Chapter 17: A Marriage of Scientists

Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author.

Many thanks to DHLane for the beta of this chapter.

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I have frequently been questioned, especially by women, of how I could reconcile family life with a scientific career. Well, it has not been easy.

– Marie Curie.

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Greenwich, Ipswich: 14th March, 2010

Hermione stared in the mirror, barely able to recognise herself. The make-up Lavender had applied was not overdone, however, for a woman who rarely wore more than tinted lip balm out in public, it seemed like a lot. Her eyeliner was dark, framing her long, dark eyelashes. She was wearing eye shadow of a silver shade on her upper lid for the first time since she had graduated from her degree and completed her apprenticeship. Her cheeks were tinted slightly with rouge, and she was wearing foundation for perhaps the first and most likely the last time in her life.

She did not feel like herself with all of the paint on.

Her hair was carefully combed back from her face, save for a few small curls framing her slender jawline. It was pinned at the back of her head in a twist of curls that fell gracefully down to the bottom of her shoulder blades. It was ridiculous, the amount of effort a woman was required to go to in order to be the centre of attention at her own wedding.

She looked down at her hands, her engagement ring sparkling on her left hand. At first, the ring had made her hand feel heavy. Now, months later, she was more accustomed to the weight. It barely felt like she was wearing anything. She wondered if the new ring she would receive today would feel heavy with the weight of responsibility.

Hermione was startled out of her thoughts when a sharp knock rang out on the heavy wooden door.

She got up from the chair in front of the dresser and walked over, opening the door just a crack to make sure it wasn't her husband-to-be. Luna and Ginny, all dressed up in their blue and purple robes with their hair and make-up already done, were standing there. She sighed in relief and let them in, closing the door behind them.

'You both look so lovely,' Hermione said, resuming her seat in front of the mirror.

'Us?' Ginny exclaimed. 'Hermione, you look so beautiful it almost hurts to look at you! You're going to draw the eye of every man in the room! Severus ought to know what a lucky bloke he is, managing to get the attention of a catch like you.'

Hermione giggled nervously. 'I feel ridiculous with all of this make-up and hair product all over me,' she said, gesturing at her head.

'Don't worry – it's just for a few hours through the ceremony and reception, and then the two of you will be off on your honeymoon, and you can wear whatever you feel like there,' Ginny said, walking over and sitting beside her on the long dresser stool.

'You don't look like you have a lot of make-up on,' Luna said. 'You were already very pretty before Lavender came by.'

Hermione smiled at her friend. 'Thank you, Luna.'

'She's right,' Ginny said seriously. 'You are already one of the most beautiful people I know, inside and out. You don't need a stitch of make-up. Lavender did a really good job of highlighting your already gorgeous face.'

Hermione nodded, feeling a little less nervous about the make-up. She knew how critical people could be when it came to women. For a woman who never wore make-up to begin wearing it often sent the message that the woman in question had low self-esteem and had only just become aware of it. She didn't want anyone to think that she actually cared about the way that she looked. She had worked so hard not to care about how people viewed her that she was annoyed with herself now because she had discovered that she actually did.

'I am nervous,' Hermione said, reaching over to grasp Ginny's hand. 'My stomach is in knots. Is this how you felt before you married Harry?'

'I was just as nervous. I know you were there, but I just didn't know what to say to anyone, so I kept it to myself and was nearly sick right before my father came to collect me to walk down the aisle,' Ginny said, squeezing her hand reassuringly. 'I think Harry and I rushed into marriage – we were very young.'

'It doesn't mean the two of you didn't make the right decision,' Luna said with a smile. 'You are happy and have three beautiful children.'

Ginny beamed. 'They are the most wonderful children anyone could ask for,' she said proudly. 'Oh! That reminds me! Before we forget, there are a few things that we have to give you before the ceremony.'

Ginny pulled out her wand and summoned a velvet pouch from the corner of the room, opening it and pulling four items from it. There was a small, ornate seashell comb, a pair of white gold earrings with teardrop-shaped diamonds hanging from them that came with a matching chain and pendant, a white silk handkerchief with M.P. embroidered into it, and a pale blue garter for her thigh. Hermione smiled and knew that her friends had gathered together four items that stuck true to Muggle wedding traditions. She appreciated the effort her friends had gone to.

'We managed to pull all of this together a couple of days ago,' Ginny explained. 'I know you aren't having a Muggle wedding ceremony, but we wanted you to have something from your old world. We know your parents can't be here, but Luna and I hoped that this would be a nice way to include them.'

Luna nodded enthusiastically. 'The comb is your "something old". We asked Harry to do some digging around, and he actually found it at your parents' old house – it was in a jewellery box that he said belonged to your great-grandmother,' she added. 'I hope you will wear it in your hair.'

Hermione felt close to tears. She was touched that they had gone to the effort of finding a family heirloom for her to wear. 'Thank you for finding this for me,' she said, allowing Luna to tuck the comb into her hair.

'The necklace and earrings are your "something new". Severus gave them to us and said you should wear them,' Ginny said, helping her put on the necklace and handing her each earring to attach herself.

'This silk handkerchief is your "something borrowed". Ginny wore this on the day of her wedding, and all of the rest of the Weasley boys' wives wore this on the event of their weddings also,' Luna said, tucking the handkerchief into the inner pocket of her wedding robes. 'It belongs to Molly. She was given it by her father on the occasion of her wedding to remind her where she came from.'

'And this is your "something blue". A garter to wear so that Severus has something to remove later on,' Ginny said with a smile, helping Hermione slip it up to mid-thigh.

When she had finished, Hermione stood up and pulled her friends to her in a tight hug. 'Thank you so much, both of you!' she said holding in the tears that were threatening to spill over. 'I really appreciate that you did this for me. It really means a lot.'

'You're family,' Ginny said as they released each other. 'We Weasleys would do anything for one another.'

Hermione was about to say something when a knock sounded at the door. It opened and Ron's head popped around it. 'Are you ready to go, Hermione?' he asked with a wide grin.

Hermione nodded and went to the door, looping her arm around Ron's and accepting the kiss he placed on her cheek gently. 'Let's get this over and done with,' she said, looking back at the other two women.

'Let's do it,' Ginny said, grabbing Luna's hand and following them out.

--

Snape looked at the woman beside him from the corner of his eye. Her delicate hand was in his, and he couldn't help but to feel like he was the luckiest man in the world. She looked so beautiful, and he felt a little bit like the Beast standing next to Belle. His stomach was working its way up and down his throat, and had been almost the entire way through the ceremony.

The green field that the plateau and anvil stood upon was beautiful. It had been the perfect location for the wedding. There was not a cloud in the sky and no wind, although the air was still a little chilly. All of their friends and the few family members that they still had were standing around them in a circle as the Ministry official, who was presiding over their ceremony, was chatting away while they were supposed to be listening.

He turned his attention back to Hermione and saw that she was glancing his way. He offered her a smile and gave her hand a squeeze.

'... And now, if there are rings that you would like to exchange, this is your opportunity to do so,' the official said, looking at the two of them.

Snape turned to his best man, and Neville pushed Frank forward in a wheelchair. His friend handed him the ring that he had been safekeeping. Snape turned back to face Hermione and saw that she was also holding a ring. He held out his hand to her, and she gave it to him willingly. He carefully eased the white gold ring onto her finger to join the engagement ring he had given her a few months beforehand.

Hermione pushed a plain white gold band onto his ring finger in return, and the two faced each other and moved to hold hands over the anvil as the official recited more drivel. The two of them were handed documents to sign and touch with their wands, which they did readily. Afterwards, he smiled at her, and she beamed at him. When they were given the all clear, the couple leaned forward and kissed one another gently, and they were announced as man and wife.

Snape walked around the anvil to his wife, hugging her and picking her up, spinning her around in his arms, indifferent to everyone who was watching them. He set her back down on her feet and planted another kiss on her lips, still a little stunned that all of this was actually happening to him.

'We're married,' he said breathlessly, looking down at her.

'Yes, we are, husband of mine,' she said, slipping her hand into his as they began walking back down the hill with everyone else following them.

They arrived at the edge of a small forest of trees and Apparated together, arriving in the backyard of the Burrow. A smiling Molly Weasley, who swept the two of them immediately into a tight hug, greeted them.

'Oh! I am so excited for the two of you! Married! Finally!' she said, bustling around them and ushering them into the giant tent that they had arranged for the reception dinner. 'Everyone should be starting to arrive here in an hour or so. We have everything ready to go when the dinner party starts, no need to worry about any of that. I have it all well in hand.'

Snape saw the smile on Hermione's face and nodded to the Weasley matron. 'We would like to thank you for the tremendous effort you have gone to in order to prepare this spectacular dinner party for us, Molly,' he said, bowing slightly to the woman. 'It really does look like you have everything under control.'

'Well, I don't like to brag, but I have had a fair bit of practice,' she said, blushing from Snape's compliment. 'A lot of children...'

Hermione stepped forward and hugged the older woman again. 'We are really grateful to have you in our lives,' she said seriously.

Molly looked for a moment as though she might cry, but she simply nodded and sniffed lightly. 'I think you two should go inside and have a little bit of a rest before the guests start to arrive,' she said, shooing them.

Snape tugged Hermione along to the house with him, opening the door for her to enter before him. 'Why don't you go and have a lie down on the couch,' he suggested, following her through to the lounge room.

She nodded and sat down on the couch, letting herself fall back so that her head was resting on one of the arms. 'I can't actually believe that this day is happening. It all feels so surreal,' she said quietly. 'Like a dream...'

'I know how you feel,' he said, dropping into the armchair beside the fireplace. 'I am not sure how I even feel right now. It's almost as though I am numb.'

'Could you please light a fire?' she asked, yawning and stretching her arms out over her head. 'It's a little chilly in here.'

Snape lit the fire with a wave of his wand and sat back in the chair to relax for a little while. The room was silent, and he took a few moments to contemplate the events of the day. He had arrived at the small town just down the hill from the anvil that morning. He knew Hermione was staying at the local inn with her two best female friends and the wife of Ronald Weasley. The wedding itself had run smoothly and on time, going off without a hitch, just the way Hermione had planned. He was not surprised. Every plan that his lovely wife had a hand in always went off without a hitch – she had to be one of the most organised women in Europe.

As he was thinking, he felt himself drift off to sleep, only to be woken a little while later with someone shaking his shoulder gently. He opened his eyes to see Harry Potter's green eyes behind his glasses, peering at him with an amused expression. Snape sat up and rolled his shoulders before hauling himself out of his chair and walking over to the couch to wake his bride.

'Hermione, come now, wake up,' he said softly. 'It's time to go and greet all of our friends at the reception dinner. Hermione, my sweet...'

Her eyes flickered open slowly, and she stretched her arms up, linking them around his neck and allowed him to pull her up into a sitting position on the couch. 'What time is it?' she asked sleepily.

'It's 6 o'clock,' Harry said from the doorway. 'Nearly everyone from the wedding is here now.'

'Oh, you shouldn't have let me sleep for so long!' she exclaimed, standing up immediately and quickly rushing over to a mirror in the hallway to fix her hair.

'Hermione, your hair still looks lovely,' Snape said, stepping up behind her and grabbing her hands away from her fussing. 'Let's go out and be polite now. We only have to do so for a few more hours, and then we are off on our honeymoon.'

'Where are we going, again?' she asked, though she knew very well that she would not be able to trick him into revealing their destination so easily. She had tried many times before this day, and he had yet to fall into the trap.

'That is a surprise, my pet,' he said, ushering her through the kitchen and out the back door along with Harry.

'CONGRATULATIONS!' everyone chorused loudly as they stepped out into the garden.

Snape saw that the entire congregation of people had lined up and created something of an archway for the two of them to walk through leading up to the massive tent. They walked through, shaking hands with some and exchanging embraces with others. Minerva McGonagall stood somewhere nearest the tent and accosted Snape with a tight hug, tears swimming in her eyes as she congratulated first him and then Hermione.

They finally made it to their seats in the middle of the head table with the Longbottoms, Potters and Luna Lovegood also seated at the table with them. Soon enough the tent was filled with laughter, talking and people enjoying themselves eating and drinking champagne. Molly's catering was a huge success, and Snape was glad he had told Hermione to allow the older woman to participate in the organisation of their reception. The Weasleys and the Longbottoms were the closest thing he had to a family these days, Hermione aside.

He looked at Hermione and she looked back at him, flashing him what he could only describe as an adoring smile.

'This has been an incredible day,' she said, reaching across to grasp his hand on the table.

'It really has,' Snape replied, using his free hand to feed himself. 'Although, I am looking forward to this day being over. I think that this wedding has been quite a tiring affair for both of us.'

Hermione nodded. The dinner continued without a hiccough, everyone getting slowly more intoxicated. Snape felt a little tipsy himself from the few glasses he had consumed. When the time came, all of the dinner plates were cleared away by the house-elves from Hogwarts, supplied by Minerva to help Molly with the reception, as well as the cooking and cleaning. Dessert was served, and Hermione and Snape cut the wedding cake together, which was also served to the guests.

It was almost 10 o'clock at night when the party began to wind down and people started to either Apparate home or head upstairs to the rooms they would be staying in at the Burrow. Snape touched Hermione's wrist and saw that her cheeks were flushed pink from the alcohol and warmth from the crowd in the tent. It was time for them to leave. She nodded in understanding and turned around to say a few words to Ginny Potter.

Snape took her hand and led her out of the tent moments later, saying goodbye to a few people on their way out. When they reached the edge of the orchard beside the Burrow, the two looked at each other, and Snape leaned in to kiss her just as they Apparated away to their honeymoon destination.

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To be continued.