Just Around The Corner

Chapter 5

As she entered, she felt all eyes turn to her. But her eyes sought out only one. At the end of the aisle, stood her soon-to-be husband, his previous outfit transfigured into a handsome tuxedo with a long black dress robe over top, his hair swept back off his face. For the first time, she lost her breath, simply by looking at someone. Not because he was stunningly handsome, but because when she looked in his eyes, she saw such pure adoration. He looked stunned by her as well, as his mouth dropped slightly open. 

Almost a split second after seeing each other, they both split into grins, though Snape’s was more subdued than her’s, simply because smiling was so foreign to him in the first place. There was no music, no organ playing, as Hermione had always envisioned. It was not her father at her arm, her mother sitting in the front aisle. She wasn’t out in the forest as she’d always dreamed her wedding would be. But it was perfect. True, she was sad that her true parents weren’t there, but Mr. and Mrs.Weasley were the closest she would ever get to having magical parents, and that was enough for her.

When Hermione came back out of her thoughts, she and Mr.Weasley had already reached the end of the aisle, and Severus was holding out his hand for her’s. Without a second thought, she took it, letting him guide her the rest of the way to the altar. As she stepped up to Kingsley, the full weight of what was happening hit her. She was getting married. To quite literally, the perfect man for her. Who just so happened to also be her potions professor.

“My friends. We gather here today to honor the binding of these two in matrimony. Though their journey to each other is unique, their connection is strong. I suspect many long years of happiness for you,” the man said, smiling at them. Then, he drew his wand and the pair followed suit, clasping their left hands to the other’s forearm so their wrists connected. As Kingsley pointed his wand to the center of their wrists, they pointed their wands to their hands.

“Severus, repeat after me. I, Severus Snape,” “I, Severus Snape,” “Bind myself to you, Hermione Granger, as husband,” “Bind myself to you, Hermione Granger, as husband,” a wisp of platinum light slithered out from his wand to wrap around the woman’s hand while a gold one danced at the tip of the officiant’s wand, “To learn and to grow with,” “To learn and to grow with,” “To adventure and explore with,” “To adventure and explore with,” “To respect you in everything as an equal partner,” “To respect you in everything as an equal partner,” “In the foreknowledge of joy and pain,” “In the foreknowledge of joy and pain,” “Strength and weariness,” “Strength and weariness,” “Direction and doubt,” “Direction and doubt,” “For all the risings and settings of the sun,” “For all the risings and settings of the sun.”

The wisp entwined itself around Hermione’s ring finger, flowing down her hand, along her veins, and straight to her heart. Kingsley golden wisp wrapped itself around Severus’s wrist, tickling her own with an end.

“Hermione, repeat after me,” the man said, turning to her, and she did. As she spoke the words, another platinum wisp shot from her wand to twine around Severus’s finger and up his arm, the golden thread finally swirling around her own wrist as well.

“Will you swear to stand by each other as husband and wife, through all obstacles that may cross your path?” Kingsley asked.

“I will,” they said, and the threads cinched tighter around them, pressing lightly against their skin.

“Will you swear to protect each other from all that you can with a fierce heart, and to protect any children you may bear with the same fierceness?” he asked again. 

And again, their answer was, “I will.” Tighter still did the threads squeeze.

“Will you swear to nurture any hope, dream, or goal the other may pursue, and support them in all their endeavors?” he finally asked.