AN: I won't be able to update for about the next week and a half. I have guests coming from out of town and things will be chaotic. Hopefully this is enough to keep everyone happy though.

Thank you for all the support! It is very deeply appreciated!

If Severus didn't know better, he would swear that Hermione was in love with her husband, or at least the very least was dear friends with him. From the cheery tone of her voice, to her bright smile, to the lightness of her step, to the way her eyes glistened, it was clear she did not regret this marriage. Even as her life was crumbling around her, Hermione found euphoria. It confused Severus how someone could be so ecstatic about their life being ruined.

Across the room, she continued putting her clothes into the closet. Despite wearing a white satin nightgown and claiming she would go to bed soon, she insisted on putting all her dresses away. For someone Severus had not considered materialistic, she had brought quite a few dresses with her. At least ten still had tags upon them. She vowed to cut them when she found the time. There was so much to do, and so few hours in the day.

"Are you going to bed soon?" Severus sat on the bed over the blankets.

"I will when I put my shirts away," she didn't look back at him.

"I thought you said you would go to bed after the dresses were put away."

"I changed my mind. The shirts need to be put away next. I don't want them to wrinkle. Wrinkles are terrible. It's hard to iron them out. I can't iron, no matter who tried to teach me. Did you know iron's chemical name is ferrum? That sounds so pretty."

"Indeed it does."

"Ferrum, that sounds like a nice name for a child. It would be difficult for them to learn that their name meant Iron though. Unless they were like Iron Man. I loved the Iron Man comics. Are you familiar with them?"

"I cannot say that I am."

"I loved them! They were so much fun, though I got shite from liking them. People gave me so much shit for reading. I hated that. I'm sure you understand that though."

"I do," Severus admitted.

"Anyway, the shirts have to be put away. They have to be put away before I can think about sleeping."

"I am certain the clothes can wait until tomorrow. Right now, you must be exhausted."

"No, I'm not exhausted at all. May as well strike the iron while it's hot, or rather, while the ferrum is hot." She burst out laughing.

"I suppose there's some wisdom in that." He moistened his lips.

"I'm not the Iron Chef, and I can't iron. I guess I don't do well with things pertaining to iron. I guess I can't name a child Ferrum. No, I'm not enough of an Iron Chef to cook much."

"Even I'm not the Iron Chef. Then again, I've never excelled at cooking things. No TV show will ever change that."

"Wait," she turned back. "You know what the Iron Chef is?"

"Indeed I do," he answered. "I was bored and flipping around the channels. It came on, and I was intrigued."

"Ron never understood muggle television or the shows I liked. I was always explaining everything to him," she exhaled. "I hated going over everything I said twenty times. It was frustrating that he could not understand me and wouldn't try to learn about my childhood. Instead, he would talk about his Wizarding childhood and completely ignore what I'd said."

"I suppose that would be obnoxious," he swallowed. "Though sleeping with me was not the answer to your relationship woes."

"I don't regret it, unless…do you regret being with me?" There was a flash of hurt in her eyes.

"I regret what our relationship is going to cost you."

"What do you mean?"

"It means that I don't think you fully understand the personal cost of marrying me, especially once your friends remember the reasons for my less than stellar reputation."

"I'll deal with that as it comes." She began pacing the room. "I'll just deal with everything as it comes. No need to plan anything out. Life works better that way."

"That's it?" He raised an eyebrow. "Someone who had her life planned out when she was a first year is going to live life without thought? You're just going to live life as if you're speeding down the highway three miles a minute?"

"You understand what that means," Her eyes lit up.

"Yes, growing up muggle had its advantages."

"It did, more than many wizards understand," her pace quickened. "It gave me insights into how people lived. It helped me understand that people were people, not objects. People are more than their technology."

"I think even a wizard would understand that."

"No," she stopped and pointed at him. "The Weasleys did not understand that, not at all."

Severus cocked his head.

"See, Arthur was always asking about muggle technology. He collected things from muggles, but when it came time to understand how we lived, what our thoughts and feelings were, well, he couldn't have given less of a shite. He only cared about our things. I didn't understand that when Mum and Dad first said it, but now I do. He cared about things, not people."

"I think he cared for muggles, though admittedly he had an odd way of showing it."

"He cared about muggles as test subjects. He proved that when he met my parents. My parents were oddities to him. They were oddities to all the Weasleys. It's one of the things that annoyed me about them. I wanted better for my parents. They deserve better. I didn't want to be part of a group that treated them so horribly."

"Are you saying you didn't want to become a Weasley?"

"I thought I wanted to become a Weasley," she tapped her chin. "I really did at one point."

"And now?"

"Now I'm a Snape, and I'm not too upset about anything."

"You aren't?"

"No," she resumed pacing. "I like you, even if we haven't spoken much since my graduation. Still, you're likable."

"What exactly do you like about me?" He raised an eyebrow.

"What is there not to like?"

"Plenty," he answered.

She stopped again. "People don't tell you they like you very often, do they?"

"Let's just say most people don't put me high on their guest list."

"It's their loss."

"So you say."

"Well," her lips curled up wider. "I'm always right. I'm the Brightest Witch of My Age, meaning I'm always right!"

Severus stared at her. There was too much conviction in her voice to be a joke, yet it had to be. Hermione was known for being opinionated and believing she was in the right, but now there was a certitude which only came with the arrogance of a Malfoy.

What was changing in her?

"Anyway, I like you because," her voice softened, "You haven't called me an idiot or told me helping my parents was impossible."

"And Ron told you those things?"

She nodded.

"I will not lie," he took a deep breath "It is going to be extremely difficult to restore their memories."

"I know, but I can do difficult things. Everyone should know that by now."

"I'm sure they do. Still, they don't want you to get your hopes up only for them to shatter into a million pieces."

"Trust me, I'm being very realistic." She slid onto the bed beside him. "Between your genius and my persistence, we will think of something. Somehow, we will restore my parents' memories."

"I will do my best to help you anyway."

"Thank you," she took his hand. "I appreciate that. It makes me not regret marrying you."

"Marriage is different than engaging in a difficult project," he warned. "Living with me for years on end will not be easy."

"You act as if I am easy to live with too. There's a reason people have called me bossy."

"You are not bossy, but direct, assertive, and opinionated."

"True, but my opinions matter," she slumped. "They shouldn't be shouted down just because I expressed them."

"I take it Weasley did that to you."

She nodded again, her frown returning.

"I will do my best to disagree and not shout at you," his voice softened. "I don't ever want you to look at me the way my mother looked at my father."

"Harry said he was an arse."

"That is putting it mildly."

"I'm sorry." She took his hand and rubbed it. "That should not have happened to you. You never should've been abused."

"Whether you're sorry or not, it happened," he answered.

"It shouldn't have happened." She squeezed his hand so hard he needed to suppress a yelp. "You deserve someone who cares for you, which is why you have me. I'm going to care about you for as long as you have me, perhaps even longer!"

"I have you because we made some inadvisable decisions two nights ago."

"Do you regret it?" She shook.

"If I had to get married, I'd rather it be to you than anyone else," he replied. "I just wish it wasn't going to cost you so much."

"I'll be fine. I always find a way back on my feet. My dad always said Grangers were survivors, which I am."

"That you are."

She relaxed. "Do you want to know what else I like about you?"

"What?"

"I saw your book collection, and you have so many muggle books. Like, lots of muggle books!" She bounced on the bed. "I didn't think I'd see anyone in the Wizarding World have the collected works on Jane Austen! It's amazing!"

"You saw that?" He blanched.

"Yep, and I like that. You understand muggle culture in a way nobody else I've ever met does. I can talk about Jane Austen with you, which is so amazing!"

"I, uh, have not read Jane Austen."

"You haven't?"

"Not, it was too romantic for me. It was unappealing. In fact, I don't know why I have those books. I should sell them."

"Really?"

"Yes."

"What was the name of Mr. Bennet's house in Pride and Prejudice?"

"Longbourn."

"You have read it!" she pointed at him and burst out laughing.

"Okay, I uh," he blushed, "I may have read it a few times, but only because I was bored. If I'd been properly amused I never would've touched them."

"You like Jane Austen," Hermione grinned. "No wait, you love her."

"No, I did not enjoy her in the slightest," he fidgeted. "I was miserable the entire time reading her, I assure you."

"Sure." she laughed.

"What is your favorite muggle work?" He asked.

"I don't know," she admitted. "I like so many of them, like Dumas, Sartre, but right now, I'm really liking The Great Gatsby."

"The Great Gatsby?"

"Yes," Hermione began shaking her right foot. "I like the glitz and glamour of the 1920's. Then there's the kind of lifestyle everyone lives. It's romantic, angsty, wild and I can't get enough."

"It's depressing with everyone living in decadence. Nothing means anything to anyone. All they do is cause each other pain."

"True, but there's something fascinating about it all."

"Perhaps."

"What is your favorite book?"

"At the moment it's Camus' The Stranger."

"That's uh, interesting."

"I take it you've never read it."

"Of course I've read it. I just found the whole thing to be depressing and slow, though I admit it paints absurdism well," she replied.

"You know what absurdism is?" He raised an eyebrow.

"Of course I do. I did read some philosophy books after all."

"When did you have time for that?"

"The day after my parents left for Australia," she shook her head. "My dad was interested in philosophy. We would discuss it over the summer. He told me I could read Camus when I turned seventeen because then I'd understand it better. When he left I decided there was nothing stopping me from cheating and reading Camus before I was seventeen. I read The Stranger, The Plague and The Myth of Sisyphus before I returned to the Wizarding World."

"That's quite a bit of reading."

"I know, but surely you've stayed up all night reading."

He smiled. "More times than I can count."

"I knew you would," she leaned into him. "That's why we'll get along so well. You won't laugh at me for reading. In fact, you will join me."

"I would be amenable to that," he admitted.

"But not tonight." She broke away from him.

"Oh?"

"No," she wrapped her arms around him. "Tonight is our wedding night. It wouldn't be right to deny ourselves the pleasure of each other's company."

"You actually want me?" His eyes grew.

"Of course I do," she began to play with his hair. "Why wouldn't I? It isn't as if we haven't slept together before."

"Yes, but I assumed you did that because you were emotional and wanted to get a head start on celebrating your freedom from Weasley."

"No," she whispered before kissing his cheek. "I think you're sexy. I've never wanted a man more than I want you at this moment."

"You do?" He purred.

"Oh yes I do," she rasped.

"So you do," he used the same tone of voice, eliciting another fit of laughter.

Truth be told, his body was more than receptive to her advances. From the moment she'd entered the room, he'd wanted to pull her in his arms and capture her lips. How this woman could find him attractive was beyond him. All he knew was he needed her, and he needed her now.

"You wouldn't be so rude as to deny me on our wedding night, would you?" She whispered.

"Of course not," He captured her lips.

She moaned before embracing him. He held her closer and she began undoing the buttons of his nightshirt.

It may be odd for a woman to want him, but at the moment Severus didn't care. His wife was with him. Even if they may both regret their arrangement by the end of the week, they were together now.

There was nothing left to do but seize the moment, and hope they were not too hurt by the inevitable crash.