Chapter 5: Dealing With Fate

Disclaimer: All things Harry Potter belong to JKR.

A/N: Many thanks go to my awesome beta, Southern_Witch_69!

Hermione made her way into Hogwarts, glad to see that there was nobody about, especially Filch and his horrid cat. She slightly jumped when Winky appeared before her.

"Master Snape said I is to get your things, miss. You is to go have tea with the headmistress."

"Thank you, Winky, but that won't be necessary. I can take them myself. I don't have much..."

The house-elf became distressed. "No, miss! I is to take your things! Master Snape told me! I have to!"

"All right! Calm down, Winky." Taking her satchel out of her pocket and using her wand to enlarge it back to the normal size, Hermione handed to Winky. "Tell... er... Professor Snape I'll be down shortly."

With a slight nod, Winky took Hermione's bag and popped away.

Smiling, Hermione made her way to Minerva's office. She was at the statue of the gargoyle before she realized that she had no idea what the password was.

Suddenly, the gargoyle leaped aside, and Hermione stepped on the staircase to ride to the office. When she reached the top, the headmistress was waiting by the large oak door for her.

Saying nothing, Minerva opened her arms, and Hermione gratefully ran into them for comfort. "Oh, Professor McGonagall!" she exclaimed, bursting into tears. She'd not cried this many times in one day in years.

"It's not as bad as all that now, child," Minerva comforted. "Come on in and sit. I've had some tea sent up, and I dare say, I am adding some brandy to yours!"

Hermione nodded and walked into the room. After she'd sat, she took the tea Minerva offered her and drank long and deep.

"Better?" Hermione's former head of house asked.

"Yes, much. Thank you." Hermione sighed and sat back, closing her eyes. "I suppose you already know."

"What, that you're now Mrs. Snape? Oh, yes, Severus burst in here with the joyous news earlier today. Well, you've gone and done it now, haven't you?" Minerva asked as she delicately sipped her tea.

"I know. But how could I have known that the charm would pick Snape as my soul mate? You don't suppose I did the potion wrong or missed something, do you?"

"Highly unlikely. Hermione, I know you're upset now. I was too when I first heard, but I've had some time to think on things, and I have to say that the idea of the two of you doesn't seem wholly bad. A much better match for you than Mr. Weasley, as I'm sure you know."

"Are you mad? This is Snape we're talking about here. He hates me and all of my friends! He's always been beastly to all of us! Especially those of us in Gryffindor."

Minerva nodded in mock sympathy. "Yes, true. And the lot of you were such well-behaved and exemplary students too."

Hermione snickered. "Right, that was us! The golden trio would never give anyone a moment's trouble."

"He's a decent man, Hermione. You could do worse," Minerva told her, becoming serious. "He's been through so much, and I would really like to see him happy for a change."

Hermione laughed bitterly. "He won't be happy with me. You should've seen him at the Ministry. I'm surprised he didn't kill me on sight. He may yet."

"Nonsense! He can hold out a year, and so can you. Who knows, the two of you may be surprised. Like I said, he's a good man."

"Humph! Can I ask you something? How did he survive? Minerva, I saw him. I saw what that snake did to him. I watched him die!"

Setting her tea down, Minerva leaned forward. "He was not dead, but very close. After the defeat of the Dark Lord, and while all the hoopla was going on in the Great Hall, Neville Longbottom found him. There was a specific plant that he had... Can't remember the details, but suffice it to say that Neville saved your husband's life."

"Oh, that's rich! He owes Neville a wizard's debt? I just bet he loves that!" Hermione made a mental note to visit Neville sometime soon.

Minerva smiled. "Shouldn't you be off, dear? I wouldn't want you to miss your deadline and end up in Azkaban."

"Oh, my goodness! I didn't realize how late it's getting! We'll do this again soon!"

"Count on it," the headmistress agreed.

Once Hermione left, Minerva looked towards Albus' portrait. "Well? I'll be surprised if they last three months."

"It's early days yet, Minerva. Early days."

~*~

Hermione slowly made her way to the dungeons. She had no idea where Snape's living quarters were, so she decided to head for his office.

Before she could reach the door, Winky once again appeared before her. "I is taking you home, miss."

"Home?"

"Yes, to Master Snape's."

"Oh, right. Thanks." When Hermione reached his door, she hesitated after Winky popped away and then knocked.

"Enter," Snape's muffled voice came from inside.

Hermione gently opened the door and slowly walked in.

"So very kind of you to grace me with your company, Wife," Snape said sarcastically. "Perhaps you would like a stay in Azkaban. I, however, would not." He pointed to a closed door. "Let's get this done."

"What? Wait!"

"Wait? I'm afraid all of your dallying today has made it quite impossible for us to wait."

Hermione looked around the room frantically. Spotting a clock on the mantel, she said, "We've got three hours left!"

Raising an eyebrow, Snape told her, "I do not wish to be up all night. I have Slytherin and Gryffindor first thing in the morning. You've made your bed, now let's go lie it in," he said as he leered at her.

Hermione shakily followed him to his bedroom, wanting to both put it off and get it over with at the same time. Once inside, she looked around the room. Average size, nothing overly special. Average bed, average furniture.

"It suits my needs," her husband said, as if reading her thoughts. Perhaps he was. The thought sickened her. He began to unbutton his coat, his movements in tight, angry jerks.

"What are you doing?" Hermione asked, her voice rising.

"Don't be absurd. We have to fu...er...consummate this farce of a marriage, and in order to do that, we have to remove our clothes!" He threw his coat on the ground. "What took you so long getting here anyway? How long does it take you to drink a cup of tea?"

"Not that long!" she defended herself. "I had to go by Harry's first, and we..." She stopped at the look coming from him.

"I see," he said as he removed his shirt and slung it down on top of his coat. "We're on a deadline, and you took the time out to coddle Potter because Merlin knows, his needs come first!"

"No! It's not like that! He blames me..."

"As well he should!" Snape shouted.

When he went for his trouser buttons, Hermione yelled, "STOP!"

"Stop? No, I think not. Undress."

"No, not while you're like that! Perhaps you should shower first."

Snape snapped his head up, and Hermione took two full steps back. It looked to her as if lightning was coming from his eyes.

"A shower?" he asked in a voice so dangerously low it was almost a whisper. "Too greasy for you, am I?"

"NO! Not at all! I didn't..."

"Just realizing you're going to have to shag the bat of the dungeons?"

"I really didn't mean..."

"You think I'm nasty? Dirty? Ill kept?"

Hermione backed away from him as he stalked towards her. When he got too close, she put her hands on his chest. "Please, listen to me! That is not what I'm trying to say! You're angry, and I've... Well, I'm... Damn it! I've never done this before," she pointed towards the bed, "and I didn't want you to hurt me! I thought a shower would calm you down a bit!"

Snape stopped his pursuit. "You expect for me to believe that you dated Weasley all this time, was engaged to the boy, and the two of you never had sex?"

"I don't care what you believe," she said with false calm. "It's the truth. I know you're angry, but I don't want you to hurt me any more than what's necessary."

Severus sighed and turned from her. "Christ, girl! You have to know everything about everything else, and you weren't the least bit curious about this?"

Hermione folded her arms defensively. "I never said I wasn't curious! I just wanted to wait for my wedding night!"

Snape clapped his hands mockingly. "Well, bravo! Congratulations! You've done it, Granger. It's your wedding night." He stood and began to remove his trousers once again, suddenly realizing he still had his boots on. He sat down on the bed and looked up at her as he took off his boots. "It's time. I won't hurt you."

"That's reassuring!" she complained.

Severus sneered. "If you wanted words of love, then you should have stuck with Weasley. You won't get them here. It's been a long day, and I'm tired. You've stalled long enough."

"Fine!" Hermione started to pull her jumper over her head and stopped. "Would you mind turning the other way? I don't want you watching me when I undress."

Rolling his eyes, Severus stood and walked to the other side of the bed. After he'd completely undressed, he turned the covers down and got in. "All right, Granger."

"Okay," Hermione said, grateful he'd closed his eyes. "Would you mind putting out the candles?"

"Nox," he said, and the room was blessedly dark.

After she'd undressed, Hermione stood where she was a moment longer to get her bearings and then slowly made her way to the bed. Once there, she quickly got in and pulled the covers up to her chin.

Severus sighed and laid his had on her stomach. When he didn't attempt anything else, Hermione asked, "What are you doing?"

"Getting you used to my touch."

"Oh. Well, that's okay. Let's just, you know, get on with it."

"I'll need to make sure you're ready."

Huffing out a breath, Hermione informed him, "I'm as ready as I'm ever going to be."

"Not mentally. Physically." He slowly slid his hand down her belly and lightly rested it at the top of her curls. He left his hand there until she wiggled her impatience.

Slowly going lower, he bent his head closer to hers and dipped one finger into her.

Hermione gasped at the intrusion and tried to lock her knees together.

"Easy," her husband whispered in her ear.

She shivered at the sound of his voice so close to her skin and slowly opened her legs, bit by bit.

When he felt moisture, Snape inserted another finger. He began to work his fingers faster, noticing she was beginning to move her hips just the tiniest bit. He positioned himself over her, and when he felt she was wrapped up in the movement of his fingers, he pushed himself inside of her.

"Ahh!" Hermione cried at the sudden thrust and stilled her hips immediately. She felt a slight burning sensation. What was curious to her, though, was the... click she'd felt the moment he'd entered her.

Snape stilled for a moment, looking down at her with a surprised expression, then began to slowly move in and out of her.

Hermione tried desperately to see the expression on his face more clearly, but she could barely make out his features in the dark. The thought suddenly occurred to her that she should probably do something. Not sure what that something was exactly, she tentatively began to match his thrusts and was rewarded with a slight moan.

Just when she was beginning to feel her body pushing her towards something, Severus stiffened, and she felt hot spurts of liquid shooting inside of her.

Severus lay there a moment, still inside of her, breathing heavily. When his wife began to slightly tremble, he slipped out of her and rolled to his back.

He pointed to a door on the other side of the room. "The loo's through there. Go ahead and bathe." He pulled his wand out to clean himself and asked, "Would you like me to Scourgify you as well?"

Hermione simply nodded. Did he not feel that... click? That bonding? He seems so aloof and disconnected.

After Severus had used his wand to clean her, Hermione tightly wrapped the sheet around her body and stood, intending to go bathe herself.

Severus stood, obviously comfortable with his nudity, and told her, "I am going to my private lab. Had I known you'd never done this before, I would've been better prepared. I have a potion that will help with any burning sensations and soreness."

"All right," Hermione said and walked into the loo, shutting the door tightly behind her.

Once his wife had closed herself in the loo, Severus sat on the bed, stunned. He'd definitely felt a connection the moment he'd entered her. He shook his head and ran his fingers through his lank locks. He simply would not allow that girl to get to him. After Lily, Severus felt he just did not have anything more inside himself to give to anyone...especially to a little know-it-all such as his wife.

~*~

Oliver opened the door to his room and ushered his bride inside. Ginny looked around the room curiously. "Why do you stay in hotel rooms while you're here?"

"Because the Harpies pay for it, and we travel too much right now for me to invest in a place of my own. It's just me... Well, it's been just me until now."

"Oh, right. Makes sense." Ginny twisted her hands and looked around the room, moving from one foot to the other, fidgeting.

When her husband walked up behind her and placed his hands on her shoulders, she jumped and let out a small squeal.

"Relax," he ordered.

"It's just, well, I really don't want to do this. Nothing against you, but I'm not ready."

Oliver stood there studying her a few seconds and came to a decision. "You know, we could go about this several ways. Now, I really did not want to be married at this point in my life...no secret there...and I still don't, but the way I see it, we have to be married for a year, so we may as well make the best of a bad situation."

Ginny nodded. "What you're saying makes perfect sense, but I keep thinking that this is not right because it's supposed to be Harry. I hate that I've let him down."

A few silent tears slipped from her eyes, and Oliver wiped them off of her cheeks with his thumbs. "And yourself? Did you let yourself down?"

"I think we both know that I did."

"Not from what you told your mum, who is one scary witch by the way."

Ginny smirked. "I told you! What do you mean by what I told her? I didn't say anything about letting myself down."

"No, what you told her was that you'd been doubting Harry's feelings for you. What, did you think you could feel or love enough for the both of you?"

"I don't know! I just know that this is very uncomfortable for me."

"Are you a virgin then?"

"That's none of your business, Oliver Wood!"

"I think that it is. I'm about to bed you, and I need to know." God! He'd not bedded a virgin since Katie Bell, and at the time, he'd been a virgin as well.

"No, I'm not a virgin."

Oliver nodded. "I really didn't think that you and Harry would go without...you know...as much as you seem to love him."

"It wasn't Harry," she whispered regretfully. "It was Dean."

Oliver stood, gobsmacked. "You mean to say that you and Harry never..."

"No! We'd both decided to wait. I don't want to talk about this anymore if that's all right with you. It's weird speaking about the man I was supposed to marry with the man I did marry."

Oliver nodded. He really didn't want to talk about Harry either. Holding out his arms, he said, "Come here."

Ginny hesitated a moment and then walked into his arms. She closed her eyes when he bent his head and took her mouth in a slow, drugging kiss. She shivered. She'd never felt this way from any of Harry's kisses...not lately anyway. Feeling guilty, she decided to put Harry out of her mind.

Oliver slowly started backing her towards the bed. When her knees hit the mattress, he laid her down, never taking his mouth from hers. He began to rub his hands over her body on top of her clothes.

When he placed his hands under her shirt and onto bare flesh, they both shuddered. "Clothes off, now," he told her.

"Mmmm," Ginny said, not seeming to comprehend his words. He pulled her shirt off of her and began using his mouth on the tops of her breasts spilling from her bra.

Ginny grabbed a handful of his hair and pulled him closer. He raised his head and looked into her deep brown eyes. "Tell me if I do anything you don't like."

"So far, so good," she assured. "Make me feel instead of think, Oliver. I don't want to think."

Saying nothing, he bent his head again and started kissing her, tenderly at first, then, as sensations took over his body, more demanding. He rose up on his elbows and looked down at her. She really was quite lovely.

"Ginny," Oliver whispered. "Let's finish undressing. I want you."

Ginny simply nodded, confused by her wants and actions. It was as if her body was taking over her mind, and she couldn't seem to stop it, nor did she want to at that moment.

After they'd undressed, Oliver eased on top of her and gently kissed her face, eyes, and finally her mouth. For long moments, he did nothing except kiss her.

Ginny started rubbing her hands up and down his back, slowly at first and then more demandingly. She finally lifted her hips in blatant invitation. "Oliver."

He stopped kissing her, wanting to watch her eyes as he slipped into her. "Look at me." When she opened her eyes, he slipped inside. They both froze in shock at the sensation.

"Do you feel it?" Ginny asked, stunned.

"I do, yes. I feel it."

"What is that... kinship, that... link I feel?" Ginny asked.

"Dunno, but I feel it, too," Oliver told her and began moving in good solid strokes.

Without hesitation, Ginny began to thrust with him, and before long, they were lost in the moment, too far gone to think of anything more than finding completion. Oliver soon felt her tighten around him. That was all it took for him to explode within her.

As soon as he finished, Oliver collapsed on top of his wife, breathing heavily. After a bit, she shoved at his chest.

"Can't breathe here," she said, and he rolled to his side, placing his arm around her.

Guilt returning tenfold, especially after what she'd just shared with her husband, Ginny turned on her side with her back to his front and closed her eyes. I'm sorry, Harry. So, so sorry!

~*~

Ron lay on the cot in the shop, tossing and turning in a fitful sleep. He couldn't let his mind and body relax. He kept dreaming of mystical creatures chasing him, demanding they needed his body parts for potions and whatnot.

He turned to his side and suddenly jerked awake when he felt a familiar tug pulling from behind his navel.

"What the bloody hell?" Suddenly, he landed on the floor, face down, on top of his new bride.

"What is going on here?" Ron demanded.

"We've missed the deadline, silly. We're in Azkaban apparently," Luna told him, her face both distressed and amused at the same time. "Did you change your mind then and decide you wanted prison over me after all?"

Scrambling off her as quickly as possible, Ron ran to the door to their cell and called, "Guard!"

A/N: We'll see what happens with Luna and Ron in the next chapter.