Four

My friend Hope always accuses me of having more than one story in all of my stories. I actually think that I have several different plotlines woven into a main plot. Whatever your take on it is, I promise you that everything I write has something to do with the main plot, and this chapter is no exception.

On a bright Saturday, a week after Professor Snape startled her in the library, Hermione found herself without company as her friends were practicing for an upcoming quidditch game against Slytherin. She had every intention at the beginning of the day to watch them whilst studying, but as they left for the pitch, she excused herself, the realization that her N.E.W.T.s were only a few months away, and she was determined to get perfect O's once again. Healing, an art that was intriguing to her, had become more so after her sixth year when she was privileged to watch the witches and wizards who were skilled in this art go from body to body, and bring people back from the brink of death with what seemed like little attention. She was not sure if she wanted to be a full healer, but the prospect was intriguing, compounded by an offer for her to apprentice at St. Mungos the following year, providing her grades were adequate.

She had gone to the library and stayed there for several hours, reading up on Alchemy, Herbology and Potions though she had memorized most of the books within her first four years. It was still nice to refresh her memory, and one never knew what new thing they could find in a book that they had read numerous times already.

Her hunger got the better of her eventually, though, and she made her way back towards the Great Hall, several books in her arms. She knew that she should have stopped in the Gryffindor common room to drop the books off, but she was late and worried that lunch would be cleared away before she got there if she didn't hurry. Her fear grew as she approached the Great Hall and saw it practically deserted. Still, she was hurrying there in hopes that she would not be too late.

She was hurrying too fast, however, and ran directly into an unsuspecting person, dropping her books and some papers at the same time.

"Oh, I'm so sorry," Hermione cried as she bent over and gathered the books together, shoving her loose notes inside of one as she straightened. "I didn't see you standing there."

Hermione then looked up at the person she had run into and was shocked speechless for a few moments. It was a woman, tall and thin, with long black hair of a lanky texture that Hermione recognized immediately. Her eyes then took in the woman's long, rather hooked nose and thin lips, set in a scowl.

"You should watch where you're going. Then there will be no need to apologize."

Hermione gulped and nodded at the female version of her Potions Professor who stood before her now.

"May I help you with anything?" Hermione asked lamely, trying to decide the best course of action.

The woman sneered at her. "What is your name?"

"Hermione Granger," Hermione answered automatically. Then she almost shrank back as the woman took ahold of her chin with one long, pale hand and seemed to study her face.

"Indeed? Well, I have heard much of you but did not have a face to go with the name. I am Thalia DeWinter, sister of Professor Snape. You are rather pretty."

Hermione gulped and took an involuntary step backwards as Thalia let go of her chin. "Thank you. You are very pretty as well."

"I am nothing of the sort," Thalia answered simply.

Hermione was about to protest, as she did find Thalia's irregular features, great height and pale skin rather attractive, but she was interrupted by her Potions Master himself entering the foyer, stalking quickly to his sister's side, taking her arm with a hand as long and beautiful as his sisters'.

"Miss Granger," he nodded in greeting.

Hermione was about to answer when the two tall figures turned abruptly and left her standing there stupidly, their long legs walking quickly to the entrance to the dungeons. Hermione watched curiously as Snape wrapped his arm around his sister in a tender gesture and kissed her cheek before disappearing into the shadows.

The entire encounter took so long that Hermione decided to go back to the common room in her tower and drop off her books before making her way down to the entrance of the kitchen in order to beg a late lunch from the ever-compliant house elves. Even after she had eaten and met up with her friends, though, she could not shake the feeling that Snape's sister had been scrutinizing her for defect, and somehow, she had passed the inspection. She wasn't sure what it was about the woman's proud look that made her think that she had been accepted favorably, but the feeling was with her all the same.

Eventually, she excused herself from her friends and made her way back to the library, a new question seizing her brain. Snape had a sister who was married. Did he have any other family? Was DeWinter a pureblood name? She had studied the Black Family Tree on numerous occasions, and had seen how her friends were related to many of the Pureblood families, but after showing how the Black family was connected to the other families, the lineage record would stop, as though all that was important in the world were the Blacks. And knowing what Hermione did of Sirius Black and his "mother", it was entirely probable that this was how they felt.

Grabbing a large book off the library shelf, Hermione sat down in the farthest corner that she could find, not wanting anyone to see what she was about. The book was called "The Illustrious Genealogy of Pureblood Wizards and Witches of Great Britain". It was a title as pompous as it was long, and the book was even longer. It was one of those magical books that updated itself as families updated themselves, and Hermione knew that she would be able to find out all she needed to know about her Potions Professor and his line.

She was just beginning to read about Snape's other sister, married to a man named Ian Jones, a pureblood, and their three children, Ian, Thomas and Mary. The names sounded rather plain compared to a name like Persethea, but Hermione, having a rather complicated name herself, could understand Pasithea's decision to name her children thusly.

"Miss Granger."

Hermione froze. She had been so wrapped up in her research that she had not heard Snape's approach, and though she knew it was too late, she slammed the book shut in hopes that he wouldn't be able to see which page she was studying.

"Professor Snape. Good to see you again, sir," she said with a smile, standing and holding the book to her chest as she did so.

The corners of Snape's mouth curled ever so slightly as he removed the book from her clutch and sent it back to its proper place with a wave of his wand. Hermione gulped and stood there stupidly, trying to think of an excuse.

"Miss Granger, I wonder if you would accompany me to the dungeons? I have something to speak to you about."

Hermione could not think of an excuse not to, especially under his penetrating gaze, so she nodded a quick yes and followed in the wake of his billowing black robes as he stalked back to his office. Once at the doorway, he paused to allow her to catch up to him, and then opened the door for her, ushering her inside as though he were afraid that someone would see them.

Once Hermione was seated across from his desk, her curiosity fully piqued, Snape sat himself across from her and examined the nail on one of his long fingers. Hermione raised her eyebrows expectantly.

"Miss Granger, you realize that you are not the only person afflicted by this ridiculous marriage law. Everyone in our world must do what they can to ensure the survival of our kind."

Hermione nodded at him,

"My father has looked upon this law as an opportunity to marry off his only son to ensure that our line will continue."

Hermione balked a little, a million questions springing to her mind. She did not ask any of them, however, as her teacher did not seem annoyed with her for once. She wanted to keep it that way.

"My father has read the law and has decided to exert his power as head of my family in order to procure his son a wife."

A thought suddenly came to Hermione, and she gasped slightly then said, "Oh, of course! How foolish of me to not have thought it!"

Snape made a scoffing noise that sounded like the word "indeed", then turned his full attention to her. "Thought what? Do share your revelation, Miss Granger."

Hermione ignored his sarcastic tone. "Well, I had not thought about it in this light, Professor. I have been thinking all along how it is unfair that I should be subject to the will of the Ministry in this law, and must have a husband as soon as any eligible offer is settled, but I had not thought about the converse side of the equation. Of course, any Muggleblood and Halfblood man must also be subject to the Ministry and their heads of family as well as Pureblood men being subject to the head of their family. I just..." she faltered a bit when she met his gaze.

"Well, the head of my family has been thrusting girl after girl towards me in hopes that an attraction might form. None has so far, and I have exhausted all eligible choices."

Hermione lifted her eyebrows ever so slightly.

"All except one, that is."

Hermione was slowly beginning to understand. She thought about how Thalia had looked her over so completely and mentioned that she had heard of her before. She had called her pretty.

"So...your father wants you to see me?"

Snape looked decidedly uncomfortable. "He actually wants me to marry you and has from the beginning. You are, of course, not ignorant at this point to my sister's perusal of you. My father has only looked at you academically, and he likes your marks. Perfect O's are not entirely rare, but rare enough to make him view you in a golden light."

Hermione took several moments to think about all that had been said so far, weighing her response before speaking. "Professor, I do not need to ask how you view me, for I know already how loathsome you find this situation, but if your father makes an offer for me and the Ministry finds it favorable, then they will accept on my behalf, acting as head of my family since my father is a Muggle. My hand will be forced, and we will marry."

Hermione suddenly felt very faint at the thought. After a long pause to collect her thoughts, she went on. "Professor, you were at the very top of my list. If your father makes an offer, then it is almost certain that the Ministry will accept."

"You could persuade them in another direction."

Hermione gave a chuckle. "What other direction? If no one else asks for my hand..."

Snape rubbed his hands over his eyes as though to clear his mind. "This entire conversation is madness."

Hermione had to agree. "Surely your father would not make an offer for me whilst I am still your student?"

"So far, I have managed to persuade him of the impropriety of me being offered to a current student, but there can be no telling what he will do now that I have gone through every girl on my list."

Hermione could not suppress a laugh. Snape glared at her as she covered her mouth to try and make herself stop.

"I'm sorry, Professor. Really, I didn't mean it..."

Snape stood and went to the door. "Good evening, Miss Granger. I'll see you tomorrow in class."

Hermione suddenly felt very silly and ashamed of herself. "I'm sorry," she said again, more contrite. "Really, and I won't tell anyone about this."

"I said good evening." He was still standing at the door.

Hermione only nodded and walked to the frame of the door. "Good evening, Professor." As she walked away, she afforded herself one curious look back, but Snape had already shut himself in his office.

Now she was left to wonder about the entire conversation, and the almost-civility that her professor had shown her. Not to mention the way that his sister had studied her and seemed to approve of her.

Would she really be forced to marry Snape?

~*~*~*~

Snape had several hours of free time over the next few days to think of his conversation with Hermione Granger. She did not know that she had been at the top of his list as well, but he found it almost revolutionary that they had both been first with each other. The loudmouth know-it-all his perfect match? The thought was a little disturbing. Check that, more than just a little disturbing. And his father was determined to get her for him. And in Snape's refusal to play the game, he had instead played into his father's hands and through process of elimination, he had only Hermione Granger left on his list of candidates.

Snape sighed and sat back in his chair, looking over the essays on his desk. He had graded Hermione's first, and the only fault he could find was that she had put too much information in it.

She annoyed him, plain and simple. Well, he had to admit that she did not so much now as she did her first few years. After the fifth year, when he was forced to be in her presence for long periods of time due to the war, she began to annoy him less. But she was still his student, and still twenty years his junior.

A knock at his door drew him from his reverie, and he opened it sharply, the hour far too late for a student to be out of bed.

Standing at the door was Millicent Bulstrode, a very frightened look on her face. "Professor, you must come quick! There is something the matter with Pansy!" she seemed very close to tears.

Snape nodded and followed Millicent to the girl's dormitory, muttering the password so that the Wards would not turn the staircase into a long slide. His long legs took him to Pansy's bedside in a matter of seconds, and he knew in an instant that Pansy was not merely sick, but seemed to be having a miscarriage. She was laying in a fetal position, hugging herself tightly and crying, blood pooling around her.

"Quickly, go to the floo and get Madam Pomfrey," Snape ordered Millicent. As she obeyed, Snape turned back to Pansy and put his hand on her forehead, feverish from the pain she was in. "Dear Merlin, Pansy, what have you been about?" he asked more to himself than her. He did not need to ask who she had been with, he only said, "I will inform Mr. Malfoy as soon as you are safe."

Pansy nodded and reached out to grip his hand. "Please don't tell my parents," she begged.

Snape was about to answer her when Poppy Pomfrey stepped through the floo and assessed the situation.

"We need to get her to the medical wing now," she told Snape.

Snape nodded and was about to conjure a stretcher when he realized that it would never fit in the fireplace. Swiftly, he wrapped Pansy in her blankets and lifted her up, stepping into the floo that way. Madam Pomfrey threw in floo powder, and he said, "The medical wing" as green smoke billowed around his legs.

When he arrived only a few moments later, he immediately deposited his student on a bed, Madam Pomfrey right behind him.

"I have a potion for the pain and another to ward off infection," she said to Snape. "But I have nothing to stop what is happening."

Pansy began to cry harder at this.

"Now now, dear," Madam Pomfrey said as she sat beside Pansy and offered her a cup of one of the potions. "This will help the pain...there you go."

Snape's evening turned into the following morning, and after only a few hours' sleep in an uncomfortable chair, he was forced to face Pansy's father and explain to him how his daughter could have gotten pregnant at the top wizarding school in Europe.

"Mr. Parkinson, I can assure you that all of the professors here keep a very keen eye on your children, but we cannot be held accountable for their indiscretions!"

Then Lucius Malfoy showed up. He had been displeased with Snape ever since it had come out how Snape had not been on Voldemort's side at all, but rather a spy, and all the recompense that Lucius had been forced to pay out after the war was over was, in his mind, all Snape's fault.

"What is this all about, Severus?" Lucius asked angrily. "What else goes on in front of that gargantuan nose of yours that you are unaware of? Or perhaps you have a hard time seeing past it."

Snape gave Lucius a dark look. "It is not my job to teach your child the Infecundus charm, Lucius."

Lucius gave a snort of disgust.

Snape then looked over at Draco who was seated as far away from all the other participants as he could get. Snape noted that he was giving Pansy a rather disgusted look, as though he were angry with her for some reason.

"Anything you'd care to add to this conversation, Malfoy?" Snape asked the boy, angered at his coldness.

"Yes," Mr. Parkinson said with venom in his voice. "After all, this is at least half your fault."

"It's not my fault that your daughter can't even have a baby like a real mother would," Draco answered.

Mrs. Parkinson stood up at this and began to walk over to Draco, the urge to slap him almost audible in the way her hands clenched. Snape managed to grab her and stop her, pinning her arms to her side.

"He's not worth it," he whispered to her.

Mrs. Parkinson then turned to Snape and looked him over. "No, but you are."

She slapped him so fast that he barely had time to dodge her, and she ended up making contact with the side of his nose instead of his cheek. Undeterred, she went after him again, but this time he was ready and managed to stand back, grabbing at her arms again.

"Everyone calm down!" Dumbledore bellowed. "This situation is most unfortunate, and everyone present has my most sincere apologies. But the fact still stands that while it is a regrettable event, the only fault that I feel responsible for is that of ignorance. Naturally, had we known that Mr. Malfoy and Miss Parkinson were involved in this manner, we would have put a stop to it immediately."

Mr. Parkinson looked at Snape coldly as he wrapped his arms around his wife. "I'll have your job for this, Snape," he spat. "And you," he said to Malfoy, "if your son ever so much as touches my daughter again-"

"If your daughter even looks at my son, I'll hex you into oblivion!" Lucius answered quickly.

"I'd love to see you try!" Mr. Parkinson had his wand out in a flash.

"Oh, I'll enjoy this," Lucius answered, brandishing his own wand.

How Dumbledore ever managed to get the parents and children sorted out was beyond Snape. He was temped to simply immobilize all of them and throw them out the windows. In the end, however, the parents left, still fighting amongst themselves. Pansy was still in her bed, crying softly. Draco had fled at some point during the fighting, and Snape decided that he was thoroughly disgusted with the boy. Pansy had finally admitted that her pregnancy had stemmed from a plan of hers and Draco's to marry each other despite the fact that the law stated that Purebloods were no longer allowed to marry each other. Her father had stalwartly answered that the last person she would ever marry would be Draco Malfoy.

The whole incident could have been easily over and done with in Snape's mind had it not proved to be so pivotal to his future. For one thing, Mr. Parkinson's insistence that Snape step down as Potions Master finally made its way through the Ministry of Magic, and an actual inquiry was put out by the Education Department. Snape agreed to step down at the completion of the year and decided, perhaps more sanguinely than normal, that it was a problem that ended for the best in that respect. He was angry still with Mr. Parkinson for his part in the situation and tried his hardest to not pass that anger along to Pansy. She was suffering enough from rumors and the meanness of Draco Malfoy and his friends.

The other consequence of all that happened was that Lucius Malfoy decided that since his son had indeed attempted to marry Pansy Parkinson in a rather underhanded way, that he should take matters into his own hands and prove to the Ministry that his family would never do anything that deceitful, and consequentially, put out several requests to the young women on his sons' list. Even this action would normally not have effected Snape in any material way, had not one of the young women on Draco's list been Hermione Granger.

In fact, it seemed as though Lucius saw the same benefits to his son being married to Hermione that Tetricus Snape saw.

Never backing down from a challenge, both Tetricus and Lucius sought Hermione fervently for their sons, and the battle for her hand began.

AN: Infecundus-Latin for sterile or sterility. I don't think that a wizard or witch would use anything as clumsy as modern birth control, so they must take potions or have charms to use. That's just my take