Dinner, Discussions and Danger

As always, news traveled fast in Hogwarts. When Hermione went to the Gryffindor common room Saturday afternoon the din of conversation stopped suddenly when she entered and all eyes turned to look at her with expressions of shock, pity, and disgust. She froze and looked around...most people quickly turned away and tried to pretend to return to neutral discussions, but now she knew that everyone else knew. Harry wasn't there; she wanted to talk to him and hoped he wasn't still mad. He didn't have any business being mad; it was her decision, her life.

She left the common room and headed for the infirmary. Harry was probably there with Ron, and she needed to talk to Ron too. She hurried through the halls, ignoring the various glances of students who looked on her with curious pity. When she arrived at the Infirmary Harry and Ron both stopped talking and looked at her.

"Hey guys, I was hoping to talk to you soon," she said with false brightness as she plastered a smile on her face.

They both muttered subdued hellos and she went to sit on the empty bed next to Harry. They looked at her uncomfortably. Ron spoke first; "So you're gonna marry Snape then..." he said with a wince and looked at her as if she had just discovered she had some horrible terminal disease.

"Yes. Kingsley is nice and all and I know you're both friends of his...but I just couldn't see it working out very well," she explained, really hoping her two best friends would understand.

"Yeah, but can it work with Snape?" Harry asked.

She sighed deeply...she certainly hoped so. "I think it will be ok...I mean, I know it's not any kind of love match, but I think it's the most practical choice."

"Well, geez Hermione...why do you have to be so practical all the time?" Ron asked. "I want you to be happy...how can you be happy married to Snape?"

She sighed deeply before answering. "Ron, I had two choices...I know that I could not have been happy having a bunch of kids...that's another reason I chose Professor Snape. Contraceptive potions are all but illegal now...how would I be able to get them with an Auror who wants a bunch of kids for a husband?"

They both looked uncomfortable at that question.

"But we're not going to get to see you...at least with Kingsley we could have visited..." Harry said helplessly.

"Listen, while we're still at Hogwarts it's not going to change much. I'll have to move to the dungeons," she said as they both cringed, "but other than that I'll still be in all my classes and I'll still help you study in the common room and all the usual stuff. After Hogwarts...well, we'd be living in different places anyway, and we can still visit each other...he already agreed that he wouldn't interfere with my friendships."

"He may have said that, but how do you know he wasn't just saying that to get you to choose him?" Harry accused.

"Listen guys...I'm going to go talk to my parents some more since Professor Snape invited us all to dinner tonight and you two just need to get over it. I'm going to marry him now and there's nothing that can be done to stop it. I've already signed the petition, and can't un-sign it so just get used to it," she exclaimed, exasperated. She left the infirmary after that. She needed hurry to meet up with her parents again. They would be meeting with Professor Snape for dinner and she hoped that encounter would be ok.

As she passed through the entrance hall of Hogwarts after leaving the infirmary she saw Draco flanked by his ever-present goons. She wanted to rush by and ignore them, but they were moving to stand before the stairs.

"Hello Mudblood," Draco said with a sneer. "According to my father you'll be my step-mother soon. Don't think that'll keep me from enjoying the brief time you'll be a part of the family...Father already said he would share your affections." He eyed her up and down as he spoke; making it quite clear what affections he thought he would be sharing.

"Move Malfoy...I'm not marrying your father so you can forget it!"

"Who else are you going to marry? I hear Weasel tried to come to the rescue but met with an unfortunate accident...guess he wouldn't be able to perform his marital duties anymore?" he said with a chuckle. Crabbe and Goyle both found this funny as well. They failed to notice the black shadow that crept up the stairs from the dungeons.

"Good morning, Miss Granger," he said silkily. "Mr. Malfoy, are you here to congratulate Miss Granger on her upcoming wedding?"

"Oh yes sir...I'm looking forward to her becoming the new Mrs. Malfoy," he said with a conspiratorial wink.

"Mrs. Malfoy? No, no Draco...you seem to be mistaken; you see she will be Mrs. Snape in less than a month." He stood with his arms crossed, enjoying the brief confusion on the junior Malfoy's face.

"But my father said..."

"Your father did submit a petition for her; however, I did as well. Miss Granger has made her choice and we are now betrothed. So, it is my suggestion, Mr. Malfoy, that you treat Miss Granger with the respect due to the future Mrs. Snape," he said with an undertone of a threat.

"My father will hear about this," Malfoy retorted.

"Then I will look forward to receiving congratulations from him as well," he said with a smirk. Turning his attention to Hermione, he said, "Miss Granger, I believe your presence is required elsewhere."

"Yes sir," she replied and rushed past Malfoy, Crabbe, and Goyle and on her way to the guest room her parents were in. She couldn't help but wonder if her encounter with the younger Malfoy and news of her decision reaching Lucius Malfoy would have dire consequences.

*****

It was five PM and Hermione was walking with her parents to the dungeons. Her dad hadn't said anything about his meeting with Professor Snape, but he did seem to be a bit more at ease today about the situation. She hoped that was a good sign. They reached his quarters and Hermione knocked on the door. It opened and Professor Snape invited them inside.

"Dr.'s Granger, Miss Granger, please come in," he said as they entered the living room.

There was a door on each wall and the bookcases which covered nearly the entire living room were built around them so each threshold was widened significantly by the bookshelves. It turned out the door on the right wall led to a dining room. She was surprised that he would have a dining room in his quarters; it seemed redundant since everyone ate in the great hall. They sat around the table, and Hermione noticed her mother kept casting nervous glances towards Professor Snape, but her dad seemed to be more at ease.

"I am glad you could come dine with me this evening," he said with a smile...yes, it was small, but it was a smile. He withdrew his wand and with a flick dinner appeared, or at least the first course. She had noticed that the table was set for a formal seven-course dinner. She smiled nervously and then looked down at her food and barely stifled a yelp, drawing curious glances from her parents. With her parents gaze on her, she saw him smirk triumphantly for just a moment before his expression turned neutral.

"Oh, excuse me...just a hiccup," she said nervously as she tried to cover her reaction to the first course...which was cucumber salad.

"That is good, for a moment there I was afraid you did not like cucumbers, Miss Granger," Professor Snape said with suave nonchalance. She felt a surge of embarrassment and anger. How could he make such blatant innuendos with such calm assurance right in front of her parents? This was the time to put them at ease about what was happening. But, she realized after a moment that they wouldn't know anything about the insinuations connected with the cucumbers, nothing would seem at all improper...she was the only one who would make the connection.

Professor Snape made small talk about dentistry, listening attentively as they explained what they knew of the differences between Muggle and Magical methods of dealing with teeth, and they asked about Potions. He managed to explain some basics of potions without sounding condescending. All carefully avoided directly speaking of marriage, but he managed to talk about a number of things which would directly relate to the future.

"You will be applying for your apparition license soon I believe, Miss Granger?" he asked conversationally during the meat course which was duck.

"Oh...yes I suppose I will...now that I'm eighteen earlier than I thought I would be," she answered.

"That is good. I'm sure after some practice you will find Apparation quite easy across the British Isles. You would be able to make more frequent visits to your parents than you can now," he said helpfully.

At that point, it appeared he had won her mother over, and her dad seemed even more at ease. Hermione was reeling...he was charming, she couldn't believe it. Of course, she had no illusions that this was any kind of 'real Snape'...it was an act to put her parents at ease. While she was glad that he was helping immensely in the task of helping her parents come to terms with the situation, to her it only served to emphasize the fact that he was a master manipulator.

*****

For most of the rest of the week Hermione didn't see Professor Snape outside potions class again, and then he didn't make any change in the way he behaved towards her. However, on Wednesday evening she received a note from him asking for her presence on Friday evening to discuss the wedding and future plans again. The Headmaster had met with her and her parents several times to discuss wedding arrangements and they had decided to perform the wedding on the 30th of October...nearly the full thirty days after her acceptance of the contract. It would be a small gathering, nothing too extravagant but they would have the traditional wizarding elements.

She had skipped eating in the great hall as well for most of the week, partly to avoid Malfoy, and partly to spend the time with her parents. Her Head of House had decided to be amiable about her choice, for which Hermione was grateful. Professor McGonagall had even discussed the traditions of wizarding marriage with her and her parents at dinner Monday night, though she mentioned nothing of Professor Snape in the conversation. She still seemed distressed about who Hermione had chosen, but had apparently decided that Professor Snape wouldn't do her harm after all.

Her mom and dad, while still quite upset over the news of her marriage, were becoming resigned to the fact and had decided that Professor Snape, while not ideal, was much better than Lucius Malfoy (especially after they had been filled in about him more thoroughly during the dinner with Professor Snape). So, they would be headed home on Friday morning and then would return to Hogwarts on the weekend of her weeding to attend the ceremony.

Most of the Gryffindors had been filled in by Harry and Ron about the real reason behind her upcoming marriage to Professor Snape, and she had condolences and pity from all around. Still, whispers followed her everywhere she walked as students discussed her fate in the halls and classes of Hogwarts.

She still felt a bit numb from the sudden changes going on, but the numb feeling as if it were all happening to someone else was fading and so she thought more about what life with Severus Snape would be like. Love was not likely. Still, she had checked over the calculations of her arithmancy projections again and it made her feel better. She had looked through his book at nights before going to sleep, trying to imagine what it would be like to experience what went on in the pictures with growing trepidation, and wondered if she had accepted his petition too quickly after all. He had told her he wouldn't push her beyond her limits, but still, the pictures looked scary in places.

In fact, the more she thought about it, the more she wondered if he would end up walking all over her in other aspects of their relationship as well. If he thought he was, she was going to have to find a way to handle the problem. However, he seemed open to reasonable discourse, so she determined to speak with him about it at their meeting.

*****

Severus Snape finished the final touches in the room. It was almost his personal 'room of requirement' though it did require more work, and its changes could be made permanent. He had decided it would be best for Hermione to have her own room in which to study and keep her things. He would not put a bed in here, preferring instead to have her share his bed, unless she proved to be an extremely restless sleeper or loud snorer. As it was he had arranged for one full wall of bookshelves, a magical window which gave an adequate view of the lake and faced west and had a comfortable window-seat, a good sized writing desk, and a full couch. He left quite a bit of open space for the things she would move into the room.

Hermione should be arriving soon...and, if he thought correctly, she would likely have many questions for him. Reality should be sinking in about now, and she would probably be quite worried about just what she had agreed to. He smiled as he thought about the look on her face when he had presented cucumber salad as a first course. Of course, he had been facetious when he had suggested the use of cucumbers; knowledge of the fact that she was a virgin had driven him to the joke. He was fairly well endowed, but still, the average cucumber was more than an exaggeration.

He walked into his sitting room where the tea service he had ordered had just arrived. And, just on time, he heard a knock on his door. When he opened it, he realized that reality had hit quite well, judging by the determined look on her face.

"Come in, I have tea ready," he said as he stood aside for her to enter. She gritted her teeth and came in, not saying a word until they were seated by the fireplace.

"Professor Snape," she began, "I think we need to talk about things." He sat silently and raised an eyebrow to indicate he was waiting. "First of all, I know I chose you, and I know what you said I would be agreeing to...but, I would rather hold off on certain aspects of what you want in our marriage," she stated firmly. He sat silently and waited for her to continue. She fidgeted a bit and then spoke again. "I mean, I've looked through the picture book you gave me, and I'm not going to be ready for that sort of thing right away...I'm not saying I won't do it at all, just that I won't be ready right away." She finished and looked at him.

He allowed the silence to stretch uncomfortably, deliberately taking a few moments to sip his tea. Finally, he asked, "I see...and what has caused you to come to this conclusion?"

She chewed her lip and fidgeted a bit more. "Well, I don't enjoy pain," she stated.

"Most people do not enjoy pain, Miss Granger. There is an art to making it enjoyable, an art which you will discover I am quite adept at. But, I think we should save this subject for later, I have other things I want to cover first," he said, dismissing her concerns.

"No sir, I think we need to cover this right away," she answered firmly.

He shifted in his seat and looked at her for another long moment. "Very well," he agreed, "we will cover this issue now. Did you not believe me when I told you I would not cause you serious harm?"

"Well, I do believe you...I just don't think I could do some of what was in that book. I didn't see anything that was seriously harmful, but most of it looked like it would hurt, and I just don't want for my first, um, sexual encounter, to hurt like that," she said and looked him in the eye. Obviously, she had planned out what to say quite well and would not be deterred.

Severus Snape placed his teacup on the side table and steepled his fingers, elbows resting on the arms of his chair as he looked at her appraisingly. He knew he was making her nervous, but he wanted to see if she would crack first. She returned his gaze with her jaw set in determination. "Very well then...I will not cause you pain, other than the that normally associated with the breaking of the maidenhead, in our first encounter. And, what you saw was a sampling of possibilities...some of them admittedly extreme. Most of our encounters will likely not be extreme in the least."

"And what about your note from last week?" she finally asked.

"What of it?" he asked, feigning indifference.

"Well...the one you sent about the...er...test," she finally said.

"I trust you will do your best to achieve a passing score," he said without a hint of levity. She looked as if she were about to retort and so he added, "Miss Granger, have you ever known me to cancel or postpone a test?" this time he asked with a slight quirk of an eyebrow.

"But...this isn't a potions test...sir," she stammered.

"No, it is not. Miss Granger," he said as he leaned forward and smirked at her, "this is actually supposed to be fun. Do try to look at it that way. Though yes, you will be graded. Think of the grading scale, and associated consequences as incentives to do well. You were well informed of what to expect, and you made your choice. You must live with that choice now, but that does not mean that you have to be miserable. Accepting the situation for what it is will go a long way towards your future happiness." He sat back and watched her again. "Have you been practicing?" he asked, jolting her from her thoughts.

She looked at him, slightly stunned before speaking. "Well...um...no," she admitted.

"You do realize I was joking about the cucumber, do you not?" he asked with a completely straight face.

"Oh...you were?" she asked, and began to blush.

"Yes, I was. It is actually physically impossible, or at least highly improbable, to deep-throat a cucumber," he informed her, "While I am of above average in length and girth in that regard, I'm not that big."

"Oh," she said and blushed further. "Well, that's a relief." She jumped slightly when he laughed.

"So is that matter settled to your satisfaction, Miss Granger?"

"Well, not completely," she said. "I am also concerned about what would happen in cases of disagreements. I mean, would you try to use those sorts of punishments as ways to keep me under control." She looked back to him. "I do not want to end up in a relationship where I'm always taking orders."

He glared at her. "Miss Granger," he hissed, "I am not in the habit of repeating myself. I already told you that I would not use those sorts of punishments to settle differences unless you insisted on throwing tantrums like a child. If a disagreement over something should come up, we would discuss it at that time as adults," he said. He was a bit angry, actually. He thought she should be smart enough to not need constant clarifications. "Otherwise, I still will expect for you to submit to me and obey me. That will not change and if you insist on believing otherwise you will be disappointed."

"Okay...I understand. But, I did need to clarify things. There is no reason to be upset about it. This has happened very fast so I should hope you would understand that I really don't know you all that well," she told him firmly. "I am sorry if I offended you, but those were my concerns...sir."

He glared at her a moment more, but decided to drop the subject. He rose from his chair and said, "Follow me, Miss Granger," over his shoulder as he walked. He didn't bother looking to see if she was following him, but went straight ahead into the room he had prepared for her. Once inside he turned around in time to see her hurrying through. Her eyes got bigger as she looked around.

"This is to be your room," he announced. "I prefer my quarters to remain as they are, and so this will be your space in which to keep your things and to study."

"Oh..." she said as she took in the room. "I didn't know there was a window in here before," she said as she walked over to look out onto the lake."

"It is technically not here...this is a view from one of the towers which I have had placed here. There is adequate room for your books, but if you should require more space in the future that wall," he gestured to the wall with the doorway, "can be used for bookshelves as well. Will this be enough space?" he asked.

"Um...I think so," she said. "Thank you. But, what happened to the dining room?"

"I rarely have need for a dining room...this particular room is actually set up with similar spells as is the 'Room of Requirement' though in this case I have made the changes semi-permanent. You can change the colors of the walls, woodwork, and furniture if you wish."

"Okay, it will be nice to have my own space. And this is where I would have guests?" she asked. That was another thing she wanted out of the way. If this was to be her home, she did not want to be relegated to finding other places in the castle.

He scowled at her a moment. "If you plan on having guests often you can have a doorway put in...that wall is against the dungeon hallway," he conceded. He decided it would be best not to make an issue on that matter. He could ward the room in a way so her guests would not be able to enter his own rooms, and place silencing spells on the walls. "Do you snore?" he asked suddenly.

"Um...no, at least I've never had any complaints, why?" she asked, looking slightly befuddled.

"If you were a snorer I would have a bed placed in here as well. But since you do not, come with me, I will show you to the bedroom," he said and walked out.

Hermione followed him to the door in the back of the living room, feeling a bit perturbed. His behavior had her off-balance, and she still wasn't sure what to think about the test. Once in the bedroom she saw the centerpiece of the room was on a raised semi-circular dais against the back wall. It was a very large bedroom, about twice the size of the room he had set aside as hers which also wasn't too small. The bed was a king-sized four poster of mahogany wood and had drapes around the bed in deep navy blue velvet which were currently drawn. There were two chests of drawers also in mahogany and a large wardrobe.

"In here is the bathroom," he said, indicating a door to the right. She followed him through the French doors and into the dramatically opulent bathroom. It was completely done in black marble and silver fixtures. A large bathtub which could easily hold four people was in the center, sunk to floor level. A water closet was in the back, she peeked around the dividing wall and discovered it had a bidet as well as a toilet and on the other side of the back wall was a fairly large shower with four shower heads.

"Nice bathroom," she observed.

"Yes, it is. This will be your sink, and your cabinet," he said, indicating one of the sinks which were situated in the corners on either side of the doorway. A cabinet door was flush with the wall and she opened it to reveal a good-sized cubby. "I will expect your things to remain in the cabinet when not in use. I am accustomed to being alone here and I prefer things to be neat. However, if you prefer a more casual approach to order I will not bother with how you keep your room," he explained, not unkindly.

"I understand, actually, I'm quite neat as well. I thought the best part about having my own room as Head Girl was that I wouldn't have to deal with the mess Lavender and Parvoti made constantly."

"That is good to hear. I think similar attitudes in things like this will make this adjustment easier for both of us. I think it would be a good idea to discuss small personal habits over dinner. If there are differences which could potentially cause problems, it is best to have methods to minimize aggravation for both of us in place."

"Sounds like a good idea, Professor," she said as they walked back to the living room and sat once more.

"First...we will be married soon. In private you should call me Severus."

"Okay Severus, I was wondering how much longer we would keep up the Miss Granger/Professor Snape forms of address."

And so they began to cover whatever came up. Everything from preferred bathing times to preferred room temperatures. She was a little surprised to discover he usually showered at 5AM and had a bath at 10pm and determined to secretly check and see if he actually used shampoo at some point. He agreed to use a silencing spell in the shower since she was a light sleeper and didn't usually rise until 6:30. They discussed temperature, but she ended up conceding to wear more clothing since part of the reason he kept it cooler was so he didn't have to take off his outer layers so he would be ready for hall patrols and emergencies in Slytherin if they should come up.

By the time dinner arrived they had already found a number of small things in common, and had both made concessions to make living together easier. He informed her during dinner that she could begin packing and moving her things in at her convenience, and gave her a key and the passwords. Dessert was chocolate mousse, which Hermione found surprising, especially since Professor Snape seemed to enjoy it quite a bit.

"Tomorrow," he said between bites of chocolate mouse, "we will be making a trip to Diagon Alley to pick out wedding rings and clothing." He took another bite and glanced at her. "Traditionally, we cannot see the rings we pick for one another before the wedding. I understand you may not have money for a ring and dress, you will charge these things to my account."

"Is there any particular kind of ring I should look for...and what price range?" she asked.

"I have enough that the price of the ring should not be an issue. I would prefer something that is not flashy. But, the choice of the ring should reflect what your hopes for the future of the marriage are," he said. "The jewelry store will have attendants who will explain the meanings of the various stones and their cuts."

She nodded, not sure what to say at that. She would have to pick his ring out and she had no idea where to start. What were her hopes for the marriage? And what would reasonable hopes be? After tonight she felt they could at least be fairly civil, and she had put forth her own concerns and he had agreed to some extent with her. She turned the problem over and over in her mind all the way back to Gryffindor Tower. Fortunately, most of the hubbub had died down about her impending marriage, though she still got the pitying looks from everyone in her house. Ginny was sitting on the couch in front of the fireplace with homework when she entered.

"Hermione, how are you doing?" she asked, concerned, when she came in.

Hermione sighed deeply. "I'm not sure really," she answered and flopped down on the couch next to Ginny. "We're going to pick out rings tomorrow," she said.

"Oh...do you know what you're going to pick?" Ginny asked.

"I have no idea...he said the cut of the stones and the choices of the stones have particular meanings, but I don't know what they are and I'm not even sure what I should hope for," she explained. Ginny nodded somberly.

"And, he showed me my room...I'm going to have a separate entrance put in so I can have friends over."

"You'll have separate bedrooms...well, that's nice of him," Ginny responded.

"Well...not separate bedrooms...he just wants me to keep my stuff out of his space, but he ended up being fairly nice about it by the time we were done with dessert. Though maybe there's a potion I can take to make me snore loudly...he asked if I snored, but since I didn't know why he was asking I just told him I didn't. Turns out he would have had a bed put into my room if I did snore," she said with a bit of a tired laugh.

"Oh..." was Ginny's reply since she couldn't think of anything else to say.

"I'd better get my homework done and get to bed. I'll see you tomorrow Gin." Hermione went to her room to think about what she would get for Severus.

*****

The next day they apparated to Diagon Alley. The street was crowded with witches and wizards going about their business. Hermione was relieved that he actually slowed his pace so she could keep up with him without running. First stop was at a small wizard formal wear shop. A past-middle-aged witch with too much makeup and blue hair and exceedingly bright robes was tending the counter.

"Oh hello, how may I help you?" she asked sweetly.

"We are here to purchase wedding attire," Snape said.

"Oh how wonderful! A wedding! Such a happy occasion, come now," the woman came out from behind the counter and dropped a full foot in height. Apparently the area behind the counter was raised. "A beautiful young bride we have here; what is your name dearie?" she asked in her sing-song voice.

"Hermione Granger," she answered.

"Oh very good, very good...just come with me and we will get you all set up. Gregory!" she called out and in a moment an elderly wizard came tottering out. Hermione took a look at professor Snape, who was standing stiffly and looking like he wanted to roll his eyes. "Gregory! It's another wedding, get the groom set up," she ordered in a not-so-sing-songey voice.

"Right dear, right dear..." he muttered as he shuffled over to Professor Snape.

Hermione didn't see anymore as she was ushered into a back room which was filled with wedding dresses of all different styles and many bolts of white satins and laces. There was another girl in there too who turned to look at her who had an attendant with needles held between her lips adjusting the train of a dress around her. She looked vaguely familiar to Hermione.

"Now then, you just wait right here and Adma here will get to you right away. Oh, business has been quite wonderful, all these weddings, it's such a happy time isn't it?" the woman carried on, seemingly oblivious to the rather dejected looks on both the girls faces.

"You're Hermione Granger, aren't you?" the girl asked when the proprietress left.

"Yes...do I know you?" Hermione looked over the form of the blond haired girl before her. She was fairly non-descript.

"Sarah Pearson," she answered. "I was three years ahead of you at Hogwarts in Hufflepuff."

"Oh...I thought you looked familiar. So...you're getting married too?" she asked even though it was obvious.

"Yeah...came as quite a surprise really. I had two petitions almost as soon as the new law came out...one was from another Hufflepuff, Alexander Brudnell, who was a few years ahead of me in school. He seems nice, but I never really knew him that well. The other was from some weirdo who gave me the creepes. How about you?"

"I had three offers. I'll be marrying Severus Snape," she answered in a monotone. The former Huffelpuff student's eyes seemed to triple in size and her mouth gaped open.

"Oh gods! You mean Professor Snape? Potions Master Snape?"

"Yes."

"And he was the best of the lot? Who else bid for you?"

"Lucius Malfoy, and one of his friends who was even more horrid."

"I'm so sorry to hear that."

"Well, I don't think it will be too terrible. I'm still in seventh year so this way I can finish school, and the Headmaster mentioned that after I'm done I could get a job as a teacher's assistant if I'd like."

"Well, I hope it works out ok for you," she said even though she looked like she thought Hermione was about to walk into a basilisk's den.

"I hope it works out well for you also," Hermione replied.

There didn't seem to be much to say after that. Sarah's fitting was finished quickly and the attendant soon started with Hermione. They found a fairly simple dress with long form-fitting sleeves and a vee-neckline and a scoop to mid-back. The train was about two feet long and the hem, sleeve tips, and neckline were embroidered in a mother-of-pearl type thread with roses. It required very little adjustment. Within an hour her dress was wrapped up and she went out into the entryway where her fiancé was waiting impatiently.

"I trust you found something satisfactory?" he asked.

"Yes, I did."

"We need to get rings next," he said as he gathered two packages and levitated them with a spell which would cause the packages to follow along behind them

"Do you remember a Hufflepuff named Sarah Pearson? She was a few years ahead of me at Hogwarts," Hermione asked once they had left the shop.

"Yes, she was of above-average talent in potions," he answered. "Why do you ask?"

"She was in there getting a wedding dress...another muggleborn contract. She said she was marrying another Hufflepuff who was a few years ahead of her...Alexander Brudnell was his name."

"I remember him as well. He was absolutely atrocious at potions though he was an adequate beater for the Hufflepuff Quidditch team. I don't know anything of him otherwise."

"I have to wonder how many people are going to end up in horrid marriages because of this law," she mused as they walked past Gringotts bank towards the Jewelry store.

Severus was thinking about answering when a signpost they were passing underneath exploded. He acted quickly and grabbed Hermione, pushing her down and holding her as he covered her with his wide shoulders. When the splinters finished falling he rose up and looked around for the cause of the explosion. Activity on the street had completely stilled, and a path was widening in the crowd. The reason for the pedestrians backing away was quite obvious when he saw Lucius Malfoy standing in the street with his wand drawn and pointed towards them. Severus stepped in front of Hermione and drew his own wand.

"Severus Snape," Lucius spat. "I hereby challenge you to a duel for the right of the hand of Hermione Granger."

The crowd backed further away, a mother grabbed her children and ran into a nearby shop for shelter. Duels weren't common anymore, but they were a tradition and completely legal. There was little else to do but accept.

"Lucius Malfoy, I accept your challenge," Severus Snape snarled.

Hermione looked from one to the other as she backed into the windows of the shop they had been passing. This was an official duel, she couldn't interfere or the duel would be forfeit. However, she reached for her wand to hold it at the ready...if by some chance he did win, she would not go without a fight.

Reviews, as always, are very much appreciated.