A Wizard's Debt

A/N: Blimey! I’m a tad flabbergasted at the support I’m getting in reviews! I’m rather amazed that the comments are all positive – especially as this writing style is such a different manner from how I normally write!



Ah, so my ‘secret’ ingredient was somewhat obvious – I was a bit worried; my beta looked at me like I’d grown two heads after she couldn’t guess! (And I’m going to plan my funeral because she’s going to kill me!) Though, to give her credit – she was packing her stuff to go home for Xmas while she was reading; so her guessing was distracted.



Tell you what - why don’t I just answer the reviews? It would give you all credit for giving your opinions!







“angelprince : I'm pretty sure I know what the secret ingredient is? Can Hermione still wear white on her wedding day? Why a quill? I'm sure Neville, being a Gryffindor and all, would've stepped up to the plate.”



Hmm… I actually don’t think Neville could have done that – I don’t think Gryffindor courage runs that far! He’s an honourable lad, and has the utmost respect for Hermione; not to mention that’s there’s probably an unwritten rule among the Gryff lads saying that Hermione is ‘Ron’s Girl’, whenever he gets his head out of his arse and realises she’s female!



And, personally, there’s no reason she can’t wear white on her wedding day! Often the hymen will break with physical exercise (Biology head on, not the fanfic one at this moment. lol) – things like ballet, horse riding and martial arts will weaken it and tear it long before first intercourse; she wouldn’t be the first witch to not possess that thin membrane on her wedding night and have never had sex.



I have to admit I laughed with your phrase about Neville stepping up to the plate! The thought didn’t actually cross my mind as I wrote it!



Thank-you for your comments, and for making me smile!







CB13 I think it's safe to say that every single reader of HG/SS fics on this site has guessed the mystery ingredient. But what a wonderful twist on the theme! And seven new chapters - do you intend to spoil us so in the future?

Cheers, great start.

CB



Spoil you? Hah! You lot aren’t spoilt, just kept happy with regular updates! I was bored to tears and needed an outlet before I went barmy with tediousness! Seven chapters was all selfish on my part! Lol!



I’m glad it was easy to guess the ingredient! I hoped it would be; but I hope the well-wishers at the bedside haven’t twigged it yet – that would turn into a small disaster!







Sureves Epans Hi Utopia, wow...This is a very promising beginning to a great story. I loved the idea of writing the different chapters in the p.o.v. from the persons involved. As I am an addicted fan of our sour and snarky potion master I secretely hope that you will not make him too ooc. I think he can be very caring and maybe even romantic, but I think that he is however very nasty and sometimes can be a real bastard.

I suppose that the substitute ingredient was freshly collected virgin blood.I am right,am I?

Well I cannot wait to read on and see in which direction this story will go. I guess Severus will want her to marry him, because she sacrificed her virginity to him, or maybe she would even have problems of finding a proper suitable husband as she isn’t a virgin anymore.

LOL Sureves Epans



As I’ve said, this writing style is very new to me – and it’s so relieving that people are liking it and commenting on it. I’m rather new to Snape – I hope I can capture him in words as well as others have done on here – I have a high standard to live up to!



I see him as sour and snarky – but I’m writing him from his point of view of himself; so, that’s all got to come out in language; I’m thinking rather elevated language and a very logical level of reasoning. I see Severus’s mind like that of a Chess Master – he’s always 5 steps ahead, with a calculated answer or retort for everything. I do think he can be romantic – but he’s rather out of practice with it, not to mention he’s not going to be romancing the average girl here… Hermione is something unique! He’s going to have his work cut out for him!



Nasty may be too harsh a word – he’s a former spy in a very dangerous position. I think his actions are to protect himself and prospective love interests from getting hurt. Plus, he hasn’t had much love in his life, especially after he fecked up with Lilly (I’ve wondered how things would have progressed if they’d got together and got married. Obviously no Harry… something to think about in the future – but would be so hard to write!)



Ah, as for why they get married… you’ll have to wait and see! And as for her not being a virgin (though it is debatable weather a sharp quill would count) – I don’t think any suitor would see that as an issue – they want Hermione, the brain behind the Golden Trio on their arms and in their beds!



I never doubted you’d all guess – I hope it wasn’t too obvious! I hate too obvious in little riddles.



Thank-you for your comments! They gave me quite a bit to think about, and a few little baby plot bunnies have just been born thanks to some of what you said… I really need to get that buck plot bunny castrated – he’s got enough munchkins to keep me writing for years!



You know, I was about to put your name into a Latin translator, then I realised it was an anagram of Severus Snape! Clever! I was originally going to make my penname the meaning of my first and middle names, which would make it: LightStorm (and bonus points if you can guess my name without looking at my profile!), but then I wanted something simple – and went for Utopia, its one that generally hasn’t been used on most sites I visit as a penname and log in.







amsev I absolutely adore and am addicted to MLCs. That being said, I'm looking forward to your take on the Marriage Law. I would consider chapter 7 an evil cliffie!!!



I’ll admit to being hooked myself, but I’ll be honest; I’ve read some stunning quality marriage law challenge fics, and some horrors! I’m aiming for middle ground.



My beta told me the MLC was originally a HG/SS thing – most of the ones I read first were Dramione.



I’m a fan of original plots and avoiding stereotypes – though some can’t be avoided if characters are to be kept in character. But I hope quite a bit of my plot is unique!



And are not all cliffhangers evil in their own right? Don’t worry, I needed a moment to think of how to put the next chapter in – and then realised I’d have to change my warnings! *drools at mental images for future chapters*. It has practically nothing to do with Hermione/Severus, but I couldn’t let them hog the plot to themselves when these delicious images crossed my mind. *muhahahahah*



And to have someone who’s addicted say they’re looking forward to my take gives me a real confidence boost!







Miss Tanit Secret ingredient: the blood of a virgin's maidenhead

Well I think she can wear white on her wedding day as she has never know a mans embrace or passion as the saying goes.

As to why a quill and not Neville...I believe the presence of a male in the collection would 'taint' the blood in some form and she was not willing to take the chance of a negative side effect now was she.



Love the story, please update regularly and as soon as possible.



Do you read minds? Lol.



Can I say anything else, other than spot on?!



Updates are going to be pretty steady, especially as my muse is a tad stuck with two unfinished fics involving the Malfoy men.



Thank-you for this review, even if I want to put a colander over my head to stop your brainwaves breaking into my mind!







Damiana Secret ingredient: Virginal blood...from the hymen's rupture.

Unicorns are caught because they will only approach virgins after all.

Interesting concept up to now. I am eager to read more. :D





I didn’t know that about the unicorns! You learn something new everyday on here!



Thanks for your review, and I’ll try and keep you eager readers happy and updated!







And to the correct guesses not previously mentioned: give yourself a treat of some description for it, though I might make future riddles harder to guess…



In time order:

• grammarchick101

• kcl

• ashmo21

• r.a.

• chyara

• Damiana







And to these other wonderful people:

• catysmom

• Prospera

• auntbecky

• Dresoul

• Elen_Sila

• SnapesPet30

• Anon (I had to look it up, but suspenseful is actually a word! I thought it wasn’t! Something else I’ve learnt today!)



You get treats too – for your kind comments and encouragement! Kind thanks to each one of you!



Here’s me hoping I’ve actually mentioned all of you! (reviewers before this is posted, anyway) If I missed you, I apologise profusely, yell at me and I’ll give you a special mention!!!



















Right, back with the story… and a twist or two in the plot. Changed warnings are for a chapter or so ahead. But as Male/Male intercourse isn’t everyone’s cup of tea, I’ll add extra warnings to those chapters.



Eight: Hermione





Professor Snape and I were released from the hospital wing on the afternoon the law was passed; there wasn’t much I could do to oppose the law in its entirety – but enough loopholes to run a few rings around the twits that had passed the law far too quickly. Yes, I’d have to get married within three months, but with a few brains I’d be able to avoid pregnancy for a while – or until the Wizengamot realised muggle contraception was more reliable than that of the wizarding world – and more numerous in its methods! The law said ‘in an attempt to re-populate the diminishing magical population’… I would be attempting, just (hopefully) not succeeding – no contraceptive charm/potion/method was 100%, at best 99%... I just hoped to not fall into the 1% catagory.



Yes, I’d be married before I was eighteen, but hopefully a family could be put off. Is it selfish to want to do things for myself before I have to devote everything to an infant? I didn’t want to be a teenage Mother! Let me get into my twenties, at least!



I entered the great hall to find myself pressed into Molly’s bosom, her sobbing in my ears as she held me close. The rest of the Weasley clan soon joined the hug, and I found myself gasping for breath as a sudden attack of claustrophobia kicked in.



“Let me go! I can’t breathe!” I cried, gasping and backing away from shocked faces.



“You Okay, ‘Mione?” Ron asked, looking at me as if he’d never seen me before.



“Too many people too close, it frightened me for a moment.” I said getting my breath back.



“Oh, I’m sorry dear.” Molly sobbed, looking crestfallen.



“Don’t worry, its not your fault!” I reassured, stroking her arm as she smiled at me slightly, “It happens occasionally; it was nothing to do with you!”



“Right then, Miss Granger – these lot are for you – as much as I love them as a seat, you need to start wading through them.” George said standing and heaving a large mail sack over to where I stood.



“What are they?” I asked, confused.



“At last count, there were one-hundred-and-fifty-six… no fifty-seven…” Percy said, watching as another post owl arrived with a letter tied to its leg, “One-hundred-and-fifty-seven marriage proposals.”



“Oh dear.” I said. What can you say to that? Who’d want me?



“You are quite a catch, it seems – you’re nowhere near Harry’s mountain of three-hundred-and-nine letters, but you’re catching up quickly.” Ginny joked, pointing over to a befuddled Harry who sat looking at the post bags with dread. He’d faced Voldemort head on, yet the Gryffindor bravery had suddenly dissipated.



“I doubt he’ll even open them – you don’t need to be smart to know who he wants to spend forever with.” I said, looking pointedly at Ginny.



“Have I missed something?” Arthur asked, noting the look I gave Ginny.



“Arthur, c-c-can I talk to you, sort of… you know… privately?” Harry stuttered, pulling his already static hair.



“Sure you can! What’s troubling you, lad? Other than this lot of letters!” Arthur said, clapping an arm around Harry’s shoulder and moving away with him.



I eyed my own post bag, noting that it was stuffed almost to overflowing – all these in the space of a few hours? Transfiguring one of the cushions from one of the sofas (that had been brought into the great hall from one of the common rooms) into a larger floor cushion, I sat down. Placing the canvas sack behind me and opening the first letter I grabbed.



“Dear Miss Granger,



I am Lord Quentin Lowbranch, and I am writing to you on the behalf of my unmarried son, and heir, Edgar; to ask for your hand in marriage.



I am certain that you would be perfect, and birth the next heir of our line, and a dutiful Mother to your sons…”



I didn’t read further.



Why would I want to marry someone who couldn’t ask me himself and needed his Father to do it for him? Why would I marry into a family where I would be first and foremost a baby-producing-machine and nothing more?



The letter from Lowbranch was the first of many that found themselves on the ‘No’ pile (it was then moved to the ‘Parents doing the asking’ pile). Others met the ‘Definitely Not’ pile; the ‘You Spelt My Name Wrong’ pile; and the ‘No Fucking Way’ pile. I had three on the ‘Maybe’ pile.



Three.



And those three were a last resort. Though, I would send polite replies to all rejections, thanking them for their letters and graciously saying no. They weren’t all purebloods, but those that were found themselves on the ‘No Fucking Way’ pile. I had no intention of becoming a method of getting back at Harry for beating Voldemort.



Later, I opened another letter to read.



“Hermione Granger, the most beautiful, smart, courageous woman in wizarding history. I’d happily marry you – you are an angel. You make me do this…”



The image supplied wasn’t the first photograph of an erect penis I received; though it was the only one to have a ruler placed next to it to show the length.



“Why are you looking at the letter with an odd face, ‘Mione?” Ron asked, noting my hotly embarrassed cheeks.



“I’m getting photos now.” I said placing the photograph face down and hanging my head in my hands – contemplating the name of the pile I was going to have to make. I was thinking ‘Suitors sending home-mage pornography’. But I don’t think it would fit on the little bit of parchment I was using to mark my piles of rejections.



“Lets look, is he handsome?” Ginny asked.



“Well, once you’ve seen one, you’ve seen them all – he’s not much different to everyone else, really.” If I wanted to look at a penis, there are plenty of text books with them in.



“Turn it around.” Ginny said, not understanding what I was on about.



I did, to hear muffled giggles and a “Oh my goodness! They can’t send… photos of…of… that!” from Molly, who blushed profusely.



“Is that a good thing or a bad thing?” Ginny asked, as I wrote the little label for the latest pile and placed the moving photograph face down.



“I’m not sure – I don’t know weather to be offended or pleased. I think I’m more inclined toward offence because of the photo being sent.” I said reaching for another letter and adding it to the ‘You Spelt My Name Wrong Pile’, without reading Further than the “Dear, Ermyonee”.



H. E. R. M. I. O. N. E. What’s so difficult about that?



“Molly, dear? May I have a private word with you?” Arthur said, coming back into the great hall after a very long talk with Harry.”



“What is it?” she said looking thoroughly angry at the slowly increasing ‘Pointless Pornography’ pile, in the end I had to shorten its title. She left the room, following Arthur.



“Can you pass me another bit of parchment, Ron?” I asked, grabbing my quill, preparing to write another label.



“Yeah, I’ll give you this too.” He said, handing me another letter.



“Thanks – shove it in the bag, I’ll get to it at some point.” I said; writing ‘I Can’t Read Your Handwriting’ on the little slip.



“Can you read it now? Please?” he whispered, blushing.



“Dear ‘Mione,

I think you’re really pretty and nice and… oh Bloody Hell – do you want me to marry you or not?

Ron.”



“Ron, can you put this on the ‘No’ pile for me – I love you, but it would be like committing incest – you’re like a brother to me, not a lover.” I said gently, watching as Ron shredded the letter and walked away; leaving a little paper trail in his wake.



“Having fun Granger?” Malfoy said standing next to me. “Father said I should give you this, well, it was more like ‘Your Mother wrote this, deliver it’.” he passed me a piece of good quality parchment, sealed with an ornate green wax stamp. “Please, please, put it on your rather large ‘No Fucking Way Pile’ – I don’t want to get married to… well, I don’t want to marry someone who isn’t…” he whispered, moving closer to me.



“Can I read it first?” I asked, noting his obvious distress.



“If you want to. It’s a pretty standard pureblood marriage proposal – something along the lines of: ‘you’d be perfect to bear the next heir of our family and be a dutiful wife.’ He said looking oddly lost.



“Who wrote it?” I asked.



“Mother.” He said, waving to the blonde woman in the corner who gave me a beaming, genuine smile. “She wants the best for me, and in her eyes you are. Though, Father looks like he’s going to be sick.” He commented, looking toward a green-faced Lucius. “I’ll give her that, we are pretty close intellectually, but you aren’t my type.” He said with a sigh, looking towards a tearful Pansy, as a pureblood herself, they couldn’t marry now.



“Can I put you half way between the ‘Parents doing the asking’ and ‘Maybe’ piles? If I can’t marry for love, then at least I want an intellectual equal.



“Sure – I could do to talk to Uncle Sev, I need his impartial advice on the whole marriage thing.” Malfoy said, stalking away, gloom hanging over his shoulders.



As I added more letters to the negative piles, I could have cried. Did these men (and their parents) only view me as a prize of war? A spoil of battle? Was I nothing but a trophy to them? Something to brag over?



I needed to escape for a little while. Watching as Draco put a comforting arm around Pansy as she wept into his collar. I have no like for either of them, but I hate to see people genuinely upset.



“Miss Granger, you look as if you need respite from this task – and I would like to go over which potions ingredients you destroyed. Would you accompany me to my private lab?” he looked thoughtful for a moment, “Though, as I have nothing to do, I may as well check all of the items in my store for their use-by-date. I must admit to neglecting my private stores for a while, especially after I re-decorated the lab.”



“Do you want help, Professor?” I asked, I’d practically do anything to escape the torture of opening these ridiculous letters.



“As you wish, but I doubt the task will be remotely amusing.” He said, turning and walking away.



“And opening these prospective life sentences is amusing?” I said, stretching my legs and following his retreating back and billowing robes.



Looking into the bag, I realised I was barely half way down.