The Laws of Love

Chapter 4

Friday after classes, Hermione returned to her rooms to find that all of her things had already been moved out. The only garment left in her closet was a pair of white satin dress robes. A small card pinned to the sleeve proclaimed it a gift from McGonagall, Hootch, and Flitwick, who were unable to attend at such short notice.

Suddenly, everything became real as it hit her that tonight she'd be having sex with Snape.

The fear that had been absent from her mind for so long, suddenly hit her full-force.

"Just breathe. Everything will be fine. He won't hurt you," she told herself firmly and headed to the bathroom to take a long hot bath.

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In the dungeons, Professor Snape was surveying his rooms a final time. The House-Elves had moved Hermione's things down during lunch, and had meticulously cleaned the entire suite from top to bottom.

He hadn't realized how dirty it had been, and was suddenly thankful that Hermione hadn't had to see it in that state.

He entered the bedroom, and stared at the newly made bed, feeling a bit of trepidation. It had been years since he'd been with a woman. Hermione had been raped and had never been with anyone else since then.

A brightly colored package on the bedside table caught his eyes.

Upon closer inspection he found that it was a wedding gift from Albus.

Snape carefully scanned it for jinxes with his wand before opening it. You just never knew with Dumbledore.

He hesitantly removed the soft cloth from the box and saw that it was a nightshirt.

He was angry and embarrassed at the choice of gift, but grudgingly admitted that it would be much better to wear the brand new cream-colored nightshirt than one of his old worn gray ones on his wedding night.

Severus walked into the bathroom, and grimaced at his scars and disfigurations in the mirror. How could he possibly expect her to find pleasure in his arms while staring at his horrid face?

Perhaps he could convince her that they should keep the lights off for the ordeal.

Even with all the odds stacked against him, he was determined to do the best he could for her. The potion he'd made for her would just about guarantee pregnancy, so he'd never have to inflict himself on her again. But a tiny part of him hoped that she might enjoy it enough to want to do it again. To want him.

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Hermione was trembling by the time Harry and Ron came to escort her to the Headmaster's Office, where the ceremony would take place. It was late and the students would be in their dormitories, so there was little chance they'd be seen.

Professor Dumbledore would announce their marriage to the students Saturday at dinner. By then, their marriage would be legal and consummated. And hopefully the potion Snape made for her would have worked and she'd be pregnant. It wasn't that Hermione was anxious to be a mother; she was just worried that Malfoy would find some loophole and be able to marry her anyway. But if she were married and already pregnant before Malfoy even found out then there'd be nothing that he could do about it.

Hermione's dark cloak effectively concealed the beautiful white robes, so that even on the off chance that a student did see her, they would have no idea what she was up to.

The Headmaster's Office had been tastefully decorated in white and pink fabrics with ribbons and carnations to match. Severus was already there and looked a bit out of place in his black velvet dress robes. His hair looked slightly damp, as if it had just been washed, and was effectively covering the left side of his face so that no scars were visible.

Albus Dumbledore beamed at her from behind a pulpit that had been conjured for the occasion. She smiled shyly back at him, and went to stand beside Snape, who firmly grasped her hand.

Harry and Ron stood behind the bride and groom as witnesses. There were no others attending. Hermione had been afraid of what Fred and George might try to pull, and so had insisted that Harry and Ron be the only two there.

The ceremony was short and simple, and didn't even include a kiss. At the conclusion, Hermione pulled out her contract from Snape and signed her name. The contract disappeared with a flash a second later. Then Albus, Hermione, Severus, Ron and Harry each took a turn signing the marriage license.

"I'll see this to the Ministry myself. Congratulations Mr. and Mrs. Snape, I look forward to celebrating tomorrow evening," Albus said, and then ushered them all out of his office.

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After saying goodnight to Harry and Ron, Hermione allowed her new husband to escort her to his, er their chambers.

Walking through the door Hermione was pleasantly surprised to find that the rooms had been thoroughly cleaned from top to bottom. Her books had been added to his bookshelves, and several of her pictures and decorations were distributed throughout.

"You can move things around if you want. I just let the house-elves put things were they wanted," he said, looking slightly apprehensive.

"No, this is good. Almost feels like home already," she said, giving him a shy smile.

He looked relieved and then led her into the bedroom.

Hermione took her time looking around and familiarizing herself with everything. At the same time she was cursing herself for putting off the inevitable.

She glared at her trembling hands as she pulled a nightgown out of the dresser drawer.

"I'm going to change out of these robes," she said, hoping her voice didn't sound as anxious as she felt.

He nodded, and she quickly went into the bathroom.

As soon as the door shut, Severus walked over and removed his new nightshirt from the dresser. He hastily undressed and pulled on the nightshirt, scowling at his reflection in the mirror.

He smoothed his hair down over he left side of his face, and then waved his wand to distinguish all of the light in the room.

The bathroom door opened, and he turned to see Hermione silhouetted.

"Severus?" she asked, slightly frightened as her eyes darted around the dark room.

"It's alright, Hermione," he whispered stepping forward and grabbing her hand.

He turned out the bathroom lights, plunging them into complete darkness.

"Severus, I don't like this. I can't see you," she whispered.

"Trust me, its better this way," he said before kissing her.

Hermione tried her best to enjoy the kiss, but her heart was beginning to race, and it had nothing to do with arousal.

Suddenly she stiffened and pulled away from him.

"I can't do this, I need to see you," she said, fighting panic.

Severus suddenly felt like a fool. Of course she'd need to see him! Faceless men had raped her, and in the dark like this it would be almost as bad.

He quickly re-lit most of the candles, and she gave an audible sigh of relief.

"I'm sorry, Hermione. I didn't think... I thought it would be better if you couldn't see my face..." he mumbled, staring at the floor.

"Please don't ever think that. These scars are a testament to how far you would go to protect me. How could I possibly not want to see them?" she asked, moving his hair back away from his face, and gently running a finger down his scarred cheek.

He caught her hand in his.

"Do you really mean that?" he asked, hoarsely.

Her answer was to pull his head down and kiss him. She kissed him like she'd never kissed anyone, as if she was trying to put her heart and soul into it.

His insecurity touched her, and for a moment she actually felt grateful for the damn law that had forced them together. Hermione knew that she wasn't in love with him, but felt that with time, she very well could be. And what better way to repay him for saving her, than by giving him her heart.

For the first time in six years, Severus Snape forgot his scars. He paid no mind to the fact that his hair was no longer keeping his hideous face from her view. He simply received her kiss, allowing a part of himself to heal.

He slipped his arms around her waist, and pulled her against him, tilting his head to deepen the kiss.

The sweet feelings of affection slowly ebbed away, and the ugly fear that had held her captive for the past six years clamped down upon her again.

Hermione stiffened, she couldn't help it. She felt trapped wrapped so tightly in his arms and jerked away.

She fell to her knees and looked up at him with tears in her eyes.

"I'm sorry. I want to do this, I just... can't," she whispered, then buried her face in her hands and sobbed.

Severus sighed and sat down next to her, not sure what he should do.

He tentatively placed a hand on her back, and when she didn't pull away began rubbing small circles.

Gradually, her sobs quieted and she began leaning into his touch. He smirked and added his other hand, increasing pressure.

Soon, Hermione was letting out soft moans as he kneaded the tense muscles in her back and neck.

When he was confident that she was relaxed enough to think clearly again, he stopped and got to his feet.

He could see some of the fear return to her eyes when he held out a hand to help her up.

"Come on, Hermione, I want to show you something," he said, and she reluctantly placed her hand in his.

He led her into the closet on the far wall, and Hermione watched in surprise as he pushed back some robes to reveal a door.

He gestured for her to open it.

Curiosity got the best of her, and she reached for the knob.

It opened easily, and she was a little disappointed to see nothing but a shoe rack filled with their shoes.

He smirked at the look she gave him.

"Shut it, and give me your left hand," he commanded.

Severus touched his wand to the palm of her hand and muttered an incantation that she couldn't quite hear.

Her palm glowed green for a few seconds, and then the light faded away.

"Now open it," he said.

She reached for the doorknob again with her right hand, but he stopped her.

"No, use the left hand."

Again she looked at him like she thought he'd lost his mind, but she did as instructed.

The door opened and she gasped in surprise at the room that now lay behind it.

It was obviously his private lab.

A long table was lined with ten cauldrons of different sizes. There were cabinets filled with ingredients, some of which were very rare. And on the very back wall, there were shelves and shelves of bound parchments, containing notes on every experiment that Professor Snape had ever done.

"Wow," she breathed, impressed.

"I thought you'd like it," he smirked, but then scowled at her.

"I've now given you access to my private labs, don't make me regret it. No one but you is allowed in here, and you will ask before using any of the ingredients, understood?"

"Yes, Sir," she said, unable to hide her pleased smile.

He nodded, and then waved his wand at the wall.

A list of ingredients and the instructions for a potion appeared in his handwriting.

"You have thirty minutes, begin," he commanded, then sat on a stool and watched her.

Hermione had to bite her lip to keep from laughing, but she found her disciplined self automatically obeying. It was almost like she was a student again.

She walked over to the cabinets and reached for the first item on the ingredient list. Her hand was about to close over the bottle of armadillo bile, but she suddenly froze and turned her head to look at him.

"Professor may I?" she asked.

He nodded, looking pleased.

Hermione soon lost herself in the methodical slicing and brewing. She made the courage potion expertly, and it was bottled and handed to Severus long before her time was up.

He made a big deal about inspecting it, by sniffing it, and holding it up to the light.

"Well, there is only one way to know for sure that it was done correctly," he said finally, handing the potion back to her.

Without hesitation, she swallowed the whole thing.

"Well?" he asked after a moment of silence.

They were both surprised when Hermione suddenly flung herself into his arms. She grabbed his hands, and put them on her waist titling her head so that their mouths would meet.

Severus carefully tightened his grip on her, and was pleased when she pressed closer to him.

The potion had pushed aside her fear.

Nearly grinning in triumph, he scooped her up into his arms and carried her back into the bedroom.

Hermione felt incredible. For six years she had been plagued by fear; had suffered as it ate away at her. How had she managed? She felt like she could do anything, and was amused to realize that she wanted to have sex with Severus.

He laid her on the bed, and she pulled him down on top of her, kissing him and relishing her newfound freedom.

He broke the kiss and smirked down at her.

"If I didn't know better, I'd say you were under the influence of a lust potion," he commented, wryly.

"A lust potion isn't necessary," she whispered to him.

He gulped audibly as her eyes dilated and her hands began roaming south.

"For the first time in six years, I'm not afraid. Make love to me, Severus." She commanded, huskily.

"Yes Ma'am," he responded.

The slowly undressed each other, kissing naked flesh as it was reveled.

Severus had scars all over his torso, and Hermione took special care to kiss each one.

It didn't take long before they had kissed and caressed each other to a frenzy, and Severus rolled them so that she was on top.

He nearly lost control when she took him in her hand to position him beneath her.

Hermione was beginning to feel a little of the fear return at the size of him, but she resolutely pushed it aside and began lowering herself onto him.

There was no pain, only a slightly uncomfortable fullness as her body adjusted to him, but even that didn't last long. Unfortunately, Severus didn't either.

She'd barely begun to ride him before her was gasping her name and arching his back.

When he stilled, she rolled off of him and tried to control her breathing.

"You know, I always thought there was more to it than that," she commented, slightly annoyed.

He snorted.

"Sorry, dearest," he said sarcastically.

Severus turned his head to look at her, and she realized that his normally sallow complexion was slightly tinged in pink. He was embarrassed!

"Give me a minute to catch my breath, and I'll show you more," he promised, catching a curly strand of her hair and wrapping it around his finger.

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Rachel Collins read the parchment for a second time in disbelief. Charlie Weasley? Could it really be him? Did he even remember her? She hadn't even thought he knew her name.

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In her third year at Hogwarts she was the victim of a vicious practical joke. She was a Ravenclaw who took great pride in her grades and spent most of her time studying in the library.

There was a fourth year Slytherin boy named Gerald Drake who spent almost as much time in the library as she did.

One day, instead of sitting at his normal table in the back corner, he walked over to her and introduced himself.

From that day on they spent all of their library time together. He helped her with Potion essays and she helped him with Transfiguration ones. Rachel had never met a boy who was as passionate about his studies as she was, and quickly found herself falling for him.

Unfortunately, Gerald completely ignored her outside of the library. He had a group of Slytherin friends who liked to bully other house members, especially third years.

One day he called her a 'boring bookworm' in the Great Hall, causing his friends to laugh at her with malice. Her heart broke at his cruel words, and she stayed away from the library for several days, not wanting to see him.

When she finally did return, on a Hogsmeade Saturday so that she might be alone, he was there.

He came right over to her, and started asking her questions about Transfiguration as if nothing had happened.

She confronted him and, to her utter humiliation, started crying.

Gerald turned sweet then, pulling her into a hug to comfort her. He explained that things were bad in Slytherin House and that his time with her in the library was the one good thing that he looked forward to everyday.

He kissed her then, and Rachel melted.

Later it occurred to her that he had never apologized for what he'd said.

They went back to their regular routine after that. Rachel always made sure she avoided him outside of the library though.

At the final Quidditch match of the year, Rachel was persuaded by her dorm mates to cheer on the Gryffindor team against Slytherin. Part of her felt guilty for not supporting Slytherin since that was the house her sort of boyfriend was in, but since he didn't acknowledge her in public, she wouldn't him either.

It was the first Quidditch game she'd ever attended at Hogwarts, as she'd spent the previous ones in the library. Also, she was terrified of heights, and the thought of flying a broom was enough to make her sick. However, she couldn't help but gaze, mesmerized at Charlie Weasley as he showed off on the pitch.

The game didn't last long, and as the Gryffindors began to celebrate their victory, Gerald came over to her.

She was shocked that he was actually allowing himself to be seen with her.

"Let's take a walk," he said, dark eyes gleaming, as he took her hand.

Rachel was so excited that she willingly went with him away from the stands.

It was after they were out of earshot of the crowd that she realized he was holding a broom.

"Why do you have a broom?" she asked, feeling the first flicker of fear deep in her stomach.

He knew she was terrified of heights.

Gerald gave her a wicked grin, and before she realized what was going on, she found herself clinging to his back to keep from falling off of the broom that was wildly flying toward the Forbidden Forest.

She cried out and he told her to shut up if she didn't want to get hurt.

He flew in close to a particularly tall tree, and pushed her off of the broom toward it.

She screamed and grabbed frantically at the branches. It took a few minutes to get a good enough grip so that she wouldn't fall.

Gerald watched her struggling with a vacant look in his eyes.

"Why?" she gasped at him, trying not to look down.

"You should never have agreed to walk with me." He said, almost sadly.

Then he was gone and she was alone at the top of a tree in the middle of the forest.

Rachel screamed until she was hoarse, and then cried silently.

She was so terrified and heartbroken, that she was actually contemplating letting go when she saw Him.

His bright red hair gleamed in the setting sun as he zoomed toward her.

The expression on his face was a mixture of rage and fear.

Charlie flew right up to the tree, and pulled her into his arms.

She wrapped her arms and legs around his torso and buried her face in his chest.

He held her tightly against him with one arm while the other directed the broomstick.

"I know that you're afraid of heights, but I can't land in the middle of the forest. Just keep your face turned away and I'll go slow, alright?"

His voice was soothing and melodic and she nodded with her face still pressed against his chest.

It took longer to get back, but Rachel felt safe wrapped securely around him and was so emotionally exhausted that she fell asleep.

When she awoke he was laying her down in a bed in the infirmary while talking heatedly to Professors Flitwick, McGonagall, and Snape.

"I went back because I left my sweater at the pitch and I heard the group of them laughing about it," he said, angrily.

Madam Pomfrey shooed the Professors away and began examining her.

"You've had quite a day, poor dear. This potion will help you sleep well," she said and practically poured the concoction down her throat.

Charlie Weasley graduated a few weeks later and she'd never seen or heard from him again.

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Rachel shook her head and stared at the letter again. She couldn't believe that Charlie had remembered her, much less wanted to marry her. He must have heard about her other contract.

Still, the prospect of marrying him instead of Vincent Crabbe was very appealing.

She smiled slightly as she reached for her quill and quickly signed the contract which immediately vanished.

Her knight in shining armor was coming to her rescue again.

A few minutes later she received an owl from Charlie. He wanted her to join him for dinner at The Leaky Cauldron Saturday night to discuss things.

She turned with a smug smile to floo her brother. She'd told him that everything would work out okay.

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Hermione awoke disoriented the next morning and had to lay still to allow her mind to catch up with her. She was married now, Mrs. Hermione Snape. She turned to look at her husband who was sleeping with his back to her.

She slipped out of bed as quietly as possible and pulled on her nightgown that had been hastily thrown to the floor the night before. She walked slowly to the bathroom, each step reminding her of what had happened with a slightly painful twinge in her abdomen.

When she left the bathroom, Severus was no longer in bed. She walked out to the sitting room and saw that a table piled with breakfast food had been set up for them.

He was seated at the table reading the Daily Prophet while sipping on coffee.

"Good morning," she said with a bright smile.

He jumped and spilled hot coffee on his arm.

"Shit!"

Severus glared at her and quickly cleaned up the mess with a simple flick of his wand.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to startle you," she apologized as she sat down across from him.

He looked like he was about to yell, but then thought better of it and shook his head at her.

"Forget it," he muttered and straightened out his paper.

Hermione picked at the food in front of her, unnerved by the silence in the room.

"So, do you think it worked?" she asked, breaking the silence.

He jumped again, slightly, at the sound of her voice and looked up at her in annoyance.

"What?" he asked.

"The potion. Do you think I'm pregnant?"

"It should have, although we can't be certain until seventy-two hours have passed," he said and turned back to his paper.

Silence descended again.

"So, if I'm not pregnant by Monday night, we'll try again?" she asked.

"I guess we'll have to, won't we," he answered, not looking up from the paper this time.

More silence.

"Severus?"

"What now?" he demanded in exasperation.

"Did I... I mean, was it okay?" she asked.

"Was what okay?"

"I mean, last night... Did I do something wrong?"

"No, why would you think that?" he questioned, bewildered.

"Well, you seem to be upset with me about something," she pointed out.

He groaned and held up the paper to block her from his view.

"Please tell me what I did to upset you," she persisted stubbornly.

"The only thing upsetting me is your bloody yammering while I'm trying to read the paper," he growled.

Hermione huffed and slammed her fist on the table.

"What is wrong with you this morning?" she demanded, angrily.

Severus stood up and threw the paper across the room.

"Why are you persisting with this idiotic line of questioning? There is nothing about me now that has changed since yesterday. This," he gestured to the scattered paper in the floor and then back at himself, "is just how I am!"

She stood up too.

"You were different last night. You weren't like this," she spat.

He gave her an evil grin.

"That was last night. We were pretending, remember?"

Hermione's head jerked back like he'd slapped her. Her hand covered her mouth, and she let out a sob.

"Stop it!" he yelled, "You knew what I was like before you agreed to marry me, and I won't have you sniveling every time I say something you don't like."

She took several deep breaths and was finally able to get herself under control.

He was looking at her with an angry scowl on his face, but his eyes looked anxious and perhaps a little scared.

"You're right," she admitted ruefully, "I'd just hoped that after last night you had changed.

Severus walked around the table and grabbed her upper arms, pulling her close to him.

"Let's get something straight right now. I am the way that I am, and no one, not even you, will ever change me!"

Hermione pulled away and he let her go.

Spinning on her heel she headed for the bedroom door.

"Where are you going?" he asked, suspiciously.

He began to worry that maybe he'd gone to far.

"To take a bath and to forget that last night ever happened!" she yelled and slammed the door shut behind her.

He smirked and turned to go to his desk. Anger was much better than tears. And with that thought, he began what promised to be several hours of grading papers.

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Harry had wondered how long it would take before he received a contract for himself. As the hero who vanquished the Dark Lord, he knew it would only be a matter of time before the contracts started rolling in. It had surprised him that he hadn't had one yet, not that he minded.

He didn't want to get married. Any witch who submitted a contract would do so solely for his status and money. That was no way to find a spouse. His better half; the woman he'd spend the rest of his life with.

He sighed and looked at the newly delivered Ministry envelope that was sinking lower into his bowl of oatmeal.

Ron shook his head at him and grabbed the envelope before it disappeared completely.

"C'mon mate, you knew you'd get one soon," he said, wiping the oatmeal off of it with a napkin.

Harry scowled at him and reached for the envelope, then hesitated.

"You open it," he said, refilling his glass with water.

Ron rolled his eye and tore it open.

Harry watched his friend's face carefully looking for some kind of clue.

Ron's one eye widened in shock and his jaw dropped.

"You're not gonna believe this," he said passing the letter to Harry.

Marriage Contract in ordinance with the Marriage Law

Contractor: Patrick Alan Walsh on behalf of Melanie Anne Walsh

Contracted: Harry James Potter

End Chapter 4