an unlikely match...

When morning came, it it did in all of its shimmering splendor Hermione Granger lay in bed, refusing to open her eyes. She could hear the birds chirping on her window\'s ledge. She could almost see the light filtering into her room through her closed eyes, and onto the bed where she lay alone now. Austere had crept back to his own room to avoid suspicion from his constantly hovering mother hours ago.

Well at least, noknowknow where Snape gets it-

No. She groaned and rolled over onto her stomach, burying her head in her pillows. Thinking of one Severus Snape was not the right way to start off a morning. If anything, that was probably the worst way to start off a morning, especially after last night\'s...occurrence.

In the immense throws of passion, in which its customary etiquette to call out your lover\'s name when the overwhelming moment presents itself, you\'re really expected to do just that. Call out your lover\'s name.

Sadly hadn\'t been the case for Hermione. As Austere with Snape\'s body and voice had been driving home, and images of the surly Potions Professor had clouded her mind...she had called out his name instead. Sure it had been a muffled murmur of aroused frenzy, but still it hung over Hermione like a cloud.

It had been an awkward exchange as she felt the muffled word \"Sevvvss\" not quite a name, escape her throat and lips she had tensed, waiting to see if Austere had stopped as well. He hadn\'t. He had gone right along, pounding and groaning himself until he was spent. This was a good thing at the time, but now hours later she was racked with guilt.

\"Of all the people.\" she moaned, \"Why did it have to be him?\"

And true, why did it have to be Severus Snape? Why was it he that she was drawn to against better will. Why did she feel the overwhelming need to either mouth off to him or run. Or in this case, fantasize about making love to him while her fiancée sent her over the edge.

Austere. Dear Austere. He was such a kind good man. She had fallen in love with his kind disposition almost instantly. When she had found he was Snape\'s younger brother something besides disgust had been a party to her emotions. She still didn\'t know what it was.

She groaned once more as pulling herself up and out of bed, her bare feet smacked against the floor as she struggled not to topple over due to her dizzy fatigue.

No more thinking about Snape.

The mere thought of that ran shivers up and down her spine as she imagined it was his expert fingers causing these sensations.

For God\'s sake...follow your own advice.

The cool water from the tap splashed onto her face was a welcome solace from thoughts not needed. Then in the end aape\ape\'s torso and voice crept into her mind, it was decided that a cold shower might be a good idea as well.

* * *

\"Good morning \'Mione...or should I say afternoon?\" Ginny\'s cheerful face greeted her as she made her way down to the table. She placed another cup of steaming coffee in the seat that she assumed Hermione would occupy shortly.

But as her old friend sat and gripped the coffee cup until her knuckles went white, her own look went from surprised amusement to worried concern. \"What\'s wrong Hermione? You look near tears.\"

Hermione blinked back the said tears and seated herself down at the table looking disconcerted. \"I\'m...just worried about the whole wedding.\" to take the attention off of the latter speech she added hastily, \"Where are Ron and Harry?\"

Ginny smirked and rolled her eyes, \"They insisted on finding a suitable place for a bachelor party.\"

Hermione laughed out loud at that one. Austere at a bachelor party? He\'d sooner run off to Hogwarts and claim he felt the desire to go into Potions. \"Figures...Have you seen Austere?\"

Ginny looked askance, \"I think I overheard Snape taking to Austere about going to Hogsmeade. I was passing thr-\"

\"Snape\'s leaving?\"

Ginny looked to Hermione in surprise as the girl interrupted. This was quite unlike her friend, if anything she thought Hermione would take this as a welcome reprieve from everyone\'s last favorite person.

\"Only for the afternoon \'Mione.\"

\"Right.\"

Hermione nodded, heart pounding as she shrugged, trying to play off her last comment as Ginny gave her an incredulous look. Where it had come from was beyond her. It was the strangest feeling she had around Severus. It was if it were de ja vu all the time, and familiar feelings came back to her and she didn\'t even know what they were from. She\'d feel angry at certain things he\'d said like she\'d heard them before.

\"So, which part of the wedding are you worried about?\"

\"Huh?\"

Ginny smirked at her oblivious friend, obviously lost in thought. \"You just said you were worried about the wedding. Which parts?\"

\"Er...you know, flowers, dresses all of that.\"

Ginny\'s face relaxed and she nodded, clasping one hand over Hermione\'s. \"Well my dear, that\'s why I\'m here. In fact, I\'ve already booked your dress fitting today and ordered the flowers you discussed with Austere. He gave me a whole scrapbook full of ideas.\"

\"The scrapbook.\" She smiled fondly and looked to her beaming young friend. \"You helped me with it, remember?\"

\"I remember it.\" Ginny leaned over and fiddled about with her bag, and grasping the large book in her hands she dragged it up onto the glossy tabletop letting it down with a resounding thud. \"He said you\'d been carting it around forever.\"

Hermione looked at the familiar book, her tears now slipping freely down her cheeks. At least now she could play them off as tears of nostalgia. Her \"Yes.\" came out in a breathless whisper of emotion.

She had been carrying this book around forever, or what seemed like it. In reality it hadn\'t been more than four years. It was a medium sized scrapbook, not too thick but heavy. It was a Gryffindor red on the cover with gold binding, a present from Ron for Christmas. She had received it in her seventh year from him, and for some reason that she couldn\'t recall had eagerly decided it would be her, \"Wedding book.\"

\"I remember this.\" Ginny said grinning, \"I remember sitting up in your Head Girl chambers for hours at a time, searching for the perfect dress or flowers.\" she smiled wistfully, \"We\'d be cutting and gluing for hours, sometimes forgetting dinner.\"

\"Ah, but Ron was always there to remind us.\"

The two girls erupted into familiar giggles that hadn\'t reached the air in a good couple of months. Hermione grew solemn, catching her friend in a small embrace accross the table. \"I\'ve missed you Gin. You and Harry and Ron...it feels like I never see you anymore.\"

Ginny didn\'t answer, merely hugged her friend back. After Hermione had become so involved with Austere months ago their relationships had been strained. No longer was Hermione the adventurous know-it-all they had come to depend on at all times, including Voldemort’s defeat. But now she was different, she had certain obligations now.

In all truth, Ginny wasn\'t sure she liked Austere at all. Truth be told, Severus was seeming a mucre sre suitable choice, at least he\'d let her hand about with her friends. Who knew where this stupid and improbably thought surfaced, probably just a stupid thing one believes when in the emotion of despair.

She didn\'t much care for the Snape Manor, it was like the eldest brother that bore its name. Cold. She hated the maids and butlers and on occasion, house elves scurrying about, as if hiding some horrible secret. She hated the whispers and looks as she passed them to get to Hermione\'s room. She had come to the conclusion that Austere most definitely didn\'t like Hermione\'s friends, and wasn\'t being tactful about it.

\"Well, we\'ll have to change that.\" Ginny offered diplomatically, smiling warmly at the nodding Hermione as she shivered in the coldness of the kitchen. \"You and Austere must come out to The Burrow sometime.\"

Hermione forced a smile and nodded. In actual fact she had pitched the idea to Austere on more than one occasion, and time and time again he had declined saying he had work. And just when she\'d get furious at him he\'d go and buy her flowers, or take her to dinner as an apology. He was the best sweet talker around and Hermione fell victim every time.

\"Do you still have yours?\"

\"My wedding book?\" Ginny shook her head laughing slightly. \"Why would I need it? I found my match.he nhe nudged Hermione playfully. \"And now so have you...even if it is a Snape.\"

She noticed as Hermione\'s face scrunched up at the word \'Snape\' and felt at a complete loss as her companion burst into sobbing tears and lay her head down on the table, tears falling gently onto the tabletop as Ginny stared.

\"\'Mione...what\'s wrong?\"

Hermione tried to stop the tears and loud sobs that racked her body and made it impossible to speak. \"I-I can\'t...I-I th-think I-.\"

\"Stop.\" Ginny cooed, smoothing her friend\'s hair comfortingly. After a good three minutes of sobs that sounded out around the empty room Hermione wiped her eyes, and with shaky breaths explained her dilemma.

\"I-I don\'t know if marrying Austere is the best idea.\" she saw as Ginny\'s face went to concern as the younger girl patted Hermione\'s hand gently, looking to her face with an imploring look.

\"Why\'s that, \'Mione?\"

\"Er...\" Hermione blinked back the tears that were building behind her eyes, waiting for her to release another waterfall. \"You see, I\'ve been having these...dreams and...thoughts...very un-bride like.\"

Ginny giggled and looked to a blushing Hermione. \"You\'re allowed to fantasize Hermione.\"

Hermione looked a little nervous as she spoke next, and did so in hushed wary tones. \"You see Ginny, these...’thoughts’ aren\'t about Austere.\"

\"Who are they about then?\"

There was a collective pause as if Hermione knew this was a fork in the road of friendship. Once she uttered the name on her lips there was no going back, even if she wanted to. But one small encouraging nod from her old friend was good enough to seal her fate.

\"Professor Snape.\"

Ginny\'s eyes widened as she looked to Hermione in disbelief. \"Professor Snape?\"

Hermione blushed and hung her head in shame, nodding as she did so. Ginny looked as if she were trying to piece together a very intricate puzzle in which Hermione, Austere and Snape were a part of. Where they all fit in was the mystery. Hermione hurried on, telling Ginny of her strange dream and awkwardly informed her of the minimal details of last nights ‘threesome’.

\"Do you think,\" Ginny paused trying to find the exact right words looking skyward before focussing her light eyes of Hermione. \"Do you think you may be marrying Austere because...he\'s the only Snape you can get?\"

Hermione wiped the tears from her dark eyes and gaped at her friend. Surely Ginny was jesting. \"Excuse me?\"

\"Have you had feelings for Snape all this time...since school and decided that Austere was as close as you were ever going to get?\"

Hermione couldn\'t speak, only offer a small \'o\' of surprise on her mouth and eyes the blinked rapidly before settling on a wide shocked stance. She sat in her chair, slightly slumped forward and thunderstruck.

\"What are you asking me Ginny?\" She asked this even though she feared the answer for she knew it herself. Ginny pursed her lips into a thin line and looked tentatively to the brunette across from her.

\"Did you pick the wrong brother, Hermione?\"

Hermione\'s heart leapt into her throat as she struggled to breathe. It was if a cinderblock was placed on her chest and she was slowly losing air. She went pale and began swaying in her chair offering a weak. \"I-I...\"

\"Or perhaps,\" Ginny jumped in seeing that Hermione looked ready to faint, \"Do you think that this is all just a manifestation of cold feet? Nervousness about the wedding? Are you just making up barriers because you\'re afraid of commitment?\"

All Hermione could do was nod at her friend\'s leading and covering up question, although she could see in Ginny\'s eyes that her friend knew the truth. But...she hadn\'t cared for Snape ever...had she? Remembering him from school was so hard...up until her sixth year everything was crystal clear, but near the beginning almost to the end of her last and seventh year, he was fuzzy...a blur.

\"Yes.\" Hermione said, her color returning. \"Cold feet is all. I suppose I\'m just nervous.\"

Ginny nodded, pasting a phony smile upon her freckled face. Hermione envied Ginny, she was younger but already had her life set out for her, and a husband she could depend on.

\"Now c\'mon.\" Ginny said helping her friend up from her chair as Hermione nodded and stood on her own. \"We\'ve got dresses to look at. The tailor\'ll be here at seven.\"

Hermione nodded, standing as they prepared to get her ready for a day of wedding plans. But in the back of her mind couldn\'t shake the feeling that they had been spied upon moments before. And perhaps still.