Becoming Familiar with a Man of Misery

Chapter 54 ~ Realization

Hermione stared at Severus so hard, he wiped a pale hand over his face and looked at his palm, inspecting it. Then he looked at Hermione.

“Is something on my face, Hermione?” he asked her, taking another wipe.

Hermione started. Her searching was too obvious.

“Ah, no Severus. There was, but it’s gone now,” she lied, spearing another shrimp.

“How was school today?” he asked her.

Hermione finished chewing her shrimp, swallowed it, then hesitated a moment before answering him.

“It was fine,” she said, her amber eyes shifting slightly.

Severus caught both the hesitation and the eye shift. He knew from back when she was a student, that she wasn’t telling him the truth. She always hesitated and her eyes shifted when she lied. He decided to let her finish her food. He’d find out how her day went, even if he had to wait until she was asleep and use legilimency on her. It bothered the wizard when she wasn’t open with him. He didn’t think she was hiding how her day went to be sneaky. More than likely she didn’t want to upset him…which did upset him.

Hermione finished her food and drank the milk Eli placed on the table.

“Aren’t you going to eat Severus?” she asked him.

“No, I had supper at Hogwarts,” he replied searching her face. She had a tiny bit of acne on her nose, and her face was filling out. She was gaining weight, which was good. Severus stood up and extended his hand.

“Come, let us go to the study. I have parchments to mark, and I’m sure you have some assignments to complete before bed,” he said as Hermione took his hand. She didn’t feel like doing her assignments. What was the use?

Hermione allowed the Potions Master to escort her to the living room and the writing table. She sat down. There were quills and parchments there, waiting for her. Mostly she had writing assignments to complete. There was an essay due on charm work, but her heart wasn’t in writing it. She sat at the table staring at the parchment.

Severus sat down at the desk. He had deposited the stack of parchments on the desktop when he first arrived and now leafed through them. He set the papers down, opened his bottle of red ink, selected a quill and dipped it inside. He started marking the papers and was at it about ten minutes when he noticed Hermione wasn’t working. That was odd. This was the first night since she had come to the house that she wasn’t writing or studying. Severus put the quill down and walked over to the witch. Hermione was so distracted, she didn’t hear him approach. But the Potions Master was always rather quiet when he walked.

He stopped in front of the desk and looked down at the witch.

“Hermione, what’s wrong? Why aren’t you working? Surely you have assignments. The last year of university is always fraught with work,” he said, looking at the witch with concern.

“I just don’t feel like working, Severus,” she replied softly.

“Are you sick?” he asked, placing a cool hand on her brow. No, her temperature was fine.

“No,” she said, her bottom lip starting to quiver.

Now Severus was sure she was upset. He took her arm and led her to the sofa and sat her down. He sat down next to her and put his arm around her, pulling her into him so her head rested on his shoulder.

“Something happened today, didn’t it?” he asked her.

Hermione didn’t answer him, but her eyes filled with tears. Already, Severus felt his chest tighten. Someone had done something to the witch. Probably related to her pregnancy. He scowled at the thought of anyone upsetting his pregnant lover.

“Tell me what happened today, Hermione,” he coaxed her.

“I…I…can’t talk about it Severus,” she said, “it’s just too awful.”

“Then let me see,” he said gently, placing two fingers against her temple. He felt her resisting.

“Let me see, Hermione,” he said, this time with command in his voice. He felt her occulmency walls lower and let him through as the witch started crying softly.

He watched and listened to her conversation with Professor Floodsworth, and his whole body tightened with rage as the idiot said she was considered a whore, and questioned her morality and ethics, suggesting she return to the muggle world and all manner of insulting, unfair comments toward her. Then he witnessed the Dean’s remarks, equally insulting, and learned how she would lose her scholarship. He also saw her draw her wand on Eli. He was rather startled at this, but after the day she’d had, he could see how she felt she was at the end of her rope.

He noted with approval Eli was able to convince her to eat using the growing child within her as impetus without getting hexed. He heard Hermione tell Eli her problems…then suddenly she raised the occulmency walls. What had she spoken to Eli about that she didn’t want him to see? He wouldn’t be able to get it out of the elf. He kept Hermione’s secrets as well as his own. Severus withdrew from her mind, completely enraged but keeping a tight rein on it.

“I’m so sorry, Hermione. But I warned you this would happen,” he said softly, pulling her against him tighter. He planned to pay a little visit to the Dean tomorrow.

“I just couldn’t believe that people who seemed so open to knowledge could be so archaic when it came to women,” she sniffed.

“The wizarding world is hardly progressive in social issues, Hermione. We live by codes that were followed centuries ago. Unwed witches used to be exiled. At least that practice has died,” he said, caressing her hair.

“No, they still exile women…in a different way, Severus. By removing all opportunity. Forcing them into a life of hardship while they live among plenty. Denying them education and decent jobs, slandering them and making them objects of ridicule and shame. I imagine the children of unwed witches suffer too,” she said bitterly.

“Yes. They are treated quite badly if they are born bastards,” Severus replied softly. “Albus does not allow mistreatment of such children at Hogwarts, but in the adult world, if the condition of their births are made known, they suffer the same fate as their mothers and are regulated to a lower status and deprived of the ability to advance, no matter how adept they are.”

Hermione digested this quietly. So if she didn’t marry Severus by the time she delivered the baby, she would be condemning her child to the life of a second-class citizen or worse. Hermione was aware of discrimination in the wizarding world since she was a muggle-born…but her brilliance was always a cushion, though she knew many thought of her as the exception to the muggle-born rule. But she had never experienced such blatant discrimination. The thought of her child having to live with such injustice made her heart tighten with grief. It couldn’t happen. She pulled away from Severus and looked at him.

“Severus, I want you to do something for me,” she said to him.

“What Hermione?” he asked her, his dark eyes locked to hers. He would do almost anything for the witch if it were in his power.

“I want you to think of how you feel about me…not tell me, but just think about it,” she said softly.

“Why, Hermione?” he asked her.

“It has to do with something Eli told me tonight,” she said, “will you do it, please?”

“Of course,” he said, and he began to think about the witch, from the time she approached him and he brutally turned her away, how he finally gave in to her desire for him and his own lust toward her, how she gave her virginity to him and took an oath of loyalty, how she braved Voldemort and almost died saving him, how she submitted to his darkest desires, how she gave her entire heart to him, asking nothing in return but to be with him, and how she now carried his child. There were many other acts, deeds and characteristics the witch evidenced that went through his mind, things that endeared her to him greatly. He became lost in his thoughts about her, unaware that the witch was watching him closely, particularly watching his eyes as his thoughts took him over.

Hermione watched him for several minutes, then broke into his flow.

“Severus, look at me,” she breathed.

The Potions Master’s dark eyes fell on her, and the look in them, the tenderness, the caring, the warmth, the desire…and yes, the love she saw there washed over her like a powerful flood.

“He does love me. It’s all there, in his eyes…just like Eli said. How couldn’t I have seen it?” she thought, looking up at the wizard. A slow smile lit up her face.

Severus looked puzzled. What had he done to make her smile like that? He wished he knew so he could do it more often. He looked at her closer. She seemed to glow.

“Are you all right, Hermione?” he asked her.

“I’m better than I’ve been in a long time, Severus,” she replied softly.

“Why?” he asked her, his face showing his puzzlement.

“Because I’ve found what I’ve been looking for,” she said, “It was there and I just couldn’t see it.”

Severus’ brow wrinkled. The witch was talking in riddles.

“I think I’d like that ring now, Severus,” she said to him softly.

“Ring…what ri…” Severus began, then stopped as he realized what the witch was saying.

“You mean you’ll marry me, even though I haven’t given you what you want from me?” he asked her, hardly believing his ears.

“Yes. You’ve given me everything I want Severus,” she said.

“But…”

Hermione placed the tips of her fingers against his mouth.

“Just get the ring, Severus,” she said softly.

The stunned Potions Master stood up as if under the Imperious curse and walked to a section of the wall covered by books. He took out his wand and said an incantation, and a portion of the books slid back, revealing a safe. He opened it and took out the small box he had presented her the day he discovered she was pregnant with his child. He swallowed, a bit nervously, glad he was turned away from the witch. It wouldn’t do for her to see him lose his cool demeanor. He turned and walked back to the sofa and sat down next to the witch. He opened the box and they both looked down at the engagement ring.

“Are you sure, Hermione?” he said, “You won’t take my ring, think about it later then give it back to me, will you?”

“I am positive, Severus,” she said, her heart thudding a little at the way his voice caught when he asked her that. It was plain to see that it would hurt him if she did such a thing. Only a man in love would feel that way.

She held out her hand, and Severus took the ring out of the box, and slid it on her finger. Then he smiled at her. He had a beautiful smile, slightly crooked teeth and all. Suddenly he grabbed her, kissing her deeply and passionately.

“You’ve made me the happiest wizard in the wizarding world at this moment,” he breathed at her. “I will be a good husband to you, Hermione. I promise you.”

“I know you will, Severus,” Hermione said, “And I will be a good wife to you and a good mother to our child.”

He looked at her soberly.

“I know you will,” he said, kissing her again a powerful feeling washing over him as he did so. So powerful, he shuddered.

“Are you all right Severus?” Hermione asked, feeling him quake against her. There was an answering quake from the witch as well.

He looked at her, his eyes smoldering as they shifted from her face to the ring on her hand and her face again.

“I will be,” he breathed, standing and sweeping her into his arms.

Hermione shrieked at the suddenness of his grabbing her. Holding the witch securely, the Potions Master strode toward their bedroom, covering ground quickly. They entered and the door slammed behind them.

In the living room, Eli materialized slowly, a broad smile on his face.

“Like I tells you, Mistress,” the elf said in a low voice, looking toward the bedroom.

“It’s in the Master’s eyes.”

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A/N: Yay! They’re engaged! :::trumpets blaring::: Please review.

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The Burning Pen

Becoming Familiar with a Man of Misery
by Ruth Solomon

The story content is adult in nature and can contain graphic sex and violence. Those under the age of 18 are asked to leave this site immediately. You are not welcome here. The author is not responsible for those under-aged who view these works.

CHAPTER 55

Disclaimer: All recognizable characters belong to JKR. All situations are mine. No $$$ is being made from this fanfic.
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