Hello everyone!!! This is my response to The Marriage Law challenge on WIKTT. I hope you like it. Positive criticism is always welcome but please do review when you're done! This is my first WIKTT challenge and only my second FanFic so don't be too mean. And don't worry, it's not over, I'm just a really slow typer so I thought I'd just put up this chapter to see what kind of feedback I get.

Disclaimer: Though I do wish I owned the Harry Potter characters, they and everything affiliated with them belongs to Ms. J.K. Rowling. A true genius.

On Tuesday morning Hermione's Daily Prophet arrived promptly at breakfast, folded in half as usual. She gave the owl two knuts and a piece of bagel. It flew away.

She opened the paper to find exactly what she had been dreading for the last two months. "Blast the Ministry," she said aloud not realizing it.

"What is it Hermione?" Harry asked.

She showed him the headline on the front page. 'Ministry passes new marriage law in hopes to bring down the level of squibs and stillborns among purebloods.'

"Who cares Hermione? We're not old enough to be married," Ron said.

"Don't you two listen to a thing I say? I've been talking about this for weeks! And no, you may not be old enough to get married, but some of us are! Including myself!"

"Hermione, it's October. You won't be 17 for another 3 months," Harry said.

"Yeah, January 12, right Herms?" Ron added.

"Thank you for remembering my birthday. Do you remember the time turner from our third year? The one I used to repeat hours?" she asked.

"Oh no Hermione," Ron gasped. "They age you don't they?"

"Yes Ron, they do. Which means that I am technically four months older than I would be without it. But I never thought it would matter before now! Who would think the Ministry would pass such a stupid law? Now, if you two will excuse me while I go to the library to read the rest of the article." Hermione got up and left the table.

*~*~*
Safely away from everyone in the Great Hall, Hermione sat down at a table to read. She ignored the headline she had already read and continued the article.

'As of 11:30 last night a new marriage law has been inducted into wizarding society. It was voted on by the Wizengamot and passed by a 5:3 vote.
The law states that all unmarried/divorced/widowed muggleborn witched of legal age and under the age of 35 must be betrothed to a pureblooded wizard by the head of a pureblooded family. Witches and their parents do not have a choice or say in the matter seeing as betrothal is an old custom in wizarding society. The only way for either the witch or wizard to get out of the betrothal after the choice has been made is to leave the magical world or in the wizard's case be disowned by his family.
Lists and profiles of all available witches are currently being owled to all pureblooded families with eligible sons along with contracts to owl the witch when they have been chosen. Each witch will be allowed no more than three contracts to choose from. Contracting will begin at 5:00 am tomorrow morning. "So be ready if you want a good choice purebloods!" said Alaina Preterete of the Department of Magical Family Affairs.
For a copy of the full context of the new marriage law write to:
Marianna Paseora
Ministry of Magic
Law Records'

Hermione couldn't believe it. She had so much ahead of her. "Damn it!" she said stomping her foot on the ground. She stood up and pushed her chair in.

"What's wrong Hermione?" an extremely sexy voice asked from behind her.

"Malfoy! Damn you. Get the fuck away from me!" she yelled as she faced him. He had grown from the annoying little prick he had been into the extremely gorgeous, extremely annoying sex god of Slytherin.

"I hope you won't be saying that on our wedding night Miss Granger. I would be very angry."

"Wedding night? What are you talking about? We're not getting married you bloody ferret!" she yelled and pushed him away from her. The palm of her hand pressed on his hard chest.

He flinched at her ferret comment, but grabbed her hand when she pushed at him and raised it to his mouth. He kissed her fingertips as she let out small gasps. "Of course we are. If I have to marry a mudblood, I'm going to marry the best. And you are the best love. Who knows, compared to any other offers you get, I might look good." He dropped her hand. She looked relieved. "Until potions then love," He said and left her alone.

That had been one of the strangest experiences she had ever had. Sure Malfoy was the hottest guy in the school, but she never thought he'd think of her the way the did. She, like she figured every other girl in the school (and some of the boys) had, had more than one rather erotic dream about the young Master Malfoy. Mrs. Draco Malfoy. It had a nice ring to it.

No! What was she thinking! He was even more death eater than his own father. Draco was pure evil. She could never marry him, no matter how sexy he was. She left the library and went up to Gryffindor tower to collect her things for classes.

~*~*~
All day long Hermione worried about what other offers she could get. Or worse! What if she didn't get any other offers? What if Malfoy were her only choice? She was so worried that night that she had to take a draught of sleeping potion so she could sleep.