Chapter 12 - After the Ball Is Over

Chapter 12 – After the Ball Is Over

It was later in the afternoon when the coach pulled up in front of the Snape townhouse in London. It had been a quiet trip as both occupants were wrapped up in their own private thoughts. Severus was mulling over various topics before Parliament. Hermione was anxious to see her family and get settled into her new home.

Severus looked from the window at the commotion coming from outside. He groaned when he saw Harry waiting for them at the door. He could see his and Hermione's family standing at the parlor window. He rolled his eyes to see Harry enthusiastically bound down the stairs to get the coach door. He stepped down and was immediately engulfed in a hug. "Get off of me," he quietly growled.

"Sev, old boy, how are you? How was the honeymoon? Bet you would have liked another week away," Harry said. He grinned as soon as Severus handed Hermione out of the carriage. He grabbed her in a bear hug also.

"Harry! Put me down!" she laughed. "It is nice to see you too." She straightened her dress as she walked into the house.

She turned towards the parlor as she heard her brother's voice drawl, "I see that married life agrees with you, little sister."

"Draco! Did you come to see me also? I knew you liked me," she teased.

"Actually, Lady Minerva invited us to dinner this evening. I guess she knew that you would want to see my handsome face as soon as you got back to London."

"Really, Draco," Narcissa reproved as she came forward to hug her daughter, "If you remember, I made you come tonight."

Hermione stuck her tongue out at Draco as she gave her mother a warm hug. Severus came in at that exact moment and raised an eyebrow at her childish behavior.

Lucius got up from his chair and came forward to greet the newlyweds. He was happy to see that his daughter seemed to be handling married life rather well, so far. "Severus, how was your week together? Did you get a chance to have a look at the latest proposals before Parliament?" The two men sat at the far end of the parlor, deep in conversation.

Hermione settled herself next to Narcissa. "I had a good week. We got to know each other a little better. I think we will get along well."

"That is good, darling. I am glad. Your father and I were a little worried, and Draco even offered to go and pay a visit. Thankfully, Ginny talked him out of it. Now that you are back, we must get you a new wardrobe for the Season. Of course, there will also be dinners and balls to attend. You will have to make sure you host at least one event," Narcissa prattled on.

"Narcissa, let the poor girl get settled in first," Minerva said as she entered the room. "I do apologize for not being here when you first arrived. I had to attend to a little matter regarding the menu for tomorrow."

Hermione stood and greeted her new mother-in-law. She felt a true affection for her and knew that they would get along well.

"We have a picnic and reception planned for tomorrow afternoon, to introduce the new Duchess of Walforth," she continued.

"I'm sorry. You are having what tomorrow?" Hermione did not want to have to attend a social function so soon after arriving.

"The Season is starting, and your mother and I figured that the best way to introduce you to society was to have a small gathering. We will plan a formal ball later in the season. Don't worry, dear, it will only be close friends. Now, I believe dinner is being served, shall we?" Minerva led everyone into the dining room.

Dinner was a lighthearted affair. It wasn't until afterwards that Hermione voiced her disapproval of tomorrow's event. "Can you believe that I have to start attending social events one day after I return from my honeymoon? I don't have time to have a new gown made. I was hoping to relax and get used to my new home," she ranted. She turned around when she did not get a response. "Severus! Would you listen to me?"

Severus winced. "Hermione, I cannot help but hear you. You are shouting. Moderate your voice unless you want the entire household to hear you."

Hermione wrinkled her nose at him. "Well, then, what do you think? Are you really that excited about the picnic tomorrow?"

"No. But I do not see any way out of the event. Besides, if all they want is a small event, I see no reason to stop them, either. Wait until they make you help with the ball."

Hermione stared at her husband as he chuckled softly. What she did not know was that he had indeed tried to get out of tomorrow's event. When he had threatened not to show up, Minerva had calmly informed him that if he did not attend, then people would gossip about it, especially as they had only been married for a week. Since he hated gossip more than anything, at the present time, he ground out that he would be in attendance.

"Come to bed, Hermione. It is late and I need some sleep," he yawned.

Hermione huffed as she crawled into bed. She snuggled up to him and soon was asleep.

Hermione awoke the next morning, alone. Severus had risen and also finished breakfast by the time she had made her way downstairs. Everyone else was still eating, so she helped herself to the food on the sideboard.

"Good morning, Severus. Are you feeling well?" she asked, noticing the tension lines around his mouth and eyes.

"Adequate. Are you going to be ready for your first bow to society in a few hours?" he asked. She groaned and he chuckled. "Then I leave you in the capable hands of my mother. I have a couple of errands to run, but I promise to be back in time for the picnic."

Once Severus walked out of the door, he quickened his stride. He had to find his cousin, and fast. Lady Minerva had cornered him as soon as he had come downstairs this morning. It appeared that Lady Trelawney, his ex-mistress, had married his first cousin, Lord Fudge while he had been on his honeymoon. Said cousin had been invited to the picnic today before Minerva had been made aware of his new marital status. Both Severus and his mother agreed that Hermione should not be told about his previous relationship with Trelawney. He needed to talk to his cousin and make sure that he had his new wife well under his hand.

Hermione, meanwhile, was going through her wardrobe with Minerva and Narcissa. Since her wedding, Hermione was seeing much more of Narcissa than she had when she lived at her parents' home. The room looked like her trunks had exploded, dresses covered every inch of the room.

"Well, I would prefer to wear either the apple green muslin or the sky blue silk," Hermione said. She stood in the middle of the colorful mess while the two older women searched through piles, trying to find matching shoes and shawls.

"Oh, good, Narcissa. Since you have found the white slippers, she can wear the blue silk," Minerva said with satisfaction. "We can leave all of this for the maids to put away. Now, you two finish dressing while I go dress myself."

"That color does look good on you, Hermione. I believe that I will wear my yellow silk, that way we won't clash when we stand close together," Narcissa said as she left to return home.

Hermione sighed, looked around and thanked the heavens that she actually had maids to tackle this disaster. Her personal maid helped her step into the dress. She decided to just weave a white silk cord through her curls. She didn't want to worry about ruining her hair style as she would be outdoors most of the day.

Hermione walked out into the back garden and took in the sight before her. She was amazed at the number of people that Lady Minerva considered "close" friends and family. It looked very close to the same number that attended her wedding. Squaring her shoulders, she smiled and stepped out to greet her mother-in-law.

"Minerva, it appears that all of society is in attendance," she said.

"Hermione, my dear, I do believe you are correct, the only person missing is Severus. I do hope he is back soon," Minerva said.

"Where did he go?" Hermione asked. She had expected him to meet her at the bottom of the stairs so that they could make their appearance together.

"He had an important matter to attend to. I had thought he would have been back by now... " said Minerva anxiously. She too had hoped that they would have been able to enter the garden together.

"I am back. I had to change and was told that Hermione had already gone to the gardens," Severus said from behind them.

Both women turned and smiled. Minerva had never felt prouder of her son. Hermione looked at him and almost fainted. He had never looked more powerful and handsome than he did on this occasion. He offered an arm to his wife and mother and led them to the gazebo that was situated in the center of the garden.

"On behalf of the Snape family, I want to thank you all for coming," Severus said. He still hated large crowds but was duty bound to thank his guests. "If you are in need of anything, please, don't hesitate to ask. Enjoy the day."

Hermione stared at him in shock.

"What?" he asked.

"Nothing. I just... well... I have never heard you be so polite and civil in a public gathering before. It almost sounded like you are enjoying this," she whispered.

"Don't get used to it," he said. "I just figured I wouldn't have to talk to as many people if I thanked everyone at once."

Hermione looked at him, narrowed her eyes, and trod upon his foot as she walked in front of him to greet her parents. She smiled when she heard his soft hiss of pain.

"Father, I am glad you are here. I was hardly able to talk to you at all last night. Of course, we live close enough that I can stop in and visit you and mother all the time," she said as she gave Lucius a kiss on the cheek.

"Of course you may, darling. How is married life treating you so far?" he asked. He privately hoped she wouldn't be coming home all the time as he had plans that involved a lot of private time with Narcissa.

"I think I will enjoy being married to him," she replied.

"Good, good. I am certainly glad to hear it. Now would you mind telling me why he is scowling at you?" Lucius asked.

Hermione shot Severus a sickly sweet smile and replied, "He wanted me all to himself. He loves me so much that he can't stand to be apart for very long. See, here he comes now."

"Lucius, Narcissa, how are you this afternoon?" he asked. He didn't trust what would come out of his little wife's mouth. He was almost afraid to guess what she had said to put such an amused look on his best friend's face.

"We are fine, Severus. I am glad that to hear that you two are getting along so well. But come, you can't keep Hermione all to yourself forever. Let's go over there; I see a couple of friends I want to introduce you to."

Narcissa and Hermione watched the two men leave. They turned to rejoin Minerva and to mingle with the other guests. Everyone was anxious to meet the new bride. Minerva groaned when she saw Draco coming. Attached to his arm was none other than Lady Sibyll, the new Mrs. Cornelius Fudge.

"Hermione, I would like to introduce you to Lady Sibyll. She is newly married to your husband's cousin, Lord Cornelius Fudge," Draco drawled. He did not particularly want to introduce his sister to Snape's former mistress, but he had been cornered. Since she had married into the family, he saw no graceful way out. All he could do was shrug apologetically to Minerva.

"How do you do, Lady Sibyll," Hermione said. She was surprised to note that her new cousin was very beautiful and looked exquisite in an ice blue silk gown. She also noticed that the neckline was a bit lower than an afternoon picnic warranted.

"Lady Hermione, welcome to the family. Isn't it such fun to be new brides together?" she gushed.

"Indeed. You will have to come to tea sometime so that we could get better acquainted," Hermione said.

"How is Cornelius doing, Sibyll?" asked Minerva. As long as Sibyll could be civil, Minerva was willing to include her in their group.

"He is doing well. He is over there in the corner with the rest of the men," she laughed.

"Mother, I need your advice with something," Draco said.

"Of course, darling," Narcissa said as she and Draco wandered away from the group.

"Excuse me, Lady Minerva, but I was wondering if you were planning to host the Easter picnic this year," an older gentleman asked. Minerva turned to talk to the newcomer and left Hermione and Trelawney alone.

"It is a beautiful home. Are you going to be living here?" Lady Sibyll asked Hermione.

"I am not sure. I haven't really discussed it with Severus," Hermione said.

"Really? Lord Fudge is such a dear. He let me pick our new home. It is absolutely perfect. Just the two of us. He is so generous and kind," Sibyll trilled.

"I don't really mind this house. Family is very important to us," Hermione started to say.

"Of course, dear. You are so young yet; I suppose the help of a more experienced person like Lady Minerva is so reassuring. I remember that I was hardly able to handle the simplest of servants' quarrels at your age," Sibyll continued.

Hermione could feel her teeth start to grind together. "That is not the case at all. We have just returned from our honeymoon yesterday..."

"Oh, did I tell you? We are going to be going on a three week tour of the continent for our honeymoon. My dear Mr. Fudge wanted to spoil me with a trip in absolute luxury," Sibyll interrupted.

Any moment now, Hermione was sure that she would personally start feeding Sibyll the cut glass punch bowl if she did not stop prattling on. She was saved from making that effort by Ginny.

"Hermione, there you are. Your mother said you were over here visiting with a cousin," Ginny grinned at her.

"Ginny. How wonderful of you to come. Yes, this is Lady Sibyll. She has just married my husband's cousin, Lord Cornelius, Marques of Fudge," Hermione said.

"Really? It must be true about absence makes the heart grow fonder, Lady Sibyll. I see Lord Fudge looking for you," Ginny said. She took Hermione's elbow and started drawing her away. "I believe your husband is also looking for you, Lady Hermione."

"Oh. Excuse me, Lady Sibyll. I mustn't keep him waiting," Hermione happily said, as she almost dragged poor Ginny, in her haste to get away.

"Oh, thank you for rescuing me," Hermione said, once they were a safe distance away.

"No problem. Draco said that you might need help. He didn't want to leave you with her but she can be determined," Ginny laughed. "What did she say that has you so flushed?"

"Nothing."

"Nothing? Are you sure?" Ginny couldn't remember the last time she saw Hermione flushed in anger. Well, anyway she couldn't remember the last time in the past month that she saw Hermione so angry.

"No, nothing. Well, she did go on about having her own house and such. But I couldn't get a word in edgewise to say whether I wanted one of my own or not," Hermione bit out.

"Oh. Well, do you?"

"What?"

"Do you?"

"Do I what? Want a word in edgewise? Yes, I did."

Ginny rolled her eyes. "No, do you want a home of your own?"

"Oh! That. I never really thought about it. I guess it would be nice, but I don't mind living at the family residence either."

"Good," said a voice behind them.

Hermione and Ginny both jumped.

"Oh! Severus. That was not nice. Don't scare me like that," Hermione scolded.

"Ginny, Draco is looking for you. I told him I saw you head over here," Severus said.

"I forgot. I will see you later then, Hermione," she said over her shoulder. She could tell when she was not wanted.

"So what is this about a new house?" he asked.

"Just a little bit of nonsense your cousin and I were discussing," she hedged.

"Hmmm. They are waiting for us to lead the picnic. Come," he said, as he held out his hand.

Together, they went back up towards the house. They enjoyed fresh fruit and sandwiches. Hermione fed him choice bits of cheese and bread. He kept her goblet full of sweet wine. By the end of the day, she had forgotten her discussion with Lady Fudge.

By the end of the week, Hermione was willing to run naked through the house, screaming at the top of her lungs if it would keep everyone from mentioning houses. She had just received the last guest when Severus entered the drawing room. He stopped short when he saw his wife sitting in a chair talking to nobody.

"Hermione?" he asked quietly. "Who are you talking to?"

"I am talking to myself, Severus. Do you know why? Because that is what insane people do," she snapped.

He raised an eyebrow. "Insane?" He started thinking back to what he could possibly have done to upset her lately.

"Yes. Everyone who attended our reception has been to pay a call."

"Well... That is very nice of them." He still wasn't sure if he was in trouble or not.

"Do you want to know what they all have been saying?" she asked quietly.

"That they hope we are happy?" He prayed to whatever higher being was listening that he answered correctly.

"No! They all mention that there is the cutest house on such and such a street! They are all willing to take me to see it! They understand why I am saying that I am content in this house, but wouldn't I love to have my own?" she practically shouted at him.

Severus didn't know what to say. This had him beyond confused. His brain scrambled to keep pace even as he realized that she was still talking.

"I told them all, every single person, that I am not looking for a new home and that I wouldn't consider moving unless we agreed to it," she continued. When she got no response, she looked at Severus. "Oh, for Merlin's sake, close your mouth, Severus."

"Are you saying you want to buy a new house?" he asked. Then he immediately realized he had said the wrong thing.

"NO!" she yelled.

"Hermione," he said, starting to get upset himself. He realized that he had done nothing to warrant being yelled at. "Stop yelling. You are starting to sound like a spoiled student. What exactly are you trying to say?"

She took a deep breath. "Nothing. I am saying absolutely nothing." She rose and regally walked out of the room, stopping to give him a peck on the cheek on her way out of the door.

Severus shook his head and went in search of Lady Minerva.

"...so then everyone thinks that Hermione and you should buy a large, opulent house and put Lady Sibyll in her place. They mean well, but I can understand Hermione's frustrations." Minerva poured tea and handed it to her son.

"Why didn't she just tell me that?" he asked.

"I believe it is because you had already caught her mid-tantrum. Give her a bit to calm down. Let the topic drop. Poor thing, even her mother is taking her around and pointing out houses," Minerva said sympathetically.

"Do you think that she would like a new house? I didn't think that you two had any problems getting along," Severus commented. He didn't mind living at home, but the thought of a house with just the two of them did sound rather like fun. He would have to give it some more thought.

"Depending on how you presented it to her, she might like it. We get along fine so don't worry about us. Hermione doesn't strike me as the type to want to show off. I believe she would be amiable to a new house if you presented it to her as your idea or as someplace for just the two of you."

"Who has an idea? Sev? That is rich, mother," Harry laughed as he came into the room. He had been with Ron earlier and had decided to return home for some much needed rest.

"Yes, I have an idea, Harry," Severus ground out. He still did not like the idea of Harry as a sibling, but he decided that he would make a good servant. "I need you to come with me and look at a couple things. You can hold the horses," he said.

"Sorry, old boy. I am going to go get some beauty sleep before I go out tonight," Harry yawned.

"No. You are coming with me. You can take notes for me on my errands," Severus said. He grabbed hold of his brother's arm and marched him outside.

Minerva sighed and went in search of Hermione. She wanted to make sure that she wasn't too upset. Maybe she would go with Narcissa and Hermione and try to distract them with some shopping instead. Hermione had been looking tired this past week; not that she blamed her, but she wanted her to look her best for the Easter picnic she had planned this coming weekend.

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Author's Note: Hope you enjoy this chapter. Sorry about the long delay. A million thanks to Tinnidawg, my poor, overworked beta!