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Everything Counts	By : DivineAngel Category: Harry Potter > Het - Male/Female > Snape/Hermione Views: 6126 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, nor any of the characters from the books or movies. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.

Chapter List
- 1
- 2
- 3
Chapter
2: The List

Breakfast
the next morning was tense. An eerie quietness hung over the great
hall as students awaited some sign that things had changed. The
teachers sat with stern faces, some engaged in serious and subdued
conversation, others simply looked out over the students with
troubled expressions. When the post owls began swooping through the
hall not one person wasn't watching and from the record number of
deliveries, it was clear before a single owl landed that the day
brought ill news to more than one student. Hermione and Harry watched
as owls landed in front of them, a quick glance down their table
revealed nervous faces from Dean, Seamus and Lavender, as well as a
few sixth years. Hermione took the letter from the owl bustling
impatiently before her and opened it slowly. The hall was deathly
quiet. Hermione read the letter quickly, it was only short. It gave
the briefest summary of the conditions of the law and finished with

Congratulations
on your forthcoming marriage. You have six months from the date of
this letter in which to fulfil your obligation.

Hermione
snorted and quickly folded the letter away into her pocket. The noise
in the hall was beginning to creep up again when a gentle tinkling
sound rang out from the staff table. Everyone looked up to see
Dumbledore standing, lightly tapping his pumpkin juice glass with a
tea spoon.

"Thank
you, thank you." He called as silence fell once more. "I
see many of you have news. We will all need time to process the
changes taking place in our society, I urge no one to panic. Please
remember that you have support from the teachers here, before you act
upon the notices sent to you today. School will continue as normal
and I request that no one disrupt the day more than usual." He
sat down with a pained look in his eyes. Hermione wondered what he
made of all this and what he had done, if anything, to try to prevent
it.

McGonagall
looked livid, her face pinched tight. Sprout was rocking uneasily in
her chair, huffing and spluttering as if she were about to explode
with a torrent of insults. Hermione's eyes moved to Snape, she
puzzled over his expression, it was hard to read. She thought he
looked, if anything, more stern than usual and she was at a loss why.
It couldn't be concern for the students. Maybe he was actually
concerned that some muggleborn would pick him to marry. Hermione
scoffed, drawing looks from those near her.

"Everything
alright 'Mione?" She nodded to Ron and tucked into her toast,
forgetting about Snape and the sour look on his face.

Lessons
that day were an odd mixture of some exuberant students, some
nervous, others subdued. Many students from pureblood families were
speculating over who might propose to them. Neville, however, was a
bag of nerves, his clumsiness heightened beyond reason. He was
feeling the heat from his formidable grandmother who expected him to
get married, but he was convinced no girl would want him.

"It's
out of my control now." He said quietly to Hermione during
Charms. "I suppose I always thought I would get a girlfriend at
some point, someone a bit like me, you know? And I thought we would
bumble along for a bit and get married after school. But now?"
He shook his head and went back to working on his protean charm.

Hermione
let her mind wander, she'd mastered the charm by her fifth year and
had already demonstrated to Professor Flitwick that she could do it.
She was upset and confused. For all her years of knowing exactly what
was what, wrong from right, for knowing exactly what to do when the
answers were unclear - consult a book - where was she now? Subject to
a crazy and unjust law, torn between civil disobedience or compliance
with something she felt to be wrong. She had never felt at such a
loss before and didn't feel her friends could help her, they were all
going through the same thing and no one had any answers. She decided
that at the end of the day she would go to the one person who had
always been able to guide her to a sensible answer before.

After
a noisy dinner, Hermione made her way slowly towards the stone
gargoyle on the second floor.

"Sugar
quill." The gargoyle sprang to life and stepped aside to allow
her onto the staircase. When Hermione got to Dumbledore's office
door, she knocked gently, trying to hear what the portraits were
gossiping about.

"Come
in Miss Granger." Hermione shook her head as she opened the
door,

'How
does he do that?' she wondered. She found him standing behind
his desk petting Fawkes. The figures in the portraits that lined the
walls were still muttering quietly as Hermione made her way into the
room.

"Please
take a seat." Dumbledore held out a hand, indicating the
comfortable chair opposite his desk. Hermione sat down and tried to
think what to say. "I would ask how I can help you, but I think
I have an idea why you're here." Dumbledore said as he took his
seat and steepled his fingers in front of his face.

"Professor?"
She stalled. "I feel a little odd coming to you about this, but
I really didn't know where else to go." He gave her a single nod
and waited for her to find the words. "What are the chances that
this law will be repealed within six months?" He leaned back in
his chair and closed his eyes briefly, sighing deeply.

"I
would suggest that you comply with the law." Hermione's mouth
dropped open.

"Sir?"

"We
are working on the Ministry, but there is no guarantee that we will
succeed. I'm sure you've seen the clause stating the consequences of
failing to comply." Hermione looked down at her fingers as she
fiddled with the hem of her robe sleeve. "Take your time, chose
carefully. Hopefully we will be able to prevent too many disasters. I
am so sorry this has happened." His eyes were fixed on her,
filled with regret and compassion.

Hermione
had had mixed feelings towards the old man for a long time, since
before the final battle, when Harry had revealed the truth about the
prophecy. She had her doubts about Dumbledore's wisdom and
intentions. He had become more and more like a remote general,
directing the actions on the battlefield with little regard for the
soldiers on it. Harry had basically stopped talking to Dumbledore,
avoiding his council as much as possible and once Voldemort had been
defeated he removed himself completely from any situation requiring
contact with Dumbledore. Hermione wondered now how Dumbledore felt
about that, there was a distinct sadness and lack of twinkle in his
eyes these days. She had a feeling that the old man thought of Harry
with affection and protectiveness beyond that of headmaster, more
like that of a grandfather. Had Harry hurt his feelings? Maybe. But
she also suspected that Dumbledore accepted that reaction gracefully,
knowing exactly why Harry had pushed him away and accepting
responsibility for his actions.

"Professor?
Who should I marry?" She wasn't sure where the rather blunt
question came from, but it made the old man smile, which made her
smile.

"Well,
Miss Granger, I can't possibly give you that answer. I suggest you
start your search close to home and work outwards." He stood up
slowly, a hint of the old twinkle in his eyes for the briefest
moment. Hermione stood up to go.

"Thank
you, Professor. I know you'll do your best to sort this mess out."
She gave him a reassuring smile and left, feeling a little reassured.
With a sigh, Hermione decided to head back to her room and get
straight down to figuring out who she was going to marry. She made
her way through the busy common room, saying a quick hello to her
friends before climbing the stairs up to her room.

Her
room was undeniably fabulous. It had a high ceiling and was a
semi-circular shape, taking up half of the tower. Her bed stood
opposite the door, it was a double four-poster with luxurious red and
gold drapes and bedding, with a small mountain of pillows. On either
side of the bed were simple, mahogany night stands, an ornate lamp on
each. To the right of the bed was a large mahogany wardrobe with full
length mirror on the door, to the left was a dressing table and
stool. Shelves took up much of the walls, mostly covered in her
books, but some gaps held trinkets and keepsakes. Small windows let
shafts of light in at regular intervals and the stone floor was
covered by a very large, thick rug bearing the Hogwarts crest. To the
left of the main door as you looked at it, along the flat wall of the
room, was another door leading to the bathroom, which was decked out
in marble with gold fittings. There was a large shower cubicle,
toilet and a sink with a vanity area in front of a large mirror.

She
closed the door behind her and leaned heavily against it, feeling
very tired all of a sudden. Leaving her bag right there on the floor,
Hermione walked forward and collapsed on the bed. Her head was
spinning and her body ached all over, she hadn't realised how much
stress she was under until that moment. Yet, a decision had been
reached, which was in one way a relief and in another a burden. She
was going to comply with the law and find a husband. But who on earth
would she marry? Her methodical nature kicked in and she sat up
quickly and went to her dresser and sat down at it. She pulled
parchment and a quill from a draw and began writing a list. She knew
the first name right away, Blaise Zabini. He was handsome and
charming, and he had a gentle side to him that she had seen as their
friendship grew. He was also intelligent and hard working, Hermione
felt that he was a good choice among her limited options. She ran
through the other purebloods she knew, it wasn't looking good, most
of the names and faces were Slytherins who she despised or close
friends who she was sure she couldn't be intimate with. There was no
getting around that bit, the law required children within five years
of marriage, she was going to have to have sex with the man she
married, so it had better be someone she felt she could be attracted
to.

Hermione
tried to open her mind to other options, there was Terry Boot, a
Ravenclaw who was good looking and very intelligent, she knew she
could have a conversation with him. After a few long minutes, her
list was short, but promising as she read over it.

Blaise
Zabini

Terry Boot

Ernie Macmillan

Zacharias Smith

There
was one name she was yet to put down, unsure if she was willing to
seriously consider it, it was a broad field, a family name with only
one pre-requisite:

Weasley
- not Ron

She
could never marry Ron. They had tried to make something out of the
feelings he had for her last year, but it didn't work out. It was a
miracle they were still friends really, after two months Hermione was
ready to throttle him. He had been too clingy and they had run out of
conversation pretty quickly, they had slept together, lost their
virginities to each other in fact, but the sex had always been clumsy
and awkward and she'd given up hoping it would get better after a
dozen or so times. She shuddered at the thought of committing her
life to him. His older brothers, however, they were all attractive in
different ways and not close friends as such. But, could she honestly
do that to Ron? Choose one of his brothers over him?

She
left the name on the list, deciding it best to keep an open mind and
see what happened. Bill, of course, was off the market, he was with
Fleur Delacour, they had been living together for over a year...
Hermione's thought process stopped dead in its tracks. Fleur was a
pureblood, apart from a Veela grandparent, but the law only
stipulated Muggle blood as a diluting factor. They wouldn't be
allowed to stay together now. The injustice of it all boiled up in
her once again and she slammed her hand down on the dresser with a
mighty force.

Hermione
went back to her bed and flopped down on it, utterly infuriated by
the whole situation. She thought about the men on her list and grew
yet more frustrated. She felt like an idiot for thinking the likes of
Blaise would ever be interested in marrying her, it was the fatal
floor in the law. There was a reason purebloods didn't marry
muggleborns, they didn't want to! But there was a more personal
insecurity on Hermione's part, she didn't feel she personally had
much to offer someone good looking and rich. She didn't have the
confidence to even ask any of these people out, let alone propose to
any of them. They would know she was only asking them because she
needed to get married. It would be a mess from the start and Hermione
wasn't sure she could take the humiliation of not being able to get
anyone to marry her.

She
wasn't used to feeling like this, so helpless and dependent on other
people's good will. She fell asleep fully dressed, thinking about how
she could regain control of the situation, it was going to take one
hell of a confidence boost. Where to start? That was the question.

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