Getting my toes back into FanFiction with this story. It was originally posted on another site which is no more.

Disclaimer: I don't own the characters, I just like to mess with them a little.

()()()()()()()()() Chapter 1

Hermione stretched in the early morning hours and snuggled under her warm blankets. She popped open one eye and squinted at the window. It was still dark but that was to be expected in December. She could hear sounds coming from the floor below. It was Christmas morning and the Burrow would be wide awake in only a few hours. She knew it was Molly, already awake, preparing for a busy day. Hermione was hit by the pleasant smell of coffee as she took a deep breath and stretched. She had turned the tea drinking Molly into a fanatical coffee drinker over the course of one rainy summer. She figured she might as well get up and offer some help. She might be able to get a little more time in the shower if there wasn't someone banging on the door. She sat up and lit up her wand, shining a faint light across the dark room. She could clearly see Ginny and to no surprise, a bit of Harry's black hair peaked out from beneath a blanket to mix with Ginny's red. Hermione didn't mind anymore, Ginny was very good at silencing charms and Hermione was usually blissfully unaware of anything that occurred in the bed across the room.

Hermione and Ginny owned a cute little cottage together just outside of London. It was more for show than anything. Ginny had only slept there a few nights after they first moved in and Hermione only a few more than that. It made Molly happy for the two girls to be roommates and it made Hermione's parents happy that they had raised a strong independent woman who could purchase a home of her own just out of school. Hermione didn't actually believe that Molly was blind to the fact that Ginny was living with Harry, but at least she could pretend otherwise. As for Hermione's parents, they knew good and well that the money to buy the house came from the monetary awards both Hermione and Ginny, along with the rest of the war "heroes", received after Voldemort was defeated. Nobody wanted to take the money but their Gringott's vaults were filled anyway. Hermione figured a house was an investment and something she needed. She couldn't imagine buying frivolous things with what she considered blood money.

Harry and Ron were living at Grimmauld Place. It had been completely re-modeled and Kreacher had shown them how to remove all of the dark objects that had been nearly impossible to move, including the portrait of Mrs. Black. They had burned the painting, along with the house elf heads, and tapestries that contained dark magic. Anything contaminated was gone and the house was now modern and bright. Hermione spent all of her nights at Grimmauld along with Ginny. She hated to be alone anymore. It was the one thing about the war that had stayed with her. She had recovered from all of her injuries, she had put her life back to a semblance of normalcy, but she hated to be alone. She hated it. She had always prided herself on being independent of others. She used to spend hours by herself, curled up with a book never caring whether her friends were out playing Quidditch or doing things without her. She was one of the few people who could actually be alone at Hogwarts, having a hundred different hiding places where she could spend time with herself. Now she couldn't go more than a few hours without seeking someone out.

Harry was the same way. Ron seemed to have gotten passed it but Harry couldn't even sleep alone anymore. When he and Ron first moved out of the Burrow and into Grimmauld, his nightmares got worse. Ron was constantly waking Hermione or Ginny up in the middle of the night to come help Harry. He said his best friend duties did not involve cuddling with Harry. After answering the call one too many times, Ginny just started staying the night. That left Hermione home alone which she didn't like and she'd end up at Grimmauld with them. Now she had a room of her own and most nights that was where she slept. It was never discussed; it was just the way it was. Hermione thought about asking Ron to move in after Harry and Ginny got married, but she wasn't sure they could handle spending that much time with each other without Ginny and Harry to act as buffers. Their friendship was strong again, but the awkwardness after they broke up was still lurking.

Hermione climbed out of the shower and threw on a sweatshirt and jeans. She used her wand to dry her hair and she applied just a hint of makeup before going downstairs. She didn't pay much attention to her appearance but she didn't like to look completely pale during the winter. Molly was busy in the kitchen like always and nodded a greeting to Hermione before going into the pantry.

"Good morning dear! Have some coffee and a biscuit. It will tide you over before brunch. Anyone else awake?" she asked coming back in the room.

"Not that I can tell, seems pretty quiet upstairs. Except for Ron's snoring of course," she laughed.

"Can you take a look at the clock and tell me where Fred is? I'm not sure if he spent the night or not," Molly said sadly. Fred had the opposite problem of Hermione. Before the war, he was the most social of the group, always around friends and family. Now he preferred to be alone, barely talking to anyone except George. Nobody knew exactly why. His injuries after the battle were severe but he had recovered. He spent a lot of time learning to walk again but physically he was fine now. He just had never been the same. He and George were still successful at their shop and according to George, he was still coming up with brilliant pranks and new ideas, but you wouldn't know it by seeing the changes. It made Hermione terribly sad.

Hermione walked over to the clock and looked for Fred's name. It was hard to find for some reason but it pointed to "work". "He's at work Molly. He must have spent the night at his flat above the shop. I think something's wrong with your clock though."

"What do you mean?" Molly asked as she basted the turkey.

"There are several extra hands on here. They are blank, no names."

"What?" Molly rushed over to look at her precious clock. "Oh no, they didn't! They wouldn't! Not on Christmas!" She sunk down into a chair and put her head in her hands.

"What happened? Who did what?"

"Let me see your left hand," Molly said gripping her wrist. "Have you always had that ring?"

"What ring?" Hermione asked as she looked at her hand. "Oh, that ring. Where did that come from?" she asked.

"You are now a married woman Hermione. Congratulations," she said with a sob. "All of you are married now, all my babies."

"Married? No! The law?" Hermione looked at Molly in horror. "I thought there was enough opposition to postpone until after the New Year!" Hermione was starting to panic and tried to remove the ring from her finger.

"It's not going to come off," Arthur said as he came down the stairs. "I didn't want to wake you all but the law went into effect just after midnight."

"It wasn't stopped?" Hermione asked.

"I'm sorry. We tried. The council was so close to a postponement but it went to a vote. The morality law is officially in effect." Arthur sank into a chair and looked defeated. "One thing about wizards living so long is that we get a lot of stubborn old fools running things. Some of the less progressive elders were upset at the loose morals that the younger generation has displayed and have taken matters into their own hands. All single witches and wizards between the ages of seventeen and fifty are now married."

"That's ridiculous! They can't do this to us! It's wrong!" Hermione stomped her foot in anger. "We'll fight it! They can't force a whole generation into marriage!"

"There's nothing you can do Hermione. Not for at least three years. One thing that was agreed on was that divorce would be possible after five years but even then it won't be an easy process.

"Oh God. Oh no. Who? Who. . . is my husband?" she asked, having a hard time saying the last word.

"I don't know. They charmed a roster to match people up. You were supposed to be matched based on age, intelligence, and stability. I'm sure you'll have a fine partner," Arthur said, trying to make the best of a bad situation.

"When will I find out?" Hermione twirled the band on her finger.

"I don't know that either. You should receive an owl explaining things."

"Well, we'd best get back to cooking. I now have five more daughters-in-law and a son-in-law. We're going to need a bigger table." Molly stood straight and blinked back tears.

"Molly, the children may not even find out who they are married to today, you need to give them time to adjust," Arthur scolded.

"Of course! Oh and I suppose we need to count Hermione's husband and Harry's wife. . ." she continued, her voice breaking in a sob. "Do you think Harry and Ginny are matched up?"

Hermione sank into a chair. Harry. This would be the hardest on him if he had a wife that he didn't know. He didn't trust very many people as it was and he needed the comfort from his friends. He loved Ginny so much, she was his world. Speaking of the soon to be unhappy couple, they were all smiles as they walked down the stairs.

"Happy Christmas!" Ginny called out. She looked around at the three other people in the room and paused. "What's wrong?"

"What's going on? Hermione?" Harry was alert now and already reaching for his wand.

"Look at your hands," Hermione told them.

Harry and Ginny both looked at their hands which were empty. No rings. "What are we looking for?" Harry asked.

"Where are your rings? You are supposed to be wearing wedding rings!" Molly jumped to her feet and grabbed their hands.

Ginny gasped, "How did you know?"

"We were going to tell you today. A surprise," Harry said smiling. He took the rings out of his pocket and slipped a gold band on Ginny's finger before sliding a matching one on his.

"You got married?" Hermione asked with a grin spreading across her face. "When?"

"Last week," Ginny smiled back. "Harry proposed, I accepted and then we decided to elope. I didn't want a big wedding and Harry didn't want the attention so we just did it. Plus we knew it was possible for that dumb law to pass. Professor McGonagall married us at Hogwarts. I'm so sorry we didn't tell anyone. Mum, I'm so sorry."

"My babies! I'm so happy!" Molly grabbed both Harry and Ginny in a fierce hug while a beaming Arthur patted them on the back. Hermione finally got her hug in and then started to cry. Harry finally pressured them into explaining what was going on. Molly was so thrilled that her daughter wasn't married to a stranger that she didn't even care that she missed planning a wedding.

"So Hermione, you're married?" Harry finally asked after all the explanations. "To who?"

"That's the big question," Hermione sighed. "It could be anyone."

"Bloody hell!" Ron shouted from three stories above. The others were waking up and finding their rings. This was going to be the most interesting Christmas of their lives.

()()()()()()()()

"Mum! Mum!" Ron yelled as he practically tumbled down the stairs. "I'm wearing a ring! I swear I didn't go out last night and do anything stupid! It won't come off! Help!" Ron was a confirmed bachelor and took full advantage of his status as a war hero. She wouldn't put it past him to do something stupid and get himself married, but this time he was right. Molly calmed her son down and explained what happened. He looked at his hand, looked at Hermione's and came to an awful conclusion.

"Don't tell me we're married," he groaned. "I don't want to be married to you."

Hermione took a step back. "I hope to all that is sacred that we aren't Ronald. You aren't exactly my dream come true you know."

"You'd be lucky to be married to me!" he shouted.

"Children!" Arthur's voice was loud over the bickering. "There is no reason to think that the two of you are matched up. Until we know more, you should just calm down. It's Christmas. Let's enjoy it."

"Owls are coming," Molly said as she opened the window to let them in. There were letters for Charlie, Percy, George, Ron and Hermione.

"Fred's must have found him at home," Arthur muttered as he distributed the letters to Hermione and Ron. Hermione opened it quickly, hoping to find out who she was now bound to. Her hands shook as she scanned the letter, disappointed that there wasn't a name. It was a form letter, mass produced and not personalized at all. She looked up to see Molly and Arthur looking at her expectantly.

"Shall I read it out loud?" she asked. At their nods, she began. "Dear wizard or witch between the ages of seventeen and fifty. Congratulations on your marriage! The ministry has taken it upon themselves to find you a suitable partner. It is our desire that all of our wizards and witches be happily married and having many magical children. You may have noticed a ring on your finger. This ring is charmed to remain on your finger until death parts you from your partner." Hermione stopped and shook her head. She couldn't believe what she was reading.

"Go on dear," Molly encouraged.

"You will be contacted within the week regarding the name of your spouse. All newly married couples are invited and required to attend a New Year's Eve ball in their honor. Wedding cake will be served, and family members are invited to attend, as this will be your reception. Details will be forthcoming. In the lucky event that you know your spouse already, the rings are charmed to magnetically attract to its mate. If you and your mate place your left hands together, you will feel the rings attraction and you will know your spouse. We look forward to seeing you at the ball. Happy Christmas, the Department of Unions, Ministry of Magic."

"Well, that was stupid," Ginny said. "They acted as if they did you a favor by marrying you off with no chance of escape."

"How can it be a legal marriage?" Harry asked Arthur. "There were no vows."

"It wouldn't be legal in the Muggle world but a Wizarding marriage can be done without vows or agreement by the couple. The practice has died away but they used to marry children with just a flick of the wand. The children might not even know they were married other than the ring that they couldn't remove. My uncle was married when he was three years old. Like an arranged marriage, his parents picked him out a bride, said a quick spell, rings appeared on the children's fingers and that was all there was to it. My uncle didn't know he was married until he became violently ill trying to kiss a girl during his third year at Hogwarts. The fidelity charm activated and his parents told him who his wife was and that he couldn't kiss another woman, ever. After the couple finished school, they had a party, the marriage was announced and consummated and that was that. It worked out well for my uncle, he was quite happy, but fortunately it's now considered old fashioned and isn't done."

"Well it's been done, maybe not with children but I'm now a married woman. All right Ronald, give me your hand, let's see if we're stuck together for life." Hermione put her left hand up in the air. Ron sighed and did the same, fitting his left hand over hers, making sure the rings touched.