sixteen

An: Okay, here's the second-to-last chapter. I'll be posting the last chapter within a few days (it's been written for a while), and then follow up with an Epilogue. Not very long, just a little tidbit. Anyway, I hope you all enjoy this!

The Daily Prophet

August 17, 1998

The Ministry will be sending out letters and appeal forms to all couples affected by the Marriage Law and the Repeal. Those interested in protesting are encouraged to do so immediately.

Hermione looked up from the paper and stared in the eyes of her husband.

"Are you pregnant?" he asked hopefully.

Hermione shook her head sadly.

"It's probably for the best, at any rate. We really don't need the addition of a child on top of our other stressors."

She could only agree, but was saved from comment when a Ministry Owl came flying in the room, looking very important with an emblem on his chest, and delivered a package directly to Hermione. She stared at it for the longest time, not wanting to open it. She didn't want to face the truth behind the envelope.

"Dearest, the sooner we protest, the faster we'll put this all behind us," Snape said simply, taking her hand in his. "Open it. I won't let you go."

Hermione looked up at her husband, happy that he spoke the words she so longed to hear. "Thank you."

He gave her an imperceptible smile and squeezed her hand before letting it go. Hermione took a deep breath, and broke the seal on the letter.

"Dear Miss Granger," she read aloud. "Oh, that burns me! My name is Mrs. Snape!"

"Darling, I know it is. Please read on."

"This letter is to inform you of your marriage annulment, effective September One, 1998. If you wish to protest this annulment, please fill out the attached form and return it to the Ministry Of Magic, Marriage Department as soon as possible. Thank you."

Hermione set the letter down and took out the protest form, checking it for charms. She found only a Veritas Charm, which she smiled at. That way, the Ministry could not accuse her of lying on her application.

"Love, could you get me a quill please?" she asked as she began to read the questions on the application.

Name: Hermione Jane Snape, Order of Merlin First Class

Spouse: Severus Salonius Snape, Order of Merlin First Class, Potion Master

Floo Direction: Basement Flat, Kingsley Townhouse

Preliminary Questions

Is your Pureblood spouse abusive to you in any way?

An unequivocal no

Is your Pureblood spouse's family abusive towards you in any way, ie, do they belittle you and treat you in an inferior manner due to your bloodline?

No, the Snape family has been more than accommodating to me since I became engaged so Severus, and had accepted me as a member of the family even before we were married.

What is your reason for protesting this annulment?

Severus and I have fallen in love, and wish to remain together the rest of our days.

"Don't you feel that's a bit much, darling?"

Hermione looked up at him. "No, I don't. I mean it, and this parchment knows that I can't lie."

He leaned over and kissed her cheek.

She smiled and finished filling out her protest form.

Three days later, another Ministry Owl flew through the window and set an envelope in front of Hermione.

Dear Miss Granger,

Hermione frowned.

This letter is to inform you that the Ministry has received your protest form and will process it in due course. In the mean time, you will be allowed to live with Severus Snape until the Ministry contacts you. If you wish to leave, please forward your directions to the Ministry immediately.

Marriage Relations Investigator

"What does it say?" Snape asked, looking a bit worried.

"They received my protest, and are allowing us to continue living together during the protest process. However, if I need to leave, they'll allow me to and even send an escort to make sure that I'm all right."

Snape laughed. "Darling, I know that you wrote to them that you love me and don't wish to leave, but what does it say?"

Hermione looked up sharply. "I just told you that it says that we are to live together during the protestation process."

"Yes, I understood that."

"And that the Ministry will send an escort if I wish to leave. Tell me what I just said."

"You said that the Ministry understands that you do not ever want to leave me."

Hermione sighed and shook her head. "They obviously put a charm on this so that if I try to paraphrase or read it, you will only hear about how devoted I am to you."

Snape shrugged and took a drink of coffee. "Once all this is over, you'll be able to tell me about it."

Hermione was about to reply when a knock at the door stopped her. The Sneakscope showed her father's face, so she opened the door without hesitation.

"Dad! It's good to see you. But don't you have to work today?"

Mr. Granger walked into the kitchen and eyed Snape, who was still drinking his coffee and reading the paper.

"Hermione, I got a letter from the Ministry today, and I want you to explain it to me."

Hermione looked a little confused, but took a rolled-up parchment from his hand.

"Oh, this is your letter informing you of my protest to the annulment." She looked up at him. "That's all."

Mr. Granger gave Snape a look, and Hermione frowned at him. "Would you mind giving us some privacy?"

"Of course not," Snape said, standing to his full height before lifting his coffee mug and paper and retreating to the study.

"Hermione, have you gone mad? Here you have a perfect chance to get out of this sham and have a real life, and you're protesting?"

Hermione sat down at the table, unsure of what to say. "I understand that our courtship and marriage were unorthodox-"

"That's bloody sure!" he shouted, and then sat down facing her. "Hermione, I don't blame you in this at all, I never have. I have blamed the Ministry all along, and now here they've offered you a way out, and you won't take it!"

Hermione said a small prayer that she would choose her words wisely before she spoke. "Dad, if I allow this annulment now, I will never be allowed to marry Severus again-the Ministry has prohibited it. And before you ask, no, that is not a good thing, and yes, I see myself married to him in ten years. I have never met a man who has challenged my intellect as thoroughly as he, and I have never met someone so bent on making me happy, either. I know that I'm a bit young, and lord only knows how inexperienced I am at all this domestic stuff, and everyone in the Wizarding World knows that I am the greatest witch of my age. What has that got to do with my marital status? Not one person has objected to Severus-the greatest Potions Master of his age-getting married and taking time away from his research. Severus supports my apprenticeship completely, but I am the one who is being questioned as to whether or not I can handle this!"

"This has nothing to do with feminism, and everything to do with ageism," Mr. Granger said sharply. "I don't doubt that you can juggle work and family. I do think that you are too young to handle those things!"

"If I had married Ron instead of Severus, would you still object to my protest?"

Hermione watched as her father's eyes lowered a bit. "Yes," he said. "Even though he is closer to your age, I still feel that you are too young to be married."

She reached out and touched his arm. "Thank you for being honest. But Dad, you must trust me to make the right decisions for myself, especially now that I am of age. I know what I am doing, and I wish to stay with Severus. I love him."

Mr. Granger took her hand and stared at her for a long time. "Madness," he finally mumbled.

"You always said you wanted me to be happy."

"I do." Hermione was surprised to see him near tears.

"I am happy, I promise."

Mr. Granger gave a heaving sigh. "I can't talk you out of this, can I?"

Hermione shook her head. "You'll have to be happy for me, Dad. And I promise, Severus and I aren't about to make any sudden decisions about family until after my apprenticeship and after he decides what he wants to do with his life now that he has it to himself."

"He could come and see me at my office. I'll whiten his teeth for you."

Hermione giggled. "Go say something nice to him before I hex you."

Mr. Granger gave a smile, in spite of himself, Hermione surmised. "You can't. That would be an unauthorized attack on a Muggle."

"Too right. Of course, I could just say that you got my ire up, and I had an uncontrollable fit."

Hermione smiled as her father pulled her close, but her smile faded with the intense gaze he gave her.

"Just be careful, Hermione. That's all I ask. Be careful, and think clearly first. Don't make any rash decisions."

"Of course I won't, Dad."

Snape heard everything through the thin walls of the flat. He knew that Granger was only looking out for the best interests of his daughter, and Snape could appreciate that. But he also knew, as Granger undoubtedly did, that Hermione was the last person who would make a rash decision about anything.

Part of him couldn't shake the thought that Hermione was fighting for him merely on a matter of principal rather than out of a desire to stay married to him. He knew it was an unfounded thought, but he couldn't quite rationalize it away, no matter how hard he tried to. He sometimes cursed the fact that he didn't have the same Gryffindor stubbornness of his wife, but he did have the sly cunning that all Slytherins possessed, and he would use it to work on Hermione, to determine what her motives were through all of this. The Slytherin mind just could not grasp Gryffindor honesty, especially the kind that Hermione so often displayed. She must have an ulterior motive. There must be something else she wanted.

He still could not pull apart what seemed true and dwell upon what was true. He knew that Hermione simply loved him for who he was, but every smile, every touch, every time they made love, he could not keep himself from wondering, "How much will this cost me later?"

When he heard about the law being repealed, his first thought was that Hermione would wish to leave. When she resolutely stated that she would stay, he wondered again, at what price? He had not expected that she would want his heart.

After Granger left, she came and sat down on his lap, her fingers tickling his cheek and neck before her lips pressed against his skin, feeling like rose petals. He rested his chin on top of her head and decided that he would never let her go.

The beginning of September found Snape nursing his wife for a severe case of Bat Flu. Every time she sneezed, the kettle boiled spontaneously, and the lid flew off, no matter where it was hidden in the house. If it didn't have water in it to begin with, it did when she sneezed.

It didn't help when he began to feel weak, no matter how much Pepper-Up potion he had been taking. Walking into the bedroom, he saw Hermione curled up inside three blankets, her hair falling lankly over her face. Gently, he moved her a little and rearranged the blankets, then undressed and joined her, pulling her body to his.

He was just on the verge of very deep sleep when a pounding at the door shocked him awake.

"Bloody hell!" he groused as the pounding came again, even louder this time.

Hermione groaned and rolled over, pulling her robe off the chair where she had thrown it the night before. Snape followed suit and dressed himself, pulling on bedslippers before going to the door, Hermione shuffling along behind him.

"Who's there?" he called, unwilling to open it lest he be caught up in socializing instead of resting, where both he and his wife should be.

"This is Oliver Oberforth with the Ministry of Magic. Open up!"

Snape raised his eyebrow at Hermione.

"If this is about my protest, I wonder why they didn't just send an owl?" she wondered sleepily, wiping her nose with the sleeve of her robe.

Snape shrugged and opened the door, his nose feeling a bit stuffed as well.

"Yes?" he asked as the very large man on the other side pushed his way in the door. Hermione moved close to him, and he surrounded her protectively with his arms.

"I'm 'ere to escort Miss 'Ermione Granger off these premises, as per the Marriage Law Repeal set ou' by t'Minister of Magic."

"I protested the annulment," Hermione said thickly, her throat obviously straining out the words. "I have a letter from the Ministry that says that I can stay with my husband until after the hearing. And the name is Hermione Snape, thank you very much."

"I 'ave my orders," the large man growled.

Snape began to feel just the slightest bit nervous. Could they simply remove Hermione from him like this? He was sure that the letter they had received stated that she was to remain only if she wanted to, and she replied that she wanted to.

"Perhaps your orders were wrong," Snape suggested.

"Yer ta stay outta it, Snape," Oliver Oberforth insisted, pointing a very large, very strong looking finger at Snape's nose. "'Aven't you done enough ta th' poor girl?"

Hermione removed a handkerchief from her pocket and blew her nose. "I have the flu," she said angrily. "Severus has never done anything to hurt me, as I said in my protest. I also said that I refuse to leave him, and that if my marriage is annulled, then I will continue to live with him regardless. I'm sorry you came all this way. You may leave now."

She began to sag under her exertion, and Snape pulled her against him tightly.

"My wife is extremely ill," he said evenly. "She needs to go back to bed, not with you!"

"Look, Snape," Oberforth said threateningly, his finger back in Snape's face, "I told ya ta stay outta this! Now if you don't dry up, I'll get an Auror in 'ere!"

"That's a very good idea," Hermione said. "I think we should get two-Nymphadora Tonks and Kingsley Shackelbolt. They'll do for starters."

She pushed away from Snape and went to the lamp stand and opened the drawer. Snape knew that inside there were communication mirrors for most of their friends, just in case they didn't answer by Floo and it was an emergency. He watched as she found Tonks's mirror in the shuffle and called to her. Within seconds, a friendly voice called back, and he could actually see Hermione relax a little with relief.

"Tonks, could you come over? There's someone here from the Ministry who is trying to take me away from Severus."

Within seconds, Tonks Apparated into the living room and assessed the situation.

"What's the argy-bargy?" she said amicably as she escorted Hermione to the sofa.

Snape followed his wife and wrapped an afghan around her as her head fell back weakly against the cushions.

"This man is trying to take my very sick wife away from me."

"I've got me orders," Oberforth countered.

"And I'm an Auror," Tonks said merrily, placing the back of her hand over Snape's forehead. "And these two need a Mediwitch more than they need you to break them apart."

Oberforth snorted and pulled out a piece of parchment. "These are me orders, Tonks," he said again, more firmly.

Snape wondered if perhaps Hermione ought to just go with Oberforth for the time being, until their hearing. He didn't like the idea of her leaving him, and he certainly didn't want her to sleep anywhere other than with him, but so far everything was looking very bad.

"Don't even think about it," Hermione mumbled. "I'm not leaving with him."

Well, that settled that. Snape arose from the sofa and went to a small writing desk that sat against one wall of the living room. He opened the slanted top and found the file that Hermione had been keeping, labeled "Correspondence With The Ministry".

"This is the parchment that allows Hermione Snape to stay with me until our hearing," Snape said, shoving the parchment at Tonks.

Tonks took the paper and studied it for a few moments.

"All right, Ollie-let me see your orders."

Oberforth handed over his parchment, and Tonks spent several moments looking at it, a deep frown forming more and more with every passing second.

"What is it?" Snape finally asked.

"All of these couples have filed appeals."

"I don't know nuffin' 'bout that," Oberforth said defiantly, crossing his large arms over his chest. "All I know about is what it says on that paper there. It says that I need to escort 'Ermione Granger ou'a here, an' that's what I aim ta do."

Tonks shook her head. "You have no grounds to do that, though. This is a list of people who have protested the annulments-not people who should be moved from their home."

"Then why was I told to escort them all out?" Oberforth countered, pointing at the paper.

Snape had to admit that it was a logical question.

"I don't know," Tonks admitted, pocketing both parchments. "But I'm going to find out. Ollie-you know as well as I do that no one at the Ministry holds out any hopes of you getting this job done today. Why don't you go to a pub and have a Firewhiskey on me? I'll check all this over, and get back to you tomorrow."

"I've already been sittin' on it fer a week," Oberforth argued.

"And this is significant....how?"

Oberforth turned quite red in the face, and Snape surmised that he was known for sloughing off his duties at the Ministry.

"Right, I'll just go on my way then, Tonks, but if I get questioned, I'm sending my boss over to you."

Tonks smiled at the hulking man. "You do that, Ollie. I'd love to have a word with your supervisor. Severus, Hermione, I'll see you two later. In the meantime, get some sleep."

Snape nodded mutely as the pair exited his house. He could hardly pull up enough strength to latch the door. He simply sat on the sofa, Hermione propped against his shoulder, and fell asleep.

In his dreams, he saw a very large snake. It looked like a python to him, but much larger than any he had ever seen. "I'm a snake," it hissed.

"Sssssssnaaaaake. I'm a ssssnake."

I can bloody well see that, he thought to the reptile.

"Ssssssnake. I'm a ssssnake. Oi, I'm a ssssnake."

"Oi, Snape!"

*Snap*

Snape opened his bleary eyelids, and found himself staring at Nymphadora Tonks, her blue hair spiked in large chunks, and a dog collar around her neck.

"You all right, love?" Hermione's voice asked, concerned.

He would have answered, but the bloody snake put cotton in his mouth.

"Looks like he nursed you out of your cold, and caught it himself for the trouble."

"Poor dear," Hermione murmured, her hand smoothing over his forehead.

"Good news, though. Got this letter from the Ministry. Neither of you are going to be forced to move, and your hearing is set for the sixteenth."

Snape finally managed to swallow. "That's great."

"Here, I'll make some tea," Tonks said, moving off towards the kitchen.

"I'm so sorry I gave you my cold," Hermione said quietly as she continued to stroke his face. "And you were so good to me all the time I was ill."

Snape managed a small smile and twisted one of her curls around his finger. "I'm fine," he lied.

Hermione simply shook her head and asked Tonks how the tea was coming.

"Just bringing it around," the Auror answered happily. "Here we are, nice and hot with lots of honey."

Snape hid his grimace and took the cup that had managed to remain unscathed by Tonks's clumsiness. He hated sweetened tea, but he drank the cup down, knowing that it would do him good.

"You seem to be feeling much better," he remarked to Hermione in a gritty voice.

"Much better. Still not great, but doing better."

"I'll get out of your way," Tonks said as she pulled a cloak over her shoulders. "I have lots of stuff to do. Oh, and Ollie says he's sorry about yesterday. I hope you feel better, Snape."

Snape nodded to her, then let his head fall back on the sofa. "The sixteenth?"

"That's only a week away."

He only hoped he would be up for it by then.

"You'll be feeling better in no time. Come on, let's get you to bed."

TBC