Lore

Sigyn entered the Great hall. She was as nervous as any first year. The difference was nothing would have happened if she was mistaken in the sorting ceremony. But today, one wrong step and her and Snape's reputation was going to suffer. No matter if people knew that everyone is helpless before that law, they won't stop making their life hell. Being the subject of gossip at breakfast or dinner time was the last thing she wanted to happen. Her eyes flickered through the staff table, her house-head McGonagall was animatedly talking with Snape. Her eyes lingered on him. How odd it was. Her professor was her fiancé. And not with the choice.

"Earth to Sigyn!" a familiar voice squealed.

Sigyn rolled her eyes, earning a giggle from Scarlet. How the fucking hell I am her friend? She thought but smiled. Though she wasn't her best friend, she was the closest friend of hers. She sat opposite of Scarlett.

"Sigyn, oh God, I missed you!" Scarlet almost shouted, trying to pull Sigyn into a huge hug.

"Nice to meet you too," Sigyn muttered, awkward due to her friend's show of affection.

"You know what? I got a letter from-" Scarlett began to rant.

Sigyn couldn't help but take a glance through the staff table. The sorting ceremony was started. Dumbledore was clapping for everyone; she saw Trelawney and Sinistra discussing something. And then she glanced at Severus. He was scowling, but not at some student. She followed his gaze. At the end of the table, she saw someone who looked familiar. She tried to remember hard, she knew who that woman was, Sigyn didn't remember her name and why Sigyn knew who she was.

"---- do you think we would be great together? Hey, you didn't hear,  did you?" Scarlett scowled.

"You two would look great together."

"Did you receive a letter from the ministry?" Scarlet casually asked.

Sigyn's brain flashed a warning to not tell her anything. She hoped something would happen to distract her.

'Well, now that we are all digesting another magnificent feast, I beg a few moments of your attention for the usual start-of-term notices,' said Dumbledore.

"First-years ought to know that the Forest in the grounds is out-of-bounds to students. And a few of our older students ought to know by now, too." Dumbledore began, "Mr Filch, the caretaker, has asked me, for what he tells me is the four-hundred-and-sixty-second time, to remind you all that magic is not permitted in corridors between classes, nor are several other things, all of which can be checked on the extensive list now fastened to Mr Filch's office door.

We have had two changes in staffing this year.

We are  pleased to welcome back Professor Grubbly-Plank, who will be taking Care of Magical Creatures lessons; we are also delighted to introduce Professor Umbridge, our new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher."

"Fuck!" Sigyn cursed, earning a smirk from her friend.

The bitch who introduced the werewolf registration law and the marriage law was here.

Her eyes locked with Snape, her eyes widened due to the fear and surprise.

This was not going to be simple. Not when the trouble itself was here in the name of Dolores Umbridge.

+++

Sigyn was fuming when Snape gave her detention for stirring the potion 4 times instead of three. The result acquired was more accurate. She never liked doing what she was told. The Potions were not fun if you haven't experimented, after all. But right! Severus Snape was allergic to fun, she forgot. Plus, he made her stay after class. After everyone was gone, she walked towards his table, trying not to lose her calm.

"May I know where I was wrong, Professor?" she asked.

"I think you know that is not the reason you are staying after the class, Sigyn," Severus stated, ignoring her concern.

"I think you should call me Ms Howell and not Sigyn" Sigyn spat.

"Why?"  he asked irritated.

"It isn't appropriate! That bitch is in the Hogwarts. What if she hears that? You might enjoy her taunts, but I don't." Sigyn explained like she was telling it to a two-year-old.

"You don't have to overreact, Sigyn. I have placed a few spells." Severus said lazily.

"Why am I here?"

"About that. You know we applied for keeping our marriage confidential?"

That didn't give much away. Sigyn hoped it wasn't rejected.

"We did," she said cautiously.

"They want to test us," he said with a sigh.

What? Sigyn gasped in fear.

"T-test us? Why?"

She searched something in his eyes. Re-assurance.

"To check our 'bond'," he spat.

"Well I know very little about you and so do you. None of us wanted this, so there isn't any Romance either. Isn't there any other way?" she asked, begging him to say that there is one.

"They will test this month. Even if we said we don't want our marriage to be secret," Severus said coolly.

Her eyes went wide.

"We are so fucked up!"

Severus looked at her with his piercing gaze.

"No, at least not yet. We have time. We can get to know each other."

Sigyn couldn't decide if it was amusement or humour found in his statement.

"As if you are going to answer my questions," she scoffed.

"I can try," he assured.

"Yeah but I have classes to attend, and you have to conduct as well," Sigyn blurted out.

"I have made arrangements with McGonagall. We have 45 minutes. And dinner time if you wish to skip that."

"We cannot do that every day," she murmured.

Severus sighed. "No, we cannot." 

"So, what are we going to do?"

"Talk."

Sigyn couldn't stop rolling her eyes.

"About what?"

"About basic things."

Who in the fucking world is so weird?

"Like names?" she asked, suppressing her wish to laugh.

"Okay. Severus Tobias Snape."

He thought she was serious!

"That's a pretty unique name. What is it's meaning?" She asked politely.

"The one who is always serious," he said with a grim look.

"Were your parents or grandparents seer?"

They had to be!

"No, they weren't. My mother was a pureblood witch, father was a muggle," he said with a straight face.

Not knowing how to react, she became silent.

"Oh."

Silence spread through them. Maybe talking wasn't a great idea.

"Your name?" he asked, trying to break the silence.

"As if you don't know. Sigyn Sif Howell," she said, rolling her eyes.

"Was Sif your mother's name?"

"Yes, it was. My mother was Swedish pureblood witch, then her family came to Britain and then she met my father. My father was a muggle-born. They had me." She said with the hint of a smile.

"Sigyn is a unique name. What are its origins?" he mocked her.

"Sigyn is a Norse Goddess, wife of Loki, God of mischief, lies and fire," she explained, a hint of pride in her tone.

"That's all?" he asked.

"In old Norse, Sig meant victorious. So, it also means the maiden who is victorious," explained Sigyn, knowing that she couldn't stop once she started to talk about the Goddess.

"So does Sigyn any role in mythology?" asked Severus, interested.

"The gospels found didn't throw any spotlight on her. But there is folklore. She was the most beautiful woman in the Norse after Freyja. Even Loki, the trickster or the God of Mischief, Lies and fire was captivated by her.  But she was already betrothed. She was meant to marry Thor's brother Theoric. Theoric went hunting, and Loki killed him and disguised himself as Theoric. Almost all the marriage ceremony was completed, and when the groom was supposed to kiss the bride, he revealed himself. Odin, the Allfather was furious, tried to call off the marriage, but the rules on Asgard wouldn't even let him do so. Sigyn accepted her fate without complaint and Allfather declared her Goddess of fidelity. Loki at first savoured her beauty but soon was tired of her. He was never a monogamous man. They had children. She accepted his previous children, Hela; Jörmungandr, Fenrir as her prodigy. Loki attempted to kill Balder, the God loved by everyone. As a punishment, Loki was bound in a cave with a poisonous serpent over his head. Sigyn who loved Loki more than anything decided to stay with him all day and night, with a bowl in her hands. Sigyn held the bowl over his head catching the venom, that is dripping from the serpent's jaws. But whenever she emptied the bowl, some of the drops of venom fell on Loki's head, which made him shake in tremendous pain. Some versions say that she would remain with him until the Ragnarök is near and Loki would take his revenge on Aesir. Some say she died, fueling…." Sigyn trailed off.

She looked at Severus who had utterly bored expressions and a hint of a plea to stop. Sigyn's cheeks become red due to embarrassment and shame. She hung her head.

"I am sorry if I bored you." She said, still feeling embarrassed.

"May I say that you are also into Norse mythology like your mother?" he asked, eyebrows raised and a hint of a smile on his lips, earning a redder on Sigyn's face.

"That's my name, for God's sec!" she said, rolling her eyes.

"But you do like mythology," Severus observed.

"Not more than Novels or plays..." she said, a genuine smile on her lips.

"Let me guess. Jane Austin?" Severus asked with mirth.

"I do think that Jane Austin is one of the greatest authors, but I'd like to stick with Shakespeare and Kafka.", Sigyn said, venom in her voice.

"Kafka?" he was surprised.

"Yeah, Kafka." Sigyn smiled at his undisguised surprise.

"From a certain point onward, there is no longer any turning back-"

"-That is the point that must be reached." Sigyn completed the quote.

Both of them smiled, looking into each other's life.

Someone knocked.

"Maybe that's my cue," Sigyn whispered, turning to leave.

Severus opened his mouth to stop her, but he couldn't speak.

Both of them felt it. Something was different now.