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Marriage Vows	By : selened Category: Harry Potter > Het - Male/Female > Snape/Hermione Views: 23722 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 1
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.

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Marriage Vows

Disclaimer: This
story was inspired by the Marriage Law Challenge on WIKTT. All Harry Potter characters belong to JK
Rowling and those with whom she has agreed contracts. This story was written for practice not profit.

Chapter Twenty-One
The Hearing

The night before Severus� hearing Hermione hardly managed
any sleep. Over all she felt she had
handled his duties fairly well. Albus
and Minerva had been complimentary but she looked forward to handing the reins
back for a while. Madam Pomfrey had
confirmed her pregnancy that afternoon and she longed to be in her husband�s
arms once again. So far only Poppy and
Minerva knew of her condition, as Hermione wanted Severus to know before it
became common knowledge.

The morning dawned bright and clear. Morning sickness had not yet put in an
appearance and Hermione managed to force down someakfaakfast before she and
Dumbledore flooed to the Ministry. Remembering
the farce of Harry�s hearing back in fifth year they had arrived in plenty of
time just in case. They made their way
to Arthur�s office to wait. Arthur was
there to greet them already dressed in his robes as a member of the Wizengamot.

�Don�t look so worried Hermione,� he said kindly. �Severus hasn�t done anything wrong. As long as you�re standing by his side he
can�t be seen as guilty of wrong doing.�

�Is Molly coming?�

�She�ll be here later.
I made her have a lie in. She
needs to look after herself a bit more than usual at the moment.�

�Another one Arthur?�

�Number eight yes.
All those weddings. The war�s
over and we�re not past it yet.�

�Molly�s pregnant?� said Hermione.

�Don�t tell Molly I said.
She wants to tell you herself when she gets here. We�re gathering up at Hogsmeade tonight to
break it to the family. You and Severus
are welcome to join us. Unless of
course you�d rather be celebrating alone,� he grinned.

�I�m pregnant too.
It was confirmed yesterday.
Severus knows I could be but I haven�t sent word yet.�

�Congratulations Hermione.
You�ll make wonderful parents.�
He gave her a hug and a peck on the cheek. �I wish I could take you to see him but I�m not allowed down
there to see him myself.�

�Why not?�

�Severus is a natural Legilimens. He can perform spells affecting the brain without his wand. If any Ministry Official nea near him we
might be accused of acting under his influence.�

�He can do that?�

�He�s more than capable,� said Dumbledore. �I don�t think he would but people can�t be
blamed for fearing his power.�

�I ought to warn you he will probably be blindfolded in the
court room. They will want to make sure
he can�t make eye contact with anyone.�

I want to take him home and get on with our life together.�

�I know how you feel.
I remember back to when Molly and I first got married. All seven of our kids were born in
chaos. I was at work all the time. I neglected Molly shamefully. This should all be over today. If we can just get the Malfoy business
sorted out in October we�ll have broken the back of the Death-Eaters. None of the others have the brains to
organise or the money to support any more conflict. It�s the final stage of the war.
We need to keep up our guard and finish the job. I still remember what happened to Frank and
Alice last time we thought we were safe.
I am glad we no longer use the Dementor�s Kiss as a punishment because,
I am ashamed to say, I would be glad to see him receive it.�

�Many other decent men and women would say the same
Arthur. You have nothing to be ashamed
of. Speaking of Malfoy we have
confirmed the marriage of Selene Martin and Claudius Malfoy. Louis had an owl yesterday. Miss Abbott is legitimate. I have a contact in the Muggle Law system
who is gathering evidence about Selene�s death from his sources. It should be possible to include questioning
about it in Malfoy�s trial.�

�That�s good.
Patricide means a life sentence in Azkaban. Merlin knows he deserves it.
Hermione let me take you for a coffee.
It�s likely to be a long morning.�

At 10.30 the hearing was about to begin. Hermione sat outside waiting to be
called. The members of the Wizengamot
had filed in some ten minutes earlier.
She heard more footsteps coming down the corridor towards her. What she saw shocked her to the core. The unconscious form of her husband was
being levitated down the corridor accompanied by four guards. He was blindfolded and had obviously been
given no opportunity to wash or shave during his incarceration. He was clad in a prison issue gown of dirty
brown and not in his best formal robes and Order of Merlin medal Hermione had
sent for the occasion. He was brought
past her and through the open doors Hermione saw him bundled into a huge chair
which automatically wrapped chains around him to hold him in place. Looking at him she could see that he had
lost more weight than he could spare from his tall frame. She blinked away tears and was surprised to
see Albus before her.

�Come in my dear. I
have convinced the interrogators to let you give evidence first so you can be
present for the whole proceeding.�

�Thank-you,� she whispered and followed him in.

Albus sat here in a chair and moved to seat himself next to
Severus. Severus was now coming back to
consciousness and struggling against his chains. Albus spoke to him gently and he quieted.

�Hermione Granger!� intoned the Chief Interrogator. �The Wizengamot extends its apologies to you
for the way the Emergency Council failed in its responsibility towards
you. We would like to question you on
your current situation so we can decide on how best to help you. Concerns have been raised about the nt
nt
of influence Severus Snape has over your actions so we would like to question
you under Veritaserum. Do you agree to
this?�

�No,� said Hermione.

�Miss Granger we are trying to help you. Please explain your answer.�

�I am known as Madam or Professor Snape,� said
Hermione. �I do not wish to take
Veritaserum because I am in the early stages of pregnancy and anything I ingest
is ingested by my baby. I will pledge
any oath you care to give me but I will not risk my husband�s child.�

Out of the corner of her eye Hermione could see Severus
straighten in his chair and a look of hope cross his face.

�Madam Snape, I respect your reasoning and I would like to
ask you therefore to tell us about how you came to marry your teacher.�

�I was called to see the Headmaster on the second day of
term. As an eligible pure-blood
Professor Snape had received the listing that morning. He had taken it to the Headmaster who explained
it to me. My teachers were very worried
about me falling into the wrong hands.
They felt I might be a target because of my war work. Professor Snape
was asked to talk through my options with me to see if we could work out a
plan. When we were trying to do this I
received an offer from the Malfoy family.
Now I know that Lucius Malfoy was a senior Death Eater and Severus knows
it too. Our evidence has always counted
for little but we know the truth. Draco
Malfoy and I have always hated each other.< sty style="mso-spacerun: yes">
He calls me a �Mudblood whore.�
I was devastated to think that I was going to have to marry him and I
told Severus I wanted to kill myself.
Severus offered to marry me so I could get out of marrying Draco and I
freely accepted him. We visited my parents
and brought them up to Hogwarts so they could get to know Severus. They witnessed Lucius try to murder
him. We got married and made
arrangements for me to carry on my studies as a seventh year and Potions
Apprentice. We were settling down quite
well and then he was taken away after a week and this is the first time I�ve
seen him since. I would like to know
why he is not wearing the clothes I have sent him and why he is in such a
state. That is no way to treat a war
hero.�

�I am confused about your status. You are a school girl, Apprentice and Professor?�

�I am in my seventh year at Hogwarts but my studies have
gone some way beyond NEWT level in some areas.
Last year I worked with Severus on post graduate level research and I
have been covering his duties in his absence.�

�Thank-you. I will
hand you over to my colleagues for further questioning.�

The small round wizard next to the chief interrogator smiled
at her and asked, �Madam Snape, do you have a copy of your marriage contract
for us to examine? For some reason no
copy was logged here.�

�I haven�t seen a contract.�

�How did you come to believe that you were married without
the contract?�

�We had the ceremony and mixed our blood and all the rest of
it.�

�Are you telling me you were married in the modern form?�

�Yes.�

�Was that your idea?�

�No it was his. He
had been married under contract before and he felt on reflection that it was
not fair to his wife to have done it like that. He was very clear that I had rights.�

�Did you have a Ministry witness?�

�Arthur Weasley was the witness and Professor Dumbledore
officiated.�

�What did Severus pledge to give you?�

�Fidelity, protection, support and friendship.�

�Not love?�

�No.�

�Did that disappoint you?
Surely every young witch hopes for love.�

�I was happy with the offer he made. I knew him to be a man of his word. He made pledges that were not dependant on
emotional ups and downs. He hoped we
would come to love each other and we have.
He has treated me very well.�

�You say that he has treated you well?� enquired a third
member of the panel.

�Yes.�

�Yet the report of the Healer who was sent to examine you
mentions more than fifteen bruises on your person. How do you explain this?�

�I had bruises on my leg from not blocking hexes in my
Defence against the Dark Arts lesson.�

�Forgive me Madam but I understood you to be something of an
expert in that?�

�My wand was not working properly. Afterwards Severus took me to Ollivander�s to buy a new one.�

�And the other bruises?�

�Some on my arms were caused by a friend. We had an argument, he grabbed me and marked
me.�

�Can we call on your friend to verify this?�

�It was Ron Weasley.
He was labouring under the delusion that Severus has enchanted me. He must have forgotten to mention his
actions when he passed his thoughts on to you.
The marks on my torso were love bites and if my husband was subjected to
the same humiliating examination as I was, you will see he had them too.�

�In your view was your husband party to the corruption
leading to the passing of the Law?�

�No he was not.�

�Thank you Madam.
You may keep your seat to hear your husband�s testimony if you wish.�

Hermione twisted around in her seat to get a better view of
her husband.�

�Severus Snape, the court asks if you are willing to consent
to the adminstration of Veritaserum for your questioning.�

�I am willing with the proviso that Albus Dumbledore shall
have the right to veto any question he feels inappropriate to the matter in
hand.�

�That is acceptable to the Court.�

There was a short delay while the interrogators supervised
the dripping of a dose of Veritaserum into a small cup of water. The water was carried over to Severus who
drank it back quickly. After about
thirty seconds the questioning began.

�Severus Snape, has the potion taken effect?�

�Yes.�

�Describe your relationship with Lucius Malfoy.�

�He is my late wife�s half brother.�

�When did you meet him?�

�At Hogwarts when I went to school.�

�Were you friends?�

�Yes.�

�Lovers?�

�Yes.�

Hermione was flabbergasted at his admission. She wished she had known about this. She wished he was not blindfolded and
drugged so she could get more of an idea of the emotions that should go along
with this telling.

�At what point did you become lovers?�

�When I was thirteen.�

�And when did you stop?�

�We did not carry on a regular relationship after he left
school when I was seventeen.�

�But when did you last have sexual relations with Lucius
Malfoy?�

�We had an encounter last year after Lucius had escaped
Azkaban. I was spying for the Order and
I was not in a position to refuse. I
had not made love with him of my own volition since I was nineteen.�

�What are your feelings towards him now?�

�I hate him.�

�What led you to hate your lover?�

�I think he killed my first wife. I witnessed him commit countless acts of violence when I was a
spy. He tried to kill me and I think he
wanted to kill Hermione.�

�Why did you marry a child in your care?�

�To keep her away from Malfoy.�

�Describe your relationship with Miss Granger.�

�She is my wife.�

�Do you love her?�

�Yes.�

�When did you decide you were in love with her?�

�When she agreed to fulfil the bond.�

�When did you begin to care for her?�

Albus stopped Severus from answering. �I think that question is too vague. As her teacher and a member of the order
Severus has been caring for Hermione since she was a child.�

�I withdraw the question.
When did you decide to make her your wife?�

�I proposed on the day we found out about the law. The decision to be my wife was hers.�

�Severus, have you used any magical means to engage her
affections.�

�Only the magicks we generated at our binding.�

Albus spoke up again.
�I think we have heard the relevant information. Severus has been examined under
Veritaserum. He has not magically
co-erced Hermione. He had no prior
knowledge of the Law and hence could not have been involved in the corruption
surrounding it. They admit they love
each other. Madam Snape is with
child. There are no reasonable grounds
for continuing. When evidence is given
under Veritaserum the Court is bound to accept it as truth.�

�The Court is not happy that a marriage has occurred under
the auspices of this law. The panel
wished to void the contract however as the couple have been blood bound, this
matter is not easily resolved,� replied the chief interrogator.

�Severus, why did you fulfil the binding so quickly?� asked
another panel member.

�Hermione wished to be safe from a challenge from Draco
Malfoy.�

�Are you willing to release her from your arrangements?�

�No.�

�Why not?�

�She gave me her innocence and her love. She is carrying my child. I will not cast her aside at the whim of the
Wizengamot.�

�Hermione do you wish to be released?�

�No.�

�Why not?�

�I am Muggle-born.
My experiences in this world have convinced me that I need to belong to
a wizarding family. I love Severus and
I trust him to be a good husband. I
have to say he is far more worthy of my trust than the Ministry or the
Wizengamot. While people here were
lining their pockets and aiding Lucius Malfoy he was putting his life on the
line for me. We both risked our lives
to fight Voldemort yet he has been treated in this disrespectful fashion and I was
effectively sold to a Death Eater. If
you dissolve my marriage I will be proud to be his whore instead.�

There were audible gasps from some of the older members of
the Court. Albus waited for them to die
down before speaking again. �As you can
see Madam Snape is a witch of strong character who knows her own mind. I really think it is time they were allowed
to go about their business.�

�Very well,� said the chief interrogator. �All in favour of halting these proceedings
raise your hand� and against�. Madam and Professor Snape the vote is
considerably in your favour you may go.�

The chains binding Severus went slack and Hermione ran over
to him and lifted his blindfold. He
could not immediately adjust to the light and buried his head in his wife�s
shoulder as he wept. She embraced him tenderly
rubbing her hands soothingly over his back.
The Wizengamot filed out. Albus
and Arthur stayed behind. After a few
moments Molly came scurrying in.

�Well what happened did we win?� she enquired.

�We did,� said Arthur.
�Hermione accused the Council of selling her to Malfoy. Severus refused to throw over his pregnant
wife and testified under Veritaserum so his word had to be accepted.�

�Hermione�s pregnant?�

�She certainly is.
Hermione take your husband home.
Use the floo.�

�I�ve sent lots of his clothes here and books. Where will they be?�

�Don�t worry about that,� said Arthur. I�ll track it all down and have it sent
up. We�re in Hogsmeade so we�ll see you
over the weekend. Off you go. Molly get them out of here.�

Molly got them out of the chair and bustled them towards the
door and out. Arthur and Albus
followed.

A/N

Manda- Thank �you for your advice. Your review is a good example of how to give constructive
criticism to an author without giving offence.

Gina- The story is already written in full and is thirty-two
chapters long including prologue and a rather short epilogue. I intend to continue posting two or three
times a day. I am already planning out
one or two ideas for shorter companion pieces to this fic but I�m not happy
about posting something that isn�t finished, so there will pbly bly be a delay.

Thanks to Kat1441, spaz141 and NightQueen for their
continued enthusiasm and support.
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Marriage Vows