On Marriage

On Marriage, Chapter Ten - Planning

***************************

Hermione spent the better part of Saturday in Severus' sitting room and had to admit that it had not been entirely unpleasant. He had finally seemed to relax slightly and, after the remark about his knowing her middle name, so had she. She was very aware of the fact that she was a visitor in what would become her own apartment before too long, but knew it would take some time getting used to that particular thought.

She ended up leaving Severus' quarters with just enough time to make it to dinner.

"Where have you been, Hermione?" Harry demanded as she took her seat. "We looked all over for you."

"Oh," she said in an off-hand manner. "I was with Severus." There was a slight pause as her friends looked at one another.

"All day?" Ginny asked.

"Who?" Ron asked pointedly.

Hermione sighed. "Fine. I was with Professor Snape." That seemed to make everyone within earshot relax. "And yes, for several hours. Honestly," Hermione grumbled, reaching for her water goblet. "We are going to be married. You might want to get used to the idea."

"Are you used to the idea?" Ginny asked, sounding a bit surprised.

Hermione considered the question. "Not entirely, no. But it's not as though I can run away every time I see him and pretend it isn't going to happen because it is. I might as well make the best of the situation."

* * *

Several days later, at breakfast, an owl arrived with a rather thick parcel from Hermione's mother. The note attached said only that she hoped Hermione would find the package useful. At Ginny's insistence, and with quite a few onlookers, Hermione peeled off the outer wrapping of the package and then blushed.

"What is it?" Ron asked, nibbling on a strip of bacon as he tried to catch a glimpse of the contents of the package.

Ginny leaned over the table and began to giggle. "It's a wedding magazine."

"They have magazines for that?" Ron asked, appearing genuinely surprised.

"In the muggle world, yes," Hermione answered. She finished peeling away the paper wrapping to reveal a second magazine and a slim book on wedding etiquette. Ginny giggled again.

"Well," Hermione said, a bit surprised to see what she held in her hands. "I suppose Mum has gotten used to the idea of my getting married."

Hermione had tucked the etiquette book and magazines into her school bag and didn't think about them again until she got to the Potions classroom. The sight of Severus brought them to mind again, but she pushed away the idea of telling him what her mother had sent. Somehow, she didn't much expect him to care.

"Miss Granger, stay behind," he said an hour later as the remainder of the class spilled out into the hallway. Hermione nodded and ignored a quiet verbal jab from a nearby Slytherin as she put her things away.

"What, precisely, is the meaning of this?" Severus asked. He had gone to his desk and removed something from a desk drawer. Hermione couldn't tell what he was holding and took several steps towards him before she was able to make out a picture of a man in a tuxedo on the front of a glossy magazine. She bit her lip to stifle a laugh. Severus did not seem in the least bit amused.

"From my mum?" she asked, unnecessarily.

Severus looked at her suspiciously. "Yes, it is."

She nodded. "I thought it might be. I got two." She slipped the two, much thicker, magazines out of her bag and dropped them onto the desk beside her. Severus took one look at the white clad young women on the front and curled his entire face into a trademark sneer.

"I know," Hermione said quickly, before he could say something disparaging about her mother. "They're awful. I think it's my mother trying to come to terms with this. She thinks she's helping."

"All of...this...is necessary for a muggle wedding?" Severus asked, dropping what turned out to be a tuxedo catalog beside the wedding magazines.

Hermione nodded. "Most people think so, yes." She was a bit surprised when Severus picked up one of the magazines and began flipping through it.

"Most muggles think the success of their marriage depends on their choice of a china pattern?" he asked with disdain, pointing to what appeared to be a rather lengthy article on the importance of choosing everyday china.

Hermione grimaced. "I suppose some of them do."

He grunted, flipping a few more pages. "These women look like pastries."

Hermione laughed. "Yes."

Severus put the magazine down and regarded her seriously. Hermione shifted uncomfortably under his gaze.

"What is it?" she asked after a moment.

"Do you...want all of this?" he asked, waving a hand at a glossy picture of a smiling bride holding an insane amount of brightly colored flowers while standing in front of a tiered tower of sugar. Hermione was surprised to note that there was no evident sneer in the question, for as much as he seemed to dislike the idea himself.

"No," she answered honestly. He seemed to visibly relax. "At least not much of it."

Severus raised an eyebrow. "Explain."

"I've never really pictured myself attempting to become a fairie princess on my wedding day," she said, which earned her another raised eyebrow. "I rather hoped for a handfasting instead of a traditional muggle ceremony, and a small gathering of friends instead of inviting everyone I've ever known."

"That would be preferable," Severus murmured. Hermione continued as though he hadn't spoken.

"The frilly dress I can live without, though I would prefer to be married in white." She shrugged. "Call it a muggle hang-up if you will. I'd like for my parents to be present and for there to be flowers, though preferably something more natural looking than arrangements like that." She nodded at the picture Severus still held in his hand. "Other than that, it doesn't really matter to me."

Severus dropped the magazine and nodded. "All reasonable requests."

A thought occurred to Hermione and she felt her brow crinkle as she pondered the question. Severus seemed to notice that she had something to say and watched her expectantly.

"Who will perform the ceremony?" she asked. "I don't recall the Ministry paperwork designating anyone. Does that mean we can choose someone ourselves?"

"The Headmaster can perform the ceremony," Severus answered. "If you'd like, I can speak with him about it this evening."

Hermione smiled. That was better news than she'd been expecting. She certainly liked the idea of Dumbledore performing the handfasting rather than a random Ministry worker who didn't know either one of them.

"That would be wonderful, thank you."

Severus nodded slightly. Then he sighed and gave the wedding magazines a disdainful look. "Now, get those out of my sight," he said, waving his hand at them as though he hoped they would just disappear.

Hermione laughed and packed the magazines back into her bag. "I'll owl my mother and let her know of our plans. As far as I know, there are no handfasting magazines available where she shops."

The corner of Severus' mouth twitched upwards, but he only made a noncommittal noise and ushered Hermione out of the classroom.