The war had taken many lives. Not limited those who fought against Voldemort and but also those who fought for him. With so much death abound it was no surprise that when the repairs began one thing was missing - blood. The amount of magical blood left within England's borders was at an all time low that had not been seen in centuries. The people's misery was being slowly numbed while they worked on rebuilding all that had been broken during this long and final war.
The Ministry Of Magic were falling on harder times than most. Many of their citizens looked to them for support, financial and otherwise. Aid was made difficult to give, even to those who sought it, due to the air of suspicion that surrounded the Ministry. They had lost too many Ministers now, either to the Dark Lord or at the hands of his followers. So in the aftermath of the largest death count in living memory they were faced with many difficult choices.
A new Minister was hastily appointed as funding was slowly handed out, Hogwarts was already underway with its repairs. One of the main dilemmas this new Minister faced was the citizen count. They had lost over a half of their magical population in their country between the ages of 18 and 25. Many of them had travelled from all across their small country to fight in the war against Voldemort but countless others hadn't survived.
Many more fell victim to Voldemorts tirade before the battle at Hogwarts, as he swept the land with his Death Eaters. Killing anyone who would dare defy him or simply got in his way. According to reports, this age range of Magical peoples was so lacking in numbers that 3 generations from now, it was likely that there would be little to no magical blood left in the country. It was a problem the entire Ministry was trying to solve, many proposals had crossed the Ministers desk that he swore he aged every time he stepped inside his office. It took many months for a resolution to finally be reached with a semi-happy consensus among the top brass.
The final decision that was reached was actually an old concept that hadn't been used in centuries; it was their last resort. This situation called for something radical in order to save them from going extinct. The result was a new marriage law. This new law in its original form applied to the entire population over the age of 16 and under the age of 25. However, for their purposes the Minister had slightly altered the impacted citizens. It was decided that every surviving member of the current 6th and 7th years at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry would be affected.
Each year, for the next 5 years as each new group of students completed their education they would also be impacted by the law. The law decreed that anyone who fell under it's jurisdiction would be forced into an arranged marriage with another member of the magical community within it's intended age range. For the students finishing at Hogwarts this meant that every one of them, except a lucky one or two or couldn't be paired, would marry a classmate. Due to the nature of the war this first round of matches would also be provided with a home. The war had taken so many lives that a copious amount of houses were now abandoned and in much need of care.
The new law also declared that any who refused their marriage would be expelled from the magical community, and never permitted to return or use their magic again. It was a brutal law but as the muggles say, desperate times call for desperate measures. By the time the Minister had finalised the law and was ready to deliver the 'wonderful' news to those students who would be impacted by it 6 months had passed. Countless students had returned to help with Hogwarts repairs but many more still did not, preferring to stay away from a place of such dark memories. However, they would all need to return for this news.
The week before the meeting was scheduled with the current 6th and 7th year students'; owls were sent out to every one of their homes in order to notify them. The engagement would be held in the now rebuilt Great Hall at Hogwarts and attendance was mandatory.
—
When the morning of the meeting rolled around it was truly a rude wake up call for Eva. Her mother came pounding on her bedroom door screaming about being late for something. Not that Eva really cared about being late for anything recently. The forced holidays she had been on consisted of her not really leaving the house except to go on family outings. Family trips were a far more common occurrence now for the Humming household. The war had taught Eva to appreciate that she was muggle born, her parents were far away from the destruction.
They had not been completely safe of course, during his rise Lord Voldemort had murdered many muggle born families, slaughtered the lot of them. Eva and her family had only managed to steer clear of them by constantly moving around from place to place. Her parents never stayed in one city for more than a week. While they were in hiding during her final year Eva barely spoke to her parents, it was for the best. After all, if she did not know where her parents were it would keep them safe. When she had finally returned home she had spent the first few hours sobbing into her mothers arms.
She had felt so much relief at seeing them she could not hold in the tears. During the battle she had watched many friends die and so many other lives ruined with the loss of loved ones. Her heart had swelled at seeing her family alive and intact. The morning the owl had turned up on her bedroom windowsill she had just gotten home from the local bookstore with her mother. They both lugged 5 bags worth of new books up to her room as the owl landed with a hoot. After the war Eva had developed a love for fiction, her mother believed it was a way for her to escape the reality of her situation. Whatever the reason Eva didn't mind.
The letter from the Ministry was straightforward enough, return to Hogwarts on the appointed date and that this request was non negotiable. When her mother had seen it she had simply smiled and said it was most likely regarding the war, they had to move on after all. This was probably the Ministries way of helping a new generation of witches and wizards. Eva had hoped that's all it was but there had been something ominous about the letter and its lack of detail.
Finally rolling over and opening her eyes Eva yelled at her door.
"Alright mum I am up, please stop or I will have to curse you…or something" she called out, though she had meant her final words as a joke they came out as more of a whisper; the words falling short. Thinking about curses only brought back thoughts of the war she did not know if she was ready to face yet. Her mother had been right, Eva had overslept by an hour and now only had 30 minutes to get ready and down to the station. Lucky for her, Eva's parents had bought a townhouse in London when everything was over. So now Eva lived a mere 5-minute walk from the train station that housed Platform 9 and 3/4.
Running a hand through her tangled mess of hair on her head Eva dragged herself out of bed and began to get ready. Throwing on some simple black skinny jeans and a blue long sleeve shirt that came to her knuckles, just the way she liked it. Finally finishing her 'totally ready for the outside world' ensemble with a grey hoodie and her favourite black and blue sneakers. Slipping her wand safely into her waistband she grabbed her school scarf off the floor where she had left it. The black and gold stared up at her in defiance of its abandonment. With a deep breath Eva wrapped her scarf around her neck, the badger of Hufflepuff tucked away for now. Quickly running a comb through her hair she was ready to face whatever the day would hold.
Waving a quick goodbye to her pet ferret Seraphim, left waiting in her cage beside Eva's bed, she sped out of the house. Her mother wished her luck and she arrived at the station with only 5 minutes to spare. As she slipped onto the magical platform that would take her back to Hogwarts she began to slow. Her footsteps felt heavy as she pulled out the end of her scarf and let it hang freely, shuddering from the chill in the air. Eva could not tell if the chill was from the season or the people who meandered about on the platform, grief radiated from them all. The train was eerily quiet as she boarded. Making her way down the train towards the 7th year and prefect seating she passed too many empty carriages. Eva passed too many more with classmates and younger students who were quietly sobbing for those they had lost.
Finally emerging into the carriage she had shared with her friends and teammates at the start of the year Eva's breath caught. The memories were so painful. Slipping into the same booth as they had before their lives were turned upside down, she let her fingers drift mindlessly over the wood of the table top. Her eyes became unfocussed as she stared out the window and tried to come to terms with the events of her final year at Hogwarts.
Eva had started the year as not only the Hufflepuff prefect but also the captain of their Qudditch team. The previous year Eva had carried Hufflepuff into the finals for the first time in almost a century, she was the fastest chaser they had on the team - and the slipperiest. As such they voted her captain after they were defeated. They were all far too thrilled to have made it that far to care about loosing, it was something she loved about her house, their ability to find the good in everything and everyone.
Everything had seemed to be going her way; she was even doing well in all her classes. She had still planned on trying to go pro with her Qudditch career, hoping to play in one of the huge stadiums she had heard the world cup had taken place in. Minus all of the Death Eaters of course; then it had all fallen apart with the war. She and most of the senior years of her house had stayed to fight against Voldemort and his army; many of her fellow Hufflepuffs never saw the end of the battle. In her Qudditch team alone there were only 3 surviving members including herself, one was too young to fight and was sent away to safety and the other was now a werewolf.
Eva had counted herself lucky that the only physical reminder of the war she had was a foot long scar that ran along the top of her right hip. The scar was courtesy of debris from an explosion, a bar of metal that had cut straight through her side. Now that she sat in the same seat as she had before, the memories wouldn't stop and soon a few silent tears had managed to escape down her face. Swiping at them with her hand Eva used the other to run tentative fingers through her hair. It was falling in red waves over her shoulders, bouncing slightly with the movement of the train.
Her bangs tickled against her forehead as she let them fall back into place, their tight line again framing her pale face. Looking at her own reflection Eva actually considered her appearance for once. Her mother had never truly allowed vanity in her home so Eva never really cared for how she looked. However, today the red that now rimmed her eyes from tears made the green of her iris's stand out. With sweeping realisation Eva finally noticed the disappearance of rolling hills and rivers beyond her window, and found herself faced with deep forest and shadowy buildings. They were about to arrive.
—
The shuffling of feet into the Great Hall was the only noise that echoed around the large space. Rows upon rows of benches had been set up in the room, with an aisle down the middle and all facing towards the podium at the front. The podium was a hive of activity in comparison to the students who silently sat down on the benches, many looked around the hall with either awe or regret. A small buzz of activity finally began to rise from the students as whispers were exchanged about what was going on; that at least was as good a sign of life as any.
The schools new headmistress Professor Mcgonagall stood in a small huddle with hurried whispers exchanged on the podium, Eva didn't recognise any of the men she was talking to but they all looked grim. With a final nod the group dispersed and the headmistress moved to stand where Dumbledore had stood not a year earlier.
"My dear students" she began as she looked over the crowd before her, confused faces and sad eyes returning her gaze.
"You have been called here to inform you all about a new law that has been put into place. It specifically refers to all of you…" she trailed off as she waited for the rise of noise she expected from a group of kids this large. It never came, only silent confusion settled over them so she continued.
"The Ministry of Magic has done some calculations and discovered that the losses of the war were more than emotional, but also biological. Within the next 3 generations alone there is likely to be little to no new magical blood in England. Therefore, in order to save our way of life certain sacrifices must be made" she explained to the students, to a round of gasps. The pain on her face as she spoke was obvious to everyone, this was something she had no choice in either. Eva could feel fear rising from the pit of her stomach as she waited.
"In order to stop this from happening the Ministry has decided to enforce a law which has not been needed for centuries. Each of you here today will be legal bound in an arranged marriage. These marriages cannot be refuted. If you try to do so you shall be exiled from the wizarding world and forbidden to practice magic again. All of the matches have been pre-arranged and there will be no changes. Each couple will also be compensated by the Ministry with a lump sum when the marriage certificate is signed, a sum of gold every following year and a house to begin your new lives in. The Ministry will also be visiting once every 3 months for the first year, then once a year ever year after that to make sure you are doing your part to…further the magical bloodlines"
The room fell deathly silent. The discomfort on Mcgonagall's was clear as she stepped away, making way for a Ministry official with a scroll of parchment to step forward. When he took his final step to the front of the crowd the students erupted. The roar of complaints was defeating, Eva covered her ears to protect them from a particularly loud girl in front of her. All of the yelling in the world however could not match the look the headmistress shot them and the snap of her wand. She sent a loud crack ringing through the hall as she looked over the students gathered before her.
"I know this is not ideal, nor is it what you want but this isn't what anyone wants. If you are happy with exile then please stand and leave. No one is stopping you" she called out.
Her voice was once again followed by silence before a murmur of whispers began. A handful of people stood and walked out of the hall, choosing a life of no magic rather than being forced into a marriage with someone they didn't know or worse someone they hated. Mcgnagall's message had been clear if not blunt, they were expected to produce children and quickly. Eva's fingers rubbed at her temples as she tried to come to terms with all of this. She could not imagine going back to living as a muggle, magic was part of who she was now, a part she could no more deny than the red of her hair. The clearing of a throat brought all of the attention back to the front of the room, to the man who stood with what they now knew to be their fates in his hand.
"When your name is called, come forward and see the gentlemen to my right. They will have your marriage licence ready for you to sign, along with the keys to your new homes. The deposits to your accounts will be made later today when all signatures are collected." He told them all, brief and to the point. There was no time for pretty words.
As the names were slowly called, answered with sighs of relief or gasps and even sometimes down right giggling Eva became more and more nervous. The amount of students left in the great hall was slowly dwindling, there were only 15 females left. 26 males remained alongside them, who Mcgonagall assured would not be escaping this fate as there were students from the year below them who they would require husbands. Eva sat staring at her hands, nervously playing with the hem of her sleeve as she waited to hear her name to be called. She had quickly stopped looking around at the face and backs of heads of who remained when the names had started being called, trying to guess who they would have possibly paired her with. There was no point after all; the matches could not be changed.
Eva was about to throw in the towel and simply demand to know who they had chosen for her, the stress building inside her beginning to overwhelm her when she heard the start of her name.
"Eva Humming" the man called out.
Eva sucked in a breath as she looked up towards him, scarcely breathing.
"And Draco Malfoy" he finished.
Her heart stopped.