Proposal & Deliverance

A big thank you to Madbrilliant, who was the beta for this chapter

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Chapter 2 - Proposal and Deliverance

Snape looked up from his breakfast at the staff table in the Great Hall and then looked at Hermione next to him. She looked quite beautiful just sitting there in silent thought. She was resting her chin on her steepled fingers, looking pensive and staring at a cup of coffee.

“It's not going to appear in your stomach on its own, Hermione,” he said teasingly.

“I know,” she replied nonchalantly. “I just don't feel like drinking it yet.”

“Is everything alright?” he asked, giving her knee a squeeze from beneath the table. She smiled at that and turned to look at him.

“I'm fine, Severus,” she answered softly. “I just have a few things running through my mind that I have to deal with. Everything will be all right shortly.”

Severus nodded and looked out the closest window to find the winter weather beginning to have an effect on that cool Wednesday morning. The Christmas break was in just a few days. A small number of miserable days before he could finally leave the castle behind and hopefully do the thing that he had been meaning to for a long time. And he would put that plan into motion--soon. That evening, perhaps.

“I will see you later, Hermione,” he said, letting his hand caress her thigh beneath the table teasingly.

“Severus,” Hermione warned, quelling him.

“I know,” he apologized quickly, standing from the table and sweeping out of the hall through the staff door, hardly making a sound as his shoes move across the floor.

Hermione smiled after him.

Perhaps he had forgotten that it was their one-and-a-half-year anniversary? She felt slightly dampened by the thought but decided to let it pass. He might remember later. Shaking her head, she turned her attention to her food and started to eat. It was going to be a long day.

oO0Oo

Hermione sighed as she sat at the desk in her office. Lessons had finished for the day, and she had since lost all hope of Severus remembering their anniversary at all. She sighed and felt her lip tremble a little. She was feeling slightly upset that she was the only one thinking about it and wasn't surprised when the first tear slid down her cheek.

Giving in to the pressure, she dropped her face into her hands and let the tears flow freely down her cheeks as she sobbed miserably. “Oh Merlin, Hermione! Stop being such a sodding girl,” she cried at herself, feeling really pathetic.

It was too trivial to bother with. Why was she so upset about some silly little anniversary? It was going to be the Christmas break in two days, and she had nothing to be worried about. She certainly felt a lot more emotional than usual, though. She reached out for a tissue just as the door to her office opened and Severus stepped inside.

“Hi,” she sniffed ruefully.

“Hermione, are you alright?” he asked, rushing straight to her side when he realized she was, indeed, crying. He wrapped two strong arms around her and pressed a kiss to her left temple. “What happened?”

Hermione choked back her emotions and managed a soft, “...just being silly.”

He let her cry out everything onto his shoulder for a few more minutes, inestimably curious as to what had sparked her sudden grief. After the sobbing settled, he lifted her tear-stained face up to look him in the eye and kissed her lips gently. “Hermione, love. Tell me what is bothering you?”

“I thought--I thought that you might have forgotten me,” she stammered, turning even redder.

Snape was relieved when he heard this but also felt a little frustrated at her emotional state. “Hermione, I could never forget you,” he crooned softly to her. “I love you, and I came here this afternoon to ask you an important question and tell you Happy Anniversary.”

Hermione sighed in relief.

“What do you have to ask me?” she asked him thoughtfully.

Snape let go of her and lowered himself onto one knee before her slowly. Hermione's eyes widened, one of his hands resting on her lap as the other went into his robes to withdraw something from within. He pulled out a small mahogany box with a design carved into it. He opened it and presented it to her. Inside, on the cushioning there, rested a beautiful platinum ring with a design of two snake heads curled around the twinkling diamond in the centre, creating an elaborate knot.

“This ring has been in my family for centuries now and was handed to me by my grandmother to give to the woman I sought to make my wife,” he explained as the tears began to well up in Hermione's eyes once more. Although, this time it was joy. “I know I should have asked you this a very long time ago, but I hope you can forgive me for my fears of rejection.”

Hermione nodded wearily, smiling at him softly.

Snape took a deep breath to continue. “Hermione Jane Granger, will you do me the great honor of becoming my wife and making me the happiest man alive?” he asked, voice hitching in his throat.

Hermione smiled brightly and set aside the box, throwing her arms around Snape's neck and hugging him close to her and pressing kisses all over his face. “Yes, yes, yes! A million times yes!” she exclaimed before kissing him fiercely on the lips.

Snape felt an unfamiliar churn in his stomach, and a rush of relief filled his anxious heart. She said yes. “You said yes,” he uttered softly when the realization dawned on him. All of his fears had been for naught.

“Of course I said yes, you silly man. I couldn't live without you,” she replied in earnest, slipping out of her chair and pushing him backwards so that he was sitting on the ground before sitting in his lap and gently cradling his face in her hands. “I love you.”

Severus didn't need to hear any more than that. He seized her around the hips roughly and pulled her into a heated kiss, full of exploratory groping and desperate clinging. They both pulled away, panting, when the need for air became necessary and simply rested there, holding onto each other. “When do you want to get married?” Severus asked finally.

“As soon as possible,” Hermione said firmly, flashing him a brilliant smile.

“You're sure about this?” he asked anxiously.

“I have never been surer about anything, Severus,” she replied, pressing a soft kiss to his temple.

Severus sat contemplating for a moment and sighed. “How does next Wednesday sound to you?” he asked hesitantly, wondering whether or not that was too soon. Hermione smiled softly. Perhaps it was perfect. “Will you have enough time to make your own arrangements?”

Hermione nodded. “Certainly. Minerva and Molly Weasley will help me, and Ginny as well,” she replied.

Then Severus remembered the ring. Reaching up, he plucked it from the desk and opened it to his fiancé once more, looking into her eyes for permission to slip it onto her finger. She held out her hand and let him put on. She was somewhat comforted by the extra weight there now. It felt right. So perfect, as if it should have been there all along.

“Thank you, Hermione,” Severus said, resting his head against hers.

“I should say the same to you. I was worried all day that you had grown tired of me and moved on because I hadn't seen you all day,” she said with a slight sob.

Severus looked at her, quelling her sadness. “I'm sorry to have upset you, love,” he soothed.

Hermione felt a rush of emotions head straight to her tear ducts. Why the hell was she so emotional? Mentally shrugging it of, she hugged Snape tighter to her, inhaling his masculine scent. “Let's go somewhere more comfortable,” she suggested.

“Of course, Professor,” Snape said teasingly before they made their way to Hermione's chambers.