On Marriage

Title: On Marriage, Chapter Eight - After Class

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The first Potions class of the term did not go well. Between the early loss of house points and the air of disapproval that seemed to pervade the dungeon classroom, tensions ran high. This tension led to a general lack of attentiveness, which led to careless mistakes, which led to Severus losing his temper, which led to an even greater loss of house points. By the end of the hour, Severus stood at the front of the classroom, glowering at the seventh year students as though they were a group of insolent first years. Sitting beside Hermione, Neville was ghastly pale and looked as though he was about to begin trembling. Even Draco had retreated behind the relative safety of his textbook, not meeting his House Head's dark glare. Gryffindor had lost an additional fifty house points, and Severus had even docked points from Slytherin when Goyle made the mistake of snickering at the wrong moment. The room was deathly quiet as the last seconds of the hour ticked away.

"Get out," Severus commanded. The room broke into a flurry of activity as everyone scrambled to pack up their books and quills and flee the classroom before any more points could be deducted. Hermione waved off the entourage of Gryffindor boys that seemed to be waiting for her and slowly put her things back into her school bag.

Severus, who hadn't seemed to notice that she was lagging behind her classmates, sat down at his desk and rubbed at his temples, eyes closed. He groaned softly when the door closed behind the last Slytherin.

Hermione sat quietly for a moment before clearing her throat. Severus' eyes flew open and Hermione noticed an instant of surprise in them before the familiar scowl reappeared. She wondered whether it was directed at her or himself.

"You requested that I remain after class," she reminded him.

Severus looked as though he was about to snap at her, but bit back whatever comment he had planned to make. Instead he reached into a pocket of his robes and held out a scroll. Hermione recognized the Ministry seal after having seen so much of it since her engagement. With a sigh of her own, she crossed to the desk at the front of the classroom and took the scroll from Severus. It was a reminder from the Ministry that they had until the end of the year to take their marriage vows and submit the appropriate paperwork. The Deputy of the Marriage Registry was requesting a signed letter of intent, one which posted a wedding date.

"I suppose they think we're dawdling since we haven't filed proof of the marriage yet," she said bitterly.

"More than likely." Severus had returned to massaging his temples. "I recommend choosing a date that falls in the Christmas holiday."

Hermione blinked. "I have a choice?"

Severus kept his hands on his temples, but opened his eyes to look at her. His expression was unreadable. "Yes, Miss Granger, you have a choice." The statement was curt, but did not hold quite the venom that Hermione had expected. "You can choose an earlier date if you wish, but I would think that choosing a date during the early part of the holiday would cause the least amount of disruption for both of us."

Hermione nodded. The statement was logical. Choosing a date that fell in the early part of the holiday would allow both of them to concentrate on their respective classes during term, and give them some time to adjust to each other before having to return to classes. The realization that she would be married by Christmas struck Hermione as odd, but she tried to shake away the thought as quickly as it occurred to her.

"The first Saturday of the holiday?" she suggested. "I'd like for some of my friends to be there," she added.

Severus acknowledged both the suggestion and statement with a slight nod of his own. He reclaimed the Ministry scroll, jotted down the date and signed beneath it. Hermione signed beside his name and, once again, the scroll disappeared with a soft 'pop'.

As Hermione returned Severus' quill to it's holder, he leaned back in his seat and crossed his arms over his chest. She straightened up and looked wearily at him. Neither his stance nor his facial expression boded well.

"Now maybe you'd care to tell me what I interrupted in the corridor?" he asked, his silky voice offering no room for argument.

Hermione felt her jaw clench and she forced herself to take a deep breath. Her nerves were still raw from the previous evening and she knew that, with as raw as his own nerves seemed to be, Severus would not hesitate to take even more points from Gryffindor if she lost her temper.

"You interrupted a charming little piece of fiction by Malfoy," she replied tersely.

Severus arched an eyebrow. "Go on."

Hermione felt herself pink somewhat as she spoke, though she was unable to say if it was embarrassment at having to relate Draco's stories or her growing anger over the whole situation. Both, more than likely.

"At the point you stepped in, Malfoy was musing on the physical aspect of our relationship."

Severus' eyebrow rose slightly higher and was accompanied by a snort. It was enough to push Hermione's anger over the edge. She felt her face flush as she fought the torrent of words that wanted to escape from her lips. Had she been younger, she might have stamped her foot.

"You might find this amusing, but I certainly don't," she said emphatically. "Malfoy's stories have been getting wilder and wilder as they've been passed around. This morning at breakfast I found out that we're expecting twins! Imagine my surprise. Merlin only knows what they'll be saying by dinner." She crossed her arms over her chest and frowned.

"I would have expected Hermione Granger, Head Girl to be able to stand up better under the weight of a little gossip." Severus' tone was clearly mocking, and not at all in a friendly manner.

Hermione's jaw almost dropped. "A little gossip?" she spluttered. "You didn't bother to go to the hospital wing last night. With the way Madame Pomfrey reacted, you might as well have put up a flashing sign in the great hall that said we were having sex!"

Severus pushed himself from his chair, his face darkening. "Twenty points from Gryffindor. May I remind you, Miss Granger, that you are speaking to a professor."

Hermione made a noise of frustration and disgust. "And, at the risk of losing Gryffindor even more points, may I remind you, Professor, that am speaking to my fiancé?" Her eyes flashed, daring him to respond poorly.

Severus recrossed his arms over his chest and gave her a dark look. Neither blinked.

"Do you have any idea what she put me through?" Hermione demanded, her voice sounding almost calm although her emotions were still roiling.

"I understand that it might have given you a moments discomfort."

Hermione released a frustrated sigh. "That and more public speculation into our relationship than I doubt either one of us was really looking forward to having." She paused for a moment before deciding to go ahead and ask the question she'd been wondering. "Why didn't you come? It would have taken just a moment and spared us both a lot of embarrassment."

"Because I neither need nor desire a sexual education speech from a school mediwitch. I am quite aware of how the various parts fit together and how such a pairing can result in a child. As I am also the person Poppy Pomfrey comes to when she needs contraceptives for students, I would think that proves that I am quite capable of brewing what I need for myself when necessary."

They exchanged dark looks again.

"It was humiliating," Hermione said after a moment, even though she realized it was a lame argument.

Severus snorted again. "As was discovering that most of my coworkers have labeled me a 'lecherous old man'."

Hermione blinked. It hadn't occurred to her that Severus might be faced with his own version of the same problem.

"I would have thought that Dumbledore would have explained..."she began. He cut her off with a dismissive wave of his hand.

"There is quite a lot that you neither know nor understand about me, Miss Granger. Do not presume to."

Hermione was stung by the comment.

Severus returned his attention to his desk, shuffling through a short stack of paperwork. "You may go, Miss Granger. I imagine Potter and Weasley are beginning to worry." He had not looked back up.

"Yes, sir," Hermione murmured, still feeling somewhat off-balance. She returned to her workbench to reclaim her bag and moved towards the door. With one hand on the latch, she paused and looked back at Severus, who now appeared to be completely immersed in his work.

"Professor - Severus?"

He looked up, an eyebrow arched at her use of his given name. "Yes?"

"Do you have time to meet with me this weekend? We can both get rid of some presumptions."

His expression was unreadable again. "Saturday afternoon."

Hermione nodded and slipped out of the classroom.