Chapter 6

Chapter 6

"Come down from there! Right now!" Severus barked, pointing to the cobbles at his feet.

"How?" Hermione wailed. A roof tile under her right foot shifted ominously. She trembled. If she'd been standing up instead of crouching, she couldn't have kept her balance.

"Apparate, you stupid bint!"

Anger overcame her fear. She leant forwards in order to glower at Severus – and the roof tile gave way. Rattling and clattering as it disappeared over the edge of the roof. Hermione flailed wildly, desperate for something to hold onto. Her stomach lurched while she slid inexorably downwards. For a short, hopeful moment she managed to cling to the gutter. Then it broke away with a tortured groan.

For a split second time stopped. Pure terror prickled her innards, before she plummeted off the roof, head over heels, with no time to scream, or even to breathe. Air rushed in her ears, then she hit the cobbles of the street below. Surprisingly soft cobbles; while the impact winded her, there was no sickening crack of broken bones, no blinding haze of pain.

Hermione blinked away the stars obscuring her vision, until they were replaced by the distant ones shining far above in the night sky. Then Severus moved into her field of view, knelt beside her, and trailed his wand over her. He muttered some sort of incantation under his breath as he did so, which eased the ache of her bruised and breathless body.

"Stupid girl," Severus snapped. At odds with his harsh words, he ran his hands over her limbs, checking for broken bones. Only when he was satisfied that she was in one piece did he let her sit up, supporting her with his hands under her elbows.

"Just as well for you that almost all of these houses are abandoned, or your acrobatics would have had an audience." Severus stood and helped her to her feet as he did so.

"More of an audience, you mean," Lucius Malfoy's voice drawled from behind Hermione. She almost put a crick in her neck when she jerked her head around to face him. "Bring her inside, it's getting cold."

Only then Hermione noticed that her teeth were chattering. Why was that? She might have been on the roof ever since she'd Apparated to Spinner's End, without a coat to boot, but it hadn't been for that long. But then again, the cobbles may have been cushioned by a charm, but the chill from them could have seeped into her bones.

"Come on," Severus muttered. He rubbed her arms as he frogmarched her inside, past the smirking, seemingly solicitous Malfoy holding the door open.

While Malfoy made himself useful closing the door, Severus settled Hermione into the chair closest to the fireplace. He draped a blanket over her, which looked strangely like parchment to Hermione. But it felt exactly like a blanket was supposed to feel; soft, warm and cosy, so she put its weird appearance out of her mind.

Hermione was just starting to feel comfortably warm when Severus loomed over her again. His arms were crossed, almost hiding his clenched fists. The look in his narrowed eyes sent a chill down her spine. Combined with his scowl, Hermione could only describe his expression as thunderous.

"Call your parents," he hissed.

She blinked. That hadn't been what she expected him to say. She'd been bracing herself for a telling-off worse than the one she'd given Harry almost a week earlier. "Send them an owl, you mean?"

"No." Severus uncrossed his arms and hauled her to her feet, throwing the blanket over the back of the chair. He tugged her over to where a metre high cabinet stood. She blinked; to her surprise a telephone was placed on top of it. "Well, don't just stand there. Your parents were frantic when they telephoned a few minutes ago. Something about your leaving after an argument."

Hermione picked up the phone, a bizarre mental image of Severus scowling at a BT bill crossing her mind as she reluctantly dialled her parents' number.

"Severus! Have you found her? Is she safe? Will she come home?" She held the phone away from her ear, wincing at her mother's flurry of questions. "This is Severus, isn't it?"

For a sorely pressed moment, Hermione was tempted to say that it was one of her parents' patients with an emergency. But that would have been cruel, her mother was obviously worried ... and apart from anything else, Severus was right beside her. She didn't want to seem childish.

"No, Mum, it's me."

A sigh of relief rattled down the phone line. "Hermione, thank goodness. Please come home. I'm sorry we shouted, but you really should have told us about this marriage law nonsense as soon as you came home."

Hermione groaned. "Mum ... There was no right way to do it with a mess like this."

There were muffled mutters on the other end of the line as her parents discussed something. Eventually she spoke up audibly, "Don't worry, dear, we'll sort it out."

"For the love of...Mum, I told you, even with that bad wizard dead, the Ministry isn't going to listen to Muggles."

"I see," her mum sniffed. "Well, come home so we can help you sort out your..." another sniffle, "wedding."

"Erm, there's not all that much to sort out, is there?"

"Not much? Hermione, darling, there's the venue for the wedding itself, another for the reception, clothes, invitations..."

Hermione had a nightmarish vision of her mother's dream wedding, inflicted on her. She glanced at Severus and at Lucius. Much as they probably deserved it after that stupid duel, she couldn't do that to them. Most of all, she couldn't do that to herself. She hurriedly interrupted her mother. "There's really no one I want at this wedding except you and Dad."

"Not even Harry and Ron?" Her mum asked after a long (and probably horrified) pause. Hermione grimaced, feeling like a monster. But this was her wedding, not her mother's.

"If they want to come to my wedding, they can come to the wizarding one." 'And I don't expect they will. Who can blame them, especially poor Ron?'

"If that's what you want." Her mother said stiffly. To Hermione's dismay, she also sounded hurt, but that couldn't be helped. "Are you coming home tonight?"

"I don't know. I've got quite a bit to talk about with Severus and Lucius."

"Hmm. I suppose I can trust Severus."

'But apparently not me. I'm not a child anymore, Mum!' Hermione counted to ten before she said anything more. "I'll see you tomorrow, Mum. Give Dad my love."

"Hermione..."

"Good night, Mum." She hung up, almost slamming the phone back down onto the receiver.

She turned to Severus. "Well?" Hermione demanded, steeled for a fight.

Severus dragged a hand across his face. When he lifted it away, he looked weary. She wondered if she should have counted to ten again. He hadn't done anything to deserve her taking her frustration with her mother out on him. She felt her anger evaporate like the power of a Dementor against a Patronus.

He reached for her hand and gripped it tightly, bringing her attention back to him. "Promise me you will never Apparate blindly again."

"Most people Apparate with their eyes closed!"

"You know perfectly well what I meant! Unless it is a matter of life or death, I want your word that you will never Apparate to a place you have not seen before." His grip tightened even more, almost crushing her hand beneath his. The pressure eased when she winced, and his fingers stroked the back of her hand apologetically.

She, Harry and Ron had done a lot of risky things during the search for the Horcruxes. It was perhaps a little foolish to do them in more peaceful times. All right, completely foolish. "I promise."

* * *

"Good." Severus almost pulled her into an embrace when he was reminded of Lucius's presence.

"Much as I hate to interrupt," Lucius said in a way that could only be described as a leer, "but you said that you had to talk to us."

Severus stepped away from Hermione, releasing her hand. If Lucius – the supercilious voyeur –hadn't spoken, he might have exposed himself and Hermione to his friend's mockery.

"Actually..." Hermione looked away guiltily. "I don't want to go home yet. My parents need time to calm down." She sighed. "So do I."

Lucius smirked. "How Slyth..."

"Not Slytherin, actually," Severus countered. He took great pleasure in wiping that smirk from Lucius's face. "I could tell that it was not the whole truth when you said it. But then Gryffindors do tend to be obvious when they lie."

"Not the whole truth? I out-and-out lied!" Hermione protested.

"Ah, but you were going to tell us what your argument was about, weren't you?"

"If you really want to know," she said doubtfully.

"I do. Sit down, and I'll put the kettle on. After your almost calamitous arrival, I think you could do with a cup of tea." He certainly felt the need for one. At this rate his bride-to-be would give him a heart attack before they could marry.

The tea was brewed and poured before Hermione saw fit to explain herself.

"Where to begin?" she pondered aloud. She took a sip from her cup and winced when she burned her tongue.

"Use the charm on your tongue, not the tea!" Lucius blurted, horrified when she made moves to touch her wand to the cup. "Cooling Charms ruin tea."

Severus kept a straight face as he drew his own wand and used it to cool his tea down directly. When he looked over at Lucius, it was impossible to keep his lips from turning up a little at the appalled expression on his friend's face.

"I believe I am the certified potions Master around here. Trust me, it does not ruin it."

"Philistines. I'm surrounded by philistines," Lucius muttered, and shuddered when Hermione used the forbidden charm on her own tea, smiling sweetly.

"Right," Hermione said, after she drained her cup and set it aside. "Well, to cut a long rant short, my parents were a little upset."

For a moment, Severus could almost hear Helen's enraged shriek as she hurled her glass in Lucius's and his direction. "Hardly surprising. What about in particular?" he queried.

"That I have two fiancés, that you're both considerably older than me, that they have to adjust from thinking of you as a friend to a prospective son-in-law ..." She counted off the issues on her fingers. "Frankly, they'd have problems if it was only you." She glanced up at Severus.

She slumped back against her armchair. "They were especially upset that I hadn't told them until today." Her lips pressed together into a thin, unhappy line. "My parents aren't stupid. They knew something was up long before the subject of the marriage law was brought up after dinner.

"The only thing they were thankful for was that you weren't there to talk about something bad to do with the plague."

Severus was not surprised that Will and Helen had picked up on their guests' unease. It had been a very awkward meal, full of uncomfortable silences. While he and Lucius had managed to charm them for a good part of the evening, Helen especially, with talk of detective novels and bird watching, all of the charm in the world would not have been able to cover up the fact that something was wrong.

"I left..." Hermione's voice wavered and she fell silent. She looked away, glaring furiously at the fireplace until she had regained control. Her eyes, brimming with tears, reflected the dancing flames. At last she went on, "I left just after they demanded we marry in a local venue, Mum seething in the same breath about the damage it will do to their reputation."

She laughed hollowly. "The Grangers' wayward daughter, marrying a man twice her age, old enough to be her father. And so quickly! She must be pregnant." Her lips twisted. "'You aren't, are you?'" It was uncanny, how Hermione managed to mimic her mother's voice. "As I was angry enough for the nearest shelf of books to fall apart at that point, I thought it was best for me to leave."

She rubbed her knuckles against her eyes to wipe her impending tears away. She avoided looking directly into Severus's eyes, but kept her face turned further towards him than Lucius.

"Well," Lucius broke the awkward silence, "at least there is no fear of that. The law does not dictate on that part of marital life."

"Yet," Hermione muttered darkly. She gave Lucius a contemptuous look. "Do you really think that the Wizengamot will leave the law as it is indefinitely?"

Lucius blinked, taken aback. "It's a given in wizarding society that marriage results in children eventually."

"If this polyandry poppycock doesn't result in pregnant witches within the next few months, you can bet that the Wizengamot will implement an addendum to the law." Hermione crossed her arms. Her scowl matched Severus's best efforts. "They clearly didn't think this through, as they'll require children rather more immediately than 'eventually'. Wait and see."

That was a troubling thought, at least to Severus. He had no desire for children in the immediate future, although somewhat to his surprise he found the idea of maybe one or two in a decade or so not completely terrifying. Lucius just shrugged, glancing between Severus and Hermione in a way that made it clear that would be their problem, not his.

"While we are all here, we might as well settle certain things."

Severus eyed Lucius suspiciously. "What things?"

"Don't worry, not plans for your Muggle marriage. I wouldn't dare encroach on Har... er, Helen's territory." Lucius glanced a little nervously at Hermione. It was obvious to Severus that he had almost called her mother 'Harridan Helen'. For Lucius's sake he hoped that it was less so to Hermione. She raised an eyebrow, but said nothing.

"The usual sort of things." He dismissively waved a hand. "Name change, marital abode, rings..."

"I'm not changing my name, other than from Miss to Ms."

Severus was not terribly surprised. She was an only child, so there was no one else to carry on the Granger name. She also definitely had modern ideas. Lucius, however, straightened up in his chair, his eyes narrowing.

"That's unheard of in wizarding society. While you will only be my wife in name only, unless you want that charade to be discovered, you will have to take my name."

"On the contrary, Mr Malfoy, it's hardly feasible for me to change my name, as it would mean favouring one husband." She leant forward, returning his glower. "As you're obviously so fussed about regaining your precious influence and reputation, why don't you change your name? Lucius Granger has quite a ring to it, don't you think?"

Lucius worked his jaw, his fists clenched. Severus fingered his wand, ready to intervene if necessary, but Lucius backed down without so much as an uncivil word.

"Very well. But I think not in regards to taking your name. Wizarding society can only take so many upheavals before it collapses, after all."

"As for rings, I don't see what there is to talk about. I have but one ring finger, so wedding rings will be plenty." Hermione said no more on the matter, but Severus could tell that she was tempted to say something else. Probably about her fiancés wearing the engagement rings if they insisted on them.

Severus nodded. "My only requirement is that the rings are simple and platinum, at least in my case. I do work with volatile ingredients."

"It's getting late," Lucius stated, expectantly eyeing Severus. 'If he was hoping for another nightcap, he could wait until he returned to Malfoy Manor.'

"Well, I'll take my leave." Lucius looked a little put out when he stood up. "As it's clear where we shall live after marriage: Malfoy Manor."

"You cannot be serious!" Severus lurched to his own feet. To his side, still seated, Hermione stiffened.

"The Ministry would know it was not a real marriage if one husband lives elsewhere, man!" Lucius tossed his head, exasperated.

Also exasperated and angered, Severus took a step forward. "That may be so, but you cannot expect Hermione to live in a place where she was tortured, and certainly not when the atmosphere of that same place sickens her without my touch."

That and Severus felt uncomfortable with the idea of living under the same roof as Lucius, particularly with a wife in tow. He was well aware of Lucius's voyeuristic proclivities.

"I am more than willing to have a curse breaker in to deal with the forbidding atmosphere. And it's simple enough to let the girl loose in the drawing room to deal with her demons. A spot of redecorating after that, and it'll be fine."

Hermione snorted.

Lucius looked around the room they stood in, lip curling at the shabby furniture and cramped bookshelves. "Surely you don't suggest that we live here? I am certainly not about to move to this hovel."

Flushed with rage at this insult, Severus took another step towards Lucius, on the brink of throwing his 'friend' out into the street.

"Stop it, both of you!" Hermione stepped in between them. "Honestly, you could talk as if I was in the same room." She sounded exasperated. Almost as if she had been trying to make herself heard before ...

"Malfoy Manor does make sense, Severus. And this isn't a hovel, Lucius. If you think it is, you should see pictures of a shanty town." She continued under her breath, too low for Lucius to hear by his lack of reaction: "And live in one for a while, that ought to take you down a few essential pegs.

"Before you start smirking about your victory, either of you, remember that Crookshanks will be living with me. I hope you don't mind cat hair, and too bad if either of you happens to be allergic to cats."

"Feel free to bring your cat. Just keep it away from my aviary." Lucius stepped close to Hermione. For a moment it looked as if he intended to kiss her lips ... to Severus's relief, he bent forwards at the last second, gallantly raising her hand to his lips. "Good night."

When the door closed behind Lucius, the lingering burn of jealousy faded from Severus's heart. Much as he tried to tell himself that there was nothing to feel jealous about, simply the sight of Lucius touching Hermione was enough to make his blood boil. Or at least bubble.

"It's late. Would you rather I go to..."

"Do you know where Potter lives at the moment? Or would you go to the Weasleys?" He shook his head. "Of course you can stay here." 'Silly girl!'

"It was rather rude of me to presume, that's all."

"Hardly. My home is your home now." He pulled her into his arms.

Severus had intended for it to be a brief embrace, but he hadn't counted on Hermione. She stretched up, grabbed the back of his head and brought his mouth down to hers.

This time there was nothing to interrupt just when things started to get interesting. Their lips parted, tongues intertwined and hands roamed. She wrapped one leg around him, pressing their groins together.

It was only when he unsnapped her brassiere, one hand slipped beneath her shirt, that he came to his senses. He turned his face away so that Hermione's attempt to reclaim his lips landed on his cheek, then gently pushed her leg back down and held her at arms length.

"We are not ready for that step, even if..." Severus grimaced. He stepped back to adjust his protesting erection in uncomfortably tight trousers. 'Even if we both want to.'

Hermione reached out, her eyes fixed below his waist, but almost immediately retracted her hand, blushing fiercely. She briefly met his eyes before she looked away. "No, you're right."

He hesitantly extended his hand. "Come upstairs. I will sort out the spare bedroom for you. My parents' old room; I still sleep in my childhood room."

"A double bed?" Her wicked smile was at odds with the embarrassed colour still in her cheeks and would-be innocent question.

"Hermione, don't tempt me. I am a man of flesh and blood." He swatted at her behind and chased her upstairs, her laughter livening up his shabby home.

* * *

Lucius tugged at the stiff collar of his uncomfortable Muggle suit. The Harridan had insisted that he and Severus wear the ridiculous clothes normally worn at Muggle weddings. 'Penguin suits', Will Granger had called them, perhaps after the monochrome colouring ... or maybe it referred to the ungainly waddle the infernal suits forced upon the wearer?

He shot Severus a baleful look; his friend didn't look nearly as uncomfortable. Hopefully he was merely better at hiding his discomfort, it wouldn't be fair otherwise. But then again, Severus was blind to anything other than the 'enter' door to the left, his eyes fixed on it like a rat watching a Kneazle.

"You have the rings?" Severus double-checked, keeping his eyes on the door.

"No."

"What?" yelped Severus, his panicked gaze wrenched from the door.

"Relax, Mr Snape," one of the two Muggle officials present interjected, spoiling Lucius's fun. "I have the rings now. Your friend is just teasing you."

It had been just over two weeks since the disastrous dinner at the Grangers. Without marrying over the anvil, it was apparently as soon as was possible. 'Such a sluggish system.'

His lip curling slightly, Lucius gave the room where the ceremony was to take place a once-over. The room set aside in Oxford's Register Office might be impressive for Muggles, with the high ceiling and stained glass windows, but it was pretentious to him; particularly when compared to his own home. The light fittings were shaped to look like candles, but on closer inspection were powered by that Muggle energy. Electricity, that was it.

The only thing that he approved of was the oak panelling and matching solid table, the top covered with leather. The theme was completed by the chairs at the desk being leather padded too. Reminiscent of his own private study, if a pale shadow.

The drag of the door opening against the carpeted floor drew his attention to where Will was escorting Hermione inside, the Harridan on their heels.

Lucius glanced at the Bridegroom, and almost rolled his eyes. Severus was transfixed, unblinking as he watched Hermione advance on her father's arm. Granted, the girl did look pretty in her simple, pure white dress (as if she was a virgin, which Lucius found highly unlikely), but she was nothing compared to what Narcissa had looked like on their wedding day...

He swallowed hard and resolutely turned his eyes back to the desk, blinking regularly to avoid the threat of humiliating tears. It was only when he registered chairs being pulled back that he stepped back and took his own seat.

One of the Muggle officials remained standing and proceeded to waffle on about love. That was just insult to injury for Lucius, so he ignored it as best he could.

The Harridan's voice began to penetrate his ears from the row of chairs on his left. Judging by the lack of protest from the officials, it must be a planned part of the ceremony. After giving notice of their marriage in person as was required, Severus and his bride had left the planning to the Grangers, as they insisted.

Lucius blinked. Now that he listened to what Harridan Helen said, he couldn't believe his ears. Judging by the tense backs of Severus and Hermione, neither could they.

"...one wine glass of common sense, a dash of modesty." The Harridan cleared her throat, clearly unaccustomed to public speaking.

"'Put the love, good looks and sweet temper into a well-furnished house. Beat the butter of youth to a cream, and mix well together with the blindness of faults. Stir the pounded wit and good humour into the sweet argument, then add the rippling laughter and common sense. Add a dash of modesty and work the whole together until everything is well mixed. Bake gently for ever.'"

Lucius watched the bride and groom exchange a nervous glance. He couldn't blame them. What would Will's reading be after Helen's ... interesting choice? 'Thank Merlin this charade isn't my wedding.'

Severus took Hermione's hand, their eyes locked onto each other in a way that was painful for Lucius to watch.

"I do solemnly declare, that I know of no lawful impediment why I, Severus Tobias Snape, may not be joined in marriage to Hermione Jean Granger."

Compared to Severus's more confident declaration, Hermione sounded nervous. "I declare that I know of no legal reason why I, Hermione Jean Granger, may not be joined in marriage to Severus Tobias Snape." She also stumbled over Severus's middle name.

"I, Severus Tobias Snape, take thee, Hermione Jean Granger to be my lawfully wedded wife."

"I, Hermione Jean Granger, take you, Severus Tobias Snape, to be my lawfully wedded husband." She sounded less nervous this time, more used to Severus's full name, Lucius supposed. Either that or somehow reassured by Severus's subtle squeeze of her hand between the legal declaration and the contracting words.

One of the officials stood and moved around the desk to pass the goblin wrought platinum rings to them, Lucius's contribution to this marriage. Other than that, Hermione's parents were paying for this.

"I give you this ring as a token of my love and friendship." It was a definite wrench to see Severus slide the band of metal onto Hermione's finger, and another to hear her echo the words and put her ring on his finger. Lucius fingered his own ring, all too soon to be removed and replaced by a token of a fallacious union.

From his place beside the Harridan, Will cleared his throat. It was apparently time for his reading. Lucius braced himself, slightly amused to see the happy couple do the same.

"'Let me not to the marriage of true minds

Admit impediments. Love is no love

Which alters when it alteration finds,

Or bends with the remover to remove:

O, no, it is an ever-fixed mark...'"

Swiping at his eyes, Lucius swallowed hard. Narcissa had adored Shakespeare. This time the tears trickled out, unstoppable. Thankfully all eyes were on the almost-married pair. By the time Will had finished his recitation, Lucius had regained control of his emotions, clandestinely using magic to erase all evidence of his tears.

'When will this ordeal be over?'

Much to Lucius's relief, he could tell that it must be almost over when the paperwork on the desk was signed and witnessed. He could hear a pen scratching over paper, although his view was blocked by the assorted bodies.

After the bureaucratic requirements were fulfilled, Lucius dispassionately observed the newlyweds pose by the desk for the camera-wielding Will.

Thanking the officials, they made their way to the exit on the right side of the room.

"Aren't you forgetting something?" The main officiator asked, a rhetorical question if Lucius had ever heard one. "You may kiss the bride."

The Harridan sniffled as Severus bent down to chastely kiss Hermione, burying her head into Will's shoulder, who wiped at his eyes. Lucius did his utmost to convince himself that he was unmoved, but felt something in his traitorous chest twinge. Not sorrow this time ... His eyes widened. Surely not jealousy?

AN: Many thanks to septentrion and JunoMagic for betaing. And to Kribu for alpha reading.

Credit to septentrion for the idea of Hermione landing on the roof at Spinner's End.

Civil ceremony information from: http://www.gro.gov.uk/gro/content/marriages/

Oxford Registry Office information from: http://portal.oxfordshire.gov.uk/content/publicnet/council_services/

community_living/birth_death_marriage/marriages/virtualtours/qt/oxfordvirtualtour.mov

Reading references:

A Good Wedding Cake (author unknown).

Sonnet No. 116 by William Shakespeare.