Fifteen

Hermione could not imagine being happier than she was when she and Snape finally returned to their home after their three-week long honeymoon. They had unpacked their trunks together, and then Hermione had gone to take a nice long bath in their lovely bathtub, big enough for both of them. She had been shocked when Snape had poked his head through the door and explained that his father needed to see him immediately, but after three week's absence, she understood that they both needed to get back to 'real' life.

"Don't mind me," she had said. "I'll just finish my bath and tackle our mail."

He had kissed her goodbye, and she did as she said, finishing her bath. It was then that she remembered her lack of bath towels.

Sighing, Hermione walked into the bedroom and transfigured the first thing she could find-her husband's cloak-and used it to dry off. She had only one clean robe left after her trip, and it was her least favorite.

She added laundry to her "To Do" list along with buying linens. Dressing quickly, she went into the living room to read the mail.

In the stack of parchment-colored envelopes, one that was silver caught her eye, and she smiled with delight when she saw that it was from Thalia. Quickly breaking the seal, she flung herself onto the sofa and began reading what her new sister-in-law had to say.

My dear Hermione,

Thalia DeWinter

Hermione smiled and went to the floo. There was no doubt in her mind what the wonderful news was, but she wanted very much for Thalia to tell her herself. Dropping a handful of powder into the fireplace, Hermione called out the directions for Thalia's floo and called out, "Thalia? Are you there?"

A few seconds later, the woman herself stepped through Hermione's floo, and they embraced happily.

"You look fabulous!" Thalia said as Hermione pulled her to the sofa.

"So do you. Severus has gone to see your father, so we are quite alone. I wonder, though, if you would mind going to the shops with me? We bought furniture, but we forgot linens entirely. I had to use one of Severus's robes for a bath towel." She laughed at her own stupidity.

"And naturally, Severus's robe was the closest thing you could find," Thalia finished, laughing.

"Well...he wasn't here, and what he doesn't know won't hurt him."

They both laughed, and Thalia took Hermione's hand gently.

"There was something I wanted to tell you, though, the reason that I wrote you that letter."

"Oh, yes," Hermione said happily, "tell me about that!"

Thalia smiled brightly, showing off teeth that were every bit as crooked as her brother's. "The potion that Severus made worked. Loren and I are going to have a child!"

Hermione smiled and hugged her sister-in-law. "I knew it! I just wanted to hear you say it. This is wonderful news, Thalia! Of course, now Severus will have to say that it was all thanks to him and his fertility potions."

Thalia laughed. "Yes, we've thought of that. Of course, after what happened at Father's shop, and being forced to resign, he may need a morale boost."

Hermione nodded. "I hadn't thought about that for three weeks. Has anyone been implicated?"

Thalia looked down and shook her head, looking a bit dejected. "Oh, Hermione...the culprits will more than likely never be captured."

She sighed. She had a feeling that it would be that way, but she held out such hope that the culprits would be brought to justice. Not that it was a big secret who the offenders were. Lucius Malfoy's supporters were few now that most of them were dead, and there were only three or four that came to mind. Hermione was sure that each one was just as stupid as the other, and would never be able to keep the secret of how he thwarted Severus Snape, the traitor.

"We won't dwell on it, then," Hermione said. "Instead, we need to go to the shops and find some sheets!"

"Sheets?" Thalia balked.

"Yes, we went furniture shopping before we left for Iceland, and we forgot linens completely."

Thalia took her by the hand and pulled out her wand. "It really is quite perverse that you should go and buy a bed and no bedding."

It was Hermione's turn to look down uncomfortably. "That was the day that the shop was vandalized. Severus wasn't in the mood for any more shopping, and we sort of forgot about it after that."

Thalia gave an apologetic look. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to put my foot in it just then."

"Oh, don't give it another thought. Just go shopping with me."

When they Apparated back to Hermione's sitting room, each holding parcels, they found Snape sitting on the sofa, reading.

"Hello, Severus," Hermione said as she dropped her parcels on the coffee table.

"Hermione," he greeted, marking his place and setting his book aside.

Hermione was surprised when he stood and kissed her forehead in front of his sister, but she was pleased with the attention. He then turned and pulled his sister into an embrace.

Hermione stood back and watched with pleasure as her husband greeted his sister and kissed her tenderly.

"I'm very happy for you," she heard him murmur.

"Thank you, Severus," she answered. "But I must go now. Write us later and we'll all have dinner together some night soon, all right?"

Snape and Hermione nodded before Thalia stepped back into the floo and went home.

"I forgot to leave you a note, Severus, I'm sorry," Hermione said as she began to levitate her parcels towards the bedroom.

"I knew where you were," he said with a smirk, holding up Thalia's letter. "For something my sister obviously did not want me to read, you made very sure to leave it in plain sight."

She laughed and pulled out a set of new sheets. "I'm sure Thalia will be devastated." Hermione began to make the bed with swift flicks of her wand. "What did your father need you for?"

She looked up at her husband, and almost dropped her wand. He looked...odd. She couldn't tell if he was happy or sad or indifferent. She had never seen this new expression on his face, and it scared her just a little.

"Hermione," he took her hands in his. "The most extraordinary thing has happened."

She felt as though her world was crashing down. "What is it, Severus? Is everything well? But you were reading a book, not pacing, so...what is it?"

She found herself pressed very tightly against her husband, his soft chuckles reverberating through his chest. "Do not worry, Hermione. I have good news, but it is extraordinary."

She looked up at him, and he pushed her gently against the bed so that she was sitting, and then knelt before her.

"Hermione, my father has decided to sell the family home and take a smaller flat in town. He has decided that this is the best course of action in order to keep his head above water, financially speaking."

Hermione failed to find any sense in his words. "I don't understand...how is this good news? Your family home..."

"I care not for that place. This is our home. But more than that, now that my father has admitted to being virtually penniless, I am no longer subject to his every whim. He is still the head of my family, as I will be when he passes, but without the promise of an inheritance, I can be my own man and pursue my own interests."

Hermione was beginning to feel overwhelmed. His own interests? What did that mean? Did he expect her to let him go gallivanting around the globe, returning only when he felt like it only to find her waiting for him?

She felt his hand on her face, and she focused her eyes on his. "Hermione, my dearest, I see what you are thinking. I will always be here for you; you need not worry about that. But think, if I am free to pursue my own interests in occupation, if I am not forced to hold onto merely making potions for the rest of my life, I can perform the research that I have always wished and perhaps be more. With my father ruling my life as he has, I would be stuck in his little shop in Knockturn Alley forever."

"So he is selling the shop?" What would they do for money?

"Yes, he is. And he has promised me the money from the sale."

Hermione gripped Snape's shoulders to steady herself. She felt his arms around her then, and his body pressing her back against the bed.

"It's all right, dearest. I promise you. Trust me."

She snuggled against his chest and wrapped her arms around him, taking a deep breath as she did so. She decided that she was too young for all this worry. What eighteen-year-old was concerned about their income? Wasn't she supposed to just apprentice and allow her parents to continue supporting her, as they would have done if she had gone to a Muggle university? What was the ministry thinking, asking children to get married?

Shocked, she suddenly realized why her father had been so upset at her marriage. The worst part of it all was that she couldn't imagine her life any different at this point. No matter what, good or bad, she wanted Severus Snape by her side.

Still in wonder at her own emotions, Hermione sat up and stared down at her husband. "Do you still know what I'm thinking?"

He turned on his side and rested his head in his hand, regarding her closely. "No, I cannot. And I do not want to use Legillimens to find out. I assume that you are a bit overwhelmed at the moment, however."

She nodded. "More than just a little, actually."

Snape sat up and put his hand on her cheek. "I forget how young you are sometimes. I know I've given you more than enough to think about for the next few weeks, but the promise I made you at the beginning still stands. You will never want for anything."

Hermione smiled and put her hand over his. "I know."

He leaned closer to her, a gleam in his eyes that she had never seen before. "I remember what you asked me for, too." He kissed her. "Passion was first on your list. Remember?"

She nodded and kissed him back. "You asked me if I love you..."

Hermione was pulled into a strong embrace, lying on top of Snape. "I've felt it this past week, Hermione," he whispered, brushing her hair from her face and over her shoulder. "I haven't said anything about it, I wanted you to come to me first."

She stared in his eyes, still shining brightly. It was all so different for her-he was different. She could feel the change in her heart. He would always be churlish and surly to others, always sarcastic, mean and crabby, but he was hers. She could tell just by looking at him that he belonged to her. "I do love you, Severus Snape."

Snape was still trying to acclimate himself to the bustle at Grimmauld Place, his dinner still digesting in his stomach, when Hermione emerged from her old bedroom, Crookshanks sitting happily in her arms, Ron and Harry following closely behind her.

"He really missed you. I don't think he went to sleep unless he was laying on your blanket," Ron said, giving the cat a look.

"We all missed you," Harry said. "I hope you won't be a stranger now that you're an old married woman."

The sound of Hermione's laughter was music to his ears. "You can always count on me to be here, Harry," she answered. "Isn't that right, Severus?"

The last place Snape liked to be was in the Black House. Even as a young boy, he hated being dropped off to play with Rudolphus and Sirius. When Sirius started teasing him mercilessly, hatred turned to loathing. "I won't stop you coming here," he promised.

When Hermione shoved Crookshanks into his arms, he balked, but wrapped his arms around the marmalade-colored cat, reflecting that it was nearly impossible to remove cat hairs from one's robes. Crookshanks merely looked up at him with wise eyes and placed his furry paw on Snape's shoulder.

It didn't help that he was still half-erect, and all he could think about was getting Hermione back in bed as soon as humanly possible. He had just been driving her wild by nibbling on that sensitive area behind her ear when Harry's owl had dropped a letter off, inviting them both to come for dinner and pick up the cat while they were there. Hermione could hardly wait to get her familiar back, so she had insisted upon Apparating immediately.

Snape knew that he was being selfish, but after three weeks of having Hermione all to himself, and after telling her that he loved her, he did not want to share her. Ever. Or at least until after a few hours of showing her how much he loved her.

He took Crookshanks down to the study-their study-and sat down on the sofa with the cat in his lap. He didn't feel that he needed to say how he felt. Crookshanks gave him a look of understanding, and Snape remembered that he was part Kneazle. They spent a few minutes commiserating, Snape scratching Crookshanks's ears while Crookshanks purred and kneaded Snape's lap, when Hermione walked in, her face flushed.

"Severus, what are you two doing in here? Never mind...you need to read this."

She shoved The Daily Prophet in front of his face, taking Crookshanks as she sat down beside him.

On the back page, hidden between two advertisements, was a simple article.

Edmund Eberheart, new Minister of Magic, seeks to repeal Marriage Law. "The Marriage Law is not achieving the success that my predecessor hoped for," Eberhart stated on July 8th. "We are looking to repeal the law and annul any marriages that came from it."

Whether or not Eberhart will be successful remains to be seen.

Snape felt his blood run cold.

"Severus, you don't think that they'll annul the marriages of the couples who are happy, do you?"

"I don't know, Hermione. The Ministry can do anything it likes. How did you find this?"

She pointed to an advertisement for the newest Nimbus broom. "Ron was showing me that. I don't think anyone else has paid attention to it, neither he nor Harry had seen it."

"Of course not. The Ministry is going to repeal the law and annul the marriages, and then say that they had given ample notice. Where is Arthur Weasley? He'll be able to give us the pertinent information."

Snape stood and Hermione took his arm, standing next to him. "Arthur is at a raid tonight. Perhaps Tonks knows something."

They found Tonks in Remus's room, lounging on his bed and reading while Remus was putting together some sort of contraption at his desk.

"Tonks, do you know anything about the repeal of the Marriage Law?" Hermione asked without preamble.

Tonks raised her eyebrows and sat up. "I haven't heard anything. Why?"

Remus joined her on the bed, looking concerned.

"Here, in The Daily Prophet, on the back page," Hermione said, handing them the paper.

"That's typical, isn't it?" Remus asked. "They put it on the last page, and when no one protests, they assume that it's all right. That's the same way they snuck the law in, in the first place."

"They can't annul all of the marriages, though. Some people must be happy!"

"Not everyone is as lucky as you are, Hermione," Tonks said quietly.

Snape felt his stomach tighten. He could only imagine how some of the spouses of proud, Pureblood families were treated. In all honesty, repealing the law was the best thing to do.

"But they can't annul them all," Hermione protested again.

"If the couples are given a choice, Hermione, anyone involved in an abusive relationship would be forced to stay in it," Snape said gently, his hand on her shoulder.

She turned and wrapped her arms around his waist. "I won't leave you," she promised.

It was something so simple, and so sweet, that he didn't know what to say at first. "I'd love to see you try," he murmured against the top of her head, smoothing her hair down.

The sound of Remus chuckling brought Snape out of his current thoughts, and he turned and faced him. "I see you've found something amusing, Remus. Won't you share your thoughts with the rest of us?"

Remus smiled and waved it off. "I was just thinking about the Weasleys and all the things they were going to do to you if you didn't treat our Hermione right. They'd all eat their hats right now to see you two like this."

His smile was warm and friendly, and Snape found that he could not be angry with him for too long. "Indeed. How honorable of the clan to naturally assume that Hermione would be the sufferer in the relationship, and care nothing for how she treats me."

Hermione laughed and snuggled closer to him. "Yes, I abuse him horribly. You should really do something about it."

"I doubt you'd garner much sympathy, Severus," Tonks said with a smile. "You aren't much of a damsel in distress, if you know what I mean."

Snape was saved from retort when Crookshanks rested his paw against Snape's leg and let out a pitiful howl. Hermione pushed away from Snape's embrace and lifted her cat into her arms. "I think Crookshanks wants to go home," she said.

Thank goodness. "He's not the only one. Let's get away from these two barmy Byzantines."

"I'd say that we've missed you, Severus, but you know how I hate to lie," Remus responded.

"And you know how I hate to hex people for lying."

Remus smirked at Snape, and Snape answered with a smirk of his own.

"See ya all later," Tonks waved merrily.

Snape sneered and led Hermione from the room so that she could bid farewell to her friends. He stood by stoically as Potter and Weasley made over Hermione and vice versa. When he Apparated them back to their flat, he set Crookshanks on the floor unceremoniously and pressed Hermione against the nearest wall, lifting her so that her legs straddled his waist.

"Crookshanks is going to stop talking to me if I keep ignoring him..." she mumbled against his lips.

"Who would you rather have, the cat or me?"

She laughed. "I need to think about that for a minute."

Snape carried her to the bedroom and threw her onto the partially made bed. She laughed and opened the front of her robe so that he could see her black lacy bra. Smirking, Snape opened his own robe and discarded it on the floor, the front of his boxers obviously tented. He put his hand on his hardness and raised an eyebrow. Hermione's eyes darkened and she licked her lips.

"I think you've already made your decision, Madam Snape."

She giggled, and he pressed himself on top of her, opening her robe the rest of the way. He lowered his head and kissed her, his hand pulling her breasts from her bra as he ground himself against her.

"Oh, Severus," she moaned as he sucked at her neck, biting it lightly.

A sudden shift in pressure occurred on the mattress, and he lifted his head, focusing on the deep orange eyes of Crookshanks. The cat wore a very disapproving glare as he stared Snape down.

"Blast!"

TBC

AN: What? Your cat has never interrupted you during an inopportune moment? If a door's open, the cat goes in there. If there are people in the room, he hides himself. You can close the door (though Severus has never owned a cat, so he probably doesn't understand why he would have to close the door in his own house), but they usually find their way in.

Anyway, got this one out pretty quickly. Thanks to everyone who's reading and reviewing, and especially all of you who have given me great reviews for my new story, Mister Mom, as well. I appreciate the time you guys take to review, and I try to answer the reviews, but some of them fall through the cracks. I shall endeavor to do better from now on, though.