Chapter 4: Romanticize Notions
{A/N: Here's another update...sorry it took so long...typed a bit during my breaks at work in a bid to finish the chapter...still via my phone...}
My Thanks To My Readers and Reviewers...Enjoy-S.S.
The Hall,12 Grimmauld Place, Muggle World...
Hermione Granger felt so small looking into the vastly intimidating obsidian eyes her Potions Professor and possible future husband. He had the unnerving ability to make her come undone with just a simple glance or a softly spoken word despite often being dripping with sarcasm. There was an unstated flicker of malice behind his gaze. He had clearly been annoyed about something and she hoped it didn't have anything to do with her.
"Going somewhere, Miss Granger?" asked The Potions Professor in a low tone that sent a shiver down the Amber eyed witch's spine.
"W-well I was..." She began unsure how to respond given the intense glare fixated on her.
"Am I to take it that you have taken leave of your senses girl?" He asked in something of an accusatory tone. "Am I correct in assuming that you were fool enough to ask for me to accept your hand in marriage?"
"T-That is correct sir." said Hermione bravely meeting his gaze.
Her defiance only added to Snape's annoyance as he continued to glare at her. He had no illusions as to what his life had become long having lived between two worlds given his previous and current convictions...but never in a million centuries did he ever envision himself married, lest of all to a witch like Hermione Granger.
The more he thought about it the more he realized she was a strange sort of girl even from the very beginning of her Hogwarts term. Of course Snape still harbored the long festering grudge against the witch given she had been the one to set his cloak on fire believing him responsible for jinxing Potter's broom during his first ever Quidditch match.
"There you are Miss Granger, I see Severus is already here to inform you that you have nothing to worry about...he has graciously agreed to be your husband when the time comes for the decree to be passed."
Hermione's amber eyes widened feeling a bit of relief for the first time since before she had been informed of that Merlin forsaken marriage law decree. She had been so pleased to have the weight lifted that she momentarily suffered a lapse in judgment reaching out and hugging the now visibly irate Potions Professor as he recoiled in disgust.
"Let Go." He said pointedly.
Quickly realizing her folly she stepped back from the disgruntled Potions Professor and offered up a small smile in apology.
"I'm sorry...I suppose I couldn't help it." She said fiddling with her delicate little fingers.
Snape rolled his eyes berating himself for noticing that her fingers had been delicate in the first place. He had no idea why she had been so thrilled given whom he was. Most people would have seen marriage to him as something akin to a death sentence...or imprisonment at the very least.
"Thank you very much sir." said the young witch with sincere gratitude behind her amber eyes. "You may very well have saved my life."
At this Snape scoffed.
"Save your gratitude for the bloody Headmaster." said The Potions Master bitterly. "I can assure you that this entire endeavor was all his doing...let me make this perfectly clear...I am not nor will I ever be interested in marriage let alone marriage to a child."
Hermione had been grateful to him none the less.
"Pay no attention to Severus...he's always been the moody sort come morning." said Dumbledore with a wink in Hermione's direction.
Snape rolled his eyes before glaring at the bushy haired witch once more.
"I assure you, Miss Granger...believing anything the old man says could be detrimental to one's health." He said still very much annoyed.
With that, he took his leave of the elder wizard and the young witch before more words were exchanged setting his sights on the loo once more. He had no doubt in his mind that this was shaping up to be a rather long and decisively dull day.
"Thank you for speaking with him." said Hermione turning her attention to Dumbledore.
"Of course, Miss Granger." replied Dumbledore. "I wish you luck and abundant happiness."
The Headmaster took his leave of the young witch as well.
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Hermione Granger's Bedroom, 12 Grimmauld Place, Muggle World...
September marked the end of life as Hermione Granger knew it despite being three month off. It was the middle of June, a very hot and humid June if the amber eyed girl were to actively describe it. The dreams she had been having of Professor Snape were quite intense as well as bordering on fanning the flames of her curiosity.
Hermione like so many other school girls, often wondered about certain individuals in terms of what they were like in their private lives. Potions Professor Severus Snape had come up a time or two when she and her the girls that occupied the Gryffindor dorm were sitting about and chatting during their free time.
Most of the time, it was Ginny Weasley that brought him up followed by a series of uncontrollable giggles. Hermione had been much more private about her curious wonderings pertaining to the Potions Professor. It had initially been his vastly superior intellect that caught her fancy given the lack of said intellectual capacity amongst her peers.
She suspected that behind the rough exterior he projected, her Potions Professor had been something of a distinguished wizard whom merely had a hard life. A not so surprising conclusion given the man's profession and subsequent day job.
The bushy haired witch had been so lost in her thoughts and wild imagings that she hardly heard the knock on her door. Followed by the concerned voice of Ginerva Weasley.
"Hermione are you in there?" asked the red head witch as she cracked open the door slowly peeking inside.
"You were looking for me?" asked the amber eyed witch a bit taken aback by the fact that her friends were worried about her.
Hearing her voice, Ginny pushed passed the door and moved toward Hermione's bed as she stepped into the bedroom.
"You did kind of just wondered off after not eating much at breakfast." she said. "Harry and I naturally assumed that your stomach might have been bothering you."
Hermione sighed recalling just how the news of the impending marriage law decree affected her. It was just like Harry to have been overly concerned about her.
"It was just a minor bit of trouble...I'm quite alright thanks to Professor Snape." she said with a pleasant smile.
"He's here too then?" said Ginny with a sigh. "And I was so looking forward to a peaceful afternoon."
"What's that supposed to mean?" asked Hermione feeling a bit defensive of the Potions Professor.
Ginny sighed again.
"Don't misunderstand, I have no problem with Snape." explained Ginny. "It's just..."
"Harry." said Hermione understanding what the younger witch was eluding to concerning her best friend's animosity towards the Potions Professor.
"Well, it's good to see you doing better." said the young red head witch. "Although, you should probably eat something before mother gets wind of you skipping breakfast."
The amber eyed witch smiled knowing The Weasley Matriarch all too well.
"Good idea." She said in agreement.
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Both of the young Gryffindor witches made their way toward the kitchen only to find Molly Weasley with her hands on her noticeably wide hips and her piercing brown eyes narrowed at a certain ebony clad wizard slowly sipping his cup of hot coffee.
Hermione noticed the steaming hot bowl of porridge in front of him. From what she observed upon entering, Mrs. Weasley had gone through the trouble of making ever moody wizard breakfast and he seemingly refused to eat it.
"Severus Snape you eat your breakfast this instant!" said Molly Weasley annoyed.
The Potions Master simply glared at the older witch then proceeded to finish off his coffee.
It was amusing for the younger witchs to see that not even Snape escaped the Weasley Matriarch's mothering. Of course she had been no match for the infamously stubborn Potions Professor.
" I believe you are mistaken, given your tone you must have me confused with a member of your red headed brood of hellions that you call children." said Snape with his obsidian eyes flickering in threat of malice.
"You haven't eaten in two days...now quit being such a toddler and eat something." said Molly Weasley unphased by his demeanor.
Snape narrowed his eyes at the annoying witch. He had been about to tell her where she could stick her bowl of porridge when Albus Dumbledore stepped into the kitchen.
"Why aren't you eating Severus?" He asked with his blue eyes filled with almost tangible concern. "Are you feeling well?"
Snape rolled his eyes not at all interested in the old man's feigned concern for his well being. He was simply a pawn in this petty little war between The Headmaster and The Dark Lord, neither whenever truly gave a damn about him only their means of extracting the much needed information to further their own agendas.
Hermione sat down at the small kitchen table not really wishing to dine alone and fearing the consequences of intruding upon Snape's personal time, despite not being at Hogwarts.
"Miss Granger..." said Dumbledore with a pleasant smile. "I'm afraid everyone else already finished breakfast, but I suppose you could do worse than Severus' company...He is a bit moody this morning so pay him no mind."
"I'm fine with Professor Snape's company, Headmaster." said Hermione bravely chancing a glance at the visibly annoyed Potions Professor.
He remained silent as he continued to sip his morning coffee. His obsidian gaze still seeping in malice.
Molly Weasley smiled at the muggle-born Gryffindor witch. She had been as proud of the way Hermione Granger had grown up given her unofficial adoption of her into the Weasley family since her first year at Hogwarts despite Ron's obvious dislike of the vastly intelligent girl.
Molly Weasley turned her attention to meddling with her natural daughter seeing her attempt to avoid her as she briefly exited the kitchen. Dumbledore smiled at both Snape and Hermione before parting as well citing intentions to speak with Harry Potter about the up coming school term.
Before either Hermione or The Potions Professor knew it, they had been alone for the first time since their previous encounter. Snape said nothing but he pushed the bowl meant for him over to the young witch. She opted not to tread on the wizard's good graces given that he so rarely indulged them.
"You haven't eaten?" asked the ebony clad older wizard, his obsidian gaze seemed to pierce her very being as she fought the urge to shy away from him.
"What's wrong with your stomach?" asked Hermione bravely testing the waters given that she was soon to be wed to this rather mysterious wizard.
She had not meant to sound so brazen in her approach but she was rather curious. Much to her surprise, Snape didn't seem all that put off by her tone.
"My...condition is a private matter and do not appreciate it being the subject of discussion." replied Snape in a surprisingly casual tone.
"I wasn't going to..." began Hermione suddenly regretting her boldness.
"However, I did attempt to pry into your personal business out of shall we say...a hearty mix of concern as your Potions Professor and innate curiosity." Interrupted Snape. "To answer your question, suffice if to say...I am still feeling the effects of my previous assignment so keeping down food will take some time."
"I'm sorry to hear that Professor." replied the amber eyed witch with genuine concern. " I do hope you feel better soon."
Snape scoffed not at all interested in her concern for his well being.
"Why haven't you eaten yet?" He asked with an inquisitively arched eyebrow.
Hermione sighed and gathered her thoughts for a moment. The last thing she wanted to do was tell him that he had been the reason...or rather his decision regarding the marriage law decree.
"Just morning jitters, I suppose." she replied rather quickly invoking Snape's notoriously unavoidable suspicion.
The Potions Professor watched the young witch for a few moments before returning his attention to his morning coffee. Once he had finished it, The ebony clad wizard got up from the table and ventured back toward the basement once more. He had said nothing more as Hermione turned her attention to the bowl before her. Feeling her stomach growl was enough to convince her to eat for the first time since the previous night's supper.
As she ate she could have sworn she detected the taste of lemon.