Unforgettable

A/N – So what do you do when you’re stressed out over work? Insomnia, baby! Surprise! Thanks to all who have reviewed. No evil cliffhanger this time around. Enjoy!

--

Chapter Nineteen –

Even through the Silencing Charm, Hermione could tell that Ginny and Harry were arguing. He was trying to console Ginny who was near to hysterical that her brothers had been implicated.

Harry and Tonks had been removed from the investigation due to their conflict of interest. Kingsley Shaklebolt had been sent to bring the twins in, and Moody had finished questioning Luna, who had probably gone home to her father and given an exclusive interview for The Quibbler.

At least Harry and Ginny were talking, which was more than she could say about herself and Severus. He was sitting across the room, his arms crossed across his chest and scowling. He hadn’t even tried to talk to her, much less explain what he had done. The bastard acted as if he was the injured party!

She wanted to hex him and shag him at the same time. The bloody bastard had Obliviated her. Then he had lied to her. He had tried to convince her to marry him based on a bed of lies. He’d led her to believe that she was nothing more than a wanton whore who could have bedded anyone that fateful night.

She was beyond angry. She was livid. Harry’s announcement had incited a rage within her that she didn’t know she was capable of. Through it all, the twisted lies, the manipulations, the sex…she’d managed to see something she didn’t think possible.

Pity. She’d actually felt sorry for the bastard.

They were drawn together by a sick twist of fate – a fate that was the result of George and Fred Weasley and their total lack of disregard for the safety of others. If she should be angry with anyone, it should be them. They were the ones who had poisoned Severus and her. They were the ones who had ruined her carefully crafted future.

She was obviously in no condition to support a child. She was barely able to support herself. Gringotts paid well and she had savings, but her savings would not convert to much in the Muggle world.

If she ever saw them again, it would be too soon. They would be lucky to walk away from her with their dangling bits still intact.

Yes, they were the architects of the lust potion that drove her and Severus to mate like wild animals. But it still didn’t excuse what Severus had done to her.

A single one-word question lingered in her mind. It encompassed any and all questions she could possibly ask him. “Why?”

--

This was not how he’d envisioned the end of the day. He had expected to be married to the woman who stood in front of him with her wildly unattractive hair and flashing angry eyes. Her silence was unnerving.

Whoever said revenge was a dish best served cold had never witnessed his wrath. In keeping with his profession, Severus enjoyed brewing the many subtle ingredients of revenge. If it hadn’t been for the bloody prat, Potter, Severus would be married to Hermione by now. His future and that of his unborn child would be secure.

Potter would be the first to taste the cruel smattering of revenge.

The twins would suffer equally. Severus would take great pleasure watching them wallow in Azkaban after their trial.

Severus was so busy plotting his revenge he barely heard his lover’s question.

“Why?”

The question was too difficult to answer. No amount of scheming, much less words, would assuage her ever-questioning intellect. There was only one way to answer her question.

Grabbing the Pensieve Potter had tried to get him to use earlier, he touched the tip of his wand against his temple and pulled a silvery memory out and placed it gently in the bowl.

“This is not a memory I care to retain,” he muttered softly and held the bowl out to her. “I trust you to dispose of this properly. It would not do for others to witness the…encounter.”

Hermoine hesitated. \"What is it?\" she asked.

Severus grabbed hold of her hand and eased the bowl and its contents into her arms. “You asked why I Obliviated you, did you not?”

Hermione nodded, her eyes wide.

“Your answer lies within the bowl.”

“Why?” she repeated calmly, setting the bowl on the table. “Why did you continue to lie? Why did you lead me to believe the worst?”

Severus moved toward the door. “Because, Miss Granger,” he leered, “it is my nature. Blame it on the potion – the potion that still exhorts its powers over both of us. I could continue to lie and say that I Obliviated you for your own good, but you’re much too intelligent to believe anything like that.”

“I could tell you that I love you, but the truth is that I did what was in my best interest and that of my unborn child. Besides, you’re much too intelligent to believe that load of tripe.”

--

Hermione recoiled, his words destroying the last of any hope for his redemption. The last vestiges of any schoolgirl fantasies she may have had about him vanished.

Severus Snape was a cold, calculating, man – a Slytherin. She didn’t know what to expect, but it wasn’t this.

“Now, if you’ll excuse me,” Severus sighed in resignation, “I shall be on the third floor, awaiting your arrival. I had arranged for a Ministry official to marry us this morning and will attempt the next available appointment.”

“What?” she exclaimed.

“You are pregnant with my heir,” he explained, his inflection flat and harsh. “We will be bound today in a civil ceremony and attempt –”

“No, we will not,” Hermione hissed through clenched teeth. She’d heard enough. What had she expected? The man before her harbored no redemptive qualities within his character whatsoever. He was barmy if he thought she would actually consider marrying him.

With quick reflexes that made Hermione gasp, Severus pulled out his wand and cast a Disillusionment Charm around them. Before she could react, she was pulled into a passionate embrace.

His invasive kiss met with little resistance. It was precise and calculating, plotted to remind her that he could invoke the lustful longing for him with a crook of his little finger.

Feeling the unwelcome tug of desire, Hermione whimpered and felt him harden beneath her. The kiss was over before it had begun.

Severus stepped back, the look in his obsidian eyes revealing nothing. “Not only are you powerless to refuse me physically, I could undress you where you stand and take what I need. You would welcome me with euphoric abandon and beg for more,” he stated, appearing to be unaffected by the torrent of need thrumming through her now-enticed body. “You took an oath to marry me. If need be, I will pursue restitution. You will not leave the wizarding world with my child. I shall not permit it.”

She’d almost forgotten about the complaint he had filed. “I would rather spend the rest of my life in Azkaban than marry you,” she retorted breathlessly, resisting the urge to hex him.

“That may come to pass,” Severus replied, circling her like a predator. “But know this. I will have my heir…and you in my bed.”

Hermione grinned. “Do you really think the Wizengamot will indict me. After all, I’m under the influence of a potion that makes me do things against my better judgment.”

--

Harry peered wearily over Ginny’s shoulder, torn over consoling the inconsolable and helping Hermione. The bastard had set up a Disillusionment Charm.

“I won’t press charges,” Ginny sniffled against Harry’s shoulder. “They didn’t do it. Professor Snape is lying.”

There was no conviction in her words and Harry did his best to calm her. It was as though Ginny had finally realized what her twin brothers were actually capable of. He had no doubts. Their escape from Umbridge was testament to that. Harry didn’t dare disagree with her.

The door to the visitor’s lounge opened and Arthur and Molly Weasley walked in. Ron followed them, looking ill, but glaring at Harry nonetheless. Harry had never seen the Weasleys looking so dour.

Whispering an incantation, Harry removed the Silencing Charm.

Seeing her parents, Ginny pulled away from him and ran into the open arms of her mother. “Mum,” she whimpered.

Judging by the dirty look that Molly was giving him, they obviously knew about Ginny’s delicate condition. He bristled under the scrutiny. After all, it took two people to get pregnant the last time he checked, or four in this matter. George and Fred were in a heap of trouble.

“Harry,” Arthur said, motioning for him to follow him. “May I have a word with you?”

Harry cringed and fingered the small box in his trousers’ pocket, the proof of his intentions. He’d been trying to propose to Ginny for the last several days, but she had refused him. Now was definitely not the time to ask her father to help him.

“Yes, sir,” Harry replied, trying his best to ignore Ron’s icy stare.

“Fred and George…” Arthur’s voice caught with emotion, “are giving their statements now. Molly is understandably upset. She hasn’t been feeling well for several days now. When we found out what the twins did, we realized that Molly was pregnant. It was doubly disturbing to find that Ginny and Luna were pregnant as well.”

“Sir,” Harry stammered, “I love your daughter and -- ”

Arthur put his hand up. “I do not doubt your intentions toward Ginny. I must admit that we were surprised by the…news. But our primary concern is George and Fred. I was…um…wondering about the investigation and –”

“I’ve been taken off the investigation,” Harry stated softly. “I have no intention of lodging a complaint against George or Fred. I doubt Ginny would ever agree to marry me if I played any part in sending her brothers to Azkaban.”

The door to the lounge opened again, and Tonks poked her pink head through the door and looked around. “Wotcher, Harry. Where’s Sev and ‘Mione?”

Harry motioned toward the other side of the room and was startled to see the Disillusionment Charm had been removed. Snape looked furious and Hermione looked wary. Instinctively, he reached for his wand.

“Moody has managed to get two Interrogators for an indictment. They’re ready,” Tonks informed everyone in the room.

“Ah,” Severus drawled, “hopefully a quick and expedient trial.” He walked out of the room, paying no mind to the contemptuous stares.

“It’s a preliminary trial,” Tonks called after him.

--

Hermione stared at Severus’ retreating back, her frustration and anger over his attitude confounding her. The wizard had obviously been around potion fumes for too long.

“All right, “Mione?” Ron asked her with a weak smile as he walked up to her. He looked pale and tired.

Returning his smile, Hermione hooked her arm through his and followed him into the hall. “How are you feeling?” she asked. Unlike Ron, she could take an anti-nausea potion. He’d been cursed. There was no remedy for that other than the counter-curse.

Ron blushed and shrugged his shoulders. “Luna blames me,” he stated solemnly, “when she should have been blaming George and Fred.”

Yes, the culprits who had destroyed her perfectly tidy, yet dull life would receive their comeuppance.

“I can’t believe you and Professor Snape, er…” Ron’s voice trailed off tactfully.

Hermione pulled away from Ron with a startled gasp. She had been so rattled by Severus’ threat and Tonks’ announcement, she had almost forgotten the memory in the Pensieve.

“I have to go back to the lounge,” she called out to Tonks as she pulled away from Ron and started to walk backwards. “Would it be possible to wait a few minutes?”

“We’ll be on level ten, room ten,” Tonks replied and punched the button for the elevator.

Severus scowled at Hermione.

Flipping her hair over her shoulder, Hermione smiled as she walked away. The wizard was delusional if he thought the Pensieve would change anything. She closed the door behind her and sat down.

Taking a deep breath, she pulled the bowl toward her and plunged her face into the memory.

It was like watching a show, no emotions, just words and action. She cringed as she watched herself fall out of his bed. Even then Severus wore the sardonic smile she’d come to love and hate in the same breath. He was gloating.

She accused him of drugging her.

He snapped a retort.

Now she knew. She knew who had been responsible. Severus had tried to warn her about the punch, obviously not successfully. Had he tried to warn the others?

“You of all wizards should realize how incompetent Fred and George Weasley are when potions are involved! You’re deceitful. Exactly what I would expect of a Slytherin. But to stoop to illegal potions? Surely there are prostitutes who could overlook your hooked nose, greasy hair, and yellow teeth. Isn’t that what they are paid for?”

Hermione winced at the cruel, baseless words. She hardly recognized herself and couldn’t help but feel ashamed. Why had she acted like that?

Pulling her head out of the Pensieve, Hermione shuddered. Surely that wasn’t her. Her words were vicious, obviously meant to wound him. The problem was that this was his memory. It was obviously skewed in his favor. Her memory had been Obliviated, lost to her forever. There was no answer in the Pensieve. Severus had manipulated her again.

Somehow she resisted the urge to toss the contents of the bowl out. Instead, Hermione pointed her wand at the silvery wisp and directed it to her temple. She would keep his memory with her for now so that she could study it later.

*****