown.

He sighed, "No, I thought it many times after that. Like the night you ran into the school with the Order of the Phoenix and I let McGonagall chase me away. I just wanted to get Harry to myself so I could prepare him for the final battle…"

"You thought I looked pretty? I spent the entire winter in the woods! I looked terrible!"

"You looked beautiful, especially in your photo…" He stopped, feeling he said too much.

"Which photo?" She asked looking up at him with anxious eyes.

"There was a picture that came with your file…it appeared to have been taken while you were on a hillside, at the Academy. You looked so lovely and so, so sad. I saw myself in your eyes and wanted more than anything to somehow…to make you…." There was a lump in his throat and he couldn't continue. He didn't have to. Gently pulling his head down, Hermione placed her lips on his and began kissing him, gently at first and then more demandingly, her tongue sliding inside his mouth making him moan. Not trusting himself, he pulled away and held her in his arms tightly.

Hermione looked back up at him and said, "The next time you take care of yourself, think of all the things you're going to be allowed to do me, on our wedding night, and come really hard. You'll do that for me, right?"

His balls ached when he admitted, "I haven't touched myself since I got here, Hermione. There are no silencing charms allowed and I don't want to leave any "evidence" on the sheets." He was embarrassed to even be discussing this with her.

"But you need release," She continued, "Ginny says every guy does."

"I'll be okay, Hermione, I can wait three more days…" The pain in his voice said otherwise.

Hermione seemed to make a decision and said, "I'll come visit you tonight and help you solve that problem."

"No Hermione, you can't be seen here at night."

"Don't worry," She said kissing him on the lips as she gathered her things to leave. "I know how not to be seen."

He wasn't sure what she meant but didn't have a chance to ask her as she left rather quickly, when Madam Pomfrey appeared to administer his treatment.

Sometime during the middle of the night, he was awakened and wasn't sure why. He'd been having a wonderful dream about Hermione ravishing him on the stairs leading to the great hall. She was her present age, but she was wearing the purple gown from the Triwizard ball. She slipped her panties from underneath her dress and straddling him with her dress flowing all around her and began riding his cock with abandon.

He moaned thinking about the dream when he thought heard Hermione whisper. He looked around but he didn't' see anyone so he thought he was imagining things. Then he heard it again. Suddenly, his bed sunk down as if someone were sitting on the edge of the bed.

"I'm here to help you, Severus," she whispered.

"Hermione?" He whispered back to the thin air.

She shushed him and he saw his covers raising and then lowering around someone's form. Immediately, he realized she was using an invisibility cloak. He felt her free his cock from his shorts and start to stroke it with both hands. His eyes rolled in the back of his head as his hips began moving in time with her strokes.

Knowing he had to be quiet, he bit down on his pillow to keep from crying out over the immense pleasure she was giving him. She put her mouth on his cock and began sucking on the head, prompting him to give a muffled groan into his pillow. She positioned her mouth so his cock would slide further to the back of her throat and continued sucking and stroking him until he thought he was going to lose his mind. She kept a steady rhythm going for a few minutes and then pulled her mouth away from his cock, only to start gently sucking on his balls, while still stroking his shaft. The pleasure was so intense; his legs began shaking from the effort it took not to cry out. He could feel his release building and knew he would come any minute now. He tried to push one of her hands away so she would know how close he was to coming; however, she placed her mouth back over the head of his cock, stroking his cock with one hand while she cupped his balls with the other. His back arched off the bed and his hips thrust towards her, when his orgasm hit him for force. He screamed into his pillow as she continued pumping her hand on his cock, swallowing as fast as he came. She continued sucking him gently until his body collapsed back onto the bed...completely spent.