"Oh, Morgana, Hermione, Snape's not going to know what hit him when he sees you walking down the aisle," Ginny said as Hermione was doing the last fitting for her wedding gown.

She and Severus were both going the muggle route of a wedding dress and tuxedo versus robes. Ginny's statement made Hermione positively giddy. That was what she was going for after all. Who knew she could be like just about every other woman in the world when it came to her wedding gown?

Ginny was her matron of honour with Luna as her bridesmaid and both were all set. She'd had to tell Luna - more than once - that she could not alter the dress chosen for her in any way. Their dresses were at the Burrow for safekeeping (and to keep Luna from doing something to them because she'd mentioned more than once finding them plain). She had a third dress sent to a bridal shoppe in Sunnydale, hoping that Buffy would be able to get it altered to fit and make it for their wedding. With everything going on there, she wasn't sure that would happen.

Faith had finally broken out of prison a couple of months ago. Hermione had suspected for years that she stayed in prison willingly. News of her escape had set Buffy and the others in Sunnydale on edge. Was she working for The First Evil, too? Was she going to come after them? Buffy had a load of potential slayers to protect and was having a hard enough time doing that against The First Evil and Caleb.

A rogue slayer who'd spent a few years in prison wouldn't be a cake walk to defeat even if she was the only enemy Buffy needed to focus on.

As it turned out, she escaped to try to help capture an again soulless Angel.

Hermione hadn't heard that had happened!

How his team had thought that removing his soul for any reason was a good decision was mystifying. Hermione had only heard the stories, seen some of the images in Buffy's mind. Even that was enough, though, that she knew he was not someone anyone wanted walking around without his soul. It surprised her that Cordelia Chase of all people had agreed to it. She'd lived it! The rest of them had not, so she could sort of forgive them.

Sort of, not really though.

Faith, accomplishing that, had decided to head to Sunnydale to aid the Slayer and the potentials in their battle against the ever strengthening First Evil. Hermione had known Buffy for years now, had helped her research and listened to her talk about a number of baddies. She'd never known Buffy to be beaten as badly as this one was doing again and again. Admittedly, Glory probably would have but she hadn't seemed too focused on the Slayer initially. (Once the god had realized Buffy had The Key that had changed, of course.) Usually, she took a defeat in a previous fight and used what she learned against her opponent. That usually led to her beating them. That didn't seem to be working this time.

It scared the crap out of Hermione, not that she would tell anyone that. Severus knew, but she hadn't told him so. She didn't have to. She suspected he felt the same way. They'd found enough information on The First Evil, and the Beast that LA was contending with, to know that the potential for bleakness if they weren't defeated was a certainty not just a possibility. A world without sun would not be a survivable one for very long.

She hoped that with two slayers and a slew of surviving potential slayers that Buffy would be able to defeat The First Evil and be here in July. She wanted so badly for Buffy to finally see Hogwarts.

Minerva and Harry were Severus' best woman and groomsman. If Buffy were to make it she would walk down the aisle with Draco Malfoy. Hermione wasn't sure what she'd done in this life or the last to have Draco freaking Malfoy in her wedding party, but she bit her tongue because she knew the last person Severus dreamed of being in his was James Potter's son.

"I'm still not sure why I let you talk me into this train," Hermione said of the almost four foot long chapel train.

She had to admit that it was beyond lovely. She just wasn't the most graceful person and not at all used to wearing things like this. The dress was lace with tiny decorative buttons up the front of the bodice and satin laces like a (very expensive) corset up the back. She felt like a princess and had to admit she never imagined in all of her life wearing a dress like this. She couldn't say she'd never envisioned getting married. She wasn't that unlike every other girl out there. She just hadn't pictured and planned it. As her interest in Ron had blossomed from feelings of friendship to potentially more. Well they'd been too steeped in war and survival to think about what kind of dress she'd want or would roses be better than lilies.

"Because you only get married once. You wanted a wedding gown. We got you a wedding gown. And what's the day you get married for if you don't knock your man off kilter?"

She sure had wanted a wedding gown. Severus wanted all the trappings, she did, too. She just hoped she didn't break her neck before the ceremony even got a chance to end. She wasn't sure Severus wanted to be widowed within minutes of marrying her.

The good thing? The train detached so that after pictures, dinner, and their first dance she could shed it. Underneath the train? The skirt was virtually skin tight, hugging every curve from her hips down. The hem of the dress still extended a bit, but she'd be fine to walk around and dance with it as it was.

"Everything's to your liking then, Miss Granger?" the attendant asked.

"Yes, I think this will be just fine."

"All right. Come back two weeks before the date. We'll have it pressed and ready to go for you."

"Great, thank you," she said. The attendant left the fitting room and Ginny began the process of helping her out of her wedding gown.

"Any word from Buffy?"

"No, I mean, nothing new."

"I'm sorry, I shouldn't have brought it up."

"No, it's fine. I'd love to drop everything and go help her."

"But you have a fiance who wants you here, alive and unharmed, for your wedding."

"That, and I have students who are counting on me. And she has someone like us with her who I know can help her."

"She's okay? Willow, I mean?"

It was a fair and reasonable question, and Hermione was so glad Ginny asked. Ginny had never met Buffy or Willow, but she knew that Buffy was important to Hermione. It would be very easy for her to be threatened by the Slayer, but there was never a question who would be her matron of honour even if she'd known without a doubt Buffy would be at the wedding.

"Yeah, so far. It sounds like it was fairly strained when she first got back, but they worked through it. I suppose having a crisis to focus on helped with that. They had to get right to work on this whole thing instead of staring at one another trying to figure out how to talk about it all."

"Kind of like you, Harry, and Ron."

"What?"

"Sorry," Ginny said. "That came out wrong. I meant, when you go through what you did together for seven years. Well, that's a bond. Ron has admitted he feels bad about his reaction. I think he had the hardest time not with the fact that you'd moved on, had a life for a couple of years without all of us, but that it was Snape."

"I know."

"And now look at you! Do you have butterflies yet?"

"Yes!" She wouldn't call them butterflies, though, more like a hummingbird's wings constantly flapping against her insides when she thought of everything they still had to do before they got to the actual wedding.

"Just wait until the last couple of weeks. You'll think there's a whole swarm of them."

"Thanks," she said wryly.

In two months she was going to be married! They'd been living together for a while, but she knew the magical world especially did not view that well. He had drawn up legal documents making her his beneficiary and Power of Attorney, but she thought that the magical world might be fussy about accepting such documents. She'd hated him having those documents drawn up. It was one of the only times they'd had a true argument. She'd taken it as a sign that he was going to give up, wanted to die. He'd assured her that was not the case, that he was just trying to be proactive and protect her so that if something did happen to him she was left with nothing and no recourse prior to their being legally bonded. He brought up the valid point that years later and not every loyal follower had been rounded up. He also wanted her to be able to make decisions for him if something were to happen to him.

"You'll probably have it worse than I did."

"Ginny!" Was that supposed to help?

"The swarm of butterflies I meant! I was just Ginevra Weasley, marrying Harry Potter. Yes, Harry captured attention but I was just Ron's younger sister. You're the Hermione Granger, marrying the Severus Snape. I know you don't read the Daily Prophet, but they're still talking about how you successfully dropped out of the wizarding world for three years and somehow still managed to ensnare him."

"I didn't ensnare him! Good grief. Is that really what they think?"

"It's the Prophet. Obviously Luna's dad isn't writing anything like that."

"Thank goodness for small favors," she said with a roll of her eyes as she regarded her reflection in the mirror. Her scars would show with her wedding gown. All of them. She had a few that weren't caused by the wizarding war due to helping with Glory. She was still debating as to whether she should glamour them.

She saw the look in the bridal shoppe attendants' eyes when she'd chosen her dress and every time she'd come in for a fitting. There was one in particular who seemed … offended that Hermione would be wearing their wedding gown looking as she did. They'd tried to sway her in the direction of a gown with a higher neckline more than once. She came back to this one every time, though. She'd cried for an hour after that fitting. Ginny nor Severus could calm her. Neither to this day knew why she'd cried that day. Ginny suspected it had something to do with the dress. She'd suggested a different store, but Hermione wanted that dress. If her friend told Severus her suspicions he hadn't mentioned it.

Severus had enough to worry about right now without dealing with her crazy bride emotions. And Ginny, Hermione just wasn't sure her friend would totally understand. Or not run off and tell Harry and Ron, and she just didn't need everyone to know she was having a bout of doubt as to whether she was truly pleasing to look at.

She knew Severus was attracted to her. She was only human after all and the look in the eyes of those women made her paranoid for a bit. She'd gotten over it and when she went back a few days later to choose the dress she'd fallen in love with she told them they could take her cash for an outrageously priced dress or she could take her business elsewhere. They were muggle so her name meant nothing to them, but money talked just fine it seemed to bring their pitying looks to a halt.

She never saw the one sales attendant again either. That was the part that made her wonder if Ginny had suspected she'd been upset about the fitting and told Severus her suspicions. She wouldn't put it past him to go to the bridal shoppe and scare the crap out of them if they offended his fiancee again.

She and Severus had no parents so they were doing this by themselves for the most part. Yes the Weasleys and Harry were helping with things here and there, but the planning and the details. Well, that was them.

Thankfully, they'd yet to argue about anything significant. Their only remotely heated discussion was as to whether Neville and Susan should be included in their wedding party. Hermione was close to Neville and liked Susan, but if it wasn't for her friendship with Neville she wouldn't ask the girl to be a bridesmaid. Severus absolutely did not want Neville as a groomsman. So, they'd stuck with the two, possibly three, each.

She'd gotten Neville in the party anyway by asking him and Ronald to be ushers. Both wizards had looked uncomfortable being asked, but ultimately said yes.

"So, lunch now? You promised me muggle sweets for dessert," Ginny said.

Hermione chuckled. "Yes. Are you sure you're not pregnant again?"

Ginny stammered and blushed. Hermione was sure her mouth fell open for a second because she had truly been making a joke.

"You are! Ginny! Oh my God! And you haven't told me yet?"

"I'm only just," she said. "I promise I won't even be showing in two months."

"Oh, I'm not worried about that. We'd find you a different dress even if you were showing. So, only just?"

"Like we were trying, I'm late, so I ran a diagnostic, and it's positive. So, three to four weeks?"

"Is Harry excited?"

"He's over the moon! You can't tell anyone yet. It's my fault, I should have known you'd figure it out with that comment. We won't tell anyone until after your wedding probably."

Hermione stepped toward her friend and hugged her. "Oh, Gin, I'm so excited for you. Maybe it's your kids that will fill those spare bedrooms at Hogwarts not my own."

"You don't want them?"

"I'm teasing, Ginny, I mean, eventually, I would imagine…"

"You haven't even talked about it? What if he wants them right away? He's not getting any younger, you know. I mean, well, obviously you know how old he is. We were all in Hogwarts by the time Dad was Severus' age."

"Ginny!"

"I'm not saying he's old or anything, I'm just pointing out…"

"I think I'd like to be married for a while first."

"Why?"

Hermione stared at her friend, realizing she was serious. "I don't know. I just do," she shrugged. Ginny met Harry when she was eleven. Hermione had met Severus when she was eleven, too, of course, but it was really only the past four years that they'd been peers and she'd like more time with that in play.

Her life's goal was not to get married and be pregnant within a year of the ceremony.

Was it Severus'? They really hadn't talked about children, beyond his chuckle at the castle's accommodating for potential children in their rooms. And her obvious panic at the thought of what those bedrooms were for.

"We were raised very differently, Gin," Hermione said carefully.

She didn't want to imply Molly had raised Ginny wrong or anything. There was absolutely nothing wrong with being a housewife, but Hermione had not gone through the war, sat her NEWTs, and worked for the Watchers Council for three years to just settle down and have children a minute after she returned to the wizarding world.

"Besides," she added. "I have a godson and his brother or sister to spoil terribly for a little while before I get it out of my system for my own."

"You know if something were to happen to Harry and me, we want you and Severus to have them. We talked about it when we got the positive this time. We were going to wait until after your wedding and everything."

"Ginny! Don't even say that! Of course we would," she winced a bit at that.

Would Severus? She couldn't imagine him turning small children away, particularly if the choice was Severus raising them or a Weasley. He'd do it just to avoid them turning into dunderheads solely from proximity.

"But that's the last we'll talk about that. It isn't going to happen so there's no point dwelling."

"Okay. Dessert?"

"Well, I have to feed you something other than dessert!"

"Who says?"

"Well, I really would like you to be able to wear the actual dress we picked out for you."

Ginny laughed loudly. "Oh, you are a crafty one, Hermione. Well, lead the way. This is your day."

It was late when they parted ways at the Leaky Cauldron. Ginny went to Grimmauld Place and Hermione apparated to the park down the street from their house. She didn't want to startle Severus by flooring home so late since the day had gotten away from her. She'd needed it, though.

"I trust you had a good day then?" Severus asked 

"It was," she paused, looking for the right word. "Welcome."

"Good. Everything sorted out with the item I can't know about or see?"

She chuckled softly. "Well, obviously you know about it, unless you think I'm like the emperor in Hans Christian Andersen's tale and going to show up naked at our wedding. To answer your questions, yes. I think Ginny's trying to make you a widower before we even get started."

"Dare I try to even imagine what you are talking about?"

"You'll understand July fifth."

"Yes, Dear," he said.

"We had lunch and dessert, and that turned into shopping for some things for our honeymoon, which turned into dinner."

"Can I see the things for our honeymoon? Or are those off limits, too?"

"I think they're off limits for now."

He huffed, muttering something about rules and keeping men guessing. "Fine. How is Mrs. Potter?"

"Well. I mean she's Ginny. She always seems fine, doesn't she? And it appears James will be gaining a brother or sister in about nine months."

"You don't say," he said, not seeming surprised by that revelation.

"So she says. I don't see why she'd lie, or tell me if she wasn't certain."

"It would seem conception isn't an issue for them then."

"Evidently not."

They both grow quiet then. Hermione went upstairs to put her purchases away. She knew he wouldn't snoop around as curious as he might be. He just had more important things to do with his time. Secretly, she believed he relished the unknown of what she'd look like on their wedding day and the honeymoon after.

"Severus?" she asked when she'd returned to the kitchen. He was making pasta and had some wine already out. From the looks of it, he'd already poured himself a glass so she poured herself one as well.

"Yes?"

"Are we having children?"

He stopped mid-stir of the sauce he'd been tending to.

"I was wondering when you were going to get around to asking me that. It's been mentioned a few times and yet you've kept uncharacteristically quiet on the topic."

"Does that mean you do or don't want them?"

"Do you?"

She shrugged. "Eventually. Ginny mentioned she, the youngest, was at Hogwarts by the time Arthur was your age."

"Yes, well, the paths Arthur Weasley and I chose are vastly different."

"That doesn't really answer the question."

"I assumed we'd discuss it when one or the other of us wanted to embark on that path. Are you thinking about it already?"

"No. I mean I can't help but think about it with Ginny being pregnant again. I mean, I guess I'm almost twenty-four."

"That's not ancient."

"No, but you are over forty."

He shrugged. Their age difference wasn't a problem to either of them, but she was aware that there were things that drew attention to it. Children and the age he would become a father was one of those things. "Are we having that many?"

She chuckled. "I would think not."

"I mean the trying for them would be most agreeable, but the lifetime commitment for more than one or two puts a damper on that fun."

"Does it? You certainly haven't minded the past couple of years."

"Well, no, but we're not trying. Are we?"

"No."

"Truthfully, until recently I never thought it was even a possibility. I'm more than fine waiting two to three years before we try for one and a year or two after that for a second. That wouldn't make me too ancient before we were through."

"I never said you were ancient."

"That is what your matron of honour was implying, though."

"Well, compared to Harry…"

He rolled his eyes.

"So we're talking two?"

"I do not have my heart set on two. One would be more than sufficient. I don't see the need for more than two. So I was just giving a general time frame. Obviously it would depend on a number of things. For that matter, you could end up with child sooner than two or three years from now and that would up our timetable a bit."

"Are you planning on your potion failing me?"

"No," he said with a scoff. "I cannot deny that the idea of watching you pregnant with my child when I never until three years ago thought a child was a possibility would be a very heady thing."

"So, 2005 or 2006."

"Whenever you're ready. If you decide you're never ready," he shrugged.

And yet he'd just said he'd like seeing her pregnant with their child. So that meant he did want those one or two with her. He wouldn't make her, though, she knew. The idea of what their children could be like was pretty incredible to think about.

"Ginny told me today that if something were to happen to them they'd want us to take their children."

"I expected that."

"You did?"

How had he? She hadn't! The thought never occurred to her. There were so many Weasleys, she just presumed James and any others would go there.

"I did. Who else would they have raise them? Harry would want his children at least exposed to muggle things. The Weasleys, try as Arthur might, can't do that."

"Yes."

"Who else but you and I would not just do that but understand why it is important to him?"

"True."

"And while I realize it was like pulling teeth at times to get Harry to do his schoolwork I think he does understand that education is important."

"Yes."

"And I don't see any of his wife's siblings understanding that, or ensuring they amount to more than pranksters and quidditch players. Percy, I suppose, but I'm not sure I wouldn't object on principle if they named him."

"Well, Bill and Charlie…"

"While capable, yes, I agree. They are not going to take on the Potters' children, you and I both know it. Bill, possibly, but I can't see Ginny wanting their children raised by that Mrs. Weasley. And Charlie is quite single from my understanding, not to say he couldn't raise children if he had to but I can't see him being their choice."

"Probably so." She actually shuddered at the thought of Fleur raising Harry and Ginny's children.

Then a thought occurred to her that hadn't until now. She wasn't sure why.

"Why were you immune to Fleur?"

He snorted. "Who says I was?"

"Really?"

He shook his head. "I wasn't interested in witches period, Veela or otherwise. If you recall I had other things on my mind at the time of her visit to Hogwarts so her charms were the least of my concern. If I had been in a … different frame of mind." He shrugged.

"I suppose so."

"Unlike you and Mr. Krum," he said.

His tone was teasing, but his eyes got that darker look to them that she recognized. He knew she'd kissed Krum and Ronald, but he didn't like thinking about anyone else touching his fiancee.

"Mm, well, I did not know Voldemort was months or weeks away from actually returning. The threat had been there every year before that one and we managed to stop it!"

"True."

"You hadn't said anything. You were just accepting the fact Harry and Ginny would want us to raise their children."

"That's what family does, and he is your family. His mum was important to me once upon a time. Our friendship may have ended and my feelings for her may have been misconstrued by many, but that doesn't mean I no longer care or would want to see her grandchildren fail. So, yes, I was accepting of that fact."

"Thank you."

He shrugged. "You have nothing to thank me for, but you're welcome. We both know the odds of it happening are slim to none."

"True."

"And our own. I've seen your look when it's been mentioned. Did you not want them? If you don't, I'm not going to force you. I certainly don't think my life will be meaningless if I don't produce more Snapes."

"Oh, well, I want you to produce a Snape or two. It's just Ginny seems to treat me as an oddity because I might like to be married to you for a little bit before bringing a baby into the world."

"Yes, well, she's not you and I'm not insulting her, so please don't take it to mean I am, but she wouldn't understand your desire to have us be a family first. I think about Arthur and Molly sometimes. They got married right out of Hogwarts and had Bill immediately. I mean, sure there were the forty weeks in between conception and his birth but that's still not a lot of time to establish themselves as a couple. Then came the rest of them. What are they going to do with themselves now that they're all out of the house? Granted, there are the grandchildren and Arthur has his muggle interests. What does Molly have, though?"

"I've thought of that, too."

"I know you have, and that pleases me to no end. If you hadn't, if you weren't built that way I'm not sure we'd be here now."

"So, a few years?"

"If that's acceptable. I realize it might appeal to you to have a child attend Hogwarts with Harry's child."

"Yes, well, that's not crucial to me."

"Then I think we will be fine. I suspect we'll both know when the time comes that we're ready to add to our family."

"About that."

He closed his eyes, the spoon he was stirring the sauce with paused again, and she giggled softly.

"No, I am not pregnant. I was wondering, though," she said. "Could we get a cat? Or a dog? Or something?"

"Didn't you have one? I recall you did, but haven't asked because I wasn't sure what happened. I assumed you'd bring it up when it was appropriate. Evidently, that is today."

"Um, yes, Crookshanks. He's half kneazle. I sent him with my parents. I didn't know what was going to happen, but didn't think having to feed a cat while on the run was smart."

"You are absolutely correct. And he will, no doubt, keep your parents company and likely protect them as he is able from anything magical that may wish to harm them."

"I know," she said.

"Do you want a magical animal?"

She shrugged. "We can look. I'd be happy with just a regular dog or cat."

"I'd prefer a cat I think."

"Really?"

"Less demanding and more self-sufficient."

She tilted her head a bit, wondering if Severus had ever had a pet. Had he gotten the pleasure of a dog's unconditional love? Had he ever had a cat curl up on his lap while he read a book? She imagined not.

"Maybe both?"

He sighed with a huff. "Can we at least wait until after the wedding?"

"Yes," she said, brightening. She loved cats, but she truly thought that a dog would be a good fit for him. "James will love it."

"Yes, that is exactly why I do everything in life on the chance that James Potter will love it."

She smiled. She worked at setting the table for him in between sips of the wine he'd chosen to go with his meal. She wasn't hungry, but she would sit with him while he ate.

"You should have a familiar, though," he said a moment later.

"I have thought about it, but have been so busy it just wasn't a priority. And there's Beatrice, of course, but she's not very cuddly. I also felt as if I was betraying Crooks, giving up on the idea I might get him back one day."

"So then you'd have two."

"He'd likely stay with Mum and Dad anyway by then."

"Probably so."

"Why don't you need a familiar?"

He shrugged. "I've always been a loner, and I have you."

"I'm not your familiar."

"You are far better than any familiar, Hermione."

"You say such sweet things, Severus."

"I'm speaking the truth."

"And if we only have one?"

"Then we only have one," he said, not missing a beat at the change in their conversation.

She nodded simply, watching him as she sipped her wine. She could tell by his back and shoulders that he spoke the truth. He was far too relaxed to simply be telling her one was enough if he'd truly wanted more.

"I love you," she said simply.

"Thank you. I of course love you as well. My life would be quite dull and meaningless without you in it."

"You say that now."

"If you had been eighteen and not twelve when you solved my riddle…"

"Really?" That thrilled her down to her toes more than just a little bit.

"Really. Not that I thought that at the time, mind you. The past few years, though, it has crossed my mind."

She hummed then as she poured him more wine and took her seat at the table. He chuckled softly as he regarded her, shaking his head a bit. "Insufferable," he murmured.

"Well, that seems to be the way you like your witch. Just as I obviously like my wizards sneaky, cantankerous, and moody."

He chuckled as he prepared his plate and brought it to the table. With the plate there was a basket of bread he'd apparently made that day. He parted the napkin, offering her a slice which she took. She wasn't hungry, but his bread was delicious.

Story ©Susan Matthews/APCKRFAN/PhantomRoses.com