A Turn for the Better

Chapter 63 ~ Reactions

Lily Potter leafed through the evening edition of the Daily Prophet. Hm, the Galleon rose again. Wizarding economy was looking quite good. She turned the page to the Society section and glanced at the photo in the lower right corner.

She froze for a moment, then read the headline.

”Snape/Granger wedding”

There was a photo of Severus Snape adorning his young wife in a beautiful wedding gown by magic, and his quote about “all angels wear white.”

They were married today.

Lily stared at the picture of Hermione spreading her arms and being wrapped in the lovely beaded gown. The witch looked at Snape with such love, it fairly dripped off the parchment.

”He’s finally found someone of his own,” Lily said to herself, thinking the witch looked far younger than him. But she read she was a full-fledged Potions mistress and held the record for the highest marks at Hogwarts in years. So, they had something in common. And she was a Gryffindor. It seemed Severus didn’t get over his attraction for witches from Godric’s house.

”Maybe he’ll stop hating me so much now,” she thought as she watched him cast the gown spell again.

Lily was making far too much of this and somewhere in her deeper consciousness still thought she was important to the dark wizard. Unforgettable. The witch who got away. She couldn’t be more wrong

Snape hadn’t thought about her in ages. Most likely, he’d never think of her again.

***********************************

Ron Weasley was also looking at the Prophet’s society page. He was married to Lavender Brown and already had two children and another on the way. He worked at Fred and George’s joke shop, but he wasn’t a partner. Still, he earned a fairly decent salary from his brothers, who had to scrimp, save, beg and borrow to get up the capital to start their shop. Yet, they were doing well now, having paid off their creditors.

Ron studied how beautiful Hermione looked in the wedding dress Snape had made for her. She had very nice curves. Ron traced her with a finger just as a rotund Lavender walked into the kitchen. She saw him touching the newspaper and walked over to see what he was looking at. Ron pulled his finger away from the paper guiltily as Lavender looked at the paper, then scowled at him.

”Don’t tell me after three years of marriage and two children, you still have the hots for Hermione Granger?” his wife hissed at him.

”No! Lavender, I was just looking at her gown. It’s nice,” Ron replied lamely as his wife glowered at him.

”Nice. Well, she’s married now, Ron, just like you are and there’s no chance of getting at her, so get over it!” Lavender fumed, turning and stalk-rolling out of the kitchen, her big belly leading the way.

*********************************
At Luna’s house, she and Neville were also looking at the Prophet.

”I didn’t get a chance to say two words to her, Luna,” Neville said as he watched the moving photo. He and Luna were sitting side by side at the kitchen table, Luna with her chin in her hand as she looked at the paper, too.

”I’m sure you’ll get a chance to talk to her, Neville. We’re back in England now,” she said to him softly.

Neville brightened.

”Yeah, that’s right, Luna. We’re back,” he said, looking up at her. His eyes were full of love as he looked at his fiancée. “We can get married as soon as I can figure out what to do with my life.”

Luna gave him a soft smile.

”You know, Neville, opportunities can come from the strangest places,” she told him, her blue eyes resting on him with just as much love. “Did you know Professor Snape had to go through a maze tonight?”

Neville looked shocked.

”A maze? What kind of maze? Why would he be doing that on his wedding night?” he asked, then thought about it.

”Hermione. She’s still insane,” he said, answering his own question and shaking his head. “I’m amazed he agreed.”

Luna smiled again.

”Well, he didn’t know about it, Neville. It was a surprise,” she told him. “He had to make his way through it to have a honeymoon night. It’s romantic.”

”Merlin. I wonder if Hermione will survive the wedding night? I don’t see Snape as the kind of wizard that would enjoy jumping through those kinds of hoops,” he said, “but he really was romantic today, making that gown for her and saying what he did.”

Luna nodded.

”That maze was ingenious, or so I was told by the witches. Madam Sprout created it, and it was filled with all kinds of challenges. You know, I bet people would like to go through something like that, Neville. I bet—they’d pay good Galleons for that kind of an adventure. If someone who had a gift for growing things latched on to that idea, I’d bet they’d make enough money to get married—“

Neville blinked at her.

”You think so, Luna?” he asked her, looking thoughtful.

”Yes. People love adventure, Neville. And you’re a Plant master. Imagine the kinds of mazes you could create. There could be different levels and everything. All we would need would be a couple of investors. I’ve got a lot of land, you know, well, Dad does and he’d let us use it as long as we didn’t plow it over or anything. Kept it natural.”

”It would have to be natural,” Neville said, warming to the idea. “That would make the maze seem even more exciting. You know the specs for the Triwizard maze are on file at the Ministry. I could get a copy of that and find out the safeguards they used . . .”

Neville began to talk animatedly about the possibilities as Luna quietly listened, a small smirk on her face. More than likely there’d be a wedding soon.

************************************

”Lucius, calm down,” Narcissa Malfoy sat to her fuming husband as he angrily paced back and forth in their luxurious study at Malfoy manor.

The tall, stately blonde witch prepared him a brandy, hoping that would help calm him as he railed against Snape.

”He bloody stunned me, Narcissa, the blackguard!” Lucius hissed, taking the drink from his wife. Narcissa tried to look sympathetic, but it was pretty damned funny.

”I know. It wasn’t Quidditch at all, but you should have kept your wand with you,” she told him softly. Lucius’ handsome face screwed up even more.

”I couldn’t keep it. Albus took it to make sure the swordfight didn’t turn into a wizard’s duel. I didn’t know Snape would still have his wand. When I saw it, I was sure he wouldn’t use it,” Lucius stated, taking a sip of his brandy.

”You made a common mistake in judgment, Lucius. You underestimated a Slytherin. I think you’ve gone a bit soft,” she said to her husband.

Lucius looked highly affronted.

”Soft? I haven’t gone soft! I could have navigated that maze twice as fast as Snape and without having to resort to underhanded tactics,” he groused, finishing his drink and plopping down heavily in an upholstered chair before the fire. Narcissa sat down on the arm of it and began to stroke her husband’s temples, first tucking his beautiful blonde hair behind his ears. That always relaxed him.

Lucius sighed as her fingertips massaged him.

”You know, Narcissa, there was a time I believed life would be so much more exciting than this. That there would be battles and glory,” he said softly, the firelight catching his gray eyes.

Narcissa nodded, still caressing his temples.

”Yes, I know Lucius,” she replied. “When Tom was alive. He said he was going to do great things for us—“

Narcissa hesitated. Lucius turned his face toward her.

”What is it, Narcissa? Is there something you want to say?” he asked her.

Narcissa still looked hesitant.

”What is it? Tell me,” Lucius urged her, catching hold of one of her hands.

”Well, I remember the day you came to see me, when you had that bruise on the side of your face. You said that Tom had struck you . . .”

”Yes, I remember. He was angry I didn’t deliver some important information he wanted about the Ministry. I was still too low level to access it,” Lucius replied.

”And I remember you told me he punished several others with an Unforgivable== the Cruciatus curse,” she continued.

”Yes,” Lucius agreed.

”Lucius, I can’t help thinking that== that maybe it was a good thing Tom was stopped when he was. I have the feeling that if he managed to gain more power, he would have lorded it over the rest of us. Made himself some kind of—of Lord,” she said softly. “Some kind of dark lord. I was afraid of him. A lot of people were.”

”He was just under a lot of pressure, Narcissa. Things weren’t going the way he wanted—“ Lucius said in Tom Riddle’s defense.

”And he took it out on those who believed in his cause, Lucius. You were a loyal follower. So were those wizards he tortured. Couldn’t you see what he was becoming?”

”But the glory he promised us—the respect. He would have made purebloods the leaders of the wizarding world,” Lucius responded.

Narcissa shook her head.

”He would have made himself the leader of the wizarding world. Purebloods would have been his servants,” she replied softly. “Somehow, somehow I just know this, Lucius. Besides, it really hasn’t been that bad, has it? Yes, there are a number of Muggle-Borns in authority, but they do a good job and are fair. We all live in peace. Tom Riddle would have had us steeped in civil war, wizard against wizard. It would have been awful.”

Lucius sighed. Narcissa was right, of course.

”Still, it would have been glorious,” the wizard said, finishing his drink.

**********************************

Severus sat at the cozy little table as Hermione puttered about, warming up their dinner, setting the table and lighting the candelabra She then opened the wine and let it breathe for a few seconds before pouring a glass for her husband.

Snape was dressed in black silk pajamas and barefoot. The shirt was open and his pale chest and belly were showing. He had tried to help Hermione, but she told him just to sit down, relax and let her handle her “wifely duties.” Setting a table was not the Potions master’s idea of “wifely duties,” but he humored her.

His eyes rested on the robes and trainers she still wore as he sipped the wine. It was very good. He set the glass down on the table, then drummed his fingers on it a bit as he considered his wife and those robes.

”Ahem,” he finally said to Hermione, who was about to sit down. She looked up at him quizzically.

”I think it is supremely unfair that I have to sit here in black pajamas while you wear robes,” he said flatly. “Take them off.”

”Oh. All right,” Hermione said, blushing furiously. It was a wonder she could still blush after being the Potions master’s lover for four plus years. But sometimes his intensity still had that effect on her. This was one of those times.

Severus watched as Hermione toed off her trainers, then slowly unbuttoned her robes. The sheer white nightie fell into view, her full and hard-tipped breasts, thong and dark patch of pubic hair clearly visible. Early on in their relationship, Snape had asked her not to shave it because he preferred pubic hair on a woman au natural, so she just kept it neatly trimmed.

”I don’t need a landing strip,” Snape had growled at her as he mounted her body, looking down at the brown curl of her sex as he parted her legs. “I already know where I’m going—into the bush.”

Snape stared at Hermione’s body as she slipped the robes off, feeling the familiar swell of instant arousal. He was seated, but Hermione knew he was turned on as she walked over to the little wardrobe against the far wall and hung her robes in it, Snape’s black eyes resting on her full buttocks and thick thighs. She turned around and walked back to the table, smiling at him as she sat down.

”Better?” she asked him.

Snape nodded slowly, his eyes a bit predatory.

”Much better, wife,” he replied, cutting into his chicken.

The couple ate in relative silence, Hermione refilling Severus’ glass with wine two more times. He still smelled slightly of roses. Severus’ eyes rested on her shifting buttocks each time she walked back to her chair to sit down, imagining himself bouncing off that soft cushion, her flesh jiggling deliciously with each thrust. Maybe tonight they’d go all the way anally.

Over the years they had done some sex play, using fingers and toys, but Snape had never penetrated her with his cock. She was afraid he was too big, although she could relax her sphincter muscles and enjoyed the sensation of having something in her arse during sex. He eyed her. Maybe because it was their wedding night, she might agree to let him try

He’d gone through the maze for her after all.

Snape wiped his mouth with his napkin and sat back with a sigh as Hermione finished her meal.

She wiped her mouth also and looked up at him.

”Are you ready for dessert?” she asked him.

In answer, Snape slid his chair back, stood up and walked around the table. Hermione squealed as he grabbed her out of the chair and lifted her in his arms.

”Yes I am. I want Hermione Flambé,” he purred, heading straight for the bed. “Something I know is sweet and hot.”

******************************************
A/N: I felt a little look around the wizarding world was in order here, and wanted to include a bit more Lucius and some Narcissa, who is usually a non-entity in my stories. I also wanted to emphasize how their world had changed, and how Lucius also felt the “tameness” of their existence. Ron and Lily were both trips, weren’t they? And Luna is smart as a whip. Ooh, it looks like Hermione might have to take the “plunge” tonight. Literally. Thanks for reading.