SUMMARY: Nearly a decade after the second war, they thought that the world was at peace. But when the birth numbers of wizarding children start to drop drastically, the ministry takes action. It's called The Law and it defines your place in this new society, where the most important thing for a woman to do is to have magical children for strong magical families. If you're not fertile, you're worth nothing. But a fertile woman is a gift, that doesn't belong to herself. This is a story where the heroes are not called by their names... but by the names of their owners...
A/N: Hello and Welcome! This is an idea that popped to my head and got me very excited. It's going to be a Harry Potter-story, happening in a setting borrowed from Margaret Attwood's book and Hulu's TV-series The Handmaid's Tale.
Warning: it's not going to be light or pretty, or lighthearted... but it is, eventually, going to be Dramione... EVENTUALLY!
Disclaimer: If it sounds familiar, it's not mine. I borrowed, mixed and matched, and played with the creations of J.K. Rowling, Margaret Atwood and Hulu. And I'm not making any profit out of this.
Prologue
Time… it is a cruel companion…
When something goes on long enough, it breaks even the strongest of spirits.
Given enough time, even the best of us break. And the more time we are broken, the harder it's to fix the damage.
This time… she thinks it can never be fixed again.
And the wizarding world… the world they fought so hard to save…The peace, so many gave their life for… never lasted for longer than ten years.
It gave them all a false sense of security… a feel, that everything was ok.
That this world would be a safe place… a place, where you can build a life... where you can have children…That this is the beautiful magical wonderland, it was supposed to be.
But it seems that no matter how hard they tried, the wizards just can't live in peace. No… there's always something… Grindelwald, Voldemort, the greater good, pureblood… and now this…
It happened fast, but not fast enough for them to realize something was wrong.
Probably it was partly because they didn't want to see there was something wrong.
The world was at peace… it was time to settle in, get jobs, marry and start a family.
But now, she thinks she should have seen it coming.
She should have known things were wrong, when Lavender Brown sat on the bench by the playground, crying as she watched their children play… Should have known when Luna told them she couldn't get pregnant, no matter what they tried… should have started to worry, when there were so many families whose babies had been born dead…
But no… they were too invested into their own domestic bliss, that the worries of others didn't seem to touch them.
Her and Ron, Ginny and Harry… their children were healthy and strong from the minute they entered this world. No question they should have started to worry. And maybe because they fought for so long… they now wanted to forget the worries of others… What could they have done for them?
There must have been something…
It took six years... six years after the war, and the catastrophe hit. The numbers of wizarding children, born alive, were so alarming even the ministry realized they needed to take action.
And in times of crises… it's so easy for the fanatics to gain power again…
Finally, it was Kingsley Shacklebolt… Their Kingsley Shackelbolt! The good guy! Who made all they had fought for crumble in on itself…
Kingsley, who stood in front of the crowd and announced The Law, the new order of the wizarding community in England.
The Law, you either followed or got banished… only no one got banished… nowadays it was commonly known, they executed the rebels… and no one said anything.
Under The Law, the worst kinds of crimes were not killing, or torturing, or kidnapping, or raping, anymore… the worst kind of crime was to defy The Law because that meant killing the wizarding kind…
The Law defined their places now:
In the new order, the society was ruled by commanders. They were the royalty of this new world. The high ranking men, members of Wizgemont, the heads of old pureblood families… Even if it wasn't so much about the blood anymore, but the wizarding heritage. If you had strong roots in magic, no one really cared about blood… It just happened to be, that those who had the strongest roots, were pureblooded.
So, the same people who fought for Voldemort last time were the once to gain power this time also. But the issue in hand was so large, no one seemed to care… They could rule if it meant the wizarding race would continue to exist.
Then there were commanders' wives… the royal ladies. They wore blue as a sign of their status. Their job was to hold events and stand by their man's side. To be the strong supporters of The Law.
The Marthas were the housekeepers, usually elderly women who couldn't have children anymore. The commander families usually had one or two. They did the housework, cooked and cleaned, like house elves… They wore green.
The order was kept by The Soldiers, who patrolled the streets and guarded the families. And The Eyes, who were the spies for the Ministry. They infiltrated to the society as normal people but reported all the violations of The Law. And if you violated the law and got caught, you were not pardoned… ever… it was one mistake and you'd be gone, never to be seen again.
Aside from those holding power, the ordinary people, who were called The Herd, lived their life under strict rules and codes of conduct. They wore only grey and were kind of invisible people. If you behaved, they let you live in peace…
Then there were them… The women who wore red and walked the streets in pairs… The women with strong magic and working ovaries… the Handmaids… One for each commander family… Their job was to bear children for the commanders. They were the hope of the wizarding lines… but truthfully, they were prisoners… Stripped all their rights and individuality…
All this has started so unseemingly…
Little by little The Law defined their life more and more: It limited the uses of magic for only certain purposes. And what it did to women… it made them the property of their men. The man was the head of the house, and therefore responsible for their women. And a woman was only good for one thing: baring wizarding children. If you couldn't do it, your life was worth nothing.
The Heard women, who had no children should keep their mouth shut and eyes low, for they were worth nothing for the society… you stepped out of line once and you'd be gone… because why would they save you? When you were worth nothing…
Them, Harry, Ron, Ginny, and Hermione… They never had a chance to be just The Heard… But the time they realized something was badly wrong, it was too late.
The time they gathered The Order, or what was left of the order, together… it had gone too far already.
McGonagall couldn't hold Hogwarts out of it, because the ministry had already assigned new teachers and forced the old ones to their new rules. They had tried their best… the teachers… but when professor Sinistra had been executed in front of their eyes and professor Sprout imprisoned, for their lack of cooperation, everyone had shut their mouth. And Minerva, once again, had to think she'd be more useful if she just seemingly followed the rules. At least she could protect the children while they were at school.
Harry and Ron worked for the ministry… and still, they hadn't seen this coming… not before it was too late.
Maybe it was because up until now they could have trusted their status. They had been important, so they'd be safe… but after The Law was announced, their stupid Gryffindor bravery kicked them on the gut.
They screamed too loud, that this was insanity! That they couldn't do this to people. But The Law was stronger…
She knew they'd lost when she was invited to the ministry one morning… she knew they wouldn't be left to live in peace.
The moment she got the call, she knew it was too late… That they should have seen this coming… they should have run a long time ago… and it was too late now…
"Ron!" She told her husband… her sweet, sweet husband who had stood by her side for so long… "If I'm not back before the night, take the children and run!"
Of course, Ron had protested… but she had insisted, "Call Harry and take him and kids with you. I bet Ginny has been called too. Please, Ron! Don't try to act brave by saving me! Keep the children safe. I'll find you when I get out."
She still feels it, the dread for her children… her witty and clever, beautiful Rose and her sweet, brave Hugo… They were six and four the time she last saw them, that morning…
What happened to them? She has no idea… she can only hope, that for once, Ron listened to her and really left. That their children are safe somewhere out of this horrible place…
The thought of her children, safe, was the only thing keeping her alive anymore… the only reason she didn't jump off the bridge or hang herself to the lamp of her room… If she'd only knew they were ok…
That morning she had gone to the ministry... and been taken straight to the Red Center… six months and there was no fight left in her anymore…
Under pressure, even the strongest ones of us break…