Just a few author's notes before we begin.

This is very AU after Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, Half-Blood Prince, and Deathly Hallows. It is set in present time with the Trio because of references. Fred Weasley also didn't die.

This is also my one and only disclaimer, and it implies to the whole of the story. Any character that you seem to recognize will not be mine. Harry Potter and everything in the universe is solely owned by JK Rowling. This is simply a work of fanfiction in her honor.

Based on the Marriage Law challenge.


Chapter One

"How Did We Get Into This Mess?"


War always raged ragged on the participants more than the politicians that started it in the first place, but that didn't mean that life managed to stop itself from moving forward during and after it. Life had that funny way of carrying on even through the most darkest of times, considering that there would be people to execute through it. Life was fickle, something meant to be treasured, but always taken for granted; and no one knew that even more than the current occupants of a quaint country home on the outskirts of a small town in England, aptly named Ottery St. Catchpole.

Its occupants, mostly adorned with red, almost burning of color, in hair with the exceptions of a beautiful blonde, two gorgeous brunettes—one in a mess of curls and the other with a straight slickness that made her seem inhuman to have it as such—and a man with the most unruly of black hair, were currently in a mess of conversation. A man, the oldest of the bunch, haphazard with the stress of the war and old age, had been the voice of reason and tried to calm the sound until his wife had uttered the resounding words that quieted the house.

"Calm yourselves down!"

The children, always fearing their mother's anger, had made their way quiet before listening to the contents of their displeasure once again.

"That's all that we heard in the meeting at the ministry today", the man continued to speak out. His tone of voice had indeed returned sullen, mostly because there wasn't anything he could do now. The war had been over, but battles now still raged on. Though they weren't the combat battles in that sense, they still had the overwhelming feeling of exhaustion that came with it.

The deafening silence that fell upon the room now was maddening. The only sound that came through now was the ticking of the clock that stood upon the wall—the only muggle invention that managed to work through the magic that surrounded the home. The confusion on most of the faces still hung in the air until the youngest in the room, a girl with fire-red hair and stark blue eyes spoke out again.

"I still don't get it", Ginny Weasley voiced out after the silence. "I thought Kingsley was the Minister of Magic. Surely, he could repeal the law if-"

"But that's the point, Ginny", the man earlier spoke again. "The law is coming from the Minister himself, at the bequest of his cabinetry and the dwindling numbers of our population after the war."

Silence. There was nothing more than silence again and the young girl with sat back in her seat; not really caring to voice any more of her concern. There was no point. There was simply no point any longer. The law was going to be enacted, her worst fears coming to life.

"Someone explain this to me again", the curly haired brunette spoke again; and everyone in the room turned to her again.

"Did Hermione Granger not get something on the first try", a teasing tone came out from one of the twins in the room.

"Fred, stop", Ron Weasley went to speak out, but a finger was still on his lips at the amusement of his ex-girlfriend needing another explanation. That was one of the things that worried the family about the situation. With the new law intact, things would automatically be different. Relationships would change, and with circumstances beyond their control, what would happen to their friends and family?

The middle Weasley child, Percy, let his hand go over the other brunette in the room. He had only been married to Audrey—a muggle girl he had met in town—for only a few months. What would happen to them? "It's alright, Perce", his father spoke out, as if he was reading the male's mind. "Marriages already set would not be affected."

That gathered a sigh from the oldest Weasley child, Bill, and his wife Fleur—who was currently pregnant with their first child, though no one but the couple knew as of yet.

"But still", Ron continued to speak out, which brought all of the attention back to him. "What does it mean to the rest of us? What's going to happen?"

The second half of the set of twins spoke out then, bringing his cup of tea over to his mother. "It means what it means, Ronniekins. All of us are going to have to get married. One way or another. It seems-"

"-that we're-"

"-going to have-"

They were only interrupted by the triumpant squeal of Molly Weasley filling the kitchen. "Grandbabies!"


"Okay, Percy", a new voice rounded out to the others once the commotion had settled down. The only people in the room now were the children, sans Molly and Arthur because they both retreated back to their room for the evening. This voice had belonged to the second oldest Weasley, Charlie, who after the war, considered giving up his life with dragons for a position after the reconstruction of Hogwarts as the new Care of Magical Creatures professor. "Now that Mum and Dad are gone, we want all of the details of this law. Now."

Percy, not one to trifle with authority, sighed as loud as he could and looked to his siblings. He was desperate to help them out, considering that most of them would either be really happy or sordily angry with the outcome of the law and what it entitles. Giving them all of the information that he knew at their disposal was the least he would be able to do—and with the look of approval from his new bride, there wasn't anything he could do or say to get out of this. "Alright", he said after the sigh, holding his hands out in order to show that he meant peace. "If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to ask."

A snort came from the only male not related to the Weasley family, someone that was definitely not elated about this law at all. "I save the world, and now I'm forced to be married. Ain't it funny?"

Small laughter came in through the room, but it disappeared as quickly as it came. Again, all eyes fell to the person who knew the most about the law, all pairs eager to learn the full details of what was to come.

"Shacklebolt fears that with our numbers completely low and every pureblood besides our family procreating with one another, we'll have more chances in our lives to produce squibs; so, in order for life to move on so to speak, we have to start reproducing quickly, and as the wizarding world is still a bit old fashioned, he enacted a marriage law", the male began, pushing his glasses just slightly upward the bridge of his nose in order to be able to see everyone's expression correctly.

"So we have the chance to be able to make magic completely mighty, so to speak", Hermoine spoke out again, a look of disdain showing on Ron's face as well, remembering the monument that was in the grand hall of the Ministry of Magic when Pius Thicknesse had been sworn in as Minister of Magic.

Percy was the first person to shove that theory down. "No, you all have a choice in the matter. But the choice has consequences not only to you, but to the person who you were intended to marry all along. See, the pairings are all predicted beforehand—has anyone heard of the Red String of Fate theory?"

A soft smile was brought out of Audrey then, linking hands with her husband before speaking. "It's an old Chinese proverb. We are all connected to our intended with a red string and no matter how long, or how tangled it gets, it'll always lead you back to the person whom you were meant to be with all along."

That earned sighs from the females and groans from the males in the room.

"Fluffy jokes aside", George spoke out then. "How do we-"

"-actually figure out-"

"-who we're going-"

"-to be fucking for the rest of our lives then?"

Laughter rang out in the Burrow once again, this time the twins earning both looks of joy and disgust before Percy started to explain things again. "Instead of a red string, think of it as a blue quill. The Blue Quill of Destiny. Rowena Ravenclaw's to be exact. It's been predicting matches ever since Rowena and Helena Hufflepuff had been alive."

Though with their jokes and their anger aside for the night, they still had the lingering thoughts about the law looming through them. Fate, much like life, was a fickle thing that was always taken for granted and never really treasured like it should have been; but no one else knew what Fate could really deal with them, unlike the occupants of the small little village home, just outside the small town of Ottery St. Catchpole in England. They all knew what Fate could throw at them firsthand.

And all they could really ask inwardly was how in the world did they get themselves into this mess, and how in the world could they wade themselves through it in order to survive?