Hermione and Severus read proudly over the article their oldest daughter and her husband had written. Professor Leighton Culstee had become somewhat of a fixture at the Snape / Williams home over the years. As a result his son and their daughter had developed a friendship that had blossomed into a courtship and ultimately marriage. Like their parents they had a thirst for knowledge and time that their parents hadn't had to try to find more about the artifact that had bonded Hermione and Severus.

It had taken years, lots of interviews with people who refused to speak to them many times over, but eventually they'd done it. The magicks involved with the artifact were ancient and had stopped being practiced over a century ago. They were able to counteract the spell, which to this point seemed to be working as none of their three children were producing grandchildren like rabbits.

All three of their children were, in fact, the spitting image of Severus. There were times he'd look at them growing up and shake his head with a scowl and she had known that Ronald was lucky Severus had a good humor about their situation. Now. If she'd gotten pregnant the first time or two they'd had sex she she wasn't sure Elaine would have siblings because Severus likely would have been in Azkaban the moment he'd seen her and she had indeed looked just like him.

"She was destined to be too smart for her own good," Harry said from the other side of the table.

While all of their children were successful and very smart, Elaine Culstee nee Snape was helping close down the muggles are inferior rhetoric Voldemort had gained power as a result of for good. Her archeological expeditions had been monumental in showing that muggles were not always considered an enemy. The Statute of Secrecy wasn't going by the wayside anytime soon, but muggleborns were being informed prior to their tenth or eleventh birthdays of their potential abilities. The parents of those children were educated and given resources so that they could help their children. She was even helping to institute a mentor program that paired up witches or wizards with muggleborns so they could learn about the wizarding world before stepping foot into it.

Elaine had grown up hearing too many stories from not just her parents but her Uncle Harry, too, about how muggles thought they were freaks when they had their bouts of accidental magic. As a result, Elaine was well on her way to being the next Minister of Magic.

This was a position Hermione had been approached about her interest in years ago. She had declined, wanting to stay far away from wizarding or muggle politics. Her daughter was better suited for the position, not having the biases Hermione and Severus did against previous ministers and the way things had been handled.

Severus had retired from teaching once their children were done with their Hogwarts schooling. He owned a private, high-end apothecary and did very well for himself under the name David Robert Williams.

Hermione achieved masteries in both Charms and Potions as well as her undergraduate and doctorate degrees in Psychology and Sociology. Sarah Toby Williams was quite prolific in her musings on behavior and the roles society plays in that behavior.

Hermione and Severus kept their wizarding names relevant by attending conferences and writing articles here and there, but both were happy to live their lives out of the spotlight.

That too big house she'd purchased for a bargain because it was rumored to be haunted. Well, the second floor had been opened up years ago to account for not just their children, but Harry's when they visited. Hermione and Severus had reworked the bedroom she'd claimed when she first moved in here to an actual bedroom so that was still theirs.

And the third floor? The floor she never imagined having need of in her lifetime. Well, if three kids got married and had kids. They'd certainly need more bedrooms. So they were working now on bringing that up to date with the rest of the house so that whenever grandchildren came they would think of this place as magical just like their children did growing up.

Harry had made his way up to the head of the auror department and eventually revamped the way things were done after some consulting with muggle law enforcement. He and Ginny had three children who were as close to children as Hermione and Severus could have had in addition to their own. (She supposed Ronald's wish of them having a handful of children wasn't too far off after all.)

Ronald's quidditch career was gloriously successful. He had to this point been unable to find marriage. It wasn't lack of interest on the part of various witches. He just seemed to enjoy being single and being able to do what he wanted, when he wanted. They had reconciled for the most part. Hermione was incapable of holding a grudge when, ultimately, she was happy. She liked to think Severus would have gotten the courage up to ask her out eventually and Ron's wish just moved things along faster than they might have gone otherwise.

"It's rather impressive," Severus mused.

"Your daughter or the article?" Harry asked.

"Both?" He smiled at his wife's best friend. "The article, though, is what I was speaking of."

"Well, it only took them half of their lives to accumulate all of the facts."

"Yes, on magicks and an artifact that most didn't believe truly existed."

"Well, I guess we have Ronald to thank for a few things then, don't we," Hermione said.

"Indeed, the best accidental cursing I have ever been on the receiving end of," he said with a chuckle.

"Uh oh, Severus," Harry said. "You just called it a curse."

His lips lifted into a smile. Harry knew this was an argument many in the know of their situation had had over the years.

Was it a curse?

Hermione, of course, did not believe it was since nothing bad truly happened. She understood why some called it that, though.

"I shall endeavor to ask forgiveness for misspeaking later in the privacy of our bedroom."

Harry rolled his eyes, but smiled in return.

No, Hermione did not think it was a curse at all. If for no other reason than these two wizards who had been at cross purposes for so long were now close friends. To the point they shared anecdotes about their parenting experiences. It wasn't out of the question for her to come home from her day at work to find the two wizards talking over tea. She knew that it healed a part of Severus being so close to Lily's son and her grandchildren.

That to Hermione was worth whatever Ronald might have wished for that night.

The End

Story ©Susan Matthews/APCKRFAN/PhantomRoses.com