Disclaimer, I solemnly swear I do not own these characters and will not earn anything from this story. All recognition to J.k. Rowling.
A pointless little short story that came to mind, I am not criticising any of the other marriage law stories, (well maybe a few of them) but this is just my idea about how such a law might play out.
The Mockery of Marriage
My name is Germaine North, but most of you would probably know me by the name Hermione Granger. I say that you know me, but perhaps it is more accurate to say that you recognise my story. When we started to tell our story, we hardly expected the type of overwhelming response to it. You see, my friend, John Clay, or Harry Potter if you prefer, really was the boy-who-lived and eventually the Defender of the Light after he vanquished the dark wizard, Voldemort.
However these events did not take place recently, they are in fact over thirty years in our past. John's children have grown and graduated from Hogwarts now. As have my own.
However, I am not the fanciful seductress of the Fan fiction stories or the beloved child from the books, my true life was much darker, much more sinister than any of you may believe. Why? One man – Sergio Stanislav. Sergio is my husband, my master and my keeper – the Ministry of Magic saw to that during my sixth year at Hogwarts, when they forced the marriage law through despite much opposition from all sides. The cost was terrible, especially for the Muggle-born witches. Our muggle parents were punished for voicing their considerable opposition at their daughters' fate. When their complaints were thrown out from the Wizengamont, they continued to fight in the muggle world. They approached the Prime Minister who refused to aid them and so the wizengamont rounded them up, obliviated them and sent them on their way.
The threat of losing them altogether, forced myself and many like me to bow to the law and bond with the pure bloods. It was a terrible time, and my choices were very limited and so I was sold to my most hated teacher. That was the last time I was happy and free to laugh.
I am 46 years old and have two children, a daughter of 25 and a son of 22. And it is with the graduation of my son from his apprenticeship that I am finally to be free from the wizarding world and all its evil machinations. The marriage laws have long been retracted, and of the few surviving Muggle born witches (with the exception of the happily married Weasleys) I am the only one who has yet to be free. Our bonding required that we give birth to and raise at least one boy and girl, only then was our contract fulfilled and the bonding rings dissolved.
Sergio is a cold man, it would be unfair to call him cruel – I know that he cares for his children, at least as much as he is able to. He was forced into the union just as surely as I was. But our different characters allowed us only so much leeway. Whereas I tried to form a peaceful relationship with him, one were we could both be…if not happy then at least content –Sergio was unbending in his distaste for the entire situation. The only saving grace for us was that once I had given birth to both our children I was permitted to live outside of the school and raise them – he had only to floo once a month to perform his required conjugal duty and then he could withdraw to the safety of his classrooms.
Perhaps it would be easier for you if I wrote the tale from the start, (with the names you all recognise and are comfortable with)…..or at least the start of my sixth year….the start of my slavery.
As I walked up the stairs to the headmaster's office with a great deal of trepidation, I could hear Professor Snape yelling and I really didn't want to interrupt him.
"I will not add paedophile to my curriculum Vitae, not even for you," his voice grated on my nerves as his anger radiated through the closed door.
"She is no longer a child," Professor Dumbledore replied quietly. "I know that I have asked much from you over the years and this is perhaps the most difficult – believe me if I could find another way to keep her safe."
"Albus, she may be seventeen but I think that even her know-it-all status could not possible prepare her for marriage."
"She is intelligent and caring – a good prospective wife." My breath hitched at this compliment from one of the world's most powerful wizards but I stayed outside and listened, not yet ready to face them.
"She is an adolescent shrew – she may escape marriage to a current death eater through me but are you really so sure that I will not kill her eventually?" Professor Snape's voice was low and threatening and I felt a shiver run up my spine with just a sparkle of righteous indignation. What gave these men the right to sit and discuss my future in my absence? Steeling my nerves I knocked on the door and was bade entrance.
"Ah, Miss Granger," the headmaster greeted me, but even as I replied I searched the shadows of the room for Snape. I realised belatedly that the headmaster was still addressing me, "….I have tried all means at my disposal."
"I understand headmaster," I replied, hoping that my answer was the right one. "But I think you should know that my parents are fighting this from the muggle world and I think that once they can speak with the Prime minister, the wizengamont will be forced to recall their law," my voice carried more confidence than I truly felt.
"Miss Granger, please sit down," Professor Dumbledore asked gravely, thinking back, the fact that he was missing his usual twinkle in his eyes should have warned me that something was very wrong.
"I am afraid that your parents have already spoken to the muggle authorities and they have refused to become involved," Dumbledore said quietly, "But when the Prime Minister contacted the Minister for Magic, it was decided that all muggle parents whose children were affected by this new law were a danger to the statute of secrecy."
"What have they done," I whispered.
"Your parents were in a group of muggles who have been obliviated; they think that you are dead. I am sorry."
"Well I can go and tell them I'm not," I said.
"If you go to them, you will be putting their lives in danger – as it is if they have no further contact with the magical world they will be left alone. But if you were to go to them, then I'm afraid they would be arrested and imprisoned in Azkaban. They would not survive."
I barely noted the tears that were streaming down my face as I asked, "it's over then? I have to marry."
"I am so very sorry," Dumbledore said, "But I have arranged for the ministry representative to come here today to perform the rites. And Professor Snape will be your husband."
I snapped my head round when I heard the derisive snort behind me; somehow I had forgotten that he was even in the room. A flood of cold terror filled my stomach and a blanket of blissful black settled over me – I knew no more.
I became aware of an angry voice yelling off somewhere to my right.
"Look at her Albus, even the thought of marriage to me is enough to send her into fainting fits – can you imagine what discovering that she has to have sexual relations with me will do to her?"
I shuddered and forced my self to sit up straight, "I am sorry I passed out – it was…"
"It was the shock," Dumbledore said kindly, "more than understandable. Why don't I call for Professor McGonagall to come and take you somewhere quiet, she can explain things to you?"
I nodded and avoided eye contact with Professor Snape. After what seemed like an eternity, my head of house appeared and led me away to her office.
If having to marry a teacher twenty years my senior is not humiliating enough, imagine have sex explained by my head of house over fifty years my senior. Minerva McGonagall is a stern witch with very strict ideas about what is correct and what is not, so she was rightly disgusted by the whole marriage law. But she is also kind and compassionate when called for and plied me with many cups of tea and hours of advice and consolation. And so at eight o'clock on October 31st, I stood in the headmasters office dressed in my school uniform and submitted my self to slavery. Happy Halloween!
Professor Snape was his usual greasy self and had not even changed out of his regular teaching robes. As the last spell was cast over us, I felt my heart race and a dull roar surrounded me, I couldn't hear anything any more. I was about to be raped by my teacher – though in all fairness, does it count as rape if both parties are unwilling?
Our 'wedding night' was excruciating, I suspect for both of us. In hindsight perhaps I should have taken the offered aphrodisiac, but at the time I was so repulsed by the whole concept that I was afraid to – the thought of enjoying such a coupling seemed even more horrifying. Snape had snorted his disgust at my refusal and sent me to change into my nightdress and wait in the bed. As I lay there in the dark, trembling, I felt the bed dip as my 'husband' joined me. Then with no preparation or fumbling, he pulled up my night shirt and penetrated me. The pain was considerable and the only sounds in the dark room were my crying and the slapping of our skin until he grunted in completion and withdrew. He stormed from the room and left me alone in the dark, bleeding and crying until morning. This was my introduction to marital bliss and a glimpse of things to come. (I am a forty six year old mother of two and I have never been kissed - how sad my life has been).
The first month at school was humiliating, everyone knew what I had done and all the students whispered about me and pointed. Being addressed as Madame Snape, no matter how often or how loud I complained, just added insult to injury, (the exception being Professor McGonagall who took to calling me Hermione, rather than hurt me more).
But the Potion class before the second compulsory sexual encounter was by far the worst. Draco Malfoy was taking perverse pleasure at my situation and when I went to the cupboard to gather extra ingredients for my potion, he followed me and pushed me against the shelves, his hand lifting my robes, seeking bare flesh. I kneed him in the groin and sent forth a stream of insulting and degrading expletives, but to my horror my husband to not ride to my rescue – he dragged me out of the cupboard and berated me for attacking another student.
My temper snapped and I screamed at him, "I agreed to submit to one Slytherin rapist – not all of them!"
He slapped my face hard enough to knock me to the floor and spat out, "Remember your place woman – you are excused from further potions lessons henceforth. Control yourself else you may find yourself excused from all of your classes!"
As I lay there trembling on the floor, Harry (my knight in shining armour) stood and drew his wand on the potions master. "Get your filthy hands off of her you bastard!"
Snape drew himself to his full and considerable height and snapped, "One hundred points from Gryffindor. Now get out both of you and don't come back. And if anyone else feels like defending Madame Snape I suggest they leave also."
The rest of the class watched mutely as Harry grabbed both our bags and led me from the room. I was in a stupor as he dragged me along and didn't protest when I realised he was taking me to the headmaster. We were permitted entry and Harry guided me to an empty chair as he addressed the headmaster. I didn't listen to their conversation and was startled when Harry leaned down to say, "I'm going to the common room, come find me when you're done."
I nodded dumbly and then looked at the old man behind the desk. I had once believed him the leading defender of the light – a man of principle who could protect us all, but I sadly recognised that while he was no doubt very wise and equally benevolent, he was still only a man.
"Madam Snape," he began.
"Don't call me that, please," I muttered.
"Hermione then," he smiled, "Do you want to tell me why you attacked Mr Malfoy?"
"He was trying to molest me. I thought Professor Snape was supposed to protect me, yet he took Malfoy's side and then slapped me."
"He slapped you?" Dumbledore frowned.
"Well I may have said something awful but I was angry and he slapped me."
"What did you say?"
"I said that I agreed to submit to one slytherin rapist not all of them."
The headmaster gasped and then said, "Hermione, it is no fairer to call Severus a rapist than it is to call you one. But I will have words with him; he has no right to physically harm you."
"I'm sorry….. He threw me out of potions," I whimpered.
"I know and I think that perhaps it is better I do not interfere with his decision."
"But my NEWTs," I blurted out.
"Severus has to walk a very fine line, Hermione – you know that. He cannot favour you over his Slytherin students."
"He is supposed to protect me."
"And he does, Voldemort knows that I cast a spell on him to prevent him harming the children of the school or removing them without my permission – but Severus cannot be seen to be happy about this situation."
"Happy – neither of us are happy with this situation nor are we ever likely to be."
"You must give it time, Hermione," Dumbledore advised – easy for him to say he didn't have to copulate with the greasy git. I listened to a few more platitudes from the headmaster and then returned to the common room to wait for the evening.
"You selfish wench," Snape stormed into his quarters and yelled at me.
"Me, selfish! You are tyrannical bastard!"
"You will not speak to me in that tone," Severus' eyes bulged and his face flamed red.
"And if you ever raise your hand to me again I will cut of your male pride whilst you sleep!" I snapped in reply.
"If you ever call me a rapist, in public or I private you will discover that I was not always a mere spy!" he threatened. "Do you think I enjoy touching you? Having sex with an ignorant child?"
"You seemed to enjoy it a lot more than I did!"
"I would not even have been able to sustain an erection if not for the potion I had to drink, I find your shapeless body entirely too repulsive!"
"And I find your whole persona disgusting!" I stormed into the bathroom and locked the door. Once I was sure he wasn't going to follow me to continue the argument I let the tears fall. I lay on the cold stone floor and cried for hours until I couldn't cry any more. Then I dragged myself into the shower and changed for bed. I was just drifting off when I felt the bed dip and the overwhelming smell of whiskey filled my nostrils. Snape was just as unrelenting as the last time, but at least it didn't hurt quite as much. And it was over quickly. When he had gone I discovered that I had a few more tears left after all.
Needless to say, I graduated from Hogwarts intact. Though I only had nine NEWT's since Snape had not relented and allowed me to return to Potions. But nine was a very respectable amount and I was ready to step out into the world. My dealings with my husband moved from openly antagonistic to quietly resolved as the years passed. No one ever commented on the strangeness of my calling my husband Professor Snape. But upon my graduation, I took to calling him just Snape and he never failed to address me as Madam Snape.
Another major conflict came when I was to be initiated into the order of the phoenix – Snape was adamant that I not be allowed in, whilst I was equally adamant that I would. Professor Dumbledore finally conceded to Harry's pressure and my own and much to my husbands discomfort I was allowed to join. The compromise came when he insisted that I be kept away from missions as it would indicate to Voldemort that I was not under his control and put his status as spy at risk. So I became the researcher for the order and almost two years after graduation, I was able to create a spell for Harry to use to destroy Voldemort. Snape helped to arrange the trap and the entire order met in one final battle – except me, Snape locked me at home. I spent the night praying for Harry's victory and guiltily praying my husband might be caught by a random curse and free me from my nightmarish marriage.
After the victory parties and the many honours awarded to Harry and the rest of the order, Harry used his political clout to have the marriage laws repealed. By that time Harry was already married to Ginny Weasley and the rest of the Weasley men had muggle born partners, with whom they were contented. I was the only one of our group still trapped unhappily with my unbreakable contract. I had Snape brew a fertility potion and managed to conceive my daughter. She was to become my whole reason for living. We called her Oxsana, a traditional Snape family name. And she was a perfect blend of both our limited good features, she had dark curly hair and black eyes. But she didn't have the Snape nose or my own over large teeth. Snape forbad me from working on the grounds that I needed to raise our child – not leave her with nannies and tutors. And eventually I complied; I did enjoy teaching Oxsana so I was not overly disturbed when I became pregnant again with our son, Sergio. He was unfortunate to resemble his father, but I loved him anyway.
The years after Sergio's birth were happy, Snape disappeared back to teaching and I lived with the children in a small house close to Hogwarts. I gradually made friends with other mothers in the area and the children made friends who would last them through their life during and after Hogwarts. I was not permitted to work in the magical world without my husbands consent and even after the children were at Hogwarts he withheld it. But I discovered that I could, with a little help from my friends, participate in an Open University course and earn a muggle diploma that would allow me to work in the muggle world – eventually.
I bought a computer and spent many hours working out the charms to enable it to work in our home – but I kept my office in the attic, away from the preying eyes of my husband. I eventually became proficient in the technology and started to surf the net. Imagine my surprise when I found the Harry Potter sites. I was able to read our story in full for all the muggles to see. But I was angry when I saw the sixth and seventh book in the series ignored my plight and set out to correct it. Imagine my horror, when I planted the seeds of the marriage laws and the forced marriage to Snape – instead of discovering stories reviling the ministry and their laws, I found that my story had been romanticised and my husband transformed into some dark and benevolent saviour. But alas I had to bide my time until today. Sergio earned his mastery in Potions and is now a fully qualified adult wizard. This morning I sent an owl to Snape – demanding his presence tomorrow. I will finally be free of this contract and I will gladly disappear into the muggle world once more and search out my muggle family.
Severus Snape threw the floo powder into the fire and called out, "The Snape residence, Hogsmeade," then stepped through to his wife's home. He had always considered it that way; after all he never lived there and took no interest in anything going on there - save his children.
His wife was standing near the fire place waiting on him, her expression blank as always, not revealing why she had summoned him. It was the first time during their thirty year marriage he could ever remember her actually wanting to speak to him. Curious.
"Hello Snape," Hermione said in a quiet dignified voice. "Are you well?"
"Thank you, I am curious as to your summons, however," Snape replied. "Is something wrong?"
"No," Hermione replied, "Why don't you join me in the drawing room for some tea and I will explain.
They walked through the silent house until Hermione took a seat in the drawing room come library and conjured a tray of tea. She poured him a cup of Earl Grey and added one sugar and a slice of lemon, then handed it to him. He was mildly surprised that she remembered how he liked his tea but then realised that after thirty years that shouldn't be such a surprise.
"I am ready to dissolve the bond," Hermione said without preamble.
Severus raised a brow and said, "What brought this on?"
"Sergio has completed his apprenticeship and no longer requires me to be at home for his holidays. It is time."
"So you want to go out and work," Snape said, as though figuring out the puzzle.
"No, I want to go out and live," Hermione snapped.
"And what would you call raising two children?" Snape asked with his usually caustic tone.
"Existing."
"I thought you had outgrown your shrewish ways," Snape bit out. "I have provided you with all that you need, you have a fine home, expensive clothes and you holiday three months out of twelve. Most people would be happy to live so well."
"No matter the gilding, a cage is still a cage!"
"Always so mellow dramatic," Snape replied coldly.
"Why are we even arguing about this? We both knew that once the terms of the bond had been satisfied, I would demand my freedom."
"Your freedom," Snape sneered, "My God woman, you make it sound as though I chained you at home and tortured you."
"And what do you call it," Hermione replied calmly, "I was forced into marriage, having children, my dreams were taken from me – I was denied a career."
"Then have your god damn career, I won't stop you."
"I don't want to be tied to you anymore – I want to have a chance to live my own life."
"And what of your children?"
"They will always know where to find me, I don't intend to disappear – but I do intend to live the way I chose."
"Snape's do not Divorce, you are causing your children shame."
"Don't be absurd," Hermione replied. "I thought you would welcome this. You dislike this union just as much as I do."
"We are no longer compelled to have intercourse and I am busy in my position in Hogwarts. I see no reason to disturb the status quo."
"You unfeeling jerk," Hermione snapped, "I am a forty six year old virgin!"
"Don't be ridiculous, you forget perhaps that you have two children and we have had sex for thirty years."
"That's just it – we didn't even have sex, you masturbated inside me three hundred and sixty times – I have never even been kissed, or touched tenderly, much less had any sensations during intercourse."
"So you are frustrated," Snape nodded as though understanding.
"No you pig," Hermione yelled, "I am human – do you recognise what that means? Now will you say the words with me to dissolve the bond or shall I take you through court to do so?"
"Fine, as long as you promise not to advertise this! I will not have my children misjudged because of their mother."
"Neither will I, and I will not be living here anyway – I intend to leave the magical world altogether. So your dirty little secret will be safe."
Snape stood and drew his wand and watched as Hermione rose to do the same. They began the chant in Latin and a golden light emerged from their hands and dissolved. The bond was finally broken and Hermione sagged in relief.
"I will be gone by the end of the week," she said quietly, staring at the man who she had been bound to for thirty years – in many ways he was just as much a stranger now as he had been then.
"Goodbye Madam Snape," Snape replied and turned to leave.
"My name is Ms Granger," Hermione replied, and smiled as she realised that she was free to say it again.
Snape nodded once and left the room, she heard the flair of the fire as he flooed away and then she turned to go up stairs and finish her packing.
Hermione stood with her suitcases in hand and surveyed the village of Hogsmeade and the tall elegant castle in the background. Thirty-five years ago she had stared in awe at the magical world she had entered but now the magic was tarnished and nothing could ever revive it in her eyes. She closed her eyes and disappeared with a pop, leaving all her disappointments behind her.
The End
You may be relieved to hear that there is no sequel to this and I would not return to it and create some fairy tale ending. That would defeat the purpose of the whole idea. Hope you enjoyed it anyway.