The First Summer and Summer Series

The next step for Severus was helping Hermione to complete her thesis.

“You’ll be far less stressed when it’s out of the way,” he promised.

Although she felt somewhat guilty about Severus taking time off of his job to help her, she let him do it. It felt good letting him take control. He was stern and methodical. There was no nonsense. He approached everything in the same way she did and their academic minds melded seamlessly. When he felt she was getting tired, he insisted on breaks. He made her eat and took up all of the smaller “wedding” tasks that she had found so distracting. Irritatingly enough, he made them seem simple. In no time at all, the wedding arrangements were in hand and the first draft of her thesis was finished. She would just have to fine tune it, sit for her orals and her degree was finished.

Severus enjoyed helping her work. They made a good team and grew even closer, if that was possible. He found it was rather amusing to take some control over the wedding preparations too. He smiled to himself over how he had handled one of the errands in particular.

“Did you pick up the handfasting cords I ordered?” Hermione asked as he came in the door one afternoon.

“Yes, but I found the set you chose rather ordinary. I had them make a few changes.”

“Changes?” Hermione echoed in a worried voice.

“Mmmm. For a start we got rid of those ghastly Gyffindor colours you picked out and replaced them with something more suitable.”

“Not green and silver!” she moaned. “I’ll have to return them or change the whole colour scheme of the wedding.”

“No, not green and silver,” Severus said. He smirked to himself; the change was much deeper than just the colour. Would she recognize it? Probably not. Even the younger pure blood wizards like Weasley and Longbottom probably wouldn’t recognize it.

He opened the package and showed her a beautiful and heavily ornate set of handfasting cords in black and gold. A gold metallic thread wound its intricate way though the black silk of the ropes, shining with its own luminescence.

“I don’t remember seeing those in the shop,” Hermione said in awe, fingering the finely braided cords.

“He didn’t have them out front. They were in the back. You simply have to tell these people what you want, Hermione. I don’t know why you turn everything into a huge issue.”

Severus laid one of the cords against her wrist then looped it to his own.

“My love,” he whispered. “So soon.”

“I can’t wait,” she replied, seeking his lips.


They also went to the Granger house for a few days. Hermione and her mother settled down to address invitations. Severus tried to help but eventually annoyed them both with suggestions for cutting down the guest list. Mrs. Granger appealed to her husband to keep Severus busy.

“Take him to play golf with you this afternoon!” she begged.

Mr. Granger hesitated. “I would, except I’m going with Smith. You know what he’s like! I’m not sure if the two of them would be a good combination. Severus isn‘t a very good player yet. Smith might show him up pretty badly.”

“Please, let him caddy. Or watch! Just do something and get him out of the house!”

So Mr. Granger took his future son-in-law to the golf course. Severus was slightly worried. He still wasn’t very good at the game yet but this was what he had been practicing for. Just in case, he tucked his wand up his sleeve.

“Smith!” Mr. Granger greeted his friend, a tall angular looking man with sharp expressions, “Good to see you. I’d like to introduce you to Hermione’s fiancé, Severus Snape.”

“Pleased to meet you, Snape,” Smith acknowledged. Severus was aware of the man taking in his age, his appearance, the pony tail he was forced to wear in muggle situations. “Marrying little Hermione, eh? Looks to me like you’re robbing the cradle.”

“You’ll be coming to the wedding, of course,” Mr. Granger said, trying to change the subject.

“Oh naturally, naturally. Send a nice gift along for the, heh-heh!, not so young couple.” He jambed an elbow into Severus’ ribs. “Nothing like a little May-December romance, eh Snape? Tell me, where do you work that they let you keep that long hair?”

“Oh look, the green’s free!” Mr. Granger said noting Severus’s poisonous expression. He hurried them off to the first hole.

Severus played pathetically.

“Not your game, Snape?” Smith asked heartily after the third missed shot.

“No,” Severus rep. “T. “This is the first time I’ve played officially.”

“What? Oh come now, Granger! Must get your son-in-law in as a member of the club! I think he’s doing smashingly well for a first effort. In a few years he might even make the junior league. Ha! Ha! And look at yourself! Good God , Granger! You can’t hit a lick this morning can you? Getting a little shaky in your sunset years? Ha! Ha!”

Smith’s rude comments continued as the game progressed. Severus perceived his soon-to-be father-in-law becoming angrier and angrier. It wouldn’t have been quite so bad if Smith, himself, hadn’t been having such a wonderful game, four strokes below par.

“I say! What do you have planned for the honeymoon, Snape? Must be nice, that nubile young flesh under your fingers! I wouldn’t mind getting a leg over with a girl half my age!”

Severus blushed and glared at Smith. Mr. Granger pretended not to hear but missed his shot.

“Missed again, eh Granger? At this rate ‘young’ Snape here is going to beat you!” Smith guffawed loudly.

Mr. Granger and Severus exchanged glances. It was clear to each what the other was thinking. Smith was a twit. Severus adjusted his sleeve.

The next time Smith was up to putt, something went terribly wrong with his shot. Against all odds, the ball took off at an unusual angle and went in the opposite direction of the hole.

“Did you see that?” Smith demanded.

“It must have been the wind,” Mr. Granger smirked. His own shot went straight for a hole in one.

“You didn’t have any trouble with the wind,” Smith grumbled.

Then Smith somehow managed to shoot entirely off the green and into the club house, eliciting shouts and jeers from the occupants inside.

“How did that happen?” he asked in amazement. “I barely touched the ball!”

Mr. Granger looked sharply at Severus, who was adjusting his sleeve again and smiling mildly.

“You look like butter wouldn’t melt in your mouth,” Mr. Granger muttered.

“It wouldn’t,” Severus whispered back. “But he’s asking for it.”

The game ended in victorious short order for Mr. Granger and his future son-in-law. When they left, Smith was still struggling on 15th hole.

“I shouldn’t encourage you to do things like that,” Mr. Granger acknowledged as they walked up to the front door, “But it was appreciated. I can see it may be handy having a wizard son-in-law.”

Severus shrugged, “I don’t suppose the Ministry of Magic would approve. They might consider it muggle-baiting. However, under the circumstances...”

“And did the two of you have a lovely game?” Mrs. Granger asked as they entered.

“Most enjoyable,” her husband grinned.

“I still can’t imagine you playing golf!” Hermione chimed in, giving her intended a kiss.

Her father smiled, “He played splendidly.”

“Thank you.”

“Pity you can’t putt worth a damn.”


After a two week visit, Severus parted from Hermione for the last time. The next time he came down to London he would make her his wife and when he returned to Hogwarts she would be permanently at his side. He smiled with satisfaction at the thought.

With the wedding arrangements so nearly complete and her thesis safely finished, Hermione, for the first time, began to have doubts. Not doubts about their love for each other, or for their relationship. But for the first time she realized that she would be giving up her career. Yes, perhaps Dumbledore would let her teach a few classes. That would ease the transition, but she would never have a real job of her own. She craved her own project, a chance to prove herself.

The situation struck her fully when she received a surprise visit from Neville’s Uncle William. He offered her a paid research position at Karnipolia.

“Brilliant thesis!” he enthused. “It’s the talk of the academic community! Heard they’re publishing it in Magical Archaeology Today. We need to have you out there permanently, Granger!”

Hermione hesitantly explained that by summer she would no longer be “Granger” and that her place would be by Severus’s side.

Uncle William brushed this off as unimportant. “Bring him along! I’m sure we can find enough work to keep Snape busy.”

“I’m very flattered,” Hermione admitted, pushing aside an abstract vision of Severus as a male house frau while she brought home the wages, “It’s more than kind, but...”

And that “but” tore her heart. If she hadn’t been with Severus, she would have accepted in a heart beat. She might have had a brilliant career. Then suddenly she realized if she hadn’t been with Severus, she might never have finished her ‘brilliant’ thesis. When push came to shove and she nearly went crazy, he took control and guided her through the final stages. In fact, she probably never would have gone to Karnipolia in the first place. It had been his idea. And he had put up with the Gryffindors. He had been the one to introduce her to all those professors. Because of him she had always had an inside edge. He had encouraged her at every turn.

It comforted her slightly. But what was she really going to do at Hogwarts? It was so remote to everything academic. Hermione sighed again.