Eternal Mistakes On The Spotless Soul

A/N: Decisions, decisions! Deary me! Where on earth do I go with this one? Well, flip the coin, roll the dice, ask the eight ball, etc. The plot bunny will decide soon, I hope. Thank you for the reviews! Please keep reviewing!



“How is that possible?” Severus said; his voice slightly less than calm.



“Well, Snape, when a man and a woman—”



“Ginny!” Hermione cried, shaking her head. “Now is not the time…” The baby was kicking again, her bulging belly pulsing with the steady rhythm of a 39 week old foetus.



“I request that Ginevra leave.” He said and turned his eye toward the priest.



“What? Absolutely not! If it wasn’t for me she wouldn’t—”



“Ginny, it’s fine. I’m fine. Thank you.” Hermione said and squeezed her friend’s hand. “Go on, I’ll meet you outside in a bit.” The redhead huffed and half hugged Hermione before standing and going to the door. She flipped the bird in Snape’s general direction and this disappeared in a flurry of red, slamming the door behind her. “Sorry, she channels all the emotions I’m incapable of presenting at the moment.” Hermione said. She slowly stood up and rested both hands atop her belly. “I’m so sorry for crashing your wedding,” she nodded to Severus. “Ginny didn’t tell me that you were the one to be married, only that you were in the wedding.”



“Indeed,” he sneered.



Nalina, who had remained quiet up to that point, except for the occasional sobbing, moved to the window with her back to the others and cried with her head tilted to the sky. “What is to become of me now?”



Hermione frowned. “I hadn’t meant for you to find out, not like this.” She said. “But it doesn’t matter, I’ve already made up my mind on the matter, you should continue on with the service.”



“I’m afraid we cannot, my dear, things aren’t so simple.” The priest said.



A puzzled look drew across her face. “Why not? It’s not like Severus and I have any romantic entanglements or a relationship of any sort…and I’m not keeping the child, I made my mind up eight weeks in that I couldn’t go through with an abortion so I’d simply put the thing up for adoption.” The baby kicked hard from inside as if it could hear that it was being spoken about. “Sorry, it doesn’t like the ‘a’ word.” She cleared her throat, “I don’t expect anything from you, unless of course you want the child, which I assume you don’t, in fact I’m going to have a rather strong word with Ginny for dragging me out here…no one was supposed to know. But surely, just continue on with the ceremony.”



“As I’ve stated, my child,” the priest said, “It doesn’t work that way. The Catholic Church—”



“May find it inadvisable, but surely there’s no governing law that says it’s impossible to marry a couple when the groom is the father of two different babies?”



“It’s not the Catholic Church, you nit,” Severus said, letting an ounce of that built up hostility slip across his tongue as he spoke. “It’s magical by-laws that preside over this particular Catholic Church, or any church, or sacred house of matrimonial union. A wizard may not be joined in holy matrimony, civil matrimony, or naturalized matrimony if there is an unborn child that he has fathered belonging to any woman other than the one he is taking in union.” He spat. “So your little interruption has prevented this wedding entirely. I hope you are most satisfied with yourself, Miss Granger.”



“Severus—I’m sorry, I had no way of knowing—it wasn’t my intention—”



“What exactly was your intention?” the soft voice of the would-be bride floated from the window as the young witch turned to face them. “To come in here and steal my husband from me?”



“No!” Hermione cried, trying very hard not to chuckle. The idea of her marrying Severus Snape was down right laughable. And aside from the constant kicking reminder inside her stomach, she hadn’t thought much of him since her graduation from Hogwarts, that one fateful night excluded.



“Then why barge in and ruin my wedding?” Tears were streaming down the girl’s face. Severus turned at once and wrapped his arms around the girl. “Just don’t!” she cried, but leaned into his embrace, weeping. “She ruined the wedding, Severus. Father will be furious!”



“Nalina, there are very few situations wherein Lucius would not be furious.” He kissed the top of her head and rubbed his arm slowly up and down her back, attempting to calm her. “It’s going to be alright, love…”



“But how can it possibly be alright?” she whimpered and tore out of his arms. Nalina fell to her knees in her white bridal gown, gripping the legs of the priest. “Please, father, isn’t there anything you can do?”



The balding celebrant frowned, grateful for the air conditioning in his office, and he shook his head. “I am sorry, my child, but unless the charges are false, you’ll simply have to wait until after the child is born.”



“But she’s almost as pregnant as I am! We need to be married!” she sobbed, and then turned her eyes to Severus. “Tell me they’re false! Tell me she’s lying, that she’s some love sick strumpet burst in here in a fit of delirium to win you back!”



Severus’ eyes went wide. “Love sick strumpet?” even he found it hard not to laugh. The thought that Hermione Granger could be anything more than an over zealous, over achieving know-it-all ex-student, and of late the ostracized Lycan-killer, was sheer amusement to his ears. He did not wish to further upset the girl, and masked his emotions, face neutral. “I do not believe that is the case, Nalina.” He made a mental note to personally strangle the redhead who brought this plague upon his wedding day later.



“It just has to be!” Nalina sobbed. “She can’t— she can’t—” the girl began to hiccough.



“Mr. Snape,” the priest sighed. “Is there any possibility that this woman is not carrying your child?”



He looked to Hermione. “Well?”



She shook her head. “I’m sorry, Severus, but the child is yours.”



“She’s lying! This is all some conspiracy! Her and her little red headed friend!”



“Oi!” Ginny shouted from outside the office, rapping her fist against the door. “This is not some conspiracy, you nutter! I checked the bloody book!”



Both Severus and Hermione drew their wands simultaneously and blasted a curse toward the door. “Muffliato.” They said in unison.



“Well that seals it,” Severus muttered. “That blasted book never lies.”



“Nor do I,” Hermione said.



Severus opened his mouth as if to shoot a string of insults or possibly accusations at the girl but thought better of it. Technically she had not lied to him, as an omission was not a lie and she had indeed come forth to say that the child was his. There was nothing could be done, however, about her terrible timing. “Father,” he turned his attentions to the priest, and his weeping bride who was still clutching at the priest’s legs, her head resting on his knees. “Is there nothing we can do?”



“Unless that girl is going to push that child out now,” he chuckled, but no one else smiled. “Erm, no. No there isn’t, Severus, Nalina, I’m sorry but the wedding has to be canceled.” He rose from his seat with difficulty, sliding out of the clutching grip of the young bride, “If it makes things easier, I’ll break the news to Mr. Malfoy.”



Nalina burst into hysterical sobs, and Severus knelt beside her. “My dear, Nalina, shh…it’s alright,” he said, scooping the girl up into his arms as if he had been doing it all his life. He handled her gently, rubbing her stomach and kissing her cheek as he pulled her close. “The priest will talk to Lucius, it will be fine,” he tilted her chin up. “Please stop crying, your makeup will run all down your dress, and you’ll need that dress in a few days time.”



The girl sniffled, and tried to smile. “What are we going to do?”



“Severus I think—”



“Not now, Hermione.” He said, turning his back to her, cupping his young bride’s face. “It’s going to be just fine.” He placed a hand over her stomach. “He’s still kicking?”



“No.” Hermione whimpered.



“What?” he turned his head to Hermione, and his eyes went wide.



“The baby’s not kicking. I think my water broke.” On the front of her skirt was a large wet stain.