Chapter Thirty-Four: Outcomes

(i) The characters and world of Harry Potter are the property of the remarkably talented J.K. Rowling. I make no money from this.

(ii) Thank you to all the readers who have stayed with me through the writing of this tale. I apologise for the delay in posting this chapter. However, my PhD thesis must come first, and these last few weeks, months, have been taken up with completing the rewrites for one of my chapters. Please do not think though that I will abandon this story. I shall see it through. In that respect, your kind reviews have been enormously helpful. Not only do they provide motivation and inspiration to keep going, but your intelligent comments help me formulate my plot and character development. So please do continue to review and tell me what you think of the story. You have no idea how wonderful it is to hear from you.

(iii) And finally, much gratitude to my brilliant beta, Queen_of_Stars. You have been the most gracious of friends through these long months. I am so thankful that you agreed to help me work on, polish and present this story. All errors that ultimately remain are my own.

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The Halloween Feast ended shortly afterwards. Hermione had not had a further opportunity to talk to Severus, but she had briefly informed Lucius and Narcissa, before their departure from the castle, that Draco would fill them in. She knew Draco would take great pleasure in giving them all the details once they were back home. Once the Malfoys departed, Hermione did not linger in the Great Hall. She did not want to be questioned by the other students, and she especially wanted to avoid Ginny, who was, even now, wrapped in Theo Nott's arms.

Amazed at how quickly the Slytherin had pounced on Ginny, Hermione could not help but smile inwardly at Draco's ability to sell his ideas to his friends. He was going to be a power to be reckoned with once he'd grown more in knowledge and stature. She could well understand now how Lucius had risen to such prominence within pureblood circles. It was something to do with the confidence of the Malfoy men, their belief that they knew how the world should be. Severus had that same quality, but he was not as pushy. He was more likely to work quietly in the background. The Malfoys, however, were not backward in coming forward, in imposing their vision on the world. No wonder the Dark Lord had insisted that Draco take the mark. The megalomaniac would have been able to see the promise in the young man. Such a power had to be contained, or it would have grown to become a threat in later years. It similarly explained why the Dark Lord had courted and pandered to Lucius, why he had ensured that Lucius was neatly trapped within his web of deceit. Voldemort had known that without Lucius, he would not be able to control and rule the pureblood brotherhood.

It was amazing how much more clearly she could see, now that her fears had been laid to rest. It was as though a dark cloud that had been blinding her had suddenly been lifted. Sighing, Hermione slipped into her nightdress and prepared for bed. She kept replaying past conversations, trying to understand what had changed and why she felt so much more herself after such a long lapse of time. Surely, seeing the truth of Severus' adoration and feeling her new family's devotion could not have made such a difference? But she realised that it had. The paranoia that had forced her to cling to people no matter how they used her had finally lifted. She finally felt secure in the knowledge that she was loved for herself, as she was. Her mind was not something that she needed to be ashamed of. Her thirst for knowledge was not and never would be a source of discomfort in her family. It was something Lucius and Cissy appreciated about her, and Severus, well, he adored her quick mind. It was what made them so compatible. She did not need to be spoken down to; she understood him, just as he understood her.

Sliding under the cool sheets of her four poster, Hermione felt a shiver run down her spine. At first alarmed, she listened intently and realised that it was the spirits of the castle speaking to her. They seemed satisfied that their present lord was pleased. She guessed the castle had picked up on Severus' pleasure at the proposed engagement. She, too, was happy. She knew that although the move had been very much against her Muggle upbringing, it had been the right step to take in approaching Severus. He needed the reassurance of the old ways. He had worked hard to distance himself from his Muggle half, embracing the pureblood creed with a vengeance in reaction to his father's brutality. The contract therefore would ensure that her virginity was checked, and though it seemed barbaric, obscene, it would still all the malicious rumours that had circulated about her. There was no way that anyone could question her past relationships. She would come to his marriage bed pure, and as they performed the High Magic, they would bind themselves with strong ties of commitment.

Hermione could not stop the huge grin that graced her face at the thought of being able to publicly claim Severus for her own. It would be heaven to be in his arms again, to feel the strength of his passion, the lushness of his kisses. She couldn't wait to have the contract settled. Sighing in satisfaction that he had agreed to Lucius' proposition, she settled down to think about the rest of the evening's happenings. She worried about what the Order would now do about Molly, Ginny and Ron. Ron, at least, seemed to understand the problem with his darkness. Like her, he was battling his demons, so there was hope that he would in time learn to live with the altered state of his magic. Ginny, seemingly lost in her darkness, was revelling in it. She didn't seem to be fighting it at all, even though DADA lessons had focused in the changing of magic specifically for a lot of the curriculum. She realised that the red-head was not paying attention to what was being taught in class. Molly, too, seemed to have not understood the message at all. She wondered if Bill and Arthur should try getting Molly to take more of an interest in gardening. Hermione had been working on a side project since discovering the changes that Dark Magic brought about. She felt sure that there were specifically Light Magics that would act as a counter to inherently Dark Magic. Herbology, for example, was especially Light. There was something about the act of working with the earth that grounded a practitioner's magic. It required concentration, skill and total commitment from the practitioner. And although there were plants that were dangerous and indeed, deadly, the growing of them required so much dedication to the soil that it acted as a way of balancing out Darker tendencies. Neville was a case in point. Though he had killed Nagini and thus a part of Voldemort's soul, he had not been tainted, or at least not overly so. But then, from the very first, he had worked on the reconstruction of the green houses and the mending, healing of the forest. He had spent most of the summer in back breaking work, ensuring that the grounds, the forest and the gardens were brought back to their possible best. No wonder then that of all the DA members who had battled Voldemort and the Death Eaters, he was one of the most well-adjusted. Healing seemed to have similar properties, though Hermione didn't know enough about Healing magic to really go into the theory of its effects on practitioners of Dark Magic. It was something Hermione planned to discuss with Severus when she had the opportunity. She was sure it would be something that he was interested in.

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The next morning was a busy one. After the late night, many seventh-years were tired and bleary eyed. However, everyone in the Gryffindor common-room seemed to be buzzing with discussions of the night before. Hermione tried her best to avoid listening to the gossip, but she could not help but overhear Romilda Vane discuss with her friends the startling development of Ginny dropping Harry Potter for Theodore Nott. It seemed that Ginny had told Romilda in confidence that Theo was so much more dashing than Harry. Jealously seemed to drip from Romilda's every pore as she tried to do her best to not pout at Ginny's success in attracting Theo. 'Ginny said that Theo is a Baron. She'll be the Baroness if she marries him.'

Hermione bit back a laugh, but she realised that if this was what was required to stop Ginny spreading malicious gossip about the Malfoys that it was worth keeping quiet. Harry wouldn't care; he was not the type to worry about the stigma of having a school girl drop him for another man.

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At four o'clock, Hermione made her way to the Headmaster's Office. She had much to narrate to Minerva and Severus about their activities the previous night. Indeed, when Hermione reached the gargoyle, it leapt aside as if it had been told to expect her. Hermione smiled at it in gratitude and said a quiet, 'Thank you.' She couldn't be certain, but she was almost sure she saw the stone statue's countenance soften ever so slightly. It still amazed her how blind she had been for so long about the castle. Now, she realised that everything around her was watching, alert and protective. No wonder that Dumbledore had managed to know what was going on all the time within Hogwarts. He had had the most effective of spy networks, one that most students had never even been aware of. As students, they had been wary of the portrait network, of the house-elves, but they had never considered that the very walls of the castle were sentient.

When Hermione reached the office, she found both Severus and Minerva already seated around the coffee table. A pot of tea stood in readiness, as did a large, ornate tray of biscuits and cakes. It looked like the house-elves were celebrating their Headmaster's return to good humour.

Hermione beamed in greeting. She was happy to see her mentor and her fiancé. It had been so hard to contain her happiness, to stop from bursting into inappropriate giggling at the thought of finally being able to claim Severus as her own.

Minerva smiled at Hermione's obvious joy. Standing up in greeting, she opened her arms in welcome while saying, 'Congratulations, my dear. I'm so happy to hear of your upcoming nuptials.'

Hermione blushed, but then allowed herself to be smothered in a large, warm hug. 'Thank you, Minerva. I'm ecstatic. I'm so glad Severus agreed to Lucius' proposition. I had nightmares of him refusing merely on principle.'

Severus frowned in warning. 'I'm not fool enough to sabotage myself. When a Slytherin is given a treasure, he is not going to refuse it just to be difficult.'

Minerva chuckled even as Hermione turned big, innocent eyes in his direction.

Severus muttered darkly, 'Enough you two, you know me far too well. But I couldn't refuse Hermione; I am not fool enough to cut of my nose in spite of my face, neither am I going to insult my oldest friends when they offer their daughter to me. It would be the height of foolishness.'

Hermione giggled. 'You've done plenty of the former, and enough of the later to prove you can be excessively foolish, you know,' she said with a grin. 'Take for instance, you not putting up a fuss when I elected to return to Hogwarts for my final year.'

Severus sighed. 'Enough, wench. I'm here to have tea, and some nice conversation, not ribbing by you two Gryffindors. What did I ever do to deserve such a fate?'

Minerva laughed in delight at this playful teasing. 'It does me good to see you both so happy,' she said, sitting down and pouring out the tea. 'This place is in need of more laughter. Even though it's been a few months since the end of the war, sometimes the darkness seems ever so oppressive.'

This honest comment turned the conversation to a more serious direction. Taking the offered cup of tea, Hermione brought up the topic of Light Magic that was foremost in her mind.

As Severus and Minerva listened to Hermione's thoughts, the two teachers exchanged a telling glance. They had both always known of Hermione's brilliance, but this joining of dots seemed inspired.

'That sounds like a very good hypothesis,' said Minerva after seeing Severus return her questioning gaze with a tiny nod of his head. 'I think it would be a good idea to put the theory into practice by way of experimentation. We can get Molly and Ginny to participate in a small trial. We've been meaning to have the Burrow's protections strengthened now that Arthur had been given a more prominent position in the Ministry as one of Kingsley's advisors. This will ensure that Molly and Ginny work on the growing of protective plants for the periphery of the property. They are unlikely to want to do things for others, but if it is to demonstrate their own status, it will be more likely to be accepted.'

Severus nodded in agreement. 'Yes, all purebloods of good standing have protective enchantments around their grounds, mostly woven into the plants, shrubs and bushes. This would be directly along those lines. Now that the Weasleys' position has altered, it will seem as though the Order is encouraging their own growth in status. If we speak to Arthur and Bill in advance, I'm sure they will be able to sell the concept to their women. Moreover, if we select enchantments that rely on women's magic, it will increase the worth of both Molly and Ginny within the eyes of their family. They both want to feel needed, valued. This should work.'

Hermione beamed in delight. She had not thought that her ideas would be implemented so quickly. 'Women's magic? I haven't really heard of that much,' she said with obvious interest. 'I thought there wasn't a gendered difference in magic.'

Minerva went into teacher mode. 'Generally there isn't, but for the older forms of magic, like house-hold protection, infant-protection and so on, there are the more gender specific branches. It's old magic, like blood and sex magic. Intrinsic, not generally found in books and not taught at Hogwarts. What evidence you will find will be in family grimoires. I'm sure Lucius has some in his library, as do I. Mine was hand-written by my great grandmother on my father's side. It's something that I'm slowly recopying to preserve for my own god-children. I'm sure the Weasleys have their own version. All the families have their own individual spells and enchantments.'

Hermione's eyes once again began to take on that look of intense fervour. 'Has there been no attempt made to consolidate such material? Surely it should all be gathered, catalogued. How can we let such things moulder away, unlearned, untaught?'

Severus chuckled darkly while reaching for a biscuit. Looking at Minerva, he stage-whispered, 'And she's off. I can see it now. The latest in the long line of Hermione Granger-Malfoy-Snape's legacies. The collected grimoires of the British Isles in a series of volumes. Next will come the more complete collection of work from the great European houses. It might indeed be a life-long project.'

Hermione laughed and threw a napkin at Severus. 'Really, Headmaster,' she admonished. 'Having you happy seems to be a disadvantage. I much preferred you as a grouch. You didn't tease me so.'

Minerva laughed. 'Indeed, lass, he does seem to be taking his delight in having you has his future wife to the extreme. Could I suggest not having such a longwinded surname? It's going to be hell when your books start coming out in print.'

Hermione blushed and giggled again. Who would have thought that her two teachers would rib her on her future role within the magical research community? For she had realised since her return to Hogwarts for her final year that she wanted to spend her time working as a researcher and data collector. The magical world seemed to not have thought about the need to standardise, to catalogue, to preserve and gather magic found within families and magical institutions like Hogwarts. Sure, there were libraries, but they contained well-known books, published works. There were no manuscripts, no family archives. It was possible that a lot of the more private information was faulty, but once it was verified, tested, it could be collected as a more cohesive database. The magical world seemed very lax in its approach to proper archiving.

Once the cake was consumed, the discussion eventually turned to the events of the previous night. After Severus and Minerva were told in detail about Draco and Astoria's involvement in handling Ginny, there was a moment of silence. Severus was smirking. It was obvious that he was proud of his god-son and his fiancée's ability to read the situation.

Minerva, though, looked troubled. Finally, with a sigh, she said, 'I guess it's the best we can hope for. Are you sure Theodore has no Death Eater leanings?'

Hermione shrugged. 'I don't really know him personally, but Draco was sure that he wasn't involved in anyway. Draco felt Theo had only pretended to lean towards the Death Eater creed to avoid angering his father.'

Minerva nodded her head. 'Well, if that's the case, then the match will help both of them. I suppose all Slytherin plans will always have a number of benefits.'

Severus chuckled. 'Of course. It's what we are best known for, and my god-son's learned from the best.'

Minerva laughed, and Hermione joined in the mirth.

'We will have to arrange an Order meeting soon,' said Severus, once the laughter had subsided. 'I know Kingsley was going to put Percy in charge of organising it, but I'll have Lucius come in for the meeting, perhaps even Narcissa and Draco. It's bound to make things interesting, though I'm sure that now Arthur has taken steps to mend the breach, it won't turn into a bloodbath.'

Minerva nodded her head. 'I think that's a good idea. Perhaps even invite some of Hermione's friends from the DA. Neville will surely want to be a part of the meeting, as will Augusta, and I can't imagine Miss Bones not wanting to know about the measures the Order has taken to ensure that former Death Eaters were made to pay for their deeds in one form or another. She's lost most of her family to the Death Eaters. This will help give her more closure.'

Hermione nodded her head vigorously in agreement. 'Susan and Hannah were with us last night in our little plotting session, so the two of them should definitely be included. And perhaps we should include Theo? That should distract Ginny surely.'

Severus laughed again. 'Last night, I accused Lucius of turning into a Gryffindor, but my dear, you're turning into a Slytherin in equal propositions. I'm glad your evolution has begun, even before our formal engagement. That is a very good plan.'

Hermione winked at him. 'Yes, well, since I'm so utterly involved with you snakes, it makes sense to make use of all the advantages at my disposal.'

Minerva choked on her tea as she broke once more into laughter.

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The week passed by at break neck speed. Luna returned to Hogwarts on Tuesday after having spent the weekend in Sweden. As soon as classes were completed for the day, the three friends retired to their special corner of the library. There, she was immediately told of all that had gone on in her absence by her two girl-friends. Hermione, who had now come to realise that her friend was unlikely to be surprised, took it in stride to see Luna simply nod her head when she was told of Ginny's latest relationship with Theodore Nott.

'It was obvious she wasn't going to stay with Harry, just as Harry wasn't going to be happy with her,' said Luna placidly. 'I told Harry that at the Fudge Ball, actually. I told him he should put his happiness and comfort first. That he shouldn't let Ginny bully him. That if she wanted fame, she should earn it. But I guess getting it through Theodore is much easier.'

Hermione smirked at Astoria at Luna's candid reading of the situation. 'Why am I not surprised?' she asked with a grin. 'You always seem to know what's going to happen before it does.'

Luna shook her head. 'I don't, but I see people, I see their auras. Some blend well together, while some just don't mix, not in the way they should. Draco and Tory together form a beautiful medley of colours. It is obvious they were made for each other. Harry and Ginny were attuned to each other in fifth year, but Ginny's changed, as has Harry. Now they just clash.'

Astoria's eyes glowed in interest. 'What do Draco and I look like? You've spoken of auras before, but I never thought to ask.'

Luna's eyes lost focus for a moment. Then, she spoke in her vague tone as though her gaze was on a far off plane. 'You're like an old gold shade, bright but refined, not brassy like that of new gold. Draco's more of a silvery platinum. Together, the two of you just shine, your colours intertwine and dazzle like I'm looking at the sun and the moon.'

Astoria's eyes misted in tears. 'Oh, Luna. That's such a beautiful image. You're so special. I'm so glad I got to know you through Hermione.' The haughty Slytherin slipped out of her seat and wrapped her arms around Luna.

Luna hugged her friend in return. 'I'm lucky, too, Tory. Until I met Harry and joined the DA, I didn't have any friends. People always called me Loony Lovegood and used to spend their time harassing me. You have no idea how good it is to have you and Hermione this year. Last year I had Neville, Susan and Hannah, but we were never as close as I've grown to be with you both. For the first time, I've got real girl-friends, real people who I know actually care about me.'

'Of course, we care,' said Hermione, moving over to join her friends in a three-way hug. 'You are very important to us. I was a fool in my sixth year. It took me a while to see beyond the obvious. I'm sorry, Luna, for all the petty things I thought and said before I really got to know you.'

Luna's eyes spilled over with tears. 'I know you're sorry. I can see in your aura that you truly consider me one of your closest friends. You have the same tone to your gestures when you're with Harry as you do when you're with me and Tory. That, more than anything, makes me know that I'm one of your special people.'

'Really?' asked Hermione, even more interested. 'My gestures have a tonal variation depending on how much I care, or how I feel about someone?'

Luna nodded her head. 'Yes, if I look carefully and study someone for a long while, I can easily tell how they feel towards someone. For example, your aura is usually some shade of purple. When you're with Headmaster Snape, it is really bright, almost like royal purple with bright flashes of silver and gold. When you're with Harry, it's gentler, more maternal if you will, like lavender. It's not as maternal with me and Tory, but it is still a similar shade of lavender. For our professors, especially Professor McGonagall, it's like a dark aubergine, I suppose because of the respect you feel for their knowledge. For Draco, Lucius and Cissy, it's more of a periwinkle blue. When you look at people you don't like, like when we were at the Fudge Ball and the reporters tried to speak to you, you have this sickly gray tinge to your very dark purple aura of anger and annoyance.'

Astoria and Hermione were both struck dumb with this detailed description. 'How do you cope?' asked Hermione finally in astonishment. 'If you're constantly being bombarded with so much information merely from our auras it must make it very hard to be around people.'

Luna nodded her head. 'I've learned to not focus on people directly, but to just look away from them somewhat. It's only since my imprisonment at Malfoy Manor that I've learned to look at people directly. It really came in handy when I was in the dungeons. I knew immediately that Draco hated having me there, that he would have let me go if he could have. His aura is generally silvery gray, but it was tinged with yellow, sickly, I suppose corresponding to how miserable and embarrassed he felt. I knew, then, that he didn't want to see me hurt. If he had enjoyed my pain like Pettigrew did, it would have glowed with malicious glee. His did. His aura was like the colour of dried blood. The more I cried, and I did cry for the first few days, the more his aura glowed, pulsed in enjoyment.'

Astoria and Hermione both moved back to their seats as Luna had started describing Hermione's aura, but they both surrounded their friend when she began speaking of her imprisonment. Their shared a look over Luna's head. This was one of the few times Luna had really spoken of her time at Malfoy Manor. Generally, she touched upon it and then shrugged it off as though it was of no consequence. Though it pained them to hear her speak of such a horrid experience, they realised it was a sign of her slowly but surely healing.

The friends remained in a close huddle for a while. Then, Hermione broke the mood by bringing up the topic of the Order meeting that coming Sunday. Luna was attending, and Astoria had insisted that she come too. She didn't want Draco to attend without her. They all wondered how it would go, how Molly and Ginny would react.

Late Saturday morning found the trio of friends seated on their bench in the Great Hall courtyard. The girls were discussing their Arithmancy homework and generally trying to both study and relax. There was teasing and laughter in the air. Into this happy atmosphere came the sound of beating wings before Narcissa Malfoy's horned owl made its appearance. In its possession was a scroll bound in decorative gold.

All three of the girls sat up as Hermione took the scroll from the owl's keeping. She stroked the owl's feathers and thanked it. Then, while the bird took off towards the owlery for its treat before its journey home, Hermione untied the golden cord holding the missive closed and broke off the seal. Luna and Astoria crowded around Hermione as she read the note of introduction from Cissy. It let the girls know that Severus had sent Lucius his financial affairs for perusal, and based on discussions, a formal agreement had been signed at dawn, since it was an auspicious time for such a venture, between the two men. The missive stated that there would be a brief celebration for lunch this afternoon in the Headmaster's Office.

Hermione beamed with joy as her two friends hugged her. 'Finally, I waited all week for news, but Cissy kept saying that the men were still in discussion. As if Lucius cares how much money Severus has.'

Astoria smiled gently. 'You know, it would probably have been more that Lucius wanted to give you a large dowry and that Severus probably refused most of what was offered because he didn't want it being said that you were being sold off or something.'

'Oh,' said Hermione thoughtfully. 'I hadn't thought of that. I didn't realise Lucius would offer a dowry. It isn't really a part of Muggle custom.'

Luna sighed. 'You aren't paying attention again, 'Mione. This is the pureblood way. Both sides would make offerings. Lucius a dowry worthy of you, and Severus a bride-price.'

Hermione grimaced. 'I suppose I just found all the financial discussions distasteful and willfully chose to blind myself from that aspect of the betrothal. In the Muggle world, a couple just go on feeling. They build their lives together. Finances aren't really looked at in this way for most of us.'

Astoria smiled and stroked Hermione arm in comfort. 'Most purebloods don't go to these extremes either, but the Malfoys are like my family. They adhere to the customs very stringently. And since Lucius made a formal contract with Severus, this is part of the requirement. Think of it as a necessary evil. Besides, it is done now. And since you had Madam Pomfrey validate your virginity on Wednesday with the appropriate spell work and documentation, there's nothing to do now but celebrate and start planning your wedding. I can't wait for our joining. Draco and I are so excited. It's too long for summer.'

'I guess Severus and I will be wed in the summer, too,' said Hermione softly. 'Perhaps we could have a joint wedding? The Malfoy heirs wed. I think that would make a nice headline, don't you?'

All three laughed. Then, Luna said practically, 'I think we should all go tidy up for lunch. The bride to be should look presentable for the celebrations, don't you?'

Astoria giggled. 'Indeed. Though, 'Mione, I think you should change and meet me and Luna in the Room of Requirement. I'll do your hair and make-up.'

Hermione grinned at her two friends. 'Okay, you can help make me beautiful, though you know, he does know what I look like. This isn't going to be a deal breaker.'

'Of course not,' said Astoria with a chuckle. 'But it's always nice to see Severus lose the thread of his conversation when he sees you. It gives me a special feeling of joy to see him so in love.'

Hermione laughed. 'You're such a romantic, 'Tory. Be careful the other Slytherins don't find out.'

The girls all laughed and parted ways. Lunch was not really that far off.