On Marriage

On Marriage, Chapter Seven - First Day of Class

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Hermione stalked down the corridor to the Head Girl's rooms, her jaw set and her eyes narrowed in annoyance. Her countenance was not much improved even when she saw Ginny waiting for her.

"Hermione, are you all right?" Ginny asked, concern in her eyes.

"I'll be fine," Hermione answered shortly. She glanced down the hallway. "Where are Harry and Ron?"

Ginny smiled knowingly. "I ran into Mandy Brocklehurst on the way here and she told me what happened. I sent Harry and Ron away. Told them we'd be discussing girl things and they couldn't get away fast enough."

Hermione almost smiled, and ushered Ginny into her new rooms. She hadn't even seen them yet herself.

"Was it terrible?" Ginny asked, looking around what appeared to be the sitting room they had stepped into. Hermione's bedroom sat through an open archway on the far side of the room, Crookshanks asleep in an orange lump on the bed. Hermione stalked through the archway and looked around.

"You'd think that sometime over the last thousand years of magical innovations, someone might have come up with a less intrusive, less humiliating way to determine if a woman is pregnant or not," she groused as she pulled off her outer robes and tossed them across her bed. She followed, falling across the bed and sighing. Ginny stifled a giggle, which earned her a glare from Hermione.

"Did Professor Snape teach you how to do that?" she snickered, narrowly dodging the pillow that Hermione aimed at her head.

* * *

The following morning, Hermione found that she was actually somewhat nervous about going to class. She was well aware of the fact that gossip traveled like wild-fire through the corridors of Hogwarts and expected that, by breakfast, everyone would have heard what had happened in the infirmary the previous evening.

A flash of irritation at Madame Pomfrey caused Hermione to yank her hairbrush through her hair with more force than was strictly necessary. Taming the knots and tangles into submission had something of a calming effect on Hermione, but her stomach was still feeling a little wobbly when she headed towards the Great Hall.

It wasn't until she was caught up in a throng of first year Ravenclaws headed in to breakfast that she was able to admit to herself that she was feeling nervous about the prospect of seeing Severus. She would be sitting in his classroom in a matter of hours and couldn't help but wonder if it would feel different than any other day.

A surreptitious glance towards the head table showed that Severus had skipped breakfast. It wasn't unusual, but Hermione felt a tiny bit disappointed. As unlikely as it would be for him to offer her any reassurance, his absence only reinforced her slightly unsteady feeling.

Hermione had walked halfway down the length of the Gryffindor table when she became aware of the whispers that followed her. For just a moment she wondered if she was overacting. She stopped dead in her tracks and turned to face the Hufflepuff table, where several small knots of students hurriedly turned their attention back to their breakfasts. Hermione sighed and slipped into an empty seat between Ginny and Neville, her back to the rest of the hall, quite ready to abandon breakfast all together.

"We heard what happened," Harry said, giving Hermione an apologetic look.

"That hardly surprises me," Hermione replied, reaching for a slice of toast and buttering it mercilessly. Ginny gave her a reassuring smile.

"That stupid git Malfoy's been telling anyone who'll listen," Ron growled around a mouthful of toast. "Story gets more outrageous every time he tells it. I heard a third year Gryffindor telling someone that you were having twins."

Hermione nearly choked on a bite of toast. Ginny put a goblet of pumpkin juice in Hermione's hand and patted her back until she inhaled deeply, her natural coloring returning slowly.

"So it is true then?" Neville asked, the color draining from his face. "You are going to marry Professor Snape?"

Hermione nodded. "Yes, but that's probably the only bit of truth to whatever story Malfoy's spreading around."

The arrival of the owl post cut off most conversation as the sound of wings filled the air. Students disappeared behind the pages of the Daily Prophet and a few scattered squeals announced the arrival of early care packages. Hermione unrolled her copy of the Daily Prophet after paying the owl that had delivered it and was skimming the front page when she felt a nibble on her finger. She peered over the top of the newspaper and saw a school owl waiting expectantly on her plate with a small scroll tied to it's leg. After relinquishing a sliver of toast she found herself owl-free, an unmarked letter in her hand.

Ginny raised an eyebrow in question. Hermione shrugged and unrolled the scroll, recognizing the severe handwriting immediately.

Miss Granger,

Please arrange to remain after class this afternoon. We have things to discuss.

SS

Ignoring Ginny's raised eyebrow, Hermione excused herself from the table under the pretense of returning to her rooms for her school bag.

* * *

Double Herbology with the Hufflepuffs was almost excruciating. Professor Sprout was cheery as always and, for some reason, that morning it grated on Hermione's nerves. When Hannah Abbott asked three consecutive questions that Hermione knew had been covered in their fifth year lessons, she gritted her teeth and counted the minutes until the end of class.

"What's wrong with you today?" Ron whispered when he noticed Hermione tapping the edge of her work bench impatiently. "I thought you liked Herbology."

"Nothing. I'm fine," she hissed back, returning her attention to her work as Professor Sprout began to look for the source of the whispering. Ron gave Hermione a look that said he hadn't believed her, but he didn't ask again.

Walking the corridors between Herbology and Potions, Hermione was unable to tell if several of her classmates were staying much closer to her than usual, or if it was just her imagination. Seamus and Lavender meandered between classes hand-in-hand, lost in a quiet conversation, but Hermione found herself sandwiched between not only Harry and Ron but Dean and Neville as well.

"Look at those two," Dean said, shaking his head at Seamus and Lavender. "They've hardly spoken to anyone else since they've gotten married. Probably the only two people who are truly happy about that foolish law."

"Sorry about that, mate," Ron said, clapping Dean on the shoulder. "He'll come round again once the novelty wears off."

They had just reached the dungeon classroom when Hermione became certain that the Gryffindor boys had stayed so close for a reason. Draco Malfoy leaned casually against the wall of the corridor, surrounded by Crabbe and Goyle as usual. Hermione saw Ron's jaw set and felt Neville stiffen as though he expected a nasty confrontation.

"How sweet," Draco drawled, pushing himself away from the wall with his goons so that they blocked the corridor. "The mudblood bride has a whole entourage of followers. You know it won't do you any good to follow her around, she's already taken. And she's already been taken from what I hear," he added with a derisive chortle.

Hermione's cheeks burned. Ron growled and started to step forward, but Harry held him back. Crabbe and Goyle laughed and crossed their arms over their thick chests, effectively taking up even more space in the corridor.

"Move aside and let us get to class, Malfoy," Hermione said, carefully controlling the anger in her voice.

Draco snorted and gave a knowing glance to the ruffians beside him. "It must be true then. She didn't deny it."

Harry's hand on Ron's arm aborted a second attempted leap forward, but was unable to stop Neville from pulling out his wand and leveling it between Draco's eyes. Everyone froze.

"Take it back," Neville commanded.

Draco's eyes widened in momentary surprise then, he put up his hands in surrender and smirked at Hermione. She had just enough time to wonder what he was up to before someone behind her cleared their throat. Severus.

"What seems to be the problem?" he asked smoothly. Hermione noted that Crabbe and Goyle were grinning stupidly as the Gryffindors turned around as a group. Neville had gone completely white. Hermione fought the urge to cringe when Severus' eyes rested on her, but he quickly shifted his gaze to Draco. "Ten points from Gryffindor for failing to answer my question. Malfoy."

"I don't know what happened, sir," Draco replied in his most innocent tones. "We congratulated Hermione on her engagement and were attacked. By the way, congratulations, sir. I hope you're very happy together."

Severus crossed his arms over his chest and snorted. Hermione did cringe at that.

"Forty points from Gryffindor for the display and, Longbottom, report for detention this evening."

Neville nodded dumbly. Severus glared at the students still blocking the entrance to the classroom.

"Class begins in thirty seconds. Unless you would like to lose ten points apiece, I would highly recommend taking your seats."

Hermione was almost positive that Draco took as much time getting into the classroom as was possible without it being painfully obvious, but everyone managed to get into the classroom and seated without further loss of house points.