Seven

Chapter Seven

Severus looked up when he heard the door open, and his breath hitched as he watched Martin lead Hermione down the short aisle toward him. He wasn't sure what he'd been expecting, but any expectations paled compared to the reality of the woman walking beside his cousin.

His eyes followed her as she approached.

Martin was smiling broadly as he led Hermione toward the front of the room where Severus, the Marriage Officer, and the two hired witnesses awaited.

"I bring your bride, Severus," Martin said with so much pride no one would have guessed that he was a stranger who'd just met her and not her father.

"Thank you, old friend," Snape said, his eyes never leaving Hermione.

"She looks like a goddess, doesn't she – a goddess just rising from the sea," Martin said. And Severus, staring at Hermione in her jewel-toned dress, could only nod.

The Marriage Officer cleared his throat. "Are we ready to begin?"

Snape pulled his eyes away from Hermione and turned to face the Marriage Officer. "Yes, I'm ready."

"And you, miss?" the official asked formally.

"Oh, yes," Hermione replied.

"Are you giving the bride away?" the Marriage Officer asked Martin.

"She is her own person," Martin replied, "she is not mine to give away."

Martin kissed Hermione on the cheek and stepped to Snape's other side so that he could witness the ceremony.

"I come of my own free will to marry this man," Hermione said in a clear, firm voice.

"And I come of my own free will to marry this woman," Snape said just as firmly.

"Please declare your intent to marry," the Marriage Office said.

Hermione and Snape each turned slightly so that they were facing each other.

"Hermione," Snape said in a formal tone as he held out his hand. "Will you marry me?"

Hermione placed her hand in his and smiled up at him. "Yes, Severus, I will marry you."

"Let us proceed," the Marriage Officer said.

The Marriage Officer looked at them. "Severus and Hermione, you are hereby informed that by your mutual consent, which you have just given publicly and formally in my presence and before these witnesses, you have accepted each other as your lawful spouses, and with the confirmation of this fact by your signatures, you are contracting a lawful marriage for all the purposes of civil law.

"You should further know that your marriage cannot be dissolved during your lifetimes except by the valid judgement of a court of civil law. If either of you, before the death of the other, contracts a marriage while this one remains undissolved you will be guilty of bigamy, and you will be liable to the consequences provided by the law. Do you understand?"

"I do," Snape said.

"I do," Hermione repeated.

"It is now time to speak your vows," the Marriage Officer said. "You will speak first, Severus."

Snape nodded and began to speak. "I call upon the persons here present to witness that I, Severus Snape, accept you, Hermione Granger as my lawful wife from this day forward. I vow to cherish you, to respect you, to be faithful to you, and to encourage you in all your endeavours. I promise to share our lives through the joyous times and the sorrowful times, through days filled with hope and through days filled with disappointment. I will stand by you whether we are wealthy or poor, whether we are healthy or ill. This I promise throughout the remainder of our lives until death separates us."

The Marriage Office turned to Hermione.

"You will make your promises, now."

Hermione's lower lip trembled a bit, but she smiled up at Severus and began to speak. "I call upon the persons here present to witness that I, Hermione Granger, accept you, Severus Snape as my lawful husband from this day forward. I promise to cherish you, to hold you in my highest esteem, to remain faithful to you, and to support you when you are discouraged. I vow that I will share your joys and your sorrows, your hopes and your disappointments whether we are wealthy or poor, in good health or ill. This I swear through the remainder of our days until death comes between us."

"As Marriage Officer, I say that from this moment, you, Severus, and you, Hermione, are husband and wife. You are joined together, by your free consent, in matrimony, and you owe each other love, fidelity, and respect for the rest of your lives. This marriage constitutes the fulfilment of your lives and links your destinies on days of sunshine or days of rain, in joy or in sorrow, in times of prosperity or of poverty, and in sickness or in health, for as long as you both live. Marriage should be a union of two equals. In unity there is strength to conquer whatever difficulties may lie ahead. Each of you has gifts, skills, and capabilities which are unique. You must work together and use your skills to complement one another. Together you can do what neither of you can do alone.

"As a final warning," the Marriage Officer said sternly as he looked from Snape to Hermione and back again, "I must add that both of you have the right and the obligation to provide for the physical, mental, and emotional well-being of any children you may have so that they may become responsible and productive citizens of the world."

He paused a moment to give emphasis to his words, and then he continued. "At this time, you may exchange rings, if you would like."

Hermione started to shake her head, but then she saw Severus reach into his pocket.

They'd never discussed rings, and since they weren't customary in the wizarding world, she hadn't thought that Severus would give her one. She was surprised and touched when he opened his hand to reveal two slim gold bands resting on his palm.

"Will you wear my ring, Hermione?" he asked in a quiet tone.

"Yes, if you'll wear mine," she replied.

He slipped the ring on her finger, and she felt it adjust itself to fit perfectly.

He handed her the matching band and she slid it on his finger. It, too, was a perfect fit.

The Marriage Officer turned to Severus. "You must now kiss your bride," he said with a smile.

Snape flushed slightly, but he leaned down and kissed Hermione briefly.

"I'm sure he'll do better later, Hermione," Martin said sotto voce.

There was moment of shocked silence, and then Hermione started to laugh. "I certainly hope so," she said.

"Now, you will sign the Marriage Certificate," said the Marriage Officer around a large smile. He led them to a small podium at the side of the room.

"Sign both copies," he said. "One is for you, and I will take the other to be filed."

Hermione and Snape signed their names to the documents. The two hired witnesses signed, and the Marriage Officer signed and affixed his seal to both copies. He handed one to Hermione and kept the other.

He held out his hand to Snape. "May I be the first to offer my congratulations," he said.

"Thank you, sir," Snape said as he shook the man's hand.

The Marriage Officer then turned to Hermione. "And I will be the first to kiss the bride – not counting your new husband's feeble effort, of course."

He leaned toward Hermione with pursed lips, but in spite of his joke, he merely kissed her on the cheek.

The two witnesses shook Snape's hand and also kissed Hermione on the cheek.

"And now you may go and begin your lives together," the Marriage Officer said.

He bowed to them briefly, and then he and the two witnesses turned toward the exit.

Martin watched as the three Muggles left the room, and then he turned back to Snape and Hermione.

"Severus, Hermione, you must magically sign the Marriage Certificate," he said.

Hermione took her copy of the Marriage Certificate and placed it back on the podium. She slid her gold bracelet off her wrist and muttered an incantation. The bracelet obediently reformed itself into her vine wood wand, and she used it to trace her name on the Marriage Certificate.

Snape slid his wand out of his sleeve and did the same.

Martin used his wand to sign his name as witness to the marriage. As he put the final flourish on his signature, pale blue sparks burst from his wand to shower over the three of them. Martin looked a bit bemused, but then he smiled. He spoke an incantation, and the paper shimmered briefly, emitting a pale yellow light. A moment later, a second copy of the document appeared. Martin picked this one up, carefully folded it, and tucked it into his pocket.

"I'll retain this one for safekeeping," he said. "The Ministry seems to have a penchant for losing your paperwork, doesn't it?"

"Very foresighted of you, Martin," Snape said as slipped his wand back into his sleeve. "Thank you again."

"Yes, thank you, Martin," Hermione nodded. Her wand was once more a bracelet.

"It's been my pleasure, I assure you."

"Will you join us for dinner?" Snape asked.

"I would think you'd want to be alone with your bride," Martin said.

"I invited you to dinner – not on the bloody honeymoon," Snape said, and Martin started to laugh.

"So you did – and didn't! I'd be delighted."

Five minutes later, the three of them were back in Stefanos's taxi, and five minutes after that, they pulled up to the kerb outside the restaurant.

"Stefanos," Snape said as climbed out. "Why don't you join us for dinner?"

"Me?" Stefanos said. "I'm just the taxi driver."

"You were a good friend to me today. I couldn't have got everything done without your help."

"I would love to join you for dinner, sir, and toast you and your beautiful new bride, but my own bride, she is waiting for me at home."

"Go get her and come back," Snape insisted.

"You are sure?"

"Yes, Stefanos," Hermione said, seconding Snape's request. "We'd truly enjoy having you and your wife join us."

"Thank you, sir, miss ... madam, rather," Stefanos said with a smile. "I'm sure Ilyssa will be thrilled to be part of your wedding feast."

"Hurry and go get her," Hermione urged.

"My Ilyssa is not like most women – she can be ready quickly! We will return in less than thirty minutes."

"We'll wait for you to order dinner," Snape said.

"Thank you, sir," Stefanos said.

Snape got to his feet and hurried over when he saw Stefanos standing in the doorway twenty minutes later. Hermione quickly followed him.

"Stefanos, thank you for coming," Snape said in a gracious tone.

"We thank you for inviting us," Stefanos replied. "This is my wife, Ilyssa."

"I'm happy to meet you, Ilyssa," Snape said. He could see why she didn't need much time to get ready – she had a natural beauty that required little embellishment.

"I am honoured, sir," she said.

"You must call me Severus. And this is my wife, Hermione."

"We're so happy you could come," Hermione said as she stepped forward. She took the other woman's hand and drew her away.

"What a lovely dress," Hermione said. "I can't wear pink, but it's perfect on you."

"Thank you. Your dress is very beautiful," Ilyssa said. "The bold colours remind me of the sea."

"Doesn't it though? It's not a traditionally styled wedding dress, but as soon as I saw it, I knew it was perfect. It's the prettiest dress I've ever owned."

"A woman's wedding dress should be beautiful, yes?"

"Oh, yes. What did your wedding dress look like?"

Ilyssa's eyes lit up. "It was my mother's – and her mother's before her ..."

Their voices faded as they walked to the table. Moments later, they were seated next to each other, their heads tilted close together as they chatted like old friends.

Snape was sure it was Martin's doing, or maybe it was Hermione's bouquet that gave it away, but the owner of the restaurant, a man named Ari, found out that Snape and Hermione had just got married, and he insisted that they perform the traditional handkerchief dance before he would serve them dinner.

Snape tried to demur, claiming he had little dancing experience in general and no experience at all with this dance in particular. The owner, however, refused to take no for an answer. Martin, of course, egged him on, and soon most of the other diners were also clapping and yelling, urging him and Hermione to come to the centre of the floor.

Hermione put a hand on his forearm and leaned over to whisper into his ear. "We'll never get our food unless we dance. And all I had for lunch was a watercress sandwich – I'm starving!"

Snape thought about the hearty lamb stew he'd eaten for lunch. "Oh, very well," he said as he got to his feet. He held out a hand, and Hermione took it, rising gracefully to her feet.

Amid much applause and laughter, and even a number of thrown plates, they managed to stumble through a rudimentary rendition of the required dance.

With a final cry of, "Opa!" the owner signalled that the food should be brought out.

Barely managing to hang on to her manners, Hermione tucked in.

"A watercress sandwich?" Snape asked as he watched her bite off half of a stuffed grape leaf. "I didn't think anyone actually ate watercress sandwiches."

"Typical spa food," Hermione said after she'd swallowed.

"So that's how you spent your day."

"You didn't think I did all this on my own, did you?" Hermione asked with a smile. "You're going to be very disappointed if you think I'm always going to look this put together." She popped the other half of the grape leaf into her mouth.

Snape smiled and let his eyes wander over her. "You should remember that I've seen you exhausted, sick, and once, if I recall, extremely hung over. I know what you look like when you haven't spent the day at a spa."

Hermione looked thoughtful. "I'd nearly forgotten that day. It was the morning after I discovered that Ron was cheating on me with soon-to-be wife number three." Another stuffed grape leaf disappeared into her mouth.

"You got drunk because Weasley broke your heart?" Snape asked incredulously.

Hermione shook her head and swallowed before she spoke. "No, I got drunk celebrating the fact that I finally had the guts to finish it with him for good, the tosser." She pushed the plate of grape leaves aside and tasted her moussaka.

"And yet he tried to win his way back into your good graces as recently as a year ago."

"Unsuccessfully," Hermione reminded him.

"Once word of our marriage gets out, Weasley won't bother you again."

"Ron never let a little thing like a wedding vow stop him."

"You and he were ... involved ... while he was married?"

"The wedding vow might not have stopped Ron, but it certainly stopped me," Hermione said sharply. "Ron and I had an on-again, off-again relationship for years, but it was never 'on' while he was married. I keep my promises."

"I keep mine as well," Snape assured her.

"I've no doubt of that," Hermione said.

Before Snape could comment further, Ari, the owner of the restaurant came to stand between them, draping an arm over each of their shoulders.

"And how is the happy couple? The food is good, yes?"

"The food is excellent," Hermione said. She reached for the yoghurt sauce.

"Wait until you taste the baklava! It is the best on Cyprus."

"That's not what Stefanos said," Snape said in an innocent tone.

"What?" The man's expression was thunderous. He lifted his eyes and glared at the unsuspecting taxi driver.

"He said his cousin had the best baklava on Cyprus."

Ari threw his head back and laughed. It was a deep, booming laugh that rolled up from his belly and spilled out of his mouth in a joyous bellow.

"Stefanos told you the truth, then! I am his cousin!"

"I could have sworn that Stefanos said his cousin's name was Melina."

"Melina is a second-cousin only."

"He is related to everyone on Cyprus," Snape muttered, and Ari laughed again.

"Her baklava is good, I admit, but you will have my baklava with a glass of the finest ouzo available, and you will see that mine is far superior to hers," Ari said. He clapped his hands, and a waiter hurried over.

"Ouzo and baklava for everyone at the table!"

Hermione nibbled at the sweet, flaky baklava and sipped the anise-flavoured liqueur.

"This is really good," she said as she broke off another bite of the honey-laced pastry.

"How can you tell?" Snape asked dryly. "This ouzo is potent enough to numb the tongue."

"In your cups a' ready, you old sod?" Martin asked in a slurred voice. He'd come over to stand between them. He was swaying slightly, and the glass of ouzo he held tilted precariously. "You'll never do your bride justice if you're drunk, ya' know."

"The kettle and the pot, Martin," Snape said.

"Oh, I'm pissed all right," Martin agreed in an affable tone. "But I'm not too drunk to take care of your woman if you're not up to the challenge!" He leaned over and draped an arm across Hermione's shoulders. "Wha' d'ya say, lovey, wanna have a go with a real wizard in the bedroom?" He winked broadly and then hiccuped into Hermione's face. Hermione laughed.

Snape gave Martin a look that would have struck terror into his soul if he'd been sober enough to notice. Hermione leaned in front of Martin and put a hand on Snape's arm.

"He's a lot drunker than he thinks he is," she said. "He doesn't mean anything by it."

Snape pried Martin's arm away from Hermione. "I'm not going to kill you, Martin," he said in a reasonable tone, "because when you wake up in the morning, you won't remember insulting my wife."

"Oh, I won't remember anything," Martin said with certainty. And then he keeled over to land in a heap on the floor between their chairs.

"Christ on a crutch," Snape muttered as he knelt beside his old friend to be sure he was still breathing.

"Martin! Martin, you turd. Wake up!"

"I'm 'wake," Martin said with a soft snort.

Stefanos, who was only marginally more sober than Martin, hurried over. "These foreigners can't hold their ouzo," he said with an idiotic grin. "I will see him home."

"And who'll see you home?" Snape asked with a scowl.

Ilyssa, who'd come to stand beside Stefanos spoke up. "I'll see them both home. My Stefanos is a good, hard-working man. He seldom drinks. He told me earlier that seeing you and Hermione together reminded him of our own wedding day. That was the last time he was so ..."

"Drunk?" Snape supplied.

"Happy," Stefanos interjected. "You and your lady – you look so happy. It makes me happy just looking at you and remembering my own happy wedding night. I was so ... what is the word?"

"Happy?" Hermione asked with a smile.

"Yes, that's it! I'm so happy!" He started to laugh, and Ilyssa took his arm, leading him away.

"I'll get Stefanos into the car. Would you help your friend out? I'll drive him home, as well."

"You know where he lives?" Hermione asked.

"Oh, yes. Everyone knows where Martin Gladstone lives."

"Does he often get sufficiently inebriated to require assistance?" Snape asked.

Ilyssa laughed. "Let's just say that he's wise enough to know when to call a taxi."

Snape grunted as he stooped down and grasped Martin under his armpits. "Stand up, you arse."

"Firs' I'm a turd, and then I'm an arse ... you're just fulla complimen's, aren't ya?"

"Just stand up and help me, Martin," Snape said. "You're going to give me a hernia."

Martin managed to get to his feet, though he was none too steady. "Wouldn't want that, would we? You'd really be hacked off then, wouldn't you, Hermione?" He looked at her morosely.

Hermione just laughed and went to his other side to help steady him.

"I could never be angry with you, Martin," she said in a pleasant tone.

"I'm angry enough for both of us," Snape muttered. He was sweating slightly as they guided Martin through the now nearly-empty restaurant and out the door. Ilyssa was behind the wheel of the car parked at the kerb, and Stefanos was sprawled on the front seat next to her.

They poured Martin into the back seat. He started singing, hugely off-key, and a moment later, Stefanos joined in.

"I don't envy you the ride, Ilyssa," Snape said as he pushed Martin's bulk over enough to be able to close the door of the tiny car.

"Oh, it's just a short ride. I'll come back in a few minutes to drive you and Hermione to your hotel," Ilyssa said.

"You don't need to come back," Snape said. "The hotel isn't more than two blocks; we'll walk."

"Oh, but you hired the taxi for the entire day!" she protested.

"The day ended when Stefanos drove us here. Tonight was a social event, not a business one. Take him home and put him to bed."

Martin stirred enough to leer at Snape. "And you'll take Hermione home and put her to bed, right?"

Snape ignored Martin and spoke to Ilyssa again. "And when you get to Martin's house, kick his arse out of your car and leave him on the pavement!"

"Oh, that was cold, Sev ... very cold," he mumbled.

Ilyssa and Hermione both smiled as the two men exchanged barbs.

"It was lovely meeting you, Ilyssa," Hermione said as she leaned into the driver's window and gave her an awkward hug.

"I wish you much happiness in your marriage," she replied.

"Thank you."

With a final wave, Ilyssa drove off leaving Hermione and Snape standing alone in front of the restaurant.

Author's Note: This story was written for the Potter Place's Variety Challenge. This is the prompt I chose: Something Old – Revisit a once popular challenge. I chose to revisit the Marriage Law Challenge, but I've placed the story in a post-DH timeline.