Imprimatur
im-pri-MAH-ter | noun
1: sanction or approval; support
MARRIAGE LAW PASSES WIZENGAMOT
Severus Snape glared down at that morning's copy of The Prophet. Of all the most ridiculous things they could be concerned with at this moment. Some crackpot old woman claiming to be a seer had hinted at the possibility that magical births may be declining and the fools had jumped to the idiotic conclusion that the obvious solution was to force the wizarding population of Britain to marry and breed like Weasleys. His lip curled and he tossed the paper into the fire burning in his grate. Albus, of course, had known this was in the works. They had hoped that it would not pass, but, alas, it had. He knew what the plan was. His frown deepened. It was the safest and most logical conclusion, yes, but still. Merlin. Now he only waited for the summons that he knew were to come.
It was quite possibly the very first time he hoped for the burning on his arm to come sooner. He was a man of action. He disliked sitting around stewing on what was to come. The Dark Lord would approve of his proposal or he wouldn't. Either way, he doubted that he would get off easily this night. His stomach churned at the thought of what would follow if the Dark Lord approved but he pushed that aside for now. The law stated that all muggleborns must marry a witch or wizard of half-blood status or above. Purebloods may not enter-marry. Instead, they must find a suitable mate of half-blood status or below. He was sure that there would be an uproar in the Dark Lord's court tonight. Would the purebloods be ordered to follow the law or would the Dark Lord protect them from the consequences of disobeying? He would hazard a guess that it would be the latter, but the man was half mad at this point and there was no telling what tracks his thoughts would follow.
When the time came, he was already dressed in his robes, his mask in hand. Over the past few decades, should any of the students have bothered to explore the far western corner of the Hogwarts grounds, they may have been puzzled to discover the existence of a solitary fireplace standing alone amongst the trees. It was through this fireplace that Severus appeared and made his way to the front gate. Pressing a hand to his left forearm, he squeezed his eyes shut and disapparated.
He was mildly surprised upon his arrival to find that the scene was not one of chaos. Oh, he could feel the tension in the air palpably, but his fellow Death Eaters, it seemed, had sense enough to know that they risked punishment if they put up too much of a display. He settled himself toward the front of the mass of bodies. Ever one for dramatics, the Dark Lord was waiting for them all to arrive before he himself made his appearance. Idly, he wondered if she had been informed of the plan – if she knew what he was here doing tonight. He wouldn't put it past Albus to have told her of his whereabouts. Perhaps she was in his office right now. Albus also had a flair for the dramatic.
oOo
"I'm sorry, Headmaster, but… but did you just say that Professor Snape is fighting for me?" She stared at the old wizard, her mouth ever so slightly ajar.
Dumbledore nodded. "Indeed I did, Miss Granger." He held up a hand to stop her as she leaned forward in her chair. "This law places you in great danger. What do you suppose Voldemort will do with an army of purebloods who now need to find muggleborn wives? Severus is willing to offer up himself to keep you safe. He is in the presence of Voldemort at this very moment offering just that."
She was going to throw up. She just knew it. Right here, in this office. She took deep breaths and squeezed her eyes shut. "Do you think that V-Voldemort will allow it?"
He considered the young woman sitting in front of him, trying to read her reaction. Was she repulsed by the idea of Severus or by marriage in general? Was she upset, shocked, or frightened? Without legilimancy, he wasn't entirely sure and he was not willing to invade her privacy over such a matter. "Severus is a very intelligent man and a highly capable spy. I believe that he will be able to sway Voldemort in the direction that he wishes."
"I'm his student," she murmured.
"If this marriage occurs, then you will be removed from his class. You will sit your potions NEWT early and there can be no cry of favoritism."
"I'll be ruining his life."
The old man's eyes softened. "Miss Granger, if Severus Snape truly thought that you would ruin his life, I don't believe that even I could persuade him to allow you into it. He is a demanding instructor but as a man he is caring and fiercely loyal. There is no other who can equal your intelligence," he said with a knowing smile.
Hermione bit her lip. "Wizarding marriages are for life," she said softly.
"Normally, yes," Dumbledore agreed. "However, I do believe that there will be allowances made when this law is overturned, should you desire it."
"Do you think that it will be overturned?"
He sighed. "Eventually. I do not believe that it will be reversed quickly. There will be much initial backlash now that there is a deadline in place. However, I think that it will likely be a number of years before they realize how foolish it is to force families who were forced together and would otherwise had not desired to do so, to produce and raise children."
Her stomach churned violently. They would have to have children. "And… he's alright with having children with me?"
"Severus is aware of that part of the law, yes."
Oh, Merlin.
oOo
The meeting had been incredibly long. He had been surprised when Hermione Granger's name had not once been brought up by anyone at all. Did the Dark Lord already have plans in place? His stomach twisted at the thought. He approached the throne at the front of the room.
"My Lord," he murmured, folding his body in a deep bow. He felt eyes all over the room turn to him.
"Severus," his red eyes acknowledged the man before him, "what can I do for you this evening?" His wand twirled between his fingers, simultaneously a sign of boredom and a threat.
He met the eyes of the Dark Lord willingly as a signal of trust. "I would like to ask your permission to petition for Hermione Granger." The mad man did not appreciate those who beat around the bush. Direct and to the point was best.
The wand stopped twirling as he raised himself from his throne. "Oh? And why should I let you have such a… valuable prize?"
"You wish her in your hands I presume, My Lord." He fell to his knees at the expected crucio. Direct did not mean pain free. His head bowed and he grit his teeth, refusing to make a sound. He was not weak.
"I have many loyal followers from which to choose, Severus."
He did not rise from his place on his knees. "Yes, My Lord. However, I alone find myself in a unique position of trust to her. She will come willingly to me."
The Dark Lord was silent for a moment as he considered this. "What does that old fool think of this?"
"Dumbledore approves, My Lord."
"Dolohov!"
The man stepped quickly from the crowd and fell to his knees at the feet of his master. "My Lord," he whispered.
"Severus wishes to rob you of your prize. What say you to that?"
Dolohov's head snapped up, eyes narrowed. "She is mine, My Lord. I was promised." Severus did not flinch as the man's screams filled the air beside him.
"You do not question me," the Dark Lord hissed when silence fell again. "This will improve your standing with Dumbledore?"
"Yes, My Lord. With myself married to one of the Golden Trio, I will burrow deeper into their trust," Severus confirmed.
"Good." He resettled himself on his throne and crossed one leg over the other. "Marry your Mudblood, then."
He leaned forward to press his forehead to the floor in deference. "My Lord." A chill ran through him as he got to his feet and caught sight of Dolohov's expression. He would have to watch himself. He did not know what had caused the man's obsession with the girl, but he had made an enemy tonight.
oOo
Severus was unsurprised to find her waiting just inside the gates. He was, however, surprised by the squirm deep in his belly at the sight of her there, wringing her hands as he approached. His future bride. He passed her wordlessly, instead throwing a handful of floo powder onto the flames of the homeless fireplace and gesturing for her to go ahead of him. Stepping toward the fireplace, she threw him a questioning look.
"Severus's chambers," he announced and the flames roared for her. She blinked twice and stepped wordlessly into the fire. He followed closely behind. Stepping out of the fireplace into his living room, he found her looking around at his living quarters with unabashed curiosity. "I assume that Albus has spoken with you," he said without preamble. His fingers deftly undid the clasp on his Death Eater's robes and he draped them over a chair. The mask was set beside them. He caught her staring at them and she blushed.
"Yes, sir," she said softly.
He scoffed. "I beg of you, please do not call me 'sir.'" With a sigh, he dropped onto the couch, gesturing for her to do the same. "Given the circumstances in which we find ourselves, I would find it appropriate for you to call me by my given name."
She blushed but nodded. "How…" She swallowed. "How did it go?"
"Not nearly as badly as I had anticipated," he answered honestly. "I was only on the receiving end of one crucio this evening, rather than the three or four that I expected."
Hermione was horrified by the completely blasé way in which he spoke of being tortured. For her benefit. She had no answer for that at all.
"Dolohov took the brunt of it." He noticed with curiosity the flinch she tried to suppress. Perhaps he could get more from her if he just… "Before tonight, you were promised to him."
Wide, terrified eyes met his. "But… I'm not anymore?"
Was she afraid of him or the alternative? "No."
She almost seemed to deflate sitting there on his couch. "Oh, thank Merlin. Thank you," she corrected herself.
"Why did he want you?" he asked bluntly.
"When we were at the Department of Mysteries, he attacked me. I don't know if that started his obsession with me or if it started before that, but it certainly didn't help. He… writes me sometimes." Severus felt his blood pressure spike at the tone she used. He could guess what kind of letters the bastard sent. "I guess if we're going to… if we're going to get married-" she looked to him for his reaction. He nodded gently. "-then you'll see it anyway." She lifted her shirt a bit and he caught a glimpse of an ugly, twisted scar running up the length of her belly. "I hope that doesn't…" She bit her lip, looking away. "I hope it doesn't change your mind about marrying me."
He really tried to stop himself. Truly, he did. He failed. He threw back his head and laughed. Without standing up from the couch, he brought his hands to the front of his button-down shirt and quickly undid the many clasps. Shrugging out of his shirt, he informed her, "It would be incredibly shallow of me to begrudge you your scars, given the number of mine."
Unconsciously, she leaned forward and reached out a hand. At the last moment she realized what she was doing and pulled her hand back. "Sorry," she murmured, blushing.
"Hermione," he said gently, and she started at the sound of her name on his lips, "we're getting married. While I do realize that our marriage is coming about as a result of a law that the both of us resent, we will have to become acquainted, mentally as well as physically. I cannot promise that we will find love. However, I can promise that I will do my best to make the experience a pleasant one for both of us. I have no desire to make you miserable, or myself for that matter. I would like for the two of us to be comfortable in one another's presence."
A small smile had spread on her lips while he spoke. "I'd like that too."
"Well then," he slid from the couch and dropped down to one knee in front of her. "Albus insisted that I buy a ring when this law was first being discussed, in case it came to this." Wordlessly, he summoned the small box from his nightstand in the bedroom. "Hermione Granger, will you marry me?"
She couldn't say it was the most romantic thing she'd ever heard and certainly it wasn't her ideal circumstance with her ideal man but it was what she had right now and she thought she could be happy with that. Who knew? Maybe he would turn out to be her ideal man. "Yes."
A/N: GUYS. I'M GETTING MARRIED. (And unlike Severus and Hermione, it isn't because of a marriage law.) My man got down on one knee yesterday and popped the question and I'm not too proud to admit that I blubbered like a baby.
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