Written in Blood

Thank you for pointing out my incompetence, Derdroe!

Er...for various reasons, there are no italics in this chapter. Sorry!

I won\'t waste your time wiabblabbling; on to Chapter 8 (In Which Much is Explained Regarding Severus\' Former Behavior)


Hell. He was in Hell, he was sure. Since Hermione had torn out of his chambers earlier, he had relived every agonizing moment of the past night a hundred times. Well, every moment he could remember. After they had entered his private chamber, however, he could mbermber precious little, he had been so far gone with lust. He remembered kissing her, that was for sure. He didn\'t think he could ever forget the feel of her lips; it was as if they had engraved themselves in his memory.

He remembered far too vividly for his own comfort what had followed that first kiss. She had tried to leave, he recalled with a pang, and he had dragged her back. How could he?

And now he had ruined her forever. That bright, giving girl, who had been a friend to him better than any other, was now forever soiled because he couldn\'t control his baser instincts. He remembered the horror he had felt upon waking…

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He drifted lazily, feeling better than he had in months. Years, if he was honest with himself. He felt cradled in cozy warmth, drifting in and out of sleep. He registered a sudden coolness on his left side, but was far too comfortable to turn over and discover the source. Before long, he was jarred to consciousness, as something--or someone---snuggled up to him. Well, that\'s new, he thought through a fog of drowsiness. He nev never been a fast waker. He opened his eyes to see a beautiful young girl rubbing noses with him. He smiled, deciding this was the best day so far, in a very long time. She murmured, \"Hello, Professor,\" and he realized with pleasure that it must be Hermione, here in his bed with him.

Hermione. His bed. Last night!

\"Oh, yes, Professor, YES!\"

She bit her lip as he pushed into her

She gasped in pain, eyes squeezed shut

She drew away, shocked, as he kissed her

\"Not so young\"

\"Professor!\"

Horror at what had happened, what he had done, ripped through him and he flung himself desperately back, falling onto the cold stone floor. Unable to form a coherent thought in his present turmoil, he sputtered, \"What--how--you--but--\" and seized on his one clear thought--to protect her from him. \"Get out!\" He would not risk doing her any more harm in his unsettled state. In response to her \"But, Professor, I…\" he yelled, panicking, \"GET OUT!\"

Her terror as she threw her robes on almost caused her heart to break, but he was taking no chances; he had to get her out of his rooms NOW! Who knew what he was capable of this close to his deadly deadline?

Then, as the door swung shut behind her, it hit him; his symptoms of the curse, which had been steadily growing for the last few months, had ceased to exist. That must mean…

He had to speak with Dumbledore.

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Now she was deciding. Deciding her fate, his fate, the fate of his family, and the fate of their unborn (unborn? Hardly conceived!) child. She should not have to make this decision alone, he fumed. He would have gone to her, but the Headmaster had warned him not to try and interfere with the decision that would affect the rest of her life. Well, it bloody well affects me, too, he thought angrily. Not that he would have pled for himself, given the chance. If it were left up to him, she would let Madame Pomfrey \'take care\' of the problem, move on with her life, choose someone better, and leave him to deal with his mother (for he had already decided that he would have no other as his wife). It wasn\'t that he didn\'t want her, or care for her--just the opposite. He was dreadfully afraid that she would marry him, find out what a ghastly mistake she had made, and regret it forever.

Then again…he did care for her, deeply. And he could make her happier, he thought with some pride, than Weasley or Krum or any of her other abortive suitors. She would have the means to live comfortably, either here with him or at Snape Manor (once his mother was forcibly evicted, of course). She was an intellectual, and he could make certain that she never wanted for lack of books…or anything else she wanted. And she must care for him, at least a little, he thought desperately, or she surely wouldn\'t have spent so much time with him…

Pity, said a nasty little voice in his head that sounded remarkably like his great-uncle Semtiveo. Why else would she spend time with an old, ugly, greasy, sneering bat like you? And even that pity must surely be gone now…now that you RUINED HER LIFE!

He squeezed his eyes shut, trying not to listen, but the voice was insidious, not leaving him a moment\'s peace. Well, he thought back at it, even if you are right, she probably won\'t even choose me, so what happehen?hen? What if, he thought suddenly, she decides not to marry me, but to keep the child?

His mother\'s voice rang in his head. \"If you bring me an illegitimate child…\" He felt his gorge rise at the thought of that happening to his sweet Hermione.

His Hermione. When had he begun thinking of her like that? He could only imagine what she thought of him, what she was thinking now…

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\"So, let me get this straight,\" Harry said carefully. \"You slept with Professor Snape and now you\'re pregnant? And there\'s a contract saying he either has to marry you or someone else in the next two weeks?\"

\"That\'s pretty much the sum of it, yes,\" Hermione answered miserably.

\"Oh,\" chimed in Lavender Brown from the floor, whom they had been unable to get rid of once the word \"baby\" had been mentioned (at qut quietly), \"I think it\'s very romantic!\"

\"You would,\" muttered Ron, who seemed to be in a state akin to shock. He was lying on the couch with an herbal pillow of Ginny\'s over his eyes. Of course, his subdued state was most likely partly due to the hexes Harry and Ginny had thrown at him to keep him from stalking off to hunt Snape down immediately.

\"No,\" Lavender insisted, \"really! A forced marriage by an evil witch---she does sound like one, you know, what a terrible mother-in-law she would be! ---and seeing beauty in someone you\'ver ver expect (and Snape sure is unexpected), and falling in love, but not daring to say so because it\'s forbidden, and then having a night full of wild passion, and then…well,\" she conceded, \"the last part, about the forcing and all, wasn\'t very romantic, but the rest of it was, and now the baby!\" She finished with a squeal, as if it were she and not Hermione that all this was happening to.

Ginny, who was sitting with Hermione in a l cha chair, patted her friend\'s knee sympathetically. She asked tentatively, \"Have you decided what you\'re going to do?\"

Hermione shook her head. \"I mean, well…I have to marry him, don\'t I?\"

Ginny looked worried. \"But, Hermione, I thought you loved him!\"

A strangled sound was heard from Ron as a tear slowly escaped from Hermione\'s eye and made its way down her cheek. \"I do. At least, I think I do. But I wish this had happened because he wanted to marry me, and not because he felt obligated. I mean,\" she gulped, feeling slightly hysterical, \"he\'ll die if he doesn\'t!\"

Lavender sighed dreamily. \"I hope my husband tells me he\'d die without me.\"

All the heads in the room turned as one to fix her with a look of disgust.

\"Do you want me to come with you? It sounds, I mean, like you\'ve made up your mind,\" Ginny reasoned. Immediately, Harry and Ron volunteered too, and Lavender asked if she could watch.

Squeezing Ginny\'s hand, Hermione was halfway tempted to take her friend up on the offer---at least she wouldn\'t have to do it alone. But she knew even as the thought crossed her mind, that this was something she had to do on her own. \"Thanks,\" she said sincerely, \"but no. And NO,\" she told Lavender sternly. She sighed, eyeing her stomach, in which even now she knew the youngest Snape was now growing. \"I guess I shouldn’t keep him waiting.\"

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He sat, brooding in his dungeon. Two weeks…only two weeks left to choose a bride.

He had convinced himself by then that Hermione would never have him (and rightly so, in his mind), so the soft knock on his door came as a surprise. Calm down, he told himself. She\'s probably just here to let you down gently. It probably isn\'t even her.

\"Enter,\" he called. His suspicions were refuted, as Hermione slowly walked into clasclassroom. He realized, with a sickened feeling, that she was afraid of him. Which makes perfect sense, after the way I acted.

\"Professor,\" she began, and he blushed, recalling the last time that he had heard that word from her lips. Evidently she caught the reason for his flush, and she colored in response. Lovely, she\'s been here all of a minute and you\'ve already made her uncomfortable. Brilliant.

\"Sir,\" she continued, \"I know you have a hard choice, and I don’t want to force anything on you. But I just wanted to say, I mean…that is…\"

\"Yes, Miss Granger?\" he prompted, willing his voice to remain steady.

She seemed to have a speech prepared. Nervously, she drew a small piece of paper out of her robes, consulted it, opened her mouth, shut it again, and crumpled the paper, tossing it aside. She took a deep breath and stated simply, \"I\'m yours if you want me.\"

Her words echoed in his head. \"I\'m yours if you want me…I\'m yours…\" Heart thumping madly, he swept across the classroom, and kneeled before her. He too her small hand in both of his own, and asked, with a lump in his throat, \"Hermione Granger, will you do me the great honor of becoming my wife?\" He knew what her answer would be--she had already given it--but he felt he should put it to her properly, nonetheless.

Blig bag back tears, she whispered, barely audible, \"Yes.\"

He fumbled in his robes for a moment before locating the ring her mother had sent him with one of her Howlers--which he had been receiving every week now--recently; the heirloom of his family, with a large emerald set all around with the finest engraved silver. He slid it gently onto her finger, as it conformed to fit her perfectly. \"Come, my dear,\" he said softly, rising but keeping hold of her hand, \"let us announce our engagement.\" Bending swiftly, he kissed her once, softly, on the lips, before leading her out and up into the Great Hall.

She looked up at him, suddenly remembering something, and smiled. \"By the way,\" she said, looking into the eyes of her fiancée, \"Happy Christmas, Severus.\" Hand in hand, they walked into the Great Hall.



Er, by the way, I keep subconsciously stealing quotes from Diana Gabaldon\'s lovely novels. If you\'ve read them, you may have noticed this. If not, it makes not a whit of difference except they are lovely and won\'t get out of my head. Next chapter tomorrow!