Chapter 44

Chapter 44

"So, what do you want to do in Hogsmeade this weekend?" Severus asked Hermione.

She looked up from the tests she was grading and put her quill to her mouth and nibbled the end.

"I haven't any idea. I haven't really thought that far ahead yet," she confessed. "Do you have anything in mind?"

He grinned cunningly. "Just to have a nice time with you."

She smiled back at him and went back to grading papers as he kissed her neck.

oooOOOooo

Hermione held Severus' hand as they strolled down the street. They had just left Honeydukes with a bag of candy. Hermione offered the bag to Severus, and he pulled out a chocolate truffle. He popped it in his mouth and savored the flavor for a bit before turning to Hermione.

"Did you want to go to Madame Puddifoot's?" he asked her.

She gave him a sidelong glance. "I don't care how much you've changed, Severus Snape, I know you wouldn't be caught dead in there unless you were keeping students from snogging one another."

He laughed. "That sounds like a great idea! Let's go."

He pulled her along, as she laughed at him. Soon they were peering into the small teashop. There were eight couples in the shop, all students. All of them were behaving themselves. Severus heaved a huge sigh.

"There's no action in there, I'm afraid," he said glumly.

Hermione rolled her eyes at him. He looked at her with an even more pitiful look, and she burst out laughing. Turning, they went back the way they came. Soon they had reached the end of the street. They were now facing the large field where they had been attacked all those years ago. Hermione looked over at the field and caught her breath. The Willow tree stood majestically in the center of the field, just as it had in the past.

"It's still here!" she exclaimed, rushing over to it.

Severus smiled as he caught up with her. "I put some wards around it so it would be preserved. It seems that a couple of years after you left, Hogsmeade was attacked by Death Eaters. I assume the tree would have been destroyed in the attack had it not been for my protection."

Hermione looked at him curiously. "You saved this tree just for me?" she asked in amazement.

"I had ulterior motives. Every time I look at it, I think of you. At the time, I wanted lots of things to remind me of you, since you weren't around anymore."

Hermione smiled at him gratefully. "Thank you, my love," she said as she gave him a kiss.

"You know," Severus said as he pulled back from her lips, "there's a rumor that this tree is surrounded by buried treasure."

Hermione gave him a doubtful look.

"Really," he said. "I bet if you waved your wand around it, you might find something valuable."

Hermione laughed at him.

"Go ahead, try it," he urged.

Hermione continued to look at him dubiously, but pulled out her wand and began the spell. Soon she saw a part of the ground underneath the Willow begin to glow. Her head snapped back to Severus.

"What did you do?"

"I assure you, witch, I had nothing to do with this," he retorted with a smile.

Hermione cleared the snow from around the tree and dried the ground where the glow emanated. She knelt down and looked expectantly at Severus.

"Well, go ahead, it's your treasure," he told her.

She flicked her wand quickly. The dirt came up from the ground revealing a small ring box that had been buried in the earth. Hermione stared at it hesitantly before she reached into the hole and fished it out. She stared at the box for a long time.

"Well, aren't you going to open it?" Severus asked quietly.

She looked over at him but didn't say a word. Grasping the box she flipped it open and uttered a gasp. Inside was a beautiful engagement ring. It had a thick gold band and centered on it was a square cut diamond solitaire. Hermione looked nervously up to Severus.

"Hermione, will you marry me?"

Tears streamed down her face as she threw her arms around Severus. "Oh, of course I'll marry you!" she exclaimed.

Hermione kissed Severus soundly. Fulfillment filled his soul.

She agreed! We will always be together. All of the years of waiting for her... now she is finally mine! I swear I will never let her go again.

He reveled in her closeness as he kissed her tenderly. Finally they separated from each other. Severus motioned to the ring box in her hand.

"The ring has an inscription on it," he told her.

She pulled the ring from the box and examined the inside of it. She read the inscription aloud.

"My eternal treasure," she said. "Severus, that's beautiful."

"You're the one who is beautiful," he told her.

He took the ring from her hand and placed it on her finger. Hermione gasped as she felt the ring slide up her finger and take its rightful place on her hand. She looked down on it, filled with emotion. She looked back at Severus.

"I can't believe that you are finally mine!" she cried. "I love you, Severus."

"And I you," he said before kissing her senseless.

oooOOOooo

Severus and Hermione sat next to each other in the Great Hall. It was dinner time, and everyone was chatting away with abandon. Hermione smiled to herself and looked down at her hand. No one had noticed the engagement ring yet. She couldn't wait to see the staff's faces when they realized.

Sybill Trelawney had wandered down while Hermione was deep in thought, so when her voice came from her side, Hermione jumped slightly. She turned and saw that Sybill was speaking to her.

"Hermione," the Seer said in her strangely low voice.

Hermione looked at her quizzically.

"I have had a vision about you."

"Really?" Hermione remarked sarcastically.

"You are in grave danger!" Sybill warned.

Hermione almost choked on her food. She looked incredulously at Severus and then back to Trelawney.

"What is it this time, Sybill?"

"The one you are involved with is dark!"

"Perhaps I like him that way," Hermione responded.

"You are in danger!"

"I thought we had established that fact," Hermione said blandly. "Wait, let me guess. This person I'm close to, he is dark and dangerous, right?"

"You have finally come in contact with your inner eye!" Sybill rejoiced.

Hermione rolled her eyes as Severus scowled, making Sybill eye him provocatively.

"Severus, I have read in the cards that you will deepen a relationship with a woman. After all of this time, we can finally have the relationship you so desire. I have longed to have you near me."

Hermione looked over at Severus curiously. His scowl deepened. Hermione turned back to Trelawney.

"So, if he's dark and dangerous for me, why is he fine for you?"

Sybill came close to Hermione. Her glasses made her eyes look like saucers.

"You are involved with Severus?" she asked curiously.

"I'm his fiancé," she told her, waving her fingers in Sybill's face so her ring sparkled in the light. "Did you see that in your crystal ball?"

"Gah!" Sybill shrieked and pulled back.

She got up from the table and hurried from the room muttering to herself about life being unfair and all the good one's being taken. Hermione watched her retreat, smiling at her quick departure. She turned back to the table to see every eye on her. Grasping Severus' hand, she smiled coyly and waved her ring at them again. Minerva was the first to get her bearings.

"Severus, Hermione, congratulations!" Minerva said as she burst out of her seat and hugged the two of them.

Murmurs and exclamations of congratulations were given by the entire staff. Suddenly, Minerva, in her capacity as new Headmistress, called attention in the Hall.

"Students, I would like to alert you to some exciting news. Professors Granger and Snape are engaged to be married."

There was thunderous applause from all four tables. Wolf whistles and cat calls were heard from the Slytherin table, and Hermione was surprised that she was getting such an acceptance from them. After all, Severus was their head of house; they were quite protective of him. Hermione glanced at Severus and saw him looking a bit embarrassed. Nonetheless, he raised his hand and waved at them, forcing a smile onto his face. She followed suit and waved also.

Suddenly the hall erupted in a chant. "Kiss her, kiss her," the students chanted.

Hermione blushed and looked to Severus. He blanched. Public displays of affection weren't something that Severus Snape would readily agree to in any timeline. He looked over to her. She shrugged her shoulders. Suddenly, his eyes smoldered with emotion. Throwing propriety to the wind, his head slowly closed in on hers as he whispered into her ear, "I will treasure you forever."

He then kissed her for all to see. The students went wild as Severus and Hermione forgot everyone and lost themselves in each other. They finally pulled apart when Minerva put her wand to her neck and cleared her throat loud enough to be heard over the chaos that was going on in the hall. Severus grinned at Hermione, and she grinned back.

"I'm glad everyone approves," Hermione remarked.

"I am too," Severus agreed as he kissed her again, making the Hall erupt in more cheers.

A/N: I hope you enjoyed today's fluff-fest. It seems like we have a wedding to plan. That will be up next! Thanks you, Lilith Kayden, for your beta work. I am deeply indebted to you. Thanks to everyone else for sticking with the ups and downs of this story!