𝙻𝚒𝚟𝚎𝚜 𝙸𝚗𝚝𝚎𝚛𝚝𝚠𝚒𝚗𝚎𝚍 II SS/HG ✔️

The Quibbler

In the bed, Hermione leaned on her elbows to look down at him. It was too hot even with the curtains layered one over the other to keep out the sun. Hermione would roll out of the sheets to get away from his hot skin. Severus didn't want to sleep without a cover but did it really count if half his body was flung out from underneath the sheet?

"Severus, Pansy Parkinson came into the store today."

"And?" He pushed his sweat-heavy hair from his face.

"People are starting to talk."

He let his arm fall onto the bed. His wife didn't look too worried.

"I think we should have The Quibbler mention it before Rita hears."

Severus rolled his eyes.

"So that way it's not…Rita telling it." Her face scrunched up.

"It's your name," he said. "Do what you have to."

"Great! Luna will be here to show you a draft tomorrow morning."

The fact that he was still surprised said more about Severus than about Hermione. "When did you broach this subject with her?"

"On our Australia trip."

"When?" he grouched.

"Eleven AM."

He rubbed one of his temples.

The next morning was equally hot. Since the door to his office had yet to be replaced, he popped open a window and let the cross-breeze flow through. Even the portraits fanned themselves when the direct sunlight hit them.

Severus sat behind his desk. Miss Lovegood and Hermione sat in the chairs in front of him.

'An Appeal to Repeal' was the title.

Severus's eyes slanted up to Miss Lovegood. She remained unrattled. Hermione scowled at him in a pre-rebuke.

Severus read on.

Miss Lovegood recounted testimonies of several unhappy parties, ranging from 'he wants children and I don't,' to outright uxoricide.

Then she mentioned some positives. In the middle, as plain and yet as innocuous as day, were their names.

𝙾𝚗𝚎 𝚘𝚏 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚏𝚎𝚠 𝚋𝚎𝚗𝚎𝚏𝚒𝚝𝚜 𝚝𝚘 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚕𝚊𝚠 𝚒𝚗𝚌𝚕𝚞𝚍𝚎 𝚜𝚑𝚊𝚛𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚖𝚊𝚐𝚒𝚌 𝚋𝚎𝚝𝚠𝚎𝚎𝚗 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚜𝚙𝚘𝚞𝚜𝚎𝚜. 𝚆𝚑𝚒𝚕𝚎 𝚝𝚑𝚒𝚜 𝚕𝚎𝚊𝚍𝚜 𝚝𝚘 𝚊 𝚠𝚎𝚊𝚔𝚎𝚗𝚎𝚍 𝚜𝚝𝚊𝚝𝚎 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚘𝚞𝚝𝚛𝚒𝚐𝚑𝚝 𝚙𝚊𝚒𝚗 𝚜𝚑𝚘𝚞𝚕𝚍 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚜𝚙𝚘𝚞𝚜𝚎𝚜 𝚋𝚎 𝚊𝚙𝚊𝚛𝚝 𝚏𝚘𝚛 𝚝𝚘𝚘 𝚕𝚘𝚗𝚐, 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚒𝚗𝚝𝚎𝚗𝚍𝚎𝚍 𝚜𝚒𝚍𝚎-𝚎𝚏𝚏𝚎𝚌𝚝 𝚒𝚜 𝚏𝚘𝚛 𝚘𝚗𝚎 𝚜𝚙𝚘𝚞𝚜𝚎 𝚝𝚘 𝚋𝚘𝚕𝚜𝚝𝚎𝚛 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚘𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚛 𝚒𝚗 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚌𝚊𝚜𝚎 𝚘𝚏 𝚒𝚗𝚓𝚞𝚛𝚢 𝚘𝚛 𝚍𝚒𝚜𝚎𝚊𝚜𝚎. 𝚃𝚑𝚒𝚜 𝚖𝚊𝚐𝚒𝚌𝚊𝚕 𝚕𝚒𝚗𝚔 𝚋𝚎𝚝𝚠𝚎𝚎𝚗 𝚠𝚊𝚛 𝚑𝚎𝚛𝚘𝚒𝚗𝚎 𝙷𝚎𝚛𝚖𝚒𝚘𝚗𝚎 𝙶𝚛𝚊𝚗𝚐𝚎𝚛 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚑𝚞𝚜𝚋𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝙷𝚎𝚊𝚍𝚖𝚊𝚜𝚝𝚎𝚛 𝚂𝚎𝚟𝚎𝚛𝚞𝚜 𝚂𝚗𝚊𝚙𝚎 𝚜𝚞𝚌𝚌𝚎𝚜𝚜𝚏𝚞𝚕𝚕𝚢 𝚘𝚟𝚎𝚛𝚌𝚊𝚖𝚎 𝚊 𝚟𝚒𝚌𝚒𝚘𝚞𝚜 𝚜𝚗𝚊𝚔𝚎 𝚋𝚒𝚝𝚎 𝚏𝚛𝚘𝚖 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚕𝚊𝚝𝚎-𝚃𝚘𝚖 𝚁𝚒𝚍𝚍𝚕𝚎'𝚜 𝚋𝚎𝚊𝚜𝚝𝚕𝚢 𝚙𝚎𝚝 𝚊𝚖𝚘𝚗𝚐 𝚘𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚛 𝚌𝚛𝚒𝚝𝚒𝚌𝚊𝚕 𝚒𝚗𝚓𝚞𝚛𝚒𝚎𝚜 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚝𝚠𝚘 𝚐𝚊𝚒𝚗𝚎𝚍 𝚍𝚞𝚛𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚌𝚘𝚞𝚛𝚜𝚎 𝚘𝚏 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚠𝚊𝚛 𝚊𝚗𝚍 '𝙵𝚒𝚗𝚊𝚕 𝙱𝚊𝚝𝚝𝚕𝚎,' 𝚊𝚜 𝚜𝚘𝚖𝚎 𝚌𝚊𝚕𝚕 𝚒𝚝. 𝚃𝚑𝚒𝚜 𝚒𝚜 𝚊 𝚑𝚊𝚙𝚙𝚒𝚎𝚛 𝚌𝚊𝚜𝚎 𝚝𝚘 𝚝𝚑𝚒𝚜 '𝚙𝚎𝚛𝚔' 𝚘𝚏 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝙼𝚊𝚛𝚛𝚒𝚊𝚐𝚎 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝙻𝚒𝚗𝚔𝚊𝚐𝚎 𝙰𝚌𝚝. 𝚂𝚘𝚞𝚛𝚌𝚎𝚜 𝚌𝚕𝚘𝚜𝚎 𝚝𝚘…