Situations - A Fremione Fanfiction, a harry potter fanfic

It was your typical Sunday afternoon. All the Weasleys, plus Harry and Hermione, were at the Burrow having enjoyed the customary Sunday lunch. As usual, they were all congregated in the living room around the fire, talking about their wishes for the new year, seeing as they had entered the new year just a day previously.

"I never know what to wish for in the new year now, seeing as Voldemort isn't around anymore." Says Harry, playing with Ginny's hair, who is sitting on his knee "Everything has been plain sailing ever since, and I don't need to worry about the safety of anyone. I always wish that this trend will continue, for nothing to change." It was a simple wish, but one "The Boy Who Lived" deserved after everything he had been through, and also what everyone else in the room deserved. After losing so many friends and almost losing family members, all everyone wanted was stability. Everyone raised a toast to Harry's remarks and simultaneously making a silent toast to lost loved ones.

The group continued their normal chatter, Quidditch being the main focus of conversation for most of them. Hermione was sitting in the old rocking chair, curled up in her book as usual. That was her favourite place to be, lost in a book. It helped her take her mind off what had happened recently. Ron was sat on the other side of the room from Hermione, a normal sight now but would've been a strange sight a couple of weeks prior. The couple had been inseparable since the end of the war, but after everything had calmed down, Hermione found herself arguing with Ron more and more. With the war over, she didn't need to worry about the sudden threat of death and that any moment could be her last. The things she used to be able to ignore about Ron; his loud chewing, him picking his teeth, his short temper, had driven her to start resenting him. Ron was feeling the same way towards Hermione, the "cute quirks" of hers were starting to annoy him, so they decided to end their relationship amicably.

All of a sudden, they heard a tapping at the window. A large eagle owl was perched on the frosted windowsill carrying eight letters. Percy put down the ministry paperwork her was working on and rose from his leather armchair. He passed out the letters to the recipients; Charlie, Fred, George, Ron, Ginny, Harry and Hermione, and one for himself. The seal of the letter was one from the Ministry, the Minister of Magic's seal in fact; therefore it must be something important. The hesitation of everyone in the room to open the letters was heavy in the room; everyone was thinking the worst. Was Voldemort back? Had Deatheaters escaped from Azkaban? Not even those who worked at the Ministry, Percy, Hermione, Ron and Harry, knew what the letter could be about, and they held high positions, so they were expecting the worst. Harry was the first to open the letter.

I, Kingsley Shacklebolt, Minister of Magic, regret to inform you that to combat the decline in the wizarding population after the recent war, a marriage law will be enforced.
Any witch or wizard that is of age and able to bear children will be paired with an eligible match by the ministry. Exceptions to this are those who are already married, are already engaged, or can supply the ministry enough evidence of their current relationship are exempt from a match being decided by the ministry. Also, if you believe that your match is unsuitable due to irreconcilable differences, then you can appeal your match by the 31st of this month, and you must find a partner, if not you will be fined. All partners must be married by 31st December 2000, and all witches must be with child by the following September.
This law takes effect immediately.

Sincerely,
Minister of Magic.

"This is unbelievable! We could be paired with anyone!" exclaimed Ginny "I could be paired with Malfoy! Imagine what it'd be like!"

"Ginny, you don't need to worry. You've got Harry, you can say you want to marry him, and I'm sure the ministry will be more than happy to accommodate the wishes of 'The Boy Who Lived'" said Hermione, worrying if she, in fact, would be paired with Malfoy. It'd be a living nightmare, with him despising her because she is a muggle born.

Everyone quickly opened their letters to find out who they had been paired with. Ginny embraced Harry, almost making him lose his balance and fall back into the fireplace. No one needed to ask who she had been paired with. Maybe Kingsley had decided to pair order members with each other, and people whom they trust.

"Hey! I'm with Angelina! Get in!" announced George. He had been with Angelina since the end of the war. He had also been planning on proposing to her anyway, George was rubbish at trying to keep secrets. When Fred was in a coma after being hit by rubble during the Battle of Hogwarts, Angelina was with George every day, making sure he was looking after himself, that he was eating and sleeping and that he wasn't alone by his twins bedside. She was as integral to the Weasley clan as Harry and Hermione, but she decided to spend new years with her family which explained her absence.

"Who have you got Fred?" His twin asked. Everyone stopped and stared in silence. Everyone except Hermione because she already knew. She knew because she was paired with him. In what cruel universe would she be paired with her ex-boyfriends older brother? I guess this one, she thought.

"Ummm, I'd rather not talk about it." Replied Fred. Both he and Hermione knew that although the break-up between her and Ron was mutual, Ron would hate to see one of his brothers with her.

"Come on! Can't be that bad." Said Ron. "I've been paired with Lavender Brown. If the sixth year is anything to go by then, I'm going to get smothered. What about you 'Mione? Who have you got?"

"I don't want to say. I think I want to speak to them first before disclosing anything." Said Hermione, diplomatically and tactically to tell Fred that they needed to talk. "I think I'm going to go to my room, just to think things through. Only if that's okay with you Mrs Weasley."

"Of course it is, my dear. It is a shock to all of us, and I think we all need time to reflect. And please dear, call me Molly. You've been part of this group for nine years now, enough with the formalities." Hermione headed towards her room, Mrs Weasley's words replaying in her mind. Because she will not be needing to be calling her Molly, she'll be calling her Mum soon.

Hermione set herself down on her bed, placing her letter down neatly in front of her. She read through the contents of the letter again.

Sincerely,
Minister of Magic.

This letter explains why Bill didn't receive a letter when the rest of the Weasley children did, he was married to Fleur, and they are expecting a child to be born in a few months time. Charlie left shortly after opening his letter, not even stopping to say goodbye to his mother or even inform anyone as to where he was going. Hermione suspected he was going to Kingsley to talk about the marriage law. Charlie still works in Romania and is engaged. However, his fiancé is American, so this law doesn't apply to her, and she won't know about it until Charlie tells her next week when he returns to Romania. Besides, he has said that he doesn't want children for a few more years yet due to him working with dragons, and if he were paired with someone in the UK then they would never see him to the chances of having a child together soon would be very unlikely.

Hermione's whole world had been shattered. She always put her career first. She has so much she wanted to achieve before having children. She was currently in the process of helping the minister abolish pro-pureblood laws, as well as improving the rights of house elves. She knew that these two projects took time, longer than two years, but she would have to take maternity, and it'd be impossible for her to achieve her goals with a child in tow, would it? She also worried about how little she knew about her future husband. Everyone else had gotten lucky; they were with someone they were either already involved with or knew rather well, Hermione didn't have that luxury.

"I guess I've been kind of lucky." She thought "At least I didn't end up with Cormac or Malfoy, or even back with Ron". She tried to think of what she knew about Fred. He had always been Ron's prankster older brother, the Weasley with a twin, the boy who used to pay first years to test their products, who left school at 18 without completing his qualifications to open a joke shop. From what she knew, they were opposites, it could never work.

Her thoughts were interrupted by a knock on her door. "Come in!" she said, not bothering to ask who it was. She already knew it was her future husband.

"Hey, you said you wanted to talk to your match. Here he is!" said Fred, light-heartedly. She could tell that he was as worried about this situation as she was. Hermione gestured for him to join her on the bed. She shifted uncomfortably, crossing her legs and turning to face Fred.

"I'm sorry you have to be paired with me. I know that there are plenty of other girls you'd much rather be with. And..."

"What are you sorry for? I'd much rather be with you, someone who I know than an absolute stranger." Fred interrupted Hermione. "I'm quite glad it was you I got paired with." That wasn't a total lie either. Ever since the Yule Ball in his sixth year, he had a thing for the bookworm, but he knew that she was forbidden fruit to him, that Ron would kill him if he even jokingly suggested anything to Hermione. He had started to just look at Hermione on those lazy Sunday afternoons at the Burrow, taking note of the little things. Like how her toes scrunched up when a particularly exciting thing occurred in her book and how she tucked her hair behind her ear, signalling that she was well and truly absorbed into the book and it could be hours before she reemerged into the real world. Fred knew that she never looked at her in that way and that she didn't realise that he had a soft spot for the bookworm, but just watching was enough for him.

"I think the more pressing issue is little Ronald. What is he going to say when he finds out that his brother has to marry his ex?" asked Fred. "I know we didn't exactly have a say in this, but I think that me and you being married is better than anyone else. Mum would be happy, you'd still become a Weasley, even if it is to a different son to what she expected. I say we tell the family and if Ron has a problem then tough shit, he has to bring it up to the Minister of Magic. He may be complaining about Lavender, but I know that he's secretly happy. Everyone knows those two were..." Fred stopped in his tracks, although he and most other people knew that Ron was cheating on Hermione with Lavender, but at that moment Fred realised that Hermione herself didn't know. "It doesn't matter." Fred knew what Hermione could do when she's angry, and he didn't want anyone to end up in the hospital because of his big mouth.

"Fred, tell me. If we can't be honest and open now, you know this marriage will never work." Hermione could sense he was hiding something big. She knew the Weasley's had each others back but she hates being lied to, that's the thing she hates the most and one of the reasons she couldn't be with Ron anymore. She knew he was lying about something, but she didn't know what.

"Right, but don't you say it was from me. Promise? I know what you're capable of when calm, I don't want to see you hex anyone" It was then that it hit her. Ron wasn't staying late at the Aurors office; he always smelt of someone else when he came home, he just blamed it on one of the new female interns and her perfume addiction, spraying it around the office. No, he was with Lavender.

"RONALD WEASLEY! HOW DARE YOU LIE TO MY FACE AND BE DISLOYAL TO ME!" Hermione screeched, leaping up from her bed and gripping her wand.

Fuck! That was the only word Fred could think of at that moment. He also was astounded that Ron hadn't told her, he'd been dating Lavender since him and Hermione split, but that also explained how he phrased what he said about being paired with Lavender earlier. Fred looked out the window to see Ron being chased by a very angry Hermione in the garden, hex's and jinx's flying with Ron hiding for cover. He couldn't quite make out what she was screaming at him, but he could hear certain expletives being hurled at his brother. As much as he deserved it, Fred had to step in to avoid his brother getting even more hurt. Fred apparated into the garden just behind Hermione and picked her up by the waist to carry her inside. She started kicking her legs and cursing at Fred, but he needed to remove her from that situation. As he turned around to go inside the Burrow he saw everyone's faces looking at him like he was mad, he was carrying a hellish Granger into the house, no one would risk doing that out of the fear of being on the receiving end of her hex's.

"Sorry about Granger, she just found out some terrible news about her ex-boyfriend. Although I do not condone her actions, I cannot have my future wife in Azkaban for murder can I?" He said, just before apparating them both to his flat. Fred silently congratulated himself on telling his family the news as well.