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Chapter 1: The confession

Hermione arched an eyebrow, intrigued by his sudden proposal. As he walked towards her, there was despair in his eyes that she had never seen before. Hermione could sense that whatever this was about, it weighed heavily on him.

He took a deep breath before continuing. "As you know, most Death Eaters were either killed in the war or taken to Azkaban for their crimes." His voice wavered as he spoke. "However, due to some loophole in the law, my position as a double agent has left me vulnerable. I will be sent to Azkaban within two months unless I marry."

Hermione nearly choked on her spit upon hearing this information. Of all the possible scenarios she had imagined for this conversation, prison had never been one of them. "I—I don't understand," stammered Hermione, her face flushing crimson as thoughts raced through her mind. "Why would marrying someone spare you from Azkaban? And why are you telling me this? I thought they had excused you from any punishment due to Harry."

"Under wizarding law," Severus explained slowly and carefully, "a marriage can be grounds for amnesty if both parties agree and if one can convincingly argue that the union would reform the accused individual."

She swallowed hard as she processed this information. It seemed absurd, yet somewhere deep inside her, she was oddly curious.

He closed the gap between them, his dark eyes looking into hers imploringly. "Granger, you know I do not make this request lightly. But I have no other choice. My life is in your hands. If you do not agree to marry me, I will be sent to Azkaban."

Hermione Granger paced back and forth in her small London apartment, her brow furrowed in deep concentration. She couldn't believe that Severus Snape, the man who had risked everything to protect Harry and defeat Voldemort, was facing a dire fate: a lifelong sentence in Azkaban for his past crimes as a Death Eater. Snape had been instrumental in their victory and he deserved some semblance of redemption.

"Of course I understand, but there must be another way to change your fate," Hermione insisted. "You should be fighting to clear your name, not simply binding yourself to someone out of fear."

Snape stared at Hermione, anger, and desperation in his eyes. He knew she was right - that he should fight harder for his freedom - but time was running out.

As he turned to leave, Hermione called after him. "I will help somehow."

XXX

It was a cool evening at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. The castle had been mostly patched up, and the atmosphere was slowly returning to normal; however, there were still remnants of the battle, and many, like Hermione Granger, carried emotional scars. In her office, Minerva McGonagall sat behind her desk, her stern expression unchanged despite the years that had passed since Hermione was last a student there.

She looked up as Hermione entered. "Ah, Miss Granger," she said crisply. "Please, take a seat." Hermione took a seat across from the Headmistress, now the school's headmistress, poring over old books and scrolls. She had always been fascinated by the history of magic, but now more than ever she was determined to uncover the truth about the wizarding world's most hated professor, Severus Snape. After two years, he had left many unanswered questions. How had he managed to survive Nagini's bite? What had he been doing in those last few years? She hoped that most of the ancient books were still in good condition to be used in her research.

There was hope, maybe; Rita Skeeter's new book, "Severus Snape: A Saint or a Devil in Disguise," left her with so many doubts, even if it was just pure speculation and conjecture.

Minerva McGonagall had been watching Hermione work for a few minutes before she cleared her throat and spoke. "What's it you hope to achieve with all of this research?" she asked.

Hermione looked up and met the professor's eyes. "I want to know the truth," she said. "I want to know what happened to Snape."

McGonagall sighed and leaned back in her chair. "Severus was always a complicated man," she said, her voice softening. "But he was also loyal in a way. He had been working with Dumbledore all along; he was never really on Voldemort's side, as you already know. As part of his work for the Order of the Phoenix...", McGonagall said somberly, "Severus Snape did many things that saved countless lives. However, to maintain his cover with Voldemort, he also committed numerous terrible acts." McGonagall looked grave. "He has been found guilty by the Wizengamot for those crimes and is currently awaiting trial. Unfortunately, it seems inevitable that he will be sent to Azkaban. However, there is one possible loophole. You see, because of Snape's invaluable assistance in toppling Voldemort, there is a provision that could save him from Azkaban: marriage. The law states that if a person convicted of crimes has shown exceptional service to the wizarding world and can be vouched for by a decorated war hero, they may enter a binding magical marriage to avoid imprisonment." Minerva hesitated for a moment before adding, "Professor Snape has asked for you? That's why you're here?" Hermione's mind raced as she considered the implications. She might not have always liked him, but could she leave him to rot in Azkaban?

She looked surprised. Of course, she remembered what Harry had told her about his memories on the Pensieve, but then she wondered if perhaps Albus Dumbledore had told her even more.

McGonagall hesitated for a moment before continuing, "Albus told me everything after Harry saw his memories; Severus had a plan, Hermione."

Hermione leaned forward, eager to hear more. "What plan? What did he do?"

McGonagall hesitated again. "I cannot tell you everything," she said. "But I can tell you that this is highly confidential. After all that you have done for our school and the wizarding world, I trust you can keep a secret." Minerva continued, "You see after Severus was bitten by Nagini, he managed to cling to life by using an ancient and complicated combination of a charm and potion which he had prepared earlier in case of emergency. It slowed the snake's magic effect and allowed him time to give Harry the memories that led to Voldemort's eventual downfall."

Hermione's eyes widened as she absorbed this new information. She remembered that he had said on the first day they met in class that he could stop death with a potion if necessary. "So, where is Professor Snape now?"

Minerva sighed deeply. "Severus went into hiding after recovering from his injuries. He knew he could never return to the life he once had; too many people still saw him as an enemy or traitor. I sincerely don't know where he's hiding now."

She couldn't believe that Snape would come out of his hiding place just to propose to her. The remnants of the war still lingered, and even though the key players had been defeated, there were still Death Eaters roaming free. One such individual was Severus Snape. Most people believed him to be dead, and he preferred it that way; it allowed him to move about undetected, even in plain sight.

Then how was he forced to marry someone if no one knew where he was or if he was alive for that matter?

"If Severus haven't proposed to you, then you're here because of the Prophet's new article, aren't you?" For a moment, Minerva broke the peace and quiet of her research. For once, she was glad that Albus was no longer the Headmaster. Having this conversation with McGonagall was hard enough.

"The Prophet's article? I'm sorry, Professor McGonagall, I'm not sure what you're referring to."

"After Rita Skeeter's book, Snape explained, before vanishing without a trace, that after the war, several former Death Eaters were targeting him for betrayal. Though his allegiance had always been true to Dumbledore and covertly to protect Harry Potter, others saw him solely as a traitor. His only hope for protection from Azkaban was to form a bond with someone untouchable—someone, perhaps, like you. Someone that could protect him. You see, your name, Harry's name, and Ronald's name appear on the Prophet article as good candidates for marriage, since you three are single so far. That could only mean that most of the remaining Death Eaters could try to convince you three to marry them by any means possible, good or bad."

She didn't expect that, for sure.