Fame and Misfortune
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Harry Potter › Het - Male/Female › Snape/Hermione
Rating:
Adult ++
Chapters:
10
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Category:
Harry Potter › Het - Male/Female › Snape/Hermione
Rating:
Adult ++
Chapters:
10
Views:
7,627
Reviews:
78
Recommended:
0
Currently Reading:
0
Disclaimer:
I do not own Harry Potter, nor any of the characters from the books or movies. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.
Wedded Bliss
A/N -- This is a reminder that I don�t own any of this. Thanks to all who have reviewed! Feed those bunnies! My beta readers rock. They know who they are. Laura � good guesses on who the stalker may be. I will neither confirm nor deny either of them.
--
Chapter Four "“
Hermione snapped a sheet over a bed and smiled. Other than last night, her outlook on things was positive. Their marriage was front-page news. Rita Skeeter had done her best to discredit them, but even she couldn't paint a putrid tale. It looked as though the wicked hack had finally realized the value of a positive story rather than one fill with rumor and innuendo.
With any luck, Rita would keep them in the news and lure her stalker into the open.
Staring out the window, Hermione sighed. She had tried to skip breakfast, but once Professor Flitwick had received his copy of the Daily Prophet . Once he had finished choking on his coffee, a mob had descended on the Hospital Wing, asking her so many questions she had lost count.
It hadn't seemed to matter that Severus was nowhere to be found. Apparently he always slept in on Sundays.
Hermione folded a corner of the sheet down and tucked it under the mattress, earning an odd stare from Poppy. Some things were just done better the Muggle way.
"Oh, hello, Severus!" A wide smile spread across Madam Pomfrey's face.
Turning, Hermione's breath caught. The man looked thunderously angry.
Poppy held her hand out as she walked up to him. "Congratulations!"
Scowling, Severus gave the Matron a look that stopped her in her tracks.
"I need to speak with you Miss Gran"¦Hermione," he said gruffly.
Sensing the strife simmering between the newlyweds, Poppy cleared her throat. "Why don't you take a break, Hermione?"
"O-okay," she stuttered, looking at Severus' hand on her arm.
They walked in several meters in silence.
"Tell me, Madam Snape," he sneered, "do you make a habit of misleading people?"
"What are you talking about?" she retorted snappishly, yanking her arm out of his grasp and stepping away from him.
"You led me to believe you were experienced," he hissed.
Hermione shrugged her shoulders. "Oh. That."
"I never would have touched you if I had known." Severus waved his hand in the air, emphasizing his point.
Looking over each of her shoulders, Hermione started to pace in front of him. He stood there, arms across his chest, his brow furrowed in anger. She had done her best to make things easy for him. She knew he didn't find her physically appealing, but his morning-after attitude was very off-putting. Blinking back prideful tears, Hermione stopped in front of him and poked a finger into his chest.
"It isn't like virginity is contagious," she declared, glaring into his cold black eyes. "You didn't seem to mind the convenience of my body last night. If anyone should be angry, it should be me. I realize that you do not find me attractive. But you could have at least showed me the common courtesy of coming to bed sober. Furthermore "“"
--
Severus swallowed her words as he crushed his lips to hers. He had been lucky that he'd heard the sound of someone approaching over his wife's fiery tirade. Forcing her lips open, she yielded to him grudgingly. Just the simple act of kissing her aroused and angered him. Tumultuous thoughts stomped over reason and he couldn't even remember why he was snogging his wife senseless until somebody behind him cleared his throat.
"You needn't playact on my behalf," Albus Dumbledore chuckled in amusement. "I may be old, but I'm not deaf. I could hear you arguing as I approached."
It was like being dragged into the lake by the Giant Squid and any desire he had begun to feel was quickly extinguished. Severus pulled away and stared dispassionately at the intruder. "Did you need something, Headmaster?"
He watched, envy creeping into his thoughts, as Albus hugged Hermione.
"Welcome back, Miss Granger," the old wizard said. "I'm sorry I missed you at breakfast, but I was unavoidably detained."
"Thank you," she replied softly.
"I guess I should address you as Madam Snape for appearance's sake."
Snape watched as the elder wizard offered Hermione his arm. Glancing over her shoulder, she gaze lingered on him for the briefest of seconds.
"Professor Snape has told me of your arrangement," Albus murmured into Hermione's ear as they began to walk away.
"Excuse me, Headmaster," Severus stated, "but I really do need to speak with my wife alone."
Albus arched one of his infernal eyebrows in silent question as he released Hermione's elbow. "My apologies, Severus. Perhaps we may catch up on old times later, Madam Snape."
"Of course, Professor." Hermione nodded, a nervous smile crossing her face.
"If you insist on arguing with your wife , you may wish to do you somewhere less public." Dumbledore waved his hand toward the walls. "Certain walls in the castle can talk, you know."
They watched Dumbledore walk away, strolling at a leisurely pace as if waiting to be called back.
Hermione turned then, hands on her hips and a look on her face that reminded him of a disapproving Minerva. Taking a calming breath and running a hand over his face, Severus too a step back.
"Please tell me you had the common sense to take precautions last night," he stated flatly.
"Yes, I had the common sense to take precautions last night," she snapped. "Just like you, I would prefer to chew off my right arm rather than be bound to you for the rest of my life."
"I assure, Madam Snape," he replied, "that will not be necessary."
"Will you stop that?" she asked, her inflection bordering on annoyed.
"Stop what?" He stood with his hands clenched by his sides, halfway hoping he would have another excuse to kiss her again. The only problem was that it probably wouldn't stop at a kiss.
"Stop calling me Madam Snape." His fiery-tempered wife crossed her arms over her chest. "My name is Hermione."
"Be that as it may, you are Madam Snape. It's what you wanted, isn't it?" Her chocolate eyes grew wide and he couldn't resist the temptation any longer. Stalking her, he matched ever step she took, closing in on her and invading her space. "Tell me, Madam Snape. Why didn't you ask one of the Weasley boys to marry you? Or would that have been too personal?
"You're perfectly content to dangle our faux marriage and my hide as bait to catch your unwanted admirer." Her back was against the cold stone wall and Severus trapped her. He could see the gentle fall and rise of her chest. "If anyone should feel putout, it's me."
Her palms flattened against his chest and she tried to push him away.
"If anyone is convenient, it's me," Severus rasped into her ear, feeling her hands fist his robes. "Was Weasley not good enough for you? How long did you date him? You and he were quite the item, if memory serves."
--
She blanched, his mention of Ron bringing back the painful memories of discovery and rejection. Ron hadn't meant to sew the seeds of doubt into the fabric of her self-imposed celibacy. They had dated for three years and she had never suspected that he was gay. He hadn't figured it out until that third year.
It was a blow to her blossoming sexual appetites "“ finding out your boyfriend was gay. She had blamed herself. Then she had blamed him. In the end, they had finally realized that no one was to blame.
"How is it that you and Weasley never consummated your relationship?" he murmured against her cheek. As much as she wanted to push him away, she kept pulling him closer.
"That's none of your business," she replied breathlessly.
He stepped back and looked into her eyes, one of his hands running up and down the length of her hip and waist.
"Pity," Severus stated, releasing her.
Seizing the moment, Hermione made her escape, fleeing down the hall into the infirmary. She slammed the door and leaned against it. Who the hell does he think he is?
Severus' rhetorical question echoed in her mind with no answer. Damn him to Hades! She crossed her arms over her chest to ease the ache, the unwelcome feelings mocking her attempts at self-control. Over the years she had clung to the drudgery of her apprenticeship. Her ambition had become her lover.
Instead of dating, she had studied, seeking the coveted position at St. Mungo's. There had been several opportunities for parties and dates, but she'd watched them go by with her self-imposed resolve and cowardly ways.
Finding out her boyfriend was gay had been a blow to her blossoming sexuality.
"Are you back so quickly, Hermione?" Poppy called out from the closet.
Hermione watched as a Healer in one of the portraits curtsied and walked out of her frame.
"Yes!" Hermione replied loudly as she strode across the ward.
Carrying various medical supplies and walking out of the closet, Madam Pomfrey huffed. "A letter just arrived for you. It's a thick one too! The owl practically dropped it on my head. I started to open it, thinking it was for me, but then realized it wasn't."
Hermione grabbed the supplies out of Poppy's arms and helped her set them down. "I'm sorry. It must be from my parents. I promised I would write them once I'd settled in. My mail is forwarded to the Ministry. I'll write them and tell them to send the letters through Severus."
She older witch giggled. "You don't want to send it through him. You're letters will get mixed in with his fan mail and undoubtedly wind up burned."
Hermione resisted the urge to roll her eyes. Why did it not surprise her that Severus burned his fan letters?
"Until you get your forwarding address straightened out, feel free to send your letters through me." Poppy swished and flicked her wand, levitating the supplies to various cabinets throughout the ward. She held out the letter.
Pausing, Hermione sighed and took the letter. "Are you sure? I don't want to be too much trouble."
"It's no problem at all." The matron's smile was warm and sincere. "It's slow, and you weren't supposed to be here until tomorrow. Why don't you take the rest of the day off? After all, you're a newlywed!"
Hermione smiled nervously, wondering how many people at Hogwarts actually knew the truth. "Th-thank you."
--
Some would consider what he'd just done to be illegal. But the Ministry had no laws against Legilemency. Severus had slipped into her thoughts with ease, feeling her inner turmoil. So Weasley was the one to blame for her emotional scars.
Severus scoffed, eyeing the Hospital Wing door warily. Hermione was so young. She'd only just begun being marred by life. The remnants of his philosophical side ponder the dormant sexuality of his fledgling bride. The possibilities were boundless. She had yet to realize her full potential.
He'd taken her virginity, the memory of it mired in a drunken haze. Why had he gotten drunk?
His silent question went unanswered as the heavy door of the Hospital Wing opened and Hermione walked out. She was looking down, gently opening what looked like a letter. Stopping to read the letter, Severus watched as the expectant look one normally had at receiving a letter turned to one of anger and terror.
Her distress was obvious and drew him to her as her eyes continued to scan the pages of the letter. It was as though she couldn't stop reading.
"What is it?" he asked sternly.
Hermione jumped, clutching the letter to her chest. Her eyes were wild and she glanced from side to side. "This was a mistake. We need to get the marriage annulled."
Crossing his arms across his chest, he peered down his beak-like nose. "You do realize that is impossible. As soon as we consummated the marriage an annulment was no longer an option."
"Then we need to get a divorce," she snapped as she tried to walk past him.
"Whatever for?" he asked derisively, catching her arm.
Shaking the letter at him, Hermione tried to pull away from him. "He's crazy. He's watching me. He thinks you've given me a love potion. He's going to kill you."
She looked terrified for him. Somehow her concern for him fleetingly touched something deep within him "“ the something in him that he had smothered so long ago. His cynical nature stamped on the unfamiliar longings "“ someone actually caring for him.
He laughed, the sound of his contemptuous. "That is good news, indeed, Madam Snape. Your admirer has surfaced sooner than I had expected. With any luck, he will attempt to kill me, thus exposing his identity. I shall "“"
"You do get it!" she cried, still trying to pull away from him. But he kept a firm grip on her arm. "He's obsessed. He's watching me. He's been watching me all morning!" She shoved the letter toward him and Severus accepted it begrudgingly.
Letting go of her arm, he scanned the letter.
My Dearest Love,
Fear not for I forgive you! You are under the spell of a powerful potion, undoubtedly brewed by the serpentine Potions master of Hogwarts. My heart burns with hatred for him, but always love for you. You suffer his touch and I am powerless to defend you. But the day is coming "“ the day when I shall swoop down and save you from the hideous wizard. The Death Eater will soon meet the same sticky end that his cohorts met during the final battle.
Once he is dead, I will devote all of my time searching for the antidote to his dastardly potion. I, like you, will persevere through these difficult times"¦
The letter went on, mostly romantic dribble and observations. The lunatic was right, though. Her hair was somewhat appealing when the sunlight hit it just right.
Staring into her eyes, Severus resisted the urge to pull her into his arms and take what the author of the letter accused him of. The death threats were meaningless to him. He'd spent his entire life with the specter of death looming over him. He was almost happy to see his old friend had returned.
Folding the letter, he handed it to his wife. "I'm touched by your concern," he said mockingly, "but I assure you that I can handle myself. I survived Voldemort. I'm sure that I can survive your admirer."
*****
--
Chapter Four "“
Hermione snapped a sheet over a bed and smiled. Other than last night, her outlook on things was positive. Their marriage was front-page news. Rita Skeeter had done her best to discredit them, but even she couldn't paint a putrid tale. It looked as though the wicked hack had finally realized the value of a positive story rather than one fill with rumor and innuendo.
With any luck, Rita would keep them in the news and lure her stalker into the open.
Staring out the window, Hermione sighed. She had tried to skip breakfast, but once Professor Flitwick had received his copy of the Daily Prophet . Once he had finished choking on his coffee, a mob had descended on the Hospital Wing, asking her so many questions she had lost count.
It hadn't seemed to matter that Severus was nowhere to be found. Apparently he always slept in on Sundays.
Hermione folded a corner of the sheet down and tucked it under the mattress, earning an odd stare from Poppy. Some things were just done better the Muggle way.
"Oh, hello, Severus!" A wide smile spread across Madam Pomfrey's face.
Turning, Hermione's breath caught. The man looked thunderously angry.
Poppy held her hand out as she walked up to him. "Congratulations!"
Scowling, Severus gave the Matron a look that stopped her in her tracks.
"I need to speak with you Miss Gran"¦Hermione," he said gruffly.
Sensing the strife simmering between the newlyweds, Poppy cleared her throat. "Why don't you take a break, Hermione?"
"O-okay," she stuttered, looking at Severus' hand on her arm.
They walked in several meters in silence.
"Tell me, Madam Snape," he sneered, "do you make a habit of misleading people?"
"What are you talking about?" she retorted snappishly, yanking her arm out of his grasp and stepping away from him.
"You led me to believe you were experienced," he hissed.
Hermione shrugged her shoulders. "Oh. That."
"I never would have touched you if I had known." Severus waved his hand in the air, emphasizing his point.
Looking over each of her shoulders, Hermione started to pace in front of him. He stood there, arms across his chest, his brow furrowed in anger. She had done her best to make things easy for him. She knew he didn't find her physically appealing, but his morning-after attitude was very off-putting. Blinking back prideful tears, Hermione stopped in front of him and poked a finger into his chest.
"It isn't like virginity is contagious," she declared, glaring into his cold black eyes. "You didn't seem to mind the convenience of my body last night. If anyone should be angry, it should be me. I realize that you do not find me attractive. But you could have at least showed me the common courtesy of coming to bed sober. Furthermore "“"
--
Severus swallowed her words as he crushed his lips to hers. He had been lucky that he'd heard the sound of someone approaching over his wife's fiery tirade. Forcing her lips open, she yielded to him grudgingly. Just the simple act of kissing her aroused and angered him. Tumultuous thoughts stomped over reason and he couldn't even remember why he was snogging his wife senseless until somebody behind him cleared his throat.
"You needn't playact on my behalf," Albus Dumbledore chuckled in amusement. "I may be old, but I'm not deaf. I could hear you arguing as I approached."
It was like being dragged into the lake by the Giant Squid and any desire he had begun to feel was quickly extinguished. Severus pulled away and stared dispassionately at the intruder. "Did you need something, Headmaster?"
He watched, envy creeping into his thoughts, as Albus hugged Hermione.
"Welcome back, Miss Granger," the old wizard said. "I'm sorry I missed you at breakfast, but I was unavoidably detained."
"Thank you," she replied softly.
"I guess I should address you as Madam Snape for appearance's sake."
Snape watched as the elder wizard offered Hermione his arm. Glancing over her shoulder, she gaze lingered on him for the briefest of seconds.
"Professor Snape has told me of your arrangement," Albus murmured into Hermione's ear as they began to walk away.
"Excuse me, Headmaster," Severus stated, "but I really do need to speak with my wife alone."
Albus arched one of his infernal eyebrows in silent question as he released Hermione's elbow. "My apologies, Severus. Perhaps we may catch up on old times later, Madam Snape."
"Of course, Professor." Hermione nodded, a nervous smile crossing her face.
"If you insist on arguing with your wife , you may wish to do you somewhere less public." Dumbledore waved his hand toward the walls. "Certain walls in the castle can talk, you know."
They watched Dumbledore walk away, strolling at a leisurely pace as if waiting to be called back.
Hermione turned then, hands on her hips and a look on her face that reminded him of a disapproving Minerva. Taking a calming breath and running a hand over his face, Severus too a step back.
"Please tell me you had the common sense to take precautions last night," he stated flatly.
"Yes, I had the common sense to take precautions last night," she snapped. "Just like you, I would prefer to chew off my right arm rather than be bound to you for the rest of my life."
"I assure, Madam Snape," he replied, "that will not be necessary."
"Will you stop that?" she asked, her inflection bordering on annoyed.
"Stop what?" He stood with his hands clenched by his sides, halfway hoping he would have another excuse to kiss her again. The only problem was that it probably wouldn't stop at a kiss.
"Stop calling me Madam Snape." His fiery-tempered wife crossed her arms over her chest. "My name is Hermione."
"Be that as it may, you are Madam Snape. It's what you wanted, isn't it?" Her chocolate eyes grew wide and he couldn't resist the temptation any longer. Stalking her, he matched ever step she took, closing in on her and invading her space. "Tell me, Madam Snape. Why didn't you ask one of the Weasley boys to marry you? Or would that have been too personal?
"You're perfectly content to dangle our faux marriage and my hide as bait to catch your unwanted admirer." Her back was against the cold stone wall and Severus trapped her. He could see the gentle fall and rise of her chest. "If anyone should feel putout, it's me."
Her palms flattened against his chest and she tried to push him away.
"If anyone is convenient, it's me," Severus rasped into her ear, feeling her hands fist his robes. "Was Weasley not good enough for you? How long did you date him? You and he were quite the item, if memory serves."
--
She blanched, his mention of Ron bringing back the painful memories of discovery and rejection. Ron hadn't meant to sew the seeds of doubt into the fabric of her self-imposed celibacy. They had dated for three years and she had never suspected that he was gay. He hadn't figured it out until that third year.
It was a blow to her blossoming sexual appetites "“ finding out your boyfriend was gay. She had blamed herself. Then she had blamed him. In the end, they had finally realized that no one was to blame.
"How is it that you and Weasley never consummated your relationship?" he murmured against her cheek. As much as she wanted to push him away, she kept pulling him closer.
"That's none of your business," she replied breathlessly.
He stepped back and looked into her eyes, one of his hands running up and down the length of her hip and waist.
"Pity," Severus stated, releasing her.
Seizing the moment, Hermione made her escape, fleeing down the hall into the infirmary. She slammed the door and leaned against it. Who the hell does he think he is?
Severus' rhetorical question echoed in her mind with no answer. Damn him to Hades! She crossed her arms over her chest to ease the ache, the unwelcome feelings mocking her attempts at self-control. Over the years she had clung to the drudgery of her apprenticeship. Her ambition had become her lover.
Instead of dating, she had studied, seeking the coveted position at St. Mungo's. There had been several opportunities for parties and dates, but she'd watched them go by with her self-imposed resolve and cowardly ways.
Finding out her boyfriend was gay had been a blow to her blossoming sexuality.
"Are you back so quickly, Hermione?" Poppy called out from the closet.
Hermione watched as a Healer in one of the portraits curtsied and walked out of her frame.
"Yes!" Hermione replied loudly as she strode across the ward.
Carrying various medical supplies and walking out of the closet, Madam Pomfrey huffed. "A letter just arrived for you. It's a thick one too! The owl practically dropped it on my head. I started to open it, thinking it was for me, but then realized it wasn't."
Hermione grabbed the supplies out of Poppy's arms and helped her set them down. "I'm sorry. It must be from my parents. I promised I would write them once I'd settled in. My mail is forwarded to the Ministry. I'll write them and tell them to send the letters through Severus."
She older witch giggled. "You don't want to send it through him. You're letters will get mixed in with his fan mail and undoubtedly wind up burned."
Hermione resisted the urge to roll her eyes. Why did it not surprise her that Severus burned his fan letters?
"Until you get your forwarding address straightened out, feel free to send your letters through me." Poppy swished and flicked her wand, levitating the supplies to various cabinets throughout the ward. She held out the letter.
Pausing, Hermione sighed and took the letter. "Are you sure? I don't want to be too much trouble."
"It's no problem at all." The matron's smile was warm and sincere. "It's slow, and you weren't supposed to be here until tomorrow. Why don't you take the rest of the day off? After all, you're a newlywed!"
Hermione smiled nervously, wondering how many people at Hogwarts actually knew the truth. "Th-thank you."
--
Some would consider what he'd just done to be illegal. But the Ministry had no laws against Legilemency. Severus had slipped into her thoughts with ease, feeling her inner turmoil. So Weasley was the one to blame for her emotional scars.
Severus scoffed, eyeing the Hospital Wing door warily. Hermione was so young. She'd only just begun being marred by life. The remnants of his philosophical side ponder the dormant sexuality of his fledgling bride. The possibilities were boundless. She had yet to realize her full potential.
He'd taken her virginity, the memory of it mired in a drunken haze. Why had he gotten drunk?
His silent question went unanswered as the heavy door of the Hospital Wing opened and Hermione walked out. She was looking down, gently opening what looked like a letter. Stopping to read the letter, Severus watched as the expectant look one normally had at receiving a letter turned to one of anger and terror.
Her distress was obvious and drew him to her as her eyes continued to scan the pages of the letter. It was as though she couldn't stop reading.
"What is it?" he asked sternly.
Hermione jumped, clutching the letter to her chest. Her eyes were wild and she glanced from side to side. "This was a mistake. We need to get the marriage annulled."
Crossing his arms across his chest, he peered down his beak-like nose. "You do realize that is impossible. As soon as we consummated the marriage an annulment was no longer an option."
"Then we need to get a divorce," she snapped as she tried to walk past him.
"Whatever for?" he asked derisively, catching her arm.
Shaking the letter at him, Hermione tried to pull away from him. "He's crazy. He's watching me. He thinks you've given me a love potion. He's going to kill you."
She looked terrified for him. Somehow her concern for him fleetingly touched something deep within him "“ the something in him that he had smothered so long ago. His cynical nature stamped on the unfamiliar longings "“ someone actually caring for him.
He laughed, the sound of his contemptuous. "That is good news, indeed, Madam Snape. Your admirer has surfaced sooner than I had expected. With any luck, he will attempt to kill me, thus exposing his identity. I shall "“"
"You do get it!" she cried, still trying to pull away from him. But he kept a firm grip on her arm. "He's obsessed. He's watching me. He's been watching me all morning!" She shoved the letter toward him and Severus accepted it begrudgingly.
Letting go of her arm, he scanned the letter.
My Dearest Love,
Fear not for I forgive you! You are under the spell of a powerful potion, undoubtedly brewed by the serpentine Potions master of Hogwarts. My heart burns with hatred for him, but always love for you. You suffer his touch and I am powerless to defend you. But the day is coming "“ the day when I shall swoop down and save you from the hideous wizard. The Death Eater will soon meet the same sticky end that his cohorts met during the final battle.
Once he is dead, I will devote all of my time searching for the antidote to his dastardly potion. I, like you, will persevere through these difficult times"¦
The letter went on, mostly romantic dribble and observations. The lunatic was right, though. Her hair was somewhat appealing when the sunlight hit it just right.
Staring into her eyes, Severus resisted the urge to pull her into his arms and take what the author of the letter accused him of. The death threats were meaningless to him. He'd spent his entire life with the specter of death looming over him. He was almost happy to see his old friend had returned.
Folding the letter, he handed it to his wife. "I'm touched by your concern," he said mockingly, "but I assure you that I can handle myself. I survived Voldemort. I'm sure that I can survive your admirer."
*****