I had a request for a marriage-law fic, and the idea I came up with is a bit... different. Rather than a law forcing marriage to all wizards and witches, this marriage law only applies in certain... situations. Read to find out what that means!
"While a single person apparating holds serious risks of splinching if there is a lack of concentration during the process, side-along apparation is doubly dangerous, especially when the witch or wizard be carried along is an adult. With side-along apparating children, the child is not aware of how the process works, and therefore their magic cannot interfere. When side-along apparating another adult, the one guiding the apparation must maintain complete focus of their own magic, or upon arriving at the intended destination, the pair may find they they have exchanged body parts. Most often, this is an eyebrow, or a finger, though any body part may be effected."
- From Garruk Walters' Guide to Apparation
Minerva McGonagall was not sure how much more she could take. It had finally come; the Battle of Hogwarts. The Order had known it would end here, even before Harry arrived a few hours ago, and had Snape not been Headmaster, the staff might have been able to do some more extensive warding before now. Her magic reserves were getting low, hours into the bloody mess, but she knew she had to hold on a bit longer.
Suddenly, out of the corner of her eye, Minerva spotted Hermione Granger engaged in a duel with one of Voldemort's Death Eaters. The young woman seemed to have that well in hand, but she did not appear to have noticed another Death Eater approaching her position from behind. There were a dozen people between Minerva and Hermione now, and half of them were on their side. She couldn't risk casting a curse toward Hermione's stalker, in fear of hitting a comrade in the crossfire, so Minerva took a deep breath and did the one thing she could.
In a blink, she apparated from her position to where Hermione was standing, appearing on the spot just long enough to grab her protege's wrist, and then apparated the both of them back to the more defensible position Minerva had previously been holding.
"What the bloody…?" Hermione spat out, ripping away from her mentor's grasp in confusion and fear. "Oh, Professor McGonagall!"
"I apologize if I startled you, Miss Granger," Minerva said tenderly. "But there was another Death Eater coming at you from behind, and you did not to appear to be noticing. I had to get you out of there."
"Oh," Hermione said, blushing. "Thanks for the save, then."
"Not a problem," the older woman said. "Just try to watch your back. I wouldn't want to see you hurt, or worse, killed."
The brunette grinned. "I'll be as careful as you are."
Minerva huffed. "That does not inspire much confidence. Now, back to the battle, shall we?"
Hermione stared at the nurse at St. Mungo's in shock. "What?"
"You're pregnant," the dumpy woman said, frowning in disapproval. "About eight weeks along."
Eight weeks ago, Hermione had been busy fighting the last battle of the war. Sex had been the last thing on her mind, and the only males she'd been around just before that, and just after, were Harry and Ron, neither of which she would ever get involved with. They were like brothers to her! "There must be some mistake. I have not had sex in over a year!"
"If you say so, but the test is one hundred percent accurate," the nurse said skeptically.
"I'm serious!" Hermione insisted. "Is there some other way I could have gotten pregnant?"
The woman kept looking at her, as if trying to decide if Hermione was lying about her sexual activity. Eventually, her frown changed from a grumpy one to that of a concerned one, and she spoke again. "There have been a few documented cases of a pregnancy resulting from a botched side-along apparation. But that is very, very rare. If you were ovulating at the time of a side-along apparation, and the person you were apparating with - mind you, this is a billion in one chance - left behind a bit of themselves inside your womb, then it can happen."
Hermione frowned, thinking. The only person she'd side-alonged with eight weeks ago, or even a little before or after that, had been Professor McGonagall, during the battle. But surely not...
"Does that other person involved in the side-along apparation have to be of the opposite gender?" she asked slowly.
The nurse shrugged. "Not at all. If the genetic material left behind in your womb sensed an egg ready to be fertilized, it would have reformed as sperm. I have a friend who conceived a child with her partner by banishing her own genetic material into my friend's womb. Magic did the rest, naturally."
"Oh my…" Hermione whispered.
Minerva was nursing a glass of brandy when she heard a knock on her door. "Enter!" she called, wondering who would be calling so late. To her surprise, it was not a member of her staff, but rather a former student of hers. "Miss Granger!" she said with a smile. "What brings you here so late?"
"I'm sorry for the hour, but I'm afraid there's something we need to discuss," the younger woman said quietly. "It's rather urgent."
"Come in," Minerva said, frowning. Hermione looked scared - not an expression the often found it's way into those brown eyes. Concerned, she ushered the brunette over to the sofa in front of the fireplace, and then sat across from her and waited for whatever Hermione needed to say.
"I'm pregnant."
Minerva's eyes widened in surprise. The announcement alone was a shock itself, but Minerva was not a stupid woman, and she knew Hermione would not be telling her this if it was just that simple. There was something else. "Why are you telling me?" she asked, confused.
"Because the pregnancy was not a result of me having sex with someone and not using protection, but rather in consequence to a rare happening regarding… side-along apparation."
Minerva was familiar with that phenomenon, but she still didn't understand why Hermione was telling her about it. "Miss Granger, I'm afraid I still don't understand…"
"I'm eight weeks pregnant, Professor," Hermione said exasperated. "Please don't make me spell it out for you…"
And then Minerva got it, and dropped her tumbler in surprise. The glass shattering on the ground caused Hermione to wince, but otherwise the room was silent. "It's mine," the older witch croaked after a minute. It wasn't a question. There was no other reason Hermione would be telling her.
"I haven't asked for a paternity test yet, because I didn't want the nurse to go blabbing until you and I had been able to decide what to do about it," Hermione stated. "But if I'm eight weeks along, and you are the only one I side-along apparated with during that window, and I've not had sex in over a bloody year...well, logically, yes."
"What do you want to do?" Minerva asked slowly. "It's your body, Hermione. Your life. If you choose to keep the child, then of course I'd support you in any way I can…"
"Oh, I'm keeping this baby alright," Hermione said indignantly. "It's not a question of that, but rather the bloody wizarding law regarding…"
"If a child is born out of wedlock, it is a bastard and may never inherit, nor may it carry a pureblood name. It may not work for the Ministry of Magic, nor at any wizarding government facilities." Minerva quoted the law in question, understanding where Hermione was going. "So either I marry you, or this child will live a life of ridicule and poverty."
"A life is a life," Hermione stated. "And while the child's opportunities would be seriously limited, there are jobs outside of Ministry domain."
"Very few, my dear," Minerva stated. "St. Mungo's is connected to the Ministry, as are any establishment in Diagon Alley, not to mention the fact that Hogwarts is tied to the Ministry, and it's nearly impossible for bastard children to gain acceptance to this school. So, the child would have to be privately educated, and even places that are not connected to the Ministry of Magic, employment opportunity wise, do usually prefer employees to be Hogwarts graduates."
"There's always the muggle world…" Hermione said weakly.
"Don't you want better for your…" Minerva began, "...for our child?"
"Of course I do!" the younger witch insisted. "But I don't want you to agree to marry me because you feel guilty about how we - me and the baby - would manage. I almost didn't tell you at all, you know. I just… I know you're the last of your family. I know how important your family line is to you, and I don't want to tarnish the name McGonagall by not giving you a choice in the matter."
Minerva nodded. "I appreciate that. I appreciate that you don't want to force my hand, but consider this: while we did not conceive this child by conventional means, it does not negate my responsibility in this. Had we been actually involved and you'd become pregnant per my lack of casting the proper contraceptive charms, would you expect me to to not accept the consequences of my actions?"
"Of course not. I'd be rather vexed if you didn't!" Hermione admitted.
"Then look at it this way," Minerva continued. "I was fully aware of the potential, albeit a slim chance, of a pregnancy after a side-along-apparation. I was also fully aware that my magical stores were low from the battle, and that my surprising you and pulling you away could easily have had ill effects. While I certainly wasn't thinking about it at the time, I did knowingly take the risk of getting you pregnant when I made the choice to side-along you, and I would expect to be held responsible for that action."
"Interesting perspective," the younger witch said. "But still, marriage is for life in wizarding society. You'd be bound to me for the rest of your life."
Minerva smirked. "I could think of worse things. But what of you? I'm not young anymore, but I'm not ancient either. By the time I died, you could be well into your forties, or even fifties. You could remarry then, but the chances of you having more children would be slim at best. And if you marry me to avoid this child being a bastard, I'm sure you wouldn't want to have other children with someone else, leaving them to the same fate."
"Well, pardon me for being blunt," Hermione sighed, "but I really don't want to not have sex for the next thirty or forty years. If you're seriously considering marrying me, then I need you to be… open-minded … about sex … with me."
Minerva laughed out loud. "Hermione, you never fail to surprise me. As I've already stated, I'm not young anymore, though that does not mean I'm not still sexual."
"But I'm a woman."
"And I'm a lesbian," the older witch said slyly.
It was Hermione's turn to be surprised. "Oh," she squeaked. "I had no idea."
"I suppose it would be you that would have more of an adjustment regarding the gender of your partner," Minerva sighed. "While I never would have pursued someone as young as you, I do have eyes and you are an attractive woman. If you want a marriage in every context of the word, I am willing."
"But what if I'm, uh… straight?"
Minerva peered at her companion over her spectacles. "You were the one who brought up sex, my dear."
"You've been far more agreeable to this whole thing than I expected," Hermione sighed. "Honestly, I expected you to freak out about the baby. I expected to have to argue about me keeping it. I was pretty sure you'd be willing to marry me, but I did not expect you to be willing to be with me, and I guess, well… I didn't really think that part through all the way. I kind of thought you'd tell me I could have a lover outside of the marriage."
The older witch frowned. "Ideally, I'd prefer our child be raised in an environment in which fidelity is considered a value."
"What do you think we should do?" Hermione asked.
Minerva thought for a minute before presenting Hermione with an offer. "The child has to be born, not conceived, in wedlock to avoid being labeled a bastard. I'd prefer that my child not be a bastard, so in that context, I'd be inclined to marry you. On the other hand, I would not want to lock you into a marriage you'd resent, and I'm not thrilled about the idea of exposing our child to a lifestyle which does not include fidelity. So here's what I suggest: for the next six months, we live together. I can be there to help you through the pregnancy, in every manner you'll allow me, and in the process, I will attempt to… woo you, for want of better word. If at the end of six months, you do not feel like you could form an emotional connection with me that would include physical intimacy, then I will stand aside, and deal with the problems that come from having a bastard child on my own, and leave you to live your life as you so choose. Or, at the end of six months, we get married, and live as any married couple would - together, with love and affection that may or may not include another child or two down the road."
"I think that's a good plan," Hermione agreed after a short pause. "I can't even begin to express my gratitude, Professor, for how well you've handled this."
Minerva shook her head, smiling softly at the woman holding the future of the McGonagall family in her womb. "For starters, how about calling me by my given name, not my title. I did, after all, just express my intention to woo and wed you."
Hermione blushed, but nodded in acceptance. "Alright… Minerva.
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