#6 ~ A Matter of Matrimony

Disclaimer: All characters belong to JKR (except Marcus Delaluci). All situations are mine. No $$$ is being made from this fanfic.
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Chapter 21 – The Revelation


After what seemed like hours, Hermione lifted her head from gazing into the pensieve. Her complexion was pale and there was anger, pain and shame wrestling for dominance in her eyes as she looked at Severus, who quickly stood and pulled her from the armchair into his embrace. She was trembling, and he held her against him, saying nothing, trying to calm her with his presence.

“He saw us,” she said hollowly, “he watched us, watched you…”

“Yes,” Severus said, rocking her gently, “Yes, then he wanted you.”

“To cause me pain…” she whispered again, “he wasn’t my friend at all.”

“No, he wasn’t. He was manipulating you,” Severus said, “he was good. You couldn’t have known.”

“And the date…he was going to rape me, wasn’t he?” Hermione said in a strangled voice.

“I don’t know for sure, but he intended to have you Hermione,” Severus said, still embracing her.

She pulled away from him.

“And I sure made it easy for him didn’t I?” she said to Severus, staring at him with a crazed look in her eyes.

“I got drunk and practically begged him to fuck me!” she cried, tears falling from her eyes.

Severus stepped toward her but she moved away, staring at him.

“Then I offered to fuck both of you at the same time!” she was hysterical now, tugging on her hair.

“How can you stand me, Severus? How can you love me knowing I could do something like this?” she cried, “I’m disgusting!”

She made to run from the room, but Severus was several steps ahead of her. He grabbed her and pulled him to her, holding her tightly as she struggled to get away.

“It wasn’t you, Hermione…it was the alcohol. The alcohol my sweet,” he breathed against her temple, holding her tight to him. She still struggled.

“All I saw was me, asking for it,” she sobbed against him, “if he had fucked me, or raped me, I would have deserved it!”

Severus stiffened. He pulled Hermione out of his arms and held her at arms length. He shook her soundly, his black eyes flashing in anger.

“Don’t you think that. Don’t you ever think that, Hermione Granger. You don’t deserve to be abused, by anyone for any reason. I won’t allow you to blame yourself for this. That man has a fixation on you. An unhealthy attraction. He was the twisted one, not you. If you hadn’t drank, you would have never let him touch you, much less agree to let him fuck you. You are not the one in the wrong here. You trusted him, you had no idea what he was after. He took advantage of your friendship for him…the whole thing was just a way to get at you. He plotted it all, Hermione. What you did while you were drunk was no excuse for him to try and hurt you. He would have tried even if you hadn’t been drunk. He had no intention of letting you walk away that night. Do you understand me? He was going to go for you, whether or not you let him! Now stop blaming yourself.

I don’t blame you, Hermione, and I don’t think you are disgusting. I love you. You were not yourself, you would have never made that suggestion in your normal state. I know this. You’ve been with me seven years. Seven years, Gryffindor. You have been nothing but loyal to me, a passionate lover, and even a tender friend. I know how you can be when you drink. I have even taken advantage of your uninhibited nature several times. It is a side of you I worry about, but also that I take great pleasure in. But it is something that can be controlled, my love. Everyone has a dark side, something in them they wish they could control. Hermione, you can’t expect me to judge you harshly for this, with the type of life I’ve lived, and the terrible things I’ve done. You are entitled to have a dark side too, but at least it isn’t something that is constantly tearing at your soul…it has to be induced. It’s false, Hermione. It isn’t who you are. This is who you are…”

And Severus kissed her, deeply, drawing her into him.

She resisted at first, trying to pull away but he held her tightly, pressing against her lips urgently until she responded and opened to him…lost herself in him. They kissed until he felt her melt against him, and her arms entwine around his neck, and she gave herself over to her love.

He released her, looking into her warm, amber eyes. Yes, the love she felt for him was there.

“You see?” he said softly, “this is the woman you are. The one who loves me, and wants me. That’s all I see, and all I will ever see.”

He pulled her into his embrace again, and held her for a long while.

Finally, Hermione pulled away. She looked up into his beautiful dark eyes, and felt her whole body flood with love. She loved him so much.

“Thank you, Severus,” she said softly.

“No, thank you, Hermione, for loving me so much,” he said, gazing at her, feeling his chest growing tight with emotion. “I’m sorry I had to show you these things…”

“No,” she said, her voice growing stronger, “I needed to know…and I know who should be sorry…”

She gently pulled out of his embrace, walked over to the floo and grabbed a handful of powder. She threw it in, and the flames turned green.

“Madame Pomfrey!” she called through the floo.

After several moments, Madame Pomfrey’s voice called back, “Yes, Hermione?”

“Is Marcus Delaluci up there?” she asked, ice in her voice.

There was a short pause.

“Why yes he is, Hermione. Seems he got into a brawl last night and needed healing up.”

Healing up, eh?

“Ok, thank you, Madame Pomfrey,” she said, closing the floo connection.

She turned, and Severus saw the look in her eye that only happened when she went into fighting mode. Oh, oh.

“Hermione,” he said warningly.

“I’m going to get him, Severus,” she said evenly, starting to walk into his bedroom to retrieve her clothing, “I’m going to let him know I know what he was up to, and hear what he has to say. And when he says it, I am going to hex him into next year!”

Severus followed her into his bedroom, trying to reason with her as she pulled on her skirt and worked a foot into one of the go-go boots.

“Hermione, you could lose your position here,” he said, watching her. He knew better than to touch her when she was like this. He could get thrown on his ass.

“I don’t care,” she said stubbornly, pushing her foot into the next boot.

“Of course you care,” he said softly, “only this job gives you the freedom to do what you desire to do with your life. You wouldn’t throw that away for Marcus, would you?”

She looked at him. Her face fell. “No…I guess I wouldn’t, but I am still going to see him. I just won’t hex him. Maybe punch him in the face, though. I don’t think I’d lose my job for that.”

Severus chuckled, thinking she would do that to the bastard. He remembered how she had knocked Draco for a loop in her third year, when he was the cause of a hippogriff being sentenced to death. Come to think of it, that creature got away mysteriously….

He eyed Hermione suspiciously for a moment, then just dropped it. He’d rather not know.

“No, you’d probably get a reprimand,” he replied.

“That doesn’t sound too bad,” she said, grabbing her wand and tapping it in her open palm.

She walked up to him and kissed him on the lips, a bit hard.

“I’ll be back,” she said and exited his study.

Severus watched her go, knowing nothing he could say would change her mind. He rushed to get out his scrying mirror. He wasn’t going to miss this for the world.

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A/N: An angry Hermione is no joke. It isn’t over yet Marcus….please review.