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Marriage Vows	By : selened Category: Harry Potter > Het - Male/Female > Snape/Hermione Views: 23720 -:- 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-Two
Recovering

Within five minutes of leaving the court room Hermione had
Severus at home in their chambers. He
was still under the influence of Veritaserum and unable to engage in normal
conversation. She shrank from
questioning him in this state. It was
not fair to exploit him when he was so vulnerable.

She cast a spell to dim the daylight and led him into the
bathroom where she ran a bath for him.
She removed her own robes and helped him to undress noting the welts
around his wrists and ankles. He lay
back in the water passively and allowed her to tend to him. She started by washing and thoroughly
rinsing his hair before leaning him forward to soap his back. She cleaned his ankles and wrists carefully
before performing a simple healing spell on them. She asked his permission before removing his beard, again with a
spell. She used her own cleansers on
his face and neck.

By this time the water was cooling and very murky so she
moved him over to the shower. Strippioff off her undergarments she joined him in there and began to clean the rest of
his body. She realised he was coming
back to himself when she felt his erection begin to grow. She knelt before him and pressed her cheek
to it as she caressed his behind under the flow of the water. Overwhelmed by her love for her husband she
began to nuzzle and kiss him before opening her mouth to take him in. Half remembered whispers between Lavender
and Parvati came back to her as she worked on him. Her efforts produced results rather sooner than she had
anticipated but the seed she tasted was not unpleasant. He sank down beside her and kissed her long
and hard under the warm water.

After their bathing was completed they wrapped themselves up
in bathrobes and retired to the sitting room. Hermione ordered a substantial lunch from the kitchens and they
ate ravenously. They knew they had to
talk but neither knew quite where to begin.
Eventually Hermione could stand it no longer and blurted out,

�They kept you tied up didn�t they?�

�Yes.�

�You�ve lost a lot of weight. Didn�t they feed you at all?�

�They sent in meals but it was hard to eat without the use
of my hands.�

�You were tiedall all the time?�

�Yes. I had some
movement but the purpose of tying me was to ensure I could not remove the
blindfold.�

�You were blindfolded for two whole weeks? I wrote to you every day.�

�I hoped you would.
I badly wanted to hear from you.
Did you tell me you were pregnant?�

�Madam Pomfrey confirmed it yesterday. When the court ordered me e exe examined the
Healer told me I had conceived but it was too early to tell if it would
establish itself in my womb. I told you
about the Healer in my first letter.
Arthur was going to recover all the things I sent you. Maybe he�ll bring the letters. He�s in a dither though. Molly is also pregnant. They�re coming to Hogsmeade to break it to
the family.�

�Well it�s a lucky child to have those two as parents. They know how it�s done.�

�Are you all right about our baby?�

�I am delighted. My
concern is as always for you. I would
prefer for you to have conceived when you seeking to do so. What about your NEWTs?�

�Minerva has made arrangements. I�m going to the Ministry to sit all the examinations in
December. We organised it when I
started teaching. Until the exams my only class will be Care of Magical
Creatures. All my other Professors are
giving me revision tutorials instead.
As soon as you�re up to going back to class I�ll give up teaching and
get focussed.�

�So much for your one normal school year. I take it the binding interfered with the
potion.�

�That�s the theory.�

�And you are content to have the baby now?�

�Yes. I wasn�t happy
with the Healer though. He implied that
you�d got what you wanted at my expense.
It was as though he thought our marriage was a sham.�

�I don�t think anyone will say that after your performance
today.�

�I was angry. I
couldn�t believe how you�d been treated.�

�I don�t imagine you were happy about learning about the
extent of my relationship with Lucius.�

�I was surprised.�

�Not horrified?�

�Well it makes sense I suppose. Watching your little darlings� interactions over the last
fortnight I think there�s quite an undercurrent of that kind of thing. Lots of Gryffindors experiment but it�s more
innocent in a way. It�s excess of
hormones rather than politics between different year groups.�

�The parents of mine generally have the moral restraint of
alley cats so you can imagine what they pass on. Lucius was decadent and unbelievably good looking. We were young. I was flattered to be chosen. It gave me a place in the social
structure. I have always been more
attracted to women but I also need the emotion to be there and that�s a rare
quality in a Slytherin woman. Are you
worried that I once loved a man?�

�No. I
understand. If he was giving you
affection I can�t criticise you for wanting it, particularly after everything
you went through with your father. He�s
still very handsome but somehow I don�t think you�ll leave me for him. Can I ask you something?�

�Yes,�

�Were you and Bellatrix ever intimate?�

�No. I was a little
young for her. She was the year above
Lucius. She had a number of lovers
already.�

�What was she like?�

�Very beautiful.
Very intelligent too. The
madness didn�t really manifest until she was sixteen or so and even after that
it built up gradually. It�s the curse
of the Black family but contact with Voldemort drove her further than most.�

�So madness runs in the family?�

�I think it�s a result of inbreeding. The magic is strong with most of them and
they don�t have any squibs but the stronger they are the more erratic they
become. Andromeda was the only normal
one as far as I can tell. You were
quite old enough to have an impression of what Sirius was like under the veneer
of charm and those portraits speak for themselves. Lucius keeps a very tight rein on Narcissa. I think she�s barely even spoken since Draco
was born.�

�She spoke to me when she came to see Albus about
Draco. She looked drugged.�

�That would seem likely.
Is Draco back at school yet?�

�Yes. He came on the
Monday after you went. I�ve been using
your mirror to observe. Albus showed me
how. I wish you could have seen Draco
when he realised I was his Professor and Head of House.�

�You were Head of Slytherin? Did they behave?�

�I think they were impressed by me blowing out the main
doors when they took you away. I�ve had
no trouble. Draco Crabbe and Goyle have
been warned that they�ve run out of chances.�

�And Maria Abbott?�

�Declared legitimate by the French Ministry and building a
rather touching friendship with Louis Martin.
Apparently Selene was disowned and he is frightened of his parents
finding out he has befriended her child.
It�s odd. A grown man unable to
make his own choices.�

�Not all pure-bloods are like that. Many children receive a portion of their
inheritance when they are of age.
Lucius did. Some still like to
control the children through the purse strings.�

�Selene became a Healer.
She had two brothers who were squibs. Louis isn�t supposed to have contact with them either.�

�A squib is an embarrassment to these people. They see it as a sign of impurity. Have you finished your food?�

�Yes. Shall I have
the dishes cleared?�

�Well you can if you wish,� he said, running his fingers up
her arm lightly. �I was hoping we might
do something a little more fun though.
Perhaps I could experiment with using my hands. It�>It�s nice to have free use of them.�

Hermione blushed prettily as she returned his intense
gaze. �If you wish,� she
whispered. �What would you like to do?�
she asked.

�I though we could go to the lab and brew something
interesting,� he said blandly, then laughing at the look on her face. �Why Madam Snape, has marriage quite dulled
you intellectual curiosity? Last year
you always jumped at the chance for a private lesson with me. By the time you started to work on the
research I would have had to put you in a body bind to remove you from my lab.�

�But I learned so much from you since then and to be frank Professor,
you don�t only make good use of your hands in the lab.�

�I suppose no one would blame us if we were to indulge
ourselves in some domestic experimentation,� he mused teasingly. �You do deserve something of a treat for
your display of loyalty earlier.�

�So you don�t mind teaching me flower weaving then? It will be really good therapy for�.�

Her words were cut off as he pounced on her and scooped her
up into his arms. He kissed her
tenderly and bore her off to the bedroom.

Later that afternoon Hermione lay naked and sleepy in her
husband�s arms.

�Severus?� she said.

�Hermione,� he replied.

�What if our baby is a squib?�

�It won�t be. We
have no shared genetic materials.�

�But if it is?�

�If, by some fluke, it is a squib we will ask your parents
to help our child live with Muggles as well as wizards. He or she will have a Muggle education
combined with a thorough grounding in elementary Potions and herbology where
power has little relevance. I would not
have it treated as defective because it was not suited to our lifestyle. It won�t happen to us. However it may well happen to Ginny and
Neville. Molly and Alice are cousins. Frank is a cousin of Arthur through Arthur�s
mother. If Ron is ever successful in
his pursuit of Susan Bones it could happen to them also. Molly�s mother was a Bones. I think Arthur�s grandmother was too.�

�What about Harry and Luna?�

�Their chances areost ost as good as ours. Lily was Muggle born and Luna has a Muggle
born grandmother on her father�s side. Her father was a contemporary of mine at school and not related to
the Potters as far as I know. Clever
but odd. Just like his daughter. I can�t see any of your friends rejecting a
squib child. They will doubtless be
seeking your advice on integrating the child into Muggle society.�

�It�s odd to think they�ll be doing what I did in reverse.�

�I suppose so. You
managed it though and there is no reason why they shouldn�t.Squibs have the potential to be useful
allies within Muggle society. If we did
produce a squib I can already see you petitioning the Ministry on their
behalf.�

�You�re quite right.
I realised something today� about you.�

�Something else?�

�Yes. The people at
the Ministry are scared of you aren�t they?�

�Yes. I have unusual
talents, which unnerve them. No more so
than Albus of course but I will never command the respect he does. My crimes will always follow me. The best I can hope for is to be ignored by
them. If Albus had not been insistent I
would never have received the Order of Merlin.
Hen>He worries about what might happen to me when he can�t keep me under his
wing.�

�Minerva would help you.�

�Minerva is a good friend.
If she succeeds Albus I would always have a place here. Her influence does not extend beyond Hogwarts
in the way that hiss.

�How? I�m a pregnant
schoolgirl at the moment. I have no
standing!�

�That won�t always be the case. Mark my words you�ll be on the Wizengamot when you turn
thirty. No one can erase you from our
History. Your difficulty will be
finding the time to do everything you are capable of. Did you finish the Wolfsbane?�

�Both hes hes were successful.�

�Wonderful. Next
month you can do it solo and we�ll get you registered. We need to go through harmful ingredients as
well. I don�t want to chance you
handling anything which may trigger abortion.
Your NEWT examiner will need to know.�

�I think Minerva will sort it out. There won�t be many people being examined. It�s mainly organised for people needing to
boost a grade or foreigners needing British qualifications. I won�t even show in December. I just hope I�m not throwing up everywhere.�

�How many people know about the baby?�

�Madam Pomfrey, Minerva and the Wizengamot and Court
clerks. Oh and Molly.�

�Not Harry and Ron?�

�They know I might be but they don�t know for sure. If I were a Muggle I probably wouldn�t have
realised it yet myself.�

�How are things with Ron?�

�Better. We had a
show down after I realised he was the reason you�d been taken away. Molly and Albus both tore him off a strip
and I think he realises now.�

�So he made the accusations?�

�I�m afraid so.�

�I�ll need to have words with him about that.�

�Yes.�

�Madam Snape, are you not going to plead with me to let him
off lightly?�

�No. After what
you�ve been through in that cell I think you have the right to have a go at
him. I already did. Besides he has to grow up a bit now he�s of
age. I know he fought bravely in the
battle but he�s about three years behind when it comes to being grown up.�

�He�s too much like Arthur.
All the other Weasleys have Molly�s good sense. Even the twins, for all their subversive
behaviour, take after her. Look how
they�ve developed that business of theirs.�

�What about Percy? I
wouldn�t have called him sensible.�

�He�s too much of a conformist. I think he learned his lesson though. He saw through Fudge eventually.�

�Thank Merlin. It
would have killed the others if they�d lost him.�

�I think he�s Molly�s favourite. I�ve always preferred the twins.�

Hermione twisted around to give her husband a good hard
stare.

�You like the twins?�

�Creativity is rare amongst wizards. That business with Umbridge was their finest
hour. I�m not saying they never annoyed
me but they were bloody funny.�

�I liked the fireworks.�

�She was run ragged that day. Even I pretended to need her to rid me of them. Minerva and I both smuggled in those Canary
creams to Umbridge�s staff meeting and there were feathers everywhere. She took one bite and� It was mayhem.�

�I could never have imagined you doing that. You�re such a disciplinarian.�

�I have a reputation to uphold. Surely you have gathered I am more than you saw when you were
younger.�

�Of course, but practical jokes!�

�Come on, you must have done things I never knew about.�

�Well yes.�

�Tell me, and I already know about the boomslang skin.�

�I set fire to your robes when I was a first year.�

�I don�t remember that.
What were we making?�

�During a Quidditch match. I thought you were hexing Harry�s�.�

�That was you? I
thought it was Quirrell.�

�It was me. I felt
really guilty when I realised.�

�I hope so. If it�s
any consolation I don�t feel so badly about being rude to you now. Is there anything else I should know?�

�I blackmailed Rita Skeeter. That�s how the Quibbler article came about.�

�What was your hold over her?�

�She was an unregistered Animagus. She was a beetle and that�s how she got her exclusives. I trapped her in a jar and threatened her.�

�I�m impressed. Very
Slytherin in fact.�

�Your Slytherins used to carry her around school with them
to give her access but I�ll take that as a compliment.�

�The ultimate compliment Madam. Allow me to take you for dinner in the Great Hall this evening as
a mark of my respect.�

�That would be wonderful.�

�Weometomething dressy.
I want every hormonal boy in that Hall to envy me tonight. Afterwards
I�ll bring you back home and we�ll see if you can�t make it up to me about
ruining those robes.�

I�ll indulge you. After all I�ll be bloated and fat before
we know it.�

�Pregnant, lush and beautiful.�

�Flatterer.�

�It�s true. Pregnant
women are glorious. Holding your wife
in your arms� it�s incredible. I do��
he broke off.

�You do what?�

�Remember� I�m sorry.
I shouldn�t hark back. It�s
tactless. I apologise.�

�Severus, I don�t mind that you loved her. She made you the man you are. I don�t want
you to feel you can�t love her memory.
What would be wrong would be if you compared me unfavourably with her.�

�I wouldn�t. I do
love you Hermione.�

�And I love you Severus.
Let�s get ready to make our entrance.
I hope I haven�t sent all your good clothes to London.�

Making their way through the sitting room Hermione spied a
note on the hearth rug. She picked it
up and read it.

�What is it?� asked Severus.

�It�s from Arthur.
Your belongings are packaged up and waiting for you in the lab. He�s also inviting us to lunch on Sunday if
you�re feeling better.�

�I think we can manage that. Unless you want to visit your parents instead?�

�I thought we might wait a bit before telling them. They�ll fret and I don�t want Dad to get
fired up again.�

�Hermione my love, it�ll be reported in the Prophet
tomorrow. At the least your parents are
going to need a letter owled to give them the news. Perhaps we should slip over for a couple of hours tonight.�

�You�re right. We�ll
go after dinner.�

�Don�t look so worried.
They will come around eventually.
They need to hear from us. Was
my arrest reported?�

ndifndif]>

�No actually. I
imagine Albus pulled strings to hush it up.�

�That�s good. At
least they won�t have been stewing about that.
Let�s get dressed now. We can
talk about it later.�

Sighing Hermione followed her husband through to the
dressing room.

A/N

Joanna Scarlett- I was interested in your comment about my
style being �sparse.� I agree with
you. My main writing interest is
scriptwriting and this carries over into my story writing because I try to
convey thoughts and emotions through dialogue with the bare minimum of
description. My first draft of a
chapter usually consists completely of dialogue and everything else is put
afterwards. I�m glad you are enjoying
the story.

Elbereth- Congratulations on overcoming your inhibitions
about reviewing. I wasn�t sure how I�d
react to other people voicing opinions about my work at first so I didn�t push
for reviews but now I find I enjoy receiving them because it lets me know the
work is being read and that it seems to hit the spot for some people.

Thanks also to my other reviewers, megcoulson, Kat1441,
spaz141, azulkan2 and Sharon.
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Marriage Vows