Marriage Law Madness

The next morning, Severus woke Hermione with a breakfast tray loaded with porridge, toast, sausage, eggs, and just about everything else on the Leaky Cauldron menu. “Here’s breakfast, I wasn’t sure what you’d want so I got you a little of everything - and more healing potion. I’ll put some more cream on you when you’re done. I made a run to the store after you went to bed, there are some basic toiletries on the bathroom sink for you.” When she was done eating, she downed the nasty healing potion. Then Severus took the jar of lotion off the table. He sat down on the bed, and Hermione removed her nightie and gently lowered herself over his lap.

“Lots on the shoulders, please. They really hurt this morning.” After he was done she slipped her nightgown back on and headed towards the bathroom.

She came out of the bathroom twenty minutes later looking nice; with her hair brushed and pinned up. “Will you put some charms on it to make it stay up? I want to look nice for Molly.” He turned her around, placing charms to keep her hair in place. Taking his cloak off the coat stand, he wrapped her in it and led her downstairs.
Madam Malkin tutted when she saw all the cuts and bruises on Hermione. “Something nice and loose for today, I think. Severus, we’re not looking to clone you here.” Severus was looking through the rack of robes and had selected one in soft black wool.

“Actually, I kind of like it. And I’ll need a few black outfits for the wake and the funeral.” Ever practical Hermione was trying to save him some money.

“Try it on.” Severus handed her the garment, looking for another one of a slightly fancier style for the funeral. He selected one of black velvet and held it out for her inspection.

“You have good taste, I’ll have to take you shopping the next time we go. Keep Lavender and Parvati from making me try on something hideously frou-frou pink. She paused as she remembered that their shopping trips were most likely a thing of the past now that the other two were both married.

Correctly interpreting her wistful look, he said, “We should do that – organize an afternoon in a month or so, when the girls are starting to need new stuff. There’s a new baby boutique opening in Hogsmeade, too. Maybe we can convince Lucius and Remus to plan something for the guys to do.”

While she tried on the other robes he’d chosen, he wandered over and chose two cloaks, one a deep blue and the other black for the funeral. When they were done, Hermione looked at herself in the mirror. ‘Definitely have to take him shopping with us.’

Then they headed down to Ollivander’s to get Hermione a new wand. She kept trying and trying, until Ollivander said, “I wonder…” Leaving the thought unfinished, he brought a dusty box from a top shelf. “Oak, my dear, ten inches, rather flexible, containing a unique core, an experiment of mine – Phoenix feather wrapped in Unicorn tail hair and a Dragon Heartstring. Never had anyone strong enough to handle it except Mr. Potter, but the other wand chose him more distinctly than this one. Give it a wave.”

Immediately upon picking it up she felt warmth, and beautiful sparks of green and gold shot out of it. “Good, good” he cried happily. “You have a very powerful witch there, Severus. I thought this one might work after I noticed the binding marks. Many Snapes seem to favor Phoenix feather and Unicorn. Strange, though, the only family who I’ve ever sold phoenix feather and Dragon heartstring to is the Malfoys, and the odd Parkinson.

“Lucius is Hermione’s Godfather. Do you remember what type of wand my sister had? Hermione is her child.”

Ollivander looked startled at this news. “I remember every wand I’ve ever sold, Mister Snape. Your sister had a phoenix feather and Dragon heartstring incased in vine wood, nine inches, very bendy. Knowing what I do now, it fits. Hermione’s first wand was vine wood and Dragon heartstring, another classic Snape combination. I think we must expect very great things for this wand to have chosen her.” Severus gave him fifteen Galleons, and then handed Ollivander his own wand to be tuned and polished.

It was almost noon when they left Ollivanders, as it had taken almost two hours and over a hundred wands before she found the one that suited her. Severus treated her to lunch at a small café around the corner from the Leaky Cauldron, they didn’t need to pick up their stuff as they were staying there until Molly was released from St. Mungo’s.

A Mediwitch stopped them at the door to Molly’s room. “Here’s our runaway patient. Severus, we’re going to examine her and if she checks out we’ll just backdate the discharge papers. What have you been treating her with?” Severus outlined what potions he had used, then the Mediwitch led her to an empty exam room and Severus went to visit with Molly.

He quickly explained to her why Hermione had run, that she had overheard them talking.“…so, she thought we didn’t want her, that neither one of us like her much, plus she believes that you being hurt and her parents being killed is all her fault. We’ve gotta do something, Molly.”

“As soon as I get out of here, I’m going to knit her seven sweaters – and the biggest Easter egg I can make for her basket this year. If I had any idea how badly I was hurting her by her not getting a sweater, I would have sold my soul to come up with the money to make her one. I went without to buy the yarn for Harry’s, this was the first year since Ron started Hogwarts that I have had a new one - I started making his because Ron told me Harry didn’t expect to have any presents. Since Hermione had parents and gifts, it didn’t occur to me that she would see it the way she did.”

“She’s going to need some counseling, I think. Let’s get her through the funeral first and see how things go.”

“Poor dear. She’s got a tough road ahead of her for awhile. But at least if you legally adopt her, she’s exempt from the marriage law for a year.”

“I forgot that. So, Lucius took care of the funeral arrangements, and I think Bill took care of everything else. He bought her parents’ house in London, their flat is too small and this way we don’t have to meddle with the real estate market except to sell the dental practice. We can keep the house in France as a vacation home. She’ll have to go through and see what she wants to keep, we’ll sell the rest and put the money in her Gringotts account.”

“Sounds like a plan. Now all I need is to get out of here.”

“You will stay until the Healers say you are ready to come home, and then home is Hogwarts for awhile. I agree with the healer, plus its safer with more people around.” There was a knock on the door, and to their surprise it was Cornelius Fudge with a large bunch of flowers.

“Hello, Severus. How are you, Molly dear?” He stuck the flowers in her water pitcher. “Lucius is finishing up brewing the potion for us – as Rosmerta has accepted me – she suggested Percy try courting Irma Pince.”

“Well, she’s quite a bit older than him, she’s sixty this year I think – but they do have similar interests. She’d also be a cheap date – get her a reading pass to the Bodleian library and pick her up in a week,” Severus quipped.

“So Rosie, Bea and I are going to give this family thing a try. I just wanted to see how you were and check on Hermione before we got things going – and to ask if you and Molly would consent to be Bea’s Godparents. You have always been there when I needed you, even if you completely disagreed with the reasons for particular policies.”

“We’d be honored,” Severus said after looking to Molly for her approval.

“Bea?” Molly questioned. “Short for Beatrice?”

“After the papers go through she will be Beatrice Diana Fudge.”

“That’s a lovely name,” Molly commented.

“I certainly wasn’t going to call her what her mother named her. She didn’t want her in the first place and named her Acona Amos, which means ‘afflicting burden.’ Beatrice means ‘Bringer of Joy’ and that is what I hope her to be to me.”

Lucius entered the room then, followed by Madam Rosmerta and two Mediwitches with a gurney. A little girl of about five laid there, her eyes unfocused and glassy. “We’re ready, Cornelius. I think I solved the other problem.” Lucius said, smiling at Hermione as she came in with a bag filled with more healing potion and cream.

He uncorked the potion, then started making cuts. He did Cornelius, Rosmerta and Beatrice first, and then to Severus’ surprise he made a small cut next to the bonding mark that signified the bond between Severus and Hermione. He then placed a small cut in Molly’s arm, then just barely nicked the two attendants, Hermione and himself. He poured a liberal amount of potion into the first two, a good slug into Severus and Molly’s, and a few drops into the rest.

“That should do it. I’ve bonded Cornelius, Rosmerta and Beatrice as parents-child, Severus and Molly as the godparents, and the rest of us as friends. Hopefully the community bond will help overcome the attachment problem. The bonding itself appears to have worked.”

Beatrice was now looking around with interest. “Hello, Beatrice. I’m your new daddy.” Fudge spoke softly and gently as not to frighten her.

The Mediwitches took Beatrice back to her room so she and her new parents could spend some time getting to know one another. After they left, Lucius took Hermione’s arm, making a longer cut in it. He then did the same to Molly, pouring more of the potion in the cuts. He nicked his own arm again, coating it with the last drops of potion; rubbing his arm against Hermione’s so the blood would mix. “As one has not heretofore been named, I claim the right of Godparenthood through the blood bond I share with Severus.” Lucius reached out and touched a scar on Severus’ arm a few inches above the fresh cuts.

“Brother, let’s go hunt and gather. Molly’s lunch tray looked disgusting, and she barely touched it. Let’s get her something decent to eat and bring it back.” Severus touched Lucius’ arm, recalling their bond, which had been made back in their schooldays.

Once they were gone, Molly raised the head of the bed so she was reclining, moving over a little towards the wall. Motioning to Hermione, she patted the bed by her side. “Come chat with me, dear. I have some things I need to talk to you about.” She gently explained about the sweaters, apologizing for being insensitive and for how she had treated Hermione after the Witch Weekly article. They cried together, making their peace in a haze of hugs, kisses and tears. When Severus and Lucius returned with dinner, they were fast asleep, Hermione tucked against Molly’s side like a small child, her hand resting on the bonding mark on her new mother’s arm.