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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-Nine Conversation

About half way back to the dungeons Severus realised that
Hermione was lagging behind him. He
halted, turned and waited for her to draw level with him. When she did he embraced her in the middle
of the corridor. He pld a d a kiss on her
neck and whispered in her ear.

�I�m sorry my love.
I�m being thoughtless.�

�I�m just as anxious to get back home as you are but I�m
really dozy.�

�Hold my arm and I�ll allow you to set the pace.�

They continued in this way, disregarding the glances of the
children they encountered on the way.
When they finally reached their chambers Severus ushered her into a
chair and sent to the kitchens for some food.
It arrived very promptly and the two of them sat at the table to eat.

They served themselves and ate in silence for a moment until
Severus broke it.

�Do realise that when you were in the Infirmary you
addressed me as �sir�?�

�No, did I really?
When?�

�When I asked if you were ready to go. Just after I spoke to that foolish boy.�

�I heard you speak to Blaise. I gather he took that stuff into the lab. Are you angry with me?�

�No I am not angry but I must ask you to desist from
addressing me as such in the future.�

�Il>�I have offended you haven�t I?�

�It reminds me that you should be my pupil and not as you
are now.�

�And what am I now?
Would you rather I was still your pupil?�

�Don�t fly off the handle. You are my wife. I will not relinquish you but the fact
remains that a teacher cannot install a child in his bed without some injury to
his conscience.�

�I called you sir because I was half asleep and surrounded
by my schoolmates and you were in full teacher persona. I�m sorry I jarred your conscience but I�m
not a child anymore. I�ve been of age for over a year now. I chose to share your bed and I haven�t
regretted a moment of it. It�s like
you�re belittling me when you keep going on about my age. It�s like it�s more important than anything
else.�

She finished her statement with tears gathering in her eyes.

�I don�t want to dwell on this Hermione. When you�re older you�ll understand what I�m
trying to explain to you. Please don�t
start crying.�

Hermione did her best to rub away the tears before they
fell.

�I can�t help it. I
spent the whole afternoon wishing you were with me and now we�re like this.�

�I�m sorry. I�m not
used to holding my tongue. I don�t mean
to belittle you. That�s the last thing
I want you to think. My concern is that
in leading you into our relationship I have brought about a change in you� Not
a negative change but the very process of changing you is showing disrespect to
the person you would have been had you not been compelled to become my
wife. I have such guilt about your
youth and how your life has had to change.
I do love you. Ignore me! I�m tired and stressed. We�ve both had a very traumatic day.�

�I thought you had had a productive day.�

�When I returned to the Ministry this afternoon to deliver
the Pensieve evidence I was shown some of the latest items recovered from
Malfoy Manor. I was shown Olivia�s
notes.�

�Notes?�

�Her research notes.
The ones that were taken when she died.
Just as she left them except for Lucius� bloody fingerprints all over
them.�

�Is he going to be questioned about her death?�

�I think so. I am
told that he will be briefly questioned under Veritaserum about the
murders. As far as we are concerned he
is going to be compelled to confess.
That means life in Azkaban plus disinheritance for Patricide. After that the court will be closed and he
will be required to give evidence related to his political machinations. Depending on the outcome of that the
Wizengamot will rule on corruption charges for people who have taken bribes.�

�That�s going to stir up a real hornet�s nest.�

�I know. Hopefully
it will result in the reconsideration of many Wizengamot rulings during Fudge�s
term of office and up to the present day.
Try to finish your food Hermione.
I�m going to have to fill Albus in about the potion Mr Zabini senior
smuggled into Hogwarts. I can�t have
illicit substances around the school.
If Blaise had handed it round in Charms every pregnant Seventh year
could have aborted. It will take Miss
Bones a long time to begin to recover from what happened today. I haven�t even been able to bring myself to
look in on Miss Abbott. Who fathered
her child?�

�Samuel Shacklock.
He and she are engaged. He was
still in Hogsmeade during that weekend and Hannah was allowed to have him visit
before he went abroad. They plan to wed
in July if restrictions are dropped.�

�Isn�t he with Gringotts?�

�He�s training as a curse breaker in South America. I don�t think Hannah had even told him about
the baby.�

�Poor child. It�s
odd. So many losses during the war and
yet these few affect us so deeply. It�s
like when we lost the Longbottoms. We
rejoiced that the losses were at an end and then they weren�t.�

�Did you know them well?�

�I remembered Alice from school. Frank was older. We
weren�t friends but I did enable them to escape Voldemort on two
occasions. I remember Neville as a
newborn. He was extremely red and he had the tiniest fingernails I�ve ever
seen. I had to hold him when we were
arranging a re-location. Frank was away
and the women were attending Alice. She
was barely able to walk after her labour.
I still found it hard to be around babies, even Draco at that time. Too much of a reminder of my own loss. Then we discovered he�d taken out the
Prewetts on impulse instead. I swear
Moody would have killed me that night if not for Albus.�

�It is over Severus my love. That brothel keeper is an evil all to himself. Hopefully the additional evidence will make
it easier to keep those girls away from him and close down his operation
entirely.�

�I�m going to find Albus.
I want you to take it easy. You
are in good health but stress of this kind is not good for you. I�ll try not to be too long and we can have
an early night.�

�I am out of danger?�

�Yes, did Poppy not tell you?�

�No.�

�The substance in the vial was a mixture of essential oils
from abortifacient plants. It�s
extremely toxic and the briefest contact with it would have induced a
miscarriage in seconds. That tiny vial
used correctly could have ended three thousand pregnancies at least. I am surprised Miss Bones survived such an
overdose. If the spilt liquid hadn�t
burnt off into smoke with the cauldron heat even the boys would have been
haemorrhaging.�

�I�ve been lucky, thanks to Draco.�

�You have indeed.�

�I�ll never be able to repay him for that.�

�You may have an opportunity. The life debt creates a bond.
It�s a magic in itself. I had it
with the Potters and with you, although technically those debts are
repaid. I owe it to Molly Weasley and
to Albus. What Draco needs most at this
time is friendship and kinship and we can offer him that.�

�I will follow your judgement in that. I will not oppose anything you wish to do
for him.�

�I appreciate the trust you place in me. I will endeavour to live up to it.�

Later that night the two lay in a relaxed embrace in their
bed, both unable to find rest.

�Hermione?�

�Yes?�

�Have you thought any more about what we should do next
academic year?�

�No.�

�Some Wizengamot officials were meeting with Albus
earlier. I was asked if I would
consider devoting some time to training Aurors.�

�In potions?�

�Some potions but the main thrust of my work would be
teaching Occlumency and Legilimency to recruits with a measure of
aptitude. It would be a relatively
light teaching load in comparison to my current one. That would mean I would have more time for research and for you
and the child.�

�What did you say?�

�I told them I would consider the matter and discuss it with
you. I was going to wait until tomorrow but I think we�ve gone past being tired
now. What do you think?�

�I don�t know. It would
be nice to have a less hectic lifestyle but there�s so much going on here
especially with the babies and things.�

�I was drawn into a discussion on that matter also. I have offered the use of our estate outside
Hogsmeade as a lying in hospital and married quarters for the pregnant
students. Childbirth is a complex
business in our world and it makes sense to house the girls together so they
can be attended properly according to tradition.�

�I don�t know anything about childbirth for witches.�

�I suppose you wouldn�t.
Tradition demands that the mother is attended by nine witches in the
birthing chamber. Usually they will be
friends and relations. Three brew
potions for the health of mother and child.
Three maintain shields and wards around the labouring mother to protect
her and the child from negative magical energies and the remaining three assist
the mother in her labours. Those last
three remain with the mother for a month after the birth to help her to care
for the child and to nurse her to full strength. At the end of the month the wife presents the child to her
husband and asks him to name it. She
then resumes married life and in theory shares the care of the child with the
husband.�

�So you choose the name?�

�Yes, as a public demonstration that I accept the child as
my own blood. You have already accepted
the child by choosing to bear it and nourish it from your own body up to that
point. Centuries ago it was a legal
ceremony and any child not accepted by the father was deemed illegitimate. These days a child born to bonded or
contracted parents cannot be written off in that way but the ceremony
persists.�

�What about the girls without husbands?�

�They seek a senior member of their own line to accept them
and the child.�

�And will they?�

�Usually yes. There
is so much infertility in many of our families that any potentially magical
child is eagerly fostered. Look at the
way Molly and Arthur embraced you and Potter and that was with seven living
children of their own. Some girls may
have to seek shelter with a more distant branch of the family if the parents do
not approve of the father of the child or if as with Miss Borgin she was to be
sold into contract as a virgin.�

�Is Albus going to help her?�

�Yes. Her pregnancy
is to be concealed until she is able to elope.
Her family will disown her afterwards.�

�And Ollivander will find another girl to abuse.�

�To be fair to him, I don�t think that would be his
intention. His marriage to his first
wife was long and happy but sadly childless.
She was caught by a stray hex cast by a Death Eater last year and died
soon afterwards. He wants a bright girl
who is capable of learning his trade and bearing a healthy son. He is not forcing the grandparents to hand
her over.�

�Maybe not. This
marriage without consent business is evil.�

�It�s a glitch in our law certainly.yes"> I doubt if we�re on speaking terms with nine eligible witches
between us. If I don�t enable you to
keep the custom it would be seen as a bad reflection on my regard for you and
for the potential heir you are carrying.
Albus has offered us a three year sabbatical to oversee the house and
for me to work for the Aurors. If we
wanted to return to Hogwarts afterwards we might do so.�

�Why three years?�

�Loretta, Diana and Athena are going to miss most of Fifth
Year what with withdrawal and pregnancy.
If we are seeking to remove them from their families we have to have
some alternative available.�

�Let�s do it.�

�Seriously?�

�I can�t see any reason why not. It gives you a chance to try something new that you might prefer
to your current position. In the
meantime I can go through having the baby in the proper way and keep in contact
with other people from my year. If we
don�t adapt we haven�t made an irrevocable decision. You might find that you really miss breaking up courting couples
for example. You won�t be able to do
that in married quarters.�

�You may well mock Madam, but look what happened when my
beautiful wife distracted me from my duties for one evening.�

�I feel guilty about that.
Not about distracting you but about creating the magic that caused all
these babies.�

�We could not have predicted that. It must be related to all the wards around the place. There is precedent for the newly bound
couple to conceive but nowhere is it recorded that guests were affected. Giving over the house for the duration
seemed like a practical way of assisting.�

�You�ll be leaving your Slytherins.�

clasclass=MsoNormal>

�That is inevitable.
There is a reason why Heads of House are always unmarried. You are never off duty while the children
are in residence and it leaves precious little . I was appointed in an effort to ensurose ose who were connected
to Voldemort would continue to educate their children here. Now that he is gone and I am married with a
family on the horizon I do not wish to be on call in this fashion. Louis Martin has no affiliation to any house
and he has agreed to take over this one should the need arise. Sinastra too was not educated here and would
also be eligible to stand in.�

�Who is teaching tomorrow?�

�I will. I�d like
you to rest up a bit. Perhaps you might
spend some time with your friends.
We�ve got the trial to face now and you may find that distressing. I will be playing a part in the proceedings
because of the Pensieve business and I will need you to look after Mrs Abbott,
Maria and Draco for me.�

�I will and after that I�m going tofullfull steam ahead for
my NEWTs.�

�I wouldn�t dream of getting in your way Madam.�

�After NEWTs we may as well look into adapting the house for
its new use. We could have our Christmas
there.�

�Hermione, you have earned my indulgence in all
matters. We will assess the House Elf
situation and prepare the houseparty.
You may kiss me if you feel inclined.�

Hermione happily obliged.

A/N

The next chapter will be the one featuring the trial. That and a short Epilogue should be posted
during the next twenty-four hours depending on how active the b is. is.

Thanks to my reviewers, Innogen, azulkan2, megcoulson,
redsugg, ancientgirl and GEmory.

Spaz141- I�m sorry if I shocked you with the accident in the
lab. I have a fairly ambivalent
attitude towards Blaise myself. Most of
his stupidity comes from following his father�s example and he didn�t intend to
cause any harm. If you recall one of
the properties of the drug being used by the girls is that it affects those
they are in contact with, hence their current isolation. Like Draco and Ron he needs to learn to
consider his actions.

Christy- I�d be interested to hear what you think about my
resolution for Draco when you read it in the next chapter.
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Marriage Vows