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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-Eight Potions Class

Severus and Hermione breakfasted early in order for him to
make a prompt start at the Ministry.
Hermione�s morning classes went fairly smoothly with a calm and
productive atmosphere. After lunch it
was the turn of the Seventh Year advanced class to resume brewing the potions
they had left in stasis since the Friday before. This was a common practice in Sixth and Seventh Year when potions
were often too complex to be completed in a single session. As long as the brewers made careful notes
about where they had got to in the first session they could heat it to the
correct temperature and continue.
Unfortunately note taking was not a skill that came naturally to many
and the first fifteen minutes of every second session consisted of Hermione
inspecting the cauldrons to verify the next step.

Hermione was standing alongside Draco who was working with
Millicent Bulstrode. Blaise was
obviously still at odds with Millicent because he was working with Susan on the
other side of the room. Susan was not
looking well and Hermione could see Ron casting worried glances at her from his
place beside Harry. Sighing she turned
her attention to Draco and Millicent�s work.
Millicent had misplaced the notebook and Hermione guessed she was very
stressed out over her boyfriend�s foray into fatherhood.

�Look Millicent,� she said finally. �I can�t solve your love life in my
class. Either you ignore Blaise and
concentrate on your brew or I�ll give you permission to skip with the provision
you come and see me later to hash things out.
What do you want to do?�

�I�m staying,� said Millicent fiercely. �I�m not letting that bastard ruin my NEWTs
chances as well as everything else.�

�Five points from Slytherin for the language Miss Bulstrode
and twenty points to Slytherin for the sensible attitude.�

Both Slytherins looked at her incredulously before
smirking. The moment was broken
abruptly by a crash from the other side of the room. Hermione looked up sharply but was momentarily unable to see the
cause of the disturbance because of the number of taller people on their
feet. There was another crash and
Hermione went over in the direction of the noise followed by Draco. She saw a greenish haze in the air and Susan
and Hannah were doubled over.

�Hermione,� cried Ron.
�Susan�s bleeding!�

Hermione made to move towards them only to find Draco
restraining her with a strong arm wrapped around her. He put his other hand securely over her mouth and nose and
hissed,

�Get a whiff of that Granger and you�ll be bleeding
too.� He raised his voice, �Get the girls out and us men will get those
two up to the Infirmary. Millie, run on
ahead and give her warning! What the
hell is that stuff?�

�I don�t know Malfoy,� said Harry. �But you�re right it�s only affecting the pregnant women. Hermione, get out of here!�

Hermione was numb.
She tried to take a step forward but lost consciousness. Luckily Draco caught her up as she went down
and carried her off to the Infirmary with no further delay.

Severus arrived home with Maria in the early evening. He was already quite worn out aftee
ee
events of the day and was not pleased to see the Headmaster waiting for him on
the steps outside the castle.

�All right Headmaster,� he said wearily. �What�s so important it couldn�t wait for me
to get inside?�

�Severus, I�m afraid there was an accident in the lab this
afternoon. Now Hermione is going to be
fine and the child also. Mr Malfoy
reacted to the situation promptly and got her out of danger very quickly.�

�What was the danger?�

�Miss Bones had a vial of an unknown substance in her
hand. From its effect I can only assume
it was a very powerful abortifacient.
Witnesses claim there was a green vapour. Miss Bones and Miss Abbott were both severely overcome and have
suffered miscarriages. Other children
are coughing a little. I have sealed
off the dungeons including the entrance to Slytherin and your own chambers in case
of contamination.�

�I�ll sort it out.
Do we know where the vial came from?�

�No. I have sealed
it. There should be enough of the
substance left for you to analyse it.�

�Well it didn�t come from my stores. I cleared out everything that could be
dangerous for Hermione or any of the girls to handle. I trust you have no objon ton to me seeing my wife before I clear
up the mess.�

�Not at all. Take
all the time you need. If necessary we
cleepleep the children in the Great Hall tonight.�

�I don�t think that will be necessary. Maria I can�t send you to the Common Room,
do you want to come and say hello to Hermione?�

�Yes please.�

�Come along then.
Just until it�s time for dinner.�

In the Infirmary Madam Pomfrey was run off her feet. She had had to go to the length of conjuring
extra beds to hold all her patients.
Two end beds had been screened off and Severus rightly surmised that
Hannah and Susan occupied them.
Hermione was lying in the next bed along. All the Seventh Year class were there but only the pregnant
women, plus Blaise Harry and Ron were in bed.yes"> She was dozing. Draco
looked up from his book and smiled.

�She�ll be glad to see you.
Madam Pomfrey needed someone to sit with her and Potter and Weasley were
ordered to bed. She�s been given something
to make her relax. I think it�s okay to
wake her, she keeps drifting in and out.�

�I gather I am in your debt, Draco.�

�It was just instinct.
I was right behind her and I realised that whatever that green stuff was
it was dangerous for the pregnant women.
I stopped her going closer and put my hand over her face so she couldn�t
breath. I may have overdone it a bit
because she passed out for a few seconds and when that happened I just picked
her up and carried her out. She seems
all right but you know how Madam Pomfrey is.
All the pregnant ones are being watched and the others who were closest
too. None of the rest of us are allowed
to leave the Infirmary until you�ve said it�s safe.�

Hermione shifted in the bed and opened her eyes.

�Severus?� she said sleepily.

�I�m here my love.
Everyone tells me you�re going to be fine. How do you feel?�

�Tired. I don�t know
what happened. Everything was fine and
then there was a crash and the vapour and Draco grabbed me. I couldn�t do anything to help.�

�No my love. There
was nothing you could do. Albus tells
me Susan had a vial of something and now I�m satisfied that you are safe I�ll
go and work out what she had. I brought
Maria to see you.�

�How�s your Mum Maria?�

�She was really up

�That would be nice for them.� Suddenly Hermione noticed that Draco was still with them and her
next question froze on her lips.

Draco was looking uncomfortable about being in such close
proximity to Maria. Severus filled the
silence.

�Draco, I don�t believe you�ve properly met Miss Abbott,� he
said.

�Er no, not properly but I know I already owe her an
apology. I�m really sorry I hit you
like that. I wasn�t thinking
straight. I don�t normally punch first
years.�

�I accept your apology.�

�I hear you were trying to hide being related to
Severus. I used to do that.�

�I only found out when I came to school. My parents were murdered when I was a baby
and I was raised by Muggles.�

�Actually Draco I may as well tell you now that your father
is to be tried for the deaths of Maria�s parents. I was at the Ministry earlier.
He will be required to testify under Veritaserum.�

�Did he do it?�

�I believe so. There
was a Muggle witness to her mother�s death.
She was Obliviated but the memory has been retrieved and stored in a
Pensieve. It shows your father
admitting murdering her husband and then going on to kill her and the baby he
thought was her child.�

�So he tried to kill you?�

�He tried. My mother
was very pregnant when my father was killed but she managed to escape. Then when I was born she ended up in a
hospital. She was very ill and very
frightened and she swapped me with the baby of the woman in the next bed and
cast a spell so nobody noticed. I grew
up with the dead baby�s parents.�

�Why was he killing people when Voldemort was dormant? My Dad was a soldier. He shouldn�t have been killing people on the
side.�

�Draco, there�s no easy way to tell you this, but these
murders were family murders. Maria is
your Aunt. Her father was Claudius
Malfoy, your grandfather. Her mother
was Selene Martin, his third wife. They
were secretly married. We don�t know
what drove him to do the killings but I would say that all the things he did
for Voldemort over the years damaged him so that he lost his sense of right and
wrong. Any quarrel could have provoked
him.�

�You know, you look a lot like my Aunt Olivia.�

�Everyone says that.
I�m named after her as well. My
mother called me Claudia Olivia after my father and sister. My Mum and Dad called me Maria.�

�Will you keep calling yourself Maria?�

�I think so. I can�t
imagine changing it. I wasn�t supposed
to tell you I was a Malfoy.�

�You thought I�d hurt her, didn�t you?�

�I felt the need to protect her from you and your
father. What would you have done in my
place? Pleaser inr in mind that all
this emerged in the week when you�d had your goons hold her down for you to
assault and I was having to marry Hermione to protect her from you both.�

�I can�t really blame you I suppose. I swear I didn�t know what he was going to
do to Hermione. I thought I was just
having an arranged marriage. I didn�t
want to but you don�t say no to my father and he was offering a generous
settlement considering he didn�t really need my permission.�

�What would you have said if he�d asked you to kill Maria?�
asked Hermione. �How far did he have to
go before you�d stand up to him?�

�I can�t do this right now.
It�s too much. I�ll go,� he
said, making a move to stand. Hermione
caught hold of his wrist.

�Don�t go Draco.
We�ve told you now. We wouldn�t
have done it if we thought you were still a threat. I won�t forget I owe you for my baby�s life. Your father can�t tell you what to do
now. You have a free choice about what
kind of man you�re going to be.�

�Hermione�s right Draco.
Your father killed my first wife by torturing her into a miscarriage and
watching her bleed to death. He used
her blood to write on the walls of our home.
You saved Hermione and our baby today by instinct. Wou>Would you be sitting here wing ing over her
if your father was still at large? Your
father was planning to cut out her heart and eat it�.�

Severus halted his speech as Draco vomited on the floor in
front of him.

ia, ia, please fetch a glass of water for Draco�. Scourgify�

Maria trotted away to find a glass. Severus gave him a moment to recover before
asking, �Was that from the potion?�

�No, it was emotional.
He used to get so annoyed with me because I can�t stand the sight of
blood. He said it was a weakness and I
had a lot of growing up to do before I was fit to be presented to the Dark
Lord. He made me feel I wasn�t good
enough when all the time he killed his family who should have meant
everything. Did you know my Mum
actually talks now he�s away? She
doesn�t look so good. It�s almost like
her muscles in her face move too much.
I always thought she was calm and serene but I think he must have dosed
her for years.�

�Your mother may benefit from consulting a reputable Healer
Draco. Your mother�s family line has
certain weaknesses. I think Lucius
might not have intended to harm her but he was probably following his own
judgment in administering medication.
As it wears off she may become more erratic,� said Severus.

�Well I knew Aunt Bellatrix was not normal but I thought
that was Azkaban.�

�Azkaban took its toll certainly but she began to
deteriorate notice whe when she was sixteen or so. She was quite deranged by the time she was sentenced. If anything Voldemort had been keeping her
in check. Your grandfather on that side
was very eccentric and the family had a recognised pattern of rages and
uncontrollable emotions.�

�I�ve met some of the family portraits in Harry�s
house. We used to have to veil them and
tiptoe past.�

�Why does Potter have Black family portraits?�

�His Godfather was Sirius Black. Bellatrix killed him back in Fifth year and Harry inherited the
house and contents. I�m sure Harry
would be glad to get rid of some of them if only he could prise them off the
wall. They tend to be quite abusive
when I�m around.�

�I can guess. It
never seems to get to you though. I
gave it my best shot.�

�I remember the first time you said it. I was upset then. Hagrid and I had to explain to Harry what you�d meant and then
Hagrid said, �They haven�t invented a spell Hermione can�t do.� After that you
couldn�t wind me up with name calling.�

�My Father used to make my life hell for not out performing
you. I barely even came close.�

�Hermione�s in a class of her own. I firmly believe she�ll rank with the greats when she�s
done. You, Draco, are well above
average when you apply yourself. I
would recommend you give some thought to pursuing a career.�

�Now I won�t have my inheritance, you mean.�

�Partly, I have already said I will not see you destitute
but idleness is good for no Wizard.�

Maria handed the glass to Draco who swallowed some
gratefully. �My Mum always says, �The
devil makes work for idle hands,�� she said.

Draco looked at her puzzled.

�It�s a proverb,� supplied Hermione. �Muggles have taught their children that for
a long time, possibly centuries. It
means that if you don�t work hard at an honest occupation you will get bored
and will occupy yourself doing something dishonest instead.�

�I�d recommend you apply yourself to your NEWTs and then we
can see about your options. You potion
brewing is adequate enough to merit further exploration in that area. Filius has always spoken highly of your
practical work in charms. With those
strengths you might consider the medical field or even working for the Aurors.�

�I don�t know. I
can�t think beyond the trial.�

�The Headmaster has given me permission to escort you and
Maria to the trial. Mr and Mrs Abbott
and Hermione will also be there as representatives of people affected by his
offences. Can I ask you to stay with
Hermione and Maria for a little longer while I go and investigate the substance
that caused the accident in the lab? If
anyone needs to find me I�ll probably be doing my analysis in Professor
Graceworthy-Plank�s lab in the old stable block, if she will allow me to use
it. Hermione my love I will be back
later to take you home as soon as it is safe to unseal the dungeons.�

He stooped to kiss her gently on the lips and drew one hand
slowly down the length of her hair on the pillow before turning and sweeping
out.

It took Severus about half an hour to identify the substance
in Susan�s vial and declare the dungeon levels safe for habitation again. He lost no time in hurrying up to the
Infirmary.

�What was it Severus?� enquired Madam Pomfrey.

�It was an essential base for a termination potion. Quite lethal in that form if she�d drunk
it. I shall need to interview her about
where it came from because you need a license to handle it. I certainly don�t have anything like
it. If I were brewing that potion I
would use quantities of the herbs themselves.
From what I could see it seems that she uncorked it and took a
sniff. That alone is enough for a
substantial overdose. When she was
overcome she spilt some out of the container which landed on the cauldron flame
and burnt off producing the visible vapour which is less harmful. Miss Abbott was unlucky to be standing so
close. The boys are merely suffering
from ordinary smoke inhalation.�

�Are the pregnant girls likely to be affected now?� she
asked.

�No. The effects
would be instantaneous. They are quite
safe. If you want to keep an eye on
them just in view of the ordeal they�ve suffered it�s your choice. However I would like to take my wife home as
I�m more than capable of taking care of her myself.�

�I won�t stand in the way.
I know she�ll be better off with you.�

f !sf !supportEmptyParas]>

�Is Miss Bones up to being interviewed?�

�She�s awake. Are
you sure you�re going to be able to control yourself or should I fetch the
Headmaster?�

�I can control myself but I think Albus shares my concerns
about illicit substances being in the possession of the pupils.�

�Go ahead then but please be gentle. Follow me.�

Severus followed Madam Pomfrey to the curtained off end of
the still crowded room.

�Hold fire a moment,� she said. �I can get rid of this lot.�
She paused and announced, �Everyone who was involved in the lab incident
who is not confined to bed may go down to the Great Hall to eat and is free to
go back to their own Common Rooms and dormitories later. Off you go.
Madam Snape you may get dressed.
I am releasing you into the care of your husband as soon as he�s
finished.�

The dismissed members of the class needed no persuasion and
hurried off. Hermione pulled her
curtain round and began to dress herself.
Severus parted the curtains around Miss Bones� bed and stepped
inside. She was lying flat in the bed
looking very pale. He stepped up the
side of the bed in order to see her face more clearly. She moved her head to look at him and he sat
down heavily in the chair beside her.

�Miss Bones,� he said quietly. �I know that the incident in Potions today was caused by the
substance in the vial you uncorked.

�Blaise showed it to me.
He had told his father about those girls being pregnant and his father
got the potion from someone. Blaise was
supposed to water it down and give it to them.
I asked him to show it to me because I was thinking about whether or not
I wanted to �to ��

�To proceed with your pregnancy.�

�Yes. He got it out
but he didn�t want me to take the cork out but I did and as soon as I did it�.�

�It was a very dangerous substance. One drop from a pipette would have killed
you in seconds. Even inhaling a lungful
was an overdose. You are lucky to be
alive. I�m going to speak to Blaise but
the Aurors will have to be involved regarding Blaise�s father. I�ll leave you in peace.�

She closed her eyes and nodded. Severus got up and slipped out.
He made a beeline for Baise�s bed.
He stood at the end of it, arms folded high on his chest, staring Blaise
in the eye.

Blaise shrank visibly back into his pillows. Ron, Harry and the three other pregnant
seventh years from the class were watching intently as the tension mounted.

�She told you then,� muttered Blaise.

�She did indeed.
Just how stupid do you have to be to take a container of abortifacient
concentrate into a room with six pregnant women in it? I�ve examined that substance. Miss Bones is lucky to have survived. As it is both she and Miss Abbott have
miscarried. If it were not for Mr
Malfoy�s quick thinking my own wife would have suffered likewise, not to
mention the other ladies here. Is it
true that your father owled the potion to you?�

�Yes, I only took the potion into the lab because I wanted
you to check it out.es"> My father got it
from Diana�s father.�

�I might have known.
I�m going to leave your punishment to the Headmaster because I�m too
angry with you to be in any way fair. I
shall be making a report about your father and his source to the Ministry. Let me tell you now that if my wife had died
as a result of your actions I would have killed you where you lie. Hermione, are you ready to leave?�

Hermione pulled her curtain aside and stepped out. �I�m ready to go sir,� she said
quietly.

�Come along.�

He stalked out imperiously with Hermione trailing in his
wake.

Amber Bryan lying in the bed next to Ron spoke loudly enough
for the others to hear, �I�m so glad I
don�t have to go home with him every night.
I don�t know how she stands it.
Did you see that stuff in the Prophet?�

�Shut up!� spat Ron angrily. My father complained about that article and he�s on the
Wizengamot. It was crap from beginning
to end. �He�d die for her and their
child and I know for a fact she was a virgin when she married him. If someone had put my mother in that kind of
danger my dad would be just as scary.�

�Well I don�t know what happens in your house but my mother
never calls my father sir.�

�That, Miss Bryan, is the result of years of respect,� said
Madam Pomfrey icily. �That�s something
many young folk these days would do well to remember. Ron, Susan wants to see you.
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Marriage Vows