10

Chapter Ten: Vivace

DAILY PROHET SPECIAL REPORT Friday January 17, 1993

It has come to the attention of this paper that a family once thought destroyed by He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named is in fact alive and well. Miss Hermione Granger; friend to Harry Potter - the Boy Who Lived - is, in fact, Hermione Penwrath, the last magical heir to the Penwrath House.

The only magical heirs of the House both died mysteriously during You-Know- Who's rise to power over two decades ago. Since that time, little has been heard from the surviving members. The number of distant relations steadily decreased during the Dark Lord's terrorism of the 1960's and 70's. The common belief was that the head of the Household, Marrius Penwrath, had angered You-Know-Who, and the demise of the family was in retribution.

Lady Penwrath, the formal title descending from the Penwrath status as a founding sub-House of Hogwarts, along with the Potters, McGonagalls, and others, came forward this week and revealed her true heritage at long last. Once thought to be a gifted muggle-born, this young witch has dominated the top of her class all six years at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Her scores on the OWLS taken last year were among the highest ever seen. Speculation abounds that her success may be due to the extra tutelage provided to heirs from the old pureblood houses. The steward for the Penwrath House, Soren Wales, refused to comment. Mr. Wales has been in charge of the day-to-day running of the House since Marrius Penwrath's death in 1979.

The resurfacing of the line became public knowledge Sunday with the wedding of Ms. Penwrath to Severus Snape, Potions Master at Hogwarts. And yes, he was and is her potions professor. Prof. Snape is also the sole heir to his House and has long vowed to never marry. His parents had resigned themselves to being the end of one of the oldest pureblood lines but now are concerned about their son's reputation more than the saving of their bloodline. His father, Autolysis Snape, voiced his concern about the need to keep professionalism high in an interview yesterday in his rose garden.

One can only wonder what political events have motivated this match. Over 20 years her senior, the professor is widely considered a dour and unfriendly figure. Some go as far as to say he is untrustworthy and 'dark'. This negative image is compounded by his trial in late 1980 for suspicion of being a Deatheater. He was staunchly defended by his lifelong mentor, Albus Dumbledore, Headmaster of Hogwarts, and was released. However, the cloud of suspension has never quite left him.

The hint of Dark Arts surrounding the young girl should come as little surprise. The Penwraths were active supporters of Grindelwald, and the late Marrius Penwrath was feared by many. At one time, the House was considered Britain's most powerful Dark Family, a dubious title that they were only too happy to have.

This reporter can not begin to express her concern over this turn of events. Lady Penwrath is often seen with young Harry Potter, and has been intimately involved with many of his adventures. Rumor claims that she never saw fit to tell Mr. Potter the truth of her background before the night of the wedding. Mr. Potter did not take the news well, and publicly fought with his one-time friend soon afterward. It would seem that the young man had been truly enamored of the false muggle-born witch, and thus was once more wounded by the fame-seeking woman. If the reader will remember, the girl in question broke Mr. Potter's heart two years ago, by carrying on a public affair with a rival of the Boy -Who-Lived in the Triwizard Tournament held at the school.

Could the newly married Ms. Penwrath be planning on leading the young Mr. Potter into her web of questionable interests and pursuits? Her family history and new husband would make that a distinct possibility. The question should be asked by all - is this a friendship worthy of the young hero?

Albus Dumbledore has expressed his backing for the marriage of his teacher and top student. He played down the rumors of Dark Activity surrounding the couple, and expressed his belief that Harry Potter will be more than safe in association with the Snapes. The Headmaster seemed unconcerned that his least popular professor had bonded a 6th year student.

Both the Snapes and the Penwraths belong to an elite group of old Pureblood Houses that follow antiquated customs from the time of Salazar Slytherin. It just so happens that the professor is also the head of Slytherin house at Hogwarts, and has publicly backed the 'old ways' for many years. In the customs outlined by Salazar Slytherin, arranged marriages could take place when both parties were any age, so long as an adult guardian gave consent. Ms. Penwrath is above the age of consent, according to ministry records that mysteriously were just found this week, but only by a few months.

Perhaps it is in deference to these ancient and outdated customs that the elderly Dumbledore refrains from interfering in the bonding. But one must remember the man officiated the wedding himself, and has said nothing to indicate he disapproves of the match, despite the age difference and the student/teacher relationship.

The Ministry of Magic's office of Marriage and Bonding claims that it is a legal and binding marriage contract. Wizarding law is hopelessly littered with antiquated laws derived from Salazar Slytherin's ideology. The MOM pointed out that bonding is one example of this. It is perfectly legal for a 36 year old man to marry a 16 year old girl, his student, and to continue teaching her.

However legal the bonding/marriage is, it is obviously based on questionable moral grounding. What possible motivation could the young heir have in choosing to bind herself to the likes of Severus Snape? This reporter will be keeping a close eye on the situation...

Rita Skeeter, Special Report

Snape looked down at the paper in his hand. He had walked into the Great Hall for breakfast to find complete silence and stares. Hermione was seated next to Harry, and looking very pale. The boy was clenching his fists and glaring at what appeared to be a newspaper. Snape felt his stomach sink. The news of his marriage must have finally hit the papers, he thought, as he felt the eyes of everyone shift between himself and his wife.

He walked to his seat, and Remus Lupin wordlessly handed him the morning's Prophet. Severus took a deep breath and looked. His worst fears were confirmed in print.

He glared out at the room and went to get a cup of coffee. It was what they had expected, after all. The plan to make The Dark Lord believe Potter had the potential to turn Dark hinged on such public speculation. This did little to better the mood of either party, however. Hermione and Severus spent the rest of the day and weekend in seclusion to avoid the whispers and open accusations. Harry simply ignored all of it, and spent hours on his broom.

Overview of Public Happenings Jan. 19-Feb. 8

The following weeks saw Severus engaging in odd behavior. He was being nice to the Boy-Who-Lived. Even more oddly, so was one Draco Malfoy. As per instructions, both were attempting to befriend the young man, in order to show him the 'power of the dark side.' Albus Dumbledore seemed to be oblivious to the weird happenings, but if you looked closely, his eyes were twinkling far more brightly than normal.

At first, the only outward sign of Snape's compliance with the Dark Lord's order to tempt Potter with the forbidden was a sharp decrease in the points taken from Gryffindor in sixth year potions. Then the number of detentions decreased. The most telling indication came in late January. Snape found the Golden Trio out past curfew trying to get into the Restricted Section, and ignored them. Ron blamed it on having Hermione with them, until he got caught with her sneaking out of the kitchens a few days later. They ended up down twenty points and with detention. After that, the redhead figured it out. Snape was sucking up to Harry. The only problem was, he couldn't figure out why the greasy git would do it.

Harry and Hermione didn't feel it necessary to clue their friend in. Everything, from getting caught in the restricted section to the failed kitchen raid, was planned. Severus and Hermione had spent hours figuring out a likely scenario and time schedule for Harry's Dark Arts lessons, with a concentration in defense of course. They had to make it believable. After all, Gryffindor's Golden boy wouldn't start practicing illegal magic overnight, and the defense training had to be carefully hidden.

Harry did a masterful job of slowly becoming socially withdrawn, the first sign of a wizard going Dark. He snapped at Prof. Lupin, and refused an offer of tea, saying he had homework. He gradually decreased his visits to Hagrid. He kept up Quidditch, but made sure his flying was more aggressive than before. He made a show of avoiding the slower Hufflepuffs, and even went so far as to sneer at one of them when they got caught in Devil's Snare in Herbology. The final component to the carefully orchestrated plot came when Harry publicly insulted Dumbledore for allowing students with less than full magical abilities into the school. Severus could tell it broke Harry and Hermione's hearts to see Neville so upset and dejected.

Weasley did not take the changes well. He raved at his friends and called them turncoats. Severus almost ended the charade out of concern for Hermione's mental state when the boy slammed his fist on the table during dinner in mid-February and publicly announced that he wanted nothing to do with the other two anymore. He looked them in the eye and accused them of having an unhealthy interest in the Restricted Section. Of course, they had been venturing into that area almost every other night under the invisibility cloak, until Snape had given his wife and Potter a full pass. The teachers were shocked at the accusation, but the rest of the school was not. Rumors that Hermione had pulled Harry Potter into the Dark Arts had been floating around since the bonding. By the time of the fight, it was no surprise to any of the students that Ron had had enough. In fact, many of the students were relieved, and thought Weasley 'saved' from corruption.

Ginny watched in astonishment as Harry and Hermione stood from the table and walked out of the Great Hall. They didn't even try to defend themselves, like they had after the Skeeter article in January. She turned to her brother and hugged him, as he lost his nerve and the tears fell. Malfoy smirked and went to the owlery. His father had been most interested in the progress Severus was making on tempting Potter. He would be ecstatic to learn of this development.

Subsequently, the dinner party Severus was preparing Hermione for was pushed back to April, in hopes that by then she would prove malleable to the Dark Lords intents where the Potter boy was concerned. A Dark Revel was planned afterwards, as a reward for the Snapes' efforts, of course.

After the public breakup - for real this time - of the Trio, Snape felt it was safe to start the DADA training he had promised his young student. Harry proved to have a great wealth of prior knowledge. When questioned, he confessed that Lupin had been giving him extra lessons since the beginning of the year, and that the time spent in the Restricted Section creating the cover had not been wasted. Hermione sat in on the sessions, and proved herself just as capable as her friend.

During the time all this was happening, in full view of the school, the new couple was also learning to get along in private.

Private Life

WEEK TWO: Jan. 19-25

Severus pulled out the slightly burnt parchment The Dark Lord had given him, and began work on the potion now that the ingredients were prepared. Hermione looked over his shoulder.

"Are you sure that says to add the powered asphodel? Wouldn't crushed work better? It would take longer to dilute, giving the counter agent time to mix."

Snape shook his head. "If I use the crushed asphodel, I would have to compensate for the difference in measurements. One extra flake could throw everything off."

"Alright, you're the potions master." Hermione grinned and stepped to the side and watched him work. The private lab he experimented in was nothing like the classroom. The potions room was always crammed with students, bags, ingredients, and general disorder. Severus tried hard to keep things neat but the students never even considered such a thing. The floors were always littered with objects and the shelves never held what they should.

The room in which they were experimenting was quite different. The jars lining the walls held more dangerous materials, and were clearly labeled and arranged in color-coded, alphabetized, and carefully considered subject categories. The shelves were also only a single jar deep instead of three or four. Another significant difference was in the kind of jar - the containers in the lab were all too dark to see the ingredients, in order to protect them from light. The ones in the potions classroom were always clear, so that students could see what they were reaching for.

The floor of Severus' private lab was immaculate, not a dust particle in sight. Every corner was meticulously organized, not a single leaf was misplaced.

Unlike the rest of Severus' private living quarters, no books were kept in the lab. The fumes could damage them, and Snape was VERY careful to protect his many rare and one-of-a-kind manuscripts and tomes.

In fact, the whole lab was sealed airtight with special charmed vents, to insure that if an accident happened and the room filled with poisonous gas, the school would be safe. The magic on the vents was charmed well away from the actual lab, however, high up in the stone ceiling.

Snape did not allow any magic in the lab at all, unless it was directly related to brewing the potion. Any unnecessary magic could filter into the potion and alter its potency or effect. Normally that would not matter, but with delicate experimentation, such a small change could make the difference between a failure and a breakthrough.

Hermione was reminded of her own passion for arithmancy as she watched him work. She had helped to prepare the ingredients, meticulously chopping, shredding, grading, and powdering to the specific instructions of her husband. But what he was now doing was beyond her. Every few moments he would bark out an order for this much of that and twice that of this. His eyes never left the cauldron and his hands moved with a grace that seemed unearthly.

Hermione was enraptured at the sight of the man. Every ounce of his being was concentrated in the moment. Every action, every thought, every move was calculated and revolved solely around the boiling liquid in front of him. His eyes shimmered in the firelight, and the heat seemed to simply not exist for him. The fumes wafted off the cauldron, but Severus never took note, except to record the color, density, smell and other such properties in his research journal. As for the discomfort Hermione felt in the rapidly repressing heat and vapors, it was not even acknowledged by the master.

The work continued for hours. Severus never stopped and never slowed. Hermione realized with a start that the look in his eyes as he added the last ingredient was the same as the look he gave her right before he shouted her name in the heat of passion.

The look didn't even falter when he pronounced the experiment a failure, bottled a sample for further investigation, and set out his notes for the next trail.

The man found just as much pleasure in brewing a failed potion as in having sex. Hermione would have thought that odd, but she knew she was the same way with a particularly difficult arithmancy equation.

As they left the workroom Snape smiled. What a pair we make, he thought to himself. Both so hopelessly in love with research. He smiled to himself as he guided his wife to their bed. He was too exhausted to do anything but sleep, and Hermione was just as weary. His elation at the sheer wonder of experimentation granted him dreams as lovely as any he had ever had. Heaven for Severus was an eternity of time to try mixing this with that, and an endless quantity of supplies. The only difference between this version and ones he had envisioned previously was the addition of a shadowy assistant who remained silent and carefully handed him what he needed with all due care and efficiency. He barely caught the sent of heather as the figure moved to hand him another vial of eel juice.

WEEK THREE: Jan. 26 - Feb. 1

Severus' Dark Mark flared to life at near midnight. It was only Wednesday but the week had been particularly trying. Longbottom melted two cauldrons in one lesson. The potion he was working on for the Dark Lord was progressing, as much as he wished it wasn't. Despite the potential for misuse, or perhaps because of it, he reveled in the sheer adrenaline rush reconstructing the original Salazar Slytherin recipe brought.

He had not expected to be summoned so soon. Normally at least a month passed between trips to the Dark Lord. It had only been three weeks. And he was busy. He didn't really want to go right now. He cursed his fate and looked to his wife. He had just worked up the nerve to give her what she wanted, and now he had to leave before the good part.

He untied Hermione and apologized for the interruption as he threw on a set of robes and ran for the apparation barriers. For her part, the girl sulked but helped him find his mask. Snape was for once glad of the pain the Mark gave off when one neglected to immediately answer a summons. He needed it or there was no way his attention could ever have been distracted from his wife. He cursed his 'master' as he ran.

He arrived at the feet of said master seconds after reaching the Dark Forest. For the second time in a row it was just Wormtail and the Dark Lord who greeted him.

They appeared to be in a deserted room at Riddle mansion. Snape shivered slightly when Nagini slithered past his feet.

"Severus, how is married life suiting you?"

Snape kept his head pointed to the floor. "Fine, Lord. Ms. Penwrath has proven a valuable asset, and a pleasant entertainment." He tried to keep the bitterness out of his voice. He was NOT happy about the interruption to said entertainment, but this was Voldemort. Any hint of such a thing and the Dark Wizard would not refrain from punishment.

Voldemort gave his eerie laugh. "I see you were occupied this evening with your 'pleasant entertainment', Severus. You missed a few buttons. I shall have to remember you are now subject to a differing time schedule. I can no longer call you at any hour and expect a prompt appearance." The tone had started out teasing but ended with a warning.

Severus shivered once more but hid it well. "If I was late in arriving, I do apologize, Lord. I came immediately, but I could not apparate from my apartments."

"It was a joke my young friend. I know you have to leave school grounds first. And I don't mind my servants taking the time to dress. I would not be pleased to see Crabbe naked." Snape and Voldemort both cringed at the thought before the Dark Lord resumed the conversation. "How is my potion coming?"

"I have started working on the carrier solution for the active ingredients. I believe it will take another week to perfect the base. After that, I will start my calculations for the active magical components." Snape hoped that was satisfactory. He had only really spent three nights working on it. He didn't have time for any more experimentation, although he half wanted to drop everything to do so. But if he found the solution too quickly Voldemort could gain an upper hand in the war.

"I am not in a hurry, my Severus. But do remember that haste is appreciated." The man smiled and dismissed Severus after questioning him on the progress he had made in 'turning' Potter and any intelligence Snape could offer on Dumbledore's plans. As Snape reached the doorway he changed his mind. "Severus? Just a little incentive, my friend. Crucio."

After the pain subsided, Snape crawled out of the house and into a clearing. He apparated to Hogwart's gates and barely managed not to splinch himself. He was surprised to find Hermione waiting for him.

"Come on, Severus. Let me get you inside. Drink this." She pushed a bottle of his own Cruciatus after-effects pain potion into his hands. The potion was not very effective, but it helped. Potter met them at the main doors and helped Hermione carry/drag him to bed. For once Snape thanked the damn scar, since the boy was able to give a full recounting to Dumbledore and Severus could slip into unconsciousness without the usual twinkle filled interrogation.

WEEK FOUR: Feb. 2-8

Hermione entered her husband's private lab. They were supposed to work on Project VP, as Snape called it, Voldemort's Potion. Hermione thought the name lacked originality. Snape said he didn't care.

As soon as she walked through the air barrier her nose revolted on its owner. "Good god, what is that horrible smell?"

Snape looked up and sneered at her while she held her robes up over her nose. He seemed unaffected by the smell, as usual. For a man with a huge nose, he seemed to have the unique ability to turn it off. "I'm brewing Lupin's potion. Would you like to assist me?"

Snape noticed that Hermione was looking pale and slightly green. "I think I'm going to be sick."

Severus shook his head at her theatrics. "It isn't that bad. Here, chop the...DOBBY!" He rethought the theatrics as Hermione covered her mouth and ran towards the sink. She didn't make it in time. The small house-elf popped into the room. "Clean that up." Dobby didn't seem at all disturbed by mopping up vomit without magic, and got right to work. Snape turned to his wife next. "And you go to bed. If I didn't know better, I'd swear Albus' charm didn't work and you're pregnant." He meant the words as a joke but Hermione paled even further.

"Don't even...joke about it. I don't feel well..." She managed to make it to the sink this time, barely.

"Hold on and I'll help you to bed. It doesn't smell that bad." Snape moved to help her out of the lab before she could contaminate a good four hours work.

"Get away, Severus. You smell just like it does." Hermione backed away from him and almost fell. Snape could tell she was dizzy.

"Now, don't be difficult. You can barely stand - you need help getting to bed."

"You won't say I'm difficult if I get sick on your robes instead of the floor this time. Go finish that...that...nerve gas in the guise of a potion, then take a shower." She gripped the wall and slowly moved to the exit.

"Yes, dear." Snape purposefully sneered at her. The woman was infuriating.

"Stop it! I hate being called dear." Hermione clutched her stomach and leaned against the door jam.

"Alright, child. Go before you pass out." Snape took pity on her as she slipped out into the hall. He could not understand what had made her have that reaction..

WEEK FIVE: Feb. 9-15

"Hermione, we don't have time for this!" Severus had woken up to find himself chained to the bed. His wife was hovering over him, licking his chest. As much as he would like to explore this little...whatever it was, he had class starting in an hour.

The only response to his protest was a giggle.

"Hermione, I have to get to class. Untie me. NOW!" The girl only giggled more and tickled him. " Hermione, this isn't funny.."

"..." Silence greeted him as she slipped out of her nightgown.

"I think you have a rather unusual PMS cycle. Instead of getting moody, you get randy." Severus was willing to risk her anger so long as he got out of this. Chaining her up was one thing; HE did NOT appreciate the turnaround.

Once more he was met with a giggle. He never did like that sound.

"Hermione, I really must get to the classroom...Oh Merlin. That tongue should be considered a Dark Weapon...the mouth too..." Hermione had turned her attention to his very disobediently hard cock. He decided he didn't mind the chains so much...

WEEK SIX: Feb. 16- 22

"What is this?" Hermione walked out of the bathroom in a towel. She was holding a dark green bottle she had found sitting where her normal shampoo had been the day before.

"It is a conditioning potion for that mop that you call hair. Really, child, you should have done something with it long before." Severus didn't look up from the DADA journal he was reading.

"You're one to talk." Hermione glared at him as she uncorked the bottle and sniffed it. It smelled like heather, of course.

"My hair can not be confused with a bundle of wire." Snape still refused to look up.

"No, Severus, it just looks like you strung beads of crude oil together and hung them from your head." Hermione yanked the journal out of his hands. "And while you're fixing that mass of grease, do something about the teeth."

"I told you Potter hexed me." Severus grumbled and tried to grab his reading material back. "And the fumes do this to my hair no matter what. It will be fine after I wash it. I was letting you shower first today for a change." Snape managed to grab the journal after distracting Hermione by yanking her towel off.

"I know, but can't we do something about keeping it from getting like this? I mean, it FEELS heavenly, but from a distance..." She ignored her nakedness and picked up the conditioner and headed back towards the shower.

"And why do you care what it looks like from a distance?" Severus asked as watched her walk away. He could have sworn she added more hip movement when she felt his gaze. He stood up and followed her. He stripped and stepped into the shower with her.

She gave a grin and intertwined her fingers in the black strands. "Well, when you put it that way..."

WEEK SEVEN: Feb. 23- March 1

"You call these lessons a brush up!" Hermione stared at the stack of extra homework Severus had given her in preparation for the dinner at the Malfoy estate. The lessons had started out simple and reasonable but this...

"And you call your reading light. I do not see a difference." Snape pointed to the stack of books she had been reading over on her own.

"Severus, my reading is nothing compared to this. I will not have to know how to hold a Japanese tea ceremony!" She pointed at the third item down on the six-foot list of required readings.

"You never know what Narcissa will do at these things. She is rather insane." Severus ignored the Potter voice that was telling him he was having too much fun with this and should give her the real list.

"I thought Lucius kept her under Imperious for gatherings of this sort?" Snape had informed Hermione of what to expect at the dinner including the fact that his friend cursed his wife into submission for such events.

"True, hence her insanity." Snape smirked.

"You're teasing me." Hermione glared.

"Of course." Snape grabbed her towards him and kissed her hard.

"I hate you." She mumbled as they broke apart.

"Good, now I want a three foot essay on the proper order for table service by tomorrow in addition to the essay on bowing." He pointed to items five and six.

"But I have the extra DADA lessons with Harry tonight and you assigned a three foot essay in potions as well!" Hermione used her least often employed tone, complete with puppy eyes.

"Don't whine child, it makes you look like...that was uncalled for." A large pillow had impacted with his head. Snape regretted teaching her the basics of wandless summoning last week.

WEEK EIGHT: March 2-8

"I'm brewing Lupin's potion again tonight. I suggest you and Harry take an evening and relax." Snape informed his wife as he headed out of their sitting room in his work robes.

"And do what?" Hermione glanced up from her rather longer than necessary history of magic essay.

"Go to Hogsmeade. I know you've got a hidden passage somewhere. It's the only way to explain how butterbeer seems to find its way into Gryffindor tower constantly." Snape sneered as he gathered his notes. He had made a few alterations last month and wanted to change a few more things. He was tired of listening to Lupin complain about the taste.

"Not lately." Hermione glanced down at her quill. It had been a month since Ron had accused her of trying to turn Harry Dark in the Great Hall. The boys were now talking again, and Harry had explained why he was missing so much, and that it was all an act to make Voldemort trust Snape. He even explained that if Voldemort thought that he was getting interested in the Dark Arts, he might be left alone. Everyone would be safer if Voldemort wasn't interested in killing the Boy-Who-Lived.

Hermione had objected to telling Ron, but Harry missed his best friend. So they had explained things. But that hadn't helped Ron come to grips with Hermione. He still thought that the whole extra-Defense training, including the curses themselves and not only the counters, was wrong. He still claimed that Hermione was too influenced by Snape and that Harry shouldn't trust her.

"I am sorry Weasley is such a fool." Severus knelt next to her chair and placed his hands over hers.

"It's not Ron's fault. I wish he could understand. And I'm scared now that he knows and will accidentally say something in front of Malfoy."

"I know, and I am sorry." Snape was worried too. The Weasley was not discreet. Trusting him with the truth could very well get them all killed.

"Don't be, Severus. This isn't your doing. Once Voldemort is dead, Harry and I will make Ron understand. At least Harry and Ron are back talking now, anyway, but it is still strained." She paused and blinked back tears. "I miss him, even if he did annoy me at times."

"Perhaps he'll come around to you again soon as well." The Lucius voice in his head was at last in agreement with the Potter voice. They both were dead set against reconciliation and wanted to hex the redhead into next year.

"He still thinks I'm helping you to corrupt Harry." She spoke in almost a whisper.

"Does he still have a crush on you?" Snape was concerned that the boy's reaction to the situation might be based on jealousy. If that was the case, he had even bigger reasons to worry.

"No, thank Merlin. He seems to have taken a liking to Cho." Hermione gave a weak grin and clutched her husband's hands tighter.

"First Potter and now Weasley. I do think the girl must have a Gryffindor attraction charm on her person." His words did not get the laugh he had hoped for. Instead Hermione broke down and cried. He was glad he was in his work robes this time as the tears fell.

WEEK NINE: March 9- 15

"Oh, Severus, you didn't have to do this!" Hermione gazed in wonder at their sitting room.

"True." Severus smirked. He had received just the reaction he had anticipated.

"This is beautiful. I never expected you to remember our two-month anniversary. And I never would have believed you'd set out a candlelit dinner." She kept gaping as Snape pulled out a chair for her.

"It's our anniversary? I was just hoping for an incredible night of sex followed by a lie-in courtesy of a little wine and flowers." He laced his comment with sarcasm and smiled as she laughed and good naturally slapped his arm as he went to put her napkin in her lap.

"Admit it, you sourpuss. You're a closet romantic." She grinned as he lifted an eyebrow.

"There is nothing about me that lives in a closet. Unlike your Mr. Potter." Severus sat down opposite his wife and poured the wine.

"Leave Harry out of this. You ordered a meal sent to our rooms. You floated what looks like dozens of candles in the air. You trailed flower petals to the bedroom. And Severus, you have my favorite music playing, and you hate Mozart. This is far too elaborate to just get me to sleep with you. We do that almost every night." She sipped her wine.

"I refuse to incriminate myself." He grinned as she gave him a look laced with desire already.

"It is a lovely dinner." She spoke in the voice that normally only came out in the darkened bedroom. She stood up and shrugged off her robes and moved towards his seat.

"Why do I think I should cast a warming charm on it then?" He tried to keep his voice even as she sat down on top of him.

"Perhaps because I'm naked and sitting on your lap?" She purred as she bit his ear roughly and yanked his head back and to the side in order to reach his neck. He was reminded of bad muggle vampire literature as she set to work on bruising the tender flesh just below his collar.

"That is a distinct possibility." He cast the charm on the food and yelped as the chair tipped backwards and spilled them on the floor.

He banged his head on the stone but didn't mind as Hermione muttered the wandless charm he had taught her and his cloths disappeared.

"I think I'd like to see what it's like outside the bed tonight, lover."

He saw no need to argue.

WEEK TEN: March 16- 22

"That cat is going to die." Snape glared at the orange beast and fumbled for his wand.

"Severus! Leave Crookshanks alone. Poor baby. Did that mean old man hurt you?" Hermione bent down and picked up the fur ball. She cuddled him to her chest and started whispering platitudes in his ear.

"I am not old." Snape glared at the sight in front of him.

"There, there, precious. Mommy won't let him hex you again. Your fur just grew back." Hermione had placed the cat on the bed and was brushing him with her fingers while continuing the steady litany of praise and comfort for the mangy feline.

"Get rid of it." Snape was fed up with the thing. It woke him up at unheard-of hours. It spilled potions ingredients. It had shredded his latest copy of Potions Today before he had read it. This latest incident was the last straw. He had been bending over to pick up a quill and the monster had jumped right on his back with claws out. He had been unable to get it off and had to scream for assistance from his wife.

"Now, why don't you let me look at your paw. Oh dear, your nail is rough. No wonder you got caught on his robes. There's a good kitty." The woman soothed as she filed down a single claw.

"Why do I get the feeling I'm being ignored?" Snape was not pleased.

"Would you like some milk, Crookshanks? Oh, my poor cat is so neglected. I should pay more attention to you." The cat simply ignored her affections and thrust his hind end in her face as she went to hug him.

"You brush him for a half an hour a day! That thing is more spoilt than Draco Malfoy!" Severus was at his wit's end. What was it with his wife and that...that...that...demon?

"There you go, my big strong man. Would you like to eat your dinner now?" The cat looked at the saucer of milk and yawned. He promptly spilled the offering all over the bed.

"I think I'm going to leave and never come back." Snape grabbed his cloak and started to storm out the door.

"Not so fast, Severus. Apologize to Crookshanks. You scared him." The positively chilling tone to Hermione's voice halted his progress.

"That monster jumped on my BACK, with his claws out! He is lucky to be alive." Snape didn't move forward but he refused to turn around.

"Severus." Snape wondered how one word could contain such a promise of pain.

"..." He wouldn't do it. She was only a sixth year and he knew all the counters to the curses he had taught her and Potter.

"Severus, you had better..." He suddenly realized she had full access to his library and he had a few new volumes on hexes that he had yet to memorize.

"My most humble apologies, you lousy excuse for a rat trap." He glared down at the orange mini-devil as it rubbed cat hairs onto his black trousers.

"That was not what I had in mind." Hermione glared as he shoved Crookshanks out of his way and stormed off to work on the potion for the Dark Lord.

WEEK ELEVEN: March 23- 29

"Will these lessons never end!" Hermione threw down her quill and slammed her head on top of her arms. The dinner party had been moved, and now Severus was giving her even more work.

"Just be glad Lucius pushed the dinner party back." Snape set a cup of willow bark tea down next to her and began to rub her shoulders.

"I think I hate your friends." She mumbled into her arms.

"Good. They're not nice people." He kissed the back of her neck.

"They say you can judge a man's character by his friends." She turned her head slightly and sighed as he released the tension in her back. It was past eleven and she had just gotten around to the wizarding customs assignment. It was late March, and she had only just started revising for finials. Snape said she had plenty of time, but she ignored him.

"In that case get out of my rooms for your own safety." Snape's tone was light and he let his hand go lower into the back of her skirt to play with the top of her panties.

"If I leave, you won't get to try out that new whip." She hissed as he moved to her front and in between her legs.

"You may stay." The hands removed themselves and yanked her to her feet pushing her towards the bedroom.

"I thought so." She smirked as he lit a candle next to the bed and brought out her favorite silk scarves

WEEK TWELVE: March 30 - April 5

"This is the song that doesn't end. Yes it goes on and on my friend. Some people started singing it not knowing what it was..." Snape tried to stop the sound from entering his ears by shoving his head under a couch pillow. It didn't work, and the irritating voice had been bellowing the damn muggle torture mantra for close to twenty minutes.

"MS. PENWRATH!" He threw the pillow at his wife and glared.

"Yes, Severus?" She looked at him in mock innocence.

"Stop. Singing. That. Song." For some reason Hermione was now immune to his glare. He resorted to The Tone. The one that made first years wet themselves.

"What song?" He couldn't believe it. The damn know-it-all had developed a resistance to The Tone as well.

"Hermione." He tried again. It had to work. He couldn't take any more of this.

"Not until you unfreeze Crookshanks." She gestured to her cat where he was propped up against the wall.

"..." Snape refused to comment. The animal had defiled his favorite dressing gown that morning and he had only found out after he returned from spending six hours brewing Lupin's Wolfsbane. The hex would wear off in a few days. And it was only mildly Dark...okay, the MOM considered it illegal, but really, they were only being overly dramatic about it. The pain was not that bad...

"...And they continued signing it forever just because, This is the song that doesn't end.." Hermione kept eye contact and raised the volume of her singing.

"You could give lessons to Lucius on torture." Snape grimaced as she got louder.

"..Yes it goes on and on my friend. Some people started..." She stood up and moved next to him and started shouting into his ear.

"Ennervate." Snape pointed his wand at the cat and roared the word. What made the hex Dark was the pain caused by staying frozen for a long period of time and the caster was the only one who could lift it before it wore off. He had intended to leave the cat alone as a lesson but that song was..

"...singing it not knowing what it was, but they'll continue singing it forever..." Hermione moved back across the room and started signing again under her breath but Snape could still hear her.

"I thought you would stop if I undid my spell?" He kicked the revenge minded cat away from him and frowned.

"You weren't fast enough. Now it's stuck in my head. ...Just because this is the song that doesn't end.." She bent back over her arithmancy and made room for the animal on her lap.

"Angels and ministers of grace defend me." Snape once more tried to suffocate himself with a pillow.

WEEK THIRTEEN: April 6- 12

"Severus, how is Ms. Penwrath doing?" Severus was sitting in Dumbledore's office for a 'chat', as the headmaster liked to call them. In other words, it was interrogation time.

"Fine, Albus." Snape refused to fidget. He was not a child.

"I was surprised to find out you are letting her work on the potion for Voldemort with you." The old man's eyes twinkled over time.

"She is the only student outside of Mr. Malfoy I feel comfortable placing in the same room with a cauldron. Her intelligence is far superior to most of the rabble that inhabit these walls."

"Now Severus, not everyone is a potion's genius." Albus' tone held a slight edge of steel.

Snape glared. "Nor is my wife. In fact I believe she is an arithmancy genius." Snape smirked.

Albus chuckled. "I should have known you'd only marry someone with your level of intelligence. And in a different subject."

"True. I would not be able to handle constant competition in my chosen subject INSIDE my own workroom." Severus shivered.

"How is Harry holding up under the training?" Albus' eyes were twinkling and he was grinning from ear to ear as he changed the subject. Snape narrowed his eyes in suspicion. The headmaster only made that kind of an abrupt subject change when he wanted to throw someone off guard.

"Better than I expected." Snape had seen Potter exit the office right before he entered. He had looked far too happy. He knew the old man had 'chatted' with the boy as well, and of course the talk had been pleasant for the perfect little savior. Snape rarely had a pleasant summons, to either of his masters. He scowled.

"Good, good. Lemon Drop?" The headmaster cheerfully extended a bowl of the candy.

"No." Snape just wanted to get back to his rooms. If he had calculated correctly Hermione would be in the mood for something adventurous tonight. He had charted the occurrence of her 'spontaneous' sexual courage and found a pattern. He was looking forward to testing his hypothesis after his meeting with Albus.

"Tea?"

"No." The old wizard knew just what his potion master had in mind for the evening, Snape surmised, as the teacup replaced the lemon drops.

"Canary Cream?"

"Albus." Now Severus was through. Enough was enough.

"Yes, Severus?" All innocence. Damn the man.

"What do you WANT!"

Albus simply twinkled harder. "I want to tell Remus about Harry's training."

Snape jumped to his feet. "NO! Too many people already know about this. The more who are privy to the fact that Potter isn't really turning Dark the greater the chance for the Dark Lord to find out."

"Remus can be trusted." The blue eyes hardened and returned the potion master's glare.

Snape sighed and sat back down. "I know he can be. But what I'm worried about is overheard conversations, unintentionally dropped hints, torture."

Dumbledore sighed as well. "I understand. But Remus has already come to me about Harry. Mr. Potter has missed several of his normal DADA meetings with Remus. And we both know he's been presenting the symptoms of involvement in Dark Arts. Remus is worried about him. He thinks Harry should be sent away from here to get away from whatever is influencing him. He doesn't suspect you, but he thinks something is up."

"Fine. Tell the werewolf. But if word of this gets out and I survive it, his Wolfsbane will be less than quality."

Albus grinned and let the twinkle replace the hard edge in his eyes once more.

"Can I leave now?" Snape made sure he interjected weariness into his voice without approaching a whine.

"Of course, give Hermione my best." The old man twinkled like crazy and grinned again. "Oh and Severus, whatever you made for her hair is doing a wonderful job." Snape smirked. "And try to keep the love marks under the clothing this time." Snape would have blushed, but he killed that instinct long ago. "Last month you had half the students and faculty in an uproar. Of course I do believe Mr. Weasley won a considerable amount on his bet that you would eventually show a red patch." Now Snape did color. He had tried everything to hide that mark. Hermione had simply laughed at him. It was on the back of his neck, she said. No one would see it. No one until a sudden gust of wind had mysteriously found its way into the Great Hall and pushed his hair out the way. He suddenly suspected that the headmaster might have been responsible instead of Hermione.

Severus left for the dungeons grumbling about nosy, crazy old men.

He was pleasantly surprised to find his wife in the midst of a self-induced orgasm when he opened his bedroom door.

WEEK FOURTEEN: April 13 - 19

"I can't believe the party is next week." Hermione was placing her new dress robes in the wardrobe. They had just returned from a trip to Hogsmeade in honor of the coming 'party'.

"You'll do fine, Hermione." Snape was not looking forward to the event. The dinner was to be followed by a Dark Revel, and he would be forced to leave Hermione in the company of the other inner-wives, alone.

"You think so?" Hermione was nervous. She had worked hard preparing, but...

"You've worked hard." The words mirrored her own thoughts but did little to reassure her.

"That doesn't mean anything." She backed away from the wardrobe and found her husband's arms coming around her.

"You are more than ready for this." He rested his head on hers and held her tightly.

"What if I forget something? What if I accidentally insult someone? What if Pansy wears the same robes as..."

"Hermione." He hugged her closer. The child was so nervous she was trembling.

"Yes?" Even her voice was shaky.

"Breathe." He hissed into her ear.

"Oh, right." She tensed, then relaxed in his arms.

"It will be fine." Snape told himself to believe that as well.

"I know, but..."

"No buts. This is just a dinner party." He reassured himself of that too, but knowing it was so much more.

"Then why the months of prep work?" Hermione turned in his grasp and looked him in the eye.

"Dinner is always an adventure at the Malfoy estate." Snape let the words hang.