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Sacrifice	By : snowsong1004 Category: Harry Potter > Het - Male/Female > Snape/Hermione Views: 5278 -:- 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
Hmm� Do you think that 16 months is a long enough wait for a second
chapter? Sorry, my plot bunny died on me and I had to go to several different
countries competing with the likes of Angelina Jolie
in order to adopt a new little bunny, with little success I might add. Finally
one lazy afternoon I spotted one in my backyard. After rescuing him from my
dogs here he is. Hope you guys like this chapter as much as the first, and
thanks to the 21 people who, over the course of those 16 months have been kind
enough to review this story.

Sorry
this chapter is a little shorter (9 pages in Word)�� I�m still getting used to this new plot bunny
development. I tried to make this chapter a little lighter than the first.
Enjoy.

Disclaimer: I am JKR. I am making no money
from writing this. She is the end all and be all of HP
and I am just borrowing her creations so that they may do my bidding. I will
return them, in pretty much the same condition, when I�m done.

Chapter
2

A small murmur broke into Severus� litany of dreams. Gazing towards the window, he
could not have slept more than a couple hours.�
The sun had just left the horizon, and was beginning to stream in the
window.� Normally this would be his
indication that it was time to rise, but today he wanted nothing more than to
lay and dwell in his own thoughts. With a thought and a small movement, dark
curtains cut the light once again bathing the room in draperies of darkness.
The figure in his arms sighed and settled herself more
comfortably.� Grateful he hadn�t wakened
her, Severus dived back into his thoughts.� Thinking was a great way to put himself to sleep. Logical thought patterns would grow minds
of their own and take themselves down fantastical paths.� His mind drifted back to those few weeks he
had to decide upon a wife, and the revelation that led to his current
situation.

It hadn�t been an easy
decision, even for a man who had casually killed more than one person in his
lifetime and chalked the loss up to the price of war.� This law itself had created its own sort of
war, but he could not bring himself to the same state of mind.� There had to be away around the law or at the
very least, another woman of impure breeding that would be a far more
acceptable choice than the one that had presented itself. Granted, you
have to admit the fact that she had the gall to offer herself was quite
intriguing after you got over the initial shock of it.� Severus
smirked at himself for that little comment.�
He had spent hour upon hour, day after day, searching records of muggle-born witches.�
What had surprised him was the sheer number of witches with muggle parentage, but most of those even remotely close to
his age were long since married.� Those
that weren�t married were separated into three piles, plausible, unlikely, and
�only out of sheer desperation�.� None of
the women caught his attention, but those that he placed in the plausible pile
were women who had strong careers of their own or were experts in some field
and each woman was within five years of his own age. Those in the unlikely
category were women about which he could find little
or their age was between six and eleven years of his. And the final pile were
women clearly too young or too old for him or women with very undesirable
characteristics such as �reformed� Death Eater. After spending most of one
evening debating and separating his list of candidates, Severus
carefully drafted a letter to introduce himself. He left nothing to hide, and
embellished nothing.

Out of the dozens of
letters sent, only two replies came.� He
figured that when most women read his name and the mention of Death Eaters
later they would remember that it was he who was responsible for the death of Albus Dumbledore.� Heavens, he had even tossed out all of the
�reformed� Death Eaters; he could hardly blame a woman for disregarding his
petition on the same rounds. Nevermind the
Unbreakable Vow he had made, he had been the one to kill and that was all most
of those women needed to know.� Combine
that with the fact that he was an accomplished potions master and you had a man
that was willing and able to kill by any means necessary and in a way that
would never cast suspicion on himself.� That just put the icing on the proverbial
cake. He was surprised that even these two women would be willing to risk
themselves.� Any woman would have
to either be suicidal or extremely ignorant to want to put herself within my
reach. So what does that make Hermione, suicidal or
ignorant? �

Each woman that had
replied was definitely interested in meeting him. He arranged the meetings on
back-to-back nights.� The first was a
total disaster.� The woman, whose name he
couldn�t even remember now, had been listed as an expert in magical medicines.� She had several articles to her name as well
as one small book on treating the effects of the Critacious
curse that had been quite intriguing.�
What had struck Severus odd when he�d
originally sorted her was the fact there was no photo of her.� After meeting her, it was plain to him why
there was no photo.� She had probably
broken every camera that had ever tried to capture her image.� This woman made Umbridge
look attractive. She was as wide as any four normal people.� Her skin was almost translucent and clearly
showed the few veins that had not lost themselves in fat.� Her hair, what there was of it, hung lank and
lifeless from patches of her skull.� Some would have said he had the finest,
baby-soft hair after seeing her discolored locks. He couldn�t decide if they
were brown, dark grey, or black. Each lock seemed to
give off a different color.� He wondered
how long it had been since she�d attempted to wash it.� Severus shuddered
at the thought. Her eyes were sunken deeply and oddly reminded him of some sort
of rodent.� They were small, dark, and
placed far to close to her nose.�
Speaking of her nose, it more than made up for the fact her eyes were small. Not to mention the fact that it was the only
visible part of her skin that held any sort of color.� Unfortunately that color was a deep
reddish-purple that made it look as if she had been struck recently.� Her mouth was gaping, and her teeth. Severus shuddered; he couldn�t find any teeth! You�d
think someone in the medical field would know how to take care of herself
properly. Apparently that isn�t always
the case. Thankfully, he had spotted her before
she had seen him.� Without
a second thought he apparated back to his home.
It wouldn�t be the first time he�d stood up a witch before.

The second meeting went
somewhat better.� The woman in question
was definitely past her prime, but not unattractive. She had come from a fairly
prestigious muggle family, and had spent the majority
of her life in various studies, but after speaking with her, it was obvious she
only saw him for what he could provide monetarily.� She would spend every galleon he had without
a second thought and leave him when he wouldn�t or couldn�t pay for what she
wanted anymore.� Ugh! I pity the
fool stupid enough to marry this woman, but it�s highly likely she will be
married because of this idiotic law! �They had met for an early lunch and he ended
the meeting as soon as it was possible without seeming rude.�

He was entering Hogwarts rubbing his temples when he encountered Minerva,
�This one any better?�

�Hardly,� was his only
reply.

�Do you have any other �prospects�?�
she asked.

�And what concern is it of
yours, Headmistress?� he snapped. It had been a long day and it wasn�t even
quite two o�clock yet. He had no patience for this discussion.
�My duty is both to the students and staff of Hogwarts.
Seeing that you are a member of my staff in a difficult position, it is part of
my duty to see you though it to the best of my ability,� she retorted smoothly.
�I do not need nor desire your assistance with this matter any further,
Headmistress,� he replied callously.
Minerva harumped, �Well think of that before you
come asking for help from me then.� Bear
in mind that if you wish to ask for assistance, you had better be willing to
accept it�.
Severus turned on his heel and strode away from
the meddlesome witch.� Walking as quickly
as he could still didn�t stop her from adding her last two cents to the
conversation.
�Don�t forget of you other option. She is still waiting on you.� Minerva
called out to his back
Why doesn�t that woman just broadcast the whole debacle to the entire
school?
Snape dragged himself back to the present where
sunlight streamed in through the minute gaps in the curtains. He had waited
until the last possible moment and finding no other recourse he had made his
offer to the woman currently sharing his bed. Going to his family vault at Gringott�s he took out the wedding band his father had
given his mother.� Amongst the myriads of
the Snape fortune, he stood contemplating a simple
band.� To him it was the most precious
thing in the room because it had been his mother�s, and he had always thought
he�d fall in love and offer the woman this ring as a token of love.� He had been a foolish, delusional teen at the
time, but never did he ever think that he�d be offering this band to a mere
child not out of love or even duty but because he was forced to.� Steeling himself, he slipped the ring back
into its bag and left.� Trying not to
think of the commitment he was about to make.
Gazing down at the face on the pillow next to him, his eyes picked out the features
softened by the darkness and sleep. Gods, she is just a child, his mind
screamed at him because she truly looked like the same girl he�d met seven,
almost eight, years ago.� She just
looks young. She has held her own against trials no one, let alone a girl of
eighteen, should have ever needed too.�
This world had aged her beyond her true years. The other half of his
mind attempted to rationalize.
�Too tired to think any further, Severus laid his head upon the pillow beneath him, gently
brushing errant strands of curly brown hair away from his face.� Before he could stop himself, his arm snaked
around the sleeping form next to him, drawing himself towards the woman he�d
just called a child in his mind.�
Amazingly she actually shifted in her sleep so that her backside was
pressed against his hips, her lower back against his stomach, and her head
right against his shoulder.

��
An errant flash of sunlight greeted
Hermione�s opening eyes. Wincing at the sudden change
from darkness to light, she closed her eyes once more and began to stretch. An
unfamiliar weight across her ribs stopped her in mid-stretch. What? Her
mind raced as she fought through the fog of sleep to recall where she was and
how she got there. Ok, calm down, soft sheets, featherbed�� OH GODS!�
I went through with it; I really did go through with it. I married, then
slept with my professor, and now we�re in bed together with his� her mind
worked to determine the body part draped across her� his arm over me. Why
can I feel the sheets so well? Oh, no! I didn�t put anything on! I�m in bed
with my profess�err�husband and I�m naked as a
jay-bird! �Hermione�s
mind chased itself round and round as the last of her sleep-fog lifted.
Ok, get a hold of yourself. You agreed to this; you even wanted it. It is
your duty. You knew what was going to happen, and you let it happen. That�s all
there is to it. Period. End of
Story. Now you just need to figure out how to make this marriage more
than just some sort of sham or trial to be endured. Wait�� He�s in bed with me.� He�s even got his arm around me. Her brows furrowed in concentration, trying
to figure out what all of this meant. Last night had been, well, nice. He
hadn�t been forceful or rude. He just let things take its course. He had even
seemed empathetic to her first time with a man. Now he was still in the same
bed when he could have easily found another or even conjured up one rather than
having to share this one.� Maybe there
is something here to work with after all. �With that though, Hermione
stretched a little further, working out the stiffness sleep always left in her
muscles. As she arched her back gently, she winced at the soreness from last
nights activities.
�The bathroom is the door to your
left. In the cabinet, third shelf, second vial from the left is a pain killer,�
a masculine voice grumbled.
�Thank you. Sorry for waking you.
I�ll just get it and leave you to sleep,� she replied softly.
A short grunt was her only answer.
Evidently, he was not a morning person. Hermione
giggled to herself trying to imagine Severus Snape as a morning person. With a cautious peek around
outside the bed curtains, Hermione slipped from the
bed, careful to let in as little light as possible, and made her way into the
bathroom.
The bathroom was absolutely gorgeous.
Only the prefect�s bathroom at Hogwart�s could
compare to this. The floor was marble, white with black and gray veins running
through it. A spell must have been placed on it, because the stone was
pleasantly cool to the touch rather than chilling. The tub, or rather a
personal pool, was actually set into the middle of the floor a sloping end to
allow a person to walk in. There was a bench carved into the tub at a perfect
sitting height, and the deep end was deep enough for her to stand in. Low
shelves and small cabinets to the left of the tub probably held all of the
necessities for bathing, and to the right of the tub were a beautiful counter
top with a simple oval mirror set above the sink. The mirror had a lovely
little boarder etched into the glass that appeared to be entwined vines.
Another door at the back of the room must lead to the other necessary amenities
for a bathroom. The coolness of the room reminder her of her lack of clothing,
and spotting the towels on one of the shelves next to the tub, she quickly
wrapped one around her nudity. With that dilemma taken care of, she began to
look for any cabinets that Severus could have been
referring to. Only spotting the short cabinets next to the tub, Hermione opened the first one only to find that it only had
two shelves. Puzzled, she moved to the second and third cabinets. Only two
shelves each. Perplexed, but determined to let her husband have his sleep, she
gazed around the room looking for another cabinet. She even poked her head into
the small room that contained the toilet and another sink, but still no
cabinet. She had just resigned herself to irking her new husband when a small
house-elf winked into being before her.
�Is there anything Ditty can do for
the Missus?� the diminutive creature crooned.
Hermione jumped, nearly losing her grip on the towel
covering her, at the sudden appearance of the elf. After her bout with SPEW,
most elves avoided her at all costs, �Umm, actually, yes. I was looking for a
pain killer. Severus told me it should be on the
third shelf of a cabinet in here, but I can�t seem to find any cabinet with
three shelves.�
The elf chuckled her ears perking
up, �That is being because the cabinet is up there,� the elf said as she
pointed to the mirror, �Master doesn�t want elves touching his potions. Missus
could use a bath, yes?�
�Well, I�� was all Hermione got out. With a snap the tub began to fill and the
little elf busied herself with the little cabinets,
pulling out various bottles and other items. Sighing in defeat, Hermione pulled open the mirror, counted up three shelves
and over to second vial from the left. It was a small bottle with a vibrant
blue potion in it. Pulling the stopper, Hermione
sniffed the concotion carefully. Her husband was a
potions master after all, and she was at best an inconvenience, at worse� She
didn�t want to finish that thought.
�Master is being the best at
potions. Does the Missus not trust Master?� the elf squeaked laying back her
ears and wringing her hands.
Hermione paused for a moment, trying to think her
way out since she had just been questioning her husband, �Ahh,
no, Ditty.� I was, umm, I was just trying
to see if I could figure out which painkiller it was so I would know I picked
up the right bottle.� That was a little close. I need to keep a better reign
on my thoughts, who knows what all these house-elves can do. Without any
more hesitation, Hermione tossed back the potions,
trying to taste it as little a possible. The house elf held her hand out for
the bottle and winked out, presumable to wash the now-empty bottle or to take
it where ever it needed to go. She stood there for a moment, closing her eyes
and letting the potion go to work, dissipating her aches and pains. Free of the
pain, the sound of the water running remined her of
her need to get a bath. Sleeping with someone wasn�t exactly a �clean� affair,
and with the ceremony and all of her nerves, bathing had been the last thing on
her mind yesterday.
Hermione walked to the side of the tub. It appeared
full, yet the water was still running. Unlike the muggle
bath her parents had, the water here sounds as if her were a small trickling
stream falling over the edge of an old tree that had fallen across it at some
point. The sound was actually quite soothing. Not to mention the bubbles looked
inviting as well. She giggled at the thought of a bubble bath. She hadn�t had
one since she was a kid. The steam from the tub had already turned her hair
limp and was hard at work relaxing her muscles and soothing the last bits of
soreness from them. Dipping a toe into the water, she found it was pleasantly
warm without being scorching hot. Still uncomfortable, given the fact that she
was in her former professor�s bathroom, she sat on the ledge and put her legs
in first, allowing them to grow accustomed to the heat, then she dropped her
towel just as she slid down into the waiting bench below the water.
Hermione took a deep calming breath as the water
relaxed her muscles. The bubbles were softly scented with a creamy peach scent.
It didn�t seem cloying as most fruit scents were, but there was definitely
enough there to be noticed. It actually smelled rather clean actually. Gliding
through the water to the far side, she gazed through the bottles that Ditty had
left along the side of the tub/pool. There was shampoo, conditioner, exfoliater, body soap, facial soap, and all kinds of things
all scented in peach. At the end of those items was clearly a set of men�s
soaps. Obviously Severus would be in to take his
bath, but judging by his articulate responses a few minutes ago, she doubted
he�d be getting out of bed for a little while yet so she lazily picked up the
shampoo and began her familiar cleansing regimen.
After rinsing the last bit of soap
from her face under the stream of flowing water that continuously filled the
tub, Hermione let herself drift to the far end to
relax and rest against the side of the tub. Just as she laid her head back a
house elf, presumably Ditty, placed a small pillow
under her head to relax. Taking a deep, calming breath, Hermione
closed her eyes content to just listen to the sounds of the constant stream of
water falling.
A soft splash broke Hermione�s train of thoughts. What? Opening her eyes
and peering through the bubbles she spotted the head and bare torso or the
potions master dutifully splashing water over himself and reaching for the
soap. Oh my, I don�t think he even realizes I�m here. What should I do?
Should I move and let him know I�m here or stay as still as possible and pray
he doesn�t realize I�m here? She felt as if she were a 7^th year
student again skinny dipping in the lake after curfew. Indecisiveness kept her
stock still as he slid deeper into the water, plunging his head underneath the
surface. Gripping the edge of the bench she sat on, her eyes scanned the bubble
for a ripple or some movement that would tell her where he went. Suddenly he
reappeared from the bubbles nowhere near where he�d gone under, but right in
front of her. Their noses were mere inches apart. Wishing she were part of the
tub itself, Hermione pressed herself back as far as
she could go. Severus� hands reached up to wipe the
bubbles from his eyes.
Severus had awakened to find he was alone in bed.
After just a quick moment he recalled Miss Granger, no you idiot, Mrs. Snape. Mrs. Hermione Snape, waking up sore and telling her where he kept his
potion for pain in the bathroom, but that had been some time ago if he were any
judge of the angle of sunlight coming through the gap she had left in the bed
curtains.� She had probably bathed and
had one of the house elves plying her with as much food as she could eat. He
smirked at that though. Those elves had been at him to eat for as long as he
could remember, and in all that time he�d cursed them, yelled at them, and they
still continued. They could give the Weasley
matriarch a run for her money.
Stretching languidly, Severus parted the deep, heavy curtains that surrounded the
bed and made his way to the bathroom to begin his day. His first and most
pressing need was to use the loo, next came a bath. There
is nothing like a relaxing bath to begin the day. Afterwards I�ll need to deal
with the wife that seems to have attached herself to me. The door to the
bathroom slid open and his feet met the cool marble of the floor, reminding him
once more why he�d chosen to replace the old flooring in this room. After
relieving himself, he glanced towards the side of the tub to see that the house
elves had laid out the soap. He saw the extra soaps and whatever else a woman
might need lined up next to his. Yet another reminder that this a shared household now, Snape�s
mind ranted again. Last night might have been for her, but today was a
different story. Now began the tug-of-war to set boundaries in his own home. Bah! I should just tell her the rules and
punish her for not following.
Now Severus, this is supposed to be a
compromise.
This is my house! I�ll do what I darn well please in my own home. I�ll
run through it stark naked yelling obscene poetry if I wanted to.
Like you�d ever really do that,
his other half sneered at him, all relationships take work. Just treat it
like another potion. A few ingredients and careful manipulation and voila!
This is making my head-ache;
Severus thought at last, a bath is a place to
relax before or after the stresses of the day. No sense in worrying over it
now.
Severus walked into the shallow end of the tub and
just as the water reached to his calves, he sat down and reached over for the
soap. Bubbles, after all these years the house-elves still filled the tub with
bubbles. He had to smile at that, remember how much he�d enjoyed them as a
child. It was one of the few joys that he�d had as a kid. Today the bubbles
were scented with soft peach. He�d have to fix that once he got out. It
wouldn�t do to have the great bat of the dungeons smelling like peaches. After
lathering up and cleaning off, he decided to take a short dip to wet his hair.
Sure he could have cast a simple spell and been clean, but there was just
something about doing it yourself that was fulfilling. Ducking under the water
he drifted towards the far end. He felt a presence there in the tub, as if
someone was in there with him, but he hadn�t seen anyone the whole time he�d
been washing, nor did he see anyone when he walked the length of the tub to use
the loo. Heavens, it was just him and his wife in the
house and his wife had gotten up long ago. Since the water was full of soap he
didn�t dare open his eyes under water. After he surfaced, he could feel some of
the bubbles sliding down his face. So he dipped his hands back in the water and
splashed the bubbles away and wiped his face clean. When he opened his eyes, a
pair of amber eyes stared back at him, wide with fright.
Startled by the fact that there was
someone in his bath, Severus jumped back splashing
water and bubbles all over the place, soaking the towels and sending the soaps
flying. The bottom of the tub being slippery didn�t help matters much either. Severus lost his footing and promptly disappeared under the
surface of the water again striking his head on the bench just under the
surface. Hermione, frightened, had yelped when the
man in front of her jumped in surprise, but when she saw him slip under and
jumped forward to catch him. Her hands found hair then a shoulder under the
water, and yanking up, brought a sopping, mussed, former professor to the
surface again. His black hair was plastered in disarray all over his head with
a lovely crown of bubbles slowly sliding down one side. Sputtering, Severus regained his composure, peeling the hair from his
face to glare at the woman in front of him.
One glance at the fury in his eyes,
and Hermione dropped his arm as if it had stung her.
�Severus,
I�m so sorry. I� I�� she stammered, �I must have lost track of time. I didn�t
hear you come in. I��
Check yourself man. Remember, you have to live
with this woman. She won�t always be scared of you.
Severus held up a hand stopping the litany of words
pouring from his wife�s mouth in an attempt to explain herself,
�I did not know you would be here and you did not hear me come in. That is it
and nothing more. Now if you don�t mind. I would like to finish my bath in
peace,� he gestured towards the soaking towels laying haphazardly next to the
tub now.
�Um, Severus,
you�re bleeding,� Hermione said pointing to the
bubbles beginning to turn pink on his shoulder. With a flick of her wrist, she accioed a dry towel from the shelf that was well
above harms way when it came to the splashing water. Quickly wrapping it around
herself, she walked quickly into the bedroom once more to retrieve her wand.
Returning, she pointed it at his head and said a quick healing spell.
�I could have done that myself,� he
told her.
�I know, but since it was kind of
my fault and since I was getting out anyways, I thought I should go ahead and
do it for you. I�m sorry.�
Sighing, �It�s fine now. Just leave
me in peace for a bit. I�m sure the house-elves have breakfast ready. You
should go down and get some. I will be along shortly.�
Hermione nodded and retreated back to the bedroom
once more, grateful to have escaped that scenario with her skin and limbs still
attached in their proper places.
I thought for sure he�d skin me alive. I mean, it was my fault for not
saying anything and being such an addlebrained twit. He should have let me
know, but how could he have known I�d still be there. Bleh,
I haven�t been up for much more than an hour and already my head is spinning.
He should have been yelling and cursing at me. If it had been a little over a
year ago I would have had at least a week�s worth of detentions. He must really
being trying hard with me. Wow. I would never have though�
Hermione drifted over to the wardrobe. She�d seen
her suitcase sitting in front of it on her way to the bathroom this morning and
figured that the elves had put her clothing there. Lost in thought she selected
something comfortable for the day. Just as she finished dressing a house elf
winked into the room just in front of the door and beckoned her to follow him.
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Sacrifice