You Promised It Would Be Forever - Edit

Disclaimer: All recognizable characters belong to JKR. All situations are mine. No $$$ is being made from this fanfic.
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Chapter 34 ~ Visit to the Ministry

Albus, Severus and Hermione arrived at the Ministry on Monday morning and waited to speak to the Department head in charge of records. After a half-hour wait, they were ushered into the office of one Mildred Mulligan, a stout, red-faced, red-haired rather pleasant looking witch in blue robes.

"Good morning. Welcome to the Department of Magical Records. My name is Mildred Mulligan. Feel free to call me Mildred. And you are?" the witch said in a practiced business-like manner that still managed to seem warm.

"Albus Dumbledore, Professor Severus Snape, and Miss Hermione Granger," the Headmaster replied, gesturing as he introduced her.

"Headmaster," Mildred smiled. "I thought I recognized you. How can I help you?"

"We are interested in getting an annulment," Albus said.

"And the grounds for the annulment?" Mildred asked looking at the witch and wizard, suspecting they were the couple that wanted it.

"Non-fulfillment of the contract terms," the Headmaster said.

Mildred studied the couple.

"I see. You realize when an annulment is performed, every public record of the event is wiped away. That not only means our records here at the Ministry, but those in every newspaper, magazine, tabloid…including private records, such as every printed invitation. This also includes photographs as well as the public's individual memories of the event. It will be as if the ceremony never happened," she said evenly. "And it is irreversible."

"That's fine," Albus said.

Mildred looked at Severus and Hermione, then took out a form and a quill.

"The married couple's names?" she asked.

All three looked at each other, then Hermione said, "We aren't married. We're divorced. We want to annul our divorce."

"Divorced?" Mildred said, looking at the couple in disbelief. "We haven't had a divorce since…well…"

Suddenly she recognized the couple. The Snapes, or former Snapes. It had caused quite a stir in the Ministry.

"…Since you two," she finished, disbelief in her voice. Her blue eyes fell on the wedding rings. She looked back up at them, at the hope in Hermione's eyes, and smiled a bit.

"So you've decided the divorce was a mistake have you?" she asked them.

"Yes," Hermione said, her eyes shining. "The worst mistake I ever made in my life, Mildred. I love my ex-husband very much, and he…he still loves me. We can be remarried, I know, but an annulment of the divorce would be so much better. And we really haven't followed the terms of it, since we are involved and the decree says we are supposed to be apart."

"Hm. Just the opposite of a Marriage annulment for non-consummation. Very interesting. You are working from the premise if a marriage contract can be annulled, so can a divorce contract," Mildred mused.

"Yes. We want the divorce wiped away, so it will be as if our marriage never ended. Can you do that Mildred?" Hermione asked her.

Severus looked at the witch soberly.

Mildred looked at both of them. She wanted to help them. Divorce was such an ugly thing, actually considered quite a blemish in the Department of Records. She thought the board might like nothing better that to wipe it from the records, especially since it occurred because of an oversight in the law books, something they should have been on top of. Hermione's and Severus' divorce had been a great embarrassment to the Ministry.

"I will have to bring it before my superiors. Luckily the board is in session as we speak. I should be able to slip it into their roster," Mildred said smiling. "Now, give me all the pertinent information…"

Severus and Hermione provided the witch with all the information she needed. Mildred rose from her desk, taking the form with her.

"Let me get this on the floor. It might be a little wait. We have coffee and doughnuts in the staff room if you feel the need to stretch your legs, but I will come back with an answer for you," she said, exiting the room and walking briskly towards the boardroom.

Hermione looked at Severus nervously.

"Do you think they will grant the annulment, Severus?" she asked the dark wizard. She looked a bit scared.

Severus took her small hand and squeezed it.

"If they don't Hermione, we will have a wedding," Severus said comfortingly.

"Yes, but an annulment would be so much better, Severus. It would remove the onus from us. It will be as if it never happened. That's what I want," she said softly. "No record of it will remain anywhere."

"Don't worry Hermione. It will work out the way it is supposed to. As long as you end up my wife, I really don't care how it comes about," the Potions Master said sincerely, forgetting Albus was there and kissing her lightly on the mouth.

Severus hoped the annulment would go through. That meant there would be a honeymoon night tonight, and he was anxious to show Hermione what he prepared for her. The Potions Master thought the witch would be very pleased, and a very pleased Hermione was a very passionate, uninhibited Hermione. He could almost feel her soft mouth on his body right now. His cock throbbed powerfully...his robes bouncing from the force of it. Severus shifted a bit, telling himself to calm down.

Hermione didn't notice the pulse of fabric, but Albus did, and met Severus' eyes knowingly with that annoying twinkle. The Potions Master scowled at him, and it was all the Headmaster to do to keep from chuckling.

Mildred was back sooner than they expected.

The unsmiling witch walked in soberly with the form, and didn't look at or say anything to the couple as she sat down at her desk. She laid the form in front of her, then looked up at Hermione for a moment, then opened her drawer and took out a large rubber stamp.

"I'm sorry," Mildred said, lifting the stamp.

Hermione's face fell as the witch brought the stamp down on the paper.

Suddenly a rush of magic filled the office and a golden glow appeared around Severus and Hermione, settled into them, then disappeared.

"Your annulment has been granted. What was done is now undone, now and forever more," the witch intoned, then gave the couple a broad, apologetic smile.

"I didn't mean to scare you. I am required to say "I'm sorry," whenever I grant an annulment. But, you are hereby married again," Mildred said, her eyes shining, "This is the first occasion I've ever had to say congratulations after an annulment. I hope you are very happy together."

Hermione let out a whoop and threw herself on her husband, kissing Severus passionately as both Mildred and Albus looked on, smiling.

All around the wizarding world, clipped articles, photos and documents about the couple's divorce flashed and disappeared. No one even noticed because another part of annulment magic was to wipe the memories of all but those most intimately involved with the divorce. For all intents and purposes to the wizarding community, the divorce never happened.

Mildred watched the happy couple and the Headmaster leave, wiping a tear from her eye. She had performed many annulments in the name of incompatibility or even downright hatred, but this was the first time she had ever performed one in the name of true love.

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Albus congratulated the couple once more, winked at Severus and apparated.

Hermione looked up at her husband.

"I thought we were apparating back to Hogwarts with the Headmaster," she said, looking up at Severus perplexed.

"We are not returning to Hogwarts until the end of the week, wife," Severus replied, smirking at her confusion.

"Where are we going then?" she asked as Severus pulled her in tight against him.

He kissed her forehead.

"Home," he said, then disapparated with the witch.

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Eli heard the thunder crack of apparition and ran to the living room window, standing on his tiptoes to see out. He saw the Master and Mistress standing outside. He smiled.

The house had been a wreck when he arrived. The yard was full of weeds, the grass overgrown, the paint faded, and shingles falling off. Inside was even worse. Old dishes piled in the sinks, books strewn everywhere. A feeling of despair permeated the entire space.

With a wave of his clawed hand, Eli raised every shade in the house, letting in light for the first time in months. He looked around.

"This is no good. Much sadness here. Much pain. Is in the walls and floors. In everything. It must be cleansed," he said to himself.

Using old elf magic, Eli summoned a Great One, a shimmering earth spirit who appeared shrouded in golden light, floating a few feet above the floor, its golden hair flowing as if in water. It spun in place, sadness in its eyes as it felt the despair within the walls. It looked at Eli with beautiful, liquid eyes…then smiled. Its golden light increased, drawing out all the sadness, ache and pain in the walls, which looked like thick, dirty cobwebs being drawn to its center.

The being floated through every room in the house, pulling pain from the walls until every bit of sadness and loss was cleansed. It spent several minutes in the separate bedrooms Severus and Hermione had occupied. The despair in those rooms was particularly strong. Finally it returned to the living room, looking exhausted but happy.

Eli bowed low to the being, and it nodded to the house elf, then faded away.

Then with good old house elf magic and a bit of elbow grease, Eli began to clean, drawing on Severus' memories of how the house looked when they first moved in, and recreating it. He cleaned, scrubbed and painted until the house was pristine and bright again. He managed to get it in order in one day. He spent the night, then the next morning went to work on the yard, winking back to Hogwarts to bring flowers and plants from Professor Sprout's greenhouse. He cut back the grass, weeded the flowerbeds and planted fresh charmed flowers, watering them well. He then fixed the loose shingles on the house and repainted it, the porch and the white picket fence.

Then he winked back to Hogwarts and brought both his Master's and Mistress's clothing, hanging them in the closest of their bedroom side by side. Then plumped the huge king-sized mattress and covered it with bed sheets of Slytherin green and silver.

The elf then returned to Hogwarts, the kitchens this time and raided the stores, bringing food and drinks to stock the cooler. The house elf then added a few extra special touches that the Potions Master hadn't said to do, but hadn't said not to do. This was elf logic at its best.

Now the house elf watched the reaction of the Mistress as she stood outside, staring at the house.

Eli looked quite confused as she grabbed the Master and burst into tears.

The house elf shook his scaly head as Severus rubbed the sobbing witch's back, rocking and talking to her. Oddly enough, the dark wizard was smiling.

Humans certainly were strange.

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A/N: Yay! Married again. Gods, I can't believe I pulled this off. It started out soooo bad for the couple. And awww for Hermione's reaction to the house with a hearty lol for Eli not understanding any of it. Wonder what "extras" the elf left? Well we'll find out. Please review.