Forced to Wed
Title: Forced to Wed
Team Name: The order
Word Count: (6 x 100)
Rating: M
Challenge: The Veil
Characters: Hermioine/Severus
Authors Notes:
After much debate and even more angry shouting matches the Marriage Law was finally declared and enforced with a kind of gusto that could only be carried by the complete sadists the Ministry seemed to prefer.
When Severus Snape found the letter sitting on his desk he cringed with displeasure. When he found out that his bride to be was none other than the mouthy little know-it-all, Hermione Granger he actually roared his outrage. When he saw the utter despair in the young woman’s face he felt honestly sorry for her. He did not envy the life she had ahead.
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They met and spoke, avoiding the subject of their upcoming nuptials. Instead they discussed the books they had read, the politics of the ministry, his new position as Professor of Defence Against the Dark Arts, her job with Protection of Magical Creatures.
Snape and Hermione argued and debated. They talked and they walked and occasionally they saw a movie. But this was not love! This was not the kind of romance Hermione dreamed of and Snape knew it.
But what could they do? The law was final. Neither of them was willing to risk Azkaban. Marry they must but the finality of it did not stop the tears from coming each night as Hermione lay alone in her bed.
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Hermione used a tissue to wipe the tears from her eyes. Looking in the mirror her breath caught at the vision of her reflection. The perfectly white wedding dress fell to her feet in soft waves of lace and silk. It dipped just low enough to show a tantalizing hint of bosom. She looked like a bride in the dress of her dreams. Silent tears slipped down her cheeks and impatiently she grabbed another hand full of tissues and dropped the veil over her face.
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Severus stood tall at the head of the aisle. Friends and family, mainly Hermione’s filled the lines of chairs that filled the long room. Chatter was solemn, quiet and more than a few dark looks were thrown at him; as though it were somehow his fault.
The music started to play and his bride to be stepped out and onto the aisle. The room gasped as she walked slowly and deliberately between the rows of rose covered chairs. Walked slowly to him.
When she finally faced him Severus swallowed hard and steadied himself. His hands trembled as he lifted the veil to reveal her face. Looking into her beautiful eyes his heart swelled. She was going to be his wife. This beautiful, brilliant witch was about to become his wife.
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Suddenly knowing what he should have realized long ago Severus reached out his hand and gently caressed his long fingers over her cheek. He stroked her bottom lip with his thumb and drew his fingers around her delicate jawline and smiled.
“Hermione,” he managed to croak out. “I could not hope nor wish for another to share my life.”
Her smile lit up the wedding hall and his soul and she placed her hand in his and brought his fingers to her lips. “Nor could I wish for a better man.”
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Behind them Dumbledore smiled to himself. He had never seen two people so perfect for one another and yet so blind. Marriage Law indeed. He fancied himself such a clever wizard and had those two bothered to really look into the events of the last few weeks they would have noticed that they were the only two forced to marry.