Your Hand in Marriage

Hermione awoke in the morning completely enveloped in a warm embrace. As she shook the cobwebs of sleep from her mind flashes of her night flooded her mind.

Dear Gods, I was certainly wanton…

She tried to move but found herself ensconced too tightly in Severus’ iron grip to move.

He stirred beside her, “Don’t move witch, you’re going to be sore this morning. The pleasure may have dampened the pain during the act, but I assure you it will be there this morning.”

“Don’t be silly,” Hermione said as she made to move out of his arms, “I’m perfectly---fuck!” She hissed in pain and Severus felt the jolt of it in his mind.

“Good gods, witch! Stay still while I get you a pain potion. I don’t much fancy feeling your agony this early.”

He left the bed and Hermione giggled at his grumpy morning disposition before her giggle coincided with a bolt of pain in her abdomen.

“NO LAUGHING!,” Came a yell from the bathroom, “Laughing hurts.”

Hermione smiled as Severus came back out with her pain potion, “I’ve drawn you a bath, Witch. It has a healing potion in it to soothe your aches more permanently than this one.”

Severus tipped the potion into Hermione’s mouth, “Mmmm… Severus, that tastes much better than the potions you give to Madame Pomfrey.”

Severus snorted, “Yes, well, if I gave the school potions that didn’t taste dreadful the students would be using any excuse of ailment to get out of class. As it stands, they fear swallowing the unpalatable concoctions I have created especially for them.”

Hermione laughed and was relieved that the pain medicine seemed to have done its job.

Severus sensed the ease of pain and picked Hermione up in his arms.

With a startled shriek, Hermione grabbed onto his shoulders as he carried her to the waiting bath.

~ * ~

An hour later, a relieved and clean Hermione flooed to her private rooms in the Heads Dormitory. She had stepped out of the floo and dusted herself off when she saw a figure sitting in her armchair in the darkness of the early morning light.

“Hello Hermione,” the person intoned as he stoked the fire with his wand, “Care to tell me where you’ve been?”

As the flames lit up they showed Harry’s face looking at her intently with a piece of parchment held tightly in his hand.

“Harry!, “she started, “You frightened me!”

“That makes two of us, Hermione. You didn’t come to our afternoon classes, or dinner in the great hall. Can you imagine what that felt like for me? Dumbledore wasn’t even around for me to relay my concerns which led me to the worst conclusions.”

Hermione looked remorsefully at the face of her dearest friend. She hadn’t thought about this at all. After all that Harry had been through, she had made him think she might have been another casualty of war.

“Imagine my surprise, Hermione, when I pulled this out,” he gestured with the parchment, “my map, you know. To see if you had been kidnapped and taken off the grounds.”

Hermione’s face paled as she recognized the Marauder’s Map.

“And what did I find, Hermione?”

Harry tossed the open map on the table before him, visible in the flickering flames of the fire. Hermione saw her dormitory clearly marked.

One dot, Harry Potter.

Two dots, Hermione Snape, Severus Snape.

Her dot was meshed with the other, malformed to look like a figure-eight laying on it’s side.

She looked to the dungeons and found Severus’ dot looking much the same, only his name was listed first, before hers.

“How long have you been reading this map, Harry?”

“Since last night, when I saw your dot in the Headmasters office with Snape. I watched the map transform in front of my eyes, your name changing and meshing. Then I watched the dots overlap in Snape’s private quarters. It became the symbol for infinity. It was throbbing on the page for an hour…” he ended with a disgusted look on his face.

Hermione was close to tears, “Oh Harry, I’m so sorry! I didn’t think you’d be looking at the map. I only waited to tell you because I knew you’d be with Ron and I didn’t want the two of you to try and duel Severus.”

Harry’s face twisted further in disgust, “Severus now, is it? What the fuck is going on, Hermione?”

Hermione fell to the floor and put her face in her hands.

“Lucius Malfoy is forcing through an archaic marriage law to be enacted in six days. They were going to try and claim me by not giving me enough time to find a suitable mate. I chose Sev—Professor Snape from the list as the most logical option.”

Harry’s eyes widened in disbelief, “Marriage Laws? I didn’t even know something like that existed. But, fuck, Hermione. Why not choose me or Ron? You didn’t have to pick…Snape.”

“Oh Harry, you and Ron aren’t of required age. I only qualified because I used the time turner third year. Only two students in our class were available, Draco and Goyle.”

Harry looked fit to be sick, “Neither of them, obviously. But I don’t see how Dumbleore could let you marry Snape. He’s cruel, he could be a death eater for all we know, and he’s... he’s fucking old! Like really old. Old enough to be your…” he stopped short of finishing that sentence seeing the pain on her face as he almost spoke of her parents.

“Harry,” Hermione implored, “Dumbledore trusts Snape, he’s saved our hides over and over, probably more than we know. He’s intelligent and we share interests. He will shield me from harm if it is possible. I just know it, from somewhere deep inside me and I think Dumbledore feels the same way.”

Harry scoffed, but Hermione drove on, “We did a compatibility charm, Harry. We got the most rare response from our wands. We were mated-- soul mated and magically mated. I know you don’t know much about bonding, but it’s an extremely rare occurrence. That why our dots look so strange, Harry. We’ve become.,. intertwined.”

Harry’s face was a display of emotional confusion, “Hermione, I don’t know if I can deal with this right now. Bloody Hell, you’ve gone and merged yourself with someone who is practically my sworn enemy and you—you slept with him. For a long bleeding time too. Seriously, Hermione, an hour. I haven’t said anything to Ron, but you know he’s going to go mental.”

Hermione looked uncomfortable and Harry’s eyes narrowed, “Hermione Jane Granger, you will have to tell him eventually. You know the idiot’s been carrying a torch for you for years. He fancies himself in love with you, Hermione. He’s going to be destroyed by this-- especially because it’s Snape.”

“I know, I know,” Hermione muttered pulling at her hair, “I don’t know what I can say to him that’s not going to set him off. Especially because Charlie was on the list and I said no to his name.”

Harry gogged at Hermione, “Why NOT Charlie, Hermione?”

“Well for one thing Harry, I can’t bloody well move to Romania right now. Not to mention I can’t imagine having sex with any of the Weasleys. They are like my extended family. It would feel incestuous.”

“But Snape…”

“Harry, it makes sense. Just think about it. We’re both involved in the war effort and know about each other’s duties. We both prefer books to most humans and potions to all other subjects. We are both powerful magically, and we found out that we were for all intensive purposes made for each other with a simple compatibility spell.”

“I.. guess,” Harry said reluctantly, “but Hermione this is going to take some getting used to... a LOT of getting used to. And now we’ve got to figure out how to tell Ron without him blowing the whole fucking operation, or worse, trying to out-duel Snape.”

Hermione bit her lip in worry, “Harry, everyone needs to believe Severus and I got together with no knowledge of this act or he will be fed to the wolves, so to speak, in the Dark Lord’s parlor. Ron will be angry, but he needs to keep the secret.”


Harry sighed and rubbed his temples, “Maybe we shouldn’t tell him just yet then.”

“We’ll have to Harry. I put my chastity as a matter of public record, everyone will know.”

Harry shot up, “You WHAT? How do you register your virginity? Why did you register your virginity?!”

“Well I couldn’t very well have the school governors in an uproar about how long the Professor and I might have been at it. Lucius is a governor as you know. They could have tried to jail him under accusations that he seduced me underage.”

“Well, fuck, Hermione. That leaves no options, other than maybe magically restraining Ron when he becomes a fucking nutter over the news.”

Hermione slapped her hand over her eyes, “We may as well get it over with then, Harry. Will you call him in?”

Harry nodded grimly before sending a patronus through the doorway to gather Ron.

The floo glowed green, but instead of Ron, out of the fireplace came Albus Dumbledore.

“Hello Harry,” the cheerful Headmaster inclined his head, “Severus is pacing in my study having felt the distress in his connection to Miss Granger. I thought I might find you here.”

Dumbledore brushed some soot off his midnight blue robes, and stamped out a flame at the hem of his outfit.

“Shall we have some tea while we await Mister Weasely?”

Dumbledore summoned from midair three chintz armchairs and a tea set, “One extra chair for Mister Weasely, and one calming draught for him in his tea, I think.”

At that moment, the door opened, and Ronald Weasely cam barreling through, “Harry! Is everything alri—“ He stopped abruptly at the sight before him.

A distressed looking Hermione, a harried looking Harry, and the Headmaster, leaning back in complete comfort and ease, “Do join us for tea Mister Weasely, we have much to discuss.”

Ron made his way cautiously to the remaining armchair.

“Drink up, everyone, lest our tea get cold.” Dumbledore smiled widely and sipped his own tea as everyone followe suit.

Ron began to visibly relax in his chair and Dumbledore turned to address him in a firm, clear voice, “What I am about to say Mister Weasely will never be spoken about to another soul except Mister Potter and Hermione, is that clear?”

“Yes, Headmaster.” Intoned Ron calmly.

Magic swirled up around the two of them as a magical oath took hold.

“Very good, Mister Weasely. Mister Potter has brought you up here today because we have had to make a… hasty decision on the war front. Lucius Malfoy saw fit to revive an ancient wizarding law which married off young witches of a certain age. Are you familiar with this law, Mister Weasely?”

Ron was utterly unfazed as he sat calmly in the armchair, “Yeah, my Gran was married off to some old tosspot like a hundred years ago. Something about keeping the wizards popping out babies.”

Dumbledore’s lip quirked, “Well Mister Weasely, Hermione here was effected by this law being re-enacted. So she has bound herself to someone in whom I have the utmost trust.”

“Oh yeah?” Ron said in a faintly interested tone, “Too bad I’m not old enough, I thought I might marry her one day. Who’d you give her to?”

Hermione flushed angrily. ‘give her to,’ indeed. As if I am some sort of possession…

Dumbledore caught eyes with Hermione as if sensing her thoughts, and she willed herself to keep her mouth shut.

“Well Mister Weasely, she has been bound to Professor Snape.”

Silence filled the air. Ron was visibly waging an internal battle with the calming draught as his befuddled mind struggled to process what the Headmaster had just said, “Hermione… married… Snape?” he looked to the Headmaster, “You’ve put something in my tea, haven’t you?”

“Yes, Mister Weasely,” Dumbledore said cheerfully, “A calming draught.”

“I see… And when this wears off, I should not try to kill Snape.”

Dumbledore’s face changed drastically and his eyes hardened, “No Mister Weasely, I would say any attempt on Professor Snape’s life would have dire consequences.”

Ron nodded complacently, “Yeah, I thought so. I’ll prolly try though, so you’ll probably want to bind me to something strong.”

Dumbledore smiled again, “I already did, my boy, that chair.”

“Right then.” Ron said as he settled into the chair.

Dumbledore nodded and got up to take a book from Hermione’s shelf, “Mrs. Snape nee Granger, I would recommend yourself and Mister Potter grab something to read while Mister Weasely’s potion wears off.”

Hermione and Harry took Dumbledore’s advice, but were constantly looking up at Ron’s face. Slowly, the calm indifferent look on his face was becoming replaced by a rapidly brewing storm.


Ron’s color became more and more red, until it reached peaked at a shade of puce. When his hands began shaking in his invisible bonds, Dumbledore put down his book, which Hermione and Harry mimicked.

“Mister Weasely, is there something you would like to say?”

Ron’s teeth began to grind as he looked around the room in rage. “You… married.. Hermione... to a DEATH EATER?!?!”

The Headmaster looked on calmly, “Severus Snape is no more a death eater than I am.”

“HE’S A PERVERT! FUCKING HIS STUDENT! I’LL FUCKING KILL HIM!”

“Mister Weasely, I believe we agreed earlier that killing Professor Snape was not in your best interests.”

“IT FEELS LIKE A PRETTY GOOD IDEA NOW!” screamed Ron as he struggled against his bonds, “YOU WHORE!” Her spat at Hermione who looked on in terror, “FUCKING DEATH EATER WHORE!”

Hermione broke down in tears as jumbled curse words flew out of Ron’s mouth at lightening speed.

It was Harry who got up calmly, walked over to Ron, and punched him straight in the face.

Ron looked up at Harry, stunned, blood dripping from his newly busted lip.

“W—why?”

Harry leaned over Ron and grabbed his wrists tightly until the knuckles of his hands whitened, “You will not insult Hermione like that. She did not ask for this to happen. If you should be angry at anyone, be angry at Lucius Malfoy and Voldemort. If you speak to Hermione like that again I will kick the shit out of you. She is our best friend. Regardless of her—choice—in partner. She is our friend.”

“Then-- then I’ll kill Snape,” he growled.

“Believe me, Ron. I thought of that too. Unfortunately, the git and Hermione share a fucking soul mate bond, if we kill him she will be in immense pain.”

Harry and Ron were silent, staring each other down. Finally, Ron’s face crumpled and he slumped in his seat.

Hermione started towards him, “Ron…”

“Don’t Hermione, I can’t even look at you right now…”

“But I..”

“I said don’t.”

Hermione opened her mouth to speak again but Ron beat her to the punch, “Headmaster, I’ll be needing some more calming potion and some solitude.”

Dumbledore nodded, “Let’s go visit Madame Pomfrey, shall we.”

“Okay…” Ron made his way to the floo with Dumbledore with a glum and defeated look on his face, “But those potions taste like feet.”


A/N: Up Next.. Enemies abound