A Perfect Match
The banquet
A PERFECT MATCH
By Geena
Chapter 39: The Banquet
A portkey had transported them from the patio to the doorstep of a large villa near the sea. Snape waved his wand to open the door, scooped Hermione up into his arms and carried her in.
“Welcome into my humble house. Our house.” He corrected.
Nothing could have prepared her for what was inside. She found it normal for the palacio to be filled with all kinds of expensive antique furniture and decorations, but to see this in her own house was a bit much for her. She stared her eyes out when he gave her a tour around the house. Each and every room was decorated in a different style. The library was definitely Victorian, the bathroom Roman, the kitchen Art Deco, the living room medieval and the salon looked like a scene fthe the Arabian Nights. The master bedroom had a large ibed,bed, covered with black satin sh. On. One side of the bedroom had a glass sliding door, looking out on the sea. Just outside the room, on a patio, there was a bubble bath. Snape noticed Hermione’s longing look and he chuckled.
“I thought you might appreciate a little comfort.”
She smiled at him. “Right, this house is so back-to-basics I wouldn’t survive without a bubble bath.”
He looked puzzled. “You don’t like it ? It’s too much ?”
She hugged him. “It’s perfect. I’ve always dreamt of a house like this. It’s a shame we will only be here for a few months a year.”
“Yes, but as a compensation, we will extend the house with one room every year, the prospect of decorating it can give you something to dream about when we’re at Hogwarts.”
“Mmm, I look forward to it. I guess the room for the baby will be top of the list.”
He stiffened. “I didn’t think of that, there’s no facilities for a baby here !” he seemed to panic a little.
“Relax Severus, the baby is not due until a few months, so I’m sure we’ll come up with something.”
“Sure, but what was I thinking ? A house near the cliffs ? I’ll have to put some charms up to prevent our child from wandering off.”
She hadn’t thought about that. Come to think of it … the location of the house was quite spectacular, being on top of a cliff, but definitely not suited for children.
However, plans for the future could wait. It was after all their wedding night and Hermione was hoping he had other things on his mind, she sure had !
She got out of her dress, opened the sliding doors, stepped into the bubble bath and gave him a seductive smile.
“I think this house needs to be inaugurated. Shall we begin with the bubble bath ?”
He grinned, got out of his robes and followed her in.
By the next moring, they had covered all rooms and finally fell asleep in the Arabian-style salon. They spent two days and nights in heaven, never feeling the need to leave the house. By the time they had to go back, Hermione had quite a few wonderful memories of the place and the sheer thought of the bubble bath made her blood rush.
As they stepped into the fireplace he tilted his head, looked her over and said:
“Ready to face the real world ?”
She groaned: “Ready as I’ll ever be. I hope they don’t fall over themselves to congratulate us.”
“No one knows.”
“What ?”
“I asked Harry and Ron not to tell anyone. They said they would comply.”
“Does this mean you don’t want anyone to know ?”
“I only thought WE should be the ones to announce our marital status.”
“Oh, fine by me, just let me know when YOU feel the time is right.”
He grinned at her, not letting her irritation get to him, he knew she’d rather stay here, which made him very happy.
“Hogwarts, Snape’s room!” He called and they disappeared.
When they got out of the fireplace, they noticed they were late and rushed to the Great Hall.
Upon their entrance, they were greeted by a round of applause. It looked like, apart from all students and staff, nearly half the wizarding world had squeezed into the Hall. Arthur Weasley led them to their places at the Head Table, next to Dumbledore. He was already waiting to award them the Order of Merlin and began his speech.
Hermione was a bit nervous, standing in front of such a large audience and she hardly heard the words of praise from the Headmaster. Finally he called out:
“I hereby welcome into the Order of Merlin, First Class: professor Severus Snape and professor Hermione Granger !”
Before anyone could burst out in cheers, Snape had signalled he wanted to say something.
“Actually Albus, I feel I have to correct you. It’s Mr and Mrs Snape.”
The entire Hall went silent, not a sound was heard and all but H and and Ron stared in total astonishment at the couple, while Dumbledore’s eyes twinkled.
Then Snape took Hermione in his arms, swept her off her feet and planted a firm kiss on her lips. As she wrapped her arms around his neck and their kiss deepened, all hell broke loose in the Great Hall. The “whoooo’s” and “whaaaa’s” from the students could be heard all over the castle and it was the start of a night of unseen celebration.
THE END
A/N: So, this is it. There will be no sequel (thought about it for a while but decided against it).
I will probably start posting one of my other stories soon.
A note of warning for those who liked this one.
A Perfect Match was my first fanfic and therefore rather \'tame\'.
My writing has evolved since then and some of it has been described as \'sick, pervy and cruel\'.
When I post the next story I will include an elaborate warning ;-)
Bye-bye and thanks for reading and reviewing so faithfully, I hope you enjoyed it !
Geena.