Ten

Chapter Ten

"Will you need another copy of our Certificate of Marriage for my file?" Snape asked with a smirk.

Before Loxley could answer, the door banged open, and Sybill Trelawney swept in, with many bespangled and tasselled shawls trailing along the floor, and dozens of bracelets and bangles clacking noisily against each other.

"Oh, my dear, dear Severus," she trilled as she approached the front of the room. "I knew this day would come. I knew my patience would be rewarded."

"Is that so?" Snape said.

She sidled up next to him, actually nudging Hermione away from him as she touched her hand to his. "It certainly is so! I can't tell you how many times I read my tea leaves and saw your name in them. Or how many times I looked into my crystal ball and saw this very room with the two of us standing here together, dedicating ourselves to each other."

Her eyes, huge-looking through her heavy, thick glasses, stared up at him adoringly.

"I suggest you get your crystal ball cleaned, then. I'm not marrying you."

"What are you saying, Severus? Of course we're to be married. It's fated. The tea leaves don't lie. The crystal ball ..."

"... is merely glass, and tea leaves are rubbish," Snape said.

"You can't mean that ..."

"I most certainly do mean that. But even if I believed in the prophetic properties of tea leaves or crystal balls, I couldn't marry you; I'm already married."

"It isn't true ..."

"I'm sorry to tell you, Miss Trelawney, but it's true," Loxley put in. "I validated his marriage and filed his Certificate of Marriage myself."

"Would you like to see it?" Snape asked as he held up his copy.

"That's impossible," Sybill said in a suddenly hostile tone. "Who would marry you?"

"I would," Hermione said, stepping forward and speaking for the first time since her former Divination teacher had entered the room. "And I did."

"Mr. Snape and Miss Granger ... Mrs. Snape now ... are legally married," Loxley added smugly.

"That's a lie," Sybill hissed at Loxley, ignoring Hermione completely. "I know she's just been married to Mundungus Fletcher."

"I couldn't marry him for the same reason Severus can't marry you," Hermione said. "Severus and I are already married ... to each other."

"I had the right to challenge his marriage before it was validated," she shouted. Little bits of spittle were flying from her lips as she raged.

Loxley shook his head. "When Miss Granger ... er ... Mrs. Snape ..."

"Stop calling her that!" Sybill was screaming now.

"It doesn't matter what I call her," Loxley said. He took the copy of the Marriage Certificate from Snape's hand and held it out to Sybill. "She had a magically witnessed Certificate of Marriage, and her would-be husband, Mundungus Fletcher, refused to challenge it. I had no choice but to validate her marriage."

"And although it wasn't his intention," Snape interjected, "his validation of Hermione's marriage also served to validate mine. Your right to challenge became a moot point."

"And where did this purported marriage take place?" Sybill asked. "I know it wasn't here."

"Cyprus," Snape replied. "Not that it's any of your business."

"Cyprus? You can't have gone to Cyprus. Travel has been restricted."

"Magical travel has been restricted. We flew on an aeroplane," Hermione said.

"You had a Muggle marriage? Sybill said disdainfully. "The Wizengamot won't recognise a Muggle marriage!"

"It was magically witnessed," Loxley put in. "I verified that." He held up the Certificate of Marriage again.

"Let me see that," Sybill said. She snatched the paper from his hand and held it up to her face, her eyes widening as she read each line.

"You're an incompetent nincompoop! You should have called me!" She was brandishing her wand wildly now. "Get out!" she shouted. "Get out! Your services are no longer required!"

"You can't sack me, you barmy old crone." Jonathan Loxley sniffed and thrust both of his chins into the air. "I work for the Ministry of Magic, and I report directly to the Special Coordinator for Ministry Approved and Arranged Marriages."

"I'm the Special Coordinator for Ministry Approved and Arranged Marriages," Sybill shouted. "And I have sacked you. Now, get out of my sight!"

"I have a contract, you know. You can't terminate me without cause ..." His voice trailed off as Sybill raised her wand and pointed it at him.

"What did you say?" she asked.

Loxley paled and backed away. He pulled his brightly coloured robes around himself and marched toward the door with an air of highly affronted dignity.

"You'll be hearing from my solicitor!" he called over his shoulder as he pulled the heavy door open. There was a high pitched yelp as Sybill's Stinging Hex caught him on his more-than-ample bottom.

With her wand still raised, she spun back to face Snape and Hermione, who had both pulled their wands while Sybill was engaged with Loxley. Now they raised them, prepared to defend themselves should it prove necessary.

"I'm hereby annulling your marriage," Sybill said. She crumpled their Certificate of Marriage and tossed it into the air. She aimed her wand at it and cackled as it burst into flame.

Snape smiled thinly, but he never lowered his wand.

"All you've destroyed is one of our copies," he said. "We have others. Furthermore, only the Wizengamot can authorize the annulment of a marriage, and only under very narrowly defined circumstances; ours will stand."

"The Wizengamot will do exactly as I tell it to do – just as it's been doing the past five years," Sybill said with certitude. "Especially when I remind them of the prophecy."

"What prophecy?" Snape asked.

"Why, the prophecy I made regarding the imminent demise of the wizarding world, of course."

"You wouldn't have remembered a legitimate prophecy."

"True," Sybill said with a careless shrug. "But, incredibly, neither the Chief Warlock nor the Minister for Magic remembered that tiny, little detail."

She laughed, and her eyes glowed with madness. Her wand tip was crackling with unfocused magical energy.

She turned to Hermione, her wand raised. "I must say, my dear, I was quite impressed when I read your early papers correlating the data about the falling birth rates. I'd expected I'd have to arrange for someone to discover the information and reach the conclusions you came to all on your own. And your coining of the term 'toxic magic' was absolutely inspired! After that, the Wizengamot was eager to listen to me and to believe the prophecy.

"And then you spoiled everything by sending additional information about the work you and the others were doing with fertility charms and potions. The effects of the toxic magic were fading faster than I thought they would, and I couldn't let that become known. I couldn't allow the Wizengamot to adopt a 'wait and see' attitude!"

From the corner of his eye, Snape saw Arthur Weasley slip into the room. He had his wand drawn. He pointed it toward Sybill, but he stopped when Snape gave a nearly imperceptible shake of his head. Although it was trembling in her hands, Sybill's wand was still pointed at Hermione.

"You gave the Wizengamot the skewed data," Hermione said with dawning comprehension.

"Of course, I did. Or at least I gave it to a few key people, most notably our beloved, but far too gullible, Minister for Magic. Once they understood the dire state of affairs, they were eager to do whatever needed to be done to rectify the situation. They were also eager to take advantage of my unique talents – talents which would guarantee that the wizarding world would be pulled from the brink of extinction. I was also able to convince them that I would best be able to serve the needs of the people if my identity remained a secret."

"Because if the general population knew their fates were being decided by a charlatan with a cracked crystal ball and a dirty tea bag, they would have rebelled," Snape said.

"There are always ... sceptics. I couldn't allow those sceptics to interfere with my objective."

"Oh, yes, you could hardly allow anyone to obfuscate your plans with anything as unimaginative as the truth, could you?"

"The people I guided went on to influence the rest of the sheep that make up the Wizengamot and to convince them to follow the correct path – my path."

"How many times did you use the Imperius to guide people?" Snape demanded.

"Can't you see that I had no choice? I was running out of time," Sybill said in a petulant tone.

"The toxic magic is gone, isn't it?" Hermione asked.

"Not entirely. There are pockets of it in various places, but its effects began to diminish a few years after the Dark Lord fell. Even my containment charms are beginning to fail now, and the birth rates are readjusting themselves. I'm the only one who's seen that data, of course, but it's getting more and more difficult to disguise the numbers."

"That explains the who," Snape said to Hermione, though his eyes never left Sybill, and his wand was still at the ready. "I still don't understand the why, however."

Sybill's fingers tightened around her wand, and her features twisted into a mask of fury. Any trace of petulance was gone from her voice. "Why? You dare ask why?"

"I know why," Hermione said quietly. She lowered her wand and took a step toward her former professor.

"You love him, don't you?"

"Don't be absurd," Sybill said, but she her eyes didn't meet Hermione's. Her wand was shaking in her hand as it wavered, pointing first at Hermione and then at Snape.

Arthur was shifting from foot to foot as he tried to find an angle from which he could disable or disarm Sybill. Snape betrayed no such nervousness, but he was also assessing the situation and looking for an opening. Both were fearful that as she fell, Sybill would unleash her chaotic magic against Hermione.

And Hermione made the situation even more perilous when she took another step closer to Sybill.

"You loved him, and he didn't love you back. This was a way for you to finally have your heart's desire."

"I thought he wanted me," she said. Her voice had dropped to a low, dream-like tone. Her eyes had a faraway look. "He made love to me ..."

"I never ..."

Hermione held up a hand, and Snape fell silent.

"Not with his body," Sybill crooned, "but with his words. He said he cared for me. He promised me that we'd be together. And when he discovered that I didn't know the rest of the prophecy – that I didn't even remember making it – he pushed me aside.

"I tried for years to win back his affections. He laughed when I offered myself to him – he laughed!

"And you laughed at me, as well." Now she did meet Hermione's eyes, and hers were filled with fury and madness. "You ridiculed my gift, and you broke my favourite crystal ball."

Her wand was nearly pointed at the floor by now, and Hermione took another step closer to her. She was a mere two metres away now.

"I'm sorry, Professor Trelawney," Hermione said.

"Oh, I forgive you, dearie," Sybill said in a suddenly reasonable tone. "You were young, and being Muggle-born, you weren't able to appreciate my gift. I would have had the Wizengamot annul your marriage to Mundungus Fletcher in a few years. You would have suffered enough by then, I think.

"And, of course, I've already forgiven you, my darling Severus," Sybill said as she looked up into Snape's stony visage. "Once we're properly married, I'll release the last of my charms and announce that the toxic magic is gone. I may even allow the Wizengamot to repeal the Marriage Law ... eventually. Many of the marriages I've arranged will be dissolved, but ours will last forever."

"You've forgotten that I'm already married," Snape said.

Her lips curved into a slight, enigmatic smile. "I haven't forgotten."

She moved quickly, her wand hand coming up, and her eyes narrowing to focus on Hermione.

"Avada ..."

Two Stupefying spells hit Sybill at nearly the same moment. One had come from Snape's wand, and the other from Arthur's. Sybill's eyes went wide with shock, and then she fell to the floor, her wand spilling out of her hand, spitting sparks as it rolled across the floor.

Hermione shuddered, and her body stiffened as the overlapping nimbuses of the two powerful spells washed over her. She didn't fall, however, and actually managed to step over Sybill's wand as it skittered past her.

Snape didn't even look at the fallen witch as he rushed to Hermione's side. She was swaying slightly, and he put his arm around her waist to steady her.

"Are you all right?" he asked.

Hermione shook her head to clear it, but when a wave of dizziness passed over her, she realised that wasn't a very good idea.

"Dizzy," she mumbled. "What happened?"

Snape's brow furrowed with concern. Stunning spells didn't usually interfere with memory, but she had absorbed excess energy from two spells cast at the same time.

He guided her to one of the visitors' chairs.

"Sit down before you fall and injure yourself further."

Arthur hurried over from the other side of the room. He gingerly picked up Sybill's wand, which had finally stopped sputtering, and tucked it into a deep pocket inside his robes.

"Hermione, are you hurt?" he asked in an anxious tone as he leaned over her.

"I'm ... I'm fine, I think. What happened?" she repeated.

Snape turned to Arthur. "I need to take her to St. Mungo's. She may have a concussion."

Arthur straightened and then glanced at Sybill's crumpled form. "We need to get Sybill there as well," he said. "She's unconscious."

"She can rot," Snape snapped out. "It's Hermione I'm concerned about. That bitch tried to kill her!"

"And she'll face charges before the Wizengamot for that and for many other crimes, as well."

Snape snorted softly. "Charges? She'll be lucky if I don't kill her myself if Hermione's been hurt."

Arthur raised his wand, and a small, silvery shape burst from its tip and scampered away.

"You go on and take Hermione. I've sent my Patronus ahead to St. Mungo's to prepare them for your arrival." Next he flicked his wand at the large fireplace that took up most of the far wall. "And I've opened the Floo for you. Once you're clear, I'll follow with Sybill."

Before Snape could respond, the door to the marriage chamber burst open, and several people rushed in, including Jonathan Loxley and Calvin.

"Wha's all this ruckus abou'?" Calvin asked.

Loxley went bug-eyed as he recognised Arthur. "Minister! What ..."

Arthur ignored everyone and spoke to Snape.

"Go. I'll handle this."

Snape nodded. He turned back to Hermione and lifted her into his arms. Her eyes closed, and she went limp. Snape felt a surge of fear.

"Hermione?" He shook her gently.

She stirred a bit when he spoke her name and blinked her eyes open blearily.

"What happened?" she asked for the third time.

"You were hit with a Stupefy," he answered.

"Oh."

"Hold on to me, now. I'm taking you to St. Mungo's."

"All right." She wound her arms around his neck and rested her head on his shoulder.

"You smell nice," she murmured as she buried her nose in his neck and inhaled deeply.

"She's off her head," Snape muttered as he shifted her a bit awkwardly to grab a pinch of Floo powder. He tightened his hold on her and stepped into the flaring green fire.

"St. Mungo's Emergency Room," he said in a clear, firm voice. They spun briefly and disappeared.

When they were gone, Arthur spoke to the small crowd that had gathered. "The excitement is over. Please, everyone, go back to your duties."

"But what happened?" Loxley asked. "Is Miss Trelawney dead? And is she really the Special Coordinator?"

"She is merely unconscious," Arthur said, ignoring Loxley's second question. "I'm taking her to St. Mungo's. I must insist that you all go back to work. I must also insist that you not discuss anything you've seen or heard here today with anyone."

People started shuffling out of the room, but even as they left, Arthur could hear them talking and speculating.

"Didja see her just layin' there ..."

"She looked dead to me ..."

"... and did you see Snape ..."

Arthur waited a few moments, and then he cast a Levitating Charm on his former Special Coordinator for Ministry Approved and Arranged Marriages. He guided her toward the fireplace and threw in his own measure of Floo powder. He pushed Sybill, none too gently, into the flames, and then he stepped in next to her, keeping a guiding hand on her arm.

"St. Mungo's Janus Thickey Ward!"

A moment later, they were spinning away as well.

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.