Your Hand in Marriage

A/N: Smurphy: Your inquiry will be answered in this chapter

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Hermione was in the hospital wing under a renewed glamour sitting propped up in her bed behind the cover of curtains. She knew that Ron was in the double doors to her left, in a magical prison of sorts while his fate was decided.

Severus kept glaring at the room, clutching his wand and clenching his fist repeatedly.

“Severus..”

He jumped and looked at Hermione who was gazing at him tiredly, “Severus, please don’t. I can feel what you want to do, but that is not going to help the situation.”

Severus’ face was taut with suppressed rage, “What he did was unforgivable, Hermione. I ought to pull him limb from limb.”

Hermione chanced a look at Harry, who had his knees drawn up in his chair and his hands over his face. She looked back at Severus, “You know as well as I do that what Ron did was a direct result of a potions overdose. It has all the classic signs, right down to the rancid odor of potions permeating his skin and breath.”

Harry lifted his head and looked at Hermione, “Potions overdose?”

Severus let out a growl from the back of his throat, “I know and I don’t care Hermione. He could have been imperioused and I would still want to see him dead. Why couldn’t you just let him fall?! ”

Hermione’s eyes filled with tears and Severus felt her heartbreak through their connection, “That man in there is not Ron. For the gods sake Severus, he needs to detox in a secure environment, not death! He’s deluded, when I looked in his eyes I could tell he was barely seeing me. I couldn’t just let him die!”

Severus struggled to wade through the ache that was flooding their bond. He stood up abruptly, “I cannot stay here, Hermione. If I stay here, I will kill him. If you are in need of me, send Potter.”

Hermione tears spilled over, “Please Severus…”

“I’m sorry, but I have to go.”

Severus strode stiffly out of the room, the curtains swishing in his wake and Hermione burst into sobs of anguish. In a second, Harry was at her side, stroking her hair. She let her head fall to his chest and he cradled her in his arms.

“Lay with me Harry, so I can get a little sleep. Please.”

Harry looked nervous, “Erm.. Hermione. If Severus came back he might kill me on the spot.”

Hermione looked up at him with teary eyes, and he resigned himself to be a murder victim, “Alright Hermione, but I’m staying on top of the covers.”

With a trembling smile, Hermione settled down into the hospital bed. Harry lay down next to her, his arm on her side.

“Harry, I love you. You are my best friend in the world. I don’t know what I’d do without you.”

Harry smiled into her shoulder, “I love you too, Hermione. You’re like family to me. My only family.”

Behind the curtain, Severus stood with his hand on the red material. He wanted to be angry at the exchange, but he really couldn’t. His bond with Hermione was like a lie detector, and he knew that the two of them had no romantic inclinations towards each other.

Still, the fact that he was unable to soothe Hermione’s pain the way Harry managed so easily ate him up inside. He could not help wanting to kill Ronald Weasely, but he found himself unwilling to do so. It was for the same reason he never wanted to go back to that Sycophant’s throne room, the same reason he could allow Harry to lay next to his wife; he simply didn’t want to cause Hermione any more pain.

Severus jumped at the hand on his shoulder. He turned and found himself looking in the sad eyes of Albus Dumbledore.

“Hello Severus, my boy.”

Severus could not speak, he merely inclined his head.

“Ronald Weasely, as you are well aware, is under the effects of a potions overdose. I am sending him to a high security detox center within St. Mungos. After which he will be evaluated by a professional so that we may decide if he is a danger to himself or others. Hermione has expressed her wish that he not be sent to Azkaban unless he is found to have been under his own influence during today’s incident.”

Albus’ eyes looked intently at Severus as though seeing through him, “Are you going to be alright with this, my son?”

Severus rubbed a shaking hand over his face, "What ever course of action she desires I will oblige, Albus.”

Albus smiled at him gently, “You have changed.”

Severus let out a short laugh, “I have been maddened, obviously.”

“This is the man you were meant to be Severus. There is no such thing as chance.”

With that, the Headmaster strode out of the room, leaving Severus staring at the open door.

He walked back in the room where Hermione was sleeping softly.

Severus saw Harry begin to start, but he held up a hand and put his finger to his lips.

Severus sat down in the chair next to Hermione, and grasped her hand in his.

Harry looked at him curiously, but Severus did not speak. He merely stared into Hermione’s sleeping face as the day grew into night.

~ * ~

When Hermione awoke there was no light beyond the flame of a guttering candle beside her bed. She was surprised to see Severus, head bowed in sleep, sitting in the chair next to her. Her hand was held loosely his.

She felt Harry stir beside her and wondered why Severus had not flipped out when he saw Harry in such close proximity to her.

Harry whispered groggily in her ear, “Are you feeling better, ‘Mione?”

She nodded, but kept her eyes on Severus.

“He came back right after you’d fallen asleep. I thought he was going to kill me, but he just sat down and stared at you for hours.”

Hermione turned to Harry in surprise.

“Yeah, I was surprised too. He really seems—I mean--- He’s --- He doesn’t seem like a complete git.”

Hermione smiled knowingly at Harry.

“What I mean is.. er.. I guess he can be alright. Sometimes. When he’s not acting like... himself.”

Hermione hugged Harry close to her, “Thank you, Harry.”

Harry blushed at her praise, “Anytime.”

Harry got up to use the loo, and Severus woke up with a snort.

He looked down on Hermione who was staring at him nervously,

“Hi.”

“Hi.”

And in a moment, Hermione was in his arms, hugging him tightly. He held her close to his chest whispering in her ear, “I’m sorry I left.”

Hermione pulled back and looked at him, “It’s alright. I know it’s not easy for you.”

Severus swallowed thickly, “I spoke with Albus. I—I have agreed that your assailant should be give proper care and assessment. After which, if I have been given even an inkling of intent—I will kill him.”

Hermione grasped his face in her hands, eyes shining, “I love you.”

Severus sucked in too much air and began to choke. Hermione laughed and hugged him, “I know those sorts of things aren’t in your nature. I’ll be patient with you. I don’t expect you to spout sonnets at me. Just as long as you’re here with me.”

Severus looked at her with an intense, unreadable expression in his face, “I will always be here.”

They looked at each other in silence until a feminine throat was cleared at the curtains. Severus and Hermione looked over to see Madame Pomfrey, obviously torn between happiness and disapproval, “Miss Gra—Madame Snape, you are well enough to be off. Please take it easy the next few days.”

She fled the curtained rooms quickly, obviously trying to avoid further conflict of duty.

Severus stood and stretched, “Let’s get some food in you, witch. Your hunger pangs are affecting my cognizance.” He reached out his hand to her, which she took with pleasure.

“Severus,” Hermione began hesitantly, “I thought the ring was supposed to protect me if I was in mortal peril? Why then, did it not…:

Severus, who had begun escorting her out of the room, stopped and began walking again, “It did not portkey you to me, because you were not in mortal peril. It means Mister Weasely, even in his delusional state, would never had made an attempt on your life.”

“Oh.”

Severus held the curtains aside for Hermione to walk through, and no more was said on the subject.

As they walked out of the doors, Harry came around the corner.

“Pomfrey let you go? That great!”

Hermione looked at Harry suspiciously. Knowing Harry as long a she did, she could tell he was holding on to a question he wanted to ask desperately.

“What is it Harry?”

Harry scuffed the ground with his foot, “What do you mean?”

Hermione let go of Severus and crossed her arms, “Don’t play that game with me Harry James Potter, what is it you want to ask?”

“Well.. er.. when we were in the library. Your hair sort of went all…”

Hermione stiffened and Severus placed a hand on her shoulder, “Perhaps, Mister Potter, you should join us for dinner?”

Without another word, the trio made their way down to the dungeons using back routes so they would not be seen by students on their way to the Great Hall for Sunday dinner.


A/N: This chapter is shorter than I would have liked, but I wanted to get it put up. I have to head to Whimsic Alley to get some HP clothes (slytherin, naturally).

Next chappie will include Hermione's classmate's reactions