This is my submission for the QLFC Round 10. This week we are doing forbidden relationships and all players who are beater #1, got 'incest'. Some of you, me included, find this subject to be objectionable; however, a little angel left me an idea that wasn't in conflict with my feelings about incest. As the max rating we can have for these stories is 'T', you'll be happy to know this won't get uncomfortable to read. My prompts are free and careless.

It goes without saying that this story is AU and not canon compliant because, well, Severus is alive and married to Hermione, and I decided to make them…well, that would spoil the story now wouldn't it?

I do not own the world that JKR created.

Many thanks to Shirekat and Thosedarndursleys for the beta on this!

Cleaning out the attic of the last remaining Prince home was a chore, Hermione admitted. Magic would have been easier, but Severus had said that he wanted to go through all of the boxes by hand, to ensure no dark hexes would be tripped by magic and that nothing of value or delicacy was destroyed by magical use.

The couple had been surprised to discover Severus had received an inheritance at all; as far as he knew, he was not only the last Snape, but the last Prince as well—at least until they had children. To discover that he had had an elderly Prince first cousin, thrice removed, was startling to say the least. An exhaustive search for further relatives drove his barrister barmy, but in the end, Severus was 'it'.

"Severus," Hermione said, "there's a large box of books here, what shall we do with it?"

"Are you sure they're books?"

"You do remember to whom you're speaking, correct?" Hermione raised an eyebrow at him. "Just come and look. I've already scanned them for hexes, and it's safe."

Severus wove through the paraphernalia littering the attic floor until he was at Hermione's side. He reached for one large, leather-bound book and pulled it out. Using his wand, he removed the dirt of decades and flipped it open.

"Pictures!" Hermione exclaimed. "Let me see!" She attempted to pull the volume from Severus' grip, but he batted her hands away.

"Woman, settle down. It's too dark to see properly, even with wand light." He bent over and shuffled the remaining items in the box about. "These also appear to be albums. Let's take them downstairs to look through." He stood and looked at the other items stored around the attic. "The rest of this can wait for another day."

Levitating the box in front of them, Severus led the way back down to one of the sitting rooms and settled the box near the sofa. A large window let in a lot of sunshine, and he and Hermione often spent many hours lounging on the sofa, reading.

"I'll fix some sandwiches," said Hermione, "and then we'll look through them. I'm so excited!"

Severus muttered something Hermione would probably not want to hear as he sifted through the box and began to pull out volumes. With a quick Evanesco, he vanished the dirt. Each was labelled by year, so they'd be able to go through them in order, and he laid them out in readiness. As he finished, Hermione came into the room, carrying a tray laden with sandwiches, crisps, and a couple of beers.

"Here we go, love," she said as she set the tray down and handed Severus a plate of sandwiches. "So, can we look at them while we eat?"

Severus chuckled and flicked her nose. "You will have to be patient, pet. I don't want anything to fall on them; they are all the photographs I will ever have of my ancestors."

Hermione was about to growl out a 'as if I would be careless', but realised the truth of Severus' statement, so the conversation turned to what they had left to do. They discussed whether or not to live in the house once it was emptied and cleaned. They loved their home in Hogsmeade; it had been bought when they first got married with the idea that the two extra bedrooms would be filled one day with children, and the large finished basement was more than ample for Severus' lab. As well, there was room to construct a wing for their combined libraries. The home was located handy to the castle where Hermione taught and to Severus' apothecary located on the outskirts of the village.

There were rooms upon rooms in Prince Manor, perfect for a horde of children, several labs, and more libraries then they would ever need, but it held no sentiment to encourage them to keep it, even if only for a summer home. No, they would more than likely sell it and use the profits to invest back into Severus' apothecary.

Licking her fingers, Hermione asked, "Are you done?"

"Yes, my dear; you may get the first volume," Severus chuckled.

With a little squeal, Hermione snatched the first volume from the table, snuggled closer to Severus and opened the cover. "Oh, my," she gasped, "it's you!"

Indeed, there on the first page was a picture of young Severus, probably about two, sitting on the lap of his mother, a gaunt looking woman with features very similar to her son's. Her nose, however, was not inherited by the little boy waving in the picture. Obviously that came down through the Snape side of the family.

"I thought you said your mother was disowned from the Prince family?" She looked up at Severus.

"She was. I thought perhaps she was disowned upon her marriage to my father, but it looks like it wasn't until much later."

"Wouldn't there be a family diary stating when?"

"Perhaps; there are still quite a few boxes upstairs. We may find the answer among them at some point."

Hermione giggled. "Look at you, though—all chubby and everything. Look at those rolls of fat on your thighs!"

Severus sniffed imperiously. "It has been my experience that fat on a baby is preferable. Even Draco had fat thighs."

Hermione continued to laugh at Severus' haughty look and settled closer into his side as they continued flipping through the book. They were grateful that each picture was labelled, so they were able to identify Severus' relatives.

As they looked through the photos, Hermione kept a running commentary as to the ancestral features of the Prince line. She had noticed that, although the photos were black and white, the tone of skin colour never changed, nor did the similarity of their facial structure. According to Severus, this was a blend of Mediterranean and Romany from the Prince side, and the influence of western European bloodlines entering the family. It wasn't until they picked up the fourth volume that Hermione began to see any change at all and most surprisingly, it was the hair.

"Look Severus, this cousin actually had curly hair! A bit like mine even."

"Well, whomever she married certainly manage to ensure that gene did not get passed down, but you're right, there seems to be quite a few family members in these pictures with hair like yours."

Hermione began to read aloud some of the names that labelled the pictures. "What is it with your family and names? This one," she pointed to a tall lanky man in a photo, "has a decent name—Quintus, but what's with this one? Trajan? Or this one; Balbinus? Why on earth were they given such horrid names?"

"My family has a tradition of naming children after Roman Emperors."

"Well if you think any of our children will be saddled with such outlandish names, think again!"

Severus picked one more volume. "How about we look through this one and call it a night?"

"Okay," Hermione replied. "I didn't realise how late it was!"

As Severus moved the book to his lap, a sheaf of parchment dropped out.

Hermione reached for it, wondering aloud at what it may be. "Oh, look, Severus; it's a family tree!" she exclaimed as she opened it and then held the parchment so Severus could look at it as well.

Severus took one edge and the pair looked it over. Hermione pointed to the top of the page. "Hector Dagworth Granger. You know, many have said—and I've often wondered—if he wasn't a long lost relative of mine."

"He founded Most Extraordinary Society of Potioneers," explained Severus. "He put forth the understanding that no such elixir can be created to control or create love, and that love potions only induce powerful infatuations. Among many other leading potioneers, he doubted that it was possible to create such a truly unbreakable and eternal affection. My understanding is that he was related to me; as you can see here, he'd be my third great grand uncle."

Hermione nodded as she continued to look through the family tree. "Severus," she said, "look here." She pointed to a branch. "It looks like he had four children, but when you trace their lines, one of them seems to disappear. It doesn't list that the child died, either."

Severus studied the parchment a moment. "One of the sad facts about pureblood society is that at one time, squib children tended to 'disappear'. Dagworth did have a squib child named Annabelle, according to some records at the Potioneer Society."

"Why would they have the records and not the family?"

"In the interest of research, every Potions master lists his lineage with the society, squib or not."

Hermione sat thinking. "You know, my parents have a very old Bible at home. In it, there is a list of family as far back as 1730. There was always one entry in question about the parent of a relative named Annabelle. It shows the name of D.W. Granger as her father and then a question mark. Do you think this could be Dagworth Granger?"

"There is a possibility, Hermione. For you to have been born with magic, somewhere in your lineage there must have been a witch or wizard. This makes as much sense as anything."

Considering further and fingering the parchment in front of her, she gasped in realisation. "Severus, if this is indeed a relative of mine, then we are related!"

Severus laughed at the horrified look on Hermione's face. "It is very well known that all the purebloods and half bloods in the magical world are related to one another at some point, love. Although it pains me to admit it, I am related to the Weasley's, though that happened several generations ago."

"So, we are," she consulted the parchment, "fifth cousins?

Severus thought a moment. "Yes. If this lineage is correct, we would be."

"Is that accepted in the wizarding world?" Hermione asked, worry lacing her voice. "People already speculate about our relationship thanks to that scathing article Rita Skeeter published when we first went public. She insinuated we were carrying on while I was a student. Can you image the lurid speculation if she tried to connect the dots of our family trees?"

"Hermione," Severus said, rubbing her back. "You're getting upset for no reason. Our relationship is in no way wrong or forbidden from a familial standpoint.

"Are you sure? How would we explain this to my parents?" she asked.

"I am certain, love. And there's no need to tell your parents anything. What they don't know…"

Hermione shivered slightly. "If they only knew how much they don't know about my life in the magical world." She looked up at Severus.

Severus leant over and kissed her to ease her fears.

Hermione smiled. "Well, that certainly puts a spin on 'kissing cousins', doesn't it?"

"We are distantly related enough that there is no impropriety," Severus replied dryly.

"If we are indeed related by blood, then our wedding bonds are even stronger," Hermione said happily.

"Yes, they would be." Severus tugged the album from Hermione's hands and placed it on the table in from of them. "It's late. Let's go to bed."

The pair stood and walked, arm in arm, toward the staircase leading to their temporary suite of rooms. As they settled under the duvet for the night, Hermione turned and faced her husband. "So," she said with a hint of mischief, "our being fifth cousins means I am still free to do deliciously evil things to your body?"

"Not knowing never stopped you before," answered Severus with a smirk, "shouldn't stop you now."

With a delighted laugh, Hermione reached for her husband.